“Hello everyone.”

    “Yes, hello, Professor.”

    “Thank you for the greeting. Maybe it’s because it’s the first class since the semester started, but everyone’s eyes are bright. Haha.”

    Sejun smiled happily as he looked at the students who were looking at him with lively eyes.

    Of course, I knew better than anyone else that this was simply the power of the beginning of the semester, the so-called open school.

    That’s because it’s been a while since I’ve been doing this.

    The excitement I felt when I was first appointed as a professor and gave my first lecture is no longer there, and now that I have gained some experience, I guess that’s what I’m saying.

    “But what’s surprising is one month? No, what is a month? After about two weeks, the vitality in people’s eyes gradually decreases. First-year students will probably become drunk and become zombies, and older students will be distracted trying to find a job after graduation. Right?”

    When Sejun joked, the cadets smiled slightly.

    It was a peaceful time. Of course compared to before.

    In fact, it was his influence that made it possible to call it a university in its own right, rather than the Elm Academy of the past, which trained soldiers with special abilities.

    As new academies were established around the world, each country achieved its own balance, and the disturbances of demons were reduced to almost non-existent, restoring peace to the world.

    That was only 10 years ago.

    Occasionally, people with abilities who awakened this ability would go on a rampage without even realizing it, or the so-called villainous actions of Myne’s followers would come out, but it was minor, and it could be said that peace had come to the world.

    Isn’t that why he can now focus on his education so peacefully?

    “Originally, I was going to have a light orientation today and teach a very light class on weapon techniques… .”

    “… .”

    A silent clamor was heard. Sejun chuckled at the sight and suppressed his laughter.

    “The eyes are scary. haha. So I’m just not going to do it today. Until last semester, I gave a lecture during the first class, but the response was not as good as I expected. And some people don’t even show their faces well after less than a month. Because I don’t want to do that this time.”

    Since this was the first lecture starting at 9 a.m., I had no intention of tiring the students from the start of the day.

    As the students’ response improved and the atmosphere warmed up, Sejun continued speaking.

    “As everyone may have guessed, as the name suggests, most of the weapons will be hands-on rather than theoretical. It is true that weapons technology is being neglected as the world becomes more peaceful these days, but it is still important. Because you never know when and where villains will pop out. And increasing your ability means increasing your value.”

    “Yes, Professor.”

    “And there are many people who believe that rumor, but they don’t. There is a rumor that you have to be exceptional in combat to be forcibly selected to become a soldier after graduation, but that is not true at all. Elm Academy respects students and can guarantee them the career path they want.”

    Sejun clapped his hands lightly and then flipped through the handout he had brought.

    The sound of paper scraping is heard and it becomes quiet again.

    “Well then, since we can’t make the first orientation boring, let’s start with question time. Does anyone have any questions or want to ask?”

    “Me!”

    “Yes, the student in front of you. Well, I can roughly guess.”

    Sejun also knows who it is. He was famous even before entering school.

    A new student with permanent mutant powers. They have awakened early, and thanks to this, their appearance is very different from that of humans.

    It may be because there have been many manifestations of this type of supernatural ability since Sejun’s dean became famous, but this guy already had a lizard-like appearance.

    It’s not a fake dragon like the cosplay of former assistant teacher Yoon Sia, but a real lizard that resembles the dean’s body, no, a dragon.

    Just by looking at those bright eyes that say they have a question, you can guess what kind of questions they will ask.

    “Please tell us about Dean Elm Northmund.”

    “Of course. So far, all the questions asked during the first lecture were about that topic. haha. Thanks to you, I’m glad I don’t have to think about a different story every time.”

    Laughter erupts throughout the classroom.

    Actually, there was something that bothered Sejun too. Last year, there was a time when a guy asked me about a professor’s personal life and asked if he really had three girlfriends, which made me sweat.

    “But what exactly are you curious about? You probably don’t want the kind of story you can find on the Internet. I think you probably want something similar to what he and I experienced. Is that correct? Student Choi Jae-hyeon.”

    “Yes, yes! That’s right!”

    “Other people’s eyes also lit up. By the way, I’ve been teaching for several years, and the reaction is more explosive when the dean’s story is mentioned than about the actual subject. I wonder if this is a bit bittersweet. Well, that’s probably why I make a living.”

    Sejun says that and connects the USB stick he prepared to the computer. This is a USB that I prepared in advance because I knew there would always be questions like this.

    “The story of Elm Northmund itself is very interesting. Because it contains the same heroic narrative that often appears in novels. And how nice it is that it is a happy ending in the end. A heterogeneous race from another dimension devoted to humanity. There is a romance to this kind of story.”

    “This video also contains videos that I personally filmed during each battle. Although it was edited as much as possible for lecture purposes, some violent scenes and bloody parts remain, so please understand. I hope you view it as a simple record.”

    Sejun said that and played the video on the screen, and the students straightened their posture and began to concentrate.

    Seeing that, Sejun was filled with emotion.

    Because the main character of the video on the screen, Sejun’s dean, is no longer around. Suddenly one day, after organizing everything, it disappeared somewhere.

    And the words he shared with Sejun before he left were still lingering in his head.

    Sejun stared blankly at the ceiling as memories suddenly came to his mind.

    “There is no need for God in the world.”

    “Yes? What are you saying?”

    “It means that I do not want to be worshiped as a god.”

    A child will one day become an adult. A person who cannot leave his or her parents’ hands will have no choice but to remain a child forever.

    If a crisis arises that the world cannot sustain, it is of course our responsibility to protect the child, but interfering with the flow of that world is not the right direction.

    The world is not a friendly place. Many people will go through many hardships and face suffering. Northmund himself cannot solve all of that.

    It could happen that way, but that’s not what Northmund himself wanted.

    “Now is a good time to leave. Peace was restored to the world, and the Academy was also freed from external coercion. There is no reason for me to exist anymore.”

    “Dean!”

    “I guess so. If I stay any longer, I will only cause chaos in the world. They will try to use me politically, and since I am the focal point, I will not be able to live a peaceful life within it. Humanity’s life must be decided by humanity, not by this dragon.”

    “Ah… .”

    “The struggle against monsters has been going on for a long time. I am satisfied just by preventing it. So now it’s time to leave.”

    The world and the people living in it may wander for a while and be caught up in bad temptations, but they will eventually overcome it. Because those are the people. Because that’s how it is.

    “Are you leaving again, just like when you came to this world, Dean? Somewhere else? To another dimension?”

    “I misunderstood.”

    He smiles and waves his hand. Early in the morning, my face glows orange from the streetlights beyond the window and the electric lights lighting up the building.

    Adding to the shadows at the back, it really looked like the last time someone was about to leave this world.

    “I’m not saying it will disappear. I just want to get some rest. You can think of it as going on a long vacation. Shouldn’t I get some rest now?”

    *

    ─ If the world is in danger, I will come back. Why would I leave the place I protected? The people I love remain in this world.

    “No, why is that guy making a fuss over there?”

    I threw my body backwards and shouted.

    I guess I was a little embarrassed to interpret it however I wanted and to have tears in my eyes as I reminisced.

    Even though he was his student, it was not a good thing for an adult man to turn red while remembering himself.

    Where I am now is a space filled with light.

    It was a space that felt similar to the space where the old gods lived.

    ‘That’s what I said, but I didn’t come here because I wanted to.’

    I grumbled and turned over my body. The chair, which looked like a ball of white light and resembled a cloud, was shaking.

    ‘I couldn’t help it.’

    I thought things would naturally go as they should since the era of the god of dereliction of duty has ended and a new era has returned.

    But something unexpected happened.

    The body was assimilating to divine power and the mind was changing into something that transcended the things of this world.

    The first thing to disappear is the sense of time. If I wasn’t focused, I couldn’t focus on the world.

    Suddenly, a few days passed by in a flash. I was a little lazy in bed, and half a year has passed.

    After thinking about it, I had no choice but to return to God.

    I had no choice but to give up my plan to give up God and live in harmony with the world. Because my existence and the laws of the world have already begun to diverge.

    Once I gave up resistance and accepted the divinity that was dissolved within my body, assimilation progressed quickly.

    And in the end, this is what happened.

    “Still, it’s a blessing in disguise.”

    After gaining omniscience, I was able to feel the flow of time three-dimensionally rather than two-dimensionally.

    This means that it exists beyond the flow of time, that is, beyond the event horizon. This means that you can continuously watch a certain point in time as it passes, as if you were watching a videotape.

    In other words, if I want, I can intervene when Sejun is in trouble.

    ‘It’s been a while since I saw what you were doing.’

    The man’s eyes are red with tears. Tsk.

    “… I need to ease some of their worries.”

    “Hehe, has it been a while since you arrived?”

    “Ah, you guys.”

    When I looked behind me, there they were.

    I look at them and smile.

    “Let’s go together. For the first time in a while, I want to check if my alter ego is doing a good job in the world.”

    “Yes Elm. Can I go on an outing together after a long time? Hehehe.”

    They come running towards me as I head towards the open space like a doorway.

    “I’m not going there to have fun. Two minutes. If you are under the command of the great being Northmund, please be disciplined.”

    Little Eldarim’s eyes narrow.

    Of course, the reason for the bulging eyes was because they were strangling me, so I don’t know if it was pain or not.

    “Then, let’s go out for the first time in a while! I’m going to hit that damn student’s head too.”

    After grinning and mumbling that, I looked at the blue sky beyond.

    It was a clear spring day with blue skies.

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