Chapter 31: C31: Rumors
I didn't know what to say to Anika's true accusations. She was 100% correct.
In this country, human control techniques were taboo. Nobles were scared. Even some exorcists with a lot of political power were paranoid.
Completing the conditions for a human control ability wasn't hard. Having all their lives and souls taken over was uncomfortable... to say the least.
Anika wanted something from me. So I will play along for now. "What do you want in exchange for keeping that information to yourself?"
"You saved my life. What kind of person do you take me for?" She scowled, seeming offended by my accusations.
She would have survived even in the manga. My interference didn't do much for her safety. So I didn't save her life. However, I wasn't going to spill a secret like that. "I will consider it even if you don't tell anyone about my special ability."
Then an uncomfortable silence sat between us, which would have been an indicator for anyone else to leave my dorm room. But Anika had the social cue of a hammer. It seems like I always have to take things into my own hands regarding her.
"If you don't have anything else to ask. You're free to leave," while she was innocent when it came to certain things, I knew Anika was brilliant. If I let her in too close, she might figure something out I don't want her to know.
"Yes, there's one last question I wanted to ask," she did not read between the lines. Or maybe she did and was acting like a clueless angel.
"Go ahead," I sighed and gave up on my rest.
"How could you be so fearless when we were fighting demons? You didn't show any fear even when standing up against the Demonic Exorcist. Are you emotionless during those times?" Her questions came out like a machine gun.
"Actually that's quite the opposite. I'm a deeply emotional man. That's my weakness." I waved off her impression of me. Me? Fearless? That sounded like the punchline to a terrible joke.
"That's not what an emotional person would say," she whispered.
Well, I gave her my truthful answer. She could do whatever she wanted with it. Now can you please leave? People were probably looking on to see how long it would take her to get out of my room.
If it takes her too long to leave, the next thing I know her father might end up asking me to marry her for sullying his daughter's honor.
She was from one of the four great clans. So my Dark Sword Clan would be delighted to have me married off. They might even try and force me to marry her.
"Well, I better get going then," she got up and was about to walk out. But she stopped and turned around one last time. "Oh, I almost forgot. The other students might not have been near enough to hear what you were talking about with the Demonic Exorcist. But they saw you fighting against him. So rumors have started spreading that you could hold back the Demonic Exorcist."
What was with all the gossip? This is an exorcist school! Doesn't anyone have anything better to do? This felt like another incoming headache in the future when I just wanted to rest.
"Also, if you have time go and meet professor Chain. He's bedridden but likes the visits." After saying all that, she finally walked out, and I had the leisure to lie on my bed.
I had been out of it for only one day, and it seemed like many things had happened. Kind of how the most incredible stuff happened the one day I missed school.
…
With nothing better to do, I lay on my bed for a couple of hours while reading a book on some rituals and demon names.
Some demons had made a name for themselves and their abilities and weaknesses. Their powers were known enough to get written down. Since demons have a long lifespan, these historical records were precious.
But after a while, even reading got boring. Still, it gave me the time I was looking for to think things through.
So I got up, put on a new pair of clothes and Harry potter-like glasses that I didn't need.
Thankfully there was no one outside my dorm room. I followed along the hallways to private medical rooms usually reserved for heavier cases.
The room Professor Chain was in was easy to find. Due to his roars of unbridled anger.
"You brats! Get down and do a hundred pushups! What're you smiling at?! Do push-ups!!"
I peeked inside the room and saw students doing pushups with smiles. Sweat dripped to the ground, and their fatigue was clear as day. They were tired but held on strong. Like this was the only way they could thank the now-old Professor Chain.
How long had it been since they were close to death? But they were still doing such tiresome training without hesitation. I should train too after dealing with some things.
One of the students brought the teacher something to drink. "Don't push yourself so hard professor. You don't need to scream, just murmur and everyone will listen. After all, you did save our lives. This is the least we can do for you."
This somehow seemed to piss off the professor even more. Veins popped into his forehead. "You brats! Just wait until I can walk again! I will overwork you all to death!"
The students took such threats with smiles on their faces. They were the students he had saved. None of them seemed to take his threats as something to cry about.
These were the same people who complained about being in Professor Chain's group. Now they're acting like his biggest admirers.
If I went in right now, he might even make me do push-ups. Since I saved him and allowed him to witness this, he would probably make me do even more demanding things. That's the kind of person professor Chain was.
But despite all his screaming, as he drank his tea, a small smile made its way into the now elderly-looking professor.
That guy just can't be honest with his feelings.
Well, it would be wrong to intrude on this. So I will just go and meet up with the headmaster.
The headmaster's office was in a lone hallway in the east part of the academy. In the hallways to his office, there were no other rooms except his office at the end. The whole walk there was filled with paintings on the walls.
They were bald, strangely moving human bodies, doing weird things like walking like a spider or sitting on chairs upside down.
Weird…
Once at the end of the hallways, I knocked a couple of times, and a voice invited me. "Come on in."
Walking in felt like I had entered some kind of cyberpunk office. There were a lot of weird things all around. On the ceiling, there was a train running on tracks upside down, and there was a statue of a naked woman with a horse's head. The whole place was filled with things like that.
In the middle of this horrifying mess was the headmaster sitting at his desk. He had a long beard and his eyes and the top of his head where his hair should be were covered with bandages. How does he see through that?
"Ah, if it isn't my dear famous student. Everyone is talking about you," he smiled while leaning his elbows on the desk. "On top of that, there were even rumors of you and that girl from the Raion Clan."
Was he talking about Anika? Damn. So rumors about us have already spread?
Though, why does the headmaster seem so interested in this? Also, how the hell did he learn about it so fast?!
Even in the manga, the headmaster was a mysterious figure. They called him the Hermit Exorcist. Someone who rarely showed himself. Though he is known as a Special Class exorcist, everyone presumed he was pretty powerful. Which he was.
But right now this mysterious headmaster seemed more like a gossip girl.
"It's an honor to meet you, headmaster," I kept my thoughts to myself. "Doctor Aki said you wanted to see me."
"As expected. You're respectful too," the headmaster nodded with a satisfied smile. "I have heard what you have done for our school and helped many of your classmates. I wanted to ask what you want as a reward."
Reward? Me?
Since when did this school become so generous?
On top of all that, the headmaster was acting nice. Suspiciously nice. The kind of nice where he will give me something and ask for a favor.
**
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