The Conqueror of Darkness

Welcome to Agni Veritas Academy

He opened his eyes and saw a familiar ceiling. He turned his head to the side.

A lot of beds with white sheets and pillows. Light blue curtains. Scent of medicine in the air. Yup, this is unmistakably the Infirmary of his combat school. He had made frequent visits here before, and apparently today was also one of them.

He stretched his body carefully, feeling that there was nothing wrong with his limbs. Looks like someone has healed his wounds and also cared enough to put at least his jacket and pants back to cover his body. However, his shirt was gone, probably too dirty and bloody to put back on.

And his head, which was wrapped in rather thick bandages, feels rather heavy and dizzy. What did happen before, he could hardly remember. What was clear to him, is that he had stay the night in the infirmary because something happened the other day.

Hmm, wait… a fight.

Yes, a fight. He remembers that he fought Iceheart in a duel and it kinda went south quickly…

The memories start coming back to him. He sighed. The bed he was lying on was already shone on by the warm sunlight. The sun is already up high.

"Heh… ended up in the infirmary again…" he muttered to himself. "Just like usual..."

Yes, getting injured to the point of having to be treated in the infirmary where he also went to school was not something unusual for him. In fact, it would be weird if in a month he didn't have to come at least twice. This kind of thing was normal for him--

"Well, if you stop picking fights with random people, maybe you won't have to be treated here as often, you know."

Oh, apparently he wasn't alone in the room. He just realized, on the other side of his bed, on the side that was still slightly obscured by the shadows, there was someone sitting beside his bed. As he spotted the familiar red hair of that figure, his eyes slowly widened in recognition.

"Noa?" He called out, still feeling dizzy.

"Good morning, handsome." says the feminine figure, as she leans closer. "… or should I say, afternoon. You woke up just in time for break time. How are you feeling, Tenma?"

Tenma sat on the bed and immediately shook his head, trying to banish the drowsy and heavy sensation from his head. It worked a little, now he can see more clearly. And of course, the first thing he focused on was the person he was talking to. It would be a personal crime not to…

A young woman with long, vibrant red hair which bangs almost obscured one of her blue eyes, as vibrant as the sky itself. She wears a black school uniform. The voluptuous curves of her body... a button or two on her shirt is open, showing more than a hint of cleavage, and her skirt has ridden up, given a nice view of her shapely thighs.

Especially the shape of her posterior… he likes that.

It doesn't seem like she was bothered in the slightest that his eyes were wandering everywhere... because she is doing the same. She was initially just observing if he was okay, but then she caught the sight of that well-built abs and chest, and her mind started to ask funny thoughts.

Looking into his beautiful eyes, which is a mismatched pair of purple and green, is enough to make her lost in thought. Those eyes are beautiful, in her opinion. She couldn't understand why some people look at him with contempt. Those eyes look unusual, sure, but being a bit different does not warrant such scorn.

She smiled tenderly as she slowly climbed onto the bed, briefly prompting a raised eyebrow from the black-haired young man. She let his big, robust arms take ahold of her waist and hips without any words of protest, only crooning softly and caressing his face affectionately in return.

Why would she protest? He's her boyfriend. He has her full permission to ogle her body and more. Before she realized it, she was already on top of him and lightly sitting on his bare stomach. She starts to feel a bit excited, especially when he keeps staring at her body like that.

"You like what you see, you big oaf?" She asked with a sly smile, playfully poking his chest. "Also, your girlfriend here is asking about how you're doing..."

"Oh, never better, now that I've seen you. It's a sight for sore eyes." He smiled back appreciatively. "...I could do without the minor headache, though."

"Well, we should have that checked then." Noa said as she takes his hand and caress it. Tenma feels a chill from her soft and gentle touch, from her fair-skinned and slightly pale hands. "Your hand feels a bit colder than usual. Pale, too. Did you…?"

"Ah yeah, that's probably because I lost quite a bit of blood from the fight." He shrugged. "That Iceheart really did a number on me, he really didn't pull his punches…"

"Sabrina checked in before me and told me she healed your wounds before she left." Noa said while checking his neck. More specifically, his jugular veins, where she can feel the flow of his blood. It feels so warm. "I suppose as incredible as she is, her powers can't really give you back your lost blood..."

Tenma made a mental note to thank Sabrina for her treatment as usual. Always reliable.

"Yeah, I remember Iceheart got some good hits in. He's quite good. As expected from the 3rd Rank." Tenma said casually. "It's okay, though. I'll get it back in a day or so. I heal fast, you know…"

"You're not a therian, though. So you shouldn't push yourself too much." Noa shook her head. "So tell me, why did you even pick a fight with him anyway…?"

"That's not true. I did not pick a fight with him. He picked a fight with me." Tenma frowned.

"Is that so?" Noa raised her eyebrows.

"I know, coming from me, you won't believe it. But I wasn't the challenger this time."

"Uh-huh, sure. I believe you." Noa smiled meaningfully.

"I don't think you do…"

"Well, we'll ask Iceheart the truth when we see him." Noa hummed teasingly. "In the meantime, can you walk? Maybe we can attend some class if you feel well enough."

"That will be easy enough...oof."

Noa got off him and the bed. Tenma deftly followed, getting off the bed and started stretching… but suddenly he felt dizzy and staggered. Luckily Noa was there to catch him before he falls. She caught him from behind.

"Not too easy, I guess." Noa giggled. "Hmm… shall we just ditch class today?"

"I guess we don't have a choice… but, my attendance…"

"Tenma, you've already ditched class too many times. One more wouldn't hurt too much. And you don't even have your uniform with you. The teachers would just kick you out of class." Noa flashed a mischievous grin. "Besides, are you really in mood for classes now? You can just do something else, you know… like me." her voice turns sultry.

Her arms snaked and circled around his body. She rested her chin on his shoulder, and pressed her body against his. He can feel something soft on his back.

"Hey… is this really a good time and place for this?" Tenma sighed. "Not that I really mind but we can't really have privacy around here."

His girlfriend was quite... passionate. Not that he has any problem with that, he actually likes when she's being clingy like this. But he has to be aware of the time and place. Plus, he prefers it quiet and peaceful.

"But I feel lonely already. You didn't come home yesterday thanks to that stupid blockhead wasting your time." She's whispering in his ears. "Please? No one's going to walk in at this hour anyway…"

"Listen, Noa… I don't really mind anyone watching. But we'd get interrupted. We're not gonna have any fun if that happens." He tried to reason with her.

"Mmmmm…" she rubs her head against his, slightly pouting. "Fine, not here… I suppose we can wait until night?"

"Yeah. I'll uh… take you to my place after my side work." Tenma said, relieved that she's willing to compromise. "After that, we can do whatever you want. Okay?"

"Okaaaay." Noa lets him go. Tenma inwardly melted.

"Now that's a good girl." Tenma turns around and pats her head affectionately.

"... spare me that treatment… I'm not your little sis…" Noa pouted again.

"I can't do that. You're just as cute as her." Tenma grinned. "You just have to bear with this…"

"Geez, the things I have to put up with you…"

"You can't help it. You just love me." Tenma pointed his fingers at her like they were guns.

"Yes. I know what I'm getting into, you don't have to say that." Noa smiled, blushing but still maintains her composure. "Erm… so if we're not doing the usual… what we should do now?"

"Since we're ditching class…" Tenma said flippantly, as if it was no big deal. "… well, maybe we can just walk around the city? What do you think?"

"That sounds good. As long as we can go together, anything's fine." Noa nodded pleasantly. "I just need to get my bag from the class. You should wait somewhere…"

"I'll just wait near the Elevator. I don't want to deal with our noisy classmates."

"Alright then, you do that."

Tenma shrugged and looked around for his clothes... there, on a nearby desk, neatly folded. His sparring with Iceheart definitely ruined his clothes, but someone has kindly fixed it up to the point like nothing bad ever happened to it. Probably Sabrina or the Infirmary Staff, he'll make sure to thank them later.

Grey leather bomber jacket with a fur trim collar and a black sleeveless undershirt, grey pants with two interconnecting black belts, and black boots and gloves. That's his usual outfit, the one that he's currently wearing. He made sure he's wearing all of them properly before he turned back to Noa, who nodded.

And with that done, they left the Infirmary. Noa walked with Tenma in tow through a hallway that connects the Infirmary to the main school complex. They passed by some other students. Male students wear white top and black pants as the school uniform, while the females wearing the same black top as Noa and white skirt as their uniform. They all greeted Noa with a smile, but their smile slowly disappeared when they see the young man who walked beside her and hurried away. They seem to be… afraid?

Both of them can hear some vague mutterings.

"I heard he got into a fight with Iceheart... and both of them got hospitalized."

"Oh, he thinks he's hot shit, huh? Got hospitalized every week like it's nobody's business."

"I bet he just did it so he can be treated by the 2nd Rank, The Shining Goddess."

"She should've just let him be... she's too good for him."

And some other things that they intentionally tuned out.

"Very friendly bunch, aren't they?" Tenma deadpanned.

"They just don't really know you." Noa giggled. "And they just might find you scary."

It would make sense. Tenma was a fair bit bigger than the average male students, he has a mane of black hair, and big strong arms and feet. And his neutral expression looks like he was this close to punching someone's face, despite whatever he actually feels at the time.

No wonder he looks rather intimidating. Not to people who actually knows him, though.

"I don't bite, really." Tenma frowned. "That's more like your thing--"

Noa ignored that last bit and kept her smile.

"I know. We'll just have to make them understand that you're just some big, cuddly teddy bear."

She smiled, then hooked her arm with his and leaned against him. They keep walking that way. Tenma doesn't actually mind the touching, however, now the fear that he felt before from the other students has become something else. Coming from male and female students alike, he can see… Anger? Envy? Why would they feel like that?

"He already got a thing going with that Vermillion chick and then moving onto the Goddess?!"

"What a deviant! Who does he think he is, some harem king?"

"I don't really get what she sees from some battle-addicted jerk like him."

"He might've blackmailed her to do his biddings... what an asshole."

"Definitely! What a poor girl, she didn't deserve that..."

"Tch! That could've been me, not him..."

Tenma facepalmed as Noa frowned.

"Well... I think you're just making it worse." He said with a deadpan tone. He's not blaming her, though.

"There's no pleasing everyone. We've tried. Eh, it can't be helped!" Noa nonchalantly shrugged. "More for myself." Giggling, she held onto him tighter.

After walking the school complex together some more, they walked up a short staircase and finally arrived at the Elevator. Its door was a black, slightly transparent glass that they can see through. It could fit four or five people. They couldn't see anyone else using it, so this is the perfect opportunity to go to the second floor.

"I'll be back in a minute." Noa said, as she entered the elevator. "Though it might take a bit longer..."

"Take it easy." Tenma reassured her, waving his hand. "We got time."

And up she goes. Now he is alone there, in the front of elevator. He thinks of just standing there like a good boy until she comes back. His mind wonders about the team assignment that will happen in the next few days... the same assignment that caused him and Iceheart to fight. Then he randomly thought of what classes he'd already missed and will miss today. And then he thought about--

Then, it just happened.

"Aah, I'm late, I'm late, I'm late, I'M LATE!!"

Someone runs up the staircase and crashed into him. Well, more like whoever it is bounced off his body and fell to the floor while he just stood there, only got pushed back a bit.

"O-oww…"

It was a female student. A girl with pale black hair and red eyes, wearing a black school uniform and rectangular frame glasses, fell flat on her rear on the floor. Tenma then did what the first thing his mind told him.

"Hey, you okay?" he said, extending one hand to the girl to help her up. "Sorry for not getting out of your way. Can you stand?"

The girl looked at him warily at first. Looking at his big hand, then his face. He half-expected her to react like the students from before, but then her eyes softened a bit.

"Oh, um, I'm okay. Thanks for asking."

The female student stood up immediately on her own and flashed an awkward smile. Tenma observed her for a second, trying to recall if he recognized her face and coming out with a blank.

"Hmm, are you new student? I don't think I've seen you here before." He asked.

"Uh, yes… I just transferred here from Sancredo." the girl tilted her head, as if puzzled. "Are you a student too? You don't wear uniform, though…"

"Yeah... let's just say something unexpected happened and I can't attend school today." He said, scratching his chin. He's not going to explain himself to a stranger. "But yes, I'm a Second Year student here. Welcome to Agni Veritas Aca…"

"OH WAIT, I'M LATE! MY FIRST CLASS!!"

The girl was almost ready to bolt again, but Tenma raised one hand before she could take more than two steps further.

"Calm down, Miss. It's break time now. You were quite late… I don't think you should go to class now, someone's gonna make fun of you. Not a good impression to make for a newcomer."

"But…"

"You better go to the Admin Center and sorted things out there first. Then tomorrow, you can start off fresh." Tenma said, trying his best to reassure the panicking girl. "Take it easy. You won't die if you missed one or two classes."

"Alright, umm… where is this Admin Center?" the girl asked.

"... oh, right, you must not know your way around here yet. You're new here, after all." Tenma mused. "Well then…" He looked behind him and started to think...

Noa's not coming yet. Maybe he has some time to show her around the school? … no, that would take too long. But no way he can just leave this girl to her own devices in her first day at school, he can't just leave her be…

Oh wait, I just got an idea!

"If you don't mind, I can show you where to go. If you can just follow me…"

He was a bit surprised when the girl just nodded and followed him obediently, without any question or protest. She was too innocent, he can tell. The type that would be taken advantage of by the unsavory kind of students here. Now he's feeling a bit of responsibility…

"If you don't mind, can you tell me your name?" He asked.

"Of course. My name's Tachie. Tachie Marslight." the girl bowed a bit. "It's nice to meet you, um…"

"Tenma. Tenma Kazuki. Nice to meet you too, Tachie." Tenma extended his hand again.

"Likewise, Kazuki-senpai." This time, Tachie took in his hand and shook it.

Her hand feels rather small and fragile compared to his, he noted. Much softer, too.

"So you're my underclassman, huh." He nodded. "Alright, then. Let's get this done."

They descended the short staircase and took a left turn, where they soon find a fancy table.

There were some mechanical devices attached to the fancy table, and the one that stood out the most was a big monitor.

"That is the Directory, where you can find, well, directions." Tenma informed Tachie. "Yes... Agni Veritas Academy is a pretty big school. Probably to accommodate the student from every race here. Humans, strigois, therians, daevas… and all the others. It's probably a good idea to check where you want to go and make sure you won't get lost. This device will help you…" He trailed off.

"I have a question, Senpai! How many facilities are here?" Tachie raises one hand as if they were in a class.

"I'm just getting to that part. Here, let me show you…" He turned the big monitor on. "I'll give a quick explanation of the various major facilities we have here. Please pay attention…"

"Yes, sir!"

Tenma almost blanched…

'Sir'?! I'm just one year older than you, he thought.

... but he tries to play it cool.

The monitor shows eight different sections of the school. Those sections were marked with different colors. He pointed at the white one first.

"First, you'll find the Dormitory to the South. More than half of the students live in the dorms… but there are those who commute, for example, me."

He always finds himself quite lucky that he has a place to stay in the city outside from school. His parents were... gone, but he has his family there, for example, his sister. And he is responsible for her well-being, so staying under the same roof and not separated by the dormitory's rule is a much better option.

"Oh, I'm in the dorms! I don't have any relatives here on Aetzer, so that's the only option for me. I hope they have good room service here…" Tachie looks a bit worried.

"You don't have to worry about that. My friend here who lives in the dorms always says that the school staff always prioritizes the student's comfort and needs. You'll be fine."

That being said, if he has to pick between the Dorm and his own home, of course he will always choose his own. Home sweet home, as they would say!

"Yeah… I hope so." Tachie nodded.

Next, he pointed at the red section.

"Moving on… East of the South Block is the Cafeteria. There's always a big rush for the Special Jelly-Filled Donut. My friend likes that food so much. You better get used to waiting in line."

"Got it!" 

Then, he pointed at yellow section.

"West of the South Block is the Administrative and Information Center. We usually get briefed on exams, missions, and practical lessons there. The teachers' office is here too, so this is where you should go."

Tachie has taken out a notebook and written something down. He makes sure she was finished before continuing. He pointed at the black section.

"The Entrance is located to the North. I don't know why the founders of this school thought it was a good idea to build the entrance on the back part, but there you have it."

He will go out with Noa from there… He should wrap this up quick and go to the Entrance.

"Hmm? What's the matter, Senpai?"

"Ah, nothing. I just spaced out, sorry. Next!" Tenma continued, pointing at the pink section. "Next, we have the Quad located in the East Block. If there was any event or celebration, it will be held there. Now, since nothing is going on at the moment, it's just an empty field you can use for whatever. Eat, sleep, exercise, study … you name it. It's a good place to relax."

It was also a good place for couples to cuddle and snog… but no, he's not gonna say it.

"Actually, I'm into the idea of participating in the events myself! Like a Grand Academy Festival. I know it's going to be great! I'm planning to be on the Student Council here. Do you like School Festivals too, Senpai?"

He likes her enthusiasm. And about Festivals... he's not really into the Festival itself, but the idea of hanging out with family and friends… that sounds nice.

"Well, that depends on what kind of Festival it is." He shrugged, and continued with the purple section. "Let's just continue. North of the East Block is the Infirmary. This is, of course, the place where you get your injuries treated, but a lot of students come here just for advice."

"What's the doctor's name?"

The Doctor. Yeah, he doesn't remember seeing the doctor in the Infimary today. He wonders if she's busy with something else?

"Doctor Yuki Kadowaki. But since she's also a teacher here, she prefers to be called Professor Kadowaki."

Then, he pointed at the green section. His face turns serious and grim as he says his explanation, which caught Tachie's attention. He doesn't want Tachie to make the same mistake that he did in his first year here, so it's only natural that he wants her to take this one seriously.

"Now… the West Block. First, this is the Training Grounds. Pretty much the only facility that opens after school hours and night time. It's strictly used for training only, and they have real monsters running loose here. It's better if a senior or a teacher supervises you here. Keep in mind, if you don't take it seriously against those wild creatures, you might end up in their belly." He added sternly.

The girl gulps nervously. He felt a bit bad about scaring her, but he's not going to sugarcoat anything if it means saving her life in the future. He would rather the girl ended up despising him but survived whatever this school has in store for her than to give her false reassurance and make her end up dead.

"Just be very careful and don't take on anything you're not confident against. Got it?"

"U-understood, Senpai!"

His face lightened up as he moved on from that particular section and to the last one. Blue.

"North of the West Block is the Library. You can study up the materials here, but personally, I think the Monoliths in the classroom are a lot more efficient and easier to understand."

"Most importantly… all the Classrooms are on the 2F. First years, Second years, Third years, all study on the same floor. Please remember that."

"Yes, Senpai. Thank you very much."

"Oh, by the way, the Headmaster's Office is on the 3F. You need permission to get in, though."

"Another question!" Tachie raised her hand again. "Um… what's the Headmaster's name?"

"You don't know?" Tenma looks genuinely shocked. "He's one of the best Striker there is! His name is Cort Van Hellsing! … does that ring any bell?"

"O-oh! Of course I know him, he's mentioned in almost every Monthly Combat Daily! I've read about him… I just didn't know he was a Headmaster too…"

"Well, despite his appearance, he's actually pretty old. Don't get fooled by his prettiness. Many did." Tenma grins playfully. "Well… I guess that's about it. Anything else you want to ask?"

"No, that's quite enough. I got it. I can see I'm holding you."

Huh? She knew? I thought I hid it pretty well…

"Thank you for your guidance, Senpai." Tachie bowed to him, deeply this time. "Today could've gone much worse if not for your help. Thank you very much! I'll repay you someday."

She smiles sweetly, and without giving any chance for Tenma to respond, she ran off and left him alone.

"Ah, I guess that's one good deed done. That feels good." Tenma mumbled as he stretched his body. "Well then--"

Someone tapped his shoulder from behind.

"You seem to enjoy your time guiding our new underclassman." a familiar voice said.

Tenma turned around, and a familiar sweet scent followed. It was Noa, with a black sling bag swinging from her shoulder.

"Oh hi, Noa. Since when you were there?" He greeted.

"I got here just in time for your Training Grounds explanation. I just decided to listen." Noa said, looks a bit concerned. "Are you still bothered with that incident?"

"Yeah… somewhat."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not right now, sorry." Tenma shook his head. "I prefer not to ruin the mood by talking about that…"

"Alright, I'm sorry for bringing it up. I'm just worried." Noa gently caressed his shoulder. "But I'll have you know… no matter what people said about that incident… it's not your fault."

Tenma was silent. There was a dejected look in his eyes…

He can still remember it clearly.

The pleas for help, the pools of blood, the heartwrenching scream--

"Okay! Now let's talk about something more fun! Let's see, who's our lucky underclassman?" Noa changed the subject effortlessly. "What's her name? Did you know her from somewhere?"

"Tachie. We just met today." Tenma said quietly, not really focusing on her.

"And she doesn't seem to be scared of you. Isn't that good, Tenma? An improvement!" Noa smiled. "Or… did you work your special magic on her?"

That finally got his attention.

"What do you mean? I didn't 'work my special magic' on her, whatever that means… I'm not a magia or a strigoi like you, remember? I don't have an ounce of magic in me."

"You sure…? Did she fall and you tried helping her?"

"I tried but she got up on her own." He said flatly.

"I see. But were you nice to her?"

"Yes, of course. I'm always nice!" Tenma looks scandalized.

"Well, that's enough then." Noa nodded, and she looks content.

"What is enough?" Now Tenma looks puzzled. "Actually, what are you even saying?"

"Fufufu. I'll let you figure that one yourself." She giggled mellifluously.

"You're not gonna tell me?"

"I feel like it was so obvious, so I think I will do you a favor by letting you figure it out yourself."

"I really don't understand… a hint please?"

Noa sighed. A rare sight for her. "I'm just saying, if you did things right, she will to come to you again. And don't ask me why, you'll figure it out later." Then a mysterious smile.

"Am I just stupid?" He muttered in exasperation.

"No you're not, sweetheart. You're just a bit… not sharp on certain things. It doesn't mean you are stupid." She said, still smiling. "I mean, you got me falling all over you. Surely that means something."

Tenma doesn't look convinced. And mostly confused.

"Enough with the talk and your gloomy face. Let's go out!" Noa caught his arm and hooked it with hers, for the second time today. "Today will be another fun day! Be motivated!"

"Uhh, I guess so, but--"

"Ah, don't worry about it!"

And Tenma, still puzzled, let himself be dragged away by his red-haired girlfriend.