Villain Professor of Heroes

“Wha…? You’re telling me that… my parents were on the same team as you…? Professor…?”

“Yes. I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s true.”

“Uh… uh… I’m a bit… thrown off by this…”

Student Han Min-ha seemed unable to comprehend the situation, shifting her eyes anxiously as she stumbled over her words.

“I worked alongside them when you were around the age to enter middle school. Your father was my Academy senior, and your mother was my peer.”

“Really…?”

Despite her lingering disbelief, Professor Han handed her a cell phone.

“Here… There’s a photo of your parents and my academic records. Take a look.”

After seeing the childhood photos of her parents, Han Min-ha’s eyes began to water, and soon large tears were streaming down her cheeks.

“Ugh…”

Silently crying while suppressing her sobs, drops of tears fell onto the screen of the phone.

I simply sat silently, watching Han Min-ha cry.

Though her pitiful and sorrowful appearance evoked sympathy, the emotions didn’t hit me strongly.

This was because of my impenetrable Mental Barrier.

This Mental Barrier, though effective, had the unfortunate side effect of making one almost psychopathic.

Or rather, its performance wasn’t even perfect.

Hadn’t my barrier shaken several times already?

Especially at the Document Storage area, it became so unstable that I even fainted.

Each time my Mental Barrier shook, it was related to Han Min-ha’s parents: the first time was when I first heard the names of her parents, and the second was when I read through their academic records.

After the first time it wavered, I started having recurring strange dreams, and the second time, I vividly saw flashbacks of the past.

Perhaps if I completely turned off the Mental Barrier, I could uncover new information?

Unfortunately, though, there was no way for me to willingly deactivate the barrier.

Like a passive skill in a game that functions constantly, this barrier lacked a manual override even for the caster.

What a ridiculous skill this was.

While pondering these thoughts, Han Min-ha finally wiped away her tears and took a shaky breath.

“Phew…”

“Tissues are over here.”

I pushed the tissues on the round table toward her, and she grabbed a handful to wipe her tears and the slight runny nose.

I hadn’t seen her without her glasses before; it was somewhat surprising how much prettier she looked without them.

Her glasses heavily magnified her eyes, making them appear smaller.

“You can blow your nose if you need.”

“Yes…”

Holding her nose, she blew loudly a few times, then tried to put the used tissue into her pocket.

“The trash can is over there.”

“Ah, yes…”

After throwing the tissue into the trash can, Han Min-ha sat back down, adjusted her glasses, and turned her phone back on.

“Professor, the fingerprint lock…”

“Right here.”

Unlocking the phone for her, she blinked her eyes a few times and slowly swiped through the photos.

The motions were incredibly deliberate, as if trying to engrave them into her memory.

After a while of examining the academic records, Han Min-ha handed the phone back to me.

“Do you believe me now? There isn’t really any other way to prove it since there are no records of their Hero activities.”

“I believe you.”

Han Min-ha nodded in understanding.

“Professor, do you by any chance know… what happened to my parents?”

“I apologize, but I don’t know more than you do.”

“Ahh… Yes…”

Though I’m curious as well, there’s no immediate way to find out more.

Sikrito’s operational records are probably kept secretly somewhere within the Organization’s archives, far beyond my reach as a mere teacher.

“Student Han Min-ha, Sikrito is an organization dedicated to global safety and peacekeeping, and your parents were Heroes who worked there.”

I continued carefully.

“Sikrito recruits only those graduates with the discernment and mental strength to handle dangerous missions. This means that Sikrito’s Heroes are far superior to ordinary Heroes. Student Han Min-ha has inherited this talent. It’s not at all that your academic performance is poor due to an inherent lack of ability.”

“Understood…”

“Regarding your parents’ disappearance, I am truly sorry, but it was likely something that happened while they pursued a noble mission. After all, Sikrito is such an organization, and only heroes with this sense of duty would be part of it. You must understand that your parents were admirable individuals like that.”

“Understood…”

“Consider this. What would your parents want to see from you? Would they want a daughter who refuses to become a Hero due to regrettable circumstances, or a daughter who proudly becomes a Hero, inheriting their abilities and will?”

Han Min-ha bit her lip and just nodded.

This was the extent of what I could do as an academic advisor. Whether Student Han Min-ha could overcome her trauma about her parents’ disappearance and learn to wield her Aura was not something I could control. That was up to the student herself to resolve.

But Han Min-ha will choose the right path eventually.

Because the alternative would just be returning to an empty desert where nothing awaits.

“I have nothing more to say. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.”

“Not really… I just need some time to think…”

“Very well. Have some coffee.”

After that, we drank our coffee in silence.

“Professor… I’ll be going now. It’s Physical Training session…”

With that, Han Min-ha arose hesitantly after finishing her coffee.

“Farewell. I’ll announce the next meeting through the group chat.”

“Alright.”

After Han Min-ha left the Research Room, I tidied up our coffee cups, thinking that I needed to find out what had happened to Han Min-ha’s parents, at least to determine whether they had died or were in intensive care somewhere.

For now, I would have to figure out a way to uncover that information.

—

Han Min-ha quickly rushed back to the Dormitory and changed into her athletic wear.

She was running late for Physical Training, and if she arrived after it started, she would receive a penalty, as she had planned to move together with Hye-won Yu.

Though Han Min-ha had just received a shocking story from the professor, there was no time to dwell on it now that she had decided to continue with the Academy.

During lunch, Administrative Assistant Bae Ye-bin had agreed happily yet hesitantly when Han Min-ha mentioned she would attend Physical Training with upperclassmen.

Bae Ye-bin was pleased that Han Min-ha, who had previously struggled to adapt to the Academy, had made friends, especially with upperclassmen, but she was concerned about whether Han Min-ha could keep up.

However, knowing that Han Min-ha possessed strong Aura but wasn’t able to fully manifest it, Bae Ye-bin thought that mingling with upperclassmen might inspire some positive change, and consequently gave her permission.

New students are required to gather in the Training Field for the group Physical Training session, led by instructors from the Special Forces Maroon Beret, known for their intense training regimens.

Though this type of collective physical training might seem outdated and brutal, akin to military methods, the Academy insists on employing this approach with freshmen.

This is both to foster team spirit and to quickly identify students who are unsuitable for the Academy.

“Why are you so late?”

Yu Hye-won, already at the Training Field, scolded her.

“Sorry… I’m a bit late…”

“It’s fine. Just stand here.”

Min-ha hurriedly took her place behind Yu Hye-won and her group of friends.

“Hey, Min-ha.”

Amidst the awkward greetings from Yu Hye-won’s followers, Song Do-yoon stared at Min-ha with a cold stare, making her uncomfortable enough to avert her gaze.

The sound of a horn signaled the start of stretching exercises, which would be followed by a 10 km jog and then a series of rotating physical drills.

“Don’t fall behind; it’s embarrassing.”

Just before the jog began, Hye-won turned back to warn Min-ha.

“Uh-huh…”

Being in the lead group with Hye-won’s upperclass friends filled Min-ha with nervous tension.

Without much warning, the lead instructor blew the horn, signaling all the students to run forward.

—

About halfway through, Han Min-ha felt she couldn’t run any farther.

She usually struggled to finish running, and keeping up with the speed of the leading group was far beyond her reach.

Ahead, Hye-won and her followers were running effortlessly, not even breaking a sweat.

“There’s no way I can compete with their superhuman stamina…”

As this thought crossed her mind, her pace slowed further.

Other students quickly passed her, and she eventually collided with someone’s shoulder, causing her to stumble and fall.

It looks like… I can’t run anymore today. I’ll talk to Hye-won and join the back group starting tomorrow…

“What are you doing?”

Suddenly, Hye-won had appeared behind her, looking down at her with a disdainful expression.

“Didn’t I tell you not to fall behind because it makes me look bad?”

“Hye… Hye-won, I can’t run any further…”

“Don’t spout nonsense and get up!”

Hye-won grabbed Min-ha by the collar with astonishing strength and pulled her up.

“Start running.”

“I can’t… Maybe starting tomorrow…”

“And what about the day after? And the one after that?”

“For now, let’s work on building up my endurance…”

“We’re running to build endurance! Isn’t that what you’re doing?!?”

Hye-won frowned and yelled, clearly irritated.

“Does anyone here start off perfect? No, there’s no one like that besides me! Stop whining and run!”

“But for real…”

“If you don’t push through once, you’ll never succeed! Run like it’s your last day on this earth, you idiot! That’s how you’ll be able to overcome it tomorrow!”

Hye-won grabbed the collar of Min-ha’s shirt and started dragging her along while running.

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