Of Monsters and Men [7]

"So, old man, if you want me to leave this place peacefully, I have some things I need you to do for me."

"Old man? How impertinent... Though I can't say it isn't refreshing to hear those words coming from a mere brat. So, what are your terms?"

Talking to the, now, very amicable principal, I had a feeling that things would go quite smoothly as long as I didn't step over whatever hidden line he had. To be fair, I knew that one of the conditions I was about to state would probably be met by quite some resistance.

So, that's also the one I started with.

"I want you to release the elves that you have captured and make sure they can return to Aldon."

With his face not reacting at all, it was hard to determine if he was surprised by the fact that I knew or not. However, even weirder was the fact that he didn't question my motives behind my demand, nor did he try to oppose it.

"Hmm... I see. Alright, I will release them, or at least the ones who are left. Do keep in mind, there is absolutely no way I could let them go without altering their memories."

"Of course I understand. Though I find it ridiculous as the elven king should already be well aware that you are behind it, I am not opposed to it."

To some extent, I found it strange that he didn't even try to dismiss my demand, but at the same time, I felt like I understood more and more why he was so incredibly cordial towards me. So, just to confirm my thoughts...

"Now, for my second demand, please do tell me what you want from me. As you should be painfully aware, I'm not someone who will just wag my tail without benefit."

Yes, there was no doubt that the principal wanted me for something, something that most likely coincided with whatever disgusting research he was conducting. Of course, there was no way for me to tell for sure if he was going to tell me the truth, but I was also confident that I could tell if he chose to lie.

Scratching his chin, the old man also took a second to think about whether or not to tell me the truth.

"It is true that I am interested in you. After all, the fact that you somehow created another ego makes you more than interesting in my eyes. However..."

The dim light in his eyes suddenly changed, now becoming much more like a piercing gaze than anything else.

"I'm not so foolish that I believe you would allow yourself to be used. This means that the only choice I have left is to try and create a situation where we will not meddle in each other's business. And if that means I will have to take a step back right now to make sure you won't shake the tower that I have so carefully built, then so be it."

Though my conjuncture had only been half-right, I wasn't all too disappointed. Because the fact still stood that the principal had no intentions of taking an offensive stance toward me, no matter where the beliefs of his nation stood.

"So, you're suggesting a sort of non-aggression treaty between us? Even when I'm aware of what kind of depraved research you are conducting? What makes you think I would accept that?"

"Simple. Because you don't care about that. Why would you otherwise carry that sinful grin on your face?"

Unaware of what kind of expression I had been wearing, it was only when he vocalized it that I noticed the excitement inside of me. The excitement coming from playing the game that was this world.

Not caring about fixing it, I merely carried on unhindered.

"That might be true... So, can I interpret your unwillingness to make me an enemy as you having no intention of standing by your nation unless forced to?"

"Correct."

My smile reached yet another height as the picture I was painted about the dynamics of the world got yet another page filled. Although one could think about this world in simple terms, with there being three major powers in the form of Aldon, the demon-infested Kurat, and Mensch, it was inefficient.

If one instead started focusing on the powers that lay underneath these, things got a lot more fun!

From the hidden families that had now started moving, to the neutral power of Ainu, the oppressed races in Aldon, and the poverty-stricken inhabitants of Kurat... There were so many different tools to be used!

And yet, I already knew that I wanted to move in an entirely separate way from these. And for that, I needed the principal to fulfill my last requirement...

"I want you to become my sponsor."

For the first time since our conversation started, I finally got a real reaction out of the geezer. A reaction in the form of a smile.

"I see. So no matter what, I will still have to be bound to you and your choices? How deplorable... But I don't dislike it. So, what are you thinking?"

It wasn't as if he had much of a choice. If he didn't accept the terms, he was risking either the lives of multiple valuable individuals that were his students, or he risked allowing the truth behind the academy to seep out into the public.

Needless to say, his hands were tied.

And even with that, he still didn't seem pressured. Frederick, the companion of the previous Lightbringer, had lived too long for something like this to affect him.

Both of us were well aware that we were going to be using each other from now on, and although I currently held the upper hand, no one could know for sure how the future would play out. Something I didn't mind at all. Because it made things more exciting!

So, the thought that I had once had long ago, when I was still unsure how to proceed in order to fulfill my goals, had now cemented itself into my brain. Just not quite in the same shape as before. Bringing out a mana contract and filling the contents with my mist, I gave it to the old man.

"What I'm thinking? I'm thinking that you should be glad to be the one and only sponsor of Jotunheim."

****

[Sophie's Pov]

The misty wall finally went down, allowing us to see the principal and the, now once again, masked James come out.

Once again, the eerie sensation returned to the land, feeling as if the air itself was weighing everyone down, though not to the same extent as before. At this point, most students were standing up again, everyone with the exception of Stella, who was still stuck in time with her father in her arms.

Not allowing a second to pass without putting up their weapons, the teachers in front of us raised their vigilance, unwanting to allow a second of negligence to become the reason for a tragedy.

Yet, it was all pointless. Because as soon as the wall was lowered, two large wings came out from the gray-suited man, one white and one black, gently covering the sun behind him.

This time, I didn't try to stop him. I already knew it was pointless, even more so when everyone around me wanted nothing more than for him to go away.

Because they were scared. And so was I.

I wasn't scared because of James himself, but I was scared because of how all of this was even possible.

How could he have been Zero all this time without anyone noticing? How was it possible for him to have shown such sincere emotions when Zero hadn't even been real? And how was it that I still grieved the fact that Zero had now died?

It was all so incredibly confusing. From the fact that everyone around him confirmed the fact that he was Zero, to the fact that he even had someone who regarded him as his son! How could that ever be possible?!

Yet, no matter how much I wanted answers, I was aware that he wouldn't give them to me. He never did, after all. So when his black and white wings spread apart, and he took to the air, things still hadn't changed.

In the end, he still left me behind, with even more questions unanswered.

However, there was one person who couldn't keep their silence as he left.

"JAMES!"

A teary-eyed, golden-haired princess raised her hand to the sky as if to catch the one she supposedly hated the most. And as if to show her just how meaningless it was, the man in the sky just kept flying away, not caring about her yell.

And just like that, he was gone without a trace under the harsh rays of the sun.

What we didn't know was that this was the beginning of something much worse than we could have ever imagined. And if the princess knew just what was going on in that man's mind right now, she would have yelled with a lot more desperation than she did.