Academy’s Undercover Professor-Chapter 298: Second (1)

Ludger stared at Bellaruna in silence, utterly at a loss for words.

‘Why would she keep something that important hidden?’

Bellaruna averted her gaze, as if ashamed.

Even she knew that keeping such a secret until now was no small transgression.

Just as Ludger's gaze intensified to the point that it felt like it might pierce through her skin, Bellaruna suddenly felt a surge of injustice.

She snapped her head up and glared back at Ludger without backing down.

‘You're not exactly in a position to lecture me, are you?’

Sure, Bellaruna had committed a crime in the Elf Kingdom and was effectively exiled.

But if one were to compare, wasn’t Ludger's past even more colorful?

Shadow of the First Princess, the man known to tear people apart—‘Jack the Ripper.’

The legendary hunter who ended the Night of Blood—‘Abraham van Helsing.’

The criminal mastermind who shook a nation—‘James Moriarty.’

The famed mercenary who ended the northern kingdom's civil war—‘Machiavelli.’

And that’s not even all.

Granted, the identities of hunter and mercenary didn’t involve wrongdoing.

But what about the others?

Even his current identity as Ludger Cherish was forged—and he was working illegally in violation of the Empire’s laws.

Bellaruna’s crime was certainly real, but Ludger's weren’t any less severe—if anything, he was worse.

Realizing that, Ludger involuntarily flinched.

But he narrowed his eyes even more and shot her a sharper glare.

‘I never hid it, though.’

‘Ack!’

At the very least, he could claim he had revealed everything to his allies.

Bellaruna had no comeback to that. The courage she had just managed to summon crumbled once again.

‘We’ll have a proper conversation about this once everything is over.’

‘...Yes.’

It seemed things were about to settle—until an unexpected interruption broke in.

“Hold on.”

Chris swept his sharp gaze over Ludger and Bellaruna.

“You two seem to be exchanging meaningful looks. Have you known each other for a while?”

His tone was a bizarre mix—casual when addressing Ludger, formal toward Bellaruna.

But his eyes, fixed on Ludger, carried an unmistakable intensity. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Ludger wasn’t sure what had gotten into the man, but he instinctively felt that if he didn’t say something now, things could get out of hand.

“We don’t have any history. I’m just shocked that such an important truth was kept hidden.”

“Ludger Cherish. You might want to consider others’ perspectives more often. Looking at people like that will only make them fear you.”

You’re one to talk.

Normally, Ludger could brush off anything Chris said, but this time was different.

Ever since Chris started getting involved with Bellaruna, he’d been grating in a uniquely annoying way.

“Besides, the elf was personally recommended by Her Highness. There shouldn't be any issues, should there?”

“......”

Now that he thought about it, that was said during her introduction.

He’d practically tied the noose around his own neck.

Granted, it was all Bellaruna’s fault for hiding things to begin with, but still.

“I understand. What matters now isn’t Bellaruna’s past, but the World Tree’s root in front of us.”

Bellaruna, sensing a chance to escape the current topic, eagerly chimed in.

“To put it simply, inside that dead root of the World Tree is sealed a demonic power. I don’t know who put it there, or when, or where it came from, but...”

“You’re saying that power is now raging to burst out.”

“Yes. And I think the reason black mages are researching the World Tree down here is because of that. They’re trying to harness that power.”

Using demonic power?

The three immediately realized how grave the situation was.

But for now, it was still just speculation.

Without concrete evidence, no one else would believe them.

At that moment, Ludger spotted a small butterfly fluttering toward him.

‘That’s...’

He held out his hand gently, and the butterfly landed on his palm.

Then it slowly unraveled, transforming into a tiny slip of paper.

‘Sedina.’

And since Sedina couldn’t have sent it alone, Hans must have helped her.

Ludger quickly scanned the message.

So Hans had been telling the truth—the part about monitoring the situation through chimeras was confirmed.

The contents described what they had seen via the chimeras.

‘A cultivation facility producing chimeras. Black mages are researching something there.’

Why would they need to research something else when they were already mass-producing chimeras?

The answer was already clear.

‘They really are trying to do something with that demonic power.’

Suddenly, everything clicked into place.

Why the Liberation Army and the black mages waged a hopeless battle.

Why they relied on time-wasting tactics even with special explosives and an army of chimeras.

“...We need to get back and report this immediately.”

Chris and Bellaruna nodded in agreement.

They too recognized the severity of the situation.

First, they needed to return to the base camp and report everything they’d seen—and what the black mages were up to inside.

It might take time.

But it was better than letting individuals act on impulse. The more minds, the better.

“If we bring back a sample from the World Tree as proof, they’ll be more willing to believe—”

Ludger was cut off mid-sentence.

RUMBLE────!!!

A tremendous tremor rocked the entire underground cavern.

As if an earthquake had struck, the ruins quaked, and all three—Ludger, Chris, and Bellaruna—were visibly startled.

Then, something even more shocking happened.

BOOM!

The passageway they had come through sealed shut behind a collapsing barrier.

And it wasn’t just that path—the entire environment around them was changing.

Watching the surroundings shift, Ludger recalled something similar.

‘A labyrinth?’

This entire underground facility... was a moving labyrinth.

As the «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» tremors subsided and stability returned, the three found themselves standing in a completely different location.

“What just happened?”

“This underground space isn’t just a normal facility. It was already complex to begin with, but I didn’t think it could actually move.”

“So the entire place is a shifting structure?”

“Seems like it. And there are only certain people who could set something like this in motion.”

“The Liberation Army and the black mages.”

“They’d have to be fools not to know we’ve infiltrated. And that chimeras alone won’t be enough to deal with us.”

“They’ve cut off our escape route and isolated us. They plan to confront us directly?”

“That’s how I see it.”

Chris furrowed his brow.

He hadn’t expected this, not when he joined as part of the analysis team.

“Is there no way out?”

“Hard to say. We don’t know the layout, and even if we did, they might’ve blocked any exits.”

“So we’re essentially trapped.”

Ludger checked his own condition.

“In that case, this might actually work in our favor.”

“How do you figure?”

“They’ve taken away our options. Now there’s only one path left.”

No escape. No communications.

And the enemy could unleash demonic power at any moment.

The fact that they dared move despite the capital’s forces being nearby meant that power could potentially affect the entire city.

“...They’re insane.”

Chris muttered, adjusting his glasses. He clearly understood what Ludger was implying.

Yet he didn’t object.

He knew—they had no choice.

They now knew the enemy was planning to use demonic power, so they had to act.

“If you’re not confident in combat, I can take care of it.”

Ludger said it in his usual tone.

But Chris detected a subtle sneer and rebuke in the words.

“...Don’t underestimate me. I specialize in pharmacology, but that doesn’t mean I can’t fight.”

“Then why didn’t you participate in the duels during the Magic Festival?”

“Because there was no need. I’ve trained rigorously since childhood. Don’t lump me in with the rest.”

Chris’s steady gaze locked onto Ludger's, sharp enough that he could leap into battle at any moment.

Ludger nodded in satisfaction.

“Good. Then please make sure to protect the elf lady over there as best you can.”

“What?”

“Do you object?”

“...Of course not. You don’t have to ask. I’ll protect Lady Bellaruna.”

“Chris...!”

Bellaruna called his name, touched.

Of course, considering her actual abilities, Chris didn’t really need to protect her.

But officially, she was a non-combatant, so it couldn’t be helped.

“More importantly, are we okay?”

“What do you mean?”

“Even if we’ve decided what to do, this is the enemy’s base. We can’t move carelessly. The terrain is changing, and we don’t know their position.”

If they moved blindly and the terrain shifted again, they’d be lost once more.

All their progress would be for nothing.

They could end up wandering the same space forever.

But Ludger dismissed the concern.

“Mr. Chris. Do you see that root over there?”

“...The World Tree root Lady Bellaruna and I were studying?”

“When the terrain changed just now, some paths vanished and new ones appeared. I suspect this facility has a shifting three-dimensional structure.”

“And?”

“But that root—its position didn’t change. So the block with the root embedded in it must be fixed.”

“...!”

Chris’s eyes widened.

“Of course. The section where the World Tree’s root broke through is fixed in place.”

“Yes. If we trace the direction of the root, we can find their base.”

This underground facility was built like a massive disk.

At its center was a vast cavity—likely where the dead World Tree’s core lay.

Roots had spread outward from the center, smashing through walls and taking over the facility, leaving only parts able to move.

So by following the direction of the roots, they would eventually reach the center—and not get lost.

“But if we figured that out, the enemy probably did too. They’ll know we might follow the roots to track them.”

“Exactly.”

“So doesn’t that make changing the terrain pointless?”

“That’s what I thought at first. But now... I see otherwise.”

“What?”

“Look.”

At Ludger's words, Bellaruna and Chris turned their heads.

And they saw them.

Despite being underground, a long, arched hallway ahead was faintly illuminated—and in its center stood an unwelcome guest.

Judging by how the enemy didn’t just send common Liberation Army grunts, they must have anticipated Ludger's strength.

That meant skilled agents, perhaps even black mages, were standing by.

Whatever the case, these enemies were not to be taken lightly.

“They knew shifting the terrain wouldn’t stop us, so they’ve come in person.”

Ludger checked his status once more.

Body: stable.

Mana: stable.

Condition: optimal.

“Well then, this makes things simple.”

He gripped his long black staff, its tip shaped like a crow’s head.

Writhing mana gathered neatly into it.

“No need for us to go looking—they’ve come right to us.”

No need for introductions.

Ludger immediately unleashed his magic.

* * *

“Well, this is a mess.”

Passius let out a dry sigh as he looked at the rearranged internal layout.

They weren’t lost.

The terrain had shifted, but the parts around the roots—where they had burst through the walls—were fixed.

As long as they followed the roots, they wouldn’t lose their way.

Still, it was absurd that an entire underground facility could move like this.

The fact that something like this lay beneath the capital was shocking enough.

And that it still functioned perfectly, even after hundreds of years?

‘What in the world did the previous empire do 500 years ago?’

Was this the power of the so-called ancients?

It could probably be replicated now with effort, but the fact that such technology existed long before modern science developed was astounding.

While Passius was lost in idle thoughts, the mage beside him—Iron Mask Roteron—remained silently focused on the path ahead.

The reason was simple.

The terrain had shifted, and now enemies stood directly in front of them.

“Sir Roteron, was it?”

“Just Roteron is fine, Mr. Passius.”

“Alright then. So, enemies ahead—what shall we do?”

“Do we have a choice?”

Roteron immediately prepared for combat.

“We fight.”

Passius smirked at that fierce reply.

“Can’t argue with that.”