Chapter 5: The Overzealous Professor and the Spirit’s Pact

“Hello… everyone. I’m Lunia Yggdrasil… the professor for Introduction to Spirit Studies! Please, just call me Professor Lunia…”

Clap. Clap, clap.

Unlike Professor Rhonda Magrette’s lecture the day before, the applause was underwhelming.

Not only was the class sparsely attended, but the atmosphere was far from encouraging.

Rather than clapping, most of the students wore sour expressions.

‘Who would be happy about a full lecture during orientation week?’

Sion gave a bitter smile as he observed Professor Lunia.

Her expression darkened, seemingly discouraged by the lackluster response. But why should she feel hurt when it was her decision to conduct a full lecture?

Nevertheless, the lecture pressed on.

“S-spirits are… beings that live and b-breathe within nature… Um, they are living creatures but not quite… alive? You can see spirits everywhere… but also nowhere… So, um…”

Her explanation was rambling and incoherent.

Even if this had been a student presentation instead of a professor’s lecture, it would still have been heavily criticized.

Professor Lunia’s class was a mess.

‘My legs are starting to hurt…’

Sion massaged his aching knees.

Holding a lecture while making the students stand outside the cabin was baffling.

At least in Professor Huriju’s swordsmanship class, there was a clear justification for standing.

But why would a class on spirits require this?

It made no sense.

‘No, stay focused.’

Sion shook his head, trying to regain his focus.

He reminded himself that when people dislike one thing, they tend to notice only the negatives.

Determined not to fall into that trap, he refocused on the lecture.

Just as he was settling back in, something unusual caught his eye.

‘…What is that?’

Something was clinging to the cabin where Professor Lunia was standing.

It was a living creature.

Small enough to fit in the palm of his hand, it had limbs and a disproportionately large head, resembling a plush toy. Its translucent blue appearance gave it a fantastical quality.

The tiny creature clung to the wall, wriggling as if playing hide-and-seek. When Sion stared at it, the creature seemed to sense his gaze and lifted its head.

-77?

The small creature tilted its head curiously.

With wide eyes, a nose, and a mouth, it looked like a cartoon character come to life. It was undeniably adorable.

As Sion blinked, wondering what it was, a translucent screen appeared in front of his eyes.

[You have discovered a spirit of the same or lower circle as your own!]
[Attribute: Water]
[Circle Level: 1st Circle]
[Description: A 1st-circle water spirit. It can create small amounts of water in midair.]
[The spirit wishes to form a contract with you! Will you accept?]
[Yes / No]

‘That’s… a spirit?’

The screen described it as a 1st-circle water spirit.

Its ability to create small amounts of water wasn’t exactly combat-ready, but it was undeniably cute.

‘I want to form a contract.’

The moment Sion thought that, the translucent screen disappeared in a flash.

-7777!

“H-Huh?”

Thud, thud!

The tiny spirit darted toward Sion, its little legs moving rapidly.

It ran in a straight line toward him, its determination evident.

Sion nervously watched its sprint, worried it might trip and fall.

“Wait!”

“Huh?”

Suddenly, someone stepped in front of Sion, blocking the spirit’s path.

It was a male student wearing the same academy uniform.

His golden hair and cheerful demeanor seemed familiar.

Sion remembered seeing him during the Byzantine Academy’s entrance ceremony.

‘Geivolg… something? Rodenburg?’

It was this year’s second-ranked freshman, Geivolg Rodenburg.

He stood firmly in front of Sion, addressing him.

“You shouldn’t be distracted during class, Sion!”

“Huh? D-distracted?”

“Yes! Not paying attention and looking around during the lecture is disrespectful to the professor!”

With a stern expression, Geivolg pointed a finger at Sion for emphasis.

The surrounding students’ attention immediately turned toward them.

“Isn’t he the one being disrespectful right now…?”

“Shh, keep quiet. He’s the second-ranked student. I heard he’s some kind of prince.”

“Wait, really?”

“Let’s just stay out of it.”

“That commoner kid is definitely in trouble now.”

The class quickly descended into chaos.

‘What is with this guy…?’

Sion felt completely bewildered.

Never in his previous life had he experienced such an absurd situation.

The commotion drew the attention of Professor Lunia, who approached Sion and Geivolg.

“E-everyone? What’s going on…?”

“Ah, Professor.”

With a picture-perfect smile, Geivolg turned to her.

“I noticed that Sion seemed to be having trouble focusing, so I gave him a gentle reminder! My apologies if I disrupted the class.”

“Oh, um, that’s fine… but c-could you please step aside?”

“My apologies for the inconvenience.”

Geivolg stepped away immediately.

Now Professor Lunia approached Sion.

This could be bad.

‘Is this some elaborate way to single me out as a commoner?’

Sion glanced at Geivolg, who had blended back into the group but continued watching with interest.

He couldn’t believe Geivolg had specifically called him out for not paying attention, creating this awkward situation with the professor.

“Sion?”

Hearing Professor Lunia’s voice, Sion sighed inwardly and lowered his head.

Regardless of how it happened, it was true he hadn’t been focusing on the lecture.

He decided to apologize and get it over with.

“Sorry for not paying attention during—”

“Did you… successfully form a contract with a spirit?!”

“…What?”

The completely unexpected question made Sion raise his head.

‘W-wait, she’s really close!’

Professor Lunia had leaned in so close that Sion could feel her excited breath.

Her wide eyes gleamed with excitement and admiration.

…If he had to describe it, her gaze was slightly terrifying at this proximity.

“Congratulations on forming a contract! Sion, please stay after class, okay?”

“…What? Me?”

“Yes. W-we can’t keep the other students waiting, so let’s continue the lesson… Where were we?”

As if nothing had happened, Professor Lunia resumed her lecture.

Sion, meanwhile, was left blinking in confusion, unsure of what had just transpired.

Thunk.

Someone placed a hand on his shoulder.

Startled, Sion turned to see who it was.

“Congrats on the spirit contract. I’ll be heading out as soon as class ends.”

“P-Patrick?”

“Good luck, buddy.”

Patrick looked at Sion with an expression of pity.

The way he shook his head added an air of genuine sympathy.

Two hours later, the class finally ended.

To Sion’s dismay, the rumored “full lecture during orientation week” had become a reality.

The session covered everything from the definition, history, and types of spirits, all in an endless monotone that made it hard to stay awake.

If they had gone to the trouble of holding class in a mountain cabin, wouldn’t it have made sense to include some practical exercises?

“P-please come in.”

As soon as class ended, the other students bolted from the cabin.

The only ones left were Sion and the cabin’s owner, Professor Lunia.

Following her lead, Sion stepped inside the cabin.

The moment he entered, he couldn’t help but comment.

“It’s… a bit messy in here…”

“Oh, just a little. Please make yourself comfortable.”

“A little?”

“Yes?”

“…Nothing.”

The cabin was so cluttered that there was barely room to step.

Scraps of paper scrawled with runes and spell circles were scattered everywhere.

There were even bits of household trash, suggesting someone lived there.

Looking down, Sion noticed two large mounds at his feet.

“Ah!”

“S-Sion? What’s wrong?”

“Sorry! I, uh… stepped on something.”

Flustered, Sion apologized while rubbing his flushed cheek.

In his effort to avoid the clutter, his foot had accidentally landed on a bra.

“Oh, that’s fine. I was going to throw it out anyway. It’s gotten too small.”

“…What?”

“Yes, it’s nothing. Now, about the spirit contract…”

Professor Lunia seamlessly transitioned back to the topic of spirits, her face unbothered.

Sion felt foolish for even noticing the bra.

“Spirits are relatively easy to form contracts with. However, since they are spirits, there are many things to keep in mind…”

“Such as?” Sion asked.

“Knowing this might happen, I’ve written a book about it,” Professor Lunia said.

“…What? What is this?”

With a dramatic gesture, she pulled a book from within a mountain of junk.

The book was as thick as an encyclopedia, but its title was absurd.

“‘A Book for Students Contracting Their First 1st Circle Spirit’? Is this seriously the title?”

“It’s… more straightforward this way…”

“Is there a copy of this, at least?”

“Oh, no. There isn’t. But it’s a loan… Just return it later. Hehe.”

Sion pressed his hand to his forehead.

He had a sense of déjà vu, having encountered professors like her before in his past life.

‘Who writes something like this by hand?’

Unlike in his previous life, where publishing and printing were common, this was clearly done manually.

Flipping through the book revealed it was entirely handwritten by Professor Lunia herself.

And not just any book—a massive volume like this, painstakingly written alone.

Out of sheer curiosity, Sion asked her:

“Professor, has anyone ever told you that you’re a bit… inefficient? Or maybe that your efforts don’t always align with how much students engage with your classes?”

“…!!!”

Professor Lunia froze as if struck by lightning.

Her wide-eyed stare seemed to ask how he could possibly know such a thing.

Sion sighed.

‘She’s the classic case of an “inefficiently diligent” professor.’

In graduate school, Sion had come to categorize professors based on their teaching styles, much like the MBTI personality test.

Professor Lunia fit squarely into the category of “inefficiently diligent.”

This type of professor had a deep passion for teaching and an excellent grasp of their field but struggled to connect with students effectively.

They poured their heart into teaching, only to unintentionally frustrate students and end up hurt themselves.

To Sion, they were the most tragic type of professor.

“So, why didn’t you do a proper orientation this week and instead jump straight into lectures?”

“I just… thought it would be better if students could learn a little more…”

“And why did you choose this cabin as the lecture hall instead of the usual classrooms?”

“B-because this is a place where spirits gather… I thought students might have the chance to form contracts, like you did, Sion…”

This was getting serious.

Even the inefficiently diligent professors from his previous life weren’t this extreme.

“Professor, listen carefully.”

“Y-yes, I’m listening…”

“Students generally don’t like professors with your style. Honestly, most of them dislike it.”

“…!!”

Crack.

It felt as though a visible fracture appeared on Professor Lunia’s face.

She looked as if she were confronting a reality she had never considered before.

Sion felt a slight dizziness.

‘This is bad.’

He had intended to offer a bit of constructive feedback, but her reaction was far more intense than expected.

Had no one ever told her this before?

Was he overstepping by saying anything?

As Sion hesitated, memories from his previous life flashed through his mind.

“Did you really write this all yourself?”

“Yes, is there… something wrong with it?”

“No, Sion. If you’re free, how about grabbing a meal? My treat.”

That was how it began.

The professor who praised his midterm paper invited him for a meal.

At first, he thought it was just a simple gesture of kindness.

One meal turned into research lab visits, competition entries, and internships.

Before he knew it, he had become a graduate student under that professor, drowning in work while receiving endless praise.

‘I won’t make the same mistake again.’

Sion cursed the “s*ave mentality” encoded into his very DNA.

Despite regretting his past choices as a graduate student, he had almost fallen into the same trap again.

He quickly turned around, suppressing any lingering sense of obligation.

“Well, I’ll read the book carefully, Professor. Oh! I just remembered—I have an urgent appointment. Haha…”

Sion turned his back on Professor Lunia.

He pushed past the clutter, heading straight for the cabin’s exit.

But it was already far too late.

“…Professor?”

Sion froze as he felt someone tug at his sleeve.

Turning his head mechanically, he found himself face-to-face with Professor Lunia.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at him desperately.

“C-could I… treat you to a meal if you wouldn’t mind sharing more details? P-please… I’ll do anything…”

Her tearful plea left Sion speechless.