ACADEMY'S UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR
"Hmmm."
Lynne kept tossing and turning while laying on the dormitory bed and staring blankly at the ceiling.
She couldn't sleep even though she closed her eyes to sleep.
The night was deeper than she thought, but it was also because her mind was a little uneasy.
'So Professor Ludger chose an assistant in the end.'
It wasn't exactly something strange. There was no reason why a man as busy as Ludger wouldn't pick an assistant.
However, she was a little disappointed that the one in that position was not her.
But it was something else from before that kept bothering her…
'The book about non-property magic.'
Lynne lay down after grabbing the book that she put at the bedside and opened it.
Inside the book were detailed, organized words about non-property magic.
The part when she felt uncomfortable with her magic until then, and even the situations that she hadn't realized yet…
The book was full of such experiences.
For her, who had suffered from various inconveniences due to her lack of properties so far, that book was beyond even a thousand gold in value.
'I read it many times, but it's still seeping into my heart. Why did Professor Ludger willingly hand this over to me? And where did he obtain this?'
She was pretty much illiterate about magic, but she wasn't stupid enough not to know the value of the book.
Obviously, the value of the book was pretty high.
No. It wasn't only high, it was worth billions.
She could even get enormous wealth and fame for her whole life if she took it and handed it over to the magic tower.
But Ludger wasn't like that.
He said that he did not write the book himself and replied to her that it was right for the book to go back to its suitable owner.
'Then who on earth wrote this book?'
Every time Lynne opened the book, she felt strange.
The author of the book did not reveal her name, and she had not even said the reason why she wrote such a book.
The author was unknown.
No matter how much she read the book, it was hard to even identify a clue of who the author was.
'But I don't think she's a complete stranger.'
Even though it was just her hunch…
Whenever Lynne saw the author's handwriting, her heart felt overwhelmed.
She could feel the unknown familiarity and sense of longing through the writing itself.
Lynne couldn't figure out why on earth she was like that.
'It's weird. I really don't know why I'm being like this.'
In the end, Lynne had no choice but to close the book.
"Aayy! Let's just sleep instead of worrying about this kind of thing!'
Lynne covered her head completely with the blanket.
However, she still couldn't sleep properly, so she had to wriggle, then toss and turn for hours.
***
I had been traveling around the continent for a long time and swapping my identities.
Sometimes as a mercenary…
Sometimes as a hunter…
Sometimes as a criminal consultant…
Sometimes as this, and sometimes as that…
There was only one reason why I wandered around the world while hiding my real self:
'Relics.'
An unknown world in which magic existed… An ancient Relic containing an overwhelming mystery in it…
I had gone around the world while looking for the other piece of the Relic that I had.
The sun had completely set and a night full of starlight had emerged in the sky.
I sat by the window of my accommodation and remained still on a chair under the moonlight.
'I came here after receiving information that there was a Relic in this empire, but I didn't know there was one more in Sören.'
It felt like I had spotted an unintended gain.
Of course, I didn't think that the Relic I was looking for and the Omnipotent Stone in Sören were the same Relic.
The Relic piece I had could be called a similar Relic if looking at its categories, but its effects and performance were completely different.
However, there must've been a good reason for why there was a rumor that it was called a stone that granted wishes.
'I don't really covet the Omnipotent Stone itself, but if I can discover another piece of the Relic that I'm currently looking for with the Omnipotent Stone…'
It was a slim chance, no matter how I looked at it.
Relics themselves were so rare that they weren't easy items to be found just because I wanted to find them.
Even for me, who had been wandering on the continent for a long time, meeting countless people, and going through all sorts of incidents.
There were only three pieces of the Relic that I had gotten from that struggle, including the one I held.
'Guessing from the size and shape of the pieces, there are four left to find.'
A total of seven pieces must be collected to complete one Relic.
'If I did that, I would obviously…..'
I stared silently at the 'first piece' in my hand.
I had first obtained it due to an overlapping coincidence.
The miracle that the last remnant of power in that Relic fragment showed me…
If only I could reproduce it again…
"…"
Bee bee beep.
After thinking that far, I slowly got up from my seat.
It was because a signal came from the crystal ball that I had for private contacts.
I put mana into my fingertips and spilled it slightly onto the crystal ball.
Soon, the crystal ball shone softly and a voice was heard.
[Are you there?]
"Hans?"
It was Hans who contacted me.
Well, actually, Hans was indeed the only one who privately contacted.
The number of people who privately contacted me would increase later, but not at that moment.
"What's the matter?"
[After you defeated them in that battle, I've finished roughly organizing.]
"So you're talking about the remaining organization."
[Yes.]
Hans' voice from beyond the crystal ball even contained the relief that he had finished his job.
"So what happened?"
[There's no one who's against us for now. It's a relief… For us and for them.]
"Do they accept our existence unexpectedly meekly?"
[Yes. Well, to be honest, what can they do if they don't accept it anyway? Just the two of us have cruelly and completely destroyed the existing Crimson Society. No, actually, you did it alone.]
"Even so, they were the body of the organization that also rolled for a long time in the darkness of Leathevelk. We can't just ignore them."
[I know it. That's why I told you that it's a relief. Well, they're not interested in supremacy in the first place, so it's enough if they just have adequate space.]
"Even so, there must have been a lot of talk about the authority that the Crimson Society had before."
The Crimson Society had been in charge of all the dirty businesses in the underworld of Leathevelk.
Drugs, alcohol, gambling…
Even without drugs, the bars and gambling houses operated by the Crimson Society were large enough to bring in a considerable amount of money.
Since the organization that was handling those businesses disappeared overnight, their surroundings must have become very noisy about it.
Some of those organizations might want to take that opportunity to try reaching out with the intention of having a round of battle with them.
I was sure those people who couldn't even think of overpowering the Crimson Society before must have raised their heads one by one.
The time for chaos had come.
Unless someone appeared and condemned the chaos at that time, there would be a bloody smell within the alley.
[For now, the other three organizations are working together to keep us under control, but this probably needs to be discussed later]
"Of course."
[Our side has the initiative, but still, I don't have the ability to negotiate this alone, so I need your help.]
"When do you need it?"
[The faster the better, but this is not an urgent matter. You can decide about it comfortably.]
Even though he said that, I knew that I shouldn't delay it for too long.
I'd have to be on the negotiation table in at least a week.
It would be easier for me to make a move right then if I could.
'I can't do it right now because I have a task to do related to the Omnipotent Stone.'
Sooner or later, the Omnipotent Stone would be moved away from its existing storage area and transferred to a temporary storage area.
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Since in the process of its preparation, the information on it had leaked and the rumor had spread.
Perhaps the mastermind of the rumor had already known when and where the Omnipotent Stone would be moved.
'It's certainly the work of the Black Dawn Society, but the question is who the hell masterminded this case.'
They hadn't contacted me yet.
If there was any contact, then Sedina would have tipped me off right away.
'I don't know yet if the First Order other than me did his job on his own lines or if there was a reason other than that.'
But one thing I could be sure of was that the incident surrounding the Omnipotent Stone would happen sooner or later.
That was why I couldn't be away from Sören right then.
"I'll go there within a week."
[…Is there something that's also going to happen there?]
"Something related to a Relic."
"Oh, my."
Hans, who had a good ear for information, immediately understood when I said the word 'Relic'.
[You have a professor identity, but why does it seem that you've experienced more incidents than before?]
"I agree."
[And a Relic, you said? Hmm. Is it because Sören is that prestigious? Who would have thought that the Academy would keep Relics in it?]
"It's a place with that much history and tradition."
[According to rumors, there's also a secret dungeon made by the first principal, don't tell me that's real as well?]
"Hans, don't spit out too much nonsense."
[Tsk. It's a joke. Anyway, we'll try to arrange the negotiation time for this week before you come out.]
"Yeah. Work hard."
After I finished my call with Hans, I looked up out the window without saying a word.
'Relic, huh.'
I wasn't aiming for it, but I had someone gotten involved in that Relic case.
I wondered if it was fate.
That night, the moonlight floating in the night sky felt unusually cold.
* * *
* * *
"Your Highness, shall we prepare your bath?"
"No. Never mind."
"Would you like to have a meal?"
"I'm already full."
"Then how about some snacks?"
"It's a rule not to eat anything in the evening. Please just step back."
At Elendil's order, the employees bowed their heads, as they were at a loss of what to do, and stepped back.
"Pheew."
Elendil, who was barely left alone, sighed in a low voice so as not to be heard by her employees.
If anyone heard her sigh once more, they'd immediately stick to her and bother her asking about any concerns that she had.
Finally, Elendil entered her room, as she had been freed from other people's eyes.
'It's tiring.'
When the other students were assigned to stay in a dormitory, she was assigned to stay in a large mansion and was staying there as a Princess.
No matter how much Sören treated everyone equally, they dared not ignore the blood of the royal family that she possessed.
Elendil was dissatisfied with it.
'I also wanted to get along normally like other students.'
It was her honest feelings that she wanted to have a new semester, make new friends, and live an exciting life at an academy.
But her status as the third Princess didn't leave her alone that easily.
Apart from the magnificent mansion, the extreme hospitality of more than 30 employees toward her made her feel something beyond gratitude—she felt uncomfortable.
'Even so, this is something I can't do anything about.'
Considering her position, Elendil should acknowledge it and move on from that particular bother.
If she didn't care about others' eyes and acted according to her own will, it would only be harder for the employees and her maids.
To be considerate of them, she needed to listen to what they wanted, even if it was inconvenient for her.
'Even so, well, it's not like the inconvenience is unbearable.'
Normally, it would have caused her a lot of stress, but recently, it had also decreased.
It was because Elendil also had a person she could call her friend.
Lynne was a very pretty and nice junior.
The fact that she was a commoner bothered Elendil, but it was because Elendil was worried about Lynne's treatment toward her, she had no intention of looking down at Lynne because that girl was a commoner at all.
Still, maybe it was because she behaved in front of Lynne without constraint.
Elendil felt good because she seemed to fulfill the life she wanted little by little.
'I hope I can make more friends like this one by one.'
At least the Academy was where Elendil could get away from her aggressive older sister's touch.
Just as she thought so, someone knocked on her door.
Elendil, who had been fully relaxed, immediately straightened up and asked in a solemn voice.
"What's the matter?"
"Your Highness, you got a call from the outside."
"A call?"
Elendil was slightly concerned inside on hearing the word, 'call'.
Because it was impossible to contact the Princess directly unless the person had a fairly high status.
And usually, in that case, the identity of the person who contacted her was always obvious.
'Don't tell me, it's not my sister, right?'
The First Princess…
Although they were successors to the same throne, the First Princess and Elendil were not particularly on bad terms.
In fact, since it had been determined that the First Princess would be the successor to the throne, competition between siblings could not be, found no matter how hard one looked for it.
All the more because Elendil didn't really want that position in the first place.
However, her older sister, the First Princess, showed a strange amount of affection for Elendil.
Sometimes, she even went too far.
'I'm not my sister's doll.'
The reason why Elendil entered Sören was also actually to escape from her sister's interference.
In some ways, it was also natural for her to worry about whether her sister was trying to interfere in her life, even within Sören.
Fortunately, however, it was not the First Princess who contacted her.
"It's the Lord Protecter, Miss Terina Lionhowl."
"Terina, the Knight Captain?"
She was rather a completely unexpected person.
Terina Lionhowl…
Elendil had never thought that Terina would contact her, considering that she was the strongest knight in the Exileon Empire.
"Bring it in."
The employee immediately brought in the communication crystal ball that they had prepared.
They then bowed their head and stepped back.
After confirming that there were no people, Elendil activated the crystal ball.
"I heard that you're looking for me, Captain Terina."
[I apologize for calling you late at night. Your Highness, Elendil the Princess. This is because there is an extremely urgent matter.]
"No. It's okay. Rather, I became curious as to why the Knight Captain suddenly contacted me. So what's the matter?"
[I heard that a werewolf appeared in Sören recently. Have you heard about it too, Your Highness?]
She knew about it.
—Because she faced the werewolf right under her own nose.
If Ludger hadn't shown up to help her then, she might have been severely hurt.
However, if she told Terina about it, Terina was bound to say something about the Princess's safety, so Elendil replied to her while hiding that fact for now.
"Yes. I heard about it, and I heard that it was also solved soon after."
[There is also a werewolf here in Leathevelk]
"Pardon? Dame Terina, then are you currently in Leathevelk?"
[Yes. I'm currently investigating an incident related to that.]
"An incident, huh…"
[We have to investigate this secretly, so please kindly forgive us for not telling you, Your Highness,]
"No. You don't have to apologize."
The fact that Terina stepped up meant that the security department had moved.
She obviously had no choice but to be careful.
[While I was investigating the case, I confirmed that this werewolf case is not a common one.]
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Terina Lionhowl's powerful voice echoed throughout the room beyond the crystal ball.
[Your Highness. Do you maybe perhaps who solved the werewolf case in Sören?]
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