Chapter 279
Chapter 279
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 279
Chapter Title: How to Steal the Protagonist's Woman
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"Sonya Friedrich."
"...Yes, Professor."
Sonya stood before the senior professor with her hands neatly clasped together, focusing every ounce of her concentration on hiding even the slightest tremble from his discerning gaze. She was so incredibly tense that she worried even a single strand of her long hair might flutter out of place and betray her internal state. The senior professor waved his hand downward in a reassuring gesture toward the anxious Sonya and spoke with a calm tone.
"There is no need for you to be so tense. Someone might think you've committed some grave, unforgivable sin."
"But because of my request, you've suffered needlessly..."
The day before, Sonya had personally asked the professor standing before her now for permission regarding Louis's outing, honoring the student's earnest plea despite the initial rejection. And because of that specific favor, the senior professor had been forced to stay late searching for the missing Louis and hadn't been able to go home yet. Yet, despite having pulled a complete all-nighter, the professor didn't look particularly angry with her.
"Suffered? I was planning on staying late anyway to handle the high-level security for the exam papers. I called you here because I was genuinely worried about you, Sonya."
"Worried... about me, sir?"
"Yes. It is a wonderful trait to be kind to students—that is actually a primary reason why I personally recommended you for the assistant professor position."
"..."
The professor standing before Sonya was indeed the one who had nominated her for the upcoming promotion. Observing her closely, the man who had recommended her continued his advice.
"However, you need to learn how to be a bit more selfish for your own sake."
"Selfish... in what way?"
"Exactly as it sounds. What if helping a single, erratic student ends up tripping you up at this critical juncture of your career?"
"D-does this mean the assistant professor promotion is in jeopardy..."
Sonya felt her heart sink with an overwhelming sense of anxiety. But fortunately, her fears did not come to pass.
"Do you really think I'd revoke my recommendation over something as minor as this?"
"Phew... thank you, sir."
"Look, your own future matters more than anything else right now, doesn't it?"
The professor mixed his scolding with genuine life advice, reminding her of the reality of her current professional situation.
"Sonya Friedrich. I know you care deeply about the art of teaching and looking out for every student's well-being. But if you pour your entire heart into every single individual, when someone truly worthy of your attention finally comes along, you'll find you have nothing left to give."
"...I will certainly keep those words in mind."
"Good, as long as you understand the gravity of it. Exam time is approaching rapidly. Let's head to the hall."
As she followed the senior professor toward the lecture hall, Sonya found herself lost in thought.
‘Someone truly worthy of my heart...’
Sonya had always made it a point to try and care for every student equally, regardless of their background. Even for those she didn't naturally like or feel a connection with, she had invested her professional affection for the sake of their futures, burning with a fierce educational zeal.
‘Education... Come to think of it, why was I always so incredibly passionate about it?’
The truth was that Sonya hadn't started out her career this enthusiastic. At first, she had focused solely on the mechanics of teaching, without much interest in her students' complex inner worlds. But at some point along the way, she had begun to devote herself fully, spending her own precious time on them without even a second thought.
‘...I will engrave that advice deep in my heart and focus on what matters.’
With that firm resolve, Sonya entered the grand lecture hall alongside the professor to supervise the start of the exams. The teaching assistants and the gathered students all turned their gazes toward Sonya and the senior professor as they walked down the aisle. And among the sea of faces, one specifically caught Sonya's eye.
‘Heh... I truly hope he has prepared himself well for this.’
The moment Sonya spotted Seong Suho, a small smile crept onto her face unbidden and involuntary. Even Sonya, who personally disliked the very concept of "favoritism," couldn't help herself in this moment. No matter how much she wanted to treat all of her students with equal professionalism, her eyes were inevitably drawn to the man who had so thoroughly satisfied her deepest desires.
The senior professor took his place at the podium, and Sonya stood demurely beside him, surveyed the students with a sharp, trained eye. The professor on stage began the proceedings.
"I will now explain the mandatory exam procedures for all students."
He gave the usual annual rundown of the rules, detailing every point thoroughly for the sake of the first-timers. In summary: no suspicious behavior would be tolerated, and once you finished, you were to hand in your papers and leave the hall immediately—there was absolutely no re-entry allowed under any circumstances.
"We will begin today with the exam for Basic Attributes."
At the professor's command, the assistants positioned beside the podium swiftly began distributing the exam papers from the central desk to the students' individual tables. The students' faces visibly tightened the moment they saw the sheer size and daunting page count of the documents. The papers were poster-sized, and there were a whopping fifteen sheets for the first session alone. Starting the first exam—which was supposed to be the easiest, Basic Attributes—with this kind of volume intimidated them, causing many expressions to harden into masks of stress.
‘First-timers truly all look the same when the reality of Schutra hits them.’
Among the tense crowd of students were Luna and Louis. They appeared calmer than most of their peers, but they couldn't fully hide the nerves that were fluttering beneath the surface.
‘Luna is clearly tense as well. And... wait, huh?’
Sonya's sweeping gaze fixed on a specific scene that caused her to double-check her own vision. In her line of sight was Seong Suho. But his demeanor was fundamentally different from everyone else in the room.
‘Oh my... just look at him.’
Sonya found she couldn't look away from Seong Suho, who wore a calm, incredibly serious expression that was worlds apart from the childish and playful one he usually showed her in private.
‘He actually possesses this side too. Of course... with that rugged, manly look, it's no wonder a girl like Luna likes him so much.’
Sonya offered a small, somewhat bitter smile while she waited, and then the senior professor's voice rang out through the hall to officially start the exam.
"You have exactly two hours starting from now. You may open your papers."
Shrrrrrr!
The sound of papers rustling simultaneously filled the hall like a sudden gust of wind as the exam began in earnest. Sonya immediately began her patrol to ensure there were no issues or rule violations. Her primary priority was, of course, to prevent any form of cheating. The senior professor watched the front from the podium, while the other staff members circled the room to enforce the strict rules. Sonya naturally checked the papers of the students as she walked behind them.
‘These are perfectly balanced and elegant problems. I always think it, but the headmaster's ability to craft exams is truly amazing.’
Glancing at the complex problems while circling the room, Sonya eventually passed by Luna's seat and took a quick peek at her progress. Luna was writing neatly, her elegant handwriting a soothing sight to behold, and she was solving the problems at a steady, unwavering pace.
‘She is meticulous, exactly like her personality suggests. While others might run out of time because they obsess over a single detail, Luna is fast enough that she'll have plenty of time for review.’
Feeling reassured by Luna's performance, Sonya moved on, soon passing by Louis's seat. His exam paper had far less writing on it compared to Luna's.
"..."
‘...That is quite impressive. He's actually skipping all the unnecessary intermediate calculations by using mental math?’
Sonya, who personally disliked Louis as an individual, couldn't help but admire his raw talent as a student of magic. His unique solutions and his incredible speed truly stood out from the rest of the elite class.
‘...Louis will almost certainly be the first one to submit his paper today.’
She honestly doubted there was anyone in the room who could move faster than him; she had never seen such a high level of proficiency at Schutra in all her years, including her own time as a student. Louis's knowledge was technically at the student level, but his practical application rivaled that of many professors. Sonya continued her rounds, checking on the other students.
Most of them had barely managed to pass the second or third page, and they were already gnawing on their fingernails or the ends of their pens in a state of visible worry.
‘I suppose that is the normal reaction to a Schutra exam...’
Then she finally spotted the student she had been most eager to check on. She didn't have high hopes for a perfect score—his innate magic levels were average at best. Curiosity alone drew her toward his desk.
‘Hmm... wait, what on earth?’
Sonya actually rubbed her eyes and checked again to make sure she wasn't seeing things. Seong Suho's paper was completely blank; he was simply flipping through the pages without solving a single thing, even skipping the easiest problems on the first page.
‘Is he scanning the entire document first? There is no need to waste so much time doing that...’
Completely forgetting her impartial supervisory role for a moment, Sonya watched him worriedly from behind, her expression full of bias and concern. But his pen stayed dry as the minutes ticked by, deepening her anxiety.
‘Are the problems really too hard for him to grasp? Did he truly fall that far behind during his month of suspension...?’
Even though it wasn't her own exam, she fretted as if it were his entire future at stake in this one session. Still, she realized she couldn't hover over a single student for too long.
‘Sigh... I'll have to circle back and check on him later.’
With a heavy inward sigh, she continued her patrol. However, soon after she moved away, the distinct sound of pen-scratching rose behind her, like the sound of a blade slicing through paper amid the fluttering of pages.
Scratch-scratch... scratch-scratch...
Hearing the rhythmic sound, Sonya let out a small sigh of relief.
‘Of course he can solve it. I was worrying myself needlessly.’
Smiling to herself, she resumed her patrolling duties. She deliberately avoided his immediate area for the next few minutes, lest her constant gaze distract him from his focus. The exam progressed smoothly; forty minutes had passed since the start.
Scratch... scratch-scratch... scratch-scratch-scratch.
The sound of a fountain pen tormenting the paper echoed, and then a sudden screech, like nails being dragged across marble, rang through the silent hall.
Screeech!
"...?"
Everyone in the room, the senior professor included, whipped their heads toward the source of the noise. Luna, Sonya, and Louis all stared at the same spot. One student was looking elsewhere entirely.
"Student? Have you actually finished the entire exam already?"
"Yes, sir."
"..."
It was Seong Suho. He held up his paper with a questioning look; the senior professor offered a curt nod and glanced toward Sonya.
"Assistant Professor Sonya. Please collect the papers at the entrance from now on."
"Yes, Professor..."
Sonya eyed Seong Suho with a mix of worry and curiosity as she headed toward the exit door. He followed close behind her. At the entrance, she leaned in and whispered so the others wouldn't be able to hear her voice.
"...Are you sure you did your absolute best on this?"
"Yes. I can honestly say that even for the main attribute exam, I couldn't have tried any harder than I did just now."
Smiling warmly at her, he leaned closer to her ear and whispered back.
"This is the subject you personally taught me, Professor Sonya. I wanted to make sure I finished faster than anyone else as a tribute to your teaching."
"...Heh, you really are something."
Seeing his usual immature playfulness return, Sonya couldn't help but smile. In that moment, as she reached out to take his paper—
Screeech!
"...?"
There was a second student rising from their seat. Even for the supposedly "easy" exams, it was incredibly rare to see anyone finish before the one-hour mark, and those few cases were usually ill students who needed to be helped out. Sonya had never in her career seen anyone finish the Basic Attributes exam in under an hour. Yet today, there were two of them. Louis strode toward the entrance without even asking for permission, handing his paper over to Sonya with a confident air.
"Here. I'm all done."
"...Good work, Louis."
She neatly stacked his paper with Seong Suho's on the small collection podium. That simple, equalizing act seemed to irk Louis, who immediately began to grumble.
"Professor Sonya... even so, there is surely no need to handle that guy's paper with the same care as mine, right?"
"...What exactly do you mean by that?"
Completely ignoring the fact that Seong Suho was standing right beside him, Louis continued to belittle him.
"If he didn't bother to study, he should at least have the decency to try his best until the end. There is no need for you to waste your time on his half-assed, quitter's paper."
"Student Louis... that remark is highly inappropriate..."
Sonya felt a surge of disgust for him that was far beyond anything she felt after his past groping incident; forgetting for a second that they were in the middle of an exam, she nearly snapped at him. However, Seong Suho simply shrugged his shoulders at Louis's insult.
"It's funny to hear a slowpoke talk such a big game."
"You little commoner..."
Louis bristled at the jab, lunging forward with a threatening posture—
"You students there! If you are done, leave the hall immediately!"
"Ugh... yes, Professor."
The senior professor's sharp bark—the man who had already penalized Louis before and scolded his late return—made Louis flinch. He turned back to sneer at Seong Suho one last time.
"The real results will come out afterward anyway. You should enjoy your little bluff while it lasts."
With that, he stormed out of the hall in a huff. Sonya spoke warmly to Seong Suho after he was gone.
"Good job on finishing this exam. Please do your best on the next one as well."
"Thank you, Professor."
He offered her one last smile and left the room. Watching his back as he walked away, Sonya couldn't resist her curiosity regarding his paper.
‘...Would it be okay if I took a quick peek?’
As the designated collector, glancing at the papers wasn't technically an issue. She carefully flipped through the fifteen sheets of Seong Suho's exam document.
..
..
By the time half the students had left the hall, Sonya greeted another student handing in their work.
"How did it go for you today, Luna?"
Luna replied with a weak, tired voice.
"Yes... I think I managed to get through most of it..."
"...? You seem unusually drained for someone who likely did very well. Are you perhaps feeling ill?"
"Well, it's just that..."
Only then did Luna decide to tell Sonya about the high-stakes bet between Seong Suho and Louis. She had been worried enough about the bet already, but Suho's incredibly quick exit from the hall had only amplified her fear that he had simply given up. After agonizing over whether to ask, Luna finally spoke up.
"Professor Sonya... please forgive my curiosity, but did you happen to see Suho's paper earlier? How exactly did it look to you?"
"Well... about that..."
Sonya glanced quickly at the teaching assistants and the senior professor at the podium to ensure they weren't listening, then she leaned in and whispered to Luna.
"I think it would be best if you asked him that yourself."
"...I'm sorry, pardon?"
"Go on now. It is always better to hear the news directly from the source, isn't it?"
"O-okay... if you say so..."
Sonya patted her shoulder encouragingly, gently ushering her out of the room. Watching Luna leave with a concerned face, Sonya found herself lost in her own complicated emotions.
‘She is so incredibly enviable. Truly... I can't help but feel jealous...’
Holding Luna's completed paper in her hand, Sonya continued to stare wistfully at the closed door for a long time.