Villainous Instructor at the Academy Chapter 10: Invitation

The students didn't leave imdiately. They never did.

Mira stayed behind, probably trying to puzzle out whatever hidden lesson she thought I'd left behind. Leo looked like he wanted to argue about sothing but decided against it. Felix had already made good on his promise to leave, trudging away like a man who had just barely survived a war.

Julien, though? He was staring at . Hard.

I sipped my coffee, raising an eyebrow. "Sothing on your mind, Smartass?"

He crossed his arms. "Yeah. I want a rematch."

Garrick snorted. "Rematch? Against what? The dummy? It's kind of hard to fight back."

Julien shot him a glare before turning back to . "Not the dummy. You."

Mira blinked. "Oh, this should be good."

Leo sighed. "Julien, you know this is a bad idea, right?"

"It's a great idea," Julien said. "He keeps ssing with us, so I think it's only fair we ss with him."

I smirked. "Bold of you to assu you could."

"Oh, I plan to." He cracked his knuckles, shaking out whatever soreness remained. "One hit. That's all I need."

I took another sip of my coffee. "You sure about that?"

Julien nodded. "Yeah."

"Alright." I set my cup down. "Go ahead."

Mira's eyes narrowed. "Wait. That easy?"

"Of course," I said. "One hit. If he lands it, he wins."

Julien didn't waste ti. He shot forward, fast and controlled. Not bad. He had good instincts. Good footwork, too.

Sha it wouldn't help him.

I shifted just enough to avoid the strike. His fist sailed past , and in that brief opening, I flicked my finger against his forehead.

Tap.

Julien stumbled back, clutching his head. "What the hell was that?!"

I picked up my coffee. "A reminder."

Leo winced. "Oof. That looked personal."

Julien groaned. "You cheated."

I tilted my head. "How?"

"You—You did sothing."

"Yes," I said. "I moved."

Mira snorted. "I knew this was going to happen."

Julien scowled. "Fine. Best out of three."

"No."

"Five?"

"No."

"Coward."

I rolled my eyes. "You lost. Take the L and move on."

Julien grumbled sothing under his breath, but at least he didn't try again. Progress.

Garrick chuckled. "So, lesson number two of the day: don't fight the instructor."

"Lesson one should've covered that already," Leo muttered.

I grabbed my coat. "Lesson's over. Unless you want to add more to your to-do list?"

Julien waved off. "I get it. You're faster, smarter, and more annoying than ."

"Good summary," I said. "Now, go be soone else's problem."

Mira smirked. "See you next ti, Professor."

I grunted. "Try not to die before then."

Felix was long gone. Leo and Garrick followed after Mira. Julien lingered for a mont, rubbing his forehead before sighing and walking off.

Finally. Peace.

I sat back, taking another sip of coffee. The sun was still high, the air crisp. Not a bad day, all things considered.

But knowing my luck? It wouldn't last.

__

Faculty Quarters,

I was sitting on the chair in my room, I was thinking about the new runes that might help teaching the students.

Then I heard a knock,

I sighed, setting my coffee down. So much for peace.

"Who is it?"

No answer.

I frowned. That wasn't a good sign. The students had the decency to announce themselves—usually with so complaint or another. The other instructors barely acknowledged my existence unless they had to.

Another knock.

Alright. Fine.

I stood up, rolling my shoulders before opening the door.

Instructor Roderick Vaughn stood there, grinning like he had already won sothing.

"Lucian," he greeted, far too cheerfully. "You look like a man who needs a drink."

I blinked. "I don't."

"Too bad. Faculty lounge. Drinking night. You're coming."

I leaned against the doorfra. "Pass."

Roderick sighed, rubbing his temple like I was the unreasonable one. "Listen, man. You keep skipping these, and people are starting to think you're—how do I put this nicely? A miserable bastard."

"Good. That ans they'll stop bothering ."

"Yeah, see, that's the problem," Roderick said, crossing his arms. "You're drawing too much attention."

I frowned. "How does not drinking with a bunch of washed-up knights and scheming instructors and arrogant mages draw attention?"

"Because it makes you an outlier," he said simply. "Lucian, you used to show up to these things all the ti. You'd drink, gamble, and run your mouth. Now? You barely acknowledge anyone outside of class. Did sothing happened to you?."

I clicked my tongue. Damn it. He had good intuition.

The old Lucian Drelmont had been a corrupt bastard who indulged in every vice the academy's hierarchy had to offer. Drinking, bribery, power plays—he was in the thick of it. If I suddenly turned into a quiet recluse, it wouldn't just be weird—it'd be suspicious.

And now Roderick was standing here, watching carefully, waiting for an answer.

I shrugged. "Guess I just got tired of the company."

He snorted. "Bullshit."

"Fine. Then let's say I'm making better life choices."

"That would be an improvent." He tilted his head. "But I don't buy it. Sothing changed, Lucian. And whether you like it or not, people are noticing."

I clenched my jaw. Damn it. Roderick Vaughn wasn't just so muscle-headed knight. He was a forr battlefield commander, and in Sword of Radiance, he had been one of the few truly good people in this wretched academy. He didn't just teach—he protected.

Which ant if he was keeping an eye on ...

"You know," I said, forcing a smirk, "for a guy inviting to drinks, you sure ask a lot of questions."

Roderick chuckled. "And for a guy avoiding drinks, you're sure dancing around the answer."

Tch. Annoying bastard.

I exhaled. "Fine. One drink."

"Three."

"One."

"Two, and I won't make you give a toast."

I narrowed my eyes. "That was never on the table."

"It is now."

I sighed. "Fine."

Roderick grinned, clapping on the shoulder. "Glad to hear it. We're eting in the lounge in an hour. Don't be late."

He turned to leave, but I called after him. "Roderick."

He paused, looking back.

I studied him for a mont. If I rembered right, he died after the Northern Forest incident, soone backstabbed him—trying to protect a group of students from a beast tide. It was a brutal, one-sided massacre, and no one ca to help him, along with him so students and faculty mbers got killed.

A pointless death.

One that shouldn't happen.

Roderick Vaughn was a pain in the ass, but he was one of the few good ones. If I was stuck in this world, rewriting my fate... maybe I could tweak a few other things too.

"Watch your back," I said finally.

He raised an eyebrow. "That a warning?"

"Call it a friendly reminder."

Roderick smirked. "Noted."

And with that, he walked off.

I shut the door behind and sighed.

This was going to be a headache.