Academy’s Undercover Professor-Chapter 229: Entangled Truth (1)

Setadel felt a headache coming on.

“John Doe. I didn’t know you were such a gifted comedian—had to die first to find that out. What a shame. Maybe we could’ve gotten along if I’d known.”

[What are you talking about?]

“You struck up a conversation in the middle of a mission just because you were a fan of someone in disguise? Seriously?”

[Is that not allowed? And he wasn’t just ‘someone in disguise’!]

John Doe’s voice flared with indignation.

It was a rare emotional response—uncharacteristic of the man Setadel knew.

‘Then again... he really wasn’t ordinary.’

That’s the only way someone could have impersonated John Doe without getting caught for this long.

Of course, Zero Order had realized it immediately, but for reasons unknown, had accepted the impostor as if he were the real one.

‘If Zero Order judged him that highly... then he definitely isn’t some commoner.’

And then there was the behavior he displayed at the Order Synod.

That man had to be an impostor.

It must have been his first time meeting the other First Orders in that setting.

And yet, without knowing anyone, he’d seized the atmosphere with ease.

Even the scheming Nicolai had been rattled after trading blows with him.

“...Fine. John Doe. I admit I misspoke. Like you said, he must be exceptional.”

[I respect Zero Order more than anyone—but that doesn’t mean I don’t value others. All other humans are parasites dragging me down. But that man... was different.]

“Who exactly is he?”

[I don’t know. His identity and history are almost completely unknown. Even after all this time, I only figured out three of his aliases.]

“Three is already more than most know. What did you discover?”

[The phantom thief Arsène Lupin, the legendary detective Vidocq. And the last—one of the key players behind the Yuta Kingdom’s recent civil war victory.]

“You don’t mean...”

[The mercenary who accomplished what even the famous Monarch Mercenary Corps could not. The one who turned a cornered princess’s faction into victors. Mercenary Machiavelli.]

“...”

Setadel had heard that name—Machiavelli.

A mercenary who had suddenly appeared in the cold northern kingdom when civil war erupted.

Armed with countless weapons, he tore through battlefields more viciously than any mage or knight.

“You’re saying he was Machiavelli?”

[That’s right. For reasons unknown, he abandoned that name, disguised himself as a wealthy merchant, and boarded the magitech train.]

“...Is there a chance he was targeting you?”

[I can’t say for sure—his mind is far beyond my reach. But it’s not impossible.]

“...”

Setadel began thinking carefully.

From this point forward, he decided to refer to the current John Doe as Ludger, his assumed identity.

‘Ludger Cherish... did he board that train knowing John Doe would be there and sit next to him deliberately?’

It was too unlikely for the two of them to be seated together by chance.

At least one of them had made a calculated approach.

‘And after the terrorist attack, he assumed John Doe’s identity.’

John Doe had been flung from the train during the explosion, and the Cold Steel Order had suppressed the terrorists.

Amid the chaos...

Ludger Cherish had stolen John Doe’s identity—a fact unknown to anyone.

‘That explains everything. Ludger Cherish assumed John Doe’s identity after the train terror attack. The process must have been so seamless and discreet that not even the Cold Steel knights noticed. He was likely prepared in advance.’

So then, what was his goal?

A man with an unknown identity had infiltrated the ranks of the Black Dawn Society as a high-ranking member.

He was essentially a ticking time bomb.

‘So why... would Zero Order willingly keep someone so dangerous nearby?’

Though Setadel was Zero Order’s adjutant, he had no idea what the man was ever thinking.

That was simply Zero Order’s nature.

He revealed nothing to even his closest aides.

He didn’t show anger, no matter how many subordinates died.

That’s why Setadel had come to accept it when Zero Order acknowledged Ludger as the real John Doe.

‘Maybe... this is an opportunity.’

Just as that thought settled in, John Doe’s soul spoke again.

[Have you resolved all your questions now?]

“Yes. I think I understand what happened.”

[Still... I’m relieved you came. Even if my body is gone and I remain as nothing but a soul—so long as you relay the truth to Zero Order, that’s enough.]

Heh.

Setadel, still cloaked in his hood, grinned broadly.

“Sorry, but that won’t be happening.”

[What?]

Before John Doe could process the strangeness of that remark, Setadel moved first.

Ding.

As the clear chime of the bell rang out, silver chains shot out and bound John Doe’s soul.

[What are you doing, Setadel!?]

“What does it look like? I’m just doing what needs to be done.”

[What?!]

“Zero Order ordered me to come here and locate your corpse. That was it. No orders beyond that.”

[What are you talking about?!]

“I don’t plan on explaining it all. I’ll put it simply—you’re no longer needed.”

John Doe’s eyes widened.

But no matter how hard he struggled, the soul-binding chains wouldn’t let him move.

“It’s useless to resist. Chains that bind the soul aren’t something you can break out of so easily.”

[SETADEEEEEEL!!!]

“John Doe. You did your part. Now, get some rest.”

Setadel shook the bell again.

That was the end.

The silver chains disappeared, and with them, so did John Doe’s soul.

As his spirit vanished, his corpse crumbled into dust and scattered.

Setadel watched the scene to the very end before finally stepping out of the cave.

The howling °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° blizzard had ceased, and sunlight poured through cracks in the clouds.

‘Whatever Ludger Cherish’s true identity is... his presence benefits me.’

It was even possible that he had already eliminated Esmeralda, who had infiltrated Seorn.

The enemy of my enemy is my ally.

“Do it for me, you nameless man.”

Setadel muttered quietly as he walked across the snowfield.

“Please—kill Zero Order.”

* * *

“He’s annoying. Seriously, so damn annoying.”

In a lavish office, a young man named Nicolai sat with arms crossed, tapping his forearm with his fingers.

He was thinking back to the recent Order Synod.

The humiliation he’d suffered that day was seared too deeply into his memory to forget.

Even now, whenever he recalled the insult he received from John Doe, his hands would curl into fists on their own.

“Why didn’t he die? Wasn’t that enough?”

When John Doe boarded the magitech train from the northern kingdom to the Exilion Empire—

Nicolai had found out.

And he had moved, secretly and quietly.

The Liberation Army.

He had fed them discreet intel.

Told them that nobles would be aboard an approaching magitech train—and to eliminate them all.

He had even planted spies onboard to help the Liberation Army storm the train.

Through that surprise attack, he planned to eliminate John Doe—the thorn in his side—along with the rest.

But the plan failed spectacularly.

John Doe survived, and the train incident achieved little of note.

‘The Cold Steel Order wasn’t supposed to arrive until after everything was over. And yet we still failed. Were the Liberation Army idiots even more useless than I thought?’

That couldn’t be it.

Several mages had been deployed.

One of them had even taken a stimulant to turn themselves into a suicide bomber.

And yet John Doe still wasn’t killed.

There was only one explanation:

‘John Doe is... far stronger than I ever imagined.’

He’d thought the man was just a decent impersonator who happened to earn a First Order title.

John Doe had avoided combat in most missions, and when he did fight, it was only against guaranteed weaklings.

Up to now, his record made it seem like he lacked real combat prowess.

Nicolai had concluded as much—John Doe had no noteworthy martial ability.

The man might’ve tried to hide it, but Nicolai’s eyes saw through that facade.

‘That’s why I planned it carefully... to erase him in a staged “accident.”’

But John Doe didn’t die.

He’d been hiding his strength.

Nicolai had thought he’d prepared for everything.

But this was a fatal miscalculation.

‘That slippery bastard. Don’t tell me his whole act up until now—was all just to deceive everyone.’

He never expected the man would conceal his power only to reveal it at the last possible moment.

‘What the hell is with that level of intelligence gathering?’

He knew things Nicolai had no idea about.

And ever since John Doe had entered Seorn, his movements had become unreadable.

He was working properly as a teacher at Seorn—that much Nicolai knew. But that was it.

He hadn’t even known that John Doe had destroyed the Rederbelk branch lab until it was directly reported to him.

‘He even knew that Casey Selmore had her eyes on our Black Dawn. Is his intelligence network superior to mine?’

Unacceptable.

He could tolerate many things—but to admit someone outperformed him in information warfare? Never.

If.

If by any chance that were true—

Then the man absolutely had to die.

‘I want to kill him right now...’

But Nicolai shook his head.

‘Not yet. John Doe is hiding his strength. I can’t be sure that what he showed so far is all there is.’

Judging by the way he handled himself at the Order Synod, he was clearly still holding cards up his sleeve.

If Nicolai moved too hastily, he could walk right into the man’s trap.

‘For all I know, he’s waiting for me to make that exact mistake.’

Nicolai valued his own safety above all else. For now, he decided to hold off on dealing with John Doe directly.

But it was only for now. He wasn’t giving up.

That grudge from that day still smoldered like a brand deep in his heart.

‘Maybe it’s for the best. Killing him indirectly doesn’t satisfy me anymore.’

Sure, it would’ve been cathartic—but not enough.

Considering what that bastard had done to him, killing him through someone else would’ve been far too kind.

John Doe. I’ll be the one to kill you myself. With my own hands.

The opportunity would come eventually.

For now, there was work to be done as a Black Dawn executive.

“This is me.”

When Nicolai spoke, a response came through the crystal ball he was using.

[You summoned me, Lord Nicolai?]

“There’s someone who needs to be eliminated.”

[Name them. I’ll see it done immediately.]

“Excellent response. But this one won’t go down so easily.”

[Who is it, that you say so?]

“This time, your target is Casey Selmore. Single-element user of water magic. A mage recognized by the Tower with the <Azure of Water> title.”

[The Azure mage... She’ll be troublesome. Understood. I’ll move once I’ve fully prepared.]

“Good. I trust in your team’s skill.”

As Nicolai prepared to end the transmission, his subordinate spoke up again, urgently.

[Lord Nicolai—before you go, there’s something you should hear.]

“What is it?”

[W-well...]

The subordinate, who normally reported like clockwork, uncharacteristically hesitated.

Nicolai narrowed his eyes.

“Don’t stall. Just say it. I’ll judge for myself.”

[P-please don’t be too shocked. Just a few days ago, one of the secret branches you’d established vanished.]

“...What did you just say?”

[I-It’s gone. The entire branch—wiped out.]

“A branch disappeared? Just like that? That’s even possible?”

[I don’t know the full situation yet. But we’ve completely lost contact with them. I fear... they may all have been taken out.]

“...Understood. What’s done is done. For now, just focus on the task I gave you.”

[Yes, sir.]

“Good. Carry on.”

Nicolai ended the call with a sharp exhale.

Then he violently ran both hands through his hair in frustration.

‘What the hell happened now!?’

One of his Black Dawn sub-branches—gone?

Who the hell did that?

Don’t tell me... it was John Doe?

If there was even a chance...

It had to be him.

The only one who knew their hidden plays—who could erase them without leaving a trace.

No one else fit.

John Doe! That goddamned bastard!

Looked like his revenge would take a little longer.

* * *

‘...What was that?’

Back in his room after returning from the Arcane Chamber, Ludger looked up from the thesis drafts he was sorting. freēwēbnovel.com

‘Did someone just call for me?’

His ears tingled strangely. It felt like someone was desperately saying his name.

But that wasn’t exactly unusual.

People calling for him—there were plenty.

With a shrug, Ludger turned back to his paper stack.

‘Oh, right.’

Something he’d nearly forgotten came to mind.

‘I should send a warning.’

He pulled out a blank piece of stationery.