Chapter 53 : Farewell

After chasing away the annoying guest and returning to my office, Kalia and I fell into deep thought.

“Ishmael, I don’t think we can stay here any longer.”

“Well, that’s to be expected. You killed someone.”

Although we killed the knights who were following the Saintess, fortunately, we weren’t caught.

Places like the garden, which aren’t considered important, have weak security at the academy.

Unlike the 21st century, the sense of security here is lacking.

The instructors and guards rarely visit.

We also buried the bodies deep in the ground, so it’s unlikely that they’ll be discovered easily.

‘But there’s no way the Saintess will just let it slide.’

The problem is the Saintess.

I revealed my identity right in front of her and dealt with her guards.

Would she just leave me be?

For now, I can’t take her out of the academy, so I let it slide, but she’ll definitely try to capture me by any means possible.

She might pressure the academy’s headmaster, or negotiate with the king.

Or maybe she’ll even attempt to kidnap me herself.

Though she’s fragile at heart, her ability to take action is remarkable, so the likelihood of that happening is very high.

So, what’s the most efficient response?

“Before I get caught, I should escape.”

I just need to leave the academy first.

There’s no point in interfering here.

For those whose dream job is being an instructor, it’s not an option they’d choose, but… that’s not us, right?

We were hired for a specific purpose from the start and with a short-term contract.

Once that purpose is completely achieved, there’s no need to cling to this place.

If we go back to the organization’s hideout and lay low, the Saintess won’t be able to find us, no matter what she does.

“Kalia, did you secure the documents you were supposed to find?”

“The ones that were sent incorrectly by the other branch instead of the torture records? Don’t worry.”

Kalia, who used to give me scalp massages while resting a chest on each of my shoulders, confidently pointed to our dormitory.

“I found them a long time ago and have already taken care of them. The empty spaces were replaced with real books.”

“That’s nice.”

Then, it means leaving right now won’t be a problem for us.

Although there’s still some time left on the contract… well, we can just pay the penalty.

We’ve accumulated quite a bit of money from royalties.

What excuse should I give, though?

Father’s funeral?

Or should I insist that I’m going to follow the tradition of the East and mourn for three years?

‘It’s early December, right?’

There’s still about a month left until the winter break starts.

It’s a shame that I won’t be able to teach all of the planned curriculum to the students, but it can’t be helped.

We need to survive.

But still, I’ve already covered the basics of socialism, communism, the ideological differences of the various factions, and core theories, so I think it should be fine.

If they paid attention in class, they should be able to apply it in real-life situations.

“I guess the next class should be a farewell ceremony.”

“A farewell ceremony…? Are you planning to tell us in advance that you’re leaving?”

“It’s better than just leaving without warning, right?”

As I sipped the café latte Kalia made for me, I thought about what excuse I’d give to the students.

After all, these are my first students in life.

Maybe I should give them a farewell gift.

*****

The next day.

Political Science class.

“Everyone, I’m afraid I have some shocking news to share.”

I didn’t hesitate and announced it to the students.

Our teacher-student relationship ends today.

“I will be leaving the academy next week. So, today will be the last time I’ll teach you. If you’re attending the finance course, you’ll probably see me tomorrow.”

Naturally, the reaction was explosively negative.

“W-Why, Instructor?!”

“You’ve been teaching us so well…!”

The students, one after another, looked confused and asked me.

Some even stood up and shouted.

It seems I didn’t teach them badly after all.

I didn’t expect them to be this upset.

It feels like my efforts as a teacher are being recognized.

“I’m sorry. There are circumstances beyond my control.”

“What kind of circumstances could that be?”

“…I can’t say exactly, but let’s just say it’s because of religion.”

Since I couldn’t tell them the whole truth, I decided to give a vague answer.

So that the students would interpret it in a way that would work in my favor.

“I had a conflict with a high-ranking cleric. It wasn’t a big deal, but unfortunately, the other party got really upset.”

“So you’re worried about retaliation…?”

“Something like that.”

It’s not a lie, right?

The Saintess is the highest-ranking cleric of the order, and as the deputy of the Holy King, she has quite a bit of power.

The explanation that emotions were hurt because of the stabbing right in front of their eyes is somewhat accurate.

“Damned religious zealots…”

“Please don’t curse too much.”

After calming down the person who openly badmouthed the church, I spoke in a genuinely regretful tone.

“If I stay here, you all will suffer too. After graduation, you’ll need to return to your lands or find jobs, and I wouldn’t want you to suffer because of me.”

Being a disciple of someone hated by the church.

With that title attached, no matter how capable you are, it becomes hard to find a job or succeed.

It would block the future they were working hard to build.

It’s a valid excuse for why a teacher, who cares about their students, must leave the school.

These students are smart enough to have entered the academy, so they should understand what I mean.

“And there’s no need to be too disappointed. Even if I stayed, we wouldn’t have been able to study together until next year anyway.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Things are quite unstable these days. The atmosphere inside the academy is rather grim.”

This is something I learned at the faculty meeting last night.

The situation here is worse than expected.

“Students have been dividing by country and fighting more often, haven’t they? I’m sure there were some who participated in that here.”

“….”

Some nodded, and others hung their heads in embarrassment.

I knew it.

I could spot a few familiar faces that had been scolded in the faculty office.

“Accidents that were once unimaginable are happening, and now public sentiment has turned sour.

Didn’t they issue a ban on going out last week, except for those from the Allein Kingdom?

Telling us not to go out carelessly or we’d be in trouble.”

As the war continues, the atmosphere in the capital has become quite tense.

Now, if you see demons or foreigners, at the very least, a group lynching is almost guaranteed.

It seems that it has become common for people with exotic appearances to be killed in street robberies.

Because of that, foreign parents have been flooding the academy with requests to have their children drop out.

Let alone the military shortage and financial struggles, even the aid and budget sent by various countries have been reduced… we won’t last long.

According to the headmaster’s complaints, next month is going to be truly dangerous.

It’s likely that we won’t even make it until next spring.

“Though this is just my guess, the academy might close before next year’s graduation and entrance ceremonies.”

“Closure? The school with a history of hundreds of years is going to close?”

“What about my degree…?”

It seems that the thought of their hard-earned academic achievements being nullified is shaking their mental stability.

To calm them down, I spoke gently.

“But there’s no need to despair. The knowledge you’ve studied won’t just disappear.”

I pointed to my head with my finger.

The space where all the things they’ve worked so hard to learn at the academy are stored.

“You are all talented individuals who have studied at the world’s top academic institution. Even if you leave now, you will surely be treated with respect wherever you go. Isn’t that right?”

It’s something I’ve mentioned before, but even if you drop out of the academy, your experience is still highly regarded.

Just the fact that you were admitted and kept up with the learning, even a little, proves you are capable.

If the academy closes, there will be no more juniors, so you’ll be treated as even more valuable.

In other words, my students, whom I’ve molded to my liking, will be spread across the continent, and they’ll surely be on the path to success.

Even if that’s not the case, they will at least find it easier to pursue their

own ambitions and wills.

“Please, engrave the knowledge I’ve taught you into your hearts, and use it in society. If the knowledge I’ve shared helps in your life, I will be content with that.”

With my words of encouragement, I bowed deeply in greeting.

I wished with all my heart that they would live up to my expectations and thrive.

“Ah, I almost forgot. As a final farewell, I’ve prepared a gift for all of you. Kalia?”

“Yes, instructor.”

At my words, Kalia took a bunch of books out of her bag.

The names of the author and publisher were not written on the books, but they had a neat, hardcover appearance.

“This is a book I personally wrote. It contains both the material I’ve taught and the material I couldn’t cover in class. If you read it slowly later, it will surely be helpful.”

The books I prepared to give them were each tailored to their individual personalities.

The titles were as follows:[Capital]

[The Doctrine of Fascism] [Anarchist]

These are the best subversive readings I’ve selected from my memory.