Before Isabella even responded, Nero felt an intense wave of aether wash over him, as if Isabella was inspecting him for something. Then the wave of aether became even heavier, nearly toppling Nero to the ground. Fortunately, he managed to hold on, though the incident did give him a new perspective on Ascendants, and Isabella especially.
Naturally, he had never felt the full power of an Ascendant before, and this was hardly their full power, but it was enough to let him know that the meager strength he had accumulated was hardly worthy of praise. Isabella could kill him without even needing to look at him. A flick of her wrist would be enough.
"You don’t seem to have suffered a psychological meltdown. Are you being genuinely serious?" she asked with a curious tone.
Nero had planned, and even prepared a grand speech for his purpose, but now, in front of Isabella who was so strong without even caring about it, Nero genuinely felt humbled.
"Ma’am Isabella, physical training is great, and I don’t look down on it, but that’s not why I joined KMA. I already surpass the academy’s requirements in terms of physical development and skill - I want to focus more on the classes and what they can teach me," he said, his tone much more sincere. "If you have doubts, you can check my test results and tally them with my other subjects professors as well. I don’t know if I can manage to get a perfect score, but I doubt my answers will be less than satisfactory.
"What I wish to gain from the academy is not normal training - I wish to be the best that I can be, and for that I want the academy’s help. Restricting my classes, spending time on training that has limited results, and limiting me from challenging my seniors in proper fights are all restricting me from growing at the pace I know I can.
"I am aware that in three more weeks, the training speed and intensity will pick up. But that’s three weeks I don’t want to waste. Whether you think I’m worthy or not, whether you nominate me for the Vulkan legion or not, I want to get the most out of this academy. Though, if you allow me to challenge Vilhelm, I’m certain I can get that nomination from you as well."
Nero felt like his sincere request had a better result than his prepared speech would have, and took note of it. This was once again proving the validity of the advice Vanessa gave him.
"Alright, I’ll do just that," Isabella said with a nod. "I will check your tests and review your performance over these past few days. If what you’ve said is true, then it truly seems as if we are wasting a valuable student’s potential, and I will personally amend your schedule and permissions.
"However, that is not enough. You may already know that all cadets are required to have regular sessions with a dedicated psychologist. I will schedule an appointment for you tomorrow. After I’ve reviewed your performance, I will consult with your psychologist before making a final decision. Is there anything else that you need help with?"
Nero was stunned. He hadn’t expected this talk to go so smoothly. What he didn’t know was that because of his abnormal level of control over aether, he had already been marked as a special cadet requiring additional assessments. That was also one of the reasons he was being pushed to run everyday.
The academy wanted to see how he reacted to unreasonable provocation. That did not just include his psychological or stress response, but how it affected his aether control as well. Naturally, Iris’ report about his artificial entry into the Arcanist state had also been submitted, as that was something she could not hide. Thus, he was already being viewed differently.
By asking for an improvement in treatment in terms of his education, he was merely expediting something that would have likely occurred in a week or two anyway.
Thus, Nero accomplished his agenda quite easily.
On Sunday, the schedule was different. Instead of running drills and taking classes, they merely underwent an inspection of their barracks to make sure they were maintaining cleanliness. Besides that, there would be an hour of sports and a few light tasks.
However, in general, it was treated as a day of controlled rest. It also gave the cadets enough time to go over their studies from the week prior.
Nero’s plans had been to train Silas and meet some of his old friends, but that was delayed due to his appointment. After lunch, Nero made his way to the central part of the academy where he quickly found a way to where the psychologists sat. Nero reported his name, and after sitting for a while, was called for his appointment.
When he walked into the designated office, he found that it was entirely different from what he was expecting. Instead of sticking to the strict pattern of military minimalism, which meant only keeping what was essential, the office was packed with countless things, yet it felt cosy at the same time.
There were books on shelves made of wood, which was surprisingly luxurious. There were leather sofas and warm looking rugs. There were pictures of seemingly random objects, and many small decorations.
Behind a modest sized table of deep oakwood sat a lady with mature features, appearing to be middleaged. Her deeply hazel eyes and dark brown hair seemed to match all the furniture in the room, just as her presence fit in perfectly with everything inside the room.
"Nero Grant, I take it?" she said, her tone warm yet deliberate, and completely at ease with herself. "Take a seat. Since this is your first session, there are some things I will go over that you need to know."
Nero nodded, and sat on the brown leather sofa that faced her chair.
"My name is Eleanor Ashcroft, and I will be your counsellor. Although I am a qualified psychologist, the term I prefer to use in my sessions with young cadets is counsellor, because I will be counselling you in our sessions.
"To what degree you adhere to my guidance is entirely up to you. However, you need to know that I will be advising your professors in the academy on your career path, and what suits you. Do not fret, however, as I will not divulge the contents of our conversations to anyone, unless in case of an emergency, such as in a situation where you pose a risk to yourself or others.
"By the way, you should also know that I have complete access to all your records - even the confidential ones. Due to the requirements of my profession, my clearance level is quite high, so I can see the full details of your service. In fact, I have already gone over everything that happened to you in Lumina and Perilith."
As Eleanor spoke, she got up from her chair and walked to a tray on the side.
"Do you drink green tea?" she asked as she lifted a cotton cover, revealing a pink, ceramic tea pot inside.
"I’ll take some, thank you," said Nero politely, to which Eleanor nodded. She lifted the tea pot and poured two cups of green tea, before setting them on a tray and placing it on her table. Nero added a dollop of honey, which was present in a glass container besides, and picked up his own steaming cup.
Eleanor waited for Nero to be ready before continuing.
"You should also know that I will be using a card that will allow me to detect whether you are being truthful or not in your answers. However, there is no pressure to answer. If there is a question you feel uncomfortable answering, you have every right not to answer.
"I still advise you to answer, though, because assessing your mental fitness is just one of my duties. Like I said at the start, I will also be counselling you regarding certain matters where I think a slightly more mature viewpoint will improve your situation.
"Now, do you have any questions for me? Or is there anything you’d like to ask before we begin?"
Nero stirred his green tea, taking in the fresh scent of the drink as he listened to Eleanor’s words. Unlike almost everyone else, Eleanor did not have a commanding or firm presence. Instead, she had a very disarming and relaxing demeanor. Of course, Nero picked up on the fact that her tone of voice was specifically soothing, and she spoke at a slightly slower pace which forced the brain to slow down to match its pace. She was creating the right environment for him to trust her.
Just because Nero noticed what she was doing didn’t mean he couldn’t appreciate the thought or effort she was putting into this.
"No, I’m ready," said Nero before taking a small sip of the steaming drink. Although he’d never really had tea like this, he remembered his mom telling him that he shouldn’t be heard sipping, as that would be rude.
Eleanor nodded appreciatively before sitting back down in her chair and leaning back, her own tea cup steaming on a table beside her.
"In that case, why don’t we start with your goals? What do you see yourself as in ten years?" she asked, her voice as soothing and sweet as the honey in his tea.
"In ten years? A monster," replied Nero, just as calmly as her, before pausing to take a sip of his green tea.