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Chapter 110 - Ismera’s Great Forest (9)

"Professor Dian?!"

Ismera cried out in surprise at my sudden appearance.

"H-how did you get here? No, more importantly, why did you come here?"

"Ismera, Professor Dian says he has something important to tell you."

Nierta said gently, trying to soothe her. Ismera glared at both Nierta and me.

"It’s over! I’ve left the academy, and I have nothing to do with it anymore..."

But Ismera couldn’t finish her sentence and tightly shut her eyes.

Her lips trembled slightly, and her face was pale, as if she didn’t even have the strength to raise her voice.

"Ismera, are you okay?"

Nierta walked up and knelt beside her, looking up at her with concern.

"I’m fine... It’s just… I’m just a little dizzy..."

"Should we come back later, once you’ve had a chance to rest?"

I asked, but Ismera slowly shook her head.

"If you followed me all the way here, you must have something important to say..."

"Then I’ll take a seat."

I brought over a small folding chair and sat down, and Nierta stood up.

"Then I’ll step outside. You two can talk."

"Stay with me, Nierta..."

Ismera grabbed Nierta’s wrist.

"You need to stay with me..."

Nierta looked at me, clearly uncomfortable.

"It’s fine. You can stay and listen. What I have to say isn’t private."

"Alright… If that’s okay."

Nierta said as she sat back down on the edge of Ismera’s bed.

Then she turned to Ismera and asked.

"Professor Ismera, why did you suddenly resign? Did something happen?"

"What does it matter to Professor Dian whether I quit my job or not? And I’m not a professor anymore."

"Until the Headmaster accepts your resignation, you are still a professor. In fact, right now, you’re considered absent without leave and have deserted your post."

"So you came all this way just to tell me that? And how did you even get here?"

"Professor Orendi opened a dimensional portal for me. But that aside, why are you trying to resign? I need to know the reason before deciding whether to accept or reject your resignation."

Ismera flinched and then closed her eyes again.

She sighed deeply and murmured, almost to herself.

"There’s no reason for me to stay at the academy anymore… That’s why I left..."

"Why? You’re such an important part of the academy."

"Am I? But it seems the Second Princess doesn’t think so."

Ismera replied with a bitter laugh.

Hearing that, I suddenly had a strange feeling.

"Professor Ismera… did you overhear my conversation with Kaiden during the competition?"

Ismera squinted at me, then closed her eyes and nodded slightly.

"I didn’t eavesdrop on purpose. The Dark Elves suddenly came in, and I went to find you to let you know. That’s when I overheard it."

"I see..."

I never imagined Ismera had overheard that conversation.

No wonder she looked like she was about to die even after winning first place in the competition.

"So, the mage Kaiden is coming to take my place. In that case, it’s only natural that I leave. How could an ordinary elf like me ever compete with a genius mage from the Demon King’s Slayer Special Unit?"

Ismera shook her head with a smile.

"Rather than sticking around and being disgracefully kicked out, it’s better to leave on my own terms, isn’t it?"

"How much of that conversation did you hear?"

"Up to the part where the Security Office decided to appoint Kaiden as my successor. I didn’t bother listening to the rest because it didn’t matter."

"I see. Well, Kaiden is indeed coming as the new Head Theoretical Professor. The appointment has already been made."

I took out the official document, but Ismera turned her head away as if she didn’t want to see it.

"How far do you intend to push me down before you’re satisfied?"

She spoke sharply, still avoiding eye contact.

"If that’s your plan, you should have just left me alone, whether I resigned or not. Why come all the way here to rub it in? If you’re seeking revenge for the way I treated you, you’ve succeeded. My heart is already torn to pieces..."

"Let me finish. Kaiden is becoming the new Head Theoretical Professor, and you, Professor Ismera, have been promoted to Vice-Headmaster."

I cut her off and waved the appointment letter.

"Vice-Headmaster…?"

"You won’t believe it unless you see it with your own eyes, so take a look."

Ismera took the document and read it carefully, then nodded slowly.

"It really does say Vice-Headmaster..."

"I told Kaiden not to accept the proposal. I said the academy already had an excellent Head Theoretical Professor. So instead of bringing Kaiden in as your replacement, the Security Office decided to promote you to Vice-Headmaster."

"That’s wonderful, Ismera."

Nierta said, holding Ismera’s hand.

"You always wanted to become the Headmaster. The Vice-Headmaster is just below the Headmaster, right? If you keep working hard, you could definitely become the Headmaster."

Ismera looked down at the appointment letter for a moment, then handed it back to me.

"Now do you believe me? From now on, no one will be able to unfairly dismiss you."

She didn’t say anything, but her hands were trembling slightly.

"And I should mention this, even though it’s a bit late. I have no intention of becoming Headmaster."

"What…?"

"The Security Office initially wanted me to become Headmaster, but I refused. I didn’t even want to be a professor, but due to various complicated reasons, I ended up here, half by choice, half by force. So I’m not your rival. In fact, I would be more than happy if you became the Headmaster or whatever you want."

Ismera looked at me with a bewildered expression.

"But as long as Headmaster Kirrin is there, you’ll never be able to become the Headmaster. Don’t take this the wrong way—it’s not because you lack the ability, but because Headmaster Kirrin is under the Emperor’s protection. I’m sure you’re aware of the Nemara Tribe’s situation."

"I know..."

"There’s nothing the Second Princess can do about it unless the Emperor changes his mind. It’s like a natural disaster that can’t be overcome by individual will. So, if I may offer some advice, I hope you won’t stress too much about it."

After a moment of silence, Ismera spoke slowly.

"Why are you telling me this now…?"

She paused, taking a deep breath before continuing in a slightly agitated tone.

"Why are you only telling me this now? Did you suddenly start pitying me? Would it have hurt you to tell me sooner? Or did you want me to suffer even more?"

"To be honest, yes. I do pity you."

Ismera\'s eyes widened slightly.

"I never intended to help you from the beginning. But that doesn’t mean I wanted you to suffer. It’s just that."

I chose my words carefully in my mind.

"It\'s just that at the beginning of my appointment, I had no particular interest in you. The actions you took toward me didn’t really mean much to me. So what I mean is…"

"You’re saying that I’m a being not worth the effort to even pay attention to or change your mind about."

Since it wasn’t incorrect, I just smiled.

It’s like a mole complaining to a bulldozer digging up the ground; it doesn’t even get noticed.

And there’s no need to explain the necessity and circumstances of the construction to the mole or seek its understanding.

Similarly, I didn’t give a second thought to a single elf’s complaints.

So I intended to talk to her properly at some point but then forgot as soon as other issues arose.

With a past of fighting countless fierce and perilous enemies during the war, dealing with the grumpy elf Ismera’s hostility, and comforting and understanding such an elf, was a very low-priority and trivial issue.

And right now, my urgent priority was to normalize the academy to get Kirrin recognized by the Second Princess.

Someone might criticize me as trash for this, but everyone has their own capacity, common sense, and boundaries.

As I was thinking these things, Ismera asked me.

"If I was so insignificant to you… why are you here now, saying these things…"

"Because recently I’ve come to realize that you’re truly a good person."

Ismera’s mouth slightly fell open in shock.

"You are arrogant and conceited. Just because I was appointed, you hated me so much that you wanted to kill me, and didn’t hesitate to show hostility."

I continued with a faint smile.

"But while preparing for the public competition and observing you up close, I came to understand that you are capable, diligent, and endlessly kind to your students."

Ismera\'s eyes darted back and forth, not knowing where to go.

"To me, that was an incredible charm."

"Huh?!"

"You are a good person."

"What… are you talking about?!"

Ismera yelled and moved back.

"Calm down, Ismera! Professor Dian isn’t making that kind of offer to you."

Nierta, who was grabbing the shocked Ismera, looked back at me.

"I’ll apologize on behalf of her, Lord Dian. We elves rarely praise each other. What you just said was at a level usually reserved for courtship…"

Ah, it was a misunderstanding due to cultural and customary differences. It’s not a big deal.

"I’m sorry, Professor Ismera. That wasn’t my intention. I just thought you were a truly good person."

However, seeing Ismera gripping her chest and not calming down easily, I decided it was best to step outside for a moment.

"Anyway, Professor Ismera. Congratulations on becoming the Vice-Headmaster. So please return to the academy. I will take measures to ensure the Security Office cannot touch you. I’ll wait outside, so please give me your answer once you’ve sorted your thoughts."

"Wait a minute!"

As I was about to get up from the chair, Ismera stopped me.

"There’s one thing I still don’t understand while we’re talking."

"Please go ahead."

"You keep saying that you can keep the Security Office from moving. Do you have any grounds for that?"

"It might be hard to believe, but that’s the case. Don’t you have any doubts about my private conversations with Kaiden, who is from the Demon King’s Slayer Special Force?"

Ismera gave me a look asking for an explanation.

"I mentioned before. I was part of the Demon King’s Slayer Special Force along with Linus during the war."

"Yes, you did. Of course, I didn’t believe it. It’s ridiculous. The members of the Demon King’s Slayer Special Force all became prominent figures. So why are you working as a mere professor? Moreover, your name wasn’t mentioned at all in the praise for the Special Force’ activities from the Imperial Palace."

"Hmm, Ismera…"

At that moment, Nierta, who was next to me, cautiously spoke up.

"Ten years ago, when our Great Forest was being attacked by the Demon King\'s army."

Nierta said in a soothing tone.

"Do you remember that Lod Linus and another human had come to save our Great Forest? They disappeared after the war."

"And why is this coming up now?"

"That human was actually Lord Dian."

Ismera gave a disbelieving laugh, as if she was being joked with.

"Nierta…"

"It’s true. Lord Linus is now in the Great Forest. He came with Lord Dian, who wanted to see you."

"Lord Linus is here…?"

"If necessary, you can get a testimony from Lord Linus. That Lord Dian is one of the saviors of our tribe."

Ismera stared at Nierta with an expression of disbelief.

"So then…"

"That’s right, Ismera. The one who saved you when you were trapped in the flames and fell unconscious was him."