"—What 'Dark Section'? I don't even understand it. Attacking so boldly in broad daylight on a holiday... the cleanup is going to be a nightmare. Maybe I should just reduce them all to ash in the incinerator and scatter them over the Special Dormitory?"
Watching from far above, I let out a heavy sigh as I looked down at the young man, Laguna Ver Brave. He was grumbling to himself while methodically disposing of a mountain of corpses in front of the incinerator.
"Truly, it is an appalling affair."
To think that such undesirable elements could be smuggled into the Academy in the middle of a weekend... it seems I may need to purge and replace a portion of the faculty.
Who was the spy?
It was likely that teacher who had overstepped his bounds to manage the examination of House Brave’s third son without my authorization.
Even if the boy is still a student, he is a successor to a noble title; to treat him with such blatant disregard suggests the rot within the staff has spread deep indeed.
Even so, I turned my gaze back toward the third son of House Brave.
"So, no matter how many tactical-grade mages gather, they amount to nothing against him."
I had been observing with the intent to intervene if the situation turned dire, but he had repelled every single one of them brilliantly without sustaining so much as a scratch.
His skill in killing them with his bare hands—and doing so without staining the Academy with a single drop of blood—transcended tactical prowess. It was strategic-grade. No, he had likely long since bypassed even that level; his very existence now held political weight.
Despite his youth at only fifteen years of age, and though a certain amount of personal spite seemed to be driving him, I felt a shiver at the sight of him showing absolutely no mercy to those he deemed enemies.
"Is this the true blood of House Brave?"
This was their authentic form, finally unburdened by the shackles of their lineage.
"That damn Sebastian River."
The old fool who had forced this headmaster's post upon me. What on earth was he thinking, enrolling such a masterpiece—one that even I would struggle to manage—into the Academy during a term where so many fates are destined to collide?
"But perhaps this, too, is destiny."
Was he the inevitable product of centuries of fear, binding, and suppression? Looking at the environment swirling within the Academy and the scene unfolding before me, I could see all too clearly how twisted and mad things had become.
House Brave.
In the ancient past, during an era when wars between nations and struggles against monsters ravaged the land, they were the lineage of the Hero who fought alongside the Saint and the Sage.
The souls dwelling within that line were noble; if it were for the sake of protection, they would never hesitate to stand on the front lines of battle or march into the jaws of death.
Even after the Sage—weary of the endless bloodshed—used the Saint’s power to erect a Guardian Barrier around the Royal Capital, their essence remained unchanged. It is said that by then, the Saint, who had acted as the mediator between those two naturally prickly men, was already gone.
The Royal Family, well aware of the terrifying power within the Hero’s blood, feared that those fangs would eventually turn against the Kingdom. Thus, they coerced the Hero into a vow of submission.
The obedience the Hero pledged to the Royal Family for the sake of the people’s safety has remained etched within the lineage and the nobility for hundreds of years. It has transformed into something akin to a curse—or perhaps it was a curse from the very beginning.
"I have no intention of blindly believing ancient legends weathered by the passage of time, yet I can well understand why the Royal Family is terrified."
Despite their efforts to dilute, sever, or control the blood of a hero worth a thousand men, this was the result. Likely, the oppressive weight haunting House Brave had warped alongside the eras, culminating in this. Those with "thick" blood were loathed, and their peers imitated that hatred, creating a cycle of distortion.
"For what purpose were you born, Laguna Ver Brave?"
To dismantle a corrupt nation? Or to achieve an even greater cause?
"Fortune lies in the heavens, I suppose."
Hmph, what "Ether"? Do they truly believe they rule the heavens? Do they think they hold destiny itself in the palm of their hand? It smacks of the arrogance of a Royal Family that merely claims descent from the Ancient Sage.
Cascade, House Ignite, Oldwood. And House Etherdam. If one traces the roots deep enough, they are all the same.
"Forgive me, Sebastian River. I, who bear the weight of the blood flowing within me, can no longer interfere."
At the very least, I hope he can live as a proper student. I will simply do my utmost to ensure all students can walk the paths they have chosen for themselves. As the Headmaster, that is the only mercy I can offer.
"Hmm. At the very least, I shall investigate the connection between House Ignite and the neighboring Continent Duchy."
Though, knowing the third son of House Brave, he would likely stumble upon that truth on his own... Hm?
I spotted a man approaching the incinerator after Laguna had departed.
"He-hehehe... I got it. I recorded it all! I'll kick him out for sure... I'll have him expelled from this Academy, he-hehehe!"
"That man..."
It was the teacher who had taken it upon himself to handle the exam. He was muttering like a lunatic while cradling a Memory Crystal as if it were a holy relic.
To think that showing him mercy would result in this. To still harbor such petty grudges even after being shown the overwhelming gap in their strength... I am ashamed to have ever kept such a man on my staff.
"He is likely the one who invited those cutthroats into the school in the first place. As thanks for the boy not making a mess of the grounds, I suppose I shall dispose of that man myself."