The Old Scholar

As school started in earnest, there were whispers and rumors going around the seniors about the new combat professor assigned to them. No one knows who she was and had doubts about her skill but those words changed when the new teacher wiped the floor with the senior class known as the Best of The Best. A class that was filled with students with undefeated records but now lay humbled by a new hire. That new hire was Martha Sinclair, ex-general and current love of the Dean of Imperia Academy. 

A few days before class started, Leilani personally introduced her to the Combat Professors Department and arranged for them to get to know the new hire. The department was filled with ex-knight order, ex-military, former adventurers, and former mercenaries as Leilani wanted people with actual combat experience to teach the kids of the academy how to properly fight and defend themselves in this world filled with dungeons and roaming monsters. And when Martha showed up, the duo thought she would have to prove herself to them but surprisingly the staff accepted her without much hesitance as they saw that if the new hire was personally introduced by Leilani herself, the Dean of the academy who crushed them during regular performance testing matches without so much as a sweat, then it means that person is more than good enough to join in their ranks. 

Martha took her teaching job seriously as she helped in giving small reformations to the training regime that the teachers had been using for the longest time, putting more rounds for the students to spar with one another and for the teachers to personally duel their students more intensely as it was a test to see if these young men and women who were soon to graduate would be able to handle the rigors of the world outside that was filled with dungeons and roaming monsters. 

And as the month passed, it was now time for the most awaited event for the springtime, the college-wide Springtime Tournament. This tournament was held every springtime and was a test for those from all year levels to see who was the strongest amongst them, the tournament was a way for the young and ambitious to start their name in the school while also serving as a humbling hammer for those who were too cocky or arrogant and overestimated themselves. The prize Leilani had given for the tournament was simple, a chance to increase the final grades for those who were lucky enough to win the tournament plus a small sum of a thousand gold coins which was a large amount of money in the world, said money came straight from Leilani's bank account, an account that was linked to several hundred other accounts under different names in different nations and continents, practically making her the richest person in the world were it not for her using the money in those accounts to help fund welfare projects like schools, hospitals and orphanages. 

(A/N: Currency is this, 1 Gold = 10 silver = 30 bronze = 50 copper, standard currency exchange rate made by Leilani a really long time ago)

As the week before the tournament came, Leilani found herself once again organizing the event she had done so many times before. She organized a committee of volunteering students who wished to be part of the event, she assigned them tasks such as organizing the student-manned food stalls, cooperating with the university prefects setting up patrol routes that the normal knights and military could not travel through, it was a very busy few weeks which involved a lot of student volunteers from the freshmen to the seniors as the Springtime Tournament would be held over an entire week and a lot of things needed to be done to ensure that the event would be fine throughout the allotted week but it all worked out in the end. 

"Haaa. I can finally have break" Leilani muttered as she let out a satisfied sigh and rose from her desk, stretching her limbs 

She walked over to the window behind her and looked down at the campus below her and smiled as she saw a familiar white haired lover running alongside her senior class who was in a two-column formation beside her. Martha was heading down to one of the other training yards in the school as she knew that The Square was currently occupied by the third years at the moment as they had reserved the entire yard for training for the upcoming tournament next week. 

"Feisha!" Leilani called 

"Hmm? Something wrong Master?" The arachnia secretary answered as she popped her head into the office 

"I will be going down to one of the yards, if there is anyone meeting with me for the next hour tell them I will reschedule with them" The Dean said 

"Understood Master. May I add that it is very nice seeing you happy" Feisha added, with Leilani smiling and nodding as she exited the room 

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"Class! attention!" Martha shouted at her students as they formed into two rows. 

"Right. Today's exercises are simple, sparring. Find a partner and spar until I say otherwise, be mindful of the other senior classes we have here so be respectful to them and the field's safety barrier is up so you can go all out, but if I catch someone intentionally torturing and prolonging suffering I will end you, understood?" She added 

"Yes Ma'am!" The class answered her 

"Good, go off into pairs now!" Martha finished 

She then watched as her students of different shapes, sizes and species split up into pairs and dispersed around her area of the training yard, her eyes kept shifting between them and she had her personally forged halberd ready at her side just to make sure she could intervene in any of the sparring that violate what she just told them. She shifted her eyes to one fight where it was an elven boy with a sword dueling against a human boy wielding an axe, with the two boys going all out by the intensity of their swings and the speed at which they came. Her eyes then shifted over to a pair of girls shooting magic at one another but neither was able to land blows as they intercepted each other's spells. 

These were only a few duels she was observing as she moved to the corner wall and leaned on it, she had spent a month training these soon-to-be-graduating seniors and she was pleased with the standards that Imperia had given them, they were akin to soldiers who had seen some action and this gave a sense of familiarity to the old general as she simply pictured her students as fresh recruits that needed some fine-tuning. 

"Martha!" A manly voiced called out to her from her right 

Shifting her eyes, she saw a fellow Professor by the name of Anton Situra, a former mercenary from the continent of Reim. He was a handsome half-orc, his tall build and green skin coupled with his battle-scarred face and formidable facial hair had many women from his continent swoon at the sight of him. She remembered that in their first meeting, Anton was with his wife, another fellow Professor in the Magic Studies Department. 

"Anton" Martha replied with a nod and a smile 

"Training your soldiers for battle eh?" Anton joked as he walked up beside her 

"Heh, they need a little more training then they can begin their everlasting crusade" Martha responded with a smile, causing the two to chuckle 

"Well, how has the job been so far?" The half-orc asked 

"It has been great so far, students listen and do their best. I am just worried that what I teach them will be enough to survive in the world" The silver-haired maiden replied with a wry smile 

"Ah, I had those thoughts too. I find it best to just accept that we do the best we can and that it is up to the student to use them, we cannot really predict the flow of the world, us combat professors know that too well" Anton told her with a small smile that tinged with acceptance of the past 

"sigh...I know what you mean...I know all too well" Martha lamented with a sigh as her vision flashed back to sour memories of dead comrades and corpse-strewn fields, the distant sounds of fighting getting louder before being silenced 

"Hmm, on a lighter note. Do you think your class has a chance at the Class Cup this year?" The half-orc shifted as he looked at his class in the distance 

"Oh yeah I heard about that! Well, I have faith that 6-J has a chance this year, I have drilled them the best I could and I believe they will snag the win from Doc Fafnir and 6-A. Every new batch every new year, that class of his always wins the cup for the last nine years but not this time" Martha replied with a determined smirk and a glance at the half-orc 

"Heh, I like the enthusiasm. But your class will have to get past my 6-C is you plan to bring down the reigning champ" Anton added with his own determined smirk 

"We shall see on that day then" Martha said with a smile as her gaze focused on her students 

"We shall see" Anton agreed as he also shifted his gaze back to his class

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As Leilani walked down the hallway, greeting students who greeted her first, she saw a familiar elven man round the corner. He had a muscular build, had a pair of green eyes on his handsome face and flowing white hair, and was wearing a white overcoat with a red cross on the right arm, he had grey armored gauntlets on his forearms and his legs. He had a white shirt underneath his overcoat and had a khaki pair of combat pants and black shoes. 

"Ah, Doc Fafnir, the best combat professor in the department and my academy's top medical supervisor. Fancy running into you here" Leilani said with a smile

"Boss" Fafnir began with a nod as he walked beside his employer and former teacher 

"First off, "best combat professor" is a lie considering I remember you literally beating me into submission with two hits from a mallet and then dangling me from a cliff during the last professor review" He added as he looked at her, with Leilani simply glancing and smirking at him 

"And second, "top medical supervisor" is wrong as it strips my fellow workers in the medical wing of their efforts in healing the students" The elven man added 

"Way to ruin the fun mood Fafnir, want me to dangle you from the cliff again?" 

"No Ma'am"

"Then take the compliment" 

"Yes Ma'am" 

"Now, pushing past that. Why are you here? I know for a fact all of the seniors are out and about training for the tournament next week and yet here you are strutting down a hall that is nowhere near a training yard or the multiple infirmaries on campus" Leilani said as they reached a fountain with branching paths 

"Well, I was called by one of my friends to help treat a student who fainted in his class, I will be heading back to the training yard on the third floor of Marzus Hall" 

"Mhmm, alright then. Go on" The Dean said as she tilted her head to the left 

"Thank you Boss" Fafnir said as he turned right and walked away 

"Hmm, I think another professor evaluation is in order soon. But that is another time" Leilani mumbled to herself as she went down the left path and soon caught sight of the training yard Martha was in

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Back in the training yard, Martha and Anton watched as they saw their students duel one another. The former agreed to a small test of skills to test the abilities of the seniors and allowed them to fight each other albeit at a monitored pace as Martha and Anton both gave the same instructions as earlier. They watched as blades and weapons clashed with loud sounds and magic dueled magic, the sights before them gave both small smiles as they saw their students pushing one another to the best of their skills in order to come out on top. One of the sights they saw was an arachnia student firing off several web bullets before dashing at her opponent with a pair of two-handed battleaxes while said opponent fired off fire magic and charged with a massive shield in return, while another sight showed a boy and a girl dueling each other with fierce swordplay with sparks and magic flying as the two tried to outdo the other, and there was another sight of two mages just trying to overpower each other with lighting being cast from their hands and from their eyes respectively. 

"Looks like they are having fun" Martha remarked as she watched the students at work 

"Dueling with someone of equal skill is a fun thing to do" Anton added as he also smiled at his students 

As the students dueled, there was a subtle sense of pushing even further as they felt themselves being watched by someone outstanding. Even the duo instructors noticed it too and when Anton glanced behind him he immediately straightened up, with Martha soon following up. The students as well one by one stopped fighting as they saw their teacher's actions and also turned their eyes to the entrance to the yard, there they saw a woman with arms crossed, dressed in a stunning long-sleeve white polo with a black vest and a black overcoat resting on her shoulders with accompanying black slacks and black dress shoes standing near a pillar. Her black hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall and her sharp black eyes laid their gaze upon everyone in the yard. 

"Having fun everyone?" Leilani asked as she walked into the yard and stood next to the instructor duo, with the students giving her the typical "Good Morning Ma'am" and a nervous glance 

Leilani turned to the two instructors and raised her eyebrows, waiting for their answers 

"The students are having some bonding exercises Ma'am for the upcoming tournament" Anton stated with a a straight face 

"Yes Ma'am. We are simply seeing how far they have gotten in their training" Martha added in the same way 

"Hmm, I see. 6-J and 6-C correct?" Leilani asked as she glanced back at the students 

"Yes Ma'am" The duo answered immediately 

"Hmmm..." Leilani nodded as she glanced at the class and at the duo before her 

"May I ask something Ma'am?" One of the students said, a young arachnia girl holding a pair of battleaxes 

"Hmm? Go ahead Miss Misitina" Leilani said with crossed arms 

"Well uhh...what are you doing here Ma'am?

"Well, I have been locked up in my office all day doing stuff that keeps the academy running and I am in need of some proper exercise, probably a sparring partner or two" Leilani finished as she looked at the two instructors 

"Uhhh" The two of them exchanged glances, Martha clearly unsure of what to do and Anton not wanting to experience another professor evaluation like last time 

"Does that answer your question Miss Misitina?" 

"Yes it does Ma'am, thank you" The arachnia gave a small bow before Leilani nodded and turned her gaze back to the two 

"I will spar with you Ma'am" Martha finally said after a few moments of silence, with Anton nodding at her and mouthing 'Good Luck' 

"Great! Clear the field kids!" Leilani shouted, with the students following the orders immediately 

Although she had agreed to it, Martha also had other motives to duel The Dean. Ever since she was hired and was in an intimate relationship with her lover, there was a constant nagging feeling to prove that she had what it took to be a lover and a teacher as she felt that Leilani had been holding out on her with certain things. She had heard about the teacher evaluations from her fellow professors in the department and heard that they were brutal and unwinnable. She had never seen one as the duels were very secretive and only a one on one match between the Dean and the professor evaluated. Martha decided that if she truly were to prove herself then winning or at least landing a blow on Leilani during the evaluation would be more than enough. 

Leilani meanwhile had been reading the mind of her lover the entire time and let out a small smirk as she realized what her lover wanted to do. Although it is true that she had been holding out on her, it was more akin to Leilani being unsure to subject the woman she loves to the things she did to others and just scared of shattering Martha's self-confidence and self-image. She had read the file Feisha had gathered on her and there were parts that explicitly stated that Martha took great pride in being an amazing combatant and was very confident in her abilities to the point where she would proudly proclaim victory before the battle even started. This kind of attitude was something Leilani understood and understood well, but it was also one she was afraid of shattering without hurting her lover as although Martha was an amazingly kind-hearted woman whose personality made her stand out, if she would be too prideful a woman from her experience then it meant that she was to get into trouble down the line and that was something Leilani wanted to stop from happening. 

The two women then stood at the center of the field, with both of them staring at one another while the students and Anton watched from the sidelines.

"Right, let's set this up" Leilani said as she waved her hand and constructed a large clear soundproof barrier around the area they were to fighting in 

"Martha I will be frank with you my dear. I need to know straight from you, tell me the full truth. Are you a prideful and arrogant person?" Leilani asked with a straight expression with a tinge of concern 

"I....If this is related to our relationship then I will come forward, I take pride in my skills as a combatant and a fighter, I have arrogantly proclaimed victory against foes on the battlefield before it even began. But that was when I was a soldier. I was prideful and arrogant because I was fighting a foe I had beaten time and time again. So yes I WAS prideful and arrogant. But after my first month here, after spending so much time with you, my fellow professors and my students, I have learned that my prideful and arrogant attitude will cause me trouble and overall bring me negatives in the future" Martha answered as she took a step forward 

"I am not a prideful and arrogant person at heart, I have heard I am a kind-hearted and gentle person and I do my utmost to bring out as much of that personality into the world as I see it will be for the better of everyone, I am sorry if I have let you down my love" Martha said as she could feel tears coming but shoved them back down as they were still in front of her students. 

"I see. I am sorry for doing this to you Martha, I just wanted to see if you would really tell me the truth, I know that we all have our faults and I am glad that you are honest in trying to override your bad with the good" Leilani said with a regretful expression 

"I thank you and I understand love, I understand" Martha replied 

"Ok, with that out of the way. I will say this, I love you Martha and I am glad you love me. But please put all of that aside for now because as your Dean, I am here to evaluate you. Are you ready?" Leilani stated as she looked at her dead in the eyes 

Martha took a deep breath as she summoned forth her plate armor she wore in every single battle she had ever participated in, the plates and pieces of the armor materializing and overlapping over the teacher's attire she was wearing. She then held her personally forged halberd tightly in her hand and slung it over her shoulder before giving a nod to Leilani 

"I am ready" Her gaze returning to that of a hardened soldier 

"Good. Then show me what you got"

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Martha let out a defiant roar as she lunged forward, halberd now in both hands towards her weaponless opponent. She thrust it forward multiple times in rapid quick fire succession, her eyes widened as Leilani easily dodged the thrusts by simply shifting her body in certain angles that made the spear tip and halberd head glide right by her without much harm. She then pulled back as she felt an attack coming but was blindsided by nothing, her eyes narrowed as she tried to examine her still-standing and nonexpressive opponent, hoping to get a read on anything that could telegraph her intentions. 

Outside the barrier, the students and Anton were silent as they saw the first act of the duel come to an abrupt end. To them is seemed that Professor Martha had just launched a blinding combination of thrusts that would have gotten anyone else and made them into cheese but instead, they saw the Dean effortlessly dodge these attacks without even moving from her spot. All of them on the edge of their seats as they awaited what was to happen next. 

"C'mon Martha, one hit girl. That is all you need" Anton mumbled as he watched with a concerned look 

"Hmm, a use of the "Blinding Thrust Technique" How amazing" Leilani remarked as she looked at the woman before her 

{!}

"How do you-" 

"I know it is one of the three styles of halberd fighting they teach in the Royal Army of Addahare. It is a quite powerful technique, using rapid-fire thrusts with afterimages and sharp angles to destroy and pierce enemy defenses. I bet you have killed many with this technique love, but it will not suffice against me" Leilani added as she looked at the expressionless soldier 

Not one to just wait around and see what would happen, Martha charged again. This time she used one hand to let loose a vertical swing downwards with her right arm while she muttered under her breath and channeled ice magic to cover her left fist before letting it loose in a left hook aimed directly at Leilani's face. The latter dodged the halberd swing by taking a step back and countered the ice punch by using a knife-hand block to push it away before replying with single punch that struck the center of her chestplate and sent her flying across the yard and crashing onto the ground hard. 

"A good try love, but if your enemy is unarmed then suffice to say they are experts in hand-to-hand. You have to be faster and you have to be stronger" Leilani remarked again as she blew her fist with a small smile 

"Noted" Martha replied with the same unreadable expression 

The old soldier roared again as she dashed forward and unleashed a much more determined set of attacks than before. She constantly shifted from thrusting her halberd to swinging it in large and rapid horizontal or vertical slashes, always from weird angles that forced Leilani to shift her body position and finally start moving. This went on for a good few minutes as Leilani dodged with an impressed look as Martha kept up the attacks, Leilani noticed that her opponent's body enhancing magic being pushed to limit as Martha forced her mana pool to pump out more and more mana. After dodging another vertical slash, Leilani jumped back and allowed Martha to charge her. 

{!} 

Her eyes widened in surprise as Martha disappeared and then suddenly reappeared behind her, the spear tip of the halberd was thrust forward and was dangerously close to stabbing her skull from behind. She smiled as she simply tilted her head and allowed the tip to pass her by before turning and crouching to dodge the halberd head. She then retaliated with a three-punch combo that rocked the chest plate and abdomen of her lover before grabbing the shaft of the halberd and yanking it out of Martha's grasp and then immediately using it like a bat, with the flat side of the halberd head smashing into the chest plate once more and sending the old soldier crashing onto the ground, but this time Martha did not get back up. The students and Anton who were watching were all left speechless by the end of the match, they were all amazed by the speed of which their Professors could go and were doubly surprised by the skills both had shown, with many of them taking the show to heart to help improve their own fighting styles and capabilities. 

Walking over to her lover, Leilani outstretched her hand to help Martha up and the latter nodded as she grasped the arm and pulled herself up with the former's help. Her eyes and expression were a bit saddened by the fact that she had lost but was happy that the evaluation was over. 

"So how did I do love?" Martha asked with a wry smile 

"Well, you could handle your halberd better. Too much faith in the heavy head and tip of the spear, not enough use of the shaft or the pommel. Also your close quarter skills need some fine-tuning but that can be easily sorted out. You have tendency to go for the weird angles and while that does help keep your opponent on their feet, it becomes highly predictable once the opponent recognizes the fighting style. Overall I give you a 6/10 not bad but could be better. You are the only one to receive this so take that with pride, the highest in the evaluations I have ever given" Leilani answered her with a smile 

"I see, thank you love" Martha stated as she bowed her head before going back up and smiling with a nod

"I love you too. Now let's get back to work"  

A/N: Hello there! So the original plan was to finish this by end of month but I sadly cannot. I have to get ready for the 2nd Volume of my main series which is set to release by Jan 2nd or 1st if I am lucky enough. I am thankful for all the love and support this series has gotten in the two months of chapters and I promise that I am not abandoning it as I shift production back to my main series. Expect the uploads to be slower, about maybe two weeks or more but the important thing is they will come. I will finish this series like I shall finish my first and I am happy for all the love and support you guys give me! As always, Stay Safe and Enjoy Your Day! Advanced Happy New Year!