Gregory and Nadia had been called for two different tasks. The first was to assess the risk of UnOrdinary contaminating the minds of the youth in one of the most affluent schools in the country. The other was a less concerning issue, but still quite intriguing. Gregory was the Authorities number one pick when it came to measuring the levels of others. He had a reliable ability, and he was devoted to the Authorities wholeheartedly despite not having a combat-oriented ability, much like Nadia herself.
As Seraphina walked outside the room, Nadia released a sigh of relief. When high-tiers were exposed to UnOrdinary there was a chance they would begin Vigilantism. It was a low chance – but much higher than anyone might like. Her truthful answer when Nadia questioned what she thought of the book's message was comforting. If a precious high-tier such as her was lost to vigilantism then society would suffer quite a loss.
The principal sighed and put both his hands together, he was very composed throughout the entire questioning until Nadia pressed further than she should. Was he protecting another student? It was hard to tell.
"The easiest part is now over," he told Nadia and her partner.
"What do you mean by that?" Gregory stood up from the headmaster's desk he was sitting on. Vaughn looked at them both with the corner of his eyes and curled his lips upward in a small smile.
"I suppose you will see." He opened the drawer on his desk and pulled out a microphone with a button on its platform. Pressing it, Vaughn began communication with the school. "Could Azazel and Vritra please come to the principal's office?" Vaughn pressed the button on the microphone again, turning it off before putting it back.
Now all they had to do was wait for those two students. The second task they were given was to assess the levels of those two students and ask them a few questions. According to the report filed, they were both late bloomers and problem children that levelled up unnaturally fast and began lashing out. If Nadia found them to be too troublesome the Readjustment division might have to get involved.
Vaughn stood up from his chair and walked toward the entrance.
"Where are you going?" Gregory asked.
Vaugn turned and with a smile on his face he answered, "I am getting some coffee and cookies, would you like some?" Nadia looked at Gregory, then back at Vaughn.
"Shouldn't you stay here to greet the two students?" the two questions. Vaughn looked at the clock on the corner of the room, then at the exit.
"Something tells me they'll be a little late, if they are not just show them in and if you'd be so kind as to wait for my return I'd appreciate it. Now if you excuse me." Vaughn stepped on the other side of the door-frame and closed it behind him. With another glance at her partner, Nadia knit her eyebrows and tilted her head in the direction of the closed door.
Gregory shrugged his shoulders, "Dunno, weird guy. That headmaster is quite unusual, there aren't a lot of people who are willing to speak up against the authorities."
"Well, he is a high tier, so there's that. Beyond that, he seems to really care for the school." Nadia explained, looking at her watch. Seraphina took around ten minutes to arrive, the school was big but not large enough to warrant that amount of time – it was probably an important class, or she had been doing something with friends and had to excuse herself. According to records she was a straight A student for the most part.
"Sure." Gregory looked bored, he was devoted to the authorities but also seemed to be of the childish sort. The kind that couldn't stand still for too long without doing something. He stretched, putting both his hands up, then pulling them up as he could, arching his back. There were audible cracks from it. Nadia sighed and looked at her watch again.
As time began to pass, she began getting bored. Gregory had begun pacing around the room, then sitting down, standing again, stretching, going back to sitting. He couldn't sit still. Phones were for company use and that typically meant you couldn't install games or use them for private use. Gregory seemed like the type of person who would install a lot of games to entertain himself while he waited.
Nadia checked her watch. She wasn't hallucinating things, thirty minutes had passed already. The headmaster was still not back from his coffee break, and they had been left inside the room without anything to do. Just how busy were these students? Nadia began suspecting foul play. Then, the door opened.
Vaughn had come back with a tray filled with biscuits, and three cups of coffee. "Sorry about the delay, the line was full." He put the metallic tray on his desk, "As an apology I brought you some coffee alongside some snacks. The Doc's coffee is just superb, he's had time and practice to hone this craft you see. The biscuits were gifts from one of the students, Roland – it's his hobby. He's quite a kind student."
Nadia grabbed the mug with coffee the closest to her and took a sip. Her head moved back as she looked at the coffee she was drinking from. It had a rich and dense flavor and was neither too bitter nor too sweet either. It was also very aromatic and fragrant. It was brewed by an expert in the craft. She took a bite of the biscuits and they were perfect.
Gregory grabbed the coffee, and if he'd been restless before, now he was far too energetic. He began shaking where he stood like a leaf in the wind.
"Why are they taking so long?" Nadia shot the headmaster a sharp look, activating her ability to ensure he wasn't lying to her. The Headmaster, unfazed, and with a smile, took a sip of his coffee, a bite of his cookie, and then looked back at her.
"Both students got into an altercation with the King of Wellston and were sent to the infirmary. They are receiving treatment and will be with us shortly." He was being truthful. So that was why it took them so long, and most likely why Seraphina took so long as well. The fight happened in one of the hallways, making it harder to go through and walk to the principal's office. Now, they took a long because their injuries had to be treated.
"The Royals in Wellston must be quite busy." Nadia commented. She deactivated her ability and took another sip from her coffee. "I heard that you encourage your students to resolve their matters on their own. Do you not think that they should appeal more to authority, and that you should act more as a mentor and guide them?"
"Well, it is my thought that students ought to learn autonomy and how the world works by witnessing it themselves. Interfering in their first hand learning process detracts from valuable learning experiences and moments. When things do get out of hand I get involved, but everything seems to have worked out up until now." The headmaster took a sip from his coffee.
"That just sounds like an excuse to not do your job," Gregory put down his coffee and looked the headmaster in the eyes. "Was the reason we were called here not that they kept going against the authority of the Royals, and were causing too much trouble to other students? Their sudden growth is worrying, is that not why we're here?"
"Well, isn't that an oxymoron?" The headmaster looked at Gregory, his ever-present smile felt eerie and confrontational now, "challenging the authority of the Royals is not only something that should be expected, it is something that should happen if they hope to grow. The king is challenged by prospects and the victor is crowned. Is that not how it has always worked?" Did he willingly not address the second part of the question?
"That may be so, but what of the other students caught in the crossfire. They are late bloomers, yes? Potentially hiding their levels in order to catch others off guard and beat them beyond the permissible point. Shouldn't you be calling the readjustment division instead?" Gregory gripped the cookie in his hands too tightly and cracked it in half. Vaughn activated his ability and prevented crumbs from falling on his carpet. He made them float to the tray and hummed at Gregory's comments.
"I will assure you, I had a level gauger assess their levels when they entered this school. Level 1.4 and 1.3 were the levels that were recorded. The reason you were called was because students witnessed them defeat mid-tiers and elite tiers in combat as of recent." The headmaster took another sip of his coffee. "If you do not wish to be here, you do not have to. I am not forcing you to stay. I will say this with my full chest, and with every bit of intent until the blood in my body runs cold, and my body is buried – none of my students need readjustment classes, nor will you ever get aprovement from me to receive them." A great pressure came over the room, making it tremble.
Nadia gripped the table wide-eyed. The Headmaster looked at Gregory with his smile, but glowing eyes. His activated ability was what shook the room. He was pressing down on them.
"This is my school, until you retire from your job and become a headmaster yourself I do not wish to hear any criticism from either of you on how I run things. None of you are qualified to reproach my methods."