Villainous Instructor at the Academy

The morning sun had barely risen when Class C stood in the academy's abandoned training yard, staring at me like I was the cruelest man alive. I wasn't, of course. But I was willing to play the part if it meant beating some discipline into this group of troublemakers.

I looked at the weighted stones, it took me the whole night to finish it. I didn't expect that useless rune carving event on the game could benefit like this.

I wiped a single drop tear from my eye, "my proud creations let those brats suffer."

Julien raised an eyebrow. "You're really enjoying this, aren't you?"

I sniffed, feigning deep emotion. "More than you could ever know."

Mira muttered something under her breath, probably another curse directed at me. Meanwhile, Felix was still glaring at his stone like he could will it out of existence.

"Alright, enough standing around," I said, cracking my neck. "You've got ten laps to go. If you drop the stone, you start over. If you complain, you do extra. And if you try to cheat—" I turned to Wallace, who was already fiddling with something in his sleeve, "—I'll make you run barefoot next time."

Wallace clicked his tongue but stuffed whatever gadget he had back into his pocket.

I clapped my hands. "Start running."

At first, everything seemed fine. The students jogged at a steady pace, holding onto their stones without much issue. I even saw Julien smirking like this was beneath him.

Then, after about thirty seconds, the magic kicked in.

Leo was the first to stumble as his stone doubled in weight, nearly yanking his arm down. "The hell—"

Garrick grunted as his stone grew heavier, but he adjusted quickly, his brute strength keeping him steady. Mira, on the other hand, had already begun murmuring to her stone like she was trying to negotiate with it.

Julien still looked fine.

Felix, however, was absolutely suffering. His arms were trembling, his legs wobbling, and his breathing was already uneven. "This... is... stupid..." he gasped.

And then—

Thud.

Felix's stone hit the ground.

The yard went silent. I grinned. "Ah. Our first loser."

Felix, still panting, glared up at me. "I hate you."

"That's nice," I said cheerfully. "Now pick it up and start over."

He groaned, but he had no choice. The rest of the class continued running, some struggling, others pushing through sheer stubbornness. Julien, of course, was still grinning.

Then, at the fourth lap, his stone tripled in weight.

His smirk vanished.

"Oh, you son of a—"

Thud.

I laughed. "Looks like I win this round."

Julien gritted his teeth, scooping up the stone as he muttered something about revenge. Meanwhile, Garrick was still running like nothing happened, Cassandra remained eerily unaffected, and Mira was definitely using some sort of trick to keep her stone afloat.

I let it slide. For now.

By the time they were all done, half of them were on the ground, gasping for air, and the rest were glaring at me like I was the devil.

I crossed my arms. "Well, that was fun. Ready for the next part?"

A chorus of exhausted groans filled the air.

I smiled down at my group of barely-standing students. "Come on now, that was just the warm-up."

Julien, still on the ground, let out a wheezing laugh. "You... call that a warm-up?"

Garrick, to his credit, was still standing. He rolled his shoulders, cracking his neck with a satisfied sigh. "Not bad. My arms feel like lead, though."

Felix, on the other hand, groaned pitifully. "I think my ancestors just felt that workout through my bloodline."

I leaned forward slightly, smirking. "Good. That means it's working."

Cassandra, who had barely broken a sweat, tilted her head at me. "What's next?"

She wasn't even winded. Suspicious. But I'd deal with that later.

I clapped my hands together, the sound echoing in the empty training yard. "Now, since your bodies are nice and tenderized, it's time for combat drills."

A few groans. Some curses. Leo dramatically flopped onto his back.

"Yeah, yeah, cry about it," I said, waving a hand. "You're at Noctis Ardentis Academy, not some noble tea party. If you don't want to get stomped by the other classes, you need to learn how to fight properly."

Julien sat up, brushing dirt off his sleeves. "Oh? And how exactly do you plan to teach us?"

I reached into my coat and pulled out another set of rune-carved stones.

"Wait—" Felix actually recoiled. "No. No more stones."

I smirked. "Oh, these aren't weighted stones."

Mira squinted at them, frowning. "Then what—"

"These are just ordinary stones." I tossed one to the ground, where it landed with a dull thud. The students eyed it suspiciously, as if expecting it to explode.

The class stared at me, skeptical. Even Felix, still recovering from his near-death experience with the weighted stone, managed to shoot me a disbelieving look.

"You're lying," Julien said flatly.

"That hurts, Julien." I clutched my chest in mock offense. "After all the time we've spent together, you still doubt me?"

"Yes," Mira, Felix, and Wallace said in unison.

I huffed. "Fine. Don't believe me. But these are just normal stones." I tossed one up and caught it. "They won't crush you, I promise. Instead, they're for something much more entertaining."

I tossed a stone at Garrick, who caught it easily. "You'll be using these as practice targets."

Felix frowned. "Targets?"

"Yes. You'll be throwing them at each other."

A pause.

Leo sat up. "Like... actual rocks? At actual people?"

"Do you see any fake people around?" I gestured at them. "Yes, actual rocks. Yes, at actual people. And before you complain—" I pointed at Felix, who was about to do exactly that, "—there's a catch."

I flicked a finger, activating the runes on the stones. A faint shimmer spread over them.

"These are enchanted to stop right before impact," I explained. "If you throw one at someone's head, it'll stop an inch away. No concussions. No blood. Just a near-death experience and a whole lot of regret for not dodging properly."

Mira folded her arms. "And what's the lesson here, Professor?"

"Reflexes," I said. "Footwork. Spatial awareness. If you can't dodge a slow-moving rock, how do you plan to dodge a real spell in a duel?"

Julien rubbed his chin. "I see. So it's like training dummies, but we are the dummies."

"Exactly. You got ten points" I pointed at Julien, who gave a mock bow.

"I knew it. Those weren't ordinary stones." Felix shouted, almost deafening me.

I winced, rubbing my ear. "Felix, if you yell one more time, I'll personally make sure your stone follows you home."

Felix clamped his mouth shut.

"Alright," I continued, clapping my hands together. "Pair up. First one to flinch three times loses."

"I hate that there's a score for this," Felix muttered.

"There's always a score," I said, amused.

The students hesitated before forming pairs. Julien and Garrick. Mira and Wallace. Felix and Leo. And Cassandra… well, she stood there, casually tossing her stone up and down, waiting.

That was fine. I had a plan for her.

"Begin!"

Chaos erupted.

Julien, unsurprisingly, threw first. He lobbed the stone at Garrick's head with the precision of someone who had way too much experience in mischief.

Garrick didn't move. The stone stopped an inch from his forehead, buzzing with stored energy before retreating back to Julien's hand.

Julien grinned. "Not bad."

Then Garrick threw his.

It was less of a throw and more of a catapult.

Julien barely dodged, the stone whizzing past his ear. He stumbled back, eyes wide.

"That's one for Julien!" I called out. "Try not to get decapitated."

Meanwhile, Mira was playing dirty. Instead of throwing her stone, she kept pretending to throw it, forcing Wallace to twitch and dodge nothing.

"Three-zero. Mira wins," I announced. "Wallace, stop dodging ghosts."

Wallace grumbled, adjusting his sleeves.

Leo and Felix were… well.

Leo threw first. Felix panicked and, instead of dodging, tossed his own stone directly up.

It landed on his head.

Silence. Then laughter.

"A self-inflicted loss," I declared. "Felix, I have no words."

Felix groaned. "I hate this class."

Then there was Cassandra.

Since she had no pair, I threw a stone at her myself.

She didn't move.

The stone stopped an inch from her forehead, hovering there.

She looked at me, calm and unreadable.

Then, very deliberately, she reached up and threw the stone at me, her actions were just like a puppet.

I caught the stone easily, my fingers closing around it before it could bounce off my chest.

Cassandra's expression didn't change. No smugness, no challenge—just that same blank stare. It was unsettling.

The rest of Class C had gone quiet, watching the exchange. Felix, ever the brave idiot, whispered, "Uh, did she just throw it back at you?"

"Yes, Felix. I have eyes."

Julien nudged Garrick. "Think he'll make her run extra laps?"

Garrick shrugged. "Wouldn't work. She wasn't even tired the first time."

They had a point.

I sighed, rolling the stone between my palms. "Alright, Cassandra. Since you're so eager to participate, how about a special round?"

She didn't respond, just kept watching me.

I tossed the stone back. Not hard, not fast—just enough to test something.

Cassandra caught it effortlessly. No hesitation.

Interesting.

I crossed my arms. "Again."

She threw it. I caught it.

I threw it back. She caught it.

We went back and forth a few more times, the stone moving between us in a steady rhythm. The rest of Class C started shifting uncomfortably. Even Mira, who usually had some sarcastic comment ready, was silent.

Then I changed the pattern.

Instead of throwing it directly at her, I faked a toss and flicked it to the side at an angle. Most people, even trained fighters, would at least blink at the unexpected motion.

Cassandra?

She caught it like she knew exactly where it was going.

Julien muttered, "Creepy."

I had to agree.

I tossed the stone one last time, this time straight at her shoulder. She didn't move. The enchanted stone stopped an inch away before retreating back to my palm.

Still, no reaction.

I exhaled, rubbing my temple. "Alright. That's enough."

Cassandra just stood there, waiting. Like a puppet with no strings, still and empty until told otherwise.

I suddenly felt very tired.

"Everyone now, let's go back to class." I ordered to the class.

As soon as I dismissed the class, a few students perked up like I had just announced a festival.

Felix stretched his arms dramatically. "Finally. Civilization. A place where chairs exist."

Leo patted his shoulder. "Don't celebrate too soon. Knowing our dear Professor, there's probably another round of torture waiting."

"I'd never," I said, expression completely neutral.

Julien snorted. "That's a lie and we all know it."

Mira rolled her shoulders. "At least we're moving. Anything's better than standing around in this cursed training yard."

Wallace, still rubbing his arms, muttered, "Speak for yourself."

Garrick, as usual, took it all in stride, adjusting his sleeves with a thoughtful hum. "It wasn't that bad."

Felix groaned. "That's because you're built like a war machine, Garrick. The rest of us are just normal, fragile people."

As we left the training yard, I stole a glance at Cassandra. She followed the group at the same pace as always—silent, unreadable, and completely unaffected by everything that had happened.

I frowned. Just what is your deal?

We reached the classroom soon enough. The second I opened the door, Felix practically threw himself into his seat, letting out a sigh of pure relief.

Julien flopped into his chair with a grin. "I missed you, dear desk. Never leave me again."

Mira rolled her eyes. "Dramatic."

Leo slumped over his desk. "Give me five minutes. Just five minutes of peace."

I leaned against my own desk, surveying the room. "Alright. You survived training. Barely. Now, let's talk about what you actually learned."

Garrick stretched his arms. "That endurance is important?"

Julien smirked. "That I should never trust you?"

Mira shrugged. "That dodging is more important than blocking?"

Felix groaned. "That I hate rocks."

"Good," I said. "All valuable lessons."

I clapped my hands together. "Now—"

Felix shot up. "Wait, wait, wait. 'Now'? No. We just sat down."

I raised an eyebrow. "And?"

Felix threw his arms up. "And? And that means we rest!"

I smirked. "Who told you that?"

Felix looked personally betrayed.

Julien sighed. "Here we go again."

Leo buried his face in his arms. "I should've transferred."

Mira just smirked.

I picked up a piece of chalk and turned to the board. "You had your warm-up. Now, let's move on to the real lesson."

A collective groan filled the room.

I smiled. "Welcome to Noctis Ardentis Academy."