Chapter 98
Having returned to the Academy, I brushed my fingers across the Reader with deep satisfaction.
For the first time, I had obtained a termination-grade item.
It was an item that, under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t even dream of possessing at this point in time.
And there was another harvest as well.
I recalled my conversation with the Sword Empress from yesterday.
“Instructor Kang Jae-seok was put on probation?”
“Yes. For now, Professor Chun Ga-eun, who’s both the assistant homeroom teacher and the school nurse, has taken over as our acting homeroom teacher…”
“She’s quite the eccentric one. That’s why she asked me to come in as a special instructor—but wouldn’t that be rude to her?”
“Do you really think so?”
At my words, the Sword Empress recalled the nurse’s personality and nodded as if she understood.
After receiving the Reader, I had asked the Sword Empress for a moment of her time.
During that conversation, I explained the current situation of the Academy and requested that she join as a part-time instructor.
If Berid were to turn the Academy into hell, the playable characters alone would never be able to handle it.
The Sword Empress’s abilities could serve as both a powerful deterrent against demons and a protective shield for the Academy in Instructor Kang Jae-seok’s absence.
However, whether she would accept was uncertain.
She was not only a high-ranking hero but also an executive of the Swordmaster Family—one of the busiest heroes out there.
At least, that’s what I thought.
But unexpectedly, the Sword Empress took my request quite positively.
“Hmm, should I? Now that you mention it, the recent movements of demons have been unsettling. The Honey Jack incident, for instance.”
Through the Swordmaster Family’s intelligence network, she already knew everything—not only about the Honey Jack Club incident but also about the demon infiltration case the Association had tried to cover up.
Having someone from the Academy’s Student Council personally make such a request probably gave her sufficient reason to act.
“Alright. I’ll head back and give it serious thought.”
Her deliberation didn’t take long.
Before class began, as the cadets chatted in small groups, Dan Chun-woo approached me.
“Hey, I heard the sword you entrusted has been completed?”
“What the—how do you even know that?”
“I got a call from the 7th Smith. He said you weren’t picking up your phone.”
His eyes gleamed with anticipation.
Anyone seeing him would think it was his sword that had been made.
“You did bring it with you, right?”
He demanded to see the sword, as if he had personally commissioned it.
Well, just this once, I could overlook his obsession.
After all, thanks to him, I met a great smith and got the best weapon I could have asked for.
I supposed he did have some stake in it.
I drew the sword and handed it to him.
“Whoa…!”
The moment he received it, a gasp of awe escaped him.
Then, as though touching a delicate instrument, he began to caress the blade with extreme care.
He looked like a man reunited with his first love.
Was the sword really that good?
“Ssshh…”
He began sniffing along the blade and hilt with utmost focus.
“Haa…!”
“Are you insane?”
He’d done the same thing when I first got the Guardian’s Sword.
Watching a perfectly normal-looking man act like that—it wasn’t exactly a pleasant sight.
Apparently, Helena and Park Siwoo also noticed the scene, for they approached with curiosity.
“What’s wrong with that guy?”
“The sword he sent to Chiwoo Workshop finally arrived, huh?”
“Yeah.”
At that, Helena’s interest seemed piqued as she turned her gaze to the Reader in Dan Chun-woo’s hands.
Once he had enjoyed himself enough, he handed the sword back to me.
“I haven’t seen a sword this fine since my beloved sword, Mua. That man has crafted something worthy of being called a masterpiece.”
What the hell?
Can he really tell a sword’s quality just by sniffing it?
It was an astonishing ability.
Not even in the game did I see such a skill.
Just then, the classroom door opened, and the school nurse entered.
“Alright, everyone, stop chatting and take your seats.”
She tapped the chalkboard with the attendance book in her hand.
The cadets began returning to their seats.
Her expression looked bright.
Normally, she looked like someone suffering from a hangover after a night of heavy drinking, but today, she looked as if she’d had a perfect twelve hours of sleep.
The slight lift at the corner of her lips showed that she was in quite a good mood.
I had a hunch.
She had said she’d think about it positively, but to have decided within a day…
A cadet raised his hand.
“Professor, you look happy today.”
“Ah, of course.”
“Did something good happen?”
“Yes, and it’s related to an announcement I have for you all.”
The cadets tilted their heads in confusion.
An announcement related to their instructor’s good mood?
“Originally, I was supposed to act as your instructor until Instructor Kang Jae-seok returned. However, a new temporary instructor has arrived, so I’m no longer in charge of your class.”
“Aaahhh…”
Groans of disappointment rose among the cadets.
At first, the school nurse’s apathetic attitude had earned her criticism from the students, since she seemed to teach half-heartedly.
But despite her lazy demeanor, her lessons were of a high level, and her candid speech quickly made her popular among the cadets.
More importantly—unlike Instructor Kang Jae-seok, she didn’t assign homework.
“It’s a pain in the ass to grade, you know.”
So naturally, cries of protest erupted from all around the classroom.
“Teacher, don’t leave us!”
“Uuugh!”
The nurse chuckled softly at the sight.
“If you knew who the new temporary instructor is, you wouldn’t be sad—you’d be throwing a party.”
Grumbling playfully, she gestured toward the door for the new instructor waiting outside to come in.
Then, through the open classroom door, the Sword Empress walked in.
At that moment, an uproar broke out among the cadets.
“Wow! No way!!”
“What the—Sword Empress is the temporary instructor?”
“For real? Seriously? Kyaaa!!”
Bang!
As the cadets’ excitement spiraled out of control, the school nurse slammed the podium.
Bang!
The loud sound made the students flinch and quiet down a little, though their sparkling eyes betrayed their excitement.
I turned my head toward Dan Chun-woo.
His expression wasn’t just grim—it was completely pale, drained of all color.
The Sword Empress looked at me and smiled faintly.
Her expression seemed to ask, Are you satisfied?—so I replied with a smile of my own.
“You all probably know who I am already, but let’s start with a brief introduction. I’m Dan Yehwa, and I’ll be serving as Class A’s homeroom instructor for the next few weeks. I look forward to working with you.”
Her short greeting set off another wave of cheers from the cadets.
And so, the Sword Empress became our homeroom instructor for the next three weeks.
As soon as class ended, I looked over at Dan Chun-woo.
He still muttered to himself, as if unable to accept reality.
“Is it really that bad that the Sword Empress became our homeroom instructor?”
“She may be a hero you respect, but to me, she’s nothing more than an older sister with too many years between us and a terrible relationship. I feel like dropping out already.”
For him to say something like that, he must really hate it.
Was it that unbearable to have your own sister as your teacher?
Having been an orphan both in my previous life and this one, I couldn’t understand why he seemed so disgusted.
In fact, Dan Chun-woo was probably the only person at the Academy unhappy about her arrival.
Helena, on the other hand, was smiling ear to ear—clearly delighted by the change from the school nurse to the Sword Empress.
“Why are you so happy?”
“We’re finally free from that nurse! And on top of that, Miss Yehwa is our new homeroom teacher! How could things possibly get any better?”
Well, that was true—Helena did dislike the school nurse.
She had no proper career background, and more than anything, Helena hated her unprofessional attitude.
Hearing this, Dan Chun-woo murmured quietly,
“You still haven’t learned your lesson even after dueling her.”
“Anyone would be better than that nurse who doesn’t even have a proper teaching record. Don’t you think you’re underestimating your sister a bit too much, Dan Chun-woo?”
“Ha, me? Underestimating that monster? You’ve got it backwards. Who do you think trained me when Grandfather was away?”
Judging by his words, it seemed his dislike of the Sword Empress wasn’t just because they were related.
For him to speak that way, her training methods must’ve been brutal.
Well, I’d probably find out during practical class anyway.
A luxurious officetel.
A man in a casual tracksuit scratched at his rough stubble.
That man was none other than Instructor Kang Jae-seok, who had been suspended for a month for threatening a cadet under the belief that the student was a demon.
Gone was the clean-cut, by-the-book appearance of the man who used to resemble a strict company commander from the army.
Shaken by recent events, he had decided to let himself go a little and rest.
That was when someone came knocking at his lonely apartment.
Thud, thud, thud!
The knocking sound made Instructor Kang Jae-seok frown in confusion.
Who on earth would come looking for him now?
The Academy’s suspension policy was severe.
It wasn’t just a matter of being confined to one’s home.
Since a suspension-level incident usually involved a demon case, any contact with Academy personnel was strictly forbidden as a precautionary measure.
And Kang Jae-seok wasn’t exactly known for having a wide social circle, so unless it was someone from the Academy—which it shouldn’t be—no one should be visiting him.
He walked heavily to the door and opened it.
Standing there was an unexpected guest.
“Dan Yehwa?”
“It’s been a while, Instructor. Or should I call you ‘teacher,’ like in the old days?”
“What brings you here?”
“I heard what happened and got worried, so I came to check on you. Though I didn’t expect to find you like this.”
Realizing how disheveled he must look, Instructor Kang Jae-seok awkwardly ran a hand through his hair.
Clicking his tongue lightly, he looked at the Sword Empress.
Of all times, she had to visit when he looked like this.
Despite his troubled expression, he let her inside.
Since he was usually tidy, the only mess around was a few empty bottles of alcohol.
After changing clothes, he asked,
“So, you really came just because you were worried about me?”
“Of course. It was hard to believe that the Instructor Kang Jae-seok got suspended. So, I brought a bottle of something nice to cheer you up.”
In her hand was a luxurious-looking bottle of alcohol.
Upon seeing it, Kang Jae-seok swallowed dryly.
He was quite the connoisseur, and he immediately recognized what she was holding.
“I, uh, borrowed it from my grandfather’s display cabinet. He only collects them and never drinks anyway.”
“That’s not the kind of drink you just ‘borrow.’ If the Swordmaster finds out, he’ll probably grab his neck in shock.”
“So what? It’s a drink for my former teacher. You went through a lot back when you were my homeroom instructor, didn’t you?”
Saying that, the Sword Empress poured the drink into two glasses.
A faint smile appeared on Kang Jae-seok’s face.
“That’s true. You were quite the troublemaker back then, Yehwa.”
He closed his eyes, reminiscing as he took a sip.
“So, you got suspended for suspecting a cadet of being a demon?”
“…That’s right.”
“In the old days, your instincts helped us catch a demon who had infiltrated the Student Council. Have those instincts dulled?”
“I’m not sure.”
His expression darkened.
Since orientation, Kang Jae-seok had sensed something off about Seongwoo and had been suspicious of him.
And when he finally clashed with the real Devil Knight, he became convinced that the cadet was Yoo Seongwoo.
But he wasn’t.
That was why Kang Jae-seok ended up suspended—drowning his frustration in alcohol at home.
“Actually, I became the acting homeroom instructor for Class A in your absence. As a temporary instructor, of course.”
“You? Do you even have time for that?”
His eyes widened at the unexpected news.
To think that his former student had grown up to teach the very kind of students he once taught himself.
It was a bit nostalgic—but his first thought was, What’s she plotting now?
The Dan Yehwa he knew had such strict standards that she wasn’t the type to handle teaching students well.
He’d be lucky if she didn’t torment them instead.
And judging by her expression, she didn’t look like someone ready to teach others—she looked more like someone plotting mischief.
Instructor Kang Jae-seok asked,
“What are you scheming this time? You’ve got that same face you used to have when plotting to root out the demon hiding in the Student Council.”
“Was it that obvious? Well, the Academy’s atmosphere hasn’t been great lately, and I can’t just sit back while my foolish little brother’s school falls apart. I figured I could help a little.”
“That’s all there is to it?”
When he looked at her with suspicion, the Sword Empress made a helpless expression and confessed her true reason.
“I just got interested in someone, that’s all.”
She didn’t say who had caught her interest.
But Instructor Kang Jae-seok could easily guess.
A troublemaker among instructors.
A cadet constantly involved in incidents.
And the very student he had once suspected of being a demon.
A chilling smile appeared on her lips.