After dropping Aurelius off at his dorm room, the Headmaster strolled leisurely back to his own quarters. As the Headmaster of the academy, he enjoyed the privilege of a separate building tailored to his needs. Along the way, students and staff straightened their posture in his presence, and he courteously nodded in return.

Arriving at his private room, the Headmaster pushed open the grand double oak doors and headed straight for his desk. The spacious abode was tastefully furnished, boasting a meditation chamber, an impressive collection of books, and other creature comforts. The atmosphere exuded tranquility, with a faint scent of old paper and polished wood lingering in the air.

Seated at his desk, the Headmaster released a weary sigh, granting himself a momentary respite from the mounting duties and escalating stress that had plagued him of late. The familiar confines of his office offered solace amidst the chaos.

Yet, as his gaze fell upon the towering mound of papers before him, the Headmaster's mood further soured. The accumulation of documents had grown during his absence. Not in the mood to tackle the paperwork, he leaned back in his chair, enjoying the tranquility of his surroundings and letting his thoughts wander freely.

However, his mind kept returning to the encounters with a certain boy named Aurelius. Their encounters felt like more than mere coincidences; some might even deem it as fate or destiny. Regardless, the Headmaster couldn't shake the peculiar feeling that surrounded the boy.

Their first meeting was marked by Aurelius fleeing from an unusual disturbance of mana that had piqued the Headmaster’s interest. As the Headmaster trailed the boy, it became apparent that he was making his way towards the nearby Silver Peak mountain range. . That is when the first set of alarm bells rang in the Headmaster’s mind.

Intrigued, the Headmaster investigated the scene where Aurelius had fled from—the site of the mana disturbance. According to guards, they had witnessed a young boy stealing one of their swords before seemingly vanishing into thin air. This only deepened the Headmaster's curiosity.

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Days turned into weeks, and still, there was no news of Aurelius. The Headmaster gradually dismissed the matter, attributing it to the myriad peculiar occurrences within the bustling capital city.

However, the Headmaster's encounter with Aurelius in Silverleaf reignited his questions and created new ones, particularly regarding how the boy had arrived there. While the obvious explanation was that he had journeyed from the capital to Silverleaf, something deep within the Headmaster told him that there was more to the story. If Aurelius had ventured into the mountain range, the Headmaster couldn't help but wonder about the encounters and experiences he might have had within.

Moreover, during the Headmaster's observation of the group's battle against the Frostfang Wyvern, he was taken aback by a peculiar aspect of Aurelius' swordsmanship—it far surpassed the headmaster's expectations.

Before, when Aurelius had been fleeing the city, his sword handling revealed a lack of expertise. Admittedly, the Headmaster hadn't directly witnessed Aurelius wield the weapon, leaving room for potential misjudgment. However, assuming Aurelius was indeed the one who stole the sword from the city guards, it seemed contradictory that someone with advanced swordsmanship skills, as demonstrated in the fight against the Frostfang Wyvern, would resort to pilfering a sword. Aurelius would either already possess a sword or have the means to acquire a different weapon.

Yet, this wasn't the sole curiosity surrounding Aurelius' sword ability. Strangely, during the Headmaster's observation of Aurelius battling the Frostfang, it appeared as if he was deliberately… holding back? The headmaster couldn't fathom why Aurelius would conceal his advanced skills or if he even had such abilities.

This was all to say that Aurelius raised multiple alarm bells within the Headmaster's mind. Consequently, driven by curiosity and a sense of Aurelius' uniqueness, the headmaster took a chance and extended an offer for Aurelius to join the Lothern Academy. It would provide a perfect opportunity where the Headmaster could watch, and perhaps nurture, the growth of Aurelius more closely.

If one thing was certain to the Headmaster, Aurelius was something special. And the Headmaster had a strong inkling about what that something was.