XLI

  As Aelon was going through the unfortunate mountain of paperwork on his desk, his thoughts drifted towards the unordinary Gnome that he had the pleasure of coming across. Ever since that encounter, something about that meeting sparked something within him, as he felt unusual traces of mana and energy coming from the young one.

  When he was called to aid the Guards dispersing a dispute in the courtyard, he knew it was going to involve the young Faedusk, and unfortunately the young Kaz. He didn’t blame the Guards for calling him for his aid, as he knew that the Guards would’ve had their position stripped from them for interfering with the troublesome Faedusk child. It was only last year that during a dispute between the first years, did a Guard step in between Nahan and some young Mage, and was quickly dealt with by being sent to some other town on an assignment.

  Aelon knew better that the incident would be brushed aside, especially when Nahan Faedusk lost face against an unknown figure that popped randomly into their Mage Academy. And he was not surprised when Headmaster Kerius made the journey up to his room atop of the tower, and walked into his room without even knocking, only flaring his Mana to announce his presence.

  Headmaster Kerius wasn’t a particularly strong Mage in this Realm, only rumored to be scraping past the Resonance of 120, but it was his connections that made him powerful. The only thing stronger than Resonance was politics, which is why Aelon was not one of the lead figures in the Realm, despite himself being closer to his Third Revelation than his Second Revelation. He despised the politics and the expectations that came when one decided to meddle in it.

  “Aelon, we are being summoned to the Faedusk House, please come with me,” Kerius plainly said, and turned around, already walking out of his study, not waiting for him.

  With a deep sigh, Aelon got up and followed the other Elven Mage, making sure to stay enough of a distance away from him to prevent the other Mage from speaking to him. They got down to the courtyard and strode towards the exit, much to the excitement of the students, who looked at the two strongest Mages that they knew, who were an inspiration to them. Aelon only shook his head in disappointment, feeling empathy for those who looked up to them without knowing who they truly were.

  They walked along the streets of Sarus, going towards the unnecessarily large estate that housed the Faedusk family in silence. Aelon could feel the tense and slightly scared Mana leaking from the Headmaster. Which was no surprise, as drawing the ire of the main political figure in their town, and the one who funded most of the Academy’s expenses, was not the most comfortable feeling. For Aelon, this meeting had no relative importance to him, as he was not intimidated by the likes of Valorias, the Head of the Sarus Faedusk House, as he was not relatively strong, only his Family name was.

  Once they reached the gates to the estate, the Guards opened the gate, and they were met by one of the Faedusk Butlers, who ushered them into the house, and directly into the study of Valorias Faedusk, who sat behind his desk, lounging on his overly large leather chair.

  “Ah, Kerius and Aelon, I see you have arrived quite promptly. Please have a seat and let’s discuss a few matters that have been brought to my attention,” he lazily said.

  With a rapid nod of his head, Kerius quickly sat down on one of the chairs, trying to keep his back straight. Aelon mentally shook his head, embarrassed for the Elf, looking like a lapdog that wanted to appease its master. Aelon sat down comfortably in the other seat, waiting for Valorias to begin the discussion.

  As another Butler brought in a tea set, Valorias sat up, propping his elbows on the table, and clasping his fingers together, and began speaking, “It has appeared that my Nahan has been recently involved in a little… misunderstanding with some Gnome who was visiting you, Aelon?”

  Kerius looked over to Aelon, prompting him to explain himself, already proving himself negligible in this discussion. With a calm demeanor, Aelon explained the ‘misunderstanding’ to the Elf, “The young Gnome was indeed invited to my study to have a discussion, as he sparked interest when I observed him in town. After some discussion, the young Gnome departed, and was then confronted by Nahan, who then attacked the young Gnome.”

  As Aelon completed that last sentence, he saw Valorias’s eye twitch, obviously unhappy with the way Aelon phrased that. An unseen smile tugged at him, Aelon continued, “After it was brought to my attention,” Aelon stressed that part, repeating the phrasing used by Valorias, “I decided to intervene as this was someone who I had personally invited to visit my study, therefore being a guest of mine. Upon reaching the courtyard, I saw Nahan and his group of friends in a heated engagement with my guest. I put a stop to the small scuffle and set both parties on their own ways.”

  Silence stretched as Valorias was obviously looking for a way to turn this in his favor. After a few moments, Valorias decided to speak up, his voice filled with confidence, “Are you aware of what caused this misunderstanding? The Gnome disrespected Nahan and our Faedusk name, causing Nahan to personally step in to uphold our honor. Is that not correct, Kerius?”

  Kerius immediately spoke up, “Indeed, Sir Faedusk. That is a very reasonable cause for action.”

  Valorias smiled, obviously content with the Headmaster’s affirmation. As Valorias was about to speak up, spurred on by gaining the Headmaster on his side against Aelon, Aelon decided to interject, clarifying, “As you are probably not aware, Valorias, is that the young Gnome is not from Sarus, and has lived a sheltered life, therefore he was not aware of your House. It would be foolish to misinterpret confusion for disrespect.”

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  A dangerous flicker of emotion flashed in Valorias eyes, but to Aelon, it was not threatening at all, but the same couldn’t be said for the Headmaster. It was then that the House leader decided to reveal his information, hoping to derail the conversation that was currently putting his son on the wrong side of the altercation.

  “Aelon, are you aware of identity of the young Gnome?”

  With a nod of his head, Aelon spoke up, “I am aware.”

  Smiling wickedly, Valorias explained, “Oh, so you must be aware of his true origins. The fact that he came from Forith, outcast by his town for his Awakening?”

  Unimpressed by this, Aelon kept his face impassive, confirming the information, “Yes, he had mentioned that this has indeed been his situation.”

  Valorias decided to press further, leaning even further, now resting his head on his fingers, voice lowering, “So therefore you must be aware of his unsavory Awakening, his beam being silver, and him claiming to be a one star Mage?”

  Aelon was momentarily taken aback by this, but managed to keep his reaction to this new information presented to him. A silver beam? He knew there was something interesting about this Gnome, but now he was even more intrigued.

  Aelon simply replied, “That would be cause for confusion among the people for sure, but as people have seen previously before his unfortunate Awakening, the young Gnome is normal as can be? If he would’ve been some cause of some coming calamitous event, the Elders would’ve stepped in, along with the [ Archive ], no?”

  Valorias had no response to this, briefly thrown off himself, unable to rebuke Aelon’s reasoning. To continue the pressure, Aelon continued, “Therefore, I do not see why his origins, as you put it, is any reasoning as to why your son blatantly attacked a stranger to himself. There was no need to resort to violence, where a simple discussion would’ve sufficed. If anything, there was no need for Nahan to even approach the young Gnome, as any trespassers would’ve been dealt with by the Guards.”

  Slumping back into his seat, Valorias stared at Aelon, unable to form any words to combat the accusations coming at him towards his offspring. Headmaster Kerius, who was now pale and a mode of panic, quickly stepped into the conversation, assuring the Faedusk figurehead, “Do not fret, Sir Faedusk, as nothing will come up from this, as it was just a simple misunderstanding between young children.”

  Valorias only glared at the Headmaster, which caused him to sit back into his seat, trying to make himself small. Valorias only huffed in annoyance, his confident and upbeat demeanor now wiped away. He looked into Aelon’s eyes, but spoke to the Headmaster, “And I am assuming that this Gnome, named Kaz, will not be allowed to enter the Mage Academy program, correct?”

  Headmaster Kerius quickly replied, his voice only slightly faltering, “Yes, of course. He is only a one-star Mage after all, according to information presented to me.”

  With another fake smile plastered on his face, Valorias continued on, “It would be a shame for this incident to reach the rest of the Faedusk House, as disrespecting the name would have unfavorable consequences for the young Gnome. I also think it would be in everyone’s best interest if he weren’t seen on the Mage Academy grounds anymore, as he may pose a unfavorable risk for the rest of the students.”

  Before the Headmaster could affirm the request, Aelon replied first, adding a slight edge to his tone, “Unfortunately, that would not be possible, as I have already invited the young Gnome to my study when he returns from his journey for the Adventurer’s Guild. And if that was the case, shouldn’t Nahan also be expelled from the Academy? Also, it would be quite unconventional for an Elder of the Mage Academy to be denied a guest to visit, especially one who may have things to contribute to Callings for other Mages?”

  Staring deep into Valorias’s eyes, which were now flaring a deep reddish purple, Valorias became annoyed by this rebuttal. He quickly responded, “But as I believe, please correct me if I am wrong, Headmaster Kerius, that if a non-attending Mage gets into an altercation on Mage Academy grounds, resulting in the detriment of other students, they are to be forbidden from entering Academy grounds.”

  Headmaster Kerius squeaked out, “Of course, that is correct, Sir Faedusk.”

  “But, I believe that is only the case if they are the one to initiate the altercation, to which young Kaz was not, and also, the young Gnome has not harmed your son or any of his acquaintances, at least physically,” Aelon interjected.

  “Is there any proof to this claim, Aelon? I believe if we are to ask the students who were present at the time, they would claim that it was the Gnome who began the altercation,” Valorias rebuked, grinning.

  Aelon only sighed, already tired of this, knowing he will not get anywhere with this, “If you are willing to stoop so low to preserve your ego, by questioning innocent students, who will lie to save themselves from upsetting the biggest name in this town, there is no point in this discussion.”

  Valorias couldn’t contain his anger, as his veins were popping in his forehead, he stood up, slamming his hands on his desk, nearly shouting at Aelon, “You dare speak such nonsense! My son was attacked by an unstable Mage, and you still protect the Gnome?”

  Shaking his head, Aelon got up, flaring his mana briefly, and spoke softly to the angered Elf, “There is no point in continuing this discussion, as well as there is no point for you to be so obsessed by an unknown Gnome who your child failed to intimidate. I would recommend you disregard this incident, as upsetting this Gnome would be detrimental to not only you, but your family in the future.”

  Perturbed by the flair of imposing mana and these words, Valorias scoffed, “Detrimental? This little runt will amount to nothing, and I swear by it!”

  Aelon sighed and turned around, leaving the study without replying to the delusional Elf. He heard the Headmaster making affirmations to the Valorias, no doubt feeding him the words he wants to hear in order to secure his future support. In the hallway he ran into Nahan, who was lurking near the door, trying to overhear the conversation.

  The young Elf raised his head, and looked away, trying to appear more important than he really was. Aelon ignored the young troublemaker, and exited the estate, already on his way back to his study at the Academy.

  Silver beam. He was honestly glad about coming to the meeting, despite the incompetence on display, as he learned something important and very intriguing. A silver beam appeared when young Kaz Awakened, which had to mean something. He knew that something was special about the young prodigy, and this was more information to factor into his theories.

  Aelon already knew that when he returned to the Academy, the mountain of paperwork would have to wait, as he had something to research and look into now. Hopefully the young Gnome will visit him after his journey and be more open to discussing with him. Afterwards, he might visit the capital’s Mage Academy and visit their library to turn his theories into some sort of explanation for his curiosity.

  His train of thought was interrupted by a loud commotion coming from all around, with some people shouting, “Broff and his group are back! They found the Bandits and brought them in custody with the Guards!”

  Aelon’s obsession with more knowledge dragged him away from the Academy, interested in seeing what the young and upcoming Adventurers achieved from their mission that got what seemed like the whole town excited.