Cat, cat, cat (3)
Assistant Professor Claire Elphin was quietly resting her head on her personal lab desk.
Her wavy blonde hair decorates the table like waves, and her glasses, which she took off briefly, are neatly folded by her head.
Most new assistant professors who are hired for the first time after receiving a degree in elemental science and begin their teaching career walk around the school building with a bright complexion and a romantic face for the first month.
However, once I realize how cruel the lives of professors who only looked good and had authority have actually endured, I soon want to go back to the degree program where all I had to do was focus on my studies.
The same was true for Claire, who was now in her second semester as an assistant professor.
“I want to die…”
Fair, child-like skin, two eyes that instantly captivate those who see her, and a unique youthful beauty that stimulates protective instincts even as she ages, were Claire’s pride.
However, if you raise your head for a moment and look at the hand mirror near your eyes, you will see that a corpse is alive and moving.
Even though I take care of my skin every day for fear of it becoming dull, the dark circles that are slowly expanding under my eyes are likely to unify the continent in the near future.
“I want to die…!!!”
I shout quietly, but no one listens.
Even if a bachelor’s course is a basic course, there are so many things to prepare for.
At the same time, we must also pay attention to the academic achievement of each student.
In addition, I submitted more than 6 research proposals to various magic towers during the semester, but all of them were rejected.
It would be nice if you could tell me the reason, but it seems to be mostly due to the lack of trust in the new assistant professor.
Since research data cannot be updated proactively, sources that can be included in the paper are limited.
As your research performance is poor, pressure comes from your bachelor’s degree.
In the meantime, why do students have so many accidents? Most of the post-processing is the responsibility of Claire, the youngest professor.
“…”
A fear creeps up my back that if I keep going like this, I will end up like an old lady full of wrinkles by the time I become a full professor.
Claire also once attended an academy where she was considered a gifted child. By the time I was in my 20s, I had completed all advanced degree courses and even received a professorship in my own laboratory.
Excluding emeritus professors, he is probably the person who achieved achievement at the youngest age, at least within the academic department. But now it looks like this.
I thought that flowers would have bloomed in my life now, but I never thought that the ordeal that awaited me would be even more difficult.
– smart.
As I was pessimizing my life, there was a knock on the lab door. Did the teaching assistant who finished checking the supplies for the elemental science class come to report?
-Boom
Claire raised her head to take a look at the corpse-like appearance before telling her to come in, but the door opened on its own without giving way.
“…were you resting?”
Glast, who has been Claire’s advisor since her degree program, is a senior professor in charge of first-year students who is famous for being a so-called ‘cheesy skeleton’.
This is Assistant Professor Claire, who worked as a disciple under the inflexible Professor Glast for over 5 years. Now is the time to feel embarrassed just because you look like a corpse.
However, his journey gives off an ominous feeling.
“Oh my. Professor Glast. What’s happening, coming all the way to the assistant professor’s personal lab? Can I get you a cup of coffee?”
“No, it’s okay, Claire. Just tell the business and leave.”
Claire felt cold sweat rising on her forearms, but smiled without showing it.
“What…?”
“Did you receive a report about the accident at Ofilis Hall?”
“…yes.”
“The investigation by the inspection department regarding the truth has been completed. The date of the disciplinary committee regarding the disposition of the ringleader was also decided, but the academic affairs side said there were not enough people to observe. As things continued, only the dean was left to go to the site.”
“I see. Professor Olveig, the third-year senior professor…”
“He is out at the Magic Tower for academic work.
“Professor Kelbraim…”
“He is busy advising the Chloel Imperial Family. “I can’t cause unnecessary interference in handling the royal family’s affairs.”
“Ah! Now that I think about it, Professor Delfina has returned from vacation!”
“I got hurt and my back hurts.”
I couldn’t even bring myself to say, “Well, what about Professor Glast himself.” It was obvious.
“You can receive a report on the case summary, judge the facts, write an opinion form, and leave other simple paperwork to the assistant under you, but you will have to make important decisions yourself.” “
Professor Glast. I’m sorry, but it’s the beginning of the semester, and I’m in charge of the basic course… I’ve been a bit hectic these days… I also have three research proposal drafts left to write, and if I don’t start working on my elemental science thesis by the end of this semester, I’m in a bit of a precarious situation. “I see…”
“I see. In that case, I guess I’ll have to sleep less.”
Nodding and agreeing, Professor Glast put down the folder containing the related materials and quickly left the lab.
“…”
Claire opened the folder without changing her expression. She skimmed through it. Upon checking, the truth about the occupation of Ofilis Hall was briefly summarized. It was
the sole act of Jean Ellis, the Maid of Ofilis Hall.
By persuading Shenny and Kelly and negotiating with Willaine, she took the facilities of Ofilis Hall hostage and complained. The main motive was
dissatisfaction with the bachelor who continued to force him to work hard despite his worsening health. His usual work attitude was sincere and his character was good, so no one could have expected something like this to happen,
so the damage was severe.
Taily Ayla Elvira was listed as a subject in the agenda for granting additional stores, and Ed Yenica Zix and others were listed as subjects for further investigation, but if the truth is clear, it seems that they are considering omitting investment in additional investigation manpower
. There was no reason for Claire to feel strange that Lortel’s name was not mentioned anywhere.
Anyway, after a quick glance, she got an estimate of the amount of work.
“Well, it’s not that big of a deal.”
Claire said, wearing prescription glasses. I took it off with a click.
“Check the investigation plan, collect the academic opinions, submit opinion documents, specify the student disciplinary plan, determine whether additional investigation is necessary, attend the committee, check the stenography to see if anything was wrong, report to the academic management and the dean’s office, and glass. All you have to do is report to Professor T that the work was done well, give him a business processing number, and submit the collected data to the records room…!”
And wouldn’t that be all you need to do at the same time as your academic work and research work?
Claire folded her glasses. He put it back on his desk, opened the window behind him, and screamed,
“The youngest professor is also a person…!! Save me…!!!!!”
“That’s right. I forgot to tell you, but since several research proposals were rejected this semester due to lack of budget, they asked me to check and report on the collection of assets that could be sold by the academic department due to lack of budget. Let the teaching assistants do this.”
Suddenly, I turned around and saw that Professor Glast was back in the lab.
Assistant Professor Claire hiccuped and turned her head, but Professor Skeleton, who was still blunt, stood still as if he didn’t really care.
“.. .I’m sorry.”
“Maybe a day or two. I don’t care, so just take care of business.”
“…Yes…”
Claire sat down and lowered her head. She had the look of someone who had already given up on living.
*
The next night, Jeon Seo-gu flew in.
– ‘Janggu-ryu’ The sale plan has been passed. The review of the plan for the dismissal of the company has been completed. Elte’s loss of power is almost limited. The fall from power is certain. The trend is turning over. I want to report on my personal condition.’
Traces of information being compressed and sent on a small piece of parchment. This is an undercover campaign. Compared to the scary image, it was a simple process.
“If the situation had progressed to this point, my father would be fighting his last fight at the head office of the company. It may be a futile struggle, but… Anyway, there is no time to worry about Sylvania here.” ” What
is the probability that Elte has hidden some other number?”
“Because that person is just as treacherous as I am… Probably not. Still, I have no choice but to trust in the slog aiming for the next club president position. “I’m far away from the scene, so there’s nothing else to do.”
The flickering bonfire chases away the darkness of the night. It’s late, and Yenica has already gone back.
Late summer or early fall.
It’s the northern forest where she’s changing clothes on the border. . Already, some of the broad-leaved trees on the outskirts are starting to change the color of their leaves. The
familiar sound of insects has also decreased significantly compared to mid-summer, and the forest at night has become more quiet.
Speaking of changing clothes, not only the forest but also me. .
“Isn’t it a bit worn out for a school uniform that has already been repaired?”
“This is something I can wear.”
“Hmm… hmm…”
There is nothing good about being absent for a long time, so I plan to go to school right away from tomorrow. I tried it on for a test, and it was pretty neat,
so it was okay. “Well, I’m in a safer position right now… so I feel relieved.”
Lortel smiled and pulled the hem of his robe and sat down.
“I have a lot of work to do right now. First of all, moving forward is also a problem…”
“I heard that the restoration of Ofilis Hall will take a semester no matter how hard I try.”
“That’s right. We need to check if there are any spaces left in the temporary accommodation… and we need to deal with the incident… Most of it seems to have been completed well, but the
empty academic offices in the professor building and the abandoned building in the southern part of the island were hastily remodeled into temporary accommodation. I heard the story.
I organized it neatly in my own way, but there was no way the hastily built accommodations would be liked by the students of Ofilis Hall. Still, given the situation, I had no choice but to endure it.
“The biggest concern was about Mr. Ellis, but it seems like it has been ‘settled.’ And…”
“…”
I threw a few more pieces of firewood into the bonfire.
“Elise said you didn’t reveal that you were the mastermind behind this?” ”
That can only be true. This is… the concept of ‘prepayment’.”
“Prepayment?”
“Think about it, senior. Maid Jean Ellis would have tried to stick to the winning side between me and Elte.”
Lortel took out a small piece of parchment from his pocket.
It was given to him by Belle Maia, who had visited Ellis right after the incident.
On the parchment, Ellis wrote : It was filled with a list of various orphanages that I had supported throughout my life and how I sponsored annual maintenance expenses.
“I was just trying to stick to my side again because my victory was somewhat certain. However… it is difficult to regain trust that has already been lost.”
Ellis has already betrayed Lortel once.
No matter how necessary it may be, will Lortel trust Ellis once more? Even
if necessary, she will trust Lortel again. Even if you give it, there is a high possibility that it will be discarded once its usefulness disappears.
No one will continue to use someone who betrayed them once.
“Mr. Ellis… because he knew very well that I would not trust him. I guess he kept his mouth shut as an example. To instill confidence in me. Well, from my point of view, I don’t want it to be revealed that I am the mastermind behind the current occupation, so I have no choice but to join in.”
Ellis is also self-indulgent.
The heavy workload is constant and his health is deteriorating, but he doesn’t even listen to his bachelor’s degree.
In the end, he can’t work and sleeps. When he was no longer able to take responsibility for the orphanage he had been sponsoring… he put his life on the line. He was
always blunt and showed little emotion, so no one recognized him, but he was in quite a corner. No, the expression no one recognized him was… It might be wrong.
The back gate of Ofilis Hall on a rainy day.
I still remember Shenny’s face, looking up at me with bloodshot eyes from underneath me.
At least those who followed Ellis had some understanding of her situation and psychology.
“Do you have any ill feelings towards Ellis? You were betrayed?”
“Of course I’m very angry. If I meet you, wouldn’t I be guilty if I slap you first?”
“For something like that, you look relieved.”
“Well, it’s okay now. For now.”
The way he sits by the fire, resting his chin on both hands and smiling brightly while looking at me to see what’s so good about him is very fox-like.
“To begin with, I’m not a good enough person to go around with my chest proud. If necessary, even people who once hit me in the back will have to be used again. In this world, there are no permanent enemies or permanent allies.”
“Okay, please don’t pretend to be with me.”
“Of course, senior.”
Lortel, who was laughing, stood up and brushed off her skirt.
Anyway, once safety has been secured to some extent, it is time to get busy.
Even if Elte’s fall was certain, there was no way a greedy girl like Lortel would give up the wise man’s oath. If the incident has progressed to this level, they will most likely try to obtain that seal as well.
Now it is time to return to Sangdo and live the life of a merchant.
Staying at the camp and doing nothing all day, staring blankly at the fire, or lying still and counting the stars in the night sky seen between the trees in the forest… such a romantic life was only a brief deviation.
“I’ll be leaving soon. Are you going to stop by the Sanghoe branch to sign a contract sometime next week?”
“yes.”
I put down the bow I was sharpening, took out a poker from the bonfire, and gave it the ignition spell.
For the time being, it will maintain a certain level of magical power and serve as a torch. The forest at night is dark, so if you are not familiar with the geography, you will need a light source like this.
When I went over to Lortel, who was about to leave, and handed him the torch, Lortel started to worry, humming with half-moon eyes.
“…What are you thinking like that?”
“No, senior. You’re taller than I thought.”
“suddenly?”
“Hmm… I wonder if the acceleration is a bit too hasty. Even so, I also think I might have to overdo it to overtake…” He
suddenly muttered something incomprehensible, so I quickly grabbed the torch and went on my way. He held out his hand telling me to go.
However, Lortel did not accept the torch and suddenly started saying something else.
“Do you know that, senior? The essence of human relationships is push and pull.”
“what?”
“Like that tie. Look, it’s crooked.”
Lortel came up laughing and grabbed the back of the knot of my tie.
“The way to tie the knot straight is to pull the back part and push the front part like this.”
“Why is it that my clothes are so uncomfortable when no one is watching anyway?”
“Well, what’s wrong with always keeping yourself neat and tidy? We are students at Sylvania.”
After saying that, before I could reply, Lortel grabbed my tie with one hand and pulled it tightly.
When my head was jerked forward due to the sudden surprise attack, Lortel thought that this was the time, so he raised his tiptoes and-.
…
“…The raspberries I had for dinner were definitely delicious, right? It’s nice to remember them again.”
“…”
“Oh my, I didn’t know you would look so serious.”
“Stay safe.”
“Be upset…”
Only then did Lortel take the torch and step backwards.
To ignore the line about being upset, he quietly covers his mouth with one hand and chuckles. If it had a tail, it would most likely be in the form of a fox.
“They say it’s unpopular if you pull or push too much. Next time, let’s have a senior pull a little more.”
He turns around but still looks away and smiles as he adds.
“I need to practice pushing away too.”
Just like that, Lortel disappeared into the dark forest. As the torch’s light gradually moves away, it sometimes shakes or falls to the ground, but you won’t get lost.
I stood still at the spot where I had sent Lortel to meet him and wiped my face.
I feel like I’ve been hit hard in the back of the head with a hammer. Let’s calm down and come to our senses.
I tried to avoid getting involved with the main scenario characters more than necessary, but things in this world never go my way.
Above all, Elte’s downfall was brought about a long time ago due to this occupation of Ofilis Hall.
One of the main scenarios in the upcoming Act 2, Chapter 10, ‘Battle for the Wise Man’s Seal’ is Elte’s fall.
In other words, because the story was advanced, a large hole was created in the scenario.
However, one of Elte and Lortel had to leave, and in the end, I had no choice but to save Lortel, who had more of a role to play in future affairs… For me, I didn’t have a lot of options.
Anyway, Elte’s fall was something that had to happen, so I tried to think that the order would just be reversed and that it wouldn’t have a big impact on the scenario itself… but as expected, my anxiety grew even more at this point.
I have experienced time and time again how one small influence can change the major flow of a story.
In theory, I think that if everything goes smoothly, the overall trend itself will be similar… but I can’t be confident in that idea anymore.
look at the sky The stars in the sky seen from the forest are still beautiful and the moon is bright.
The sound of bugs squeaking is still the same, and the sound of a crackling bonfire is always the same… but it feels like the trajectory of the scenario I’m involved in continues to be distorted.
My policy of taking care of only what I need to take care of while watching the scenario conclude smoothly at the edge of the story has never changed.
Nevertheless… I had a strange feeling, as if I was being sucked into the center of the story against my will, and I had no choice but to wipe my face.
There is no ambition. All I have to do is get a diploma and take care of my qualifications.
It won’t be too far in the future to realize how reckless and difficult a policy that seemed easy was…
Summer goes and fall comes.
It was now the second semester.
