I Became an Unknown Professor at the Academy

…Thud.

…Thud.

The faint flicker of a candle flame, as if it could go out at any moment.

Viche stared at the raindrops falling steadily and then at the small dot of the candle reflected in the window.

【I hate this.】

Although she thought and moved just as she did when she was alive, whenever she realized she didn’t reflect in the glass, the fact that she was dead dawned on her once again, bringing back dark memories that made her intensely uncomfortable.

Once, she was a woman loved by all.
But at some point, she had become a witch.

…Thud.

…Thud.

Her family had become minions ensnared by the witch, and the wretched worms of the land, who had forgotten the grace she had shown by helping the hungry and wounded, had turned into religious fanatics who followed the newcomers like a plague, stabbing her with blades after decades of loyalty.

【I still remember it vividly.】

The pain when she plunged the dagger she received as a gift into her own heart.

The disgusting gaze that couldn’t even hide its ugliness as they watched her die.

But that’s as far as her memory goes.

Afterward, she occasionally regained consciousness, but even those moments were consumed by regret, murderous intent, and rage, making it impossible to perceive the world properly.

All she could recall was wandering aimlessly, waiting for the living to find her, in a place she couldn’t identify.

‘And then, I came to my master.’

Surely, she was nothing but a soul that had lost its body.
Yet, somehow, her heart pounded as if the heart she had stabbed had returned.

With each beat of the nonexistent heart, something tranquil, which she had never felt in her lifetime, filled the void in her soul in place of hot blood.

As that tranquility gradually filled her, the anger, murderous intent, and regret that had once raged within her were diluted, ever so slightly, until they became faint.

In this way, she regained her reason.
And she returned to being Viche Alloren.

‘The power of my master.’

What filled her soul was undoubtedly something bestowed by the exalted master who had helped her regain herself and brought her here.

Thus, to repay the grace of being saved from that seemingly endless hell, she vowed to serve until the day her remaining soul would disappear.

For if she abandoned that grace, she would become nothing more than a wretched worm like those insects.

Whoosh―!!

The small flames of the candelabra, which had never melted away, all extinguished at once.

The corridor, relying on the faint light, was instantly engulfed in darkness.

‘This is…’

The tranquility that had filled her was transforming into a cold chill.

Even she, a being who had lost her body and was nothing but a soul, began to tremble from the cold.

The calm that had brought peace became loneliness.
The emptiness that felt nothing.

‘He is calling…’

She could tell.
That her master was calling her.

She headed to the room where the only being who could fill this sudden emptiness was.

A firmly closed door.
The moment she passed through it.

【Ah, ah….】

From within the frozen depths of her heart, chilled by the piercing cold, a deep fear tinged the transparent ice.

And she realized.
The one she faced now was not her master.

A being sitting in a chair in the guise of her master.

【Uh, ugh….】

Though she had vowed never to bow her head to anyone but her master, her head tilted downward. Her vision also kept lowering.

She was not afraid of death.
But the presence she now faced terrified her.

So much so that she wanted to flee the scene immediately.

Deliver this message.

An imposing voice reverberated toward Viche, who had somehow lowered her head to the floor in her spirit form.

I will keep the promise made with my brother.

Therefore, I acknowledge and respect your existence.

Viche’s consciousness began to fade as the primal fear grew stronger.

So remember this.
The final act has only been postponed…

**

“So that’s how it is.”

As I regained consciousness, I could hear what had happened through Viche.

‘Should I say it’s a relief?’

According to the original promise with the rightful owner of this body, the moment Nihility awoke, the world was supposed to return to nothingness. That was the vow left behind after Nihility respected and simultaneously consumed Greed’s will.

However, today, Nihility awoke from its long slumber briefly and conveyed its intent to me through Viche.

‘A postponement, huh.’

Though no specific deadline was mentioned, since Nihility, like its brother Greed, said it respected me, it seemed safe to assume it would watch quietly as long as I was alive.

Having organized the situation, I looked at the scale in my hand.

It was a scale imbued with a mysterious power that I hadn’t felt before losing consciousness.
It was precisely the same kind of power that the crystal contained.

‘It must be the reason my body is relatively intact.’

Though I wasn’t in perfect condition, considering that the discomfort in my body was limited to a mere lethargy, describing it as “intact” seemed appropriate.

The damage I originally anticipated was akin to having gates form in my eyes, as before.

‘It seems the tilted balance has been roughly corrected.’

With the familiar feeling of lethargy in my body, my current state was very similar to when I first inhabited this body.

“Is there anything wrong with your soul?”

【No, master.】

Leaving her, who lightly bowed her head, behind, I released my magic to find the insolent one lurking somewhere in this place.

Vwoom―!!

The moment the one who had been hiding in a corner was caught in my magic, it crossed the space and appeared before me.

The crystal was very agile, probably because it had created this space itself.

“Open.”

As soon as I gave the order, the crystal created an exit leading outside.

Unfortunately, unlike other gates, communication with the outside world was not possible here.

The crystal was in better condition than I had expected, but it still needed rest. So, it was time to call the ones who would work in its place while it rested.

I walked towards the exit leading outside, and soon, I felt the familiar sensation of floating, and my surroundings changed.

The warehouse, bathed in the golden glow of the sunset.

【This is your original world, Master.】

“…”

I turned to Viche, who was following me, and her ethereal voice.

The semi-transparent spirit looked around curiously, as if she found the place a bit strange.

‘Unique individuals have never left the gates they belong to.’

They are beings that belong to the space created by the gates.

‘Is it because it’s bound to me, not the crystal?’

That was the only reason I could think of.

‘Not bad.’

I held out the black ring on my left hand and said,

“Can you reside in this?”

【If Master permits it.】

“I permit it.”

Her body gradually became transparent, and thin strands of her spirit seeped into the black ring.

The ring, which only I, as its owner, could feel its faint presence, would be a better card than Claire.

“Then.”

I took out my smartphone from my pocket.

**

“Hehe, amazing.”

Yoon Do-sik, the professor of Alchemy.

“I sincerely admire you.”

Jayden Martel, the head of the Magic Department.

The two of them followed me, expressing their admiration along the way.

I led them, curious as a child, touching and observing everything, to the center of the warehouse, where the crystal was located.

“I never thought that the thing you took out back then was a crystal.”
“Were you at the scene when it was brought out?”
“Well, I was in the car, and only that friend went into the gate.”

At Yoon Do-sik’s answer, Jayden’s eyes lit up as he turned to me.

“Da, can you take me with you next time? I’ll do whatever you ask, driving or anything else.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“Yes…!!”

The boy clenched his fists, which he had lowered, and was overjoyed. I called out to him.

“Jayden.”
“Yes, Professor.”

While I was unconscious, I had checked the records stored in the ring.

“You did something unnecessary.”
“Yes. Unne… Yes?”

In addition to approaching Baek Hana, he had also used inappropriate titles.

“Your master.”
“…Ah.”

Jayden’s eyes began to shake as he realized what I was referring to.

“Jayden.”
“Yes, yes!!”

The only element that stimulates my dry emotions.

From the moment I first opened my eyes to the present, and it will remain so in the future. My only weakness.

“A lot of students have seen your master, so it would be strange if he suddenly disappeared. So, tell him.”

This was not a warning but an act of mercy.

“If you don’t want to experience something worse than death, just breathe quietly and stay out of sight. Also, if you don’t do the job I’ve assigned you properly, you will have to pay for the disturbance you caused today.”

If he didn’t want to experience the despair of losing all the knowledge he had gained through his lifetime of exploration one by one.

“I understand.”
“…Yes.”

I nodded and changed the subject.

“You two will walk around here and think about where it would be good to place first-year-level monsters, traps, and collectibles.”
“And record them?”
“The tools you need for the record have already been created using the crystal, so there shouldn’t be any problems.”
“What about you?”
“I’ll implement what you’ve recorded.”
“Hmm, that sounds interesting. But can you really create anything?”
“Don’t forget that this is a first-year evaluation test.”
“…You’re nagging about something I just asked out of curiosity.”

As Yoon Do-sik went to get the notebook from the desk, I turned to Jaden and said,

“Design it as if it were a real battle.”
“……Yes!”

The boy nodded, burning with the will to make up for his master’s mistake, and I continued,

“Then I’ll take a quick look around.”
“What do you mean? First, we need to thoroughly examine all the terrain.”

Jayden and Yoon Do-sik left the room.

When their auras were sufficiently distant, I commanded the crystal,

“Open.”

Woo-woong-!!

Once again, an exit leading outside appeared.

“Close the exit, and if anyone other than those two enters, trap them appropriately.”

The crystal, understanding my intention, glowed with a brilliant blue light and moved slightly up and down.

‘If I release them before 7 p.m., they won’t be late for class.’

I headed towards the mansion, feeling the need to rest my weary body.