Chapter 56
Chapter 56
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: A Dazzling Performance
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The pointed ears were unmistakable, as was her dazzling beauty.
There was no room for doubt.
A professor wouldn't disguise herself as an elf, after all.
"Welcome, everyone. I am Lisa Sorvino, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and professor of Dance."
Her introduction snapped the students out of their dazed stupor.
Contrary to her elegant and beautiful appearance, her voice was quite stern.
It was the kind of voice that suggested a meticulous personality.
'Wait a minute, wasn't she from the House of Count Sorvino?'
Professor Sorvino had long served as the head lady-in-waiting at the imperial palace and knew court etiquette better than anyone.
An elf from a provincial count's family?
It was a truth I could hardly believe, even seeing it with my own eyes.
Slightly bewildered, I glanced around.
Most of the students were whispering about the professor's race.
The princes, on the other hand, merely stared at the podium with stern expressions.
'They're taking it in stride. Does that mean they already knew?'
From their behavior, I could deduce one thing.
That this elf had truly served as the head lady-in-waiting.
Lisa Sorvino had to have been acquainted with the princes.
"Quiet."
Snap!
As the classroom grew noisy, Professor Sorvino spoke with a snap of her fingers.
Her voice was soft and pleasant, yet it held a strange authority.
Simultaneously, a heavy shockwave emanated from the podium.
Thud!
The moment I heard the loud noise, I knew what kind of power Lisa Sorvino had used.
It was an aura I had encountered a few times before.
'A spirit?'
The noise had come from a large globule of water that had materialized beside her and slammed into the floor.
Yet the mass of water merely wobbled, refusing to break.
A phenomenon possible only because a spirit's power held the water together so firmly.
Elves are a race born with a natural affinity for spirits.
'Well, she is an elf, so that makes sense. Wait a minute...'
There was a rumor that the House of Ties had also inherited the blood of spirits.
I immediately craned my neck to find Mac.
He was staring at the podium with a grave expression.
It seemed he, too, had some connection to Professor Sorvino.
"What are you doing?"
"It's nothing. Ahem!"
As I was surveying the students, Adell, who was sitting beside me, suddenly spoke.
Feeling as though I'd been caught doing something odd, I cleared my throat and focused on the front of the room.
Once the classroom fell silent, Lisa Sorvino lifted her chin slightly, surveying the room with a haughty expression.
Then, she continued.
"In this dance class, you will not merely learn to dance. You will also learn the etiquette of the imperial court and the nobility, which will, of course, be factored into your grade."
At the mention of a grade, a murmur went through the room again.
Until now, the students had spent most of their time on swordsmanship and aura training, leading hectic lives.
Given the circumstances, the thought of being graded hadn't even crossed their minds.
'It's understandable they'd be flustered. Not me, of course.'
I already knew that benefits were determined by rank.
But hearing it firsthand, they couldn't help but be unsettled.
Every student had their own reason for needing a good grade.
The same went for me, naturally.
'I wonder what the grade will be based on. For a dance class... I guess it'll be dancing?'
The subject is called 'Dance,' after all.
I figured we would learn to dance and be graded on it.
It wasn't just me; every student thought so.
But Lisa Sorvino's words completely defied our expectations.
"I'm sure you all know that swordsmanship cannot be perfected overnight. The same is true of dance. It is a discipline that requires long practice. Therefore, this year's grade will not be based on dance, but on imperial court etiquette."
"Huh?"
"Of course, that is not to say I won't be teaching you how to dance."
Judging by their expressions, the students didn't seem to understand.
But I understood her intention immediately.
'She means we'll be learning both simultaneously.'
Simply put, it was like learning both the Imperial Sound Lock Sword and the Velgart Energy Arts, but only being tested on swordsmanship.
It meant the classes and assignments would be mind-numbingly difficult.
Why can't they understand something this simple?
Ah, maybe they just couldn't accept reality.
"Since this is our first class, we will learn some simple steps. I see some of you have admirably found partners already. Well done."
Lisa Sorvino said, her gaze resting on a few students.
Adell and I were among them, likely because so few had arranged partners in advance.
'Nice.'
Starting the class with a compliment was not a bad start.
I glanced at my partner; she seemed to have anticipated this.
She showed no reaction, her eyes fixed on the professor.
"Pre-arranged couples, please come forward."
Professor Sorvino called forward the students who had already found partners.
Perhaps because of the skewed gender ratio, all the remaining students were male.
Those who had already paired up wore triumphant smiles.
Meanwhile, the women lined up on either side of the room finally began to move.
They formed a line in front of the men who had yet to find a partner.
Then, Lisa Sorvino's clear voice rang out.
"These are my teaching assistants, former ladies-in-waiting from the imperial palace. Their skills as dance instructors are more than sufficient to guide you well. So, there is no need to be intimidated, even if you are a beginner."
The male students forgot about the partners standing before them, staring blankly at Professor Sorvino instead.
Her gentle voice held a captivating charm.
Just then, Adell smiled brightly and met my gaze.
"You shouldn't be fooled by that act."
"...What's that all of a sudden?"
"His Highness Ellington told me. He said that elf's true nature emerges when mistakes pile up."
"She must have a very strict personality."
"I don't know the details, but I heard you'll be in for a rude awakening if you think she's anything like a typical instructor."
A beautiful elven instructor was a phrase that could make any young nobleman's heart flutter.
But what if her reprimands were notoriously severe?
For a moment, I imagined a water spirit thrashing Franz and Ellington for making a mistake.
'Oof... Surely she wouldn't beat up the princes?'
Of course, there were plenty of ways to inflict pain without hitting them directly.
Somehow, I had a feeling my fantasy was close to reality, and I cast a pitying glance at the princes.
The second and third princes were focused solely on their steps, not even glancing toward the podium.
I had a feeling they were doing so for a different reason than I was.
"...The Velour starts with a basic three-step and four-step, and goes up to a six-step at the end. Let's try it slowly. Forward and back, one-two-three, one-two, one-two."
Professor Sorvino's lesson proceeded step by step.
'Back in my day, I was a master of the Velour.'
It had been a long time, but the trends in Troven didn't change all that quickly.
Even if a few things had changed, the fundamentals would be the same.
The foundation doesn't just disappear.
As the former man-about-town of Riverune, I was naturally well-versed in all sorts of social dances and discreet... contacts.
Well, I just knew how to dance.
Still, I was on a different level from these rookies!
With a smooth motion and a flurry of steps, I elegantly took Adell's hand and launched into a dazzling sequence of steps.
At that, her eyes widened.
"Uh, uh?"
A tempestuous five-step Velour, right from the start.
Adell was completely caught off guard by the irregular five-step, a variation only used by those with exceptional footwork.
She had likely never experienced such an intricate and brilliant Velour before.
However, she quickly adapted to my lead and began to follow along quite well.
This was because I was deliberately guiding her through easier steps.
'You can do this much now, right? Then how about this?'
But just as Adell grew accustomed to the rhythm, I would throw a new challenge her way.
I kept her on her toes, switching between new variations of the five-step and six-step.
"Ah!"
With each change, her mistakes grew more frequent.
Yet, to an onlooker, we were performing a magnificent dance.
This was because I anticipated her every mistake and immediately compensated, transitioning seamlessly into the next movement.
She herself was more aware of this than anyone.
Her face had become flushed.
'Is she just flushed from the exertion?'
In any case, our Velour moved past the introduction and crescendo, now reaching its climax.
The music continued to play, but no one else was dancing.
Captivated by our perfect synergy, everyone else had stopped to watch, their faces blank with awe.
Glancing at the onlookers' reactions, I launched into a final, double-variation six-step.
At this point, she could no longer keep up, and her feet tangled.
Had she been wearing a dress, she would have stepped on the hem countless times.
As the music came to a close, so did our Velour.
I maintained my composure to the very end, striking the final pose perfectly.
"Hah... hah..."
Adell, of course, was too busy catching her breath to strike a final pose.
'Wait, why isn't anyone reacting?'
I'd just given a killer performance, yet the classroom was filled with a strange silence.
I scanned the room with a puzzled expression and realized why.
They were frozen in astonishment.
Honestly, it was understandable.
Where else would they have seen dancing of this caliber?
Only someone like me, the man-about-town of Riverune, could have cultivated such refinement.
Feeling a bit smug, I turned to look at Adell, but my eyes met Professor Sorvino's.
Lisa Sorvino was staring at me, her green eyes twinkling with a peculiar light.
'Isn't that stare a bit too obvious?'