Elite Instructor at a Third-Rate Academy

30 – Uninvited Guest ☆

Twenty-eight.

That was the age Lhotaen had found out about Roteiron. Teulmick Stand, the homeroom teacher, is twenty-six years old this year. It was certain because it was a story told by the principal. She spread her fingers and quietly calculated.

“Since I am eighteen years old.”

If the teacher was a war hero, there would be a ten-year age gap, and if not, it would be an eight-year age gap.

“He didn’t look that old, though.”

Just looking at his appearance, he didn’t seem to be in his twenties. Even if he said he was twenty-eight, he could easily deceive with about two years. On the other hand, if he was a real war hero, he would have had to change his name and age. So the most important thing in her deduction was why the teacher was holding a sword with the name Roteiron Avar written on it.

“It was a famous sword.”

It had the royal seal stamped on it, so it couldn’t be a fake and there was no reason for it to be so. If he pretended to be a war hero, he would have been talking and leaking information here and there. Even she, who considered herself relatively close to him, would have to ask the principal how old he was.

“It’s clear that he came here on a secret mission from the palace.”

He was younger than the deceased war hero by two years, so maybe he had been active as a lieutenant. For some reason, he received the famous sword that he handed over. Thinking in that way, her train of thought seemed to be on track.

“Yes, why would a former war hero come to Lailand?”

This is the rear area, and among the various academies, this is a place with a low status. It was in crisis every year, and if she hadn’t had a scholarship, she wouldn’t have chosen to enter. She didn’t know the reason, but the teacher came disguised as an academy instructor to handle the affairs in the west.

“I need to observe a little more.”

Since Roteiron Avar said that the problem with women was complicated, she needed to see how the teacher would treat women in the future. If he threw hints here and there, there was a possibility that he was a war hero. On the other hand, if he continued to live like now, it meant that he was a personal acquaintance who received his inheritance.

“Alright, should we clean?”

Lhotaen tied the knots of her thoughts that came up successively and opened the door with a key. The scenery was the same as usual, but there was a portrait hanging there that she had never seen before next to the famous sword. Without realizing it, she stopped suddenly.

“More than me.”

She held back the words that were about to come out of her mouth and lowered her head.

“Who is she?”

At first, she thought it was the same gray hair as the teacher. However, upon closer inspection, it was a mixture of silver and gold, which was called platinum blonde. Beautiful. She was so beautiful that even she, who was a woman, lost her consciousness and stared. Although she didn’t want to touch it with her hand, she looked behind it, wondering if there was a name written. There was a single note stuck.

“I’m no longer a girl.”

“You write well.”

For some reason, she was irritated. Lhotaen had never seen a prettier woman than herself before. Just by looking at the portrait, she felt overwhelmed for the first time. The woman smiling brightly in the frame didn’t look like a person from this world. Finally, she found a reason to save herself.

“The painter must have exaggerated.”

Given the enormous amount of money spent, even if there were any imperfections, they would have been omitted. Upon closer inspection, her personality seemed bad as well. Her arrogant and mischievous eyes were particularly noticeable. She looked like a cat, so she was convinced that she wouldn’t be a simple and obedient person. This woman couldn’t become a heroine. With her women’s intuition and pathological imagination, Lhotaen tried to decipher everything about Pannatier through her painting alone. Half correct and half wrong, it was an evaluation like touching an elephant blindfolded.

“It’s not just about the face.”

She always wore loose clothes to hide, but she didn’t lose to anyone in terms of her figure. Lhotaen had secretly made efforts to create a voluptuous yet not sluggish body shape. It was a gift from her to the man who would become her future husband, the man who would always protect her. If her body was a coffin, she was more valuable than anyone as an expensive corpse.

“She’s my younger sister.”

If that’s not the case, there’s no reason to argue that she’s not a girl who can hang this up, and there’s no reason to argue that she’s not a girl either. Even though her appearance might have been enhanced by a makeup artist, her personality and beautiful figure were enough to make her superior.

─ If I were a war hero, could you protect me forever?

After briefly entertaining a futile thought, Ochia wiped the glass part of the portrait with a cloth. Afterwards, when she finished cleaning alone and tried to leave, for some reason, her homeroom teacher’s younger sister seemed to be mocking her and secretly turned the cloth over.

“I’ll be just as pretty if I draw a portrait.”

Finally, Ochia opened the door with cleaning tools in hand and was surprised to see a familiar face on the stairs.

“Hey, don’t close the door.”

[#30 – Love Story]

Kenneth felt a deep sense of exhaustion after a long time.

“So, are you saying you want to duel with me, Instructor?”

After sending Genoa away, Terra Simond, the homeroom teacher of Class A-1, came to see him. With a mountain of tasks and the constant delay of counseling sessions with Senit and Brandila due to outsiders, he was annoyed that they all seemed to only speak in their own self-interest.

“Can’t Genoa switch classes?”

“Just try to convince her.”

“She’s the eldest daughter of the Van Cliff family, where do I have the power to do that?”

Kenneth knew nothing about Genoa, just as he knew nothing about Terra Simond. However, he could guess that the author wasn’t just a braggart by the apparent casualness that showed some level of competence. When you don’t know your opponent’s abilities, those who are considered outstanding tend to have subtle expressions and eyes that seem to suppress and manipulate.

─ It doesn’t feel like being in the military.

He wasn’t sure about the age, but he knew it was in his early twenties.

This person undoubtedly graduated from a prestigious military academy and immediately pursued teaching. If that was the case, it wouldn’t be surprising if he underestimated himself. That was how Roland was as a child. After suffering a failed mission, he was like a calf with its horns stuck until he lost all his subordinates.

“It’s strange that instructors would duel over one student.”

Kenneth held back from talking about how harmful this reversal would be in the long run.

“Genoa is special.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Our A-1 class is made up of the most promising kids here.”

And so, seeing him adding that he’s the one teaching them, this author must be starved for recognition.

“Genoa is the center of the class among all of them. Especially, she receives a lot of support from the female students.”

“Yes.”

“So if she switches classes, everyone will be disappointed and the atmosphere will undoubtedly worsen.”

And, as you know, if the class is in chaos, things will go bad in many ways. Kenneth understood that this was a veiled sarcasm, but he remained silent. He didn’t want to criticize his students with positivity, nor did he want to ignore the truth with negativity. So, this was all he had to say at this moment.

“Despite the class atmosphere, there are students who work hard.”

“But because they’re all teenagers, it’s true that they’re influenced by their surroundings.”

“Yes.”

“So, we have no choice but to have a duel in the training grounds to make Genoa understand.”

“Are you saying that Chief Sigmund has to win?”

“hahahaha, well, you only know if you try. I could lose as well, so I can’t say for sure.”

“I know that if I win, I won’t be able to stop Ivan. So please correct me if I misunderstood.”

“That’s right.”

─ They confirmed victory without even fighting.

Kenis scoffed inwardly. If Ziya had even considered candidates, this would never have happened. Having mediocre colleagues can lead to misjudgment even with personal observation. Now even Kenis’s mood soured and he retorted sarcastically.

“We don’t need excellent students like Genoa in our class.”

“Oh, that’s a relief. If it’s alright, could I meet Sennit as well?”

“Yes.”

Who she meets and what choices she makes were her own responsibility.

“It’s strange to have an A-grade in a C-grade class.”

“As long as there’s no coercion.”

“Of course. When is a good time for our duel?”

“I have to consult with Sennit and Brandila tomorrow and the day after.”

“Ah, then how about after school?”

─This author, has learned a bit after all.

“I have to meet Jeffrey in the evening, so as long as it’s not then, it’s fine.”

“Alright. I’ll let Genoa know and we can meet at the gym?”

Kenis nodded obediently, but then he spoke, no longer wanting to consider the other person.

“In exchange, I’ll bring Sennit as an observer too.”

After finishing the unpleasant conversation, as they returned to the office, Prede was sitting at her desk, engrossed in something. Seeing the indifferent teachers around her, this woman seemed like a bored cat on the verge of death.

“What are you doing?”

“Oh, I was copying the anatomy that you taught me last time!”

─What a character.

Kenis still found Prede unfamiliar.

Jumping to conclusions and misconstruing things, getting angry and then apologizing first. Despite the lecture on being an observer, she doesn’t feel bad but wants to learn more like a student.

He heard that she started her academic career in a place that was not an elite academy but a mediocre school, and then pursued her teaching certificate. To put it bluntly, she may not have learned much, but to put it nicely, she doesn’t have much pride.

“The name is wrong.”

“Isn’t this the external oblique muscle?”

“Kennis corrected the part she came to and asked if each muscle had a specific role, questioning whether it was really not in the medical field. Ignoring her repeated disinterest, he continued explaining and even took notes.

– A student with insufficient content, an instructor with insufficient level.

But there are some who have a good attitude. Jeffrey runs every day and Orchiado diligently studies grammar. Bran Dilla, who buys books for him, is useless if he’s smart but lacks motivation. After explaining a little more, Priddy blinked.

“Should I make dinner?”

“No need.”

“Then I’ll buy you a milking car tomorrow.”

“Fine.”

For some reason, Priddy kept smiling, making her feel a little silly.

“I’ll study more, so you go ahead.”

She received her greeting and walked back to her lodging. As she hurried inside and began organizing her belongings and looking at materials for classes and consultations, Inyeong, who she recognized, was sitting cross-legged. Without saying anything, Orchiado leaned against the wall and folded his hands in front of his lap.

“What’s the matter?”

– Ah, it’s scary to speak too harshly.

“Um… Teacher… I have something to say.”

“If it’s related to class, how about tomorrow?”

Her eyes widened and smiled sadly when she heard that he would also get her the book Bran Dilla gave her. Feeling her nape tickled by soft fur, she took two steps back, realizing that he was still young.

“Today, I… cleaned my room.”

“Did you wipe under the cupboard by any chance?”

“No. Do I… need to clean there too…?”

“Please.”

“Okay… I understand. But… there is an unwelcome guest in your room.”

When she asked what happened, he said that Cerrana had threatened not to let her in. It seemed like she had already lied down in the room and she kept waiting because she thought there would be consequences if she didn’t say anything.

“Orchiado, can you get me a flint and tinder?”

“Oh… I know where to buy them. Don’t worry, I have money too!”

He quickly brought them. Kennis pushed the flint and tinder under his door and ignited it with a rusty iron piece. The tightly packed tinder slowly started to smoke from the outside. As he looked at the smoke entering the room, Kennis asked Orchiado to shout with him.

“Fire!”

As Kennis began to sing, Orchiado followed suit. Finally, with a loud bang, Cerrana quickly opened the door and ran out. She nonchalantly cursed as soon as she saw the high priest.