SRS 35

“……”

Yohan was so startled by the unexpected compliment that he couldn’t speak, he opened and closed his mouth multiple times. The angel professor, indifferent as ever, returned the ring to Yohan’s hands and said,

“You are a fine talent. Keep improving.”

“…Thank you.”

“If you wish to become a professor, you’ll need to refine your skills further.”

“……”

“You may come find me during break time.”

Yohan hadn’t said a word, but the angel professor looked satisfied with himself and returned to his seat with no further explanation. The classroom fell silent. When Yohan saw the look in his friends’ eyes, he was shocked to find traces of fear there. They were looking at him as if already convinced that he would one day become a professor.

Feeling wronged, Yohan glared at the angel professor, who had turned his attention to another student.

Why did he have to say that to me?

A professor…? He had never once thought of becoming one. Especially not a professor at Fantasiademia.

Every single professor here was insane. Why would someone who had lived decently ever want to go mad?

I’ll make sure to stay in the dorm during every break from now on.

Sensing danger for reasons he couldn’t explain, Yohan clutched the ring and found relief in the fact that professors were forbidden from entering the dormitory.

Bang!

–Croak, Croak.

By now, even having the student in the front row turn into a frog and croak wasn’t enough to surprise him anymore.

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

“Yohan, I heard something. They say you’ve been promised a future position as a professor.”

“What?”

Suhyeok, whom Yohan ran into during a general education class, started saying something strange. Yohan frowned irritably, which was rare for him. Suhyeok blinked in surprise and straightened up from his lazy posture.

“That’s not true?”

“It’s not. There’s no way that’s true.”

“That’s odd. They said the angel professor praised you and called you a promising candidate to become a professor.”

“……”

“…Wait, is that part true?”

“…Yes.”

Embarrassed, Yohan avoided his friend’s awkward stare. Suhyeok looked at him in disbelief, wondering why he had denied it earlier if that was the case. Yohan protested, thinking that the two things were very different.

“But that’s not the same as being promised a professor’s position. I don’t plan on becoming one. I’m going to graduate early and resurrect.”

“But you never know what’ll happen, right?”

“Suhyeok.”

When Yohan glared at him, Suhyeok flinched dramatically and laughed, raising both hands in mock surrender.

“I’m joking.”

“…Ha.”

Yohan shook his head with a sigh. If even Suhyeok was reacting like this, he could imagine how everyone else must be talking.

“…How far has the rumor spread? I don’t even understand why it started in the first place.”

Feeling embarrassed, Yohan groaned in frustration and covered his face with his hand. Suhyeok pulled his chair closer and whispered, careful not to draw the professor’s attention.

“Well, the students in Divine Studies like you. They’re proud of you. Word is spreading among them that you were probably a pope in your past life.”

“……”

There had been no pope on the continent Yohan had lived on, only a high priest who filled that role. He flinched, Suhyeok didn’t miss it. He let out a thoughtful hum, then clasped his hands behind his head and shrugged.

“Anyway, they’re just proud of you, so they’re talking about it everywhere.”

“…I really wish they’d stop.”

He understood the sentiment, but it didn’t make him feel grateful. Deciding he would have to gather his friends and beg them to stop one of these days, Yohan spent the following days constantly having to deny things as every student he met came up to him saying things like, “Yohan! I heard you’re going to be a professor. Why would you make such a choice…”, “Yohan, I heard about you. I’ll support your choice.”, “So that’s Yohan Herse… Not satisfied with being top student, huh?”, “You cunning guy. You’re using the professor’s praise to cling to first place.”, “Yohan… are you sure you’ll be fine?”

Feeling fed up, Yohan had to refute every single one.

Worse, a few students who had recently started eyeing the top rank began showing jealousy toward him, which actually made Yohan lose his temper for once and draw everyone’s attention.

Only then did the others finally murmur, “Guess he really hates that,” and stop bringing up the professor.

After being hounded by classmates all day, Yohan returned to the dorm completely drained. Seeing him walking in, his friends, who knew exactly what kind of day he’d had, kept quiet.

Already exhausted and sleep-deprived from the night adventure, Yohan was sincerely grateful for their silence. He slept soundly for the first time in a while, and woke briefly for roll call, then went back to sleep again.

Fortunately, by the next dawn, every student who had been calling Yohan “professor” had vanished. Yohan found it strange that the rumor had died out completely in just one day, even though he’d spent the entire previous day denying it as hard as he could. When he looked confused, Suhyeok explained the reason.

“I think the students who saw you lose your temper for the first time started warning everyone else. They said if they didn’t want to be treated by you ever again, they’d better keep quiet.”

“……”

Yohan was dumbfounded that the rumor had ended for a reason so different from what he’d wanted. He nodded awkwardly and went for a walk with the griffin.

After seeing the world spin in a full circle, his thoughts began to spin as well.

Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if I got angry from time to time.

That was how the once-devout heart of a young priest began to slowly fall.

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

During the Herbology class, the elf professor, Will, brought several unfamiliar people into the classroom. The students, who had been about to bow to the professor as usual, paused and turned curious eyes toward the strangers. Judging by their matching uniforms, they also seemed to be students of Fantasiademia.

But there was something strange. The students who came in with the professor looked pale and sickly, as if they might faint at any moment.

The first-year students taking the class whispered to one another in concern, nervous at the sight of the students’ frail condition. While they murmured that those people might faint at any time, Professor Will clapped his hands to gather everyone’s attention.

“Now then, to help you develop your ability to handle emergency situations, I’ve brought some assistants with me today. Please greet them, they’re upperclassmen of Fantasiademia.”

“Upperclassmen?”

“I knew it! That’s why I didn’t recognize them.”

“Whoa, upperclassmen…!”

It was unusual for Yohan to have run into Abel at the headmaster’s office before, normally, first-years had no chance to meet upperclassmen. Since activity zones were strictly separated, the students stared curiously at them, but their expressions quickly darkened when they noticed how exhausted and miserable those seniors looked.

“…A-are we going to end up like that too?”

“No wonder they looked sick. Is every upperclassman like that?”

“Fantasiademia is terrifying…”

The admiration and curiosity in their eyes turned to dread as they envisioned their own grim future.

Yohan tilted his head.

Abel had looked fine when he met him. So why did these upperclassmen look so awful?

Wondering if Abel had just been an exception, Yohan waited for class to begin, and a moment later, he understood why the seniors looked that way.

“Then, before we start the lesson, let’s create an emergency situation.”

The professor’s cheerful voice had barely faded when his figure suddenly vanished before their eyes. Immediately afterward, the upperclassmen fell to the floor, choking and groaning.

“……”

One of them collapsed while vomiting blood, another foamed at the mouth and fainted, and another fell backward without a sound, bleeding from the head. The students were too shocked even to scream and stared blankly at Professor Will.

Tap, tap.

He brushed his hands together, glanced around at the stunned first-years, and said with a small “Ah,” as if realizing something.

“There’s no need to worry too much. These are students who’ve accumulated too many demerits. They’re here to assist with the class, that’s all.”

In other words, they were being punished according to how many demerits they had, and there was no need to worry about them. His explanation, spoken so casually, only made the students’ faces grow graver.

Yohan stared at the miserable seniors and quietly drew the holy sign.

So this is why you have to behave properly in school.

Feeling sorry for the seniors who had taught him such a lesson, Yohan watched as Professor Will, trying to regain the students’ attention, opened the classroom door.

“From now on, you’ll divide into three groups. Each group will take charge of one emergency patient. Examine their condition, discuss what medicine they might need, and then find at least three of the necessary ingredients from the mountain behind the academy. When you return with the materials, I’ll supply whatever you lack, and you’ll use those to make the medicine and save your patient. That’s the purpose of today’s class.”

“……”

Yohan looked down at the fallen seniors, thinking the professor’s long-winded explanation didn’t seem suitable for an emergency situation.

Wouldn’t the patients die before the class even ends?

But Will seemed to sense their concern and added calmly,

“You don’t need to worry about that, the strong healing energy of Fantasiademia will restore the patients too soon during class. I’ll check their condition regularly and make sure they remain in the same emergency state they started in. So focus only on your work.”

“……”

That wasn’t what Yohan was worried about.

Seeing that, Yohan realized that even though Professor Will looked like a gentle elf on the outside, inside he was very much a professor of Fantasiademia. He quickly averted his eyes.

He really was a frightening elf.