NOVPUBOnce they reached the entrance of the forest, most people had already dispersed. Only a few key personnel remained on site.
Among them, the most eye-catching presence was, unsurprisingly, the Headmaster.
Even in the dead of night, her distinct two-toned hair stood out clearly.
“Headmaster.”
“Ah, Professor Ludger.”
The Headmaster greeted Ludger with a soft smile.
Then, spotting the two restless female students standing behind him, her eyes widened.
“Oh? What brings these students here?”
“I found them after they entered the Forest of Silence without permission and got lost.”
“The Forest of Silence?”
The Headmaster narrowed her eyes slightly.
Cheryl Wagner, already shivering, began trembling even harder under her gaze, and Flora Lumos pressed her lips together tightly.
“Hm. Venturing into such a dangerous place in the middle of the night... I wonder what the reason could be?”
“I-I mean... I...”
Cheryl’s voice caught in her throat, and she couldn’t get the words out properly.
At that moment, Flora stepped forward.
“It was my fault.”
“F-Flora?”
“I went into the Forest of Silence on my own. Cheryl only followed me to try and stop me.”
“Student Flora Lumos?” 𝒏𝙤𝙫𝒑𝙪𝙗.𝙘𝒐𝙢
Flora Lumos, the top second-year student at Seorn, was a student the Headmaster had been watching with interest.
Her family background, her appearance, her magical talent—everything stood out.
But for someone like her to enter the Forest of Silence on a whim?
While she was known to cause minor trouble from time to time, she had never acted so recklessly as to venture into such a dangerous area.
“Did something happen?”
“No. I just wanted a change of scenery and was walking without thinking. That’s when Professor Ludger found us and brought us back.”
“I see.”
The Headmaster didn’t bother pressing Flora further on why she ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) had entered the forest.
Because she already believed Flora to be innocent.
It wasn’t implausible that she had simply wandered in.
The Forest of Silence was vast, and it was practically impossible for Seorn to monitor every part of it.
Especially at night like this, there were times when students unknowingly wandered in, drawn by the forest’s mana. This might have been one of those times.
She’d merely been enchanted by the forest’s magical energy.
The Headmaster then turned her gaze to Ludger, who had brought the students back.
“Thank you for coming all this way, Professor Ludger.”
“I was simply doing what I had to do.”
“But I feel a bit guilty. The situation was already taken care of.”
“You handled it all yourself, Headmaster?”
“Yes. It was urgent.”
The Headmaster offered an apologetic look, carefully observing Ludger’s reaction.
But Ludger’s expression didn’t change.
He didn’t look surprised, nor relieved, nor even irritated that his efforts had been unnecessary.
He simply accepted the situation as it was.
“I understand.”
“Oh? Aren’t you even a little upset? I asked for your help and then resolved it myself.”
“I believe that since someone more capable than me—namely you, Headmaster—took the lead, the matter was resolved properly. That was likely the most efficient and swift course of action.”
At Ludger’s words, the Headmaster blinked, caught slightly off guard.
“Well... yes. I suppose that’s true.”
“I hold no dissatisfaction about it. I don’t get disappointed or hurt over something so trivial.”
“......”
His answer was so straightforward and earnest it left the Headmaster speechless.
Perhaps it was fitting for a former soldier.
From the first time she’d met him until now, Ludger had remained remarkably consistent.
“More importantly, Headmaster, that item in your hand...”
Ludger glanced at the cloth-wrapped object she was holding.
“Oh, this? It’s nothing important.”
“Is that so.”
Since she said so, Ludger let the matter drop.
Though, in truth, he already knew—and was simply playing along.
Nodding slightly, Ludger gestured subtly toward the two students he had brought.
“So, what should I do with them?”
“Well, students do make mistakes now and then. Just explain things clearly and send them back to the dormitory.”
“No disciplinary points?”
“Oh, come now. Professor Ludger, you don’t really mean that. I’ll let it slide this time, so just let them go.”
“H-Headmaster!”
Cheryl looked up at her with eyes full of admiration and emotion.
Flora, on the other hand, stood silently, as if uninterested in the matter.
“Then I’ll see to it that they return safely.”
“Yes, Professor Ludger. Sorry to trouble you a bit longer this late at night.”
“Understood.”
With that, Ludger ended his conversation with the Headmaster and took his leave.
* * *
“So, what do you think?”
Once Ludger left with the students, Wilford—who had been watching from a distance—approached the Headmaster and asked.
“That man named Ludger Cherish.”
“After this incident, I think we can say all suspicions have been cleared.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yes. He didn’t react to me at all. If he’d had even the slightest connection to them, he would have shown some sign of agitation. But there was nothing.”
What’s more, he had even brought out two students who had wandered into the forest.
He must have encountered them on his way here after she’d summoned him.
“Quick to act, well-mannered, and possessing mental fortitude strong enough to resist my charm spell.”
“Sounds like you’re impressed.”
“Perhaps I am. You seem to think the same, Wilford?”
“Haha. Well, I won’t deny it.”
As a former knight, Wilford had taken a particular liking to Ludger.
His disciplined and sharp aura set him apart from the usual frail and sheltered mages.
And the subtly defined musculature beneath his robes proved he was no ordinary spellcaster.
That physical conditioning was no accident—and it left a favorable impression on Wilford.
“In any case, I think we’ve sent a clear message to them through this incident.”
“I hope so. But we’ll see.”
“Should we have captured one for interrogation?”
At that suggestion, the Headmaster shook her head firmly.
“You know as well as I do, Wilford—they’re not the kind of people that works on.”
“That’s true.”
The people who had infiltrated Seorn were members of a secret society.
Even if they managed to capture a few and interrogate them, they wouldn’t give up information on their organization.
Anyone weak enough to break under pressure wouldn’t have been recruited in the first place.
And there was always the possibility that some preventative measure had been put in place to keep them from talking, just in case.
Trying to capture and interrogate such extremists would waste immense time and mental energy.
It was far more efficient to simply eliminate them on sight.
“Let’s hope this quiets things down for a while.”
* * *
“Head back.”
After escorting Flora to her dormitory, Ludger turned without hesitation, as if his business was done.
“Um...”
“Yes?”
Flora called out to stop him, as if she wanted to say something.
But even after opening and closing her mouth several times, no words came out.
“It’s late. If you have nothing to say, I’ll be going.”
Even though she was Flora, Ludger didn’t make any special effort to show kindness or concern.
He vanished like the wind, as if he had more important things to do.
Cheryl, who stood beside her, could only shake her head in disbelief.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
“Wow. That really was Professor Ludger. So cold-blooded. Flora, are you okay?”
“Yeah. I’m fine.”
“I was so worried! Why on earth did you suddenly go into the forest?”
“I just...”
“Just?”
“There are times when... I just want to wander. That’s all. And it just happened to be that forest.”
“...Ugh, fine. But you better be more careful next time, okay? I was really scared!”
“Yeah. Thanks for worrying, Cheryl.”
Flora gave a faint smile and returned to the dormitory.
After washing up and changing into her pajamas, she collapsed onto her bed.
She couldn’t stop thinking about Ludger’s appearance in the Forest of Silence.
‘That thing he had in his hand... it was definitely a pill case.’
When she asked him about it, Ludger had flinched.
And when she had first spotted him from afar, she’d only seen his back—but she was sure he had been trembling.
Why would he do that in a place with no one around?
‘Could he be sick?’
A sudden hypothesis struck her.
Flora instinctively bolted upright in bed.
‘Could that actually be true?’
Once the thought took root, it wouldn’t let her go.
It really had looked that way.
A body trembling from weakness. Hiding in a secluded place to secretly take medicine.
‘No way Professor Ludger is taking anything bad. Maybe he’s just pretending to be strong when he’s actually unwell?’
Flora shook her head, trying to dismiss her thoughts.
‘No. There’s no confirmation. I shouldn’t overthink this.’
But no matter how much she tried to deny it, the same thoughts kept bubbling back up.
Next time.
If the opportunity came again, she’d find out then.
With that thought, Flora closed her eyes.
It felt like, for once, she wouldn’t have any nightmares tonight.
* * *
Well past midnight, when the whole academy was deep in sleep—
The Headmaster stood alone, finally confirming with her own eyes the place where the real <Philosopher’s Stone> was being kept.
“It’s been secured properly.”
With everyone’s attention drawn to the fake, the real one had been quietly relocated and stored.
She had taken personal action to wipe out the cockroaches that had infiltrated Seorn—
Even if it meant keeping it a secret from everyone else.
It had been a necessary choice to handle things properly.
Thankfully, things had worked out.
The bait had drawn out some of the enemies, and the real one had been stored safely.
The chamber resembled a sacred altar.
At its center sat the <Philosopher’s Stone>, and the Headmaster let out a breath of relief at the sight.
Though identical in appearance to the replica she had created as a decoy, this Relic was dangerous enough that you couldn’t approach it carelessly.
Fitting for a stone that grants wishes—it responded to the owner’s desire and made that wish come true.
‘The problem is, there are no limits to what it grants.’
That’s what made the Philosopher’s Stone so terrifying.
It reacted not to superficial wishes, but to the darkest and most potent desires buried deep within the heart.
Even if someone wished for wealth, unless that was their true desire, the stone wouldn’t respond.
Instead, it often granted wishes the user never consciously intended—twisting them.
Most of the time, the strongest desires people hold are rooted in dark, malicious intent.
Rather than wishing for their own wealth or happiness, they unconsciously crave to see someone they hate suffer.
That’s what this stone answers.
‘And if it doesn’t have a user, it emits magical pulses that attract those sensitive to its mana.’
Which was why the Philosopher’s Stone had to be stored in a sealed space, layered with countless barriers.
To ensure none of that power leaked out.
And even the people stationed near it had to be individuals who wouldn’t easily fall prey to its influence.
‘That’s how careful you have to be with something like this.’
In the few ancient documents that remained, there was even a record of an entire kingdom vanishing because of that stone.
Why, then, was such a dangerous object kept at Seorn?
Because, simply put, only Seorn could store it safely.
If it had fallen into the hands of a Mage Tower or any other kingdom, war would’ve already broken out over it.
‘I’m just glad everything went smoothly.’
The Headmaster cast one final glance at the Philosopher’s Stone before sealing the chamber.
A 3-meter-thick metallic wall—reinforced to block magical waves—slammed shut with a heavy thud, plunging the room into darkness.
Only the faint green glow of the Philosopher’s Stone illuminated the silence.
And so, the Philosopher’s Stone would once again sit undisturbed, hidden from all eyes.
That is—if a shadow hadn’t begun to stir.
Shhh—
From within that shadow, a figure slowly rose.
“Haaah...”
Brushing away his dizziness with a long exhale, Ludger lifted his head and fixed his gaze on the Philosopher’s Stone at the center of the sealed chamber.
‘That’s the real one.’
It looked nearly identical to the fake, but the atmosphere it radiated was fundamentally different.
Ludger’s trained eye immediately picked up on the distinction.
As if sensing the presence of a human, the Philosopher’s Stone began releasing even more powerful waves of mana.
Ludger’s brow furrowed as he felt the pressure seep into his skin.
“Trying to tempt me, are you?”
A wish-granting stone.
If someone capable of spiritual resonance was within range, it would radiate mana to urge them to make a wish.
And it didn’t just affect the body—
It seeped into the deepest recesses of the mind, tugging at one’s buried desires.
“What a nasty trick.”
But such tactics only worked on the weak-minded.
Ludger stepped closer to the Philosopher’s Stone.
Then reached out and grasped it.
“Sorry, but I have no intention of letting you realize your interpretation of my desires.”
Vmmmmmm!
The Philosopher’s Stone vibrated violently in his hand, as if rebelling.
Anyone else would’ve panicked, leaving themselves wide open.
“How many Relics do you think I’ve seen up to this point?”
When it came to this—he was an expert.
