I Became an Unknown Professor at the Academy

The lifelike movements of the replications froze.

At the same time, a heavy silence fell.

Not even a faint breath could be heard. A suffocating silence engulfed the training room.

Bed, slimy, rolling around.

Words so vulgar that anyone who heard them would feel insulted, and a mocking tone.

Na Min-seo, who had uttered those words, turned pale and tried to speak.

‘I didn’t say that!!’

She wanted to shout those words, but her voice wouldn’t come out.

Anxiety, fear, dread, and bewilderment… Negative emotions boiled within her, constricting her throat.

‘No, no, no…!!’

Her slightly parted lips and widened eyes revealed her shock. Na Joo-hee, who had welcomed her as a guest, stared at her with undisguised astonishment.

“Haa, haa, haaa…”

Her legs trembled as if she were about to collapse, her heart pounded in her chest, and the pressure and fear of the current situation constricted her throat.

As Na Min-seo’s breathing became slightly ragged, Lee Sun-young, who had been standing beside her, grasped her pale hand tightly.

Ssssss.

The divine power flowing through their connected hands slowly calmed Na Min-seo, who had been on the verge of a breakdown.

As her mind settled, Na Min-seo’s narrowed vision gradually returned, and she realized that countless people were staring at her.

Among those gazes, she recognized the gaze of her superior.

Na Min-seo shook her head, biting her lips tightly, denying the words and pleading for belief.

Indeed, she had mentioned the executioner to provoke her opponent, but as a fellow cleric, she had maintained propriety by appending the honorific ‘nim’ and had never used the derogatory term ‘that woman’. Moreover, the last two sentences had never been uttered by her, not a single word.

[Grand, Priestess… I, truly, truly didn’t!]

Na Min-seo, unable to utter the words, eventually used her ability to convey her true feelings to Lee Sun-young.

“… .”

Lee Sun-young nodded and turned away. She, too, sensed that something was amiss.

She was already aware that Na Min-seo had mentioned Claire to provoke Yoo-hee’s child, as Na Min-seo had confessed this to her.

However, the replicated scenario far exceeded the severity of the original incident, and in Lee Sun-young’s judgment, based on her observations of Na Min-seo’s growth, the replicated words were not the sort that Na Min-seo would utter.

“This is a little different from what I heard yesterday.”

Claire’s cold voice added a chilling edge to the suffocating atmosphere.

“… .”

Na Min-seo, receiving her gaze, closed her eyes tightly and lowered her head.

The inhumanly cold gaze caused Na Min-seo’s barely stabilized mind to once again churn with negative emotions.

“Wait, just a moment…”

Lee Na-young, with difficulty, spoke up.

Claire’s azure eyes, which had been fixed on Na Min-seo, shifted to her.

The oppressive feeling from merely being within her gaze was peculiar. It felt as if they had stepped into the maw of a massive beast, a chilling sensation gnawing at their very beings.

“Speak.”

Although her tone remained indifferent, those present could discern the mounting fury within her frigid voice.

“… .”

Despite being granted the opportunity to speak, Lee Sun-young struggled to find her voice.

If she raised an objection to the replicated scenario, it would indirectly imply that she suspected Robert, the orchestrator of this situation, and the former chief investigator of the Crime Investigation Unit, the foremost authority in this field.

‘This isn’t right… But…’

“Robert.”

“Hm?”

The middle-aged man, seemingly detached from the tense atmosphere, turned his head.

“Why?”

“Are you certain that the replication was accurately executed?”

Regardless, Na Min-seo’s guilt would be established, and as the one who had taken responsibility for her, Lee Sun-young would also face punishment. Thus, she had no choice but to persist.

“Hmm.”

Robert, the middle-aged man, removed a pipe from his breast pocket and placed it between his lips.

Taking a puff from the antiquated-looking reddish-brown wooden pipe, he spoke.

“It’s been a while since I’ve heard that question. My apologies.”

As Claire’s gaze fell upon him, Robert returned the pipe to his pocket.

“In response to the question posed by the cleric, I don’t know either.”

“……?”

Not only Lee Sun-young but also the students, who had been tensely awaiting the outcome, blinked and turned their gazes toward Robert. With their attention upon him, Robert nonchalantly shrugged and continued.

“How would I know if the replication was accurate when I wasn’t present at the time? I merely assemble the scattered mana and extract the information contained within it.”

“Then, there’s a possibility that someone tampered with it.”

“Hahaha.”

Robert laughed heartily as if he had heard a delightful joke and shook his head.

“Well, yes. If there’s an awakened one with such exquisite skills that they could infiltrate the barrier, which is coveted by other academies and the leaders of various nations, without my detection.”

“If someone from the inside helped…”

“Ah, enough.”

Robert, who had been listening to Lee Sun-young, stretched out his hand, interrupting her.

“If we continue to chase our tails like this, there’s no need for a conversation. Why don’t we use the method you all love so much? I don’t understand why you’re dragging this out.”

Robert gestured with his hand, indicating himself and the bowed head of Na Min-seo.

“Why don’t we just call the clerics of other temples here and have them swear in the name of the gods they believe in? This matter can be easily resolved.”

“That…”

“I’m aware. You all don’t swear in the name of other gods, but as I understand it, that’s an unspoken rule among yourselves, isn’t it?”

Claire’s head, which had sunk lower than before, moved ever so slightly.

“That’s right.”

“…… .”

Lee Sun-young clenched her teeth. Her hands, which had been tightly clenched, had long since turned deathly pale.

If they followed Robert’s suggestion and had the clerics of other temples swear in the name of their gods, they could prove that the atrocious insult was false. However, the questions wouldn’t end there, and eventually, it would be revealed that the insult itself was true.

Although it was the same insult, the reduced severity would lead to a lesser punishment. In essence, there was no other choice.

Nevertheless, Lee Sun-young struggled to speak up due to the question Claire had posed to Na Min-seo yesterday.

-Can you swear?
-…… Yes.

Na Min-seo had sworn to God that she was innocent. From that point on, she had to be absolutely cleared of any wrongdoing in this incident.

If her guilt was established through the clerics of other temples, not only would the prestige of the Goddess of Luck plummet, but there was also a high likelihood of pressure from other temples.

If this incident were to become known externally, it would lead to countless discussions regarding gods and oaths.

‘We must end this now…’

Whether by coincidence or not, the individuals involved in the incident had all remained tight-lipped, and the academy and other temples still regarded this as a simple disturbance caused by the children of the 10th guild.

In other words, this was the opportune moment to minimize the damage. Although punishment from the higher-ups couldn’t be avoided, by tying up the loose ends now, it could be concluded with a demotion to a rural area at worst.

If this matter were to escalate further, it might not end with excommunication but with the forfeiture of their lives.

‘If only they weren’t involved…’

Ian and Robert, both known to be in seclusion, had suddenly appeared, and if it weren’t for them, everything would have gone according to plan.

However, it was already too late.

Lee Sun-young decided to wrap up the incident by placing all the blame on Na Min-seo.

Whoooosh―!!

“……?!”

Na Min-seo, who had been hanging her head, widened her eyes. This was because the divine power of Lee Sun-young, which had barely prevented her from having a breakdown, suddenly constricted her body.

In an instant, Na Min-seo was stripped of all ability to act, except for breathing.

Lee Sun-young released Na Min-seo’s hand and spoke.

“Actually—”

Clack, clack, clack―!!

The familiar heavy metallic sound drew everyone’s gaze to the staircase connecting the first and second floors.

Three paladins in silver armor and a boy ascended the stairs.

While the boy stopped next to the staircase, the paladins with a coin embedded in their chests came to a halt directly in front of Claire.

“Why are you here…?”

Lee Sun-young, surprised, asked the captain of the Third Paladin Order, who was also responsible for the temple along with her.

However, the captain, who had brought two paladins with him, didn’t even spare her a glance as he handed a neatly rolled-up piece of white parchment to Claire and said,

“This is the stance of the higher-ups.”

“…… .”

Claire unfolded the parchment, and her azure eyes swiftly scanned the contents.

“You were away.”

“Those individuals are free-spirited.”

Claire nodded as the captain responded.

“Except for Na Min-seo, the rest of the students may leave.”

Claire’s cold voice reverberated throughout the training room.

“Let’s, go.”

“Yeah, let’s get out of here…”

As Claire’s gaze fell upon them, Maria and Edyn respectively grabbed Baek Hana and Nam Seo-hee and rushed down the stairs as if fleeing. The rest of the students, startled by their actions, also forgot to greet and dashed toward the stairs.

“Read it.”

As the students left, Claire threw the parchment she was holding at Lee Sun-young.

“…… .”

Lee Sun-young easily caught the parchment and began to read, her eyes moving across the document.

‘We acknowledge our wrongdoing in this incident and pledge to send letters of apology to those affected…?’

As Lee Sun-young read the contents of the parchment, her expression changed gradually.

『We acknowledge our wrongdoing in this incident and pledge to send letters of apology to those affected. However, we would like to clarify that this incident was solely the result of the unilateral actions of High Priestess Lee Sun-young and the apprentice priest under her supervision. Additionally, when the apprentice priest swore an oath, our god was briefly absent and did not provide any response. Finally, we request that the High Priestess Lee Sun-young and the apprentice priest, who have committed this sin, be handed over to the Executioner of the God of Amusement, Claire Bean Assen.』

“W, w, what is this…?”

Lee Sun-young’s hand, holding the parchment, began to shake as if she were freezing.

A dark shadow fell over Lee Sun-young.

“Lee Sun-young.”

“Ah…”

At the mere mention of her name, Lee Sun-young’s legs gave way, and she collapsed to the floor.

A sticky aura gradually enveloped her body.

“You, who should have been a model for others, tried to save yourself by sacrificing the child you should have nurtured. On top of that, you intended to make her bear your sin as well.”

A dispassionate voice, devoid of any hint of mercy, pronounced the sentence.

“You have forgotten your duty and incited discord for your own desires.”

Ssssssssssss―― A sword of light appeared in Claire’s hand.

“Confess your sins directly to the god you serve and seek forgiveness.”

The radiant sword fell upon Lee Sun-young.

**

“Then.”

The captain turned away, and the two paladins who had accompanied him left with the unconscious Na Min-seo.

As she fainted after Lee Sun-young’s neck fell, she would be informed of her excommunication as soon as she regained consciousness, as per Claire’s request. Her status as a student, a privilege granted by her apprentice status, would also be revoked.

“Hehe, now that you’re in a relationship, you finally seem to have developed emotions.”

“Shut up.”

Claire exuded killing intent, causing Sean, who had come with the paladins, to scratch his head and raise his hands in surrender.

“If your feelings are hurt, I apologize. But now that the matter is settled—”

Whoooosh―!!

Sean closed his mouth as Kim Sung-won, standing next to Jayden, looked at his phone.

“It’s an important call…”

As everyone present had exceptional hearing, it was easy to eavesdrop on Kim Sung-won’s conversation.

-Prepare for a disciplinary committee tomorrow.

“Uh, disciplinary committee…?”

-For all those involved in yesterday’s incident.

“…… Yes, sir. Are you planning to participate directly in the disciplinary committee?”

-Yes. And Jayden.

“Yes!!”

Jayden enthusiastically responded when he heard his name, forgetting that he was eavesdropping.

Sean rolled his eyes and clicked his tongue at his disciple’s foolishness.

-You will select the members of the disciplinary committee.

“Yes, sir.”

-Claire.

“…… Yes.”

Everyone except Kim Sung-won widened their eyes at the slightly softened tone.

-Return now.

“I will return now.”

It wasn’t an empty phrase; Claire immediately turned around and left the training room, leaving behind those who had been eagerly awaiting her attention.

After Claire’s departure, the speaker, which had been silent, emitted a deep, resonant voice once again.

-Just do as you’re told.

With those words, the connection was cut.

“Robert.”

“Yes.”

A thick wooden staff appeared above Sean’s head.

“I told you to handle it properly.”

“I think I handled it well enough.”

Jayden and Ian detached themselves from Robert.

Sean narrowed his eyes and glared at Robert.

“That’s what you think, you brat.”

The thick wooden staff slashed through the air.