NOVPUBFrom within the shadow blazing like a flame, Ludger stared at Casey.
Casey, meeting his gaze, asked in a clear, deliberate tone.
“We’ve met before, haven’t we? Do you remember who I am?”
“...Casey Selmore.”
How could he forget?
She was one of the most unforgettable thorns in his memory—easily among the top of his most persistent enemies.
“Glad you remember. Then you must also know why I’ve stopped you here, right?”
“You’re here to arrest me? Right here, right now?”
Ludger responded with a silent smile.
To say something like that right after reuniting for the first time in years—what a bold woman.
Then again, they were never close enough to exchange pleasantries.
After all, back in the Delica Kingdom, they’d been nothing more than predator and prey.
Granted, it had mostly been Casey who’d burned with obsessive hostility.
“I knew it, Moriarty. I knew you didn’t die that day at the waterfall.”
“You’d have been better off not knowing. Things would’ve turned out much nicer for the both of us.”
“You want me to bury the humiliation of that day and move on? Not a chance.”
“So you chased me all the way here? Ready to throw your life away over a grudge?”
“You really underestimated me. You think I’d give up over something like that? I’m not the same person I was back then.”
Crackle.
Their gazes collided in midair, sparking with tension.
Given their equally unyielding personalities, this outcome was practically inevitable.
Droplets of water began to float around Casey. 𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙥𝒖𝒃.𝒄𝒐𝒎
Seeing this, Ludger clicked his tongue.
“Must we shed blood here?”
“Unless you’re planning to surrender quietly.”
“As if I would.”
“Exactly. So then, I don’t have a choice, do I?”
The only way forward was to overpower him.
As she gathered mana with that resolve, Ludger’s shadows flared in response.
The space between them brimmed with razor-sharp tension.
His subordinates beside him also turned to face Casey, wary.
“U-Uh...”
The situation had escalated so suddenly that Erendir stood frozen in confusion and panic.
Then, just as the confrontation was about to erupt, Casey spoke again.
“James Moriarty... no, Abraham van Helsing.”
“...”
Ludger flinched—clearly caught off guard by the name.
Casey didn’t miss that tiny reaction.
A smile tugged at her lips.
“That look says it all—‘how do you know?’ Honestly, I was surprised too. Who would’ve thought you were operating under so many identities?”
“...Nonsense.”
“Is it? Abraham van Helsing, James Moriarty... That civil war up north in the Yuta Kingdom that ended recently—that was your handiwork, wasn’t it?”
Step by step, she recited pieces of his trail.
Ludger’s eyes narrowed inside the beak-shaped mask.
To hear someone else speak of the past identities he’d buried...
“And in this city—what name are you hiding under this time? Do you really think running now means I won’t find you?”
“...”
“I will find you. And I’ll chase you. To the end.”
Her declaration was nearly one-sided, but Ludger didn’t respond immediately. After a brief silence, he finally nodded.
“I see. I really did underestimate you.”
The day of their showdown in the Delica Kingdom—
Casey Selmore had used every last drop of mana she had, and still failed to bring him down.
And her final act?
A mage, leaping off a cliffside waterfall with him—choosing death over failure.
She had flung herself into madness, uncaring of her own life.
He had witnessed that resolve firsthand.
But even so, he hadn’t expected her to continue chasing him all this time.
And now, she had returned, stronger than ever.
Stronger than when they last fought.
Ludger had no choice but to admit his mistake.
A mage with a Color Title.
Someone who could wield only one element—but with absolute authority over it.
‘She was a pain even back then, and now she’s too strong to deal with carelessly.’
But Casey Selmore’s greatest weapon wasn’t her magic.
It was her mind.
A mage who insisted on being called a detective—with deductive reasoning on a whole other level.
And beyond that—a tenacity and persistence even greater than her intellect.
Even if he managed to escape today, Casey Selmore would never give up.
She would chase him down.
Close the distance.
Gather evidence.
One step at a time, she’d draw closer.
‘If that happens...’
It was entirely possible she’d figure out that he was operating under the identity of Ludger Cherish—and soon.
That would be checkmate.
Normally, he’d simply discard the false identity and vanish without a trace.
But this time was different.
He had revealed his real face while acting as Ludger Cherish.
It wasn’t a mask he could just swap out anymore.
‘Things are about to get very complicated.’
No—dangerous.
Even his plans to recover the remaining Relic fragments could be derailed.
So what should he do?
Ludger narrowed his eyes.
‘Should I eliminate her?’
The first, most certain option that came to mind was to erase the evidence—her.
The idea of killing a mage with a Color Title would be ludicrous to most.
But Ludger had his own means.
As a murderous intent he had suppressed began to stir, Casey instinctively flinched.
Swallowing dryly, she felt a distinct shift in Ludger’s presence.
‘Just like before...’
The same crushing pressure that could sap one’s will to fight just by standing in front of it.
Even now, after becoming far stronger herself, the villain she once faced still felt like an insurmountable mountain.
But she didn’t back down.
Clenching her teeth, Casey kept her gaze locked on Ludger.
There was still more she needed to know.
“I’ve been hearing things. There’ve been incidents across the continent—but especially within the Exilion Empire, rumors of unsettling movements. A secret group, operating in the shadows.”
“...?”
The word organization caused Ludger’s body to instinctively tense.
‘No way. Has she already discovered the secret group I created?’
Knowing her absurd deduction abilities, it wouldn’t have been surprising.
She operated on a level that was more psychic than rational.
But what came out of her mouth next—
Wasn’t what he feared.
“Tell me. What’s your connection to the Black Dawn Order?”
“...”
The Black Dawn Order?
She dropped that name here?
Perhaps seeing his brief confusion, Casey felt her suspicions solidify into certainty.
“I knew it. I must’ve hit the mark.”
“...”
Then, like a flash of lightning, a brilliant idea crossed Ludger’s mind.
“...I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
To outright admit anything here would’ve been foolish.
Feigning ignorance like this was far more effective.
And sure enough, Casey’s eyes sparkled with confidence.
“Deny it all you want—it’s obvious. The recent events across the Empire... That was you, wasn’t it? Including what happened to the auction house tonight.”
The auction house? Ah—she must mean the Liberation Army’s attack.
But it hadn’t just been the Liberation Army.
Other criminals and black mages had joined in as well.
Apparently, Casey was lumping all of that together under his name.
‘Not quite right, but... not wrong either.’
Technically, it wasn’t his doing.
But his actions and his group’s involvement had certainly been the spark.
‘In that case...’
Ludger’s original plan to eliminate Casey began to shift in the opposite direction.
Casey Selmore was competent.
Even if he did try to eliminate her, it wouldn’t be easy—and the risks would be steep.
He still needed to keep his identity hidden.
If he made a move now, it would put himself in jeopardy.
‘I’ve changed my mind.’
Right now, he couldn’t afford to be exposed—neither to Seorn Academy nor the Black Dawn Order.
If anything, the Black Dawn was more dangerous.
But what if Casey’s attention were redirected?
What if he fed her obsession with the Black Dawn?
‘Then she’ll become the perfect hunting dog—for them, not me.’
At the moment, she was already convinced of a connection between him and the Black Dawn.
This was an opportunity.
“Indeed... Casey Selmore. Truly a worthy rival. To think you saw through even this plan of mine. But—is this really where you should be standing?”
“What?”
She blinked, momentarily confused by the question.
For all her brilliance in grasping the big picture, she still had a habit of missing the obvious.
Ludger decided to explain.
“There are still terrorists inside that auction house. They’re wandering around looking for new prey.”
“You’re threatening me? You want me to let you go and go mop up your lackeys instead?”
“If that’s how you choose to interpret it, I won’t stop you. But I won’t come quietly—and neither will my subordinates. We’ll resist you with everything we’ve got.”
“You...!”
“Can you really take us all down unscathed? And what will happen to the civilians still trapped inside while you’re distracted with us?”
He deliberately hit her where it hurt.
“That’s not something I’d be responsible for.”
“Ugh...!”
Casey glared at him with murderous fury.
He’d read her weakness perfectly.
Why did she chase criminals?
Was it not, as her grandfather once said, to make the world a better place?
To keep people from suffering at the hands of crime?
So that even one more person could smile in peace?
That had always been her belief—the reason behind everything she’d done.
And Ludger had struck it head-on.
Would she let a major criminal escape to save people now?
Or sacrifice a few to catch him?
Casey Selmore was torn.
Watching her inner conflict unfold, Ludger knew he’d made the right call.
‘She’s a pain, but she’s undeniably competent. Casey Selmore—you’re not meant to chase me. You’re meant to hunt the Black Dawn.’
And there was one more thing he planned to leave her—
The specialized bomb the Liberation Army had used tonight.
‘Special gunpowder immune to Silence of Fire. I destroyed every last trace of that back when I was operating in the Delica Kingdom.’
How the hell did the Liberation Army get their hands on that explosive?
Could the formula have survived somehow, despite being presumed lost forever?
Or... perhaps the puppet master behind that incident back then had some connection to the Liberation Army after all.
Whatever the case—leaving it unchecked was not an option.
“Wigo. Melville. Dumas. We’re leaving.”
With Casey wavering, now was the perfect moment.
He hadn’t expected her to make a quick decision anyway.
If anything, throwing her off, just a little, was the entire point.
Just as Ludger began to retreat with Hans in tow toward a safe location, Casey shouted in desperation.
“Stop!”
She raised her staff, refusing to let Ludger escape.
A massive surge of water blasted out like a cannon, aimed straight at him.
But it was blocked almost effortlessly—absorbed by the shadows swirling around Ludger’s body.
The scattered water droplets immediately reformed.
Floating in the air, they twisted into countless sharp needles, surrounding Ludger and his officers.
CRACKLE!
Blue electricity burst from Ludger’s shadow, instantly breaking down the water around them.
Even a mage with the Azure of Water couldn’t do anything against water decomposed by electrolysis.
That’s when Betty leapt forward to exploit the opening.
“Yah!”
With a cute shout, she launched a punch at Ludger.
But it didn’t land.
A masked man appeared out of nowhere, blocking her fist barehanded.
BOOM!
A harsh shockwave rang out. Betty’s wide eyes shimmered with disbelief.
“You blocked my punch?”
From behind the mask, the man’s eyes locked onto hers—analyzing, cold, precise.
Gritting her teeth, Betty launched a high kick in a sweeping arc.
The masked man calmly raised one arm and blocked it cleanly.
Even a well-trained opponent would’ve shattered their bones from that hit, but this man didn’t budge an inch.
Betty narrowed her eyes in disbelief.
“You... what are you?”
He didn’t answer.
Before she could ask again, he suddenly thrust out his leg.
Betty instinctively crossed her arms to guard, but the blow slammed into her with brute force and sent her sliding backward.
“Betty!”
“I’m okay! Just a scratch!”
Casey couldn’t believe Betty had been overpowered.
The opponent wasn’t even noticeably larger than Betty in stature.
“I’m joining in.”
Realizing they were outmatched, Enya stepped forward.
She jumped past the man fighting Betty and swung her sword at Ludger.
CLANG!
Enya’s brows twitched.
Another masked man had blocked her attack.
She didn’t hesitate—instead, she ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ pulled back, rotated her body, and aimed a strike at his neck.
The man calmly raised his sword vertically and blocked it.
Their swords clashed repeatedly in the air. The screech of metal against metal lit up the darkness with sparks.
Grinding her teeth, Enya stared at the unknown opponent.
‘His guard is solid! And he’s strong—at least elite knight level!’
Knights with superhuman physical strength and swordsmanship were categorized into several tiers.
Most novices—called Pages—were barely at the foundation level.
Then came Squires, official knight trainees.
Next were full knights—Bachelors.
And above them were the elite upper-class knights—Bannerets—which was Enya’s current rank.
The fact that she couldn’t overpower this opponent meant he was at least on par with her.
But that was fine. She had a trump card.
While attacking with her right hand, her left hand subtly drew a hidden dagger from the waistline of her formal dress—concealed for such moments.
As she thrust with her longsword, she flung the dagger under its shadow.
Unlike typical knights who fought with pure swordsmanship, she used real combat techniques to exploit weaknesses.
This hidden blade—aiming for the vital points in the blind spots between sword strikes—was the secret technique of the Joinas family: Sting Sword.
Most wouldn’t even realize there was a second blade—until it was already too late.
CLANG!
But her opponent blocked it as if he’d been expecting it all along—deflecting the dagger with unnatural ease.
‘He blocked it?!’
Her Sting Sword technique was designed to be undetectable—even elite knights with absurd reflexes couldn’t stop it.
‘It wasn’t luck. He knew this technique!’
Eyes widening, Enya stared at the masked man.
“You... who the hell are you? How do you know that move?”
“...”
No answer.
She tried pressing again, but didn’t get the chance.
Ludger released a wave of magic that forced her to retreat.
“We can’t waste any more time. The Clockwork Knights are coming.”
“...Understood.”
“Got it.”
With Hans unconscious, the remaining four lifted into the air.
A powerful gale swept around them, lifting their bodies effortlessly.
And as they rose skyward, a woman with a black parasol hovered above, riding the wind.
Her face was hidden behind a black veil, but it was obvious—she was the one conjuring the storm.
Casey tried to intercept them, but Ludger’s earlier words held her back.
‘There are still survivors inside the auction house...’
Ludger didn’t miss that hesitation.
“Let’s go.”
At his command, just before he disappeared into the night sky—
“James Moriarty!”
Casey Selmore called out, eyes blazing.
Ludger turned his head ever so slightly to glance back.
Casey met his gaze with unwavering blue eyes.
“Next time—I won’t let you get away! I’ll root out you and your organization—the Black Dawn Order—from this world!”
It was an open challenge.
Ludger even responded—politely.
“As much as you like.”
His words carried on the wind as he vanished.
Before Casey could shout back, Ludger and his people were gone—carried by the wind into the darkness of the night sky.
