The Heiress They Lost Came Back Overpowered

After a moment of silence, the trainees below erupted in cheers:

"Long live our instructor!!"

"I love you, Instructor!!"

"You’re the best, Instructor!!!"

Zachary Jacobs glanced at them. "First of all, the monarchy is long dead, so you can drop the ’long live’ act. Only ancient tortoises live for ten thousand years."

"Second, don’t bother loving me. It’ll go nowhere—unless you can beat me in a fight."

"And last, wipe those phony expressions off your faces and get the hell to the mess hall."

No one was offended. They simply dodged around him and sprinted toward the mess hall.

’Instructor Ford is such a motormouth,’ they thought. ’His mouth never stops. We were just being polite, why’d he take it so seriously?’

’By the time he finished spouting that nonsense, we could have already run to the mess hall.’

When they arrived at the mess hall, they were dazzled by the sight.

’Is this an ordinary mess hall? No, this is a paradise dedicated to our stomachs!’

Charcoal was already burning by the entrance, with several barbecue grills set up and ready to go.

There were also over a dozen copper pots, their split-pot broths already boiling and releasing an enticing aroma.

But the main attraction was the several large shelves to the side, loaded with all kinds of meats, vegetables, seafood, drinks, and desserts—all of which looked expensive at first glance.

’Oh my god. They’d wanted a cheat meal, sure, but they didn’t mean *this* indulgent. It felt almost sinful.’

’Are they trying to feed us until we burst? They are, aren’t they?!’

Seeing them standing there stunned, Yvonne Lowell arched an eyebrow. "What are you all gawking at? Get to a table. It’s four people to a pot. Grab what you want and cook it yourselves. Same for the barbecue."

"Basically, the theme for today is ’help yourself.’ There’s more than enough food and drink for everyone."

The trainees snapped out of it. Forgetting to cheer, they grabbed heaping plates of meat and started dumping it all into the pots.

"Oh man, this smells incredible!!"

"This beef is amazing! I can’t remember the last time I had beef this fresh."

"The beef hot pot from my hometown, Keldor, is delicious too. Next time we get a day off, you guys should come home with me. I’ll let you try what real hand-pounded beef meatballs are like."

"I mean, we’ve been eating pretty well this whole time, but it’s nothing compared to this feast."

"Hey, keep it down! The head chef might be eavesdropping from the kitchen window. You want him to cut your rations tomorrow? Because he will!"

"This lobster is already split open, and it’s bigger than my face! How am I supposed to fit this in the pot?"

"Are you an idiot? That’s meant for grilling. Just throw it on the barbecue. Otherwise, just pick the meat out and boil that."

"I’ll grill it, I’ll grill it! And you can all try the signature giant meat skewers from my home, Sheridan Province!!"

...

Watching the pack of hungry wolves scrambling for food, Yvonne Lowell had a complicated expression on her face. "Is the mess hall food usually this bad? Have I been starving them or something?"

"Not at all," Zachary Jacobs said with an innocent shrug. "But it’s definitely a few notches below this. You could say there’s no comparison at all."

"Alright, alright, let’s go eat, too. Watching this massive live-action mukbang is making me hungry," Nina Jennings said, slinging an arm around Yvonne Lowell’s neck and heading toward a table in the corner.

Yvonne Lowell and the other instructors were also having hot pot. During their meal, one of the trainees brought them some grilled skewers.

Nina Jennings patted the trainee’s shoulder, her expression as gentle as a doting mother’s. "Such a good boy. You’re all grown up, remembering to bring your instructor food. I see my affection for you wasn’t wasted."

The trainee glanced at her, then at the glass of milk by her hand, and swallowed hard.

"Instructor, are you... drunk on milk?"

"Shoo, shoo, go back to your food. I can never have a heart-to-heart with you lot. I treat you all like precious treasures, and you kick me to the curb, is that it?"

Nina Jennings irritably pulled her hand back and took a vicious bite of her skewer.

’Woohoo! This is actually delicious!’

The trainee scratched his head and walked back to his seat, utterly confused.

Jasper Hayes nudged his arm. "So? Did the instructor praise us?"

The trainee nodded, then shook his head. "Instructor Ford... she’s drunk on milk."

"The hell are you talking about? Did delivering a few skewers turn your brain to mush?"

The trainee looked pained. "No, man, it’s just... Instructor Ford called us ’good boys,’ said we’re ’all grown up,’ and that her ’affection wasn’t wasted.’"

Jasper Hayes’s chopstick-wielding hand trembled. "Ahem. Sounds like she got some bad milk. Businesses these days have no honor. I thought they were only supposed to sell that fake stuff to college students!"

Two hours later, they were finished. Not a single scrap of food was left.

Everyone was so stuffed they had to use the walls for support, but they still remembered to help clear the tables and take the dishes to the kitchen.

Once everything was clean, they clutched their bellies and supported each other as they staggered toward the dorms.

Watching the waddling herd before her, Yvonne Lowell arched an eyebrow. "Looks like everyone overate. How about a few laps around the training grounds to walk it off?"

"No, no, we’re good! The walk back to the dorms will be enough to digest."

"That’s right, Instructor. We wouldn’t want to impose on your rest time."

They all chuckled sheepishly. ’You’ve got to be kidding,’ they thought. ’We finally get to finish an hour early, and now she wants to trick us into extra training?’

’Not a chance. Don’t even think about it!’

Yvonne Lowell shot them a sidelong glance but didn’t press the issue.

Theodore Zane sidled up to her conspiratorially. "Instructor, how about you keep training us after this week? The other three groups have to return to their units, but our Anomalous Abilities Unit has a really flexible schedule. When we’re not on missions, we can stay here and train."

Yvonne Lowell gave him a knowing smile. "Do you really want to stay and train, or are you just unwilling to leave the mess hall’s food behind?"

"Hehe, a little of both. But mostly, I can’t bear to part with you, Instructor," Theodore Zane said, not at all embarrassed at being called out. He just flashed her a fawning smile.

Yvonne Lowell glanced at the other trainees nearby, deliberately raising her voice in a tone of mock despair,

"Blaze, that’s not right. You’re all brothers and sisters here. How could you be so selfish as to hog all the good stuff for yourself and abandon the other three teams? If I give your team special treatment, how could I ever face the other trainees again?"

At her words, all the other trainees turned to look.

Their stomachs were full, and their fists were itching. They suddenly felt a strong urge to punch something.

Feeling the murderous glares burning into his back, Theodore Zane shot her an accusatory look.

"How could you do this?! You sold me out! Weren’t we supposed to be best friends forever?!"

Yvonne Lowell let out a fake laugh. "You’re overthinking things. I was just messing with you. We were never ’best friends forever.’"

With that, she strode away, leaving Theodore Zane to be mobbed by the others, his cries for help echoing in the air.

For the next few days, whenever Theodore Zane looked at Yvonne Lowell, his gaze was that of a man betrayed by a heartless lover.

Indeed, you can’t hide true grievance. Even if you keep your mouth shut, it still spills out through your eyes.

...

「The day of the basic assessment arrived.」

For once, they didn’t have to start their day with a 20-kilometer weighted run.

As the trainees were warming up on the training grounds, several discreet black cars drove in through the main gate.