When the 'enemy' was close enough, I lost the smile I had. I couldn't let them see me react to them. Their faces on the other hand, showed me a full range of emotions. I was glad that I had a lot of practice in the army reading them, because a lot of them showed me anger, hatred, and indifference. The blank ones were the dangerous ones, however. You couldn't tell what they were thinking about you, which was why my face was usually blank when not around people I knew.

“I can't believe they let someone like you in.” A guy's voice said as we lined up to enter the main building. “I've had a feeling that this place has been going to the dogs lately.”

A few people around us looked at me to wait for my response, angry or otherwise.

“Say hello to Marcus for me.” I said and the guy looked surprised. “You can tell him that anything you or your friends do to me, will make me hold him responsible, since you're his friends... or brothers of his friends.”

“Do you know who I am?” The guy asked, as if he was someone important.

“I honestly don't care.” I said. “No matter what your name is, you'll be just as dead when I kill you.”

One girl let out a little shriek of surprise.

I turned my head to look at her as we continued to file into the building. “I'm sorry for speaking so starkly, my lady. I didn't mean to startle you.”

The girl's face flushed red. “I'm not a lady yet.”

“Are you the sole female from your family here?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“Then you're the lady of your family in the academy.” I said and nodded my head to her, giving her a sign of respect, then I faced forward again.

That little statement made a lot of people start talking, as was my intention. None of them were thinking about me threatening to kill several men, except for the man in question. His eyes were wide and he stayed quiet, even when we split off in different directions. He was a third year and a group of them gathered together.

I did my best to memorize their faces before I went down the hallway that my class directions said to go down. I hoped that I wouldn't have to bother with them after my threat. I found the classroom for Basic Spellwork and it was packed with people. It became even more packed as I and the dozen people behind me tried to enter the room.

“Don't mind the lack of seats. Squeeze in, squeeze in. We've had a huge influx of students this year and we're having a difficult time getting you all sorted out.” The man at the front of the room said. “We've got another teacher set up in another classroom; but, she's a woman and doesn't have a lot of teaching experience.”

“I'll go there.” I volunteered and put my hand up.

“And you are?” The man asked as he looked at me.

“David Drake, ex-army conscript.” I said and the entire group of people stared at me, even the teacher.

“What... what did you say?”

“I was a conscript in the army. I fought dozens of battles and then the king in his infinite wisdom, listened to a voice of reason and had me released after I lost a foot from being eaten by a dragon.” I said and ignored the reactions from the other students. “His daughter made it a dishonorable discharge because I wouldn't stay under her command for the rest of my life.”

The man looked completely shocked.

“You didn't know that? I thought everyone would know by now.” I said. “Which classroom is the other teacher in?”

“Th-th-three doors down the h-h-hallway.” The man said and pointed with a shaky hand.

“I'll mark the change on my schedule.” I said and did so, then carefully walked through the people behind me and stepped out of the room. I walked down the hallway three doors and inside was a classroom as large as the last one and a sole woman stood at the front. She wore the standard mage robes, except for the academy logo on the back and the front. Her pitch black hair was tied back into a ponytail and her facial features stood out in stark contrast to her sharp eyes.

“Oh? I see the bastard finally mentioned me.” The woman spat.

“He also said you were a woman and didn't have a lot of teaching experience.” I said and walked over to sit down in the front seat.

She cursed twice and then looked shocked. “I apologize for that.”

“I've heard worse.” I said and she smiled. “Are you going to challenge him?”

“No, because faculty need to set a better example for the students.” She spat. “Dammit.”

“I don't think insulting people and getting away with it is a good example.”

“That's my view, too.” She said. “What's your name?”

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“David Drake.” I said and her eyes widened. “Yes, I'm the one that was sent here on Grand Mage Henrietta's charity.”

The woman checked my name on her list. “I'll give anyone else a few more minutes to show up before I officially start the class.”

No sooner had she said that when twenty young women came in through the door.

“You see? I told you that no one else was going to be here except for him.” One of the girls said. “This is going to be great!”

“No irritating boys!” One of the others said and they piled around the teacher's desk. Their names were recorded and they all took their seats.

“Is that all of you?” The teacher asked.

“No one else volunteered.” One of them said and I recognized her voice as the girl I had called a lady.

The teacher smiled and held a hand out to the door, chanted two lines of verse under her breath, and a strong wind slammed the door shut. “Unless you grew up in a barn, please shut the door when you enter or leave a room.”

“How did you do that?!?” One of the girls exclaimed. “That was a misdirected wind blast!”

“I thought they only went forward.” Someone else said and everyone started chatting.

“Welcome to Basic Spellwork Composition.” The woman said with a pleased smile. “My name is Mage Sara Sanchita and I'll be your teacher for this course.”

I tried to keep my face blank and it couldn't have worked, because she must have seen something.

“Yes, Mr. Drake? Is there something wrong with me teaching you?”

“No, Mage Sanchita. I was the first to volunteer to come here.”

“Then what was the look you just gave me?”

“One of my personal maids is named Sara.” I said and she looked surprised.

“You have more than one?”

“I have two. School rules say I can only bring one for the first year, so I have my maid Hope with me.”

The teacher let out a little sigh. “I'm glad you won't be confusing me with your maid.”

“I wouldn't do that. Despite you both being very pretty, you look quite different.”

The teacher's face flushed slightly red.

“Drake, you can't say things like that to a mage!” A girl two seats over whispered. “What if she took offense?”

“It wasn't an insult. Why would she be offended?”

“You are comparing her to a personal maid.” The girl sitting behind me said.

“I don't understand. I like my personal maid.” I said.

The girl beside me laughed softly, almost under her breath. “You're implying that she can be one.”

“Can't she do what she wants?” I asked and looked at their surprised faces. “I've had two mages give me personal baths and they didn't seem to mind.”

“Did... did you bathe them back?” One of them asked.

“Yes, and I cleaned them all over.” I said and a few of the girls let out little moans.

“No wonder they didn't mind.” Another whispered. “How often...”

“It used to be once a day, then my personal maids took over and now it's only once a week with my fiance.” I said. “She a mage.”

“You're betrothed already and you didn't even graduate?” One of the girls asked, clearly shocked.

“Her father enrolled me so I could marry her.” I said. “He won't accept a non-mage into the family.”

“Is that why you're so old?” The one next to me asked.

“I think that's enough.” The teacher said, her face was back to a normal color and she looked composed. “We've used up some of the introductory time on conversation that's not relevant to the class material.”

“I think it's relevant.” The one behind me said. “He's the only man in the room and we needed to know if he's available.”

“I don't see how that will affect...”

“It contributes to our state of mind. We can concentrate, knowing he's not undressing us with his eyes or imaging making love to us.”

A lot of the girls gasped at her words and a few let out more little moans. It sounded like the same ones that had moaned before.

“I'm sure that Mr. Drake won't be doing that, will you Mr. Drake?” The teacher asked.

“Do you want me to?” I asked and she blushed fully this time. I turned and looked at each of the girls that were seated around me in the classroom and they all had red faces, even the one that had spoken so brazenly. “No? All right, I won't.” I said and faced forward. “Please continue the class, Mage Sanchita.”

It took her a few moments to compose herself again and she nodded.

“I know that some of you are members of more prominent families and have been doing spellwork for several years. I also know some of you are fairly weak at the practical side of things and need lots of instruction. As a solution, I'll be pairing you up to ease the burden on me and the burden on those that are behind.”

A few of the girls groaned, because that meant more work for them.

“Mr. Drake is the worst practical caster in...”

“I VOLUNTEER!” Three-quarters of the class yelled and their hands shot up into the air.

“Almost half of you don't qualify.” The teacher said with a laugh. “You can put your hands down for now.”

The girls looked reluctant to do so, probably because they were worried that their enthusiasm might be forgotten.

“I'm glad you're so eager to help those that need it the most.” The teacher said and looked at one of the girls that hadn't raised her hand. “Lorna.”

“I refuse.” Lorna said and crossed her arms. “Unlike the rest of them, I know what he did and I won't have anything to do with him.”

“Then why did you come to this class?” The teacher asked.

“It was better to be with all the girls in a room with one man than be the only girl in a room full of post-adolescent boys.”

“That's why I left, too.” One of the others said. “I can only imagine the things they are talking about right now.”

I sat there and stayed quiet, because I didn't want to point out the irony of her statement.

“Then the next strongest practitioner is you, Vanessa.” The teacher said.

Vanessa's face turned beet red and she slid down in her chair with a shake of her head.

“Why not?” The teacher asked and Vanessa mumbled. “Speak up! I can't hear...”

“She said she can't talk to boys openly.” I repeated for her and a few of the girls gasped, because Vanessa was at the side of the room and I was in the middle.

The teacher gave me a look and then looked at Vanessa. “Is that what you said?”

Vanessa sat up straight and nodded as she stared at me.

“Does him hearing you whisper change your decision?” The teacher asked, her voice hopeful.

Vanessa kept looking at me and nodded again.

“Excellent!” Mage Sanchita said. “Go ahead and sit next to your new partner.”

Vanessa's face flushed red again and she slid back down in her seat. I wasn't someone to let anyone suffer, so I picked up my small bag of books and walked up the short stairs to her row and went over to her. I sat down at the desk next to hers and didn't speak. I knew she wouldn't want me to formally greet her, not with her being so shy.

The teacher spent another few minutes matching the best and the worst students and put them into pairs. A good chunk of them in the middle that wouldn't benefit from either paring up or having someone help, were left to fend for themselves.

“All right, open your books to page sixteen. We're going to skip the introduction, since we've lost so much time today already.” The teacher said and turned towards the board and started to write. “You all know what it feels like to generate magic; but, not all of you know how to direct that magic.” She said and kept writing. “The unfamiliar people better write this down.”

I took out the writing book I had for the class and started writing.