Note: I uploaded the draft as a chapter instead of the final chapter, and the protagonist's age wasn't mentioned. It was my mistake, I'm so sorry. I usually have the folders side by side, and this happened because I didn't schedule the chapters.
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Chapter 45 - Alliances
"How could you possibly take two students on one of your missions where your main task is to kill people like them?" Larissa Weems was extremely upset when she realized what had happened.
She was a woman with a strong character, and if there was one thing she would not tolerate, it was her students being placed near danger.
The world was cruel and dark, the outcasts were seen as worse than animals in the eyes of hunters, and it only took one mistake for them to be killed.
Jonathan, sitting in front of Larissa's desk, was wiping the blood off his body while listening to these complaints without saying a word.
"Was he at least the protagonist of all these misfortunes?" After calming herself down, Larissa asked what really mattered.
"No." Jonathan shook his head. The only reason he knew was because he partially understood what was happening here. But things had changed too much to trust that information.
"Then, what will they do now?" Larissa had no idea what initiative the hunters would take.
"To be honest, the academy is in great danger with everything that's happening. The church is not trustworthy…" Jonathan was about to take a path he hoped he wouldn't regret.
"What do you mean?" Larissa became a little more interested.
"The apple is rotting, certain parts of it, and I'll take care of cutting them away. If you help me, I promise I'll protect this academy without hesitation." Jonathan knew one thing: this academy would be his starting point.
If he managed to recruit some of the students with special and unique abilities into his team, The Healing Church would no longer be a problem he couldn't solve.
"You must be careful with what you're saying." Larissa grew nervous upon hearing Belmont talk about the rot within the church that fought against the darkness.
"I know…"
"No, you might not understand, we'll be erased from the map if The Healing Church wishes it."
Jonathan shook his head and said: "It's only a matter of time before I take an important position within the church. When I have that power, my words will have impact inside and outside the organization."
"What can I offer you?" Larissa was obviously interested in power.
"Select the best students. I'll offer them a position within my personal team, and they'll have all the privileges of a hunter," Jonathan said, expressing his desire to use the academy to create a personal response group.
In a world where outcasts are treated as trash, objects, or threats, what Jonathan was offering them was exactly what they longed for.
If their privileges as hunters were activated, they would no longer be seen as a threat. Few had ever achieved this, since it wasn't easy to control them.
But if Jonathan succeeded, not only would he give the outcasts what they had always wanted, but he would also increase his own personal strength.
A large group would give him power, and with that strength, he would eliminate his enemies.
It was simple, a win-win for both sides.
"It's not my place to send them to die." Larissa thought it was a good deal, but it wasn't her place to give her students that responsibility.
Jonathan understood this, so he said: "Just select the ones with the best potential for combat, perfect killers. I'll take care of training them myself."
After saying that, Jonathan left the room. Larissa was left staring at the trail of blood he had left behind as he walked out, and she couldn't help but wonder what kind of battle had taken place.
Without a doubt, the world was a dark place, and what comforted her was that they weren't what normal people should be worrying about.
…
Once outside, Jonathan walked through the dark hallway when suddenly a hand appeared in front of him. His first instinct was to draw his pistol, but then he recognized that it was Thing.
"What do you want?" Jonathan asked, visibly tired.
At that moment, Thing opened his hand and some letters written on it asked: "Will you survive?"
"Tell the one you serve now that I'll be fine. Something like this won't kill me. If she improves her skills, I promise to take her with me on a mission, and if she adapts, she'll be able to accompany me around the world solving cases she couldn't even imagine." Jonathan had suffered serious injuries, but even to his own surprise, they healed right away.
What followed after that was extreme exhaustion that would only be resolved by resting for a few days without doing anything.
.