Chapter 44
This is a fictional story by realTensai
"Yo, Al, you good? You look like a zombie."
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just couldn't sleep well last night."
Alvis grabbed his head, yawning, remembering the rough night he had had. The dark circles under his eyes were a testament to his hard work. At least he could restore his energy now by eating.
Their class was currently having their breakfast, and neither Alvis nor Dane held back. They slung down one dish after the other as if there was no tomorrow. Alvis heard a few of his classmates giggle, making fun of their barbaric behavior, though he didn't even spare them a sigh. His time and energy were too valuable for that.
"Everyone listen," Ms. Myth said at the end of the table. "I will distribute our activity plan for the class trip now."
Just like last time, Ms. Myth handed out the activity sheets, but unlike last time, Alvis didn't care. He already knew what they were going to do, so there was no need for him to look. However, an important memory flashed up in his mind and he immediately turned his head to Lia. He made it just in time and their eyes met, both of them smiling.
Can't forget about our promise.
"Hehehehe~. You see that, Ness?"
"Haha, of course, Joel! Today is gonna be a great day."
Joel's and Ness' comments somehow still entered Alvis' ear, yet he couldn't care less about those two perverts.
The class finished their breakfast, and Alvis had restored most of his energy.
"We will meet outside and take the bus to start our city tour."
Following Ms. Myth's order, the students left the dining hall and gathered outside. There, Finriel, their guide, already awaited them, ready to take them out. They all got on the bus, their tour starting.
"Mhm," Finriel cleared his throat, turning the attention to him. Smiling, he started his guide. "Welcome to the heavenly city of Awaniko, where magic and reality intertwine to create an extraordinary experience. Our city tour will immerse you in the beauty and enchantment that defines this unique place. Let's begin our journey!"
Finriel's professional words were nothing new to Alvis, so he figured he should rather make up for the sleep he missed instead of listening to the same speech twice. With his eyelids heavy, a quick nap was inevitable, anyway. However, the moment he closed his eyes, immeasurable pressure weighed down on him. It was a killing intent so intense that Alvis had to gasp for air. He swung his head left to right, searching for the source, only to be met with her cold eyes. A shiver ran down his spine as he realized his crucial mistake. Ms Myth was staring at him with utter disgust.
Shit, I forgot that this is still class.
Now forced to stay awake, Alvis had no other choice but to listen to Finriel's words. He could only sigh.
Their bus left the Mana Forest and was now in the city, just a few minutes away from their first stop. Alvis passed his time by looking out the window, enjoying Awaniko's beautiful scenery. But he also noticed something.
At every second corner, there was a police officer on guard. The people were shaken and wandered around with worried looks on their faces. Uneasiness hung in the air, gossip, and conspiracy theories being its fuel.
Alvis' lips quirked up into a satisfied smile.
Seems like my efforts have already shown effect.
"Here we are at our first stop. The Mana Spire Square."
The students got off the bus and stood before awe-inspiring towers, but also before the police.
"Hey, what's going on?"
"What's the police doing here?"
They started mumbling, obviously concerned about this situation. Sensing their distress, Finriel approached the elephant in the room.
"Hey, did something happen?" Finriel asked the police officers. "There is quite a commotion going on."
Their grim looks were answer enough, but they still had to say it out loud. They looked at each other, their expressions serious. With a nod, they made up their minds.
"There is a rumor going around that has everyone on their toes," one officer said. He took out a poster from his bag and showed it to them. "This poster hangs around everywhere in the city. It's a message from the Devil Cult."
Everyone's eyes widened as they saw the bloody writing on the poster. No one dared to even breathe, as the shock overwhelmed them. Their brains processed what they just read, though they couldn't even imagine the weight of those words that threatened their peaceful life.
"We will attack your festival! Prepare to worship the Devil! Devil Cult!"
Alvis was the one who read it out loud, making everyone face reality. He didn't even have to read what stood on the latter, because he knew what he had written in it.
I hope my acting works.
He tried his best to look as shocked as the other students, though it took him a lot of mental fortitude to not smile, seeing how well his plan blossomed.
In the night, as Alvis had thought about his situation, he quickly realized he couldn't defend the city from the Devil Cult's threat on his own. That was why he knew he somehow had to warn the city, so they would engage in the battle prepared. However, warning them wasn't as easy as initially thought. Alvis knew he couldn't just go around and tell people that the Devil Cult would attack the festival. He also didn't want to be suspected to be working with them.
Having white hair and talking about the Devil Cult isn't the safest combination.
Using the internet was also not an option, because hackers could easily trace him back. The only option left was to warn them, but without them knowing, it was him.
With that in mind, Alvis had snuck out of his room in the middle of the night to start his mission. His goal was to create posters warning about the Devil Cult and distribute them within the city. He had hesitated at first, the thought of the Awanikan's thinking it was just a poor joke holding him back, but he had shaken it off with rational arguments. Even if the majority thought of it as a prank, there would still be people worried. The government also couldn't just ignore the Devil Cult's threat. With this only being the start of Alvis' plan, he was optimistic that he wouldn't have to face the Priest of Insanity on his own.
Alvis had spent the entire night creating posters in the Mana Forest. His hands still hurt from the excessive work and the bruises wouldn't just vanish. He had used the bandages in his inventory as gloves, so no fingerprints would be on the posters.
The first time they were useful. He snickered as this thought crossed his mind.
He had processed leaves into paper, using magic to fasten the process. The shops were already closed, and he also didn't want to leave any evidence they could trace back to him.
Someone buys tons of paper, and the next day, posters are hanging everywhere. Yeah, that was no option.
As an ink, Alvis had used the blood of a boar, giving the posters an extra dangerous feeling. The moment he finished creating all the posters, he just had to distribute them all around the city.
This was by far the most dangerous part.
It had been midnight, so the chance of anyone seeing him was low, yet the moment one person would notice him, his entire plan would have failed. Alvis had used his mind protector spell to hide his presence. By using leaves as a hat and clothing, no one could identify him even if they saw him. Just to be sure, he had also smeared his face with boar blood. These preparations had been enough for Alvis to stay undiscovered and distribute the posters all around the city. It had taken him several hours to finish his task, and he had made it just in time back to the hotel before everyone else would wake up. Of course, he had cleaned himself in the lake before entering.
Thus, Alvis had completed the first phase of his plan.
"W-What.. the Devil Cult?"
Nero's worried voice sent Alvis back into the present. He looked at her and saw how her entire body trembled, fear making her almost lose her mind. But she wasn't the only one. Alvis noticed that the other demons in his class had a similar reaction. And one of them was Lia.
Her emerald eyes were hollow, her knees shaking. Sweat ran down her pale face, as her breathing became more and more unstable.
"Lia? Are you alright?" her best friend Maya asked.
"Ouh, y-yeah."
Lia couldn't even fake a smile.
Alvis averted his gaze, his heart threatening to break. He clenched his fist, blood dripping out of his hands, but the pain did little to calm him down. Lia had lost her family because of the Devil Cult. Her serious reaction was more than justified.
I'm sorry, Lia.
Regret filled Alvis' heart after seeing his wife suffer. After all, he was the one who wrote the letter. But he knew it had to be done. If he wanted to protect her, there was no other choice.
"Will we be alright?"
"Don't worry," a police officer said. "This is probably just a prank, and even if not, we won't let them have their way. It's our duty to protect Awaniko!"
His confident words were honest ones, calming the students' minds. Even Alvis smiled after hearing that.
Sounds like everything goes according to my plan.
With the police now on his side, Alvis felt a weight being lifted off his shoulders. The first hurdle was out of the way.
Now, how will you respond to that, Voyzez?
Alvis calculated every move and its consequences. It wasn't unlikely that the Devil Cult would notice that their plan was revealed, so they only had two options left. Either change their plans and attack another time or do it, anyway.
If they attacked before the festival, they would miss the opportunity of the entire city gathering in one place, and taking over Awaniko would be way harder. The same applied if they attacked after the festival. But if they attacked on the festival day, they would have to face Awaniko's defensive force.
Which one will you choose?
Just after one encounter with Voyzez Knaxius, Alvis was pretty sure he would still attack without changing his plans. Someone as insane as him wouldn't care about resistance. With his shadow ability to absorb any attack, fighting against many powerful foes wouldn't even be difficult.
However, no one was all-powerful. After all, even the Devil fell in the battle against the Great Seven.