I Broke Off My Engagement and Got a Job at the Academy

45 – 45. Fate

Jisel suddenly awoke to a dazzling sunlight.

“…Where am I?”

It was an unfamiliar ceiling. Not just the ceiling, but everything she felt against her body, everything beyond, was strange.

Suddenly, she realized why she had lost consciousness.

‘Ah, back then, in the midst of the fight…’

Driven to the brink until the moment of death, she had lost consciousness.

So, was she now kidnapped by them? No, that couldn’t be. The atmosphere was too peaceful for that.

Yes, certainly, from what she remembered, someone had rescued her…

“Are you awake?”

A woman with brown hair appeared. Adjusting her glasses, she spoke to Jisel.

“It’s fortunate. Although your condition was quite serious, there weren’t any fatal injuries. Healing is all that’s needed. Oh, wait. Don’t move. There’s still a bit left for the treatment to be complete.”

“…Who are you?”

Jisel looked at the woman with brown hair and asked. In response, the woman looked at Jisel and spoke.

“I’m a medical teacher from the academy… I guess that’s how you could put it. I handle medical matters. I’m half-witted, coming from the academic world.”

“Ah…”

Jisel sighed with relief upon hearing that. Looking at her, the woman said,

“Really, who would have thought something like this would happen in the middle of the academy? Don’t worry about it anymore; just rest.”

Looking at the woman, Jisel opened her mouth.

“The culprits who planned this…?”

“Ah, those guys… they all died during interrogation. More precisely, they became idiots. Probably because there were strong mental restrictions on them.”

Hearing this, Jisel broke into a cold sweat. If they were willing to go that far, it meant they were not ordinary threats.

“Can I ask you about such things?”

The woman looked at Jisel with a gaze that said, ‘If not Jisel, who else has the right to hear the news?’ and spoke.

“Even if you’re not Lady Jisel, who else has the right to hear the news? Although we couldn’t get any information, thanks to Lady Jisel, those guys were captured. Logically, it’s not wise to ignore the words of someone who bravely confronted them, even if they cover their ears and call you a child, right?”

Jezel chuckled at those words and smiled. Then, a thought occurred to her.

“…After I fainted, who was it that subdued those guys?”

In response, the woman made a thoughtful sound and spoke.

“Who else? Besides the test proctor, is there anyone else? I think you’ve already seen him. It’s Idun Kainus.”

“Oh, that…”

Certainly, it made sense. It had to be him, reaching the level of a High Expert.

“Unlucky, isn’t it? That such a thing happened on the day you were supervising. It was a complete frenzy; I remember vividly. Do you recall killing more than fifty monsters?”

“Fifty… monsters?”

The number was staggering. It seemed fitting for someone at the level of a High Expert. With immense power, she unintentionally held her breath.

That was the kind of number that numerous examinees struggled against with all their might. Dealing with such a number alone…

Well, it sounded better to say “dealing with” than “killing,” but from the perspective of a professor, it probably wasn’t much. So, it would be more appropriate to say that he killed them.

“Yes. People from outside the academy might see you as the heir to a fallen aristocrat, but within the academy, it’s different. Just… a monster, perhaps.”

A monster, indeed. Somehow, Jezel felt like she could understand that evaluation. After all, she had felt his aura firsthand.

“Well, in terms of skill, he might be the weakest among the professors, but he has a venomous spirit. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to take on the role of Cordelia Professor’s disciple.”

Come to think of it, she did mention being the only disciple of Professor Cordelia. Jezel nodded.

“Oh, wait, that’s not important. You’ll recover by tomorrow. The entrance exam will be held again in a week. Well… it might be a less dangerous method this time, considering the uproar caused by this incident.”

That meant there would be time for recovery and preparation even after the healing. Jezel breathed a sigh of relief.

The woman, seeing her reaction, spoke with a mischievous laugh.

“Really, it’s a strange thing to know. Who would have thought that I, living my life, would end up with the heirs of aristocrats as patients all at once?”

Hearing that, Jezel cautiously asked.

“All at once, you say…?”

“Who else? The daughter of the Northern Grand Duke. She didn’t suffer any injuries, but she used up all her stamina and magic power, completely drained. And, didn’t that young lady inform Idun Kainus about this incident first?”

Indeed, if she claimed to be the only freshman who reached the level of an expert, it wasn’t an empty boast.

Considering Idun Kainus and Vanessa Delfiore, she felt pitifully inadequate. It made sense—

‘I just fought without thinking, and got embarrassingly rescued. That’s all there is to it.’

If he considered himself an expert, would he have fallen victim to opponents of such caliber? Unlikely.

“I thought I would become an expert in a few months, but…”

As crises, much like the one experienced this time, do not always come in the best direction.

“Will I be able to overcome the wall in a few months? Who will wait for that time?”

If it weren’t for Edun Kainus, if he hadn’t come in time, he might have died.

“He lacked objectivity in facing the subject that others looked at coldly.”

Before judging the abilities of others, he should have acted and spoken properly.

Even knowing that Vanessa had reached the level of an expert at the same age, he thought he was enough.

“I need to progress further.”

To the extent that those who targeted him could come in crowds, it didn’t matter.

…

So, a week later, the entrance exam was held again, and Vanessa and Jezelle each took first place in the Combat Department and the Magic Department.

Meanwhile… I was quite busy.

Of course, important matters were handled by those who became professors before me, but that didn’t change the fact that I was still an academy professor.

The most problematic thing was the suspicion that there was someone inside the academy who colluded with those involved in this incident.

Honestly, um. There was no way to explain.

In a situation where even nobles were involved and became victims, what could I say when the perpetrators turned into idiots due to the mental barrier during interrogation?

All the academy could do was endure and take the blows.

However, no sane person would demand that the schedule of the academy, where the future of the empire was growing, be halted, and as a result, the internal schedule of the academy proceeded smoothly despite external organizations making noise.

Entering as the top student in the Magic Department, it was somewhat awkward to see Jezelle Irkali as the representative of the Magic Department, but well. Hmm.

Looking at me watching Jezelle, Professor Cordelia said, “If it’s so uncomfortable, just don’t come. Why bother attending the entrance ceremony like that?”

“…Professor, did you skip it because it was uncomfortable or bothersome?”

“Yeah. I did.”

Oh, man. I’ve forgotten about this human nature.

In the end, I just gave up and decided to take it easy.

Well, when you think about it, it’s funny to bother about someone who I probably wouldn’t have much to do with in the first place, even though we ended up in the same magical department.

“Yeah. Logically, why would they bother with me when they probably know I don’t particularly like them? Just ignore and live on, and maybe with time…”

I was definitely thinking that way.

And as soon as I drew the lottery, I stared blankly at the result.

“…Is this for real?”

I tried to change it somehow, but Professor Cordelia just chuckled and pointed at me with her finger.

“Yeah, no, not changing it. Do you think I’d change something about the Academy’s event? Absolutely not! Can’t change it!”

Damn. I bit my lip and endured it. However, my reaction seemed to have the opposite effect, as Professor Cordelia pinched my cheeks randomly and laughed.

“Hehe, if it’s too hard, let me know. I’ll help our cute disciple.”

“Can you at least change my assigned class?”

I asked, looking at the professor. In response, Professor Cordelia shook her head.

“That’s impossible, but I can give you a courage potion instead.”

As soon as I heard that, I grimaced.

“It’s alcohol.”

Upon hearing my words, Professor Cordelia burst into laughter again.

Among the freshmen, Zegel Iricalli was in the class I was in charge of.