Chapter 21: Look for a place to lie down and stretch your legs Part 2

Inside the lavish office.

Sion wore a serious expression, which was rare for him.

He was usually unflappable, even during the kingdom’s invasion, but given the current situation, he had no choice but to look serious.

After all, this was a matter related to that new professor.

“…How is Riyan’s condition now?”

He asked Scott, the professor he had summoned for the countermeasure meeting.

As soon as Sion posed that question, the old man’s face darkened.

Just by looking at him, he could anticipate what kind of answer he would receive.

“I’m not showing it, but it’s a mess. It seems he was more hurt than we thought by this incident.”

As expected, Professor Scott delivered the news that Riyan had been deeply shaken by the recent events.

His face grew even darker as he continued.

“He drank! That professor, on a day with classes, even to the point where he couldn’t control his body because he was so drunk! Just how hurt must he have been…”

Si-jo-ryong couldn’t help but be disturbed by that statement.

He knew better than anyone how dedicated Professor Riyan was to his students.

To think that such a responsible professor would act in such a way… Just imagining how upset he must have been by this incident made her heart ache.

‘The backlash must be as great as his dedication to the students.’

He was a professor who had devoted himself to his students.

The shock of being betrayed by the students he had so lovingly nurtured must have been immense.

That he had wholeheartedly raised these students, only for them to murmur behind his back, saying, “Can someone who didn’t have parents and couldn’t receive family education really teach us well?”

Naturally, his morale would have collapsed.

It’s no wonder he might feel disillusioned with his life because of this incident.

The bad person was that despicable criminal who publicly attached such inhuman and insulting remarks.

Poor Riyan was the only one suffering terribly.

“Have you found the culprit who dared to hurt our professor?”

With such thoughts, Sion’s anger surged as he posed the question.

He had hoped the other party would nod in agreement, but…

Scott’s expression remained dark.

He shook his head and ground his teeth as he delivered more horrifying and shocking news than before.

“That madman manipulated the evidence. Do you know how the tracking magic investigation turned out? Well, it showed that Riyan himself wrote and attached that paper!”

Even Si-jo-ryong could only gasp at his words.

To publicly attach such inhumane and insulting words and then shift the blame onto the victim?

There’s a limit to how much one can toy with people.

His expression naturally frowned at the persistent malice that was almost disgusting.

This went far beyond crossing the line.

“I must have been quite underestimated. To think that he dared to lay a hand on my professor and think he could set foot in the living world.”

…Originally, he had tried to stay out of it as much as possible.

He knew the professor’s personality well.

If it was that upright and incorruptible professor, he surely wouldn’t appreciate her favoritism toward him.

However, he couldn’t remain silent even in this situation.

One must repay kindness twofold and enmity a hundredfold.

He brazenly reached into her domain, touching his most treasured possession.

He wouldn’t even deserve to be called a dragon for not punishing the thief who invaded the nest.

“Let me make sure you understand what it means for the Empire to consider me an enemy.”

…It was time to mobilize all available means.

His head felt numb.

It didn’t feel real.

It felt like he was dreaming.

‘How did things escalate to this?’

Chrome felt like he was about to go mad.

When the A-class and Riyan’s students first gathered to declare that they would capture the instigators, he thought it wasn’t a big deal.

“If it was just insulting us, I could overlook it, but I can’t tolerate anyone insulting our professor. I’ll find that hidden demon somehow and… “

***

Karen, a female student.

Her words, spoken with those fanatical eyes, were a bit chilling, but it was expected that the student who benefited from Riyan would cover for him.

When the head of the neighboring academy and mercenary king suddenly arrived a second time, he was more flustered than before but quickly regained his composure.

“Did Riyan’s fingerprints appear on that official document? Then isn’t it just that Riyan wrote it?”

“Please, could you be quiet, Director? I’m so embarrassed. If you want to repay the debt, stop meddling in detective matters and focus on your guard duties.”

With a shabby checkered hat and a pipe.

He had been playing detective alone, only to have a woman beside him take it away, leading to their bickering.

Seeing Karen throw a fit asking for her detective hat back instantly dispelled any remaining suspicion.

“Confess your crime yourself. Then I can at least grant you mercy so you can die peacefully.”

When the Iron Blood Guild appeared for the third time, their brutal tone was a bit frightening, but she thought it might not be a problem.

After all, they wouldn’t actually kill a real person.

The story of the sword saint who drenched a country in blood to avenge his dead wife is famous, but Riyan had only met Professor Scott less than a month ago.

They wouldn’t have built such a close relationship in such a short time.

That was surely a tactic to strongly push for finding the instigators.

Thinking that way helped calm his startled mind.

But when Si-jo-ryong appeared for the fourth time.

At the moment he said with an angry face that he would never let this matter go, Chrome realized that something was very wrong.

A warrant for his arrest was issued across the Empire.

Thirty units of the royal knights stormed the Imperial Academy.

Seven court magicians who had reached the level of Archmage gathered to investigate this case.

Even national treasure-class artifacts were mobilized for the investigation.

He had only bad-monged the professor he didn’t like.

Before he knew it, Chrome was being treated worse than the leader of the resistance dreaming of overthrowing the Empire, being hunted.

The investigation net was closing in.

He struggled desperately, but soon he was cornered.

“If you resist, I’ll slit your throat immediately, so make a wise decision.”

A royal direct bodyguard.

Captured by the Empire’s Sword Master, Chrome felt like he was about to go mad.

He knew his actions were objectively wrong, but wasn’t this too much?

‘From the start, I never wrote such an official document!’

During the investigation, they found out that Riyan was an orphan from the slums and what he did there to make a name for himself, but that was all.

That strange writing and Chrome had no connection.

But even if he tried to explain now, no one would believe him.

That blunt officer would likely judge his excuses as resistance and slit his throat immediately.

So he had no choice but to keep silent, even if it was unfair.

Here, even if it’s unfair, he had to keep silent.

“Please stop. That child is not the culprit.”

Somewhere, a voice is heard. He wondered if he had gone mad from stress, but no.

White hair and golden eyes.

However, unlike usual, the young new professor Riyan looked somehow exhausted as he stood before him.

“I am the one who posted the official document in the hallway.”

But he couldn’t understand his words at all.

His voice was so serious that he even doubted if this was truly a self-made act, but that made no sense.

“It was a tactic to create a pretext for a large-scale investigation and to find the culprit who was spreading rumors.”

If he had genuinely planned to punish the culprit, there would be no reason to protect him like this now.

The official document incident was undoubtedly caused by one of the children Chrome had incited crossing the line foolishly.

In a way, it could also be seen as Chrome’s responsibility.

However, Riyan continued with his inexcusable excuses.

He must have suffered a lot.

Despite his pale face that seemed like he was dying and even vomiting, the professor kept defending Chrome.

”What have I even done…”

A twisted person who could never admit his mistakes.

Even after being defeated and expelled by the protagonist, he not only felt no shame but also tried to seek revenge as a villain.

Yet, even Chrome felt guilty now.

That nobility to try to save even those who insulted and slandered him at will.

How could any person stand before that without shedding tears?

Seeing himself become endlessly pathetic before him, how could he not be ashamed of his own ugliness?

Tears streamed down endlessly, blinding him.

However, it was now, when he could see nothing, that he could see more clearly than ever what was right.

“Please stop protecting me, Professor. I am not a person worthy of your salvation.”

The academy would surely expel him.

Since things have escalated this much, his family would be disgraced too.

He would lose everything and end up sitting on the street.

If he relied on the professor’s kindness and shamelessly accepted it while pretending to be virtuous, he might have avoided such a terrible future.

But he couldn’t do that.

Because crimes must be punished.

“This entire situation happened because of my mistake, so I will accept whatever punishment is given.”

He had to take responsibility for his wrongdoing.

After all, without being human first, what’s the use of success?

Therefore, he had no intention to argue or resist.

If there was one thing left to do, it was to repay the professor’s kindness, even just a little.

“I harbored a grudge against you, Professor, and fabricated false rumors like hiring corruption. Yet, you still consider someone like me your student and try to protect me.”

He really had no face to look at the professor.

He bowed his head publicly while saying this.

By saying this, the rumors about hiring corruption would immediately subside.

Now, no one would dare to speak ill of Riyan.

As proof, other students who had defamed Riyan along with Chrome were all blushing with shame.

Complaints that they disliked being taught by an inferior commoner.

However, it was clear who was more noble: the person who cursed someone behind their back or the one who forgave and tried to help that person.

Everyone would have nothing to say, even if they had two mouths.

”It’s a negligible help compared to the mistake I made.”

Hoping it had helped him, Chrome gave a small smile for the last time.

…Was it just his imagination?

It seemed like Riyan was also shedding tears of emotion.