Academy’s Undercover Professor-Chapter 209: A Visitor’s Arrival (2)

At the mention of a visitor, countless thoughts flooded Ludger’s mind.

‘There shouldn’t be anyone who’d come see me right now.’

That only made him more tense.

If it was really the person he was thinking of...

‘No. It’s not like worrying will change anything. If I’m not planning to run away, the only option is to face it head-on.’

With his deliberation over, Ludger spoke.

“Understood. Tell them I’ll be there shortly.”

“No need. I came myself.”

With that, the visitor brushed the attendant aside and walked into the faculty office.

Seeing who it was, Ludger—who had been bracing himself—let out a subtle breath and relaxed his shoulders.

“So it was you. Casey Selmore.”

“What’s with that oddly relieved reaction?”

“Nothing. You may go now. Thanks for your work.”

The attendant gave a polite bow.

“Hmm. So this is your office?”

Once the attendant closed the door behind her, Casey strolled leisurely through the room, hands behind her back, surveying her surroundings.

Ludger frowned at the sight.

“Are you going to tell me what business brings you here?”

“Come on, does °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° there always have to be a reason between us?”

“‘Between us’?”

That line caught Sedina’s attention.

Noticing her, Casey offered a soft smile and greeted her.

“Oh, right. There was someone else here? Hello there, cutie. What’s your name?”

“...Sedina Roschen.”

“Sedina Roschen. Hmm. I see. Since you’re here, you must be his assistant? Is the professor treating you well?”

Sedina didn’t answer—just gave a small nod.

Her gaze toward this unexpected intruder wasn’t exactly friendly.

Sensing that things might escalate, Ludger stepped in.

“Sedina. Go wait in the assistant’s room.”

“But, Professor—”

“It won’t take long. There are things I need to discuss with our guest privately.”

With Ludger putting it like that, Sedina had no choice but to leave for the assistant’s room.

Of course, on her way out, she made sure to shoot Casey one last cold glare.

“My, seems I’m not very popular,” Casey said, watching Sedina’s departure with mock regret.

Ludger simply stared at her.

“So, what business brings you here?”

“Oh, already being so cold? Even after last night’s little rendezvous?”

With a mischievous glint in her eye, Casey winked playfully.

Ludger, well aware of what she was implying, gave a flat, unamused response.

Casey rubbed her chin with a hum.

“That’s odd. Most people love it when I do that.”

“If winking counts as a ‘seduction tactic,’ then I’m afraid you’ve been thoroughly misinformed. You won’t find many fools falling for that.”

“Others were thrilled with just a smile, though?”

“That’s because those idiots were exactly that—idiots.”

Ludger was once again struck by how wildly Casey’s grasp of common sense differed from the norm.

Her skill in one particular field was so outstanding that she lacked any real empathy or social nuance.

‘Calling that a seduction technique is ridiculous.’

It was laughable how she mistook the success of her good looks on brainless men as a personal talent.

“Is this some petty revenge over last night? Is this your way of saying, ‘I’ll get back at him by confessing’?”

“W-What?! Who’s confessing to who?!”

“Well, that’s a relief. You’re not my type, after all.”

“As if! You’re not my type either!”

“I just assumed anyone who stalked someone for three years must have some serious attachment issues.”

“Of course not!”

Casey vehemently denied it, but any third party watching would’ve seen clear signs of obsessive behavior.

She was just oblivious to it herself.

Trying to fluster Ludger and failing miserably, Casey’s eyes landed on the lunchbox sitting on his desk.

“What’s this? Didn’t expect you to be a vegetarian.”

“Looks like I’m going to be one from now on.”

“You either are or you’re not. What’s with the ‘looks like’?”

“There are reasons. Anyway, just answer what I asked earlier. Why did you come to see me?”

Ludger rose from his seat and walked toward Casey.

As he got closer, she naturally had to look up at him.

‘Ugh. He’s disgustingly tall.’

Casey found herself once again realizing how tall and broad-shouldered he was, but still refused to look away.

Turning her head would feel like conceding defeat.

“You’re really going to ask me that? As if you don’t already know?”

“I wouldn’t know. I’m Ludger Cherish, a professor at Seorn Academy. I have no idea what you’re referring to.”

“Oh, so you’re clinging to your precious little identity now?”

“You’re quite the rude guest.”

“Hah. Playing dumb to the bitter end, are we?”

Then suddenly, while still glaring at Ludger, Casey reached out her hand.

‘What now?’

It wasn’t a casual gesture. Something about it felt... off.

Whatever it was, Ludger had no intention of letting it happen. He leaned back lightly and dodged her hand.

“...You dodged?”

“What exactly were you trying to do?”

Apparently not expecting him to avoid it, Casey looked surprised, then quickly covered it up.

“There was just some dust on your shoulder, that’s all?”

It was a pathetic excuse—especially for someone like her. Ludger shook his head.

“Whatever reason you came here for, if you plan to waste any more of my time with nonsense, I’ll exercise my authority as a professor to throw you out.”

“Oh, come on. Did you just say you ‘don’t know’?”

“What’s your problem?”

“After using me however you pleased?!”

With her fists trembling, Casey looked ready to explode.

Ludger let out a sigh.

“...Sit down. You came as a guest, so the least I can do is offer you some tea.”

With that, Ludger walked over to the tea set prepared in the office and brewed a cup himself.

Normally, this was something an assistant would handle—but it had been his decision to send Sedina away.

“Here. Drink.”

“Is it poisoned?”

“Do you need me to drink it in front of you?”

“...No. Fine. You’re not the type to resort to cheap tricks like that anyway.”

Staring at the teacup set before her, Casey finally took a sip.

She had fully expected it to taste terrible—just to have something to complain about—but as soon as the rich, smooth flavor touched her tongue, her eyes widened.

‘What the—this is ridiculously high-end tea.’

She’d been all geared up to nitpick, only for this man to serve her premium-quality tea. And he brewed it perfectly, no less.

‘What is with this guy? Even brewing tea, he’s annoyingly good at it.’

Grumbling internally, Casey slowly savored the aroma.

As her emotions settled, the heat in her head began to cool.

‘Whew. Alright. Get it together.’

She’d come intending to probe Ludger’s true intentions calmly. But the moment she saw his face, a surge of emotion had welled up uncontrollably.

After what he’d done last night—facing her now with that blank, impassive face—her frustration had boiled over.

The fact that she alone had been seriously agonizing about it just made her feel humiliated.

“You seem a little calmer now.”

When Ludger commented, Casey just gave him a sulky glare, choosing not to argue further.

Clack.

Setting down the now-empty cup, she fixed her brightened gaze directly on Ludger.

“I have something I want to ask. Are you... ultimately in opposition to the Black Dawn Society?”

“...”

“I figured as much. That factory in Baltanung. It was a secret branch of the Black Dawn, wasn’t it? And you were trying to destroy it.”

Without a word, Ludger handed Casey a document.

“What’s this?”

“Read it.”

Taking the papers, Casey scanned through them quickly.

After a short while, she looked up at him in disbelief.

“This... is real?”

“It’s directly from them.”

“...So it was connected to all this after all.”

"Judging from your reaction... you must’ve come to Baltanung while tracking traces of the terrorists who attacked the Kunst Auction House.”

“You’re quick. Yeah. I got my hands on some of their explosives and analyzed them. It took time, but I finally tracked it down.”

Casey, arms crossed and nodding, suddenly froze and snapped her head up as a wave of discomfort hit her.

“Wait, hold on a second. Why the hell am I having such a normal conversation with you right now?”

“What a thing to nitpick. In any case, I’m giving you this report. Handle it however you want.”

“Oh, uh... Wait. Why are you just handing this off to me like it’s natural? Do I look like your subordinate?!”

“If you don’t want to, you don’t have to. I only offered because I thought it might help with your investigation. If you’re refusing, then I’ll handle it myself.”

As Ludger reached to retrieve the documents, Casey yanked them back behind her.

“What are you doing? Didn’t you just say you didn’t want it?”

“I changed my mind. I’ll take care of it.”

“......”

When Ludger narrowed his eyes at her, Casey stuck her tongue out.

Seeing that, Ludger shook his head.

‘She’s like a damn contrarian frog.’

He understood why Casey was acting the way she was.

‘She just doesn’t want to do what I tell her to.’

And he got it.

She had probably been hailed a genius her entire life—only to experience defeat for the first time.

If one were to ask whether it was truly a defeat, Ludger would say no.

But for Casey, it didn’t feel that way.

Being used by someone else, moving exactly the way he wanted her to—

For someone so proud, that felt like an unforgivable humiliation.

And so, she was now stubbornly pushing back, trying not to act according to his plan.

‘But in the end, doesn’t this just bring us back to square one? She’s still doing exactly what I told her to do.’

She probably didn’t have the mental space right now to recognize that.

‘No matter how many excuses she makes, in the end she just chooses what she thinks is right.’

So even if he handed over the materials and told her to track the Black Dawn, she’d grumble and throw a fit—but she’d do it anyway.

As if sensing what he was thinking, Casey snapped.

“Hey! I don’t know what you’re imagining right now, but don’t get the wrong idea. I’m doing this because I think those Black Dawn bastards are dangerous. Got it?”

“Sure.”

“I’m serious. You need to understand—this isn’t because you told me to do it. Absolutely not.”

“I got it.”

“Hmph. And don’t get comfortable. You’re not off the hook either. There’s no solid evidence now, so I’m letting it go, but later? Just slip up once—just once—and I’ll throw you straight into prison.”

Who the hell says that kind of thing right to someone’s face?

Her personality was unpredictable as ever, but Ludger was starting to get used to it.

He gave a slight smile and nodded.

“I’ll be looking forward to it. Keep working hard.”

“...You’re the absolute worst.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Casey slumped her shoulders, feeling like dragging this out would only make her feel more pathetic.

The man in front of her was infuriating, but right now the more pressing matter was dealing with the direct threat of the Black Dawn Society.

So this wasn’t some loss or surrender.

It was simply the necessary choice.

It absolutely was not that she’d lost.

“If you’ve finished your tea, you can go now. I have work to do.”

“Work? You mean as a teacher?”

“Of course.”

“And does that include that research paper on increasing mana output?”

At her jab, Ludger narrowed his eyes.

“You managed to peek at that pretty fast, considering the time.”

“You left it out in the open. Not my fault.”

“Most people wouldn’t figure it out with just a glance.”

“What can I say? I’m just too brilliant. Anyway—do you really think it’s possible? Increasing mana output isn’t exactly easy.”

“It’s possible. That’s why I’m recruiting people for the experiment. I need to validate the results.”

“What the hell? You’re not planning some dangerous experiment, are you?”

Casey glared daggers at him, as if she’d crush him on the spot if the answer was yes.

“Don’t be ridiculous. It’s not dangerous.”

“And how do I know that?”

“Because I’m living proof.”

“What? You?”

“Yes. But I can’t demonstrate the full results by myself. I need comparative data from before and after the method. That’s why I’m recruiting volunteers.”

“...You’re saying that’s possible without side effects? What kind of method is it?”

Of course, Ludger wasn’t going to tell her that just because she asked.

But then, he remembered Casey Selmore’s position. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

She wasn’t just a detective—she was also a magic-user recognized by the Mage Tower, a ‘Color Mage’ with an official title.

Her fame in the magical academic world was substantial.

‘Hmm. In that case, maybe...’

There might be a way to take advantage of her.

“I can’t go into the full details, but to summarize... it’s a kind of overload.”

“Overload?”

“I’m forcibly suppressing mana output. From that suppressed state, I apply methods to increase mana control. Think of it like how knights train with weighted gear to build physical strength.”

“...And how do you suppress mana output? You going to slap on some manastone cuffs or something?”

“Manastone cuffs don’t suppress output—they forcibly block mana flow and prevent spellcasting entirely. That won’t help. What I use is different. It’s a very old method—ancient, in fact.”

“An ancient method?”

“Casey Selmore. How much do you know about ancient magic?”

“What? Well... I’ve heard that compared to now, it was crude and unrefined.”

“Yes. In terms of precision and elegance, modern magic is superior. But there were definitely areas where ancient mages were far more advanced.”

Specifically—mana output.

In other words, the raw power of their magic.

“Ancient mages never neglected their training to increase mana output. Back then, mana strength was seen as proof of power. It was rough, but strong.”

“You’re saying that kind of method actually existed? Then why hasn’t it been passed down?”

“Because the lineage was broken. More precisely—there’s no one left who can interpret the language of that era.”

Ludger stood and pulled a book from a shelf on the wall.

“This is a copy of the ‘Larsil’ script. It’s a dead language—no one has been able to decipher it in modern times.”

“Larsil? Isn’t that an ancient language from over a thousand years ago? What are you—?”

“The recipe is in here. The ancient warriors—those who used magic back then—trained with these methods to grow stronger.”

At those words, Casey had to grip her thighs tightly just to keep from leaping to her feet.

‘What the hell. Is this guy saying... he can interpret a completely extinct ancient language?!’