Chapter 29: Academy Scandal Part 1

The two secret spaces were unusually close.

Various punishment tools were placed there, completely out of place for the location.

A mysterious energy surrounded the tools, preventing them from deteriorating.

I didn’t know what the tools were for, but when I accidentally swung the whip, it triggered an unexpected outcome.

The whip, which had no effect on humans, showed a peculiar power against yokai.

I wasn’t sure of the exact effect, but it forced the arrogant fox spirit to her knees in an instant.

Since she couldn’t heal the abnormal state with magic, it seemed even her spiritual power was temporarily sealed.

There was a side effect of heating up the body, but I didn’t think much of it.

Even though the fox’s personality had taken root, the body still belonged to Azuki.

But since I didn’t know when the fox spirit might strike again, I kept swinging the whip vigorously.

Once I judged that her will to attack was completely broken, I restrained her with the remaining tools.

A blindfold, gag, collar, binding rope, and more—everything except the candles.

As for the rope, I used the tortoiseshell binding technique I had once learned from Itshin.

It was the only method I knew to bind someone’s entire body with rope, so there were no other options.

“Still, it’s pretty convenient to carry like this.”

I tied the rope connecting her back and legs again, making it easy to carry her in one hand.

Although the rope dug into her body and made her curl up like a shrimp, the fox spirit seemed to enjoy even the pain.

Her ragged breathing was mixed with moans of pleasure—clear evidence of that.

I was sincerely relieved I had used the gag.

***

“You’re safe…”

After finally subduing the fox spirit, the ground began to tremble.

The stone door, which had shown no signs of opening, opened on its own, creating a way out.

That meant Erin and Lucia had successfully obtained the Sangpyeong Tongbo.

Even the powerful enemy the fox spirit had sent must have been defeated.

‘That opponent must’ve been way stronger than anything we usually face at this point. They actually beat it.’

Satisfied with the heroines’ growth, I dashed toward the exit with the fox spirit in tow.

Upon reaching the exit, I waited there for the girls to arrive.

I was ready to run back into the cave at a moment’s notice if something went wrong.

Fortunately, I heard footsteps not too far away.

They’d make it out before the cave collapsed, so I could breathe a little easier.

And then, the reunion.

Even as the cave was collapsing around them, they hadn’t given up and had crawled their way out—so admirable.

If my hands had been free, I would have reached out to them.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t possible, so I decided to praise their efforts verbally instead.

“Oh! You two did great!”

“Master!”

Erin and Lucia responded in voices full of joy—it was clear they were glad to see me.

“Good kids.”

This must be what makes raising disciples so fulfilling.

I was beginning to understand why so many teachers were obsessed with me.

The warm moment didn’t last long, though—they suddenly looked flustered.

“What’s wrong?”

When I asked, I quickly realized the reason—thanks to the fox spirit’s heavy breathing.

A quick glance down revealed the girl, bound in ropes and gagged, hanging from my hand with a whip in the other.

I looked like a sadistic professor venting his deviant urges on a student.

***

“Master…?”

It looked like I’d need time to explain.

Luckily, the fact that they didn’t immediately scold me meant I hadn’t completely lost their affection.

In fact, Lucia seemed to be trying to understand, even if she was clearly struggling.

“If… if this is your preference, Master, I’ll respect that.”

“It’s a misunderstanding.”

It hurt to see her saying she understood while taking a step back.

It wasn’t like I wanted to look like this.

Erin, on the other hand, had reached her own wild conclusion.

“So you were training an animal, Master!”

“No.”

“Then… were you studying effective methods for subduing criminals?”

“Also no.”

“Then I’ll assume you were refining interrogation techniques to extract information! If it’s all right with you, please let me have a hands-on experience like Azuki!”

“I don’t want to meet your parents just yet.”

Even if I was confident in my skills, I couldn’t guarantee I’d survive a deathmatch with the current Hero.

And even if I barely survived, humanity would be doomed without a Hero.

I didn’t want to cause any problems involving Erin right now.

Her father, Wilhelm Muthertz, was still definitely written as an overprotective dad.

“Calm down, both of you. Just listen to what happened.”

I explained everything that had gone on in the cave.

I admitted that the so-called field lesson had been a cover—I had come to suppress Azuki’s curse from the beginning.

It was all for the sake of one student.

That explanation cleared up the misunderstanding, but I wasn’t entirely forgiven.

Erin and Lucia didn’t hold a grudge over being tricked.

They were just furious that I had charged into the most dangerous part of the mission without telling them anything.

I had no excuse for that part, so I accepted all their scolding.

“From now on, I’ll explain everything properly.”

“If you ever do that again, I don’t care if you’re my Master—I won’t let it slide!”

“If I think it’s too dangerous, I’ll swallow my pride and call my father for help.”

“Please don’t do that…”

I still wasn’t ready to deal with the Hero’s family.

One day, I hoped I could face Erin’s father with confidence as her teacher—but not yet.

***

“By the way, you said you needed this coin, right?”

“Yeah, that’s the one!”

After my moment of atonement, Lucia received the Sangpyeong Tongbo from Erin and showed it to me.

It might’ve been unfamiliar to them, but I had read countless Korean history books, so I recognized it immediately.

It was definitely the Sangpyeong Tongbo.

“We need that to suppress the yokai possessing Azuki and allow her to control it.”

“What if we hadn’t managed to bring it back? What were you going to do then?”

“I wasn’t worried because I believed you two could pull it off from the start.”

“Ugh…!”

“Are you serious?”

“Do I look like someone who just sweet-talks people for fun? If I hadn’t believed in you, I wouldn’t have gone into that chamber. If we’d failed, I’d be spending the rest of my life sealed in there.”

Erin and Lucia awkwardly scratched their flushed cheeks.

Their stiff expressions softened—seemed like they liked that answer.

“Since you trusted us enough to rely on us, we should repay that faith.”

“Thank you.”

Just as I reached out to take the coin from Lucia’s hand, she suddenly clenched her fist and pulled it back.

She was wearing a mischievous smile.

“But! Only if you swear to keep the promise you made us.”

“Promise? What promise?”

“You said if we reached the innermost chamber first, you’d grant each of us one wish—whatever it was.”

“Oh… right, I did say that.”

I’d been so overwhelmed I completely forgot.

I’d only said it to motivate them, never expecting it to work this well.

I had no problem rewarding their hard work with a wish, but I was a little worried.

“What kind of wishes?”

“I have so many things I want to do with you, Master, so I need to think carefully.”

“I’ll let you know mine later too!”

Erin and Lucia exchanged meaningful smiles, like they were conspiring.

I had no idea what kind of wishes they would ask for.

I could only hope they wouldn’t be anything too weird.

“Ugh, I’m exhausted.”

I managed to subdue Yoho using the Sangpyeong Tongbo and successfully turned her back into Azuki.

But it took some time before Azuki could fully absorb Yoho’s spiritual power in her unconscious state.

So I ended up carrying the unconscious Azuki on my back all the way to the dorm.

Going up and down that steep mountain behind the school with someone on my back completely drained me.

‘I just want to go back and rest already.’

The moment I got back to my dorm, all I wanted to do was dive into my bed.

But someone waiting in front of my door mercilessly crushed that dream.

It was the last person I wanted to run into—Academy’s top student, Miriam.

“Finally, you’re back! I was searching all over for you!”

“No solicitors or reporters allowed. Scram.”

“What?! Isn’t that a bit too harsh? I’m not even here to interview you today…”

“Then why are you here?”

“There are rumors spreading about one of the professors at the Academy.”

“So basically, you came to confirm whether the rumors were true.”

“Actually… I came because it turns out they aren’t just rumors.”

Miriam handed me a sheet of paper.

I skimmed through the contents, and a snort escaped my nose from how ridiculous it was.

What she gave me was a petition submitted to the newspaper club—meant to widely broadcast my so-called misdeeds.

The petition had been written by some Academy professors and a few students.

“They handed it in this morning, asking for it to be published in the school paper.”

“Isn’t this great for you? A juicy scandal to write about.”

“I only write about confirmed facts.”

“And how do you determine what’s a fact?”

“‘He applied to be a graveyard caretaker because he feels sexual attraction to corpses’? Even kids in back alleys wouldn’t come up with crap like this.”

It definitely crossed the line so blatantly that it actually triggered a sense of defiance.

The fact that someone still submitted it to the paper was honestly laughable.

‘Did they think that if it appeared in the highly credible Wellton Gazette, that alone would make it true?’

“Did they offer anything in return?”

“They promised high grades to all newspaper club members who cooperate. As for the students listed in the petition— you can assume they were pressured by the professors.”

“What about you?”

“If I had been bribed too, I wouldn’t be here right now, would I?”

She’s the type to pounce on any juicy scandal and usually comes off as annoying, but at times like this, she’s surprisingly reliable.

At least I could count on her not to write a biased article.

Even though publishing the petition could’ve helped her build her portfolio, she came all the way here just to inform me personally.

I owed her.

***

‘Maya, Master.’

—Welcome back, Tao!

I channeled my intent into the natural mana through my breath.

Since Maya was always in a state of unity with nature, she instantly sensed me and rushed to my side.

Thanks to that unique connection, she could appear wherever I was in the Academy—even if I died.

Honestly, it was a little terrifying sometimes.

‘I’m back.’

—So, why did you call me?

‘Master, you’re aware of everything that goes on within the Academy, right?’

—Of course! Birds hear what’s said in the day, mice hear what’s said at night, and both birds and mice are my friends.

‘Then that means you also know about all the corruption happening within the Academy, don’t you?’

‘—Taeo, are you planning to blow the whole place up?’

‘They were the ones who tried to tarnish my name with lies.’

—Hehe! As your teacher, it’s only right I help protect your honor!

I gestured to Miriam, signaling for her to hand over her notebook and ink pen.

Then I began writing down all the misconduct and corruption Maya told me about— but only the ones involving the professors who had targeted me.

By the time I finished, the notebook had over five pages filled.

I handed it back to Miriam.

As she began reading through the content, her eyes grew wider and wider.

“This… is this all true?”

I didn’t respond.

I simply raised my thumb to my lips and touched my pinky to the center of my forehead.

I swore on the mother who was no longer in this world.