I left my room and walked down the hall. The place was nice—too nice. Expensive decorations, polished floors, everything scread about the academies influence and wealth.
I didn't know my way around, so I followed the main hallway. A few servants of the academy passed by but didn't say anything. Maybe they were used to Lucian ignoring them.
I kept walking, pretending I knew where I was going. The academy was massive, with halls that stretched endlessly and doors leading to who-knew-where. I had no mory of Lucian's routine, so I was running on pure guesswork.
Eventually, I spotted a group of instructors heading in the sa direction. That had to be the way to the eting. I followed them from a distance, keeping my head down.
The eting hall was a large, circular room with high ceilings and rows of seats arranged around a central podium. Professors were already seated, chatting in low voices. So looked serious, others bored.
I took a seat near the back, trying to avoid attention.
Then, the room fell silent.
The Headmaster had arrived.
An Oldman with long silver hair and thick beard, his eyes were amber coloured. Just like how he was in the ga.
Headmaster Augustus Evercrest, one of the Archmages.
In Sword of Radiance, he was a living legend. His na alone could shake kingdoms. But more than that, he was ruthless when it ca to maintaining order. This was a man who didn't tolerate weakness, incompetence, or wasted potential.
He stepped onto the podium, his amber eyes sweeping over the room. Even the most arrogant instructors sat straighter under his gaze.
"Let's begin," he said. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried through the hall effortlessly.
A man in formal robes stood up, clearing his throat. "First, an update on student progress—"
I tuned most of it out. Talks about rankings, upcoming evaluations, disciplinary reports... None of it mattered to right now. I was too focused on surviving this eting without drawing attention.
Then, my na was called.
"Professor Drelmont."
Shit.
I looked up. One of the instructors—Victor Halloran, a strict Combat Magic professor—was staring at with thinly veiled contempt.
"You've missed several staff etings. And there is rumours about you regularly visiting a brothel.
Murmurs spread through the room. So professors exchanged glances, while others looked outright disgusted.
I forced myself to stay calm. "Rumours?" I repeated, leaning back in my seat. "Interesting. And here I thought we were discussing student progress."
Halloran's eyes narrowed. "Don't try to dodge the question, Drelmont. The academy has standards. If you're wasting your ti in such... establishnts, it explains why your family abandoned you."
The murmurs in the room grew louder. That one hit harder than the brothel accusation.
Lucian's family abandoned him? I had no idea if that was true, but judging by the way so professors smirked while others looked away awkwardly, it wasn't exactly a secret.
I exhaled slowly, keeping my expression neutral. "You seem awfully interested in my personal life, Halloran. Should I be flattered?"
His jaw clenched. "You're an embarrassnt to this academy."
"Enough."
Headmaster Evercrest's voice cut through the room like a blade. The tension was instant.
Halloran pressed his lips together and sat back down, but the glare he shot made it clear this wasn't over.
The Headmaster turned his gaze to . "Professor Drelmont."
I straightened instinctively.
"You are an instructor at Noctis Ardentis Academy." His voice was cold, firm. "That title is not given lightly. If you cannot uphold the standards expected of you, then you will not remain here."
I nodded. "Understood."
His amber eyes lingered on for a mont then he said, "As for your punishnt, from now you will be teaching Class C."
The room went dead silent.
Wait.
What?
Class C?
I barely stopped myself from reacting. That was bad. That was really bad.
Every instructor knew what getting assigned to Class C ant—it was a death sentence for your career. The worst, most hopeless students were dumped there. The ones the academy considered failures.
No instructor wanted to be associated with them.
A chill ran down my spine.
This was new.
In Sword of Radiance, there was no such thing as a System Log insted there were quest logs. But now, a faint, almost transparent screen hovered in the corner of my vision.
I focused on it, and the text expanded.
[System Log]
— Designation: Lucian Drelmont
— Status: Instructor (Noctis Ardentis Academy)
— Assignnt: Class C
[Active Directives:]
— Maintain Instructor Status and gain the trust of Class C.
— ??? (Locked)
[Penalty for Failure:]
— Imdiate Expulsion & ???
I sucked in a breath.
Expulsion was bad enough. But the "???" at the end of the failure penalty? That was terrifying.
I clenched my fist under the table, trying to process. Then I heard headmaster Evercrest's voice again.
"Why aren't you replying, Professor Drelmont?"
I forced myself to sit up straighter, pushing down the rising anxiety in my chest. My mind was racing, but I couldn't afford to look shaken.
"I was rely taking a mont to process my... new responsibilities, Headmaster," I said evenly.
Evercrest's amber eyes didn't waver. "Then I trust you have no objections?"
Objections? Hell yes, I had objections.
But voicing them wouldn't change anything.
Instead, I gave the only answer that wouldn't make things worse.
"None," I said.
Evercrest studied for a mont longer before giving a slight nod. "Good. One more thing from now on Class C's failures will be yours."
My stomach dropped.
The murmurs in the room grew louder, so instructors exchanging amused glances while others looked genuinely surprised.
Halloran smirked. "How fitting," he muttered under his breath.
I ignored him, keeping my focus on Headmaster Evercrest.
"To clarify," I said carefully, "are you saying that any mistakes they make—any disciplinary issues, academic failures, or poor performances—will reflect on personally?"
Evercrest's expression didn't change. "That is exactly what I am saying, Professor Drelmont. If they fail, you fail. If they disgrace the academy, so do you."
I barely kept my expression neutral, then asked another question.
"What about their past records?"
Evercrest raised a brow. "Elaborate."
I leaned forward slightly, choosing my words carefully. "Class C is already considered a failure by the academy. If I'm responsible for them now, am I expected to fix their past mistakes as well? Or am I only accountable for what happens from this mont onward?"
The murmurs in the room shifted. So instructors seed intrigued by the question, others irritated.
Evercrest held my gaze for a long mont before answering. "You will not be burdened by their past failures, but you will be responsible for every action they take from this day forward. Do you understand?"
"I have one more thing to say" I asked while keeping myself calm.
Evercrest gave a asured look, clearly waiting for whatever excuse or plea I was about to throw at him. The rest of the instructors were watching too, so with amusent, others with outright disdain. Halloran looked like he was hoping I'd say sothing stupid.
I took a slow breath. "Since I'll be responsible for Class C's performance from now on, I'll need full authority over them."
A few instructors scoffed. Soone even let out a quiet laugh.
Evercrest didn't react. "Explain."
I t his gaze. "If I'm expected to clean up their sses, then I need the ability to manage them however I see fit. That ans full control over their training schedule, curriculum, and disciplinary asures. No interference from other instructors unless absolutely necessary."
Halloran leaned forward, sneering. "You expect us to hand over complete control to you? The sa man who's been nothing but a disgrace to this academy?"
I gave him a lazy smile. "Unless you'd like to take the job instead?"
His sneer deepened, but he didn't say anything.
Evercrest studied for a mont longer before speaking. "Very well, Professor Drelmont. You will have full authority over Class C—but that ans every failure will be yours alone. Is there anything else?"
"Yes" I exhaled slowly, "Since I'll be responsible for Class C," I said, keeping my voice calm, "I'll need detailed reports on each student. Their past grades, any issues they've had, and their progress so far. I need to know what I'm working with—what they're good at and what they need help with. I can't fix what I don't know."
The room was quiet for a mont, and I could see so of the instructors exchange uncomfortable looks. But Evercrest didn't hesitate.
Evercrest's eyes bored into mine. "You'll receive those reports shortly. But be aware, Drelmont," he said, leaning forward slightly, his voice quieter but still carrying weight, "you will be held accountable for every single one of them. Failures, behavior issues, academic struggles—anything that goes wrong will reflect directly on you."
"I understand," I said, forcing my voice to remain steady.
Halloran's smirk didn't falter. "We'll see if you can handle that responsibility."
I shot him a quick glance but said nothing, my jaw tight. He wasn't worth the energy.
Evercrest motioned for the eting to continue, but before it fully resud, I caught a few more remarks from the other instructors. So, no doubt, had been eager to see squirm. Others seed genuinely curious about what I would do next.
"Class C, huh? Poor bastard," one of them muttered. I didn't recognize the voice, but I wasn't about to react to it.
"Maybe we should have a betting pool on how long he lasts with them," another whispered, though their words were barely audible.
The eting continued, but I barely paid attention. My mind was racing.
Class C. The worst group in the academy. A dumping ground for failures. And now, they were my problem.
When the eting finally ended, the instructors stood up, so stretching, others chatting in small groups. A few threw glances my way—so amused, so pitying, so just waiting for to fail.
I stood up and walked toward the door, keeping my pace steady. I needed those student reports. I needed to see just how bad this situation was.
As I stepped into the hall, soone fell into step beside .
"Quite the performance in there."
I glanced to my side. A man with dark gray hair, neatly tied back, and sharp green eyes. His expression was unreadable, but there was a hint of amusent in his voice.
Arden Castiel. One of the top instructors at Noctis Ardentis Academy. He taught Advanced Combat Tactics and was well-respected, both for his skills and his ability to handle difficult students.
I didn't rember much about him from Sword of Radiance, but I knew enough—he wasn't soone to take lightly.
"I wouldn't call it a performance," I said. "Just stating the obvious."
Arden smiled slightly. "And yet, you walked away with more authority than most would have expected. Either you're desperate, or you have a plan."
I didn't answer.
He didn't seem to mind the silence. "Class C isn't just full of bad students, you know. So of them have potential. The problem is, no one's ever bothered to bring it out."
I stopped walking and turned to face him. "Are you saying that because you believe it, or because you want to see if I'll fail?"
Arden chuckled. "A little of both." He stepped past . "Good luck, Drelmont. You'll need it."
I watched him go before continuing down the hall.
__
Back in my office, I hang my coat on the coat hanger that were near my desk, then I slowly sat down on the chair, and then another transparent window popped up.
---
— Designation: Lucian Drelmont
— Status: Instructor (Noctis Ardentis Academy)
— Assignnt: Class C
[Active Directives:]
— Maintain Instructor Status and gain the trust of Class C.
— Introduce yourself as Class C's instructor. (New)
[Reward for Completion:]
— Monocle of Evaluation
[Penalty for Failure:]
— Imdiate Expulsion & ???
---
A new directive had appeared.
I stared at the system log, feeling a mix of curiosity and wariness. The last directive was vague but made sense—gaining my students' trust would be crucial if I wanted to survive here. But this one was oddly specific.
"Introduce yourself?" That was it?
And the reward—Monocle of Evaluation.
I had no idea what that was, but if it was being offered as a system reward, it had to be useful.
Still, this whole situation felt strange.
I didn't rember that Sword of Radiance had any item like monacle of evaluation, maybe it's just here to help . That was what I hoped.
I leaned back in my chair, exhaling slowly.
There was no point delaying it. I had to et Class C eventually. The sooner I got it over with, the better.
Standing up, I grabbed my coat and headed for the classroom.
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