NOVPUB“W-What the...?”
The shooting range owner was so flustered he couldn’t form proper words.
I didn’t even see him get into position properly!
At first glance, he had thought the man was just a well-dressed dandy putting on airs.
Sure, he had to admit the man had more charisma than most.
But the moment he saw the beautiful woman standing next to him, that thought vanished completely.
This guy... was an enemy of all men.
Honestly, I didn’t expect much.
The shooting booth was made for fun, but seeing people swagger around, pretending they were good just because it looked easy—even without knowing how to properly hold a gun—was always aggravating.
Especially magic teachers. Weren’t they the types who sat behind desks their entire lives scribbling on parchment?
He’d heard this one was military, but most “military mages” just took cushy officer posts for a year or two at most.
The ones he saw during active duty were mostly useless in the field.
Just look at that face. Pale skin, sharp jawline.
How could someone like that have ever done real hard labor? He clearly never had.
That was the shooting range owner’s judgment.
And yet—
What the hell?
He couldn’t believe it.
Maybe he just didn’t want to believe it.
Watching that man calmly hit the target and stand there without even reacting—something about it made his blood boil.
“F-Fine. I’ll admit your form’s decent for a teacher, but that hit must’ve been a fluke! Let’s see if you can hit all of these!”
Ludger calmly glanced at the blustering owner before resetting his stance.
This time, instead of holding the rifle one-handed, he properly braced it against his shoulder.
The movement was so natural that it made the owner feel uneasy.
There’s not a hint of wasted motion in that stance...
Then Ludger pulled the trigger.
Pop! Pop! Pop!
The rubber bullets shot out in rapid succession, each one hitting a balloon dead center.
The bolt-action rifle had been modified, and with each shot, Ludger naturally pulled back the bolt to eject the spent mock casing.
Click-clack! Click! Pop!
Shoot. Cycle the bolt. Shoot again.
Not only the owner but even Selina and the students, who had been watching with excited anticipation, now held their breath in silent awe.
As soon as he fired the last round, Ludger handed the rifle back to the stunned owner, who was still staring blankly.
“There’s nothing left to shoot.”
“H-How can a mage have this level of skill...?”
“Just a coincidence.”
Ludger brushed it off nonchalantly.
Of course, his skill came from real experience—his main weapon during his time as a mercenary in the Yuta Kingdom had been a firearm.
Looks like I’m not too rusty after all.
Though it had been a long time since he’d handled one, Ludger was secretly pleased with his flawless accuracy.
Then the owner shouted,
“Wait! Not yet! That was just the beginner course! If you really know how to shoot, then prove it in the veteran zone!”
With that, he opened a door beside the booth and led the way to a much larger shooting area.
Unlike the beginner’s space with balloons at close range, the veteran section was significantly wider.
The owner barked loudly with spit ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) flying,
“Distance: 50 meters! Even decent marksmen have trouble at this range! Let’s see if you can manage it!”
At the far end stood red-painted targets, each no bigger than a human fist.
From 50 meters away, they looked like tiny red dots.
“H-How are you even supposed to hit that?!”
Selina shouted in disbelief, but the owner stood firm—arms crossed, even taunting him.
“Hahaha! If you’re scared, you’re free to walk away!”
It was a challenge thrown with complete certainty that Ludger would fail.
Ludger stepped toward the wall where several rifles were displayed and examined them.
He picked one.
Compared to the bolt-action rifle he had used earlier, this one had a shorter barrel and a more compact stock.
“A lever-action? You’re going to use that?”
“I like the feel of it.”
“Suit yourself! But just know, this range doesn’t go easy on anyone!”
The owner was absolutely convinced that this time Ludger wouldn’t succeed.
Ludger felt no particular need to rise to the provocation.
Still... since I’ve come this far, I may as well show him something.
He gripped the rifle and stepped into position.
Passersby began to gather, drawn in by curiosity.
The sight of Ludger standing silently with the rifle in hand resembled not a magic instructor—but a disciplined soldier.
And yet, the contrast of his tailored outfit and long black hair gave him a strangely captivating aura.
Everyone held their breath.
Ludger moved.
Pop!
The barrel that had been angled downward snapped up to target.
Before the eye could register the motion, the sound of compressed air filled their ears.
Unbelievable quick draw.
Even more unbelievable: the target 50 meters away fell backward.
“H-He hit it!”
Fifty meters might not sound far, but hitting a fist-sized target at that range, especially without prolonged aiming, bordered on miraculous.
And he’d done it one-handed.
But Ludger wasn’t done.
He spun the lever-action rifle with one hand to reload—smoothly rotating it in a fluid arc.
Spin cocking.
A flashy but functional technique where one loads a lever-action by rotating it, using the rifle’s weight to cycle the action.
Pop! Pop! Pop!
The next shots fired instantly after the reload. Each shot took down a target.
The shots came so quickly that it felt like all the targets were falling at once.
Finally, with the last target down, and no more rounds left to fire—
Ludger lowered the rifle.
The crowd that had been silently watching finally gasped for air.
“Whoa! That was amazing! Did you see that?!”
“Someone said he’s a professor at the academy? Are we sure he’s really a teacher? Do they hire instructors based on shooting skills now?”
“As expected of Professor Ludger!”
As the crowd roared with excitement, the shooting range owner closed his eyes tightly.
He couldn’t deny it any longer.
“Incredible.”
He hadn’t wanted to believe it. But the moment he saw Ludger shoot, all his doubts vanished.
In fact, he found himself mesmerized by Ludger’s perfect stance and fluid reloads.
It was flawless.
An ideal, elegant display—without a single flaw.
“...I concede.”
The owner bowed his head deeply.
This man was fundamentally different from the mages he’d mocked in the past.
He was the real deal.
That aura of charisma he’d exuded at the start wasn’t for show. It was the natural presence of a predator.
“Kuhuh... I guess I’ve been away from the field too long. Can’t believe I failed to recognize someone of this caliber.”
“I enjoyed it. It’s been a while.”
“Glad to hear it. Here—you’ve earned the top score, so take the prize.”
The owner handed Ludger an oversized plush doll—nearly the size of a person.
It resembled a dog with black fur, and Ludger felt it looked oddly familiar.
“Our booth’s grand prize! Limited edition, handmade by a top designer from the Empire’s most famous plush toy company!”
Take it!
The owner thrust the plushie into Ludger’s arms, and he reflexively accepted it.
Even when the burly owner held it, the doll had looked large—but holding it himself, Ludger realized it was even bigger than expected.
Still, the quality was impressive—plush and smooth to the touch, just as the owner claimed.
No, wait... this thing...
Ludger glanced down at the plush again and cautiously asked the owner,
“What is this doll based on?”
“Oh, that? They say it’s modeled after the Beast of Jévaudan that once terrorized the Kingdom of Durmang.”
The Beast of Jévaudan?
Ludger blinked. Was he serious?
But as he examined the plush closely... he had to admit, it kind of did resemble the monster.
No wonder it felt familiar... It looks a bit like Hans.
They really made a plushie modeled after the Beast of Jévaudan? Ludger frowned. Can you even turn something like that into a stuffed animal?
As he gave the toy a questioning look, the shooting range owner nodded as if he understood the skepticism.
“The guy who made it was a total eccentric. Said he got inspired after seeing the stuffed corpse of the monster in the Durmang Kingdom’s museum.”
“And that inspired him to make... this? More than one?”
“Nope. Just the one. He called it his magnum opus. But people found it creepy as hell. Everyone kept passing it off, and it eventually ended up here.”
So it had become the first-place prize in the festival games.
A prize no one wanted, given out as a reward?
Ludger narrowed his eyes. “So giving it to me is basically just... passing it off again, isn’t it?”
“Hey now! That was a fair competition! You earned that thing!”
“No, I mean...”
“It’s yours now! Take it! Or give it to someone else if you want!”
So it was a pass-off.
“Wow, that’s amazing! It’s so cute!”
Right then, Selina looked up at the plush beast Ludger was awkwardly holding and shouted in delight.
Cute?
Ludger found himself seriously concerned for Selina’s sense of aesthetics.
True, the doll wasn’t an accurate recreation of the actual Beast of Jévaudan—it had been rounded and stylized to look more charming. Still, it was a monster that had terrorized an entire nation. Calling it cute was... strange.
As Ludger seriously debated this in his head, Aidan approached, his eyes sparkling.
“Wow! That was incredible, Professor! You hit all the targets!”
“Aidan, right. You were trying to win something too, weren’t you? What prize were you aiming for?”
“That one.” Aidan pointed at the plush Ludger was holding.
This?
Ludger looked at the stuffed beast in his arms, momentarily taken aback.
Seeing his expression, Aidan scratched his head sheepishly.
“Taishy saw it while we were walking by and gave it that look—you know, the I want that look.”
“Hey! Aidan! When did I ever—!”
Taishy’s face flushed as she shouted in embarrassment.
Ludger suddenly felt a strange sense of danger upon realizing Taishy wanted the plush.
Just then, he spotted Rine and Erendir in the crowd.
They’ll give me a straight answer.
Still holding the plush, Ludger walked toward them.
Rine and Erendir, who had been watching his godlike shooting earlier, now felt a strange pressure as they saw Ludger slowly approach with a massive plush beast in his arms.
“Rine. Erendir.”
“Yes?”
“What’s the matter?”
“Does this plush look... cute to you?”
Normally they might’ve brushed it off, but Ludger’s serious face made them pause and consider the question properly.
“Y-Yes! It’s really cute!” Rine said.
“Maybe...? Kind of cute? Though I don’t know why, it gives me the chills for some reason...” Erendir added.
Ludger was honestly shocked.
I see...
Almost everyone he asked had called the plush cute.
At this point, Ludger began to seriously wonder if his sense of aesthetics was the problem.
“...Understood.”
“......?”
He suddenly walked up, asked if the plush was cute, nodded at the answer, then walked off.
What the hell was that? Was he just showing it off?
But Ludger, still holding the plush, suddenly thrust it into Aidan’s arms.
“Uh—Professor?”
“Take it, Aidan.”
“You... you’re giving it to me?”
“It’s something I don’t need. Give it to someone who does.”
For Ludger, it was just getting rid of clutter—but Aidan lit up like a kid on Christmas.
“Taishy! Look! I got it! I finally have something to hug when I sleep!”
“Y-You idiot! Keep your voice down! Do you have to shout that out for everyone to hear?!”
Ludger watched their bickering with a faint smirk.
Ah. Youth.
“Aw, that’s a shame. I wanted that plush too...” Selina said wistfully, fidgeting her fingers as she looked toward Taishy, now holding the toy.
“I should’ve given it to you, Professor Selina.”
“No, no, it’s okay. The students are so happy—it looks like it found the right home.”
Taishy was yelling at Aidan, but despite the complaints, she was hugging the beast plush tightly like it was a treasured item.
Selina watched the scene with a gentle smile.
“You seem to enjoy it.”
“Seeing the kids smile like that—it’s more than enough, don’t you think?”
Kids, huh...
They weren’t really kids anymore, though.
In fact, Ludger probably wasn’t that much older than Selina herself.
But perhaps, to someone like her, even fully grown students still looked like adorable children.
Looking at her, Ludger realized—she really was someone completely different from him.
Sentimental. Always smiling. Kind to everyone.
That’s why she was a good teacher.
Unlike him... who hadn’t been able to protect the laughter of any children.
“Let’s get moving again.”
He was about to resume the patrol before he got too caught up in his thoughts—when someone approached.
Who’s this?
It wasn’t someone just passing by. The man clearly recognized Ludger and was coming straight for him.
A man in his sixties, with short white hair. Despite his age, he had very few wrinkles—if he dyed his hair, he could easily pass for someone younger.
“Haha! When I first heard your name, I thought it was just a namesake—but the moment I saw you from afar, I knew it was really you.”
The man lightly patted Ludger’s shoulder. His touch conveyed warmth, perhaps even fondness or protectiveness.
“So... how long has it been, eh?”
A complete stranger was speaking to Ludger like an old friend.
