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I kept kneeling as Instructor Greyham’s aura weighed down on my being like there was a pile of sandbags on my shoulders.

A few minutes later, a bunch of Royal Guards that I usually see around the academy came marching up to us, and Greyham pointed out my assailant to be detained.

As one of the Royal Guards came up behind me to apprehend me, Instructor Greyham raised his hand to stop the royal guard, “I will take this one.” he said as I felt the weight of his aura lift from my body.

“Follow me.” Instructor Greyham said to me, more as an order than anything else, turned and walked off, so I did, and seeing the look on his face, I knew this was not the time to piss him off in any way, shape, or form.

We soon arrived at an office bearing Instructor Greyham’s nameplate and I followed him inside. “Sit” he commanded while pointing to a chair opposite of where I assumed he would sit.

Once we were both sat down, Instructor Greyham rested his elbows on the table and interlocked his fingers, all while staring at me like a hawk, “Luke Ironcrest… tell me in detail how this fight started.”

What? Just like that? No chewing me out first and telling me that fighting is not the answer? Cool, “It all started sometime after all the teachers were supposed to go to their monthly meeting.”

I laid out how they confronted me, and what their most likely reason for doing so, and told him that it was some noble bussy boy that attacked first. Of course, I did not use the word “bussy”, I just described bussy boy’s house crest as best I could. All the while, Instructor Greyham seemed to be transcribing what I said along with his clarifying questions.

After I finished the part where I popped Oswald’s first elbow, Instructor Greyham raised his hand to stop me and stared at me in silence. After an uncomfortable minute, he started talking again, “At that point, you have achieved victory over your aggressors. Why did you go for the other arm?”

Is this some kind of test? Psychological profiling? I don’t know and I am not in the mood to make shit up. “I went for the other hand because Oswald did not seem to learn his lesson of leaving me be after trying to gang up on me at least two other times, that may have wounded his pride when he failed to do so, or something. And since he could not learn from his previous attempts of antagonizing me with such light consequences, that leaves me with the only option of making sure this encounter is painful enough that he remembers it the next time he crosses me.”

Instructor Greyham nodded his head like what I said made perfect sense and said, “With the number of witnesses, I doubt they would be able to get away with saying you started the fight, but even if you get out of this incident without any official repercussions, you have solidified many enemies today.”

To that, I just shrug, “I doubt this incident would have changed anything on my enemies’ front, the moment my name got out, they would have been my enemy regardless of whether I beat them or not.”

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Greyham shook his head, “This will not only impact you, but also your family.” now that caught my attention, “They would not outright take any actions against your family, your family is too far out to do anything worth the travel and doing anything overt would make them look bad, but they could politic you and your family into some… uncomfortable positions.”

“Then what am I supposed to do? Wait there and let them push me around? I have been around them long enough to know what they are like, once they sense weakness, they would never leave me alone. Am I also going to be forced to hunt down and kill the head of every house before they leave me and mine alone?” I said with more heat in my tone than I was expecting out of myself.

Instructor Greyham frowned as he replied, “I will pretend I did not hear that, but be careful of the words that come out of your mouth, feudal wars have been started for less. As for what you were supposed to do, I will not speak to that, what's done is done, and if they know what’s good for them, they would keep quiet and sweep it under their collective rugs, nothing to brag about ganging up on someone and losing. What you can do to keep these pests off your and your family’s backs, is to become an agent of the crown.”

“And how am I supposed to do that? I am just an eight-year-old boy! Am I supposed to just strut up to the king and go, “Oi! Heard you were hiring, I want in!”?” I said mockingly.

Instructor Greyham folded his arms and looked down as he mumbled “That might actually work for that muscle brain.” under his breath, but I heard it. Then he looked up at me, “No, don’t be preposterous. I could write you up for a recommendation to someone I know, the crown is always on the lookout for talent, and you, without doubt, have talent. But don't let that get to your head, if you start doing badly at school, you would have sullied my name for recommending you and wasted the protection the crown would have offered you and your family. But at the end of the day, the choice is yours if you want to take me up on this offer. Write to your family before you make this decision. Dismissed.”

***

A few seconds later the door closed, Greyham spoke to the empty room, “Be glad I do not fill that wall space of yours with venomous snakes, precisely because of times like this. So what do you think? I take it you watched the whole fight when it started, was his recounting accurate?”

“Indeed, I have.” came a muffled voice from the wall beside him, “Besides alluding to, then accidentally exposing the… unconventional relationship… between Branston Dorwell and his recently executed uncle, which started the fight, everything else was more or less accurate.”

Greyham grunted his acknowledgment and asked, “I take it the crown is interested in him? No way they are not with such academic, magical, and martial performance, right?”

“We know, he has already been marked as a potential Royal Herald Aspirant, should he ever turn his attention to the military, and if Luke agrees to your “written recommendation” to lock him in, it would be all but confirmed.” the wall said.

“Then how about the political side of things?” Greyham asked, “Any moves against him or his family?”

“A few.” the wall replied, “Most have been given a friendly warning through their friends or acquaintances, those who are more dense had an agent of the crown show up at their door to metaphorically beat them over the head and get them in line.”

“Good. Anything else I need to know?” Greyham asked.

“About this case? No.” the wall answered.

“Then go. The next time I sense you in my wall, I am putting my sword through it.” Greyham said as he felt the presence fade from the wall.