NOVPUBAfter her talk with Ludger, Rine walked down the corridor wearing a dazed expression, as if she were still dreaming.
Clutched tightly in her arms was the book about Non-Attributed Mana that Ludger had given her.
Even though her mind was wandering, she instinctively knew this book was something she had to treasure deeply.
As she briskly walked down the hallway, a voice called out to her, bringing her steps to a halt.
“Rine.”
“Ah, huh? S-Senior?”
A gentle, pleasant voice calling her.
It belonged to none other than Erendir, a second-year student in the same Manifestation class and, without a doubt, the most famous figure at Seorn—Third Princess of the Empire.
Erendir was looking at Rine with a worried gaze.
“What brings you here, Senior...?”
“What do you mean what? I was worried. I waited here just in case. You were summoned by Professor Ludger, weren’t you?”
“Huh? Ah, oh! That’s right. Hehe...”
“Hm?”
Something about Rine’s reaction felt off, and Erendir’s suspicions only deepened.
“Rine. Did Professor Ludger do something to you...?”
Erendir had never held a favorable opinion of Ludger to begin with.
It all stemmed from that terrible first impression.
Back during orientation, Ludger had been arrogant enough to refuse to even explain what he would be teaching. The <Akashic Record> had buzzed with student complaints about it—it had caused quite a stir.
It was Erendir herself who had first fired a sharp question at him.
To someone with a strong, righteous sense of justice like her, Ludger’s behavior had been unacceptable.
She ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) had to admit that the actual class content later had impressed her, but that wasn’t enough to erase the negative perception he’d left at the start.
In fact, his cold demeanor toward her during the werewolf incident had only worsened her opinion of him.
So hearing that Ludger had taken Rine to his office alone—it was only natural her mind jumped to bad conclusions.
“N-no! Not at all!”
Rine hurriedly leapt to Ludger’s defense.
“Professor Ludger only gave me some guidance...! He absolutely didn’t do anything weird or lay a hand on me! He’s not some pervert!”
“...What?”
That, unexpectedly, flustered Erendir instead.
Her face turned red as she spoke in a stunned voice.
“I-I didn’t mean it like that. Rine, you... you’re sneakier than I thought.”
“Wh-what?!”
“I was talking about whether he’d forced you to transfer classes or pushed you out to another lecture. I wasn’t thinking about, y’know, that kind of man-woman situation...”
“Huh? W-wait! That’s not what I meant!”
Rine realized she’d misunderstood completely, and her face turned bright red from embarrassment.
Erendir, watching her flustered fumbling, couldn’t help but let out a laugh.
“Ahahaha. Alright, alright. Since what I feared didn’t happen, I’ll leave it at that.”
“...Seriously.”
“So, nothing really happened? Nothing at all?”
“No, nothing.”
“Then what’s that book?”
“Ah.”
Erendir had just noticed the unfamiliar book Rine was holding and pointed it out.
It was impossible not to notice—it was obvious Rine was handling it with extreme care, like something precious.
Of course she’d be curious.
“This? Professor Ludger gave it to me.”
“Professor Ludger did?”
Rine nodded. Erendir blinked in disbelief.
She didn’t know much about Ludger, but based on what she had seen, there was no way a man like that would go out of his way to help a student who couldn’t keep up with his class.
She’d honestly assumed he would just kick Rine out.
“Yes. He said it would help me keep up better if I learned what was in this.”
“Really?”
Looking at Rine’s cheerful smile, Erendir found it even harder to believe.
That Ludger, showing this kind of generosity?
Wasn’t he the same professor who, just the other day, had ruthlessly and brutally criticized students for how they manifested their elemental attributes?
Sure, everything he said was technically correct, and his method of provoking students’ pride to motivate them made logical sense.
But Erendir didn’t like that approach in the slightest.
Wait a minute... he was oddly kind to Rine back then, too.
When the werewolf attacked—
Ludger had been harsh with her, even though she was a princess, but strangely gentle with Rine. That memory surfaced again.
Of course, that recollection was slightly distorted by Erendir’s lingering resentment, but the general impression remained.
And now he’d called Rine in privately and even given her a book.
Could it be...?
A particular thought occurred to Erendir, but she kept it to herself.
Then Rine, looking unsure of something, leaned in and asked in a cautious voice, barely above a whisper.
“Do you think... Professor might... like me?”
“...”
Rine had just voiced aloud the very thought Erendir had only dared entertain internally.
Caught off guard, Erendir hesitated, unsure of how to respond. Eventually, she shook her head.
“No, I don’t think so.”
“No?”
“Nope.”
“Oh... okay.”
Rine quickly realized how silly her own question had sounded.
Still, now that she’d said it, doubt began to creep in.
But what if he actually does like me?
It might sound vain, but Rine was confident in her appearance.
I mean, I’m pretty cute... right?
In truth, Rine’s beauty was enough to turn heads even among noble circles. Her rare hair color alone was attention-grabbing, but paired with her heavenly looks, it was no wonder male students at Seorn whispered about her name.
She imagined herself standing next to Ludger.
They did look like they’d make a good couple... but Rine quickly shook her head.
No, no. Come on. I barely even know the guy...
Rine was surprisingly conservative about these kinds of things.
Watching Rine drift off into her own world before shaking her head vigorously, Erendir asked her gently:
“Have you eaten yet?”
“Huh? Oh, um... no, not yet.”
“Then want to eat together?”
“R-really? You’d eat with me?”
The offer completely blindsided Rine. She had no idea how to respond.
She’d just assumed that someone like Erendir would have a whole line of people begging to eat with her.
But that was Rine’s misunderstanding.
Erendir almost never spent time with anyone.
Being a princess was prestigious, yes—but it also placed her on a pedestal, and most students kept their distance.
Occasionally, some nobles approached her, but always with political motivations, not personal ones. They wanted the Third Princess, not Erendir.
The truth was—
Erendir was, frankly, a bit of a loner at Seorn.
So, this lunch invitation was a rare act of courage directed at a junior student she genuinely liked.
Oh my god. She’s the first person who’s ever asked to eat with me!
After spending the early part of the semester completely alone due to everything that had happened, Rine saw this gesture as an incredible act of kindness from her senior.
But when Rine hesitated to answer, Erendir assumed it was a rejection. She began to fidget with a lock of her blonde hair.
“Well... I mean, if it’s uncomfortable or you don’t want to, I get it...”
“N-no! I want to!”
And just like that, both Rine and Erendir found themselves, for the first time—
With someone to share a meal.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
* * *
After sending Rine off, I remained alone in the faculty office, quietly recalling the conversation we’d just had.
She likely didn’t realize it herself—but I already knew what kind of power she possessed.
Non-Attributed Mana. The fact that it lacks an elemental property isn’t what’s so astonishing.
To me, things like Non-Attributed Mana or a never-before-seen form of magic weren’t anything shocking or unfamiliar.
Because to me, magic had always been something new.
Coming from a world where magic didn’t exist at all, the very existence of it in this world was an experience of mystery and awe.
Ironically—
Even more than the mages who were born and raised in this world, it was I, with my memories and knowledge from another life, who truly recognized magic for what it was.
Today’s mages, with their rigid mindsets, had stagnated—confined within the boundaries of their own lives.
But I, having experienced death and been granted a new life, and having discovered the existence of magic through that, was able to accept and embrace new things on an entirely different level.
It’s as if the limiters on my brain had been removed.
While other mages might scream:
—Non-Attributed Mana? That’s impossible!
I would simply say:
—Non-Attributed Mana? Well, in a world where magic exists, that’s not so strange.
I had reached a level of flexibility that others couldn’t comprehend.
My very perception of magic—how I viewed and understood it—was completely different from that of the mages of this world.
Even my strict old mentor would shake his head in disbelief whenever he tried to teach me in this regard.
But what truly drew my attention when I looked at Rine wasn’t her mana.
It was her eyes.
Non-Attributed Mana was just one part of the power she carried.
The real key was her eyes.
Those eyes... I thought they looked familiar.
My old teacher possessed a vast collection of ancient tomes—books that can’t be found anymore, filled with knowledge hundreds of years old about monsters and demons.
Nowadays, with the exception of a few rare cryptids, monsters are practically extinct—but in the distant past, this continent was said to be teeming with all sorts of them.
And even demons that commanded those monsters.
That flash in her gaze... just for a moment.
I recalled Rine’s eyes clearly.
Normally, they had a soft, pale blue hue.
But during our conversation, I caught a subtle shift—a faint shimmer rising in the depths of her deep-blue irises, like starlight twinkling in the night sky.
Her eyes looked like a still surface reflecting the Milky Way.
There was no way I could mistake those eyes.
Eyes that distinguish good from evil—Judgment Eyes. If I wasn’t mistaken, Rine possesses them.
Judgment Eyes—the ability to discern the moral alignment of others, and beyond that, to unmistakably perceive hostility directed at oneself.
It’s not something you could even call magic—it was closer to a miracle, to something divine.
And their greatest significance?
They could expose the hidden forms of demons disguised among humans.
Nowadays, demons are considered nothing more than fairy tale monsters,
horned beings with red skin—boogeymen made up to scare children.
But if you dig through the records, it’s pretty clear demons were once real.
In a world where magic exists, why wouldn’t demons? I came back to life after dying, after all—so who’s to say such beings aren’t out there?
And Rine’s eyes—those Judgment Eyes—were deeply connected to that truth.
I had seen with my own eyes that those eyes, thought to exist only in legend, were real.
Which meant...
If Judgment Eyes were real, then the existence of demons might be real as well.
Another thing about these eyes—whenever they appeared, regardless of era, major events always followed.
The one small mercy here was that Rine’s eyes hadn’t fully awakened.
She herself likely had no idea she even had such a power.
But one day, she would come to realize it.
I suppose this too... is fate.
The book on Non-Attributed Mana I handed her...
To think that her book would eventually make its way back to Rine of all people.
Even though Rine doesn’t seem to remember.
This is getting a little troublesome.
Realizing Rine possesses the Judgment Eyes is one thing, but to have the past return to me in this way...
To be entangled in something like this at Seorn, of all places.
I sighed and stood up from my seat.
Then, the thought occurred to me—
If Rine ever learns to properly use her Judgment Eyes, wouldn’t she be able to expose all the infiltrators from the secret organization hiding within Seorn?
Especially the most threatening one to me at the moment—the First Order.
I still couldn’t figure out who they were or what they were up to.
And it wasn’t as if I could just ask Sedina Roschen, either.
I try to stay on high alert, but I have nothing to go on.
As long as I couldn’t identify what or where that First Order member was, I had no choice but to remain cautious.
But if Rine’s Judgment Eyes were fully active, they might become an invaluable asset.
With Aidan and his little group—plus Rine added to the mix...
If I could cleverly maneuver them...
No, never mind. First things first—let’s get out of here.
I grabbed my coat and opened the door to leave the office—
Only to freeze at the sudden cry from the other side.
“Ow, ow...”
Sitting on the ground, holding her head as if she’d just smacked it against the door, was a girl with deep-blue hair.
I looked down at her, masking my surprise with a cold tone.
“What brings you here, Flora Lumos?”
