Psychic Overlord

Upon entering the Dean’s office, Kaizer walked straight to the seat opposite the dean and sat down right away, staring down the man who was his mentor. The Dean himself was seated with his fingers clasped together, his expression serious and not as casual as it usually was.

Both men did not speak a word as they glanced at each other, until the Dean finally sighed and leaned back into his chair.

"I honestly did not expect this," Dean Rochester said with lament in his voice.

Kaizer folded his arms. "I find that hard to believe, Grandpa William."

Dean Rochester’s smile became bitter, knowing that Kaizer was using that term in a mocking way.

"I know you are extremely dissatisfied, but I am sincere in my words. I truly did not expect those foolish clans to overstep their bounds this much."

Kaizer remained silent and the Dean continued.

"When I came up, I quickly occupied the spot of ’strongest’ esper due to my unique abilities and the fact that the second world war had about ended, and the various world powers were seeking a unifying force, a figurehead of sorts to suppress the unruly esper world."

Dean Rochester sighed. "I was the best candidate. I possessed the power and versatility to suppress most espers head on and I did not come from any clan, being a first generation like you. I had no ties, was properly trained in the esper academy and was young as well as impressionable."

"I sat in the spot of strongest for a while, achieving a few victories here and there to bolster my reputation and with the help of the various countries’ propaganda, the title of strongest was soon given to me and some sort of tenuous peace was achieved."

Dean Rochester smiled slightly. "But their mistake was forgetting that apart from their propaganda, I truly was the strongest at the time. Unhappy with being sidelined by the major countries when political discussions were being made, I began to lose my temper."

"Being tired of being taken for granted, like a true figurehead, I made my mark during the cold war when I made a move to suppress both American and Soviet aligned espers in one battlefield that shocked the esper world, because those espers were seen as the stabilizing force of both countries."

Dean Rochester shook his head. "It was impetuous, but it achieved my goals. The world was aware that I was not a puppet that was overhyped and those leaders, though furious, had to acknowledge that the puppet they lifted up was now a mountain that was pressing down on them."

"In order to placate me, the previous dean of the headquarters retired and appointed me his successor. The higher-ups of the countries and clans were betting that years of raising students, responsibility, and benefits would tie me down and cool my head. They were right in that regard."

Dean Rochester reached into his cabinet for his tea set and then stopped, deciding that now was not the time.

"I settled down and took on my role seriously as a nurturer of the next generation of espers, bringing about a generally more peaceful era. Still, those powerful esper clans ran rampant in their various parts of the world and I found it harder and harder to interfere as they entangled me with various interest political blockades and more."

Kaizer finally interjected. "And then came Reaper."

Dean Rochester nodded. "And then came Reaper. An orphan who was serving as a low-life thug during his youth in the lower areas of Manchester, I found him one time when I went to visit home."

"His untamed power was like a beacon to me and he had committed his first kill in self-defense, much like you. Panicking as he did not understand where these powers came from, I appeared before him, comforted him, and took him away to be trained as my student."

Dean Rochester turned to glance at the ever-present portrait behind him. "He was difficult and unruly at first, but I bore with him and sharpened him from carbon into diamond. Unlike now, I did not have the reputation of being a trainer of future hegemons, so his rise was not tumultuous, though it was rapid."

"Much like your sister, he had a dual personality, but his was not enhanced by your kind covenant, so he didn’t train in the traditional sense, not like how your sister does. Rather, he simply enhanced his death energy potency and his connection with his second personality, achieving the same wavelength."

"Then, he graduated and joined the Supreme Force upon my recommendation, rising like a rocket. His power and personality quickly singled him out as an extremist outlier, which was disfavored by many in the Supreme Force, but Reaper simply quelled all opposition by force."

"For the period of 2002 to 2021, he had the entire esper world under control, using the Supreme Force to clean up many clans and families that were entrenched beyond measure and caused endless troubles. The rest fell in line and made peace at any cost, which was how they survived till now, regrettably."

Dean Rochester rubbed his brows. "Then one day, he disappears as if he was just a figment of everyone’s imagination and I spent a year or two searching for him everywhere I could think of. Eventually, I traced the attack to a few of the formerly subservient clans and wiped them out in a fit of hatred, but it doesn’t bring my student back."

"After that, I sort of... gave up. I stopped bothering with the affairs of the esper world and with the academy to a large extent, only fulfilling my basic duties and not going the extra mile... until I heard from Blaze that George’s grandson had awakened as a powerful psychic."

Dean Rochester connected his fingers in front of his nose and leaned on the table with his elbows.

"When I saw you, I initially didn’t have the idea to train you into becoming the strongest. I just wanted to connect with the grandson of an old friend, but your power astounded me and that was before you told me of your covenant."

"This was even more so when I found that your sister was the daughter of my old student, coupled with your similarities to Reaper, it seemed like fate itself had sent you to my doorstep, so I decided to push you to the top."

Kaizer frowned. "Then you must’ve known that those clans would never tolerate another strongest pressing down on their heads."

The Dean nodded. "Of course, and I even told you as such before your training began. We both knew they would throw challenges your way, but neither of us expected it to be so... early."

"Even Reaper started really facing challenges only after entering the Supreme Force and that was after his graduation, when he had reached the peak of his powers. Somehow, I expected you to have that same benefit, but it seems we were proven wrong."

Kaizer remained silent, his eyelids drooping low.

Dean Rochester was confused. "I don’t understand, what exactly is the source of your dissatisfaction? If it’s because of my lack of foresight, then I apologize because as your mentor, I should have been prepared for this. But this doesn’t seem to be the case?"

Kaizer took in a deep breath. "I thought about it and found it weird when I was coming back from Al-Rafid. The first task you sent me on was understandable, to apprehend two D rank espers who were related to the issue surrounding my sister, located within the city and with the maximum interfering force expected to be B class."

Kaizer then glanced at the Dean sharply. "And then the next month, the very next month, not even a year, but just a month, you send me into a battlefield between two entire countries, deep behind enemy lines, to perform a decapitation on a group that included multiple S class espers."

Dean Rochester paused and then relaxed. "Yes, it’s weird no matter how you think about it. At the time, I simply measured your progress and established that you should be able to succeed since I teleported there myself and assessed the espers firsthand before assigning you on the mission."

If Azrael and co knew that the world’s strongest esper was hovering in the void above them back then, would they have shat their pants?

"Are you dissatisfied because the mission was too deadly?" Dean Rochester asked with puzzlement, still not understanding the issue.

Kaizer sighed and shook his head. "No, the mission was within my range of completion from beginning to end. It was the non-mission related attack that got me wondering if you used me as bait to lure out the impatient ones among the factions."

Dean Rochester froze and seemed to be utterly dumbfounded, his mind never having crossed that avenue at all. Still, the old man was not rendered still, simply taking a deep breath and looking at Kaizer seriously.

"Kaizer, if it will help dispel your doubts, I am willing to lower my mental defenses and let you probe my mind."