Goals

I finally got a chance to be alone, with Ms. Turner telling me that she would let me rest. In the end, I think I got it through to her that no matter what, Zero would keep fighting for what he believed in. What he believed in and what James wanted to believe in.

Staring up at the roof, I was having a hard time deciding whether or not accepting getting this body was a good or bad idea. 'It's only been a couple of days...'

How insane it was that in just a couple of days, I had learned more about myself than I did in so many years of living on earth and on Tella. However, that didn't mean that my goal had changed. No, it only strengthened my resolve to make sure I would accomplish both of my goals.

The first one was destroying whatever sick kind of plans the gods had for this world, even if it meant I would have to go against what Zero believed in. We both wanted the same thing; to change this world. But I felt like we had different opinions on how to do it.

As James, I wanted to completely obliterate the plans that the ones in power had, and I wasn't talking about kings or nobles. James' enemies were the unknown circumstances behind this world, and the gods responsible for them.

Zero just wanted to change this world by showing them that there was another way you could live. That life didn't have to be centered around desperately struggling for power, that if everyone just started caring for each other a bit more, it wouldn't take much for the world to become a better place.

'But...'

There was one thing I felt was missing from Zero's point of view, a part that I had no idea how he felt about it.

As he was a derivation from me, Zero also believed that all humans, elves, dwarves, and beastmen were all created equally and that circumstances shaped who they would become. Of course, he believed that, in the end, everyone had to make their own decisions, but they were always based on context.

But what about demons? Shouldn't he see them as the same? If he was going to fulfill the mission given to him by Theia, wouldn't that mean he would disregard his own values? Or was there something about demons that made it okay to kill them?

'I'm too tired...'

Feeling my eyes becoming heavy, I couldn't be bothered to think about this anymore, as my brain had already overheated a long time ago. As the freedom of sleep started taking over my body, there was still something that brought a slight smile to my face.

'But it's funny... The second goal... we want the same thing...'

****

[Caroline's Pov]

Lying in bed, I had an incredibly hard time falling asleep. It had been the same yesterday, after what Zero did, but I thought that it should have passed by now.

'Shit... He is too unpredictable...'

My brain had been working overtime these past two days to think of ways that I could use the one regarded as a child of god. Yet, when I thought about meddling with that thing... It was too scary!

Even if I understood that he was trying to make a point by acting like that, who in their right mind would just start launching such massive spells at someone out of nowhere?! And it didn't help that he was a complete monster!

If I didn't know better, I could have sworn that the last spell he used, that angel of water, was at least something comparable to [A]-rank, and what kind of insanity was it that a freshman could conjure such spells?

"Argh! How can such a person exist?! It doesn't make sense!"

The worst part wasn't even the fact that he was a monster in terms of power. It was his way of viewing the world. Though his words had left quite a mark on all of us, I knew that most of us knew very well that it was just sophistry.

I could agree that it was sad that some people were being oppressed by the strong, like the beastmen around the world, but that was the way things worked. If the strong didn't get to use their position to rule, what was the point of being strong?

Me, I knew that I wouldn't ever be able to get myself into such a position, which was why I needed another way of gaining power. The powerful weren't necessarily the ones who were strong, but oftentimes they were the ones who held the authority to use those who had strength.

But now the one who held that strength turned out to be something I didn't think I could control, and I doubted that anyone could. 'Zero... What are you?'

When Ms. Turner had talked about him coming from the church, and the rumors about a child of god attending Ainu, I had of course taken it with a huge bucket of salt. In my mind, I had thought that it was probably a story that was extremely exaggerated. Yet now, I wasn't sure anymore.

"Is he really sent here by Theia herself? And is he honestly going to be the one who will protect us?"

Thinking about him standing in front of me, defending me with his powerful magic, I couldn't stop myself from blushing a bit. Even if I was fully intent on trying to use him as much as possible, it would be a lie to say that I wasn't attracted to him.

The way he wasn't afraid to cry, his illuminating smiles, and the resolve he had shown during the duels; all of these things were stuck in my head. It was as if he was the embodiment of emotions, something that I wasn't familiar with at all. The contrast from the way I was taught to always hide my thoughts in order to get the upper hand was incredibly appealing to me.

Though I knew some people like Stella, who were somewhat similar, it just didn't feel the same way. Even they had elements that were conforming to the unspoken conventions of society, which inevitably dampened their emotions.

Zero, however, didn't seem to have that or be like that. He just... was? Though it was clear that he was trying his best to learn how these norms and expectations worked, it didn't appear that it was to conform. It was more like he was trying to understand the world so he could change it.

"Maybe he could... Wait, what am I thinking?! No matter how special he is, there is no way he could change how the world works."

Human greed and the desire to want more was too strong, it was in our nature to want more than we currently have. So even if he was extremely powerful, how could he possibly change how humans viewed the world?

Once again, my mind wandered to the events that had played out yesterday. Seeing Zero surrounded by violent, blue water that followed his every whim, how he at some point completely cornered Arthur just to fall for some unknown reason.

'I wonder if he is alright?'

It had been scary seeing how his eyes, mouth, and ears just suddenly started bleeding profusely as if his whole body was just giving up. If Stella had been awake, I didn't doubt that she would fall back down as soon as she witnessed the grotesque face filled with blood.

Sophie Red, the girl that he pretended to assault to show us an example of people abusing their powers, had been desperately running after our teacher when she carried him away, and, for some reason, it made my heart beat a little faster.

'Haaa... Why do I even care? I should just try to avoid him. There will be nothing good for me if I try and meddle with someone like that.'

In the end, it wasn't worth it. Even if Zero was powerful, cute, handsome, sweet, cool, and charming, it wasn't worth it to risk everything I had been working for just to get along with him. At least not more than as a friend.

'Right! There's no reason why I can't stay close to him as a friend! In fact, wouldn't that make me someone he would want to protect a bit more?'

Although I had to change my plans a bit, it was too early to give up completely! Yes, if it was too risky to attempt seducing him and manipulating him, then I could just stay as his friend! Even if the payout was a lot lower, the risks were practically non-existent.

There was just one thing that bothered me about this plan...

'But... what if he falls for Stella then? Or Sophie? Or maybe even Thomas?!'

With my mind continuing to run in circles, I was in for yet another sleepless night as I thought about the possibility of the huge man gently grabbing Zero and...