Academy Elders' meeting room
"This is where I leave you two. I'd advise you to tell every single detail." Professor Fitzburg said.
"Yes sir." Adonis and Amber said simultaneously.
"Good luck." The Professor stepped away from the massive wooden door.
"Thank you." Amber replied.
"Ladies, first." Adonis gestured toward the door's brass handles.
"Tsk, coward." Amber shook her head and opened the wooden door.
"I’m glad chivalry is dead." Adonis complained under his breath.
On entering the room, Adonis's eyes landed on seven nobles and an empty seat.
'Of course, he's late.' Noticing Elder Mars's absence, Adonis sighed.
"Our guests of honour have arrived." Elder Hercules smiled softly at the magic knights.
'They may be suppressing their strength, but their presence is overwhelming. Especially him.' Adonis focused on the old man in the crescent table's centre.
"Start speaking, we have places to be." Elder van Crops said.
"Be patient, they just arrived." Elder van Ox shook his head.
"This isn't the time to be patient, there was a damon in the academy just a few minutes ago and there's tons of damage to the classrooms." Elder van Crops spat.
"A Damon they killed, we should be congratulating them." Said Elder Lez added.
"Sorry, I'm late." Entering through the door behind the table, Scipio Mars smiled at Adonis.
"I thought you dropped out." Chuckling, the youngest Elder found his place near the end of his table.
"You're late...Elder." Ignoring Elder Mars's comment, Adonis forced a smile.
"Since everyone's here I think we should start." Unusually quiet, Elder Slyhead looked at Elder Hercules.
"Yes... PTC Amber Shine and Adonis Vindicta, today at 8:30 AM you were in an altercation in Classroom 1A. A conflict that involved a Damon and resulted in the casualty of your classmate Jerald Cecil. We'd like to hear the full story directly from your mouths." Elder Hercules stared at the two first-year students.
"Don't lie." Elder Syvian added.
The room went silent as every Elder other than Elder Mars released a small portion of their Earthly Aura, challenging the structural integrity of the meeting room.
'Are they trying to intimidate us?' Although he could barely move his body, Adonis's mind stayed calm.
{Kukuku, it's pretty smart.}
'I hope Amber isn't crumbling.' Incapable of turning his head, Adonis continued blankly staring at the Elders.
"B-before..." Amber started.
'Seriously.' Adonis internally sighed.
"Before martial arts class today, I had lost my training headscarf. So I went back to the classroom to search for it in my bag, and that's when I was confronted by Jerald. He gave me my lost headscarf back and attacked me after I admitted I suspected him that's wh-" She continued.
"Suspected? What did you suspect?" Elder Slyhead asked.
"I suspected he was a damon...Elder." Amber said.
"I see." Elder van Ox said.
"When did you arrive then?" Elder Lez pointed at the teenage boy with purple hair.
"Just when Jerald attacked her." Adonis said casually.
"Through the window." Amber added.
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'Does she like throwing me under the bus?!' Adonis glared at her through the corner of his eye.
"How did you know when and where to be?" Elder Syvian asked.
"I was in the courtyard outside the classroom when I sensed two presences inside the classroom. So I jumped up to peek through the window and noticed Jerald attacking Amber." Adonis shrugged.
"Makes sense." Elder van Crops admitted.
"Then you two defeated him together?" Elder Slyhead asked.
"No, Vindicta wanted to fight Jerald by himself...He was the one to defeat him, and the one to destroy half the classroom." Amber replied.
'I'm not even mad anymore, this level of snitching is impressive.' Adonis merely stared at the Elders.
"Well done, Vindicta." Elder Hercule said.
"That's impressive, defeating a Damon that's on your Tier." Elder van Love complimented.
"It wasn't easy." Adonis smiled.
"I think you two deserve a reward, for the service you did for this Academy and your Empire." She added.
"Reward?" Adonis's silver eyes transformed into vivid gold coins.
{Greedy.}
"We shouldn't be rewarded for doing our duty." Amber said humbly.
'WHAT?!' Adonis scowled.
"Adonis." Elder Mars said casually.
"Yes?" Adonis glared at the young Elder, still ticked off that he might lose his reward.
"How long have you known that Jerald was a damon?" Elder Mars asked.
'He knew?' Amber frowned.
"Hm?" Caught off guard by the question, Adonis took a deep breath.
The room's already tense atmosphere reached unprecedented heights.
"What're you talking about Vice Commander?" Elder Slyhead asked.
"How could he have possibly known?" Elder van Crops said.
"What?" Elder van Love stared at the youth.
"..." Elder Syvian increased the pressure of her Earthly Aura.
"Interesting." Elder Lez and Elder van Ox muttered simultaneously.
"Answer the question, Vindicta." Trusting his grandson's intuition, Elder Hercules studied Adonis.
{Kukuku..That Scipio Mars is going to be a real pain in the ass.} The Devil God chuckled.
'I know right.'
"During the outing." Adonis admitted.
"And you didn't come to us?!" Elder van Crops snapped.
"Would you have believed me? A commoner with no backing, fame and more importantly no proof." Adonis said flatly.
"..."
"What convinced you he was a damon?" Elder Mars smiled.
"Three things: Firstly the Cecil family is a small proud family that has historically produced only knights; in their four hundred and fifty years of existence not once has the family produced a magic knight. Unlike most knight families this isn't because they forbid the use of magic or anything, but because none of them have ever had a mana depth above average. It's strange, but it's as if they are hated by mana."
"What does that have to do with anything?" Unable to understand the thought process, Elder Slyhead frowned.
"The family has historically always checked their children's mana depths at most a month after they turn ten, the legal age for the public to have this inspection. This means they've always been eager to have a magic knight heir, but to no luck."
"This fixation on having a magic knight heir exceeded mere desire with the actions of Junius Cecil, the current head of the family. The captain knight would pick women from mage families and use them to produce children, to heighten the possibility of creating a magic knight. When the children turned ten and he tested their mana depth, he would dispose of them when they didn't meet his requirement."
"That's a bold accusation." Elder Hercule said.
"One that's based on reason, Elder. Captain Junius Cecil had fifty-six children, fifty-five of them had mana depths below thirty and all fifty-five of them died the same week they had said mana depth measured. Yet the only child to live past ten was Jerald, who had a mana depth of sixty-five"
"..."
"Although this proves the Captain isn't the best father, it doesn't prove that Jerald is a damon. But this does give us one thing, motive. The motive to accept a deal with a Demon."
"Mhm." Elder van Love nodded.
"Secondly, Jerald was stronger than he let on yet his reputation didn't match. Everyone thought he was Tier 10 mid-rank, a level of strength he would constantly display and tell people. Yet this was a lie."
"How'd you find that out?" Elder van Crops asked.
"Because he knocked Wendy Carter out in one blow, and as we all know, Wendy Carter was Tier 10 high rank." Adonis explained.
"Fair." Elder Slyhead admitted.
"Thirdly, Jerald had a habit of whispering to himself under his breath; actions that indicate that he was communicating to another being or mentally unstable, which would make him the perfect prey for a Demon. These factors alone just prove that Jerald was a sad and possibly insane individual, but when combined they all point towards him being a damon." Adonis concluded.
On finishing his explanation the meeting room fell silent once more.
"That's..."
"Hahaha!" Elder Mars clapped his hands amusedly.
"Well done on putting together the pieces we couldn't and killing him, we are truly grateful." The Elder head ceased his aura and bowed.
'How didn't I see all of that?' Amber eyed Adonis.
"Unfortunately due to the damage to the classroom and the less-than-desirable news, we'll need to shut down the academy for at least a month." Elder Hercules announced.
'Makes sense.' Adonis nodded.
"Before you leave for your holiday, what would you two want as your reward?" Elder van Ox asked.
"Nothi-"
"A temporary ranger's license." Cutting Amber off, Adonis replied immediately.
"A ranger's license?" Elder Lez tilted her head confusedly.
"Yeah, I want to train in a few dungeons on this break. It'll help me gain experience and make some money." Adonis explained.
"Very well, that can be arranged." Elder Syvian said.
"And you?" Elder Hercule asked Amber.
"I'll have to pass, thank you." Amber bowed.
'I'll take her reward if she doesn't want it, I could use some more money.' Adonis grinned.
{Greed will kill you one day.}
"Thank you you two, you are dismissed." Elder Hercule nodded.
"Thank you." The two first years bowed and left.
***
"I still need to ask the kid a few questions." Elder Mars stood up, eager to follow Adonis.
"We still have more to discuss, Scipio." Elder Hercule looked at his grandson.
"Discuss?" Elder Slyhead asked.
"The first years' Rising Star Rankings are wrong, they need to be fixed. It doesn't make it better that two of the original are dead...We need to rerank them."
