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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 24
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"Is that our class instructor?"
"She's really beautiful."
"I know that instructor. Kali Ishtar. I'm pretty sure that's her name."
"No way, Crimson Dawn? Is that really her? I heard she was incredibly active on the Eastern Front."
When Kali stepped onto the podium, the classroom instantly erupted into a clamor. Even though it was a C-class, a few cadets somehow recognized Kali and were chatting about her.
And hearing their words, I was simply astonished.
"Han Cheon-seong. Do you know the instructor? Why are you so surprised?"
When David asked curiously, I briefly opened my mouth.
"It's not like we're acquainted. She was just my entrance exam proctor."
"Your proctor? What? Don't proctors usually handle A or B-class cadets?"
"…Yeah. Usually."
I was bewildered, thinking David knew strange things well, yet I was equally flustered.
Despite our reactions and the other cadets chattering, Kali just watched silently after uttering her first words.
As if scrutinizing them. Slowly looking at the cadets' faces from left to right, as if memorizing each one. Even seeing that, it didn't feel real.
'Kali as a C-class instructor?'
It was truly preposterous.
She was an A-class dedicated instructor, let alone B-class.
But it was happening in reality, so I couldn't help but believe it. Otherwise, Kali wouldn't be standing on that podium.
—!
Then suddenly, Kali's gaze stopped on me, and as our eyes met, my body seemed to lock up for a moment.
Her red eyes clearly held a mix of welcome and curious emotion as she looked at me.
It was generally a positive gaze.
But my body stiffened.
Just meeting her eyes, something indescribable seemed to ensnare me.
It felt like a subtle pressure, as if pressing down, and also a strange sensation, like my hands and legs were being tightly gripped.
A sense of overall compression, as if my body was protesting.
And as it combined, I felt my whole body recoil.
*Screech*.
I clenched my hands under the table, resisting the urge to shrink back. I didn't know what it was suddenly. But I knew Kali was the source.
And there was no way she harbored hostility towards me.
'Don't panic… just calmly endure it.'
I had to maintain a calm, composed demeanor.
Then, I finally understood what I was feeling.
It was like the primal fear prey feels when confronting a predator.
"Hmph."
Then, when Kali suddenly smiled, I felt the strange aura that had been constricting me vanish in an instant.
"What? Han Cheon-seong. Why did she just smile at you like that?"
"…I don't know either."
It truly felt like getting hit for no reason.
And a peculiar feeling, like I'd been struck in secret.
During the entrance exam, I clearly left a good impression, and if, as David said, the instructors were interested in me due to yesterday's sparring, Kali would also be interested in me.
And in a positive way.
But her gaze was so peculiar, honestly, it even made me flustered.
Because things that weren't in the original story kept unfolding.
"Alright— cadets, quiet. No more chattering."
And simultaneously, with a cold voice that rang out, the classroom was instantly steeped in silence.
"Since it's the first day, it's good to see everyone excited and burning with resolve. I like such passionate attitudes. It seems some cadets recognize me, so let's start with my self-introduction. I am Kali, Kali Ishtar, your instructor for the next half-year. I was on the Eastern Front and now I'm temporarily serving as an academy instructor for a break."
Her introduction was calm and composed.
As if her playful first words had been a lie. Kali now maintained an indifferent expression.
As her atmosphere abruptly changed, everyone was quiet as a mouse.
I was left with a blank question.
'Wait, half a year…?'
Usually, they would say they'd be in charge for a year, but Kali naturally said half a year. As if it were a predetermined duration.
"And I don't usually come down to C-class. The cadets I teach were originally assigned to A3-class. You all probably have a rough idea of what that means, right?"
Without a moment to ponder, Kali continued speaking.
I felt a few cadets' eyes gleam.
—Excellent instructors follow excellent cadets.
It was an obvious statement, but in this academy, it felt even more significant. The level of instructors who teach changes with the level of the cadets. What one could learn was also surprisingly different.
And all the cadets in this classroom understood.
That such an excellent instructor had come down to this C1-class.
"It's usually impossible. And it's a stroke of luck for you, and honestly, it's a small gamble for me too. To watch your growth for half a year and see how much I can lead you. And I'm curious about how good this year's new sprouts are."
As Kali spoke with a faint smile, the atmosphere in the classroom lightened a bit.
"So, do any cadets have questions about what's ahead? Since today is the day after the entrance ceremony, there's no set schedule except for the morning lecture. If it's a simple question, I'll answer it properly before we begin the lecture."
As Kali spoke brightly and looked around at the cadets, I found myself staring blankly.
'It's real.'
That Kali had truly become the instructor for C1-class.
"Instructor! I have a question!"
"Ask away."
And as soon as a cadet raised his hand, everyone's attention focused on him.
He was a male cadet with light blonde hair and a confident expression. I found his first impression rather obnoxious. He seemed like a typical delinquent, almost as if Leonhard had been completely twisted.
"Instructor! Do you happen to have a lover?!"
And the moment the cadet's question rang out… I immediately shut my mouth.
'…He's insane.'
But contrary to my thoughts, the surrounding cadets also expressed admiration one by one and looked at Kali.
"Ohhh!"
"I'm curious too!"
"You're really beautiful!"
Not to mention the male cadets, even the female cadets were all excitedly agreeing with the question. I quickly looked at David and said,
"David, don't laugh."
"Huh?"
"Just don't laugh if I tell you not to."
There was no time to explain why.
If he laughed or agreed now, he'd get blacklisted by Kali.
So I forcibly kept my lips sealed, controlled my expression, and looked at Kali.
And sure enough.
Kali was looking at the cadet who asked the question, the corners of her mouth curled up ever so slightly.
It looked like a smile. But her eyes weren't smiling at all.
So everyone could even predict what she would say next.
'Cadet. Name?'
"Cadet who just asked the question. What's your name?"
As Kali spoke exactly as I expected, the cadet who asked the question opened his mouth wide, looking delighted.
"My name is Gerard Leadri! My trait grade is Rare, and I've been granted the trait 'Blessing of Wind'! Instructor! You're really, really beautiful!"
As if he were utterly devoid of tact, he was shouting so loud the classroom seemed to shake. I was dumbfounded just watching him.
"Oh?"
With a casual remark, Kali raised her right hand.
*Gulp*.
I swallowed without realizing it.
I felt a sense of anticipation, that I was finally going to see 'that' from the novel in real life.
Soon, her hand was beautifully positioned.
*Thwack!*
Along with a clear ringing sound.
*CRASH!*
In an instant, a massive roar, like a bursting drum, vibrated through the classroom.
"...!"
Most cadets didn't understand that moment. Why such a thunderous sound suddenly rang out, or what Kali had done.
Only I could see it clearly.
The cadet who asked the question had been struck so hard his face was almost pulverized, and violently flung to the ground.
"Kyaaaak!"
"W-what?"
Around the cadet who had fallen to the ground without even a groan, several cadets reacted belatedly with shock.
"Silence."
And then, Kali's voice rang out again.
It was an extremely cold voice, unlike anything heard before.
Then, the female cadet's scream stopped as if by magic, and even the cadets who had been gasping in shock immediately fell silent.
"It's good for cadets to laugh and chatter in this academy. It's much better than a bleak and stagnant atmosphere. And I know to some extent how much talent you possess when you entered the academy. You've all proven yourselves through the entrance exam. However."
The cold words abruptly cut off.
And Kali swept her gaze across the audience once.
Any cadet who met Kali's gaze for even a moment was no exception.
As if struck by a petrification curse, their bodies stiffened unnaturally, and they struggled even to breathe.
And the moment her gaze reached me and David.
"...!"
Goosebumps erupted all over my body, but I managed to endure it. I didn't show an unseemly display like the other cadets, and neither did David, who had listened to my words.
Slowly turning her gaze from us, Kali opened her mouth again.
"I cannot, however, comprehend a rotten mindset. To dare ask such a question to an academy instructor, one's mind must be thoroughly corrupted to even conceive of it. I only view cadets' excitement positively when it concerns their traits and talents, and their desire to move forward. Some might think my punishment is excessive right now. Asking what Gerard, the cadet who lies unconscious, practically embedded in the classroom floor, did so wrong."
Kali paused her words again, then slowly curled her lips.
It was truly a beautiful smile.
Not the strange smile where her eyes didn't laugh like before, but a perfectly natural smile. Yet, it was utterly cold.
"Among those who serve as instructors in this academy, not a single one has not stood on a battlefield. Every single one has experienced battlefields in various regions and danced on the knife-edge of life and death. They have sacrificed their bodies and dedicated themselves to protecting this Empire. But to associate with cadets like yourselves, who have just been granted abilities, and endure such questions… perhaps my temperament isn't 'good.' To not even observe basic courtesy towards an instructor. More than anything, I utterly despise rude cadets."
The voice that followed was so frigid it sent chills down my spine.
As if the very mindset of asking her a casual question displeased her. Kali was now coldly angry.
"..."
"…"
A suffocating silence filled the classroom.
Kali let out a faint breath and slowly shook her head.
"Cadet to Gerard's right. Take Gerard to the infirmary."
"Y-yes! Understood!"
Even as the startled cadet hoisted the unconscious Gerard and exited the classroom, not a single person dared to speak.
And I, too, was equally taken aback by the atmosphere.
'It's even more brutal than I thought.'
It was the same scene I'd read in the novel, but experiencing it in person was a completely different dimension.
And at the same time, I thought.
'This is Trait Level 9.'
Just a few words, and a truly subtle display of power, had frozen every cadet in the room.
Kali hadn't laid a hand on anyone except the cadet Gerard.
The power to subdue everyone just by meeting their gaze.
I hadn't felt it at Trait Level 3, but now at Level 4, the subtly felt presence was terribly heavy.
She was already like the predator of this space.
"In that sense, Cadet Han Cheon-seong?"
Then, my name was suddenly called, and though greatly startled, I calmly opened my mouth.
"Yes, Instructor Kali."
"Just now, only Cadet Han Cheon-seong didn't laugh. It seemed all the other cadets were swept up in the atmosphere and laughed or were influenced."
Her singling me out, I just offered an awkward smile.
In my line of sight, I momentarily saw David avoiding my gaze.
'No, he didn't laugh either.'
Why me?
"In that sense, I'd like to ask Cadet Han Cheon-seong something. Would that be alright?"
"…Yes. Please speak, Instructor."
As I answered, a small tremor of fear ran through me.
…The question I was about to hear didn't seem like it would be easy.