Bully's second chance

'W-What should I do? Call papa? I can't. Can princess of light help me? Will she help me?' Claire is on the ground, shivering as she is crying non-stop. Suddenly, she feels a touch on her shoulder. 'She is here!' Claire opens her eyes in anticipation that Mikaela is here to help her. But her hope was crushed when she saw a short boy with greasy hair.

"Are you okay?" Karl asks.

"Uwaaa!" She starts to cry even louder.

"H-Hey! Calm down." Everyone around them started to throw suspicious glances at them.

"I-I wanted my princess to come and help but instead I got this child. Uwaa!"

Karl clenches his fist in anger as he is genuinely pissed. He grabs her head. "Look. I am older than you and I don't have time for your bullshit. The princess that you hoped would save you is there." Karl turns Clarie's head towards Mikaela and Estha. Their eyes meet. "Look at those eyes. Are those eyes of an saviour? Or are those eyes of an person looking at an insignificant being such as an cockroach?"

Claire's heart sunk as Karl's words perfectly described Mikaela's gaze. At first she refused to believe it but the inevitable evidence was right in from her eyes.

"So stop crying and stand up for yourself." Karl forces Claire to stand up.

The poor girl lets out small whimpers as she rubs her tears to the sleeves of her uniform. "Hic! Are you close with her?"

"Not really. We just attend the same academy."

Claire's gasps as she remembers something. "Oh! I remember you. You are that creep who was constantly staring at me during my fight against the princess."

Karl scowled at her words. "Whatever you say. Now tell me why were you crying and where did the judges go?"

Clarie raises her eyebrow in question. "You don't know what is happening?"

"If I did. Would I be asking you?" Karl answers.

"Oh. Oh. Didn't your sponsor accompany you? They should tell you?"

Karl grabs his forehead. "Ugh. That dumbass disappeared somewhere. He told me to figure out on my own."

Claire's express becomes sad. "I see. I guess we both had our sponsors taken away."

"Yeah. Saw the old woman. She is your grandma?" Karl asks.

"Yeah. Well the entire thing is…" Claire starts to explain the details which Karl missed.

After hearing Claire's explanation, Karl's face turned real ugly. "What in the actual fuck? You are saying that this entire tournament was a setup to select individuals for the federation's plan in unifying the broken empire? And that will happen if we a bunch of kids cross the red border where every living being wants to kill us only to reach the other side where the empire is presumably there?" Claire nods at Karl's words.

"You got it. All this to deliver a package."

"Which is meant to help humans to have a upper hand against the vampires right?" Karl asks with exaggeration.

"Exactly." Claire responds with a thumbs up. "My grandma who is an elder in Branchio family opposed this 'plan'. But the great Sentinel deemed her against Horizon's wishes."

A sudden realization hits Karl. "Wait. Grandma from Branchio family? Does that make you the young master of Branchio family?"

Claire chuckles. "Of course not. I am from branch family. Big brother Neil is over there." She points at a man standing in a corner. He has long brown hair which neatly tied in multiple braids. He has big nose and large eyes. His face bored the expression tired. He seemed just a bit shorter than Ian.

Karl stares at him, trying to remember his face. "Was he with your grandma as well?"

Claire waves at her half brother. But she was rudely ignored. "He is bit shy. Also, yes. He was with grandma."

"Shy, you say. Anyways, now that the secret is out what will happen in the tournament?" Karl asks.

"Nothing. Everything will proceed as normal. The top 10 will fight until a winner is decided, the prizes will be given to fool the general public. After the tournament ends, the sentinels will contact us to form multiple squadrons and they leave us in the Red border."

'So, I got to leave this wannabe North Ko*ea right after taking Nebula Tears.' Karl thinks as he glances at Clarie. "Speaking of sentinels, where are they?"

"They left to collect the package."

Karl looks around and spots the Chief talking with few individuals. "But he is there." He points at the Chief.

Clarie clicks her tongue. "That federation dog is not a sentinel. He is only here to represent the federation....To be honest, I don't like him. He seems to be always up for some trouble."

Karl is fighting back tears, he finally found someone who hates the Chief just like him. "Ah. My opinion about you has completely changed."

Clarie see Karl's weird change in tone. "Thanks, I guess? But it is true that I hate him. I mean look at Sir Ratan, he is so manly. Oh! Just by imagining his face, I am getting excited. Those manly eyes. Ugh!"

Karl blankly stared at Claire as she boasted Karlos's manliness. "Looks like you like him." He says after listening to her for few minutes.

"Like? By the Horizon, I love him." Claire boldly admits her love.

Karl wished to see Serena's reaction right now. "Only if she was here." He whispered. Claire didn't clearly heard Karl's words.

TING! The elevator door opens up and everyone turn their eyes to look. 6 knights, bearing the crests of Treypin knighthood and Ratan knighthood march out of the elevator with a large glass coffin on their back. Inside the transparent coffin lies a large humanoid skeleton. Rick follows closely behind the knights. Lastly, Lady Treypin exit the elevator. Loud murmuring sounds are heard as everyone sees the package.

Suddenly, Karl feels a large shadow over his shoulder. He turns, only to see Ray. "Boo. Were you scared?" He asks sarcastically.

Karl narrows his eyes. "Where did you go?"

Ray glances at the glass coffin. "Well, an employee of mine completed his contract period. So, I went to reward him."

"Oh? What a great lord, you are?"

Before Ray could answer, he notices a pair of sparkling eyes. Karl also notices Claire. "KYAAA!" She screams and quickly pulls Karl into a corner. "Why didn't you tell me that your sponsor was the Lion of Dandelion?" She talks too fast. "He was my crush since I was little. I dreamt of marrying him. Oh Sage above, Look at those arms. Those legs." Saliva dripping from Clarie's mouth as she lusts after Ray.

"Uh…"

She pulls Karl neck. "You have to ask a photo for me."

Ray walks to them. "Miss, what are you doing?"

Claire's entire body twitches as her mind refuses to believe that the Lion called her Miss. "HEHEHE!" She laughs like a manic.

CLAP! A single clap resonates in the entire room. "Alright. I hope everyone has finished talking." Lady Treypin expresses her thoughts. Besides her Chief and Ken are standing. Jeff is in the crowd. Karlos is nowhere to be seen. "This is a corpse of a noble. It was slain by a grandmaster."

The sound of multiple people whispering was heard everyone. Karl stares at the corpse. An unknown faint feeling blooms in his mind.

"The venomous mana of the grandmaster was leaked into the bones of this corpse. If we somehow create weapons made of these bones and used them against the vampyers, we will be able to kill them once and for all." Lady Treypin claims.

The Chief steps forward. "We have already tested it, a simple cut from this bone will completely eliminate the regeneration of the vampyers. Imagine if the imperial knights had these weapons? No vampyer under the vast Horizon will ever think of ever feasting on a human." The questioning whispers takes a positive turn as Chief manipulated his words.

"Does the empire even exist?" A student with spectacles asks. The entire room became silent. This question was actually on lips of every sponsor present in the room but they were not naïve enough to ask it. But this unexperienced youth couldn't control his curiosity.

"I mean, we haven't heard from them. The last communication between us and them was 6 years ago." The kid stood proudly, as if asked a crucial question. He did.

Rick dives at the kid and pins him on the ground. "Your words are not aligned with the Horizon! Knights!" Few knights quickly arrive and capture the kid. They make sure that no words come out his mouth. The kid's sponsor helplessly watches as the knights take him away.

Everyone silently watches the kid being taken away. They know, something isn't right. The Chief's face twists visibly as he notices that everyone's morale is going down. 'It's always the oversmart. No! I need everyone's support for this deal.' He glances at Lady Treypin who slowly nods at him. "If everyone is so sceptical. I will allow you bear witness, the power of this corpse."

With a wave of Lady Treypin, the glass coffin opens. A foul aura quickly overfills the room. Everyone covers their face. But the foul aura is so dense that the people standing in the front are feeling nauseous. Even the knights are struggling to stand.

'What is this horrendous aura? Ugh!' Claire feels her head actively spinning. Coincidently her eyes looks at Ray. He is standing tall, but his face was clearly showing his struggle. Ray's eyes are looking down at the ground. 'Even a high knight is struggling. What abomination is this?'

Her eyes falls on Karl. He is standing, unfazed. His eyes constantly glaring at the corpse. Claire couldn't believe her eyes, she actually thought that Karl stopped breathing.

The unknown faint feeling Karl was feeling earlier, exploded. He liked the way the corpse smell. He liked the bones. He liked the aura which was disastrous for others but a symphony for him. He liked everything about the corpse. So much so that he wanted to have the corpse. All for himself.

Lady Treypin closed the glass coffin and the aura disappeared. Everyone felt alive again. Many people collapsed on the floor due to stress. Though Karl wanted to experience the corpse for more time.

Lady Treypin herself along with the Chief looked uncomfortable as well. Despite that, she took deep breath. "I know this is risky. That no knighthood would send their treasured talent to death. But for the survival of the humanity, it is necessary. Therefore, please help us." She bowed.

Everyone gasped. They couldn't believe that the Overseer is bowing her head for them. The negativeness in the air faded and everyone expressed their agreement with cheers.

The Chief smiled.