Chapter 564: I’m Talking To You, Maggot "Listen up, you maggots! Who knows the difference between an Orc and a Goblin?" Diona asked the students who were now seated around her. A few of the students raised their hands, including Chuck. But after sensing that Mary’s finger had moved to his waist, he hurriedly put it down. "Okay, you there, what’s your name?" Diona pointed at one of the young men who seemed so eager to answer her question. "Cliff Hanger, Professor," Cliff replied. "Very well, what’s your answer?" Diona placed her hands behind her back, looking aloof. "An Orc is larger, physically stronger, and tends to favor direct confrontation," Cliff answered calmly. "A Goblin is smaller, relies more on ambushes and tools, and often fights in groups to compensate for its weaker individual strength. They also..." Diona and the class waited patiently for Cliff to continue his explanation, but he seemed to be stuck. "They also what?" Diona prompted with a frown. "They also have excellent teamwork," Cliff added. Diona nodded and asked Cliff to sit down. "That is what you call a perfect textbook answer. If this were a written exam, you’d get full marks." Cliff smiled faintly, feeling a bit proud of himself. Even his classmates were impressed by his answer. The annoyance they had felt when he had left them hanging disappeared completely. However, he wasn’t able to feel happy for a long time. "But this isn’t a written exam," Diona declared, making the students straighten their backs at once. Diona paced in a slow circle around them, memorizing the faces of Charles’ classmates. She then pointed out what Cliff hadn’t mentioned in his explanation. "Here’s the part books like to forget," Diona said. "Orcs have pride. Wound that pride, and they’ll chase you even if they know that they might be heading into a trap. "Goblins don’t have pride. They have grudges, and patience. Lots of it. You can even say that they are a race that takes grudges seriously." Unnerved, a few students swallowed after hearing this. "An Orc will roar before charging," Diona continued. "A Goblin will smile. If you ever see a Goblin smiling at you, congratulations. You’ve already lost something. You just don’t know what you have lost just yet." She broke into a feral smile, showing her white, pearly teeth that seemed a little too small for her mouth. Chuck couldn’t help but wonder how many times she brushed her teeth everyday. "You." Diona pointed at Chuck. "You’re thinking about something rude about me, right?" "O-Of course not, Professor!" Chuck stood up in order to defend himself. "I-I am just thinking about Orcs and Goblins!" "Really?" Diona arched an eyebrow. "Then by all means, ask a question." All of his classmates’ gazes landed on his body, putting pressure on him. However, who was Chuck? His skin was as thick as any city or castle wall in the Kingdom of Avalon. His shamelessness knew no bounds. Using these two "talents" that he had nurtured for many years, he casually flipped his hair and struck a pose, buying his brain some time to figure out how to bullsh*t his way out of this predicament. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him! "Professor, I am just wandering," Chuck said as he crossed his arms. "What if you run into both monsters at the same time? What should we do in that situation?" Diona flashed Chuck a sweet smile that made the boys in the class swallow their saliva subconsciously. "There are three things you can do." Diona raised her three fingers. "The first one is to fight them. Of course, doing so when you’re not strong enough to wipe them all out is akin to suicide." Everyone’s faces became serious as they waited for Diona to tell them the two other strategies. Orcs and Goblins were the most common monsters that they could encounter in the wild, but most of the students were self-aware enough to know they couldn’t pick the first option. "The second one is to run," Diona continued calmly, folding another finger down. "Preferably in a direction that neither of them expects. Orcs will chase you out of pride. Goblins will pretend to lose interest, then cut off your escape route ten minutes later." A few students visibly reconsidered their life choices. "The third one," she said, lowering her index finger, "is to make them fight each other." "But, Professor, aren’t they allied races?" Chuck asked. "Usually where Goblins reside, there would be a few Orcs in there as well." "Allied races?" Diona adjusted her glasses with her middle finger, making sure that Chuck could see it properly. "They tolerate each other, but they are not allied races. "Like I said, Orcs are prideful creatures who recognize strength above all. They hate the weak, sneaky, and cowardly goblins the most. As for the Goblins, they hate the Orcs because they are loud, strong, and bigger than them. "While these two races might cooperate, that cooperation is very flimsy and can break at any time. All it needs is a little nudge..." Diona then glanced at Alex and pointed at him. "You," Diona said. "Tell me. How can you make the Orcs and Goblins fight each other if they have you surrounded?" Alex looked to his left. Then he looked to his right. Then he twisted his body around to look behind him. Finally, he pointed at his face to confirm if the Professor was indeed talking to him. "Yes, I’m talking to you, maggot," Diona sneered. "Stand up and answer my question. If you don’t give me an answer, I will award you some demerit points." Charles frowned after hearing Diona’s threat. It was clear that she was purposely targeting Alex for a reason, and that reason was him. Alex stood up and decided to throw caution to the wind. "First, I’ll look at the Goblins and shout something like... ’Who was the one that called that Orc over there a pig?! Step forward! I heard you loud and clear!’" Everyone in the class blinked, and no one was able to say a word after hearing Alex’s answer. But the young man wasn’t finished just yet. He gave another bullsh*t answer, just because he could. "I will continue to instigate, but side with the Goblins in the end," Alex added. "I will praise them because they are smarter than Orcs, and obviously the most superior race between the two. I will even declare that Orcs only win battles because their enemy is too busy covering their nose due to how smelly they are." "What nonsense are you talking about?" Chuck muttered. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦 Just as everyone thought that their new Professor would penalize Alex with ten thousand demerit points, a giggle reached their ears. "It seems that you will be able to survive such a confrontation perfectly well." Diona was all smiles, but her brain was furiously taking notes. ’Then I won’t use Orcs and Goblins against you. I’ll just order a Manticore to end your life when I get the chance.’ Since her Rank had regressed due to Professor Rowan’s seal, she could only control lower-ranking creatures that were Rank 1 up to Rank 4. Orcs, and Goblins were the perfect cannon fodders that she could use with her current authority, which she had planned to use against Alex if a good opportunity presented itself. She had brought up the topic of Orcs and Goblins to see how Alex would react in such a situation. She had wanted to assess his thinking ability so she could better formulate a plan to end his life. In her heart of hearts, she believed that Alex was standing in the way of Charles becoming the Conqueror that he was destined to become.