Elite Instructor at a Third-Rate Academy

7 – What to do with the boredom! ☆

The sound of prayers flowed from Senit’s quarters. As usual, Zenowa gave a gentle tap and spoke.

“It’s me.”

Clang—a sound reminiscent of a wind chime echoed as the rings on the saint’s staff jingled.

“I’ll come in.”

As I stepped through the door, Senit, who was kneeling, opened his eyes. His head was spinning due to the distinct scent of the saint. As the representative of the Holy Mother carefully cultivated by the Church, one must apply the fragrance without fail every day. As a result, at some point, the distinctive aroma permeates the body.

“Zenowa, morning prayer hasn’t finished yet.”

“Why are you using honorifics between colleagues?”

“But still. If you wait a moment, I’ll finish and go.”

“Don’t push yourself too hard. Your health isn’t in the best condition.”

“Thank you for your concern.”

A shy, blushing smile was incredibly lovely. If someone were to ask Zenowa if Senit was beautiful, she would answer no. However, when judged based on femininity, the saint stood out more than other women. It irritated Zenowa to think that even someone as sensual as Ivon Dickio could feel s*xual desire for Occhia.

“It’s over.”

It was just a moment, but 30 minutes had passed.

“You probably didn’t have lunch.”

“What about you, Genoa? Did you attend class today?”

“Don’t nag, we promised not to do that.”

“Neglecting studies without any reason is a sin.”

“Is it okay for a saint to force others to do what she can’t?”

With a click, Sennite took a small step forward, her gaze slightly sulky. Dangerous. Every time others pushed her away, she took one step closer, willingly embracing hardship. She believed that everyone would act that way, as written in the Bible, even though there was no goodness in anyone.

“No.”

A bright, clean smile accompanied a well of wounds as deep as scars.

“But?”

“I’m worried about you, Genoa, who worries about me.”

“Let’s go, find a place that serves vegetable stew. Still can’t eat meat?”

“Yes, it’s the period of abstinence. It seems it will continue until I become clean again.”

She doesn’t eat enough. Already slender, her weight must have dropped to around 30 kg. Genoa wanted to ask. What happened that day in the warehouse? No, more precisely, how much happened? Sennite, with her knowledge of self-defense and the presence of iron bars, couldn’t have been raped.

– Then, was she harassed?

That was Genoa’s guess. Otherwise, this faithful girl wouldn’t refuse to attend school and pray to God every day. The notion of becoming clean presupposed that she had been defiled.

“Sennite, don’t think about anything.”

When Genoa spoke, the saint replied with folded hands.

“I understand.”

“Yeah, let’s have a meal later.”

If there is love between women, what Genoa feels for Sennite is clearly affection. However, it is an emotion closer to maternal love than s*xual desire or intimacy.

“Oh, by the way, I have something to tell you.”

After finishing the meal, Genoa spoke to Sennite. A brilliant golden light shone upon her. Upon seeing her eyes filled with unwavering trust, the courage to confess vanished. Surely, she would only receive a scolding for why it happened.

“No, it’s nothing.”

“I understand. Let me know whenever you want to talk.”

She nodded. She would naturally find out when Sennite returned to school. After a walk with the saint, Genoa headed to her dormitory. She wanted to drink a strong drink and fall asleep immediately.

“What is it?”

She was immediately irritated upon arrival. When did she ask for it? Yet, it hadn’t been delivered. If she couldn’t even run errands, there was no reason to give pocket money to Amy, who was disorderly and stupid.

“Just give it a try.”

Genoa bent his fingers, mimicking the gesture of cracking his knuckles. It was a move he intended to use when Amy returned, planning to give her a piece of his mind. However, until the next day, there was no sign of alcohol or snacks arriving.

[#07 – Interview]

The more the class progressed, the more Kenneth’s anger grew. Indeed, the thinking of Lailand Academy students was as narrow and brutal as the insults such as blockhead, hardass, and scum that came to mind after a long time.

“Watch closely.”

Once again, when Selena spread her legs and revealed her underwear, irritation surged. There was no desire to see the undergarments of a young woman. However, when an adult was flaunting it in front of him, it was instinctive for the gaze to be drawn. Unable to pierce his own eyes, at times like this, the only option was to punish the mischievous female student.

“If you keep doing that, I’ll kick you out.”

“What did I do?”

“Get your legs off the desk.”

“Why?”

Selena smirked maliciously. Kenneth no longer had the patience to tolerate this young and cheeky student. Approaching silently, she seemed to have been frightened as her shoulders shrank.

“Don’t move.”

Fisting his hand, Kenneth slammed his fist through the gap between Selena’s slightly spread ankles.

“Ack!”

“I told you not to move.”

This time, he alternately struck the outside of both ankles with a thud. Each time the desk shook, Selena’s underwear and thigh flesh were vividly exposed. Clenching her trembling legs, Selena looked up resentfully as Kenneth spoke.

“Next time, I’ll kick with my feet.”

Unlike hands, warning that accuracy decreases and strength increases, finally seemed to soften her.

“I got it!”

Tears were just about to flow, but it wasn’t a completely helpless situation. If she were the fearful type, she would have already wet herself. After a deep breath, Kenneth suppressed the surging emotions. Meditation was familiar to him; he had to repeat breathing about ten times to distance himself from anger.

“The essence of diplomacy is identifying the parties involved in the incident.”

In the Empire, it was a somewhat broad category usually referred to as stratagem. Kenneth tried to believe that it was the background of Class C-8 students pouring out right and wrong answers.

“Who is the person involved in this case?”

Since there was no answer, he elaborated.

“The person involved refers to someone directly related to the incident.”

He refrained from providing further explanation, as it would be ignoring the students.

“Ochia.”

However, knowing they wouldn’t answer if he didn’t point them out, he called on the academically excellent student.

“Give me an answer.”

“Um… First, the government… and the person who found out about it… and, um.”

“If you don’t say anything, just express your opinion.”

“Is it true that there are nobles plotting a rebellion… and someone responsible for stopping it?”

“No, that’s incorrect.”

Within the domain of the duke, individuals directly and indirectly involved in an incident were distinguished. This concept was slightly different from common sense or legal disputes, so Ochia’s response wasn’t foolish.

“So, what should we… do, then?”

“Praise for incorrect answers is not warranted.”

Upon being told to sit, she continued to fiddle with her bangs, completely covering her eyes.

“The people directly involved in this matter, meaning those who know the truth, are me, the government, and the nobles. Everyone else is indirectly involved, so they are considered stakeholders. The scope of stakeholders is very broad, including the imperial family, the emperor, regional commanders, acquaintances and relatives of nobles, and even close associates not involved in the rebellion.”

Kennis continued the explanation.

“The party involved is the one implicated in the causality of the event, and stakeholders refer to everyone affected by the outcome. The duke’s role is to coordinate the gains and losses of the stakeholders. In other words, what you need to think about is how to influence them to control the will and actions of the parties involved.”

Everyone had a blank expression.

“Is my explanation difficult?”

“It’s like a foreign language.”

It was Selena. She no longer dared to spread her legs. The desk was a mess, indicating that she was at least listening.

“Nobles are plotting a rebellion, and from that statement, we can see that it can still be prevented. So, having obtained information quickly, I need to consider what is beneficial in the occurrence and prevention of this rebellion. Only a few stakeholders benefit from the rebellion, while the rest suffer. This is the point to focus on. When the nobles raise their banner against the imperial family, who suffers the most damage?”

“Youngmin.”

The girl who had been silent until now spoke.

“Mercadi, was it?”

He nodded.

“Besides Youngmin, there are others.”

“Associates who did not participate in the rebellion.”

“That’s the answer.”

“No… you asked something much more difficult, didn’t you?”

Even though Ochia interjected, Kennis continued without paying attention.

“Now we need to move Youngmin to expedite or delay the timing of the rebellion.”

Of course, there was a way to prevent the rebellion itself, but for now, he decided to leave that aside.

“If our military is ready and can suppress it immediately, advancing is the right thing to do. We can use the rebellion as an excuse to crush it. However, reality is not so simple. Rebellions always have loopholes. So, delaying the timing is usually more advantageous.”

“Ah, it’s so boring.”

“Selena, do you have to destroy the desk to listen?”

“What can I do? It’s really boring to death!”

To Kennis, the explanation of the situation was no different from what was said in the strategy room of the headquarters. The difference was that everyone in his room had abilities of at least A grade, while here, they were students hovering around C grade or so.

“I’ll take your criticism on teaching methods gracefully.”

“What’s the point of taking it when it won’t be enjoyable anyway?”

Selnana scoffed, and Kenis erased everything written on the blackboard.

“You told me not to give up, but you’re the first one to give up!”

Selnana sneered, forming a V-shape with her legs.

“No, it’s not like that.”

Kenis picked up a chalk. On the blackboard, he wrote Selnana as the noble, herself as Ochia, and Merkadia as the government official. Although he didn’t need to add a footnote, he calmly explained to the students, starting with the regional commander, Temyurik.

“I, as the class president, heard from my friend Merkadia that Selnana, our classmate, intends to smear excrement on the head of the instructor. Now, who is the person involved in this incident, who are the parties concerned, and how should we resolve it?”

“No, I didn’t do it!”

“Um… Teacher…no, instructor… I’m not the class president either.”

“May I answer?”

It was Merkadia. Both males and females looked at her at once, but she stood up confidently as if disregarding their gazes.

“Go ahead.”

“Selnana won’t listen no matter what anyone says.”

“Hey, you damn b*tch, you know it wasn’t me, right?”

“Just ignore her.”

“But I’ll only tell the instructor separately about who the instigator is.”

“Why is that?”

“Not only do I dislike harboring ill feelings towards someone like Selnana who acts recklessly, but it’s also tiring to become enemies with someone like the instructor.”

Kenis praised with a chuckle.

“That’s how parties involved should coordinate.”

“So, may I leave now?”

“You have the qualification to leave first.”

“Hey, you rat-like b*tch. What are you planning to do on your own?”

“It’s ridiculous, you guys are the strange ones. She seems like a really good person unlike you. Why fuss over her?”

Merkadia stopped folding clothes on the display rack.

“Can I listen a little more before leaving?”

“Do as you please.”

“Damn b*tch, are you already starting trouble?”

“Why don’t you just show off your underwear with your legs wide open?”

“Sellana.”

When Kennis stepped down from the podium, she looked at him with challenging eyes. From her inability to speak, it seemed to be a mix of fear. When she lowered her gaze silently, her upright pupils trembled.

“At least study by yourself.”

Ignorance is not a crime, but making noise about a stupid topic is a nuisance, so she yelled and overturned the table. Kennis picked it up and stood it back straight, then gathered her knees tightly and returned to the podium.

“As her homeroom teacher, I do not have any resentment towards Sellana. As the main subject of the duke, she is someone to avoid and suppress.”

Teehee, when a small laugh spread, Sellana blinked her teary eyes.

“Really, it’s not me!”