Chapter 26: Chapter 26

C26: Werewolf (1)

Sedina Rosen recalled her dreamlike meeting with Rudger with a hazy face.

‘First Order-sama acknowledged me. I was not wrong.’

Rosen, a family that is the most important object of the empire. Sedina was born there. It may seem like a good family to others, but to Sedina, the Rosen family was a more terrifying place than hell.

Her surname, Rosen, has always followed her cursedly, even when she came out of her family. In order to break free from her hated family, Sedina joined the Black Dawn.

She wanted to get rid of the Rosen name and to find the true self in the Black Dawn. Knowing it was anti-social and unethical, she chose that path.

‘Here I can live on my own, not as a little girl from the Rosen family.’

But the reality didn’t work out that way.

Black Dawn was a place of resistance to the world and most of its members were low-class or criminals who ruled the bottom of society. In such a place, Sedina, who had the last name Rosen, was a very foreign entity.

-What? You have a surname? Really?

– Rosen? Why the hell is a person from such a great family here?

-Look out. She could be a spy.

-It’s like the damn upper classes.

Unlike them who came up from the mud, there was no way they could acknowledge Sedina who came down from the top. That’s why even though she’s gifted in magic and enrolled in Theon she’s still a Third Order.

‘I just wanted to be recognized.’

She wanted to get rid of that hateful family so she joined the Black Dawn. It wasn’t her goal to eat well and live well. She believed that if she worked hard, their vigilance and contempt for her would gradually reduce.

However, the Black Dawn members’ boundaries toward Sedina grew stronger, and she became a target of envy and jealousy because she even had the ability to enter Theon.

Without even receiving the attention of the First Order, she was kept at the end of the Third Order because of the restraints of other members.

The name of the Rosen family could be used, that intention was conveyed so clearly that it brutally pierced Sedina’s delicate heart.

‘But I met him.’

Now when she was tired and thought that everything was over new orders came from the organization. She was ordered by the Second Order, to meet Codename .

Unlike other First Orders, he was an unknown existence whose true form and identity are not revealed. She was told to contact him and check the progress of the mission.

This man, now known as Rudger Chelici, was a master of disguise and an executive specializing in infiltration and assassination, who never revealed his true identity. However, there was a flaw: his personality was very dirty.

If disturbed even members of Black Dawn were beaten on the spot or even killed in extreme cases. Even such behavior was tolerated by the Zero Order, the leader of the Black Dawn. Unless one was a First Order cadre, Rudger was a symbol of fear within the Black Dawn.

To be given a mission to meet Rudger was the same as sending her to die at his hands. Sedina Rosen was in tears from her displeasure. The Black Dawn’s comrades told her to go die.

She even thought of returning back to her family.

‘I do not like it.’

She hated her family so terribly that she would rather die so she went to Rudger with a mindset of being prepared for death. But when she got closer, the man’s charisma was beyond imagination, and Sedina trembled without realizing it.

She made mistakes, and her voice was shaky. She committed almost everything she was told not to do in front of him.

‘I might die.’

She thought so but surprisingly Rudger didn’t kill her. Even his murderous intent was not revealed. As rumored, she felt that his personality was dirty and eccentric during the conversation, but in the end that was all.

Rudger let her go without saying a word and today even complimented her for being good at explaining. If it was just the words that came out of his mouth, she wouldn’t have been so happy. But in Rudger’s words, there was sincerity in his actions.

He listened more carefully than anyone else, from correcting her to addressing him as Professor Rudger rather than First Order.

She thought she might be able to help someone.

‘First order. No, Mr. Rudger Chelici is really great.’

From the first time they met, seeing him, she felt her heart pound. She thought it was her because of her nervousness and fear at the time, but with their meeting today, she was sure.

She has an endless adoration for someone she truly cares and desires to serve. She doesn’t think she’s been treated this way because she’s special. She was only rewarded a little for the misery and hard work she had been through.

Rudger Chelici may have done some good deeds for his subordinates as an executive of the organization.

It is too early to judge him but for the first time she had been praised by someone for doing something right.

* * *

When the sun was setting and it was time to go home, Rudger put on his coat and checked all his gear. In order to hunt werewolves in earnest, speed was essential, and of course he had to prepare all the necessary tools for hunting.

These are highly confidential items that are not revealed much on the outside, so people passing by will not be suspicious of them. With that in mind, Rudger left the classroom and met Hugo who had just come to him.

“Huh! Mr. Rudger!”

“……Sir Hugo Burtag.”

Marquis Hugo Burtag, leader of the Burtag family, a famous magician with a long history in the Exilion Empire. However, the family is gradually declining because of its excessive magic and authoritarian tendencies, unable to properly accept modern science.

A man, who had a confrontation with the president, came to Rudger.

“Do you have anything to do with me?”

“Huh. This man Do I have to do anything big to find you?”

Hugo showed a friendly attitude that said he came to Rudger to make him an offer.

“You haven’t met the other teachers properly yet, right? You seem to be getting along only with the other new teachers.”

“Is there any problem with that?”

Hugo’s eyebrows twitched at Rudger’s stern attitude, not even bending over, let alone embarrass himself however Hugo decided to bear with it.

“I would like to introduce you to professors I am close with.”

“……”

At Hugo’s subtle restraint, Rudger knew at once what he had come to see him for.

‘Faction recruitment.’

Hugo intended to bring Rudger to a faction of teachers made entirely of aristocrats. Even in this situation where students are trembling with anxiety because of the werewolf, they are fighting to divide sides for power?

Rudger shook his head at Hugo’s funny attitude.

“I’m sorry, but I’m comfortable right now.”

“What?”

Hugo’s face turned red at Rudger’s direct refusal.

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

“Should I know?”

“About 15 years. Except for Marie Ross, that old woman, I’m the next oldest person. I should be a distant senior and superior to you!”

“Are you talking about superiors?”

“Yes!”

“That is strange. The only supervisor I have is the president.”

Hugo clenched his teeth at the word ‘President’.

To Hugo, the word president was not at all pleasant. Rather, it was more like a repulsion that awakened his inferiority and anger.

“Mr. Rudger. I heard you were in the military before you came here.”

“It was just a short stay.”

“Wasn’t it said that while hunting cryptids, you also made a major breakthrough?”

Have you gotten that information already?

No, it was intentionally leaked from the Black Dawn anyway, so it wouldn’t be strange to say that someone like Hugo knew about it.

Rudger nodded his head.

“I’m speaking in high regard for your abilities. Do you have any desire to re-establish your family? With the support of our noble faction, this is possible.”

Hugo chose to make the most concessions where he could step back, he was impatient.

The faction of the president was getting stronger day by day. In particular, the current president, despite her young age, is a 6th-level Lexer-class wizard and possesses her innate political abilities, making her an opponent that even Hugo couldn’t be careless about.

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

Hugo was dissatisfied with that. Even now, instead of being nice to the noble students, the president is showing more care towards the commoners.

There are as many as five new teachers this time, of which three are commoners, one is a fallen nobleman and only one pure blood noble.

‘It hurts my self-esteem but we must bring Rudger Chelici to our faction.’

He already knew that Rudger was a Fallen Nobility. Normally, he wouldn’t have looked at him, but the situation was urgent, so he had no choice. Besides, Rudger Chelici was a wizard who reached the fourth rank at a young age, and he was quite a talented man.

Aside from his origins, he was perfect in everything so Hugo himself had come to see him.

“I can help you. So what about it? Holding hands with us.”

“What exactly do you mean by holding hands?”

This time, instead of rejection, a question came back.

Hugo continued, thinking that Rudger was finally interested.

“All we need to do is to build friendships with each other, get support from other nobles, and take better care of their children.”

“In other words, you mean to provide convenience to noble students?”

“Uh-huh. It’s just a little bit of flexibility.”

Hugo thought Rudger was almost won over. The fact that this man was a soldier in the first place must have been because he was planning to rebuild his family again by obtaining achievements somehow. Hugo judged Rudger’s actions that way.

“Then I can’t do it.”

“What?”

Hugo, who didn’t expect an answer of refusal, asked stupidly.

“I appreciate the offer, but I will decline it.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes. Saying that students should be treated differently, I’ll pretend I didn’t hear it.”

“No discrimination! We just want to be flexible!”

“Then I will ask. If the president gives a better benefit to certain commoner students and wraps it up as flexibility, are you willing to follow it?”

“What? No, are commoners and nobles the same? You have to say something that makes sense!”

“That’s it.”

“What?”

Hugo had a blank face. That’s it. What do you mean by that?

“Flexibility is something that should be applied to both sides, not one-sided. But if flexibility applies only to nobles, it is no longer flexible. It’s a privilege.”

“No, so the nobility……”

“There are no commoners, nobility, or royalty within Theon. All of them are just students learning magic. I have no intention of giving up on this idea.”

“This……!”

Hugo clenched his teeth at Rudger’s words.

Shaking his anger, Hugo rolled up one of his lips and grunted at Rudger.

“Okay. I was short sighted. By the time I came here, I overlooked that the president might have used her hand.”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

Rudger was sincere.

In the first place, he had absolutely no intention of joining a man like Hugo.

He’ll help build his family up? If he does, it will be revealed that this family is a fake. From Hugo’s point of view, he said he would help, but to Rudger, it was only a hoax that would reveal his identity.

In the first place, he had no intention of rebuilding a fallen family. His only purpose is to stay here for two years without being discovered. Besides, he was concerned about holding hands with Hugo and fighting the president.

No matter how he looked at it, Hugo and the president were not equal. Hugo himself wouldn’t think so, but in Rudger’s eyes, the president was far more overwhelming.

‘If I do something strange and get caught in the president’s eyes it won’t be worth it.’

Tigers exist in the mountains, but there is no fool who holds hands with foxes. It would be ideal to play tightrope without belonging to either side, but Rudger had no choice but to make a decision when his opponent was so direct.

If he had to choose between the two, he would choose the president. It’s more comfortable with the president, who treats everyone equally, rather than the authoritarian character of the aristocracy.

“I have to patrol so I’ll take my leave. Sir Hugo it can be dangerous outside so you should stay inside.”

“You will regret it.”

Rudger’s provocative words made Hugo’s face red like a boiled octopus. His thick cheeks quivered, but Hugo didn’t say anything to Rudger’s back as he was already leaving.

To be honest, it was because he was frightened by the sight of Rudger staring at him. Hugo didn’t want to admit it but he was scared.

Hugo stomped on the pitiful ground with his feet and left, groaning.

He cherished the idea of ​​penalizing a student if he catches one.

* * *

After leaving Hugo, Rudger went on patrol outside. As the sun went down, the magic lamps were turned on inside Theon, and the light spread all around.

Rudger sighed inwardly and headed for the nearby bush.

“You must have been told to go back to the dormitory right away.”

Rudger said coldly, staring at the three students looking up at him with puzzled faces.

“Or, you heard it, but decided to play around.”

“That teacher, that, not that……”

“All three of you will receive five penalty points.”