The Professor's Suspicion
When the professor arrived, the students all hurried to their seats. Looking at their faces, they were all familiar.
“Now that you’re all second-years, it’s time to start your majors. The Empire provides a curriculum suitable for both commoners and nobles. You can apply for as many major courses as you want. There are no restrictions on your choices, but keep in mind that attendance and attitude will be heavily factored into your grades. Oh, and just so you know, I teach Magical Engineering. Don’t expect me to go easy on you just because I’m your homeroom professor.”
I’d seen that face before. He was one of the court mages who had fought back when part of the Demon King’s army launched a direct assault on the imperial capital. What was his name again? Adran? Yeah, something like that. His skills were below mine, but in the Empire, he was treated as a fairly accomplished archmage. Typical for an Attelina Academy professor, I suppose.
—Greetings, Sword Saint.
—I’m a mage.
—Haha, just kidding.
The conversation we’d had after slaughtering monsters together still lingered in my mind. It wasn’t like I’d wanted to pick up a sword in the first place, damn it.
I clenched my fist, and Adran suddenly stared straight at me.
“You there. I don’t remember seeing you before. First-year?”
“No, sir. I’ve moved up to second year.”
Why didn’t even the professor recognize me?
“Huh… Your voice does sound familiar. Name?”
“Olivia Lapa Ashtar.”
My words sent both my classmates—who still hadn’t quite believed it—and the professor into shock.
“Haha. Nice joke.”
Adran waved his hand dismissively, telling me not to lie. Why the hell was he treating this as a joke? I was always serious. Or maybe he actually knew what was going on inside me?
I decided to make full use of Olivia’s position here.
“I swear on the name of Ashtar—this is no joke.”
Now that I thought about it, had my appearance changed so drastically from the original Olivia? Had something gone wrong with my looks when I took over her body?
At least, from what I could tell, Olivia’s appearance was quite beautiful. Far more so than that succubus bitch who’d disguised herself as a saintess, or even the famous beauty of the Kanf family. And this wasn’t just because I was currently inside this body. Objectively speaking, she was stunning.
So what had changed?
“Is that really you?”
“Yes.”
“Ahem. I see. What happened to your hair?”
I couldn’t exactly say it was the result of mana fusion. That single change had already drawn a clear line between Olivia’s and Noah’s identities.
“I woke up like this one day.”
“I see… Well then, shall we decide on your majors?”
Adran looked like he had something more to say, but he quickly changed the subject.
I intended to apply for every single major available. Since that damn duke had told me to prove my worth, I’d prove it through grades.
I checked every major course on the list the professor had handed out and submitted my application. When Adran saw my form, his face twisted.
“I knew something was off the moment I saw that white hair… Did you hit your head somewhere?”
“Why do you ask?”
Wasn’t it better for a professor if a student took as many classes as possible?
“You’re seriously planning to take all of these? I mean, as long as you show up for lectures and do well on the exams, it’s technically allowed, but…”
“It’s possible.”
If I could master the titles of Sword Saint, High Priest, Divine Archer, and Archmage all at once, then of course it was possible. All that suffering I went through in the hero’s party was finally paying off.
That’s why I would do it all. I just needed to find the right moment to slip out when no one was watching.
“For now, Miss Ashtar, please come see me in the faculty office.”
Professor Adran has requested a private meeting.
When I arrived at the faculty office, Adran led me straight into a one-on-one counseling room. He sat across from me, stared for a long moment, then spoke carefully.
“Okay, seriously. What the hell is going on with you? Did I do something wrong? You can’t just lose your mind because the crown prince dumped you. Or wait… is that actually what drove you insane?”
Now that I was hearing it, this guy really was—
“What the fuck do you take me for?”
Just what kind of behavior had this damn woman Olivia shown her professors that they’d call her crazy?
“Wow, she’s even swearing now.”
“What did I used to say?”
I was genuinely curious what Olivia had been like.
—Do you really think a lowly commoner like you can change your bloodline just by becoming an academy professor?
Well, at least I could confirm that the original owner of this body was a total bitch. On the level of that fake saintess or the Kanf girl. Either way, it didn’t matter.
“I don’t remember saying anything like that.”
“You have no conscience at all, do you?”
I really didn’t know. No, seriously—I had no memory of it. Go ask the dead Olivia. So I just gave a vague excuse.
“If someone in this body said such things, I hope you can generously forgive me.”
I’d phrased it indirectly to imply I wasn’t really Olivia.
“Hmm. Fine. But do you honestly think you can handle all of this?”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
What could possibly be impossible?
“Swordsmanship, magic, archery, hand-to-hand combat. Kid, even noble heirs who’ve been trained as successors since childhood with personal knights and court mages as tutors couldn’t pull this off. And you’re a girl? You spent your training hours taking etiquette classes. You really think you can do this?”
Considering how pathetic her stamina had been, this body really had been trash. It was only strong when it came to mana. If we were talking pure physical ability, I’d have to cheat with mana to train it up.
“People tend to display superhuman abilities when faced with a crisis right in front of them.”
Humans were creatures who awakened supernatural power in desperate situations. Having reached the pinnacle of the sword, bow, and healing arts in such dire circumstances, there was no way I couldn’t handle this. As for hand-to-hand combat, I could just wrap my body in mana and be done with it.
“Oh my god, I’m losing my mind.”
Adran roughly scratched the back of his head. I was the one who wanted to go insane. I’d died, then woken up in a body with massive breasts. It felt lighter than when I was a man, but those mounds on my chest were still incredibly awkward to get used to.
“Even if I fail, it’s my own failure, so don’t worry about it.”
“Wait… are you really Olivia?”
I wasn’t. But if I told him the truth, he wouldn’t believe me anyway, so I kept it vague. After all, if I couldn’t prove my worth to the duke right now, I’d be kicked out.
“Uh, yes. I am. The Ashtar name is about to be stripped from me, so I have to get my act together.”
I repeatedly emphasized that my neck was literally on the line, so I had no choice but to shape up whether I liked it or not.
Professor Adran tilted his head as if what I was saying made no sense.
“Ah, right. You were dumped. Most broken engagements for noble ladies end with them being sent to a monastery, though.”
The situation of a noble lady who’d been rejected in a political marriage was indeed dire. Nobles usually arranged marriages for the benefit of their houses. They were forced together whether they liked it or not, but if it was truly unbearable—if the other party was so awful that spending a lifetime with them would be pure hell—then the family might abandon the benefits and call off the engagement. Naturally, the one who was dumped became a disgrace to their house.
“Yes. That’s the problem. Thankfully, my biological father, the duke, has given me one last chance. So I have to raise my grades at the very least.”
“If you actually take first place in all these majors, that would certainly be impressive. Well, I don’t have the authority to stop you, so I’ll allow it. But considering everything you’ve done up until now…”
Hey, that wasn’t me. Olivia, I should’ve met you sooner. When I came to the Empire as Noah, I should’ve attended at least one noble social gathering. If I’d beaten some sense into you back then, things might have been different by now.
…
…Come to think of it, that would’ve meant I’d still be tied to the crown prince. I had zero interest in becoming empress. So right now, it was all about money.
“Would you be willing to allow me to take a part-time job?”
A part-time job was crucial right now.
“What are you talking about?”
“I need a job to pay for my tuition.”
Even when I was Noah, that hero bastard Eugene had left me broke. If this body was in the same situation, I was genuinely pissed off.
“They’re not even covering your tuition? Hmm. Based on your past behavior, I really shouldn’t allow it, but…”
I was starting to get angry. Both at Olivia’s past stupidity and at the absurdity of having to deal with this nonsense.
“For fuck’s sake, no matter how trashy I was, I’m still your student. Just trust me this once. Please.”
My livelihood is on the line here, you bastard.
“Wow, the swearing is really something. …Never mind. Fine. I’ll give you a permit. You can find a job on your own, right?”
“Yes.”
I’d prefer to work within the academy, but as a duke’s daughter, that probably wouldn’t be allowed.
“Is your head really okay?”
“Yes. I’m perfectly fine.”
Honestly, from a professor’s perspective, this version of me was probably better. The old Olivia who openly looked down on commoners was far worse than the current me.
“I’m in charge of Magical Engineering, so make sure you attend properly. Got it?”
“Yes.”
Even though it was the first day of the new semester, classes ended early since it was mostly just major registration. After four periods of general classes, there was lunch, followed by major courses in the afternoon. Regular academy classes ended at 5:30 PM, after which it was free time. Perfect for figuring out how to make money.
The Empire was the largest nation among the human kingdoms. While the border regions had been heavily devastated by battles against the Demon King’s army, the capital was bustling with both people and job opportunities. The slums, of course, were equally massive in scale.
It was finally time to make use of those thug bastards. I headed back to the slums.
The thugs recognized me immediately and bowed their heads. I simply gestured for them to continue and took the list of available jobs from them, scanning it over.
“Hmm. Quite a variety.”
“Yes, ma’am. Since it’s tailored for academy students, most of them are for commoners. Is that alright?”
“Doesn’t matter.”
Noble children wouldn’t bother with part-time jobs anyway. Their families were all wealthy and provided everything. The ones actually looking for work were usually commoners who couldn’t get scholarships and needed the money. From these thugs’ perspective, I must look ridiculous—a well-groomed, high-class lady searching for a job.
“Then how about a bakery? Or an adventurer’s tavern? The guild side seems decent too.”
“This one pays better?”
One of the listings offered a fairly high wage.
“Yes. The problem is that it’s at a magic workshop.”
“A magic workshop?”
“Yes. They develop magical tools. You’d need exceptional knowledge of magic, and…”
I’d seen a few magic tool shops before. Did the Empire’s magic workshops really hire part-timers? The thugs had done a decent job finding options, but while there weren’t many restrictions, it wasn’t exactly something an academy student could easily handle.
“Hmm. I see.”
I didn’t think it would be impossible for me, though.
“Ah, you’d also need a certificate. At minimum, you need to be recognized by the guild or have a mage registration. That’s why I excluded it.”
“I can use magic. Ah.”
Wait, no. I wasn’t a mage anymore—I was Olivia. In that case, it wasn’t particularly appealing.
“Then how about this one?”
“Academy library? Hmm, being a librarian doesn’t sound bad.”
This was something I could have found myself, but these guys had done a pretty good job.
“But there’s quite a bit of competition.”
“Competition?”
“Yes. They say there are various tests involved.”
“Knowledge, huh? Hmm. That’s fine.”
I had once been invited to the Empire as a visiting professor at the academy. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say I’d designed most of the curriculum myself. Of course it wouldn’t be difficult.
As for the others…
“Odd jobs for the third-year knight department, carrying magical tools for the magic department… These aren’t bad either.”
All of them required applicants to have a certain level of knowledge or physical strength.
“Um… then we’ll take our leave now.”
These bastards were trying to slip away already.
“What happened with the hero and the Demon King?”
“The hero returned in triumph, but it seems he’s continuing his journey.”
If he’d defeated the Demon King thanks to me, he should’ve taken all the credit and lived comfortably in the royal capital. Why the hell was he still traveling? Was this some kind of honeymoon? Fucking hell. Those damn bastards.
Maybe I should aim for the duke’s position instead? Once I became a duchess, I could lead an army into the kingdom where that hero was living the good life. That sounded like a solid plan. I should seriously consider it.
“Really? And the Demon King isn’t dead?”
“It’s unclear. Something seems to have happened at the Demon King’s castle, but there’s been no particular reaction.”
No particular reaction?
Historically, when the Demon King died, peace would last for a considerable time.
“Nothing has been confirmed about the Demon King’s life or death?”
“No.”
He was definitely dead. I’d personally slit his throat. There was no way he was still alive. Or were they saying this because it wasn’t the holy sword wielder who killed him, but a mage?
“Hmm. Strange. What about the Four Heavenly Kings?”
“The Four Heavenly Kings are still sending Demon King’s forces from various locations across the Empire and the Kingdom.”
So the Demon King was still alive? That was odd. Had they used my corpse to resurrect him as the new Demon King? No, that couldn’t be it. I’d made sure my body would completely disappear upon death so my knowledge couldn’t be misused. Even if the Four Heavenly Kings were venting their anger by sending monsters, without the Demon King, they’d be much weaker than before.
“Understood. Keep up the good work. I don’t have money right now, but once I have some leeway, I’ll pay you properly for your efforts.”
I used to beat them up, but just because they were slum trash didn’t mean I should only use force. I needed to build a relationship of trust by giving them money from time to time. The simpler they were, the harder they’d work once paid.
“You mean you’ll keep using us in the future…?”
“Or you can recommend someone better than yourselves. If there are guys better than you, I’ll use them instead.”