I Became an Unknown Professor at the Academy

As soon as Nam Goong-min entered the auditorium, he paused for a moment, looking at the tightly closed door, then approached the young professor, who was standing there with a dazed expression.

“Hmm.”

“Hey, snap out of it.”

“Ah, yes, yes…?”

It wasn’t often that one could see famous people, whether on the internet or on TV, sprawled on the floor or face-planted, so this was quite a sight.

“Sorry, but could you help me take off their outerwear and cover their faces with it?”

“Me…?”

“There’s only you and me who are conscious here. It’s fine; they’re all unconscious anyway. Hahaha.”

Nam Goong-min patted the young professor’s shoulder and approached Kang Min-ho, who had passed out first.

“What a pretty break.”

Of course, art is only beautiful when admired from a distance; creating it or being the subject of it is a painful and difficult process, so he was content to just observe from a distance.

Nam Goong-min asked the professor who was working on gathering and covering the unconscious people, “Who is that man?”

“……Yes?”

“That is Professor Baek.”

“Well, I don’t know much about him… This is the first time I’ve met him in person since the faculty meeting.”

“I see.”

After all, even if he didn’t know much, the man was his superior, so it made sense that the young professor was relieved to have someone to take responsibility.

“……But it doesn’t seem like a false rumor that he’s from the same generation as the Chairman Ahn Hyun-do.”

“The Chairman?”

“Yes. The Chairman himself told the faculty that Professor Baek has the same authority as him.”

“Oh, I see.”

Nam Goong-min pretended to be interested, asking questions at a level that wouldn’t burden the young professor too much.

“At first, there were indeed various rumors. Until recently, the most common one was that he was a parachute appointment, using his connection with the Executioner. But after seeing this today…”

Nam Goong-min simply nodded without answering.

He had just witnessed the simple incapacitation of the five guild masters, so he wouldn’t be hearing those rumors anymore.

However, what surprised Nam Goong-min was a little different from what the young professor had observed.

‘With that smooth, youthful skin, is he really from the same generation as Chairman Ahn Hyun-do?’

He himself was young, but the skin he had seen up close on Baek Woo-jin seemed incredibly vibrant and youthful compared to his own.

‘I’m jealous.’

Nam Goong-min envied Baek Woo-jin’s innate magic power, which allowed him to maintain his youth longer than himself.

“Good. It’s all done.”

“……”

The young professor swallowed and stepped back.

It was strange enough to cover the faces of the unconscious people with their outerwear, but the scene became even more bizarre as Nam Goong-min used magical ropes to bind their necks, reminiscent of prisoners about to be hanged.

“Just in case, I advise you not to talk about what you saw today anywhere else. I don’t care, but those guys have nasty personalities.”

“……Yes.”

Nam Goong-min nodded and headed towards the Light Street, dragging the five people tied together with the magical rope.

The best place to keep a low profile and keep secrets in this situation was somewhere related to this incident, and it was a place that could be considered an influential force.

-What, what is it?

-Nam Goong-min?

He passed by patrolling guards and some faculty members, but Nam Goong-min didn’t pay much attention to them.

-It seems his youngest daughter has enrolled…

-They must be the ones who tried to hit on her.

-The Chairman will have another battle on his hands.

Since they already had two prior records, people didn’t pay much attention to them, so Nam Goong-min was able to drag the bizarrely bound people without causing a big commotion and reached his destination.

“Excuse me.”

“……?”

Lee Yesol, who had been sitting in her usual spot, blinked as she saw Nam Goong-min enter unexpectedly.

“May I close the door for a moment?”

“Yes, yes, please do.”

Nam Goong-min roughly laid down the five people, whose clothes had become more tattered from being dragged around, and locked the door to the temple.

“As for these people—”

“Iron Knight, Hong Yeom, Black Wolf, Milky Way, and Star Cluster.”

“Oh, yes. Haha, I forgot where I was for a moment.”

It was strange to be explaining who they were to someone who was probably more informed than anyone else. It seemed like he was a bit out of it.

“There’s only me in the temple, so please remove the coverings from their faces first.”

“Of course.”

Nam Goong-min lightly waved his hand, and the outerwear covering the five people’s faces split in half.

“May I ask what happened?”

“Ah, well, you see…”

Nam Goong-min briefly explained what had happened in front of the auditorium, as he had already assumed that the people here knew about the relationship between the Executioner and Baek Woo-jin.

“So I came here.”

“I understand. Please wait while I make some preparations.”

“Haha, yes.”

Nam Goong-min sat down in an empty spot, thinking that there was no need for special preparations for healing with divine power.

In the meantime, Lee Yesol went upstairs and returned in less than a minute. Naturally, Nam Goong-min couldn’t detect any changes in her.

**

“It’s always fascinating to witness.”

The broken arm returned to its original position, and the twisted legs straightened as if time had been reversed. No matter how many times he had seen or experienced it, he never failed to be amazed by the healing power of divine energy.

“It’s done.”

“Thank you for your hard work. It’s truly remarkable.”

Although their clothes had become more disheveled from being dragged on the floor, the broken arm, the twisted legs, the fractured nose, and the swollen forehead had all been healed, returning to their pre-Baek Woo-jin state.

“For the arms and legs, they may feel some awkwardness for a day or two, but there shouldn’t be any other aftereffects.”

“Even if there were, it wouldn’t matter to these guys, would it? Haha. Ah, you can tell me the cost, and I’ll make sure to collect it from them.”

“It’s fine.”

Lee Ye-sol wiped the sweat from her forehead and stood up.

“I’ll rest upstairs, so please call me when you’re done.”

“……?”

Nam Goong-min scratched his head, confused by the behavior of Lee Yesol, the priestess of Bwiar, who was known for her strict accounting and now refused payment. Moreover…

‘Isn’t it all done?’

It seemed like all that was left was to wake them up with a slight shock, but she asked him to call her when he was done. He found it strange but didn’t want to bother the tired woman, so he didn’t call out to her.

“Ugh.”

Nam Goong-min got up from his seat, intending to wake up the five people, starting with Kang Min-ho, who had passed out first.

However…

Crack—!!

A cracking sound came from behind him.

He turned to see the lock on the door, which he had locked, shattered on the floor.

Sssss.

For some unknown reason, the temple door opened slowly, accompanied by a chilling sound, unlike when he had opened it himself.

“Uhh…”

Nam Goong-min’s mouth formed an incomplete word.

The door was half-open, and through the gap, a bright light shone in, along with a woman with dazzling golden hair.

The woman glared coldly at Namgoong Min and the five people sprawled behind him, then slowly entered the temple and closed the door.

Boom—!!

Although she seemed to have closed it lightly, Namgoong Min licked his lips nervously as the ground shook noisily.

“Wake them up.”

At Claire’s icy voice, Namgoong Min scratched his head and quietly nodded.

‘Did that friend say she liked chocolate…?’

While contemplating how his youngest daughter could become closer to her best friend, Namgoong Min slapped the cheeks of the five unconscious people in order.

**

After dinner,

“Now~ Where could it be?”

-Beep… Beep!

Baek Hana, sitting on the floor of the study, wagged her tail as the pixie dashed toward her.

“Wrong~ Here it is!!”

-Beep?!

The pixie, which had been eagerly searching for chocolate in Baek Hana’s tail, discovered it in her left hand and opened its mouth wide.

“Chomp.”

And beside her, Claire recorded the scene on her smartphone.

I glanced at the clock on the desk and called out to Baek Hana.

“Baek Hana.”

“Yeah?”

Still feeding the chocolate to the pixie, she looked up at me.

“It’s time to head back.”

“Oh no…”

I turned the clock to show her.

“It’s already 9 o’clock…?”

-Beep?

The pixie, with its cheeks puffed out, tilted its head in confusion while following Baek Hana’s gaze toward the clock. Meanwhile, Claire’s hands moved busily.

“I don’t want to go…”

-Beep beep.

As Baek Hana flopped onto the floor, the pixie lay down beside her, mimicking her. It seemed that creatures of a similar level had a certain connection, even though the pixie didn’t copy Claire’s actions.

“Vacation is coming soon, so if you want to be allowed back home, you’d better write that reflection letter properly.”

“Ugh…!!”

Baek Hana suddenly sprang up.

Hug—!!

She immediately wrapped her arms around Claire’s waist and buried her face in Claire’s lap.

“H-Hana?”

“Unnie…”

Baek Hana spoke in her distinctive, endearing voice when she wanted to be coddled.

“Half a letter is too much… Don’t you think so, too? Hmm?”

“Oh, um, uh…”

“Huh?”

Perk—!!

Her ears might have developed into those of a wolf, but her actions were more like a fox.

-Beep beep!

The pixie, who had flown between Baek Hana’s perked-up animal ears, looked up at Claire in the same way.

“Uh…”

Claire’s hand trembled slightly as she held the smartphone. And then,

“P-Professor…?”

For the first time, she looked at me with desperate eyes, seeking help. Since I’d already planned to reduce it, I responded to Claire’s plea.

“Five pages.”

“Really?!”

I nodded and continued speaking.

“But in return, don’t even think about coming back until after the vacation.”

“Ugh…”

“If you don’t like it, it’ll be half—”

“No?! No, I don’t mind!!”

Baek Hana quickly stood up and moved past Claire to sit beside me.

“Nnngh…!!”

Just like she had done with Claire, she hugged my waist and rubbed her face against my thigh, as if marking her territory.

-Beep beep?!

“Ah…”

The little rascal perched on her head couldn’t withstand the impact and tumbled onto my opposite thigh.

“You okay?”

-Beep…?

It should have just climbed down if it was tired.

The pixie’s small eyes swirled as it wobbled before passing out.

“Don’t worry about it and go on back.”

“Tch… I was going to leave anyway.”

Baek Hana pouted slightly as she got up from her seat.

“Baek Hana.”

“Yeah?”

Not planning to see her off, I spoke to her from where I was seated.

“I don’t mind you doing things in moderation, but someone might feel like you’re disregarding them.”

“Huh?”

“If the other person is sincere, you should show some sincerity as well.”

“…Got it.”

“Good. Don’t take any detours and head straight back.”

“I have nowhere else to go.”

Baek Hana stuck out her tongue slightly before quickly leaving the study.

“I’ll see her out.”

“Take this one with you too.”

Claire received the pixie from me and quietly followed Baek Hana out.

Now alone, I looked at the soft blue light spilling across the desk before leaning back in my chair.

-Beep…

When I opened my eyes to the small chirping sound, the two of them had returned to the study. It seemed the pixie had played so much with Baek Hana, who had a similar level of stamina, that it fluttered into the bedroom earlier than usual.

“Would you like some coffee?”

“No.”

I lightly patted the seat beside me, signaling her to sit.

“Claire.”

“Yes?”

As soon as Baek Hana left, Claire, who had started to break down a little, was asked a question.

“Which do you prefer, being the one protected or the one protecting?”

“…The one protecting.”

Her previously unstable gaze fixed firmly on me. I nodded at the strong conviction reflected in her clear eyes.

“But why…?”

“I told you in the auditorium, didn’t I? That I’d give you a chance to see Baek Hana’s abilities.”

“…?”

Claire tilted her head slightly.

I looked at her hair, softly glowing in the moonlight, before turning away.

“Get some rest. We’ll be heading out earlier tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow as well?”

“Is that a problem?”

“No, not at all.”

Just as I was about to turn away again, Claire hurriedly stood up.

“Then, please rest well…”

I watched her retreat into the bedroom as if fleeing, then opened the desk drawer.

“I should replace this soon.”

Bathed in the gentle moonlight, I picked up a pen to record the events of the day.