[Trinda, 7th of Moon's Respite, Year 80 of The Fourth Age]

[7 AM, Academy Training Ground]

Every Trinda, we have our weekly compulsory physical education. The day differs for each class so I wouldn't know how the students from other classes do, but in my class, Zevia has always been the star of the PE. She is the best weightlifter among the girls, except for a certain senior who seems to be even more of a brute. Rumour has it that Zevia often had an argument with her father for being too much 'unladylike'.

Me? I'm average. However, although far from being the fastest, I'm pretty sure I can run for a really long time. I think I can do pretty well if Instructor Morren suddenly decides to do a test.

"Zama. You've been pulling an all-nighter again, didn't you? You have a slower record than last week."

Of course, that is, if I don't have to stay up so late every night.

"Y-Yes, Instructor . . . My apology . . . ."

"If you have any shred of guilty feeling, then you should apologize to your own body and health. Nothing good ever comes from staying up late too often, I thought I told you this many times already."

Ah, here we go. Today is going to be another 'detox' workout menu for me.

"Go for three sets of shuttle run variations, squats, push-ups, pull-ups, plank, dumbbell curls, and close the day with a deadlift."

Damn it.

---

 

After throwing up two times when doing the weekly abuse, I can finally move on to the next lesson of the day. A few classmates approached me worriedly every now and then, and some others also laughed together with me. Well, at least now it's time for classical art. That directly translates to a relaxing time, since we only focused only on painting for the most part . . . at least for now.

"Today we will still be working on color composition and intensity. I trust you all practised at home and still remember how to do colour mixing and combination ~ and the brushwork as well."

"Yes, Master Salvatore," the students replied.

"It's fine to add your personal touch, but please do not go too far from the style that we have agreed on, and that is Yohan Varmaar's The Bard and The Knight from the Barocua era."

Portrait painting huh? That's quite a 'paint in the ass' - pun intended. Personally, I prefer landscape painting, but I guess it's not that bad to go out of our way in a while.

The original painting of The Bard and The Knight shows a portrait of a bard and a knight travelling together with the bard playing a lute and singing while the knight looked afar and steady with his sword, staying on edge for any potential danger. Now, what should I paint? What is something that is equivalent to a bard and a knight? Hm . . . It's pretty tough, but I think I have an idea.

.

.

.

"This is . . . Who painted this?"

Master Salvatore throws his eyes around the whole class. He took my canvas off the easel and held it tight to his side. His face looked surprised, but I wouldn't dare to raise my hand since I couldn't guess what he was thinking thanks to his bushy beard and the upward-curling moustache.

"Hmm . . . It signed - AZ. Anyone whose name got an A and Z?" Master Salvadore asked once more.

"Wait, that woman in the painting looks a lot like you, is it yours, Zevia? I mean you know . . . Ascheri - Zevia?"

Wanda, the daughter of Pelicantes Harbourmaster, blurted.

"No, it's not mine. Though I also really want to know who painted this."

Zevia suddenly turned around and glared at me. The others followed after her and looked in my direction also. I just couldn't keep it to myself and ended up smiling silly to ease the tense situation.

"Oh! You're right, Zev! AZ stands for Adrian Zama!"

Suddenly, Master Salvatore burst out into laughter and invited me to step up in front of the class.

"Mister Zama! Your painting is very fascinating! Don't you be afraid that I will judge you harshly! It's not perfect indeed, as I can see some unrefined techniques here and there, but as a whole? You passed the standard, I would say."

"You are not testing me, aren't you, Master? Surely you jest. It's nothing special."

"Aah, come on! Confidence is the primary palette of a man! The finest lady belongs not to the most handsome nor the richest, but to the bravest. Put some more trust in yourself!"

Master Salvatore put his hand around my shoulder and tapped my arm as if to solidify me to make me stand firmer. Then, he puts back the canvas on the easel.

"Now, will you tell us about your painting? How did you get the inspiration? What is the essence of your soul that you pour into this piece? What is the emotion you are trying to invoke from the onlookers? What is the message you want to convey?"

"Um . . . it's a woman on her knees."

"I SEE! A monarch! A queen drowned in sorrow! Engulfed in despair! Bested by the absence of the system! Marvellous!"

No, no. The crown was just an accessory. I was thinking that it would symbolize Zevia's ego, but it wasn't by any means an impersonation of a queen. Moreover, she was kneeling on the floor because she was just having a severe period cramp.

"A-And on her right, is a . . . farmer?"

"YES! YES! The epitome of the less fortunate! The ultimate depiction of the desecrated axiom of society! The walker of the unending harsh winter we called life! Glorious!"

As I said, it's just a painting of me and how I perceive myself compared to Zevia. It's nothing special, though I did make the disparity between us quite easy to notice.

"Yeah, I guess, like, uh . . . The farmer was about to eat the bread on his hand, and the woman wanted a piece. That's why he walked away to keep his mind at peace."

"ARGH! My soul is squeezed as you make the curtain call! It has been so long since I witnessed such a violent expostulation! Raw and powerful! A denuding diminuendo of the increasingly discriminative way of life!"

Suddenly, Master Salvatore grasped both of my shoulders. Then, he aggressively hugs me and pats my back repeatedly before removing himself again. I just stood there and took it all, unsure about what to do and how to react.

"Your sarcastic criticism will not be overlooked by these eyes of mine. To think that you bear all those fire in your chest, it must have been really hard for you. I am proud that you chose the way of art to direct all these emotions."

Master Salvatore claps his hands, and the whole class followed.

"Pay attention, class! This is the true freedom of speech and expression! To use painting as an envoy to send out your message to the masses! To make it clear that even a queen and a farmer are a fellow human before society casts thick walls between them! To remind us that in the face of mortality, every man is equal before primal needs! To call for an understanding that we should treat others the way we want to be treated!"

Well, he certainly reading too much into it, but I think it would be best this way. Considering how mediocre I am in painting, unlike Joe or Gustav who is 100% clearly talented, I'm glad that Master Salvatore found a reason to at least give me a score that is above the average this time. Maybe I ought to really try and sharpen my skills before I run out of luck.

---

 

[10.20 AM]

As soon as we returned from the art class, the torture began. At the back of the class, Zevia pinned me down with magical chains until I resembled the pose of the queen in my painting. Then, she stepped her feet on my head, tweaking my ear by the space between her foot fingers.

"J-Joe! Linda! Gilbert! Help me! Willow! Benny!"

I called the names of everyone that's in the class but they all simply laughed and shook their head in pity. Willow and Benny did something even more wicked. They gather all the boys' belts in the class and present them to Zevia.

"May the sun and the moon always bless the Ascheri. Please accept our humble offerings, my lady! I pray that these gifts from us will lighten your heart a little. Let it be the instrument that teaches this overstepping commoner a lesson everlasting."

"BENNY YOU BOOT-LICKING BASTARD! I THOUGHT WE WERE ON THE SAME-!"

*Ctass!*

As I lash out in anguish at the betrayal of my fellow lowborn, Zevia cracks the belt like a whip right to my back. I squealed and curled my back. However, the magical chains pulled my hands back to their positions as if to maintain the correct posture of subservience.

"Yelping like a little whore already? Care not to bust your vocal cords, peasant. After all, there are 19 more to go, Fufu~"

Oh no, what have I done? How can I possibly come up with such an idea? This devil is going to kill me! She certainly won't hold back with her swings!

"Z-Zevia, let's calm down a little, shall we? I can expl-!"

*Ctass!*

"Ugh!"

This time, she aimed for my butt.

"You did a lot of talking with your painting masterpiece already. But of course, you must know that disgustingly fantasizing about having superiority over me, Zevia Theodora Ascheri, will not go unattended, do you?"

Gulp. I'm super screwed.