4 Tarnished

"Mongrel!"

Amelia shouted in anger. I don't really know what I did (except for their defeat in the mock battle) to make her mad.

"Why? Don't call me a mongrel, I'm your teacher. Put that in your empty brain, please."

Amelia calling me a mongrel infuriated me.

"There's no such numbing spell. Why did you lie?"

She asked while controlling her tears not to drop.

"Sorry. It was only my way to not make you girls worry."

After I answered her question, Amelia hugged me from behind and whispered:

"You can be honest with us. We are your students after all."

After that, she kissed me in my lips.

"What was that for?"

"A sign of my thanks!"

She smiled so brightly that my heart skipped a beat. That doesn't signify that I love her though.

The word "Love" is so tarnished. Everyone says it like it's a casual word yet they do not know what really lies behind that word.

The only person I'll believe that truly loves me is my mother.

"Mongrel! Don't tell anyone about this kiss!"

"Yes, Ma'am. I won't spout a word."

"Good."

Amelia went home.

"What a good kids they are don't you think, mother?"

I whispered to the air and then went straight home.

I cooked my favorite food and ate while assigning their respective groups.

"31 students, huh. I'll take her as my personal apprentice."

After 10 minutes, I finished assigning their respective groups. I gave to my familiars the papers they need to drop at my students and went to sleep.

8 hours later.

"Arthur! Wake up!"

Someone's shouting at my doorstep while knocking loudly at my door.

"Who is it?"

I got up from my bed and opened the door.

"Oh, Ms. Sally."

"How long are you planning to sleep?!"

"Sorry to make you do this."

"Let me in. I'll cook you breakfast."

"Thank you very much!"

Sally entered my house. She went directly to the kitchen, grabbed the ingredients she need and started cooking.

While Sally is cooking, I took a shower, dressed myself and joined her in breakfast.

"So, how's the kids at your school?"

"Great. And there's one girl who's very stubborn yet lovely at the same time, name's Amelia."

"So, you gonna take her as your new girl?"

"No. I don't believe in craps such as love. Waste of time."

"I see. You still don't change huh. If it's what's hindering you from loving again, GET YOURSELF A GRIP! YOU MONGREL!"

She shouted at me and hit me in my head with a spoon.

"That hurts, Sally!"

"You'll never grow if I don't hit you once in a while, Arthur. I'm done eating. Enjoy yourself at your new job. You're filthy rich, why apply to become a teacher?"

"I hated kids back then. May be she is now overjoyed now that she's seeing me teaching young ones."

"You have a point. Anyway, take care!"

"Thank you as always, Sally!"

Sally left and went back to her house.

After I finished breakfast, I cleaned the kitchen and went straight to the school's arena via Teleportation.

"Teacher!"

My class greeted me altogether.

"Let's do attendance. Line in to your groups when I mention your name. Group A's North and Group B's South. Okay?"

"Understood, Teacher."

They answered in unison.

As I call the student's name, they lined up in their respective groups

"Okay. You're now all in your respective groups."

"What about me, Teacher? Why am I not in the groups?"

Amelia asked and about to burst in tears

"I will be your punching bag. Be warned, I am a punching bag that punches back."

"Unfair, Teacher! Why she got to take a personal lessons from you?!"

Adelle asked and everyone nods at her question.

"Because she won't unveil her true potential if her life's not in danger. Besides, she'll receive the same lessons as you guys but hers will be much harsher."

"Wait a minute! Don't I have a say in this?!"

Amelia grabbed my collar and exclaimed.

"You don't, actually."

I smiled and she let my collar go.

"Here's your instruction! Fight as if your life is in danger! Feel free to use whatever methods you deem enough to defeat one another! Rest assured for I casted Fountain of Life in the arena in advance so any injuries will be healed immediately whether it is minor or fatal. So, let the team fight, begin!"

Group A built a castle using Genesis while unknown to Group A, Group B is with them but with Mirage, they managed to fool Group A.

"Mirage, huh. Excellent move, Group B. If you cannot win a head-on fight, outmaneuver them."

"Mirage? Is that a magic that allows you to leave illusion?"

Amelia asked. It seems she is not that well versed in magic.

"Correct. Mirage is a spell that allows you to fool any enemy you have. It is used in the ancient civilization to defeat opponents you don't have a chance to win at. Only a few people can see where's the real "them" is."

"That's basically cheating."

"Anyway, Amelia, let's watch this battle."

Dolly put her hand in a gun-like posture and fired magic beams.

"Bullet Magic, huh. Interesting."

"When did they learned to use those?! In a normal mock battle, they cannot!"

Amelia exclaimed in shock.

"Even though they'll heal, they'll know the pain. Which is why their magic power is reacting to the fear they feel. They do not want to be amputated or burned by magic which is why they're becoming stronger."

"So, that's what are you talking about yesterday."

"Exactly. Be prepared, Ms. Amelia. You'll experience worse than that."

After an hour, the battle finished with Group B being the victor.

"Ms. Amelia, let's head down there, shall we?"

"Group A! Group B! Proceed in the audience seats!"

Both groups went to the audience seats to watch while me and Amelia are now in the middle of the arena.

"I won't hold back, Amelia."

As I said those words, I took off my ring.

Amelia felt my aura but her classmates in the audience seats cannot due to the anti-magic defense I casted there.

"Bring it on, Teacher!"