The day was not particularly warm on that day. Neither was Nue’s heart. As far as he was concerned he did not care if some little children would miss their daily training. However, right now, he was lacking several things, and among them reputation was the easiest one to build up with some effort. That being said, doing a meaningless quest or two was bothersome, however, nothing he could not deal with – he was a patient person, after all. His eyes stared at the children up ahead without a single ripple going through them. Nice clothes, vibrant eyes and playful personalities… they are the type that is sheltered by their parents. Those calluses mean they do put effort in their training, however, Nue considered what would be the best words, they are still wet behind the ears. They probably dreamed of becoming some sort of hero in the future; almighty, strong, fair and honorable. Well, that was not something he should concern himself with, for that was not why he was hired.

“Who are you?” Seeing Nue arrive and stand before them, one of the children asked with a frown. Impatient, Nue made a mental note. “Your teacher is sick right now and will be unable to train you. Because of that he has hired me to teach you all a lesson.” His words were not received well, and the children clearly looked a bit doubtful. Well, Nue was definitely not someone easy to trust. He was aware of that, too. The young man he had met earlier was bright and gave a nice and confident vibe. As for him… “Are you here to kidnap us?” Clearly, he was the opposite. Clearly unfazed by their statement, he reached on his pocket, before throwing something at them.

The tallest children was the one to catch it. After observing it for a while, their eyes glowed. “It’s teacher’s medallion!” While they still seemed doubtful, their eyes clearly saying that they did not fully trust him, Nue did not bother with it – Nue getting this little thing from Armin was already a show of effort from his part. “If you don’t trust me, then just leave.” His nonchalance clearly seemed to incense them as they glared at him. However, Nue was not here to please them; moreover, since their teacher assigned him here, those children ended getting into position in the end. The first thing Nue did was observe them from head to toe. While this was not his kind of job, he was not the sort that would act half-assedly just because he was not content.

He had already been informed they were children, but, they were particularly small. The youngest seemed to be seven years old, and the oldest somewhere between eleven and twelve. Their bodies were not particularly outstanding nor strong, and neither of them seemed out of the ordinary. Yes, they are children. Completely average and ordinary children While he wondered for a moment if they would be able to take on the training, he did not dwell on it for long. He was here to push them to the brink, and even if he was not he would not care if they died mid-way.

“You can start by doing the horse stance.” While they were clearly unconvinced, they still did as they were ordered. “If your legs give in, you lose and will be punished.” His dreary voice and ominous words made the children shiver. It was hard not to believe him, and they did well, because he wasn’t joking in the slight.

While observing them, Nue did not get distracted for a second. Instead, he stood on the same place, watching carefully and with placid eyes. He could see each of their movements: when they breathed and their chests moved up and down, when they quivered because they were not feeling comfortable, when they averted their eyes when he looked at them… Not a single motion went unnoticed. Like that, half an hour went by. Their legs were already sore and they were trembling, but none seemed willing to just give up.

“Good, that is enough for now,” just as his voice echoed, they crashed down with a thud. Nonetheless, they were not give even a second to catch their breath and rest. “Now, go and run ten laps around the park. The one coming last will get what he deserves.” However, instead of doing so, they exchanged glances. Finally, the oldest among them got up and stared Nue in the eyes. “Instructor, I don’t believe we should do that.” Instead of answering, Nue stared at him with questioning eyes. The child, apparently convinced Nue wanted to hear him out, continued. “We are already far past the need of this sort of meaningless training. We should be training our swordplay or footwork, or cooperation. Not some stupid crouching and running.”

When his words ended, Nue got closer. One step, two steps, three steps… five steps was all it took to stand in the front of the child. Nue’s towering figure became even more apparent as if he was two to three times taller than them. One second passed by followed by another, each so slow that it was as if time had stopped altogether. The leading child gulped, followed by his peers – his an orchestra. At that moment, he knew he had done something very wrong. Those jade-green eyes that were as cold as ice, and as apathetic and soulless as the eyes of a dead man, clearly told him so.

Next, before he could react, he felt a hand grabbing his head. His mouth dried that instant. Zoom… the air screeched at his ears as his head was pushed down, crashing against the ground. His cry of pain was muffled a mouthful of dust and dirty, while his wet tears moistened the ground. “Are you the instructor, or am I?” Nue’s voice was chilling, but his expression far more so. “Remember this: right here, right now, I am on the command. You listen to me, and you listen well. What you think or what you want, that is not of my concern. And it will not be of your superiors in the future.” Despite his brutal actions, Nue was not worried. As he spoke he was, instead, paying attention to the fact that his hand was big enough to grab the child’s whole head.  His eyes then moved toward the other children. “Since I am being paid for this, I will tell you: with your current endurance you will not withstand brandishing a true sword for even two minutes.” Ignoring their glistering wet eyes, and their horrified faces, he continued. “So start running, now. And I will tell you this right now, but we are just getting started.”


All in all, Armin Bartholomew was the exact opposite of Nue. While Nue would not go as far as to say his principles and actions were ones of a naive and foolish man, he would never agree with them. Seeing the bedridden young man, Nue thought about it a bit more. If this was a fairy tale, he’d be some sort of righteous and honorable hero, and me, I would be the villain. It was not as if he cared about how he would be seen, instead, that was the greatest way to show how society had its own standards. No one said one was good and another evil, instead, they were raised to think so while influenced by the culture of the current society.

“The job is done. Pay me and I will leave.” Armin seemed still unaware of the rough ways Nue had used to train his students, and probably would have argued and preached if he knew of it. Not that the man himself would care; his way of doing things would not change just because of someone’s words. That being so, after collecting his rewards, he left without even saying a proper farewell.