"You did well today."

Carl gave a wry smile at Professor Anton’s words.

Carl had spent the entire day in a whirlwind of activity after arriving at Soul Academy this morning, inundated with various tasks and responsibilities.

When other professors joined the academy, they usually had a month to adjust, but Carl had everything dumped on him in a single day. Even though Carl was familiar with how Soul Academy operated, it was still overwhelming.

"For now, that’s all for today. Go home and rest. We’ll handle the rest as we proceed with tomorrow’s classes."

With those words, Anton handed Carl a stack of documents.

"Professor, what’s this?" Carl asked.

"Make sure you read through all of it by tomorrow. Got it?"

Carl was taken aback by the thickness of the stack—easily the equivalent of two hefty books. However, he didn’t say he couldn’t do it. It was a lot, but nothing beyond his capabilities.

After bidding farewell to Anton, Carl stretched as he stepped out of the professor’s office, watching the evening sunset. For the past few years, he had been engaged in rigorous training every day. Now, sitting down to wrestle with paperwork made his body itch for action.

If not for his duty to protect his young lady, he might have given up on this job long ago.

Thinking this to himself, Carl laughed and began walking to find Lucy.

Where would the young lady be right now?

From what Carl had observed so far, Lucy wasn’t someone who would stay still. Although he didn’t know how she was before, the Lucy who had received the blessing of the god was very much an Allen. She preferred action over rest.

She’s probably training.

With that judgment, Carl started heading towards the training grounds. As he walked, he overheard a young girl speaking.

"Yeah, the bratty lady actually talked to me."

The bratty lady? That’s the nickname for the young lady.

Carl slowed his steps and listened to the girl’s conversation.

"I was just sitting at this table, and she suddenly came up to me, called me a ‘sidekick lady,’ and started talking."

"Sidekick lady? That’s too much."

"Right?"

So, Lady Lucy, you haven’t changed your habit of looking down on others, even at the academy.

She used to call the Partran Duke’s daughter the ‘dizzy lady,’ so it’s not surprising that she wouldn’t address others normally.

"I was curious about what kind of nonsense she’d spout, so I smiled and listened. Then she asked me if I had any problems."

"Out of nowhere?"

"Yeah, she said, ‘I’ll solve any problem you have that you can’t handle as a sidekick.’"

"She’s gained power, but nothing else has changed."

"Seriously. If she weren’t from the Allen family, I’d have already knocked her down."

Hearing how his young lady’s reputation was deteriorating, Carl couldn’t help but smile bitterly.

Ever since she received Armandy’s blessing, she’s been a truly good person, despite her rough language. But with a reputation like this, will she be able to make any friends?

Hopefully, someone will soon see the goodness in her.

"But the strange thing is, I actually did have a problem."

Carl stopped in his tracks.

She really had something?

Armandy must have said something to the young lady again.

Which means the young lady will need to solve this girl’s problem.

"What was it?"

"It’s a secret."

"Excuse me."

At Carl’s words, the two girls turned their heads.

At first, they looked at him with suspicion, but when they recognized his face, their expressions turned to curiosity.

"Who are you?"

"Hello. I’m the new combat professor, but I seem to have lost my way."

Of course, being lost was just an excuse.

There was no way Carl, who had once been a student at Soul Academy, wouldn’t know his way around.

He just said that to ease their wariness.

"Oh, you’re the new professor! Where are you trying to go?"

"I’m heading to the training grounds."

"If that’s where you’re going..."

The girl, seemingly relaxed now that she knew he was a professor, eagerly explained the way to him.

"...and that’s how you get there! Should I explain it again?"

"No, you explained it perfectly. Thank you."

Carl smiled, seeing the girl’s disappointed expression.

To reassure her that he hadn’t overheard anything he shouldn’t have, Carl added,

"If you ever have any concerns, please come see me. I’ll do my best to help."

With that, Carl left.

He was sure the girl would come to him later.

The young lady will be pleased to hear this.

Happy at the thought of receiving praise from Lucy, Carl continued walking. But as soon as he stepped out of the school building, he encountered a familiar face.

"You’re from the Allen family, aren’t you? What are you doing here?"

It was Joy Partran.

The Partran Duke’s daughter, who had been given the unfortunate nickname of ‘Dizzy Lady’ by Lucy.

Seeing Carl’s face, Joy spoke with an air of reprimand.

Her demeanor and posture were so intimidating that even the seasoned knight Carl instinctively showed respect.

How could the young lady call such a person ‘Dizzy Lady’?

It must be because she’s brave, just like someone from the Allen family.

Silently praising Lucy, Carl replied to Joy.

"I’m here as a professor at Soul Academy."

"Oh, really? The Allen family is really dedicated. But Lady Allen doesn’t seem like someone who would collapse over a minor issue."

"She is indeed an important person."

An important person, huh?

Joy sighed at Carl’s words.

It wasn’t strange to use such a phrase for the young lady of the powerful Allen family.

Still, she wished that Lucy would be more careful with her words and actions.

Joy no longer thought of Lucy as the completely irresponsible, irritable person she once was.

After all, it was Lucy who had saved her from a near-death situation.

The floor that suddenly vanished beneath her feet.

The grotesque monsters she encountered within.

And their master.

Even though a lot of time had passed since then, Joy still faced that being in her nightmares.

The thousands of eyes that looked down on her.

The decayed hands reaching for her.

The voice that spoke of death from within.

And then. And then. And then.

"Lady Partran?"

Carl’s voice snapped Joy out of her nightmare.

Ugh. I haven’t been like this lately.

In any case, the Lucy she saw in that dungeon wasn’t the reckless, short-tempered person she used to be.

She was like a trustworthy knight.

Although her words were still harsh.

Since that day, Joy had revised her opinion of Lucy.

How could she continue to see someone the same way after that person saved her life?

So, after a day of contemplation, Joy had decided to tell Lucy about Arthur’s situation. She couldn’t reveal everything, but she could at least explain how much Arthur hated being called the ‘Pitiable Prince.’

Her plan was to prevent Lucy from calling Arthur that nickname again.

However, Joy’s plan had a major flaw from the start.

She couldn’t find out where Lucy had gone.

"This is perfect. Do you know where Lady Allen is?"

"The young lady is probably at the training grounds."

"The training grounds?"

On her first day at the academy, without even exploring the place, she went straight to the training grounds to exercise?

Joy was skeptical, but Carl nodded confidently.

Well, since you’re the Allen family’s knight, you should know best.

Carl was right. Lucy was indeed at the training grounds.

However, neither Carl nor Joy expected that she would be causing trouble there too.

"Is she dueling right now?"

Lucy was sparring with a man wielding a spear.

Judging by the color of his scarf, he appeared to be a third-year student at Soul Academy.

"And against a third-year student, no less."

"It seems so."

There was no need to wonder how the two ended up dueling.

Considering Lucy’s usual antics, the answer was obvious.

"Lady Allen must have started it."

"…"

"Does she even know what it means to stay out of trouble?"

Despite Joy’s sigh, Carl couldn’t bring himself to defend his young lady.

"How does she expect to beat a third-year?"

There’s a significant gap between first-year and third-year students at the academy.

Soul Academy operates strictly on merit.

This principle is evident in the academy’s grading system. To advance to a higher grade, students must meet certain standards set by the academy.

No matter how high their status or power outside the academy, they cannot advance if they don’t meet the requirements.

So, being a senior student means that person has passed many rigorous tests within the academy.

No matter how talented Lady Allen is as an Allen, she shouldn’t be able to defeat a third-year student.

The gap between grades was that large.

And indeed, the current battle was one-sided.

The one maintaining the offensive was the third-year student.

Lucy seemed to be struggling to keep up with the barrage of spear attacks.

"Do you think my lady will lose, Lady Partran?"

Carl asked Joy, who had already assumed Lucy’s defeat.

"Isn’t it obvious?"

"I believe my lady will win."

"No matter how loyal you are to her, that’s a bit too optimistic."

"Optimistic? That’s unfair. The knights of the Allen family never let personal feelings interfere in such matters."

"Do you seriously think Lady Allen will win?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

Joy couldn’t understand Carl’s confidence but waited for his explanation.

After all, if a knight from the prestigious Allen family was so certain, there must be a reason.

"My lady hasn’t been wounded."

Carl explained that in a fight against a spearman, the battle is like a ticking time bomb.

If the spearman can overpower the opponent before they close the distance, they win.

If not, they lose.

While the situation changes when the spearman is highly skilled, this is generally the case.

"From what I’ve seen, that spearman doesn’t seem skilled enough to overcome the limitations of his weapon."

Carl calmly assessed the situation.

Despite the time that had passed since the duel began, Lucy didn’t have a single wound on her.

With every move the third-year made with his spear, the distance between them gradually shrank.

"The bomb is about to go off."

Hearing this, Joy began to see the duel in a completely different light.

Lucy was steadily gaining the upper hand, while the third-year was doing his best to stave off the inevitable defeat.

Carl was right.

"Lady Allen is going to win."

"Exactly."