NOVPUBA deep night under a brilliant full moon.
Casey Selmore, having left Baltanung, returned to her lodgings in Rederbelk.
The bluish moonlight flowing in between the curtains lit the top of the sofa.
“Mmm... Hehe.”
There, Betty was sleeping curled up like a shrimp.
Had she dozed off while waiting?
‘It’s strange. How can an automaton even sleep?’
Whether she was truly asleep or merely imitating sleep was anyone’s guess.
‘Betty was created by the Kingdom of Delica.’
Casey gently pulled a blanket over Betty and returned to her own room.
Her bed, piled high with papers and luggage, looked far from usable.
After pushing aside enough to make room, she collapsed onto the mattress.
With a dull bounce from the bed, Casey pulled out a piece of paper dyed in blue.
‘This paper contains that man’s mana. Using it, I can peer into his memories.’
The memories shown would typically be random—but that only applied to an ordinary mage.
Casey Selmore was different.
She focused her mana into her fingertips and infused it into the paper.
Her mana intertwined with Ludger’s within the parchment.
She slowly closed her eyes.
Her consciousness drifted off somewhere distant, and a sensation like being submerged in water tickled her skin.
When she opened her eyes, she found herself at the bottom of a rushing river current.
This was the flow of memories contained within that person’s mana.
‘Memories are like flowing water—moving from past to future, just like time itself. Others would struggle to resist the current, but I’m different.’
For Casey, who controlled water, handling a current like this was second nature.
Even within the massive surge, she wasn’t swept away and could move freely.
She began swimming upstream through the memories.
Images flickered like a panorama inside the translucent «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» water of memory.
But she didn’t have time to examine them closely.
Even a slight lapse in concentration would cause her to be swept away too.
Her goal was to find the flow of the past linked to her presence.
It wasn’t difficult to locate.
The scent of water embedded in the memory acted as a beacon, calling out to her.
‘This is it.’
Casey let herself be carried by the torrent of that particular memory.
Her vision went dark for a moment, then returned to light.
“This place is...”
When she opened her eyes, she was staring at the scenery of the Kingdom of Delica from three years ago.
It was a somewhat familiar sight—and within it, a man had just entered the city.
A man who was once called James Moriarty.
A man now known as Ludger Cherish.
There wasn’t much difference between his appearance now and three years ago.
This must be his real face—the one he used while living as Ludger Cherish.
‘Disgustingly handsome.’
Sharp facial features and a nose sculpted as if by a master artisan.
His eyelashes were surprisingly long, too.
He exuded an aura of nobility by birthright.
‘Who the hell is this guy?’
It was astonishing that this was his true appearance.
Compared to his days as Professor James Moriarty, his expression seemed gentler now.
‘Am I viewing this memory from a third-person perspective?’
Though the thought crossed her mind, it didn’t interfere with reading the memory, so she remained silent and observed.
‘Emotions are seeping in.’
She couldn’t hear his inner thoughts, but part of his emotions felt shared with her.
James Moriarty.
As he entered the Kingdom of Delica, he felt a surge of anticipation and excitement.
“So this is the homeland of renowned mathematicians and scientists.”
His eyes gleamed with hope, full of brilliance and expectation.
Casey briefly lost herself in his expression, then snapped back to her senses.
‘That expression caught me off guard.’
He was a dangerous man who had changed identities countless times to hide his true self.
Refocusing herself, Casey began to closely monitor his every move.
She was now like a ghost—unable to drift far from Ludger, but also untouched by anyone around her.
The first thing Ludger did was explore the capital city and familiarize himself with the area.
Whenever he spotted a bookstore, he stopped by to browse.
‘Books?’
He purchased several books—most of them on mathematics and science.
‘The Kingdom of Delica places so much value on those disciplines that academic texts are quite common, but why is he buying them? Don’t tell me... to study?’
He wasn’t a professor yet, so perhaps that was it.
She had first met him during his days as a professor.
Though he had hidden his identity, his academic knowledge had been undeniably real.
‘Was he really passionate about academia? Then why hide his identity? Something’s off.’
Before she realized it, the sun had set and night deepened.
Ludger began walking to find a place to stay for the night.
Just then, a small shadow darted out from an alley and collided with him.
“Hmm?”
“Ah—!”
It was a boy in his mid-teens, wearing a newsboy cap.
When the boy saw Ludger, he quickly bowed his head in panic.
“Ah—ah! I’m so sorry, sir!”
Ludger, dressed like a perfectly groomed noble, naturally gave off the impression of aristocracy.
And now, after bumping into him, there was a black stain on his coat.
It wouldn’t have been surprising if Ludger had immediately called for punishment.
“It’s fine. I wasn’t paying close attention either.”
“B-but, I got your clothes dirty...”
“This?”
Ludger looked at the stain on his coat and let out a small chuckle.
“It doesn’t matter. Clothes can always be washed. Are you hurt, boy?”
The boy gaped in surprise.
Contrary to his noble appearance, Ludger’s demeanor was incredibly gentle.
Watching it unfold, Casey couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
‘What the hell? Why is he so gentlemanly?!’
This reaction was completely different from how he’d been when they first met.
Granted, she had provoked him a little that time.
But the man known as James Moriarty had left a much more hostile impression.
‘Is he acting? No... This is genuine. I can feel part of his emotions right now.’
If he were lying, she would sense it instantly.
But there wasn’t a hint of deceit.
He was sincerely speaking from the heart.
‘Was this always his real personality?’
It was so unexpected that Casey felt like everything she knew was being invalidated.
“I—I’m fine, really.”
The boy spoke hastily, eager to escape the situation as quickly as possible.
Just as Ludger tilted his head in confusion, a loud shout rang out from the alley the boy had come from.
Soon, a pudgy man appeared.
“There you are, you little thief!”
“A thief?”
Only then did Ludger notice the book tucked under the boy’s arm.
“There you are, you little thief!”
“I—I didn’t!”
The boy shouted back, flustered.
“I paid for it properly!”
“What?!”
“But you wouldn’t sell it, so I—!”
“Hmph! You probably used stolen money! You threw some suspicious coins at me and ran off with the book! And what would a filthy brat like you even do with a book that difficult?!”
Ludger quickly understood the situation.
The shopkeeper reached out with a brutish hand.
The boy froze, shutting his eyes tightly in fear.
“Stop. That’s enough.”
Ludger stepped forward to block the man.
“...And who might you be?”
The shopkeeper, noticing Ludger’s clothing, withdrew his hand.
He clearly looked like a noble, making the man cautious.
“It’s not a pleasant sight, watching an adult bully a child.”
“Hah. Listen here. That brat stole a book from my shop! Don’t go pretending to be some hero—!”
Instead of replying, Ludger flicked a coin at the shopkeeper.
He caught it instinctively, then stared wide-eyed at the glint of gold.
“That should more than cover the price of the book. Or perhaps I should be getting change?”
“Kh-hum. Well, if someone of your station says so, then I suppose that settles it.”
Afraid Ludger might demand his money back, the shopkeeper scurried off.
The boy, trembling, bowed deeply to Ludger.
“Th-thank you, sir. B-but I have no money to repay your generosity...”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Pardon?”
“I paid simply out of goodwill.”
“......”
Suspicion flickered in the boy’s eyes.
It was hard to believe anyone would offer kindness without a reason.
“You look doubtful.”
“Wh-what? N-no, sir!”
“I understand. If it bothers you, then how about this? I just arrived in this city today and don’t know my way around. Could you point me to a decent place to stay the night? If you do that, I’ll consider the price of the book settled.”
“R-really?”
“It's cleaner to call it a trade rather than a simple favor.”
At those words, the boy’s expression brightened.
“Then leave it to me!”
The boy took the lead to guide him, and Ludger followed.
Casey watched the whole scene unfold.
‘He’s... more normal than I expected?’
She had imagined this man would kick down the doors of the academy to announce himself—but his beginning was surprisingly modest.
‘But that boy...’
Something about the boy guiding Ludger stirred an inexplicable sense of déjà vu in Casey.
‘No... I’ll know if I keep watching.’
That man simply hadn’t revealed his true colors yet.
She intended to keep observing.
* * *
The lodging the boy led him to was an inn in a secluded area.
However, it seemed to be well-maintained and was quite clean—and cheap too.
“This is the place. I live here too.”
“You’re back, oppa?”
Just then, a small, adorable girl appeared from inside.
She seemed to be the boy’s younger sister. She ran up to greet her brother but froze when she spotted Ludger, quickly hiding behind his back.
“O-oppa... who is that?”
“He’s my benefactor and our guest. You don’t have to be scared. He’s really a good person.”
When the boy smiled and spoke, the girl—Selly—toddled over to Ludger and bowed her head.
“H-hi there...”
“Nice to meet you.”
“Sir, you can stay here! You won’t find another place this cheap around! And the innkeeper’s cooking is really good too!”
“You brat, Arte!”
Just then, a voice boomed from the kitchen, and the innkeeper appeared.
He was a rough-looking man with a wild beard like a mountain bandit, and even Ludger, seasoned by many trials, was momentarily taken aback by the intensity of his presence.
“Eek—uncle.”
“Where the hell have you been?”
“I-I was just out for a walk!”
“What? More importantly, is that a book you’re hiding behind your back? Don’t tell me you went to the bookstore again and bought more of that useless paper?”
“I-it’s not useless!”
“Arte, listen carefully. People like us don’t have time to fill our heads with nonsense. We’re too busy surviving day by day.”
“Ugh, uncle! I got it already! You’ve said that more than a hundred times! And besides, we have a guest today!”
Just as he was about to launch into another lecture, the innkeeper finally noticed Ludger—and his eyes widened.
“Oh? Who might you be?”
“Didn’t the boy tell you? I’m a guest.”
The innkeeper stared at Arte with disbelief, his gaze silently asking, Is this for real?
“Yes. I brought him.”
“Ha ha ha! Well done, Arte!”
The innkeeper who had been scolding Arte seconds earlier burst out laughing and changed his tone entirely.
Arte pouted and glared at him.
“Guest! Please make yourself at home! You won’t find a more comfortable place than this anywhere nearby—I guarantee it!”
“I already told him that, didn’t I?”
Watching them bicker, Ludger thought that staying here might not be so bad after all.
“Arte. Since you brought the guest, show him to his room.”
“I was going to do that anyway. Sir, please follow me.”
Ludger followed Arte up to the second floor of the inn.
“This will be your room from now on. We clean every day, so it’s not too dirty.”
“It’s cozier than I expected—especially for the price.”
“I told you, didn’t I? You won’t find a better place.”
Ludger nodded and began unpacking his luggage.
Arte watched him and then suddenly widened his eyes in surprise.
“Oh? Isn’t that the newly published academic thesis compilation?”
“This? I happened to stop by a few other bookstores when I arrived in the city and found it by chance.”
“W-wow. That’s really hard to get your hands on...”
“Is that so? I must’ve gotten lucky.”
Arte’s gaze stayed fixed on the book Ludger had bought.
“Are you interested in it?”
“Huh? Uh, well...”
“You’ve shown quite the passion for learning. Even when the shopkeeper was chasing you, you clung to that book with your life.”
“Y-yeah... That’s true. My dream is to become a great scholar someday.”
“That’s admirable.”
“Really? Most people laugh and say it’s an unrealistic dream.”
“There’s no such thing as a dream that doesn’t suit you. A dream is the freedom to imagine what you could be.”
Ludger handed the thesis volume to Arte.
“If you’re that interested, would you like to study under me?”
“W-what? Really? But why? Why someone like me...?”
“Because a child who doesn’t neglect learning even in a harsh environment deserves a reward to match.”
At those words, Arte seemed to gather courage.
“T-then... I want to! I want to learn!”
“Good.”
This was a city he’d be staying in for a while.
Teaching a student while living here didn’t seem like a bad idea.
“From now on, call me teacher.”
“Yes, teacher!”
* * *
Two weeks passed like that.
Ludger stayed at the inn, balancing his personal studies with tutoring Arte—days filled with activity.
“Teacher, I don’t understand this problem!” 𝓃𝓸𝓋𝓹𝓾𝓫.𝒸ℴ𝓶
Arte was passionate about learning and exceptionally smart.
In other words, he had talent.
He picked things up quickly, and Ludger even found himself enjoying teaching him.
“Let’s see. What’s this problem about?”
“It’s one that was submitted by the academy recently!”
“You mean from the Ordo University in Delica?”
“Yes! One of the top scholars put up a prize for solving it! I thought maybe you could solve it.”
“You rascal. So you’re after the prize money.”
“Hehe. Just a little.”
“All right, let me see it.”
Ludger glanced over the problem Arte handed him.
Then he took out a pen and began writing formulas on a sheet of paper.
Arte watched with eyes full of admiration.
Only the sound of the pen scratching across the paper filled the room.
How much time had passed?
“It’s done. Here, take it.”
“Huh? Already?”
“What do you mean ‘already’? An hour has passed.”
Arte realized then that he’d been watching Ludger solve the problem in a daze for a full hour.
“Wow! Thank you, teacher! I’ll go submit this solution right away!”
Ludger waved him off without much thought.
After sending Arte off, Ludger returned to his research.
Three days later.
Arte came running to Ludger’s room, his usual composure gone.
“T-teacher!”
“Arte. What is it?”
Arte looked different than usual.
His face was flushed and he was panting.
Just as Ludger started to wonder if he might be sick, Arte spoke.
“Th-the Ordo University Academy sent you an invitation!”
“An invitation?”
“For the problem you solved three days ago! The head of the academy said he wants to meet the person who solved it!”
Arte clenched his fists, voice trembling with excitement.
“The most prestigious academy in the kingdom has officially invited you, teacher!”
At that exclamation, Casey—who had grown bored of simply watching—perked up her ears.
Ordo University.
That was the place where she had first met James Moriarty.
