Villainous Instructor at the Academy
Chapter 78: Moment of madness

Chapter 78: Moment of madness

We moved as quietly as possible, each step feeling heavier than the last. The forest was darker now, the sun barely peeking through the thick canopy.

"Professor..." Wallace’s voice was weak, barely above a whisper.

"I know," I murmured, glancing back at the group.

They were exhausted. Julien was limping slightly, his earlier bravado gone. Mira kept scanning the surroundings, her eyes sharp but her movements slower than usual. Garrick looked like he was ready to collapse, his muscles strained from holding off the wolves.

Felix and Leo were dead quiet, sticking close to Wallace, who was barely keeping himself upright.

"We can’t keep moving like this..." Mira whispered, her eyes darting around the dense foliage.

She was right.

We needed to stop.

But not here.

"We’re too exposed," I murmured, scanning the area.

Then I saw it.

A narrow crevice between two large boulders, barely noticeable unless you were looking for it.

"There."

I pointed toward the small opening, barely big enough for us to squeeze through.

"A cave?" Julien asked, his voice low.

"It’ll do," I murmured, already moving toward it.

"You sure?" Felix frowned.

"Unless you want to keep running until we drop dead," I snapped quietly.

That shut him up.

We slipped inside, one by one. The space was tight—barely enough to fit all of us. The air was cool and damp, the scent of moss thick in the air.

"It’s small," Mira murmured, her eyes narrowing as she scanned the interior. "But it’ll work."

"For now."

I crouched low, running my hand along the edge of the entrance.

"Wallace."

He blinked, barely lifting his head. "Yeah...?"

"Mana pulse. I need to know if we’re alone."

Wallace nodded weakly, pressing his palm against the ground.

A faint pulse of mana rippled outward, barely noticeable unless you knew what to look for.

"Nothing close," he whispered, his voice strained. "But... they’re searching."

Of course they were.

"Both classes?" I asked quietly.

Wallace’s brow furrowed. "Yeah."

"And Kellan?"

Wallace hesitated. "...He’s close."

My jaw clenched.

Damn it.

Kellan wouldn’t stop until he found us.

"Alright," I murmured, pulling out a small rune from my utility pouch.

It was simple—a minor Illusion Rune—but it was exactly what we needed.

"Professor?" Julien frowned. "What’s that?"

"A little trick," I murmured, running my fingers along the etched lines.

The rune wasn’t flashy. No grand display of power. But...

"Wallace, give me whatever mana you have left."

"I..." He blinked, his exhaustion clear.

"Just enough to activate this."

Wallace swallowed hard but placed his hand over mine, sending a weak pulse of mana into the rune.

It was barely enough, but it would do.

"Pattern release..." I murmured softly, channeling the faint mana into the rune. "Conceal."

The rune flared softly, and then—

The entrance to the cave... vanished.

"What the hell..." Julien blinked, his eyes wide.

From the outside, the cave was gone.

An illusion.

Simple, but effective.

"They won’t see us now," I murmured, leaning back against the cool stone wall. "Not unless they know exactly where to look."

"How long will it hold?" Mira asked, her tone serious.

"A few hours," I said quietly, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Is that enough?"

"It has to be."

The group sagged in relief, the tension finally easing—if only for a moment.

"Alright," I murmured, voice low. "Rest. All of you."

"But—"

"That’s an order."

No one argued after that.

Mira helped Wallace settle down, her movements careful but tired. Garrick slumped against the wall, his breathing heavy but steady.

Julien sat near the entrance, his sword resting across his lap, eyes alert despite the exhaustion.

Felix and Leo sat silently, their expressions unreadable.

And me?

I stayed by the entrance, watching.

Because someone had to.

The illusion would hold.

But I wasn’t taking any chances.

Kellan was close.

Too close.

And if he found us before we recovered...

It wouldn’t matter how well we hid.

Because he wouldn’t stop.

Not until we were dead.

I clenched my jaw, forcing the exhaustion to the back of my mind.

"Rest," I murmured again, softer this time.

Because when this illusion faded...

We’d need every ounce of strength to survive what came next.

The cave was silent, but my mind wasn’t.

I sat near the entrance, keeping watch while the others tried to rest. Kellan was out there, somewhere, and even though the illusion was holding, I wasn’t about to let my guard down.

But damn... my body was screaming at me.

Mana drained. Muscles aching. Wounds barely scabbed over.

I need a damn vacation after this.

I glanced over my shoulder.

Julien was leaning against the wall, his sword resting across his lap. His eyes were closed, but I knew better—he wasn’t really asleep. The kid had been on edge since the fight with Kellan.

Mira was beside Wallace, gently pressing a cloth against his forehead. His mana reserves were drained to the point where he was barely conscious. Kid had potential, but he didn’t know when to stop pushing himself.

Felix and Leo were huddled near the back, looking more like lost puppies than future warriors. Garrick was snoring softly, arms crossed like a damn boulder.

Cassandra was... well, being Cassandra. Quiet, sitting with her back to the wall, her gaze distant as if she was seeing something none of us could.

Good. They needed the rest.

But me?

No rest for the wicked.

I leaned my head back against the cold stone, letting out a tired sigh. The silence stretched on...

Too long.

I didn’t like it.

"You know..." I murmured, just loud enough to break the stillness.

Julien cracked one eye open. "Here we go..."

"I was just thinking..." I continued, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "That fight with Kellan? That was..." I paused, lips curling into a smirk.

"Inspirational."

Felix blinked. "Huh?"

"Truly," I drawled, rubbing my chin thoughtfully. "Watching you all charge at an academy instructor with the grace of headless chickens? A masterpiece."

Mira’s head snapped up, eyes narrowing. "Professor..."

"No, really," I said, holding up a hand. "The way Julien swung his sword like he was trying to swat flies? Magnificent."

"Hey!" Julien’s eyes snapped open, scowling. "I was trying to—"

"And Felix..." I turned toward him, a wicked grin spreading across my face. "That... that little tumble you took? I didn’t know we had acrobats in Class C."

Felix’s face turned bright red. "I slipped!"

"Ah yes," I nodded, dead serious. "Slipped... directly into Kellan’s wind blast. Truly, a tactical genius."

Leo tried to stifle a laugh but failed miserably.

"And Garrick..." I tilted my head, pretending to think. "I’ve never seen someone tank wind blades with their face before."

Garrick grunted, rubbing his jaw. "They didn’t hurt that much."

"Oh, absolutely," I drawled. "Just a few cuts and maybe a concussion. Nothing serious."

"Professor..." Mira muttered, but I saw the corner of her lips twitch.

"And let’s not forget Leo..." I turned to him, my expression deadly serious. "Who stood there looking so intimidating... that Kellan didn’t even notice him."

Leo blinked. "Wait, what?"

"Exactly," I deadpanned. "A master of stealth. So invisible that even danger ignored him."

That did it.

Julien snorted.

Mira’s shoulders shook with suppressed laughter.

Felix was trying and failing to keep a straight face.

Even Garrick let out a low chuckle.

Wallace groaned weakly, cracking one eye open. "Are... are you done roasting us, Professor? Or should I just die now?"

"Oh, Wallace..." I smirked. "You... you did great."

Wallace blinked, surprised.

"Right up until you passed out and left us all to die."

"Oh, come on!" Wallace groaned, his head falling back against the wall.

"And Mira..." I turned to her, my grin widening.

"What?" Her eyes narrowed immediately.

"That little shadow dance with Kellan? Very flashy." I gave a slow, sarcastic clap. "Would’ve been perfect... if you didn’t trip over Felix halfway through."

"That was his fault!" Mira snapped, pointing at Felix.

"Hey, I was dodging!" Felix defended himself.

"Dodging?" I raised an eyebrow. "Looked more like flailing."

Felix muttered something under his breath while Mira rolled her eyes.

And then, there was Cassandra.

"And Cassandra..." I turned toward her, eyes narrowing.

She blinked, her expression unreadable.

"What?" she murmured softly.

"Good job... staying out of trouble."

Her eyes narrowed.

"For the most part." I smirked. "Though I’m still wondering how you managed to disappear halfway through the fight and reappear like some phantom."

Cassandra just stared at me, her gaze cool and unreadable.

"No comment?" I asked, arching an eyebrow.

"I was... observing," she murmured.

"Ah yes," I nodded sagely. "Observing. My mistake. Next time, let me know if you plan on observing while we’re all getting shredded, alright?"

Even Cassandra’s lips twitched at that.

"You’re a bastard, Professor," Julien muttered, but there was a grin tugging at his lips.

"Took you this long to figure that out?" I smirked, finally letting myself relax a bit.

The tension that had been suffocating the cave eased, the atmosphere lightening—just a little.

"In my defense..." Julien muttered, shaking his head. "Kellan’s a damn monster."

"No argument there," I murmured, my expression growing serious again.

"I thought we had him," Mira murmured softly, her gaze distant. "But..."

"But you didn’t." I kept my tone neutral. "Because he’s an instructor. And instructors..."

"Aren’t like us," Julien finished, his jaw clenching.

"Exactly." I met their eyes, one by one. "What you faced back there? That wasn’t a student. That was a trained killer with years of experience and enough mana to level a battlefield."

Silence settled again, but this time, it wasn’t suffocating.

It was... thoughtful.

"And yet..." I added after a moment, a small smirk tugging at my lips.

"We’re still here."

Mira glanced at me, brow furrowing. "Barely."

"Barely’s still better than dead."

Julien huffed, shaking his head. "That’s... fair."

"So," I leaned back, crossing my arms behind my head. "Next time? Maybe..." I raised an eyebrow. "Don’t rush an instructor head-on?"

Felix muttered something under his breath.

"What was that?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I said," Felix mumbled louder, "I thought we had a chance..."

"You had about as much chance as a rabbit in a dragon’s den," I deadpanned.

More laughter.

Good.

They needed this.

We all did.

"Rest up," I murmured after a moment, the humor fading slightly from my tone. "This isn’t over."

Julien nodded, his expression turning serious again.

Mira’s eyes hardened, determination flickering back.

Even Felix and Leo looked a little less shell-shocked.

Cassandra’s gaze shifted, her expression unreadable but... focused.

"When this illusion fades..." I murmured, my gaze shifting back to the cave entrance.

"We’ll be ready."

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