NOVPUBAt Casey Selmore’s words, Ludger fell silent.
What rang in her voice was confidence—
And certainty.
She had discovered the identity he had hidden all this time.
‘There’s a chance she’s just bluffing to get a reaction.’
Ludger decided to feign ignorance, at least for now.
“What are you talking about?”
“Why hide anything now that we’re here? I told you. James Moriarty.”
“Pointing your wand and spouting nonsense—this is your idea of detective work?”
“Pretending you don’t know won’t help. I already figured it out. It really was strange. Ever since I saw you at Seorn, I couldn’t shake the feeling of déjà vu.”
Just from her words alone, it was clear—it wasn’t a guess.
Casey was certain that he was James Moriarty.
‘This isn’t good.’
Ludger realized there was no backing down.
He’d meant to take out the Black Dawn’s branch quietly—but things were going sideways from the start.
And of all people, it had to be her who caught him.
“I’m shocked. I didn’t expect the notorious Seorn professor to be you. How did you even get into Seorn? No, more importantly, how did you win over the Headmaster?”
“......”
“Going to stay silent? Fine by me. We’ve come too far—no excuse will matter now.”
There was a barely restrained exhilaration in her voice.
‘I finally found him.’
It wasn’t a false lead this time.
It was real.
Every nerve in her body, every cell, was screaming that the man before her was the one she had chased for so long.
Someone like him—someone who always hid his identity—was now a teacher at Seorn?
At Seorn, under that Headmaster?
Casey had met Headmaster Elisa Willow in person. She knew—Elisa was not someone to be underestimated.
And yet Ludger Cherish, the professor under Elisa’s direct eye, was that infamous criminal consultant?
Anyone would have dismissed it as absurd.
At least,
Casey had thought so when she first met Ludger.
But when he pointed her toward traces of the Black Dawn on the last day of the festival, something had clicked.
‘It’s just like back then. Like when I chased him through the Kingdom of Delica three years ago.’
Everything had flowed too naturally to doubt.
As if the board had been set, and she was being led along deliberately.
That seamless progression—
Ironically, it became the key.
‘It was the same back then.’ 𝒏𝒐𝒗𝒑𝒖𝙗.𝒄𝒐𝒎
Like being guided through a maze with breadcrumbs left behind.
Like a puzzle that already included the answer the moment it was created.
—As if he wanted her to solve it.
To someone like Casey—who prided herself on solving things on her own—it was an unbearable discomfort.
A feeling she had sworn never to endure again.
And the moment she faced Ludger now, that sensation returned with brutal clarity.
And at the same time, the tangled knot in her mind unraveled.
—It was you.
Leaps in logic, experience.
No—what she ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) relied on now was closer to intuition.
That extreme obsession to catch him had finally led her to the truth.
“I told you, didn’t I? I’ll never let you get away.”
“......”
“Drop the wand and raise your hands.”
Ludger slowly lowered his wand to the ground and raised his hands.
“Now turn around—slowly. You know what happens if you try anything funny.”
“......”
Ludger obeyed and turned slowly.
Yes, go on—show me that smug face.
You ran and hid for so long, and now you get caught in this filthy sewer? Let’s see what you look like now.
Casey’s heart was pounding in her chest.
The moment she had longed for was finally at hand, and her fingertips trembled with excitement.
What kind of face would he be making?
Defeat? Agony? Humiliation?
And then—
Squeak!
A sharp squeal echoed from somewhere.
Casey’s body froze.
It wasn’t a calculated reaction. It was pure instinct.
In that instant—
Whoosh!
Ludger’s body surged forward and charged at her.
“Ah!”
They were more than three meters apart.
But Ludger closed the gap in a blink, coming right up to her.
‘Fast!’
It wasn’t body enhancement via mana.
If it were, she would’ve sensed it immediately.
That meant—it was pure physical ability.
A mage with that kind of physical prowess?
Ludger’s hand blurred with motion, and her wand flew from her grasp.
The distance wasn’t even close—how?
She realized too late: Ludger had thrown a hidden dagger.
A dagger? From a mage?
Losing her wand threw off her judgment.
Ludger slammed her against the wall.
“Guh!”
His powerful right arm seized her wrist.
A dagger sprang out from the back of the vambrace on his left arm and pressed against her throat.
But Casey wasn’t just any mage—she was a veteran who had faced countless real-life threats.
Even before her wand was flung away, she had drawn water from the sewer and formed a multitude of spears.
As Ludger’s blade touched her throat, spears of water closed in from all sides, surrounding him.
Their gazes locked in midair.
Casey grinned.
“You’re something else. A mage, hiding that kind of skill?”
“Stay still. Try anything, and I’ll put a hole in your neck.”
“Try me. Let’s see if you’re faster—
—or if I kill you first.”
“Still bluffing?”
Neither broke eye contact.
Murderous intent crackled between the water spears and dagger.
The tension was about to snap.
Squeeeak!
Another rat’s cry echoed through the sewer.
Casey flinched again.
Even the spears of water wavered slightly.
Ludger, watching the cold sweat on her brow, asked:
“...Don’t tell me...”
“W-what?”
“You’re afraid of rats?”
His words struck a nerve. Casey’s lips pressed tightly together.
Her eyes—until now unwavering—flicked slightly to the side.
“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
But her body had already reacted to the accusation.
Her slender wrist trembled faintly in his grip.
Just then, a sewer rat scurried across the floor toward them.
“Eek!”
Casey’s face went pale.
Ludger lightly used telekinesis to lift the rat.
Squeak! Squeeeak!
The large sewer rat thrashed about, but couldn’t escape.
He brought it closer to Casey.
She recoiled.
“What are you doing?! Get that thing away! I said get it away!!”
“......”
Watching her freak out, Ludger was dumbfounded.
So she really is afraid of rats.
At this point, there’s no point in even fighting her.
The intense tension just moments ago had evaporated—over a single rat.
“How ridiculous.”
Click. Ludger retracted the hidden dagger.
He also let go of her wrist.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
Casey growled.
Ludger released the rat. It scurried away frantically.
“I asked what the hell you’re doing!”
“I said it’s ridiculous. The great detective trembling in fear over a single sewer rat. It’s so absurd I can’t even laugh.”
“You...!”
His words hit her pride. Casey’s eyes flared.
“I could kill you right now with a flick of my finger! You realize that, right?”
“Then do it.”
“What?”
“I said, do it.”
But she couldn’t.
Ludger’s eyes were full of certainty, and Casey couldn’t speak.
“If you can kill me, why haven’t you? Why not use that impressive water magic to end me? Isn’t that what your title’s for?”
“Shut up!”
“Or is it that you can’t kill me? What a coward.”
“......Someone like you doesn’t deserve the mercy of death.”
“For someone speaking so boldly, you can’t even stand properly.”
“T-that’s just because... Agh!”
As she fumbled for a retort, Ludger flicked her forehead with a finger.
Casey collapsed onto the spot.
The spears of water surrounding them dissipated.
“If you want to catch me, you’ll need to grow a stronger spine. It's hard to take someone seriously when the famous detective trembles over a rat.”
“...You. Are you really in any position to be so confident right now? Your identity’s been exposed. Shouldn’t you be thinking about running?”
Casey spoke with a threatening tone, but to Ludger, it sounded more like a childish complaint.
To be honest, it was amusing.
Maybe it showed in his expression.
Casey’s eyes flared with fury.
“You think I won’t do it? I could plaster your real name across tomorrow’s front page right now!”
“No. You won’t.”
“And why are you so sure? That smug bluff—”
“Because your pride won’t let you.”
“...”
The words hit their mark, and Casey was left speechless.
“D-don’t be ridiculous. I...”
“If you really didn’t care about your pride, you wouldn’t have spent three years chasing me behind everyone’s back.”
James Moriarty was alive, and he was hiding his identity.
Casey could have spread that rumor far and wide.
But she hadn’t.
“You’re the kind of person who hates handling things through anyone else’s hands.”
That statement pierced her like a dagger.
Casey gritted her teeth.
She pushed herself up with trembling legs and glared at Ludger.
Her eyes were blazing with rage.
“You knew? All this time?”
“I did.”
“And knowing that, you used me?”
“Are you mad that I used you? It’s laughable to bring that up now. You of all people should understand better than anyone.”
“...”
“If you really wanted to catch me, you should have cast your spell instead of talking when you had the chance.”
But Casey Selmore hadn’t done that.
Was it because she’d let her guard down, caught up in the thrill of being so close to her goal?
No.
“Casey Selmore. You weren’t chasing me purely out of a sense of duty as a detective.”
She already knew what he was going to say next.
Don’t.
She wanted to stop him. But Ludger cruelly voiced the truth anyway.
The truth she’d buried deep inside, that no one else knew.
“You were chasing me because of a personal grudge. Driven by vanity—an immature, childish emotion.”
Casey couldn’t say a word in response.
Her lips quivered, and she lowered her gaze.
“Was I wrong?”
All she had to do was say no.
But she couldn’t—because everything he said was true.
It was humiliating.
The man she despised most was, in fact, the one who understood her best.
She suddenly recalled what she’d once told him:
—You know, I thought you might be someone who could understand me.
But then she lashed out at him, saying she’d been wrong about him, condemning him for his crimes.
Even though... she hadn’t really believed that.
“You knew... all along...”
Her small, clenched fist trembled.
But no other words came out.
She was angry that he had deceived her.
Furious that he had used her for his own ends.
But deep down, she knew—
Ludger wasn’t the only one who had lied to her.
Casey Selmore.
The one who had deceived her the longest was... herself.
“...I’m disappointed.”
“...”
“I thought, at the very least, you’d be different. I guess I was wrong.”
Ludger stared at her coldly.
Her fists trembling, her head bowed, she looked as if she might burst into tears at any moment.
“So that whole thing about the Black Dawn...”
“They were annoying enough that I wanted your help to take care of them. But honestly? You don’t seem reliable enough. Reaching this point was admirable, but looking at you now, I doubt you could finish the job.”
“Ugh!”
Casey reached out toward him, but he subdued her in an instant.
Ludger bound her arms with one hand and pinned her against the wall.
He looked down at her from close range.
So close they could feel each other’s breath.
Casey looked up at him—eyes glistening, a storm of emotion swirling inside.
But Ludger felt no pity. No desire to comfort.
He had work to do.
“I have no intention of playing house with you. Leave. Unless you want to get swept up in what’s coming.”
He didn’t expect a reply.
It was a declaration.
Whether she left or not, it wouldn’t change what was about to happen.
Ludger let go of her wrists and turned his back to her.
“You’re just going to walk away?”
He stopped.
“If Seorn finds out who you really are...”
“It doesn’t matter.”
It didn’t matter.
The Headmaster knew—and had chosen to look the other way.
“...I see. So the Headmaster knew too.”
As expected of Casey—she saw through it immediately.
So trying to blackmail him using the Headmaster wouldn’t work.
No matter what she said, if the Headmaster defended Ludger, she’d only end up looking like a fool.
“If you’re going to come after me, then at least prepare a blade I can’t dodge. That way, you might be able to leave a scratch.”
His words were arrogant.
You’ll never defeat me.
That’s what he was really saying.
“If you can’t do that, then go back to playing your little righteous detective games. Stop getting in my way.”
“James Moriarty... no, Ludger Cherish. What the hell are you really after?”
“...”
Ludger didn’t answer her question.
He simply walked away.
She hadn’t expected him to answer anyway, but being ignored so blatantly still bruised her pride.
“...Haa.”
Left alone, Casey let out a sigh and picked up her wand from the ground.
Then, suddenly, she burst out laughing.
“Ha. Hahaha. Ahahahahaha!”
Like someone who’d lost her mind.
Eventually, her laughter died down and she slumped her shoulders with a long sigh.
“Seriously. Pretending to be shocked is exhausting.”
She pulled a piece of paper from her sleeve.
It had once been white, but now glowed with a faint blue hue—imbued with Ludger’s mana.
“What? ‘I must’ve been wrong’? ‘I’m disappointed’? Huh? So full of himself...”
But then she muttered under her breath:
“...Well, he is impressive. But that’s beside the point.”
Just remembering what he’d said made her grind her teeth.
And yet—
The worst part was, she couldn’t deny any of it.
She was just pretending to be fine now.
What he’d said had shaken her deeply.
“I...”
She stared at the paper infused with Ludger’s mana and sighed again.
“...Haa. What am I doing, worrying like this? So unlike me.”
She looked up.
Above her was the hideout of the Black Dawn—the place she had originally come to raid.
But—
‘There’s no need for that now.’
That man said he’d handle it.
And he probably wasn’t lying.
He wasn’t part of the Black Dawn after all—he was their enemy.
‘Honestly, I hope he gets his ass handed to him up there. But...’
Given his strength, it was more likely that they would need someone to pray for them.
Still, she had come all this way.
Leaving without doing anything would be too much for her pride to swallow.
“Fine. Go ahead and stir things up however you want. I’ll take care of things my own way.”
The moment she finished her sentence—
Rumble...
A massive noise echoed through the entire underground waterway.
