NOVPUBSedina Roschen walked alone through the streets of the festival.
Normally, she would have spent the day assisting Ludger in the faculty office.
But today, Ludger had explicitly forbidden her from coming in, telling her to take the day off for the festival. So with tears welling up, she forced herself to wander the festival grounds.
Because it was, after all, a direct order from Ludger—to enjoy the festival.
She didn’t have any close acquaintances or friends, but Sedina didn’t mind.
She was used to being alone.
‘But how exactly am I supposed to “enjoy” the festival? I have no idea what I’m doing.’
Why had Mr. Ludger given her such a perplexing command?
No matter how much she thought about it, nothing came to mind.
‘Wait—is this... a trial he’s giving me?!’
Like someone struck by divine revelation, a bolt of lightning metaphorically flashed above Sedina’s head.
The First Order—Ludger—had told her to enjoy the festival.
Why would he make her do the one thing she was least confident in?
‘He wants me to learn to do things I don’t want to do!’
No one lives their life doing only what they enjoy.
Life is always burdensome, and people are forced to do things they dislike.
But that’s when people split into two types:
Those who say no—and those who don’t want to, but do it well anyway.
Sedina realized now: Ludger wanted her to become the latter.
‘Ah! Truly, First Order-nim!’
Shivering from the emotional weight of it all, Sedina decided to faithfully carry out Ludger’s command.
But now she faced the question—how does one “enjoy” a festival?
Just as she was pondering this, a savory smell wafted from somewhere nearby.
‘That scent...’
Her gaze ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) naturally turned toward a street stall.
She was drawn to the rich, sweet aroma emanating from it.
The owner looked up at her with a smile and asked, “Welcome, young miss. Is there something you’d like to eat?”
“Um... I’m not sure...”
“If it’s hard to choose, I’ll make a recommendation. How about this one? It’s our best-seller. Shall I make it for you?”
“Ah, yes.”
Caught off guard, Sedina nodded.
The vendor handed her a skewer of fried potatoes coated in butter and drizzled with honey.
After paying, she stared at it for a moment, then cautiously took a bite.
“...!”
Her eyes widened. Fireworks exploded above her head.
This taste was heavenly.
The price felt a bit steep for the ingredients used, but the flavor blended perfectly with the festive atmosphere.
Finishing the snack in a flash, Sedina’s eyes wandered to other stalls.
When Ludger had first told her to enjoy the festival, she had felt totally lost.
But now she could see the path forward.
And so, Sedina fully embraced her culinary exploration of the festival.
As the sky began to darken and the sun dipped below the horizon, a signal came through on the portable communicator she always kept close.
[It’s me. Sending coordinates. Come immediately.]
The familiar voice made it clear: the First Order needed her.
She dashed toward the location, heart racing.
‘If he’s calling me now of all times, this must be the beginning of a real operation. A festival is the perfect cover for the Black Dawn to make a move!’
Sedina arrived at the scene full of anticipation.
Only then did she realize she was still holding food in both hands—but that wasn’t important.
Something secret and momentous was clearly happening.
As she waited with a pounding heart for her orders, Ludger finally spoke:
“Take care of these two.”
“Eh?”
* * *
With Sedina's help, Ludger successfully moved the unconscious individuals without being spotted.
He dumped Krolro at his own lodging, and Sedina offered to carry Joanna back to the dorms herself—slinging the girl over her back and marching off.
It was a surreal sight—tiny Sedina carrying someone taller than herself.
Joanna’s feet even dragged on the ground slightly.
‘Well... she’ll manage somehow.’
Ludger, now carrying Selina, headed to the infirmary.
Since the sun had already set, the place was empty and quiet.
Inside, only the soft red glow from the distant festival lights gave the space any illumination, making it feel like an entirely different world.
Ludger looked down at Selina, peacefully asleep on the infirmary bed.
‘Esmeralda and Selina... To think they were the same person.’
He had never imagined that the First Order he had been seeking all this time had been this close.
At first, he had suspected her.
But after observing her behavior, he had ruled her out.
In hindsight, his guess was only half-right.
‘There was a clear opportunity.’
When Esmeralda’s attention had been fully locked onto the unconscious Krolro—
Even though Quasimodo had been watching Ludger warily, there had still been an opening to strike.
He had hesitated. And because of that, he missed the chance.
‘I could have killed Esmeralda. But...’
He couldn’t kill Selina.
Selina was a good person. Even if she shared a body with something terrifying, that didn’t make her an evil person.
She didn’t know.
‘Is ignorance—especially the kind where even the chance to know is denied—a sin? If so, then do all her kindness and goodwill up until now become meaningless?’
Ludger didn’t think so.
A sin is a sin, and a good deed is a good deed.
You can’t erase a sin with good deeds like balancing an equation.
But at the same time, committing a sin doesn’t mean everything good you’ve done is erased either.
So what do you do when a sinner and a saint share the same body?
‘It’s a paradox.’
Ludger shook his head.
Still, he couldn’t put off the answer forever.
In four days, on the final day of the festival—
Esmeralda would act, just as promised, to kill Krolro Febius.
So far, her only goal had been revenge on the Febius family.
But the real issue was what would happen after that.
Once Krolro, the last of the Febius line, was dead—what would Esmeralda do?
‘As long as she’s part of the Black Dawn, she’ll have no choice but to obey the Zero Order. Maybe she joined them in the first place in exchange for help with her revenge.’
If the Febius family were completely erased, Esmeralda would likely devote herself to following Zero Order’s commands.
Which would make her a formidable wall in Ludger’s path to someday dismantling the Black Dawn Society.
If he wanted to prevent that outcome—then eliminating Esmeralda was the right choice.
Ludger looked quietly at the sleeping Selina.
Her pink hair, splayed across the pillow, shimmered softly in the light spilling through the window.
She looked like a princess in an enchanted sleep.
“...Mmm.”
Selina stirred and slowly opened her eyes.
They weren’t Esmeralda’s red ones—they were her original soft lavender hue.
“Huh? Where... am I?”
“You’ve awakened.”
“Mr. Ludger?”
Seeing Ludger beside her made her flinch.
Then she realized she was in the infirmary—and that Ludger had been watching over her.
“What... happened?”
“You fainted.”
“I—I did?”
“It seems you were quite exhausted. You collapsed while enjoying the festival, so I brought you here.”
“I... I did?”
Ludger’s voice was so serious and convincing that Selina accepted it without question.
And truthfully, he wasn’t lying. She had stayed up all night before the festival, too excited to sleep.
‘You idiot! How could you actually faint?!’
Now she looked like someone who’d just had too much fun and passed out.
She panicked at the thought that Ludger might think she was some kind of overly energetic party-lover.
‘I fainted?! Oh no! Did... did that mean Mr. Ludger carried me here?! Was I... too heavy?!’
Meanwhile, Ludger—watching Selina’s flustered reaction—let go of the last remnants of his earlier wariness.
‘Good. It looks like she doesn’t remember what happened.’
One less thing he’d have to explain.
Satisfied that Selina seemed alright, Ludger stood to leave.
“Ah—are you leaving?”
“You seem to be fine now. I’ll be going.”
“Um, Mr. Ludger...”
She seemed to want to say something, so Ludger paused and looked back.
Selina fiddled nervously with her fingers, unable to meet his gaze.
Eventually, she whispered in a tiny voice—
“Th-thank you.”
“I'm only doing what I ought to do.”
“But it’s not just about carrying me here after I fainted.”
Selina shook her head.
“I'm thankful for everything. For the advice you’ve given me... for sharing the festival with me... and even for not showing a hint of annoyance, even though I must’ve been a burden.”
All of it.
To her, every moment was a precious memory.
“I’m actually sorry... I wonder if I was just a nuisance to you.”
“Miss Selina. If you had truly been a nuisance to me, I would have told you so on the spot.”
“Huh?”
“The reason I never said anything and stayed by your side—was because I didn’t mind it either.”
It was the truth.
He hadn't shown it outwardly, but Ludger had enjoyed the energy of the festival in his own way.
Winning a prize at the shooting booth, snacking on street food, watching magical performances...
Meeting students who attended his lectures and seeing them smile.
Ludger had, without a doubt, thought to himself, “This is fun.”
He had always lived in the shadows, concealing his identity.
Walking a road paved only with hardship and strife, never once revealing his real name.
Maybe that’s why...
This, his first festival in this world, struck him so deeply.
“I had a good time today as well.”
“R-really? That’s a relief.”
Selina exhaled in relief, placing a hand on her chest.
“I was worried I might’ve annoyed you somehow.”
“There’s no need to worry about that.”
Ludger turned to leave the infirmary.
But from behind, Selina called out softly.
“Mr. Ludger.”
“Yes.”
He didn’t turn back but answered calmly.
“We’ll get to enjoy the festival together again next year... right?”
Even Selina didn’t quite understand why she asked that question.
Maybe it was just a sudden feeling—that this might be the last time.
Ludger hesitated at her uncertain voice.
Next year’s festival...
Yes, the Seorn Festival would return.
Festivals happen every year.
Maybe even more people would gather next time.
They’d all enjoy it, creating new memories.
But when that day came—would the two of them still be standing there together?
No way.
At least one of them would be gone.
That was how fate worked.
And yet—
“I’m sure we will.”
Knowing the truth, Ludger still spoke the lie.
And that alone was enough of an answer. Selina beamed.
“Then it’s a promise, okay? Next year—we’ll definitely go together!”
“Yes.”
“Promise!”
“Yes. It’s a promise.”
Even knowing it was one that would never be kept—
Ludger answered all the same.
Calmly, as always.
* * *
Thus, the first day of Seorn’s grand magical festival came to a close.
The festival lights blinked out one by one, and darkness crept in.
And as if waiting for that curtain of night—someone began to move.
Creak...
Ludger’s faculty office.
In the moonless dark, the window quietly opened, and a figure slipped inside.
A faint magical scan swept through the space.
‘No detection magic. Security’s pathetic.’
Then again, who would expect someone to sneak into a teacher’s office?
Treading softly across the carpet, the intruder made his way to Ludger’s desk.
He rifled through several drawers—until his hand froze on something, and a wicked grin spread across his face.
‘Found it.’
Rattle.
He shook the small white container, listening to the sound of pills bouncing inside.
‘If I take this, winning tomorrow’s duel will be easy, right?’
Rumor had it Ludger Cherish secretly took medication.
This had to be mana-enhancement pills—boosters to compensate for deficient mana.
The container was filled to the brim. That proved how vital it was.
Clearly, Ludger relied on these regularly.
‘So this was Ludger Cherish’s hidden secret.’
—Mana deficiency.
So much for being a magic instructor. Who would’ve guessed?
That a teacher teaching others how to wield magic lacked the mana himself?
That he had been propping himself up with pills?
‘Tomorrow’s going to be fun.’
What happens when a mage with mana deficiency loses his one way to compensate?
Just the thought of it made him chuckle.
After restoring the desk to its original state, the intruder slipped back out the way he came—through the window.
The office fell into silence once again.
As though no one had ever been there.
