I Became an Unknown Professor at the Academy

In the dimly lit study, Claire finally calmed herself and returned to Baek Woo-jin with a cup of coffee.

“Thanks” he said, his voice devoid of any particular emotion, echoing softly in the study.

Clink.

The cup on the desk was lifted, and an empty cup was placed on the saucer.

“……”

“……”

A brief silence ensued.

“Claire.”

The mere mention of her name made her heart skip a beat. And as she turned to face him, she felt his gaze, which she had only recently become aware of, resting on her left cheek.

Swish.

“……?!”

She let out an odd sound as she felt a foreign warmth brush past her left cheek.

Baek Woo-jin slowly moved his hand, first caressing her left cheek, and then gently shaping her slightly parted lips.

“This may be too mild a punishment, but judging by your reaction, it seems appropriate,” he said, his voice devoid of any particular emotion.

-Beep?

As Claire was being manipulated by Baek Woo-jin, a fairy flew into the study and hovered over the steam rising from Claire’s head, its eyes sparkling with curiosity.

-Beep?!

The fairy, startled by the white steam, flapped its wings and flew off to the bedroom.

“Claire.”

“……Yes, sir……”

Claire managed to answer, forcing a smile that threatened to break her expression.

“Do you have anything else to say to me?”

As he spoke, his gaze, which had been averted, now fell upon her, and she felt her left cheek burning.

“Ah, that… To find a cooperating awakened one, I’ll need to use your name and reputation……”

It was unnecessary in Europe, but the incident had already occurred, and time was limited. To find a suitable awakened one matching their level within the given time frame, she would have to use his name and reputation.

“Then.”

Baek Woo-jin’s hand, which had been resting on the desk, moved again.

Claire’s blue eyes naturally followed his hand movement.

“Ah……”

She let out another unintended sound as she felt his large hand gently holding hers.

“I’ll take care of this for you, so don’t go anywhere and stay here,” he said, releasing her hand.

“Ah, I, I will, sir……”

Claire’s face burned even hotter as she struggled to maintain the smile he had just given her.

“You’ll need some time, then. I’ll fix it every time it breaks, so don’t worry,” he said, turning towards the bedroom. And with those words, he stepped into the bedroom.

“Claire.”

“……Yes, sir……”

Claire, her mouth slightly agape, widened her eyes, startled by the sudden situation.

“That, um… To, to take care of, of, of this, I, I need, need to to talk to, to, you, you, sir……”

She struggled to form words, her lips trembling.

“Don’t worry about keeping up the smile. I’ll adjust it every time it breaks, so you don’t have to worry,” he said, his gaze not meeting hers. And with that, he turned towards the bedroom.

“You are a special human. No, person to me,” he said, not looking at her.

“……?”

Claire’s head tilted up, confused.

“A little more time, then. I’ll tell you when I’m ready,” he said, stepping into the bedroom. And with those words, he disappeared into the bedroom.

Alone, Claire stared at the door of the bedroom where Baek Woo-jin had just disappeared, blinking several times.

-Someone special to me…

-Someone special to me…

The ticking of the clock on the desk seemed louder than usual, but it was drowned out by the sound of Claire’s pounding heart.

After a while, Claire picked up the empty cup and saucer from the table and stood up. She quietly left the study and made her way to the kitchen. She cleared the remaining crumbs from the table and returned the dishes to their original places. As she turned to wash the cup, she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the moonlit cabinet.

“…”

She saw herself in the glass, wearing a smile she had never seen before.

[Temple of the Goddess of Luck]

In the late evening, after all the student and staff devotees had left, the atmosphere in the closed temple was heavier than ever.

Click, click, click, click—!!

Lee Sun-young, with a pale face, spoke to the apprentice priest, Na Min-seo, who was biting her nails nervously.

“Na Min-seo.”

“Yes, yes…”

Despite her response, Min-seo continued to bite her nails. Sun-young bit her lip as she looked at the girl.

Normally, she would have scolded her for such rude behavior, but given the circumstances, Sun-young could only understand Min-seo’s anxiety.

‘Damn her…’

Everything had been going smoothly.

She had finally gotten back at Lee Yesol, who always irritated her with her smug smile, and was about to make the children of the Crimson Flame owe her a huge favor.

Just one more step, that’s all it would have taken to finish everything, but then someone appeared and turned everything upside down.

The agent of the Goddess of Amusement, the executor of the God’s will.

‘Claire Bean Assen.’

For the past eight years, she had suddenly stopped all external activities, even refraining from attending events hosted by the Goddess of Amusement, leading to wild rumors about her.

She had her divine power taken away for breaking a taboo.

She retired due to a severe injury.

She had fallen out of favor with the Goddess of Amusement.

Countless other rumors crossed the line, but the Goddess did not take any action, seemingly indifferent to it all. It was as if she had truly abandoned Claire.

And not long after the new students had enrolled, new rumors about Claire began to spread.

She was dating some unknown professor.

Recently, there were even rumors that they were living together.

The Academy branches of the various temples had reported this to the main temple, and it seemed that Claire’s retirement was becoming more and more likely.

However, the Claire Bean Assen they had seen today was still a formidable figure, an executor of the God’s will.

She was still an absolute powerhouse.

“Wh-What should I do, High Priestess?”

“Calm down.”

“B-But…”

Sun-young held Min-seo’s hand and channeled her divine power into her. Soon, Min-seo’s pale face regained some color.

“Calm down.”

“Yes…”

Sun-young let go of Min-seo’s hand and said, “If this were Europe… yes, if this were Europe, we would have no chance. But this is Korea. Fortunately, there is no teleportation portal connecting us to Europe.”

Yes, it was fortunate that there was no portal connecting Korea to Europe. Aside from the cost, the Korean guilds opposed the idea as they did not want their territories invaded, going against the government’s wishes.

“The executor’s reputation is impressive, but with her long absence and the gap it created, no one would want to owe her a favor at the cost of going against all of us.”

“Y-You think so, High Priestess?”

“Yes. Even if there is someone foolish enough to try, Min-seo, you will be safe. As for the children of the top ten guilds… well, they may face unfortunate consequences.”

Psychometry required many conditions to perfectly recreate the past.

While it was not difficult to recreate a situation, to include the manifestation of abilities and magic used by others, one would need the residual magic left behind by those individuals.

However, the destroyed training room was covered in Na Joo-hee’s magic, along with the magic of other students who had tried to protect themselves from the explosion.

Sun-young, still looking at Min-seo with concern, thought to herself, ‘There may be residual magic, but finding Min-seo’s magic among all of that would be nearly impossible.’

Even if it were possible, it was highly likely that it would be scattered during the process of separating and rearranging the magic.

‘Yes, there’s no need to be afraid.

We’re not directly putting our lives on the line. All we need to do is hold our ground.’

It was a bit disappointing that they might not be able to form connections with the children of the top ten guilds, but there would always be new rising stars to form new bonds with.

“Min-seo.”

“Yes, yes.”

“I will contact the main temple again to try and get some help from abroad, so you contact the guild children and keep reminding them to keep a tight hold on the Awakened ones in Korea.”

“I understand, High Priestess!”

Min-seo rushed out of Sun-young’s room without even remembering to bow.

“I know that you are still as formidable as ever, but…”

Sun-young closed the door to her room and touched the scar on her cheek, thinking to herself, “I will show you what eight years of absence can do.”