Academy’s Undercover Professor-Chapter 221: Research Results (3)

Rine hurried into the lecture hall and rushed to her assigned seat.

Erendir, who had arrived earlier, glanced back and forth between Rine and Ludger, who had entered almost simultaneously. Her lips twitched slightly as if she wanted to ask something.

That was when Ludger stepped up onto the podium and opened his mouth.

“Before we begin today’s lecture, there’s something I need to say to all of you.”

The students gathered in their seats instinctively picked up on what he was about to say.

So it’s finally come.

“Lately, I’ve been hearing that quite a few people have been poking around, trying to dig up the results of my research. In fact, earlier today, I caught some people attempting just that. What’s worse, they didn’t even have the nerve to ask me directly—they tried chasing down the test participants and resorting to something halfway between coercion and intimidation. How audacious.”

Students who felt a pang of guilt whispered among themselves.

More than that, they were shocked to realize someone had actually gone that far.

“My reputation is in shambles.”

His voice was cold, laced with a subtle undercurrent of killing intent.

More than irritation—Ludger was visibly angry.

The students in the lecture hall swallowed hard.

They feared that arrow of fury might fly in their direction.

“There’s no point in getting angry here.”

Fortunately, Ludger didn’t take it any further.

“But I will say this—if I catch even one more instance of this sort of behavior, I’ll step in myself. And whoever’s responsible... I’ll make sure they never set foot ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ in Seorn again. Feel free to try, if you think you won’t get caught.”

It was rare for Ludger to speak so bluntly.

He had issued warnings before, but they had always been vague, abstract things like “Be prepared for the consequences.”

But this time was different.

To say that he’d make sure someone couldn’t set foot in Seorn meant, at the very least, a suspension—if not worse.

“And one more thing. No matter how much you pester the six research participants, you won’t get anything out of them. The method for increasing mana output remains strictly confidential, and those six only received the benefits. That’s all.”

The students didn’t understand what he meant.

They had personally increased their mana output—how could they not know the method?

To those who were unaware of the true circumstances, his words sounded contradictory.

But Ludger wasn’t entirely wrong.

To increase one’s mana output, one had to awaken their body's mana paths, and the only way to do that was through training with a mana suppressant.

Therefore, unless someone knew how to create the suppressant, knowing the mana paths was meaningless—they wouldn’t be able to perceive them at all.

And the only person who knew how to make that suppressant was Ludger.

“No matter how much you dig around, there’s no way to learn the method unless you hear it from me directly. So drop the useless thoughts and focus on your own damn lives.”

Of course, not everyone took his words at face value.

Even Ludger, who said them, didn’t expect such a half-measure to completely stop the behavior.

But at least it was a deterrent.

Now that he’d said this much, harassing the six participants had become a risk.

That was enough.

“If that’s understood, let’s begin class. The third test isn’t far off.”

* * *

Maybe Ludger’s warning had worked.

After the lecture, no one bothered Aidan or Rine.

Not when Ludger had just laid down the law.

No student would be foolish enough to ignore that and approach them.

And in Ludger’s class at least, Rine now had a reliable ally in Erendir, who practically stuck to her side, making her even harder to approach.

Aidan, of course, had his friends with him—no further comment needed.

Occasionally, students from other classes who hadn’t heard the warning tried to strike up conversation, but compared to the wave of people from before, it was a massive improvement.

Even those students, once they heard what had been said, reined in their behavior.

‘Haaah... I thought I was going to die from the stress...’

Rine finally managed to relax.

She’d been harassed non-stop from all sides lately.

Now that it was finally over, she felt an immense sense of relief.

People were still sneaking glances at her from nearby, sure.

But that was all.

No one came right up to her or tried to start a conversation like before.

Thanks to that, Rine could finally enjoy the class in peace.

“In magic, there are ranked tiers. The higher the tier, the more complex and difficult the spell becomes—and the more mana it requires. Reaching the higher ranks as a mage is no easy feat...”

This was a general education course on the history of magic. It was well known for giving generous credit despite the relatively low difficulty.

“Mages up to the 4th-Circle don’t have any titles. But starting from the 5th-Circle, they do. As many of you know, 5th-Circle mages are called ‘Amumnuki.’ Why do you think that is? Anyone?”

“Isn’t that the name of the first mage to reach the 5th-Circle?” free𝑤ebnovel.com

“Close, but not quite. The name Amumnuki does indeed come from a mage’s name—but that person wasn’t the first to reach the 5th-Circle. The same goes for the 6th-Circle. What title is given for the 6th-Circle?”

“‘Lexuror.’”

“Correct. It’s named after the archmage and adventurer Lexuror. But Lexuror isn’t from that long ago—more like a figure from the modern era. Do you think someone like that was really the first 6th-Circle mage?”

At that, some of the students had a realization.

The names given to tiers didn’t necessarily come from the first mages to reach them.

“The titles are given not because the mage was the first to reach that circle, but because they redefined what that tier meant. There were 5th-Circle mages before Amumnuki, but no one analyzed, categorized, and codified the 5th-Circle spell structures like he did. Same with Lexuror.”

“Then... does that mean people in ancient times also reached high tiers?”

“That’s right. When you look at the power of ancient mages in old texts, some say they wielded strength close to the 7th-Circle, surpassing both the 5th and 6th.”

The students scoffed inwardly at that.

How could some backward mage from a less developed era have used such advanced magic? That was their general consensus.

“There might be exaggeration involved, sure—but it’s not entirely wrong. Especially starting with the 7th-Circle.”

“Isn’t the 7th-Circle called ‘Impera’?”

“Correct. Do you know who the mage Impera was?”

“Wasn’t she the first to reach the 7th-Circle?”

“Unlike the previous tiers, Impera wasn’t given the title for redefining the circle, was she?”

“Uh... well...”

Because from the 7th-Circle onward, things were on a whole different level.

The student didn’t voice the obvious thought aloud.

Even mages who reached the 6th-Circle were revered as grand mages—but the 7th-Circle was on a whole other plane.

They were so few that you could count them across the entire continent.

Getting to the 6th-Circle required talent. Exceptional, unwavering talent.

But the 7th-Circle required something beyond even that.

The magic used at that level was fundamentally different. No one dared attempt to “redefine” the 7th-Circle.

That’s why the first person to reach it gave the tier its name.

“Impera was the first mage to reach the 7th-Circle. Long before modern science, she was once an empress of an ancient empire. Even now, the 7th-Circle feels like a dream beyond reach—but that era proved it could be achieved. So who’s to say that someone even older couldn’t have done the same?”

“Eh. Still sounds like some old-fashioned mage to me.”

One student muttered dismissively.

Nowadays, magic had become far more refined and efficient.

Just as swordsmanship evolved from wild swings to optimal precision, magic had become formalized and structured.

Most mages believed that a 7th-Circle mage from the olden days wouldn’t stand a chance against a modern 6th-Circle mage.

“Professor, then what about the 8th-Circle?”

“If you’re asking about the 8th-Circle, that would be the grade known as ‘Grander.’”

“Is that name also from the first mage to reach it?”

“Perhaps. That’s the assumption.”

“Perhaps?”

Unlike before, Ludger’s answer was uncertain—causing confusion among the students.

“No one knows how the name Grander came into circulation. There’s no historical record of what the mage behind that name did. Maybe it’s written in some untranslated ancient texts, but for now, Grander is more a passed-down legend than an academically verified name.”

“Then why do we still use it?”

“Because no one has reached the 8th-Circle yet.”

The 8th-Circle—Grander.

It was a realm that any aspiring mage couldn’t help but dream of.

Even the greatest grand mages today had only reached the 7th-Circle.

Even the long-lived elven races had never been heard to claim 8th-Circle power.

There was even doubt as to whether the 8th-Circle existed at all.

Grander might not even be a name—it could be an ancient word meaning “impossible.”

“If someday, a new 8th-Circle mage emerges, then that person might replace Grander with their own name.”

And that was a dream all mages harbored in their hearts.

Even knowing how far-fetched it was, the students couldn’t help but imagine becoming that 8th-Circle grand mage.

A name that all would revere. A name etched into history for all eternity.

What greater glory could there be than that?

* * *

‘It’ walked down the road.

The outside world, seen again after so long, felt strange and new.

It had only been a few years at most, but in that time, the world had made great strides.

Just looking at the flourishing city was enough to be entertaining.

Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to take a longer detour on the way to find that disciple.

As ‘it’ had such a thought, it suddenly turned its head.

Something had caught its attention beyond the reach of its crimson eyes.

Those who possessed considerable magical power.

They were gathered together in one place.

Judging by the fact that they had chosen such a remote area, they were clearly not people with clean consciences. And considering that, they had to be quite strong.

It could have just passed by.

But perhaps because it was such a rare outing, curiosity sparked instead.

With light steps, it headed toward the source of the energy.

Upon arriving at the spot, it found exactly what it expected: suspicious-looking people conspiring over something.

The surroundings were obscured by soot-stained red bricks, and though it was the middle of the day, the area was dim and oppressive.

Oddly enough, ‘it’ found this place rather charming. A silly thought, but it lingered.

“What the hell?”

The gathered figures—members of the Black Dawn Order—frowned when they noticed the sudden intruder.

“What’s a little brat doing here?”

The first thing that caught the eye was hair like a cascade of golden silk.

Blond hair, crimson eyes. Skin as pale as snow.

A wine-colored gothic dress covered in frills, and a parasol held delicately in one hand.

A figure so striking that anyone passing by would surely turn to look at least once.

She was a small and adorable girl—like a doll—with an indescribable and eerie charm.

And without question, she was entirely out of place here.

“What were the idiots at the entrance doing?”

Even if she had gotten lost, there was practically no way someone like her could have wandered into a place like this.

The path to get here was convoluted, and the guards stationed nearby should’ve driven her off long before now.

‘But that girl...’

A Second Order member narrowed his eyes, sensing something was off.

‘It’s strange enough that she’s here at all, but her reaction is even weirder.’

Normally, someone who appeared to be that well-bred would never set foot in such a place out of sheer unease.

And if they did wander in and saw such rough-looking people gathered, panic or retreat would be the natural reaction.

Yet this girl...

She was walking straight toward them.

‘She’s not afraid of us? Does she have backup? A hidden guard? Or is she confident in her own ability?’

Perhaps she had sensed the intent behind their stares.

The girl’s red eyes curved into a crescent moon.

“Oh ho. Looks like there’s at least one sharp one among you.”

“...What are you?”

Realizing something wasn’t right, the Second Order’s companions quickly sprang into action.

They closed in, surrounding her to block any potential escape routes.

Even in that hair-trigger moment, the girl didn’t lose her smile.

“Quick-witted and reactive, too. I came over out of curiosity, and I see now this isn’t just some gathering of common thugs.”

“I don’t know how you got in, but since you’re here, give up any thoughts of making it out alive.”

At that, the girl opened her eyes wide—then burst into laughter.

A bright, cheerful laugh that made the Second Order frown.

“You think this is funny?”

“Hahaha. Oh, but how could I not laugh? ‘Give up on making it out alive’—to think someone would actually say that to me. I really can feel how much the world has changed.”

“...What?”

What the hell is this? Has she lost her mind?

And her tone—it sounded like that of an elderly person, well beyond her years.

He had been cautious, but now he started to wonder if she was just insane.

“Kill her.”

At the Second Order’s command, the subordinates began slowly approaching the girl.

At that moment, she gently folded the parasol in her hand.

Tap.

The tip of the parasol touched the ground.

And then, it happened.

‘What...?’

The Second Order’s thoughts faltered.

What had just happened?

The men who had been approaching the girl collapsed like puppets with their strings cut.

They dropped in complete silence, not even twitching.

Every single one of them—dead.

‘What just happened?’

His mind couldn’t comprehend it.

He hadn’t seen anything. He hadn’t felt anything.

The Second Order’s entire body began to tremble.

His instincts screamed at him, desperate to warn him.

That girl—whatever she was—was something far beyond anything he could ever hope to face.

“Wh... Who are you?”

It was all he could manage to ask, voice quivering.

The girl turned her gaze to him and replied with a smile.

“Grander. Maybe you’ve heard the name?”

“What the hell is that—”

“If you haven’t, that’s fine.”

With that, she lightly flicked her hand.

They were standing far apart. The motion itself was so slight it seemed meaningless.

And yet, that was the last thing the Second Order ever saw.

The girl—Grander—who had slaughtered dozens in the blink of an eye, lifted her parasol again and gazed up at the sky beyond the high brick wall.

“Now then... where could that troublesome disciple of mine, the one who made this old teacher come all this way, be hiding?”

That day—

An entire branch of the Black Dawn Order, under the command of First Order Nicolai, vanished without a sound.