Chapter 91

this is a fictional story by realTensai

At the same time, in another place.

Ms. Myth POV

“What does it mean to be a teacher?”

I still remember the day Mr. Woltzer asked me that question. I was a new teacher and had just been admitted to teach at this academy, yet this was the first thing he asked me.

"It means imparting the technical knowledge one has acquired to students, ensuring they meet the expectations of the class and succeed."

This was my answer. It was what they taught us in the university and what I also believed. If the student failed at the end of the class, you had failed as a teacher.

“Then what if you teach the students a spell that is in the class’ curriculum but one student ends up using that same spell you taught them to kill another person?”

Mr. Woltzer’s yellow eyes stared right at my soul, and my first reaction was to gasp upon hearing that question. My heart started racing as I was imagining the scenario he just described, yet I still opened my mouth, wanting to answer.

“This wouldn’t be my responsibility,” I responded calmly. “I just did my job as a teacher. If a student of mine would do that, then the responsibility lies with their parents, who didn’t raise them properly or in other circumstances, leading them to this decision.”

Mr. Woltzer didn’t react to my statement, his gaze still as piercing as before. Yet I couldn’t guess what he was thinking. Did he agree? Did he disagree?

“If a teacher’s job is only to pass down their knowledge, why don’t we use robots as teachers, then? Certainly, our technology is advanced enough to do that. We could program them to be the best teachers using studies to further improve them. It would cost a lot of money at first, but it would pay off in the long run as we wouldn’t have to pay for teachers anymore. Also, they could teach without personal feelings and with the utmost rationality, making the grading even fairer for the students.”

I immediately opened my mouth again, my heart racing just like my thoughts. A thousand arguments to refute his statement flooded my thoughts, and I just wanted to spit them out, but I stopped. I stopped and took a mental step back.

This isn’t even the point he is trying to make.

Mr. Woltzer was right. Under the definition of a teacher that I gave him, his statement couldn’t be refuted. Taking a deep breath in and out, I moved on.

“Then what does it mean to be a teacher?” I asked.

And it was the first time his expression changed, a soft and welcoming smile on his face.

“Every teacher has to find their own answer. But only once you are aware of your role and responsibility can you find your purpose as a teacher.”

To this day, I still haven’t found my answer. Yet right now, within this situation the school was in, I just couldn’t stop pondering about it. I also wondered if it was Mr. Woltzer’s own answer that led him to abandon us now.

I took a deep breath in and out, pushing these thoughts away and opening my eyes again. All the teachers gathered in this room, ready for the emergency teacher conference to start.

“I think everyone is here,” Mrs. Zoya, the vice principal, said, overlooking the room. “Then let’s stop wasting time and begin.”

With these words, Mrs. Zoya started the emergency teachers’ meeting.

“We’ve searched for Mr. Woltzer in every corner of this school, yet we still can’t find him. Given the current circumstances, it would be best to assume the worst and plan as if he won’t return.”

I clenched my fist, holding back the vortex of thoughts that tormented me right now. One look at the other teachers was enough to see that they did the same. As teachers, we had to put our personal feelings to the side. It didn’t matter if we thought that Mr. Woltzer betrayed us or not; we had to objectively analyze the given situation and prepare for the worst.

“From now on I will take on the role of principal and be the one who is in charge and gives commands,” Mrs. Zoya said, not hesitating to take on that burden. As Vice Principal, it was the only thing that made sense. However, a bitter smile etched on her face. “I’m aware that I don’t have the polarising power like Mr. Woltzer, yet I will still do my best.”

No one has. He was one of a kind.

The old dwarven woman paused for a bit, as if giving those who were against her taking charge the chance to speak up. However, no one spoke up, solidifying her position as the new principal. Her gaze changed, the weight of responsibility immediately showing in her eyes, and even though she was small in stature, her aura increased.

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“We have lost control over this situation,” she continued, her voice now way more authoritative. “The first kill already happened, and I was just informed that another student died in the dorms shortly after and that the students declared war on each other.”

“What?!”

The room broke out into discussion, as most teachers didn’t know about that. I was the same. My inwards twisted and an icy shudder coursed down my spine as I imagined my own students wanting to kill each other.

“You’ve to be kidding me!” Mr. Rafi shouted, slamming his fist against the table. His red demonic eyes seemed as if they were on fire, even more so than usual. “Weren’t there any teachers present? They had to be. So how come they let a student die before their own eyes?”

It was rare that I shared the same opinion as Mr. Rafi, as he was a tad too extreme and strict even for my liking, yet this time I had to agree with him.

The room fell silent as some teachers averted their gazes, making it obvious that they had been there when it happened. Noticing that too, Mr. Rafi opened his mouth again. Yet before he could speak, someone else did.

“It was a very difficult situation,” Mr. Gondi, the master rank gravity mage, said. “The commotion was enormous and no one could have guessed that it would escalate that much. We couldn’t have predicted that a student would go so far.” His face twisted, and he clenched his fist in agony, lowering his head.

“You have failed as a teacher,” Mr. Rafi said, not holding back. “Letting a student die before your eyes… no wonder the students lost respect for us. And who even allowed the fourth years to make this announcement? Thanks to them, we have lost all our credibility and now we teachers look like the enemy.”

“Calm down, Mr. Rafi.”

“How can I calm down if everything is going down the drain?” he shouted, jumping out of his seat.

“Losing your calm won’t help,” I said, having seen enough of his childlike behavior. “We should discuss how to gain back control in this situation rather than shouting around.”

“The perfect words, just as expected from our exemplary teacher. I’m sorry for getting passionate about my students killing each other,” he said, falling back into his seat.

I just ignored his provocations and waited for Mrs. Zoya to continue.

“It’s just like Ms. Myth said. We should prioritize gaining back control and protecting the students. We can’t let more of them die. Remember, we only have to hold on until the WRO gets us out of here.”

“I think it is about time we let go of this thought,” Mrs. Von Poster said, her cold royal-like voice echoing in the room. Even in this situation, her face didn’t show any signs of fatigue or pressure, her attire still radiating grace. Yet it was also her icy, calculating face that made one instinctively alert to her. Her words just now proved that point. “The World Race Organization will not save us. Enough time has passed to come to that conclusion and if we are preparing for the worst-case scenario, we should do it properly. The students will not listen to us anymore and will do anything to survive. And I think some of you might have forgotten the fact that we, the teachers are also trapped in this wicked game. That means presented the chance the students will not hesitate to kill us too. Only one person or one team will survive, which means we teachers have also become their enemies. If it already has come this far, we should rather prioritize our own safety, shouldn’t we?”

“Are you telling us we should fight against our students?!” Mr. Gondi said, a vein bulging on his bald head.

“I did not say that,” she answered, her voice slow and calm. “However, I also do not plan on dying for my students and I think this is my god-given right to prioritize my life first.”

No one could answer, and everyone fell silent, pondering about her words. It was as if her words reminded everyone about the cruel fact that only one person or team could win, which automatically meant that one’s survival brought everyone else’s death. Thinking about it like that, it made sense for one to prioritize their own life.

But this can’t be the answer, can it? No matter how much I want to survive, I can’t sacrifice my students for it.

“I agree with Mrs. Von Poster,” Mr. Rafi said, his expression difficult to read. “Even if you don’t want to admit it, when the situation arises, a situation where the only options are to die or survive, you all will prioritize your own lives. It’s in our nature. I’ve already seen it plenty enough while still living on the Demon Continent.”

His red eyes, which had been like a wildfire until now, turned cold, as if only remembering the Demon Continent made his heart itch. Yet that gave his words even more credibility. He who had already lived in a fight-or-die environment knew better about everyone’s nature in the darkest hour.

Once again, we teachers couldn’t respond.

“Let us go about it logically,” Mrs. Von Poster said, gaining everyone’s attention. “Our best option would be to work together as teachers. We should form a team and win this game together. We teachers are the strongest in this school, so no one could stop us if we combined our might. Of course, students who want are free to join us. That way, we can save as many people as possible.”

“This isn’t possible. Did you forget about the team member limit?”

“Of course not. We teachers are a manageable number. By performing a few quests, we could take everyone on.”

She only talked about the teachers.

“But what about the students?” Mr. Gondi asked, his gaze sharp.

There was a momentary pause before Mrs. Von Poster responded.

“It is their choice if they want to join us or not. The students are currently in a fury and, as we all saw, even if we wanted to, we could not stop them anymore. They want war. However, they will kill each other first before they even think about attacking us teachers. So all we have to do is sit back and wait for them to kill each other. Those few students who survive this massacre can later join our team. Thus, most people will survive.”

“T-This is wrong! It’s totally wrong!” Mr. Gondi shouted. “We could never accept this plan. I-Its totally wrong and unethical. How can you even say something like this as a teacher?”

“We are just teachers. Our job is to teach the students subject matters. Nothing more, nothing less. This is not elementary school or middle school where we also have to babysit them. Also, it is not as if we force them to kill each other. We wanted them to stop, yet war is the answer they have chosen for themselves.”

Mrs. Von Poster’s words, her definition of a teacher, it was the same one I gave Mr. Woltzer back then. So, according to my own definition, she would be right.

Then tell me why my heart is feeling as if it’s splitting apart right now.

Why does it all feel so wrong?

What does it mean to be a teacher?

I had to find the answer within this survival game.

“I don’t agree with this plan,” Mrs. Zoya said, her face twisted in agony.

“You cannot stop us,” Mrs. Von Poster said matter-of-factly. “Most teachers here share the same opinion as I.”

No one responded, yet that silence also meant that no one objected.

Mrs. Zoya who realized that bit her lip, the frustration etched on her face.

“If that’s the case, this meeting is meaningless. If we as teachers can’t even work together, there is no way we could inspire the students.”

“It is already too late for that. The only one who could change this situation is now gone.”

It was with these words that the meeting ended.