Instructor Lukas finally moved.
His heavy footsteps echoed across the silent classroom as he walked forward, the wooden floor creaking faintly beneath each step.
"That's enough, Lady Elice."
The ice blade didn't move.
Neither did Raven.
For a moment, it looked like the room itself had forgotten how to breathe.
Elice didn't even turn toward Lukas. Her glowing violet eyes stayed locked on Raven, studying him like a specimen laid out on a table.
Lukas stopped beside them and folded his arms.
The Poker Lord said nothing at first. He simply observed.
Raven Hart…
The name lingered in his mind.
Apart from the rumors calling him the outcast of the Hart clan, Lukas knew almost nothing about the boy sitting in front of him.
And rumors…
Rumors were cheap.
Half the time they were nothing more than stories people invented to make themselves feel important.
Still…
The fact remained that Raven had just blocked a point-blank punch from him.
Even if it had been casual, the punch was still laced with a warrior-level sorcerer's intent
And yet... Raven, a supposed ember-level sorcerer. The beginning stage.
....had casually erected a magic barrier that stopped his punch
That alone was enough to make Lukas curious.
Finally, Elice straightened.
The icy blade hovering at Raven's throat melted away into glittering frost particles that faded into the air.
"Okay," she said lightly, flicking her fingers as if the whole situation had bored her.
"You can handle the rest."
She turned and walked past Lukas, her silver hair swaying behind her.
As she passed him, she leaned slightly closer and murmured under her breath.
"I believe you know what to do."
Lukas didn't respond.
Not with words.
But the slight tightening of his jaw was enough.
Elice smirked faintly and continued walking.
Her heels clicked softly against the floor as she left the classroom, the door closing behind her with a quiet click.
For several seconds, no one spoke.
Then Lukas let out a slow sigh.
The kind of sigh a man releases when deciding something is not worth the headache.
He glanced at Raven one last time.
Then turned away.
The tension that had filled the room moments ago dissolved like mist.
Lukas walked back toward the front of the classroom and rested a hand on the desk.
"Since our little interruption is over," he said calmly, "we'll continue the lesson."
Several students blinked in disbelief.
The switch to normal class atmosphere was just too weird
Raven simply leaned back in his chair like nothing had happened.
Lukas continued speaking.
"Magic creatures," he said, tapping the desk once, "are not like ordinary beasts."
His deep voice filled the room again, returning the class to its normal rhythm.
"They are born from Mana-dense environments and possess instincts far more dangerous than any wild animal."
He began pacing slowly in front of the class.
"A wolf hunts to eat."
"A magic wolf hunts because it enjoys killing."
Several students shifted uncomfortably.
Lukas' eyes swept across the room.
"You will encounter creatures capable of ripping through steel, dissolving flesh with venom, or tearing apart a squad of trained sorcerers before they even finish casting a spell."
His tone remained calm.
Too calm.
"That is why this academy exists."
"To make sure you don't die the first time you leave a city wall."
A few nervous chuckles spread across the class.
Lukas ignored them.
"Your exams begin next week."
That sentence immediately grabbed everyone's attention.
Several students straightened up.
"Which means," Lukas continued, "starting today, theory lessons are over."
He pointed toward the door.
"We begin combat training."
Excited whispers broke out instantly.
Some students looked thrilled.
Others looked terrified.
"All of you," Lukas continued, voice firm, "head to the training grounds."
Chairs scraped loudly as students began standing up.
Within seconds, the once-silent classroom turned into a buzzing storm of movement and conversation.
Raven pushed his chair back and stood, rolling one shoulder, then the other, the stiffness easing out of his joints as if the whole scene had been nothing more than an inconvenient nap.
His gaze drifted toward the front of the room.
Instructor Lukas stood there, arms folded, broad frame unmoving as students shuffled past him toward the door.
Raven paused for a moment.
Their eyes met.
No words passed between them.
Raven tilted his head slightly, the faintest curve touching the corner of his lips before he looked away and joined the stream of students heading out of the classroom.
As students began filing toward the door, no one noticed the boy sitting quietly at the very back of the classroom.
He hadn't spoken once.
Hadn't reacted.
Hadn't even moved during the entire confrontation.
His dark eyes followed Raven as he walked out with the others.
A faint smirk crept onto his lips.
Then he leaned back in his chair and whispered softly to himself.
"Raven Hart…"
His smile widened slightly.
"The world really hates you, doesn't it?"