Academy’s Undercover Professor-Chapter 285: Mercy Within Steel (2)

Leo shed tears in silence.

Ludger watched him quietly.

At first, when Leo confessed to being affiliated with the Liberation Army, even Ludger was deeply shocked.

He remembered the day he had slipped Leo a note with confidential information.

Leo had excellent ability and a cautious nature—someone Ludger thought he could make good use of. But to think he was part of the Liberation Army...

What an absurd coincidence.

After learning the truth, Ludger had hesitated.

Logically, the right thing to do would have been to arrest Leo on the spot and turn him over to the authorities.

But the moment he saw the boy’s face—heard that his family was being held hostage—

That thought melted away like ice on a scorching desert floor.

“He said he was born a commoner and worked to support his only mother and younger sister, didn’t he?”

As Ludger looked at Leo, he recalled himself from the past.

The way Leo tried to carry everything on his own for the sake of his family—

He could see his younger self in the boy.

At that age, when he should have been laughing and living a happy youth, Leo had become a slave to the Liberation Army.

Unable to trust anyone.

Unable to seek help from anyone.

He must have lived every single day in a kind of hell.

Coming here now, revealing everything—that desperation, that willingness to do the right thing... sure, those things were there.

But more than that, it was the surrender of someone who simply couldn’t bear it anymore.

How could he not understand that feeling?

“Leo.”

At the sound of Ludger’s voice, Leo slowly lifted his head.

Though his tears had been wiped away, the rims of his eyes were still red.

“As your teacher, and as someone with a bit more life experience, I intend to help you. There’s no lie in that.”

“.......”

“But just one thing—I need to confirm something.”

“What is it?”

“Are you truly prepared to fight of your own will?”

Not anything else—not strategies or promises—but that.

Even Aidan, standing beside them, was caught off guard. Leo himself looked startled.

But Ludger’s expression was serious. More so than usual.

Even with his calm tone, there was something intensely solemn in his gaze—he clearly wanted an answer.

“If someone helps you but you do nothing, then that help is meaningless.”

Ludger had longed for help at times too.

He had, in fact, received help—both in his past life and his current one.

But what mattered most... was whether one had the will to fight.

You couldn’t wait forever for someone to reach out to you.

In the end, the only one who could truly fight for you was yourself.

“I’m asking if you’re ready to accept everything that comes with this choice.”

“......I’ve spent half my life under their thumb,” Leo said, not avoiding Ludger’s gaze, his eyes shining with defiance. “I don’t think I’ll ever feel peace unless I strike back at them.”

Ludger’s eyes softened.

“Well said.”

Aidan blinked in astonishment.

Ludger, who was famously stingy with praise, had said that.

It might as well have been the highest compliment he could give.

Ludger turned.

Passius was still watching from a short distance away, a conflicted look on his face.

“Sir Passius. That’s how it is.”

“......Pardon? What do you mean ‘that’s how it is’?”

“I’ll need you to go along with my decision this time.”

“Wait, what... haah.”

Passius let out a heavy sigh.

It wasn’t exactly the kind of situation where he could complain about Ludger’s arbitrary choice.

As a Master-class knight, he could hear every word of Leo’s confession from a distance.

Of course he understood the boy’s situation. And even he felt sympathy.

Still—personal feelings and public duty were not the same.

The problem was that the personal was now right here, looming over the official.

“Have you forgotten? I’m a Royal Guard. I serve not only to protect the imperial family, but the Exilion Empire itself.”

“You’re not in uniform, nor are you carrying your sword. Where are they?”

In other words: this isn’t an official mission—don’t throw around your title.

“......And yet you yourself said earlier that your status as a teacher was only surface-deep.”

“And that’s why I’m helping him as a teacher.”

“You never let a word pass unchallenged, do you.”

“Perhaps that’s why Her Highness keeps calling for me.”

Passius shook his head with a smirk.

But seeing Ludger take such a strong stance, he felt... maybe it was for the best.

Dragging Leo away in shackles had never sat right with him anyway.

He could never overlook true evil, of course—but Leo, in the end, was also a victim.

“I thought he was just a cold-hearted man...”

Passius found himself silently admiring this unexpected side of Ludger.

And then he remembered something from the past.

Back when he had become Princess Aileen’s shadow, she had told him many things.

Naturally, he had heard about her former shadow—Jack the Ripper.

—Your Highness. What was my predecessor like?

He had asked the question partly out of curiosity—and partly out of competitive pride.

—He was a man who got things done cleanly. Cold, calm, rational, and composed. Quick-thinking and sharp-eyed when it came to reading the tides.

—That’s high praise.

—I give credit where it’s due.

—If you praised like that more often, your reputation would be far better.

—You think I care what others say about me? If they’re frustrated, they should work to earn the recognition they want. Like he did.

—So that’s all there is to say about the infamous Jack the Ripper? Sounds like a cold-blooded machine to me.

—Not quite.

—Not quite?

—Right. He’s far softer than you think. He hides behind a mask of composure, but he’s deeply affected by others. Even when he speaks bluntly, he’s thinking about how others feel.

—That doesn’t match what you said earlier...

—Exactly. That’s what makes him human, not a machine. Every person carries contradictions. That’s why I chose you too.

—You chose me?

—You’ve got the skills of a top-tier knight, but not a speck of chivalry. You want to realize justice, but you’re also willing to get your hands bloody to do it.

Princess Aileen had said that with a sly grin, casting him a crooked look.

—That’s why you were perfect as my successor. You should be grateful.

—...It doesn’t sound like a compliment.

Recalling that memory now, Passius couldn’t help but chuckle faintly.

At the time, he hadn’t understood what Her Highness meant.

But now, seeing Ludger in action, he was beginning to get it.

“So, what will you do now, Professor Ludger?”

“You’re putting a lot of weight on that ‘Professor,’ I see.”

“Am I?”

“Never mind. We don’t have time to argue semantics. You asked what I’ll do next? First, I plan to extract as much information from this boy as possible.”

“And then?”

“We need to move. Time is of the essence.”

Ludger listened to Leo’s story together with Pascius.

Leo was wary of the unfamiliar blond man standing beside Ludger, but given the urgency of the situation, he didn’t question it and spilled everything he knew.

The Liberation Army had been cunning—Leo had not been given all the information.

Since Leo hadn’t acted particularly cooperative, they withheld several important pieces of intel from him.

Still, that didn’t mean what Leo did know was useless.

The location of their hideout on the surface, and the imminent terrorist attack centered around it.

“But there’s something you should be ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) especially careful of.”

“What is it?”

“The target is definitely the Seorn students—but I think they might also be aiming for the mentors. They were oddly confident, even though they know how powerful the mentors are. That must mean they’ve got something prepared...”

“That’s not a problem. We already have a good idea of what they’re planning.”

Most likely, they were going to use special gunpowder that wasn’t affected by magic.

If they were caught off guard, even a 6th-tier mage might fall victim to it.

But knowing in advance made all the difference.

“The more important issue lies elsewhere. Leo, your family is somewhere in this capital, correct?”

“......Yes.”

Leo nodded grimly.

His family was currently in the capital, Lindebrune.

They hadn’t come of their own will. The Liberation Army had deliberately brought them here.

‘If they were hidden away in some remote countryside, it would take time to deliver the order to dispose of them. But by keeping them close, they can threaten Leo more effectively and control him like a pawn.’

It was a constant reminder—make a wrong move, and your family dies.

“But that tactic of theirs actually works in our favor.”

“Huh?”

“If your family were far away, it would take too much time to reach them. But since they’re here in the capital, things can be dealt with quickly.”

Ludger said this calmly, then turned to Pascius.

“I’ll leave it to you.”

“Me?”

“Yes. You’re the most qualified person for this task.”

“Professor Ludger, as you know, I...”

“This is still part of your mission. And as you’ve heard, the Liberation Army has stationed someone near Leo’s family. From what I understand, it’s not just some ordinary thug—it’s a skilled combatant.”

If they were threatening Leo, they’d at least assign a competent mage.

Leo was still a Seorn student. He couldn’t be disregarded.

They’d want to preserve this blackmail setup as long as possible, and that meant keeping a capable guard nearby.

“I can’t fight while also protecting a family. But you’re different. You’re a specialist in close combat, aren’t you?”

Pascius looked like he wanted to retort with a ‘Isn’t that true for you as well?’—but when he glanced at Aidan and Leo, he bit his tongue.

On the surface, Ludger was a Seorn professor.

Pascius couldn’t go revealing the truth behind that facade.

Wasn’t one of the First Princess’s direct orders to assist Ludger if he ever found himself in danger?

Caught between a rock and a hard place, Pascius had no choice but to follow Ludger’s lead—even if it annoyed him.

And besides, Ludger wasn’t wrong.

If the enemy was hiding in a crowd and planning a sneak attack, a knight would be more effective than a mage.

Especially if that knight didn’t shy away from ambush tactics and had superhuman physical abilities—a Master-level knight.

“Fine. But what will you be doing, Professor Ludger?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

Ludger replied as if it were nothing.

“I’ll sweep up the Liberation Army forces on the surface.”

* * *

“So, the worst-case scenario has come to pass.”

In a secret base where members of the Liberation Army were stationed—

A man with a grim expression finally spoke.

But no one responded.

That was how serious the situation had become.

“They say Branch 3 has been compromised.”

“Branches 5 and 17 as well.”

Bad news continued to pour in.

It meant that the Cold Steel Knights and Nightcrawler Knights were now in full operation—and that those powerful hounds might soon close in on their throats.

“It’s still okay. All the branches that were hit were dummies we set up as bait.”

The overall commander of this branch, a First-Class agent named Karl, spoke up.

Though his face was grim, he remained composed for that very reason.

The Liberation Army had never naively assumed the Empire would do nothing.

They expected retaliation—and indeed, two of the Empire’s three major knight orders had been mobilized.

That meant the enemy had grasped their movements, at least partially.

So, the Liberation Army had deliberately established decoy branches to misdirect their enemies and buy time.

But even Karl couldn’t suppress his unease entirely.

‘This is just a delaying tactic. Those bastards must have realized it. They’re detestable enemies—but they’re still the Empire’s elite. They’ll soon be coming for our real base.’

That meant it was time to prepare for the final showdown.

At Karl’s signal, the soldiers waiting around began checking their weapons.

Assault rifles. High-explosive grenades. The scent of gunpowder was thick in the air.

These weapons would be excessive for ordinary people—but they were facing knights and mages. That changed the rules.

Still, the Liberation Army was confident.

Because the weapons they wielded were far from ordinary.

In fact, precisely because they looked so mundane, they were perfect for catching enemies off guard.

“All squads, move to your designated positions via the underground canals. If anything goes wrong, your mission is to take down at least one of them before you die.”

The agents nodded solemnly.

And at that moment—

BOOM!

A section of the hideout’s wall exploded.

Wooden boards and bricks burst into the air, scattering across the floor. Some of the agents were flung back by the shockwave.

Though it was daytime, the base had remained dark—now blinding sunlight streamed through the breach.

And from that broken wall, a man stepped in, silhouetted by the harsh white daylight.

Most of the Liberation Army agents froze in shock.

Only Karl recognized the man and widened his eyes in disbelief.

“L-Ludger Cherish?!”

Why was a Seorn professor here of all places?

Then Karl immediately thought of Leo and his face twisted.

And Ludger’s gaze locked onto him.

“So it’s you.”

A cold voice spilled from Ludger’s lips, coiling around Karl like a serpent.

“The piece of trash who dared threaten my student.”