ACADEMY'S UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR
Sedina Rochen recalled her dreamy encounter with Ludger with a blank face.
Mr. First Order had recognized her.
She always made a lot of mistakes, and even within the Black Dawn Society, she was considered as an outsider, yet Ludger Chelysie had recognized her.
'I wasn't wrong.'
—Rochen, the leading big merchant family in the Empire. Sedina was born as a child there.
It may have seemed like a good family to others, but for Sedina, the Rochen family was a place worse than hell.
Her last name, Rochen, always followed her just like a curse, and it was the same when she left her family.
Rochen.
In order to escape from that hateful family, Sedina had entered the Black Dawn Society.
—To get rid of Rochen and to find her real self in the Black Dawn Society.
Even after knowing that the society was antisocial and immoral, she still chose that path.
She could be different there.
She could live by herself, not as the Rochen family's insignificant daughter.
But the reality hadn't gone that way.
As the Black Dawn Society was a place of resistance to the world, most of its people were low-class people or criminals who operated at the bottom of society.
In such a place, Sedina, who had Rochen as her surname, was so different from their kind.
-What? You have a surname? Is it for real?
-Rochen? Why in the world would someone from such a great family be here.
-Be careful. She could be a spy who sneaked in here.
-Those damned upper classes.
Unlike them, who came up from the muddy water, there was no way they could see Sedina, who came down from the top, as someone on the same board with them.
That's why she was called a Third Order even though she was talented in magic and had entered Sören.
The surname Rochen eventually made her feel out of place even at the Black Dawn Society.
'Even though I just wanted to be recognized.'
She wanted to get rid of her hateful family, so she had entered the Black Dawn Society. Eating well and living well wasn't her goal.
She believed that if she tried hard, the gazes of caution and contempt toward her would gradually change.
She wanted to believe that.
However, the vigilance of the members of the Black Dawn Society toward Sedina became even worse, and she became an object of envy and jealousy because she even had the ability to enter Sören.
Originally, Sedina was a talented person who could occupy a position above the Second Order.
Without even being able to receive the attention of the First Order, she continued to stay at the low rank of the Third Order due to being kept in check by the other members.
—A good pawn to be used before being thrown away.
—Just a little, useful human being.
They could utilize the name of the Rochen family that she had.
Their intention was so clearly conveyed that it brutally ripped through Sedina's tender heart.
'But I met him.'
When she was tired and thought it would be fine for her to meet any kind of ending…
Orders were issued to her in the organization.
It was an order from a Second Order a little higher than her.
First Order.
Code name .
Unlike other First Orders, he was an unknown existence whose real appearance and identity had not been revealed.
She was asked to contact him and check the progress of his mission.
The man, who was being called Ludger Chelysie, was a master of disguise and an executive who specialized in infiltration and assassination and who never revealed his true identity.
But there was a flaw: his personality was very trashy.
He was a psychopath who beat people up in their seats when he was annoyed or even killed them in the worst case, even though those people were fellow secret society members.
Even Zero Order, the leader of the Black Dawn Society, turned a blind eye to such behavior.
Unless the other party was the same First Order executive, Ludger was bound to be a symbol of fear within the Black Dawn Society.
Having been tasked with asking him why he didn't contact them was practically no different than sending her to die at his hands.
Sedina Rochen shed tears of resentment.
She was resentful to the Black Down Society's colleagues who had told her to go and die, and she was also resentful to her cowardly self who couldn't deny such an order properly.
What she hated even more was the idea of giving it all up and living as the Rochen family's daughter again.
'I don't want that.'
She hated her family so terribly that she might as well die instead.
So she approached Ludger.
—With the mindset of having been determined to die, it didn't matter if he killed her.
But when she got closer to him, the man's charisma was beyond her imagination, and Sedina shuddered without realizing it.
She made a slip of the tongue, and her voice trembled. She had done pretty much everything she shouldn't do in front of him.
'I may die.'
That was what she thought.
But to her surprise…
Ludger did not kill her.
He didn't even show a murderous intent.
Just as the rumor went, she felt that his personality was trashy and ill-tempered during their conversation, but that was all.
Ludger let her go without saying a word.
And just then…
Ludger even praised her for her good explanation instead.
She wouldn't have been that happy if it was just a lip service.
But in Ludger's flattery, she could feel his honest behavior.
From correcting his title that he was professor Ludger, not First Order, he listened to her more cautiously than anyone else, even though it might be just a pretense.
She was extremely happy because of it.
—Because she thought that she might be helpful to someone.
She felt like tears were coming out of her eyes.
'Mr. First Order. No, Professor Ludger Chelysie is really great.'
She felt her heart beating when she saw him starting from their first meeting.
She thought it was because of tension and fear at that time, but the meeting she had just had made her realize for sure.
It was a sense of awe.
It was an endless adoration for the man she truly wanted to serve.
She didn't think she was treated like that because she was special.
It was nothing more than a small, small reward for the misfortune and effort that she had experienced until then.
Ludger Chelysie may have done some good deeds for his subordinates as an executive of the organization.
It was still too early for her to be elated because of that already.
Still…
Even so…
It was the first time someone praised her for doing well.
* * *
* * *
When it was time to leave school, and the sun was setting, Ludger packed his outer clothes and examined all his equipment.
In order to properly hunt the werewolves, speed was essential, and of course, all the tools needed for hunting had to be prepared.
They were highly secretive items that were not very visible on the outside, so people who encountered him while passing by wouldn't be suspicious of him.
Ludger, who left the professor's office while thinking so, met Hugo, who was visiting him just in time.
"Oh! Professor Ludger!"
"…Professor Hugo Bourtag."
Hugo Bourtag.
His family was Marquis Bourtag, a famous magical great family with a long history in the Exileon Empire.
However, due to their excessive magical and authoritarian tendencies, the family was gradually on the decline due to their inability to accept modern science properly.
A representative man who was at odds with the principal at the meeting in the morning visited Ludger.
"Do you have a business with me?"
"Hoo. You punk. Do I need to have some business in order to come and see you?"
—Hugo's exceedingly friendly attitude.
That's what he said, but Hugo went there to make an offer to Ludger.
"You. You haven't seen the other professors properly yet, right? It seems like you're only close to the other new professors."
"What's wrong with that?"
Hugo wriggled his eyebrows at Ludger's rigid attitude, which did not even bend, let alone be intimidated by him.
However, it was him that would be at a loss, so Hugo decided to endure such an attitude and move on.
"Ahem. I'd like to introduce you to the professors I'm close to, though."
"…"
Listening to Hugo's subtle offer, Ludger immediately noticed what purpose he had in visiting him.
—Faction recruitment.
Hugo intended to bring Ludger to a faction that consisted only of aristocratic professors.
Even in a situation where students were anxious because of werewolves, was it a fight to divide the professors into groups for the sake of power?
Ludger shook his head in laughter at Hugo's attitude.
"I'm sorry, but I'm already comfortable right now."
"What?"
Hugo's face turned red at Ludger's direct refusal.
He had already spoken very nicely, but not only did such a fallen aristocrat not thank him, he even rejected Hugo's offer?
"Do you know how many years I've been a professor here?"
"Do I need to know?"
"It's been 15 years. It means I'm the next highest professor except for that old lady, Mary Ross. It means I'm a senior and superior far above you!"
"Superior, you said?"
"Yes!"
"That's strange. My only superior is the principal."
Principal.
Hugo gritted his teeth at that word.
For Hugo, the name "principal" was not welcomed at all. It was more of a disgust that awakened his inferiority complex and anger instead.
Hugo, who immediately managed his facial expression, opened his mouth.
"Professor Ludger, I heard you were in the military before you came here."
"It was just a short stay."
"Didn't you say that you achieved brilliant military service as you hunted the Cryptids?"
'Did he already obtain that much information?'
Well, it was a specification that was intentionally spilled by the Black Dawn Society anyway, so it was not strange for a person like Hugo to know about it.
Ludger nodded his head.
"I'm saying this because I admire your ability. Don't you want to bring back your fallen family? With the support of our aristocratic faction, it's possible."
Hugo chose to make the most persuasive argument that could make Ludger give in.
He was anxious.
The principal's faction was getting stronger day by day. Even Hugo could not be off guard against such a woman, especially because she was a sixth-rank Lexure wizard and had natural political ability even though she was young.
'If it weren't for her, I'd be the next principal!'
Hugo was dissatisfied with it.
Moreover, the president was not only being nice to aristocratic students but also taking care of the commoners more instead.
There were as many as five new professors, three of whom were commoners and one of which was a fallen aristocrat.
There was only one pure-blooded aristocrat.
'It hurts my pride, but Ludger Chelysie… I must bring this man to our faction.'
It was already known that he comes from a fallen aristocrat family.
Normally, he wouldn't have given a look at him, but he couldn't help it because the situation was urgent.
In addition, Ludger Chelysie was a fourth-rank wizard at a young age and a fairly capable man.
That was also the case when he posted a military achievement on Cryptid Hunting.
There was no more coveted and talented person except him, with the exclusion of his birthplace.
That's why Hugo visited him directly.
"I can help you. So what do you think about holding hands with us?"
"What exactly does it mean for me to hold hands with you?"
That time, instead of answering with no, he asked back.
Hugo continued, thinking that Ludger was finally interested in his offer.
"In other words, do I have to accommodate the aristocratic students?"
"Oho. You just need to show them a little bit of flexibility."
Hugo thought Ludger was almost giving in.
This man who served as a soldier in the first place was probably trying to rebuild his family by somehow building some achievements.
Hugo judged Ludger's track record as such.
"Then I can't do it."
"Wh-what?"
Hugo asked back foolishly as he did not know that he would get a rejection there.
"I appreciate the offer, but I reject it."
"A-are you serious with that?"
"Yes. You are telling me to treat the students differently and discriminate against them. I'll pretend I didn't hear it."
"It's not discrimination! I'm just telling you to be flexible!"
"Then I'll ask you. If the principal gave a particular commoner student a better benefit and wrapped it up as flexibility, would you be willing to follow it?"
"What? Is a commoner the same as a noble? You have to say something that makes sense!"
"That's exactly what I mean."
"What?"
Hugo showed a blank face. '"That's exactly what I mean", he said. What does he mean anyway?'
"Flexibility should eventually be applied to both sides, not to either side. But if flexibility only applies to the aristocracy, it's no longer mere flexibility. It's a privilege."
"No, I mean, the aristocrat…"
"There are no commoners, nor aristocrats, nor royalty inside Sören—they're all just students who receive magic lessons. I have no intention of bending this idea."
"You…!"
Hugo clenched his teeth at Ludger's remark.
Hugo raised one side of his lip to calm his anger and mocked Ludger.
"Alright. I wasn't thinking straight. By the time you got here, I was overlooking the fact that the principal might have used her authority in your appointment."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Ludger meant it.
He had no intention of getting involved with a man like Hugo in the first place.
Helping him to raise his fallen family back up?
Then they'd find out that his family was fake. From Hugo's point of view, it was meant to help him, but for Ludger, he was nothing more than a meddlesome man that would expose his identity.
He didn't even want to revive his so-called fallen family in the first place. His only purpose was to stay there for two years without getting caught.
Moreover, it would also bring troubles to him if he joined hands with Hugo and confronted the principal.
No matter how he saw it, Hugo and the principal were not equal.
Hugo himself may not think so, but in Ludger's view, the principal was much more overwhelming.
'If I do something weird and get caught in the eyes of the principal, I will get worn out.'
There was a tiger in the mountain, so he must have no brain if he was also holding hands with a fox.
It would be ideal to walk a tightrope without belonging to either side, so Ludger was bound to make a choice as the other party was clinging to him so blatantly.
If he had to choose between the two, of course, he'll choose the principal.
It was more convenient for him to choose the principal who treats everyone equally rather than the authoritarian nature of the aristocracy.
"I have to go on patrol now, so I'll be on my way. Professor Hugo, you might be in danger, so please go in first."
"You'll regret it."
"I'll bear it in mind."
Ludger's provocative words turned Hugo's face red like a boiled octopus.
His thick cheeks quivered, but Hugo could not say anything to Ludger's back, which had already left him.
To be honest, it was because he was scared by the appearance of Ludger, who was staring at him.
He was a lot more senior and a lot more prestigious than Ludger, so why was he even scared?!
Hugo didn't want to admit that fact.
"Argh!"
Hugo stomped on the innocent ground, then he huffed and puffed while leaving that place.
If there was a student that he caught red-handed wandering around that night, he thought about giving them a penalty point.
***
Ludger, who separated ways with Hugo, patrolled outside.
Before he realized it, the magical lights were turned on inside Sören after the sunset and the lights were spread around in his surroundings.
The night, which was supposed to be silent without any sense of presence, finally emerged, but strangely, darkness was still alive.
Ludger sighed inwardly and headed to a nearby bush.
"So you didn't listen to the order that told you to go straight back to the dorm."
As he broke through the bush that was protected with magic, the students who were hiding inside it swallowed their breaths.
Ludger spoke coldly while staring at the three students, who were looking up at him dumbfoundedly.
"Or you listened to the order, but you're acting boldly."
"Uh, Professor. It… it's not that, but…"
"All of you have five penalty points."
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