Chapter 14: Opening

Outside in the corridor, Lyr’s head was throbbing after listening to a mountain of arrangements in the office.

When he first joined the Knights, there weren’t nearly as many rules and regulations.

Back then, Lyr was also a newcomer, but the Knights didn’t impose many restrictions, which was one of the things he had liked about the place.

But the Academy seemed different, even though he had been a student here himself in the past.

Back then, Lyr was just a student; he wasn’t like he was now, burdened with the title of a Teacher.

The massive stack of regulations included rules for students to follow and even more for the teachers.

What gave Lyr the biggest headache were the teaching materials specifically for teachers.

There were five or six books of various sizes, and that was just for a single subject.

This gave Lyr a general idea of how teachers always found so many points of knowledge to lecture about.

Once someone finished reading all those books, it would be difficult not to know how to teach.

At that moment, Lyr followed a Teacher who had been at the Academy for several years toward the classroom.

Even a new teacher who had specifically studied pedagogical knowledge might not be able to command the first class, let alone a complete novice like Lyr.

“Lyr, I was the one teaching your course before. If you have any questions, you can always come and ask me.”

Lyr held a large stack of books in his arms.

Although he was accustomed to wielding a sword, he still found the weight a bit taxing.

“Alright, Teacher Luoduan.”

From their interactions so far, although it had only been a short while, Lyr had a fairly good impression of Teacher Luoduan.

In his eyes, she seemed to be the kind of gentle and amiable teacher who was very popular with others.

“By the way, I heard you spent a long time in the Knights?”

During the introductions earlier, the Dean of Instruction had specifically introduced several new teachers.

Aside from one girl, the others were all young men like Lyr.

However, Lyr had been brought in by an Academy Councilor, which had drawn a lot of attention.

In recent years, even when new teachers arrived, none had received the same treatment as Lyr.

“Yes, I stayed for a while, and then I went to the Frontier,” Lyr said.

Joining the Knights was something many Noble Scions dreamed of.

Casually giving that up made it easy for others to see him as an oddball, especially since he had ended up in the Border Regions.

“That explains it. No wonder they assigned the Swordsmanship Instruction course to you as well.”

“…”

At this mention, Lyr offered an awkward yet polite smile.

Yes, just a moment ago, he had been given another teaching assignment.

The reason was simple: it was all because he had served in the Knights.

This made Lyr begin to wonder if all the Academy’s arrangements were handled this way, without ever consulting the person involved.

Or perhaps he just had the kind of face that suggested he was easy to talk into things — or easy to bully.

Now that he thought about it, Lyr felt a sense of helplessness, as if he were being stripped bare and paraded through the streets.

‘When I see the Academy Director, I’m definitely going to resign. Yes, that’s it, just like I did with the Knights.’

‘You can do this, Lyr. Believe in yourself.’

“It’s always good for young people to gain more experience. There are a few difficult students in this class. If you run into any trouble, you can come find me.”

“I suppose so,” Lyr said, forcing a smile so hard his cheeks began to stiffen.

This kind of empty promise rhetoric was something he had heard back in the Knights.

Specifically, the phrase “it’s always good for young people to gain more experience” seemed to be applicable in almost any situation.

As they walked, following Luoduan’s lead, they soon arrived in front of the classroom.

Through the wall, the faint sounds of a commotion could be heard from within.

“This is the place. I’ll head in first, and you can follow me in after a moment.”

Luoduan looked completely at ease, clearly accustomed to this sort of thing.

The only slight difference Lyr noticed was that the moment she was about to enter the classroom, her previously kind and friendly face instantly tightened.

She was like a warrior hearing the blare of a horn, immediately assuming a combat stance — or rather, a battle face.

The noise from the students inside continued unabated.

“Did you hear? A new teacher was transferred to my friend’s class. Apparently, he’s the only son of some prestigious family, and he’s supposedly quite handsome.”

“Really? Then I hope our class gets one too this semester.”

“It’s really strange, though. My family has looked into almost all the teachers for the other classes, but we haven’t heard a single peep about our class this year.”

Although these Noble Scions hadn’t truly dealt with the complex web of noble interests yet, a microcosm of that world had already formed in their minds.

Real control of their families had not yet fallen into their hands, so they hadn’t begun to demonstrate those interests concretely.

However, gossiping seemed to be an unwritten habit for these students.

They were just like their families, inquiring about the new Teacher and digging into his background.

It was as if they were negotiating a business deal; they had to thoroughly understand someone’s bottom line before deciding how to deal with them.

But when the sound of Luoduan’s shoes clicking against the floor reached them as she stepped onto the podium…

The classroom fell into a brief silence, followed by a collective groan of disappointment.

“Eh… Teacher Luoduan, it’s you again?”

Whether it was the boys or the girls, disappointment was etched into both their voices and their expressions.

“Quiet.”

Luoduan clenched her hand into a fist and pounded it hard against the podium several times.

Her voice was full of vigor, carrying a weight of authority that could not be trifled with, instantly silencing everyone.

Lyr, standing outside, couldn’t see Luoduan’s expression, but the sound of her voice still made him shiver.

This was completely different from the impression she had given him just a moment ago.

“What?”

Luoduan scanned the room like a general inspecting her troops, her face stern.

“Is the fact that it’s me again making you all very unhappy?”

No one dared to challenge her questioning; there was only silence.

“I told you last time: no matter which family you come from, your only purpose here is to learn and then return to where you came from, ensuring your talents aren’t swallowed by mediocrity. You aren’t here to fool around all day.”

Luoduan’s voice wasn’t loud, but it felt deafening.

‘Why do I feel like she’s talking about me?’ Lyr muttered to himself outside.

Because when he was a student at the Academy, he was exactly the kind of person who was often lectured with those very words.

“Do you understand? Answer me!” Luoduan snapped again.

“Yes!”

No matter how arrogant these Noble Scions were on a regular day, in front of Luoduan, they were like young cubs whose claws and teeth had yet to grow.

The response wasn’t weak, but it sounded incredibly naive.

Seeing that she had the room under control, Luoduan finally reined in her aura slightly and glanced at Lyr outside the door.

The stage today didn’t belong to her; it was Lyr’s.

Her purpose in coming along was to help Lyr suppress these students so that he could have a smooth start.