Academy’s Undercover Professor-Chapter 267: The Requiem Called by the Shadow (2)

After the James Moriarty incident, countless invitations flooded Casey’s way.

Most of them were from prominent nobles of the Delica Kingdom.

They all sought to forge connections with the detective who had saved the country.

And since Casey wasn’t a commoner—being the daughter of the well-known magical Selmore family—she was a desirable ally in every respect.

But Casey ignored every single one of those invitations.

She visited only one place.

“You seem to be in good health, Duke Ludwig Benkanto.”

Casey now sat across from Duke Ludwig Benkanto in a newly arranged reception room.

She glanced around.

Security had become even more intense—there were more guards than before, and the atmosphere they gave off was grim and oppressive.

There were no windows. It didn’t feel like a reception room at all—more like a bunker completely sealed off from the outside world.

‘He must’ve taken quite a shock from losing even the guards he trusted most.’

Nothing showed that more clearly than Ludwig’s haggard appearance.

It had only been two days since that night, but he looked as though he’d aged ten years.

“I... I’m sorry, Detective Casey, for welcoming you in such a state...”

“No need. I don’t really mind.”

Ludwig had wrapped himself in a thick blanket.

Yet he still couldn’t stop shivering, and his lips were pale.

The room wasn’t cold. If ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) anything, Casey found it a bit too warm.

But Ludwig was trembling.

No—he was afraid.

“Detective Casey. Is it true that James Moriarty is dead?”

Duke Ludwig Benkanto looked ashamed to even be asking such a question.

He had been born into nobility and inherited the title of Duke at a young age.

With exceptional looks, eloquence, and a web of powerful connections, Ludwig’s future had once seemed blindingly bright.

That’s why he had never doubted he was one of the chosen few.

But one man had shattered that world completely.

“That monster... is he really dead?”

Ludwig’s lips trembled as he forced the words out.

He still remembered what James Moriarty had said to him that day:

—Do not be relieved. I’ll be coming back for you soon.

That fear had branded itself deep into his mind. Since then, Ludwig hadn’t been able to sleep.

He vomited whenever he ate. His hands trembled so badly he could barely hold anything.

Casey could see it clearly.

He was broken.

It was the look common to people who had known nothing but success until they experienced their first failure and downfall.

The more prideful a person, the deeper the collapse—and Ludwig had been nothing if not proud.

Most never recover from that.

Offering him sympathy or encouragement might have been the natural thing to do.

But Casey had no desire to do that.

“Before I answer, I have a question for you.”

“What could possibly be more important than whether James Moriarty is alive or dead—”

“I saw the laboratory.”

“...”

The word laboratory brought the slightest reaction to Ludwig’s expression.

Casey noticed, but didn’t comment on it.

“Deep beneath an abandoned mine, there was a secret lab. James Moriarty was working on something there.”

“Why are you suddenly bringing that up—?”

“Just listen for a moment. On the surface, yes—it was a horrifying place where the criminal James Moriarty was conducting unspeakable experiments.”

“...”

At the phrase on the surface, Ludwig’s brow twitched.

But instead of lashing out, he waited to hear what she would say next.

“But it’s strange. Building something of that scale would require an enormous amount of funding.”

And not just funding.

Where did he get the skilled labor? The materials? The equipment?

A project that large should have left traces—rumors, leaks, records.

But no one knew the lab existed.

“I find it hard to believe an individual could pull that off alone.”

“James Moriarty was a criminal mastermind, wasn’t he? He could have used his underworld connections.”

“Is that so? But then there’s another question—why would someone like that pose as a university professor?”

“...Perhaps he needed a respectable identity for cover.”

Ludwig was glaring now, unable to hide his irritation.

“Detective Casey. What are you trying to imply? That James Moriarty didn’t commit any crimes?”

“I’m not denying what he did. No matter what anyone says, it’s a fact that he killed people and evaded the law.”

But—Casey continued.

“There were others who did worse, and they received no punishment at all. Isn’t that unfair?”

“I don’t understand what you’re trying to say.”

Ludwig feigned ignorance to the end.

Casey had expected that.

She had suspicion, but no hard proof. The evidence was long gone.

A man like Ludwig wouldn’t have left any trail that could link him directly.

That’s why—

Casey Selmore couldn’t arrest Duke Ludwig Benkanto.

Ludwig knew this, and his expression regained some of its former ease.

“Then I suppose you have nothing more to say.”

“Yes, I suppose not.”

Casey nodded.

There was nothing more she could do here.

Even if she forcibly arrested him, Ludwig would use his connections and be pardoned in no time.

She could already see that future clearly.

“Oh, you asked earlier what happened to Professor James Moriarty, didn’t you?”

“...Yes.”

Ludwig’s relaxed expression instantly collapsed at the mention of that name.

“Officially, James Moriarty is listed as deceased. Yes—officially.”

“...”

Ludwig bit his lip.

He tried not to show it, but fear poured from his eyes.

“What do you mean? Didn’t you defeat him?”

“Oh, that’s just what the gossipers are saying. Yes, we fought—but whether he truly died or not... who knows?”

“Then... there’s a chance he’s dead?”

“Of course.”

“Th-then!”

“But curiously enough, I was the only one found near the waterfall. Not a single other body turned up.”

Casey stood.

She smiled sweetly at Ludwig.

“Strange, isn’t it?”

“Th-this can’t be...”

“Maybe he’s still alive. And if he is... he might be quietly working somewhere, pursuing the goal he didn’t finish.”

“If he’s alive, then you’re in danger too!”

“Why?”

“You became famous for defeating him—if he’s alive—!”

“Then I’ll just catch him again.”

With that, Casey turned to leave the reception room, leaving Ludwig behind in despair.

“Oh, one more thing.”

“...?”

Ludwig blinked as Casey suddenly turned back.

“It’d be smart to install some windows. That man... he seems to show up anywhere there’s darkness.”

“......!”

Triggered by trauma, Ludwig’s eyes rolled back as he fainted on the spot.

“D-Duke Ludwig!”

“Someone call a priest!”

As his guards panicked, Casey left the room behind.

From the looks of it, Ludwig would spend the rest of his life plagued by anxiety, fear, and obsession.

This was the harshest punishment Casey could deliver to him now.

* * *

After leaving the Benkanto estate, Casey headed to the abandoned mine where the lab had been.

Wrapped in a thin veil of water to conceal herself, she arrived at her destination.

A massive hole in the ground.

And hidden near it, deep within the brush—one last capsule.

‘They haven’t started investigating here yet.’

Or maybe they were deliberately avoiding it.

Casey approached the capsule and checked its contents.

Inside was a small, delicate girl.

Pale skin, golden hair.

She resembled the first human God created in scripture—or perhaps the angels He sent down to Earth.

So lifelike, she seemed as though she might start breathing any moment.

This girl was an incredibly intricate doll.

‘An automaton—created using clockwork mechanisms and advanced science.’

As Casey raised her hand to the capsule’s surface, steam hissed from its seams and the lid opened.

Startled, Casey instinctively took a step back.

And inside the opened capsule, the girl’s eyes fluttered open.

“......”

She slowly sat up. Her transparent, crystal-clear gaze fixed on Casey.

The girl tilted her head slightly.

“Who are you?”

Casey hadn’t meant to wake her—but something must have activated.

After a moment of hesitation, Casey offered a reply that felt appropriate.

“I’m the one who found you.”

“...?”

Though freshly awakened, the automaton’s eyes clearly asked, What are you even talking about?

This was the first meeting between Casey and the girl who would one day become her assistant—Betty.

* * *

Casey Selmore opened her eyes.

As she rolled her gaze around, she saw the messy interior of the room around her.

“Where is this...?”

Her own room.

More precisely, her lodging in the residential quarter of Rederbelk.

At that moment, Casey Selmore realized—

She had finished the memory storming and awakened from the dream, back to reality.

Srrk.

Judging by the amount of sunlight outside, it didn’t seem like much time had passed since she fell asleep.

But in the dream, she had spent several times—no, several dozen times—that duration.

Casey slowly sat up on the bed.

Her body felt heavy.

More than that, it felt like a lump of lead had settled on her chest, suffocating her.

“Ah.”

Her vision suddenly blurred.

Drip.

A tear gathered at the corner of her eye and trickled down her cheek.

As Casey wiped her cheek with trembling fingertips, she belatedly realized she had been crying.

And she knew why.

“I... I...”

Perhaps because she had been immersed in those memories for so long, the pain and anguish of that day had spread across her emotions like a bruise.

All she had ever wished for was modest happiness.

And yet the world had stolen something precious from him.

He wasn’t even granted the right to grieve.

Tormented by something, and still unable to shed tears.

He couldn’t even voice the swelling sorrow and rage.

Even so, he stood and walked forward.

Because someone had to pay the price for the sin.

With sword in hand. With gun in hand.

He had walked a thorn-covered path filled with blame and suffering.

Because that was the requiem he chose to honor the dead.

“Hic...”

The relief of truth revealed, the lingering regret of not knowing earlier, the stubbornness that even so his actions could not be justified, and the compassion for the man who suffered with no one ever acknowledging him—

All those tangled emotions tightened around her heart like a thread, crushing her with pain.

So unbearably painful,

So stifling it made her chest ache—and yet, there was no visible way to release it.

Among them, the thing that tormented Casey the most was the emotion Ludger had shown her.

‘That man... was apologizing to me until the end.’

Even while saying things he didn’t mean, he still felt sorry for her, and respected her choice—at the cost of his life.

That was why he saved her in the end.

‘And yet, I hated him.’

She had believed with utter conviction that he had betrayed her and committed atrocities, and she condemned him for it.

In a way, she too had been deceived by Ludger, and in the end, followed his intentions.

And so, Casey was angry at herself.

Why hadn’t she realized it back then?

She was called a genius, a detective—so why hadn’t she seen it?

Saying Ludger deceived her was ultimately just an excuse.

In the end, it meant she had been lacking and foolish.

‘What kind of genius detective? What kind of hero who saved a nation? The real hero was that man...’

That man, who couldn’t save one boy, still saved an entire nation.

While she—who was known for saving a nation—

In truth, hadn’t saved anyone.

Casey sank to the floor.

How long had she been silently sobbing, unable to endure the rising self-loathing?

A soft hand touched the top of Casey’s head.

“Casey, are you crying?”

“......”

Casey slowly lifted her head.

There was Betty, crouching beside her with a worried expression on her face.

“Are you hurt? You didn’t get injured during the last attack, did you?”

“......”

“Oh, wait—don’t tell me you really are? Uh, well... I’m not exactly great at comforting people or anything...”

Even as she said that, Betty gently stroked Casey’s head with her hand.

When Casey gave her a questioning look, Betty laughed awkwardly.

“You’re wondering why I’m petting you? Hmm. I don’t really know. I guess... it just felt like the right thing to do.”

“Betty...”

“It’s kind of weird, I know. But I mean it. I have to admit, seeing you like this—well, part of me thinks you had it coming—but still, it doesn’t suit you. I like the more energetic Casey better.”

Because—

Betty continued.

“Because on the day we first met, you were the one who saved me.”

“......”

At Betty’s words, Casey felt the tightness in her chest melt away all at once.

As if all the tangled pain in her head had been washed away with cold water.

There was someone.

Even if she hadn’t saved anyone, even if she didn’t know the truth and was consumed with self-loathing—

There was still someone she had saved.

“...Ha.”

Casey let out a breathless laugh, as if realizing how pointless her worries had been.

“You’re right. This really isn’t like me.”

“Oh, you bounced back quick!”

“Yeah. Thanks to you, my head’s clear now. Thanks. I’ll be heading out for a bit.”

“Where are you going?”

“To Seorn Academy.”