Chapter 226 – Professor (2)

With a hardened face, Saki walked down the hallway wrapped in the darkness of evening. The November air was cold. Even though they were indoors, her breath came out in a visible white mist.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Her footsteps struck the tiles heavily. Speedweapon reached out a hand.

“Wait, Saki…! Where are you going in such a rush?”

“Don’t you think we should tell Geom-Ma?”

“B-but we’re not even sure yet…”

“If you really care about Geom-Ma, you should tell him even if it’s not certain.”

“And if what you’re saying is true… do you think senior Ha-na is just some ordinary person? You know too, don’t you? Meain Poison, the one they called ‘Power of Ten Thousand’.”

Saki frowned.

‘Now everything makes sense.’

That time she interrogated San Ha-na using the list of faculty members, Saki had ended up completely humiliated.

Even she had to admit that, at the time, she acted recklessly.

She had been too worked up, and her words were impulsive.

Thankfully, there were no witnesses—otherwise, it would’ve been a disaster. Ever since, she had tried to avoid making hasty judgments.

She kept her suspicions toward others to herself. Even so, the doubt never disappeared.

‘San Ha-na.’

Her first impression was someone tasteless and odorless.

Her speech, her grades, her behavior—nothing stood out, for better or worse. Everything was in perfect balance. And that made Saki uncomfortable.

How could anyone, let alone a teenager, maintain such a consistent demeanor without a single crack?

‘It just doesn’t make sense.’

Saki changed her thinking. Maybe it wasn’t an act.

Maybe senior Ha-na’s mind was already like a plant’s.

Among people with deeply twisted psyches, there were those who discarded their emotions like trash.

‘I’ve seen someone like that up close…’

Saki Kojima, the Absolute Archer.

He too had a heart as dry as cracked earth.

The bad feeling she had about San Ha-na stemmed from that experience.

Not just anyone could reach that level. Being able to sever all emotion required an almost divine state—something reserved only for high-ranking heroes.

The so-called awakened heroes.

The closer one got to the Awakening of a Gift, the more godlike they became.

And gods demanded emotion in exchange for power.

‘Doesn’t matter if senior Ha-na used to be the ex-director or not.’

What mattered was that Saki saw in her the reflection of someone with an inhuman mind.

That alone made her a high-level threat. She had to be kept away from Kang Geom-Ma. No contact, period.

‘And it’s not just her.’

The Heavenly Class, opening in three days under Geom-Ma’s initiative. Saki still wasn’t on board with the whole idea.

Still, she didn’t want to stir things up, so she kept her objections quiet.

But now there was partial proof that senior Ha-na wasn’t what she appeared to be.

‘Even if the only testimony is from Speedweapon.’

After reviewing each event, Saki’s eyes gleamed with conviction.

‘She approached Geom-Ma while hiding her true identity.’

Her old paranoia started to resurface.

She’d kept it under control for a while, but now it was reignited.

‘At this point, I can’t even trust Abel or Rachel.’

That’s why she had to be right next to Kang Geom-Ma.

The dark red spark of her obsession flickered again, born from her childish sense of lack.

‘I’m not going to let those worthless women get near him like it’s nothing.’

Her sky-blue pupils spun like turbulent spirals.

Speedweapon, following behind, felt a chill run down his back.

Even someone as oblivious as him could tell that Saki’s steps weren’t normal.

“W-Wait, wait!”

Panting, Speedweapon managed to get ahead and block her path. His gasping breath broke up his sentences.

“Haa… haa… let’s be rational, okay? It’s crazy to say that senior Ha-na is Meain Poison. They don’t even look alike, and she’s shorter than the director.”

He paused. Sweat dripped as his eyes darted around. Saki looked sideways at him and sighed.

“What, are you going to say her body’s not the same as the director’s either?”

“…Ugh.”

Like he’d been stabbed, Speedweapon clutched his chest.

The guilt burned inside.
Despite his sleazy appearance, he actually hated judging people by looks.

Saki took a deep breath. The cold early-winter air cleared her mind. Once calm, she answered.

“Do you even know what kind of family the Poisons are?”

Speedweapon shook his head. Saki gave a brief explanation.

“The Poison family is the only direct bloodline of the Ancients.”

“Ancients? Wait… you mean…”

“Yeah. Humans whose lifespan is many times longer than ours. If senior Ha-na really is the ex-director, then she’s the same age as Media—her twin sister. Technically, she’d be about seventy, but she’d look eighteen.”

Speedweapon’s jaw dropped.

The director was one of those ancient humans mentioned in textbooks? Saki continued.

“And by the way, I also found out during an investigation—Media doesn’t show her real appearance either. What you see is thanks to a Gift that makes her look older.”

“Why would she even do that…?”

“When you first saw senior Ha-na’s appearance, what was the first thought that crossed your mind?”

At Saki’s question, Speedweapon hesitated before answering.

“I thought… she looked really fragile…”

“What a nice way to put it. Inside, I’m sure you thought, ‘Why does that kid have a body like that?’”

“Ugh…”

“Anyway, that’s why. Imagine the director of Joaquin Academy and one of the Seven Stars looking like a little girl. What kind of authority would she have?”

“…Yeah, I see your point.”

“So it’s not strange for senior Ha-na to look childish. And those glasses? I’m pretty sure they’re not normal. Probably some special tech to hide her identity. Speedweapon, do you clearly remember what Ha-na senior’s face looks like?”

“Huh? Of course I… huh? What? Why… can’t I remember…?”

“You know I have perfect memory, right? Even so, I can’t recall her face either. When she’s in front of me, I think ‘Oh, that’s what she looks like,’ but the moment I turn away, it’s gone.”

Speedweapon nodded as he listened. The more he heard, the more confused he became. Ryozo continued.

“If we go through everything step by step, all signs point to the same place. At the very least, it’s clear senior Ha-na isn’t just a normal student. Whether or not she’s the ex-director still needs to be confirmed…”

Just then, her ears twitched slightly between her light-blue locks. A voice slipped into her ears through the silence of the building.

“…So, what do you think of me, Geom-Ma?”

It was San Ha-na’s voice.

“I think I’m doing pretty well… for someone like me, don’t you?”

Ryozo stomped hard on the floor.

***

Senior was sitting on the desk with her legs crossed, elbows resting on her knees, and chin on one hand. From that position, she looked me straight in the eyes.

Her eyes, large like a deer’s, were lethal to any man. I had to muster all my mental discipline to resist, thanks to my “Mental Spirit Level”.

“What do you think of my proposal?”

She whispered with a smile.

“You still haven’t assigned a professor for the Heavenly Class, right? And you’ve been observing me for a year. What do you think of me as a teacher, Geom-Ma?”

This woman was asking something she already knew the answer to.

“And even if the main goal of the Heavenly Class isn’t academics, the students still have to meet educational requirements. I could handle that. I’m pretty good at teaching. Don’t you think I’d make a decent educator?”

If she really had been the director, then “pretty good” was a massive understatement—her ability would far surpass that of any current professor.

I closed my eyes and rubbed my forehead. Her dazzling gaze made it hard to speak. For now, I decided to ask a question.

“You’re not going to tell me your true reason for wanting this role, are you?”

“Nope!”

…Yeah, I didn’t expect her to.

“Let’s say I agree to let you take the position. Then what about the director…”

“Oh, I forgot to mention—Duri already knows. She knows I used the fake name San Ha-na to enter the academy through, well, unconventional means.”

“…What?”

“And that I’d apply to be the teacher in charge of the Heavenly Class too! I told her over the phone a week ago. Her shocked voice was so cute I recorded it. Want to hear it?”

I passed. More importantly, who records family calls? How broken was their relationship?

I opened my eyes again and sat up straight, looking at Senior. She smiled gently, like something amused her.

‘This woman is Meain Poison, the one called Power of Ten Thousand.’

After discarding all irrelevant details, I focused on who Meain really was.

A heroine with power equal to or greater than the Swordmaster, the strongest human alive. A former director of the academy. Her titles alone were overwhelming.

Meain Poison as the head professor of the Heavenly Class? As long as you ignored the side details, no one would oppose it.

And even if someone objected, no one would dare say it aloud. No one wanted to get torn apart.

‘They say more than a few heroes have gotten beaten up by her.’

In terms of ability, there was nothing to criticize. As for her personality, they said she used to be a bit temperamental, but after living alongside her for a year, she didn’t seem dangerous. At least not on the surface.

The more I thought about it, the more I leaned toward accepting her. And it wasn’t personal affection, to be clear.

I’m not so generous as to forgive someone who hid their identity to get close to me. Honestly, Meain still made me uncomfortable. But…

The Heavenly Class was created to prepare for the Second War between Humans and Demons. And the demons would soon realize that purpose. They’d try to invade over and over again, aiming to kill the hero and everyone around him.

‘And when that happens, they’ll be dragged into constant danger.’

Even if the class was completely sealed off, the demons would look for the slightest crack.

“……”

If there were a barrier strong enough to protect the Heavenly Class students from all that—

I’d even accept help from a little girl. It would be a huge relief. No—an ideal outcome.

That’s why Senior’s proposal was tempting. I wanted to accept without hesitation.

‘But I can’t do that without knowing who she really is.’

I paused to think. I had a feeling she wouldn’t give me an answer even if I poked around. My brain was racing. I finally lowered my voice.

“Before I appoint you, I want to ask you something.”

“Oh, is this a real interview? It reminds me of 50 years ago… how exciting~”

Fifty years ago, she says… those are some distant memories.

“Alright. Since I dodged a lot of questions already, I’ll answer this one honestly. Ask away!”

“Forty years ago.”

Senior’s expression stiffened slightly.

“When the Sixth Corps Commander, Basmon, invaded—why did you do nothing? Three of the Seven Stars died in that disaster. Avoiding something that serious without a valid reason isn’t something to overlook.”

“…….”

“I’m not trying to blame you for the past. I just want to understand your actions. I want the professor in charge of the Heavenly Class to have a strong sense of responsibility.”

Senior didn’t answer right away. She stepped down from the desk.

“It was Duri who stopped me.”

She regained a faint smile.

“Forty years ago, I was on the verge of Awakening the Blessing. If I kept going, I might’ve stopped being human.”

Her voice was tight.

“As you may have heard, Duri and I had a falling out decades ago. She was the one who stopped me when I lost control.”

Her mint-colored eyes trembled.

“That’s why… I… ended up hurting Duri. So… even if it’s late, I want to make up for it. Somehow.”

Her eyes shimmered faintly. I stared at her, half-dazed, but eventually made a decision.

“I understand.”

I still didn’t completely trust her. Maybe it made no sense to say this now, but at the very least, one thing was clear—her words, clumsy as they were, were sincere.

“I’ll appoint you as the professor in charge of the Heavenly Class…”

At that moment—

BANG!

A loud crash rang out. The library door swung open violently, as if it had been torn off.