The Professor's Obsession
Pride fell silent for a moment, clearly surprised by how quickly the call had been answered. The guy usually waited until the ringtone was almost over before bothering to pick up.
Realizing what that silence meant, the person on the other end answered in a tone that suggested it was no big deal.
"I finished trimming my nails and had some time left, so I was just scrolling through the news on my smartphone. The call came in, that's all. Being a professor is way less busy than I expected."
Or maybe new professors simply had lighter workloads? Even so, all the other faculty members seemed to be rushing around like they were drowning in work.
"It's not even half of what I usually handle. You could basically call it a vacation."
A professor's job wasn't just teaching students. Building connections, publishing papers, and boosting their credentials were all part of it. Depending on their experience—like Professor Magnus—there were also external condolences, miscellaneous tasks, and all sorts of other duties piled on top. Even with teaching assistants, most still found themselves short on both time and energy.
But that was typical for well-known professors. For new ones, the priority was first raising their own value. The faster ones had only just begun preparing to write their first papers. On top of that, since this was the start of a new semester right after becoming a professor, simply adapting to the role was usually enough to leave them exhausted by the end of each day.
In that kind of situation, Jealousy—who had infiltrated the academy to protect Arina, the underworld's young lady—didn't need to bother with any of those annoying tasks. He just had to attend classes properly. If anything, it would have been strange if he weren't bored.
Not to mention, as one of the Seven Deadly Sins, he normally handled a considerable workload, even if it wasn't on Pride's level.
"I already know why you're calling. The forged documents weren't discovered, and the infiltration was successful. There's literally nothing to worry about, so why don't you just focus on your own work, huh? It's already weird that I haven't died from overwork, and now you're dumping all your tasks on me too?"
"I was the one who sent you there. Of course I have to take responsibility."
Unlike when he spoke to Kain, Pride answered in an extremely calm and solemn voice. Then, as if giving a warning, he repeated the same lecture he'd already hammered into Jealousy's ears until they practically had calluses.
"Let me say it again. Make sure you do not get caught by the Master."
"I know, I know. I don't want to get scolded by the Master either."
The sound of lips trembling came through the smartphone, as if the very thought disgusted him. There was no need to worry. Jealousy was a specialist in infiltration. If he truly set his mind to hiding, he was such a perfect spy that even the other members of the Seven Deadly Sins wouldn't notice. For some reason, though, the Master always saw right through him.
As expected of the Master.
Even though Kain hadn't done anything in particular, Pride's respect for him deepened another level in his heart.
"Ah, someone's coming. I don't want to leave any evidence during the mission, so don't call me anymore."
Jealousy hung up abruptly. Pride set the smartphone down on his desk and closed his eyes with an indifferent expression.
There shouldn't be any problems.
Just as Jealousy said, making this call was actually the action that put the undercover agent in a difficult position. The worry he felt now was nothing but needless anxiety. As always, Jealousy would carry out his role perfectly.
But why was it that, as if foreseeing the future, an image of Jealousy and himself kneeling before the Master—who had noticed the infiltration—floated vaguely in Pride's mind?
As expected of the Master.
Indeed, was there truly nothing that could be hidden from him? Once again, even though he hadn't done anything, Pride's respect for Kain rose endlessly through his own imagination alone. It was closer to worship or reverence.
Without missing a beat, Pride revealed his unwavering loyalty to Kain and reached for the mountain of work that had grown as much as his respect for the Master in that short time. In contrast to Jealousy, who had gone on what wasn't really a vacation, Pride was—as usual—buried in tasks today as well.
"Nice to meet all of you."
Dark circles hung heavily beneath gloomy eyes. His voice was noticeably quieter in volume compared to the other professors. His painfully thin frame looked so frail that one couldn't help but worry whether he belonged in a classroom or a hospital bed.
"My name is Karlsen. I'll be teaching Curse Studies with all of you this year."
His body was so skeletal that it seemed like a single tap would snap his bones, all of it hidden beneath baggy clothes. He was the complete opposite of the neat, flawless, and impeccable Professor Magnus—a professor full of gaps and imperfections.
"First of all, even though the subject is called Curse Studies, let me start by saying this class won't be teaching you how to cast curses."
Professor Karlsen picked up a piece of chalk thicker than his own finger.
"After all, Benedict Academy is a magic-specialized institution. If you wanted to learn something else, you would have gone to a different academy."
Most of those who enrolled here dreamed of becoming mages. Of course, some might want to learn dark magic while studying regular magic, but it wasn't something that could be forced upon them in class. If anyone felt that way, they could study it separately through club activities later.
"What I will teach you is not how to cast curses, but 'what curses are' and 'how to break them.'"
Every class at Benedict Academy generally followed this pattern. All lessons centered around mages—starting with ways to improve one's own magical abilities, then learning how to deal with enemies from a mage's perspective.
In other words, Karlsen's class was about learning how to counter a dark mage's curses from a mage's point of view.
"Since this is the first class, instead of diving into a dry textbook, I'll try to capture your interest with a simple story."
Karlsen wrote something on the blackboard, then turned to face the students. What he had written were the two characters for Sawang. Just those two letters were enough to make the children's eyes widen in reflexive reaction.
"I'm sure everyone knows this name, right? Since all of you are mages, you probably respect the Majoan the most. But as a dark mage myself, I cannot help but respect this person above all."
The Ellemental Kingdom was relatively free compared to other nations. It didn't judge people for who they liked or disliked. If this were the Great Nature in the south, the Empress would have thrown a fit the moment she heard the name Sawang and ordered his head cut off immediately. But in the Ellemental Kingdom, the name Sawang wasn't all that negative.
At least he didn't bite unless provoked. On the contrary, Tugwi Jeok-cheong from the east—who constantly picked fights with the Ellemental Kingdom—left a far more negative impression.
"When it comes to Sawang, the first thing that comes to mind is his necromancy, which has reached its peak centered around the strongest summoned creatures."
"......"
"But we can't leave out curse magic either."
During the large-scale battle against Yggdrasil in the past, the curse magic that instantly killed multiple 8-star transcendents was still a legendary tale passed down among curse mages to this day.
"Let me first explain the basic mechanism of curse magic. As you all know, the fundamental principle of dark magic is distinctly different from regular magic."
Magic and spirit arts were deployed based on the laws of this world. But dark magic was an academic field that applied one's own personal laws onto the world. At its foundation was the Inner World.
"It's like planting a virus into the world. And all of you, along with every living being in this world, belong to the category called 'the world.'"
In other words, everyone had the potential to become infected by that virus. That was the basic principle of curse magic. Simply put, it was contaminating the opponent using one's own personal laws.
"That's why even the same curse magic can have endless variations in type and power depending on the caster."
To block a curse, one had to do something about the opponent's Inner World—either destroy it, break through it, or neutralize it. And this was exactly what Professor Karlsen would be teaching in this class. What an Inner World was, and what kind of mechanism it operated on.
"Let's return to the story of Lord Sawang. Is there any student here who doesn't know his other title?"
"It's Dark Heaven!"
"Oh, very good. Who was that? The one who just answered?"
At Togun's booming reply, Professor Karlsen checked his name.
"Student Togun? Ah, so you're the student Professor Magnus mentioned. He said you declared you would become like the Majoan? Professor Magnus was quite pleased that a student had already found his dream."
"Thank you!"
"Anyway, as Student Togun said—Dark Heaven. And that name is a nickname given because of his unique Inner World."
A dark mage's Inner World was usually a reddish hue like sunset. But Lord Sawang's Inner World was pitch black all over. It meant he had reached a height so lofty that he could completely steal away the color of the world.
A curse cast by Sawang, who possessed such an Inner World—if it were weak, that would be even stranger.
"This is how an Inner World changes in appearance depending on a dark mage's level. If you ever can't gauge an opponent's true strength, you can estimate their level by looking at it."
"......"
"If the opportunity arises later, I'll show you my own Inner World directly. After all, seeing something once with your own eyes is much easier to understand than hearing about it dozens of times."
Of course, in the case of curses, using them incorrectly could cause a real disaster, so he had absolutely no plans to use it.
Smiling, he slowly looked around at the children who were now filled with anticipation.
"As I said earlier, there are endless types of curses. I can't guarantee that through this class everyone will gain complete immunity to curses. I'm the same way. No matter how confidently I stand here bragging in front of you all, there's no telling when I might suddenly die screaming from another dark mage's curse."
"......"
"However, everything ultimately comes down to experience. The Majoan said it too, didn't he? That mages must gain as much experience as possible. And that's not just for mages. When it comes to studying and advancing in any field of knowledge, there is no better teacher than experience."
"......"
"I hope my class will be of great help to all of you. And if the experiences I provide—borrowing Professor Magnus's words—help you decide on your future dreams, then that would be even better."
Dreams really were wonderful things. They became the driving force that pushed humans forward. Of course, it was quite unbalanced to hear someone who looked like he might collapse from malnutrition at any moment talking about hope. Still, he seemed to genuinely like delivering such hopeful messages.
"This has absolutely nothing to do with the class, but just like how Student Togun boldly declared he would reach the same heights as the Majoan, I too have a dream."
Strictly speaking, it was more of a goal than a dream.
What could it be?
At first glance, Arina had thought the professor looked strange. But the more she listened, the more she realized he was actually a very normal and good person. His surprisingly eloquent speech naturally drew her ears in.
Arina stared intently at his face, waiting for Professor Karlsen's next words. As if responding to her expectations, he smiled brightly and continued right away.
"It is probably the dream of every curse mage, not just me. To see Lord Sawang's curse with my own eyes."
Just how mysterious were the laws hidden within it? What kind of world had Lord Sawang created? She wanted to confirm it with her own eyes.
Of course, death would be certain. It was a curse that even 8-star transcendents couldn't endure and that even Absolute Beings avoided receiving directly. There was no way Professor Karlsen could withstand it.
"It would be nice if I could build up enough skill to survive after taking it. Unfortunately, unlike Student Togun, I don't have that kind of guts, so I can't hope for that much. Haha."
Watching him scratch his messy, sticking-out hair in embarrassment, Arina blinked her eyes wide for a moment.
Cancel the part about him being normal and good. He was a good person, but after hearing that, he didn't seem all that normal.
"Ah, since we've come this far, shall we skip the first day's lesson and just keep talking about Lord Sawang? So, the first time he revealed himself in this world was..."
A typical Sawang fanboy. From the very first day, he showed his true colors without restraint. That day, Professor Karlsen's class began with stories about Sawang and ended with stories about Sawang.