Impossible, Absolutely Impossible!

“Ssss—”

Seeing Professor Planck go all in, Professor Glen couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath. “You don’t have to go that far. What if he’s actually serious?”

“Serious? Heh…” Professor Planck sneered. “I’ve been a teacher for fifty years. I can tell what kind of student someone is with a single glance. Let me put it this way: unless that Ewan Campbell has been possessed by an Evil God, he will be a worthless, good-for-nothing piece of trash for the rest of his life.”

“Well, I don’t believe it either, but… huh? Hey, look! Isn’t that Ewan Campbell… apologizing to Ariel?” Glen suddenly exclaimed.

“Apologizing?”

Professor Planck was also stunned. He instinctively turned to look.

And there, at the school gate, in the middle of a crowd of onlookers, Ewan Campbell had actually, truly, bowed his noble head to Ariel.

“What kind of joke…”

Professor Planck thought he was hallucinating. He was seeing that Ewan Campbell—the one whose arrogance was legendary even among the professors, the one who had used his status as a duke’s son to run rampant in the academy—bowing his head, admitting his mistakes, and apologizing to the very illegitimate child he had always despised and deliberately ostracized?

What was happening? Was the world ending?

“No, this must be an act. He must be up to something!” Hmph. If you think you can fool my fifty years of experience, you’ve got another thing coming, Ewan Campbell!

Professor Planck leaned on the windowsill, craning his neck out the window. His old eyes, now sharp and discerning, gleamed with a wise light. You can put on a show in front of a crowd, but as soon as you think no one is watching, your true nature will be revealed! Just you watch. I won’t take my eyes off you for a second. I will expose your ridiculous, pathetic charade!

“Ah, he’s entered the school,” Professor Glen narrated like a professional. “Huh? He picked up some trash from the ground and put a trash can back in its place.”

“He put a fallen bird’s nest back in a tree. The birds seem to like him.”

“He offered a handkerchief to a heartbroken girl, though she ran away in terror the moment she saw him.”

“He’s taken out a book. He’s reading while walking. And he’s reading so fast!”

“And…”

“He’s actually bowing to the statue of the first headmaster!”

Even the ever-amused Professor Glen was shocked. “What kind of model student is this? I’ve never seen a single student bow to the first headmaster’s statue!”

“…”

“Hm? Professor Planck?”

Noticing the sudden silence beside him, Glen turned his head.

Professor Planck was staring intently at Ewan’s location, completely petrified. After a long, stunned silence, he finally spoke, his voice dry and raspy.

“Not just the students. Even I have never bowed to the first headmaster’s statue.”

“…”

Silence.

Silence was the song of the night.

Ewan Campbell’s behavior today was so bizarre that even the two professors, who prided themselves on their worldly experience, were at a loss for words.

It was only when Ewan had disappeared into the dormitory area that Professor Glen finally broke the silence, looking at Professor Planck with a sly, knowing smile. “So, are you going to eat the desk whole, or are you going to break it into pieces and eat it bit by bit?”

“…”

Professor Planck’s cheek twitched. He looked at his precious, antique mahogany desk, then at the mischievous grin on Glen’s face. After a long, pained silence, he squeezed out a single sentence from between his gritted teeth.

“It’s only been one day. That proves nothing. I will be watching Ewan Campbell. I will prove to you that I am right.”

With that, he turned and stormed out of the room.

“Well, well~”

Watching Professor Planck’s retreating back, Glen whistled. “As stubborn as ever.”

“But…” Glen turned his gaze back to the dormitory area, a joyful, excited smile spreading across his face. “I have a feeling things are going to be very interesting at the academy this year.”

…

“I seem to recall accidentally kicking the head off this statue once,” Ewan mused, looking at the statue of the old, white-bearded man. He tilted his head and easily spotted the clear, tell-tale signs of glue on the statue’s neck. “Has no one noticed yet?”

Ewan’s mouth twitched. He had no idea who this statue was supposed to be, but it seemed to be extremely unpopular at the academy. Did no one ever come to pay their respects? As for the name on the pedestal… it was completely covered by vines.

“In any case, I should apologize.”

Ewan bowed respectfully to the statue before him. “Let’s just consider this a farewell to the old Ewan Campbell.”

From now on.

Read.

Study.

Train and get stronger.

Be a good student.

And completely escape the fate of a disposable blond villain.

With this new vow, Ewan walked toward the dormitory with a light, purposeful step.

…

“Room 526, Ewan Campbell.”

Ewan went to the dorm mother to get his room key.

“Ewan Campbell?” The dorm mother looked at Ewan, her face a mask of pure shock. “You’re here so early? And… you’re alone?”

She still vividly remembered Ewan’s first day at the academy. He had descended from the heavens in a griffin-drawn carriage, with a veritable army of several dozen maids in his wake to arrange his room. The sheer spectacle of it… tsk, tsk, she would never forget it.

“Everything is already prepared, so of course I came alone,” Ewan smiled. “I’m not a child anymore.”

“Oh… oh.”

The dorm mother was momentarily dazed by Ewan’s handsome smile. She quickly handed him the key. “Here’s your key.”

“Thank you.” Ewan nodded his thanks and went upstairs.

After he had gone, the dorm mother clutched her chest, her plump cheeks slightly flushed. “My, my. He’s only been on vacation for a little while. How did that Ewan Campbell become so charming all of a sudden?”

…

“I can’t believe I’m back at the academy.”

Opening the door to his single dorm room, Ewan looked at the familiar yet strange space and couldn’t help but feel a wave of emotion.

He hadn’t planned on coming back at all. Not only was the protagonist, Ariel, who was a thorn in his side, here, but there was also Celicia, whom he had no idea how to face. And this place was the stage for many of the dangerous events to come. For a disposable blond villain like him, it was far too dangerous.

But…

Fate was a cruel mistress, especially to him. He had no choice but to come.

Ewan closed the door and walked over to a mirror, taking off his shirt. He now had some well-defined muscle, a clear improvement from when he had first arrived in this world. But on his fair skin, he could still see faint, strange lines.

Like fingerprints.

They were the marks left on him by the Withered King.

“As I thought, they won’t disappear on their own.”

Ewan reached out, and a small, crimson flame flickered to life in his palm. But compared to the terrifying power he had wielded when he had faced the other Evil God, the flame in his hand now was pathetically weak. It was about as strong as the one the assassin had summoned through her sacrifice.

“This is just like one of those scummy free-to-play games’ first-time purchase bonuses.”

Come, come! Just make a small one-time purchase, and we’ll let you experience true power!

Well? This feeling of holding the world in the palm of your hand, isn’t it amazing?

What? You want more?

Then you’ll have to pay up!

No money?

That’s fine too. You can pay with other things.

Like… your soul, for example.

Ewan didn’t need to think to know that the Withered King had deliberately left him with this sliver of power for that very reason.

“I won’t let you have your way,” Ewan muttered, extinguishing the flame.

This was why he had come to Saint Marika Academy.

Being targeted by two Evil Gods, he had to get stronger, and fast. And perhaps, at the academy, he could find a way to sever his connection with them for good.

…

“But you were so useless, Ewan Campbell!”

Just after making his new resolve, Ewan couldn’t help but clutch his head and groan. Of course, he wasn’t cursing himself, but the original owner of his body.

A quick review of his completely empty mind was all it took for Ewan to realize just how debauched the original’s first year had been.

He wasn’t worried about his martial skills. With the foundation his father had laid for him, and the help of the black book, even after a year of slacking off, Ewan was confident he could catch up quickly.

The problem was magic. To this day, he, Ewan Campbell, only knew one, pathetic spell: “Light”!

And what kind of spell was that? It was the ultra-simplified version of “Holy Light,” a spell that was completely useless for anything other than turning yourself into a human lightbulb. The theory behind it was laughably simple: just gather light-element mana in your palm and release it. And yet, in a whole year, that was the only spell the original Ewan had learned! His knowledge of magical theory was practically zero! It was clear that he had either been sleeping or daydreaming through every single magic class. It was a miracle his magic teacher hadn’t beaten him to death!

But, to his great frustration, the black book couldn’t help him learn magic. It wasn’t something you could master just by fighting or imitating someone’s movements.

But he had to learn magic. If he wanted to break his connection with the Evil Gods, magic was probably his only option. As for the path of faith… with the fanatical hatred those believers had for Evil Gods, he’d probably be branded a heretic and burned at the stake before he even set foot inside the Church of Life.

“Which means, my current situation is…”

Ewan looked at the brand-new-looking magic textbooks on his desk. He flipped through one and, finding it to be completely incomprehensible, couldn’t help but give a bitter smile.

“I, a barbarian with an intelligence of nine, have to learn magic… from scratch?”

It would be difficult.

But…

It would also be interesting, wouldn’t it?

Since he had decided to stop slacking, it was time to unleash the true power of a modern-day office worker. He had survived the 996 work culture; what was a little magic in comparison?

Let’s do this!

…

After setting his new goal, Ewan didn’t waste any more time. He spent a little while tidying up his room, then went to the cafeteria for a simple meal. On the way, he ran into some of the new students. They didn’t know of his infamous reputation yet, and quite a few of the young girls’ eyes lit up when they saw him. If their parents hadn’t been there, they probably would have rushed over to talk to him.

“It seems my charm is even greater than I thought.”

Assuming, of course, that his reputation wasn’t rotting in the gutter. Ewan stroked his chin. Improving his public image was now a top priority.

In the afternoon, he returned to his dorm. He took a shower and then, earlier than anyone else, he lay down on his bed.

He closed his eyes.

He opened them again.

The familiar black space filled his vision.

He looked ahead.

A naked man stood there, his body radiating a palpable aura of power, like a hungry, long-starved beast.

“Have you been waiting long?”

Ewan tightened his grip on his short sword, a ferocious grin spreading across his face.

“One hundred and ninety-seven times. This time, I’m definitely going to make you teach me that strange, thunder-clap move of yours.”

The man’s mouth split into a wide, silent grin.

…

…

“Hey, hey, Ariel! I heard Ewan Campbell apologized to you! Is it true?”

In Ariel’s dorm room, Lilia was perched on the edge of her bed, her eyes wide with curiosity. She had just returned from outside, and from the fine sheen of sweat on her forehead, it was clear she had been in a hurry. But she didn’t seem to care about that. She just stared at Ariel, desperate for an answer.

“Mm-hmm, that’s right.” Ariel, engrossed in an ancient-looking book, gave a distracted nod. “Ewan Campbell did apologize to me.”

“So it’s really true?!” Lilia gasped, slapping a hand to her forehead, a gesture which caused the magnificent mountains on her chest to jiggle precariously. “I thought it was just another one of those ridiculous rumors.”

“So many people saw it today. How could it be a rumor?” Ariel rolled her eyes.

“Is that so? Then is it also not a rumor that Ewan Campbell tricked you into getting an abortion?”

“Of course not… wait, what did you say?” Ariel shot up from her bed, her eyes wide with shock. “Did I just hear you say the word ‘abortion’?”

“That’s right. Isn’t that what everyone’s talking about?” Lilia began to count on her fingers. “Ewan Campbell hates you because you’re his ex-girlfriend, and you’re so obsessed with him that you followed him to the academy, so he’s been trying to get rid of you. You two originally had a child together, but for the sake of the Campbell family’s honor, he forced you to get an abortion. The reason he apologized to you is because he’s been suffering from a guilty conscience. And while you were dating, he was also cheating on you with thirteen other girls, and you were the strongest of them, so he secretly called you…”

“Stop, stop, stop, STOP!” Ariel held up a hand, her face a mask of pure horror. “Where did you hear all of this completely, utterly, ridiculously insane nonsense?”

“Outside.”

“Where outside?”

“Just, you know, from the other students. Mostly the girls.”

“How dare they spread such baseless gossip?!” Ariel slammed her hand on her desk in a fit of rage. “Don’t they know I’ll rip their tongues out?!”