Ingrid Beltans gripped her rapier tightly, sharply noting that Angela Teacher’s footsteps seemed to carry a faint but almost imperceptible unsteadiness.
However, when her gaze moved upward and met those violet eyes, along with that flawless cruciform stance, any doubts were immediately suppressed.
Gunblade Cross… the symbol of carrying out the will of God…
Her heart grew solemn. In the academy, only demon hunters with distinguished achievements and acknowledged faith and strength were permitted to use such a posture.
That alone was silent proof that this teacher was by no means ordinary.
She decided to probe no further. The immense power inherited from the Behemoth bloodline instantly flooded her body.
Her rapier flickered through the air, blossoming with sword flowers as it thrust forward with terrifying force.
For an ordinary person, being struck by such a blow would be no different than leaving things to fate.
Yet Angela moved. Her figure, strange and elusive like a phantom, bore the mark of countless battles.
She had plenty of ways to deal with this kind of brute-force attack.
Her twin swords crossed against the rapier’s blade.
With a twist of her wrist, that force, enough to shatter mountains, was diverted away, crashing thunderously behind her and sending a blast of wind rustling past her coat.
At the same moment, Angela’s cold voice cut through the air.
“Your strength is decent, but brute force is the least valuable trait of the Behemoth line.”
She saw through it…
Ingrid’s pupils contracted. It wasn’t exactly a well-kept secret, but Angela’s reply was filled with confidence and seasoned experience.
In that instant, Angela struck back. Her speed was beyond what the eye could catch.
The gunblades became twin streaks of silver in the night—she didn’t slash, but instead rained rapid taps on Ingrid’s sword guard, wrist, and knee pit.
Each strike hit right at her points of force and joints. The power wasn’t great, but it completely unraveled her stance.
Clang! Ingrid’s rapier slipped from her grasp. Angela showed no mercy, closing in and immediately delivering a side kick that landed directly on Ingrid’s left kneecap.
She felt her knee go numb, dropping her to one knee involuntarily.
Panting, she looked up to see Angela standing at ease, sword sheathed, gazing down at her.
Silver hair floated from the recent burst of movement, and those purple eyes, under the training hall lights, looked deep and commanding.
At this moment, Angela Teacher radiated a reassuring and awe-inspiring aura forged through countless battles—so different from the casual manner she’d shown before.
“Now,” Angela spoke, her voice tinged with a trace of breathlessness from the exercise, “do you understand the gap between us?”
Ingrid still felt the urge to snatch up her sword and continue the fight, but her well-learned etiquette would not allow her to do so.
If the other party were just some useless teacher barely making up the numbers, she would have gladly been rude, used her strength to make the difference clear, and proved that the person wasn’t fit to be her instructor—it would save both time and effort.
But this Angela Teacher had subdued her with strength instead. With nothing left to say, Ingrid could only lower her head slightly, showing her respect.
“Today counts as your first day of class, and you immediately attacked your teacher. I think some punishment is in order.”
Angela didn’t reach out to help Ingrid up.
On the contrary, she deliberately tilted her head up a little—if you want to be a student, you have to act like one.
Even if it was just to test her teacher’s abilities, starting off with violence was a bit much. What’s more, this blonde brat hadn’t held back at all.
If it had been another teacher, even Angela would have worried for their safety. Not everyone could stand up to such a blow.
“Please say it. I am willing to accept any punishment.”
Knowing she was in the wrong, Ingrid bowed her head even lower, silently picking up her rapier.
With a click of mechanisms, the rapier shifted into storage mode and was placed at her waist.
“Whew, at least your attitude is decent. Did you know? Strictly speaking, I’m not really an official teacher at this school.”
“You’re so strong. Why have I never seen you in the academy before?”
“Because I have some personal circumstances I can’t talk about. Anyway, don’t ask, don’t think too much. No means no. Teaching you all is already me making a concession. As for teaching methods and locations, I will decide all of that.”
“Teacher, this is a small token of my apology. Please accept it.”
“What’s this?”
Angela accepted the card from Ingrid’s hand. It turned out to be a bank card—black in color.
“A black card… damn…”
“Hmm? What did you say?”
“Probably just the wind, you misheard.”
Damn! A black card! So you’re a little rich lady! This is great—now I can really cash in, heh heh!
On the surface, she still wore her cool, icy beauty expression, but if one looked closely, they would see Angela’s lips twitching with excitement.
Ever since she’d lost the ability to take on assignments, it had been ages since she’d been connected to the word ‘wealth.’
Alright! Enough said! She was taking this job! She had to keep this young miss here—no matter what!
“Alright, alright, I accept your token. Get up. From now on, you’ll be staying here.”
“Here?”
“What’s the problem?”
“N-nothing…”
If there’s nothing wrong, then what’s with that look of disdain on your face?!
Damn! If it weren’t for the academy covering all the water, electricity, and not charging rent, you think I’d like it here?!
Angela lived in the academy’s staff dormitory—in fact, the old dormitory.
The main reason was the magic runes; she was better off staying out of sight, so the academy had arranged this long-abandoned place for her.
Well, at least this whole area was hers now.
Angela and Ingrid had fought on the empty ground in front of the dorm.
Now Angela was preparing to take her inside, tossing her a room far enough away from her own—absolutely far enough.
Trailing after Angela, Ingrid’s eyes were suddenly drawn to Angela’s calf.
Don’t get the wrong idea—she was straight and would never get flustered over well-shaped calves in black stockings.
She just noticed—Angela Teacher’s legs seemed to be… trembling? Why? The fight was over, wasn’t it?
Could her blow earlier really have been that powerful? Was Angela Teacher still not fully recovered? How strange.
“Here, this will be your room from now on. In the coming days, a few others will arrive. You’ll all be staying here together.”
“Understood, Teacher.”
“Good. I’ll be off, then. Don’t bother me if it’s not important. If you need me, message my phone first. That’s the rule. If you don’t follow it, I’ll be very angry.”
The silver-haired demon hunter stood in the shadows, purple eyes gleaming with an unsettling light.
Ingrid quickly nodded—she had the feeling that if she didn’t, Angela Teacher would smack her right on the head.
“That’s it, then. I’m off.”
With a whoosh, Angela vanished. Ingrid noticed—were her legs trembling even more?