The light yet constant ruffling of leaves and the crackling of the fire were the only sounds that could be heard as the students looked to one another with fearful surprise.

To most, the revelation which they had just been exposed to was one in which they never had so much as considered.

The fact that, among them, there might exist those who had killed before.

Yulen Academy was a prestigious Academy among the elven populace, however this was not in the slightest due to the students whom they admitted.

On the contrary, they prided themselves on their ability to make something out of those who were UNWANTED.

It should have been obvious, yet even to those who had been thrown aside by their parents, it came as a surprise.

There was more than one reason why someone could be unwanted.

Far more.

"You... have killed people?"

Raphael, a brown haired wood elf whose face was littered with freckles, shivered as he looked back and forth between those around him.

Standing up, he slowly begun to back away.

"They.... allow that here..... killers.... among us? How.... I thought...."

"This is supposed to be an Academy for soldiers, is it not?"

Facing him with a seductive grin, the smooth tone of Samantha's feminine voice flowed through the ears of all present, causing the boy to cease his own show of cowardice momentarily as he stopped in his tracks.

"If we are being trained to become soldiers.... then in the end, we are being trained to be killers. Perhaps you all didn't understand that much?"

These words were spoken so clearly, yet their implications sent shivers down the spines of all present.

"Ah, would you all like to join us? After all, since you're listening in on our conversation anyways, you might as well take a seat and take part in the meal, no? Unless you are too good to share the table with a murderer.", Samantha stated.

It was then, from the corner of the building, that a number of students walked out with irritated and confused expressions.

4 males, and 2 females.

The rest of the students in the class approached, surprise tainting the faces of every person present.

"Hey, we heard everything. Do..... do you all really believe something like that?"

With a snarky tone that held just the slightest trace of fear, the boy known as Edward stepped forward with his arms crossed.

"Yeah.... that's just..... to think that I would be in a class with killers.... that's.... it's too much, right!?"

The gorgeous yet somewhat snooty high elf stood forward with just as much pride, unable to accept the words which she had just heard.

Fear could be heard in her voice as well, which cracked ever so slightly as she spoke, to which she made an immediate attempt to cover up her own weakness.

"It's one thing to be a soldier, but killing an instructor? How can we possibly accept someone like that as a classmate?", the elf known as Hailey stated without compromise.

"Ah, I guess that's right, isn't it. There are always people like you around."

Stepping up from her seat, Ashley spoke in a crackling voice, displeasing to the ear.

"People who see themselves as better than others. People who surround themselves with yes men who just keep on telling them that they're right. People who see others as trash, looking down on them.... not ever trying to understand them.... hahaha..... isn't that right?"

Ashley approached the group with a gleam of madness in her eyes, however she soon felt the hand of Garett on her shoulder.

"Now now. Why don't both of you calm down. After all, there is no reason for the number of people who have died today to increase, right?"

Glaring over to the six before them, two of which stood at the front, it felt as if time had come to a stop.

Not a single breath was taken, and seconds passed before Edward let out a sigh.

"I... get it. I'll listen then."

Walking over to the campfire, the wood elf who had an eccentric hairstyle as if he were some sort of biker sat down, glaring at the two the entire time as he took his spot.

"That is one. And the other?", Garett asked.

The three girls behind Hailey merely watched the ground without saying a word.

It was at that moment that the other male stepped forth as well.

"I've never had any intention to judge those who are supposedly my comrades in this place. Whether you've killed anyone or not is none of my business. The only thing that matters is what happens from this point on."

This was Charles, the former noble who had been placed here by his parents due to their unreasonably high expectations of him.

As the second son to a wealthy family, his only option was to become renowned for his endeavors in the military, and so he was forced to come to such a place.

"Your brother will inherit our domain, and you will go to Yulen Academy, where you will be forged into a warrior and perform magnificent deeds in our name. There will be not a single one of my sons who will be known as.... mediocre."

These were the words of Charles' father before he was enrolled within the Academy.

"They are right, are they not? This is a training yard for soldiers. This place is nothing more than an extension of the battlefields which we will once fight on."

Turning back with thinned eyes, the sophisticated boy spoke in deep tone as his voice resounded within those around him.

"And what battlefield is without death and betrayal?"

Taking his seat quickly, that left the four girls, two of which were now looking to their leader nervously.

"It would seem that the two beside you are concerned over your well being. Do you not care about their concern for you? After all, by continuing to stand there without coming to an agreement, you might place yourself in unnecessary danger."

Without turning her back from the group, Samantha said this, at which the eyes of Hailey widened with irritation.

"Wha- are you saying that they're just concerned for me!? Of course that's not true. I can take care of myself, thank you very much!! They have no reason to be worried about-"

"Ah, perhaps I wasn't specific enough. They understand that you are merely being stubborn here. The reason they haven't sat down after all, is simply so you won't be left alone. Or am I wrong?"

Samantha laughed lightly, placing her hand to her mouth without so much as turning to face the woman as she slurred truthful statements, revealing the mindsets of all those around her.

"Of course, I can't be wrong. I tend to be very good at.... reading people, after all."

"You are too cruel, woman. Messing with the girl like that. However.... I suppose that cruelty is also a part of you which I have accepted.", Trevor stated with a grin from beside her.

"What are you talking about!? I.... that.... that can't be right!! I.... you two...."

Hailey looked back to see Alexa and Vivian who were staring at her with expressions of concern, as well as Serina who was standing there with a straight expression.

"Her.... her words are wrong, right? You two agree with me, right? There.... if that girl killed our instructor, then how could we consider her to be one of our classmates?"

The lips of the two quivered as they were asked directly, and they said nothing.

"Hey!! Answer me!!"

"They won't answer. They know we're right. After all....."

It was then that a horrid chill was sent down the spine of Hailey as a whisper echoed through her ears.

"We've come here to become nothing more than murderers, no?"

And then, in the other ear.

"And if you don't accept that, then aren't you deluding yourself into a false reality?"

As if they had teleported for a mere second, and then back to their previous positions, Garett and Ashley had momentarily been within breathing distance of Hailey.

"The sooner you accept that, the sooner you can accept your fate. After all, I heard the principal say it himself. And I'm sure you already know.... given that your parents had to give you up so that you could come to this place."

As Ashley spoke, the faces of all present became tense, for they all understood exactly what she referred to.

"This isn't just a school for students to improve themselves. This is a factory to produce machines. Nothing more. Ah.... and if a soldier is just a machine, then wouldn't that make them into a piece of property?"

It was then, that the laughter begun.

The mad laughter.

"Heh heh heh....."

"Hahaha....."

Side by side, Garett and Ashley laughed in perfect synch with one another, as if their shared madness was something which had been perfectly practiced.

"Ahaha...."

"Ehehe...."

And then, the laughter stopped.

Samantha and Trevor stood up, standing right beside the two with arrogant smirks.

"So if we've been sold off as machines....", Samantha stated.

"And our only goal is to increase our value as property....", Trevor continued.

"Then why don't we show the people who run this place a thing or two?", Garett asked.

And then, looking up with green eyes of madness, Ashley met her glare with Hailey, who had been filled with frustration.

"What's wrong with showing them that we're not just tools for them to break and repair and upgrade as they please?"

Frozen in place, each and every student merely stared at the four with wide eyes.

Hailey glared at the four, looking back and forth between each one, and one single thought permeated the minds of everyone present alike.

'Who are these people?'

How did they know so much?

Why did they know so much?

Just how much more did they know?

'Who are these people?'

As she thought this, Hailey felt her own knees failing her.

She could barely keep herself standing before these four.

They were too far above her to even go against.

Yet, the words they spoke....

She knew they were true.

They were true without doubt.

And it was because of their truth, that she wanted with all her being to reject them.

To push them away.

To cast them aside, and ignore that they were ever spoken.

Yet faced with these four, she could do nothing more than accept.

"I....."

Turning to the side, Hailey glanced to the ground with spite.

"Do you think I don't know that?", she whispered in anguish.

Smashing her fist into the wall beside her, her eyes darkened with pent up anger.

"Do you think that I don't know any of that!? That these two have been worrying about me, because I'm just a shitty division 4 fighter! That the only reason I'm here is to become a tool for the state!! That if I had parents who loved me, that they wouldn't have sent me here!!! DO YOU THINK I DON'T KNOW THAT!?"

The girl was now panting, and her eyes became wettened as she held back her own tears.

"I KNOW!!! I know that nobody loves me!!! I know that nobody cares!!! I know that I'm freaking useless!!!! So what!? So fucking what!?!?"

"Hey hey, did you not listen?"

The demented voice of the girl once more filled the ears of all, interrupting the breakdown of the high elf.

"We're here because this world is so shitty.... to turn things around. I said before, didn't I? Ah, no... maybe I didn't. Do you know why I killed that instructor?"

The girl giggled happily, as if enjoying her own memories of slaughtering the man.

"Because he viewed us students as things..... no, less than that. As things which held no worth until we produced results to improve his reputation. We were his property, tools to be used for his sake. And if we didn't give him exactly what he wanted, then he would throw us out like the trash we are."

Staring at the high elf, the demented girl tilted her head, a playful smile donning her inquisitive expression.

"Doesn't that piss you off?"

Looking up to the girl with a flurry of emotions flowing through her mind, Hailey was unsure how to even respond.

"So.... so what if it pisses me off? Does that mean I can do anything about it!?"

"To expect something of your subordinates..... is something which I personally view as a failure on the part of a leader. For if you cannot do everything yourself.... then can you truly even say that you are fit to lead?", Trevor asked, cutting Hailey off. "Such a man who died so easily.... is it not pathetic that he wished to mold us into tools which would only serve his own reputation? And by demoralizing us without ever so much as praising us with positive feedback?"

Walking with his hands folded, he returned to his seat as he continued.

"I for one found his methods to be appalling. He criticized and criticized, yet he offered no advice at how to improve. He categorized us as useless, and held expectations for those with promise while still viewing them as nothing more than a system for his own glory. That is something which.... irritates me. If you are to nurture students underneath you, then you are to give them responsibilities which they will be able to keep up with, allowing them to grow on their own.... and you are to praise them for their own successes. Yet he would most certainly have accepted the credit.... as his own achievement."

Trevor let out a short chuckle.

"To say that the work of a subordinate is your own achievement..... that is nothing less than arrogance, no?"

The four all sat down, and continued to eat.

As they did so, Hailey merely watched.

Shivering, she looked at her own arm.

'How.... can they just say that?'

'They.... killed someone..... and yet they say that they were justified?'

'Even if.... he wasn't a good person.... even if.... even if this whole situation is messed up...'

However, it was then that Hailey remembered.

The look her parents gave her as they left.

Or rather, the lack of a look.

Hailey was a former noble daughter.

With 7 other siblings, she held no value.

With all of her siblings having done something great for the family, whether it be leading the household, making achievements in politics, or being married off to form alliances with other groups, Hailey was left with a choice.

Either come here, or be married off.

She had chosen this because she wanted to make something of herself.

Rather than be married off to another household, she wanted to do something which she could call her own achievement.

Yet she was assigned to the 4th Division.

Even among her comrades in this Academy, she was the least.

Despite the fact that they looked up to her, weren't they really just mocking her?

How could someone above her in ability and ranking truly look to her as a leader?

These insecurities had worn away at Hailey.

"Alright."

'I'm sick of being last.'

Standing up and wiping her eyes, she looked forward with a frown.

'But more importantly.... I'm sick of pretending I'm not.'

"Fine then. You're a killer, and you killed our teacher. So what? They're all..... each and every one of them...."

"Scum?"

Ashley finished the sentence of Hailey as the girl walked forward, grabbing a piece of meat for herself.

"Yeah..... they're all scum...."

"Hehehe..... this is gonna be a fun school year. Though I don't think it will last that long."

Vivian and Alexa awkwardly took their own pieces, still somewhat nervous about eating with killers, yet they were at least relieved that Hailey hadn't done anything crazy like going against them.

Walking behind them, Serina, the dark elf, took her own meat without concern for the others, shrugging her shoulders.

'I'm glad..... she didn't do anything rash and start a fight with people who have already killed before....', Vivian thought as she took her own seat.

'If she didn't calm down, she would've certainly lost... and I'm not sure what would've happened.... she might have even been killed like the instructor.', Serina mused with the roll of her eyes. 'She really lets her own inferiority complex show all the time, doesn't she? Why does she always need to be better than everyone else?'

'Will.... this really be alright? No.... I shouldn't think about that.... let's just sit down....', Alexa pondered as she took a spot with a faked smile.

"Um.... so uh.... I.... er.... guess.... haha.... we should try to get.... to know each other a bit more?"

Natalia, the girl who had suggested this in the first place, smiled with a pathetic laugh as she repeated her suggestion once more, this time very unsure of whether or not she should have said anything.

Now that the dark pasts of many had been revealed, just being a member of this group was enough to terrify her, yet even so, she was already here.

There was nothing she could do but accept it, and do what she could in the situation.

Standing up, Trevor quickly nodded as he looked around, glancing to each of the students present.

"I completely agree. I suppose we should get to know each other then. After all, we are classmates. If we're going to become soldiers who fight alongside one another, then it would be best to understand one another. No?"

----

"Should we go around the loop then?", Garett asked. "Well, I guess you've already heard Ally's reasoning behind killing the instructor. So lets get one thing straight here. Is there anyone present who is willing to allow themselves to become a bot?"

The students looked up to Garett, all with determined expressions, nodding no.

"That's what I thought. So are we going to just do as they say, become their little soldiers, rise up in the ranks, and do everything as they expect us to?"

The students grimaced at this.

"No, we aren't.", Oliver stated with a firm resolve.

"But.... there's one problem.", Serina noted.

The intelligent looking dark elf spoke up, leaning forward as she spoke, allowing her long black hair to fall from her shoulders.

"The orbs they gave us are binding. They can track our location, our abilities, and most importantly..... they can shock us if we do anything against them. These are actually tools to prevent rebellion or runaways."

"Eh? You knew that much?", Ashley commented with a grin. "You're pretty smart, aren't you?"

"It should be obvious that they wouldn't just give them to us without any reason.", Serina stated, taking her own orb into her hand. "I believe that with enough mana the orb could be destroyed, however it would require a lot of mana.... something which I don't think any of us here could emit... not even you, Ally. It would require a spell of at least the 8th tier."

Ashley grabbed her own orb, staring at it with a smirk.

'This pathetic little thing? Haha.... if I wanted to I could just absorb it."

Placing it into her own inventory, it disappeared from the sight of all.

"Eh?"

"You just...."

"Where did it go?"

Many students watched this with intrigue, but Ashley then shrugged as she took it back out.

'Putting it into my inventory removes it from this dimension. If it's in a different dimension, it can't exert any power over me... though the voltage which would be created by this thing.... pfft. Only 7th tier at maximum power? Hahaha! It's so weak even a slave could survive that! Hmm... so I don't need to destroy it just yet. After all, they'd get pretty suspicious if I destroyed it.'

"Anyways, no need to worry about that. I can take care of them.", Ashley said.

The students around were filled with relief as they realized this, though the fact that they had been filled with relief was enough for them to come to a realization.

'Have I.... truly accepted that this killer is fine to be with?'

Raphael was the one who thought this as he looked back and forth between the girl and his own orb.

With a timid expression, he touched his own orb.

'Sigh..... I suppose I can't do anything about this. I have to rely on her or fall into the trap of this school.'

Looking up with changed eyes, the boy nodded to himself.

'Fine then. If it's between a killer and the people who are trying to use me for everything I have, then I'll choose the side that.... that I won't be ashamed of!'

With similar thoughts, the group came to a like mindset.

The people of this school, despite how they claimed to be molding them into adults, were indeed their enemies.

They were people who preyed on the weak, useless, and worthless members of society, using them as they pleased, throwing them aside as they pleased, and hoping that something of high quality would come out- which they would then use as a tool.

Even if those around them were indeed murderers, could they really fault them?

'If I had the power to do that... then can I truly say that I wouldn't?'

Even if they did not trust these students who claimed to be murderers, they were forced to make a choice.

And so, whether through their words or their silence, each and every student agreed to the proposal which the black haired elf brought up next.

"Therefore.... we will silently oppose this very organization. Listen up, everyone. Certainly, the purpose of attending this school is to improve our abilities. That much is acceptable. But understand this. You are not doing so for them. You are doing so for yourselves. So long as you are improving yourselves for your own sake, then it is a worthy endeavor.... no?"

Trevor spoke for all to hear, to which many people nodded.

"Sounds good to me.", Oliver replied.

"An acceptable method indeed. Our skills are our own, and for nobody else to own.", Charles stated.

Gathered at the campfire, all 15 students came to this agreement.

That they weren't tools for others to use.

And that in improving themselves, they would defy the very ones who expected to capitalize off their own hard work.

A rebellion had been incited within this prestigious Academy.

One which had been incited by none other, than the antiheroes.

----