Chapter 50 - I Became the Daughter of the Academy’s Villain

<50 - Conversations Among Professors> A trial unavoidable even for Myung Ho-sa-nim, who wished to monitor every move Oknodie made, presented itself. "I have to teach during lecture hours, so I can't continue the surveillance!" What lectures would Oknodie attend, and what mischief could she get up to? He was anxious as if he had left a child by the water's edge. If it were the young monk novices, he could scold them sternly, but Oknodie was no novice monk. All he could do was pray she wouldn't stray off the path. As soon as the lecture ended, Myung Ho-sa-nim immediately looked up the course registration details linked to the professor's magical clock. <Oknodie's Course Registration Details> <①Monday, 2nd Period - Developing Insight (Adventure Department, Bronzé de Esterada)> "Good heavens." A critical incident had occurred. Oknodie, already prominently marked as a thief, was now attending a lecture given by the empire's foremost thief. Could this be considered a fateful encounter? Was it akin to attaching a booster to the back of a child already prone to flying? With the addition of the outlaw Professor Esterada's inspired techniques, the future worried him on how much closer Oknodie would get to becoming a true thief. "I must go and have a discussion in person." For Oknodie's future, this had to be prevented. 'Professor Esterada isn’t fond of taking on students, so she might understand if I explain it well.' It was clear where she would be after the lecture. Unliked by the Imperial-born professors, she wouldn’t spend her time socializing with other faculty members. Most likely, she'd be holed up in her private research room assigned to professors. "Professor Esterada, are you there?" Unlike the imperious Imperial female professors who carried the scent of profound perfume, there was no such distinctive scent in Professor Esterada’s research room. Odorless and colorless. The room was so devoid of anyone's presence that it made one wonder if there was anyone there at all, true to the elusive nature of an outlaw. "Was the door not open? I know you're inside, please spare me some time. I've come to discuss a matter concerning a student." "You're being troublesome. I'm only entertaining this because you're not from the Central faculty." Click. Whirr. Boom! The sound of machinery turning echoed mightily from the walls, floors, and ceilings of the research room. ...What has she done to this room? Just as one shouldn’t argue in a magician’s workshop, perhaps there should be a saying about not carelessly stepping into an outlaw’s research room. "By any chance, did you install these mechanisms as a precaution against thieves?" "Your guess isn't off. It’s for intercepting the Imperial-born professors—who get Imperial stipends and are, thus, thieves from entering." "...Your relationship seems quite hostile?" The floor split to the sides, revealing stairs leading underground. "Has the busy professor from the East come to fret over my faculty relations?" "That's not it. As I mentioned earlier, I’m here to consult about a student." "Is there a student with a bad habit of stealing? I must say, common pocket-pickers or petty criminals don’t interest me." The steps of the female professor who was ascending the stairs were utterly silent. Something in her hand disappeared with a swoosh. '...A hidden weapon?' He had failed to notice because of the strong assertion of her voluptuous chest even under the dress shirt. Perhaps having an attractive chest is a prerequisite for being an excellent outlaw. 'Ah, what indecorous thoughts I’m having.' Blushing at his unmonk-like behavior, Professor Esterada had already reached the top of the stairs and stood before him, looking at him sideways. "You escape from entrapment faster than expected, truly different from the common monk." "Did you subject a fellow professor to such treatment?" "I was curious about the effects of the <Basics of Mana Cultivation through Meditation> lecture. The effect is indeed definitive." Her smile made one believe that a beautiful face from a lady outlaw could resolve any conflict in the world, just as a deeply compassionate heart can. Indeed, beauty seems to be a prerequisite for an outlaw. Realizing that prolonging the conversation would only embarrass him further, Myung Ho-sa-nim came to the point. "Do you remember Oknodie, who enrolled in your lecture this morning?" "A top student, indeed." "Oknodie is a scholarship student sent by the foundation. However, unlike before, where the identity of the scholarship recipients was kept secret, this time the foundation has openly supported her." "A peculiar turn of events." No professor is unaware of the foundation. Their notoriety had victimized more than a few professors. Bronzé de Esterada. The infamous outlaw who turned the Holy Central Empire upside down had this to say about them: "To blatantly expose a trap card by the foundation itself." "An unprecedented move indeed." "The foundation normally only reveals the identities of talents whose growth has halted. Does the foundation not recognize her true value?" "The foundation's policy might have changed. And Ms. Oknodie's own exceptional talents are not trivial." "So you have been conducting special supervision." "Correct." "And this consultation?" "If the child's future becomes unstable, the foundation's influence will grow stronger. The headmaster and I plan to firmly guide her away from returning to the foundation's fold." "And what does this have to do with me?" "Please cancel Ms. Oknodie's course registration." Professor Esterada crossed her arms below her chest, amused. Her chest asserted itself even under the dress shirt, but Myung Ho-sa-nim, having fortified his resolve, didn’t so much as glance at it. "Does it bother you that she attends my lecture on outlawry?" "The child is already on a perilous path. During the admission preparation period, she frequented the guard posts, the dormitory supervisor's room, and the dormitory exterior walls as if they were her own house. None but myself, who secretly watched, realized." "Hmm." "A child not yet versed in specialized skills might grow immensely if she learns from your lecture." "Indeed. She already set a unique record from the first lecture." "That is my concern." Myung Ho-sa-nim worried for her future. "If a child who has perfected the skills of an outlaw becomes the second of their kind and roams places they shouldn't, what would happen to the child’s social reputation?" "Admirable? Sister, am I dying?" "...They’d become a public enemy of the empire. Just like you, Professor. Do you intend to lead an innocent child down the same path as yourself?" "Your words sting." "Please understand. If the foundation extends a hand to a child with nowhere to go, how can they reject it? A destabilized reputation is fatal for the child’s future." She understood what he meant. Truly a person of integrity. Professor Esterada thought that a professor from the East really was different from the rotten professors of the empire. It would leave a sour taste to deceive and send away such a person. She said, "The guard post and dorm supervisor's room have magic detectors to prevent unauthorized entry. If she wasn't caught, it means she instinctively avoided them." "?" "Do you think a child with such talent will stop stealing if she doesn't receive my teaching?" "That aspect, the monk would educate sternly..." "Lectures. You're busy, aren't you?" "...That is." "You can’t monitor every single action of the child 24/7. It’s not even appropriate behavior for an academy professor. The headmaster wouldn't expect that much." She removed her silk hat and swept her cascading hair back with a bold gesture. Beyond that assertive motion, her amber eyes glinted with a playful smile, like a cat or a carnivore pondering how to pounce, hinting at a hunting instinct. Without any enchantment, her charisma captivated Myung Ho-sa-nim’s attention. "The headmaster and I made a promise." "A promise... you say?" "If a student with the capacity to steal the empire emerges, I’ll take them as my disciple, regardless of their background or status. As long as I have their consent, without fail." "Ah. The headmaster indeed made a rather outrageous promise. An oath, is it?" "Of course." An oath is a solemn pledge that must be kept. Breaking an oath leads to a lowering of one's dignity. Transcendental beings like dragons made oaths like, <I'll erase from the map any state that gets in the way of my role as an academy headmaster>, and indeed, a nation disappeared nine hundred years ago. This is an extension of a dragon’s whim. Numerous institutions and organizations across the continent tread lightly around the academy for this reason. "If the destiny to become a thief can't be escaped, at least receiving the teachings of an outlaw is the best path for the child's future. Being an outlaw isn’t such a bad job." "Because an outlaw, unlike a common thief, learns the principles of righteousness?" "The pay is good." "......" "They wouldn’t have to worry about their livelihood in the future." "Professor." "Do you think I'm joking? I’m quite serious. Most problems in the world stem from a lack of money. With enough money, the child won’t have to rely on the foundation." Myung Ho-sa-nim hoped that what she said was in jest, but it all sounded earnest to him. "I’ll take responsibility and raise Oknodie to become the finest outlaw on the continent." It turned out that attempting to remove a burden only led to a bigger burden being attached; coming here to cancel her course registration, he ended up kindling Professor Esterada's enthusiasm to make her the greatest outlaw in the empire. Author's Note I’ve always been tempted to update during the evening hours.