episode_0039

The encounter with that demanding and rude self-proclaimed Grand Senior was the worst.

“No! Grand Senior or whatever, what kind of nonsense is that?”

I was annoyed. To my question, that person clicked his tongue once and replied shamelessly.

“Hey! You wench, can’t you feel anything from my presence? I even showed you my graduation certificate myself, just to avoid looking undignified, but you still don’t understand. You pathetic wench…”

He seemed to have many complaints about us and spoke grumpily.

“For such idiots to be Polaris students. The world has truly gone to the dogs, it’s the end of times… Didn’t that Vulture guy tell you more?”

“Vulture?”

“I’m talking about Frederick. That one-armed guy’s nickname.”

Irene asked.

“…Excuse me, but what’s your relationship with Instructor Frederick?”

“Him? He’s my同期. Though it’s embarrassing to be classmates with such an uneducated brute.”

Oh my god, Instructor Frederick’s true identity was our Grand Senior! I had no idea he was such an important person.

“Seeing your surprised faces, you didn’t know. Well, that guy was always tight-lipped. That’s probably why he sent you burdens to me…”

As he went on too long, I cut off the bespectacled old man.

“So, who exactly are you?”

“Who am I?”

He snorted at Irene’s words. He then dramatically spread his arms and declared.

“You fools, bow down. I am your first-generation Grand Senior, the top graduate, the main figure in the Battle of Atlas Workshop, the conqueror of the Howling Forest Dungeon, the hunter who vanquished the Screaming Cutlass… And the lifetime professor who established Polaris’s magic education system. I am Albert Generico!”

“Ah… I see.”

“Wow~. That’s amazing.”

After a long-winded speech, we finally knew who he was.

Right. I still don’t really know.

The person we met wasn’t just a super old fogey, but a super old fogey with an overinflated ego.

Irene said something to the smug Albert.

“Excuse me, Professor. You said you were a Grand Senior-nim, right? At least, that’s what you said…”

“Indeed. I’m not just any senior. I’m a lifetime professor whom people like you wouldn’t dare speak to. Look at that! What do you think all of that is?”

He pointed his hand, and we saw large and small trophies and medals lined up in a corner of the room.

“That’s the medal I received for graduating top of my class, that’s a commemorative coin from the 3rd Dimensionalization Zone Exploration, that’s a plaque of appreciation I got for defeating the Cutlass…”

Albert’s explanation was so boring that I cut him off with a cough. I tried my best to ignore his glaring gaze.

Thanks to me, Irene finally got a chance to speak.

“Um, Senior-nim… should I call you that?”

“Professor, call me ‘Professor Albert’.”

“I apologize for being rude on our first meeting, but isn’t it a bit much for you to call us ‘wench’ and ‘you wench,’ no matter if you’re a Senior-nim? We just came here without knowing who you were because we were told you’d answer our questions…”

“Of course, it is. These days, everyone walking around with a Polaris tag is a worthless lot. Calling you ‘wench’ and ‘you wench’ is accurate. You there!”

He pointed a finger at me.

“You, how did you get admitted?”

“Special admission.”

It was some kind of special something-or-other, but I don’t really remember.

“See! You’re a worthless wench, aren’t you! What crazy Awakener academy admits students like this? You with the purple hair, you! How did you get admitted?”

I saw Irene clench and unclench her fist slightly, as if annoyed.

“Regular examination.”

“That’s right! Irene was even the top scorer!”

“Hmph, that’s just an exam with reduced difficulty compared to the past, isn’t it? Is that even a test? It was much harder back when I was teaching.”

Now I understood why he treated us with such dissatisfaction. He was a great person, and we were incompetent kids, so he didn’t want to treat us politely.

He flopped down onto the sofa.

“…Well, since you’ve come all this way, I can’t just send you away. Alright, what are all your names?”

“Irene Solstis.”

“Violet Ruzilin!”

“Solstis? Just a moment…”

As soon as he heard Irene’s name, Albert seemed to recall something and pondered deeply. A moment later, Albert’s fussy face brightened considerably.

“Solstis? Are you perhaps from the Spearmaster’s family? I heard he had a daughter.”

“Yes, my father is him.”

His face lit up, and his attitude changed 180 degrees.

“Haha! So that was it. You should have mentioned who you were first. Damn it, my mind slipped. A guest has come, I should have brought out something to drink…”

A moment later, Albert placed various cookies and tea on the table in front of the sofa. A pleasant aroma wafted from the teapot.

As I reached for a cookie, I felt the Grand Senior-slash-Professor giving me a look.

Now that I looked, there were only two teacups.

Irene, who had been about to speak, must have noticed my helplessness, and quietly pushed a teacup towards me when the Professor wasn’t looking.

“Professor Albert. Now, shall we get to the main point?”

While I savored my tea, Irene brought out the questions she had prepared. We had briefly agreed on what to focus on before taking the taxi, so I knew the questions too.

“Alright, you want to ask about the school’s history? If that Vulture guy sent you, it must be sensitive information. Is it related to the board of directors?”

“Yes, that’s right. You said you’re a Professor, right? Then I’ll ask the first question we prepared. How long have you been employed at the school?”

“Since before the Federation Era, nearly 30 years. Though I left 5 years ago.”

Albert’s brown eyes looked at us, but it was as if he wasn’t looking at our current faces, but rather scanning fragments of the past.

“Those were good times. We only brought in verified, excellent children. There was a sense of fulfillment as an educator.

Was it Irene? I personally taught your parents as well. They weren’t exactly obedient students, but… Do you have anything you’re curious about regarding your parents?”

A small spark of curiosity flickered across Irene’s face and then quickly vanished.

“No, it’s alright. I’ll ask about that later. In that case, may I ask why you quit?”

“That’s obvious. That old hag of a Chairman completely ruined the school.”

Oh, so it seems that Chairman really did something.

“Are you talking about Chairman Valefor?”

“Well, is there any other Chairman besides him? To be more precise, he started making a mess of the school even when he was Vice Chairman.”

Now it’s time to move to the next stage.

“Then, what happened to the school since the current Chairman took office?”

“First, I should explain the general consolidation and department expansion issues of the school…”

“It’s fine. We already know about that, actually. Could you explain something else?”

“As expected, she inherited her mother’s brains; she’s smart.”

Irene flatly denied Albert’s words as he smiled, seemingly satisfied.

“No, Violet here found this information for me.”

“Hmm… Anyway, if you already know, I suppose I can skip the explanation, but I doubt you know the detailed particulars.”

Albert grumbled for a moment, then slowly exhaled, interlaced his fingers, and rested his hands on his knees.

“From way back, Polaris was an academy based on nurturing a select elite.

To cultivate the most outstanding talent, we strictly filtered students based on their family background, personal character, Awakener abilities, unique powers, and non-Awakener traits—like academic level and social skills, you see.

And those we selected, under strict rules, were meticulously provided with the best education, as if refining steel.

But one day, a bolt from the blue happened. A man with no interest or knowledge in education stepped down from the top position of his clan and joined the board of directors.

His excuses were good. He wanted to do his utmost to help cultivate excellent human resources. It was his last job before retirement…

But in front of an S-rank weapon of mass destruction, would the other board members really express their opinions properly? Against someone who was the head of one of the four great clans?”

“I think they’d just shut up.”

When I answered, Albert frowned, then nodded and continued his speech.

“…Yes, you’re right. A loud, unprofessional person silenced all the professionals and thoughtful people. It was a case of bad driving out good [a principle where bad things/people replace good ones].

That old hag who took over the board, as you know, brought in all sorts of second- and third-rate Awakener academies that had no foundation but just large numbers, under the guise of ‘expanding educational opportunities and increasing profitability.’

Suddenly, worm-like bastards of vulgar lineage and their worm-like culture swept into the school like a wave. Some schools were involved with gangs. Some schools had low academic standards. All the faculty, including myself, suffered from the sudden change in the school’s atmosphere.

But the real problem was elsewhere.”

Suddenly, every object in the room vibrated. It was reminiscent of a poltergeist phenomenon that might appear in a horror movie.

“Professor?”

“Damn it, I got excited and showed myself in a bad light. I’ll continue.

…When I and the other professors and instructors tried to resolve this sudden chaos, the Chairman kept issuing one absurd order after another. He replaced board members one by one, and lowered the passing score for the school’s regular examination by half. He abolished the character assessment procedure and simplified interviews. He wildly expanded ridiculous admission systems.

At first, I thought he was just crazy for money and selling degrees. But it wasn’t that. He somehow found excuses not to accept students from prestigious families or children of famous clans who would even bring money to get in. Instead, he only accepted rootless bastards from who knows where.

One day, when I challenged him to his face, the Chairman said, ‘What we need is education with a commoner’s perspective.’

At that point, I felt like he harbored some ill will against the school itself.”

To use an analogy, it was as if a prestigious university flipped its college entrance exam passing scores upside down, refusing to accept first and second graders, and only admitting fifth and sixth graders.

Thinking about it, it’s absurd.

But then something curious occurred to me. If he was intentionally filtering people out, how did a daughter of a famous person like Irene get admitted? Was there a loophole somewhere?

“The board even created a separate foundation, giving money to admit students.

I’m not talking about scholarships. You may not have heard of it, but it’s about providing full tuition as a loan, and then having them slowly pay it back after graduation. They offered this benefit to almost all students. As for the fools who lacked grades or abilities, they’d bring in some entrance exam brokers or whatever and train them to get them in. Do you think that makes sense?”

“And others just stood by and watched that happen?”

“Of course, we protested. We leaked information to the press, posted it online, and tried to make it public. But it quickly quieted down. One friend who worked in administration for 10 years was fired for criticizing the chaotic financial state. Professors who criticized department restructuring also gradually disappeared, pushed out, and even lifetime professorships were abolished. It was a signal to leave if you wanted to.

That’s how faculty and staff who had worked at the school for a long time left one by one, and their places were filled with incompetent lecturers and swindlers. From a certain point, the procedures for managing and supervising students were simplified until they disappeared entirely. Naturally, the school became a mess.

Even when I left, seniors were calling juniors over and making them do strange drills. Is it still like that now?”

“Me! I experienced it. They piled up mountains of food and said they wouldn’t let us off if we didn’t eat it all.”

“That’s right. The Seniors gather the juniors and force all sorts of unreasonable things on them, committing acts of violence. And the student council condones it!”

“As expected, then.”

He surprisingly accepted the current state of the school as a given.

“Do you think that’s all? A monster infiltrated the entrance ceremony!”

Albert, who had been listening attentively to Irene’s words, replied nonchalantly.

“So what? It happened occasionally when I was there. A monster infiltrating the entrance ceremony was originally a school tradition. You’re overreacting about a mere illusion…”

“Even if people died or were injured?”

Albert paused, then adjusted his glasses.

“Surely, you’re mistaken? There were always quite a few students who fainted after seeing a monster illusion…”

“No, it wasn’t an illusion; it was a real monster. I confirmed it myself.”

“That’s right. I saw Irene take care of it herself.”

Albert’s face stiffened.

“Damn it, what on earth happened to the school…”

He was speechless. Albert muttered as if denying reality.

“Did that Vulture guy not know about this? What on earth happened to the school…”

“Professor, it was clearly an artificial method. It quietly disappeared as if nothing had happened.”

“Enough! That’s enough. We’ll talk about that part later… because I’m confused too.”

Albert, trying to collect his thoughts, gripped his head and frowned.

“Alright, I don’t know what happened, but seeing that state of affairs, the Chairman must undoubtedly be involved.”

“But Professor, wasn’t there any other way to protest to the board?”

When I raised my hand and asked, Albert, as if my question was absurd, burst out angrily.

“What? Other ways? What do you know, you who got in through illegal means? Did you think I, or others, just stood by? Behind the Chairman was a powerful clan,

And… damn it, should I have dueled that old hag?

Yes, I reported it, I tried every measure I could. One instructor, full of a sense of justice, took documents about the problem and gave them to a reporter.

One day, that fellow was found hanging in his house. That’s how it was.”

He caught his breath, then, as if exhausted, lamented.

“I was powerless. The opponent was mighty, and I was just a mere professor. What could I have done? As an educator, I did everything I could. Seeing that dog-like situation, I completely lost all affection for the school. That’s all.”

He stopped his long explanation.

“Alright, that’s all I can tell you. I don’t know anything more. Well, was that enough? Little juniors?”

“…Yes, this was very helpful. You must be busy, thank you for taking the time to explain, Professor.”

“Busy? What busy? Right now, I’m just unemployed and at home. Thank you for listening to the lamentations of this pathetic jobless man.”

He slowly turned towards me.

“Alright, was it Violet? I apologize for getting annoyed earlier. Since Irene is bringing you around, you don’t seem like someone completely devoid of substance.”

“Yes, I understand.”

It was an apology, but it didn’t quite feel like one. Well, expecting him to be nice from the beginning was probably too much to ask.

I just need to ask one more thing and then quickly go back.

“But how did you know we would ask about the school’s changes related to the Chairman?”

“When I left, I made a promise with that Vulture guy. If anyone asks about the school’s past five years, whether it’s a reporter or anyone else, to send them to me. Because someone needs to know.

By the way, how is that one-armed guy doing?”

“Instructor-nim is doing well! He makes us do drills and shouts loudly, so he’s scary sometimes, but he’s doing well.”

Albert chuckled lightly after hearing my explanation.

“That’s just like him, always so stubborn. He was still there when I left. Saying how an instructor couldn’t abandon his students.

Alright, we’re done talking. You can go! Don’t you have classes tomorrow? You’re not thinking of skipping, are you?”

Professor Albert, who was our, and Irene’s, distant Grand Senior and educator, but now unemployed, looked somewhat shabby. With his initial demanding demeanor gone, he quietly and spiritlessly saw us off.

As we stepped out the door, Irene turned back as if remembering something.

“Professor, what do you think of a student named Kroshel Torres?”

“Kroshel? You mean the student council president.”

Albert’s expression became a little more serious.

“When I last left, he was top-tier in skill alone. But he’s narrow-minded and rotten to the core. Absolutely, do not get close to him.”

He continued.

“Alright, young juniors. As a senior, let me give you one piece of advice. Stop doing dangerous things and get out of that sordid place quickly. Understand?”

“We’ll try our best.”

“And I’d like you to tell that oaf Frederick this: ‘I’ll be visiting soon. And try to get out of that wretched place quickly!’”

We took a taxi back to school. More precisely, we parted ways halfway. Irene was a commuting student after all.

“Thanks for coming with me. Honestly, that person… had some disagreeable parts, but I think we got good information. See you tomorrow!”

“Yeah, alright.”

As I rode the taxi along the darkening road, I thought.

Yes, I learned a lot.

But even so, today was just scratching the surface [a Korean idiom meaning to do something superficially].

– Damn it! It’s all stuff we already knew! The school was ruined because of the Chairman! Who doesn’t know that and asks? –

– It’s still far from the core. We just circled around it! –

My other selves who had heard Albert’s conversation murmured.

– Let’s investigate that suspicious school building quickly. –

– Then let’s start tonight. I’ve prepared the equipment. Remember that used weapon shop I mentioned last time? The weapons were mostly three-star, but they sold a lot of interesting things. –

The only achievement Irene and I made was ‘how the school was ruined?’

What I wanted to know was ‘why was it ruined?’

In the end, the only conclusion left was that we had to enter the tiger’s den [an idiom meaning to face danger directly] to learn the core truth.

– Everyone, get your equipment ready. See you later! –

And in the early morning, when everyone was asleep.

The Violets quietly crossed the darkened school grounds.