Academy’s Undercover Professor-Chapter 26: Werewolf (1)

Sedina Roschen recalled her dreamlike encounter with Ludger with a dazed expression.

The First Order had acknowledged her.

Ludger Cherish had recognized her—someone who had always made mistakes and been out of place even within the Black Dawn Order.

‘I wasn’t wrong.’

Roschen—the Roschen family, one of the Empire’s most prominent merchant families. Sedina was born into that house.

To others, it might seem like a good household, but to Sedina, the Roschen family was a place more horrifying than hell itself.

The surname Roschen had always followed her like a curse, even after she left that house.

Roschen.

To break free from that hateful family, Sedina joined the Black Dawn Order.

To destroy Roschen. And to find her true self within the Black Dawn Order.

She had known it was antisocial, unethical. But she chose that path anyway.

Because she believed that in this place, she could change.

That she could live not as a worthless daughter of the Roschen family, but as herself.

But reality did not turn out that way.

The Black Dawn Order, being an organization in defiance of the world, was largely made up of society’s outcasts—criminals, the destitute, the desperate.

In a place like that, Sedina—bearing the name Roschen—was far too alien.

–What? You have a surname? Are you serious?

–Roschen? What the hell is someone from a family like that doing here?

–Watch out. She might be a spy who snuck in.

–Fucking upper-class scum.

Unlike those who had clawed their way up from the mud, Sedina had come down from above. They could never see her as one of them.

That was why, despite her magical talent and acceptance into Seorn Academy, she was still only called a Third Order.

The name Roschen had made her an outsider even within the Black Dawn Order.

‘I just... wanted to be acknowledged.’

She wanted to erase the family she despised. That was why she’d joined the Black Dawn Order. Living well and comfortably wasn’t her goal.

She believed that if she just kept working hard, the wary and scornful looks would eventually soften.

She wanted to believe that.

But the distrust from the Black Dawn members toward Sedina only intensified. In fact, because she had the ability to enroll in Seorn Academy, she became the target of envy and resentment.

Sedina was skilled enough that it wouldn’t be strange for her to hold a position above Second Order.

But she hadn’t even caught the attention of any First Order. Constantly blocked by others, she remained stuck at the bottom as a Third Order.

A disposable tool.

Just a mildly useful person.

Someone whose family name might come in handy.

That intent had been made so blatantly clear that it cruelly tore through Sedina’s fragile heart.

‘But I met him.’

It happened when she was so worn down that she didn’t care anymore.

An order came down to her from within the organization.

The order had come from someone slightly higher-ranked—a Second Order.

First Order.

Codename <John Doe>.

Unlike the other First Orders, he was a mysterious figure whose true appearance and identity were completely unknown.

The mission was to contact him and report on the progress.

This man, now known as Ludger Cherish, had never revealed his true identity. A master of disguise, and a high-ranking officer specialized in infiltration and assassination.

But he had a major flaw—his notoriously foul personality.

Even among fellow members of the secret order, if someone annoyed him, he’d beat them to a pulp on the spot, or worse—kill them.

Even more terrifying, the Zero Order—essentially the leader of the Black Dawn—turned a blind eye to such behavior.

Unless one was a fellow First Order, Ludger was a symbol of fear within the Black Dawn Order.

To be assigned the task of asking such a man why he hadn’t been reporting in—this was no different from being sent to die by his hands.

Sedina Roschen wept out of frustration.

At the comrades who sent her off to die, and at herself for being too much of a coward to refuse it.

But what she hated ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) even more was the idea of giving up everything and returning to her old life as a daughter of the Roschen family.

‘I won’t do it.’

She hated that family so much, she would rather die.

That’s why she approached Ludger.

With a readiness to die—telling herself she didn’t care if he killed her.

But once she actually got close, the man’s charisma was beyond anything she could have imagined. Sedina couldn’t help but tremble in his presence.

She made verbal slips, her voice trembled. She committed nearly every mistake one shouldn’t in front of him.

She might die.

That’s what she thought.

But to her surprise—

Ludger didn’t kill her.

He didn’t even show a hint of murderous intent.

True, he was foul-tempered and abrasive—she felt that during their conversation. But that was it.

Ludger let her go without much fuss.

And now, today—

Ludger had even complimented her, saying she explained things well.

If it had just been a throwaway pleasantry, she wouldn’t have been this happy.

But his words—his demeanor—held sincerity.

From the way he corrected her, telling her to call him not First Order but “Professor Ludger,” to how he listened more intently than anyone else, even when pretending not to.

That made her so happy—

The thought that she might actually be of help to someone.

She felt like she might cry.

‘First Order... no, Professor Ludger Cherish is truly amazing.’

From the first moment they met, her heart had pounded whenever she saw him.

At the time, she’d thought it was just from tension and fear, but after today’s encounter, she finally understood.

It was reverence.

A boundless sense of worship toward someone she genuinely wished to follow and serve.

She didn’t believe she was special just because of how he treated her.

It was nothing more than a small—very small—reward for all the hardship and effort she had endured until now.

Ludger Cherish, as a high-ranking officer, may have simply been showing a little kindness to a subordinate.

To become conceited from that would be an early and foolish mistake.

Even so.

Even so—

This was the first time she had ever been properly praised by someone.

* * *

As the school day ended and the sun began to set, Ludger put on his outer coat and checked all his equipment.

Speed was essential for a proper werewolf hunt. Naturally, all necessary tools had to be ready beforehand.

Most of the items were inconspicuous and subtle enough that no one passing by would give them a second glance.

With that thought, Ludger left the staff office—only to run into Hugo, who had come looking for him.

“Oh! Professor Ludger!”

“......Professor Hugo Burteg.”

Hugo Burteg.

Head of the Burteg Marquisate, a storied and prestigious magical noble house in the Exilion Empire.

However, due to its extreme magical elitism and refusal to properly accept modern science, the family had slowly begun to decline.

This was the same man who had taken a confrontational stance against the Headmaster during the faculty meeting that morning.

And now he had come looking for Ludger.

“Do you need something from me?”

“Heh. Come now. Do I need a specific reason just to stop by and see you?”

Hugo’s tone was overly familiar from the get-go.

Though he said that, Hugo had come to make a certain proposal to Ludger.

“You haven’t really interacted much with the other professors yet, have you? I’ve noticed you mostly get along with the other new hires.”

“Is there a problem with that?”

Ludger’s cold, unbending response caused Hugo’s brow to twitch slightly.

But since he was the one in the weaker position, Hugo decided to let it slide for now.

“Hrm, well. I was thinking of introducing you to some of the professors I usually associate with.”

“......”

With just that subtle offer, Ludger instantly grasped Hugo’s true intentions.

Faction recruitment.

Hugo was trying to bring Ludger into the clique made up solely of noble professors.

Even during a time when students were panicking over a werewolf attack, he was still playing political games to grow his influence.

Ludger found Hugo’s attitude laughable and shook his head.

“I’m sorry, but I’m fine the way things are.”

“What?”

At Ludger’s blunt rejection, Hugo’s face turned red.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

“After all the trouble I went to be polite—what, a fallen noble can’t even say thank you before turning me down?”

“Do you have any idea how long I’ve been teaching here?”

“Am I supposed to?”

“Fifteen years! Aside from that old hag Marie Ross, I’m the most senior around here. That makes me your superior and your elder!”

“My superior, you say?”

“Yes!”

“That’s odd. As far as I’m concerned, the only superior I have here is the Headmaster.”

Headmaster.

The moment that word was spoken, Hugo clenched his teeth.

To Hugo, the name of the Headmaster was not welcome in the slightest. On the contrary—it struck a nerve, stirring up his inferiority complex and rage.

He quickly composed his face and spoke again.

“Professor Ludger. I heard you worked in the military before coming here?”

“I was only there briefly.”

“They say you made quite a name for yourself hunting cryptids.”

He’s already gathered that much information?

No—considering that résumé was deliberately leaked by the Black Dawn Order, it wasn’t strange that someone of Hugo’s rank knew.

Ludger gave a slight nod.

“I say this because I value your abilities. Don’t you want to restore your fallen house? With the support of our noble faction, it’s entirely possible.”

Hugo chose to make as much of a concession as he could in this moment.

He was getting anxious.

The Headmaster’s faction was growing stronger by the day. Especially with the current Headmaster—a young woman who, despite her age, was a 6th-Circle Lexur-class mage and a naturally gifted politician. Even Hugo couldn’t take her lightly.

If not for that woman, I would’ve been the next Headmaster!

Hugo could never let go of that resentment.

What infuriated him more was the Headmaster’s tendency to favor commoners over nobles.

This year, five new instructors had been hired: three were commoners, one was from a fallen noble family.

Only one was a pure-blood noble.

It’s humiliating—but I must bring Ludger Cherish into our faction no matter what.

He already knew Ludger was from a fallen noble house.

Normally, he wouldn’t have given someone like that a second glance. But the situation was dire.

Besides, Ludger Cherish was a capable man—a 4th-Circle mage at a young age, and someone who’d proven himself in cryptid hunts.

Aside from his origin, there was no more desirable candidate.

That’s why Hugo had come to him personally.

“I can help you. So how about it? Will you join us?”

“And what exactly does it mean to ‘join’ you?”

This time, instead of a rejection, Hugo got a question.

He assumed Ludger was finally showing interest and eagerly continued.

“Well, it’s nothing much. Just building a bit of camaraderie among ourselves, receiving support from noble patrons, and taking good care of their children.”

“So, you’re asking me to give special treatment to noble students?”

“Oh, come now. It’s just a little flexibility, that’s all.”

Hugo believed Ludger was practically in his grasp now.

Surely this man had joined the military to build up achievements and revive his family name.

That’s how Hugo interpreted Ludger’s past.

“In that case, I’m afraid I’ll have to decline.”

“W-what did you say?”

Hugo stammered, utterly stunned by the rejection.

“I appreciate the offer, but I’ll be turning it down.”

“A-are you serious right now?”

“Yes. And I’ll pretend I didn’t hear your suggestion to treat students differently.”

“That wasn’t discrimination! I’m just talking about a little leeway!”

“Then let me ask you something. If the Headmaster started giving certain commoner students extra benefits and called it ‘leeway,’ would you be willing to accept that?”

“What? How can you compare commoners and nobles like they’re the same? That’s absurd!”

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“Exactly.”

“What?”

Hugo blinked dumbly. Exactly? What the hell did that mean?

“Flexibility must be applied equally to both sides. If it only benefits one group—in this case, nobles—then it’s not flexibility. It’s favoritism.”

“Now, wait just a minute—nobles are—”

“At Seorn, there are no commoners, nobles, or royals. Only students learning magic. I have no intention of backing down from that belief.”

“Why, you—!”

Hugo gritted his teeth at Ludger’s firm stance.

Swallowing his rage, Hugo twisted one side of his lips into a sneer.

“I see now. I was foolish. I must have overlooked the possibility that the Headmaster already got to you before you ever arrived.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Ludger meant that sincerely.

He had no intention of involving himself with someone like Hugo from the very beginning.

Help me rebuild my house?

If he agreed to that, it would only risk exposing the fact that his noble lineage was fake. What Hugo saw as an offer of support was, to Ludger, nothing more than a dangerous imposition that could unravel everything.

He had no intention of rebuilding any noble house. His only goal here was to survive two years without revealing his true identity.

Aligning with Hugo and opposing the Headmaster? That was just asking for trouble.

No matter how you looked at it, Hugo and the Headmaster were not equals.

Hugo might not realize it, but to Ludger, the Headmaster was vastly superior.

If I do something stupid and end up on the Headmaster’s radar, that’s a whole new problem.

Why would anyone in their right mind make a deal with a fox when there’s a tiger in the mountains?

It would be ideal to stay neutral and balance between factions, but with Hugo pushing this aggressively, Ludger had no choice but to pick a side.

And if he had to choose one—it would be the Headmaster, without hesitation.

She treated everyone equally, not with noble arrogance.

“I need to begin my patrol, so I’ll take my leave now. You should head back as well, Professor Hugo. It’s dangerous out.”

“You’ll regret this.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

At Ludger’s provocatively calm reply, Hugo’s face flushed red like a boiled octopus.

His thick cheeks trembled, but in the end, he couldn’t say a word to Ludger’s retreating back.

Honestly, the look in Ludger’s eyes had startled him.

He was the senior here—the more distinguished one! And yet, he was the one feeling intimidated?

Hugo refused to admit it.

“Dammit!”

He stomped on the ground in frustration, fuming as he stormed off.

Already planning to penalize any student who happened to cross his path.

* * *

After parting with Hugo, Ludger immediately began his patrol.

By now, the sun had fully set, and the magical lights of Seorn began to flicker on, casting a soft glow across the grounds.

Though night should’ve brought silence, the darkness pulsed with a strange kind of energy.

Ludger let out a quiet sigh and moved toward the nearest patch of bushes.

“You must not have heard that you’re supposed to return to your dorms immediately.”

As he parted the foliage with a spell, the students hiding within gasped and froze.

Ludger stared coldly down at the three students looking up at him in shock.

“Or maybe you did hear—and just decided to ignore it.”

“P-Professor, it’s not that—”

“All of you—five demerits.”