Master of Time

Kozak cannot fathom what is truly happening.

It probably feels so surreal to him, especially being here and bearing witness to one of the most powerful men within this country being forced to his knees on just my words and my words alone.

While magic can probably accomplish the same thing, the level of magic required would be so absurd that it might as well be within the realm of fantasy even for mages of the fourth and fifth circles.

Of course, it is not magic, as the Commandment ability does not feel like magic at all.

It feels more like a Power.

And perhaps, it is a Power in itself.

I am actually still debatable about that, as I have never had wielded a Power before, so I am uncertain what it would feel like naturally.

It is probably not as natural as my power to manipulate time.

And to my understanding, Powers are of a lower tier than the powers and abilities wielded by Aspects and Primordial. My ability to control time would be called aspectual rank power or ability.

That ability is inherited to me, being the Aspects of Time.

This is obviously all just speculation. But it is logical speculation from what I have known and experienced thus far. More on that another time, as I am more or less face-slapping the headmaster of this academy.

There are actually many academies, all littered throughout this continent and beyond. Academies are in a class of their own, operating autonomously within a Kingdom or Queendom or similar.

That said, this Arcane Academy is considered to be fairly low-ranked simply because of having only an Archmage as its headmaster. It would be higher ranked if its headmaster is a Grand Archmage or higher.

But having a higher rank would only invite troubles and unwanted scrutiny, not to mention the academy also has to defend itself from constant threats internally and externally.

It is simply better to remain low-ranked until such time that it is strong enough to protect itself from threats. I am considering the academy as a person for easier analogy.

Of course, there are great benefits to being higher rank academy. Gaining better students is one of them. Having vast arrays of spells and wards is another.

There are actually a lot of benefits, and it is the reason that many headmasters would try to reach higher rank.

The headmaster of this Arcane Academy is the same. He wishes to breakthrough into the fourth-circle of magic, but that is kind of impossible without my help.

He probably would not receive any help from me, considering that he lacks something called a brain within his head. I dislike idiots.

Honestly, how did someone like him become the headmaster of this place in the first place?

"What kind of trickery is this!? Release me from the curse at once or I will destroy you!"

The headmaster tries to call out, but despite his lips mouthing, no actual words can escape his throat, all thanked to my command.

Of course, that did not stop his magical energy and aura from assaulting me and Kozak.

His aura is also washing over the room, cracking the airs, walls, floors and ceiling. Pointlessly too as anything can be repaired with a bit of magic and ingenuity.

Not to mention that his magic has absolutely no effect ton me.

It is also quite ineffective against Kozak due to him being an Archmage himself. Archmage cannot force another Archmage from sheer power and aura alone. Those things are only effective against Mages and Apprentice Mage. That is, mages of the lower circle.

"I am –

The headmaster does not allow me to speak as he tries to cast an offensive spell against my person.

A magical incantation circle manifests right in front of him before spitting out a lightning bold. A very powerful lightning bolt.

Powerful enough for Kozak to immediately summon an earth barrier to protect himself. The element of earth can negate the lightning element more effectively, just like water can dissipate fire. Fire can also be very effective against water.

Anyway, the lightning bolt is not directed at Kozak. It crashes into me, causing my technological body to glow slightly. But that is all.

Lightning is just super-charged current. Electricity in other word, and due to my run-in with Zeus from another reality some time ago, I have since crafted and produced an upgraded version of the micromachines, adding in a powerful capacitor to each individual component.

This allows them to absorb vast amount of electrical energy.

To store or to use for something else. In other word, the headmaster merely charges me. His lightning spells do not do anything more than that.

Yet, despite seeing his spells being completely ineffective against me, the headmaster does not relent and continues to cast lightning to strike me, hopping to bring down whatever magic barrier or shield that is protecting me, negating his attacks in the process.

To the point that Kozak becomes utterly speechless.

"Have you become senile, old man? If so, why don't you just go and die already?"

I response before blasting him with all the electrical power that he had been striking me with.

A magic barrier manifests around him instantly, absorbing the reflected power and then amplifying it before blasting it back at me. Wow!

"Die!"

The headmaster roars, but then again, no words escape his throat. The only sounds that can be heard are the crackling of static electric. So loud that everyone within the school can hear it.

Of course, they notice the massive lightning bolt escape out of the building and flying into the distant.

I admit. That much power does faze me. Even a little. It overloads some of the micromachines within my body, but not too many.

"Impossible…"

The headmaster utters, seeing me completely uninjured.

Even my robe is undamaged. It is composed entirely of micromachines after all.

"I honestly do not know what I was thinking when I want to become a teacher of this place. I definitely will be one, but I do not need permission from someone like you."

The headmaster heard all of that before his head falls onto the floor. His eyes widen as his entire body has been reduced to dust.

His head then teleports into my hand before micromachines crawls up onto his face and rip his skull apart to get into that juicy brain of his. It looks like flesh eating ants. Horrifying flesh eating ants.

The resulting scream is just a bonus.

Kozak recoils back in horror, recalling what had happened to him before he had found himself back in his room, waking up to a brand-new day.

"Master Maxwell… killing the headmaster will not go unnoticed by the others, and many people on campus might have heard all of that."

Kozak finds enough courage to warn me, and it is something that I like about him.

Despite being forced into servitude, Kozak still speaks his mind thoughtfully.

I smile at him before putting the headmaster's brain inside a spatial dimension. One that I have created for the occasion.

Legion will have fun extracting everything that I need to know from the headmaster, and it will not be long for me to know everything there is to know about running a proper magic school.

Honestly, I should have just done something like that from the start, but I did have some hope for the headmaster. It was a fleeting hope, but still, I did not wish to kill the man if I could help it.

It is just too bad that the headmaster proved to be a dumbass. One that I have preferred to do without, and it is better to just have Legion runs the school instead.

That way, I have total control of everything without needing to ask anyone for permission.

Before long, someone starts knocking on the door of the office, wishing to know what is actually going on within. Of course, Kozak looks at me for direction. He is not sure what to do, as everyone probably has felt the immense aura from the headmaster. The dead headmaster now.

He is probably burning in hell.

"Feel free to let them in, Archmage Kozak. You can introduce me as Master Maxwell, a new disciplinary teacher to them."

I tell Kozak before a spatial rift manifests within the room. The person who steps through the rift nearly drains the blood from Kozak's face. It is the headmaster. An un-dead headmaster.

"Headmaster? No. A golem?"

Kozak points out, making me frown slightly. Using mental link, I order Legion to simulate the dead man perfectly, to his very aura as well.

It did take a moment, but not a very long moment before Kozak becomes unable to detect the impersonator. To all intend and purpose, Legion is the headmaster to Kozak.

"What is the matter, Archmage Kozak? Please open the door, so I can finally introduce Master Maxwell to everyone."

Legion speaks through the headmaster with the exact voice and mannerism as the real headmaster.

I have also some new adjustments to my avatar, just to prevent people from detecting me as metal golem instead of a real person.

It did not take more than a second, and while that is happening, Kozak opens the door with a gesture of his hands. Of course, he uses magic for mundane things like this.

"Headmaster? Sorry for the intrusion, but we had thought something happen to Archmage Kozak."

One of the teachers speaks up. He is the first person to enter the room alongside with half a dozen or so teachers behind him. There are also students beyond the door, but they are not allowed inside due to this being a private office. This is obviously a matter not for them.

"Thank you for your concern, but I am fine. Headmaster and Master Maxwell is having a conversation while I bear witness."

Kozak responses and gestures his hand to close the door, sealing it once more. His statements instantly made several people to raise their brows.

From their magical aura, they are all Archmage level of varying stages with one being at stage one.

There are stages of advancement to each circle of magic. About 10 stages in total from my knowledge, but most considered it to be 9 for simplicity. They are lower, middle, upper and peak. Lower, middle and upper has roughly 3 stages each while peak is just peak.

It is divided that way because getting from Lower 3rd Stage to Middle 1st stage takes more effort than usual. Same with Middle 3rd Stage to Upper 1st Stage.

The only exception is Upper 3rd Stage and Peak Stage.

The Peak Stage is a special stage that some people reach just to improve their magical power and aura more. It is not necessary to reach that stage when one can jump from Upper 3rd Stage First Circle right to Lower 1st Stage Second Circle, skipping the Peak Stage together.

Of course, doing that is not a good thing, but most people has no choice  in the matter as advancing into the Peak Stage does need a lot of time and efforts.

Time and efforts that they might not have due to their ages or health or even financial means. It is not cheap being a mage, but the rewards at the end are worth it. Most noble house has at least one living mage, thus allowing them to be prideful to the point of arrogance.

More so if that mage is an Archmage.

"Master Maxwell? I assume that you do not mean him as your teacher, Archmage Kozak, so what does he specializes in exactly?"

The same man asked, and Legion finally informs me that this man and the rest of the people are really part of the same faction.

There are factions within the Academy. Of course, there are.

There are factions within any organization, and an Arcane Academy can be considered as an organization with like thousands upon thousands of people.

There are at least ten thousand or so students studying here at the academy, but only a fraction of that are recognized as mages. Like less than 1%.

The conversion rate from normal students to mages sucks, but then again, everyone wants to be a mage even though they have no talent or potential for it. They do have a lot of money though, but money could only get them so far.

"He is a Master Torturer, Archmage Bronwen, and you shall address him as such. Do you understand?"

Legion informs everyone after I give him the information through our mental connection.

Master is just another rank for mages, and it depends on their profession. That is, what they are excelling at. Alchemy. Summoning. Formation. Beast Taming and so on.

These is just to name a few.

There are quite alot of profession, and naming them all takes way too much time.

Of course, Master is not the highest rank within a profession. Grandmaster is higher than Master, but Master Maxwell has a charm to it. Also, it has a double meaning as well.

Hearing the title, Bronwen and his underlings are taken back. There actually had never been a Master Torturer at the academy before. There has never been a need for one since its establishment around a thousand years ago.

However, with so many mages coming in and going out of the country on a regular basis, magic crimes are on the rise, especially committed against the common people.

So much so that there have been several revolts recently, but they had all been put down violently.

Unfortunately for the common people, the Kingdom cannot really prosecute mages effectively, so the King has requested the Arcane Academy do something about this.

All for the security and prosperity of the country.

The King did not request though. It is more like him begging the headmaster with promises to pay for any expenses. He obviously gets something in return as well, considering the law of confiscation within the country.

Yup. Perfect for abuse, and the headmaster has already abusing it.

With the backing of the monarchy, the headmaster has prosecuted anyone who dare to usurp him, as that is the reason that he is extremely paranoid. Senile and paranoid does not go well together.

I guess I did the right thing by killing him, not that I wouldn't in the first place.

It is just better to get rid of him and run the school myself. What should I do about his wife and children though? His mistresses too. Wow. He has so many.

Oh wait. I do not need to do anything about that. Legion can play the part perfectly, and besides, since he is at odd with his wife, who he rarely sees.

In fact, the headmaster spends most of his time trying to reach a higher circle in vain.

"Do you understand!?"

Legion questions and demonstrates the power and aura of a third-circle mage. With a restricted amount of magical energy of course. Unlimited amount with that level of magical power is enough to instantly kill everyone in the room.

And probably the surrounding area.

But to make sure no one dare to challenge Legion and me, I allow Legion to release roughly ten times the amount of magical energy that the headmaster has himself.

That is enough to scare the pants off of everyone.

"Yes, headmaster."

Bronwen responses so quick that he nearly bites his tongue. His goons as well. Sweating a lot more than Kozak as the energy is directed at them. Whatever notions they have about assassinating the previous headmaster to take control of the academy vanish within their mind.

At least for the time.

I will have to get rid each of them eventually. Cannot allow them to teach here at my academy and to corrupt my students. Of course, there is no need to hurry.

"Master Maxwell. It is good to have you part of the academy, and if there is time, I would love to exchange some torture techniques from you."

Bronwen finally greets me, but I note that he did not introduce himself. In his eyes, I am a nobody, as he is nobody in mine. Take one to know one. His underlings also say something to the same effect.

Once they do that, they request to excuse themselves since they are a bit shaken up by Legion.

Maybe crushing their spirit was a bit too much, but it is better that way at the moment.

Kozak locks the door afterwards and activates some soundproofing seals since one or more idiots will try to eardrop. Even if they do not, it is better to. He did not have it activated before since he is merely doing paperwork, and keeping those seals activated drain his magical energy.

"Master Maxwell. Is this truly the headmaster?"

Kozak addresses me, knowing full well that I am the one in control. I am always the one in control, and if others think otherwise, it is because I am allowing them to be in control. Well, for people that aren't Aspects or Primordial.

"Yes and no. The headmaster you know is dead. However, I have made used of his body and magic for my purpose. You should not have any more problem from the headmaster from now on, and you will not have a problem from me as long as you serve me with the best of your ability."

I tell Kozak before pursing my lips. I wonder if I should tell him the reason why I have allowed him into my service in the first place, but I decide there is no reason to.

"I will serve, Master Maxwell."

Kozak responses with a deep bow.

"Actions speak louder than words. Go and do whatever you need. I do not like to interfere with things that I assume would get done satisfactory."

I tell Kozak and get up from the seat. I guess I am a teacher now, and I should spend a bit of time fixing a few things in school. It would be for the best, considering it is my school now.

How did thing turn out like this? Oh right. Stupid people are stupid.

"As for those other things that you have been doing in secret or otherwise, you may continue them as long as it does not threaten this world. I will let you use your judgement on those matters, as I do not wish to keep an eye on you all the time."

I add before making headmaster-Legion disappears. I just return him back to the same room that I had poached the headmaster from a moment ago. He was in meditation alone, so it is fine.

Once that is done, I teleport away to see Sapphire Solare, knowing that Kozak will carry out my will to the best of his ability.

It is in his best interest as well.