Ultimately, I returned home that evening alongside Dela after constructing a temporary enclosure for the stray cat. Since there were no specific academy regulations prohibiting pets in the instructors' private office space, I figured it would be completely fine.
"Thank you, Instructor," Dela remarked softly as we walked back together. "By the way, are you not scheduling a debut match for me anytime soon?"
Her voice carried a distinct note of hesitation.
"Only after we uncover the root cause behind your lingering hesitation," I answered truthfully. "According to your official combat records, you consistently hesitate when it comes to delivering a finishing blow to your opponents."
Dela fell completely silent.
"To be perfectly honest, I actually despise fighting," Dela admitted, scratching her cheek while speaking at an extraordinarily rapid pace. "Good night!"
Without waiting for a response, Dela bolted toward the intersection where the path split straight ahead toward the staff quarters and left toward the female student dormitory. What on earth did she just say? Unfortunately, I stood there completely dazed, preoccupied with thoughts of purchasing proper cat food.
Exhausted from the long day, I immediately took a shower and went straight to bed without eating dinner. The following morning, Princess Thelma personally approached me to join my morning jog. Shortly after, Dela caught up with us, carrying a large paper shopping bag in her arms.
"Instructor, please lend me your office key!" she requested with a dead serious expression.
"What is going on, Dellila?" Princess Thelma inquired in a mild panic.
"This is extremely urgent!" Dela replied curtly.
I opened my wallet and handed her the office key. Intrigued and slightly concerned that a dire emergency had occurred, Princess Thelma and I followed closely behind her. Upon arriving at my office, Dela's face lit up brilliantly at the sight of the stray cat waiting patiently inside the temporary enclosure.
"Here he is!"
"..." Princess Thelma executed a clean facepalm.
"Goodness gracious, Dellila! You scared the life out of me!" Princess Thelma exclaimed, grabbing Dela from behind and shaking her shoulders repeatedly. "It is just a cat!"
"It is a cat!" Dela countered stubbornly. "And it would have been a dire emergency if he were left starving!"
Dela proceeded to unload an array of supplies from her paper bag, producing feeding bowls, a fresh water container, a small cat collar, dry kibble, and an assortment of feline treats. Her level of preparation was genuinely impressive.
"By the way, Princess Thelma, this cat will be serving as our team mascot from now on," I explained calmly to Princess Thelma. "Dellila and I decided yesterday to adopt him and care for him inside my office."
"What is his name?" Princess Thelma asked, attempting to gently pat the black cat's back. It was painfully obvious from the hesitant movements that she had rarely interacted with animals before.
"Go slowly," Dela instructed, demonstrating the proper technique to stroke a cat. "Like this. If you do not approach gently, he might scratch you."
"Ooh." Princess Thelma nodded her head in understanding.
"We can all brainstorm a fitting name for him together later this afternoon," I suggested to both Dela and Princess Thelma.
After feeding the cat breakfast, Dela decided to join Princess Thelma and me to complete our morning jog. When official school hours commenced, I returned to my solitude and decided to grab breakfast at the staff cafeteria.
"Mind if I join you for breakfast?" the instructor who coached Sesil's opponent yesterday approached my table.
I nodded politely, gesturing for him to take a seat opposite me.
"Pleasure to meet you, I am Instructor Tony," he introduced himself, extending a hand.
"Klausmann," I replied, returning the polite handshake.
"I noticed you have kept to yourself ever since your first day as an instructor. Do you simply prefer quiet solitude, or is it because there are very few younger instructors around?" Instructor Tony inquired curiously.
In response, I gestured toward the Halo hovering above my head. My caster halo was classified as an abnormal type and possessed a visible fracture running across its surface. It was natural for people to feel uneasy or harbour strange assumptions around me.
"Whoa..." Instructor Tony remarked, visibly impressed. "That makes sense. Individuals with abnormal magic signatures are quite rare."
"How did it sustain that crack?" Instructor Tony pressed further.
I closed my eyes briefly.
"It happened during the war. I would greatly appreciate it if you refrained from asking further questions regarding my damaged halo," I requested politely.
"Ah, I understand. My apologies, and thank you sincerely for your military service," Instructor Tony replied, a sense of genuine guilt lacing his tone.
We completed the remainder of our breakfast in solemn silence.
"Thank you for keeping me company during breakfast," I offered politely before taking my leave.
After showering, I hurried straight to my office. The thought occurred to me that organising an internal scrimmage between Dela and Sesil would be beneficial. Since their skill levels were relatively comparable, practising against each other could yield great results.
Furthermore, Dela urgently needed to cultivate a more decisive mindset when confronting opponents. How exactly could I train her to achieve that? In the military, we used specific methods...
My mind suddenly drifted back to our original selection trials. Back then, we were forced to fight our fellow recruits, comrades with whom we had trained alongside from the very beginning. In one particular duel, the survivor was ordered to personally execute their defeated partner.
I...
No...
Before I even realised it, a single tear slipped down my cheek...
The young woman's face flashed vividly before my eyes...
"Just shoot me... You deserve to pass this trial far more than I do..." Her voice echoed clearly in my mind.
Her severely wounded body appeared right in front of me. I was still consumed by profound regret over pulling the trigger of my magic sidearm to end her life. Ah, that was right. It was from that exact moment onward that Viper 6 began training me in earnest.
Ergh...
"It is so much nicer here than at the orphanage. Over there, food was always scarce. But the cafeteria here has so many options!" Her cheerful voice resonated once more.
Memories of us dining together in the mess hall replayed seamlessly in my head. We had undergone our foundational training side by side.
"Instructor?" Sesil's voice sounded deeply alarmed. Startled by her sudden call, my hand instinctively reached for my belt in a futile attempt to draw a magic sidearm that was no longer there.
I shook my head vigorously, forcing myself back to reality. Standing right before my desk were all of my students. Reaching for a tissue box on my desk, I quietly wiped away my tears.
"Instructor Klausmann, are you alright? Should we head to the academy hospital?" Princess Thelma inquired with deep concern, her face fraught with seriousness and intense curiosity regarding my state.
I took a long, deep breath. Rotating my office chair around to face away from them, I retrieved my prescription container from my hip pouch. I chewed a single pill, patiently waiting for the medication to take effect.
"Please proceed with the practice schedule we outlined yesterday. If Dela and Sesil are willing, you two may hold a sparring session in the arena," I instructed without turning back to look at them, desperately trying to maintain my professional demeanour. "I will join you shortly to observe and offer proper guidance."
"Hold on a moment, Instructor, are you genuinely alright?" Princess Thelma pressed again.
"In that case, I will stay right here to monitor the instructor's health. The rest of you can go ahead and practice, especially Sesil," Princess Thelma took charge authoritatively. "Shia and Chia, that means you two will spar against each other in the arena as well."
"Understood!" Shia and Chia chimed in. "Please make sure the instructor stays safe."
"Then I am placing everything in your capable hands, Clara," Sesil remarked softly. "Dela, let us head out for our sparring match."
"Alright! Um... Instructor Klausmann, please get well soon..." Dela called out gently before leaving.
The sound of their departing footsteps faded down the hallway. I closed my eyes, allowing the medication to work its way through my system to suppress the overwhelming memories. Soon after, the quiet sound of approaching footsteps echoed nearby.
"Instructor, I am right here waiting..." Princess Thelma spoke softly. "I have adjusted the room temperature to a pleasant, cool level."
Closing my eyes once more, I drifted into a brief slumber. By the time I awoke, the acute details of why I had broken down had already faded from my immediate memory. I discovered my suit jacket carefully draped over my upper body, and my office chair had been adjusted into a comfortable reclining position. As I rotated my chair back toward the doorway, Princess Thelma looked at me with an expression of mild shock.
"Instructor!" Princess Thelma rushed forward immediately. "Let us head straight to the hospital! We can go to the royal medical centre if needed; I will personally cover all expenses!"
"Eh?" I looked at her with slight bewilderment.
"Come on!" Princess Thelma tugged firmly at my arm. "We are getting you thoroughly examined right now!"
"I am completely fine, truly..." I replied, offering a gentle smile. After all, there was no way a young princess would comprehend the realities of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
"Stop lying to me!" Princess Thelma snapped, looking genuinely upset. "I refuse to lose my instructor and end up with a replacement who might not even know how to train me properly!"
"I am genuinely healthy, I feel much better now," I insisted, though I allowed myself to be dragged along by Princess Thelma anyway. She escorted me straight to the academy hospital, stubbornly insisting that I undergo a medical checkup.
"So, what seems to be the issue here?" the attending nurse inquired upon approaching me.
I subtly gestured for the nurse to lean in closer.
"I simply experienced a mild PTSD episode. My student panicked and forced me to come here. I would prefer not to burden them with the grim details of my military past," I whispered to the nurse.
The nurse nodded in quiet understanding. The attending doctor, who had been summoned hastily by Princess Thelma, approached my bed to examine me. Princess Thelma was actively urging the physician to prioritize my treatment.
"Alright, so what exactly happened here? Why did Princess Thelma insist so frantically that I attend to a patient who appears entirely composed?" the doctor asked me.
I quietly explained the situation once more. The doctor verified my identity on his tablet and reviewed my medical file. "You still possess your PTSD medication, correct? We only stock civilian-grade dosages here. For military-grade prescriptions, you will need to visit a military hospital."
I produced the pill tube from my pocket to show him. "I still have twelve to fifteen tablets remaining, so I am well equipped. I simply triggered a bad memory by accident while preparing to train my students."
"Please try your absolute best to avoid known triggers. However, standard hospital protocol requires us to perform a brief psychological evaluation," the doctor informed me calmly.
"Please refrain from disclosing any of this to Princess Thelma. Simply inform her that I am suffering from a mild seasonal cold or something along those lines," I requested of both the doctor and the nurse.
Understanding my intent, both medical professionals nodded in agreement. Princess Thelma, who had been waiting anxiously outside the examination room, burst inside the moment they stepped aside.
"Instructor, are you really alright?" she asked with renewed concern, grasping my hand tightly. "You made a firm promise to make me stronger and win numerous championships, you know..."
"I am completely fine, it is merely a minor cold. Probably caused by the shifting weather, considering we are transitioning from winter to spring," I answered with a reassuring smile. "Do not worry, I am perfectly healthy."
The doctor and nurse returned shortly, asking Princess Thelma to step outside for a brief moment while they conducted the required psychological evaluation. The test results returned completely normal, and I was promptly discharged.
"See? It was just a minor cold..." I remarked smoothly, playing along with the cover story I had established with the medical staff.
"In that case, Instructor, you should rest inside your office for a while today. I will stay right by your side to keep you company," Princess Thelma declared, taking my hand once again as we walked back toward my office.
Upon our return, Princess Thelma made use of the electric kettle inside my office to brew warm tea for the two of us. It was quite fascinating to discover this side of her personality. Usually, royalty were depicted as arrogant individuals who cared very little for those around them.
It brought me a sense of quiet gratitude, knowing that the monarchy I had fought for on the battlefield was capable of showing genuine compassion.
"Are you not going to participate in today's training session?" I asked, switching on my laptop to monitor the live feed of my other students' practice sessions.
"I would rather stay right here with you for now. I am worried something might happen to you," Princess Thelma replied, dragging a chair over to sit directly beside mine.
I could not help but smile warmly at her protective behaviour.