"Yes, prior to the Faunus Rights Revolution, more popularly known as the Faunus War," Professor Oobleck's voice dragged Haruka out of her reading, and she looked up from her scroll just in time to watch the over-caffeinated and thus hyperactive professor flash step to in front of his desk, blocking the paper-and-pin-covered map of Remnant from the class's view, "Humankind was quite, quite adamant about centralizing faunus population in Menagerie." He pointed to said continent on the map with his baton, before flash-stepping around again, ending in the same spot he started. "Now! While this must feel like ancient history to many of you, it is imperative to remember that these are relatively recent events! Why, the repercussions of the uprising can still be seen to this day!"
All one has to do is walk down a city street to see that. Haruka mentally noted, as the green-haired teacher continued to flash step around the room, seemingly at random.
"Now! Have any among you been subjected to discrimination because of your faunus heritage?" Oobleck questioned the students in his class.
Haruka glanced around to see the responses, noting a fair number of hands being raised. Velvet was one, she saw.
"And of course Blake is still trying to pretend she isn't a cat faunus. Why does she still think no one will see right through such a flimsy disguise as a bow over her cat ears?" The knight wondered to Rosenkreuz.
"I can't say I understand it, myself, Master." Her device replied.
"Dreadful, simply dreadful! Remember, students, it is precisely this kind of ignorance that breeds violence!" The professor sounded as if the discrimination personally offended him, before taking a sip of his drink—coffee, by the smell—and continuing. "I mean, I mean, I mean just look at what happened to the White Fang! Now, which one of you young scholars can tell me what many theorize to be the turning point in the third year of the war?" He asked the class, gesturing with one hand at the students gathered in the lecture hall.
"The Battle at Fort Castle, wherein General Lagune manages to commit almost every possible tactical error possible in such a situation, as well as prove that lawyers belong in a courtroom, not on the battlefield, and certainly not in charge of an army." Haruka spoke up, her voice showing her amusement at just how badly said general had screwed up.
"Quite correct, Ms. Nakajima! And, who can tell me his most significant errors?"
Mrs. Haruka thought with minor annoyance. Though, correcting him is not a very good idea right now.
She ignored that little gripe, smirked, and raised her hand in front of her face, ticking up a finger with each point she lifted off.
"Presuming that he could defeat an, admittedly smaller, faunus army that excelled in night engagements in a night engagement, on their home territory.
He then proceeded to increase the magnitude of his error by not committing the full bulk of his troops, keeping most of his elite units, such as the Seventh Light Infantry, in reserve until the battle was already lost.
On top of that, he deployed his forces in a formation more suited for the battles of an earlier era, where such tactics as massed mounted cavalry charges and lines of infantry were the standard. Thus, his army was unprepared, tactically speaking, for the hit-and-run harrying tactics of the faunus.
Continuing, he refused to allow his section commanders the necessary autonomy to react to the changing conditions of the battle, depriving his army of both mobility and responsiveness.
Finally, rather than simply holding up and defending the fort once his second-in-command ignored him and managed to take part of it, he ordered his few remaining troops to leave their defensive lines and engage the bulk of the faunus army on the open field, facing the dawn sunrise, no less.
In all, it is quite hard to see how much more of a failure he could have been as a general. Atop that, do not let me get started on his atrocious personal conduct and lack of regard for the laws and customs of war." Haruka leaned back in her seat, still smirking. Ah, military history. Even though it's not my own, it's still fascinating.
"Extremely correct, and well said, Ms. Nakajima! General Lagune was not only a poor military commander, but a war criminal as well! Now, on that particular topic, who can tell me what is considered his most egregious breach of inter-kingdom law set down by the Vytal Treaty?"
"Huh?" Jaune sounded as if he'd just woken up, but his noise of confusion cut Haruka off. Professor Oobleck seemed to take the noise as evidence that Jaune had the answer, judging by the professor's sudden flash step to in front of the blonde swordsman.
"Mr. Arc! Finally contributing to class! This is excellent, excellent! What is the answer?" The professor queried him, while he looked around in helpless confusion.
Haruka's palm met her face. You should know better than to sleep in Professor Oobleck's class.
"Uhh… The, uh… Answer, that that one guy did, he, umm…" Jaune adopted an 'oh crap' expression, loudly muttered a very fumbling sentence, and hung his head. "I, uh, I don't know."
Behind him, Cardin Winchester guffawed loudly at his admission. Would you please stop reminding everyone that you exist.
Professor Oobleck just looked slightly disappointed, before he flash stepped back to behind his desk.
"Well, it is better to admit when you don't know something, than pretend you do! That said, please see me after class for additional readings, as it is obvious you have not covered the assigned material! Mr. Winchester! Perhaps you know the answer?" The professor called on the still-guffawing student.
"Well, the only thing I can say was illegal was his stupidity. Everything else seems fine to me." Cardin laced his fingers behind his head, and leaned back with a small grin. WHAT THE FUCK!?
Haruka was on her feet in a flash, rounding on him.
"He used chemical weapons on prisoners of war, you dumb fuck! That, in and of itself, is an execution-worthy offense!" The Knight almost-shouted at him, forgetting to speak in Valian in her anger, and slipping into Belkan instead. "What the fuck is wrong with you!?" The Sankt Kaiser would turn her head away in shame at such behavior!
"Woah, Haruka, calm down! Your emotions just spiked furiously, what happened?" Vita's voice sounded in the back of her head. She stopped, closed her eyes, and crossed her arms over her chest.
"Sorry. Asshole here in class just said he's got no problems with racism-driven war crimes. And, yes, it's the one who leads the team I keep having to beat up."
"The hell's wrong with him?" Vita sounded disgusted. "Still, he's not worth getting all worked up over, though, from the sound of it."
"No, he isn't. Sorry, everyone." Haruka apologized.
"It's fine. Slightly startling, but so was Vita's behavior earlier." Amusement tinged Hayate's 'voice'.
"I regret nothing!"
Haruka took a deep breath, and opened her eyes again, allowing the telepathic conversation to bleed into the background.
Cardin was no longer leaning back casually, but was now on his feet himself, his face red with anger, fists clenched at his sides. Even if he hadn't understood her insult, or anything she'd said at all, her tone had conveyed the point well enough.
"And who's got a problem if a bunch of—" He didn't get a chance to complete his sentence, as Professor Oobleck interrupted him.
"Mr. Winchester. That's enough." The professor flash-stepped between the two. "You will keep your bigotry in check in my class, is that clear?" His voice was calm, for once, and almost glacial.
"Yes, professor." Cardin still looked absolutely furious, but he unclenched his fists, and crossed his arms, before pointedly turning and taking his seat again.
"You will see me after class. And Ms. Nakajima? Please try to keep calm, and stick to Valian!" Oobleck's voice returned to its normal jubilant, hyperactive tone.
Haruka nodded as the professor flash stepped to the front of the room again.
"I will try." She took her seat again. Kaiser, please give me the strength to not throttle the idiot.
"Now, then! Moving on!"