I Got a Fake Job at the Academy

Chapter 730 - Side Story 3: Things You See When You Look Back (1)

Rudger let out a small laugh inwardly at the sight of Grandel burning with determination as if she would invade Earth immediately.

There was an intentional aspect to the part where Grandel showed such an intense reaction.

It wasn't because he wanted to tease Grandel as a joke.

Grandel, whom he met after a long time, had recovered significantly from her injuries, but she still seemed to have little attachment to life itself.

Even if she had improved compared to before, she possessed a sense of weariness, and it was deep enough to show outwardly even when she tried to hide it.

Old pus doesn't disappear that easily. Moreover, hadn't the emotions Grandel had harbored continued for an immeasurably long time, surpassing a human lifespan?

That's why Rudger took extraordinary measures. It was a kind of shock therapy.

A world Grandel didn't know. Beyond the sea of stars, a world where completely different laws exist from this place.

And another mother who exists there.

'Come to think of it, I suddenly ended up with two mothers.'

If he thought about it a bit more seriously, he could also count the biological mother who gave birth to the illegitimate child Heathcliff.

'Three mothers. I'm not even Reverse Lu Bu.'

It wasn't intentional, but looking back, the situation had become ridiculous. But what's important now isn't that.

Rudger decided to focus on Grandel before his eyes.

She hadn't given birth to him, but she was essentially the mother who raised him, who had given him many teachings to survive in this harsh world.

She had felt doubt about her immortal life and tried to choose death. The reason she saved Rudger and taught him magic was also because she believed that he, who uses the power of a god, would end her ageless, deathless life.

To someday definitely kill her. That was the promise.

However, Rudger didn't fulfill that promise because he couldn't bring himself to kill Grandel with his own hands.

It was the same for Grandel.

She couldn't bring herself to pass on the act of making Rudger kill her, his teacher and mother.

At first, it was just curiosity, and she had taken him in out of purpose and necessity but at some point she felt great reward in teaching Rudger, and realized joy watching him grow.

That was the mindset of a teacher, and at the same time, maternal love as family.

Even knowing she shouldn't, even knowing she had to hand over her life to this child someday, it wasn't easy.

Even if she was a vampire who had lived for a long time. Even if she could cause phenomena close to natural disasters if she wanted. Because the power the heart possesses was much stronger than that.

'I, who took you in to be killed by you, was ultimately saved by you. The world must be full of such ironies.'

However, even though Grandel lived, she wasn't completely alive. Even if that body was fine, the soul that had been damaged hadn't completely recovered even after 3 years.

There were still wounds remaining on her soul. That was something that couldn't be resolved with any treatment or time.

From the moment Rudger met Grandel after a long time, he realized at once that her condition was still unstable.

Perhaps the fact that she looks fine now is also because she temporarily improved upon finally meeting him again.

In the end, this is also my karma. Rudger muttered quietly to himself.

It was ultimately he himself who saved Grandel, who should have died. Saving her wasn't the end of it. The moment he made that choice, Rudger had an obligation to take responsibility for Grandel's future path as well.

If she were a complete stranger whose face he didn't know, he wouldn't have stepped forward, but she was the teacher and mother who raised him.

That's why Rudger presented her with a new path.

"Mother."

When Rudger opened his mouth, Grandel grinned.

"What is it? Are you trying to stop me from going there?"

"How could that be? Wasn't it I who told you such a place exists in the first place? I have not the slightest thought of stopping you. Rather, I want to actively recommend it." 

"You want to recommend it? You?" 

"Was the life of the past 3 years without me enjoyable?"

Grandel shook her head.

"How could it be? I spent it mostly just sleeping under the pretext of treating my injuries." 

"Then now that you've woken up, exploring a new world wouldn't be bad either." 

"Ha. Are you provoking me now?"

Grandel said that, but to anyone watching, she had clearly taken the bait. Rudger didn't bother hiding that fact and nodded.

"Yes. But it won't be easy to go. Although I connected the Crystal Corridor last time, restoring a passage that has collapsed once will be a very difficult task." 

"Have you forgotten? I'm the one who worked out the calculation formula for those things called your disciples to explore the imaginary space you fell into." 

"Is that so?" 

"That child named Rene was quite impressive, but it would have taken more time without my help. I also organized various things while reading the code you left behind. A door to another dimension? I can open it anytime if I set my mind to it." 

"Since the door has already been made, it won't take that long."

Grandel's eyebrow twitched once, then she soon slumped her body buried in the sofa.

"......What's the reason you're trying to keep me alive to this extent?" 

"I believe I explained that reason sufficiently that day." 

"And yet you're trying to do your best for me even now." 

"I saved a life, but my conscience won't allow me to just do that and be done with it." 

"Ha! How impudent. Are you saying you feel guilty toward me right now?" 

"Should I not?" 

"......"

When Rudger asked back, Grandel was at a loss for words. Should you not......There was no particular law saying you shouldn't.

But who was she? An 8th Circle mage and a True Blood vampire.

Grandel closed her eyes tightly.

Everyone in the world feared her and regarded her as an object of awe. Those who faced her were without exception terrified, and bowed their heads to her endless magical power and life force.

But Rudger didn't do that. This child was always confident. He never bowed his head before her, and if he thought something was unreasonable, he confidently asserted his opinion.

He was the only person who looked at her with eyes of compassion. 

It was the first time experiencing this, but Grandel thought she didn't dislike it.

Grandel slowly opened her closed eyes.

"You don't need to bear such a burden." 

"It's something I did. I should take responsibility for it." 

"It's all in the past. Everything ended well. Now you can be free too, so why go that far?"

Grandel's voice was calmer than ever before. Vitality swirled in her pupils that had been hazy. That alone would mean the wounds carved in her soul had improved somewhat.

"In the past, I was busy enough just running forward looking ahead. I thought I had to do that to achieve my goal."

Of course, he didn't always look forward. Sometimes he looked to the side, or stayed in place for a while to hold the hand of someone struggling.

But in one corner of his heart, he always held the goal of returning to Earth.

"For that sake, I thought it didn't matter if I burned everything I had. I didn't think about what came after because there would be no burning firewood, afraid of becoming ash."

Rudger soon let out a small laugh and shook his head.

"But I was wrong. I thought I just needed to burn my everything, but I didn't think about the people who would approach seeing that light."

Those who lost their way in the darkness gathered seeing the light. That was a result completely unintended by the firewood that chose to burn itself.

He simply wanted to burn completely and achieve what he wanted. 

He thought it would be okay even if he burned completely and left not even ash.

But those watching wouldn't have thought so.

Rudger recalled those people in the imaginary space. People who were drawn to and approached the light emitted by his existence.

He drew all their faces in the imaginary space to remember them. People he must not forget. People who were drawn to and approached the light.

Thus Rudger repeated to himself and reflected on the past for 3 years in a space where no one existed.

When he closes his eyes, that scene is still vivid. Unable to carve his own face, a girl who approached him as he simply sat endlessly before the mural.

His disciple who had now become a proper adult, that appearance of her coming to rescue him.

That day, though he spoke as if it was nothing, it was Rudger who felt the greatest turmoil of emotions more than anyone.

"I thought everything had burned, leaving only ash. But people gathered that ash and planted a new ember."

When he finally returned to the original world following Rene, what Rudger saw were the faces he knew.

And he could realize that the people who had been drawn to the light had now become people who properly lead the light.

The completely burned ash received a new ember like that. An ember that could burn softly again, even if not like before.

"I feel gratitude for that fact. So I plan to spend this life opportunity I've newly gained doing what I couldn't do before."

Rudger stared intently at Grandel.

"You are the first target of that benevolence. Mother."

Grandel's eyes widened, then she smiled, revealing her characteristic fangs.

"How impudent." 

"Going through various crises, I've become like this." 

"But when a disciple and child shows sincerity to this extent, refusing it wouldn't be proper as a mother."

There was relief somewhere in Grandel's smile.

"Another world. At least for a while, it won't be boring at all." 

"Yes. That place has more things to enjoy than this world, so you should be able to be sufficiently satisfied." 

"Will you come along too?"

Rudger smiled gently and shook his head.

"I'd like to if I could, but I still have many things left to do."

If the previous him only wanted to move forward toward the future. Now was the time to look back at the past and face people once again.

"You live tiresomely. You don't need to go that far." 

"Because it's something I want to do." 

"If you say that much, I won't stop you."

Grandel rose from the sofa and stood before the window.

"I'll travel a bit. Well, it won't take that long though. I'll drop by once in a while when I think of it." 

"Yes. Please visit often if you're bored." 

"You won't hide after saying that?" 

"If you set your mind to it, you can find me even if I'm on the opposite side of the continent, can't you?" 

"You sure are good with words! Well, don't worry too much. I don't plan to cause trouble in that world." 

"I didn't have such worries even in the slightest." 

"You've become even cheekier than before."

Grandel, who snapped at Rudger, laughed.

"But well, your current appearance looks much better than before." 

"Mother is the same." 

"Right. It was pleasant to meet you again. I'll be going now."

The window opened wide and Grandel's pure white bare legs stepped on the window frame. Wings made of blood spread wide behind her back.

Grandel flew like a soaring bird. 

Rudger watched that appearance quietly, then slowly closed the open window.

It was a night when the moonlight was brilliant.

The next morning the dimensional gate management staff member experienced something surprising while doing the usual equipment inspection.

"Huh, huh? Why are there traces of use?"

Last night, traces remained of someone operating this dimensional gate. But that couldn't be possible. How much magical power was needed to operate the dimensional gate?

From the last time the dimensional gate was used, there was no surplus magical power left to operate this dimensional gate.

Yet the fact that there were traces of it opening didn't make sense conventionally. He couldn't even make the assumption that someone external secretly brought in and used this much enormous energy.

If they had brought in an energy storage of that magnitude, there was no way it wouldn't have been detected within the imperial palace.

'Could it be that they operated the dimensional gate with their own magical power?'

That was the only possibility, but precisely because of that, it didn't make sense. High-density magical power enough to blow away an entire city was needed. Even if they drew it from the ley lines in the ground, it would need at least a month to charge, yet an individual used it.

'Whatever it is, if this trace is discovered, I'm in for a written apology.'

Relieved that only he had confirmed this now, the management staff member decided to let today's matter pass without mention.

"So this is Earth. The air alone is quite turbid."

Grandel, who was floating in the air looking down at the night view of Seoul, soon curled up the corners of her mouth at the subtle scent felt from a certain place.

"How interesting. A scent similar to that child's."

Grandel moved following the path the scent led. Eventually, she stopped in front of a certain fortune-telling shop.

A shop that looked old and shabby, but that was only its appearance. Grandel pushed the door without hesitation.

Although it should have already closed at this hour, the door opened easily as if it knew a customer would come.

Grandel, who passed by various items placed inside, entered a room inside. And she was able to face a woman sitting there.

"Today's fortune said a strange customer would come, and truly a mysterious being has arrived."

The moment she saw those eyes staring intently at her, Grandel could tell that she really looked exactly like that child.

"I've heard the story."

Grandel sat facing her without even asking for permission. She opened her mouth with a rather provocative smile.

"I hear my son was greatly indebted to you?"