Chapter 9

◈ Chapter 9: Undercover Employment (1)

I lay on the bed for nearly an hour, dazed and listless. I didn't have the energy to do anything right away.

At this point, a sense of injustice began to well up inside me.

No, how could a secret society officer get caught in a train terrorist attack and die?

If he was an officer who had planted nearly 40 agents in the Seorun Academy, shouldn't he have survived in that situation?

"Haa."

I know. I know that getting angry won't bring the dead back.

I know that all of this is just a waste of emotion.

I had to admit it.

I am now Ludger Chelisi, and I have to maintain this damn identity for two years.

'Honestly, I thought it would be fine as long as I didn't get caught by the academy. I thought it wouldn't be that difficult.'

I thought I could pass as a teacher with my life experience.

I know magic, and I have a decent amount of theoretical knowledge.

I was confident that I could get through two years without any problems, based on thorough calculations.

But this is different.

A secret society? And an officer at that.

Moreover, from what they said, they are not ordinary dangerous people. Assassinations of key figures in the academy? Dealing with traitors? Their methods are quite cruel.

Even gangsters and mafia in the underworld don't do such things. These are extreme actions that only a few bad apples might take.

Isn't it too much that a new mission has been added, increasing the difficulty?

It's like going from normal mode to hell mode.

"I need to think."

Now, I have one more thing I can't let be discovered: my false identity.

The academy and the unknown secret society.

If either of these groups finds out that I'm not Ludger, it's over for me.

Whether by the chancellor's hand, the empire's law, or the secret society's own purges.

Death is closer to me now than ever before.

"I need to think."

Ludger Chelisi is an officer in the secret society.

Ludger, a made-up identity, is known as a "First Order" officer.

Among the secret society members infiltrated into this academy, there are only two First Orders, including me. I don't need to know their purpose right away.

What's important is who the other First Order is.

I can't just ask, and there's no way to find out unless they approach me.

'For now, I can ignore the Second and Third Orders.'

The real Ludger was likely quite eccentric within the organization.

Even a little arrogance and pretentiousness made his subordinates turn pale, which is a clear indication.

His bad attitude means subordinates wouldn't dare to bother him over trivial matters. That's a good thing for me.

In the end, I only need to be cautious about the other First Order officer, who is on the same level as Ludger.

The problem is, who is this other First Order?

'I can't just ask. How could an officer not know another officer? If I do, I'll be immediately suspected.'

Now, I have to deal with not only the academy and the empire but also the secret society within the empire.

I thought I was only riding one tiger, but it turns out I'm riding two.

I must be quite a guy. Even a circus wouldn't do this.

If anything goes wrong on either side, it's over.

Once the balance is lost, I'm as good as dead.

'Right. Since it's come to this, I have no choice.'

I immediately took out the books from the suitcase and laid out the letter next to them.

'First, I need to gather information.'

This letter is definitely a code used by their organization.

I need to decode it.

Every code has a pattern.

And the book in the bag can help me analyze that pattern.

'The books of a magic academy teacher, so I can exclude the grimoires. There were a few non-ordinary books.'

I scanned the books.

[The Catcher in the Rye] [Ringerk's Philosophy] [Traces of Totalitarianism] [One Hundred Years of Solitude]

Novels, autobiographies, and bestsellers in non-fiction.

One book caught my eye.

[The Gentleman's Etiquette]

'This is it.'

I recalled Ludger's appearance on the train.

His minor actions and some unrefined behaviors, like tapping his foot or shaking his hands.

If he had seriously studied gentlemanly etiquette and read this book, he wouldn't have shown such behavior.

'And this book is the most worn out.'

The cover was worn and discolored.

It must have been read many times. Was there a reason for that?

'This book was used to decode the message.'

I opened [The Gentleman's Etiquette] and flipped through the pages.

Rustle.

The worn-out marks on the pages.

Some pages were unread, while others were read to the point of wear.

The irregularities slowly revealed a pattern.

I carefully examined the worn-out specific pages and saw something between the lines.

I immediately compared the letter next to it.

'The continent uses a unified language, but there are differences by country.'

Since Ludger Chelisi's background is from the Queoden Kingdom, I should consider the Queoden language.

The letter contains obvious traces of specific nouns and dialects used in the Queoden Kingdom.

Although it's a small and barren northern kingdom, Queoden has produced many great writers, with over 20,000 words in its dialect, including 8,000 advanced vocabulary words.

This must be the key to the code.

Considering the arrangement of the Queoden language and the content of the letter, decoding it shouldn't be difficult.

I know the Queoden language.

'Sure enough.'

My guess was right. When I checked the code using the Queoden language, the relationships between the words in the letter became clear.

<Greeting> <Farewell> <Farewell Party> <New Meeting> <Crow> <Eyes> <Starlight>, etc.

Next to these were some words symbolizing numbers.

The numbers likely represent the pages of the codebook, and the other words, when combined, decode to...

'First Order. Infiltrate Seorun Academy as a teacher and win their favor. Further instructions will be given based on the situation.'

That's what it says.

I didn't get decisive information, but this is enough.

I closed [The Gentleman's Etiquette] and leaned back.

"Hoo."

The remaining two years.

I have to live as a teacher at the academy and as an officer in the secret society.

Of course, I can't do this forever. Even if I safely complete two years as a teacher, the secret society remains a barrier.

Their existence is a huge nuisance to me.

If anything goes wrong, I'll likely be killed.

'I can't eliminate the secret society on my own. I don't know how their structure is organized, but they are quite dangerous, having planted agents in Seorun Academy.'

It's impossible to deal with them individually.

But if I leave them alone, the secret society will be a chain around my ankle, and I need to get rid of it.

Then, how?

'I need to use the power of the academy.'

There's a saying, "Use the barbarians to control the barbarians."

Seorun Academy is not just a school. It's a place that cultivates the future of the empire, symbolizing the future of the era.

Despite its name, it has such immense power that it can influence even a country, so it's not impossible.

If Seorun and the secret society clash, even a great secret society will inevitably be overwhelmed.

Considering the number of soldiers and mages here, and the possibility of the knights moving within the empire's territory, the secret society knows this and chose to plant spies instead of a direct confrontation.

So, I need to carefully gather information about the secret society without being discovered and leak it to the academy.

'Of course, if it takes too long, I'll be caught.'

The secret society might purge me for betrayal, or the academy might suspect and exclude me as a spy.

Ultimately, maintaining a balance is crucial.

If I lean too much to one side, my fate is sealed.

It's like walking a tightrope with a long pole.

I must not lean to either side.

'For now... let's think about the first class in a week.'

The instructions didn't specify what to do. Winning their favor means establishing a solid image as a teacher.

So, my priority is to fulfill my duties as a teacher.

Seorun is a place for smart students, so showing any weakness might lead to being torn apart by them.

Talented children in their prime often think they are the best and might even ignore their teachers.

I don't know how it is here, but from my long experience, people are similar.

'There are many things to consider.'

I can't let the students look down on me.

I can't let the academy suspect me.

I can't let the secret society discover me.

It seems like a lot of work, but enduring all this will bring a fitting reward.

Yes, I can endure it for that.

I got up from the bed and entered my personal library, opening the magic textbook.

I needed to plan for the future and prepare for the classes.

The remaining two years.

I couldn't just idle away.

* * *

The first day of the new semester arrived.

Students who had gone home during the break started to return, and new freshmen joined the new academic year.

The students who were previously in the first year moved up to the second year, crossing the school gates with anticipation for the new classes.

The lecture halls were filled with the sounds of students greeting each other after months apart.

However.

While all were students of the same academy, not all were the same.

Loud students and quiet students.

Naturally, the atmosphere among the students was divided, and this division reflected the social hierarchy.

In Seorun Academy, students are broadly divided into three classes.

The upper class, consisting of royal, noble, and high-ranking clergy families.

The middle class, led by wealthy merchants.

And the lower class, occupied by poor commoners.

Even among students, social status couldn't be ignored, and this led to the formation of different levels within the academy.

Nobles greeted each other with bright smiles, while commoners often kept a low profile or gathered quietly among themselves.

This was also true for the upcoming manifestation theory and elemental understanding class.

"Hey, did you hear the news?"

"What news?"

"There's a new teacher for the manifestation theory and elemental understanding class this time."

"A new teacher for the second year? Must be quite skilled, huh?"

"Can't help it. The previous teacher left. From what I heard, he has a rather impressive past? He's a military veteran and has published many papers."

"Then he must be quite a person. Not ordinary."

"Did you know this?"

"What?"

"He's from a fallen noble family, apparently."

At the mention of a fallen noble, a sneer naturally appeared on the face of the student leading the conversation.

Those who tarnish the noble name.

Fallen nobles are often treated worse than wealthy merchants among the nobility.

They can only slightly look down on commoners?

He must be skilled to be a teacher at Seorun, but he would be a laughingstock to the upper-class students.

At the same time, the noble students shared similar thoughts.

A new teacher from a fallen noble family would make getting grades in class as easy as eating cold porridge.

As they discussed what kind of person he might be, the front door of the lecture hall opened silently.

Everyone's eyes turned to the front door.

A man was entering the lecture hall through the open door.