Free Web NovelChapter 18: 18. Real Training Means Looking Dumb First. (Yeah, Failure... is What I Meant)
The quiet got even deeper in some way. Some students’ mouths literally dropped open in shock.
"Assistant... Instructor...?" Someone in the back whispered so that everyone could hear.
"No fucking way... is the vice headmaster herself... going to be his assistant?!"
"Mr. Wade is such a whole new other level for an instructor to have her as an assistant! That’s crazy...!"
Kaela’s eyes narrowed as she looked between William and Catherine, clearly trying to figure out what kind of blackmail or persuasion had led to this deal. Lia’s face showed that she was thinking about what this meant for the academy’s power structures in a complicated way.
Ellie looked confused but supportive. Clara was writing quickly in her journal, probably to record this unusual event for later study.
Catherine, to her credit, handled the shocked atmosphere with professionalism. "Hello, everyone... as Instructor Wade said, I will be helping with this class as his assisstant."
"My experience in administration will help with the logistical side of your training while Instructor Wade teaches you many useful things."
"I’m also here to help... if you have any questions or concerns about scheduling, progress reports, or academy rules, that is." Catherine winked.
She walked to the front of the class and stood next to William. He noticed that she had moved slightly behind and to the side, which was a subtle body language cue that made him the main instructor even though she was higher up in the hierarchy.
"Ehem... Now then," William said, deciding to move on before the students could start asking questions about this arrangement, "let’s go back to our lecture for today."
"Today’s going to be about taking advantage of mistakes made by the enemy in their positioning." William starts to walk in circle with both hands on his back. "So... can anyone tell me the three main signs that an opponent has made themselves open to a counterattack?"
Some students slowly raised their hands as they tried to focus on the lesson again instead of the strange political event they had just seen. William called on them one at a time, using their answers to build on theoretical ideas.
Catherine watched quietly, sometimes taking notes on a tablet she had taken out of her briefcase. The rest of the class went well.
William demonstrated the application of tactical concepts, while Catherine discussed their practical application in previous academy combat tournaments. Over time, the students grew accustomed to her presence, yet William observed them exchanging glances when they believed the teachers were not present.
William heard bits of conversation that were both amusing and a little worrying as the class ended and the students left.
"How did Instructor Wade get the vice headmaster to help him? Like... this is something that we need to talk every hour or maybe every minute!"
"I don’t know... maybe he has something on her that made her... probably feel compelled to return the favor."
"Don’t be dumb," she said. "Did you notice how she looked at him while he was explaining the plan?!"
"Mrs. Blackwood didn’t look like they were being blackmailed."
"Oh my god, do you think they are..."
William acted like he didn’t hear the whispers, and Catherine’s face stayed professionally neutral, but he could see that her eyes were getting a little tighter, which meant she had heard the rumors too. William turned to talk to Lia, Kaela, Ellie, and Clara, who were the only ones left in the classroom.
They had stayed behind, clearly waiting for something. "Okay, before you all start asking me questions about the assistant instructor situation... let’s talk about something important first... the schedule."
"I’m going to set up private training sessions for each of you so you can work on your own problems without the whole class watching."
"Sessions just for you?" Kaela’s competitive nature came out right away. "When do I get mine?"
William pulled out a schedule he had made the night before and said, "All of you get them."
"But I’m also doing group sessions where you can learn by watching each other train."
"We will explore different approaches to problem-solving and cover various theoretical concepts."
Clara put her hand up like they were still in class. "Are these sessions only about improving individual skills, or will they also include practical use of the tactical ideas you’ve been teaching?" free𝑤ebnovel.com
"Probably both, yeah," William said. "Like how you deal with tactical situations is linked to your own problems."
"Let me give a good point for you four!" William pointed them one on one.
"Clara, your sensory overload makes it hard for you to pick which targets to focus on."
"Lia, you hesitate when you need to improvise because you want everything to be perfect."
"Kaela, you are open to technical counters because you rely on overwhelming force." freewebnσvel.cøm
"Ellie, you hold back even when you should use all your strength because you’re afraid of hurting people."
He had been looking at each of them during class yesterday and the short conversations that followed, noting their weaknesses with the cold efficiency of his previous job as a combat instructor. All four girls seemed a little surprised that he had figured out what was wrong with them so quickly and accurately.
"And what about me?" Catherine asked in a low voice, and her professional mask slipped to show how vulnerable she really was. "What’s wrong with me?"
"H-Huh...? You too...?" William looked her straight in the eye.
Catherine nodded. "I need to know as well..."
"Well... uh... years of administrative work have made you second-guess everything and think about the political implications before you act, so you’ve forgotten what it’s like to trust your gut."
"Your sword skills are rusty, you’re not sure of yourself in battle, and you’re scared of looking bad in front of students who remember when you were a respected combat instructor."
The classroom became hushed. Catherine’s face went through many different emotions before settling on something between painful acceptance and grudging respect.
"That’s a very insightful for someone who has only known me for less than twenty-four hours..."
"Well, sorry..." William shrugged and said, "I’m good at reading people."
"It’s kinda... sort of my thing."
"So, if you want to get better instead of just staying the same, meet me at the private training ground 3 at 18:00 hours."
"Catherine, get your sword." William pointed at her. "Bring whatever gear you usually use, along with an open mind and a willingness to look dumb while you learn."
"Why would we look dumb?" Ellie asked with a lot of worry.
William said, "Real training means failing over and over until you figure out what works."
"You’re not really learning if you don’t make mistakes..." William put his hands on his hips. "You’re just reinforcing the habits you already have. And believe me, all of you need to break some undesirable habits."
Kaela smiled like this was the best news she’d heard all week. "Oh-hoh~! Now that’s what I like... this way of doing things."
"It’s a lot better than the usual ’show perfect form’ nonsense that other instructors push because they could get pretty bias or maybe wanted the training to end fast so that they can slack-off."
"Also..." William said, "Perfect form is useless if you freeze up in real life combat situation."
"But we can talk about philosophy later... For now, go eat lunch or whatever you girls with money do between classes." William looked at Catherine. "I need to talk to my assistant instructor about some administrative things."
""Yes~!""
