Elite Instructor at a Third-Rate Academy

24 – The Saint Wearing Glasses☆

She doesn’t like it.

Genoa believed that she was not easily swayed by what others say. If that weren’t the case, she wouldn’t have entered Lailand in the first place. The reason she came here was solely because of Sennit Kaelin.

– He is beautiful.

If there was beauty not only on the outside but also on the inside, that’s how it was. Sennit was adorable in every aspect, from his voice to his actions. The employees of the family also liked the saint. That’s why the marquis assigned her as the religious *sau (mentor) to the eldest daughter. It was a networking opportunity for those who were guaranteed success.

“We were the closest of friends.”

Genoa murmured in the empty room. Unlike Amy, Sennit was practically like a sister to her. They had known each other for over 10 years and their bond continued even after entering this place.

“You weren’t there when I reached out my hand.”

Now, if she were to open the dormitory door, Sennit would be there with their homeroom teacher. It was agonizing to see her sweating and toiling, with one hand on the iron bars. Physical labor was universal, even in the church. It didn’t make sense for a saint to be building walls with her bare hands, even if it wasn’t her duty.

“Why?”

Was it because Tumuric Stein was their homeroom teacher? No, that couldn’t be the reason. Sennit had closed off her heart after being deeply hurt by their previous homeroom teacher. It was Genoa who took care of her meals and even went on walks with her, as she was constantly immersed in prayer. She couldn’t understand why she was building walls with planks every day, even though it wasn’t her responsibility.

Question.

Genoa defined the feeling of loss she currently felt. She vaguely sensed resentment, jealousy, and possessiveness towards Sennit, but deceiving herself would make it difficult to admit it. What kind of magic had their homeroom teacher cast? What sweet words had he said to that innocent Sennit to make her come out of her shell?

“However, I’m just curious.”

If she knew what it was, then she could take care of it herself. For some reason, Sennit was constantly distancing herself from her. Looking back, it had been the case since they entered adolescence. She was always chasing after her and she was always running away, like a game of tag.

“Should I change classes?”

It might cause a bit of a commotion, but there was no reason for her not to go. She could observe Tumuric Stein up close and analyze how he had tempted the saint. That innocent Sennit might believe in someone and get hurt again, so Genoa had to protect her.

“But the homeroom teacher and the others will dislike it.”

Tera Simond, who was desperately trying to look good in front of her father, would go crazy, and the other classmates would oppose her leaving. But compared to Sennit, they were all lightweights. Without realizing it, Genoa brought forth the justification that suited her desires, without considering how her possessiveness was paralyzing reason.

“[Class Change Request]”

Everyone will definitely gossip when they see me change from A-1 to C-8. That’s why she carefully wrote down the reason for her request.

“To eradicate the improper behavior of the homeroom teacher and the corrupt atmosphere among the classmates.”

Genoa stood up from her desk and opened the door. Far away, the priest and his disciples were working diligently, like a well-functioning couple.

[#24 – Love Story]

Since coming here, Kennes had finally admitted that she had been overly stubborn. If it had been a case of Amy’s suicide, she would have had to investigate it. She had to resolve her grievances and identify the person responsible, so she had no choice but to step forward. However, as a result, the students of C-8 suffered.

Counseling was postponed one after another, and rules were delayed for a whopping three days.

This time, she even had to cancel class due to arson and had to give extra lessons. Teaching for a whopping five hours, there was a momentary break and Cellana ran away. Seeing the words “I’m hungry” written on the blackboard, it was clear she was annoyed. There were few parts where she could intervene in grammar lessons, so there weren’t any more runaways, but it was clear that everyone’s concentration had decreased.

“As a homeroom teacher, I’m disqualified.”

The saint said she had an intention to return, so she just had to wait silently. Now her job was to take care of the students who had been neglected and improve the quality of the assigned lessons.

“Jeffrey, you have counseling today.”

After taking care of Ochia, Cellana, and Mercadier, it was now Jeffrey’s turn.

“Is it alright if we meet here at 5:00 in the evening?”

As she adjusted her glasses, she nodded her head.

“Oh, Tumuric!”

After finishing the day’s lessons and arriving at the construction site, Sennit was waiting while wearing gloves. The saint’s clothes provided by the church were so restrictive that it was difficult to move. They pressed the bare flesh tightly, making it uncomfortable for physical labor. If she worked hard, her breathing would become irregular.

“Do you set up wooden stakes again today?” She asked with an innocent curiosity. He replied affirmatively. With the architect scheduled to arrive soon, all they needed to do was install the barriers around this area. Cleaning up the surroundings and marking spaces for equipment were simple tasks. After that, the laborers hired by Carcen and the construction workers sent by Warren would take care of the rest.

“Should I hold the logs while you hammer them?”

“No, Senite should try hammering.”

A few days ago, he had knelt down and pleaded for her to speak informally, reluctantly abandoning the formalities. Even now, if he accidentally spoke formally, he quietly approached the iron fence and prayed. She was a strong-willed woman, skilled at obtaining what she wanted in a passive-aggressive manner.

“I’m not very strong.”

“It’s okay, you can handle the iron stakes.”

─We need to see how your body is doing.

Kenneth carried several logs with triangular ends. Senite came with an iron hammer, striking the top of the log with both hands. Apparently, she hadn’t done this kind of action before. Handling iron stakes involved piercing and pushing, so swinging was easy, but striking down seemed awkward from the start.

“Shall I teach you how to hammer?”

“No, I’ll try it alone.”

It was more comfortable for her to keep a distance from any man.

“Use your body weight; it’ll work well.”

She nodded, raised her foot, and, reaching above her head, struck the log forcefully with the hammer. Somehow, it was amusing, like a squirrel cracking a nut. Senite was a fascinating woman, not strikingly beautiful, but with a captivating aspect.

“How am I doing? Am I doing well?”

“No.”

“Oh, then there’s another way!”

Kenneth just watched her, treating her playful antics like dealing with a mischievous girl.

“I’ll get ready.”

This time, she took a deep breath. Filling not only her chest but also her stomach, she jumped up and vigorously struck the hammer. The sound echoed as the lower part of the wooden stake went smoothly into the ground. Senite did it two more times, then looked at herself, exhaling rough breaths.

“Is it done now?”

“As long as the saint doesn’t die.”

“I’m still far from meeting the Virgin!”

“No, it’s better if I handle the hammering.”

Even when told to take a break and catch her breath, she didn’t listen.

“You’re sweating.”

Kenneth knew how uncomfortable the habits of the saintly sisters’ clothing were. Sweating not only made the whole body wet but also hindered ventilation, causing sweat stains. Despite the convenience of working alone, Senite stubbornly insisted on helping. Grinning, she brought a log, holding the bottom and looking up with a smile.

“Now it’s Tumeric’s turn!”

─I understand now why you chose to provoke Senite instead of Ochia.

How different would it have been if it were Rotellon, the mentor he had always admired? Perhaps, if it were him, he would have been drawn to the sensual Ochia. Allowing them to meet separately and arranging the encounter between Senite and Ochia was a move that anticipated some mutual liking.

“Oppa, I’m sorry, but I disappointed you because I seemed too frivolous.”

On the day she met Lotron Aivar, Bissale honestly criticized him for not being a true war hero.

“I guess I’m attracted to men who are serious and reserved.”

“It’s not just men, even women who are quiet are attractive.”

“No, women aren’t like that!”

“Of course, there are men who like fickle and crying women like you.”

“Oh my, I wasn’t on the quiet and well-behaved side?”

Kennis teased her younger sister with just laughter. This crybaby, who had tears welling up again, led her to go horseback riding before Louis arrived. Bissale, who was quiet and well-behaved, screamed and raised both arms.

“What are you thinking?”

To Senith’s question, Kennis woke up from a sweet daydream.

“I was thinking about something from the past.”

“If you get hurt, I wouldn’t know.”

“I wouldn’t get hurt doing something wrong with a hammer, would I?”

Senith quickly let go of the log. Kennis held onto the log with one hand and pounded his forehead. After a while, he had to let them know the schedule since they were going to a place that sold Dodidan food after finishing their work.

“Saintess, we have a meeting today.”

“I have plans with my friend too.”

“Is it Genoa?”

“Yes… we’ve known each other for a very long time.”

-Is it an uncomfortable relationship?

The question arose, but Kennis didn’t ask and they finished tidying up together. Before parting ways, Senith turned his head and flickered his eyelids repeatedly. He was tired of simple food. In Kennis’s view, the Saintess had a twisted taste. It was clear from seeing her sprinkle honey on her apple pie.

“Jeffrey, come here.”

As they were organizing materials for the consultation, a guy with glasses walked past the door. Later, he realized it after seeing the C-8 class tag and his complexion turned pale. He felt even more responsible as he had neglected to meet him earlier when he should have.

“After talking for about two hours, let’s plan the lessons together.”

From then on, they only talked about teaching materials. He asked how the lectures he taught were going, as the conversation seemed to be going well.

“Everyone seems satisfied.”

“I’m not really good at giving lectures, so it’s surprising.”

“Because you work hard.”

It was obvious, so Jeffrey casually said as Kennis absentmindedly listened.

“I feel good because I want to teach them more.”

“That’s a relief.”

“Celana just says it, but she really believes and follows the Instructor.”

“I’m not particularly happy about it.”

Jeffrey chuckled. It seemed like he had regained some color in his face, and Kenneth felt relieved even though he felt sorry.

“I should have consulted with her earlier, but it’s too late now.”

“You were busy.”

“Instead, buy me dinner next time.”

“It would be awkward for two men to eat together.”

─ It wouldn’t be that awkward.

Kenneth found the idea itself strange because Kenneth often had meals and conversations with his colleagues. Perhaps it was because he was a war hero and had a silver tongue. He never had a dull moment talking about women, and whenever they sat together, there were always women from different departments joining them.

“What did Instructor Venderin say?”

Now that it was time to say it, Kenneth could sense Jeffrey’s tension.

“Her name is Diana.”

“Okay, I got it.”

He affirmed it without saying anything. Kenneth was curious about the part of the conversation that had been cut off, but he didn’t ask. He didn’t want to make a mistake, so he only talked about lessons. She was a more diligent student than she seemed. She could even be called slow-witted, but she had determination. She seemed to have chosen a career in administration, but secretly, Kenneth felt she desired a technical career.

“It’s too late to choose a technical field.”

“I know that too.”

“I won’t discourage you, but I can’t recommend it either.”

The technical position was dominated by a few families. They sent their own children to be apprentices and trained them as skilled workers from a very young age. Coming to this academy and choosing a technical career was a foolish thing to do. Not only were they starting from a different point, but those without talent would be eliminated. Jeffrey wouldn’t be recognized as a top-notch technician no matter how hard he tried.

“But even if it doesn’t work out, can’t we still challenge?”

Unexpectedly, her eyes sparkled, and Kenneth briefly pondered whether to give practical advice or warm encouragement.

“If you won’t regret it, then you can challenge.”

They were struggling with the stigma and sense of defeat of being in the C class. So he had to believe in himself as much as their homeroom teacher.

“Diana is my favorite female student.”

Kenneth frowned, wondering why he was saying something so absurd.

“I know I won’t be able to.”

“Why do you say that so definitively?”

“Because I’m a girl who wears glasses.”