I Got a Fake Job at the Academy

Chapter 643: Revealing Identity (3)

Terina Ryanhowl's cold eyes were filled with complex emotions.

'Rudger Chelici.'

He was a man with considerable skill as a teacher at Theon.

No, even saying "considerable" would be disrespectful when considering his true abilities.

Terina, who had fought alongside him in the underground capital of the Empire, knew this well.

She also knew how trustworthy he was, having spent time as comrades.

That's why Terina wasn't particularly pleased with this situation.

Though she displayed coldness on the outside, somewhere in her heart, there was a part of her that hoped it wasn't true.

"Do you have anything to say in your defense?"

The reason Terina added those words, when she should have arrested Rudger without hesitation, was for that reason.

Lloyd and Enya Joiners, who knew Terina well, stared at her with wide eyes because the Commander Terina they knew would never say such things.

It showed how favorably Terina viewed Rudger.

But Rudger, after hearing Terina's words, simply extended his hand without saying anything.

Seeing this, Terina's eyebrow twitched.

"You..."

"Arrest me. That's your job."

"..."

Terina silently glared at Rudger, then took out a magic suppressing artifact from her waist that she had prepared in advance and put it on Rudger's wrist.

-Click.

"Take him away."

With those final words, Terina left the faculty office as if she couldn't stand to look at him.

Sedina, who had been anxiously watching the situation from outside, tried to protest, but Rudger speaking up took precedence.

"Go."

It was quite a brazen attitude for someone being arrested, but it was so natural and fitting that the Night Crawler Knights proceeded to take him outside as he wished.

Sedina couldn't even properly say a word to Rudger until the end, only watching his back as he was taken away.

"What's this? What's going on?"

"Night Crawler Knights? Who's being taken away?"

Perhaps because the Night Crawler Knights had arrived all at once, students, staff, and several teachers came out to see what was happening after hearing the news.

They wondered who was being arrested at this time, but when they saw Rudger's face being escorted away, their eyes widened.

"Ru-Rudger teacher? Were you back?"

"No, more importantly, why is he being taken away? What happened?"

Rene, who came running breathlessly at the news of Rudger's return, stopped at the sight of the crowd.

Through the shoulders of the people, she caught glimpses of Rudger being taken away by knights in black uniforms.

"Teacher!"

When Rene shouted, Rudger's footsteps briefly stopped but soon he resumed walking as if nothing had happened.

"What is all this commotion about?"

Headmistress Elisa had also heard about the situation.

At her appearance, the crowd naturally parted to the left and right to make way.

Walking out from the front, Elisa stood facing Terina.

"Terina."

"Elisa."

"...I need an explanation of what's happening."

"Did you know?"

"...Know what?"

Terina caught Elisa's subtle hesitation with her master's intuition, but pretended not to notice and explained.

"This man is not Rudger Chelici. Rather, he's a man who infiltrated Theon while disguising his identity. And he is currently facing charges for the murder of Cardinal Patricio."

"What is...?"

Elisa already knew that Rudger wasn't his real identity to begin with.

But charges of murdering Cardinal Patricio Romulo, who had suddenly disappeared from Leathervelk recently?

A cardinal, judging purely by his pure power, is no less than a 6th circle magician.

Is she saying Rudger killed such a cardinal?

"That's not all. He is also charged with the murder of several archbishops, as well as the massacre of priests and knights of the Bretus Holy Nation."

"...Don't you think this joke is going too far?"

Even so, the credibility falls when words like murder of archbishops and massacre are mentioned.

"You'll find out when you hear the news that will soon come out. What's important is that he didn't deny his crimes."

"...Is that true? Teacher Rudger."

"Are you still calling me Rudger?"

Rudger turned to Elisa.

No, he spoke as if for everyone to hear.

"Let me introduce myself again."

Among the confused students wondering what he meant.

Rene looked at Rudger with trembling eyes.

No. Brother. Don't do this.

Freuden, who had just arrived at the scene after hearing about the situation, also stared at Rudger with disbelieving eyes as he was being taken away.

"My name is Heathcliff."

Rudger's voice calmly echoed through the crowd filled with confusion and shock.

"Heathcliff van Bretus."

"...Bretus?"

"Wait, is this real? Bretus? The only people who can attach that name are..."

"...Wait. Does that mean...?"

No way. That can't be. This must be some misunderstanding or lie.

Everyone refused to believe the irrational truth that came all at once.

But strangely, their instincts were waiting for what Rudger would say next.

"I am the illegitimate son of the former Pope, Benedict van Bretus, and the man who killed the cardinals and archbishops of the Holy Nation."

Betraying everyone's expectations and denials a bombshell statement exploded from Rudger's mouth.

-Click.

Rudger was locked in a cell.

His arms were bound with magic suppression restraints, and not only his ankles but even his eyes were covered with a special blindfold.

That wasn't all. The area around the cell was guarded and watched without even a minute's break, and measures were taken to automatically detonate the inside of the prison if Rudger made even the slightest suspicious move.

It was the kind of treatment typically reserved for top-tier criminals who had committed acts of terror almost at the level of national subversion but Rudger accepted it calmly.

Without showing any discomfort, he remained obediently in the cell as if this were normal.

After a short while, someone could be felt approaching the cell.

"Stand back."

At the command that sounded as if it were expected, the knights standing guard withdrew without a word.

Thus, only Rudger and the new visitor remained at the cell.

"You moved faster than I expected."

Rudger naturally spoke to the other person without even looking to see who it was, as if he already knew.

After all, having heard the voice that had dismissed the guards just now, it would make no sense not to recognize them.

In response to Rudger's words, the First Imperial Princess Aileen gazed at Rudger imprisoned in the cell with a complicated expression.

"...Honestly, I was surprised. When you told me your true identity, I almost wished it were a lie."

"Unfortunately, I only spoke the truth."

"Yes. That's why I believed your words and sent Terina."

The details of Rudger's arrest were simple.

Rudger himself had confessed everything to Aileen, and deliberately instructed her to arrest him.

"Revealing your identity means you're finally going to execute the plan you've been preparing all along, right?"

"Yes."

"You're a cold man. To cut off all the connections you've made as a teacher in this way."

"They were connections I didn't need anyway."

Then what about me?

Aileen was about to ask but stopped herself with desperate self-control.

She couldn't afford to be emotional here.

"To even manipulate the future Emperor like this. The bigger problem is that the Bretus Holy Nation has received this news. You're aware, aren't you?"

Aileen said this and then shook her head.

"No. You did this so they would hear it."

Aileen knew well what Rudger wanted.

If she were in his position or knew his circumstances, she would have acted the same way.

"Thanks to you, the Empire has temporarily regained its prestige that was almost lost. We were the ones who identified and quickly arrested Heathcliff, the notorious man who massacred the elites of the Bretus Holy Nation. The Holy Nation will have to bow their heads to us and request the extradition of the criminal."

"Yes. But even the Empire won't be able to hold out for long. Because of the Second Prince."

"...You knew about that too. Yes. My incompetent brother has acted recklessly. He's told the Holy Nation everything."

This was actually a blessing in disguise for Aileen.

The Second Prince, who had only been suspected without substantial evidence, had now revealed his hidden fangs.

If Rudger hadn't paved the way like this, the Second Prince's dagger might have reached Aileen.

"Be careful of the Second Prince. He seems to be much more deeply connected with the Bretus Holy Nation than just being in league with them. He must have more hidden."

"...Yes. That will be my job to prepare for from now on."

"Then that's good."

Aileen bit her lip hard at Rudger's words.

He could have chosen a peaceful life.

He could have lived as the real Rudger Chelici, not as Heathcliff.

But Rudger deliberately covered himself in filth and sacrificed himself to escalate the situation.

"...You really are an irritating man."

Yet, there was a time when she thought of him as an equal.

When he was active as a teacher at Theon, when she uncovered his activities and revealed his identity, she was so happy to finally stand on the same level as this man but at this moment Aileen had been properly outplayed by Rudger.

"This is the worst. To erase the debt like this at your discretion, and not even give me a chance to repay it. I don't know how many times in my life I've felt this much shame."

"You will do well. You will surely become an excellent Emperor."

Aileen sighed as she looked at Rudger.

Partly because she knew that getting angry here would be pointless, but more importantly, there was something else.

"...Someone from the Holy Nation has come to see you. They moved very quickly, as if they had anticipated this. If I had been just a day, no, even half a day late in arresting you, we might have been helpless."

"Is that so?"

"The situation looks desperate no matter how you look at it. But I don't think you would give up without having some value."

"..."

Rudger did not answer.

But the fact that he didn't deny those words made Aileen's voice a little brighter.

"Do your best too. I will also do my best."

The bond between Aileen and Rudger could not be separated by just these iron bars and restraints.

Just as Rudger had said only what he needed to say to Aileen, Aileen also said only what she needed to say to Rudger.

But the two trusted each other more than anyone else, so they didn't question each other's words.

Well, that's all.

Aileen left the prison.

And as if they had been waiting, a new person stood in front of Rudger's cell.

"A presence so unpleasant I can feel it even with my eyes covered."

"That's harsh. I came to check on you because I was worried."

Speaking with a voice full of laughter as always was Priestess Remia.

"Thanks to you, we were able to eliminate Cardinal Patricio."

"That was also the result you wanted."

"How could that be? How could I have let such a devout Cardinal of the same order meet such a fate?"

"Let's stop the useless chitchat here. So why did you come to see me? To mock me for being locked up in a place like this?"

"You know better than anyone that's not the case. You are of the Pope's bloodline. As a priestess, I cannot defy you."

"Yes."

Rudger curled up the corners of his mouth and gave a sardonic smile.

"You can't disobey my words. But what if there were someone with stronger authority than me?"

"..."

Rudger couldn't see, but he stared directly at Remia's face.

Remia also had her eyes covered with a tiara, but her expression no longer smiled like before.

"...My role ends here."

Saying that, Remia bowed her head modestly.

Not toward Rudger, but in the opposite direction.

"Oh my."

Thus came the voice of a third person.

A voice similar to Rudger's yet filled with gentleness and benevolence that strangely lingered in the ear.

"I didn't expect to meet like this."

A man approached the cell without any footsteps or presence.

"Although you may have inherited tainted blood, you are still my brother, half of whom came from our father."

"..."

"Hmm. With your eyes covered, you can't see me. Then let's do this."

The man said this and lightly flicked his finger toward Rudger.

Then the blindfold covering Rudger's eyes was cut in half and slid down smoothly.

Even though it appeared ordinary, it wasn't a simple blindfold but an artifact with special processing.

Not only did he cut it from beyond the bars with just a light flick of his finger, but he did so without even triggering an alarm.

This was evidence of how extraordinary the opponent's abilities were.

Rudger finally saw the man beyond the bars with his restored vision.

A person with a face similar to his own, but with an opposite atmosphere.

A young man with red eyes and long white hair, wearing a kind, benevolent smile that made him look like a good person.

"Salesin van Bretus."

"You should call me elder brother."

He was the eldest son of the former Pope Benedict.

The current Pope himself had come.