Chapter 75: Internal Troubles

In the tradition of reciprocal visits between Almeythys Academy and Themis Academy, the visiting delegations typically stay at the host academy for around ten days.

Of course, these ten days aren’t entirely devoted to matches between the visiting and host students. While the specific schedules vary slightly depending on the faculty leader of the visiting delegation, the general timetable remains fairly consistent.

For instance, the first day after arrival is usually a rest day. Members of the visiting delegation tour the host academy, using what they see to roughly assess the host’s strength over the past year. The second day after arrival is then dedicated to warming up and familiarizing themselves with the competition venue.

In truth, the sole purpose of these inter-academy visits is to showcase strength. Naturally, the teaching facilities a school possesses are a significant part of its strength, so Almeythys Academy and Themis Academy hold their annual matches in different training halls each year. Even students who participated in the previous year’s visit will face an entirely new environment when they return the following year.

Each training hall is built for different purposes, varying greatly in size, layout, and lighting conditions. For example, training halls designed for speed-type martial artists are relatively open in space, and are often equipped with numerous “obstacles” to train the students’ reaction abilities.

In matches where the two sides are vastly mismatched, these environmental factors naturally play a minimal role. However, in evenly matched contests, the environment often becomes a decisive factor in determining victory or defeat.

In previous years, for Almeythys Academy’s martial arts department, the second day’s venue familiarization was merely a formality. This year, however, was completely different. The combat techniques practiced by Zack and others, such as the Spring Water Manual, contained many moves that could only fully demonstrate their power when coordinated with the environment. In other words, the key to Zack and his team’s success in this year’s competition depended heavily on how well they could utilize the environment.

As the only martial arts instructor in Almeythys Academy’s delegation, Zhang Wen naturally bore the responsibility. He got up early in the morning, woke up his four students one by one, and prepared to lead them in familiarizing themselves with this year’s competition venue.

However, what Zhang Wen didn’t know was that the bold claim he made the previous night at Training Hall No.3 on the academy’s back mountain, in front of Chief Instructor Gelt and many students—that he would “completely crush the martial arts department of Themis Academy”—had already spread throughout the entire Themis Academy the very next morning.

Frankly speaking, the first reaction of most Themis Academy teachers and students upon hearing Zhang Wen’s bold words wasn’t immediate rage, but rather a sense that they must have misheard due to excessive fatigue.

Almeythys Academy?! The same Almeythys Academy whose martial arts department was notoriously weak across the entire empire, actually claiming it wanted to defeat Themis Academy, whose martial arts department was firmly ranked among the top five in the empire? And even saying “crush”? Was there any more ridiculous joke in the entire world?

Then, after confirming for a second time that they hadn’t misheard, their expressions still weren’t anger, but rather laughter or expressions of schadenfreude as they shook their heads in mock pity: That poor Almeythys Academy instructor must have suffered some kind of trauma and gone mad!

Indeed, no sane person would ever claim they could lead Almeythys Academy’s tragic martial arts department to crush Themis Academy, right?

Thus, the rumor that the martial arts department instructor from Almeythys Academy had gone mad from excessive stress quickly spread along with the previous one. As a result, when Zhang Wen got up in the morning, he noticed that the hotel staff were giving him some rather strange looks.

However, soon enough, Zhang Wen figured out why the hotel staff were giving him such odd glances.

Not long after Zhang Wen woke up his four students, Kaelena, the head instructor of the spellcraft department, stormed into Zhang Wen’s room with Irina, clearly furious.

When Irina had heard Zhang Wen’s outrageous claims at the training hall the previous night, she had been so stunned by his words that she hadn’t immediately considered the consequences of his actions. After returning to her hotel room, Irina had gone to sleep in a daze and only realized the implications upon waking up the next morning. As soon as she came to her senses, Irina immediately rushed to report everything that had happened the previous night to her teacher, Kaelena, the head instructor of the spellcraft department.

This led to the scene of Kaelena, shocked by Irina’s account, storming into Zhang Wen’s room.

However, this scene of two spellcraft instructors barging into Zhang Wen’s room, as witnessed by the hotel staff, only brought Zhang Wen even more strange looks.

Although Irina was famously known as the “Iron Virgin” at Almeythys Academy, this certainly didn’t mean she lacked beauty. In fact, when Irina first entered Almeythys Academy over a decade ago, she was already recognized as a cold beauty.

Even now, at nearly thirty years old, Irina’s figure and appearance had not faded in the slightest. If anything, with age, her beauty had matured into a more alluring charm, and her body had become even more seductive than when she first entered Almeythys Academy.

If judged purely by appearance, even if Irina couldn’t quite be compared to Linoah, the two were certainly not far apart. However, Irina looked down on any man who approached her.

Irina treated her suitors with nothing but cold mockery, completely disregarding their self-esteem. Almost every man who showed even a slight interest in Irina ended up humiliated and defeated by her. As a result, when Linoah appeared later, Irina’s popularity at the academy plummeted, and she earned the nickname “Iron Virgin for Ten Thousand Years.”

However, the waiters at the Themis Academy hotel obviously didn’t know about Irina’s peculiar temper or her reputation at Almeythys Academy. In their eyes, a mature woman whose body had fully ripened, who was both unmarried and exceptionally beautiful, having a secret relationship with a male teacher was hardly surprising!

Now, seeing this mature woman’s immediate superior leading her in a furious charge into a male teacher’s room early in the morning… Well, what had happened last night didn’t even need to be asked!

Frankly speaking, people thinking this way weren’t just the waiters at the Themis Academy hotel. Even Zack, who didn’t know about the events of the previous night, couldn’t help but gape in shock when he saw Kaelena and Irina rushing into Zhang Wen’s room.

“Wow! Teacher Zhang is really impressive! Not only does Teacher Linoah have a thing for him, but even the ‘Iron Virgin’ has fallen into his hands? If that’s the case, aren’t the two most famous cold beauties at our academy…” Zack couldn’t help but express his boundless admiration for Zhang Wen in a whisper, his mouth wide open in amazement.

As Zack and the equally clueless Cloud exchanged grinning whispers about Zhang Wen’s gossip, Kaelena had already stormed into Zhang Wen’s room and shouted out in anger.

“Teacher Zhang!”

Seeing Irina following behind Kaelena, Zhang Wen naturally understood that Kaelena had come to confront him about what happened at the training hall the previous night. However, Zhang Wen, who had just finished changing into his uniform, still stopped what he was doing and pretended to be puzzled as he asked.

“Teacher Kaelena, what brings you here in person?”

“Don’t you know exactly what you’ve done?” Kaelena coldly stared at Zhang Wen, saying something that only deepened the misunderstanding, before signaling with her eyes for Irina to close the door.

As the proud head instructor of Almeythys Academy’s spellcraft department, Kaelena valued her own and the academy’s reputation above anything else. Naturally, she didn’t want the students to witness her argument with Zhang Wen.

Bang!

The door to Zhang Wen’s room was slammed shut by Irina. The four students outside exchanged glances, then simultaneously pressed their ears to the door, even Xiaoxi and Amelice, whose faces were still flushed with embarrassment, couldn’t help but do the same.

However, the four gossip-hungry students felt both eager and disappointed, for the doors of the Themis Academy hotel were of excellent quality. Through the thick wooden door, they could only catch a few high-pitched words from the conversation inside.

“What exactly do I know?” Zhang Wen asked with a faint smile inside the room.

“Teacher Zhang, you don’t need to keep pretending! Irina has already told me everything about last night!” Kaelena tried hard to suppress her anger.

“Oh! So it’s about last night. Well then, Teacher Kaelena, are you here with Teacher Irina to apologize to me? That really won’t be necessary.” Zhang Wen waved his hand casually.

“Apologize to you? Have you gone mad?!” Irina couldn’t help but shout.

This time, even through the thick door, the four students outside clearly heard Irina’s sharp voice. All four of them immediately perked up their ears, listening even more intently to the conversation inside.

“Irina, mind your position! Don’t make yourself sound like a barbarian from the martial arts department!” After Irina’s outburst, the next to speak was Kaelena. She gave her favorite student a disapproving glance, scolding Irina while not forgetting to include Zhang Wen in her criticism.

“Yes!” Irina, who usually didn’t dare to breathe loudly in front of Kaelena, dared not argue back against her scolding. She immediately lowered her head and stood silently beside Kaelena.

“Teacher Zhang, I simply don’t understand what you’re thinking! I clearly warned you not to leave your room. But you refused to listen to anyone’s advice! Did you consult anyone before making those statements to Gelt last night? Do you even realize what consequences your actions might bring? If because of your words, Themis Academy cuts off the reciprocal visits with Almeythys, how will you take responsibility for that? You’re tarnishing Almeythys Academy’s reputation, do you understand?!” Kaelena coldly stared at Zhang Wen, speaking in an unquestionable tone.

Zhang Wen gazed at Kaelena, the head instructor of the spellcraft department, whose face was filled with righteous indignation. The anger that had been extinguished the previous night gradually reignited in Zhang Wen’s heart.

“Oh! I’m seeking personal glory and tarnishing the academy’s honor…” Zhang Wen couldn’t help but laugh.

“Teacher Kaelena, how much do you actually know about what happened last night?”

“I know more than enough! You don’t need to argue!”

“Is that so? Then, what do you intend to do, Teacher Kaelena?”

Zhang Wen smiled, his tone extremely gentle. Kaelena and Irina, who were furious, didn’t even notice the mockery hidden in Zhang Wen’s light and casual tone. Or rather, their arrogance made them completely unaware that Zhang Wen’s gentle tone didn’t represent remorse for wrongdoing, but rather deep disdain for those who thought they knew everything!

Zhang Wen’s cooperative attitude greatly surprised Irina and made her deeply disappointed in her heart.

In Irina’s mind, martial arts instructors and men were always the things she hated most. As a combination of both, Zhang Wen was naturally one of the people Irina disliked the most. Moreover, on the planet Phira, as the only martial arts instructor from Almeythys Academy, Zhang Wen directly removed the “one of” and was upgraded to the person Irina disliked the most!

However, the previous night at the training hall, Irina had made a complete fool of herself in front of Zhang Wen. She had gone to “rescue” Zhang Wen with two instructors from Themis Academy, only to find that Zhang Wen didn’t need her rescue at all! As a result, she herself had acted in a flustered and clumsy manner, like a clown.

Being humiliated in front of the person she hated and despised the most was already an unbearable disgrace for anyone. When the same thing happened to Irina, whose self-esteem was extremely strong, the indescribable humiliation almost drove her mad.

Frankly speaking, before coming to Zhang Wen’s room, Irina had extremely high expectations that Zhang Wen’s personality would really be as rebellious as he had shown the previous night! She hoped he would stubbornly refuse to admit fault and even argue with Kaelena face to face!

You see, before coming to reprimand Zhang Wen this time, Kaelena had already made up her mind. She could no longer tolerate Zhang Wen’s nonsense! So if Zhang Wen still refused to yield this time, she would even risk overstepping her authority to remove Zhang Wen, this “unstable factor,” from the visiting delegation!

This way, Irina could witness Kaelena severely reprimanding Zhang Wen, and she could also take this opportunity to take revenge for the humiliation she had suffered the previous day! In fact, Irina had already thought about how to humiliate Zhang Wen, who had committed a major mistake, when they returned to Almeythys Academy, making him unable to hold his head up, crawling like an ugly worm at her feet, trembling in fear!

However, now Irina could only look at Zhang Wen with deep disappointment and contempt.

Men are indeed nothing but stupid cowards who bully the weak and fear the strong. Irina thought with a cold sneer.

Compared to Irina’s disappointment, Kaelena was quite satisfied with Zhang Wen’s attitude. Although Kaelena had already prepared to contact Principal Jackfret and directly request Zhang Wen’s removal from his position, it was obviously more satisfactory if Zhang Wen himself could be made to submit.

“Well… although you did say some inappropriate things to Chief Instructor Gelt last night, the other party was also at fault first in this matter.” Kaelena slightly softened her tone, but still maintained an air of unquestionable authority. “I think, as long as you apologize to Chief Instructor Gelt and voluntarily resign from your position as the representative instructor of the martial arts department, Themis Academy won’t want to escalate this incident.”

As Kaelena continued to dictate her own arrangements, Zhang Wen gradually found it difficult to control his expression.

“Let me apologize? And resign from my position as the representative instructor?” By the time Zhang Wen spoke these words, even a fool could see the contempt in his smile.

“Teacher Zhang!” Kaelena still thought Zhang Wen’s change in expression was merely for the sake of saving face. She sternly shouted, trying to overwhelm Zhang Wen with her authority.

“…Are you dreaming?” Zhang Wen didn’t even bother to acknowledge Kaelena’s shout, instead finishing his previous sentence at his own pace.

“Enough!” Kaelena shouted, unable to bear it any longer.

Hearing the familiar “two-word mantra” echo once again in the small hotel room, Zhang Wen’s lips couldn’t help but curl upwards.

“It seems you have no remorse whatsoever.” Kaelena coldly frowned, her expression showing a hint of impatience. “In that case, I believe you are no longer suitable to continue serving as the representative instructor of the martial arts department at Almeythys Academy. I will personally report this matter to Principal Jackfret!”

As she spoke, Kaelena glanced at Irina. Without hesitation, Irina pulled out a communicator and handed it over, desperately lowering her head so Kaelena wouldn’t see the almost uncontrollable smile on her lips. However, Irina’s burning gaze still fixed tightly on Kaelena’s hand.

Irina was filled with anticipation, waiting only for Kaelena to connect the call to Principal Jackfret, and then for Jackfret to personally inform Zhang Wen that he had been removed from his position as the representative instructor of the martial arts department at Almeythys Academy. At that moment, the shock and despair on Zhang Wen’s face would be unforgettable!

That idiot Zhang Wen actually dared to confront Teacher Kaelena head-on. Haha! Teacher Kaelena is Principal Jackfret’s most trusted student! Idiot! Wouldn’t it have been better to just bow your head to Teacher Kaelena? At least you could have kept your teaching position when you returned. Now… with just one phone call, this guy is completely finished! Irina clenched her fists, so excited that her body slightly trembled.

At that moment, however, Zhang Wen’s voice interrupted Irina’s imagination of Zhang Wen’s tragic future.

“There’s no need to report to Principal Jackfret.” Zhang Wen smiled faintly, his voice showing not a trace of panic.

“What? Are you scared? Too bad, it’s too late now, whatever you say won’t help!” Irina couldn’t help but sneer. Every time she saw Zhang Wen’s unyielding smile, for some reason, her anger would flare up like oil poured onto fire. Right now, she almost wanted to rush forward and personally pin Zhang Wen to the ground, making him lick the soles of her shoes!

“Scared? What are you talking about? I’m just disappointed!” Zhang Wen shook his head coldly, watching as Kaelena input energy into the communicator without showing any intention to stop her.

“As an instructor of Almeythys Academy, when our students were kidnapped, you didn’t ask. When our instructors were pranked by students from Themis Academy, you still didn’t ask. I rescued the students, yet I have to endure criticism from my own people. Now? Just because you’re afraid the other side will cut off relations with us, you’re planning to force me to apologize to the guilty party? Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!”

After Zhang Wen finished speaking, Kaelena’s face had already turned deathly pale, the communicator in her hand creaking under her grip. As the head instructor of Almeythys Academy’s spellcraft department, when had Kaelena ever been subjected to such cold mockery in her entire life?

Zhang Wen’s words were almost directly pointing at her nose, accusing the spellcraft instructors of being spineless cowards! When had this been a term she used to describe those martial arts instructors? Kaelena never imagined that one day, a fearless martial arts instructor would turn this word back on her!

What infuriated Kaelena the most was that, faced with Zhang Wen’s accusations, she was unable to refute them! Irina hadn’t even told her beforehand that the students from Themis Academy had kidnapped Zhang Wen’s students!

Seeing Kaelena’s expression, Irina realized that a large portion of the head instructor’s anger had now shifted onto her. The immense fear made Irina’s face turn somewhat pale.

However, fortunately, Kaelena’s next words somewhat eased Irina’s anxiety.

“Zhang Wen, don’t try to use clever words to defend yourself! Our spellcraft department has never been afraid of Themis Academy! In the end, it was you who made reckless claims, saying things in public that were simply impossible to achieve, forcing me to take this action!”

Kaelena said self-righteously. Although Irina’s omission made Kaelena extremely angry, in her view, Zhang Wen, this abnormal martial arts instructor, was the real source of trouble. No matter what, since she had already made up her mind to eliminate this trouble, she wouldn’t easily change her mind.

“Hello?” Finally, a voice from Principal Jackfret’s aide came through the communicator in Kaelena’s hand.

“Oh? Is this Mr. Kyle? Is Principal Jackfret available?… What? The Temis Governor?… I’m sorry for disturbing Principal Jackfret at this hour. But I have an important matter to report to him. Please help me call him.” As she spoke, Kaelena coldly glanced at Zhang Wen, took the communicator, and walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

Hearing the muffled conversation coming through the bathroom door, Irina felt as if she had eaten a big scoop of ice cream on a hot summer day, her entire body feeling refreshingly pleasant!

“Zhang Wen, it’s not too late to admit defeat. You don’t stand a chance going against Teacher Kaelena!” Irina, filled with the pride of a victor, glanced at Zhang Wen with the corner of her eye, sarcastically saying.

“Sounds pretty serious. I must admit, I didn’t quite figure out what you’re planning to do with me.” Zhang Wen curled his lips, giving Irina a faint smile as he asked.

“Teacher Zhang, you’re really taking this lightly!” Irina laughed mockingly. “You think that if Teacher Kaelena asks you to resign from your position as the representative instructor of the visiting delegation, that’s the end of it? How ridiculous! Do you really think Teacher Kaelena would let someone like you continue to serve as an instructor at the academy?”

“Is that so? Unfortunately, I’m a martial arts instructor. Even if Kaelena has a wide reach, she can’t interfere with personnel matters in the martial arts department, can she?”

“Haha! Teacher Zhang, you’re not pinning your hopes on that fool Xin·Clair, are you? Do you think if Teacher Kaelena asks Principal Jackfret to fire you, Xin·Clair will plead on your behalf? He’d probably be more than happy to kick you out of the martial arts department! But then again… if you beg me, I might be able to put in a good word with Teacher Kaelena, and maybe you could still keep your position as an instructor.” Irina licked her lips, smiling as if she were doing Zhang Wen a favor.

At the last moment, this woman could no longer contain herself and revealed her true nature. From the previous night at the training hall, Zhang Wen had always vaguely sensed that everything Irina had done and said was not truly for the sake of the academy’s honor, as she claimed on the surface.

From the expression on Irina’s face, it was clear that everything she did was merely to humiliate Zhang Wen and satisfy her own twisted desires!

However, even now, Zhang Wen still couldn’t understand where this woman got such great confidence from, firmly believing from the start that she would be the winner.