The following fortnight was repetitive and plain: Altair fought with his quartet three times a week and gradually learnt how better to utilise him small physique. He would never truly overcome its disadvantages, but he was still able to find a few new tricks. Roland made sure to swap them around, and he definitely fared the worst against Zillech, the Mage boy able to keep him at bay and just bombard him with sorceries. Altair managed to secure a single victory by throwing his dagger at his head, but after that he continuously lost their battles.
He fared better against Sophia. She was strong but predictable, and Altair exaggerated Intelligence allowed him to design just the plan to move around her. He won more than he lost, but the girl was no slouch either, and improved consistently. There had been a few times already were he was caught off guard, which usually resulted in his loss.
Against Greta, his record was basically 50/50. She would adjust her strength to match Altair's own, and the result between the two of them always came down to who made the slightest mistake first. Ms. Roland seemed to be aware of what they were doing, but didn't seem to take issue with it and never intervened. Personally, Altair found fighting an "equal" opponent like Greta quite the enjoyable experience.
In his academic circles, life progressed much the same. Nezra wasn't expelled, but given three day suspension and two of detention, as well as a severe warning. According to Jace however, this was basically the same as Le'garde declaring him innocent: if the Sovereign thought him guilty, the only result would be outright expulsion. The whispers and looks persisted for a while afterwards, but no one was brave-or foolish-enough to pick another fight like that again. Altair knew it was only a matter of time though, and Alexander was in agreement.
"These people, they don't give up so easily. Nay, they'll be back for more sooner or later. Keep on your toes, Altair."
The boy himself didn't need Alexander's warning, of course. He was always searching for potential trouble or lurking enemies. He had visited the school library since chatting about the various mottos of the Magi Houses for his own research, deepening his understanding of the Gaian political climate. Not that it was particularly twisted or confusing: the Royal Family held a firm grip over the Continent, and any discontent the Ducal Houses held were only able to be vented on each other. So long as the Churches supported the Augustus Family, nobody dared to raise their heads.
As of right now, Altair was in history class, learning about the Second Era, also known as the Chaotic Age. History was a rotational class, an their current teacher was a middle-aged man with a plain face but very sophisticated looking spectacles. He was currently writing the names of the Ancient Gods on the board as he spoke.
"As you can see, the Ancient Gods were far more ethnically diverse than the Gods of current day which are primarily Human-derived. Amongst them, the most racially diverse were the Beasts under Sulyvahn, known as the Beast God. Up until the late Fourth Era, there was no clear distinction between the multitude of non-humanoid Mythical Races. Species such as Demons and Dragons had always been identified as their own thing, but many referred to Phoenixes and Unicorns uniformly as Beasts, without distinguishing between them and creatures mutated from overexposure to Mana. It was only when Ingrid designed the Star Classification System that such a thing was done."
"The reason this went on for so long was because, long ago in the Chaotic Age, all the mythical creatures of the earth, sky and sea were gathered under the singular flag of the Ancient God Sulyvahn. "He" unified them under a single "Beast" Race for over three thousand years, the legacy of which remained firmly in place until Ingrid restructured it. This forceful integration of all manner of species was what gave Sulyvahn the greatest influence amongst the eight Ancient Gods: not because "He" was personally stronger than the rest, but because "He" had the largest number of followers."
"The system under which Sulyvahn ran "His" kingdom was also unique amongst all "His" peers. Each Race of Beasts would elect one of their own as their representative, and Sulyvahn would bestow them with "His" blessings, making them Demigods. These representatives were tasked with being the mouthpiece of their Race and presenting their needs and desires to Sulyvahn, and were called "Beast Kings." The position of Beast King wasn't hereditary, but generally speaking children did inherit it from their parents simply because they were groomed and better prepared to rule. This democratic system afforded the Races a certain degree of freedom and independence, and also allowed Sulyvahn to devote his time to matters other than governing."
"After Sulyvahn was deposed by the the Primordial Almighty, the position of Beast King was kept as a means of controlling the Beast Races. Instead of Sulyvahn however, they received the appointment from the Almighty "Himself". When the Golden Age came to an end following "His" death, Beast Kings are now assigned by Orvonia directly, eliminating the process of bloodline inheritance. Beast Kings are thus still active to this day, and each are Sovereigns at the very least. According to legend, the three strongest of the Beast Kings are Supremes instead, but this hasn't been confirmed by any scholar in over a thousand years since said Beast Kings represent the rarest of the Beast Races."
"Ah, right I almost forgot. Sulyvahn was also unique amongst the Ancient Gods because "He" was the only one to actually have the actual word "God" in "His" personal title. The other seven all chose some form of royalty, such as Vampire Queen Volanna or Giant King Aurgelmir. As you might have guessed, this was done to avoid confusion between "Him" and the regular Beast Kings. Thus Sulyvahn was the Beast God."
The teacher finished his lecture and glanced at the clock, seeing there was still five minutes left. "Does anybody have any questions?"
To no ones surprise, Elizabeth's hand shot up in he air. "Teacher, teacher! According to you, the "Beasts" gathered under Sulyvahn were any creatures capable of using Mana that didn't already have a God to represent them. But what about Humanity? Humans are animals too, and we also lacked a God until the rise of the Almighty, so was there a Human King as well?"
The teacher paused and seemed to collect his words carefully. "In what little records remain, there was no direct mention of a "King of Humans" under the Beast God. In fact, Humanity suffered under the Beast Races almost as much as under the Devils and Vampires. So at the very least, Sulyvahn didn't consider us "His" kin either."
Seeing the disappointed look on Elizabeth's face, the man sighed and adjusted his very fancy looking glasses. "However...there was a vague allusion to some sort of figure under Sulyvahn that dealt with Humanity. They were never named, and even their gender is unknown. All we know is that they were called the Disqualified King."
The class went into thought at that, but then the bell rang and everyone put it out of their minds as they moved to go to the next class. Everyone except Altair and Elizabeth, of course. While the latter was deep in thought, Altair was pursuing a different angle. 'Hey System, do I know anyone called "the Disqualified King"?'
[One Authority Point is required for this answer]
'What? Then forget about it, I don't care.'
[Hint: you do indeed know this person under a different name.]
'Fuck, for real? Ugh....fine, I'm due for another outing as Endyr anyway, I'll just make it back then. System, tell me the answer.'
[One Authority Point deducted...Attention: in the Second Era, the title of "the Disqualified King of Beasts" applied to one individual alone: the future God of Dreams, Chanteur.]