"Victor is missing?" Muria was slightly taken aback upon hearing the news, but then his expression turned to mild amusement. "By 'missing,' I assume the family just can't locate him?"
"Yes," confirmed Butler Pais with a nod. "After he woke up from the medical pod at the hospital, he left, and no one has seen him since."
"So he's trying to pull a runaway act?" Muria's expression was one of reluctant amusement. It was obvious that there was an eighty or ninety percent chance that this was due to his own training methods.
"That seems to be the case. The family is currently searching for him and should have his location before sunrise," Pais said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
In the Azalea Federation, as long as the government and the other three families didn't interfere, the Douglas family could easily find someone if they put their mind to it.
"Hmm, I may have pushed him a bit too hard lately. I'll handle this. No need for the family to waste resources on this matter."
"You're sure?" Pais raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "How exactly do you plan to handle it?"
"What else? He's my student, so as his instructor, I'll bring him back myself. And, of course, he'll need a bit of counseling."
"How do you plan to counsel him?"
"He likely thinks the training is too harsh and doesn't want to endure it any longer. Really, all I need to do is help him understand how important this training is for his future."
"What exactly are you planning?" Butler Pais's eyebrows knit together as he sensed something ominous—not for himself, but for the poor runaway boy.
"I'll see when I find him and adjust accordingly."
"Just don't go overboard. You've already put him through a lot."
"Isn't that exactly what you all requested? If I weren't pushing them to their limits, you wouldn't have hired me." Muria tapped the table to emphasize his point.
The butler fell silent.
…
"Finally, I've escaped that hellish place! Free from Geros' clutches and breathing the air of freedom!" On a deserted highway, a flashy purple sports car zoomed along, the young man behind the wheel laughing with exhilaration.
But after a moment, Victor's joy faded, realizing that his escape from the estate was temporary at best. He was fully aware of the power his family wielded; they might even have already pinpointed his location.
"Whatever. I'll enjoy this freedom while I can. Even if they drag me back and punish me, it can't be worse than Geros' training."
Victor's optimism returned quickly. In his mind, the horror of Muria's training was already the worst thing in the world, and he doubted anything could be worse. But to his surprise, when he finally parked at his own house, no one was there to intercept him. With a mix of excitement and apprehension, he knocked on the door.
"Son, you're home! Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" His mother, a smiling woman, greeted him with delight. "Come in! You look exhausted."
"What are you doing here?" his father Bennett asked from the sofa, his tone distinctly different from his wife's.
"I just got out of the hospital and thought I'd stop by home." Victor told the truth, knowing any lie would be pointless with his father.
"You ended up in the hospital again?" Bennett had braced himself, but still felt a twinge of concern for his son.
"Yes." Victor clenched his teeth. Muria's training was simple: combat. But every session left him battered and broken, and he'd end up in the hospital every few days. Who could withstand that kind of constant punishment?
"Did you inform Butler Wayne of this visit?"
"No." Victor's honesty was immediate.
"So, you snuck out? Ridiculous. Go back immediately," Bennett ordered with a mix of anger and disappointment.
"He just got here after all that; at least let him stay the night before sending him back!" his mother protested.
"Fine. One night. But you leave at sunrise," Bennett agreed after a brief consideration.
Just then, two crisp knocks sounded at the door, and everyone in the room tensed.
"Is anyone home?" came a young voice, sharp with the pitch of adolescence.
"It's Geros. He found me." Victor's face turned pale as he stumbled back onto the sofa in terror.
"Who is it?" Bennett frowned, turning toward the door.
"Geros Douglas, here to retrieve my missing student," came the polite response from outside.
"It really is that demon!" Victor's body froze upon hearing Muria's voice. After being pummeled so many times, he had a genuine phobia of Muria.
"Victor, I can hear you in there. I'm already at your door; aren't you going to let me in?"
"So this is your instructor? Interesting. I want to see what kind of person can scare you this much," Bennett remarked, looking at his son's fearful state before heading to the door. Opening it, he saw a tall, slender young man with dark hair smiling back at him.
"Good evening, Mr. Bennett. Nice to meet you. I'm your son's instructor." Muria extended his hand courteously. "Mind if I come in?"
"Please, come in." Bennett shook his hand and stepped aside to let Muria in.
"What's with you, little man?" Muria asked, spotting the pale-faced Victor shrinking into the sofa. "Am I really that terrifying?"
He spread his arms, glancing at himself with mock bewilderment. He looked just like a clean-cut, friendly young man.
"You had the guts to skip my class and even run all the way home. Why so scared now that I'm here?"
"You cut class?" Bennett's sharp gaze landed on his son, making Victor shiver.
With a polite smile, Muria recounted the incident, watching as Bennett's face grew colder.
"I'm training thirteen students, but your son is the only one who skipped class and ran home."
"Useless brat!" Bennett snapped, furious. "Always whining about how hard it is, but no one else complains, and no one else cuts class!"
"Just because you didn't see it doesn't mean it didn't happen. You don't know how much they curse him behind his back," Victor muttered in defiance.
"Oh? So they're complaining about me?" Muria's interest piqued. "Mind telling me who?"
"Do I look like someone who'd sell out his teammates?"
Muria chuckled.
"Geros, if the family appointed you as an instructor, then you must be talented. Can you show me why?" Bennett turned his attention back to Muria, intrigued by the youth's seemingly unparalleled skill.
"What aspect are you interested in?"
"I'd like to understand why a martial artist like you was chosen to train thirteen gifted Star Mech Masters."
"That's easy. The simplest way would be to demonstrate my combat strength, but space here is a bit tight. I'll just show you another aspect of my skills."
Muria stepped over to Victor, noticing his mother's nervous glance. "Don't worry, ma'am. I just need your son's help to demonstrate some martial techniques."
"Watch." Muria grabbed Victor, who tried to squirm away but failed. Before Victor's parents, Muria twisted Victor's arm out of its socket with a loud crack and then casually waved the limp limb as if it were a rag.
"You—!"
"Don't worry, it's just a technique," Muria said calmly, then twisted Victor's arm back into place with another crack.
"Martial artists like me are skilled in techniques, strength, control, and detecting weak points."
"Is that all?" Bennett asked coolly.
"Ah, you want something more impressive. Fine."
Muria reached out and grabbed the struggling Victor, who thrashed in vain. In a dizzying series of moves, Muria dislocated every joint in Victor's body, leaving him limp. Then, to his mother's horror, he balled Victor up into a neat little sphere.
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