I Became an Unknown Professor at the Academy

“The auction will proceed as it has in previous years, but since there are first-time attendees here, I’ll give a brief—”

“Not necessary.”

Claire’s voice echoed through the lounge.

The man’s hand trembled even more.

“Uh… yes. Then, let’s proceed.”

Despite this, the man maintained his smile.

A man with a strong work ethic.

The man in charge of the proceedings moved to the side of the stage, and soon, a well-dressed boy appeared on stage.

“Age 10! Every day, he was subjected to violence by his father, who he stabbed in his sleep…”

The man explained how the boy ended up in an orphanage, and how he was chosen as a promising Awakened individual and ended up here.

After all the introductions were over.

“The starting bid is 1500.”

The man finished speaking. Now, the attendees could place their bids. However, no one opened their mouths.

Claire, with an expressionless face, watched the stage and slightly bowed to me.

“Do you have any intentions?”

“No.”

At that moment.

-1600

“Yes. A bid of 1600 has been made.”

-1700
-1800
-1850

The bidding began.

A typical auction scene, where people simply raise their hands and call out prices. However, there was one special rule unique to this underground auction.

The most powerful Awakened individual among the forces or individuals attending the auction could choose one item and purchase it at the starting price.

I don’t know why this rule was created. However, I clearly remember that this rule has never been broken at any underground auction.

That’s why, despite the bidding starting, none of them dared to speak up.

“2200. Anyone else? 2200. 2200. 2200. Yes. Promising candidate number one has been sold for 2200.”

The boy was led off the stage by another staff member who had come up from below.

After the auction, the necessary documents would be prepared and sent to the winners, along with the children.

After the boy went down, a girl with messy hair, overly thin, and wearing a thin cloth that didn’t match the season, was brought up.

“The starting bid is 300.”

Unlike the boy, there was no special introduction, and the bidding began immediately.

-310
-330

Two people joined the bidding without even glancing at Claire.

They had concluded that Claire wouldn’t be interested in this girl, who was an experimental subject rather than a promising candidate.

I called out to Claire, who was standing next to me, as I watched the girl trembling on stage.

“Claire.”

“Yes.”

The lounge fell silent once more.

I continued without hesitation.

“What are you thinking right now?”

“I thought it was boring.”

“I see.”

“Yes.”

The conversation ended there.

The man in charge of the proceedings glanced around before continuing the auction.

The scruffy-haired girl was sold for 400 and went down from the stage, followed by a string of children who were brought up and bid upon.

Like the first boy, the specially selected children were well-dressed, trying to make a good impression on the attendees. In contrast, the children who were nothing more than experimental subjects, like the second girl, were brought up in tattered clothes.

‘Boring.’

My gaze towards the stage was no different from Claire’s.

Sympathy and compassion for the children.

Anger and hatred towards those who treated the children like objects.

None of those emotions were felt.

My gaze towards the stage and this space was one of indifference. It surprised me how little I cared.

‘It’s probably one of the changes that occurred after accepting the memories from the essences.’

It’s not a bad change.

I’m willing to accept such changes if it helps me achieve my goal.

Some may distance themselves, calling me emotionless and lacking in humanity. But I don’t care.

My role is solely that of a guardian.

A fence to provide an environment where the girl can grow and become independent.

Fences don’t need emotions.

I will prepare myself to repel the bugs that dare to cross. They will never even think of crossing again.

“The 30th.”

The lighting that illuminated the stage moved, and the dark curtain at the back of the stage fluttered. It was time for the next child to be brought up.

Soon, another child was led onto the stage by the busy staff member.

The child who had just come up on stage was no different from the other experimental subjects, dressed in tattered clothes.

Unkempt white hair covering her eyes.

A slight glimpse of her blue eyes, which seemed a little dazed.

Ragged clothes.

Thin arms and legs.

Yes. The child’s appearance was no different from the others.

But…

“She’s 12 years old. She was abandoned at birth and has a slightly unusual appearance, but apart from that, there’s nothing special about her. The starting bid is 70—”

The man on the stage stopped speaking, his gaze fixed on me.

Probably because I had stood up from my seat.

My body, which had been constantly plagued by lethargy, moved of its own accord for the first time.

I left my seat and walked towards the stage, climbing onto it.

The child’s height barely reached my knees.

I bent my knees and lowered my head to match our eye level.

Through the long bangs, I could see the blue eyes reflecting my face.

Such clear eyes. And dirty eyes.

I draped the coat I had been wearing over the child’s shoulders. Until then, the child had simply stared up at me with a blank expression.

I carefully held the child in my arms. She hadn’t been bathed properly, and various unpleasant odors wafted from her body. And she was so light.

“Claire.”

“Yes.”

Claire, who had been quietly following me, climbed onto the stage.

“Go back to the car first.”

“Yes. I’ll take care of the miscellaneous tasks and follow later.”

I didn’t respond and walked past her, descending from the stage.

Then, I hurried my steps.

Before my limited patience ran out, I needed to get out of this place.

**

**

Five minutes after the man left with the child, the neat and elegant lounge was strewn with limbs that had once belonged to someone.

It wasn’t just the lounge.

The entire building, artificially created for the underground auction, was filled with a thick, pungent smell of blood.

“P-please, please spare me…”

Claire, holding a sword of light in her hand, looked down at the middle-aged man who was cowering on the floor.

The man was the person in charge of the orphanage that had put the girl up for auction.

The only adult still alive in this building was this man, who was now urinating on himself.

‘Should I take him?’

The man’s actions and reactions towards the girl had been very special.

He had held her as if she were something precious.

The man in front of her had mistreated something precious to him.

Her thoughts didn’t linger long.

Thwack.

At some point, the man’s head had rolled onto the floor, separated from his body.

She didn’t like taking lives, but her loyalty to her god took precedence.

The sword of light in Claire’s hand transformed into divine power and disappeared into her body.

She manipulated the smart watch on her wrist, typing out a single word and sending it to someone.

『Execution』

She lowered her wrist, glancing around at the red-stained surroundings. Then, she recalled the conversation from the previous day.

【That man is a disaster.】

A disaster.

【Can humans stop natural disasters? All they can do is minimize the damage and pray for the disaster to pass. It’s the same with him. He’s a disaster to us and to humans.】

-Can’t the gods do anything even if they join forces?

【That’s why it’s called a disaster. Humans can’t stop a massive tsunami or typhoon even if billions of them gather.】

-I see.

【Claire, I told you. We’re not omnipotent.】

The god, who should be revered by the faithful, admits to not being omnipotent.

【I enjoy being here. I love you, Claire, even if you’re a little boring. I get angry when the children don’t listen, but I like that too. So I want to stay with you for a long time.】

The god, who is not omnipotent, loves her followers too much.

【The disaster will eventually happen, but we can delay its timing.】

An inevitable event.

But the timing can be delayed.

【I don’t know what that man wants, but he probably doesn’t like annoying bugs. So, Claire.】

The god, worthy of reverence, asks a favor of her beloved follower.

【Please, Claire, keep the annoying bugs from bothering him.】

—Yes.

To keep the annoying bugs from bothering the man, Claire chose a method that would capture everyone’s attention.

She would eliminate everyone who had seen the man, including those who had participated in the auction.

Additionally, she would have the knights and priests dispatched by the Temple raid other auction venues.

The email she had sent was the signal to begin.

Soon, knights and priests would arrive to protect the remaining children.

“Then.”

She checked to make sure there was no blood on her clothes and quietly left the building.