"This year seems to have been wonderful for our young people in terms of obtaining Paths," said the head teacher, greeting the many students he had.
"For those who don't know me, I am Sawyer, a Natural Hunter, dedicated to teaching various general subjects to the Walkers. I don't focus on Magic or Spirituality, so I must disappoint you."
He was a man with a calm smile who looked much tougher than his voice suggested. He spoke respectfully and had good charisma.
He looked over the 50 students.
"In previous years, this class usually only had 20 to 30 students, so this number is certainly a pleasant surprise, especially since several of you obtained your Path this year. Let me congratulate you. As a senior, I hope you can graduate correctly."
Finally, he looked at Ryan and gave him a special greeting and congratulations. As a prince, even if he was the most despised of them all, most teachers could not despise him. They had to greet him with respect and give him the honors he deserved for belonging to royalty.
He then moved on to the main topic.
"Due to the difference in preparation levels among you, because some of you have been Walkers for many years and others are just starting, classes will be divided according to preparation, talent, and understanding. For this reason, the renowned Professor Sara will honor us with her presence from now on and will have her own classroom, where she will teach those at the highest level."
Professor Sara was the woman right next to him. Her muscles were more than exaggerated for a woman, which made her look quite masculine, but that wasn't all. This woman is incredibly charismatic and very soft-spoken, but extremely tough when it comes to training!
Known as the Iron Hand of Teaching, she imparted knowledge even to the castle's ministers and generals.
She greeted them. "Don't take my presence here too seriously," she said, in a voice that clearly didn't match her large amount of muscle. "I'll teach you what I can and put you through hell, but I won't hurt you." She smiled.
A smile that was tender to her, but the students saw it as a demonic smile, even though it came from such a soft voice.
That woman was a living contrast, which made her even more frightening.
Sawyer spoke again. "And since we are in a class with such a difference in abilities, but in the same academic year, we will start with an activity that Professor Sara will teach us." He said and looked at her. "Go ahead, Professor Sara."
Sara stepped forward and scanned the entire room with an intense gaze. She paused momentarily, looking at Ryan, then at one of the students with bandages on his mouth. But she quickly ignored them and took out a box full of white papers and placed it on the table, before speaking in her sweet, contrasting voice:
"The 20 veteran students will each take a piece of paper, which will result in them getting a partner for the next activity. The last 10 who remain free, I will pair up. Do it now." She said without explaining what the activity was about.
Cecily smiled and immediately looked at Ryan. "If we end up paired up on this, you'll have to treat me to a nice meal afterwards," she said excitedly.
She was the first to arrive and pull out her slip of paper after an exhaustive blind search, which clearly made no sense, but the teacher told her to wait until the end to open it.
In this way, most of the students got up and looked for their slips of paper until only one was left inside.
That's when Alaric stood up to look for it.
Ryan watched him and wondered, 'Is he doing this to get attention, or is he too shy to be around many people?'
According to inherited memories and the novel, it's something that he always did.
But why does he do it, exactly?
Alaric was already returning with his piece of paper and sat down.
"Since everyone already has their paper in hand, go ahead. You can check inside and see who you got," said the teacher.
Everyone then opened theirs.
Excited, Cecily was practically the first to open hers. But her smile faded, and she looked behind her. A woman there looked at her with a question mark on her face.
"Why you?" Cecily asked, clearly upset that she had gotten someone she didn't even like (although she didn't like anyone).
The woman behind her blinked several times, almost not understanding what she meant. But when she saw the paper in her hands and her reaction, she opened her eyes wide and slammed her fist on the table.
"Did you touch me, Lady Cecily?!" she asked, excitedly.
She had been a big fan of hers for as long as she could remember because, although she is also a noble, she belongs to the territories where Cecily's family rules.
And now that she had to form a group with her, it was undoubtedly exciting.
Cecily grimaced and looked at the rest of the class. "Who got Ryan? I'll swap with you," she said.
The young lady panicked and tried to say something, but Cecily ignored her, and she knew she had nothing to say.
The status of the two (Cecily and Ryan) was too high for her to speak.
As Cecily scanned the room with her gaze, wanting to find the one she was paired with, no one said anything.
"No one?" She frowned and looked at Ryan. As her gaze turned to him, it passed over the paper Alaric was holding.
Ryan Kraham, it said.
"Him?" Cecily stared at him, and he stared back. It looked like they were fighting over who would be Ryan's partner, but Alaric was just thinking about what to say to trade with her.
As soon as the lady behind Cecily noticed this, she had nothing to say or to think about.
Cecily or Alaric as a partner in this first activity? She didn't care who she got. Either way, she was going to win.
So she smiled placidly.
"We can..." Alaric said, ready to switch, but then the teacher spoke up.
"Fate is in charge of choosing your partners, so don't change things. Please, Miss Cecily, return to your seat and share this test with your partner," said Teacher Sara.
Cecily stared at her, but nodded. "Fine." She resigned herself and sat down.
Sara smiled. "We'll have to assess the newcomers' battle levels so we can match them to the veterans' levels. To do this, the veterans will teach the newcomers what they learned in their first year. You'll have one hour to do so," she said.
"Let's go out to the training yard. I'll get the last few teams ready. Ultimately, you all take a series of tests to determine your level. It will be the first exam of this school semester."