I Broke Off My Engagement and Got a Job at the Academy

16 – 16. Beginnings

As soon as I descended to the harbor, I looked around. Then, with a soft laugh, I sighed.

It had been almost half a year since graduation, but this place remained exactly as I remembered.

Glancing around, I tightly gripped the staff in my hand.

Did I ever think I would return here like this when I graduated? I pondered, taking a step forward.

“They said someone was coming.”

Muttering to myself, I scanned the surroundings. The shops in the harbor were bustling with the voices of many people.

And then, someone tapped my shoulder.

“Hey! Snap out of it. What if you space out like that?”

I turned around. A woman with black hair and red eyes stood before me.

“Master.”

As she called me that, she lightly tapped my shoulder and spoke.

“What’s with the ‘master’? You’ve already graduated and aren’t as fresh as you used to be. Now that we’re colleagues, just call me Professor Cordelia.”

Professor Cordelia smirked and smiled. I responded with a small smile.

“Oh, right. It might not be easy to forget the things that happened throughout our school days, but I’ll do my best.”

Upon saying that, she grabbed both sides of my face and spoke.

“Why did this guy become so shameless? Well, now that we’re colleagues, right?”

With my cheeks held by Professor Cordelia, I replied.

“Why, I’m a student now too! What else can’t I say?”

Cordelia, the professor, looked at me with a wicked glint in her eye, lifting one corner of her mouth.

“Oh, the junior from the Department of Magic, not even a full-fledged professor, dares to challenge the genius of the century? Come on, you’re asking for trouble.”

She ordered me to carry a bag.

“…What’s this for?”

“Things you need to act as a professor. Originally, I was going to give it to you after guiding you to your dorm, but I changed my mind. Go on, try carrying it, and see if it’s heavy.”

I shrugged my shoulders and said, “Is this heavy? Oh, right, Professor, your arm strength is really weak, isn’t it?”

Cordelia, looking at me like that, laughed.

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“Well, even though I’ve made my body heavy, my mouth is still as light as ever.”

“Yes, my mouth is light.”

Then, she patted my back a few times and started walking.

“It’s nice to see you again, but let’s get going. It hasn’t been long since you graduated, so you probably know your way around, but it’s different as a professor.”

I followed her.

…

“Alright, here’s your dorm. I’ve told you everything you need to know.”

“Yes… but, Assistant Professors have their own research labs too.”

In response to my question, Professor Cordelia shrugged and said, “Of course, you don’t expect them to be assistant professors for a lifetime, do you? To be a professor, you need to produce academically meaningful results.”

I smirked at her words. Then she put her arm around my neck and said,

“Well, I’ve introduced you to everything. Shall we go grab a drink?”

“Can I decline?”

Cordelia, with a sly expression, replied, “Already trying to skip out? Stop talking nonsense and come along. The appetizers are delicious, you know.”

I had no choice but to be led by her hand to the pub.

Smoothly, a stream of orange liquid flowed down the glass.

“What did you order? Isn’t this something incredibly strong?”

“Why, now that you’re an adult, you should try things like this too.”

Professor Cordelia poured alcohol into her own glass and took a sip.

“Ah, that’s good.”

“I thought I’d let you have some fun since you said the snacks were good, but who invited the heavy drinker?”

Professor Cordelia chuckled and spoke.

“Why don’t you try being a professor for once? There’s no way to escape the misery except for alcohol.”

“Damn, where did I end up working?”

Upon hearing me, Professor Cordelia laughed even louder.

“Come on, have a drink. You need to wash away the academic stress with the spirit.”

“A great professor just drinks and keels over, it seems.”

With that, I picked up the glass in front of me and pushed the alcohol into my throat.

“Whoa, felt like my stomach was on fire. What proof is this?”

“Uh, around forty, I guess?”

“Are you insane?”

After that, Professor Cordelia and I continued to pour the alcohol down our throats. When the intoxication started to set in, she, whose face was now flushed, opened her mouth.

“Hey.”

“…Yes?”

I stifled a laugh. Her voice was always like this when she had something important to say.

Unexpectedly, Professor Cordelia’s action was to pat my head.

“You’ve had a lot going on in these past few months, but still… I’m relieved. Coming back so confidently, becoming a colleague professor. It’s fascinating.”

I remained silent.

“Out there, I wondered how tough it must have been for you after graduating… It’s admirable, really. I’m proud of you.”

“…What’s so impressive about me?”

“Why, after spending nearly two and a half years as both a direct mentor and a disciple during my four years at the academy, seeing her return as a new professor, I can’t help but feel proud.”

“…”

As I entered my second year, Professor Cordelia had just taken office.

Unlike me, she was a full professor from the beginning.

The reason was simple. She was hailed as the prodigy of Matap, the genius of the century, Cordelia Hillstair.

No one knew why such a remarkable magician would give up a high-ranking position in Matap to become a professor at the academy.

But that wasn’t important. What mattered was that she was a genius, and I had caught her eye.

“Oh, was he some successor of Kainus or something? I didn’t know.”

She didn’t see me as Kainus’s successor. Instead, she was interested in my talent.

“Would you like to be my direct disciple?”

I accepted Professor Cordelia’s proposal, and as a result, my skills improved dramatically in just two and a half years.

As a result, I became a professor at the academy, although only an assistant professor.

And to someone like me, Professor Cordelia showered me with praise and smiles.

“Well, it just happened. There wasn’t really anywhere else for me, and honestly, I was tired of wandering outside.”

I said that and took another sip of the drink.

“I managed to endure with the help of a grateful friend, but later on, I realized it couldn’t go on like this.”

Professor Cordelia nodded.

“I see. That’s fortunate. It’s good that you had someone to help you and that you made up your mind.”

After saying that, she shook her glass.

“Shall we toast?”

I smiled slightly.

“Nothing’s impossible.”

The glasses clinked in the air. After finishing her drink, Professor Cordelia sighed and laughed.

“It’s really fortunate that you came. Your predecessor had a sudden breakdown, and things could have gone south.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah. The professors in the Department of Magic were all in a panic, not knowing what to do. As if the new freshmen this time weren’t dazzling enough.”

“Who’s coming among the new freshmen this time?”

Professor Cordelia looked at me with red eyes and spoke.

“Oh? You didn’t know?”

“I lost interest in the social scene, so my memory…”

Professor Cordelia scratched her cheek and said.

“Well, then, it can’t be helped. Among the newcomers this time, there are some significant ones…”

Professor Cordelia made a thoughtful sound and continued.

“What you should pay attention to among the new students enrolling this time are two. First is Jezel Ircalli. He’s the heir of the Ircalli family.”

“…Ircalli?”

I stiffened my face as soon as I heard that. It was the Ircalli family that had brought down my family, Kairos.

They liked to benefit from a neutral position, and Kairos was their sacrifice.

But now, at this point in time, the heir of such a family is entering the academy. I stiffened my face.

Whether she knew my feelings or not, Professor Cordelia continued speaking.

“And secondly, Vanessa Delfeos. Similarly, she’s the heir of the Delfeos.”

“…Northern Duke?”

If I was surprised by the news of Jezel Ircalli, this time, I was truly astonished.

The Delfeos Duchy. Holding the entire northern region as their territory, they possessed the most overwhelming power among the Empire’s five, no, four major noble families.

To put it bluntly, the Northern Duke.

The news that such a family sent their heir to the academy made me feel that something big was happening.

“Oh, right. And Jezel Ircalli is said to be in the Department of Magic.”

Before the shock from the Northern Duke had even faded, another bombshell exploded.

“…What?”

I said, bewildered. That meant there was a high chance that I and the heir of Ircalli would cross paths.

To me now, the heir of Ircalli, who had ruined my family, was truly uncomfortable. I couldn’t even figure out how I would handle her.

Can I really pass by the daughter of the one who ruined my family without a care, even when I see her?

I couldn’t fathom it. Due to the complexity in my mind, I took another sip, downing the drink.