I Became an Unknown Professor at the Academy

“Nonsense…”
Something beyond mere irritation crept up on me, likely due to the influence of the ‘Void’ itself, which hates the very concept of ‘God.’
But even without that, the creature’s parting words were enough to annoy me.
-I was your first.
The creature’s words, spoken as it vanished like a mirage, echoed in my mind again.
“Tsk.”
What made me even more annoyed was that the creature’s words weren’t entirely false.
It was half-true and half-false.
It was true that the creature had taken a part of my first, but that was all.
I ran my hand over my left cheek, which had been stroked by Claire.
On the day I evaded Claire’s question, leaving room for interpretation, the creature appeared before me, enraged. It revealed its true form, as it did today, and kissed my cheek without my consent. The creature’s parting words must have been referring to that incident.
“Hmm.”
I suppressed the anger and irritation that were creeping up on me.
I shouldn’t be thinking about what the creature meant by those words right now. It wasn’t the kind of answer I could figure out by pondering.
However, one thing was clear: the more I reacted like this, the more the creature would enjoy it.
“Huff.”
The thought of the creature enjoying my reaction instantly cooled the boiling emotions within me.
Calming myself, I got out of bed and approached the neatly folded clothes that Claire had left. I took out my smartphone, which I had placed inside my shirt.
As expected, it didn’t turn on. I had intentionally kept the battery in a near-dead state, so it would be strange if it still had power.
I placed the phone on the table and put on the clothes, one by one.
Finally, I put on the glasses that had been sitting next to the bed. I clicked my tongue as I felt like a missing part of my body had returned.
After putting the smartphone back in my pocket, I quietly left her room. Thanks to Bwiar’s unexpected help, I was able to move without much difficulty.
‘It’s better to leave the barrier as it is for now.’
Besides Claire, I had another backup plan with Baek Hana. Even if someone were to break in right now, it wouldn’t be a big problem.
There was no reason for anyone to target Baek Hana in the first place.
So, for now, the priority was to restore the balance of my body.
“Have you woken up?”
As I made my way downstairs, Lee Yesol, who had been alone in the temple, approached and greeted me with a bow.
I glanced at the half-broken temple door and spoke to her.
“Can you contact the Chairman?”
“Yes, I can.”
“Please do.”
Yesol took out her smartphone from inside the temple and handed it to me.
Not long after I received the phone, Chairman Ahn Hyundo’s voice came through the speaker.
-What’s the matter…?
“How’s the cleanup going?”
A brif silence.
-Professor Baek?
“Answer me.”
-I may be retired, but I’m still sharp.
I scoffed at his response.
“If you don’t like it, I’ll resign from my professorship. Of course, the barrier will never return.”
-…It’s been taken care of.
He sighed and replied.
“And the aftermath?”
-Even though I’m retired, I’m still in good shape.
I invited graduates to maximize the emotions of the fairies.
Only seven of them showed up.
In other words, only seven graduates survived and returned that day.
-Well, once the barrier is restored and things calm down, their guilds or acquaintances will probably inquire about their whereabouts.
“Take care of it.”
-I was going to do that anyway. But when will the barrier be restored?
“I plan to have it back before the vacation.”
-Hmm, if possible, please restore it as soon as possible.
“I’ll try.”
As he seemed to want to say something else, I ignored him and ended the call. I handed the phone back to Yesol.
“I’d like to call Kim Sung-won and Jayden.”
“Please wait here for a moment.”
Yesol’s hands moved quickly.
I sat down nearby and watched her.
“Are you hungry?”
“I’m fine.”
“How about some coffee?”
“Please.”
Yesol smiled brightly and went upstairs.
The half-broken temple door creaked open, and Jayden entered with a haggard face. He must have used his magic to run here, as it had been less than a minute since Yesol went upstairs.
“Professor…!!”
Jayden, who had spotted me sitting on the long bench, approached with a face that looked like he was about to cry.
“Stop.”
“Hmm…!!”
I stretched out my hand to stop him, and he froze in his tracks. He rubbed his face with both hands and composed himself.
“What’s the situation?”
“Well, there are five to seven intrusion attempts per day. So far, there have been sixteen attempts, and three of them have been confirmed to be affiliated with the Shadow Guild.”
“Does the Chairman know?”
“Well… He hasn’t said anything, but I think he’s aware of it.”
I nodded.
Even if the other professors didn’t know, Chairman Ahn Hyundo would be aware of the magicians from the Clock Tower who were keeping watch outside.
“I’m in your debt.”
“Debt? I’m just glad to be of help to you, Professor.”
“A little disgusting.”
“I’m not good at Korean expressions, but it’s not an empty compliment.”
As I was about to add something, Yesol returned with coffee.
“Here it is.”
“Enjoy it.”
I took a sip of the familiar-scented coffee to moisten my dry tongue and throat.
“Tell the others outside that they can leave next week.”
“Ah, are you going to restore the barrier then?”
“No. I plan to restore it the week after the vacation ends.”
“…”
Jayden, who had been looking a bit relaxed, stiffened and asked.
“You’re going to play cat and mouse with them?”
I didn’t respond and took another sip of coffee.
Originally, I had planned to wait a little longer for something to get caught in the trap I had set. But the fact that there hadn’t been any bites despite losing the Barrier, which should never have been exposed to the light, was concerning.
If they were cautious, I could simply increase the number of traps.
‘Viche. I’m indebted to that guy.’
Viche was the only individual who had become subordinate to me by chance. Although we had never directly clashed, Viche’s strength was similar to or slightly superior to Claire’s, who had been blessed.
It was no wonder she was the guardian of the first 14th-level breach.
‘I’m not sure how things will turn out now that her madness is gone.’
But despite that, it was undeniable that Viche was strong.
I could confidently say that, unless a god manifested directly, Viche would buy me enough time to deal with the problem and reach Baek Hana’s side. Most importantly, as long as I didn’t disappear, she was immortal.
“Professor.”
As I savored the aroma of the coffee, Lee Yesol, who had naturally stood by my side, spoke cautiously.
“The finance manager is running late due to traffic.”
“Call him.”
Yesol quickly connected the call and handed me the smartphone.
I held the ringing phone and gestured to Jayden, who was standing there blankly.
“Go do your job.”
“Yes, sir.”
His haggard appearance, despite his age, only evoked unpleasant feelings.
-Yes, I’m on the phone. This is Kim Sung-won, the Academic Affairs Manager.
“Are you in the car?”
-Yes, I am.
“If it’s going to take a long time, you don’t have to come. I called you because I thought you’d be at the Academy.”
-Is that so…?
“Yes. Please refrain from coming to the Academy until the barrier is restored. Inform the other staff members as well.”
-I understand.
“And the Eternal Witch.”
The name of the breach I had scheduled to visit eight years ago, on the day I met Kim Sung-won.
-As you instructed, I scheduled it for this winter.
“Move it to next year.”
-Next year… I understand.
There was the matter with the Shadow Guild, but I couldn’t guarantee that my body’s balance would be restored by then. If another shock were to hit me while my balance was off, I couldn’t guarantee when I would wake up either.
“That’s all.”
-I’ll take care of it and report back.
I ended the call as there was nothing more to say and stood up. Then, I handed the smartphone and the empty cup to Yesol.
“Lee Yesol.”
“Yes, Professor.”
She responded with a very polite smile.
After taking one last look at her and the broken door, I turned around.
“Don’t tease her too much.”
“Hehehe~ I’ll keep that in mind.”
As I received Yesol’s lewd farewell, I made my way to the mansion.
.
.
.
“…”
As I stood in front of the entrance after passing through the maze, I frowned upon sensing the presence of those who should have been in the garden, now gathered in the kitchen.
I quietly opened the door and entered, changing into the neatly arranged slippers. Then, I made my way to the kitchen.
-Pipi, Piak? We need to go out now…
-Piak!
-Oof, stop pulling my hair…
The noise became clearer as I approached the kitchen.
-Piak!!
A fairy was sitting on top of Baek Hana’s head, pulling on her animal ears as if riding a vehicle.
Other children were on the floor, peeling chocolate wrappers.
And…
“Ah…”
Claire, who had been filming the scene with her smartphone, met my gaze and shuddered, her shoulders trembling.
I sighed, understanding the situation, and gathered my magic. Then, I released it.
-Ouch?!
The fairy who had been sitting on Baek Hana’s head tumbled to the floor with a short scream.
‘What a reckless fool.’
Now that I’ve gotten what I wanted, it’s time to teach them that they’ll get punished if they misbehave.