Chapter 16
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Persistent Attendance
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It wasn’t the direction I wanted, but there was no longer any reason for Elin to show interest in me.
Classes were something she didn’t need to attend in the first place.
So I firmly believed she wouldn’t show up anymore……
But Elin brutally betrayed my expectations.
“…Eones Elin.”
“Professor, present.”
“Why are you attending again?”
“I officially registered.”
Officially registered, officially registered……
‘Why on earth?’
I had told her that if she wanted credits, she should go to the academic affairs office and get it processed in the system.
I didn’t expect her to actually do it.
Was that conversation not the right timing to end things? Was it just me who felt that way?
…Whatever it was, the words “officially registered” echoed emptily in my mind.
As long as I was the professor and Elin was the student, I had no grounds to obstruct her right to learn.
No, there was one way.
It was a self-destructive move that would tank my professor evaluations, but Elin was the one who had backed me into this corner.
The look in my eyes as I stared at Elin grew icy.
“…Open your textbooks. Today’s lecture will be a bit difficult, so listen carefully.”
* * *
Isel glanced up at the massive magic tower.
The Snowfield Magic Tower, instantly associated with Ri Sete Academy.
Its height spanning dozens of floors was awe-inspiring no matter how many times she saw it.
In terms of width, it was like combining several open fields.
‘They’ve created entirely different ecological environments inside.’
She had entered a few times herself, so she knew.
They raised magical beasts like goblins in pastures.
Since the beasts supplied their own daily food within the floor, it wasn’t a stretch to call it a fully realized ecosystem with a food chain.
It was so vast that she sometimes forgot it was indoors.
Even without that, its symbolism was undeniable given its direct connection to the floating islands.
It was a magic tower that every mage dreamed of climbing at least once.
‘Not that I, as a knight, get it.’
Well, she was envious of the facilities.
The Knight Department didn’t feel particularly high-tech except for the gym.
Slurp.
She sucked up the iced coffee filled with ice through the straw.
Isel, who had been gazing up at the magic tower from the cafe terrace below, turned her head.
There sat Aiden, leisurely enjoying his coffee.
“But why does the professor look so down?”
He was known for his minimal facial expressions, but after a few weeks together, she could sense his emotions from the atmosphere.
To Isel, Aiden looked unprecedentedly sad.
He lifted his eyes from the coffee at the gaze he felt and looked at Isel.
Yeah… the reason I was down.
He stared at the serene coffee surface, then closed his eyes.
Isel tilted her head curiously.
The reason I was down right now?
Obviously……
“The lecture evaluations aren’t going my way.”
His voice dropped a tone.
Contrary to his mood, Isel beamed and chimed in.
“Oh, right! The professor’s lecture evaluations are super high, aren’t they? That thing where someone already awakened their Aura after just two classes?”
Yes, the student who awakened their Aura.
That was the problem.
‘Why does the world always move independently of my wishes?’
On the day of the problematic lecture.
I could no longer afford to be lenient.
I had drawn my sword, with nowhere left to retreat.
I couldn’t infringe on Elin’s right to learn.
Interfering would cause major issues for my next appointment.
In other words, for the sake of renewing my temporary professor contract, I couldn’t sabotage things that way.
‘But I have a method too.’
It was a difference in perspective. If I couldn’t interfere with Elin’s right to learn, then Elin couldn’t interfere with my right to teach either.
And this was a Knight Department class.
No matter how exceptional Elin was, she had no expert knowledge on Aura!
I ground my teeth inwardly.
‘I’ll make the class so difficult it’s impossible to follow.’
“So this kind of manifestation is the key focus. Recall the assignment I gave last time and apply it.”
As I lectured, I snapped my fingers to demonstrate various changes.
I didn’t give time to take notes.
Instead, I maliciously sped through it as if telling them not to bother.
An overwhelming barrage of lecture content that filled the time in the way students hated most.
I skipped minor explanations, assuming they’d studied the basic theories and examples beforehand.
And that wasn’t all—I still remembered the diverse knowledge and setups from my director days.
I substituted them as “experience” and unleashed them mercilessly.
A level that not only outsiders but even fellow majors couldn’t follow……
Isel glanced around.
She heard voices.
“Sigh, I really should’ve signed up for Professor Aiden’s class.”
“They say you get the hang of it after just two lectures. Must be a legendary lecture.”
“But I heard even fourth-years are barely getting it, so how’s a third-year nailing it right away?”
“They say there are tons of examples. The actual class is super tough, but if you keep up, the effects are huge. That’s why the third-year rankings are shifting.”
Isel glanced at the passing students, then stared blankly at me again.
She didn’t know how she looked, but one thing was certain—I was deflated like a soaked sponge.
The regrettable part was that even then, Aiden maintained his noble dignity.
It was very much against my intentions, but…
I elegantly savored the coffee’s aroma……
Then Isel’s expression caught my eye.
She looked like she wanted something.
Her fingers fidgeted, and embarrassed, she whispered softly.
“…I didn’t catch everything back then. Could you show me once more in the research room?”
“…….”
“Ah, th-this isn’t! P-private tutoring! It’s review! Review! For real.”
Isel said it with a flush of embarrassment, fully aware of how shameless it sounded.
“For real! I really couldn’t focus then. If you just show the example once more, I think I’ll get it.”
I covered my forehead with my hand.
Why are you doing this too……
I just don’t understand the world anymore.
All I wanted was to shake off Elin; I didn’t ask for these positive evaluations.
‘At this point, it feels like the world is screwing me over.’
Sigh.
“I’ll show you in the research room.”
Isel clasped her hands in感動, gazing up at me misty-eyed.
“Really, Professor, I love you so much.”
What?
I glared at Isel.
The stares prickling my back were sudden.
It felt dangerous to even turn around.
My breath caught, but Isel, oblivious, kept praising me.
“Professor, thank you so much. I’ll work really hard to live up to your expectations…….”
“Isel.”
“Yes?”
“What did you just say?”
Isel tilted her head, puzzled, as if she had no idea.
She was innocently clueless, but this was a matter of my social reputation.
I couldn’t overlook it……
“Repeat what you said earlier.”
“Uh… Really, Professor, I lo—like you so mu—Huh?!”
Her face flushed for an entirely different reason.
“Uh, uwah! No, that’s not what I meant! I meant I’m really, really grateful, like that!”
“Yeah, deny it quickly.”
The prickling stares on my back eased.
I had nearly gotten swept up in dangerous rumors.
With a sigh of relief, I patted my chest.
Being with Isel always made me let my guard down.
“So why do you keep glancing at the magic tower, Professor?”
During our conversation, I had been eyeing the towering magic tower.
According to the story, the interior was already a mess by now.
I gulped down my coffee, then set the cup down on the saucer with a clink.
‘Magic Contamination.’
The practice floors open to students were being overtaken by magic, causing all sorts of mutations.
Plants and animals turned into magical beasts hostile to all intelligent life, while the environment filled with thick purple mist, polluting everything around.
“But isn’t it a bit suspicious? Suddenly locking down the magic tower like that.”
I swallowed my silence instead of answering.
Everything I’d just thought was happening in strict secrecy.
An insider attack on the magic tower.
Having taken an unexpected blow, the tower was deathly quiet.
They hadn’t even announced the assault, merely allowing the outside to seem like peaceful days as usual.
The only change was that campus security seemed a bit sparse.
But the magic tower was fine.
Even after the surprise attack, elite mages and professors were pouring all their efforts into suppressing it. No major disaster would erupt there.
I sipped my coffee.
It tasted especially bitter today.
‘The real disaster is…….’
I pictured Elin in my mind and closed my eyes.
It would be dark.
Lonely.
Painful.
Grueling.
Encapsulating all that hardship, she would despair.
Because by the time she arrived, most of the people she wanted to save would already be dead.
Even the survivors wouldn’t be unscathed.
It would leave lifelong trauma.
But that ordeal—call it karma or whatever—would awaken Elin.
She’d become the conductor steering the runaway train hurtling toward destruction from the rear.
‘I have to ignore it.’
A heavy gloom welled up inside me.
I tried to avert my gaze and ignore it, but a dagger named conscience stabbed me.
I could stop that incident.
No, I could suppress it early, beyond mere prevention.
I might even exterminate the beasts as if nothing happened.
It would turn into a pleasant practice session.
‘But I can’t.’
It was the trial the protagonist needed.
More precisely, the trial the hero, Elin, needed.
I glanced at my reflection in the coffee.
Like a mirror reflecting the heart, the serene surface showed me clearly, but now even it rippled faintly.
That disturbed my mind.
I had to overlook it.
Stay still.
Don’t step in.
That was the only way I’d survive.
The words “Don’t meddle unnecessarily” boomeranged back at me.
“The magic tower’s locked down… They must’ve found some amazing ancient tome.”
“You think? It didn’t feel like that vibe.”
“Before big announcements, they always keep it hush-hush. That way, they can surprise everyone.”
“Oh, really?”
Isel brushed it off nonchalantly.
In truth, this small talk was also for myself.
What you know is mere assumption, nothing certain. Like that.
‘Sigh…….’
It’s fine. Elin would survive anyway, and campus security would strengthen because of it. None of the casualties would include anyone I……
“Oh, Professor, I got selected for the practice session.”
“What?”
What?
Why? What the hell?
In the original story, Isel never went……
‘Butterfly effect?’
Because of something I did?
Seeing my bewildered expression, Isel played it cool, asking what was wrong.
“Suddenly the indoor session switched to outdoor, right? So they’re taking some Martial Arts College students for security?”
“What does that have to do with you going? Even if you do, there’ll be security guards, won’t there?”
“But everyone going is mages, and it’s not dangerous enough to need full security escorts.”
It’s just the back mountain. Sure, they call it Spirit Mountain, said to house high spirits, but that’s frankly ridiculous.
Just folklore or something.
Isel chuckled.
“Old tales people made up.”
But unlike her amused retelling, I couldn’t laugh.
Everything she said was true.
It was also the new power Elin needed to gain.
“Don’t go.”
“Ehh, but they’re giving credits.”
“I distinctly remember the practice day clashing with my class.”
“Oh, yeah, that’s true. But I already got the extra credits. Just let it slide this once.”
“I’ll penalize your attendance.”
Isel smirked, as if she expected that.
“Because the schedule changed so abruptly, the school’s excusing overlapping classes!”
Her triumphant attitude grated on me.
She probably meant it as a joke, but seeing me serious, she faltered.
“Isel, don’t go. That’s an order.”
Only then did Isel realize I wasn’t joking and hardened her face.
Moments later, she stared at me, demanding to know why.
“What’s the reason?”
She asked as if she wouldn’t go if there was one, but……
I couldn’t give her any answer.