Academy’s Undercover Professor-Chapter 310: Demon Basara (1)

The black liquid that had been pouring down like a waterfall gradually thinned out, then stopped.

As if every last drop had been squeezed out, nothing else flowed from the now-dead World Tree.

Drip.

A single final drop fell through the hole in the World Tree.

The black liquid that had spilled onto the ground pooled into a large puddle.

Hovering just a handspan above that puddle was a figure.

A body dyed in pitch-black darkness, with red lines etched across it like tattoos.

It had four arms, and black wings spread from its back like a bat’s membranous appendages.

But the most striking feature was the two black horns that jutted from its head.

Upon seeing it, Ludger inwardly sighed.

‘This is madness. It’s not just a Liberation Army executive borrowing demonic power anymore—this is a real demon.’

Luypholdt had fully undergone demonification.

No—rather, a demon had taken over Luypholdt's body, and it now opened its mouth.

“Ahh, this is exquisite.”

A chilling, dreary voice that was somehow also pleasing to the ear—seductive, even.

A voice that evoked conflicting emotions at once, resonating deep within the mind.

There was no trace of Luypholdt left in that voice.

“It was long—so very long. I struggled within that wretched life-giving sap, but I’ve finally broken free. I can’t help but feel grateful.”

The demon said this while flashing a wide grin at Andrei.

As if it were truly thankful.

Then it turned its gaze away from the now-flustered Andrei, who had been robbed of most of his strength.

Its eyes landed on Ludger.

“Hmm. As I thought. You’re the one who's been emanating that persistently unpleasant aura since just now.”

Ludger didn’t answer carelessly.

The demon possessed a power that could shake one’s mind; there was no telling what schemes it might weave through mere conversation.

“You’re being cautious. There’s no need. Unlike Luypholdt, the original owner of this body, I have no intention of fighting you.”

“...You don’t intend to fight?”

Ludger, who had intended to respond with silence, couldn’t help but ask.

The demon’s speech was surprisingly sane.

In fact, Luypholdt, who had gone berserk screaming that he’d kill everyone, had seemed far more demonic.

“You appear to possess considerable power. I’ve only just resurrected—there’s no need for me to clash with you.”

“You speak better than I expected. Despite how grotesque you look.”

“I’ve always existed in this form since the beginning. To call it grotesque seems a bit harsh, don’t you think?”

What is this?

As Ludger spoke with the demon, he couldn’t shake a feeling of strangeness.

Wasn’t this all too... normal, compared to the demons described in texts?

It didn’t grow enraged at his provocations and replied calmly instead.

“Why would I need to fight you in the first place?”

“You used humans to resurrect yourself, didn’t you?”

“It was humans who sought to use my power in the first place. In exchange for lending that power, I simply took a small price to escape my prison. Isn’t all this devastation ultimately their doing?”

That was... also true.

Still, Ludger didn’t lower his guard.

There was no telling when this being might abruptly turn and strike.

However, based on the accumulated experiences of long years, Ludger could tell—the demon before him truly had no intent to harm him.

‘I can’t sense the slightest hint of hostility or malice.’

This was the first time Ludger had actually met a demon.

Could it be that the records had been deliberately written to vilify them?

‘Considering the records were written by the Lumenis Church, I can’t dismiss the possibility outright.’

Even so, Ludger didn’t release the tension from his body.

“Then what are you planning to do now?”

“Hmm. I hadn’t expected to emerge so suddenly like this, but I do have a mission that was given to me long ago. I suppose I must fulfill it.”

“A mission?”

“Indeed. All of us ‘Apostles’ have missions. Of course, not all of us follow them, but I happen to be one who does.”

The demon raised one of its hands and pointed a finger at Casey, who lay unconscious on the ground.

A simple gesture, as if indicating something.

The motion was smooth, casual, almost natural.

And then—

A surge of black magic shot from the demon’s fingertip and enveloped Casey.

The magic transformed into a black sphere, about two meters in diameter, then contracted into a single point and vanished.

In the spot where the sphere had been, nothing remained.

Even the ground had been scooped out into a perfectly smooth crater.

At the sight, Andrei recoiled in shock.

The sheer power of the attack, executed with such a simple gesture, was unbelievable.

In contrast, the demon tilted its head in confusion.

“Hmm?”

The demon turned toward Ludger.

He was now holding Casey Selmore in his arms.

The demon’s gaze flicked between the crater and Ludger.

“What just happened?”

“That’s what I’d like to ask you.”

Ludger’s voice was laced with quiet fury as he gently laid Casey down on the ground.

“Didn’t you say you didn’t intend to fight?”

“I did say that.”

“Then why did you try to kill an unconscious person?”

“Hmm?”

The demon tilted its head, as if it truly didn’t understand Ludger’s question. Then, it clapped its hands once.

“Ah, I see. You’re right. I have no intention of fighting. Especially not with you.”

“...And yet you tried to kill my comrade?”

“Is that wrong?”

Ludger realized something was off in the demon’s words.

It claimed it wouldn’t fight—yet it tried to kill Casey.

And it responded as though it hadn't told a single lie.

“...I see.”

Ludger couldn’t deny it anymore.

Every word this demon had spoken came from genuine intent.

There wasn’t even a speck of hostility toward him.

In fact, there was barely any emotion at all.

And yet, it had tried to kill Casey.

So naturally—like someone stepping on a bug on the roadside.

Because that was its mission.

“I was a fool to think I could reason with a demon, even briefly.”

“Hmm. Judging by your reaction, you seem to harbor strong animosity toward me—but I don’t understand why. You know as well as I do that fighting me won’t end well for you.”

“Then are you suggesting I just stand by while you kill everyone here?”

“Why not?”

FWOOM!

Before the demon could finish speaking, a pillar of fire shot up from beneath it.

A wave of heat swept through the area, and once the flames subsided, the demon was still calmly floating in midair.

“I really don’t understand.”

Its expression remained one of genuine confusion.

Ludger looked at it solemnly and said:

“You still don’t get it, do you? Then die without ever knowing.”

“That’s... truly unfortunate.”

The demon sounded sincerely regretful.

It really had no desire to fight.

“Before we fight, allow me to ask one thing. How did you protect that human from my earlier attack? There was no time for you to move.”

Ludger stared at him in disbelief.

Was this really the time to be curious?

But of course, Ludger had no intention of answering.

Sensing that determination, the demon stroked its chin.

“You don’t intend to tell me, I see. Strange. For a brief moment, your position shifted slightly. It should be impossible to move that fast in that instant.”

Recalling the vague image it had seen, the demon soon shrugged, as if it didn’t matter.

“I suppose I should test it. Let’s see if you can protect them again.”

The demon spread its four arms wide.

Black snowflake-like particles began forming around it.

The flakes floated gently in the air, then slowly drifted toward the unconscious people, each with its own target.

Just before the flakes could touch their bodies, Ludger moved.

His body was instantly cloaked in black shadows.

A jet-black cloak flared behind him, and a crow-shaped mask covered his face.

In an instant, he poured out massive amounts of mana and constructed a spell.

Swish.

All the unconscious were swallowed by his shadow.

And then—

They reappeared far from the reach of the descending flakes.

A spatial magic cast through shadow.

Deprived of their targets, the flakes touched the ground and exploded outward.

Like balloons filled with wind, they expanded into orbs that devoured the surrounding space.

Everything the flakes touched vanished cleanly, as if dissected.

Yet the demon wasn’t angry that it had failed to kill anyone.

Instead, it looked at Ludger with interest.

“To think you used shadow to move them through space... Have modern mages developed such techniques? As far as this body’s memories go, that kind of spell doesn’t exist.”

Ludger didn’t answer. Instead, he approached Bellaruna and rummaged through the pouch strapped to her side.

He hesitated briefly at the fleshy sample specimens inside, but soon found what he was looking for.

A neatly folded piece of paper.

Inside the paper was a bundle of dried herbs.

Ludger packed the herbs into his pipe and pressed them down.

The demon curiously watched his every move.

Ludger created a small flame at his fingertip, brought it to the pipe, and lit it.

He held the pipe under his crow mask and began puffing.

This time, however, the smoke wasn’t white.

It was purple—so dangerous-looking that even seeing it invoked dread.

Far stronger than the herb he’d used against Quasimodo.

A custom blend of poison, specially commissioned from Bellaruna.

And its effect—

Was more than ten times as potent.

Blue mana began to flow around Ludger’s body.

The mist of magic mixed with the existing fog, growing even thicker.

More.

He needed more mana.

If the opponent was truly a demon out of ancient texts, then this amount wouldn't be enough to contend with it.

Divine power? That was truly the last resort of last resorts.

Divine power came with overwhelming backlash if used incorrectly, and so it had to be used sparingly, only at the most critical moment.

Therefore, to fight at full potential now, he had to expand his reserves of usable mana to the maximum.

“No... don’t...”

That’s when Casey’s voice rang # Nоvеlight # out.

* * *

Casey was falling into endless darkness.

A descent into the abyss of the mind.

Ironically, that sensation sparked a memory within her.

—You did well.

The figure of a man muttering those words to her as she threw herself down a waterfall.

The moment she recalled that, Casey was able to return to her senses.

That’s right.

That man would never rebuke her.

He would never scold her for failing to save anyone.

Because he—

He was someone who would shoulder all that sorrow and pain alone.

The things he couldn’t protect, the things he couldn’t accomplish—

To him, every sorrow was ultimately his own fault, his own inadequacy.

And yet, he never stopped.

Hadn’t she, after seeing that resolve, decided she wanted to follow him to the very end?

Then how could she collapse in the face of such a shallow illusion?

Casey opened her eyes and faced the false world directly.

CRACK!

A white fracture cut across the blackened world, and like shattered glass, it fragmented into pieces.

And with that, Casey returned to reality.

* * *

Ludger looked at Casey with a flicker of surprise in his eyes.

Even so, he didn’t forget to carefully examine her condition.

Though she had regained consciousness, Casey’s state was far from good.

The psychological shock must have been severe—she couldn’t speak properly or even hold herself upright.

In truth, she had only barely managed to open her eyes.

“I... I have to fight too...”

Even so, Casey clung desperately to the hem of Ludger’s pants and murmured with effort.

She couldn’t just lie there.

She would fight too.

Ludger stared silently into the desperate blue eyes gazing up at him.

“I... I...”

With you.

She tried to finish the sentence—but couldn’t.

Ludger had leaned down and pressed a finger to her lips.

Then, he gently pried her fingers away from his clothes.

Casey’s eyes widened.

Ludger’s actions were different from usual.

He wasn’t cold or dismissive, nor was he harsh.

If anything, his touch had been cautious, like handling a piece of delicate glasswork.

Gentle, even.

“...Ah.”

When his finger moved away from her lips, Casey let out a soft, regretful sigh.

Because she understood perfectly what Ludger had meant with his actions.

“Rest.”

With that single word, Ludger summoned shadows.

Casey, along with the other unconscious people, was wrapped in the shadows like a cocoon.

And those cocoons sank into the shadows and were transported far away, to a safe place well beyond the cavern.

Transporting others through spatial magic consumed a tremendous amount of mana.

All the more so when the destination was such a distant place.

The farther the distance, the more exponential the mana cost became.

Yet the blue mana swirling around Ludger showed no signs of diminishing.

In fact, it only grew larger—swallowing even the violet smoke from Ludger’s pipe.

It was as though something massive and alive was being born.

At that sight, the demon felt an inexplicable chill.

‘If I just stand by and watch, I’ll be in danger.’

A primal instinct screamed that he couldn’t let this continue.

The demon immediately fired a mental wave at Ludger.

A massive tidal surge, incomparable to what Luypholdt had unleashed, crashed down to consume Ludger’s mind.

But Ludger stood unmoving.

He didn’t even stagger—instead, he met the demon’s gaze with calm, unwavering eyes.

“...How?”

The demon asked in disbelief.

Ludger’s mental defenses were stronger than ever.

And then there was that disturbing energy rippling around him.

It resembled divinity—but was slightly different.

It was definitely mana, the kind used by mages, yet it carried an unfamiliar quality.

The demon recalled the power Ludger had used to crush Luypholdt’s body.

“Magic without spell formations or chanting... And this time, there weren’t even hand seals. How are you doing that? What triggers it?”

He searched through both his own demonic memory and the residual memories stored in Luypholdt’s body.

But no matter how deeply he dug, he couldn’t understand what Ludger was doing.

“Is that even... magic?”

At that, Ludger finally responded.

With a nod, he acknowledged that it was indeed magic.

That silent gesture only deepened the demon’s confusion.

“How can you use such magic?”

“Faith.”

Ludger’s steady voice prompted the demon to ask, baffled:

“Faith? You’re saying that’s enough to wield such power?”

“Then let me ask in return. Why do you think it’s not?”

Faced with the counter-question, the demon was at a loss for words.

Being asked why something couldn’t be done—when he had always assumed it was impossible—left him speechless.

If something was obviously impossible, how could he explain why?

“You can’t answer, can you. So this is all the great ‘demons’ of the texts amount to.”

“I’ll have you know—I am not a demon. My name is Basara. And we ‘Apostles’ are only called demons by you humans.”

“That’s not the point here.”

Ludger’s voice carried a clear note of disappointment.

Magic that shouldn’t exist—did exist.

Things believed impossible—had become possible.

Then what more could exist beyond that?

He had experienced magic.

He had witnessed mystic power with his own eyes.

But Ludger had gone one step further.

He cast spells without formations, incantations, or gestures.

With nothing but his belief and conviction.

Because magic—was exactly that.

A miracle that bent the laws of reality.

The experience of magic.

The witnessing of mystery.

And beyond that, the forging of a single phrase:

“Faith in miracles.”

Ironically—

It was because Ludger had lived in a world without magic.

That he could think beyond the bounds of those who took magic for granted.

“Come, demon.”

The true mystery that cannot be measured by formulas.

The magic Ludger cast now was the embodiment of his belief.

A reverent conviction in the boundless potential of magic.