Academy’s Undercover Professor

When I was first invited to a meal.

Did I think something like, “Is spring finally coming for me too?” ...Not at all.

She said she was also a newly appointed instructor this term, so wouldn’t it be natural to share a meal and build some rapport? That kind of heart-fluttering misunderstanding is only permitted when you’re still burning in the heat of youth.

As it turned out, when I followed Selina, there were three others already there.

Two men and one woman.

Each of them looked eccentric enough to practically scream, “I’m a mage!”

“Hohoho. How do you do?”

The first to extend a hand for a handshake was a man with a very warm and soft impression.

He was plump, and his features were overall round and gentle. He looked quite old, but the way he smiled with a hearty chuckle made him feel like the friendly uncle next door.

I shook his hand lightly.

“I’m Ludger Cherish. I teach Manifestation Theory.”

“I’m Brino. I’m from the Summoning Department, specializing in golems.”

The next to speak to me was a beautiful woman with a sultry air, long lavender hair draped over one eye.

“Oh my. Aren’t you a handsome one. Nice to meet you. I’m Merilda, in charge of charm and illusion within the Curses and Disenchantment Department.”

“Yes. A pleasure to meet you.”

The last person standing gave off a very different vibe from the others.

A man with slicked-back deep blue hair and rimless glasses. From his appearance alone, he looked extremely rigid and strict.

He didn’t seem too pleased to be present with us, as he kept a persistent scowl on his face.

When I looked at him, he glanced back at me—then immediately turned his head away. A clear declaration that he wouldn’t even bother introducing himself.

What’s with this guy?

As I stood there puzzled, Merilda giggled softly and explained in a quiet voice.

“That’s Professor Chris Bennimore. As you can probably tell, he’s a noble—unlike us commoners.”

Ah. So that was it.

I had heard of the Bennimore family before. Wasn’t it one of the Empire’s distinguished count families?

From Chris’s perspective, even if we were all teachers at the same academy, he likely had no interest in associating with commoners.

As for me, I’m a fallen noble, so it’s only natural for him to look down on me.

“You’re not going to look down on us lowly commoners too, are you, Professor Ludger?”

“I don’t concern myself with such things.”

When I answered firmly that I absolutely wasn’t, Professor Merilda widened her eyes before stepping back with a gentle smile.

Hmm. So in total, including me, five new instructors had joined this term.

One noble, one fallen noble, and three commoners.

Still, the fact that all of us had become teachers at Seorn Academy meant that, at least in our respective fields, we had skills that could stand tall anywhere.

“Hmph. I can’t stay here any longer. I was curious what kind of people the new hires were, but to find a bunch of commoners and a fallen noble...”

Before anyone could suggest we go grab a meal together, Chris’s cold voice cut through the air.

At his words, Brino gave an awkward smile, Selina flinched in surprise, and only Merilda glared at Chris with obvious disapproval.

Me? I didn’t think much of it.

It’s not like it’s the first or second time I’ve seen nobles obsessed with their own superiority.

If he wants to leave, then let him. I was just standing there with that attitude, when Chris suddenly shot a sharp glare at me.

“Don’t act so full of yourself.”

And then, just like that, he turned and walked away.

Why me, of all people?

Did he know Ludger from before? Didn’t seem like it.

“It’d be nice to get along with fellow instructors, but... looks like that one’s a lost cause.”

I ignored Chris as he disappeared and turned my attention to the remaining three.

They were fellow instructors who had joined at the same time, but that didn’t mean I could let my guard down.

One of them could very well be a spy planted by the secret order.

“Is one of these three a First Order?”

Currently, almost forty members of the secret society had infiltrated Seorn Academy.

Of course, considering the vast number of people on campus, forty wasn’t a huge number—but it wasn’t so few that I could dismiss the chance of encountering them.

Excluding the Third Orders, some of the Second Orders might have infiltrated as students.

And in the case of the First Orders, even the instructors couldn’t be excluded from suspicion.

“Ludger is a First Order who got into a teaching position. There’s no reason another First Order couldn’t do the same.”

The problem was... who?

If they had said they’d joined this term like I had, I could narrow the possibilities considerably.

But the handler’s words—“They entered before you”—could be interpreted in many ways.

Was it long before me? Or just slightly earlier this term?

Naturally, I had to suspect even those who’d invited me out for a friendly meal as fellow new hires.

In fact, wasn’t this invitation itself a subtle probe to test me?

“I really can’t afford to let my guard down.”

With a deliberately neutral expression, I followed the other instructors to the dining hall.

Still... I figured it wasn’t so bad, since at least I wouldn’t be eating alone.

* * *

Professor of Spirit Studies, Selina.

She had just recently been appointed to Seorn Academy and was now responsible for teaching Spirit Studies within the Summoning Department.

Though she entered full of anticipation, she also couldn’t help feeling incredibly nervous.

Seorn Academy’s fame extended beyond the Empire, reaching even other kingdoms. Just being admitted here was enough to be treated with respect wherever you went—these students were future prodigies destined for greatness.

The very idea of teaching such students weighed heavily on her.

“What if I mess up? What if I can’t teach them properly? And there are noble kids here, too!”

The gap between commoners and nobles was vast.

Thanks to the advancement of magitech, the world was slowly changing—commoners could now become lower-house assembly members and participate in politics—but the wall of status remained firmly intact.

She’d heard the reason five instructor positions opened up at once was due to the previous teachers resigning last year.

No one had told her exactly why, but anyone with a bit of sense could guess.

Before she came here, several mage acquaintances had repeatedly warned her about the bullying from noble students.

They said some of them subtly undermined and challenged teachers, and told her, especially because of her gentle personality, to be careful not to be overwhelmed.

Selina was scared.

“I even heard that royalty goes to this school.”

Wasn’t the Third Princess a second-year? Selina was in charge of the first-years, so there’d be no immediate contact—but just knowing someone of that level was attending Seorn made her all the more nervous.

Orientation on the first day of the semester had gone smoothly, but her low self-esteem still left her feeling uneasy.

Selina decided she couldn’t go on like this—so she resolved to get closer to the other new instructors who had joined this term.

If she could make colleagues with whom she could share the hardships, perhaps life at the Academy would be a little easier.

This content is taken from fгeewebnovёl.com.

After bonding with Merilda and gathering a few people one by one, she set out to find the final member.

Ludger Cherish.

A man of noble origin, but not currently nobility—his family had fallen. So, he wasn’t someone too intimidating to approach.

At least, that’s what she had thought—until she actually met him.

“Wow.”

At first, when the hallway crowd parted to the sides, she wondered what was happening.

Was royalty passing through?

But instead, walking toward her at a slow, measured pace was a man dressed in a neat outfit—a grey suit, a black frock coat, and a silk hat on his head.

“Oh my god.”

When she first laid eyes on Ludger, Selina’s first reaction was one of pure admiration.

She’d heard he was a fallen noble.

But seeing him in person, Selina had no choice but to revise her narrow assumptions.

Walking with an air of dignified elegance, Ludger looked more noble than any noble she’d ever met before.

Every step he took was picturesque—so much so that she found herself staring, entranced. Snapping out of it, Selina remembered why she’d come looking for him and hurriedly called out to him.

“S-So scary.”

When he stopped and turned to face her, her heart felt like it dropped straight to the floor.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Still, Selina forced a smile and cautiously asked Ludger if he would like to join her for a meal.

The moment she said it, she instantly regretted it.

She was certain Ludger would shoot her a scornful glare and say something like, “How dare a commoner like you...”

“Sure.”

But Ludger accepted her suggestion far too easily. As they walked, he adjusted his stride to match hers, maintaining a respectful distance between them.

Even in those small actions, there was a sense of consideration for others.

“He’s... much warmer than he looks.”

When she introduced him to the other colleagues, Ludger didn’t seem to care at all whether they were nobles or commoners.

Even when Professor Chris Bennimore openly showed hostility toward him, Ludger didn’t react in the slightest.

Most people would’ve gotten annoyed or snapped, but he didn’t let that nobility of his fade in the least.

It was as if he were standing alone atop the clouds in the sky.

She would later learn that Ludger had served as a military officer, and that he’d even submitted several academic papers to the Mage Towers.

“Professor Ludger is really an incredible person.”

She wanted to become a teacher with that kind of charisma, too.

Even during the meal, Ludger simply ate in silence, without unnecessary words.

The way he handled his fork and knife was so restrained, it felt like he alone belonged to a different world.

Even passing students kept sneaking glances at him—what more needed to be said?

And yet Ludger acted like it was the most natural thing in the world, or perhaps as if he didn’t care at all about those watching him.

He was like a living sculpture, and in every moment, there was an undeniable sense of principle.

Even after the meal, when everyone exchanged goodbyes and dispersed toward their private residences or the faculty quarters, Ludger remained consistent.

While everyone waved their hands and said “See you later,” Ludger simply nodded in return.

It should’ve come off as cold, but somehow, even that felt just right for him.

On her way back to her dorm with Merilda, Selina thought back on her brief encounter with Ludger that day.

She took a sharp breath and deliberately tried to compose her face into a blank expression.

Merilda, walking beside her, noticed and asked,

“Selina. What are you doing? Why the serious face?”

“Professor Merilda. Don’t I look a bit tougher when I do this?”

“What?”

Merilda was about to ask what she meant—then suddenly burst out laughing.

“Ahahaha! Selina, you’re trying to imitate Professor Ludger, aren’t you?”

“Huh? N-No, I wasn’t—”

Selina flailed, flustered, but Merilda waved her hand, telling her it was fine.

“Well, I don’t blame you. It’s hard to believe he’s just a new instructor like us. He’s a whole different class of person. But, knowing his past, it makes sense.”

“What do you mean?”

“Oh. You’re not really up-to-date ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) on this kind of stuff, are you? I checked up on all the people joining this term. That man used to be a military officer.”

“H-He did?”

“What’s even more impressive is that while you and I came here with backing—me from the Spirit Society, and you from the Mage Tower—he didn’t have any of that. He got in here all on his own.”

“Wow. No wonder. His first impression was completely different.”

“A person like that is bound to have a unique way of teaching, too. But still, we can only teach in our own way. Don’t let yourself get too swayed by others. You don’t need to pretend to be strong. We’re Seorn Academy instructors, too.”

“Ah—yes!”

Though they had only met today, the two of them had quickly become close and chatted warmly as they made their way back to the instructors’ dormitory.

* * *

Three days had passed since the orientation on the first day of the semester.

These three days were part of the course adjustment period, and for students who hadn’t yet decided which lectures to take, they had likely been a hectic blur.

Of course, that didn’t apply to me.

The long-awaited first class. With a bit of excitement in my step, I walked down the hallway.

Three days ago, I had made it perfectly clear—my class was basically a landmine.

By now, rumors about me must have spread far and wide among the student body.

After all that, would there still be students crazy enough to enroll in my class?

Well, maybe. Some students might not have had other options—unable to register for anything else, they’d be forced to pick mine for credit, tears in their eyes.

That was within my expectations. In fact, the fewer students I had, the easier my life would be.

The number of students per class could range from a minimum of 15 to a maximum of 80.

Classes wouldn’t be canceled just for having too few students, so even if it were under capacity, I could manage just fine.

Still, I figured 15 was unlikely—30 would be a nice compromise.

With that thought in mind, I opened the door and entered the lecture hall.

‘Huh?’

And then I saw it.

The lecture hall was packed—completely filled with students.

The number easily exceeded the 30 I had expected—more than twice that.

In fact, it was practically at maximum capacity for the room.

‘What... the hell.’

Why are there so many?