Chapter 48: A bloody weekend! The vicious fangs of the rebels!
Students' daily routines are largely the same, no matter what world they are in.
Even though Hagun Academy is a martial arts school that trains Magic Knights, it still gives students weekends off.
Arthur had spent several days previously sifting through the main roster, and on this rare weekend holiday, he planned to go to the mall for some fun.
Hmm—well, he admitted it.
Compared to having fun, Arthur preferred immersing himself in books.
But Fou had long been restless, and early this morning, she had jumped onto his face and bounced around, clearly indicating that if he didn't go out to play, she would torment him to death.
Helpless, Arthur greeted Kurogane Ikki, changed back into his Chaldea Mystic Code, and prepared to leave.
However, Kurogane Ikki was currently blocking the doorway in a standard dogeza pose, loudly requesting,
"Please take me with you!"
Arthur was startled by his sudden action, then sighed, rubbing his forehead.
"Although I already had a premonition that it would be troublesome, seeing as you're kneeling and kowtowing, tell me, what's going on?"
Kurogane Ikki looked up, a wry and wronged expression on his face, and explained hesitantly,
"I absolutely cannot stay in the dorm by myself, or Shizuku will definitely break in, and then…"
Kurogane Ikki didn't finish the rest of his sentence, but Arthur already understood, letting out a cold chuckle.
"As expected, we should call the police, you scumbag!"
Kurogane Ikki quickly argued, "I was forced!"
Arthur stood with his arms crossed, looking down at him, his cold chuckle still on his face.
"That's not necessarily true; you can know a person's face, but not his heart."
What goes around comes around!
The words Kurogane Ikki once used to tease Arthur were now returned to him in full.
But unlike the clear-conscienced Arthur, Kurogane Ikki was clearly both fond of and afraid of his sister.
Afterward, Kurogane Ikki, determined to shamelessly stick with Arthur, planned to leave school with him.
Just as the two finished tidying up and pushed open the door,
What they saw was a peculiar combination of Stella, Kurogane Shizuku, and an effeminate pretty boy.
Stella was excited, "I heard you guys are going out to play? Count me in!"
Kurogane Shizuku looked on the verge of tears, "Brother, are you planning to abandon me?"
The pretty boy smiled sweetly, "Nice to meet you, please be sure to kindly call me Alice."
Arthur: o(≧▽≦)ツ┏━┓
Kurogane Ikki: (╥﹏╥)
...
And so, the distinct five-person group arrived at the department store near Hagun Academy.
Stella, who had never been to a mall before, was highly enthusiastic about shopping, curious about every storefront, and always had to go in to explore.
But when she mistakenly entered a men's clothing store and saw the underwear on the mannequin, she would run out, covering her face, blushing, which truly made it hard to understand this Princess.
Arthur tried not to pay attention to the inseparable Kurogane siblings at the end of the group, who were hugging each other.
He subtly observed 'Alice' on his left, recalling the admission report he had seen a few days ago.
...
Name: Arisouin Nagi
Class: Hagun Academy, First Year, Class 4
Age: 18
Blazer Rank: D
Attack Power: E
Defense Power: D
Magic Power: D
Magic Conduction Control: C
Physical Fitness: C
Luck: D
Inherent Armament: Dark Hermit
...
How to put it, a rather mediocre test data?
Neither as sharp as Arthur and Stella, nor as ridiculed by classmates as Kurogane Ikki.
If he hadn't mastered Transparent World, allowing him to fully perceive everything around him, he might have been fooled by the other party's harmless appearance.
Arisouin Nagi vaguely sensed something in Arthur's gaze, and with a gentle gesture, raised his arm to cover his mouth and chuckled softly.
"What's wrong, Arthur-kun, even a Rank A Knight can't resist my charm?"
Arthur calmly shook his head and replied with a half-smile.
"Arisouin-kun is really joking; when it comes to how strong a Rank A Knight is, aren't you clearer about it than I am?"
Arisouin Nagi still had a gentle smile on his face, but his steps gradually slowed, and he lowered his head to discuss private matters with Kurogane Shizuku.
...
Shopping is the best way for girls to pass the time, but for boys, it's no less than high-intensity training!
So, while Stella and Kurogane Shizuku were still enthusiastic and running around, the three boys excused themselves to go to the restroom for a break.
Bang—!
A fully armed masked strongman suddenly kicked open the restroom door from outside, frantically spraying bullets into each cubicle, and only turned to leave after confirming no one was left.
Then, a dark crack expanded from the wall into an oval shape, which was a highly concealed Blazer skill.
Arthur and the two others walked out of the crack, vaguely hearing cries, curses, and gunshots from outside.
Kurogane Ikki whispered, "Who exactly are those people? Are they actually robbing a department store?"
Arisouin Nagi crossed his arms and sighed softly, "At least, they don't look like good people."
Arthur pouted and retorted, "If it were just a robbery, it would be much simpler."
"This place is so close to Hagun Academy, what kind of desperate criminals do you think would dare to come here to seek death?"
Kurogane Ikki's pupils suddenly contracted, and he exclaimed in a low voice, "Rebel Army!?"
Hearing Arthur mention an existence that dared to provoke the Alliance Academy, Kurogane Ikki naturally first thought of those desperate madmen.
The Rebel Army, a group of outlaws always active in the shadows of the world.
They believe Blazers are humans chosen by God and define ordinary people without talent as an inferior race.
They are committed to promoting this idea globally, attempting to build a new world ruled by Blazers over inferior races.
Thinking of this, Kurogane Ikki pulled out his mobile terminal from his pocket, ready to call the police immediately.
Slap!
Arthur and Arisouin Nagi simultaneously moved to stop him.
"Calm down, it's the weekend now, the busiest time for the mall."
"Arthur-kun is right, acting rashly will only make the situation worse."
Kurogane Ikki, who was in a panic, calmed down again and then asked,
"Then what should we do? Should we just wait here?"
Arthur shook his head and carefully moved to the restroom door, observing the situation outside.
The armed terrorists were sweeping floor by floor, roughly pushing the panicking tourists, gathering them all into the first-floor lobby for custody.
Arthur even saw Stella and Kurogane Shizuku among the hostages.
He turned around and spread his hands to Kurogane Ikki and Arisouin Nagi, saying,
"Good news, the Princess and Kurogane sister are both calm, and no one has alerted the enemy yet."
"The bad news is, this group of Rebel Army seems to be fearless, not at all afraid of Hagun Academy's support."
Kurogane Ikki also looked towards the lobby, frowning in speculation.
"They're fearless because they're holding a large number of hostages, right?"
Hearing such naive remarks, both Arisouin Nagi and Arthur couldn't help but shake their heads and chuckle softly.
"We can think about that later. Ikki, you're responsible for contacting the Academy and explaining the situation."
"Arisouin-kun, could I trouble you to come with me for behind-enemy-lines reconnaissance?"
Arthur stared at Arisouin Nagi with a smile, who summoned an Inherent Armament shaped like a military knife and, turning sideways, cut open a crack.
"Of course, happy to help."