Chapter 1 - I am a professor. Not a war hero.
Chapter 1 - I am a professor. Not a war hero.
Cecily Leblanc, the youngest daughter of the Leblanc family, one of the most prominent families among the demons who encompass the eastern part of the continent.
Because she had many older siblings with a large age gap, she was naturally pushed out of the struggle for the next family head, but that didn't mean she lacked talent—not at all.
Perhaps they had the motive of boosting their youngest sister's pride, but Cecily's siblings said this:
That the child's magical talent was clearly superior to their own, and that she was a formidable youngest sister.
"Ugh!!"
What would those people from the Leblanc family say if they saw this scene right now?
They probably would have screamed inside, 'That's cheating!' Just like Cecily was doing right now.
'This really makes no sense!'
The human man in front of her, Klaus, had dismantled her magic far too easily.
Because she was talented in magic, she realized it immediately; that wasn't just a simple block.
If it had been, at the very least, mana clashing with mana would have caused an explosion, but that didn't happen.
It was to the point where you could say he just suppressed it, much like an adult subduing a child by twisting their wrist.
In contrast, Cecily couldn't block Klaus's magic at all.
No matter how thick a mana barrier she erected, the lump of mana, as if mocking her by asking if that was all she had, rushed in and completely smashed it to pieces.
It even rushed at Cecily without losing any of its power, so after setting up a few barriers, she had to give up on that and put all her effort into twisting her body this way and that to evade it.
'Uwaaaaaah!'
Just like her, the mana lumps Klaus had brought out were exactly two.
But the result was the exact opposite of her own; those two mana lumps were thoroughly ravaging her.
"Pro, Professor-nim!! Wai, wait! Ughhh!"
She was dodging and dodging until she was out of breath, so even speaking wasn't easy.
She wanted to scream for him to please stop, saying that she had lost and would never challenge him, the one called the Devil of the South, again.
But the mana lumps didn't even give her a few seconds to say those words, driving her into a corner.
Just 3 minutes—only 3 minutes after Klaus's attack began, Cecily was driven to her absolute limit.
"Ah?!"
Then, perhaps because the strength left her legs, Cecily lost her balance, and the mana lumps didn't miss that opening and flew at her.
It was the moment Cecily bit her lip, knowing all too well what would happen next.
Peoeok!-
"Kyaak!"
Suddenly, an immense impact was delivered to her abdomen, and an indescribable pain surged up.
A shrill scream, unbecoming of the position of the youngest daughter of the prestigious Leblanc family of the demon race, rang out.
Having allowed a strike to her stomach, Cecily rolled across the floor before barely managing to stop.
"Cough! Cough! Argh!"
"Don't be a drama queen. If you had been hit by the magic attack, you would have had a hole blown through you."
What was embedded in Cecily's stomach wasn't a mana lump.
She didn't know when he had approached, but Klaus's fist had been planted there instead.
Thanks to that, Cecily was able to escape the attack of the mana lumps, and Klaus retrieved the lumps he had sent flying and returned them to his own mana.
"...."
"...."
The cadets were once again engulfed in silence.
In less than 10 minutes, Klaus had sunk one human professor and one demon cadet.
Even though they were all people known for their skills when it came to magic, he had mercilessly smashed them.
"I think this is enough of an answer to the ridiculous rumor that I only succeeded by commanding some soldiers who were good at fighting. Furthermore, it gives you a reason to sign up for my lecture. Aren't you curious, cadets, about a combat magic lecture taught by such a professor?"
High-pride cadets, and professors who lived for their own self-importance.
He had delivered a clear warning to all of them and had perfectly promoted his own lecture.
Even just this could be called a profitable business, but on top of that, one more thing was caught.
"Argh! Hnggg...."
She might be crying her eyes out from the pain right now, but later on, she would probably be shedding tears of joy.
Begging half-heartedly for him to spank her ass, to pound her pussy, to curse at her, to push her around roughly, to treat her like that.
'Who would have imagined? That Cecily, the youngest daughter of the Leblanc family, a young lady of a noble house, is actually a true masochist.'
It was a fact that not even her family, her friends, or even Cecily herself knew.
That sexual preference waking up and awakening was something that could only happen when Klaus intervened to completely twist and erupt that fetish.
In the timeline where he decided to take Cecily, Klaus never missed a chance to awaken that masochistic tendency and teased her gently every night.
It wasn't just anyone, but a demon who killed him every time, and the daughter of a prestigious family at that; tormenting her brought a thrilling pleasure beyond imagination, so Klaus was also very satisfied.
Even now, the reason he went out of his way to strike her stomach was for that very reason.
Since it was a place for 'education' for a cadet who had first requested a sparring match as a professor, it was an act with no issues.
While at the same time, knocking and awakening a sexual preference that even she herself didn't know about.
'Perfect, perfect. It's a very pretty picture.'
Originally, he had intended to focus only on Yulia in this timeline.
Since she was the Demon King, she had a strong tendency to want to monopolize the man she wanted all to herself.
If he didn't train her well, there was a very high possibility that she would go blind with jealousy and kill everyone.
'But to have such a good skill and shoot a pure romance story is something only a fucking idiot would do.'
The skill he accidentally obtained in the 25th timeline, 'Excellent Teacher'.
It was already possible to seduce women with just the various auxiliary skills he possessed.
From the 'Fever Skill' he had already cast on Natasha, to 'Alchemy' which could even manufacture aphrodisiacs, and there were many others.
On top of that, there was the 'Excellent Teacher' skill, the final completed form that could make them rely on and lean on him completely.
And yet, not collect these exceptional women one by one? This is what you'd call a fucking eunuch.
"Hnggg, h-hic...."
If it were other professors, they would have helped Cecily up by now.
But Klaus intentionally ignored her, and while conscious of the cadets' gazes focused on him, he continued speaking again.
"The reason why Cadet Cecily's magic was completely shattered just a moment ago. The reason why the basic result that when mana meets mana, it causes an explosion, big or small, due to the reaction, was broken. If you are curious about that, you should take my lecture. In the first lecture, which will be held in three days, I will explain that reason."
With those words, Klaus turned around without any lingering attachment.
He didn't react at all to the sound of the murmuring cadets, or the words calling out to him amidst it.
If he talked more and sold his snake oil beyond this, the effect of the drug he had painstakingly injected would inevitably wear off.
A proper lingering impression, and a turning back, is far more effective than any modifier.
And his prediction was spot on.
Watching Klaus walking away with a swagger, a few, in particular, sent very deep gazes his way.
Human noble cadets, and the few commoner cadets, elves, beastkin, and even demon cadets.
Among them, naturally, the Demon King Yulia Agnesa had the most intense gaze.
'It was true after all. An expert in magic operation solely for combat. The one they said even our demons couldn't treat lightly, a true devil from command and leadership down to combat.'
And unexpectedly....
"Ughhh...."
Cecily Leblanc, who had been thoroughly and miserably wiped out, even her soul shaken out.
As a demon of a prestigious family, if she had suffered such humiliation in front of other cadets, it would be normal for anger and shame to spring up first.
But right now, Cecily was experiencing confusion due to something stronger than that anger, shame, and pain—a 'pleasure' that kept secretly raising its head around her chest.
'Co, Commander Klaus, the Devil of the South....'
She was frustrated, but she secretly felt good.
She had been subjected to such an openly shameful thing, but for some reason, laughter kept bubbling up.
'Combat magic lecture....'
It was a lecture she had intended to decide on after hearing the opinions of other demon cadets.
Cecily had already been confident in magic, so she had intended to focus on other lectures besides magic to fill in the lacking parts.
But now that she had awakened to something she didn't even know about herself, and now that she had faced the one who had first given that to her, there was no need to hesitate anymore.
Cecily, who had barely managed to stand up while clutching her still-aching stomach, made a decision.
That she would write her name on the course registration paper during the combat magic lecture introduction time tomorrow.
'I will definitely get back at him!'
Whether she really wanted to get back at him, or whether she wanted to try to get back at him only to get hit properly once more, Cecily was just resolving herself like that in a situation where even she herself didn't know for sure.
Meanwhile, Klaus was immediately called to the President's office and had to listen to quite a harsh reprimand.
Was it because he was afraid his position would be shaken because he had made a noble professor into a complete idiot? Or because he was afraid diplomatic problems would arise because he had touched a prestigious demon family? No, it was neither.
The reason President Ruskal was very angry and reprimanding Klaus was this:
"You should be careful! I know your skills well, and you know them even better. It's fortunate that the rotten noble bastard only ended up with limb paralysis, and Cadet Cecily Leblanc has no major injuries! You shouldn't harm the other party from the second day of the Academy! This is not a battlefield, I tell you!"
"I apologize."
"You are now a professor at the Academy. Keep your hand in check. In any case, this Continental Academy is a place created to seek peace between the East and the West. It's not a battlefield, so please, Commander Klaus. No, Professor Klaus, discard your excessive sharpness."
Discard excessive sharpness—it was a truly difficult order.
He had died 29 times and was now in his 30th timeline. At this point, he could be relaxed, but if he were to neglect even the smallest gap, things would slip and go wrong, so he had no choice but to keep his eyes wide open.
Above all, considering how much he had suffered from nobles, how many times he had been killed by demons, and how often he had been backstabbed by elves and beastkin, thinking or looking at anything positively was close to a luxury.
"Phew."
President Ruskal, who let out a sigh, tapped the table with his finger.
"The reason I allowed you into the Academy is not simply because you are a war hero or a master of combat magic. I allowed you to enter the Academy for the reason that you should find someone here who can truly accept you."
He knew. He knew why President Ruskal had allowed him to enter the Academy.
Ruskal is the very person who, despite being of noble birth, felt disgusted by the reality where the ugly pretend to be noble and the noble must be ugly, bound by status, and kicked himself out of that position.
That is why he wanted to help Klaus, who became a war hero despite being a commoner, and who, despite being a war hero, eventually had everything stripped away.
One of the few true nobles—that was Klaus's assessment of Ruskal.
"Due to today's incident, there will be those who harbor wariness toward you, and conversely, those who feel intense curiosity. It's a bad thing, but at the same time, it could be a good thing. Because you yourself have revealed that the war hero's past is not merely a rumor."
"It was a simple demonstration of the future lecture content, so the number of students will increase."
"...Who would believe that that war hero, the Devil of the South, is obsessed with money?"
"No one would believe it. Even my subordinates, who would defy death if it were my order, wouldn't believe it."
At Klaus's joke, President Ruskal burst into loud laughter.
The President, who laughed like that for a moment, said with a smile on his lips.
"Don't worry about the noble professor ending up like that. I will take care of it."
"Thank you."
"Instead, be moderate from now on. Safety issues are a somewhat sensitive matter for the Academy."
"I will keep that in mind."
When he deliberately gave a military salute, President Ruskal gave a playful reprimand, saying, "Hey! You!"
Having finished his meeting with the President and leaving the President's office, Klaus smiled, recalling the place where the cadets had been gathered just a moment ago.
'They were all there, but only that woman was missing. She must be groaning in her room, her fever slowly rising.'
He was a bit tired of waiting until the flesh was perfectly ripe, so he applied a slight stimulus.
By now, it must have ripened very nicely to eat because of that stimulus.
If he left it any longer, it would fall to the ground and get dirty, so he had to pick that fruit before it was too late and take a big bite.