The Academy’s Undercover Professor – 20



◈ Episode 20 Abraham Van Helsing (1)

Teacher Selina who was smiling brightly today as well nodded to my question.

“yes. The rumor has already spread among the students. A werewolf exists only as an urban legend. “It’s funny right?”

“….”

“No matter how many geniuses are gathered I think they are still students. “You’re so secretly concerned about such ghost stories.”

Teacher Selina laughed and said that the students’ imaginations were really cute but I couldn’t help but laugh.

It is said that the first source of the rumor was students who had gone on an outing to the nearby city of Lederbelk the previous day.

A dark night in Lederbelk after the sun sets.

The first eyewitness account was that a black shadow was seen moving across the rooftop of the building through the gently falling night fog.

I shook my head.

“They’re still kids aren’t they?”

“yes. That’s right. Still it was a bit surprising to hear that a werewolf seen outside the city was also seen in Seorn.”

“Even inside Seorn?”

Did the students in the school see something in vain because the kids who saw it in the city spread the word?

“Seorn must be so wide. And because it is a place where all kinds of magic is rampant it is said that strange phenomena sometimes occur due to magical power. “The seven great ghost stories actually exist right?”

“Are you talking about the seven ghost stories?”

“yes. “Didn’t you know?”

“Miss Selina you know a lot about ghost stories.”

“yes yes?!”

It was just meant to be a compliment but for some reason Teacher Selina reacted a little too much.

Her eyes widened and her cheeks turned pink. Her hair also stood up as if it was a little puffy.

When I looked at her wondering why she was reacting like that she hastily made an excuse.

“I wasn’t looking for it in detail to see if there was something like Seorn’s school ghost story! “I was just thinking about what topics would be good to talk about with students and that’s absolutely not the case!”

“Okay so calm down.”

Seeing my two arms shaking back and forth with nowhere to go I felt like if I made a mistake I would bump into the plate and spill the food.

“No. “It’s not really true.”

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However Teacher Selina seemed to have sensed some impatience in my attitude and continued to make excuses even more desperately.

Just when we thought that the meal would not continue like this Miss Merylda who was no better intervened.

“ah. Now that I think about it I heard that Mr. Ludger has been acting quite extravagantly since his first class. Is that true?”

“What do you mean?”

“You know what. They say you showed a groundbreaking magic that reduces the speed at which magic appears. “What did you say your name was?”

“Source code!”

Teacher Selina also forgot her embarrassment and exclaimed as her eyes lit up.

The shout was so loud that there was a momentary silence in the teacher-only cafeteria.

Teacher Selina realized her mistake and lowered her head. Her earlobes exposed through her pink hair were dyed bright red.

I sighed softly and nodded.

“yes. you’re right.”

When I nodded and agreed eyes came from all directions.

That was the gaze of the teachers who were eating at another table.

As I was wondering why that was the case Teacher Merilda lowered her upper body and explained it so that I could hear it.

“It’s because everyone is interested in Mr. Ludger’s magic.”

“You mean my magic?”

“oh. Are you pretending not to know? Are you saying that rumors have already spread within Seorn about the magic that Teacher Ludger showed in the first class?”

“hmm.”

I put a piece of meat in my mouth and figured out how the situation was going.

‘Is it of interest?’

From the first day of class I vaguely guessed that it would be like this.

From the perspective of people in this world source code that borrows 21st century computer programming methods must be truly innovative.

I fully expected that the ripple effect itself would definitely reach other teachers as well.

“From what I heard it has been said that the speed of magic manifestation has been drastically shortened. Is it okay for me to brush that off here?”

“that’s right. “At that level you can make a lot of money by patenting at Magic Tower.”

Teacher Selina also responded positively.

Well to put it bluntly it is not wrong. The magic called source code will become a wind of change in the stagnant magic society.

In fact if you provide magic like this to the Magic Tower which has a magic patent system you can literally sit on a cushion of money.

Of course that is common knowledge known on the surface.

“I don’t care about that.”

I pretended not to be humble but I know better than anyone else that it is better not to apply for a patent.

People who don’t know anything yet may think that providing newly developed magic to the Magic Tower is a great thing but the reality is quite different.

There is clearly a magic patent system in the Magic Tower.

Wizards who are short on money want to use the patent system to make money but such good looks are only superficial.

A patent can only become a patent if it is properly recognized by Magic Tower.

The problem is that most of the magic that is submitted as a patent is slapped down lowly by the magic tower making all kinds of excuses.

‘It would be better to just make excuses like that but there are people who are abusing this.’

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Other new teachers may still have a positive perception of the Magic Tower but I have already experienced how dirty and disgusting the Magic Tower is so my perspective is different.

Even if the old judges of Magic Tower really developed a new magic that leaves no room for criticism the problem still exists.

‘If you don’t have a strong supporter or a noble family behind you you will literally be robbed of the magic you can patent.’

Or if this side is dissatisfied with him and does not apply for a patent he may be taken to an alley or something and forced to spit out magic.

There actually was a case like that.

In other words the patent system used by Magic Tower is nothing more than a fake with no reputation.

Knowing that I didn’t sacrifice my magic to the magic tower to make money.

Even if you do it is a natural reality that you will be kicked out because you don’t have a bag let alone money.

‘At least Ludger’s status is better now.’

Although he is a fallen aristocrat he is currently working as a teacher in Seorn so he is not bad in terms of recognition.

However even with Ludger’s status if you let your guard down you will get your nose cut with your eyes open which is the current Magic Tower.

A place where there is stagnation stagnation and the childish greed of old people is rampant like sticky mud.

No matter what country I live in I hate places like that.

And Seorn’s deliberate display of the source code was a somewhat calculated action.

First spread the word to the students that the groundbreaking magic called Source Code was created by Ludger Chelsea.

Rumors spread among the students spreading to the teachers spreading among the teachers and even outside of Seorn.

That’s how it will reach the ears of the Magic Tower.

If they bow their heads first and apply for a patent they are putting their own neck in the fire.

However if the other side gets anxious about the emergence of a new magic and approaches me then the positions of A and B will change.

And the status of Ludger will become even higher.

Rather than being a new teacher of Seorn who has nothing as a teacher of Seorn with considerable talent.

If I have a business card like this people around me won’t be able to easily ignore me.

It may take some time but there is nothing better than this to solidify my position.

‘The only problem is that other teachers turn on the lights and target me.’

It still is.

Teachers Selina and Merilda had good personalities so I let it go but the other teachers were showing me blatant jealousy.

In particular the look in the eyes of Chris Benimore one of the teachers who joined me this time is like looking at boiling magma.

If you do that you can kill people with your eyes.

“Still it’s disappointing….”

“There is no need to regret showing it to students first.”

After looking around for a while I got up from my seat.

I was afraid that if I continued to stay here I would feel embarrassed because of the stares.

“I’ll just go first. “I have a next class.”

“Oh yes! take care!”

“Goodbye~.”

I nodded lightly in response to the two teachers who greeted me and then quickly left the teacher-only cafeteria.

* * *

Merilda narrowed her eyes as she watched Ludger leave.

I thought he was a great guy from the first time I saw him but I realized it clearly when we had a conversation a while ago.

Ludger Chelsea. That man really presented the magic of source code for his students something that even other teachers were paying attention to.

‘Otherwise rather than revealing it to the Magic Tower there is no way I would have kept it hidden until now and showed it in the first class.’

From Merilda’s point of view Ludger’s behavior did not seem like a wizard these days.

It’s a bit strange to say they’re a wizard these days but wizards have been like that for a long time.

Because they are overly cool-headed they lack a lot of empathy making them selfish and lacking in consideration for others.

However as time passes and recently this trend has become much more severe.

Nowadays in the magic world even teachers who are supposed to teach someone do not trust their students and never reveal their vision.

She also felt it keenly because she had been through a similar situation.

But what about Ludger?

Although he possessed great magic he did not show off his skills to those around him.

And what’s even more surprising is that the magic was used in front of the students.

‘No matter how young the students are if you show them how to use magic some savvy people might catch on.’

Does that man not even worry about his magic being taken away?

There are only two reasons for doing so.

One is that magic is so difficult that you can’t even tell by looking at it.

‘Or.’

Are you prepared to not mind if it gets taken away?

‘Oh no way.’

But without that the confident attitude he showed when eating a while ago.

That can’t be an explanation.

‘That kind of person is a new teacher like me.’

The more I thought about it the more humble I felt.

Merilda sighed and looked to the side.

Selina her classmate and close friend was staring blankly at Ludger’s left spot.

I’m quite obsessed with this one too.

Merilda shook her head saying there was nothing she could do then immediately smiled mischievously and touched the back of Selina’s neck with her fingertip.

“Hey!”

“Selina. What are you thinking like that? why. “Are you sad that Mr. Ludger went first?”

“Mr. Merilda? “What do you mean?”

After all Selina is fun to tease.

Merilda thought so and picked on Selina for a while.

Of course having to comfort Selina who was sulking along the way was a bonus.

* * *

Saturday the day after theory class ended.

From noon when the sun was shining brightly I was in Lederbelk a city near Seorn.

First of all it was nominally a simple walk to look around a nearby city but in reality it was because we had a prior contract.

The appointment was in the evening and there was quite a bit of time left.

I came out early to see what Lederbelk was like.

‘The city itself looks pretty nice.’

Lederbelk a city with advanced magical engineering is a huge city with over 500km of the Lemzier River flowing through its center.

The flowing rivers and countless railroad tracks laid on the ground were the blood vessels that instilled the vitality of the city and the people living within them were full of vitality.

Ledervelk which is the center of all kinds of commerce and magical engineering is adjacent to Seorn Academy so it has the reputation of being the most developed city.

I walked down ‘Centerford’ the main street of Lederbelk.

Unlike other areas here gentlemen and ladies dressed in suits were quietly enjoying their leisure time.

Centerford a place that symbolizes the revival of Lederbelk.

This is a residential complex inhabited by the rich with beautifully carved street trees and steam trains and golem carriages roaming every street.

I sat on the terrace of a quiet cafe and drank coffee.

Even though it’s the weekend the subtle scent of coffee beans in a quiet cafe mixes with the scent of the coffee I’m drinking creating a strange atmosphere.

‘That’s great.’

It’s a beautiful place and I want to live in a place like this at least once.

It would be natural to vaguely have such thoughts.

‘The price of a house is definitely expensive.’

I got up paid for the coffee and headed to the next area.

‘Grand Chapel’ is the busiest street in Lederbelk.

It was a place where a huge white cathedral in the Gothic Revival style stood tall.

It may not be a busy area for no reason but it was full of all kinds of things I had never seen before.

Machines that emit white steam from external combustion engines made of brass and mechanics who work on such machines.

Children playing with small wind-up toys.

People busking on the street playing the accordion cello violin and even citizens dancing while listening to the music.

“….”

As I wandered around the city the sun began to set and the sunset began to burn.

Dang. Dang. Dang.

The huge clock towers that rise all over the city rang their bells indicating that it was 6 o’clock.

It was early spring with traces of winter still remaining so the sun set early and the air on my skin quickly became cold.

I adjusted the front of the black coat I was wearing and headed to the meeting place.

Until now we have only seen the beautiful view of Leathervalk but this time we are heading to the opposite.

Shadows clearly cast under intense light.

It was a place called the ugly face of this city.

Pulling the wide-brimmed hat on my head deeper I walked through the hazy mist rising from the surface of the Lemzier River.

When even the burning scarlet clouds of fire drifted beyond the west and the deep blue sky covered the entire city of Ledervelk.

I stood in front of an alley in a factory area covered in thick fog.

There are no people.

Street vagrants gave up begging and returned to the depths of the alleys and children who worked to earn daily wages went home while coughing harshly.

I am the only one here.

The scarlet light of the streetlight meets the fog and scatters hazily.

In that empty silence I leaned my back against the smoke-covered brick and waited for the person I was supposed to meet.

‘You said you’d come early but you’re late.’

The moment I thought that I heard a sound from inside the alley where I was leaning back.

Crumbling.

It is a sound that can never be made by human vocal cords.

I turned away from the wall and stared into the alley.

A pair of red eyes emerged from inside an unknown space where gray fog and black darkness were half mixed.

‘This is so true.’

I remembered what Teacher Selina said the day before at the restaurant.

The rumor that students saw a werewolf.

She herself thought it was just a ghost story but…

Looking at that now I wonder what he would think.

That moment.

The thing moved in the dark.

Movement rushing towards this direction in an instant.

I stared intently at that sight.

I immediately raised my fist and struck the guy’s head.

Coo!

“Kaaak!”

A loud scream briefly echoes through the fog.

I looked down at the guy sitting in front of me without hiding my pitiful face.

“I was wondering why you were late but I guess you were planning to pull a prank like this?”

“Holy shit. Still it’s been a while so if I’m a little surprised where does it come from?”

The guy who said that and massaged his sore head with his hand was an acquaintance I had decided to meet and he could be said to be my subordinate.

“It’s been a while. “Hans.”

“It’s been a while. older brother.”

He was the one who spread the werewolf rumor among the students.