I Ended up Doing Too Well as a Professor of the Enemy Nation - Chapter 9
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 9. Principal Interview (1)
Meanwhile, at Haven’s Research Building.
“What? There’s really someone who came for an interview by passing through the main gate?”
The entire research lab was buzzing. And for good reason, since Haven’s professor recruitment was important business for the research lab studying Pride as well.
‘We need even one more precious hero to be born.’
Especially Haven’s students who would grow into heroes were the research lab’s hope. But everyone would choose to enter through the ‘side gate,’ right?
In fact, every time they recruited new professors, the Hero who served as chairman expressed his disappointment.
“Is it all ‘side gate’ again this time?”
It was just a passing remark, but there was no mistaking that it was an expression of disappointment.
‘Of course, choosing the side gate already shows considerable courage.’
For some people, the toll fee might be pocket change, but such people would actually help Haven with their wealth. That’s why this situation was so bewildering.
“Wait, then what about the test?”
“Surely the senior professors will conduct a ‘practical test,’ right?”
Exactly. Since they couldn’t know someone’s abilities just from passing through the gate, the senior professors conducted practical tests in front of the principal’s office.
Well, they called it a practical test, but in reality it was harassment disguised as a practical test.
“Those professor bastards’ hazing is no joke.”
But…
“If you pass through the main gate, you don’t take the test, right?”
“…”
Well now, those old-fashioned professors are going to be quite heated.
“More importantly, how much would half of all the toll fees collected so far be?”
The researchers who were calculating opened their mouths wide. But someone scoffed.
“That’s only if they pass the principal’s interview.”
“True. The recent pass rate has been zero.”
“They were all demon spies. They said they wouldn’t be hiring for a while.”
“Ah, I got excited when I heard they passed through the main gate. But they’ll probably fail this time too…”
* * *
A jade-like voice that seemed to see through everything.
At this, Ruin whipped his head around. There stood an incredibly beautiful woman. Her beauty was so stunning that even Ruin, a spy, was momentarily surprised.
The woman looked down at her pocket watch and smiled.
“1.42 seconds.”
“!”
“It took 1.42 seconds for you to turn around.”
Jade-colored eyes looking up at Ruin sparkled.
Ruin immediately became wary of the woman.
‘There was no sign of her approaching at all.’
There are few who could easily approach behind me like that.
“Hello, I’m Charlotte, the principal of Haven. You’re Mr. Ruins Wayne, aren’t you?”
As expected.
Haven’s principal, Charlotte Saint. She was the problematic subject Ruin had to interview with.
At a glance, she looked to be in her mid-twenties. Her face, framed by long blonde hair in a ponytail reaching her waist, was like a painting.
A youthful-looking beauty. But she must never be taken lightly.
‘If I had to choose the most dangerous person in this school right now, it would be her.’
He thought this because this woman was the ‘natural enemy’ of the demon race.
【Possessed Fear Fire】
Just touching with her hands would burn magic power, and in the case of demons, an unextinguishable fire would burn all organs and even the soul.
There was even this kind of newspaper content recently.
-Demon spies who entered Union, all sent out as burned corpses…
-There was no escaping Haven’s principal’s eyes.
Well, roughly speaking, his Intelligence Agency colleagues got caught by the principal and were all burned at the stake. As a demon, Ruin wasn’t free from that fate either.
The problem was the reality that he had to deceive such a person and get a professor’s research lab in order to go find his money.
The bigger problem was that he ended up meeting the principal outside first, not in the expected location.
‘Is it a coincidence?’
No.
‘The interview time is almost here, but is there really something that would require her to move? Why did she come outside?’
Because there was something suspicious?
As evidence of this, she sent an unusual gaze.
“1.42 seconds to respond to being called Fire Butterfly. That’s quite fast. Very suspicious indeed.”
Ruin smiled lightly.
‘Whispers to identify spies.’
A creature’s reflexes were in the realm of the unconscious, making them difficult to deceive. But if Fire Butterfly could be caught with something like that, he wouldn’t have become Union’s archenemy in the first place.
Sure enough, the Principal smiled brightly.
“You didn’t fall for it. It was actually quite ordinary.”
Of course. The first thing spies are trained in is controlling their unconscious reactions.
“However.”
“!”
The Principal’s eyes narrowed instead.
“How interesting. Those who hate Fire Butterfly average 1.02 seconds. Those who like Fire Butterfly average 1.82 seconds. But to be exactly in the middle without leaning either way – it’s the first case I’ve ever seen. Could you perhaps be a highly trained spy?”
Ruin’s golden eyes turned toward the Principal.
‘Is this woman insane?’
What kind of way is that to identify demons?
Anyway, what mattered was that the Principal suspected him. And with killing intent, no less.
Well, he understood. Even he would find suspicious a man with his face wrapped in bandages. It was the perfect appearance for someone trying to hide their identity.
‘Well, ironically, that’s exactly why I chose it.’
It was best for hiding one’s identity, but honestly, it made him the top priority for inspection. If it weren’t for Wayne House, the guards would have already torn off the bandages.
But fortunately, the flower pot’s stealth effect seemed to be working better than expected – even in his true form, she didn’t seem to sense his curse power.
‘Then it’s at a level that won’t be detected even by Union’s leadership.’
Choosing it despite seeing the modifier “contaminated” was a bit reckless, but seeing this, it was good that he gambled…
“But what about that plant you’re holding?”
“!”
Ruin furrowed his brow at the Principal’s gaze, which happened to fall on the ginseng pot.
…Don’t tell me. Is it not working?
Ruin glared menacingly at his superior… no, the ginseng. It meant to do it properly.
The ginseng felt wronged.
「I am doing it properly!」
When Shadow God shouted, Ruin rarely flinched and looked at the Principal, but-
“It’s a plant I’ve never seen before. Is it medicinal?”
The Principal was looking at it with curiosity.
It seemed the voice could only be heard by Ruin. So Ruin smiled.
“It’s a precious plant I’m researching. I need to observe it by the minute, so I can’t leave it behind.”
“Oh. What admirable dedication. That’s exactly the kind of talent Haven welcomes.”
She extended her hand first, as if requesting a handshake.
At this, Ruin flinched.
“If you’re not a spy, you’ll shake hands, won’t you?”
“!”
The Principal’s eyes were smiling subtly. It was the face of someone who believed there was no way he would shake hands. Whatever he was hiding, this would confirm everything.
Sure enough, the sound of tongue-clicking came from inside the flower pot.
「Wow, look at her putting luck power in her hand. Hey hey. If you shake it, you’re dead. At least fourth-degree burns.」
However, Ruin casually clasped her hand.
“A spy?”
The Principal was startled when their hands met.
“Principal?”
The Principal looked flustered, then soon smiled.
“Ah. It’s nothing. There have been many spies lately, so I’m doing this with all our guests. Sorry if it made you uncomfortable. Well, if you’re not a spy, nothing surprising should happen.”
No. I was surprised. We were supposed to meet in the Principal’s Office, but we met here instead.
Finally, Ruin released the hand he was shaking. At that moment, his touch secretly caressed the back of her hand.
A spy’s habit. Ruin instinctively assessed his opponent’s strength.
‘So this is the level of Haven’s leader’s luck power.’
If ‘Fire Butterfly’ went to steal from the vault, he’d just die.
“Actually, I was surprised. I didn’t expect to meet you here, Principal.”
He had expected to meet in the Principal’s Office and had prepared skills and safety measures accordingly. Thanks to this, his plan was ruined. Damn.
At Ruin’s comment, the Principal looked at Ruin strangely but smiled apologetically.
“Ah. A small problem came up.”
A problem?
That’s when it happened.
“Charlotte!”
People wearing cloaks over their suits approached.
Hmm, judging by their arrogant appearance, they seemed to be professors. Somehow, he had a bad feeling about this.
Sure enough, a man with a ponytail and monocle glared at Ruin.
“Weren’t the tests for new professors entrusted to us? Why is the Principal handling this directly!”
“Ah, Professor Charlie. Didn’t I tell you that those who pass through the main gate aren’t subject to practical tests? Then we proceed straight to the interview.”
“No, the practical test includes trap questions to distinguish demons. How can you ignore that…!”
Ah. So there was a trap.
Good thing I came through the main gate.
However, Charlie looked at Ruin with displeasure.
‘That bastard passed through the main gate?’
Already troubled by the chaos at Haven, Charlie doubted his own ears.
That gate was famous as the ‘Unpaid Gate’ – even among professors, no one had passed through it. And he got through that?
That meant if that guy became a formal professor, unlike others, he would receive a high salary with bonuses, and even half of the toll fees…
‘Damn it. Then the Chairman will definitely take interest!’
Of course, just paying the toll fee meant passing the first interview, but the real talent the Chairman wanted was someone who passed through the main gate.
So whenever there were no passers, the professors would laugh saying ‘That’s how newcomers should be,’ while secretly feeling relieved.
The professors standing behind Charlie urgently asked.
“So, did he pass the interview?”
Then the Principal looked at the professors with subtle eyes.
“It was still in progress, but you’re interfering.”
At those words, the Shadow God spoke worriedly.
「Still in progress, he says. You don’t seem to have much chance, do you?」
However, Ruin furrowed his brow.
No.
The expression ‘still’ had ambiguous meaning. Those words could mean ‘can’t pass him yet,’ but they’re also used for ‘someone worth observing more.’
‘If he wasn’t worth watching, he would have said it was over already.’
So this was a positive signal.
But it hadn’t completely turned green yet. It wasn’t at the stage of passing him. In other words, he needed to appeal with something that would please the Principal.
However, Professor Charlie looked at Ruin as if he intended to openly interfere.
“Giving an interview opportunity to a parachute hire is too generous.”
At his interference, Ruin looked at his face and furrowed his brow.
‘A face from memory.’
Charlie Whiskey.
He was definitely among Wayne’s tiny network of connections. A Haven professor and Ruins Wayne’s college classmate.
But what actually concerned Ruin wasn’t this rat-faced monocle wearer.
It was the identity of this body.
‘So he really was a parachute hire.’
Right. He thought that would be the case.
‘For the specs written in the documents, he died too easily…’
Ruin had thoroughly investigated Ruins Wayne for the interview. Preferences, chronic illnesses, background, friendships, family relations, even how many times he went to the bathroom per day.
And combining the information obtained from there, he reached one conclusion.
‘To put it nicely, a reclusive loner.’
To put it badly…
‘A super-sensitive social misfit with germaphobia and obsessive-compulsive disorder.’
So he sighed.
‘…How did I end up devouring such a guy.’
Moreover, perhaps annoyed that he passed through the main gate, Charlie looked at ‘Ruins’ and picked a fight.
“A parachute hire who’s cursed and can’t even fix his own face, talking about Healing Arts. Wayne House must have pulled a lot of strings. The documents were also helped by the family’s power, right?”
Then the teaching assistants who came along whispered.
“Professor Charlie, why is he acting up again?”
“Why else. He doesn’t get along with Wayne House. He wouldn’t want to see him as a workplace colleague.”
When Ruin glanced over, Charlie approached with a smirk as if asking if he figured it out.
“Do you understand? Haven’s professors are teachers who educate students, but they’re also heroes who fight on the front lines to deal with Fire Butterflies and obtain Wish Stones. Well, what would a parachute hire know-“
Then he cracked his knuckles-
“You, do you know how to fight?”
Charlie took a step closer to Ruin.
At this, the Principal held his forehead.
Charlie was a full-time Haven professor who taught self-defense. Wasn’t it too much for a combat arts genius to swing his fist at a frail mage?
So the Principal was about to tell him to stop, but Charlie, as if to thoroughly humiliate him, kicked at Ruin’s leg to knock him down…
“Kugh!”
He failed to knock him down, and instead grabbed his own shin.
“Ah, kugh, huk, shit! Agh!”
Everyone was about to sigh as if he had caused an accident at his pained screams.
“…Hm?”
For a moment, they doubted their own ears.
Wait. The one who just screamed was…
…not Ruins, but Charlie?
Sure enough, the professors and the principal all stared at Charlie as if asking what the hell was going on.
Especially Charlie himself, who was looking at Ruin in pain, as if wondering what had just happened.
‘What? Why isn’t he falling over?’
His legs were like deeply rooted old trees. Even the arm muscles he briefly grabbed were hard as stone…!
Ruin was momentarily bewildered too.
‘Oops.’
The ‘real Ruins Wayne’ was a reclusive loner who couldn’t even fight. He wasn’t someone who could handle this kind of surprise attack. But since he was holding his damn superior (the ginseng pot), he accidentally held his ground.
‘Honestly, I didn’t know such an uncultured piece of trash could exist among the professors.’
But the principal and other professors were also watching with bewildered expressions.
Ruin looked up at the sky as if confused.
‘What should I do?’
…Should I fall over now?
「If my magnificent body gets scratched, you’ll pay for it.」
Damn it. Then what am I supposed to do?
Soon Ruin sighed.
No wait, since it turned out this way, maybe this is an opportunity to score points? A spy must always be cautious, but at the same time, without boldness, they can’t succeed in their mission, let alone survive.
Ruin approached the fallen Charlie. Then he smoothly pulled out the card-type name tag from Charlie’s suit jacket pocket.
“From the looks of it, I should return what you said to me.”
“What?”
-Charlie Whiskey, Haven Full Professor.
-Major: Self-Defense
“Charlie Whiskey. You can’t even execute a single technique, yet you’re a full professor of self-defense?”
Ruin let out a light sneer.
“Ah. A parachute appointment?”
Charlie’s face turned bright red.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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