I Became an Unknown Professor at the Academy

The soft touch of skin against skin.
A deep-seated consciousness slowly rises to the surface.
I open my eyes, and through my glasses, now an extension of my body, I see the ceiling of my bedroom.
-Peep, peep…
I turn my gaze to the sound of a chick below, and there lies a fairy, sprawled out on my stomach, fast asleep, having abandoned her own nest.
Swoosh.
Unlike the tiny fairy, whose weight I barely feel, I sense the warmth and softness of a human body on my right arm.
I turn my head slightly, and the first thing I see is a cascade of golden hair.
I gently move my left hand to tuck a stray strand behind her ear, and only then do I get a clear view of Claire’s peaceful sleeping face.
She’s sleeping soundly, her head resting on my arm instead of her pillow.
This has become a familiar sight.
The day I returned to the mansion with Na Yeon-ju, I held Claire in my arms and dozed off for a while.
And for the first time, I failed to wake up at the time I had set.
It wasn’t a forced sleep due to damage to my soul.
It was a situation that I, myself, found hard to comprehend.
But soon enough, I understood the reason.
My body had recovered far beyond my expectations, my innate magical power was overflowing, and my muscles were slightly relaxed.
For the first time, I had let go of the tension I had never released before.
Through this, I realized something else.
My subconscious trusted her more than I had thought.
From that day on, I decided not to spend my nights in the study anymore.
With my greed no longer raging, there was no need to deliberately slow down my body’s recovery.
‘You two really do look alike when you’re asleep.’
Despite having different auras, faces, and eye shapes, Claire and Baek Hana have an uncanny resemblance.
-Peep, peep…
That chick-like sound just now, it’s just like someone else I know.
I wanted to savor her face and warmth a little longer, but unfortunately, I had to start my busy day.
I used my magic to move the fairy from my stomach to the basket by my bedside. In the past, it would have rubbed its eyes and woken up, but ever since it realized it was a queen, it had become increasingly lazy.
After getting rid of the nuisance on my stomach, I sat up, gently biting Claire’s earlobe, who was still nestled in my arms.
She snuggled closer but showed no signs of waking up.
On the first night, she had stayed awake with her eyes wide open, but now she sleeps soundly even with these marks on her body.
‘Indeed, you are an animal of adaptation.’
I carefully lifted her head and removed my arm, then used my magic to pull a pillow from a distance and placed it under her head.
As I got out of bed, Claire reached out, searching for me, and then clutched the pillow I had been using to her chest.
I left the room and headed to the study.
I picked up my smartphone from the desk and made my way to the kitchen.
I sat on the cold chair and used my magic to retrieve a teacup, then prepared coffee by tearing open a coffee stick.
While the water boiled, I used my smartphone to call Jayden.
-I’ve received your call.
The call connected before the second ring, as if he had been waiting for it.
Considering it was 5 a.m., his response was remarkably swift.
“How’s the request going?”
I had asked the Clock Tower to provide protection for several faculty members, including Kim Sung-won and Yoon Do sik.
Through Yesol, I could have requested the Temple to dispatch paladins, but they were already stretched thin with the task of protecting priests and clerics.
Moreover, the magicians of the Clock Tower were mostly eccentric old-timers with unknown faces, making them even more suitable for this task.
-Haha, the compensation you offered was so generous that we had a hard time selecting the applicants.
“That’s good. The rest is up to you.”
-We’ve carefully chosen the best candidates, so they won’t disappoint you.
“Even if they do, I won’t be disappointed. But make sure Yoon Do sik is protected at all costs.”
-I’ll take care of that personally. What about Kim Sung-won?
“If he dies, it’s his fate. There’s another good kid under him, so it won’t be a big problem.”
-I understand. I’ll do my best to keep them alive.
“Do as you see fit. Have you been in touch with your master?”
-Haha… I’m sorry.
As expected, I still haven’t been able to reach Sean.
“If your master asks about me, tell him everything you know without holding back.”
-Yes, I will…
“And don’t be stubborn. Use your discretion.”
-… I will.
His expertise in magic seemed to have clued him in on what I was hinting at.
“Then take care.”
-Professor! The Chairman asked me to tell you that he’d like to meet you for lunch or in the afternoon.
Until the vacation, he had treated me as an equal, but now, it seems that my influence has surpassed his in his eyes.
“He could have contacted me directly.”
-He said he hasn’t been able to reach you for a few days. He also mentioned that he went into the gate to acquire an artifact and returned yesterday morning.
“I see.”
-Have a good day.
His improved speech suggested that I could now afford to discipline him if he said something inappropriate.
I warmed up my coffee and waited until the clock’s short hand pointed to the number 7.
If Baek Hana and the children were still at the mansion, they would have been making a ruckus by now.
“Good.”
I relished the tranquility, a feeling I hadn’t experienced in a while.
I got up to wake Claire.
According to Yesol, Claire surprisingly enjoyed lounging in her room.
Before she met me, she would only get three days off a year, at most ten, so it was understandable.
That’s why, even when she asked me to wake her up, I always let her sleep an hour longer than she requested.
“Claire.”
“Hmm…?”
I sat on the edge of the bed and stroked her hair, causing her tightly shut eyelids to slowly lift.
I met her slightly blurry blue eyes and gently pushed aside the bangs covering her forehead. Then, I lightly kissed her fair skin, greeting her good morning.
“Good morning.”
“…”
Her eyelids blinked slowly, a couple of times.
“…”
As usual, she reacted two beats late, her blue eyes widening in surprise as she sat up.
And as always, I kissed her lips, which were now exposed without the pillow she had been hugging.
“You know you have a schedule today, so get up and get ready.”
“…”
I gently stroked her hair as she buried her face in the pillow I had been holding, and then I left the bedroom.
-Peep, peep…
The fairy on Claire’s shoulder yawned lazily and began to nod off.
“It’s dangerous to sleep there. Come inside.”
-Hmm… I’m so scared…
The fairy flapped its tiny wings and flew into Claire’s pocket.
I had intended to leave it to guard the house alone, but somehow, it had woken up early, gobbled down a few chocolates, and insisted on following us.
“Ah! Hello!”
“Good morning!”
“Nice to meet you!”
In the classroom, which we hadn’t visited in two months, a handful of students sat stiff with tension, filling their seats.
-Hana!
The fairy, which I had expected to go back to sleep in Claire’s pocket, poked its head out and looked directly at Baek Hana and Nam Seo-hee.
“Now…”
“Let it be.”
After all, they wouldn’t be visible anyway.
Claire nodded and put her hands back in front of her, and the fairy flew out of her pocket and headed towards Baek Hana.
-Peep!
-Peep~
-Um, I’m a little busy right now…
-Don’t worry, Hana, I’ll take notes for you.
I glanced at the three of them for a moment and then addressed the students.
Well, there were only seven of them, but they were still students.
“I don’t think you want to start the semester with assignments and lectures, do you?”
“…”
There was no response, so I continued, “Then, I’ll start the lecture—”
“No!”
“We don’t want a lecture!”
“I do! Wait, what’s going on?”
Lim Gyeong-su, who had spoken up without thinking, was hit by the female student next to him and fell backward.
I sent a stern look to the students who were staring at me with determination, and then I raised my hand to end the situation.
“Since today’s lecture is only an hour long, I’ll cancel the lecture.”
“Yay!”
“We love you, Professor!”
“What about the assignment?!”
“Shut that guy up!”
Lim Gyeong-su, who had brought up the assignment, was hit by the students again. I seriously wondered if I should keep him by Baek Hana’s side.
“There’s no assignment, so be quiet.”
As soon as I finished speaking, the classroom fell silent.
I swallowed and waited for the students, who were eagerly waiting for me to speak, to open their mouths.
“For the next hour, I’ll give you the opportunity to choose the format of Thursday’s lecture.”
I opened the briefcase I had brought and sent the prepared materials to the students’ desks.
“One option is a practical exercise. There’s no evaluation, and all seven of you will work as a team to reach the core of the rift within the lecture time.”
The students turned the page.
“The other option is a regular theory lecture. Of course, this will come with an assignment. Decide before the end of the lecture and bring me your answer.”
I was about to close my eyes to observe the students until they came to a consensus, but then—
“We’ve decided!”
“…”
Baek Hana’s voice, always cheerful and never grating on my nerves, rang out clearly.
I turned my head slightly, and there she was, with the fairy on her head, smiling at me.
“We chose the practical exercise!”
“Of course, the practical exercise!”
“No evaluation, no assignment.”
“It’s too unbalanced.”
-Huff…
A small laugh escaped from Claire beside me.
I nodded and opened the briefcase again.
“Thursday’s lecture will be a practical exercise.”
“Yay!”
“Are we going into that artificial gate again?”
“Thank goodness I stuck it out!”
More papers floated out of the briefcase and hovered in the air.
“And…”
I sent them flying to the students’ desks.
“Since we have plenty of time, I’ll give a short lecture.”
Of course, what I had just handed out were the assignments.
.
.
.
“Good morning!”
“I hope you had a delicious lunch!”
After finishing the lecture and dropping Claire off at the mansion, I headed to the main building.
Ding!
The familiar sound signaled the opening of the elevator door, and a sign reading ‘Chairman’s Office’ caught my eye.
I used my magic to open the door and stepped inside, where I found Ahn Hyun-do buried under a pile of paperwork.
Huff!
I roughly sorted through the tangled papers and pushed them aside.
“You’re early.”
“Get to the point.”
“Your personality hasn’t changed…”
I ignored the slightly tired-looking guy and sat down on the sofa.
“I have a lot to do, so be brief.”
“Well, take this first.”
A document flew towards me, fluttering in the air.
[2031 Academy Festival Announcement]
“This time, it’s the Royal Academy in England.”
Each quarter, the festival is held in a different country and academy.
But by coincidence or fate, this time, the host country was England, and the festival was to be held at the Royal Academy, managed and operated by the royal family themselves.
“So…”
“I want you to be the general director.”
He was asking me to take on the role of general director, responsible for selecting the representative students from each grade, choosing the training professors, and coordinating the schedule.
“You want me, a non-specialist lecturer, to be the general director?”
“I’ll tell you in advance, I’ve already asked the other professors, so don’t make any strange remarks.”
“But if I refuse…”
“Whatever it is, I’ll grant you a favor later.”
“Fine.”
“Then, I’ll… Hmm?”
The guy, who had been burying his head in his desk, suddenly lifted his head and stared at me blankly.
“What did you just say?”
“I said I’ll do it.”
“…”
I sent the document back to him and stood up from the sofa.
“It seems like you would have preferred if I had refused.”
“No, no! It’s not that! It’s just… well, you hate being bothered, so I thought you’d refuse… Ha, ha…”
“You know me well. So, later, when I ask you to do something, just follow my orders without complaint.”
“Ugh… You devilish guy.”
I left the chairman’s office, leaving the guy with his head back on his desk.
England.
The place where the auction for the artifact I needed for my plan was taking place.
‘Sometimes, he’s useful.’
I had another opportunity to use him.