I Became an Unknown Professor at the Academy

The seventh morning in my new body wasn’t very refreshing.

“What a strange sleeping habit……”

A white blob was draped over my chest, and it was drooling into my clothes, making my chest damp.

I didn’t mind the little girl climbing on top of me, but the dampness I felt when I woke up was enough to put me in a bad mood.

‘Well, that’s all there is to it.’

Literally, that was it.

I didn’t feel angry or the need to scold her. In fact, the thought disappeared as soon as I saw her pouting little cheeks.

“I wonder how she got up here.”

She had been lying quietly next to me before I fell asleep, but when I woke up, she was lying on my chest.

It wasn’t just a bad sleeping habit; she seemed to be sleepwalking, the way she had changed positions. I’d have to keep an eye on her tonight.

With that thought, I wrapped my hands around her tiny waist to lift her off me.

“Chuururp……?”

Was she sensitive to touch? As soon as my hands touched her waist, she sucked in the drool she had been dripping and looked up at me with a dazed expression.

“Go back to sleep.”

I laid her down next to me and got up. But.

Jump―

“……”
“……”

The girl, still dazed, got up with me.

I pushed her forehead down, making her lie back on the bed, and then.

Jump―

She got up again, like a spring, and looked up at me sleepily.

‘What does she want to do……’

I couldn’t help but sigh softly as we engaged in a meaningless staring contest.

‘It’s a battle I can’t win.’

This body. I. In front of this little girl, Baek Hana, I was powerless.

In the end, I admitted defeat and picked her up, holding her in my arms as I got out of bed.

I left the bedroom, passing through the library connected to it, and into the hallway.

The air in the hallway was as warm as the bedroom.

This house, a product of various complex magic, maintained a comfortable temperature regardless of the outside environment. So, I didn’t have to worry about her catching a cold or any other minor illness.

I was about to head to the kitchen when I called out to the girl, who was sleeping with her forehead pressed against my chest.

“Baek Hana.”
“Hm…… Me, me, Baek Hana…… Hmm……”

From the looks of it, if I gave her cereal, she would probably end up with her face in the bowl, dozing off.

After a moment’s hesitation,

I changed my mind and headed for the bathroom instead of the kitchen.

‘The priests should be good at taking care of the kids.’

**

The temple didn’t open its doors early in the morning.

After all, the clergy were human, and they needed to sleep, eat, and have personal time.

Moreover, during certain periods when there were no believers visiting, they tended to be even more relaxed. Some places didn’t open until after lunch.

However, their closed doors didn’t mean the clergy were being lazy.

Even though the doors were shut, the clergy inside were busy preparing for the day.

“Regarding the underground auction, maintain silence.”
“Yes, Executor.”
“Get the exact date for the ring-snatching contest by the day after tomorrow.”
“I’ll get a response from the Planning Department today.”

The Arena Academy branch of Bwiar’s Temple.

The clergy, both knights and priests, were gathered in the largest hall, having breakfast together. And at the head of the table, Claire was going through some documents, giving instructions to the others.

As she put down the documents for a moment to take a spoonful of cereal,

Squeak―

The tightly closed doors of the temple opened.

Naturally, all the priests and knights turned their gazes to the door, and Claire, who had been facing it,

“Phuhub―!!”

Spit out the cereal in her mouth directly into the bowl. Then, she quickly wiped her mouth with her sleeve and stood up.

“That’s my guest. Please continue your meal.”

But their gazes remained fixed on the open door. How could they not?

The man with the messy black hair and the opaque glasses covering half his face. That was fine.

What caught Claire’s attention, and everyone else’s, was.

‘A kangaroo……’

The man with the heavy aura had a bulging coat draped over his arms, and from it dangled a white blob. No, a child’s head.

The man, with his somewhat intimidating and unapproachable aura, was holding a dozing girl in his arms, his hand gently supporting her chin.

Claire couldn’t help but feel her mouth twitching upwards at the strangely stimulating sight, and she forced her lips down as she approached the man.

“Please follow me to my room.”
“Before that, I’d like to get this girl some clothes.”
“I’ll take care of it. Yesol.”
“Yes, Executor.”
“Bring the clothes I prepared yesterday to my room.”
“Yes.”
“Please follow me.”

Claire led the man to her room.

When she finished preparing the necessary documents for guardianship, Priest Yesol entered the room with a moving hanger full of girls’ clothes.

The man took the girl out from his coat and handed her to Yesol, who quietly took her behind the hanger.

Swish―

The sound of thin fabric brushing against each other filled the room.

“Make sure she’s not too cold.”
“Yes.”

The man responded, and Claire echoed his words. She put down the documents she had been preparing and asked for confirmation.

“Is guardian the appropriate relationship with the child?”
“Yes.”
“I’ve confirmed it. We’ll handle the necessary documents and procedures, so please let us know the names of the guardian and the child.”

The man nodded and.

“Baek Woo-jin.”
“Baek Woo-jin……”
“Her name is Baek Hana.”
-Hmm…?

A cute voice could be heard from behind the hanger for a moment before disappearing.

Claire wrote down the names of the man, Baek Woo-jin, and the girl, Baek Hana, on the documents and put them in an envelope.

The girl’s identity could be fabricated by the temple, and the man’s personal information would be requested from the Academy through his name and the ring, so this was enough for now.

“And.”

Claire looked up.

“Please bring one priest or knight with you. And the car, if possible.”
“……What for?”
“I have some things to buy.”
“……If it won’t take long, I’ll accompany you.”
“You?”
“Yes. Fortunately, I’m free at the moment.”
“I won’t refuse.”

**

[G-Mart]

Claire put on her magic-obscuring glasses and carefully observed the man, Baek Woo-jin, standing next to her.

“Woo-jin!! What’s that?”
“Cosmetics.”
“What are cosmetics?”
“You don’t need to know.”
“Why?”
“It’s something children don’t need.”

Baek Hana, wearing a fluffy white fur dress, was riding on Baek Woo-jin’s shoulders, chattering nonstop.

‘……Is this man really a disaster?’

The three of them were walking towards the checkout counter with a cart full of items.

Initially, they had planned to go to a high-end department store for awakeners, but Baek Woo-jin had insisted on coming to the nearest mart, saying that it was bad for children to develop expensive tastes.

And so, they had bought everything the girl needed and had the healthy foods delivered to the Arena Academy branch of Bwiar’s Temple.

Apart from his terse replies and intimidating aura, Baek Woo-jin seemed like a doting father, in Claire’s opinion.

As they waited for their turn at the checkout counter,

-Wow… Look at that man’s height.
-Oh my, what a cute child.
-She looks like a winter fairy.
-Hm… The woman looks familiar.

The voices of passersby caught Claire’s attention, and she couldn’t help but glance at Baek Woo-jin at the mention of a specific word.

“What’s that?”
“Chocolate. It’s something you eat.”
“Something to eat!!”
“……Only one.”

But Baek Woo-jin didn’t pay any attention to their surroundings, focusing solely on Baek Hana. He even added a box of calcium-fortified chocolate to the cart.

“Oh, did you just move in? Your daughter looks just like you.”

The middle-aged female cashier smiled amicably as she scanned the items.

“Woo-jin. Is Claire my mom?”
“No.”

The cashier’s body stiffened at his blunt reply, but she quickly resumed scanning the items.

“What do you mean, she looks like me?”

Baek Hana’s question made Baek Woo-jin pick up a box of cereal with a lion and another with a tiger on it.

“It means you two look similar, like these two.”
“Oh, so I look like you and Claire, then?”
“……”

Baek Woo-jin didn’t answer right away.

Claire knew that the question and this situation were meaningless, but she couldn’t help but feel a little bothered. Finally, Baek Woo-jin opened his mouth.

“If you grow up to be a little… prettier, then maybe you’ll resemble her.”
“What’s pretty?”

Baek Woo-jin put the cereals on the counter and pointed at Claire with his free hand.

“Is Claire pretty?”
“Yes.”

“Oh.”

The conversation ended there.

“That’ll be 795,000 won~ Hehe.”

Baek Woo-jin held out his ring-adorned hand to the cashier. The cashier’s eyes widened at the sight of the black ring.

“Oh my, you’re a professor at Arena Academy.”

The cashier chuckled and brought the reader close to the ring. And.

“……Huh?”

The cashier’s face became perplexed, and she glanced at Baek Woo-jin before cautiously opening her mouth.

“Uh, Professor, there’s not enough balance……”

At that moment, Claire saw it. A slight twitch under Baek Woo-jin’s lips.

“Woo-jin. Are we broke……?”

Baek Hana, who had been unaware of most things until now, somehow knew the word “broke” and asked Baek Woo-jin about it.

Grrrr―

A chilling sound, enough to make one’s whole body shiver, came from Baek Woo-jin’s closed mouth.

Claire quickly snapped out of her daze and moved closer to Baek Woo-jin, taking out a card from her pocket.

“Woo-jin, Mr. I’ll pay for it.”

A dazzling platinum card.

“Please use this to pay.”
“Uh, yes, yes.”

The cashier stared at the platinum card for a moment before scanning it with the reader.

“Here, take this.”
“Thank you for your service. Let’s go, Woo-jin…… sir.”

Claire quickly transferred the items to their cart.

Baek Woo-jin glanced down at his ring for a moment before following Claire to the car.

On the escalator leading to the parking lot,

Baek Woo-jin’s mood didn’t seem to improve, and Baek Hana, sensing it, closed her mouth and rolled her eyes around, taking in the surroundings.

After loading all the items into the car and settling Baek Hana in the back seat, Baek Woo-jin got into the passenger seat.

“Then, let’s head to the Academy―”
“Finance Department.”

Baek Woo-jin’s closed mouth opened.

“Go to the Finance Department.”
“……Yes.”