I Got a Fake Job at the Academy

Chapter 776 - Side Story 49: A Starlit Night on the Prairie (1)

Selina was an impressive person to Rudger, both in good and bad ways.

Selina was a new teacher who was appointed to Theon together with Rudger.

What she taught was spirit studies, and Selina herself was also outstanding in her abilities as a spirit mage.

Her warm and gentle personality like a bright spring day and the smile she gave brightly to everyone made people, regardless of gender, develop favorable feelings toward Selina.

However, Selina had a big problem: her true identity was Esmeralda, the First Order of the Black Dawn Society.

Selina was nothing more than an artificial spirit created by Esmeralda. In other words, the one who truly held control was the spirit mage Esmeralda.

A person with two souls dwelling in one body. It was an extremely rare case, rare enough to draw interest from Rudger's mentor, Grandel.

Of course, there was a long and complicated past story behind how this came to be.

The death of precious villagers. Quasimodo, another spirit created from the gathering of their lingering resentments. And Esmeralda, who was semi-forcibly made to walk the path of revenge by that Quasimodo. Selina, the last remaining humanity that Esmeralda barely scraped together and patched up.

That complex triangular dynamic relationship where each influenced the other met its conclusion by Rudger's hand.

'Quasimodo died. Its very existence disappeared. And Esmeralda, whose soul had been bound to Quasimodo, finally regained her freedom and was able to attain enlightenment.'

Rudger still remembers that day. The scene inside the burning warehouse, where the souls of people oppressed by Quasimodo were released.

The sight of their souls, like shining feathers, gathering in one place and flowing in a certain direction.

The place they were heading toward must be some kind of spiritual path to salvation.

With Quasimodo and Esmeralda gone like that, Selina was finally left alone.

And she too had vaguely sensed that the shackles that had been binding her had completely disappeared.

Though a certain sense of loss also overwhelmed her because of it, Selina had finally become free.

'But as a result, Selina awakened to the existence of the spirit of darkness.'

The spirit of darkness was a rare case that could never be found even in nature where all kinds of spirits existed.

'No. It's not just at the level of rare. It's closer to being a unique case.'

Light is an element. Scientifically speaking, light is a mixture of particles and wave forms and all kinds of rays.

Fire, water, wind, earth, lightning, ice, metal—they're all elements.

But darkness alone was not an element. Darkness was a state of nothingness where nothing existed. That is, it meant non-existence.

Could darkness be called an element? There was no light, no oxygen, no particles of any kind. It was not an element.

That's what the darkness Selina used was like.

Making it so that nothing exists. As seen in the holy war, that power was strong enough to distort even the power of the Holy Emperor who possessed divine power.

And Selina named the spirit of darkness she wielded Esmeralda. It probably wasn't the real Esmeralda. The newly born spirit was strictly a separate existence from the enlightened Esmeralda.

But the fact that she gave it such a name somehow conveyed Selina's stubbornness in not wanting to let go of the person who had been with her.

'Come to think of it.'

He suddenly remembered the promise he made with Selina. During the Theon festival, after fighting Esmeralda, Rudger had made a promise with Selina to watch the festival together next time too.

'In the end, I couldn't keep the promise.'

Actually, even when making that promise at the time, he had vaguely sensed that this was a promise that couldn't be fulfilled. Because he had things he needed to do.

Knowing that, he still put that promise into words. Why did he do that when he usually didn't speak carelessly? Even thinking about it now, he couldn't figure out the reason at all. Maybe he was just swept up in the atmosphere.

'And that same woman said she's coming here.'

Who would have thought he'd reunite with Selina in a beastfolk nation. He had thought if they met, it would be when he returned to Theon, but I suppose this is what they call a trick of fate.

Rudger looked out the window. He was currently staying in quarters for distinguished guests. It was a building constructed in their style so humans could stay there.

'I should take a walk.'

Rudger left his assigned lodging and strolled through the capital.

Even though night had fallen, the city was very lively. Lights were lit everywhere, and people were busily moving about.

In the old beastfolk tribe days, they would light a few torches, and except for those keeping watch at night, everyone would go to sleep early.

The reason it was so bustling even after nightfall like this was because they too had embraced civilization.

Of course, this wasn't the only reason.

'The wedding is tomorrow.'

The next chieftain was getting married, no less, and to a human at that.

A result that carried great meaning beyond just a relationship bound by love—that the relationship between humans and beastfolk was moving forward amicably.

Moreover, the picture wasn't bad. Iona, who went to learn human culture, became close with Leo who was there with her, and their relationship deepened.

It wasn't entangled with any politics or interests, and the relationship between the two was purely based on love, so what could be more worth celebrating?

It was a very big event that had been prepared on a large scale for several weeks already. Since it was right around the corner now, this moment, which could be called the eve festival, was the hottest time.

'It seems Aidan already went out to play with Tracy.'

Since he had nothing to do anyway, Rudger looked around, thinking he'd just take a casual look and then go back.

Passing through shopping districts full of items showing the unique cultural characteristics of the beastfolk everywhere. Watching beastfolk in traditional clothing shouting and dancing in front of bonfires. Observing beastfolk riding horses across the wide prairie and showing off all kinds of marvelous postures.

Naturally, he didn't enjoy it alone. It seemed the rumor of today's sparring match had spread widely, as wherever he went, many beastfolk recognized him and approached.

"Ah! There's the strong human!" 

"Hey. Want to try drinking this? It's kumis I made, and the taste is amazing." 

"We sell food at our store—want to come eat? I can treat you well."

While some had pure goodwill, there were also those who were smitten with Rudger's strength and made advances. No, thinking about it, this was probably no different from goodwill either.

Rudger sometimes responded to their words, sometimes politely declined, and pushed through the crowd.

After seeing many things like that, he was getting a bit tired and feeling mental fatigue.

'I need to go somewhere a bit quieter.'

Rudger spread his mana widely, then moved toward a place presumed to have fewer people.

It was on the outskirts of the city. From there, Rudger gazed at the prairie.

The sky was clear without a single cloud, and the round moon and countless starlight shone in full natural color.

The stars gathered and gathered to create a single flow, spreading a massive Milky Way beyond.

A starlit night on the prairie. Just seeing this sight was enough to be certain that coming here today was a good choice.

Rudger perched himself sitting on a rock that was nearby. The cool breeze that blew felt pleasant as it tickled his skin.

As he listened to the scent of grass permeating deep inside along with the sound of insects crying, he felt as if his mental fatigue was completely lifting.

Rudger, who had been closing his eyes and savoring the world with all five senses, slowly opened his closed eyes.

In the space where there had been no one, a new visitor had arrived at some point.

A woman stood in front of him with her hands clasped behind her back, seemingly embarrassed.

After seeing her, Rudger slowly got up from his seat and stood before her.

"It's been a while, Teacher Selina."

Her pink hair that shone like a single flower even in the night sky hadn't faded in color even with the passage of time.

Those eyes looking at him, that face—they hadn't changed from three years ago. Thinking about how everyone had changed in their own different ways, Selina remained remarkably the same as before. 

Selina didn't answer. She was probably pondering what to say.

Rudger decided to wait. It must be quite a complicated matter for Selina too.

However, Selina must have experienced various things over the three years and matured mentally quite a bit.

Wasn't she the one who used to be treated as somewhat young compared to other teachers? Thanks to that, she could easily become close with students, but Selina herself sometimes felt dissatisfied that she wasn't mature enough.

So now she would probably show a more dignified reaction. Perhaps she might unexpectedly smile brightly and greet him as usual.

Sssup. Huah.

After taking a deep breath, Selina straightened her posture as if she had made some decision.

Suddenly…she threw herself into Rudger's arms.

"......!"

This was a development even Rudger hadn't anticipated at all. Rudger's two hands wandered in the air, having lost their way.

But soon, feeling the warmth from his chest, Rudger gently stroked Selina's back with both arms.

"I missed you." 

"That's quite an aggressive greeting for a reunion after a long time." 

"Do you know how long I've been waiting?" 

"I'm sorry. I said I'd return quickly, but it took longer than expected."

The embrace that continued for a while ended when Selina, who belatedly regained her reason, pushed away from Rudger's chest instead.

Having realized what she had done, Selina's face had turned red as a beet.

"N-no, that is. I mean, I was so glad to see you. Without realizing it, I just......" 

"Well, that can happen. If Teacher Selina hadn't done it, I would have done it first."

Rather, in times like these, the shortcut to being considerate of the other person was to naturally brush it off. Whether Rudger's joke worked or not, Selina let out a small chuckle.

"I was really surprised. Who would have thought I'd meet Teacher Rudger again here." 

"Yes. I was quite surprised too. When I heard from Aidan that Teacher Selina was coming, I couldn't believe it." 

"I heard the story from Aidan and Tracy after I arrived too. Those kids were the ones who told me you'd probably be in a quiet place around now."

Those kids know me too well. Rudger had such an idle thought and asked Selina.

"Have you been well?" 

"Well, I have been well. Though all I did was work as a teacher for three years." 

"For that, you seem to be on very good terms with the students."

It wasn't usually easy to come all the way to a wedding of a graduate who wasn't even a child you taught directly.

"Is that so? Getting along well with the children is a natural thing for a teacher, isn't it?" 

"When I was a teacher, it was something I couldn't even imagine."

If Selina symbolized a bright spring among the seasons, then Rudger was probably the coldest winter in the world. Personal friendships with students were something he couldn't imagine at all.

Of course, for that, there were unexpectedly quite a few students he had surprisingly deep friendships with.

"Don't even get me started. Rather, after the holy war, my popularity rose too much, and people follow me everywhere I go, so it's tiring."

Rudger nodded, understanding. During the holy war, Theon's teachers had also participated under the name of support.

Naturally, the one who played the biggest role among them was Elisa Willow, Theon's Chancellor and a 6th-circle mage.

But that was just the surface-level activity. If you were to pick the person who played the biggest key player role in the holy war, Rudger would definitely pick Selina.

She, who wielded the power of the spirit of darkness, had dealt meaningful damage to none other than Salesin himself.

"Are the spirits doing well?" 

"Yes. Everyone's doing well. Esmeralda is doing well too." 

"I see. I'm glad to hear that." 

"More than that, Teacher Rudger, have you now completely returned?" 

"Yes. I still can't believe it myself, but well, it seems I've returned somehow."

At those words, Selina's face brightened, and she asked while fidgeting with her fingers.

"Then, by any chance, are you thinking of returning to Theon?" 

"Among the things the man named Rudger Chelici can do, being a teacher seems to suit me best."

He had thought about wandering the world, but that was something he had done to the point of being sick of it when hiding his identity.

Now he wanted to settle down in one place.

Besides, he needed to research the dimension gate magic more and visit Earth once again.

"Th-then, you know. This is a really personal question. Um, that is."

Selina, as usual, but this time she hesitated to an unusually strange degree. Her face was excessively overheated from embarrassment.

"By any chance, Teacher Rudger, do you have someone you're dating?"