Instructor Lissia, or Instructor Liz as she asked to be called, stayed leaning on the desk as she finished her introduction. The class remained eerily silent. No one wanted to be the first to move, let alone speak up.

The instructor didn’t seem bothered by it, though. In fact, she kind of looked amused.

“Tough crowd, huh?” she muttered. “I guess I must inform you that I am a new instructor of the Royal Knights. This will be the first ever class I teach, so don’t be hesitant to give me some feedback, alright?” she said with a grin.

So far, she had been trying her best to present herself as the “hip” and “friendly” teacher, the one who would say “hey there, fellow kids!” without a single shred of self-awareness.

But no one in this room would dare to see her in such light.

To others, it might be due to the inexplicable sense of danger emanating from her. Not a life-threatening kind of danger, but the type where you do not want to be on her bad side kind of danger.

But for me… it was something else entirely. Thanks to Carine’s eyes, I could see what others shouldn’t.

Whenever she looked around, whenever she moved her neck, I could see deeper into her skin under her uniform’s collar. What I saw were scars, only faintly healed. The same scars could be seen under her sleeves whenever she made any sweeping motion with her arm.

I could tell, instantly, this was someone who had seen action, been into battle… and perhaps narrowly escaped death a couple of times. But so far, it was only my speculation, the only faint clue for the source of this dread surrounding her.

“Anyway,” she continued, pushing off the desk and beginning to pace slowly, “I’m guessing this whole class setup is a bit of a surprise, right? Commoners and aristocrats… all in the same room. How novel.”

Her grin turned into a slight smirk as she scanned the room once more.

“Well, I’m also here to tell you that the academy is… trying new things.” She paused. “To be honest, hiring me is probably part of that…” she mumbled to no one but herself… and Feyt’s ears.

To be honest, that didn’t inspire confidence at all.

“Let’s see what I gotta teach…”

She reached behind her coat and pulled out a book, flipping it open with one hand. The motion was casual, but the way she lifted her chin slightly as her eyes scanned the page made it feel oddly formal.

…Or maybe she just needed glasses.

“Says here that… I have to start with fundamentals. Basic stance, grip, posture—”

—Snap!

The book slammed shut, and the echoing crack flinched nearly every student in the classroom, except for a few.

“Well, that sounds boring.” She paused for a moment, staring at the closed book and then throwing it onto the desk with an audible thud. She looked up at us, her eyes narrowed yet bright. “How about we just do the real thing, eh? You guys up for that?”

For a moment… it felt like a halo appeared behind her.

No fundamentals?

No drills?

Straight to practical lessons?

Is she an angel?

Apparently, I wasn’t the only one thinking something along those lines.

A few students straightened up immediately, interest sparking across their faces. Attila looked absolutely ecstatic, but was probably trying her best to keep herself calm. Lechter though… I could’ve sworn he had a very slight smirk upon hearing that news.

I guess even he had had enough of fundamentals.

Others, however… not so much. Hesitation and unease lingered, especially among those who weren’t used to holding a blade, like Lionne. She looked like she was hesitant to whisper something to me, which was probably her instinct by now, but the pressure was enough to keep even her down.

Still, though, I still couldn’t get this sense of unease away from myself. I should’ve been ecstatic about the news, but…

Why do I have a bad feeling about this?

“How about we start with sparring?” she said, already moving again, her boots tapping lightly against the floor as she paced. “Nothing too crazy. Just a simple one.”

Her gaze drifted around the room, but more so onto the room itself than us.

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“This place is a bit stuffy, isn’t it?” she added offhandedly. “But no matter. We’ll make do.”

She stopped at the centre front of the room, turning smoothly on her heels to face us.

“The rules are simple.” She held out two fingers. “It’ll be a two-on-two spar. You each have two minutes to find your partner, and then I’ll call random pairs forward to perform for us.”

Two on two?

Again, another reason to be ecstatic.

But what is this dread that I am feeling?

The room was starting to get noisy, full of students trying to find someone who wouldn’t trip on their foot during a spar. And as natural as the sun rising, a flock of students were already making their way over to me.

“Lady Carine! May I please have the honour of—”

“—Too slow! Lady Carine! If I may be your partner—”

“Hey, I got here first!”

Despite how much they held their breaths just seconds before, the moment the chance to partner with me opened, a floodgate was breached.

I was about to reject them all politely, or coldly depending on the circumstances, but before I could even manage to open my mouth…

“Ah, right! How could I forget~!” The instructor’s voice echoed through the room, which became silent once more.

Conversations died mid-word, bodies froze, and the small crowd forming around me halted as if they’d been caught doing something they shouldn’t.

Instructor Liz, standing in the centre of the room, began scanning our faces. Then, without warning, her gaze snapped straight to me.

“Lady Sareid…” she said, almost melodically.

A chill ran up my spine.

The group around me parted almost instantly, as if my name being called acted like some sort of invisible force.

“As expected… You look like you’re in tip-top shape!” She smiled, as if proud.

Before I could even begin to ask what she meant, she turned sharply and looked toward the opposite side of the room. Her eyes snapped straight… onto the other me.

“And you… Feyt, was it?” She paused for a moment, then she gave herself a nod, as if confirming something. “You’re not half-bad yourself. Perfect!”

She clasped her hands together, the noise silencing everything in the room.

“I’ve got a very special plan for you two.” That grin of hers widened. After pausing for a moment, she finally spoke.

“You two… will be up against me.”

And there it was.

The source of my dread.

Glad the mystery was solved.

…

The two minutes passed like slogging through mud, which gave me plenty of time to ponder just how much this academy wanted to mess with me.

Did I miss a payment or something?

Why else would they have it out for me this bad?

I was standing quietly beside myself, my training swords in my respective hands. I was holding my new personal sword as Carine, but Feyt was using the standard-issue. I should probably ask Father for a second sword for Feyt; this mismatch of the grip feel was… a bit annoying.

Or that was just me trying to find excuses.

After warm-ups were finished, Instructor Liz clapped her hands once more and turned smoothly towards the two of us.

“Alright, that settles that,” she said lightly. “Let’s get started right away, shall we?”

As we made our way to the training mat in the centre, where she was waiting for us, whispers began to circulate.

“It’s two against one…”

“Is this some kind of demonstration?”

“Did they piss her off or?”

They were all questions that I wanted to ask as well. But frankly, I wasn’t sure if I’d get a straight answer even if I tried.

She waited until we stepped onto the mat, then gave a small nod, as if satisfied with the positioning. Only then did she raise a hand, her tone turning just a touch more structured—just enough to resemble an actual lesson.

“Rules are simple,” she said. “Step out of the ring, you’re out. Lose your footing and fall—same thing. Standard rules. You’re fine with that?”

The both of me nodded.

“Good! Oh, and try not to break anything important,” she added, almost as an afterthought. “I don’t even know where to begin with paperwork,” she half-grumbled, half-chuckled.

I heard small chuckles here and there, probably from students who weren’t sure if we should laugh with her or not.

“Let’s warm up for a bit, then. I don’t want any excuses once we start.” She began stretching her arms and legs.

Both of me followed suit, making sure every joint and bone stayed limber.

We did our warm-ups in silence. But that silence was broken soon enough.

“I was there, you know?” she said. “The practical examination, you two were all the rage, huh?”

I slowed my pace for a moment before continuing on. Of course, she would’ve seen it. Everyone who knows someone in this academy has probably heard about it already.

“I saw the way the two of you fight,” she continued as she tilted her body sideways. “You two went against Corney no less. She’s tough, you know that?”

Corney?

Is she talking about Instructor Cornellia?

The one that trapped me in a pit?

“In all my years…” she went on, rolling her shoulder before switching sides, “…I’ve never seen a fighting style like that.”

Her voice was light… casual, even. But her eyes were anything but.

“The techniques… ’ve seen better. The posture, eh, could use some work… What I haven’t seen…” she added, her gaze settling on the both of us, “…is that level of trust.”

My movements slowed to a near halt. I kept a focused gaze on her as both of my bodies continued to stretch.

“You two moved like you know exactly what the other is about to do. So much so, that alone was enough for you to overwhelm someone like Cornellia…”

She straightened, letting out a small breath as she rolled her neck.

“I’ve always liked trying new things, you know?” she continued, almost offhandedly. Then, her tone dropped.

“And right now…” her eyes sharpened, locking onto ours, “…I want a taste of this.”

Okay. Remember that chill that ran up my spine earlier? Yeah, it had evolved into a full-blown blizzard across both bodies by now. I wasn’t sure if warm-ups would do us any good at this point.

Whatever kind of person this Instructor Liz person is, I had a vague feeling she wasn’t exactly a reasonable one.

“Alright,” she said lightly, as if none of that tension existed, “that should be enough warming up.”

She stepped forward. Then, with a casual motion, she lowered her body slightly and reached down beside her foot to scoop up her sword.

She picked them up with ease, passing them across her hands. She swung it with ease, then, as easily as she breathed, settled into a stance.

My grip tightened.

“You two ready?” her voice echoed low.

I took deep breaths. It should be alright.

I had trained for this. It was finally a chance to fight in my full potential once more. Creepy or not, I should thank her for this. I’d give it my all.

I’ll give you a taste of me, alright.

The both of me gave small, stiff nods.

In the next instant, we flew forward.

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