Academy’s Undercover Professor-Chapter 321: A Midsummer Night’s Meeting (1)

Ludger found himself puzzled by Flora’s sudden visit in the middle of the night.

Why now, of all times?

He was about to refuse her entry but fell silent for a moment.

Normally, he would’ve drawn a hard line and told her not to come in without hesitation.

But after fighting Basara, Ludger had come to understand what kind of girl Flora was—and the desire she carried in her heart.

If he were to push her away here, she would only end up hurt again.

Babysitting already, huh.

‘I guess I have no choice.’

Letting out a quiet sigh inwardly, Ludger finally spoke.

“...Come in.”

At his words, he felt the faint flinch of hesitation beyond the door, and then it slowly creaked open.

Still seated, Ludger calmly watched Flora step inside.

Flora hesitated as she glanced cautiously around the room, then spotted Ludger sitting silently on one side.

Her gaze, fixed on him, seemed distant—like someone lost in a dream.

The moonlight streaming through the wide-open window glowed faintly, like a waterfall of silver.

Ludger, backlit by that pale light, sat quietly in place.

The scene resembled something out of a dreamy, ethereal painting.

“Sit down.”

Ludger’s voice snapped Flora back to reality.

Realizing her awkward daze, she quickly made her way to the seat across from him.

Her cheeks were faintly flushed.

“Um...”

Flora opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out.

She had so much she wanted to say before coming in, but now that she was facing him, her mind had gone completely blank.

Lowering her head, she nervously fidgeted with her fingers under the table.

If things went on like this, they’d just sit in awkward silence forever.

Eventually, Ludger broke it first.

“How’s your condition?”

His voice was softer than usual—gentle, even—and Flora quickly looked up.

Meeting his eyes, she answered in a timid voice.

“...I’m okay.”

“Any lingering pain?”

“No. I had a check-up, and they said there were no major issues. They even said I might be healthier than before.”

“That’s good.”

Even as he replied, Ludger’s eyes scanned her closely.

The only light in the room was the blueish moonlight filtering in from outside, but it was enough to see.

“Your hair.”

“...Sorry?”

“The color. It’s changed a bit. It’s darker now.”

“Ah.”

Flora realized what he meant and nodded.

“Yes. I think it’s from the possession. My hair hasn’t completely returned to its original color.”

Flora’s hair had once been a cool, bluish navy.

But now, it had deepened.

It wasn’t the jet-black hue it had turned when Basara took over her body, but there was now a subtle shade of black that couldn’t be hidden.

“Is that... a problem? Should I dye it?”

“There’s no need for that. The difference isn’t drastic, and no one’s going to treat you any differently because of it.”

In fact, the change in Flora’s hair color was evidence that her talent had further blossomed.

Basara’s possession had forcibly awakened her latent potential, resulting in physical changes.

In the end, it could be seen as a mark of a fortunate encounter.

“......!”

Flora barely suppressed the smile that threatened to spread across her face.

Truthfully, she’d been fretting over it before coming here.

The darkening of her hair compared to before—she’d feared it might be a lingering curse from the demonic possession.

If that were true, she’d seriously considered dyeing it back.

But deep down, she hadn’t wanted to.

Not only did she not dislike the way it looked, but it had become just a little closer in color to Ludger’s hair—and that had pleased her.

And now Ludger had told her, in his own way, that it was fine.

How could she not be happy?

‘I wonder if... the teacher feels the same way.’

Of course, Ludger, unaware of her thoughts, had simply meant it as objective advice.

“I see. I’m glad you’re feeling better. So, what brings you here at this hour?”

When Ludger went straight to the point, Flora looked slightly flustered.

“...Do I need a reason?”

“Flora. Most people don’t drop by unannounced in the middle of the night without one.”

“...Ah.”

Flora realized her mistake too late and blushed in embarrassment.

She tried to come up with an excuse but instead just twisted her hair between her fingers and said,

“Then... is it not okay?”

“......”

“Coming to see you at this hour... is that not allowed?”

“It’s not.”

Ludger replied flatly.

Flora’s lips pouted like she’d been hurt.

It wasn’t something she would normally do, but tonight, Flora was unfiltered.

That was how much she had come to trust Ludger emotionally.

To the point where she could behave more openly than even with her longtime friend, Sheryl.

“Hmph. Fine. Since you said that, I’ll be clear and get to the point too.”

“...Are you sulking?”

“I’m not sulking.”

“I’ll take your word for it, then.”

“...And what if I was sulking?”

“You said you weren’t a second ago.”

“I changed my mind.”

Good grief.

What was he supposed to do with this girl?

“I just wanted to say thank you. For saving me back then. Really... thank you.”

Flora bowed her head deeply as she spoke.

“If it weren’t for you, I might have...”

“There’s no need for thanks. Like I told you then, I only did what I had to do.”

“...Most people wouldn’t call that something they had to do. It was really dangerous, you know.”

“But in the end, we both made it out okay, didn’t we?”

“Well, that’s true, but still... Anyway, I wanted to thank you, and I figured I wouldn’t get the chance tomorrow. So I came now.”

“And why not tomorrow?”

“Because, like it or not, you were instrumental in resolving this whole mess. Starting tomorrow, everyone’s going to be looking for you. You won’t have a moment to yourself.”

She wasn’t wrong.

He might be in a private room now because of his injuries, but once people learned he was fine, they’d start flooding in.

‘At least the upside is that there weren’t many direct witnesses.’

Ludger recalled who had seen what.

He could probably manage the rest somehow, but Casey Selmore lingered in his mind.

‘Still, if she knew my identity and hasn’t exposed it yet, she must have her own reasons.’

Aside from Casey, there weren’t any serious threats.

Aileen could take care of the rest.

She was competent enough to subtly shift the credit for this entire incident onto someone else if needed.

But Flora, who had no idea about Ludger’s behind-the-scenes connection with the First Princess, was firmly convinced that he’d be swamped starting tomorrow.

Ludger saw no reason to correct her.

“I see. So that’s why you came at night. And now that you’ve said what you came to say, is that it?”

“No, it’s not?”

When Flora frowned, Ludger crossed his arms, silently inviting her to continue.

“Um, so... you know...”

“You know what?”

“That... thing you showed me in the dream... no, I mean, I don’t even know if it was a dream, but... you used a strange magic, remember?”

“I did.”

“What... what was that?”

Ludger tilted his head, not understanding what she meant.

“What exactly are you asking?”

“I mean... that thing you used, Professor Ludger!”

“Yes.”

“What was that?”

“You’re asking a strange question, Flora. If it was magic, then what kind of answer are you expecting?”

“That was... magic?”

She blinked in disbelief.

Ludger, on the other hand, looked confused at her reaction.

“Didn’t I tell you I was showing you magic?”

“...You did.”

“If I said it was magic when I used it, then what else could it possibly be?”

“......”

Faced with such flawless logic, Flora was left speechless.

Her lips trembled slightly before she managed to force her voice out.

“Then... that really was magic?”

“It was.”

“But that kind of magic...”

“You’ve never heard of it before. Am I right?”

Flora nodded.

“Of course you haven’t. It’s not a spell that already existed. I created it myself.”

“You created it?! But inventing magic of that caliber... that’s no small feat!”

“The magic I use isn’t bound by traditional tiers. It doesn’t require incantations, formations, or hand signs. It’s—quite literally—a force akin to a miracle.”

“How... how could you possibly...”

“Belief, Flora.”

Ludger looked her straight in the eyes.

In that moment, staring into eyes that gleamed like the bluish moonlight behind him, Flora felt as if she were drifting through a dream.

Belief.

That single word sank deep into her mind, branded there as if it would never fade.

“Belief in magic. A heart that yearns for the mystical. A sincere will to bring it to life. All of that becomes the foundation of true magic.”

“‘True magic’... It sounds so ridiculous, and yet, coming from you, I can’t help but believe it.”

It wasn’t just belief.

She’d seen it with her own two eyes.

In that field of red flowers, she had witnessed Ludger’s true self.

“Flora. You must have seen it. No matter how much you try to deny it—that was magic.”

“...Yes, it was. I just asked again because it was so surreal. That kind of magic... has never been seen before.”

“I understand. So—what did you think?”

“What do I think? About that magic? There’s not even a need to explain. It was... beyond words.”

She forced herself to sound calm, but just thinking back to that moment made her skin tingle.

Her fingertips quivered, her whole body buzzed.

It wasn’t fear.

It was excitement—thrill at discovering a new mystery.

Her body surged with electric awe, like a galloping steed across an open plain, goosebumps rising across her skin.

Her heart pounded like an erupting volcano, and her mind burned hot like it was on fire.

As a mage, to have witnessed such epochal magic with her own eyes—how could she not feel exalted, both in body and soul?

“Flora. Do you know why I showed you that magic?”

The moment Ludger asked, Flora unconsciously swallowed hard.

“W-Why?”

“I know the worth of my magic. To the people of this world, it would be... hard to accept.”

“‘Hard to accept’ is putting it lightly—it’s practically a revolution.”

“Revolution, difficulty, rejection... Call it what you will. It’s all the same to me.”

“...Okay.”

Flora felt the heat of her excitement cool slightly.

Right. That was just who this man was.

She was starting to realize she was becoming oddly used to Ludger’s eccentricities.

“Let’s return to the question. Do you know why I showed you that magic?”

“That’s...”

Flora thought hard.

Why had Ludger shown such an incredible spell... to her?

The answer came to her at once—but she hesitated to say it aloud.

What if she was wrong?

She might die of embarrassment.

She didn’t like hope.

Her life had always been a series of betrayals born from misplaced expectations.

Because she’d dared to hope, she’d faced disappointment and despair again and again.

Maybe this time would be no different.

But—

This time, she didn’t retreat like a hedgehog bristling with thorns.

Taking a deep breath, Flora finally spoke.

“...Because I can use that magic?”

“Correct.”

“...!”

Flora inhaled sharply at his answer.

“This magic of mine isn’t something that can be copied just because someone tries. Even a Lexuror-class mage, one renowned for talent, would stumble through repeated failures like a novice.”

“Then why me...?”

“Because you have talent that surpasses even that.”

“E-Even so, isn’t it strange? Just showing it to me like that just because I can learn it?”

“Is it?”

“Of course it is!”

“It’s my magic. Can’t I do with it as I please?”

“That’s...!”

She wanted to say it was unreasonable.

But she realized the argument was meaningless.

Ludger wasn’t someone who could be measured by ordinary standards.

“When I consider your talent—and the path you’ll eventually walk—I judged that ordinary magic won’t be enough. That’s why I showed you. A new horizon of magic. The path ahead of you.” 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

“...Why are you doing all this for me?”

“I already told you. I can’t stand to see a mage of your caliber oppressed by those too blind to recognize your worth. Others might ignore it—but I won’t.”

Flora had to restrain the overwhelming joy that welled up inside her.

If she didn’t, she might have leapt from her seat and screamed in pure delight.

She didn’t want to embarrass herself in ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ front of Ludger more than she already had.

“I’ve given you all the clues to a new form of magic. What’s left now is how you choose to use it.”

Ludger held high regard for Flora’s talent.

She was the only student who had, even in simplified form, reproduced the coordinate-designated casting method he’d demonstrated.

After Basara forcibly awakened her potential, her possibilities had expanded far beyond before.

She might even reach a realm he himself had never set foot in.

And maybe... he simply wanted to see that for himself.

That was what Ludger believed.

“...Alright. If you say so, I’ll give it everything I’ve got.”

“‘Everything you’ve got’ isn’t enough. You’ll need to give it your all—down to your last breath.”

“You don’t have to tell me that. I already planned to.”

At her bold reply, Ludger nodded in satisfaction.

“So, have you asked everything you wanted to?”

“...Actually, I still have more questions. Like that mark on your back...”

“That’s a matter of my family.”

“...Alright. I won’t pry, since that must be painful for you too. But—there’s one thing I do want to ask.”

“What is it?”

Her eyes narrowed slightly as if this was her real purpose all along. Then she asked—

“...That girl, Rine—what’s your relationship with her?”