Academy’s Undercover Professor-Chapter 1: To the Capital of the Empire ()

Most parents, when their child begins dreaming about future careers, tend to recommend prestigious jobs like becoming a doctor or a judge.

Anything that ends in “-sa” usually carries a good reputation.

If not that, then at least a government position with a guaranteed future—the so-called “iron rice bowl.”

No parent wants their child to walk a difficult and painful path.

But... in my case, things were a bit different.

“My son, you should become a shaman.”

“...Huh?”

That was what my mother told me when I was just beginning to grow up—after my father had passed away early, and I was left to look after my mischievous little sister.

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Our family wasn’t destitute or in dire straits, but I worked hard to become a doctor, hoping to earn a good living. If not that, then maybe a scientist or a developer.

I had carefully mapped out a solid science-oriented path for myself.

What my mother suggested wasn’t a humanities track, nor even the arts. It was a completely different dimension.

What do you even call this... theology?

“Um, what did you say?”

“I’ll say it again since you must’ve misheard me. You need to become a shaman.”

“I refuse.”

My answer was firm.

There was no way I’d become a shaman. Why would she suddenly bring this up?

At my brash response, my mother’s eyebrows twitched, and she responded in a sharp tone.

“You have the qualities of a shaman. All kinds of spirits are watching over you. There’s no path for you but this.”

I was dumbfounded.

Shamanic qualities? I supposedly had that kind of talent?

More than shocked—I was simply blank. Emotionless.

From then on, my mother kept insisting I had some kind of “unique trait,” and that if I didn’t receive a divine revelation by becoming a shaman, I was fated to meet misfortune. She said things no parent should ever say to their child.

What did I say back then?

“I absolutely refuse.”

“If you don’t do this, you’ll suffer great harm one day. I’m saying this because I care about you.”

“If you really care about me, then support the path I’ve chosen!”

I remember saying that firmly and locking myself in my room.

Honestly, I had every reason to be angry. A middle school kid in puberty who had already laid out his life plan—if not praised, he should’ve at least been supported. But instead, I was told to drop everything and become a shaman?

That only made me more defiant. I studied harder than ever.

Even as my mother kept pushing her religious beliefs on me, teaching me all kinds of bizarre myths, magic, and rituals, I didn’t give up. On the contrary—I dug even deeper into rational, scientific knowledge to solidify my mind against it all.

More than ten years passed like that. I grew up, became an adult, and eventually settled into society.

And then I died.

In a traffic accident, of all things.

‘Truly absurd.’

Was that the misfortune my mother had warned me about?

What was even more absurd, though, came after.

I was alive.

No—more accurately, I had died once, but then I was reborn.

The afterlife actually exists. I had thought my mother’s words were nothing but nonsense—but they were all true.

Foolishly, I had learned the hard way that humans can never truly grasp something until they experience it for themselves. My death taught me that lesson in full.

So what am I doing now?

“I’ll begin today’s lecture. Everyone open your textbooks. Continuing from last time, I’ll explain how to draw a proper magic circle.”

I’m a teacher at a magic academy.

...How the hell did it come to this?

***

A magitech locomotive exhaling pure white steam pulled into the station.

Clank! Hissss!

The sharp sound of compressed steam releasing as iron met iron echoed crisply through the air.

Passengers who had been waiting on the platform began boarding one by one. Watching the scene, I took a deep breath before stepping onto the train.

The cold air filled my lungs and left me feeling strangely refreshed.

The sky was clear and cloudless, and the biting chill of late winter somehow felt invigorating.

There wasn’t much time left before the magitech locomotive bound for the Exilion Empire would depart.

I raised a hand and lightly brushed my face.

The odd, subtle sensation between my gloved hand and my skin—

‘The mimic mask is holding up fine.’

I had no choice but to hide my identity.

To avoid suspicion, I stepped aboard the train with a calm, natural gait.

“Ticket, please.”

As soon as I boarded, the conductor greeted me.

I took the ticket out of the pocket of my frock coat and handed it over.

“All checked. Safe travels, Mr. Gerald.”

I nodded politely at the conductor’s customary greeting.

Looking down at the ticket I got back, I saw: Cabin 403.

In other words, third compartment of the fourth car.

The corridor was narrow—only one person could pass at a time—but long, with doors spaced at regular intervals on one side.

This magitech train was no ordinary locomotive—it was considered a luxury train, and every seat along the long corridor was its own private room.

Room 401.

Room 402.

Room 403.

‘Here it is.’

I confirmed the number plate and opened the door.

The moment I stepped inside, the scent of aged wood filled the air.

It wasn’t extravagantly luxurious, but everything one could need was there.

Soft-looking seats split on either side, storage space for personal luggage, and a call bell in case you needed to summon staff.

‘Not bad at all.’

I hadn’t brought any heavy luggage, so I moved lightly and took a seat.

As expected from a high-class train, the seat cushions were plush and comfortable.

Looking out the window, I could see the vast landscape of the northern mountain range stretching far into the distance.

The sharp peaks were capped with snow, making them look like towering giants wearing white conical hats.

This train would soon push its way through the cracks between those mountains.

‘Now that I’m this far, I guess I can finally relax.’

My name is Gerald.

I was once an ordinary office worker living in South Korea.

Of course, that was all in my previous life—before I died in a mysterious traffic accident.

After dying, I woke up in this world.

A world completely different from Earth—a mysterious land where magic and science coexist.

Here, I was living a brand-new second life.

‘I’m on the Empire-bound train now. I should be able to rest until we arrive.’

The Exilion Empire.

The most powerful and influential country on this continent.

The birthplace of magitech—where magic and machinery develop side by side—and home to sorcerers and mage towers.

That’s where I’m headed now.

‘Let’s see... The first stop along the way should be the city of Rederbelk.’

I pulled out the guide pamphlet tucked next to my seat and scanned the information.

The final destination of this magitech train was the empire’s capital.

But of course, there’s no such thing as a train that runs directly from a foreign border straight into a capital city.

Even if it was a first-class magitech train that only the wealthy and verified were allowed to board.

Naturally, there were two stops along the way.

Rederbelk was the first of them. In some ways, it was even more famous than the capital itself.

Because it was home to the magic academy—every aspiring mage’s dream.

‘An academy, huh. What a strange world this is.’

Even after decades in this second life, there were still so many things I couldn’t quite get used to.

The dissonance between this world and my past life was too stark.

But the academy had nothing to do with me. No reason to care.

Clunk.

Just as I was thinking that, the train gave a soft jolt.

‘Looks like we’re about to depart.’

Fwooooooooot!

As expected, the train’s loud whistle signaled our departure.

In less than a minute, this train would be tearing through the vast northern mountains.

‘Am I the only one in this room? That’d be convenient.’

Just as that idle thought crossed my mind, the door to Cabin 403 slid open with a click.

Not a staff member.

A man in his mid-twenties stepped in, dressed neatly in a brown frock coat similar to mine, and tall to boot.

No way a train employee would wear something like that—meaning he was my fellow passenger for this room.

Speak of the devil...

Of all the possibilities, I had to end up with a roommate.

‘So much for traveling in peace.’

Just as I sighed internally, the man looked at me and greeted me.

“Good day.”

“......”

Since he made the first move, I gave a slight nod in return.

I had no intention of chatting much, so I played the part of the quiet type.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

I didn’t feel like engaging in a long conversation, so I played the part of someone taciturn.

The man didn’t seem to mind my aloof response and calmly took the seat across from me.

Fwooooooooot!

With a thunderous roar, the train began to move.

At first, the magitech locomotive shook and clattered along the rails, but once it picked up speed, the vibrations ceased.

It wasn’t called a luxury train for nothing. The price of the ticket was so steep that most commoners wouldn’t even dream of affording it. Compared to an ordinary steam train, the speed and comfort were on a completely different level.

The ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) view outside the crystal-clear window flew by in a blur.

Thick layers of snow, evergreen trees standing firm amidst the white, and the majestic snowy mountains blanketing the horizon—it was all so beautiful that I couldn’t help but stare.

But even beauty becomes monotonous after ten, twenty minutes of looking at it.

I reached for the newspaper tucked beside the pamphlet and unfolded it.

In this world, there were no laptops or smartphones. When boredom struck, books and newspapers were the only way to kill time.

[Civil War in the Kingdom of Yuta Comes to an End]

[Victory for the Princess’s Faction]

The headline sprawled across the front page in large black letters.

The Kingdom of Yuta, which had just recently been recruiting mercenaries en masse for its civil war, was the very nation where this magitech train had departed from.

Between the blackletter headlines, a black-and-white photo had been printed. A photo of the princess’s faction celebrating their victory in the war.

“The civil war in the Kingdom of Yuta has ended.”

A voice spoke from behind the newspaper.

Lowering the paper slightly, I met eyes with the man sitting across from me.

Since he had spoken so directly, I couldn’t very well ignore him, so I opened my mouth to respond.

“Yes. I was wondering how long it would go on, but it seems to have ended sooner than expected. That’s a relief.”

“The prince’s faction had been gathering mercenaries and military strength from all over, and that was just recently. I suppose it’s fortunate it ended quickly.”

“There’s still no way they escaped it all without damage.”

“Is that so? Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Ludger Cherish.”

Ludger Cherish. A surname? So he’s a noble?

But he didn’t carry the usual arrogance or pretension that nobles often do.

“Gerald. No family name.”

No family name.

That was a subtle way of saying I was a commoner.

“Oh, please don’t feel uncomfortable. I’m a fallen noble myself.”

“I see.”

That explained a lot.

Still a noble, but no longer living like one.

“And you, Mr. Gerald—where are you headed?”

“To the capital of the Empire, Lindebrune. I’ve got some business there.”

“Hmm. If a gentleman like yourself has business in the capital, it must be something important?”

At Ludger’s playful remark, I chuckled softly and shook my head.

“Nothing like that. It’s just a visit—tourism, really.”

“Ah, tourism. That’s not a bad reason at all. I’ve heard the Exilion Empire has a lot to see, especially with how advanced its magitech is.”

“And you, Mr. Ludger? Where are you going?”

“I’m headed to Rederbelk.”

“Rederbelk... that’s where the academy is, right? Do you have business there?”

“Yes. It’s not something I like to brag about, but I’ve been appointed as an instructor at the Seorn Academy.”

“Oh?”

I offered a genuinely impressed response.

The Seorn Academy—largest magic academy in the Empire.

It’s where the most brilliant young minds from across the continent gathered, a breeding ground for the future elites of the world.

Naturally, the students enrolled there were chosen from among the most gifted, and the instructors who taught them were selected with equal rigor.

So this man in front of me... was one of those instructors.

“You look quite young—your skills must be exceptional.”

“Not at all. It’s only that the public seems to think too highly of me. In truth, I only barely made it in by the skin of my teeth.”

“Even barely making it in is something most people couldn’t dream of. You’ve every right to be proud.”

“Thank you for saying that. Oh, speaking of the Yuta Kingdom civil war—have you heard the rumors?”

“What kind of rumors?”

“They say there was someone who played a pivotal role in the princess’s victory.”

“A key figure, huh.”

“What’s surprising is that it wasn’t some renowned mage or high-ranking knight... but a wandering mercenary, of all people.”

A wandering mercenary who played a crucial role in leading a nation to victory.

It hadn’t been mentioned in the newspaper, but perhaps the rumors were already circulating among the public.

“They say his name was Machiavelli.”

“Is that so.”

I echoed his words in a casual tone.

“You don’t seem very surprised.”

“Haha. I just assumed it was a baseless rumor.”

I said I didn’t know, but that was a lie.

Of course I knew the name Mercenary Machiavelli.

How could I not?

Because Machiavelli...

...was the identity I used before becoming Gerald.