ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR
Hmp, phew. I almost got cornered and caught as a suspicious person.
Hans, carrying Ludgers suitcase, walked slowly through the dark alley while avoiding the eyes of the police who had suddenly co to the scene.
It was just that day that Hans had arrived there, but he didnt get lost because he had already morized a map of Leathevelk city in his head.
More than that, he went to catch a werewolf. When the hell is he coming back?
As he thought so, sothing fell in front of Hans from the air.
It was a giant wolfs head that rolled to his feet.
Heek!
Hans shrugged his shoulders and desperately held back the scream that was about to leak out of his lips.
Surprised?
Ludger walked slowly out of the darkness of the opposite alley.
Shoes and leather trousers with a white dress shirt and a brown leather vest over it and a long dark coat on the outside and a hat on his head.
It seed like Hans might have plopped down on the spot if he didnt know who he was due to the intense pressure that was being emitted by his appearance.
Damn it! When you want to show up, say sothing before that! I almost dropped your suitcase! Hans shouted with quivering lips.
You didnt, so its fine.
Ah shit. Is this the werewolf? Well, Im not looking down on your skills, but I wonder how you managed to catch this horrible guy in that situation.
Hans, who checked the head of a werewolf who had died with his tongue stuck out, shivered and handed Ludger the black suitcase.
Accepting the suitcase, Ludger turned his back and walked ahead.
Hans followed in Ludgers back.
Can you leave the head just like that?
Yes, I dont need it anymore.
Why did you bring it then?
To surprise you.
So you still rember trying to tease you in the alley?
When Ludger was silent, Hans sighed and raised his hands.
I get it. I lost. I lost, so lets not do that again.
Seeing you do it
The two people who left the alley ca out to the street where there was human presence with pedestrians here and there.
So what was the identity of the werewolf? Is it really Cryptid?
No. It was an artificial experint made by soone.
Experint? Theyre crazy. Ill have to watch myself while Im in this town. It ans that the people who made that are here.
I have sothing to tell you about that.
Sothing to tell ? Im suddenly very nervous. Can I not listen to it?
I I get it! Tell what it is.
I should move up the work I originally planned.
The work you originally planned? Dont tell
I think its better here than in the capital.
Ludger threw two bags at Hans.
Hans took them and checked the contents. One was full of gold coins, and the other contained his beast neutralizer.
This is?
Shouldnt we slowly settle down?
But in Leathevellk? In a place thats in contact with Sren, and where there might be the secret society, the Black Dawn Society? Theres even a gang in the back alley since its a big city, though?
Yeah.
Youve gone crazy.
Theres plenty of funds for it, so do your best.
What about you?
I cant move hastily because Im an academy professor for now. The principal is still suspicious of .
So I have to do this all by myself?
Ludger shook his head.
Im not asking you to do everything. Im asking you to gather important information first. Whos the gang in this city, whos the mafia, how the underworld goes here, and how we can get a spot there. You can figure them out and tell .
Ill step up, then.
Hans, who understood what Ludger was about to say, gulped down his saliva and soon smiled and nodded.
Yes, thats my specialty.
***
Returning to the dormitory of the academy, I unpacked all my luggage in the accommodation.
I had left it to Hans to collect information by himself for the mont, but it will be fine.
He didnt seem trustworthy, but his ability to gather information was unrivaled.
I didnt take him around often for no reason.
I should build up my own force to prepare for unknown situations.
I couldnt move right away for the mont, so I decided to just prepare in advance.
The principal was still suspicious of , and I still didnt know exactly what the secret society of the Black Dawn Society was going to do.
It was rather poisonous for to move rashly.
Having finished organizing my luggage briefly, I sat on a fluffy sofa and recalled what happened that day.
That werewolf It was an experint deliberately made by soone rather than pure Cryptid.
The existence of werewolves was not surprising.
Monsters exist in this world, and by then, theyd been driven out beyond the shadow barrier, which was the outside of the continent, but there were still traces of them.
Cryptids were a pri example of the remnants.
The subspecies of monsters were more like urban legends or ghost stories caused by the abnormal occurrence of mana rather than the beings called as monsters.
The werewolf I caught that ti was also so kind of Cryptid, but it was just a fake one, to be exact.
Because experints and spells that create werewolves have existed for a long ti.
There was a curse potion made by putting various dicinal herbs in the water with wolfs footprints in it and mixing them with wolfs fur.
It was a transformation potion that could make even ordinary people turn into a beast if they drank it.
It was certainly black magic.
Black magic was prohibited nationally, so they would be punished with an unconditional death penalty no matter what reason they had if they got caught.
It also rarely circulated in the underworld.
But how could they make a werewolf like that? Seeing that he even has a lab marker as the sign that hes an experint, I dont think theres a lot of power involved in his creation.
Seeing that it has a leash, are they mixing human genes after capturing wild wolves alive?
There were signs of restraints and other traces of experints engraved on the werewolfs body.
It was certainly the result of science.
A potion that corrupted humans and transford them into beasts was the exclusive property of black wizards who had almost gone extinct.
Science had intervened in that thing.
Soone deliberately urged them to do it.
Then who was that soone?
Normal space was not enough to make that much of an experint secretly.
A fairly large laboratory was needed, and it should have been kept hidden from people.
Space, confidentiality, and possible failure in the experints
Considering all that, it ant that there was a big investor in the case who could provide a huge source of funding.
An aristocrat or a millionaire.
There must be a suspicious rich man in the empire.
I shook my head.
I didnt know who was suspicious enough, and since Id eliminated the werewolf and finished collecting his serum, I wouldnt have to worry about it anymore.
It was the weekend after a long ti, so I didnt want to be involved in any more troubleso work, and the next day was Sunday, so I wanted to rest well.
Moreover, I have to prepare for what I should do for the next class.
There were so many things that I had to deal with in many ways that I had a headache.
***
Monday morning marked the beginning of a new week after a peaceful Sunday.
I had breakfast with simple toast and coffee and then went to work at my private professors office in the main building.
The class was the next day, but I had to show myself going to work for the mont because I was a new teacher.
Thats social life.
After sitting at the desk in the office, I opened the days newspaper that I brought from the accommodation.
It was to simply check what happened in Leathevelk or Sren.
But
What the hell is this?
The front page of the warm newspaper that ca out just that morning was inscribed with a single prominent title in the coverage.
[An unidentified murderer in Leathevelk. Still in search!]
-Last Sunday, five more people died in Leathevelk. As a result, the total number of deaths exceeded 10. The culprit has yet to be identified, but witnesses say it is a dreadful beast with black fur. Although the cops say that its just a lunatic murderer and announced that theyd arrest it soon, citizens are still anxious.
What is this?
I read the article on the front page of the newspaper again and again.
No matter how I looked at it, it was the werewolf that I had killed the previous Saturday.
But the newspaper said that the death toll happened on Sunday.
There were as many as five people.
I definitely ended his life then, and yet theres a new victim. Does that an there wasnt only one werewolf?
It was the mont when I felt that the situation was going weird
Beep! Beep!
The translucent crystal ball on the work table began to flash with a strange sound.
I knew what that was.
The principal is calling .
It was so kind of signal artifact to bring the professors together.
That ant that there was a eting to be held.
I have to go.
I stood up and put on my coat on the hanger.
* * *
* * *
Suddenly, I rembered what professor Selena had said during the al on Friday.
So students had said they witnessed werewolves inside the academy.
Victims in Leathevelk, including sightings at the Academy.
Even if I excluded the one that I hunted, there might have been at least two more werewolves.
Maybe more than that.
Trying to move on from such anxious thoughts, I headed to the eting room where the professors had gathered.
Chatter chatter.
The conference hall on the higher floor of the main building was full of professors.
Those who were clearly competent in their own teaching fields.
When I went inside, peoples eyes were looking at .
Most of the feeling that was emitted in their eyes was curiosity, but I knew it was directed at the source code that I had invented, not curiosity toward .
Professor Ludger! Here!
A familiar pink-haired woman was seen swaying her hand in the corner.
When I found out that professor Selena was waving at , I walked toward her.
Is that person Ludger Chelysie?
I heard he invented so pretty great spell. Is that true?
I heard hes from a fallen aristocrat family. Hes acting so high with that look.
Among so professors, there were not a few people who looked at with hostility who were descendants of the aristocracy.
Their hostile and jealous stares were quite stinging, but I just shrugged it off.
Professor Selena greeted as I sat in an empty seat next to her.
Did you have a good weekend?
I had a good rest. Did you have a good rest, too, Professor Selena?
Yes, its been a while since I had a good rest. More than that, have you heard the rumor?
Did you an the reason why we gathered this ti?
Two first-year students were severely injured last night after they were attacked by an unidentified assailant.
Selena explained that the situation was like that.
Last night
It was said that two first-year students who were returning to the dormitory after going outside the academy were attacked inside Sren.
The injuries were not life-threatening, but it was quite serious, and it was a big shock that such an incident happened inside Sren.
And one of the students who just woke up that morning had said
That a horrifying beast had attacked them.
I guess the werewolf rumor that has been going around since last week was true. There were also victims in the nearby city of Leathevelk.
I see.
It was difficult to simply dismiss them as seeing so hallucination, and the wounds carved on the victims bodies were said to have been scratched by a beast.
Thats why the professors were all gathered that ti.
First of all, it was ntioned in the contract that Srens professors had to work with all their might in case of an ergency.
That ant it was hard to calm things down with internal guards or employees alone.
If the opponent is a werewolf, it would be much better to send elite professors than to put in unnecessary manpower.
Srens professors didnt only teach students normally.
In other words, the professors skills had been guaranteed to so extent at the ti when they tought the prestigious Sren students.
The principal is coming.
When a woman in her mid-50s with wrinkles on her face said that, all the professors who were talking to each other beca quiet.
I was wondering who she was, and Selena explained it to .
Shes Professor Mary Ross. Shes been teaching in Sren for more than 20 years. Her field of teaching is pharmacology.
I see.
Shed been teaching for more than 20 years in Sren? It ant that she had great ability.
She ca forward and settled down the situation, and all the other professors were silent.
The principal is coming.
Then the door opened, and the principal ca in.
She was always beautiful. Along with her fascinating golden eyes, her two-tone hair with white and light pink s naturally caught peoples eyes.
Good morning, everyone. The reason I called you in so urgently today is that I have sothing to announce to you.
The principal got straight to the point without dragging more ti.
All the professors in the conference hall pricked up their ears.
Recently, an unidentified assailant appeared inside Sren. In fact, last night, two new students who entered the school this year were attacked and seriously injured.
Whos the culprit?
It hasnt been revealed yet, but according to what the witnesses say, it was a werewolf, which ans that it was done by a Cryptid.
The ntion of the werewolf that was just rumor caused a stir among the professors.
That cant be true, your honor. Arent they mistaken? How co theres a Cryptid in Sren?
It was an avaricious middle-aged man who appeared to be in his mid-50s who stood up while speaking so blatantly.
He parted his greasy hair neatly 2/8 and had grown his mustache, which made his face look full of grumpiness.
It was like seeing an old boss that every school seed to have..
However, after he stood up, the atmosphere of the conference hall strangely changed.
Anything you want to say? Professor Hugo Bourtag?
This is Sren. This place is protected by the Exileon Empire. For such a werewolf to appear in Sren, I wonder if the students have been mistaken after believing the ghost stories that are currently circulating.
Professor Hugo. You dont seem to know anything. Didnt I just say there were already two victims?
I know. Even the victims were children of noble families. Thats why I dont think it was done by a werewolf.
Hugo Bourtag glanced at the crowd once.
I think the criminal is a fellow Sren student. A commoner at that.
What?
Otherwise, theres no way that only the aristocratic children would be among the many students who got hurt. A werewolf attack in Sren? Rather than saying that, it is much more credible if so students deliberately pretended to be werewolves and committed cris.
The words certainly had a plausible persuasion, but I couldnt help myself but feel so instinctive displeasure at Hugos words.
Yes, he is not purely questioning the situation.
He was just trying to nitpick at the principals words and pass the bla on to certain students.
Looking through the atmosphere, I nodded inwardly.
Oh, I get it roughly.
As long as Sren was also an organization, it was inevitable that factions existed within it.
Students were divided into commoners and aristocrats, but the professors were not that different.
The reality was that professors also had a subtle, strange atmosphere between commoner professors and aristocratic professors.
The new teacher, Chris Benimore, who had just joined Sren, had also refused to eat together while comnting about being a fallen aristocrat.
I thought the Black Dawn Society would go against that, but I dont think so either.
Maybe Hugo was the only one who acted rashly like that, but he would have known that there were quite a few people who secretly agreed with him.
So aristocratic professors united and ford a faction.
And that faction didnt seem to get along well with the principals faction.
Its not enough for them to work together, but what kind of situation was an internal conflict like that?
When I thought, Is this what Srens reality is like? a small bug climbed up the wall and crawled onto my shoulder.
The mont I was about to bounce it off with my hand because I thought it disturbed , I had no choice but to pause.
It wasnt a bug. It was a small thin piece of paper in the shape of a bug.
Fortunately, others had not noticed it yet.
I grabbed it naturally and checked the contents in a way that others wouldnt notice.
It was fortunate that most professors attention was focused on the war of nerves between the principal and Hugo.
After checking the contents, I pressed my finger against my slightly throbbing forehead.
Three of the experintal subjects escaped. Imdiate capture is required. Eliminate them if not possible.
I could imdiately see who sent the ssage and who was the mastermind behind the werewolves.
But the most important thing was the last sentence.
If the experints whereabouts is revealed, there is a risk that your identity will be revealed.
Oh, my God.
Why do You give such a hard ti?
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