The Ark Of Being Professional

The two of them grinned at each other as the rest of the Mages shook their heads. Bryan glanced at Mavislin bowed.

"Thank you, Lady Roydon. I feel much better after dividing my powers. Both emotionally and mentally. I am in debt to you and you have my loyalty and gratitude," said Bryan.

"So, Bry won't be going away?" she asked, with tears in the corner of her eyes.

"No, Lady Roydon. If you'd accept me with my new weapons, then I'll gladly-"

Bryan's eyes turned into the size of dinner plates as he saw tears running down the Valkyrie's cheek. What made it more astonishing for him was that she was in her teenage form, not her child form. He panicked badly, unable to comprehend what was happening to his boss.

And another confusing thing was that everyone else wasn't shocked. Even Kai looked slightly confused but it wasn't too much of a reaction.

"You are her first underling. Her first student, despite the recent handover of training to Tomoe. During the mission of Albion, I could tell that you were being monitored by her, right? You've even improved your breathing in between movements since the last time I saw you."

"No one else had the luxury of being taught by her. And you are the first," explained Gillian, getting another bite from his food.

"She was upset because she thought she was a bad teacher for not keeping her underling safe. Though, there isn't any need to be worried, Mav. Everyone has their reasons for leaving a post. It might be your fault at times but if you treat your underlings well, they won't hold any hate for you."

"People come and go for different reasons. You can't always keep them stuck to a single post. They want to advance as well or find new paths in life. Some want to settle down. Some want to switch their way of life. You can't always be upset whenever that happens."

"You have to wish them all the best for their future endeavors and find someone else to take their post. You have no right to get upset about their decisions. That's a very selfish thing to do and I highly despise people who do that."

"Even if the person is close to you, you should be mature enough to not hold them back. You can ask them if anything is bothering them about the post. You can try to remedy it but if the person's mind is fixed, then do not bother at all. You're in no position to deny their decisions."

"It's better to be professional about these kinds of things, Mavislin. You are quiet when it comes to this so please adhere to our advice. They will be replaceable when it comes to positions and ranks but never in your heart. And when the new ones come, never compare to the ones that left."

"Everyone is special and can make their mark on history. Please do try to keep your personal feelings and the way you respond to your underlings divided as it might affect morale and thinking about work. You might lose their respect as well," explained Z as he looked at the Valkyrie sternly.

Mavislin nodded and wiped her tears away before continuing to eat more food. Now that's surely rare, to see both Z and Gillian scold Mavislin in such a manner. Normally, Mavislin would be the last one to get scolded out of all the people in the room but today was anything but normal.

The Slayer went back to his seat, with chain resting on his shoulders and neck. He felt slightly guilty about making her cry but Headmaster and Z were right. She had no right to be upset with his decisions. Though, he was wrong to not discuss it with her before just announcing it to everyone.

That would be the equivalent of him quitting as the position of right-hand man for Minwoo in front of all the Kings. A wave of silence filled the room as Rina quickly left with Kai to prepare for sleep and bathtime. After that, Mavislin left as well with Raiyen trying to follow her.

But Tomoe halted him before Raiyen could catch the Valkyrie.

"Don't, she needs time to think about what Headmaster has said. You can't always be on her side or comfort her. She needs to be alone for the information to sink in properly," explained Tomoe, getting up to wash the dishes.

"I'm worried that she'll run away again... You don't know how it was like when she vanished just like that. Everyone was worried sick and the whole place felt gloomy. We couldn't find her for so long and she nearly died if Baldwin hadn't arrived on time. If my future self didn't appear."