Excellent Teaching
It could be seen as sudden violence. But since it was sudden violence to begin with, that was the correct way to look at it. One might call it a sudden outburst, but for Kang Sian there had been no other choice. The truth that the protagonist had been that crazy woman back then was something unpredictable. The next best thing was to reference similar situations and respond accordingly. The material to reference for that response was the lessons of people from the past.
"People only listen after they've been hit." "A mad dog that's fallen into water needs to be beaten with a club." "There's no arguing with a beating."
From time immemorial, how to deal with madmen had been a subject of much debate. Whether to use a little violence or a lot of violence was the core issue that sparked moral conflict. Of course, "a little violence" here meant enough to subdue an ordinary human. Hunters were Awakeners, and Awakeners required a great deal of violence before they could be subdued. It was essentially a debate about beating someone like a dog until they either gave up or died.
At first glance, beating them until they died seemed better, but that wasn't always the case. The saying that people don't change for the better didn't come out of nowhere. There were those whose convictions only grew stronger no matter how much they were beaten, let alone reformed. "Proud people tend to be like that."
A situation where not using violence was worse than useless. Yet there were also some whose convictions grew even stronger if you didn't use it, which was the problem. Either way, it was a problem, which meant that using violence to fix someone's mentality carried enormous risk. Therefore, the one wielding violence needed to carefully control the intensity. Just enough so the other party wouldn't hold a grudge. Moderate violence.
"Aagh! Ow! Kyaaah!"
"How many times has it been now? Who's the one acting rude over and over? You think I'm an easy target because I'm holding back?"
Thud! Thwack!
It was nonsense. Moderate violence was always just an excuse the one committing it used to rationalize their actions. Besides, the other party was a racist who had long since devoured any sense of manners. They would feel resentment just from breathing, so what courtesy or reform could one possibly expect? It would be fortunate if they didn't develop extreme hatred just from the use of violence. Kang Sian was almost certain she would come to hate him even more. So he made sure to use violence thoroughly.
Ines was kicked and punched.
"Ow! Aagh! S-somebody help!"
"If any of you try to help this brat, I'll make you look just like her!"
Some tried to intervene in the one-sided beating. But Kang Sian's resolute attitude made it impossible. In the end, they could only whisper among themselves and look on with pity. The typical bystanders created a chilly atmosphere. While some were debating whether to call the police, someone who was displeased by the sight of a person being beaten like this approached him.
It was an Englishman with a tail that looked like it belonged to a demon attached to his rear, wearing an angry expression that matched his red horns. Kang Sian stopped kicking and looked at her.
"You there, that's enough. What exactly do you think you're doing in a classroom?"
"What do you think? I'm educating someone in the classroom."
"Education?"
No matter how you looked at it, it didn't seem like education. No matter how you looked at it, it was just violence. A somewhat repulsed gaze was directed at him. Kang Sian paid it no mind.
They say excellent teaching is one-quarter preparation and three-quarters on-site execution.
Today, the other side came prepared in their own way.
Accordingly, I'm simply teaching them manners on the spot.
He spouted a contextless, astonishing method of education as if it were the most natural thing. Naturally, the Englishman looked at him like he was insane and pulled out her phone to report him to the police. With a beep, the final stronghold of the weak began to cast its shadow. It seemed the only thing left for Kang Sian now was a trip to the detention center.
But those who weren't going to jail could do anything and still not go. On the other hand, those destined to be trampled would somehow end up in a miserable state.
"Ugh, uuuugh……"
Ines, momentarily freed from the violence. With senses so blurred they were a complete mess, she wiped her forehead with her hand. A viscous sensation was felt, and blood came away. It was clearly her own blood, and the thought of how dare he, to me flooded her mind. She immediately looked straight ahead with her hazy vision and muffled hearing. The conversation between the slightly pointed ears and the swaying demon tail was enough to trigger paranoia.
D-did that bastard call for backup?!
It would have been less bad if her hearing had been intact. Of course, even then, her deep-rooted discrimination would have led her to the same misjudgment.
"How dare an inferior mixed-blood like you!! Pure white people! Please deal with those bastards!!!"
That was the worst choice she reflexively made. The Englishman's finger, which had been about to dial the police, stopped.
"Pure? White?"
"Is no one there?! Please, just deal with that vile bastard!!!"
Soon, all sorts of innovative nonsense poured out into the classroom. The speaker was Ines, who had stood up again, and the targets were the two people in front of her—or perhaps discriminatory targets who may or may not exist. The problem was that there were quite a few discriminatory targets in this classroom, and quite a few people who opposed discrimination itself. The mad ramblings that seemed to bypass any brain filter made the atmosphere even more intense.
"Typical Dixie scum."
"The cross necklace makes her look like the real deal."
"Ah, no wonder she got beaten."
"I was wondering why a perfectly normal-looking guy seemed so angry……"
"Wait, what? Is she into inbreeding?"
Her stupidity kicked away even a favorable situation. The idea that the man had a problem was quickly replaced by the idea that the woman was the problem itself. Moreover, the negative gazes that had been directed at Kang Sian changed to look at him like a hero trying to slay a demon. It was only natural, since those who took the lead and caused trouble were respected. The Englishman beside Kang Sian received the same look. She abandoned her previous judgment.
"……Shall I bring you a club?"
The phone number disappeared. The phone was put away again. Everyone's turning away meant the resumption of violence. Before Ines's senses fully recovered, a fist was driven into her soft lower abdomen. The position, lower than before, looked extremely dangerous. However, it wasn't an attack made without thought. After all, he had received intensive training at Nartika—how could he not know a woman's body structure? Especially since Cheon Mari had been by his side for twelve whole years, he was more than familiar with a woman's weak points.
"Agh, aah…… aaah……!"
It was an attack he had deliberately committed. Ines clutched where her womb would be and let out a groan at the strange sensation.
"Agh, agh…… It hurts……"
"It hurts? You were provoking people without caring about pain earlier, and now you're playing the victim?"
"Ugh, uuugh…… You lunatic…… haaagh……"
It was a cruel act, but for the sake of the best possible future, he had to do whatever it took. Otherwise, there would only be a future where he was trampled and broken. Kang Sian voiced his firm resolve and loose plan.
"This is education. Education meant to teach you manners."
Manners were stronger than law. And violence was closer than law. In the first lesson, he intended to instill the correlation between manners and violence. It might take a long time, but there were still over ten minutes until the professor arrived, so it was enough.
"I clearly gave you a chance."
Ines's suffering was only just beginning.
* * *
Covered in wounds, a rag, just an idiot. Ines Corceiro staggered toward home.
"Shit…… shit…… Damn elf bastard……"
Curses spat from torn lips. The words exhaled with breath that seemed ready to give out felt unbearably difficult. Moreover, the situation she found herself in also felt unbearably difficult. Ines lamented that she had been so thoroughly trampled. Especially the reality that she couldn't even report it because of her defeat was infuriating.
For reference, "reporting" here meant calling the Puerto Rico police, those superhumans who were experts at subduing drunk cadets. "If only I'd won or tied, I could've reported it……! Of all things……!"
It was somewhat strange, but the hunter ecosystem in rural Alabama was originally like this. Reporting to the cops when you weren't even the winner was something only cowards did. A true American hunter should be prepared to accept defeat after a fight. In that sense, she somewhat respected American Vice President Aaron Burr. It might seem unrelated, but that vice president was the one who shot and killed the former Secretary of the Treasury in a duel. Even when dragged to trial on murder charges, he had made such American-sounding statements—how could she not respect him? Although he later became ugly with unpatriotic behavior in his later years, Ines still thought there were aspects worth emulating. At the same time, she sighed repeatedly, thinking she couldn't even follow in the footsteps of such a person.
At least Aaron Burr won his duel.
A winning idiot was better than a losing idiot. It was one of the unchanging laws throughout history. The fact that a losing idiot had given up on reporting to the police, which could have screwed over the winning idiot, made her even more of an idiot. Honestly, if someone who won or tied gave up on reporting, there might be some style to it, but this was just nothing.
But if today was like this, what the hell is next week going to be like……?
That was why she was worried about next week. Even if today's nightmare ended today, the nightmare would return next week. Especially when she recalled the vicious elf talking about "education," it seemed highly likely he would continue this kind of thing. For Ines, it was no different from the start of an inescapable deep-state-style hell. In the end, she considered changing classes, but her pride wouldn't allow it. No matter what kind of fight it was, she had to achieve victory against Kang Sian, who had done this to her.
"Mom! That big sister is hurt really badly!"
"If you study to be a hunter, you'll end up like that when you grow up."
Of course, for now it was nothing more than a delusion. It was a truly sad reality. With lonely steps, she opened the door and entered her house. Since it was a safe zone called home, she firmly believed there would be no more painful experiences. She never imagined that someone had been following her. The stalker took dark steps toward Ines's house.