Revenge pact

Next week Wednesday.

After about a week at the academy, Adonis had become quite familiar with the rules, customs, and new environment.

On this particular day, the first-years were preparing to embark on their first outing and were gathered outside an imposing fence.

Unlike his fellow first-years, Adonis abstained from wearing the modernized lorica hamata(chainmail) or the modernized lorica squamata(scale armour) worn by the other students.

Instead, he opted for more unassuming attire: a plain leather breastplate atop the black tunic that reached just above his knees. His footwear also failed to follow the norm, he wore leather sandals in contrast to the practical leather boots worn by the others.

As for his weapon of choice, Adonis selected a gleaming steel gladius that hung from his hip

Notably, like every other student Adonis wore no jewelry; no spatial ring, or financial items per the rules of the outing.

'I hope Minnie's stomach doesn't digest it.'

Next to him, stood Maxwell Aster, outfitted in the customary modernized lorica hamata (chainmail).

The chainmail enveloped him, cascading below his hips and secured by a thick leather belt cinched around his waist. A scarlet tunic was visible beneath the protective armour. In contrast to his adjacent companion, Maxwell bore a gigantic hammer at his side.

The weapon boasted a handle almost equal to his own body, while the head of the hammer exceeded the dimensions of his abdomen.

Adonis' gaze shifted towards the hammer beside Maxwell, his eyes widened with astonishment as he imagined the first year wielding such a heavy weapon.

"Isn't carrying that around without a spatial item going to be troublesome?"

"Hehe, it's fine. I don't have a spatial item anyway, I'm used to it." Grinning, Maxwell cheerfully tapped the weapon's handle.

"That's insane..." Adonis sighed, trying to determine the mighty hammer's weight.

"Good afternoon first years... I hope you're all well-rested, for the journey to come!" The one to speak was Professor Albinus, facilitator of all the first years' exams and practical activities.

The middle-aged man, his brown hair thinning, spoke with an air of formality and seriousness that was characteristic of a seasoned military figure.

"Whether you opt to become a ranger or a soldier, as a magic knight you are bound to encounter magic beasts and monsters. In these interactions with such creatures you should know when to engage or avoid them, and that is what's being taught here today..." Professor Albinus turned to the grand fence behind him and peered into the wonders beyond.

"In this forest, there exist hundreds of creatures capable of ripping you to shreds, but at the same time, there are some you should be able to overcome."

"The strongest creatures within are of the Pink tier so I'd suggest identifying it before engaging."

Hearing the words 'pink tier' most of the students gasped in fear and began murmuring among one another.

"Pink tier?!"

"They're trying to kill us!"

"What the fu-"

"Silence." With a forceful and irritated tone, Professor Albinus rebuked the students.

"Disrespectful punks... As long as you are careful and don't bite off more than you can chew you won't be in any significant danger."

{Someone has a huge temper.}

'Sounds like someone I know.' Adonis giggled.

{The difference is he is weak!}

"The objective of the outing is simple, you are to survive in the forest for four days."

'He makes it sound easier than it is.'

Rules:

No spatial items of any kind are allowed. (Students may carry empty sacks to collect magic crystals.)

Students may only use one chosen weapon.

Students may not bring any external water or food along with them.

Students are not allowed to stay in the same spot for more than 24 hours.

Students must travel at least 15 kilometres every single day.

Minimum of 3 students per group.

Maximum of 5 students per group.

***

Points: Students need a minimum of 50 points to pass.

Returning with your weapon still intact: 30 points.

No serious injuries: 20 points

Killing an unranked creature: 5 points

Killing a white rank creature: minimum 40 points

Killing a pink rank creature: min 300 points

(If a creature is killed as a result of group effort then points will be distributed evenly.)

>

***

2 hours later.

Adonis' group consisted of a total of five members: Maxwell Aster, his only friend thus far; Vera and Veda Stewart, the twins with contrasting personalities; and Jerald Cecil, the enigma known as the Whispering Weirdo of class 1A.

The way this group came to be was fairly simple: none of them had other friends.

Despite their statuses as Rising Stars, Adonis and Maxwell faced heavy exclusion due to their commoner backgrounds, while Jerald's 'creepy' demeanour deterred others from approaching him.

The pretty twins, on the other hand, weren't approached because of an even stranger reason: Veda Stewart barked at anyone who approached her sister.

The peculiar group navigated through the forest's vegetation, maintaining wide spaces between them. Adonis and Maxwell were relatively close together, exchanging words from time to time.

Similarly, the twins mirrored Adonis and Maxwell on their side. Meanwhile, the lone Jerald walked in between the pairs, often sneaking glances at the twin with white hair.

"How long have we been walking!" Veda complained to her quiet sister beside her.

"About three kilometres." Holding a compass-like magic tool Adonis turned his gaze to Veda.

"What?! I'm tired." She whined.

"We only just star-"

"Let's take a break!" Interrupting Adonis, Jerald abruptly interjected with an uncharacteristic display of enthusiasm.

Hearing Jerald's sudden burst, Maxwell and Adonis exchanged puzzled expressions.

"Well, it wouldn't hurt to rest now. We still have a few more hours till it gets dark."

The party stopped underneath a towering tree and used it as a resting spot.

The Stewart twins found themselves sitting by the tree's broad base. Jerald, who was strangely nervous, positioned himself in front of them, while Adonis and Maxwell perched confidently on the thick branches above.

Maxwell, the only member of the group who enjoyed the sound of his own voice, took the conversational initiative and broke the awkward silence.

"Where're you guys from?" Seated comfortably on his branch, he called out to the nobles below.

Unexpectedly it was the more timid of the twins: Vera, who chose to respond.

"Telle City..." With her stunning crimson eyes fixed on the ground, she offered her reply in a nearly inaudible reply.

'I can't hear her.'

"What!" Maxwell screamed from above, unable to hear what the noble had muttered.

'How dare he shout at Vera!'

"Don't scream at her!" Veda, the more aggressive twin with icy white hair, rose to her feet. She tilted her head upward to meet Maxwell's gaze from below, her cold blue eyes full of intense fury.

"Hm?" Adonis, slightly taken aback snapped his head down to look at the girl.

Hearing Veda's words, Maxwell hung his head ashamedly.

'I didn't mean to yell.'

"Sorry, he didn't mean any harm. He just couldn't hear her." Adonis suppressed a chuckle while attempting to defend his friend and de-escalate the situation.

"Then he should open his ears!"

"Rude..." Adonis muttered.

"What did you say?!" Deepening the depth of the arch in her eyebrows, Veda redirected her irrational rage towards Adonis.

To his astonishment, Jerald who seemed to be staring at nothing shifted his gaze towards Adonis; his eyes mirroring Veda's anger.

'Why's he mad?!'

"I asked, what'd she say?" Adonis nervously chuckled, fearing the hatred behind Veda's eyes.

"Should've listened the first time." She puffed.

"Veda, calm down... It's my fault for not speaking loud enough." Vera intervened.

'I don't wanna cause trouble.'

"You can't keep blaming yourself for other's mistakes, Vera! You need to be more assertive."

'Other's mistakes? What'd we do?' Adonis suppressed a sigh.

"Sorry Veda..." The twin with crimson hair whispered.

"What're you apologizing for!"

Eventually, Adonis gave in to his suppressed laughter and erupted into a series of gentle chuckles at the sight of the twins' spectacle.

"What's so funny!?" Turning her head to the tree once more, Veda grit her teeth.

"No, no. It's nothing bad, it's just I had a sibling too... We were kinda like you two."

"Had?" In a hushed tone, Maxwell whispered, his eyes brimming with pity.

The moment Adonis' words escaped his lips, the atmosphere turned grim. Even Veda, who had been loud the whole time, suddenly fell silent.

"I'm sorry..." Veda, swallowing her pride whispered.

"I couldn't imagine what I'd do without Veda."

Hearing Adonis' words, Jerald's eyes flickered with a multitude of emotions.

Empathy

Sadness

And finally a creeping envy.

"That's because you're useless without me!" Veda smacked her twin's head affectionately.

"Ow!"

"So, where are you two from?" Maxwell, having recovered from Veda's verbal abuse repeated his question; this time minding both his voice's volume and tone.

"We're from Telle, here in the Robur Kingdom." Veda was the one to answer, this time lacking the previous aggression.

'So she doesn't hold grudges... She's acting like nothing happened.' Adonis observed.

"Hm, Telle? Then why didn't you go to the academy there?"

"Too many shitstains!"

"Shitstains?" Maxwell tilted his head.

"And you Cecil?" Maxwell then posed his question to Jerald, who stared at him with a strange expression.

"Pugna Kingdom, Roma City." He responded in a flat tone before disinterestedly redirecting his gaze back to the sky.

"Um okay." Taking Jerald's demeanour as a sign that he didn't want to conversate, Maxwell frowned.

"Pugna? That's pretty far away, traveling must be a hassle." Veda, for the first time, turned to her admirer.

"Well, it's not that bad." He said in a hushed tone, averting his gaze from the girl.

"Pugna has tons of knight academies, What made you want to be a magic knight instead?" Veda continued curiously.

'An opening!' Adonis celebrated.

"Yeah, especially since your family primarily produced regular knights."

"Well, I guess my magic depth was just above average. So I chose to take this route instead." Not bothering to acknowledge Adonis' comment, his eyes stayed glued on Veda.

'I doubt that's true, but it'd be unfair to deem his answer as suspicious. Veda Stewart's presence distorts the validity of his responses by quite a considerable margin, either he'll be extremely honest around her or lie to improve her opinion of him.' Adonis concluded.

"W-what about you?" Jerald reflected on the question.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, why'd you become a magic knight." Jerald exhaled deeply as if asking the question had drained his energy. Which it did. He was forced to suppress his anxiety and muster the strength to learn more about his crush.

"I don't, but someone over here wanted to, and I couldn't let her be all alone." Veda gestured to Vera who managed an embarrassed smile and shrugged.

"I wish I had a sibling." Smiling at those below, Maxwell voiced his envy.

"That's cute." Adonis chuckled.

'Did he just call me cute?!' Vera stifled a gasp, her face developing a subtle red hue.

'Did he just call Veda cute?!' Jerald's gaze sharpened, and he fixed a piercing stare at the youth resting in the tree.

Blissfully unaware of the delusions of those below, Adonis leapt gracefully out of the tree, landing just in front of Jerald.

THUD

He then proceeded to stretch his limbs, seemingly unaffected.

"That's enough resting, let's go."