NOVPUB“Wow. This is amazing.”
Rine let out a soft exclamation as she looked at the banners hanging throughout the campus.
Having never experienced a single festival in her life, it was only natural for her to be in awe—especially when her first-ever festival happened to be Seorn’s Magia Festiva, renowned across the continent.
Erendir smiled gently at her junior’s innocent reaction.
“This is your first Magia Festiva, right?”
“Yes. Actually... it’s my first festival ever.”
“Then you really have to enjoy it this time. Since it’s your first, you should make some good memories.”
For her friend’s sake, Erendir resolved to be her proper guide for this festival.
It was a rare opportunity, and she was determined to showcase the dignity of a proper upperclassman.
‘Rine won’t be busy until tomorrow anyway. Same goes for ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ me.’
Seorn’s five-day-long festival drew numerous visitors, being one of the largest in the Empire.
The first day was relatively relaxed, but by tomorrow, the noble guests would begin arriving, making the grounds much more crowded.
And when nobles gather, external social salons inevitably follow.
As a princess, Erendir would be required to attend. Once that happened, she wouldn’t be able to enjoy the festival alongside Rine.
So, at the very least, she intended to give her junior a full day of enjoyment today.
“Ah! Look over there, senior!”
Rine pointed excitedly toward a booth where people could try on Seorn uniforms.
It was a nostalgia booth, designed for those now too old to attend Seorn to relive their youth.
Nearby, children who hadn’t yet entered the academy were laughing gleefully as they tried on uniforms that fit their tiny frames.
But that wasn’t the only interesting thing.
“Senior, what’s that place?”
“That’s the alchemy lab. I think the Alchemy Club boldly declared this year that they’d turn copper into gold.”
“Huh? Is that even possible?”
“Of course not.”
They’d be lucky if the test tubes didn’t explode.
“Ah! Senior, what about over there?”
This time, Rine pointed toward a large open clearing near the forest.
A wooden fence had been set up, and many people were gathered inside.
Among them were spirits, playing with the visitors.
“Oh, that’s the Spirit Ranch.”
“A ranch?”
“Just in name. It’s really a spirit interaction area. Summoners bring out their spirits so others can engage with them. The smaller ones are really cute, so it’s popular with kids and women.”
“I see.”
Rine continued to pepper Erendir with questions about the fascinating things she saw.
Erendir, who had memorized the festival catalog in anticipation of possibly showing a close friend around, answered every question smoothly.
“Senior! What’s that spooky-looking place over there?”
“Oh, that’s the House of Necromancy.”
“Necromancy? Like that necromancy?”
“Exactly. It’s one of the specializations in summoning—communicating with spirits and borrowing their power. During the festival, they use necromantic arts to summon spirits and give people a scare.”
“W-Wait, is that okay?”
“The spirits that respond to necromancy actually enjoy it. They say it’s fun for them too.”
A real haunted house run by actual spirits.
Of course, “spirit” here didn’t mean dead people, but more like fragments of lingering thoughts—but it was still remarkable.
“Ah! Senior! People dressed like zombies just walked by! Are they from the House of Necromancy too?”
“No. Those are grad students.”
“Huh? But isn’t Seorn only for up to fifth-years?”
“You didn’t know? Seorn has a graduate program. After graduation, some students stay and work alongside professors while writing their thesis and studying magic.”
Though “studying magic” was a nice way of putting it—more often than not, they were sleep-deprived lab slaves forced to grind endlessly.
Even now, those grad students, moaning like zombies, were shuffling toward the research building without getting to enjoy the festival at all.
People instinctively cleared a path for them, frightened by their grim aura.
At this point, the lab those grad students were headed to seemed scarier than the House of Necromancy.
“How does someone graduate and still attend the academy? That’s so strange.”
“Rine, don’t be too harsh on the grad students. They just made... the wrong choice.”
Everyone dreams of publishing a legendary thesis that cements their name in magical academia.
At least, until they become slaves to the lab.
Such was the fate of graduate students.
Unless you were one of the once-in-a-century prodigies, the rest were inevitably lured into suffering by the sweet words of cunning professors.
The ending was always the same for those who couldn’t see reality.
“...I’m never becoming a graduate student.”
“Same here.”
The two gave a solemn nod toward the retreating zombie horde.
As if to say this was the only thing they could offer.
Thanks to those brave souls, future generations would learn just how dangerous being a graduate student was and avoid the same path.
Their sacrifice, however painful, was a courageous act worthy of respect.
Then, someone caught their eyes in the crowd.
“Oh, it’s Professor Ludger.”
They spotted Ludger patrolling through the festival grounds.
With his familiar companion—pink-haired Selina.
* * *
Ludger, patrolling the grounds, turned his head at the sound of cheerful chatter nearby.
He spotted a petite teacher whose head barely reached his shoulder, excitedly looking around.
“Professor Ludger, did you see that? That shop’s selling love potions! Isn’t that so cool?”
Selina pointed enthusiastically toward a stall.
During the festival, teachers were assigned patrol duty in pairs. On day one, Ludger had been paired with Selina.
“I see.”
Ludger gave a flat, noncommittal response.
Regardless of how he felt, he had to patrol with her for the day, so he couldn’t just stay silent the entire time.
Though he answered her with words, his mind was elsewhere—pondering what to do about Esmeralda.
He now knew she would act on the final day of the festival. He had to come up with a plan.
‘Should I approach her pretending to be a fellow First Order and take her down in a surprise attack? No... She might be even more alert if I interfere like that. Then what if I spread a rumor?’
Various strategies bubbled up in his mind and popped just as quickly.
None of them felt quite right.
“Professor Ludger?”
“...”
“Professor Ludger!”
“...Hmm?”
Only then did Ludger realize Selina had been calling him.
He had slipped into a deep train of thought without realizing.
As he turned to look at her, something poked his cheek.
Selina’s extended finger.
“What were you thinking about so hard that you didn’t even answer when I called?”
“Apologies. I’ve had a lot on my mind lately and drifted off without noticing.”
“A lot on your mind? What is it? If it’s something I can help with, I’d be happy to listen.”
Selina smiled brightly—like a flower in full bloom.
Ludger responded in a rather reluctant tone.
“...Could you start by moving your finger?”
“Oh! S-Sorry!”
Selina blushed and quickly pulled her finger away.
She’d gotten carried away from feeling a little too comfortable—and was now embarrassed about it.
“I-I was being rude, wasn’t I?”
“No, it’s fine. It was my fault for not paying attention.”
“Oh, good. Then what were you thinking about?”
‘I was contemplating how to assassinate a secret society executive hiding in the academy’—obviously, he could never say that.
As he tried to come up with an excuse, Selina suddenly jumped ahead.
“Oh, I think I know! It’s the sparring match tomorrow, isn’t it?”
“...Yes. That’s right.”
He was thankful for the misunderstanding.
Come to think of it, there was an event tomorrow.
He had been so preoccupied with Esmeralda lately, he’d nearly forgotten.
“You must be really nervous. Especially since important guests are coming from outside.”
“Professor Selina, aren’t you participating in the match as well? I thought all the new instructors were.”
“Ah, not me. I wanted to, but the senior professors told me not to.”
She puffed out her cheeks slightly in frustration at being treated like a child.
Ludger could guess why the others dissuaded her.
She didn’t seem suited for combat, and they probably thought there was no need to get her involved in a power contest.
Even if she had wanted to join, it was likely a fourth-year or higher spirit studies professor removed her name.
‘Vierno Dentis, perhaps.’
That timid elf professor, small enough to be mistaken for a boy, might have helped.
Maybe he thought Selina would just end up getting hurt if she participated.
Given her personality, it wasn’t surprising someone had stepped in to protect her.
Apparently, other participants were also being held back by concerned colleagues.
‘But why is no one stopping me?’
Ludger felt a bit slighted.
Come to think of it, he didn’t have any colleagues or seniors at work who expressed concern for him. The same was true of the students.
‘Does that mean no one’s worried about me?’
That was... actually kind of depressing.
Well—maybe not no one. Right in front of him, there was someone looking at him with genuine concern.
“Professor Ludger, are you really okay? Even if it’s just a sparring match, you could get hurt.”
“There won’t be any trouble.”
Right. If it came down to it, he could just read the room and surrender early.
It’s not like winning would grant him anything. There was no reason to waste unnecessary energy.
“Then, shall we resume our patrol?”
“...Were we even patrolling up to now?”
It honestly felt like they’d just been wandering around, sightseeing.
At Ludger’s pointed remark, Selina averted her gaze and let out an awkward laugh.
Ludger gave a resigned shrug.
“We never know where something might happen. Our role is to observe carefully and thoroughly—just like we’ve been doing.”
“Y-Yes! Exactly! Just like we’ve been doing!”
And with that, the two resumed their patrol.
The wide grounds of Seorn were adorned with countless banners, all flashy enough to catch people’s eyes.
There were street food stalls, and even the campus café had opened its terrace to outside visitors.
Loud voices from vendors echoed from all directions, adding to the festival’s liveliness.
‘In a way, this isn’t so different from festivals back on Earth.’
Looking around the festival, Ludger found himself recalling memories from his previous life.
He too had once attended a university, and taken part in the festivals held there.
Of course, compared to Seorn’s, Earth’s festivals felt somewhat lacking.
Those were basically just students gathering for drinks at open-air pubs and inviting celebrities for live performances.
Seorn’s, at least, had students apply their magical studies to create unique and engaging experiences.
Still, he couldn’t deny that there were cultural similarities.
‘Like that shooting game over there.’
At that moment, Ludger noticed someone aiming a rifle at a booth designed like a shooting gallery.
Of course, it wasn’t a real firearm—just a modified, safe model gun.
‘Though... calling it a model gun doesn’t feel quite right. It’s not a replica, it looks like a real gun that’s been modified.’
While observing with that thought in mind, Ludger noticed something familiar about the person aiming with the rifle.
‘Aidan?’
A familiar student. One of the pupils in Ludger’s class—Aidan.
Pop!
A burst of air sounded as Aidan fired, but he missed the target.
“So close!”
“That was way too far off to call it ‘close.’”
Of course. Standing beside Aidan were Leo and Taishy.
Surprisingly, Iona Obelli was also part of the group—a rare combination.
“I thought it’d be easy, but it’s trickier than it looks.”
Scratching his head sheepishly, Aidan turned and spotted Ludger watching. He immediately bowed his head.
“Ah! Hello, Professor!”
At Aidan’s greeting, Taishy, Leo, and Iona followed suit, greeting Ludger and Selina a beat later.
“Are you on patrol, Professors?”
“Yes.”
Most students wouldn’t even dare to approach Ludger, but Aidan was different.
Was he oblivious, or just courageous? Leo and Taishy were the ones who looked nervous just watching from behind.
Ludger gave a nod and glanced toward the shooting booth.
“Shooting range, huh.”
“Yes! Would you like to try, Professor?”
Aidan asked brightly, while Taishy and Leo’s faces paled.
Why would you say that to a patrolling professor?!
The two glared daggers into the back of Aidan’s head.
Only Iona stood unbothered. Well, not exactly “stood”—she was calmly munching on food from a street vendor.
“Here! Try it!”
Before he could protest, Aidan handed Ludger the rifle, and Ludger reflexively accepted it.
As Ludger examined the gun with a sweeping glance, the booth owner approached.
He was a brawny middle-aged man with rugged scars—clearly a retired soldier.
“Hahaha! A new challenger, eh?”
“No, I’m just...”
“But hey, you even know how to shoot? I haven’t seen a single person today even take a proper stance. Mages just can’t handle guns properly.”
“I really—”
“Hey, take that back! Professor Ludger used to be in the military!”
“I was—”
“This scrawny guy? Nah, real soldiers have arms like this!”
The booth owner rolled up his sleeve and flexed his bulging biceps.
Ludger sighed as he found himself wedged between Aidan’s fierce gaze and the booth owner's bravado.
He was about to return the rifle and walk away—when he felt a piercing gaze from the side.
It was Selina.
Her eyes sparkled with expectation as they wordlessly asked: You’re going to do it, right?
Not just Selina. Aidan, Leo, Taishy—even Iona (mid-bite)—were all watching him with eager anticipation.
Unbelievable.
Ludger considered refusing—but ultimately gave up.
“...Very well. I’ll give it a try.”
“Hah! So the professor’s got a bit of pride after all! Go on then—have at it.”
The owner clearly wasn’t expecting much.
“Let’s see if you can even hold the thing properly...”
Pop!
With a swift motion, the rubber bullet fired—and popped a small balloon dead-on.
“...Grip’s not bad.”
Ludger murmured as he examined the rifle, holding it in his right hand while his left was tucked behind his back.
His voice was dry and expressionless—completely unfazed by the shot.
