Four Horsemen of Apocalypse

Chapter 15: A Trip to Disaster III

Helia — State: Aetheris.

Just right in front of the Association, by the car pack side, students were already returning to the buses, having already spent more time than necessary on the stop.

"Ouch."

Damian mumbled that almost absentmindedly, looking at his older brother, who uncharacteristically folded his arms while looking down on his younger brother with an unmistakable, furious expression.

Though if you'll call an intense lazy stare a furious expression then that would be what Enma was doing currently.

"They were the ones to start it. Really."

Well, all that said and done, Celeste only let out a huff of smoke as her gaze fell on Damian.

How problematic. Fuu. I'd rather the board of directors not hear anything about this, but it can't be helped, can it?

If they did, it would simply be more scolding upon scolding, and she could more or less guess what they'd say.

[As expected of the Blackwood heir who fell from grace].

She already knew the script. 

They loved throwing that one at her as they've attributed this to her a lot of times, having said this many times while complaining about her incompetence, since her fell from grace.

At the age of five, she had awakened and gone further than any of her peers even by the age of nine, becoming an «Enlightened,» an A-rank Awakened at a very early age.

That is to say, after debuting, she was one of the few who were believed to become a «Saint,» much like that woman who had been dubbed «Ever-present.».

However, she failed.

She ultimately betrayed the hopes of many people, and in the end, she had no choice but to see the Blackwood name slowly go down.

However, even if she didn't reach the transcendent stage of a «Saint», she is still one of the strongest «Enlightened-Above» Awakened, who boasts of one of the highest firepowers.

Makes one wonder how this woman fell from grace.

"It's enough, Enma; I believe he has learnt his lesson."

The woman lazily puffed out smoke, tapping the ash onto the floor before she tapped on Enma's shoulders, who then glanced over at her nodding.

"Honestly, I had expected this from Shinra, but I guess you're just like him."

"No way!" Damian recoiled as if struck.

Damian rejected the notion of being anything close to Shinra in personality. That was the highest insult you could give to him, goddammit, war crime territory kind of statement.

But then again. They had already spent a long time, by their schedule; at the very least, they should be able to make it by afternoon towards evening.

"Alright, now that's all done, let's prepare to head—"

"Celeste! What's the meaning of this! As expected, it's the Creed brothers, isn't it!?"

Just as the Blackwood former heir was about to dismiss them, another one of her colleagues just had to butt in.

The man was one of the instructors who always despised the Blackwood former heir.

This same man is the one whose face looked redder than a mana-overload alarm. His tweed jacket—straight out of 1987—flapped like angry bat wings.

Naturally, both don't see eye-to-eye, which leads to situations like this happening among them.

Of course, Blackwood was extremely familiar with this pattern to the point it's like déjà vu for her.

She had experienced this situation before. And like before, many times, she was experiencing it over again.

"Is that so? I'm glad you're concerned about my student. How sweet of you."

Celeste said that with a satisfied expression.

True to her nickname Shane gave for her, a demon, she was more or less enjoying the sneers and expressions directed at her.

The people who were the ones to praise her during her rise were also the ones to easily mock her when she fell.

Well, that was a long time ago.

"Kuh! This wench—as expected, this school made a mistake by putting you in charge; I demand a change in authority!"

He naturally wasn't going back down. I knew that.

Was Celeste's thought, 'What a drag?' She added on top of that. She wasn't one to stress herself out like this.

Hence, she had planned to follow through with the tactics she had always gone ahead with.

Listen till he's tired, or simply walk out on him.

But even then, patience had her limits, though Celeste thought of this.

Damian and Enma also seemed to be uninterested in this; in fact, Damian had already prepared to stop this ruse in his own way when the most annoying of them appeared.

"Instructor. I need your attention."

Shane had simply said so with an uncharacteristic yet serious expression on his face, as the woman tilted her head, looking over the accusing instructor's shoulders.

After all, Shane was behind him.

"Nngh. Hey you! I'm talking with an instructor over here; how dare you!"

"By the way, I've taken care of the case already with the C-class instructor. The «Enforcers» had stated they wouldn't trouble Yosen with a matter of this degree. Is that enough?"

Shane had his hands behind his back, standing in a military attention as his hair swayed with the wind saying that.

Celeste and the instructor had his eyes widened as they heard that. The «Enforcers»? Surely, they know them.

Awakened Association Law Enforcers.

Though they are called that, those people work directly under the World Entropy, directly under the human who had been titled Goddess, more so dubbed with the name—

«Ever-present».

And while they had thought that. Celeste really could imagine Shane going over to the C-class instructor and forcing the man to.

"Hahahaha. What a student I have, no? Instructor Jameson?"

Celeste laughed as she threw her head back, her hand on her face as she laughed.

Sure enough, even Enma and Damian didn't seem that surprised. She was really right about the kid.

"Kuh. It's a lie—"

"It's true, Sir Jameson."

While instructor Jameson wanted to refute, with the words of acknowledgement from the C-class instructor who began to walk towards them with an unimpressed gaze towards him…

That sealed it.

Obviously, it's clear he had lost, so the man had shown an unbecoming expression towards the C-class instructor while clenching his fists.

But soon, he dropped his fist, but his expression hadn't changed.

He then turned over to Celeste.

"Fine, I'll drop it for now." Then, in anger, the man had walked off.

Celeste, seeing him strut off like that in anger, sighed again before reaching for one of her cigarettes, about to light it up, when a hand stopped her.

"I knew it, these cigarettes, so that's your condition."

He had noticed at a glance, and more so, at a place like Yosen, such a thing wouldn't have been allowed, even though she was once a Blackwood scion.

The answer was simple; Shane almost smacked his head for not realising.

"Tsk. I hate you; you're too smart for your own good."

Celeste had said such, but she didn't really mean it. Damian and Enma didn't miss it.

On that note, while it had been an oversight on her part regarding Damian, the blame would most definitely fall on her.

But even then, Yosen's students came first in such a situation, and Damian, being a disciplinary member, most definitely did his job.

Hence, the «Enforcers» wouldn't have pushed for it.

"Or that at least was the explanation Shane gave."

More to the C-class instructor, Shane had put his hands on his hips while raising his head up vainly.

Disregarding what he had done, they had simply ignored him.

"Well, I don't have much to say; you have excellent students, Lady Blackwood."

"Stop using formalities with me, Vahn."

To what the former Blackwood heir had said, the man, the C-class instructor—Vahn, simply shook his head, before his gaze trailed over to Shane, who was now beside his brothers.

The Creed family, just who were they?

He thought. Even the unmotivated Shane… It had just happened when the male had come over to him, shortly after the awakened who tried harassing Yosen's students had been apprehended.

It was around that time Shane had requested he—Vahn brought him with him to follow the «Enforcers» for questioning.

«Enforcers».

True to their titles and what they are known as, each one of them is casually «enlightened» to the «enlightened-above» class Awakened.

The strongest among them can causally fight on par with Celeste; even he couldn't help but be intimidated, not to mention he was an «Enlightened» class awakened, a student who had boldly approached them even under such intense pressure.

He couldn't believe it.

And even when he was speaking, he had spoken without cowering back and even demanded something from the «Enforcers.

Should he say Shane was brave or reckless?

No. There was no use to think about such a thing. They are all the same.

After all, that's his speciality. They are all monsters, the four brothers, though they seem to be hiding it.

'I shouldn't have been surprised, but there's no use in thinking about it much.'

"Anyways, the students have been rallied; it's best we start going."

Vahn said as he glanced over his wristwatch, the long hand was already on the past quarter of the right side of the clock, while the short hand was on the starting point of the time.

It was now around 12:20 PM.

If they want to make it to training camp in time, they better move out now.

"You're right, Enma, Damian, take care of the rest."

"Hn, we will, instructor."

"Well, I'm sorry for the trouble."

"Don't mind, but next time, be careful."

With the three—Enma, Damian, and the C-class instructor Vahn—having gone, leaving behind the two, Shane blinked.

It couldn't be that he was going to get scolded? Now, he regrets it. Or something along the lines of his train of thoughts.

However, "thank you, Shane."

The woman, who mostly looked dead with an unchanging expression no matter the time, now looked incredibly beautiful with a smile he hadn't seen on her face till now.

Throughout the span of the time he knew her, she'd only ever had that calm face of hers.

Even then, he knew it was a facade, especially with the cigarette she always smoked.

He had caught onto it some time ago, but he couldn't be sure.

It was now today; he finally used the chance, and just by the whiff of it, he could tell. That's a Vive Grass, wasn't it?

There are materials that mutate after being exposed to mana, just like the training rooms are made of steel that had been soaked in mana; there were plants like that.

Those plants can be used to make elixirs that work beyond human normal understanding.

Of course, this includes potions that can close off injuries at an incredibly fast pace compared to normal.

And which is further to say, such things, such plants, were excessive. The scent of the cigarettes was obviously different, which he had noted, but because the burning smell of the wrap wasn't all that different, he couldn't tell until now.

'Vive grass on the market price is very expensive; after all, it is used to treat mana deficiency, and having it in wraps and packs like that.'

Yosen's pay is high, sure, but even with her monthly funds, it was incredibly suspicious she had that much even though she was once the Blackwood scion.

'More so, her situation is something rare and almost impossible to fix more so; even specialists had given up. But she's using drugs to prolong her situation, isn't she?'

This wasn't a solution.

More so with excess intake of Vive, even an extracted solution turned into powder; an excess intake of it was bad.

'This woman, does she intend on—'

"Don't think much about it."

She had suddenly interrupted his thoughts, which made Shane's eyes widen, as he slowly looked back at her still smiling at him.

Why was she doing this?

He couldn't understand. While he had heard of the famous Blackwood's situation, he hadn't thought much about it.

Shane had obviously been with her the longest since he had entered this school.

People who didn't know what she was going through and were treating her like that, perhaps, they were better—

"Haah. You dumb student of mine."

Her hand had landed on his head.

"If you have time to think about me like that, do it when you're older, you rascal."

Her expression had turned back to the usual way she was.

It was evident she didn't want him to pity her. It would be disrespectful to her, no doubt, hence…

"Heh. Forget it, I forgot for a moment the type of person you were."

"Shane dear—wanna die?" She looked at him with violence in her eyes.

"A-a joke, instructor, you really want to commit a felony?"

"Idiot, I'm committing murder on you!"