Academy’s Undercover Professor-Novel - Chapter 127

ACADEMY’S UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

[Translator – Alice]

[Proofreader – ilafy]

 

Chapter 127 – Bretus Holy Nation

 

The Bretus Holy Nation was an island country faraway from the continent.

If looking only at the nation’s scale, it was a bit smaller than other kingdoms, but there were no countries on the continent that looked down on the Bretus Holy Nation.

“Paladins, huh. So those bothersome guys made a move.”

—Because their real strength was the existence of religion.

The Bretus Holy Nation was the headquarters of the Lumensis church that believed in the god of brilliance.

Since it was a country which carried out God’s miracles, the other countries couldn’t touch the holy nation recklessly, and they didn’t want to get on the nation’s nerves.

‘They are the people who won’t move unless for a great matter, so the fact that the paladins were dispatched in a great number… was it because of the Beast of Jévaudan?’

The Bretus Holy Nation had been active under a mission to rescue mankind from the past.

Thus, they’d eliminated heresy all over the continent, hunted cryptids, and constantly done purification rituals.

Bretus Paladins were the most faithful and devout believers compared to anyone else, and they were also an absolutely perfect organization which no group could touch recklessly.

‘…But it’s considered really outdated to say that.’

It was nearly hundreds of years ago when they were called that.

The Bretus Holy Nation had recently lost a lot of their power compared to the past.

The excessive blind faith had continued as fanaticism, and the doctrine had altered.

Just like other religions that’d existed through history, the Bretus Holy Nation also became corrupted.

‘If the Magic Tower was divided into the old and new forces along with the emergence of science, the Bretus Holy Nation became weaker due to their adherence to the past.’

Science had developed, and the world had also developed at a surprising speed.

Rich people didn’t get on the carriages led by horsemen, but they got onto royal steam cars.

However, the Lumensis religion hadn’t changed even a bit.

They habitually did all kinds of wickedness as long as it was for themselves.

After the colonization war, there was an anti-war movement, and it had been more than 50 years since each nation on the continent had walked down the peaceful path and signed a treaty.

The only ones who’d opposed the idea was the Bretus Holy Nation.

The demi-humans had raged at how human beings could recklessly let such a malicious cult be.

‘Because the Holy Nation ruled demi-humans such as elves, dwarves, beastpeople, etc. as heretical.’

They had a radical doctrine which believed that human beings were the only descendants of their god, so there should only be humans in the world.

It was the Bretus Holy Nation who sincerely believed and followed that.

‘Still, they’ve stayed out of trouble and have just been solving their own internal problems for the past 20 years.’

Five years before, in the ‘Bloody Night’ case that’d happened in the Kingdom of Durman, the Bretus Holy Nation hadn’t stepped up.

No. They couldn’t step up.

‘But for them to make a move this time…’

It meant that the internal problem that they had been suffering from for the last 20 years had been solved.

The fact that the paladins were dispatched for the incident that happened in Leathevelk, thinking of their future steps, would only be the beginning.

“I didn’t expect that those guys who have been quiet for so long would step up right away to find some faults.”

“Anyway, it seems like they’ve been waiting for this chance for a long time.”

“Of course. Since the Holy King issued a statement with his stamp and sent the paladins…”

They’d taken care of things so fast that it made me recall the idiom of roasting beans with lighting and eating them.

It was to the point where I could clearly feel that they had been long awaiting such an opportunity for years.

“It’s a bit suspicious. How come a holy nation that has been silent for a long time suddenly made a move?”

Sedina looked very wary because she couldn’t figure out why they might have moved.

Because, for the Black Dawn Society secret organization, the existence of the Bretus Holy Nation itself was unpleasant.

“We don’t know, perhaps they solved their succession problem that they were having.”

“To think that there’s a succession of thrones within a holy nation. Do you know that for a fact, Professor?”

“…It’s just an assumption.”

I changed the subject as I realized my mistake.

Anyway, the fact that the bothersome guys had stepped up didn’t change.

“Sedina. Have you investigated everything that I asked you to?”

“Pardon? Oh, yes.”

I’d given her an order some time before then.

—It was to secretly investigate Joanna Lovett, the student assumed to be Esmeralda.

Sedina answered, as she seemed to have been loyally performing my order.

“Joanna Lovett is one of the Second Orders and she entered as a student. The surname Lovett is a fake identity made in our society.”

“You know that isn’t what I’m curious about.”

“Yes. I investigated, and I found out that Joanna Lovette comes from the Kingdom of Durman.”

“Kingdom of Durman?”

“Yes. And she’s also the survivor of the Great Fire of Rothen.

The Great Fire of Rothen…

‘That fire?’

There was an immense, great fire that’d happened in the most recognized beautiful village of Rothen in the Kingdom of Durman that had burnt everything down.

As there were almost no survivors, the incident had caused a lot of damage, and the source of the great fire was still unknown.

Even though it’d happened more than 10 years before, it was so famous that it’d become one of the biggest disasters to ever happen.

‘But Joanna Lovett is a survivor of that Great Fire?’

As soon as I heard the words “great fire”, I remembered the flame spirit I’d seen on that day.

That hatred-bearing fire that couldn’t even be seen as an ordinary spirit that possessed an endless malice toward humans.

The thought that perhaps the Great Fire had something to do with that girl naturally arose.

“For now, this is all I know. I need some time to investigate more—”

“Do you know how many people survived the Great Fire of Rothen?”

“There were a total of three people including Joanna the Second Order.”

“Three, huh?”

Even though it was a village and not a city, there must’ve been thousands of people who’d lived there.

However, the fact that there were only three survivors was incredulous from a common-sense point of view.

It was certainly suspicious.

“Do you know the whereabouts of the remaining two survivors?”

“Well, I investigated one person, but the other one is unknown.”

“Then who’s that one person you investigated?”

“He’s a young man called Pierre. He’s older now, so he’s over 30 years old.”

“What does he do?”

“He’s an artist. They said that he stayed in Rothen village because he liked to see the beautiful landscape and paint pictures.”

‘An artist, huh.’

He wasn’t a particularly important person, but I got interested in him because he was a survivor of the Great Fire of Rothen.

However, there was one thing that disturbed me…

Who the hell was the last survivor whose identity was still not known?

“Is there maybe anything else you’re curious about?”

“This much is enough. You worked hard in the investigation.”

“N-no. I just did what I was ordered to do.”

Sedina’s curt face glowed as she seemed to be very happy at my compliment.

“Sedina, is the work itself hard?”

“Pardon?”

“The other professors basically have a minimum of more than three assistants.”

However, Sedina bore more than half of the work I was in charge of by herself.

Knowing that the other assistants voiced out their distress every day, Sedina must have felt extremely exhausted, it was only that she didn’t show it.

I’d recruited her because she was handy, but I inwardly felt like I’d taken advantage of her since it seemed like I’d overtired that small and slender girl.

Moreover, she was in charge of all kinds of information, so she would have been very busy.

“I think it’s better if I pick some more assistants…”

“No!”

Sedina passionately shouted.

“I-I’m not tired or exhausted! I can endure not sleeping for even two hours a day if I can be a help to Professor Ludger.”

“…It’s good if you sleep well.”

“Or do you not believe in me? Did I not meet your expectations?”

The girl’s voice suddenly got hoarse as she bowed her head and clenched her fists.

I was swept away in confusion at that sight.

She seemed tired, so I had only been trying to make her comfortable. I didn’t know that she would react so drastically like that.

She couldn’t accept kindness with kindness.

I had been feeling it since before, but she mentally looked like someone who was at the end of her rope.

“…I got it. Just forget I even said anything.”

“A-are you sure?”

“Yes. Sedina Rochen. I don’t feel any dissatisfaction in the way you’ve handled your tasks. On the contrary, I feel satisfied.”

Whoosh!

As she was slightly moved to tears, Sedina stared at me with a touched expression.

She looked exactly like a manic-depressive patient, as her face, which had shown an expression like the world was destroyed a moment ago, changed in such a brief moment.

“It’s just something I said because I think that your work is too excessive and I wanted to lessen your burden a little bit.”

“N-no. I’m really alright. Yes. Really.”

“Since you said that, then okay. I won’t mention this topic again.”

When I thought about it, she was also very far from ordinary people.

Even when she had the surname of Rochen, she was also affiliated with the Black Dawn Society.

I’d carried her along because she had outstanding ability, but it seemed like I didn’t know when I could leave her.

“Let’s go. It’s almost time for class.”

“Oh, yes!”

I put on my overcoat and stepped out of the professor’s office.

Sedina hurriedly followed my back.

* * *

The students waiting in the class noisily chattered due to the incident that happened in Leathevelk the day before.

The appearance of the Beast of Jévaudan which was called the King of Nightmares was enough to not only attract the attention of students but professors as well.

There were even words circulating around that perhaps the appearance of werewolves in Sören that day was an omen of the Beast of Jévaudan’s appearance.

‘Everyone is certainly paying a lot of attention to it.’

As she was sitting in her seat silently, Elendil listened to other students’ talks.

Most of them were talking about the incident that’d happened in the Kunst auction house.

The Beast of Jévaudan…

When she recalled the monster’s horrible appearance, Elendil’s body unconsciously trembled.

‘It was really fortunate that I wasn’t wounded in that situation and could escape safely.’

It was all thanks to Casey Selmore. Of course, there was also help from Betty and Enya.

After she’d escaped safely, the employees and her maids had shown up and made a lot of fuss when they’d asked whether she was hurt anywhere.

Even though she’d been thankful for their concern, Elendil inwardly had these thoughts:

‘If I told this story of what I experienced to other fellow students…’

Perhaps, right then, it was the chance for her to emerge into being the big star of the classroom.

Elendil had been dreaming of a life in academia for a long time.

She would make friends in the land of a peaceful academy and they would all laugh together while enjoying their youth.

It was just Elendil’s simple dream, as she had been living under the persecution of her older sister for a long time.

She imagined it.

—Of telling them about the incident where she’d encountered and fought with the beast of Jévaudan.

If she started to tell her seemingly heroic experience, wouldn’t the gazes of her fellow students toward her change?

If it was that, the students who had been afraid of her older sister’s shadow, the first princess, might be attracted to her.

‘Did you really see the monster directly?’

‘Oooh! Awesome! As expected from Your Highness!’

‘To be honest, I have been idolizing Princess Elendil since before!’

The students’ eyes would sparkle as they praised her highly.

Just by imagining the sight of it, her lips slightly raised.

‘But I have to hold it in. It’s really unsophisticated if I talk about it with my own mouth.’

Elendil’s last bit of conscience narrowly held her mouth that was about to open.

If she said ‘Hey, I was in that place back then. Do you wanna hear about it?’ with her own mouth, it would be really shabby.

When she was a freshman one year before, the incident when she’d clumsily spoken to be closer to other students and made the atmosphere heavier instead became her trauma for a long time.

Sometimes, when she recalled those confused gazes toward her as she lay on the bed, she would kick the blanket with her feet.

She had determined not to repeat her past mistake, she could only be more careful.

‘I just need someone to speak to me.’

Really, if someone just slightly pushed her, she had the confidence that she would be able to confess as she pretended to not be able to resist it.

However, no one came to Elendil.

Sometimes, they slightly showed a strange gaze toward her as she looked like someone who wanted to pee due to her restlessness, but that was all.

Elendil became impatient.

The class would start soon if it went on like that.

‘No! Still. I still have Lynne!’

She looked at the empty seat beside her.

The first real friend she had made after coming to Sören. It was a senior-junior relationship, but Elendil really thought of Lynne as her friend.

As Lynne was isolated like her as well, there was a part both of them empathized with, so Elendil thought of Lynne as her soul comrade.

“Senior. Hello.”

Lynne arrived just in time.

Lynne sat beside Elendil, as it had become her fixed seat, while greeting the princess.

“Oh, yeah. How have you been?”

“I’m doing good. I bet that you’re doing good too, Senior?”

Lynne nodded her head while slowly taking care of the textbooks that she’d brought.

Elendil stared at her very intensely.

‘Lynne! Hurry and start talking about that topic to me! Hurry!’

She stared at Lynne with such a strong will, but contrary to her wish, Lynne was enthusiastic in preparing for the class.

As she couldn’t stand it, Elendil opened her mouth.

“A-ahem. Junior Lynne? Was there perhaps any special event or anything?”

“Pardon? No. I previewed and reviewed lessons and looked for a part-time job just like usual.”

“Is that so?”

Elendil awkwardly smiled and carefully started to talk about it.

“Hmm. You know, I… went to the auction house this time.”

“Pardon? Oh, yes. You did.”

“Yeah.”

“Yes.”

“Of course.”

“…? Yes. Of course.”

“Yeah. Sure…”

Elendil realized that there was something strange in Lynne’s reaction.

‘If I send this many signals, isn’t it about time for her to show a reaction?’

It was as if she completely didn’t know about the gossip surrounding her.

‘Oh, no way…’

Elendil carefully asked her.

“Excuse me, Junior Lynne. Did you perhaps read the newspaper today?”

“Newspaper? No.”

“Oh, hmm. Did you perhaps hear the rumor then? Everyone is talking about it now.”

“Rumor? I don’t have anyone to share a conversation with, and I didn’t really pay attention to others’ talks, so…”

‘Dear me!’

Elendil realized.

—The naive girl in front of her wasn’t only someone who didn’t have any friends like her, but she also didn’t have any interest in the surrounding gossip.

Lynne brought her forefinger to her lips while thinking hard about something.

“Hmm. Come to think of it, the atmosphere here is messy unlike usual. Did something happen recently?”

“…Yeah, huh. Well. Yes.”

Still, when she thought that she still couldn’t give up…

“Everyone, sit down.”

Professor Ludger opened the classroom door and came in.

Elendil inwardly shed tears as she had to give up on her plan to ‘become famous in the class’.

As he stood on the podium, Ludger unwaveringly stood straight like always and opened his mouth.

“The results of the first test came out.”