NOVPUBCasey Selmore and Elisa Willow.
The two women stared at each other in silence.
A peculiar tension hovered between them.
To an outsider, it might appear calm and peaceful.
But within, both were busy gauging the other.
Casey Selmore. A genius detective. A mono-attribute mage, and a magician awarded a color title by the Mage Tower. She witnessed the fire firsthand, yet hasn’t said a word about it. What’s her angle? Could she be a pawn of the old Mage Tower?
Just as Elisa was wary of Casey, Casey was equally cautious of Elisa.
Elisa Willow. Youngest headmaster in Seorn’s history. A 6th-circle mage. Every one of her actions is calculated. I can’t read her at all. And those peculiar golden eyes—there’s something strange in their glow. I don’t know what kind of power it is, but I’d better stay on guard.
Casey was someone who could deduce a person’s profession and traits from the smallest habits.
But from Elisa, she sensed nothing.
The woman was a fortress—completely impenetrable.
She must have called me here to talk about the fire yesterday.
Casey decided there was no point in continuing this silent power struggle.
There was no need to be enemies.
From what she saw at the fire, Elisa seemed to be someone with a sense of responsibility.
"Let’s stop measuring each other and talk about what happened yesterday."
Since Casey came out directly, Elisa’s eyes briefly glimmered with interest before she nodded.
"Oh my. I’d be delighted. That’s exactly why I invited you."
With a silent truce formed, the two sat down across from one another.
"I heard you witnessed the incident yesterday. Can you share the details?"
"‘Casey’ is fine. I don’t really like using my family name for introductions."
"Oh. I apologize."
"It’s fine. Anyway, to explain things properly, I should start with how I ended up at the scene."
Casey explained how she had met Ludger and handed him her business card.
And how Ludger had used that card later, at the site where the Black Dawn had been captured in the middle of the night.
"I never imagined he’d actually use the card I handed over personally—especially in a place like that."
She sounded incredulous even now.
On the other hand, Elisa—listening intently—thought that such behavior seemed entirely in character for Professor Ludger.
"Detective Casey, did you see the culprit yourself?"
"Unfortunately, no. By the time I got to the warehouse, the fire had already started spreading. I was too focused on containing it."
"I see."
"But I can say for certain—something very abnormal happened inside."
Even though she had been stationed a bit away from the warehouse, trying to suppress the flames...
There was no way she could have missed the intense magical pressure that had exploded from within.
She still remembered it clearly—
The sting of mana that had tingled on her skin.
"This Ludger Cherish... who exactly is he?"
Casey couldn’t help but ask.
The magic she felt from inside the warehouse was clearly beyond 5th-circle—nearing the 6th.
Sure, he was a professor at Seorn, but to cast something of that level?
Was that really him? Or could it have been the headmaster in disguise? No... I would have known. And then there was the water magic afterward...
In the end, Casey could think of only one possibility:
Ludger Cherish was a secret weapon planted in Seorn by the headmaster herself.
Elisa, however, didn’t immediately understand the intent behind the question.
Ludger’s identity? Well, he is a rather unique person... but is that really something to be so cautious about? Even for the Azure Mage?
Elisa hadn’t witnessed Ludger’s magic firsthand, so she found Casey’s intense focus on him strange.
Is she trying to fish for information?
Maybe Casey wanted her to explicitly state who Ludger really was.
But she couldn’t allow that.
"He’s simply one of our excellent professors at Seorn."
"...Is that so?"
Casey narrowed her eyes at the vague reply.
She’s dodging the question.
Elisa was clearly unwilling to divulge anything about Ludger.
Makes sense. Someone of that caliber isn’t someone you casually describe.
Did the headmaster even know Ludger was at least 5th-circle?
Perhaps she had personally installed him at Seorn as a hidden blade.
Casey was well aware of the internal factional strife between nobles and commoners.
It wouldn’t be strange if she secretly placed a powerful weapon inside to shift the political balance.
In that case, Elisa likely knew that Ludger’s capabilities went far beyond his official record.
Which meant there was no point in revealing he had cast high-level spells—if he was her sword, that would make perfect sense.
"Anyway, as I’m sure you already heard—after entering the warehouse, Professor Ludger fought inside and came out with the hostage. That’s the whole story."
"I heard you also checked the warehouse after the incident. Did you find anything inside?"
"Find anything? Hmm..."
Elisa narrowed her eyes slightly as Casey trailed off.
Is she hiding something?
But Casey wasn’t hiding anything in particular.
There had simply been no evidence left inside.
Since the fire hadn’t been ordinary, even the bodies had been reduced to ash.
The only signs of what had happened were the scorch marks from clashing high-level magic.
Even someone like Casey couldn’t retrieve clues from a place that had burned so thoroughly.
If there’s anything worth noting... it’d be the rat footprints on the floor.
Traces left in the soot that had covered the ground.
They hadn’t been there before the fire broke out—timing-wise, they had appeared afterward.
Still, it’s not strange for rats to be in a warehouse like that.
And more than anything—Casey hated rats, so she hadn’t dwelled on it long.
"There was nothing. Everything burned away. Not even any corpses."
"Hmm. I see. That means the only testimony we can rely on is Professor Ludger’s."
"Pretty much. But I don’t think he’s lying. I mean—he fought through all that and got injured doing it."
He must have genuinely wanted the festival to end safely.
Elisa nodded in agreement.
"Professor Ludger is definitely someone who would do that."
For a moment, silence filled the room.
The surface-level conversation was over.
Now came the real reason for this meeting.
Elisa was the first to speak.
"So, I heard you had a request to make of me."
When she first summoned Casey to the headmaster’s office, Casey had stated one condition.
"You want to personally conduct the interrogation of the captured Black Dawn remnants?"
"Yes."
"If it’s not too forward—may I ask why?"
Elisa’s ever-smiling eyes suddenly sharpened.
Casey didn’t flinch. She answered with unwavering determination.
"There’s someone I absolutely have to catch."
* * *
What is this?
While analyzing the ring, I was struck by a sudden chill.
Is it because my mana is still low?
I thought I’d mostly recovered, but maybe I overexerted myself during the battle with Quasimodo.
Anyway, this ring...
I had assumed it wasn’t ordinary when the Zero Order handed it to me—but after checking, it was even more unusual than I’d expected.
There are magical engravings on the inner side of the ring.
Delicate etchings lined the inside of the band—far too intricate for all but the most skilled masters.
Not only was the craftsmanship exceptional, but the inscribed spellwork itself was no less complex.
The moment you wear it and let your mana flow, it activates naturally. Its effect... is to put the wearer to sleep?
Not ordinary sleep.
It wasn’t about inducing rest—it was more like creating the appearance of sleep while shifting one’s consciousness elsewhere.
Partitioned consciousness. Anchored to a specific, untraceable coordinate...
I immediately understood what the ring’s true function was.
It’s a key. And °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° the place that key opens is... a dream.
The spell engraved into the ring was a Dream Spell.
[Dream Magic – Dream Walk]
Magic that either allows entry into someone else’s dream or induces a shared dream among several people.
Naturally, it didn’t fall under any of the traditional schools. It belonged to the <Unique> category—less physical, more psychological in nature.
If one had to relate it to an existing school, it would be closest to curses or disenchantment.
Still, among the usually difficult-to-learn Unique-type magics, Dream Magic was relatively accessible.
There was even a small, independent school of practitioners who specialized in it.
Even so, there couldn’t be that many who can use it. Don’t tell me one of the Dreamwalkers is affiliated with the Black Dawn?
The <Oneiromancer School>, known for its eccentrics, was where Dream Magic had its roots.
I had a contact there—enough to know a bit about how they operated.
The spell itself isn’t dangerous. So the goal is to guide the users into a shared dream space?
A high-level meeting held through shared dreams.
Not bad.
No risk of outside detection. No traces left behind.
But that didn’t mean it was without risk.
Dream Magic operates within the unconscious. If something goes wrong, you could fall deep into the unconscious realm.
This inner realm is called the Dreamland.
Despite the hopeful-sounding name, it’s anything but pleasant.
A chaotic abyss formed from layers of human dreams, unconscious thought, and deep psyche.
As long as one stays on the surface level, it’s manageable.
But anything deeper becomes unknowable.
One scholar once claimed that at the lowest depths of Dreamland exists an entirely different world, akin to the spirit realm—home to unknown, spiritual beings. But no such theory has been confirmed.
As long as the meeting stays in the surface layer, there shouldn’t be any issues.
The Zero Order said a synod was coming soon.
But when exactly?
Since he didn’t specify a time, I assumed he’d give me a signal later.
The Order Synod...
The Black Dawn Society has a total of seven First Orders.
With Esmeralda—no, Quasimodo—gone, that leaves six.
Actually, not even six. If you exclude the real John Doe, who’s dead, that leaves five.
Still, just because there were only five left didn’t mean I could let my guard down.
That just means there are five other monsters on Quasimodo’s level still out there.
Not to mention the Zero Order—standing above them all.
I could tell myself that Quasimodo had been an exceptional case... but that was just wishful thinking.
Among the five remaining First Orders, the only one I know is Victor Dreadpool.
Known as “the Doctor,” he was deeply connected to the Shamsus School during the werewolf incident.
A researcher with dangerous expertise—someone who could turn humans into werewolves had to be a mad scientist.
Besides him, there were four First Orders whose identities remained completely unknown.
Finding out who they were had to be my next goal.
That was my initial plan—until noise returned to the hallway outside the infirmary.
Had more visitors come so soon after I drove the last batch away?
Too tired to deal with them again, I simply turned toward the window, keeping the blinds drawn.
Chrrrack!
Footsteps approached—and suddenly, the curtain snapped open.
I assumed it was another student here for Selina, but then I realized they were standing in front of my bed.
"What is it?"
I turned—and saw a familiar face.
Flora Lumos.
And standing behind her, her close friend Sheryl Wagner.
Flora seemed slightly tense as she spoke to me.
"I heard you were injured."
"As you can see."
I lifted my bandaged right arm.
"Does it hurt?"
"It’s not too serious. I’m just resting for precaution’s sake."
"..."
Just as I was about to ask why she had come—
She thrust something forward in front of my face.
A fruit basket.
When I looked at her in confusion, Flora flushed and looked away.
"It’s n-not like I brought this because I was worried or anything. I just thought... it’d be awkward to come empty-handed, and Sheryl kept nagging me to bring something—so..."
Over her shoulder, Sheryl gave a playful wink.
"Well? Are you gonna take it? My arm’s getting tired."
"...I’ll take it."
I accepted the basket and set it beside me.
Even though she was pretending otherwise, it was obvious she had come out of concern.
I hadn’t expected anyone besides Selina to visit me.
Maybe... I haven’t wasted my time as a teacher after all.
While I was mulling over that thought, the door opened again and new visitors rushed in.
"Professor Ludger! Are you okay?!"
"...Aidan. Keep your voice down. This is a hospital."
Aidan, Leo, Taishy Friad, and Iona Obelli.
I didn’t expect them to show up.
With four more students cramming into the room, things quickly got noisy again. Unsurprisingly, Aidan was the most vocal, repeatedly asking if I was alright.
At this point, I figured everyone who might visit had already come.
That was a mistake.
"Um, is Professor Ludger here?"
The door creaked open again, and a new voice called out softly.
Selina was the first to recognize it.
"Oh my—Rine, is that you?"
Timidly entering the room, Rine carried a small basket in her hands.
But she wasn’t alone.
With her was none other than the Third Princess—Erendir von Exilion.
Rine’s eyes widened when she saw how crowded the room was.
The students in the room, in turn, were equally stunned to see both her and Erendir.
And then—
One more person entered behind them.
"Huh? Isn’t that...?"
A student murmured as the final guest came into view.
"Freuden Ulburk? What’s he doing here...?"
Leo’s expression grew cold the moment he recognized him.
But Freuden didn’t care.
He looked straight at me.
And I stared right back.
He and I had never had any direct interaction before.
Why had he come here?
More than that, he was staring straight at me with obvious intent.
And finally, as if he had confirmed something, Freuden spoke.
"It’s been a while."
Everyone in the room went wide-eyed at the greeting.
Only I, expressionless, met his gaze steadily.
This guy...
