"Hmm…"
Ashoka's hands trembled despite his calm mind.
"You don't need to be so nervous. We just want to talk."
The long-haired kid at the front approached him thinking that Ashoka was trembling with fear.
Ashoka knew his name already.
Luz Parmar or something?
He was the guy who was bad-mouthing him that morning, and he had also shown a rather brilliant performance in the training by running till the end.
"Hey."
The three children who were next to Luz stuck themselves to Ashoka's sides and his back when Luz pointed with his chin.
"Talk? What kind of talk do you want?"
Ashoka said looking back.
He wanted to step back, but it was impossible to retreat with three people blocking his way.
"You'll know once we get there."
"Follow quietly."
Luz gestured with a grin, and the two guys next to him started to push Ashoka with their shoulders.
Since the noble children were rather big like fatasses, it looked like adults taking away a kid.
"Wa-Wait a second. How about we talk here?"
"It's too late."
"You shouldn't have been so arrogant."
As Ashoka shrugged and lowered his gaze, the noble children giggled and put their arms under his armpit.
{You told me you would show me what I wanted to see, but what are you doing now?}
Draco grumbled looking at Ashoka's behavior.
'Good things take time, great things take a little longer. This is the same, so wait for a little.'
"Kuh!"
Ashoka was thrown to the wall after being dragged helplessly or what it seemed like, to the training ground's vicinity.
It was a dark and secluded place, with no one in sight.
"Wh-Why are you doing this?"
Ashoka brought out the best of his acting skills.
"You elixir-boosted punk."
"What?"
"You got abandoned by the emperor, but you dare to boast with the power of a lucky elixir?"
"You wouldn't even have been able to run today if it wasn't for the elixir you got from Sage Chanakya."
"You wimp!"
The nobles' expressions became fierce, like savage beasts who presented with their prey.
'For that ridiculous reason…'
The childish and shabby reason seemed to prove that they were still kids.
'And they don't seem to think that they might lose, not at all.'
Ashoka sneered.
'I guess that's normal.'
Unlike him, who was six years old, the nobles in front of him were seven to eight years in age and their bodies were also a lot bigger.
Since they had been training for a long time, they didn't even consider the possibility of losing.
"Don't worry, we will make it unnoticeable."
"It's not the first time we've done this, after all."
"Just like what the instructor said, we are going to just have a chat with fellow trainees."
The noble children approached while swinging their fists.
"You're right."
Ashoka raised his head and smiled.
"You are Damn right."
The fear and confusion in his eyes could no longer be seen.
"Let me teach you guys some manners in between then"
His smile broadened as he gazed at the noble children with cold eyes.
"You bastard!"
The one with the bowl cut at the right side of him punched him.
After twisting his shoulder to dodge the fist, Ashoka used his right elbow to strike his chest.
"Gack!"
The bowl head quacked with his head on the ground, unable to breathe. He kept scratching the ground, trying to respire.
"Wh-What happened!"
The narrow-eyed one to his left kicked at him.
Whack!
Ashoka fended off it using his left hand. Then he approached him and struck his solar plexus using his fist.
"Kuh…"
The narrow-eyed child tumbled on the ground, grabbing his stomach as his eyes turned white.
Wham!
The guy from behind slammed down with his two fists clenched together. Ashoka deflected it with his palm and kicked his abdomen.
"Huff!"
The biggest guy gasped, collapsing on the ground.
"Wh-What are you all doing? Why are you losing to that bastard?!"
Luz, who was the last one standing, stepped back. His hands were shaking as he stuttered.
"We are having a talk between fellow trainees, just as you said."
Ashoka approached Luz, matching his steps to his retreat.
"Don't come any closer!'
Luz swung his left fist as he shouted, followed by his right fist. It was a well-trained, consecutive attack.
However, the one on the receiving end wasn't a normal six-year-old child.
Crack!
Ashoka's hand twisted up like a poisonous snake. He grabbed Luz's left arm and twisted it to the right.
"Kuah!"
Luz shrieked, unable to finish swinging his right fist due to the arm-breaking pain.
"It's not over yet."
Using his left hand like a blade, he chopped across Luz's right waist.
"Kak! Kuaah!"
Luz rolled on the ground while screaming as if he was facing his last moment.
{That's a marvelous scream. But his skull is still intact. Break it right now.}
Draco was unusually happy.
'Always the skull…'
Ashoka shook his head and looked at the four collaterals, who were squirming on the ground.
"What shall I do?"
Ashoka turned his head and approached the collateral children with killing intent in his eyes.
"Waa!"
"Uhhh!"
"Wh-what…"
The collaterals shivered in anguish. Their expressions weren't just confused, but terrified.
"Uhh…"
Lux's teeth chattered as if he were cold.
"Uugh!"
"Pl-Please!'
As Ashoka approached them with a smile, the nobles' teeth chattered as if they were looking at a god of death.
Smack! Smaaack!
Unable to even scream, the children rolled up like maggots as Ashoka kept punching them.
{This is refreshing for once. This is the first time that I've taken a liking to you.}
'Thank you, I guess.'
Ashoka kept beating up the nobles, so much that Draco applauded. Moreover, he was hitting where it hurt the most, although it didn't look obvious.
"Kuh!"
"Uwaa…"
The nobles couldn't even meet Ashoka's eyes anymore. They were just curling up like shrimps, fresh out of water.
"Pl-Please, stop…"
"I'm sorry!"
"Ugh!"
Ashoka taught them a clear lesson. They shouldn't even look at his toes.
"What we had today was a talk between fellow trainees, right?"
And he didn't forget to warn them either.
"Eh, yes!"
"Th-that's right!"
The nobles uttered without even a second to waste.
"Am I right to assume that you won't tell anyone about our talk?"
"Of… of course!"
"Definitely!"
Since Luz and the nobles wanted to stop getting beaten up, they nodded their heads.
"Then let's get the finishing touch before ending our conversation."
"Fi-Finishing touch?"
"What do you mean…?"
"Who convinced you to do this? Was it Vikram?"
"Uh…"
"Sorry? N-No, that's not the case."
The nobles shook their heads.
"Then what is it?"
"Vikram didn't order us to so this, why would we even follow that bastard's orders."
"That's right. He actually told us to stop. It was just that we…"
"Is that so?"
Ashoka sneered. Judging from their frantic expressions, they weren't lying.
Vikram really must not have been involved.
'He isn't completely rotten.'
Vikram clearly wasn't favorable to him and had a foul mouth, but he didn't seem to be complete garbage.
"You'd better behave if you don't want to have another talk tomorrow."
"Yes, sir!"
"Certainly!"
"We won't even step on your shadow!"
Ashoka turned around, hearing the collaterals' responses. When he was about to leave the alley, a notification tone could be heard.
Ding!
* * *