Academy’s Undercover Professor

Her outer hair was pure white, while the inner strands shimmered with a soft, cherry blossom pink—a strange and beautiful two-tone.

The Headmaster welcomed my greeting with a radiant smile.

“Yes. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mister Ludger. More importantly, are you all right? I heard you were caught up in a terrorist incident.”

“It was nothing serious. I was fortunate to receive the Cold Steel Order’s assistance in time.”

“Oh my, that’s such a relief. I was quite anxious, you know. After all, we just hired a new instructor—what if something had happened to you? That would’ve been terribly embarrassing for us, wouldn’t it?”

The fact that she could mention her own reputation so casually... definitely not the average personality.

Then again, people in high positions often turn out a little twisted.

And that goes double if they’re a mage.

My own master had been like that. This woman would be no different.

I wasn’t even surprised anymore.

“You’re not feeling unwell or anything, are you?”

The Headmaster watched me with a teasing glint in her eyes, her smile calm yet subtly searching.

It made me wonder—had she figured something out?

Wait. Had the Headmaster met Ludger before? If so, wouldn’t she notice something was off?

Just as unease was creeping up my spine, her voice interrupted my thoughts.

“I’ve only ever seen your profile on paper, but in person, you’re quite tall and striking, aren’t you?”

Thankfully, it seemed this was indeed her first time meeting Ludger face-to-face.

I let out a sigh of relief internally and replied.

“Thank you for the compliment, even if it’s just flattery.”

“Oh, it’s not flattery. I mean it. Once the semester starts, I imagine the students will be thrilled. Such a handsome instructor.”

“You flatter me.”

“Here, please take this.”

She handed me a single sheet of paper.

“We already sent you the preliminary notice, but it’s always best to keep things formal. The contract term is two years. Your salary is listed there. Room and board are provided, of course.”

I accepted the contract and carefully examined its contents.

I hadn’t been all that concerned—figuring I’d abandon this identity as soon as I secured a new one.

That is... until I actually read what was written.

‘Wait, what the—hold on.’

The contents of the contract were shocking enough to make my eyes widen.

‘Thirty imperial gold coins per month?’

One imperial gold coin was equivalent to one million Denars—the standard continental currency.

That meant 30 gold coins equaled 30 million Denars per month. In terms of Earth money, that was close to 300 million won.

That was the monthly salary.

Three hundred million won per month. At that point, you had to wonder if they were going to harvest your organs.

But this was Seorn Academy—the Empire’s premier magic institution.

Even back on Earth, top-tier instructors at elite academies reportedly made over ten billion won annually.

So, maybe this wasn’t so unbelievable after all.

‘And there are bonuses each semester, plus an end-of-year bonus? And even the possibility of a raise based on performance evaluations from the students?’

Even if I played it safe, I’d still collect all those bonuses. That would push my annual salary over 50 million Denars.

With a two-year contract, I’d make over 100 million Denars.

That’s enough to live in luxury anywhere. On top of that, the contract allowed for side income if approved.

Gulp.

I swallowed without meaning to.

The salary was already incredible, but the funding for teaching materials? Astronomical. More funding based on performance evaluations? Also included.

And then there was the housing—provided. Meals? Covered.

Unless I had some outrageous vice, I wouldn’t even have a chance to spend money.

‘If I endure for just two years, that’s 100 million Denars. That’s over 10 billion won on Earth. And that’s the minimum. I could even get a raise or extend the contract later.’

These terms were insane.

Was this really the Empire’s most prestigious academy?

What have I even been doing with my life up to now?

“What do you think? Not bad, right?”

“...Not bad at all.”

Not bad? That was an understatement. It was jackpot. A literal goldmine.

I took a deep breath and read over the contract again.

Nope—not dreaming. It was like a golden pumpkin had just rolled into my lap.

But there was one fundamental problem.

‘If Seorn pays this much, it means being a teacher here carries that much weight too.’

Could I really handle the responsibility of that role?

In a place crawling with all kinds of genius prodigies, could I manage as an instructor?

‘Unlikely. It would be a miracle if I didn’t expose myself within a day.’

Still, bluffing, acting confident—that was something I was good at. I grew up in a world where you either talked big or got eaten alive.

I quickly ran through the calculations in my head.

‘The pay is tempting, but so is the pressure. But it’s too late to back out. Ludger is already an instructor here. And now, I am Ludger Cherish.’

Could I even say no at this point?

They’ve already welcomed me, assigned me housing, drawn up a contract—if I suddenly refused, it would only make things suspicious.

The decision was practically made for me.

‘In that case, I’ll go along with it.’

I steeled myself to take full advantage of this Ludger Cherish identity.

All I had to do was endure for two years.

Yes—just two years, and I could walk away from this life. With good pay and personal freedom, it was far better than military service.

Thinking that way made things feel easier.

I handed the contract back to the Headmaster and spoke.

Bluff. Showmanship. Atmosphere.

That’s my specialty.

“I’ve reviewed the contract. Everything is in order.”

“Excellent. Then I look forward to working with you, Mister Ludger.”

“Yes. Likewise, Headmaster.”

We shook hands as she smiled at me.

I had to fight hard not to let the corners of my mouth twitch upward.

That part’s a secret.

* * *

After my meeting with the Headmaster, I followed Wilford, who had been waiting outside, to the quarters I had been assigned.

As expected from Seorn Academy—even the housing for instructors looked expensive.

I could hardly believe that this elegant, fairytale-like two-story house was now mine.

“You still have three weeks before classes begin, so please take the time to rest well.”

With those words, Wilford departed with the same dignity he had shown upon arrival—a model of a true gentleman.

Let’s see what it’s like.

Grabbing the suitcase, I stepped inside.

Even from the outside, it had looked impressive, but now that I was within, it felt different again. The furnishings were all high-end, and the place was spotlessly clean—no sign of dust anywhere.

This content is taken from freёnovelkiss.com.

Curious, I checked the bathroom—and was once again stunned.

A pristine room tiled in white, luxurious enough that it wouldn’t be out of place in a noble estate. Hot water flowed well, and even the tub was large enough for a full bubble bath.

Given that this world had undergone a magical revolution, it made sense.

Thump.

After checking every corner of the house, I let myself collapse onto the plush sofa.

So now I’m... an academy instructor, huh.

A lot had happened in a single day.

I got caught up in a terrorist attack, was mistaken for someone else, and somehow ended up here—about to teach at Seorn Academy.

How the hell did it come to this?

And now that I was here, it wasn’t like I could just run away.

If I disappeared now, they’d start looking into who Ludger Cherish really was—and since they’d seen my real face, there wouldn’t be anywhere in the Empire I could hide.

It wasn’t even a disguised face—it was my own. That was the fatal part.

In the end, I had no choice but to act as Ludger Cherish.

At least for now.

“Haaah. This is exhausting.”

It had already been 27 years since I arrived in this world.

I was reincarnated with no special abilities—just the memories of my past life.

My current life’s parents were completely dysfunctional, so I had to survive on my own.

That survival came with countless brushes with death, caught up in all sorts of trouble.

Even so, what I was experiencing now left me completely dumbfounded.

Becoming an academy instructor—just like that.

And not just any academy. Seorn, the top academy in the Empire.

Could I really just brush this off as a mere accident of fate?

This is basically unintentional infiltration.

And the worst part?

I didn’t even try to infiltrate. It happened to me.

But that didn’t change the fact that it was too late to walk away.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

It was what you’d call a riding the tiger situation.

If I dismounted now, I’d get eaten. That was the reality I faced.

A battle to see whether I’d get devoured by the tiger, or whether the tiger would tire out first.

‘Yeah. Two years. I just need to last two years. That’s all.’

I needed a new identity anyway.

And in this situation, the identity of Ludger was incredibly appealing.

Ludger Cherish was a man who had come to the Empire from a distant land. There’d be no risk of running into anyone here who knew him personally.

Still, just to be safe, I decided I should learn more about this Ludger person.

Carrying his suitcase, I headed upstairs to the second-floor bedroom. Once inside, I closed the curtains and carefully examined the room to guard against any potential outside surveillance.

‘Nothing suspicious.’

Relieved, I reached for the suitcase—only to find it wouldn’t budge.

Clack.

“Huh?”

What the—? It’s locked?

I inspected the leather suitcase more closely. Upon examining it in detail, I noticed a faintly inscribed magic circle on the metal latch.

‘A security spell.’

It wasn’t large, but that only meant it required more precise manipulation of mana—definitely not an easy one to pull off.

‘Well, he is a newly appointed instructor at Seorn Academy, after all.’

I stepped back from the suitcase and began to think of a way to open it.

Not giving up—just planning how.

‘It’d be easier with some reagents, but I already shipped my luggage ahead. I’ll have to use another method.’

I grabbed a towel and dampened it with water. Setting it nearby, I picked up a stick and conjured a small flame at the tip.

A basic elemental spell—Pyro.

It only produced a flame the size of a lighter, but it was hot.

I brought the flame to the suitcase’s brass latch.

The intense heat began to heat the metal.

After a few minutes, the brass turned red-hot. I then pressed the wet towel against it.

SSSSHHH!

Steam hissed into the air as the heated metal cooled rapidly. The latch twisted slightly, and the magic circle etched into it warped along with it.

Of course, this didn’t actually deactivate the spell.

Magic isn’t that easy to break.

‘But it creates a momentary gap—even if just for a second.’

Now.

I didn’t miss the opportunity. I channeled a sharp burst of mana straight into the center of the magic circle.

The “core”—the most critical point of the spell.

Crack!

‘Got it.’

The moment the core broke, the spell collapsed.

With a satisfying click, the latch unlocked.

‘Opening something like this is child’s play.’

It’s not uncommon for mages to enchant their suitcases with magic circles or wards.

They’re notoriously sensitive about security. For most mages, protective magic is a basic skill.

If they can’t do it themselves, they hire a friend or a specialist to do it for them.

In many cases, attempts to force open such wards trigger spells that destroy the contents inside.

Mages would rather obliterate their materials than let them fall into the wrong hands—a typical expression of their extreme ideology.

Disarming it safely would mean analyzing the exact structure and logic of the spell—a lengthy process. And I didn’t have that kind of time.

That’s why I opted for this method.

A kind of cheat—one that bypassed all that analysis.

‘As long as you know where the spell is etched and the material it’s inscribed on, that’s enough.’

Normally, spells like this are engraved on sturdy metals. You can’t etch a full magic circle across an entire leather suitcase.

Leather is a poor medium for mana conduction.

Same goes for cloth or paper—unless you’re using vellum made from magically treated bark, even high-level mages would struggle to engrave wards on those materials.

In contrast, metals conduct mana well.

The most commonly used materials are iron and brass. Silver, gold, and platinum are even better, but also more expensive.

The best option would be to inlay gemstones—crafted from raw mana stones—but those are prohibitively expensive, used only by the highest nobility.

So brass and iron remained the most popular options—and I knew exactly how to deal with both.

Heating the metal to cause expansion, then rapidly cooling it to force contraction.

The magic circle carved into the metal would become distorted during this process.

While it usually self-corrects to maintain functionality, the temporary distortion creates a fatal vulnerability.

That’s when I slip in my mana and destroy the spell’s core.

‘Glad it worked.’

It’s not a well-known technique—just a little cheat born from applying some scientific principles.

Most mages are obsessed with tradition and history, which makes them dismissive of science.

Because of that, they often don’t prepare for tricks like this—and that ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ works in my favor.

‘If he were truly paranoid, Ludger would’ve carried a fully enchanted iron suitcase.’

Thankfully, Ludger Cherish wasn’t that kind of man.

I opened the suitcase and began to examine its contents.

‘Let’s see... what have we got here?’