"……"

  "He is the messenger of the gods, so I think you might know who he is, Mr. Evans."

  "……I do."

  "There were rumours that his dismembered head was thrown like trash in Asgard, and one of the city discovered him with his neck wriggling as he tried to reach for King Odin.

  Van almost fell to the ground as soon as he heard the name of Sigrid’s father…… In truth, he already had an inkling of who it could be, considering how fast she was running, as well as the mention of his father being beaten by a human.

  But just how vivid was the information that Sigrid received? And since she started getting bullied after Hermod was disgraced…… doesn’t this mean that even for just a little tiny bit, Van had a fault in this?

  "……You said your father was working for King Odin," Van then cleared his throat as he relaxed on the chair he made, "So why exactly are you getting bullied? Shouldn’t these men be afraid of you?"

  "I…… I am only one of Hermod’s many children," Sigrid then said as she covered herself even more tightly with Van’s shirt, "I doubt he even knows I exist anymore since I have only met him once."

  "……I see," Van nodded before turning his attention back towards the group of students that were running on the track. Sigrid’s situation reminds himself of the stories he had heard about the Olympians—— they breed like rabbits, and most children are forgotten or abandoned.

  It would seem that the Aesir was not a stranger to this act, but considering they have lived for thousands of years, Van was now understanding that it was probably more common than not that they would also have hundreds of children.

  Realizing this, he could not help but feel a little awed by Athena and Artemis, who had managed to keep their chastity throughout the tens of thousands of years they have lived. Wait…… was Athena still childless? It has been a very long time for her, after all.

  He should probably ask her later once her classes are over.

  "Is…… isn’t this alright, Mr. Evans?" Sigrid then approached him closer as she looked at the running group of students, "I think they have already learned their lesson."

  "I am not trying to teach a lesson," Van quickly replied before letting out a sigh, "It’s punishment for having irritated me."

  "Is…… is that so?"

  Hearing Van’s words, Sigrid could not help but let out a long and deep sigh before trying to fix her short hair. She was glad that Van stood up for her, and even though her excitement was slightly lessened knowing the fact that he was actually a professor, and probably just rescued her due to obligation, she was still more than happy that someone finally did.

  But his words…… isn’t he saying that he was doing this for himself? Sigrid thought as her head turned to the ground. Was it because her hair was too short, or her breasts were too small? Sigrid also noticed Van’s surprise when she approached him earlier, it was as if she had forgotten about her.

  Of course, why would anyone try to rescue someone like her?——

  Suffice to say, Sigrid didn’t have a lot of self-confidence.

  "What is going on here!?"

  "Eek!"

  Sigrid quickly crouched to the ground, covering herself up even further as soon as she heard a voice approaching them. Van turned to look towards the approaching individual, before nonchalantly leaning back on his seat and continuing watching the students.

  "Sir Baug!"

  The group of students, however, immediately stopped running as soon as they saw who it was.

  "Did I tell you to stop running?" Van then stood up from his seat as he looked each of the students straight in the eyes, "Run."

  The students, who were about to run towards the man called Baug, could not help but let out a small shriek, their feet not knowing whether to go to their instructor or continue torturing themselves on the track.

  "Who are you!?" Baug then stood right in front of Van, literally looking down at him.

  "……" Van looked at the muscular man in front of him from head to toe; seeing all the tattoos that littered his arms and neck quickly reminded Van of Mr. Jacobs; wherever could he be right now.

  "Evans, combat instructor of Class 155," Van casually said before turning his attention back at the students, "Run, or I will make you run for a week."

  "Why are you following this squirt’s words!?" Baug, who saw the students about to run, could not help but let out a roar as he gestured to them to come to him.

  "And you, brat," he then turned towards Van, "You’re a combat instructor? What kind of prank are you trying to pull here? What class do you belong to!?"

  "……Are you the supervisor of these students?" Van ignored all of the man’s questions as he looked him straight in the eyes.

  "I am the one asking questions here!"

  "Sigrid, is he your supervisor?"

  "E…… eh!?" Sigrid, who was crouching on the ground, could not help but let out a yelp as she was suddenly called. But after a few seconds, she took a glance towards Baug, before nodding several times.

  "Are you aware that a group of your students is oppressing their fellow classmates? Ganging up against a single girl?"

  If it was any other situation, Van would probably not push the situation further—— but he was an instructor now.

  "……" Baug looked back and forth between Sigrid and the group of students, letting out a short and deep breath as he did so. But afterwards, he shook his head and stepped even closer towards Van, almost hitting his head with his stomach.

  "Look here, you god-forsaken brat," he then said as his voice turned deeper, "I don’t know what kind of games you’re playing here, but I suggest you walk away before you get hurt."

  "I see," Van also shook his head, "So I take that as threatening your colleague?"

  "You’re not my colleague," Baug then crouched as he let out a small chuckle, looking Van directly in the eyes and returning his glare, "And yes, I am threatening you."

  "I see," Van could only let out a sigh as he looked to the side, "I guess this is a good chance to see what a normal adult Aesir could do."

  "Ha? What are you even saying?"

  "I’m saying you should also probably start running……

  boy."

  ***

  "Ha…… life is peaceful."

  Headmistress Hilda was taking her daily stroll around her Academy, taking in the sights and the accomplishments that she had gathered throughout the long years.

  "Oh, we should get this fixed," she whispered to herself as she saw a crack on one of her walls. She then took out a cloth from her pocket, wiping the dirt that had collected on the windows herself before letting out a hum as she walked away.

  Needless to say, Heven Academy was her pride and glory. Many have become successful individuals due to the college, with some even working for King Odin or making a mark outside the reaches of the 9 Realms.

  Truly, she was blessed.

  "Something is going on at the practice field!"

  "Quick, let’s go!"

  "Stop running in the hallways, you fuckers!"

  She then quickly covered her mouth, quickly regretting that she let out such an unflattering word, "I apologize, but why are you——"

  "Quick!"

  Before she could finish her words, another set of students came from behind her, running across the hallway and dragging the student she was talking to away.

  "……" Headmistress Hilda cleared her throat, calmly fixing her dress…… before clicking her tongue and rushing towards the practice field, leaving small crevices on her prided hallway as she did so, "Don’t let me catch you, you little shits!"

  Her breath became heavy as her mind replayed how she, the Headmistress of the college, was just ignored by her students. This kind of disrespect will not be tolerated!

  "Where—— !!!"

  However, when she saw how many people were gathered in the field, she once again quickly composed herself, before approaching one of the students.

  "Excuse me, but what is going on here?"

  "Mr. Baug was beaten—— Ah, Headmistress!" The student quickly covered his mouth, bowing towards Hilda as soon as he realized who she was.

  "……Beaten?" Hilda then quickly pushed the crowd of students away as she made her way closer to the field. "T…… this……"

  And as soon as she got past the wave of students, what welcomed her was the sight of Baug…… ……being dragged on the track, his neck attached to a rope that was being pulled by a group of students running on the field.

  "W…… what is happening here?" Hilda could not help but stutter, her pride that she had been keeping for ages, slowly being dragged through the mud, quite literally.

  "Headmistress Hilda."

  "Mr…… Evans?" Hilda then turned her attention towards the half-naked young man approaching him, "What…… is this?"

  "Oh," Van blinked a couple of times as he looked at Baug and the others, "I have no idea. I found them like this, I think it’s some kind of…… class performance?"

  "……What?" Hilda once again repeated the word as if it was the only thing in her vocabulary.

  "Isn’t that right, student Sigrid?"

  "N…… Y…… Yes?" Sigrid, who was once again suddenly called by Van, could not help but stutter as she nodded her head.

  "……" Hilda quickly frowned as soon as she saw Sigrid, covering herself with Van’s shirt. She then looked towards Baug and the group of students dragging him, and immediately realized what was happening.

  "You two, follow me to my office," Headmistress Hilda then said as she gestured to Van and Sigrid, "As for the rest of you, return to your classes!"

  "F…… finally!"

  "Not your group!" Hilda then pointed towards the group of students dragging Baug, "You’re going to run until I tell you to stop!"

  "N…… no way."

  "As for you, Mr. Evans, you’re going to explain to me the whole situation."

  "I already told you……

  it’s a class performance."