My Students Regret It After I Retired

0 – The Day of Release, the Gate Opened

It has been five years since gates appeared in the Feren Empire and monsters began pouring out. As the chief gatekeeper at the Gate Management Headquarters, I was bestowed with immense honor and wealth.

The reason was simple. As soon as the gate monster attack incident broke out, I trained disciples. Subsequently, the numerous disciples I taught spread across the country and began closing gates alongside me.

After about three years, we eradicated the mana of all the gates in the Feren Empire, and as a result, the gates remained, but monsters no longer emerged from them.

The method to eradicate the mana of the gates. The reason I knew it was because I was a possessor in this novel. More precisely, it was due to the trait I acquired while possessing.

◈Legendary Gatekeeper [EX]: You can seal the mana of a gate once it has been subjugated.

‘Still, I’m glad I have this trait.’

I suffered greatly with my bare body, but I felt infinite gratitude to the disciples who believed in and followed me, and to the empire that helped subjugate all the gates within the Feren Empire. Without them, the subjugation of the gates would have been impossible.

I sacrificed for the empire for three years, and for the next two years, I devoted myself to the nation, anxiously worrying whether new gates would appear.

But what I received in return was a dismissal due to false accusations.

[Breaking News! Gatekeeper Leos under investigation by the investigation headquarters for allegations of s*xual harassment by his disciples…]

One of the disciples I taught reported me, claiming I had s*xually harassed them. Naturally, I wasn’t worried. I had never done such a thing, and I firmly believed that many people, especially the empire and its citizens, would stand up for me, who had dedicated myself to the nation.

But what awaited me was a harsh reality.

[Wow, I told you all gatekeepers are scumbags, didn’t I?]

[Idiots. They did nothing but suck up the national budget, and now that they’re comfortable, they’re pulling stunts like s*xual harassment~]

[It’s been two years since monsters stopped coming out of the gates. How much budget waste has there been in those two years? Just replace them all!]

[Why keep the department when the chief gatekeeper is a s*xual harasser? Just shut it down. Damn, I should have gone in and enjoyed the benefits.]

[Guys, shouldn’t we stay neutral until evidence comes out?]

[Neutral my foot. Didn’t you see the victim’s interview? Even without evidence, Leos’s life is already ruined, haha. How are you going to prove it?]

[Neutrality be damned, we just need to burn it all down~]

Within the communities of the Feren Empire, countless posts and comments began to ridicule me.

I stared blankly at the community access device, muttering,

“How could they do this to me…?”

I had devoted myself to the nation. I had subjugated gates for people I didn’t even know, risking my life to protect them. Yet, based solely on the words of a girl with no proof, how could they already assume I was a criminal and drive me to the brink? Could they just dismiss all the achievements I had made as if they never happened?

“Defendant. Focus.”

I raised my head blankly and looked ahead. The judge of the Feren Empire. He began to deliver his verdict against me.

“The defendant, despite committing heinous crimes, has denied these acts and has failed to present any evidence of their innocence. The methods and conduct of the defendant, who used their powerful position to pressure their student, were utterly malicious. Therefore, the defendant is sentenced to three years of imprisonment.”

*Thud!*

I kicked back my chair and shouted,

“Why… why must I provide proof of my innocence? Logically, isn’t it the accuser who must bring forth evidence of my guilt? I am innocent. I am innocent, and what proof can I even present? What the hell can I use to prove it!”

The judge questioned me,

“Then are you suggesting the victim falsely accused you for no reason? Why? There is no reason for that. The victim has consistently given the same testimony from the beginning, and there is nothing to be gained from reporting you. They were unable to secure evidence because of the urgency, so how can you blame the victim?”

“How the hell am I supposed to know! It’s driving me crazy! I’m a victim too!”

I cried out in unfairness, but it seemed to agitate the judge.

“I have determined that further conversation is impossible. I will finalize the judgment and sentence the defendant to three years of imprisonment.”

My legs gave way and I collapsed to the ground. From afar, Bellin—the person who had handed me over to the Empire’s court—smirked only so I could see and left the courtroom.

“How can that be the victim…she’s laughing… she’s fucking laughing…”

Those were my final words before being thrown into prison.

*

“Bellin. You got the results you wanted. But why did you report Leos? That guy didn’t even lay a finger on you.”

“Oh, my, did I not mention it?”

A-Class Gatekeeper Kozaric nodded.

“Yeah. I just helped because you wanted me to.”

“Kozaric is so kind. He does anything I ask.”

Belling gazed at Kozaric with admiring eyes, and the man scratched his nose, his cheeks flushing. Belling watched him, replying belatedly.

“The reason I reported it? Simple. The Imperial High Command sent down the order.”

“High Command? To you?”

“Yep. The Empire asked me to ruin the social reputation and image of Leos, the gatekeeper administrator. They want to get rid of the department entirely, but the public opinion is too good to just get rid of it.”

“I didn’t get any separate orders…”

“Of course not. We were both dispatched by the Empire, but to tarnish the image of Leos, who devoted himself to the Empire, there’s no one better than me. Pretty, great body, and someone who anyone would be drawn to, right?”

“That’s true, but…you being the perfect fit, what are you talking about?”

“It just makes it more plausible. A pretty woman like me, filing a s*xual harassment report with no gain, and then people digging up my photos and seeing them? It makes my claims credible. It makes people think even a man like Leos, who dedicated himself to the country, might have had his head turned. You saw the community forums too, right? Look at the comments. Even without any proof, they’re spreading my pictures, yelling that Leos is definitely the culprit.”

“That’s incredible. Belling, you’re seriously amazing.”

“Amazing, my foot.”

Belling took out a communication artifact and contacted the Imperial High Command.

“The task is completed as you requested, so the payment, as we discussed earlier, is understood, right?”

“Yes. We’ll send it immediately.”

Then, Belling asked, looking worried.

“I followed the orders, but is this really okay? Leos did so much to keep the gates stable. It’s a bit rich of me to say this, since I brought him down, but if the monsters start pouring out of the gates again, things are going to get incredibly difficult.”

The man on the other end chuckled and said.

“Don’t worry. It’s been three years since the gate closed. The investigation results also showed that monsters won’t appear anymore.”

“Well… anyway, I’ll believe you. Send the goods quickly. You know it’s urgent. I need them right away.”

“I will. I’ll send three elixirs, adding one more than originally promised.”

“Okay, thank you.”

Following that, Bellin quietly gazed at the sky.

“Well, maybe I feel a little bad.”

Kozarik asked her.

“Bellin, what did you say?”

“I didn’t say anything. Let’s go.”

After Bellin and Kozarik left, a lot of time passed.

Spring, summer, autumn, winter repeated several times, and before they knew it, Leos’s release date was approaching.

“Haa…”

After being released, Leos stared blankly at the sky.

I wish it was all a dream. I wish the world would just end. As he was thinking that,

Crack… Crack…

The air began to split open, and unlike the blue gates he had seen before, red gates began to appear instantly. People, unaware of what this phenomenon meant, were walking normally on the street. A few people pointed at the reddening sky and talked.

“Why is the sky like that? Did some kind of yellow dust storm start?”

Most people dismissed it as a natural phenomenon or something trivial, but Leos, who knew what this phenomenon was a sign of, continued to stare at the sky, barely able to breathe. Before long, the man was certain that it was the phenomenon he was thinking of.

‘Shit… Red Gate… Red Gates are opening again.’

After organizing his thoughts, Leos immediately headed to the bunker where the gatekeepers of the past used to go.

I ran towards that place, now abandoned.

First day out.

New Gates had begun to form in the Peren Empire.