A step forward [1]

[Sophie's Pov]

"-Yet another terrorist attack has been reported, this time in in the city of Biel. From the investigation, it seems likely to be another instigation from the demonkind. Though the military and the major guilds were quick to act many lives seems to have been lost. Following this..."

Turning off the TV, Arthur didn't seem too keen on listening anymore to yet another news report about the ongoing attacks. Truth be told, I was also pretty sick of listening to them, not because I didn't care, but because I could do nothing to stop them.

So what point was there in just feeling bad about something I had no control over?

Three weeks had already passed since we returned from the border, and although I couldn't say that anything had changed, we were all working harder than ever to grow stronger.

Me, Sarah, Sebastian and Arthur had all seen and felt just how powerless we were out there in the real world, and just how far we had to go before we could truly make an impact.

"Shall we go?"

"Mm."

So following Arthur, we were once again going out together with the people we know called our party. Our destination? A dungeon, of course!

==========

Dodging to the side, I managed to escape the dire fate of being crushed to death by the giant hoof of the mammoth in front of us. At the same time, I had bought enough time for our ranged damage-dealers to do their job.

"Anna, Bella!"

"Yes, yes. [Piercing Shot]!"

"Geez! [Orb of Decay]!"

As a muddy orb and a glowing arrow made impact with the wooly monster, it finally staggered after our incredibly long fight. Seeing their opportunity, Sebastian and Adriana both dashed forward, their weapons at the ready.

""Hupp!""

*Splat!*

With its head pierced by both a long spear and a rapier it didn't even take a second for the light to leave the eyes of the boss monster we had just defeated. A monster that we had already fought multiple times just to improve our coordination.

"Good job, everyone."

With us finally clearing the dungeon, the one who I had forbidden from fighting stepped forward, praising us for our achievement. Smiling brightly, it was impossible to miss the fact that Arthur was incredibly happy when seeing our improvements.

Though it felt a bit weird to have to force the once weak and meek Arthur from fighting because he was too strong, the feeling of getting praised heavily outweighed it. Not to mention the sense of accomplishment after clearing our first [C]-rank dungeon by ourselves.

The Wild Planes was the name of the dungeon we had just managed to clear, a dungeon which consisted of a very large, open field filled with different kinds of magical beasts. From mutated deers to huge bears and finally the boss; A humongous mammoth with monstrous defenses.

These few weeks, we had started going on more dives than ever, even in our free time, to make sure we could grow as strong as possible. And although Anna, Bella, Adriana and...

"But! I didn't get to do anything?! When is it my turn?!"

"Calm down, Suzan."

Yes, Suzan had somehow also become part of our party, mostly because Sebastian seemed to be incapable of refusing her. Anyway, even though neither of these three had the same goal as the four of us who had shared that night at the camp, they were still fully resolved on growing stronger with us.

'Though, I'm not sure if we could be called a party with this size...'

Me, Arthur, Sarah, Sebastian, Anna, Bellatrix, Adriana and Suzan... Eight people in one party, wasn't that more like a very small guild?

Still, I didn't dislike it. Because this was a start at least. The start of me possibly being able to change the people around me, to try my best and show them different ways of doing things.

"But! I also want to fight! Wait, aren't there still more monsters here...? I'll be right back!"

"Hey, wait! Shit!"

Ignoring the fact that a certain yellow-haired girl ran away on her own, and a purple-haired youth had to run after her, I only looked at the artificial sky with a smile.

'I am finally moving forward...'

Turning my head to the side, a certain princess clad in the black student uniform and holding a staff seemed to feel the same way. She was also finally able to move forward, with her own strength.

****

[3rd person Pov ]

"I'm telling you! There's no way that Zero was just a disguise! I have no idea what kind of person that James is or was, but do you think it makes sense that he suddenly gained the power to heal out of nowhere?!"

"Calm down, Dr. Smith. I understand your confusion, but we were all fooled by him. Though I can't explain how he suddenly attained the power of healing, I can assure you that Zero wasn't real. Just like I have told you for weeks on end now.

Standing in front of Frederick, the doctor who had been given the mission to make sure Zero could live for as long as possible was in utter disbelief. Disbelief because of how utterly insane the situation was.

Unfortunately, the principal had already long grown tired of the constant discussion with Dr. Smith, and even though he was a valuable resource to have at the academy, it wasn't worth the headache of trying to dismiss him every day.

Still, he knew he had to dismay the man from trying to uncover the truth, as the truth about Zero was now more than entangled with his own agendas.

"Dr. Smith. I will make myself very clear now, so please do listen carefully. Zero was merely..."

"It's fine, Frederick. I will tell him myself."

Out of one of the dark corners of the room, a figure clad in a gray suit appeared, his face completely covered by a white mask. A white mask adorned with a single red stripe and a vibrant blue tear.

"You...?!"

Surprised to suddenly see the man whom he had heard so many stories about, Dr. Smith took a step back. At the same time, the principal couldn't help but sigh at the appearance of the unexpected visitor. Or at least, somewhat unexpected.

These last couple of weeks, the entity known as James had somehow started coming and going just as pleased in the academy, without even the principal being able to detect his presence. Even worse was that after he signed that contract, there was nothing he could do about it.

Sighing, Frederick could only swallow his words, and sensing the eyes behind the mask, he stood up with the intention of leaving the foolish doctor and the madman alone.

"Don't take too much time. I still have work to do, after all."

[Dr. Smith's Pov]

'What the fuck is happening?'

Somehow, after trying yet again to convince the principal that Zero couldn't be the same person as James, the man himself had somehow shown up from nowhere, now placing himself on the principal's seat behind the desk.

"Oh, please do sit down, Mr. Smith. This might take a while, after all."

'I have to run...!'

Knowing that I had to do something, I quickly turned around and headed for the door. Just as I was about to reach the handle, a huge wall of water emerged and blocked my way, intent on not letting me escape.

"Please don't do that, Mr. Smith. Now, I don't really care if you don't want to sit down, but you should at the very least listen to what I have to say. Also, if you didn't notice it, it's not like Frederick will save you."

Turning around, I once more faced the masked man, accepting the fact that he wouldn't allow me to run away.

"...what do you want?"

"What I want?"

Putting one leg over the other, he looked as carefree as ever, not caring about the fact that he might run the risk of revealing himself to the world at all.

"I want you."

"What do you mean?"

Slowly walking forward, I sat down in front of him, making sure I could at least sit down comfortable if I was to meet my end here.

"I meant exactly what I said. I want you to work for me."

A tinge of anger lit up inside of me when hearing his words, quickly followed by confusion. However, before I could even open my mouth, he continued.

"Because we share the same goal. We want to change the world."

"How could you ever believe that we share the same...!"

"A world where it doesn't matter if you're wealthy or poor. A world where everyone gets the chance to live their lives, no matter what family they belong to. Isn't that your goal?"

"That might be so. But how could I ever believe that you share the same dreams?"

Although I couldn't understand where he might have learned of my hopeless dreams, it was still not nearly enough to convince me.

"Because you already know me. You have known me for a relatively long time now. So what if I told you that we can make death a bit more fair in this world?"

Taking of his mask, complemented by his choice of words, it was impossible not to face the truth in front of me. His sky blue eyes complemented by the pristine white hair framing a handsome yet still innocent face.

"So, you are really Zero?"

"No. Zero is already dead, and he would have wanted you to know this."

And then there it was, something that unmistakingly proved the fact that James wasn't Zero. Because the smile that appeared on his face was nothing like the glowing smile of Zero's. Instead, he carried the smile of a devil.

"He died in the most unfair way possible."