Team SWRZ - Volume 1 - Chapter 21 - Unveiled Truth!

A pair of twin blades swiped through the air, slicing down the weak, unfortunate opponents in their path. Two bodies flew out of the bounds of the ring, hitting the ground hard as their aura broke. The owner of the blades, [Bark & Bite], belonged to none other than the charismatic and possibly psychotic leader of Team SWRZ, Schwartz der Hund. The young man raised his weapons into the light, inspecting them for any blood.

No blood in sight.

The young man sighed in relief and sheathed his weapons before smirking at his teammates in the stands. His partner, Watchet Amin, applauded the team leader's efforts and victory in the mock battle. Initially, the point of the fight was to exercise the team's growth throughout the past few weeks. But Schwartz insisted on defeating an entire group on his own.

Sure, it was another way to boast about his superior skills amongst the rest of the class. But it was also to show up his rival, the leader of Team WEIS, Wei Tian. Word had reached him that the White Tiger Faunus also defeated a team of students on his own.

"That marks the end of this combat exercise," The class instructor, Lilith Hale, spoke all too calmly as she messed with the scroll in her hands. She never bothered to move her eyes away from the screen, as she knew the outcome of the sparring match before it even began. Schwartz showed promise in battle, but his team-leading skills needed some work. "Class is dismissed."

Most of the students were eager to leave class, especially Rowan Cassidy. She collected her bag and left the room as fast as she could, only that time, her partner, Zorina Teufel, followed.

Meanwhile, Watchet stepped down from the bleachers and approached his partner with a small smile. "Congratulations on your victory, Schwartz," He said.

"Ah, it was nothing special," Schwartz stepped over the beaten bodies of the students from the team...well, he didn't bother to remember their names.

"Well, at least you are humble," Watchet commented, although others wouldn't see it as humbleness as much as it was arrogance. "Defeating an entire team singlehandedly is not something most students can do."

"I'm sure you could do it too if you trained a bit harder," Schwartz noted.

"I will be sure to do that. Also, Schwartz, there is something I should inform you about..." Watchet brought his face incredibly close to Schwartz's ear. Thankfully, the first-year student was more than used to Watchet's habit of invading the personal space of others. But it didn't make it any less creepy. "That woman at the top-left corner of the room. She has been watching you for quite some time now."

Schwartz's eyes focused on the woman in question, a licensed Huntress and former member of Team PWTR, Max Wisteria. A few days passed since he'd encountered the woman in the middle of the forest. Ever since that dreadful day, Wisteria had come to all his classes under the guise of "supervising." Schwartz knew all too well that the Huntress was observing him.

It was a blatant show that she'd figured out his identity. She'd thrown the concept of subtly out the window. That didn't bother him as much. What frustrated him was that she hadn't made any moves to contact him or anything like that secretly.

What was it that she was waiting for?

"You think she's in love with me?" Schwartz dismissed it as a joke. He didn't want anyone else getting involved in his business. The more people that interfered, the more people he would have to kill to keep his secret. While Watchet annoyed him from time to time, he'd much rather avoid ending his life if he could.

"The possibility never crossed my mind. However..." Watchet couldn't put his finger on it. He was aware that the Huntress saved his teammates back in the forest, but he couldn't comprehend the meaning behind the woman's strange behavior.

"Don't worry about it, Watchet. Let's get moving." Schwartz commanded.

Watchet offered no further complaints and followed his team leader, deciding to keep an eye on the situation for the time being. As they approached the exit, Wisteria stepped out and blocked their path. A soft, if not a forced, smile spread on the woman's face as she said, "Nice moves out there."

"Thanks," Schwartz responded.

"Where did you learn to fight like that? Your fighting style seems rather unorthodox." Wisteria noted.

"The wilder my moves are, the harder it is for my enemies to read them," Schwartz stated, purposely evading the question. He remembered from the fake transcripts provided to him by Bruna that he "trained" at Sanctum Academy. But he couldn't give that out as an answer in case of follow-up questions.

Wisteria immediately noticed how the student dodged her question. She could practically feel the arrogance behind Schwartz's words. The Huntress suppressed her rage and decided to leave the topic alone for now.

"Well, congratulations on your win. You have a promising future ahead of you." Wisteria smiled and outstretched her arm for a handshake.

Schwartz forced a smile and reached for her hand, only to have it swatted away by Professor Hale, who practically appeared out of nowhere to shake the fellow Huntresses' hand instead.

"Thanks again for supervising the class again, Max. But my students should be going," Lilith suggested. Taking the hint, Schwartz and Watchet left the room.

"What are you doing, Lilith?" Wisteria glared at the woman for the sudden interference.

"I'm the one that should be asking you that. What were you thinking trying to use your Semblance on one of my students?" Lilith sharply interrogated the Huntress. Of course, she knew the answer. But she wanted to hear it straight from the woman's mouth before acting accordingly.

"I...I..." Wisteria hesitated to answer. That hesitation infuriated the instructor. That fact was evident once Lilith pinned the woman against the nearest wall.

"Listen very carefully, Max. Because I'm only going to say this once," Lilith raised her index finger to Wisteria's face. "Stay away from my students. If you think they're involved with that bandit raid, then issue that concern to Lionheart as you suggested. He'll handle the investigation from there. If I catch you trying to mark my student again, I will personally see to it that you're punished severely. Nod if you understand."

Wisteria's eyes dilated. Her breathing grew heavy as she stared into the eyes of Lilith. It was a glimpse of rage she'd never seen in the woman's eyes in her entire life. To minimize the risk of angering the woman any further, Wisteria quickly nodded her head, hoping that would appease and quell the woman's rage.

"I-I-I understand," Wisteria faintly responded.

"Good," Lilith released Wisteria. "Now fuck off,"

Wisteria gritted her teeth and stormed out of the room, unaware that Watchet had stayed behind and overheard the entire conversation.

"Interesting..." Watchet smirked and followed after the Huntress, believing that he'd come across a goldmine of information. He steadily kept his eyes on the Huntress throughout the entire day. His suspicions were correct. The woman focused solely on Schwartz as she continued supervising every class he attended.

When nightfall came, Watchet excused himself from the team and went on a nightly stroll. During his walk, he "coincidentally" crossed paths with Wisteria out in the courtyard.

"Excuse me, Ms. Wisteria?" Watchet called out to the woman.

Wisteria turned to face the young student and responded, "Yes? Who are you?"

"Forgive me for not introducing myself before," Watchet placed his hand on his chest and politely bowed to the Huntress in a smooth, well-practiced motion. "My name is Watchet Amin. I am a member of Team SWRZ."

Wisteria's eyes narrowed at the mere mention of the team name. It was bad enough that Schwartz raided her caravan and killed her partner, but the bastard dared to sneak into Haven Academy and become a leader of a team himself. She couldn't bring herself to laugh at such horrendous irony. If she didn't do something quickly, she believed the entire squad would become criminals in the future.

"Is there something you need from me?" Wisteria inquired.

"A few questions of mine answered," Watchet spoke all too calmly as he approached the Huntress. "It is not every day that alumni Huntresses come to Haven to supervise classes. I understand now and then, but the past few days have left me suspicious."

"What are you getting at?"

"Why are you here, ma'am?"

"W-Why am I here?"

"Yes," Watchet nodded. "Your eyes have been affixed to my team leader for quite some time. I would like to know the reason behind that."

Wisteria gritted her teeth, trying to find a proper excuse to fool the student before her. She couldn't know what went through Watchet's mind. Was he in league with Schwartz? It was possible since they were on the same team. Or was it merely a curious student? There was no way to tell for sure.

"Are you aware of the Vytal Festival?" Wisteria began.

"Yes, I am aware of it," Watchet responded, wondering where the woman was going.

"It's customary for alumni to scout talent for the Vytal Festival. Your team caught my eye,"

"Interesting," Watchet lowered his gaze to the floor, allowing his shades to fall from his face. Wisteria reached out, caught them, and looked up, only to make direct eye contact with the young man. His eyes flashed multiple colors as he activated his Semblance. In response, Wisteria's eyes flashed the same colors as his. "Now, how about you tell me the truth behind your objectives?"