I Became an Unknown Professor at the Academy

The sun’s rays shone down on the study.

“Hmm… Hmm…”

A shy hum filled the room without its owner.

Clack.

Claire, who had cleaned the frame, placed it back on the desk, and paused for a moment, gazing at the photo inside.

A photo of a warm atmosphere, taken with the lush green leaves and beautiful white flowers in the background of the sun-drenched garden.

Claire, who had been looking at the photo in the frame for a while, suddenly took out her smartphone. Then, she lightly tapped the dark screen to turn it on.

“Phew…”

A smile escaped her lips at the sight of Baek Hana wearing Baek Woo-jin’s glasses.

Claire and Baek Woo-jin stood side by side, with a beaming smile, a small fairy perched on Baek Hana’s hand.

Woong──!!

Claire’s face, which had been smiling at the background on her phone, suddenly turned expressionless.

Claire, who usually maintained a stoic demeanor, felt a chill in her eyes.

[Na : I’ll go now.]

[Yesol : I will deliver the message.]

Claire, who had been about to put her phone away, took it out again and checked the time.

AM 09:32 · Tuesday, July 5th.

It was almost time for Baek Woo-jin to return.

[Na : Woo-jin… I… I have some business at the temple, so I’ll be out for a while.]

The message was stiff, but it had become more flexible due to their recent conversations.

‘…’

Claire hesitated for a moment as she looked at the message she had just composed, then pressed the send button and put her phone away.

Then, she took off the apron she was wearing and hung it over her arm, heading towards the bedroom.

-Piueng…?

The small fairy, deep in sleep, was carefully cradled in Claire’s arms, and she gently placed it in the shirt’s front pocket.

“Blanket…”

Claire had only one thing left to do before leaving, but she couldn’t take her eyes off the unmade bed. And she realized one fact belatedly.

It was that she had no reason to rush.

She just needed to inform Yesol of the time she would visit the temple.

-Bwiar’s child is not as good, but I have a decent child among my daughters.

The conversation between Baek Woo-jin and the two gods, which was not broadcast to others, was only relayed to Claire.

Although she had been ignoring it until now, Claire had to admit that she was very conscious of that conversation today.

“Stupid…”

Claire, who was considering sending a new message, criticized herself quietly and raised her head.

-Piuweng…

“I’m sorry.”

Claire carefully took the fairy out of the shirt’s front pocket and placed it back on the bed.

Then, she opened the wardrobe and took out a suit she hadn’t worn in a month.

Kwaak──!!

Claire put on the black gloves she hadn’t worn since 9 years ago when she went to the underground auction house to save Baek Hana, and put the fairy, which was now stretched out, into her jacket pocket.

“Hoo.”

Finally, she tied her long, flowing hair into a neat bun and left the mansion, heading towards the temple.

.

.

.

[Dianna, my beloved daughter.]

-Yes, Mother.

[Fifteen years is not an absolute short time for humans.]

-That’s right.

[I’m delighted that you serve me, but I want to see my beloved daughter’s happy face.]

-……?

[You’re turning thirty next year.]

-He, go, suddenly age…….

[That my daughter, the child of Beroth, has never experienced love by the age of thirty is somewhat saddening. Some might think of me as a wretched god overly obsessed with my daughters.]

-How could anyone harbor such irreverent thoughts toward you, Mother…?

[No, there’s a saying in Korea: ‘Even the king is criticized in his absence.’ So, why don’t you take a break and spend two years teaching at Arena Academy?]

-T-That… seems like a rather abrupt shift in subject, doesn’t it?

[By the way, I find this man named Baek Woo-jin quite agreeable. Anyone seeking to hold the heart of Beroth’s daughter ought to be of that caliber.]

-Wh-What, Mother…?

[Surely, you’ve also found yourself glancing at his face more than a few times.]

-Eek!! H-How could you possibly know that, Mother?!

[Don’t concern yourself with that scheming Bwiar. Just do your best.]

-M-Mother?! Mother!!

·
·
·

“…….”

Recalling the conversation from two days ago, Diana let out a short sigh and raised her head.

A single twin-sized bed.

A wardrobe set next to the window where sunlight streamed in.

A vanity table, empty except for a lone hairdryer, without a trace of makeup.

A chair and a modest desk barely large enough for work.

With just a glance, it was evident how frugal the room’s owner lived.

“Haah….”

Diana exhaled softly, twirling a lock of her blue hair that fell beneath her black veil around her finger.

Honoring the wishes of her revered and beloved mother, who had generously provided for her as an orphan, she had cleared her remaining schedule and flown all the way here.

‘I made it here, but…’

The problem was that I came here in such a hurry that I didn’t have anything planned.

Fortunately, the Great Mother had asked the other children so that she could work here.

And I had an appointment with the chairman regarding a donation, but in his absence, I was scheduled to meet with the person the Mother had mentioned.

Yes, that’s why I had to visit the Temple of Bwiar today, even though I knew it was rude.

‘But it’s too obvious…’

It was an interview under the pretext of a donation, but anyone could tell that the intention was impure.

Diana, who had heard the story of Claire as an old fairy tale since she became the daughter of Beroth, had always admired Claire.

‘Of course, she was amazing, but…’

She wasn’t uninterested in Baek Woo-jin.

His face, his voice, everything was perfect.

Moreover, he was an incredible talent who overwhelmed the world rankings.

To be honest, when I saw his face on the video for the first time, I felt a flutter in my heart for the first time.

But that was only temporary.

After the video disappeared, I had completely cleared my thoughts from my head.

The problem was that when this opportunity arose, a thought suddenly came to my mind.

A man admired by someone I respected.

A man who made Claire, the coldest of the cold-blooded, fall in love with her sharpest sword.

How charming must he be?

‘…I’m curious.’

Diana was driven by her curiosity about Baek Woo-jin, even though she knew she might be hated by the person she admired and idolized.

‘First, let me explain the situation…’

Click.

Diana almost reflexively stood up at the sound of the door handle turning.

And as the door slowly opened, a figure gradually appeared.

“It’s an honor to meet you. I am Diana Lograin, a servant of the Goddess Beroth.”

Her dazzling golden hair, like the rising sun, and her clear blue eyes, like a gem-encrusted lake.

“I am Claire Bean Assen.”

A short and concise introduction, but perhaps a bit rude.

However, she was a person worthy of such an introduction.

“Please sit down.”

Diana tried to calm herself as much as possible and sat down on the chair a little later than Claire, who had approached her.

“…”
“…”

An awkward silence filled the room.

Diana wondered if she should be the one to break the silence.

“This is the first time we’ve met in person.”
“Yes, it is.”

Fortunately, Claire spoke first.

“I have a schedule later, so please keep it short and to the point.”

Her answer was firm, but Diana was grateful that Claire had given her this time despite her abrupt visit without an appointment.

‘I’ll explain everything so there’s no misunderstanding.’

“I’m sorry for being rude today…”

Diana began to tell her everything, including her conversation with Beroth, and even her curiosity about Baek Woo-jin.

.

–

–

In the quiet mansion, I sipped my instant coffee from a black cup, gazing out the window at the summer sunshine.

‘Diana Lograin.’

Beroth’s most beloved daughter.

A priestess with the most sacred power after Claire, specialized in healing.

After receiving a message from Claire about her visit to the temple, I soon received another message from Yesol about Claire’s visit and the details of her conversation.

‘Without prejudice…’

I decided not to have any preconceived notions based on what might have happened in their memories.

Instead, I plan to use them to catch the bugs, as they are a force to be reckoned with, equivalent to dozens of large guilds.

-I’m back~
-Excuse me.
-Hello there!!

It seemed they didn’t have much luggage to pack.

Just ten minutes after we parted, Baek Hana and her group burst into the mansion.

-Change into your clothes and gather in the garden.
-Eek…
-Can’t we rest for a little… Eek!!

Tudadak──!!

Claire’s voice and the children’s hurried footsteps echoed through the house.

I thought it would take longer, but I was wrong.

“I’m back.”
“Welcome back.”

Her hair was neatly tied back.

She approached me in a new suit and gloves, carefully stepping into the kitchen.

“I…”
“Go ahead.”

She stopped right in front of me, her hands clasped neatly below her belly, and she spoke carefully, her head bowed.

And then, our faces drew closer.

Her lips, warmer and moister than the coffee-warmed lips, gently pressed against mine.

It was a fleeting kiss, lasting only a moment.

Claire, who had been on her tiptoes, slowly lowered herself, her coffee-scented lips moving.

“I’ll try harder…”

Try harder at what?

But before I could open my mouth, Claire fled from the kitchen like a fugitive.