NOVPUBToday again, Instructor Selina, smiling radiantly and innocently as always, nodded at my question.
“Yes. The rumor’s already spread like wildfire among the students. A werewolf that only exists in urban legends showing up in real life? It’s kind of funny, right?”
“......”
“Even if they’re all geniuses, they’re still just students in the end. I mean, the way they secretly get worked up over something like a ghost story—it's kind of cute.”
Selina chuckled softly, saying she found the students’ imaginations adorable, but I couldn’t bring myself to laugh along.
They said the source of the rumor was a group of students who had gone out to the nearby city of Rederbelk the day before.
Night had already fallen in Rederbelk.
The first sighting was of a black shadow leaping across rooftops, glimpsed through the thin fog that settled over the darkened city.
I shook my head.
“They’re still just kids.”
“Yes, of course. But it is a bit odd—students are saying they saw that werewolf not just in the city, but right here at Seorn.”
“Even inside Seorn?”
Was it just that the students who saw it in the city started a rumor that made others imagine things back on campus?
“Well, Seorn is a huge place. And since it’s a place where all sorts of magic run wild, there are cases where strange phenomena happen because of magical energy. Don’t forget—we do have the Seven Campus Legends.”
“You mean the Seven Campus Legends?”
“Yes. You’ve never heard of them?”
“Instructor Selina, you’re surprisingly well-versed in ghost stories.”
“Wh-what?!”
I had meant it purely as a compliment, but for some reason, she reacted a little too strongly.
Her eyes widened, her cheeks flushed pink, and her hair seemed to puff out a bit with static.
I gave her a puzzled look, not understanding her reaction, and she quickly started making excuses.
“It’s not like I went out of my way to research the campus ghost stories or anything! I was just trying to think of topics that could help me connect with the students, that’s all! It’s definitely not what you’re thinking!”
“Alright, alright, calm down.”
Her arms flailed about, as if they didn’t know where to go, and I got the sense that if she moved any more, she’d knock over a plate and spill food everywhere.
“I-I really mean it...”
But perhaps sensing something in my attitude that made her anxious, Selina became even more desperate in her explanations.
It was getting to the point where I thought we might not be able to continue the meal, when finally, Instructor Merilda cut in, unable to watch any longer.
“Oh, by the way, Instructor Ludger—I heard your first class was quite the spectacle. Is it true?”
“What are you referring to?”
“You know, that revolutionary magic that reduces the manifestation time of spells. What was it called again?”
“Source Code!”
Selina, forgetting her embarrassment, suddenly lit up and shouted the name.
Her voice rang out so loudly that for a brief moment, the teachers’ exclusive dining hall fell completely silent.
Realizing her outburst, Selina quickly lowered her head. The tips of her ears, visible through her pink hair, were bright red.
I let out a small sigh and gave a nod.
“Yes. That’s right.”
As I nodded and confirmed it, I felt countless eyes turn to me.
They were from other instructors sitting at nearby tables.
Wondering why they were staring, I looked toward Merilda, who leaned forward and explained in a whisper.
“They’re all interested in your magic, Instructor Ludger.”
“In my magic?”
“Oh, come on. Playing innocent now? Your spell from the first class is already the talk of Seorn.”
“Hm.”
I popped a piece of meat into my mouth as I began to piece together the current situation.
‘So it’s attention, huh.’
I had vaguely anticipated this from the first day I taught.
To people of this world, a technique like Source Code—borrowed from 21st-century computer programming—would seem nothing short of revolutionary.
And I had fully expected that its ripple effects would reach the other instructors as well.
“I heard it drastically shortened casting time. Are you sure it’s okay to be revealing it here like this?”
“Right? With something like that, you could apply for a patent at the Mage Tower and make a fortune.”
Selina chimed in, supporting the idea enthusiastically.
Well, strictly speaking, she wasn’t wrong. A magic like Source Code could very well bring a breath of fresh air to the stagnant magical society.
If I were to offer it to the Mage Tower, which did indeed have a magic patent system, it could mean sitting on a mountain of gold.
At least, that’s what the surface-level common knowledge said.
“I’m not particularly concerned about that.”
I answered modestly, playing it off—but I knew better than anyone that applying for a patent was not a good idea.
To the unknowing, handing over a newly developed spell to the Mage Tower might seem like an honorable feat—but the reality was far uglier.
Yes, the Mage Tower technically had a patent system.
Mages short on funds hoped to earn money by submitting their inventions for patents—but that rosy picture was only a façade.
The truth was that most of the submitted spells were rejected or undervalued by the Tower under all kinds of flimsy pretexts.
‘If only it were just about making excuses. The real issue is the ones who abuse the system.’
New instructors might still hold some naïve optimism about the Tower, but I’d already experienced firsthand how dirty and underhanded the place really was. My entire perspective on it was different.
Even if you created a truly novel spell that the Tower couldn’t find fault with, the problem still remained.
‘Unless you have a powerful sponsor or noble backing you, they’ll just rob you of your patent.’
And if you tried to resist by not applying, you might be dragged into some alley and forced to give it up anyway.
Cases like that had already happened.
In other words, the Tower’s so-called patent system was little more than an empty illusion.
Knowing this, I had no intention of offering my magic to the Tower just to make money.
Even if I tried, the most likely outcome would be getting driven out for lacking the proper connections.
‘At least Ludger’s current status is decent.’
Though he’s a fallen noble, he’s still actively teaching at Seorn. From a reputation standpoint, it’s not bad.
But even with Ludger’s status, if you let your guard down, the Tower could rip you apart before you know it.
A stagnant, festering place where the petty greed of old men clung to everything like thick mud.
Even I found that place intolerable.
And the reason I showcased Source Code at Seorn in the first place had some calculation behind it.
By letting the students spread the word, it would naturally become known that Ludger Cherish had invented a groundbreaking new spell called Source Code.
Rumors among students would spread to instructors, and among instructors, the gossip would leak out into the wider world.
Eventually, it would reach the ears of the Mage Tower.
If I were to go crawling to them first to apply for a patent, I’d be sticking my own neck into a noose.
But if they got desperate over the appearance of this new spell and came to me instead, then the power dynamic would shift.
And the reputation of the name “Ludger” would only rise higher.
Instead of being just another no-name rookie instructor at Seorn, I’d be seen as a gifted, innovative mage.
With credentials like that, no one around me would dare look down on me easily.
It would take some time, but there was nothing better for securing my position.
‘Still, the problem is that now other instructors are watching me with fire in their eyes.’
Like right now.
Selina and Merilda were decent enough thanks to their personalities, but the others were sending me waves of open jealousy.
Especially Chris Bennimore, one of the new hires who started with me—his eyes were practically burning with molten rage.
If looks could kill, I’d be dead already.
“Well, still a shame though...”
“There’s no need to regret showing it to the students first.”
I casually brushed it off and got up from my seat.
If I stayed any longer, I felt like the stares would make me lose my appetite.
“I’ll be heading off now. I’ve got my next class coming up.”
“Oh, okay! Good luck!”
“Take care~.”
I gave a polite nod to the two instructors who saw me off and left the teachers’ dining hall at a brisk pace.
* * *
Merilda narrowed her eyes as she watched Ludger’s back retreat into the distance.
She’d thought he was an impressive man from the first time she met him, but after the conversation just now, she was sure of it.
Ludger Cherish. That man had revealed the spell everyone else was drooling over—Source Code—not for fame or money, but simply for the sake of his students.
‘Otherwise, why would he reveal it during class instead of presenting it to the Mage Tower?’
From Merilda’s perspective, Ludger’s behavior was unlike any mage she’d known.
That might sound like an odd way to phrase it, but mages had always been like that.
Cold and logical to a fault, lacking empathy, selfish, and inconsiderate of others.
And lately, those tendencies had only grown worse.
Even the mentors who were supposed to teach and guide others refused to share their visions with their students.
Merilda had gone through something similar herself, and she understood the pain of it deeply.
But Ludger?
He possessed such incredible magic—and yet he didn’t flaunt it to those around him.
Even more surprising, he had used that magic openly in front of his students.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
‘Even if they're just young students, if you show them how you use magic so openly, the sharp ones might catch on to something.’
Could it be that man doesn’t even worry about having his magic stolen?
There are only two possible reasons for that.
Either the magic is so complex that no one could replicate it even if they saw it.
Or...
He’s already prepared for the possibility of it being stolen.
No way... come on.
And yet, how else could you explain the confident composure he had just now during the meal?
‘That someone like him is a fellow new instructor...’
The more Merilda thought about it, the smaller she felt in comparison.
She let out a sigh and turned to her side.
Selina, her colleague and close friend, was still staring blankly at the spot where Ludger had been sitting moments ago.
Looks like she’s just as smitten.
Merilda shook her head as if to say “what can you do,” then smirked mischievously and gave Selina’s nape a light poke with her fingertip.
“Eep!”
“Selina. What are you daydreaming about? What—are you sad Instructor Ludger left first?”
“M-Merilda! What are you even saying?!”
Yep, teasing Selina never gets old.
Merilda chuckled to herself and kept messing with Selina for a while.
Of course, she also had to calm her down once Selina inevitably got pouty.
* * *
The day after the theory class—Saturday.
From noon, under the blazing sun, I was walking through the nearby city of Rederbelk.
Officially, it was just a light stroll to explore the neighboring city. But in truth, I had a prior engagement.
The meeting was in the evening, and I still had quite a bit of time to kill.
So I came out early to get a feel for the place.
‘The city itself is pretty impressive.’
Rederbelk, a city of advanced magitech, was massive—cut through its center by the Lemgier River, which spanned over 500 kilometers.
The flowing river and the countless steel railways laid over the land were like lifelines, pumping vitality into the city, and the people who lived here exuded energy.
As the hub of commerce, magic, and engineering, Rederbelk thrived thanks to its proximity to Seorn Academy, earning its reputation as the most developed city.
I strolled through “Centerford,” the heart of Rederbelk.
Unlike other districts, here I saw refined gentlemen and ladies in formal attire enjoying a quiet afternoon.
Centerford, the symbol of Rederbelk’s prosperity.
This residential area for the wealthy was lined with beautifully landscaped trees, and steam cars and golem-drawn carriages moved down every road.
I sat on the terrace of a quiet café and sipped my coffee.
Despite it being the weekend, the café was serene, the faint aroma of roasted beans mingling with the scent of the coffee in my cup, creating a subtle, pleasant mood.
‘Quite charming.’
A beautiful place. I wouldn’t mind living somewhere like this someday.
That thought came to me naturally.
‘The housing prices must be insane, though.’
I got up from my seat, paid for the coffee, and headed to the next district.
The busiest part of Rederbelk—the commercial district known as “Grand Chapel.”
A towering white cathedral built in Gothic Revival style stood at its center.
And it truly lived up to the name of a bustling district—everywhere I looked, there were things I’d never seen before.
Machines with brass casings billowed pure white steam from external boilers, and mechanics busily worked on them.
Children played with small wind-up toys.
Street performers played accordions, cellos, and violins, while citizens danced to their music in the open air.
“......”
As I wandered through various corners of the city, the sun eventually began to set, and the sky blushed with the colors of dusk.
Ding. Ding. Ding.
The city’s towering clock towers rang out six chimes.
Early spring still bore traces of winter, so the sun set early, and the air quickly grew chilly against my skin.
I pulled my black coat tighter and headed toward the meeting place.
Up to now, I had only seen the beautiful face of Rederbelk—but this time, I was going somewhere quite the opposite.
The shadow sharply cast beneath the city’s dazzling light.
The place known as the city’s ugly underbelly.
I pressed the wide-brimmed hat on my head down lower and walked through the fog rising from the surface of the Lemgier River.
As the glowing crimson clouds drifted westward and the deep blue twilight blanketed the city of Rederbelk...
I arrived at the entrance to an alleyway in the industrial zone, where the thick fog was rising.
There was no one around.
Even the beggars had given up panhandling and retreated deep into the alleyways. The coughing, soot-covered children who worked for daily wages had already gone home.
The only person here was me.
The orange light from the streetlamps blurred into the mist.
In that empty silence, I leaned against a soot-stained brick wall and waited for my contact.
‘So much for showing up early—he’s late.’
Just as I had that thought, a sound echoed from deeper within the alley where I stood.
Grrrrrrrr.
A growl—one that no human vocal cords could ever produce.
I stepped away from the wall and stared into the alley’s depths.
From within that unknown space, where gray mist and black darkness mingled, a pair of glowing red eyes appeared.
‘Seriously now.’
I recalled what Instructor Selina had said in the dining hall the day before.
That rumor students had spread about seeing a werewolf.
She had brushed it off as just a silly ghost story—but looking at what I was seeing now...
I really wondered what she’d say.
In that moment—
The creature moved from within the darkness.
It dashed toward me in an instant.
I watched it without blinking.
Then raised my fist—and slammed it down on the creature’s head.
Thunk!
“Gah!”
A short, pained cry rang out through the mist.
I looked down at the figure now crouched at my feet, not even trying to hide my exasperation.
“So this is why you were late? You were planning on pulling this little stunt?”
“Damn it... I just thought it’d be fun to give you a scare. What, can’t a guy have a little fun after all this time?”
Rubbing his sore head, the one crouched in front of me {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} was someone I knew well—my contact, and one of my subordinates.
“Long time no see, Hans.”
“Good to see you again, boss.”
The very culprit behind the werewolf rumors spreading among the students.
