Academy’s Undercover Professor-Novel - Chapter 132

ACADEMY’S UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

[Translator – Alice]

[Proofreader – ilafy]

Chapter 132 – Elisa Willow

Elisa’s smiling face became more prominent as she read Ludger’s class material.

She raised her pen and selected an appropriate paper before starting to write down the mathematical formula as if she was someone possessed by something.

The paper was filled with dense numbers in an instant.

Elisa instinctively waved her hand to search for another paper.

Wilford, who was watching her, cleared away the piling up documents so that they wouldn’t be a disturbance to her.

It seemed like Elisa would use the documents that hadn’t been approved yet as a notebook if he let her be.

‘It seems like it will take a lot of time.’

Elisa was entering focus mode. When she entered that state, Elisa wouldn’t even react if someone danced beside her.

—Because she was a wizard before she was a principal.

Wilford shook his head. She’d looked tired recently, so he’d brought along Ludger’s class material, but looking at her situation, it seemed like the afternoon work would be pushed away until the next day.

‘Rather than that, it’s surprising. It’s been hard to see the principal so focused like that.’

Elisa had also looked at the other professors’ class materials before, but they’d only triggered her interest for a moment; there hadn’t been a case when she’d shown a huge interest in them.

She had reached such a high stage that it was hard for her to enjoy or even long for things.

However, she’d changed a bit after she’d solved Ludger Chelysie’s first test questions.

It seemed like other people didn’t know about it yet, but as he had served Elisa for a very long time, Wilford was able to know.

The always busy Elisa had gained energy and become more relaxed.

Everything was thanks to the new professor.

‘Even so, I can’t believe that there’s class material that can trigger her interest. I knew that he wasn’t an ordinary guy from our first meeting, but he’s more amazing than I thought.’

As he was a Knight before, Wilford didn’t know much about magic.

However, he could be confident that his eyes on judging magic were as good as a decent wizard since he had his years of experience and had watched over Elisa’s shoulder as he had assisted her.

According to Wilford’s view, the standard of Ludger’s class material was pretty high.

However, judging from Elisa’s reaction, it seemed that the standard was beyond his thoughts.

‘Really. Is it because I’m old? My judgment isn’t like how it was before.’

Still, Wilford thought that, since she was happy, then it was enough, while silently protecting his spot.

* * *

Scribble scribble.

There was only the sound of a pen crossing the paper that silently resonated in the principal’s office.

Three hours had passed when Elisa put down the pen in her hand.

“Oh my. Look at me.”

As she checked the clock on the wall, Elisa belatedly realized that she had abandoned her work and had been exceedingly absorbed in magic.

However, instead of regret, her head was refreshed since she’d used it after a long time.

“Have you finished?”

“Oh. Sorry. I delayed too many hours, right?”

Wilford showed a gracious smile while shaking his head.

“It’s alright. It feels good when I see that you’re a bit relieved.”

“I’ve been like this lately. I don’t think I was like this before.”

“You can think of it as a good change. Your Honor also needs time to take a breather.”

“Yes, well. Anyway… I feel very thankful to Professor Ludger as well.”

Elisa looked at her magic circle that she’d made based on Ludger’s class material with a proud stare.

To think that it was a magic circle that wasn’t drawn using a circle as the foundation…

Moreover, it was pretty shocking to manifest strength by putting numbers inside the shape.

‘It isn’t completely impossible to have a tetragonal magic circle. In fact, it was attempted a couple of times in the past as well.’

However, she couldn’t remember a single time someone had succeeded.

When wizards dealt with magic circles, they didn’t bother with anything except circles as the foundation.

If they wanted to see a working effect, they had to experience countless trials and errors because a satisfying result didn’t come out compared to their investment.

Thus, drawing a magic circle using a circle naturally became an established theory.

—Because it was the most optimized fact and the most popular method.

Development on other theories had vanished just like that.

‘But this is a finished theory that I could imagine might have been the end result if the trials and errors back then had reached their conclusion.’

How on earth had Professor Ludger Chelysie found out about that?

The first thought that she had right away was how great the talent that Ludger possessed was.

No. There was no other right answer except that in the first place.

‘He’s really awesome. His Source Code, and his magic square, too. He would have been able to grasp all sorts of fortune and honor if he’d entered the Magic Tower or the Imperial Family.’

‘How come a person this great came to Sören as a professor?’

It wasn’t like Sören’s name was lacking, but it also didn’t mean that there wasn’t a position more reputable than Sören.

According to Elisa, Ludger was someone who could gain a position anywhere he went.

‘Even so, perhaps he came to this place because he wanted to be a professor that much.’

It seemed so when she thought about how he taught that precious material to the students.

There was no way that he could easily give the others the path that he’d laboriously pioneered.

Anyone was bound to be selfish and hope for a corresponsive reward when they gave something.

‘If he’s a fallen aristocrat, it’d only be normal if he risked his life more on his personal achievements, but he didn’t do that. What on earth is Professor Ludger doing…?’

She was also confident that she had sacrificed her own position for the students.

She did her best as the principal in Sören, and she was satisfied with that.

Because of that, Elisa was embarrassed the more she compared herself with Ludger.

‘What on earth am I doing for Sören and the students?’

She’d thought that there should’ve been a reward for her hard work and a compliment for her sacrificed position.

‘What an arrogant thought…’

In the end, she was no different than a person who didn’t do something for others sincerely and was absorbed in her own appearance for others.

‘So I’m still lacking.’

Phew.

As she sighed, the strength in Elisa’s eyes came back,

There was no meaning in miserably thinking about it alone and realizing it.

In the end, the important thing was practice. The basis of development was to show one’s determination by action.

‘One foot in front of the other will get me there, so let’s start walking.’

As she was determined to do so, Elisa pulled out a document from her table drawer and wrote her name.

“Your Honor?”

“I ask for your cooperation. Please convey this official document to the professors.”

“Which official document do you mean?”

“I intend to change the academic calendar. I want to hold Sören’s magic festival, which is usually held at the end of the semester, after the second exam period instead.

The magic festival was a customary festival which had been intertwined with Sören’s long history.

The festival that should have been held long after was about to be advanced by Principal Elisa’s authority.

“Is that going to be alright?”

“Holding this kind of festival will be a help in troubled times like this. Apart from that, there will obviously be people who oppose it, but that much is alright because I will take care of everything.”

As she’d spoken with a definite answer, Wilford didn’t question Elisa any longer.

“Understood. I will hand out the official document right away.”

“Yes. Please.”

* * *

As he reviewed the class material in his professor’s office, Ludger tilted his head when he saw the suddenly issued official document.

“Advancing the opening of the magic festival?”

“The magic festival is a customary festival within Sören. It seems like the principal wants to hold the festival earlier than usual.”

Ludger was suddenly about to ask why at Sedina’s words before he held it in.

Recently, Leathevelk’s atmosphere wasn’t good, and the atmosphere was infecting Sören as well.

It was not a bad choice to open the festival earlier and liven up the atmosphere.

However, he thought that it was unexpected because it’d happened so suddenly without prior discussion.

The principal that he knew was at least not someone who impulsively took care of things.

‘Well, I don’t really mind it.’

Even though a festival was open, it didn’t bother him much. On the contrary, it became more comfortable because the number of days for his class had decreased.

‘The number of days for the class is indeed tight, but there won’t be much of a problem because I taught the magic square this time. It will be a piece of cake to receive compensation for my performance like this.’

When he thought of the sum of his performance compensation that would be paid by Sören, Ludger’s mood brightened.

Because he’d also given the superior material of magic squares, he was guaranteed to receive a high class evaluation score from the students.

However, when he recalled the piling up of work that he still needed to take care of, his excited thoughts coldly subsided.

The festival was one thing, but he still couldn’t make a decision on what he should do to the First Order Esmeralda.

‘This is troublesome because I want to get rid of her as soon as possible, but the Black Dawn Society would be aware of the existence of a traitor if I assassinate her before her identity is even revealed to anyone.’

Also, the prime suspect would be him, the First Order.

They already knew how to dispose of traitors.

Because of that, he had no choice but to be more careful.

‘When I make a move, it needs to be when Esmeralda to be active in earnest. If I use my hands to subtly reveal her identity then, Sören will dispose of her by itself, right? There’s nothing difficult in that.’

The only thing that bothered him was trying to figure out when Esmeralda would make a move.

She at least wouldn’t impulsively commit to something as a First Order.

‘There will be a chance… The moment when she can play the most active role.’

Esmeralda had summoned a top-level spirit when there were many people gathered before that.

Judging from the experience back then, there would be a fixed opportunity after Esmeralda made a move.

‘It seems like a good situation has been set up.’

Ludger intensely stared at the words, ‘Magic Festival,’ written on the official document.

His rationality and intuition whispered at the same time.

—That Esmeralda would obviously make a move in the festival.

However, the information was still lacking.

To be sure of something and make a decision on it, there was still a part that bothered him.

‘The Great Fire of Rothen.’

Ludger recalled that she was the survivor of the Great Fire.

The fact that there were two other survivors apart from her as well…

They were puzzle pieces he hadn’t been able to fit together yet.

‘I have to aim for perfection in everything. I have to look into Rothen as soon as possible in order to decrease the variables.’

When he thought so, there was a knock on the professor’s office door.

“Come in.”

The door carefully opened right after Ludger spoke.

An ash-gray-haired woman who peeked in the door.

“He-helloo.”

“Lynne, huh. Did you come to receive the framework?”

“Yees.”

Lynne entered the professor’s office, then she slightly nodded her head to greet Sedina.

Of course, Sedina pretended not to see her greeting while being focused on taking care of the documents.

“Come closer.”

“Oh, yes.”

When Lynne came closer, Ludger raised his hand while initiating the framework on it.

The white framework, which was made of a myriad of mana lines, looked like a crystal made of techniques just by itself.

“Put your hands on it.”

Lyne put her hand on the framework according to Ludger’s command, and when she touched it, the framework subtly shone and permeated Lynne’s palm.

“Oh, is that it?”

“Yes. Remember how the composition of mana formed the technique because it will be needed when you combine it with the rest of the fragments. I won’t tell it to you if you forget it and come again afterward, so remember it.”

“Oh, yes.”

Lynne intensely stared at her right hand while clutching and releasing her fist. There was a sense of futility in its process, unlike what she had expected.

She was determined to not forget the framework that’d permeated her body through her palm.

“Since your business is over, go.”

“Ah, Professor Ludger…”

“What?”

“Well, I…”

Lynne met Ludger’s eyes when she was about to say something, and she shut her mouth.

“N-no. It’s nothing.”

In the end, she pressed her lips and she could only speak vaguely.

She soon left Ludger’s office as if running away.

* * *

‘Oh. In the end, I can’t ask about it.’

As Lynne left the professor’s office and walked through the corridor, she kept looking back out of frustration.

However, since she had no courage to ask Ludger, she decided to push back the opportunity.

Because his assistant had been there as well, it probably wasn’t the best time to ask anyway.

“Lynne…”

“Oh. Senior.”

Lynne encountered Elendil just in time.

“Hoho. What a coincidence. Are you going somewhere now? Are you okay to eat dinner together?”

Elendil looked at Lynne with an odd stare full of expectation as she said so.

In fact, she’d been about to look for Lynne.

As she hadn’t been able to eat together with her junior recently, Elendil needed a cure in her heart.

Lynne’s words brutally destroyed Elendil’s expectations.

“Oh, sorry, Senior. I have a previous engagement tonight.”

“…Huh?”

Elendil’s face changed into the look of someone who had been hit hard by a hammer in the back of their head.