Maybe I really am a Villian

"This two-month deadline isn’t just for him to get ready. It’s more like a way to play with your mental state and make you constantly worry about what is going to happen. They want you to spend these two months thinking about the worst possible outcome instead of preparing yourself properly."

Audrey’s voice became slightly firmer.

"So stop thinking about all of that for now. Just relax and focus on recovering. When the time comes, I want you to be at your full strength. That is far more important than wasting your energy worrying about something that hasn’t happened yet."

Cassie remained silent for a moment, listening to Audrey’s words. Eventually, she sighed and smiled slightly, an amused expression appearing on her face.

"You are really good at manipulating other people’s emotions. You somehow turned my guilt into one more reason for me to try harder."

She paused for a moment before continuing, her tone becoming slightly playful.

"I should really kick you out of my mind the instant everything ends."

Audrey remained silent for a moment after hearing that. Then, Cassie could almost feel the amusement in her voice through their mental connection.

"See? You’re already feeling better."

Meanwhile, at the Academy, inside the Professor Cafeteria, the professors were having their lunch.

The professors had a separate cafeteria specifically for them. They could also eat inside their own offices if they wanted to, but most of them still preferred coming to the cafeteria. It gave them a chance to maintain their relationships with the other professors, discuss different matters, and simply talk with each other after spending most of their time teaching students.

Professor Elisa was also having her lunch, but unlike the other professors around her, she didn’t seem to be enjoying it much.

There was a troubled expression on her face, as if something had been bothering her for quite some time. She occasionally looked down at her food, but her mind clearly wasn’t focused on eating.

Then, suddenly, someone approached Elisa and sat down in front of her.

Elisa raised her head and looked toward the person who had just taken the seat.

After seeing who it was, Professor Elisa said, "Professor Arwin, it’s you. How was your day with today’s classes?"

Her tone sounded troubled, as if something was worrying her deeply. However, she still tried to make her voice sound as normal as possible.

Unfortunately, she failed to hide her troubled expression.

Professor Arwin was a professor in charge of the first-year A Class. He had originally been assigned to S Class as well, but that changed after Headmaster Eldric removed him from the position and instead assigned Elisa to take charge of S Class.

Arwin replied calmly, with a slightly happy tone, "It was good. This year’s batch is quite good. They are all well-behaved, so there hasn’t been much trouble for me."

He paused for a moment before looking more carefully at Elisa’s troubled expression.

His expression changed slightly, and his voice carried a hint of sympathy as he continued, "But I guess the same can’t be said about S Class. Your expression tells me that they are quite a hard bunch to handle and teach."

Elisa remained silent for a moment, not immediately answering him.

Arwin looked at her for another moment before letting out an amused laugh.

Then he said, "I was a little frustrated when I first found out that I had been removed from S Class, especially since I was supposed to be in charge of them."

He paused for a moment, and the amused expression on his face became slightly more noticeable.

"But I guess it was for the better after all, especially after seeing your expression now."

Elisa sighed and then said, her tone tired and slightly frustrated, "It is not the whole class. It is just a single student who is causing trouble for me alone."

Arwin looked at her for a moment before saying, "Asher Astrean, right?"

"Yeah."

Arwin nodded slightly before saying in a casual tone, "But as far as I know, he isn’t even attending classes for now. He mostly stays holed up in his room and plays games. What did he do?"

Elisa looked at him for a moment before letting out another tired sigh.

Then she explained, her tone becoming more solemn, "He isn’t doing anything right now, but he has already done enough. He has managed to destroy the confidence and motivation of almost every other student in the class."

Arwin’s expression became slightly more serious as he listened.

"The top rankers don’t even see themselves as top rankers anymore because they know that the strongest one is him. And you know what makes it worse? Most of them are Nobles who are supposed to grow up and lead many people in the future."

She paused for a moment before continuing, her frustration becoming more obvious.

"But here they are, already losing their confidence because of Asher. That kid refuses to be defeated. No matter who stands against him, he always finds a way to win, and after seeing his performance at Elyndor Academy, most of them have already stopped trying as hard as they used to."

Elisa shook her head slightly, clearly unable to understand the situation herself.

"They know they can’t compete with him, so instead of trying to reach his level, they have started thinking that there is no point in trying at all."

She sighed again and leaned back slightly in her seat.

"Just where did a monster like him come from, and why did he have to be in my class of all classes?"

Arwin couldn’t help but give a small amused smile after hearing her complaint.

Elisa continued before he could say anything.

"His father should have just kept him at home. There is nothing for him to learn here. He already knows almost everything he needs to know."

She paused for a moment and then added with a tired expression, "Except common sense, of course."