The morning sun shone over Grimveil Academy, but I barely noticed. I had a new goal: don't trip in front of anyone today. A modest ambition, but ambitious enough for me.
I arrived at the training yard early. Empty. Perfect. This was secret practice time. I set up a few floating dummies and muttered, "Alright, genius brain, let's see what we can do without anyone noticing."
Step one: act clumsy. Step two: pretend exhaustion. Step three: secretly annihilate everything.
Strike after strike, my movements flowed naturally. My wooden sword moved in perfect arcs. Dummies that had survived dozens of practice sessions toppled one by one. Yet I added a couple of clumsy rolls here and there, pretending I was barely keeping up.
Excellent. Camouflage intact.
Suddenly, a familiar voice called from behind.
"Well, well… look at you, Ashcroft."
I froze. Syria Valcor stood there, grinning. "Practicing all alone again? You're ridiculous."
"I… uh… just, you know, inspecting the floor," I said, bowing dramatically. "Very important noble work."
She laughed and walked closer. "You're weird… but also kinda impressive. I don't know why, but I like it."
I… I like her noticing me. Quietly. Don't make a scene. Pretend clumsy.
From the shadows, Selene appeared, her calm gaze on me. She didn't speak, just tilted her head slightly, intrigued.
She's observing. Calculating. Don't trip.
And, of course, Charlotte was already there. Arms crossed, cold gaze fixed on me. "Ashcroft, I've noticed. Your style is inconsistent… but interesting. Keep it up. Carefully."
Noticed by three royals already. Fabulous.
Kaelen chose this exact moment to stroll in, smirk in place. "Training alone, Ashcroft? Afraid you'll lose again in front of everyone?"
Lose? Me? Pfft. I bowed, letting my sword slip slightly from my hand and catch it with a casual flip. "Oh, no… just ensuring the dummies don't get bored."
Syria laughed again. Selene's gaze lingered longer than it should. Charlotte… well, she still looked ready to kill me if I breathed wrong.
As the day continued, I kept practicing secretly, perfecting my technique while acting weak. Each move was precise, every block intentional. Yet to anyone watching? Chaos. Flailing arms. Collapsing on the ground.
Perfect disguise. Absolutely, completely ridiculous. Genius hidden under layers of humiliation.
By midday, a few students had noticed small flashes of skill I hadn't intended them to see. Kaelen frowned slightly. "Interesting… Ashcroft. You're hiding something."
I smiled, wobbling dramatically. "Oh, no… I'm just… very… tired. Yes."
Syria clapped. "I love this! Keep it up, floor inspector style!"
Selene watched silently. Charlotte calculated silently. And Kaelen… seemed both annoyed and curious.
Step one: survive training. Step two: survive attention. Step three: hide the genius. Progress: 90%.
As I wiped sweat from my brow, I allowed myself a small grin. If anyone knew what I was capable of… it would be chaos. But for now… comedy first, genius second.