Lyria was still asleep on his lap, breathing softly, clearly lost in a peaceful dream.
The entire class gasped. Especially the guys, who instantly gave Jace a collective thumbs up.
Damn bro you are a legend. Class has barely started and you already scored the goddess.
From today on, the title Maple Leaf Casanova belongs to you.
They admired him to the point of worship. Some even wanted the teacher replaced so Jace could lecture on life experience instead.
Quill felt the complete opposite. The moment he saw Lyria resting on a student's lap, he almost fainted.
Dear heavens. Kid, do you have any idea who that girl on your leg is?
Just a few days ago the principal had personally spoken to him.
His exact words were:
Quill, you have always been our model instructor. I am trusting you with taking care of the Stormveil family's young lady.
They said she has trained since childhood and lacks basic life experience. She is very naive. Her purpose in coming to P City is to make up for the childhood she never had.
Assuming nothing unexpected happens, she will choose one of the universities here for her studies. If she chooses us, having a sword genius as our banner is worth more than ten thousand advertisements.
You do not need to treat her specially, just make sure this simple girl does not get tricked by those smooth talking boys.
And Quill's reply had been…
Rest assured. If Miss Stormveil is even slightly displeased, you can fire me the next day.
It was over.
The room froze.
Jace felt dozens of eyes drilling into him. He panicked and lightly pinched Lyria's cheek in an attempt to wake her.
This only made Quill even more horrified.
Do not drag me into this. Do you know how hard I worked for this job? Do you want me dead?
Thankfully, she woke up.
Lyria rubbed her eyes, touched the wet spot on Jace's thigh, and realized she had drooled in her sleep.
Startled, the girl immediately apologized.
I am sorry, I am sorry. I did not sleep well last night. I caused you trouble.
Jace was about to respond when Quill shot him a murderous glare, ordering him to get up on stage.
Hearing the murmurs around her, Lyria suddenly remembered she was not at home.
So I fell asleep here…
How embarrassing.
Kneeling stiffly, her neck flushed red all the way to her ears. To others, she looked exactly like a girl caught on a forbidden date, especially with that subtle lip bite that could make half the school faint.
Jace inhaled deeply and selected a wooden sword.
Quill's eyes were sharp now, his tone completely stripped of warmth.
Ready?
Jace nodded silently.
A sharp hum cut through the air.
The wooden sword sliced forward with a violent whistle.
Gasps erupted below.
Holy, the old man actually took the initiative?
Lilith, who had just finished sparring, was stunned. When she fought Quill, the teacher was gentle, controlled, predictable. His movements had rhythm, power, but nothing excessively sharp.
But with Jace, he struck immediately. The speed and weight behind the blow were in a different league entirely.
As one of the former top students alongside Jace and Maxwell, Lilith knew her own limits. She was sure she could not have reacted to that attack.
Jace is going to get hurt.
But just before the wooden sword struck Jace's thigh, its speed plummeted. Quill's killing intent evaporated.
See? Calm down, children.
I am a teacher. Would I actually strike a student?
Though Jace may have scared off our most promising recruit, Quill only wanted to vent his frustration at possibly losing his job. That slash was just symbolic payback.
This kid Jace is good looking, and apparently quite good at charming girls.
Quill snorted internally and prepared to tap him lightly as a warning.
But while he was lost in these thoughts, something flashed past his eyes.
Crack.
Crap. Jace instantly withdrew his sword.
His reflex had kicked in. He deflected Quill's strike and counterattacked in the same instant.
But for some reason, the old man did not dodge.
Both froze.
Quill: I was joking. You actually hit me?
Jace: I attacked assuming you would dodge. Why didn't you dodge?
Under any normal circumstance, Quill would have avoided it easily. But he had been spacing out.
It did not hurt. The real problem was how to explain this to the class.
Because in a life and death fight, taking that hit would have killed him.
The teacher lost.
Someone broke the silence, setting off a wildfire of discussion.
Bro, I thought you only trained to flirt. Turns out you actually fight.
So the teacher's evaluation was actually him evaluating the teacher.
Quiet down. Can't you see the teacher is overheating?
Quill's face was as red as a cooked lobster. Jace could neither stay on stage nor walk away.
Finally, Quill waved him off in defeat.
Go. Just go.
Jace ran back to his seat.
Lilith turned around. How did you do that?
A minute ago she thought Jace was doomed. Now somehow he won.
Jace forced a smile. I do not know. I was ready to swing and surrender, and then the teacher just… froze.
Lilith almost laughed.
This class alone was worth the tuition. Watching a teacher flip over like that, especially at that speed, was absolutely priceless.
Several students declared that if class was like this every day, they would never skip.
Alright, ten minute break. When you return, pair up for sparring practice.
After the chaotic accident, the first university class ended.
Many students approached Jace afterward, jokingly praising his decisive blow. None took it seriously, and the mood was light.
Only Lyria sat quietly beside him, replaying the sound of the two wooden swords clashing. She reconstructed the moment entirely through memory.
Grandfather said that the first instinctive reaction in battle often reflects a fighter's true level.
When the teacher struck, the speed and force of his counter in the first half clearly surpassed everything afterward.
The first half was his real strength.
Lyria murmured, So there are strong fighters in university too.
Wait… both of them are swordmasters. I could use this to start a conversation.
Three minutes before class ended.
A girl with a ponytail squeezed her way in from a group returning from the restroom. She slipped into the back row, saw Jace and Maxwell looking like they were mourning a fortune, and teased:
What's with you two? Who owes you a million dollars?