I Possessed a Broken Academy Instructor

Chapter 100

“Who is Instructor J? The hero of Mercato shrouded in mystery!”

“The Empire trembles, the Synthesis Nation shudders, and the Council of Mercato clings to its pant legs, begging for the instructor to stay!”

The media was in a frenzy, but Jin Crow knew all too well that it was merely a fleeting amusement.

It was only natural.

Sensational news tends to be buried under even more sensational news.

And sure enough.

Whether it was the military’s intent or the political arena’s design, the media, which had been shining a spotlight on him, quickly sank as rapidly as it had risen, swallowed by the latest entertainment gossip and various incidents.

“Consecutive stock market crashes, investment expert Burfett Musk… ‘We must prepare for winter.’”

“Creature and defense-related stocks soar, the ants laugh and weep.”

Moreover, the tumultuous economic repercussions that would later be recorded in textbooks as the ‘Creature Wave’ were one of the causes for the stock market’s wild fluctuations.

Is it really so strange?

Most humans, after all, are dreadfully indifferent and cold to the affairs of others, wandering like slaves to dopamine in search of new stimuli.

“…In recognition of the aforementioned merits, Major Jin Crow is awarded the First Class Iron Cross.”

Of course, just because public interest had waned, it did not mean his achievements were devalued or ignored.

He had leveraged the Second Class Iron Cross he received for the previous case involving the second-class fugitive Liberto to earn the First Class Iron Cross, an honor typically reserved for wartime.

Moreover, he received a legal and generous bonus as well.

Though his rank remained unchanged, this occasion was quite a satisfactory step for Jin Crow.

‘Except for the damn hardships, that is.’

He returned to the military academy with Ner.

And the first thing he did, naturally, was to resume his lectures, but unexpectedly, Ideale stopped him.

“Take about a week off before returning.”

“Understood.”

For a moment, he nearly blurted out, “Why is that?” but he suppressed the urge with effort.

Surely, this time, I must truly take a break.

…I’ve rolled around in filth long enough.

It had been about two weeks since my return from the Free Planet Alliance. Then, chaos erupted, and another two weeks passed. For nearly a month, I had done nothing but work, without a moment’s proper rest.

“How surprising. I thought you would say that rest is a luxury for someone like you.”

“What do you take me for?”

“…Hmm.”

I didn’t bother waiting for a response.

In that fleeting moment, as discomfort flickered in Ideale’s usually stoic eyes, I sensed that kind words would not follow.

Thus, I had earned a week of leave.

I headed straight to the dormitory, which felt like home, relinquished my small room to Ner, and collapsed onto the bed as if I were falling into a void.

“Haah—.”

It was too light to be a sigh, too heavy to be a murmur; I exhaled a breath laden with weariness and soon closed my eyes.

I hadn’t realized how drained I was until I returned and began to move, but now, with the leave granted, the weight of fatigue and stiffness crashed over me the moment I lay down.

“…I don’t even have the energy to wash up.”

No matter how much I tried to suppress it, the toll on my body remained.

Especially since I had relied solely on pain patches and consumed stimulants like water; it was, in a way, to be expected.

Swoosh—.

I carelessly peeled off the black gloves I wore, stuffing them into the pocket of my uniform, and half-sitting up, I shrugged off the black coat that clung to me, draping it over a chair.

With somewhat rough movements, I loosened my tie and tossed it onto the chair, unbuttoning a few of the shirt buttons that had been constricting my neck.

“Haah.”

Finally shedding all that pressed upon me, I surrendered my body to the encroaching depths of slumber, and soon, as if waiting for this moment, my mind was drawn into a profound darkness.

‘Please, let it not be a nightmare.’

As I mulled over that small wish, I relinquished the last remnants of my consciousness.

*

「Colonial Planet, Area-4」

Once a world where early criminals were exiled to mine resources, it had gradually succumbed to declining economic viability and the incompetence of the governor’s office. Further riots led to a nuclear disaster, effectively marking it as a death planet, condemned to oblivion.

Of course, not all humans managed to escape.

Relocating to another planet required a fortune, and even if one gathered all their wealth, many could not afford the cost of migration or were left behind due to unavoidable circumstances, forced to carve out a life in the barren, forsaken environment.

“I hear that this time, the planet Eta-6 has met its end. It was originally an imperial territory, they say.”

“They say the ownership changed hands several times. Perhaps that’s why those from there are particularly fierce.”

“What’s the point of being stubborn? We’re all going to be conscripted anyway.”

“Cough, cough. That’s true enough.”

Shhh—.

Swoosh—.

“How much for this?”

“Ten thousand dollars per kilogram. No haggling.”

“Tsk. So resolute.”

The sound of breath from gas masks, worn to survive the gently swirling sand mixed with radiation, filled the streets, while beneath the war-ravaged city, another city had risen.

Estimated population: around one billion.

A forsaken homeland, yet they clung to life with fierce tenacity.

In the end, their only solace was that they had drifted from the attention of the Synth Empire.

However, there was something they did not know.

Though the Synth Empire had abandoned them, it did not mean they were without use.

Brrrr—.

A convoy of trucks slipped into a deep ravine, cloaked by the sandstorm.

The trucks soon pierced through a holographic wall, passing a checkpoint, and the soldier gripping the wheel turned to the one beside him.

“How many times is this now?”

“Fourteenth.”

“Tsk, it’s getting harder to find ‘resources’ as the days go by.”

“It can’t be helped. After the Second Galactic War, so many died, yet the demand for special operations officers remains.”

At last, when they reached the hangar.

Screech—.

A flurry of soldiers moved busily on a planet from which even the Governor-General of the United Human Synth Empire had withdrawn.

All wore black gas masks, clad in brown military uniforms devoid of insignia or rank.

The brown uniforms symbolized the Planetary Defense Force.

Yet, anyone with a hint of awareness would realize that it was merely a guise for operations in the wasteland.

“Haah.”

The soldiers disembarked, exhaling short breaths, and could not help but grimace at the sight of researchers approaching them with eager expressions.

‘Mad scientist b*stards.’

While they were merely following orders from above, there were times when those gleeful faces made them want to punch something.

But it was merely a thought, nothing more.

He silently handed over the security key to the truck, and the researchers, as if they had no need to converse with him, immediately made their way to the back of the vehicle.

“How many were supposed to come this time?”

“Forty-two.”

The woman following the senior researcher replied in a detached tone to the man who appeared to be in charge.

Her voice held no joy, nor did it convey any other emotion.

“Hmm. Hm-hm…”

Unfazed, the man opened the truck’s cargo area.

At once, the faint silhouettes of boys and girls, curled up tightly within a series of iron bars, came into view.

“Ah, welcome. My dear little test subjects.”

The senior researcher, Theodor Morell, gazed at the ‘resources’ now within his grasp as if they were human.

Among them, a boy with black hair and dark eyes sat quietly, hugging his knees.

“…M-mother.”

A single word slipped from his cracked lips.

It was a final whisper of longing for something he would never see again.

*

“…I feel filthy.”

Jin Crow awoke nearly ten hours later.

He didn’t even think to tidy his slightly disheveled hair, instead trying to pinpoint the source of the strange, unsettling feeling that clung to him, but nothing came to mind.

“Did I unknowingly have a nightmare?”

The nightmares he had experienced before lingered faintly in his memory, yet this one was utterly elusive.

After a long moment of contemplation, he shook his head and rose from his place, stepping out of the room.

He rummaged through his pockets and lit a cigarette.

Just as he settled onto the sofa, ready to ignite the flame, he heard a voice.

“You’re awake.”

“…Oh.”

Seeing Ner emerge cautiously from the doorway, he bit down on the cigarette filter, then pulled it away with his fingers.

After a brief moment of hesitation, he asked the girl, clad in an oversized military shirt, a question.

“Do you wish to be treated as an adult?”

It was not an entirely strange inquiry.

Though she appeared unmistakably as a girl, within her resided the Mother AI, who had lived for centuries.

Was it because he knew she was aware of him?

Ner blinked her characteristic golden eyes for a moment before unleashing a response that was utterly conventional.

“Mentally, she certainly exceeds the standards of an average adult, but physically, she aligns with adolescents of the same age. Secondhand smoke has a profoundly negative impact during the growth period…”

“Damn it.”

If it were the original, loathsome Jin Crow, perhaps he would have been indifferent.

But for him, who had strived to uphold the smoking etiquette of the 21st century, smoking in front of a ten-year-old girl felt like something that belonged to the realm of human filth.

Thus, with a sense of resignation, he snapped the already chewed filter of his cigarette in half and spoke.

“So, have you organized what you can tell me?”

The cigarette was set aside for now.

He brought the hip flask tucked in his coat to his lips and asked.

It wasn’t an abrupt question.

The previous conversation had ended not out of satisfaction but merely as a prelude to a more serious and profound dialogue.

Ner was aware of this, so she opened her mouth without much hesitation.

“I don’t know much either.”

However, the first words that spilled forth were not the answers Jin Crow had desired.

Perhaps that was why.

Unconsciously, he furrowed his brow, but Ner continued without much concern.

“However, based on the calculations of possibilities, I believe I can provide an answer regarding the term ‘Irregular.’”

Irregular.

By definition, it refers to something irregular, anomalous, and abnormal.

It would be a lie to say he wasn’t pricked by that.

Unlike the existence of the Regressor, Baek Hwi-young, he was an unwelcome intruder thrust into this world by some divine entity.

He couldn’t help but feel tense.

If even a small fragment of his truth were to slip from Ner’s lips…

‘How should I respond then?’

He remained silent, waiting for Ner’s next words.

The aroma of whiskey lingered at his lips, gently pressing against the nape of his neck, and soon, Ner’s lips, which had been writhing at the edge of his vision, parted.

“You are one who has twisted fate. Bound by your own will, you sought to cast off the shackles of vengeance born from anger.”

Reflected in Ner’s golden pupils was Jin Crow, yet her gaze pierced beyond him.

It was but a tiny shard of the ‘truth’—deeply and firmly locked away, too daunting to utter aloud.

“Lady Eve awaits you.”

At her words, Jin Crow, seeking to conceal the turmoil brewing within, poured the last of the drink down his throat, desperate to drown the confusion that clawed at his mind.