9. A student who makes teacher like him

AT THE SAME TIME

XAVIER'S POINT OF VIEW:

He looked at the gathered students, each of them eager, dressed in their fine academy clothes, prepared for anything... except, perhaps, survival itself.

"Today, we'll learn how to make fire." Erwin announced, his voice deep and commanding. "Essential for staying alive in the wild. Any volunteers to show us how to start a fire with just the basics?"

A couple of students raised their hands, their perfect, immaculate uniforms gleaming. The others murmured among themselves, excited to try their hand at something practical. I watched them all, waiting for someone to step up, someone to prove themselves worthy of our training. My eyes drifted to Villiam.

He stood at the back, looking somewhat out of place among the neatly dressed students. His clothes, old and worn, looked like they'd seen better days. His sleeves were frayed at the edges, and his boots had a rough, patched-together appearance. A stark contrast to the polished uniforms around him. He was... different. And it didn't escape Erwin's notice. Erwin glanced over the group, his eyes settling on Villiam. There was a sharpness to his gaze as he surveyed the boy. Then, without a word, Erwin's gaze turned cold and calculating.

"Villiam." He called out, his voice no longer carrying the warm invitation it had when speaking to the others. "Since you're clearly dressed for the wilderness, why don't you show us how to start a fire?"

The other students fell silent, their eyes darting between Villiam and the teacher. Some exchanged glances, others snickered quietly. Villiam looked caught off guard for a moment, as if he didn't expect to be singled out like that. He stepped forward, a reluctant but determined look on his face. I couldn't help but feel a bit of sympathy for him. This wasn't how I had imagined the day going for any of us, let alone someone like Villiam, who clearly didn't belong in the same category as the rest of us when it came to things like... status.

Erwin crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow. 

"You have everything you need in your pack. Show us what you've got."He said.

The moment the command left his lips, Villiam crouched down and opened his pack, pulling out the basic tools for starting a fire. His movements were practiced, deliberate. He knelt, setting up his materials with ease. I watched closely, curious despite myself. It wasn't long before he scraped the flint against steel, and a spark flickered to life, igniting the dry kindling. The flames began to lick at the air, crackling eagerly as if they had been waiting for this moment.

Erwin's eyes narrowed slightly, watching with a mixture of surprise and something else, perhaps a bit of grudging respect. Villiam wasn't just some random student who had been thrown into this situation without understanding the basics. He knew exactly what he was doing.

"Not bad." Erwin muttered, more to himself than to Villiam. "Seems you know your way around the wilderness more than most of us expected. But we'll see how well you fare with the next challenge."

Erwin didn't say anything more, but I could see his expression shift subtly. It wasn't just the fire that caught his attention, it was the way Villiam had handled the situation. His clothes might have been poor, his appearance humble, but there was something about him, something in the way he operated.

For a moment, I could've sworn Erwin's attitude had changed entirely, from mocking to intrigued. It wasn't often that you saw someone like Villiam outshine the others, but here he was, standing tall, fire in hand. Erwin's gaze shifted between the fire and Villiam. 

"Next step, everyone." He said, still addressing the group, but his eyes lingered on Villiam for just a second longer than necessary.

The lesson continued, but I couldn't shake the feeling that the balance in the room had shifted ever so slightly. There was a new level of respect for Villiam now, even from the teacher himself.

The fire crackled low as the rest of us tried, and mostly failed to get even a spark going. Erwin's voice barked corrections left and right, growing more irritated with every attempt.

"No, you don't smother the spark." He snapped at one of the noble twins, who looked personally offended the flame didn't bend to his will. "Are you trying to light a fire or murder it?"

I gave it another go, flint in hand, but my kindling was damp, and I already knew it was a lost cause. Beside me, a group was still arguing about which rock was actually 'flint,' like the answer would magically ignite something. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Villiam quietly tending to the fire he had already made. He added a few small branches, adjusted airflow like he'd done it a hundred times. Maybe he had. Erwin noticed too. I saw his eyes flick toward Villiam again. He didn't say anything just grunted, then walked over to a student who had managed to set her glove on fire.

By the time we moved on to lesson two, setting up basic shelter most of us were already exhausted and annoyed. The sun was dipping lower, shadows stretching long over the clearing.

"Alright." Erwin said, slapping a rolled canvas against a tree. "Shelter. If it rains tonight, half of you would drown in your own stupidity. So, build something. Now."

Everyone scrambled, yanking supplies out of packs. I partnered with Damon, and between us, we managed something that resembled a tarp clinging to a nervous bush. Villiam? Villiam didn't even reach for the provided canvas. He walked into the woods. Just like that. No explanation.

"What's he doing?" Someone whispered.

"He's ditching the lesson-"One of them started.

"Typical." Sneered one of the nobles.

But Erwin didn't stop him. No, he just narrowed his eyes and muttered something.

"Let him try it his way."A little later I heard him mutter it.

About ten minutes later, Villiam returned dragging a few long branches, a fistful of ropey vines, and some kind of giant leaf like an umbrella. He got to work silently, tying branches with a kind of effortless rhythm. It wasn't flashy, but... it worked. When he stepped back, the small structure he'd made looked simple, but strong. Weatherproof. Smart. A few students even clapped.

"Looks like you've done this before." Erwin said, walking over. Not mocking this time. Curious.

"Only in winter. This was easy."He said.

I raised my brow. Winter? Erwin nodded once, grudgingly.

"Hmm."He groaned a little bit.

That was it. No gold stars. No dramatic praise. Just a hmm. But from Erwin? That was practically a standing ovation. The rest of the lesson was a blur of struggling with rope knots, uneven sticks, and someone getting bitten by an ant the size of a walnut. But even through the chaos, Villiam kept moving like someone who belonged here more than anyone else. When we wrapped up, Erwin stood at the edge of the clearing, arms folded.

"Most of you failed today." He said flatly. "Miserably. But one of you..." He glanced at Villiam. "Knows the value of practical experience. That'll matter more than your fancy swords or shiny titles out there."

Villiam didn't react. He was packing up his things, quiet as always. But I saw it. The smallest twitch of a smirk. Almost like he knew he'd just flipped the script in becoming a hero and taking my place. And maybe he had since even our cold hearted teacher began to like him.