Academy’s Undercover Professor-Chapter 6: False Identity (1)

In this world, photography has yet to become widespread.

Most photos exist only in black and white, and even those are of such poor quality that precise facial comparison is nearly impossible.

When identifying people, they still rely on clothing, age range, and general body type.

So it wasn’t unreasonable for them to mistake me.

‘I’m sorry, Ludger.’

It’s unfortunate for the deceased, but it’s not like I can just die too, right?

The living must live.

And in this situation, Ludger’s identity was an enormous help in saving my own life.

“To think you were the new instructor at Seorn Academy. That magic you used earlier... I should’ve known.”

The moment the name Seorn was spoken, Veronica’s tone toward me changed noticeably.

She muttered to herself, <I see>—as if confirming something she already suspected.

So, she must have seen me use magic.

Maybe that’s why she trusted me even more.

Even the officer who had been half-suspicious and preparing to interrogate me now bowed deeply.

“M-My apologies! Given the situation, I didn’t mean to be disrespectful—please forgive the rudeness.”

“It’s fine.”

I replied calmly, though inwardly I was beginning to realize just how much weight the name Seorn carried.

The only magic academy in the Empire.

Even on a continental level, it was one of the most prestigious academies—Seorn was not a name to be taken lightly.

And now they were hearing that I was one of the instructors there. Their reaction was only natural.

“A teacher at Seorn...”

“So young... how impressive.”

The other guards and officers began whispering among themselves.

At this point, I decided to lean into it. No use hesitating now.

In this moment, I would become Ludger Cherish.

“W-We’ll escort you to the exit, sir!”

“That won’t be necessary.”

“No, we insist. You’re someone who will be shaping the future of the Empire—we can’t let you go alone. We’ve already wasted your time.”

“I really don’t—”

“We’d feel terrible otherwise.”

No, what’s actually terrible is the idea of walking around with you lot!

But unable to say that out loud, I gave a curt nod with a flat expression.

“Miss Veronica. I’ll be on my way now. It was a brief meeting, but a pleasant one.”

Before leaving, I offered my farewell to Veronica. It had been a short encounter, but not an unpleasant one.

She seemed to think the same—she smiled brightly and waved.

“Yes, Mister Ludger! If fate allows it, I hope we meet again!”

“Yes. Until then.”

Sorry, but I doubt we’ll ever see each other again.

With the guard escorting me, I pushed through the crowd and safely exited the station.

As expected of a busy city train station, the exit was packed with people as well.

Once I figured I’d gotten far enough, I spoke up.

“This is far enough. I’ll go on alone from here. It would be a bit uncomfortable for me otherwise.”

“Ah, of course. Please take care, sir!”

The guard saluted and disappeared back into the station.

I gave a polite nod and let out a deep sigh, letting the tension in my shoulders finally ease.

That had been way too close.

If they hadn’t come to the wrong conclusion on their own, I’d have been exposed as a fraud and accused of terrorism.

Still, I’d made it through the crisis. I was safe now.

“Are you Mister Ludger Cherish?”

The moment that voice rang out from directly behind me, I felt a chill run down my spine.

There had been no sign of anyone’s presence.

Slowly, I turned my head—and saw an elderly gentleman standing politely before me.

I forced down the shock in my chest and answered calmly.

“Yes, I am. And you are?”

“Greetings. I am Wilford, an attendant from Seorn Academy. I’ve come to greet you, sir Ludger.”

“...You came to greet me?”

“Yes. We received news that your train had been attacked. I came immediately in case something had happened, but I’m relieved to see you safe.”

With those words, Wilford stepped aside and opened the door to the carriage he’d brought with him.

“Please, get in. I will escort you to Seorn.”

“...”

My eyes darted around. Could I say he’d mistaken me?

I didn’t know how long this Wilford had been observing, but judging by how confidently he referred to me as Ludger, he must have witnessed my farewell with the officer.

At this point, pretending not to be Ludger was out of the question.

More importantly, I hadn’t even sensed this man’s presence until he spoke—he was clearly suppressing it deliberately. And now, there was this faint, razor-sharp aura leaking from him.

This man...

He was no ordinary servant.

“...Very well.”

With no other option, I stepped into the carriage.

* * *

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Deputy Commander Veronica of the Cold Steel Order thought back to Ludger after he left.

Ludger Cherish.

From the moment she saw him, she’d sensed he was no ordinary man.

Because she had seen it.

The way he swept through the terrorists with pure white flames.

The other knights probably hadn’t seen clearly from that distance, but Veronica took pride in her sharp eyesight—sharper even than her commander’s.

Even more telling, the enemy he fought had also been a mage.

And Ludger had defeated him without so much as a scratch.

He had acted as if it were the most natural thing in the world—every move was smooth and deliberate.

Even when she had delivered a brutal blow to a terrorist, splitting his skull without mercy...

Ludger’s expression hadn’t flickered in the slightest.

That wasn’t the reaction of someone frozen in fear.

Ludger had been observing everything through a lens of calm, analytical logic.

He’s not a normal person.

A neat suit, overlaid with a black frock coat embroidered with gold threads—simple, yet elegant.

A reserved expression and steady, serious eyes.

Long hair swept back and tied neatly at the nape of his neck.

Taken together, he was the very image of a refined nobleman with sharp features.

But above all, what struck her most was the aura Ludger radiated.

At first, I thought he might be a disguised member of royalty.

The quiet dignity that emanated from Ludger was something she had only ever felt in the presence of nobility within the imperial court.

That’s why, when she heard he was an instructor at Seorn Academy, she wasn’t surprised.

In fact, she even thought... the name Seorn wasn’t quite enough to be a badge of honor for someone like him.

Just as no one is amazed when a fish swims or a bird flies, Ludger being at Seorn felt only natural.

It made sense—too much sense.

That overwhelming sense of familiarity was cemented when she heard his name.

Ludger Cherish. I’ve heard of him. The rising young mage gaining rapid fame. Youngest to reach the 4th Circle. Submitted twelve papers to the Mage Tower. Even redefined the Langester Theorem, one of the great unsolved problems.

Rumor had it he also served in the military as an officer and even distinguished himself in Cryptid hunts.

And now he’s been assigned to Seorn?

That piqued her interest.

Especially since her younger sibling happened to be attending Seorn Academy.

If she ever had the chance, she planned to ask them.

What was it like, being taught by that man?

* * *

My plan to escape the moment I got out of the train station fell apart from the very beginning.

I never imagined the academy would send someone personally to pick me up.

It felt like overkill, but then again—this was Seorn Academy.

If you were assigned to teach at the Empire’s top academy, you’d be treated with the utmost courtesy wherever you went.

And if such a valued individual had been caught up in a terrorist attack, of course Seorn would be concerned.

Sending someone to escort me wasn’t unreasonable.

‘This is bad.’

I looked around the interior of the carriage.

Plush red seats and ornate patterns adorned every surface. The first thing that came to mind was that everything looked expensive. Despite its speed, the carriage barely shook.

Pulling the black carriage was a horse-shaped golem that emitted steam.

It was a product of cutting-edge magical engineering—half machine, half magic. Fascinating to see in action.

But more than that, Wilford—the old man driving the carriage—was clearly no ordinary person.

I hadn’t even sensed his approach until he was right next to me. And despite his tidy appearance, he had a solid, well-trained build that couldn’t be hidden.

This guy... he’s at least a former knight.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Knights don’t grow weak just because they age. If anything, older knights are the ones to be most wary of.

They possess not only superhuman bodies but also the wisdom and experience that comes with age.

Trying to run in this situation would be suicide.

‘If I make up some excuse and try to slip away now, I’ll only arouse suspicion. I can’t run off quietly, and even if I somehow succeed, I’ll be reported and hunted down immediately.’

And [N O V E L I G H T] that wasn’t the only problem.

First, there was the matter of my previous identity—Gerald.

That fake persona had effectively been declared dead. I’d need to create an entirely new identity. And that, of course, would require an enormous amount of time and money.

It also meant I’d have to operate through the black market, not legitimate channels. In a city I was visiting for the first time, gathering intel on the backstreets and securing a place to stay while arranging a new identity would be no small task.

Having lost my current persona, I was now no different from an illegal immigrant.

And having no legal identity in this world meant I essentially had no rights. If I were dragged off and killed in some dark alley, no one would even ask what happened.

After weighing all those risks, I decided—at least for now—not to run.

For the time being, I needed to lie low.

‘I can’t afford to do anything suspicious now.’

For now, I would go to Seorn Academy. Whatever came next, I’d figure it out from there.

Clop. Clop.

When the rapidly moving carriage began to slow, I knew I had finally arrived at Seorn Academy.

As if to confirm, the front window of the carriage slid open and Wilford spoke.

“Mister Ludger, we’ve arrived.”

I turned and peeked outside.

The first thing that met my eyes was a towering, grand front gate—and beyond it, an expansive campus spread out as far as I could see.

The roads for the carriages were smoothly paved, and rows of uniformly planted green trees lined both sides, adding an air of refined elegance.

Under the dazzling sunlight, the buildings of Seorn Academy glistened white.

That must be the main building. That one’s a villa, that must be a park... and over there—an auditorium?

The sheer scale of each structure was one thing, but it was impossible to even estimate the size of the entire campus.

Isn’t this bigger than most cities?

The guards at the gate bowed respectfully and opened it without hesitation.

As we passed through, I could sense the immense number of magical wards layered around the perimeter.

There were so many overlapping spell circles that the original structure of the gate was almost completely obscured.

This is insane.

Not that anyone would be crazy enough to try storming through the front gate—but if someone did, they’d be reduced to ash in under a second.

Clop. Clop.

The steel horse pulling the carriage came to a halt in front of a building deeper inside the academy, even beyond the main hall.

A towering structure that rose like a crown—an utterly magnificent castle.

“This is the place. Please step down.”

As I moved to grab my bag, Wilford gently stopped me.

“You’ll be returning here shortly. No need to bring your luggage just yet.”

“...Very well.”

I stepped down from the carriage and followed Wilford past fountains and elegant statues, then into the building.

The interior was just as breathtaking.

Sunlight filtering through the windows reflected off the walls in soft, warm hues, wrapping the space—and my skin—in a gentle glow.

A fragrant aroma teased my nose, and I could hear birdsong in the distance. It felt like stepping into a dream.

The design was like something out of a stunning medieval European cathedral—elegant and refined.

If the neighboring city of <Rederbelk> gave off a dense, steampunk vibe with its endless plumes of smoke, then this place was pure fantasy.

—Haha!

—Hey, stop it!

As I followed Wilford up the stairs, various servants and students in academy uniforms passed us by.

Whenever they did, I could hear whispers and murmurs behind my back. Hopefully they weren’t making fun of me for looking like some clueless bumpkin from the countryside.

Feeling strangely self-conscious, I adjusted my collar and smoothed down my hair.

Eventually, we arrived at a large elevator.

I’m supposed to ride this too?

“This way, please.”

I stepped into the elevator with Wilford. From the outside, I’d thought the building was tall—but as I watched us rise, it looked to be at least thirty floors. The scale of this place really was overwhelming.

When the elevator arrived and the doors opened, a long corridor lay before me, carpeted in deep red velvet, with a single wooden door at the end.

“The Headmaster is expecting you. I’ll wait here.”

“Thank you for guiding me.”

“Not at all. It’s my duty.”

I walked the length of the hallway and stood before the office door.

Just as I raised my hand to knock, a languid yet seductive voice called from inside.

“Come in.”

“...”

I opened the door and stepped in.

“It's a pleasure to meet you.”

The woman sitting at the desk, her back to the large windows, greeted me calmly.

This was the Headmaster of Seorn Academy.

To hold that position, one needed to be at least a 6th-Circle mage—and among the continent’s current eight known circles, that meant she was indisputably one of the best.

Judging by appearance alone, she didn’t look a day over her mid-twenties.

She was holding a fountain pen in her right hand, likely finishing up some paperwork, and set it down with a soft click as she turned her gaze to me.

Her long, curtain-like white hair caught the sunlight streaming in from the windows behind her, making it shine even brighter.

It was a two-tone style—the outer strands a dazzling white, while the inner layers shimmered faintly with a pink hue.

What is this...?

The moment her golden eyes landed on me, I felt a strange sensation I couldn’t put into words.

Somewhere deep in my soul, I felt awe at her presence.

I shook off the unsettling feeling and forced my tone to remain stiff and formal.

“Ludger Cherish. I’ve come because you requested my presence, Headmaster.”

For now, I had no choice.

At this moment, I was Ludger Cherish.