Chapter 9 – The Headmaster Interview (1)
Meanwhile, at Haven’s research wing—
“What? Someone really came to the interview through the front gate?”
The entire lab buzzed with commotion. Naturally—Haven’s professor recruitment was a matter of great importance to those researching Pride.
“One more hero must be born.”
Especially for the labs, the students of Haven—who were raised into heroes—were their shining hope. Still, everyone figured the new hire would choose the side door, as usual.
In fact, whenever new professors were hired, the Chairman—the Hero himself—always expressed disappointment.
“Side door again for everyone, huh.”
It was just a passing remark, but no one doubted it masked real disappointment.
“Of course, even using the side door takes a good deal of courage.”
For some, the toll might’ve been pocket change—but those kinds of people were actually quite beneficial to Haven with their wealth. That’s what made this situation so baffling.
“Wait, what about the test?”
“Isn’t it the senior professors who always conduct the ‘practical tests’?”
Exactly that. Since one couldn’t gauge skill from the gate alone, the senior professors carried out a “practical test” in front of the headmaster’s office.
Well—so-called “practical test.” In truth, it was more hazing than anything.
“The professors’ territorial behavior is no joke.”
But then…
“Wait. Doesn’t going through the front gate exempt you from the test?”
“…”
Well, well. The crusty old professors must be livid right now.
“More importantly, if they’re really getting half the collected tolls—how much would that be?”
The researchers doing mental math fell into stunned silence. But someone scoffed.
“They only get it if he passes the headmaster’s interview.”
“Right. And the pass rate lately is zero.”
“Because they were all demon spies. They weren’t even going to hire anyone for a while.”
“Ugh, I got my hopes up hearing about the front gate. Guess it’s another fail…”
* * *
The sound of a voice, clear as a jade chime, that seemed to see through all things.
Ruin snapped his head around.
There stood a stunningly beautiful woman. So striking, in fact, that even a seasoned spy like Ruin was briefly taken aback.
The woman glanced down at a pocket watch, then smiled.
“1.42 seconds.”
“!”
“It took 1.42 seconds for you to turn around.”
Jade-colored eyes glinted as they looked up at him.
Immediately, Ruin became alert.
‘I didn’t sense her approach at all.’
There were only a handful of people who could sneak up on him like that.
“Hello. I’m Charlotte, Headmaster of Haven. You must be Professor Ruins Wayne?”
As expected.
Charlotte Saint—the headmaster of Haven. She was the very person Ruin had to get past for the interview.
At a glance, she looked to be in her mid-twenties. Her long golden ponytail reached her waist, and her face was like a painting.
A youthful beauty. But she was not someone to be underestimated.
‘If I had to pick the most dangerous person in this entire academy—it’d be her.’
Because this woman was the natural enemy of demons.
【Gluttonous Hellfire】
A single touch of her hand could burn away mana. And for demons, the fire would never go out—it would consume every organ and even the soul.
Recently, even the tabloids had run headlines:
– Demon spies caught infiltrating the Union all burned beyond recognition…
– None escaped the gaze of Haven’s headmaster.
In short, a whole bunch of Ruin’s intel agency colleagues had gotten incinerated by her. And Ruin himself wasn’t immune.
The real issue was that, unless he deceived her and secured access to the professor research wing, he couldn’t even begin to retrieve his stolen funds.
Worse yet—he’d expected to meet her in the interview room, but she’d found him outside.
‘Coincidence?’
Unlikely.
‘Why would she come out when the interview is about to start? Did she notice something?’
Supporting that suspicion, her gaze turned sharp.
“1.42 seconds in response to the word ‘Firefly.’ That’s fast. Very suspicious.”
Ruin let out a light laugh.
‘A test to identify spies.’
A living being’s reflexes fall into the realm of the unconscious—hard to fake. But if that were enough to catch the Crimson Firefly, he wouldn’t be the Union’s greatest nemesis.
Sure enough, the headmaster smiled sweetly.
“Oh, you didn’t fall for it. In fact, that was quite average.”
Of course. The very first thing spies learn is how to control their unconscious responses.
“But still…”
“!”
Her eyes narrowed into a sharp smile.
“How fascinating. People who hate the Crimson Firefly respond in an average of 1.02 seconds. Those who admire him, 1.82. But yours was right in the middle—never seen that before. Perhaps… a highly trained spy?”
Ruin’s golden eyes fixed on her.
‘Is she insane?’
What kind of logic was that for identifying demons?
But regardless, the important thing was that the headmaster suspected him. And with clear intent to kill.
Well, fair enough. Anyone would find a man wrapped head to toe in bandages suspicious. If not for the Wayne family name, security would’ve ripped them off already.
Thankfully, the concealment effect from the flowerpot was working better than expected. Even in his true form, she couldn’t detect his cursed energy.
‘So even Union leadership can’t detect me now, huh.’
It was a gamble picking an item labeled “Contaminated,” but—seeing this result, it had been the right call…
“…And what’s that plant you’re holding?”
“!”
The headmaster’s gaze turned to the ginseng pot, and Ruin’s brow furrowed.
…Don’t tell me the concealment failed?
He shot a sharp glare at the plant—no, at his superior. Get it together.
The ginseng whined.
「I am doing it right!」
As the Shadow God shouted inside his head, Ruin twitched and glanced back at the headmaster—but—
“That’s a new one. Is it an herb of some sort?”
She seemed merely curious.
Apparently, the voice could only be heard by Ruin. So he smiled.
“It’s a rare research specimen. I’m observing it by the minute. Can’t leave it unattended.”
“Oh! Such dedication. That’s exactly the kind of person we love to see at Haven.”
She extended her hand in greeting.
Ruin flinched slightly.
“If I were a spy, this would be a death sentence, wouldn’t it?”
“!”
Her eyes smiled subtly. The look of someone who firmly believed no one could escape her test. That whatever he was hiding, she’d find it out.
Sure enough, the plant murmured from the pot.
「Yikes. That hand’s radiating raw Luck. If she grabs you, you’re toast. Fourth-degree burns at least.」
But Ruin casually took her hand.
“A spy?”
The moment their hands met, the headmaster visibly flinched.
“Headmaster?”
She quickly covered it with a laugh.
“Ahaha. It’s nothing. With all the infiltrators lately, we’ve just been doing this for everyone. Apologies if it made you uncomfortable. Not that there’s anything to worry about—unless someone is a spy.”
Oh, there’s something to worry about all right. You just caught me outside the interview room.
Ruin finally released her hand. And as he did, his fingers subtly brushed across the back of hers.
A spy’s habit. He instinctively assessed the strength of his opponent.
‘So this is the level of Luck wielded by Haven’s headmaster…’
If I’d tried to break into the vault as Firefly, I’d have died on the spot.
“I must admit, I’m surprised to meet you here. I expected to see you in the interview room.”
He’d set traps and prepared specialized skills for that space. All for nothing now. Damn it.
At his comment, the headmaster looked puzzled for a moment, then smiled apologetically.
“Oh, just a minor issue came up.”
Issue?
Just then—
“Lady Charlotte!”
A group of figures in suits and capes rushed over.
From their arrogance alone, they were clearly professors. And Ruin had a bad feeling.
Sure enough, a man with a ponytail and a monocle glared at him.
“Wasn’t the interview for new professors left to us? Why is the headmaster here?”
“Oh, Professor Charlie. I told you—anyone who enters through the front gate isn’t subject to the practical test. They go straight to the interview.”
“But—but the practical test includes traps to detect demons! Skipping it is irresponsible…!”
Ah. So there were traps?
Good thing I used the front gate.
Charlie looked Ruin over with evident distaste.
‘He’s the one who passed through the front gate?’
The news had rocked all of Haven, and Charlie had thought it a mistake.
That gate was known as the “Salaryless Gate” and not a single professor had passed through it. But now—this man had?
If Ruin was officially hired, he’d receive a top-tier salary, bonuses, and half the toll fees.
‘Damn it. That means the Chairman’s going to take an interest for sure!’
Just paying the toll was enough to clear the first interview round. But the Chairman only valued those who passed through the main gate.
Every time no one passed, the professors would privately sigh in relief—’That’s what new hires should be like.’
A professor behind Charlie asked nervously:
“So… did he pass the interview?”
The headmaster gave them an unreadable look.
“It was in progress… until you interrupted.”
Hearing that, the ginseng muttered anxiously from the pot:
「She said ‘in progress.’ That means you’re not making the cut.」
But Ruin narrowed his eyes.
No.
‘In progress’ is a double-edged phrase. It could mean ‘I’m not passing him yet,’ or ‘I want to observe more’
If he had no value, she would’ve simply said no by now.
That meant things were looking up.
But they weren’t there yet. He hadn’t sealed the deal. Time to push for a favorable impression.
Charlie, however, clearly intended to sabotage him.
“Giving interview opportunities to someone with connections? That’s awfully generous.”
At the jab, Ruin looked at Charlie.
‘That face… I recognize it.’
Charlie Whiskey.
One of the few contacts in Ruins Wayne’s dismal social circle. A professor at Haven, and an old college acquaintance of Wayne.
But Ruin wasn’t concerned about this rat-faced monocle wearer.
His concern lay with the body he had stolen.
‘So he really was a nepotism hire.’
Yeah. It made sense.
‘His dossier was way too stacked for how easily he died…’
For this interview, Ruin had thoroughly investigated Ruins Wayne. His preferences, medical history, career, friends, family—even how many times he used the bathroom daily.
And after combining all that info, he’d come to a conclusion:
‘Best case: reclusive shut-in.’
Worst case—
‘An obsessive-compulsive, hypersensitive social reject.’
He sighed.
‘…How did I end up swallowing a guy like this.’
Apparently jealous of the front gate thing, Charlie started barking again.
“Imagine claiming to teach healing when you’re cursed enough to not even heal your own face. Must’ve taken a lot of pull from the Wayne family. Used their clout for your paperwork too, I bet.”
The other assistants whispered to each other.
“Why’s Professor Charlie acting up again?”
“Why do you think? He hates the Wayne family. Doesn’t want to be coworkers with one.”
When Ruin glanced over, Charlie approached him with a sneer.
“Understand this: Haven’s professors are not just teachers. We’re heroes who fight on the front lines to retrieve the Wishing Stones and eliminate the Crimson Firefly. But what would a connection hire know about that—”
Then he cracked his knuckles and—
“You even know how to fight?”
He stepped toward Ruin.
The headmaster put a hand to her forehead.
Charlie taught self-defense at Haven. Picking a fight with what he assumed was a squishy mage was overkill.
She was about to tell him to stop—when he abruptly swung a leg to sweep Ruin off his feet.
“Grrk!”
But Ruin didn’t fall. Instead, Charlie grabbed his own shin in agony.
“Ah, hkk—DAMN IT!”
The crowd sighed, assuming Ruin had been hit—until…
“…Huh?”
They blinked, stunned.
Wait. The one screaming… wasn’t Ruin?
Sure enough, professors and headmaster alike stared at Charlie in disbelief.
Especially Charlie himself, who looked utterly confused as he clutched his throbbing leg.
‘What the hell? Why didn’t he fall?’
It was like kicking a tree rooted in the ground. And the brief contact with his arm? Felt like solid stone.
Even Ruin was momentarily flustered.
‘Oops.’
The real Ruins Wayne was a recluse with no combat ability. He wouldn’t have been able to react to that attack. But carrying around that cursed ginseng had inadvertently boosted Ruin’s strength.
‘I honestly didn’t expect a professor to act so brutish.’
But now everyone looked bewildered.
Ruin looked up at the sky in thought.
‘What now?’
…Should I just fall down belatedly?
「If you damage my beautiful body, you’re on your own.」
Ugh. Then what should I do?
Ruin sighed.
No—maybe this was actually a chance to score some points?
Spies must always be cautious—but without boldness, not only would they fail their mission, they wouldn’t survive.
Ruin approached the collapsed Charlie. He reached into the man’s suit pocket and pulled out a card.
“From the looks of things, I suppose I should return the line you gave me.”
“…What?”
– Charlie Whiskey, Haven Senior Professor
– Specialty: Self-Defense
“Charlie Whiskey. Can’t even land a single technique, and you teach self-defense?”
Ruin gave a faint scoff.
“Oh. Perhaps you were the one with connections?”
Charlie’s face flushed a deep red.
