Academy’s Undercover Professor-Chapter 332: The Wall Between Us (2)

Ludger and Rine sat on the same bench, maintaining a small distance between them.

Because of who he was, Rine sat upright, her back straight and hands tightly gripping the hem of her skirt atop her neatly closed knees.

Her side glance settled on Ludger’s profile.

With his hands interlaced and his upper body slightly bent forward, his posture seemed as serene as the surface of a still lake.

So much more adult-like than her. In that way, he was completely different.

Maybe that was why she couldn’t tear her gaze away from him.

She couldn't deny that Ludger’s profile was strikingly handsome—enough to catch anyone’s eye.

But there was something more fundamental than just looks.

Every time she saw Ludger like this, Rine felt a strange blend of yearning and wistfulness.

She didn’t know why.

She was sure she had never met Ludger before, and yet, whenever she looked at him, she couldn’t help but wonder—had they met long ago? 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Even so, it felt like there was an invisible wall between them.

“Rine.”

“Y-Yes?!”

When Ludger spoke, Rine flinched, startled, wondering if he had caught her sneaking glances.

“......What’s wrong?”

“N-No. It’s nothing.”

Judging from his puzzled expression, it didn’t seem like she’d been caught.

Only then did Rine remember—Ludger had called her here because he had something to say.

“Rine. I think you’ve already guessed, at least vaguely, why I asked to talk to you.”

“That’s...”

“That day, you saw it.”

Instead of answering, Rine simply nodded.

“What I showed you that day was one of my spells. More precisely, it’s my magical beast.”

As he said this, Ludger summoned his magical beast, [Ater Nocturnus].

He kept it miniaturized, knowing that summoning its full form would draw too much attention.

A black, haze-like crow emerged over the right shoulder of Ludger’s clothes.

The crow snapped its head to look at Rine, and though her shoulders flinched at the sight, she didn’t avert her eyes.

“Th-This is your magical beast, sir?”

“That’s right.”

“It’s... kind of unique?”

“It’s called Ater Nocturnus. It moves through shadows. Right now, it’s taking on the form of a beast, but its main appearance is closer to clothing.”

“Clothing... Oh.”

Only then did Rine recall the form Ludger had taken that day.

As if he were wearing a cloak woven from shadow.

And on his face—he had worn a mask shaped like a crow.

What was it called again? A plague doctor’s mask?

She had seen it in books. It had a distinctly eerie atmosphere. The crow sitting on Ludger’s shoulder now reminded her strongly of that.

“Then... did you appear out of nowhere from the ground that day because of this magical beast’s ability?”

“To be precise, I emerged from the shadow. Since Ater Nocturnus is made of shadow, I can move through it as well.”

“Wow, I see.”

Only now did Rine understand how Ludger had appeared in that split second to save her.

That’s seriously amazing.

Purely impressed, Rine asked, “Can I touch it?”

“I don’t mind.”

Naturally, Rine reached out toward the crow-shaped magical beast.

It glared at her with glowing red eyes, but Rine only hesitated a moment.

When she gently extended her hand with a soft smile, Ater Nocturnus tilted its head slightly.

Then, it gently brushed its beak against her approaching fingers.

“Ah.”

Rine let out a small exclamation, startled by the strange sensation on her palm.

It felt completely different from touching a normal crow.

It was like touching a dense form of smoke—exaggerated to the extreme.

Considering that it wasn’t just a shadow, but a mass formed from mana, that description probably wasn’t wrong.

Ludger watched as Rine curiously touched his summoned beast, then dismissed Ater Nocturnus.

Rine looked disappointed as the magical beast vanished instantly.

“Oh...”

“It’s not something I can keep out for long. Despite how it looks, it’s extremely greedy—it consumes too much mana. Especially under bright sunlight like this.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Are you fascinated by magical beasts?”

“Yes. I’ve heard of them, but this is my first time seeing one in person.”

“Understandable. You’re only a first-year student. Magical beasts aren’t introduced until the third-year curriculum.”

“Oh. That’s kind of far off... I really wanted to learn sooner.”

“You may not need to worry about that.”

“Sorry?”

“After the recent incident, the academic program is likely to change quite a bit. One of the changes may involve moving the magical beast summoning course to the first-year level.”

Ludger spoke as if it were only a possibility, but in truth, he was almost certain.

A magical beast is like a soulmate to a mage.

Summoning one consumes immense mana, but in that moment, it guarantees tremendous stability and combat power.

Even though Spirit Studies can only be learned by those with the talent, mages still envy it—there’s a good reason for that.

Just learning it in advance will be undeniably helpful in the future.

And that alone carries great meaning.

But summoning a magical beast isn’t something that can be learned through theory alone.

It requires something more instinctual, more intuitive—a moment of enlightenment.

That’s why most first- and second-year students don’t learn how to handle them.

They’re still inexperienced and unfamiliar with magic itself.

To learn the basics of magical beasts, one must first establish deep resonance with their own mana.

So for first-years to learn summoning would be quite a groundbreaking shift.

To the students, it would be thrilling.

After all, summoning a unique existence born from their own mana is a dreamlike and romantic concept—very uncharacteristic for mages.

Of course, the instructor tasked with teaching it was probably already pulling out their hair in distress.

‘Whoever ends up teaching that... they’re going to suffer.’

Ludger’s detailed explanation made Rine nod enthusiastically in understanding.

But this only addressed her surface-level curiosity. Rine still had so many questions she wanted to ask.

For example—

The identity of the black mist that tried to attack her that day.

Or the condition of Flora, who had sacrificed herself in her place.

“Um... Is Flora-sunbae... okay?”

“Flora, you mean.”

“Yes. That day, because of me...”

Just thinking about it still made Rine’s heart sink.

That black mist had clearly been targeting her.

If someone was going to be harmed, it should’ve been her.

“Flora is fine.”

“Oh... That’s a relief.”

“So you don’t need to blame yourself.”

Ludger’s words felt as if he had seen straight into her heart. Rine pressed her lips together.

“Do you feel guilty?”

“......She got hurt trying to protect me, didn’t she? And she got possessed by that weird mist...”

“A demon.”

“Sorry?”

“That thing was a demon.”

Rine’s eyes widened as she stared at Ludger’s profile.

As if to ask—can you really tell me that?

“You already had a sense of it, didn’t you?”

“Wh-What?”

“I’m asking if you had a hunch. Why do you think that demon showed such interest in you in the first place?”

“That’s...”

Rine fell silent—then remembered her eyes.

That black mist... if it was truly a demon as Ludger said...

Then it had definitely targeted her.

She could vaguely guess why. It was probably because of her awakened eyes.

‘And that demon... called me a Saintess, didn’t it?’

When she heard “Saintess,” she recalled the illusion magic she saw in the museum.

Wasn’t it called divine magic? The vision of a woman praying and casting that magic lingered in her mind.

She had no idea why it stuck with her so strongly... but could it be related?

“You seem to have a lot of questions.”

“Yes. There’s so much I don’t know. I keep wondering—why did I get dragged into all this? Still...”

“You want to find out.”

“......Yes. The less I know, the more I feel I have to. That way, I might at least understand what I need to do. That’s why I want to ask. Do you know what’s happening to me?”

Rine looked at him with unwavering eyes.

Her gaze sparkled more beautifully than the last time he saw it.

So enchanting, it seemed it could pull you in with just a glance.

Even Ludger—who had resisted the Headmaster’s bewitching Mystic Eye—found himself dazed for a moment.

And she hadn’t even fully awakened yet.

What would she be like once she had the true Judgment Eye?

“......”

“Professor?”

“......Yes. At this point, there’s no point in keeping you in the dark.”

Ludger hesitated over where to begin... then decided to explain everything from the start.

He might’ve kept it secret before, but now that more than half of it had awakened, Rine needed to know.

“Rine. Do you know what the Judgment Eye is?”

“Judgment Eye? I’ve never heard of it.”

“The Judgment Eye is the eye that distinguishes right from wrong. It doesn’t just deal in intuition. It’s a gaze that sees something more fundamental.”

“Ah.”

Rine nodded, as if she had a vague idea.

Since the beginning of the semester, she had instinctively sensed danger from certain people.

And she could easily tell who meant her no harm.

That was probably why, unlike the other students who still feared Ludger, she could approach him freely with questions.

“And the Judgment Eye... is a power said to be born only to Saintesses in the Lumenis Church.”

“S-Saintess...?”

Demon Basara had called her a Saintess, but hearing it from Ludger’s mouth made it feel different.

“B-But someone like me could never...”

“It doesn’t matter what you think of yourself. Most of the previous bearers of the Judgment Eye probably thought the same. The difference is—you’re awakening.”

“Th-Then... am I going to be taken away by the Lumenis Church?”

“Why?”

“What do you mean why? I might become a Saintess, so...”

“That won’t happen.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Because I won’t let it.”

At those words, Rine sucked in a breath.

Maybe he was saying it as her teacher, out of concern—but hearing it said so directly left her flustered.

“B-But why...?”

“You really think too highly of the Lumenis Church. If a Saintess appears, they won’t venerate or protect her. They’ll chain her down and make her their tool by any means necessary.”

Rine almost asked how he knew that—but Ludger’s expression was so serious, she couldn’t bring herself to.

It was clear he knew something—about the Lumenis Church, the Judgment Eye, and the Saintess—that she didn’t.

“Th-Then what should I do?”

“Hide it, for now.”

“Can it even be hidden? My eyes are so obviously different...”

“True. Rine, look this way.”

“Ah, okay.”

She did as instructed.

Ludger stared at her closely.

His sapphire-blue eyes captured her image, as if reflecting her in a tranquil pool.

Being stared at like that made her feel oddly ticklish.

“P-Professor Ludger?”

“Hold still.”

With that, Ludger gently reached toward her.

“Mm!”

His hand neared her eyes, and Rine involuntarily flinched.

His touch was firm yet soft—warm, even.

The way he touched her was as careful as handling a priceless treasure.

And she didn’t dislike that feeling.

If anything, she kind of liked it.

So much that she thought... she could stay like this forever.

‘M-My heart’s racing...’

He was so close. His chiseled features, the warmth of his hand against her cheek.

Rine worried he might hear how loud her heart was beating.

It was thudding so wildly, she felt like it would echo all the way to his ears.

How long did they stay like that?

“All done.”

With that short phrase, Ludger pulled his hand away.

Rine felt a pang of disappointment but asked, “What’s done?”

“Take a look.”

Ludger used metal magic to form a thin plate in the air.

Its smooth surface reflected her face like a mirror.

Rine looked into her own eyes.

“Huh?”

To her surprise, her starlit, sparkling eyes had returned to normal.