Chapter 5: The Sword Suits You Better Than the Bow (1)

With the start of the semester right around the corner.

While incidents and accidents were sure to increase once the academic schedule kicked into full swing, I was living a blissful daily life regardless.

The work dumped on me by that old professor.

The fact that I'd essentially become the homeroom teacher for the main character's class.

None of it could affect my mental state now that I'd realized a great truth.

That day too, I smiled brightly as I recited my magic words.

'Yeah, does it matter if I get Class A? I'm getting fired anyway!'

I was a bit shocked and flustered when Class A was suddenly dumped on me. But thinking about it calmly, wasn't I already marked for termination by the Principal?

Whether Scott delegated authority or not, the fact that I wouldn't be here in a few days remained unchanged.

Therefore, I no longer need to worry about anything Academy-related. Rather, it would be more efficient to think about how to live after getting fired from here.

'Now this is what I call a happy dilemma.'

Since the salary was high to begin with, the severance pay would be substantial if I got fired. If I avoided excessive spending, living without working for the rest of my life wasn't just a dream.

If problems arise, I can just go find Professor Scott.

Professor Scott's favor, which was only a headache while trying to escape the Academy, would become tremendous leverage outside the Academy, so I was safe even from disasters.

I have sufficient insurance and the cheat key of modern knowledge, so I'm sure I can enjoy a happy life.

-Ding dong!

While I was in the middle of planning my future, the doorbell rang. Opening the door to the faculty quarters revealed a man holding a letter.

My lips naturally curled upward.

It looked like today would be upgraded to the best day of my life.

I took out a cold juice from the fridge to serve the staff member before preciously clutching the letter to my chest.

'Finally, the day I've been waiting for has arrived.'

I grabbed the champagne I'd been saving for this day.

While preparing to make a toast, I broke the letter's seal.

Thump thump.

With an excited heart, I opened the envelope to find what must have been the long-awaited termination notice.

It had to be a termination notice.

It should have been a termination notice.

It absolutely needed to be a termination notice.

[Promotion Notice]

Something must be wrong with my eyes.

I desperately rubbed my eyes denying reality, but that didn't change the contents of the document.

[In recognition of your outstanding achievements and dedication, we hereby notify you of your promotion to Associate Professor. We look forward to your continued brilliant performance.]

That cruel stack of papers was sentencing me to the terrible punishment of promotion. Whether from the tears welling up from the injustice or not, my vision started getting blurry.

Talk about getting screwed over.

Even at normal universities, it took at least 5 years after initial appointment to become an Associate Professor.

Moreover, this is the famous Imperial Academy.

Since they had high standards even for teachers, most people couldn't shed their Assistant Professor title until retirement due to insufficient achievements despite their years of service at this unique workplace.

Yet I'm becoming an Associate Professor after one week?

Just one more promotion and I'd be the same rank as Professor Scott?

That shouldn't be possible under the regulations. But the dragon who made the impossible possible attached a memo to the notice.

[Though it's a minor compensation compared to the offense committed. Don't be too disappointed. I'll soon arrange a position befitting you by whipping those old men on the board into shape.

-Zion, Principal of the Imperial Academy]

With the Primordial Dragon's seal stamped right there.

I didn't understand what nonsense this was. I didn't know why she decided to promote me after I acted so rudely, but once she made up her mind there was no taking it back.

As of this moment, I've become an Associate Professor.

My already high salary would now multiply thirtyfold to an astronomical amount, and I'd receive abundant support for research funds and hiring assistants.

Add to that the opportunity to guide Class A, and you could say I was on a fast track to success.

...The problem is that while my chances of success increased, my survival rate plummeted.

'This is seriously driving me crazy.'

Despite wracking my brain hard for a week, I couldn't remember anything about the original work.

Whether I'd dropped it after just the prologue, or never read it at all. Either way, there was no good way to figure out the original plot.

'I tried the option of building up strength to avoid getting caught up in the original plot. But it was impossible after all.'

Since having an elixir hidden in the Academy's back mountain was a common cliché. I tried using the fortuitous opportunity to aim for growth but what I found wasn't medicine but an old professor.

-Professor Ryan? To think I'd meet you in a place like this. Could it be you were patrolling the forbidden forest worried that students might encounter demon beasts, just like me?

As expected of the young one I had my eye on.

Your very mindset is admirable.

Since we met by chance like this, let's go get a meal.

That was how I got dragged along and treated to a meal at a luxury restaurant on my third day of work.

Getting treated to a meal worth dozens of gold coins, and learning about a restaurant that served melt-in-your-mouth meat dishes as a bonus could be considered gains if you wanted to look at it that way.

But in terms of strengthening my power, I gained absolutely nothing.

I could keep trying in the future, but I'd rather avoid betting my life on such uncertain plans.

If I went into the final battle with half-baked skills, when the Demon King or Evil Dragon appeared to burn down the school, I'd end up as ashes along with it.

'Getting fired is really the only way.'

I quickly steeled my resolve.

While it was true the difficulty had sharply increased. The path wasn't completely blocked yet.

If my desperate attempts at being unlikeable didn't work on the Principal or professors, I just needed to target the students instead.

'No matter how much Zion and Scott shield me, they won't have any choice if the entire student body unanimously demands my firing.'

This isn't a normal school but the Imperial Academy.

As it gathered the Empire's finest talents, each student's background was extraordinary. And naturally, those students wielded considerable influence.

If I could properly get on the students' bad side, getting fired would surely go smoothly.

And I had just the method in mind for that.

-The sword suits you better than the bow.

Recognizing someone's hidden talent and recommending a more suitable path. Thus becoming entangled and building friendship - a cliché episode in academy stories.

...Let's completely flip that on its head.

Forcibly take away the weapons students were good at using and make them use useless trash weapons instead.

Add to that threatening that they could never take my class if they refused?

I guarantee our entire class will go on strike. Even the Saintess who just enrolled might curse me out asking if I've lost my mind.

"...Hehehe."

I smiled wickedly imagining my future of being kicked out of teaching. There was no way there could be any flaws in this perfect plan.

Tomorrow, I would be reborn as the worst teacher in Imperial history.

*****

Inside the luxurious office.

Zion, the Academy's Principal, was processing the documents before her while savoring black tea and snacks as usual.

Items requested by professors as needed for classes.

Simple work of checking and approving them.

But Zion's hand suddenly stopped while quickly flipping through the documents. She had to stop.

Among the ordinary items, there was one unusual item requested under the name of an unusual professor.

"Guns...? Why such weapons?"

The most niche of niches.

While it might be understandable for civilians to use them for self-defense, they weren't weapons suitable for Academy students.

Yet for some reason, Professor Ryan was requesting as many guns as the number of his students.

A completely incomprehensible situation.

Normally she would have assumed there was some mistake. But this was a document and plan written by Ryan himself.

There must surely have been some hidden intention.

Zion stroked her chin while carefully examining the document, finally understanding his true intentions upon seeing the line requesting 'the lowest quality' guns possible.

"...Indeed! I hadn't thought of using them that way!"

Using guns not as weapons but as puzzles.

While it defied common sense, it certainly made sense.

If it worked out well, it could even be used as a new training method. She was curious enough about his thought process to wonder what was going on inside his head to come up with such a novel approach.

"Well now. I can't just sit idle either."

Though that professor might consider it meddling. Once her interest was piqued, there was nothing she could do about it. Her curious personality remained an incurable disease even after several hundred years.

Zion smiled playfully while constructing the form of a gun with magical power.

"Perhaps I should, lend a little helping hand?"