NOVPUBDid he find my refusal unexpected?
Professor Vierno couldn’t hold back and asked.
“May I ask why? I truly meant it out of pure goodwill...”
“Please calm down. It’s not that I’m entirely opposed to your opinion, Professor Vierno.”
I took a step back to reassure Professor Vierno.
Though I had expressed my intention to decline his request for persuasion, that didn’t mean I was outright denying his intentions.
“Assistant Sedina is an excellent student. Her grades are outstanding, and her abilities are exceptional. I’ve come to learn that she’s been in an unfortunate environment, but that doesn’t give me the right to make decisions for her as I please.”
“Why not? Aren’t you her supervising professor?”
“Yes, I am. But Professor Vierno, this is something you need to understand. In the end, someone’s choices belong to themselves.”
“......”
Of course, that was a convenient excuse.
To be honest, I didn’t want to let go of Sedina.
She wasn’t just an assistant—she was an excellent informant feeding me intelligence on the Black Dawn Society.
If Sedina disappears, it’ll leave a considerable void for me.
I could manage the teaching work somehow, but as a First Order of the Black Dawn, it was different.
Sedina was my eyes in watching the Society.
If she were to leave for the elf village, it would cause major disruption in what’s to come.
Naturally, I couldn’t just blurt that out to Professor Vierno.
“But Professor Ludger, this is for Miss Sedina’s own sake.”
“I’m not questioning your intentions, Professor Vierno. However, Assistant Sedina has already turned down that offer once.”
“And what if that wasn’t her true will?”
“You believe that if I persuade her, she’ll change her mind?”
“Are you aware? Sedina doesn’t get close to anyone else. But she does work with you as your assistant. Even when I spoke to her, she said she’d need your opinion first.”
“Did she?”
I hadn’t known that.
Even when I’d encouraged her to make friends, I guess she’d kept staying alone.
“That’s why I’m asking you, Professor Ludger. If it’s you, I believe you can change her mind.”
“If I do persuade her and she changes her mind, then it wouldn’t be her true will.”
Actions born from someone else’s influence can’t be sincere.
In the end, they can only become another kind of falsehood.
There’s no real happiness at the end of a life lived under a lie.
All that’s left is the hollow image of someone convincing themselves they’re happy.
“Professor Vierno, can you truly say for certain what would bring Assistant Sedina genuine happiness?”
“...I can’t deny that.”
“I fully understand your feelings for a fellow elf. But do you truly believe that Assistant Sedina will find happiness just by going to the elf village?” 𝓃𝓸𝓿𝓹𝓾𝓫.𝓬ℴ𝓶
I could clearly tell that Professor Vierno cared deeply for his kin.
But do I think the other elves would feel the same way?
I would firmly say no.
“I’ve also heard things about elves. That they have a strong sense of kinship—but on the flip side, even those who are also elves will be ostracized if they’re different.”
The clearest example of that was Bellaruna.
She was an elf who had an interest in medicine and alchemy, and because of that, she had long been treated as a weirdo and excluded even by her own kind.
Eventually, Bellaruna had no choice but to leave the forest where she lived and come to the human world.
Elves are undoubtedly a beautiful and noble race.
At the same time, they value tradition to an extreme and resist /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ change, leading to a deeply closed mindset.
Would such people truly accept a half-elf as one of their own?
“Even so, Miss Sedina has half-elven blood in her.”
“Only half, Professor.”
“......”
“You must have held a rather high position in the forest, Professor Vierno.”
“...How did you—?”
How? I could only say I picked it up from something you said.
I tapped my fingers lightly on the table as I spoke.
“I heard it in your tone. You had the confidence that you could bring Assistant Sedina into the elf village and take care of her properly. An ordinary elf wouldn’t even consider such a thing.”
For someone like Vierno to be working in the human world as a teacher, even that alone would make him an oddity among elves.
If that weren’t the case, he wouldn’t have so casually offered to take Sedina with him.
Yet he had come to me for help.
The confidence that if I just persuaded Sedina, he could take her with him to the elves.
That meant Vierno held a position that allowed him to override the opinions of other elves.
“Are you perhaps an elder of the forest, Professor Vierno?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
...What?
I’d only asked on a whim, but I hadn’t expected that to actually be the answer.
I had assumed he simply belonged to some relatively well-known elven family.
“You already knew about me, then.”
“That’s just...”
I trailed off mid-excuse and simply nodded.
Inwardly, I sighed.
He’s clearly getting the wrong idea about me again. I just hope it doesn’t escalate.
“Our Dentis family, one of the seven roots of the World Tree, has long held the duty of guarding the forest’s boundaries. And I am the head of House Dentis.”
“A man like that is allowed to work as a teacher at Seorn?”
“It’s due to an old promise. I had no choice. And just because I’m here doesn’t mean I’ve neglected my original duties. I’ve actually helped bring many of our kin wandering outside the forest back into the fold.”
I see.
Guarding the forest’s borders isn’t just about repelling outside threats.
It also means protecting wayward kin who live beyond the forest.
“Our house can help Miss Sedina adapt. The roots of Dentis are strong—unbending by anyone.”
“But the other elves won’t be like that. Surely the Dentis family isn’t the only great elven house.”
From what I’d heard, the Dentis family sounded unusually progressive.
Helping wandering elves, reaching out to half-elves without discrimination...
That’s a rare trait among elves.
The others likely wouldn’t be so accepting.
Especially the other houses that bore the title of noble lineage.
“In any case, I understand your position, Professor Vierno. Since you’ve asked personally, I’ll at least ask for Assistant Sedina’s opinion.”
“Yes. That alone is more than enough. I don’t intend to bother Miss Sedina beyond that. I’m well aware that going further would be nothing but arrogance.”
Despite being a clan elder, he was surprisingly considerate in areas like this.
I’d expected him to be more stubborn—this was unexpected.
Come to think of it, didn’t Professor Selina say that Professor Vierno was popular with the students?
Most teachers at Seorn stick with their own circles.
Since Professor Selina teaches Spirit Studies for first-years, naturally she’d know the other Spirit instructors.
...Of course, I’m not among them.
The specialized instructors are all part of Hugo’s noble faction, and I don’t mesh well with them.
Selina had said something like this:
“Professor Vierno looks like someone’s younger brother, but acts like a real grandfather.”
She said there was a strange warmth to him that made people feel like they could lean on him emotionally.
Then she quickly added, “The students said that! Not me!” as if desperately trying to cover herself.
I thought it was just a rumor, but...
After having a long conversation with him today, I think I understand why people say that.
Even if he acts like he’s not, he’s got a surprisingly gentle nature.
It’s almost like—if I had a real grandfather, this is how he would feel.
Though he himself works hard to pretend otherwise—that’s the odd little twist.
Such an unsentimental elf.
“Thank you for your time, Professor Ludger.”
“It’s no problem.”
“Still, since I’ve received your help, I’ll make sure to return the favor soon. Well then.”
With those words, Professor Vierno left the faculty office.
The guest was gone—but a new problem had been left in his place.
I quietly got up from my seat and knocked on the assistant’s office door.
“Sedina. Are you in?”
“...Yes.”
Sedina’s voice came faintly from behind the door.
“May I come in?”
“What? Ah—just a moment!”
There was a commotion for about a minute, with bumping noises, and then things quieted down. The door creaked open cautiously.
Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and her breathing rough. She must’ve hurriedly hidden something.
“P-please come in.”
What I saw through the open door was unexpected.
I’d thought Sedina’s office would be overflowing with all sorts of paper.
Given her information-gathering habits and her origami magic, it wasn’t unreasonable to assume so.
But my expectations were completely off.
“There are a lot of plants.”
The assistant’s office wasn’t particularly small.
After all, it was originally meant to accommodate at least seven people.
If you consider that Sedina uses the space all by herself, it could definitely be called spacious.
And that space was filled to the brim with lush green plants.
Even though it was indoors, the air felt noticeably fresher.
“S-sorry! I decorated the room on my own...”
Sedina, thinking I might be displeased, quickly bowed her head.
I shook mine.
“No need to apologize. I was just surprised, that’s all.”
More than that—it was the plants.
Just from looking at the leaves of the visible plants, I couldn’t see a single blemish or flaw.
“You must’ve taken good care of them.”
“Y-yes.”
“Is it a hobby?”
“Yes. I’ve raised them since I was a child.”
“Since you were a child, huh.”
So half her blood really is elf after all.
I swept my gaze across the assistant office, then asked Sedina a question.
“Sedina Roschen.”
“Yes, Professor.”
“I have a question for you. It’s a continuation of the conversation I had with Professor Vierno just now.”
“Ah...”
“Do you truly want to accept his help?”
Sedina hesitated, unable to answer immediately.
But just by showing hesitation, she had already made a critical mistake.
Ordinarily, she should have shaken her head without the slightest doubt.
She could have even turned the moment into an opportunity to show her loyalty and reassure me not to doubt her.
But she didn’t.
Or rather—she couldn’t.
Her heart’s wavering.
Her loyalty toward the Black Dawn Society had wavered, even if just a little.
And that was a tremendous gain for me.
“Sedina. You might not believe it, but I consider you an extremely capable person. So you can be honest with me.”
“P-Professor Ludger...”
“I also know you don’t get along well with others in the organization. Even so, you are here now. You entered Seorn purely on your own ability.”
I know she resented her family and joined the Black Dawn out of a desire for revenge.
But can that kind of future truly be bright?
In the end, the Black Dawn Society must be dismantled. I will make sure of that.
And when that time comes—what will happen to Sedina, who belongs to them?
“If you say you want to leave, that’s fine too.”
“Wh-what do you mean by that?”
“I mean, if you want to give everything up and live a quiet, peaceful life—I’m saying I’ll help you do that.”
Sedina is exceptional.
Her talents are undoubtedly useful to me.
But that doesn’t mean I should force her to follow my will.
A person’s will matters.
When someone decides to do something on their own, no one has the right to interfere.
I understand that more painfully than anyone else.
“What we say here will stay between just you and me. You don’t need to worry about it leaking elsewhere.”
“I...”
Sedina fidgeted with her fingers, hesitant.
The path of vengeance, or the path of peace.
She had been given the chance to choose between the two.
If she were smart, she’d know which path would lead to a better life for her.
Just as I thought that—Sedina raised her head and met my eyes.
Unlike her usual habit of avoiding my gaze, her eyes now were unwavering.
Clear.
“First, Professor Ludger, I want to apologize to you.”
The moment I heard that, I understood.
So that’s how it is.
As expected of a clever girl—she’s chosen the right path—
“I failed to serve you properly, Professor.”
“What...?”
“Even on the final day of the festival, when you got caught up in that incident—I didn’t even realize. I didn’t visit you in the infirmary, either. And on top of that, I’ve been hiding my true identity.”
As she spoke, Sedina lifted the brown hair covering the side of her head.
Her ears, smaller than an elf’s but sharper than a human’s, peeked out.
A half-elf’s ears.
She had always hidden them—her shame.
Even now, her ears turned red, clearly flushed from embarrassment.
It must have been something she long felt ashamed of and tried to hide.
“I may not be qualified. The fact that I’ve been able to stay by your side as your assistant is already a grace far beyond what I deserve.”
Though Sedina spoke as if she were fine, her face betrayed her pain.
Still, she continued.
“Even so, someone told me I’m needed. Someone complimented me, saying I’m excellent. As for whether I want peace or revenge... honestly, I don’t know yet.”
“Sedina...”
“But there’s one thing I know for sure. Professor, I sincerely want to follow you, who acknowledged me. So please don’t say things like it’s okay for me to leave.”
It was a firm opinion from someone who always kept her head down.
I stared at her wide-eyed, and only then did Sedina realize what she had just said. She hurriedly reverted to her usual demeanor.
“I-I’m sorry! That was terribly presumptuous of me...”
“No, it’s fine. Sedina Roschen. I heard your opinion loud and clear.”
“Professor...?”
I placed my hands gently on her shoulders and said,
“There’s something I need to confess to you.”
“Y-yes?! C-confess?”
Maybe it hit her how serious I was.
Sedina’s face turned even redder than before.
Yes. A confession.
Right here, right now, I was making a serious confession.
“Sedina. The truth is—I’m not a First Order.”
“...What?”
