Disguised As A Teacher In Magic Academy

Chapter 29 - Hunters in the City (2)

'Hmp, phew. I was almost cornered and caught as a suspicious person.'

Hans, carrying Ludger's suitcase, walked slowly through a dark alley while avoiding the sight of the police who suddenly came to the scene.

Only that day did Hans arrive there, but he did not get lost as he had memorized the map of Leathervevelk city in his head.

'More than that, he went to catch a werewolf. When is he back?'

As he thought so, something fell in front of Hans from the air.

—It was a giant wolf head that rolled standing up.

Yeek!

Hans shrugged his shoulders and desperately held back the scream that was about to come out of his lips.

"Shocked?"

Ludger walked slowly out of the darkness of the opposite alley.

—Shoes and leather pants with white shirt and brown leather vest on top and long dark coat on the outside and cap on his head.

It seemed like Hans would probably fall in place if he did not know who he was due to the intense pressure emitted by his appearance.

"Damn it! When you want to show up, say something before! I almost dropped your suitcase!" Hans shouted with trembling lips.

"You didn't do it, so it's okay."

“Ah shit. Is this a werewolf? Well, I don't underestimate your skills, but I wonder how you managed to catch this terrible man in that situation."

Hans, who examined the dead werewolf's head with his tongue out, shivered and handed Ludger a black suitcase.

Receiving his suitcase, Ludger turned around and walked forward.

Hans followed on Ludger's back.

"Can you just let his head go?"

"Yes, I don't need it anymore."

"Why did you take him that time?"

"To surprise you."

"...So you remember me trying to tease you in the alley?"

As Ludger fell silent, Hans sighed and raised his hand.

"I understand. I'm losing. I lost, so don't do it again."

"Look at you doing it…"

Two people who came out of the alley went out into the street where there were humans with pedestrians here and there.

"So, what is the identity of the werewolf? Is it really Cryptid?"

"No. It was an artificial experiment created by someone."

"Experiments? They're nuts. I have to take care of myself while I'm in this town. It means the person who made it is here."

"I have something to tell you about that."

“Something to tell me? I was suddenly very nervous. Can I not listen to him?"

“…”

“I... I understand! Tell me what it is."

"I must continue the work I originally planned."

“The job you originally planned? Don't say..”

"I think it's better here than in the capital."

Ludger threw two bags at Hans.

Hans picked it up and checked the contents. One was full of gold coins, and the other contained the neutralizer of his ferocious beasts.

"This…?"

"Don't we just have to slow down?"

"But at Leathervellk? In a place related to Soren, and where might there be a secret society, the Black Dawn Society? There's even a gang in the back alley because it's a big city?"

"Yes." Yeah."

"You're crazy."

"There's a lot of funding for that, so do your best."

"What about you?"

"I can't move in a hurry because I'm an academy professor for now. The principal still suspects me."

"So I have to do this myself?"

Ludger shook his head.

"I'm not asking you to do everything. I'm asking you to gather important information first. Who's the gang in this town, who's the mafia, how the underworld is here, and how we can get a place there. You can find out and tell me."

"Then I will move forward."

Hans, who understood what Ludger was going to say, gulped his saliva and immediately smiled and nodded.

"Yes, that's my forte."

***

Back at the academy dormitory, I unpacked all my luggage at the accommodation.

I've handed it to Hans to gather information on his own for now, but it'll be fine.

He seemed to be unbelievable, but his ability to gather information was incomparable.

I don't often take her around for no reason.

'I must build up my own strength to prepare for an unknown situation.'

I couldn't move right away for now, so I decided to prepare first.

The principal still suspects me, and I still don't know exactly what the Black Dawn Society's secret society will do.

It's a bit poisonous for me to move rashly.

After finishing arranging my luggage for a while, I sat down on the cushioned sofa and remembered what happened that day.

'That werewolf... It was an experiment deliberately created by someone rather than pure Cryptid.'

The existence of werewolves is not surprising.

Monsters existed in this world, and back then, they had been driven past the shadow barrier, which was outside the continent, but there were still traces of them.

Cryptids are a prime example of a remnant.

The monster subspecies is more like an urban legend or a ghost story caused by an abnormal occurrence of mana than a creature called a monster.

The werewolf I caught back then was also some kind of Cryptid, but it was just a fake, to be exact.

'Because of the experiments and spells that created werewolves have been around for a long time.'

There was a curse potion made by inserting various medicinal herbs into the water with wolf footprints in it and mixing it with wolf fur.

It was a transformation herb that could even make ordinary people turn into ferocious beasts if they drank it.

That must be black magic.

Black magic is banned nationally, so they will be punished with the death penalty without any condition for the reason that they are caught.

It was also rarely circulated in the underworld.

'But how could they make a werewolf like that? Seeing that he even had lab markers as a sign that he was an experiment, I don't think there was much power involved in his creation.'

'Seeing that he has a rope, do they mix up human genes after catching a wild wolf alive?'

There were signs of restraint and traces of other experiments engraved on the werewolf's body.

That must be the result of science.

The potion that corrupted humans and turned them into ferocious beasts belonged exclusively to the nearly extinct black magician.

Science has intervened in that.

'Someone deliberately urged them to do so.'

Then who is that someone?

Normal space was not enough to make such a large experiment secretly.

A fairly large laboratory is needed, and it should be hidden from people.

Space, secrecy, and possible failure in the experiment…

Taking all that into account, means there are large investors in this case who can provide a huge source of funding.

—A nobleman or millionaire.

'There must be a suspicious rich man in the empire.'

I shook my head.

I don't know who's suspicious enough, and since I've eliminated that werewolf and finished collecting the serum, I don't have to worry about it anymore.

It was a weekend after a long time, so I didn't want to get involved in troublesome work anymore, and the next day was Sunday, so I wanted to rest well.

'In addition, I have to prepare what I have to do for the next class.'

There are so many things I have to deal with in so many ways that I have a headache.

***

Monday morning marks the beginning of a new week after a peaceful Sunday.

I had breakfast with a simple toast and coffee, then went to work in my private professor's office in the main building.

The class was the next day, but I had to show myself I would work for now because I was a new teacher.

That is social life.

After sitting at a desk in the office, I opened the daily newspaper I had brought from the inn.

It was just to check what was happening in Leatherk or Soren.

But…

'…What the hell is this?'

The front page of the hot newspaper that came out that morning was inscribed with one headline that stood out in its coverage.

[An unknown killer in Leathervevelk. Still in search!]

last week, five more people were killed in Leathervelk. As a result, the number of deaths exceeded 10. The culprit has not been identified, but eyewitnesses say it was a monstrous beast with black fur. Although police said it was just a crazy killer and announced they would arrest him soon, residents were still anxious.

'What is this?'

I read the article on the front page of the newspaper repeatedly.

No matter how I looked at it, it was the werewolf I had killed the previous Saturday.

But the newspaper said that the death toll occurred on Sunday.

'I definitely ended his life then, but there was a new victim. Does that mean there isn't only one werewolf?'

It was the moment when I felt that the situation had become strange…

It sounded! It sounded!

The transparent crystal ball on the workbench began to flash with a strange sound.

I know what it is.

"The head of the school calls me."

It's some kind of signal artifact to bring the professors together.

That means there's a meeting to be held.

'I have to go.'

I stood up and put my coat on the hanger.

Suddenly, I remembered what professor Selena said during a meal on Friday.

Some students said they witnessed werewolves inside the academy.

'The victims at Leathervevelk, including the apparitions at the Academy.'

Even if I exclude the ones I hunted, there might be at least two more werewolves.

… Maybe more than that.

Trying to move on from such anxious thoughts, I headed to the meeting room where the professors were gathered.

Chat chat.

The conference hall on the top floor of the main building was full of professors.

—Those who are clearly competent in their own field of teaching.

When I go inside, people's eyes look at me.

Most of the feelings that radiated in their eyes were curiosity, but I knew it was directed at the source code I found, not curiosity towards me.

'Professor Ludger! Here!'

A pink haired woman was seen waving her hands in the corner.

When I found out that professor Selena was waving at me, I walked towards her.

'Is that Ludger Chelysie?'

'I heard he found a pretty good spell. Really it?'

'I heard he's from a fallen noble family. He was acting very high with that look.'

Among the several professors, not a few people were looking at me with hostility who were descendants of nobles.

Their hostile and jealous gazes were quite stinging, but I just ignored them.

Professor Selena greeted me as I sat on the empty seat next to her.

"Do you have a good weekend?"

"I've had a good rest. Did you also rest well, Professor Selena?"

"Yes, it's been a long time since I've rested well. More than that, have you heard the rumors?"

"You mean the reason why we got together this time?"

"Two first-year students were seriously injured last night after they were attacked by unknown assailants."

Selena explained that the situation was like that.

'Last night…'

It is said that two first-year students who returned to the dormitory after going outside the academy were attacked inside the school.

His injury was not life-threatening, but quite serious, and it was a great surprise that such an incident took place inside Soren.

One of the students who woke up this morning said…

—That terrible beast has attacked them.

"I think the werewolf rumors that have been circulating since last week are true. There were also casualties in the nearby town of Leathervevelk."

"I understand."

It was hard to ignore them as it saw some hallucinations, and the wounds carved on the victim's body were said to have been clawed by a savage beast.

That's why all the professors gathered at that moment.

First of all, it is mentioned in the contract that professor Soren must work at his best in case of an emergency.

That means it's hard to calm things down with just internal guards or employees.

'If the opponent was a werewolf, it would be much better to send an elite professor than to exert unnecessary manpower.'

Professor Soren does not just teach students normally.

In other words, the skills of the professors have been guaranteed to some extent by the time they teach the prestigious Soren students.

"The head of the school will come."

When a woman in her mid-50s with a frown on her face said that, all the professors who were talking to each other became silent.

I wondered who she was, and Selena explained it to me.

"He's Professor Mary Ross. He has been teaching at Soren for more than 20 years. His teaching field is pharmacology."

"I understand."

He has been teaching for over 20 years in S?ren? That means he has great ability.

He came forward and resolved the situation, and all the other professors were silent.

"The head of the school will come."

Then the door opened, and the principal entered.

She's always been beautiful. Along with her dazzling golden eyes, her two-tone hair in white and pink naturally attracted people's attention.

"Good morning, everybody. The reason I called you so urgently today is because I have something to announce to you."

The principal got straight to the point without delaying any more time.

All the professors in the conference room sharpened their ears.

"Recently, an unknown assailant appeared inside the Soren. In fact, last night, two new students who entered school this year were attacked and seriously injured."

"Who did it?"

"It hasn't been revealed yet, but according to what the witnesses said, it's a werewolf, which means it's done by Cryptid."

The mere mention of a werewolf by rumor caused an uproar among the professors.

"That's impossible, Your Majesty. Are they wrong? Why is there Cryptid in San Francisco?"

It was a greedy middle-aged man who seemed to be in his mid-50s who stood up while speaking very blatantly.

He split his greasy hair neatly 2/8 and grew his mustache, which made his face look full of annoyance.

It was like seeing an old boss that every school seemed to have..

However, after he stood up, the atmosphere of the conference room changed strangely.

"Is there anything you want to say? Professor Hugo Bourtag?"

"This is Soren. This place is protected by the Empire of Exile. In order for such a werewolf to appear in Soren, I wonder if the students have been wrong after believing the ghost stories that are circulating."

“Professor Hugo. You don't seem to know anything. Didn't I just say there were already two victims?"

"I knew. Even the victims were children from noble families. That's why I don't think it was done by a werewolf."

Hugo Bourgag glanced at the crowd once.

"I think the culprit was a fellow student of Soeren. Ordinary people at that time."

"What?"

"Otherwise, it couldn't be just the children of nobles who were among the many injured students. Werewolf attack in Soen? Rather than saying that, it was much more credible if some students deliberately pretended to be werewolves and committed crimes."

Those words certainly had reasonable persuasion, but I couldn't help but feel an instinctive displeasure at Hugo's words.

Yes, he was not purely questioning the situation.

He was just trying to nag the principal's words and blame certain students.

Looking through the atmosphere, I nodded inward.

'Oh, I understand roughly.'

As long as Soen is also an organization, it is inevitable that factions exist within it.

Students were divided into commoners and nobles, but the professors were not much different.

The reality is that professors also have a subtle and strange atmosphere between ordinary professors and aristocratic professors.

The new teacher, Chris Benimore, who had just joined Soren, also refused to eat together while commenting on me as a fallen noble.

'I think the Black Dawn Society will oppose that, but I don't think so either.'

Perhaps Hugo was the only one acting rashly like that, but he definitely knew that there were some people who secretly agreed with him.

Several aristocratic professors united and formed factions.

And that faction did not seem to get along with the headmaster faction.

It was not enough for them to cooperate, but what kind of situation was such an internal conflict?

When I thought, 'Is this what Soren's reality is?' a small insect climbed up the wall and crawled onto my shoulder.

As I was about to bounce it off with my hand because I thought it bothered me, I had no choice but to stop.

That's not a bug. It was a small thin sheet of insect-shaped paper.

Fortunately, others have not noticed it.

I take it naturally and check its contents in a way that no one else will notice.

Fortunately most of the professor's attention was focused on the neural warfare between the principal and Hugo.

“…”

After checking the contents, I pressed my finger against my slightly throbbing forehead.

「Three of the trial subjects escaped. Immediate arrest is required. Eliminate them if it is not possible.」

I could immediately see who was sending the message and who was the mastermind behind the werewolves.

But the most important thing is the last sentence.

「If the existence of the experiment is revealed, there is a risk your identity will be revealed.」

'Oh my God.'

'Why did you give me such a hard time?'