I Became a Demon Professor at the Academy - Chapter 136



136 – (Part 2) Festival – 1

Three months had passed.

“Everyone, focus. This is the ‘Blazing Rite’ technique.”

I’m in the middle of a lecture in the peaceful classroom, just like any other day.

The students from the failing class have become useful enough that they can no longer be called ‘failures,’ and their learning attitudes have noticeably improved.

Yet still—it seems a bit overwhelming for them to keep up with my class. Each one is clutching their throbbing heads, looking at me with bloodshot eyes.

*Sigh.*

I let out a sigh without realizing it.

Is there any professor in this academy who prepares for lectures more diligently than I do? I’d wager there isn’t.

I’ve scoured all the related books and double-checked through Dmeri, refining the materials. Yet, it’s still a bit frustrating that the students’ levels haven’t caught up yet.

“Let’s start from the beginning, again, and I’ll explain it kindly.”

We can’t stay stuck at the basic level of igniting flames forever. Today, I’m determined to elevate these kids to a higher level.

To do that, first and foremost, we need to improve proficiency, and secondly, internalize it. It means not just understanding with the mind but also learning with the body.

But these kids still don’t understand even with their minds.

So, I decided to show them the technique step by step.

I took the chalk and demonstrated the process of drawing the technique very slowly. I have no choice but to spoon-feed them.

“The speed must be much faster, of course. But you must adhere to the stroke order. So watch carefully and memorize.”

Next, I explained the principles and methods of grafting elements into the appropriate series on the board.

There are always some who can’t understand with just white chalk, so I diligently moved five different colored chalks to explain.

“Don’t despair too much if you don’t understand. However, you must memorize it by today. That way, there will come a day when you’ll understand.”

It was a lecture that lasted a full three hours.

“End.”

I uttered the word softly. But there was no response from the students.

Initially, there weren’t many students looking at me. They seemed too busy taking notes in their own notebooks.

“Dmeri will test you in the evening. Memorize everything by then.”

I quickly left the classroom.

***

Michelle headed straight to the library where she could study on her own as soon as the lecture ended.

Today was supposed to be a leisurely day for the first time in a while, but the difficulty of the lecture was so immense that she had no choice but to review.

“Blazing Rite…”

Born with a talent for psychokinesis, she found elemental magic particularly challenging. Today’s lesson from Adrian on intensifying the fire element was incredibly difficult.

“I’m dying here.”

She had almost instantly memorized the formulas Adrian filled the blackboard with. But it was just that—memorization.

She yearned to understand it fully, but even with her skills, it wasn’t easy.

When venturing into such magical unknowns for the first time, logic is crucial… She’d have to look up related texts.

So she studied. And studied. And studied some more until it was late.

Was it almost midnight? Michelle was the only one left in the library’s study area when she heard whispering.

This shouldn’t be happening. Silence is a rule in the library.

“……?”

She was about to make a noise when the words she overheard were too unusual, and Michelle found herself listening in.

“…students have been disappearing lately, is that true?”

“Two have already gone missing. It might not seem like much, but the shock is big since it happened within the academy’s domain. We need to fix this quickly.”

The gossipers weren’t even students, but professors. Michelle held her breath even more and perked up her ears.

“What in the world is happening… Has that gate we’ve been worried about opened again?”

“Quiet. Quiet, quiet, quiet… Please lower your voice. What if someone hears?”

Gates and disappearances. Those two keywords were enough to shock Michelle. Her eyes widened.

“The academy festival is approaching. Spreading such stories now would do no good.”

“That’s true. We professors need to resolve this quickly… The festival brings immense benefits to the academy; we can’t afford to give that up.”

As soon as the professors left, Michelle exhaled the breath she’d been holding.

“Disappearances…? Gates?”

Even Michelle knew about the gates. Weren’t they the portals that connected to the malevolent demon realm?

Were they open now, within the academy? And students were disappearing because of it?

“What should I do?”

She shook her head vigorously, trying to clear her thoughts.

After all, professors are human too. Those two could’ve been making a fuss over nothing, and the exact situation hadn’t been confirmed yet.

“No, it can’t be.”

Michelle shook her head and returned to the dormitory.

***

The next day. The academy festival began with grandeur.

Music flowed from every corner, and students roamed the academy grounds in their finest attire. Not to mention, there were sights to see and delicious foods placed everywhere.

I was trying to enjoy a bit of leisure when…

Suddenly, a system message popped up.

[ Gate Occurrence ]

▶The Ulphen tribe has begun to move.

▶All students are now subject to a death branch point.

“What…”

I looked over the system message again.

No matter how many times I checked, nothing changed. It clearly stated that all students were exposed to a death branch point.

That’s when it happened. Someone approached me and spoke.

“Excuse me, Ezekiel.”

It was Demery. Instead of responding, I nodded my head. It meant for her to speak if she had something to say.

“Ah… Ezekiel! There’s trouble. It seems like a gate has started to appear near the academy. The problem is that the Ulphen tribe has begun to act.”

“I’m aware.”

“Eh? Really? Oh, of course. You’re far more amazing than I am…”

Demery scratched her head. But there were still things I didn’t know. I opened my mouth to ask.

“Do we have any idea why the Ulphen tribe is moving, or what their intentions are?”

“We need to investigate further to know. So far, only two students have gone missing, and the Ulphen tribe hasn’t shown themselves directly. We’ve only felt their presence.”

“I see.”

I nodded.

“Continue the investigation. Report the progress to me once a day. I’ll conduct my own inquiries.”

“Okay. Got it.”

***

While most were enjoying the festive atmosphere, staying up all night and having fun, there was always one who felt the opposite. Charlotte was especially so.

“Ugh…”

As soon as the lecture ended, Charlotte, who had been sleeping restlessly, was awakened by the noisy music outside.

It was the festival. She suddenly remembered she had planned to have fun with her friends. Charlotte hurriedly changed her clothes and went outside.

“Charlotte. You’re just coming out now?”

As soon as she stepped out, she ran into Lottin.

I expected him to be either pushing up his glasses or holding delicious food in both hands, but Lottin was doing neither.

Instead, his face was covered in sweat. He looked utterly flustered.

“Fortunately, you were only in the dormitory. That’s rather lucky.”

“Why…? Why are you acting like this? Did something happen?”

“It’s… no, it’s better to see it for yourself. Just follow me.”

After running swiftly behind Lottie, Charlotte was shocked beyond belief.

“Uh…?”

Charlotte was indeed startled. The academy building, where the classrooms were, was completely enveloped in a dark and also red barrier.

During the festival period, these places are not used as classrooms but as booths for various clubs. It seemed that quite a number of students were trapped inside.

“What, what’s going on!”

Other professors who had grasped the situation began to rush over as well.

“Where has the dean gone? We need to call the dean!”

“He’s on a business trip to Luikiran. He’s not here today.”

“Damn it… someone has to resolve this!”

The gathered professors did not dare to enter.

The nature of the barrier had not yet been clearly identified, so they couldn’t act rashly. The energy felt ominous, and it was clear that getting too close would lead to something bad.

The students gathered were all looking at the professors. But no one stepped forward easily.

“Is there… Is there no one we can bring?”

At someone’s cry, Charlotte swallowed hard.

In such a situation, only one person came to mind.