Chapter 7 : Outdoor Training (2)

I knew from the start that these students weren’t athletic. It would be stranger if they were good at running, considering they’d spent their lives reading.

However…

“Oh my, this tea is lovely. Where did you get it, Lady…?”
“Well, my nanny put it in a thermos for me to drink while I study. If you like it, I’ll ask her when I get back.”

I hadn’t imagined they wouldn’t even try. A group of chattering students, behaving as if they were on a picnic, caught my eye.

All of them were nobles. Right, of course they’re taking my words lightly.

“What are you doing?”
“Haha, Assistant Professor. As you can see, we’re resting.”
“Who gave you permission to rest?”
“Those students sprawled out in the shade are also resting. There’s no reason why we can’t rest too.”

A cocky-looking male student replied with a brazen smile. He held a steaming cup of tea, and a picnic blanket of unknown origin lay beneath him.

“You’re deliberately defying me. I clearly said to run laps around the training grounds.”
“Yes, we heard you. But Assistant Professor… is that really necessary?”

The male student placed his teacup on the ground and met my gaze.

“Suddenly running laps? We’re not the Knight Department, with muscles for brains. There’s no reason for us to sweat and run.”
“Billy, that’s not for you to decide.”
“Assistant Professor, no, Professor. Let’s be frank. You’re having us run because you’re trying to hide something, aren’t you?”

The male student, Billy, glanced at his friends sitting around him. His gaze lingered longest on the princess.

Perhaps emboldened by Selene’s nonchalant sipping of her tea, Billy stood up and spoke arrogantly, “We know, Professor. You’re a parachute appointment.”
“…”
“No published papers, no achievements, yet Professor Olivier placed you in this important position. That’s what we heard from the assistants. Naturally, it spread among us students as well.”

Billy smirked. Some students looked surprised, thinking his words were a bit harsh, and started to intervene.

Glance.

But Billy only cared about Selene’s reaction.

“…”

Selene listened with an unchanged expression. Assured by her reaction, Billy became even bolder.

“We know, Professor. You want to compensate for your lack of achievements by teaching the students impressively. But you don’t know what to teach, so you’re resorting to these mindless exercises.”

No one tried to stop Billy anymore. Even the students thought he had crossed a line. My icy expression confirmed it.

Billy, oblivious to the gravity of the situation, continued, “If you don’t have the confidence to teach, just let us have self-study in the classroom instead of making us run like this. That would be much better.”

Running laps on the training grounds? Seriously?

Mages can’t sweat under the scorching sun like common laborers; it’s undignified.

…

I finally spoke, my voice dangerously low, “…Insolent.”

Even I was surprised by the sharpness of my tone.

“Excuse me?”
“Billy, is that all you have to say?”
“N-No… I have more to say…”
“I think you’ve said enough.”

I wasn’t going to listen anymore.

Thud, thud. I walked towards Billy.

“…!”

As I approached, Billy sensed the shift in the atmosphere. He instinctively tried to look at Selene, but I was too close, capturing his attention.

“Billy, look at me.”
“N-No, it’s not that, I just…!”
“I’m the one standing in front of you. So don’t look at Selene, look at me.”

Billy looked at me, startled.

“Did… you just call the princess by her name?”

Not even “Princess Selene,” but just “Selene”?

Billy couldn’t believe his ears. He was shocked.

“What about it?”
“Professor! Even if everyone is equal, royalty is different!”
“Th-That’s right! There are some lines you can’t cross!”

The academy’s principle was that everyone was equal in the pursuit of knowledge. Accordingly, regardless of status, students addressed each other by their first names. However, even within the academy, which advocated for equality, it was challenging to address royalty without honorifics, especially within the Empire’s territory.

However…

“Don’t be ridiculous. Everyone is equal at the academy. You are all students, and I am your teacher. It’s only natural for me to address you by your names.”

I didn’t care. What was wrong with addressing students by their names? The other professors also called the princess “Selene.”

If I were still just an assistant professor, I would have addressed her as “Princess Selene,” but I was currently acting as Professor Olivier’s substitute. A substitute professor was still a professor, even if temporarily.

“Besides, I’ve been calling Selene by her name since she interrupted me in the classroom. Why the fuss now, Billy? Are you, perhaps…”

Had he been acting so boldly because he thought he had the princess’s backing?

“!!!”

Billy flinched and stepped back, his expression revealing that I’d hit a nerve. He reflexively glanced at Selene. The other students sitting on the blanket also looked at her.

“…So it wasn’t just you.”

I finally understood the dynamics within this little clique.

“You were all acting so arrogant because you thought you had the princess’s support.”

Now it made sense. There was no way they would talk to a professor like that without backing.

Of course, even I thought what Billy said wasn’t entirely wrong, but there was a difference between thinking something and voicing it as if it were an undeniable truth, especially as a student to a professor.

I looked at each student and said, “Everyone here gets one demerit point.”
“What?!”
“Professor! Billy was the one who was disrespectful, why are we getting demerit points too?! If you’re going to give them out, give them to him!”
“Hey! Are you done? Why should I get a demerit point?! I didn’t say anything wrong!”
“That’s why you’re getting one!”

Demerit points. They might seem insignificant, but they were a relatively serious punishment for a professor to give. Accumulating 20 demerit points in a semester meant expulsion, regardless of status.

And there was a hidden effect. Receiving demerit points at the academy, which was filled with young nobles who would inherit their family’s titles, was enough to become the subject of gossip among the students.

Having received demerit points on their first day, the students started bickering amongst themselves, denying responsibility before appealing to me for leniency. Selene led the charge.

“Professor, it’s practically your first day… Would you consider revoking the demerit points?”

Selene spoke with a smile, but her tone betrayed her irritation. Professor Olivier was absent, replaced by an assistant professor who made them exercise for no reason, and now they had demerit points. She was clearly displeased.

Fine, I could rescind the punishment. I didn’t want to antagonize the princess. But on one condition.

“If you join the running group now, I’ll let it slide.”
“Alright. I think that would be much better for your reputation as well, Professor.”
“Except for Billy.”
“Why me?!”
“Because of the things you said. I don’t think leniency is warranted in your case.”

With that, Selene joined the running group. The other students, after exchanging glances, followed her. I, too, started running again. I ignored the feeling of eyes boring into the back of my head.

Noon. Morning classes were over. I was on my way to lunch after somehow surviving my first lecture.

“Ziek, stop right there.”
“…”

A firm female voice called out from behind me. I froze, recognizing the familiar voice.

It was a voice I couldn’t mistake. A voice I had heard for as long as I could remember, even before joining the academy.

Without turning around, I spoke her name, “…Luna.”

She was someone I had known almost as long as my family. We could have become family once.

“Do you know how many times I’ve heard your name today? Suddenly, an assistant professor takes over a lecture, not just for a day, but for a whole year in Professor Olivier’s place. I was shocked.”
“Luna, get to the point.”
“Do you think I stopped you because I want to chat? Hah, seriously. I can’t believe I was once engaged to you… I’m so glad we broke it off.”

Luna Melntuel. My ex-fiancée. We hadn’t parted on good terms, and even though we both worked at the academy, we tried to avoid each other.

And now, with Lilia at home… it made things even more awkward. It must be the same for her.

I wondered why she had suddenly called out to me.

Rustle, rustle.

The sound of someone stepping through the grass reached my ears.

“…”
“…”
“…”

I turned around and saw familiar silhouettes. They were hiding behind a pillar, but their protruding silver hair gave them away.

‘Those brats.’

They must have been upset about getting demerit points earlier.