Even though he was accused of this 'spy' thing with only pure prediction, he still wanted to protect his own position because he loves to keep on training people that are in need of improvements. He takes a deep breath before thinking up a good and reasonable answer so that Albert can see him as someone who's trusted.
"So what? You're letting me go because I'm too obvious to be a spy?" William didn't know if he should be happy or offended by that line of thought.
Albert said firmly, "I'm giving you a chance to show me what you can do."
"You say you've changed your mind and stopped wasting your potential. That's fine."
"Show me that your intentions are real by continuing to train those three students. If your methods work, then maybe you are who you say you are. But if I find out you're using those girls for some other reason, Instructor Wade, you will find that my patience has very clear limits."
William had no doubt that the headmaster could and would follow through if necessary, even though the threat was made in a calm way. "Got it," William said, thinking that working together was probably the best thing to do right now. "I'll keep training them and show them I'm real."
"Do that," Albert said as he leaned back in his chair. "And Instructor Wade? Be careful."
"If there really are enemies inside the academy, they won't like it if you succeed where they thought you would fail. You've made yourself very visible today, which means you could also be a target."
That warning made William's spine tingle. He had been so busy trying to figure out this new world and deal with his unexpected students that he hadn't really thought about the possibility of real threats beyond jealous teachers or difficult people. "Do you have any tips on how to find these so-called enemies?"
Albert said dryly, "They wouldn't be a problem if I knew who they were."
"But I can tell you this. Be careful of anyone who seems too interested in how you train your students or how you teach them."
"The three girls you've taken on are all unique and valuable, so someone who wants to bring down the academy might see them as easy targets for corruption or elimination."
William said, "That's a comforting thought," as he mentally went over his defensive strategies and backup plans in case things went wrong. His instincts as a combat instructor from his past life were telling him to stop acting like an instructor and start acting like a soldier.
"I suspect that the spy is Reinsoft, that son of bitch, but I still cannot prove it." William said in his wind while rubbing his chin.
"Welcome to the real world of leadership, Instructor Wade," Albert said as he stood up to show that their meeting was over. "It's not always about praise and glory."
"Sometimes it's about keeping the people you're responsible for safe from threats you can't fully see or understand. I think you'll do better than most, given how well you've done lately."
William also stood up, still trying to make sense of everything he had just learned. "Is that it, Headmaster?"
"For now," Albert said. "Go back to work, but remember what I told you."
"The academy is watching you, Instructor Wade. Make sure you give us something worth seeing."
William departed from the office with a sense of having just undergone a friendly interrogation. His mind was racing with new information and worries as he tried to figure out what the hell he had gotten himself into besides teaching some smart kids.
As he walked back through the hallways to his room, the system turned on all of a sudden.
[Achievement Unlocked: Gained Recognition from Academy Leadership]
[Instructor Rank Went Up: F to E]
[New abilities unlocked: better teaching efficiency and tracking student progress]
[Warning: Higher rank means more attention. Be careful as you go.]
William stopped walking and looked at the notifications that were floating in front of him. The warning from the system was very similar to what the headmaster had said, and it wasn't a coincidence. Whatever he had gotten himself into, it was clear that it was more than just a fantasy about having the power to come back to life.
"Great," William said to himself as he started walking again. "Just what I needed. A conspiracy thriller with magic powers and talented students all in one package."
"This new life is turning out to be a lot more complicated than just dying and coming back should be."
He got to his small teacher's room and pushed the door open, half expecting to find another problem waiting for him inside. Instead, the room was empty and quiet, which was a blessing because it gave him a chance to think without anyone bothering him or trying to pick a fight.
William sat on his chair and opened the system interface to look more closely at his new rank and skills. It seems that the Enhanced Teaching Efficiency made his students learn faster and remember what they learned better during training sessions. He could keep an eye on their progress in real time with Student Progress Tracking, which would show him their stats and growth patterns like an RPG character sheet.
Both of these abilities were very helpful, but they also made me wonder more about what this system was really for. Was it actually to help him become a better instructor, or was there a bigger goal he didn't know about yet?
Someone knocked on his door, which broke his train of thought. William opened it to find a young staff member from the academy holding an envelope with wax that looked like it was official.
"Delivery for Instructor Wade," the kid said nervously, almost shoving the envelope into William's hands before running away like he was afraid of getting too close.
William closed the door and broke the seal. He pulled out a single sheet of paper with neat handwriting that was clearly from someone important because of the fancy letterhead.
"Your first official class assignment begins tomorrow morning at 8 AM. You will be teaching Advanced Combat Theory to a mixed group of third-year students. Do not be late. Signed, Vice Headmaster Catherine Blackwood."
William looked at the paper, then at the small room he was in, and then back at the paper. "I can't fucking believe they're giving me a real class to teach for this so-called Zero-class Instructor," he said out loud, unsure whether to laugh or cry.
"An advanced class. There are third-year students in it who probably know a lot more about fighting in this world than I do."
He stared at the ceiling, wondering if faking his death was still an option. "I need to gather more information about this world. I know that it's a fantasy world, but having a phone is kinda..."
William told himself, "This is fine," but he didn't believe it. "Everything is fine."
"I'll just do what I've been doing with everything else. What could go wrong?"
As usual, the universe didn't answer that question.