Chapter 302: Let’s separate personal from professional, Director

The collective chanting didn’t cease. The arena trembled with the vibrations.

“¡Kang Geom-Ma!” “¡Kang Geom-Ma!” “¡Kang Geom-Ma!”

The instructors, realizing it wouldn’t end on its own, intervened.

“Silence, cadets!”

“Order! Order and sileeeence!”

Yet still…

“Heavenly Sword! Please look at me, just for a moment!”

“I’ve been waiting just for this day!”

Far from calming down, the shouts only intensified.

The cadets resisted the instructors’ attempts as if they were civilians in a revolt.

The instructors were drenched in sweat, shouting desperately.

Amusingly, even some of them, amidst the crowd, gazed at Kang Geom-Ma with adoration.

Like teenage fans, they clasped their hands over their chests.

Utter chaos.

The Sword Master, Siegfried von Nibelung, let out a dry laugh.

“The reputation of the Heavenly Sword keeps rising.”

“Of course, old man.”

The woman beside him covered her mouth and chuckled.

“Do you think our Geom-Ma is a nobody like you, Sieg? He’s not in the same league as us. The only valid comparison would be with Balor Joaquin, the founding hero. At least someone like that.”

That sensuous beauty was Media Poison, former director of the academy and Sage of the Seven Stars.

Currently, she worked as an advisor and only appeared at significant events like this.

“Don… nobody…?”

The Sword Master was speechless. The phrase hit him so freshly that his mind went blank, just like his hair.

“It hurt, didn’t it?”

Media twirled a lock of her hair.

“It didn’t hurt at all, damn it!” he growled.

“Ha ha ha! This time, I have to agree with Media. Compared to the Heavenly Sword, all of us are ordinary people. No doubt.”

The voice belonged to a man with a lion-like appearance, Changseong Richard.

The Sword Master glared at him and replied sharply.

“A man shouldn’t lose his competitive spirit so easily. Changseong, you’re aging.”

“It’s not that I’ve lost that spirit. I just accept reality calmly. Isn’t that the pleasure of aging?”

He shrugged as he spoke. Though close to eighty, he looked like a man in his prime.

Unlike.

“…Please, contain them. The nobles are starting to watch.”

Right beside him, Vice President Sung was sweating nervously, and he looked much more aged.

Since he assumed the presidency of the Hero Association…

“So what if those pigs are watching us?”

“Well said, Nibelung. I admit I can’t compete with the Heavenly Sword, but I could turn those nobles into minced meat, by the ton.”

“Sure, no doubt.”

…Sung accumulated more wrinkles with each passing day. He sighed inwardly.

‘Here are gathered those who dominate the world, and yet, I feel like I’m in a kindergarten.’

After all, as humans age, they become somewhat childish.

Not that they paint walls with crayons, but their stubbornness, hardened by experience, becomes more rigid each day.

‘These guys.’

There wasn’t a single human in the world who didn’t owe them gratitude.

Anyone who thought otherwise didn’t deserve to be called human.

He respected them.

Yes, he “respected” them.

But that didn’t change the fact that they made him suffer.

Even though he was the president of the Hero Association, his fate was to be dragged from one side to another among these three living legends.

While the titans argued, the atmosphere in the venue began to calm down.

The reason was that Kang Geom-Ma had finished greeting and returned to his seat.

[May the Hero’s Blessing be with you]

The final event of the entrance ceremony, the class assignment exam, had just begun.

One by one, the cadets were absorbed into the subspace.

Only then did the instructors collapse exhausted into their seats.

“By the way.”

Sung cautiously spoke up.

Someone had to maintain decorum among these living legends.

“This year’s exam is also a battle royale, like ten years ago, right? They say that when the format is like that, someone outstanding always emerges. What do you three think about this generation?”

“Who knows.”

Media responded indifferently.

“It’s not that I want to belittle them, but I doubt they’ll surpass what happened ten years ago. It was too impactful.”

“That’s true.”

“She’s right.”

…Wow.

These three, who never agree, just did?

“The problem isn’t who comes first. There’s always a first every year. What’s important is who is the GOAT.”

“And for you, Madam Sage, who is it?”

“Are you really going to ask that?”

Media looked up at the sky.

Among the clouds, a ray of light descended forcefully.

The clouds seemed to have been cut with a ruler.

“He just passed through here, didn’t he?”

Indeed.

Even Sung ended up nodding along with Siegfried and Changseong.

In the office of the director of Joaquin Academy.

An impromptu alumni meeting was taking place.

Ryozo, Speedweapon, Rachel, and Chloe were present.

By coincidence, almost all belonged to the Heavenly Class.

Only two were missing to complete the circle.

The absentees, Abel von Nibelung, granddaughter of the Sword Master… that is, one of my two wives…

In fact, saying it with my own mouth is quite embarrassing.

It makes sense because, coming from Earth, having two wives still seems quite strange to me.

Moreover, Abel is the most beautiful woman in the world of “Miracle Blessing M.” Just having her as a wife, the looks full of jealousy already pierce me like needles.

And to top it off, Ryozo, the current director of the academy and another beauty not far behind, is also my wife.

Although there’s no ethical problem, I do feel a certain moral guilt.

However, I swear to the heavens that this love triangle wasn’t by my will.

Ryozo and Abel reached an agreement between them and then confessed it to me (although it was more like a notification).

From the looks they gave me, it didn’t seem like I had another option.

‘Abel said she wouldn’t attend because she’d be attending to the legends of the old era.’

The Sword Master, Changseong, the Sage Media, Sung, and others.

As a descendant of the Nibelung lineage, Abel had great influence in the aristocracy.

She was the ideal figure as a bridge between the old and new generations.

I know I sound like a lovestruck fool, but what can I do?

It’s the truth.

‘And to think that our first impression wasn’t exactly good.’

Life is truly unpredictable.

Who would have imagined we’d end up like this?

‘Although, well, that doesn’t apply only to Abel.’

While reminiscing all this with some nostalgia, Speedweapon took the opportunity to speak and, incidentally, spout his nonsense.

“Wow, President. A while ago, you were amazing. From the timing to the entrance, it was all calculated, right?”

I was about to respond while taking off my coat, but someone beat me to it, taking both my gesture and my line.

“How old are you, and you still call him President?”

It was Saki Ryozo.

“It’s a way to show affection. Why are you so bitter lately? You’ve been like this since you became director.”

“If the Hero Association worked harder, my character would also soften.”

Ryozo responded while carefully hanging my white coat on the coat rack.

“We’re doing our best, you know?”

“The ‘best’ only counts if you get the best results.”

Faced with Ryozo’s sharp response, Speedweapon was speechless.

“…That’s what I would have said before, but I know the Association is working tirelessly. I’ll just give you one more piece of advice reduce the amount of personnel you assign to the Academy. Redistribute them on the border between the demon and human worlds, in Hawaii. That way, we’ll all have less work. Try telling President Sung.”

“R-Ryo…!”

Speedweapon’s eyes welled up with emotion.

Ryozo frowned and looked away.

“……”

“……”

She looked at me intently.

Her face showed no expression, but I could tell it held many feelings.

Ryozo gently bit her lower lip.

‘I missed you.’

Lately, I had been away from both Ryozo and Abel.

Even though we live in a relatively peaceful era, unsettling reports from the demon world, Gehenna, keep coming in.

That’s why I have to travel there frequently.

Even the demons, upon seeing me appear, prefer to try and talk.

‘I’m definitely not a good husband.’

As a self-critical expression surfaced on my face, Ryozo gently raised her hand.

She glanced around. There were too many eyes watching for a public display of affection.

Tap-tap.

Instead of touching my cheek, Ryozo brushed off the embroidery reading “Heavenly Sword” on my coat.

As if trying to lighten the burden on my shoulders.

With only a movement of my lips, I said,

‘Thank you, Ryozo.’

And she smiled brilliantly at me.

Leaving me with that smile, she sat at the center of the U-shaped sofa.

She crossed her legs and rested her fist on her cheek.

Every one of her gestures radiated the authority of the academy’s director.

“The reunion is nice and all…”

With the blue light coming through the window above her head, Ryozo, current director of Joaquin Academy, broke the silence.

“…But let’s talk business. This office isn’t for personal chats.”

The atmosphere grew heavier. Everyone, including me, nodded.

We sat down slowly into the sofa cushions.

“How’s that initiative the Association is pushing going?”

“You mean the diplomatic treaty between Gehenna and the human world? It’s going well. Thanks to the academy’s active cooperation.”

Though her tone had an air of authority, Speedweapon didn’t seem uncomfortable.

‘We’re not teenagers anymore.’

The hierarchy was clear, and we had the age and positions to accept it.

It was part of growing up.

And among us, the one with the highest rank was Ryozo.

She successfully rebuilt the destroyed Joaquin Academy.

Not only that, she also held the position of Vice Prime Minister in Japan.

A noble among nobles.

‘That a woman like her is my wife… Sometimes I still pinch myself to see if I’m dreaming.’

I’m proud of her.

And even if she rests her cheek on her fist and barely moves her head, no one sees it as arrogance.

“That’s a relief. There are too many rumors swirling around Gehenna lately. If a strong foundation is laid at the base level, that alone brings great relief.”

Ryozo turned her gaze to Rachel.

“Hmm?”

Rachel, chewing on some cookies, hastily swallowed them.

Everyone but me gave her cold stares.

In my case, well. The first thing she said to me when we met was “Wanna die?”

Since then, my expectations for her have always been low. For about ten years, to be exact.

Thump Thump.

She pounded her chest hard, making the portrait on the wall tremble.

And with a choked voice, she said,

“Lancelot Company is also cooperating fully with the Association. Lately, thanks to ‘someone’, a policy was enforced requiring heroes to do community service.”

That ‘someone’ Rachel mentioned was me.

Since I’ve been running between the human world and Gehenna, the heroes in the U.S. started getting wary.

Heroes who rake in hundreds of millions and show up late, several beats behind, while I, Kang Geom-Ma, arrive the moment something breaks out—and for free.

‘Though I do receive certain special benefits.’ Anyway…

With all that, it was no surprise the public image of heroes had tanked.

So the hero companies, starting with Lancelot, entered a reform stage.

Those who once only talked about money now send heroes to Gehenna’s gates like it’s nothing.

Those gates are located in Hawaii. Which means, since it’s U.S. territory, the process isn’t too complicated.

“To be honest, in the Second Great Human-Demon War, heroes did almost nothing, right? Except senior All Mute. That’s why we’re on edge internally. If things keep up like this, hero companies themselves might be at risk.”

“Then do your best. In return, I’ll bring forward the timeline when companies can approach academy graduates.”

“Yes!”

Rachel raised her fist enthusiastically.

“So this is what good friends are like. Thanks to you, I won’t look so bad when I go back to the company. Thanks, Ryozo!”

“Don’t say things that could be misunderstood. I’m not doing it because we’re friends, but because if one gives, one should also receive.”

“Tch, so cold.”

“Rachel, should I take that as a complaint directed at me?”

“Never, Director! Loyalty, loyalty!”

Rachel gave a mock salute with her hand at her brow.

“You’re fulfilling your role as comic relief perfectly.”

Ryozo shook her head as she touched her forehead, seemingly exasperated.

“Let’s move to the next topic.”

From there, they discussed various matters.

Chloe, who had been mentally absent until then, also began participating actively.

She was the one who formed Joaquin Academy’s donation fund.

Watching her talk nonchalantly about astronomical sums of money filled me with quiet dread.

‘I really don’t have much to do here.’

Other than being one of the Seven Stars, I hold no other position—just taking up space.

With a somewhat content smile, I thought.

‘These kids I once knew… are now discussing international politics.’

I’m a worn-out adult now.

But they’re still growing, facing reality head-on.

As someone a few years older and merely a spectator, I can’t help but feel nostalgic.

— You’re the typical mentally worn-out old man.

A voice echoed within me in multiple layers.

— You and those kids are still babies to me. Learn some humility, Kang Geom-Ma.

‘The Corps Commander giving sermons? What a sight.’

First Corps Commander, Demon Sword Lycan.

He resides within me as a spirit.

— I, Corps Commander, am disappointed in you.

‘That sarcasm of yours is next-level.’

In the battle where I wiped out those damned foreign gods, Lycan met the conditions to gain a physical form.

But he chose to remain within me, formless.

He says he has no attachments to the world and finds living with me amusing.

I also set one condition for our cohabitation.

“Respect my privacy.”

— I’ll sleep during the day. And at night I’ll become an animal and roam. Is that okay?

“Why at night?”

— You’ve got a family life too, right?

“Ah…”

Just like he said, every night Lycan transforms into a squirrel and takes over the academy’s bushes.

The same First Corps Commander who once made humanity tremble… Demon Sword Lycan, now…

— I discovered a special oak tree in the east pavilion yesterday. Its acorns are exquisite. I have to go again tonight.

Has turned into Thunder Squirrel.

Truly, life is unpredictable.

‘I’m glad you seem happy, Lycan.’

— What’s with the sudden sentimentality?

‘Just don’t say that to someone who gets giddy over acorns.’

— …

He in his way, I in mine, we kept chatting…

And the afternoon flew by.

The cold March wind began gently tapping on the window as if asking to come in.

As twilight fell on everyone, Ryozo, as the host of the meeting, gave the order to disperse.

“It’s dinner time. Let’s continue the rest tomorrow. For today, this meeting is adjourned.”

One by one, everyone began to get up.

I was about to stand as well.

“Ahem. Ahem.”

Ryozo cleared her throat intentionally, clearly for me to hear.

She covered her mouth with her fist.

“U-Um… Kang Geom… I mean, Heavenly Sword, could you stay a moment?”

Speedweapon tried to butt in immediately.

“We said we’d go grab drinks tog—”

“Nyahaha!”

Rachel gave a forced laugh and shoved Speedweapon from behind.

With brute force, she made him stumble helplessly.

“Hey, hey, what’s your problem?!”

Speedweapon instinctively tried to resist, but Rachel glared at him with bulging veins.

“Read the room, idiot.”

“……”

“Talk as much as you want, you two!”

Rachel dragged him away like a pile of dirty laundry.

Chloe, sensing the situation, quietly followed after.

In the end, I was left alone in the director’s office.

Feeling a bit awkward, I sat back down.

Ryozo approached with hesitant steps and sat beside me.

She nervously fidgeted with her fingers.

The imposing director from earlier was gone. She slightly moved her lips, then finally threw herself into my arms.

She rubbed her face against my chest.

“Didn’t you say the director’s office isn’t for personal chats?”

“…I…”

I said something dumb, unable to react properly.

Ryozo slightly raised her forehead.

“And who do you think the director is?”

Ah, right.

Suddenly, I saw the calendar.

March 9th.

As soon as the date appeared in my vision, Ryozo beat me to it and leaned toward me.

So close I could almost feel her breath.

“Today’s an odd number.”

Ryozo smiled.