NOVPUBLudger Cherish had a mentor.
The one who taught him both how to survive in this world and how to wield magic.
But at the same time, that same mentor was the one who pushed him so relentlessly that it left him with some serious trauma.
Traveling with his mentor, Ludger experienced a lot.
Most of it was bizarre, grueling, and flat-out insane.
Sure, he wouldn’t deny that those experiences are what got him to where he is now.
But still, sometimes he couldn’t help but think, “Wasn’t that just a little too much back then?”
After all, thanks to his mentor, he got dragged into all sorts of messes and suffered more than a few times.
Like that whole incident with Phantos.
Phantos came from the beastkin—a race naturally born for combat.
And even among them, Phantos was something else, born far superior to the rest.
Most beastkin, despite their enhanced physical abilities, didn’t look all that different from humans.
Aside from the ears and tail, maybe a bit more defined muscle tone and elasticity—but nothing crazy.
On the surface, it was barely worth pointing out.
But Phantos? Phantos was different.
Right from the start, you could tell he wasn’t like the others.
Even as a kid, he was a whole head taller than his peers, with nearly twice the build.
When he was still just a child, he could easily go toe-to-toe with adults. Now, as an adult himself? He was beyond that.
And just because he was massive didn’t mean he was slow. Not even close. He was faster than any other beastkin.
His steps, pounding across vast plains, moved quicker than wild horses kicking up the wind.
Back then, his tribe was sure—absolutely sure—he was their next chieftain.
But Phantos refused.
For one reason, and one reason only.
— This place is too small for me.
His heart was always set on a bigger world.
He wanted to use his strength to its fullest.
He wanted to throw himself, body and soul, at whatever stood in his way.
He didn’t care who it was.
All that mattered was that if there was a wall in front of him, he needed to break through it.
So Phantos wandered the world, challenging and clashing with whatever he could.
Eventually, during his travels, he came upon a tiny fishing village at the far northeastern edge of the continent.
There, he stayed, conquering his fear of water, hunting whales, and pushing his limits even further.
He grew stronger. Way stronger than he’d ever been on the plains.
His soul as a warrior grew richer, his ego even more immense.
And the tip of that sharpened blade? It pointed straight at Ludger’s mentor.
“The mage Phantos originally came for was my mentor. Back then, if you said ‘famous wandering mage,’ it could only mean him.”
“Then why did you fight instead, brother?”
“The timing was off. Of course Phantos showed up when my mentor wasn’t around.”
“Ah.”
Phantos came looking for Ludger’s mentor.
But, of course, that was exactly when the old man was away.
“So... you fought him?”
“I told him my mentor wasn’t there, but Phantos didn’t care.”
Phantos came to fight the strongest.
Ludger told him the guy wasn’t around, but Phantos didn’t believe him.
Because the man standing right in front of him—his instincts were screaming that he was strong.
Phantos spoke up, a little annoyed.
“I fought because I felt his strength. That’s all.”
To this day, Phantos is sure his judgment back then wasn’t wrong.
Because once the fight started, Ludger showed unbelievable power and brought him down.
At first, Phantos had the upper hand.
With his superior physical abilities and the beastkin’s primal hunting instincts, overwhelming a lone mage wasn’t hard.
Ludger’s speed magic couldn’t make a dent in his hardened body, and his coordinate-based spells? Useless. Phantos saw through every single one with his transcendent senses.
Even so, Ludger didn’t just roll over and take it. He held out. Barely.
The fight was brutal, dragging on, and Ludger’s mana was starting to run dry.
And then—
That’s when Ludger used his real power.
Just thinking about that moment, Phantos could feel that old fear he thought he’d gotten over creeping back again.
“I went down instantly. Didn’t even have time to resist. It was a clean, absolute defeat.”
If Ludger’s mentor hadn’t come back right at that moment, Phantos wouldn’t be alive today.
And when Phantos finally came to, Ludger gave him a proposition.
— You’ve got something huge bottled up inside you. If you ever need help with that, come find me when I call.
That’s why Phantos came now, answering Ludger’s call.
The man who crushed him without mercy was calling him.
And he said he’d quench that deep thirst burning inside.
“I couldn’t refuse.”
Even when Ludger suddenly left Arfa in his care, telling him to show the kid more of the world.
Even when Ludger told him to stay quiet until the next summons.
Phantos followed without question.
Because Ludger was the only one who could give his life true meaning.
Ludger himself, of course, didn’t act like any of this was a big deal.
“Whatever. Phantos is gonna be one of the main combat agents in our group. He’s basically number two in raw strength.”
No one argued with that.
It wasn’t just Phantos’ imposing figure—his entire presence radiated overwhelming strength.
No one here could miss that.
“You all have your roles. Phantos is combat. Hans handles intelligence and recon. Seridan’s in charge of R&D. Bellaruna deals with drugs and alchemy.”
“Oh? Leader, what about me?”
“Alex, you’re my partner in the field. Backup combat, support, whatever’s needed.”
“Backup, huh? Bit of a lowball, don’t you think? I’m not exactly someone who falls behind in a fight.”
“Your real strength is your flexibility. No one adapts to a situation and makes it work like you do.”
“Ludger! What about me?”
Arfa raised his hand with wide eyes.
Instead of answering directly, Ludger threw a different question at him.
“Arfa, what did you see and learn while I was away?”
“Me? Hmm. Well, I did see a lot while traveling with Phantos.”
“And what did you feel from all that?”
“Not sure... I don’t think I’ve found anything specific yet. Oh, but I’m sure of one thing.”
“And that is?”
“This world... it’s really beautiful.”
The conversation took a turn no one quite followed.
Only the people involved could understand the meaning behind it.
“...Is that so.”
Ludger crossed his arms, mulling over Arfa’s words.
Then he said:
“Arfa’s got a sharp mind. He remembers everything he sees.”
“Everything? Like, literally everything?”
“Yes. From the moment I called him up to now, coming here. Every single person he passed, what they looked like, everything. Arfa remembers it all.”
Perfect memory.
That was Arfa’s gift.
Or rather, just one of his gifts.
“With this ability, Arfa can handle any basic task, anywhere. So no set role for him. He can do anything.”
He can do anything.
That meant a lot.
Everyone here was a specialist in one field. But Arfa? He could cover them all.
Violetta swallowed hard.
Of course. Every single one of them Ludger brought together was a little unhinged, but definitely not ordinary.
“And lastly, Violetta.”
“Yes?”
Violetta blinked, not understanding why Ludger was calling her now.
“You’re going to work with us too.”
“Me?”
Violetta had never heard anything like that before, so she tried to politely deflect.
“I only came here to guide the owner. I’m already really busy with the current business project.”
“The business is already moving along smoothly, isn’t it?”
“I’m the one designing the clothes, though.”
“Didn’t you already finish everything and even finalize the drafts?”
“Well...”
She couldn’t think of anything to argue with.
Honestly, there wasn’t much left for her to do with a project that was already well on track.
Sure, she needed to check on things from time to time, but even without her, everything would still run just fine.
And yet, there was only one reason why Violetta felt so uneasy about being here.
“...I don’t know if I belong here.”
That was the truth.
The moment she saw the people gathered here, she realized it.
These were the people who fit alongside James Moriarty—or rather, the man now called Ludger Cherish.
And she realized something else, painfully clear.
She didn’t fit.
“Why do you think that?”
“Well... everyone else here has something special, but I don’t...”
“Violetta.”
Ludger /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ called her name quietly.
“If you were lacking, or if circumstances didn’t allow for it, I wouldn’t have brought you here.”
“...”
“The only reason I brought you and introduced you to everyone is because of one thing. You deserve to be with us.”
“Me...”
Her voice trembled.
“...You really think that’s possible?”
“Of course. I don’t speak nonsense.”
“...I’m not that good at magic.”
“You’ve only just started. And your affinity for wind magic is exceptional. You stopped learning, that’s all. Once you pick it up again, it’ll be different.”
“My status is low...”
“I don’t judge people by something as worthless as status. I care about ability, and nothing else.”
“But I...”
She couldn’t come up with anything else.
More than that, it was Ludger’s words—his recognition—that left her speechless.
Her gaze dropped to the floor.
Watching her, Ludger finally stepped away from the wall.
“You look conflicted. Fine. Then let’s do this. Forget all that useless talk. Just answer one thing.”
Her eyes, which had been fixed on the floor, lifted to meet his.
He was looking straight at her, unwavering.
“Will you join us?”
And in that question, Violetta suddenly understood why she’d felt so strange sitting here.
It was longing.
Somewhere deep down, standing here, she wanted to be a part of this.
But her low status, her magic barely learned through imitation—how could she possibly fit in here? Just standing here felt like she was staining this place.
But Ludger didn’t see it that way.
Instead, he asked her directly to stay, to be part of this.
How could she refuse someone who spoke as if he saw straight into her heart?
Still...
Her lips wouldn’t move.
She hadn’t shown it, but now that she was aware, her situation and self-esteem weighed her down.
Maybe he sensed it.
Ludger spoke again, softly, gently.
“I want to hear what you truly feel.”
“....”
That small push gave her the courage she needed.
Violetta took a deep breath. In. Out. She calmed herself.
And Ludger waited, saying nothing, giving her all the time she needed.
When she finally found her composure, Violetta looked up at him with a bright smile.
“Alright.”
And with that, Violetta—leader of the Women of the Black Rose—also became a member of his organization.
“Good.”
Ludger nodded, satisfied.
Then he glanced around the room.
Every single one of them, the best of the best from everyone he knew.
Not all of them were here, but even this was more than he’d expected.
“Alright, let’s get started with a strategy meeting. You should get used to each other’s faces and skills.”
And then he said it.
The reason he’d gathered them.
“We’re going to hit the Kunst Auction House.”
