I Became an Unknown Professor at the Academy

Right after the connection with Claire was cut off.

“Maria.”
“……?”

Maria turned her head in surprise at the sound of her name being called. Standing there was her superior, Lee Yesol, with her usual playful smile.

“What is it?”
“It’s about what happened at the Academy, right? It would be strange if I didn’t know about it.”
“Ah……”

Maria realized that she had asked a question that even Edyn would consider too urgent, given the situation.

“Can we go up?”
“Yes, yes. But, the Executor is also coming……”
“Then we should try to finish this before she arrives.”

The moment Claire intervenes, regardless of the outcome, today’s events will be talked about and spread by countless people, both inside and outside.

‘That must not happen.’

For the sake of her superior, who was just beginning to experience the everyday life that others took for granted, and for the person who had shown her that everyday life, Maria knew that this incident needed to be wrapped up as quickly as possible.

Although Edyn was involved in this incident, the center of it all was Baek Hana. If Claire got involved in this matter, what would people think?

‘Professor wouldn’t want Hana to be in the spotlight like this.’

Ding-

The elevator doors opened, and Yesol walked down the hallway with Maria’s guidance.

‘At most 15 minutes, or maybe 10 minutes.’

Given her superior’s position, she would definitely stop by the temple to change into proper attire. Considering her superior’s personality, she wouldn’t violate the Academy’s rules, so it would take about 10 minutes to walk quickly from the maze to the temple and then to this building.

‘That’s about how long it will take.’

The door opened with a click, and Maria, looking slightly more tense than before, entered the room. The staff members who had been working looked up at the two of them.

“Excuse me.”
“Yes, go ahead and enter through there.”

The staff member immediately pointed to the problematic room, as anyone with a brain would know why Yesol was here.

Yesol lightly bowed her head and opened the door with the sign [Director’s Office] along with Maria.

Although it was just a door and a wall separating the two spaces, the air inside felt several times heavier and sharper than outside.

“Is it okay to come in?”
“…Please come in.”

Kim Sung-won and Choi Min-sik, who had been standing with Baek Hana and Edyn, quickly nodded and gestured politely with their hands. Yesol walked into the tense space with a slight smile.

The gazes of Baek Hana and Edyn, who had been stiff, naturally turned to her. However, Yesol did not give them a glance and instead walked towards the woman standing on the opposite side and said,

“It’s been a while, Sun-young.”

The woman with light brown hair, which fell below her priestess robes, and slightly sharp eyes, smiled wryly and nodded.

“Yes, it has. Even though we live right next door, it’s hard to see each other’s faces unless something like this happens.”
“Would you like to go on a morning walk together every day if you wish?”
“My prayer time is a bit long.”

Lee Sun-young.

The head of the Luck God Temple’s Academy branch, she replied sternly.

“Rather, the fact that you’re here means you know what’s going on, right?”
“Yes. I heard that there was a small dispute between some passionate children, so I came to take a look.”
“Haha.”

Lee Sun-young, who had been stern, now laughed bitterly.

“You call it a small dispute when a child loses consciousness, and a priestess who doesn’t even know how to fight is beaten up one-sidedly? You’re indeed a high priestess of the supreme god of Amusement; your heart is wide indeed.”

She stood up from her seat and spoke to Yesol very firmly.

“But what can I do? I, unlike you, have a narrow heart and cannot just laugh this off.”
“I understand. How can everyone be the same? So, if that’s what you wish, I will bow my head and apologize on behalf of my side.”
“High Priestess!!”

Lee Sun-young’s eyes widened slightly at Yesol’s unexpected reply, and Edyn, who had been gritting her teeth in anger, stood up and shouted.

“I―”
“Edyn.”

At the whispered sound of her name, Edyn bit her lip and sat back down.

When the situation calmed down, Lee Sun-young asked,

“Are you really going to bow your head and apologize if that’s what we ask for?”
“If that’s what it takes to resolve this matter.”

A high priestess, who would never bow her head to anyone except the god she served and her superior, was offering to bow her head in apology. For a priestess, this was the highest form of respect and, at the same time, the most humiliating act.

However, contrary to what everyone was thinking, Yesol did not have any particular thoughts about bowing her head to someone.

Well, she would feel a little bad if she had to bow her head to the person in front of her. But that was all. Even if she bowed her head to this priestess of the Luck God in front of the children of the top 10 guilds and the children of the temple she had to take care of, nothing would change. Amusement would still be above Luck, and people would always think of the god she revered and served as the greatest.

‘Of course, it would be best if we could prove that this was self-defense.’

However, they did not have enough time to prove their innocence.

There were a few psychometry-capable Awakened individuals in Korea who could read everything that had happened at that location.

If they had used telepathy-based abilities, they could have even read the conversation. But this time, the situation was not in their favor.

The problem was not just a dispute between temple forces but the involvement of the children of the top 10 guilds.

Without the presence of a notary or a supervisor, they had engaged in an unauthorized duel at a location other than the dueling grounds, using bladed weapons and high-lethality abilities and magic that were not the standard-issue equipment provided by the Academy.

Just dueling outside the designated area was enough to warrant a near-expulsion level of penalty points. But on top of that, the use of unapproved weapons and the manifestation of abilities and magic—if all of this became officially known, they would be expelled without any chance of appeal.

The expulsion of the children of the top 10 guilds.

What a juicy piece of gossip that would be.

As public recognition played a significant role, the expulsion of these children and the process leading up to it would likely result in some of them losing their positions within the top 10 guilds.

It was such a sensitive issue that if psychometry was used to recreate what had happened at that location, their crimes would naturally be exposed as well.

So, they would definitely try to prevent this information from getting out, and if this side tried to hire someone, they would undoubtedly interfere.

No matter how high the Amusement God’s position was, there was no reason for someone who grew up here to go against the top 10 guilds and help them.

Even if they called an Awakened individual from the temple, by the time they arrived, the magic might have dissipated, making it difficult to recreate the finer details.

Moreover, with the year-end evaluations fast approaching, the Academy would likely want to restore the training room quickly, so it was practically impossible to preserve the crime scene.

Lee Sun-young, who had been briefly lost in thought while looking at Yesol, nodded her head.

“Alright. If you sincerely apologize here, I’ll let go of what your child has done.”
“……”

For the first time, the smile on Yesol’s face faded, and her eyes narrowed into slits.

That change was so eerie that even Lee Sun-young, who knew her well, flinched slightly.

“Wh…what?”
“As far as I’ve heard, all my child did was lightly punch someone. I don’t think my apology should be taken so lightly.”
“……”

Lee Sun-young frowned and pointed at Baek Hana, who had been bowing her head.

“Are you asking me to let go of what this student has done as well?”
“Yes.”
“Then I refuse.”

The smile vanished from Yesol’s face.

“Is that student yours?”
“No, of course not.”
“Then, why do you care?”
“……”

Yesol couldn’t answer.

As Lee Sun-young had said, there was no connection between her and Baek Hana.

The only people who could intervene in this matter were the victims, Baek Hana, and Baek Hana’s guardian.

“Never mind. It’s already a closed deal anyway. We will be requesting a disciplinary committee, and we will be demanding your child’s expulsion there. Well, as a neighborly gesture, we’ll let your child’s matter slide this time.”

After saying this, Lee Sun-young got up from her seat with the same bitter smile she had shown before. And just then.

Click.

The locked door opened.

**

-Lee Sun-young, the priestess, had knocked her out and was now talking about expulsion.

It was truly bizarre.

She wasn’t angry, nor was she scolding her. Not even a hint of hostility could be felt from her.

It was as if she was trying to expel her simply because it was necessary.

As if she were acting that way.

‘What should I say…’

It was clearly her fault, so she thought she would just accept the punishment and not cause any trouble for the other person.

After all, she had come to the Academy not because she had any particular goal but simply because she wanted to hang out and have fun with her friends, Maria and Edyn.

‘Maybe it’s for the best…’

She could spend more time with the little fairy at home and most of her time with that person. However.

‘…I’ll disappoint him, won’t I?’

She was afraid of how that person would take today’s events. Would that person be disappointed in her? That thought alone was terrifying.

Hana

‘……?’

It was strange. She could hear the voice of someone who shouldn’t be here.

“I once told you this in a similar situation.”

At first, she thought it was an auditory hallucination. But the icy clear voice became increasingly distinct.

“Professor is an even more remarkable person than you think.”

A warm presence settled on her shoulders.

“Lift your head.”

A presence next to her whispered softly, and her head, which had felt too heavy to lift, began to move.

“That’s right. If you haven’t done anything wrong, you don’t have to bow your head.”
“Un…”

She quickly closed her mouth. She couldn’t turn around and look at that person here. If she did, she felt like she would really turn back into the person she used to be.

“It’s alright.”

A presence that had been on her shoulders disappeared.

“Yesol.”
“Yes.”
“Take the children and leave.”
“I shall, as you command.”

As soon as she said this, Seo-hee and Edyn, who had been sitting next to her, grabbed her arms and stood up.

“Let’s go.”
“……Let’s go.”

Her friends pulled her up and walked towards the door. Maria was standing next to the open door.

“Let’s hurry.”
“……Yes.”

She had finally been able to turn her head just before she walked out of the heavy and stifling space. Through the narrowing door gap, she could see a brown coat.

It was a coat she had seen somewhere before, probably in a lecture room.