The Academy Slave Instructor
Legandia is skilled even among perverts.
"Sector 3 of the Western Commercial District is currently under blockade!"
"We’ve deployed three-person teams at every intersection leading to Sector 5!!"
Kali, captain of the Legandia City Guard, listened to her subordinates’ reports and headed toward the commercial district.
Cities with crowds always see chaos, and among it all, crimes that cross every line are common. Most are petty offenses committed by drunkards, but sometimes dangerous incidents occur—knife fights breaking out in the middle of bustling streets, for example.
And today was one of those days.
Kali, who had been on her day off, had been dragged away from dinner with a friend by an urgent call. Some madman had not only committed perverted acts but had attacked a guard as well.
Kali had patrolled the streets for years and knew how foolish drunkards could be. She didn’t bat an eye at perverted behavior. But attacking an imperial guard was a serious matter.
Even if the words “You dare strike an imperial soldier?” came to mind, this was Legandia—the Empire’s direct territory. Attacking a soldier here was tantamount to rebelling against the Emperor.
Because of the headaches that followed, soldiers rarely approached civilians. They knew their actions could directly affect the Emperor’s honor, so they always thought twice and acted with extreme caution.
Civilians felt the same way. They never treated soldiers roughly. Even if they had a grievance, they went to the stationed judge rather than demanding anything from the guards on the spot.
Yet the report that a soldier had been attacked suggested the perpetrator was likely an outsider. Outsiders from other regions often caused unnecessary panic when they realized the gravity of their actions.
“As expected of outsiders.”
Kali had been waiting a month for a reservation at a popular restaurant when she returned empty-handed after only managing to eat an appetizer.
How many times had she looked forward to this meal? Even her friend had stayed behind at the restaurant to enjoy the rumored dish, unable to resist the rumor. Sitting alone at a table in that hour hadn’t been enough to deter curious glances, and Kali felt the same way. But she couldn’t abandon her duty, so she returned with tears in her eyes.
Many soldiers had been deployed to Sector 3 of the Western Commercial District to catch the bastard. Since even capturing him wouldn’t end the matter, there would be no time to enjoy the meal she had waited a month for.
The outsider suspected of being the culprit would never be forgiven.
Before Kali’s furious gaze stood a newly assembled troop lined up. Thanks to the pervert knocking out guards and fleeing while causing chaos, reinforcements kept arriving. She had to pray for the soul of the meal she had missed out on because she had to catch the bastard right in front of her.
“Each team leader, memorize the suspect’s appearance and capture him cleanly. The pervert is said to be quite skilled, so do not approach recklessly. Once you find him, hold him until support arrives. With Sector 3 sealed off, there is no escape. Search thoroughly.”
Her emphasis on “cleanly” made the soldiers snap to attention and move to their assigned positions.
While the guards appeared even more furious than usual, two soldiers slipped away into a different direction.
“Hey! Where the hell are you from?”
When a guard noticed them and approached with irritation, the two soldiers suddenly broke into a run. One guard shouted that the suspect was one person, but the soldier who had sensed something off yelled that there were actually two.
“It’s the suspect!! Not one, but two!”
Kali turned her head at the soldier’s cry and saw the two fleeing. Their clothing marked them as guards, yet their behavior looked suspicious.
“Permission to attack! Support team, open fire!”
Although not knights, the support team—created to handle rough types—was ready. At Kali’s command, they immediately unleashed magic. Dozens of mana-guided bullets flew toward the fleeing figures.
The smaller one on the right glanced back and threw something upward. The mana bullets suddenly changed direction and headed straight for the object.
The bullets passed the small item and soared into the sky, causing one of the shooters to look at Kali in confusion.
Kali scowled, thinking he would complain, but instead she ordered her subordinate immediately.
“The opponent is proficient in magic. Call over a team of knights and pure mages from headquarters… No, call everyone.”
“Everyone?”
“Hurry!! Support team, switch to search mode. Pursue the suspects until knights arrive from headquarters!”
“Understood!”
The support team, which had usually handled most combat, was now reassigned to search like regular soldiers.
Hitting distant targets with magic was difficult. They had to calculate spells, distribute mana, and track fast-moving targets simultaneously, which was too much to handle.
That was why every spell contained a guidance formula for the target. The mana bullets fired by the support team were officially called mana-guided bullets.
Yet the smaller suspect had simply glanced back and used a defense spell to redirect the guided bullets toward the object he had thrown. If his eyes were as sharp as they seemed, the item wasn’t even a mana stone. He had simply infused mana into a cheap silver coin and created a simple formula to trick the guided bullets. Sensing that the opponent was no pushover, Kali requested the maximum force available in the guard.
Feeling uneasy even with these numbers, she considered requesting backup from the military unit stationed at the academy. While she was tense at the unexpected skill level, she chased after the suspects with her soldiers.
“Hahahaha!!”
Rai, his face hidden by a hood, laughed heartily while running and shedding his armor. Asran, also hooded, removed the helmet that obscured his vision and stared at him with an odd expression.
Even when the guards fired dozens of mana bullets, Asran had been startled. Mana bullets were scary, but the fact that they had been ordered to attack meant lethal force was authorized—truly dangerous.
Wrong move and instead of prison, he might have died fighting the imperial army right there.
Of course, such extreme outcomes wouldn’t occur, but Asran scowled at the fact that lethal force had been approved against the guards.
“Laughing now?”
“It’s fun! Hundreds of people are aiming at you and me!! Doesn’t it give you chills?! It’s been ages!”
Rai laughed with eyes full of joy, though Asran couldn’t understand what he was excited about. Asran worried that such madmen appeared in the battlefield, but guards suddenly blocked their path.
“Halt!”
Asran gritted his teeth at the guards shouting to block the alley, thinking they were trying to tie their feet.
“Damn it, I can’t attack this way.”
“What did you say?”
Rai glanced at Asran once as if he didn’t understand the irritation, then dashed forward and slammed his knee into the guard’s face. Blood spraying, the fallen soldier was used as a stepping stone as Rai quickly dispatched the clustered guards.
Though not lethal, the punches that cracked jaws would cause headaches for a while when they woke up.
Knowing exactly what attacking guards meant, Asran opened his mouth in shock and stared at Rai. He had swept through the guards so effortlessly that anyone watching would feel refreshed.
In an instant, Rai had taken down the entire guard squad, then sat down and searched their belongings.
Even after rifling through their items with violence, Asran shouted.
“Hey! What are you doing?!”
“I’m looking because I need it.”
Rai grabbed something and stripped the guards of their armor. When other guards appeared, he tossed several pieces at Asran and took a few for himself before fleeing again.
“Suspect found! Heading toward Sector 5. Near Bevel’s General Store! They’re still wearing guard uniforms to disguise themselves!”
The soldier who shouted loudly continued chasing Rai, excluding the one who would report to Kali. Rai weaved through alleys, evading capture while dragging along the guards who appeared at every turn.
Soon dozens of soldiers were chasing him.
When Asran tried to speak after circling the same spot several times, Rai said.
“Here it is.”
Rai kicked open a door in the back alley without hesitation. Asran, who had no time to think about trespassing, followed him inside. Inside, rough-looking men stared at them.
“Who the hell are you?!”
“Where did these bastards come from?!”
The men, clearly not ordinary citizens, drew weapons and threatened them.
“We’re from the guard! You all will face judgment!!”
Rai rushed forward before Asran could understand what was being said and punched the nearest man in the face. Blood spraying, the man flew back and crashed into a table as the others in the room screamed and swung their weapons.
At the same time, the soldiers who had followed were surprised by the large number of enemies and hesitated.
“Damn it! Who sold us out?!”
“Kill them!!”
The men, who had been eyeing each other, charged at the soldiers with shouts.
“Request support!!”
The soldiers drew their swords and clashed with the men. Meanwhile, Rai knocked down the man at the opposite entrance and slipped out through the door.
Asran dodged flying debris and weapons while following Rai out.
“Who the hell are those guys?!”
“I don’t know, probably just back-alley thugs.”
Rai spoke casually while running through the alley, but Asran scowled.
“How did you know they were there?”
“I only did geography when I first came here. You need to know the streets well to survive in a city.”
“Geography lessons don’t usually talk about back alleys.”
“What do you mean? It helped, didn’t it?”
Rai smiled faintly and then said after glancing at the rooftops of buildings and alleys.
“Full sprint. Keep up.”
With those words, Rai shot forward at high speed. Given the dense network of alleys, missing one would mean getting lost. Asran clenched his teeth and chased after him.
Asran had thought simply running forward while moving his body wasn’t too bad, but he was barely keeping up with Rai out of fear of losing him.
After running for a while, Rai stopped and tossed his armor into a trash pile. Asran, following his gaze, grumbled as he added his own armor to the pile.
Rai sprinkled dirt over the trash to hide it, then wiped his dirty hands on Asran’s clothes. Asran tried to swat him away, but Rai’s arms wrapped around him like tentacles and stuck to the clothes until he wiped his hands.
Helplessly forced to wipe, Asran was fuming when Rai began climbing the building wall.
“Non-mana training is really helpful. Climb without using mana. Detection magic has been cast.”
Rai claimed that even though Asran felt nothing, a mana-detection spell had been activated. Asran, though skeptical, followed and asked.
“You really used detection magic?”
“Can’t you feel it? That’s why non-mana training is essential. There are countless detection spells that even mice and birds wouldn’t notice.”
“You said you felt it.”
Asran complained, but Rai shook his head.
“I couldn’t feel it either. Timing-wise, I was just about to cast detection magic.”
“… … You’re not just saying that, are you?”
“Ugh— Do I have to explain this? I’ll tell you later because it’s annoying. Focus on climbing right now. You’re too slow.”
Rai climbed at a similar pace but suddenly sped up.
He climbed using only pure physical strength yet moved as fast as if using mana. He leaped toward invisible gaps between bricks, balanced only with finger strength, and shook his body to propel himself upward.
“Where did you say your body wasn’t used?”
Despite appearances, he was using his body well. According to what he had said at the café, he wasn’t the type who fought with his body. Asran quickly chased after him, but he reached the rooftop of the five-story building much later than Rai, who was picking up laundry.
“Wear this. From now on, you’re my girlfriend.”
“What?”
“I’ll be Abigail. You’ll be Zeroa. No, no. That guy’s too famous in the city because he does too many things. Just use your name, Asran Scape. An academy student who’s a jerk.”
“Just me?! You’re telling me to come out and reveal myself?”
Asran, who hadn’t reacted to the insult “jerk,” was shocked at the idea of revealing his true identity, but Rai spoke casually.
“That’s right. Asran Scape isn’t a pervert.”
“… …”
“You have nothing to do with this matter. You’re an academy student who was playing with friends and went to find the genius instructor Rai Redford. You’re carrying plenty of food and gifts in both hands. After that, maybe you’ll have a hot night with your girlfriend Abigail.”
Asran swallowed the words “That Abigail is you…” and scrunched his face in disgust, but he understood Rai’s meaning at once. Whether it would work properly or not, if the guards questioned them and Asran Scape, the academy student, passed as an alibi unrelated to the criminal, everything could be resolved later.
“I’ll go change.”
Rai climbed down the wall again and entered the stranger’s house through the window without hesitation. Asran stared at the window where Rai had disappeared, then stuck his head back in and sighed.
It was a good plan, but it came with the condition that it had to pass. The first problem was Rai’s hair color, which stood out. Everyone would assume green hair was the suspect, and suspicion would be obvious.
Passing would be impossible. Guards who suspected would never let them go easily.
Though uneasy, Rai had kept him alive so far. If he followed Rai’s instructions, he might escape this worst situation. Asran clenched his teeth, unwilling to face the face of that guy from prison, and changed his clothes.
After steeling his resolve, Asran looked at the clothes that fit his body surprisingly well and tilted his head. He couldn’t understand how Rai had chosen clothes that fit his body by eye, so he dismissed it as coincidence and waited for Rai.
Rai, who had climbed down the wall, opened the rooftop door confidently. Asran, who had initially thought someone else was coming, flinched, but he recognized Rai’s smile and realized it was him.
He had completely transformed. Whether “Rai” was the right word or not, Rai had become a complete beautiful girl. With the same red hair and red eyes as Abigail, he exuded a gentle, refined atmosphere unlike the rough Abigail.
“You said you wouldn’t use mana… or magic, right?”
Rai, whose hair color and eye color had changed, laughed with a snort.
“There are countless ways to avoid detection magic. You might not be able to, but I can.”
Of course, it was a lie. Rai had simply removed the magic he was already using to avoid detection magic and returned to his original colors. Rai brushed his hair behind his ear and smiled brightly.
Asran flinched at the attractive smile, and Rai narrowed his eyes with the corners drooping.
“Ready? Ready for a hot night with your boyfriend?”
“Damn it, don’t say creepy things like that.”
Asran turned away in anger, and Rai smiled faintly while descending through the corridor to the building’s exit. When they stepped outside, Asran’s expression hardened in tension.
Naturally, Rai slipped his arm through Asran’s and leaned on his shoulder with a disgusted look while whispering.
“Pervert, if you don’t want to get caught, go back to being the clueless, weak Asran Scape.”
“… … I wasn’t tense.”
“That’s right. That dumb expression is Asran Scape. Don’t tense up and smile, dummy. With a pretty girlfriend beside you, it’s only natural that Asran would be tense?”
At Rai’s words, Asran tried to walk with pride. Following Rai’s advice, he straightened his shoulders and lifted his head, feeling envious glances from passersby.
Rai had dressed so beautifully that the glances made sense. In reality, he wasn’t that handsome, but the magic of makeup was impressive.
The frilly, unique clothes he had somehow acquired made people stare.
“Though I’m a man inside.”
Asran looked at the men staring enviously with pity, but to anyone unaware of the situation, he appeared as a man arrogantly showing off a pretty girlfriend beside him.
And that arrogance was enough to clear him from the suspect list.
While walking the streets, Asran could hear conversations about the green-haired pervert being chased, but he saw no suspicious eyes directed at him.
Perhaps they would reach the academy safely like this.
“Excuse me.”
Just as he had expected, several guards approached and grabbed Asran.
While he was unsure what to do, Rai looked at the guards with pure eyes and said.
“What is it?”
Asran stared at Rai. His voice was so beautiful it sent chills down his spine. The guards asked politely if they could draw their swords because of the terrifyingly beautiful voice.
“It’s fine… but it will take a while? We’re late for our appointment with our instructor.”
“Instructor? Are you an academy student?”
“Yes, I enrolled this year. I’m Abigail, and this is Asran Scape.”
Rai smiled brightly and looked up at him as if emphasizing that they were lovers. Asran almost pulled his arm away from the one Rai had linked with him, but Rai’s grip was stronger.
“What are you doing? The soldiers are asking. Even if I’m pretty, you can’t just stare blankly.”
“Uh— I’m Asran Scape. I’m also an academy student.”
“Sorry, I’m a blunt person.”
“It’s fine.”
The guards nodded and tried to speak again, but Rai spoke first.
“The streets are noisy. There are many soldiers here. Is something wrong?”
“I’m sorry to say this, but there is a suspect who looks similar to Asran. He is currently on the run.”
“A suspect? What did he do? Is it murder?”
“No, the first crime was simple theft. But it was… women’s underwear and…”
Because he was speaking in front of the beautiful girl Rai, the guard’s voice became quieter.
“After that, he attacked soldiers and injured them. He is a very dangerous person, so be careful.”
“Is there anything we can do to help? We’re also academy students from Legandia Academy.”
“No. You said you had an appointment with your instructor, right?”
“If it’s Instructor Rai, he would understand if we say we’re late to help the imperial army. He’s a good person. He is truly amazing.”
Asran stared blankly at Rai’s nonsense, then was elbowed in the side and turned his head.
When the beautiful girl offered help, the guard shook his head and spoke proudly.
“It’s fine. Trust us. We are here to protect everyone in Legandia.”
“How wonderful.”
Rai smiled brightly and sent a look of respect, causing the guard to scratch the back of his head embarrassedly before saying goodbye and walking away from them.
Kali, the captain of the guard, watched the two easily escaping.
“What are you doing?”
At Kali’s cold voice, the guard who had let them go shrank back.
“T-they’re academy students! They said they have an appointment with their instructor!”
“I told you to capture all suspects who look similar. Are academy students exempt?”
“… … N-no. But… t-they really aren’t…”
At the guard’s shrinking voice, Kali was irritated and pushed him aside to approach Asran.
“Wait a moment.”
Asran, who had already heard her voice, looked at Rai in tension, but he answered naturally.
“Yes, what is it?”
“I am Kali, captain of the Legandia City Guard. I have ordered temporary detention for all suspects who look similar. You said you are academy students?”
“Yes, that’s right. Should we follow you?”
Kali examined Rai’s face. Even in an emergency, she was cooperative and showed no complaints despite the forced arrest.
The man’s expression was stiff, perhaps because he was being separated from the woman, but he didn’t take a vicious stance. Both of them showed a willing, proud attitude to follow if they wanted to.
Seeing that they were academy students trying to understand and accommodate them as much as possible, Kali’s suspicion toward them eased slightly.
But nothing had changed. Since the suspect hadn’t been found, they needed even a small clue. The green-haired pervert was uncommon, so searching the city one by one would make it easy to find.
Just as Kali was about to say they would be detained and follow, a signal flare rose. The red light indicating the suspect had been found made all nearby guards turn their heads.
“Sector 5, where the trail had been lost. He has been hiding there the whole time.”
At the subordinate’s words, Kali nodded and turned to Rai and Asran, bowing her head.
“I have estimated the suspect’s location. Thank you for cooperating with the interrogation.”
“Is there anything we can do to help?”
“No. Elite support has already arrived. You don’t need to worry.”
“As expected, you can rely on Captain Kali. Having someone like you makes us feel at ease at night.”
“Thank you. I have to catch the suspect, so I’ll be going.”
Kali said goodbye and ran toward the signal flare with her subordinates. Rai watched her back with a grateful expression, and Asran looked at him with disgust.
“Relax your expression. No one is watching.”
Rai spoke without moving his lips, and Asran turned away in embarrassment. The object he had taken from the unconscious guard had been a signal flare.
He didn’t know how, but Asran was certain it was Rai who had done it at the perfect timing.
The two walked to the academy arm in arm as before. Even though there were no people around, Rai talked about memories they had never experienced while acting as a cute girlfriend, and Asran listened silently. From the side, they looked like a lovey-dovey date between a clingy cute girl and a blunt man.
When they entered the academy, Rai still laughed with a giggle in the voice of a beautiful girl. Hearing only the voice, one would think it was a happy girl, but she was laughing because she had enjoyed insulting the guards earlier.
With moonlight and streetlamp light mixing, Rai now showed mysterious charm as he turned back to look at Asran.
“It was fun. Let’s go have a drink.”
“Where?”
“Where else? My place. Tonight, sleep over. Don’t wander the streets and cause trouble.”
Asran, knowing Rai was actually a man inside, chuckled and shrugged.
“Is there any decent alcohol?”
“No, dummy. If you have money, buy it. Cheap fruit wine, but the side dish is amazing. Even if I chew on today’s events, it won’t be enough to get drunk.”
The two chatted noisily and walked along the streetlit path.