The Cradle was a place where children of the Vaise family were taught and molded into the best they could be.
There, children were graded for every action. Even the way they ate.
But that didn't mean every grading mattered.
These gradings were just a way of deciding what path a child is suited most for.
If someone lacks etiquette, for example, they are sent to divisions that have nothing to do with etiquette.
The Cradle, however, was also a place where loyalty was tested.
There were rules in the family that should never be broken. Those rules applied in Cradle as well. And in the Cradle, the children are supposed to follow those rules.
The teachers in the Cradle are the ones who ensure that most follow them.
But if a child is constantly breaking the rules, they would be declared as a traitor and be subjected to punishment.
Raven, who knew the plot, was more than aware of that because, in the plot, the real Raven was supposed to be framed as a traitor.
'The worst part of Raven's childhood,' was what Raven had called the period when the original Raven was treated as a traitor.
However, since he had a chance to change it, Raven wasn't going to let things like that happen, and that was why, he had strictly told his team members to follow the rules no matter what.
Especially the one that forbids fighting among children without following proper procedure.
But only fighting with fists was forbidden, not words.
So, after stopping his teammates' outbursts and letting the others glee for a while, he began with a sigh loud enough for them to hear.
"Alex."
Alex flinched slightly at the sound of his name. He thought that he was going to be scolded.
"Since when do humans bark back when they hear dogs barking?" Alex's question, however, surprised them.
Alex froze. Clara blinked. Jake turned his head slightly, giving Raven a sharp look.
"That's something dogs do," Raven continued smoothly, shifting his weight as if the situation was nothing more than a mild inconvenience. "You're not a dog, are you?"
Alex, however, just tilted his head, recalling how Alex had once called him a dog for trying to bite him during the spar.
'Am I supposed to say yes?' He wondered, but before he could make a blunder, Clara, getting her cue, cut in with a sharp laugh. "Ooh, that's a good one."
The students who had been throwing insults a second ago stiffened.
"You saying something, bastard?" One of them snapped, trying to keep control of the conversation.
Clara smirked, placing a hand on her hip.
"I see how it is now," she said, tilting her head like a curious predator. "All this noise, all this yapping—" she gestured at them lazily, "is this all for some attention? Gods, how sad must your lives be?"
A few of them visibly bristled, but Clara wasn't done.
"If you aren't properly trained, you don't know how to behave in public," she added with a slow shake of her head, feigning pity.
Jake let out a dramatic sigh, playing along. "Such a shame."
Alex exhaled, his slow brain finally able to process what was happening and a smirk tugged at the corners of his lips.
Raven remained silent, letting the tension build, watching his words do their work.
Then, just when the moment was right, he struck the final blow.
"And that makes me wonder..."
His voice was light and casual, but loud enough for everyone to hear.
"What kind of teacher would let their dogs run around without a leash?"
A ripple of silence spread through the students.
Expressions twisted in anger.
One or two of them looked nervous.
But before they could respond, Raven tilted his head and added, "After all… one day, they might bark at the wrong person… and get themselves killed for it."
Cough-Cough!
A sharp, choking cough shattered the air.
Heads snapped to the side of the training grounds.
'There they are,' Raven mused, his grin widening as he turned as well.
There, standing in the shadows, was a group of teachers.
One particularly furious-looking instructor with his face a brilliant shade of red, stood out the most among them.
Looking at the guy, Raven's group had varying expressions.
Clara let out a short whistle while Jake adjusted his sleeves, looking mildly amused.
And Alex... Well, Alex nearly lost it on the spot.
Because that teacher was Instructor Vance, one of the strongest teachers in the Cradle according to the rumors, and from the way he was walking toward the group that Raven had just called untrained dogs, he seemed to be their teacher.
Vance cleared his throat again, his voice tight with suppressed rage.
"That's enough," he ground out.
Raven raised a brow, all false innocence. "Ah, Instructor Vance. You were their teacher?"
Vance's face somehow turned even redder as he gritted his teeth, but knowing there were many eyes on him, he nodded gruffly.
"I see," Raven rubbed his chin before he bowed his head, apologizing. "I apologize if my words offended you as I didn't think those dogs—I mean, students—were yours."
His words sounded polite but were far from it, making Vance clench his fists hard, unable to say anything since Raven seemed really apologetic.
Behind him, a few other teachers exchanged glances. One or two of them looked way too entertained.
The students who had been taunting Raven and his group earlier?
Now they were the ones looking at the ground, avoiding eye contact, faces pale.
Vance grounded his teeth, but he had no choice but to move forward, forcing himself to regain control of the situation.
"All of you, line up," he barked. "The practical test is starting."
Raven, however, wasn't satisfied.
'Just you wait you bastard,' he growled inwardly recalling how Vance was one of the main preparators for the original Raven's hell of a life in Cradle.
But for now, he decided to take care of the practical test. Vance wasn't an opponent he could defeat right now after all.
As the students scrambled to obey, Clara nudged Raven with her elbow, her voice low and gleeful.
"Teach me how you get the courage to face a teacher like that," she whispered.
Raven smirked. "It's inherent."
"Che!" Clara clicked her tongue at his words, folding her arms in mild annoyance.
The other two—Jake and Alex—were also relaxed now. It seemed like they were satisfied with how things turned out.
The real test hadn't even started yet, and they had already won the first round.
............................
The practical class was soon revealed to be a test and the students, realizing that, had grown serious.
They were also told that those who started unnecessary scuffles had their points deducted and the ones who handled it wisely were given plus points.
Of course, some students were dissatisfied but there was nothing they could do.
Raven's group, on the other hand, grew happier since they got free plus points.
That happiness, however, didn't last long as the test procedure was revealed.
It was a group battle.
The competitors were decided by lotteries, and once the teams were called upon, they had to send one of their team members to the sparring ground for a match.
Each team member can fight one match, and each team has four members, so the team that wins three battles—scoring three points—first wins.
Coincidentally, the first ones called upon were Raven's group and a group from Vance's class.
Anyone could see it was intentional, but no one said anything. Even Raven's class teacher, who wasn't Damien, much to students' confusion, didn't seem to mind it.
After all, every teacher in the Cradle was curious to see how good the group led by the famous child from the main branch was.
They wanted to see how good the child called Record Breaker and Viper Slayer was.