Academy’s Undercover Professor-Chapter 231: Scorch Mark of Fire (1)

At Ludger’s words, Hans looked like he was about to respond but then simply nodded.

“True enough. It’s always better to fly like a crow than crawl like a rat.”

“Besides, no one suspects a bird.”

Ludger gently stroked the crow’s head.

The crow opened its beak and let out a sharp caw.

It meant it was pleased.

“If we cooperate with Sedina, we’ll find the relic’s location soon enough.”

“Pfft. With that little brat?”

“Why, don’t like the idea?”

“No, it’s not that I dislike it...”

“She’s a pitiful kid. With no one to rely on, she clung to me—someone who could very well kill her. That’s how desperate she was.”

Hans sighed at Ludger’s words.

“All right. All right, you can stop there. Are you saying all that because you know I’m soft-hearted? I’ll do what you say, so just leave it at that.”

“Good. As her senior, set a good example.”

Hearing himself praised as a senior made Hans feel a bit more at ease.

At the very least, it felt like Ludger was acknowledging his seniority in this area.

“What’ll you do if you pinpoint the relic’s location? Planning to steal it?”

“What do you think I should do?”

“Weren’t you going to use that identity of yours?”

“You mean Arsène Lupin? If I were to rob the Imperial Palace under that name, it’d cause quite the uproar. That’ll be my last resort.”

“Last resort? Can’t you just slip into the shadows like usual?”

Indeed, Ludger’s mysterious movement was largely thanks to his ability to traverse through shadows.

“It’s not that simple. If you don’t recognize the coordinates properly, you could end up inside solid ground.”

“That’s something I or that little brat could check for you.”

“There’s more to it. The Imperial Palace is the most heavily guarded place in the entire Empire. Especially areas of importance—they’re layered with all sorts of magical protection. Shadow-walking might be a novel technique, but it’s still magic. If it encounters a magical obstruction, it becomes dangerous.”

“So the conditions are extremely restrictive. Makes sense. I mean, if high-level magic didn’t come with those kinds of conditions, it’d be too absurd. Though honestly, it’s still absurd.”

“That’s why. In order to steal it, I’d have to remove all the protection magic first—and that takes far too much time.”

“So you’ll have to choose another method.”

Only now did Hans seem fully convinced, nodding in agreement.

Though, of course, there was something Ludger wasn’t saying aloud.

‘If I rob the Imperial Palace as Arsène Lupin, that woman might really kill me this time.’

Terrina Lionhowl, Knight Commander of the Nightcrawler Knights.

The lion’s roar that safeguarded the Empire.

She had been a formidable knight in the past, but now, having surpassed even the realm of Master, she was someone Ludger had to avoid at all costs.

“More importantly, sir—when do you plan to head to the capital?”

“As it happens, there’s something being discussed lately.”

“Something?”

“Seorn is planning a field trip.”

Hans looked puzzled, then nodded in realization.

“Ah, right. Even for students, it’s a problem if they stay cooped up inside the academy all the time.”

“Exactly. Though students are already taking on various tasks in Rederbelk through the request board, it’s not enough.”

Mages, by nature, are reclusive creatures—shut-ins focused solely on their research.

That had always been the case, but recently, it had gotten even worse.

Seorn, concerned about this, established a curriculum that encouraged students to get out regularly, and the field trip was one of those efforts. ƒrēenovelkiss.com

“The Imperial Magic Society and the schools supporting Seorn. Through their cooperation, the students will be introduced to the capital, converse with active mages, and tour the city.”

“I’ve heard of it. They call that the mentor–mentee program, right?”

“Right. The idea is for students to meet practitioners from other fields, hear their stories, and find the path that suits them. It’s a commendable goal.”

The goal might be admirable, but in reality, most students just wandered around enjoying the city.

Even so, it wasn’t entirely ineffective.

“At that time, I’ll be heading to the capital as a supervising teacher. That’ll be my chance to meet the Imperial Magic Society and find an opening.”

“Well then, I suppose the opportunity has presented itself.”

“Oh, and Hans.”

“What now?”

“Now that you can control a crow, it seems your powers have grown stronger. Do you have any idea why that might be?”

Until recently, Hans had only been able to control rats. The sudden ability to control a crow surely had a reason.

Right now, it was just one crow—but that could change.

But even so, it wasn’t something Ludger could see purely as a benefit.

“Hmm. I’m not really sure. I just snapped to my senses one day, and it happened.”

“So it happened naturally?”

“Yeah, more or less.”

“Did you perhaps have some kind of dream?”

“A dream?”

Hans scratched his head, looking like he was trying to recall something.

Eventually, he shook his head.

“Even if I did, how would I know? I forget everything when I wake up. But why do you think it might be a dream?”

“Just a feeling.”

“A feeling, huh.”

“Even if I don’t know the details, I can guess why your ability has grown.”

“Huh? Really?”

As Ludger fed the crow a piece of grain, he spoke.

“The tooth.”

“The tooth? You mean that tooth?”

“Yeah. The beast from Jévaudan could control other animals. I think the time you transformed at the Kunst Auction had something to do with this.”

“Huh...”

“You didn’t show any changes until now, but your constitution must have been altered. The beast’s gene is expressing itself more strongly.”

“So that’s... bad?”

“If you can’t suppress your growing wild instincts, then yes—it could end poorly.”

Hans’s face hardened in an instant.

Memories he didn’t want to recall came flooding back.

If this kept up, he might end up consumed by his own constitution—losing his humanity altogether.

That alone was enough to terrify him.

“But it’s not like there’s no way.”

“There’s a way? Like that suppressant you gave me?”

“The suppressant only restrains your condition; it can’t cure it. And I don’t know how to create a cure. You’re the first known case. Even if I tried, I couldn’t say how long it would take.”

“Then it’s meaningless.”

“Not necessarily. It depends on your mindset.”

“My mindset?”

Hans blinked and asked, wide-eyed.

“What am I supposed to do?”

“Poison, when used correctly, can become medicine. Hans—do you get what I’m saying?”

“You’re saying depending on how I use this power... a better path might open up for me?”

“Your intuition’s gotten sharper. Your constitution is the first of its kind. Do you know what that means?”

Hans thought for a moment before answering.

“That I’m... amazing?”

“That’s the result.”

“Then what’s the right answer? Nothing comes to mind.”

“The only thing ‘first’ ever truly means is this: infinite possibility. Even the greatness you mentioned is just one of countless paths you could choose.”

Hans fell silent at Ludger’s words.

“Hans. You’re walking a path no one has ever walked. What lies at the end of that path is unknown. You don’t even know where it leads. But maybe—just maybe—your very act of walking it will create the path itself.”

Hans felt that Ludger’s words weren’t just directed at him—but also at himself.

“Depending on where and how you go, you could become someone great—or fall to the level of a mere beast. What decides that, Hans, is nothing but your will.”

“......”

“You’ll be fine for now, but one day, the moment of choice will come. Whatever choice you make will be entirely up to your will. Be relaxed—but don’t grow complacent. It wouldn’t hurt to start preparing your answer in advance.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. No harm in listening to you, after all. But... I can’t honestly say I’m confident it’ll go well.”

“Don’t worry. For now, that’s enough.”

“So what now?”

“I stepped out, but don’t have anything in particular {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} to do.”

At Ludger’s words, Hans burst out laughing.

“Hah! That’s not like you—moving around without a plan.”

“Sometimes it’s nice to have no plan. Lately, I’ve been far too busy. If I don’t take a break when I can, I’ll burn out.”

“Well, if you say so, I’ll accept it. After all, your thesis presentation at the Arcane Chamber wasn’t that long ago. Time to cool off a bit.”

“When I finally got out to rest, I’m not even sure where to start.”

Hans found that remark surprisingly amusing, chuckling quietly to himself.

Someone as steely as Ludger—seeing him uncertain in this kind of situation was comically ill-fitting.

“Well, since you’re already out, how about doing some shopping? You’ve made a ton of money, haven’t you?”

“Most of it’s tied up in investments.”

“But you’ll earn even more from those investments, won’t you? Go eat something delicious, buy some new clothes—that’s life, isn’t it?”

“You talk as if you’ve lived longer than me.”

“At the very least, I can confidently say I know how to enjoy life better than you do.”

At Hans’s joking, Ludger let out a faint chuckle.

“Fine. No harm in picking up some new clothes for once.”

“Shall we visit the store Violetta runs?”

“I’d like to ask for a custom order.”

“It’s gotten really famous lately, so there’s always a line... but if it’s you, I’m sure they’ll let you right in. Let’s go. By the way, did you meet the ones downstairs?”

“I did.”

“...I’ll be putting them on a diet soon. So don’t worry too much.”

* * *

Royal Street was bustling with people every day.

Crowds gathered, spread the word, and drew in even more people.

A cycle of positive reinforcement.

That this continued was proof of just how popular the new ventures had become.

People coming out of musicals chatted excitedly about the show they’d just seen.

Newly released magazines at the bookstore sold out the moment they hit the shelves.

With the release of new clothing designs, the number of noblewomen flocking to Royal Street skyrocketed.

Artists who once struggled to make a living in the city now gathered here.

Musicians played instruments on street corners for coin, while painters turned blank walls into vibrant murals.

Poets and novelists all submitted their work to magazines.

The sound of hammers and winding gears echoed from repair shops.

Children ran about with toys in hand.

The smell of freshly baked bread wafted out from the chimneys of bakeries.

The streets were filled with warmth and energy.

It was a liveliness rarely seen in a city often shrouded in steam and fog.

“Lederbelk’s city hall has started openly supporting this area lately.”

Hans said to Ludger as they walked.

“Just a short while ago, some folks were taking bribes from nearby merchants to block us—but suddenly they’ve changed their tune, and I can’t stand how fake it feels.”

“But thanks to that, they can’t meddle freely anymore. They probably have things they’re guilty about.”

“That too, but I think it’s more that they don’t know much about the owner. They’re being cautious. I get the sense some are trying to find a way to contact you. What will you do?”

“I’ll watch for now. In the meantime, our groundwork to extend influence across the city is proceeding steadily.”

For now, Royal Street was under Ludger’s control.

But little by little, as he expanded his influence, he’d eventually impact the entire city.

“To an outsider, you’d look like some villainous tycoon trying to swallow the city whole.”

“That wouldn’t be an entirely wrong impression.”

Chuckling at the light banter, the two entered [House of Verdi], the boutique run by Violetta.

The shop was full of noblewomen browsing through clothes and attendants scurrying about.

What stood out, though, was that the clientele wasn’t limited to noblewomen—there were quite a few men as well.

“Quite a mix. I thought it’d be mostly women.”

“Well, thanks to word of mouth, a lot of famous fashion designers have been dropping by lately. Plus, rich merchants and even some high-ranking mages.”

“Mages too?”

“There are mages who like to dress well, aren’t there? You yourself—”

“I’ve never made much effort to dress up.”

“...Ugh. Forget it. Such a liar. Let’s just go meet the manager.”

“Let’s.”

Just as Hans took the lead to head up to the second floor—

“Get the manager out here!”

A shrill shout pierced the air, followed by a surge of faint magical energy.

The whole room fell into silence.

Ludger and Hans naturally turned their eyes toward the source of the outburst.

There stood a young man with striking orange hair, scowling deeply.

A mage.

Ludger immediately recognized that the one who had shouted and released the magic was him.

And that one of the shop attendants had collapsed from the magical pressure.

“Oh my, what’s going on here?”

“Isn’t that Albert Pablo?”

Someone among the customers recognized the mage and called out his name.

“Pablo? Isn’t that the name of an old prestigious family from the former Mage Tower?”

“I’ve heard of them too. Supposedly there’s a color magic user in the Pablo family.”

“If it’s Albert, then he must be that guy’s younger brother.”

Albert himself, clearly irritated by the situation, bared his teeth in frustration and growled:

“Didn’t you hear me? I said get the manager!”

No one dared intervene or speak—until Violetta appeared, descending from the second floor.

She had come down to see what the commotion was about, but the moment she laid eyes on Albert, her expression turned cold.

In contrast, Albert smirked as he recognized her.

“Well, well. I was wondering who it was. Violetta—it’s you.”