The Villains I Taught Became Heroes - Chapter 102



101 – Not Much Left – 6

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“Eh~. Lastly, don’t forget that you are students of the academy…”

I’ve lost count of how many times this is the last time, but the principal was giving his final admonition in front of the students.

It seemed I wasn’t the only one finding it boring.

Among the students sitting below, some were nodding off, while others had their eyes closed, meditating.

Let’s just overlook those who were fooling around with their friends.

“Um. And lastly…”

I wonder when this guy’s last will end.

With my arms crossed, I watched the students while letting the principal’s lecture drift in one ear and out the other.

“…With this, I will conclude the winter vacation ceremony.”

Finally, it’s over.

The long, drawn-out lecture had come to an end, and the tedious winter vacation ceremony was wrapped up.

The students gathered in the auditorium began to pour out as if they had been waiting for this moment, and the instructors shook their heads wearily.

“Instructor Lee Hyun! How about a drink today?”

The academy’s winter vacation had begun.

That meant it was time for the instructors to have some fun too.

“After all the hard work during the final exams, we should let loose a bit, right?”

One of the combat instructors approached me with a smile, throwing an arm around my shoulder and grinning widely.

—

This gentleman really loves to drink.

If I go with him, he’ll probably drink like crazy again.

“Let’s do that.”

I actually like it.

Today is a day I want to drink until my nose is crooked.

While the male and female instructors were discussing going straight to drink, the dean approached me.

“Instructor Lee Hyun. I hope to count on you again next year.”

When I first said I would become an instructor at the academy, the dean looked quite reluctant and said to me with an overly bright gaze that felt burdensome.

Well, I haven’t done much at the academy so far.

“I heard that Class A took first place again this time. Truly, Hyun is Hyun. I didn’t expect you to lead the students so well. I hope you can take charge of the third years next year…”

“Hahaha. Let’s talk about that later.”

Third-year responsibilities?

After this winter break ends, on the day the kids move up to the second year during the opening ceremony, I will see the true ending.

Once that happens, my role in this world will be over.

“No, we should talk about that now to assign a new class…”

“Hahaha! I have to go drink now, so let’s discuss it later!”

Waving my hand, I stepped away from the dean and went outside with the instructors.

Once outside, I saw a few students gathered together.

“Master.”

Upon closer inspection, it was the Class A students.

Were they planning to have a gathering? So-wol, who was part of that group, ran over when she spotted me.

“We’re going to have a gathering, would you like to join us?”

“I have to participate in the instructors’ gathering.”

“Oh… that’s too bad. Then…”

Huh? Today is ending quite neatly, isn’t it?

Seeing So-wol, who I thought would cling to me as usual, leave so straightforwardly made me feel oddly relieved yet a bit sad.

Yeah. It’s time for her to distance herself from me.

As I watched So-wol go with the kids, one of the instructors approached me from behind.

“Instructor Lee Hyun.”

“Oh. Where are we going?”

“Huh? Didn’t you hear at the last meeting? We’re going to Blue Inn.”

Oh. Is that so? I was too busy daydreaming during the usual faculty meetings.

“Come on, let’s go. They said the academy will cover the drinks today, so really drink until your nose is crooked.”

“Haha. That sounds great.”

I can’t resist free drinks.

I approached the instructors gathered with him.

Everyone seemed lively, probably because it had been a while since our last gathering.

Following them, we arrived at the bar Blue Inn, located outside the academy street.

Since we had already made a reservation, there were hardly any people in the bar.

The instructors occupied almost half of the place.

“Alright, alright, let’s start with a drink!! Instructor Lee Hyun! Give us a toast!”

“Ahem! This is my first time as an academy instructor, and here I am, wrapping up a whole year. It’s all thanks to the wonderful seniors!! In honor of the academy’s endless glory, I’ll take this in one shot!”

I downed the drink filled to the brim in my glass in one go.

The instructors around me erupted in cheers, raising their glasses.

Wow. What a relaxed atmosphere to enjoy myself in.

Until now, I had poured everything into seeing the true ending.

In other words, I had been living in constant tension.

But now, I had overcome the biggest hurdles.

All that remained was the passage of time, and for the first time in a long while, I could truly relax and have fun.

“Wow~! Instructor Lee Hyun! You really know how to drink! Here! Take my glass too!”

“Oh my~! The head of the faculty is offering such precious liquor!”

I downed the drink poured generously into a large bowl in one go.

The alcohol was sweet.

With my heart at ease, the drink tasted truly delightful.

“Food is here!”

As the drinks were passed around several times, dishes began to appear on the table.

Each one looked delicious.

“Ah. This is something our Sowol loves.”

I spotted an omelet, a dish that Sowol always made sure to eat whenever we had meals together at Dongbang Sangdan.

As I gazed at it and muttered, the instructor next to me smiled.

“So? Who is Instructor Lee Hyun?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“I mean~. Is she a saint? Or perhaps the colorless lord? Or maybe the class president of Class A?”

“Yeah, yeah. Word has spread all over the academy, right? Those three have completely set their sights on Instructor Lee Hyun?”

As the instructor next to me spoke with amusement, the female instructor in front of me smiled brightly.

“Isn’t it true that students and instructors can date? They’re all wonderful women. Don’t you have feelings for any of them?”

“I don’t.”

“Oh? Could it be that you’re struggling at night?”

“Oh! What kind of talk is that! To me, a student is just a student.”

“Hmm~? Then what about colleagues?”

“Colleagues are just colleagues. Hahahahaha!!”

“Goodness. If you poke, will blue blood come out? Come on! In that spirit, let’s toast!”

As the glasses clinked, the people around us began to get more and more tipsy.

Some were singing merrily, while others had completely collapsed and fallen asleep.

“Ah! This drink is really strong?! How come your face isn’t changing color at all?”

“I can handle my liquor a bit…”

Just then, the door to the Blue Inn swung open.

“Round two is here!!”

It was a familiar voice. Looking over, I saw Ludwig, who had ranked first in the recent exam, leading the way.

“Oh? Instructors, you’re here?”

“What’s going on with you all here?”

“Oh. We came for the second round.”

Have they already finished the first round and made it this far?

Looking at the group, it seemed about half of them had already left.

“Teacher~!”

Is she a bit tipsy?

With a slightly flushed face, Arisha bounced over to me.

Now, it felt completely natural for her to nestle into my arms, rubbing her face against my chest.

“Why didn’t you come to the after-party with us~!”

“Come on, give me a break. I just want to drink in peace.”

“Oh my? Master. Are you saying you feel uncomfortable being with us?”

“If I’m with you all, I have to be the chaperone.”

“Y-You really don’t have to do that…”

“Do you think it’s as easy as it sounds? Anyway, since you all came for the second round, just eat and drink well.”

“Instructor! Come over here!! Let’s talk about the special training during the break!”

Ludwig, who was seated, shot his hand up.

Where does he think he’s going?

Ignoring his shout, I downed the drink that the supervisor poured for me.

“Instructor~! ooover here~! Isn’t that your class over there?”

The female instructor sitting in front of me said, glancing to one side.

Then she looked at Sowol, Lena, and Arisha with a glint in her eye and suddenly stood up.

“Oh dear. Instructor Yulia, are you alright?”

I caught Yulia, who was staggering toward them.

She seemed completely drunk, clinging to me and boldly shouted.

“Hey, kids!”

“….?”

“W-What are you doing?”

“Why are you sticking to the teacher?”

“You little…!! Huh?! I haven’t even gotten married yet! And you’re all trying to go first! Huh!?”

This person. Once she sobers up, she’ll probably kick the blankets off.

“Of course! You and Instructor Lee Hyun look good together! But still! Huh?! You should introduce me too!!”

From noble mtl dot com

“Should I introduce you to a paladin?”

“Or maybe a wizard from the magic tower…?”

“I don’t know anyone!”

“Anyone is fine… I don’t want to be lonely at night…”

Let’s pretend I didn’t hear that.

I used telekinesis to lift Instructor Yulia, who was clinging to me, and set her down in a corner.

I turned my gaze away from her, who was mumbling about how couples should all die while hugging a bottle, and looked around at the other instructors.

There were a few instructors who seemed just as tipsy as Yulia.

What’s with these people? Why are they so weak with alcohol?

“Let’s stop here for today.”

I want to drink more, but it can’t be helped.

“Instructor Lee Hyun seems fine, so why don’t you have another drink with the students?”

I smiled at the students who looked at me with anticipation.

“It’s okay.”

Kids should have fun among themselves.

Returning to the academy dormitory, I felt a sense of regret.

It was a rare occasion to drink, but it felt like I hadn’t truly enjoyed it.

Debating whether to drink more or not, I stepped outside to buy some alcohol. As I returned, sipping alone, the door burst open.

“Master!!!”

“S-Sensei!!”

“Teacherrrr…”

The door swung wide open.

Why are they barging in like this when they usually knock?

So-wol, Lena, and Arisha stumbled into the room with tipsy faces.

Looking back, I saw Rifa at the door, repeatedly bowing and apologizing.

“It’s fine.”

“I’m so sorry!!”

After Rifa bowed and returned to the hallway, I closed the door.

The three drunk kids squinted their eyes and stared at me.

“Master, how could you do this? Do you know how much I like you? You keep saying you don’t like me every single day. Huh? If you keep acting like this, it won’t be fun!”

“S-Sensei, do you… do you dislike me? Huh? I can do anything you want, but why do you make it so hard for me? Do you really want to lock me up? Huh?”

“Teacher… Teacher… Hah… Hah… I can’t be close to you, and it’s suffocating, my heart hurts… Teacher… don’t go… don’t go…”

Hmm.

They’ll probably kick their blankets off pretty hard tomorrow.