حصلت-على-وظيفة-وهمية-في-الأكاديمية novel-series - حصلت على وظيفة وهمية في الأكاديمية - الفصل 10

I Got a Fake Job at the Academy – Chapter 9

I lay motionless on my bed for about an hour. I lacked the strength to do anything immediately. Shame washed over me. How in the hell does the director of a secret society die in a train attack? The executive of the secret society who had planted nearly forty spies in Thion Academy should have survived that!

“I sighed.”

Even if I raged like this, the dead wouldn't come back. It was all pointless emotional consumption. I am now Rodger Cheliche, and I have to stick with this damned situation for two years.

“Frankly, I thought it would be fine if the academy didn't find out, and that's difficult enough.”

However, after the experience, I thought I could reasonably pretend to be a teacher. I know how to use magic, and there's no shortage of theoretical knowledge. The fact that I could spend two years without problems wasn't arrogance, but a condemnation built on meticulous calculations. But now, I'm a top executive in a very dangerous secret society. Assassinating academy members and dealing with traitors—their methods are extremely brutal. Even the gangsters and mafia on the ground wouldn't do this, proving just how extreme they are. The situation just shifted from normal to hell.

“Let's think.”

Now, I have another thing to deal with thanks to this fake identity. The academy and an unknown secret society. If either group discovers I'm not Rodger, I'm dead. Whether by the hand of the advisor, under imperial laws, or through the secret society’s purges. Death is closer now than at any other moment.

“I have to think.”

Rodger Cheliche is an executive in the secret society. The name Rodger was also fabricated, so it's an alias, but in any case, he’s in a position called a First Order. Among the secret society members infiltrated into the academy, the First Orders were solely individuals, including myself. I don't need to immediately know their purpose. What matters is who the other First Orders are. I couldn't openly ask, so there was no way to know immediately unless they contacted me.

“For now, I can ignore the second and third orders.”

The real Rodger supposedly had an eccentric personality within the organization. Though I slightly altered my voice, it was a fact inferable from the contemplative expression of his subordinates. His personality was bad; his subordinates wouldn't want to deal with him for long. That's welcome on my part. Ultimately, I only had to worry about the other First Orders. Who the hell are they?

“I can’t ask. I don't know how executives identify other executives. If I did, I'd be immediately suspicious.”

Now, I had to deal not only with the academy and the empire but also with the secret societies secretly hidden within the empire. I thought I was facing only one tiger, but it’s a whole tiger's den. The moment either side makes a mistake, it's over.

‘Okay. After all, since it’s happened, I have no choice but to do this.’

I immediately pulled out the books from the bag and opened the letter beside them.

“Acquiring information comes first.”

This letter must be their organization's password, and deciphering it was essential. There’s a certain pattern in all their passwords, and the book in the bag is the key to analyzing that pattern.

“I'm a magic academy teacher, so there are no magic books. Otherwise, there were a few unusual books.”

I looked through the books. *The Catcher in the Rye*, *Ringer's Philosophy*, *The Scars of Inclusivity*, *One Hundred Years of Solitude*—novels, biographies, realism, bestsellers. Among them, one book stood out. *A Gentleman's Culture*.

‘This is it.’

I recalled Rodger on the train, his actions—how he slightly jiggled his legs or waved his hands. If the man had seriously contemplated the culture of a nobleman and read this book, he wouldn't have behaved that way.

“This book was the most affected.”

Part of the cover was worn and torn. It seemed to be read often, but was there really a reason for that?

“This book was used to decipher the password.”

I opened *A Gentleman's Culture* and flipped through the pages. A hidden anomaly slowly caught my attention. Burn marks were visible in the book. Some pages were unread, others read until the paper frayed. Looking carefully at a specific worn page, I could see something between the letters. I immediately took the letter and compared it.

“It's said the continent uses a unified language, but each country has slightly different dialects.”

Since Rodger Cheliche's traces originated from the Kyoden Kingdom, I could think in Kyoden. Specifically, the letter explicitly contained traces of certain names or dialects used in the Kyoden Kingdom. Though a small, barren kingdom in the north, Kyoden, having produced a large number of great scholars, only has about 20,000 words used in that dialect, of which 8,000 are advanced vocabulary. This was clearly the password’s key. Considering the order of the language and the connection of the letters, deciphering the code wasn’t difficult since I knew Kyoden.

‘Also.’

My prediction was correct. When I reviewed the code in Kyoden, I saw links between the words and letters. , , , , , , , etc. Beside them, some words symbolizing numbers were mixed together. Perhaps the number represents a page in this cipher book, and interpreting them with other words…

“First order: Infiltrate Thion Academy as a teacher and gain their trust. Then, while observing the situation, I'll issue the next order.”

I couldn't obtain any definitive information, but it was enough. I closed *A Gentleman's Culture* and leaned my head back.

“Halt.”

Two years left. I had to live as a teacher at the academy and an executive in the secret society. Of course, I couldn't live like this forever. Even after safely teaching for two years, the secret society issue remains. Their existence is deeply troublesome. If I make a mistake in the middle, my chances of being killed are high.

“But I can’t take down the secret society by myself. I don't know how the organization is structured, but it was enough to plant spies in Thion Academy. They must be very dangerous.”

Dealing with them personally is impossible. But let's leave that aside for now. This secret society is a shackle around my ankle, and I have to erase it. But how?

“I have to use the academy's power.”

There's a saying, "Use barbarians to subdue barbarians." Thion Academy isn't just a school; it symbolizes the future, nurturing the empire's future. Despite being called an "academy," it's not impossible to leverage its enormous power to influence any nation. If Thion and the secret society clashed, no matter how great the society, they'd be forced to retreat. How many soldiers and mages are there? Even within the imperial territory, there's a chance the Knights Templar would move. They know this too, which is why they planted spies instead of opting for a head-on confrontation. In other words, I had to carefully gather their information, ensuring the secret society doesn't catch me, then leak this information to the academy.

“Of course, if it takes too long, I might die in the process.”

The secret society could purge me for betraying them; conversely, the academy could suspect me of being a spy and expel me. Maintaining a certain rhythm is crucial. The moment I lean too far to one side, the only thing awaiting me is ruin.

“For now… let's start with the first week's classes.”

There were no specific instructions, but it’s understood that I must clearly imprint my image as a teacher. If so, fulfilling my duties as a teacher is the priority. Since Thion is where intelligent students attend, showing even a slight lack of competence might get me bitten. In my youth, gifted children often believe they're superior, even ignoring their teachers. I don't know how it is here, but I’ve realized through extensive experience that people are the same no matter the place.

‘……There are so many things to consider.’

Don’t seem foolish to the students, don’t get suspected by the academy, and don’t get caught by the secret society men. I wondered what the hell I was supposed to do, but if I endure all this, I'll get a huge reward. So I have to endure it for now.

I got up from bed, went to my study, and opened a magic book. I had to come up with a plan for the future and prepare how to proceed in class. Two years remain; I can’t just play around.

***

The first day of school arrived. Students who went home during the break returned one by one, and with the new semester, this year's new students also arrived. Students who were in their first year moved up to their second year, passing through the school gate, their hearts filled with anticipation for the new classes they could take in the future. Throughout the classroom, students met friends they hadn't seen in months and greeted each other warmly. Yet, despite all attending the same academy, not everyone was the same. There were troublesome students and quiet students. Naturally, the atmosphere was divided among the students, and their social standing was, of course, established. Within Thion Academy, students are divided into three classes: the upper class, led by royalty, nobles, and high-ranking priests; the middle class, led by wealthy merchants; and finally, the lower class, occupied by poor commoners. Even if they studied at the same academy, they couldn't ignore their status, and as a result, they unknowingly built walls and divided ranks within the academy. Nobles smiled brightly and greeted each other, while commoners, on the other hand, looked at each other or quietly huddled among themselves.

“Did you hear the news?”

“What news?”

“There's a class on the theory of the manifestation system and elemental understanding? They say the new teacher does that?”

“The new teacher isn't teaching first years but second years? Does he have any skills?”

“Can't help it, his predecessor quit. When I heard the news, I heard that his past record was amazing? They say he also wrote many theses while in the military.”

“Isn't he an amazing person then?”

“But do you know?”

“What?”

“That person is a fallen aristocrat.”

At the word "fallen aristocrat," laughter naturally crept onto the lips of the person leading the conversation. Fallen nobles were usually treated worse than wealthy merchants among the nobles. Since he was appointed as a teacher at Thion, he had some talent, but to the upper-class students, he seemed ridiculous. At the same time, the aristocratic students had similar thoughts. If the new teacher was a fallen aristocrat, gaining credits in his class would be easy.

The moment they spoke of what kind of person he was, the front door of the classroom silently opened. All eyes turned to the front door; a man was entering the classroom from the open door.