Academy’s Undercover Professor-Chapter 276: The Master of the Imperial Castle (1)

“What brings you here, Master?”

Aidan looked at his master and asked the question with surprise.

Taishy and Iona, who had been quietly observing from the side, turned to him in shock.

“Master?”

“Hold on, Aidan—what do you mean, ‘Master’? What are you talking about?”

Realizing that his friends were completely in the dark, Aidan figured an explanation was in order.

“Uh, well... she’s the person who taught me anti-magic...”

As Aidan fumbled to explain, Mandelina stepped in and took over.

“This is going to be a bit of a long story—how about we talk somewhere quieter?”

At her suggestion, Aidan gave a small nod.

The four of them moved to a nearby bench and sat down.

Mandelina was the first to speak.

“Hi there, nice to meet you. I’m Mandelina.”

She offered a cheerful, relaxed smile as she greeted them. Taishy frowned slightly in disapproval, while Iona nodded expressionlessly, just as she always did.

“You two must be Aidan’s friends, huh? Wow, this little guy must be doing pretty well for himself, hanging out with such pretty girls.”

She looked at her now-grown student with fond affection, draping an arm around his shoulders like a proud older sister.

Taishy’s eyebrow twitched ever so slightly at the gesture.

“Aha... They’re more than I deserve.”

“Look at this kid. You’re even learning manners now? You’ve grown up—grown up, I tell you!”

The two of them didn’t act like master and student so much as old friends who’d known each other forever.

Taishy found herself getting increasingly uncomfortable watching how well the two got along.

Mandelina, Aidan’s so-called master, seemed to have a great personality, didn’t look very old, and, to top it all off, was beautiful.

Then Mandelina turned to Taishy and asked casually,

“So, young lady—what’s your name?”

“...Taishy Friad.”

“Taishy, got it. Ah, are you interested in Aidan?”

“E-Excuse me?!”

“Wow, Aidan, look at you. The little country bumpkin who used to love magic has grown up and is making friends with pretty young women like this. Wait, is she your girlfriend?”

“G-Girlfriend...?!”

Taishy’s face flushed red, like a fully ripened persimmon.

Any resolve she had about not reacting to Mandelina’s teasing collapsed in an instant.

“Huh? She’s not? But she’s so cute and pretty! Aidan, what the hell are you doing?”

“Me?! What did I do?!”

As Mandelina began scolding Aidan instead, Taishy changed her opinion.

‘She’s... a good person.’

A girl in love was truly terrifying.

Meanwhile, Aidan yelped and twisted away.

Mandelina had smacked him on the back of the head.

“Ow! My head! But really, Master—what brings you here?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“I mean, you’ve always been the type to drift around.”

“Well, I used to be, but not anymore.”

“Really? You used to be a total loafer who loved slacking off.”

“...Even if you’re my student, hearing you say it like that kind of stings.”

Still, Mandelina didn’t deny it.

She really had been a loafer who liked to do nothing.

“Well, back then I was. But things are different now. I got a job.”

“...Huh?”

“What, why the surprise?”

Aidan was about to say “Of course I’m surprised,” but stopped.

When he thought about it, Mandelina’s personality might be eccentric, but in terms of magic ability, she was a top-tier mage.

“Ah, so are you here for work?”

“Nope. I’m skipping work.”

“...What?”

“Don’t look at me like that. I’m kidding.”

“...That’s a joke, right?”

“Half?”

“Ah...”

“Meaning the other half is true. I really am here for work.”

“What kind of work?”

Aidan asked out of innocent curiosity.

Mandelina chuckled and answered.

“That’s a secret. You see, your dear master is working on a very important mission—so important it’s classified.”

“Eh? You, Master?”

“Hey now, are you saying, ‘How could you be doing something important?’”

“But if it’s classified, are you even allowed to say it’s important?”

“Well... as long as I don’t mention the specifics, it should be fine, right?”

“...Is she really okay in the head?”

“What was that?”

“Nothing! Still, I’m relieved to hear you got a good job. I was honestly a little worried you might be starving in a back alley somewhere.”

“Why would I be starving?!”

“You were about to pass out from hunger when I first met you.”

“Guh! T-That was...”

Apparently recalling the memory, Mandelina averted her eyes and began to sweat nervously.

“What happened?”

Taishy asked, and Aidan smiled brightly.

“Well, the first time I met Master, she was collapsed in the street, on the verge of starving to death.”

“......”

Taishy turned and stared at Mandelina with wide eyes.

Mandelina looked a little embarrassed and kept her head down, her cheeks tinged pink.

But Aidan kept talking.

“So I gave her a piece of bread when I was a kid.”

“Bread...?”

“Yeah. And she said thank you and offered to teach me magic. That was how I learned anti-magic.”

Taishy’s jaw dropped.

Even Iona, who rarely showed any emotion, opened her mouth slightly in disbelief.

“You mean to tell me you learned [Unusual] category magic because of... a piece of bread? What kind of absurd story...?”

“Fufu. Miss Taishy, it’s not as absurd as it sounds. I did offer to teach him, but actually learning anti-magic is an entirely different matter.”

“What?”

“You see, anti-magic isn’t something you can just pick up because someone teaches it to you. You need the right constitution, the right aptitude. Especially with [Unusual] magic.”

“But Aidan learned it.”

“...He did.”

Even Mandelina couldn’t refute that, as much as it still baffled her.

She gave a sheepish smile and shrugged.

“Who would’ve thought the innocent country boy who handed me a piece of bread would turn out to be a natural-born anti-mage talent?”

“Wait, then what would you have done if Aidan hadn’t had the aptitude?”

“Eh, I would’ve pretended to be disappointed on the outside while secretly thinking, ‘Well, free bread’s free bread.’”

“You really don’t hold back with your true feelings!”

Taishy finally realized something.

Aidan wasn’t a normal person—and neither was his master, Mandelina.

“Hahaha. Good thing I had the aptitude, huh?”

“Why are you laughing about that?!”

Even now, Aidan laughed like it was just another fun memory—‘Ah, the good old days’—which only made Taishy feel dizzy with exasperation.

Then, Mandelina spoke again.

“Ah, right. Silly me. I should get going now.”

“You’re leaving already?”

“I told you, I came here on business. It’s about time I headed back.”

“Oh...”

“Don’t be too sad. If fate allows, we’ll meet again someday.”

Mandelina smiled reassuringly and turned to leave.

“Oh, right. Aidan.”

“...?”

Just before she departed, Mandelina gave Aidan a final piece of advice.

“Try not to stay too far from your mentor.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Hmm. I’m not really sure. Maybe something’s about to happen? I don’t know the details either. Well then, bye!”

Without giving a proper answer, Mandelina briskly walked off.

Though she could feel the confused gaze lingering behind her, Mandelina paid it no mind as she moved toward a more secluded area.

After giving her surroundings a quick scan, she pulled a communication artifact from her cloak.

“Your Highness, it’s me. I’ve completed the mission and will return to the Imperial Castle.”

Her voice, now cold and businesslike, was completely different from when she spoke with Aidan.

With that, Mandelina tucked the communicator away.

* * *

Ludger continued making his way through the interior of the imperial palace.

Of course, he wasn’t alone—he was with the other instructors, simply following the directions of a royal guide.

Their peaceful tour of the palace was proceeding without incident... until it was abruptly interrupted by the unexpected appearance of a man.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Fascius, one of the knights of the Royal Guard.”

He was a strikingly handsome blond man with defined features.

The uniform he wore, characteristic of the royal palace, was crisp and immaculate. His posture was upright, and his demeanor was impeccably polite.

His light blond hair reached past his shoulders and was tied loosely around the neck. The style suited his relaxed and friendly smile perfectly.

Several instructors recognized the name “Fascius” and began murmuring among themselves.

“Fascius... Could he be that Sir Fascius?”

“What is a Royal Guard doing here?”

The Royal Guard.

A title given only to the finest swords of the Imperial Palace—those entrusted with protecting the highest figures of the royal family.

To the murmuring teachers who had recognized him, Fascius merely offered a polite smile before turning and walking toward a single individual.

Ludger narrowed his eyes.

Fascius was walking straight toward him.

“Good day.”

Fascius came to a stop before Ludger and greeted him with a courteous smile.

“Are you Sir Ludger Cherish by any chance?”

“Yes. I am Ludger Cherish.”

“Ah, I thought so. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. My name is Fascius, a knight serving the royal household.”

“Yes, the pleasure is mine as well. So... is there something you needed from me?”

To go out of his way to approach Ludger in front of everyone could only mean he had a specific purpose.

Even at Ludger’s direct question, Fascius nodded without losing his smile.

“Yes. Sir Ludger Cherish. If it’s not too much trouble, would you be willing to spare a moment for a private conversation?”

A personal request from one of the Royal Guard.

The nearby instructors looked on in astonishment.

Even if he was an instructor at Seorn, being personally summoned by a Royal Guard—whose combat prowess ranked among the highest in the Empire—was extraordinary.

And yet... the fact that it was Ludger Cherish made it oddly believable.

“What do you mean by ‘spare a moment’?”

“Exactly what I said.”

“I’m sorry, but I’m one of the chaperones. I cannot simply leave on personal matters—”

Ludger was about to refuse, but Fascius leaned in slightly and lowered his voice just enough for only Ludger to hear.

“There is someone who wishes to meet with you.”

“......”

Fascius gave him a sly wink, as if to say: Surely you understand who I mean by now.

And in that moment, Ludger did.

The moment Fascius quietly suggested it, Ludger understood immediately who it was that wanted to see him.

Not just anyone.

Whoever it was had sent one of the Royal Guard—an elite among elites—as a messenger.

That indicated two things: the person respected Ludger’s position... and that their own status was exceedingly high.

There were very few people in the royal palace who could do that.

‘No... not few. There’s only one.’

Ludger hesitated.

For someone to go as far as sending a Royal Guard to fetch him in front of everyone—it could only mean they had a very specific purpose in mind.

‘Could they possibly know who I really am?’

It was still too early to jump to conclusions.

Ludger had been gaining substantial recognition lately as a Seorn instructor.

Given the results he had presented at the Arcane Chamber, it was possible they had simply taken a special interest in him.

Regardless, the fact remained: someone of extremely high rank in the royal family wanted to meet him personally.

‘There are too many eyes watching for me to outright refuse.’

He didn’t particularly want to meet whoever it was, but the circumstances made refusal a bit difficult.

After all, he was currently a guest of the imperial palace.

“Very well. Let’s go.”

“Thank you. Then allow me to escort you.”

Fascius responded as if he’d been waiting for that answer and immediately led Ludger away.

The other instructors stood still, blankly watching the two men leave.

Some stared in disbelief. Others with barely concealed jealousy.

Following Fascius down a long hallway of the imperial palace, Ludger eventually arrived at a small garden.

There was a beautiful fountain, flowers in vivid colors blooming all around, and towering topiaries carved into elegant shapes.

Tall, well-manicured {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} trees lined the space, and birdsong mingled with the gentle fragrance that drifted through the air.

Though called “small,” it was only small in comparison to the vast palace grounds of the Dvalk Imperial Castle. The garden itself was anything but modest.

“I’ve heard a lot about you, Sir Ludger Cherish.”

Fascius, walking ahead, spoke first—perhaps to ease the silence that had grown heavy.

“They say you’ve demonstrated some truly remarkable magic at Seorn. And your recent presentation at the Arcane Chamber has stirred quite the sensation in magical circles.”

“It wasn’t anything special.”

“Haha. You say that, but do you know how many people can’t do what you did? Anyone else would’ve taken offense to such modesty.”

“I’m not concerned. I really do think it was nothing.”

“You’re sincere.”

Fascius’s eyes gleamed at Ludger’s calm reply.

“Perhaps that’s exactly why Her Highness wishes to meet you.”

As they passed the last row of towering topiaries, a small clearing opened before them.

At the center stood a pristine white gazebo made of polished marble, seemingly designed as an overlook to view the garden in its entirety.

And there, standing atop it—

Was her.