Chapter 268

On most days, after official Tenet classes and any extracurriculars wrapped up, Natalie and her team would head off into the dungeon, assuming they had no other responsibilities. But today, Natalie did have something preventing them from doing so. Her ‘mentorship session’ with Instructor Robin.

It was, frankly, one of the more significant punishments delivered onto her, at least in Natalie’s eyes—the fact her schedule was being restricted, her time to train and progress denied. More importantly, taken from her teammates too. While morning duties only hurt Natalie herself, and were thankfully weekdays-only, the longer mentorship session would prevent at least one evening delve a week. In an environment as competitive as Tenet, that could make a difference.

It was what it was, though. Not much to do about it. She just wished the consequences of her actions had been restricted to her alone.

Natalie had been told to meet Instructor Robin at her office in the administrative building, a structure on campus she’d only been to once since the start of the semester—and that had been yesterday, to see the Dean. Tracking down the correct office number wasn’t hard. Arriving, she saw that the door was already open, and the white-haired Theliosian glanced up from her desk to wave her in.

“Close the door behind you, please.”

Natalie did so. Walking inside with some trepidation, she looked around at the interior of Instructor Robin’s office. Tenet Academy had no lack of funds, and seeing how even the worst combat instructors were high-rankers, and thus practically nobility of a sort, the office was spacious and well-furnished, bordering on luxurious—though she wouldn’t go so far as to call it gaudy or opulent. Certainly wealthy, though, as every inch of Tenet’s campus.

“Take a seat, Natalie,” Instructor Robin said, gesturing at one of the two plush leather chairs set in front of her desk. “I’ll be with you shortly. Thank you for your punctual arrival.” She didn’t look up from whatever she was working on.

Natalie sat. The scratch of pen-on-paper filled the air. Her eyes wandered around the office. Instructor Robin had furnished the space with spartan efficiency, and beyond the expected bookshelves and filing cabinets and so on, there were only a few personal touches. The first, of course, were the awards and medals atop a side table. Instructor Robin was a decorated woman and obviously took pride in that fact.

What caught her attention the most was the centerpiece trophy, a thin silver cup with wide handles. Natalie wasn’t half as interested in the dueling scene as someone like Sofia, for example, but everyone knew what that cup represented. It was the International Dueling Assembly’s iconic trophy, the tournament held every four years which, quite frankly, had rippling effects across the global political scene. Because when such enormous power rested in a small collection of high-level individuals, a sweep of victories for a particular nation often translated to a direct implication of military might—and thus acted as deterrence, or encouragement, for future wars.

And Instructor Robin had won seventh place at one of the IDAs. For her bracket, of course—she was no top ranker, who were the real power houses among nations. It was still an incredible feat, prestigious even for a Tenet instructor.

Natalie spent a few more moments admiring the other awards and trophies, some granted by Tenet, others for dueling achievements, and some to commemorate her assistance during national catastrophes—like what Natalie and her team might receive one day for a quest. A real quest, though, not a first-year task for staving off a goblin nuisance, but rather the sorts of threats mid- or high-rankers would be sent for to deal with. The neglect of which could have devastating consequences.