I Possessed a Broken Academy Instructor

Chapter 9

The cadets’ disdain, their questions, and the not-so-welcome glances intertwined.

It was hardly surprising.

He, too, felt a twinge of irritation at himself for uttering such words.

‘It’s a method used in the original, but I suppose feeling grim is unavoidable.’

He was no bloodthirsty warmonger driven mad by war.

Yet, unfortunately, the world crafted by the author was one of such nature.

A hellish swamp where victory could only be claimed through sacrifice.

Grand ideals and ethics shrank to nothing before the stark proposition of survival.

However, he had no intention of revealing the cruel future to the cadets just yet, so after seating Hino Kanae, he added,

“Of course, I harbor no intention of insulting the fallen soldiers of the Defense Force for their unyielding judgments.”

This was sincere.

Whether they were driven by their superiors or chose to lay down their lives for a cause, they died honorably as soldiers on the battlefield.

“They fought until the end, and in that time, some among the citizens of the Synthesized Nation were able to survive.”

But the vermin he was about to speak of were different.

“However, the special officers of the Planetary Defense Force are another matter. Personally, I wonder if it wouldn’t have been better had they perished in their stead.”

This was a rather scathing critique.

Inadvertently, Jin Crow’s true nature slipped out, and he added harsh words, yet there was a significant measure of sincerity in his tone.

“As everyone knows, the number of special officers in the Planetary Defense Force is small. The number reported by the Aurum Planet government for special officers and non-commissioned officers in the Defense Force is roughly three thousand. Yet, since the invasion, the number of officers with combat records barely exceeds two thousand.”

Even that was mostly low-ranking officers with dual gears.

Had they been in the federal army, they would have been appointed as special non-commissioned officers, not special officers.

The special officers of the planetary defense forces, by their very nature, are those from the entrenched elite of the planet, or those who receive their patronage.

So, it was hardly a mystery where the remaining thousand had been deployed.

“In a dire crisis where we abandon the planet, the losses of the planetary government’s councilors and the defense force’s high command seem remarkably minimal. Truly a miraculous phenomenon.”

No one laughed at what seemed a self-deprecating jest.

It was clear they understood the true intent behind his words.

“No matter how qualitatively lacking the defense forces may be in their armaments, if the infantry equipped with reinforced exoskeletons had blocked this route…”

Yet, Jin Crow paid no mind and continued the explanation that Ideale had requested.

Half of it consisted of tactics or blunders that even the cadets could easily deduce, but the other half was a list of extreme methods that even the instructors wore expressions of disbelief over.

The problem was that, under the premise of extreme efficiency, it held a certain persuasive power.

“To summarize, the reason we have been driven to the stage of ‘black,’ where we abandon the planet, is as follows: the tactical incompetence of the defense force’s high command, the betrayal of the rulers, and their complacency.”

With that, he closed his mouth.

The reactions were truly varied.

Some were aghast, others deep in thought, and then there were those like Hino Kanae, who wore an utterly irreverent gaze.

Had he caught a glimpse of that look in her eyes?

Or was it merely a callous observation, devoid of any emotion, that had drawn his attention?

“Hino Kanae.”

“…….”

“Do you know what has become of the planet?”

Jin Crow asked her, and before she could even open her mouth, he spoke flatly.

“The population residing on Aurum Planet was about 2.5 billion. The scale of the planetary defense forces was roughly 1 million. Their operational fleet consisted of five—by no means a trivial force.”

Given its proximity to the defense line, the defense forces were certainly not lacking; if anything, they were quite substantial.

“The duration of the invasion lasted about seven hours. However, meaningful engagements barely exceeded three hours.”

Yet the outcome was devastating.

“Of the 2.5 billion, only about 1 billion managed to evacuate. Even then, half of those were lives salvaged by the federal army, who, having arrived late, loaded terrified citizens from cities beyond the front lines, exceeding their capacity limits.”

At this point, the atmosphere in the classroom was no longer merely cold; it was suffocating.

A staggering 1.5 billion lives lost.

Everyone had come to a realization.

That the creatures were not simply natural disasters—primitive cosmic monsters of sorts.

But do the cadets know?

Compared to the calamities that are yet to unfold, it could be called a miracle that the escape from the planet Aurum was successful.

“…Hmph.”

Only then did Hino Kanae manage to temper her rebellious gaze, if only slightly.

Watching their reactions, Jin Crow mulled over a question he had felt for some time but could now finally affirm.

‘Can they really be this complacent?’

The cosmic monstrosity, the Creature, was not the first of its kind discovered on Aurum.

No matter how primitive, there had been many planets that fell victim to their assaults, and even if most had been driven away, it was not as if the danger posed by the ones that remained in clusters could be overlooked.

‘Yet everyone overlooks it. The danger of the Creature. As if nothing had happened, had there been no premise of Aurum.’

It was a somewhat unsettling conjecture.

But nothing was certain yet.

Tap—.

He lightly rapped on the podium and spoke.

“This concludes today’s lecture.”

There was no further discussion to be had, and the lecture had already exceeded the allotted time by about ten minutes.

At his declaration, the cadets hesitated before rising from their seats and heading outside.

“It was an impressive lecture, Instructor.”

Baek Hwi-young, with her still unyielding, glimmering ash-gray eyes, bowed her head to him before leaving the classroom.

With Miel trailing behind, the last of the cadets exited, and soon the only ones left in the classroom were Jin Crow at the podium and Ideale seated at the very back.

“Would you mind stepping aside?”

Her words were directed not at Jin Crow but at the instructors accompanying her.

“Yes, Headmistress.”

Indeed, they followed her not out of factional loyalty but purely out of respect for her character; though their eyes were filled with concern, none dared to protest.

‘No, in this case, is it a certainty that I cannot do anything to her?’

Ideale had not merely become a war hero by skillfully orchestrating the evacuation.

She herself held a position of strength as a special operations officer.

“…”

“…”

A fleeting silence hung between them.

At last, it was Ideale who broke the stillness.

“The drinks have been returned. Yet, there are a few bottles missing compared to what I remember.”

“The principal personally issued a warning. Surely, that cannot be the case.”

It began as simple small talk.

But soon enough, Ideale, tapping the table as if to gather her thoughts, opened her mouth.

“There is certainly no precedent regarding the planet Aurum. As such, academia, the press, and the government are all on high alert. However, this is blatant.”

At first glance, her words might seem like mere ramblings, but the events surrounding Aurum were shocking enough to rattle not only the military but also the United Human Federation.

Humanity had encountered non-human races before.

Yet, to suffer such significant losses in facing these beings was unprecedented since the war with the Empire.

“What are you trying to say?”

“……There are whispers circulating within the military. Perhaps we should regard the creatures not merely as disasters or disturbances, but as equals to the Empire, as enemies of humanity.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Indeed, a new course on combating colossal beasts is set to be established. Whether it’s mere rumor or not, I’ve heard that a budget has already been allocated.”

Jin Crow paused to look at her, almost reaching for the hip flask tucked away in his coat.

‘Already?’

The original timeline had shifted.

It had been moved up by at least several months.

But why?

The speed of the Defense Ministry’s decision was alarmingly abnormal for it to be due to his lecture.

……It didn’t make sense.

In such moments, it was fortunate that Jin Crow’s temperament played a role.

He could maintain a blank expression, albeit with effort.

Meanwhile, whether she was aware of his turmoil or not, Ideale bit her lip in a serious manner and added, “And the one spreading this rumor is likely the Rosen faction. I must ask you, Jin Crow.”

At that very moment, a heavy pressure began to gnaw at the classroom.

The intensity was such that frost began to form at the window, making it clear that she was speaking with utmost sincerity.

The endlessly sunken whites of her eyes captured Jin Crow’s face, and soon she spoke as if she might seize his throat at any moment.

“Is this yet another dirty trick to bring factions into the academy?”

It was a clear question, yet beneath it lay an unyielding certainty.

And rightly so; the timing was far too convenient.

‘……What a disaster.’

In a moment of absent-mindedness, it was to the extent that Jin Crow thought so.

Swoosh—.

Instead of answering Ideale’s question, he pulled out the hip flask he had tucked away and brought it to his lips.

“What—.”

He swallowed the liquor with a brazen calmness.

Ideale opened her mouth to say something, but Jin Crow, exuding a strangely altered atmosphere, offered her a proposal instead of a response.

“Grant me the position of instructor for the newly established course. In exchange.”

It was absurd talk.

“Such….”

Ideale thought this, and immediately tried to deny his words, but she found herself unable to close her mouth at what followed.

“I will reveal to you the weaknesses of the Kukenhausen family. Ideale Kukenhausen.”

In that moment, Jin Crow could see it.

A fleeting glimpse of turmoil reflected in her eyes.

*

“…Let’s talk later.”

After Ideale left, Jin Crow headed straight to his lodgings.

Yet, his expression was far from bright.

It was only natural.

He had much on his mind.

‘Without a chance to intervene, the original has changed.’

He, who knew the future of the ‘original’ without reason, did not lecture the cadets using the example of Planet Aurum for no purpose.

He was sowing the seeds for the instructor position of the course that would be established months later.

Sizzle, hiss—.

Once inside his lodgings, he immediately took out a cigarette, lit it, and sank into the sofa.

At the same time, he loosened the black tie that was already constricting his throat and exhaled deeply.

“Haah.”

With a sigh filled with anguish and fatigue, the hazy smoke from the cigarette swirled like a mirage.

Watching it, Jin Crow narrowed his brow slightly, continuing to ponder the earlier ‘deal.’

‘The budget for the course has already been allocated. Therefore, it seems the course must indeed be established. Whatever the reason, that is something I must secure.’

There is a saying: “Riding a tiger.”

It is said that if one rides upon a tiger’s back and dismounts midway, they become a meal.

Such was his plight now.

Countless alternatives had crossed his mind, each scrutinized, yet to maintain his status as an academy instructor while preparing for ruin, the newly established position of instructor was absolutely essential.

‘The authority to come will only grow stronger.’

A most reasonable conclusion.

Each time a creature ruthlessly tramples a planet, the military must inevitably raise awareness of the threat posed by these beings.

In that sense, mentioning the “weakness of the Kukenhausen family” to Ideale was a necessary gamble.

It felt too precious to waste already, but what could be done?

For one with no foundation, the knowledge of the original work would be his sole strength.

“Now, it seems, I must simply wait.”

The power of decision still eluded him.

Yet, the expression of Jin Crow, who had lit one cigarette after another, remained remarkably serene.

He must have his suspicions.

‘Ideale has no choice but to accept this deal.’

…So it goes.