After finishing my morning workout, I stopped by the staff cafeteria and ate breakfast there. A few students were already arriving at their classrooms. During the morning hours, they attended school much like regular college students. From Monday to Thursday, they practised magic after their daily classes concluded.
It was only on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday that they devoted themselves fully to training for their magic matches. After finishing breakfast and freshening up, I headed to the library to study how to be a good instructor and to investigate why Dellila had repeatedly failed her tryout matches.
For four hours, I read journals on coaching techniques as well as tips and tricks for training students. Afterwards, I began pulling up match footage of Dellila. After watching all of her matches, I sensed that something was holding Dellila back from finishing off her opponents.
During the early stages, she fought as usual. She remained consistent with her calm fighting style, carefully observing her opponent's decisions before reacting to their attacks. However, as the match dragged into the late game, Dellila seemed to struggle with delivering the final blow.
Consequently, time would run out, and her opponent would win based on total damage dealt. Naturally, the fighter who attacked more frequently accumulated a higher damage total than the one staying on the defensive.
After rewatching the footage once more, I noticed a subtle expression of hesitation on Dellila's face whenever an opportunity arose to finish her opponent.
"Is she hesitating to finish them off? She only needed one more strike to win, yet she froze, allowing her opponent to exploit the opening and turn the tables," I muttered, continuing to analyse the footage.
The noon break bell rang across the building. A few students could be seen entering the library. Shortly after, I received a message from Princess Thelma on my laptop notification screen. I picked up my phone, connected to the laptop and read the text.
"Instructor..." "Are you free to accompany me somewhere this afternoon?" "My father wants to thank you."
What? King Drach V wants to thank me? I felt it might be a bit premature for that, considering she had only just passed a tryout match. I thought it would be better to politely decline for now.
"Refusal is not an option."
"Alright," I replied. "What time?"
"At 4 PM in the front courtyard. Wait for me there," Princess Thelma replied.
After that, I continued my investigation into Dellila, shifting my focus to analysing the Tsukinose sisters. Chia's fighting style was overly aggressive, so much so that she left gaps in her stance for opponents to counterattack, and her reaction time to defend those gaps was far too slow. Her approach was rushed, rarely accounting for how her opponent might defend, until she eventually ran out of mana and was forced into a defensive position until her mana recovered.
As for Shia, rather than utilising her fire elemental magic, she relied on a unique form of physical enhancement magic. Every single one of her punches was imbued with fire. Even when equipped with long-range attack magic, she insisted on engaging in close-quarters combat. All of her losses stemmed from miscalculations that left her unable to dodge fatal magic attacks from her opponents.
Was Shia simply foolish? Or was there a specific reason she preferred physical enhancement magic and close-range combat over long-range spellcasting? In one match, she even brought a magic rifle, but instead of fighting like a normal markswoman, she used the butt of the magic rifle to strike her opponent.
"..."
Noticing that it was approaching 4 PM, I packed my gadgets and notebooks back into my bag and headed to the front courtyard. I sat down beneath a large oak tree located at the edge of the courtyard.
"I am here, sitting comfortably out of the harsh afternoon sun," I texted her alongside a photo showing where I was waiting.
"Okay."
While waiting for her, I organised their training schedule. I figured it would be best to train Princess Thelma on Monday, Chia on Tuesday, Shia on Wednesday, Sesil on Thursday, and Dellila on Friday. Saturdays and Sundays could then be reserved for joint team training sessions. On days dedicated to individual instruction, the remaining students could focus on self-directed practice. This structure allowed me to dedicate my full attention to one student each weekday.
The plan was not entirely finalised yet. However, given that most other instructors organised their schedules this way, it seemed like a solid baseline. Alternatively, should I attempt to condense the schedule? Perhaps I could train Dellila and Chia together, since both of them utilised water elemental magic.
"G-good afternoon, Instructor... Are you busy?" Princess Thelma glanced at me as I worked on my laptop.
I was mildly impressed seeing Princess Thelma dressed in casual attire. She wore a soft-colored knit dress that fit comfortably without being overly tight, paired with a matching soft-colored cardigan. The outfit suited her remarkably well, giving her a feminine and graceful appearance. Members of the royal family truly carried an air of elegance.
"Not at all, I just finished," I replied while packing away my laptop. "I was simply organising the training schedule. Your outfit suits you very well, Your Highness."
Princess Thelma paused for a moment, attempting to conceal her reaction.
"Oh..." Princess Thelma quickly regained her cheerful demeanour. "Come, let us head out."
"My father's driver is waiting for us. T-to be honest, I-I was hesitant to go as well, but my father insisted that the two of us go out to celebrate my passing the tryout match," Princess Thelma explained, her words stumbling slightly.
Good grief, had I known, I would have changed into somewhat more formal attire.
I walked alongside her toward the front parking lot, where a luxury sports car was waiting. A female driver stepped out and opened the rear passenger door for Princess Thelma and me.
"Thank you."
I let Princess Thelma step inside first before entering myself, after which the door was quietly closed behind us. Sitting in the front passenger seat was King Drach V himself. The monarch appeared relaxed, dressed in comfortable casual wear.
"We meet again, Yogiri." The King offered a warm smile. "Uhuhuhu... I am deeply moved that my daughter passed her tryout match..."
"Ahahaha," I let out a polite laugh, feeling it would be inappropriate not to show respect to the King. "Is this not a bit excessive, Your Majesty?"
"Just call me Uncle Drach. Besides, I am not wearing any royal regalia today, so there is no obligation for you to address me as King," King Drach replied. "I am here simply as a proud father celebrating his daughter's progress."
"Oh, Father!" Princess Thelma blushed in embarrassment. "You are being far too dramatic!"
"Take us to our usual dining spot," King Drach instructed the driver.
Our vehicle smoothly pulled out of the Trinity Academy parking lot and merged into the main road, which was bustling with evening commute traffic.
"So, Thelma, do you have a clear direction in mind now?" King Drach asked his daughter.
"I have not even made my debut yet, Father. But if I am to aim high, I want to follow in Mother's footsteps by earning the Triple Tiara and winning seven international class tournaments," Princess Thelma answered with a hint of determination.
That was an extraordinarily ambitious goal for her.
"What do you think, Yogiri? Do you believe my daughter can achieve it?" King Drach turned to ask me.
I had only reviewed a fraction of her tryout footage so far, and my full analysis of Princess Thelma was still incomplete. However, what intrigued me most was how she performed before I taught her the fundamentals of abnormal magic.
"I firmly believe she can. Based on my analysis, her fighting style is exceptionally sharp and deliberate. Even in her failed tryout data, I observed how she attempted to counter her opponents' elemental spells using standard magic, despite not yet understanding how to channel her abnormal magic properly." I answered smoothly.
"The fact that Princess Thelma could analyse and read her opponents' techniques so effectively is a fantastic foundation. With consistent training and a proper schedule to prevent injury, I believe she is entirely capable of reaching the international tournament level."
King Drach simply smiled in response.
"You promise, right?" Princess Thelma said, looking up at me. A faint blush dusted her cheeks as she slightly lowered her head.
"Of course, I will train you until you are strong," I replied casually.
We soon arrived at a grand, luxurious restaurant. I believed this was my very first time visiting such an upscale establishment. Back in the military, my dining experiences were strictly limited to the mess hall. On special occasions, the members of Viper 6 would occasionally bring me takeout from outside the base.
"Forgive me if I seem out of place, Uncle Drach," I said, scratching my cheek in mild awkwardness at addressing the monarch as uncle. "This is the first time in my life I have ever been to a place like this."
"At the ACE595 base, those of us with abnormal magic were not permitted to leave the premises except when deployed on official duty," I added, continuing to scratch my cheek.
"The military?" Princess Thelma glanced at me in surprise.
"Think nothing of it, Yogiri." King Drach patted my shoulder reassuringly and placed a friendly arm around me.
"Wait, Instructor Klausmann came from the military?" Princess Thelma asked me.
"Erm, yes?" I replied, following King Drach as the host guided us toward our reserved table.
"You may ask him directly, Thelma. It seems you are quite curious about your instructor," King Drach remarked as he took his seat.
After ordering our meals, Princess Thelma inquired about my background. I answered her questions as best as I could without disclosing any classified military information. Even though I was now a part-time military reservist, I remained bound by contract not to reveal details regarding secret missions or operations.
To the general public, ACE595 was listed as a standard logistics unit. However, to the King and high-ranking military officials who possessed clearance, ACE595 was a specialised division where the kingdom gathered talented mages and abnormal magic users to mould them into elite soldiers.
"Whoa, that sounds incredible." Princess Thelma's eyes sparkled with fascination as she listened to my story.
Naturally, I fabricated the specific operational duties I described to her. Judging by the subtle smile on King Drach's face, he seemed amused listening to my embellished cover stories rather than hearing about the actual classified missions I carried out during my service.
Search and destroy operations, infiltration into enemy strongholds, targeted assassinations, and reconnaissance work were hardly topics suitable to share with Princess Thelma.
Our food was served, and we enjoyed dinner together. Over the course of the evening, I felt myself growing much closer to both King Drach and Princess Thelma. On the drive back, Princess Thelma drifted off to sleep in the back seat.
"Well done, Yogiri," King Drach spoke quietly to me. "I expect you to keep your promise to make her strong. I cannot afford to have my successor appear weak in the eyes of the world."
"Understood. I will train her until she is strong. Am I permitted to utilise the military training methods that were used on me, given her abnormal magic type?" I asked seriously.
"You have my permission. However, proceed with caution and tailor the intensity to her physical capabilities. There was a reason I originally chose her elder brother to be my successor instead of her," King Drach explained. "Now that my son has fallen in battle, Thelma remains my sole heir. I need her to be as strong as her brother was."
I nodded in understanding. I had greenlit authorisation to apply military conditioning methods for her training. The loss of the crown prince was indeed a tragedy. He had fallen gravely ill while deployed on the front lines and passed away.
The psychological burden placed on Princess Thelma must have been immense, having to step into her late brother's shoes. I resolved to soften my approach slightly and incorporate a more empathetic touch when guiding her.