Disguised As A Teacher In Magic Academy

Chapter 26 - Abraham Van Helsing (1)

Professor Selena, who was smiling brightly again that day, nodded at my question.

"Yes. Rumors spread among the students. The werewolves that only exist as city ghost stories. Funny right?"

“…”

"No matter how many geniuses gathered here, I thought they were still students. I can't believe they really care about that kind of ghost story."

Professor Selena laughed, saying that the imagination of the students was very funny, but I could not laugh.

It is said that the first source of such rumors was from the students who had gone to the nearby town of Leathervelk earlier in the day.

It was a dark night in Leathervelk when the sun was setting.

The first sighting of werewolves was when they saw black shadows wandering the roofs of buildings among the slowly abating night mist.

I shook my head.

"They're kids, aren't they?"

"Yes. Of course, but it's rather interesting to hear that the werewolves they saw outside the city were also seen in Soeren."

"In Soren too, you say?"

Were the students inside the school seeing things because that who saw a werewolf in the city spread rumors about it?

"Soren must be very vast, and since it is a place where all kinds of magic are prevalent, strange phenomena occur due to magic power. There are seven ghost stories in real life, right?"

"Seven ghost stories, you say?"

"Yes, you don't know?"

"Professor Selena knows a lot about ghost stories, so."

"What-what?!"

It was just a compliment, but somehow Professor Selena overreacted to it.

She opened her eyes wide, and her cheeks were flushed red in pink; her hair was also slightly standing on the edge.

As I gave a curious look as to why she reacted that way, she spoke hastily as an excuse.

"I.. I'm not very thorough in finding the ghost story of the Soren school in particular! It's just that I'm thinking about what topics to talk about when we're talking about the students, so that's not the case, really!"

"I understand, so calm down."

Looking at his two disoriented arms shaking here and there, they seemed to have almost hit the plate and spilled food as if he was careless.

"No. That's not the problem, actually."

But Selena kept making more desperate excuses as if she felt anger in my attitude.

When I thought that lunchtime might not go that way, Professor Merilda intervened.

"Oh, come to think of it, Professor Ludger, I hear you've been doing your job really well since your first grade. Is that true?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You know, you showed them breakthrough magic that shortened the time spent casting spells. What's his name again?"

"Source code!"

Selena also forgot that she was embarrassed and shouted such words with fire in her eyes.

His shout was so loud that there was a momentary silence in the professor's special cafeteria.

Professor Selena lowered her head when she realized her tongue had slipped. Her ears that were visible through her pink hair turned bright red.

I took a small breath and nodded.

"Yes that's right."

As I nodded and confirmed it, gazes from all directions of the cafeteria clung to me.

It was the gazes of the professors who were eating at the other table.

When I wondered why they were staring at me like that, Professor Merilda moved her upper body towards me and explained it in a way that I could hear well.

"That's because everyone is interested in Professor Ludger's spell."

"My mirror, you say?"

"God. Are you pretending not to know? However, the spell that Professor Ludger showed in your first class has spread throughout the S?ren?"

"Hm."

I put a piece of meat in my mouth and found out how it was.

'Are they interested?'

From the first day of class, I vaguely guessed it would be like that.

From the point of view of the people of this world, the source code borrowed from 21st century computer programming methods is truly innovative.

I had enough hope that the ripple effect itself would get to other professors.

"I heard that it dramatically reduced the casting time span of spell techniques. Can you really show it off here?"

"Rubber. You will be able to earn a lot of money by patenting such spells in the magic tower."

Professor Selena also responded.

Well, it's not wrong to say it, exactly. The spell of the source code will be a wind of change in a stagnant magical society.

In fact, if I were to offer that magic to the magic tower where the magic patent system existed, I could actually sit on the money pad.

Of course, that seems reasonable.

"I don't care about that."

I pretend to be humble, but I know better than anyone why I shouldn't apply for a patent.

For those who don't know anything yet, they might think it's good to offer newly developed magic to a magic tower, but the reality is very different.

There must be a magic patent system in the magic tower.

The cash-strapped magician wanted to earn an income through such a patent system, but such a glaring offer was only superficial.

Spells can only be patented if they are properly recognized by the magic tower…

The problem is that most of the magic that is usually filed as patents has been selected while the magic tower makes all sorts of excuses.

'Maybe it's better if it's just an excuse, but there are also people who abuse it.'

Other new professors may still have a positive perception of the magic tower, but I have experienced how dirty and cheap it is, so my view of the tower is different.

Even if the old magistrate of the magic tower finds a new magic that has no room to be underestimated, the problem remains.

'If you don't have a backer who will be a reliable backer for you or the support of a noble family, your magic patent will actually be snatched away.'

Or, if the developer is dissatisfied with it and does not want to file a patent, they can be dragged to places like back alleys or such and forced to cast spells they develop.

There was a time when something like that happened.

In other words, the nominal patent system promoted by the magic tower was just a glaring fraud.

Knowing that, I did not offer my spell to the magic tower to earn money.

It was an obvious reality to be issued because one had no support, let alone money.

'I'm better as Ludger now.'

Even though he was a fallen noble, he currently worked as a professor at Soeren, so it wasn't bad in terms of his confession.

However, even with Ludger's identity, the magic tower might make me catch a sleeping ferret if I lower my guard a little.

—A place where the greed of stagnant old men runs rampant like sticky mud.

I hate places like that.

And the source code I deliberately showed you in Soren is an action done with some calculations.

First of all, the students will spread the talk that the Source Code breakthrough spell was created by Ludger Chelyise, and the story will be circulated.

The rumors would continue to spread among the students and get to the professors, and even among the professors, the rumors would continue to spread beyond the Soeren.

—That's how it reached the ear of the magic tower.

If I bow my head first and file a patent, it's like offering my neck to cut.

However, if they approach me because they are impatient with the appearance of new magic, then the position of the first and last will change.

—And the status of Ludger will be higher.

Instead of being seen as a new professor of Soren who has nothing, he will become a professor of Soren with extraordinary talent.

If I carried such business cards, the people around me would not easily look down on me.

It took me a bit of time, but there was nothing better than that to strengthen my position.

'However, the problem is that another professor chased me with fiery eyes.'

It was like that even then.

Professors Selena and Merilda were such kindhearted people that they just graduated, but other professors have sent me a clear jealousy.

Especially the eyes of Chris Benimore, one of the newly appointed professors with me at the same time, looked like full magma.

He could kill people with his eyes like that.

"But it's still embarrassing ..."

"I don't need to think that it's a shame to show it to my students first."

I got up from my seat after finishing my sentence correctly.

It was because I thought I would get indigestion from the gaze of another professor if I remained there.

"I'll go now. I have another class to teach."

"Oh, yeah! Good luck with your work!"

“Goodbye~”

I nodded my head lightly to the two professors who sent me goodbye and walked away quickly from the professor's special cafeteria.

Merilda narrowed her eyes as she watched Ludger leave.

He had thought he was a great man from the first time he saw him, but he had grown more aware of it while talking to him.

Ludger Chelysie.The man had actually shown the source code spell, which was even seen by other professors, to the students first.

From Merilda's point of view, Ludger's behavior was unlike that of the witches of the time.

It's a bit strange to say a term like 'magician of the time', but witches have always been like that since the old days.

Because they are too level-headed, they lack a lot of empathy, and that makes them selfish and less considerate of others.

But over time, such tendencies become much worse.

It was a magical world back then even a teacher who had to teach someone had never shown his vision bluntly because they did not trust his student.

He felt it earnestly because he had also experienced the same situation.

But what about Ludger?

Even when he had that great spell, he did not show off his skills to his surroundings.

And what was even more surprising was that he used the spell in front of his students.

'No matter how young his students are, if he shows them how to use such spells, some wise students will probably master this technique.'

'Didn't he even worry about his spell being snatched?'

There were only two reasons for him to do so:

One of them was that the spell was something that was difficult to understand just by looking at it.

'Or…'

He had decided that it was fine for the spell to be snatched by someone.

'Eyy, no way.'

But if it wasn't that, the confident attitude he showed her as they ate just a moment ago…

That can't be explained.

'I can't believe such a person is a new professor like me.'

The more he thought about it, the more he felt bad about himself.

Merilda sighed and looked to the side.

Selena, her colleague and close friend, stared blankly at Ludger's chair.

He likes her a lot too.

Merilda shook her head, thinking that she could not help it, then she immediately smiled mischievously before touching Selena's neck with her fingertips.

“Heeyaaa!”

"Selena, what are you thinking? Wh why? Are you upset that Professor Ludger left first?"

"Professor Merilda? What are you talking about!"

It was fun flirting with Selena.

Merilda thought so and teased Selena for a moment.

Of course, he had to calm Selena down afterward, who became sullen along the way.

***

—Saturday after theory class ends.

Since noon, when the sun was shining brightest, I was already in Leathervevelk, the nearest town from Soren.

At first, it seemed like I was taking a simple walk to look around a nearby town, but in reality, I did it because I had an engagement before.

Promise it at night, so there's still plenty of time left.

I arrived early to take a look and see what Leatherk was like.

'The city itself looks very beautiful.'

Leathervelk, a city with advanced magic techniques, is a large city where the Ramsey River, which stretches for more than 500 km, flows into the city center.

The flowing rivers and countless railroads on his land were veins that instilled the vitality of the city, and the people who lived in them were full of vigor.

Leathervelk, which was the center of all kinds of business, magic, and engineering, had gained a reputation as the most advanced city since side by side with the Sorren Academy.

I walked past 'Centerford', Leathervelk's main road.

Unlike other districts, there were men and women in suits calmly enjoying their leisure time.

Centerford, the place that symbolizes the resurrection of Leatherk…

A residential complex populated by wealthy people, roadside trees were beautifully carved, and steam cars and golem wagons roamed every street.

I drink coffee while sitting on the terrace of a quiet cafe.

The delicate aroma of the coffee beans and the aroma of the coffee I drank mixed in the quiet cafe, even on weekends, giving rise to a strange atmosphere.

'That's cool.'

It was a beautiful place, and I wanted to stay in such a place at least once.

It's only natural to have a vague idea in my mind.

'Home prices here must be expensive.'

After I got up from my seat and calculated the price of the coffee I drank, I headed to the next area.

It was the 'Grand Chapel, ' highway with the most population in Leathervelk.

It was the place where the great white cathedral in the Gothic Revival style stood tall.

It was a busy road for some reason, so many things I had never seen before elsewhere were all packed on that road.

—The machine takes out white steam from the outer combustion engine made of brass and the technician working with the machine.

—Kids play with small mechanical toys.

—People busking in the streets playing accordions, cellos, and violins, and citizens dancing while listening to music.

“…”

As I toured the city looking around various places, the sun sank, and the setting sun started to burn the color of the sky.

Ding. Dong. Ding.

A huge clock tower towering across the city rang the bell, indicating the time was already six o'clock.

From the beginning of spring, where there were still remnants of winter, the sun set early, and the air that touched my skin quickly became cold.

I headed for the appointment while closing the front of my black suit.

All this time, I had only seen the beautiful appearance of Leathervelk, but the place I was headed to was just the opposite.

—Clear rays that appear under strong light.

That place is called the naked face of a horrible city.

I walked past the steaming water vapor from the surface of the Ramsey River while pressing the wide-brimmed hat I wore on my head.

When the clouds, which were bright red in color, drifted west and the blue sky covered the entire city of Leathervevelk…

I was standing in front of an alley in a foggy industrial area.

There's no one.

The street bums stopped begging and returned to the deep side of the alley, and the children who worked hard to earn daily wages while coughing badly also went home.

I was the only one there.

The red light from the street light touched the fog and scattered hazy.

In that empty silence, I waited for the person I was supposed to meet while leaning against the brick wall covered with dirt.

"She said she came early, but she was late."

As soon as I thought so, I heard a voice from inside the alley that made me lean.

Grrrrr.

It was a sound that no human could ever make.

I pulled my back from the wall and stared into the alley.

A pair of red eyes emerged from within the strange space that was half mixed with gray mist and pitch-black darkness.

'It's really…'

I remember what Selena said in the cafeteria the day before.

Rumor that students saw werewolves.

He went on to say that it was just a ghost story, but I'm not sure.

Looking at him then, I wonder what he would think of it.

At that moment…

He's moving in the dark.

His movement headed towards me in an instant.

I did not miss it and stared intensely at the werewolf.

I immediately raised my fist and hit his head.

Bam!

"Aargha!"

A loud shout sounded for a while amidst the fog.

I looked at the man sitting in front of me without hiding his pitiful face.

"I wonder why you're late, so you plan to play this kind of joke."

"Damn. Still, it's been a long time. Can't you act surprised?"

The one who said that and touched his head with his hands was an acquaintance I had to meet, who could also be called my subordinate.

"Long time no see, Hans."

"Old not meet."

He was the cause of the werewolf rumors among the students.