Chapter Ninety-Nine: Illegal Fishing Will Get You Caught

“Mr. Ruby, have you heard? The city lord has been murdered!”

The dazed teacher hurried into the office with hurried, disorderly steps, her face glowing with the eagerness to share breaking news. Yet, the first thing she did was start talking to the empty desk next to Ruby.

“I’m here.”

Ruby was flipping through a small notebook he had borrowed from the school library. Although he wanted to share this big news with Bai Yu, three days had passed since the incident. Everyone who should know, already did. Hearing Bai Yu’s words now, he could only respond with a mental expression that said, “Why do you Martians always think you’re so well-informed?”

“That really is big news. I remember the city lord’s only daughter is in the Auxiliary Magic class, isn’t she? Poor girl.”

Bai Yu knew she had mistaken people before, but this time she finally found the right seat and turned to face Ruby.

“Teacher Bai Yu, I don’t quite understand the inheritance laws of this world. What will happen to that child now?”

More than the news itself, Ruby was curious about other things. The Drill Girl hadn’t appeared on campus these past few days—he heard she was busy with funeral arrangements.

“That’s hard to say. I heard the city lord didn’t leave a will before he died. If it were a small city with hereditary succession, it wouldn’t be a problem. But Terrylima is a big city; it’s impossible to hand it over to a child. The emperor will probably decide the new city lord.”

“I see.”

After Bai Yu’s response, Ruby nodded and left his seat. Since Jin Funi had recovered from her fear, she had become a harmless, well-behaved young lady. Besides occasionally flirting with Magic Yuna, she was like any ordinary person. Such a person was indeed unfit to be a city lord.

“Teacher Ruby, where are you going?”

“To the lab. Eve is waiting for me.”

“Teacher Ruby, you’re really popular. The semester just started, and you’ve already become the favorite teacher of the whole school. I’m a bit jealous.”

“Doesn’t Teacher Bai Yu have admirers too? It’s the same.”

Ruby and Bai Yu exchanged compliments before closing the door, preparing to leave. But just as the door shut, Ruby vaguely heard Bai Yu muttering something to herself.

“Someone like me...”

Ruby soon arrived at the laboratory on the second floor. This classroom, purchased specifically by the pink-haired girl from the principal, was located in the most secluded corner of the teaching building. How she managed to acquire permanent usage rights from a revered Mage Saint was anyone’s guess. It was the kind of place where one could do anything unnoticed. Upon entering, Ruby immediately smelled a strong odor and hurriedly opened the window without waiting to see what Eve was doing.

“Eve Edel Starry Night! How many times have I told you not to conduct experiments on your own before I arrive? And experiments must be done with proper ventilation! Doing this in a sealed room—if you die, that’s on you, understand?”

Ruby rarely lost his temper, but this time he had reached his limit. Since learning how to carry out experiments from him, the pink-haired girl had become unstoppable, often so absorbed she forgot important safety measures. Thinking of the possible consequences, Ruby firmly grasped Eve’s soft cheek to scold her.

“S-sorry, I didn’t mean to.”

Eve apologized timidly. Ruby calling her by her full name when angry had become a habit. Although it hurt, she understood that Ruby’s anger stemmed from concern, not fear of the lab exploding and leaving no place to experiment.

“You…”

Ruby’s gaze shifted to two piles of powder on the table—one grayish-white, the other black. Judging by the smell, it was definitely gunpowder. The grayish-white must have been the one Eve used to ignite.

“So this is the gunpowder you were talking about? I made it.”

The pink-haired girl’s previous grievance melted away. With a gleeful smile, she pointed at the powders.

“You really are a genius.”

Ruby knew he had never told Eve the formula for gunpowder. She had somehow figured it out from his few scattered remarks. Calling her a genius was no exaggeration because genius requires both intellect and luck.

“Hehe, actually, I was just lucky. Ruby, look—even without your guidance, our world would have still invented gunpowder. So whatever happens next, it’s not related to you. You can rest easy and focus on your work.”

“No me? Without me, could you have found anything useful in that pile of trash? You’d be just a pile of ash your whole life.”

Eve’s cheeky remark drew Ruby’s displeasure. He poked her forehead repeatedly with his index finger to teach her a lesson. In his eyes, she was already a beloved apprentice. Eve was probably the only person in this other world with whom he shared a common scientific language.

“I know, Ruby. You’re indispensable in my life. I won’t let you go.”

Eve hugged Ruby’s arm with a bright smile, her eyes free of romantic affection for now—she simply didn’t want to be separated from the one who taught her.

At this point, Ruby indulged her playfulness. But suddenly, unease crept into his heart. He quickly pushed Eve away and stepped out of the lab. Through the corridor’s glass, he saw a crowd gathered by the lake where Aqua lived. Turning back, he grabbed the improved telescope Eve had made and brought it to his eye. What he saw left him speechless. Ximei led a group dragging a fishing net, inside which struggled a blue mermaid.

“That idiot!”

Well, given Aqua’s intelligence, it was only a matter of time before someone discovered her. Ruby hadn’t expected to keep it a secret for long. But being caught by a group of students—how foolish was that? And she would have been fine if she just stayed at the bottom of the lake. Most likely, she got herself into trouble by trying to do something good. Anxious, Ruby didn’t bother with the stairs and jumped out the window.

“Hey, Ruby! Honestly.”

From Eve’s perspective, she saw Ruby rushing about before jumping out the window and sneaking away. Did he really dislike being around her that much? Feeling hurt, the little girl stomped her foot in frustration.

“There really is a mermaid, and right at school. Isn’t it a bit too dreamy?”

Elaine, Ximei’s girlfriend, followed behind the dozen or so people, staring hard at the mermaid caught in the magic net. They had only intended to come watch the commotion, since Ximei said they might catch something. No one expected it to be a sea mermaid.

“I didn’t think we’d actually catch one. Let’s hand her over to the teachers first.”

Ximei shrugged. His sixth sense had told him something was in the lake, so he gathered a dozen friends from their soccer group for backup. The whole process was surprisingly easy, which even he found hard to accept.

“Before that, I read in a book that mermaid tears turn into pearls. If that’s true, then she’s a real mermaid.”

A freckled boy suddenly suggested. He and Ximei were good friends and often played soccer together. Seeing Aqua now, he was like a kid who had caught a wild cat’s kitten and wanted to toy with her.

“Kasey, that’s not right…”

Elaine looked at the mermaid, who appeared as human as anyone, feeling pity. She wanted to intervene but saw everyone around was eager to act.

“It’s fine. The sea tribe and humans don’t get along well. She might be a spy sent by the enemy. I just learned a new spell that amplifies pain. Let’s make her cry quickly.”

Kasey raised his wand and the others did nothing to help the captured mermaid. “They’re not one of us, so they must be suspicious.” Though this saying didn’t exist in this world, they all understood the sentiment.

Seeing this, Aqua could only cover her head with her hands in distress. Yet the pain never came. She lowered her hands to see a familiar figure standing before her, his right hand tightly gripping Kasey’s wrist.

“Who told you to hurt her?”

Ruby was controlling his anger, but still squeezed Kasey’s wrist until it made a sickening cracking sound. These fragile young mages couldn’t withstand his strength—he was a man who had dug half a mountain barehanded. Kasey immediately screamed in pain.