Days passed since the former bandit, Schwartz der Hund, made the drastic decision to leave his bandit camp behind and attend Haven Academy. Years of camaraderie and hard work all gone. Well, it wasn't like he wasn't used to situations like that. Sometimes it was challenging to find a secure place to live and settle down in the world of Remnant. The more he thought about it, the more he hated that godforsaken bandit camp.

It was filthy.

No matter how much he cleaned up around the place, his comrades would find a way to mess it all up in seconds. Good riddance. His so-called family didn't even give him a pleasant farewell: mainly middle fingers, harsh swears, and trash thrown at him.

Bastards.

Schwartz understood he wasn't well-liked in the camp. That was understandable since he was practically second in command despite having been picked up by the tribe. However, that still was no way to treat someone that decided to risk their lives for the better of the tribe.

He'd show them someday. They'd regret ever treating him like shit.

"Hey, look! It's Mistral!" A high-pitched voice carried throughout the Airship. Dozens of students gathered around the windows, watching as they passed over the mountains into the beautiful city of Mistral. Various buildings covered the summits of the mountains and stretched down to the foothills. At the top of the city was Schwartz's destination, Haven Academy.

"Bruna has some deep connections to get me in this place. I underestimated her." Schwartz thought as he gazed upon the serene landscape. Only a rare few times in his life had he come across such a spectacular sight.

The Airship soon landed in the courtyard of the Academy. Most students rushed out of the vehicle, wanting to explore the new area. Schwartz, however, didn't seem all too eager. Sure, he was just as interested in exploring the Academy as anyone else. But, he had to keep his composure and wits about him.

He was in the heart of the enemy territory. One mistake could cost him his life.

Schwartz collected himself and stepped out onto the courtyard. The place was massive. All the students that managed to crowd an entire Airship now had the space to walk around freely and converse with their potential classmates. While most stopped and took the time to have an idle chit-chat, Schwartz slipped his hands into his pockets and continued toward the main building.

The further he traversed through the courtyard, the deeper his interest in the Academy plummeted. Sure, the place looked grand on the outside. However, the students attending the school didn't quite match up to what the young man imagined. Throughout his time in Mistral, he had heard stories about Haven Academy. It was so great that it gave birth to legendary Huntsmen and Huntresses throughout the history of Remnant. He never believed in half the stories he had heard about the place.

The students certainly didn't help its image. None of them seemed to be much of a threat. Then again, they were just freshmen. Over time, it'd be possible for them to grow in strength and reach his level of skill and ability. But that was the problem.

Time.

It waited for no one.

As he passed the students, he listed their flaws. Hardly anyone in the vicinity even bothered to wear any armor. Only clothes they believed to be fashionable. How stupid were they? What was the point of coming to a school training people to fight monsters if no one was going to take it seriously? Was it ignorance? Arrogance? Either way, Schwartz deemed those people as Grimm food.

"Idiots. All of them. They'd be dead in a week if they were in the tribe. They're all so vulnerable and unprepared. Not even aware of their surroundings..."

Schwartz was violently knocked to the ground once someone ran into him from behind, breaking his concentration. He groaned in pain and opened his eyes to find the culprit. The first thing that caught his attention was a prehensile monkey tail leading up to the person.

"A Faunus?" Schwartz sat up, then frowned at the blonde-haired idiot that ran into him.

"Whoa. Not cool, dude," A blue-haired student in a red jacket walked up to the two, "You should watch where you're going when you run off like that."

The blonde-haired Monkey Faunus straightened himself up, laughing whole-heartedly before responding, "My bad. I got a bit too excited. You okay, buddy?"

"I'm fine. Just watch where you're going next time." Schwartz stood up and dusted himself off. And with that, he wandered off, not wanting to stick with the two strangers for too long. "Great, now I'm filthy. Wonder where I can find the nearest shower. I can already tell this will be a long and troublesome day."

To avoid any further collisions, Schwartz made it to the entrance of the Academy. However, he couldn't enter for a single person standing in front of the doorway blocked entry. It was Watchet Amin. The young man's covered in dirt, mud, leaves, and god knows what. Schwartz grimaced at the sight of the student.

Other students walked around Watchet like it was no big deal, merely brushing off the leaves and dirt that got on them. But, it was impossible for Schwartz. The black-haired young man stood utterly still, trying to formulate a plan to get around the filthy student without getting dirty himself.

The first plan was to use his semblance. But, he couldn't afford to reveal his trump card so quickly. Not with so many witnesses in the way.

"What's with this guy?" One of the students muttered. He walked around and stood in front of Watchet. "Guys, this dude's asleep." He waved his hand in front of the student's face.

"No way." More students gathered around the sleeping student, thus further blocking the entrance. A few stood around him, taking pictures with their scrolls and laughing. But their fun time ended, and they continued with their day.

Unfortunately, Schwartz couldn't quite do that yet. Watchet remained there, undisturbed by everything that went on around him. With no other option, Schwartz removed some of the bells around his waist. He brought them up to the person's ear and shook them.

"Hey! Hey! Buddy! Wake up!" Schwartz demanded.

His plan worked. Watchet woke up, albeit startled. He sharply turned around, throwing off some of the leaves and mud around the other students who passed by. The young man stared at Schwartz from behind the safety of his shaded glasses.

"Ah, forgive me. I must've fallen asleep." Watchet sheepishly stated. "Thank you for waking me up. The chimes of your bells were quite soothing."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Schwartz placed the bells back on his waist. "Can you move? You're blocking the entrance."

"Am I?" Watchet looked around and noticed the students walking around him. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to block the entrance! Or fall asleep, for that matter!"

"What kind of person falls asleep standing up? Especially when covered in mud and leaves?"

"I'm just very exhausted. I traveled far to get here and haven't had the time to sleep properly."

"Or bathe."

"Yes."

"Well, it was nice meeting you..."

"Amin. Watchet Amin." Watchet introduced himself with a polite bow of his head.

"Great...well, see ya..." Schwartz tried to maneuver around Watchet. But, the young man moved in the way.

"Tell me, are you excited as I am finally here?" Watchet leaned in exceptionally close with a bright smile, forcing Schwartz to back up awkwardly.

Schwartz stammered and shifted his eyes from left to right, unsure of what the man before him had referred to. "I don't...what?"

"You're now a student of Haven Academy, right? Aren't you excited to be here?"

"Oh...right. Yeah, I am." Schwartz straightened himself after Watchet backed off.

The smile on Watchet's face disappeared almost immediately. "Ah, what a shame. You do not feel the same as I do. Why is that," He placed his arms behind his back and then slowly walked in circles around Schwartz, "I, for one, am ecstatic about being allowed to become a full-fledged Huntsmen. I will train hard and become an unstoppable protector of humanity."

Schwartz stood there, staring vacantly as Watchet continued to ramble about his dreams and aspirations. Soon enough, the young man's words fell on deaf ears. If this was some torture, it was undoubtedly working. When Watchet circled him again, Schwartz took off through the doors, escaping from the lunatic. Since he was too upset to pay attention to the signs leading him to his destination, he wandered the halls aimlessly. It annoyed him, but he figured being lost was better than being stuck with Watchet again.

The man's constant praise of Huntsmen irritated him greatly. Schwartz never thought much of Huntsmen. Granted, the ones he had come cross had fallen to the point of becoming thieves, assassins, and whatnot. He didn't blame them, however.

Not everyone can have a happy ending. Life's harsh that way.

It was no one's fault. That's just how the world worked.

As Schwartz turned the corner, he yet again collided with someone. He remained on his feet. However, the other person wasn't so lucky. She fell backward and landed on her ass, groaning in pain afterward.

"I'm getting tired of this shit...." Schwartz complained to himself, wondering why his luck had been so bad today.

"Hey! Asshole! How about you watch where you're going, huh?!" Rowan stood to her feet, glaring daggers at Schwartz. However, it proved to be ineffective considering their difference in size. "Not only is it rude to not watch where you're going. But, it's even ruder not to offer assistance to the person you knock over!"

"Right, because calling someone an asshole isn't rude?" Schwartz tilted his head to the side. He lowered his arm to his leather kidney belt, flicking the bells with a coy smirk. "You trying to tell me that you didn't hear the bells closing in on you from around the corner?"

"I was busy. So, no, I didn't." Rowan crossed her arms underneath her chest. Her glare never subsided.

"Then, I don't see how this is my fault." Schwartz shrugged his shoulders and tried to walk around the young woman. But, the girl moved in her way. "This shit again?!"

"Apologize," demanded Rowan as she moved her hands to her hips.

"What?"

"Apologize, you prick! When you knock a young maiden on the floor, you apologize!" The copper-haired girl stomped her foot on the floor. In the eyes of Schwartz, she seemed nothing more than a child throwing a temper tantrum. The girl's short stature and mannerisms didn't help.

"This girl is gonna cause some trouble if I don't get outta here..." Schwartz desperately looked around for any method of escape that he could use.

"Maiden?" Schwartz rubbed the back of his neck, unsure how to proceed with the situation. Apologizing would've been the easiest choice. However, his pride was at stake. He hadn't done anything wrong. And he sure as hell refused to lower himself to apologizing to some bitch.

"I smell death..." A hoarse voice came from down the hall. Schwartz and Rowan tensed up, instinctively moving their hands to their weapons. Against their better judgment, they peered their heads around the corner, watching a silver-haired beauty clad in black approaching them.

Several red flags flew up in Schwartz's mind.

The mysterious woman smelled death on him? Impossible. He made sure to shower several times when he killed Pewter days ago. Or perhaps, the woman smelled death metaphorically. No. How was that even possible?

His mind was in shambles.

Had his cover been blown in the short time he spent inside the school? What was going to happen to him now that it happened?

"Death?" Rowan tilted her head to the side.

"She must be talking about you," Schwartz nudged Rowan with his elbow.

"Me?! No way!"

The silver-haired woman stopped in front of the two. She brought her hand up to her nose and pinched it closed. "It reeks. The smell of death lingers in this entire school."

"It's a Huntsman Academy. Surely, everyone here has killed at least a few Grimm." Schwartz assumed, trying to stir the conversation in another direction. Perhaps his cover hadn't been blown after all.

"Hmph, the Grimm are nothing to this Empress of Darkness, Zorina Teufel!" Zorina struck a dramatic pose, further confusing Schwartz and Rowan. Any tension they felt from the mysterious girl had immediately vanished.

"Empress of Darkness?" Rowan sweatdropped.

"Yes, mere mortal! I, Zorina Teufel, am the Empress of Darkness! The one that rules over the realms of Darkness!" Zorina continued to boast about her title.

"This girl's either insane or stupid." Both Schwartz and Rowan thought in unison.

"I have decided to grace this school with my supreme presence! Fear not! My powers have been suppressed with my mighty limiter!" Zorina indicated to her eye patch that possessed a symbol of a bat. "Should this be removed, my power will be unleashed and consume this entire world in darkness!"

"That right?" Schwartz nodded, having lost immediate interest in the girl and her ramblings. At that point, he wanted to run for his life and leave the area. The people encountered in the school were annoying and troublesome. The last thing he wanted to do was spend additional time with them.

Schwartz quickly formulated a plan. He had a slight understanding of Zorina's delusional personality. He wanted to see how far the girl was willing to go to keep up with her persona.

The black-haired man smirked as he reached out and grabbed Zorina's eye patch, snatching it right off her face. Zorina shrieked in concealed her eye in a panic. She staggered back and exclaimed,

"Agh! My eye! My eye! You fool! I can feel it! My power is rising! Overflowing!"

"W-What?! What's going on?!" Rowan panicked.

"Oh man, it seems like she's in pain! Don't worry; I'll go get a nurse or something!" Schwartz dropped the eye patch and took off down the hall, kissing those annoying women goodbye.

"H-Hey! Get back here! What am I supposed to do with this?!" Rowan indicated to the screaming Zorina. But, her words fell on deaf ears.

Schwartz was long gone. He had no intention of going back to them. The people encountered in Haven so far were nothing but trouble. He wanted nothing to do with them. Hopefully, he wouldn't have to come across those people ever again.