Chapter 17 – Wait, Wasn’t This Supposed to Fail?
All of Haven was in an uproar.
“Head professor?!”
“For a 'new hire'?!”
What kind of nonsense was this?
The professors collectively felt like they'd been struck by lightning. So shocked were they that they rushed straight from the headmaster’s office to the Demon Hunting department office.
Thanks to their near-siege behavior, the TAs were drenched in nervous sweat.
“Are you 'sure' the headmaster said that?”
“Yes. She said that, since the students 'didn’t' reject the class for once… we should accept the new hire as the Demon Hunting professor.”
“But why give him the 'head professor' seat?!”
“Well—she said since Demon Hunting professors have always 'also' held the head position, there’s nothing strange about it…”
The professors were left speechless.
That 'technically' wasn’t wrong, but—!
“She said it with a smile, though! So maybe she was joking…”
“Even if it was a joke, that’s too much…”
It sounded suspiciously like, “If you have a problem with it, maybe you should’ve been brave enough to fight the students like Professor Wayne did.”
“Don’t worry. Officially, he’s only the Demon Hunting professor. He hasn’t 'been named' head professor yet…”
“And that’s exactly what the problem is!”
The professors’ protests made the TAs flinch.
And for good reason.
'The Demon Hunting professorship is practically the face of the entire Haven faculty.'
'If we do nothing, he really might become head professor.'
And really, there was one person who set all this in motion to begin with. If they could just get the students to withdraw their approval, the department could take back the position.
Sure enough—
“You think those students accepted him so easily? Come on.”
“I 'know' those kids. They're definitely planning some kind of revenge—”
“Actually, they’re writing apology letters.”
…What?
Three words no one ever expected.
“'They’re writing apologies?!' 'Them?!'”
The same spoiled brats who thought “apology” was just a juice flavor?
And not just any brats—
“Weren’t today’s students from the 'Gold Moon'?”
“Yes. They’re all nobles. The kind that treat professors like hired help…”
What on earth happened up on that rooftop for those insufferable kids to be 'writing apologies'?
Naturally, suspicion filled the room.
“Wait, are they even 'real' apologies?”
“Well… I picked one out of the trash, and it says—‘I’m not ready to return to the earth just yet.’”
…'Return to the earth?'
Did he turn into something with transformation magic up there?
“…‘The sight the professor showed us today… I’ll carry it with me even in death.’”
'What the hell did he transform into to scare them like that?!'
Did he do something even 'beyond' what a transformation specialist could do?
Was he really 'that' skilled?
But that wasn’t the point.
“He’s unverified and brand new! You can’t just make him the head professor! That title’s not just for show!”
There was a reason Haven was the most coveted post for every scholar.
“That’s the position of top aide to the General—the Hero himself! Practically the commander-in-chief!”
“Let’s calm down. It’s not 'official' yet.”
Then someone else chimed in.
“…Honestly? I wouldn’t mind. The Demon Hunting post 'is' that important. Plus, I was thrilled he took down that hall monitor.”
“That’s beside the point! The title of head professor isn’t just handed out like candy! Do you think the board of directors will allow it?!”
“Well, the board’s not even 'here' right now, thank goodness.”
The Hero and the rest of the directors—commanders of land, sea, and air—were almost never present at Haven.
'They’re all busy chasing the Firefly,' or so the rumor went.
Every time they visited, they’d ask if anyone exceptional had made it through the main gate—and now someone had.
“Even if head professor’s a stretch, he’s already confirmed as department chair.”
That single line made all the professors groan and grab their heads.
Even department chair was a heavy role. It was shocking enough he was hired as an 'associate professor' straight away—but 'chair'?
Department chairs were the backbone of Haven’s faculty.
“Man… this is gonna sting for Professor Kallon.”
“He was the one who assigned Wayne to Demon Hunting, right?”
“Didn’t he have his eyes on that seat for 'years'?”
“Oof…”
Sighs echoed throughout the room.
- - -
“Were you threatened by Ruins Wayne?”
The Gold Moon students were flustered.
Sure, they expected the professors to blow up—but they didn’t think 'Professor Kallon' himself would show up.
They were eating in the dining hall when he arrived, and half of them nearly choked.
And this wasn’t just 'any' professor. Kallon was the student affairs chair—infamous for his merciless punishments.
With his ice-cold face and tyrannical personality, he could literally strip a student’s abilities as punishment. The only reason he didn’t this time was because the 'royal heir' had been the instigator. If it had been any other student, they’d be fertilizer by now.
“Just tell me the truth.”
But under Kallon’s questioning, the third-years—including their student leader—only stared blankly.
The other professors were visibly frustrated.
'There’s no way the student leader folded that easily…'
There were six class leaders at Haven—each one the top student of their grade. That someone like him had been brought to heel… they couldn’t help but wonder how Wayne had pulled it off.
“Did Ruins Wayne use his noble house to threaten you?”
The class leader 'was' a noble, but far below the rank of House Wayne. Maybe he’d been scared by the name?
“If your tiny little house was coerced—”
Noah’s expression was one of pure disgust.
'House threats? Please.'
That wouldn’t have scared him half as much.
In fact, just thinking about Ruins Wayne made him shudder. Sure, the spell had been broken, but the 'real' reason he didn’t retaliate was something else.
'The man looked ready to turn us into potted plants.'
Noah could never forget Wayne carefully packing away the flowerpot after class. He’d asked about it, half-joking:
“Professor? What kind of plant is that?”
“It’s ginseng.”
Ginseng?
…Human ginseng?
Wait. Human?
'…Don’t tell me that’s a person?!'
Honestly, it 'did' look kind of human.
“Hey, it just moved!”
And when it started squirming, as if pleased by the attention, they’d all recoiled in horror.
But the kicker was when Wayne, calmly stuffing it back into the pot, muttered—
“You should return to your original form.”
—'Cold as ice'.
Of course they were terrified.
'That freak… did he turn someone into a plant?!'
No, wait. He’s a healing arts professor, right?
Maybe it’s a cursed patient, or there’s some tragic backstory…
“If you leave this pot, you’ll be chopped up for medicine.”
…Never mind.
He was planning to 'turn it into medicine.'
The students trembled for entirely new reasons.
'Forget about noble houses—this is way beyond that.'
'He’s making medicine out of people…'
No way someone could do something that crazy and still act normal, right?
But this guy had already 'made students jump off a roof'.
Totally plausible.
'You know what they say—just avoid the crazies.'
'Even the other professors should steer clear of this lunatic.'
But of course, some clueless professors still tried to be kind.
“We just want to help you.”
“If the new professor hurt you, just tell us. We’ll take care of him.”
In response, the third-years looked at them like they were garbage.
Where was this kindness when 'they' needed it?
“We have nothing to say.”
And with that, they bolted back to their lunch.
The professors turned to Kallon, who muttered coldly:
“Prepare the official professor trial.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And notify the Princess.”
That made the TA flinch.
A test was one thing—but contact 'the instigator'?
“But, sir—the spell was definitely broken. And if there’s no marker, we can’t touch him…”
“You believe that nonsense? There’s no way the Princess’s marker didn’t activate.”
It was the most unsolvable problem the faculty had ever faced.
---
Meanwhile, ginseng cackled gleefully.
“Ha! You cause one disaster the moment I’m gone!”
“……”
“And you demanded they pay '100 times' the cost of your outfit? What about your retirement plan, huh?! Control your temper! Bwahaha!”
“Please. Be quiet.”
Seated in the faculty lounge, Ruin rubbed his temples.
“What’s the big deal? Haven already paid you the toll upfront.”
“It’s useless if I can’t get a professor’s office.”
Besides…
“The toll? I already spent most of it on scholarships. The half I have left won’t even be worth much.”
Ginseng nodded, skimming through the contract and attached check.
“True. The toll is just a pitiful amount—wait, what?!”
He suddenly looked stunned.
Ruin clicked his tongue. 'Now what’s with this guy?'
“I’m not buying you booze. I don’t even have—”
But when he looked at the check, he froze.
“You 'sure' you can’t afford it?”
…Holy crap.
'How rich is this damn school?'
They said most of it was gone—but 'this' is what “mostly spent” looks like?
“Why don’t you just stick with Haven, huh?”
Ruin massaged his temples again.
“I admit, the amount is impressive. But this still won’t cover my debt. Maybe just scratch off some interest.”
“Who said anything about paying off your debt? Once you cash out your retirement fund, this money’ll all be yours!”
'…Huh. That’s not a bad idea.'
Which is why Ruin found himself increasingly conflicted.
He needed to access the vault—but he’d messed up his class so badly that getting an office seemed out of reach.
'All because I lost my cool at some bratty comments…'
Should he try another entrance?
“Pfft. What, the classified military route?”
At Ginseng’s comment, Ruin groaned.
'Yeah, fair.'
That path was riddled with traps—this building’s specialty.
The place had once been a shrine, after all, so who knew what kind of protections it had. Going alone would be dangerous.
Which meant—he still couldn’t access the vault.
Just then—
“Professor?”
Two female TAs peeked into the lounge. Ruin frowned.
“What.”
“Um, there have been requests to upload your syllabus for Demon Hunting.”
“Syllabus?”
He blinked.
“They want me to 'continue' the class?”
Whatever they thought he meant, the TAs paled and waved their hands in a panic.
“We’ve had tons of inquiries! Asking what textbooks Professor Wayne uses!”
“So… they 'want' me to teach again?”
“P-please, sir! We even got messages asking if you’d published any books on the subject! We’re begging you! Every TA in the department nearly had a heart attack!”
While the TAs panicked, Ruin looked more focused than ever.
“So you’re saying… I’ll be 'keeping' the course?”
The TAs shut their eyes tightly under his harsh tone.
“Yes! We’re sorry! But sir, no one else is qualified to teach that class!”
“Please!”
“You’re the only professor who’s ever gotten those students to sit down!”
As desperate as they were, Ruin felt the clouds parting in his mind.
So what this meant was…
He 'could' still get a professor’s office.
This wasn’t a failure.
He’d still be able to reach the vault.
Sure, he was curious why those students suddenly wanted back in—but who cared?
'Finally. A path to my retirement fund…!'
“Um, professor…”
What 'now'?!
Why did everyone in this goddamn Union have to play hard to get?
The TAs hesitated.
“Uh, it’s just…”
“Make it quick.”
Ruin’s glare made them flinch.
“S-sorry! We just… You broke the Princess’s spell, right? Are you okay?”
“She said that if there was any trouble, we had to eliminate the threat immediately…”
“…Ah.”
By “trouble,” they must mean 'the marker.'
So the culprit was the Princess, huh?
“If that’s what you mean, there’s no need to worry.”
“B-but that’s not possible…”
Ruin sighed and held out his arm.
“Check it yourself.”
Gratefully, the TAs began scanning his body for any traces of magic.
But the longer they looked, the more puzzled they became.
“I don’t sense a thing. How is that possible?”
“Professor, I’m sorry, but could you remove your shirt?”
“….”
'All this for a damn vault.'
Now half-naked, Ruin stared blankly at the ceiling of the lounge.
Moments later, one TA exclaimed in shock.
“W-wow… Professor, you’re in amazing shape— I mean—no marker?!”
“Told you.”
Ruin exhaled.
“See for yourself. There’s nothing.”
“…Can we check the lower half too?”
“……”
Thwack!
Ruin bonked the TA on the head.
