NOVPUB‘Why is she here all of a sudden?’
I had no idea why the Headmaster had come here.
Still, I walked into my private faculty office with the most composed steps I could manage and quietly shut the door behind me.
Until I knew what her purpose was for seeking me out, I couldn’t afford to reveal even a sliver of my inner thoughts.
Clack.
As the door clicked shut, a suffocating silence settled into the room.
I calmly took a seat across from the Headmaster, who was already seated on the guest sofa.
She simply looked at me with a warm, beaming smile.
The one who broke the silence first was her.
“What do you think? Isn’t the interior design lovely?”
Her opener was light and meaningless.
But I didn’t let my guard down. Even such casual words could be an attempt to test me.
“Yes. I suppose it is.”
“At Seorn Academy, we provide every teacher with their own private space. Professor Ludger, you can use this room however you like without worrying about anyone else.”
“That’s quite to my liking.”
Her golden eyes turned to me.
I didn’t avoid her gaze but met it squarely.
Reflected in those polished amber-like irises was my own face.
Just like when we first met, her gaze made my skin crawl.
I smoothly changed the subject.
“What brings the Headmaster here personally?”
“Did I come somewhere I wasn’t supposed to?”
“It’s not that. I was just wondering why someone as busy as the Headmaster would visit a new instructor’s private office in person.”
“Then it’s not like I came somewhere forbidden, is it?”
“But it’s rather burdensome.”
When I responded bluntly, the Headmaster fell silent.
Her pleasant smile remained, but a strange emotion spread through her eyes like ink dropped in water, making it hard to discern her true intentions.
She shook her head slightly.
“No special reason.”
“I see.”
“Even if you’re new, Professor Ludger, you’re still a valued member of the Seorn faculty. As Headmaster, of course I’d take an interest in that.”
“Understood.”
I nodded along appropriately, and for some reason, her lips formed a small pout.
“You could stand to be a little more surprised, you know.”
“My apologies. I assure you—I’m already quite surprised.”
It wasn’t even a lie.
I had approached this door with some excitement over my private workspace, only to find the Headmaster already waiting inside. That had startled me more than any ghostly encounter in a dark alley.
But I had enough experience to not let it show on my face.
Even now, my heart was pounding like crazy, and I kept worrying whether she could hear it.
“The other instructors were all surprised.”
“You visited them as well?”
“You’re the last one, Professor Ludger.”
Why save me for last? Was she planning to meet all the new teachers?
Suddenly, I recalled the secret society that had infiltrated Seorn.
‘Could it be...’
Had she picked up on something?
Even a secret organization can’t perfectly hide all its tracks.
And someone of her caliber...
‘She must have at least noticed that something suspicious is moving within Seorn.’
If I hadn’t known, I might’ve brushed it off. But now that I was aware of the secret society’s presence, her demeanor took on a different weight.
Could she be suspecting me?
‘It’s possible.’
It felt unfair, but I couldn’t exactly argue.
I wasn’t a member of the secret society, but I was a high-ranking officer in it.
As absurd as that sounds—that’s my current situation.
And thinking about it, my real identity isn’t exactly something I can flaunt either. I’m still fighting to keep that hidden.
“So then, Headmaster. What is it you came here to ask me?”
“Oh, nothing much. I was also hoping to check in on how your first class went. You just came from finishing it, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Any students give you trouble? Make things difficult?”
“Not particularly.”
In fact, I wondered if it was even normal for students to ask so few questions.
Well, I had made it clear with my aura that I wasn’t someone they could approach easily, but still—I didn’t expect that level of complete silence.
Ah. Although the daughter of the Lumos family did ask a question.
“Hm, that’s interesting. I looked at the list of students enrolled in your class, and there are quite a few prominent names.”
“Is that so?”
“You didn’t check?”
“I brought the list just now and was about to look.”
I held up the paper in my hand.
“Well, it’s up to you, of course. But still, be careful—after all, we have a princess in that class, and we wouldn’t want any trouble.”
“Yes. Of course.”
A princess?
Don’t tell me someone with royal blood is attending my class.
Forget honored—I’m just plain rattled.
Suddenly, I thought back to the bold, sharp-tongued blonde student who had questioned me earlier.
Come to think of it, she did look strangely familiar. Was she of that bloodline?
“And I heard quite a few new first-years are in your class as well. I thought you’d only be teaching second-years, but it turns out it’s a joint lecture?”
“I didn’t see a need to separate the first- and second-years.”
“I’m not criticizing you. On the contrary, I actually support your decision to mix things up a bit. Especially since there are some truly exceptional first-years this term.”
“Exceptional students?”
“Yes. There’s one who uses an [Unusual] type of magic, some from impressive family lineages, and others raised diligently by the Mage Tower. Normally, there’d be a noticeable gap between first- and second-years, but I suspect that won’t be the case this time.”
She smiled as she spoke about the students—an expression befitting the head of the Academy.
But every time I saw that smile, it gave me chills.
Given my circumstances, I wasn’t exactly in a position to speak freely. I simply nodded politely at her words.
“In any case, Seorn Academy has high hopes for you, Professor Ludger Cherish.”
“That’s more than I deserve.”
“I’m relieved your first lecture went smoothly and you made a decent first impression with the students. One less thing to worry about.”
With that, the Headmaster rose from her seat.
Out of courtesy, I offered, “Would you care for some tea before you go?”
“...Pardon?”
Maybe she hadn’t expected me to say that.
She blinked in slight confusion, then her eyes curved like a crescent moon in amusement.
“Thank you, but I’ve got a mountain of work waiting for me. I barely managed to squeeze in time to visit you.”
“I see.”
“And besides, you just got here, didn’t you? Do you even know where the tea is stored? Or where the cups are?”
“Somewhere inside the cabinets, I imagine.”
“Wrong. We only stock coffee by default. If you want tea, you’ll have to request it from the break room.”
“Is that so? I didn’t know.”
“You’ll learn soon enough. Well then. I’ll be counting on you going forward.”
With a mischievous smile, she said her goodbyes and left the room.
Truly—she was like a gentle storm in human form.
I let out a quiet sigh and rubbed my eyelids with my fingers.
* * *
“How did it go?”
A few steps behind the Headmaster, who walked gracefully down the corridor, followed the elderly gentleman—Wilford.
“Have your suspicions about Professor Ludger been put to rest?”
“Hmm. I’m not sure yet.”
The Headmaster recalled her conversation with Ludger Cherish—more precisely, his perfectly composed attitude during their exchange.
“I’m still on the fence.”
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
Ludger Cherish was a peculiar man.
That was what the Headmaster thought.
Anyone who met her eyes would fall under their spell—captivated by the golden glow of her gaze.
Or more precisely, bewitched by the natural magical aura her eyes exuded.
The Mystic Eye of Allure.
It was both her power and the greatest reason she had risen to the position she now held.
Of course, it wasn’t something she used intentionally. Her Mystic Eye functioned more like an innate condition. As long as someone made eye contact, they’d be caught in its effect regardless of her will.
At least now, she had learned to control it somewhat. In the past, it had been difficult to even live a normal life.
Still, she readily admitted—without this power, she never would’ve made it to the Headmaster’s seat at Seorn.
After all, there was no better tool for rooting out those who tried to infiltrate the Academy with shady intentions.
So today, she’d used the excuse of a casual interview to try and probe into Ludger’s true nature.
My Mystic Eye tends to be more effective on people with strong mana.
Her Mystic Eye could influence even 4th-circle mages—assuming they weren’t actively using mental defense magic.
In fact, the greater the target’s magical power, the more easily they would be affected. The power of the Mystic Eye was proportional to the total mana a person possessed.
And yet... Ludger was entirely unaffected.
He was likely a 4th-circle mage, and yet, he responded nothing like the other instructors.
The first time she used her Mystic Eye on him was when he had entered the Headmaster’s office.
And this was the second time.
The man had met her Mystic Eye twice—without showing the slightest tremor.
Could it be he hadn’t noticed?
No, he clearly perceived it.
And yet, he showed no reaction.
That meant he had resisted the power of the Mystic Eye with sheer strength of will.
The Headmaster’s eyes sparkled.
Truly...
What an interesting man.
She couldn’t help but think so.
But such thoughts couldn’t be expressed so openly.
“We’ve detected suspicious movements, so I’ve been keeping an eye on the most questionable individuals. But nothing concrete has come up so far.”
Ever since learning that certain unsavory elements had infiltrated Seorn, she could no longer overlook even the smallest thing.
Among those incidents was the train terrorist attack Ludger had been involved in on his way here.
It wasn’t his fault.
Still, she couldn’t help but consider the possibility.
What if the train attack was merely a diversion—and Ludger Cherish had been switched with someone else during the chaos?
Which was why she had dispatched Wilford, her most trusted subordinate and one of Seorn’s top talents, to greet him.
Using the guise of a welcome.
“What do you think, Wilford?”
“Hmm. I wouldn’t say he’s earned my full trust, but I didn’t find anything suspicious either.”
“I see.”
If Wilford was saying that, then it had to be one of two things:
Either Ludger Cherish truly was innocent...
Or he was an extraordinary actor who had completely deceived even them.
For now, I can only hope it’s not the latter.
She had too much to worry about as it was, so she decided to put the Ludger question aside—for now.
“Oh. But there’s one thing I’m certain of.”
“And what’s that?”
“That Ludger Cherish is absolutely not ordinary.”
“Not ordinary? And what makes you say that?”
“I can only call it an old man’s intuition.”
“...Seriously.”
Wilford seemed rather favorable toward Ludger.
And Wilford had a sharp eye for people.
If he said so, it was probably worth trusting—but even so, the Headmaster wouldn’t drop her guard ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) entirely.
A moment’s negligence could lead to the worst possible outcome.
That was what it meant to be a mage—especially one in her position, at the very top of Seorn Academy.
She had to consider every possibility.
And prepare for them all.
* * *
Once I was alone, and I could no longer sense her presence behind the door, I finally let my shoulders relax and exhaled a deep sigh.
I was exhausted.
Even my brain was crying out for mana.
The Headmaster herself, suddenly paying a visit...
Sure, she claimed it was just a routine meeting for new instructors.
But who in their right mind would believe that?
No, it felt more like an interrogation.
But that’s not what matters right now.
I quickly moved to the desk in my new office.
It was made of luxurious, high-quality wood and looked expensive just sitting there.
One wall featured a clock composed of intricate gears. Another wall held a map of Seorn pinned to a display board.
The windows were flanked by regal crimson curtains, and even the chair I now sat in was of exceptional quality.
Once again, I found myself impressed—first by how Seorn had provided such a space even to a new hire, and again by how tastefully it had been furnished.
Then, I pulled out the student list for my class.
So it’s true.
There was a student with a name far longer and more elegant than the others.
Second-year: Erendir von Exilion.
Anyone who bore the Empire’s name—Exilion—as a surname was clearly of royal blood. You’d have to be a fool not to recognize it.
She was the one who asked that bold question during orientation, wasn’t she?
No wonder her face had felt familiar—she was royalty.
I was going to lose my mind. Out of all people, the princess had to take my class.
Of course, she was probably attending other instructors’ lectures too, but that didn’t ease the pressure.
Even though Seorn operated under imperial protection as a semi-autonomous region, things were different when royalty was involved.
If anything happened to her, it would cause a massive headache for me.
Not that anything should happen at Seorn... but still.
There were always risks—alchemy experiments, mock battles, magical reagent mishaps...
Even if I did my best to keep students safe, there were always places teachers’ eyes couldn’t reach. Fights could break out between students.
That’s why faculty were entrusted with the duty to protect their students.
...And come to think of it, there was a secret society lurking in Seorn too.
I really am going to lose it.
Still, nothing had exploded just yet, so I decided to stay calm and focused.
I continued scanning the rest of the student list.
There were some names that stood out even among the first- and second-years.
Flora of the Lumos family, and even nobles from foreign kingdoms...
And then—my eyes stopped on a single name.
Aidan.
He didn’t come from any particularly great household. He hadn’t trained under a renowned mage. Just an ordinary commoner.
Sure, he must’ve had talent to make it into Seorn, but even compared to other students, nothing about him stood out.
And yet... something about him feels familiar.
Something about that name, or that presence, tugged at my mind in a way I couldn’t place.
