The Transmigrated Professor

A hand slowly raised from the edge of the table.

It belonged to the lone person who had remained quiet during the entire Meeting.

Oliver Lockwood, the only SS+ Rank Hero, other than Rufus. He was also dubbed by the media as the ‘#2 Strongest Human’ due to his extraordinarily high Stats. One would imagine that his Awakened Class would be something powerful like Tanker or Swordsman.

However, those who didn’t know Oliver from his early days in the Catastrophe would never be able to guess that the #2 Hero was considered the biggest deadweight while fighting monsters at that time.

The reason behind this was that his Awakened Class was ‘Spiritualist’, also known as the most useless Class to have ever existed, despite their accompanying Skills being of S Rank.

However, Oliver had risen through all challenges and obtained his well-deserved title of the #2 Hero. Now, nobody could look down on him for being a 'Spiritualist', or rather they admired him even more for coming so far, despite his handicap.

While the others enjoyed the benefits they got from their Classes, he had to work harder to make up for his weaknesses.

Standing up from his seat, Oliver brought out an object from his dimensional ring and placed it carefully on the table.

At first, The Heads couldn’t understand what the thing was, but soon they realized that what was on the table looked suspiciously similar to a large ocean-green egg.

“Unrelated to the previous topics, I wanted to discuss these egg-like objects that have been popping up across Dungeons recently.” Oliver’s cold and loud voice echoed across the room.

Rufus was vaguely familiar with the item. Last week he had read a report regarding these objects that had suddenly popped up as hidden “prizes” in various Dungeons. 

They emitted strong mana, but no one was able to identify them, the item’s status screen was missing, despite being something that came from a Dungeon.

He had asked the R&D Department to try to find what the item was, but if he was being honest, he didn’t really given much thought to the item. 

Best-case scenario, it could have been a stone they could harvest for mana similar to monster cores. Worst case, it would hatch a monster that could wreak havoc on the City.

“Have the researchers finally found out what that weird-looking stone does?” Rufus asked out of curiosity.

If a Head was personally presenting what the item does then it should be quite interesting.

“Allow me to demonstrate.” Saying this, Oliver placed his hand lightly on the egg, squeezing mana into it.

As the mana enveloped the egg, a bright glow started emitting from the inside.

As their eyes adjusted to the light, they found a tiny horse, about the size of a palm, with the shimmering tail of a fish, gently sleeping in the middle of the table.

‘So it is a monster’s egg.’ Rufus sighed at the outcome. 

Honestly, he was hoping those stones would be an alternative to the monster cores.

Before Rufus could order the extermination of the monster, Oliver interrupted him.

“I know what you are thinking, but it’s not a monster.”

Gently nudging the sleeping hippocampus, its innocent, baby-like eyes slowly opened to see the world for the first time.

Looking around the unfamiliar space, it quickly noticed Oliver above him.

‘Squeak!’ Probably because Oliver was the one who had fed him mana, his eyes glowed brightly, like a child seeing its mother for the first time. 

A tide of water slowly enveloped its legs and tail, as if an ocean wave had been summoned on the table, lifting him in the air, as he half-galloped, half-swam towards Oliver’s shoulders, and rubbed his chubby cheeks against Oliver’s.

Feeling a sense of bond, a small smile curled on the man, who had always maintained a cold demeanor, as he gently patted the hippocampus’ face.

“This is my Spirit, Tide.”Oliver introduced the monster to them.

“Spirits? That's interesting.” Lakshmi asked, curiously staring at the tiny foal sleeping silently on Oliver’s shoulder. With his large frame and the tiny baby resting on him, the image certainly left a mark on one’s memory.

“It seems that a Spiritualist's true power only activates when they form a mana bond with a Spirit like this. The Eggs that have been recently appearing in Dungeons are all Spirit Eggs.” 

“And you mean to say only Spiritualists like you can bring out their true power?”

Oliver nodded at her question.

Hearing this, an exciting smile began forming on Lakshmi's face. As an entrepreneur, there was no way she would out on such an amazing opportunity.

As Lakshmi thought up various plans regarding the Spirit Eggs, the rest of the Heads fawned over the sleeping monster, forgetting the serious discussion that was happening in the room just moments ago.

“It looks adorable!” Su Luxia felt her heart thump as the hippocampus' fluffy ears twitched.

“Aww… it’s snoring so cutely.” Even Odera forgot about the berating he had received.

“Kheuk!” Rufus coughed to bring back everyone’s attention. Taking back their seats, all of them turned back to Rufus.

Occasionally, they would steal glances at the baby hippocampus which was still sleeping peacefully on Oliver’s shoulder.

“Oliver, could you tell me what exactly these Spirits can do? And are they dangerous like monsters?” Rufus asked.

“They aren't." Oliver quickly reassured him. "They are contracted to us by mana, so they are essentially pets. However, as they Rank up through training they can get as fierce as S-Rank monsters, hence why I believe the high-Rank of the Skill.”

Hearing his words, Rufus fell into a deep thought.

If what Oliver was saying is the truth, then the Spirits can be a force to reckon with, along with the Spiritualists who can control them.

They would be a welcome strength to humanity.

But there was one thing he was skeptical about.

'Why now...'

So many changes were happening in such a short span of time. 

The cure for the Demon Curse, which had healed his grandson.

The mana density of Earth was rising, increasing the number of people that would Awaken in the future.

And now these Spirit Eggs were appearing in the Dungeons.

He couldn't help but believe that all these good things that were happening, were a premonition to something disastrous.

And he didn't believe that it would just end with the Demon's invasion.

The chaos that was looming on the horizon would soon threaten the minuscule amount of order that the League had painstakingly brought to Humanity after decades of hard work.

 

As the sun slowly set in the sky, an unsuspecting couple walked the bustling streets of the Market District.

One of them, in particular, was more enthusiastic than the other, hopping from shops to food vans and aweing the various street foods, like a tourist visiting a foreign country.

“Could you please stay still for a moment?” Kazuya asked tiredly, looking at the girl in front of him hopping around like an excited puppy.

“I have been in that tiny place, you humans call an apartment, for weeks. I deserve a trip outside. Seriously, how do you guys live in that prison?” Amara asked, staring at the cakes on display through the glass door of a bakery.

“I think you are forgetting you are a prisoner.” Kazuya kindly reminded her.

“Could I get one?” She innocently looked at him, ignoring his earlier words. 

Kazuya looked at where she was pointing to find a large wedding cake on display.

“...not that one.” He frowned, before turning around to make sure nobody heard it. “Why did you even pick that cake?”

“It has the same color as the Moon.” The Elf replied, her eyes saying 'What's the problem?'.

“..forget it.” Feeling he might be getting too sensitive, Kazuya gave up. “Get something else.”

Opening the door, the smell of freshly baked goods and the sweet scent of sugar entered their noses.

“Welcome- ...Kazuya! Long time no see.” A middle-aged lady behind the counter greeted them.

“Hey, Mary! Got anything special today?” Kazuya asked.

He was a regular at this bakery and was good friends with the chef. He was also aware of the secret menu, known only by the bakery’s most favorite customers.

“Well, we just got a batch of your favorite Cherry Blossoms Matcha Cheesecake in stock…” Mary answered proudly before her eyes wandered to the girl who had entered with Kazuya.

She seemed shy with her hair and ears hidden under a black hoodie, like a scared rabbit. 

“Looks like you have got yourself a female friend, Kazuya!” Mary teased him, as the girl looked at the cakes with interest.

“It's not like that!” Kazuya explained with a pained expression.

“Excuse me, human. I want this one.” The girl vainly pointed at the three-tier fondant cake, unmistakenly a wedding cake, that was on display.

“…Quite a bold one you got there.” Mary’s eyebrows raised, as she flashed a thumbs up at Kazuya, who was ready to crawl a hole and die there.

Quickly, pulling down Amara's finger which was still pointing at the cake, he gave his order. “I will take two slices of the Cherry Blossom Cheesecake. To go, please!”

Mary quickly rang up his order, as a line was starting to form behind Kazuya.

Receiving his order, Kazuya dragged the lady behind him, who still kept asking for the wedding cake.

Mary waved them goodbye from behind. “I hope you two enjoy it together!”

"I SAID IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!"

“...”

“...”

Kazuya and Amara walked in silence, as they soon reached a nearby park.

“The air here is fresh.” Amara commented as they sat on an empty bench.

“It’s the biggest park in Capital City. It was modeled after the forest of the Elves.” 

As Kazuya mentioned, Amara could see hints of the unique Elven architecture, tangling trees together to form different structures with various flowers covering them, all around the park.

It wasn’t her home, but she could feel Kazuya’s sincerity in his attempt to make her feel comfortable.

As she absorbed the stimulating vitality of the nature around them, Kazuya handed her the cake they had just bought.

“Here! It's one of my go-to desserts when I like to be lost in my thoughts.”

“Thank you!” Amara gratefully accepted the sweet. However, she added at the end. "I still think that Moon Cake would have tasted better."

"THAT WASN'T A-...Why don't you try this cake first?" Kazuya was quick to collect his emotions.

'She was just a culturally uninformed Elf, so it wasn't her fault.' Kazuya used this fact to calm his mind.

Following Kazuya's advice, Amara raised the cake, taking a whiff of the refreshing fragrance of cherry blossoms.

'I suppose it's not too bad.'

Suddenly, Kazuya reached out to her face. 

Amara stared in surprise, as Kazuya tidied her hoodie, his hand slightly brushing her ear. “You should keep your ears hidden while you are.”

Unbeknownst to Amara, her ears had unintentionally poked out when she was indulging in the nature around her.

Tucking her ears inside, she hastily replied. “We Moonlit Elves are masters of disguise. No human will be able to notice my ears.”

Her voice was loud, almost yelling, as she tried to hide her ears that seemed to turn rosier by the minute.

“You can never be too careful. It will take only one A-Rank Hero to see through your disguise.” Kazuya noted, biting down on a spoonful of cheesecake.

Following his actions, Amara also took a bite of the cake. Immediately, the sweet ganache of honey and cherry blossoms exploded on her tongue, as she took in one bite after another.

“It’s good, isn’t it?” Kazuya asked her, proud of the choice he had made.

For the next few minutes, the two sat together in silence. The wind lightly brushed past the verdant leaves of the trees, leaving in its trail a beautiful melody.

The moonbeams lightly tickled her, as Amara's pale skin almost seemed to glow under the moonlight.

'She really looks like legendary Elf when you look at her like this.' Kazuya thought as he admired her enchanting beauty.

“What do you plan to do now?” His question broke the silence.

Amara looked at him in confusion. “Shouldn't you be the one to tell me that?”

For the past few weeks that Kazuya had kept her at his house, he had treated her respectfully as if she was an honorable guest. He would occasionally ask her about the Second Catastrophe, her life as an Elf, and the Fae Forest.

Returning his kindness, Amara would occasionally answer his questions as best as she could; as long as they didn’t include the secrets of the Woodland Races.

However, no matter how amicable their relationship was, at the end of the day, she was just a prisoner, and he was her captor.

"Why are you suddenly asking me that?" Amara looked at him in suspicion.

“I was wondering if you have a way to go back to the Fae Forest.” Kazuya explained.

“Well...I am not too sure. But I think those who were helping escape should still be here. She can get me back-” Amara paused, as she caught herself. “Wait…You aren’t planning on capturing her, are you?”

Unknowingly, she had become too comfortable with this human.

Kazuya shook his head. “Nothing like that. I am just glad you have a way to go back home.”

Snapping his fingers, Amara could feel his mana swirling around them, as his invisible cherry blossoms of flames that had been restricting her mana dissipated into thin air.

“You are free to leave.” Kazuya informed her.

Amara stared mistrustfully at Kazuya.

He was a kind man, but there was no way that he would just let a diplomatic prisoner go. It would be easier to think he had brought her out to hand her over to the League.

Understanding her doubts, Kazuya explained. “You are truly free to leave now. Nobody's going to follow you.”

Still looking at him suspiciously, Amara’ asked him one final time. "Can I trust you?"

Kazuya nodded at her.

As the moonlight covered her body, Amara's body faded out of existence.

“Thank you…” A light voice whispered behind his ear, as her presence completely disappeared from the park.

After a few minutes, when Kazuya was sure that she was completely gone, he slowly stood up and casually strolled towards a large building nearby.

Earlier, when he had told Amara to be careful of her disguise, there was a good reason for it.

It was because they were only a few blocks away from the Hero League Headquarters, a place frequented by many high Ranking Heroes.

He wasn’t worried about her getting captured by Heroes again. It was a full moon today, and with her mana unrestricted by him, even an S+ Rank Hero would find it almost impossible to notice her presence.

As the League HQ came closer and closer, Kazuya sighed in regret.

Although it wasn’t he who had gotten her out, he had still housed and hidden a criminal who was wanted by the League, for weeks, as his colleagues searched high and low for her.

Although he pitied her circumstances, remembering how she was abandoned by her mistress so easily in the Dungeon, what he had done was still a crime.

He could easily get demoted or maybe even fired.

Some would say, it was foolish to report a crime yourself. But knowing the disastrous information he had learned, it would be worse to keep it to himself just to save his own skin, when the entire Humanity might be facing danger.

‘I just hope all the information I got about the Second Catastrophe and the Spirits would be enough to save me…’ 

‘...And let's hope she gets back safely!’

Making a silent prayer in his heart, Kazuya walked through the large glass doors of the League.