Academy’s Undercover Professor-Chapter 325: The Elven Household (1)

“Didn’t you already hear it from Sir Passius?”

“Not all of it,” Aileen replied. “Besides, didn’t Passius lose consciousness halfway through? Surely you’re aware of that?”

Ludger’s gaze naturally shifted toward Passius.

Under the silent pressure of how much did you tell her, Passius could only respond with a sheepish smile.

“Well, I can’t exactly hide things from Her Highness.”

“......”

Though he spoke as if he had no choice, even if placed in the same situation again, Passius would’ve made the exact same decision.

Every action of his was driven by loyalty to the royal family, and he would never do anything that went against it.

At least in Aileen’s eyes, Passius had to speak only the truth—no exceptions.

“So? What happened to that Liberation Army officer who used demonic power?”

“He’s dead.”

“Dead? How?”

“I killed him.”

Ludger answered frankly.

There was no need to hide anything from Aileen—she already knew most of it.

In fact, the more she knew, the easier it would be to align their accounts and cover up the truth together.

Upon hearing Ludger’s answer, Aileen’s expression shifted into one of naked disbelief.

“Are you serious?”

“You were the one who insisted I tell you everything.”

Ludger simply looked at her, as if wondering why she was acting surprised.

Aileen tapped her temple lightly with her index finger.

“From what I heard, that Luipholdt fellow had become a black magic experiment and acquired immense power.”

“Yes. That’s correct. You’re well-informed.”

“They said he ground up the bodies of missing mages and transplanted them into himself—allowing one person to cast multiple types of magic simultaneously. On top of that, he supposedly had World Tree cells and demonic power integrated into him, making his body physically complete.”

“Also true. A Swordmaster couldn’t match him in raw strength, after all.”

The more Ludger confirmed, the more complicated Aileen’s expression became.

“And you killed him?”

“Yes.”

“How? From what I’ve heard, not even an Aura Blade from a Swordmaster could inflict a proper wound.”

“Ah, Your Highness. To be precise, wounds could be inflicted—but his regenerative ability was too strong, and they all healed immediately.”

“Silence. I wasn’t asking you.”

Passius tried to chime in but immediately recoiled under Aileen’s glare.

“You’re telling me you killed a monster who had completely shed his humanity? And you did it alone?”

“There was no one to help at the time, so yes, I fought alone. Ah—though not entirely. I received a bit of help from Andrei Semov. Just a little.”

“...Then explain the situation in detail.”

Aileen hadn’t heard anything beyond the point where Passius lost consciousness.

That was precisely why she’d summoned Ludger here.

Ludger began recounting what had happened after the others had passed out—how he had moved them to safety and faced Luipholdt alone.

At first, Aileen maintained her usual composed demeanor, intrigued as Ludger described the use of various spells to suppress Luipholdt.

But when he explained that the demon Basara had awakened within Luipholdt’s body, her composure cracked for the first time.

“Did you just say... demon?”

“Is it that surprising?”

“A demon...”

“You’ve heard about the demonic power sealed within the World Tree, haven’t you?”

“I was told the power was refined to enhance the test subjects—but I never heard that the sealed demon itself had awakened.”

“Well, now you have.”

Ludger calmly met her stare, as if daring her to doubt him.

But Aileen already knew.

He wasn’t lying—not a word of it.

“...Then that black storm witnessed above ground—”

“Yes. That was the demon’s doing.”

Ludger explained the nature of Basara’s power.

It interfered with human minds, triggered their trauma, pulled them into illusions, and shattered their psyches completely.

Aileen let out a hollow laugh in disbelief.

“The reports said that power could incapacitate even Lexuror-class mages and Swordmasters with ease.”

“They were both taken down, so yes, that’s accurate.”

“Then how did you withstand it?”

“I didn’t come through unscathed. I was affected too.”

“But you didn’t lose consciousness. You fought the demon, didn’t you?”

“Yes. I endured it with mental strength.”

“You say that like some hardened soldier. As if sheer discipline and willpower were enough. It’s absurd.”

Aileen shook her head, clearly exasperated.

Everything Ludger was saying defied logic.

And yet, every detail of the situation—his survival, the aftermath—proved that it was all true.

She had always known Ludger wasn’t an ordinary man.

“I was lucky. I’m not very susceptible to mental attacks.”

“That’s not what people usually mean when they say they’re lucky.”

“Then let’s just call it that.”

“....”

Aileen narrowed her eyes.

The more she listened, the more she felt herself being pulled into Ludger’s current.

But for now, he held all the information—and he held the upper hand in this conversation.

“So the demon escaped to the surface, ambushed the evacuating Seorn students, and then possessed a female student’s body?”

“Yes.”

“I see. That explains why the students and guards fell unconscious during evacuation. The puzzle pieces are finally falling into place.”

They had wondered how the victims had been incapacitated without a single visible injury.

None of them remembered what had happened before passing out.

They’d assumed it was some new trick from the Liberation Army.

Who would have guessed it was demonic possession?

“And that student who was possessed... Flora Lumos, wasn’t it? Of all people, it had to be a Lumos.”

“I checked on her before coming here. She didn’t exhibit any strange symptoms.”

“She may seem fine now, but who knows what might happen later? And since she’s a daughter of House Lumos, we need to handle this very cautiously. We’ll need to continue observing her.”

“I intend to do so regardless.”

“If it were up to me, I’d have her detained and monitored periodically...”

Aileen glanced sideways at Ludger. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

“But I suppose some teacher would be very angry if someone tried to lay hands on his student. So I’ll drop that idea.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Hmph. Deny it all you like. Fine. If you’re the one keeping an eye on her, that’s a relief in its own way. So—any other changes?”

“The demon forcibly awakened her latent talents. As a result, her hair color changed slightly.”

“Any side effects?”

“None. On the contrary, her mana sensitivity, mana capacity, and magical perception have all improved drastically.”

“So she’s effectively had a fortuitous awakening.”

Though Aileen showed interest in Flora Lumos, it was fleeting.

She had far more pressing questions.

“So what happened to the demon?”

“I entered her mental world and destroyed its spiritual form.”

Aileen didn’t even flinch at that anymore.

“Hardly a normal battle, I take it.”

“It was nothing special.”

“Right. You may think so. The rest of us would disagree.”

Propping her chin on her left hand, Aileen lifted her right and pointed her index finger directly at Ludger’s forehead.

“Sometimes I wonder when you’ll finally start talking about yourself with the praise you clearly deserve. You always say it was nothing, it was ordinary, no big deal. The day you actually admit you did something great—I think I’d need to prepare myself emotionally. Just the thought of it is terrifying.”

Her tone was playful and mocking—but she meant at least half of it.

And then, in an instant, her smile vanished.

“I see. So, in the end, the Liberation Army may have set everything in motion, but the grand finale was delivered by a descended demon.”

“Yes.”

“Then we have an even bigger problem. The fact that demonic power was unleashed in the heart of the capital... that gives them all the justification they need to interfere.”

“By ‘them’... you mean—”

“The Lumenis Church. More precisely, the Holy Theocracy of Bretus, its stronghold.”

“......”

At the mention of the Lumenis Church, Ludger fell silent.

He recalled the bishop who had come to find him back in Rederbelk.

Normally a quiet group, they had begun moving with notable activity as of late.

Ludger wasn’t unaware of why.

“Do you think they’ll catch on to what really happened?”

“They ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ will. They’re quick to pick up on this kind of thing. A black storm erupted in the middle of the capital—that alone reeks of something ominous, and too many people witnessed it.”

The only saving grace was that the fact Basara had taken over Flora’s body and caused the storm—along with Ludger’s role in stopping it—hadn’t been exposed.

But that was all.

The Lumenis Church would no doubt use this incident as pretext to act, and they might uncover the truth through some means or another.

“For now, we’re doing what we can to suppress information on our end, but that’s just buying time. They’ll get involved. They’ll launch an investigation. And when that happens...”

“...There’s no way I’ll escape suspicion.”

“You’re not the only one. That Lumos girl—Flora—will get dragged into it as well. Even if you both keep silent, there’s no such thing as a secret that lasts forever.”

Aileen clicked her tongue, clearly displeased just imagining it.

“They’re truly despicable. Using the name of God to wield their power however they please. Trying to insert themselves into matters of my family. But unfortunately, if they decide to move in earnest, they won’t be easily stopped.”

“Didn’t the Theocracy’s influence decline a long time ago?”

“Compared to before, yes—but I don’t believe it’s as weak as people claim. You know as well as I do—what happened to the kingdom before the Exilion Empire rose.”

Ludger nodded grimly.

Before the rise of the Exilion Empire, the previous kingdom had built massive underground facilities and conducted various experiments.

The reason behind the construction of such a colossal underground structure remained unknown.

But what was known was that elves were involved—and that something which had nearly succeeded ultimately failed due to Basara’s interference.

“Come to think of it, I heard something down there.”

“What did you hear?”

“A story about how a dead World Tree ended up in the underground facility, and how a demon came to be sealed inside it.”

Aileen didn’t press him on why he was only saying this now.

They both knew—there had to be at least a few cards kept hidden between them.

That was the nature of their relationship.

“That is intriguing.”

“Before that story came up, there was mention of those who had helped grow the World Tree down there.”

“...Elves, then.”

“Yes.”

At the word elves, Aileen leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms.

She seemed lost in thought for a moment, then spoke up as if she’d remembered something.

“I once heard something. That among the elves, there exist certain noble houses with special status.”

“Yes. I’ve heard that too. The Elder Houses.”

“They’re divided into several groups—those who manage the World Tree, those who govern the lands beyond the forest, and so on. But the one with the most power is the house that guards the central World Tree.”

That house was known as one of the Seven Roots of the elven kingdom.

“But did you know?” Aileen continued. “The current top house—Lifret—wasn’t always in that position.”

“Is that so?”

“Long ago, the Lifret family was not among the most powerful of the Seven Roots. Another house served the World Tree back then. But something happened. And after that event, Lifret took over the guardianship of the World Tree.”

“Could that ‘event’ be...”

“Exactly. It’s just speculation, but the evidence strongly suggests it was related to the World Tree beneath the capital. Everything fits too well.”

Though still conjecture, Ludger found the theory highly plausible.

After all, growing a World Tree underground would have been impossible without elven aid.

But not every elf had the ability—or the right—to cultivate one.

Even Bellaruna had been exiled from the kingdom just for coming into contact with the World Tree.

To elves, the World Tree was a sacred deity.

Trying to cultivate it recklessly would have been seen as blasphemy against their very identity.

‘But the Zero Order told me... that long ago, there were elves who were quite progressive.’

Ludger began to construct the picture in his mind.

A noble house that preceded the Lifret family.

If so, what had happened to them?

Most likely, they were purged from elven society.

Not merely exiled—but perhaps erased entirely.

“Then a massive revolution must have occurred within elven society.”

“Yes. But it’s such an ancient tale, and their society is so closed off that very few know the truth. However...”

“However?”

“There are rumors that survivors of that purged house still exist somewhere on the continent.”

“That’s surprising, but when you think about it, not impossible.”

“Right. If they were once the most powerful family in the elven kingdom, they would have had means to escape. We might even cross paths with them—and hear the truth of what happened.”

“That’s wishful thinking. If they fear being hunted, they’ll remain hidden. Finding them would be like searching for a needle in a desert.”

Ludger had no intention of getting involved.

He saw it as something far removed from him.

The heirs of a fallen elven house wouldn’t simply reveal themselves because someone went looking for them.