Academy’s Undercover Professor-Chapter 272: Field Study (1)

The paper insect, following Sedina’s command, flew a great distance from the plaza before quietly landing in a deserted alleyway.

Snap!

At that moment, a rat emerged from the shadows and snapped up the insect in its mouth.

Carrying its prize, the rat darted off into a nearby house.

Inside, a man was waiting. Upon spotting him, the rat raised both its front paws like a triumphant cheer, clearly announcing its arrival.

“Good work.”

Hans took the paper insect from the rat and handed it an almond he had been holding.

While the rat gnawed gleefully on the treat, Hans unfolded the paper insect and read its contents.

His face instantly twisted into a grimace as he scanned the message with sharp, focused eyes.

“Unbelievable.”

Hans rose from his seat and peered out the window.

This modest house, located not far from the plaza, had long served as one of Hans’s safe residences.

Which made it all the easier to confirm the message’s contents immediately.

Outside, down the residential street, uniformed knights could be seen.

“The black uniforms are the Nightcrawler Knights. The white must be the Cold Steel Order. Two of the Empire’s Three Great Orders, gathered in one place...”

There was no way those two notoriously incompatible orders had come here for a vacation.

And based on the directives written in Ludger’s message, they were to keep an eye out for anything suspicious.

Hans didn’t need more than instinct to realize—

Something was definitely about to happen in the capital.

“Yeah. It did feel like things were going too smoothly. Stuff always happens on days like this.”

Hans wasn’t even angry anymore.

Ever since getting tangled up with Ludger, he’d been through far too much.

Instead of being surprised, he was now at the point where he simply accepted it.

Still, he couldn’t help feeling a bit sorry for how accustomed he had become.

But Hans turned his attention to more pressing matters.

‘More importantly... I’m not the only one here.’

He glanced uneasily toward the corner of the room.

In the makeshift living room stood a four-seat sofa — and upon it, like a cascade of silk, golden hair spilled down its edge.

Lying sprawled on the sofa out of sheer boredom was Grander.

Pale white skin, delicately sculpted features, and half-lidded, languid eyes — a mysterious blend of beauty and lethargy.

Despite her youthful appearance, there was a decadent air about her as well.

But Hans knew.

He knew just how terrifying the girl before him truly was.

A True Ancestor of the Vampires.

Vampires, among all demi-human species, were known to be incredibly rare.

In fact, due to the lack of confirmed sightings, they were often dismissed as mere myth.

Most rumors turned out to be cases of cryptids mistaken for vampires.

Even Hans had once considered them nothing more than fictional creatures.

Until he met her.

‘And to think... that person is hyungnim’s teacher.’

Grander wasn’t just any vampire — she was a True Ancestor, the origin of the species.

And considering not even the underworld had whispers about her, it was highly likely that the girl before him was the only one of her kind.

‘Hyungnim did mention his teacher a few times...’

A powerful and brilliant magician — but also temperamental, selfish, and someone he’d rather never meet again if possible.

It had always seemed strange to Hans that someone like Ludger — who never feared anything — would speak of someone that way.

But that only made it all the more believable.

His teacher... really was dangerous.

‘Still, I always imagined an old man with a long beard... Who’d ever expect someone that looked like a tiny, delicate doll?’

As Hans thought this, Grander spoke from the sofa.

“Why are you eyeing me like that?”

Hans flinched.

She had caught him staring.

“Wh-what?”

“I asked why you’re watching me.”

“Ah, well...”

“Speak freely. I actually dislike lies more than anything.”

“...I was just wondering why you followed us here.”

Hans chose his words carefully to avoid offending her.

It was true — there was no need for Grander to come to the capital.

Hans had come to assist Ludger, and the others had remained behind in Rederbelk.

But she had still followed them here.

He couldn’t help but be curious.

“I came here of my own accord. Is that a problem?”

“N-no, of course not.”

Still, your very presence is unsettling...

Hans swallowed that part with effort.

“You seem to have more to say.”

Grander turned her head slightly toward him from the sofa and spoke.

Her languid, ruby-red eyes pierced straight through Hans, and a drop of cold sweat trickled down his back.

“Y-yes, well...”

“Speak.”

With her permission, Hans gulped and opened his mouth.

“Do you know that knights are patrolling outside right now?”

“Knights? Ah, yes... I did sense an unusually large number of people filled with strong life force earlier. So that’s what it was.”

You can sense that?

Hans was silently awed by her abilities, but continued without pause.

“According to hyungnim’s letter, something is definitely going to happen in the capital.”

“Something is going to happen?”

“Yes. It’s just a suspicion for now, but I’m almost sure of it.”

“And?”

“Well... will you be helping hyungnim with this, Lady Grander?”

Grander chuckled at that.

“Hahahaha!”

“Uh, well...”

Just as Hans began to panic, Grander’s laughter abruptly stopped.

“You think I’ll help him?”

“A-aren’t you going to? I mean, he’s your disciple...”

“Yes. He is my disciple. And that is exactly why I don’t need to help him. I didn’t raise him to be weak.”

Hans blinked in confusion.

“Then... why come all this way—?”

“I believe I’ve already answered that question. Or are you suggesting that I followed him here out of concern?”

“Didn’t you?”

Zap.

A flicker of irritation and displeasure appeared in her gemstone-red eyes, and Hans frantically waved his hands.

“N-no, not at all! Hahaha. How could I ever be so rude to hyungnim’s teacher?”

“Good. Then enough.”

Grander turned her head away, as if she’d lost interest.

Hans wiped the cold sweat from his face.

‘Whew. Just like hyungnim said — impossible to read her personality.’

He was just about to give up and return to the tasks Ludger had assigned when a voice came from behind him.

“Check the underground.”

“...Sorry?”

Startled by the unexpected statement, Hans turned toward her, looking for clarification.

But Grander had already turned away, showing no further response — as if to say she’d said all she intended to and wouldn’t be involved any further.

‘Seriously? If you’re going to tell me something, can’t you just be clear about it?’

Hans grumbled inwardly but didn’t press. He already knew from Ludger that Grander was capricious like this.

“Alright, let’s move. Time to work.”

Chit! Chit!

At his signal, the rats waiting inside the house twitched their whiskers and responded enthusiastically.

* * *

“Nice to meet you all.”

Clad in a military-style uniform with a long coat draped over her shoulders, Caroline Monarch stood with arms folded before her assigned mentees.

“Though it’s just for today, I’ll be your mentor and guide. I’m Caroline Monarch.”

The destinations for this field trip were left entirely to each mentor’s discretion.

As such, each conducted their tour in their own way.

Caroline, having taken charge of her group as a one-day mentor, deliberately lowered her voice to assert her authority as a senior in the field.

She didn’t want to be underestimated due to her small stature and cute appearance.

‘She’s tiny.’

‘So cute.’

‘She’s like a doll.’

To the Seorn students assigned as her mentees, even her seriousness was adorable.

Like a child desperately pretending to be an adult.

But despite appearances, Caroline was a 6th-Circle mage of the Lexuror tier.

Among the promising students of Seorn, few would ever reach such a rank.

“Well, some of you probably know already, but just in case — I’ll introduce myself properly. I’m a 6th-Circle Lexuror-grade mage, commander of the Monarch Mercenary Corps, and currently a freelance magician with no fixed affiliation.”

Still folding her arms, Caroline scanned the faces of the students before her.

“From this moment on, your field study will be conducted at my discretion. Furthermore, your grades will also be determined by me based on your behavior during this session.”

The students had already been briefed, so there was no real resistance.

In fact, many were happy to treat this as the third assessment test — it was far better than another written exam.

“As a general rule, if you just follow instructions and behave properly, I give good grades. In that sense, you’re practically getting an easy A. However!”

Caroline’s voice sharpened as she raised it.

“I am not like the others. Those airheaded fools may giggle and chat their way through the day, handing out high marks for nothing — but I have no such intention.”

The students swallowed hard.

“Th-then, what do we need to do ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) to get a high score?”

“You idiot──!!!”

“Eek!”

When a girl raised her hand to ask a question, Caroline suddenly shouted at her.

She clicked her tongue in annoyance as she glared at the frightened student.

“That’s not something you ask me—you’re supposed to figure it out yourself!”

‘But how are we supposed to know if you don’t tell us?!’

The students all screamed inwardly in unison.

Of course, none of them dared say it out loud.

...Except for one.

“Um, but wouldn’t it be impossible to know if you don’t say anything?”

Aidan raised his hand high as he spoke, drawing horrified stares from the other students.

“What did you say?”

Caroline’s expression twisted in irritation.

A suffocating wave of terrifying mana began to surge from her small frame, engulfing the air around them.

‘H-holy crap!’

‘What kind of mana reserves are those?!’

It was an overwhelming power, unthinkable coming from someone so tiny.

The students trembled, swallowing nervously.

Now they understood exactly why Caroline Monarch had earned the nickname “Tyrant.”

Her mana didn’t just radiate power — it was outright violent.

It wouldn’t be surprising if it crushed them on the spot.

Even more shocking was that, despite its terrifying intensity, the mana was affecting only her mentees — not a single ripple spread beyond them.

That meant she had it fully leashed and under control.

“What did you just say?”

“Uh, I said... we wouldn’t know unless you tell us?”

“Hooh.”

Caroline looked at Aidan with curiosity, seemingly amused by his direct response.

Her intense gaze caused the other students to look away in fear.

But Aidan didn’t flinch. And neither did Taishy, Iona, or Leo — they remained tense, but none looked away or backed down.

Caroline pointed her chin toward Aidan.

“You, there.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

“What’s your name?”

“Aidan!”

“No surname? So, a commoner?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Good. You pass. You get an A.”

“...Huh?”

Caroline withdrew all the mana she had been emitting as she said it.

Aidan blinked in confusion.

“What’s with that look? Do you have a problem with getting an A? Don’t want it?”

“N-no, not at all?”

“Then be happy.”

Should he be?

Aidan scratched his head awkwardly.

“But I’d still like to know the reason...”

“You’re a commoner, right?”

“Yes, I am. And?”

“I like commoners. So you get an A.”

What kind of absurd logic was that?

As the other students looked on in disbelief, Caroline’s gaze shifted to Taishy.

“You there. Red twin-tails.”

Even though she also wore her hair in twin-tails, she still called Taishy that. Taishy looked unimpressed but answered boldly.

“Yes.”

“Name?”

“Taishy Friad.”

“What? A noble?”

Caroline’s face scrunched up in distaste.

“What house are you from?”

“...A fallen one.”

Taishy hesitated slightly, as if ashamed to admit it.

It was the kind of past she usually tried to keep hidden — but she answered honestly.

“Oh? You didn’t try to hide it? Good. You get an A too.”

Taishy's eyes widened.

While she was still processing that, Caroline turned to Iona.

“Damn it. What the hell do you eat to get that big?”

“...?”

Iona tilted her head slightly, clearly confused by Caroline’s sudden hostility.

“But you’re well-trained. And you’re beastkin. With that kind of guts, you get an A too.”

“...Thank you?”

Iona replied in her usual flat tone, the end of her sentence rising slightly with uncertainty.

Next, Caroline’s eyes landed on Leo.

Despite previously claiming she wouldn’t hand out grades so easily, the sharpness in her gaze softened the moment it met Leo’s.

Like she’d found a kindred spirit.

Aidan somehow knew exactly why.

“What’s your name?”

“...Leo.”

“How old are you? Did you skip a grade?”

“...I’m the same age as everyone else.”

“Knew it!”

Leo, quick on the uptake, realized what this was about and scowled deeply.

Caroline, thrilled to have met a fellow “shorty,” clapped a hand on Leo’s shoulder.

“Kiddo. Don’t worry. In this world, height isn’t everything! You can even call me big sis if you want.”

“...Excuse me?”

“If anything’s bothering you, tell this noona! Anyway, you get an A too!”

“...Okay.”

“Aren’t you forgetting something?”

“...Thank y— tch. Sigh. Thank you.”

Leo squeezed his eyes shut and forced out his thanks.

Aidan couldn’t hold back a grin. Even though he knew he probably shouldn’t be laughing, it slipped out.

Next to him, Taishy was openly clutching her stomach, giggling.

When Leo shot her a glare, Aidan tapped her arm, and Taishy quickly turned her head to avoid his gaze.

Meanwhile, Caroline addressed the rest of the group, who were watching with questioning eyes.

“I bet you’re all wondering why I gave these guys A’s.”

“Um, because they’re commoners?”

“What did you just say?”

The student immediately backed down as Caroline’s brow furrowed.

“Well... I won’t say there wasn’t some personal bias.”

‘So there was bias...’

Everyone had the same thought.

Though no one dared say it aloud.

“Now then. Let me explain the exact reason.”