The headmaster was going through some documents in his chamber with his attendant.
"Judging from his movements, it really seems that he is the son of Argus the devil," The attendant mentioned while he wrote something in a scroll with a paintbrush.
"He is. The king himself told me to take care of him which proves it," The headmaster said.
"Even though they sealed his spiritual energy by the 'spirit seal', he still landed a blow on Marya's face. He did it just from his physical movements," The attendant mentioned. "Don't you think he got exceptional potential?"
"You are right, Tartar. He has got immeasurable talent. I don't know whether to fear his potential or celebrate it, as he is on our side right now," The headmaster replied while he stared at the contents of the scroll in his hand.
Meanwhile, the students were still going on with the spar, but with each other. Marya sat in a corner with a frown and continuously thought about the humiliating punch she received from Alan.
"How did you do it?" Gunther asked Alan while they watched the sparring match between two students.
"It was simple. I just punched too fast," Alan answered casually. Gunther could not understand how he moved that fast. His eyes could not follow his movements.
"Have you taken some kind of training before coming here?" He asked.
"You can say so. I have trained myself."
"Her face was really delightful to watch when you punched her. She could not believe it at all," Gunther said. "But be careful now. She holds grudges. She must have thought that you humiliated her, she will definitely come for you."
Alan was expecting this childish behavior as they were all children. She will come for him because he punched her in a friendly spar, it was expected. It reminded him of his childhood days in Alabusia when he used to spar with his friends.
"Let her come if she wants to receive a punch again," He uttered and looked at Gunther with unflinching eyes.
The classes were over, and it was time for Alan to go to the headmaster's chamber. He did not know why the headmaster had called him. He guessed his underlings would either beat him up or they would warn him for punching his daughter. He guessed it from the story Gunther had told him.
The chamber was on the first floor of the principal building of the academy. They said that the headmaster loved to look down on the people, that's why the chamber was there.
He entered and saw the headmaster sitting on the floor and scribbled something on a scroll. His attendant saw him and told him to come inside. He entered slowly and sat on the cushion parallel to the headmaster when he got signaled to do so by the attendant.
"I watched your spar match with Marya. You are one of the very few people who defeated her," The headmaster said without looking at him, his eyes fixated on the scroll.
"I didn't win, master. I accepted my defeat," Alan said.
"You punched her, it means you defeated her."
Alan doubted he was rough on his daughters. He must have set superior standards for them.
The headmaster continued, "I have trained both of my daughters personally since they were little. Other kids were learning to walk and run, they were already beating up the kids of their ages."
Alan listened to him silently.
"I want both of them to be the strongest warriors and serve this empire," He added and raised his gaze to look at Alan's face. "Who trained you in physical combat?"
"I trained myself, master. I belong to the first province. I used to practice martial arts in the woods and copied the soldiers and proclaimed warriors of the empire," Alan replied.
The headmaster frowned when he heard it. "The first province, hmm. Alabusians are the most in population in that province if compared to other provinces. Recently, a few soldiers and a commander have disappeared there and the people there have become rebellious nowadays. You seem quite knowing for your age…" He leaned his face ahead and continued in a low voice. "Do you know something about it?"
The attendant looked at the headmaster with confused eyes. Why was he asking this to the boy? Was he suspecting him for something?
Alan scratched his cheek and looked away when he spoke. "I know little about it, master, but I have heard about it too. I know little about the people because I am just a kid. Nobody tells me anything."
The headmaster nodded his head. "Of course, you are a kid. But try to remember, if you have heard or seen something."
The attendant intervened as he could not understand it. "Master, how would this kid know about it?"
"Oh, my bad. By the way, I am impressed by your fighting skills, Alan."
"Thank you, master. But Marya would have given me multiple fractures if you had not arrived in time," Alan mentioned while he scratched his cheek again.
"Okay, you can go now. I want you to become an honorable Nigrosian who serves this country. Work hard on your training," The headmaster mentioned. Alan stood up, bowed his head, and left with a smile on his lips.
The attendant had many questions in his mind. He could not help but ask away when Alan left.
"Master, why did you ask him about the missing commander and the soldiers? Do you know something?"
"Tartar, do you know what technique he used to punch Marya?" The head master asked. The attendant shook his head sideways to say no.
"He used one of the advanced punching techniques which are only taught in Alabusia," The headmaster told. "To think that this kid taught himself one of the most difficult punching techniques of Alabusia, it seems impossible."
The attendant was even more confused now. "What is in your mind, master?"
"I think there is someone who is trying to add fuel to the fire by provoking Alabusians in the first province. He could be the same person who is teaching the Alabusian arts to the children and could be related to the disappearance of the commander and the soldiers as well. This is the only viable theory I can think of right now," The headmaster said.
"But isn't this just a speculation?" The attendant countered.
"Yes, it is. Monitor that boy. There could be some people who might know that he is Argus's son apart from us." The headmaster rolled the scroll he scribbled on and handed it to his attendant. "Take it to the seventh castle and deliver it personally to the king."
The attendant nodded and left with the scroll. The headmaster kept staring ahead into the abyss with a frown.