NOVPUBLudger had traveled across the continent in search of Relics.
More precisely, in pursuit of the original of the “fragments” he’d been collecting.
It was all to reassemble them.
He encountered many cities, nations, and peoples along the way.
And in doing so, he sometimes came across Relics that had nothing to do with the fragments.
For most mages, encountering even a single Relic in a lifetime would be unheard of.
But Ludger had seen several.
When it came to Relics, he was one of the most experienced individuals alive.
“Stay still.”
He muttered the command as he stirred his mana.
The <Philosopher’s Stone> resisted him, lashing out with its mana—but Ludger remained unshaken.
Some unique Relics possessed what could only be described as “will.”
A faint mystery born from the overwhelming power that Relics contained.
The Philosopher’s Stone existed to fulfill others’ desires.
Its tendency to emit waves of desire into the surroundings stemmed from its blind commitment to that singular purpose—a purpose so deeply embedded that it had taken on a will of its own.
In that sense, a Relic could be considered a cursed object.
That was why the Philosopher’s Stone resisted Ludger. But he only laughed at its will.
“You can’t grant my true wish. Not in any form.”
Even with the Philosopher’s Stone before him, Ludger didn’t believe in it.
A wish-granting stone?
Sure—it would grant wishes. But only within the limits of its power.
And how could something with limitations truly be called a wish?
A wish with boundaries is no wish at all.
It’s nothing but a counterfeit.
“So if you’re a fake, act like one—and do as I say.”
But the Philosopher’s Stone didn’t give up.
Instead of scattering its magic outward, it now focused it entirely on Ludger.
Emerald mana coiled around his body.
Ludger frowned as the mana seeped into his mind.
“Pointless struggle.”
But he didn’t block or reject the stone’s influence.
On the contrary, he boldly amplified the mana flowing into the hand grasping the stone.
Vrrrrrrmmmm!
This time, the Philosopher’s Stone hesitated.
What was this human doing? He wasn’t defending himself—he was accepting the mana?
Still, the Philosopher’s Stone continued to invade Ludger’s mind, intrigued by this turn of events.
But then—
Clunk!
The wave of mana sent by the Philosopher’s Stone hit something—like slamming into a wall.
What was this?
The Philosopher’s Stone, designed to resonate with the innermost desires of the human heart, found itself unable to proceed any further into Ludger’s consciousness.
Had he blocked it on purpose? Pretended to allow it in, only to seal it?
No—that wasn’t it.
What had stopped the Philosopher’s Stone wasn’t Ludger’s mana.
It was something entirely different. A foreign power—so strange it couldn’t even be classified.
It was incomprehensible. Impossible to analyze.
Mana? No. This energy didn’t share the same nature.
It was something higher. As though something else—something other—was watching over Ludger and protecting him.
“You’d better stop there.”
Ludger warned the will of the Philosopher’s Stone.
“Go any further, and it won’t end well—for either of us.”
This wasn’t an empty bluff.
It was a genuine warning.
If the stone tried to cross that boundary, something far worse would happen—Ludger was certain of it.
If the Philosopher’s Stone had emotions, it might’ve bristled at those words.
But the stone’s will existed solely to fulfill its function. There was no emotion involved.
Still, it heeded Ludger’s words.
Going any further would mean being broken to the point of never functioning again.
And then it would never be able to fulfill its role again.
Sssssssss—
“Well done.”
The Philosopher’s Stone withdrew its will.
Strictly speaking, it had hit a wall and been forced to stop—but the choice to halt belonged to the stone’s will.
Ludger, maintaining his grip on the stone, imbued it with mana and forcibly imposed a “wish.”
“The fragment of the Relic I’m holding...”
With his other hand, he retrieved a piece from his inner coat pocket.
“Tell me where the remaining four fragments are.”
At that moment, an intense green light burst from the Philosopher’s Stone.
Were it in the open, it would’ve been visible from miles away—brilliant and vivid.
But in this completely sealed chamber, where all magical emissions were blocked, the light only illuminated the interior.
When the glow finally faded—
Ludger released the stone from his hand.
“Two, huh.”
Two.
That was the number of fragments the Philosopher’s Stone had revealed in response to Ludger’s “wish.”
He had wanted the locations of all four remaining pieces.
But the stone could only show two.
And of those two, one was already a location he had roughly identified before.
‘In the end, I’ve only gained the whereabouts of one more fragment.’
A pitiful result for a so-called wish-granting stone.
But Ludger chose to see it positively.
Even learning the location of a single elusive piece had potentially saved him years of searching.
‘Still... to think it was so close.’
The location of the fragment he’d discovered unintentionally—
Was right in the heart of the large city of Rederbelk.
“At least I got something.”
Vrrrm.
The Philosopher’s Stone vibrated subtly, as if protesting.
If it had helped, surely it deserved to be taken outside.
But Ludger coldly dismissed that will.
“You’re a dangerous object. You’ll keep destroying anyone you come into contact with. Stay locked in here—forever.”
VrrRRMM!
The Philosopher’s Stone tried to protest more forcefully, but Ludger had already cloaked himself in shadows and disappeared into the darkness.
Left alone, the Philosopher’s Stone blinked its green light once, as if objecting—
But then fell still.
There was no one left to hear it.
* * *
Back in my room, I sat on the sofa to rest, my mana nearly depleted.
Teleporting across space wasn’t something one should do repeatedly.
The dizziness, the nausea, the massive drain on mana...
On top of that, I’d exhausted even more strength using the Philosopher’s Stone.
It was a miracle I hadn’t collapsed from exhaustion.
[────]
Noise wormed its way through my brain.
I grimaced and quickly tossed a pill into my mouth.
The mana infused in the medicine spread through my body, replenishing what was lost—though not enough.
This time, I had pushed my mana usage even further. I would need more time to recover.
“This is maddening.”
I always carried the pills to avoid hearing that noise.
Though, admittedly, the irritating noise had helped me this time—
When the Philosopher’s Stone tried to invade my mind, it had failed to do any real damage.
Still.
That didn’t make it any less annoying.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
It was fortunate this was still only the “first stage.” If it had progressed any further, even recovery would’ve become a challenge.
I pressed my throbbing forehead lightly with my fingers, massaging it.
Maybe it was because I sat still for thirty minutes, but at some point, the noise in my head disappeared.
Was it over?
With a sigh of relief, I stood up. Now that I knew the location of one fragment, I planned to begin inquiries. 𝚗𝚘v𝚙𝚞b.𝚌𝚘m
I picked up my communication crystal and channeled mana into it. The response was immediate.
[Boss. You called?]
“Yeah.”
Hans answered like he had been waiting. It was well past midnight, yet he’d responded without hesitation.
That could only mean he’d been waiting for me to reach out.
[If you’re calling now, does that mean the business you were dealing with is all resolved?]
“It wrapped up faster than expected. I’ve got some breathing room now.”
[That’s good to hear.]
“We can move the schedule up. This weekend should be best.”
[Would’ve suggested the same myself. But this isn’t the only reason you called, is it? There’s more, right?]
Of course—Hans as always.
Having worked with me for a long time, he had a sharp sense for these things.
“I’ve found the location of another fragment.”
[...Where?]
“In Rederbelk. Focus your search on the auction house.”
[An auction house, huh. Then it has to be the only one in Rederbelk.]
“Exactly.”
There was only one auction house in Rederbelk.
The one and only <Kunst> Auction House.
It was run by the Luk Corporation, the largest auction conglomerate in the Exilion Empire. The Rederbelk branch was one of the biggest on the continent.
Kunst's influence extended far beyond Rederbelk and even beyond the empire.
Nobles and wealthy collectors from across the continent gathered to buy and sell rare treasures, resulting in extremely high participation rates.
Wealth draws more wealth.
High-quality antiques, historically significant artifacts, and exceptional magical items.
Where the goods are good, the wealthy come to play.
And those people—keen to flaunt their power—would pour obscene amounts of money into their bids.
Even with the massive salary I received from Seorn, the amounts exchanged in Kunst made me shake my head.
Whenever absurd final prices were reached, the stories would spread across borders, attracting even more attention from other nations.
A cycle of money and reputation.
That was how Kunst became what it is today.
And if my intuition was right, the “fragment” I was looking for would be there.
‘And just in time—they’re holding a major event soon. The timing’s perfect.’
If it was Hans, he’d easily be able to get his hands on the [N O V E L I G H T] listing of items set to appear at the auction.
“Check the catalog. Find out when the item goes up for bid.”
[You don’t even have to ask. But Boss, Kunst is... kind of a big place, isn’t it?]
“So?”
[So, wouldn’t our ‘usual’ methods be a bit hard to pull off there?]
Hans’s slightly hesitant voice told me exactly what he was worried about.
“I know. For now, I plan to participate properly—as a guest.”
Kunst Auction House, as a gathering ground for the wealthiest of the continent, had near-unbreakable security.
During events, they even deployed knight-level personnel as guards.
That alone was proof of the scale of the auction and the sheer prestige of the Luk Corporation.
And it wasn’t just knights. Even mages were involved, and the valuable goods were all under layered magical protection.
Trying to use our usual infiltration tactics in a place like that was a fool’s errand.
“Don’t worry too much. We’ve got plenty of time.”
[Yeah... I hear you. I’ll get started on the catalog then—urk?!]
“What is it?”
Hans suddenly yelped, making me wonder if something had gone wrong.
[No, no. It’s nothing. Just some clingy freeloader throwing a fit.]
“A clingy freeloader?”
[You called for them, remember? One of them’s already here.]
“Ah. That fast?”
Soon, I heard yelling from the other side of the crystal.
[Hey! Wait up! I said I’m coming, damn it!]
Judging by how loud Hans was getting, it seemed the guy had arrived earlier than expected.
[Anyway, Boss, I’ll be seeing you again soon.]
“Yeah. Thanks for the help.”
With that, I ended the call with Hans.
The Philosopher’s Stone had served its purpose, and those who tried to steal it were now dead.
That chapter—centered around the wish-granting stone—was closed.
‘The best part is, I’ve all but erased the Headmaster’s suspicions. That alone is worth it.’
Now, it was time to return to the everyday life of Ludger Cherish, instructor.
The one thing that still lingered in my mind was Flora Lumos.
‘It didn’t feel like we ran into each other by chance in that forest.’
She had come straight to the exact place I had been.
Unless it was pure coincidence—at night, in the Forest of Silence? No, that was too much.
But if it wasn’t a coincidence, and she had intentionally sought me out...
That made even less sense.
The spell I used, <Ater Nocturnus>, erased all traces of my presence. There was no way a mere student could perceive me.
Even the Headmaster hadn’t noticed.
‘Flora Lumos.’
Or... does she possess something unusual?
‘At least she didn’t seem to witness me using magic.’
It was possible the Headmaster’s high-tier destructive spell had drawn her attention away.
Still, the fact that I was there could raise suspicions.
I played it off for now with silence.
‘I’ll have to be careful.’
Flora Lumos’s behavior would need to be monitored closely.
Still, I’d scolded her pretty severely—she’d likely lie low for a while.
With that thought, I finally fell into a deep sleep.
I had to be up early again tomorrow.
* * *
Early morning, in front of the faculty office.
I stopped in my tracks when I spotted a girl loitering in front of the door.
“Flora Lumos.”
“Huh? Ah—uh! P-Professor Ludger?!”
As if yesterday’s encounter hadn’t already raised enough questions, now Flora was standing outside the faculty room, clearly waiting for me.
