Chapter 108

Monday night.

In a shabby corner of a cheap bar, far from the Academy, a disheveled man was nursing a drink.

He had once been one of the most respected educators at the Magic Department, but now, not even a trace of that former image remained.

The worn-out coat draped over his body and the hat pulled deep over his face were likely a desperate attempt to avoid being recognized.

I sat down next to him and placed an order.

“The same thing he’s drinking.”

A bartender in a stained apron came over, took my coins, and set down a bottle of liquor.

It was an unlabelled bottle, with no clue as to where it had been produced.

The moment the clear liquid was poured into the glass, a harsh scent of resin stung my nose.

It seemed like the kind of drink better thrown back in one gulp than savored, so I tipped it into my mouth.

[Warning]

[Willpower and Health have temporarily decreased.]

[Trait Activated: Sense of Hygiene]

[Sense of Hygiene]

– Detects contamination or toxic substances with ease. However, reacts sensitively to unhygienic environments, causing negative effects.

– When exposed to unsanitary conditions or polluted areas, Willpower and Health temporarily decrease. Additional penalties occur depending on exposure level and duration.

– (Disguise Effect Active: Trait’s effects are reduced while disguised.)

It was cheap gin.

If I hadn’t been dressed as Nice Goodman, just being near that low-grade swill would’ve tanked my health and willpower. What on earth was this man thinking, drinking that stuff?

I handed the bartender two more coins.

“The same again. Two glasses.”

The bartender poured the drinks, and I slid one of them across the counter with my fingertips to the man sitting beside me.

He had his head hanging, elbow on the table, and looked up at me with bleary eyes.

Didn’t seem like he recognized me.

Naturally.

I was wearing a mask, after all.

I called his name.

“Professor Colton Haynes.”

Once an underling of Winter Winslet, he had been involved in the production of Caraphine. After the death of his beloved assistant Glenn who was like a son to him, he had taken a leave of absence and disappeared from the academy.

Judging by his appearance, this wasn’t just a one- or two-day bender.

Professor Haynes snapped back sharply.

“Don’t call me that. I’m no professor anymore.”

“Looks that way to me too.”

The wisdom and passion he once used to guide students were gone.

Now, he was just a tired, broken old man.

And I didn’t like that one bit.

That’s why I came here.

“To think you ran away from the Academy just to waste your days in a place like this. Are you really going to turn your back on your students?”

“I’ve heard that kind of talk more times than I can count. Don’t speak like you know me.”

“Well, maybe I don’t know you. But I know plenty about the Caraphine you helped manufacture at the Academy.”

“Who are you?!”

Professor Haynes shot to his feet in fury.

But his alcohol-soaked body couldn’t keep up with his anger, and he tumbled clumsily out of his chair.

Clatter—crash.

The noise turned every head in the tavern our way.

I raised a hand casually, signaling to the onlookers that it was nothing to fuss over, and hoisted Professor Haynes up by force.

He pushed me away and stumbled back, eyes wide with fear and suspicion.

“I asked who you are. Did Professor Winslet send you to silence me? Or are you digging into his past?”

Colton Haynes had become one of Winter Winslet’s pawns because he had taken his family hostage.

The moment I discovered that, I severed my hold over them. But even now, Professor Haynes was still haunted by her shadow.

I wanted to free him from that grip once and for all.

“Whatever the case, go back. I have nothing to say about what happened at the Academy. Not a word, even with a knife to my throat.”

“There’s no need to be so wary of me. I came here today for one reason. To raise a glass in honor of a young man whose noble sacrifice saved the world.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about!”

“Glenn Sherwood. That was the name of the young man I remember.”

“You… know Glenn?”

Professor Haynes’s tone shifted to one of respect.

“I can’t reveal my name, but I’m an intelligence agent of the Royal Family of Laurencia. I was the one who secured the evidence Glenn Sherwood left behind about the production of Caraphine.”

To Professor Haynes, Winter Winslet was nothing more than the enemy who had taken everything from him.

So if I tried to offer him comfort as Winter Winslet, he would only see it as deceit.

That’s why I had no choice.

Another deception, to hide the first.

“Glenn Sherwood left behind a suicide note along with the evidence.”

“A suicide note? He left one? What… what did it say?”

“It was both an accusation against Winter Winslet and a defense of you, Professor Haynes. From the moment Glenn resolved to expose the production of Caraphine at the Academy, he accepted that it might cost him his life. That’s why he pleaded for someone to carry on his will, even after his death.”

“Glenn’s will…?”

“He hoped that even at the cost of his own life, the Caraphine produced at the Academy would never fall into the hands of terrorists. To prevent the deaths of innocent people and to spare his mentor, you, from a lifetime of regret.”

“Ah…”

Professor Haynes let out a heavy sigh.

“But Glenn is dead, and the Caraphine is already in their hands. What was the point of his sacrifice?”

“Didn’t I tell you? I came here today to honor the noble sacrifice of a young man who saved the world.”

“Surely you don’t mean…”

“Glenn’s will was fulfilled. Do you remember the magical explosion that occurred in the city center not long ago? That happened during the operation to recover the Caraphine that Professor Winslet had sold to the terrorists. The recovery failed, but we managed to prevent it from ever being used in a future attack.”

“That’s a relief. Truly, that’s a relief.”

“Professor Colton Haynes, your student saved countless lives. His sacrifice was not in vain.”

“I… see. So it really…”

Professor Haynes’s shoulders began to tremble.

Moments later, tears started falling onto the table.

“At last… I finally have the right to cry at that boy’s grave.”

I reached out and tapped the glass of liquor I had ordered earlier with a soft tick, and Professor Haynes, understanding the gesture, picked up his own.

“To Glenn Sherwood.”

There was no toast.

We simply drank.

[Warning]

[Willpower and health have temporarily decreased.]

[Trait activated: Sense of Hygiene]

[Sense of Hygiene]

– Detects contamination or toxic substances with ease. However, reacts sensitively to unhygienic environments, causing negative effects.

– When exposed to unsanitary conditions or polluted areas, Willpower and Health temporarily decrease. Additional penalties occur depending on exposure level and duration.

– (Disguise Effect Active: Trait’s effects are reduced while disguised.)

[Repeated Penalty]

[Willpower and health have significantly decreased.]

The drink was still disgustingly bad.

But to Professor Haynes, it must have tasted sweeter than the finest ambrosia as he swallowed it with his tears.

“Professor Haynes.”

“Yes?”

“Do you resent Winter Winslet?”

“Of course. It would be a lie to say otherwise.”

“Then… do you want revenge?”

“…No.”

The denial came a little slower than his first answer.

But I had expected him to say that.

Because from the very moment I first met Professor Haynes, there was never a death flag hanging over his head.

Still, I wanted to ask.

“Why don’t you want revenge?”

After a long pause, Professor Haynes finally gave his answer.

“If taking revenge could bring the dead back to life… then perhaps I would choose revenge without hesitation. But reality isn’t like that. All I have left now is the peace that Glenn gave his life to protect… That’s all. So instead of chasing revenge, I want to find a way to contribute to the better world that boy dreamed of.”

“I see.”

I came up with one more small lie for his sake.

“Because of this incident, Professor Winslet has lost much of the Royal Family’s trust. He won’t be able to act like a tyrant at the Academy anymore. So you don’t have to live in fear any longer. You’re free to return to the Academy if you wish.”

“That’s… good to hear.”

“Do you plan to return?”

“If the students still need a weak and ungrateful professor like me, that is.”

“You should start by getting rid of the smell of alcohol.”

“In that case, just one last drink. For Glenn, and for you…for protecting what he stood for.”

This time, Professor Haynes bought the drink.

Of course, it was cheap gin.

I had no desire to drink that stomach-turning swill again… but sometimes, the atmosphere is not something you can easily go against.

Professor Haynes spoke.

“Would you tell me your name? I’ll remember it for the rest of my life.”

I had claimed to be a royal informant, so if I gave the name of the man who was with Carina Valpenera, Conroy….there probably wouldn’t be any trouble later.

But… I didn’t want to do that.

Because I wanted to leave behind, in some form even if it was intangible the meaning of my choice to acknowledge the wrongs Winter Winslet committed at the Academy, to take them as my own, and to try to make things right.

So I answered Professor Haynes like this.

“Nice Goodman.”

“Hah.”

Professor Haynes let out a dry laugh.

It must have been the first time in a long while he laughed out loud.