Chapter 242: Magic with Professor Im Sol! (4)

Professor Im Sol.

In truth, we didn't get off to a good start.

Come to think of it, I was the one receiving an apology.

It was a simple accident. Professor Im Sol's personal items had gotten mixed in with the magic tools we were going to use for practical training. Thanks to that, I almost got seriously hurt. I remember I didn't get injured fortunately because I had [Magic Power Resonance].

If an accident like that happened now, I would have caused a scene and called the Chairman of the Board, but back then, I hadn't yet adjusted to this world. So even though I was angry, I didn't want to make a big deal out of it.

Professor Im Sol apologized in person at the time. Of course, my anger didn't completely fade, but honestly, I let it slide partly because the professor was just so pretty.

Through those ties, we continued to interact.

Of course, it wasn't just a wholesome exchange that contributed to the development of world magic... Under the pretext of magic research, she would do lewd things to me, making it an extremely abnormal relationship for a professor and her student.

Right now, the professor somehow ended up liking it more... but anyway, that was how it was.

We always maintained an amicable relationship, and we've grown even closer these days.

At some point, Professor Im Sol started calling me her student.

Even though she definitely used to call me Lee Ho-yeon, or just Ho-yeon at first.

I thought it was Professor Im Sol's own way of keeping her distance.

Maintaining the boundaries between a professor and a student.

Because getting too close could cause a controversy, and it could become awkward for Professor Im Sol.

That's why I played along, repeatedly calling her my teacher.

But...

Looking at Im Sol staring down at the demons with cold eyes from the sky, that thought changed.

*

The massive magic circles spread across the sky were as magnificent as a god looking down upon the vast exhibition hall.

And the body of Im Sol, the owner of those magic circles, slowly began to levitate.

"...What the."

A monologue slipped out before I knew it.

An angel? Or a spirit?

Covered in blue magic power, Im Sol rose into the sky. Her figure looked like a fictional entity that shouldn't exist in this world, like a unicorn or a dragon.

Thump- Ruumble-

The entire exhibition hall area was trembling.

It was because of the magic power Im Sol dominated.

Even if she's Im Sol, can she really use such massive magic all by herself? And in such a short amount of time?

The surroundings were still chaotic.

The demons and the people had yet to notice Im Sol looking down at the exhibition hall from the air.

Explosions went off everywhere in the exhibition hall, people ran away, and the demons chased after them.

The demons looted the magic tools and smashed the magic circles.

What they wanted was chaos and fear. The emotions of malice born from it.

That was Pandemic's goal to summon an unidentified entity known as the Demon King.

But even those invaders couldn't continue ignoring this dense magic power forever.

Vwoooom-

Dozens of massive magic circles floating in the sky.

Because they were slowly rotating and starting to emit light.

At that, the demons on the ground also noticed the anomaly one by one.

Anyone would be surprised if something like that was floating right up in the sky.

- W-What is that? Interference! We're being interfered with!

- Grrrk, block it. B-Block it.

In that brief moment when both the demons who maintained their reason and the demons who lost it were panicking.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Four massive pillars of light crashed down around Im Sol, and as she opened her eyes in the center, her appearance...

Calling her an angel who had descended from heaven to punish evil would be an understatement.

Soon, light slowly began to generate from the rotating magic circles.

"Die."

Pure white light descended all over the exhibition hall.

The genius mage Im Sol.

It was the moment she went all out.

Those lights that seemed to strike indiscriminately accurately targeted only the demons. Most of the low-level demons were swept away by the initial pillars of light, and while some high-level demons tried to resist, it was useless.

Because it was a level of power that made me question if even my rune barrier could withstand it.

- T-This fucking bitch...!

Among them, the demon leader orchestrating this terror attack spat curses and drew up his magic power.

It was a demon with the appearance of a middle-aged man.

Just seeing him block the light Im Sol emitted while simultaneously wielding his magic power showed that his combat prowess wasn't weak.

It was to the point where I couldn't guarantee a victory even if I fought seriously.

Since it was a place with many mages, they seemed to have dispatched a big shot to prepare for unexpected variables.

The middle-aged demon drew out a murky mana sphere and hurled it at Im Sol, and the mana sphere charged at her in a straight line, gradually accelerating as it absorbed the surrounding light.

"Professor!"

That, too, was a magic of tremendous power considering it was created in such a short time.

However, contrary to my worries, Im Sol was incredibly calm.

She simply raised a hand and caught the mana sphere as if she were playing a light game of catch.

Crackle-!

People far away might not have known, but I could see it clearly.

The sight of Im Sol gritting her teeth.

And the words she quietly murmured.

"Annoying."

Squish!

Im Sol, having reverse-calculated the mana sphere right in her grasp, muttered as she looked at the demons.

"Annoying. Annoying. Annoying. Annoying. Annoying. Annoying. Annoying. Annoying...! It's so annoying. You trash. You're nothing but trash. You starfish who can't even reach my toes. Magic? Why? How come? For what reason? Die. Die. You trash. Die... Drop dead."

Losing his will to fight after seeing the mana sphere containing his full power blocked by a single hand, the middle-aged demon stared blankly at Im Sol before being swallowed by the light and disappearing.

Thump! BOOM! Ruumble!

- Ack!

- Grrrk, grrrr!

Even after the leader demon died, the lights falling from the sky did not stop.

Not until all the demons hiding within the exhibition hall disappeared.

*

All the demons that were—no, had been—in the exhibition hall turned to ash.

They were literally swallowed by the light, leaving no trace behind.

Whether they were mages, onlookers, or civilians, everyone watched the spectacle with their mouths hanging open.

There was a woman shedding tears after losing her lover.

There were also those who cluelessly cheered while watching the marvelous sight.

Some widened their eyes as they saw the demon that was about to kill them get swallowed by the light.

There were people standing perfectly still in their spots like roly-poly toys with their mouths wide open.

Among the mages, some were shedding tears of deep emotion.

They were high-level mages who knew just how incredible the feat Im Sol had just pulled off was.

I was, of course, one of them.

- So that's the genius mage Im Sol...

- Such marvelous magic... sniff. To think I'd get to see this in my lifetime.

Several mages blurted out their impressions as they looked at Im Sol.

- P-Photographs. Take photographs! Hurry!

The reporters who came to cover the Magic Expo began taking photographs.

By tomorrow—no, in just a few hours—Im Sol's picture will probably be on the headlines.

[The Genius Mage Im Sol! Single-handedly Stops the Exhibition Hall Terror Attack!]

With a cheap title like that.

Without paying attention to the others, Im Sol reined in her magic power and descended from the sky.

Going up into the sky and directly making an observation was the most efficient way to find the demons, so it was time to come down now.

Coming down from the sky, Im Sol brushed off the dust with a tap-tap and offered me a slightly awkward smile.

"Did you see everything?"

"...Yes."

"...Did you hear everything, by any chance?"

"Uh... yes."

I swallowed my saliva with a gulp.

How should I put it.

It felt like distance had formed between the professor and me?

It was a feeling that I couldn't approach her as easily as before.

Because I realized she was truly among the strong.

She wasn't that clumsy professor who would suck my penis whenever she had the chance.

The person standing before me was the real mage Im Sol, considered the best in the world.

"...Professor."

Still, there was one thing I could tell.

That her getting so angry was all for my sake.

★ Heroine Status Window

[Im Sol]

- [ Favorability : 75 ]

- [ Libido : 50 ]

- [ Appetite : 30 ]

- [ Fatigue : 50 ]

Current Status : I was in a good mood with my student for the first time in a while. Everything is ruined.

"Um, you were cool. Really."

I was extremely thankful for her caring about me.

Of course, I was a little scared.

Anyone would inevitably feel scared and tense seeing someone swear with so much malice.

This wasn't my problem.

I tried to hide it as much as I could, but Im Sol seemed to have slightly read my feelings.

"Are you feeling pressured by me, by any chance?"

Since she asked something like that while offering a self-deprecating smile.

"No, no. I was just taken aback."

I quickly defended myself.

Because I couldn't let Im Sol misunderstand.

But regardless of my intention, Im Sol continued speaking.

"It's okay. You can call me a monster. I'm used to it."

"Professor. Don't say things like that. How could you be a monster?"

I was just slightly scared, but I didn't think of her as a monster or anything.

'...No, actually I did.'

To make an excuse, it definitely wasn't in a negative sense.

It was in a positive sense.

"Still, I didn't want to show it to you of all people."

"...Professor?"

Im Sol let out a deep sigh and continued to speak with a self-deprecating smile.

"I keep my walls up, you see. A wall that protects my pride and allows me to ignore what other people say. This is what happens when that wall disappears. What you just saw was my true nature."

I quietly listened to Im Sol's words.

"I know it too. That it's ugly, and it's evidence that I'm a social misfit. A monster who can't even bow her head, who knows nothing but magic. That evaluation isn't wrong."

"..."

"That's why I didn't want to show it to you."

"...Haa, Professor."

I let out a deep sigh.

How should I persuade this person?

I did think that Professor Im Sol would have some trauma.

Because there were quite a few things I really couldn't understand up until now.

But... honestly, whatever Professor Im Sol thought wasn't any of my business.

True nature? So what.

She just looked pretty to me.

Whatever she does, the person known as Im Sol doesn't change.

Even if everyone else fails to understand, I can understand.

I had to express this in a way that Im Sol could properly understand.

"Professor. Don't have such strange thoughts. At least I absolutely do not think that way."

"...Then what do you think?"

At the words I said with all my sincerity, Im Sol met my eyes.

"Excuse me?"

"Me. What do you think of me. The social misfit and monster mage Im Sol... What do you think of her?"

"You're just my professor."

"...Yeah. Thank you."

Im Sol smiled slightly and turned her head away.

This isn't it.

Im Sol was smiling, but she wasn't smiling.

It goes without saying, but I couldn't just let things slide like that.

Certain that I couldn't leave her like that, I quickly continued my words.

"...To me, you are just a person named Im Sol."

Im Sol turned her head and looked at me.

As if telling me to go ahead and speak.

Seeing a single ray of expectation still remaining in those eyes filled with various emotions like shame, a sense of powerlessness, self-loathing, embarrassment, and guilt, I held onto hope.

And then, I poured out the words I had been holding back.

"Someone who pretends to be an adult even though there isn't much of an age difference between us."

"...?"

Im Sol furrowed her brow at my sudden words.

She seemed to not know why I was suddenly acting like this.

But I didn't stop.

Because I had to spit out everything I had been holding in until now.

"Yet you like sweet things like a child. A strange professor who thinks she's the most special in the world, ignores all the other mages, and even dumps important work onto her student."

"What are you saying..."

Just before Im Sol could get angry, I brought out the words I had prepared.

"But I find that side of you cute."

"...W-What?"

At the same time, Im Sol's eyes widened.

Her face, which had been full of displeasure, was dyed with panic.

"The way you smile brightly after eating chocolate, the way you rejoice after finishing your magic research, the way you whine every day about not understanding other people yet are more sincere than anyone else when you're actually teaching a magic class. It's all cute."

"What are you talking about. You, you're really...!"

Looking flustered, Im Sol rolled her eyes around.

"A person who holds the pride of being the greatest mage in the world yet feels the pressure of it. A weak person who self-deprecates herself as a monster yet wishes for someone to embrace her. I like that Professor Im Sol."

"S-Stop it. Please..."

Looking around to see if anyone was listening, Im Sol thrust her hand out to cover my mouth.

She was so embarrassed that her face was completely red.

"Pfft, chuckle... haha."

Seeing Professor Im Sol's disheveled state for the first time, I burst into genuine laughter for the first time in a while.

"You, you. Do you really want to get scolded? There's a limit to jokes. This isn't a joke, it's just unpleasant, and, um... ugh..."

"Professor, what I want to say is."

Im Sol's face grew redder, and I tightly grasped the hand she was moving to cover my mouth.

Her cold hand seemed to represent Im Sol's lonely emotions.

I met eyes with the thoroughly flustered Im Sol. Seeing the shame filling her face and her teary eyes, it seemed she was quite embarrassed.

Holding back my laughter, I continued my words.

"Don't push yourself too hard. I don't care how many strange things you do, Professor. Because that's Im Sol, too."

The social misfit Im Sol, who had known nothing but magic her entire life.

I had no guarantee whether I could break the trauma she had accumulated over the years.

But I believed in the distance we had built up until now, and the connection we shared within it.

And fortunately, my move seemed to have worked.

Because Im Sol's miserable expression began to change little by little.