Academy’s Undercover Professor-Chapter 247: Director of Planning, School of Magic (3)

Hugo swallowed dryly.

He hadn’t imagined Ludger would have moved this quickly.

“He was appointed Planning Director just this morning, and he’s already figured this much out?”

Even if Ludger was fast, this was far too thorough. It didn’t add up.

Someone had clearly helped him.

And Hugo immediately realized who it was.

“The Headmaster. That woman’s been waiting for a chance to put a leash on us for some time.”

Now that Ludger was seated as Planning Director, the Headmaster had a sharp sword in hand and nothing to fear.

She had handed over documents she’d prepared long ago, and Ludger, in that short window, had sorted through them and selected those to be disciplined.

Coming here today had been Hugo’s blunder.

He had willingly walked into a tiger’s den and begged to be eaten.

“...Mr. Ludger.”

“Call me Planning Director. At least for now.”

“...Very well. Planning Director. I heard your statement. But do you truly think you can carry that out on your own?”

“Do you think I can’t?”

Hugo tried to bluff with a game of chicken, but the moment he met Ludger’s eyes, he regretted it.

“That look in his eyes—he’s serious!”

Now that he thought about it, Ludger had always been like this.

Even when he first arrived at Seorn, he never hesitated to punish students regardless of their status.

In fact, the more noble they were, the harsher he treated them. Hugo had warned him about that a few times.

But Ludger had openly ignored those warnings.

Not because of some wounded pride as a fallen noble.

It was simply how he had always been.

No matter who stood in his way, he would never back down. He pushed forward with what he believed to be right.

That was the kind of man Ludger Cherish was—and Hugo was reminded of it all over again.

Clench.

Hugo’s fist tightened.

Forcing a smile, he spoke gently.

“Heh. Do we really need to go this far? Ah, I’m not saying we were in the right. I admit it. We were at fault.”

The teachers who had accompanied Hugo widened their eyes in shock at those words.

He wasn’t threatening or bargaining—he was extending an olive branch.

It meant Hugo had come here with his head bowed low.

Even more than the surprise of the others, Hugo had to suppress the humiliation welling up inside him.

Still, he somehow kept his expression steady and smiled.

“But still, isn’t there room for leniency? If we just give a proper warning, the other teachers will surely not do it again.”

He tried to speak as if mediating gently, but everyone in the room knew the truth.

Hugo Burteg had just bowed his head to Ludger Cherish.

He was smiling on the outside out of sheer pride, but the victor of this battle had already been decided.

Ludger stared at Hugo’s forced smile. freёwebnoѵel.com

Cold sweat trickled down Hugo’s cheek.

Seeing that, Ludger nodded.

“Yes. Of course, as a fellow instructor, it troubles me to deliver such serious disciplinary action.”

“Th-Then...!”

“And so, Mr. Hugo, I have a proposal for you.”

The hope rising in Hugo’s face quickly twisted into unease.

This wasn’t a situation where a proposal should be emerging.

“I have no plans to discipline everyone involved. But I also can’t let this pass without consequence.”

“......”

“You know this well. When a downpour comes, someone’s clothes are bound to get wet.”

Not everyone brings an umbrella into a storm.

Some make it through dry.

Others get drenched.

“R-Right.”

Hugo nodded awkwardly.

“So I’ll give you a chance, Mr. Hugo.”

“A-A chance?”

“Pick out those who got soaked. You will do it yourself.”

Hugo went silent.

In other words, he was being asked to cut off his own people.

His clenched fist trembled.

How could he so easily cut off those who were bound to him through the noble hierarchy?

“This damned bastard!”

Ludger was telling him plainly.

If you don’t want to die, cut off the tail yourself.

Hugo glared at Ludger with bloodshot eyes, but the moment he met Ludger’s cold gaze, his fighting spirit vanished.

“Can’t do it?”

“......”

“If it’s too difficult, you don’t have to. I’ll just submit the list of names to the disciplinary committee.”

“......”

Ludger had nothing to lose.

After all, it was Hugo and the noble faction that had committed the wrongdoing and were caught.

There were more of them in this room, but Ludger held the advantage.

“I’m offering you a chance.”

“You’re telling me to... cut down other teachers with my own hand?”

“That’s a strange way to put it.”

“What’s strange about it?”

“Why is that ‘cutting down’? Isn’t it only natural to deliver the appropriate punishment to those who erred? I even reduced the number of people who would be punished—for your sake, Mr. Hugo.”

Hugo swallowed hard.

Ludger’s tone was light, but his words tightened around Hugo’s throat like a noose.

“When someone offers you mercy, choose wisely.”

In the end, Hugo had no choice but to lower his head.

* * *

Laughter echoed.

At the very top of Seorn’s main building, in the Headmaster’s office where Elisa Willow resided, laughter that was rarely heard rang out.

“You seem to be in a good mood.”

Wilford set down a freshly brewed cup of tea in front of Elisa and asked.

“Yes. Of course I’m in a good mood. How could I not be?”

Elisa, who usually kept her emotions hidden behind a mask, couldn’t help but genuinely enjoy the moment this time.

And for good reason—Hugo Burteg, who always acted like a thorn in her side, had just come to her red-faced and handed over a list of teachers involved in misconduct.

Whatever had happened with Ludger, Hugo had, uncharacteristically, admitted that members of his own faction had committed wrongdoing.

Though he said it outright, his expression was so twisted with discomfort that it was clear he loathed everything about the situation.

But so what?

The point was that Hugo Burteg—that greedy noble who had opposed her every step—had finally bowed his head.

Even if he denied it to his grave, the very act of coming to the Headmaster’s office meant he had admitted defeat.

“So he went to meet Mr. Ludger, and something must have happened... But I didn’t expect something this delightful.”

Elisa wiped tears from the corners of her eyes from laughing too hard.

Wilford considered reminding her to maintain dignity, but he knew just how much Hugo had tormented her over the years, so he let it go this time.

“Mr. Ludger has given you quite a gift.”

“Yes. A big gift indeed. I did place him in that position through negotiation, but who would’ve thought something like this would happen immediately after his appointment?”

“Hugo Burteg’s faction will surely lose a lot of momentum from this.”

“Of course. Especially since it was Hugo Burteg himself who purged them. Ludger played his hand well.”

If Ludger had simply wielded the axe himself, Hugo and the noble faction would’ve only grown more united.

After all, when maintaining an organization, having a common enemy to hate is more effective than a great leader.

But Ludger didn’t act so straightforwardly.

Instead, he cunningly handed the blade of judgment to Hugo himself.

He added the condition that the number of punished individuals would be reduced if Hugo swung the blade himself.

Had Hugo refused, Ludger would have pursued every minor wrongdoing without hesitation.

Hugo knew that, which is why he hesitated.

If he removed about five people as an example, the rest—including himself—could survive.

But if he refused Ludger’s proposal to protect his faction’s reputation, he would risk losing everything he had.

There was no way out.

“Of course, it also mattered that Mr. Ludger showed he’s someone who always follows through. Once it’s clear he keeps his word, even that arrogant Hugo had no choice but to back down.”

Hugo had come to understand what kind of man Ludger Cherish was.

He wasn’t someone who spoke lightly.

If he said he would do something, he did it.

If he made a promise, he kept it.

That was who Ludger had always been.

So if Hugo had refused Ludger’s offer and chosen to fight using his faction—

Ludger would’ve crushed them completely.

And that would have caused trouble for Elisa too.

“To be honest, I’d love to wipe out all those leech-like people myself.”

“But if we did that, even Seorn would have too many holes to fill.”

“Exactly. Replacing all of them would be a major task.”

And even then, there was the risk that untrustworthy people would sneak in among the new hires.

Some of the current noble-aligned teachers were distasteful, but keeping them was still better than the worst-case scenario.

At least those kinds of people were easy to read and could be controlled if necessary.

Apparently, Ludger had also realized this. Thoughtful man that he was, he had caught exactly what Elisa was concerned about.

“Really, it feels like I owe him a debt. And it’s too big a gift at that.”

“Haha. Then perhaps you should offer him a gift in return.”

“A gift?”

Elisa blinked at Wilford’s words.

“Yes. You often say yourself: when one gives, one receives—and the reverse as well.”

“Well...”

Elisa didn’t deny Wilford’s words.

But a gift?

She laced her fingers and fell into thought.

The word felt unfamiliar to her.

“Have I ever given someone a gift before?”

Elisa had always been on the receiving end.

People fawned over her beauty, talent, and status, eager to please her.

She accepted what she needed and declined what she didn’t. Gifts were always conditional—part of a transaction.

Never given in pure goodwill.

“More than anything, I’ve never had a reason to owe anyone.”

But this time, she clearly owed Ludger.

Their relationship was meant to be strictly professional.

But Ludger’s actions had gone beyond a business transaction.

Even Elisa, just a little, felt her pride was stung.

She had received without giving anything in return.

As a person—Elisa Willow before being Seorn’s Headmaster—that was hard to accept.

“But a gift... What should [N O V E L I G H T] it be?”

She searched her memory for instances where she had given a gift but came up blank.

Even when she was a student at Seorn, she was always the one being admired, always receiving.

She agreed with Wilford’s logic, but when it came time to act, she didn’t know what to do.

“Come to think of it, I’ve never done something like this before.”

She had risen to her position as a prodigy, yet somehow had missed out on simple, human experiences.

It hadn’t seemed important before.

But now it did.

“Hmm. You’re not sure what kind of gift to give, are you?”

“Yes, well...”

Elisa replied half-heartedly, sensing the strange fondness in Wilford’s tone.

Wilford smiled cheerfully at that.

“Hohoho. Then I suppose I should offer you some advice.”

“...Mr. Wilford? You seem strangely pleased.”

“Me? Hoho. I wouldn’t say that.”

Wouldn’t say that?

He was radiating pure mischief like a meddlesome old grandfather.

“Mr. Ludger Cherish is still a man. I’ll recommend a few gifts I think he’d like.”

Elisa felt an odd sense of unease—but didn’t refuse.

After all, who would know a man’s heart better than another man?

Asking Ludger directly never even crossed her mind.