I Became an Unknown Professor at the Academy

“Skills, character… and face?”

Those were the words that had definitely come out of the woman’s mouth.

“Just now…”

Baek Hana stopped mid-sentence and closed her mouth.

“Huff.”

She exhaled softly.

The emotions that had been about to surge within her quickly calmed down.

-Hana, don’t pay too much attention to what others say about the professor. You know better than anyone that he’s not the type to care about such things, right?

The conversation she had with Claire after the nightmare came to mind.

-To become an adult, you also need to learn to be patient. Especially when it comes to matters concerning the professor.

Be patient for him.

-Of course, the reason to be patient isn’t for the professor’s reputation. It’s because I’m worried that you might get hurt, even a little. As you know, the most important thing to the professor is not himself, but your safety.

For me, and for him, who cares about me.

The unpleasant feeling that had been creeping up on her disappeared like a lie.

And the space it left was filled with her feelings for him.

“Hana?”

“…”

Baek Hana snapped out of her thoughts at the soft whisper from Nam Seo-hee.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

Baek Hana smiled lightly at Nam Seo-hee, who was looking at her with concern.

Only then did the tension in Nam Seo-hee’s eyes ease.

“Um…”

Baek Hana turned her head at the voice of the woman whose name she didn’t know.

“Were you about to say something earlier?”

At the woman’s question, Baek Hana nodded.

“What’s your name?”

“Ah! I forgot to introduce myself properly.”

The woman seemed to realize it herself and approached with a smile. At that moment, some of the male students surrounding them couldn’t help but swallow their saliva.

Her slightly drooping eyes formed a crescent shape that was so enchanting it could seduce not only men but also women.

The woman extended her hand towards the three of them, showing no signs of nervousness.

“My name is Eleanor.”

“I’m Baek Hana.”

Baek Hana and Eleanor.

The two of them lightly shook hands.

As they did, a small question arose in the eyes of Nam Seo-hee and Yoon Iseul, who were watching them.

This was because the name of the woman smiling and shaking hands with Baek Hana was the same as the queen of this country.

“Are the two people standing next to you your aides?”

As if sensing the change in the two of them, Eleanor looked at Nam Seo-hee and Yoon Iseul once and asked.

“No, they’re my friend and senior.”

“I see.”

Eleanor looked around at the students from Arena Academy who were whispering to each other while surrounding them and nodded.

“I’d like to talk a little longer, but it’s time for me to leave.”

“Yes, of course.”

Baek Hana released the woman’s hand.

Eleanor smiled as she played with her hand, still warm from holding Baek Hana’s.

“Let’s meet again on the last day.”

“…”

Baek Hana nodded, thinking that the woman was referring to the party after the closing ceremony.

“Then, have a good time.”

Eleanor waved goodbye to Baek Hana and quietly left the area.

As they watched her back, Nam Seo-hee and Yoon Iseul exchanged glances.

“Um…”

“Hi there.”

Some female students approached them and greeted them in broken Korean.

And then…

“My name is Yuzuki Mio!”

“Ekaterina Klimova.”

“I’m Jaina Swift.”

Before she knew it, Baek Hana was surrounded by female students from other schools.

.

.

.

“If that child were my daughter, I would have retired early.”

Eleanor, who had been talking to Baek Hana a while ago, looked down from the second-floor balcony at Baek Hana, who was now surrounded by female students.

“Ahem, Your Majesty. What if someone overhears you saying that?”

Eddie Holt coughed lightly and stepped back.

“I think the bigger problem is that you just called me ‘queen’ in front of others.”

“Ahem…”

Eddie Holt coughed awkwardly and stepped back.

“They say the preparations are complete.”

“Yes. Let’s go and see what big plans they have.”

Eleanor watched Baek Hana, who was being fed chocolate by the female students, and smiled. Then, she turned and walked from the second floor to the third floor.

Unlike the second floor, which had no door, there was a small door at the end of the third-floor staircase. Two royal guards stood in front of it.

Clang!

The royal guards drew their swords from their waists and saluted before stepping aside.

“You’ve worked hard. Go and rest now.”

Eddie Holt opened the door and let Eleanor enter.

The first and second floors were filled with all sorts of lavish decorations, but the third floor was an empty space with no paintings, sculptures, or even a simple chair.

“Come in quickly.”

“I was just about to.”

Eddie Holt entered and closed the door.

Then, Eleanor approached him and pushed him aside, grabbing the doorknob.

Whoosh!

A large amount of magical power flowed from her hand into the door.

Click.

Eleanor pushed the door she was holding.

Instead of a staircase leading down, a small room for private conversations appeared.

Eleanor stepped into the new room and sat on a sofa in front of a transparent glass wall.

“If you want to come down and see me up close, don’t even think about it.”

The man who had followed the queen through the door closed it and looked at his master with suspicion.

“I know, so go quickly. You need to start the event, don’t you?”

“…”

Eddie Holt bowed his head to his master, who was waving her hand dismissively. Then, he opened the door he had just closed and left.

This time, a long corridor appeared beyond the door.

Click.

As the door closed, Eleanor unbuttoned a few of the tightly stretched buttons on her blouse.

“Phew, finally some relief.”

Having escaped from the cramped space, she went so far as to rest her legs on the armrests of the sofa, assuming a physically and mentally comfortable position, albeit lacking in decorum.

“The Executioner hasn’t been brought out yet,” Eleanor muttered, resting her chin on her hand, which was still on the armrest, as she looked down through the glass wall.

The place where the opening ceremony had taken place earlier.

It was a grand hall with numerous seats and a massive stage.

And the room she was currently lying in was a secret place occasionally used to quietly observe the students’ skills.

She glanced at the head professors from each academy, who were seated as spectators for show.

Among the head professors, who were either tense or expectant, one stood out with his indifferent expression as he looked at his smartphone.

‘Jayden Martel.’

Before his retirement, he was known as the Incarnation of Fire.

And even after retiring, he continued to make his name known to the world through Arena Academy, proving his capabilities in various ways.

The fact that he still held the position of head professor was proof that his judgment was still sharp. Yet, he displayed such an attitude because he was certain that Baek Woo-jin would win.

“Hmm.”

Eleanor tilted her head slightly, letting out a nasal sound.

The stage, wider than most parks, came into view, with Baek Woo-jin and Ben Stiller standing on it.

‘I wonder what both of them are thinking.’

One was a madman who dared to challenge Baek Woo-jin, believing he could win even after being knocked unconscious by a single slap. The other was a man with hidden intentions, deliberately escalating the situation when he could have ended it right there.

‘If it were any other event, I would have joined in.’

Originally, this duel should have been witnessed by all the students and professors present at the party.

Baek Woo-jin had wanted it that way, and Eddie Holt had accepted his request.

‘What a shame.’

However, Eleanor had no intention of granting Baek Woo-jin’s request.

If the students and professors were to witness today’s duel, it would undoubtedly have a significant impact on the upcoming festival, which was only two days away.

A monster who effortlessly defeated the 23rd-ranked World Ranker.

That monster was now the chief director.

The other students would undoubtedly be intimidated by this fact alone and might not be able to perform at their best.

Of course, that was assuming that Baek Woo-jin would once again overwhelm Ben Stiller in the upcoming match.

But Eleanor was certain.

The man with the ridiculous glasses, who couldn’t hide his natural good looks, would undoubtedly crush Ben Stiller.

Whether it was due to his own abilities or not was irrelevant.

Even if he borrowed the power of artifacts or something else, it wouldn’t matter.

‘What does he think he can accomplish as a mere priest?’

Eleanor’s gaze shifted to the woman in white robes standing a short distance away from Ben Stiller.

‘She’s the Executioner’s disciple.’

The cradle, imprinted on her chest, was the symbol of the Executioner.

‘Maybe if it were a high-ranking priest or a high priest.’

How could a mere priest discover an artifact that even the 23rd-ranked World Ranker couldn’t detect?

“But why hasn’t this old man shown up yet? It’s been a while.”

Eleanor grumbled, tugging at the necklace that hung below her cleavage.

As she did so, the smartphone attached to the chain slipped out.

‘I still have a lot of work to do…’

Just as she was about to contact Eddie Holt to remind him of the pending tasks, a loud noise she had never heard before rang out from her smartphone.

Then, a single email arrived.

[(ʘдʘ╬)Thisiswhathappenswhenyoumesswithmydaughter!!(Link)(ʘдʘ╬)Thisiswhathappenswhenyoumesswithmydaughter!!(Link)]

Eleanor was mesmerized by the email and clicked on the attached link.

A very familiar scene appeared on the screen.

She alternated her gaze between the smartphone and the glass wall, muttering, “This view is better…”