Chapter 26 – Unmask or Die (1)
“So, what kind of student is the princess?”
When Ruin showed interest in the princess, his assistant responded cautiously.
“She might try to harm you, Professor.”
Ruin perked up. That sounded like something worth knowing.
“What do you mean?”
Why would a student try to hurt a professor?
“All the royal heirs are currently gathered at Haven, and historically, the First Prince has always taken the Senior Professor as his personal tutor.”
Ah. So, the princess would be trying to undercut her brother, who’s also a contender for the throne.
He’d heard about that. The royal family of their enemy nation—the Union—was locked in a fierce succession war. Each heir was scrambling to secure the best “advisors” on their side.
‘Yeah, Pride always gets busy during succession seasons.’
Ruin himself had pulled off a historic covert op decades ago—swaying an emperor’s heart and replacing the heir apparent. It had been a hell of a job.
No wonder his eyes glinted.
‘If I hadn’t gotten a double bonus for that, I’d have quit on the spot.’
「Forget the bonus. The fact that you even pulled it off is what’s crazy.」
And apparently, the heir he’d backed ended up being a successful emperor too.
Of course, Ruin hadn’t expected this generation’s heirs to all be attending Haven.
“Well, I’m not the Senior Professor, so this has nothing to do with me.”
“No, sir. You put Professor Charlie in the infirmary—word’s probably reached them already.”
…Charlie, huh. Guess he was kind of a big deal.
「Didn’t you know? That guy’s strong. The fact you beat him just means you’re ridiculously strong.」
Tch. I’ve been drawing more attention than I wanted—all for a damn retirement fund.
Lili spoke again, clearly worried.
“And lately, we haven’t had any new high-grade heroes, which makes it worse.”
Ah. Since Haven was a hero-training institution, its track record mattered.
“I mean, what the Chairman and Headmaster really want are special-grade heroes, of course.”
Only the Hero and Headmaster counted as special-grade.
‘That’s basically like SS-rank, right?’
Ruin snorted.
“Special-grade? Even among veteran heroes, that’s nearly impossible. If a student makes it to high-grade, that’s already impressive.”
And it was true. Even outside of school, high-grade heroes were considered invincible on the battlefield.
“But the Firefly is special-grade!”
Please. Just leave that guy alone.
Ruin sighed and poured himself a cup of coffee.
“Even a special-grade professor can’t guarantee producing one.”
“But you could, Professor.”
“You kidding me?”
Ruin looked away from Lili’s sparkling, hopeful eyes.
‘Not my problem, but I’m sure it’s a top priority for Pride.’
“In any case, be careful of the princess. She won’t take kindly to someone who broke her spell.”
“Oh, right. She’s looking for the mark, isn’t she?”
“Yes, though I doubt even she could unwrap the bandages of a Wayne.”
Clearly, Lili assumed the princess’s crest was on Ruin’s face.
Actually, all the professors thought that. That was the evidence the mark had been broken.
So, the ones who didn’t like Ruin had gone tattling to the princess.
‘But I never had one in the first place.’
Ruin sipped his milk tea leisurely.
- - -
Princess Karin Winberg was not in a good mood. She’d heard a baffling report while out on assignment.
“Your Highness. A new Demon Hunting professor has been appointed.”
“The one who won’t even last a week? You don’t need to tell me every time…”
“No, this one’s the real deal! He broke your spell and subdued all of the third-year Gold Moon students!”
What? He broke that spell?
“Pfft. Instead of reflecting on themselves, they’re just punishing the students? I bet they finally hired a royal court magician.”
“N-no! They say he broke it without assistance!”
What? He broke it solo?
A dry laugh escaped the princess.
“Either he’s stupid or ridiculously bold. If that’s true, then he should have the mark on him. He’s guilty of royal defamation. Have him executed—”
“Ah! No mark was found!”
What?! How is that even possible?
That mark was exactly why the Headmaster and Chairman had to turn a blind eye!
“They say he even punished the students on the rooftop. The Gold Moon students are terrified of him now…”
The princess’s frosty gaze turned glacial.
So that’s it. He must’ve threatened the kids and forced them to reveal how to undo it. There’s no way he broke it with sheer skill.
“I’m suspending my assignment. I’m returning to Haven.”
“Your Highness?!”
So the princess came back to Haven. Her goal: to confirm what kind of threats Ruin had used.
She went to find the third-year Gold Moon students who had been appointed as the “gatekeepers”—and was met with a bizarre scene.
“Hup!”
“Yah!”
“Hyaah!”
“…?”
Students were hanging from trees like gymnasts, trying to snatch something—
“Haaaah!”
Others were tunneling through the dirt like moles—
“Yah!”
Some were casting fishing rods into empty air like lunatics.
It was so absurd that soldiers, generals, even civilians couldn’t help but stare.
‘…What the hell is going on here?’
Worse, they were all the highborn third-years from Gold Moon—noble students who didn’t know the meaning of an all-nighter. Now they were disheveled, red-eyed, and muttering curses.
“Is that professor insane?!”
“How many kinds of magic does he have?!”
“Wasn’t he supposed to be a healing major?!”
“They say he doesn’t even have a title!”
Yes. They were desperately trying to unmask Ruin—because of his “expulsion order.”
They had stalked him relentlessly—during lectures, commutes, mealtimes, even bathroom breaks.
But—
“You dimwits show zero learning capacity.”
“Gah!”
They got wrecked instead.
And that wasn’t the end.
“Wh-who the hell brought that thing here?!”
Slosh!
Some lunatic had used a levitation spell to bring a water tank the size of a rooftop into the area—and tried to dump it on him—
“What a spectacular waste of mana.”
THWACK!
“Kyaaaaah!”
Only to get kicked off the mountainside by Ruin, who hadn’t even looked up from his book.
“You think you can catch the Firefly with garbage like this?”
“Prof—gyaah!”
Without pause, he flipped a page of “Healing: The Painful Methods” and said:
“Let me teach you something. If the caster loses focus, levitation spells become useless. The larger the object, the harder it is to maintain.”
“Professor, please! Kyaaaaah!”
“Which is why levitation is best used on small items.”
“We’re gonna fall! It’s a cliff! Help us!”
“Climb up yourselves, you idiots.”
“Kyaaaaaa!”
Ruin ignored the falling students and walked on.
Infuriated, they even hired upperclassmen from the assassination squad.
They bombarded him with enough magical tools to shred clothing into dust—
“Even the finest weapon is useless in a fool’s hands.”
“…Huh?! It was an illusion?!”
WHAM!
Those students got their heads slammed into the ground and were hospitalized for a month.
Ruin dusted off his jacket with a look of disgust.
“They act like my clothes are disposable.”
He was more upset about his suit than the ambush.
Still pristine, he walked on, flipping through a healing textbook.
All the students could do was watch in despair. Did the Union even have another professor like this?
The worst part was…
‘We actually want to learn from him—why the hell is every class just another round of hide-and-seek?!’
Even the highest-scoring students had formed a nine-man task force and dug elaborate traps. They’d finally managed to remove one of the bandages, only to find—
“Another layer! How many does he have?!”
“…I’ve gotten through five.”
“…Only five? I’ve removed eighteen.”
“……”
Is he even human?!
The third-year Gold Moon students were losing their minds. They’d abandoned other classes and assignments just to chase this one professor.
And how could they not?
“If the three ringleaders fail to see my face, all of third-year Gold Moon gets expelled. I’ll allow teamwork, though.”
“Damn it! At this rate, we are getting expelled!”
“This is all your fault!”
“We’re doomed—wait, Princess?!”
The princess, who had just arrived, narrowed her eyes in disbelief.
Expulsion?
So not only did he force them to undo the spell—now he was threatening them with expulsion?
The Gold Moon students rushed up to the silver-haired beauty.
“Your Highness! You’re back from your mission?”
“Where’s the Demon Hunting professor?”
“He hasn’t shown up yet—ah! The Hound!”
They recoiled in fear.
The Hound, cloaked in red, was a royal executioner who answered only to the Crown. His main job? Purges.
Why the hell would he be here…?
‘They’re here to eliminate Professor Ruin!’
Just then, sharp footsteps echoed off the marble floors.
“I didn’t hear any reports of a fourth-year returning from an assignment already.”
“!”
Everyone froze. Their heads turned slowly—
That uniquely arrogant tone. Polite on the surface, but absolutely infuriating.
And there he was.
Professor Ruin, looking at the princess with a faint smile.
“Ah, my apologies. I should’ve treated you like a senior, given you’re taking upper-year courses as a skipped-year student. But I assumed you’d run off again, like on your last assignment.”
Professor, please!
Lili stood by, her soul half gone. This was the kind of thing only someone from House Wayne could get away with.
The Hound tried to step in, but the princess held him back, eyeing Ruin with disbelief.
‘This is the professor?’
Black suit, black shirt, black gloves, black coat. A glimmering tie pin for contrast. He looked like a walking crow.
Tall and imposing, but that air of menace probably came from the bandages. He didn’t look like much at a glance.
And this was the man who broke her spell?
Her brow furrowed.
“Professor Wayne, I’d like a moment of your time.”
“Unfortunately, I have class right after this. You’ll need to schedule an appointment. The earliest available is in about a month.”
…Was this man mocking her?
“Just a few minutes will do.”
“Are you suggesting a royal interferes with the educational rights of her fellow students? How undignified.”
Lili let out another internal scream.
Professor! That’s the princess!
The princess, too, gave a dry laugh.
So that’s it. He was being provocative on purpose—trying to keep her at arm’s length so she wouldn’t get close enough to see the mark.
Her expression sharpened.
“If it won’t interfere with your class, then just a short moment.”
Ruin sighed and pulled out his pocket watch.
“I’ll give you five minutes.”
What?! Five minutes?!
The princess faltered.
“…I believe your class starts in thirty minutes?”
“Three.”
…You bastard, that’s not even enough time for tea.
She restrained herself from rubbing her temple.
“Ten minutes would be—”
“One.”
“……”
Trying to negotiate only made the window shrink further. She quickly got a sense of this man’s personality.
“Fine. Five minutes.”
“I’m timing it.”
Click. Ruin shut the lid of the watch.
Lili looked at him like he’d lost his mind, but Ruin didn’t care.
He turned and strode into the lecture hall. The princess followed behind—and the students lost it.
“What the heck?”
“He’s really talking to the princess?”
Of course they were losing their minds. This was the man who broke the princess’s spell and stole the Senior Professor’s seat.
“It’s the showdown between two ringleaders!”
Not even the Headmaster or Chairman could touch either of them.
And Gold Moon?
The dormitory of bloodlines descended from great monarchs. Home of future rulers and the Union’s most powerful heirs.
The princess was a famous “transcendence candidate” in Haven.
And she brought the Hound? She’d clearly come prepared.
‘We have to see this.’
Students tried to sneak after them to eavesdrop—only for a fountain pen to come flying through the air.
CRACK!
“Gyaaah!”
It embedded itself in the wall—right next to a student’s ear. Ruin had thrown it without even looking back.
“Holy crap! Does he have eyes in the back of his head?!”
“He threw that like it was nothing!”
Is Professor Ruin actually okay?
“What if the princess marks him?!”
“He’s finally gonna get caught!”
All the professors’ eyes were locked on the Demon Hunting lecture hall in anticipation.