Heaven's Greatest Professor

Ward woke up early in the morning, unsure how to go about the day. His job as a combat instructor was suspded for the time being, until they decided what to do about him.

They are unlikely to keep me in the post, he thought with a sigh. Not overthinking stuff, he called Jason and asked him to come to the academy to take care of all the loot stocked in his subspace.

He found June meditating on the floor of drawing room after he came refreshed from the washroom. He couldn't help but stare at her sere form, as her chest heaved slowly in an inhale, and deflated with an exhalation.

Nothing happed after their kiss in the Phantom Accursed Valley. Well, they talked a little about how they wanted to go about it in their relationship. June was particularly shy about the whole thing, so it was decided that they would take things slow.

'Spding the night at her quarters on the very day, I don't know how slow that is,' Ward mused. Of course, nothing more intimate happed betwe them. June wt straight to train after leaving him to recuperate. He couldn't help that she was avoiding him. She probably had no idea how to treat him now, considering it was her first time going forward in a relationship of this sort.

Thinking about how to deviate that, Ward decided to make breakfast for them.

By the time she finished her meditation, the breakfast was ready to be served. June quirked her nose as she turned towards the kitch across from the drawing room.

"You have school, right?" Ward said.

June nodded, unsure how to respond.

"Well, we have a lot of time, let's have breakfast and we can talk after," he said and began serving. He worked fast with finesse, knowing where all the stuff and articles were stored as if it was his own home.

June watched him with a raised brow from where she stood near the door. She had invited him yesterday as he was injured, but she hadn't thought living together might feel like this. Well, Ward hadn't acted strange, rather it was his usual strangess where he acted with strange familiarity and fridliness. It was she who was acting strange.

"Dig in," Ward said after they seated themselves at the table.

They ate in silce, after exchanging little words on appreciating the food and stealing glances at one another while thinking the other one wasn't looking.

"You know I don't mind being the good housewife in the relationship," Ward chuckled, preparing to wash the dishes.

June coughed, glaring at him strangely as if it was his fault.

Ward smiled. "You know you can act as you normally do, right?" he said. "Nothing's changed betwe us. We're the same person. Only the distance betwe us has closed by a lot."

June spt a few momts in deep thinking and let out a sigh. "Sorry," she apologised. "It's all new and I don't know how to act."

"No need to apologise," Ward said. "I just hope this will make the distance betwe us ev closer, and we'd be our best supporter."

June nodded slowly. "I'll try."

"You were already my best supporter," Ward laughed. "Just talk to me if it feels like a weight on your shoulders. I know I'm moody at times, and definitely not the best of people to respect another's… privacy."

Finished cleaning, they were back in the drawing room again, peeking gaze at one another in silce.

There was still a lot of time before June had to leave for the academy to take her class, and they couldn't talk all about their budding relationship for the remainder of the topic. So, Ward decided to learn something worthwhile that he barely had any idea of.

"Tell me about the frontlines," he asked. After all, he would have to spd six months on the frontlines fighting the invaders for his punishmts, he couldn't just jump into it straight without knowing anything.

June collected her thoughts to answer, "To know about the frontlines, you have to understand where is it first. The frontline is a rift space betwe the physical realm and the spirit realm. It is kind of like a bridge betwe two planes of existce, situated in-betwe spaces of the wasteland and the republic. It might feel like a high-grade dungeon, but it is vaster than that."

Ward nodded. Although that brought more questions to his mind, he carried on to his next question. "Who are we fighting?"

"We were fighting the calamities, but now it was the other forsak races like Giants, Orges, Trolls, goblins, gnolls," June said. "By forsak, I meant they were forsak by the System, they have no class system, attributes or anything, though that did not stop them from gaining more power, or vying for them."

Ward frowned. "You meant Elves do not follow the class system either."

June nodded. "Yes, but that doesn't mean we are a forsak race. It's just that the system is less helpful in our case compared to a human or other demi-human races."

"Got it." Ward didn't have to think about the next question. "How about the military system, how is it maintained?"

"As there is more than one nation in fights with the forsak races, obviously it was the Arcane Society who stood at the top of the charges," June said, recalling all the rudimtary knowledge she read. "As I hav't be drafted or gone to the frontlines, I cannot give you a proper account of it, but I know for sure it isn't a place for untrained youths."

"War never is," Ward said.

"The elves do not take part in this war as seriously as the human empire and kingdoms do. There were merely a few doz elves come to the frontlines to educate and temper themselves, same with everyone else other than humans, considering the forsak races were vying for their land."

"So, I'll have to spd six months in this war," Ward muttered. He didn't fear it, though he disliked the idea of war. Honestly, he had no qualms about demonic beasts, or ev killing criminals, but a full-fledged war, that is…brutal.

"It has be going on for decades," June said, understanding his dilemma. "It was hardly ever the full-fledged, though it was tireless skirmishes every once in a while. Still, do not take it lightly. Iron rank is merely the foot soldier in the war. Although forsak, the races bear formidable powers and gifts.

"For example, the orcs were the most warlike creatures you'll ever face in the face of the frontline. They are two metres tall, muscular, and had poor magical capabilities, but their bodies were formed like boulders, and they can negate magical power. Trolls similarly have tremdous physical power, but it was their terrifying regeration you need to be worried about.

The giants are another disaster, thank the pantheons that their numbers are low, or else they would have destroyed all the local power from the face of Ezim long ago."

June looked like she meant it wh she introduced giants. There was an instinctual fear about giants it seemed.

"I'll be careful," Ward said. Still, it felt awful to be leaving for six months, wh they just began their relationship. Th something clicked inside his head. "You said the rifts are like dungeons, and it is in the spiritual realm, does that mean the time dilation of those places are greater than the physical realm?"

"Of course," she said. "The dilation is about the same as Phantom accursed valley, :, though there are places with far higher numbers."

"So will my six months be counted on which time rate?" Ward asked, worried that it might be physical time rate, which would mean he would have to spd 6 years in the frontlines.

June paused, as the idea seemed to have never crossed her mind as well. "I think it is the time spt in the frontline," she said, unsure. "I'll ask the elders for confirmation."

"It would be a sick joke if it really meant six years," Ward said. He would feel the words spok would be fully justified for this kind of punishmt. Someone really from the Walt family tiffed off the elders to punish him.

"The joke is that most human iron rankers are obligated to spd six years in the frontline," June said with a smirk. "They force youths into wars after barely educating them."

June was clearly looking down on such a terrible decision, but she forgot one thing about Ward.

"Technically, I'm not fully human," he said. "So, you can only blame half of my race for their foolish deavour."

They talked more about the frontlines, and what Ward wt through in the dungeon. He learned full details about the boons. It turned out it was somewhat differt for Ward.

"The only thing that can make sse with what you wt through is your fatelock," June said. "Still, on most cases, they td to leave such a boon at least on the second threshold."

"Oh, I also seemed to have improved my Void Vanquishing Physique by 4% through the fight in the Phantom accursed valley," Ward added, after checking his status page. He hadn't expected that at all. His eyes gleamed, thinking that only killing a handful of phantoms improved his physique by 4%, how much would it be if he began practising there regularly?

"No," June said, cutting him from his thoughts.

"No?"

"I know what you're thinking," June said grudgingly. "But I won't let you fight like that ever."

"I'll be careful," Ward said.

She shook her head. "I won't list to any word of it before you have your body recuperate and think straight."

Ward met her gaze. There seemed to be no change in negotiating with her on this.

"I guess I'll be a good housewife till th," Ward smirked, causing her to shy up. He took delight in that.

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