Chapter 10: Payback in Progress
Yosen Magic Affiliated College – Training Field, Break Period.
Other than the training facility, there was also an open field where students could engage in leisure activities.
These ranged from sports to various other pastimes.
The field was a wide clearing, spacious enough to accommodate several other facilities.
At the moment, however—
Damian stood in the middle of the training field, arms crossed, as he watched Tendou Ayaka adjust her stance.
A gentle breeze swept through the grass, carrying the faint scent of sweat and grass.
Around them, students were scattered in pairs, practicing their teamworks.
Though it was technically break time, the students however, were already feeling the pressure of Yosen's bizarre standards.
"You're gripping it too tight."
Damian said evenly.
Ayaka glanced down at the hilt of her katana, a slight furrow in her brow.
"Too tight?"
"Yeah. You're a woman, it would be more flexible for you if you relaxed your grip a little."
She tilted her head, but nodded, adjusting her stance, this time letting the sword rest more naturally in her hands.
"Better," Damian said, offering a small nod of approval. "Now, try again."
Ayaka exhaled slowly, flowing into her movements, the sword tracing a seamless arc through the air.
The blade shimmered as it sliced forward, she could feel it, her movements with the sword were… smoother now.
"There we go," Damian said. "See? Much smoother."
Ayaka paused, her chest rising and falling as she caught her breath.
She gave him a rare smile. "Thanks, Damian."
"Don't thank me yet," Damian replied with a faint smirk. "We're only getting started."
The two like that continued. More like Damian leading her on.
Despite all her prior discipline and training, she absorbed his advice without hesitation.
She hadn't complained once—and she knew that if she kept this up, she would improve even further.
Meanwhile –
At the same time, Shane sat near the edge of an elevated section of the field, a tablet in hand.
His eyes lazily scanned the screen, which was filled with data on student performance, mana allocation, and skill distribution.
"Physical stats... solid," Shane muttered, tapping the screen. "Magic output... a little shaky, but manageable."
He leaned back with an exasperated sigh.
"Seriously, why did she make me do this? Grading people isn't my thing..."
That demonic instructor had roped—or rather, threatened—him into evaluating the students' skills, teamwork, and a whole bunch of other things.
According to her:
"Just do it. And by the way, if you slack off or try to be impartial, I'll deduct from your grades. Heh."
That damned demonic instructor.
Shane had lost count of how many times he'd cursed her name in the past two days alone.
"Haah... What a drag," he muttered under his breath.
Still, the real reason she dumped the task on him—it was precisely because this kind of thing was his specialty.
His gaze drifted toward Damian and Ayaka, watching them spar.
Their movements were smooth, their rhythm in perfect sync.
Yet, something didn't sit right. He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
"...Something's off," Shane murmured to himself.
There was an odd feeling—something he couldn't quite put into words just yet.
"Maybe it's just me."
Student Council Office – Break Period.
In the student council office, all the executives of the student council sat down on their seats.
Currently, Enma was being introduced to the student council; he didn't get the chance to meet yesterday.
"This is Emiya Kinji, our vice president."
Eira said, gesturing toward a dark-haired, relaxed-looking male.
"Nice to meet you, Enma."
He shot Enma a nod, to which Enma responded with a nod of his own too.
"Next. Tsubaki Tsukasa, treasurer."
A waist-length dark-haired petite girl with glasses, wearing a more uniform version of everybody's customised uniform, gave Enma a polite nod.
She didn't greet Enma, nor did Enma bother too, other than both just shooting a nod at each other.
"And over there, Astra Draven, general affairs."
Astra, a young-looking energetic blond-haired girl, the type Enma can't handle the most, gave a small wave and a charming smile.
"Yahoo☆ Nice to meet you~☆"
She sent him a wink, to which Enma lazily responded with a nod.
Finally, Eira gestured toward a broad-shouldered young man with an intense gaze.
"And last but not least, Regulus Aegis, chairman of the disciplinary committee."
Regulus sat close to the student president, occupying a seat of authority.
The imposing man gave Enma a curt nod, which Enma returned in kind.
"Everyone, he'll be our new member, taking on the position of Secretary," Eira announced.
Enma inclined his head slightly.
"Nice to meet you all. My name is Enma Creed. I'll do my part."
The rest of the council gave nods in unison, and soon the discussion shifted to semester planning.
However, now wasn't the time to share certain sensitive information.
Once the academic planning was wrapped up, Eira leaned back in her chair, her gaze settling on Enma.
"By the way, I probably shouldn't mention this... but since you're part of the council now, I'll tell you."
She paused briefly, then continued, "The board of directors isn't exactly thrilled with you and your brothers."
Enma didn't flinch, nor did he appear surprised.
He met her gaze steadily and gave a slow nod. "I figured."
This kind of resistance was nothing new for the Creed brothers—if anything, it was well within their expectations.
Eira gave an approving nod at his composed response. "You don't seem bothered."
"I'm not," Enma replied calmly.
After that, Eira herself, calmly put the matter to rest.
Regulus, noticing the meeting was winding down, decided to speak up.
"Now that the student council has its new recruit," he began, "can we recommend someone else for the committee?"
The room went silent for a brief moment.
Kinji, the vice president, looked like he was about to say something, but before he could—
—Enma spoke up first, brought back too, only by the words he heard from the disciplinary chairman.
Without hesitation, he answered, "Kaiden Creed."
The other council members paused, exchanging glances, even Eira raised an eyebrow.
"Your brother, huh?" she mused, tilting her head.
Enma gave a small, knowing smile.
"He's perfect for the job. He has the ability to restrain and weaken his target effectively."
Perhaps, it was revenge for what his brothers put him through.
Retribution has gotten to Shane already. Kaiden was the remainder.
Hearing this, nearly everyone in the room widened their eyes slightly.
Indeed, with those abilities, he does seem fitting—just as Enma had said.
Eira didn't need to think it over for long. She gave a nod.
"I'll back that recommendation."
Regulus on the second, stroked his chin thoughtfully before nodding in agreement.
"Alright. I'll send someone to retrieve him."
Training Facility – MSR 101.
By this time, the break had practically ended.
There were about three more hours until the school day came to a close.
Pairs of students were engaging with simulated monsters.
The monster for the day was classified as Enlightened-rank, forcing the students to coordinate closely.
They had to switch between offensive and defensive roles, learning how to support each other effectively.
Celeste and Shane stood at the edge of the facility.
"You'd better grade fairly." Celeste muttered, her cigarette dangling lazily from her lips.
"If I see any favoritism, your grades are taking a hit."
Shane groaned but gave a nod. "Yeah, yeah. I got it. You've already said that."
His eyes followed Damian and Ayaka as they fought their monster together.
The way they moved was seamless—almost in sync.
No…It was Damian, who was guiding Ayaka towards her next move.
"How am I even supposed to grade that?" Shane muttered, mentally shaking his head.
Just then, two members of the disciplinary committee arrived at the field.
One of them—a brown-haired, lean, sharp-eyed boy—approached Celeste and Shane.
"Good day, Ma'am. We're here for Kaiden Creed," the boy said, saluting.
Shane raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.
The other committee member, a tall and haughty-looking male, glanced at Damian and Ayaka, who were just rounding up their drill.
"What are you two here for? To disturb my class? If so, go away."
While the haughty one looked at Damian, Celeste scolded the more polite-looking member.
"Haha. Ma'am, sorry for the intrusion, we were sent by our Chairman to get Kaiden Creed."
"Fuu."
Celeste exhaled a puff of smoke and motioned to Kaiden, who had finished his drill.
"Take him and be done."
Celeste said this haughtily, and the polite disciplinary member bowed and scurried over to Kaiden.
"Hey, boy over there."
As the first member approached Kaiden, the second one glanced at Shane.
"Who's that guy?"
The second disciplinary member pointed over at Damian.
Shane tilted his head slightly and nodded slowly, confused.
As if noticing the confusion, the second disciplinary member harrumphed.
"Hmph. I've been given authority to recruit any student from A class I find promising."
Celeste hearing those arrogant words, raised an eyebrow, amused.
'To target a Creed like that, what does that student have? Balls of Steel?'
She shook her head and left it to Shane to handle, as always.
"He's Damian Creed. Anything wrong?" Shane answered after a blink.
"Good." The disciplinary member ignored Shane and went over to Damian.
Shane didn't say anything, as he watched him head over to Damian, leaving him to his fate.
"Fuu. I tried my best."
"You didn't even try."
"I was never going to stop him."
"Ha! I like you."
Both of them relaxed as they watched what would happen.
Heck, Celeste grabbed the air for popcorn, only to realise she had nothing on her.
'Damn.'
Despite being instructors, their job was merely to inform and watch, not to teach or guide.
These kids were already adults.
Unless it was a dangerous or serious situation, they almost never interfered with student squabbles.
And even when it escalates, the disciplinary committee is the one to handle, not instructors even.
—The committee member walked over to Damian and Ayaka, ignoring Ayaka with a cold look.
"Follow us to the DC office," the boy ordered flatly.
Damian frowned. "No."
The boy was gutsy, Damian thought. However, the boy's expression twisted in irritation.
"Don't get cocky, Creed. Just because you're ranked second doesn't mean you can act like you own the place."
Damian's gaze sharpened, a dangerous glint in his eyes.
"Huh?"
The reason for this sudden hostility was unclear.
Regulus Aegis had already ordered that as long as they looked promising, he could recruit.
The first one was recommended by the student council, which was understandable.
However, some in the disciplinary council frowned but did not oppose it.
—No, as long as they did their work, the Disciplinary Council didn't care, no matter who you were.
"I said, follow me."
However, this disciplinary member acted in a way that was unbefitting for his position.
Damian sighed, "Haah. If you want me to listen, make me." His frown deepened.
"Is that a threat?"
"A threat, call it whatever you want. You know what? Let's make this interesting, shall we?"
Damian said coolly. "If you fail to make me listen, I'll take your spot on the committee."
"Ha! You think someone like you can actually do anything to me—?"
"Hey! What are you doing?"
At this point, the other disciplinary member had noticed the commotion and walked over.
"—But sure. You're on."
However, it was too late.
The haughty disciplinary member had already accepted the challenge.