NOVPUBHans and the other members felt it anew.
Ludger’s sincerity.
The true face of the leader they had always thought to be cold and rational.
He, too, had emotions. He had fire within him.
And it was that fire, flaring and spreading, that had birthed the organization they now stood in.
“Boss, are you really okay with this? No matter how much we grow in size, if the Empire decides to make a move...”
“The Empire won’t move. What we need to worry about is Seorn, and the Black Dawn Society.”
“If your identity is exposed, wouldn’t that mean immediate execution?”
“That would be the case... if I had been caught when I had nothing.”
But the law is not always just and noble.
The law is a privilege for those who possess power.
If you have status and wealth on your side, the law always bends in your favor.
“When we grow large enough, they won’t try to eliminate us by force. They’ll try to compromise, try to make deals. Just like Silver Sun survived in this city.”
Why was a group like Silver Sun allowed to exist openly in Rederbelk?
Because the city turned a blind eye.
A nation is not composed of a single concept.
It’s made up of countless elements, large and small.
A country is like an intricate machine of gears grinding, clashing, turning, and spinning together.
But those gears don’t always move the way people want them to.
Sometimes they resist. Sometimes they seize up.
Some gears are simply incompatible and will never mesh.
“If the Empire were to oppose us and try to eliminate me, the charge would be impersonating a noble. Then who would carry out the sentence?”
Sedina answered.
“The most basic option would be the police.”
“But the police can’t touch me now. So, the next step?”
“The Security Bureau’s Nightcrawler Knights.”
At Hans’s words, Ludger nodded.
“But the Nightcrawler Knights already came to the slums and left empty-handed. Even they realized it—that messing with us carelessly would be dangerous. So, who comes after that?”
“You’re not saying... the Imperial Family?”
“Even if the Imperial Family wanted to act, the nobles wouldn’t all agree. The bigger the power, the louder the noise whenever it moves.”
If the world were truly just, everyone would have united their voices and condemned Ludger to death.
They would have enforced the law thoroughly and upheld justice.
But unfortunately, there were far more people in the world who were not just.
“Some will oppose the Imperial Family. Some simply hate them. Others want something from us.”
All kinds of reasons.
The giant gears won’t align, and inevitably, gaps will form between them.
Those gaps would become sanctuaries for them.
“The same goes for Seorn.”
The supreme authority within Seorn was Headmaster Elisa Willow.
But that didn’t mean she wielded absolute power within the academy.
Because politics played a part here too.
“Politics is about shaking hands with someone you hate if it benefits you. The Headmaster knows that {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} well. She didn’t rise to her position on magical talent alone.”
Then, Arfa, who had been quietly listening, raised his hand.
“Speak, Arfa.”
“Um, the way you’re saying that... it kind of sounds like the Headmaster suspects you, Boss. Is that just my misunderstanding?”
“Huh? Now that you say it...”
Everyone suddenly realized what Arfa’s question had pointed out.
“You’re right. The Headmaster is suspicious of me.”
At Ludger’s shocking statement, Hans stammered in disbelief.
“W-Wait a minute. Why would the Headmaster...?”
But as soon as he said it, Hans realized how foolish the question was.
Given everything Ludger had done, it would have been strange not to suspect him.
In truth, until recently, she probably hadn’t suspected him deeply.
And if she had, she’d dismissed it.
The most likely trigger? The final day of Seorn’s festival, the <Magic Festival>.
The battle with Esmeralda, the First Order.
“So she knows, and yet...?”
“Hans. Haven’t I already said? That’s what politics is.”
* * *
In her office, Elisa Willow was reviewing reports when a new one came in.
It was about Ludger’s frequent outings to Rederbelk.
“Hm. He’s been moving around quite a bit lately.”
She had intended to wield him as a blade of her own, yet he kept moving outside her grasp.
Which, naturally, only deepened her suspicion—and her need to keep him close.
‘Of course, I’m still not sure if this is the right decision.’
The fight at the logistics warehouse on the final day of the festival—no matter how she looked at it, it had too many strange aspects.
Or rather, it was too seamless. That was the suspicious part.
Her suspicion, once shelved, rekindled. A conversation with Casey Selmore had only reignited the flame.
‘Krolro Febius. The Great Fire of Roteng. The Fire Giant. The sudden appearance of the Black Dawn Society.’
And at the center of it all stood Ludger Cherish.
To say he had no connection to these events would be an outright lie.
And there was one more piece of crucial evidence.
While Casey Selmore seemed to have gained little from interrogating the Black Dawn remnants, Elisa was different.
She possessed the Mystic Eye.
No matter how iron-willed those remnants were, once they met her gaze, all resistance became meaningless.
‘Of course, they were throwaways—disposable pawns. There wasn’t much to gain from them.’
But one thing was certain: Black Dawn still had remnants hiding within Seorn.
And perhaps Ludger was connected to them.
Did that make Ludger her enemy?
‘No. That’s not it.’
What had made her abandon her suspicions the first time?
‘Professor Ludger is simply too competent.’
If he had acted like a forgettable instructor and hidden his abilities, she might never have suspected him.
But once her suspicions were confirmed, she would have immediately acted to capture or kill him—or interrogate him.
Instead, Ludger had done the opposite.
He revealed new magic and taught students sincerely.
He still had cards hidden, yes. But he didn’t completely conceal his capabilities.
A spy would never do such a thing.
There was the possibility that he was using this reverse psychology to manipulate them.
But that possibility was slim.
No—practically nonexistent.
‘No spy would ever risk themselves so openly to protect the students.’
The memory that stood out most was his confrontation with Duke Lumos.
The way he had stood in front of a terrified Flora like an unshakable wall.
The moment she saw that scene, Elisa realized the truth.
Ludger Cherish was indeed hiding his identity.
Under imperial law, that made him a criminal.
But so what?
As far as she could judge—he was a good person.
Not only that, he possessed exceptional skill and judgment.
With someone this talented and useful...
‘Isn’t it a loss not to make proper use of him?’
She was not someone who allowed herself to be robbed.
Nor was she someone who struck first out of fear.
She was simply—
The type to steal first before someone else did.
* * *
Ludger stared out the window in the direction of Seorn and said,
“In the end, we’re just using each other.”
“Wait, don’t tell me you planned this from the start...?”
If Ludger had tried to completely hide his power and conceal his identity, then once he was exposed, he’d have received no mercy—just chains.
But by showing his power, he made himself too appealing to punish.
By doing so, he turned the fact that he was hiding something into something trivial.
A moral flaw?
Those with true power are not bound by such things.
To shackle him over something like impersonating a noble—what he’d accomplished was simply too great.
“Honestly, I have no desire to oppose Seorn. So if you look at intentions, mine align with the Headmaster’s.”
It was true the Headmaster held the sword.
He did, after all, have the weakness of a false identity.
But even the Headmaster couldn’t swing that sword however she pleased.
She, too, had constraints.
Hugo Burteg and his faction.
They were Ludger’s enemies—but also the buffer that limited the Headmaster’s reach.
“What about the Black Dawn Society? Are we safe from them?”
“Of course not.”
If things had lined up that conveniently, he wouldn’t have to think so hard.
“No matter how quickly I spun a lie on the spot, the Zero Order isn’t stupid. He would have sensed something was off.”
“Then why...?”
“Why did he leave without saying anything?”
Ludger pulled out the ring the Zero Order had handed him and rolled it between his fingers.
“That... even I don’t know.”
The man didn’t even have a clear identity.
No discernible purpose. No clear will. No way to know what he was after.
Such a man, after hearing what we said, seemed to understand—if only slightly—and backed down.
He backed down.
But why?
“Maybe... he sensed something from me. Or maybe he thought he could gain something out of me.”
“This is all just a mess. This is exactly why politics makes everything exhausting. No one’s in their right mind,” Hans muttered with disgust, shaking his head.
It wasn’t that he thought in black and white—like or dislike.
He knew from experience that sometimes, you had to smile even when you didn’t want to.
But this was different.
To try to use someone with an unclear identity—someone who deceived them—just because he was competent?
Not knowing if that person was a ticking time bomb or a potential asset?
They were all out of their minds.
“Yeah. We’re all out of our minds. You couldn’t do this sort of thing otherwise.”
Of course, Ludger said it like that, but even for him, Zero Order’s unpredictability was a serious concern.
He could read the Headmaster’s intentions, at least. But Zero Order was shrouded in mystery.
What was his purpose in letting Ludger off that day?
Why had he handed over the invitation to the executive meeting?
They still didn’t know.
So, they would have to find out—little by little.
“That’s enough for today.”
With that, Ludger stood and excused himself, saying he would step out for a bit.
* * *
After Ludger left, and the room fell into silence, Sedina finally spoke up.
“Um... so, what kind of person is the professor, exactly?”
“Huh? Didn’t the Boss tell you?” Seridan asked.
“No. He said I’d find out on my own.”
“Why are you being so formal? Just talk comfortably! You and I look like we’re about the same age!”
“You’re over thirty. What are you even saying...”
Hans, still holding a bit of a grudge from earlier, muttered as if tossing the words at her.
Seridan bristled at the comment.
“Hey! I’m a Dwarf! In human years, I’m in my prime!”
“Ohhh, if you say so~.”
“You wanna fight? Huh?!”
As the two of them bickered back and forth, Bellaruna spoke up.
“T-The Boss... is apparently from a really prestigious family. But because he’s an illegitimate child, his life was in danger, so he had to go into hiding.”
“Oh... I see.”
A person born into a good family, yet unrecognized.
Wasn’t that just like herself?
Sedina felt a strange sense of gratitude in finding such a similarity.
Maybe... maybe the professor had helped her because he knew what it was like to be in that position.
“Don’t go making up stories. And you—don’t be so curious about the Boss. It’s not right to go digging into other people’s secrets.”
Though his words sounded scolding, there was an unmistakable nuance of, “Someone like you has no right to be curious about someone like him.”
Sedina’s shoulders hunched slightly.
Seridan stepped in.
“Hey, Hans. Aren’t you being a bit harsh right now? Can’t you at least try being warm to her?”
“What did I do?”
“Let’s be honest. You’re just anxious because you think your spot is being threatened, aren’t you? You’re jealous! Totally jealous!”
“What the hell?!”
Hans shouted, completely flustered after getting hit right where it hurt.
“Who the hell would be jealous of a little kid like her?!”
“Oh please! You’re totally jealous!”
“I am NOT!”
“You ARE!”
“...This is like watching kids fight,” Violetta muttered, watching the two squabble with a fed-up expression.
Then Sedina opened her mouth again.
“Um... you’re Hans, right?”
“My codename is <Kafka>. The Boss gave it to me himself.”
Hans threw that in completely out of the blue.
Sedina was tempted to blurt, “You really want to win that badly against a girl, don’t you?” but held her tongue.
Hans, meanwhile, didn’t seem to care one bit about the awkward looks he was getting.
“You were born into a good family and had the talent to get into Seorn. What could you possibly be lacking to end up here?”
“...”
Sedina couldn’t bring herself to refute that.
From the outside, it was true—she had been born into a blessed environment.
—Who is she?
—I heard she’s from the Roschen family.
—Tch. Why would someone from a successful family be here?
That look of contempt she’d always received from the Black Dawn Society.
The hostility toward someone who didn’t belong.
She knew it was wrong, but still—this situation felt strangely familiar.
“...I’m sorry.”
Sedina apologized honestly.
In the Black Dawn Society, saying something like this would only have earned her insults or scorn.
But this... this was the only thing she knew how to do.
“I... acted out of place, without knowing my own limits.”
Even her voice was damp with tears, and Hans grew flustered.
“H-Huh? Wait, that’s not what I was trying to do...”
“Hey! Hans! What the hell?! She’s about to cry!”
“No, seriously! I was just genuinely curious, that’s all!”
He had just puffed himself up because some kid was hanging around the Boss—how did it turn into this?
Hans scrambled to console Sedina.
“Uh... l-look, don’t feel too, uh, awkward. You’ll get a codename of your own one day.”
“You call that comfort, you idiot?!”
Seridan gave Hans a sidekick straight to the face.
Watching the scene unfold, Sedina felt the tight grip around her heart finally ease.
‘How strange.’
It was so different from the Black Dawn Society.
There, even the smallest mistake would rain down brutal curses and verbal abuse. But here, there was none of that.
The executive members joked like they were old friends.
It was somewhat enviable—but more than that, Sedina felt oddly reassured to be among them now.
“Sedina. You’re okay, right? Should I beat Hans up a little more for you?”
“Thank you for your concern. But I’m really okay. I know I may seem unreliable to Senior Hans, but I’ll do my best not to be a burden.”
“Uh... yeah.”
Hans scratched the back of his head awkwardly, embarrassed by his earlier outburst.
Trying to change the subject, he asked,
“So, you said you use paper magic, right?”
“Yes. I manipulate paper with magic. I can also send it out to scout areas.”
“So, like, you scatter a bunch of papers and collect data all at once?”
“Ah—no. Not exactly. I synchronize my awareness with the paper I send out to scout, but I can only manage one at a time for now.”
“Really?”
Hans felt relieved.
He had thought Sedina’s ability was basically an upgraded version of his own—but it clearly had limits.
If it was just this much, he could let it slide.
“Heh. Well, do your best, then.”
“Yes, I will.”
“Oh, and just so you know—I can talk to rats.”
“...”
Sedina didn’t know how to respond to that, so she just nodded awkwardly and said, “Ah... yes.”
Watching the exchange, the others sighed and shook their heads.
“Look at him. Acting all excited just because a junior showed up.”
