NOVPUBAidan, Leo, and Taishy sat on a quiet garden bench, still unable to believe that what had just happened was real—it all felt like a dream.
The first to come to her senses was Taishy.
“We really... got off without punishment. It still feels unreal.”
“Yeah, no kidding.”
“I never imagined the Headmistress herself would step in to defend us.”
“Yeah... same here.”
Even Leo, who normally couldn’t go two sentences without sparring verbally with Taishy, was in full agreement this time.
Their eyes eventually turned to Aidan.
The look said it all: Don’t you have anything to say?
“Hey, Aidan. Aidan?”
“Huh? Oh—yeah.”
“What are you thinking about so hard?”
Unlike the other two, who were simply relieved and happy to have gained merit points, Aidan still wore a serious expression.
“Aidan, is something bothering you?”
“...I don’t know if I’d call it bothering me, exactly. It’s just... weird. I know it’s strange to bring this up now, but...”
“Just spit it out already,” Taishy said, pressing him.
After a moment’s hesitation, Aidan finally shared the thought that had been eating at him.
“It’s just... something feels off.”
“Off? What do you mean?”
“The werewolf from yesterday. You probably didn’t see it, but there was something strange on its neck. A silver restraint of some kind.”
“What?!”
“Shhh!”
Leo immediately shushed Taishy, who’d raised her voice in surprise.
“Keep your voice down. What if someone hears us?”
The three of them glanced around to make sure no one else was nearby, then leaned in and continued their conversation in hushed tones.
“Go on. Are you sure about this?”
“Yeah. I saw it clearly. That’s why I tried to stop Professor Ludger.”
“A restraint? You’re saying that weren’t ordinary werewolves?”
“That’s what I’m thinking. It feels like they were... created. Like someone made them intentionally. Experimental subjects, maybe.”
If that was true, it was no small matter.
Leo, now visibly uneasy, spoke up.
“I heard something recently too.”
“What?”
“That there are suspicious people hiding within Seorn.”
“Suspicious people? What, like a secret society or something? That sounds like a dumb rumor—or maybe one of those student underground clubs.”
Seorn had plenty of secret student groups, so Taishy’s skepticism was understandable.
But Leo shook his head.
If it were something like that, he wouldn’t have brought it up in the first place.
“I’m not totally sure. But I’m convinced there’s some hidden group lurking in Seorn. Especially after what happened with the werewolves.”
“Wait, so you’re saying there are dangerous people in Seorn?”
“We’re still in the suspicion stage, but yeah. That’s what it looks like. Aidan, don’t you think so too?”
“...Yeah. I hate to say it, and I don’t like suspecting people, but something really doesn’t sit right with me. Especially...”
Aidan trailed off, shaking his head.
“No, never mind.”
“What? Come on, say it.”
“...It’s because of Professor Ludger, isn’t it?”
Taishy hit the nail on the head. Aidan couldn’t lie—he nodded.
The thing that had been bothering him all along was Ludger’s behavior the night before.
“I don’t want to doubt him. But what I saw... he was acting strange. Really strange.”
“Strange, how?”
“You probably couldn’t see it from your angles, but I was looking right at him. In that moment—Professor Ludger saw something.”
There had been a subtle but unmistakable reaction from Ludger.
Aidan hadn’t missed it.
But before he could even ask, Ludger had forcibly removed him from the scene... and burned the werewolves to ash.
Leo rested his chin in one hand, brow furrowed.
“Wait... are you saying Professor Ludger destroyed the evidence?”
“What?! No way. That’s ridiculous.”
Taishy scoffed, shaking her head.
It seemed absurd. Ludger Cherish, the professor who’d saved them and fought the werewolves head-on, being connected to something shady?
“I'm not saying it’s definite. Just... it felt like he was hiding something. Like he was in a rush to make sure no one else saw it.”
“......”
“......”
Maybe it was just a misunderstanding.
Surely a Seorn professor wouldn’t be involved in something so dangerous.
But what if it was true? What if Ludger Cherish was part of some secret organization—one so dangerous it couldn’t even be named?
What if he’d killed the werewolves to erase the evidence?
“Are you two idiots? That’s going way too far.”
Taishy stood, hands on her hips, scolding them both.
“I’m sure Professor Ludger had his reasons. And didn’t you think something was off during the meeting with the Headmistress?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“I didn’t notice anything.”
“Ugh, you morons. Don’t you remember how she praised each of us—like, specifically what we did well? In detail?”
“Oh yeah... now that ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ you mention it, I was too distracted to realize.”
“Think about it. How could the Headmistress have known all that? She wasn’t even there.”
“Uh...”
“Obviously, someone told her everything. And who do you think that was?”
Ludger Cherish.
There was no one else it could’ve been.
“He saw everything, even if he pretended not to. And if he really just wanted to punish us, he wouldn’t have mentioned any of that to the Headmistress.”
“...Ah.”
The more they thought about it, the more it made sense.
Only Ludger and the Headmistress had entered the meeting room. When she offered them rewards, Ludger had quietly stepped back and allowed it.
“So this whole thing... was planned by Professor Ludger? But why?”
“I don’t know. But at the very least, he was trying to protect us. He made sure the Headmistress only heard the good things. Isn’t it kind of harsh to doubt someone like that?”
Aidan and Leo had no response.
She was right.
If Ludger were some shady figure, why would he introduce something like source code magic in their very first class?
Why would someone hiding their true identity openly demonstrate a groundbreaking new technique?
“...Maybe.”
Aidan scratched his head, still unable to completely shake his unease.
He respected Ludger deeply—but he couldn’t deny that something about him felt... off.
“Yeah. You’re probably right, Taishy. No point in overthinking it now.”
“Hmph. As long as you get it.”
“Anyway, I’m hungry. Did you guys eat yet?”
“Nope. Not yet.”
“What about you, Taishy?”
“What about me?”
“If you haven’t, wanna go eat with us?”
“Wh-what?”
Taishy blinked, wondering if she’d misheard.
Eat?
With me?
“Are you serious?”
“Why not?”
“W-well... eating together is... you know...”
Suddenly flustered, Taishy began twirling a strand of her hair, her cheeks glowing bright red as she muttered softly,
“...That’s what friends do...”
“We are friends, aren’t we?”
“...!”
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
As Aidan flashed a bright, innocent smile in her direction, Taishy’s ears flushed red all the way to the tips.
Leo, who had been watching the whole scene unfold beside them, sighed and shook his head.
A hopelessly unfiltered noble girl who couldn't be honest with herself, and a completely oblivious friend with zero sense.
At this rate, life at Seorn was going to be anything but quiet.
* * *
“Ah! Professor Ludger!”
On my way back from work.
As I was heading to my quarters, I ran into Professor Selina.
The way she spotted me first and came dashing over like an excited puppy, you'd think she was a student rather than a fellow instructor.
Are we sure she didn’t lie about her age?
“Heading home?”
“Yes.”
“I heard the news! That you’re the one who took down the werewolf yesterday!”
“Yes. I handled it.”
“Wow, really?”
She looked at me with eyes full of awe—far too much for someone who was supposed to be my colleague.
Even as fellow new faculty, her idolizing gaze felt a bit excessive.
“Everyone’s talking about you lately, Professor Ludger. By the way, how did you manage to catch the werewolf? Was there some special technique?”
“Excuse me.”
“Uh, yes?”
“I’m a bit busy today. Let’s talk about it another time.”
At my firm tone, Selina looked like a scolded child, lowering her head apologetically.
“R-right. Sorry... I didn’t mean to bother you.”
“Not at all. Please, rest well too, Professor Selina.”
“Yes... you as well, Professor Ludger.”
After parting ways with her, I quietly resumed walking.
Unlike most of the other staff, she was a genuinely kind person who showed interest in someone like me.
Still, given my current position, I couldn’t afford to grow close to anyone.
Group meals or casual faculty events were fine—but that was the limit.
More importantly, I had something I needed to do.
When I arrived at my private residence, there was a package waiting at my door.
I picked it up and went inside to open it.
It was a report from Hans.
It contained data on recent disappearances in Rederbelk, as well as mapped-out areas where certain individuals were known to gather.
Rustle.
After briefly scanning the contents, I made my way to my personal study.
One wall was covered by a detailed map of Rederbelk, with numerous photos pinned to specific locations.
I cut out parts of the new documents and added them to a section of the map.
The industrial district—filled with abandoned factories.
The slums—long forsaken.
The laboratory was near that area.
Once I finished marking it, I pulled out a portable crystal communicator.
Channeling mana into it, a voice soon emerged on the other side.
[Boss. Did you get the materials I sent?]
“Yes.”
[Just like you told me yesterday, I scouted the area. Saw about ten big guys moving in and out of an abandoned factory. Looks like we’ve found the right place.]
“I see.”
[And about the other thing you asked me to check—I looked into it. A few workers went missing near the outskirts of the city.]
“Was one of them a family of three?”
[Yeah. That was the only full family that disappeared. The police didn’t investigate much—just tried to sweep it under the rug. But the neighbors were terrified. I poked around a bit and got the full story.]
“...Understood. I’ll head over soon.”
I ended the call and stared silently at the map pinned to the wall.
Then, for the first time in a while, I reached for a dull brown coat and left the house.
* * *
Night fell.
In Rederbelk’s factory district, thick clouds smothered the sky, blotting out the stars and moonlight alike.
The chimneys of the factories, silent and lifeless, stood tall like gravestones—markers for the many who had died in the city’s shadows.
And truthfully, given the brutal working conditions, that metaphor wasn’t far from the truth.
The so-called “abandoned zone”—a stretch of slums—lacked even the occasional streetlight. The desolation there was palpable.
The only movement was the scurrying of rats across the filthy ground.
Even beggars avoided the place, knowing it held nothing for them but danger.
It was there that Ludger arrived.
“You’re here.”
Hans, who had been waiting in advance, greeted me.
He gave me a once-over, then clicked his tongue and shook his head.
Outwardly, I appeared calm—but I was already fully armed.
The chilling air I gave off made it clear I was thoroughly prepared for the battle to come.
“You’re going in alone?”
“Would you help if I asked?”
“Well, I mean, I could handle a few grunts...”
“No need. I’ll manage on my own. What about the people inside?”
“Nearly forty of them. But it seems like they’ve realized the heat’s coming. They’re getting ready to bail. If we’d been even three days later, they’d have vanished.”
“Their firepower?”
“Even the useless ones are packing guns. Won’t do much against a mage like you, but three of them are wearing reinforced armor.”
“And their elites?”
“Two black mages.”
“I see.”
The entrance was an enormous drainage pipe once used for waste disposal.
Just as I was about to head toward the laboratory, I paused and asked Hans,
“Hans. That family I asked about.”
“Yes?”
“The child... how old was he?”
“The kid?”
Leaning against the wall, Hans looked up, trying to recall.
Clouds hung heavy over the sky above.
“Seven. Just a tiny little thing.”
“...Seven, huh.”
I began walking again.
“I see.”
