Great Teacher in a Defense Game

#37 The Way That Man Lives

Late at night.

Chaos erupted in the Academy’s dormitory.

– *Thump!*

– *Crrrrrumble!*

– What in the world?!

– Run for your lives!

Without warning, the building was pulverized.

Students, ripped from sleep, burst out into the night.

And then, they beheld it: a colossal, monstrous thing encircling their dormitory.

– *Uoooh!*

– W-what *is* that?!

– …A snake? No, a dragon?

The students buzzed, mouths agape at the grotesque entity.

A monster, the likes of which they’d never seen, had besieged their home.

Naturally, it was Enoch’s summons that were assaulting the dorm.

And magic the students hadn’t encountered in their studies.

Confusion swelled as a matter of course.

“Um, Teacher?”

“What is it?”

Ban, who was accompanying him, spoke to Enoch, standing beside him.

His tone had shifted, almost unconsciously, into polite speech.

“Is this really alright, Teacher? The dormitory is collapsing in the middle of the night!”

“A portion of it, to be precise. Aren’t they demolishing only the noble district you pointed out, with quite the finesse?”

“That… is true.”

“Then it’s settled. No problem at all. Don’t fret over it; just enjoy the show. It’s not every day you get to see your school being torn to shreds right before your eyes, you know.”

Enoch said this, and then turned his gaze away.

He had been fiddling with his communicator for some time.

Was he contacting someone privately?

Ban, watching him, asked, his curiosity piqued.

“Teacher? Would it be alright to ask who you’re contacting?”

“Hmm? Nothing much. Just reaching out to a certain older brother I know.”

“An older brother? At this late hour?”

“It’s fine. I’m the type who works regardless of day or night. And he actually answered the call promptly.”

Enoch replied, his tone even.

He then closed the comm device.

His objective had been achieved.

“Seems like it’s winding down.”

“Sir?”

“Let’s go. Where, to have a look at that lauded blue blood of theirs.”

@

Enoch and Ban.

The two entered the collapsed building.

Unlike the outer wall, the building’s interior remained largely intact.

This was due to Enoch’s instruction not to damage it excessively.

“This is it.”

Before long, they reached their destination.

Their footsteps halted on the third floor, outside a noble’s suite.

Enoch’s knight summon was already waiting at the entrance.

-Click-

The summon opened the closed door.

Then, as if indicating they should enter, it stepped back.

Enoch walked ahead.

Ban, concealing his confusion, cautiously followed behind.

‘What’s in here?’

Ban examined the room with curiosity.

He was then seized by astonishment.

Indeed, there were the Alain gang, the ones he had told Enoch about.

Or rather, the ringleaders of the incident he’d shown via the comm device.

They were sprawled across the bed, tightly bound with ropes.

-Mmph! Mmph!!

-Uup! Uup!!

“Eight. Quite a few. Seems like no one’s missing, at least.”

– *Oop, oop!*

“See some faces I recognize from the sickroom. Acquaintances, wouldn’t you say?”

Enoch muttered, counting them off.

A tone that suggested a certain…satisfaction.

As if a knot was finally loosening in his gut.

“S-Sir?”

“What is it?”

“What reason is there for gathering them all here? Surely, you aren’t going to…dispose of them?”

Ban asked, a sliver of doubt lodged in his heart.

Even so, that felt like a step too far.

Enoch squinted, as if he’d heard nonsense.

“They aren’t worth the effort. No need for me to soil my hands.”

“I…I see. Then why?”

“Why? Why, to play the same game, of course.”

“Pardon?”

Ban’s question was ignored.

Enoch commanded the summoned knight-beasts at his side.

“From this moment forward, strip those wretches bare.”

“*?!*”

– *???*

“Needless to say, not a thread is to remain.”

– *Clack.*

The summoned creatures moved instantly.

They clambered onto the beds, tearing at the clothes of the sprawled noble scions with brutal force.

– *Riiiiip! Snip! Riiiiiiip!*

“…Stop! Stop it!!!”

In the midst of it, the gags came loose.

Belatedly, their mouths were free.

They tried to scream, to resist.

“They are free to hit them.”

– *Thwack!*

Enoch added it almost absently.

Violence followed directly after.

Resistance extinguished in a blink.

A moment later, only bare skin remained on the bed.

“Quite the tableau.”

Eight stark naked men and women intertwined.

A precarious image, no matter the angle.

Enoch chuckled softly, retrieving his comm.

*Click-* The shutter echoed in the space.

-*Click*

-*Click Click*

“A photograph is a rather dull souvenir, wouldn’t you say?”

-Ugh, ugh…

-Sob, sob…

“Going to keep hiding your faces? At least offer up your names, and perhaps your ages.”

Enoch’s tone was laced with mocking amusement.

One of the students, who had been stifling his breath, ground out a question through clenched teeth.

“…Just…why are you doing this? No. Do you truly believe you’ll be unscathed after daring to do this? Do you even know who we are?”

“No.”

-*Click*

“Nor do I particularly care to.”

-*Click*

Enoch dismissed them as he concentrated on his photography.

The scions of noble houses inwardly plotted a chance to strike back.

But they couldn’t put it into action.

They couldn’t even handle a single knight-grade summon.

Enoch’s summons, no matter how weak, were at least scroll-grade.

Far beyond the capabilities of mere academy students.

“Um…Professor? Are…are you sure you can handle the repercussions of this?”

“The aftermath?”

“Yes. Even so, they are scions of noble houses… I don’t think they’ll simply let this pass.”

Ban asked, testing the waters.

Frankly, he felt a sense of release.

Those fellows who ran wild solely on the strength of their lineage had finally gotten a proper, wretched taste of consequences.

However, even so, wasn’t there a limit?

No matter how he looked at it, this wasn’t something that could be lightly overlooked.

They were fortunate if the nobles only filed a collective lawsuit.

Ban was genuinely worried about the man named Enoch standing before him.

Yet, the person in question still maintained an attitude as if nothing was amiss.

“Ban. It seems you are mistaken about one thing.”

“Pardon? A mistake?”

“Indeed. You seem to be worried since a moment ago that this matter will be exposed. Am I right?”

“Yes… Isn’t that obvious?”

-Click-

“That’s the mistake. This affair can never be widely known. The moment it becomes public knowledge, the nobles themselves will suffer a loss of their own honor.”

“Ah…”

Ban’s jaw dropped.

It was indeed so.

For the nobles to raise an issue, this matter first needed to be widely publicized.

But the very ones who would be most reluctant to do so were none other than the nobles themselves.

“Understand? Now is not the time to worry about being discovered. It’s quite the opposite.”

“The opposite…”

“What methods they will employ from now on to try and cover this up. I am, rather, more curious about that. Aren’t you?”

Enoch said, smiling.

A manner that spoke of genuine curiosity.

This was Enoch’s way of life.

Ban, finding himself speechless, closed his mouth.

It was a method he hadn’t even imagined.

Presently, he chuckled softly.

“…Yes. That it is. I find myself genuinely curious, too.”

“Relieved you sympathize. From now on, you help as well. My ideas are running dry doing it alone.”

“Gladly. How can I be of assistance?”

“I’d appreciate some advice on the composition and angles. What, in your opinion, would make this look even more…orgy-like?”

“An orgy, you say…”

Ban tilted his head, puzzled.

Then he stepped forward.

He waved his hand through the air.

And just like that, a spear materialized in his grip.

-Shk

“Hey, you.”

-…Ban. You son of a b*tch. You think you can get away with—

“Enough, just grope the girl next to you. The composition is awkward.”

-What?

“It needs to look more like a proper gangbang, doesn’t it? Just do what you usually do. Weren’t you always playing like this outside?”

Ban said, leveling the spear.

Almost a threatening tone.

No, it *was* a threat, in truth.

-Grah…

-How can I…

A short while later.

The sprawled students moved according to Ban’s designs.

Naked bodies became entwined, jumbled together.

A rather precarious tableau was forming.

‘Thank heavens Lakrina isn’t here.’

Enoch felt a fresh wave of relief.

He couldn’t bear to show her such a spectacle.

Even in the midst of it all, the shutter clicked.

-Click

Enoch and Ban emerged from the building, the shoot completed.

The students, they simply abandoned.

If they valued their lives, they’d find their own way out.

‘This photo… it needs to be put to good use. Perhaps even exploited in a noble house’s succession struggle.’

Enoch examined the comm device, a satisfied smile spreading across his face.

It went without saying, a photograph was a rather formidable weapon.

Its applications, after all, were virtually limitless.

For example, what would happen if this photo were to fall into the hands of the eldest or second son of a noble family?

The eldest son could solidify his position, while the second could significantly close the gap between them.

‘Having someone on the inside amongst the nobility wouldn’t be bad either. Perhaps even grooming a person of my choosing to be the next heir.’

From the moment the monsters began their invasion, the authority of the nobility had crumbled.

Most nobles had abandoned their territories and fled, forfeiting both honor and power.

But, even so, not all nobles were weak.

Especially the great noble families – the esteemed lineages – they were worth Enoch’s attention.

‘Trading with the Emperor, forging alliances with the Archmages, receiving support from the nobles.’

Already, the outlines of a plan were beginning to take shape.

Enoch tucked the comm device into his pocket, a content smile playing on his lips.

-Enoch!!

“Ah, finally arrived.”

Just then, someone called out to Enoch.

A familiar voice.

Chairman Baltro.

“Enoch! What is the meaning of all this?!”

“We’ll meet again shortly, Chairman.”

“Is this really the time for such flippancy?! You clearly said you’d be back this morning! Why are you suddenly destroying the dormitory?!”

Baltro was hopping mad, shouting at the top of his lungs.

Enoch didn’t bother to reply.

Instead, he checked something else first.

‘A bit of a crowd has gathered.’

Perhaps they’d heard the commotion and come to investigate.

By then, students and teachers thronged around them.

Among them, the face he was seeking appeared.

“Chairman. I’ll explain the finer points later, of course.”

“Eh, uh?”

“Rather, I’d like a word with that friend over there.”

Enoch pointed a finger.

All eyes present swiveled to that place.

The person in question at the end of their gazes.

Scroll-grade mage, Alain, flinched.