I Got a Fake Job at the Academy

Chapter 802 - Side Story 75: Hyperborea (1)

Rudger recalled his first meeting with Aileen. It was truly a coincidence that he encountered her in a deserted alley.

When someone suddenly popped out from around the corner just when he thought there would be no people, he was more startled than expected.

'It was because of the artifact that concealed her presence.'

He should have noticed when an ordinary person approached, but since he didn't, at first he thought she might be a bounty hunter trying to capture him.

However, the moment he saw her hair color and beauty revealed under the soft moonlight, he realized that wasn't the case.

The relationship that formed that way developed, and before he knew it, they had come to this point.

"Isn't it familiar?"

As if having the same thought as Rudger, Aileen smiled and broke the ice. 

Rudger nodded.

"Your vassals must be quite surprised. Unlike then, now you're in a position where you must be even more careful about your movements." 

"The vassals will just accept it by now. There's no way I'd listen even if they nagged."

She spoke shamelessly as if it were natural. Well, who would dare question the Emperor's actions?

"If you had called, I would have gone directly to the Imperial Palace." 

"Sometimes I want to get some fresh air too. No matter how large and magnificent the Imperial Palace is, if I'm confined only within it, wouldn't it be useless? An Emperor should occasionally observe with their own eyes how the people are living." 

"That aside, what's the reason you called me? It can't be just to ask how I'm doing as a teacher."

Of all things, she had personally made the trip to summon him. This meant it was an important matter that needed to be discussed quietly away from others' eyes.

"Hans. Do you know something?"

When Rudger called that name, he felt the presence inside the kitchen flinch.

Soon after, Hans came out with an awkward expression.

"Oh, um. You knew?" 

"You're the one who tracked me using crows in the first place. Well, I have nothing particular to say about you working together with her."

He had expected this from the moment Aileen accommodated Hans.

Hans' information gathering ability was unparalleled. The only one who could match Hans was Sedina Roschen, but she was the current Queen of the Elf Kingdom.

For Aileen, this meant Hans was the only capable talent she could personally use.

"If not that, should I mention the other informant?"

At those words, Hans flinched slightly, and Aileen's eyes showed interest.

Since it seemed they were expecting him to guess correctly, Rudger let out a small sigh and snapped his fingers.

Immediately after, a shadow formed in the air and spat out a person from it.

"Kyaa!"

The one who fell on their bottom with a cute scream was an elf with long ears. It was Elmara Poale, a member of Theon's special class and a student attending Rudger's lessons.

Elmara clutched her sore bottom and looked at Rudger with wide eyes in shock.

She seemed unaware of why she had been dragged here.

"Even so, to infiltrate an informant with a student's status like this. What are you plotting now?"

But Rudger wasn't fooled by her appearance. He had already seen that Elmara Poale was one of Aileen's informants and a person from the Imperial side.

At his confident tone, Elmara swallowed her breath. Her reaction was 'How on earth?'

"Ahaha. As expected, it's not easy to deceive you."

Aileen admitted it honestly with a laugh.

"Well, don't complain too much. For someone in this position, such things are necessary." 

"I understand given your position, but I didn't expect you to infiltrate even Theon like this." 

"Rather, because it's Theon, I need to pay even more attention. Though it's located within the Empire's territory, it's an organization separate from the Empire."

Moreover, Elisa Willow, the current Chancellor of Theon, was not only outstanding in magical ability but also a woman with excellent political acumen.

An independent magic education facility that wouldn't budge under any external pressure. Not only the Exilion Empire but distant foreign countries had no choice but to keep their antennae up regarding its movements.

"Still, it's surprising. Of all things, to send an elf as an informant." 

"That child is more intelligent than one might think."

Rudger nodded in agreement with that assessment. Elmara Poale. During the first lesson, she had been sleeping leisurely as if bored, but Rudger knew that even while sleeping, her senses were always carefully monitoring the surrounding situation.

'Her entry into the special class was probably a coincidence rather than something deliberately aimed for.'

Elmara Poale was an elf with outstanding qualities. That's why Aileen must have infiltrated her as an informant.

Attending his lessons was purely coincidental. That's why Rudger had no intention of pursuing it further.

"You're impressive in a different way. To employ an elf as an informant." 

"Elves are changing a lot too. They no longer act as closed off as before. They're trying to communicate more actively with the outside world."

Elmara was one of the figures representing that change. Of course, the fact that her job was as an Imperial spy wasn't quite ideal.

"More importantly, I'm curious about the reason you called me, going so far as to bring these capable informants."

Rudger sensed this matter was not ordinary.

Aileen could handle mediocre matters with a single finger.

The Empire's power was stronger than before. If an order from Aileen, the current Emperor enjoying that power at its peak, were issued, there would be many loyal subjects who would jump into even the fires of hell without hesitation.

Nevertheless, the fact that she called him through Hans meant.

'Some matter has occurred that even loyal subjects cannot resolve.'

Honestly speaking, Rudger didn't necessarily need to respond to this summons. He was no longer Heathcliff. The Demon King was dead. The one here was Rudger Chelici, a teacher at Theon.

Rudger had the freedom to do what he wanted. Even if someone secretly called him, there was no need to particularly pay attention.

However, because the one calling was Aileen, Rudger responded.

It wasn't because of a debt of gratitude.

While it was Aileen who publicly announced the Demon King's execution and secretly let Rudger live. Aileen was also able to preserve the Imperial authority during the Holy War thanks to Rudger.

'There are no more debts to repay between us two.'

But human relationships don't always work in such a calculating manner. Sometimes, even if it's not beneficial, one needs to willingly step forward to help.

"Do you know about Hyperborea?"

Rudger recalled where he had heard that word. Right. He had definitely encountered it in a book.

"A mysterious continent where an ancient civilization from the distant past is said to exist."

It was like a common rumor or legend of sorts. This world was still full of mysteries, and there was more that remained undiscovered than discovered.

Unknown places untouched by human feet were among them. Like Atlantis or El Dorado.

"Right. It's a place rarely known in society, hard to find even in fairy tales." 

"The fact that this story has come up means you've discovered something."

A mysterious continent that even curiosity seekers wouldn't mention. The fact that this name came from the current Emperor's mouth meant that, setting aside credibility, at least it couldn't be ignored.

"Could it be related to the Eastern Continent beyond the Giant's Spine?"

After Lumensis disappeared, people continuously gathered at the massive mountain range called the Giant's Spine.

The reason was that they had discovered a new pioneering route to the other side, and beyond it lay an unknown continent.

The Eastern Continent, a place where traces of monsters that disappeared in the distant past remained.

But at the same time, as news spread that people lived there too, people burned with desire for a new world.

Perhaps that Hyperborea might also be in the Eastern Continent. He thought so, but Aileen shook her head and denied Rudger's speculation.

"No. It's different from that. If it were the continent beyond the Spine, our intelligence wouldn't have reached it." 

"That means it's within this continent's sphere of influence." 

"Right. Do you know much about Hyperborea?" 

"I only know that traces of ancient civilization remain there. Ah, there's one more thing. It was also the final destination of the 6th Circle mage Lexer."

The mage Lexer. The person who first reestablished 6th Circle magic and inscribed his name on that circle.

A great mage who would remain in history. At the same time, he was a romantic adventurer who never stopped exploring toward the ends of the world.

Lexer wandered the continent ceaselessly to find mysteries hidden in the world. The last place he headed to was the distant ocean of the Northern Continent.

He departed by ship beyond the rough northern seas and never returned. People shared many stories about his end.

His ship was wrecked, swept away by the waves of the harsh northern sea, and Lexer died. No. He reached a new continent beyond the North Sea, Hyperborea.

"Most people think he died drifting in the North Sea. I believed so too when I was young. But according to recent reports, that's not the case."

Aileen gestured toward Hans with her chin and Hans cleared his throat.

"Ahem. I'll explain. Not long ago, I received a report that several schools in Isla Machina formed an expedition." 

"From Isla Machina?"

Isla Machina is a massive mechanical island drifting across the ocean. At the same time, it was the headquarters of the New Magic Tower and a place where countless schools gathered.

"That's right. The mages and dark mages there moved urgently as if they had found something. So I carefully observed their movements and found that most headed toward the North Sea."

A place also called the Celestial Sea (天海). It was named so because only the endless ocean and sky stretched out without a single island.

"The fact that New Magic Tower mages of all people headed to such a place means there's some reason that made them move." 

"Correct. So I gathered information from various sources and confirmed that they seemed to have found something."

Isla Machina was an island that drifted following ocean currents. They moved only along periodically determined routes.

"Three years ago. Right after the Holy War ended, weather anomaly phenomena occurred throughout the continent. It wasn't that fatal and happened and disappeared in an instant, but Isla Machina was affected by it at that time."

At the time, a storm of unimaginable size reportedly raged at sea. No matter how mighty Isla Machina was, it couldn't face such a massive storm head-on.

Moreover, at that time, Isla Machina was in a state of incomplete repairs everywhere due to the incident caused by First Order Nikolai.

Isla Machina had to leave its usual waters to avoid the storm. That was the first button pressed in this incident.

"They seem to have discovered it there. Beyond the Celestial Sea, where they thought there was nothing, there's a new continent." 

"The discovery of a new continent."

Well, the previously unknown Eastern Continent beyond the Spine also exists. The discovery of a new continent isn't particularly surprising. Nevertheless, the fact that Aileen is paying this much attention means.

"What's there?" 

"Relics."

It was Aileen who answered that.

"As is usually the case, there are relics accompanying the ancient civilization. And malicious individuals are heading there as well." 

"Malicious individuals?" 

"Though the world is said to have regained peace, conflicts and fights still exist everywhere. And so do the sparks of unrest."

Though oppression was lifted by Lumensis, that didn't mean everyone got along well.

Rather, should one say a backlash occurred proportional to the suppression? People were experiencing many conflicts due to the freedom they regained.

"As you know, brother, Demon King followers are among them."

Unless one was insane, there was no way they would follow the main culprit of the Holy War that plunged the continent into terror.

But if everyone in the world were sane, things like wars wouldn't have occurred in history.

"Liberation forces still exist. And remnants of the Bretus Holy Kingdom remain, along with secretive dark mage groups engaging in dangerous activities." 

"They're all dangerous individuals." 

"That's right. Those bastards have caught the scent of the relics existing in Hyperborea."

Relics could be called artifacts of ultra-ancient civilization. That's the perception known to society.

But Rudger knew the essence of some particularly exceptional relics.

'Namely, objects made by gods.'

If relics truly exist in the place called Hyperborea and if, by a one-in-ten-thousand possibility, those relics are objects containing divine power, the one who obtains them would gain tremendous power.