Academy’s Undercover Professor

There was nothing particularly eye-catching in Ludger’s suitcase.

Just a change of clothes and a few books, that was all.

Other than that, a few documents and miscellaneous items at best.

‘I thought there’d be something more impressive.’

I grouped the textbooks, magic books, and academic papers together and set them aside, then picked through the clothes and tucked them away neatly.

Among the books, aside from magic-related texts, there were also popular novels and essays written by renowned scientists.

He sure read all sorts of things.

As for the rest of the items, there were only a few letters, an ID card, and some personal belongings.

Even those “tools” amounted to nothing more than a portable pocket watch, a small pipe used as a magic catalyst, and a wallet containing some money.

I immediately checked the ID and documents one by one.

‘Ludger Cherish. A fallen noble from Queoden, a small-to-mid-sized kingdom on the Northern Continent. No siblings, and both parents are deceased.’

Not bad.

He may be a fallen noble, but he still holds the title, at least nominally, so he wouldn’t be treated with outright contempt wherever he went. And since he has no family, there’s no one who might recognize me.

‘Let’s see... impressive credentials. Submitted twelve papers to the Mage Tower and was the youngest 4th-Circle Mage? He even served as a military officer?’

As expected of a Seorn instructor.

This is quite a résumé for someone who looks this young.

‘His subject is “Magical Manifestation and Specialization.” So, his focus is on mana output and elemental affinities.’

If his specialty is manifestation, there’s a high chance his class will involve real combat training.

I opened the letters and looked through their contents.

If there were any exchanges with acquaintances, I needed to pick up on even small habits or mannerisms to mimic later.

‘The contents are nothing special.’

The letters, presumably exchanged with an acquaintance, were all formal—things like “I’ll be appointed to the academy soon,” or “This book is great,” or “Such-and-such happened somewhere.”

Seems like he didn’t keep close ties with anyone even during his time in the military.

Was he the studious type?

Given how devoid of personal content the letters were, it didn’t seem like he was particularly close with whoever he was writing to.

‘Now, what’s left...’

Just the foundational lecture material for teaching students after the semester begins, and information on what Seorn Academy looks like and how it operates.

First things first, I needed to walk around the campus and get familiar with the layout of Seorn.

Growl

Just as I was about to head outside, my stomach growled so loudly I froze mid-step.

Now that I think of it, I hadn’t eaten anything since getting off the train today.

‘I’ll start tomorrow.’

Too much happened today—I was mentally exhausted.

Let’s get some food first and call it a day.

* * *

Two weeks passed after that.

During that time, I roamed every corner of Seorn Academy, studying its geography and layout.

As I had suspected from the moment I first saw it, the academy grounds were unimaginably vast.

‘No wonder everyone speaks so highly of Seorn.’

I sat on an outdoor bench at a quiet café, taking in the peaceful scenery.

I had more or less wrapped up all the things I needed to check. Now all that remained was planning the upcoming lessons.

‘Maybe it’s because the semester is about to start. I’m seeing more students around.’

Students in Seorn Academy uniforms passed by now and then. The designs were stylish for the boys and elegant for the girls.

I think I heard the uniforms were designed by a renowned designer in the Empire.

As expected from a magic academy—some students were flying around on broomsticks or moving about on strange mechanical dolls.

Watching these youthful kids chatting and laughing with one another, I couldn’t help but think—what a good time in life.

Ever since I came to this world, every day had been a ruthless struggle. But kids like them, born with talent and privilege, lived blessed lives.

“Hm.”

Two female students walking past glanced at me, then started whispering among themselves.

Well, if some unfamiliar guy is just hanging around campus before classes even start, anyone would find that suspicious.

Feeling awkward under their gaze, I sipped my coffee.

I’d better finish this and head back to the dorms—start preparing for the orientation that’s happening in a week.

With that in mind, I drank the rest of my coffee and began to stand up—when a woman suddenly sat down at the table next to mine, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Just a new customer, I thought—but then she leaned in and spoke in a voice so quiet only I could hear it.

“I’m glad you’re safe. Why haven’t you made contact in the past two weeks?”

“......?”

The instinctive motion of turning my head was stopped dead by a gut feeling.

──Tap.

I casually set down my empty cup on the table.

“.......”

Was that directed at me?

I glanced around.

If she wasn’t talking to me and I responded, that would be incredibly embarrassing.

But no matter how I looked around, there was no one else nearby. I couldn’t sense anyone either.

At the outdoor tables, it was just me and the woman who had sat beside me.

So yes—she was definitely talking to me. Or rather... is “talking” even the right word here?

As I continued to stay silent, she spoke again.

“I was worried something might’ve happened. The other members were also starting to wonder if something had happened to you, First Order.”

“.......”

Member.

First Order.

Someone who’s meeting me for the first time, but worried about me.

I couldn’t figure out the full situation just yet, but one thing I could say for certain—

I had just gotten myself involved in something seriously troublesome.

* * *

‘What is this?’

I idly fidgeted with the handle of my coffee cup.

I had just been sitting at a café, enjoying a peaceful moment and some coffee, when this strange woman approached and struck up a conversation.

But the things she was saying were anything but ordinary.

That formal tone, the way she addressed me with deference, talking about “members” and such.

A lunatic? No. She was being serious.

Then... maybe she mistook me for someone else? No. She found exactly who she was looking for.

─Not me.

She was looking for Ludger Cherish.

The moment I understood the situation, my mouth moved as if oiled.

“There were a few things I needed to check.”

“Related to the recent terrorist incident? That was just an accident. No one could have predicted the rebels would attack the train you were on, First Order.”

“All of it. Including some surface-level intel on Seorn.”

“Didn’t you already receive the preliminary report?”

“That alone wasn’t enough. Hearing something and seeing it for yourself are completely different.”

“I-I see.”

She nodded as if she understood perfectly.

Screw it.

I gave up and decided to play along.

“How about your end? Did everything go as planned?”

“Yes, of course. Before I arrived here, I completed the assassination of all targeted academy personnel. Most were servants, though.”

What? She assassinated academy personnel?

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

I almost jolted upright in shock—but ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) managed to hold it in.

“And in the process, a traitor within the organization was revealed... they’ve been dealt with as well.”

What? Traitor? Dealt with?

At the word “traitor,” I instinctively swallowed hard.

Doing my best not to show my alarm, I asked calmly.

“‘Dealt with,’ you say. What method did you use?”

“We dislocated their limbs and shoved them into their own mouth. The rest of the body was fed to stray dogs. I didn’t witness it myself, but that’s what I heard from the other members. A fitting end for a traitor, don’t you think?”

“.......”

...They were even more insane than I’d imagined.

But the crazier the situation, the calmer my mind became.

The air around us seemed to grow heavier, and I could feel the woman beside me flinch from the pressure.

“I-I’m sorry! I should’ve reported and confirmed everything in person...!”

“Enough. More importantly, why did you suddenly come looking for me?”

“T-that is... You entered this place, and then there was no word from you for nearly two weeks...”

“So you acted on your own in such a critical moment?”

Even as I spoke, I was analyzing the situation.

She referred to me not as Ludger, but as “First Order.”

The fact that “First” came before “Order” implied that this was a fairly high rank within their organization.

I bluffed a little, and it seemed that was the correct approach.

“H-hiiik! I’m sorry!”

As if she were about to throw herself flat on the ground, the woman bowed her head toward me. I responded in a cold voice.

“Quiet. Do you want to attract suspicion from the people around us?”

“Ghk. I-I’m sor...!”

“Don’t even say you’re sorry.”

“.......”

“Fine. It’s about time I checked in anyway. How many members are inside now?”

“Y-yes?”

“I’m asking how many members have infiltrated this place.”

“Oh!”

She glanced around nervously, then lowered her voice.

“At present, thirty-one Third Orders and seven Second Orders have successfully infiltrated. And the other First Order has entered in advance and secured their position, as planned.”

“Hm. That’s adequate.”

I nodded nonchalantly, mentally piecing together the bits of information I’d picked up.

From what I could tell, there was another First Order besides me, and these people numbered close to forty.

Their numbers might not be huge, but for them to plant this many agents within Seorn suggested their capabilities were anything but ordinary.

The only silver lining here was that this woman didn’t seem to doubt my identity in the slightest.

On the contrary—she looked at me with a mixture of fear and reverence, as if in awe of my very presence.

‘As expected of the First Order!’ She might as well have said it aloud.

Seeing that expression, I figured I could at least make use of her in some way.

“Understood. Since everything’s confirmed, I’ll be going now.”

“Ah! If there’s another contact in the future, please come to the designated meeting point.”

A meeting point? There was such a thing?

But there was no way I could ask, “Where’s that again?”

As I debated how to handle this, a good idea came to mind.

“You want me to go? Are you giving orders to me now?”

I deliberately lowered my voice and shot her a chilling glare. Her face turned pale.

Looks like my bluff was working well. She began to tremble like a scared squirrel, stammering her excuses.

“N-no! I-I wasn’t—!”

“I don’t want to hear it. From now on, any meetings will happen only when I decide. That includes the time and place. Understood?”

“Y-yes, understood.”

“Unless it’s a direct summons from another First Order like myself—or someone even higher—I won’t permit any contact.”

“S-someone higher... You don’t mean... Zero Order, do you?”

So there’s a Zero Order.

I’d suspected, and now it was confirmed.

“Yes. Unless it comes from him, don’t bother me with petty nonsense. Consider this a warning.”

So behave accordingly.

I rose from my seat with those parting words.

As I turned to leave without looking back, I heard a hesitant voice call out from behind me.

“Excuse me...”

I paused and turned my head just slightly to glance back at her.

“What is it?”

“U-um... when you summon us, how will you... do it...?”

The moment she said that, I froze.

Right. I hadn’t explained that part.

But there was no way I could explain a method I didn’t even know myself.

“...Do I really need to say that out loud?”

“Hiiik! N-no! That was foolish of me!”

“I’ll let it slide this once.”

With that, I quickly left the area.

* * *

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Back at the dorm, I rushed up to the bedroom on the second floor and pulled out the suitcase I had tucked into the wardrobe.

I scattered Ludger’s letters across the bed and began checking them one by one. Eventually, I realized the disturbing suspicion I’d had was in fact reality.

“...Haah. Damn it.”

That strange sense of discomfort I felt while reading the letters.

Why would someone with no family and only a few acquaintances go to the trouble of exchanging such formal, sterile letters?

Why did a man with such an impressive background lead a life of such obsessive privacy?

At last, all those questions made sense.

—These were never ordinary letters to begin with.

I skimmed over specific words that contained unusual characters hidden within the letters. The unease I’d felt was because those characters formed a certain repeating pattern.

Yes.

These were coded messages.

Ciphers—used to pass information under others’ noses.

Tossing the letters aside, I picked up the identification documents again.

‘Fallen noble? No family? Hails from some remote, minor kingdom far from the Empire?’

All of it was fake.

Even the illustrious accomplishments—lies, every last one of them.

The identity of “Ludger Cherish” had been painstakingly fabricated by someone.

Why didn’t I notice? Why hadn’t I questioned it?

Why had I so readily accepted such an overtly ideal identity?

‘Then... that Ludger I met on the train... who was he really?’

A member of a secret organization that had infiltrated Seorn Academy.

Not just a member—but a high-ranking officer called a First Order.

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freeweɓnovēl.coɱ.

And now I’m the one wearing his face.

My legs gave out, and I collapsed onto the bed.

“...Shit.”

The identity I thought was perfect for starting a new life...

...was actually the most dangerous bomb imaginable.

I’m completely screwed.