Potion Master

A small group of noble children has been buried in a desert like place. A swarm of black scopions crawled slowly in their direction. A lone figure is slowly moving away from the place in a leisurely manner while the screams from the group grows more distant.

This is just one scene, many others are taking place in the same test because the target for bullying was an orphan, those nobles faced unfortunate ends one by one. In any case the second test is passed if one survives.

Kai has no doubts about his students passing the exam because they have been through a testing life when young and some had to mature even quickly because of becoming slaves. The privileged snorty noble children do not know anything about true despair.

Kai taught the kids never to allow themselves to suffer a loss. Especially in a game of wits where everyone thinks they are right. This world is a dog eat dog world if they are soft on their enemies they are being cruel to themselves and their allies.

These children died when the test was over, the group of orphans became the target for criticism but no one had proof. However, since they are just commoners they were still expelled from the school.

Kai looked at the angry mob of parents in a conference room pointing fingers at him. He calmly sat down opposite the school dean. The children have already been expelled but he is here because these fuckers want to arrest his children.

They don't actually believe the orphans did this they are just looking for someone to blame.

"You are Kai? The one in charge of the Bull county orphanage?" The dean of the school seems unconvinced.

"I am Kai." He confirmed.

"A commoner?" The dean wanted to make sure.

"Yes."

Kai saw a well hidden smirk in the dean's expression, It seems they believe it will be easier to deal with him if he is a commoner. This makes the dean's attitude clear.

"The children committed massacres inside school grounds. What do you have to say in their defense?" The dean now has a stern expression on. 

"Mr. Alibon Jiena If you are going to accuse someone of such a serious crime I hope your evidence is not just the fact that they are commoners." Kai looked at the man with a serious expression. 

"We have a witness." The man seated besides the dean suddenly said. 

"The laws of the empire stipulate that whoever falsify evidence will be subject to punishment of the highest order, do you gentlemen remember the pinnacle of this country's highest order punishment?" 

The room became silent. "Seeing as your memories are a bit foggy, I'll let you know. It is a death sentence. Knowing this, you will probably choose some minor noble or better yet, a commoner for you to discard as your 'witness'. Let me introduce myself again."

" I am Kai and I am one hell of an lchemist, I have a very effective pill here which will force the truth out of anyone who takes it. I will ask again, do you still have a witness?" His expression is now very sharp and menacing.

The dean slapped the table in what seems to be an outburst of anger. "Mr Kai, your children committed heinous crimes in the school grounds and we only have one witness why would we allow you to 'feed' it anything?" He said with authority in his voice.

This expression might have frightened many people but Kai is here to protect the lives of his students. "I see, you don't know me so you don't trust my pills."

"You can rest assured that the school has already conducted a thorough investigation on the matter and your students are indeed guilty." The dean saw that Kai is relenting and said as an afterthought just to sound righteous.

"My apologies but I am not here to listen to conclusions of your bias investigation. I have brought someone with me here who will let me get to the bottom of your plot." Kai said as three hooded figures entered the room standing behind Kai. 

Gasps of sharp intake of air sounded in the people when they saw the insignia on the men's robes. The dean's throat tightened and he felt uncomfortable all over. He was just looking for a quick way to appease the nobles and close this case quickly.

"I trust these fine gentlemen do not need me to introduce them. They are here to take my children under their wing." Kai smiled when he saw their expressions turn ugly. 

"You must be joking! These are young talents of the kingdom!" The dean said in outrage.

"I agree, these children were indeed born from this country but the kingdom wants to prosecute them for being born poor." Kai said calmly. 

"The fact that non of them died in the second test and they were amongst top scorers in the first test says a lot about their talents. If you take them over to the mage tower you will be robbing the kingdom of good seedlings." The dean started sweating. 

If the royal family found out they drove talented students to the already powerful mage tower they will be in trouble.

"The children have already passed two of the three tests and are already admitted into the school. As such, they are now under the school rules and protection." The dean said with a strained voice.

"Mr. Alibon it is clear to me what you have here is a playground where nobles torment and massacre commoners at their leisure. Noble children have already been taught by tutors since young, the people who really need to be here are the ones who are being harmed at every corner." Kai said making the expressions of the people in the room even more ugly. 

"Kai.. Mr. Kai surely there's a solution to all this misunderstanding." 

The people from the noble families are now very quiet because if the blame falls on their families for the kingdom suffering a loss to the mage tower they will be punished by the officials. 

"The truth is all my children are top talent and I was going to let them come here but now I am worried for their well being. The attitude is clear and if I don't see any sincerity from each of you then I am afraid this will be the last time we see each other."

"If I may ask how many children does your orphanage have?" 

"1500 give or take." Kai saw color drain from their faces. The dean lost his composure and stood up. 

"How is that possible?" 

"I am an alchemist. Does any of you gentlemen know what that is?" 

"Is it like a potion master?" Someone asked.

"Yes. That is what it is. I can make high level potions and this is why I have managed to allow every child in my orphanage to shed their impurities allowing them to awaken either sword aura or mage potential." 

"I am telling you this so that you will all understand that the small number of commoners you have unfairly accused here will not be the only loss you will incur. I have said my peace and now I am leaving." Kai stood up to leave. 

"Mr. Kai there seems to have been a miss understanding here..." The dean spoke and the rest of the conversation is about them trying to calm him down. 

It is amazing talent is valued so much during this time of war and the consequences of losing such high talent are serious. Just like this, the orphans gained a new reputation in the school. They continued to study in the academy and the snobbish children were given a stern warning by their families to not antagonize this group. 

The last thing this kingdom needs is for Kai to start a new organization that will be independent of the kingdom to start siphoning talents from the country. What is worse is that this organization will have the ability to create talents with the power of medicine. 

The news about a man claiming to be able to turn untalented children into great talents spread throughout the kingdom and it reached the ears of the second prince of the nation who is still in need of an army platoon with aura knights. 

The prince called his advisers and they sent an invitation to Kai. The invitation said that he is invited to a banquet thrown by the imperial family to celebrate the victory in a recent battle against demons. 

With a little digging, Kai found out that a general is retiring and is being given title of duke and a large territory that was previously under the control of the demons but they were pushed back by this general and his army. 

The territory is in a somewhat desolate place with large stone mountain terrains. The people are saying that his majesty is not in fact rewarding him but is taking some of his power and exiling him to a place where crops don't grow. 

This gossip is sent back by the information team that Kai sent out so that he will not be oblivious to the happenings of the world. It turns out many parts of the kingdom are discussing the potion master with the ability to turn peasant commoners into geniuses in a short time. 

Kai had been hoping to find a stand to hold on to incase he needed to save himself politically and his skills as a potion master will serve as a deterrence to anyone trying to cause problems for him. 

After finding out that the Ziphia country monopolizes medicine he knew that his skills as an alchemist will come in handy. Even in a modern society no one wants to antagonize a miracle doctor because who knows when you might need help from such a person. Kai doesn't want to be a noble and be bound to the rules of the royal family. Things are going well so far.

In the imperial court.

The meeting has been going on for a while now and as always, nobles are trying to pick a bone with each other but today the second prince has not been particularly interested. He is waiting for an opportunity because he knows one of these greedy people will bring up the subject.

Right on cue "You majesty a man has been claiming to be a potion master able to turn ordinary people into top talents." The court erupted in mummers.

"Are you reporting gossip to the court Old Mo?" Scholar Zhu mocked the old man.

The prince watched and listened to them bickering then he approached the king. "Whether or not this is true we will be able to find out soon. I took deliberate steps and invited the man to the next baguette."

The court erupted in discussions. The king though watched his second son closely and then smiled beckoning the crowd to keep quiet.

"I will leave the matter of this mystery potion master in the hands of the second prince of the kingdom. If the man is worth the effort we are lucky but it not, we will find out soon enough."

"Your majesty!"

"Please reconsider!"

The crown prince's faction shouted one after another hoping this opportunity will be given to the crown prince instead. If the man really happens to be a genius potion master it will benefit whomever discovers him. The second prince might even find a way to cure himself and his sick mother.

The king just chuckled with a voice full of mirth. His golden molten gold eyes scanned the crowd releasing an oppressive aura of an upper level sword master.

The court became silent with some of the people coughing up blood while others passed out directly their health status unknown.

No one dared to say or make a sound when the room is covered in a threatening aura of the kingdom's first general. Seeing the mess he caused he released a helpless sigh. Retreating his aura, he saw as their pale faces slowly become rosy again.

"You are always at each other's throats instead of helping to better our nation, all you people do is find ways to nip at each other and find new ways to divide my family. I said little Arion is going to take on the task, that is a statement not something for the likes of you to second guess. Do I make myself clear my dear officials?" The stern tone left no room for discussion.

"YES YOUR MAJESTY!"

With one voice, they all knelt and bowed putting their hands on the side of their chests as a sign of subservience.

"That is all." He said and as if they have been granted amnesty they all scampered out taking the unconscious people with them.

The second prince stayed behind and soon it is just the two of them. "That was something." The second prince said with a bit of amusement on his face. The man who didn't punish his mother's murderer is now attacking court officials, what a joke.

"Arion..."

The king has always felt somewhat guilty towards his son. He was born with a problem that couldn't be solved with wealth or power, as a result he was isolated by the other kids his age things became worse when his foreign mother became ill.

"I'll take my leave too. Try to take care of the awful temper old man..." Arion smirks on his way out leaving a chuckling king behind him.

Arion Bhalomi is the second prince of the kigdom born from the marriage between the Dawn country's princess and the Bhalomi king.

His mother was poisoned by the queen when she was pregnant with him and fell into a coma. To make things worse, Arion was born prematurely in the form of the a fox beast making his birth nearly fatal for his mother.

Now he turn into a fox every night at 12 in the morning. For 12 hours as if he was cursed as well. The queen was confined into the cold palace for as long as the victims are not cured. But it is said that she is living well there even though it was supposed to be a confinement.

This is why even though the father and son are affectionate there is a lingering sense of resentment between them. Not to mention Arion has not awakened the talent associated with the royal family making him ridiculed by nobles.