NOVPUB“What? You’re gonna hit the Kunst Auction House?”
Violetta blurted it out before she could stop herself, then immediately slapped a hand over her mouth.
There were too many ears around.
She wasn’t the type to make careless mistakes like that, but the shock had caught her off guard.
“There’s too many people here. Let’s head back to the hideout and talk.”
“Oh, you’ve got a hideout too?”
“If we’re going to settle down, we’ll need at least two or three of those.”
Alex just shrugged like it couldn’t be helped and followed after Ludger with a light step.
“By the way, Leader, if we’re gathering people, does that mean the rest of the crew’s coming together too?”
“The rest of the crew?”
“You know, the weird ones you’re always talking about. Though I guess they’re not all people, right?”
“Yeah. That’s right.”
Ludger nodded.
“They should already be in the city by now, aside from you.”
“Oh, now that’s exciting. I wonder what kind of people they are. What if they turn out to be totally normal, compared to what I’m expecting?”
“Normal how?”
“You know, even if they’re talented, I mean their looks or whatever.”
Ludger stopped walking for a second.
He stood there, thinking it over, then started moving again.
“That won’t be a problem.”
* * *
Rederbelk Station.
The place saw tens of thousands of people passing through every day, and even now, in broad daylight, it was packed.
Mechanical gears spun on various contraptions, signaling the arrival of the next train.
Some people double-checked their tickets and decided it wasn’t time yet, settling into seats. Others, ready to board, hoisted their luggage and gathered at the platform.
Bwaaah!
Soon, a train blew its whistle, steam billowing as it pulled into the station.
“Ellie, come on.”
A woman tugged at her child’s hand.
Maybe she pulled too hard in her rush, because the six-year-old girl lost grip of her balloon.
“Mom! My balloon!”
“Oh no.”
The balloon drifted up, just out of reach. The mother tried to grab it but was too late.
It floated higher and higher, beyond the reach of any adult.
“My balloon!”
The little girl’s eyes welled up as she watched it rise helplessly.
And then—
Thump.
A massive, rugged hand shot out and caught the string.
The child looked up, wide-eyed, at the one who’d grabbed her balloon.
“Wow...”
All adults looked big to her, but even so, the man before her seemed huge.
People passing by glanced his way, startled by his sheer size.
“Here.”
The giant man bent down and handed her the balloon.
The girl’s eyes sparkled as she took it back.
“Thank you, Mr. Giant!”
The man, his long white hair flowing like a lion’s mane, tipped the brim of his hat in response.
Thud, thud.
With every step, people moved out of his way.
Just then, a young voice called out behind him.
“Mr. Phantos, really now. You just charge off on your own, but do you even know where you’re going?”
Surprisingly, the giant had company.
Everyone had been too focused on his massive frame to notice the small man beside him.
He was the opposite of the hulking brute.
Somewhere between a boy and a young man, he smiled brightly, almost glowing.
A pretty boy—one of those guys who could pull off being called beautiful.
Phantos, the giant, paused and scratched his head with a thick finger.
A habit of his, whenever he felt awkward or stuck.
The smaller man jabbed him lightly in the side with an elbow, then stepped ahead.
“Follow me. The Leader told us where to go.”
“How do you know?”
“He said it through the crystal ball, remember? You were right there too.”
“I don’t recall.”
“Yeah, sure you don’t.”
And so, the odd pair—a dainty youth and a white-haired giant—set foot in Rederbelk.
* * *
“Here we are.”
Ludger brought Alex and Violetta to a hidden hideout he’d set up for his newly formed organization.
“You’re here, boss?”
“Yeah, Hans.”
Hans greeted him, but there were heavy bags under his eyes, darker than usual.
“Rough time lately?”
“Not lately—always. The one guy I can’t stand showed up.”
Right on cue, the source of Hans’s misery made an appearance.
“Heh, hey there. Long time no see, boss.”
“Yeah. Been a while.”
She was a gloomy-looking woman.
Her tangled, autumn-orange hair looked like a bird’s nest. Her face was undeniably beautiful, but her creepy aura, twitchy eyes, and unsettling grin ruined any charm she might have had.
Violetta stared at her for a moment, then blurted out in shock.
“Wait, she’s an elf?”
The most noticeable thing about her was her ears.
Elves—beings known for their beauty, grace, and connection to nature.
And there she was, this eerie woman with pointed ears sticking out from her unkempt hair.
“Yup, yup. I’m an elf~.”
She giggled like she was high.
There was no way she’d introduce herself properly in that state, so Ludger stepped in.
“Bellaruna Petanada. As you can see, she’s an elf. She handles drugs and chemicals. Knows her way around medicine and is skilled in alchemy.”
“...An elf?”
Alex, meeting her for the first time, stared in disbelief.
“What? Got a problem?”
“Of course I’ve got a problem. I mean, her—no, this Bellaruna chick—you’re telling me she’s an elf?”
“Correct.”
“Don’t you think that’s weird? An elf... making drugs? Knowing medicine?”
Alex had a point.
Elves were forest folk, nature lovers through and through. They worshipped the natural world and hated anything artificial.
Man-made medicine, the chemicals born of science and progress—
These were the very things elves despised.
But here was an elf who brewed potions and concocted chemicals? It didn’t add up.
“Not all elves are like that, Alex. Just like not all humans are woman-chasing conmen like you.”
“Well, yeah, but isn’t that a bit harsh?”
“And don’t you think your view’s a bit outdated? Elves have long since adapted. That line of thinking is just straight-up racist.”
Elves still lived mostly in vast, untouched forests, but after the Conquest War fifty years ago, many had started embracing the world’s changes.
Some traveled far and wide, seeking knowledge. Some, like Bellaruna, became fascinated with science.
“Sure, Bellaruna’s... unique even among elves. But she’s the real deal.”
“You were about to say she’s a freak, weren’t you?”
“Whatever. Point is, she’s useful to us.”
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
All of the magical reagents Ludger used in battle? Every last one of them had been made by her.
Bellaruna grinned, clearly pleased by the praise.
Then, as if suddenly remembering why she’d come here in the first place, she turned on her heel and approached Hans.
“Now, now, Hans? Shall we finish that little chat we didn’t get to earlier?”
“Gaaah! Get away from me, you crazy elf! Boss! Please, help me!”
Hans practically clung to Ludger’s leg, begging.
“She’s been here for days and I haven’t gotten a wink of sleep! Every chance she gets, she tries to use me as some test subject!”
The horrors of the past few days flashed before Hans’s eyes like a nightmare montage.
She’d try to take his tissue samples by force, sneak weird substances into his food, crawl into bed at night with a scalpel in hand...
Bellaruna chuckled darkly.
“Hans, now, crazy? I’m just a humble seeker of truth. A passionate explorer of knowledge, that’s all~.”
“Then why do you scream about discovery while coming at me with a knife?!”
“Well, because you’re just so fascinating. I mean, losing a finger or two wouldn’t be that bad, right? They might grow back when you transform again...”
“They won’t grow back! Get the hell away from me!”
Ludger sighed.
Yeah, this chaos needed to be sorted out first.
“Huh? Everyone’s already here?”
A clear voice echoed from the open doorway.
All heads turned.
There stood the bright-smiling young man, looking somewhere between a boy and an adult, and next to him, the massive white-haired giant.
“You both made it on time.”
“Barely. Phantos here decided to take a little detour again.”
“I see. Well, looks like we’re just about all here. Come on in.”
Ludger clapped his hands once, calling everyone’s attention.
“Some of you might know each other already, but for most, this’ll be the first meeting. Let’s save the details for inside.”
* * *
The large room they’d set aside for meetings was filled with a colorful assortment of people.
Some sat on sofas, some stood still, others leaned casually against the walls.
Ludger perched halfway on the edge of a worktable, then spoke.
“Good, you’re all here. You all know why I called you. I’m done with the wandering. I’m settling down. And with that, I’m building something—my own force.”
“This city, Rederbelk, is your foundation?”
Alex, sprawled on a sofa with his legs crossed, flicked his chin up as he asked. Ludger nodded.
“As you know, I called each of you here, but I’m sure you don’t all know each other. So, let’s start with some introductions.”
Hans was the first to step up.
“Hans. Like you can probably guess, I’ve known the boss for a while now. My job’s mostly gathering and organizing intel.”
Maybe he didn’t want to be looked down on at this moment—Hans stiffened his neck, putting on as much of a serious front as he could manage.
“That’s about it for me...”
“Hans.”
“Yes, boss?”
“The rest.”
“...The rest? No way... you mean that?”
Hans’s face stiffened, realizing what Ludger wanted him to say.
“You serious?”
“These are your teammates now. They’re gonna find out eventually, might as well hear it from you.”
“Ugh... well, if you say so...”
Hans hesitated for a moment, then spilled the truth.
“I’ve got, uh, a special constitution, you could say. I’m different from most folks, got something... unique. Not like I’m weird or anything...”
Hans hated thinking of his ability as a curse, so he never liked saying it out loud.
But before he could stumble through any more half-hearted explanations, Seridan got up and quietly crept up behind him.
She pulled an animal’s tooth out of her pocket and poked him with it.
“AAARGH!”
Hans let out a scream.
Spinning around, he saw Seridan giggling and holding up the tooth—and his face turned pale.
“Damn it! This is why I didn’t want to say anything!”
And then, the change began.
“Ohhh.”
“No way.”
“Whoa.”
A chorus of reactions filled the room.
If a normal human suddenly sprouted fur and turned into a half-beast, anyone would react like that.
Actually, for a group this unusual, their reactions were kind of tame.
Hans, now half-human, half-cat, glared at Seridan.
“What the hell kind of tooth was that?!”
“Just a stray cat’s. It was shedding, so I grabbed one.”
“C-Cat?”
Hans rushed to a mirror. His reflection was a bizarre mix—part man, part cat.
And suddenly, he had a strong urge to lick his own fur.
“Hans. Catch.”
Ludger tossed him a vial of reagent from his pocket.
“Th-thank you, boss.”
Hans jabbed the vial into himself, and slowly, his body shrank back to normal.
Ludger addressed the room.
“As you saw, Hans has a peculiar trait—he can absorb an animal’s traits and take on their form. He’s not a fighter, but his ability is one of a kind.”
“Damn, impressive. Didn’t think a human could shift like that.”
Alex’s eyes lit up with genuine admiration.
Ludger scanned the room.
“And the same goes for all of you. You’ve each got something special about you. That’s why I brought you here.”
Over years of roaming the continent, Ludger had encountered all /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ kinds of rare talents.
People who couldn’t fit in because they were too different, too extraordinary.
He’d reached out to them, offered them a place.
Special people deserved special work.
“So, who’s next?”
