Chapter 45: The Professor’s Unyielding Questions

“…I told you, I didn’t look on purpose.”

“So you admit you looked!”

“Um… If you put it that way, I don’t really have anything to say…”

“…Forget it.”

Siiip.

Boryan pouted as she sipped her drink through a straw.

They were sitting in a café in the academy’s shopping district. From their seats, they could see people passing by on the streets.

Boryan suddenly placed something in front of Sion.

“Here. Your pay for today.”

Clink.

It was a small pouch of coins from the Adventurer’s Guild.

Their reward for clearing the F-rank Slime Dungeon and selling the Giant Slime’s remains.

But Sion hesitated to take it.

“…Wait, why are you giving me the whole thing? Weren’t we supposed to split it?”

“I didn’t do anything. I just got in your way, got caught by the slimes, and… ugh… went through all that… stuff.”

“……”

“So it’s only right that you take all of it.”

“But still…”

“Just take it.”

“No, we should split it fairly.”

Clink. Clink.

They started pushing the coin pouch back and forth, both refusing to keep the money.

Instead of fighting to take more, they were arguing over who should keep less.

After about a minute of silent struggle, Sion finally gave in.

“…Fine. I’ll take it.”

“Good. It makes more sense for you to have it than me—”

“Then next time, I’ll buy the meal.”

“…B-Buy me a meal?”

“Yeah.”

Sion nodded casually.

‘She doesn’t seem willing to take the money, so I’ll just repay her in a different way.’

Considering her pride, refusing outright would probably offend her.

But at the same time, he couldn’t just accept it without offering something in return.

Repaying the favor later was the best option.

“…Sion, let me ask you something.”

“Yeah?”

“You don’t… do this kind of thing with other girls, do you?”

“Do what?”

Boryan narrowed her eyes, suspicious.

…Huh?

Why is she asking this just because I said I’d buy a meal?

Sion blinked in confusion, and Boryan quickly shook her head.

“…Nothing! Never mind! More importantly—where did you learn to use a sword? And what’s up with that sword?!”

“My sword?”

“You used a sword back in the dungeon! I was shocked when I saw that!”

“Oh… right.”

Sion absentmindedly touched the sheath at his waist.

It was the sword Professor Hurryju had given him.

A sword she had supposedly prepared years ago for her future disciple.

“I learned it from an elective course.”

“…Liar. And that sword? It’s definitely not a normal sword.”

“You think so? Want to take a look?”

“Yeah.”

Shiiing—

The blade smoothly slid out of its sheath.

Strangely, both the sheath and the hilt were made entirely of wood.

Despite that, the material was solid and refined, showing incredible craftsmanship.

Boryan examined the sword from various angles, then suddenly clicked her tongue.

“This balance is insane.”

“…Really?”

“Yeah. And look here—swordsmiths usually engrave their names in this spot.”

Near the base of the blade, a series of unfamiliar characters were carved.

“Master Smith… Katakula…?? Wait, this guy is crazy famous!”

“…Huh?”

“Katakula is the legendary blacksmith who created the ‘Thirteen Masterpieces’! Where the hell did you get a sword from him?! Hurry up, put it away!”

Boryan trembled as she hastily placed the sword back on the table.

Still stunned, Sion slowly reattached it to his belt.

‘…This sword is that valuable?’

Wait. Just what kind of sword did Professor Hurryju give me…?!

Even if it was for her disciple, why would she casually hand over a weapon crafted by a legendary smith?

Is this what it means to be the world’s top swordsman? Just casually giving away legendary artifacts?!

“So, who actually taught you swordsmanship?”

“…The Magic Department elective class, Essential Sword Techniques for Wizards…”

“Stop lying!!”

“Ugh… Fine. I’ll tell you everything, from the beginning.”

Clink.

The ice in their drinks had melted halfway by the time Sion finished his story.

From meeting Professor Hurryju, to learning Yulseo Step, to accidentally becoming her disciple.

All of it.

Has it really only been two weeks? Why does it feel like I’ve been through so much…?

He had barely even held a sword before enrolling.

And now, he was someone’s official disciple.

As Sion finished his explanation, Boryan’s reaction was—

“That’s amazing!!”

“…H-Huh?”

“Professor Hurryju won the World Swordsmanship Tournament, right? And she’s never taken a disciple before! But she made you her first ever student?! That’s insane!”

Boryan’s eyes sparkled with admiration.

…What part of that story was worth getting so excited over?

Sion could only stare at her in disbelief.

Meanwhile, Boryan gazed dreamily into the distance, her expression full of admiration.

“I heard nobody can beat her unpredictable swordsmanship. The way she moves so erratically, her insane flexibility, and her lightning-fast attacks!”

“Well… I guess that’s true…”

“Also, she’s super cute! The way she says ‘squeak~’ is adorable, and when she teaches, she’s so serious. Gah! I wish I could learn from her too…!”

“Sion? Why is your face twitching?”

The more she spoke, the more Sion’s expression twisted into something unreadable.

Yes, Professor Hurryju is cute.

Yes, her swordsmanship is incredible.

Yes, she’s serious during training.

But…

Sigh.

Sion swallowed back a deep sigh.

He would have to endure training under her at least once a week.

Just thinking about it made his muscles ache.

“Sion?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, I’m fine.”

“You sure? You don’t look great.”

Tap.

A cool sensation touched his forehead.

When he snapped back to his senses, Boryan had placed her hand on his forehead.

At this close range, she looked genuinely concerned.

Somehow, just seeing her worried expression made his face heat up.

“I-I’m fine. I was just… lost in thought for a second.”

“You sure? You worried me for a second there!”

Swoosh.

She withdrew her hand, returning it to her lap.

But the lingering warmth of her touch still remained.

Is this normal between male and female friends…?

For someone like Sion, who had only attended all-boys schools in his past life—

“Female friends” were something that only existed in online forums and fictional stories.

He had zero experience with them.

Sion took a deep breath, calming his racing heart.

But before he could fully recover—

Boryan suddenly stood up.

“Alright! Time to go!”

“Huh?”

“…I’m going to train like crazy!”

Clench!

She clenched her fists tightly.

Her eyes burned with fierce determination.

For some reason, she seemed incredibly fired up.

“Why all of a sudden?”

“It’s not sudden! If you’re training under Professor Hurryju, I can’t afford to fall behind! I’m going straight to training! See you later!”

“…Oh.”

Whoosh!

Boryan bolted out of the café, running toward the academy.

Through the glass window, Sion watched her sprint away with renewed vigor.

“She Left Without Paying…”

Sion muttered as he watched Boryan’s retreating figure.

“She could’ve at least paid for her drink before running off…”

He glanced down at the half-finished drink and cake left on the table.

…Good thing she gave him all the dungeon reward money. Otherwise, this would’ve been a problem.

That Night.

‘…I ended up relying on him again.’

Boryan Baist clenched her blanket in frustration.

Lying in her dorm room, replaying today’s dungeon battle in her head, she felt nothing but embarrassment.

‘What kind of dungeon veteran am I?! I was such an idiot!’

She had wanted to impress him.

To show Sion a strong, reliable frontline fighter.

But what she ended up showing was—

…Did you see?

–Huh? S-See what?

“…AAAAAH!!!”

Wham! Wham! Wham! Wham! Wham!

All she had managed to show him… was her clumsiness.

And her underwear.

Realizing this, Boryan kicked her blanket furiously.

“Hey, stop that. You’re going to tear the blanket.”

“…Sorry.”

Even her roommate’s scolding couldn’t cool the heat burning in her face.

Pulling the blanket over her head, she hesitantly peeked at her pants.

‘…Was I really wearing these?’

Rustle.

She quickly pulled them back up.

It was just too embarrassing.

The fact that Sion had seen her like this—

Sure, compared to the last time she almost exposed herself, this was slightly better… but still—

“AAAAAAHHHH!!!”

Wham! Wham! Wham! Wham!

“Can you stop already?! We have class tomorrow!”

“…S-Sorry! Phew!”

Whap!

Her roommate threw a pillow at her face.

The Next Day.

“Ugh… why is it already Monday?”

“Right? It came too fast.”

Sion and Patrick made their way to class.

Monday morning’s first lecture was Introduction to Magic Theory with Professor Londa Margret.

Most students had the same exhausted expression as them.

Except for one person.

“Haha! What a glorious morning! I can finally attend class again! I’ve been counting the days until Monday!”

“…Gae Bolg, do you actually enjoy class?”

At Patrick’s question, Gae Bolg proudly raised his index finger.

“Of course! I enrolled in the greatest academy in the Empire to experience its lectures firsthand! Hahaha!”

“…Good for you, I guess.”

“Wow, you’re a natural student. You should try grad school.”

Silence.

Sion’s casual joke immediately wiped the smile off Gae Bolg’s face.

“…That was uncalled for.”

“Uh… s-sorry?”

“As long as you understand. Hahaha!!”

Gae Bolg suddenly burst out laughing again.

Sion shivered.

That reaction…

Gae Bolg was the last person he expected to go serious over anything.

What kind of hellish reputation does grad school have in this world…?

Sion suddenly recalled something Professor Londa Margret had said.

“Oh, don’t worry about that. Most graduate students under me quit within a few months anyway.”

…Excuse me?

“Students these days have no perseverance. They start whining about needing a break after only a few weeks of all-nighters. Complaining about not showering for a few weeks… Ah, but you don’t have to worry about that, Sion.”

That conversation had been so shocking that it was still burned into his memory.

Not just a few days, but weeks of all-nighters?

Not showering for weeks?

Shudder.

Sion’s body instinctively trembled.

His past life as a grad student suddenly seemed like paradise in comparison.

No. Absolutely not. I will NEVER be a grad student here.

“Sion, you okay? You just shivered. Are you sick?”

“Huh? Oh, no, it’s nothing…”

“Be careful! Skipping class would only be a loss to yourself!”

As they chatted, the classroom door creaked open.

Click. Clack.

The sound of high heels echoed as someone entered.

Professor Londa Margret.

She walked to the front of the room, her usual confident and strict demeanor unchanged.

…Wait, I actually dumped water on her last week, didn’t I?

Sion had been called to the front of the class for a debate on chantless magic.

Which had somehow ended with him soaking Londa Margret with water magic.

That summary sounds weird, but… yeah, that’s what happened.

“I will begin today’s lecture. Last time, we discussed the definition of magic and various scholars’ theories on it.”

“This time, we will cover the history of magic.”

She continued teaching as if nothing had happened.

I mean… we did apologize and settle things last time, so I guess it’s fine?

For Sion, this was a relief.

If she held a grudge, she could have made his life miserable.

She could have bombarded him with questions, or worse, tanked his grades.

Pretending nothing happened was the best outcome.

“…And so, the lost techniques once held by the demon race became what humans now call ‘magic.’ Humans then began to study, teach, and master it academically. Sion?”

“…Yes?”

Sion flinched when she suddenly called his name.

“Why do you think humans chose to learn magic from their former enemies, the demons?”

“…Uh, because magic was that powerful and dangerous?”

Before he even finished speaking, Londa Margret nodded.

“Correct. Magic is a dangerous force. But once humans mastered it, they gained the upper hand in war. If you turn to the next page—”

Her lecture continued as normal.

…She just randomly called on me. That was a coincidence, right?

Sion felt a strange chill.

For some reason, he had a bad feeling about this.

And his instincts were never wrong.

“Sion, please read the next passage aloud.”

“…Yes, ma’am.”

“Sion, could you explain why the ‘Circle System’ was created?”

“…Uh, to make magic more efficient?”

“Exactly! Compressed mana is more efficient than unrefined magic, allowing for greater control and power.”

“Sion, why do you think the 10th Circle doesn’t exist?”

“…Uh… I don’t know?”

“As Sion pointed out, the 10th Circle’s existence is unknown. After all, proving something doesn’t exist is difficult. Scholars continue to debate this topic—”

Even an idiot could tell.

Professor Londa Margret was targeting him.

She was throwing questions at him nonstop.

And no matter what he answered, she always responded positively.

“Hey, Sion.”

“…What?”

Patrick leaned over, whispering with a concerned expression.

“Did you do something to piss her off? Is this because of what happened last week…?”

“I don’t know.”

Sion rubbed his temples.

Professor, why are you doing this to me?