Minutes before the practical class begins and Edward discovers the incompetence of the original protagonist.
"Oh! So the magical combat class will be here?" Litty spoke, looking around. They were in the outdoor area of the academy, in a field divided into a grassy area with fruit trees, various chests, and tables with almost every type of bladed weapon. On the other side, there was a clean dirt ground with no plants, completely empty, with dust circulating everywhere. Even the small birds perched on the trees in the other area circled the entire space, not even passing over it.
"Litty, it's a good idea to think about which ice or air magic you'll use to cool my body," Edward said, looking directly at the dry area of the field.
"No need. I already did that the moment I noticed the hatred the birds have for this area," Litty said. Above her index finger, a small sphere with a transparent part and a white part releasing a light mist merged into a half-green, half-blue sphere. "I'll release this as soon as we go over there."
"After that, I'll give you some cookies, but for now, let's see what this teacher has to say," Edward said, feeling a slight disturbance in the mana of the area. He saw a woman with her body covered in a brown overcoat.
"Twenty-eight students, six more than last year. It seems that every year the number of geniuses increases, which is great," the woman said, stopping and looking at sixteen students talking, another four sitting, and the rest standing and looking directly at her.
"Also, every year the number of brave ones has been increasing, and that's great. There's already a good chance of being a magical combatant," the woman said, crossing her arms and smiling. Suddenly, a loud lion's roar, seemingly from nowhere, caught the attention of almost all the students.
"An animal? How did it get in here?"
"Seriously? Is the security that bad?"
"Teacher, what was that?"
"Those were my weapons. That's all I have to say. You'll find out the rest as students," the woman said, smiling, raising her hand to a few centimeters below her chin. "But not now because that was just to get your attention."
"As your teacher, I have to introduce myself first. My name is Kadia Amanark, and I'm not human. It will be a pleasure to teach you," Kadia said, throwing her overcoat away, revealing her somewhat peculiar appearance. Her skin was pale as snow, with long hair flowing down to the center of her back, navy blue, overshadowed by her eyes, a deep golden hue as if they were the eyes of a wild beast.
Her attire consisted of a black top with ornamental golden details, adorned by a brown sash covering her shoulders, wrists, and waist, finishing asymmetrically in dark blue.
"Before we begin, I already know all your names, so let's start the lesson. Form groups, a minimum of four people," Kadia said, understanding everything most students thought about her by just looking at their expressions.
'Distrust, Disgust, Hatred, Confusion, and Indifference.' Kadia thought, looking at the groups forming. The discomfort of some made them easy prey; other students looked like easy targets. 'Always the same.'
"Is the teacher an ogre? How can we have a teacher like this? Shouldn't they all be dead?" This was one of the common comments heard in some groups that had already formed. Everyone was indirectly attacking the teacher, even if she couldn't hear, she would know what they were saying.
"So, the nobles in this world are all trash too? What a surprise," Edward said, mocking, realizing that not only he but several people were isolated from the class.
"It seems you've found your group," Litty said, looking at the four boys and two girls isolated, whom no one wanted to talk to.
"Two with potential six and three with potential seven; with me, they are the only ones below eight," Edward said, walking towards one of the boys.
"Huh? Aren't you going after the little girl first? Being in an all-male group doesn't seem so cool," Litty said, feeling a powerful mana a few meters away from them.
"Your name is Edward, right?"
'Oh crap... just this person?' Edward thought, turning to the side with a smile on his face, seeing AmelinĀ in her uniform with her usual apathetic expression. Since there was nothing else to do, Edward simply replied, "Yeah, that's me."
"I want to join your group; would that be possible?" The apathetic expression that had been maintained until now disappeared, replaced by an almost imperceptible smile.
The trap had already been activated at this very moment. Edward was holding the blade of a double-edged knife, and whatever he did, he would hurt himself.