I followed Angelica through the town. She was my first friend of my age. At first, it took her time to come to terms with the fact that I was an old guy, but it got better. Until she invited me to her club.

This helps that she is also a supernatural person. Angelika is a newbie, a baby vampire with no powers. In order to gain her powers, she must rise from the dead and become a vampire. Now she is not much different from a human. Maybe she's just a little faster and a little stronger than the average person, but it's by no means beyond human potential.

We arrived at the huge library building. She walked to the door and opened it. "Today we only have Superman in the club, so you don't have to hide your identity."

I went in and waited for her to close the huge wooden door. The town's library is big and old. I'm really surprised that there are still public institutions like libraries in this town. From my research on human society, I get the impression that having a public library is really outdated. "Shouldn't I hide the fact that I'm an old man? Can I say I'm elemental? ”

Angelica tilted her head to study me as if I was a bad boy. "I don't think hiding something like this will give you anything to gain in the long run. Alex will try to attack you. I'm guessing you won't like that. ”

Probably. At some point, the secret will leak out. I scratched my head, trying to predict the impact it would have on my relationships with others. "You're probably right. I will simply show myself from my most shining side. ”

Angelika smiled and led me through the borough. A grumpy old man who was doing things in front of the computer looked up and glared at us, but when we walked into the area with the book, he didn't say anything. The library turned out to be a maze with several floors, although I could barely see the staff. "With such a big building, is there too few employees? What if someone messes up a book? ”

My friend shrugged. "Not necessarily. Every book has been cut. Workers only need to run a small manual scanner on the shelf to check that everything is in order. They do this once the library closes. ”

My forehead wrinkled with frustration. "Isn't that too much effort in this day and age for a large number of papers? Who pays for this? ”

"I don't know. The library is funded by the city government, so guess it's tax money. There are a lot of very old texts upstairs, so the whole thing is considered a national treasure. "Angelica took me to the second floor, down a long hallway. There are several small rooms with tables and chairs. I guess once customers have chosen their book, they can read it here without being disturbed. The whole institution struck me as weird. Maybe my understanding of human society is flawed? When I was with my sister, I didn't have any problems fitting in.

Finally, we entered a study with a large table in the middle and a few chairs around it. Four people of different ages sat at the table, two girls and two boys. One of the girls was a blonde with freckles. She seemed to be the closest person to my age. The other is a brunette with a sweet body and almost but not very fat. The boys look older than Angelica, probably nineteen years old. But for supermen of all races, it's always hard to guess. One person has brown hair and a thin build. The other is an athlete who has the body of a swimmer. He apparently sprinkled several bottles of paint on his blonde, black, and orange mane. I don't like dreadlocks. Is this what people call hippies?

The hippie looked up from his book and stood up. "Angelica! Great, you succeeded this time. Did you bring a friend? Is she the reason you skipped the first two meetings? He smiled and walked over and hugged Angelica. Then he turned his attention back to me. "You could be the youngest member of the club! It's great to have new members. ”

I forced myself to smile as he started patting my head like I was some kind of pet.

Angelica cleared her throat. "Aniah, meet everyone." She pointed to the blonde. "That's Rosetta, she's a dryad." Her fingers drifted to another girl. "And then we have Maria, the hedgehog." She continued. "That thin man is Alex, a fire elemental. The person who messed up your hair is Richard, one of the Lakers. That's our local version of a kappa or mermaid. ”

"Everyone, meet my new friend Anne. She is an old man. ”

The room fell silent, and Richard stopped touching me and became nervous. He slowly removed his hand from my head, then stepped back slightly. Yes, as I expected. I kept a smile on my face and bowed. "It's been a pleasure to meet everyone. I hope we can be good friends. ”

"Don't snub her. Anne is a very nice girl. Angeli Kara took my hand and led me to one of the chairs. She and her sister moved to our territory. They are under the protection of the lord. ”

Rosetta gasped. "You've seen the Demon King, still alive?"

My forehead furrowed. They call Magnus a demon lord? I guess it fits. "If he's not busy killing people or throwing tantrums, he's a good guy." Or my sister...... I'd better not mention it. What else can I say? It's a fact.

Alex closed the book he was reading. "Don't get me wrong, but you're weird to an old man. It's not that I've had a lot of ...... Any ......"

"I'm young. I'm not plagued by uncontrollable instincts like my elders. Once my aging process stops completely around the age of 50, these problems start," I replied.

Maria made a gesture of helplessness. "I'm sorry, but we don't know much about the old ones. Except elsewhere when they lose their temper. And they're old. I didn't even know they could have children. ”

The silence that followed continued, and I realized that the secrecy of my race was a problem when it came to making friends. They don't know how to deal with me, and it's not entirely their fault. Maybe my desire to make friends is a little too high. I pouted and thought about ways to solve the problem. Maybe the next biology class was for?

"I don't have a lot of children. A woman is considered very fertile if she gives birth to a child every hundred years because she tries it often. That's why I was the only kid in the compound I grew up in. It gave me a lot of time to learn computers. "I am proud to announce my hobby. Most of the other old people are having trouble dealing with new technology.

"A child begins the aging process at a normal human rate. It slowed down until it stopped completely. We can use magic, but we obviously lack the experience of our elders. From now on, my aging process is about to slow down rapidly. I may look like fifteen, but I'm going to be seventeen next week. When I'm twenty, I'll look like sixteen, and so on. I won't change much from thirty. I will continue to age very slowly until my body completely stops aging at the age of fifty. By that time I will look about thirty years old. Luck is a little younger. Vary. Some of us look younger and some of us look older.

"Once the aging process stops, I will start to get the same impulses as an adult. If you think it's overwhelmed by pure bestial instincts, that's the easiest explanation. I can only guess how strong they are. My only instinct as a child was to hide when my elders started to roar and their eyes turned red. It's more of a defense mechanism. My sister is a very controlling person, but as long as she provokes enough, she still loses to her beast. She told me that as I got older, my control would get better. ”

I finished my explanation and smiled at them. "So now I'm more like Angelica. I'm closer to a normal person than the old man. ”

Rosetta touched her chin and pondered. "Why did you move to our territory? You said you lived in the compound. ”

I cringe. "My people wanted to marry me off, and I didn't like it, so we ran away."

Richard snorted in disgust. "Who would do that in this day and age? It's so barbaric! Aren't you just a child by the standards of your people? ”

I shrugged my shoulders and tried to rationalize it as usual. "I told you how rare children are in my race. There is a hope that women will try it soon. My sister and I ran away and caused an uproar. We came to this field purely because of the environment. Now I want the Lord to let us stay. I love it here. But I'm enough. What do you do here all day? Just reading a book? ”

Angelica smiled. "We also talk about books. We help each other in our studies. Sometimes we go out, mostly when the Human Club members are present. ”

I furrowed my forehead. "It confuses me. How can there be humans in your club? "I didn't mean to, but my voice sounded a little disgusted. I quickly made sure that my expression was neutral. "I'm sorry. It doesn't sound like what I thought it would be. It's just that I'm always told-"

Angelica raised her hand. "No, you don't. We know how the Elementals and some other supernatural races were created. You don't want to be involved with humans, and that's understandable. ”

I blushed. Not to be confused with others is the unspoken rule of the ancient saints. Our genetic code does some strange things when it interacts with the genetics of other races. The results are often not both, nor are they mixed. Thus the elemental creatures were born. They are the descendants of a group of old rulers who have mixed with humans, and hope that the result will create more fertile offspring. Their children can't use magic like we do. They have their elements. Full control over a single magical realm. Many of them can even turn themselves into their element. When it comes to their field of magic, they are scholars, geniuses, and crippled idiots at the same time.

The experiment ended when it became clear to them that they would exterminate their clan by continuing the experiment. Each element born means one less old day, so the clan can't keep up with the numbers. I wouldn't want such offspring if it could have been avoided. Especially since most elements have a limited lifespan. It would be terrible to see my dear person grow old and die in a few decades.

I sighed. "I certainly understand that love and attraction are not arbitrary. It sounds like I'm still a biased bastard. If I hesitate to interact with humans, then I will have to extend this bias to other supernatural things. I will try my best to be a good person. ”

Richard chuckled. "I hope you don't extend your receptive attempts to fae."

"Of course not!" I cried angrily, remembering the time when I almost fell into the hands of the goblins. "I don't understand why no one is sending a nuclear bomb of the right size in their little pocket."

Rosetta smiled. "She's an old man. Only they are so angry with the goblins. Guys, what do you think? Should we go out and take Annia on a tour of town? I'm sure Angelica has just taken her to a boring place so far. We go to the racing team. ”

"Race car driver?" I asked.

Angelica shook her head. "It was a pub for adults. Children under the age of 18 are not allowed. Annia is indeed too young, and you, Rosetta, are too young! Damn, even I'm too young! ”

"It's not fair! I have a ticket and ID. If Annia works her charms, we can see without anyone knowing," Rosetta complained. Others joined her, making Angelica the only one against the idea. At the end of the day, there's nothing I can do. Angelica is my friend, but the power of four against two makes it feel overwhelming. Most importantly, I was intrigued by why the bar was so popular. "Ahem, just take a look."

Half an hour later, we had a lot of people in line. They are all waiting to be allowed into some kind of cellar. I turned to Rosetta and I dressed her up to be three years older than him. I did the same to Angelica and I as well. "And what's interesting about that bar?"

Rosetta shook her fist. "You'll see. The laser show was great and the dance floor was rocking every night. And cocktails and pole dancing! ”

Pole dancer? I turned around as the line moved forward, but suddenly Angelica pulled me away from the line of waiters. "Damn! The police! ”

Rosetta screamed. "Run!"

A car with a blue warning light turned around the corner and I followed the others with my legs. We were told to stop. Of course no one listened. I can't help it. It's exciting! Although I don't understand why we are running away. "Why are we running?"

"We have broken the laws of the world by supernatural means!" Angelica is furious, and the limits of her humanity are obvious. "They often sift through supernatural children at parties who try to cheat with their charm!"

With her on my shoulders, I started running faster to keep up with the others. "Scarf! Can you help with something? "I spoke to the snake around my neck. He said I should give him a name, so I named him Scarf because he was a scarf.

The answer is sobering. "Nope. It's entirely your own fault. I will not help you escape justice. ”

What a useless bodyguard. I gasped and began to feel Angelica's weight. So I channeled some strength through my body. The police car was right behind us, so I was happy when Rosetta and the others walked down a side street that was too small for cars. I followed them and stopped abruptly because I realized that three police officers were blocking the street.

Alex and Richard try to rush over, but one of the cops roars, his uniform cracking as he grows, his bones cracking, and his fingers extended. Long fur grew out of his body, and his face turned into a cruel grimace. The goat's horns burst from his forehead and his feet turned into hooves. He grabbed Richard by the neck like a child and lifted him up.

Then the creature slapped him and laughed.

Alex tries to do something with his fire elemental, but the creature takes a deep breath and a torrent of snowflakes fills the alley. I avoided the biting cold. When I look back, all four idiots are stuffed into huge sacks! Now all the cops are all sorts of deformed and abominable creatures. They seemed to have a lot of fun with their batons and beat my friends to death.

In my shock, I completely forgot about the police car that was chasing us. I turned around just in time and noticed something ugly, drooling high above my head. Its evil, bejeweled eyes were hypnotizing, holding me firmly in place. Then it roared at me, and I cried out in horror when the abomination spat out its ugly tongue at me. It laughed as it threw another huge sack at Angelica and me. I screamed as I was swept away. The last thing I could see was the streetlights, because the sacks were strung up.

Something was affecting my ass and I started crying. These people don't use their sticks half-heartedly. As we howled from the painful treatment, Angelica joined me and others.

A deep voice came from outside. "Hahahaha! Günter, I haven't been happier in a while. Do you see her face? It's as if she's never seen Campus. It should be tourists. Those huge, pleading eyes. I really can't wait to scare a couple of naughty kids. ”

"You're right! But they provide good training for practical activities. Let them in. ”

I felt the sack being lifted and thrown rough onto the soft surface. Everything is painful. Then something slammed shut. "Did they just throw us in the trunk of the car?"

Angelica moaned beneath me. "I've tried to avoid this all my life. As a result, I still got caught by those bastards! Grandma will talk for weeks! ”

I tried to free myself, but the sack was magically enhanced. In the end I had no choice but to wait. "What's that!?"

"Campus! They are a local tribe of shapeshifters. They are endemic to the Alps. All the cops in this town are camps. They are responsible for all the stories about how naughty children are punished by Krampus at Christmas. Today, they serve as a local police force to punish crime. Don't ask me why. They get some kind of sickness from punishing the wicked. ”

After a short drive in the trunk of a police car, we were unloaded and transported somewhere else. Upon arrival at our final destination, the sack was unceremoniously shaken, spilling its contents, us, on the floor of a small cell. Our captives laughed and retreated, then slammed the door shut and locked it.

My new friend tried to make some space for himself and sat on the small bench that came with his cell. The pain is slowly disappearing. If I were human, I would be bruised right now. I looked at the others, confused. They act as if it's normal. "Shouldn't we try to escape?"

Alex shrugged. "Nope. It's too much work. Let's just wait for our parents to pick us up. You'll get used to Krampus. They can always find a reason to grab some kids. ”

Well, we actually gave them a reason to catch us. Waiting for my parents...... That's great! I lay on the floor and spread my eagle. My magic is enough to keep me warm.

Two hours later, the door opened and I sat up. Eva walked into the room wearing a light dress that didn't allow much movement. She crossed her arms over her chest to study us, blowing a big ball of gum until it burst. Then she sucked the gum back and smiled. "I'm so proud of you! Although it would be better if you succeeded. Any. It's important to try. ”

My sister entered the room, and Magnus followed. He looked at us with an eyebrow raised. Sailly gave me a particularly sour look. "You're under house arrest! At least until you don't get involved in illegal activities! I rolled my eyes. We have broken the law many times. Why is it different now?

An ugly creature enters the room in a crouched position. The ceiling was too low for it, so it had to stand with its head sideways. Otherwise the horn will scrape to the ceiling. It pointed at me. "Is this the man you're looking for, Your Majesty?"

Magnus smiled at the furry creature and nodded. "yes, how's it going in town? Is there a problematic paranormal phenomenon on the horizon? How can we help? ”

The creature shook its head. "No problem, sir. Trolls only have this little problem. Someone nailed their leader to the wall of his office and threw his guts on the ground. Their cave system was uninhabitable because it was suddenly flooded with toxic gases. Most survived, but, oddly enough, the chief's closest aides did not make it. They were trapped inside because of the sudden collapse. Now the trolls are begging everyone to take refuge until the gas is expelled from their caves. It's annoying. ”

Magnus waved his hand, dispelling the question. "Don't waste time on this. Trolls are naughty, so they are punished. How are preparations for the summer solstice progressing? ”

The creature scratched its chest. "I understand. We will not investigate further. And the preparations are almost complete. Everyone is gearing up for the big day. My people's desire to get a little wild. It's the only day we don't have to bother hiding our true nature. It's funny that humans think of us as actors in costumes. ”

"That's good. Have fun and party to your heart's content. Being a police captain must be troublesome. I gave you guys this job and you have never let me down. Magnus gave a thumbs up.

It roared, and after a while, I realized it was laughing. "It's the best job since the supernatural community forbade us to steal naughty kids at Christmas."