Dratworth Academy. 1.1.6

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An honest kid doesn't like his mum and dad, he likes cream puffs! And a little bit of mischief.

Don Aminado.

Stepping back, I lunge my sword to the left, attempting to knock Saurus down with my footstool. Instead of the fall I expected, however, Saur kicks his foot into my knee. I spin on my axis for a couple of revolutions, and then at the last moment I manage to block the blow with my sword.

- Remember what I told you? - Saurus snorted.

I deflected my blade to the left, letting it pass over me, and then tried to hit Saur in the ribs. The guy dodges by intercepting my wrist and then delivers a powerful sword strike to my legs.

- YOOOOOOOOO!!! - I groaned loudly in pain, falling to my knees again and dropping my sword.

- It's better now. - Saur nodded seriously. - It's the 5th fight in a row, you're holding your own against me for 6+ seconds. That's it for today, and try to work on your movement for the next session. Heavy swords, with your light elven sword, should be deflected, not taken. If the opponent's sword is short, or just light, then you can cross blades, but against long, heavy....

- I see. - I groaned.

Saur clapped me on the shoulder, and then cheerfully headed for the exit. I struggled to get up and staggered toward the locker room.

- It's hard for you. - I heard Lucy's voice behind me.

- Mm-hmm. - I nodded, turning round.

The girl was already in her academy uniform, as she had finished ten minutes earlier. And Saur, the bastard, decided to do 10 more sparring sessions!

- Get changed, I'll wait. - Lucy said, and then went to the wall of the hall, and leaned against the wall.

***

- Why is he chasing me like that? - I exclaimed indignantly, limping a little as I headed for my room.

- You should be happy. - Lucy snorted. - The best swordsman of the academy, took to teach you, and you only moan.

- That's true, that's true..." I stretched out, "but can't you hit even a little weaker?

- Everything is learnt through pain. - shrugged her shoulders.

- And how are you doing? - I asked suspiciously.

Lucy smiled weakly, then answered:

- Among the beginners, I am the best.

***

A couple of days later...

Eighth of March... this holiday... will be my nightmare for a long time. It started in the morning. Many girls from our course looked at me suspiciously at the first Air class, where, by the way, we learnt how to twist air currents into rings. But from there... it got worse. Flocks of girls started coming up to me, asking me out on dates... I naturally refused, after which they resentfully left. Kurumi answered my question in the fifth class, where we learnt to create flames in the palm of our hands.

- Today, as you know, is the 8th of March. - with an instructive index finger, Kurumi began to explain to me. - And on this day, in case you didn't know, girls can't be denied anything, as it's our holiday! By the way, can you help me with something today?

- Shall we go stealing wine again? - I hummed quietly.

- No, this time it's more serious. I had a big fight with a senior student the other day... So we're having a shootout. But I think he's going to come with some surprises I don't want to face.

- Huh? - I asked.

- Garlic, aspen, silver... - Kurumi began to list.

- Mm-hmm, I see. You're asking me to be your backup in case of trouble? - I nodded understandingly.

- Yes, so, do you agree?

- Considering what I saw earlier... I can't let you go alone. - I nodded to my thoughts.

- That's great! - Kurumi smiled brightly. - In that case, I'll pick you up at six o'clock.

I nodded, noticing with the corner of my eye the girls' creepy looks directed at Kurumi. Why do they hate her so much?

***

"KNOCK" "KNOCK" "KNOCK" "KNOCK."

- Gasper, are you ready? - Kurumi's head asked cheerfully, peeking through the ajar door.

- Ready? - Lucy, lying on the bed, asked suspiciously.

- Ai, Gasper... Ai rascal... And you told us that you have with her ni... - Vika started, but I did not want to listen to her nonsense, and therefore quickly descended to the floor, and then ran out the door.

Kurumi silently headed down the corridor, towards the training rooms. I followed her, glancing around warily.

- What was the fight about? - I decided to start a conversation after a few minutes of silence.

- No reason... Vampire hater, that's all I can say. - Kurumi smirked. - Talked about me like I was some kind of beast. Some of the lower vampires, however, can give in to their instincts, and then they're really not too different from beasts.

- That's how..." I stretched out.

- Yeah. So, you're going to be invisible, stand by the wall, and if necessary, intervene, okay?

- Do you know how to apply invisibility? I remember that time.

- I learnt the spell a couple of days ago. - Kurumi interrupted me abruptly, turning away. However... the scarlet tips of her ears, were still visible.

***

- Here comes our beast. - A black-haired boy of about 15-16 years old chuckled. He was wearing the equivalent of the academy uniform, a grey business suit without a jacket.

- I'm not happy to see you either. - Kurumi snorted as she stood across from him.

- You're a pompous bitch, showing up here alone. Guys, I think I should teach her a lesson! - he shouted to the other side of the hall, where there was a second exit.

Immediately, a crowd of angry, grinning guys started coming out. I didn't wait for the show to start, and I raised my hand and formed a paw of Darkness in it and shot it at the crowd.

They didn't expect this, and as a result, half of the crowd instantly dropped out, with all sorts of broken bones.

- CHILD!??? - The guys who had managed to jump away from my spell were screaming as they saw my disguise fall off.

- As you can see, you're the ones who turned out to be assholes when you messed with me. - Kurumi said with a sneer, not taking her eyes off the man in charge. - Oh, oh, oh, the poor freshmen were attacked by a mob of upperclassmen during a night out. And in the aftermath, the kids miscalculated their strength due to fear... And magic, it's like that. Emotions can do terrible things. - Kurumi grinned, coming close to the boy in a split second and sending him flying quickly to the wall where he stayed.

- Capturing the Darkness. - I whispered quietly, straining every twist of my brain to capture five of them at once. And when you say the name of the spell out loud, the task of formation becomes easier. - I exhaled, leaning against the wall. However, I was able to bind these five, hehe.....

Next, there was an incomprehensible fuss, but it was beyond my strength to raise my head. The backlash, of course, passed quickly, but still.....

- Good job. Thanks for your efforts, Gasper. - I heard Kurumi's voice beside me, and the next second, I was gently supported under my left arm.

- Thank you, I'm fine. - I said hoarsely, and then, coughing, stepped away from the wall.

- You shouldn't have been so tense, I could have done it without the grip, and you wouldn't have felt the sensation of the backlash. - Kurumi said with a sigh.

- Screw you. - I waved her away cheerfully. - I take it you're going to the teachers now?

- Yes, and I suggest you go to your room and rest. The first rollback in your life is the most unpleasant. But the next time, in perhaps an extreme situation, you'll bounce back much easier.

- Yeah, yeah... I..." I felt a sudden rush of nausea, and I clamped my mouth shut trying not to vomit. - I should probably go.

- Hmm... I'll walk you out. - Kurumi frowned.

- Mm-hmm..." I nodded.

***

- What were you doing in there?!?!? - Vicky shouted again.

- 18+? - Lucy said phlegmatically.

There was what sounded like a mixture of grunting, coughing and banging. However, the strength to turn her head just wasn't there. What a fucked up thing this rollback was.

- Leave me alone..." I said with difficulty.

- Somebody remembered to tell us: we have nothing with her! We're just friends! Just looking at Kurumi, it's clear you're not just friends. - Vika rejoined the conversation.

I wanted to answer her, but my consciousness began to sink into darkness, and I did not resist. And the first thing that greeted me... was the torture chamber.

I looked at the various knives hanging on the side brick walls with nervous trepidation. The room looked like some sort of basement, if it weren't for the lack of an exit. In the centre of the room, there was a spiky chair, above which was the only source of light, in the form of a piece of light, i.e. a simple spell of Fire or Light.

- The composition of the court is announced: the case is heard by Darkness, with participation of the state prosecutor Darkness, defendants Darkness, Darkness, Darkness, defence lawyers - lawyers Darkness, Darkness, Darkness, with the secretary Darkness. The defendant Crowle, do you plead guilty? Did you steal two bottles of Royal Red Wine, did you drink it before you were 18 years old, did you give false testimony about two students, and did you beat up five seniors? - Mum's voice echoed throughout.

Yo... And I thought it was over... But judging from her voice, she's really not happy, which means we should try our best to mitigate the punishment.

- I admit it and I'm willing to suffer the punishment. - Pouting my lips, I said, trying to squeeze at least a couple of tears out of my eyes.

- As the judge fully feels the emotions of the accused, he will suffer additional punishment for trying to evoke pity and mitigate his punishment. - Mum said, her tone unchanged in the slightest.

FUCK!!!!!!!

***

I jumped up sharply in bed, barely escaping the scissors coming towards my eyes.

- Nightmare? - Lucy, who was sitting on Vicky's bed, asked phlegmatically.

- Nah... I had a chat with my mum. - breathing deeply, I said, glancing at the light in the window. - Never mind. Shouldn't we be off to school?

- It's Sunday. - Lucy explained briefly, then went back to reading some magazine with a black-haired, scowling guy on the cover.

- Where's Vika? - I asked.

- There!!! - came the cheerful squeal of a girl jumping out of the wardrobe. - Now you're not going to get away with it! - Pointing at me with a chupa-chupa stick, a huge number of which Vika had bought on her last trip to the city, the girl said with a sly grin.

- I'm hungry. - I briefly broke the girls' hopes.

- Breakfast in 20 minutes, so you have time to tell us everything before it. - Lucy said mockingly.

- All right, I'll tell you. - I sighed. The girls cheered up, and then I continued. - Kurumi and I went to the senior class shoot.

Silence fell on the room, and I, figuring I'd have time to read another chapter on Fire Magic before breakfast, pulled the book to me, then delved into the reading.

- And... how? - After a moment of silence, Lucy asked.

- A vampire and the Fifth Child, against eleven seniors... Especially, I sat under invisibility until the first blow, and took out five of them at once. - I said proudly.

- I see... I see...

***

I levitated above the floor, holding 12 textbooks and 10 quills in the air, trying not to lose control of them.

- You're hopeless after all. - Kurumi's voice sounded behind me.

I jerked in surprise and, with me, all my supplies fell to the floor.

- Doing training on the weekend... Eh...' the girl continued.

- Kurumi... How many times have I asked you not to appear so abruptly!???? - I shouted angrily.

- Oh, oh, oh, oh, well I'm sorry... You just scare me so funny that I can't help myself. - Laughing, Kurumi replied.

- Why are you here? - With a glance at her, I asked.

- Simple. It's a Sunday night, and you're sulking around. Where are the flatmates?

- They're in the next room, discussing some magazine with the other girls. - I replied with a wince.

- Wo! Take an example from them! I know what we can do... Shall we go?

- Let's go... I hope it's not another theft/abduction?

- Nah, it's a little more modest this time. - smirked Kurumi.

***

- Modest, then..." I said, holding my hand to my face.

- It's no big deal..." Kurumi grumbled.

- Think about it? Think about it??? You want to stick invisible needles into the teacher's chair and you call that 'think about it' ????? - I exploded.

- Quiet!" shouted Kurumi at me, and then continued to stick needles into the chair, while applying invisibility to each one.

- Well, why did I agree to go with you... - I groaned, studying the bindings of all sorts of books on Earth magic. By the way, we were now exactly in the office of Mr Neive, who by the way taught us Earth very well. At least, he explained everything in detail and clearly.

- That's it! - I heard Kurumi's cheerful voice behind me. - Now let's get out of here!

I grinned, but I wasn't going to leave the girl behind. There was too good a chance that the teacher would be here right now.

Ten minutes later...

Archimagus Zoltan was sullenly sorting out the papers that required his personal intervention, which he disliked the most. Along with filling out the paperwork, his mind was spinning with thoughts of young Kraul, who had gotten involved with a rather necessary company for him. Namely, Kurumi Bloder, who was listed as the most troublemaker amongst the youngsters of the Bloder clan. His thoughts began to drift to the elder Kraul, when suddenly Soran Nave, whom Zoltan had met in his youth, burst into his office.

- Zoltan, this is an outrage! - said the terribly angry Earth teacher angrily.

- What's wrong? - Zoltan was interested in the opportunity to get away from the documents.

- Those two!!! Kraul and the elder Bloder! They stuck invisible needles into my chair and-" Soran stopped talking abruptly, rubbing his heel.

- Pha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-!!!!!! - Zoltan laughed heartily.

After laughing and wiping his tears, the archmage calmed down, after which Soran continued.

- First, they drained the wine from the barrel, later spilling it out and making the third-year students the culprits! Then the senior students were beaten up, now this! How long are you going to put up with this!???? - indignantly pointed his finger at the archmage, the Earth teacher.

But after this phrase, Zoltan became dramatically sad.

- Soran..." he sighed. - You know Bartholomew Kraul as well as I do. Give the boy a break, and at least learn a little about the dark side of life from this vampire.

- You think that this summer..." the earth mage humbled himself abruptly.

- Yes," Zoltan nodded. - Bart's going to take Gasper seriously, and I think if the boy's unprepared... it could take a toll on his psyche. And with the fact that the younger Kraul is the son of Darkness....

- I see..." Soran nodded. - In that case, at least warn the others about their mischief.

- I will, Soran, I will.

Same time. Crowley Manor.

- Katrina Rapuelle. - said Bartholomew thoughtfully, going over a list specially compiled by his secretary. - The daughter of a large merchant... No, he has too little finances for the price of Gasper. - The man muttered to himself, then turned the page.

- The daughter of a major duke of Mitangargen... And for such a one, Gasper could be given. Their family's fortune might even surpass ours. Seran! - shouted the head of the Crowley family.

- Yes, yes? - The secretary rushed into the office.

- Draft a letter to Mr Plevins. Write that I am ready to discuss the marriage between his daughter and Gasper.

- Yes... Of course, sir. - said the saddened secretary.

- Oh, it will be a very favourable deal. - smirked Bartholomew, putting his feet up on the desk. - And bring me some coffee!

- Just a moment, sir. - Nodded the secretary, then walked out the door.