Chapter 54 - I Became the Daughter of the Academy’s Villain

<Chapter 54 - A Different Style for Fifth Period> Monday, fifth period. The lecture hall for Adventurer's Nighttime Activities. "Where's the classroom?" "There aren't any lights on." "Maybe the professor went to sleep?" The few students meandering hesitantly among the darkened barracks turned back with deeply disappointed expressions. "Let's just go to any lecture that's easy to sleep in." "Right. And the classroom is close by too." "I came here to avoid the fierce grade competition there... Tch. If there's no lecture, there's nothing we can do." Oknodie silently wished them well as the students turned to leave without finding the professor. 'After sitting through that class, you could sleep in even the most extreme environments. Hang in there, newbies!' Giving up on attending and running away doesn't leave you with anything, but try to stick it out until the end! 'But this lecture really isn't popular, is it?' Mostly because most students can't find the professor and leave. A handful of students, harboring a whimsical hope, stayed behind wondering if the lecture on "Adventurer's Nighttime Activities" could indeed be taking place outdoors in the dark, true to its name. And they were correct. Swoosh. "Huh? Did something just happen in the dark over there?" "Can someone turn on some light magic?" As a familiar lighting device was turned on, with an effect of scattering pollen alongside the illumination of a pink light, there was... A woman in a white funerary robe with long, black hair flowing down like water-soaked seaweed, was slowly standing up with a creaking sound. "Aaaaahhhhh!!" "Ah, ah! Stay, stay together...!" "It's a ghost! So scary!!" "Aaaah! I'm losing my mind!!!" "Hey, you guys...? Me too, please!" "Run awayyyy!!" "Argh, it's hard to follow because of the light," The students, screaming in all directions like a soldier hit by a morale break. Following the illuminating device, a female student tripped over a stone. The lighting device, unexpectedly durable, did not break as it fell over. However, due to the button being mistakenly pressed during the fall, the light turned red. Creak, creak. The lady in the funerary robe turned her head towards the fallen student with a sound of creaking joints. "Eek. D-don't come! Do you know who my dad is? He's the mayor in the Federation of Holy City-States! One of the cities known as the Pantheon of the South is my dad's!" "……." "A-alright? So don't come any closer. If you do, I'll… tell my dad…" "……." "So… please?" No response from the lady in the robe. Confidence waning, the girl with the light. Looking down at her robe soaked in red, the lady then looked back up at the girl. But faced with an ominous feeling, the girl couldn't utter a word and just shook her head no... Thud! "Aah." Ultimately, the girl fainted as the lady in the robe dashed towards her. "What a cowardly child." Of course, the lady in the robe was not a ghost that appeared due to a tragic accident in the academy but was actually the professor in charge of the "Adventurer's Nighttime Activities" course. "…Class is starting. …Come out quickly." The professor, setting the lighting device upright and illuminating the darkness. Although I expected the <Hide> function for hiding behind barracks and even projecting as far as trees to surprise me. "Wow. You were the professor? I was so scared, I almost attacked thinking you were a real ghost." Zhuang, wearing a mask, an assassin. She encountered her in this very class, quite befitting of an assassin. * * Monday, fifth period. Professor Sadako, who teaches the "Adventurer's Nighttime Activities" course from 7 to 9 in the early evening, is a nocturnal professor with long hair and a white funerary robe. Her body is often cold and stiff, causing creaking sounds as she moves, and her long hair covering her face frequently earns her ghostly whispers. Naturally, her popularity among the students is at its nadir. One semester, by chance, she held a lecture at night but ended up with zero students, leading to the comfortable realization that she didn't have to teach at all. 'Scaring the students means I don't have to teach and can spend my time freely.' Rationalizing the minimal effort required as long as the perks offered by the Dragon Principal for teaching are met! Having realized the secret of this minimal effort, Sadako year after year scared her students with an *impressive* appearance near the eerily dark forest at dusk. The student with the lighting device would surely spread the story, curbing the curiosity and attendance of those who didn't come today... But there are fearless students in the world. Especially this 981st generation, where two such students were present. "…You aren't. …Scared of the professor?" "Wouldn't be scared if I killed her! …But since we can't kill the professor, actually it's not so simple!" "I'm just not scared, you know." Zhuang sends an accusing glance at Oknodie from behind her mask, wondering how she could tell such an outrageous lie. "…Really? I'm not scary…?" Professor Sadako, creaking as she approached, twisted her neck at an unnatural angle, bringing her face close to Oknodie's. Oknodie appeared slightly appalled, but there was also a hint of anticipation in her eyes. "Professor, your voice is beautiful. And there's no ugly woman with a beautiful voice!" Such audacity in one so young. Sadako felt a sudden dislike. "Do you know my nickname? It's the Terrifying Sadako." Her eyes peering through the long strands of hair. The emotion in her eyes, darkened by the night, was like peering into the abyss of human fears. It is an instinctual dread. The physiological horror humans feel when looking upon something non-human. Just facing it makes one feel that something is terribly wrong, screaming internally to flee from the fundamental discrepancy. "The principal is good at gathering professors, but… he has his significant issues, too." Sadako, with her pale hand, reached for the shoulder of the student, not managing even to touch it. "The problem with the principal is that he doesn't discriminate based on species. And the professor right in front of you is a being that goes against life. A creature forsaken by the gods. An undead." "!" "Do you feel it? The cold touch of a hand devoid of life's warmth. Being taught by the dead might just turn you into corpses as well. Aren’t you scared?" From behind his mask, Zhuang shivered as he spoke. "It's really scary." If even a kid with the stride of an assassin fears, it says it all. This settles it. Zero students to teach this year as well. Once again, she can enjoy her peaceful nighttime solitude. For the dead have time to spare. But being an undead, she likewise abhors any disturbance to her personal rest. Even as Sadako felt a pang of conscience for trying to make the kid who called her pretty dislike her, she also hoped it would restore her peace. "Does it matter?" But Oknodie wasn't scared at all. Instead, she boldly retorted. "As long as the professor teaches well, that's all that matters. The Dragon Principal wouldn't have hired a professor incapable of teaching properly, right?" Sadako was taken aback. Even professors from the empire who scorn her as a mere undead couldn't faze her, but now a mere student acknowledges her. And such belief wasn’t unfounded. She felt acknowledged. Genuinely expecting to learn from her. Looking forward to being taught by a being they should fear to face. "…This is the lecture you wish for. If you want to quit, say it now. If you come to learn only to abandon the lecture midway, disturbing the peace of the dead.... I will never forgive you." "I won't quit. This is exactly the lecture I wanted most during Monday's fifth period!" Inspired by Oknodie's spirited declaration, Zhuang halted his fleeing steps and came back, grumbling. "Then I'll stay too." "Really? You could have just listened on your own." "I’d hate to feel like losing by walking away now." Amidst the lively squabbling of the kids, Sadako let out a crackling laugh under her long hair hanging forward. Though she loathed teaching, she had a premonition that this year might be an exception. * * How can a laugh sound crackling? Knowing still doesn't lessen the fear. I maintained a composed facade in front of Zhuang, but internally, I was petrified. 'She's the visual epitome of a bad meaning. Even after getting used to it, it's still startling.' Due to her unique appearance, Sadako is considered an unconventional professor among players. Yet, a rumor about her circulates. The face under her bangs, never shown to players. Rumors swirled about a shocking twist that her actual face might be incredibly beautiful. No veteran player has ever confirmed it. Whether Sadako is pretty or not is a sort of MacGuffin. 'But now that it's become reality, could we know?' Undead are residents of the night. When it comes to nocturnal activities, there's arguably no professor better than the undead Professor Sadako. However, the most crucial element of this class isn't its practical efficacy. 'I want to see Professor Sadako's face!' Seeing the professor's face by the end of the semester. That's the biggest reason for attending the "Adventurer's Nighttime Activities" class during the fifth period!