Chapter 20 - What Kind of Bastard Is This? (2)
Calon looked at Ruin like he was trying to read his mind.
Ruin just chuckled lightly.
"Forgive me. It seems the great Gloucester himself is concerned enough to offer help, but there’s really no need to worry."
Calon scoffed.
"I'm doing this for 'your' sake. In education, 'what' you teach is important—but so is 'how' you teach it. My syllabus would—"
But Ruin cut him off with a glance at the shredded syllabus in his hand, letting out a snort.
"Nothing’s more dangerous in the field than outdated tactics."
“…What?”
If he were being honest, he could turn these kids into living weapons in a month. But why would he do that for the Union?
Calon clearly didn’t like the sound of that.
"Oh? Then by all means, tell us about 'your' syllabus if you think you can do better."
As if Calon would listen. No matter what Ruin said, he’d just twist it into an excuse to kick him out.
So Ruin smiled darkly.
"My method is simple. It’s based on the ‘negativity bias’—people remember bad examples more vividly than good ones. So I use what 'not' to do as my teaching material."
“…What are you talking about?”
"For example, the time the Gloucester family got absolutely wrecked by the Firefly."
“…?!”
The professors under Calon gasped, and Calon himself looked stunned. The students and faculty all stirred at once.
“What story is that?!”
Ruin feigned innocence.
“Oh? You didn’t know? The Gloucester family already suffered a major loss to the Firefly. In fact, fifty years ago, the head of the family was 'personally tricked' into opening the gates of their fortress. Wait, don’t tell me… that was your grandfather, Professor Calon?”
Calon’s face froze. The other professors cried out in shock.
“What?!”
“Is that true?! He 'opened the gates' himself?!”
Calon turned to stare at Ruin, as if screaming, 'how the hell do you know that?!'
'The records were all destroyed…'
But the real kicker came from Calon’s own oblivious subordinates.
“Professor? Is that true?”
“You always told us the Firefly never got the better of your family!”
Ruin, utterly shameless, kept going.
“And it wasn’t just the gate. The Gloucester head even handed over a precious heirloom like a complete fool.”
“…An heirloom?!”
“A-A lie!”
“They even hosted the Firefly as a guest and sent him on his way with a full belly. Oh, just so there’s no misunderstanding—this isn’t slander. I read it in the Wayne family’s investigative logs.”
“…That can’t be…!”
Calon’s underlings were indignant, but Calon himself was shaken.
'The Wayne family… yeah, they’d definitely have that.'
Wayne wasn’t just one of the Eight Noble Houses—they had access to all records in the Union, plus their own secret investigation unit.
But still. 'Here? In front of everyone?!'
Does this guy have zero social awareness?
Calon froze. The other professors stared, wide-eyed, like they were witnessing the fall of civilization. Calon’s subordinates frantically signaled for Ruin to stop—but—
Ruin clapped his hands like he’d just remembered something important.
"Ah! Now it all makes sense."
'No, no, stop—what are you doing, you crazy bastard?!'
“I’d always wondered. Why would the Gloucester family, famous for their defensive legacy, not be teaching Defense Studies? Heroics is certainly an important subject, focused on mental resilience—but 'Defense' is one of Haven’s core disciplines.”
'We get it! Shut up already, you maniac!'
And here they were, in front of the entire Combat Division faculty!
Calon looked visibly dizzy.
But Ruin wasn’t done.
“I suppose the Headmaster knew about the incident too and thought it best to keep Gloucester at arm’s length.”
“…You—!”
Ruin cut him off with a bright smile.
“But don’t worry. Since you're trying to redeem your family name by overseeing Demon Hunting, I’ll take it from here.”
He looked at Calon like he was offering a lifeline.
“I’ll use the Gloucester family's missteps as a valuable example, so students never fall for the same tricks."
Calon gritted his teeth, fists clenched.
He wanted to grab Ruin by the collar and throw him out—but with that Wayne name, he couldn’t even lay a finger on him.
Just then, Ruin clapped Calon on the shoulder, all cheerfulness.
“Oh, and since you offered to help with my lecture—how about this? Why don’t 'you' explain firsthand how Gloucester got bamboozled by the Firefly? It’ll be 'so' educational.”
You son of a—!
Calon swore through clenched teeth.
"Why not? It wasn’t 'your' mistake, just your family’s. I mean, sure, it's a little embarrassing that a 'defense' house opened the gates themselves, but that’s the Firefly's fault, right? When will you start guest-lecturing? How about today, since you’re already here? Whatever time works best for you, Professor."
“Do whatever you want!”
Calon shoved Ruin aside and stormed toward the door.
But Ruin, looking 'oh-so-concerned', stopped him.
“Wait—don’t you want to hear my method for capturing the Firefly?”
“I don’t care—take the damn course!”
Calon fled the lecture hall, with his subordinates scrambling after him.
“Professor! Wait!”
“Please explain what’s going on!”
As they all left, Ruin's expression dropped. The smile vanished like it was never there. He calmly dusted off his hands.
Insam muttered quietly.
「You vicious bastard.」
Well, that’s what they get for trying to play games.
- - -
“You’re amazing, Professor!”
God, this was annoying.
“Attendance for Demon Hunting is off the charts!”
So damn annoying.
Ruin rubbed his temples. A few days later, TA Lili came bouncing in with the attendance sheet.
“This kind of turnout has never happened before! Usually, attendance barely hits 50%!”
That low?
So this was Haven’s so-called chronic problem.
“The other 50% just... skip? What, is their dream to end up broke and useless?”
“There are no attendance scores in Haven. That’s a rule from the Chairman. As long as you ace the exams, you're fine.”
…That definitely sounds like 'his' kind of rule. Slack-ass logic.
“The Headmaster complains about it, but the Chairman says, ‘Society doesn’t need 'reliable' people—it needs 'exceptional' ones.’”
Well, that’s the opposite of my philosophy.
Typical of that lucky bastard—letting everything fall into place for him.
“Still, this policy also helps the Chairman evaluate professors. If attendance isn’t mandatory and students still show up, it means they’re satisfied. Those professors get bonus pay.”
…Okay. That’s a good system.
“I think that story you told in class about Gloucester really worked. Students are probably hoping for more gossip about the Eight Noble Houses.”
Ruin nodded thoughtfully.
“They may be here for the wrong reasons, but heightened interest improves brain activity—it's a favorable condition.”
Though truth be told, the more students who showed up, the more Calon would stay away, so that was a nice bonus.
“So what’s the attendance rate?”
“A whopping 90%! Bonus pay is guaranteed, and you’re getting top marks on your faculty review!”
Lili was practically glowing with pride. Ruin, however, looked a bit troubled.
Bonus pay was nice and all—but Demon Hunting was a 'practical' subject.
'It means I’m supposed to evaluate each student’s skills individually…'
「But more students = more bonus money, right? Isn’t that a win?」
Ruin’s face twisted like he’d bitten into a lemon.
'That’s a reversal of priorities. Don’t forget—our goal is the retirement fund.'
「Uh, 'our'? You mean 'your' goal.」
'Tch.' Damn ginseng bastard. I should yank off one of your leafy hairs.
「Why not just stay at Haven? The money’s probably better than that retirement fund.」
I have 'pride', dammit. You think the Firefly's gonna spend his days teaching at a Hero school?
Ruin lifted his chin with dignity.
“So, about that office of mine—when will the cleaning be done?”
Lili beamed.
“Oh! Since it's right next to the Headmaster’s, we’re doing some renovations too. Figured you’d be visiting back and forth—like a lovebird… I mean, because you two might coordinate often!”
Lovebird? Back and forth?
Whatever she meant, Ruin just nodded.
'Next to the Headmaster…'
And then he froze.
'Wait—what?'
Lili giggled brightly.
“You’re so lucky! The Senior Professor’s office is right 'next' to the Headmaster’s—it’s the nicest office in all of Haven!”
“…”
Ruin’s mind raced as he visualized Haven’s floor plan.
And exactly 2.8 seconds later:
SON OF A—!
He rubbed his forehead in exasperation.
'That stupidly huge room next to the Headmaster’s office… was the Senior Professor’s suite?!'
This was like a 'demon' renting a room inside the 'Hero’s' house. A room 'next to the one person who might kill me?!'
But that wasn’t even the worst part.
'THE VAULT ISN’T EVEN IN THAT WING!'
What Ruin needed was in the rundown wing where all the junior and regular professors stayed.
The Headmaster’s wing might be luxurious enough to breathe gold dust—but it was the furthest from the vault.
Sure, it was a dream location for most professors, but for Ruin?
Completely. Useless.
“Everyone’s jealous, you know. Most professors are stuck in the farthest wing. It’s hot, muggy, and swarming with bugs in summer.”
DAMMIT! I 'need' that place!
“Can I… switch? With one of them?”
“…Excuse me?”
She looked at him like he’d grown a second head.
Insam howled with laughter.
「BAHAHAHA! I can’t take this—this is too good!」
Ruin’s eyes blazed with fury. Sure, there 'were' other ways… but they’d be riskier.
'Guess I’ll have to sneak into the professor dorms myself.'
「You’re gonna do that… from 'next door' to the Headmaster?」
…Goddamn it.
