Academy’s Undercover Professor Chapter 2 - To The Empire’S Capital (2)

But why had the man in front of asked about Machiavellis existence?

It was also a fake identity that I had been using until not long before then.

No way is he doing it on purpose because he knows?

What is his hidden intention?

For a mont, I suspected that he was a tracer sent by the princesss faction of the Kingdom of Utah, but I didnt think so.

Ludger hadnt taken any other action other than asking the question.

Rather, his eyes and actions showed sothing closer to pure curiosity.

So its just a re coincidence?

A professor of Sren

Sren Academy was so famous that news regarding it had passed by on word of mouth even to faraway countries.

The fact that such a young man was to be Srens newly appointed professor ant that the person in front of was a person with great talent.

I surely didnt know it at first, but I could gradually feel that sothing was odd with that guy.

But instead of raising my guard, I shook my head inwardly.

Lets just say its a coincidence for now.

I couldnt let it show because Id feel guilty.

I naturally turned to the next page of the newspaper and listened to his words.

If there was really soone like that, he would have been in the newspapers.

Ha ha. Well, there are things that arent easily revealed to the public.

Thats interesting.Is it okay for you to say that to soone youve just t today?

Well, theres no reason why I cant do it, right? And, Mr. Gerrard, its my first ti seeing you today, but sohow I feel like were on the sa page.

Im grateful that Srens reputable professor has a good opinion of such an old man.

Ludger didnt seem to be able to take his interest off of , perhaps because he had a good image that was well-liked by others.

He couldnt let it pass quietly without a word.

Because it had beco like that, I decided to respond to him appropriately.

Still, having a companion to talk with made less lonely, so there was nothing bad about it.

Mr. Ludger, when you arrive in Sren, will you go to a lesson right away?

Not imdiately, but Ill have to wait a while.

Teaching first year?

No. Im in charge of the second year.

Oh, so you teach the second year. Dont newly appointed professors usually handle the new students in the first year? Well, youre more amazing than I thought youd be.

It was only a rumor I had heard, but Sren Magic Academy had an image that was close to a university when judged compared to Earth.

It was said that all kinds of buildings were built on a huge expanse of land and that there were already thousands of units only for the employees who lived and worked there.

Although it was adjacent to a large city, Srens scale was literally close to a small city, so there were even so comparisons going around that it was like two cities next to each other.

The students of Sren ranged from 1st year to 5th year.

Usually, the higher the year, the smarter the children beco, so it would be fundantal to have a competent professor in the senior year and a newly appointed professor in the first year.

But I couldnt believe he was going to teach the second year from the start of his appointnt.

I had thought that he might be quite a great man, but he turned out to be more than that.

He wouldnt be able to beco a professor in Sren for no reason.

The Academy of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

This was a world that had achieved an industrial revolution called iron and steam, but if I should pick a different aspect from the Earth, of course, it was the existence of magic.

Ive only seen it in fantasy novels before.

The existence of magic was inseparable from this world, and most definitely, magic was always the exclusive possession of the chosen ones.

Because one couldnt use magic if they couldnt handle it.

But

Unlike in the past, where only aristocrats of noble blood could use it, those days, there was an exponentially growing number of skill supremacies as common people could also learn magic as long as they had the talent.

Sren was the place where one could get into the top Magic Academy with just that skill.

Im curious at this point. What kind of place is it?

Usually, when it ca to a magic academy, I couldnt help but think of a famous literary work from when I lived on Earth.

Students flying around on brooms and using magic with wooden sticks

Perhaps children who ca across that kind of magic schools movies and books in their childhood had dreams about it.

A magic school.

There was nothing as dreamy as that.

But there really was such a thing in this world.

Students who learned magic and enjoyed their youth.

Youth huh.

In my past life, my father had died early, so I couldnt afford to enjoy it.

I had studied like crazy with the obligation to support my family, and I was under pressure to succeed.

My second life wasnt particularly different from my previous life.

No, it was even worse.

There was a reason why I had been walking around hiding my identity.

I must be wanting sothing out of nothing if I wished for it now as well.

It had been about 27 years since I had been born in this world and lived again.

I was no longer on the path of burning youth or whatever you would call it.

The Academy of Magic or whatever was just a story from a different world.

It was still the sa regarding the man called Ludger in front of , who was closely related to the Academy.

Iwho lived with a false identity to hide my true identityand that manwho stood on the shining stage of Srenwere extrely different.

But since he had beco a Sren professor at a young age, I decided to congratulate him earnestly.

Cause hes a fallen nobleman.

There were still classes of society in this world, and the nobles were definitely the pinnacle of such classes in society.

However, those who were in such a place and fell to the abyss existed.

Whether it was because of their rebellion against the state, or they got on the wrong side of those with higher statuses, or they were in huge debts.

Anyway, those nobles had fallen to the abyss for various reasons.

Fallen aristocrat.

Considering that fallen aristocrats were more despised by their fellow aristocrats than by the commoners, the man nad Ludger in front of must have made a really bloody effort until he beca a professor at Sren.

While I was imrsed in such thoughts, I felt sothing strange outside.

What is it?

I had no choice but to be filled with strange anxiety as I threw a slight glance out of the window.

The atmosphere was strange.

The air was heavy, to be exact.

It was as if sothing was going to happen.

Whats wrong? Ludger asked, seeming to feel sothing odd with my response.

I didnt answer, and I had my five senses on edge.

Sothing was coming.

Is sothing

It was the mont Ludger was about to open his mouth.

!!!

* * *

* * *

A powerful jolt along with a huge explosion shook the Magic Engineering train violently.

The trains cabin shook, and the train that was running on the railroad swung to the side.

I held the chairs handle firmly in order to balance my body.

What is this? Did the engine burst?

Ludger muttered so, but I shook my head as I didnt know.

The engine didnt seem to have burst.

There was no way the whole train would shake because of one engine going out.

In addition, when it ca to safety, there was no way that the engine of an exclusive Magic Engineering locomotive would explode by itself.

There must have been sothing. A reason why that explosion had been inevitable.

!

It seed that my uneasy imagination wasnt wrong, as sothing began to run busily, thumping loudly on the ceiling of the train.

At the sa ti, a loud noise was heard from the leading compartnt.

The sound of sothing breaking and of people screaming. I realized exactly what had happened.

Its a raid.

A raid? On this train?

Most of the passengers on this Magic Engineering train are wealthy rchants and aristocrats. The robbers in the northern mountains must have done this while aiming for them.

Most of the passengers on that expensive Magic Engineering locomotive were rich people. Obviously, there were many people who were after their money and valuables, and raids by the robbers who were targeting those trains occasionally took place.

Even so, I cant believe theyre doing this on the train thats heading from the border to the Empire.

Those bastards who attacked right then were pretty much not in their right mind either.

They were so daring that they even beca extrely reckless.

The explosion that shook the train a little while ago. I dont think its from a normal force.

I narrowed my eyes because I had sothing that I had speculated.

Is it magic?

There was a wizard among the raiders.

If a wizard was involved, such a bold move was feasible.

If they quickly robbed and escaped with the help of a wizard, they could hide safely in the steep northern Arette mountains. It would have been hard to chase them.

If that sothing was what they were planning, they were definitely not ordinary robbers.

If they had a wizard with such firepower and attacked a train with aristocrats on board, those bold guys could never be ordinary people in the first place.

Since magic existed in this world, there were also so people who did bad things with magic.

Mr. Ludger, I think you should hide or avoid the attack for now.

Ludger nodded as he listened to my words.

Ludger picked up his luggage. Did he try to take his bag in that situation? There must have been sothing important inside it.

I stood up because I also wasnt in a position to worry about others. The first one to take the lead was Ludger.

Ill stand in front of you just in case.

Yes.

For the mont, my identity was as a commoner in his 40s who had a lot of money.

That guy who beca an academy professor in his mid-20s would fight better.

Ludger took out a small wooden wand in his right hand and raised his guard.

The two of us opened the rooms door and examined the movent in the corridor of compartnt four.

There wasnt anyone in sight yet. The passengers seed to be waiting quietly in their rooms for the mont.

Its the wrong choice.

It was said that the cabins themselves were protected by magic, but the robbers who attacked were not ordinary people either. In that situation, sitting still in the cabin was like sticking out your own neck to be slaughtered.

In tis like that, the best plan was to stay as far away from those robbers as possible.

But theres no way the robbers who penetrated compartnt three havent entered here yet.

I thought that theyd scatter right away and then extort money and valuables from the passengers, but was I wrong?

Or maybe they were after the first compartnt, in front of ours.

The first compartnt was the first-class seating where the nobles stayed. It was a VIP room that was strictly protectedin other words, it was the golden egg that had the most money.

Its a relief.

We just needed to step back while they were drawn to the first compartnt.

Of course, rescue signals were installed in that kind of Magic Engineering train to prepare for an unexpected attack and in case of an ergency.

The backup force would probably be running in the early hours.

I just had to hang in there until they arrived.

Crash!

At that mont, a man broke into the hallway window.

As he was fluttering the snow from his shoulders, which he had not brushed off yet, he raised his head and stared at us after he sensed our presence.

His eyes were severely bloodshot.

His first impression is brutal. Is he high on drugs?

His appearance, which was suffused with hatred and anger, seed to be completely different from a robbers.

In that cold weather, I wondered if he was going all out after waiting for the train.

Aaaargh!

But before I could reveal that mystery, he yelled at us when he found us first.

At the sa ti, Ludger revealed his magic.

It was a sorcery in which threadlike strands of magic power were carved in the air in front of the wand.

The sorcery that seed to carve a three-dinsional picture in the air soon combined into a single spell.

Zzzt!

A flash of light penetrated the intruders chest when it seed that a blue lightning bolt had ford.

Aaaargh!

The robber, who was rushing toward our side, fell flat onto the floor stomach-first and shook his body.

Did you kill him? I asked while looking at Ludger.

No, I just incapacitated him, Ludger replied before slowly approaching the fallen robber with a cautious face.

He continued to aim his wand at the body.

Wait, Mr. Ludger. Its dangerous.

Its all right. Im just going to interrogate him a little bit about his purpose for attacking the train.

No, I an

I tried to say sothing more, but Ludger moved without listening.

He turned the fallen robbers body upward with his foot.

Tell . Why did you attack this train?

Uurgh. Ha. Haha.

Did you just laugh in this situation?

We need to kill all everyone.

What lay in that stamring voice was a frigid madness that was enough to make anyones skin shudder.

The robber laughed as his body convulsed and he bled from his nose.

At the sa ti, his tightly wrapped coat fell open, revealing an object hidden inside.

It was a huge bomb.

!

With his eyes wide open as he saw that, before Ludger could unleash a spell

The robber pressed the detonator that he had prepared in advance and held in his hand.

Booooom!

A huge explosion swept through compartnt four.

____