Chapter 30 - Viva! Apocalypse (2):
If the entire world seems to have gone mad, leaving you as the only sane one, chances are it's actually you who has lost their mind.
It's far more likely that one person has gone off the deep end than for thousands of people to fall into delusions all at once, wouldn't you agree?
An obvious, reasonable line of thought. And so, the Acting Director found herself in deep contemplation.
Had she truly gone insane?
Our professor has decided to resign. But Professor Lian would never abandon us. That means someone must be forcing him to do this against his will.
Could this kind of thinking… actually be normal?
Our professor is destined to save the world someday. It's impossible for a mere human to plot against such a hero. The enemy must be a wicked demon. And anything goes when it comes to demons.
This reaction would be perfectly understandable…
'No, this can't be! At least make sense!'
She managed to hold onto her sanity. Even if the world had turned upside down, such a mindset was far from normal. Looking at the current state of the Academy, even the radical zealots of the Holy Kingdom would be left speechless.
'That professor… he's only been here a month, hasn't he? What on earth did he do to these kids?'
Her common sense told her that a month was far too short a time to build such bonds.
But reality seemed to argue otherwise.
One month, it seemed, was enough not only to form bonds but to align so deeply with another that any attack on them felt like a personal affront.
As if to drive home this unsettling reality, she heard the angry shouts from outside the window once more.
"Come out here, you demon! Give us our professor back!"
She was neither a demon, nor had she stolen anyone's professor.
But the furious students wouldn't listen to any explanations.
Various objects came flying through the air—everything from eggs and tomatoes to flour-filled condoms. The variety and inventiveness of what they threw was shockingly obscene.
As if that wasn't enough, this chaos was the least of her problems.
Soft rustling sounds.
The sight of a girl crawling on all fours into her bedroom like some kind of creature from a horror story.
Without a word, the girl jabbed a pen into the Director's leg to draw blood. Naturally, what flowed out was red, human blood—not the blue blood of a demon.
Common sense dictated that the girl should now apologize, saying something like, "Oh my, I'm terribly sorry for the misunderstanding," right?
"You even went so far as to disguise your blood color. I've never seen a demon as meticulous and conniving as you."
The girl wasn't acting on normal logic.
She gnashed her teeth in frustration, as though she were the wronged party. The Acting Director could hardly believe her eyes—she was the one who'd been attacked, yet somehow, the girl's expression was as if she had been the one to commit a terrible crime.
"I'll let you off this time, but don't think you can keep running."
And please, stay vigilant.
With those parting words, the girl disappeared just as stealthily as she had entered.
"Eek! A ghost! There's a ghost here!"
"Calm down, Director Karin. Ghosts aren't real; they can't possibly—aaah!"
The spider-like girl had managed to scare away a few unwelcome guests. But frightening off a couple of cowards didn't improve the situation by much.
One only had to look at the white-haired old man nearby to see that.
"Must… hold back… Do not act rashly… Just focus on observation… His actions must have some purpose… I must not ruin things by misjudging again…"
The Empire's Iron Duke muttered to himself in a constant stream of words, speaking too quickly to be fully understood.
With some effort, she managed to make out that he was attempting to suppress his own murderous intent.
His mutterings might have been the only restraint he had—his hand kept returning to the hilt of his sword.
"But… sometimes the simplest solution is to just cut out the problem. That's how it was on the battlefield."
From time to time, he would clear his head and mutter something coherent, only to fall back into incomprehensible mumbling. The Iron Duke's unstable mental state was driving the Acting Director to the brink.
She couldn't let her guard down for a single moment.
But asking him to leave was out of the question.
It felt like holding onto a ticking time bomb that could go off at any second.
'This is absolute madness…'
And this was just day one. Barely a day had passed since Lian's sudden resignation announcement, and already, chaos had erupted. What would happen on the second day?
And the day after that?
And the day after that?
The thought alone sent cold sweat trickling down her back.
She wasn't sure she'd survive this. She'd always dreamed of rising to the top, but not like this. Not by this path.
Finally, after much deliberation, she made up her mind.
Bowing down to some commoner was a thought she despised with every fiber of her being, but it was still preferable to the very real possibility of dying.
Steeling herself, she walked toward the faculty dormitory and knocked softly on his door.
With a creak, the door opened to reveal Lian.
The man who claimed to be resigning out of guilt was sitting there, perfectly relaxed, enjoying some aromatherapy. She felt a flare of anger rise within her but suppressed it with remarkable self-control.
With a gentle smile, she spoke in a soft tone.
"I understand that you're remorseful. I'll pardon your offense this time, so please, return to your duties."
It was an effective offer of surrender. She'd drop her attempts to hinder him, and in exchange, he'd return to work.
Surely, he wouldn't turn her down. He was known as the genius professor who cared deeply for his students. How could a man like that turn his back on his responsibilities?
But, predictably enough, Lian threw salt on the wound.
"I'm sorry, but I won't be returning. Please leave."
His behavior was beyond comprehension.
Her face twisted with disbelief, but Lian showed no signs of caring about her reaction.
With a calm smile, he closed the door with a loud bang.
…Something had gone terribly, terribly wrong.
The Founding Dragon was growing more restless by the day.
As if her tangled emotions weren't hard enough to deal with, now this.
The disciplinary suspension placed on Lian had set everything into motion.
First the suspension, then Lian's sudden resignation announcement.
The Acting Director who had appeared out of nowhere had managed to ruin everything. Under normal circumstances, Sion would have known exactly what to do.
Crush the insolent human.
She had more than enough resources to make her submit.
A solution as simple as it was brutal. But right now, she hesitated to wield her authority. Because there were reasons she had to respect his wishes.
"Please, honor my intentions. If I don't take the punishment I deserve, I won't be able to live with myself."
One look at Lian's expression had been enough to see he was sincere. And if this was what Lian truly wanted, she had no choice but to respect his decision.
And then there was another reason—less important, perhaps, but still very real.
She was a bit afraid. What if she disregarded his wishes, only for him to turn to her and say, "I don't want anything to do with you anymore"?
In her mind, an unwanted movie began to play.
Lian, eyes glistening with tears, looked at her with disappointment and said, "I knew this was all you were capable of." He took their nineteen adorable children with him.
She begged, clinging desperately to his leg, but his gaze was cold.
The warmth of their honeymoon days had long faded, replaced by eyes filled only with resignation and disappointment.
• "I was just a toy to you, wasn't I? Did you ever love me at all?"
His words struck her heart like a dagger.
But she couldn't refute him. After all, she'd trampled on his wishes and disregarded his will. She had no right to claim she loved him.
She watched, helpless, as Lian walked away from her forever. The credits rolled as her heart sank.
…A cold sweat trickled down her spine.
She didn't even like Lian, not in that way—she was simply curious about him. But regardless, this nightmare ending must never come to pass.
'But I can't just let things stay like this.'
She wanted to respect Lian's wishes as much as possible.
But if he tried to leave, she'd stop him, no matter what.
Caught between her conflicting feelings, Sion wrestled with indecision until she recalled her friend's words from the first time they met.
• "Even the most complicated problems can sometimes be solved with a simple conversation."
Let's just talk things through. The young hero who'd been assigned to slay the ancient dragon had arrived empty-handed, with nothing but tea and pastries. And somehow, it had worked.
The girl's audacious tales of adventure had drawn Sion out of her cave and led her to become one of the hero's allies.
'Maybe a conversation with Lian will be enough.'
Perhaps he'd see reason if she just talked to him.
So Sion set to work, carefully preparing.
After many attempts, she finally managed to bake some cookies.
She put them in a package with a cute bunny design, but then decided that was too silly and picked a simple one instead.
Then she realized the package was too plain, so she considered drawing a small heart on it, only to stop herself and give herself a stern slap, mentally reminding herself to get a grip.
After an entire day of effort, she finally had her gift ready. She felt prepared, confident that she'd be able to persuade him this time.
Today would surely be a good day.
Today had to be a good day.
But then…
"What is your problem?! I told you I'd surrender! I agreed to all your conditions! Just go back to work already!"
"My decision stands, Director. Nothing you say will change my mind."
"You… Are you trying to pick a fight with me?"
As she neared Lian's residence, she overheard what sounded like an argument.
Feeling an unexpected rush of worry, Sion quickened her pace, her steps becoming hurried and almost frantic. She climbed the stairs two at a time, barely catching her breath as she reached Lian's door and opened it wide.
And there, she saw—
"W-wait a minute. I only meant to give him a light push…"
The Acting Director, visibly alarmed, while Lian lay on the floor, coughing up fresh, bright red blood.