Chapter 26

◈ Chapter 26: The Werewolf (1)

Sedina Rosheen recalled her dream-like meeting with Rudger with a dazed expression.

The First Order had acknowledged her.

Even within the Black Dawn Society, where she often made mistakes and was always on the periphery, Rudger Chelisi had acknowledged her.

'I wasn’t wrong.'

Born into the Rosheen family, one of the most prestigious merchant families in the empire, Sedina felt that the Rosheen name had always cursed her, even after she left the family.

The Rosheen name.

To escape the detestable Rosheen family, Sedina joined the Black Dawn Society.

It wasn’t about living well or eating well; that wasn’t her goal.

She believed that if she worked hard, the wary and disdainful looks she received would gradually improve.

She wanted to believe that.

However, the Black Dawn Society members’ wariness of Sedina only intensified, and she became the target of envy and jealousy because she had the ability to enter Seorun.

Sedina, a capable person who could have easily secured a position higher than Second Order, ended up staying at Third Order due to the constant vigilance of other members and the lack of attention from the First Order.

A disposable tool.

Just a somewhat useful human.

The Rosheen name was enough to be used.

The intention was so clearly conveyed that it cruelly pierced Sedina’s tender heart.

'But I met him.'

When she was so exhausted that she would have accepted anything.

An order came to her within the organization.

It was a command from a Second Order, someone slightly higher in rank than her.

The First Order.

Code name <John Doe>.

Unlike other First Orders, his true appearance and identity were unknown, a mysterious existence.

He was to contact him and report on the progress of the mission.

This man, now known as Rudger Chelisi, was a master of disguise who had never revealed his true identity, specialized in infiltration and assassination.

However, he had a very dirty character.

A psychopath who would beat or even kill someone if they annoyed him, even if they were fellow members of the secret society.

Worse, the Zero Order, the leader of the Black Dawn Society, tacitly allowed such behavior.

To anyone other than a First Order officer, Rudger was a symbol of fear within the Black Dawn Society.

Being assigned the task of asking Rudger why he hadn’t made contact was essentially sending her to her death.

Sedina Rosheen cried in frustration.

Her Black Dawn Society comrades who were sending her to die, or herself, a coward who couldn’t properly refuse.

What she hated even more was the idea of giving up everything and returning to being a daughter of the Rosheen family.

'I don’t want to.'

She hated her family so much that she would rather die.

So she approached Rudger.

With the mindset that it didn’t matter if he killed her, she was prepared to die.

But when she actually got close, his charisma was beyond what she had imagined, and Sedina involuntarily trembled.

She made a slip of the tongue and her voice quivered. She almost did everything she shouldn’t have in front of him.

She might die.

That’s what she thought.

But surprisingly,

Rudger didn’t kill her.

He didn’t even show any intent to harm her.

While his dirty and eccentric personality was evident during their conversation, that was all.

Rudger simply sent her away without much ado.

And today,

Rudger even praised her for explaining things well.

If it were just flattery, she wouldn’t have been this happy.

But Rudger’s words and actions were sincere.

He corrected her by calling himself "Mr. Rudger" instead of "First Order," and listened to her more attentively than anyone else, even when she tried to act as if she wasn’t saying anything important.

It made her so happy.

The thought that she might be of help to someone.

She felt like crying.

'The First Order. No, Mr. Rudger Chelisi is truly remarkable.'

From the moment they met, her heart raced when she saw him.

At first, she thought it was due to tension and fear, but after today’s meeting, she realized it was more than that.

It was reverence.

An endless admiration for someone she truly wanted to serve and respect.

She didn’t think she was being treated specially because she was special.

It was just a small reward for all the misfortune and effort she had endured.

Rudger Chelisi might have done a small favor for her as an officer of the organization.

It was too early to get carried away by such a small gesture.

Still.

Even so.

It was the first time she had been properly praised by someone.

* * *

When the school day ended and the sun began to set, Rudger put on his coat and checked all his equipment.

Speed was essential for hunting werewolves, and he needed to have all the necessary tools ready.

The items were highly secretive and wouldn’t attract suspicion from passersby.

As he thought this, Rudger left the staff room and ran into Hugo, who was looking for him.

“Hey! Mr. Rudger!”

“...Mr. Hugo Brutege.”

Hugo Brutege.

The head of the Brutege family, a famous and historically significant magical noble family in the Exilion Empire.

However, due to their excessive authoritarianism in magic, they had gradually declined, failing to embrace modern science.

Hugo, who had opposed the principal during the morning meeting, was now looking for Rudger.

“Do you have something to talk about?”

“Ha. My friend, do I need a big reason to look for you?”

Hugo’s friendly attitude.

Though he said it that way, Hugo had come to make a proposal to Rudger.

“You haven’t really mingled with the other teachers, have you? It seems you only get along with the new ones.”

“Is there a problem with that?”

Rudger’s stiff attitude, which didn’t even show deference, made Hugo’s eyebrows twitch.

But since he was the one who was disappointed, Hugo decided to let it slide.

“Hmm. I thought I’d introduce you to some of the professors I’m close with.”

“...”

Rudger immediately sensed Hugo’s true intentions behind his subtle suggestion.

Recruitment into a faction.

Hugo wanted to bring Rudger into the faction of teachers composed of nobles.

Even in a situation where students were anxious due to the werewolves, Hugo was still engaged in factional struggles.

Rudger shook his head at Hugo’s attitude.

“I’m fine as I am, thank you.”

“What?”

Rudger’s direct refusal made Hugo’s face turn red.

After he had been nice, a fallen noble like Rudger had no right to refuse?

“Do you know how many years I’ve been a teacher here?”

“Do I need to know?”

“Fifteen years. After the old hag Mari Ross, I’m the next highest. I’m your senior and superior!”

“Superior, you say?”

“Yes!”

“That’s strange. My superior is only the principal.”

The principal.

At the mention of this word, Hugo gritted his teeth.

To Hugo, the name of the principal was far from welcome. It was more like a thorn that awakened his inferiority and anger.

Hugo composed his expression and continued.

“Mr. Rudger, I heard you were active in the military before coming here.”

“It was just a brief stay.”

“I also heard you achieved remarkable feats in hunting Cryptids.”

He had already gathered that much information.

But since it was a spec that the Black Dawn Society had intentionally leaked, it wasn’t surprising that someone like Hugo knew about it.

Rudger nodded.

“I admire your abilities. Don’t you want to revive your fallen family? With the support of our noble faction, it’s entirely possible.”

Hugo chose the maximum concession he could make.

He was getting anxious.

The principal’s faction was getting stronger day by day. The current principal, despite her young age, was a 6th Tier Luxer-class mage and possessed innate political skills, making her a formidable opponent even for Hugo.

‘If it weren’t for that woman, I would have been the next principal!’

Hugo was deeply dissatisfied.

Moreover, the current principal not only didn’t favor noble students but also showed more consideration for commoners.

Of the five new teachers, three were commoners and one was a fallen noble.

There was only one pure-blooded noble.

‘Though it hurts my pride. Rudger Chelisi, I must bring this man into our faction.’

He already knew Rudger was from a fallen noble family.

Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t have given him a second glance, but the situation was urgent.

Moreover, Rudger Chelisi was a young 4th Tier mage with considerable skill.

His achievements in Cryptid hunting alone made him a valuable asset.

Excluding his background, there was no one more desirable.

That’s why Hugo came to him personally.

“I can help you. What do you say? Will you join us?”

“What exactly does joining you entail?”

This time, instead of a refusal, he got a question.

Hugo thought Rudger was finally showing interest and continued.

“Nothing much. We’ll build camaraderie among ourselves, receive support from other nobles, and take better care of their children.”

“In other words, you want me to favor noble students?”

“Nonsense. Just show a bit of flexibility.”

Hugo thought Rudger was almost convinced.

Initially, this man had joined the military to achieve something and revive his family.

Hugo judged Rudger’s actions this way.

“That won’t work.”

“What, what do you mean?”

Hugo, who hadn’t expected a refusal, asked blankly.

“I appreciate the offer, but I must decline.”

“Are you serious?”

“I heard the principal is giving special treatment to certain commoner students and calling it flexibility. Would you follow that?”

“What? No, commoners and nobles are not the same! Be reasonable!”

“Exactly.”

“What?”

Hugo’s face turned blank. Exactly? What does that mean?

“Flexibility must apply to both sides, not just one. If it only applies to nobles, it’s not flexibility; it’s favoritism.”

“No, but nobles...”

“In Seorun, there are no commoners, nobles, or royals. They are all students learning magic. I won’t bend on this.”

“Y-You...!”

Hugo gritted his teeth at Rudger’s words.

Suppressing his anger, Hugo curled his lip and sneered at Rudger.

“Fine. I was shortsighted. I overlooked the possibility that the principal might have already made a move by the time you arrived.”

“I don’t understand what you mean.”

Rudger was sincere.

He had no intention of getting involved with a man like Hugo.

Helping to revive his family?

That would expose his fake family. While Hugo saw it as an offer of help, to Rudger, it was just an overreach that would reveal his true identity.

He had no intention of reviving a fallen family. His only goal was to survive two years here without revealing his true identity.

Moreover, the idea of teaming up with Hugo to oppose the principal was unsettling.

Clearly, Hugo and the principal were not equals.

While Hugo might not see it, Rudger found the principal far more formidable.

‘If I do something foolish and catch the principal’s eye, it will only cause trouble.’

There’s no fool who would team up with a fox when a tiger is clearly present.

Ideally, he would stay neutral, but with Hugo being so overt, Rudger had to make a choice.

If he had to choose one, it would naturally be the principal.

It was more comfortable to be with someone who treated everyone equally rather than a noble authoritarian.

“I need to patrol now, so I’ll be going. Mr. Hugo, you should also go in for your safety.”

“You’ll regret this.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Rudger’s provocative words made Hugo’s face turn red like a boiled octopus.

His thick cheeks trembled, but Hugo couldn’t say anything to Rudger’s back as he left.

Honestly, it was because he was scared of Rudger’s gaze.

This man, who was a much more senior and renowned figure, was scared!

Hugo didn’t want to admit it.

“Bah!”

Hugo stomped the ground and left, fuming.

If there were any students who might get in his way, he planned to give them demerits.

* * *

After parting ways with Hugo, Rudger immediately began his patrol outside.

The sun had set, and the mana lamps inside Seorun were turning on, spreading light around.

The night, which should have been quiet and still, strangely had a sense of vitality.

Rudger sighed inwardly and headed towards the nearby bushes.

“Didn’t you hear the order to return to the dormitory?”

Using magic to part the bushes, the students hiding inside held their breath.

Looking at the three students who were staring at him with pale faces, Rudger said coldly.

“Or did you hear it and decide to be bold?”

“Mr. Teacher, it’s not like that...”

“You all get five demerits.”