The classroom door slid open without warning.
No dramatic entrance.
No attention-seeking aura like arrogant nobles usually carried.
And yet—
The moment she entered, the entire atmosphere of the room changed.
A woman with long black hair stepped calmly into the classroom, her movements so smooth and silent that for a second I genuinely questioned whether she'd been there the whole time.
I hadn't heard a single footstep.
Not one.
Which was honestly terrifying.
Her sharp purple eyes swept across the classroom with quiet authority while the morning sunlight spilling through the windows framed her figure almost unfairly well.
Tall.
Elegant.
Light brown skin.
A mature beauty that felt completely different from the academy girls surrounding her.
Not youthful charm.
Dangerous charm.
The kind that made people's survival instincts activate before their brains caught up.
And unfortunately—
I recognized her immediately.
Catherine Vale.
Former Commander of the Royal Guard Knights of the Solhaven Empire.
An [S-Rank] Awakener.
One of the strongest humans currently alive.
Honestly, seeing her in person felt surreal.
In the original story, Catherine remained relevant almost until the final arcs despite the absurd power inflation later on.
That alone proved how monstrous she truly was.
While other characters gradually fell behind as enemies escalated into national disasters and demonic calamities—
Catherine kept fighting.
Kept surviving.
Kept standing beside the protagonist until almost the very end.
And perhaps most importantly—
She became Kevin's master.
The person who personally trained him during the academy arcs.
At first glance, most people assumed Kevin approached her because of her strength.
But that wasn't the real reason.
Catherine Vale wasn't merely powerful.
She was deeply connected to the imperial family.
Former Commander of the Royal Guard Knights meant she once stood directly beside the Emperor himself.
Which made her the perfect source of information for someone secretly trying to destroy the empire from within.
Kevin approached her seeking strength.
But also knowledge.
Influence.
Insight into the people responsible for exterminating his family.
And Catherine unknowingly gave him all of it.
…Honestly, future Kevin was terrifyingly manipulative when you looked back at the early story carefully.
Meanwhile—
Even Leon beside me straightened slightly the moment Catherine entered.
An [S-Rank] Awakener wasn't something even monsters like Leon could ignore casually.
Especially not Catherine Vale.
Because her specialty—Was [Illusion].
And unlike flashy elemental abilities or destructive combat arts—Illusion users were horrifying precisely because you never knew when it started.
Catherine could trap people inside illusions without them realizing it.
Manipulate senses.
Distort perception.
There were entire scenes in the novel where enemies died before realizing they were already trapped.
And above all else—Catherine hated evil.
Which meant Damian Valtor ranked extremely high on her list of unpleasant individuals.
"…Oh, come on," I muttered quietly.
Sure enough—
After briefly scanning the classroom, her gaze landed directly on me.
At this point I was collecting judgmental stares like achievement trophies.
Catherine calmly walked toward the front desk before placing several documents down neatly.
Then she turned toward the class.
"Good morning."
Her voice wasn't loud.
Yet the classroom immediately fell silent.
Honestly, that level of authority was absurd.
"I assume most of you already know this," she continued evenly, "but Damian Valtor has returned after his disciplinary suspension."
A brief pause followed.
Then—
"It has been approximately eighty days."
Her purple eyes shifted toward me again.
"I will not instruct you on how to welcome him."
Silence.
One second.
Two seconds.
Then—
Snickers erupted throughout the classroom.
Several students outright laughed.
Others covered their mouths while trying and failing to suppress grins.
Even some people pretending to stay neutral looked entertained.
Public execution first thing in the morning.
Meanwhile Catherine continued speaking with the exact same serious expression.
"I hope everyone here learns from Mr. Valtor's example."
More laughter spread instantly.
"Actions carry consequences regardless of status."
Okay.
That one definitely targeted me specifically.
Even Leon beside me glanced sideways slightly.
Probably wondering whether I'd finally snap and start strangling classmates.
Honestly?
Old Damian probably would've.
But me? I won't do anything like that but still I won't let her abuse me with her words.
As I have said many times, Old me sins doesn't have anything to current me.
Even if they don't know, I won't take her words with it and stay quiet.
I don't care even if she's was an [S] rank awakner.
Next moment I had reply for her.
I simply sighed tiredly before leaning back lazily in my chair.
Then I raised one hand slightly.
"That's very inspiring, Professor Vale."
The classroom quieted a little.
Catherine's eyes narrowed faintly.
I smiled politely.
"It's comforting to know my public humiliation can contribute positively to the academic growth of others."
Several students immediately choked trying not to laugh.
A few others looked stunned and those includes Kevin and Elena.
Grace was looking at me with disgust and Alice still ignored my existence altogether.
While few others looked at me with shocked expression on their faces.
It was as if they were discovering new spices.
Because Damian Valtor—
The arrogant noble lunatic—
Had just responded with sarcasm instead of rage.
Even Catherine paused very slightly.
Then I continued calmly.
"Though admittedly, if the academy plans to use me as a warning sign permanently, I feel I deserve tuition compensation."
This time actual laughter broke out.
"Hahaha looked at him. He's finally gone crazy!!!"
"To talk back to an [S] rank! I wouldn't be shocked if he disappeared from earth tomorrow."
"Let's make a bets shall we? Haha!"
"Yes! I'll put 5 Gold!"
Wow, they're making bets on my death in front of me?! Did they really forget I was still here?
Meanwhile Catherine stared at me silently for several seconds.
Then—
"…Your sense of humor improved during suspension."
"I had a lot of free time for self-reflection."
"That is one way to describe it."
Hidden attack detected.
I placed a hand over my chest dramatically.
"Professor, your faith in my emotional recovery means a lot to me."
More laughter.
Even Kevin looked mildly stunned now.
Probably because this entire interaction completely contradicted Damian's usual behavior pattern.