NOVPUB“Ghhk! Let go of me!”
Ivan Luk’s eyes bulged as he tried to shake off the iron grip crushing his wrist.
‘W-What the hell is this strength?!’
His hand wouldn’t budge.
Ludger’s grip strength was far beyond anything Ivan had imagined.
Ivan had always assumed mages were the sort to hole up in dusty rooms with their noses buried in books. Feeling this kind of raw physical power shocked him.
“Let—let go! Do you even know who I am?! You wanna get fired right now?!”
“If you can make that happen.”
A faint shadow passed across Ludger’s face as he looked /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ down at him.
“By all means. Go ahead.”
“Y-You...!”
“That’s enough.”
The one who stepped between Ludger and Ivan was Ivan’s personal aide.
Ludger stared at him for a moment, then flicked his eyes sideways to scan the surroundings.
At some point, Ivan’s bodyguards had surrounded them in a loose formation, poised to defend.
The aide locked eyes with Ludger, his gaze sunken and weighty.
“That’s enough. Let go of him. Otherwise...”
“Otherwise what, exactly?”
Ludger’s tone was flat as he replied.
The aide had been about to issue a warning—something about how Ludger would regret this—but upon meeting Ludger’s eyes, he fell silent.
The words caught in his throat.
He swallowed hard, feeling cold sweat drip down his forehead.
‘This man... he’s not normal.’
He’d thought he could win this just by asserting pressure.
Sure, he knew Ludger was capable—he was a Seorn instructor, after all—but the aide himself was a professional mage, directly employed by Luk Corporation.
Sure, he had to bow his head every day to a brat half his age and endure constant humiliation, but when it came to actual ability, he had more than enough to stand tall even among Seorn faculty.
And yet—
‘This gaze. This aura. Just standing here, facing him... it feels like my bones are freezing. This guy’s really just a new hire?’
He considered backing down, but then he saw Ivan’s flushed, seething face—and steeled himself.
Retreat wasn’t an option.
Ivan Luk, for all his infamous behavior, was still the Chairman’s only blood relative.
While the Chairman didn’t particularly dote on him or regard him as especially capable, he did still show him a baseline level of treatment as family.
That was why the aide had been assigned to him in the first place.
Besides, the three-man security detail here had all graduated from the Imperial Knight Academy.
‘Right. There’s no way we lose this.’
The only real issue was the setting.
If they were in a dark alley somewhere, it’d be easy to resolve quietly—but this was a brightly lit banquet hall.
And all kinds of high-profile guests were watching with interest.
Far too many eyes on them.
‘Even if the young master’s reputation as a loose cannon is already widely known among society... if we physically suppress someone here, the damage to the company’s image will be massive.’
As humiliating and infuriating as it was, they had to defuse the situation peacefully.
The aide ran through the calculations in his head and came to a conclusion.
Clearing his throat, he spoke in a more conciliatory tone.
“Let’s end it here. It’s a lovely evening, after all. No need to cause trouble for others.”
“......”
Since the aide was trying to handle it diplomatically, Ludger finally released Ivan’s wrist.
Ivan yanked his hand back and clutched it with his other hand, biting his lip as pain throbbed through it.
“Y-You filthy, damn fallen noble...!”
“Sir. Let’s stop here. Too many people are watching.”
The aide was trying to wrap this up before Ivan did something truly reckless.
He gently tried to guide him away—
SMAACK!
Ivan suddenly slapped the aide across the face with all his strength.
“You bastard. How many times have I told you to call me Director!”
“...My apologies. Director.”
“And what’s this, huh? Can’t you see my arm? I’ve been humiliated in front of everyone, and you’re telling me to back down? You trying to get fired?”
“...No, sir.”
The mood in the room shifted—visibly, palpably.
The aide looked into Ivan’s bloodshot eyes and sighed internally.
This had officially passed the point of negotiation.
“You think I’m just gonna walk away after getting humiliated like this? Huh? Answer me!”
“No, sir.”
“Exactly, right?!”
Ivan spun back toward Ludger.
His eyes blazed with unrestrained hatred.
“You. You’re finished. I’ll personally make sure you get fired. Got that? I always follow through on what I say.”
Ivan Luk.
A director of the Luk family’s corporate empire. A spoiled monster who did as he pleased under the chairman’s protection—but the weight of the authority he carried was no joke.
If Luk Corporation—one of Seorn’s top donors—decided to put pressure on the academy, firing a new instructor would be child’s play.
Ludger, who had been watching the entire mess unfold, couldn’t help but feel exasperated.
Originally, he was supposed to slip out quietly and begin searching for the First Order.
But thanks to this bastard, the plan had gone off the rails from the very start.
‘Plenty of people watching, but... not a single person stepping in to stop this.’
Just as Ludger was contemplating what to do—
A familiar presence inserted itself into the center of the chaos.
“Oh? Looks like something fun is happening here.”
“...Headmaster?”
Elisa Willow, Headmaster of Seorn and a genius mage.
Wearing a frilly black dress adorned with countless ruffles, she appeared amidst the suffocating tension with a childlike smile, as if she’d simply wandered over out of curiosity.
Was she here to help?
Ludger allowed himself a flicker of hope.
But Ivan Luk, already fuming, now directed his wrath toward the newcomer.
“And just who the hell are you supposed to be?”
“Me? I’m the Headmaster of Seorn Academy.”
“...What?”
Ivan blinked, scanning Elisa from head to toe with an incredulous expression.
He’d heard of Seorn’s headmaster before, but this was his first time seeing her in person.
And this young-looking woman was the headmaster?
Ivan decided this might actually work in his favor.
“Perfect. Listen here, Headmaster. What kind of crap training are you giving your staff over at Seorn?”
“Training? What kind of training do you mean?”
“That damned fallen noble just used violence against me!”
Those who had witnessed the entire exchange would hardly call it violence, but Ivan was utterly convinced he was the victim.
Still smiling, Elisa tilted her head.
“And?”
“And? Fire that bastard. Now. If you still want Luk Corporation’s support in the future, that’s your only option.”
“Luk Corporation? Ohhh. So you’re President Luk’s son.”
Elisa clapped her hands as if everything made sense now and nodded brightly.
Ivan smiled, finally feeling like someone was listening to him.
But then Elisa spoke again—and his face collapsed.
“And?”
“...What?”
“You didn’t hear me? I said, Luk Corporation—”
“President Theodor Luk is the owner of Luk Corporation, right? So why is some director making executive decisions on his behalf?”
“‘Some director’? Excuse me?! I may be a director, but I’m also Chairman Theodor Luk’s only son! Got it? That gives me plenty of authority.”
“Oh, really? Then I suppose you’ve already discussed all of this with your father?”
“......”
Ivan fell silent.
Of course he hadn’t discussed any of this with his father.
He’d shouted all of this on impulse, boiling over with rage.
But so what? Even if it was a lie, no one could actually prove otherwise.
“Wh—whatever. My father would definitely agree with me. I’m his son, aren’t I? I know him.”
“Oh my. That’s such a relief.”
“...What is?”
“Because—” Elisa’s smile widened. “The Chairman just so happens to be visiting right now!”
“...What?”
Ivan’s face went completely slack.
The Chairman was here? No way.
“Y-You’re bluffing...”
“Whether I’m lying or not—you can check for yourself, can’t you?”
With that, Elisa stepped aside, gently moving out of the way.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
Only then did Ivan finally spot the man beyond the crowd, whose overwhelming presence had been hidden behind Elisa.
An elderly man with white hair—yet so vigorous, he could hardly be called old.
He stood with a cane, eyes fixed sharply on Ivan.
“Hrk!”
Ivan’s complexion turned not just pale, but ghost-white.
He might have run wild without fear of consequence, but there was one person who could make him shrink in an instant.
His father.
“F-Father?”
“You useless brat. I told you to network, and this is what you do? You cause a damn scene?”
“Th-that’s not it, I—”
“Silence. Spare me the excuses. Leaving this to a moron like you was the mistake to begin with.”
Chairman Theodor Luk glared at Ivan with veins bulging on his forehead, then gave a respectful nod toward Elisa.
“My apologies, Headmaster Elisa. My foolish son acted on his own again.”
“Oh, it’s quite alright. Honestly, it’s been a while since someone’s had the nerve to come at me so boldly. It was rather refreshing.”
“...Thank you for saying so.”
Theodor’s gaze eventually shifted to Ludger.
And in that look was clear displeasure.
Even if Ivan had been the one to start it, he wasn’t about to look kindly on someone who’d nearly fought his own son.
That’s when Elisa cut in again.
“Ah, but you know, I might have been a little too harsh on the young master.”
“Headmaster Elisa? What are you...”
“So I’d like to offer an opportunity—to let both sides settle this cleanly here and now.”
“......”
Whatever she saw in her own thoughts, Theodor fell silent.
So did Ludger, who had been observing the situation.
‘I thought the headmaster stepping in meant things would be resolved quietly...’
But Elisa’s eyes were now glancing playfully at Ludger, and the corners of her lips twitched—like she couldn’t wait to see what happened next.
‘Looks like she’s in one of those moods.’
He’d already experienced her unpredictable nature more than once.
He appreciated her defusing the situation, but clearly she wanted to steer this toward a resolution of her choosing.
“Why don’t the two of you settle this with a proper match, right here where everyone can see?”
Settle it.
As those words echoed, the crowd’s eyes sparkled with interest.
She meant a duel.
“Of course! Mr. Ivan isn’t a mage, and Mr. Ludger is one—so that wouldn’t be a fair match, right? Which is why, just this once, we’ll allow Mr. Ivan to choose someone to fight in his place!”
Ivan looked confused as to why Elisa was suddenly offering this—but after locking eyes with Ludger, he clenched his jaw and nodded.
“Fine! That’s exactly what I wanted!”
Being allowed to use a proxy clearly made him feel this was winnable.
Elisa turned to Ludger and mouthed the words:
‘Well? Can you handle it?’
Ludger sighed inwardly.
Just when it seemed the situation had been defused, it was growing legs again.
‘But I can’t refuse.’
No matter what, it was Elisa who had stepped in and tamed Ivan’s tantrum.
Besides, a duel wasn’t a bad option.
If he’d ended things vaguely, Ivan would’ve held a grudge and tried to sabotage him behind the scenes for who knows how long.
But if the matter was settled cleanly and publicly with a duel, things would be different.
Especially with Theodor watching—Ivan wouldn’t be able to lash out carelessly afterward.
‘...Not that he’s thinking that far. He probably just assumes he’s going to win.’
No one would dare to retaliate after losing a duel in front of this many witnesses.
And if Ivan did try something, Theodor wouldn’t stand for it.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Ludger. This is all my fault...”
“It’s alright.”
Ludger shook his head reassuringly at the anxious Selina.
“Besides... I figured it was about time I stepped into something like this, at least once.”
“What do you mean by—?”
“Just a feeling.”
By then, the center of the banquet hall had cleared, forming an open space.
The guests had stepped back, watching Ludger with gleaming eyes.
Some of those eyes were filled with scorn or hostility.
Especially those of Chris Bennimore.
“...So it’s come to this.”
Ivan’s substitute in the duel was his personal aide.
Though his title was merely “aide,” the man was a highly skilled mage and had once served in the military.
“Now that we’re doing this, I won’t go easy on you.”
He drew the staff from his belt and aimed it at Ludger.
Ludger responded with a shrug and raised the large staff he held in one hand.
Everyone held their breath as they watched.
A duel between a corporate mage from Luk Corporation and a newly appointed instructor at Seorn.
You couldn’t pay to see an event like this.
“Alright, both of you—give us a fair match! Begin!”
The witnesses were none other than Headmaster Elisa and Chairman Theodor Luk.
At Elisa’s call, Ivan’s aide immediately began spell formation.
He planned to finish this as fast as possible.
That was the most he could do—as a senior on the path of magic—to show respect to a talented junior.
‘You’ve only got yourself to blame for crossing the young master. I’ll end this quickly, no pain drawn out.’
His fighting style revolved around rapidly chaining spells to overwhelm his opponent.
In a magic duel, the key is the speed and precision of completing one’s spell structures.
And in that area, he was said to be gifted to the point of over-specialization.
Even during his military service, he’d racked up significant achievements with that ability—and Luk Corporation had paid a fortune to recruit him after retirement for exactly that reason.
Post-initiation preemption—lightning-fast magic.
He’d fought more than a few duels like this before, and every one of them had ended in victory.
This would be no different.
Or so he thought—
‘What?’
His magic—
As he unleashed spell after spell in rapid-fire like a magical machine gun—
He saw it.
A swarm of spells. Far more numerous than his own.
Spells that swallowed his own as they came flooding toward him.
A massive tidal wave surging forward to devour a ripple.
He couldn’t even register the urge to respond—no warning bell of danger went off.
────!!!
And then came the impact.
Agony wracked his entire body as he was hurled backward, unable to even maintain consciousness.
Thud.
He crumpled to the floor.
“......”
“......” 𝘯𝑜𝘷𝘱𝘶𝑏.𝘤𝘰𝑚
The entire hall fell silent in an instant.
