NOVPUBChris thought, It’s finally come to this.
He was the one who had proposed the bet to Ludger. They had agreed to wager on which of their assigned students would win in the upcoming duel. The loser would have to hand over one of their magical research papers to the winner for free.
It hadn’t been anyone else—Chris Bennimore himself had made that proposal.
And because he had announced the wager in front of so many students, there was no way he could back out now.
Chris tried to say something but ended up glaring sharply at Ludger.
“You... Did you know that commoner student possessed Anti-Magic?”
“Yes. I did.”
The reply came so naturally that Chris burst out in outrage.
“You knew that and still went through with this bet?!”
“Hm. I fail to see why that would make you so upset, Mr. Bennimore.”
“You—! Are you seriously saying—”
“Did you, Mr. Bennimore, not know that Aidan possessed Anti-Magic?”
“......”
At those words, Chris fell utterly silent.
Ludger was right.
He hadn’t known that Aidan possessed Anti-Magic.
That’s right. He hadn’t known—that’s why he allowed the duel in the first place.
“You’re in charge of the first-years, aren’t you? Did you not check the details of the newly enrolled students?”
“......”
“More than that, Aidan never used Anti-Magic even once throughout the duel. Do you believe his possession of it had any effect on the outcome?”
Chris had no choice but to shut his mouth.
Just like Ludger said, he wasn’t in a position to argue about the outcome of the duel.
He could have found out—but he didn’t even try. That was on no one else but him.
Because they were commoners. Because he saw them as insignificant, he didn’t bother to care. He thought it wasn’t necessary.
That narrow-minded ideology he had carried around all this time had finally come back to strike him down like a boomerang.
Who was there to blame for that?
Ludger, for knowing and not saying anything?
Aidan, for being a mere commoner who had learned Anti-Magic?
No.
The one at fault—was himself.
He hadn’t prepared. He hadn’t bothered to gather any information. He simply assumed he would win.
His arrogance was the reason for his defeat.
“If you had made an effort to understand the unique abilities of your students beforehand, today’s incident would never have happened.”
“......”
Chris couldn’t offer any response. He just bit down on his lip.
Yes. Failing to realize Aidan possessed Anti-Magic was clearly his own mistake.
But what stung his pride even more was the fact that the duel’s result hadn’t been determined by Anti-Magic at all.
Aidan hadn’t used even the slightest trace of it during the match.
He had taken down Jeban solely with what he had learned and mastered since coming to Seorn.
Calling it cowardly, or a foul—he couldn’t say those things.
Because the moment he did, that would be the moment he truly lost.
As Ludger looked at Chris, who was shaking in silent rage, he spoke again.
“If I recall correctly, the terms of our bet involved a scholarly paper on magic.”
“...That’s right. Fine. What do you want me to give you?”
“Nothing.”
Chris looked confused.
“What... did you say?”
“I said I won’t be accepting anything.”
“Nothing...? Why—why suddenly?”
“It’s not sudden. I never intended to take anything from the start.”
Chris couldn’t understand Ludger’s actions.
No—he could understand. He simply refused to acknowledge the reality of it.
“Stealing someone else’s teachings in the name of a wager... It’s beneath me.”
With those final words, Ludger turned and walked away.
He had no intention of continuing the conversation any further.
Chris stood there, stunned.
Beneath him?
He hadn’t felt this furious even when Ludger ignored him, or when he lost the bet.
But hearing that—even though Ludger had won the duel—he wouldn’t accept any prize, because the very act of betting on education was beneath his dignity...
That stung more than anything.
That man was like a mirror. A crystal-clear mirror that reflected Chris’s own ugly reflection.
The more he hated Ludger and stared at him with growing resentment, the clearer that twisted reflection became.
Me? Chris Bennimore? Beneath him?
Chris bit down on his lip. Blood trickled down his chin.
He didn’t even think to wipe it away. All he could do was glare at Ludger’s retreating back, eyes bloodshot with fury.
Ludger Cherish.
How much more of his pride did that man need to crush before he ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) would be satisfied?
Unforgivable. Absolutely unforgivable.
Next time, he would return this humiliation twofold—no, tenfold.
“Mr. Bennimore.”
Hugo approached and called out to him, but Chris didn’t answer.
He didn’t want anyone to see him like this—so he quickly fled the scene, practically running away.
Hugo frowned at the sight, but when he looked to the side and saw the Headmaster gently smiling, he had no choice but to swallow his irritation.
This incident would go down as a deeply shameful day for the noble class.
Ludger Cherish.
Grinding his teeth, Hugo Burteg cursed that man internally—blaming him as the root cause of it all.
* * *
Still basking in the joy of victory with his friends, Aidan suddenly remembered the promise he had made to Jeban.
His gaze shifted toward Jeban, who was staggering to his feet.
The three of them exchanged glances, nodded, and made their way over to him.
“What do you want?”
Jeban looked at Aidan and his friends approaching, his voice weak.
“Come to mock me some more?”
“Jeban. You haven’t forgotten the promise you made before the duel, have you?”
At the word promise, Jeban’s expression twisted.
The shock of defeat had been so intense he’d completely forgotten about it.
“Jeban Pellio. You said some cruel things to my friends. Apologize to them. Right here. Properly.”
“You want me to apologize?”
“You’re the one who proposed the bet and asked for the duel. I’m only asking you to keep your word. So do it—apologize. Properly.”
“......”
Jeban clenched his fists tightly—but that was all.
He had lost to Aidan. Completely.
Even the surprise strike he had launched had failed.
It wasn’t just a simple defeat—he had lost in the most disgraceful way possible.
He had no place left at Seorn.
Jeban felt tears of resentment well up in his eyes.
“Damn it. This is all your fault! Because of you, I—!”
“Jeban.”
“Shut up! Don’t say my name! If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have been humiliated like this in front of everyone! It’s all your fault!”
“......”
Watching Jeban rant, half out of his mind, Taishy was about to step forward in anger.
But Aidan raised his hand, stopping her.
“Aidan, why?”
“There’s no point.”
Aidan knew. No matter what Taishy said right now, Jeban wasn’t going to listen.
Looking at Jeban’s behavior, Aidan suddenly realized something important.
That people fight because they don’t understand each other—and that maybe, if they got to know each other, things could change.
He used to believe that talking things through would lead to understanding—and that understanding could lead to friendship.
But now, looking at Jeban’s face twisted in fury, still filled with malice, Aidan found himself questioning that belief.
Meanwhile, Jeban screamed even louder, more desperately.
“Damn it! Damn all of you! Because of you filthy commoners, I can’t even stay at Seorn anymore! Our Pellio family won’t be able to show our faces anywhere again! Because of you! Because of all of you!”
In his mind, Jeban had already erased all memory of his own cheating and disgraceful actions.
All he could feel was an unbearable sense of injustice—wondering why he had to suffer like this.
“Why?! Why does someone like you have a power like that?! Why don’t I have it?!”
“Jeban.”
“Damn it. Damn it. I just wanted... to bring honor to my family...”
Jeban dropped his head and screamed in anguish.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
Even knowing his methods were wrong, he wouldn’t have stopped—because that had been his goal from the beginning.
Aidan opened his mouth as if to say something to Jeban, but then firmly shut it.
In Jeban’s current state, it wasn’t just impossible to get an apology out of him—even holding a proper conversation was hopeless.
Even Taishy, who would normally snap and tell him to stop, stayed quiet. Seeing Jeban so completely broken, she couldn’t bring herself to speak.
Watching him act like that—just to elevate his family’s status—tightened something deep in her chest.
Maybe... I could’ve ended up like that too.
The thought sent a chill down her spine, and she trembled involuntarily.
At that moment, a cold voice sliced through the silence.
“The duel is over. Why are you all still here?”
“Mr. Ludger.”
Dressed entirely in black, Ludger emanated an unmistakable pressure, one that couldn’t be resisted.
He gazed at Aidan and his friends, then turned his eyes to Jeban, who was now collapsed on the ground, sobbing.
“Jeban Pellio. You lost the duel. What exactly do you think you’re doing, sniveling like that?”
“......”
“Not only did you lose, you launched a pathetic surprise attack after your defeat—and still failed. And now you’re crying? What exactly do you think is so unfair? Do you even deserve to?”
“M-Mr. Ludger...”
Aidan tried to interject, thinking Ludger was going too far—but Ludger didn’t stop.
“Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic. The way you are right now—you’re even more disgraceful than the commoners you so despise.”
“What... do you know?!”
Unable to endure it anymore, Jeban jumped to his feet and glared at Ludger.
“What do you know about how I feel?!”
“Why should I?”
“W-What...?”
“Why should I have to know how you feel?”
“You...!”
Jeban opened his mouth to yell, but the moment he met Ludger’s eyes, the words died in his throat.
The fire in his chest was smothered in an instant, replaced by fear.
Ludger’s eyes—his cold, piercing stare—felt like staring into a nightmare from within an endless void.
“You picked this fight. You proposed the wager. You lost—and couldn’t even accept it with grace. And now you expect others to sympathize with your feelings? Why should we?”
“T-That’s...”
“What, do you think this is still your family estate? Do I look like your nanny, here to comfort your tantrums?”
“I... I...”
“A brat who can’t even take care of himself, crying and screaming like a chick for sympathy—without even realizing how disgraceful he’s being—you’re disqualified. As a mage, and as a noble. There’s nothing noble or magical about you.”
Ludger’s words were nearly violent, far harsher than his usual composed demeanor. Jeban couldn’t keep his composure.
“I... I...”
“Enough. I have no desire to hear your excuses. The disgrace you displayed just now will be referred to the disciplinary committee. Keep that in mind—and get out of my sight.”
At what sounded like a threat, Jeban’s face went pale. He stumbled backward on shaking legs and fled the arena.
The trio, who had watched everything silently from start to finish, all had the same thought.
It was deserved... but wasn’t that a bit much?
Especially Aidan—his expression was far from bright.
“Aidan.”
“Yes, sir?”
“You finally managed to properly execute a movement spell. Well done.”
“It’s all thanks to you, sir.”
“But for someone who won, you don’t look particularly happy.”
“That’s...”
Aidan couldn’t understand why he felt so low.
He had won. In front of everyone. He had fought well and won decisively. There was no question about that.
Maybe it was Jeban’s pitiful screaming afterward that had affected him.
“I... don’t really know.”
“You don’t know?”
“At first, yeah... it felt good. Jeban insulted my friends, picked a fight with me. I wanted to defeat him—and I did. That part hasn’t changed. But... it’s what happened after that’s bothering me.”
“You’re not getting soft over that whining he did, are you?”
“I know I didn’t need to listen to him. I should’ve just ignored him. But... I couldn’t.”
Aidan confessed with a bitter smile.
Ludger looked at him quietly.
He had already known that Aidan was unusually upright and morally steadfast—but he hadn’t realized just how soft-hearted he really was.
To feel sympathy for someone like Jeban, who had scorned and belittled him?
But was that really a bad thing?
Aidan was still young—a student in this bright, shining world called Seorn.
Because he was young, because he was still a student...
It was okay. That was allowed. Ludger couldn’t blame him for being naïve or slow.
That was simply the way Aidan saw the world.
“Aidan.”
“Yes, sir?”
“As you go through life, you’ll run into all kinds of people.”
“Pardon?”
“Remember this—not everyone is like you. Some people will hate you, resent you, even treat you like an enemy. That’s just how the world is. Your world and theirs are not the same.”
“...I see.”
“But that doesn’t mean things never change. It depends on how people act.”
At those words, Aidan, Taishy, and Leo all looked at Ludger, slightly surprised.
“Trying to protect what’s yours isn’t wrong. And giving everything away isn’t foolish either. But in the end, what matters in this world—is balance.”
“Balance...”
“Half. Aidan—selfishness and selflessness—having about half of each is just right. If I take half from someone, and give half in return... maybe someday, we’ll understand each other a little.”
Aidan glanced at Taishy.
He remembered that their first meeting hadn’t exactly gone smoothly.
She’d been like a rose covered in thorns.
But somehow, over time, they’d started sticking together more and more.
“I’m not telling you to stop being kind or to stop caring. I know you can’t help it. That’s why I’m saying this—you don’t have to give everything. But at least half... it’s okay to be a little selfish.”
Half.
Something about that word gave Aidan an itch in his heart—something just out of reach.
“I’m talking too much again. I’ll be going.”
“W-Wait! Mr. Ludger!”
“What is it?”
“...I’ll remember what you said. I promise.”
Ludger looked back at Aidan’s earnest face, and gave a small nod before turning and walking away from the arena.
The three students silently watched his figure grow smaller and smaller in the distance, until he finally disappeared.
