Vengeance: The Blood Moon Curse

Chapter 3: The Educational Malpractice

Argus seated in the class and observed the people around. He purposely took the corner seat as he did not want to catch attention.

Gunther seated beside him and he noticed Argus looking around too much. He guessed he must feel uncomfortable as it was his first day. "I know it feels strange on the first day," He mentioned, trying to make him comfortable. "Don't worry, you will get used to it."

Argus was impressed as he found Gunther smarter than the children his age. He responded to his words with a nod.

The students chattered around until the lecturer entered. They all went silent as the one who entered did not have a great image dealing with students. His frowned face gave a dangerous vibe as if it cried out blatantly to not go near him. Argus wondered if he had ever smiled in his life.

All the students stood up to welcome him, he nodded before they all took their seats again.

The moustached master noted the faces of students before he began to speak. “Children, I know it is the first day for you, but do not you worry, we will go slow with the academia and explain the basics first,” he cleared his throat, “Let me introduce myself. I am Wrath Nigros, your homeroom trainer. You can call me Master Wrath. You will be my responsibility for the rest of your academia.”

Argus noticed many students looked unhappy when he said it. Maybe what he had heard about his image was not much of a rumour.

It was said the master was a snobbish and rude person who treated the ones who did not like him like shit. It was rumored he once made a student fight a bull when he tried to pull a prank on him.

The master, before starting his lecture, looked at the students and pointed to Argus. “You…” he said and gestured from his finger for him to stand up.

Argus did not know whom he pointed to as he had taken the corner seat. “Me?” He pointed to himself with his gaze meeting the master’s, trying to confirm.

"Yes, you in the corner, what is your name?" The master asked when Argus stood up unwillingly.

"Alan, master,” replied Argus in a lazy tone resulting in the emergence of a frown on the face of Master Wrath.

Also, it was common sense to tell your full name when asked, especially in situations like these. "Alan what? Tell me your full name,” pressed the master.

"Alan Booney," replied Argus and the students chuckled after hearing it.

The master glared at a few of them to silence them. "Hm… So you are a commoner," he said, scratching his chin. "Come here." He called Argus to him.

Argus walked lazily as he did not think he would be the first student to catch master’s attention. The first day had been totally against his wishes until now.

When Argus reached to him, the master asked, "What is your motive to come here?"

‘Huh? What kind of question is this? Of course, we are here to learn,’ Argus thought when the master asked him a weird question.

"Umm… To learn, maybe?" He answered, hesitatingly. The students chuckled again at his answer.

"No, you idiot. You are here to serve your nation!" said the master excitedly. "You are here so that you can become an honorary Nigrosian!” his eyes blazed with passion when he said it. “You are here so that you can know our heroes who gave their lives for this nation, who fought against the enemies of our state, who fought against the Alabusians! You are here so that you can become like them!"

So, that's what they taught the children. They poisoned them against the Alabusians.

"Did you understand?" asked the master with a frown expecting him to nod his head and say yes, but something unexpected happened.

"Master, if we are living in the same society together. Why hating other people?" Argus asked, making all the children get silent in astonishment. No one had dared to talk back to the master. Yes, it was a simple question, but they all feared him to ask even this.

"What did you say?" reacted the master, glaring at him. "Why do we hate them? They were cruel!” he shouted, “They painted their entire history with blood! Why should not we hate them? Tell me."

Argus shook his head sideways as he understood it was pointless to argue with him. He had a feeling that this person would make it to his hit list if he did not stop poisoning the innocent minds.

"You are right, master. We should hate them and become like them,” he said sarcastically and turned his body wanting to walk away. He took his seat when the master gave him the permission to do so.

"Wow, you did an exceptional job by countering him," Gunther mentioned excitedly when he took his seat.

"It was not a big deal. Our job is to ask questions, isn't it?" replied Argus and stared outside the window next to him.

"Nobody questions back Master Wrath," Gunther told. "He targets students whom he does not like. Everybody wants to stay in his good books." Argus did not respond and shifted his attention to the lecture.

"Students! This academy is prestigious! When one arrives here, one has to follow its rules! One has to follow its traditions! And…" the master glanced at Argus when he said, "… one should know how to behave with their masters."

"Heh, idiot…" Argus mouthed in a low tone letting no one hear it and looked away. Only Gunther who was next to him heard it but did not react. Surprisingly, he felt amused by Argus’ behavior with Master Wrath.

"Now, students… what is your motive to come here?" asked the master in a loud voice.

"To serve our empire!" answered the students in a sync.

"What is the purpose of this academy?"

"To create honorary Nigrosians who could die for their country!"

"Who are our enemies?"

"Alabusians!"

The master pressed this question again, louder this time. "Who are our enemies!?"

"Alabusians!!" answered the students louder than the last time to match his energy.

"What is our goal?"

"To protect our state!"

Argus found the scene too uncomfortable. He had to think of a way to stop this malpractice. It seemed like they created militants, not citizens.

"How would we do it?" asked the master as he walked around.

"By sacrificing our souls!" said the students.

Just as Argus had thought, they presented the Nigrosian arts as something holy. In these sixteen years, he had learned about the rituals and practices of the empire. He had witnessed the terrible impact of this poisoning of innocent minds.

He still could not forget when a mob of Nigrosian teenagers forcefully broke into the house of an Alabusian widow who lived alone with her daughter and lynched both of them. They did it because they had learnt to hate them in these kinds of institutions.

He had tried desperately to end their evil regime when he had captured five castles of Nigrosia and weakened them. He would have had ended their reign if he had captured two remaining castles but he got back-stabbed. He could not reach his goal and his people went back to where he had started, no, they ended up even worse.

"We do not sacrifice our souls, we lend it to the true God in return for his grace!" corrected the master, his hands behind his back.

All the students listened to him with the utmost attention.