Academy’s Undercover Professor-Chapter 317: A Life of Salvation (1)
[Hahaha. How amusing. For you to talk like that in this situation—I suppose I have no choice but to acknowledge you now.]
Basara laughed aloud at Ludger, then narrowed his stark white eyes with a crooked smirk.
Puh-uhk!
A sudden explosion of petals erupted from the ground—and a pitch-black thorn shot up, aiming to pierce Ludger’s back.
The only reason he avoided a fatal blow was his own reflexes.
Spinning his body to the side, Ludger grimaced as pain flared across his back.
He hadn’t dodged it completely. A long, shallow wound had been carved across his back by the thorn.
Naturally, the clothes he wore had also been torn open.
Though this was a mental world, Ludger realized his real body’s clothing would likely be in the same shredded state.
‘What matters now is his attack pattern.’
Basara wasn’t using spells.
This world belonged to him. If he so willed it, anything could happen.
In the next moment, Basara’s massive arm lashed out like a whip.
Shla-la-lack!
Sweeping through the red flowers, the arm surged forward—like a black wall barreling toward him.
Ludger extended both hands and unleashed his mana.
In an instant, a five-layered magical barrier formed.
Ch-ch-ch-chang!
But Basara’s arm shattered the five barriers as if they were glass.
Using the gap formed by the deflection, Ludger ducked and barely slipped under the blow.
The sheer destructive power was absurd.
Straightening his body, he used the momentum to leap backward, retreating quickly.
Basara only looked on, amused.
Though he could’ve attacked again, he didn’t. A show of confidence.
In this space, Basara held absolute dominion.
And so, he chose to watch Ludger struggle.
To see how far this tiny insect could flail before being crushed.
‘He’s not even trying to hide it anymore. He’s toying with me.’
When Basara had possessed Luypholdt's body, he had no emotions—so Ludger hadn’t noticed.
But a demon with emotions?
That was far more malicious.
Of course, Ludger hadn’t met any other demons to compare, but still.
He raised his right hand and stretched it toward Basara.
A formation instantly activated—and a flaming dragon’s head shot forth.
Basara, unimpressed, blew lightly at it.
The dragon-head flame instantly snuffed out.
‘What the—?’
Even blowing out a birthday candle took more effort than that.
As Ludger hesitated for the briefest moment, Basara multiplied his flowing arms—three each on both sides.
Six whip-like arms lashed toward Ludger.
He couldn’t block them all.
Instead, Ludger calculated the trajectory with his eyes and quickly formed angled barriers one after another.
Then he charged forward.
Kwa-ching!
The angled barriers shattered easily as Basara’s fists tore through them.
The ground trembled, and a shockwave crashed against Ludger’s back.
The surrounding flower field swayed violently, red petals scattering through the air like confetti.
Ludger tried to sprint through the gaps, but was forced to a halt.
Black roots—coiling from the ground—had wrapped tightly around his ankles.
With impeccable control, Ludger concentrated his mana into a pinpoint blaze, burning away only the roots around his feet.
Unbelievable precision.
But the burnt roots were soon replaced—multiplying severalfold and climbing up his calves.
Something else was wrong, too.
The scattered petals were behaving strangely.
They floated in midair as if frozen—then thinned and lengthened into needle-like shapes.
Every last one of them.
And all of them were pointed directly at Ludger.
[Let’s see if you can dodge this.]
“Professor!”
Flora cried out, panicked.
But Basara showed no mercy.
A hail of petals launched toward Ludger.
In Flora’s mind, a horrifying image flashed—she clenched her eyes shut and tried to turn away.
But a faint glow stirred her to open them again.
“Don’t look away, Flora.”
To her astonishment, Ludger was unharmed.
Bathed in a radiance from behind, he no longer looked like a mage—but something closer to a transcendent being.
Flora couldn’t take her eyes off him.
“I haven’t heard your answer yet.”
[Another one of your ridiculous spells?!]
Basara roared, furious.
But it wasn’t just a roar—it carried immense kinetic force, a shockwave designed to obliterate.
Ludger stared calmly at the petal-laced storm bearing down on him.
From the light behind him, a colossal tree began to take shape.
The Tree of Sefirot.
From its branches, an overwhelming force surged out—shattering Basara’s shockwave with ease.
Basara’s face twisted with irritation.
“Of course.”
Ludger nodded slowly as he watched it unfold.
“So this is how it’s meant to be used.”
He wasn’t using mana to cast spells.
What he wielded now was pure imagination.
This was the mental world.
There was no such thing as a mana limit here.
If a limit existed—it would be that person’s mental strength.
And so Ludger chose to fight by the rules of this realm.
It was a sense he’d finally grasped after a few experimental spells.
Now all he needed was to sharpen it.
“In the mental world, you’re not the only one with an advantage.”
The one weakness Ludger had always carried—his limited mana °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° supply—
No longer mattered here.
“So then. Would you kindly step away from my student?”
He stretched his hand lightly toward Basara.
And in that simple gesture—Basara felt a chill.
That’s it.
The very same blow that had obliterated him while possessing Luypholdt's body.
A dazzling brilliance shone from behind Ludger, coalescing into the shape of a massive statue.
A Buddha.
Perhaps because this was a mental realm without limits—its size and presence far surpassed what had been seen outside.
Even the enormous Basara had to look up again.
That alone enraged him.
[You think I’ll just lie down and take it?!]
Your power may be extraordinary—
But here, I am the king. I am the god.
Basara’s body swelled, growing even larger.
His flowing form turned muscular, and horns sprouted from his head.
The three pairs of arms merged into two—now thicker, heavier.
[In this world—I am God!]
The Buddha extended its divine palm toward Basara.
Basara, refusing to back down, hurled his own fist forward.
Kuuuuuung!
The two colossal forces collided.
But unlike before—Basara didn’t get pushed back.
In fact, his strength now slightly overwhelmed the Buddha’s palm.
A grin crept across his face.
[See that?! Even your precious magic can’t defeat me now!]
“True. Once isn’t enough.”
Ludger calmly offered a warning.
“Then how about... a thousand times?”
[What?]
Before Basara could question it, the change began.
Not in the statue itself.
But behind it.
The radiant halo expanded—forming countless hands in its light.
Like a fan unfolding, hand after hand spread out behind the statue.
“Can you block this?”
「Potalaka’s Thousand Hands and Thousand Eyes」
[No—!]
A torrent of hands shot toward Basara—too many to count.
Basara gritted his teeth, stretching his arms forward.
His muscles exploded in size, fists flying at lightning speed.
Shockwaves burst one after another in the air.
Deafening roars filled the space as crimson-black force and white radiance clashed, blinking in and out.
The ground buckled. Waves of petals exploded outward in concentric circles.
It was a battle worthy of myth.
And slowly—one side began to gain the upper hand.
[How can this be...?!]
Basara struck with multiplied fists, again and again—but he couldn’t stop them all.
One by one, the hands began to land—breaking through.
And at last...
They pierced right through him.
Once the first blow landed, it was as if a dam had burst—an onslaught of attacks poured down all at once.
Brilliant white flashes pounded Basara’s body like a war drum.
Flora could only stare blankly at the sight.
A colossal demon, locked in battle with a giant, transcendent statue—it was so surreal, she could barely believe her eyes.
But more than the spectacle, what seized her gaze... was its beauty.
Countless palms weaving through the air.
Each one was no different from a perfectly honed spell.
Yes. Magic.
That’s what Flora’s eyes were telling her it was.
She could see it—that was the language of magic.
Then, with a tremendous impact, Basara’s body was flung far into the distance.
The demon, who had been clinging to Flora’s shadow like a parasite, was driven away.
Along with the shockwave came a sudden waft of fragrance.
Sweet, floral, and calming.
Flora had never smelled anything like it before, yet somehow—she instinctively knew what flower it came from.
“Do you know about the lotus?”
What drew her out of her trance was Ludger’s voice, speaking quietly from just beside her.
He stood with his back to her, eyes still on the distant figure of Basara.
“Most people think lotuses float serenely atop water. But that’s not quite right. In truth, they grow from the mud of dirty swamps. And yet, the blossoms they produce carry a beauty untouched by that filth.”
“Born of the mud, yet unstained by it.”
Even in a world overflowing with injustice—some remain untainted.
“Flora. I hope you walk that kind of path too.”
A path unshaken by others.
One where she walks with dignity, her own unyielding path.
“You’re far too precious a person to be giving up over fools like them.”
“Professor...”
Flora listened, but her eyes remained fixed on Ludger’s back.
And then, she saw it. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖
Something that had been hidden—revealed only because part of his clothing had torn.
Etched into his bare back.
“A tattoo on your back, that is...?”
“This?” Ludger asked, catching on to her gaze and letting out a faint, bitter laugh.
He hadn’t wanted her to see it—but now it was too late.
“That mark, Professor... it couldn’t be...”
“It is. You saw correctly.”
The thing carved into Ludger’s back wasn’t a tattoo.
It was a brand.
An unremovable scar of disgrace.
The kind of brand the Lumenis Church marks onto illegitimate children.
“W-Why would you have that...?”
Flora’s fingers trembled with disbelief as Ludger answered.
“I told you. I’ve been through something similar to what you have.”
“That's...”
This wasn’t “similar.” Not at all.
Flora had almost been branded—but in the end, it never happened.
Her late mother had protected her with everything she had.
Still, the memory of that day was a trauma that haunted her.
To her younger self, it had been an unbearable wound.
But Ludger...
He bore the full brand.
Judging by the glimpse visible through the torn fabric, it covered nearly half his back.
Normally, the Lumenis Church would brand illegitimate children before the age of eight.
Which meant—Ludger had received a mark of that size as a child.
“Don’t dwell on it. It’s all in the past.”
“That’s not the point!”
Flora covered her face with both hands.
She was ashamed.
She’d believed her pain was hers alone.
That she was the most unfortunate person in the world.
That no one could possibly understand her suffering.
But now...
Tears slipped down Flora’s cheeks.
“I didn’t know... and I said those things to you—!”
“That’s enough.”
Ludger cut off her words before she could speak further.
“Flora. I didn’t come all this way, fighting monsters like that, just to see you cry. I didn’t come here to watch you in despair. And yet—will you shame me with your tears?”
“Hngh...”
Flora bit her lip, holding back her sobs.
“Answer me.”
“...What do you want me to answer?”
“I asked you if you wanted to go back.”
At the word “outside,” Flora hesitated briefly.
“...If I say I do?”
“If you don’t give up—I’ll help you, no matter what it takes.”
“Really...? If I don’t give up, you’ll keep helping me?”
“Of course.”
In a trembling voice, Flora asked,
“...Why? Why would you go that far? You don’t need someone like me. I was... I was never supposed to be born in the first place.”
“There is...”
Ludger turned to her and said,
“There is no such thing as someone who should not have been born.”
At that moment—when she looked into those unwavering eyes—Flora’s heart tilted entirely toward one side.
“Even if it’s painful right now... you’ll find a reason to live in this world someday. I promise you that.”
She could no longer hold back the tears.
Head bowed, struggling not to sob aloud—
Flora begged him, voice trembling.
“...Then... please help me.”
“As much as you need.”
Having heard the answer he’d been waiting for, Ludger looked straight ahead.
KWAAAAAAAHHH!!!
From beyond the crimson flower field, a roar shook the heavens and the earth.
Red petals exploded like fireworks and scattered in all directions.
Battered and broken, parts of his body missing, Basara rose once again.
[This is my world! I control everything here!]
His wild, glaring white eyes locked onto Flora, who sat behind Ludger.
[Flora... will never leave this place!]
To that, Ludger thought—it couldn’t be clearer.
“Well then... I’ll just destroy you here and now.”
