Academy’s Undercover Professor-Novel - Chapter 89

ACADEMY’S UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

[Translator – Alice]

[Proofreader – ilafy]

Chapter 89 – First Order Esmeralda (1)

The anticipation of finally meeting the First Order lasted briefly.

Ludger had no choice but to click his tongue inwardly as he confirmed that the other person appeared only as a flame without showing their appearance.

‘They don’t reveal their true selves and meet me like this.’

To be frank, it wasn’t like he didn’t assume that sort of situation might happen.

If they were an executive, a First Order, they would be able to hide their identity and meet him carefully.

He would have done the same.

Considering the way they gave him a signal to meet, he’d vaguely expected that he would face them this way.

It wasn’t what was important anyway.

“You’re late.”

He started off lightly.

The owner of the flame in front of him was the other First Order.

Even if he didn’t know their real identity, he shouldn’t show any disappointment.

Because the moment they faced each other and talked, if he let his guard down even a little, they could become suspicious of his identity.

‘I don’t feel that it was a shame at all.’

Ludger immediately shook away his miscellaneous thoughts.

Even if he didn’t meet them in person, there were many ways to find out about the other person.

—Because a word that was spoken without any intention could be a great clue.

[I didn’t know you’d be here so early]

A reply came back in a slightly flirtatious voice.

The flame was fluttering and the voice sounded majestic, but it was easy to see that the other person was a woman.

He didn’t think that the vocal tone was an act to deceive him.

The opponent must’ve been aware that the other person was Ludger Chelysie, a ‘First Order’, but she wouldn’t choose such a bothersome way.

“So what did you call me for?”

Ludger, who was about to say something else, shut his mouth.

The person he was acting as, John Doe, was a man who was very relentless and merciless to his subordinates, and even toward fellow Black Dawn Society.

He was easily annoyed and angry, and he even killed people in severe cases.

Nevertheless, the reason for him maintaining the First Order position was because he was so competent and looked good to the Zero Order.

‘But there is no guarantee that it will work with a fellow First Order.’

Would this character called John Doe behave just like the usual according to the other First Order?

Adding unnecessary words could have made her reveal her identity when he couldn’t confirm it directly.

No matter what he said next, he had to be careful.

[Hmm?]

Was Ludger’s question unexpected?

“…Why are you like that?”

[No. It’s just that you’re less angry than I thought. You used to try to bite at me.]

“It’s just a matter of time and place. If I get angry in a place like this, it’s highly likely for us to be caught red-handed.”

[Ah. I’m sure that’d be the case because you’re currently a Sören professor.]

“I’m very busy right now. I don’t know what you called me for, but I’ll go back if you have nothing more to say.”

Saying so, Ludger turned his back.

Of course, it was wrong to leave when he was in a position where he had not yet fully figured out who the opponent was.

However, if he looked back on the situation in detail, the story would be different.

In the first place, it was the flame in front of him, the First Order, that’d asked for that meeting.

It was the other person who wanted something in that meeting, and the most disappointed person if the meeting was broken early would be them.

[Wait.]

In the end, it was according to his expectations.

The flame held Ludger back from leaving.

Ludger stopped in his footsteps, but he didn’t look back.

It meant that he would listen for the moment, but he wasn’t going to pay his full attention to it.

His opponent knew that as well.

[I get it. I’m sorry for being late. I was the one who made an appointment first, but I’m making you upset because of my joke.]

“Just get to the point.”

[Phew. You’re still as rigid and cold as you used to be. Anyway, I’m calling you like this because I need your help.]

Only then did Ludger look back and stare at the flame.

“Help? You?”

[…I wouldn’t have asked for it normally, but this is Sören. Even someone like me can’t do things as I please.]

“Do things as she pleases”, she said.

If she said that with her own mouth, it meant that what she had been doing before was quite fancy.

He already felt it from when she was controlling the flame, but it seemed that this First Order only worked with some quite heated situations.

“You look pretty impatient.”

[One Second Order who’s my underling disappeared recently.]

“So it’s because of the Omnipotent Stone.”

[Yeah. It’s that. After watching and listening to it later, it was so ridiculous. They were trying to get things done by themselves, but they totally screwed it up!]

It seemed that just thinking about the incident at that time made her anger rise, as the fire flared stronger for a moment.

The heat reached Ludger, too, but he remained motionless.

—Because she didn’t have any intention to hurt him.

The flame soon returned to its original size.

“But they’re all dead.”

[Yeah. Who would have known that the principal would kill them all? Moreover, that was…]

“A trap.”

[…What? You knew everything?]

How could he not know that? If he had tripped, himself, he would have been swept away by the principal’s magic right away.

Of course, he couldn’t say it honestly, so he just gave a vague answer.

“There’s no way I wouldn’t know about it.”

[As expected from John Doe. Come to think of it, that was your role—to disguise yourself and perform a perfect act. Secretly sneaking into the enemy’s camp, buying the favor of the other person, and stealing their information. Your skills haven’t died yet, huh.]

“Stop the useless conversation.”

When Ludger cut her words off sharply, the flame that had been expanding playfully responded and turned slightly dim.

Was she actually a chatterbox?

[Anyway, I lost a subordinate that I thought was useful, so my plan was disrupted. Originally, it was a plan that only needed to be implemented.]

“You ended up like that because you’re calling a guy like him your subordinate.”

Ludger spoke as if he was scolding the other person.

The flame remained silent because it could not refute.

[…Well. My field is different from yours. You can just do things quietly on your own, but I can’t be like that.]

“…”

[What’s with that silence? That’s why you’re not popular among us the First Orders—because you don’t get along well with anyone.]

“I just didn’t feel the need to do so.”

[Hah. Funny. Yeah, you’re great. You’ve been loyal to Zero Order for a long time. You’re the only one who’s great, right? You even got a lot of love from Zero Order?]

“You’re too noisy. So what kind of help do you want?”

[Are you going to help me?]

“I’ll listen to it first.”

Ludger’s words made the opponent show clear dissatisfaction.

He could tell due to the fluttering of the flame.

But through the conversation just then, Ludger was convinced that he held the lead.

The Second Order who’d died during the Omnipotent Stone case had been her subordinate, and as her immediate subordinate had disappeared, it’d become a major setback to her future plans.

‘But still, she can’t use another Second Order, moreover a lacking Third Order.’

One thing that Ludger learned for sure as he handled Sedina was that the Black Dawn Society was composed of seven First Order members, and under each First Order, there were Second and Third Orders, which naturally divide the ‘factions’ inside.

‘The Second Order who came in this time and died while trying to take the Omnipotent Stone was highly likely to be her subordinate.’

His name was Demires.

Even if he was someone who stepped up as he pleased, he must have been quite a competent subordinate.

Because such a man was dead, the plan she had previously made would be completely blank.

However, there was no choice for her but to hesitate if she called another Second Order because of the difference in their ‘factions’.

If she called a Second Order from another faction, she would give another First Order an excuse to catch her vulnerability.

‘I see. That’s why she asked me for help.’

Ludger Chelysie…

Unlike other First Orders, the man, who was called John Doe at the Black Dawn Society, worked alone without any subordinates.

As a result, there was no such thing as a ‘faction’ to him.

Those without factions were literally neutral.

Neutrality did not belong anywhere, but in other words, it was likely to belong everywhere.

[As you already know, my specialty is causing fires, but unlike the other places, no matter how much I start fires in Sören, the wizards douse it no time. It’s an environment where I can’t put my strength in it.]

“Yeah.”

In Sören, both professors and students knew how to deal with magic.

They were elites who had learned magic even though they were still young.

If there was a fire in Sören, there was a lot of manpower to extinguish it.

Most of all, there was no way that they were unprepared for a fire in Sören, where all kinds of things could happen with magic.

Fire, in particular, was the most dangerous, so an especially thorough countermeasure was always prepared, that was why arson should’ve been considered impossible.

Still, she had not given up on it.

‘I’m sure she’s capable enough to set a fire, even considering such a situation.’

She couldn’t have been an executive of the Black Dawn Society for no reason.

[My role is focused on destruction, but the defense here is solid. That doesn’t mean I can’t do anything. If I’m prepared, I can burn a fire more splendidly than anyone else.]

“Are you asking me to prepare for that?”

[I’d appreciate it if you did that. Of course, I’m not just asking you in words. If you help me, I will also give you corresponding help. This is a kind of a deal and a promise.]

“Whose deal with whom?”

[That’s obvious. A deal between John Doe and ‘Esmeralda’.]

Esmeralda…

Ludger found out the name of the woman who’d ignited the flame in front of him.

He didn’t know if it was a code name like John Doe or a real one.

‘In the case of John Doe, he completely hid his identity and they called him like a code name, but it’s likely not the case for Esmeralda because Victor Dreadful was like that, too.’

John Doe was an unusual case, and he didn’t think the rest would be like him.

[…Hey. Do I have to let you confirm everything like this to make you feel better?]

“I’d like a certain deal.”

Ludger said that calmly so as not to be caught rejoicing.

[I spoke about it honestly, as you said. Now it’s your turn to answer. How’s it? Do you want to accept my offer?]

“I’ll reject it.”

[What?]

“There’s nothing I can do for you in my situation.”

[Wait. Are you really going to be like this after listening to everything?]

The flame burned stronger as if expressing its anger.

But Ludger stared at the flames with a blank face, without any signs of fear.

“Are you asking because you don’t know my position? I am a Sören professor. Even if it’s only a nominal title, it’s not an easy position for me to move around freely in.”

[If it’s someone with skill as good as you, it’s quite possible. You can hide your identity as much as you want. Isn’t it nothing more than an excuse because you’re bothered by it?]

“I’d normally say yes to that, but not now.”

[Why?]

“The principal is still suspicious of me.”

When he mentioned the principal, Esmeralda couldn’t argue more and kept her mouth shut.

The principal’s presence was a wall that was too tall to destroy.

[So you really can’t do it? Even though it’s something that will erase your debt to me?]

“Yeah.”

[There’s nothing I can do. Then I have no choice but to pick the right person.]

When he drew a clear line, Esmeralda stepped back, too, as though her pride was hurt if she hung on any more than that.

[But keep this in mind… If this is successful, it will be a help for our Black Dawn Society. You kicked away such an opportunity.]

“Each has their own work to do. Just because I don’t help you doesn’t mean I’m not loyal to the organization.”

[…Anyway, you speak so well that it’s annoying. Ah, never mind. Yeah. I’m going to take care of it myself.]

He was grateful that she gave up on her own.

However, Esmeralda kept murmuring because she was resentful after being rejected sharply.

[Yeah. It’s rather good. I was crazy. No matter how regretful I am, I attempted to ask you for help with my head down!]

“So what are you going to do in the future?”

[Hmph. Are you curious about me now?]

She didn’t hide her words, even though they were so blunt.

[What do I have to do? As always. I’m doing what I’m good at.]

“I see. Do your best.”

There was nothing he could obtain from her if he asked anymore.

Above all, he had already obtained enough information, so it was not without results.

It was the moment when Ludger said goodbye and was about to leave…

[Come to think of it, I heard some interesting news recently]

“What was it?”

Ludger felt uneasy at the sudden remark.

Why did she suddenly talk about interesting news at that time?

[You. I heard you had a subordinate.]

Subordinate…

Listening to those words, Sedina Rochen’s image flashed across Ludger’s mind.

[That’s strange. The great John Doe, the John Doe who claims to be comfortable alone, has a subordinate? And a beginner Third Order?]

“Isn’t that suspicious?”

—That’s what Esmeralda’s voice seemed to be asking.