Demonstration Class (6)
Despite the academy-wide incident that had just occurred, Zeke resumed class with an indifferent expression.
The principal observed Zeke's class for a while, sighed, and left to check on the Second Prince.
"Have you rested enough? Then let's move on to arm muscle training."
For the remaining time, Zeke squeezed the students dry, like wringing out a wet rag.
Even Selena glared daggers at him.
All the students, including her, stared at Zeke as if he were their worst enemy.
However, having witnessed the Second Prince being dismantled with a single loaf of bread, what student would dare to rebel?
Inwardly, they cursed him, but their bodies, humbled by the baguette, obeyed.
The students mechanically moved their bodies according to his instructions.
Finally, the training came to an end.
"Th-That was hell……."
"Ughhh……. My legs, my legs won't move."
"Instructor Dios……. I miss you."
"Me too, I miss him like my own mother even though I've never seen his face….”
As it was the first day of the academy, both commoners and nobles had dressed to impress.
But now, all those efforts were meaningless.
Their hair was a mess, their faces streaked with sweat and dirt.
Their crisp new training uniforms were stained with sweat and grime.
Selena Yohaiden was no exception.
‘This kind of training every day!?'
Northern nobles. Northern nobles. That's all she'd ever heard.
What kind of hellish place was it? This training made her curious.
Selena shuddered at the thought of what she could accomplish if she pushed herself this hard.
The difference in muscle mass and athleticism between men and women.
Unless you had a natural talent, it was an unavoidable, inherent difference.
She had accepted this disadvantage early on and had prepared herself.
And so, she managed to endure the class with sheer willpower.
Of course, she merely endured; it didn't mean she performed well.
The other two commoner girls had long since run out of the training ground in tears.
Now, the only girl left was Selena.
‘But if I do this, I can become stronger. As strong as a man.’
Selena hadn't forgotten Zeke's words and promise.
She knew how great he was, so he must have gone through this kind of hardship to become strong.
‘Right, I have to take this class to become a knight. The instructor wouldn't do this to mislead me.’
Selena renewed her resolve.
In fact, she wasn't that surprised that the Second Prince, Rosnante, had lost to Zeke.
Once you've been hit hard by a flower, you learn.
If someone like that wielded such a vicious(?) weapon, death was inevitable.
"You've all worked hard. Let's end the class. You're dismissed."
As soon as Zeke announced the end of the class, the students cheered.
"Mo-Mother!!!"
"Finally, freedom!!!!"
"Sob, I thought I was a tough guy, but I'm actually crying."
"Hey, give me a hand. My calves are cramping."
The students, exhausted and leaning on each other, staggered away.
Selena and Zeke were left alone in the training ground.
Selena got up and called out to Zeke.
"Instructor."
"Yes?"
"Shall we go too?"
"Let's go."
Selena had a lot she wanted to say but decided to just head back to the mansion with him for now.
Thump, thump.
Zeke walked ahead.
But Selena remained rooted to the spot.
Zeke turned around.
"What is it?"
"Ins-Instructor."
Her trembling voice indicated she had something to say.
"I, I can't move my body……."
As the class ended and the tension drained away, her body, forced to move during training, gave out completely.
‘Ah.’
Zeke strode towards Selena.
He then swept her up in his arms, supporting her calves and back.
The princess carry. The same one Eric had used on the Second Prince.
"W-Wait!"
Selena's face flushed crimson.
"Bear with it, even if it's unpleasant. You won't be able to move, so I'll give you a massage later tonight."
"M-Massage!?"
"Yes, it's just as important to soothe muscles after using them as it is to train them."
"B-But…! Ailey can do that!"
"No. I'll do it."
‘Can an amateur like that handle this? Using a little mana to relax muscles is……. Hmm. Not bad.’
Selena wanted to stamp her feet in embarrassment and shame, but her body wouldn't budge.
As he carried her out of the academy, a fleeting shadow caught his eye.
He squinted and saw a flash of red hair darting away.
‘Huh? Iriel Eustia…? Spying…? I should take care of her soon. I need to inscribe filters on her and deal with those back-alley thugs. And her too… *Sigh* So much to do… Three classes a week… Not bad?’
***
‘I’m starving!’
It was a lie that strenuous training suppressed your appetite.
Perhaps because she had used up all the energy in her body, Selena was incredibly hungry.
As soon as she returned to the mansion in Zeke's arms, she ordered a meal.
"Chef, prepare two servings of whatever is ready immediately."
"Yes, Miss."
She then invited Zeke to join her for the meal.
He came to the table, baguette in hand.
Having been subjected to it several times already, Selena flinched.
"Um, Instructor? Why…."
"I'm going to eat it."
"That!?"
Zeke nodded.
He took an empty plate from a maid waiting behind him.
With a few flicks of his fingers, just like he always did, the baguette was neatly sliced and piled up on the plate.
"You're… really going to eat that?"
"Yes, I don't waste food."
"But even so…."
Selena was flabbergasted to see the baguette, used to pummel students all day, transformed into Zeke's dinner.
However, from Zeke's point of view, it was only natural.
In the world of dark fantasy, decent food was extremely rare.
Finding a maggot-infested carcass was cause for celebration.
Parasites? They were just seasonings that added nutrients to a meal.
Until he gained magic resistance after five years and could hunt monsters for food, he had been digging for dirt to stave off hunger.
For Zeke, who had known such hardship, wasting food just because it had a bit of dust and sweat on it was unthinkable.
Zeke picked up a piece of bread with his custom-made fork and took a bite.
"Hmm, not bad."
Bread was supposed to harden over time, but thanks to the secret recipe of Hillaise Bakery, the inside still boasted a pleasantly soft and chewy texture.
‘It's better if it doesn’t harden. It’ll become a lethal weapon.’
That was another reason why Zeke had requested fresh bread from Soi Spoon every morning.
"Hmm…."
Selena, watching him with complex emotions, thought to herself,
‘I should ask Father to increase the funding for the North.’
From the moment they met, he had been a penniless man with no home or memories.
Seeing Zeke savor the bread, covered in the sweat of students and the dust of the training ground, made her feel sorry for him.
How poor must he have been!
He didn’t even have his memories!
It must have been a long-ingrained habit.
It was a truly pitiful sight, but Selena decided not to pity him.
‘Yes, I should appreciate the value of the food I eat.’
With that thought, her usual meal tasted a little better.
She discreetly placed a piece of meat from her plate onto Zeke’s.
"Hmm? Thank you."
"Eat up, as much as you want."
"Yes."
After dinner, Selena returned to her room.
"Ailey, is the bath ready?"
"Yes, Miss. You can go in now."
She washed up with Ailey's help.
As she soaked in the warm water, she finally felt alive.
"Ahhh…."
She groaned involuntarily from the muscle pain.
"Ouch! What is this? Your whole body is covered in bruises!"
"I'm alright…."
Selena replied weakly.
"Does it hurt a lot?"
"Ah, yeah. I'm fine."
"You learned from Sir Zeke today, didn’t you? This is too much!"
"Yeah…."
"How was it?"
How was it?
Suddenly, Selena felt the urge to tell Ailey everything that had happened in a 5,700-word essay.
"It's just… I haven't used my body in a while, so I'm a little sore. The bruises are unavoidable from training with the boys."
"Miss Selena…."
However, she swallowed her words because she didn't want the others in the mansion to think badly of Zeke.
"Nothing, nothing happened."
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"Miss Selena, Sir Zeke Clayman is here to see you."
The maid's voice came from outside the bathroom door.
‘Massage!!!!’
"Oh, yes! I'll be right out! Tell him to come back in an hour!"
"Yes, Miss."
Hearing the maid's reply, Selena turned her head.
"Ailey, before that, the 'effortlessly elegant' makeup style number 5! Is it ready?"
"Hehehe. Leave it to me."
Ailey rolled up her sleeves with a confident smile.
An hour later.
Zeke knocked on the door again.
He heard her voice telling him to come in.
Come to think of it, he had been living here for over a month, but this was his first time in Selena's room.
As he opened the door and stepped inside, a lovely scent wafted into his nose.
‘Oh, this room really suits Selena. Ah, that floral scent I smelled before.’
The room was decorated in a blend of sky blue and white, giving it a cool and refreshing ambiance.
With a few touches of purple, it was a neat and tidy space.
Candles flickered everywhere, creating a mystical and dreamy atmosphere.
Although it was the room of a Duke's daughter, it didn't feel particularly extravagant.
A large window offered a view of the scenery outside.
As Zeke entered the room, Selena hesitated, then spoke.
"Um…. Instructor…"
"Yes?"
"It's actually very rude to visit a lady's room late at night. Usually, you should send a message and wait outside, or meet in the drawing room."
Selena sat on the bed, hugging her knees and looking up at Zeke.
‘Huh? But didn't you come to my room late at night before?’
He thought it was okay because of that, but maybe it was different for a man to visit a woman's room.
"Ah, is that so? I apologize. Then tomorrow…"
"W-Wait! I meant, don't do that with other ladies! You and I are different!"
"Hmm? How are we different?"
"Well, that is… Right! Master and disciple! It's okay between a master and disciple!"
Of course, it wasn't okay.
The reason why she hadn't explicitly mentioned this during etiquette lessons was that it was such basic common sense that she assumed he knew.
However, Zeke seemed to have forgotten even this due to his amnesia.
‘I feel a little guilty… Hmm! Well! What can I do! It's just a master massaging his disciple's stiff muscles! Yeah. Yeah.’
Selena nodded to herself.
Besides, she was the only woman taking his class.
She couldn't imagine any other woman enduring such a grueling training.
"Alright, then let's start the massage. Lie down on your stomach."
At Zeke's words, Selena turned and lay face down.
From now on, his hands would touch every part of her body that no one else had ever touched.
As she realized this anew, Selena's heart pounded in her chest.
‘Eek! Are my clothes okay?’
She felt Zeke's touch on her toes.
A wild and masculine hand, yet with a delicate and careful touch.
Press.
She felt a relieving pressure as his fingers kneaded the center of her foot.
It was embarrassing to entrust her feet to someone like this, but it was also a strange feeling to know that he was being so considerate of her.
‘Ah, that feels good.’
His hands slowly moved up from her soles to her calves.
‘Oh, oh! Not there!’
Selena's body twitched involuntarily.
"Hmm, quite stiff."
"Haaa…. Oh!"
A moan escaped her lips, and Selena quickly covered her mouth with both hands.
There was something about Zeke's touch that made her body heat up.
‘Hmm, it would be easier to use mana.’
But there was no hint of lust in Zeke's touch.
She only felt his intention to soothe her muscles, like a professional.
‘Uh, uh. This is a little embarrassing, but it feels so good… Huh?!’
Suddenly, his fingers dug deeper, as if trying to pierce through her calf.
She bit her lip, trying to endure, but a scream escaped her.
"Ahhh!!! Ins-Instructor!!! G-Gently!!! It hurts!!!"
"Bear with it, it always hurts at first. It will get better once you get used to it."
"I'm dying!!!"
"It's alright. Trust me."
"Ha! Haaa!!!!"
"Let's change your position."
"Ah! Ah! Ahhh!! Not there, not there!!"
"Lift your waist a little."
"Mmm!"
Hearing the sounds, Ailey, who was waiting outside the door, covered her face with both hands and sank to the floor, her face burning.
‘Oh, what do I do!! I had my suspicions when he carried Miss Selena in earlier, but already…! To go this far…!!! What if the Lord finds out about this!!!’
Selena's moans, interspersed with Zeke's deep, calming voice, continued to echo from the room.
Ailey stayed glued to the door, her ear pressed against it.
Gulp. She swallowed hard.
‘Sir Zeke Clayman… He seemed so gentle, but he… he likes it rough… and for a long time…’
Gradually, Selena's moans transformed from those of pain to those of pleasure, interspersed with soft gasps.
"Ha… Ha… Ah! Right there, that feels good, Instructor."
"Miss Selena, you… You're a natural…"
* * *
The next day, Selena woke up feeling refreshed.
“Amazing…”
It was as if she had been reborn.
Usually, after a day of intense training, she would be bedridden for at least three days.
She would be plagued by muscle pain, unable to move a single muscle.
However, thanks to Zeke's "special massage," she woke up feeling incredibly light and energized.
“That pervert… No, that amazing instructor!”
Selena recalled the events of the previous night with a shudder.
The way his rough hands touched her body, the feeling of his fingers digging into her sore muscles.
It was incredibly embarrassing, but at the same time, she couldn't deny how effective it was.
“He said it was for training…”
Selena tried to convince herself that Zeke's intentions were purely professional.
But deep down, a part of her couldn't help but wonder if there was something more to it.
After all, the way he looked at her sometimes… It was as if he saw through her facade and into her very soul.
“No, stop thinking about such things, Selena!”
She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts.
She had to focus on her training. She had to become stronger, for herself and for her family.
“I won’t disappoint you, Instructor.”
Selena clenched her fists, her eyes burning with determination.
She would prove to Zeke, and to herself, that she was worthy of becoming a knight.
* * *
Meanwhile, Zeke was busy preparing for his next class.
He had decided to implement a new training regimen for his students.
It was something he had learned during his time in the Dark Fantasy world, a brutal but effective method for forging both body and spirit.
“This should separate the wheat from the chaff.”
Zeke smirked, a glint of anticipation in his eyes.
He had a feeling that this new training would push his students to their absolute limits.
And he was curious to see who among them had the will to survive.
* * *
The students gathered in the training ground, their faces a mixture of excitement and apprehension.
They had heard rumors about Zeke's new training methods, whispers of grueling exercises and impossible challenges.
“Alright, listen up!”
Zeke’s voice boomed across the training ground, silencing the whispers.
“Today marks the beginning of your real training.”
A collective gasp ran through the students.
“From now on, you will train as if your lives depend on it. Because they do.”
Zeke’s words sent a chill down their spines.
He wasn’t exaggerating.
This was no longer a game.
This was about survival.
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Ahahahaha. I love the misunderstand so much 🤣🤣. Thanks for the chapter
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