NOVPUBLudger quickly scanned the appearance of the elderly man who seemed to recognize him.
His mind was spinning rapidly.
‘White hair and beard. Estimated age: 60s. Precise, disciplined steps. Though he’s in casual clothes, they’re immaculate, with not a single trace of fuzz. His shoes shine like new. Clearly a man sensitive to formality. The scars on his visible skin are irregular in location but linear in shape. Since the pattern is consistent, they’re undoubtedly from blades.’
Calloused hands, thickly padded.
Judging by the surface area, he’d gripped an object with a sizable handle for a long time—more likely a baton than a sword.
‘The emotion in the gaze directed at me is joy. He’s not just reacting to the name Ludger—he’s sincerely happy to see me.’
Fragmentary observations stacked up one after another, and Ludger reached a single conclusion.
“I see. It’s been a long time. You haven’t changed a bit since then.”
“Haha! You, on the other hand, have changed quite a lot! Back then, you still looked a bit baby-faced, but now you’ve completely grown into a strapping man!”
The man was a soldier. And not just any soldier—someone connected to the fabricated identity of Ludger Cherish.
‘Right. I always knew this sort of thing might happen the moment I started using the name Ludger.’
Even if Ludger was a fake identity, the brilliant achievements associated with it couldn’t have been manufactured through forgery alone.
Submitting a thesis to the Mage Tower might only reveal the name, never the face—but the military was different.
Claiming to have served was not something one could fabricate lightly.
There had to have been someone who truly served as an officer under the name Ludger.
His thoughts accelerated, and his senses sharpened.
Ludger’s analysis didn’t stop.
‘He said I looked baby-faced back then. And it’s been a while, so at minimum, over five years must have passed. Yet he recognized me immediately. Even though he said I’d changed, what recognizable features could have given me away?’
It had to be the atmosphere.
He must have expected some natural aging and approached based on the same overall presence.
Even the Black Dawn Society’s Second Orders had assumed Ludger was a First Order just by observing him.
That meant his attitude and image from the past weren’t too different from now.
Fortunately, the man didn’t seem to harbor any suspicions about Ludger’s current appearance.
In this world, it was common for people to change drastically in appearance as they aged—even those who were once adorable could become unrecognizably different.
So the man must have judged that Ludger hadn’t changed all that much since his military days.
‘Whether the now-dead First Order impersonated this identity, or someone else built those achievements—I can’t say. But at least I’m not being questioned now, and that’s good enough.’
Ludger noticed a medal pinned to the man’s left chest.
It wasn’t a common decoration. Ludger searched his memory for where such a medal was awarded.
And who would be authorized to wear it.
“Have you retired, Brigadier General?”
The medal depicted a sword and gun crossed over a shield—awarded only to those high enough in rank to bear a star.
That meant he was at least a Brigadier General. But if he could walk around an event like this in casual attire, he likely wasn’t higher than that.
Sure enough, the man chuckled softly in response.
“Retired? Hardly. I just took a long-overdue vacation. Of course, I can’t stand at the front lines like I used to. These days, I only hold the baton in the rear. I’ve gotten too old.”
“You still appear quite vigorous, Brigadier General.”
“Kind of you to say. So? How’s teaching working out for you?”
“It’s my first time, but I’m doing my best.”
“Haha. You’ve gotten a bit more sociable than you used to be, haven’t you? Back then, you were so reticent you wouldn’t get close to anyone.”
Was Ludger that taciturn in his military days?
Well, since the identity was fabricated, it made sense that he would’ve avoided getting close to anyone.
Still, the brigadier general must have been his direct superior at the time to approach him this familiarly.
“I suppose I’ve developed some social skills with age.”
“Hahaha! And now you can even joke around? That’s a relief. You used to be so stiff I thought you might just snap in half. But look at you now. I suppose that means you’ve grown.”
If someone like Hugo Burteg had overheard this conversation, he would’ve jumped out of his seat, yelling about how it was all utter nonsense.
Joking? Being flexible?
Those weren’t words remotely associated with the current Ludger.
But from the perspective of a soldier like the brigadier general, that’s exactly how it appeared.
“Mr. Ludger, this person is...?”
Selina, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, carefully spoke up.
“Oh my, look at me. I forgot you had company.”
“Right. Brigadier General, this is Miss Selina, who joined Seorn this year alongside me. She teaches Spirit Studies.”
“Ah, hello.”
Selina bowed politely as she greeted him.
Judging by age, Selina was about the same as his granddaughter, so the brigadier general smiled warmly and nodded.
“Miss Selina, this is—”
Ludger naturally moved to introduce the general, but— 𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙥𝒖𝒃.𝒄𝒐𝒎
He realized he didn’t know the man’s name.
“Shall I introduce you? Or would you prefer to do it yourself?”
“Heh. Would it kill you to just do it for me?”
“If I introduce you, I’ll be compelled to sing your praises. I might even exaggerate a bit.”
“You’ve gotten cheekier, haven’t you? I surrender! I’ll introduce myself before I embarrass myself. A pleasure to meet you, young lady. I’m Brigadier General Prowler. I was this fellow’s direct superior back in the day.”
“Oh, yes. It’s a pleasure to meet you as well.”
Brigadier General Prowler, was it?
The fact that he didn’t give a surname meant he was a commoner.
In general, military officers were drawn from the nobility.
Naturally, commoners and nobles were treated very differently.
For someone of common birth to rise to the rank of brigadier general, Prowler had to be not just capable—but a ruthless force of nature.
“And what brings you to Seorn, Brigadier General?”
“Didn’t I say I was on vacation?”
“Even so, I doubt you came to Seorn on a whim.”
That was Ludger’s instinct speaking.
Prowler might look like a kindly old man with a warm smile, but within him was something deeper—something that had propelled him to the rank of brigadier general.
These types had one thing in common.
They never moved without purpose.
“Well, it’s nothing major. Didn’t a cryptid appear in Rederbelk recently?”
“Yes, it did.”
The Beast of Jévaudan.
Though in truth, it wasn’t a real cryptid—it was Hans transformed by the power of the Beast’s fang.
But for those unaware of the truth, it was as if the nightmare from the Kingdom of Durmang had resurfaced in the Exilion Empire.
“It wasn’t just any cryptid—it was the kind of monster that turned an entire neighboring kingdom upside down. Of course we had to step in.”
Naturally.
Ludger recalled that during his time as a soldier, he had earned distinctions for hunting cryptids.
That meant the military unit he served in specialized in cryptid subjugation. So it wasn’t strange for Prowler, his former superior, to come to Seorn.
He had likely come to investigate the Jévaudan beast sighting—and, upon seeing the festival, had stopped by.
“Tsk. Lately I don’t know what’s going on in the Empire.”
“There probably won’t be anything serious.”
“I hope so, too. But given my position, I can’t afford to think so optimistically.”
“I understand.”
“Oh dear. Look at me, rambling. I’ve kept you far too long. Did you have other plans?”
“During the festival, I have patrol duties as a teacher.”
“Heh! You should’ve said so. As much as I’d love to reminisce about the past, I can’t hold on to a busy man all day. Off you go, then.”
“Thank you. Take care.”
Once Prowler left, Ludger was finally able to relax.
Had that conversation gone on any longer, he might have exposed too much.
The anxiety he felt when someone suddenly approached claiming to know him—
It was fortunate he’d managed to piece things together and respond in time. Had he been caught off guard, his false identity would have been uncovered.
‘Just because it’s a festival doesn’t mean I can let my guard down.’
If anything, a festival made things even riskier.
There could be more guests from the outside who knew the false identity of Ludger.
‘Still, since even someone like Brigadier General Prowler didn’t suspect anything, most others probably won’t either.’
The military, by nature, involved close quarters and constant interaction—so it made sense someone would recognize him.
But aside from that, he likely had little to worry about.
Back when he was submitting papers to the Mage Tower, he had barely shown his face—his name was all anyone knew.
And based on what Prowler had said, Ludger had been a stiff and unsociable figure during his time in the military as well.
“You really were a soldier, Mr. Ludger.”
Selina murmured in awe beside him.
Even the way he handled a gun—now combined with the fact that he clearly knew an actual military officer—finally made it all feel real to Selina.
“How was life in the military?”
“It was nothing special.”
Ludger had no choice but to answer that way.
Because it had never actually happened.
Still, Selina looked at Ludger with even more admiration, as if his modesty only deepened her respect.
“I’ve heard being a soldier is really hard! But for you to speak of it so casually... you really are amazing, Mr. Ludger.”
Wait, how did it turn into that?
Ludger considered correcting her, explaining that wasn’t what he meant at all—but gave up.
He didn’t even feel the need anymore. It was just tiring now.
“Let’s continue our patrol.”
“Yes!”
Selina trailed beside Ludger, step for step. He kept noticing it—how she was almost childishly pure, hardly what you’d expect from a fellow teacher.
Ludger remained wary that someone else might suddenly approach him, claiming to know him. But fortunately, nothing of the sort happened.
As the sun dipped lower in the sky, Ludger and Selina roamed the festival under the pretense of patrolling, exploring various corners.
Of course, Ludger mostly observed, while Selina was the one actually enjoying it.
“Mmm. This is delicious.”
Selina crunched into the lollipop she’d just bought.
The sky had grown dusky. But nightfall did nothing to cool the excitement of the festival.
“So, did you enjoy the festival?”
“E-enjoy? What are you talking about? I don’t know what you mean!”
Selina looked away in embarrassment, fidgeting.
She must have realized just how excited and energetic she’d gotten throughout the day.
“M-Mr. Ludger, please don’t tell the other teachers about today, okay? Promise me.”
“I had no intention of doing so.”
“Really?! You mean it?!”
“Everyone else is probably having just as much fun as you are.”
“Y-you think so?”
The way she reacted to every little comment made her a surprisingly easy person to read.
“Time flew by. I can’t believe the whole day’s already gone.”
“There are still four more days of the festival.”
“Oh, right! And tomorrow, you’re going to...”
“Yes. I’ll be participating in the duel.”
Ludger nodded.
Tomorrow, he would take part in one of the Magic Festival’s main events: a public dueling match.
Until now, it had been an event reserved for students to showcase their abilities. But this year, thanks to suggestions from teachers like Hugo Burteg, faculty members would also participate.
Of course, duels between teachers and students were not permitted—students would fight students, and teachers would fight teachers.
Ludger didn’t care much who his opponent would be.
After all, the duel itself held no importance to him.
No matter what misunderstandings people may form about him, Ludger had only one focus during this festival.
Esmeralda.
“I think we’ve almost finished our patrol...”
Just as Ludger was about to say that, he spotted a familiar figure.
‘Krolro Febius?’
A blond man in a half-ruined state, hurrying somewhere with wild urgency.
It was Krolro Febius—who should have been holed up in his lodging, forbidden from stepping outside.
Krolro was moving like a man being chased—or chasing something himself.
And toward a place with barely any foot traffic.
‘What the hell is that lunatic doing?’
Ludger narrowed his eyes.
He had clearly warned Krolro during their last encounter to stay put until the end of the festival.
Apparently, that warning hadn’t landed.
“Miss Selina, I’ll step away for a moment.”
“Ah! Mr. Ludger!”
Ludger rushed after Krolro Febius.
Krolro’s destination was the commercial /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ district within Seorn Academy.
Between two buildings, in an alley untouched by the setting sun’s light—
Krolro had his hands around a female student’s neck.
“Die! Dieeee!!”
You insane bastard.
Seeing Krolro consumed by madness, Ludger instantly activated his source code.
A compressed blast of mana ripped through the air and struck Krolro square in the back.
“Wh-who’s there?!”
Krolro whipped around, eyes bloodshot, glaring toward the intruder who had interfered.
But then he saw Ludger standing at the alley’s entrance—and froze.
Backlit by the faint glow spilling from the festival grounds, Ludger stared at him with a cold, expressionless gaze. The sight was almost otherworldly.
Krolro’s teeth clacked together without him realizing it.
“Right now...”
Ludger’s voice made it unmistakably clear how displeased he was.
“...what do you think you’re doing here?”
