A Good Cause
A Good Cause
Rustle, rustle.
A soft sensation traveled across my skin.
Consciousness, which had been deeply submerged, slowly drifted toward the surface.
I lifted my eyelids, and the bedroom ceiling came into view through glasses that by now felt like a part of my body.
-Peeewng... Peewng...
I shifted my gaze downward at the chick-like chirping, and there was the Fairy—sprawled out fast asleep on someone else's stomach instead of in its own little nest.
Swish.
Unlike the tiny Fairy, whose presence I could barely feel even while it sat on me, the warmth and soft sensation pressed against my right arm made themselves known once again.
I turned my head. Lustrous golden hair was the first thing I saw.
Carefully, I moved my left hand and tucked the stray strands behind her ear. Only then could I see Claire's face—sound asleep.
There she was, ignoring the perfectly good pillow and using my arm instead as she slept deeply.
I had grown fairly accustomed to this sight by now.
On the day I returned to the estate with Na Yeon-ju, I held Claire in my arms and closed my eyes for just a moment.
And for the first time, I failed to wake up at the appointed hour.
It wasn't because my damaged soul had forced me into unconsciousness.
I simply had to accept that this was something I found hard to understand.
But it did not take long to figure out the reason.
A body restored far beyond what I had anticipated. Innate Mana fully charged. Slightly relaxed muscles.
In that moment, I had let go of a tension I had never once released before.
And through that, I realized one more thing:
My subconscious trusted her more than I consciously thought it did.
After that day, I decided to stop spending my nights in the study.
Greed no longer rampaged, so there was no reason to deliberately slow my body's recovery.
'Sleeping faces do have a way of looking alike, regardless of the person.'
Their auras, the shapes of their faces, the corners of their eyes—they should all have been different. Yet Claire and Baek Ha-na shared a strangely similar quality in many ways.
-Peeew-euuum~
Even that little creature was scratching its belly, just like someone else I knew.
I wanted to gaze at her face a little longer, to savor her warmth, but unfortunately, today marked the start of another busy stretch.
Woom.
I moved my mana and placed the Fairy—still perched on my stomach—into the basket resting by the headboard. In the old days, it would have woken up rubbing its eyes, but ever since the day it realized it was a queen, the creature had been growing steadily lazier.
After dealing with the nuisance on my stomach,
"Mm...."
I sat up and gently bit her earlobe while she remained tucked against me.
She only burrowed deeper into my chest. No sign of waking.
On the first night, she had lain awake with her eyes open.
Now she sleeps soundly even when I leave marks on her like this.
'Humans really are creatures of adaptation.'
I carefully lifted her head and slid my arm free. Using mana, I pulled the far-flung pillow into the empty space and laid Claire's head down on it.
As I got out of bed, Claire blindly reached with one arm, as if searching for me. She grabbed the pillow I had been using just moments ago and pulled it tightly into her embrace.
I left that sight behind and headed out to the study.
I grabbed my smartphone from the desk and made my way to the kitchen.
I sat on the cold chair, used mana to retrieve a teacup, tore open a coffee stick, and prepared my coffee.
While the water boiled, I contacted Jaden on my smartphone.
-Call connected.
The call connected before the second ring.
Considering it was five in the morning, the speed made it seem as though he had been waiting.
"What about the commission?"
Kim Seong-won and Yoon Do-sik.
I had commissioned the Clock Tower to provide personnel to protect them and a few other faculty members.
There had been the option of dispatching Holy Knights from the temple through Lee Ye-sol, but even now, they would be stretched thin just covering the priests and clergy with escorts.
Besides, most of the Clock Tower's mages were old, reclusive eccentrics whose faces were unknown—which made them even better suited for this job.
-Haha, the compensation you offered, Professor, was so extraordinary that I had quite a time screening through all the applicants.
"Good to hear. I'll leave the rest to you."
-I handpicked these people through rigorous screening. They will not disappoint you.
"Even if they fail, I won't be particularly disappointed. But make sure Yoon Do-sik is protected no matter what."
-I will handle that one personally. What about that man Kim Seong-won? Is he fine?
"...If he dies, then that was simply his fate. He has a decent subordinate under him, so it won't be much of an issue."
-Understood. Still, I will do my best to keep him alive.
"Do as you see fit. More importantly, have you managed to reach your master?"
-Ha, haha... My apologies.
Sure enough, contact with that bastard Sean still hadn't been established.
"If your master asks anything about me, tell him everything you know. Don't hide a thing."
-Pardon? Ah, yes. I will do that...
"And don't be stubborn for no reason. Read the situation and act accordingly."
-...I will.
Perhaps because he was well-versed in magic, he seemed to have caught on to what I had in mind when I said those words.
"Then do your best."
-Professor!! The, the Chairman asked me to tell you to come by once, around lunchtime or the afternoon.
Earlier in the call, he had still treated me as an equal to the Chairman. Listening to him now, it seemed my influence had already surpassed the Chairman's in his mind.
"He could have contacted me directly."
-He said you were unreachable for several days, sir. And apparently he entered a Rift recently to procure an Artifact and only returned early yesterday morning.
"Fine."
-I wish you a pleasant day.
His manner of speaking had become more polished than before. At this rate, it might be acceptable to smack him a bit when he brings up unnecessary chatter.
I sipped my coffee, letting its warmth seep in as it cooled, and before I knew it, the short hand on the kitchen clock was pointing at seven.
If Baek Ha-na and the children had still been staying at the estate, the place would have gotten noisy quite a while ago.
"Good."
It had been a while since I'd felt quiet like this.
Thoroughly satisfying.
It was about time to wake Claire, so I got up from my seat.
I had learned this from talking with Lee Ye-sol—Claire apparently enjoys lazing around in bed more than one might expect.
Before she met me, she had taken at most three days off a year, ten at the very most. It was entirely understandable.
And so, even when she asked me to wake her, I always woke her about an hour later than the requested time.
"Claire."
"Mmm...?"
I sat on the edge of the bed and stroked her hair, and her tightly shut eyelids slowly lifted.
Facing those slightly hazy blue eyes, I gently swept aside the bangs covering her forehead. I then pressed a light morning kiss to her fair skin.
"It's morning."
"......."
Blink, blink.
Her eyelids lifted and lowered slowly—twice.
"......!!"
As always, her blue eyes went round two beats late, and she sat up.
And, as always, I kissed her properly on the lips—left unguarded now that the pillow she'd been clutching was gone.
"You know you have a morning schedule starting today, so get up, wash up, and come out."
"...Yes."
I lightly stroked her hair as she buried her face in the pillow she was holding, then left the bedroom.
**
-Pee-ah-euuum~
The Fairy, perched on Claire's shoulder, yawned languidly and began nodding off.
"If you sleep there, it's dangerous. Please go inside."
-Uuh... s'too cramped...
The creature fluttered its tiny wings and slipped into Claire's pocket.
I had originally intended to leave it at home to watch the house, but the little thing—normally a champion of sleeping in—had somehow sensed what was happening and woken up like a ghost. It had stuffed a few chocolates into its mouth and stubbornly followed us out.
"Ah! H-Hello!!"
"Good morning!!"
"We look forward to the lecture!!"
In the lecture hall I was visiting for the first time in two months, a handful of students already sat rigid with tension in their seats.
-Ha-na!!
The Fairy—which I had assumed would go back to sleeping soundly in Claire's pocket—poked its head out and fixed its gaze precisely on where Baek Ha-na and Nam Seo-hee were sitting.
"Right now is...."
"Let it be."
They wouldn't be able to see it anyway.
Claire nodded and neatly folded her hands in front of her again. The Fairy slipped out of the pocket and flew over to where Baek Ha-na was.
-Peep...!!
-Peep~
-N-No, right now is a little difficult...
-I'll take notes, so don't worry, Ha-na.
I watched the three of them for a moment, then addressed the students.
Well, "students"—all seven of them.
"I doubt any of you want a lecture and assignments on the very first day of the semester."
"......."
"No response. Then I'll proceed with the lect—"
-No!!
-We don't want a lecture!!
-I-I don't mean that! I want to... gahk?!
Im Gyeong-su, who had opened his mouth without reading the room, got smacked by the female student next to him and toppled backward.
I raised a hand toward the students, whose gazes burned with fierce intent, and brought the matter to a close.
"Today's session is only one hour anyway, so we will have no lecture."
-Whoa!!
-Professor, we love you!!
-Wh-What about the assignments?!
-Someone shut that bastard up!!
Im Gyeong-su, having brought up the topic of assignments, got beaten by his classmates once again. I seriously considered whether I should keep that idiot around Baek Ha-na any longer.
"There are no assignments, so be quiet."
The lecture hall fell silent the instant those words ended.
Swallowing nervously, the students waited for me to speak. I obliged their wishes.
"For this one hour today, I'm going to give you the chance to decide with your own hands how Thursday's lecture will be conducted."
I opened the briefcase I had brought and sent the prepared materials flying to the students' seats.
"The first option is practical training. There are no evaluation items. The seven of you will form a single team and simply need to reach the Rift Core within the lecture period."
Rustle.
The students turned to the next page.
"The other option is an ordinary theory lecture. Naturally, in this case, there will be assignments. Decide before the hour is up and bring me your answer."
I was about to close my eyes to briefly observe the infiltrating vermin while the students' opinions converged into one.
"We've decided!!"
"......."
Baek Ha-na's voice rang out clearly—lively, yet the only one that never grated on my nerves.
I turned my head. With the Fairy perched on her head, Baek Ha-na gave me a faint smile and continued.
"We've decided on the practical training!"
"Practical training, no question."
"No evaluations and no assignments."
"The balance is way too skewed."
-Pfft...
A small laugh escaped from Claire beside me.
I nodded and reopened the briefcase I had just closed.
"Thursday's lecture will be practical training."
"Whoa!!"
"Are we going into that Artificial Rift from last time?"
"Hell yeah, I'm glad I toughed it out!!"
Swoosh.
More documents rose from the briefcase and floated into the air.
"And."
I sent them flying onto the students' desks.
"Since there's plenty of time left, I'll proceed with a short lecture."
What I had just handed out was, of course, an assignment.
**
"Good afternoon!!"
"Did you enjoy your lunch?!"
After finishing the lecture and dropping Claire off at the estate, I made my way to the main building.
Ding—
The elevator doors opened with a familiar sound, and the sign reading "Chairman's Office" came into view.
I opened the door with mana and stepped inside, where I found An Hyeon-do buried beneath a mountain of paperwork.
Whoosh—!!
I roughly sorted through the tangled papers and shoved them aside.
"...You came early."
"State your business."
"Your personality hasn't changed, I see...."
Ignoring the man, who looked somewhat exhausted, I took a seat on the nearest sofa.
"I have a lot to do, so keep it brief."
"...First, take a look at this."
I caught the document as it fluttered gently toward me.
【2031 Academy Festival Announcement Document】
"It's at the Royal Academy in England this time."
The country and academy hosting the Festival changed with each quarter.
Whether by coincidence or fate, the venue this time was England, and the academy was the Royal Academy—directly operated and managed by the royal family.
"So."
"...They want you to serve as Chief Supervisor."
The man was now proposing that I take on a role responsible for everything from selecting the representative students for each grade who would participate in the Festival, to choosing the training professors, to coordinating the entire schedule.
"A non-major lecturer like me serving as Chief Supervisor."
"Let me say this upfront—I've already asked every other professor for their opinion, so don't give me any strange objections."
"Even so, if I refuse—"
"...Whatever it is, I'll grant you one favor later."
"Done."
"So plea— Hm?"
The man, who had been slumped with his head on the desk, suddenly jerked his head up and stared at me blankly.
"Wh-What did you just say?"
"I said I'll do it."
"......Why?"
I sent the document I was holding flying back toward him and rose from the sofa.
"Judging by your reaction, refusing would have been the better choice."
"N-No! No, it's not!! It's just, well, you know. You hate troublesome things, so I thought you'd put up a huge fight again... Ha, haha...."
"You know me well. So when I ask something of you later, follow orders without a word."
"Grrrngh... You damn fiend."
Leaving the man to bury his head back into his desk, I exited the Chairman's Office.
England.
The place where the auction for the Artifact I needed for my plans was being held.
'Every now and then, you turn out to be useful.'
And now I had one more opportunity to use him.