They walked through the administrative wing of the academy, where there were elaborate portraits of past headmasters and display cases full of magical artifacts and historical weapons. William saw that Catherine walked with purpose and confidence, like someone who had been through these political waters many times before. But her jaw was tight with tension, which made it seem like she didn't enjoy it.
William's expectations for the meeting room were met, it was too big and had expensive furniture that was meant to scare people rather than make them feel comfortable. Six parents had already gathered around a massive wooden table.
They were all wearing clothes that probably cost more than William's whole life salary up to that point. When William and Catherine walked in, they looked up. Some looked skeptical, while others were openly hostile.
"Ah, Vice Headmaster Blackwood," said a man in his 40s with a mustache that screamed, "I own several businesses, and none of them pay their workers fairly."
"And this must be the instructor in question. Wade, was it?"
"Yes, Instructor Wade," Catherine said smoothly as she sat down at the head of the table and motioned for William to sit next to her. "Thanks for coming on such short notice. I get that you're worried about the new class structure."
"Are you worried?" A woman with enough jewelry to pay for a small army leaned forward in a threatening way.
"My daughter Melissa has been working hard for years to get into the elite combat track. She should be learning from the best teachers with other outstanding students, not sitting in a classroom with kids who can't even hold a sword properly."
A few other parents nodded in agreement, and William could see them getting ready to start a full-blown complaint tirade. It's time to jump in before this becomes a pointless rant.
William calmly pulled out a list he had memorized earlier and said, "Your daughter Melissa is in the advanced combat track."
"She's there because her skills make her eligible for advanced instruction."
"The difference is that instead of just getting information passively, she now has the chance to show off her leadership and teaching skills, which are important for any warrior who wants to be in charge or have noble duties."
The jewelry woman blinked, obviously not expecting William to know her daughter's name or to change the situation so quickly. "Teaching skills? My daughter is not going to the academy to be an instructor. She is training to be a warrior."
"With all due respect, ma'am, every great warrior in history had to be able to lead and train others," William said, keeping his voice calm and professional even though he wanted to point out how short-sighted that attitude was.
"Alexander the Great didn't fight alone to take over half the known world."
"He trained and led armies to do it."
"If your daughter learns how to teach others how to fight well, she will be a better fighter and a more useful member of any group or military unit she joins in the future." He could see Catherine nodding slightly out of the corner of his eye, which was a small sign that she agreed with what he was saying.
"But she could learn those skills later," said another parent, an older man who looked like a minor noble. "She should be working on getting better at her skills right now, not wasting time helping students who are behind."
William said, "That's actually a common misconception about skill development," and then he switched to what he thought of as his "lecture mode" from his previous life. "Teaching someone else makes you understand techniques on a deeper level than just doing them."
"When your child has to explain why a certain defensive stance works or show you how to channel mana for a spell, they're not only reinforcing what they already know, but they're also finding weaknesses in their form that they might not have noticed otherwise."
He sensed that some of them were losing interest in the technical discussion, so he shifted the topic to something that would resonate more deeply with them. "Plus, having 'leadership experience with diverse skill groups' on their academy record looks great for military academy applications and noble house apprenticeships."
"It indicates that you can take the lead, teach, and be socially responsible, all of which are very important to top schools."
That caught their eye. A few parents looked at each other, and William could almost see them rethinking whether this mixed class might be helpful instead of rude.
But the man with the mustache wasn't sure yet. "And what about the instructor himself? Wade, no offense, but you're a Zero-Class teacher with a negative reputation."
"Why should we believe that our kids are getting a good education?
William had been looking forward to this one. He didn't get defensive. Instead, he smiled a little and said, "You're right that I was a Zero-Class instructor with a bad reputation, but it's in the past."
"Yesterday, I beat Combat Department Head Reinsof--- I mean Reinhardt Ashford in a formal duel, taught Lia Valestria a technique that no other teacher could teach her, helped Ellie Von Synthia control her unstable healing magic in just one session, and earned the respect of Princess Kaela Aurelius, who has made seventeen other teachers quit or ask to be transferred."
He took a moment to think about that before moving on. "Three of the academy's best students chose me as their teacher in one day."
"That's not luck or reputation. That's what happened."
"Your kids are in a class taught by someone who can really improve things, not someone who is just riding on past successes.
The parents in the room were looking at each other with doubt. William could tell that Catherine was looking at him with an expression he couldn't quite figure out, something between professional approval and personal interest.
William pushed his point by saying, "The real question is whether you want your kids to be in a comfortable, traditional class where they can learn at a steady pace, or in a new setting where they'll be pushed to do better than they think they can."
"I can't promise the first option because, to be honest, it's boring and doesn't work very well. But I can promise that the second one will make your kids into the powerful warriors you think they can be."
The woman who sold jewelry was the first to break. "Well, when you put it that way, maybe we were too quick to worry. That Princess Kaela liked your methods is a big deal."
Others began to nod in agreement, and their anger faded as they convinced themselves that this was a great chance for their kids. William watched as they came up with reasons to support something they had been against just five minutes before. This was really interesting from a psychological point of view.
After that, the meeting ended pretty quickly. Parents got promises from William that he would send them regular progress reports and that their kids would go back to traditional tracks if they didn't see any results. William agreed to reasonable oversight, but he was careful not to make any promises that would give them too much power over how he taught.
Catherine let out a breath she had been holding and took off her glasses to rub her eyes as the last parent left the meeting room. "That went a lot better than I thought it would."
"How did you know exactly what to say to get them to agree?"