Chapter 12 – Secure a Faculty Office (1)
This was insane.
'A faculty office is out of the question?'
Well, honestly, that part didn’t matter so much. From the start, the real Ruins Wayne had been hired as a part-time professor—there was no grounds for complaint there.
But not being allowed into the dorms either? That meant there was no way to get to the retirement fund vault!
'Should I just wipe out this damn Pride already?'
「You ‘are’ Pride, you idiot.」
'Ah, right. My mistake. To wipe out Pride, I’d have to deal with the Demon Emperor first…'
「You 'work' for the Demon Emperor.」
Ruin rubbed his brow, as if refusing to hear it. He wasn’t planning to cause trouble if he could help it—but this was a real problem now that he’d “resigned.”
'To get to the retirement fund, I have to enter the faculty building.'
Which meant he 'had' to be officially appointed as a full-time professor.
In that case, there was always the usual method.
'Let’s eliminate one of the full-time faculty.'
「…What?」
The Firefly’s eyes gleamed seriously.
'Just one won’t be enough—let’s say fifty, give or take…'
「That’ll cause a full-blown emergency and shut the whole school down, psycho.」
Ah, that’s no good. I wouldn’t be able to get inside either.
What to do, then?
'I have no choice but to use a power player.'
Just as Ruin was seriously pondering his next move—
“Oh? Mr. Ruins Wayne.”
“!”
The scent of jasmine floated in from the administrative office. As he turned his head, he saw an absolutely stunning woman dressed in a flowing white blouse with long sleeves, a lavish cravat, and a high-waisted navy skirt.
“Headmaster.”
The headmaster smiled brightly, as if pleased.
“You’re here already. You’re earlier than expected.”
As she stepped in, the aides quickly brought over a contract and guided the two of them to a seat. Tea was soon served.
Ruin narrowed his eyes slightly at the strong aroma rising from the Wedgwood teacup. The blend was a mix of citrus, but there was an unmistakable note of lavender.
'Thorough, aren’t we?'
It was lavender… but just a little off.
'Seasonmug. A herb used to completely relax the body and mind.'
Maybe it was a form of Haven’s consideration, meant to help nervous new hires relax—but…
'More likely she’s trying to loosen me up and let my mana leak out.'
Most spies conceal their cursed energy before entering. But once relaxed, that cursed energy could leak out—just like exhaling. A common mistake among greenhorns.
But Ruin wasn’t some amateur. He calmly took a sip of the tea.
The headmaster tilted her head slightly as she observed him. Apparently not the reaction she’d been expecting. Then she smoothly slid something toward him.
“The meeting regarding your rank took longer than expected.”
Rank?
Ruin’s eyes gleamed.
'Could it be a full-time position? Full-time?!'
“In the meantime, would you mind reviewing the contract?”
Playing coy, are we?
But Ruin clasped his hands, unmoved. In the world of espionage, a “delay in decision” was never a bad thing. If the result wasn’t finalized yet, it meant it could still be 'influenced'.
A skilled spy could always flip the outcome. So, pretending to peruse the contract, Ruin subtly brushed the corner of the scroll with his pinky.
Activating the Shadow race trait—【Shadow King’s Vision】.
Immediately, the structure of the contract unfolded inside Ruin’s mind. And he smirked.
'This woman.'
He’d suspected she was playing cute, but no—this was the real game.
'A trap spell embedded in the contract.'
【Trap in the Text】
A spell that triggered a confession effect upon reading specific text. In short, if Ruin read the contract normally, he’d find himself 'confessing without realizing it'.
A nasty little trick.
Clearly she was banking on him letting his guard down after passing the interview.
'A final test, huh?'
The good news was, only 'certain' characters were enchanted. A trap this subtle couldn’t be spread across the whole document—too risky that the reader would notice.
'She probably rigged just one word or phrase as the trigger.'
Which meant he only had to avoid reading that word.
The ginseng in the flowerpot gave an exasperated sigh.
「Out of all those words, how the hell are you supposed to know which one’s the trigger?!」
'Fair point.'
And judging from the headmaster’s smile, she 'fully' intended to make him read it.
“Please check the salary listed as well. Let me know if there’s anything that doesn’t meet your expectations.”
“There isn’t.”
Ruin’s prompt reply made the Shadow God exclaim.
「Oh! So that’s the trick! Don’t read it at all! Just pretend to—」
“But I’d like clause 3, section 7 regarding departmental designation, clause 5, section 2 regarding on-campus activity reports, and clause 9, section 1 on emergency responses amended. The wording and dates are a bit off.”
「'YOU READ IT?!'」
And when did he read all that?!
The headmaster’s eyes narrowed, as if she’d been waiting for this moment.
“One last question, if I may?”
A question? A misstep here and he’d be cut.
“Of course.”
“Mr. Wayne—why did you apply to this school?”
Ah. So that’s how it’s going to be?
The Shadow God muttered nervously:
「You sure about this? What if you accidentally confess?」
'I’m fine. I already figured out where the spell is.'
「You figured it out?!」
Ruin’s eyes narrowed.
The answer was simple.
If you had to rig 'one word' to be a trigger—where would you put it?
No need to think.
'You’d put it where the reader is guaranteed to look.'
But humans have all sorts of reading habits. Some read contracts carefully. Some skim. Some fake it altogether. Which means it’s tricky to pick a word that’ll 'definitely' be seen.
However, there’s 'one section' everyone checks, no matter what.
'The salary.'
Exactly. Even people who couldn’t be bothered to read the whole thing always checked how much they were getting paid. Only a fool wouldn’t.
Even a spy might sneak a glance out of curiosity. That’s why Ruin—'deliberately'—had not checked the salary line.
And with a serene smile, he answered.
“I applied to this school to capture the Firefly.”
“!”
The headmaster blinked, clearly caught off guard.
“The Firefly?”
“Yes. There’s no place more earnest or capable than Haven when it comes to pursuing the Firefly.”
Just look at all those goddamn posters. Obsessive bastards.
“I want to work at Haven precisely because of that dedication. I apologize if this sounds bold—but I truly want to capture the Firefly.”
「…This guy.」
'Shut it before I stuff you back in the toilet.'
The headmaster was momentarily at a loss for words. Honestly, she 'had' suspected Ruin of being a spy. For obvious reasons.
'Ruins Wayne applying through the front gate?'
He was infamous even in high society as someone abandoned by the gods. Just one look at that face was enough to disqualify him from having any significant Luck.
He was a coward. Known as a walking misfortune.
Of course she thought he’d come through the side entrance. The Waynes were wealthy enough that the toll fee would’ve been pocket change.
'But the front gate…'
She naturally assumed a spy had pulled some trick to bypass the demon detectors. She’d planned to arrest him and extract the method used.
But he passed her interview. And now this…
'Could he really be the real deal?'
Caught in that dazed thought, she didn’t notice Ruin speak.
“Headmaster?”
“Ah!”
She quickly sat up straight, mildly flustered. Still, she couldn’t hide her lingering disbelief.
“My apologies. I just wonder if the ‘compensation’ we offer would be sufficient for someone with such ambition. Would it be… acceptable to you?”
Ruin smiled inwardly.
'So it really was the salary line.'
Why else ask such a question—clearly meant to 'nudge' him into checking the numbers? That’s where the confession magic was.
Now the only question was how absurd they’d made the figure.
'No way they wrote ‘zero’, right?'
Actually, if they wanted to bait someone, they might’ve written something even more ridiculous.
So Ruin responded.
“To be honest, I wouldn’t mind working unpaid. Haven is worth that much. I only want to teach the students—so that they can catch the Firefly.”
「Pfft!」
You want to die, ginseng-head?
Not that it was a lie. No matter what they paid him, it wouldn’t amount to a fraction of the retirement fund.
'Still… was that the right answer?'
The ginseng was snorting for some reason after checking the salary—probably saw something—but it seemed like a decent answer.
Would’ve been nice if this dumb superior of his said something useful once in a while, but Pride gods were notoriously bad at communication. Might be some kind of “hands-off” policy among the higher-tier deities.
「Heh. Interesting. Keep going.」
Figures.
Ruin clicked his tongue, but he’d always worked alone anyway. Judging by the headmaster’s face, it 'was' the right move.
She looked truly impressed.
“I didn’t expect you to say that. Haven is honored.”
Then she said something unexpected.
“Then I’ll offer you a contract as an Associate Professor. Would that be acceptable?”
“!”
Ruin’s eyes widened.
'Associate Professor!'
'That’s a major upgrade!'
Originally, “Ruins Wayne” had only been hired as a non-tenured lecturer—a part-timer with no stability.
'And even that course was about to be discontinued.'
Considering how most professors started as adjuncts, this was huge.
It was clearly due to his response just now. Proof? The headmaster personally wrote “Associate Professor” into the blank on the contract.
“And since you entered through the front gate, we’ll be honoring our agreement and awarding you half of the accumulated toll fees. Along with a bonus. Your total salary will be equivalent to that of a full professor.”
The aides gasped in admiration. A full professor’s pay—without the workload or responsibilities? What a sweet deal!
But what mattered most to Ruin was—
“And the faculty office…?”
“Ah, unfortunately, there are no Associate Professor offices available at the moment. I hope it’s okay to wait a bit?”
Ruin quietly furrowed his brow.
'No! The faculty office is the entire point!'
The plan worked, but the reward was off!
'What do I do? How do I get an office immediately…?'
…Nothing!
There were '1,323 ways' to obtain a faculty office, but 'not a single one' would work 'immediately'! The Firefly’s expression briefly twisted in frustration.
The ginseng snickered.
「So we’re back to ‘missing persons,’ huh? Just kidnap a professor for a year?」
Damn it! I didn’t want to fight unless absolutely necessary!
Just as Ruin began looking for alternatives—
“Ruins Wayne is being made an Associate Professor?”
“!”
A stranger stepped into the office. Early to mid-thirties. Straight seaweed-like hair. A cold, extremely irritable face.
The aides froze up like they were bracing for a massacre.
“A sudden promotion for a new hire?”
“Professor Calon.”
Calon?
He’d heard the name.
This wasn’t some run-of-the-mill hero like the others he’d met.
'A top-tier hero.'
Same level as the headmaster—a senior professor and one of Haven’s pillars.
“Associate Professors have different class responsibilities. Wasn’t Ruins Wayne just a filler candidate?”
Ruin scowled.
…Do people usually say that 'in front of the person in question'?
“Putting someone unverified in that position? The other professors will object.”
“Then why not try entering through the front gate, Professor Calon? I’m sure the Chairman would be pleased. Oh. Whoops—too late. You already failed, didn’t you?”
A cold tension swept the room. The aides shut their eyes tight.
The atmosphere reeked of long-standing animosity. Ruin raised an eyebrow.
'Top-tier heroes butting heads, huh?'
He didn’t know the reason, but the politics here were getting 'real' bloody.
Then Calon let out a dry chuckle.
“Indeed, Professor Wayne doesn’t seem to match his file. Perhaps beyond our ability to judge.”
The aides quietly exhaled in relief. Looked like disaster had been averted—
“In that case, why not let the students decide? Assign Professor Wayne to Haven’s most prestigious course—'Demon Hunting Studies'.”
…What?
'You want me to teach what?'
“He seems to want a faculty office. That course has one vacant, doesn’t it?”
“But that course is usually reserved for tenured professors—!”
Calon replied coldly.
“If he’s qualified to start at Associate Professor, surely he can handle an advanced course.”
The aides froze up.
But the headmaster just smiled, amused.
“Demon Hunting Studies. Yes, it’s been vacant for too long. It’s one of Haven’s most prized courses.”
For all that praise, the aides looked increasingly pale.
“B-but still… Demon Hunting Studies is…”
Ruin tilted his head.
'Demon Hunting Studies?'
It sounded like a general education subject, but clearly it was in a league of its own. Plus—it 'came with an office.' That made it a must-have!
“A number of professors have already been driven out from that position.”
Ruin understood immediately. This was Haven. Judging by the headlines and the headmaster’s earlier behavior, he could guess the reason.
“They were outed as spies?”
“No. The students drove them out.”
…What?
And of course, the air shifted ominously.
The aides whispered nervously.
“Isn’t this going too far? Trying to drive out the new guy on his first day?”
“Right? This is just them pushing him out.”
The headmaster smiled sweetly.
“Haven has many outstanding students. They’ve all been exceptional in recent years—and this year is especially filled with prodigies. They’ve grown so capable that even the professors are starting to feel threatened. Hence, the hazing.”
'Hazing?'
“They say they don’t need professors who are weaker than them. Professors who can’t even catch the Firefly have no business staying.”
Oh? Astute little fledglings, aren’t they?
Impressive sense of danger for a bunch of chicks…
“They even claim they’ll catch the Firefly themselves.”
「Pfft. Forget the Hero—you’re gonna get taken down by preschoolers?」
“……”
'They want to catch me?'
A crooked smile spread between Ruin’s teeth.
“Fine. I’ll teach Demon Hunting Studies.”
