The night after the S-Class spar, Mila sat on her bed, still in her training uniform.
The moonlight slipped through the window blinds, carving silver stripes across her face.
Her hands were steady now but her thoughts weren't.
The thrill she'd felt in that battle still echoed through her chest, pulsing like a second heartbeat.
She closed her eyes and muttered to herself,
"Calm down… it's over."
But the words did little. In the back of her mind, that faint, draconic laugh whispered again-
"You never change, my queen."
She pressed her palm against her forehead, letting out a shaky sigh.
"Quiet," she murmured.
And for the rest of the night, she sat in silence, waiting for dawn to wash away the memory.
The next morning came bright and warm.
The training field shimmered with dew, the sound of waves from the nearby beach faint in the distance.
Both Class F and Class S stood outside though the F-Class students were gathered off to the side, watching curiously. They'd heard the rumors of what happened yesterday.
At the center of the field, Mila stood tall, arms crossed, wearing that calm, teacherly smile that never quite reached her eyes.
The S-Class students looked uneasy, still remembering the previous day's chaos.
One of them whispered, "She looks calm again… is that good or bad?"
Another muttered, "Depends if she decides to fight us again…"
Mila clapped her hands once, drawing everyone's attention.
"Good morning, Class S," she said sweetly. "I hope you all slept well after… yesterday's little warm-up."
No one answered.
Her smile widened slightly too pleasant. "Since you're all monsters as your old instructor so proudly called you…"
She pointed toward the wide track surrounding the field.
"Let's test your endurance."
The S-Class students stiffened.
The F-Class students watched in silent awe and a bit of pity.
"Today's warm-up," Mila continued, "is simple."
Her tone dropped lower, almost teasing.
"One hundred laps."
The entire S-Class froze.
"…H-hundred!?" one student shouted.
"In under- " Mila paused, tapping her chin as if thinking then flashed a small, menacing smile.
"Five minutes."
"WHAT!?" half the class shouted in unison.
Even the F-Class students gasped, whispering among themselves.
"That's impossible…"
"She's crazy!"
"She's smiling again! That's her scary smile!"
Mila clasped her hands behind her back, utterly composed.
"If you can't finish in time, you'll repeat the laps until you can. A good S-Class student should be capable of the impossible, don't you think?"
Her golden eyes glimmered dangerously in the morning light.
"Ready?"
The S-Class students exchanged terrified glances.
"GO!"
And with that single command, every student sprinted some shouting, some groaning, some nearly crying.
The F-Class students stood by, cheering or maybe mourning for their upperclassmen.
Mila watched them with folded arms, the corners of her lips twitching upward.
There was a strange satisfaction in seeing the mighty S-Class struggle under her command.
"Monsters, huh…" she muttered softly. "We'll see who's the real monster here."
As the students collapsed one by one on the grass, panting and half-alive, Mila turned toward the ocean horizon, the sun's reflection gleaming in her eyes.
The faintest trace of melancholy crossed her face.
"Teaching feels easier than remembering," she whispered.
Behind her, the exhausted S-Class groaned on the ground while the F-Class clapped and laughed quietly.
And for that single morning, the academy felt almost peaceful again
even if the teacher watching over them hid both a dragon's strength and a queen's sorrow.