Of Monsters and Men [6]

Coming out to the open world, I was met by the pale faces of the freshmen and sophomores of Ainu, most of them kneeling on the ground, with the exception of the ones I had previously met on the hill outside of the capital.

Just like always, Sophie's face carried the weight of extreme guilt, sorrow, and frustration when she saw me, while Arthur and Sebastian both seemed incredibly tense.

'Unfortunately, I don't have time for them right now...'

No, instead of focusing on them, my eyes landed on the trio in front of the students. Two very familiar teachers and one very familiar principal. Three individuals that I considered extremely responsible for the situation at hand.

Yet, they weren't ultimately the ones behind this. Not any more than the rest of the academy, or the rest of the nation. They were only following orders, after all.

Though it had to be said...

How ridiculously ironic was it that as soon as they saw the figure of Zero arriving, they instantly made the decision to venture out here? Was there anyone who would believe the notion of 'all lives are equal' when they could happily sacrifice hundreds of soldiers without batting an eye, but as soon as Zero was in danger, they moved without hesitation?

So, looking straight into the dim eyes of the old man, I waited. I waited for what the man who I was now sure knew all along about Zero and James was about to say. To see if he would even waste his time explaining the situation to the enemy of the nation. And, for some reason, he decided to do so.

"Zero... Or should I say, James?"

A ridiculous start to what I assumed was going to be a ridiculous conversation.

"Doesn't matter."

Taking a step forward, as always clad in my gray suit, I showed him my willingness to hear him out, though I knew it would be meaningless. Still, a game was meant to be enjoyed, so why wouldn't I play by the rules as long as they fit my desires?

And it would be a lie to say I wasn't interested in what he had to say.

"Then I will go with James, as that was your original name, after all. To start, I just want you to make sure you recognize what kind of situation you're currently in, right?"

Taking a look around, I could see more teachers start to step up, circling around me to show just how disadvantageous this scenario was. Among the teachers, a lot of familiar faces were present, with even Mrs. Bright taking a step forward.

With all of them clad in different robes and armor, all wielding swords, canes, or bows, I knew that the principal's words weren't just empty threats. Right now, they weren't just teachers. Right now they were soldiers waiting for their command.

Still, I had already decided what kind of part I wanted to play here.

Quickly fixing my long hair, I could only smile behind my mask as I ejected a bit of mana into our surroundings.

"Are you... threatening me?"

Though I only slightly raised the density of mist in the air around us, I could see that the old man became a bit more vigilant. Although it wasn't enough for him to start tip-toeing around the one he regarded as a mere youngling.

"Stop playing around, James. There is no way you don't understand that we are compelled to regard you as an enemy of the state, even if Zero was you all this time. Though I have many questions regarding that, I don't think this is the time nor place for them."

Fixing his pristine, white uniform, the old man also took a step forward, while also verbally approaching me. And even if I wasn't surprised by the words that came out of his mouth, I couldn't say I was expecting them.

"So, if you just retreat in silence, we will not stop you."

"-What?!"

"-Principal?!"

Even with the complaints coming from behind him, the old man didn't bend. Even on the old legs that needed a cane to support them, he held on strongly to his decision. And who could blame him?

'Those stupid teachers...'

Only two teachers seemed to understand his intent, with both Mrs. Bright and Ms. Turner keeping their mouths shut. Because they knew the purpose behind the principal wanting to let me go. Speaking loudly enough to make sure all of the teachers heard me, I reminded them of how foolish they were.

"So, you are telling me that as long as I don't hurt your precious students, you will allow me to escape?"

Yes, that was the crux of the matter that most teachers seemed to have forgotten. There was still a cluster of young students here, with a lot of them coming from prestigious homes and families. So what would the reaction be if the demon named James suddenly committed a massacre?

Now, granted, it would be hard for me to kill them all even if I felt a surge of power after merging the two different structures inside of me, but that didn't mean I wouldn't bring a lot of them with me to the afterworld.

Recognizing how absurd their thoughts had truly been, the teachers fell silent, now only watching the interaction between the wise principal who had seen things for what they were from the start.

"That's correct."

*Step.*

Taking yet another step forward, I was now towering over the small old man, putting him in the shadow of the man he was so deeply interested in. Leaning forward, I whispered into his ear.

"Are you telling me to believe you actually care about these people? Even after all that you have done?"

Sighing, he quickly concluded that I knew a lot more than he thought. Yet, it didn't change the current situation, only serving as a reminder for him not to underestimate me.

"I'm not telling you to believe anything. All I'm saying is that it would be in the interest of both of us to walk our separate ways right now."

Straightening my now much taller back, I took a step back from the vile human who didn't carry a scent. Now, although I had already made up my mind about retreating, I also knew that I was too greedy not to yearn for more.

As I already knew what kind of disgusting being the man in front of me was, and that there was a certain king I still had made plans with, I figured that I might as well do him one more favor.

"Princi...!"

Seeing what I was about to do, Ms. Turner hurriedly opened her mouth, only to see the principal dismissing her with his hand.

So, putting up a wall of mist around us, making sure we could not be heard, I carried on our little negotiation. Removing my mask, I showed him the most business-like smile I had in me and opened my mouth.

****

[Jessicas's Pov]

Seeing the wall getting raised, I couldn't help but shiver as I saw the thing in front of us remove his mask, revealing the expression behind it.

'Monster...'

A smile that could only be compared to the one of the devil himself, a smile that showed just how insignificant he thought everyone else to be.

There was no longer any doubt inside me that James wasn't a demon. No, that thing wasn't something that would allow himself to be ruled by someone else.

No matter if it was any of the mortal races or the demons, the entity known as James didn't care. The only problem was; What was his actual goal?

Though I felt slightly disgusted to have cared so much about the boy called Zero, I somehow also knew that he hadn't manipulated me on purpose.

No, Zero himself hadn't been a lie, even if he had merely been another side of James. So although it was hard to understand...

'No... It isn't that hard to understand...'

Suddenly, everything started to make sense. From the weird expression he had on the roof to everything he had done while hiding himself, and what Zero truly was.

What was Zero? Zero was nothing, a blank space where he had the freedom to live another life, to create another future for himself while aware that as James, there could be no such thing. Though I had no idea how he did it, he had somehow successfully created another life for himself.

Yet, in the end, Zero was always certain that it would have to come to an end. Zero would, inevitably, have to die. As if he could see the future that was hidden from everyone else, the being now clouded in mist already knew it was futile.

And the reason as to why it had to be this way?

Because humans never changed.

And so, if the humans around him refused to change, what would he do?

He would simply become an existence that would force them to.