Academy’s Undercover Professor-Chapter 324: The Conferment Ceremony in the White Mirror Hall (2)

The commendation ceremony ended without any particular incident.

Quite a crowd had gathered in the hall to watch it, but no one showed much interest in Ludger beyond the expected level.

Most of the credit had gone to Passius.

The conclusion publicly circulated was that the Liberation Army’s terror incident had been resolved thanks to the efforts of the Royal Guard, led by Passius, along with another Swordmaster, Terrina Lionhowl.

To be precise, it was more accurate to say the Imperial family had decided on that version of the story and covered up the truth.

Of course, not all of the truth could be hidden.

‘There were simply too many witnesses to the black storm that erupted above ground.’

The demon Basara had ambushed the students being evacuated to the Imperial Palace and knocked them all unconscious.

After that, a massive storm swept through, completely devastating the Third Plaza.

No matter how tightly the information was controlled, such a truth couldn’t be entirely buried.

Perhaps because of that, journalists were already buzzing with questions, their eyes gleaming for answers.

The only fortunate part—if it could be called that—was that the students caught up in the incident didn’t remember what had happened.

The trauma had been too severe.

‘Of course, there were those who remembered everything.’

Flora Lumos.

Rine.

And Aidan.

Those three, at the very least, had their memories intact.

Two of them hadn’t lost consciousness, and one had quickly awakened and gotten swept into the heart of the incident.

But there was no real cause for concern.

In Flora’s case, Ludger had kept her silent.

He also intended to speak to Rine directly.

The remaining one was Aidan—but that case had been entrusted to Mandelina, so he had decided not to worry.

Though considering Mandelina’s usual behavior, it wouldn’t be entirely honest to say there was no anxiety.

Still, she was unexpectedly reliable when given a task.

‘That’s probably why she was part of Black Ops Alpha Team.’

As Ludger finished sorting through all this in his head, he felt a gaze directed at him.

He glanced sideways toward it—and saw a man staring intently in his direction.

The Second Prince, Ivelon.

Among all those receiving medals in the hall, he showed particular interest in Ludger.

At first, Ludger thought it was coincidence, but after meeting his eyes once, he changed his mind.

Rumors said the Second Prince was soft-hearted and not particularly skilled in politics.

Instead, he was said to possess great talent in the arts, like painting and music—and had supposedly even renounced his claim to the throne in favor of pursuing those passions.

But the prince Ludger now faced was nothing like that.

Having met countless people and survived innumerable incidents, Ludger was certain.

‘He carries a monster inside his chest.’

Like recognizes like, as they say.

The emotion Ludger felt—he was sure Prince Ivelon felt it too.

In the prince’s gaze was the spark of interest.

But it lasted only for a fleeting moment.

Because the commendation ceremony, which had felt like it might drag on, came to an end.

Passius, who had taken center stage and drawn the public’s applause, gave a slight nod to the crowd.

“Passius! Passius!”

“Terrina! Terrina!”

People cheered for the heroes who had saved the nation and showered them with flower petals.

Ludger inwardly sighed in relief at the enthusiastic reception.

That reaction alone was proof that their smoke-screen operation had succeeded.

Even so, Ludger didn’t easily tear his gaze away from the Second Prince.

* * *

After the ceremony, Ludger rejoined the other instructors.

“Professor Ludger! Are you all right?”

Many instructors turned their attention to Ludger and Chris upon their return.

Even if they had helped in non-combat ways, the fact remained that both had gone to dangerous places.

That the two had returned unharmed—and even received medals—naturally drew interest.

Selina looked at him with concern in her eyes. Ludger gave her a small nod and responded that he was fine.

“There wasn’t much danger. I only made it back safely thanks to everyone else's efforts.”

Of course, in reality, both Ludger and Chris had faced serious danger—but there was no need to go into detail about that.

“I’m really glad you’re safe. Everyone was so worried.”

Just then, Merilda approached from beside Selina and spoke playfully.

“Of course. Especially Selina. You know how earnestly she prayed for your safe return?”

“M-Merilda!”

“Hmm? What? I’m only stating what actually happened.”

“I-It’s not something you should just ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) say like that...”

Selina blushed and glanced sideways at Ludger.

That he had found out about her prayers embarrassed her deeply.

“Thank you for worrying about me.”

When Ludger said that, Selina’s face instantly lit up.

Her emotions were plainly written on her face.

Merilda quietly chuckled at the sight.

When Selina glared at her, Merilda backed off with an exaggerated “Ouch!” expression, then grinned at Ludger.

“Anyway, I’m glad you made it back safely, Professor Ludger. The others are too. Though it’s a bit of a shame about that guy.”

She cast a glance toward Chris, who was surrounded by noble-born instructors.

“He’s not hurt anywhere, is he?”

Her voice dripped with the hope that he was, even if she didn’t say it outright.

Naturally, her animosity wasn’t surprising—Chris had always treated them with condescension.

“Hm. Well, I can’t say he’s completely unscathed.”

“Oh? Really? I was only joking, but it’s true? That’s not bad. So, where’s he hurt?”

“His heart.”

“...Excuse me?”

Merilda blinked, confused by the cryptic reply.

But Ludger didn’t offer anything more.

“So, when will the rest of you be returning to Seorn?”

“We’re not sure yet either. I think the Headmaster will probably make an announcement when the time comes.”

Selina explained that the administrative office at Seorn was currently overwhelmed due to the chaos surrounding the field trip.

“Because of that, we’re staying in the capital, waiting for their response.”

“I see. And the students will need adequate rest as well... it may be best to remain in the capital a while longer.”

“Yes. It’s already thrown the academic calendar into a mess. I’m really worried about how much lesson content we’ll need to cut.”

As she muttered, Selina turned to Ludger and apologized.

“I’m sorry.”

“What for?”

“I couldn’t do anything to help you.”

Ludger didn’t think there was any need to apologize for something like that.

But Selina’s expression showed that it was genuine.

“You carried too much of the burden, Professor Ludger. You saved the students and even went down into the underground tunnels where the terrorists were. You didn’t have to go that far.”

“Professor Selina.”

“I can’t stop thinking about it. I was sitting safely in the palace while the students outside were suffering. And I couldn’t do a single thing to help.”

She couldn't let it go.

As a Seorn instructor, she felt she had failed her duty.

No—even more than that, as a human being, she believed she should have stepped forward in that moment.

Of course, it hadn’t been her fault.

The palace guards had prevented anyone inside from going out.

But that didn’t matter to Selina.

“I could have done something, and yet... I did nothing.”

Selina lowered her head, her voice heavy with regret.

Ludger looked quietly at her for a moment, then spoke.

“Professor Selina. What happened in the capital was truly tragic. But in the end, no students were seriously harmed.”

Miraculously, no Seorn students had lost their lives.

All thanks to the mentors who had protected them with everything they had.

Some students had suffered minor injuries from the chimera attacks, but none were critical.

Many had been affected by Basara’s mental wave—but even that passed quickly, leaving no lasting damage.

In practical terms, there had been no casualties.

“But... even if the students were safe, that doesn’t mean there were no victims. So many citizens living in the capital were killed or injured. Countless others lost their homes. They’re still living in emergency shelters, struggling to get by.”

“I won’t deny that.”

“I also feel troubled that I couldn’t help those people,” Selina said. “If I had stepped up... maybe at least a few more could have been saved.”

“......”

Selina wasn’t wrong.

Had she, a skilled spirit mage, taken action, the casualties would certainly have been reduced.

The death of a person is a profoundly heavy thing.

But most people grow numb to the deaths of strangers unrelated to them.

They may feel pity, but rarely offer true sorrow or mourning.

Because it’s not their loss.

But Selina was different.

She grieved even for people she’d never met.

Ludger suddenly recalled what Selina had gone through in the past.

She had lost loved ones. Her village had been burned. She had witnessed hell on earth with her own eyes.

Of course, those memories originally belonged to Esmeralda—they weren’t truly Selina’s.

Selina was nothing more than an artificial spirit created from the memories of Esmeralda’s purer, more innocent days.

In a way, her personality was fabricated.

In other words, she was fake.

But the emotions she now displayed—were they fake as well?

They were not.

“Your feelings are completely understandable, Professor Selina,” Ludger said. “But what’s done is done. We can grieve and feel regret, yes—but we mustn’t lose ourselves in it.”

Selina widened her eyes at the unexpected remark.

Just as she was about to ask why he was being so cold, Ludger continued.

“On my way into the capital, I saw the outside. The streets were broken and destroyed. Laborers were hauling supplies and clearing debris. That was barely a day after the incident.”

“That’s...”

“That doesn’t mean they’re unaffected. I’m sure they’re grieving, furious, despairing. But they’re still there. Working, sweating, rebuilding. Do you understand what that means?”

After a moment of hesitation, Selina answered.

“I... I’m not sure.”

“It means they’re already overcoming it.”

Her eyes widened again.

In a trembling voice, she softly protested.

“B-But... there might be people who can’t overcome it.”

“Yes, of course. And those people will need help.”

“Then...”

“But the ones who truly help them won’t be us. It will be their neighbors, their friends, their family—those who can genuinely share in their sorrow.”

“......”

“So we don’t need to drown in sadness. What we must do... is believe. That they will overcome it.”

In that moment, Selina realized why Ludger was telling her all this.

It was because...

He was worried about her—worried that she was sinking too deep into sorrow.

He wanted to reassure her not to burden herself with guilt and torment.

To Selina, that consideration felt enormous.

“I don’t know if I’ve given you the right answer,” Ludger added.

“...No. It’s more than enough,” Selina said. “Now that I think about it, I probably was overstepping without realizing.”

She smiled at him.

A gentle smile, like the bloom of spring flowers around her.

“I always feel like I’m the one receiving help from you, Professor Ludger. Thank you.”

“...Not at all.”

For a brief moment, Ludger was at a loss for words in the face of her smile.

Though he quickly regained his composure, that split second didn’t go unnoticed by the one person who never missed such things—Merilda.

“Oh my, oh my~”

Hearing her teasing interjection, Selina came to her senses and flushed red.

“M-Merilda!”

“Hmm? What is it?”

“T-That reaction just now—what was that?”

“What reaction? I didn’t do anything. Unless... are you feeling guilty about something, Selina?”

“I-I...!”

At that moment, Passius spotted Ludger from afar and walked over.

“Ah, there you are, Professor Ludger Cherish.”

As the man who played a central role in resolving the recent terror attack, Passius immediately drew all attention.

Ignoring the surrounding stares, Passius addressed Ludger directly.

“Her Highness would like to meet with each person who contributed to resolving this incident, to personally acknowledge your merits.”

Ludger nodded in understanding and turned to Selina and Merilda.

“Then, I’ll excuse myself for a moment.”

“Ah, yes.”

Ludger followed after Passius, who was already walking ahead.

They soon arrived at a luxurious reception room.

“You’re here,”

came Aileen’s voice as she turned to look at Ludger.

The sunlight pouring through the window illuminated her silver hair in a radiant glow.

Aileen was like a jewel simply by being present.

From her restrained gestures to every subtle expression, she exuded charisma and the dignity of a ruler.

“I was growing tired of waiting.”

“This time, we’re not meeting in that garden from the other day, I see.”

“My mother and siblings have moved this time as well. No need to draw unnecessary attention. I may not mind being seen, but you cannot afford that, can you?”

In short, she was going through this hassle for Ludger’s sake.

“Is that so? I’m overwhelmed by your generosity.”

“Indeed. Be properly grateful. You owe me a debt.”

“I might’ve been more grateful if you hadn’t said that.”

“If I didn’t say it so bluntly, you would have feigned ignorance to the end.”

A sharp jab right to the heart.

Ludger didn’t respond. Instead, he naturally sat across from her in the vacant seat.

Aileen laced her fingers beneath her chin, her jewel-like eyes gleaming.

“So then—tell me. What exactly happened down there?”