I Became a Demon Professor at the Academy – Chapter 21

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
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“Ugh.”

Isabel had dozed off.

Her chin, propped up by her hand, slipped, and she smacked her jaw against the mountain of study materials piled on her desk.

“Ow…”

A bit of drool escaped her lips, but thankfully, she had already memorized that section.

A thousand thanks, a thousand thanks.

‘What if I’m the only one falling behind?’

She had only meant to rest her chin and doze for a bit, but time-wise, she had practically fallen asleep.

Her eyes had been closed for over two or three hours.

It couldn’t be helped.

This wasn’t an excuse, it was the truth.

First of all, the “hundred pages of material” Adrian had mentioned meant a hundred pages per person.

On top of that, the difficulty level was on a completely different plane from what they had done before.

A hundred pages of easy material would be tough enough, but a hundred pages of difficult and unfamiliar content?

It was a taste of death.

No, perhaps it was the more agonizing taste of being alive.

Either way…

She needed to pull herself together.

The other students were studying with fiery determination, and Isabel absolutely could not be the only one lagging behind…

“Huh?”

It seemed Isabel had held out relatively well.

There wasn’t a single student vaguely dozing off.

While that might sound promising, the reality was quite different.

What was that?

Several students were sprawled out in a corner of the lecture hall, using the study materials as a makeshift mattress.

Were they even sleeping?

For some reason, Isabel doubted they would ever open their eyes again.

It was exhausting enough that she could die, she had to admit.

And in a way, it was a touching and admirable sight.

Why would they sleep in the lecture hall when they could go home and sleep?

It had to be their will to learn even a single thing more.

Of course, Charlotte had gone home.

She had an agreement with the professor, something she absolutely had to keep, or so she said.

She should be back soon.

And there was one person still studying with fiery determination: Michelle Meinens.

Amazing.

She was always remarkable, but as the one who had initiated this whole “let’s work hard” thing, it made sense she was pushing herself this hard.

Even in the failing class, the word “failure” simply didn’t suit her.

Did that mean Michelle looked fine?

Not at all.

The beads of sweat on her forehead were proof enough.

But the reason Isabel was exhausted while Michelle was still going, despite being in the same condition, came down to a single difference:

Mental fortitude.

Watching Michelle, Isabel felt a renewed sense of determination to study hard.

And just then, the lecture hall door opened.

Charlotte, who had left precisely at dismissal time, had returned right on schedule.

She had a backpack slung over her shoulder and stacks of materials tucked under both arms.

The dark circles under her uncovered eyes clearly indicated she hadn’t slept a wink.

“A study on the loyalty of elements to mages when delayed elemental bonding and fire element proficiency are increased—”

As soon as she entered, she went straight to her seat and began reviewing the materials, highlighting passages.

How could she even study with that much highlighting?

The pages were practically painted yellow with fluorescent marker.

“The process of injecting magical power is of utmost importance when dealing with fire—”

Her eyes were half-closed, but her pronunciation was impeccable.

It was thanks to those two.

It was true.

Adrian might have created the atmosphere, but it was undoubtedly Michelle and Charlotte who were maintaining it.

Regardless of how far they had progressed, their passion and concentration were evident.

Thanks to them, there wasn’t a single student complaining, even if some were struggling.

It was a natural progression.

If the person who suggested working hard showed poor results, others would question their motivation.

But if they demonstrated their words through actions, everyone else would have no choice but to keep quiet.

Then, suddenly, Charlotte slammed her materials down on the desk.

With a furrowed brow, she approached Michelle, who was persevering through sheer willpower.

“Michelle.”

“What.”

“Can… can we use the master card?”

Michelle let out a deep sigh and irritably dropped her materials.

“Are you giving up already? You should be striving to make your student ID as valuable as a master card.”

“I’m not trying to use any of the facilities.”

“Then?”

Charlotte hesitated, her lips moving silently.

The longer she took, the more suspicious Michelle became.

“…I miss him.”

“Miss who?”

“Um…”

Charlotte scratched her head, looking troubled.

She fidgeted, her fingers twisting together.

“Just spit it out.”

“I miss the professor.”

“…?”

The suspicion on Michelle’s face instantly morphed into bewilderment.

What did she just hear?

“What?”

“I miss the professor… I can’t concentrate.”

“What does that have to do with the master card…?”

“The infirmary is part of Rahel Academy, right? Maybe if we use the master card, we can go to the thirteenth floor.”

She wasn’t wrong.

It was just such an unconventional way to use the master card that Michelle hadn’t even considered it.

“That would be a nuisance to Adrian. Do you even think?”

“I’ll just watch from afar.”

“Just hold on.”

“I can’t anymore. I don’t think I can study anymore if I don’t see him.”

Ugh.

This put Michelle in a difficult position.

If Charlotte had asked to go to the dining hall used by the upperclassmen, Michelle could have scolded her for being spoiled.

If she had asked to go to the library, Michelle could have told her to master the materials first.

…But missing the professor and being unable to study?

What was she supposed to do about this?

Let’s think about this strategically.

Strategically.

Charlotte was currently the most passionate student, greatly contributing to the studious atmosphere.

Considering that, it might have been better to let her go.

It couldn’t be helped.

Michelle discreetly glanced around.

It was still early.

Everyone was fast asleep.

Isabel was awake, but Michelle conveyed her intentions with a finger to her lips.

Isabel readily nodded.

“Just watch from afar.”

“Okay.”

“And don’t talk to him. Don’t even touch him.”

“Okay.”

Was there a hint of emotion in Michelle’s voice just now?

Either way, Charlotte readily agreed.

Sigh.

In the end, Michelle pulled down the master card she had wedged into a crevice in the ceiling.

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“Hmm.”

Sitting on the bed, I was preoccupied with the messages that had suddenly appeared in my vision.

It seemed I, who had been nothing more than a villain player, had finally been classified as a key figure in this world, a player.

To have progressed this far without being a protagonist was quite an achievement.

This was good.

I closed the notebook I had been meticulously organizing without a second thought.

Now I could confirm any questions I had as they arose.

Seeing the message about increased student support, a huge weight lifted off my shoulders.

I could finally relax a bit.

I stretched and stepped out into the hallway for a short walk.

And that was when it happened.

“Hmm.”

As soon as I stepped out, I was met with a strange sight.

The black-haired girl with the eyepatch was blatantly lurking in the hallway of the top floor.

What the…

“Ugh?!”

I grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and quickly pulled her back into my private room.

Was she crazy, lurking around here?

How did she even get in?

“How did you get in here?”

“Ah… P-Professor?”

“I asked how you got in here.”

“Ah… well…”

Charlotte held out a black card.

Violet’s signature was on it.

The master card.

So that’s what she meant.

I let out a sigh of relief.

At least it meant Charlotte hadn’t snuck in here.

“Ah… Professor Adrian…”

It was a wonder she was even standing.

Anyone could see Charlotte’s legs trembling.

Her face flushed, she trembled as she looked up at me.

It was like watching a plant photosynthesize.

The more she stared at me, the more color returned to her face.

“I’m fine. Go back and study.”

“Y-yes, sir.”

Charlotte hesitantly turned to leave.

But then, something seemed to occur to her.

Now I remembered.

Violet had filled the drawers in my room with various mana supplements.

“Wait.”

I called out to Charlotte.

I wasn’t going to use them anyway, and they would be a great help to the failing class students who were studying.

But just giving them the supplements wouldn’t be enough.

Literally.

Simply handing them over without any meaning wouldn’t achieve the desired effect.

So I decided to be a bit clever.

“Charlotte.”

“Yes, sir?”

“Are you studying diligently?”

She nodded vigorously.

“I… I’m really working hard. I’m doing my best.”

“Good. Then I’ll give you a reward.”

“A reward…?”

Charlotte tilted her head, clearly surprised.

I pulled out a mana supplement from the drawer.

The jewel-like bottle itself looked incredibly luxurious.

The clear blue liquid inside further enhanced its elegance.

Simply put, even Charlotte, who had probably never seen anything like this before, could tell at a glance that it was valuable.

“This is a mana supplement. It will greatly boost your vitality. Take it when you’re tired.”

“This… this is for me…? You’re giving this to me?”

“Yes. Of course.”

I put on a serious expression and continued.

“This is a secret between you and me. You must never speak of it, and take it discreetly.”

“Ah…! O-of course! I will…!”

Charlotte nodded frantically, tears welling up in her eyes.

She looked genuinely touched.

“Good. Now, tell the other students to come to my room one by one.”

“Yes! Thank you! Thank you so much!”

Charlotte wiped away her tears, clutched the supplement to her chest, and left the room.

She seemed more moved than ever.

Just a supplement wouldn’t do.

It had to be a supplement with a special story.

This much of a lie would be forgiven, right? Surely.

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Today’s intermediate class was rather boisterous.

It was because of the arrival of a “transfer student”, a rare occurrence at Rahel Academy.

And it was true.

When the lecture hall door opened, it wasn’t just Professor Rachel who entered.

A girl with an intermediate class badge walked in alongside her.

“Pretty.”

“Wow.”

The hushed whispers quickly turned into exclamations of admiration.

Both male and female students were captivated.

The girl with her violet hair tied in pigtails was undeniably beautiful.

However, it was a somewhat twisted beauty, like a rose with too many thorns.

“Tia, your seat is in the back row. You can give a brief self-introduction if you’d like.”

Rachel instructed.

But the girl, called Tia, simply stared blankly.

She spent a considerable amount of time observing the interior of the intermediate class lecture hall as if it were a curious spectacle.

After about three minutes of just looking around, she finally spoke.

“H-hello. I… Tia.”

That was how she introduced herself.

She seemed… rather gloomy.

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