I Became an Unknown Professor at the Academy - Chapter 37

7:19 AM.

Early morning.

The chilly March air brushed against Claire’s cheeks, but the heat rising on her face refused to subside.

Thump-! Thump-! Thump-!

Why was it that, as she walked, the only sound she could hear was the loud thumping of her heart, rather than the sound of her footsteps?

Claire cautiously turned her head to the side, matching her steps to the person walking quietly beside her.

The black coat fluttering slightly in the wind caught her eye.

As she lifted her gaze a little higher, she shook her head inwardly and quickly averted her eyes.

‘…This must be God’s mischief.’

It was a rather blasphemous thought for someone who communicated with God more closely than anyone else, but Claire truly wanted to believe that this situation was a result of divine meddling.

Otherwise, why would she be walking side by side with this man on the academy grounds, on a day when there were no lectures?

And with their arms linked, no less…

Claire’s mind drifted back to how this had all come to be.

Two days ago, Saturday.

It had started when she and Baek Woo-jin had entered his study after Baek Hana left the mansion.

-Just once… I’d like you to hold me.

She had blurted out those words, driven by anxiety and jealousy, something she would never have done under normal circumstances.

Baek Woo-jin seemed to interpret Baek Hana’s behavior as that of a family member, a daughter showing affection. But the feelings Baek Hana had for him were far from the pure love of a family member.

To Claire, Baek Hana’s actions seemed like an expression of her desire to be a different kind of family to him.

However, she didn’t have the courage to voice her thoughts, and in that moment of confusion, she had made that request of Baek Woo-jin.

-…That’s not difficult.

There was a hint of hesitation in his deep voice, but he eventually stood up and gently—

“Pffft!!”
“……?”

Baek Woo-jin stopped walking and looked at Claire as she suddenly started coughing.

“Are you alright?”
“Cough, cough… Yes, yes… I’m, I’m fine……”

Claire nodded slightly, keeping her head down so that he wouldn’t see the heat rising to her face.

“We’re near the Magicology Annex, so let’s rest there for a moment.”

Baek Woo-jin watched her for a moment, then headed into the Magicology Annex.

Alone, Claire straightened her posture and used her divine power to calm her racing heart, which was beating faster than it ever had before.

“Haa……”

She exhaled a small sigh, releasing the heat that had been building up in her face and body.

Only then did she finally regain her composure.

But her newfound peace didn’t last long.

Just thinking about that day made her heart pound violently once again.

The gentle pull of his arms around her waist.
The warmth of his body and his intoxicating scent.

She had willingly gone into his embrace, only to flee from the mansion like a startled deer afterward.

Back in her room at the temple, she had lain in bed like a drug-addled person, replaying the scene over and over in her mind.

Then, on Sunday evening, she had received an email from Baek Woo-jin.

It was a summons to the mansion the next day. Naturally, she assumed it was for an external assignment, so she had put on a suit that she hadn’t worn in a while and headed to the mansion. She had breakfast with him and then left the mansion together.

As they were about to exit the maze, he had extended his arm and said:

-Embrace me.

At first, she was taken aback, but knowing that he wasn’t the type to do something like this without a reason, she cautiously slipped her arm around his, and they continued walking side by side.

“Your expression doesn’t seem too good.”
“Oh……”

He had stopped walking and was now looking down at her.

“If you’re not feeling well, you can go back.”
“No, I’m fine……”

Even before her awakening, she had rarely been ill. With the divine power she now possessed, she was healthier than ever.

“Is that so?”

Baek Woo-jin extended his arm again, and Claire hesitantly slipped her arm around it. She glanced at his face, hidden behind his large glasses, before looking away and continuing their walk.

“Professor……”
“What is it?”
“What does this mean…?”

Claire gathered her courage and cautiously asked the question that had been on her mind.

Baek Woo-jin, on the other hand, responded nonchalantly.

“It’s to make us look like lovers.”
“……”

At the word ‘lovers’, Claire quietly sucked in a breath and clenched her fists.

She took a moment to calm herself before speaking again.

“Is it because of the rumors going around about us?”
“……”

Baek Woo-jin suddenly stopped walking and turned his head slightly to look down at her.

“I thought I explained everything in the email yesterday.”
“……Email…?”

Claire released her clenched fists and manipulated the smart watch on her wrist. She opened her email inbox and found the email from Baek Woo-jin.

[ Professor : If your schedule allows, I’d like you to come to the house tomorrow. ]

The email simply asked her to come to the mansion, with no further explanation.

Swish.

A deep shadow fell over them, and the scent of the person beside her grew stronger.

Baek Woo-jin glared at Claire’s wrist and said in a low voice, “Bwiar.”

[ (´∀｀ゞ Huh~? )

The email scrolled down on its own, and playful sentences that she was all too familiar with appeared on the screen.

Baek Woo-jin glared at the screen and said with a hint of menace, “If you interfere again, I won’t let you off so easily.”

[ ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ Hehe~!! (runs away) ]

The fire that had appeared on the screen disappeared.

The playful sentences on the smart watch.
The sharp warning from Baek Woo-jin.

Only then did Claire realize that she had truly fallen victim to God’s mischief.

Baek Woo-jin let out a short sigh and said, “……It’s to make us look like lovers so that we can find the fairy.”
“A fairy?”

Baek Woo-jin nodded once.

“A fairy……”

10 years ago, the fairy king Oberon was exterminated.

Gates of higher stages tend to bring over entire portions of specific worlds, and this was the case with Oberon, a 10th-stage gate.

Oberon was the king who ruled over the fairies.

He was a communicative being, and he even taught simple magic to awakened ones, fostering friendly relations.

However, humans, driven by greed, began kidnapping fairies and selling them. Enraged by this, Oberon began attacking all humans, regardless of their previous friendships.

The conflict escalated, and magicians and alchemists, who had long coveted Oberon’s heart, manipulated public opinion, ultimately leading to Oberon’s extermination.

However, something unexpected happened—as Oberon died, the fairies that had been kidnapped and released into the human world began to wither and die one by one.

Even sacred power and rare potions couldn’t save them.

Thus, fairies became extinct on Earth.
But now, a fairy had appeared in the academy?

Claire didn’t doubt Baek Woo-jin’s words.
In fact, she became a little excited.

She, too, had met Oberon and remembered the adorable fairies with their translucent, sparkling wings.

“……They’re quite playful, aren’t they?”

Fairies were the embodiment of purity.

As such, they were incredibly curious and loved to play pranks.

Claire’s gaze shifted to Baek Woo-jin.

‘……I don’t think it will be easy.’

He had an aura that made him difficult to approach.

Claire thought that instead of playing pranks, the fairy would be more likely to run away.

However, she kept this thought to herself.
Instead, she hugged Baek Woo-jin’s arm a little tighter and said, “……Let’s keep looking.”
“Alright.”

Thump-! Thump-! Thump-!

His arm, pressed against her chest.

Claire walked quietly, hoping that the sound of her heart wouldn’t reach him.

.

.

.

It was now 10:46 AM.

A considerable amount of time had passed, and during that time, Claire had the opportunity to slowly explore the outskirts of the academy with Baek Woo-jin.

She discovered that the academy had many more buildings and structures with unclear purposes than she had initially thought.

[Identity confirmed.]

The door that had just opened after identity confirmation was one such building.

They entered the old alchemy workshop, located on the northern outskirts.

The floor and windowsills were covered in thick layers of dust, indicating that it had been a long time since anyone had set foot here, and the building had not been maintained.

Claire and Baek Woo-jin climbed the stairs, carefully examining the ceiling and shadowy corners.

If they were simply looking for something, Baek Woo-jin could have used his spiritual sense to find it easily. However, since fairies were sensitive and easily startled by things that humans couldn’t perceive, they were taking the time to search manually.

Squeak—

The door, lacking lubrication, made an unpleasant sound as it opened.

They had reached the top floor, a materials storage room.

Baek Woo-jin looked up at the small attic door in the ceiling and reached out his hand.

Normally, one would need a ladder to access the attic, but Baek Woo-jin simply reached up and opened the door. He grabbed the edge of the attic and pulled himself up, peering inside.

After a quick scan of the area, he climbed back down and leaned close to Claire, his face inches from hers.

Swallowing her nervousness, Claire asked, “What is it?”
“Look to the left.”
“……Yes, ye-ack!”

Claire stumbled over her words as she was suddenly lifted by Baek Woo-jin, who had placed his hands on her waist.

Unaware of her reaction, Baek Woo-jin helped her into the attic, and she bit back the sharp pain as she turned her head to the left, as instructed.

In the corner, by a small window, was a tiny basket.

-Peep… Peep… Peeeep……

A tiny fairy was curled up in the basket, fast asleep.