The Fearsome Professor
Colin Zauss.
The fresh spring breeze of the new semester carried special meaning for him in every way. This was the season when lush, green freshmen flooded in — a time when even just breathing made a smug smile creep onto his face on its own.
After all, a hero's perfection was said to stem from his lustfulness.
Colin was notorious within his department not only for his outstanding skill but for a dissolute private life to match his reputation. If it weren't for the prestige of the Zauss family and his exceptional swordsmanship, he'd have been grabbed by the collar dozens of times over.
This year was his last chance to hunt freshmen. Colin observed the newcomers with a sharp gaze, like a hyena setting out on the prowl.
This year, the Academy was said to be welcoming a Golden Generation. The Royal Capital newspaper had even run a special feature on it. He wasn't sure about their actual abilities, but their looks were undeniably far superior to last year's batch.
"There's a fine selection to pick from."
He wasn't charging in blindly. A perfect hunt required meticulous preparation.
Colin already had a target marked in his mind.
Sara Leoris is too much of a burden. The Leoris family is beyond even my family's reach. There are plenty of good commoner girls, though.
One of them was Sierra Grimkeeper.
A commoner from the Thief Department, Sierra was nothing short of a delicious fruit that Colin could pluck with a single reach of his hand.
Not many commoners get to enter this Lord Colin's garden. She should consider herself lucky.
As soon as class ended, Colin headed to the Spear Department's training ground. It was already well-known within the Academy that the Thief Department borrowed the Spear Department's facilities.
"Today's class ends here, okayoot…!"
It seemed the Thief Department had just finished their training as well.
"Yohan, is your hand okay? Can you still clean and do laundry? I can do it for you."
"Ah, it's fine. One hand is perfectly good, right? I can't let Sierra work herself to death."
Finding Sierra Grimkeeper wasn't difficult. She was standing close to a male student.
Yohan Baker…
The top-ranked freshman of the Golden Generation.
A commoner, yet thanks to his extraordinary appearance, he was already a hot topic among third-years.
Yohan Baker possessed looks as remarkable as the rumors suggested. If anything, the rumors understated him.
Sierra was exchanging gentle, everyday conversation with Yohan in a soft voice. The lively voice chiming in beside them belonged to first-year Ellie Janette. Ellie was also one of the girls on Colin's list.
Sierra and Yohan. Are they dating?
He couldn't be certain, but judging by how they carried themselves, it was a reasonable suspicion. At the very least, if they weren't officially dating, there was definitely something going on between them.
Colin's big data, accumulated through years of romantic experience, told him that Sierra Grimkeeper's heart belonged to Yohan Baker. Of course, that didn't mean Colin had any intention of backing down.
It'll be even more fun that way.
Licking his lips with a shallow tongue, Colin approached Sierra.
As always, he spoke to her in a greasy voice, as if slathered thick with butter.
"Heh heh. Hey, excuse me. Are you Sierra Grimkeeper?"
A small crack appeared in Sierra's expression, which had been warm and smiling as she talked with Yohan. It seemed she was thoroughly annoyed at having her pleasant time interrupted — her expression shifted dramatically.
"Who are you?"
Her voice dripped with hostility.
It was a response that strongly implied 'don't bother me,' but Colin just smiled broadly and let her hostility slide off him.
"I'm Colin Zauss. A third-year senior."
"What does a third-year senior want?"
"Haha. You're sharper than I expected. Not bad. I like feisty girls, you know."
When he spoke this warmly, commoners' reactions were always consistent. They were crushed by the Zauss family's prestige and couldn't stand their ground. The response Sierra was showing now was the kind usually seen from noble ladies, not commoners.
This is a refreshing change, in its own way.
"The weather's nice today. How about having tea with me? I'll give you a slow tour of the Academy. You probably don't know the campus geography well yet, right?"
Colin delivered his usual go-to line. Normally, commoner girls would fold right here. Either they'd give in to the pressure and accept, or they'd see it as an opportunity for social climbing and fall for it.
However, the response Sierra gave was a type Colin had never seen before.
"Yohan, want to check out some circles with me today? There are a few I'm curious about."
"Ooh! Miss Sierra! I want to come too~!"
"Then let's all three go together, shall we?"
Ignored.
Not just ignored — treated as a complete transparent person.
Sierra didn't even glance at him, turning her attention entirely to Yohan and Ellie. It was a clear statement that he wasn't worth the effort of even acknowledging.
A commoner, daring to reject this Lord Colin's date invitation…?
Was there anything more humiliating for Colin, who bore the alias "Freshman Killer"?
Colin gritted his teeth and reached out to forcibly grab Sierra. But then—
"Excuse me… what business do you have with my students, okayoot…?"
Another hand caught the one he'd extended. It belonged to a petite female professor with seaweed-like hair and heavy dark circles under her eyes. The Academy's only Thief Department professor, infamous in the worst way — Izumi Reina.
"That Sierra Grimkeeper has insulted me! How dare she ignore this Lord Colin Zauss…! Unforgivable!"
"From what I can see, the rude one is you, okayoot…!"
"Wha…! I am a noble! I demand an apology from that girl right now!"
Colin unleashed a barrage of words with the kind of disrespectful attitude he would never have dared in front of any other professor.
If this had been Professor Flora or Professor Kur, he wouldn't have even been able to properly lay a hand on a freshman. He was acting this boldly precisely because the person in front of him was Reina, the professor famous for being ostracized.
"Um… you said Kol-lin Zeus, okayoot…?"
"Colin Zauss! Professor, step aside. I need an apology from Sierra Grimkeeper—"
Reina leaned her upper body sharply toward Colin, who was speeding out of control in front of her. Her pupils dilated wide, and an entirely different atmosphere descended upon her.
"Don't act tough, brat."
A whisper, barely loud enough for Colin to hear.
Yet that tiny voice was chilling, as if it were pulling his soul out. It felt like the Grim Reaper whispering the date of your death into your ear.
At Reina's single sentence, Colin jumped in shock and fell backward onto his butt. Reina took a step closer toward him and whispered again, just as before.
"If you touch my students…"
She didn't finish the sentence, but it wasn't hard to imagine what would come next. Colin scrambled to his feet like he was having a seizure and spun around.
He felt the illusion of a Grim Reaper aiming a sharp scythe at the back of his neck. He needed to run from here, right now.
"I-I'm so sorry!!!"
Colin bolted without a care for dignity or decorum.
Reina watched his retreating back and sighed.
"Teaching life… it's so hard, okayoot…!"
He'd stepped into the wrong trap. Who would have thought that the ostracized professor, "Izumi Reina," would be such a dangerous person?
Those eyes… they're definitely the eyes of a woman who eats men alive.
They were the eyes commonly called "man-eating eyes." Colin could sense obsession and madness in Professor Reina's pupils. Sierra Grimkeeper was no ordinary woman, but Izumi Reina was a step further beyond even her.
Even with ten lives, I couldn't handle a woman like that. Right, I didn't run. I executed a strategic retreat. That's all.
As Colin slunk along, a radiant flower caught his eye.
Arsha Swordhorn.
The greatest swordsman of the Golden Generation, receiving enormous expectations alongside Sara Leoris of the Magic Department.
Colin had just been badly burned, but he had no intention of giving up on freshman hunting — not even a shred of it. If he'd been that weak-willed, he'd never have earned the nickname "Freshman Killer" in the first place.
Arsha Swordhorn was the lady of the Swordhorn family, one of the most prestigious noble houses. She was a flower that could never be obtained through the same methods used on commoners or ordinary nobles.
Heh heh…! But there's always a way.
Arsha Swordhorn's combative spirit was already well-known. She'd challenged Sara Leoris, who was raising her stock as the most promising talent of this generation, to duels more than a few times.
I just need to stimulate that competitive desire a little.
When a person's mind is fixated on one thing, their thinking becomes simple. That's why hot-blooded types are easy to handle.
"Senior, step aside. Unless you want to get hurt."
"Even more interesting than I expected. How about this? Let's duel. If I win, you give me one date."
"Why should I waste my time messing around with a senior like you?"
"If you win, I'll never bother you again. How about it? Not bad, right?"
As expected, Arsha's reaction was exactly what he'd predicted. True to her status as a lady of a famous noble house, she didn't fall for it easily.
"Haa…"
Arsha let out a heavy sigh at his duel challenge.
She fixed Colin with a sharp gaze and nodded.
"Fine. But I have a condition. At least twenty student spectators. And the duel's content and result must be witnessed and certified by a professor."
Gathering people meant she intended to win and humiliate him thoroughly in front of a crowd. It was a warning not to talk his way out of it later.
It was a judgment she wouldn't easily make unless she was confident in her victory. Arsha Swordhorn was as bold as the rumors suggested, and overflowing with confidence.
"Then that works for me."
Colin knew her reputation well. Yet despite that, he didn't believe he would lose this duel.
Because I have this.
Colin stroked the bracelet on his arm and wore the smile of a villain.