Free Web NovelChapter 12: Masculinism and Feminism
"Interesting, very interesting indeed..."— a very eerie smirk appeared on Ruthless’s face, completely distorting his previous innocent expression. His eyes narrowed, and his fingers on the hilt of the C-rank sword twitched slightly in anticipation of a new variable in his plans.
[Current Stats - Valerian Sterling:]
Strength: 400
Speed: 400
Stamina: 400
Intelligence: 45
Primal Level: 1
Chosen Path: Thief (80% mastered)
’A thief, then...’
Ruthless watched Professor Valerian until she disappeared from sight, and after that, he headed to class.
Entering the class, he sat at his far desk by the window and began to think about what he would do in the future. The room was gradually filling with soft daylight, but the boy’s thoughts were focused on something entirely different.
’If she has the path of the thief, it means this sword won’t stay put, especially if it’s an ancient one. But does it not mean that any person could use this sword, regardless of their strength?’
’If that’s the case, then this is a very profitable weapon for me, but stealing it in this instance is impossible, as its protection must be very good. But then, how does she plan to steal it? Even if she is a professor, it won’t be an easy task.’
While Ruthless was making plans for the future, other students began to arrive in mass—that is, Ruthless’s female classmates—but they all had some kind of smirk on their faces... almost everyone. They entered in noisy groups, casting sideways, mocking glances at him.
’Did something happen?’
One of the girls approached Ruthless and opened a paper that looked very much like a newspaper. It must be their way of delivering news. The sheet of thick gray paper rustled, drawing the attention of the entire class.
"Did you hear, girls? Now boys from our continent and others are starting their own cults against women for equal rights! They even call for killing those who stand in their way..." said the girl holding the newspaper.
"Let them do what they want, they are just beggars who won’t be able to do anything anyway!" having said this, many girls looked toward Ruthless, as if they wanted to play with his ego. They surrounded his desk in a semicircle, expecting a violent reaction or fear.
’It’s not surprising that there is masculinism here. We had feminism on Earth as well.’
’But it’s important to distinguish between the liberal and the radical here. There is a huge difference between them, and many people join the radical ones, who don’t speak for justice but simply want to devour the emotions of others and thus feed their own egos. For example, those same guys who call for murder—they don’t do it for justice, but for the sake of the ’high’ from humiliating the other sex. Completely pathetic creatures and hypocrites.’
Apparently, Ruthless wasn’t bothered at all by the looks from his classmates who wanted to get to him. He sat with an absolutely calm, serene face, lazily propping up his chin with his hand.
’Then a question arises for me: would I become like them for the sake of profit? And the answer is simple: no.’
’I will never become like them, but I will play their role if it’s profitable. The difference is that nothing will change inside me. Even if I look just as pathetic as they do, and people consider me such, I don’t care—the main thing is efficiency and the result.’
"Do you know when the professor will arrive?" Ruthless asked the girls who stood surrounding him.
They were very surprised at first, but then made a somewhat displeased face, and it was clear to Ruthless why they did so. His complete cold-bloodedness and the mundane question completely broke their plans for an effective provocation.
"She said she’d be here soon," one of them muttered, and after that, they all dispersed—whether because they didn’t get the reaction they expected, or for another reason.
5 HOURS LATER
One after another, all the students began to leave the class, and in the end, only Ruthless and Professor Eleonora Cromwell remained in the room. Outside the classroom windows, the evening twilight had already begun to thicken, painting the empty rows of desks in deep bluish tones. In the silence of the class, only the quiet rustle of documents could be heard.
Ruthless also stood up, but he went straight to the professor:
"Professor Eleonora, I have a question for you," he said with a serious face.
Eleonora Cromwell first put some papers in their place—they must have been study plans for tomorrow or perhaps for the month. She neatly aligned the stack of documents against the edge of the desk. After that, she looked at Ruthless with the same stony face.
"What question?" she said.
"I heard that some ancient sword was sent to the academy, and later it will be opened with the help of a ritual..." he began to speak, but the professor immediately interrupted him. Her palm slammed heavily onto the desk, and her gaze instantly became sharp and piercing.
"How do you know about this? No student in the academy has been told yet," she said.
’No one knows except, of course, our honored guests.’
"I met a professor on my way today — or maybe not, I don’t know for sure — but she had a box in her hand, and she mentioned it," he answered clearly and truthfully, without looking away.
"It must be Valerian..." she said with a deep sigh, as if there were always trouble with her. Eleonora tiredly lowered her shoulders and massaged her temples. "Fine, since you already know about it, tell me, what is your question?" she said, looking straight into Ruthless’s eyes.
"I just wanted to know when this ritual will begin..." Ruthless said with the same stony face.
’It’s easier to talk to her with a face like this than to play some kind of saint,’ he noted.
"Well, it will be in 3 days, so get ready to see this beauty," she said with a smile on her face for the first time during the conversation, and in her eyes for a moment flashed a sincere fanatical glint of a researcher.
’Three days... Enough.’
"That’s all I wanted to know, thank you," he said with a bow and also left the classroom, dissolving into the twilight of the empty corridor.
Upon leaving the academy, Ruthless immediately headed toward the massive gates of the city of Syoga. The sun had already touched the horizon, painting the tops of the academy’s pointed towers in a blood-red color. Ruthless walked through the narrow streets, winding between stone houses; long evening shadows stretched behind him across the cobblestones like a trail. The camera seemed to follow him from behind, capturing how the boy loosens the collar of his burgundy jacket as he goes, while the city noise around him gradually dies down, replaced by the monumental silence of the approaching walls. There were torches on both sides, and he immediately thought of Princess Lysandra but decided to think about her later. The huge forged gates of Syoga, bound in dark iron, rose before him like two frozen titans guarding the exit to the outside world.
And up close, he saw the two girls he had met on his first day.
"Hello, Miss Nora and Miss Ari!" he said with a smile, waving his hands.
"Oh, Ruthless, how are you? How was your first day at the academy?" Nora asked with a smile, also waving her hands.
"It was cool. I managed to lift a C-rank sword," he said, showing the muscles of his arm.
"Wowww, that’s totally fire!" Nora said, and Ari’s smile could immediately be seen from behind.
"Impressive," she said as a compliment.
One could guess that Ari was only interested in physical achievements. Her appraising gaze lingered on his forearm for a second, approving such a result for a guy.
After that, Ruthless immediately approached Nora and leaned in toward her ear.
"Miss Nora, do you know where one can buy a beautiful love envelope?" he asked, whispering quietly.
Nora was immediately surprised why a person like him was asking this, and apparently, she thought that Ruthless was just joking and decided to play along.
"Fallen in love, have you?" she replied with a smirk, also whispering into Ruthless’s ear.
"Yes," he answered immediately, no longer even whispering and putting on a very embarrassed look, lowering his head and shyly fiddling with the strap of his scabbard.
"WHAT?!" Nora shouted for the whole gate to hear, her eyes rounding in shock.
