Academy’s Undercover Professor-Chapter 29: The One Who Watches, The One Who Acts (1)

Aidan and Leo only exchanged glances, watching each other closely.

A werewolf.

The very one responsible for throwing Seorn into chaos was right there in front of them.

But no matter how they looked at it, it was clearly just a pup. And from the way it whimpered, it was obvious it was injured.

“I stumbled upon it a little while ago,”

Taishy said, explaining why she had screamed earlier. She had just been wandering around aimlessly when she suddenly came across the werewolf.

Looking a little embarrassed by the whole thing, Taishy’s cheeks turned red, but she quickly lifted her chin with pride.

“Well? That means I win the bet, right?”

“You only found it. Wasn’t the bet about capturing one?”

Leo’s pointed response made Taishy immediately flare up.

“Oh yeah? Then I’ll just—!”

“Taishy. Hold on a second.”

Aidan grabbed the back of Taishy’s collar just as she was about to descend into the basin.

“Kek! What are you doing?!”

“Ah, sorry. I didn’t mean to.”

“Hey, that’s way too rude to a lady, don’t you think?”

“That’s not what’s important right now.”

“Then what is?!”

As Taishy prepared to argue, her lips curled into a smirk like she had figured something out.

“Hmph. Aidan, are you getting flustered just because I found the werewolf? You pretended not to care, but deep down, you hated the idea of losing to me, didn’t you?”

“Taishy. Didn’t you feel like something was off?”

Her teasing was met with an unexpectedly serious question, and her expression immediately soured.

“What?”

“That thing down there is a werewolf pup. Never mind whether werewolves even can have pups—just look at its condition. You can tell just by glancing that it's not in good shape. It can barely move.”

“Yeah, so what?”

“But look around. It’s covered in leaves. And this spot—it's in a really hidden, tricky location. Even with how big Seorn is, I’ve never heard of a place like this in the forest.”

“Okay, and what does that mean?”

“Do you really think that little werewolf got here by itself and gathered up those leaves to nest?”

When he put it like that, Taishy fell silent, her expression tightening as realization hit.

To sum up Aidan’s point:

There was no way the injured werewolf pup came here on its own.

Which meant something—or someone—helped it.

“But who?”

“I don’t know. Maybe... there’s another werewolf.”

Even as he spoke, Aidan never took his eyes off the pup.

It might notice them at any moment and suddenly lash out.

It may have been young, but it was still larger than most full-grown dogs.

There was no guarantee it wasn’t dangerous.

‘Huh?’

As he studied the werewolf more closely, Aidan noticed something strange.

Near the pup’s neck—mostly hidden under the fallen leaves—something shimmered faintly in the moonlight.

He squinted, focusing on the spot, and realized he hadn’t imagined it.

‘That’s... a collar?’

In that moment, Aidan was convinced—this werewolf wasn’t some wild creature that had appeared naturally.

“Aidan? What are you doing?”

Leo called out, having sensed something odd in Aidan’s demeanor.

And then, without another word, Aidan slid down into the basin.

“Aidan! Hey, hey!”

Leo panicked, and so did Taishy.

The two of them rushed down after him. Aidan, now standing in the middle of the basin more than five meters down, slowly approached the werewolf pup.

“Aidan! What do you think you’re doing? That thing’s dangerous!”

“There’s something weird about it.”

Aidan wanted to confirm it with his own eyes.

At that moment, the pup opened its eyes wide and locked its gaze on Aidan.

He froze mid-step.

Their eyes met in midair, and a suffocating tension filled the space between them.

Gulp.

Aidan swallowed dryly and slowly reached out his hand.

“It’s okay. I won’t hurt you.”

He said it because he could see it clearly in the werewolf’s eyes.

No hostility. No bloodlust.

Those transparent, clear eyes staring back at him were filled with the innocence of a country puppy.

Could a creature with such eyes have attacked people and sent two of them to the infirmary?

Aidan didn’t think so.

Neither Leo nor Taishy could bring themselves to stop him either.

Soon, the pup turned its head and closed its eyes again.

Aidan let out a quiet sigh of relief and moved in closer.

As expected, it remained calm.

When he gently brushed its head, it even let out a low, contented growl, almost as if it liked it.

“You must’ve been in a lot of pain.”

Aidan murmured as he examined the wound peeking out from beneath the leaves.

‘That’s not an animal bite...’

The marks on its body didn’t look like they came from another beast’s attack. If anything, they looked more like slashes from something sharp.

He ran his hand down to its neck and felt a hard, cold piece of metal.

So he hadn’t been imagining it.

‘I thought it was just a normal werewolf, but there’s something more going on here.’

Just as Aidan reached that conclusion—

A sound tore through the darkness.

Something was charging straight at them.

Leo was the first to realize and yelled,

“Aidan! Get out of the way!”

The moment Aidan heard him, he flung himself to the opposite side of the noise.

A massive force slammed into him from the other direction.

“Gah!”

He was thrown more than three meters, tumbling along the ground. Dazed, he forced his vision to settle and looked at what had hit him.

A werewolf!

And not a pup this time. This one was an adult—easily one and a half times larger than the pup—and had barreled into him at full speed.

It glared at him with murderous intent and then took a protective stance in front of the pup.

“Th-that’s a real werewolf...”

Taishy trembled at the sight, but then, as if she had made a decision, she raised her staff and began gathering mana.

The werewolf seemed to recognize her intent and immediately locked eyes with her.

“Hey, hey! What are you doing?!” Leo tried to stop her, but Taishy didn’t listen.

A werewolf stood right in front of her. The very creature that had plunged Seorn into chaos.

If only she could eliminate them. If only she could deal with them—

She could restore her house.

The house that had fallen. The mother who smiled with difficulty and told her everything would be okay.

The humans who once clung to her, only to abandon her the moment her family crumbled.

She had to do it.

Only she could raise the Friad family from the ashes.

And this werewolf—it was the perfect stepping stone.

Of course, slaying just one werewolf wouldn’t magically bring her house back from ruin.

Taishy knew that. But even a little would help.

Whether it was recognition, or a bounty from Rederbelk, or just getting her name out there.

That was why she learned magic, why she came to Seorn.

‘I...!’

The werewolf charged toward her.

Fast. And extremely dangerous.

Taishy tried to finish her spell, but the sheer force of the creature bearing down on her made her panic and slip up.

‘The spell!’

In her rush, she botched the casting. The carefully gathered mana scattered into the air.

Like wet paper tearing apart, her spell dissolved—and through it, she saw the werewolf, fangs bared, racing toward her.

Was this... the end?

Just as the thought crossed her mind, Taishy felt her body pushed violently to the side.

The werewolf’s claws slashed through the air right where her face had just been.

Thud, thud, roll.

She tumbled across the ground, locked together with someone else.

“H-huh?”

“Taishy! Are you okay?”

“Ai...dan?”

The one who had saved her from the brink of death was Aidan. The same boy she kept pestering to spar with.

If he had been even a second slower to shove her away, her head would’ve been gone.

“I’m glad you’re safe.”

“Y-you... why did you...”

“I couldn’t just stand by and watch a friend in danger, could I?”

Friend.

That single word left Taishy speechless.

Aidan ignored her reaction and turned his eyes to the werewolf again.

“There’s something weird about its movements. I think it’s badly hurt somewhere. That’s probably the only reason we’re still alive.”

Sure enough, under the faint light, they could see three large, unhealed holes torn through the werewolf’s chest.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Aidan swallowed hard and opened his mouth to speak.

“...I’m sorry. It wasn’t on purpose. We have no intention of harming your pup.”

“Aidan? What are you doing right now?! You seriously think you can talk to a werewolf?!”

Taishy shouted from behind, incredulous at what she saw as pure stupidity—but Aidan was dead serious.

Still holding the werewolf’s gaze with unwavering eyes, he continued.

“You. You can understand us, can’t you?”

“What the hell are you even saying...”

Both Leo and Taishy looked dumbfounded.

But then—the werewolf’s reaction changed.

The creature, who just moments ago had looked ready to tear them apart, seemed to calm down and slowly turned back to its pup.

Leo stared, jaw dropping.

“...It can really understand us?”

“It overreacted earlier because it thought its pup was in danger.”

“But Aidan,” Leo pressed, “this thing attacked two students. Sure, it’s calm now because of the pup, but we don’t know when it might lash out again.”

It was a valid concern. But Aidan—who had been closest to the pup, who had looked into its eyes—couldn’t shake the feeling he’d gotten.

When he saw those eyes, he was certain... he’d heard something.

A cry for help.

“Leo. Taishy. I know this sounds crazy. But just this once... trust me.”

With that, Aidan began walking slowly toward the werewolf again.

Grrr.

The adult—presumably the mother—growled low, baring its teeth in warning. But Aidan raised his hands gently, signaling that he meant no harm.

“It’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you.”

As he closed the distance bit by bit, the werewolf’s hostility began to ease.

Because the pup’s condition was clearly worsening.

“Here, take this.”

Aidan pulled a small vial from his pocket—something he always kept with him.

A basic healing potion he’d brewed during a potion-making class focused on curses and restorative magic.

It wasn’t potent, not by a long shot. His skills weren’t good enough for that. But it should be enough to help the pup catch its breath.

That was his thought as he took another step forward.

Then, out of nowhere—a blinding white flash shot through the air and pierced the werewolf’s torso.

“Wh-what?!”

Aidan, who had been slowly approaching, froze. Behind him, Leo and Taishy gasped in shock.

What had stabbed the mother was a silver, metallic object—at first it looked like a spear, but then its form unraveled into a net, wrapping around her body and binding her tightly.

<Transmutation> magic—alchemy-based metal manipulation?

Who could have done this?

As the three of them stood stunned, a black shadow dropped down from the sky.

“What do you three think you’re doing here?”

It wasn’t just a shadow—it was a man.

And not just any man—someone they all knew well.

“Ludger... Professor?”

Having subdued ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) the werewolf with a surprise attack, Ludger Cherish narrowed his eyes when he saw the three students.

“I recognize all of you. Aidan. Leo. And Taishy Friad. What exactly are my students doing here, at this hour, in a place like this?”

All three of them flinched.

They were screwed.

Of all people to run into in this situation—it had to be Ludger Cherish, the professor known for having no pity and no tolerance.

“I’ll deal with your actions later. For now, step back.”

Leo and Taishy obeyed.

But Aidan didn’t move.

Instead, he stepped between Ludger and the werewolf, blocking the professor’s path.

“Wait, please!”

“...Aidan. What do you think you’re doing?”

Even as Ludger’s icy voice sent a chill down his spine, Aidan stood firm.

“Professor Ludger! J-just... please wait a moment!”

“Wait?”

“There’s something off about that werewolf! No, I mean—I'm pretty sure it understands human speech! So please, just reconsider killing it for a second!”

Aidan blurted everything out in a rush.

Because if he didn’t, Ludger might kill them—mother and pup—on the spot.

“It understands human language? Are you even listening to yourself?”

“I’m serious. That werewolf—maybe it’s—”

“I don’t care. Step aside.”

“Professor Ludger!”

“I said step aside.”

Despite Ludger’s warning, Aidan didn’t budge.

Ludger stared at him for a long moment. Then his gaze shifted past Aidan—to the mother werewolf, still bound, being gently licked on the face by her pup.

There was no savagery in that scene—just a pure, simple concern for family.

The pup slowly rose. As the leaves that had covered its body fell away, more of its form was revealed.

And Ludger saw it.

His eyebrows twitched—almost imperceptibly.

“Huh?”

Aidan, watching Ludger intently, noticed the subtle change in expression immediately.

Why is he reacting like that?

Instinctively, Aidan started to turn around.

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Wham!

In that instant, his body was flung backwards—as if some invisible force had yanked him off his feet.

But he landed softly, without injury.

A cushioning spell using wind magic.

All of it—Ludger’s doing.

“P-Professor?”

What he saw next was Ludger’s back, cloaked in his long black frock coat.

The werewolves were no longer visible behind him.

Just as Aidan tried to say something—

Ludger’s magic activated.

Fwoooosh!

A wall of roaring flame erupted in an instant.

It engulfed the two werewolves, flooding the clearing with a blinding light.

The heat was intense—even from a distance. It was unmistakably a lethal spell—meant to incinerate the enemy.

The werewolves didn’t even have time to scream.

They turned to ash before they could feel pain.

And when the fire finally died down—

Nothing was left where the werewolves had been.

Only blackened soot remained.

“Return to the dormitory.”

Ludger spoke without turning around.

“I’ll deal with the consequences of your reckless behavior tomorrow.”

There wasn’t a trace of emotion in his voice.