I Became an Unknown Professor at the Academy

There was a brief silence.
The children in the kitchen turned their attention to the fairy who had fallen to the floor. All except for Baek Hana.
“Woo-jin…!!”
Baek Hana jumped out of her seat and ran towards me, but I gently caught her in my arms.
“Are you done with everything? Are you leaving now? Are you okay? Did you go somewhere dangerous?”
“One at a time.”
She was usually a bit talkative when talking to me, but now, in my arms, she was even more so. However, every word was filled with concern for me, and I didn’t find it annoying at all. Today, I wanted to enjoy this chaos a little longer.
“Welcome home.”
After a moment of hesitation, she smiled shyly and said so.
“Yes.”
“Huh, huh…?”
As I brushed her hair away from her face and caressed her cheek, she widened her eyes and shuddered.
Thwack!
“Ouch?!”
I lightly tapped her forehead to lighten the mood, as she seemed like she would stay in my arms forever.
The fairy’s emotions, infused with the Void, seemed to amplify his existing feelings for Baek Hana.
I rubbed her head as she held her forehead and pouted.
“Go outside and do what you were supposed to do.”
I looked past her to Claire, who was standing in the corner, holding the unconscious fairy in her hands.
“Go to the garden.”
The children seemed to want to say something, but they left the kitchen with sullen expressions, perhaps because I was there.
“You too.”
“Just a little longer~”
The white-furred creature with fluffy ears and a long tail wrapped around my thigh.
“Stop fooling around.”
“Chirp…”
As I raised my hand to tap her head again, she snorted and followed the other children out of the kitchen.
My gaze naturally turned to Claire, who was alone.
“Claire.”
“Yes.”
Claire, who had been holding the unconscious fairy in her hands, flinched and slightly raised her head. I approached her without saying a word.
As the distance between us closed, her head, which had been looking up at me, slowly lowered. Even though I had held her in my arms until this morning, seeing her like this made me want to feel her warmth again.
Thwack!
“Ouch…?”
Claire covered her forehead with one hand and looked up, slightly startled. She hadn’t expected me to tap her forehead.
I bent down towards her, who had a similar expression to Baek Hana.
“Ah, ouch…”
She closed her eyes, expecting something, and lifted her chin.
Our breaths mingled at this close distance. I picked up the fairy in Claire’s hands and straightened my back.
“…”
Claire cautiously opened her eyes, sensing something. Her blue eyes met mine, and her ears turned bright red.
“Ah, this, this is…”
She moved her lips, trying to defend her previous actions. The emotions I felt from her were slightly different from what I felt from Baek Hana.
I took a step forward and bent down again.
Claire’s voice stopped.
“Hmm…”
As I straightened my back, she stared at me, unable to close her eyes. I extended my left hand and brushed her lips, which were slightly wet.
“If you don’t leave soon, the children might peek through that window.”
“Ah, yes, that’s… right…”
She tried to act nonchalant, but her face was already flushed with embarrassment.
Claire walked past me like a broken puppet, moving her limbs awkwardly.
“Once a day.”
“…”
She paused with her foot on the threshold.
“Until you get used to it.”
“…”
Then, she shuddered and hurried out of the kitchen like she was running away.
Alone now, I entered the study with the fairy, who was still unconscious in my hand.
Thwack!
-Ouch?!
I tapped the fairy’s forehead with my finger, not my magic, and it regained consciousness. Now that it was no longer in danger of dying, there was no need to hold back.
-…Tweet?
The fairy rubbed its slightly red forehead and looked around, probably searching for Claire.
This cunning creature often hid in Claire’s hair or pockets to avoid me when it caused trouble.
However, its next action was unexpected.
-Unnin!!
It looked up at me and said so.
“A grateful person?”
-Tweet!
It smiled and nodded in agreement.
-Thank you!!
Then, it stood up and bowed to me, just as Claire had taught it.
I had been planning to fix its bad behavior, but it seemed like I would have to put that off for now.
“You met Oberon.”
-Tweet!
The fairy, now sitting on the desk, nodded.
Oberon was a being who had died and disappeared long ago.
Even without that, the story didn’t make sense, but this world was a place where such nonsensical things often happened.
Moreover, the fairy had inherited Oberon’s lingering attachment and the will to protect.
“What did you talk about?”
-Hmm…!!
The fairy, who had been smiling brightly, suddenly frowned and began rubbing its head with its small hands.
-I can’t remember…
After struggling for a while, it looked up at me with a slightly sullen expression.
-Well, like this… like this…?
It seemed to want to convey something to me, so it stood up and moved its small body around, trying to communicate.
Its actions and intentions were commendable, but unfortunately, I couldn’t understand what it was trying to say.
‘Its vocabulary has noticeably improved, even though it still speaks incoherently.’
It was just a guess, but it seemed that the fairy had inherited the knowledge of Oberon.
One thing that caught my attention was why the inheritance hadn’t happened sooner. If it had, the fairy wouldn’t have had to consume its lifespan.
“That’s enough.”
-Hmm…
The fairy, which had been moving its body like a playful child, looked even more glum and sat back down on the desk.
“If you remember later, you can tell me then.”
-Tweet!
It smiled brightly, as if it had never been glum, and nodded.
I decided to get back to the main topic.
“It’s fine to play pranks, but don’t go overboard.”
-Tweet?
It tilted its head, not understanding.
“It’s okay to sit on my head, but don’t pull my hair or cause a ruckus.”
-Why not?
It blinked its innocent, emerald-green eyes, devoid of any malice.
“Friends are equal.”
-But I’m the queen…
“Queen…”
The fairy stood up again, proudly displaying its chest. Its constant sitting and standing were getting on my nerves.
‘It seems like the inheritance was successful.’
I’ll have to take the time to figure out exactly what it inherited. For now, it’s more important to warn and caution the fairy, which seemed more energetic than before.
“If you don’t want to be kicked out, follow my orders while you’re here.”
-Tweet?! I’m not a child…
It seemed to have the talent of only hearing what it wanted to hear.
I sighed at the fairy, which would probably burst into tears like a fragile glass bead if I poked it.
“If you don’t listen, I’ll kick you out.”
-No, I’ll listen…
The fairy nodded, placing its small hands under its chest.
-And… and… I can do this!!
“Bling bling.”
-Tweet!
The fairy flapped its wings and flew towards me.
Unlike before, its six pairs of wings now glowed with a mystical light.
The fairy approached me with its tiny wings and kissed my cheek.
The light from its wings seeped into me.
When the light had completely seeped into me, the fairy fell from my cheek.
-Hehehe~
The fairy folded its wings, now ordinary again, and smiled shyly.
‘A blessing, perhaps…’
I wasn’t sure what kind of blessing it was, but I knew that fairies could bestow blessings on those they favored.
-It’s a great blessing!
“Do you know what it is?”
-Hmm… I don’t know, but it’s a great blessing!
I had expected as much when it mentioned the word ‘bling bling,’ but it seemed like the fairy itself didn’t know what it had given me. Perhaps it was something it could use instinctively, like when it had taken my lifespan.
‘The Queen’s blessing…’
Whatever the effect, it was of no use to me.
If the fairy awakens in time, I’ll have to take it back and give it to Baek Hana or Claire.
I, Ummm, I’m not sure what I did…
“Haa…”
-Tweet, tweet…
The fairy flinched and hunched its shoulders when I sighed.
“I said I won’t kick you out if you listen to me.”
-Tweet? You won’t kick me out?
“Yes.”
I nodded at the fairy, which only listened to what it wanted to hear.
-Tweet!
True to its nature, the fairy’s mood brightened, and it chirped happily. I gently touched its small head and said,
“But if you cause trouble, no more chocolate.”
-Tweet?!
The fairy, which had been so excited, now looked like it had lost the world. It plopped down on the desk, dejected.
‘It doesn’t seem to be a big problem.’
Aside from being a bit more cheeky, the fairy was still a little troublemaker.