Elite Instructor at a Third-Rate Academy

2 – Unintentionally Delivered Insults ★

The reason Freida Vendelin misunderstood Kenis Lada was due to a previous unpleasant experience. If it was her immediate superior, there was no one else but the homeroom instructor from Class C-8 who had been expelled not long ago.

His name was Ivon Dikio. A guy like a lustful beast. The disgust arose abruptly when she discovered that he took away the laundry she had hung outside on days when she wasn’t around.

“What’s going on with you?”

Unable to directly mention that her underwear was missing, she asked indirectly with a natural reply.

“My laundry disappeared.”

“Why are you asking me about it?”

“Because it seems to be somewhat related.”

She glared at Ivon with sharp eyes. Nine times out of ten, men would cringe under her gaze. Whether it was because of her beauty or her piercing glare, Freida didn’t care.

“If you don’t trust me, why don’t you check my room?”

Ivon Dikio’s pupils dilated vaguely. There was no reason for a woman to enter a man’s room, especially when both were instructors. Stepping back, Freida firmly refused.

“No.”

She tried to brush it off and move on. However, about a month later, the creaking sound from upstairs continued. Even in the late hours, the noise echoed. In broad daylight, Ivon Dikio always had a slightly excited expression. The transparent beads of sweat and the repugnant smell of a woman made her nauseous.

“Please keep it down.”

“Oh, did I make noise while exercising?”

“You don’t have to do it in your room, right?”

“There’s no reason not to do it in my room.”

Again filled with disdain, when Freida looked at Ivon Dikio, she felt his gaze scanning different parts of her body. When the gaze lingered around her chest, instinctively, she turned her back.

“I’m asking you.”

The noise continued every night, and on some days, even her underwear disappeared. Rather than fighting or even talking, she dried her laundry outside the room. Whenever the damp humidity clung to her body, she cursed Ivon Dikio and wished for him to be expelled. However, when it happened at the expense of a female student, it felt like something was stuck in her throat.

─I could have stopped it.

It was clear guilt. What if she had reported it to the school authorities first? Such self-blame persisted as she vowed to thoroughly inspect the next instructor when they arrived. And at this moment, the man standing in front of her gave off a somewhat uneasy feeling, not as much as Ivon Dikio.

However, simultaneously, a certain sentence kept haunting Freida’s mind, making her feel uneasy.

“He looks quite handsome on the perverted theme.

[#02 – First Assignment]

For Kennis Lada, this kind of situation was familiar. The reactions of women he encountered were generally either unexplained kindness or inexplicable rudeness. The former was a common behavior shown to men with power and talent, and the latter was an expression of the malicious intention to break a man with an arrogant temperament.

“Do you have anything else to say?”

Therefore, the best option in such situations was to ignore.

“No, I’m good.”

The tone remained hostile. In that case, it was better to politely address the rudeness.

“I am Temulic Staind, and I am assigned to Class 8 in Grade C.”

As he finished speaking, the woman’s pupils slightly enlarged. Kennis took a few steps back, bowed courteously, and greeted her gracefully. It was an action taken with the intention of having impeccable manners, leaving no room for the other party to criticize.

“So, do I need to tell you my name as well?”

“No.”

When Kennis laughed, Freide considered it mocking and began to raise her guard.

─ I don’t understand her intentions.

Her attitude was so childlike that Kennis couldn’t even guess why she was acting like this.

“I just wanted to let you know that I’m not a pervert.”

“Ha, look at this.”

“I’ll stop climbing.”

“No, just tell me if you exercise indoors or not.”

He did. Despite being part of the operations division, he maintained his habit of exercising anywhere to keep his muscles in shape.

“Yes.”

“I thought so.”

“Do instructors speak informally to each other?”

“I won’t stay quiet if you lose your clothes.”

Since the context of her words wasn’t clear, at this moment, Freide was nothing more than an annoying woman to Kennis. It even raised suspicions that she was making up unnecessary words just to attract his attention.

“I will be cautious.”

“Cautious?”

“If you don’t want to get involved in a conversation, I’ll step back.”

She greeted him unilaterally and walked away.

“Freide Bendelin!”

As he turned around, he realized belatedly that he had violated etiquette, and his face turned red.

“C-5 Class Homeroom Teacher. I apologize for criticizing you out of the blue.”

“Yes.”

“That room you were staying in must have been owned by a lunatic.”

─ If I were in charge, I would have immediately knocked him senseless and demoted him.

Kenneth was inherently incompatible with women. He found it difficult to accommodate women who prioritized emotions over logic, especially those who emphasized their own opinions.

“I will take note of that.”

Kenneth folded his index and middle fingers and spoke after folding his index finger first.

“Do not exercise indoors.”

“Excuse me?”

The remaining middle finger stayed extended while she spoke.

“Do not steal other people’s clothes.”

“Why are you pointing your finger at me?”

“Oh, I forgot one.”

Now he finally folded his middle finger and tightly clenched his fist.

“The previous instructor was an odd character.”

As he finished his report, Pruitt made a flicking sound while walking upstairs. He entered the room and untied the garment rack he brought with him. He hung the sword that Roetelon used to own on the wall and placed notebooks, ink, and a fountain pen on the desk.

─ We will also need a small lantern.

He had to find it here. For someone suffering from severe work addiction, not having anything to do overnight was like facing a difficult task.

“Roetelon.”

Kenneth looked around the shabby room and called the name he longed for. His friend’s death finally felt real when he paid his respects to the sword his friend used. He had not had the opportunity to think freely, as his mind had been preoccupied with prison life and trials.

“The world does not return to righteousness.”

─ Though I have said it, my friend. To become a war hero with integrity, and ultimately become a sacrificial lamb of battle, my dear cousin.

Tears finally started streaming down his cheeks. Sadness, like a breeze, had sent its currents from a very distant place to this side. Kenneth wiped away his tears as if his eyes had become blinded by them. In his thirties, shedding tears felt embarrassing yet relieving.

“I am still capable of crying. I am able to cry for someone dear to me.”

It was a feeling closer to a sense of relief, only understood by those accustomed to loss, that they could find evidence to assure themselves that they were still human. He paid his respects once again and poured a glass of alcohol on his sword at Buxton.

Knock, knock, knock──

Someone knocked on the door. Was it Hakjang or Oh Chia? No, it didn’t matter who it was, Kenneth had no reason to meet anyone. He signaled that the door was open. Then, a familiar face entered.

“What’s wrong? Are you crying?”

He must still have bloodshot eyes.

“What brings you here?”

“What’s the matter?”

It wasn’t a question. The tone was more of an order to state the business and leave, closer to an expulsion order. However, Freida leaned against the door frame, her earlobe resting against her hand, in a manner so feminine that Keneis easily guessed she must have endured gossip and speculation. Just like Rotelon, beauty always brought rumors.

“No, what if a man cries just because he heard such words?”

Freida made a troubled expression as she tried to take out a handkerchief from her pocket. The inside pocket got turned inside out, and dust and threads flew out embarrassingly.

─She looks like an otherworldly woman, but her actions don’t match at all.

Becoming a bit curious and intrigued about how she would resolve that awkwardness, Keneis silently observed. Freida then casually took off her outerwear and wrapped the cuff of her arm around.

“Let’s go. This is the handkerchief I use!”

“All right.”

“Are you so delicate that you’ll be teaching students?”

It was a face that could be either apologetic or joyful. Keneis didn’t bother to clear up any misunderstandings. Even if the reason for tears was different, the fact that she cried remained, and the observation of her fragility was valid.

“Ivon Dikio.”

When Freida grimaced and said that, Keneis asked whose name it was.

“The pervert who was the homeroom teacher of Class C-8.”

“He’s irrelevant to me.”

“Your face… looked perfectly fine, so I just asked outright.”

Freida said that and smacked herself on the forehead.

“Why are you doing this?”

“I’m solving it with this. After thinking about it, I realized I said rude things without knowing anything.”

Even though he reassured her and gave a simple and clear answer, Freida twitched her eyes and made a strange sound, “Hm…” as if she wasn’t convinced.

“Does someone like him cry?”

“That’s…”

─It’s too troublesome to explain.

He might believe it if someone said they cried over the death of a comrade, but that couldn’t be said about Rotelon. He had to stay here as Lieutenant Temulic Staind, pretending to be four years younger than his actual age. There was no need to leak any information that could reveal his true identity.

“I thought of my mother and got emotional.”

“Well… If it’s because of pride, I’ll forgive you.”

Seemingly with nothing more to say, they decided to exercise outside, and he vowed to resolve any misunderstandings through actions rather than words. Freida, now standing straight, stared silently at Keneis Lada.

“As a gesture of apology, how about having dinner together? You’ll forget about it.”

“No, it’s fine.”

Rather than a meal, he wanted to familiarize himself with the geography of Lireland Academy and learn about the subjects he would be teaching in the future.

“You’re so timid. Look at your stiff tone.”

─She’s definitely an annoying and irritating woman.

“Sure.”

Kennis stood up from his seat.

“Since it’s my first time here today, I will take a look around the area and only focus on matters related to academics.”

“Acting like a child, throwing tantrums.”

“And if I have some free time after that, I will do it.”

“From the way you speak, it’s clear that you have a stern tone.”

─Using informal language, and being so disrespectful to someone who appears younger than me, isn’t it too careless?

Kennis politely greeted her again and requested that she leave.

Freide scoffed and muttered something, then went downstairs. She quickly tidied up the room and then walked around the outskirts of Railand Academy. She was surprised by the poor facilities. Despite being built a long time ago, it seemed like a neglected noble’s villa.

“How do they train awakening beings in a place like this?”

Grade A awakens their abilities, but Grades B, C, and D are practically no different from ordinary people who can operate in the erosion zone. More than anything, good equipment, especially training facilities, are important, but the poor conditions here were beyond imagination.

“There’s work to be done.”

Turning weaklings into elites was something Kennis Lada was exceptionally good at.

He knew what Railand Academy expected of him, but there was no reason to be disheartened just because he was exiled here. Since life continues wherever he is, he could set goals that he needed to achieve at any time.

“It feels like coming back to a training camp.”

Engulfed in a faint longing, he carefully examined various facilities in Railand. He returned to his lodging late at night, worried that he might come across Freide if he returned early. Quietly opening the door and spreading out his sleeping bag, he heard a thud─a sound of something hitting the wall. When he opened the door, all he heard was the echo of footsteps on the stairs.