Virtue and sin... Two concepts completely oppose one another yet the two are the opposite side of the same coin.
The concept of virtue and sin shares the same root that stems from the passion, desire, or intention of the person who acted.
What's their difference? It's the result that is different, they differ in how they give wisdom, direction, and balance to the person acting.
Without virtue there is no sin...
Without sin there is no virtue...
"The Scaleforge... It is what gives power to this realm; a power that does not exist at yours." Rahl shone a bright blue light, then in front of him it appeared...
A giant scale...
So mystical...
So divine...
Looking at it gave me a shiver down my spine, it was not a shiver that shows fear or distrust to whatever mythical device this Scaleforge is... Instead it gave me a shiver that means I am at safe hand, it gave me the courage to truly accept that I am finally becoming one of those Heroes being fawned over by people.
The giant scale in front of us is weighted down on the left that has a symbol of a white feather, on the right part of the scale is currently up and it is showing the symbol of a burning feather. Though there is nothing on the weights, I was confused why the left arm of the weight is weighted down.
"As you can see, this is my very own Scaleforge!" Rahl shouted epicly, giving everyone a chill. "As all of you can see my Scaleforge is weighted down on the left arm that has the symbol of the white feather. Whereas the right hand that has the flaming feather symbol is all the way up, this implies that I have done great deeds hence why it is weighted this way.... Great deeds or you could say virtue."
Rahl continued explaining to us what the Scaleforge is, how it functions, how iit gives power, and its history.
To sum it all up, the Scaleforge is what gives magic to the people of this world; magic or what is known here as 'Arts' has two categories: the Art of Virtue and the Art of Sin— the left arm which has the symbol of a white feather is the side of Virtue, whereas the right arm that has the symbol of a burning feather is the side of Sin.
Each Virtue and Sin accumulated is stored in the Scaleforge and has the limit of one hundred each, looking at Rahl's Scaleforge he has accumulated 70 out of 100 Virtue and 0 Sin.
According to Rahl the two Arts give different powers that are unique to one another, this implies that if your scale is weighted down on the virtue side you will open up the Art of Virtue that you can learn different powers. Whereas if your Scaleforge is weighted down on the sin side then you will open up a different form of power.
The Scaleforge also gives out classes depending on what side you are, an example of this class is the High Archwizard of Light that is the class of Rahl. King Albrecht also stated his class, he said he was a Holy Swordking, apparently they do not know how the Scaleforge gives out classes since it was not told in the scriptures.
Moving on to the scriptures and the history of the Scaleforge, the guardian deity of this world that humans worship is named Equessia the goddess of judgement. It is said in the scriptures that Equessia saved mankind from the demon god Malrakar who led his army of demons to slaughter mankind.
In the end the goddess Equessia slain Malrakar and brought peace, but unfortunately her battle with Malrakar gravely injured her. She then made a decision to create a way to give power to mankind now that her presence will be absent going forward, that is the Scaleforge system.
The surviving demons were also given power by Equessia as a way to repent for their sin, if they commit any virtue then they will be forgiven.
The more a person does a virtuous act, the more holy power they get...
The more a person sin the more demonic power they get...
"Based on the story of the scriptures it means that the demons or what I would assume as the ancestors of these demons do not want to repent, right?" I asked Rahl in a serious yet calm tone.
"Yes... Even though hundreds of years have passed, the demons who survived did not want to repent and their descendants inherited that stubborn trait of theirs."
"Tell us... What do these demons look like?" Elodie asked.
"There are many forms of demons, but one word that I can describe them is that they are inhuman..." Rahl proceeded to remove the Scaleforge in front of us and this time he showed a hologram of what these so-called demons looked like.
"What the?! No way?!" Miyu shouted in disbelief as she fell down on her knees.
Lukas looked at the hologram intently and was baffled. "But they look human, apart from other parts."
"Don't be swayed heroes!" King Albrecht shouted. "No matter what they look like, these are nothing but dangerous beasts!"
"Can I ask a question?" I raised my arm and looked at Rahl. "Do each type of these demons have separate names that describe what they are?"
"No... There's no point in giving them names when they are all demons." Rahl replied in a cold demeanor.
Looking at these so-called demons I can see why my otaku friend fell on her knees, after all these demons they branded are normal races found in any fantasy media. They may not have a name here that describes them what they are, but they are the same mythical race we are familiar with back in our own world.
From the stereotypical beautiful elves that are found hiding deep in the forest, from beastmen who hunts and acts with animals, or dwarves that were known for their unparalleled craftsmanship, and even the graceful mermaid are listed here. There are many mythical races here that are branded as demons that we know of, aside from what I mentioned earlier goblins, orcs, vampires, undead, or harpies are listed here as demons.
Kuroe went closer to one of the holograms and looked at the description of one of them. "These long-eared demons usually live in the forest, they have great archery skills and their diet primarily consists of plants... Wait—! Aren't these basicall—"
I lunged forward and slapped my hand over Kuroe's mouth before she could say another word. "Nope! Nope! Nope!" I whispered harshly, forcing a nervous grin as both King Albrecht and Rahl blinked at me in stunned silence.
"Everyone! Emergency huddle! Right now!" I barked, dragging a flailing Kuroe by the collar like she was a misbehaving cat, her muffled protests growing louder under my palm.
The others stared, frozen in place yet they complied and gathered in the middle of the throne room.
Kuroe squirmed harder, kicking lightly at my foot as I muttered through clenched teeth. "I swear if you say one more word I'm throwing you out of a window."
I let go of Kuroe who was still angry at what I did, she punched me weakly as everyone huddled closer to us.
"Okay... From what I've observed it looks like these demons are very similar to the mythical races we are familiar with that are portrayed in various media."
"I see that..." Riku responded, still confused at what I was implying. "But why did you shut Kuroe up, when she was about to say the same thing?"
"Let's make an oath here right now and promise me that all of you won't break it, got that?"
"Yeah sure... What's on your mind this time secretary?" Lukas said.
"If we find out that there is missing information about these so-called demons, then we better not say anything to the king and that wizard."
From the tone of their voice and their demeanor so far I can tell that what they are saying is genuine, but it's not bad to be cautious about things.
I sighed and looked at everyone seriously. "Not only information about these demons, but also information about our own world—! Do not tell them anything that is not found here that is present in our world, things like guns, electricity, automobiles, or anything that can revolutionize this world. Got that?"
"There's a fault in what you are saying, Hayato." Elodie responded. "What if these inventions that we know of can help us greatly to achieve our goal?"
"Then we use it... For now, we should keep these things as our trump card just in case something fishy happens..."
"We should follow what Hayato is saying." Lukas said as he looked at everyone individually. "If things do not work out with the Aurelis Kingdom, we can use these to make a deal with them or even make them stop from trying to get rid of us if they feel like we are useless."
"That makes sense..." Mizuki said. "Then what should we do for now?"
"Let's just listen to them and comply with whatever they order us..." I looked at Rahl who noticed me looking at him and he responded with a wave. "Also, we should get on their good side... After all, there's no other people here we can trust."
"Okay." "Got it." "Sure"
Everyone agreed to my plan, we turned back and faced Rahl who was humming like a kid waiting for his mother to pick him up. "Have you finished your discussion? Is there anything you want to ask or are all of you prepared to open your Scaleforge?"
"We're done processing the information you've provided, we are grateful for your help King Albrecht and Rahl." Lukas answered solemnly as he bowed to King Albrecht. "My classmates and I have accepted to be your Heroes, please give us tour guidance."
King Albrecht smiled at Lukas as if he was like a dad being proud of his son's achievement. "General Draven, come forward!"
At the king's call, the massive doors behind us creaked open with an ominous groan, and a hush fell over the throne room.
Heavy, deliberate footsteps echoed against the marble floor. A tall and muscular man clad in jet-black armor stepped forward, his presence casting a shadow that seemed to reach before him. His face was hidden behind a sleek, lion-shaped helm that had crimson eyes glinting like blood under the golden chandeliers.
The air around him felt colder, as if even the light dared not touch him.
With mechanical precision, he dropped to one knee before the king. "General Draven, reporting as commanded."
King Albrecht's proud smile widened. "This man is General Kael Draven, he is the fangs of Aurelis. With him, we've pushed back countless demonic armies. And now, he will be tasked to train some of you."
General Kael slowly removed his helmet, revealing eyes like steel; he appeared cold— almost unreadable. He looked over the class with quiet scrutiny, then said in a voice as sharp as a blade drawn in silence. "Come, I will guide all of you to your rooms."
We followed the intimidating General without resistance. Lukas took the lead and followed him, followed by Elodie and Hikari who showed no fear, Aoi tucked in my shirt followed behind and Mizuki trying her best to control Kuroe who was still angry at me followed closely.
When the door closed and everyone was already gone, King Albrecht looked at Rahl. "What do you think of the Heroes so far?"
"I can see some potential... Especially to that boy Hayato Shiranami."
"Hayato Shiranami?" The King was confused and surprised at Rahl's response. "From what I see, their so-called President— Lukas Reindhardt is the one who shines the most."
"Well Lukas may be their leader and figurehead in their class but he is not the one who appears to make the decisions... From what I have observed Hayato is the brains of the group who plans and decides on their action whereas Lukas is the one who guides their class and ensures that the plan will not fail."
"I see..." King Albrecht looked at the empty room, observing as if he had discovered something important. "Excluding their teacher, if I were to compare them to our standard, Lukas Reindhardt is the king and Hayato Shiranami is the royal wizard..."
"What do you have in mind, my liege?"
"I'm praying to the goddess that Hayato will be blessed with a weak class..."
"Why is that, my liege?"
In the throne room, shadows danced across stone walls as fire crackled in the torches. King Albrecht stood with his hands gripping tightly at his sword. Rahl, the court wizard, silently waits for him to talk.
Albrecht's voice was cold, measured, yet laced with a venomous tension. "Rahl… the Demon Lord is predictable. Charismatic, yes, but he follows the instinct of saving his people... He can be beaten."
He turned, eyes narrowing at the room where Hayato stood before. "But Hayato… that boy is something far more dangerous."
Rahl arched his brow. "You believe a mere student poses a greater threat than a being our people feared for generations?"
Albrecht stepped closer, his voice low. "He already suspects us. He sees the cracks in our words, the inconsistencies. He's cautious! Not out of fear, but calculation. He's observant, strategic… persuasive..."
He paced slowly. "The others follow him, even the quiet ones listen when he speaks. Same goes for Lukas who is the leader and Elodie who is beneath Lukas... If he gains a class that's powerful and at the same time discovers our plan, he can use this as a weapon to take us down."
Albrecht's eyes met Rahl's, burning with quiet dread. "The Demon Lord wants equality. Hayato? He could expose it. Rebuild it. He could turn the whole system we've built inside out."
He drew his sword halfway, the metal gleaming with a cold edge. "If we're not careful, Rahl… the boy will become the hero we can't control."
Rahl, for once, did not smirk. Instead, he gazed at the fire, silent in thought.