Side Story 2.2

“I will now close the vote.”

Gulp. The sound of my nervous gulping echoed loudly.

The thesis evaluation at Haiola Academy is a three-stage process. In the first and second stages, review members examine the papers to decide if they are worthy of the next step. The third stage is the presentation I was in now. It’s said that 90% of submitted theses are filtered out in the first two stages. The strict evaluation is likely due to the limited time available for presentations.

After the author finishes a 10-minute summary, a Q&A session immediately begins. It’s the duty of the attendees to read the theses thoroughly beforehand and find any errors, contradictions, or shortcomings.

I expected a cutthroat atmosphere where everyone’s tongue would be as sharp as a sword… but instead, I was surprised.

‘Everyone is more friendly than I thought.’

The most aggressive feedback I received was, “Was it really necessary to include a light mana conversion function? Since only Ms. Eloered knows how to use it anyway.” While the tone was a bit sarcastic, it wasn’t an entirely incorrect point.

The only thing that bothered me was that the seat of the attendee who pointed this out was now empty. I wanted to thank him for his feedback… did he go to the bathroom and just not come back yet?

In any case, I had heard that if a thesis was a mess, personal attacks were common, so I was relieved. It must have been at least decent.

“I will now announce the voting results.”

The decision on whether a thesis passes is made right then and there at the presentation. It’s a harsh, yet efficient method.

I’m all for it. It’s better to get the beating you’re going to get over with. Waiting wouldn’t change the outcome anyway.

“There are 25 votes for ‘Pass’ and 5 votes for ‘Needs Improvement’. No votes for ‘Fail’ have been cast, and since the ‘Pass’ votes are a majority, this thesis has passed.”

“Congratulations.”

“Congratulations!”

“Let’s move on to the next thesis.”

Passed? It passed? For real?

Even after hearing the small applause, I still couldn’t grasp reality. I left the presentation hall feeling as if I was walking on clouds.

“How did it go, my lady?”

“Of course, it passed. What a silly question.”

“Eloe? Eloe, what’s wrong? Did something happen inside?”

“I’ll go ask the master and find out.”

“Do you want some water? Would you like a drink?”

My family, who had been waiting outside, each spoke a word. Voices filled with worry, concern, and expectation buzzed in my ears like an echo.

I slowly turned to look at them. They were incredibly curious about the result but waited patiently for me to speak.

“I…”

“Yes, my lady. We’re listening.”

“Don’t overthink it. Even if you didn’t pass, you can just try again next year.”

“I passed! Oh my gosh, I really passed. My thesis passed!”

“You’re amazing. My daughter, you’re truly amazing!”

“As expected, my sister is an angel sent from heaven. Is there anything you can’t do?”

“That’s incredible, Eloe. It’s not easy to pass on your first try. Congratulations, truly.”

“I knew my lady would do it.”

My family hugged me with open arms as I jumped up and down with joy. My dad held out a huge, flashy bouquet of flowers that was much bigger than my face. I was buried in flowers and family, basking in happiness.

***

With my thesis passed, there was only one more step left: the teaching practicum.

A position as an academy professor required a person with a good balance of knowledge and teaching skills. Since the period I studied at the academy was short, the teaching practicum was even more important for me.

Still, I had over 10 years of education in the education powerhouse of Korea. It’s a bit embarrassing to say myself, but I was a model student. I wanted to use my memories and experiences from that time to teach at a level that students could understand…

My goal was ambitious, but I wasn’t so sure I did a good job.

‘I worked hard, though.’

A month passed by incredibly quickly. On the last day of class, the moment I entered the classroom, I froze at the sight of some familiar faces.

“The number of students has grown…? Am I mistaken?”

“We’re auditing students, Professor! We heard it was your last class, so we came to listen.”

“Hohoho… I guess graduates can audit classes? I didn’t know that.”

“We just came to listen to the class quietly, so you don’t need to worry about us. Hehehe.”

Why was the gushing squad sitting in my classroom?! Why!

They weren’t the only ones tormenting me. Nia, who should have been cooped up in his lab, was there too, along with Vanessa! When our eyes met, Vanessa gave me a wink.

What! What do you want! Are you saying ‘just let it slide this once,’ or what?! Oh, this is killing me. This is killing me!

I had been trying to stop these people from asking to audit my classes, and they finally caused a scene on the last day.

‘I’m going to get rid of these people someday.’

I tried to suppress my rising anger and started the lecture.

After teaching it myself, a month felt like a very short time. My initial plan was to have the students make a simple artifact within the month, but I barely managed to finish explaining the principles in the last class.

I had a fleeting regret that if I had been more skilled at lecturing and managed my time and curriculum better, the lecture would have been more substantive.

“Does any student remember the operating principles of this section, which I explained in the last lecture?”

All the students looked away, avoiding my eyes. I knew this feeling. I knew their desperate desire to avoid the teacher’s gaze as if they were Medusa! I knew it better than anyone.

I knew they were praying and praying for the teacher to please ask the students with lower student numbers first, and what today’s date was, and what their student number was.

The deeper the students’ silence became, the bigger the mischief inside me grew. ‘Who should I pick on today, hehe.’ I was enjoying the thought.

“The professor is asking a question; you should answer, students. Are you deaf?”

The auditing student in the back began running his mouth.

‘Is that guy crazy…’

It was already bad enough that he was there; why was he doing this? The moment I was about to glare at him, hands shot up all over the place.

“I will answer, Professor!”

“No! I’ll do it!”

“I know the answer too!”

“Pick me!”

The students who had their hands raised had no color in their faces. The poor students had submitted to Jeras’s authority.

Sigh… A sigh escaped my lips. I couldn’t believe I was seeing young sprouts, who were meant to be the future of society and the nation, withering away under threats and coercion in my own class.

“Auditing student?”

“Yes, Professor. Please tell me. Shall I answer?”

“Are you aware that what you just did was an interruption of the class?”

“It wasn’t an interruption. It’s the students who are bad for pretending not to know the answer when the professor is asking a question.”

“Get out.”

“Pardon?”

“You won’t leave? Then I’ll make you.”

“Wait, Professor. Prof…!”

I used magic to simply banish Jeras. I sent him to the first familiar coordinates that came to my mind, so he probably ended up at either the Imperial Palace or the Grand Duke’s mansion.

I dusted off my hands and met the eyes of the remaining auditing students one by one. The students whose eyes met mine twitched their shoulders.

“If you try any funny business in my class, regardless of your status or position, this is what happens. Understand?”

The remaining auditing students, as well as the students, nodded their heads up and down quickly.

***

“Thank you, Professor!”

“Your lecture was really fun!”

“Please come back again! We’ll wait for you!”

“Thank you all for working hard to listen to my inadequate class. I hope to see you all again someday. Please pray for me! So I can get a job!”

Leaving the enthusiastic farewells of the students behind, I exited the classroom. The emotional moment was brief.

‘Where did those guys go? I’m not going to just let this go!’

The moment I stepped out, I lit up my eyes and looked for the gushing squad, but they were nowhere to be seen. Did they already run away?

“Ah! I’m sorry.”

“Don’t stand in the middle of the hallway blocking the way, get…”

The person who bumped into my shoulder trailed off. He was someone I knew well. How could I forget? He was the guy who got his comeuppance after trying to embarrass me in front of so many people.

But you, your language is a little informal, isn’t it?

‘I’m going to have to teach you some manners.’*

“Oh, it was Mr. Reo.”

When I tilted my head and spoke, the student council president, Reo’s face crumpled like a leftover piece of cake.

Even if I was only a temporary employee, I was officially a professor, and he was just a student who had not yet graduated. So there was nothing wrong with my form of address.

“I’m sorry. It seems I was in the way because I was looking for someone, Mr. Reo.”

“It’s rude to call me that when you’re not an official professor yet.”

‘For a temp…’ Reo muttered loud enough to be heard. Oh, really? So you want to drop the titles and fight? I was hoping for that, too.

“We don’t go by status inside the academy. That’s one of the most important rules, but if you insist, I have no choice. Let me formally introduce myself. I am Eloered Shu Le Borrestian. Oh, my family name has changed, so I’m just letting you know.”

Actually, it hadn’t changed yet, but I wanted to show off a little. Jeras would have gone crazy with happiness if he’d heard this.

When the imperial family name came up, Reo’s eyebrows and lips twitched. He wanted to say something, but he couldn’t, so he must have been frustrated.

I smiled and put the nail in the coffin.

“But since this is the academy, I’ll give you a choice. Do you want to call me ‘Professor’ or ‘Your Highness the Crown Princess-to-be’?”

Reo clenched his fists and trembled. Soon, he bowed his head and answered.

“…I have been rude, Professor. I apologize.”

“It happens. I understand that you’re at the age where you’re full of rebellion. Don’t worry about it too much, Mr. Reo. I look forward to working with you in the future. Oh, by the way. Mr. Reo, you have to attend for another year, don’t you? I guess we can make you student council president again next year.”

Creaaak. I could hear the sound of Reo grinding his teeth all the way from here.

How much must his pride have been hurt? While someone else becomes a professor, he’s failing his exams and getting held back a year.

I smiled brightly, pretending I didn’t hear a thing.

I’m definitely going to make Reo student council president again next year. Because I’m going to reform him to his very core.

***

Not long after the new year began, a new statue was erected in the Kilmaria Duchy.

The statue of the lady Eloered, dressed in a perfectly tailored suit and standing on a brilliant magic circle, had the following inscription:

<In Commemoration of Eloered Shu Le Kilmaria’s Appointment as the Youngest Professor at Haiola Academy>