Richard knocked on the black wooden door, then opened it without waiting for a response. He waltzed into the Headmaster’s office, as if he owned the place.

Wolf, however, had a heavy feeling. Danger lurked inside. His muscles tensed, the hair at the back of his neck stood on end, and his skin crawled. Unlike relaxed Richard, Wolf entered the room on full alert.

The youth expected to find a monster inside, or at least a mummified old man from ancient times. Yet, what greeted him was a youth, seemingly in his twenties.

Headmaster Smith sat behind a massive desk, a mysterious and slightly amused smile hung on his lips. His eyes, however, didn’t show a hint of amusement. They were cold and sharp, like steel blades.

Walking crisply, old man Richard moved to stand behind the Headmaster’s chair. His posture was stiff and respectful, making him appear like a common Albert.

“This is the first time we meet face to face, isn’t it?” the Headmaster asked. “Come and sit, young man. I promise not to bite.”

Lord of Steel’s voice was friendly as he relaxedly pointed towards an armchair in front of his desk.

“Greetings, Headmaster,” Wolf said and half-bowed, then approached the chair.

He felt wariness rather than respect towards this dangerous man. Wolf could respect his strength. He knew he would lose against Smith in less than a minute. But as a person, Wolf found the Headmaster abominable. The way this man managed the Mage Academy was atrocious. He allowed heinous crimes to happen, and let the nobles go unpunished.

Lord of Steel seemed unaware of Wolf’s thoughts and feelings. He smiled amicably.

“No need for such formalities,” he said. “We are peers, after all. My name was once Daniel without-a-surname, but it’s been a long time since anyone dared call me that. When I turned some thirty-odd years old, I became known as Lord of Steel, so I jokingly took the surname Smith. Many years later, Daniel without-a-surname became a footnote of the academy’s history. The man left behind was Headmaster Smith. Now that we’ve made our introductions, I wish to see whether you’re able to entertain me, young man.”

Headmaster Smith stalled until Wolf sat down. Then, the office door, which Wolf failed to close, slammed shut all on its own, causing the youth to jump. Then, a faintly purple film covered the office walls and doors as Wall of Soul Force formed.

Wolf’s mind raced, trying to figure out what was going on.

It’s a trap, the young Mage realized too late.

A great-sword appeared in Lord of Steel’s hand and the shameless old man charged straight through his desk.

*Boom!*

Planks and splintered wood showered Wolf as he took out a random sword from his Ring of Holding.

Before Wolf properly grasped the weapon, Smith swung his great-sword in a downward cleave, forcing the youth into an awkward parry.

Wolf fully awakened his senses, not daring to underestimate this powerful foe.

In the twisted flow of time, Wolf saw the wood-chips scatter through the air. The broad blade slowly descended towards him while his sword rose to meet it. Richard watched them expressionlessly. He rolled his eyes in slow motion as a current of rotating air manifested around him, deflecting the incoming debris.

Wolf’s and Smith’s swords collided with a crisp sound. Sparks flew, as did Wolf.

Sword-Sage or Body Refiner, Wolf thought as Smith’s blow flung him backwards.

Wolf had canceled Featherweight as soon as the great-sword appeared, and regained his natural weight of a quarter of a ton. And yet, Lord of Steel sent him flying like a rag doll.

Shameless old dog, Wolf shouted inwardly, while analyzing the situation. You already cast a bunch of enchantments. That sword glimmers with Internal Energy, and your movements are too fast.

Wolf’s mind raced as he twisted his body mid-air. He couldn’t tell the exact details, but he made some educated guesses. A nasty crack spread through his sword and he needed to replace it. That, combined with the aura on the blade, meant Lord of Steel was a Sword-Sage of at least Fifth Order.

The old man hadn’t used maneuvers, only raw Internal Energy enhancement.

He doesn’t hold murderous intent, Wolf thought as he stored the ruined blade into his Ring of Holding while another one appeared in his left. This is some sort of test? But I don’t sense him holding back at all. If I failed to block that blow, he would’ve killed me.

The young man considered his situation and realized that while his enemy didn’t want to kill him, a lethal accident wasn’t impossible to happen.

As Wolf’s feet slammed into the translucent barrier which shielded the building, he concluded that he’d have to use Internal Energy in this fight.

He bent his knees then straightened his legs and lept, somersaulting to disperse the extra force before landing on the floor with all the agility of a cat.

Wolf’s move didn’t surprise Lord of Steel one bit. He pressed on, madly swinging the oversized sword in a flurry.

*Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!*

Wolf blocked dozens of blows in just a couple of moments. Only then did he catch enough breath to speak. “You shameless fossil! Let me cast some enchantments.”

“Hahahaha.” Smith let out an unbridled laugh of a two-copper villain. “Who’d be stupid enough to do that? And if you have time enough to talk, it means I’m going too easy on you.”

The jolly smile disappeared from Smith’s face. A serious, focused look replaced it as the Headmaster increased the speed of his attacks.

He’s a monster, Wolf thought, appraising Lord of Steel’s breathing, the rate at which he spent Internal Energy and how the damn old man’s sword always found the weakness in Wolf’s defenses.

The difference in battle experience was obvious. Wolf relied on his awakened senses most of the time to analyze the situation and even cast Subtle spells in parallel, but now that was impossible.

Smith had the same, if not greater, advantages than Wolf. His Mind Palace was twice the size of Wolf’s, the rate at which he thought was quicker, and his decision-making was vastly more mature than Wolf’s.

The young man fell back time and time again. He used unprotected pieces of furniture as obstacles, or kicked them at his enemy, but they simply exploded one by one. When Wolf wanted to use him as an obstacle, Richard snorted, then dissolved into mist and hovered around the ceiling, not wanting to get involved in this nonsense.

Finally, after a minute passed, a bizarre change happened. Mid swing, Smith’s great-sword turned soft, like flowing water. Wolf parried it, but the weapon merged with his blade, then flowed into a spike which froze a finger’s width from Wolf’s dilated pupil.

Then, as if sucked away by unfathomable force, the liquid metal rushed back towards Lord of Steel and disappeared. The Headmaster also retreated behind the ruins of his desk and assumed a sitting position, then clapped his hands.

For a moment Wolf thought the Headmaster was showing appreciation. However, that was not the case. The Spell Formation on the walls flashed and barriers disappeared, while ruined furniture began rapidly reforming.

A moment later, the room looked like nothing had happened.

“Not bad, not bad at all,” the Headmaster said as his chair materialized beneath him and Richard landed behind him.

“You’re a Seventh or Eighth Order Sword-Sage. How old are you really?” the man asked with a wide grin.

“Fourteen years, six months and thirteen days,” Wolf answered automatically, even though he was unwilling.

The young Mage frowned, darkly looking at the Headmaster. The man, however, paid him no mind.

He turned around, looking at Richard.

“See Dick? I told you the boy was a genius and didn’t fabricate his age. Now pay up,” the Headmaster said, extending his hand towards Richard.

“It’s Richard, Sir,” Richard said, then placed a single silver coin into his boss's palm.

The Headmaster barely looked at the coin before flicking it out of the window. With a plop, it landed in the fountain outside.

“Sorry about that. But I needed an honest answer,” Steel said while tapping the desk with his nails in a strange rhythm.

A moment later, Wolf felt the pressure from the compulsion disappear.

“What’s going on around here?” Wolf asked, trying to be patient.

Lord of Steel stared at Wolf silently for a while.

“You’re going on,” the Headmaster said. “All problems you, and implicitly the two of us, face now, come from you screwing around.”

Smith raised his index finger. “You’re screwing way too many prostitutes.”

He raised the middle finger. “You’re screwing my staff.”

He raised the ring finger. “You’re obviously not screwing the woman you’re supposed to be screwing.”

Finally, Lord of Steel raised the pinky. “And most importantly, what in the name of Elemental Hells is a True-Namer doing, screwing around my academy, pretending to be a student?”

Wolf tried to endure, but every time the Headmaster mentioned screwing, he couldn’t help but think of the hell Mandy had just gone through. Finally, Wolf exploded with pent up rage.

“Do you know you have students and teachers raping people on campus?” the youth shouted.

“It happens from time to time.” Headmaster Smith shrugged with a disinterested face, which then turned cold.

“Now, Answer My Question,” the Headmaster growled threateningly.

“Don’t you care?” Wolf shouted back, unwilling to back off.

“Answer… My… Question…” Smith’s voice froze the room as he unleashed a bone-chilling murderous aura, focused solely on Wolf. “Otherwise, I’ll whip your ass until you cry for your grandparents. We can discuss your questions once I have my answers.”

Richard seemed unaffected, but Wolf shuddered. Lord of Steel had a lot of blood on his hands. Hundreds of thousands, maybe even a million sentient beings died resenting him.

That pressure forced Wolf to relent and answer the question.

“I’m not pretending. I really am a student of this Mage Academy.” Wolf tried not to gulp.

Seeing Wolf answer, the murderous air disappeared, and Smith reverted to his frivolous old self. But Wolf clearly knew this was just a paper-thin mask. The Headmaster’s gaze remained as sharp as a sword.

“Why did you join my Mage Academy, instead of just claiming the title of a Count? No, given your age, you would’ve become a Marquess,” Smith asked, then corrected himself.

“It was my father’s dying wish for me to enter Mage Academy and experience student life.” Wolf admitted for the first time. And he did it in front of a complete stranger.

Lord of Steel nodded curtly. “I won’t press you about your personal matters. If you’re not plotting against Mage Academy and humanity, you can do whatever you want, as long as you face the consequences of your actions.”

The man eased up and leaned back into his chair after saying those words. However, that wasn’t everything he had to say to Wolf. Not by a long shot.

“Why did you screw around with the Alchemists’ Guild people?” he asked in a considerably more relaxed tone. “I had to cover for you breaking their senior administrator’s leg.”

“He tried to feed us to Pureflame Salamanders as he ran away.” Wolf said honestly, making the Headmaster laugh.

“You can’t use violence without legal backing anymore. You need a judge to say ‘break his legs’ before you smash them.” The Headmaster chuckled at this boy’s simplemindedness. “With your official Mage Order, you now have to hold lectures for at least one semester. Mage Academy lecturers can’t go around acting like thugs, but don’t worry, as long as you play by the rules, I’ve got your back.”

Lord of Steel’s expressions were all over the place. He was murderous, then making jokes, then lecturing and finally reassuring and promising to protect Wolf, all in a matter of moments.

Processing this unexpected mental and emotional hurricane unhinged Wolf. He took a couple of moments to remember what he wanted to say. However, what he wanted to say and know was too important to be forgotten.

“Don’t you care about Mage Academy students and staff raping women?” he shouted, the drowning embers of his hatred fanned once more.

Lord of Steel remained emotionless and once again shrugged.

“Well, that’s a complicated question to answer,” the Headmaster said indifferently. “How do I know you didn’t rape that girl first? I’m not an omniscient peeping tom, watching everyone all the time.”

Richard cleared his throat at this, but remained silent. Wolf didn’t quite follow what Richard wanted to say. Instead, he answered the question.

“Well, she agreed to it? I didn’t force her?” Wolf said, defending himself.

“And her agreeing makes it fine?” Lord of Steel said, cocking his eyebrow. “A True-Namer, yourself, for example, has many means to change someone’s mind. You can make people fall in love, implant memories, make them lose reason, pose as someone else… Do I even need to continue? How could I trust her, even if she came over and yelled at the top of her lungs that she genuinely wants to have your babies?”

Wolf blinked in confusion. Lord of Steel was right. Wolf could toy with anyone whose soul was significantly weaker than his. They’d do whatever and feel whatever he told them to.

“But those are just hollow words. The truth is, I don’t care too much, and I don’t let myself care,” Lord of Steel said the truth. “If I intervened and saved the girl, then those who secretly oppose me would make a move. I’d be adding to that poor girl’s trouble. I’m only one person, and by the time she catches my attention again, she’s already dead in a ditch somewhere, or worse.”

“But the law—” Wolf started, but Lord of Steel cut him off.

“The law is a construct. The strong wrote it to control the masses,” the Headmaster said flatly. “Why do you think the law treats the same crime differently depending on the statuses of the parties? It’s to deter the weak from acting and for them to accept token justice when they are the ones who suffered.”

Smith steepled his hands and leaned forward.

“I was once like you,” he said with a smile Wolf couldn’t read. “When I was your age, give or take two decades, I also kicked up a ruckus. I bashed a few heads, broke some legs, exterminated three noble households and helped my friends rise to nobility.”

The man laughed and shook his head.

“Such cute, naive nepotism…” he finally said with a sigh.

“Can you guess what happened next?” he asked, not expecting an answer. “I bet you’d never see it coming. Gods know I didn’t.”

Lord of Steel smiled sadly. “Less than seven decades later, the grandchildren of those commoners went around, doing the same stupid shit as most other declining noble families. Apparently, such overbearing behavior is rooted in manings’ nature.”

Wolf stared at him with disbelief.

“You— They— What?” Wolf was stumped.

“Yes, I was also surprised back then, and had a fairly similar reaction. But that’s not the worst of it. A friend of mine was born after a noble raped a serving girl. He grew up with no outside help and rose to the rank of a Viscount. He led a virtuous life, established a family and tried to help the common man. But when he died, his body had hardly gotten cold before his grandson began roaming the commoner villages under his rule, turning into the scourge of all beautiful women.” Headmaster spoke with a jolly voice, with a smile which seemed like a laugh at the fickleness of fate. However, his eyes were smoldering with rage.

“When I heard the news, I wanted to strangle the little bastard. However, he was the only descendant of my buddy. I just couldn’t make myself do it. That’s when I finally realized I was a hypocrite and accepted the position of a Mage Academy Headmaster,” he said with a self-mocking smirk.

“Ahem, Sir,” Richard said with an obviously fake cough as his respectful facade cracked a bit. “You’re straying from the topic. Again.”