Academy’s Undercover Professor-Chapter 291: The Emperor of the Empire (1)
The moment the words “The Emperor is coming” were uttered, a wave of unrest rippled through the command tent.
“His Majesty?”
“Without even sending word...”
It made sense that the Emperor would visit, given the crisis in the capital—but arriving without any prior notice?
The outside was quickly engulfed in commotion, and soon, a group of people streamed into the tent through the entrance.
Everyone inside the tent held their breath.
Surrounded by knights in armor, a single man emerged.
Dazzling golden hair, and skin so flawless it showed not a wrinkle despite his age—clearly past forty.
He had a gentle countenance, yet his presence exuded unmistakable imperial dignity and charisma.
He was none other than the current pinnacle of the Empire—Emperor Aubestus von Exilion.
“All hail His Majesty the Emperor!”
Everyone in the tent dropped to one knee and bowed their heads, showing their utmost respect.
Aubestus raised a hand, graciously accepting their gesture and giving permission for them to rise.
One by one, they stood back up.
Though the current emperor was said to be feeble and a puppet without real power, the atmosphere he carried told a different story.
‘More than anything—this man...’
But even more eye-catching than the Emperor was the woman beside him.
Exuding noble elegance at his side was the First Imperial Princess, Aileen von Exilion, widely known as the next in line for the throne.
If the Emperor was the sun, then the First Princess was the full moon hanging in the azure sky.
‘His Majesty and the First Princess appearing together...’
‘This must mean they view the situation as gravely serious.’
Then, a hulking old man entered the tent.
His lion-like brown hair and long beard gave him a commanding presence, and the moment the knights recognized him, tension ran high.
‘Lutus Wardot!’
Lutus Wardot.
Commander of the Royal Guard, the elite corps that only a rare few knights could join—and the strongest swordsman in the Empire.
If a massive greatsword were to stand on its own, this was how it might look.
Even past sixty, his robust physique and gleaming brown hair and beard radiated vitality and strength.
Lutus had come personally to escort the Emperor and First Princess—leading the Royal Guard himself.
It was no wonder the knights responded with both awe and fear.
Even Terina, commander of the Nightcrawler Knights, offered him a respectful bow.
Lutus gave her a small nod in return, accepting her greeting.
Though they were both Masters, a clear difference in class still existed between them.
“Pleasure to meet you all.”
Emperor Aubestus finally spoke.
His voice was soft, gentle—yet carried a strange, undeniable authority that couldn’t be ignored.
“Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like we have the leisure for pleasantries. As you’re all aware, horrible events have occurred right here in the heart of the Empire. Though I’ve been informed, I came personally to hear a full report. /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ Would you brief me?”
Just then, Lloyd of the Nightcrawler Knights stepped forward. He had been organizing the status report.
“I am Lloyd, of the Nightcrawler Knights.”
“Very well.”
“First, this incident is a large-scale terrorist attack orchestrated by the Liberation Army in collaboration with black mages. Initially, the Liberation Army sowed chaos by launching gun attacks in crowded areas. Then, from underground, they unleashed chimeras to inflict maximum damage.”
Lloyd gestured toward a map on one side of the tent.
“The chimeras emerged in mass numbers from sewer systems beneath more than ten major zones.”
The entire region had descended into panic, with heavy casualties.
Had the knight orders not already been patrolling and enforcing security in advance, the death toll would’ve been unimaginably worse.
“At present, we’ve set up barricades in each area to block the chimeras. They appear to be retreating, likely due to the strain. Judging by their movements, it seems there’s some central figure giving them commands.”
“Black mages, no doubt,” Lutus interjected.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Then the Emperor, who had quietly been listening, spoke again.
“I’ve heard that students from Seorn Academy are also present here. It is, after all, the school my beloved third daughter attends.”
Now, the reason for the Emperor’s sudden visit became clear to everyone present.
“Is there any news of Erendir?”
“Well...”
Lloyd hesitated briefly, but when Commander Terina gave a nod, he cleared his throat and continued.
“According to what we’ve determined, the Third Princess is believed to have gone to the Crystal Palace with Mentor Loina Pavlini.”
“The Crystal Palace. A place frequented by tourists and easily accessible via public transport. But precisely because of that, it’s also a prime target for chimera infiltration.”
The Emperor’s insight was sharp.
Indeed, the Crystal Palace had become one of the most dangerous locations under current assault.
“However, she was accompanied by a Lexur-class mage, so there should be no major issues.”
“For Erendir, yes.”
What the Emperor meant was: while Erendir might be safe, the same could not be said for everyone else.
Especially not the many citizens visiting the Crystal Palace.
No matter how powerful a 6th-rank mage was, it would be impossible to protect everyone inside the building.
The Emperor’s expression naturally grew heavy.
True, the Crystal Palace had its own private security to deter terrorist acts, and a few knights were known to patrol the area—but even so, the sheer number of chimeras meant the possibility of something going wrong couldn’t be dismissed.
“Oh, that won’t be a problem.”
Just then, a voice cut in.
It was a small woman with twin braids—Caroline Monarch.
Everyone around her tensed up in shock.
Given her notorious hatred for nobles and royalists, seeing Caroline speak so boldly in front of the Emperor made everyone incredibly uneasy.
If she dared insult him here...
Chaos would erupt.
“You are...?”
“Caroline Monarch, Your Majesty.”
“I know you. I didn’t expect to meet the leader of the Monarch Mercenaries in a place like this.”
The fact that the Emperor recognized her caught Caroline off guard.
According to what she’d heard, this Emperor was supposed to be a powerless figurehead—but nothing in his behavior suggested that.
‘So you really can’t trust rumors, can you.’
As Caroline mulled that over, Emperor Aubestus asked:
“May I ask why you say it won’t be a problem?”
“Loina is, frankly, a bit lacking. Among us 6th-rank mages, she barely qualifies.”
“That doesn’t sound like something meant to be reassuring.”
“However, a truly skilled individual accompanied them to the site. That’s why it’ll be fine.”
“A truly skilled individual?”
For the first time, a trace of interest entered the Emperor’s voice.
He had, of course, heard of Caroline Monarch.
Though they were mercenaries, her group rivaled most knight orders in power.
They were known to be aggressive and battle-hardened from years of campaigns across the world.
Caroline Monarch was their leader—and thus assumed to be of a similar temperament.
If someone like her acknowledged another’s skill so candidly, it was bound to spark curiosity.
“Who is it?”
“That person is...”
Just as Caroline began to speak—
Noise erupted outside the tent once again.
This disturbance was different from when the Emperor had arrived.
Everyone turned, puzzled by the unfamiliar tension.
“Go check it out,” the Emperor ordered one of the nearby royal guards.
The guard saluted and stepped outside.
He returned quickly.
“Well?” asked the Emperor.
“Survivors from the Crystal Palace have arrived!”
“Survivors?”
Everyone knew who had gone to the Crystal Palace, so relief instantly washed over the tent.
But what mattered wasn’t whether there were survivors—
It was how many had survived.
The Emperor’s gaze sharpened, and the guard responded immediately.
“There are so many survivors that we haven’t been able to count them all yet. But according to what we’ve heard—only a very small number of the original group have died.”
“And Erendir?”
“She is unharmed, as is Third Princess Erendir. Mage Loina Pavlini, who was with her, is also safe, as are the students of Seorn Academy.”
At the flood of good news, sighs of relief and admiration spread throughout the command tent.
The Emperor’s gaze naturally returned to Caroline.
“It seems the skilled individual you mentioned has arrived.”
With that, the Emperor stepped outside the tent.
Everyone followed him.
Outside, the mood had changed dramatically with the arrival of the survivors.
Though there were some casualties, the fact that so many had returned safely gave renewed hope to those teetering on the edge of despair.
Just as the Emperor spotted the group of survivors, someone within that group spotted him as well.
“Father!”
Third Princess Erendir cried out in delight and ran toward the Emperor.
Aubestus also smiled in relief upon confirming his daughter’s safety.
Only now did many people realize just how identical Erendir’s hair color was to the Emperor’s own.
Erendir was overwhelmed by the fact that her father had come in person—but her expression suddenly hardened as she noticed the figure standing beside him.
“Oh dear. Could it be that my disgraceful little sister didn’t see her elder sister standing right next to Father?”
“A-Aileen unni...”
Erendir’s face twisted in dread, as if she’d just laid eyes on her natural-born nemesis.
Aileen, in contrast, gave a slow, wicked smile.
At that, Erendir’s face drained of color, and her body trembled like a leaf.
“It truly saddens me... My dear little sister only calls out to Father and doesn’t even spare a glance at the sister standing at his side. Or did she pretend not to notice me on purpose?”
“I-It’s not that...”
“Enough, both of you,” the Emperor said, stepping in to gently cut off the exchange. “Must you torment your sister on such a joyous occasion?”
Aubestus's tone was kind, patient—clearly, he’d seen this sort of thing between them many times before.
Those watching from the command tent realized: even an Emperor, in the end, was simply a man who cared deeply for his children.
“Erendir. I’m truly glad you’re safe. Were you in any danger?”
“W-Well... not exactly...” 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮
She hesitated at first, then spoke honestly.
At first, with Loina’s help, they managed to hold off the chimera horde—but fatigue set in, and casualties began to mount.
Then the chimeras started attacking from a distance, shooting spines under someone’s direction, and the situation became dire.
The Emperor’s face grew darker with each word—until Erendir spoke again.
“If it hadn’t been for that person, we all would’ve died there.”
“Who was it?” the Emperor asked.
But it wasn’t Erendir who answered.
Aileen spoke first.
“Father, speak of the devil—he’s arriving now.”
At her words, Aubestus turned toward a certain part of the survivor group.
At that moment, a man began walking toward them.
“...Ohh.”
His pace was slow, but each step carried a quiet, inherent nobility.
Despite the chaos of the battlefield, he retained a sense of dignity and calm that felt entirely out of place—but deeply impressive.
Even Aubestus, who prided himself on having met all the greatest nobles in the Empire, found himself genuinely impressed.
Who is he?
Then the man—Ludger—caught sight of the Emperor.
He naturally maintained a respectful distance, then dropped to one knee in perfect form.
Even in paying respect, there was not a single wasted motion.
“I greet His Majesty the Emperor. I am Ludger Cherish, newly returned from leading the survivors to safety.”
* * *
Among the group of survivors, the Seorn students were now reunited with their fellow classmates.
They hugged each other and cried with joy at the fact that not one of them had died.
Rine, too, was no exception—relieved and shaken after realizing just how close she’d come to death.
As she finally relaxed her shoulders, she turned to the person beside her.
“Um, hey...”
Flora Lumos.
She looked at the long-haired girl with navy-blue hair, about to say something—but then closed her mouth.
Flora didn’t look happy at all—not like someone who’d just survived a nightmare.
Rather, her expression was twisted into a deep scowl, as if something about all this deeply annoyed her, though she didn’t know what or why.
“....”
Without really listening, Flora turned and walked away.
All Rine could do was silently watch her retreating figure.
“Flora? Flora!”
Cheryl rushed after her, calling out—but Flora didn’t respond.
She was replaying the events of the Crystal Palace in her mind.
When everyone was in danger...
Ludger had descended from the sky in a blaze of light and saved them all.
His magic was extraordinary.
It wouldn’t have been strange to call it divine power.
He summoned light, wind, fire, and ice in succession—anyone with even a basic knowledge of magic would have thought he was a great archmage.
Of course, Flora had no way of knowing how many magic elixirs Ludger had secretly been holding in his mouth to pull it off.
But that wasn’t what mattered.
After sweeping away the chimeras and confirming they had retreated, Ludger had descended from the sky and approached the survivors.
The lingering traces of his magic carried a sweet fragrance, a dazzling display of colors.
And then, as he looked around at the people who’d survived... Ludger walked up to where Flora stood.
In that moment, she let herself hope.
That Ludger would ask if she was all right—that he would praise her for doing well.
She couldn’t help it.
She was still a student, and she had done something brave. She had achieved something.
But the person Ludger walked up to wasn’t her.
It was Rine, who had been standing right next to her.
—“Rine. Are you all right?”
