Chapter 113

Inside the train bound for Busan, I was briefed on various administrative details I needed to know as a professor of the Magic Tower.

They were all extremely common-sense things, such as not bullying students with magic and not extorting money from them.

The “students” referred to here were mages or Awakened individuals who showed talent in magic. Surprisingly, half of the enrollment consisted of Busan citizens, about a quarter were from Seoul, and the rest were foreigners.

“They’re coming from Europe too?”

No Yeon-hwa, who had been staring out the window, asked indifferently, as if she had been eavesdropping.

“Yes. All branches of the Magic Tower are connected by transfer magic.”

One could say this was the reason why, among the numerous Awakened in Seoul, mages were uniquely dominated by foreigners. To be precise, the “Tower Master’s Room” at the top of each Magic Tower was linked. No matter how many towers there were, the space where the Tower Master resided was one and the same, allowing it to be utilized like a waypoint for spatial transfer.

Of course, since activating it required a massive amount of energy, most people wouldn’t even dream of it. It was likely just a few children of wealthy families coming to take classes for the experience. One peculiar thing was that it didn’t matter if the student wasn’t an apprentice officially affiliated with the Red Tower.

“While the one established in the Gwangalli¹ branch this time is our Red Tower, we’ve decided to conduct lectures in coordination with other Magic Towers, considering the unique characteristics of Busan as a city.”

Busan was a special city, one of the few in the world. Gates did not occur naturally there, and disputes between members were prohibited, making its security incomparably higher than elsewhere. While one couldn’t deny the fatal weakness that the city’s fate rested on a small privileged class—the elderly—due to the Pact of Mutual Annihilation, it currently held a more solid status than ever because the one leading it was the Great Leader, Mayor Park Mak-rye.

Looking over the list of faculty, I discovered a few familiar names. There were definitely many foreigners.

“Hans, Esma, Lee So-hyun… oh, Robert is here too?”

“I’m currently affiliated with the Magic Tower as well.”

Fitting for someone from the Red Tower, which focused on firepower and magitech, the courses Robert was in charge of were ‘Introduction to Applied Mana-logy’ and ‘Operation and Design of Magic Equipment.’ They were names that sounded sleepy just by looking at them.

In contrast, the class I was to teach was simple: ‘Magical Creature Ecology.’

In my heart, I wanted to teach Extreme Magic, but that was a major I chose as an alternative because I felt it would turn the existing magic system into shambles. According to Mala-nim’s wise opinion, this was much easier and more fun than trying to teach Extreme Magic, which no one but me could use anyway, so I had no complaints.

I worked on my syllabus while eating the cider and boiled eggs sold on the train.

Was it strange to see me studying, something I didn’t even do during my promotion evaluation? No Yeon-hwa, who had been watching the pillars of fire erupting from the ground, suddenly turned her head and asked.

“What is it?”

“Pardon?”

“That thing. The one you’re writing right now.”

“Ah, this?”

She couldn’t use magic herself and was only happening to go to Busan with me because of an “important classified mission for Division 1,” but she seemed curious about what I would be teaching. For her, a non-major, I showed her the syllabus I had kindly written to be easy to understand.

“This time, the topic is Magical Creature Ecology, and I’ve organized it with content students might like.”

On the first page of the paper, it was written: ‘The Tentacle That Gets Eaten 30 Days Later.’

I hope everyone likes it. Just as I was swelling with happy dreams, thinking of the 100 tentacle seedlings loaded in the luggage compartment, Robert spoke to me.

“Hayan, there is one thing you should be careful of.”

“What is it?”

“As I mentioned, since people from various Magic Towers are gathering for this seasonal semester, there’s a significant possibility of minor conflicts. Especially you, since you’re a Chair Professor from the Bureau; you’ll stand out more than others.”

Robert used the term “special background” to put it as delicately as possible, but the meaning was crystal clear.

Affiliated with the Special Unit, an outsider whose background was uncertain, and above all, a “parachute” hire who got in through a connection with the Vice Tower Master, Cheon So-baek. That was how ‘Professor Sae Hayan’ would appear to others.

“If you are treated unfairly by other professors, please request formal mediation. I will try to step in from as neutral a position as possible.”

“Thank you, but you don’t need to worry too much.”

I had already expected there would be some hazing. After all, the influence of the Red Tower faction was no joke even back when I first joined the Special Unit. It was a bit daunting, but I’m sure I can overcome it wisely.

When the train arrived in Busan, No Yeon-hwa got off first. Since she had come on a business trip after receiving a mission, she had work to do as well. Following her into the city, I stopped with Robert at the final station, ‘Sobaeki Station,’ to unload the luggage. Seeing the Red Tower standing right in front of it, it was glaringly obvious after whom they had named the station.

“By the way, does Commander Cheon So-baek not give any lectures?”

“The Vice Tower Master said she was busy with work, so I decided to lead the lectures instead. I figured you would know better than I would, though?”

Robert was actually asking me about Cheon So-baek’s whereabouts. Was that “work” something related to the Special Unit? There was no way I would know the schedules of other members, especially the Commanders. Even more so if it was the elusive Cheon So-baek.

“I haven’t heard anything either.”

“I see. Alright then.”

He gave me the key to my laboratory where the month-long classes would take place. The professors’ laboratories were located on the Sublevels of the tower. After receiving my timetable and faculty meal tickets, I was given one final warning. It was about the graduate students.

“In the Magic Tower, every professor has a slave… no, a graduate student who acts as an assistant. Since you are a Chair Professor of the Red Tower, we’ve assigned a graduate student from our side first.”

“Understood.”

“Make sure you never give them any private orders or errands other than work assistance. It’ll be a headache if you get reported to human rights organizations.”

“Hehe, of course. You don’t need to worry about that.”

Graduate students might not have human rights, but that didn’t mean they were beings one could simply mistreat.

As Robert left after impressing that fact upon me, Mala-nim immediately manifested and asked:

『Fear not?』

“Human experimentation? Oh, I couldn’t possibly do that.”

What a wicked Outer God she was.

Gently tickling the tip of Mala-nim’s tentacle, I shared my plans for how I intended to use the assigned graduate student.

“First, I’ll make them do everything: the attendance check for Monster Wars, the Blue Magic Stone grinding, and even the daily quests. They’ll have to polish my Norkel figurine every day, and at the cafeteria, they’ll make sure to bring more side dishes for my portion…”

“Hello~!”

The moment I opened the door and stepped inside, a cheerful greeting rang out. It seemed she had been waiting for me inside the lab.

On the chest of her red robe was a ‘star’ proving her status as a graduate student. However, the moment I saw her face—despite it being shrouded in mana—I was forced to retract every single plan I had just made.

“You’re the new Professor Hayan, right? I’m Soso~ I’ll be in your care for the next month!”

…Why was Cheon So-baek here?

Cheon So-baek grew tense as she watched Hayan freeze in place.

Did he notice?

She had altered everything from her voice to her appearance to look like a completely different person. The only way he could analyze her magic this quickly was if he were a superior mage to herself.

“Professor?”

“Ah, it’s nothing. You said your name was Soso?”

“Yes~! I’ve been assigned as your teaching assistant for the next month. Please, feel free to make me do anything.”

“Understood. Then, would you start by helping me unpack?”

Fortunately, he naturally offloaded the heavy luggage onto her. It seemed he really was unaware of the existence of Disguise magic.

It was something she had suspected for a while, but Hayan was almost a complete layman when it came to magic applied to daily life that wasn’t related to combat. Did they not teach such things at the Black Tower? Since he never spoke of it himself, there was no way to know.

The secrets he was hiding weren’t limited to just that, either.

“Wow, what are all these flowerpots?”

“They’re seedlings for this lecture. There are tentacle eggs inside.”

“Tentacles… hmmm~”

Cheon So-baek remembered what Lee Do-hwan had said in the nursing home just before his arrest: that Hayan was a mysterious being who handled tentacles.

Since tentacles were common magical creatures in the Demon Realm, it wasn’t strange for someone from the Black Tower to employ them. However, Lee Do-hwan had insisted that the tentacles Hayan handled were more ‘special’ than others.

At the time, she had simply tucked the information away in the back of her mind, but one fact had come to light during the passage of the Thirteen Palaces of the Void.

It was the existence of the Apostle of the Outer God.

Coincidentally, he also used special tentacles and was presumed to be an incredibly powerful Awakened. If the two were the same person, this might be the chance to finally uncover his identity. This was why she had gone as far as disguising herself to volunteer as his graduate student.

“Oops!”

“So-baek—I mean, Soso?”

Of course, there was a bit of personal interest involved as well.

Cheon So-baek pretended to trip over something and naturally let go of the flowerpot she was holding. With a sharp crack, soil and porcelain shards scattered across the clean floor. Having lived in the Magic Tower nearly her entire life, she knew exactly how graduate students were treated in times like these.

Acting the part, she looked up at Hayan, her voice trembling and eyes brimming with moisture.

“Oh dear, I’m so sorry. My hand slipped.”

“…”

Hayan was usually someone who stayed prostrate like a dried-up earthworm under authority, but within this space, their positions were reversed.

Cheon So-baek wanted to see how he acted when he held a superior… or rather, a somewhat coercive position. He was usually full of mischief, but she grudgingly admitted that the side of him he showed when he was serious was cool enough to make her heart flutter.

Furthermore, it was impossible to draw such a reaction out of Hayan as the Vice Tower Master and the Commander of Division 4, which was why she was putting on this performance.

“It’s fine. It’s just some spilled dirt, and the tentacle eggs are still safe…”

“Oh my, I accidentally stepped on it.”

Crunch!

With that sound, the smile vanished from Hayan’s face. Cheon So-baek swallowed hard as he slowly approached, staying in character as the pitiful graduate student.

“Are you going to… punish me?”

“I suppose I must.”

“Kyaa… there’s no one… to help me. Sob, I understand. No matter what you do to me, I’ll never breathe a word of it to anyone.”

“Then wait a moment.”

Hayan began rummaging through the luggage she had brought, trying to take something out.

Is he going to use a tool?

With a pounding heart, she clasped her hands together and waited. Finally, Hayan approached.

What he held in his hand was none other than a book. A thick encyclopedia that appeared to be handwritten.

“I’ll give you paper and a pen. Transcribe the contents of this thesis a hundred times.”

“…”

“There will be no food until you’re finished.”

Cheon So-baek’s expression froze.

The title of the book was: <I Know Over 100 Types of Tentacles>.