9 Chapter 9 - Reason

"To think that those weapons would be taken away. What do you think are you doing, Chugger?" That question was directed to a dark-skinned man wearing goggles. Unlike his usual apron, he was now wearing a military uniform. The same ones as those military officers of Carnage.

"Well, I'm sorry!" He apologized. "However, you must know that the fault is not all mine here. I didn't even know that those weapons are there, when in fact they should have been stored underground!"

"He's right, Coleman." A young man dressed in all black with ocean green eyes interjected, reprimanding an old man. Normally, a young man shouldn't have the power to reprimand someone old, however, his presence is not ordinary. He's one of the heroes who once battled Catastropheia, Crimson Synclaire's bestfriend, Shura Vendict.

"Those are weapons who had individual consciousness. It will choose whoever their master is going to be. The fact that the guns chose the young lady who bought them from Chugger's shop is something we can't control." He added.

"That's right! It's not my fault!" Chugger interjected. "Besides, why would I sell something I didn't made? It just appeared there. It definitely chose that girl. It's not my fault!"

"But Shura-dono, those weapons are incredibly dangerous. It was made from the scales of Catastropheia and was made by Crimson Synclaire himself. It is a weapon that many magicians had tried to wield but failed to do so. Those were the ones responsible for the incident three years ago! To think that it'd choose someone so young." Another man, a member of the small crowd gathered inside the conference room, said.

The incident three years ago. The admission who resulted in many fatalities. The enrolment spearheaded by Bullard Brazo, however, it was actually a farce. The ones who were truly behind the incident were the people present in this conference room. The Council of Cloven Elders.

They used the candidates three years ago to test out the weapons but nobody was able to wield even one of those. In fact, the moment a person touched it, it will suck their souls and eventually eat the person's energy and make it into its own.

That's why those two weapons are very dangerous.

Apart from the fact that it was made and used by the great hero, himself, it had also been eating incompatible souls and energy that the pair of guns is probably stronger now than it was before.

"That just meant that that girl is not ordinary, right?" Said another.

"Ordinary or not, it's still too dangerous!" The old man hissed again.

"Anyway, let's just see what will happen. As far as the information showed, that girl is being interviewed at the moment by Brazo and the others. Besides, even if the guns' consciousness is active, it doesn't mean they've been awakened. And even if they do, let's just call it a blessing that the girl is a human, and our ally. And if she failed to wield them like the previous candidates, well, it's not our loss. We weren't planning on ever using the guns anyway."

The whole conference room silently agreed to what Shura Vendict stated. They accepted it like it was the right thing to do. Or was it?

--

"So, you're a princess!" Frazen exclaimed. "And to think that you're skilled enough to protect yourself. How amazing!"

I awkwardly nodded.

"You're perfectly aware that there's no special treatment in royalties while inside the school grounds, I assume?" Bullard Brazo coldly asked in which I nodded in response. I'm not really expecting anything. After all, Grucia is just a small country and that makes me a small country's princess. Not that significant, I must say.

"Bullard, stop making that kind of face. You're scaring the lady." Hertrude interjected and then winked at me. My body hairs immediately stood upright. Not that same chill I felt with Van, and yes I am calling him Van, but a totally different.

Oh please, I don't do guys.

Wait, I'm a girl, right? When I'm old enough, should I marry a guy or a girl? Wait, wait, wait. Let's not talk about this, it's giving me more chills.

"Hertrude's right, Bullard." Cleia agreed and then looked at me. "So tell me, grucian princess, Hell Freia, why do you want to get inside the Academy? I must say that Grucia may not be that well off of a country, but it is indeed peaceful. For someone who came from a peaceful country, why?"

"The reason is simple." I started, "It's because I wanted to be a hero."

Everyone's eyebrows rose.

"A hero?" Helene Grass questioned.

"Yes, a hero."

-- and I want to meet someone.

"Eh? Interesting." Bullard Brazo, for the first time, showed some interest over me. He was now resting his chin over his clasped hands. "A hero, huh. For someone like a pampered princess like you, can you even kill a monster?"

Huh?

I tilted my head.

"Why would I kill one?" I asked innocently. That made Bullard Brazo augh even more. I mean, well, it's pretty normal to kill monsters to become a hero – but that only goes for those LN's and the past of this world, however, the present is different.

"Ahaha! Naïve! Ojou, you seem to be misunderstanding something. If you want to become a hero, it is necessary to kill those monsters! Like the old hero Crimson Synclaire and his companions, they became so called heroes because they defeated the monsters led by dragons! Don't you read history books?"

A sharp pang in my head. He's totally irritating the heck of me. However, I do get his point.

"Excuse me? I do read history books and I knew what Crimso Synclaire and his thirteen fellow heroes did. However, isn't the present different from the past. As far as I know, dragonians are not a threat anymore."

"Fufu. Well, you were still 4 years old when this happened so I doubt you remember, but they've renewed their post as threat of the world. 12 years ago, a dragon emerged from the sky. It may have hidden itself from the world immediately, however, the fact that one dragon is still alive after all these years – it might mean that the rest are alive as well and they've been preparing for battle. Well, I'm not saying that you should understand this."

Well, I'm sorry but I'm quite aware of that event. That's Felix, and he was trying to save me, duh!

"And so? Does that mean that they will attack? What if it was just a mistake and they chose to disappear themselves because they wanted to live peacefully?"

"Hah! Monsters don't want peace, lady. They want war."

"Aren't you just being stubborn? Assuming monsters are naturally evil. It may have been hundred years ago, but it's all in the past. Don't you think monsters are capable of changing themselves too? You're actually just feeding your own delusions by merely assuming that monsters are all evil even if –"

Brazo suddenly smashed the table.

-- they're not.

Oops.

I could also see the shock and the frowning faces of the rest of the staff.

"Ojou… Why do I get the feeling that you are on the monsters' side?"

Blast! I spoke too much. What to do, what to do?! Think! You, idiotic self! Gather all the knowledge you acquired in your 42 years of existence! Develop some reasoning! An alibi! Something that will help you get out of this damn situation! Bakaaaaaa!

"I-I'm not." I gulped, however I did not stop. No, I couldn't stop. If I back down here, the gorilla bastard would just prove his point that I'm naïve, well maybe I am, but he, and his self-righteousness is totally pissing me off. And thus, I continued.

"I'm not saying this because I'm on the monsters' side. I wanted to be hero. A hero that would protect the weak, a hero that would extend a hand to those who are in need. Be it humans or monsters. Believing that we can coexist. Being a hero is not just killing over Dark Lords or Over Lords or whatever. What is that, a joke? Why would we kill someone who does not exist at all? Fixating on things that you aren't sure of, forgetting about the shouts of those people in need. Like seriously, who are you serving? Is it really the people or your self-preservation?" I answered sarcastically.

Nobody answered.

I mentally gulped.

I just… picked a fight, right?

I did, right?

Right on the get go?! When I'm still on the process of admission?!

I mentally slapped myself, and mentally hit my head onto a wall. Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!

However, that dreadful feeling went into the drain when Bullard Brazo suddenly laughed.

"Oujo, I must apologize if I called you naïve." Eh? Why? What did I do for him to apologize? Eh? Eeeeeeh?

"Indeed, Miss Hell is very perceptive. Unusual for a Princess, but I guess, to be able to construct a judgement that loops around the people instead of the war – you must've acquired your belief from repeatedly reading history books and wanting to become a hero." For the first time, Helena Grass talked a lot.

"Umu. However, Miss Hell, if you wanted to protect those who are in need and the monsters as well, isn't it enough to rule over the Kingdom of Grucia? I did hear that the current King and Queen are fond of the monsters that they built a village for them." It was Hertrude who spoke.

I tilted my head and looked sideways. "Well, I want to travel the world in the process too."

-- and meet someone. I omitted those words because I decided it was unimportant.

The five of them nodded.

"Uhmm, excuse me? Aren't you going to get angry at me? I mean, I think I just picked a fight against all of you." I asked.

"Eh? Why would we? It's your belief. We can't do something about that, can we?" Frazen tilted her head like I just asked a weird question.

"Frazen's right. Though your view on monsters is a bit troubling, however, your belief is not something we can change. And personally, it's not that bad." Cleia seconded.

"Right. Besides, we're tired of this unending preparation for war. I want to freely go out in the city and enjoy myself with girls, you know! And this preparation is not helping at all!" Confirm. I'm really disgusted with this pervert ikemen! Even if I'm an ikemen in the past, I wouldn't act like some kind of a playboy. I'm a loyal ikemen.

Well, I was.

"Uhm, can I go now?" I finally asked.

"Well, we didn't go over the script, but your response was enough, so you can go. Goodluck on the final round!" Frazen happily nodded so I walked towards the exit. That's when Bullard Brazo spoke.

"Have you named your new weapons?"

I turned around. Eh? How did he know that my guns are actually knew? He can't be possibly talking about Siguinaguran because it's currently in Felix' possession.

"Uhm, no?"

"Ah, I see. You should name them. They'd be happy."

Huh? What was that all about?

I wanted to ask but the next candidate, Felix, already went inside the room so I just went outside.

They'd be happy?

I stared at my guns.

Who would?

"Hmm… To become a hero for both humans and monsters. You are really interesting." Someone spoke behind me, however, I didn't flinch. Somehow, I expected he'd appear like a mushroom behind me.

"Thanks." I said, not really meaning it.

Though his words reminded me of what I did back there. Ah, I really shouldn't have done that. Even if those guys are chill with my thoughts, what if they weren't? Well, let's just be thankful they are.

Anyway, I did say some pretty cool things back there.

When in fact in reality, I just wanted to become a hero in order to be popular.

Pretty lame but again, for someone who came from a world without magic and heroes only being told in stories, who wouldn't want to become a hero? Even if I've lived 16 years as Hell, and my internal desires were neutralized thanks to being born as a girl, Hellium Dexter still lives inside me. And my mental desires born out from my delusions and chuunibyou, are the only ones I have. It will be a waste not to feed those desires when I'm living in a world where I could fulfill everything.

"Okay~ I'll support you." My thoughts were stopped when the guy beside me uttered those words.

"Eh?"

"Eh, what?"

"You said you'd support me? Support me for what?"

"Coexistence of humans and monsters." He dropped the bomb like it was nothing.

"Eh? Why?"

"Am I obliged to tell you the reason?"

"Yes! I mean, you're already weird enough from keeping our secrets, and then saying you'd support me just like that. Are you nuts?" I asked quite frankly.

"Well, probably." And then Van laughed, "My reason is simple. It's interesting… and you remind me of someone I know."

I frowned. However, even if I ask any further, I'd probably not get anything from him. He's the secretive type of person even if he seems to be outgoing and easy to read.

"Ah, I see." I said and then walked out. Everything that happened drained me that I wanted to eat ice cream. I don't care if Van will follow me to the restaurant where Felix and I ate before, but he didn't so I ate ice cream alone.

As I thought, chocolate ice cream is the best!

--

Hee Van Virgo stood there while watching the silhouette of a young lady fade into view. He doesn't know what Hell was thinking, however, she seems not to mind being around him. That actually put him at ease. For years, he's been treated like a monster and was feared, however, there were weird people who accepted him in the past.

Just like him, huh.

A picture of a blonde young man appeared in his memory. However, except for his hair, the rest resembled the face of that young lady. Bright red eyes, pale white skin, even the look of surprised and her I-don't-really-care look…

"Hey, Hexus, you listening? That girl, he really reminds me of you… "

He thought, holding a blood red crystal, in which he raised in the sky.

"Wake up already… so I can introduce her to you."