I Became the Teacher of a Troll Tribe

Chapter 11: Morgan

"Is my pronunciation that bad?"

No, I could understand it, but…

It’s just that the image is so different from when you speak in Trollish.

Still, one shouldn’t tease their students.

After a brief moment of awkwardness, I carried on with the lesson like a professional.

"A smile as beautiful as a queen’s."

"A shmile az beauteeful az a queenz!"

"Whether the white bones turn to dust, with or without a soul."

"Wite… bones… tuh, tuhn tuh dust?"

…

..

.

"You're definitely better than those academies."

As soon as class ended, Aisona regained her characteristic bluntness.

"Ahem, don’t forget your homework."

With a solid foundation, the lessons progressed smoothly. At this rate, she could probably graduate in a month.

For reference, Aisona was a shaman aiming to become a high-level sorcerer.

As I was about to leave the house, James came to see me off.

"Teacher! Are you leaving now?"

"Yeah, what about you? Aren’t you off for the weekend?"

"We’re on a six-day workweek, sir."

Ah, right, a slave. Poor guy.

Apparently, the servants all lived and ate together in a designated quarters during the weekdays.

‘…At least James has it relatively okay.’

When I almost died right after arriving, I redefined this game’s genre as a Troll Apocalypse.

But in reality, those of us who adapted found ways to survive.

Not all Trolls treated humans like bugs.

Aisona didn’t, nor did my colleagues at the language academy.

If anything, they seemed surprisingly free of prejudice against humans.

‘But honestly, where isn’t it tough?’

I resolved to start bringing small snacks for them whenever I came to visit and left Aisona’s hut.

Thud—

"Ughhaaah—"

Once home, I flopped onto my bed and stared at my bookshelf.

Unfinished War

On the Rotten Branch Troll

Where Do Cracks Come From

…

..

.

They were new books I’d recently acquired.

‘When will I ever finish all these?’

Even though they weren’t directly related to returning to reality, reading them wasn’t entirely fruitless.

The most recent discovery had to do with Kim Nam-cheol.

Yes, that Nam-cheol.

"The worst traitor, Kim Nam-cheol, was the direct cause of the racial war but disappeared without a trace at some point. Numerous theories about his whereabouts have been proposed. The most credible include…"

Being imprisoned beneath the Empire.

Assassinated by the Black Troll Clan.

Hiding within the cracks.

Exiled to the polar regions after alienating both humans and Trolls.

The speculations were endless, but I latched onto a sliver of possibility.

‘Kim Nam-cheol returned to reality.’

It makes sense, doesn’t it?

No one knows the fate of someone as strong as him, a world-class powerhouse with a hidden trait five times more potent than others?

That’s ridiculous.

Moreover, aren’t we Koreans unmatched when it comes to creative problem-solving?

If he had enough influence to start a racial war…

‘It’s entirely possible.’

He could’ve found a way back to reality. That was my reasonable assumption.

And then, there was one more thing…

[The hidden trait Master of Black Flames has been activated.]

Fwoosh—

Master of Black Flames.

The ability of the Infernal Lord, Ogrehampton.

When I focused, black flames ignited at the tips of my fingers.

A hellfire that clings to its target and never extinguishes.

In the game, it was a universally agreed-upon endgame-level trait.

‘…Still doesn’t hurt at all.’

Something must’ve triggered it.

At some point, I stopped feeling any pain when using [Master of Black Flames].

Fssht—

I extinguished the flame with a flick of my fingers and stared into the darkness of my house through [Eyes of the Dark Priest].

‘…’

Silence enveloped me.

It’s been about 300 days since I woke up in this game world.

By now, I could sense it instinctively.

This wasn’t where I was supposed to be.

***

I’d go to work at the language academy, teach my classes, and have lunch with Lactomar and Toka…

On Saturdays, I spent productive time with Evelyn.

It was a routine, an ordinary daily life.

But I quietly prepared for the unexpected.

Because in this world, sudden events were the norm.

Clang! Clang!

"Grooaar!! Human… much stronger now!"

The extracurricular sparring with Stone Grunder had long since turned into the opposite of what it started as, and it made me stronger.

"…If you ever need my help, come find me. You’ve been a good teacher."

I successfully boosted my rapport with Aisona, even managing to graduate her safely.

Being the only child of a wealthy family, she gave me a generous bonus on top of her tuition.

Not to brag, but this is one of the perks of private tutoring.

Zul Dron Dual Blades

I used that money to purchase my first weapon.

Among the many options, I chose dual blades on Stone Grunder’s recommendation.

Apparently, they were the most intimidating choice.

Aside from tutoring, I consistently trained in the sparring grounds. These days, I couldn’t recall the last time Stone Grunder landed a hit on me.

Once, I ended up with a huge bruise on my face, and calming a frantic Toka had been quite the ordeal.

"Jinyu! The headmaster’s looking for you!"

Just then, Toka called out to me in human language.

The headmaster was summoning me.

Creak—

As I opened the door, the headmaster, who had been hard to spot lately, came into view.

His pure white hair and faded violet skin gave him an aura of wisdom, though the scars etched across his face clashed with the otherwise gentle impression.

“I heard you found it.”

“Krk, you’re here.”

The headmaster was notoriously hands-off, rarely interfering as long as we did our work.

However, whenever he did call for me, it usually meant one thing: a bothersome task.

Like interpreting for senior elders or translating newly acquired human-language books.

This time, it would probably be something similar.

“I doubt you called me here to discuss lessons.”

“Krk! You’re better at teaching than I am. Of course not.”

As expected.

Ever since Toka and I joined the academy, the headmaster had completely stopped teaching classes.

“Do you know a human named Morgan?”

Morgan?

The name didn’t ring a bell.

“He’s affiliated with the Central Tribal Council. One of the few humans who’s achieved the rank of Swahali. I thought you’d know of him, being a fellow human.”

From the sound of it, he seemed to be quite a prominent figure.

Then again, how many humans could have risen to the rank of Swahali?

“He’s requested cooperation from our language academy.”

“…What, did he find some weird book again?”

“Krk, no. This is a formal matter passed down through the Central Tribal Council.”

Through the Central Tribal Council?

I wasn’t sure what the old man was planning to have me do, but it was clear this was a different kind of errand from the usual.

“Don’t you find it stifling? Being stuck in this settlement all the time.”

…!

Wait, was this… outside Zul Dron?

“…The tribe seems to be forming an unofficial envoy to propose an alliance with the dwarves.”

“Dwarves?”

Now that was a twist.

The dwarves had sided with the humans during the last racial war.

Naturally, I had assumed the tribe would approach the beastfolk first, given their history of alliances.

“You and Toka, who know the dwarven language, have been chosen as interpreters for the envoy from our language academy.”

“Huh?”

“They’ll come for you soon. Don’t be surprised. Krk.”

Don’t be surprised, he says.

After nearly a year, I’d be leaving Zul Dron for the first time, and on top of that, I’d been assigned such an important mission?

“Don’t worry about your classes while you’re away. I’ll cover for you.”

Honestly, I was less worried about my classes and more about what awaited me as part of this envoy.

“…Explain more. Why the dwarves instead of the beastfolk? Is there anything else besides interpreting? What’s the scale of the envoy—”

“I don’t know the details. It was a sudden notification for me as well. But one thing’s clear: Morgan specifically requested you. Even though they must know you don’t speak dwarvish.”

Morgan specifically requested me…

Why would someone I didn’t even know by name or face do that?

Ugh, the headache was already starting.

“It’s an unofficial envoy, so it won’t be too large. Krk. Who knows, maybe you’ll run into some familiar faces. You’ve taught plenty of students, haven’t you? Good luck.”

With the headmaster’s barely reassuring words, I left his office.

‘What’s going on here?’

I had always figured I’d leave the settlement someday.

But to do so as a member of an envoy proposing an alliance?

I wasn’t sure whether to feel excited or uneasy.

I headed to the teacher’s lounge to find Toka, who was happily tearing apart a mushroom.

“Toka! I just came back from the headmaster. What is this all about?”

“Oh, the dwarven language? I’ve only been learning it as a hobby! I’m not that good at it, really! But why are you yelling—”

“Not that! I mean the envoy. Do you know anything about it?”

“All I know is what the headmaster told me! They’re picking an envoy to send to the dwarves’ holy land, Iron Jesro, and we got chosen from the academy! I’m not sure why you were included, though… But isn’t it a good thing? We get to leave the settlement!”

What an innocent soul.

Clearly, Toka hadn’t experienced the realities of something like K-military service.

She was just excited at the prospect of leaving the language academy.

Usually, assignments like this carried more poison than honey.

“…They said someone would come next week, right?”

“It’s not a person, it’s a Troll! They’re coming directly from the Central Tribal Council to meet us after work hours!”

Okay.

That gave me enough time to consult with Evelyn.

“…Alright. Enjoy your lunch.”

“Lunch? What kind of word is that?”

“It means enjoy your meal.”

***

On my way home, my encounter with the mysterious Morgan happened sooner than expected.

And what a terrible first impression it was.

He had shown up at my house.

Before I even got there.

Clatter—

“Wow, so language teachers these days keep swords in their homes?”

The moment I walked in, my dual blades were tossed at my feet.

I had tried to hide them, but he’d found them anyway.

A quick glance around told me my house was a complete mess.

“…Are you Morgan?”

“Oh? When speaking human language, shouldn’t you use honorifics? Or do you not understand the hierarchy here yet?”

Morgan spoke in human language.

“Explain the situation. What the hell are you doing here?”

I responded in Trollish.

“Kahaha! You’re hilarious. Are you really a teacher?”

Morgan picked up one of the books I had left by my bedside and waved it around.

It was a thinly veiled threat.

“If you mess up my place any more, I’ll call the patrol unit right now.”

“Why bother calling them? Don’t you even know who I am?”

I didn’t.

This trespassing bastard.

Chhk!

A magical artifact in his hand sparked faintly with fire as Morgan stepped closer.

The room was cramped, so he only had to take a few steps before he was right in my face.

…He had a disturbingly intense presence.

“Tell me. Teacher, how did you know?”

“…Know what?”

“Stinson Madwalker. That bastard’s an Imperial spy.”