I carefully monitored the practice match between Dela and Sesil before shifting my focus to observe Shia and Chia spar. However, one specific detail bugged me, Princess Thelma kept staring directly at me instead of watching her teammates train.
"Thank you for keeping me company and looking out for me," I offered warmly to Princess Thelma as she sat beside me.
"O-o-of course! Y-y-you are my instructor, and I am your student, after all. I-I-I simply do not want to lose my instructor," Princess Thelma stuttered back, adopting her usual coy, shy demeanour.
"Come, let us head down to the practice arena to watch them in person. Thank you for guiding your teammates earlier," I remarked, rising from my seat after finishing the warm tea Princess Thelma had brewed for me.
"Right," Princess Thelma responded, falling into step beside me.
"Would you like to spar with me as well?" I inquired politely.
"You would easily defeat me, Instructor," Princess Thelma replied playfully.
"I will refrain from attacking and allow you to attack freely. That way, you can observe and learn how I structure my defensive manoeuvres. Tomorrow, to further enhance your abnormal magic usage, we will engage in an activity designed to sharpen your creative instincts," I explained patiently.
"In that case, count me in," Princess Thelma declared, summoning her magic blade into her right hand. "Let us go, Instructor!"
Princess Thelma dashed ahead of me toward the massive indoor stadium arena. The moment I stepped onto the training floor alongside Princess Thelma, Sesil, Dela, Shia, and Chia visibly breathed a collective sigh of relief. Stopping their respective training sessions, they ran over to greet me.
Wait, what was this unfamiliar feeling...
It felt entirely different from anything I had ever experienced during my time in the military.
"Whoa, what is going on with you all?" I asked, looking at their worried faces.
"Thank goodness, you are doing well, Instructor," Sesil remarked with genuine relief.
"Yes, we were deeply concerned about you," Shia and Chia added in unison.
"Instructor, it is completely fine if you want us to train independently today," Dela chimed in, her face fraught with concern.
"I am perfectly healthy, it was merely a mild seasonal cold earlier. Princess Thelma, please explain the situation to your teammates," I requested, turning to the princess.
Princess Thelma dutifully explained to the team that I was simply suffering from a mild cold. While it was technically a fabricated cover story, everyone accepted the explanation without hesitation, except for Sesil. She continued to look at me with an unmistakable air of suspicion. However, she quickly composed her expression and returned to her training routine.
"Alright, Princess Thelma. It is your turn now, let us begin our session," I guided Princess Thelma to an unoccupied training ring, activating the defensive boundary surrounding the duel area.
Princess Thelma swung her blade with boundless enthusiasm. A vibrant aura of abnormal magic enveloped her weapon, The Sovereign. "You promised not to attack me, right, Instructor?"
"Correct," I replied softly, quietly channelling my abnormal magic pathways to enhance my physical conditioning. I visualised myself as a fictional superhero possessing extraordinary agility, successfully manifesting that raw concept into physical speed.
Princess Thelma rushed forward, clearly intending to adopt an aggressive posture. She executed a swift overhead swing aimed directly at my shoulder. I evaded the incoming strike effortlessly. Undeterred, she immediately targeted my opposite shoulder, and I evaded once more.
It appeared to be a standard swordplay combo. Naturally, her next logical strike would target my midsection. Just as anticipated, Princess Thelma thrusted her blade straight toward my stomach. Fortunately, my extensive combat experience against similar attack patterns allowed me to dodge the incoming strike with room to spare.
Executing a crisp backflip to gain distance, I adjusted my uniform jacket and offered a subtle smile.
"Do not mock me!" Princess Thelma pouted playfully.
She attempted the same attack sequence again. However, I noticed her actively reevaluating her final blow. My instincts proved correct once more, after targeting both of my shoulders, instead of aiming for my midsection, she executed a spell-boosted dash aimed directly at my chest.
Yet, thanks to my enhanced agility, I side-stepped her attack with ease.
"Why are you slippery like an eel, Instructor?!" Princess Thelma complained loudly.
Switching tactics, she manifested her magic into a spell-sidearm loaded with fire elemental rounds, firing a rapid barrage in my direction. Unfortunately for her, I dodged most of the incoming projectiles while others missed their targets entirely. Mid-barrage, she attempted to close the gap to strike me with her sword once again.
Oh, she was attempting to create a tactical distraction to open up an attack angle. That clearly demonstrated her sharp strategic intellect. Her prior defeat in the selection trials was likely due to an incomplete mastery over her abnormal magic rather than a lack of tactical awareness.
This meant my job was simple, I merely needed to focus on upgrading her baseline attributes and teaching her structured combat techniques step-by-step to unlock her true potential.
"TCH! Stop dodging every single attack!" Princess Thelma protested, stomping her feet against the arena floor in frustration like an angry bull.
"I already placed a handicap on myself by agreeing not to attack, did I not? If you simply want to hit a target, you should practice against a training dummy," I deliberately provoked her. One potential flaw in Princess Thelma's combat style was her emotional volatility. She was remarkably easy to provoke.
Sure enough, upon taking the bait, Princess Thelma completely lost her composure, swinging her weapon wildly without strategy. Her attack power flared uncontrollably, rapidly depleting her internal mana reserves.
"Ah!" Princess Thelma gasped as her mana completely ran dry, leaving her unable to maintain her offence.
I jogged over to her and lightly flicked her forehead.
"See? An absolute waste of mana. If this were an authentic match, your opponent would easily capitalise on your inability to conserve energy. Starting next week, your training regimen will consist heavily of meditation to expand your total mana capacity."
"Ugh!" Princess Thelma pouted in frustration.
Before I realised it, time had flown by, bringing our scheduled practice session to a close. Dela, Sesil, Shia, and Chia, who had been watching our exchange from the sidelines, looked at me with open admiration.
"Instructor, what kind of movement technique was that? I could not track your movement at all when you shifted positions..." Dela stared at me with wide, awe-filled eyes. "Was that spatial teleportation magic?"
"It was not teleportation, but rather an agility enhancement spell, correct?" Sesil inquired softly. "While the others might have lost sight of you, I could still faintly track your movements, Instructor."
"One hundred points to Sesil," I praised her warmly.
"I still want to land a hit on you, Instructor!" Princess Thelma yelled playfully, swinging a wild spinning backfist in my direction. I extended my hand, placing my palm gently against her forehead to arrest her forward momentum. "Come on, Instructor, go easy on me for once!"
Slipping her head beneath my outstretched arm, she attempted to deliver a playful headbutt to my chest. However, I lightly hopped backwards, dodging her attempt with ease.
"Hwa!"
THUMP!
Princess Thelma ended up headbutting Dela instead.
"Ouch..." Dela and Princess Thelma groaned in unison.
"Practice time is officially over. Let us return to the office for our closing debriefing," I reminded them smoothly. "Thank you all for your hard work today."
Princess Thelma remained mildly annoyed over her inability to land a single hit on me throughout the session. Following our debriefing, I sat down at my desk to compile our daily training reports and analyse their recorded practice footage. Only Princess Thelma and Sesil remained inside my office, alongside Dela, who was happily playing with the stray cat resting on the floor.
Shia and Chia had already excused themselves and headed back to their dormitory.
"Are the three of you not heading back yet?" I asked, looking up from my screen.
"I am resting briefly before tackling my homework here," Sesil answered, opening her laptop on her desk.
"I..." Princess Thelma looked at me coyly. "I am waiting to make sure you return to your quarters safely and actually rest, Instructor."
"Meow!" Dela picked up the office cat, manipulating its little paws playfully.
"I am glad to have the company," I remarked cheerfully, focusing my attention back on my written report. "Just make sure you do not peek at my evaluation notes."
Eventually, Princess Thelma joined Dela on the floor to play with our office mascot, leaving Sesil and me focused on the steady cadence of our respective laptop keyboards. After a short while, Princess Thelma let out a wide yawn, casting a glance at the wall clock.
"Will you be much longer, Instructor?" she asked curiously.
"Yes, it will take me a while," I answered casually, reviewing the recorded footage of Dela's sparring session against Sesil.
"Sesil, can you make sure the instructor actually returns to the staff quarters to rest later?" Princess Thelma turned to ask Sesil. "I need to head back to my room first."
Sesil offered a quiet nod in agreement, prompting Princess Thelma to head to the changing room to swap into her school uniform before taking her leave. Pausing at the doorway, she turned back to face me. "Instructor, promise me you will rest the moment you reach your quarters!"
"I promise."
She was certainly persistent, but I found it quite endearing, knowing that Princess Thelma possessed such a caring nature beneath her royal exterior.
"Dela, are you interested in registering for an upcoming debut match? There is an official tournament scheduled in April for water elementals," I remarked, glancing toward Dela, who was still cradling the cat.
"Meow!" Dela replied playfully from behind the cat, using its small body to hide her face.
"Meow, meow meow?" I casually joined in on her silly game.
"Meow!" Dela placed the black cat back down onto the floor, and the feline immediately trotted off toward the office bathroom where I had set up its litter box.
"I would like to enter," Dela finally answered my question seriously.
"Step over here for a moment," I requested, gesturing for Dela to approach my laptop screen. I opened the official registration portal for the water elemental debut matches.
[Debut Match 1 Water Elemental, Female Division, Total Registered Applicants: 118]
"This first event takes place in March, but I have already registered Sesil for her maiden match that month. If I sign you up for the March event as well, it will be difficult for me to divide my coaching focus effectively between both of you," I explained patiently to Dela. "As for the April event, the registered applicant pool remains relatively small. It is still unclear whether it will be postponed or combined with the March schedule later on."
[Debut Match 2 Water Elemental, Female Division, Total Registered Applicants: 40]
Their schedules overlapped, and the matches were set to take place in entirely separate stadiums across the city.
"Mmm, I think I will register for the April event instead. To be honest, I do not feel entirely confident I can prepare myself adequately in less than a month," Dela nodded in understanding.
"Are you certain?" I verified once more, filling out her personal details into the registration form.
"Now, as part of a new team tradition I wish to establish, every time we submit a tournament registration, we must press the final submission button together. Sesil, come over here as well," I added, calling Sesil over to my desk.
With our three index fingers resting gently over the Enter key, Dela's face betrayed a clear sense of nervous anticipation. "I can do this, and I will win my debut match."
On the count of three, we pressed the Enter key simultaneously, officially registering Dela for her upcoming debut match in April.
"Yay!" Dela cheered with quiet excitement.
"Do not let nervousness get the best of you, Dellila," Sesil looked at Dela with a serious expression. "You do not necessarily have to secure a victory on your very first attempt. Do not allow expectations to weigh heavily on your mind."
Oh, I was pleasantly surprised to see Sesil offering genuine advice to Dela. It seemed my suspicion was correct, Sesil herself had suffered under the crushing weight of high expectations, causing her confidence to shatter when she failed to meet them.
"Simply enjoy the natural flow of the match," I added softly. "And embrace the journey of preparing for it."
"Understood!" Dela responded resolutely. "Should I begin participating in external scrimmage matches right away as well?"
"Hmm... For the time being, I think you should continue sparring internally with Sesil. I will schedule your formal external scrimmages approximately one month before your tournament date," I answered, looking toward Sesil.
Sesil was by far the most experienced mage among my current students. By pairing Dela with Sesil during internal practice, I hoped Sesil could help guide Dela through her psychological hesitation and help her overcome her reluctance to strike opponents decisively.
"Understood! In that case, I will take my leave now to share the good news with my parents!" With a beaming smile, the black-haired girl dashed toward the locker room, quickly changing into her school uniform before departing for the dormitory.
That left only Sesil and me inside the quiet office.
"Dela struggles with being overly merciful toward her opponents, does she not, Instructor?" Sesil asked softly.
"Is that so?" I intentionally responded with a question to prompt Sesil into sharing more of her thoughts. "That does appear to be her primary obstacle. Her tryout combat footage clearly reflects that hesitation. However, during her final tryout match, she managed to overcome that inner barrier and decisively defeat her opponent."