NOVPUBLudger deliberated silently.
Would Esmeralda really have asked that question without thinking?
No.
That was unmistakably a probing comment, laced with suspicion toward him.
And unless he was imagining it, the ambient temperature around him had risen by several degrees.
No—he wasn’t imagining it. It had risen.
[Go on. What made you suddenly decide to take on a subordinate?]
The question seemed simple, but its implications were anything but.
The searing heat billowed and soon began to take form.
Flames.
What had started as a fist-sized ember was now undulating into tendrils of fire, slowly closing in around him.
The prickling sensation of raw killing intent made his skin tingle.
Any normal person would have panicked, stuttered, or instinctively counterattacked in a desperate attempt to survive.
Because when it comes down to it, surviving matters more than anything else.
That would be the natural response. The natural choice.
‘But I must not.’
Ludger forcibly suppressed the reflex rising in his body.
Even in a situation where the other side could suddenly tighten the noose at any moment—
Even as the suffocating heat clawed at him—
He didn’t allow his breathing to waver. He simply stared straight into the fire.
“You talk like you know me quite well.”
[Heh?]
To provoke the other party in this kind of situation—objectively speaking, it was nothing short of madness.
If anyone were watching this unfold, they would have tried to stop him immediately.
But Ludger didn’t hesitate.
He didn’t need to.
“You ask for help, jump to your own conclusions, and now this. Have I become a joke to you because I’ve been quietly playing my part ever since infiltrating Seorn?”
When he deliberately let irritation slip into his voice, it was Esmeralda who backed down instead.
[What the hell. You’re the one who started acting out of character in the first place.]
“I always commit fully to the identity I assume. Right now, I’m Ludger Cherish—a newly appointed instructor at Seorn. What would people think if a teacher like that didn’t even have a single assistant?”
[...So you took a Third Order from the organization as your aide?]
“I judged that to be better than taking someone completely ignorant. No—enough. I don’t even know why I’m trying to explain myself to you.”
Ludger’s voice sharpened, cutting off the conversation with visible irritation.
If anything, trying to explain himself now would have only deepened the other party’s suspicion.
Every First Order he’d come across so far had been supremely skilled—but also, in one way or another, completely insane.
From John Doe to Victor Dreadpool—and now to the Esmeralda standing before him.
‘Trying to reason with people like that only backfires.’
People like her were more likely to back off when snapped at directly.
If you really wanted to dispel suspicion, logical explanations weren’t the answer.
Getting angry was.
Sure enough, that was the correct move.
The flaming tendrils dissolved instantly into the air like smoke.
[Joking. I was joking. You’re overreacting a little, don’t you think?]
“Esmeralda. Even for you, questioning my loyalty is crossing a line.”
[Alright, alright. I said I’m sorry, didn’t I? I mean, you’ve never been one to open your mouth to anyone except the Zero Order. Come on, calm down. I’ll give you some good news in return.]
“What is it?”
[The Zero Order will be paying us all a visit soon. For real.]
At the mention of the Zero Order, the killing intent emanating from Ludger dissipated.
“...I’ll let it go this time. But remember. If you pull something like this again—”
Ludger narrowed his eyes and stared into the flame.
No—he stared into the woman hidden within: Esmeralda.
“—one of us won’t be walking away alive.”
[Yes, yes, I got it~]
She waved it off as if it meant nothing, but if she was reacting that lightly, then the threat had hit its mark.
[Anyway, that’s all I needed to say. I’ll be off now. It pisses me off that my plan’s gone to hell, but what can you do.]
“...”
Ludger didn’t respond to her muttered farewell and turned to leave without a word.
Esmeralda silently watched his back as he walked away.
But soon, as if she’d lost interest, she withdrew her power completely.
The flames vanished.
And darkness once again settled over the edge of the Forest of Illusions.
* * *
‘That was almost a disaster.’
After exiting the Forest of Illusions, I finally wiped the cold sweat that had gathered on my brow.
The tension from my desperate performance a moment ago still lingered in my muscles.
‘Acting tough worked out in the end. Good thing she backed down.’
That’s how people in underground organizations are.
If you show weakness or try to talk your way through something, they’ll laugh in your face.
Especially if they’re high-ranking.
In situations like that, it’s far more effective to bare your teeth and show them you’re not afraid.
That was exactly what happened—Esmeralda backed off.
‘Still, it was risky. If I’d reacted even slightly off, she really would’ve tried to kill me.’
Until I got angry, everything Esmeralda had done was entirely genuine.
Even the killing intent—real as it gets.
If a fight had broken out there, things would’ve gotten very ugly.
Especially considering the Headmaster was already on high alert and actively sniffing out suspicious figures. Fighting at the edge of the Forest of Illusions in the middle of the night?
Not a good look.
And knowing Esmeralda’s abilities, it wouldn’t have been the kind of fight I could just smooth over later.
The flames she wielded could’ve easily burned down the entire forest in an instant.
‘Thankfully, I got through without being found out.’
It helped that I’d already done my homework on the character of John Doe.
He’s foul-tempered, never yields even to other First Orders—but pledges absolute loyalty to the leader of the Black Dawn, the Zero Order.
Even after killing members of the organization, he kept his position. Maybe because the Zero Order favored him.
‘Good thing I kept that image intact. And I learned a bit about Esmeralda, too.’
First Order Esmeralda.
Female. Too early to guess her age, but she was clearly on the younger side.
But the most important detail—her ability.
The flame she had just used. That heat, spreading in an instant.
I’d sensed it the moment she appeared in the Forest of Illusions.
Esmeralda was a spirit mage.
A powerful one, at that—she controlled a high-grade fire spirit, at minimum.
‘If she can send a spirit in her stead and channel her voice through it, her skills must be top-tier.’
That narrowed down the list of suspects significantly.
From all the people at Seorn, I only needed to focus on those with specialized spirit magic.
‘First priority: the spirit studies instructors.’
From year one to year five.
There were five total.
And in terms of ability, they were all top-class—beyond doubt.
And for someone at the First Order level, it was entirely possible she was infiltrating Seorn under the guise of another instructor.
‘But I can’t rule out the students either.’
If she were hiding her identity, it’d be much easier to blend in as a student.
Even limiting it to female students studying spirit magic still left quite a few.
But if I narrowed it down to fire spirits specifically, that number would shrink dramatically.
‘And she contacted me while I was overseeing the test in the Forest of Illusions. That means she was either on-site or had the freedom to move around at that time.’
That narrowed the pool even more.
For instructors, I just had to check who didn’t administer a test that day or didn’t show up for work.
Of course, I couldn’t just go around asking everyone where they were on the day of the test.
That would be the same as shouting “I’m suspicious!” to the whole academy.
‘But that doesn’t mean I have no options.’
The first round of exams was over.
There are four per semester, but the first one always carries special significance.
At Seorn, the school gives a small gift to those who complete their first exam.
Students receive three days of rest.
And the same applies to instructors.
Traditionally, after the first exam, Seorn holds a welcome party for the new instructors—a ceremony that should have happened during the entrance event but got delayed.
‘After preparing the exam and evaluating students... Only once that’s done are you officially recognized as a teacher.’
The annual welcome party is attended by all Seorn instructors, as well as outside sponsors who’ve donated large sums to the school.
In other words—it’s a formal banquet.
Held in the nearest major city to Seorn.
Which, really, means only one place.
‘The banquet taking place in Rederbelk.’
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
I intended to attend that banquet to uncover the identity of the First Order.
‘And Esmeralda’s final remark...’
The founder of the Black Dawn Society—Zero Order.
She had said that he would be making an appearance soon.
It didn’t seem like a lie meant to smooth things over.
If Zero Order truly did come... and sought to meet me personally...
Would I be able to fool him?
* * *
Hoo...
In a darkened room—
A black silhouette let out a quiet sigh.
It was Esmeralda, having just finished her brief encounter with John Doe.
“Well done.”
As she spoke, a tiny ember floated up beside her.
It was small enough to be mistaken for candlelight, but if one knew the true nature of the power it held, they’d never see it as “cute.”
Flick—
The ember trembled softly before vanishing like a dying flame.
Esmeralda stood and glanced out the window.
The building she was in was an old, unused research annex, rarely visited.
Beyond the glass, she could see the Forest of Illusions—one of the three great forests within Seorn Academy.
It was vast, far too large to take in at a glance, and even within Seorn, no one {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} truly knew what lay in its depths.
She focused her gaze at the edge of that forest, where someone could be seen slowly walking out.
Esmeralda narrowed her eyes.
Even with her vision enhanced by mana, she could only just barely make out the figure’s form.
‘John Doe.’
The man vanished into the darkness with unhurried steps.
He looked to be walking casually, but his presence blurred into the scenery, making him impossible to track clearly.
He was, indeed, someone worthy of the title First Order.
‘I wondered what had gotten into him, playing the diligent teacher ever since arriving here without making a move.’
She’d feared for a moment that he might have betrayed the organization, but quickly shook her head to dispel the thought.
When it came to loyalty to the Society, no one was more devoted than John Doe.
Hadn’t he always been the most obedient in front of Zero Order?
Even so, the reason she had intentionally provoked him today was because his recent behavior had been attracting far too much attention.
‘I thought he'd handle things quietly after infiltrating as a teacher, but I was completely wrong.’
Esmeralda didn’t know exactly how John Doe operated.
She knew he specialized in disguises and infiltration, but beyond that, his actions were cloaked in secrecy.
Still, considering he had never failed a mission assigned to him, his skills were undoubtedly the real deal.
She’d provoked him out of curiosity—wanting to test him.
Opinions on John Doe were divided even among the other First Orders.
‘That look in his eyes. Even with my flames right in front of him, he showed not an ounce of fear.’
He should’ve been at least startled, but instead, John Doe had lashed back with force.
Even though he could’ve easily been reduced to ash by the fire spirit’s wrath if he’d made one wrong move—
He hadn’t shown even the slightest trace of fear.
It wasn’t bravado.
It was the confidence of someone who had the power to respond if necessary.
The way he held himself in the Forest of Illusions, and the way he showcased a new kind of magic as Ludger Cherish—
‘John Doe is a formidable mage. Possibly even stronger than I originally suspected.’
He said he was wary of the Headmaster, but was that really because he was weaker than her?
Or was it because he aimed for absolute perfection?
To her, the latter seemed more likely.
Now she understood why Zero Order held that man in such high regard.
No faction ties, unwavering loyalty, and overwhelming capability.
It made perfect sense that John Doe would be assigned as the key operative for infiltration.
‘Tch. I poked him and got nothing out of it.’
Before worrying about John Doe, she needed to get her own affairs in order.
‘Right. There’s that banquet coming up.’
The thought alone made her scowl.
Esmeralda hated such formal gatherings.
‘Still... I’ll have to go.’
After all, the main role wouldn’t be hers this time. Someone else would be handling that.
