Academy’s Undercover Professor-Chapter 27: Werewolf (2)

After that, while continuing my patrol, I caught nearly twenty students, assigned them demerits, and forced them back to their dorms.

Seriously, why are these brats still wandering around after nightfall?

It would’ve been one thing if it were just first-years being clueless, but even second-years were mixed ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) in—I could feel a headache coming on.

‘That just goes to show how much attention this werewolf incident has drawn.’

The sun had already set, and darkness blanketed the area.

While internal security personnel were patrolling and other professors were doing their rounds as well, there were still plenty of students hiding across the Seorn grounds.

‘Then again, these kids are mages. Ordinary guards wouldn’t be able to find them.’

That only fanned the flames of their adventurous impulses.

Honestly, I considered ignoring them. But as I passed through, I kept spotting them—one by one—and I couldn’t just overlook it.

If I turned a blind eye now, they’d get cocky thinking they slipped past the teachers, and then they’d go wild with even more reckless behavior.

I couldn’t allow that.

‘There really are a lot of them.’

Most of the students were consumed by reckless ambition, convinced they could catch the werewolf themselves.

I wondered why they’d risk demerits, and then I remembered—the city of Rederbelk had issued an official statement.

Anyone who killed or captured the werewolf would receive a bounty from the city itself.

No wonder their eyes had gone wild.

‘The desire to become a hero—along with money and fame—who wouldn’t be tempted?’

For commoners especially, that prize money must’ve been incredibly enticing.

Sure, Seorn had a scholarship system for commoners, but it didn’t cover everything—not magical textbooks, nor the countless other tools students needed.

There were endless expenses for a mage.

Students were no exception.

If someone became a hero through this incident, a potential sponsor might take interest in them. It made sense that everyone had lost their minds.

Some of the boys, I could tell, were probably just doing it to impress girls—unable to control their youthful energy.

‘Still, it looks like I’ve sent most of them back. Time to resume the real hunt.’

I had lost a lot of time.

And I’d realized this situation was far worse than I’d initially expected.

I didn’t think this many students would be wandering around.

The other professors must’ve noticed something was off too—they’d probably start stepping up their efforts.

If someone else discovered the werewolf before I did...

And if they realized it wasn’t a typical cryptid, but an artificially created one from a lab—

Then the chaos would spread like wildfire.

‘That’s why I have to deal with this myself—before anyone else does.’

I headed for the most likely route the werewolf would have used to sneak into Seorn: the waste treatment facility.

Given Seorn’s enormous grounds and its large water usage, there was a massive facility located on the edge of campus.

It pulled huge amounts of water from the Lemgier River, and in turn released a great volume through its massive drainage tunnels.

Considering the werewolf’s size from the encounter I had, there was a high probability it had entered through one of those large drainage pipes.

‘Good. Looks like no one’s come out this far yet.’

Most professors were busy patrolling and sending students back or preparing for potential emergencies.

But no one else was thinking like I was—wondering where the werewolf came from, how it moved, or tracking its traces.

Of course. This wasn’t a mage’s way of thinking.

This was the method of a hunter.

While circling the darkened facility, I finally found something.

‘Footprints.’

A clear track was stamped into the grass. Looked like it had been there for a few days.

Others would’ve walked right past it, but I didn’t miss it.

I crouched closer and brushed it with my hand—no doubt about it.

‘Judging by the size, it’s slightly smaller than the one I encountered. Still dangerous.’

But there was one problem.

There were two sets of footprints.

Both appeared to belong to werewolves.

And one of them—noticeably larger—looked recent.

No way... are both of them inside Seorn?

‘I thought there was only one, but judging by the tracks, the one that devoured people in Rederbelk made it all the way here.’

I began to move, slowly, following the footprints.

At first, the two tracks headed in the same direction—but eventually, they split.

The smaller one went to the right. The larger one veered left.

I hadn’t expected them to separate here.

While wolves are typically seen as solitary creatures, they’re actually pack animals. Werewolves, who inherit that instinct, are the same.

Normally, they should’ve been sticking together.

But for some reason, these two had split up.

I had to choose which one to follow.

* * *

I’m in trouble. I’m late.

Rine, a girl with rare ash-gray hair even by Seorn’s standards, was running across the grounds clutching her magical textbooks to her chest.

She’d been studying in the library and accidentally fallen asleep. Only moments ago had she awoken.

Pulling the strands of hair stuck to her cheek, she’d looked out the window and saw that the sun had set—panicked, she bolted out of the library.

While running toward the dorms, Rine couldn’t help but scold herself.

You idiot! You moron! Why did you have to doze off there, of all places?!

She had been cutting down on sleep lately to focus on her assignments and studies. It was no wonder fatigue had caught up with her.

Seorn had been uneasy lately. The professors had been strict—ordering students to return straight to the dorms after class.

But she'd carelessly told herself, Just a little more studying, and opened a book... then dozed off. That had been her downfall.

Managing one’s condition was part of being a student.

Just because she dozed off didn’t mean she wasn’t at fault.

If a professor caught her like this, she’d have no excuse for the demerits she’d earn.

Ugh. Getting demerits now would really hurt.

She was barely scraping by on a scholarship as it was. Seorn had policies that reduced scholarship support if students received demerits.

If the demerits were serious enough, scholarship applications could be rejected altogether.

This incident might not result in anything that severe, but the mere idea of getting penalized weighed heavily on her.

Still, if I can just get back to the dorms without being spotted, I might be okay, right?

She had to avoid the dormitory warden’s gaze, too—but she figured she’d have a better chance sneaking past them than the professors.

Keeping her head down, Rine walked briskly along the path lit by streetlamps.

She was already resigned to getting a demerit, but held onto a sliver of hope she might escape unscathed. Still, she didn’t want to go so far as to sneak around in the dark.

Even so, it’s kind of sad. No one even bothered to wake me up.

She sighed heavily.

Normally, students were supposed to be making friends and building relationships at the academy—but from the very beginning of the semester, she’d gotten caught up in a scuffle with a noble, which had caused a big stir.

Because Dunema Romli had been disciplined for it, Rine had earned a reputation among the noble students as a disrespectful commoner.

Among the commoners, she was treated like someone they should stay away from, fearing they’d get caught in the crossfire.

A few boys had come up the next day and asked if she was okay.

But they were clearly just trying to hit on her, using concern as an excuse to approach her because of her looks.

Rine had no interest in getting close to people like that.

Even the librarian had stepped out. Didn’t even think to wake me...

Chances were, even the library staff sided with the nobles.

She was already on the blacklist.

Feeling a wave of bitterness over her situation, Rine bit down on her lip.

She just wanted to get back, wash up, and organize her notes from class—she’d made that resolution when—

──Rustle.

“Wh-who’s there?”

Rine stopped in her tracks, her body flinching on instinct.

The bushes in the dark beyond the trees rustled heavily—she definitely hadn’t imagined it.

“C-come out now! Or I’ll call someone!”

She’d heard the rumors about the werewolf spreading through campus.

And they weren’t just rumors. Two people had already been injured.

If the werewolf really did exist...

A chill crept down her spine.

No way... is it really the werewolf?

Rine stumbled backward, her legs trembling violently.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

──Rustle.

“Wh-who’s there?!”

Rine instinctively froze, her body trembling.

There was no mistaking it—something had rustled through the bushes beyond the trees in the darkness.

“C-come out right now! Or I’ll call for help!”

Rine had heard the rumors circulating recently about the werewolf.

They couldn’t just be baseless gossip—after all, two people had already been injured.

The thought that the rumored werewolf might actually exist...

Sent an icy wave of fear trickling down her spine.

No way... could it really be the werewolf?

She stepped back, her legs shaking uncontrollably.

And in that instant, the rustling grew louder—closing in on her rapidly.

Then something leapt out of the bushes.

Rine squeezed her eyes shut and screamed.

“Hiiyaaa! Please don’t eat me! I’m totally flavorless! You’ll just get a stomachache if you eat me!”

But the growl of a beast never came.

Nor did the pain.

Rine cautiously cracked open one eye.

The first thing she saw—catching the streetlamp’s glow even in the darkness—was a head of brilliant, shining blonde hair.

Although leaves were stuck all over her, the aura of nobility remained utterly undiminished.

With her hands on her hips and an amused look in her eyes, the girl standing before her was one year her senior—and a princess of the realm.

“Oh, come on. Talking about getting eaten and all—what a rude thing to say when we’ve only just met, don’t you think?”

“H-huh?”

Rine immediately realized who she was looking at.

No, there was no way not to recognize someone this iconic.

“P-Princess?”

The Third Princess—Erendir von Exilion.

Rine had seen her before in Ludger’s lecture, so she quickly bowed her head.

She’d just screamed at royalty not to eat her, of all things—it wouldn’t be surprising if she were scolded for disrespect right this moment.

But before she could fully lower her head, Princess Erendir stopped her.

“No need for that. It’s fine, really. Nothing to fuss over.”

“B-but still...”

“I startled you first anyway. And don’t forget—this is Seorn. Everyone is equal here. You and I are the same.”

At Erendir’s bold declaration, Rine’s mouth fell open slightly.

She never imagined she’d hear Seorn’s ideals spoken so directly from the princess herself.

But Erendir didn’t seem to care. She simply dusted the leaves off her clothes with casual flicks of her hand.

“Um, Princess—what are you doing out here...?”

“I told you not to call me that. You’re a first-year, right? Just call me Senior Erendir.”

“M-me?”

“Yeah. It’s easier for me that way. I’ve no intention of throwing my rank around while I’m at Seorn. You're Rine, right?”

“You know me?”

“We’re in the same Manifestation class. I’ve got a good memory.”

“That’s... amazing.”

“Well, to be fair, that class is pretty unique. Leaves a strong impression. I remember most of the students in there. And you stand out, too.”

Ah—she must mean her hair. Rine smiled awkwardly.

Who’d have thought her hair color would earn her the attention of a princess?

“So, Rine, what are you doing out so late? Didn’t the professors say to head straight back after class?”

“W-well, the thing is...”

Swallowing her embarrassment, Rine confessed honestly why she was still out at this hour.

After hearing everything, Erendir’s eyes widened.

“What?! No one woke you up? That’s seriously messed up!”

“N-no, it’s my fault for falling asleep...”

“No! That’s no excuse. That’s such a petty thing to do. I’m going to go find that librarian and give them a piece of my—”

“M-more importantly! What about you, Senior? What are you doing here?”

Thinking she needed to change the subject fast, Rine hurriedly redirected the conversation.

“Oh, me? I’m out here helping make sure any students still wandering around get sent back. Things are way too chaotic right now.”

“Uh... aren’t you a student too?”

“No need to worry. I have permission to be out here.”

“Ah, I see...”

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“Anyway, you should get back now. Oh, but don’t go that way—a teacher’s patrolling that path. Go this way instead and you won’t get caught.”

“O-okay! Thank you so much!”

Just as Rine bowed and turned to leave—

Grrrrr...

A low, guttural sound echoed past their ears.

Rine and Erendir froze. The noise unmistakably belonged to some kind of beast.

“...Rine. Get behind me.”

Erendir narrowed her eyes at the darkness and drew her wand.

Two glowing red eyes rose out of the black, slowly approaching them.

The streetlamp cast light over it—and revealed the creature.

A werewolf.

“...So the werewolf rumors were actually true.”

“Wait—the rumors... they weren’t fake?”

“Oh, come on. You were scared of me earlier too.”

“T-that’s because you jumped out of the dark! Anyone would be startled!”

“Anyway, this is bad.”

The werewolf standing before them didn’t look weak in the slightest.

The murderous intent gleaming in its eyes was unmistakable.

Both Rine and Erendir tried to keep a brave face—but they were afraid.

Still, as students of Seorn, they couldn’t just stand there and do nothing...

“──Step aside.”

In that moment, flames roared through the air.

A blast of scorching fire engulfed the werewolf, searing through its flesh and fur.

KYAAAANG!

The werewolf screamed, writhing on the ground.

Though it didn’t die—its instincts likely helped it avoid a direct hit—the damage was undeniable. Its flesh and hide were scorched and melting.

It was already starting to regenerate, but the attack had bought them time.

Both girls turned to look in the direction the spell had come from.

There, the man stood.

Rine shouted his name before she even realized it.

“Professor Ludger!”

Ludger Cherish.

Still impeccably dressed in his black suit and frock coat, his usual cold, refined presence undisturbed.

His icy gaze shifted from the werewolf... to Rine and Erendir.

His sheer presence made them tense up.

Then he spoke.

“Rine. And Erendir von Exilion.”

“Yes!”

“Yes, Professor.”

Both girls were relieved he’d come to save them—and waited for his next words.

“You both get five demerits.”