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Professor of the enemy nation - Chapter 3

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Chapter 3 - Was I Just Caught?

For a moment, Ruin’s face stiffened in shock.

His codename.

Did they find me out?

He thought he’d passed the security checks—but was that all a trap? But the moment he turned his head, Ruin sprang up and concealed himself near the ceiling.

Swish!

Below, students walked by in small groups.

“Hey! You still haven’t returned that Firefly book?!”

“Huh? You mean this one?”

“Yes, that one!”

They began bickering over a book with a bright red cover.

— Firefly: On Union’s Greatest Foes —

Seemed like it was a book about Ruin.

‘So… they weren’t talking about me just now.’

Considering the location, he’d flinched a little—but the name “Firefly” had referred to the book.

Sure enough, the students kept fighting over it.

“Hurry up and return it already! Firefly is the topic of this semester’s final for Basic Swordsmanship! No one can get the book because they’re all checked out!”

Ruin was dumbfounded.

They were teaching about him at Haven? Well… with the Cold War still ongoing, he supposed they’d want to teach students who their mortal enemies were.

Sure, maybe something like “How to handle a crisis when facing your nemesis—”

“You don’t get it! Without that book, I can’t solve ‘100 Ways to Torture Firefly’!”

…Wait, what?

“Seriously? Our Magic Theory pop quiz was ‘How to Dismember Firefly Alive.’”

…That’s more than a little strange.

“Our professor made us create a ‘potion to drown Firefly’.”

“…………”

What the hell kind of curriculum is this school running?

Even the students were frowning now.

“What even is Firefly supposed to be, that he’s on the exam for every subject?”

“For real. Not even the Demon Emperor gets this much coverage.”

Then a girl who had come to look for the book clicked her tongue like she was talking to ignorant children.

“You guys really don’t get it, huh? The Union fears Firefly more than the Demon Emperor.”

“W-What? Really?”

“Yup. My dad’s a general, and even he said it. Firefly’s the most dangerous of all the demons. Just going by the damage he’s caused, he’s humanity’s greatest enemy.”

A loudmouth, huh? Turns out she’s a general’s daughter. Noted.

“He said Firefly’s only quiet right now because he’s gathering strength to crush the Union.”

…No. I was just… lost.

“He said once Firefly starts moving again, the Union’s done for.”

……No. I’m just trying to retire and start a beekeeping farm.

But the students gulped.

If even the head of the Imperial Army said that, then Firefly had to be a monster.

“…B-But there’s no way he could get into Haven, right?”

Ruin clicked his tongue.

Idiots. I’m already here.

“Obviously not. The academy was built by the Hero himself!”

No. That’s my house, you little brats.

“Right? I heard the Hero was granted a god’s temple to help defeat Pride.”

Well… it is a god’s temple.

The issue is that it’s from a forgotten, extinct god no one remembers anymore.

“So you think there’s hidden magic here too?”

“Isn’t that just a legend?”

Nah, it’s not a legend.

Since this was originally a remodeled temple, the place was full of “secret rooms.”

He just hadn’t been able to open most of them—because the requirements weren’t met.

Like one room that only activated when over 100 people were inside the temple…

But then Ruin tilted his head, a realization dawning.

…Wait a sec. Aren’t there already hundreds of students here? Doesn’t that mean the condition’s fulfilled?

Fortunately, the school’s layout hadn’t changed much from when it was his house.

Meaning the secret passages and traps should still be intact.

‘No. Focus.’

That can wait. First and foremost—the retirement fund.

‘Without that, I’m locked into a slave contract.’

His boss had assumed he wouldn’t be able to repay the debt and immediately brought out a lifetime contract. The audacity made Ruin choke.

That’s why he quickly tried to recall the layout of his house.

There are four routes leading to the vault.

If he took the garden route off the table, that left three.

1. Military Sector (Highest infiltration risk)

2. Unmapped Zone (Immediate execution if caught)

3. Faculty Research Wing (Safest route)

So the conclusion was simple.

‘Disguise myself as a teaching assistant and infiltrate the research wing.’

There were professors, but they were all heroes—disguising as one of them was far too risky.

TAs were much easier targets.

But then… something nagged at him.

‘What kind of professors teach at this school anyway…?’

I mean, those… exam questions were insane.

Ruin tilted his head and opened the delivery manifest. Names were listed under what appeared to be the research building.

Okay… here are the professors’ names—

“……”

Ruin fell silent.

‘What the hell? Why do I know all these names?’

Scratch that. He didn’t just know them.

These are all the people I betrayed.

Every last one of them would chase him to the ends of hell if they heard the name Firefly.

Wait a minute. Are these the only types of professors Haven hires?

“……….”

With a sharp snap, he closed the delivery manifest.

‘Plan A (Garden) and Plan B (TA): both scrapped.’

If it were just that elf professor, he might’ve managed something. But Ruin had worked directly with these people in the past—he knew better than anyone:

Each one required putting your life on the line just to deal with. And they were all here.

Now imagine becoming a TA under one of them?

‘If I’m discovered, I’m dead.’

A newbie spy might pass unnoticed, but these people?

They’d sniff him out from the slightest off-feeling.

—See? I told you applying for a professor position was best from the start.

Because I “look the part”? Seriously?

Ruin could almost hear his superior laughing from afar.

‘Fine. A new hire would raise fewer suspicions.’

Not only that—if he became a professor, he’d have access to Haven’s restricted archive.

Maybe… just maybe, he’d find a way to break this cursed fate of his.

But the problem is the hiring test.

They have a ritual to detect demons during the application process.

‘I’m not about to get burned at the stake while searching for my pension.’

—If you cancel your retirement, we could help you out, you know.

You think I don’t know you’d just work me to death again?

That’s what made this so frustrating.

‘If I can’t find that retirement fund, I’ll be stuck as a slave forever.’

All because of this damn cursed fate. Even after dying in a hive-like slaughter, it had come back.

【Wanderlust】

A cursed fate that brings misfortune to oneself and others.

The closer you get to someone, the worse their luck becomes.

This bastard curse just got rebranded with a modern name!

Ruin had known the moment a 19th-century-style fortune teller with golden eyes described it.

His hand had gone straight to the back of his neck.

‘Goddamn it. Doesn’t matter if it’s in Chinese or English—it’s the same damn curse.’

More than anything, Ruin hated this curse.

Because it had stolen everything from him.

The more he loved someone, the more likely he was to lose them.

It was like the curse refused to let him settle anywhere.

‘And in the end, it’ll take my life too.’

Because even his own life counts as something “precious.”

That’s why he’d done everything he could to break the curse.

Even made a deal with the Demon Emperor.

In exchange for holding back part of the curse, the Emperor had demanded a massive price.

“Repay it all—with interest. If you can’t, I’ll make you into a taxidermy butterfly.”

If he failed to repay the debt, his heart would be ripped out.

Not eager to die young, Ruin rubbed his brow.

‘Damn it. That vault doesn’t just have my retirement fund—it’s got all the treasures I collected over 18 years as a spy.’

His entire career was stashed in there.

But with things like this, he had no choice. What was he even doing in enemy territory without an official mission?

And it’s not like a prestigious academy is just handing out faculty positions.

So he swallowed his pride. Maybe it was time to let go of his stubbornness and—

“Oh, Dean. There you are.”

“!”

“Looks like this one’s the Haven professor acceptance letter. This is your route, right? Can you drop it off?”

“……”

“By the way, isn’t Haven famous for its top salaries? Whoever got accepted—man, I’m jealous~”

“……”

Looks like it’s time for Plan C.

---

Ruins Wayne. Age 29, Male.

A wandering adjunct instructor who recently applied to Haven’s faculty program.

Submitted via recommendation, passed both rounds of screening. Only the final headmaster interview remains…

“Perfect.”

Couldn’t ask for a better setup.

Ruin opened the letter, barely able to believe his luck. It was basically an acceptance notice—only returned due to a wrong address. They’d only asked for redelivery to the updated one.

Like hell he’d just deliver this and walk away.

If it’s the headmaster interview, it’s basically a done deal.

They called it an interview, but unless you made a mess of it, you’d get in.

In other words—this guy was practically guaranteed a faculty office.

Only one catch:

‘The subject he teaches…’

Ruins Wayne was a professor of ‘Demon Hunting’ and ‘Defensive Combat’. In other words, an expert in exterminating demons.

‘Total mismatch with me.’

Which meant borrowing his identity wouldn’t be easy. He’d have to confront him—and if those credentials were accurate, things could go south quickly.

But still, there was no backing down.

‘My life’s on the line too.’

Eyes narrowing, Ruin arrived in front of a shabby building.

“Mr. Ruins Wayne? Are you in there?”

He swallowed. The place reeked of old wood and dust.

“A package from Haven. Important documents.”

He felt someone stir inside.

Ruin opened the door without hesitation—then blinked in disbelief. The sight before him was absurd.

---

Ruin was shaken.

Even with his years as a covert agent, this situation caught him off guard.

Why?

“Who the hell are you?!”

A man shouted—and the room was soaked in blood. One man lay stabbed on the ground. Another, masked, was raiding the safe.

…In other words, he’d murdered the resident…

…That means Ruins Wayne is…?

‘Oh, hell no!’

Ruin shot forward like a spring. He snatched the burglar by the head.

WHAM!

“Gahk!”

The movement was too fast to follow. He slammed the burglar into the floor and twisted his arm in a flash.

“Aaagh!”

The guy screamed and swung his knife—but Ruin’s eyes flashed coldly.

The blade froze mid-air.

Freeze.

The burglar tried to move his arm, but—

“Wh-what the… gahhh!”

His arm twisted at a grotesque angle.

Crunch!

The burglar howled.

“My arm! My ARM! Who the hell is this delivery guy?!”

CRACK!

“AAAGH!”

Ruin stomped and snapped his leg.

Damn it.

With the burglar down, he rushed to check the bloodied man.

A sigh of relief and a curse escaped his lips.

“You okay?”

“Ughhh…”

Still alive. This was the real Ruins Wayne.

Ruin recalled the photo attached to the application. Black-and-white, low quality—almost a pointillist blur to modern eyes—but enough to recognize the outline.

The issue?

That outline was wrapped in bandages from head to toe.

‘I mean, I knew from the photo, but still…’

Who goes around in full mummy cosplay? This guy, apparently.

Still, Ruin had to confirm.

“Are you Ruins Wayne?”

The man in bandages nodded faintly.

Ruin clicked his tongue. All he wanted was to borrow someone’s identity, and now this—No. Actually, in this case, he should be grateful for the assist—No, wait, that’s not the point either.

“Hang in there. I’ll call for medics.”

But the man shook his head.

“Just let me… go be with her…”

…What?

“My life’s garbage… not worth living anymore…”

Ruin’s face turned deadly serious.

“Mr. Wayne. Don’t talk like that.”

If you’re gonna die—at least go to the headmaster interview first!


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Chapter 4
Jun 5, 2025
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