Elite Instructor at a Third-Rate Academy

17 – It Ends Around 2 o’clock☆

Disgusting.

Selena was as honest in her thoughts as she was in her outspoken words. Her feelings toward the new homeroom teacher could be summed up in just one word. She didn’t like the appearance. It felt too neat, like a bronze scar placed haphazardly, lacking naturalness.

“Isn’t the way she talks ridiculous?”

She sat in the alley, giving her homeroom a dirty look to her close friends.

“Yeah, always ‘I, me, mine.’ She talks like that all the time, right?”

“Funny, she’s so full of herself!”

Everyone laughed, and for some reason, Selena felt a subtle discomfort, so she closed her mouth. Why would these girls blabber about the homeroom teacher as if she belonged to their class? At this moment, she failed to realize her own irrationality.

“But seriously, doesn’t it just feel wrong?”

As Selena spoke, her friends chattered among themselves.

“He’s quite good-looking.”

“He’s not that young, is he?”

“He’s a lieutenant and already over twenty-five.”

“Ew, a total old man!”

“That’s on the low end; he could be twenty-eight, you know?”

“If you came to this academy, it’s probably because you were kicked out of somewhere else or something like that.”

“I don’t know, anyway, I’m not particularly impressed.”

Both of them felt uneasy waiting for Selana’s words, even though they couldn’t sense any charm due to his age. She, aware of her fox-like side, had a certain intuition about the fox-like actions of other women.

“Anyway, you guys said he doesn’t look that great in person, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Of course.”

With that, she immediately asked Selana.

“And you?”

“I don’t know usually.”

Pretending to ponder deeply, she then said to her friends.

“When his tone suddenly changes, that’s when he seems quite charming.”

─ Really, it’s to the point where it tingles below.

“Do you like him, old man?”

“Yeah, I hate older men!”

Silently holding back her true feelings, Selana smiled at her friends. The two women, with expressions revealing their ignorance, teased her about liking the old man. She ignored them. If she had cared about such things, she would never have shown off her undergarments on purpose. She knew her subject better than anyone else.

─ If only I were as pretty as Ochia or as feminine as Saint, this wouldn’t have happened.

In fact, it was true. With mediocre charm, a moderately pretty face, and a body that stood out more than others, she had to be shameless and bold to get the man she wanted. She knew she was a troublemaker, and such lightness ironically gave her a s*xual metaphor that she understood even better.

“Let’s stop talking about it.”

Having clearly conveyed her intentions, there was no more conversation to be had with them. As she tried to leave, her friend Olivia asked if she would date the homeroom teacher. Selana replied, saying they were not interested anyway.

“No, just curious.”

“It’s my business now, so mind your own business.”

“But, didn’t Oh Chia clean the superintendent’s room?”

-Yeo-Nyun, what did you say to the principal again?

Selana unfastened her hair tie roughly and flipped her skirt. Feeling the warm air rising beneath her, she confidently declared that the girl wouldn’t be able to do anything anyway, that she was too timid and couldn’t speak her mind properly. Her friends laughed, saying there would be no problem.

“Oh Chia, honestly, isn’t she unlucky?”

“Pretending to be quiet, pretending to be good, pretending to be delicate.”

They exchanged gossip about Oh Chia and then parted ways. Selana walked towards the dormitory where the superintendent was and thought about why she found her attractive. No matter how much she thought about it, it wasn’t because of her looks or abilities. She disliked men who were formal and perfectionists.

“Oh Chia, damn you.”

-Because you drool so much, am I becoming greedy too?

Knowing that Oh Chia had never shown interest in men before, she became eager to take away the prey that she desired. Selana defined her feelings towards the superintendent as twisted possessiveness, not pure affection.

[#17 – Saint]

Kenneth blamed himself as he looked at the calendar. Even though he hadn’t done anything, it had already been two days since his appointment. After spending Sunday, he would have to introduce himself to the office and conduct the classes he was in charge of.

The tasks piled up in front of him.

Since he hadn’t conducted proper counseling, he would have to do it while carrying out ordinances and classes. He would have to meet with students who refuse to come to school one by one and make them attend again, and he would have to increase the number of students taking the “Grammar and Manners Correction” class to ten. Due to the investigation of Amy’s incident, his schedule was disrupted in many ways, so there was nothing he could do.

“She said she’s a saint.”

He had seen her guarding the memorial before. Kenneth read the roster with the students’ information and tried to deduce the temperament of the saint sent by the central sect and how to approach her.

Of course, he was reluctant to ask for information from the Seraph, a member of the Crusaders, because it was an unofficial encounter. If he asked her to participate in the suppression of the erosion zone, it could become difficult for her to focus on her main job.

-Why did devout church members come to a place like this?

He started with seeking advice. The saint, without exception, was a special role cultivated by the central sect. They supported the Order of the Silver and the Order of the Bronze, and since they could heal wounds with their divine power, the concept of retirement did not exist for them. Therefore, unlike the Silver Crusaders who used up all their holy marks and became captives, they worked actively throughout their lives and retired as they pleased.

“They probably pursue values rather than material possessions.”

Different people value different things. If they were church members, they might prioritize religious values over worldly values. Without understanding that, it seemed difficult to persuade the saint. Kenneth sat at his desk and took out an elegant piece of stationery, meticulously writing his sentences. The letter was more about form than content.

“Teacher Temurik Stained, wait in front of the platane tree in front of the dormitory until two o’clock.”

Around noon, Kenneth headed to the student dormitory. Even though he was the superintendent, he couldn’t enter the dormitory for women, so he delivered the letter through the housemaster. She refused even when he offered to bring it in. After that, he closed his eyes and meditated under the platane tree. When two hours had passed and she didn’t come out, he stood up. After having a meal and returning, as expected, the saint, who had clenched her bars, was waiting.

“Ah…!”

Kenneth met her golden eyes. In the serene silence, her eyes were like a lake with gentle ripples.

“I came back because I wondered if you had come out.”

On purpose, he spoke politely, causing the saint to make an awkward expression.

“Please lower your voice, Superintendent.”

“This is the first time I am meeting a saint.”

Whether it was an unexpected reaction or not, Serunit made an awkward request, fearing that she wouldn’t be able to speak if she didn’t use informal speech. Kenneth, relieved that his honorific speech had shaken her heart, subtly induced her to use informal speech.

“Well then, shall we speak informally together?”

“I can’t.”

“I don’t think I can be a homeroom teacher either.”

“I have no choice… I can’t control the will of others, so I was praying. I do it twice, in the morning and afternoon. Today was longer than usual. So, I didn’t know Bongseo had come until the homeroom teacher posted it and left. Maybe I talk too much?”

Kenneth remained silent, and then leaned against the plane tree.

Shooaah─

A slightly chilly spring breeze brushed past them. They sat in silence, listening to the sound of the metal rings swaying in the wind.

“Are you here for counseling?”

“Yes.”

“Formal language… Did other people feel as uncomfortable as I did?”

“No.”

“If you could speak informally… No, if it’s counseling, I’ll be fine. For the time being, I want to recover mentally while praying.”

Sennit said that after some time passed, she would return to school and talk about what had happened to her.

“Can you wait a little longer?”

Kenneth, however, let go of the tree and looked at the exhausted saint.

“Because I won’t say anything.”

“If you speak informally… It really makes me uncomfortable and my heart pounds. Do you understand?”

“Just walk a bit.”

“I can’t walk far because I’m slow. Is it okay?”

Affirmatively and slowly, they walked only to where the crowds were. The saint followed very slowly, gripping the metal bars. Kenneth walked silently without saying a word. They passed by Prudelle for a moment, but only exchanged glances and didn’t speak separately. It seemed like she had something to say, but she hesitated and disappeared.

“Uh, Instructor?”

When they reached the plane tree again, Sennit called out to Kenneth, seeming puzzled.

“Yes.”

“I know there are a lot of things I want to ask.”

When Kenneth turned around, she murmured, hugging herself with her arms.

“Right now, I’m in pain both physically and mentally. I’ll tell you everything later, so will you ask me then?”

─I didn’t come here with that intention.

Now, it seemed okay to speak informally, so Kenneth cleared his throat and said.

“It’s okay even if you don’t say anything.”

“Really?”

“I just came to check if our class is doing well.”

He said it was a relief that there seemed to be nothing wrong with his health, except for a slight weight loss, after walking downhill for an hour. Kennis reassured Seneth not to feel pressured since he wouldn’t ask anything and there was no need to reveal anything. Moreover, he made it clear that the past was behind them and that there was no need for others to know the details.

“What the homeroom teacher should know is whether the student is capable of studying, right?”

Seneth remained silent. Instead, she leaned against the bars and looked up, lost in thought.

“There’s no need to ask anything else.”

When Keenis mentioned that he was grateful for Seneth’s presence during Amy’s funeral, Seneth nodded. With one hand on the bars, she seemed to struggle to say something multiple times before finally closing her mouth and only blinking her eyes. Kennis offered familiar words of comfort, as her eyes were filled with a plea for him to say something.

“No matter what you say, the pain and anguish that the saint has gone through won’t disappear.”

Seneth remained quiet.

“I don’t know anything, really, it’s nothing special, and I dare not say that I can endure it… That would be arrogant and violent. The past cannot be undone, and all we can do is endure the pain we must bear. It won’t be resolved by blaming or comforting someone, so I don’t know any other way than walking together like this. Seneth Kylen. As your homeroom teacher, I’m worried about your health.”

“I’m eating well. I just don’t have an appetite, but I make sure to have one meal a day!”

-No. Don’t do anything. I’m not trying to say such things.

“Can we walk together occasionally?”

As Seneth moved away without saying a word, Kennis decided to step back instead of trying to persuade her. Forcing her would not make a difference, and the believers he met were all stubborn. If words could solve everything, he would never have become a priest or a saint.

“Then, Saint.”

Kennis also politely bowed his head.

“As the homeroom teacher, I will lead the class well, so please come back anytime. There will always be a place reserved for the Saint.”

He turned around and walked away. As he continued to distance himself without looking back, a small voice, as soft as a mosquito, echoed from the background. Seneth took a step forward, her back twisted and her waist facing him, and mumbled.

“I usually finish the morning prayers around two.”

She fled quickly, brushing against the bars.