I Became an Unknown Professor at the Academy

“I would like to paint a picture of the two of you.”

Claire’s long eyelashes fluttered up and down at the unexpected request.

“You want to paint a picture of me and the professor?”

“Yes.”

A steady voice and a steady heartbeat.

It was not the reaction of a liar.

Perhaps because of this, Claire’s hostility and resentment towards Le Colleang subsided.

‘You want to paint a picture of me and the professor…’

When she thought about it, she realized that they had never taken a proper photo, let alone a video. There must have been opportunities, but why had she never thought of it?

After a short moment of contemplation, Claire found the answer herself.

Happiness.

She had been so happy just being with the person she loved for the first time that she hadn’t even thought about anything else. And perhaps because she had the opportunity to preserve her memories with him, Claire’s gaze carefully turned to the back.

“The reward…”

Claire felt a little embarrassed as if her inner thoughts had been exposed when she heard the voice behind her.

“If you wish, I will give you everything of Raven.”

Le Colleang answered as if she had been waiting for the question.

Claire was quite surprised, as well as understanding that Le Colleang was sincere. Even just in terms of corporate value, Raven was one of the top ten Awakened Artifact sales companies in the world.

“I’ll think about it. Come back after the auction is over.”

“Thank you.”

Le Colleang bowed politely once again and quietly left in the elevator as she had arrived.

“Claire.”

At the sound of her name, Claire turned her body. And at the sight of Baek Woo-jin lightly tapping the side of the sofa with his palm, Claire coughed lightly and sat down next to him.

“Are you going to accept his offer…”

“There’s no reason to refuse.”

At Baek Woo-jin’s answer, the corners of Claire’s mouth curved slightly upwards.

The second auction was over.

‘It didn’t show up today, either.’

The Water of Oblivion.

Unlike with the fairy, it was an essential item. It was also a price that didn’t require a complicated process or preparation.

‘I just hope it hasn’t been released elsewhere.’

Excluding the conflict with the underworld, it had not properly entered the flow of the story. But it wouldn’t be strange if some variable appeared in due to that small change, like a small ripple spreading across a lake and increasing in size.

Just as a single gear stopping could cause a malfunction in a complex machine.

For this reason, Le Colleang’s trade proposal was unexpected, yet very welcome.

A way to check the items to be put up for auction in the remaining two days had come to her without her having to wait, and there was no reason to refuse it. Moreover, the act of ‘painting’ itself was the purpose, not owning the painting, so there was even less reason to refuse.

Most of all, the woman by her side wanted it.

I turned my head slightly to the side, looking down at Claire leaning against me.

-It will suit Miss Hana.

-Hmm… not even revealing the proper efficacy.

-I’ll buy it first and ask Bwiar.

She stared at the screen with serious eyes, sweeping up the elixir and elixir that came up for auction. She knew that the reason she was doing this was to give them to Baek Hana and the other children, so she just looked lovely.

Tiing-

Claire, who had been leaning against me quietly, stood up at the sound from behind. She had told her not to do this several times, but no matter how much she punished her, it never changed.

“Sit next to me.”

“Yes.”

Whether it was to show the utmost respect to me and Claire, or whether it was his usual habit, Le Colleang quietly approached without making a sound and sat on the sofa next to us.

“I want to see the items to be put up for auction in the remaining two days in advance.”

“I’ll have them prepared immediately. Also, if there’s something you want, I’ll have it delivered to you as quickly as possible through a proxy bidding method.”

I could feel that he was prepared to give up his life if necessary.

“I’ll have the finished painting picked up from here.”

“Of course. I’m just happy to be able to paint the two of you.”

“And I’d like two more paintings.”

“If I can paint the two of you, I’ll gladly paint hundreds, thousands.”

A quickening heartbeat, slightly dilated pupils, and roughened breathing.

She was excited at the thought of being able to paint several paintings of me and Claire.

‘Le Colleang Arju Raven.’

A middle-aged woman in a black dress reminiscent of a crow.

A character who had not even been mentioned, let alone appeared.

Such a woman was now sitting in front of me, proposing a trade.

It felt like confirming the face of someone hidden behind a veil. A different feeling from when she had seen a new side of Claire. But one thing was certain: it wasn’t a bad feeling.

Perhaps it was because, unlike Ben Stiller, who acted without knowing his place, this woman was showing proper courtesy.

“The additional painting will include one more person besides her.”

“It’s fine. I’m just happy to be able to paint the two of you.”

A satisfactory answer.

“Where will you paint it?”

“I’ll paint it wherever the two of you want. The pose will be the same. I’ll also match the time to when you want it.”

“Then I’ll have the one you wanted painted here after confirming the items.”

“Ah…”

Le Colleang put her hands together as if in prayer, then shuddered and stood up.

“Ten… no, wait five minutes. I’ll have the items brought over here.”

Le Colleang left after asking for understanding.

“Claire.”

“Yes, Professor.”

“It’s just the two of us for now.”

“Ujin…”

She coughed softly and sat down next to me.

“Since we’re in charge of the pose, I’ll leave it to you.”

“What…?”

She looked up at me with wide eyes, but no matter how she looked at me, my answer wouldn’t change.

“There’s still time, so think about it until then.”

“Ye… yes, I understand.”

Her fingers on her lap twitched.

I waited for Le Colleang to return, enjoying the inner thoughts of Claire, who was outwardly showing no signs of distress but was actually struggling to decide what to choose.

.

.

.

Le Colleang returned as promised after 4 minutes and 37 seconds, accompanied by several employees with blindfolds over their eyes, and of course, the items to be auctioned.

“I’ll bring them one by one, so please take your time, and this is the catalogue with the starting bid prices and names of the items to be auctioned.”

After taking a quick glance at the catalogue handed over by Le Colleang, I passed it to Claire.

Unlike me, who was sitting on the sofa waiting for the Water of Oblivion to appear, Claire stood up and carefully examined the items based on the catalogue in her hand.

“The turbidity is too strong.”

“Tsk, they call this a divine sword?”

“Cheonsimhyang… It has the effect of calming the mind.”

“This, this is…!”

Forgetting that I was behind her, Claire muttered to herself and slowly moved the items she liked to the back. There were already more than ten items lined up.

“This is the last one.”

The elevator door opened, and Le Colleang returned with a tray of items. At the same time, I extended my magic.

A small round glass bottle, smaller than a fist, flew into my hand from the tray.

‘A round bottle, containing a liquid that glows faintly like the sky.’

The shape perfectly matched the information in the other side’s memory.

More than anything, I could feel the same strange power as the Crystal of gates and the Scales of God’s Seal.

‘Fortunately, it’s here.’

The Water of Oblivion, which erases all memories of the drinker.

Erasing memories is completely different from making someone forget. Forgotten things can be recalled at any time, but the Water of Oblivion erases everything without leaving any room for recollection.

It’s a potion that turns the brain into that of a newborn baby while leaving the body intact. Of course, no human would consider this a potion.

“I’ll definitely bring this.”

“I’ll bring it to you without fail.”

Le Colleang carefully approached and took the Water of Oblivion. And not long after, Claire finished selecting the items.

“Then bring the tools.”

“Ah, the tools…”

Le Colleang opened a small pouch and began setting up the necessary items for painting.

“I’m ready. Please take a comfortable pose.”

At that, I called out to her, who was standing in front of me.

“Claire.”

“…”

At my call, Claire’s blue eyes widened slightly.

“I’d like you to choose the pose.”

I smiled inwardly as I watched Claire, who couldn’t properly make a request despite having decided on a pose in her mind.

“Is this okay?”

“It’s fine.”

As I gave my permission, Le Colleang smiled brightly and took out her smartphone from her pocket. She then approached us and held it out.

“First, I would appreciate it if you could remove your glasses and tie your hair up like in this video.”

A video with a very familiar scene was playing on Le Colleang’s smartphone screen.

“Ah, this divine beauty will be painted directly—”

“Wait.”

I interrupted Le Colleang and stood up.

“Let’s postpone the schedule. Let’s do it this evening.”

“What? Oh, yes. That’s fine.”

Le Colleang, who had been very excited, showed a slightly disappointed expression but didn’t ask for any specific reason.

“Claire.”

“Yes, Professor.”

I couldn’t help but give her an order, as she was addressing me with the utmost respect.

“Guide me to the nearest temple of the God of Amusement.”