Ch 52: Potential
Lucien continued to roam the aisles between the desks in the classroom, his eyes pausing on each student for a brief moment before moving on, for nearly all of them were failing miserably. And, he had already predicted and knew that they would fail. Afterall, they were accustomed to expending their full reserves of mana without restraint, having likely never been forced to worry about exhausting it completely, because they had never truly faced a dangerous battle — save for a precious few. So it was no exaggeration to say that if real danger were to befall these students, they would drain themselves dry before they could even begin to neutralize the threat.
And that was something Lucien could not allow under any circumstances. He had to ensure that every student in this class grew strong, not only the main characters but the others as well, for the students of this class were the cream of the crop. Though they might not be able to hold a candle to the main characters, they could provide significant aid in the future when the world would face whatever catastrophe it was doomed to confront, and be destroyed by in turn.
Lucien sighed umpteenth time as he watched the students struggle. They were pitifully weak, so much so that even his younger self could have crushed them without effort, and he could not help but form a faint smile that tugged at the corner of his mouth at the thought of how formidable he had been since childhood.
Lucien had always been a cut above everyone else, from the moment he began training, climbing the ranks so swiftly that even Eleena, when he had first met her, had been weaker than him despite coming from a marquis family. A marquis house might not carry the same grandeur as a ducal one, but it was by no means something to be scoffed at. Being born of marquis blood meant the girl stood at the very top of the nobility. And yet, despite all of that, she had been weaker than him, and he had taken it upon himself to protect her, because back then he had wanted to become a hero and shield everyone from harm.
How naive of me. He had been far too innocent to see the world for what it truly was. The world was cruel, and Lucien had witnessed his fair share of that cruelty. He found he had tightened his jaw. So, he quickly dismissed the thoughts that were beginning to stir and unsettle him once again.
Lucien drew a long, steadying breath trying to return back to normal, and before long he found himself standing before one of the main characters again. Melissa.
Melissa’s golden hair was braided into a single neat ponytail, her eyes closed, her expression one of intense focus as a perfect sphere of golden mana hovered and pulsed above her open palm.
Lucien nodded in quiet appreciation. The girl was succeeding brilliantly, and he found himself genuinely doubting whether she had truly come from a mere village, for even yesterday she had nearly formed a tier two spell, though the attempt had been lacking and had almost cost her life. Even so, the fact that she had mastered lower-tier spells so flawlessly the day before made her success today come as no surprise. He was beginning to suspect that Melissa had been trained at some point by a wizard or a high-ranking warrior, for how else could she be progressing so effortlessly.
Nah, that can’t be possible. Lucien dismissed the theory just as quickly it had appeared in his mind. Since she was one of the main characters and wore mana restriction bracelets that limited only seventy percent of her mana, allowing the remaining thirty percent to circulate freely, which was notably higher than the princess and Eleena's, whose bracelets permitted only fifteen percent circulation, it was entirely plausible that the girl would take to this exercise with relative ease. Even the protagonist Mark and Judy were faring reasonably well, both wearing bracelets identical to Melissa's.
"Good," Lucien remarked, and Melissa's eyes flew open with a startled expression, the small golden sphere dissolving into wisps of light that faded and vanished into the air.
Lucien did not linger longer to observe her reaction and moved ahead, stopping before Patrick, who was shifting uncomfortably in his seat. The boy's yellow hair was pulled into a short ponytail at the back of his head, his dark eyes flickering unsteadily toward Lucien, his lips twitching as though he were on the verge of saying something foolish again. But, before he could utter a single word, Lucien silenced him by pressing his index finger briefly to his own lips, a quiet but unmistakable gesture to not speak a word.
Patrick nodded his head immediately understanding the intent.
"Patrick," Lucien began, resting a hand on Patrick's shoulder and feeling the boy stiffen beneath the contact, "I see great potential in you, much like I see in Student Amber and Student Eleena." He let the words settle for a moment before continuing, his voice measured and even. "You are a capable young man, and I believe you will achieve great things in your life."
Lucien allowed his words to linger in the air between them, and though the faint smile on his face was subtle enough that it likely never reached his otherwise impassive, stoic expression, Patrick visibly trembled beneath Lucien’s gaze. "But you must learn to discern what is worth speaking aloud and what is better left unsaid," Lucien advised, his tone carrying the quiet weight of someone who did not need to raise his voice to be heard. "See to it that you improve upon that."
With that, Lucien lifted his hand from Patrick's shoulder and allowed himself a quiet measure of satisfaction at the boy's reaction. Patrick's dark eyes were wide and shaking, his entire frame frozen stiff like prey that had been cornered from every direction by its predator. Lucien savoured it. Every inch of it.
Lucien was, by his own admission, a petty man, and this had been his revenge, subtle though it was. He had already made Patrick's challenge considerably harder than the rest, and yet even that had not been entirely satisfying, but watching Patrick sit there trembling like a falling leaf, Lucien felt himself release the last of his grudge against the boy. Now, Lucien would completely forgive the boy. He would completely forget the impulsive nonsense Patrick had spouted, chalk it up to youth and poor judgment, and move on.
Lucien turned with satisfaction, and found the rest of the students staring at him with their mouths hanging open wide enough to touch the floor. They looked shocked and frightened, clearly having pieced together the full picture. Patrick had impulsively declared Melissa to be Lucien's property, which was wholly wrong, and derogatory, and the punishment of an increased test difficulty had already spoken plainly enough. But now, watching Lucien lean over Patrick with that cold, measured taunt, every student in the room seemed to arrive at the same sobering conclusion: Lucien was not a forgiving man. Lucien was petty, ruthless, and perfectly willing to make someone pay for any slight, however minor, that was directed his way.
"Students, focus on your mana circulation," Lucien instructed coldly, and then, with a low chuckle that carried easily through the silence of the room, he added, "Or do you guys also want your own challenges raised as well?"
Students gulped and they snapped their heads forward in an instant. Several students shivered visibly at the sound of that chuckle, and Lucien, for his part, felt a deep and entirely genuine delight at the sight of it. A Genuine Happiness. Afterall, he was finally starting to enjoy the day.
***
On Patreon, you can read 50 chapters ahead. Your support would greatly help me continue working toward completing the story.
Patreon link: /imissmysun