Chapter 29

Chapter 29: Seo Dayun (3)

Hero society operated on strict meritocracy.

No matter how celebrated a hero of the past, if they couldn't demonstrate their ability in the present, that was the end.

Scholars, too─no matter how brilliant a past paper, failing to produce results in recent years meant their standing shrank and authority evaporated like a mirage.

Jeon Taejin.

The man was garbage, yet despite that, he was well-regarded by many students and professors.

The reason: Jeon Taejin was a competent piece of garbage.

Florian had something called the Top Professor.

Not an official title, but each department had someone that professors and students unanimously considered the best. Sword Saint Jo Seongung was one example.

Skill alone.

That single quality allowed Jeon Taejin to survive unscathed no matter what he did behind the scenes.

Given that he'd brought the third-years, his visit appeared to be an extension of the first incident.

Third-years mobilized the Top Professor?

As if.

Those kids were just chess pieces.

Jeon Taejin had come for personal reasons.

The only connection between him and me was Lee Yeeun.

And it was certainly nothing good for her.

I needed to come out swinging from the start.

"I'm well aware of your reputation, Professor."

Thinking I'd flatter him, Jeon Taejin puffed up with a smug look.

Like hell I'd compliment you.

"You're the man who tried to assault a student young enough to be your daughter, and when she refused, threatened other professors not to accept her as a lab assistant, aren't you?"

"Wh-What slander......!"

Jeon Taejin erupted in fury.

The third-years stared at him with dawning realization.

Jeon Taejin's face went crimson, but he forced composure.

"Ahem, Professor Cha must have heard some baseless rumor and misunderstood. I'm not that kind of person."

After a breath, he launched into self-defense.

"I did make demands of students. But do you think I did it for my own gain? No. Too many students wanted to study under me, and I needed to filter them. It was about giving the most passionate students a chance."

Jeon Taejin spewed his nonsense with a straight face.

Sophistry.

If he'd truly believed that, he shouldn't have retaliated against Lee Yeeun.

When I sneered, Jeon Taejin glared murderously.

Seeing no benefit in continuing this topic, he quickly changed the subject.

"Ahem, enough digression. Let me get to the point. I understand there was a small dispute between my students and yours, Professor Cha."

"It was necessary."

"Sure, sure. A professor can be a bit rough when teaching."

Among professors, there were frequent incidents where meddling with another professor's prized students sparked conflicts.

But Jeon Taejin didn't seem to genuinely care about the third-years, despite calling them his students.

The third-years were tools to attack me.

"By the same token, seniors can be a bit rough when educating juniors."

"Is that what you call education?"

"Yes. There's no rule against freshmen entering the Central Mage Tower."

After saying so, Jeon Taejin looked around and continued.

"But you see, human relationships don't run on rules alone. Professor Cha, instead of humiliating a senior in front of a junior, you should've upheld the senior's authority."

The third-years nodded vigorously.

Jeon Taejin jabbed a finger at me and raised his voice.

"There may be no rule against freshmen entering the Mage Tower. But it's a custom! A custom! And I can't simply overlook a new professor completely disregarding Florian's customs. You've disrespected Florian itself. Understand?"

"A custom? No─a bad habit."

"Ha!"

Fury bloomed on Jeon Taejin's face.

But beneath the outward anger, he was probably celebrating inside.

Jeon Taejin didn't care about inter-student affairs.

Custom? That was just an excuse.

What he really wanted was to use Seo Dayun to harm me.

Even if I backed down here, Jeon Taejin would keep picking fights─so settling this properly now wasn't a bad idea.

"You called it a custom. Combat Magic Department, Seo Dayun!"

"Y-Yes......"

Seo Dayun startled when her name was called.

She hid behind me.

She was clearly scared of Jeon Taejin─like a frightened small animal.

Jeon Taejin said in an overbearing voice:

"How dare you disrespect your seniors!"

"No, I......"

"Get out! This is no place for a freshman!"

Seo Dayun teared up, unable to respond.

I wrapped my arm around Seo Dayun's shoulder and said:

"That's enough, Professor Jeon. You have no authority to expel her from the Mage Tower."

"Authority? Did you say authority?"

"Yes."

Jeon Taejin's theatrical shouting made Seo Dayun tremble against my arm.

A truly despicable tactic.

At this rate, the Central Mage Tower itself might become a trauma for Seo Dayun.

While I was thinking about what to do, the Mage Tower professors approached.

"Excuse the interruption."

Familiar faces.

They were the young professors who usually oversaw my training.

I silently cheered at the arrival of reinforcements.

"And you are?"

"We're from the Combat Magic Department faculty."

Dismay crossed Jeon Taejin's face.

He was a Magical Research Department man through and through.

He ruled the research labs, but the Mage Tower was Combat Magic's domain.

No matter how prestigious Jeon Taejin was, on Mage Tower matters, Combat Magic professors' voices carried more weight.

"Professor Cha, could you tell us what happened?"

"Apparently there's a custom that freshmen can't use the Central Mage Tower. Professor Jeon here is trying to expel my student."

"Oh, come on......"

Jeon Taejin's expression hardened─he hadn't known about my connection to these professors.

Serves you right, you wretched snake.

As the saying goes, blood is thicker than water.

And Combat Magic and Magical Research had a relationship that could generously be called a bitter rivalry.

So Jeon Taejin only drew more pushback from my friends.

Since when were we friends? Since right now.

"The Mage Tower is open to all academy students."

"Exactly. Who decides 'customs' around here?"

"Seems like the one who should leave is someone else."

As the professors' reactions grew hostile, Jeon Taejin sensed the danger.

Dropping his high-and-mighty act, he said:

"Now, now, gentlemen. That's not what I meant! What's wrong with creating an academy where juniors respect seniors?"

"How is that respect?"

"It's not."

"It's just upperclassmen asserting territorial dominance."

"Look here, Professor Cha! What's wrong with a custom where juniors respect seniors?"

When Jeon Taejin made his desperate stand, I drove in the final nail.

"If seniority is the only thing earning them respect, what kind of seniors are they? Among aspiring Heroes, age and tenure are irrelevant. Respect comes from ability alone."

"Oh, is that so?"

Smirk.

Jeon Taejin flashed a vile grin.

In that instant, I realized my mistake.

The mood shifted.

Jeon Taejin laughed grandly, as if he'd never been groveling.

"Professor Cha has opened my eyes. Yes. Respect comes from ability! Then let's settle it by ability!"

"By ability?"

"Yes. One of my students who started the trouble will duel Professor Cha's student. The loser gets expelled from the Mage Tower. What do you boys say?"

As if prearranged, the red-haired one stepped forward.

"I'll do it. Freshman─if you have any honor, accept the duel!"

Jeon Taejin had been aiming for this from the start.

Even for someone like him, directly clashing with another professor carried major risk.

He'd always planned to escalate, then step back. Win, and he'd humiliate me. Lose, and he personally lost nothing.

At Florian, duels between students were absolute.

Not even the Combat Magic professors could intervene─they stepped back.

Seo Dayun looked at me with trembling eyes.

I took her hand and said:

"Refuse. There's nothing to gain from this fight."

"I......"

Seo Dayun was weak.

No matter how much she'd grow in the future, no matter how monstrous her growth rate─right now, she was weak.

That was an objective fact.

Her opponent was a third-year.

Not from a combat-focused department, being Magical Research, so he wouldn't be field-strong.

But Seo Dayun was weak.

She didn't have the power to bridge the gap between a freshman and an upperclassman.

An opponent she absolutely could not beat.

Seo Dayun asked me.

"Professor...... Seri would have fought, right?"

A small voice, but I could tell.

Resolve.

Within it burned a steely will that Seo Dayun had never possessed before.

Damn it, why does she have to find her fire now of all times?

I shook my head, trying to stay calm.

"No. Seri wouldn't fight a battle she'd lose. So stop this nonsense."

I tried to play it cool, but I couldn't stop my voice from trembling slightly.

Seo Dayun smiled with her eyes and said:

"I guess I know Seri better than you do, Professor."

"......"

"I accept the duel."

When Seo Dayun accepted, the red-haired senior wore a stunned expression.

He clearly hadn't expected a freshman to agree.

The other professors looked at Seo Dayun in disbelief.

Only Jeon Taejin grinned vilely.

"Ahaha! That's right. That's it. Spoken like a true aspiring Hero. Seo Dayun, you're better than your teacher. I'll serve as witness, so let's set a time and place."

Jeon Taejin, giddy with excitement, wedged himself between the two and started rattling off details.

A nearby professor asked me.

"Professor Cha, Seo Dayun─she's one of our department freshmen, so I know her somewhat, but there's no way she beats a third-year. I understand a teacher overestimating their student, but yours isn't that strong."

"I know."

"Then why did you just stand there?"

Right.

It was idiotic. I should've stopped her no matter what.

But I couldn't.

I paused to choose my words, then shared what I'd seen.

"Did you see that girl's eyes just now?"

"No. What about them?"

"They were shining."

"What?"

I'd thought I knew everything about Seo Dayun.

Not just her, but every Playable Character in this game.

I'd experienced everything in the game.

What each character excelled at, what they couldn't do.

How to develop them, what to avoid.

Their backstories, the stories awaiting them.

I'd seen their dialogue and their innermost thoughts more times than I could count.

So I'd believed I could be the world's greatest understanding mentor to these kids.

But today's Seo Dayun─

was a Seo Dayun I didn't know.

"How is a teacher supposed to stop a student making that kind of face?"

"Professor Cha......"

Professor Park, the most senior among them, asked me.

"Won't you regret it?"

"I probably will."

"Then why?"

The other professors echoed the question.

"But stopping Dayun would've been an even bigger regret."

The younger professors looked unconvinced, but those with longer careers nodded.

Once the arrangements were done, Jeon Taejin spoke.

"This Sunday, six in the evening. For fairness, only beginner-level spells may be used. What say you, Professor Cha?"

"If Dayun's fine with it, I have no objections."

"Ahaha! I love the directness. See you then."

Jeon Taejin led the third-years away, sauntering off.

Seo Dayun hesitated, then came over and spoke.

"Professor...... are you angry?"

She must've been worried about accepting the duel against my wishes.

I gently placed my hand atop Seo Dayun's head.

"No. You did well."

"Hehe."

Seo Dayun smiled brightly. Professor Park chuckled alongside her.

"You're both lucky. To have such a good student, and such a good teacher."

"Professor Park, shouldn't we be stopping this?"

"Nah, those two have already won."

The professors tilted their heads, and Professor Park explained.

"So what if she can't get into some Mage Tower? Those two gained what truly matters. That's a win."