"What are you saying, Head Professor? The average will be lowered?"

"There's something like that. I don't feel like explaining the details."

Nightly racked her brain trying to figure out what Dian meant.

Personal tutoring for the academy's top duke's daughter wouldn't help his career? Of course, he couldn't officially list it as experience. But the "career" Nightly referred to wasn't just adding a line to his resume.

The "career" she meant was establishing a solid connection with the Toulouse ducal family, one of the most influential powers in the Imperial Noble Council. It was an unimaginable privilege for a mere academy head professor.

Since Professor Dian already knew her father, creating one more connection would certainly benefit his life in the future.

In truth, Nightly had fled to the academy to escape an arranged marriage and pursue her dream of becoming a special agent. So using her father's influence now wasn't exactly proper.

But so what?

The stories of Imperial special agents that she'd heard from her brothers who survived the Four-Year War ten years ago had filled her with excitement.

Nightly wanted to escape her mansion, which felt like a stifling cage, and become an agent operating covertly across the continent. That's why she ran away as soon as the Special Mission Academy was established.

However, at the academy, she wasn't receiving the education she'd hoped for, so she had been training alone when Professor Dian appeared.

When she boldly grabbed a wooden sword and charged at him to see how good he really was, Professor Dian swung his wooden sword once or twice with a bored expression, and Nightly temporarily lost consciousness without even knowing what hit her.

That's when Nightly made her decision. To make that professor hers. To use Professor Dian as a stepping stone to realize her dream.

And coincidentally, when her father visited the academy and saw Professor Dian, he tacitly approved of her attendance, so Nightly decided to actively use this opportunity.

As long as Professor Dian remained at the academy, Nightly wouldn't be expelled from the ducal family. And if that was the case, it would be possible to claim a professor she liked while backed by her family.

What kind of relationship did those two have? Well, they probably just met as commander and subordinate during the war. The details don't matter to me.

Anyway... with you here, I won't be forced to withdraw or be expelled from my family, so I can confidently use my family connections to persuade you.

By teaching me, you're not just adding a line to your resume, but strengthening your relationship with the noble Toulouse family.

So naturally, she assumed Professor Dian had understood all her intentions regarding "career," but he didn't? He even thought it would damage his own career?

What is he thinking? And how impressive could his career be anyway? It's probably just a couple of commendations from the battlefield.

With the arrogance and self-righteousness typical of a noble lady, Nightly couldn't understand Dian's reaction at all.

But she wasn't going to give up easily. Nightly always fought to the end for what she set her mind on.

That's how she had carved out her own destiny so far. And Professor Dian would be no exception.

"Professor, please reconsider. It would benefit you—"

"Once a week."

"Pardon?"

Professor Dian held up one finger.

"I can see you once a week. But I can't focus on you every day like a homeroom teacher."

"But Professor, isn't that too infrequent? I've never properly learned combat at the academy. With only one year left until graduation, to reach a level where I can be deployed immediately..."

"It's enough."

"What...?"

"I said it's enough. Once a week, and by graduation, you'll be ready for field missions."

Despite Dian's confident statement, Nightly found it hard to fully trust him. No matter how skilled the Head Combat Professor was, that seemed difficult...

But Nightly soon changed her mind. For now, she'd secure this promise. She could gradually increase the frequency later.

Nightly was confident she could wrap that pale man Dian around her finger. She was the daughter of a great family, top of her class at the academy, and clearly aware of her own beauty.

She had plenty of weapons, and within a month, Professor Dian would be conquered, taking care of her exclusively like a homeroom teacher.

"Alright, Professor. Let's do that. I get to learn from you, and you get to establish a relationship with my family. It's a win-win."

"Sure, sure. Now go. I'm busy. I have a meeting to attend."

As Dian waved his hand dismissively, Nightly asked:

"When will our first private lesson be?"

"I'll let you know later. I need to check if I can adjust my schedule this week. Now go. Hurry."

"Understood, Professor. I'll wait for your contact. You can come to my dormitory. I live alone."

Nightly crossed her legs with a rather seductive smile. Her skirt rolled up, revealing smooth thighs.

However, Professor Dian didn't respond and walked casually to his desk, sat down, and began rummaging through a drawer with his head down.

Seeing this, Nightly let out a low laugh. Didn't he just say he had a meeting? Why is he suddenly searching through drawers?

He must be trying to hide his embarrassment after seeing my legs. He has an unexpectedly innocent side.

Just you wait, Professor... I'll make sure you can never escape. You'll become a professor exclusively for me.

# # # # #

After confirming Nightly had left, I pulled out a cherry-topped cream pie from deep inside the drawer.

Sniffing it, fortunately, it didn't seem to have gone bad yet. I needed to finish it today and almost let it spoil.

Actually, I'd been thinking about this since the middle of my meeting with Nightly, but the conversation kept dragging on, which was troublesome. Since I only had one pie and didn't want to share, I used the meeting excuse to quickly send her away.

Taking a big bite of the cream pie, the sweet taste filled my mouth, making me smile involuntarily.

This is really delicious. I heard it's from the bakery in front of the academy gates. I should ask Olicia to buy it for me often.

Come to think of it, this huge academy lacks proper amenities. Even modern universities have all kinds of franchises.

We could bring in various businesses for faculty and students to use, and in return, the academy could collect rent and certain fees. It's a win-win situation with no downsides.

Of course, we'd need strict quality control to prevent monopolistic complacency. That would be the administration office's job.

While it's not directly related to the Combat Department, it's closely tied to my quality of life, so I should discuss this separately later.

Hmm, so what should we bring in? Since Olicia has been going shopping a lot lately, I should ask her this evening.

First, we need a bakery, and a restaurant—no, we should have two or three different types. There are so many people here. And also...

# # # # #

A few days later, late in the evening at the dormitory.

"Excuse me, Class President..."

Several female students approached Nightly with shy expressions. Each held a small, beautifully wrapped box.

"Um... this..."

As they extended the boxes with blushing faces, Nightly stared at them blankly before snorting.

"Sorry, but I'm not into dating women. Look elsewhere."

"Huh?"

Surprised by the ice-cold response, the female students' eyes widened before they stammered in embarrassment.

"Th-this... not for you but for Professor Dian..."

"What?"

"We hoped you could give these to the Head Combat Professor..."

"What did you say?"

It wasn't because the students' voices were too quiet, nor was she deliberately trying to intimidate them by asking again. She simply couldn't understand what they were saying.

"We saw that... you seemed personally close to the Head Combat Professor... He's too high-ranking for us to approach directly..."

After staring at the students for a moment, Nightly realized she had made a ridiculous misunderstanding, and her expression instantly twisted with shame and anger.

Since her freshman year, she had been accustomed to receiving gifts and confessions, so she naturally assumed these were meant for her.

"Am I your servant? Running around delivering gifts?!"

Startled, the female students apologized and quickly fled. Other students who had been watching and suppressing their laughter also managed their expressions, averting their gaze or leaving the area.

"They're really ridiculous."

Nightly's followers put on artificial smiles and rolled their eyes.

"Who do they think they are to ask Nightly to do things?"

"Exactly. Commoners who wouldn't even be allowed near Nightly outside the academy."

"The same applies to you all, doesn't it?"

At Nightly's sharp retort, her followers shut their mouths and exchanged anxious glances.

Leaving her followers behind, Nightly strode down the corridor.

"Nightly! Where are you going? The night infiltration class is about to start!"

"I'll handle it myself, mind your own business!"

Right now, Nightly was extremely on edge, reacting sensitively to even the smallest things. It was because there had been no response from Professor Dian for days.

He had clearly promised to teach her once a week, and she thought she had successfully hooked him when he showed embarrassment at her deliberate flirtation. So why was there no news?

Furious to the core, Nightly left the dormitory and headed to the faculty building. She planned to go directly to his office and demand answers.

"Professor! Professor Dian!"

She pounded on the door with the nameplate "Combat Head Professor Dian," but there was no response. Peering through the crack, she saw no light, suggesting he had already left. Perhaps she should go to the faculty residence.

But the night infiltration class was about to begin. While she might skip a theory class, this was a practical exercise in actual mountainous terrain outside the academy, so missing it would be problematic.

After deliberating, Nightly returned to the dormitory.

She would attend the class for now. She could meet Professor Dian tomorrow, but night infiltration practice wasn't an everyday occurrence.

"Oh! There she is! Senior Nightly! Could you please give my letter to Professor Dian..."

"Get lost!"

"Eek! I'm sorry!"

# # # # #

Outside the academy. The night infiltration class was being conducted in an area with coastal cliffs and several high points.

Students dressed in black with faces darkened by charcoal formed small groups under the control of teaching assistants to overcome the nighttime mountainous terrain.

Each group was assigned different infiltration routes, with the common objective of simulating infiltration into the academy by crossing the high points. Since this was the first night infiltration exercise since the academy's founding, the difficulty wasn't particularly high.

As the infiltration teams began departing one after another, Nightly stood with her arms crossed, still in the same spot. Not because she had complaints about the class format, but because she was the only one without a group.

"Professor, is it not my turn yet?"

"Actually, you're up next."

When Nightly raised her hand, Infiltration Professor Lina handed her a map. Taking it, Nightly momentarily doubted her eyes.

"What is this...? Is this the infiltration route?"

"That's right. Follow that route to infiltrate the academy."

"But this..."

The route Nightly was looking at was quite different from the other groups'. Just from the contour lines, it appeared to be a deliberate selection of the most treacherous terrains connected by a line.

"No human could possibly go through a place like this."

"I'm sorry. This is a direct order from the Head Combat Professor, so I have no authority over it."

The Combat Head? Professor Dian? Could this be the once-a-week private lesson he mentioned?

Perhaps he chose a separate location to teach her away from others' eyes? Not bad.

A private lesson just for the two of them in a secluded place late at night... I guess you'll lose to me again, Professor.

Nightly finally felt at ease and satisfied after days of waiting as she began walking.

At the bottom of the map was a strange message: "This is the professor you chose. Endure it with grit and determination," but she didn't pay much attention to it.

He's probably just trying to establish dominance and make up for being charmed by her flirtation during their meeting. How cute.

# # # # #

One hour later.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it! This cursed professor!"

Nightly, clinging to an almost vertical slope on all fours, spat out curses.

"Where the hell are you?! Why haven't you shown up yet?!"