NOVPUBAfter the incident ended, Duke Heibach also departed.
Given his position, he said he had to exchange farewells with the others.
Now that my solid wall of support had disappeared, no one else approached me.
Was it because I had a scuffle with Cayden Lumos?
Perhaps they were all afraid of offending the Lumos family, and so they didn’t dare come near me.
Had I known it would work this well, I would’ve done it sooner.
‘But what was that chill just now?’
This strange feeling—like I had unknowingly taken on some serious responsibility—what was that?
‘I’d better kill some time and slip out quietly.’
Standing in a corner of the banquet hall, I quietly looked up at the sky.
Bright white clouds floated across the blue sky, carried by the wind.
A flock of birds happened to fly straight across the center of it all.
‘Hm?’
Something flying in the sky was heading directly toward me.
‘A bug?’
Feeling a strange sense of déjà vu, I kept my eyes on the small insect-like thing flying my way.
As it drew closer, I could make out its form more clearly.
It looked like a small white beetle, but its surface was covered in intricate characters like some kind of magical script.
It was a piece of letter paper, folded and used like a bug.
As far as I knew, there was only one person who used magic like this.
‘Assistant Sedina, huh.’
It was one of Sedina Roschen’s specialties—origami magic.
It was more discreet than directly using a communication orb, so she used it frequently.
The paper insect landed in my palm and soon unfolded itself into a tiny note.
I carefully examined the contents without letting anyone else notice.
‘Hmm. This is...’
Though the note contained a fairly long message, it could be summarized quite simply:
[Currently, Joanna from the Second Order is stirring up suspicious activity with other Order members.]
Joanna Lovett.
A survivor of the Great Fire of Roteng, and a Second Order member of the Black Dawn Society.
‘Joanna Lovett is on the move? Did Esmeralda issue orders to her subordinates?’
As I mulled it over, I soon dismissed the possibility.
‘When I met Esmeralda that day, she had no idea she would run into Krolro Febius there.’
It was clearly Joanna Lovett’s doing that led to the encounter with Krolro Febius in that alleyway.
‘There’s no way it was a coincidence. The most likely explanation is that Joanna Lovett acted on her own.’
The Black Dawn Society is extremely hierarchical.
And yet, a Second Order not obeying a First Order’s command?
‘It’s plausible. Joanna Lovett is a survivor of the Roteng fire, too.’
A picture began to form in my head.
A First Order like Esmeralda, acting alone in the name of vengeance.
A Second Order like Joanna, moving independently without receiving direct orders.
‘Have the two fallen out?’
I covered my mouth with one hand, lost in thought.
When I saw them that day, Esmeralda didn’t blame or scold the unconscious Joanna.
So it wasn’t that they were on bad terms.
If anything, it might be the opposite.
‘That bond survivors of a disaster might share.’
Joanna Lovett could be stepping forward on her own, out of concern for Esmeralda.
Which means that gathering the other members right now—was all done at Joanna Lovett’s discretion.
‘This... might be a chance to dig in.’
I had vaguely sensed it during the <Philosopher’s Stone> incident too.
The Black Dawn Society wasn’t a perfect, seamless organization.
Even they had internal factions, and some would drag others down to climb higher.
Some acted on their own, some ignored commands from higher orders.
Probably because many of their members were recruited solely for their abilities.
From a distance, it might look like an impenetrable iron fortress—but up close, you’d find cracks and flaws everywhere.
Even the Black Dawn Society had weaknesses.
‘I’ll need to prepare.’
And to do that, what did I need?
First of all, since this would likely consume a lot of mana, I’d have to make more medicine.
* * *
The fourth day of the festival.
Ludger visited the apothecary lab in the research wing.
Ordinarily, this place would’ve been strictly off-limits—but perhaps because of the festival?
Many people had come to the apothecary to participate in hands-on activities.
Pharmacology is a field where even laypeople can make simple potions if they follow expert instructions.
Because it’s just a matter of adjusting ingredient ratios and combinations, the entry barrier is quite low.
Ludger didn’t head for the beginner area where all the demonstrations were taking place.
Instead, he went in the opposite direction—toward the advanced apothecary, accessible only to those with permission.
‘Being a teacher at Seorn sure has its perks.’
He could make simple mana recovery pills on his own, but considering what was coming, he needed something with a stronger effect.
That would require better ingredients and more precise tools.
And Seorn’s apothecary lab had all of it.
‘There’s so much.’
Ludger inwardly exclaimed as he looked at the ingredient storage wall filling one side of the massive lab.
There were so many rare materials here, it was hard to believe anything was missing.
‘Methos leaves? They’re so rare you can barely find them on the market, and they have this many?’
There were materials here that would qualify as first-grade just by rarity alone.
Trying to procure these personally would cost a fortune—and a lot of time.
Seeing them here, just lying around casually, reminded him again—this was Seorn.
‘And as a teacher, I can use them freely? I should’ve come sooner.’
Of course, any time you make a potion, you must log exactly how much of each ingredient you use.
It’s a measure to prevent anyone from sneaking ingredients out.
‘Not that I’d ever need to do that.’
Why bother stealing when you have full access?
Ludger wrote his name in the logbook and selected an open workspace for potion-making.
Scales, beakers, drying racks, tablet press, all kinds of reagents and catalysts...
There was nothing lacking in the equipment.
‘If Bellaruna saw this place, her eyes would pop out.’
She’s an elf who loves brewing potions—this would’ve looked like paradise to her.
Chuckling at the thought, Ludger lined up the tools for easy access.
That’s when he heard someone click their tongue.
Looking up, he saw a familiar face at the workstation across from his.
“Ludger Cherish. What business do you have here?”
Chris Bennimore.
A sharp glare pierced through his rimless glasses as he stared at Ludger.
Apparently, he hadn’t expected to run into Ludger here.
The feeling was mutual.
“I could ask the same, Professor Chris. What brings you here?”
“Isn’t it obvious? I came to make medicine.”
“So did I.”
“Ha. Medicine?”
Chris Bennimore scoffed at Ludger’s reply.
Sure, pharmacology was easy—if you had a formula to follow.
But Ludger had no such recipe with him.
And the fact that Ludger, who handled general education, came to make medicine?
It was laughable.
“Wouldn’t it be better to get some lessons from the assistants in the beginner zone first?”
His words were a blunt jab at Ludger’s supposed lack of skill.
But Ludger didn’t even flinch.
Instead, he shot a question right back.
“Then let me ask you—what brings you here, Professor Chris?”
“What are you implying?”
“You must have quite an interest in pharmacology, I see.”
At that, Chris’s face twisted °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° slightly.
“I originally majored in pharmacology!”
“Oh? You had a major?”
“Don’t tell me you don’t know what kind of family the Bennimores are?”
The Bennimore family had long been a prestigious household that made the greatest contributions to the field of pharmacology.
In the past, they were unrivaled in potion-making and once held the top position in the industry without competition.
“I don’t.”
But Ludger had no particular reason to pay attention to the Bennimore family, so he hadn’t known that.
Chris was momentarily speechless at that brazen response.
“You dare mock the Bennimore family...?”
“Then why are you teaching Specialization instead of Pharmacology?”
The question came before Chris could even properly raise his voice in anger.
At those words, Chris was struck speechless.
Why was the heir of the famed Bennimore family, renowned for pharmacology, teaching Specialization at Seorn instead?
“T-That’s...”
Chris hesitated.
Ludger had hit a sore spot dead-on.
Though the Bennimore family had once been known for pharmacology, their influence had significantly declined.
That was because their primary products were potions.
But most medicines on the market now were pills.
Easier to store, lighter in weight, and no less effective than potions.
Of course, there was still demand for potions.
But compared to the days when they dominated the market—those days were effectively over.
To make matters worse, the Bennimores had always insisted on crafting their medicines by hand.
In today’s world, where technological advances allow mass production of medicines in shorter times, the Bennimore family had failed to keep up with the times—and naturally fell behind.
That was why Chris Bennimore taught Specialization.
The pharmacology he had learned in a family that hadn’t adapted to the times was of no use at Seorn.
In contrast, Specialization remained the most defining and enduring branch of magic.
That’s why he chose it.
“......You don’t need to know.”
But that was all Chris could say in response.
Ludger’s question had carried no malice—only pure curiosity.
But Chris didn’t take it that way.
‘This bastard. He said that deliberately to mock me—he definitely knows.’
Even as he glared at Ludger, the man calmly nodded and began organizing his ingredients like he’d gotten what he wanted.
‘That bastard.’
Chris stared at Ludger in surprise.
His handling of the tools was far too natural.
‘Wait, does he actually have some knowledge of pharmacology?’
No way.
Chris shook his head, trying to shake off the uneasy thought.
But even though he didn’t want to care, his curiosity wouldn’t go away.
If nothing else, Ludger was the man who invented Source Code and Coordinate Designation spells.
Recently, it was said he’d even developed a unique course on magical arrays by improving on classical magic circles.
As a fellow mage, Chris couldn’t deny that Ludger was a fascinating figure—even if not worthy of respect.
And now Ludger had entered the apothecary lab.
Chris had no idea what kind of medicine he was planning to make.
Maybe that’s why...
He kept getting distracted, glancing over at Ludger’s work without meaning to.
‘What the hell is he trying to make?’
Ludger was calmly picking out ingredients from the wall lined with materials.
There wasn’t the slightest hint of hesitation in his movements.
That kind of decisiveness could only come from someone who truly understood the properties of each item—Chris narrowed his eyes.
‘That’s Lubrel root? Only rated Grade 4 in efficacy, but difficult to handle, so it’s classified as Grade 2 overall.’
Each ingredient he picked up was remarkable.
‘Petraxia leaves and Cocoon flower buds? Both highly toxic and require repeated distillation to be safe... Is he making poison to kill someone?’
All the reagents had some level of inherent danger—even if they weren’t the most extreme.
Of course, assuming the medicine was properly prepared, the high danger level meant equally high effectiveness.
But that’s only if one of those ingredients was used alone.
‘Everything he’s picking either causes mana rampage, concentrates it, or amplifies it.’
If you combined multiple strong ingredients like that, you’d end up with more side effects than actual efficacy.
“E-Excuse me...”
Apparently Chris wasn’t the only one growing uneasy—an assistant managing the apothecary tentatively approached Ludger.
“What is it?”
“Um, those ingredients you’ve gathered... Are you planning to use all of them?”
“I am.”
“That’s dangerous. They’re all difficult to handle and come with strong side effects. If you mess up, you’ll end up wasting all the ingredients.”
“It’s fine. I know how to handle them.”
You know how to handle them?
The assistant stared at him, dumbfounded.
‘Hah... Is he bluffing?’
But looking at Ludger’s serious expression, he genuinely seemed to believe it.
There was a strange intensity about him. The assistant felt like he should be stopping him more firmly—but couldn’t bring himself to do it.
‘Ah, forget it. Let him do what he wants. If he fails, it’s his own loss.’
It was a shame to see such rare ingredients potentially wasted, but some teachers had always taken liberties with the supplies anyway.
From the assistant’s perspective, avoiding unnecessary conflict was the smarter move.
Still, just in case, he decided to keep an eye on things.
Ignoring the assistant’s gaze, Ludger brought the ingredients to his station and began his concoction.
The assistant, watching the process carefully, couldn’t help but widen his eyes.
‘Wait—’
Chris Bennimore too—still sneaking glances just in case—found himself reacting the same way.
