The male instructor walked in and immediately ordered someone to fetch the school physician. His eyes widened in disbelief as he took in the scene—the fallen students groaning on the ground and Noah lying unconscious, foaming at the mouth.
He approached Theodore, who instinctively took a step back, unsure of the man's intentions. The instructor, however, broke into a warm smile.
"Hello, my prince. I assume this is your first time attending my class. My name is Lonny Waltz, the instructor who will be training you all. But feel free to call me Lonny—I prefer being close to my students."
Theodore blinked, caught off guard by the man's casual demeanor. "I see. My name is—"
Lonny interrupted, still smiling. "Oh, I know who you are, Prince Theodore. We've met countless times before, though you probably don't remember me. I must say, I'm very impressed by your achievements. Seventeen students in one go, and you're only ten years old? Remarkable! And let's not forget what you did at that cursed village."
(The hell? This guy talks too much… Should I kill him?) Theodore thought, but instead, he said, "That's kind of you to say. But aren't you going to punish me?"
"Punish you?!" Lonny laughed loudly, slapping his knee. "For defending yourself? Of course not! I imagine you taught these students a valuable lesson about biting off more than they can chew—especially Morris. He's one of my best students, so I'm sure he enjoyed the duel."
"I see," Theodore said, narrowing his eyes. (This guy's way too cheerful. Something feels off…)
Lonny continued, pulling his arm up as an eagle swooped down from a nearby tree and perched on it. "Oh, and by the way, I saw everything! This little guy here is my right eye." He gestured to the bird. "With him, I can watch anything happening on the training grounds. Isn't that cool?"
"That's… impressive," Theodore replied with a tight smile. (No, it's annoying. Can I leave now?)
Lonny's smile faltered for a brief second, and his gaze sharpened. "But, my prince… How did you hide that?"
Theodore stiffened. "Hide what?"
Lonny's grin returned, though his eyes remained calculating. "Oh, nothing. Just messing with you."
(He's definitely suspicious.) "I see," Theodore replied, forcing a polite smile.
Before he could probe further, a booming voice cut through the tension.
"What happened here?!"
Theodore sighed deeply as Caden strode onto the training grounds, flanked by a visibly concerned school physician.
"Oh no…" Theodore muttered. (This is going to be a headache.)
The physician stopped short, his jaw dropping. "Sixteen students… all unconscious? And Morris?!" He pointed at Noah's prone form, aghast. "What in the goddess' name happened here?!"
Before Theodore could answer, Elisa stepped forward, her voice sweet but laced with mischief. "Oh, don't be too hard on him, sir. This isn't Prince Theodore's fault. The B-class students challenged him. And, well…" She gestured to the groaning bodies on the ground. "They got what they deserved."
Caden's glare fell on Theodore like a storm cloud. "Is that true? You humiliated them on purpose, didn't you?"
Theodore sighed. "They came at me first. I warned them, but they wouldn't listen. What did you expect me to do? Just stand there and let them hit me?"
"You expect me to believe you 'accidentally' knocked out sixteen students and humiliated Noah Morris?" Caden snarled, stepping closer. "Admit it—you're just trying to show off. Trying to make me look bad."
Theodore raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "Make you look bad? Dear brother, you're doing a fine job of that all by yourself."
Elisa burst into laughter, clapping her hands. "Oh, that was good!"
Caden's face turned red with fury. He opened his mouth to retort, but Lonny stepped between them, holding up a hand.
"That's enough. Both of you," the instructor said firmly. "Prince Theodore, whether or not this was self-defense, it's clear that this incident has escalated beyond reason. We'll need to report this to Duke Morris, and you'll be expected to apologize formally."
Theodore rolled his eyes. "Apologize? For what? For winning a duel I didn't start? If anything, they should be apologizing to me for wasting my time."
Caden clenched his fists, his anger barely contained. "You really think you're untouchable now, don't you? Just because Father praised you once?"
"Ah, jealous, are we?" Theodore said, smirking. "Don't worry, dear brother. You'll always be Father's favorite. I'm just the 'disaster prince,' remember?"
The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife. Even Elisa stopped laughing, sensing the shift in the air.
Lonny raised his voice, addressing them both. "Enough! Both of you, return to your classes. This matter will be dealt with later."
Caden threw one last glare at Theodore before storming off, muttering under his breath.
As the remaining B-class students scrambled to help their fallen leader, Elisa turned to Theodore with a sly grin. "You really do know how to cause chaos, don't you?"
Theodore shrugged, walking back toward the school. "They asked for it. I just finished what they started."
Elisa skipped after him, still grinning. "You're going to be infamous after this, you know. How about the nickname 'Masochist Slayer'?"
Theodore sighed heavily. "Elisa, go bother someone else."
"Never!" she said with a laugh. "You're far too fun to leave alone!"
As they re-entered the school, Theodore glanced back briefly. The sight of Noah's classmates dragging their unconscious leader toward the infirmary made him shake his head.
(This day is just one headache after another.)