Astrid approached the group and stopped just outside their circle. She stood there silently, clearly waiting for someone to ask why she had returned.

Specifically Jax.

She had prepared her response. Rehearsed it in her head during the short walk back. All she needed was the right question.

Jax glanced at her, then turned to Roxana with a knowing smile.

"See, Roxana? That's exactly what I was saying before."

Everyone looked confused about what he meant.

Then Jax addressed Astrid directly. "Don't you have any shame?"

Her mouth opened, then closed. That wasn't the question she had prepared an answer for. Her carefully constructed response crumbled into useless fragments.

Jax sighed. "Are you going to tell me why you're here?"

Finally. The question she needed.

Astrid made a smirk, confidence returning to her features. "This academy ground doesn't belong to you, I suppose."

Jax tilted his head. "And neither does it belong to you."

Her expression shifted to a triumphant 'got you' face.

"So doesn't that mean neither of us can boss around the other and play those childish territory games?"

She delivered her final smirk with devastating smugness.

"And hence, I can stand wherever the hell I want."

Silence descended upon the group.

Everyone stared at her, witnessing the full display of her foolish logic laid bare for all to see.

Then Jax slowly pointed to himself.

"I am your professor."

He pointed to the students scattered around him.

"This is my class."

His finger swung back to Astrid.

"Which means you have to follow whatever the hell I want."

He mimicked her tone perfectly on the last phrase. "Whatever the hell I want."

Astrid hadn't prepared for this outcome. Her face contorted as it accepted defeat. Her mouth got stuck in a verbal loop.

"But... but..."

"But... but..."

"But... but..."

"But... but..."

"But... but..."

After the fifth repetition, Jax sighed heavily.

"Fine."

She looked at him with desperate hope.

"I will accept you in my team."

Her eyes widened.

"And don't you dare say you don't want it." His voice turned threatening. "If you say that, I'm going to crash out and hang you from that tree over there."

Astrid suppressed her smile in the most amusing way possible. Her lips twitched violently as she fought to maintain her composure. Her cheeks puffed slightly from the effort.

Jax observed the nuisance finally shuttering her mouth. "It is true, right? You want to join?"

Astrid found her voice again. "But you just threatened me—"

Jax cut her off immediately. "What threat? I gave you a choice. You could have walked away if you didn't need this."

Astrid shut her mouth again, processing the twisted logic.

"As I said, I'll let you join." Jax's expression turned serious. "But first, answer me honestly."

She gulped visibly.

"Tell me why you want to join the team."

Astrid's brain began circling through possibilities at lightning speed.

'If I say I want to keep an eye on him for Seris's sake, he'll bash me and never let me in.'

'If I say I'll feel bored in other teams, he'll curse me out.'

'Everything leads to something worse.'

She finally arrived at a conclusion. The response that felt best also felt too cringe. Too dishonest. But it was the only path forward.

She took a deep breath.

"Because, Professor, I want to win this tournament. And there is no one better than you who could make that happen for me."

Roxana observed the poor soul with newfound understanding. She realized how thoroughly Jax had tamed this troublemaker. Astrid was the last student any professor would want to teach, yet here she stood, humbled.

Roxana looked at Jax and thought about how completely he had broken her self-esteem.

Jax nodded approvingly. "Good to hear that."

Then his smile turned mischievous.

"So does that mean everything that happened before was just an act? An act to use Seris as a decoy and infiltrate my roster?"

Astrid's jaw dropped.

She knew he was teasing her. And she was now trapped in a dead end with no escape.

Accept his ridiculous allegations and become a fool in front of everyone. Or hold onto her ego, curse him, and leave.

But she had already tried the latter option. She was standing here precisely because she regretted that choice which she had made before.

She clicked her tongue in frustration. Then, crushing every ounce of her pride, she adopted a fake childish expression.

"Professor, you got me."

Her voice started innocent and sweet.

"I was using Seris as bait. But I was a fool to fool a fool—"

She caught herself. "I mean, to fool a high IQ being like yourself."

Her tone gradually shifted from childish innocence to that of a mature woman injecting poison through every syllable.

Jax knew exactly what she was doing but chose to ignore it.

"Glad you accepted it."

He turned to address the students and Roxana.

"Our team is complete now. Roxana, that solo game you mentioned earlier—put her in that category."

His eyes gleamed with satisfaction.

"The moment you explained those rules, I was confident she was the best fit for it. I was already deep in thought about how to utilize her properly."

Roxana's eyes widened with shock. "So you knew from the beginning she would join eventually?"

Then she answered her own question, recalling how he had said there wouldn't be any need to search for a fifth member.

The students shared similar expressions of disbelief as the realization dawned on them.

Astrid hissed with frustration. "You played me again, Jax—" She caught herself. "I mean, Professor."

Jax smiled with absolute victory radiating from his face.

"You've been clinging to me for so long now that I know you down to your very bones."

Her hissing transformed into blushing in an instant. Her cheeks flushed crimson.

But Jax wasn't finished.

"However, I should inform all five of you. After I sign your applications, you cannot turn back on your words. Meaning you cannot leave or throw tantrums."

His expression remained unbothered despite delivering such heavy conditions.

"Therefore, for today, I'm giving you time to reconsider your decisions. Also, a demo practical session will be held after class ends."

He paused.

"And those sessions will become more and more harsh until the tournament start date arrives."

All five girls looked at his calm, unbothered face with expressions of shock and dawning horror.

-- -- --

[Several days passed]

Jax stood still as a manservant dressed him for the evening. When the servant's hands touched his naked back while adjusting the shirt, Jax immediately started cursing him.

"Watch where you're putting those fingers unless you want to lose them."

The servant apologized profusely and completed his task with trembling hands.

When the ordeal was finally over, Jax examined himself in the mirror.

A vision of eternal elegance stared back at him. Sharp features perfectly complemented by the formal attire. Every strand of hair in its rightful place. The embodiment of refined masculinity.

Jax was ready for the Inauguration Ball celebrating the tournament that would begin tomorrow.

Attendance was mandatory for all professors. Though Jax knew that even if he skipped it, nothing would really happen to him. His current standing provided enough protection from such minor infractions.

But his instincts told him to attend. He could smell chaos brewing in the air, and if none materialized naturally, he would ensure it happened personally.

'Also, Adelina might be there.'

The thought brought a smile to his face.

'But if she's attending, then I might have to deal with Aeliana's grandmother as well.'

The smile faded slightly.

'And there's also Roxana's sister. That woman irritates me to no end.'

Jax sighed and pushed all those thoughts aside. His mind needed to focus on tomorrow's competition now.

He had trained his students for the entire past week. He had shown them absolute hell during every session. Yet none of them had broken.

Even Astrid and Elira, whom he had expected to throw massive tantrums, proved far more resilient than anticipated.

After their brutal training sessions concluded each day, Jax would spend an additional two hours in the academy grounds working on his new skills and other personal training regimens.

Even during his free time between classes, he remained intensely focused on researching relics, items, and political maneuvering—anything that could strengthen him.

Pushing everything aside, he walked toward the carriage where Roxana waited.

She greeted him with a deadly glare that clearly demanded to know why he was late.

Jax ignored it completely.

The two departed for the grand hall together.

Upon arriving at the venue, Jax stepped out of the carriage first.

And immediately spotted a small girl surrounded by a group of nobles.

She was cursing them. Loudly. Creatively. With vocabulary that no child her age should possess.

Jax recognized her instantly. The same girl he had met in the park some time ago. Though her name escaped him entirely.

Observing the scene, Jax stepped forward with deliberately heavy footsteps, announcing his presence with unmistakable authority.

The nobles turned toward the sound.

Jax's expression was pure rage.

"Who is troubling my sister?"

The nobles' faces drained of color upon seeing his murderous glare.

But the little girl's reaction was the complete opposite. Her face lit up with a brilliant smile. She ran toward him at full speed and wrapped her small arms around his legs in a tight hug.

Jax patted her head gently.

His eyes drifted to the distance where Lysandra stood frozen. Her jaw had dropped so far it seemed in danger of detaching from her face entirely.

Roxana stepped out of the carriage behind him, taking in the scene with growing embarrassment.

"Professor, now you're threatening children?"

Then she looked down at the girl hugging Jax's legs. Studied her face carefully.

Recognition dawned.

"Wait. Isn't she the daughter of the Headmistress?"

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