Academy’s Undercover Professor-Novel - Chapter 112

ACADEMY’S UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

[Translator – Alice]

[Proofreader – ilafy]

Chapter 112 – Rain and City (2)

Shaaaaaa!

Rain poured down as if there was a hole piercing through the sky.

A hazy rain fog engulfed the entirety of the city.

The dark sky and the boundaries which divided the city had collapsed. The view beyond the horizon was squashed into one as if the sky and ground had merged.

Casey walked through the center of such a world which was shrouded in water.

“Casey, are you sure about your words just now?”

As Betty wasn’t getting drenched by rain thanks to Casey’s magic, she followed Casey and questioned her. Casey turned her head halfway toward Betty and questioned back.

“What?”

“What you told me before… The fact that James Moriarty is still alive, and that he’s in this city.”

“If my intuition is correct, then yes. The activity periods of the people I told you about  coincided so much that it was weird.”

“Still, it’s impossible. Why on earth would such a talented person hide his own identity and wander the world?”

“I don’t know either.”

“Pardon? You are that certain even though you don’t know?”

“Betty, there’s something my grandfather told me.”

“What’s that?”

“When you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.”

It was as Serochion Selmore, who became very well-known as a detective in his time, always said to Casey.

—Casey, you’re a smart kid. Smarter than me. You will obviously become someone greater than me.

Her grandfather, who sat on a rocking chair while chewing pipe tobacco, stroked her hair warmly with his wrinkled hand when she was still young.

—So I’m asking you a favor. Please make this world a better place to live.

Rumble.

As Casey reminisced on the memory of that time, the thunder echoing in the sky jolted her from her thoughts.

“Anyway, that’s that. That’s also the reason why I chased that man. A famous hunter, an underworld tycoon criminal, a mercenary who ended the civil war, and the worst phantom thief—he achieved all those nicknames. I can’t let such a person run around.”

“What on earth is that person’s real identity?”

“I don’t know. The name James Moriarty must be a fake one, too. Perhaps he was active before that even. It was just the first time I met him.”

Casey was also curious about the man’s real identity, but what was important was not his real identity.

She couldn’t leave a villain who’d steered the Kingdom of Delica into chaos and almost triggered a war alone.

She definitely had to arrest him.

“So let’s hurry up and go. There’s a hotel we reserved.”

“Wait! Can’t we use a carriage to go there?”

“Rain is pouring down, what do you mean ‘carriage’? Don’t you know that the golem-drawn carriages can’t get wet? It’s hard to find a real horse-drawn carriage these days.”

“Uurgh. This is annoying.”

“The hotel is not far away, so don’t worry.”

“Where is it?”

“Kunst.”

Casey looked above where strong raindrops fell from the sky. The rain was getting weaker. The rain would probably stop the moment they arrived at their destination.

“A huge auction will be held soon, and I received an invitation there.”

“You also have an interest in auctions?”

“I have no interest in the auction itself. I needed a proper place to stay, they found out about my need somehow and sent me the invitation. Well, they probably need a famous guest who lives up to their name.”

Kunst, which was run by the Luke Company, couldn’t usually attract Casey’s attention.

She’d only chosen it because she didn’t have to go through the troublesome process of doing a check-in at another hotel.

Obviously, it didn’t mean that she didn’t have any objectives at all.

“And you know…”

Casey smiled naughtily.

It was a devilish smile that she showed whenever she recalled the upcoming cases.

“Betty. You know what? Every time a huge event like the upcoming auction is held, there’s always an incident.”

Betty replied in a slightly sulky tone as she saw Casey already amused at the thought of solving an incident.

“If that’s the case, aren’t you the one who’s steering the incident? I’m suspicious.”

“Ah~ Let’s get to the hotel fast and take a rest~”

“Kyaaa! Wa-wait! Rain! Rain poured on me! You are lifting the spell on purpose, right?! Casey!”

Casey lightly ignored her shouts.

* * *

The pouring rain which seemed to sweep away the world soon stopped.

The sky filled with dark clouds started to return to its original light.

Sunlight shone through the gaps of splitting clouds.

I stood on the steeple of the building’s roof and stared at Leathevelk’s scenery.

The golden color emitted from the setting sun touched the clouds and spread to the surroundings.

The water of the Ramsey river flowed roughly and sprayed distorted light.

As I looked at the contrasting majestic figure of the sky spreading widely over the silenced city, I suddenly remembered the past.

—When I’d first met my teacher and gotten to know the world.

—When he brought me, who had been living on an island, to the continent and showed me the vast world.

At that time, the sun was also setting beautifully like this.

I stretched my hand to the air.

It was the same sky as that day, but the sense in my hand was different.

I was younger in the past and wasn’t as tall. Most of all, that other place wasn’t a city, but vast plains.

It was a place where the wind rushed fast like a wild horse, and my footprints shadowed the grass.

—A place where an endless Milky Way spread like silk at night.

The noise of bugs and the smell of grass that stimulated my nose…

The sensation of silver grass swaying in the wind still remained on my fingertips.

“What are you thinking about?”

I heard a voice.

I turned my head. Alex was climbing up an iron ladder toward the steeple.

“Nothing. I was just looking at the sky.”

“Sky?”

As he stood by my side, Alex whistled while looking at the clouded golden sunset.

“For sure. It’s a beautiful scene that’s rarely seen in this kind of city. Is it because of the rain?”

“Perhaps.”

“But were you looking at the sky alone way up here in such a difficult place to get to? You are unexpectedly sensitive, I see.”

“Since you’re chattering like that, it seems like you have something to say to me.”

As I seemingly got straight to the point, Alex showed a foolish expression for a moment before switching to a resigned, hollow smile.

“I just want to thank you.”

“For what?”

“You didn’t rule me out in this plan and believed in me.”

“You still can’t get rid of your feelings toward her?”

“I’m not someone who has the right to hold any feelings toward her.”

Alex usually acted frivolously, but it wasn’t the first time he’d acted like that.

He also had times when he had a dream and worked toward that dream.

Enya had used to be his lover.

“Has your heart calmed down?”

“Just about.”

“All you have to do is not cause a setback on the day of our plan.”

“That’s pretty much possible. Don’t worry. Well, that’s it about my story. Why don’t we talk about the stories of our colleagues?”

The stories of our colleagues…

I had already guessed that he would say that.

I’d forcefully gathered my personal connections, which consisted of people who were extremely unique and had bizarrely outstanding abilities.

They fit me well, but there was no guarantee that they would fit each other well.

“Moreover, that big guy.”

“You mean Pantos?”

“What the hell is wrong with him? He almost wreaked havoc there!”

“Still, it ended well, right?”

“It ended well because I mentioned your name. If I didn’t think fast there, we would’ve been caught.”

“It can’t be helped. I was the only one he swore loyalty to. He must think that nobody else has to be considered important.”

“Damn. So he doesn’t have any camaraderie or what? He’s troublesome.”

“However, Pantos is honest and genuine. If you dig into that part, he will be a good colleague for you.”

“Aah. I don’t really like such rigid people.”

“Since you said it like that, it isn’t like you hate him. Other than him, what do you think about the other guys?”

Alex immersed himself in his thoughts while folding his arm before he replied to my question.

“All of them are certainly top-class people who clearly display their abilities in their respective fields. Come to think of it, their personalities are a bit strange, and they have many difficult traits.”

“Isn’t that the story for you as well?”

“The same goes for you.”

Alex returned my joke with a joke of his own.

“And there’s that guy called Hans.”

“Yeah.”

“He has quite the skill in gathering information, but I feel quite unfortunate about him.”

“There should be nothing unfortunate since he did the role entrusted to him.”

“His unique physical type. If he has the strength to change into a beast, he would certainly be a big help in a battle as well.”

I was wondering what he was about to say, it turned out it was that.

“As you already know, Hans avoids fighting. He’s like that by nature.”

“He’s a coward, you mean?”

“A coward, huh?”

I was thinking about what Alex said before nodding my head.

It wasn’t wrong.

“Yeah. He’s a coward. Even though he possesses such a strength, he would rather avoid battle than have to fight with someone else. He also kept fleeing before he met me.”

“Really. Knowing that he can change into a beast, he seems like he would actually be rather strong.”

Alex’s gut feeling was sharply accurate.

In fact, the strength of Hans’s body after receiving a beast’s factor and transforming was close to that of a trained Knight’s.

If he used a fang of a beast with a bloodline, he would get as strong as that.

However, because the one who handled such an extraordinary physical type was Hans, the story was different.

“Hans did his role well without having to fight. To be concerned about something beyond that is meddlesome.”

“Well, since he did his part, I’m not really dissatisfied about it. It’s just a bit of a shame that such a power is left to rust.”

“You don’t need to look at it so negatively. The time will come when Hans sets his heart to fighting.”

“When is that?”

“Perhaps…”

I stared at the gradually setting sun beyond the horizon.

“Soon.”

“Is that just your gut feeling or a logical deduction?”

“What do you think it is?”

“Well, if I have to say it, it must be a gut feeling. Ah. And that boy, Arpa.”

Alex recalled Arpa and showed an ambiguous reaction.

“He’s somewhat weird.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well. Should I say it was his behavior or that he emitted a different spirit? Since you brought him along, it’s obvious that he’s unique, but he’s a bit…”

Alex glanced at me and asked.

“What did he do?”

I didn’t answer his question and instead turned my back.

“Let’s go down. We need to prepare our strategy.”

“Hah. You won’t tell me ‘til the end?”

“There’s also a method for you to find out about it using your own ability.”

“You’re too much, really.”

“It’s not fun if I tell you everything, right? Don’t be impatient. While you’re working with him, you will gradually figure it out. That’s the interesting thing about life.”

Alex shook his head, as he had given up on my words.

* * *

Time flew fast, and the day of the festival opening, which led Leathevelk into a bustle, drew close.

Fancily dressed people headed to the Kunst auction house one by one.

The employees bowed courteously while greeting the guests.

Even under the dark night sky, the Kunst auction house was filled with decorative lights.

It was to the point that the lights shone beyond the streetlamps and their brilliance flew outside.

The auction house was opened to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Kunst.

The auction would be open for three days straight and was of the utmost interest to people in power.

Moreover, it was opened successfully on the eve of the first day’s festival, so because it was the second day, their interests became even more centered in it.

Famous actors, aristocrats, wizards, businessmen, merchants, etc.

It was full of people whose names would be known no matter where they went.

‘There are a lot of people, huh?’

As she’d arrived at the Kunst auction house while being guided by her servants, Elendil couldn’t tear her gaze away from the luxurious interior view.

‘Oh, my god, how much is that worth? If they sell even one of them, couldn’t that amount of money be a salvation for even a few families of commoners?’

When she was thinking such silly thoughts, someone approached her.

“Elendil von Exileon, the third princess. Thank you for visiting the Kunst. I am Ivan Luke, the person in charge of the auction house that’s being opened today. You can call me Luke.”

“Ah, yes.”

Because Elendil was only visiting as a matter of courtesy, she only replied lightly.

She didn’t really like people who dressed so luxuriously like that.

However, Ivan Luke seemed to not know her thoughts as he stretched his hand to escort the girl.

Since Elendil couldn’t reject him coldly when considering her position, she decided to welcome his hand.

“Haha. Thank you for allowing me to have such a precious moment.”

“…It’s nothing.”

“I will guide you to the special seat. Do you want to take a look at the auction house?”

“No. I’m a bit tired today, so I want to take a rest in my designated room.”

“Ah. I see. Because the Kunst auction house serves as a hotel as well, I will guide you to the VIP room.”

While following Ivan Luke, Elendil stopped in her tracks when she discovered a familiar face among the countless crowd.

“What’s the matter, Princess?”

“…No. It’s nothing.”

Elendil couldn’t take her gaze away from the crowd even after she answered so.

‘Am I seeing things?’

It was obvious that she seemed to have seen a familiar person among them.

However, since it’d happened so briefly, Elendil couldn’t be sure whether her eyes had been playing tricks on her or not.

* * *

After entering Kunst auction house, Ludger spoke to the other members using a micro communicator in his ear.

“This is ‘Unknown’. Can you hear me?”

Soon, the answers from other members came, saying that they could hear him well.

After making sure of the quiet Pantos’s answer, who said “yes” last, Ludger gave a command from within the auction house, which was filled of fancy lights and entertainment.

“U.N. Owen, the plan starts now.”

The name of the plan, “Ludger’s Eight”, began.