Chapter 6: Impostor Instructor
Halfway through the lesson, Kael could sense the heavy atmosphere of the room; the scratching of chalk against the board, and Instructor Ariel's cold voice filling the silence like poison.
"Please explain the theory written on the board," Professor Ariel said, casually pointing at a random student. "You."
A young woman stood up, visibly stiff. Her lips trembled, and the awkward silence that followed was enough to tell everyone she had no clue.
Kael sighed inwardly.
He couldn't blame his classmate; of course, she didn't know. The concept hadn't even been properly taught yet, and here was Instructor Ariel, already expecting answers as if everyone had been born reciting and analyzing the textbooks.
"Tch. As expected of the lower class," Instructor Ariel sneered, clicking her tongue.
"Whoa… she really hates us, huh," Kael muttered, leaning back in his chair, completely dumbfounded.
"Well… she never bothered to hide it," Chiisa whispered back, covering her face with a book, pretending to read.
The chalk tapped sharply again, like the drumbeat of doom. Suddenly, Instructor Ariel's gaze snapped toward their row.
"You. The girl over there. Explain this theory."
Surprised, Chiisa jolted upright. "Y-Yes!" she squeaked, almost dropping her book. She fumbled through the pages as her words tumbled out clumsily. "U-Um… The theory of light… is that light comes into the vision of our eyes… According to Dr. McKween, light occurs because our eyes send out beams to our brain…"
The class froze for a moment and then erupted in applause.
"Not bad, Chiisa!"
"Amazing!"
"As expected of our class representative!"
Of course, even Kael was proud that his mind agreed with the chatter of his classmate.
('This little hamster is really impressive, take that you impostor!')
Chiisa frantically waved her hands in protest. "N-No! I only happened to read it in advance!" Her voice cracked with embarrassment as her demeanor shifted back to her usual shy persona.
She's really worthy of being a scholar… everyone here knows how hard Chiisa works. Kael truly admired her, even if she wasn't someone in the top 10 during exams.
But when his eyes slid back to Instructor Ariel, he noticed the sour twist of her lips. The applause clearly grated on her. Instead of acknowledging Chiisa's effort, the instructor's expression hardened, as if she'd just bitten into something rotten.
The class continued, but now, Kael noticed something strange.
With every topic, every discussion, Instructor Ariel would call on Chiisa.
Again and again.
Each question was more difficult than the last, touching on obscure theories, forgotten citations, and even passages that weren't in their current syllabus.
And yet, Chiisa managed. Every time, she gave a proper answer. Each time she succeeded, Instructor Ariel's mood soured further.
Until—
"Explain the principle of humors as described in the Compendium of Natural Balance," Instructor Ariel commanded as her chalk struck the board. "And tell me why some scholars rejected the notion that black bile governs melancholy."
Kael blinked, wondering if he was even in the right classroom.
('The principle of what now?')
The words may as well have been in a different language; he only caught half of it.
Something about bile? Weren't humors just… a human mind instinct? Why in the world are we talking about that in a class on light theory? No, why is it even related to science when that subject is clearly psychology!
For the first time, Chiisa hesitated. Her lips parted, but no sound came out. Her round glasses caught the light, hiding her eyes.
"I-I'm sorry," she stammered. "I… I haven't studied that part yet…"
Seeing this, Instructor Ariel chuckled darkly and began to mock her.
"See? You commoners are nothing but parasites, leeches taking advantage of the academy's support. You pretend to be scholars, but in truth, you are nothing but beggars dressed in uniforms."
Chiisa lowered her head; her hands trembled as she clutched the hem of her skirt. A wave of shame washed over her in front of the entire class.
The mood in the room turned sour. The air grew tense and silent, and not a single student dared to speak, fear hanging heavy in their throats.
Instead of going to the lesson, Instructor Ariel continued mocking. Leaning closer to the front rows, laughing hysterically. "What can be expected of you? Talent? Wit? All you've ever had is charity."
Her words slithered into every ear, poisoning the atmosphere. Nobody could fight back, but everyone else sure stared at her with distaste.
Nobody… except one.
"Must be nice," Kael spoke coldly, "eating with someone else's money."
The room froze.
Instructor Ariel's mocking words stopped briefly. Slowly, she turned, her eyes narrowed as they locked onto Kael with pure malice.
A quiet gasp slipped from Chiisa's lips. The other students exchanged anxious looks, some silently urging Kael to back down. But he didn't. His lazy posture hadn't changed, one cheek resting against his palm, yet his eyes held a seriousness no one in the room had ever seen before.
Instructor Ariel's lips curved into a mocking smile. "Kael Acedia. Just because the Baron of Acedia heads one of the wealthiest families in this kingdom, that doesn't give you the audacity to speak out of turn."
"In the end, you are still just a lower noble who happened to inherit prosperous land," she added. "You should thank the Baron that you're even given a chance to study here."
"Lady Ariel, the only reason we nobles exist is because of the taxes the commoners pay," Kael said with a small sigh, tilting his head with a slight grin. "Isn't it ironic? An 'assistant instructor' lecturing us about leeching, when she's only here thanks to her connections with the royal family."
Gasps rippled across the classroom.
Visibly upset, Instructor Ariel demanded, "What did you say?"
Kael leaned back, his eyes half-lidded as he continued. "Tell me, lady… was it your brilliance that got you this job? Or was it your family name? Oh, wait—" he smirked. "I forgot. You only got the chance to teach a first-year class thanks to the empress, yet you still can't seem to get out of your role as assistant professor"
With a final blow, Kael added, "Don't you feel ashamed?"