Academy’s Undercover Professor-Chapter 9: Undercover Employment (1)

I lay motionless on the bed for almost an hour. I didn’t have the energy to do anything right away.

At this point, a sense of unjust frustration started bubbling up.

Seriously, how does a high-ranking officer of a secret organization get caught up in a train bombing and die?

If he was an officer of a secret group that had planted nearly forty agents inside Seorn Academy, then he should’ve survived that situation, shouldn’t he?

“Sigh...”

Yeah, I know. Getting angry isn’t going to bring that guy back.

This is all just a meaningless waste of emotion.

I had to accept it.

I was now Ludger Cherish, and I had to endure the next two years maintaining this damned identity.

‘I honestly thought it wouldn’t matter, as long as I didn’t get exposed by the academy. I figured that wouldn’t be too hard.’

I believed I could pull off the teacher act convincingly enough, considering my life experience.

I could use magic. I wasn’t lacking in theoretical knowledge either.

Spending two years in this role without incident wasn’t some blind optimism—it was a calculated certainty.

But this?

A secret organization? And I’m supposedly an officer?

Judging from the way they talked, these people weren’t just dangerous—they were outright monsters. Assassinating academy officials? Executing traitors? And their methods were brutally inhumane.

Even gangsters or mafias in the criminal underworld don’t go that far. These weren’t just rough guys—they were extremists.

To have the difficulty level suddenly skyrocket because of a new mission—this was more than unfair.

It was like jumping straight from normal mode to hell mode.

“Think.”

Now, there was one more group I absolutely had to keep this fake identity hidden from.

The academy—and this mysterious secret organization.

If either of those two groups discovered that I wasn’t the real Ludger, it would be over for me on the spot.

Whether it was by the headmaster’s hand, the law of the Empire, or internal purging by the organization itself...

Right now, death was closer to me than it had ever been before.

“I need to think.”

Ludger Cherish is a high-ranking officer in the secret organization.

The name Ludger itself was fabricated, so it’s just an alias. Regardless, the position known as First Order belonged to him.

Within the organization’s infiltration of Seorn Academy, there were two First Orders, including me. I didn’t need to know their objective just yet.

The important thing was: who was the other First Order?

But I couldn’t just come out and ask. No matter how you spin it, a high-ranking officer not knowing the identity of another officer would be instantly suspicious.

‘For now, I can ignore the Second Orders and Third Orders.’

Judging by how easily that subordinate paled when I lowered my voice and bluffed a bit, the real Ludger must’ve had a pretty nasty personality.

If he was that unpleasant to deal with, then none of the lower ranks would dare approach him casually. That works in my favor.

Ultimately, the only person I need to be wary of is the other First Order—my equal in rank.

The problem is... I have no idea who they are.

‘No way I can just shamelessly ask. A high-ranking officer not knowing his peer? That’s begging for suspicion.’

Now, I didn’t just have the academy and the Empire to worry about. I also had to deal with this covert organization operating within the Empire.

I thought I was riding on the back of one tiger. Turns out, I’m straddling two.

Honestly, I must be something else. Even a circus wouldn’t pull off a stunt like this.

If even one of them turns on me, it’s over.

The moment the balance tips, I might as well be dead.

‘Fine. Things have already gotten this far. I’ve got no choice but to press on.’

I immediately pulled out the books from Ludger’s suitcase and laid the letters beside them.

‘First, I need information.’

These letters were definitely written using the organization’s internal cipher.

That meant I needed to decipher them.

Every code contains a specific pattern.

And the key to analyzing that pattern... was likely in one of the books that came with the suitcase.

‘Since I’m supposed to be a magic instructor, the magic tomes can be ruled out. There were a few other unusual books.’

I scanned through the books.

The Watcher in the Rye, Ringerk’s Book of Philosophy, Traces of Totalitarianism, One Hundred Years of Solitude—

Bestsellers ranging from fiction to autobiography to nonfiction.

One particular book caught my eye.

The Gentleman’s Code of Conduct

‘This is it.’

I recalled the Ludger I had met on the train.

His subtle mannerisms—fidgeting his leg, flicking his fingers. Unpolished behavior.

If he’d truly studied the ways of a gentleman with sincerity and read this book thoroughly, there’s no way he would’ve moved like that.

‘Besides, this book’s clearly the most worn out.’

Part of the cover was frayed and faded.

That meant it had been opened and read countless times. But why would anyone reread it so often?

‘Because this book was used as a codebook to decipher messages.’

I opened The Gentleman’s Code of Conduct and flipped through its pages.

Shffffft—

Traces of frequent use between the pages.

Some pages looked untouched, while others had been read to the point of wear.

Hidden within that irregularity, a certain consistency slowly came into view.

I focused on the heavily worn pages and spotted something between the lines.

I immediately held one of the letters up beside the book and compared them.

‘The continent may use a unified language, but regional dialects still exist between countries.’

Ludger Cherish’s background had originated from the Kingdom of Queoden, so I considered the Queoden dialect.

In fact, the letters contained several distinct terms and idioms that originated from Queoden.

Though a small, barren kingdom in the north, Queoden had produced many great writers. Their dialect had over 20,000 distinct words—8,000 of which were considered advanced vocabulary.

That had to be the key to the cipher.

By comparing the linguistic structure of Queoden with the letters, the encoded patterns weren’t difficult to identify.

And fortunately, I knew the Queoden dialect.

‘Just as I thought.’

My theory was right. Once I translated using the Queoden code, I began to see connections between words in the letters.

<Greeting> <Farewell> <Send-off> <New Meeting> <Crow> <Pupil> <Starlight>, and so on.

Mixed in among those were words representing numbers.

The numbers likely pointed to specific pages in the codebook. Combine those with the words, and the decoded message read:

“First Order. Infiltrate Seorn Academy as an instructor and win their favor. Further orders will be delivered depending on the situation.”

That was the gist of it.

It wasn’t a complete revelation, but it was enough for now.

I closed The Gentleman’s Code of Conduct and leaned back with a deep breath.

“Hoo...”

For the next two years...

I had to live both as an academy instructor and as a high-ranking officer in a secret organization.

Of course, I couldn’t live like that forever. Even if I safely spent two years as a teacher, the shadow of the secret group would remain.

Their existence was a thorn in my side.

If things went south, I’d likely be killed.

‘Still... I can’t wipe out an entire organization by myself. I don’t even know how their hierarchy is structured, but considering they planted this many agents in Seorn... they’re definitely dangerous.’

Taking them on alone was impossible.

But leaving them alone wasn’t an option either. The secret organization was a shackle I had to break free from.

So how?

‘I’ll have to use the academy’s power.’

There’s an old saying: Use barbarians to control barbarians.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Seorn Academy wasn’t just a school. It was an institution that cultivated the Empire’s future—a symbol of an era yet to come.

Despite its title as an “academy,” its influence extended far enough to sway entire nations. With power of that magnitude, the idea of using Seorn to counter a secret organization wasn’t entirely out of reach.

If Seorn and the secret society ever clashed directly, even the most formidable underground group would inevitably be crushed.

Just think how many soldiers and mages were stationed here. On top of that, being deep within Imperial territory meant there was a good chance the knight orders would get involved as well.

That’s why the group had opted to infiltrate quietly instead of trying to force their way in.

Which meant all I had to do was dig up information on them carefully, without getting caught—and subtly feed that information to the academy.

‘Of course, if I take too long, I’ll get caught in the act.’

The secret society might suspect betrayal and decide to purge me. Or, conversely, the academy could suspect I’m a spy and cast me out.

In the end, maintaining a careful balance was the key.

The moment I leaned too far to either side, all that awaited me was inevitable destruction.

It was like walking a tightrope with a pole in hand—precarious, and requiring perfect balance.

I couldn’t afford ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ to tilt in either direction.

‘For now... let’s focus on the first lecture a week from now.’

Even the mission hadn’t given any specific instructions. “Win their favor” probably meant to establish a strong, lasting impression in my role as a teacher.

In that case, my top priority was fulfilling my duty as an instructor.

Seorn was filled with brilliant students—if I showed even the slightest incompetence, I might be torn apart by them instead.

Kids at that age, when they’re in their prime and overflowing with talent, tend to believe they’re better than everyone—including their teachers.

I didn’t know how things worked here just yet, but from long experience, I knew that people were the same everywhere.

‘...There’s a lot I need to consider.’

I couldn’t let the students look down on me.

I couldn’t arouse suspicion from the academy.

And I absolutely couldn’t get exposed to the secret organization.

It made me wonder what the hell I’d gotten myself into—but if I could endure all of this, then the rewards would surely be worth it.

Right. For that, I could hold out.

I got up from the bed, entered the private study, and opened the magic textbook.

I needed to start planning ahead and prepare for how I’d conduct my lectures.

The next two years—

There’d be no time to waste.

Updat𝓮d from frёewebnoѵēl.com.

* * *

The first day of the semester arrived.

Students who had returned to their hometowns over break began trickling back in one by one. Alongside the new term came the arrival of this year’s batch of first-year students.

Those who had been first-years were now promoted to second-year, their hearts brimming with anticipation for the new classes awaiting them as they stepped through the academy gates.

All across the lecture halls, the sound of students reuniting with friends they hadn’t seen in months created a bustling, energetic atmosphere.

However—

Though they were all students, all gathered at the same academy in pursuit of knowledge, that didn’t mean they were all the same kind of student.

Some chatted and laughed loudly, while others remained quiet and reserved.

Naturally, a divide formed between students. And that divide, unsurprisingly, was dictated by their social status.

Within Seorn Academy, students were broadly categorized into three classes.

At the top were the upper class—comprised of royals, nobles, and the children of high-ranking clergy.

Next came the middle class—led by children of wealthy merchants.

And finally, at the bottom, were the lower class—poor commoners.

Even though they were all “students,” their statuses couldn’t simply be overlooked. As a result, subtle but very real social walls were erected within the academy.

Nobles greeted one another with bright smiles, while commoners either kept their heads down or quietly gathered in small groups among themselves.

The same dynamic could be seen in the classroom where the Manifestation curriculum would soon begin.

“Hey, did you hear the news?”

“What news?”

“You know that ‘Theory of Manifestation and Elemental Understanding’ class? A new instructor’s taking over.”

“A new instructor? Teaching second-years, not first-years? That means they must be pretty skilled.”

“Can’t be helped. The previous teacher left. Rumor has it the new guy has quite the resume. Former military, published a ton of papers too.”

“Wow. That sounds impressive. Doesn’t sound like just anybody.”

“But you know what’s interesting?”

“What?”

“They say he’s from a fallen noble family.”

At the word “fallen noble,” a smirk formed naturally at the corners of the student’s lips—the leader of the little social clique.

Those who smeared the noble name with disgrace.

Among nobles, fallen nobility were often treated as even lower than wealthy merchants.

They might still be able to puff themselves up in front of commoners, but—

Even if he was appointed as a Seorn instructor and thus likely competent, upper-class students would inevitably look down on him.

At the same time, the noble students shared a similar thought.

If the new instructor really came from a fallen noble family, getting a good grade in his class would be a piece of cake.

As everyone speculated about what kind of person he would be—

The front door of the lecture hall opened silently.

Every gaze turned toward it.

Through the open door, a man entered the room.