NOVPUBWhen Brino pulled away the cloth to unveil the golem, it looked... oddly simplistic—far from what people had anticipated.
No—not just a little.
The thing they expected—a humanoid golem with two legs and two arms—turned out to be a giant metal sphere.
“...What is that? It’s just... a round hunk of metal.”
Its surface gave off a soft golden hue, but it wasn’t actual gold—an alloy of brass and other metals.
The children, who had been excited to see a cool golem, were visibly disappointed.
“Seriously? What is this? Just a scrap ball of metal parked there,” Hans muttered, unable to hide his own disappointment.
The only one who hadn’t lost interest was Seridan.
Arms crossed, she stared intently at the massive metallic sphere.
Brino chuckled awkwardly and continued his explanation.
“Haha. I can see you’re all wondering what this is. And I understand—it doesn’t look like a golem, right? But that’s exactly why I’m going to show you the true form of this new model.”
With that, Brino pulled out a small prepared magic stone.
Most golems typically ran on steam-powered engines, but those were only for lower-grade industrial types.
Golems, too, had a class hierarchy.
Higher-tier golems with greater power and operational time naturally relied on magic stones as their energy source.
Brino pressed a marble-sized stone that glowed with a bluish hue against the surface of the sphere.
There was a shallow groove in the sphere—just the right size—and the stone slid in perfectly.
As soon as it connected, the stone glowed. Blue lines spread rapidly across the golden surface of the sphere.
They were circuits—magical circuits carved into the golem’s shell.
Clink, clank...
Suddenly, the sphere began to change.
Following the fine grooves in its surface, the sphere split open—legs unfolded, and the body lifted upright.
The sound of metal grinding against metal filled the air, gears spinning wildly.
In under ten seconds—
The previously featureless ball of metal transformed into a humanoid golem with two arms and two legs.
On its small, bowl-shaped face, a blue light shimmered—emanating from the embedded magic stone.
“Wooooaaah!”
“A-Amazing!”
The spectators, who had watched the whole process, burst into applause.
Children threw away their toys and clung to their parents’ sleeves, begging them to buy that instead.
“Ho...”
Ludger stroked his chin, visibly intrigued by the golem’s form.
Its design, still rooted in the sphere, lacked sleekness—round and bulky.
Its legs looked a bit undersized compared to the large, sturdy torso and oversized arms—clearly built with practicality in mind.
“Short legs, but arms long enough to touch the ground. Seems like it sacrificed mobility for strength—built to carry heavy objects or smash things. Looks perfect for mining work.”
The one person Ludger expected to be giddiest—Seridan—was instead analyzing the golem’s utility with a cool, professional eye.
“Since it starts as a sphere, it’s probably easier to transport when not in use. Just roll it along. But... if that’s all it can do, it’s a bit underwhelming.”
“There’s more to it, huh?”
“You think so too, right, sir?”
Ludger saw it as well—from Brino’s expression, he could tell the man hadn’t revealed everything yet.
And right on cue, Brino moved into the next part of the presentation.
“I'm thrilled you’re enjoying it so far, but I assure you, the DT-3000 has more to show. Now, watch closely.”
Brino activated the golem with his mana once more.
The golem hunched forward slightly, crouching low.
Just like its previous transformation, the sound of clashing metal rang out—and its form began to change again.
Its short legs stretched out, its arms repositioned to brace the ground firmly.
The humanoid golem soon took the shape of a horse, shifting smoothly into a quadruped stance with a light trot.
“Whoa. No way...”
Hans, initially indifferent, now stared in awe.
And so did everyone else.
From sphere to humanoid, from humanoid to beast form.
Anyone would feel a thrill watching a golem morph through multiple transformations like that.
Even Ludger was impressed.
A transforming robot... I’ve only ever seen those in movies.
The difference, of course, was that those movie robots were CGI.
This one was very real.
...I wonder if it turns into a car next.
The stray thought made Ludger chuckle to himself—it was ridiculous even to him.
Brino continued his explanation with pride.
“As you can see, the new DT-3000 has three transformation modes. The humanoid form—for breaking and lifting. The beast form—for transporting people and cargo. And the standby mode for storage and mobility.”
A golem that could adapt its form to fit the situation.
Compared to current golems, which had fixed forms, this was undeniably advanced.
The crowd’s reaction proved it.
Just this alone will attract calls from all over.
Indeed, the audience wasn’t just made up of children and their parents—there were quite a few businesspeople involved in golem-related industries as well.
Those individuals now looked visibly eager, having seen the DT-3000’s potential.
“Sir! Can I go look around a bit more?!”
Seridan turned back, eyes gleaming, and Ludger nodded.
“Go ahead. Just don’t stray too far.”
“Got it!”
Before anyone could stop her, she was already running off ahead.
Hans sighed.
“Anyone watching would think we came here on vacation.”
“Don’t be too harsh. Sometimes a little fun like this is necessary. Otherwise, who knows what Seridan might do.”
“...You have a point.”
Hans knew all too well what happened when Seridan reached her limit.
When she exploded, it was literal.
Her instincts and talent as a demolitionist were such that if Ludger didn’t intervene, nothing could stop her once she started.
“Like the first time we met.”
“Right. In the Delica Kingdom.”
“Exactly.”
They had first met Seridan in the underground mines of the Delica Kingdom.
Back then, Delica was using demi-humans as slaves, forcing them to labor deep in the mines. Ludger had been investigating the kingdom’s underbelly and discovered the horrors before anyone else.
In that bleak place, where all hope was lost, only one dwarf kept her fire alive.
She scavenged scraps from abandoned machinery and combined sulfur powder and ammonia from the mine to make an improvised bomb—powerful enough to blow open a tunnel and escape.
If Ludger and Hans hadn’t stumbled across her in time, she would’ve brought the entire mine down.
That was the kind of dwarf Seridan was.
An inventor incarnate—one who never gave up on creating, no matter the situation.
These days, she’d been cooped up in her back-alley workshop, probably frustrated. So Ludger had taken the opportunity to bring her out for a change of pace.
Otherwise, the catastrophe that almost happened in the Delica mines might very well have occurred here in Rederbelk.
“Even now, just thinking about it gives me goosebumps.”
“But you’re still alive, aren’t you?”
Hans nodded in full agreement.
At that moment, some students passing by recognized Ludger and called out.
“Professor Ludger! Hello!”
“Yes.”
“Your match was amazing! Congratulations on the win!”
“Thanks.”
Though he only replied with short answers, the students giggled and ran off excitedly, clearly pleased.
Watching them go, Hans turned to Ludger.
“You’re surprisingly popular with the students, huh?”
“Me?”
“Who else? There are rumors everywhere—about the charismatic new professor who invented a new form of magic. Of course the students are going to talk.”
Ludger still looked unconvinced.
“...Wait, don’t tell me—you’re not aware of it?”
“Aware of what?”
“Just asking to be sure... how would you say your position at Seorn stands right now?”
“I’m just an ordinary new instructor, aren’t I?”
“...Are you serious? You honestly believe that you’re an ordinary new instructor?”
“Well, compared to other new instructors, I may have a slight edge.”
“Slight? Am I misunderstanding what the word ‘slight’ means these days?”
Hans was having a hard time wrapping his head around Ludger’s reasoning.
“Sure, I know full well how talented you are—been watching you long enough to know that you shine wherever you go. But even so, aren’t you just a bit too unaware of your standing?”
“Talented? Me?”
“Just take your Source Code magic. That alone puts you far beyond the rest of the faculty—don’t you realize that?” 𝓃𝓸𝓋𝓹𝓾𝓫.𝒸ℴ𝓶
Source Code was the magic that had done the most to put Ludger’s name on the map.
The coordinate-designation spell he’d revealed later was also astonishing, but since Ludger hadn’t disclosed the mechanics of it, it hadn’t spread as widely.
Still, even that had been shown briefly during the final match—anyone observant would have noticed it immediately.
“So what were you thinking, pulling a stunt like that? Weren’t you originally planning to keep your head down while working as a teacher?”
“I needed to make a name for myself. If I wanted to uncover the Black Dawn’s true intent, I couldn’t stop at just infiltrating—I had to win Seorn’s favor too.”
Ludger’s logic was sound.
If he had focused only on staying under the radar, he could have just gone through the motions and taught like any other average instructor.
But then what good would that do to overturn the situation?
He would only end up being dragged along by events instead of shaping them.
So Ludger had deliberately revealed a few of his cards—purposefully building his reputation within Seorn.
It was a calculated move—also with an eye ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) on the bonus that came from high class evaluations.
Hans nodded, finally understanding the reasoning.
“I see. The more recognition your name carries, the harder it is for the Black Dawn to give you reckless orders.”
The more fame Ludger gained, the more attention he would attract.
That made it dangerous—his cover could be blown—but at the same time, it made it harder for the Black Dawn to manipulate him.
If orders came down, Ludger could simply claim, “I can’t move—too many eyes are on me.”
“But even so, you’re putting yourself at risk.”
“Hans. If you want to accomplish anything in this world, you have to accept the risks that come with it. Without risk, there is no reward.”
“I mean... I get it, but it’s hard not to worry. Even if it was for recognition, wasn’t it too reckless to reveal Source Code?”
“How so?”
“Because if you reveal something that important right away, what do you even have left to show? If you grab all the attention at the start, it might come back to bite you.”
“That’s not something to worry about.”
“...Excuse me?”
“Source Code magic is just a small part of what I have. I showed it because it didn’t matter if it got out.”
“...”
Hans stared at him, utterly dumbfounded.
Does he not realize how people are reacting to Source Code right now?
To the magic world, Source Code was revolutionary.
A spell framework that reduced the chance of failure and allowed for rapid construction of other spells?
Of course mages would lose their minds over it.
There were already countless people showing up at Seorn trying to get their hands on it, and yet Ludger treated it like a discarded playing card?
“You’re... actually serious?”
“Hans. Have I ever lied about something like this?”
“...Gods. You really are serious.”
Hans shook his head in disbelief.
“We’ve known each other a long time, but I still don’t really understand the true extent of your abilities.”
“I told you before, didn’t I?”
“That whole talk about ‘true magic’ or whatever? I still don’t get it. Magic is magic—what’s this business about ‘true’ magic? And that thing that happens when your mana’s depleted...”
Hans had heard a lot from Ludger, but even now, he still wasn’t fully convinced.
He’d seen Ludger teleport, invent Source Code, show deep knowledge in multiple fields—and yet he still wavered.
Ludger answered calmly, as if it were nothing unusual.
“Magic is... magic. Mysterious. Unfathomable. Difficult to understand. Something fundamentally different from what’s being used now.”
“You make it sound like something out of a legend.”
“What if it isn’t just a legend?”
“That’s...”
As Hans’s expression grew serious, Ludger shrugged.
“I’m joking.”
“...I’ve said this before, but your jokes are terrible for people with weak hearts like mine.”
“It’s not something that would show up in legends.”
“‘Not something that would’...?”
That implied it was something close.
Hans opened his mouth to say something else—only to spot someone approaching from the side, and quickly composed himself.
“Excuse me. Could I ask for directions?”
A gentle, soothing voice.
But it was strangely familiar.
Ludger slowly turned toward the speaker.
“Do you happen to know where the dueling arena is?”
The first thing he saw was her hair—sky-blue, like the heavens themselves.
Then, eyes—sharp, determined, filled with curiosity and boldness.
She was the kind of person people would glance back at even after passing her by—but Ludger couldn’t afford such carefree thoughts.
Why... is she here, of all places?
Casey Selmore.
The person Ludger was most on guard against—now stood right in front of him.
A detective who most wanted to catch criminals...
And a criminal whose identity must never be exposed...
Now stood face-to-face, hiding their true selves.
