NOVPUBAs I was weighing the possibility of killing Aidan, the image of him slowly approaching the werewolf resurfaced in my mind.
That foolish moment when he held out a crude healing potion and smiled gently at the creature.
—It’s okay. I won’t hurt you.
I shook my head.
No. I can’t kill him.
Even if I could clean up the aftermath carefully, there’s no way to completely eliminate the risk of suspicion falling on me.
It’s not like I planned to end up as a Seorn instructor after getting caught in a terrorist attack on a train.
Unpredictable events are bound to happen. That’s just how the world works.
There’s a term for it: Black Swan Theory.
It’s when an unforeseeable event occurs, and afterward, people try to rationalize it by piecing together causes in hindsight—claiming there were signs and that they could’ve predicted it.
But that’s all retrospective justification. In truth, it’s nearly impossible to predict such anomalies in advance.
Take my situation, for example. You can’t even cram it into the Black Swan framework. It doesn’t fit, no matter how you twist it.
More than anything, Aidan has caught the attention of the Headmaster after this incident. That makes him completely off-limits.
Of course, I was the one who recommended that the Headmaster commend him.
But I had no choice. It’s a fact that Aidan, Leo, and Taishy were all present at the scene.
And with the Headmaster still harboring suspicions about me, what do you think would happen if I personally demanded a harsh punishment for Aidan?
Instead, suggesting he be rewarded was a better way to manage my image.
In fact, the Headmaster had never been fond of Seorn’s aristocracy-driven culture, and he seemed genuinely pleased with the courage shown by a commoner boy in this incident.
Besides, Aidan’s a commoner, yet he possesses a rare [Singular] type of magic.
According to the files, it was something taught to him by a wandering mage he met when he was younger.
But that’s absurd. Who just randomly teaches someone [Singular]-type magic? And someone that skilled being a mere drifter? Ridiculous.
If that’s not a fated encounter, I don’t know what is.
Regardless, Aidan had already been receiving quiet attention from the Headmaster for that very reason.
Touching a person like him would be inviting danger—and scrutiny.
Instead...
Maybe I could use Aidan.
It’s not just his [Singular] magic. There’s this strange, compelling feeling that he’s going to be at the center of a whirlwind of events.
The way he acts... his mindset...
It’s like he was born to embody justice.
It wouldn’t be surprising if he ended up facing off against the Black Dawn Society that’s hiding somewhere inside Seorn.
Not bad... but I’ll keep that option open as just one of many.
I had no idea how Aidan viewed me after that night.
And no matter how impressive his magic is, he’s still just a student.
Better to observe him for a few days—maybe a few weeks. There’s no rush to decide.
For now, I need to focus on recovery.
The voice had fully vanished, but the physical aftermath still lingered in my body.
I was a little worried about tomorrow’s class, but if recovery continued at this pace, I should be mostly fine by morning.
Thinking that, I closed my eyes.
* * *
Terrina Lionhowl frowned as she examined the burnt remains.
Completely destroyed.
The abandoned factory had been reduced to charred remnants—nothing recognizable remained.
“Commander, is there even anything left to check?”
“Looks like it all burned clean through.”
As her two adjutants said, the factory was completely scorched—no clues, no leads, nothing.
Terrina gently nudged the ash with the toe of her military boot.
“It’s definitely strange. A fire breaking out in an abandoned factory with no foot traffic, and everything around it getting incinerated?”
“Maybe someone set the fire on purpose to erase their tracks?”
“Most likely.”
She had suspected as much the moment she heard about the fire.
But seeing the ruins firsthand left a bitter taste in her mouth.
Terrina stroked her chin, organizing her thoughts.
The death of Belvotte Rixon.
A mysterious thief.
A werewolf.
A factory fire.
All on the same day.
The puzzle pieces were falling into place. A rough outline of the picture was beginning to form.
But right in the center of the puzzle, a gaping hole remained.
The mastermind—the true culprit—was still unknown.
“Lloyd. Anything else? Any other incidents nearby?”
At Terrina’s question, Lloyd pushed up his rimless glasses with a fingertip.
With neatly pomaded hair and a scholarly air, Lloyd didn’t exactly look like a knight. He was more like an academic.
And in fact, his main responsibilities were information gathering, analysis, and case organization.
“There was nothing else unusual. However...”
“However?”
“I received word that a werewolf appeared at Seorn Academy.”
“Seorn Academy?”
Terrina was no stranger to Seorn.
It was the Empire’s premier institution for training mages.
Supported by various kingdoms, the Empire, and the Mage Towers, Seorn had a history spanning hundreds of years.
And it wasn’t only for nobles or the wealthy—it was known for offering equal opportunity to commoners and lower-class citizens, as long as they had the talent.
Though located within the Empire, it was more autonomous than any other place.
A werewolf appeared in that Seorn?
“Yes. It seems the werewolf from Rederbelk snuck in through the underground sewer system.”
“That must’ve been quite a shock for the students.”
“Fortunately, no deaths occurred. There were two injuries, but even those weren’t life-threatening.”
“And the werewolf that infiltrated Seorn—what became of it?”
“It was taken down by a faculty member.”
“Well, it is Seorn. The instructors there aren’t average mages. And the werewolf? Was the body recovered?”
“No. It was completely incinerated.”
“Incinerated?”
For a moment, the similarity to this factory’s fire flashed through her mind—but that was probably an overreach.
After all, among elemental magic, fire was the most effective way to deal with cryptids.
“Hmm... Seorn, huh. Seorn...”
“Shall we head there? We might uncover something.”
At Lloyd’s suggestion, Terrina shook her head.
“No. Not yet. For now, focus on collecting clues around here.”
Still, Seorn was a possibility worth keeping in mind.
In time, the truth will reveal itself.
That was why she had taken action in the first place.
To uproot the hidden threats within the Empire—
And restore peace to the nation. That was the mission and purpose of the Nightcrawler Knights.
* * *
In the classroom where Ludger taught manifestation-type magic...
The students, still buzzing from recent events, were chattering among themselves.
Naturally, the topic of conversation was the werewolf—and Ludger himself.
“Did Professor Ludger really take down a werewolf?”
“They say he’s ex-military. Supposedly has a record of hunting cryptids too. Sounds legit.”
“Whoa... I thought he seemed intense from day one, but turns out he really is.”
The story of how Ludger had broken up a fight between the commoner Rine and the noble Dunema Romli was also brought up. He’d deescalated the situation calmly and maturely.
Back on the first day of class, the students’ impression of Ludger hadn’t been all that great.
He was putting first- and second-years in the same class, and he hadn’t clearly explained what he was going to teach.
He claimed, “You’ll understand once class begins,” but how many students actually believed that?
He was a new instructor, and people wondered how he could act so confident.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
As more of Ludger’s past became known, students’ evaluations of him began to improve—but some skepticism still lingered.
However, everything changed the moment he introduced Source Code, a revolutionary form of magic, during his first lecture.
From that point on, opinions about Ludger among the students shifted dramatically.
Some who had refused to attend his class purely because he was a new instructor and a fallen noble now bitterly regretted it, even going so far as to request a schedule change so they could join his lessons.
There were even rumors that some fourth-years—despite being preoccupied with graduation preparations—had tried to register for his class, only to be denied.
Naturally, the buzz around Ludger’s lectures only grew.
Even fellow instructors began to show interest in his Source Code magic, and whispers reached the Tower of Magic as well.
Then came the werewolf incident—Ludger’s finishing touch.
At this point, among the first- and second-years, it was impossible not to know the name Ludger Cherish.
“Professor Ludger’s name sure comes up a lot these days.”
Erendir, who had been quietly listening to all the chatter about Ludger, recalled the way he had acted that day.
A man who had coldly said only what needed to be said—even to her, the Third Princess.
No, more than that—his demeanor had even felt hostile toward her. The memory left her dumbfounded.
She may have made a mistake at the time, but still—how could he speak to her like that?
And yet he was warm and friendly toward that first-year, Rine.
At the time, the situation had been too urgent to dwell on it, but now it left her feeling... strangely slighted.
Who ignores a princess and looks after a commoner?
Isn’t it usually the other way around?
Of course, that thought had all but vanished after watching him fight a werewolf under the moonlight.
Just then, the back door of the lecture hall opened and a female student entered.
Short ash-gray bob with longer strands framing her face.
Rine.
She flinched under the awkward stares that followed her.
After the incident with Dunema earlier in the term, the noble students hadn’t looked kindly on Rine.
Because of that, she hadn’t made any friends and usually wandered the halls alone.
Seeing that most of the lecture hall’s seats were already taken, she had no choice but to head toward the one remaining empty spot—
—Right next to Princess Erendir. The most daunting seat imaginable.
“Hello, Rine. Have you been well since that day?”
“Y-Yes, Princess Erendir.”
The seat beside the Third Princess.
Even nobles who sought a connection with royalty avoided it out of sheer pressure, yet now a commoner girl had taken it.
And Erendir greeted her warmly.
Naturally, some of the students’ expressions twisted into something... peculiar.
What is that commoner doing? When did they get so close?
Feeling the surge of attention, Rine couldn’t even lift her head.
Ughhh... Why does this only happen to me?
Honestly, all she wanted was to stay uninvolved.
The incident from earlier in the semester—well, it hadn’t been light, but it had ended as a passing incident.
Dunema had received her punishment, and that was enough. Rine hadn’t intended to escalate it further.
But third parties stepping in and stirring things up like it was their problem—that was what she found exhausting.
Being disliked by the nobles because of it? A whole new layer of stress.
Click.
The front door of the classroom opened.
And just like that, silence fell over the students.
“......”
“......”
Everyone sat up straight, their eyes fixed on the man entering through the door.
Ludger.
His presence was the same as the first day—controlled, deliberate, and silent-footed.
The only thing that had changed was his attire.
On the first day, he had worn a gray suit under a black frock coat with a silk top hat.
Today, he wore a long white coat, a black suit underneath, a red necktie, and a long wine-colored scarf wrapped around his neck.
No hat.
His sharp gaze and chiseled features were fully exposed.
The students couldn’t look away.
Some of the girls stared, entranced, eyes glazed over.
“We’ll begin.”
With that single sentence, Ludger tossed a thick stack of documents into the air.
Eighty sheets scattered in a graceful arc, riding the breeze before settling perfectly on each student’s desk.
A handout, printed via duplication spell, outlining today’s lecture ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) material.
“Today, we’ll cover the basics and principles of Elemental Attributes, one of the four major branches of manifestation-type magic.”
Elemental Attributes—one of the four core specializations of manifestation-type magic.
It was arguably the most essential field for any mage, and the most universally recognized.
Even now, with magic having evolved in countless directions, children still think of fire, water, ice, and wind when they hear the word “magic.”
But that also meant it was the most basic of basics—something even new first-years had already learned.
Learning that again? The students, who had been hoping for something unique, couldn’t help but feel disappointed.
That was when Ludger continued.
“But that alone wouldn’t satisfy your hunger for knowledge, would it? That’s why today, I’ll be teaching you something new.”
“Something... new?”
“A new... method?”
Was there anything new to elemental magic?
As the room buzzed with confusion, a few students who had already taken advanced classes seemed to sense what Ludger was about to do.
“A method to increase your current elemental output by a minimum of 20% and up to over 80%.”
“...That’s even possible?”
It would’ve sounded like nonsense coming from anyone else.
But this was Ludger.
“What do you think?”
Ludger swept his gaze across the room.
“Interested now?”
