Revenge pact

"Sure, strength is significantly important, yet a world built and governed solely off of primitive benchmarks such as punching prowess; would make us as bad as ignorant as those island-dwelling apes," Professor Benedictus remarked conceitedly, his gaze subtly shifting to the number one Rising Star.

"What'd you just say!" Tarzy stood up, his voice echoing with fury, a rage ignited by the insults aimed at his people.

"Professor, that was out of line!" Tarzy's owner reprimanded.

"Apologies if I offended you, but my job is to speak the absolute truth... Even if it happens to enrage a few apes." Unapologetically stating, the professor's eyes lacked any hint of remorse.

'Sure strength is important, but tethering one's entire way of life to it is simply narrow-minded. As matter a of fact, viewing any singular aspect as superior and using it as a way of measuring objective 'superiority' oversimplifies the complexity of human beings. Such viewpoints are the source of envy; and sentence a prosperous society to an eventual doom. '

{What don't you understand about, you're being loud?!}

"Your job is to also teach proper principles..." A sweet voice laced with irritation interjected.

"And what would you say those are PTC Shine?"

With her golden eyes mirroring the image of the middle-aged professor, Amber stated her stance.

"Undoubtedly, serving the Empire is a significant obligation for a magic knight, it isn't their first priority. That privilege is unequivocally reserved for the Gods; our sole existence finds purpose in their divine patronage. We are lucky to be backed by the most powerful and important one."

{Most powerful? Ha, that son of a bitch would be lucky to be in the top ten.}

'Son of a bitch? Aren't you both children of the 'Titan'?'

A soft scoff exited Jerald's lips as he fought the urge to voice his opinion.

"Is being a divine dick sucker one of the conditions for being blessed by a deity?" Toni, a youth with wild raven-black hair and one of the mere four commoners within Class 1A, remarked.

"What'd you just say?" Amber stared daggers at the disrespectful teenage boy.

"Ya heard me... What have the Gods done for commoners, the majority of the population? While ya nobles live in ya fancy cities and receive ya fancy Blessings, what crumbs are left for us?" His village boy accent escaped piercing the air.

"You ungrateful shi-" Before Amber could insult the commoner she was interrupted by another.

Stunning both the class and even himself, Adonis spoke up. His voice harbored genuine praise for those above.

"What have the Gods done for us? Don't be ignorant. We, the commoners ought to be the most thankful! Against all odds, we've endured- through the pangs of hunger, the shackles of poverty, the lack of education, and the high unemployment."

Hearing Adonis list all the issues the Empire failed to improve, Marie frowned guiltily.

"We've survived through it all and managed to hone our skills and qualify for Class A. But don't be full of yourself, that was all thanks to the Gods! Our progress, happiness, and success are all thanks to the benevolence of the divine, be it Lord Minerva, Lord Jupiter, or Lord Juno."

Amber's eyes widened as they fixed on the boy who continued to preach passionately.

"Remember this for as long as you live, you're not here solely due to your efforts; you are where you are because of the Divine!"

{...}

"How do you know that the Gods have our best interests? At the end of the day, the only reason they interacted with us in the first place was because they needed us to fight the Devils." Flora countered, her voice calm and skeptical.

"The Gods don't NEED any-" Amber was once again cut off mid-sentence, this time by a girl with jet-black hair and onyx eyes.

"What's the point of all this speculation? At the end of the day, we'll all end up in the same place... Six feet deep in the dirt being eaten by maggots." Sicily spoke out, her voice devoid of emotion and fatigue evident in her flat tone.

{How gloomy.}

"That's the easy way out. Living with the mindset that nothing matters, is just an excuse for lazy people not to work hard." Wendy, who had bandages tied around her strawberry blonde hair retorted.

"One-shot is sort of right, if you truly believe everything is meaningless you'd kill yourself now; taking away the so-called burden of life." A girl with auburn hair and a sandwich chimed in. A satisfied grin plastered on her face, her attention seemed more on her sandwich than on the discussion.

{Another sloppy eater...}

"What'd you just call me?" Enraged by the nickname, Wendy rose.

"One-shot?" Maxwell whispered, confused about the name's origin.

***

"Oh, so it's because Jerald beat her in one blow. right?" Maxwell's grin broadened as the joke from a few hours ago finally made sense to him.

Accompanied by his newest friend, Adonis strolled down the academic block's hallway, their destination the first-year cafeteria.

"All this time you've been quiet, You thinking about that?" Puzzled, Adonis chuckled at the absurdity.

{I thought it was strange that this loudmouth was quiet.}

"Well yeah, when I don't understand something, I can't help but dwell on it. You know?" Maxwell flashed a grin at his companion beside him.

"I get what you mean, especially when I'm investi-" Preventing himself from revealing too much, Adonis cleared his throat.

"Especially when you're wha-" Confused by Adonis' cut of the statement, Maxwell raised his eyebrows.

"Oh look, the cafeteria... We're finally here!" Changing the topic, Adonis rushed towards the wooden sliding door populated by others his age.

"Wait!" Fear of being last in the queue propelling him, Maxwell sped up to catch up with Adonis; his casts on his arms swinging with momentum.

After navigating his way through a large crowd of hungry pimple-faced beasts referred to as teenagers, Maxwell managed to close the gap between himself and Adonis. There, he found Adonis in the forefront of the queue, gripping a wooden tray in his hands; contemplating what to pick from the wide selection.

"Aster, what took you so long?" Adonis grinned as if he never run away from a classmate.

"What took me so long?" Scowling at Adonis, Maxwell's lip quivered in irritation.

"You're the one who le-"

{He's more mad about this than you breaking his arms, what a strange mortal.}

"Don't dwell on the past Aster, Let's choose what we're going to eat!" Adonis drooled at the plates of the students passing by.

Much like an easily distracted child, Maxwell's attention shifted to something even more captivating: the food around him.

Allured by the aromas of sizzling meats, fresh rice, steaming soups, and an array of other goodies, Maxwell's mood shot up like a euphoric rush, resembling a drug-addicted mongrel from the slums he grew up in.

Following the behavior of a simple junkie, Maxwell's mood crashed as he came to the sobering realization that he lacked the finances to indulge in delectable delights.

Being a student who took advantage of the scholarship program, he instead ate the simple complimentary meals provided by the academy.

"What's wrong?" Adonis noticing this sudden change turned his to his companion.

"Nothing."

"?" Adonis raised his eyebrow and fought the urge to press the issue any further.

Come their turn, the eager Adonis and the suddenly solemn Maxwell approached the counter manned by those selling and dishing out the food.

"So what're you having?" Staring at the magic projection menu above his head, Adonis grinned; struggling to pick one.

"I-I don't have any money," Maxwell whispered.

"What?" His head still focused on the menu Adonis repeated his question.

"I don't have any mo-"

"I didn't ask that, I asked what're you having?" Having made up his decision, Adonis smiled and focused his attention back on Maxwell.

"Huh?"

"I asked what're you having, I'm trying the Calydonian boar. I've never had a magic beast before."

"I'll have the same, please..." Understanding Adonis' words, Maxwell smiled gratefully.

"Good."

"We'll have two Calydonian boars!" Adonis cried out his mouth watering impatiently.

Extra Information:

The classes taught in the first year are:

Ethics and Philosophy: This subject encourages students to openly express their viewpoints, morality, and unique philosophies as well as engage in constructive debates. The concepts of knighthood and duty are also drilled into the students, in an attempt to program them to think a certain way.

Politics and History: Students explore the intricacies of the Roman Justice system and the historical context of their world. Magic knights are supposed to be made familiar with the various laws, loopholes, and context of their empire.

Magic: Covers the theoretical knowledge of magic as well as practical lessons where students implement what they were taught

Martial arts: Hand-to-hand combat, weapons and harnessing aura.

Worship: Students are taught the way of the Gods, their history, and the spiritual aspects.

Science and Mathematics: To improve problem-solving skills and logical thinking.

Military Tactics: Understanding strategy and being taught how to properly implement it, various known tactics and formations as well as typical patterns.