Academy’s Undercover Professor-Novel - Chapter 126

ACADEMY’S UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

[Translator – Alice]

[Proofreader – ilafy]

 

Chapter 126 – Stählern Kapelle (3)

 

“…Wait. So you weren’t on the side that incited the war?”

The James Moriarty who was known to the world was a villain who’d taken control of the munition industry and attempted to wage war.

However, the truth of the past coming out of Ludger’s mouth wasn’t like that.

Ludger didn’t answer Violeta’s astonished question.

He’d deliberately covered himself with such an image out of necessity, anyway.

“Anyway. That’s how I met Arpa.”

The incident back then still vividly remained in his memory.

In the end, it was all in the past.

* * *

“Anyway. That’s how I met Betty. It was a coincidence for me to pull her out of the burning factory.”

Casey closed her eyes while speaking as she seemingly reminisced about the past.

Of course, it was long after Casey rescued Betty that she opened her eyes.

—Because chasing Professor Moriarty had been more urgent.

“I fought with that man in the final showdown. Then, just like everyone knows, we jumped off the cliff.”

A distant cliff full of waterfalls…

She’d used all of her power to push James Moriarty there.

However, as if he wasn’t called the godfather of the criminal world without a reason, he’d blocked all of her attacks and suppressed her instead.

She still remembered…

She’d looked terrible, as she’d been in a sweaty situation and couldn’t use any more mana in her exhausted state.

On the contrary, how had he looked?

As if he’d still had his composure, he’d stared at her while standing in a relaxed manner.

She’d even been defeated by him in a direct magic fight.

Casey felt very angry about it.

Perhaps it was because of that…

With her last attempt, she’d rushed at him while gathering all the remaining strength in her body that couldn’t even move properly.

Perhaps Professor Moriarty was also flustered.

—Because no one would have expected that the last choice of a wizard who’d consumed all of her mana would be throwing her body at her enemy with the intention of dying with them.

That was how she’d fallen down the cliff with Moriarty.

If she was going to die anyway, then she might as well take him with her.

It was enough if she could get rid of the evil in the world using her life with that.

However, Casey hadn’t died. In fact, she was still breathing fine as well.

‘That day… I didn’t die.’

When she’d gained consciousness, she was on the shore, and her body was covered in a blanket.

It wasn’t because she was lucky or that someone passed by and helped her after they found her.

After she’d fallen from the cliff and lost her consciousness, Casey had opened her eyes for the slightest moment once.

Her vision was blurred because of mana exhaustion and stress of death determination…

However, she still remembered the scene of that brief moment.

Crackle. Clack.

The appearance of a man’s back as he lit a bonfire…

The man who’d covered her with a blanket and lit a bonfire could have killed her, but he hadn’t done that.

It was that man who’d saved her…

Professor James Moriarty.

‘Why the hell?’

She’d attempted to move her mouth to say something, but her voice hadn’t come out.

—Because a surging flood knocked her unconscious again.

When she had completely regained consciousness afterward, the only remaining things were burnt-out ashes and dew of dawn, she hadn’t been able to see his trace anywhere.

That was how Professor James Moriarty, who’d driven the Kingdom of Delica into an uproar, had disappeared that day.

—While throwing away everything that he had accomplished.

“Even though he’s alive again now.”

Casey inwardly sighed as she recalled that day three years past.

The last action that Professor Moriarty had shown was very far from the devilish man that she had been seeing in her mind until then.

‘Professor Moriarty saved me, someone who interrupted his job until the end.’

Casey couldn’t bear her curiosity.

‘How come he saved me?’

Hadn’t they been fighting to kill each other until then?

‘He’s obviously a villain. He’s a bad person who wanted to wage a war between kingdoms.’

‘But why?’

Her clenched fist trembled.

The anger of a wound in her pride that couldn’t be swept away, and a question of the man’s intent in saving her life.

And perhaps, one of the probabilities that emerged just in case…

—What if the man who was known to have committed all sorts of crimes was not actually a criminal?

‘No. It’s just baseless speculation. The fact that he saved me, yes… It was just simply a change of heart. The mentality of criminals is always unpredictable.’

However, the fact that she’d one-sidedly concluded it was an uncomfortable thing to her.

She needed to know the reason…

The whole story of that day and his real identity as well.

‘So I have to find him, that man, and beyond that, the Black Dawn Society that he’s affiliated with.’

Casey Selmore had decided her new goal.

A secret society hidden somewhere in the empire that acted in secret, the Black Dawn Society.

As she caught them one by one, she would reach him.

‘I will do it. I will definitely arrest him this time.’

Her unwavering blue eyes were blazing up with an intense will.

“Detective Casey. Rather than that, is it okay?”

“What?”

Enya recalled Betty while asking a question.

“There will be a lot of words going around if you let Miss Betty go around like that. If she’s some kind of a proof, then isn’t she supposed to remain in the Kingdom of Delica…?”

“Oh, that? You are right, Miss Enya. Betty is a child that’s supposed to be in the Kingdom of Delica, after all.”

“But why…?”

“I did it in secret.”

“Pardon?”

Enya could only be flustered at Casey as she spoke about it while sticking her tongue out playfully.

“Se-secret? You let the empire know?”

“Yes. I hid everything.”

“Is… is that okay? Isn’t that illegal?”

“Eyy. It isn’t illegal because the evidence just hasn’t been submitted ‘yet’. There isn’t any official notice of when I should submit the evidence, right?”

“….You know that’s a completely forced reason, right?”

“I know it too, but look, the case from back then hasn’t ended yet. James Moriarty is still alive, and he’s scheming suspicious things from a faraway foreign country.”

To summarize Casey’s words, it was this:

Since the case from that day wasn’t solved yet, it was okay for her to keep carrying Betty along with her.

“Most of all, the fact is that I don’t believe the Kingdom of Delica is completely innocent. The nation’s key personnel were involved in all kinds of cases one after another, who would I entrust Betty to?”

Just then, they could see Betty carrying heavy luggage from far away and approaching them.

When Casey waved her hand, Betty bluntly frowned her face, as she was seemingly annoyed.

Elendil and Enya still couldn’t believe that the girl with such abundant emotions was an automaton.

To think that there were endless mechanical springs made of steel in that small and slender body.

“Now. Because Betty carried all the luggage, we should start getting up.”

“Where are we going?”

“The hotel we were staying in is just a ruin now, so we’ll have to search for a new place to sleep.”

It was time to separate ways.

Elendil wriggled her hand as she conveyed her gratitude to Casey.

“Thank you so much for helping me. I wouldn’t be in this place if you didn’t help me, Detective Casey.”

“No need to thank me. I just did what I had to do.”

“Next time, you should really visit me. I will personally give you a reward.”

“Aha. I’m looking forward to it.”

Casey sent her farewell to Enya as well.

“You worked hard, Miss Enya.”

“Yes. Oh, Detective Casey.”

“Yes. What’s the matter?”

“Well, the commander said that she wanted to meet you sometime later.”

“Commander? Oh! Terina?”

As she recalled her past connection, Casey smiled brightly while nodding her head.

“Thank you for letting me know. I will stay in Leathevelk for some time, so please tell her that it’s possible for her to meet me here whenever.”

“Yes. I will do that.”

“Then, I’ll be going.”

Casey and Betty carried their luggage and left the place. Of course, it was Betty’s role to carry the luggage.

Casey turned her head slightly and stared at the partially demolished Kunst.

A man numbly flopped down there before the ruins of the Kunst, where all sorts of important business had happened in public and private.

It was Ivan Luke.

She’d heard that he was the director of the Luke Company and the chairman’s lineage and that he was the one in charge of the Kunst auction house that time.

‘To think that the event he was in charge of was shattered to pieces like this.’

Moreover, they said that the valuables which should’ve been exhibited on the third day were all robbed.

The Beast of Jévaudan had shown up and half-demolished the building, then a terror attack had happened in the place where all kinds of VIPs gathered.

It was impossible to estimate the cost of damage.

The reputation of the Kunst, which had a tradition of 20 long years, crumbled to the ground in a day.

Now that such a horrible incident happened, who would come to see goods and sell them in the Kunst auction house afterward?

Thinking of the Luke Company’s scale, they wouldn’t stumble because of that, but one field of their business had been completely destroyed.

Then who would be the one responsible for that?

‘Who else? In the end, it’s the responsibility of the person directly in charge.’

Ivan Luke’s hair became white and he looked 10 years older overnight. To be frank, she even doubted whether he was still alive right then.

However, she didn’t particularly feel any sympathy.

—Because she’d heard that he was a roughneck who incited all kinds of incidents and just relied on his title.

‘I personally don’t like that kind of person.’

Casey Selmore had solved many cases and problems while doing her work as a detective.

As she’d arrested countless criminals, she’d received gratitude from various people.

That included people with high status like rich merchants and prestigious aristocrats.

However, she also knew that they were no different from criminals as well.

They didn’t murder with their own hands, but they were the ones who plunged countless people into agony with their greed and power.

She had absolutely no reason to feel pity if those people suffered.

‘What kind of nonsense am I thinking? I just have to do my work.’

First of all, she had to be worried about what she should do in the future if she was going to stay in that city.

No. To be exact, there was nothing to be worried about.

If she was going to live in Leathevelk, she just had to use her strength to chase the Black Dawn Society.

“I’ll be extremely busy in the future.”

“Pardon? What did you just say, Casey?”

“Nothing.”

* * *

The case that happened in the Kunst auction house was too big to be hidden, and it had happened so plainly.

However, the news that the Kunst auction house had been robbed couldn’t be found anywhere in any newspapers’ headlines.

—Because the main topic wasn’t that.

[The Nightmare Revival. The Second Coming of ‘The Bloody Night’?]

What attracted the attention of the public was the Beast of Jévaudan’s appearance at the Kunst.

Many people had witnessed the horrible appearance.

Moreover, the Beast of Jévaudan’s cry had spread throughout the whole of Leathevelk.

All of those who were asleep at that time had probably woken up, curious about what was happening.

‘That’s why they’re showing such a baiting title.’

The first page of the newspaper mentioned nothing but the story about the Beast of Jévaudan.

The columns were about what the ‘Bloody Night’ that’d happened in the Kingdom of Durman five years prior was or gossip topics of how the monster had appeared again.

The city of Leathevelk started an investigation related to the case.

‘The fortunate thing is that there isn’t any trace left of U.N. Owen.’

I tidily folded the newspaper and put it to one side of the table.

I still felt itchy in my eyes due to exhaustion as I recalled the incident on that day.

‘I didn’t expect Casey Selmore to come to this city.’

I thought that it was a bit of trouble.

The name that I’d used when I’d dominated the underworld of Leathevelk at first was James Moriarty.

Of course, they called me as Leader and didn’t tell other people my name afterward, but I was bound to be anxious.

‘No way, I didn’t expect her to come all the way here to catch me.’

Moreover, as if proving that she had investigated my past, she knew a couple of fake names that I’d used as well.

What was fortunate in it was perhaps the fact that she was barking up the wrong tree when she thought I possessed a high position in the Black Dawn Society.

‘No. It’s not exactly barking up the wrong tree.’

As I inwardly gave a bitter smile, I looked at Sedina, who was working hard in examining the document.

I was the First Order of the Black Dawn Society after all.

In the end, Casey Selmore’s speculation was half-matched with reality.

‘It’d be nice if I don’t get hurt as well.’

As I thought so, Sedina approached me after examining all the documents.

“Professor, I have finished classifying everything.”

“You worked hard. Take a rest.”

Sedina looked at the newspaper’s headline and suddenly asked a question.

“Is that the incident that happened yesterday?”

“Yeah. I heard a huge monster appeared downtown.”

“The Beast of Jévaudan… It’s a very famous cryptid.”

“Because of this, everything is in chaos right now. Sören feels very messy as well.”

Perhaps it was because of the werewolf incident not so long ago, Sören was bustling with all kinds of rumors again due to the Beast of Jévaudan’s appearance.

Of course, they were not worth listening to.

“Even so, it’s amazing. Looking at the article, they said that the Clockwork Knight Order overpowered the beast. I didn’t expect the Knights to be that strong. I think I have to raise my evaluation.”

“Yeah.”

To be honest, that part was unexpected.

I’d thought that Casey Selmore would post news about the fact that James Moriarty was still alive.

However, there was no mention of that name anywhere in the newspaper. The article was all about the Beast of Jévaudan getting defeated by the Clockwork Knight Order.

‘No way, did she not tell them? That Casey Selmore?’

‘I don’t know what kind of secret plan she has.’

However, I also felt a relief if she didn’t tell them about it.

Also, I had to separately communicate with Kirchus and the Old Kids next time and give them a gag order to keep the name James Moriarty a secret.

“And have you heard of the rumor?”

“What kind of rumor are you talking about this time?”

“Because of the Beast of Jévaudan’s appearance yesterday, I heard that they made a move.”

“They?”

“The Paladins of the Bretus Holy Nation.”

The Bretus Holy Nation…

I frowned at the name that she mentioned while explicitly showing my displeasure.

‘Why them…?’