ACADEMY'S UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR
When Professor Selena asked me that, I quietly put down my dish on the table and spoke.
"I haven't felt the need to do so yet."
It was a lie.
Actually, I didn't even know there was a Professor Assistant role.
'Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen other Professors go around alone.'
Most Professors had people around them.
At that time, I didn't know they were Professor Assistants, and I had thought they were just students who followed the Professor to ask personal questions.
…Or an employee whom they ordered to do chores.
'So they were Professor Assistants, huh.'
'Then, did everyone except me pick their own assistants and order them around, and only I didn't know that?'
Professor Selena was quite surprised by my answer.
"Whaat? Th-then, so far, you have organized the assignments, student attendance, and materials for class preparation…"
"I did it all by myself."
"D-don't you feel tired?"
Had I felt tired due to it?
Oh, it was certainly a little bothersome to guide nearly 80 students one by one, organize their data, and prepare the class contents by myself.
The most difficult thing in particular in that matter was checking the homework submitted by the students one by one.
But I shook my head because I didn't feel tired.
"It's not that tiring."
"I… I see. How many students did you have in your classroom?"
"80 people. It reached the maximum quota."
The words caused breathtaking sounds from other Professors who were eating together with me.
"So you alone have been in charge of 80 students since the semester started?"
"Isn't it usually like that?"
"It's not usually like that."
"Is that so?"
"Yes."
'I see.'
Since I didn't look at the other Professors deeply, they should've known that I did something wrong.
"Then did you pick an assistant as well, Professor Selena?"
"Yes. But I didn't need a lot of helping hands, so I only picked three people."
She said she didn't really need it, but she picked three assistants?
Well, did the other people take 10 assistants with them?
I skimmed my eyes around and suddenly found a Professor passing by outside the restaurant.
He was Chris Benimore, a Professor who looked temperamental and hysterical.
Since his defeat in the last bet, there had been eight restless students behind Chris Benimore who had always been in a bad mood.
…There were a lot.
"I think you should take this opportunity to pick one assistant, too. Moreover, you said that there are 80 students who take your lectures, right? Then you'll need more than five assistants."
"I think so too."
Professor Merilda also intervened in the conversation.
"It may be okay now, but you'll be exhausted after a while."
"Do I need it right away?"
"You don't have to pick all of your assistants at once, but you can just increase the number little by little."
"I see."
Hmm. As they suggested that I pick assistants so much, I was also intrigued by it.
In addition, looking at the reactions around me, it seemed that if I didn't have any assistants, I might attract the attention of others too much.
First of all, it seemed necessary for me to select the right person in the near future.
"I understand. Then I'll try to pick an assistant as soon as possible."
"Since you are popular, if you post an official paper, there will be a lot of students who apply to do it."
"Thank you for the compliment, even if it's just a flattery."
"It's not flattery, though…"
"Then since I'm done eating, I'll get going now."
After I got up from my seat, I said goodbye and left the cafeteria.
***
"Hmm."
After I went back to the Professor's office, I patted my chin while reading a collection of data on assistant recruitment.
'Even if I am a new Professor, I can hire an assistant, and usually, the Professor will have more than six people. So, indeed, I have to pick assistants.'
Well, there were indeed teachers and disciples among wizards, so it was expected in a magic academy.
In the case of the magic tower alone, there were teachers in each school, and there were dozens of disciples under the school.
Of course, they were closer to slaves who used the title of 'disciple' as an excuse to be worked around as labor, but nominally, it was like that.
The magic tower had established some kind of tradition themselves, and Sören, that taught magic, had also not escaped that influence.
And surprisingly, Sören also had a university student system.
Instead of relaxing for graduation after their fifth year, Sören's last-year students were studying magic and producing papers under their Professor…….
Yes, frankly speaking, they were just like university students in the 21st century.
What an innovative academy.
In both good and bad ways.
Anyway, aside from that part.
'I don't feel the need to hire an assistant right away because there's nothing among my work that's beyond my capability, but it wouldn't be bad if there was one person who handled the chores.'
Sören wasn't a real magic tower anyway, but an academy, so I didn't have to worry about the security issue of someone robbing my magic data.
I just needed them to organize the materials related to the class.
'Being an assistant basically gives them more credit, or they can get a more personal instruction from the Professor.'
There was no obligation to pass on my magic.
If there was such a treaty in the first place, the Professors would have protested.
After looking through the clause with my eyes, I crossed my legs and folded my hands.
'If I have to choose an assistant, I'd better choose a competent person.'
The simplest way to pick an assistant was to post an announcement.
If I said I'd recruit a few assistants under my name, there would be applicants, and I'd sort them out.
Basically, it was said that people who were about to graduate were the ones who usually did the assistant jobs, but there was no particular age limit.
New Professors focused on picking the first and second-year students who took their classes instead.
'Should I choose the students who take my class?'
If I chose an assistant among the students who took my class, then they would be given the role of the class president in my lecture only.
Then I needed someone who could lead and give directions to the students well.
There were indeed some people who came to my mind.
First of all, both of them were high-ranking nobles and royalty, and they had their own charisma, so they were good at setting the mood.
'However, those two won't want to be my assistants.'
First of all, I honestly criticized Flora Lumos quite a lot, so it would be hard to pick her as my assistant, and in the case of the Princess, Elendil, I felt more uncomfortable.
No way I could order a Princess to become an assistant.
No matter how Sören claimed equality of their students' status, it was still too much.
Even if she told me that she wanted to do it wholeheartedly, I would have had to say no.
'Should I postpone the selection, after all? I know the students will come by themselves if I post an official announcement properly, but it still takes a little bit of time. I don't want to pick students who haven't been verified.'
If I had to pick someone, it would be much better if it was someone that I felt comfortable ordering around.
I decided to go back to the accommodation for the moment because the answer wouldn't come even if I contemplated about it.
After coming out of the Professor's room wearing an overcoat, I suddenly felt a familiar sense of presence, so I stopped my footsteps while walking in the hallway.
"Sedina."
"Y-yes!"
Sedina Rochen, who was hiding in the corner of the hallway, jumped out in surprise.
As she was still looking at me in awe, she seemed to have been secretly waiting for me.
'Doesn't she have any tasks?'
"Do you have any businesses with me?"
"N-no. It's not like that…"
She looked restless for fear of being scolded by me.
I was going to tell her to go back then, but I thought of her point of view for a moment and opened my mouth.
"Is that so? You came at a perfect time."
"P-pardon?"
"You… should become my assistant."
"Yes. Ah, yes."
Sedina nodded reflexively.
And… five seconds afterwards…
"…Pardon?!"
Sedina shouted out in astonishment.
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I had just said a couple of words, but her response was so extreme.
"You don't want it? If you don't want it, I won't force you to do it."
"It… it's not like that! Ouch!"
Sedina bit her tongue when she hastily said no to me.
Her appearance when she was covering her mouth with both of her hands seemed like a real squirrel.
"Then will you say yes?"
Nod nod.
Sedina shook her head violently up and down, unable to open her mouth.
"I'm glad that you want to do it. There's still some time left, so fill out the assistant application form and come to my office."
"A-are you sure? Are you sure it's okay for me to be your assistant?"
"There's no reason for you not to be. Or do I have a reason to lie?"
"N-no!"
"The deadline is two days. Remember it."
I spoke those last words to Sedina and left.
As a member of the Black Dawn Society, based on her performance until then, she was specialized in gathering information.
If I kept her near me, I'd have more opportunities to find out about the Black Dawn Society.
Rather than setting a place and time to make contacts every time, working as a Professor and assistant made it much easier to get in touch.
Above all, she would be able to erase the suspicious gaze of the third party.
Choosing her wasn't a bad choice.
'First of all, Sedina is already confirmed. The rest can be chosen slowly in the future.'
I found a faithful slave faster than I thought.
* * *
* * *
A few days after the open duel between Aidan and Felio…
The story of the duel that day still lingered among the students, but as usual, they wanted to find new gossip rather than an outdated story.
And that time, the students' chatter was enough to attract everyone's attention.
"Oh, my. Aren't people more noisy than usual?"
Lynne asked Elendil comfortably, as the third Princess was sitting next to her.
Although the difference between the status of an imperial woman and a commoner was far away, they were able to get closer faster than anyone else because they had no close friends.
And neither of them cared about such trivial things.
"Ah, you came, Lynne. I think there's a strange rumor going around among our fellow students these days."
"Strange rumor?"
"Yeah. They're talking about Professor Ludger recruiting assistants."
"Whoa. That's a little tempting."
It was a quite popular issue among students that Ludger Chelysie had not chosen any assistants so far.
Considering that most Professors must choose an assistant, it was quite unusual for a new Professor not to choose a single assistant.
As a joke, it was even said that Ludger might not have known that he actually had to have an assistant.
'Of course, there is no way that Professor Ludger would be like that.'
It didn't occur to her that such a thorough man would have a weakness there.
The students were just joking as well.
If Ludger said he would choose an assistant, the front of Professor Ludger's office would probably be crowded with students shouting for him to pick them.
If it was Ludger, who seemed to hate noisy and annoying things, he might not have chosen an assistant simply because he didn't like it.
"But the hottest rumor is something else."
"Something else? What else is there?"
"Yeah. Have you heard of the Seven Legends of Sören?"
"Seven Legends? No. I haven't heard about it….."
Lynne was an outsider in that matter, so she couldn't answer properly.
"Ah, so you don't know."
"Oh, yes. I don't really know things like that……"
"Well, that's obvious as well. The seven legends are just a rumor in the first place."
However, that was why students were more enthusiastic.
Sören's seven legends…
One of them was that, somewhere in this Academy, there was a dungeon hidden by the founder and first principal of Sören.
The so-called 'Forefather Room'.
Another famous legend was that there was a beautiful flower tree that always fulfilled the wish of people who confessed their feelings there.
"That's probably the most buzzing topic right now."
"What is it?"
"The omnipotent stone that makes one's wish come true."
Lynne thought she had mistakenly heard something for a moment as she listened to Elendil's words.
'There was a stone that makes our wishes come true?'
"There's a rumor that the stone exists somewhere in Sören."
"Pardon? Really?"
Lynne felt strange at those words.
'Is there really a stone that makes our wishes come true?'
Seeing Lynne's reaction, Elendil lifted her forefinger and shook it from side to side.
"You don't know much, I see."
"Oh… what?"
"There are so many unknown mysteries in the world that have yet to be revealed. Monsters and demons that existed in ancient times, cryptids that are still scattered all over the world, secret ruins, and even unknown gods."
Elendil's eyes were burning with curiosity toward the unknown as she said so.
"In a world like that, there is no way that the mysterious stone doesn't exist in Sören, which is the center of all magic! Of course, it's impossible for the stone to be omnipotent or grant any wish, but I'm sure it's an artifact with corresponding power!"
"Oh, yes."
Lynne was inwardly confused by Elendil's unusual appearance.
She didn't know that Elendil, who maintained her dignity as a Princess and always acted aloof from the others, had that kind of hobby.
In addition, she might be quite serious with her hobby, given that once she had fallen into it, she didn't care about the reactions around her at all.
"You know uh…. such things quite well, I see."
"Ah. Sorry. I have pretty invested in this kind of thing. It's a bit too much, right?"
"N-no! You look even better instead."
Lynne thought Elendil's appearance shone in a fresh way.
If it was outside Sören, she would have been far too high for them to even make eye contact.
The Princess, who was always aloof and confident and had to shake off her charisma in front of everyone, was actually a person with personal tastes just like everyone else.
There was absolutely no reason to look at it in a bad way.
"Anyway, Sören became noisy because of the omnipotent stone."
"Ah, so that's why."
Besides Lynne and Elendil, all of the students were also talking about the omnipotent stone.
'Hmph. Omnipotent stone, huh? I can't listen to it because it's too childish.'
Flora Lumos snorted inwardly while eavesdropping on the students.
'If there was such an omnipotent stone in this world, the adults would have already taken it before it entered into students' ears.'
If such an object existed in the first place, it should've been taken at the national level.
In the end, the omnipotent stone was just a false rumor that had been born on its own as people gathered.
She couldn't believe they truly trust in that legend. Could they be called wizards like that?
When she saw the students talk about it after school, she even felt embarrassed that they were the same Sören students as her.
'Well, I can just mind my own business.'
What Flora cared about was the news about Ludger that was sometimes being talked about instead.
'He's choosing an assistant? Professor Ludger?'
She couldn't believe that such a thoroughly superhuman guy was choosing an assistant.
Of course, he could pick an assistant because he was a Professor, but when she heard that he was going to pick one, she wondered who he would pick.
'In the case of Professor's Assistant, they usually represent the image of a Professor, so a person who lacks the skill won't do it.'
If it was a Professor like Ludger, the assistant should have the skills to match him.
If she had to say it, it was someone like her.
'Ah, really. What kind of thought is this?'
Flora shook her head.
She couldn't believe she considered herself to be Ludger's assistant. That was too much.
It would be a different case if Ludger asked her to be his assistant directly.
'Well, if he does that, I have nothing to be worried about.'
They just said that he was going to pick someone, but there was no way that he would pick them right away, so it wouldn't be bad to look at the progress over time.
As she was thinking that way, the front door of the classroom opened and a girl student came in.
'What?'
All the people's eyes were focused on the student.
She had a small body and voluminous, brown, bobbed hair. That girl did not care about the gazes of other students and put the data that she held in her arms on the podium.
"The Professor is coming soon, so please be quiet."
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Flora's face became blank at her daring, soft voice.
'He already picked an assistant?'
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