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The academy’s vacation passed in the blink of an eye.

Preparing for the exploration of the ‘Sea Wall’ took a month, and traveling there took another month.

After that, it took another month to take care of the aftermath, so before I knew it, vacation was over.

However, the fact that the long three-month break had quickly slipped by meant that I had spent it quite busily.

Since our goal was solely ‘successful exploration’ with no time wasted, it felt like time had flown.

Thus, the thirty individuals who participated in the exploration of magical anomaly sites alongside Ed had grown significantly since then.

The strength of underwater monsters, the betrayal of Clendor Kingdom, the over 600-meter-tall Sea Wall, and Ed’s performance.

All of these had served as stimuli for them, propelling their growth.

“So, you’re telling me that Sir Ed single-handedly wiped out twenty elite soldiers from Clendor?”

But the busy times had only been experienced by a select few academy students.

Most students were merely curious about the internal affairs while hearing the exploration news from the Empire and Clendor.

In particular, rumors of ‘something romantic happening between the princess of Clendor and Count Fix’ were more than enough to pique the interest of the spirited students.

Edgar Fix, now conquering even the princess of Clendor!

“I knew you guys would act like this! Look, I brought the footage. Check it out. This guy is insane!”

And the source of these rumors was none other than those who had participated in the exploration with Ed.

With the protection of the Great Mage and the princess, Ed had already become a major sensation, and, due to the nature of students’ admiration for the strong, they couldn’t help but like him.

Especially those who had participated in the exploration alongside Ed viewed him with great admiration.

And these were the very people who became the key figures in spreading Ed’s rumors within the academy.

“Dude, that’s crazy! What was that? Rewind it! It’s dope!”

So, the students gathered around the student using the ‘memory replay’ spell to enjoy Ed’s exploits.

The sight of him pulling out a laser cutter and spinning it 360 degrees while slicing through enemies was one of the highlights.

“…I feel like he’s way stronger than before?”

“He’s just overwhelmingly the top tier. Nothing compares.”

“But Isabella might…?”

“Come on. It’s different now than it was back then. Didn’t you see? Those guys who got sliced weren’t just regular students from Clendor; they were elite soldiers. They went down with just one hit!”

“Maybe there were some conditions? The witch is strong in mental aspects, you know.”

Students were discussing various things while observing Ed’s tremendous power.

In this manner, evaluations of Ed were being updated in real-time.

Among the academy students, there was even one who made ‘tier lists’ for fun, and even the student who created the most credible tier list without personal bias excluded Ed from it.

Many students asked the tier list creator for the reason.

“He just doesn’t have any conditions. Remember when we got wrecked during that underwater battle with Clendor? But Edgar Fix doesn’t have those conditions. Speed, destructive power, strategic use… he lacks nothing. Especially, even when Prince Ian set up mana barriers against him, he broke through that too! His attack power is insane, his defense is insane, his speed is insane—he’s just incomparable!”

The tier list creator emphasized Ed’s strength by underscoring how he didn’t rely on battlefield conditions.

In fact, the tier list creator rated Ed as S+++.

That’s a staggering rank, almost on par with a Swordmaster!

“Wait, are you saying he’s comparable to Professor Gracia the Swordmaster?”

“Yeah. He’s just insane!”

The students buzzed, sharing their thoughts.

Some said it was an exaggeration to compare him to a professor, while others argued it was entirely reasonable.

“What’s the point of arguing? The evaluation match is about to happen anyway. We’ll see there.”

However, when the news “the evaluation match is happening” started circulating, all the students began to nod in agreement.

After the vacation, they were supposed to participate in an ‘evaluation match’ to showcase their progress in training, so they could confirm Ed’s skills there.

[Edgar Fix absent]

However, when the notice posted that Ed would not participate, the students began showing their disappointment.

Rumors stated that Princess Bianca had offered herself.

Rumors spoke of him single-handedly killing the legendary beast Kraken.

It was the perfect opportunity to confirm the rumor of him single-handedly defeating twenty elite soldiers from Clendor, and they were missing out on such a spectacle.

[Edgar Fix scheduled to be appointed as a professor]

But after a week, when the notice was posted about Edgar’s upcoming appointment as a professor, chaos erupted—worst than when they heard he would be absent.

The implications of a commoner becoming a professor in an elite academy that only nobles could enter, especially one who wasn’t even twenty years old, were massive.

It was a very shocking personnel decision.

“…Well, if it’s Edgar Fix, I can accept that.”

“Right. It’s not just anyone, it’s Count Fix.”

“Does that mean he’ll have his own subjects?”

“That’d be cool too!”

However, after reading the entire notice, the students were beginning to accept the news of Ed’s professorship.

The notice detailed why Ed had no choice but to become a professor.

[Notice – Appointment of Edgar Fix as a Professor]

Name: Edgar Fix

Date of Birth: September 5, Year 785 of the Empire

Position Title: Inviting Professor

Appointment Period: September 17, 785 – September 17, 791

This individual has achieved lasting accomplishments in various fields including politics, economics, technology, culture, and military affairs.

He developed ‘Graham’s North Wind’ and ‘Mana Mosquito Nets’ to elevate the living standards across the Empire and resumed trade with the long-isolated Dwarf Alliance Kingdom.

Moreover, he was the first human to receive the title of ‘Savior’ from the Dwarf King, and as the captain of this expedition team, he thoroughly proved his command abilities and crisis management skills.

During the process, he demonstrated his social, technological, political, military, and martial capabilities, all of which have been sufficiently recognized across various sectors of the Empire.

And the board and faculty of this academy concluded that his level is ‘leader’-class.

He is no longer at a level to receive teachings from this institution.

For these reasons, I, ‘Sephilia Yuliseus Kaindel von Orserk,’ the chairwoman of this academy and princess of the Empire, have recommended the professorship for the above individual, who is paving a unique path known as ‘Magical Engineering,’ and he has accepted.

The board and faculty of this academy unanimously agreed.

Therefore, upon the issuance of this notice, ‘Edgar Fix’ will graduate early from this academy and will simultaneously assume the position of ‘Magical Engineering Department Professor’ the day after the evaluation match.

* The journey toward strength branches into numerous paths, and I hope everyone adheres closely to Edgar Fix, who has forged a new path known as ‘Magical Engineering.’

***

Unexpectedly, he became a professor.

Literally ‘out of the blue,’ he became a professor.

The trigger was Elena’s question.

“Isn’t it a waste of time for someone of your caliber to attend classes?”

– Of course, it’s a waste of time.

I honestly answered this question.

Having repeated regression multiple times, it was indeed an unproductive expenditure of time.

Because I already knew all the content without needing to attend the classes.

– Then don’t bother attending. There’s something way more important than that.

Elena suggested I focus on enhancing my abilities instead of attending classes.

Now that we both knew we were players, we should concentrate on our fundamental duties.

– You can’t leave the academy. Your power alone is not enough to save this world.

However, I was aware of the potential of key NPCs… no, comrades’ descendants thanks to the numerous regressions I’ve undergone.

And I also knew that I was the only one who could guide their powers.

Thus, I couldn’t leave the academy without those with boundless potential.

– Then there’s only one option left. You should become a professor.

That’s how Elena suddenly proposed the idea of me taking on the professorship.

If I wanted to stay in the academy while securing personal time, being a professor was the best option.

– W-what? Just like that?

– What’s sudden about it? I know all about your abilities.

Elena actively recommended the professorship to me.

She said there’s no better position than that for a person with my skill set and that my intelligence and initiative would be more than enough to conduct classes.

After considering which position between being a student and a professor would better aid the heroine’s growth, I responded to Elena.

– Hah… Fine. Let’s do it.

– Hehe, how cute! I’ve got a new colleague professor! I’ll propose this to Sephilia. Professor Fix!

…Well, that’s the story of how I unexpectedly became a professor.

Thanks to that, I could now focus more on the movements of the Demon Church and my personal growth, which was nice, but I still felt a little dazed.

After so many regressions, I had always been just a student… and now I would become a professor in this round.

“…Well, it isn’t bad. This is actually good.”

However, the practical benefits were enormous.

Now that I was no longer a student, I could move freely at any time, securing a tremendous amount of personal free time.

Especially since I was teaching elective courses, I only needed to give lectures on Monday mornings and Friday afternoons.

I didn’t have to waste my time on unnecessary tasks like before every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.

“The title… will take some getting used to.”

Thinking about how students who used to be my peers would now be calling me ‘Professor Fix’ made my face heat up.

Well, I planned to maintain my casual demeanor in private, but if I was conducting a class, I would have to be addressed as ‘Professor.’

You need a certain authority to teach someone.

“Ah… why does everything feel so awkward these days?”

Upon reflection, it was clear that my relationships around me had dramatically changed.

Just yesterday, Fix had suddenly evolved into a female android assistant robot and insisted on calling herself ‘Eve.’

Well, I’d been trying to accept it and maintain a friendly atmosphere like before, but… I couldn’t help but be concerned.

The once cute Fix had transformed into a female robot of my preference, akin to my pet cat transforming into a woman and saying, “Call me Piknyang! ♥”—a shock of a different kind.

“At least things are a bit better with Elena…”

Elena had also undergone changes in our relationship.

After exploring the Sea Wall together and discovering we were both ‘players,’ things had become slightly awkward.

However, as time passed, those aspects were resolved.

There’s a certain inertia in relationships, and to me, Elena was still my professor and mentor, while I remained her student.

Since our previous memories hadn’t fully returned yet, we treated each other’s past as ‘previous lives,’ allowing the awkwardness between Elena and me to fade quickly.

“…More importantly.”

There was a more pressing issue now.

The movements of the Demon Church.

Currently, I was spreading my informants under the pretext of managing the ‘mosquito nets’ sold nationwide, yet something seemed off regarding the Zigmund family.

I had obtained information that townsfolk were gathering somewhere every night, and that cases of disappearances were happening on a village-wide scale.

Especially since the Zigmund territory was where ‘Max Zigmund,’ who loathed me, resided, I had instructed increased surveillance.

If any new information was uncovered, it would be reported to me first.

***

“…Did you say Count Zigmund is dead?”

Three days later.

I received some rather shocking information.

Count Zigmund had died suddenly from overexerting himself during secluded training.

“…Yes. But the atmosphere inside the castle… it seems there are hidden facts. The expressions of the servants weren’t normal.”

I nodded.

Lately, strange and suspicious rumors circulating in the Zigmund territory, along with Max’s personality.

Considering the outcomes for those who typically meet their demise as antagonists, I could formulate a plausible hypothesis.

That Max guy was definitely up to some nonsense again.

-Beep! Beep! Beep!

While I was thinking about Max, who had joined the Demon Church, my communicator suddenly went off.

It was the device given to me by Harris, the head of the ‘Egerton’ family.

I immediately pressed the button to inquire about the purpose of the call.

[Sorry for calling you out of the blue. I’m Miller, a direct agent of the Egerton family. I contacted you because I have information that needs to be conveyed to Edgar Fix.]

…Information I absolutely need to hear?

I inquired about the general content of the information.

As expected, it was suspicious news about the ‘Entica’ Kingdom.

That place had every time I regressed, it became the first stronghold for the demons.

“What exactly seems off?”

However, it was too soon for this.

Currently, the entire kingdom was gradually being undermined by the Demon Church, led by Swordmaster Gyro, making it difficult to discover any clues.

Naturally, Gyro was meticulous and famously known for making no mistakes.

“…Gyro’s faction is gaining power at an alarming rate. In contrast, Kevin’s faction is declining.”

Gyro’s faction and Kevin’s faction.

These two factions were the largest in the Entica Kingdom, with Gyro’s faction supporting involvement in the great war seven years ago and Kevin’s faction opposing it.

However, after the devastating blow the Entica Kingdom received during the great war seven years ago, the power shifted to Kevin’s faction.

Over 90% of the citizens supported Kevin’s faction.

‘Originally, Gyro used the Demon Church to gradually bring down Kevin’s faction, showing morally corrupted appearances…’

Gyro had turned the entirety of the Entica Kingdom into a den of demons by first morally corrupting Kevin’s faction to shift public sentiment toward his own faction.

In other words, after gaining the trust of the citizens through manipulation and fabrication, he presented a prince he supported, making the entire populace believe in the ‘Savior Church,’ i.e., the Demon Church.

In this manner, the Entica Kingdom gradually fell apart under Gyro’s scheme for four years.

60% of the citizens became anti-demon, while the remaining 40% became demons, turning it into a stronghold for demonkind.

‘But right now…’

It’s urgent.

If he blatantly tries to bring down Kevin’s faction, it’s obvious the people will start suspecting him.

It contrasts starkly with Gyro’s careful and cunning approach.

“…Thank you for the information. I need to investigate further.”

I considered a few hypotheses in my mind.

And one of the hypotheses I established surprisingly connected Gyro’s unusually hasty way of doing things with Max’s movements.

There’s a correlation between the two.

“I need to check this out.”

So, I rose and prepared myself.

Coincidentally, Count Zigmund had just died, so I could go express my condolences.

Even though I didn’t want to see his face, I should check out Max’s expression.

I could tell in an instant whether he’s lost his mind just by looking into his eyes.

 

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