NOVEL NEXT 48: Pest Control
Valencia, having put on a facemask when entering the training room, just stared at the two students after they bumped into her. The mask was only there to make identifying her a little harder—something more than a passing glance—but Valencia still didn’t think it was that hard.
The two students somehow didn’t take a note of her distinctive purple hair. From what she saw though, the administrators were biting their hands in fear while a few of the astute students began sniggering.
“What are you doing here? Hanging onto Estelle like a little monkey?” The first student ridiculed, raising his chin as he made eye contact with Estelle. “If you’re hanging around, why can’t we as well?”
Sighing, Estelle just looked away and pulled Astrid a little closer to her. Leaning over to whisper in Astrid’s ear, Estelle had to suppress her laughs. “I’ll keep you safe in the meantime. I don’t know how they’re so dumb though.”
A few silent nods from Astrid later, and Estelle yawned while taking a half-step back to give Valencia some space.
Valencia, to her credit, didn’t blitz the two students without warning. Stern and without words though, Valencia peeled her mask off while cracking her knuckles. “You can’t say those words without backing them up now, can you?”
The two students, watching Valencia’s lips blossom into a jackal grin, took a half step back before goading each other back forward. Getting into Valencia’s personal space, they pushed her back. The second student, a girl with a sword strapped to her waist, unsheathed it with a grand flourish. “Back up ten paces then.”
Raising her hands, Valencia nodded as her smile faded with a genial chuckle. “Alright, alright. I’ll back up fifteen, just for you two.”
Letting a yawn leave her lips, Valencia shifted back onto her other food while sliding her hands into the pockets on her denim pants. “Anytime now, anytime.”
With a third student running up to act as a fake referee, the rest of the students began cheering as the student bowed to the crowd. Pausing and letting a silence fall onto the crowd, he looked at both parties before shouting, “FIGHT!”
Disappearing from her spot, Valencia reappeared in front of the first student who was charging up an attack.
Her eyes glowing purple, Valencia laughed. “Too slow.”
One flurry of fifteen punches later, Valencia paused, wiped her fist against the boy, and turned to the girl. “Why didn’t you attack? That was your... well, best chance.” Leaning forward, Valencia reappeared in front of the girl and punched through her sword before giving her a bloody nose.
After another fifteen punch combo, Valencia made her way back towards Estelle and Astrid. Stepping over the two limp bodies as she went, Valencia waved towards the students and did a mock bow as the training room broke out into hushed conversation.
Putting her mask back on, Valencia sighed as she gave Astrid a hug. “Estelle, let’s just leave this training room.”
“Yeah, we’re done looking anyway.” Estelle tapped her chin, readjusting her glasses while tapping her clipboard. Releasing her pressure to quiet the room, Estelle waved over the administrators before facing all the students. “Pleasure to see all of you today. Except those two. Good job on all the training though! I have an announcement to make though!”
With a few expectant voices whispering to their neighbors, Estelle tapped her chin. “What do you all think it is?”
“You’re becoming a teacher!”
“You’ve decided that you’re going to scout some of us for your personal matters!”
“We’re going to become your personal matters because you’re here to get married!”
“Woah there,” Estelle interjected as people continued shouting. “QUIET DOWN!”
Waiting for the students to finish their conversation, Estelle crossed her arms and tapped her foot. “A few of those weren’t the same as the others. No matter, I have a sense of humor too, I’m not above making those types of jokes.”
Smiling as the students chuckled, Estelle continued. “Well, what I want to announce is that I'll be hosting a training session in two weeks at the Library of Truth training grounds. As members of this academy, you all are invited, I hope you’ll show up! And who knows, perhaps there will be a star studded guest line up~.”
Spinning on her heel as the students broke out in cheers, Estelle motioned towards Astrid, Valencia, and the rest of the administrators. “Let’s get going.”
Moving through the rest of the school, Astrid enjoyed it! She and Valencia had gotten to sit in the secluded grove for twenty minutes as Estelle and the others talked over the results of the audit. In the grove, Astrid was happy to get a cuddling and kissing session in for the first time in a while.
Well, “a while” in this case being since the previous night...
Sharing one last kiss with Valencia as Estelle and the others walked back, Astrid gave Valencia a cheeky peck on the cheek before sitting back up. “One last one because I thought your cheek needed a little lipstick and love.”
Reapplying some lipstick, Astrid coughed in embarrassment as Estelle began wiggling her eyebrows while walking towards them.
“Let’s get going,” Estelle waved the two over before turning towards the administrators. “I know the way to the exit. You all can leave now. Sleep tight tonight.”
“Sleep tight?” Astrid asked, furrowing her eyebrows as Estelle began walking off. “Why say that?”
“Don’t worry about it,” Estelle reassured before winking. “Now, you two weren’t getting frisky were you?”
“No! Of course not,” Astrid denied, glaring as Estelle broke into laughter.
With Valencia just smiling and staying quiet, her eyes danced with an intimidating fire as she made eye contact with Estelle.
“... Let’s just get going,” Estelle shook her head with a chuckle, “the car’s waiting for us.”
---
Later that night, as chilly winds swept through Marcen’s Cliffs, Estelle was perched on a high roof while on the phone with Solomon. “Yeah, the audit was horrendous.”
Shaking her head, Estelle continued. “No, They’re not worth my time, so I just gave them surface-level improvements. The type anyone could really come up with if they had a couple brain cells to rub together. As for cult influences, I was just getting smacked in the face with them. I struggled to find people who... weren’t cultists. The moment I walked in the door I realized more than three-fourths of the faculty was probably involved with at least one cult.”
One pause later, Estelle sighed. “Yeah, that’s why I’m back. It’s time for a cleaning operation. You can send a message to the organization in charge of the school to let them know they’ll need some immediate substitutes. I’ll just do the cleaning.”
Hanging up, Estelle, now dressed in her more usual street-clothes style, leapt off the building before sweeping into the school. Setting off the alarms, Estelle clenched her fist as darkness swept up around her.
Floating up into the air, Estelle spread her arms as all sound disappeared. With all the lights flickering and dimming as well, Estelle laughed as she moved forward without resistance. Slapping a random security guard to the side as he rushed her, Estelle burst forward through the main entrance.
“Astrid, I love you as a friend, and I know you’re being dubbed as the new Goddess of Dawn... but... I’m sorry.” Estelle shook her head as her wave of darkness swallowed the school. “For now, you’re far from catching up to the majesty of the night.”
Clenching her fist and collapsing her darkness, Estelle went to work.
And?
That morning, the school discovered 75% of their faculty gone without a trace. Their security forces? All knocked out, but without a visible scratch.
