books44 Chapter 240 – Pick your Poison
Chapter 240 – Pick your Poison
To recap, yayy! I found Lythea! Oh no… Velvet’s with her!
They stepped out of the student council room, and now they’re coming this way… What do I do? Am I going to get murdered? Is my chance to repair the VISS Driver lost forever?
No no no… Relax… I have a disguise… There’s no way they know who I am. If I just act natural, they’re not gonna realize anything. I stood still while they walked closer, and then…
They just passed by…
They stared for a second… I mean, there was a weirdo frozen in the middle of a hallway… I could have done a better job at acting natural, maybe… But they kept going without turning back.
“Hm?!”
Did I celebrate too soon?
“What’s wrong, Lythea?” The girl sticking closely behind suddenly turned her head around, so Velvet had to ask. Her voice calm yet imposing.
“There was a familiar feeling coming from that girl just now. But it couldn’t be… Ah!” Lythea realized she just spoke without thinking. “It’s nothing, Velvet-sama! I’m just imagining things! I’m sorry for occupying your thoughts with my worthless imagination! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”
“Shut up.” Lythea went quiet as soon as her head got chopped. Hand chopped. “I’d rather get a false report then letting an enemy sneak close to me. Let’s go.”
They started walking again. Whew… I’m safe.
That’s more like the Velvet I remember… Her personality is the same, bossy and dignified, but the Velvet I saw when I got the VISS Driver looked completely different. She was practically a loli! She wasn’t like that in the game. She was a normal girl with a nice figure, and that’s what I saw right now. A tad taller than me, even. What an insane growth spurt in less than half a year!
“Anyway…” I found where Lythea is, but I can’t talk to her while she’s with Velvet. Should I stalk them and wait for the perfect opportunity? Hmm… Maybe, but not while they’re still suspicious… I gotta put some distance between us first!
*Thud*
I immediately bumped into someone before I could go anywhere… Someone who was damn tall…
Looming over was a red-haired, angry-looking girl with big brown horns. She had two girls with her, one on each side. A blonde demon and pink-haired girl without horns. Their clothes were looser and their style wilder than most of the students I’ve seen here. And judging from their attitude…
“Watch where you’re going. You picking a fight or something, huh?”
They’re actual delinquents… Sigh…
“Oh… She sighed.” The blonde girl said.
“What’s the attitude, huh?” The red girl grabbed my collar. “Apologize. You bumped into us. I’m not letting you go until you say sorry. Who do you think you are, huh?”
“Hihihi… And you better show some sincerity.” The pink girl leaned over. “What have you got on you?”
“Huh? You’re after money now?” Just my luck…
“Tsk… I don’t like your attitude. Maybe I’ll teach you a lesson at the arena.” The middle girl said. “Fight me. Or are you too much of a coward to accept a fight? If you get on your hands and knees, I’ll let you go. What will it be?”
For someone trying to sneak around, I was drawing a lot of attention by getting picked on… Somewhere behind me…
“Ah, Velvet-sama, that girl from earlier is getting bullied… Is that why she was staring at us earlier? Should we help?”
“*Sigh…* And it’s Censa causing trouble again…” Velvet said. “Let’s head over there. If she can’t stand up for herself, we have to intervene…”
It goes from bad to worse! Now the one person that I can’t get caught by is getting closer! At least I could hear them, so I know how to stop them.
“I fight you! I accept your duel or whatever, just… Not here!” So? Did that do it?
“Hmm… A duel between students…” Velvet shrugged. “Nothing to do with us anymore…” She and Lythea turned around again and walked away. It’s like they’ve seen this exact same thing happen numerous times before.
Whew… At least I’m safe now.
…
Or am I?
Cause now I’m in an arena face-to-face with the red-haired girl. Censa, was it?
They bought me over to the sports department building right next to the actual school. In one of the rooms was an arena for students to solve their differences. It was a round arena large enough to sit at least 200 people on the stands. We weren’t at full capacity, but a few curious onlookers came running when they heard that Censa would be fighting.
“Ehh? Who’s the idiot that accepted a fight with her?”
“Is she new here? She doesn’t stand a chance against one of the top 10!”
“It’s gonna be so one-sided! I can’t wait!”
“Maybe she’ll learn her lesson. If she survives.”
The people in the stands were running their mouths and getting excited. We wasted no time in getting the fight started.
“Ready… Go!”
To sum up the preamble, we talked about the rules when we got here. I could use any weapon I wanted, while she was only going to use her fists. She wanted to give me a handicap because she was just so much better than me that it would have been unfair or something. I refused and said I’d fight bare-handed too. That made her more pissed off and led to where we are now.
With her running at me.
As soon as she was close, she planted her foot and swung. A perfect straight punch! She was strong and her punch had a lot of weight to it… I can see why people say demons are much stronger than humans… The average soldier in Ebrilyon would lose against her.
However…
“Huh?”
“She grabbed it!?”
“How’s that even possible?”
“She didn’t even flinch!”
There’s a clear stat difference between us.
She tried to punch me again, and I indulged her. We exchanged blows and the fight extended for little longer, but in the end…
“Censa lost?!”
“Just who is she?”
“I’ve never seen that girl before!”
“Wow…”
That’s right, peasants! It’s me! The winner of humanity’s most prestigious tournament (I’m assuming)! I’ve defeated explosive mages and unicycle specialists! You think someone who’s merely a competent fighter can defeat me?! I’m the master of the arena! Muahahahahahahah!
In all seriousness, she was a better opponent than those idiots. She was actually trying instead of being a walking joke.
With the match over, Censa’s buddies helped her out of the arena and I left with them. I gotta say, this school is actually awesome! I feel like the protagonist of one of those school battle harem anime! Mysterious transfer student, picked on by an established powerhouse, wins, then everyone’s eyes are on them! It’s awesome! This is a magical academy, and the sports department, as I called it, is a facility dedicated to training the students’ fighting and magical capabilities. It’s perfect! This school is great!
“Uhmm… Sorry, was I too rough with you?”
Just outside the arena, we stopped in a room that was kinda like a locker room. The red-haired girl sat on a bench with her two friends holding her arms. She was looking down with her hair covering her face. Sh- she is alive, right? It was just a few punches.
“Huh…?” She slowly looked up. “Ahahahahaha! Don’t worry about it! I should be thanking you instead! I can’t believe how lucky I was to find someone so strong at random! Whew… What good practice.” With a wide smile, she stood up and patted my shoulder.
“Yo- you’re thankful?!” I asked.
“Sure am.” She sat back down. “My brother’s joining the Tartharus army next year. If I don’t get stronger fast, he’s gonna completely leave me behind! I’m always glad to fight someone stronger than me.”
Tarthrus? Why does that sound familiar? I don’t really get her, though. “Huh… Are you and your brother on bad terms?”
The three stared at me confused.
“Why would you think that? He makes for a great role model. And an even better target.”
“But you still want to surpass him?”
“How else am I gonna make it big?” She asked. “My goal is world domination! I’m gonna get stronger than him, climb the ranks, take over Tarthrus, then take over the world! I’d have to find a different first step if he wasn’t there.”
I see… He’s someone for her to strive for. A goal to motivate her. I think I get it, but… Why are we talking about this? Also, does this girl have a loose screw? “Aren’t you a little too ambitious?” She’s strong, but world-domination strong? Try making it into the plot of the game first.
“Well… It doesn’t hurt to try.” She casually shrugged.
Hmm… Maybe she’s kinda cool… You can’t fault someone wanting something crazy and going for it. Right? You can’t help but root for them a little.
…
Maybe this chicken over here could learn a thing or two…
“So, if you’re thankful for the fight, I’d like to ask for something in return. I’m looking for a succubus named Lythea. She’s a blue-haired girl who’s kinda meek. Do you know her?”
“I do, after all… I’m a succubus too!” The pink-haired girl spun in place to show off her wings. “She’s that one failed succubus who’s lucky that Velvet took her a pet. Yuck…” She started with a smile that immediately turned sour.
Is she jealous? “Th- that sounds like her… You know her?”
“I don’t get it… What does Velvet see in her? I bet I’d do a much better job as an assistant or as a pet! It’s so unfair!” She figuratively bit her handkerchief out of envy.
“Huh… A- are you one of Velvet’s… Fans?” I’m not sure if that’s the word.
“Of course I am! We’re talking about Velvet! Velvet Power Tarthrus! Everyone would kill to be close to her! She’s the daughter of the CEO of Tarthrus, and Tartharus pretty much rules all of the Demon Territory. It’s just a matter of time until they rule over the world! I’d have such an easy time taking over the world if Velvet gave a chance!”
Wait… Another idiot who wants to take over the world?
Hmm… That just now jogged some memories… Tarthrus… That was a very important name in the game… Tarthrus is a private company with enough power and reach to exceed any government and non-government institution in the Demon Territory. They’re everywhere when we come here in the game, and they control almost everything. With Tarthrus being such an important entity for the demons, and Galene being humanity’s Hero, we fight them a lot in game.
“Velvet’s the Tarthrus heir…” Yeah…
I remember now… That’s why she’s such an important ally… And why she has so many resources… She’s the number two in the Demon Territory. And with the power of the Demons, that might make her the number two in the world.
And I stole her most prized creation from her… Gulp…
“Be careful though.” The blonde girl said. “Don’t talk about the company too much near Velvet. She doesn’t like when people talk to her about her father.”
“Uhmm… Why not?”
“Who knows?” Censa said. “She probably wants to surpass him. We should all be so lucky to be born into a family with someone so awesome.” These demons have an interesting way of thinking…
That explains why Velvet would help Galene, though… If she wants to usurp her father’s place, it makes sense to team up with his nemesis… Feels a bit petty for someone like Velvet, though.
“Velvet aside, the one I’m looking for is Lythea. And it might be weird, but I need to meet her without being seen by Velvet. Do you know how?” I asked the pink-haired girl.
“Pftt… That’s gonna be hard. That loser is always clinging onto Velvet. Like she’s trying to show off or something.” The succubus pouted. “Otherwise, that girl barely ever shows her face. Believe me, I would have a lot to say if I could get a hold of her without Velvet being around.” Run, Lythea! Run! Well, I guess she has so far.
“Hmm… Do you know of someone who would know how to get her alone?”
“Unfortunately, no.” She said. “Oh! But you know how there’s an upcoming student council election coming up that Velvet’s definitely going to win again?” Bold prediction. “Since Lythea’s helping with the campaign, maybe you could use that somehow.”
We’re finally getting somewhere. “How?”
“Beats me.” She said.
Okay… Maybe we’re not going anywhere.
“Oh… There are posters for Velvet’s campaign all over the school.” The blonde girl said. “And the thing is, no one has seen Velvet putting them up. Isn’t that crazy? How did they get there?” She laughed while looking at her friends.
An election campaign… Campaign posters and a candidate that’s not putting them up… Who did then? Obviously, someone who supports her. And it’s probably someone who’s a master at staying out of sight…
“Alright, thanks for the info.” I ran off. “I think I can figure something out from here!”