The outside of her hair was white; the inside of her hair was a light pink color that resembled cherry blossoms. She was a beauty with peculiar two-toned hair.
The principal accepted my greeting with a bright smile.
"Yes, it's nice to meet you, Mr. Ludger. Moreover, are you feeling alright? I heard you were involved in a terrorist incident."
"It's nothing much. I was helped by the Knights of Cold Steel at a dangerous moment."
"Oh my, that's a relief. I was pretty panicked, too. It's been a long time since we've chosen a new teacher, so I was worried that you got hurt. If that happened, we wouldn’t be able to save our face, right?"
Seeing that she openly talked about saving her face, she certainly didn't seem to have an ordinary personality.
Well, indeed. Anyone who had climbed up to a high position was bound to be twisted somewhere.
—Even more so when they were a wizard.
My teacher was like that as well. The same went for the woman in front of me.
It didn't surprise me much.
"You're not feeling sick anywhere by any chance, are you?"
Looking at the principal staring at me with a subtle smile, I wondered if she had noticed something odd about me.
‘Come to think of it, has the principal met Ludger before? Then wouldn't she notice that he changed?’
Her voice dragged me back as anxious thoughts ran through my mind.
"I've only seen you through paper; it's my first time seeing you in person. You're pretty tall and decent, I see."
Fortunately, it seemed to be the first actual meeting between Ludger and the principal.
"Thank you for your compliment, even if it's just empty words," I replied with an inward sigh of relief.
"No, they're not empty words. I think the students will show a passionate reaction when the semester starts, right? You are such a handsome man."
"I'm flattered."
"Well, take this for now."
The principal held out a piece of paper to me.
"We already informed you in advance, but it will be better for you to confirm the contract thoroughly. The contract is for two years. The salary is written there. Keep in mind that the accommodation is provided."
I accepted the contract and looked through the contents carefully.
I didn't think much of the contract because I was planning to quit quickly and go out as soon as my backup identity came out anyway.
—Until I read what was written inside.
‘Oh, what? Wait a minute.’
What was written in the contract was so surprising that it even made me widen my eyes in surprise.
‘A month's salary is 30 coins of imperial gold?’
An imperial gold coin is equal to one million denars, the continent's common currency.
In other words, 30 imperial gold coins meant 30 million denars, and it was nearly 300 million won($233,814) in terms of the earth's currency where I lived.
It was just a month's salary.
The monthly salary was 300 million won($233,814). At that point, I had to wonder if I actually had to sell off my organs, but it was Sören Academy.
It was the best magic academy in the empire.
Even on the earth where I lived, the annual salary of an experienced professor at a Gangnam university was up to 10 billion won($7,790,559).
It was quite possible.
'And there's a bonus for each semester and a bonus at the end of every year? What’s more, I can even raise my salary based on my performance, you said? If the students' evaluation of their teacher is good, it will be raised, you said?’
I could take a bonus without much trouble, and if so, the annual salary would be more than 500 million denars.
My contract period was two years, so if I added it up, it was more than 1 billion denars.
With that money, I could live quite well off anywhere. I could even do a side job with their permission.
Gulp.
I swallowed without realizing it.
It was amazing that the salary was so much, but the amount of support funds for when the class was starting was huge. There was also the fact that more funds might be disbursed depending on the teacher's evaluation.
In addition, I would have a separate house and eat here, so I didn’t have to spend money unless for some special occasions.
'If I last here for two years, I'll get one billion denars. In terms of earth currency, it's worth 10 billion won, and even that's just the minimum wage. If I do well, I can raise my salary and extend it after the contract is over.'
It was a condition that could only be considered crazy.
‘This is the best academy in the empire, they said?’
‘What on earth is the life I’ve lived so far...?’
"What do you think? Is it alright?"
"…This is not bad."
‘It's not only a 'not bad' level. This is amazing. And hella amazing at that.’
I took a deep breath and read the contract again.
As expected, it wasn't a dream. It was like hitting a whole jackpot unexpectedly.
But there was a fundamental problem…
'It's true that Sören is great enough to give this amount of money, but at the same time, I have a lot of burden as a Sören teacher.’
‘Will I be able to endure this position?’
‘Will I be able to work properly as a teacher here, a place where a breadth of all kinds of geniuses exists?’
'No way. It would be a miracle if my lowly self wasn’t revealed in a day.’
Still, I was confident in babbling and bluffing. I had been growing up in an environment where I could die if I didn't do that.
I analyzed the situation quickly.
'It's alluring, just looking at the annual salary, but it's also quite burdensome. But because I’m already here, I can't say no. Ludger was already supposed to become a teacher here, and I became Ludger Chelysie.'
How could I say no in that situation?
My appointment as a teacher had already been confirmed, so I couldn’t suddenly say that I wouldn’t do it. Then, of course, they'd be suspicious.
In fact, the answer I had to give was already determined.
'Then I have no choice but to do it.'
I was then determined to utilize the identity of Ludger Cheliysie.
I only had to stay there for two years with my eyes closed.
‘Yes, in two years, I can end this life. Isn't it better than the army because they pay me a lot of money, and I am free to move?’
It made me feel at ease to think about that.
I handed the contract to the principal and opened my mouth.
Deceiving, bluffing, and finding the right atmosphere.
—That's my specialty.
"I've checked everything in the contract details."
"Good, then let's take good care of each other from now on, Mr. Ludger."
"Yes, I look forward to your kind cooperation, sir."
I shook hands with the principal who smiled at me.
It was a secret that I was sweating hard to keep my poker face because I thought the corners of my mouth would be twisted.
***
After meeting with the principal, I followed Mr. Wilford, who was waiting outside, to my assigned accommodation.
Should I say that it was befitting of Sören Academy all the way?
Even the buildings dedicated to teachers on the land looked expensive.
I couldn't believe that my house was a two-story house that was similar to what I had seen in fairy tales.
"We still have three weeks until the semester starts, so you can rest until then."
Mr. Wilford disappeared into his wagon after he said so.
Even when he left, he was a man who did not forget his disciplined attitude, so he could be said to be an example of a gentleman.
'Shall I go?'
I went into the house with a suitcase.
* * *
* * *
I could feel it when I saw it from the outside, but it felt very different when I went inside. The furniture was decorated with all sorts of things, and there was not a single speck of dust—as it seemed to have been maintained constantly.
When I checked the bathroom just in case, it was amazing.
The bathroom, which was covered with white tiles, looked like it wouldn’t be out of the norm for aristocrats to use. Hot water came out well, and there was even a bathtub where I could take a bubble bath.
It was understandable that this was a world in which the Magical Revolution took place.
Thud.
After checking every corner of the house, I dropped down as I lay on a soft sofa.
'From now on, I'm an academy teacher...right?'
A lot of things happened that day.
I was caught up in terrorism unintentionally, misunderstood as someone else, and even happened to come to Sören academy to work as a teacher.
I was amazed at how things were turning out, but since I'd gone that far, I couldn't even run away.
‘If I suddenly disappear now, they're going to ask around about Ludger, and since my real face has been seen, there won't be any place for me in the empire.’
It was potentially fatal that my real face had been sold, not my face in disguise.
In the end, I had no choice but to act as Ludger Chelysie.
At that moment—
"Whew. This is tough."
—It had already been 27 years since I came to this world.
I was reincarnated in this world with no special abilities and just the memories of my past life.
However, my parents’ existence in my life after reincarnating was so dramatic that I had to survive on my own.
At the same time, it was a strange life in which I had overcome death several times by being embroiled in all kinds of incidents.
For me, that situation was just confusing.
I happened to become an academy teacher.
And it was also in Sören Academy, the best in the Empire.
I wonder if I could simply call it as 'it just happened'.
'This is actually a fake job.’
I didn't even do it on purpose, but I had gotten a fake job.
But I couldn’t quit either.
It was the so-called ‘riding the tiger’.
The moment I got off, I would be eaten by the tiger. That was the situation I found myself in.
It was a fight between me—who might fall down and be eaten by the tiger—and the tiger—who might get tired of me first.
'Yes, two years. I just have to endure it for two years. That's enough.'
I still needed a new identity anyway.
Ludger’s identity in that situation was very alluring.
Ludger Chelysie was a man who traveled to the empire far from his home; he wouldn't run into anyone who knew him there.
Even so, I decided to find out more about Ludger, just in case.
I went up to the bedroom on the second floor with Ludger's suitcase. When I entered the room, I shut the curtain by the window and looked inside the room carefully—it was to search for possible external surveillance.
'There's nothing in my way.’
I thought everything was fine, so as I was about to open the suitcase…
Clack.
“Hm?”
‘What's this? The suitcase is locked.’
I checked the leather suitcase in detail. Looking closely, a fine magic circle was imprinted on the metal lock.
'This is... a security magic.’
It was not large in size, so I didn't know that a magic circle with a high level of difficulty, which required detailed magic manipulation, would be engraved in such a place.
'As expected of a teacher who's assigned to Sören academy.'
Taking a step away from the suitcase, I wondered what to do with it.
I didn't give up, but I was figuring out how to open it.
'It would be convenient if I have reagents, but I've already sent away my former luggage in advance, so I'll have to use another method.’
I picked a moderate towel and wet it immediately. After leaving the wet towel by my side, I took a stick and started a small fire at the tip of it.
—It was?Pyro?, a basic spellcasting of elementary magic.
It was only about the size of a lighter flame, but its heat was considerable.
I put the fire on the tip of the stick to the lock of the suitcase.
The hot heat began to heat the brass.
A few minutes later, as soon as the brass heated up and turned red, I pushed a wet towel onto the brass.
Sshhh.
The heated metal cooled quickly with the sound of water evaporating. Soon after, the lock was distorted, and the magic circle engraved on it was also twisted.
Of course, that did not eliminate the effect of the magic circle.
Magic isn't that easy.
'But it's the moment when I can make a gap in a solid wall.'
Right then….
I didn't miss the short moment and shot my mana sharply through the center of the magic circle.
It was an important part of the magic circle. What I was doing could be called 'hacking'.
Whoosh!
‘I did it.’
When I broke it, the effect of the magic circle disappeared.
At the same time, the lock opened with a click.
'It's a piece of cake to open this.’
It was not uncommon for someone to imprint a magic circle or barrier on suitcases.
Most wizards are very sensitive to security, so security magic is close to basic knowledge.
If they couldn’t perform it, they’d even ask their acquaintance or company to professionally imprint the magic circle for them.
If you tried to forcibly remove the security magic in such a case, a spell would be invoked to get rid of the contents.
It was the manifestation of an extreme ideology that's a characteristic of wizards that they’d get rid of their items before revealing them to someone else.
However, in order to safely lift the security magic, it’s necessary to analyze how the spell was implemented. Of course, the process took a very long time, and I couldn't afford it because I was in a hurry.
So I chose to do that method.
It was a method that was close to a cheating trick that didn't necessarily require me to analyze the spell.
'It's enough to know where the magic is carved and what it's made of.’
Usually, strong metal was the mainstream material where the magic circles are carved. No one can engrave magic circles all over their leather bag.
Leather was very inefficient as a medium for transmitting magic power.
It was the same for clothes and papers. Except for parchment made by peeling the bark of the magic wood, it was impossible to engrave magic circles or barriers on clothes or papers unless you were at least an archmage with 6th rank or higher.
On the contrary, it was metal that has good conductivity of magic power.
The most popular metals for it are iron and brass; the materials that were better than those were silver, gold, and platinum.
The best material was jewelry made from gemstones, but the materials themselves are so expensive that they are not used unless you are from high-ranking nobles.
Obviously, low-priced iron or brass was the most commonly used, and I was fully familiar with the methods of invading the two materials.
It was a method of heating and expanding the metal engraved with the magic circle and then quickly cooling it with cold water to shrink it again.
The magic circle carved on the metal would deviate and twist during the expansion and contraction of the metal.
Even after the deviation, the magic circle would recover automatically as though it wasn't a big problem.
But the gap that existed at that moment was a very fatal flaw.
At that moment, I sharply shot my mana, destroying and canceling the magic circle's core technique.
'I'm glad it worked.’
Well, it's not a commonly known method; it was just a trick made by applying scientific knowledge appropriately.
Most wizards were people who are hung up on history and tradition, so they often looked down on science.
As a result, it was common for them not to prepare for such a method, and that was what I wanted.
'If he was a real nut, he would have carried an iron suitcase covered in magic circles.'
Fortunately, Ludger Chelysie didn't go that far.
I opened the suitcase and checked its contents.
‘Hmm, this is…’
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