<strong>Principal's office;</strong>
"Sit down." Taking his seat, Principal Barton told Azzy to sit down too. "I guess several questions might have appeared in your mind because of the earlier situation."
Azzy stayed silent to hear what his Master has to say. In reality, he wasn't a bit bothered by either the allegations posed by Neal or the shifting of the Champions League. After all, they had nothing to with him.
However, he was still slightly disappointed for not being able to battle Neal. Like others, he was also tempted to have a spar against rank-7.
Azzy thought his Master rejected it because there's bad blood between his master and this supposed ex-senior brother of his.
As for the allegation of how Barton's trying to hide him, Azzy himself wanted to do the same. He just wanted to train quietly without exposing his abilities, then, travel to the timeline to save his parents.
Barton continued, "In my life, I have taken a total of six disciples, excluding you. Of them, there are three people that were close to me. My first disciple, Miranda Light; my fourth disciple, Arvilla; my sixth disciple, Neal; those three aren't just normal geniuses. You can say, they are once-in-a-century children of heaven."
Azzy wondered why his Master was saying all of this nonsense to him. Does he have that much free time when a crisis is befalling his academy? He continued to listen patiently.
"To all my disciples, I gave my all. Yet, my first disciple had to break ties with me because of her marriage with the neighboring country's royal family.
After finishing her graduation, my fourth disciple ran away to Abel Tower where one would have to cut all of their ties.
And my traitorous sixth disciple, the one you met earlier, Neal; he even acknowledged someone else as his Prime Master without consulting me just because that guy is a rank-8…
All of their situations have a common point, you know. They abandoned their Master for the sake of power.
If they can abandon their Master, then, how can one expect them to look after the innocent weak people who are in need of help? Ultimately, their hunger for power will take away their character.
In my view, it's worthless even if you acquire all the power in the world when you lose yourself in the process."
As Barton talked about his disciples, Azzy felt that this old man wasn't unhappy that they choose their own paths but was disappointed that his disciples choose the wrong way.
A little bit of respect rose in Azzy's heart towards his Master.
Barton then looked into his eyes and said, "I can sense the enormous potential you hold within you. I never wanted to bring this topic but Neal's reminder brought to my senses.
I'll be honest with you. Azrael, I know that I'm not good enough to teach you. That's why I never taught you to combat training personally and only helped you by providing materials and the training facilities that are restricted to others.
From today onward, and until you graduate, I'll be your sparring partner. I won't let you self-learn anymore. I'll teach you to the utmost of my ability. All I ask in return is two things.
The first is to not participate in any tournament until you go into tenth grade. The second is to not ever acknowledge a person as your Prime Master just because they have high soul power.
You are still too young and can be influenced by various things. If you were from a clan or a noble family, I wouldn't worry about your future. But, you were an orphan and your foster parents are still missing.
You are free to take your own decision after you became an adult. However, until then, let me make decisions for you so that your journey will be safe and smooth without any hurdles."
Azzy didn't say Yes or No. He just stared at Barton for a while. Even though he had no plans to defy his orders or participate in a tournament, Azzy still doesn't want to give control of his life over to someone else.
"This man is sincere, Azrael." The Reaper then suddenly said in his head.
"I know but I think you understand what the source of my hesitation is," Azzy replied to him.
"Say that you will not participate in the tournaments as your Master wished. That way, both of you will be happy." The Reaper quickly suggested a solution.
Following the Reaper's suggestion, Azzy replied the same words to his Master while not saying anything about how he will give permission to his Master about making decisions.
As for the consequences, when Azzy leaves for his timeline, his master won't even remember his existence. So, Azzy wasn't worried about it either.
Meanwhile, Barton was happy that Azzy agreed to his request. He then stood up, "You can leave. I have something important to do."
Without waiting for Azzy to leave, Barton took out a teleportation card and disappeared.
In the next second, he reappeared in a bedroom. It wasn't that big. Except for a double cot bed, a table, and a mirror, there was nothing else inside the room.
He walked to the table that was placed in the corner and searched the drawers.
"Where is it? I remember keeping it here, somewhere…"
After searching for a couple of minutes, he finally took out a seemingly normal-looking business card.
"Found it." He smiled upon looking at it.
Barton then took out a basic cellular phone from the storage card, "Hmm, how to operate this, again? Ellie said to press this button, right?"
After unlocking it by holding down the middle button, Barton slowly dialed the numbers that were written on the business card.
A few seconds later, the call went through.
*Ring* *Ring*
"Hello?" A young and sweet voice was heard from the other side.
"Am I speaking to Ms. Angie Silverthorn?" He asked politely.
"No, I'm her assistant. Ma'am is busy, right now. May I know who are you and what do you need?" She asked about his identity and the purpose so that she can fix the appointment.
"My name is Barton Everglade. I'm calling from Aclein Academy of Arcana, which is based in Aclein city of Northern Qudour nation. A while ago, a guy named Clement gave me a business card. I wonder if she can spare me a few minutes." Even though he was talking to an assistant, Barton's tone was completely polite as if he was talking to a superior.
Upon hearing the details, the assistant was surprised as she knew that Clement was one of the directors of their organization and is also a close aide to the President. Getting a business card from him is the same as telling that the receiver is an important client.
"Okay, I'll report the matter to Ms. President and get back to you, later."
<strong>An hour later;</strong>
Barton was sitting on his bed for the past hour while staring at the cell phone. He appeared very anxious.
*Ring*
Finally, the cell phone rang. He picked it up just after one ring. "Hello."
"Hello." This time, the voice is different. Although it's loud and clear, Barton can sense that this person is aged. "This is Angie Silverthorn speaking. I heard that you wanted to talk to me."
"Hello Ma'am. My name is…"
As he was about to reintroduce himself, the person from the other cut off his words, "I know who you are, Mr. Everglade. Please don't waste the time and tell me the reason what do you want to talk about. I have many other important things to do." She appeared rather impatient.
Still, Barton wasn't offended in the least. After all, she's a mid-rank-9 expert. He doesn't dare to show any kind of displeasure from his tone.
He respectfully replied, "Last year, I received a proposal from Mr. Clement about the grand merger."
"You want your academy to the part of Eternal Educational Institutions? But, I heard that your Academy is hosting the Champions League. The popularity will naturally soar during the next admission though. Do you want to take such a risk?" She was baffled by his decision.
After she was informed by her assistant, Angie investigated the academy, right away. She also talked with Clement. She heard that the training facilities of the academy are top-notch for a normal academy.
In addition to that, she heard that the principal is a peak-rank-7 Arcana Master who was an expert in sealing and barrier techniques. It's a talent that every organization would welcome.
"Yes, but in return, I need a small favor from you."
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