Chapter 43

Anyone can be a professor (1)

[The fire fox kisses Master Ed. ]

It had been three days since the second semester began, and the progress of classes was slowly moving forward as if a favorable wind was blowing.

For Jenica, an honor student, class progress did not mean much, so even though she missed class for three days at a time under the excuse of illness, she did not feel any burden.

Still, written subjects such as history of magic or magic theory will quickly turn your report card red if you are not careful, so you will have to use your pen slowly. Even so, constant communication with spirits is the same as the main job of a spirit worker, so it cannot be neglected. It’s a busy time.

Even today, when you leave the Dex building built at an angle at the foot of Mt. Oron on the outskirts of the living quarters and sit against a zelkova tree, spirits still gather there.

Even today, there are so many that the area around the zelkova tree is crowded. Today, even the middle-ranking wind spirit, Pesh, and the high-ranking fire spirit, Tarkan, are sitting together, making it look as if an army is stationed there.

“...what?”

[You can’t keep this quiet. Miss Yenica. ]

It was a regular occurrence to report on every detail of the daily life in the northern forest. However, these days, it feels like Ed’s role in the stories brought by spirits is increasing.

As for Jenica, even though she listens restlessly to such stories, she doesn’t actually dislike them, so she listens to them.

However, today’s breaking news mixed in with the chatter of spirits is like a bolt from the blue.

[You never know when that fiery fox-like woman will strike again. If we don’t do anything about this... ]

[What are we going to do? ]

Charis, a low-ranking wind spirit in the form of a sparrow, flaps his wings and vents his anger, but Pessey, in the form of a lion, politely counters.

[It’s up to Lady Yenica to decide, what can we do? ]

“Now wait a minute. What do you mean? You kissed me?”

Yenika, unable to keep up with the flow of the story, asked again, and this time Tarkan, who was lying down with his huge body wrapped around a zelkova tree, answered.

[I saw that too and it was hot. I like youth, too. ]

“...”

[ That fiery fox-like woman also knows how to play with people’s hearts. As I watched it tickling people’s hearts by pushing and pulling, I felt like I would have passed over if it weren’t for that guy. ]

“What are you talking about!”

Yenika jumped up and pressed Tarkan’s huge neck.

“What do you mean!”

[Do you want to make me repeat what I said, Yenika? From the looks of it, that fire fox has crossed a line. ]

“What about Ed? Ed’s reaction?!”

[Oh, this is definitely a question that goes straight to the core. When I was watching, it really hit the wall. He even kissed me so quickly, but there wasn’t a single movement on his face... I was amazed when I saw him. ]

As if comforting the stunned Yenika, Tarkan continued speaking in his serious and profound voice.

[They accepted it so coldly. Even I cringed while watching. I can’t believe I went that far and the response was so cool. It’s one of two things. Either that fallen nobleman was a eunuch to begin with, or he didn’t see the other person as a woman at all. ]

“That... that’s... fortunate...”

Yenika tried to sigh, but swallowed it again. Thank goodness. What do you mean by luck? Is it time to take a sigh of relief and say that this is a good thing?

[Takan. I think you still speak too directly. ]

[ Why is this so surprising? But Pesci. It’s even worse to spin things like this out of consideration. It didn’t seem like it when you had such a relieved face, Yenika. It’s not really good news that the fallen nobleman hit the wall against the fire fox. ]

“...what?”

Tarkan is a high-ranking spirit who has lived for such a long time that he cannot be healed by hand. The years of experience and experience of seeing all kinds of human beings cannot be measured.

[From my experience, the more you swat away a person like that fire fox, the more obsessive and burning he becomes. He may seem like a greedy person, but once he decides to make himself into his own person, he is clearly the type to take out everything, including his liver and gallbladder. If you stay still, you’ll get stolen. That’s what I mean, Yenika.]

“Well... But... Ed didn’t react well...”

[ Males are good at attacking but have weak defense. No matter how hard a person is, there is no such thing as a fortress that will not collapse if you push forward with such single-mindedness, as if you are proud of yourself. This is what I mean, Yenika. ]

When Tarkan adjusts his body and lies down, probably because his posture is uncomfortable, the lower-level spirits around him are swept away. Its gigantic body attracts the attention of surrounding spirits with just a single change of posture.

[Do you think your relationship will be successful if you just sit there like a princess in a fairy tale and fall in love with the romance of thinking, “Someday, you will look after me?” The reality is not like that. It’s a law that must be won through dirty, dirty fighting. ]

[Takan. The way you talk sounds like an old man. ]

[Did I say something wrong? ]

[ It’s not wrong, but... Why can’t you turn it around a little more? ]

[Why do you have to go round and round? It must be frustrating. ]

Tarkan flicked his tail and turned his reptile-like, drawn-in pupils towards Yenika.

Yenika’s complexion had already turned pale after hearing Pessi and Takan’s words.

[Anyway, Yenika. This means don’t stay still and make some progress. I heard you decided to teach me some spirit magic? Then there is a reason for the two of us to be alone for a while. Are you planning to blow this great opportunity? ]

“But... what should I do with me...”

[ What should I do? Next time we meet, you should kiss me first. If you fell behind, show some resentment, Jenika. ]

At those words, Yenika opened her mouth as if she had imagined something and sat down on the zelkova tree again. Even though no one was questioning him in particular, he took a step back as if he was cornered by a tree and started stuttering.

“Why are you saying such embarrassing things...!”

[ Was it a situation where it made sense for the fire fox to start kissing all of a sudden? Even though things have turned out like this, are you going to have a good smile? ]

[Tarkan... aren’t you asking too much for the innocent girl Yenika? ]

[ Isn’t it a good thing if it goes well? I don’t really like that fallen noble guy... but as a male, he’s pretty good. Not only does he make the decision to cut off my head while I was going berserk, but he also seems to have an innate calm personality... He is a good match with the somewhat emotional Yenika. ]

[ Really... Please refrain from making such comments as if you were looking for a husband for your granddaughter, because you sound like an old person. ]

[ Well, I’m actually old. ]

frame.

I can’t follow the frame of the story. Yenika thought about this and became lost in thought.

[Life skill details]

Grade: Intermediate Artisan Specialization: Woodworking Dexterity Lv 14 Design Lv 9 Gathering Lv 12 Woodworking Lv 13 Hunting Lv 10 Fishing Lv 7 Cooking Lv 6 Repair Lv 5 〈 Advanced Crafting Skill Slot: Empty 〉 〈 Advanced Crafting Skill Slot: Empty 〉

“Hmm...”

After finishing today’s firewood chopping, I checked my living skills while sweating profusely.

I tend to check my production skills as often as possible, as they will become an important foundation for my growth. A new problem that has emerged these days is the proficiency gap between skills.

As mentioned, the higher the skill proficiency, the slower the growth rate. The talent stat, which is a core ability, is greatly influenced by the sum of life skill proficiency. Therefore, the growth rate of talent stats is naturally bound to slow down.

Therefore, it is necessary to raise the skills that are still low to the maximum. This is because the growth efficiency is still good compared to other skills. I feel the need to unlock basic crafting skills that have not yet been unlocked and train lagging skills such as cooking and repairing... The problem is that I am too busy making a living.

If I receive the gold coins promised by Lortel, I’d like to spend some money on ingredients and daily necessities... but I don’t want to waste money on consumables when the cabin construction isn’t even finished yet.

“As expected... there’s not enough time...”

To make matters worse, school has even started. At best, the time I can spend entirely on survival activities during the day is only about five or six hours. At least this is a story about when I got less sleep.

The time has come to think more about the efficiency of survival activities.

“The scenario...is it okay so far?”

The greatest surprise occurred when Elte was dismissed early. I still don’t know the cause, but the problem itself has been well resolved.

I don’t know how this change will work, but there doesn’t seem to be any noticeable change right away.

The main characters in the scenario are watching carefully whenever they get the chance. Anyway, there doesn’t seem to be any problem.

The most important characters in the affair are ultimately the main character, Tailly, and the four heroines.

As for Taily... I can’t see his face very well because he’s in the combat club, but according to the rumors, he’s been kicked off the label of an inferior student. With that talent and momentum, I might be able to get into Class B by my third year.

‘Companion Ayla’ still seems to be doing her job as Tailley’s support. If you ask around, it seems like he always sticks close to Taily and shows concern or support for him.

‘Princess of Mercy Fenia’ also seems to be living well without any problems, but it is time for her to start clashing with Lortel, so we must keep an eye on her.

‘The Golden Daughter Lortel’ is the most unstable situation. I don’t know what changes will occur in Elte’s actions due to his early fall. Apart from Elte, there seems to be no change in the plan to seize the wise man’s seal right away. I have to act as a mid-boss in Act 2, Chapter 10 right now, but I can only pray that there are no surprises.

As for Clarice... she won’t enter school until next year, so there’s no need to worry about it now.

For the time being, we have no choice but to monitor the situation, feeling like we are walking on thin ice.

Above all, the final boss of Act 2, Glast, has many patterns in which he only receives damage from Tailly’s swordsmanship. In the first place, the aspect magic itself has a unique structure, so it is difficult to suppress it with magic alone.

Tailley’s forces are a problem, but the actions of academic faculty are just as important.

“I guess you should grab me and check on me. Still... let’s be careful not to get involved more than necessary.”

Anyway, what I need to do right now is check the traps and clean the fish. I rolled my shoulders and walked into the forest.

The cabin chimney is now complete, so you can move in as soon as the wallpaper and floor work is completed.

Soon there will come a time when life will become stable. Let’s cheer up...

*

“I’ve collected the assessment listening records here, Assistant Professor Claire.”

“Thank you, Anise.”

One of the most difficult tasks for first-year assistant professors is finding a teaching assistant to work under them.

Few students want to be assigned a new professor as their advisor, so there is a shortage of manpower compared to veteran professors.

To Claire, Anis was a very grateful student. He is a model student who has a gentle personality, does his work neatly, and respects his professors diligently without judging them based on their experience.

“Besides that, there has been nothing else received from the Academic Affairs Inspection Department, right?”

“Yes. If you need anything else, please call me anytime.”

He waved at Anis, who greeted him with a bright smile and left. In any case, assistant professors are also professors, so they must maintain a minimum of dignity.

In fact, Claire tends to be perceived more like a close older sister than a dignified professor, but that doesn’t mean she can become a really friendly friend.

“Humm...”

Claire lowered her head again between the piles of files. There is more data from the time of the Ofilis Hall occupation than you might think. I read each one carefully, but the uneasy feeling does not go away.

As the youngest professor in charge of all sorts of chores, she thought she would just do the work roughly... but in the end, the suspicions that remained in a corner of her heart tormented Claire.

I don’t feel like the whole situation has been resolved.

Check Ellis’ listening notes, sort the events chronologically, and compare eyewitness testimony.

The point of the story itself fits together well, but why does it feel like there is an empty puzzle piece left?

“Do I really need to worry this much about a case that has reached a certain conclusion in the first place...? I’m so tired that I feel like I’m going to die...”

Since it was just a chore that Professor Glast gave me, I handled it roughly and said goodbye to Professor Glast. Isn’t it enough to just report that it’s finished?

I kept thinking about it like that, but Claire was the type of person who couldn’t handle things haphazardly.

“Hmm... Hmm...”

I continue to look at the file and ponder the identity of the discomfort. If you feel the presence of something dark that has not yet been revealed... would that be too much of an overreaction? Have I read too many novels full of conspiracy theories?

Still... if you’re feeling uncomfortable, I think it’s a good idea to definitely resolve it.

Claire thought it would be a good idea to meet the ‘additional investigation subjects’ in the data file and hear their circumstances.

It was Ed Yenica Ziggs.

Since the incident was over, I wondered if there would be some kind of darkness, but... there was nothing bad about knocking on the stone bridge and crossing it.

“I know that Yenika and Ziggs are famous kids, but... Ed... Ed... I’ve heard that name a lot somewhere...”

Only then did I remember his full name, which I couldn’t call myself anymore. Ed Rosstaylor.

As a descendant of the Rosstaylor family, he was a fallen nobleman who was now excommunicated.

“...”

Claire looked down at the data file quietly, cupping her chin. It felt like there was something... invisible... at the bottom of the iceberg.