“Would you perhaps be interested in becoming the headmaster of Ares Academy?”
“What? The headmaster?”
Han Tae-seong's sudden suggestion that I try becoming the Academy's headmaster had caught me completely off guard, and a slightly flustered expression crossed my face. Noticing it, he soon smiled as though reassuring me.
“Ah, of course I do not mean that you should formally take office as the headmaster of Ares Academy.”
“Then? Do you mean that I should take the role temporarily?”
“You understand my intent well. Serve as Ares Academy's temporary headmaster until a new headmaster arrives. To be exact, ‘Acting Headmaster’ would be the proper term.”
Han Tae-seong had suddenly asked me to act as headmaster until a new one arrived.
“Why me?”
“Hm? What do you mean, why you?”
“There are teachers with more experience than me. Why not choose one of them to serve as Acting Headmaster?”
“Of course, that would be a good approach, but...”
Han Tae-seong looked at me with a deeply troubled expression.
“Is there a problem?”
“It is less a problem than... As you know, Baek Seon-woo, many teachers have been injured and are receiving treatment in the hospital. Besides, under the current circumstances, I do not see another teacher as strong as you who can protect this Academy.”
“Hmm...”
“Please regard this as a temporary measure to reassure parents who are anxious about the possibility of another villain attack.”
“How long will I have to act as headmaster?”
“It will probably be about a month.”
“A month... Do you already have a candidate in mind?”
“It is a little early to say, but there is someone I have in mind. He is a rather prickly fellow, but he is suited to the position of headmaster.”
“I see. Hmm~ Given the circumstances, I suppose I have no choice. I will serve as Acting Headmaster for the time being.”
“Truly? Thank you. Haha—!”
The instant I agreed to serve as Acting Headmaster, the corners of Han Tae-seong's mouth twitched upward. He smiled happily and studied me closely.
‘Baek Seon-woo... Even if it is only a month-long post as Acting Headmaster, someone else would have waved it away and refused. Yet he has more guts than I expected. Just as that Seventh Elder said, I need to watch him more closely.’
Han Tae-seong was beginning to take a genuine interest in Baek Seon-woo.
***
A week later.
“For the time being, classes will be conducted collectively by grouping three or four classes together. Are there any teachers who wish to make additional suggestions regarding this matter?”
“...There are none.”
“Then we will conclude the faculty meeting here.”
“Yes, understood.”
A week had passed since I became Acting Headmaster at Han Tae-seong's request.
Perhaps it was because they had heard the accounts of the many students and Teacher Park Chang-hu, who had witnessed the scene with his own eyes, but the teachers who had survived the villains' attack were following my instructions more readily than expected. As Acting Headmaster, I sat in the headmaster's office and passed my days in terrible boredom.
“Hah~! This is unbearably boring. Should I have just refused Han Tae-seong's request?”
Had I formally taken office as headmaster, it might have been different. But since I was only sitting in the position temporarily to stabilize the Academy, I had hardly any documents to handle. Helios had also blocked all media coverage after the incident, so all I did was sit in the headmaster's office with nothing to do while time passed.
“Still, even if I'm only the temporary headmaster, I can't waste my time like this. I'm bored too, so should I go see how the Zero Class children are doing?”
Perhaps because the time was so painfully dull, I excitedly left the headmaster's office like a child and headed for the Zero Class.
***
“What is the first thing you must do when you enter a dungeon? Hunt monsters? Secure items? The correct answer is to assess the surrounding terrain! Even if you have a map, people like you, who have little experience, will become very confused. Therefore, compare it with the map and familiarize yourselves with the surrounding terrain... C-Children! Are you even listening to me right now?”
“Hey! What is today's lunch menu?”
“Was it sweet potato rice, black beans in soy sauce, stir-fried burdock root, seasoned bean sprouts, and seasoned eggplant?”
“Ugh—! That is a legendary meal cop. Should we skip the cafeteria after class and head straight to the snack bar?”
“Wouldn't it be better to go outside and eat rather than go to the snack bar? We can all hang out for a while and then go home.”
“What if Teacher Baek Seon-woo catches us?”
“Teacher Baek Seon-woo is in the headmaster's office right now. I heard he has to be the temporary headmaster until this month.”
“Oh~! Then we are free for a month?”
“U-Um, children—! Class is not over yet, so please concentrate...”
“Exactly—! It is our world for the time being.”
“You little shits are really raising hell.”
“!!! B-Baek Seon-woo?”
“Doesn't Baek Seon-woo speak informally?”
“T-Teacher, how did you get here?”
My appearance without a sound had startled not only the Zero Class children but also Teacher Chae Yoon-ju.
‘Since when was Teacher Baek here? I didn't sense his presence at all. It seems Teacher Park Chang-hu was telling the truth when he said that Teacher Baek had become incredibly strong compared to before.’
“Class is not even over, yet you dare talk about leaving school during the sacred time when your teacher is teaching you? On top of that, you are playing around as though no one can touch you instead of concentrating on the lesson.”
“N-No, teacher. It is not like that... Please, just listen to what we have to say...”
“It seems best to give you a dose of medicine so that you can regain your senses and learn respect for your teacher.”
“!!! T-Teacher! W-Wait a moment. We did not mean...”
“Hey! Hurry up and explain! Otherwise, we are all going to die!”
“Let us just run away—! Aaaah—!”
‘Medicine to regain their senses? What could it be that has the children making such terrified expressions?’
As Teacher Chae Yoon-ju tilted her head at the children's behavior, which was completely unlike her own, I approached her and asked her to step aside for a moment.
“I apologize, but if it is not too much trouble, could you please wait outside the classroom for a moment?”
“Pardon?”
“I am going to give them some good medicine so that they can focus on your lesson.”
“G-Good medicine?”
“Yes. I will give them something that will make them focus on class more than anyone else.”
“!!! Ah...”
After I summoned my gun and lightly swept it through the air, stirring up a gust of wind, as I spoke of giving them good medicine, Teacher Chae immediately seemed to understand. She nodded and promptly stepped outside the classroom, leaving the room to me. Once she was gone, I smiled wickedly at the children.
“As ever, this is the perfect medicine for bastards who do not listen to their teacher.”
***
While I was giving the children another dose of etiquette along with their good medicine(?).
Elsewhere, two men sat at a table, playing Go and talking to each other.
“Your skill has improved greatly from before. It is becoming quite difficult even for me to face you. Hehe—!”
“Haha—! Not at all. Compared to your skill, Elder Seo Do-gyeom, I still have a long way to go.”
“No. Han Tae-seong, you have now become quite adept at reading the moves. As expected of the leader of one of South Korea's three greatest guilds.”
“You flatter me. I still have much to learn about reading the moves.”
“By the way, why did you ask to see this old man? I do not think a man who is the Guild Master of Helios invited me here merely to play Go.”
“You are correct. It seems you read one move ahead of me, as always. Haha—!”
“Enough with the compliments. Tell me your purpose.”
At Seo Do-gyeom's request that he get to the point, Han Tae-seong quietly placed the Go stone in his hand on the board. Then, with a calm expression, he began to speak.
“I believe the time has come for us to receive the Abel Guild's assistance.”
“The support of our Abel Guild?”
Seo Do-gyeom looked surprised at Han Tae-seong's sudden statement that he wanted the Abel Guild's support.
“After all, though Helios holds the largest stake in Ares Academy, the Abel Guild also holds a portion of the shares.”
“That is true. The major guilds once caused quite an uproar as they competed to establish academies and build up forces of their own. The government began imposing strict regulations because of it, and to slip through those regulations, Helios established this Academy as a joint venture with our guild. Hehe—!”
“That is right. Thanks to that, we were able to put forward the justification that we were a system of coexistence with small and medium-sized guilds, including the Abel Guild, rather than a single guild building up its own forces.”
“Of course, in practice, Helios still owns the largest stake, does it not? And most of the students who graduate end up joining your guild.”
“That is true, but...”
Though the public believed that Ares Academy had been established under the influence of the Helios Guild, in reality, its shares were divided among Helios and several small and medium-sized guilds.
“In any case, what support would you like from our guild?”
“This incident made us realize that our response was far too slow. The detection system was not working either.”
“Hmm... As far as I know, Helios's detection system is the best in the country.”
“It is. During our investigation, we found an internal traitor. He was even a newly appointed Elder.”
“A newly appointed Elder did something like that? Good heavens... That is surprising.”
“In any case, I am currently putting the most capable fellow I have forward to uncover the traitors within Helios.”
“The capable fellow... You must mean that Seventh Elder.”
“That is correct. He is a fellow who complains often, but his skill alone is something Helios can proudly boast of.”
“Since there was a traitor, do you want military support? I am sorry, but our guild is operated mainly by researchers rather than combatants, apart from its executives and security team. I do not know whether we can be of help to you.”
“I am not asking Abel to provide combat personnel.”
“Then? What do you want?”
As Seo Do-gyeom looked at the Helios Guild Master, who was being vague about what he wanted, Han Tae-seong seemed to notice his intent. He drained the water on the table in one gulp, let out a long sigh, and spoke.
“I would like one capable person from the Abel Guild to support us.”
“Hm? From our guild?”
“Yes. The school nurse at our Academy will soon retire.”
“Retire?”
“Yes. He is nearing mandatory retirement and has often been absent from the Academy. It so happened that, while he was away, the villain invasion...”
“Since he was absent, the faculty and staff suffered heavy casualties as well.”
“That is correct. So through the Abel Guild, I would like to be introduced to a capable person who can respond to situations and make quick judgments, someone who can replace him when he retires.”
“Would it not be better to post a recruitment notice and hire someone new?”
“We do not know when someone may infiltrate this place again. I would like a recommendation for a person whose identity has been thoroughly verified.”
“Someone whose identity is guaranteed...”
Pondering Han Tae-seong's request for someone whose identity was guaranteed, Seo Do-gyeom soon smiled. He took out his phone, opened his photo gallery, and showed Han Tae-seong a person.
“Would this person be acceptable?”
“!!! A-Are you serious?”
“Of course. If you want, I will speak to that child. What do you think?”
“If they can truly come, I think they would be a great help.”
“I am glad you like them. I will speak to that child first.”
“We will contact them separately as well.”
After seeing the person Seo Do-gyeom recommended, Han Tae-seong smiled as though he could finally relax.
***
“Ow—! Sir! Wait a moment. You hit my bone! Urgh—!”
“Shall we end it here for today?”
“Ghk—!”
“If you do not concentrate in class, you will die. And if you do it when I am not here, you will be even more dead. You understand what I mean, right?”
“...Yes, sir.”
“By the way, there is one thing I am curious about.”
“What is it?”
“That seat has always been empty. Whose seat is it? It is not even on the attendance list.”
“That seat... It is probably hers.”
“Hers?”
“Was her name Choi A-rin? Hey! It was Choi A-rin, right?”
“Probably.”
“Choi A-rin... Did she drop out?”
‘Choi A-rin... There were no villains by that name, so even if she had dropped out, it seems she had not gone down a bad path.’
“No, sir. Rather than dropping out, she kept missing school, so I heard that the Academy classified her as voluntarily long-term absent and removed her from the student roster.”
“Voluntarily long-term absent? Removed from the roster?”
“Yes.”
Upon hearing that there was a voluntarily long-term absent student, I stared at the empty desk for a while. Then I looked at the children and spoke.
“You should all concentrate on the lesson again. Understood?”
“Yes, sir.”
After drilling the Zero Class children in manners once more, I became very interested when I heard about the voluntarily long-term absent student. I left the classroom and slowly headed toward the school gate.
“Was her name Choi A-rin? Well, I don't have anything in particular to do right now, so as her teacher, I should pay her a visit at home.”