Disciplinary Committee

Lawrence swung open the heavy wooden door to be greeted by the people inside. Seven members were present. Their uniform design looked familiar until he realized it was the same black one Arno wore.

“Hm?  Who are you?” One member had a stack of papers in hand, briefly setting them down as he looked up to acknowledge the new visitor.

He appeared to be a sixth-year student. His medium-length, tied-up blonde hair, dark black eyes, circular-lens glasses, and confident demeanor indicated that he was the one in charge.

Most of the members looked at Lawrence with curiosity and suspicion. He saw Arno in the back, who didn’t seem to mind as he read a book.

The room featured several pictures and plaques hanging on the walls, as well as bookcases and shelves displaying a diverse array of items. For a meeting room for a group as important as the Disciplinary Committee, it was largely uninteresting.

“Hello, I’m Lawrence Blackwood. The Chancellor instructed me to assist the Disciplinary Committee with investigating the unknown attacker.” He approached the one who had spoken to him, holding out the rolled-up paper that had been given to him by the Chancellor.

The leader opened it nonchalantly, taking a few seconds to read the contents. His eyes moved from left to right, and he read every word carefully.

“So, it’s true then.” He finally responded, setting the paper down, and leaned back in his chair.

“What? We’re supposed to be working with the only student in the academy who can’t use magic?” A girl with silver hair and blue eyes complained, blatantly sighing heavily to disrespect the Blackwood son.

Her eyebrows furrowed as she silently glared at him. Despite her contentious demeanor, he continued to observe her.

She’s probably in the same year as Arno and me.

She wore a black bow. Her painted nails were the same shade of dark blue as her eyes. She was pretty, but her attitude threw him off.

“Chancellor’s orders.”

“This sucks.” She pouted, slumping in her chair like a petulant child.

“We might as well get this out of the way and bring you up to speed. The name’s Jack Adler.” The leader introduced himself, standing up and extending his hand.

His presence was the polar opposite of the girl's, who continued to stare intensely at Lawrence.

“Will be a pleasure working with you all.” Lawrence returned the gesture, noticing Jack’s grip was weak.

“So, the one complaining is Stella. You have to warm up to her.” Jack chuckled, which earned him a death stare from her as well.

“Shut up.” Stella groaned in annoyance, leaning back in her chair even further.

“That quiet giant is Otto. You would never think of it because he is twice the size of everyone, but he’s a third-year.” He pointed to the biggest person in the room, sitting across from Arno. Otto gave a warm grin and waved at Lawrence from the corner of the room.

“You should know Arno, considering you and he dueled in Professor Alcuin’s class today.”

“Oh, you heard of that?”

“He told me earlier about how he found your fighting style odd. Right, Arno?” Jack looked behind him for confirmation.

“Whatever.” Arno continued reading, taking no interest in the conversation.

“And last but not least, Gabriel.” Jack introduced the final member, who was leaning back in his chair, legs propped up on the table, and balancing a dagger on his index finger.

“Yo.”

“Hey.”

Looking back at Jack, Lawrence was a bit confused, and the leader could tell what he was thinking from his expression.

“There were four more of us, but they’re out supervising field trips for the first and second years.”

“I see.” Lawrence nodded, grateful that Jack answered his inquires.

Using Mana Sense, he noted that every Disciplinary member was very powerful. Arno and Jack were the strongest in the room. But if he kept training, he’d be able to catch up quickly.

“Bring me up to speed with what you know so far.”

“Well, it’s good timing because Arno was about to fill us in on his encounter with our attacker.” Jack motioned his hand towards the silent mage, who buried his nose in his book.

“Wait, you fought them?” Lawrence asked, realizing that’s where Arno got the cheek injury from.

Arno briefly set his book down and turned to face everyone. There was an expression of indifference or uninterest on his face.

“Based on their appearance, it’s most likely impure vampires. The razor-sharp nails, glowing red eyes, and aggressive nature are all clear signs.” After he recounted the incident, he sat back down and continued reading his book.

“Hm…that would explain why the past attacks only happen at night.” Jack pondered.

“As well as the scratch marks they leave behind.” Gabriel chimed in, still balancing the knife on his finger.

“There seems to be no pattern they follow, as you would expect, considering they’re feral.” Jack handed Lawrence a semi-thick folder filled with papers. The contents included notes and reports of every attack by the alleged impure vampire. Lawrence quickly skimmed through the information, and a few questions formed.

“All eyewitness accounts for the attacks describe a different one each time.” He succinctly summarized what he was briefly glancing over, still flipping through pages.

“Yes, we have to assume at least four of them.” Jack interlaced his fingers, eagerly waiting for Lawrence to finish looking through the documents.

“But the biggest question is how they can get in?”

To Lawrence’s surprise, Stella chimed in on the conversation. The room was silent, as it was clear that no one had an answer.

From what he knew, Exugia had a city-wide barrier that detected a certain level of creatures. The academy also has its barriers, as confirmed by the Chancellor.

How are these vampires able to get in? Lawrence flipped through the papers again, hoping to find some clue or something the others missed, but came up empty. There was no pattern, no motive, nothing. The attacks were spontaneous, but only happened at the academy.

Clearing his throat to speak, he formulated a theory, getting everyone’s attention. “Is it possible someone from within the academy is controlling these impure vampires?”

“What? What an absurd question.” Stella scoffed, disparaging Lawrence’s theory.

“Hold on, let him speak.” Jack held his hand up, attempting to placate her.

“Is there any possibility a mage, like a beast tamer or something, could control these things?” Lawrence nodded in the leader’s direction, silently thanking him before continuing with his proposal.

The silver-haired thorn began chuckling a bit, disregarding his theory as if it were a waste of time for her to ponder it.

“It’s not out of the realm of possibility,” Otto spoke for the first time, surprising Lawrence. His voice was deep, but he said in a peaceful tone.

“Explain, please.”

“In the far Western State of Wyria, they’re known for their rituals and techniques to manipulate creatures of all types under their control. This way, it makes a beast tamer more or less obsolete.”

“But a vampire…?” Jack wondered, rubbing his chin slowly as he speculated.

“It’s the only working theory I can come up with right now.” Lawrence set the folder down and closed it, sliding it to the Committee leader.

“Then it’s what we’ll have to work with.” Jack got up and approached Lawrence, holding out his hand again. “Even if the Chancellor ordered us to work together, at least I won’t ask much of you today. Go home. I’m sure you’ve had an exhausting few days.”

Lawrence nodded and took hold of his hand, silently mutually respecting each other. It was a good feeling after hearing Stella's remarks. He began his leave, waving to the few members who approved of his presence, then exited the conference room and entered the now-empty academy halls.

The setting sun’s dark orange light shone through the halls' windows as Lawrence’s shoes clomped against the hard floors.

I should get home before it gets dark.

Leaving the academy, James was waiting patiently for him at the entrance.

----

“When will you teach me magic?” Eva asked in between breaths as she panted heavily, setting her training sword down briefly. She was sparring with her brother again as they took a short break.

“You know, father doesn’t approve of that,” Leonard responded, plunging his wooden sword into the ground.

“Would Father approve of you teaching me how to wield a sword? Besides, Sophia is as skilled as you with her rapier.” The little sister quipped, scrunching her face at the Paladin.

Leonard exhaled deeply, leaning on the wooden sword as he thought briefly.

“Outwitted by my youngest sister. I suppose there’s a reason I’m the Paladin and not the head of the State.” He admitted defeat with a sly smile before picking his weapon up again.

“Not to mention your favorite.” Eva returned the same devious smile, taking hold of her sword as well.

“We’ll see about that. But fine, you want to learn how to use magic? I’ll show you.”

The Paladin plunged his training weapon into the ground before disappearing before Eva’s eyes as the area burst with air. She gasped before Leonard tapped her on the shoulder, quickly turning around to face him.

“For whatever reason, Quick Step is no longer widely taught, yet it was the most basic thing taught to everyone during the Great War.”

Eva was amazed by her brother’s ability to move almost instantly, and she wanted to do the same. Her eagerness was evident as he chuckled softly and took a step back.

“It’s still a widely used technique taught to the next generation unofficially. The basics of it are concentrating a certain amount of mana into the soles of your feet, condensing it, and letting it burst out from your feet at the very last second when you’re about to move.”

She processed the information, softly repeating his instructions to herself as she followed them. A bit of mana built up in her feet, and she jumped forward, releasing the mana.

The explosive force launched her forward, but instead of what she expected, Leonard quickly caught her before she hit the ground.

“T-thanks…” She composed herself, trying not to show her embarrassment.

“Don’t think too much into it. It’s difficult to get the timing right.”

The Paladin let go of Eva as she got into position again, attempting the move again, but again, failing. She managed to catch herself before eating the ground, laughing a bit at her attempt.

“I bet you were the same when you were learning this, as well.” She smirked, picking her leg up behind her and stretching, as if it would affect her performance.

“Well, I suppose you’re right. Master Sogard laughed at me quite a bit, which only made me more determined to master it.” The Paladin explained that a light gust of wind brushed past the two, blowing Eva’s hair up in the air slightly.

“Are you gonna laugh at me then?” Eva asked, smirking a bit at her older brother.

“It depends on how you fall.” Leonard chuckled a bit, crossing his arms as he prepared to watch her attempt Quick Step and adjust her movements accordingly.

Eva dashed forward, the imbalance of her mana kicking up her legs as she pressed her hands on the ground and spun forward, doing half a cartwheel and landing on her feet again.

Leonard did a low whistle, impressed with his little sister’s acrobatics and graceful landing. Playing into the theatrics, Eva lifted both sides of her skirt a bit and bowed courteously.