Emery and his friends left the room. Now, only the magus, Grand Magus and the Headmaster remained.
Xion had thought of leaving, considering the headmaster only called for Lord Izta. So, he quickly asked permission to go. However, the headmaster shook his head.
"No, Xion… Stay here, as you are a part of this as much as Izta is." Headmaster Altus said with a grave tone.
The tension in the air instantly thickened, the two were able to sense the seriousness of the situation. Magus Xion had sensed something was up back when the acolytes were here, and what the headmaster said quickly confirmed his suspicion.
Behind the headmaster, grand magus Ororo stood still with her usual stern and cold look, but Xion's attentive gaze caught a slight smile gracing the woman's lips.
He was sure. They had a stern scolding coming their way.
The headmaster stared at the two, sighed and shook his head. "You two really are in over your head."
As if on cue, both Lord Izta and Magus Xion kneeled again.
"What were you thinking, Izta? Are you trying to undermine the Nephilim faction and replace them with those kids?" Headmaster Altus scolded.
The two realized at the same time, the headmaster had caught wind of their plans and connected the dots between what he knew and what they did.
"Headmaster, I… No, we are not afraid of-"
Headmaster Altus rubbed his forehead, sighed again.
"No, you two, this is not about being afraid of them. This is a matter of billions of lives. There is a reason the Nephilims were chosen as the caretaker. Do you think a couple of 16 year old kids are up to such a monumental task?!"
"With all due respect, headmaster, I believe we should prepare for future possibilities. They have the potential to-"
The headmaster scratched his head, released a long sigh and touched the still kneeling Izta's shoulder. "No, Izta. What you are doing now is ruining their future. You have done well in guiding them, that much I will admit, but you should not put in their heads that the Nephilims are their enemy."
Izta gritted his teeth and shuddered, attempting to calm his emotion.
"Izta, I know what the Nephilim did to you, but… Whatever happened in the past, we all need to remember our primary mission is to guide them, to bestow them the knowledge they need to choose their own future, how to achieve their best self and find their own resolve… not to be the vessel of yours."
Lord Izta bowed his head lower. Even if it was painful, he could understand where Headmaster Altus was coming from.
"The same thing applies to you, Xion."
"Yes, Headmaster.".
"You are also forcing your own agenda towards that kid, didn't you?"
"No, Headmaster. I did not do such a thing."
"Well, if you aren't involved… It's probably all your master's, then."
Xion did not answer. He searched through his memory and remembered what he heard when he was present during his master and Emery's conversations. He could see his master did give an unusual amount of attention to the seemingly ordinary kid.
"Xion, I'm sure your Master knew a lot about Emery's dark core limitations, knowing that why would she still helping him open up the blockage? Fortunately, she didn't kill the kid in the process."
Xion bowed even lower, upon hearing the headmaster's question.
"To be honest, those kids from a lower world… They have amazing potential and they will surely give me more headache in the future… But you two need to keep in mind that first and foremost, we are an academic institute, we present the vision of learning, and adding politics into this would just be detrimental to that objective. They can choose anything they want and do whatever they want after they finish their study, but for now, they are in our care, and it's our duty to guide them. Do you understand?!"
"Yes, Headmaster." Xion said.
Meanwhile, to Xion's surprise, Izta still did not say anything. From his clenched fists, Xion could see the lord was still bottling up his emotions.
"As for you, Izta." The headmaster called, and the combat champion looked up from his kneeling position. Izta's eyes betrayed his true emotions.
"I will help you about this matter with your world… Next month, at the coming council meeting, I'll sponsor the proposal for your planet to be returned to you and those acolytes. How is that?"
Izta sighed, feeling the raging storm in his heart calm, and closed his eyes, causing a single tear to spill from the corner of his eye. "You willing to do that? Thank you, thank you, Headmaster"
"That shouldn't be too much of a problem, considering your planet is just one of the hundreds they were assigned to, but..."
The word instantly made Lord Izta listen attentively.
"Izta, I will need you to step down from your position as the protector of the Combat Institute"
The sentence instantly shocked Izta. Though he was glad for the favor offered by the headmaster, he has had this position for hundreds of years. Of course he would be hesitant.
"But why, Headmaster?"
"One, this is a punishment for what you did to these kids, but mostly this would appease the people complaining about this incident."
Xion could guess that either the Nephilim faction or some other high noble factions were barking like mad dogs about a combat magus champion supporting a group of lower realm acolytes so much they managed to take the position of champion in the games.
"I understand that it is for the best, Headmaster. I will accept this punishment gladly." Izta said.
"To be honest, I agreed with this plan because I really need your help," Altus added.
"I will do anything, Headmaster. Tell me." Izta answered solemnly. It seemed the promise of his planet being returned was enough to calm him down and restore his spirit.
"I have had reports of increasing troubles in the frontlines and I need you to represent me and see the current situation. This way, you can help me gather information and you can stay far away from all this until those nobles cooled down their rage and forget all about this incident. I am thinking a few years' time and after that, you can have your position back in the academy again, What do you think?"
The part where the headmaster mentioned the mission would take years concerned him. He was not too concerned about the length itself, he was more concerned that this mission would make him miss much of the kid's development during his time in this academy. However, as much as his heart screamed, Izta knew he was in no position to reject such an offer. With a heavy heart, he accepted.
"That's great, Izta" Headmaster Altus nodded. "As for those kids, you don't need to worry too much, Xion and Ororo here will guide them. After all, they got into elite class and they'll surely be busy with their training"