NOVPUBKrolro Febius trembled, holed up in his room.
It had come.
At last, the day had arrived.
The day the Witch of Fire had promised to kill him.
‘Where is he? Where exactly is he right now?’
There was no sign of Rudger, who had said he would help him.
No, was it even accurate to say he had offered protection in the first place?
Thinking back, Rudger hadn’t even left him a way to stay in contact.
Krolro began shaking like a leaf as anxiety suddenly surged within him.
‘What if I’ve been deceived all along?’
What if Rudger never intended to help him in the first place?
But Rudger had definitely seemed to have a purpose with that Witch of Fire.
In that case, perhaps he would at least handle the witch for him.
But that didn’t mean he’d guarantee Krolro’s safety.
It just... felt like something he would do.
And that thought was confirmed the moment he heard the humming from afar.
“Ghk!”
That song—always echoing through his nightmares—made goosebumps erupt across his entire body.
She was here.
That witch had come to kill him.
His quivering lips couldn’t even form words.
‘W-Where is he?! Where is that man?!’
Krolro clawed at his hair, screaming inwardly.
Meanwhile, the humming grew steadily louder.
There was only one thing that could mean.
His death was drawing near.
Was this really how it would end?
Just as he was consumed by despair—
Squeak!
A single mouse appeared in front of Krolro Febius.
* * *
Esmeralda walked slowly. n𝚘𝚟𝚙u𝚋.co𝚖
Down a dark, silent street where not even the moonlight reached.
Her jet-black hair swayed gently in the gloom.
Her bouncing steps were light and cheerful, like someone out on a pleasant stroll.
Eventually, she stopped in front of the lodging where Krolro Febius was staying.
Esmeralda raised her hand and knocked lightly on the door.
“Knock, knock. Can you hear me?”
She asked sweetly, but no answer came from inside.
After a brief pause, she tried the doorknob.
“Huh?”
The door, which she had assumed would be locked tight, opened far too easily.
Had he given up already?
Or was he planning to beg for his life at the last minute?
“No, no. That won’t do.”
She’d waited far too long for this day to let it end like that.
Esmeralda entered the house, suppressing the rage that was beginning to rise within her.
The room was in shambles—filthy to a point one could hardly believe a person lived there.
It was a perfect reflection of how Krolro Febius had been living.
But it wasn’t what she had expected.
‘I thought he’d be more broken than this.’
She had planned to drive him to the edge, then deliver the killing blow.
But from the state of the room, it seemed he was in better shape than she had imagined.
Esmeralda felt irritation bubbling up.
As she scanned the room and found no trace of Krolro, she furrowed her brows.
‘What? He should be here.’
Just then, she heard a crack!—a faint noise followed by the presence moving away.
A cruel smile curled at Esmeralda’s lips.
“Heheh. That’s more like it. The more you squirm, the more fun this becomes, don’t you think?”
She turned to the window.
Though it was too dark for anyone else to see clearly, Esmeralda saw it plainly.
Krolro Febius’s figure, fleeing in a panic.
“Ahahaha.”
With a delighted laugh, Esmeralda began to pursue him.
Elegant and leisurely.
* * *
A dark forest, far from the festival grounds.
Four boys and girls moved cautiously through the trees.
“Aidan. What exactly are you trying to do here?”
Taishy grumbled. She couldn’t believe she was out here in the woods instead of enjoying the festival finale.
“I mean, are we even sure there’s really someone suspicious out here?”
“There is, so keep it down. Or drop out if you’re going to complain.”
“What?!”
Taishy flared up at Leo’s pointed remark.
In the end, Aidan had to step in to mediate.
“Shh. Both of you, enough. We might get caught.”
“Aidan, if what you told us is true, then we really shouldn’t be here.”
Taishy voiced the rational concern.
Aidan had confessed that he witnessed a suspicious gathering.
That was why the four of them were out here now.
But Taishy wasn’t thrilled about it.
“This is way too dangerous.”
Her concern was only natural.
Approaching a gathering of suspicious individuals was no different from walking into a tiger’s den.
“Can’t we just tell the teachers?”
“Well...”
Aidan hesitated, clearly having thought about it already, but Leo jumped in quickly.
“Oh sure. And what teacher’s going to believe something like this?”
To that, Taishy shot back indignantly.
“Says who? There’s no guarantee they won’t believe us.”
“Okay then, who would we tell? One of the teachers we know? Professor Merilda? Or maybe Professor Selina? Or...”
Professor Ludger Cherish?
He didn’t say the name, but they all fell silent.
Of course, Professor Ludger would be a huge help—but he was also not someone they could just casually approach.
Leo continued.
“Think about it. We found out something we weren’t supposed to. Now imagine telling the professors. What’s the first thing they’ll ask? ‘How did you find out?’ ‘Where did you learn this?’”
“Well, Aidan happened to—”
Taishy trailed off mid-sentence.
“Exactly. It was a coincidence. But do you think the professors will believe that?”
“You’re saying... we’ll be suspected too?”
“If we were going to tell them, we should’ve done it earlier. Coming forward now, after we’ve come this far, it’s too late. We’ll end up on the list of suspects.”
It wouldn’t be dangerous per se, but it would definitely impact their academy lives.
“We have to prove we’re innocent now. Or we just pretend we know nothing and go back to enjoying the festival.”
“We can’t do that.”
Aidan’s response was firm.
Turning a blind eye after discovering a suspicious group? That wouldn’t be right.
Leo shrugged like he’d expected that answer and gave Taishy a look that said, “So, what now?”
“Ugh...”
Taishy bit her lip, struggling with her decision.
Of course, she wanted to achieve something brave and meaningful—even if it meant some risk.
‘But still... it’s the festival.’
This was her first time properly experiencing the Magic Festival.
She had even promised to watch the fireworks with Aidan.
Yet now they were crawling through dark underbrush, chasing suspicious people.
Taishy glanced at Iona with a pleading look.
But the girl, who had silently followed them until now, only tilted her head in confusion.
She clearly had no idea why Taishy was looking at her like that.
Right. This one never had any strong opinions to begin with.
“Ugh! Fine! Whatever! Let’s just get on with it!”
At last, Taishy gave in and slumped down with a huff.
Leo, watching her, breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
‘Crisis averted.’
If she had insisted on calling the teachers, things would have escalated.
It had been a bit forced, but thankfully, his persuasion had worked.
‘Whoever gave me that information clearly wanted this to end with me.’
If they hadn’t, they would’ve alerted Seorn too.
The fact that they only tipped him off meant they were waiting to see what he would do.
‘Feels like I’m being tested.’
But the reins weren’t in his hands—they were in the hands of an unknown player.
For now, all he could do was play along.
Aidan cautiously approached Taishy, who was crouched in the grass.
“Taishy. Are you okay?”
“I don’t know!”
Aidan couldn’t understand why Taishy had suddenly snapped.
Watching the scene unfold, Leo gave Aidan a few reassuring pats on the shoulder.
“Hang in there.”
“Huh? Uh, what do you mean by that?”
“If you don’t get it, never mind. Anyway, I think it’s time.”
Before Leo could even finish speaking, the bushes a short distance away rustled—and one by one, figures began to emerge.
Aidan and the others quickly ducked low.
At last, the enemy had shown themselves.
Soon, over ten people gathered in one place and began conversing among themselves.
“Is everyone ready?”
“Yes. Everything is set. Now that the festival is in full swing, this is our /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ chance.”
“Then let’s go. All for the sake of the Dawn Society.”
Hearing their exchange, the four students shared grim looks.
Aidan nodded and mouthed silently,
‘Let’s move.’
* * *
Rudger moved silently through the darkness.
His movement was so stealthy, it felt like a shadow creeping across the ground.
Even if someone had been present on the street, they wouldn’t have noticed him.
“Hans. What’s the current situation?”
Rudger, gliding swiftly through the shadows, spoke to Hans.
The reply came at once.
[Krolro Febius is currently fleeing.]
“Where’s he headed?”
[For now, I’m luring him toward a deserted area using the mouse. I’ll run him around a bit and guide him into an abandoned warehouse.]
“And Esmeralda?”
[She’s obediently following. Luckily, she seems to be enjoying this. She’s clearly intent on toying with her prey before striking.]
Even as he updated Rudger, Hans was keeping a close watch on the situation in real time.
Krolro Febius, gasping like he’d seen a ghost, was fleeing in a panic.
Hans, who controlled the mouse, was leading him away—and Esmeralda was playing along.
Whenever Krolro tried to veer toward a more populated area, flames would burst forth in front of him, blocking his path.
Kya-ha-ha-ha!
With each flare of fire came a grotesque, chilling cackle that turned Krolro’s face ghostly pale.
The witch’s laughter.
Krolro would shriek and scurry away in terror every time he saw the flames.
Hans, observing the scene, felt cold sweat gathering on the back of his neck.
[She’s exploiting his trauma perfectly to manipulate him just how she wants.]
“So she doesn’t intend to kill him right away.”
[That’s how it looks.]
“Understood.”
Rudger ended the communication with a final word—let him know immediately if anything went wrong.
‘As expected.’
Esmeralda didn’t want to kill Krolro Febius immediately, nor did she want to draw attention.
That’s why she was steering him away from public areas.
‘She wants to handle this quietly.’
At the very least, she wasn’t a madwoman out to kill indiscriminately.
‘She must have summoned Quasimodo during the banquet because she thought that was her only chance to kill Krolro.’
That act had been driven by urgency.
But in doing so, she’d alerted Krolro and left a scar that now made him easier to manipulate.
Which was why she was proceeding with more patience this time.
‘Then first, let’s take care of the more annoying ones.’
Rudger, melted into the shadows, suddenly revealed himself at the center of the forest path.
He dispelled the [Ater Nocturnus] that cloaked his body, adjusted his clothes, and calmly began walking forward.
From afar, he could hear quiet murmuring.
Though not visible to the eye, his sharp magical intuition sensed the presence of people up ahead.
He pulled a pocket watch from his chest and checked the time.
By now, Aidan’s group should be dealing with the other Black Dawn remnants.
They were capable students—there shouldn’t be any issue.
He had given Leo the necessary information to prepare for the worst.
That clever boy had probably already notified the teachers.
All Rudger had to do now was clean up this side of things.
“Who’s there?!”
Someone beyond the bushes spotted Rudger and shouted.
Well, he hadn’t exactly been subtle in his approach—there was no way they could miss him.
In an instant, the eyes of every enemy locked onto him.
Rudger gave them a faint smile.
“What are you doing here?”
“It’s the enemy!”
Unable to recognize him in the dark, the opponents shouted reflexively.
As expected of a covert faction, they all drew their weapons at once.
“You're quick to react.”
But before they could do anything, countless ropes shot up from the shadow beneath their feet, binding their bodies.
“Unauthorized gatherings within Seorn are forbidden.”
“Gghhh!”
One tried to yell, but his mouth was sealed shut before he could make a sound.
There were 11 of them in total.
No students among them—all had infiltrated the academy disguised as staff.
‘So Joanna Lovett isn’t here.’
That meant she must be where Aidan was.
‘Joanna Lovett is Second Order. For her to have entered Seorn as a student, her abilities must be considerable. But with those kids’ skills, it should be fine.’
Eleven total—Second and Third Order members of the Black Dawn Society.
Once Rudger confirmed they were all subdued, he pulled a slip of paper from his pocket.
A blue card he had received from Casey Selmore.
Rip.
He tore it in half.
Far from ordinary paper, the card transformed into water and dispersed into the air like floating bubbles.
Not even a full minute passed before there was a response.
Whooosh!
A loud sound of rushing water came from the distance, and the scent of river water filled the air.
Soon, a wave slid through the bushes like a sweeping tide.
Standing atop it was a woman with sky-blue hair.
The Azure Mage—Casey Selmore.
“Huh? What’s this?”
Stepping off the water, Casey glanced around the scene with surprise.
“You called me out here and—what, these people?”
“They’re intruders who infiltrated Seorn and were plotting something.”
“Hmm, I see!... I mean—”
Casey looked at Rudger with a hint of suspicion in her eyes.
“You called me out for something like this?”
He figured she’d be skeptical.
Rudger had prepared a hook for just this moment.
“These people referred to themselves as members of the Black Dawn Society.”
“......”
A sharp light flashed through Casey Selmore’s eyes.
