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Chapter 42.
You Wouldn’t Have Known This (3)
At 9 p.m., Ruin received an unexpected message.
“What? The monsters we captured are going berserk?”
It was a summons asking him to come because the monsters in the breeding facility were rampaging.
Sure enough, the unfamiliar assistant who knocked on the door of the head professor’s office looked troubled.
“I’m sorry to bother you so late. We’re restraining them, but it’s getting difficult. I think the Professor of Demon-Hunting Studies needs to come.”
“Understood. I’ll be there shortly.”
Ruin left the head professor’s office with the assistant.
As soon as he disappeared from the office, two shadows emerged nearby.
“He’s gone.”
“He has.”
They were visitors of the night.
They approached Ruin’s desk in the laboratory. What they were after was the bottle containing Catalun’s demonic power.
“Good. Swap it.”
The night visitors were none other than professors. And they, too, were hero-class figures of Haven. Moving Catalun’s bottle posed no problem for them. To prepare for every contingency, they had even brought artifact gloves.
“That brat, still green as can be, trying to monopolize something like this.”
They placed a fake Catalun bottle on Ruin’s desk. It looked identical on the outside, but inside was sleeping gas.
Having completed the switch, they left the head research office with smug expressions. As soon as they exited the main research building and slipped into the back alley, they removed their masks.
“Is it the real thing?”
The two professors examined the bottle. It was certainly a fragment of Catalun’s demonic power.
By deliberately causing the training monsters to go berserk, they had lured Ruins outside and successfully stolen the bottle.
“Good. Now we can conduct our own research with this.”
“Before Wayne announces his achievements, we’ll be the ones to— guh!”
“What’s wrong? What’s happening!”
Suddenly, the professor holding the bottle clutched his throat and collapsed.
“Aaagh!”
“Hey! Are you alright? Hey— aagh!”
The bottle, which had been fine when they carried it out, opened at the very moment they were trying to slip into the back alley.
At the same time, black demonic power that should have been tightly sealed flowed out of the bottle and engulfed them.
The pitch-black aura entered the professors’ throats, then violently surged up over their bodies.
Bang!
“More mana is needed.”
“Mana!”
The professors, writhing under the curse energy, screamed. Drawn by the powerful presence, assistants rushed over.
“Please come to your senses, Professor!”
“What is this! Isn’t this the power of the Five Evils?!”
“Why all of a sudden— gah!”
“That’s not what matters right now! Bring the Chairman here first!”
Meanwhile, there was a shadow watching the scene from the rooftop. It was Ruin, observing the situation through a telescope.
“How rude. Digging through someone else’s room when you don’t even have the ability to steal properly.”
「Wow, the professors actually fell for this?」
‘I deliberately picked only the ones who were cornered due to a lack of research achievements.’
「Are you a demon or what…」
‘How unpleasant. I simply weighed success rates and efficiency.’
「You’re putting demons out of a job…」
He had sent the assistant away, claiming the rampaging monsters required a specific stabilizer. In the meantime, the misfortune he had released into the bottle had merely detonated.
Then Catalun’s power would attack the professors, and a hero would be dispatched. After all, it wasn’t just a high-ranking demon—power on the level of the Five Evils was rampaging within Union territory.
And fighting something on the level of the Five Evils inside the school? The damage would be catastrophic.
‘Naturally, they’ll teleport it far away from Haven.’
Then, while the hero was gone, he could take care of things on his end.
Well, the professors might have prepared thoroughly, but before the misfortune of the firefly, everyone was equal.
‘Now then, run wild. Catalun’s demonic power!’
「Isn’t it running a bit too wild? It’s starting to strip kids’ clothes?」
It’s fine. I’m not the one getting arrested for indecent exposure.
“Who has undone my curse? The Union?”
「Hey. It looks like even Catalun himself is pissed and showed up?」
This is troublesome.
The professors’ voices had changed into Catalun’s voice.
‘Possession… I guess those professors’ luck wasn’t very high.’
They had been possessed due to misfortune.
Normally, between Haven’s barrier and the professors’ own luck, possession wouldn’t occur—but it seemed the misfortune had affected them greatly.
「Or maybe it’s just that your power’s gotten stronger?」
Well, the downside of the power of misfortune is that it’s always this unpredictable.
“Did the paltry Union dare to undo my curse?”
「Hey. He’s really pissed. What if you get found out? Ah—well, Catalun does seem to like you, so maybe it’s fine?」
If he takes a liking to me twice, I’ll die.
Ruin narrowed his eyes.
‘He must still be angry about me secretly stealing treasure fifty years ago.’
I never expected that old man to come in person, so I didn’t plan countermeasures that far—
‘No. Maybe this is actually good?’
Normally, it would’ve just been the demonic power running wild, but with possession, it’s a different story. With the professors’ strength added, it would be even harder to stop.
In other words, the hero would spend more time dealing with Catalun.
‘Fine. I don’t like either of them anyway, so just kill each other.’
「Hey. One of them’s your boss.」
At that moment, the screams grew even louder.
“Professor! Please come to your senses!”
“Professor— aagh!”
The area around Haven’s Dark Forest was in chaos. The rampaging demonic power surged skyward as if piercing the heavens, and the assistants screamed while spreading barriers.
“No, we can’t hold it back any longer!”
“Bring the Chairman!”
“He’s here!”
Given the severity of the incident, the hero Elaine arrived swiftly.
“Two are possessed?”
“Yes!”
The hero summoned her sword with an exasperated expression.
But as Ruin watched the scene, a faint smile formed on his lips—a contemptuous smile.
‘No matter how you look at it, it’s still Catalun. It’ll take time.’
As proof, Catalun’s power raged fearsomely. Satisfying screams echoed from all around.
“Move them somewhere else, quickly!”
“Teleport them to Isak of the Holy Empire!”
“To where the Papal See is!”
“The hero will head there as well!”
Finally, seeing even the professors specializing in teleportation magic arrive, Ruin folded his telescope and stood up, as if everything was going according to plan.
Yes. For something on the level of the Five Evils, that’s about right—move them far away. Grab each other by the collar and fight for as long as possible.
Of course, since Catalun wouldn’t actually be dealt with in this case, he’d have to forgo the reward from the Demon Lord’s side, but it couldn’t be helped.
‘As long as I can retire, that’s enough.’
With that relaxed thought, Ruin turned his body, about to head toward the professors’ research building.
Yes—he did, but then…
Flash!
‘Huh?’
A flash of light burst behind him. It was so bright it felt like the morning sun had risen, enough to leave everyone stunned—an intense light that seemed as though it might swallow his very existence in an instant.
Ruin slowly turned his head. Ginseng Boss screamed as if startled awake. It was light that would shock even a god.
「What? What?! What’s going on?! Catalun’s presence is gone?!」
“………”
Ruin was left speechless.
「Seed?」
“The hero took care of our geezer.”
「What?! He dealt with it that fast?!」
Breaking his silence, Ruin quietly pressed his brow.
…Crazy. Is she a monster?
Of course, that Catalun wasn’t the main body—at best, it was just a fragment of his power.
But still—Catalun’s will itself had come. And she blew it away in one strike?
‘No wonder high-ranking demons get treated like mobs. If we’d tried to lure him further, our side would’ve been in danger instead.’
Ginseng Boss burst into laughter.
「Wow, that hero. She was strong already, but she’s gotten even stronger.」
‘This isn’t the time to be laughing…’
「Why not? At this level, doesn’t it count as completing the Demon Lord mission? Pride’s probably going to send a reward.」
…Damn it. He’s right.
「On top of that, the hero’s looking for you.」
‘Why would that bastard be looking for me?’
「Because she found out the professors stole your stuff, and she liked it?」
‘Why would anyone like that?’
「All those professors got possessed, but you were perfectly fine. She asked if you’re really that skilled—and it seems you scored even more points because of it.」
Agh! Damn it!
This isn’t how it was supposed to go!
The infirmary.
The professors who had been possessed regained their senses.
But once they did, they couldn’t lift their heads—because of the presence sitting before them.
At a glance, he looked about the age of the professors’ eldest sons, but the overwhelming mana filling the space reminded them that he was the strongest being among humanity.
The mana he emitted was enough to fill an entire city. And that was despite him severely restricting his power for others’ sake. The oppressive mana of that transcendent being was terrifying.
Elaine spoke.
“So. You failed to control Catalun’s demonic power and ended up like this.”
“Th-that is…”
“And while stealing a fellow professor’s property, no less?”
“…Ghk!”
The professors who had stolen Ruin’s bottle were reprimanded by the hero. Reprimanded—though in truth, it was scolding without swear words. The proof was the hero’s frightening gaze.
“You should consider yourselves lucky that I happened to be in Haven, and that no harm came to the students.”
Even if they had a hundred mouths, the professors had nothing to say.
“We’re sorry…!”
But Elaine’s gaze was actually fixed on the bottle the assistants had brought—Ruin’s bottle.
‘It’s all gone now, but there was definitely Catalun’s power in this bottle.’
The hero, who had faced a Five Evil after so long, still felt a tingling sensation on her skin. It was only a fragment of power, but Catalun had said this:
“That girl is a fine talent who will bring ruin to the Union. Do you think I’d let her undo my curse? I will take her.”
“And to partially undo my curse, no less. You’ve grown, paltry Union.”
Recalling Catalun’s words, her eyes sharpened.
‘Undo my curse.’
The hero asked,
“Did Professor Wayne really extract Catalun’s power?”
The professors thought this was their chance.
“Yes!”
“Professor Wayne committed the dangerous act of turning the power of the Five Evils into a specimen…!”
“Impressive. Is he skilled enough to extract the power of a Five Evil?”
“Pardon?”
The Five Evils.
Beings that hadn’t acted directly for nearly three hundred years, leading people to let down their guard.
As a result, on battlefields and in educational settings alike, the Five Evils were gradually being excluded. Handling the special-class wanted criminals right in front of them took priority over hunting those beings.
And yet—
“Professor Ruins taught about the ‘Five Evils’ in his classes, didn’t he?”
“Th-that is… yes.”
The professors’ expressions grew awkward.
In truth, they were the ones who had complained that Ruins didn’t understand the field, that the Professor of Demon-Hunting Studies was teaching impractical, out-of-touch lessons—claiming he was directly challenging the hero’s teachings.
In fact, even the hero herself had been on the verge of slight disappointment with Ruins’s policies. Her target wasn’t the Five Evils, but the Firefly.
And then a Five Evil appeared?
“Could it be that Professor Ruins knew a Five Evil would appear directly?”
“……!”
The hero’s voice was filled with surprise.
“And on top of that, he even alleviated the noble lady’s illness.”
“……!”
Ah—no, that’s not it.
The professors read the room, but Elaine smiled. Clearly, this time, her own policy had been wrong.
The noble lady, after all, was too valuable a talent to let rot. Yet she was someone no one could touch—entangled not only with the power of a great demon like a Five Evil, but also politically with the imperial family.
And yet he had the nerve to risk his life to treat her.
“I almost want to ask him to go hunt demon lords together.”
At those words, the professors swallowed hard. For the strongest hero of humanity to say such a thing was no small matter.
‘Could the “Radiant Order of Knights” be revived?’
‘And with Professor Wayne included?’
The hero’s legendary group of companions.
