Languid Afternoon Rays and the Nightmare of Group Assignments
Languid afternoon sunlight stretched long across the classroom windows, the only sound the dry scratch of chalk from the white-haired old professor in Beast Ecology Theory. The class was drawing to a close.
"...And that concludes today's lecture. For your midterm evaluation, you'll be doing a group project in teams of four."
The quiet of the first-year Class 1 stirred faintly.
Group project.
Memories from my past life as a K-university student came flooding back—the nightmare of freeloaders, ghosts who vanished, excuses, power struggles, and the team leader, patience worn thin, shouldering the load through all-nighters. My brow furrowed reflexively as the professor impassively flipped through the attendance book, calling out the pre-assigned teams.
"Team 1: Tristan, Felix..."
Sighs of relief and groans crisscrossed the room with each name. I prayed silently to be grouped with normal, obedient noble kids—diligent types who wouldn't freeload.
But God—no, the cursed karma of the Evans family—had no intention of letting me enjoy a peaceful academy life.
"Final Team 4: Elarra von Sterling, Chloe de Valua. And Cadel Evans with Reina de Astrea. That's all."
Thud. The snap of the attendance book closing rang like a death knell in my ears.
"Cadel! We're in the same group!"
Reina, who'd been slumped over her desk the whole class, bolted up with a grin like a tail-wagging giant dog, thrilled solely at being paired with me. The empire's strongest beast, oblivious to the assignment itself. Elarra to my left had gone pale, clutching her notebook and trembling like a leaf. And from the seat diagonally ahead, Chloe shot a blatant glare of disgust—not at me, but straight at Reina beside me.
Haa... This group project's gonna be a nightmare.
I pressed my throbbing temples.
"Groups, gather now. Elect a leader and outline a basic plan."
Chairs scraped noisily across the floor at the professor's order. Elarra dragged her chair over with shaking hands. Chloe followed, chin high, arms crossed, plopping arrogantly into the seat across from me with her legs crossed.
The air around our clustered desks was thick with awkward tension. Reina beaming at me, Elarra shrinking under Reina's gaze, Chloe openly hostile toward Reina.
"Let's wrap this up quick."
Chloe broke the silence first, tapping her fingers on the table with her signature haughty, sharp tone.
"We need to pick a leader. No one's stupid enough to suggest handing the academy's sacred academic project to some low-rank baron's heir who's basically a commoner, right?"
Her eyes skipped me entirely, locking onto Reina. She was itching to provoke the seemingly dim-witted powerhouse of the empire and claim superiority.
"Her Highness the Duchess clearly has no interest in dull lit reviews or magical ecology anyway. As the legitimate heir of a marquis house, it only makes sense for me to lead, don't you think?"
The moment Chloe smugly claimed the role, Reina's beaming face turned. Her emotionless purple eyes fixed on Chloe.
Woooong—
An invisible gravity field unfurled.
Crack.
A splintering sound came from Chloe's chair.
"Kuh...!"
Chloe's lush blonde hair sagged as if crushed by an unseen giant hand. Her proud shoulders hunched in an instant. Overwhelmed by the crushing killing intent and weight on her lungs, her face drained to a sickly blue.
Reina spoke in a flat, chilling voice.
"Cadel's the leader."
"Ugh, guh... W-what... A mere baron's...!"
As Chloe squeezed out a feeble protest through gritted teeth, clinging to her noble pride—
"Exactly! Who else but Sir Evans could lead such an important project!"
A thunderous shout erupted from my left. Elarra, the survivor who'd nearly lost her head to Reina's killing intent before. She sensed instinctively that if this mad duchess flipped out, she'd be crushed collateral, and shrieked while trembling.
"The Sterling Merchant Guild stands ready to obey your command perfectly! L-Lady Valua! Please, let's make Sir Evans the leader! Yes?!"
Under Elarra's tearful plea and Reina's silent skull-crushing pressure, Chloe could only bite her pale lips and bow her head.
"......"
I watched the brutal farce with a shallow sigh. I already knew that wrangling these beasts into a normal project meant me holding the leash—no commotion needed.
I shoved aside personal feelings and fatigue, channeling my K-university team leader mindset. I pulled a blank parchment and fountain pen to the desk's center.
"Then, it's agreed: I'll be the leader."
At my dry, businesslike declaration, Reina's purple eyes sparkled like stars again, the gravity field vanishing like a lie. Chloe glared resentfully while catching her breath, but I ignored it. My only calculation: How to finish this hassle quickest and perfectly, then crash in my dorm bed?
I scanned our team once more. Reina to my right, chin propped, staring holes into my face. Elarra to my left, my unpaid minion #1, shoulders hunched. Straight ahead, Chloe, arms crossed tight, fuming in displeasure.
Haa... Hopeless from the start...
I pressed my throbbing temples, dredging up memories of wrangling students in my past life.
If the team's a mess, the leader grabs 'em by the scruff.
"Everyone, focus."
My dry, businesslike voice drew three pairs of eyes—well, Reina and Elarra's. High-nosed Chloe still stared out the window, snorting disdainfully.
"This Beast Ecology project has a tight deadline. To proceed efficiently, let's assign roles now."
"First, Lady Sterling."
"Eek! Y-yes! Sir Evans... n-no, Leader!"
Elarra dropped her notebook, shoulders quaking at my indifferent call.
"Skip the obvious textbook stuff. Dig up rare beast ecology reports from the library. No need for volume—just clean summaries of key facts, three parchment pages. Bring it tomorrow."
"Ah...! As expected of the leader's insight! I'll follow without a single deviation!"
Elarra swallowed hard, nodding solemnly.
"Next, Lady Valua."
"Hmph."
Chloe didn't even turn, tilting her chin arrogantly.
"Use your magic specialty: beasts' magical traits and countermeasures. Three-page summary, like Lady Sterling."
"Ha. Who do you think you are, ordering me around...!"
"Finally, Her Highness Duchess Astrea."
I breezed past Chloe's bristling outburst and called the beast's name.
"Yeah! Cadel, what do I do? Want me to catch some live beasts and plop 'em on the desk?"
Reina's purple eyes sparkled, ready to shatter a window and bolt. Hand her that role, and we'd wipe out an ecosystem.
"Your Highness, research countermeasures for beasts with high magic resistance. Three pages, of course."
"Yeah! I can do that super well!"
She'd do nothing anyway, but she beamed like it was a grand mission. I sighed shortly.
"I'll handle beast species distribution in the empire. Three pages from me too."
"Please investigate your assignments diligently."
"Y-yes!"
"Hmph!"
"Yeah, got it."
"Dismissed for today. Tomorrow after class, right here for first results."
The first orientation went smoothly enough. Perfect role division by strengths. As a K-team leader, I couldn't ask for a cleaner start.
But my shallow, naive hope shattered miserably exactly 24 hours later.
Next day, after class. Same first-year Class 1 room. Same four desks pushed together.
I neatly stacked my all-nighter-perfect three-page summary on 'Beast Distribution and Habitats in the Empire' in the center. With a veteran teacher's solemn mindset, I awaited results.
My unpaid minion #1 stepped up first.
"Lady Sterling. Got those rare beast ecology reports?"
"Y-yes! As per your secret orders, Leader, I mobilized the Sterling Guild's top intel network!"
Elarra thrust forward a sheaf of parchment with trembling hands. I nodded inwardly at her flawless attitude and opened the first page.
But as I read the ink, my brow iced over.
Thud. I dropped the stack on the desk.
"Lady Sterling."
"Eeeek! Y-yes!"
"I said rare beast ecology. Care to read aloud what's actually on this parchment?"
"Th-that's... Our Sterling Guild's perfect tracking of Second Prince's scandalous private life that's rocked high society lately, and the illegal rare pet beast smuggling ledgers circulating among southern countesses..."
"Why is the second prince's affair and smuggling ledger in a beast ecology project? Do beasts waltz at high-society balls when they go into heat?"
"Eeeek! S-sorry! I thought the 'rare reports' you truly wanted were naturally dark secrets with royal scandals and weaknesses...!"
I clutched my boiling neck and turned away.
Haa... Fine, first offense. Lady Valua, how's the magical traits and countermeasures summary?
Chloe leaned back arrogantly, arms crossed. Her desk? Not a single parchment or pen. Perfectly empty-handed.
"Why should I bother with that crap?"
"What was that?"
"You heard me yesterday. Some low-rank baron's whelp ordering me around? Think I came to this academy to slave over stiff, boring assignments as the marquis heir and emperor faction vanguard? I'll handle my own work—keep your tacky meddling to yourself."
Chloe tilted her chin high, treating me like air. Then she flicked a provocative, sharp glance at Reina beside me.
Academics? Assignments? Never her concern. Just a noble lady's petty, exhausting pride battle to one-up the rival she secretly envied.
I suppressed the throbbing vein in my temple and turned to my last lifeline, desperate.
"...Your Highness. The magic-resistant beast countermeasures?"
Reina's purple eyes sparkled as she shoved three parchments my way like she'd been waiting.
"Yeah! Stayed up all night writing hard, Cadel!"
Oh, a miracle. I picked one up with faint hope.
But the first page's center held one pretty line in clear script:
Split in half with a greatsword strike.
"Your Highness."
"Yeah! Did good, right?"
"This isn't countermeasures—it's a physical disaster. And where are the other two pages?"
Reina ignored my scolding, nuzzling my sleeve like a praise-hungry pup. Chloe's glares and grades? Zero interest.
Haa...
I squeezed my eyes shut, exhaling a long, deep sigh.
No one cared about the project. No one did their part. One obsessed with gossip and shadows, one with noble pride, one just plain mad.
This way, I'd drown in solo hell: library parchment mountains, all-nighters for data, counters, presentation.
Freeloader nightmares from K-university and suppressed rage-PTSD from herding beasts as a 10-year vet teacher surged up. My rationality stretched taut.
I'm a teacher.
Even as a low noble leader, true educators give one more redemption chance before snapping.
I shoved aside Elarra's tabloid and Reina's doodle, speaking in an icy, sunken voice.
"Fine. You're not used to group work yet, so let's call it a communication glitch. As leader, one more talk."
Elarra flinched, hunching. Chloe snorted in disbelief.
"Tomorrow after class. Same time, same spot."
I scanned the insane trio coldly, one by one.
"Show up empty-handed or with irrelevant trash again... and no one leaves till the project's done. Enjoy dinner. See you tomorrow. Dismissed."
I stood and strode to the back door without a backward glance.
"Cadel! Wait up!"
Reina kicked her chair back and trotted after me. From behind, Chloe's furious mutter: "Ha! That low-rank baron, arrogant to the end...!" faded faintly.