《Academy’s Undercover Professor》


 Chapter 1 - To The Empire’S Capital (1)

    Most parents rmended high-ranking jobs such as doctor and judge when their children dreamed of their future job.

    That was because the jobs that ended with the letter sa were all well-acknowledged.

    [T/L Note: Doctors and judges were uisa and pansa in Korean, and most of the high-ranking jobs in Korean ended with sa.]

    Or they would at least rmend a civil servant job, which was said to be a quite good job with stable ie as well.

    No parent wanted their child to go through a tiring and difficult path.

    However, it was very different in my case.

    My son, you should be a shaman.

    What?

    That was what my mother said to me when I lost my father early and grew up with my unreliable younger sister.

    Although my family was not very lean or poor, I still studied hard to be a doctor in order to earn money Or perhaps to be a scientist or a developer.

    What my mother rmended to me, who had made such meticulous ns towards a scientific route, was not a liberal arts route or even music and physical education, but it was a path of apletely different level.

    How should I say it? Was it theology?

    Oh, what did you say?

    You didnt hear me right, so Ill say it again. You have to be a shaman.

    But I dont want to.

    My answer was firm.

    I wasnt going to be a shaman. Why all of a sudden?

    My mothers eyebrows shook once at my daring answer, then she spoke in a strong tone.

    You have the qualities of a shamanall kinds of deities are looking after you. You have no other path than to be a shaman.

    I was dumbfounded to hear that.

    The qualities of a shaman, she said. I had such a talent, she said.

    Other than the absurdity of it, I just didnt think of anything.

    After that, my mother mainly said things that she should not have said to her son, such as saying I had unique qualities and that I was destined to suffer if I did not be a shaman and experience shaman possession.

    What did I say back then?

    Never, I dont want to.

    If you dont, youll experience a big disaster someday. Im saying this out of concern for you.

    If its for me, you shouldve supported me on the path I want to walk on!

    I remembered saying that sternly and shutting myself in my room.

    To be frank, I was rightfully resentful and upset. She couldntpliment her child, who had been nning his life since his puberty in middle school, yet she told him to give up everything and be a shaman?

    Instead, those words prompted me to study harder with a sense of defiance.

    My mother kept bothering me and forcing me to do religious things and even taught me strange knowledge such as myths, magic, and sorcery.

    But I didnt give up. The more she did so, the more it raised my anger as I gained all kinds of rational knowledge to strengthen my brain.

    After more than 10 years, when I had grown to be an adult and became a member of society, I had died.

    It was a car ident.

    It was really ridiculous.

    Was that what my mother meant about experiencing a disaster?

    And what was even more surprising was something that happened afterwards

    I was alive. To be exact, I was dead once, but then I was reborn.

    I couldnt believe the afterlife existed. I had thought everything my mother said was a lie, but who would have thought that it was all true?

    Foolishly, human beings would not realize what they had not experienced in person, and I could feel it bitterly through the experience of death.

    And what am I doing now?

    It will be included in the ss. Everyone, open your textbook. Continuing on fromst time, Ill teach you how to draw a magic circle.

    Im a Professor at the Academy of Magic.

    How did this happen?

    ***

    A Magic Engineering lotive that spurted out white steam arrived at the station.

    Click! Choo choo!

    The sound ofpressed steam spewing resounded out refreshingly as irons were interlocked to each other.

    The passengers who were waiting at the station got on the train one by one, and while watching the scene, I took a deep breath before boarding the train.

    My body even felt refreshed due to the clear air that permeated my lungs.

    The sky was clear without a single trace of clouds, and even a pleasant freshness could be felt in the cold air of the winter season that had just ended.

    There was not much time left until the departure of the Magic Engineering lotive, which was heading to the Exileon Empire.

    I raised my hand and brushed my face lightly.

    I felt a peculiar foreign sensation through my gloved hands.

    The face camouge mask definitely sticks well.

    It was inevitable because I had to hide my identity.

    I got on the train with a natural step in order not to arouse suspicion from other people.

    Let me check your ticket, the conductor spoke to me as I got on the train.

    I took the ticket out of the frock coats pocket that I wore and handed it over to him.

    Confirmed. Mr. Gerrard. Have a nice trip.

    After receiving a formal greeting from the conductor, I replied with a slight nod.

    When I checked the ticket I took back from him, room 403 was written on it.

    In other words, it was the third cabin of the fourthpartment. The corridor was narrow enough for only one person to walk around, but it was long, and the doors lined up at arge gap on one side.

    The Magic Engineering train I had just boarded wasnt called a luxury train for no reason, thus all the seats were divided into each room in the long hallway.

    Room 401.

    Room 402.

    Room 403.

    Here it is.

    I checked the que before I opened the door and went inside.

    The moment I opened the door, I smelled the strong scent of old trees.

    The inside wasnt that fancy, but it had everything that was essential.

    Afortable-looking seat that was divided from left to right and storage space for luggage, along with a signal bell that was installed to call the clerk if I needed anything.

    This isnt bad.

    I hadnt packed heavy luggage in my bag, so I only moved forward and sat down lightly on my seat.

    The seat was soft, maybe because it was a luxurious train.

    Looking out of the window, the vast scenery of the northern mountain range was engraved in my sight.

    The tops of the sharply towering mountain range were covered with white snow, making them look like giants that were wearing white cone hats.

    The train would soon squeeze through the cracks of that mountain range.

    Now that Ivee this far, can I be relieved?

    My name is Gerrard.

    I was once an ordinary person living in South Korea.

    Of course, that was my past life, and I had died in a mysterious car ident.

    The ce where I woke up after I died like that was the world I am in right now.

    A mysterious world where magic and science coexisted,pletely different from Earth.

    I was enjoying my new second life here.

    Im on the train to the Empire, so Ill rest until I get there.

    The Exileon Empire

    It was known to be thergest and most powerful nation on the continent.

    It was the birthce of Magic Engineering, where magic and machines coexisted equally, and it was the ce where wizards and magic towers existed.

    I was heading to that Empire on the train.

    Is the big city of Leathevelk the transit station in the middle of the trip?

    I checked the contents of the information pamphlet next to my seat after I pulled it out.

    The scheduled final destination of the Magic Engineering train, which was just departing, was the capital of the Empire.

    However, there was no way that there would be a train heading to the capital of a country directly from the border of another country.

    It was the same even for the first-ss Magic Engineering train, which only the qualified and rich people could ride.

    Naturally, there were two transit stations in the middle of the trip.

    Leathevelk was the first one, and it could be seen as a city that was more famous than the capital in some ways.

    Because it was the ce where Magic Academythe dream of all aspiring wizardsexisted.

    * * *

    * * *

    Is it an Academy? What an amazing world.

    It had been decades since I had started living my second life, but there were still many things that I couldnt adapt to.

    The sense of separation from my past life must have been great.

    But the Academy wasnt a ce that had anything to do with me anywayI didnt have to worry about it.

    Bump.

    While I was immersed in such thoughts, the train vibrated slightly once.

    Are they going to depart slowly?

    Woo wooo woo!!!

    As I expected, the train honked to announce its departure.

    Within a minute at the earliest, the train would run through the vast northern mountains.

    Am I going to be alone in this room? Itd be nice since itsfortable.

    While I was immersed in such foolish thoughts, the door of room 403 opened with a rattle as if it had been waiting for that moment.

    It wasnt the clerk. A well-dressed man in his mid-20s came inside. He was handsomely tall, and he wore a brown frock coat with a design simr to mine.

    There was no way a train clerk would wear such clothes, so it meant he was the guest who would use the same room as me.

    Speak of the devil

    I didnt know there was another passenger.

    I was wrong in thinking that I could have afortable trip without feeling some sort of constraint.

    When I was sighing inwardly like that, the other person looked at me and greeted me.

    Hello.

    He greeted me first, so I nodded my head slightly and epted his greeting.

    I didnt want to exchange words for a long time, so I responded to him as if I had a silent personality.

    He didnt care much about my behavior and sat in the seat across from me.

    Woo wooo woo-!!!

    The train started to depart with a loud horn.

    At first, the Magic Engineering lotive rattled and shook, but the shaking disappeared as soon as the speed increased.

    The tickets werent pricey for no reason. Just as the high price was beyond an ordinary persons purchasing ability, the level of speed and convenience were differentpared to ordinary steam lotives.

    The scenery outside the transparent window quickly shed past me.

    The snow piled high, and the needleleaf trees stood firmly in the snow. The white snow mountain that covered all of it was so beautiful that it naturally drew my attention.

    However, after I kept watching it for 10 to 20 minutes, I got tired of it because it was getting boring.

    I took out the newspaper that was stuck together next to the pamphlet and opened it.

    There were noptops or smartphones in this world, so the only things that I could use to kill time were books and newspapers.

    [The civil war in the Kingdom of Utah is over]

    [The Princesss faction won]

    Such an article was showcased prominently on the front page of the newspaper.

    Until recently, a civil war had been ongoing, and it was the Kingdom of Utah that had recruited arge number of mercenaries from all over the country.

    And it was also the country where the train station from which the Magic Engineering train departed from was located.

    A ck-and-white photograph was embedded between articles printed in ck-letter fontsit was a picture of the Princesss faction that had announced their victory in the war.

    So the civil war in the Kingdom of Utah is over.

    A voice was heard beyond the newspaper.

    I lowered the newspaper that was covering my face slightly and stared at the man across from my seat.

    If he asked me directly like that, I couldnt just ignore it, so I opened my mouth.

    Yeah. I was wondering when it would end. Im d it ended faster than I thought it would.

    It wasnt long ago that the Princes faction gathered arge number of mercenaries and military strength from all over the country, yet they still lost. Im d it ended early.

    But its not like there wasnt any damage at all.

    Really? Oh, Imte to introduce myself. Im Ludger Chelysie.

    Ludger Chelysie. Since he has a surname, is he a nobleman ?

    However, he showed no arrogance or rudeness particr to the aristocracy.

    My name is Gerrard. I do not have a surname.

    I didnt have a surname.

    In other words, I had revealed that I was amoner.

    Oh. You dont have to be too ufortable. Im from a fallen aristocrat family.

    Oh, I see.

    Him being a fallen aristocrat made sense.

    They were aristocrats but not actual aristocrats.

    Where are you going, Mr. Gerrard?

    Im heading to Lyne de Bruneau, the capital of the Empire. Ive got business there.

    Well, if someone as good as you has business there, it would certainly be something great, right?

    I smirked and shook my head at the joke that Mr. Ludger had told me.

    Its not work-rted, its just a visit for some sightseeing.

    Sightseeing, you said. Thats good, too. Ive only heard it, but the Exileon Empire has developed a lot of magical technology, so theres a lot to see.

    Then where are you going, Mr. Ludger?

    Im going to Leathevelk.

    Leathevelk is where the Academy exists. Do you happen to have business there?

    Yeah. Well, Im not bragging, but Im assigned to be a Professor at Sren Academy.

    Whoa.

    I was genuinely impressed.

    The Empires Largest Academy of Magic <sren>.</sren>

    The ce where all kinds of the wonder children that existed on the continent gatheredit was a cultivation ground of the future to carve the jades that would bear the world into jewels.

    Of course, the students who gathered there only consisted of children with the best talents, and the professors who taught them were those who had been strictly selected ordingly.

    It meant that the man in front of me was one of them.

    You seem to be young, but your skill must be outstanding.

    No. Its just that the public thinks highly of me. Actually, I passed the exam by the skin of my teeth at a critical moment.

    Ive heard that there are enormous people who failed because they still couldnt satisfy the Academy with the skin of their teeth. I think you should be proud enough.

    Thank you for your appraisal of me. Oh, rather than that, about the civil war in the Kingdom of Utah, have you heard of the rumor?

    What rumor?

    They said that there was a leading figure in the civil war that led to the victory of the Princesss faction.

    Hmm, leading figure, huh.

    But to my surprise, they said that he was neither a skillful wizard nor a high-ranking knight but a wandering mercenary.

    A wandering mercenary who had made great contributions to the victory of a nations civil war

    It hadnt been revealed in the newspaper yet, but was it that word of mouth had spread among the people?

    Mercenary Machiavelli. Thats his name.

    I see, I chimed in at his words in a slightly apathetic tone.

    Youre not that surprised, are you?

    Haha. I just think its a false rumor.

    I had said that I didnt know, but it was actually a lie.

    I knew the name Mercenary Machiavelli very well.

    Theres no way I couldnt know.

    Because Machiavelli was

    The identity I used before Gerrard.

    ____

 Chapter 2 - To The Empire’S Capital (2)

    But why had the man in front of me asked me about Machiavellis existence?

    It was also a fake identity that I had been using until not long before then.

    No way is he doing it on purpose because he knows?

    What is his hidden intention?

    For a moment, I suspected that he was a tracer sent by the princesss faction of the Kingdom of Utah, but I didnt think so.

    Ludger hadnt taken any other action other than asking me the question.

    Rather, his eyes and actions showed something closer to pure curiosity.

    So its just a mere coincidence?

    A professor of Sren

    Sren Academy was so famous that news regarding it had passed by on word of mouth even to faraway countries.

    The fact that such a young man was to be Srens newly appointed professor meant that the person in front of me was a person with great talent.

    I surely didnt know it at first, but I could gradually feel that something was odd with that guy.

    But instead of raising my guard, I shook my head inwardly.

    Lets just say its a coincidence for now.

    I couldnt let it show because Id feel guilty.

    I naturally turned to the next page of the newspaper and listened to his words.

    If there was really someone like that, he would have been in the newspapers.

    Ha ha. Well, there are things that arent easily revealed to the public.

    Thats interesting.Is it okay for you to say that to someone youve just met today?

    Well, theres no reason why I cant do it, right? And, Mr. Gerrard, its my first time seeing you today, but somehow I feel like were on the same page.

    Im grateful that Srens reputable professor has a good opinion of such an old man.

    Ludger didnt seem to be able to take his interest off of me, perhaps because he had a good image that was well-liked by others.

    He couldnt let it pass quietly without a word.

    Because it had be like that, I decided to respond to him appropriately.

    Still, having apanion to talk with made me less lonely, so there was nothing bad about it.

    Mr. Ludger, when you arrive in Sren, will you go to a lesson right away?

    Not immediately, but Ill have to wait a while.

    Teaching first year?

    No. Im in charge of the second year.

    Oh, so you teach the second year. Dont newly appointed professors usually handle the new students in the first year? Well, youre more amazing than I thought youd be.

    It was only a rumor I had heard, but Sren Magic Academy had an image that was close to a university when judgedpared to Earth.

    It was said that all kinds of buildings were built on a huge expanse ofnd and that there were already thousands of units only for the employees who lived and worked there.

    Although it was adjacent to arge city, Srens scale was literally close to a small city, so there were even someparisons going around that it was like two cities next to each other.

    The students of Sren ranged from 1st year to 5th year.

    Usually, the higher the year, the smarter the children be, so it would be fundamental to have apetent professor in the senior year and a newly appointed professor in the first year.

    But I couldnt believe he was going to teach the second year from the start of his appointment.

    I had thought that he might be quite a great man, but he turned out to be more than that.

    He wouldnt be able to be a professor in Sren for no reason.

    The Academy of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

    This was a world that had achieved an industrial revolution called iron and steam, but if I should pick a different aspect from the Earth, of course, it was the existence of magic.

    Ive only seen it in fantasy novels before.

    The existence of magic was inseparable from this world, and most definitely, magic was always the exclusive possession of the chosen ones.

    Because one couldnt use magic if they couldnt handle it.

    But

    Unlike in the past, where only aristocrats of noble blood could use it, those days, there was an exponentially growing number of skill supremacies asmon people could also learn magic as long as they had the talent.

    Sren was the ce where one could get into the top Magic Academy with just that skill.

    Im curious at this point. What kind of ce is it?

    Usually, when it came to a magic academy, I couldnt help but think of a famous literary work from when I lived on Earth.

    Students flying around on brooms and using magic with wooden sticks

    Perhaps children who came across that kind of magic schools movies and books in their childhood had dreams about it.

    A magic school.

    There was nothing as dreamy as that.

    But there really was such a thing in this world.

    Students who learned magic and enjoyed their youth.

    Youth huh.

    In my past life, my father had died early, so I couldnt afford to enjoy it.

    I had studied like crazy with the obligation to support my family, and I was under pressure to seed.

    My second life wasnt particrly different from my previous life.

    No, it was even worse.

    There was a reason why I had been walking around hiding my identity.

    I must be wanting something out of nothing if I wished for it now as well.

    It had been about 27 years since I had been born in this world and lived again.

    I was no longer on the path of burning youth or whatever you would call it.

    The Academy of Magic or whatever was just a story from a different world.

    It was still the same regarding the man called Ludger in front of me, who was closely rted to the Academy.

    Iwho lived with a false identity to hide my true identityand that manwho stood on the shining stage of Srenwere extremely different.

    But since he had be a Sren professor at a young age, I decided to congratte him earnestly.

    Cause hes a fallen nobleman.

    There were still sses of society in this world, and the nobles were definitely the pinnacle of such sses in society.

    However, those who were in such a ce and fell to the abyss existed.

    Whether it was because of their rebellion against the state, or they got on the wrong side of those with higher statuses, or they were in huge debts.

    Anyway, those nobles had fallen to the abyss for various reasons.

    Fallen aristocrat.

    Considering that fallen aristocrats were more despised by their fellow aristocrats than by themoners, the man named Ludger in front of me must have made a really bloody effort until he became a professor at Sren.

    While I was immersed in such thoughts, I felt something strange outside.

    What is it?

    I had no choice but to be filled with strange anxiety as I threw a slight nce out of the window.

    The atmosphere was strange.

    The air was heavy, to be exact.

    It was as if something was going to happen.

    Whats wrong? Ludger asked, seeming to feel something odd with my response.

    I didnt answer, and I had my five senses on edge.

    Something wasing.

    Is something

    It was the moment Ludger was about to open his mouth.

    !!!

    * * *

    * * *

    A powerful jolt along with a huge explosion shook the Magic Engineering train violently.

    The trains cabin shook, and the train that was running on the railroad swung to the side.

    I held the chairs handle firmly in order to bnce my body.

    What is this? Did the engine burst?

    Ludger muttered so, but I shook my head as I didnt know.

    The engine didnt seem to have burst.

    There was no way the whole train would shake because of one engine going out.

    In addition, when it came to safety, there was no way that the engine of an exclusive Magic Engineering lotive would explode by itself.

    There must have been something. A reason why that explosion had been inevitable.

    !

    It seemed that my uneasy imagination wasnt wrong, as something began to run busily, thumping loudly on the ceiling of the train.

    At the same time, a loud noise was heard from the leadingpartment.

    The sound of something breaking and of people screaming. I realized exactly what had happened.

    Its a raid.

    A raid? On this train?

    Most of the passengers on this Magic Engineering train are wealthy merchants and aristocrats. The robbers in the northern mountains must have done this while aiming for them.

    Most of the passengers on that expensive Magic Engineering lotive were rich people. Obviously, there were many people who were after their money and valuables, and raids by the robbers who were targeting those trains asionally took ce.

    Even so, I cant believe theyre doing this on the train thats heading from the border to the Empire.

    Those bastards who attacked right then were pretty much not in their right mind either.

    They were so daring that they even became extremely reckless.

    The explosion that shook the train a little while ago. I dont think its from a normal force.

    I narrowed my eyes because I had something that I had spected.

    Is it magic?

    There was a wizard among the raiders.

    If a wizard was involved, such a bold move was feasible.

    If they quickly robbed and escaped with the help of a wizard, they could hide safely in the steep northern Arette mountains. It would have been hard to chase them.

    If that something was what they were nning, they were definitely not ordinary robbers.

    If they had a wizard with such firepower and attacked a train with aristocrats on board, those bold guys could never be ordinary people in the first ce.

    Since magic existed in this world, there were also some people who did bad things with magic.

    Mr. Ludger, I think you should hide or avoid the attack for now.

    Ludger nodded as he listened to my words.

    Ludger picked up his luggage. Did he try to take his bag in that situation? There must have been something important inside it.

    I stood up because I also wasnt in a position to worry about others. The first one to take the lead was Ludger.

    Ill stand in front of you just in case.

    Yes.

    For the moment, my identity was as amoner in his 40s who had a lot of money.

    That guy who became an academy professor in his mid-20s would fight better.

    Ludger took out a small wooden wand in his right hand and raised his guard.

    The two of us opened the rooms door and examined the movement in the corridor ofpartment four.

    There wasnt anyone in sight yet. The passengers seemed to be waiting quietly in their rooms for the moment.

    Its the wrong choice.

    It was said that the cabins themselves were protected by magic, but the robbers who attacked were not ordinary people either. In that situation, sitting still in the cabin was like sticking out your own neck to be ughtered.

    In times like that, the best n was to stay as far away from those robbers as possible.

    But theres no way the robbers who pratedpartment three havent entered here yet.

    I thought that theyd scatter right away and then extort money and valuables from the passengers, but was I wrong?

    Or maybe they were after the firstpartment, in front of ours.

    The firstpartment was the first-ss seating where the nobles stayed. It was a VIP room that was strictly protectedin other words, it was the golden egg that had the most money.

    Its a relief.

    We just needed to step back while they were drawn to the firstpartment.

    Of course, rescue signals were installed in that kind of Magic Engineering train to prepare for an unexpected attack and in case of an emergency.

    The backup force would probably be running in the early hours.

    I just had to hang in there until they arrived.

    Crash!

    At that moment, a man broke into the hallway window.

    As he was fluttering the snow from his shoulders, which he had not brushed off yet, he raised his head and stared at us after he sensed our presence.

    His eyes were severely bloodshot.

    His first impression is brutal. Is he high on drugs?

    His appearance, which was suffused with hatred and anger, seemed to bepletely different from a robbers.

    In that cold weather, I wondered if he was going all out after waiting for the train.

    Aaaargh!

    But before I could reveal that mystery, he yelled at us when he found us first.

    At the same time, Ludger revealed his magic.

    It was a sorcery in which threadlike strands of magic power were carved in the air in front of the wand.

    The sorcery that seemed to carve a three-dimensional picture in the air soonbined into a single spell.

    Zzzt!

    A sh of light prated the intruders chest when it seemed that a blue lightning bolt had formed.

    Aaaargh!

    The robber, who was rushing toward our side, fell t onto the floor stomach-first and shook his body.

    Did you kill him? I asked while looking at Ludger.

    No, I just incapacitated him, Ludger replied before slowly approaching the fallen robber with a cautious face.

    He continued to aim his wand at the body.

    Wait, Mr. Ludger. Its dangerous.

    Its all right. Im just going to interrogate him a little bit about his purpose for attacking the train.

    No, I mean

    I tried to say something more, but Ludger moved without listening.

    He turned the fallen robbers body upward with his foot.

    Tell me. Why did you attack this train?

    Uurgh. Ha. Haha.

    Did you justugh in this situation?

    We need to kill all everyone.

    Whaty in that stammering voice was a frigid madness that was enough to make anyones skin shudder.

    The robberughed as his body convulsed and he bled from his nose.

    At the same time, his tightly wrapped coat fell open, revealing an object hidden inside.

    It was a huge bomb.

    !

    With his eyes wide open as he saw that, before Ludger could unleash a spell

    The robber pressed the detonator that he had prepared in advance and held in his hand.

    Booooom!

    A huge explosion swept throughpartment four.

    ____

 Chapter 3

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    The foggy dust caused by the explosion subsided.

    Uurgh.

    Shaa.

    Crouching down, I woke up while shaking off the broken debris that covered my body.

    Fortunately, there were no injuries to my body. Even the broken debris couldnt pierce the coat I had been wearing.

    Its a good thing I wore a sturdy one just in case.

    The corridor and the wall of thepartment, which had been fine not long before, werepletely blown away.

    The chilly wind that was running on the snowfield blew through the gap and scratched my face like a de.

    I thought it was a normal robbery.

    I couldnt believe he had detonated a bomb that was wrapped around his body in a situation where he was electrocuted by electricity magic.

    That was something that would never be seen from a train robber.

    It was more severe than a robbery, and they were closer to fanatics, if I may say so.

    The mindset of dying together even though he knew he was going to die.

    Are they the rebel remnants of the Princes faction who fled the kingdom of Utah? No, theyre busy hiding right now. These bastards are different.

    As I was sweeping my face with my hands in frustration, I sighed, feeling my loose skin.

    No wonder the cold wind was cutting into my face.

    Its expensive, though. What a shame.

    Riiipp.

    I took off the camouge mask that I had been wearing on my face.

    I didnt need to keep using it since it was already torn due to the shock of the explosion and the grazing of the debris.

    Since I couldnt keep the face of a man in his 40s with wrinkles and whiskers anymore, I threw the camouge mask out of the train.

    I thought the train was going to be a little safe, but I didnt expect an unpredictable incident to happen.

    Come to think of it, where is he?

    Ludger, who had said he was going to be a professor at Sren Academy, could not be seen.

    Soon after, I realized something.

    When the explosion had happened, he couldnt react and was likely swept away.

    The dested wall was half blown away and broken. There was no trace of Ludger.

    When I slightly stuck my head out and looked down, I saw a steep cliff.

    Deep down the cliff, there was a raging blizzard and foggy snow clouds that buried its base.

    He must be dead.

    Anyone who thought that he was a mere robber would be bewildered when the robber blew himself up with a bomb.

    If he had known beforehand, he could have prepared a spell, but unexpected situations always happened.

    What a pity for him.

    To think he had died on the day he was appointed as a professor for the famous Sren Academy. I prayed for the repose of Ludgers soul with a small, silent prayer.

    Its not time for me to be rxed either.

    Since I knew that they were no ordinary robbers, my alert level was several stages higher than before.

    If they were all going to blow themselves up when their ns went awry, no matter how strongly that Magic Engineering train was protected by various spells, it might derail.

    That could be their real aim: seeing that kind of extreme act happen.

    Lets run away.

    After making that decision, I headed to thepartment behind that one.

    Sraak.

    When the door frompartment four topartment five opened, a conductor with his face full of tension appeared.

    Oh, sir, are you all right? Wh-what on earth is hap

    He was slightly bewildered and stuttered at the sight of me standing alone in the corridor and at the bulkhead that had flown away.

    Theres a robber attack; theyre armed with dangerous explosives. I was almost swept away by it, I replied calmly.

    I I see.

    I think theyre focused onpartment number one, so wed better step back.

    Oh. I was actually about to evacuate the other passengers to the back.

    Thats a relief.

    I approached the conductor with a relieved face.

    And as soon as I narrowed down the distance so I could reach him by stretching my arm, I grabbed the conductors cor and threw him down to the ground.

    Baam!

    Argh! Why why are you doing this?

    Did you think that kind of petty acting would work in front of me?

    P-pardon?

    The conductor looked up at me with a confused face.

    If it were someone else, they would have erased their doubts by looking at his extremely victimized expression, but I was not convinced.

    I thought something was odd. I refuse to believe that its so easy to break through the Magic Engineering train, which is protected by strong defensive magic and magical stones attached to it. And right when it was running fast through the rugged Arette Mountain, raiders appeared as if they had been waiting.

    Wh-what

    Its practically impossible without someone working from inside the train assisting Unless someone turned off the magic that should have been operating.

    At that moment, the conductors face changed in an instant.

    * * *

    * * *

    He moved his hand and tried to pull something out, but I already knew and had prepared for it.

    I thrust a sharp knife under his chin.

    Stay still.

    Urgh.

    Youre quick to move. As expected, this is not an ordinary robbery. Tell me, where do you guyse from?

    Or keep your mouth shut. Well, thats up to you.

    I wasnt really curious about it anyway. I lifted that man up with a knife around his neck.

    If my prediction was correct, something might have happened in thepartment that he hade from,partment five.

    Move.

    With a knife held in my right hand on his neck, I overpowered him by bending both his arms back with my left hand and then kicked his feet.

    Uurgh.

    He clenched his teeth and refused to budge, but when I twisted his arm a little more, he immediately moved.

    He should have done it from the start.

    How many colleagues do you have here?

    So you wont say it? Then Ill have to make you talk.

    At that moment

    Something was heard frompartment number five, where he hade from.

    It was a small sound that could almost not be heard frompartment number four, where a st of cold wind blew from outside the train from its missing bulkhead.

    My extremely alert ears caught the sound properly.

    Click

    It was something I had heard so often that I recognized the familiar sound immediatelymetals colliding with each other.

    It was the sound of a rifle hammer being pulled.

    Knowing so, I threw the conductor forward and fell t on my stomach right away.

    Ratatatatatatatata!

    Immediately above my head, a barrage of countless bullets prated the door and passed through.

    !

    The conductor I had just pushed fell as he was honebed with bullet holes without being able to react.

    Debris and dust were scattered. I covered my head with my hand and red at the door.

    The bullets showed no signs of stopping soon.

    Is it a machine gun? Theyve prepared very well.

    Then they had no choice but to take that action as well.

    When I was thinking about it, they stopped shooting, thinking it was enough.

    He shot his colleague mercilessly even though his colleague was crossing thepartment. They didnt even let him send any signals.

    It meant that the conductor, who had already be a hole-filled rag, had told them in advance.

    If they dont hear from him for a while, he must have been caught, so shoot him relentlessly.

    The suicide-bomb terrorists were like that as well. Im sure theyre crazy.

    Why did this happen when I got on this train?

    I got up from my position while sighing at my unfortunate life.

    After shaking off the powder and dust on my body, I red at the door again.

    Soon after, the door was smashed, and three bulky men rushed into the corridor.

    What? Theres still someone alive

    We shot that much, and he didnt die?

    Who are you to talk about dying or not as you please? I uttered in an irritated voice while looking at them talking amongst themselves.

    They exchanged nces and soon began to approach me in a ferocious manner.

    The corridor was narrow enough for only one person, so if I had to go against them, I had to deal with one person at a time.

    It was obvious that they looked much rougher and heavier than I was.

    I didnt want to fight if I could avoid it. I refused to have a sh in a pointless ce.

    But if I surrender now, they wont ept it.

    Looking at the people who approached me with the determination to kill me, no matter what I tried to do to appease them, they wouldnt buy it.

    They had not the slightest bit of intention to let me live.

    I want to ask you one thing

    My unfriendly tone made them raise their eyebrows in offense, but I had no choice. It was just my nature.

    What? Are you going to cry for your life now?

    No way.

    How dare you attack this train? Arent you afraid to die? The rescue team will be here soon, right?

    Ha! I wondered what it was, so it was justme intimidation?

    The guy at the forefront snorted at my warning and drew a sword that suited his size.

    I had asked him seriously, but he seemed not to think my question was worth answering.

    Ill cut you in half with a single sh.

    The big man slowly approached me, and I slowly backed away.

    However, the partially destroyed trains cabin had a limit, and naturally, my steps had to stop.

    If I tried to step back any further, I would fall outside the broken train.

    Hehe. Theres no ce for you to run anymore.

    I see.

    If I jumped out of the train from there, I would end up like Ludger.

    However, my front was blocked by hisrge body, so I had to pass through them to go forward.

    Im busy, so Ill finish you as soon as possible!

    It was when he was about to spring out at me while spouting such words.

    I invoked the spell I had prepared in advance.

    Boom!

    The sound of an explosion spread through the air as the man who was about to swing his sword at me bounced back like a cannonball.

    Thump, bam!

    Those who were standing absentmindedly behind him could not react and bounced off each other before rolling on the floor.

    Uuuurgh. Wh-what

    A wizard?!

    It was quite powerful magic power, but there was no sign of much distress as they were pretty strong.

    No. They were wearing something inside their clothes, to be exact. Was it like a protective suit?

    Then I should just give a stronger blow

    I carved a sorcery while releasing the mana I had gathered. The three-dimensional pattern that was drawn in the air soon turned into a spell, and in an instant, it became a big wind and lifted the men who were about to stand up into the air.

    They must have been confused because it felt like an invisible giant hand was clutching them.

    Oh, ooh?

    Let, let go of this! Put me down!

    Ill put you down, just as you asked.

    I used the wind to move them by myself.

    To the outside of the wide-open train.

    Sa-save me, please! I beg you!

    They shouted desperately, but I didnt say yes or that I would spare them. They were the bastards who attacked that train with the intention of killing everyone. They would stab me in the back if I showed them any mercy.

    As I threw them out of the train, their screams echoed and slowly faded into the distance.

    Tsk.

    Having gotten rid of the attacker, I pulled a hair tie out of my pocket while arranging my hair which had be quite messy.

    Because I didnt pay much attention to beauty treatments, my hair had be quite long, and if I didnt arrange it in time, it would be quite cumbersome.

    I tied my flowing hair together around the back of my neck.

    Its better now.

    While I was thinking of running away again, the door ofpartment number three opened and new people appeared.

    Once I got rid of one group, others kept appearing.

    There seemed to be no end to it.

    That was why I wanted to leave quickly.

    What the

    The men who came from the thirdpartment saw me standing alone inside the half-destroyed fourthpartment, and my face hardened coldly.

    Kill him!

    Someone who seemed to be their captain was furious as he gave the order.

    At the same time, the guys who were waiting pointed their rifles at me.

    Looking at it, I desperately held back my sigh.

    Yeah. What can I do? Now that Ivee this far, I should see the end of it.

    Shoot!

    The captain gave the order and his subordinates pulled the trigger.

    But the bullets didnte out.

    ck! ck!

    Oh, ooh?

    What are you doing?

    The the guns are broken!

    What?

    While everyone was talking, I prepared the next spell.

    If they were together like that, it was easy to get rid of them from where I was standing.

    But there was one thing that I had looked over

    There was also a wizard among them.

    Shooo!

    The spell that I casted was canceled midair.

    The wizard stared at me with a wary eye as he pointed his wand at me.

    I didnt know there was a wizard among the train passengers.

    Whatever, since its like this, you should die with them as well.

    What was with his words? He had been resolved to kill me from the start.

    I figured those guys were terrorists and that whatever I said there wouldnt work.

    I took my watch out of my pocket and checked the time.

    Ten minutes had yet to pass since they started to attack.

    Is there still a little bit of time left?

    The scenery passing by outside was still cold and bleak.

    When I had seen it through the window, I had thought it was beautiful, but because the bulkhead wall in between disappeared, it had be quite scary.

    There was still some time before the train left Arette Mountain.

    It would be hard for the supporting troops toe right away.

    I have no choice

    When I thought about the trains location and the time that had passed, I had at least five minutes left.

    But to hang in there.

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 4

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    Get out of the way!

    Its a disturbance!

    The wizards lined up while pushing the others who were blocking the entrance.

    They stared at the man who stood alone inpartment number four with a slightly strained look.

    He wore a ck frock coat with golden embroidery thread over a neatly fitted suit.

    He had long ck hair tied tightly around the back of his neck.

    He even had sharp eyes that felt colder than the chilly wind raging outside.

    Everything from his appearance to the energy that he radiated was unusual.

    In fact, theirpatriots who had stormed from the rear of the train had been sent to the hereafter by his hands.

    Who the hell is this guy?

    The terrorist who led the train raid frowned at the man in front of him.

    He didnt think there would be a wizard like that on the train.

    Was it toote to find out who he was before they fought?

    No, I dont care what happened. We have five wizards here.

    They had recruited high-quality manpower knowledgeable in magic.

    Even if there were internal security personnel, they could be swept away with an overwhelming force.

    He didnt expect that there would be a wizard, but there was only one opponent. Even if he was outstanding, he would not be able to counterattack anymore since their side had five wizards.

    In addition, Mayhem, who could be called the leader among the wizards there, was a fourth-rank wizard.

    Hell never be able to counter unless he is a well-known wizard with at least five ranks.

    There were only a few wizards on the whole continent who were as capable as that.

    In particr, if he had achieved the 5th rank or higher at such a young age, rumors would have already spread.

    Then the highest rank he could be was four.

    That was precisely equivalent to Mayhem.

    Perhaps the man in front of him knew it, so he didnt use magic willingly.

    Hmph, there are five wizards. Of course.

    Its surprisingly quick for you to concede. But its still toote.

    Then I have no choice but to change my way of fighting a little bit.

    The man said so, then soon threw himself out of the wrecked train while the hem of his frock coat fluttered.

    Oh, oooh? Did he just jump?

    Did he choose suicide because he knows he cant win?

    The terrorists were confused.

    One of the wizards stuck his head out over the broken bulkhead just in case, but nothing was seen under the distant cliff.

    I think he fell down and died!

    I thought hed do something, but he was just a coward.

    The moment everyone was about toe to such a conclusion.

    Whoosh!

    A sh pierced through the head of the wizard who was sticking out his head.

    The unbnced body tilted forward and fell outside the train.

    Wh-what!

    Hanson is dead!

    Dead? Why? More than that, where did that she from?

    While everyone was confused, Mayhem, the leader of the wizards, frowned and looked up.

    On the roof! Hes on the roof!

    On the trains roof? But didnt he jump outside a while ago?

    Did he use some flying magic?

    Is it possible to catch up with the running train and get on its roof with flying magic?

    Shut up and go after him!

    ***

    What a shame. I was going to take down another one after they let their guard down.

    There was a chaotic noiseing from below.

    Because they had found out I was alive, they were going to attempt to kill me with all their might.

    I had pretended to jump off the train, hung onto the wall, climbed up, and prepared to catch them off guard.

    I couldnt help but be satisfied by taking down one of the five wizards.

    Hurry and go up!

    Kill him!

    A voice rang in between bothpartments, and soon they began to climb up the roof one by one through thedder.

    But it wouldnt be that easy.

    I waited and fired a tangible magic power at them as they appeared, and then I turned my back before running toward the rearpartment.

    Those who were about to climb up had no choice but to go back down due to the attack that shed across their heads because a roof without shelter made them the target if they climbed it.

    Thump thump thump thump.

    As I ran with loud footsteps on purpose, the guys who were standing by in thepartment also heard the sound and chased me.

    To the back! Hes heading back into the rearpartment!

    Chase him!

    It was so easy to get them to follow.

    It seemed that getting rid of that one wizard had made a quite big impact.

    Did it mean that even if each of themmitted suicide and blew themselves up, it wouldnt be eptable for their colleague to die at the hands of others?

    What a contradictory mindset.

    Im the one whos more thankful if youe out so willingly like this.

    The more you do that, the easier it is for me to deal with all of you.

    * * *

    * * *

    The terrorists were split in half to catch the wizard who had fled to the rear of the train.

    Since their opponent was a wizard, it would be a hindrance if he wasnt fought by fellow wizards.

    Except for a few people who would assist the wizards, the rest of them decided to aim for the first ss ofpartment number one that had yet to be pierced.

    The wizard troops were heading to the rear as they were separated into two groups frompartment number four.

    Damn it! Where is he?

    What about ourpatriots up there? Why arent they saying anything?

    Anyway, lets go to the back!

    As soon as he led the group and hurriedly opened the door

    Booooom!

    The door exploded, and a bright red me engulfed the terrorists.

    In an instant, the five people turned into ck charcoal and copsed on the ground.

    The magical me was extinguished like a candle after fulfilling its role faithfully.

    You you wretch!

    I cant believe he set up a trap in front of the door!

    Mayhem, the wizards leader, looked at the bodies of his deadpatriots and became silent.

    In that short time, he installed a spell trap in front of the door?

    The mans swiftness was astonishing, but what made Mayhem even tenser was the decisive action that he saw.

    Usually, the aristocratic wizards he knew were extremely reluctant to move their bodies because they had been weakened due to arrogance since their birth.

    Whenever they used magic, they spread out their spells as if they were showing it off and others stood from their seats.

    But the man he was chasing wasnt like that.

    When his situation seemed to be disadvantageous, he immediately ran away and then lowered the opponents guard and made a surprise attack. That cant be the way a normal wizard fights.

    He was extremely practical and thorough.

    Isnt that kind of move more simr to a mercenary or a hunter than a wizard?

    What the hell is he

    At first, Mayhem had thought he was just a wizard who had killed hispatriots.

    After all, most people on the train were aristocrats or wealthy merchants.

    They were all the ones who sucked the blood and sweat of poormoners and stood on top of them.

    It shouldve been easy enough for them to kill one person.

    But hes different.

    What the hell is his true identity?

    Mayhem, who was getting concerned, opened his mouth with a heavier expression.

    Everyone, be careful. From now on, we take the lead. We dont know what kind of traps he might have installed, so move as carefully as you can.

    Yes!

    Led by Mayhem, the wizards took the lead in checking if there were any traps installed in the corridors or walls.

    As a result, they spent a considerable amount of time whenever they crossed the trainspartments.

    Dont be impatient. He cant get away from the rear of the train anyway.

    After all, he was like a rat in a trap.

    For the moment, it was obvious that he had fled to the rearpartment.

    Mayhem, the wizards leader, walked slowly before he suddenly stopped.

    He felt an indescribable sense of wariness.

    He quickly realized why he suddenly felt so restless.

    ng! Creaaaaak!

    There was a loud noise from the rear of the train.

    The slow-moving terrorists instinctively realized something was wrong when they heard the sound.

    Damn! The train separated, and he ran away!

    His rising anger had made him toote to realize.

    In the first ce, his opponent didnt have to fight themall he had to do was drag for time and run away.

    He had purposely set a trap to raise their alert and buy time.

    He was trying to escape safely by moving quickly to thestpartment.

    Chase him! Dont let him escape!

    They dropped their caution, they had no other intention than to chase and kill the wizard who had installed the traps and run away.

    They rushed throughout the train and soon arrived in thestpartment, number 12.

    As soon as they opened the door, all they saw was the snowy mountain range and railroad, not the view ofpartment number 12, which was supposed to be there.

    Mayhem clenched his teeth.

    I made a mistake. I kept reminding myself that he didnt have to fight us.

    I overlooked an important fact because I was angry.

    Who would have expected that the opponent would run away with such determination?

    Damn it, did we lose him?

    That brat. Ive remembered his appearance. Well definitely find him and kill him.

    When everyone was staring outside with their teeth clenched like that

    Mayhem felt a powerful wave of mana from behind and got goosebumps all over his body.

    What is this

    He turned his head in a hurry and looked at his back.

    And what he saw was definitely the man who should have disappeared along with the separatedpartment 12.

    Why is he here

    But it wasnt the mans existence that mattered the most.

    The most important thing for him to pay attention to was the spell that waspleted in front of him, almost on the verge of being activated.

    It was a very ferocious and dangerous kind of elemental magic.

    Everyone, dodge! Mayhem shouted as he boosted as much mana as he could.

    With insufficient time to dodge, he raised his defenses as much as possible to create the strongest possible barrier of mana.

    Whiirrrrr!

    Shortly afterwards, a huge spell engulfed the entirety ofpartment 11, sweeping the interior like a storm.

    It was a dazzlingly white me.

    The mes had the same color as the blizzard that softly swirled outside.

    It swept away all the terrorists who had not yet been able to evacuate or respond.

    ***

    Is it over?

    I murmured as I watched the me spell gradually disappear.

    They had been focused on thinking that I had run away withpartment 12.

    Im sure they were. If I dug a trap, stalled for time, and disconnected thepartment in the meantime, anyone would think so.

    But it was also a trap.

    At first, I had run away, pretending to stall by making a surprise attack.

    My escape was also nothing more than a trick to deceive them in the end.

    It was also helpful that they were properly angry.

    Thanks to that, I had been able to control their movements and gather them in one ce for an ambush.

    It looks like there are still some bastards left in the leadpartment, but Ive dealt with all the wizards, so it doesnt matter.

    I was thinking so, but something rose from the rubble.

    So youve managed to survive.

    You damned

    It was the wizards leader who got up. At thest moment, he had saved his life by spreading a barrier and holding on behind it.

    But that was all.

    His physical condition was horrible enough, so he was only just clinging to life.

    He had blocked the attack, but maybe he couldntpletely block all of it, so his face was half-melted, and his whole body was burned. Even one of his arms was missing.

    Even just breathing seemed painful to him, so I decided to leave him alone because I thought he wouldnt be able to endure it for long anyway.

    Why on earth did you kill them? Dont you feel sorry for our fellowpatriots who work for the world?

    What?

    I was wondering what he was talking about, so I thought it was a new kind of bullshit.

    When I closed my mouth in confusion, he red at me with an angry stare.

    Dont you feel sorry for the people who died by your hands?

    I originally thought you were crazy, but youre even crazier than I thought.

    What did you say?

    Youre the ones who raided the train and killed all the passengers, so what are you talking about?

    That was why I was dumbfounded.

    Those guys had attacked the train and killed any passenger they had seen.

    He was treating me like a bad guy because his colleagues were dead, so I was honestly just annoyed.

    They were already cheap, so they deserved to die!

    Wasnt it you who tried to kill me in the first ce? We already decided to kill each other, so why are you talking about whats wrong with me now?

    That thats

    If they couldnt kill me, they should die.

    You Who the hell are you?

    He gave up his argument and asked me about my identity.

    But I couldnt answer that.

    Because beyond him, I saw countless shadows flying toward us from the outside.

    aaang

    A white sh of light sparkled through the widely opened back door and split the wizard in half.

    Thud!

    A solid line was drawn from the top of his head to his groin, and as soon as the white shadow jumped over the wizard andnded on the ground, his body split apart and copsed to both sides.

    Blood did not flow out of the body because the separated sides were frozen with white ice.

    Beyond the fallen body was the image of a female warrior with a waving white cape.

    Are you alright?

    When the woman looked back at me and asked me in a concerned tone, I answered with a nod.

    The pattern on her shoulder te was the shape of a pure white eagle.

    It was a sign of the Frontier Knight Guards, who were in charge of protecting the empire.

    I hope you can feel at ease now. The Frontier Guards have arrived.

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 5

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    I had clearly seen it.

    The sight of knights in white armor running through the snowfield and jumping onto the train one by one

    It was a movement beyond a human beings capability.

    They were strong enough to catch up with running horses using their two legs and could break rocks with their strength.

    Thats a knight for you.

    They were the knights in charge of the steepest parts of the Exileon Empire.

    Aaaaaaah!

    Its the Frontier Guards of the Empire! Everyone, run away!

    Help me!

    Terrorist screams rang out everywhere.

    If the Frontier Guards, which consisted of elite members, stepped up, the results were obvious without even seeing the conclusion.

    It took less than a minute to end after the Frontier Guards stepped up.

    Thats how the train raid ended.

    ***

    Is it over?

    Knights of the Cold Steel under the Frontier Guards.

    The name alone sounded like nothing, but each individual was a considerablypetent knight, as it was made up of people operating in the rugged and cold Arette mountain range.

    I went back to cabin number 403, still looking fine.

    I plopped down on the seat I had sat on before the raid.

    The inside of the train was filled with gashes and soot everywhere as if to prove the fierce fight it had gone through.

    It had be like that because a defensive magic circle was engraved on it, but if it had been an ordinary train, it would have already derailed and fallen below that cliff.

    The robbers have all been suppressed, so please feel at ease, everyone. The train will arrive soon, so please wait a little longer.

    The Knights were seen walking around the inside of the train to calm the survivors.

    In fact, even if they were survivors, they were all those who were in the first ss cabin, protected in the safest ce.

    It was hard to find survivors in other cabins.

    No, it was more urate to say that everyone else had been annihted.

    It was a pity, even considering the small number of people on the train.

    But Im d we got rid of all the terrorists.

    The Knights had killed all those bastards who had attacked the train.

    It was a very futile result after bringing arge number of wizards.

    Ah, Im the one who killed the wizards.

    It was not the time for me to worry about it.

    The train was arriving at its destination soon.

    As we passed through the mountain range full of white snow, fresh nts and trees began to be seen here and there.

    The sheer ice mountain range disappeared and it was reced with a wide in.

    And beyond the horizon, I could see Leathevelk, one of the metropolitan cities in the Exileon Empire.

    Its big.

    Even though it was still far away, the majesty of the city was so magnificent that anyone could see it at a nce.

    Tower-like buildings soared high into the sky, factory chimneys spewed out endless white smoke, and big flying boats paddled among the clouds colored by the sunlight.

    On the riverside throughout the city, there were many mechanical boatsposed of clockwork and brass, and steamboats came and went quickly in between.

    It was the result of magical engineering, made possible bybining advanced mechanical engineering with magic.

    The civilization had achieved an age of technology akin to what was often called SteamPunk.

    Its not quite surprising now.

    Still, the strange feeling created by the culture shock caused by the memory of my past life could not be erased, no matter how hard I tried.

    I was quite surprised to find that I was born as a baby in this world after dying in an ident in my previous life.

    That was already 27 years ago.

    The years had seemed to pass by quickly.

    This world was a unique world in the age of what wasmonly called the Victorian and Belle poque eras, with the addition of magic, non-human races, and monsters.

    It would be better if I had arrived in the world of one of the games that I had used to y, or one of the novels that I liked This was a different world that didnt even exist in my memoryit had no connection to anything I knew.

    Are you alright?

    As I was sitting still in my seat and staring at my approaching destination, someone talked to me.

    When I turned my head, I noticed the neat ck hair at the entrance of the half-destroyed cabin.

    Was it the Knightdy who had saved me?

    She was looking at me with a worried look.

    You might have been hurt by the terrorists a while ago

    I shook my head right away.

    No, thanks to the help of the Knights, Im fine. I just had a little something to think about.

    Ah, Im d to hear that.

    Her look when she smiled as she stroked her chest with relief was reminiscent of blooming roses.

    Now that I think of it, she was quite a beauty. She had porcin skin and white armor without blemishes, and her contrasting ck hair further highlighted her strong image.

    She was a good person with no harsh personality.

    If she wasnt like that, there was no way she would havee and stayed with me just because she was worried about me.

    She seemed to havepetence, as she had be a member of the Knights of Cold Steel, and since she looked young, that meant she had the talent.

    I was thinking that she lived in a different world than me.

    My name is Veronica DeVille. What about you?

    DeVille

    Id heard of the name beforeit was said that DeVille was a prestigious family that produced many famous Knights in the Empire.

    I

    Chooo choooo!!!

    The moment I wanted to say my name, the train blew its horn to announce its arrival.

    I naturally closed my mouth, and Veronica turned her head as she looked out the window.

    Oh, weve finally arrived at Leathevelk.

    The train slowed down and came to aplete stop at the train station.

    The train station over the window was crowded with people.

    Apparently, they hade to see the train after hearing that it had been attacked. They looked at the appearance of the partially destroyed train and chatted among themselves.

    The police stepped up and built walls to keep people away, and reporters were seen trying to reach the gap and get a scoop somehow.

    Just as expected of a big city, Leathevelk was crowded from the beginning.

    There are a lot of people, right? I think the news has already spread.

    It doesnt matter.

    It was none of my business anyway.

    My sadness was only that the train, which was supposed to be heading to the capital, had to stop at Leathevelk due to an unprecedented attack.

    However, there was no way to get a refund for the ticket I had already paid for, so I had to get off there for the time being.

    Creaaak.

    At that moment, the door opened roughly, and police in uniform rushed in.

    Whats going on all of a sudden?

    Dear passengers, please wait in your seats and do not leave. We have something to check.

    Whats going on? Veronica asked.

    Who are you? One of the officers asked her.

    My name is Veronica of the Knights of Cold Steel. Id like to ask you what on earth is happening.

    Oh, so you were a Knight of Cold Steel. Its a pleasure meeting you. Im Officer Remlus from the Leathevelk Metropolitan Police Department.

    Yes, Officer Remlus. Im d to see you. So whats going on?

    I heard there was a train raid on the border of the Arette Mountains before the train arrived.

    Yes, thats right. We took care of all the raiders.

    Thanks to the hard work of the Knights of Cold Steel, we received reports that all the bandits who attacked the train had been repelled, but theres something unclear about it.

    Something unclear?

    The words made me nervous. The situation was flowing strangely.

    * * *

    * * *

    When I thought of it there was something that had been bothering me.

    Although there was a wizard among the attackers, a magically protected Magic Engineering train should not have allowed an attack so easily.

    Yes, youre right.

    Its clear that this attack was done by someone not just from the outside, but by someone from the inside as well.

    Its

    Veronica widened her eyes in surprise.

    But then she nodded and agreed to the policemans words.

    Such an assumption did not have any w in the first ce.

    Id actually encountered a guy who had disguised himself as a train employee and those whod removed the magic protections from the inside.

    Because of them, the terrorists could easily enter the train, and passengers who were on board died.

    I dont know if youre already identifying the corpses. Im just trying to identify the survivors inside because there might be people who were involved with the terrorists. There is no need to worry. Well send back those whove been identified soon.

    Ah, I see.

    Veronica smiled with relief and looked back at me.

    Her smile was full of relief, but cold sweat was flowing hard behind my back instead.

    Theyre going to check my identity? And in a situation where Ive taken off my camouge mask?

    I touched my face calmly with my fingertips.

    Yeah, Im sure its not covered with a camouge mask right now.

    Im in trouble!

    I had boarded that train as Gerrard, a wealthy merchant in his mid-40s.

    Obviously, a person named Gerrard would be on the passenger list.

    That was fine, but the problem was with my face.

    How could anyone believe that my natural face without whiskers or wrinkles belonged to a man in his mid-40s?

    What should I do?

    I hadnt participated in the attack, and I was just a passenger that had been unjustly caught in the events, but I couldnt be confident that theyd believe me.

    Gerrard was a fake identity to hide who I really was.

    A fake identity was a felony in any country.

    I would be lucky enough if I was just hanged, but if I was believed to have been involved in a suspected terrorist situation like that, it was likely that Id be severely tortured.

    I wouldnt be falsifying my identity in the first ce if I was a normal person.

    What should I do? Do I have to run away like this?

    Theres no way running away is possible.

    There were Knights of Cold Steel on the train, and there were even soldiers from the Empire outside the train in case of any contingency.

    The moment I tried to escape from there, my neck would fly away without even being able to endure for a minute.

    Running away was simply the worst choice. However, if I stayed still, they would be able to find out my real identity.

    I tried hard not to show my anxiety.

    Meanwhile, the police who brought the passengers list documents handed over the papers.

    They were trying to check the people on the train one by one.

    What room were you in? He asked me.

    Room 403. Heres my ticket.

    I calmly took the train ticket out of my inner pocket and showed it to the policeman.

    He flipped through the papers as soon as he found out that the ticket was not fake.

    Lets see number 403. Ah. Here it is. Two passengers stayed in this cabin. Ludger Chelysie, a man in his mid-20s, and Gerrard, a man in his 40s.

    Then he raised his head and looked at me stealthily.

    It seemed like he was about to ask why I was alone when there were supposed to be two of us.

    What happened to the other one?

    He was swept away by the explosion that took ce during the attack. He fell down the distant cliff in the Arette Mountains.

    They wouldnt even be able to find his body since he had fallen down the cliff of that horrifying mountain range.

    My words made the police show a more suspicious expression.

    I clenched my fist, and I desperately held my poker face.

    Ill get caught. Ill get caught if it keeps on going like this.

    But even so, I couldnt think of a proper way to get out of that situation.

    There were a lot of police and soldiers outside. The police blockade was very strong.

    Running away? Its impossible in the first ce.

    And the other problem was Veronica, the woman who was pping her white cape in front of me.

    She was the woman who had cut the top of the terrorists head in half just moments before.

    She had no hesitation in killing people.

    She was treating me with a smile for the time being, but the moment it turned out that I was shady, she would be the first one to draw her sword.

    Considering her ability to join the Knights of Cold Steel at a young age, she must have been even more intimidating than the cops outside the train.

    It was when all kinds of thoughts swirled inside my head

    Veronica, who was watching the situation idly, stood by my side.

    Wait a minute. Hes not a suspect in the first ce.

    Pardon?

    He was fighting against the terrorists before the Knights of Cold Steel arrived. I saw it with my own eyes.

    He fought them? The policeman mumbled in disbelief and scrutinized the list again.

    Then he nodded as if he was convinced of something and looked back at me with an expression that changed in an instant.

    So Ludger Chelysie is alive, and Gerrard was swept away by the explosion.

    Oh?

    No, wait a minute. What did he just say?

    The officers expression, who was checking the list in more detail, was colored with astonishment.

    Oh? The newly appointed professor at the Sren Academy?!

    What? Hes a Sren professor? Are you sure?

    Veronica opened her eyes wide at Officer Remluss shout.

    Looking at the reaction of those two as though it was a scene in aedy show, I realized what was happening.

    It was something unbelievable, but They believed that I was Ludger.

    It was sudden, but I made a quick decision.

    I immediately regained myposure and nodded.

    Yes, thats right.

    As I replied, I picked up the suitcase that Ludger had dropped before he died.

    I was d that I had kept it just in case.

    Im Ludger Chelysie.

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 6

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    Photography had not yet been poprized in this world.

    Most photos only existed in ck and white, and even then, the quality was not very good, so it was impossible topare them in detail.

    Whenparing people, it was inevitable that identification was only based on clothes, age, and overall physique.

    It was no wonder they were mistaken.

    Im sorry, Mr. Ludger.

    I felt sorry for the dead, but that didnt mean I should also die, right?

    Living people should live.

    And Ludgers identity was very useful in escaping from that situation.

    Oh my God, youre the new professor at Sren Academy. As expected, the magic I saw back then

    Veronicas tone toward me changed as soon as the name Sren was mentioned.

    She muttered something to herself, too.

    I see. Did she see me when I was using magic?

    Maybe that had earned her trust all the more.

    Even the officer who had half-suspected me when he was interrogating me immediately bowed to me.

    Im Im sorry for the trouble! Please forgive me for being rude because of the situation.

    Thats all right.

    While saying that, I thought to myself that the name Sren was really great indeed.

    The only magic academy that existed in the Empire.

    Even when considering the whole continent, the best Academy was Sren.

    Srens name was never to be taken for granted, and it was natural to be surprised to hear that I was a professor who taught the students there.

    I cant believe hes a Sren professor.

    At such a young age, hes awesome.

    The other guards and police also whispered among themselves.

    I decided to be more brazen about it since the situation had turned out like that anyway.

    At that moment I was bing Ludger Chelysie.

    We well apany you on the way out.

    Its all right.

    No, youre the one whos going to nurture the future of the Empire, so how can we just let you go? You wasted your time because of us.

    Its alright, though?

    Its because we feel sorry.

    No, its ufortable for me to move around with all of you!

    I couldnt shout it out loud, so I agreed with a cold expression.

    Miss Veronica, Ill be on my way. It was a short meeting, but it was nice to meet you.

    I sent my farewell to Veronica for thest time before I left. We had only met briefly, but I didnt think it was a bad fate.

    Maybe she felt the same way, as she smiled and waved at me.

    Yes, Mr. Ludger! Lets meet again if fate brings us together once more!

    Well then

    Im sorry, but I dont think well see each other again.

    I was safely guided by the guards through the swarming crowd to the train stations exit.

    The exit was also crowded with people, perhaps because it was a train station where a lot of people came and went.

    I opened my mouth when I thought that it was the right time.

    Ivee this far, so its enough. Ill move on my own from here. Ill feel burdened if you do anything more than this.

    Oh, yes. Understood. Please be careful on your way!

    The guard saluted me and disappeared back into the station.

    As I sent a farewell to them with a light nod, I let out a sigh using all the strength in my shoulders.

    I had almost gotten into trouble.

    I was d that they misunderstood me for a moment, otherwise I would have been caught with a fake identity and used of being an aplice in terrorism.

    But I was sure that itd be okay now that I had passed the critical situation.

    Are you Mr. Ludger Chelysie?

    At that moment, I felt my blood freezing at the voice right behind my back.

    I had not felt a presence from the voices owner.

    When I turned my head slowly and looked behind, an old gentleman in a rather modest posture was looking at me.

    Yes, thats right. Who are you? I answered smoothly as I was calming my surprised heart.

    Greetings. My name is Wilford, and Im an employee of Sren Academy. Im here to meet Mr. Ludger.

    To meet me you said?

    Yes, I heard that the train was attacked. I came here in a hurry just in case something happened, but Im d you look alright.

    Wilford said so and opened the door to the wagon he had brought along.

    Now, please get in. Ill apany you to Sren.

    I rolled my eyes.

    Can I say that he got the wrong person here?

    I didnt know how long that old man named Wilford was there, but since he was convinced that I was Ludger, he must have seen me part ways with the officer.

    It was practically impossible to say I was not Ludger and refuse his offer there.

    Most of all, when he first appeared, I couldnt feel any presence, he was a keen elderly man who hade out subtly after hiding well.

    That man

    He was absolutely not a normal employee.

    Sure.

    I had no other choice but to get into the wagon.

    * * *

    * * *

    Veronica, the Vice-Captain of the Knights of Cold Steel, recalled Ludger, who had just left the train.

    Ludger Chelysie.

    From the first time she saw him, she thought he was an extraordinary person.

    Because she had seen it

    His appearance when he had swept away the terrorists with a white me.

    Other Knights might not have been able to see it well because they were far away, but she had certainly seen it with her own eyes, and she had confidence that her eyes were better than her Captains.

    Even though his opponents were also wizards like him

    Ludger had knocked such men down without a single scratch or wound.

    The mans behavior was so natural, as if it was something obvious.

    Even when she had brutally killed the terrorist with her own hands, Ludgers face had showed not the slightest bit of change,

    It wasnt the reaction of a man who was frozen in fear.

    Ludger that man had observed the whole situation with a cool head.

    He wasnt an ordinary person.

    A simple-looking yet luxurious ck frock coat with a neat suit and golden thread embroidered over it

    He had a silent impression and a serious look in his eyes.

    His slightly pulled back long hair, tied in at the back of his neck

    When she had looked at him closely, he was a charming young man with a sharp impression.

    What stimted her concerns the most was the vigor that subtly radiated from Ludger.

    At first I thought he was a royal family member who had hidden his identity.

    The grace that had flowed subtly from Ludger was simr to what Veronica felt when she was confronted with someone who had a noble status in the imperial family.

    So when she heard that Ludger was a newly appointed professor at Sren Academy, she was convinced that he could do that.

    No, rather than that, she even thought that the reputable name of Sren was not enough to be a medal for such a man.

    No one is surprised that fish swim well and birds fly across the blue skyit was the same for Ludger to hold a position in Sren.

    It was so obvious that she was convinced of it right away.

    Her intense dj vu became a certainty when she heard the name.

    Ludger Chelysie. She had heard of him. A young wizard who had recently gained a reputation. He had achieved the fourth rank at the youngest age, submitted 12 theses to the magic tower, and even redefined one of its challenges, the Langester form.

    In addition, it was said that he had been appointed as an officer in the military, and he had even made a great contribution in a battle by hunting Cryptid.

    He said hes going to be appointed as Srens professor this time, right?

    If so, she was curious.

    It just so happened that her younger sibling attended Sren.

    If she had a chanceter, she should ask her younger sibling

    How does he teach his ss?

    ***

    My n to run away as soon as I left the train station was disrupted from the start.

    I hadnt expected the Academy to send someone to pick me up.

    I thought it was out of line, but it was understandable when it came to Sren Academy.

    Any professor who was going to the best academy in the Empire would have special treatment wherever they went.

    Im sure Sren was worried because such a high-level employee was caught up in the terrorist attack.

    I understood why they would send a person to serve me in a convenient manner.

    This is a big problem.

    I looked inside the wagon.

    There were fluffy red chairs with fancy patterns around them. It was a wagon that I could only think of as luxurious, no matter how I looked at it. Even with how fast it moved, it only shook slightly.

    The thing pulling the ck wagon was a steamy, horse-shaped golem.

    I was so amazed to see the results of thetest magic engineering, made by a mixture of machine and magic.

    Most of all, the old gentleman, Wilford, who was driving the wagon, was also quite special.

    It was because I didnt feel any sense of presence until he had gotten close to me. Besides, he was dressed in neat attire and had a sturdy body that his clothes couldnt conceal.

    One of the probabilities is that he was once a knight.

    Knights didnt decline just because they got older. On the contrary, an old knight had to be more vignt.

    They had superhuman bodies and years of experience on top of that.

    It was crazy to run away thoughtlessly in that kind of situation.

    If I try to leave here with an excuse, hell obviously be suspicious. I cant sneak away, and even if I seed in running away, Id be chased as soon as they received a report.

    Various other problems were also scattered in my mind.

    First of all, it was about the identity of Gerrard that I had used previously.

    It was necessary to create a new identity because that fake identity was practically killed and done with, and it was obvious that the process would cost a lot of money and time.

    What I needed was not a formal route but a criminal underworld. I would also have to gather information in the backstreets of a city I was visiting for the first time and find a ce to stay until I created a new identity.

    Having lost my once existing identity, I was no better than an illegal immigrant.

    Having no identity was no different from having no civil rights. In other words, no one would recognize me even if I was dragged somewhere and died without anyone knowing.

    After considering all those possibilities, I decided to give up running away for the moment.

    I had to save myself first and foremost.

    Lets not do anything that will make them suspicious for now.

    First, lets just go to Sren Academy. It wouldnt hurt to think about what to do afterwards from there.

    Clip-clop. Clip-clop.

    When the fast-running wagon slowed down, I felt that I had finally arrived at Sren Academy.

    As if to prove my assumption, the front window of the wagon swung open to the side, then Wilford spoke to me.

    Mr. Ludger, weve arrived.

    Wilfords words made me stare at the view outside the window.

    The first thing I saw was a magnificent and huge gate and beyond that was a vast expanse ofnd.

    The road where the wagon traveled was neatly and nicely paved, and green trees were evenly nted on the left and right, adding sophisticated beauty.

    Sren Academys buildings, which were standing under the dazzling sunlight, shone brightly.

    Thats the main building, thats the vi, thats the park, and thats the auditorium, I think?

    Apart from therge scale of each building, I couldnt even guess exactly how vast thend was.

    Isnt thisrger than a decently sized city?

    The guard who was guarding the main gate opened the door immediately and gave me a light bow.

    As I passed through the main gate, I could see how much magic power existed nearby.

    How manyyers of magic circles were stacking up to the point that their original shape couldnt be seen anymore.

    Crazy.

    There wouldnt be a case of a sturdy bastard breaking in through the front door, but if there was, they would be dust and disappear in a second.

    Clip-clop. Clip-clop.

    The ce where the steel horse that was leading the wagon stopped was a building that existed farther inside from the main building.

    It was a majestic castle that looked as if it was a tall crown.

    This is the ce. Lets disembark.

    Wilford stopped me when I tried to grab my luggage.

    Well be back anyway, so you dont have to carry your luggage.

    Alright.

    After getting out of the carriage, I followed Wilford through the fountain and past the beautiful stone statues into the building.

    The interior was spectacr.

    The light that was shining from the window spread gently as it was reflected far into the building interior, creating a cozy color and gently warming up the skin.

    From somewhere unseen, a fragrant smell stimted my nose, and I could hear sounds of birds chirpingit felt as if I was dreaming.

    The interior was a sophisticated yet neat design that looked like a piece of beautiful architecture from medieval Europe.

    If the neighboring city of Leathevelk had a steamy steam-punk atmosphere, the Academy was much more fantasy-oriented.

    -Hahaha.

    -Kid, dont do that.

    As I walked up the stairs following Wilford, the employees and students in academy uniforms passed by me.

    Every time that happened, I could hear whispers from behind my back.

    Dont tell me theyre gossiping about me because I look like a country bumpkin.

    I felt bothered for some reason, so I asionally tidied up my clothes or arranged my hair.

    Before I knew it, I had arrived in front of a big elevator.

    Im going to get on this?

    This way.

    I got on the elevator with Wilford. I had thought the building was tall enough when I saw it from the outside, but I was surprised once again to see that it had almost 30 floors.

    I finally thought that it was really the scale of an Empires academy.

    When the elevator arrived at its destination, the door opened, and there was a long, red-carpeted corridor with a wooden door at its end.

    The principal is waiting for you. Ill be staying here.

    Thank you for your guidance.

    Theres no need to mention it, its my job.

    I crossed the corridor and stood in front of the door of the principals office.

    As soon as I raised my hand and was about to knock on the door, a drowsy and attractive voice could be heard from the inside.

    Come on in.

    I opened the door and went inside.

    Nice to meet you.

    The woman who was sitting at the desk with her back to the window greeted me.

    She was the principal of Sren Academy.

    Considering that she could only sit there if she was at least a 6th rank Lexure among the existing eight ranks, she was unquestionably a first-ss wizard.

    Looking at her appearance, she looked like she was in her mid-20s.

    Maybe she had been organizing some documents, as she loudly put down the fountain pen that she held in her right hand and stared at me.

    Her white hair that flowed down like a curtain shone even more brightly with the light from the window behind her back.

    She had two-tone hair, the outside of her hair was white, and the inside of her hair was a subtle pink.

    What is it?

    The moment her golden eyes stared at me, I felt an indescribable feeling.

    In the depths of my soul, I felt the beauty of her figure.

    I tried to ignore the strange sensation and spoke in a firm voice.

    Im Ludger Chelysie. Im here because you summoned me.

    For now, Im Ludger Chelysie.

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 7

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    The outside of her hair was white; the inside of her hair was a light pink color that resembled cherry blossoms. She was a beauty with peculiar two-toned hair.

    The principal epted my greeting with a bright smile.

    Yes, its nice to meet you, Mr. Ludger. Moreover, are you feeling alright? I heard you were involved in a terrorist incident.

    Its nothing much. I was helped by the Knights of Cold Steel at a dangerous moment.

    Oh my, thats a relief. I was pretty panicked, too. Its been a long time since weve chosen a new teacher, so I was worried that you got hurt. If that happened, we wouldnt be able to save our face, right?

    Seeing that she openly talked about saving her face, she certainly didnt seem to have an ordinary personality.

    Well, indeed. Anyone who had climbed up to a high position was bound to be twisted somewhere.

    Even more so when they were a wizard.

    My teacher was like that as well. The same went for the woman in front of me.

    It didnt surprise me much.

    Youre not feeling sick anywhere by any chance, are you?

    Looking at the principal staring at me with a subtle smile, I wondered if she had noticed something odd about me.

    Come to think of it, has the principal met Ludger before? Then wouldnt she notice that he changed?

    Her voice dragged me back as anxious thoughts ran through my mind.

    Ive only seen you through paper; its my first time seeing you in person. Youre pretty tall and decent, I see.

    Fortunately, it seemed to be the first actual meeting between Ludger and the principal.

    Thank you for yourpliment, even if its just empty words, I replied with an inward sigh of relief.

    No, theyre not empty words. I think the students will show a passionate reaction when the semester starts, right? You are such a handsome man.

    Im ttered.

    Well, take this for now.

    The principal held out a piece of paper to me.

    We already informed you in advance, but it will be better for you to confirm the contract thoroughly. The contract is for two years. The sry is written there. Keep in mind that the amodation is provided.

    I epted the contract and looked through the contents carefully.

    I didnt think much of the contract because I was nning to quit quickly and go out as soon as my back-up identity came out anyway.

    Until I read what was written inside.

    Oh, what? Wait a minute.

    What was written in the contract was so surprising that it even made me widen my eyes in surprise.

    A months sry is 30 coins of imperial gold?

    An imperial gold coin is equal to one million denars, the continentsmon currency.

    In other words, 30 imperial gold coins meant 30 million denars, and it was nearly 300 million won($233,814) in terms of the earths currency where I lived.

    It was just a months sry.

    The monthly sry was 300 million won($233,814). At that point, I had to wonder if I actually had to sell off my organs, but it was Sren Academy.

    It was the best magic academy in the empire.

    Even on the earth where I lived, the annual sry of an experienced professor at a Gangnam university was up to 10 billion won($7,790,559).

    It was quite possible.

    And theres a bonus for each semester and a bonus at the end of every year? Whats more, I can even raise my sry based on my performance, you said? If the students evaluation of their teacher is good, it will be raised, you said?

    I could take a bonus without much trouble, and if so, the annual sry would be more than 500 million denars.

    My contract period was two years, so if I added it up, it was more than 1 billion denars.

    With that money, I could live quite well off anywhere. I could even do a side job, with their permission.

    Gulp.

    I swallowed without realizing it.

    It was amazing that the sry was so much, but the amount of support funds for when the ss was starting was huge. There was also the fact that more funds might be disbursed depending on the teachers evaluation.

    In addition, I would have a separate house and eat here, so I didnt have to spend money unless for some special asions.

    If Ist here for two years, Ill get one billion denars. In terms of earth currency, its worth 10 billion won, and even thats just the minimum wage. If I do well, I can raise my sry and extend it after the contract is over.

    It was a condition that could only be considered crazy.

    This is the best academy in the empire, they said?

    What on earth is the life Ive lived so far?

    What do you think? Is it alright?

    This is not bad.

    Its not only a not bad level. This is amazing. And he amazing at that.

    I took a deep breath and read the contract again.

    As expected, it wasnt a dream. It was like hitting a whole jackpot unexpectedly.

    But there was a fundamental problem

    Its true that Sren is great enough to give this amount of money, but at the same time, I have a lot of burden as a Sren teacher.

    Will I be able to endure this position?

    Will I be able to work properly as a teacher here, a ce where a breadth of all kinds of geniuses exists?

    No way. It would be a miracle if my lowly self wasnt revealed in a day.

    Still, I was confident in babbling and bluffing. I had been growing up in an environment where I could die if I didnt do that.

    I analyzed the situation quickly.

    Its alluring, just looking at the annual sry, but its also quite burdensome. But because Im already here, I cant say no. Ludger was already supposed to be a teacher here, and I became Ludger Chelysie.

    How could I say no in that situation?

    My appointment as a teacher had already been confirmed, so I couldnt suddenly say that I wouldnt do it. Then, of course, theyd be suspicious.

    In fact, the answer I had to give was already determined.

    Then I have no choice but to do it.

    I was then determined to utilize the identity of Ludger Cheliysie.

    I only had to stay there for two years with my eyes closed.

    Yes, in two years, I can end this life. Isnt it better than the army because they pay me a lot of money, and I am free to move?

    It made me feel at ease to think about that.

    I handed the contract to the principal and opened my mouth.

    Deceiving, bluffing, and finding the right atmosphere.

    Thats my specialty.

    Ive checked everything in the contract details.

    Good, then lets take good care of each other from now on, Mr. Ludger.

    Yes, I look forward to your kind cooperation, sir.

    I shook hands with the principal who smiled at me.

    It was a secret that I was sweating hard to keep my poker face because I thought the corners of my mouth would be twisted.

    ***

    After meeting with the principal, I followed Mr. Wilford, who was waiting outside, to my assigned amodation.

    Should I say that it was befitting of Sren Academy all the way?

    Even the buildings dedicated to teachers on thend looked expensive.

    I couldnt believe that my house was a two-story house that was simr to what I had seen in fairy tales.

    We still have three weeks until the semester starts, so you can rest until then.

    Mr. Wilford disappeared into his wagon after he said so.

    Even when he left, he was a man who did not forget his disciplined attitude, so he could be said to be an example of a gentleman.

    Shall I go?

    I went into the house with a suitcase.

    * * *

    * * *

    I could feel it when I saw it from the outside, but it felt very different when I went inside. The furniture was decorated with all sorts of things, and there was not a single speck of dustas it seemed to have been maintained constantly.

    When I checked the bathroom just in case, it was amazing.

    The bathroom, which was covered with white tiles, looked like it wouldnt be out of the norm for aristocrats to use. Hot water came out well, and there was even a bathtub where I could take a bubble bath.

    It was understandable that this was a world in which the Magical Revolution took ce.

    Thud.

    After checking every corner of the house, I dropped down as Iy on a soft sofa.

    From now on, Im an academy teacherright?

    A lot of things happened that day.

    I was caught up in terrorism unintentionally, misunderstood as someone else, and even happened toe to Sren academy to work as a teacher.

    I was amazed at how things were turning out, but since Id gone that far, I couldnt even run away.

    If I suddenly disappear now, theyre going to ask around about Ludger, and since my real face has been seen, there wont be any ce for me in the empire.

    It was potentially fatal that my real face had been sold, not my face in disguise.

    In the end, I had no choice but to act as Ludger Chelysie.

    At that moment

    Whew. This is tough.

    It had already been 27 years since I came to this world.

    I was reincarnated in this world with no special abilities and just the memories of my past life.

    However, my parents existence in my life after reincarnating was so dramatic that I had to survive on my own.

    At the same time, it was a strange life in which I had ovee death several times by being embroiled in all kinds of incidents.

    For me, that situation was just confusing.

    I happened to be an academy teacher.

    And it was also in Sren Academy, the best in the Empire.

    I wonder if I could simply call it as it just happened.

    This is actually a fake job.

    I didnt even do it on purpose, but I had gotten a fake job.

    But I couldnt quit either.

    It was the so-called riding the tiger.

    The moment I got off, I would be eaten by the tiger. That was the situation I found myself in.

    It was a fight between mewho might fall down and be eaten by the tigerand the tigerwho might get tired of me first.

    Yes, two years. I just have to endure it for two years. Thats enough.

    I still needed a new identity anyway.

    Ludgers identity in that situation was very alluring.

    Ludger Chelysie was a man who traveled to the empire far from his home; he wouldnt run into anyone who knew him there.

    Even so, I decided to find out more about Ludger, just in case.

    I went up to the bedroom on the second floor with Ludgers suitcase. When I entered the room, I shut the curtain by the window and looked inside the room carefullyit was to search for possible external surveince.

    Theres nothing in my way.

    I thought everything was fine, so as I was about to open the suitcase

    ck.

    Hm?

    Whats this? The suitcase is locked.

    I checked the leather suitcase in detail. Looking closely, a fine magic circle was imprinted on the metal lock.

    This is a security magic.

    It was notrge in size, so I didnt know that a magic circle with a high level of difficulty, which required detailed magic maniption, would be engraved in such a ce.

    As expected of a teacher whos assigned to Sren academy.

    Taking a step away from the suitcase, I wondered what to do with it.

    I didnt give up, but I was figuring out how to open it.

    It would be convenient if I have reagents, but Ive already sent away my former luggage in advance, so Ill have to use another method.

    I picked a moderate towel and wet it immediately. After leaving the wet towel by my side, I took a stick and started a small fire at the tip of it.

    It wasPyro, a basic spellcasting of elementary magic.

    It was only about the size of a lighter me, but its heat was considerable.

    I put the fire on the tip of the stick to the lock of the suitcase.

    The hot heat began to heat the brass.

    A few minutester, as soon as the brass heated up and turned red, I pushed a wet towel onto the brass.

    Sshhh.

    The heated metal cooled quickly with the sound of water evaporating. Soon after, the lock was distorted, and the magic circle engraved on it was also twisted.

    Of course, that did not eliminate the effect of the magic circle.

    Magic isnt that easy.

    But its the moment when I can make a gap in a solid wall.

    Right then.

    I didnt miss the short moment and shot my mana sharply through the center of the magic circle.

    It was an important part of the magic circle. What I was doing could be called hacking.

    Whoosh!

    I did it.

    When I broke it, the effect of the magic circle disappeared.

    At the same time, the lock opened with a click.

    Its a piece of cake to open this.

    It was not umon for someone to imprint a magic circle or barrier on suitcases.

    Most wizards are very sensitive to security, so security magic is close to basic knowledge.

    If they couldnt perform it, theyd even ask their acquaintance orpany to professionally imprint the magic circle for them.

    If you tried to forcibly remove the security magic in such a case, a spell would be invoked to get rid of the contents.

    It was the manifestation of an extreme ideology thats a characteristic of wizards that theyd get rid of their items before revealing them to someone else.

    However, in order to safely lift the security magic, its necessary to analyze how the spell was implemented. Of course, the process took a very long time, and I couldnt afford it because I was in a hurry.

    So I chose to do that method.

    It was a method that was close to a cheating trick that didnt necessarily require me to analyze the spell.

    Its enough to know where the magic is carved and what its made of.

    Usually, strong metal is the mainstream material where the magic circles are carved. No one can engrave magic circles all over their leather bag.

    Leather is very inefficient as a medium for transmitting magic power.

    It was the same for clothes and papers. Except for parchment made by peeling the bark of the magic wood, it was impossible to engrave magic circles or barriers on clothes or papers unless you were at least an archmage with 6th rank or higher.

    On the contrary, it is metal that has good conductivity of magic power.

    The most popr metals for it are iron and brass; the materials that were better than those were silver, gold, and tinum.

    The best material is jewelry made from gemstones, but the materials themselves are so expensive that they are not used unless you are from high-ranking nobles.

    Obviously, low-priced iron or brass was the mostmonly used, and I was fully familiar with the methods of invading the two materials.

    It was a method of heating and expanding the metal engraved with the magic circle and then quickly cooling it with cold water to shrink it again.

    The magic circle carved on the metal would deviate and twist during the expansion and contraction of the metal.

    Even after the deviation, the magic circle would recover automatically as though it wasnt a big problem.

    But the gap that existed at that moment was a very fatal w.

    At that moment, I sharply shot my mana, destroying and canceling the magic circles core technique.

    Im d it worked.

    Well, its not amonly known method; it was just a trick made by applying scientific knowledge appropriately.

    Most wizards are people who are hung up on history and tradition, so they often look down on science.

    As a result, it wasmon for them not to prepare for this method, and that was what I wanted.

    If he was a real nut, he would have carried an iron suitcase covered in magic circles.

    Fortunately, Ludger Chelysie didnt go that far.

    I opened the suitcase and checked its contents.

    Hmm, this is

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 8

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    There was nothing surprising inside Ludgers suitcase.

    Just some clothes and books.

    Other than that, there were also some documents and misceneous items.

    I thought there would be something greater.

    I put the textbooks, magic books, and theses together as one, then put them aside, and I sorted away the clothes appropriately.

    In addition to magic books, there were many other bookssuch as popr novels and essays by famous scientists.

    He really read all sorts of things.

    Other items were some letters, identification cards, and personal belongings.

    Even though they were his belongings, there was only a small pipe to be used as a portable pocket watch or magic medium and a wallet containing money.

    I checked his identification card and documents one by one.

    Ludger Chelysie. A man from a fallen aristocracy of the Northern continents small kingdom of Queoden. He doesnt have any siblings, and his parents are both dead.

    Its not bad.

    Although he was a fallen aristocrat, he would not be greatly insulted anywhere because he had a nominally aristocratic title, and there was no one to recognize him because he had no family.

    Lets see its an extremely fancy record. He submitted 12 theses to the magic tower, and he was the youngest wizard who climbed to 4th rank? He even served as a military officer?

    As expected of a Sren teacher.

    I didnt expect that he would have such a record at a young age.

    Is he teaching magic casting and its following as a specialized subject? So the main subject is mana release and elemental attributes.

    Given that magic casting was a specialized subject, there was a high probability of me teaching actualbat in the subject.

    I opened the letter and looked at its contents.

    If there were any conversations with his acquaintances, I had to catch his small habits and learn them.

    Theres not much in the letter.

    Letters that were believed to have been exchanged with his acquaintance only consisted of formal conversations such as his soon-to-be appointment at the academy, book rmendations, or what happened somewhere.

    I dont think there was anyone he was close to when he was serving in the military.

    Did he have the style of a nerd student?

    Given that there was little personal content, he didnt seem to be that close to the person he exchanged letters with.

    Whats left now is

    To go over the fundamental contents of the subject to teach to the students after the semester started and the information about how Sren Academy was and how it worked.

    For the moment, it was necessary to travel around thend and learn the topography of Sren.

    Gurgle gurgle.

    As I was about to go outside right away, I had no choice but to pause at the loud sound from my stomach.

    Come to think of it I havent eaten anything since I got off the train today.

    Lets start tomorrow.

    Im mentally exhausted because so many things happened today.

    Lets eat first and rest well today.

    * * *

    * * *

    Two weeks passed after that.

    In the meantime, I had been walking around every corner of Sren Academy to understand the geography of the ce.

    As I expected when I first saw it, the enormousnd of Sren Academy was simply beyond my imagination.

    People didnt think highly of Sren for no reason.

    I sat on an outdoor bench in a quiet cafe and enjoyed the peaceful scenery.

    I had finished checking the rough picture of it, so I was only thinking about the uing sses.

    Is it because its almost time for the school to start? I see students more often.

    Students in Sren Academys uniform were seen walking around. The uniform design looked cool for boys and pretty for girls.

    It was said to be a uniform made by a prestigious designer in the Empire.

    Perhaps because it was an academy that taught magic, some of the students flew on brooms or moved on strange mechanical dolls.

    I thought it was a good time to see young peopleughing and talking to each other.

    Every day had been a fierce war since I came to this world, and such children live their blessed lives thanks to their natural talents and environment.

    Hmm.

    Two female students who passed by peeked at me and began to whisper among themselves.

    Well, if I spotted someone I hadnt seen before school started, Id be suspicious as well.

    I took a sip of coffee while being unnecessarily self-conscious of my surroundings.

    I should go back to the amodation after drinking it all and prepare for the orientation in a week.

    As soon as I was about to get up after drinking all the coffee that was left while thinking about it, a woman walked up to the table next to me and sat down naturally.

    The moment I thought she was just a new customer, she spoke to me in a small voice that only I could hear.

    Im d youre safe. Why didnt you contact us for two weeks?

    ?

    My instinctive intuition stopped me as my head was about to turn around unconsciously.

    Tap.

    I naturally put the empty cup on the table.

    Is she talking to me?

    I looked around.

    If I responded when she didnt even talk to me but to someone else, what could be more embarrassing than that?

    But no matter how much I looked around, there were no other people in my surroundingsthere was no sense of presence either.

    The only people sitting at the outdoor table were the woman sitting next to me and me.

    It means she is talking to me. Or would it be more urate to say that she talked to me?

    She continued speaking as I remained silent.

    I was worried that you encountered some troubles. The other members are also wondering what happened to Mr. First Order.

    Members

    First Order

    Someone who was worried about me at the first meeting

    I couldnt know the details of the situation by that alone, but I could only be sure of one thing:

    Im in a lot of trouble now.

    ***

    What?

    I fiddled with the handle of the coffee cup in my hand.

    I had just been drinking coffee while enjoying the atmosphere at the outdoor table of the cafe, but suddenly a strange woman hade up to me and talked to me.

    Everything she said to me was unusual.

    She spoke to me about members of something in a polite tone that regarded me highly.

    A mentally ill person? No. She was being honest.

    Then did she find the wrong person? No, she found the right one.

    She was there to see a man named Ludger Chelysie, not me.

    As soon as I understood the situation, my mouth moved naturally, as if it was a well-polished gear.

    I had some things to check for a while.

    Do you mean something in connection with the terrorist incident? It was just an ident. No one knew that the rebel forces would attack the train where Mr. First Order was in.

    The other things as well. I need to find out the overall information about Sren.

    Didnt you receive any information in advance?

    Thats not enough. Theres a big difference between what I only hear and what I actually see.

    I I see.

    The woman nodded her head as she was seemingly convinced.

    Whatever.

    I let my mouth run its course.

    Then did you take care of your duty well?

    Yes, of course. Ivepleted all the assassinations of the Academys key figures before I came in hereeven though most of them were employees.

    What, assassinate the Academys key figures?

    I almost jerked for a moment, but I managed to hold it in.

    And in the meantime, a traitor was found in the organization, so I took care of it.

    What? Traitor? Taken care of?

    I swallowed without realizing it when she told me about a traitor.

    Disposal, huh. How did you do it? I asked without showing my confusion.

    They pulled out their limbs and crammed them into their mouths. The rest of their torso was fed to wild dogs. I didnt see it myself, but I heard it from other members. We can say that its the appropriate death for a traitor.

    They were crazier than I thought.

    However, my mind became calmer in that kind of situation.

    As the surrounding air sank heavier, I could feel the woman sitting next to me shivering.

    I Im sorry. I should have seen it myself and reported it!

    Forget it. Why did you suddenlye to find me?

    Th-that. They said Mr. First Order came here, and we havent heard from you in thest 15 days

    So you moved on your own at this important moment?

    I was analyzing the situation while I was talking.

    She called me First Order, not Ludger.

    Given that First was in front of the name, it was highly likely for him to hold a quite high position within the organization.

    I trusted that and tried to bluff a little, and I guess that was the right answer.

    Hee, heek! Im sorry!

    Be quiet. Do you want the people around us to be suspicious? I replied in a cold voice to the woman who was about to bow her head to me.

    Hmp. So, sorry

    Dont even say sorry.

    Yeah, its already time to check it out anyway. How many members are gathered now?

    Pa-pardon?

    How many of our members are here?

    Ah!

    She looked around as much as she could and spoke with a low voice.

    Currently, 31 members of Third-Orders and seven members of Second-Orders have been sessful in hiding here, and the other First Order came in first as nned and is already settled down.

    Hmm, thats enough.

    While nodding curtly, I sifted through the information I had gathered as much as I could.

    I have noticed that there is one more person named First Order besides me and that there are almost 40 of them.

    Although they are notrge in number, their ability must have been extraordinary, as they were able to nt this many people in Sren.

    Fortunately, this woman in front of me doesnt even question my identity.

    Rather, she showed me fear and respect as well as the sight of amazement in the meantime.

    As expected, Mr. First Order! It seemed obvious that she was thinking so.

    Looking at her like that, at least I could use something in order to gain something else.

    I see. Im done checking, so Ill get up now.

    Oh! You cane to the designated ce for our secret meetingter on.

    A meeting ce? There was a ce like that too?

    But theres no way I could ask a question like, Where is it? right then.

    While I was thinking about what to do with it, a good idea came to me.

    Come? Did someone like you just talk to me abouting or not?

    I deliberately lowered my voice and gave her a cold look, and I could see her face turning pale.

    That bluff might have worked properly, as she shook her body like a baby squirrel and desperately made excuses.

    That thats not it. I Im just

    I dont want to hear excuses. If you need a secret meeting in the future, I will be the one to decide. The same goes for the ce and time. Do you understand?

    U-understood.

    If theres anything you really need to tell me, Ill only allow it if I was called for by a First Order like me or higher than that.

    If if its higher, then is it from the Zero Order?

    So theres a Zero Order.

    I had said it just in case, but I was right.

    Yeah, dont bother me with trivial things other than what that person said. Do you understand? This is a warning.

    In other words: Im telling you to behave well.

    I said so and got up from my seat.

    I was about to leave without looking back, but she called me from behind.

    I stopped in my spot and turned my head slightly to stare at her.

    What?

    That, that How are you going to call us?

    The moment I heard it, I realized something.

    Come to think of it I didnt exin anything to her properly.

    But I cant tell her something that I also dont know right away.

    Do I have to say it myself?

    Heek! N-no! I made a slip of the tongue.

    Ill let it slide this time.

    At the end of my sentence, I walked out of there in quick steps.

    ***

    Thump thump thump!

    Upon returning home, I hurried up to the bedroom on the second floor and took out the suitcase I had put in the closet.

    After scattering the letters in Ludgers suitcase on the bed one by one, I realized that my anxious imagination eventually became a reality.

    Hah, damn it.

    The strange sense I felt while reading the letters

    Why did they have to exchange letters in such formal words to an acquaintance who had no family?

    Why did a man with such a splendid record withdraw himself from his own private life to the point where it was close to mysophobia?

    All those questions were finally answered.

    These werent normal letters in the first ce.

    I scanned special sentences of some specific words that were written inside the letters. The strange sense that I felt instinctively was that there was a certain pattern to those sentences.

    Right

    It was a cipher.

    Their own cipher that they used to keep themselves from getting caught by the others.

    Throwing away the letters, I reread his identification papers.

    Hes a fallen aristocrat? He doesnt have a family? Andwhats morehes from a small foreign country thats very far from the empire?

    The whole thing was fake.

    Even the fancy records of his past were all lies.

    The existence of Ludger Chelysie was an identity created by someone who spent a lot of their time on it.

    Why didnt I know? Why didnt I doubt it?

    Why did I naturally ept such an overly ideal identity?

    Then, the Ludger I met on the train

    He was a member of the secret society that hid in Sren Academy.

    He was even an executive who had the title of First Order.

    And now, Im wearing his mask.

    As I lost the strength of my legs, I flopped onto the bed.

    Crazy.

    The identity of Ludger Chelysie that I thought was ideal for starting a new life was actually a dangerous nuclear bomb more dangerous than any other ones.

    Im totally screwed.

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 9

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    Iid absent-mindedly in bed for nearly an hour. I didnt have the energy to do something right away.

    At that point, I felt it was unfair.

    No, how can an executive in a secret society get involved in a train attack and die?

    If he was a secret society executive who nted nearly 40 people in Sren Academy, he should have survived in that situation!

    Haa.

    Yes, I know. Even if I got angry like that, a dead person wouldnte back.

    I had to admit it

    Im now Ludger Chelysie, and I have to hold on for two years while maintaining this damn identity.

    To be frank, I thought it wouldnt be difficult and that it didnt matter as long as I was not caught by the Academy.

    Still, I thought I could imitate a teachers behavior pretty well because I had a rted experience in my past life.

    Because I could use magic, and I didntck theoretical knowledge.

    Believing I could spend about two years without difficulty was a conviction that was thoroughly calcted and not reckless bravado.

    But that wasnt right.

    I couldnt believe he was in a secret society, moreover an executive.

    Besides, ording to the conversation I had with her, theyre not some ordinary dangerous people. The assassination of some of the Academys key figures? Dealing with a traitor? Their method is also quite brutal.

    Even the gangsters and mafias in the dark part of the Earth wouldnt go that far. Wasnt it an extreme move that only some bad people would do?

    Isnt it too much to create an intion in the difficulties by adding a new mission?

    In other words, it went from normal mode to hellish mode.

    Lets think.

    Now I have one more target to be aware of if I want to keep this false identity from being revealed.

    The academy and an unidentified secret society.

    If either of those twomunities caught me red-handed that I was not Ludger, I would be dead meat right away.

    Whether it was by the hand of the principal, or the empiresw, or by the purging of the secret society itself

    Death was closer to me than ever.

    I have to think.

    Ludger Chelysie was an executive of the secret society.

    Ludger was also a made-up identity, so it might be an alias, but anyway, he was in a position that wasmonly referred to as the First Order.

    Among the members of the secret association that had prated the Academy, there were only two First Orders, including me. I didnt need to know what their purpose was at the moment.

    The important thing was to find out who the other First Order was.

    I couldnt ask it directly, so there was no way to know right away unless they approached me themselves and held a secret meeting with me.

    For now, I can ignore the Second and Third Orders.

    I assumed the real Ludger to have been quite an ill-tempered character within the syndicate.

    Although I had only lowered my voice and bluffed a little, it was possible to infer from the expression of his subordinate who had be pale.

    Since he had a trash personality, she wouldnt irritate him for the most part as his subordinate. That was well-weed by me.

    In the end, I only had to pay attention to one executive, another First Order, which was equivalent to Ludgers status.

    The problem was figuring out who the First Order was.

    I cant ask about it brazenly. No matter how distant they are, there is no way executives dont know each other. If I do that, Ill immediately garner some suspicion.

    I had to deal with the existence of a secret society that was lurking in the Empire and not only the Academy and Empire.

    I thought I was riding only one tiger, but I couldnt believe I was riding two tigers.

    I thought I was an amazing guy. Even a circus athlete wouldnt do that kind of thing.

    As soon as either side went awry, Id be over with.

    The moment the bnce copsed, I was to be considered dead.

    Yeah. Now that its like this, I have no choice but to do it.

    I immediately took out the books in the suitcase and opened the letters within them.

    First of all, I have to gain some information.

    This letter must be a secret cipher used by their organization.

    Then it was necessary for me to interpret it.

    There is a fixed pattern in every cipher.

    And it was the books in the suitcase that would help me analyze the pattern.

    Hes a teacher at a magic academy, so if I discount the magic books There were some unusual books other than that.

    I looked through the books.

    [Watcher in the Rye], [Lingerts Philosophy Book], [Trace of Totalitarianism], and [100 Years of Solitude].

    Novels, autobiographies, and even the bestsellers of non-fiction books.

    Among them, there was one book that stood out to me.

    [Gentlemans Culture]

    * * *

    * * *

    This is it.

    I remembered Ludgers appearance that I had seen on the train.

    His trivial actions and somewhat unkempt behavior The way he shook his legs slightly or tapped his fingers.

    If he had really seriously considered the Gentlemans Culture and read that book, he would not have acted like that.

    Moreover, this book is the most shabby.

    A part of the books cover was worn out and deteriorated.

    It means that he read it often, but was there a reason for that?

    This book was being used as an interpretation of the cipher.

    I opened the [Gentlemans Culture] book and turned the page.

    Whirrrrr.

    There were marks of wear in between the books pages.

    Some pages had not been read, and some pages had been read to the point where the papers were worn out.

    The regrity hidden in the irregrities slowly caught my eye.

    When I looked carefully at some particrly worn pages, I saw something between the letters.

    I immediately brought the letters andpared them side by side.

    The continent is said to speak a unifiednguage, but each country has a slightly differentnguage.

    The traces of Ludger Chelysie originated in the Kingdom of Queoden, so I could think of the Queodennguage.

    In particr, the letters explicitly contained traces of some proper nouns or dialects used in the Kingdom of Queoden.

    Although it is a small and barren kingdom in the north, Queoden, which has produced a considerable number of great writers, has 20,000 words used in its dialect, of which 8,000 words among them are high-quality vocabry.

    This must be the point of the cipher.

    Given the connection between the arrangement of thenguage and that letter, it was not difficult to distinguish between the ciphers.

    Because I know the Queodennguage.

    As expected.

    Its what I expected. When I racked my brain and checked the code in Queodennguage, I found a connection between the words in the letters.

    , , , , , , , etc.

    Next to it was a mixture of some words that symbolized numbers.

    The numbers represented the pages of the cipher codebook, and if I interpreted the other words andbined them

    First Order. Infiltrate into Sren Academy as their teacher and gain their favor. Ill keep track of the situation and deliver the order to you.

    It became like so.

    I couldnt get any crucial information, but that much was enough.

    I leaned my head back after I closed the [Gentlemans Culture] book.

    Haa.

    The remaining two years

    I had to live as a teacher at the academy and an executive at a secret society.

    Of course, I couldnt live like that forever. Even if I spent two years as a teacher safely, there was still a barrier of the secret association.

    Their presence was very annoying to me.

    If things get awry in the middle, Id most likely be killed.

    But I cant get rid of all the secret society members by myself. I dont know how the organization is structured, but they even nted spies at Sren Academy. Im sure theyre pretty dangerous.

    Itd be impossible to deal with them individually.

    However, if I left them be, that secret association would be a shackle that held me back, so I had to get rid of them.

    Then how?

    I should use the power of the Academy.

    There is a saying of let the barbarians fight it out among themselves.

    Control a barbarian to handle another barbarian.

    Sren Academy was not a mere school. It was a ce that symbolized the future of the era by fostering the future of the empire.

    Although it carried the name of an academy, it is not impossible for the academy because it had so much power that it could make an impact on a country.

    If Sren and the secret society go against each other, no matter how great the secret society was, theyd obviously be pushed back.

    How many soldiers and wizards are staying there? There was even a possibility that the Knights Order would also make a move because it is within the scope of the Imperial Decree.

    They knew that, so instead of choosing to take the bull by the horns, they had nted spies.

    In other words, I had to carefully dig out their information and leak it to the academy in a way that wouldnt let me get caught by the secret society.

    Of course, if I take quite a long time to do that, my tail will get caught.

    The secret association could purge me for betraying them, and the other way around, the academy could suspect me as a spy and rule me out.

    In the end, it was important to keep the right line.

    The moment I leaned too much on one side, all thatd be waiting for me was absolute destruction.

    Its like riding on a single rope while holding a long pole.

    I should never be biased against either side.

    For now Lets think about the first ss thats going to be held in a week.

    There was no mention in themand that ordered me to do anything. It was for me to gain their favor, so it meant to positively engrave my image as a teacher.

    If so, first of all, performing my duty as a teacher was the priority.

    Sren is a ce where smart students go, so if I showed anyck of skills for even a bit, I might have been bitten by the students.

    Talented children at the age of growing up usually think they are the best and will even look down on their teachers.

    I didnt know what the ce was like, but I knew from my long experience that the ces where people live are all simr to each other.

    There are so many things to consider.

    I should not look ridiculous to the students

    And I shouldnt look suspicious to the academy

    And I should not let the secret society find out about me.

    I wondered what this was all about, but if I endured all of it, I would get a suitable reward.

    Yes, I could bear it enough for that.

    After I got out of bed, I entered my private study and opened a magic textbook.

    I had to make ns for the future and prepare for how to proceed with the ss.

    The remaining two years.

    I couldnt just y around throughout the years.

    ***

    The first day of school hade.

    Students who went down to their hometowns during the vacation returned one by one, and new students of the current year came in along with a new semester.

    The students who were previously first-years crossed the school gate in anticipation of what new sses they would take in the future as they advanced to the second year.

    Throughout the ssroom, the sounds of students meeting their friends again, which they had not seen for months, and the sounds of them greeting each other happily, could be heard loudly.

    But

    All of them were learners who took sses at the same academy, but not all of them were the same students.

    There were noisy students and quiet students.

    Naturally, the atmosphere was divided among students, and of course, it was determined by their status in society.

    Inside Sren Academy, students werergely divided into three sses.

    The upper ss, led by royalty, aristocrats and high-ss clergy.

    The middle ss, led by wealthy merchants.

    And finally, the lower ss consisted of poormoners.

    Even if they were all students, they could not ignore each status, and ordingly, they built walls without realizing it and divided their sses within the academy.

    While the nobles smiled brightly and greeted each other, on the contrary, themoners often looked around or gathered quietly among themselves.

    It was the same with the uing ssroom of magic casting.

    Hey, did you hear about it?

    What?

    Theres the theory of magic casting and the understanding of element ss. I heard the new teacher will do it.

    A new teacher teaches second-years, not first-years? I guess hes pretty good?

    They cant help it. The former teacher is out. I heard that his past records are pretty fancy. Ive heard that hes from the military and he has published a lot of theses.

    Doesnt that mean hes an amazing person? Hes extraordinary.

    But you know what?

    What?

    Hes from a fallen aristocrat family.

    At the words of the fallen aristocracy, naturally, sneers emerged from the mouths of the faction that was leading the conversation.

    Those who disgraced the noble name of aristocracy.

    It wasmon for the fallen aristocracy to be treated less honorably than a wealthy merchant among the nobles.

    I think they could only be a little bit higher thanmoners?

    Since he was appointed as a teacher of Sren, he might be skilled, but he was bound to be looked down upon by the upper-ss students.

    At the same time, aristocratic students had simr thoughts.

    If the new teacher was from a fallen aristocrat family, itd be a piece of cake to get a good grade in his ss.

    As soon as each student talked about what kind of person he would be, the front door of the ssroom opened silently.

    Everyones eyes turned to the front door.

    A man was entering the ssroom through the opened door.

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 10

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    The man was like a quietke with a rising mist at dawn.

    He was cold, chilly, and calm.

    Just like an unshakably calmkes surface, his every action was restrained, calm, and meaningful.

    Even when he closed the ssroom door

    Even when his shoes stepped up on the podium

    Even when he put the papers on the desk

    There was not a sound.

    The stillness engulfed the entire ssroom like a ripple on the surface of water.

    Oh

    Even the noisy aristocratic students were swept away by the atmosphere and closed their mouths.

    The students, who were calm, looked at the main character who was standing on the podium with their eyes shining out of curiosity.

    The suit that was suitable for his handsomely tall figure did not have the slightest bit of wrinkles; a ck frock coat on top of it fit his body even better.

    It was ssy attire, but it didnt appear to be too shy.

    When the man took off the silk hat on his head and threw it lightly, it gently flew toward the hanger in the corner of the podium and settled down safely.

    With the series of gestures that seemed so natural, his face that had been hidden by his hat was finally revealed.

    He had a sharp jawline and a straight nose bridge along with unwavering eyes.

    His strong yet charismatic eyes were sharp enough for him to not seem to be a new teacher.

    His hair, which was considered long for a man, was neatly tied at the back of his neck.

    Gulp.

    Some noble students who had been secretly talking behind his back were weighed down by his vigor and gulped down without realizing it.

    Nice to meet you. My name is Ludger Chelysie, and Im the new teacher at Sren Academy.

    The moment he opened his mouth and raised his voice

    It was like pouring water on dreamy smudges of watercolors.

    The atmosphere of the ssroom, which had been immersed in silence, returned to reality.

    ***

    I wont start the ss right away because its the first day of school. However, I will make a prior notice before that.

    I slowly hung the frock coat that I had taken off on the hanger.

    It was not difficult to carry on the conversation. I just had to recite the words that came to my mind at the right time.

    It was like some sort of y-acting.

    Im an actor on stage, and the students are the audience.

    All I have to do is follow the flow in harmony and continue the monologue naturally.

    The script was all in my head.

    My ss is about magic casting, but I wont teach you magic casting unsophisticatedly. Im going to focus on applying magic in real life beyond the principles, a little closer to the actual practice.

    As I skimmed through the audience, I could see several people flinching their shoulders.

    That was a good reaction.

    Since there were soldiers who had also be teachers in the past, there were no students who thought it was strange for me to maintain that kind of tone and such intense eyes.

    And not only the second years, but the first years can also apply for this ss. In other words, its a joint ss for the first and second years.

    My words began to create a buzz everywhere.

    All the students who had gathered were sophomores, so it was no wonder that they were confused.

    However, it was not impossible because there was no school rule that sses should be divided by year.

    As soon as the noise died down, I opened my mouth at the most appropriate time.

    Stop.

    Silence.

    The noise inside the ssroom disappeared in an instant.

    * * *

    * * *

    Everyones eyes were staring at me again.

    As a second-year student, it is natural toin about having to take sses with a first-year student. But dont worry. Im not going to teach the first years the basic things to learn just because of my consideration that theyre beginners.

    The words were weed with relieved responses here and there.

    Sren Academys teaching method is more like a university than a high school ifpared to Earths system.

    However, it is notpletely the same as that of a university, so it can be said that it is vaguely mixed a little bit. The award and penalty points system are typical examples.

    The students of Sren choose the lectures they want to take ording to their specialties and take credits bypleting the subject.

    Students there are called prodigies wherever they go.

    Even if they are in the first year, there is no significant differencepared to the second year. I decided to focus on that and conduct joint sses for the first and second years.

    Why?

    Because when the second years get together, it is inevitable that the story about their teacher will spread out.

    The curiosity and main topic of the second years, who had already known each other enough for a year, were bound to be me, their newly appointed teacher, instead of their ssmates, who were in the same year as them.

    But what if freshmen who just entered the school attended the same ss?

    The concerns of the second years would be focused on their juniors in the first year.

    Then the number of people who are talking about me would definitely decrease.

    There might beints, but they wouldnt fuss any further.

    The existence of the first years was a kind of smokescreen and seawall that made me not doubt my qualifications as a teacher.

    Why do you let freshmen take this ss as well?

    Someone raised their hand and spoke.

    Looking at her, she was a girl with long wavy blonde hair up to her waist.

    Her unwavering eyes that were staring at me had a strong sense of righteousness.

    People around her recognized her and they were talking to each other afterwards. What? Is she a popr kid?

    Looking closely, she looked familiar.

    That face Ive seen it somewhere.

    Someone who makes me uneasy when I think of her.

    Since I was asked a question, I decided to answer it.

    Because I thought they needed an opportunity as well.

    What do you mean by opportunity?

    I think its very unfortunate that only a selected year can take my ss. Its never the right attitude as a teacher. Giving equal instruction to everyone regardless of their year Thats what I think.

    Well, she would ask me why I didnt mention the third year and higher afterwards.

    Of course they could take my ss if they wanted to. However, it would be difficult for third-years to digest the essential subjects that they had already learned right away.

    Actually, I could only afford up to the second year.

    Of course, that means that my sses are not year-restricted. Im confident that its definitely different from the existing system.

    Well, its not like I was just saying it without thinking.

    Id made sure I was ready for the ss.

    For a peaceful future, I was referring to a few tips that I had, so theres nothing I couldnt do.

    Its hard to understand unless you exin exactly what ss it is.

    If you are curious, juste to my ss. Its not fun if I tell you in advance.

    As I spoke while intentionally piquing her curiosities, small wrinkles formed on her forehead beneath her blonde hair.

    Im sorry, but I dont intend to tell you what Im about to teach right away.

    On the contrary, Im going to make you feel impatient and more curious.

    If there werent any unknown sses in which no one knew what would be taught, the students in the academy wouldnt feel wary of anything.

    However, let me warn you of one thing: if theres anyone who wants to take my ss with such an absurd idea that Im a new teacher and that they will easily get credit

    After deliberately catching my breath and taking a break

    I said thest words in a strong tone.

    At that time, I will personally engrave what real education is into your bones.

    If they interpreted myst words, then it meant

    Please donte to my ss.

    If they had to take sses with the freshmen, it would quite hurt their pride as sophomores.

    I even warned that the ss would not be easy, so those with high self-esteem were likely to pass it by saying, That ss. I wont take it!

    I scatteredndmines in such a way so that if they stepped on one and exploded, itd honestly be the fault of the person who stepped on it.

    Of course, I would be disqualified as a teacher if I just spouted that out.

    I made a deep hole in the process by wrapping it as a reasonable cause.

    Theres a reason for everything. Youll know when you take the ss.

    It was different than throwing irresponsible, empty promises, but what could I do?

    Of course, that is the only way I could do it since I had never lived by standards.

    Thats all. Any questions? I was directing the question to students who might have prepared to raise their hands and argue with me.

    ***

    It was quiet inside the ssroom.

    When Ludger asked if anyone had any questions, none of the students raised their hands.

    Everyone was just rolling their eyes and looking around.

    Its not that there were no questions. Small questions about how to do the assignments, what the exact curriculum of the ss is, or what was going to be taught that had all been asked before were also pretty good.

    But no one ever brought those questions out of their mouths.

    Everyone was overwhelmed by the spirit of Ludger Chelysie.

    Thats the new teacher?

    They said he was a soldier, his atmosphere is no joke.

    Theres a rumor that hes at least a 4th rank. Is it real?

    The incredible pressure from a young man It is not mere imagination that they feel suffocated just by making eye contact with him.

    Even the aristocratic students, who looked down on him for being a fallen aristocrat, avoided Ludgers eyes and dryly swallowed their saliva.

    If the upper sses were like that, how could the other students dare toe forward?

    That was what everyone unconsciously felt as they listened to Ludgers speech.

    That man never spouted out anything carelessly

    His eyes, way of speaking, and even his confident tone of voice

    He could never show that kind of gesture unless he was truly proud of his ss.

    What on earth was he going to teach them? If it wasnt based on theory, was it practical? How would he teach the practices?

    Suchplex thoughts formed and disappeared like bubbles in everyones heads.

    But there was only one thing for sure:

    A ss taught by the teacher named Ludger Chelysie would never be easy.

    No questions?

    He repeated the question.

    He seemed like someone who wanted a question, but the students werent fooled.

    The moment they raised their hands and opened their mouths, theyd get stamped out by Ludger.

    Just seeing the look in his eyes that seemed to be ring at them wanting to get some prey His willingness to not allow any questions was conveyed well.

    The blonde girl, who raised her hand beforehand, sat still as well.

    No questions then the first day of school has finished.

    The first day of school.

    Thats how the breathtaking orientation ended.

    ***

    When the orientation was over, the students got up one by one and left the ssroom.

    I watched the scene carefully from the podium.

    Id said everything I wanted to say, so everyone understood everything, right?

    But it was honestly shocking that no one raised their hands when I asked them to ask some questions.

    Until the night before, I had prepared to take all kinds of questions and even prepared the answers, but all of them were useless.

    If its an academy like this, arent there only children with strong ego here?

    I thought theyd think that I was ridiculous and ask me a lot of questions, but did I think too much?

    No. Wait a minute.

    It could be the other way around.

    What if they intentionally chewed on my words?

    Id heard of it. That is often the case in Korea in the 21st century.

    When a new teacher arrived, the students would purposely not give them any attention and look down on them.

    Such was often the case with female teachers in particr.

    It was mainly the way of the school bullies to take the lead in the ss instead of the teacher.

    They would quietly throw a mutter like Ah, hes he loud, and if the teacher got mad, they would respond with I didnt talk about you, though?they had that undeniable technique of bullying.

    Maybe its a simr case since no one has responded to me.

    Hmm.

    I had tried to be as serious as I could to look scary, but had it given the opposite effect?

    Perhaps my oppressive remarks and actions have disturbed the pride of students who thought they were geniuses.

    Then its a big problem.

    The way juniors looked down on their seniors in the military, subordinates looked down on their superiors in the workce, and students looked down on their teachers in school.

    It is often described as being eaten.

    It is obvious that if someone loses their leadership in the beginning, they would have setbacks in their future sses.

    Then should I treat them in a more gentle manner?

    No, if I do it all of a sudden after what happened, theyll think Im weird. Im just going to push it to the end since it has already be like this.

    It is rather not my cup of tea to smile and be friendly.

    That is my nature, and the identities that I acted out mostly have that kind of personality.

    And itd been three weeks since I arrived.

    Everyone already knew what kind of person Ludger was. It would be ridiculous to change my personality at that point when I was obviously a soldier with a military record.

    I put on my hat and walked away with the frock coat that had been on the hanger.

    In the meantime, the remaining students in the ssroom did not approach me.

    Its not that they didnt have any interests because I felt the way they were trying to analyze me.

    I thought theyd ask memon questions such as how old I was or if I had a girlfriend, but I didnt know that they wouldnt say a single word.

    Its scary. Kids these days.

    ***

    Step. Step.

    I walked slowly down the hallway, leaving the ssroom at a leisurely pace.

    It was the first day of school anyway, so it was the end of todays work.

    Since the course registration correction period had not yet ended, those who wanted to change their course could change it, and those who didnt could settle with it.

    The first ss would properly start in three days.

    Until then, lets seriously think about how I can take the lead of the ss from the students.

    I should at least avoid being told that Im not qualified as a teacher.

    Thinking so, I looked at the front, and I saw all the students who were walking in the hallway looking at me and avoiding my path.

    When both the boy and girl students spotted me walking, they were surprised and stuck themselves to the wall or window.

    What? Why are they being like that?

    Had the rumor of a new teacher, who already seemed like easy prey, spread throughout the academy?

    I had heard that there was amunity in that Academy like the universitymunity called Everytime where you could exchange opinions with each other inside the Academy, was that why?

    When I felt like my future ss was going to be pretty rough, someone talked to me.

    Hello.

    I stopped and stared at the woman who was smiling as she was talking to me.

    Youre the new teacher, Ludger Chelysie, right?

    Yes, thats right.

    She was an attractive woman with pink color and a slight curl at the tip of her hair with a warm smile that resembled sunshine.

    I dont think shes a student since shes not wearing a uniform.

    Maybe?

    She spoke with a great fuss before I was able to find out about anything.

    Oh, as expected! Nice to meet you. My name is Selena. Youre a new teacher at Sren academy, right? Im your colleague, Mr. Ludger.

    I see. Nice to meet you.

    When I looked at her as if asking what business she had with me, Selena looked around a little embarrassedly and spoke quietly in a low voice.

    Well Have you eaten yet?

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 11

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    When I received that first offer to eat together

    Is spring finallying to me? was the only thing I could think about.

    Since she was a new professor like me, wouldnt it be natural for her to have a meal with me to bond some friendship? It was only in the midst of a burning youth that the illusion of a pounding heart just because of such a thing was fitting.

    In fact, there were three more people besides me when I followed Selena.

    Two men and one woman.

    They all looked unique, as if they were each shouting, Im a wizard.

    Ho ho ho. Hello.

    The first person to reach out to me and ask for a handshake was a very warm-looking man.

    He was plump, and his overall impression was round. I thought he was quite old, and he looked like a friendly man in the neighborhood when heughed like that.

    I shook hands with him lightly.

    Im Ludger Chelysie. Im in charge of magic casting.

    My name is Brino. Im in charge of the golems in the summoning ss.

    The next person who spoke to me was a beautiful woman with a seductive impression andvender hair that was growing long enough to cover one of her eyes.

    Oh my, youre so handsome. Im d to meet you. Im Merilda, and Im in charge of captivation and hallucinations in rtion to curses and dispelling.

    Yes, nice to meet you.

    And thest one had a little bit of a different impression from the previous two.

    He was a man with dark blue hair and all-back, rimless sses on his face, but he looked quite strict from his appearance.

    He was frowning all the time and was seemingly not very happy with the fact that he was there with all of us.

    When I looked at him, he also stared at me and soon turned his head away. He expressed his willingness not to even introduce himself.

    Who is this person?

    As I was wondering, Merilda exined in a small voice with augh.

    He is Professor Chris Benimore. As you can see, hes an aristocrat who is different from usmoners.

    Oh, so thats why.

    I had heard of the Benimore family. Theyre a Count family in the Empire that has an extensive history.

    Chris didnt want to be close to amoner, even if they were also professors at the same Academy as him.

    In my case, I was a fallen aristocrat, so it was natural for him, who was a noble, to belittle me.

    I hope Mr. Ludger doesnt look down on us because weremoners.

    It doesnt matter to me.

    No way, Ms. Merilda replied, opening her eyes wide and smiling softly while stepping back.

    Well, so there are five new professors, including me.

    One aristocrat, one fallen aristocrat, and threemoners.

    But as everyone had be professors at Sren Academy, they were talented people who could go anywhere without feeling inferior in the field of teaching.

    Well, I cant stay here any longer. I was wondering what kind of new professors there were besides me; turns out they weremoners and a fallen aristocrat.

    Chriss cold voice was heard before the others even were able to start talking about eating together.

    Hearing those words, Brino smiled awkwardly, Selina flinched while being embarrassed, and only Merilda nced at Chris with an unkind stare.

    Me? I just didnt think about it too much.

    It only took a day or two to see the aristocrats immersed in elitism.

    I was showing an attitude of saying, If youre going to go, just go on your own, when Chris gave me a sharp look.

    Get over yourself.

    And then he turned around and left.

    But why was he doing that to me and not someone else?

    Did he know Ludger before? I didnt think so.

    I wish I could get along with the other professors, but I dont think I can get close to him.

    I ignored Chris, who had already disappeared, and looked at the other three.

    I could say that they were just fellow professors who were appointed at the same time as me, but I couldnt rx just because of that.

    Maybe there was a spy nted by the secret society among them.

    Is there a First Order among these three?

    There are currently nearly 40 secret association members hiding inside Sren Academy.

    Of course, considering the entire poption of Sren Academy on that vastnd, 40 was nothing, but that didnt mean there wasnt a single chance of bumping into each other on the way.

    Except for the Third Orders, some of the Second Orders may have infiltrated as students.

    In the case of the First Order, in particr, the professors could not escape from being the target of suspicions.

    Because Ludger upied the professors seat as a First Order, theres nothing that disallows the other First Order from bing a professor as well.

    The question was: who is it?

    If I had been told that they had just joined that semester like me, I would have definitely been able to narrow my scope of spection.

    The problem was that the phrase came in first that the agent had said could be interpreted in many ways.

    Was the period ofing in first long before my arrival, or was it around the same time as me, but a little bit earlier?

    Obviously, I had no choice but to suspect those who asked me to eat with them while saying that they arrived in the same semester as me.

    Didnt they invite me to observe me quietly?

    I really couldnt let my guard down for the slightest bit.

    I followed my fellow professors to the cafeteria while trying to keep my poker face.

    I was thinking that it wasnt so bad since I wasnt alone.

    * * *

    * * *

    Selena, the new professor for Spirit Studies.

    Not long ago, she was appointed to Sren Academy and became a professor for the ss of summoning spirits.

    She hade in proudly, but at the same time, she was quite nervous.

    Sren Academy was famous not only in the empire but in other kingdoms as well. The students who enter are geniuses who will be responsible for the future, and they are qualified to be treated warmly anywhere just by the sole fact that they attended Sren.

    Teaching such students itself came as a great burden to her.

    What if I make a mistake? What if I cant teach them? Besides, there are a lot of noble students here!

    The difference betweenmoners and aristocrats is huge.

    Thanks to the development of magic engineering, the world has gradually changed, andmoners have also be members of the House of Representatives and entered politics, but the wall of status was still high.

    She heard that the reason why there were five positions for professors at that time was that the professors in charge of the sses the previous year had retired.

    The reason why they quit was unknown, but she still had some assumptions, as she knew how to use her brain.

    Before she went to the Academy, her wizard acquaintances had warned her repeatedly about the power of aristocratic students.

    There are students who secretly look down on their professors and try to lord over them, so be careful not to be eaten because you are soft-hearted, they had said.

    Selena was suddenly frightened.

    I heard that even the royal family goes to this school.

    They had said that the third Princess was in the second year. Selena might not see her immediately because she taught the first year, but the tension doubled with someone of such a high status attending Sren.

    The orientation seemed to have ended smoothly on the first day of the semester, but it is also true that she was still nervous because of her low self-esteem.

    Selena thought she couldnt stay like that, so she decided to make friends with other new professors who were appointed.

    Still, if she had colleagues who could share difficulties with each other, her life at the academy might be better.

    In that way, she became close to Merilda, and after meeting people one by one, she went to thest one.

    Ludger Chelysie.

    A man of noble birth who was not amoner. However, it was not a burdensome status to approach because his family had copsed.

    Until she met him, she had definitely thought so.

    Whoa.

    At first, she wondered what was going on because the crowd in the hallway split from side to side.

    Has the royal family member that Ive only heard of appeared?

    It was a man in neat clothes who came slowly toward her, breaking such expectations. He wore a gray suit, a ck frock coat, and a silk hat on his head.

    Whoa, Oh my God.

    Selenas thought when she first faced Ludger was extreme admiration.

    She had heard that he was a fallen aristocrat.

    Looking at him, Selena had no choice but to correct her prejudice.

    Walking slowly while spreading dignity around him, he was much more aristocratic than any other aristocrat she had ever seen.

    Each of his steps was like a work of art, so she stared at him nkly without realizing it. Selena hurriedly called out to him as she btedly recalled her purpose for seeing him.

    S-scary.

    When he stopped and looked at her, her heart felt like it was dropping.

    Still, Selena tried hard to smile and told Ludger carefully that she would like to have a meal with him.

    She bit her tongue after she said that.

    She thought Ludger would look at her with contempt and say, Amoner like you?.

    Sure.

    But Ludger epted her offer too easily. When he walked with her along the road, he adjusted with her steps and maintained the proper distance between them.

    She felt his consideration for others in his small behaviors.

    Unlike how he looks, he has a very warm personality.

    When introduced to other colleagues, Ludger did not care whether his talking partner was a noble or amoner.

    Even though Chris Benimore was openly hostile to him, Ludger did not respond much.

    Usually, someone may be angry or irritated, but his nobility did not dim for the slightest bit.

    It was like he was standing alone in a cloud above the sky.

    Later, she heard that he was a great man who was a former military officer and who had even submitted several academic papers to the magic tower.

    Professor Ludger is such a great man.

    She wanted to be such a charismatic professor as well.

    Even when eating, Ludger just ate quietly without saying a word.

    His attitude of handling the forks and knives was also restrainedas if he was the only one living in a different world.

    Even the passing students nced at him, and they already spoke many words.

    He acted as if it was natural, and he seemingly didnt care about the reactions around him.

    He was like a living statue, and in the whole process, she could even feel some kind of faith.

    Ludgers attitude was the same when the professors shared their farewells after the meal and scattered to their own private amodation or professors building.

    When everyone waved while speaking about seeing each other afterwards, Ludger nodded instead.

    He seemed to be in a bad mood, but she thought that he was just like that.

    Selena, who was returning to the amodation with Merilda, recalled the short meeting with Ludger that day.

    Selena took a deep breath and deliberately made an expressionless face.

    Merilda, who was walking with her, noticed her behavior.

    Selena, what are you doing? You are frowning.

    Professor Merilda, dont you think I look strong like this?

    What?

    Merilda was about to ask again what she meant with that but soon burst intoughter.

    Hahaha! Selena, youre imitating Professor Ludger, arent you?

    What? No, no thats not

    Merilda waved her hand at Selena, who was flustered and spouted some gibberish, telling her it was okay.

    Well, thats understandable. Professor Ludger is such an incredibly extraordinary person that it was unbelievable to think he was a new professor like us, but when you think about his past, it makes sense.

    What?

    Oh, you doesnt know about this rumor, right? I checked what kind of people entered Sren together with me. He used to be a military officer.

    Is is that so?

    Whats greater than that is, Selena, you and I were both rmended to be the professors here by the support of the magic tower or the Spirit Society, but hes not like that. He isnt affiliated to any ce and came here on his own ability.

    Whoa. Its no wonder His first impression was different.

    Im sure he has a great way of teaching. Still, we have no choice but to teach the students in our own way. Lets not be swayed by others. You dont have to pretend to be strong because weve be Sren professors as well.

    Ah, yes!

    The two women, who had just met for the first time that day and quickly became close to each other, chatted happily and headed to a professor-only amodation.

    ***

    Three days had passed since the orientation on the first day of the semester.

    Since those three days were the period of ss revision, it must have been a busy time for students who had not yet decided which sses to take.

    Of course, it didnt affect me.

    It was the long-awaited first lesson. I walked a little excitedly across the hallway.

    Three days before, I had issued enough warningsmy ss was like andmine.

    Rumors about me must have already spread widely among students.

    Would there be any students who would want to take my ss after I said that?

    Well, I was sure there would be. In the case where there was no room for other sses, they had no choice but to choose my ss with a heavy heart and force themselves toplete the credits.

    Theres a lot of consideration to it. The important thing was that the fewer students I had to teach, the morefortable I would be.

    There were a minimum of 15 to a maximum of 80 students who could take the ss.

    The ss would not be closed just because there were few students, so if such was the case, it would have been enough for me to take the lead well.

    Of course, there was no possibility that my students would be the minimum of 15, so I figured it might reach about 30 people.

    With that thought, I opened the door and entered the ssroom.

    Hm?

    And I saw it

    Students filled the inside of the ssroom.

    The number was more than the 30 students that I had thought, even beyond 60.

    No, it was actually the maximum number of people the ssroom could amodate.

    What?

    Why are there so many students?

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 12

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    About three days previously, on the first day of orientation

    The reaction among the students hadnt been great when Ludger had shown his guts by keeping his teaching style a secret.

    It wasnt just a few students that were opposed to the fact that the new professor, a man from the fallen aristocracy, showed such behavior at the prestigious academy.

    Students from aristocracy in particr were the angriest.

    How dare a new professor from a fallen aristocrat family

    Ironically, however, the students who actually witnessed Ludgers orientation didnt say much.

    Only some aristocratic students with high pride appeared to have been huffing and puffing as they seemed to be looked down upon, but nearly 40 of the 50 students in the ssroom were rather impressed by Ludgers guts.

    Still, since he came as a professor at Sren Academy, wouldnt they have something to believe in about him?

    Of course, no detailed information about Ludger was known yet, so students had to be cautious.

    It was an obvious fact that if they took a wrong ss on the first day of school, they would suffer for a semester.

    If any information about Ludger was released, they would trust him only once and take the ss, but if not, they could think of him as an experimental rat.

    On the second morning, when many students were contemting

    One article was posted on themunity,monly called the , the student-only Magic Exchange Integration Center of Sren Academy.

    Title: Did you hear about the Ludger Chelysies, the new professors, rumor?

    A title that was deliberately designed to attract peoples attention, not knowing if it was good or bad.

    Naturally, the students had no choice but to click on it, and the content spread out as if it had been waiting.

    This was the summary of the contents that had spread far down:

    The article contained an extreme admiration for Ludger Chelysie.

    He was the youngest wizard to reach 4th rank. He had been appointed as a military officer. He had contributed himself in Cryptid hunting. As a frence wizard, he was also listed on the magic tower. His des continued.

    It contained Ludgers past records.

    It was enough for students to be full of anticipation while inwardly asking, Is it really true? as they didnt know that the secret societys desperate attempt to somehow highlight their First Order.

    The most enthusiastic person, in particr, was the Third Order member who had contacted Ludger first.

    I cant ruin Mr. First Orders ss! I need to get as many students as possible to take it!

    She wrote all day long about how wonderful, great, and incredible he was.

    Perhaps because of the persistent posting of appraisals for Ludger in thest two days, more people were interested in Ludgers ss than those who protested the excessive praise.

    Moreover, the fact that the first years could also take the ss stimted the interest of the freshmen who still dont know anything.

    During the revision period, the number of students who wanted to take Ludgers ss increased rapidly, and the maximum capacity of 80 students was filled.

    And on the long-awaited first day of the ss

    The students all sat down and waited for Ludger with anticipation.

    Half out of pure curiosity, half out of triumphant feeling to see how good he actually was.

    And when the ss was announced to be held at nine in the morning

    The door of the lecture room opened, and Ludger walked in.

    ***

    What the hell is this situation?

    The lecture room didnt have a single empty seat.

    The number of people that I thought would be 30 at most had actually achieved the maximum.

    As I stood in front of 80 students, I felt a headache.

    Why in the world?

    Im sure I secretly warned them that my ss was andmine at the orientation three days ago, though?

    Dont you think its a loss to take this professors ss unless youre a fool?

    Above all, those students whose uniform badges were blue

    Those were the first years who had just entered the academy.

    More than 60% of the students who gathered in the ssroom were first years.

    Why the freshmen?

    Why are they taking this ss knowing that theyre going to take the same ss as the second years? Arent they supposed to avoid the ss because its burdensome to take sses with their seniors?

    I never expected that there would be more first years.

    At that point, I wondered if someone intentionally threw malicious information about me somewhere I didnt know to put me into trouble.

    Maybe I underestimated the students too much.

    Sren Academy was obviously a ce where only selected students could enter after fiercepetition in the admission period.

    As it was a ce where the best children are gathered across the continent beyond the empire, it was problematic to think of them as ordinary students.

    I decided to humbly ept my mistake.

    My behavior did not raise students vignce but rather set fire to their pride.

    Looking at those eyes

    They were wild, hyena-like gazes that would bite me if I made a mistake.

    It was my first ss today, so I couldnt believe that kind of pressure existed.

    At that rate, I would be eaten by the students in the ssroom.

    Now that this has happened, I have no choice but to do my best to give the lectures.

    I looked at the faces of the students who were gathered in the ssroom.

    It was full of children with unique hair colors. I guess thatsmon in this world.

    Some of them were especially noticeablepared to other students.

    Especially the girl student with the ears of a non-human beast on her head. She was a beastperson who lived in the desert on the southern continent.

    Well, in a world where there are magic and wizards, to point out the interesting thing about beastpeople was that in this world, the demi-human species was a very small minority.

    Even more so in Sren academy.

    The beastpeople were also a tribe that was colonized and enved until 50 years ago, and 50 yearster, there were still remnants of discrimination and persecution against them.

    It was still like that.

    The evidence was present in the other students around her, who looked at the beastperson student with quiet gazes.

    That kid, I think shes new to the school; her student life in the future is going to be tough.

    Well, Im not in a position to worry about anyone right now.

    For the moment, the matter of the ss was a priority.

    My name is Ludger Chelysie, who will be teaching the overall process of the development of magic casting.

    If its the overall process, does that mean you will teach us all four specialties?

    Someone raised his hand and said so. He was a boy student with a somewhat rude impression.

    I immediately issued a warning to him.

    Ask questions only when I say so.

    Yes, sir.

    * * *

    * * *

    Its the first time, so Ill let it pass. However, if there is a person who cuts off the flow of my ss again, I will give you a penalty point. The same is true for explicitly challenging the authority of a professor.

    Some students were shocked to hear a penalty point that they had never heard before.

    However, a student who has done their task well will be given an award point. The higher the award points a student has, the better the benefits they will have, so do your best.

    Well, I didnt know about the third years but it was a well-known fact that first or second years, who are in the middle of their burning youth, dont really care about penalty points, as they are still far from graduation.

    However, there was a big difference between being warned by the professor and not being warned at all.

    To answer the question that was just asked, its a yes. I will teach you, one by one, about release, element property, telekinesis, and reinforcement, which are all affiliated with magic casting.

    Most of the students showed a shocked expression at what I had just said.

    No matter how far I would conduct the magic casting ss, specialization was definitely another field within the same category.

    The previously mentioned release, element property, telekinesis, and reinforcement are the four specialties of the magic casting system that I had mentioned.

    They were often called the four major specializations of casting.

    Usually, it was enough to teach only two of them, but I had said that I would teach all four specializations to them.

    For the students it mightve sounded like I was bluffing, and it seemed like an incredible lie.

    But it was never a lie.

    I hadnt achievedplete mastery of either subject, but I was proud that the overall spectrum of my knowledge was quite wide, as Id lived throughout the years.

    So

    Were starting the ss.

    Ill show you what I prepared for the ss this time.

    ***

    You know, Cheryl. Isnt that professor really interesting?

    Cheryl tried to hide her uneasiness as she heard a voice calling to her and turned her head to a friend sitting next to her.

    The one who spoke to her was a girl with skin so white that it was almost as if she was transparent with long blue hair up to her waist.

    She was so beautiful that it seemed like she was a doll made by a craftsman, even the boy students sitting near her kept ncing at her.

    Flora, dont tell me that youre once more

    What do you mean once more? Thats rude. What did I do to make you say that anyway?

    Cheryl couldnt bring herself to speak to Flora, who had asked back yfully with a subtle tone.

    Flora Lumos.

    She was the daughter of the Lumos duke family, one of the most noble families in the Exileon Empire.

    She was beautiful, fascinating, and excelled in both literary and martial arts, and she seemed like a living work of art just by staying still. She was famous for having the title of genius in her sophomore year at Sren.

    Even students who are called geniuses in the world weremon at Sren Academy.

    Sren, which gathered only geniuses from all over the city and country, raised the standard of their students too much, and children with less talent were forced to be rtively mediocre.

    It was not surprising if a child who had heard that they were a gifted child where they lived became one of those who got left behind at the Academy.

    However, Flora was a girl who was called a genius, even in Sren.

    It was a title that represented how great her talent for magic was.

    She was one of the most famous students in Sren, with a good household, beautiful appearance, and excellent talents, so anyone could only envy her.

    Only one thing couldnt be envied

    The ws in her character.

    Flora Lumos was notorious even among professors inside Sren Academy.

    She was a genius and had never been taught properly by someone. On the contrary, she had challenged the authority of the professors and gained victories.

    It wasmon practice for professors to point out the wrong magic techniques in the middle of the ss.

    On the contrary, she hade up with magic that was much better than the one being taught by the professors and smashed the professors in front of the students.

    She has been steadily gaining such notoriety since she was in the first year, and it was the same even then when she was in the second year.

    Moreover, because her specialty is in the field of magic casting, the incident was so famous that everyone in the academy knew why the two professors who were in charge of magic casting sses had left the previous year.

    Flora became a sophomore, and she hade back to take the magic casting ss.

    Furthermore, at that time, it was the ss of Ludger Chelysie, who was considered unusual from his first appearance.

    Floras friend Cheryl prayed that she wouldnt do it again, but Floras expression made it seem that her prayer was just a vain hope.

    Floras nickname among professors was the Little Devil of the Lumos family, because she took out all the energy from the professors souls in every ss that she took.

    Considering the people who had been beaten by her were trembling so hard, it was not enough to even name her King of the Devil, let alone Little Devilthat kind of nickname was too cute for her.

    Flora chose Ludger as her prey for the semester.

    Cheryl, honestly, isnt it funny? Its just someone who looks like hes only in his 20s, yet he already learned all four of the specialties of magic casting. Well, of course he can learn them, but isnt it an exaggeration for him to teach them all?

    Thats

    Cheryl had no choice but to agree with that part.

    She didnt know if it was his pride as a new professor or if he really had the ability to do that.

    If his true qualities hadnt been confirmed yet, she had no choice but to doubt it.

    But did he learn all four specialties so well that he could teach them all?

    There are a total of five affiliations of magic, and the specialties are divided for each affiliation.

    The three specialties of Embodiment are Formation of Matter, Transformation, and Alchemy.

    The four major specialties of Magic Casting are Release, Element Property, Telekinesis, and Reinforcement.

    The four specialties of Summoning are Spirit, Golem, Magic Number, and Necromancy.

    The six major specialties of Curses and Dispelling were Astrology, Captivation, Hallucination, Pharmacology, Witchcraft, and Enchantment.

    And thest fifth specialization was Umon Magic.

    In the case of Umon Magic, it was ambiguous to say that its magic in this world, but it clearly means a category that can be expressed by magic.

    This Umon affiliation belongs to the Vision Magic that descends from generation to generation in a family or to those who have pioneered unique ways themselves.

    And of course, no professor taught an Umon Magic ss.

    Just in time, Ludger carved a magic technique on the magic board.

    When he transferred his mana on the board with nothing written on it, the magic technique was drawn on its own.

    It was Fluttering me, one of the third-tier me element spells.

    Its Fluttering me. There are seven elements: heating,bustion,pression, eleration, expansion, and diffusion,plementing each other and forming the magic technique.

    Although it was only a third-tier spell, it was a spell that had to be casted by cing the seven elements that made up the magic technique in the right ce.

    If there was enough time, students who took the ss there could also use it.

    Since its your first ss today, Ill teach you something that will interest you before we proceed into the real lesson. Its a way to cast the spell much faster than the traditional way.

    The much faster way for casting spells?

    Curiosity sprang into the students heads for the first time.

    Lets see. The speed, yeah. Its more than three times faster than the traditional way.

    The sentence made the students eyes open wide.

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 13

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    What? Hes going to shorten the time for the magic technique?

    Is that possible?

    Isnt he lying?

    Unlike the first years, who were not familiar with spells, the second years doubted what Ludger said.

    Before teaching the basics of magic in his first ss, he was going to show them how to cast the spell faster.

    They had no choice but to doubt him.

    The speed of spell casting was always considered a top priority for wizards.

    One second was a lot of time in a battle of life or death.

    Moreover, unlike knights who move their bodies in real time and wield swords, the sense of danger was much more acute for wizardswho took time to cast their spells.

    Due to the development of science, wizards are less exposed to danger than they used to be, but the danger is notpletely gone.

    Since they were wizards who always had to think clearly and rationally, they had no choice but to focus themselves more on speed.

    Flora, is what he said true? Cheryl asked Flora, her best friend.

    Well, I dont know. Have we ever been taught a proper way to shorten magic techniques?

    There was certainly a way to reduce the time of casting spells.

    The representative example was a spell scroll, which was demonstrated by storing existing spells in a medium in advance.

    However, in that case, there was a limitation that the spell can be used one time only.

    Once you use the spell, the scroll will lose its effect.

    Alternatively, you can also use a spell called [Memory Reverberation] that casts the spell in advance and stores it.

    Even in that case, it was impossible to continue using the spell, and the maximum amount of stock that can be umted was set ording to the wizards level of proficiency.

    I dont think its possible unless you change the structure of the spell technique itself.

    After all, in order to shorten casting time, the fundamental techniques of the spell must be improved, and even that is impossible.

    The spell was amonly used spell that was the cumtion of thousands of years of history in which wizards had continued to refine, devise, and lead it to that moment.

    For some, it might have only been a third-tier me element spell, but behind the spell was the work of numerous geniuses throughout history.

    No matter how genius one was in the current times, they would not be able to improve the existing spell in a better way.

    Because its already so perfect that theres no more ways to improve it.

    It was already a matter of fact that came to a conclusion more than a hundred years ago.

    That was admitted by Flora Lumos as well.

    But if he has to change it, he has to lose something in the spell since there must be something for him to trade off.

    If the speed of the spell casting technique was increased rapidly, the other areas would inevitably weaken.

    Less power, less range, or less uracy.

    However, if he reduced the elements of the spell, could they see it as a well-established spell?

    No.

    From then on, it would be apletely separate spell.

    If wizards who extremely valued legitimacy saw it, they would be foaming at the mouth.

    If thats what you really meant by reducing the casting time

    Floras eyes narrowed.

    Theyll be very disappointed. Professor.

    No. Flora would rather see Ludger do that.

    Only then would it be easier for her to bite him.

    I think our great Princess felt that way, too.

    The third Princess, who had hair that looked like a weave of golden thread, showed off a different beauty than hers.

    Unlike Flora, Ludgers remarks would inevitably be annoying for her as well, who liked to be straight and confident.

    As if to prove it, the face of the princess was also cold.

    As soon as the atmosphere in the ssroom started to flow strangely

    Ludger pped his hands to evoke the atmosphere.

    Stop. Thats all for the chatter.

    All the students were silent, but the atmosphere itself did not change.

    Ludger smirked and spoke as though he didnt realize the atmosphere.

    You seem to have a lot of questions. Good. Before I show you, Ill take a few simple questions.

    At that moment, the students immediately raised their hands.

    Ludger pointed at the student who raised their hand the fastest.

    Speak.

    My name is Alex Sin, a sophomore. Professor, you said that you would speed up the spell casting time, but what exactly do you mean?

    Shortening the time of casting the spell, just like how I said it. Be more precise if you want to ask questions. Next.

    Im a sophomore, Dahlia. If you shorten the time of the spell casting technique, do you mean youre changing the spell?

    Its not like that. Im keeping the spell as is, but Im just going to shorten the casting time.

    Noises were heard from all over the ssroom.

    Oh, for real? Hes really going to shorten the spell technique?

    It cant be possible. Wasnt it a challenge that no wizard was ever able to ovee?

    It doesnt make sense. There cant be a method like that.

    Flora thought the same thing. Hes going to shorten the spell casting without changing or upgrading the technique?

    Dont tell me its an obvious thing like improving our proficiency by doing it over and over again. But looking at the confident look on Ludgers face, she felt annoyed somehow.

    Thats impossible.

    Flora could not contain herself and spoke.

    Ludgers cold gaze aimed at her. Floras pride was slightly hurt by the look in his eyes that seemed to be asking who the hell she was.

    Im Flora Lumos.

    Her self-introduction raised the buzz around her.

    Its Flora. Flora has spoken up.

    Ha ha. That professor is done too.

    Flora also had fame among the students. It was the same for new students who just entered the academy.

    A sophomore genius. She was already famous among first years, as she maintained her nickname as a genius in Sren.

    It was natural for all the students to pay attention to her since she had a different view from Ludgers method right from the first day of ss.

    I dont remember allowing you to ask me a question, but Ill let it slide this time. Yeah. What on earth is the impossible that you are talking about?

    Of course, Im talking about shortening the spell casting techniques time. To speed up the spell casting technique without changing it and giving any improvement to the spell theres no other way but to do it fast through repeated proficiency.

    Why do you think theres no other way?

    Because no one has ever done it until now. Even the geniuses whose names are remembered in history and the high-ranked archmages arent able to do that, butI cant believe that you are going to do it.

    Even then, countless wizards in the magic tower were racking their brains every day to continue doing research for new knowledge.

    Nevertheless, unlike in the past, there were areas where progress was no longer made, and shortening spell casting times was a representative example.

    To say that a new professor could do it, no matter how he became a professor in Sren Academy

    Beyond mere bluffing, it was more likely for it to be an overall insult to the magical academic world.

    Chatter chatter.

    * * *

    * * *

    Each student nodded in agreement with Floras words.

    There were no students who believed in Ludger or stood by him.

    Little by little, the atmosphere of the ssroom became hostile to Ludger.

    But Ludger didnt even bat an eyelid.

    He did not falter, as if no external pressure could even scratch him.

    They arent able to do that you said. Thats an interesting thing to say. I see it differently. I think they were rather trying not to make any improvements.

    Pardon?

    Magic values tradition and the lecturers, but it became stagnant at some point. Now that science has advanced, magic is under threat.

    Are you saying that science is superior to magic?

    In many ways. I just thought that magic, like science, has room for further development. There is no room for improvement is wrong.

    Thats never happened before.

    Because no one was going to try doing it.

    Everyone who did failed.

    Then Ill be the first one to do it.

    Are you being serious?

    Theres no reason for me to lie in front of everyone like this.

    Flora was overwhelmed by his brazen confidence.

    Does that professor not know what hes talking about?

    Well, I dont think you understand right now, so lets continue the lesson. You said youre Flora, right? Do you know how long it takes, on average, to construct the form for the [Fluttering me] that I wrote on the magic board?

    It depends on who constructs it. Ten seconds for a wizard who has just reached the third rank. If you get used to it and the rank goes up, itll be shorter than five seconds.

    Yeah, but I dont wee theme way of increasing the rank to shorten the spell casting. What Im saying is that its adapted to the level of the students who are taking my sses now.

    Then itll be five seconds at the fastest.

    Are you referring to yourself?

    Yes.

    Hoo, thats a lot of confidence. Then can you show it yourself? Stand here on the podium.

    Flora was not intimidated by the highly provocative words.

    Sure.

    Flora stepped down from her seat and stood on the podium with confident footsteps. She lifted up her wand and immediately casted [Fluttering me].

    Casting the foundation of it, the property element was me, then heating,bustion,pression, expansion, diffusion, and eleration.

    Rising into the air was the spell technique of a burning me.

    It was a neat and efficient spell casting technique.

    Her speed was like a raging wind, and the students who were watching burst into admiration.

    As expected of Srens genius. As expected of the daughter of Lumos family.

    Flora looked back at Ludger with an expression that seemingly said, How was that?.

    Ludger checked the golden pocket watch in his hand.

    It took you 4.78 seconds to cast it. Its a speed that doesnt seem like a sophomores. The process was perfect as well.

    It was nothing.

    But its still slow.

    It was Ludgers cold voice that chided Flora, who was trying to boast.

    Pardon?

    Among third-tier wizards, the fastest time to perform [Fluttering me] is 4.41 seconds. No one is faster than that. Its still slow.

    I can do it faster once I get used to it.

    Im saying that even 4.41 seconds is slow.

    Is he being serious?

    Everyone was dumbfounded by Ludgers extremely confident deration.

    Ludger decided to show it himself after saying that.

    Standing on the podium, Ludger began to focus on his mana.

    Take a good look, this is how you cast [Fluttering me].

    Mumbling like that, he lifted a small wand and pointed it into the air.

    The mana from the tip of the wand soon began to form a spell.

    But something was weird.

    After the base casting spell technique, it was not the stage of heating andbustion that had to be done in order to form the [Fluttering me].

    It was just a very natural flow of mana with unknown meaning or intention that was made of a straight beam.

    Isnt he casting a [Fluttering me]?

    It was the moment the students thought so

    That thespell of [Fluttering me] had beenpleted in the air.

    It happened in the blink of an eye.

    !!!

    The whole ssroom was filled with a silent outcry.

    There was no one who missed it. Because first of all, Ludger slowly showed how he casted his spell so that everyone could see it.

    The beginning wasnt a technique of [Fluttering me].

    His mana operation waspletely different from the usual way

    But the results were identical.

    The finished spell was [Fluttering me]. The result was perfect enough to look exactly like what was in the textbook.

    How on earth?

    Only the beginning and the end of the process existed, yet the middle process seemed to have been cut off and done away with.

    It was as if he threw a stone sloppily behind his back, but the uracy was no different than him intentionally shooting an arrow forward.

    Even the speed was incredibly fast.

    One second? No. It didnt even take 0.3 seconds.

    It waspletely iprehensible to the studentsmon sense.

    Did you see that?

    And Ludgers voice, who just aplished such a nonsensical achievement, was neither high nor low.

    As if it was an obvious thing.

    He didnt have the slightest interest at how great the spell casting that he just did was.

    Wh-what was that just now?

    Ill show it one more time for those who havent seen it.

    Ludger said so as he broke down the existing form and repeated the process.

    More slowly that time, so that everyone could see it properly.

    The students stared at Ludgers spell casting technique with their eyes wide open in case they missed something.

    Mana shot out at the tip of the wand, and it proceeded in a strange method again like the first time.

    And right away, the [Fluttering me] waspleted.

    Cr-crazy.

    Is that possible?

    I dont know even if I look at it again.

    It wasnt an artifact, It wasnt the spell of [Memory Reverberation], and its implementation was not that fast either.

    The process had to exist, no matter how quick it was.

    But he just skipped the whole process and showed only the result.

    One should have pulled their bows string, then loosed the arrow, making the arrow fly and hit the targetthere was a cause for everything.

    The same goes for magic. They should show that kind of flow when they perform a spell

    But Ludgers method was not like that at all.

    He omitted the process of loosing an arrow and sending it flying, but the result was the same.

    No, what on earth did you just

    Even Flora, who had watched it from the closest ce without missing a single thing, didnt understand the method that Ludger just showed.

    No, no one who came there and saw it would understand right away.

    Mysterious? New? Innovative? Those words swirled through her mind.

    Finally, everyones eyes have changed.

    Gulp.

    The sound of someone swallowing saliva echoed throughout the room. The students were so focused on what Ludger was going to say next.

    The [Fluttering me] that I just casted has a speed of 0.24 seconds. Its quite different from the old record. But at the same time, youll think its weird. Because the first spell technique wasnt [Fluttering me].

    Yeah, it was that part.

    He used apletely different technique, and the result was what he was aiming for.

    That didnt make sense ording tomon knowledge.

    I definitely used a spell technique. To be exact, I used a spell technique to cast another spell.

    A spell technique to cast another spell?

    What on earth is that?

    The students who were muttering shut their mouths again.

    I call it source code.

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 14

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    My words made the students swallow their breaths.

    Because some students didnt know what on earth source code was.

    The other students were shocked by the advent of a new spell.

    But what they looked at was the same, and I knew that not all their emotions were hostile.

    Well, its indeed extremely surprising for the students.

    No matter how advanced the science here, this world is about the 19th century ifpared to Earth.

    Although it has achieved much more rapid progress than I originally thought because magot sciencewas predominant.

    Still, from the perspective of someone who lived in the 21st century, there were many shorings.

    Especially with the absence of aputer-based data processing system.

    Source code is a kind of blueprint that prints out the results as soon as you put in the input value. I made it bybining it with magic.

    Of course, I didnt make it on my own.

    To be exact, I came up with the idea, but the actualposition andpletion was possible because of the help of my teacher who taught me magic.

    Still, I have a share in what I made, so there would be no problem for me to teach it to my students.

    Considering my teachers personality, they are not a person who would say anything about that. Rather, the problem was what I would go through once I came across it.

    Lets get back to the point

    This technique of source code is a kind of trick method based on my memories when I lived on Earth.

    It was unbelievable for students who knew nothing aboutputer hardware, software, programs, input and output, and code, even though they knew something about algorithms.

    Most of all, the level of wizards became stagnant due to excessive public awareness and confidence, and at the same time, there was a widespread trend of ridiculing science.

    There was no way they could easily ept it with the way they valued scientific impressions.

    Theyd foam at the mouth and shout, This isnt magic!

    Compared to those guys, I still have a free way of thinking.

    Of course, I wasnt sure if they had the same idea.

    In order to operate the software called source code, a main body called hardware, programs, and data are required.

    Here, hardware refers to the wand that can unfold magic, or the wizard itself.

    The program is the spell technique, and the data is the mana that made it happen.

    In the end, the source code that I used was through human biological hardware.

    It consumes data called mana following a program called spell technique.

    It bes a spell that contains the process of expressing the software called magic at once.

    With this source code, evenplex spell techniques can be printed out withpleted results by injecting only a little mana.

    To put it simply, while others carefully draw strokes of techniques to cast the spell, I just print it like a stamp.

    Its easy, considering the difference in speed between handwriting and printing.

    No matter how fast a human being writes, they cannot keep up with the speed of the person who prints with metal printing.

    Even when they are impatient, they can make many mistakes.

    It could be the case where the spell technique is out of order, the ending process is wrong, the flow of mana is tangled, or the procedure is not right.

    Naturally, the spell would lose its mysterious power and be unusable.

    Or there were also cases where the mana flowed back and their own lives were in danger.

    But the programmed source code doesnt have those kinds of mistakes.

    Under any circumstances, only a set value is offered.

    The speed is something other wizards dare not to follow.

    Of course, spells casted by a wizard in sixth rank or higher will be faster.

    Those superhumans have supeputers in their heads, so theyre an exception in the first ce.

    This source code must have been a great revolution for the students of Sren Academy, who had not yet fully grown properly.

    Its not that it doesnt have any shorings. You can only use it up to third-tier magic. Beyond that, the mana capacity will cause overload, and itsplicated and difficult to make the source code itself.

    Computer programmers go through a lot of testing while diversifying all kinds of patterns in debugging for a reason.

    I also racked my brain to make that one.

    However, it is very convenient because it can be used for a very long time after making it once.

    Moreover, I dont have to create the source code for third-tier spells and below them one by one, as its troublesome.

    After all, this source code spell is a product of an invention that was made to keep up by those who do not have talent.

    Its sad that my circumstances cant turn out to be the best even if I did that.

    But what can I do?

    If I wanted to eat well for two years as a professor at the Academy where only geniuses gather, I had to teach sses with that kind of knowledge.

    Well, wouldnt that be enough for me not to be underestimated?

    I hoped so.

    ***

    With the advent of a groundbreaking spell casting technique called source code, all the students were silent.

    The silence that nketed the ssroom even felt passionate.

    The first-year students especially seemed like they were about to shootser beams from their eyes.

    They chose Ludger Chelysies ss because they felt like being half deceived, so they couldnt believe that they were witnessing such a thing.

    Some students felt a chill in their backs.

    If I couldnt beat the moment and made a different choice

    If I didnt take this ss today

    A spell to cast another spell.

    A new method of spell casting beyondmon sense.

    As it was impossible to see its appearance with naked eyes, their ability to learn it by watching was hindered.

    It was such a terrible nightmare that it made them freeze to the marrow of their bones and caused their bodies to ache just by imagining it for those who were trying to walk on the wizards path.

    Thank heaven.

    All the students gathered there had the same thoughts.

    And then they were able to see Ludger in a new light.

    Obviously, his first impression was as a person who was very serious, in depth, and intense, contrary to what they thought.

    Even so, what was important for a magic academy professor is magic skills, after all.

    You cant gain a students respect by just repeating what others have said.

    But now

    All the students who saw the new magic had a feeling of awe beyond mere respect for Ludger.

    * * *

    * * *

    Moreover, Ludgers behavior was amazing.

    His expression shows no sign of excitement, even though he demonstrated in front of everyone a new method that could be called the discovery of the century.

    Such natural behavior made the students suddenly immersed in thought.

    For this man, even the groundbreaking spell of source code could be performed in front of everyone naturally.

    Maybe

    Isnt there another secret weapon besides this groundbreaking magic?

    If youve invented that much and you had that much of an apathetic reaction, theres definitely something else thats much greater.

    At that moment

    The passion of the 80 magic academy students in the ssroom sparkled.

    If I learn that spell

    If I turn his teaching into my own knowledge

    I can improve it more!

    Their strong will was revealed through their eyes, and the heated atmosphere was aimed at Ludger.

    Ludger reacted with half-opened eyes, but his back inside his dress clothes was damp with cold sweat.

    Whats wrong with their eyes?

    For Ludger, who expected the opinion that he was just a moderately great or good teacher, the students response was beyond his imagination.

    Their eyes were hotter thanvaing out through the stratum.

    He felt like he was going to be scalded on it, so Ludger flogged his mind, pulled himself together, and maintained a poker face.

    He had revealed one secret card there, so itd be alright for a while.

    However, he thought that he could not continue to push the sses only with that until sometimeter.

    If he didnt want the academy to find out that hes a fraud, if he didnt want the secret society to find out that he was a fake

    He had to prepare more in the future.

    Lets go all the way to the end.

    In order to survive.

    First of all, he had to do something about the woman from a duke family who stood on the podium.

    Flora Lumos.

    Startle.

    Flora, who was distracted by Ludgers source code spell that he had just casted, finally came to her senses.

    Ludgers cold and sharp eyes had her figure in them.

    His eyes felt like they were cutting through her heart.

    Wha, what the hell is this guy

    She thought of herself as a genius

    And she had the talent to match such a title.

    No one doubted her because she showed her skills to those who had doubts.

    Even the professors at the academy were intimidated in front of her.

    No matter how old they were, no matter how long they had learned magic, no matter how hard they tried

    She was ahead of her professors.

    But that man was different.

    He didnt boast nor did he show off his talents. Yet still, he was not swayed by the others.

    It was like looking at a pir of steel that was deeply embedded in the ground and standing tall.

    Even throughout the storm, the rain, and the snow, it doesnt get rusty nor worn out.

    No matter what kind of ws she tried to catch, there was not a single scratch.

    What the hell, howe this guy is a new professor? Source code? Ive never heard of such a spell.

    Even Flora, who had encountered the royal family several times, had taken a step back to such pressure.

    Even the royal Princess had her eyes wide open at Ludgers performance.

    A groundbreaking shortcut to spell casting. Have you finally solved the question you were curious about?

    Yes.

    Flora replied, pretending to be calm as best as she could.

    She kept her posture neat and held her trembling voice. She kept telling herself not to be swayed.

    Was her behavior funny?

    There was a slight smile around Ludgers mouth.

    As if hed already seen through her desperate, strong act.

    Flora Lumos.

    Yes, Professor.

    You couldnt ovee your own prejudice, and you asked me questions without my permission. Do you admit it?

    Flora bit her lips tightly.

    It hurt her pride, but she couldnt disagree.

    Flora managed to move her lips as she clenched her fist with her cute little hand.

    Yes I admit it.

    It was a painful sense of defeat that she had never felt before.

    The envious eyes of the students, which she usually felt, had never been as painful as they were then.

    Suddenly, she remembered a childhood memory that she had wanted to forget.

    Her father looking down at her with a cold stare. Her goal of wanting to be recognized by him.

    She held back her tears desperately.

    She couldnt crumble there yet.

    I wont say more than that because you have acknowledged it yourself, but your actions are clearly a direct challenge to the professors authority. As I warned you at first, Im not going to let this slide.

    Yes.

    Flora Lumos. I give you 10 penalty points.

    Penalty point

    It wasnt that great, but if the target was Flora, the story was different.

    Srens genius who had never made a mistake before

    Even the penalty points, which were only 10 points, were huge because she had no penalty points, and she had seemed unlikely to have any in the future before.

    A slight w in a perfect artifact.

    Therefore, it turned out to be big and painful more than anything.

    Do you have anyints?

    No, I think thats fair.

    Flora bit her lips tightly.

    Oh, my Gosh.

    That Flora

    Even the other students were surprised that Flora got a penalty.

    Moreover, it was not a forced nitpicking but a reasonable punishment that even she had to admit.

    Flora came down from the podium with weak steps and returned to her original seat.

    At that moment, Ludgers voice called her up.

    But the [Fluttering me] technique that you showed me was more perfect than anything Ive ever seen before.

    She stopped and looked back at the podium.

    Ludger was staring at her with unwavering and straight eyes.

    I dont hate students with talents. So, Flora Lumos, you have 10 award points.

    Ten award points

    As a result, the 10 penalty points given to her were practically gone.

    The students who were envious of Flora thought that the penalty points were fortunate, and the students who admired Flora thought it was unfortunate.

    But Flora, as someone who was directly involved, felt an unprecedented sense of shame.

    Even if the penalty points disappeared, there was still the memory that she had gotten the penalty points.

    It was unforgettable even after 10 years, or maybe even after a lifetime.

    But suddenly, she had an award point.

    Flora interpreted the meaning of the award points given by Ludger in this way:

    Its the mercy of a winner to a foolish student who dared toe at him. Even thatpliment was just deceit.

    That, in turn, left an indelible scar on Floras pride.

    Thank.. .you.

    But

    That was all she could say.

    When she returned to her seat, Cheryl, who was watching the whole situation anxiously, spoke in a worried voice.

    Flora, are you okay?

    Cheryl knew how strong Floras pride was. To be exact, she became like that because of what she had been through as a child.

    It was hard to imagine how disgraceful it would be for Flora to be rebuked by the new professor in front of everyone.

    Yeah. Im fine.

    Flora replied with a bright smile. Her rxed appearance was no different from her usual self, and she did not appear to be wounded at all.

    Oh, so shes fine. Yeah, Flora can get over this soon.

    Cheryl was inwardly relieved.

    It seemed foolish of her to think that her friend might go astray in a bad way.

    It was still like that. Flora was preparing to listen to the ss, staring at the podium with the same face as usual.

    But Cheryl couldnt see it. Not only she, no one in the ssroom knew it.

    The me in Floras eyes, a hot fire that would burn everything down.

    ***

    I went back to my position and looked at Floras condition.

    Later, I remembered that the Lumos family was a famous dukedom in the Empire. That means that she was the daughter of a ducal family.

    Shes not gonna use her familys power to put pressure on me, right? Maybe she will go home and tell her father?

    Although the ce was Sren, such possibilities could not be ignored just because the students were still young.

    However, Floras expression as she sat down was calm. There was nothing strange in her face when she exchanged a conversation naturally with the friend sitting next to her.

    Hmm, sure.

    Apparently, shes a smart and bright kid, so she wont make too much of it, right?

    The reason why I gave the award point in the first ce was because it was a kind of reconciliation attempt to not fight and to get along well in the future.

    I was really d that she seemed to ept it well.

    Then lets proceed to the first ss.

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 15

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    I will select some students who follow my ss well and teach them how to do the source code.

    As I said that, I shook the carrot a little, and the students listened to my ss without saying much.

    Ding Dong. Ding Dong.

    When I finished exining the theory and simple method of releasing the mana, the bell of the clock tower rang to mark the end of the ss.

    I breathed a sigh of relief inwardly, thinking that I had finished the ss safely without any tackles.

    The students seemed to not be suspicious of anything because I had exined the contents of the textbook appropriately and mixed them with practical tips.

    The first step was easy, so I could just continue with that atmosphere in my next sses.

    My lecture period had a total of four hours a week.

    Since there were a total of two sses per week divided by two hours, I had a lot of time until the next ss.

    As I was about to leave the ssroom after putting on my outer garment, I could see some students looking at me as if they wanted to approach me but had some doubts about it.

    I was wondering why for a moment, but I realizedter that I had missed something.

    Ah, for your information, I wont give you any assignments for the first day. Just go back to your daily activities and review the lesson for today.

    Yay!

    Phew. Thats a relief.

    The students smiled brightly and rejoiced at my words.

    Even the geniuses who gathered in the Academy were students, after all. Seeing them overjoyed and burdened with the existence of one assignment, I realized that they were still children.

    Well, no matter how strict I was in teaching them, I wouldnt give them any assignments from day one.

    Other professors besides me were going to give them assignments anyway.

    Usually, professors who gave assignments from the first day of their ss were bound to be criticized for the whole semester.

    As for the lesson, every mercy that I showed to them was based on some kind of calction.

    The more of their backbiting andints about the other professors, the less mention there would be of criticism toward me will be.

    I packed the list of students names on the podium and left the ssroom. Even when I headed out, the students eyes still followed me, but I naturally ignored them.

    I was immersed in thoughts such as how I should proceed with the next ss and how I could find out the basic personal information about the 80 students who were taking my ss.

    In addition, considering there was information that had not yet been revealed about the secret society, I had to move as quickly as possible.

    ***

    Whoa. This is for real, right?

    Aidan, a freshman who had entered Sren Academy that year, realized that he had reallye to Sren after listening to Ludger Chelysies ss.

    I vaguely thought it was going to be like this, but it was he amazing.

    Aidan, who came from the countryside, was amoner, but he was a young man who had confidence that he was fully passionate about magic more than anyone else.

    Thanks to the efforts and some luck that he has built up so far, he had passed Srens entrance examination, and he took his first ss while dreaming of a prosperous future as a freshman.

    Ludger Chelysies lecture on the overall spell casting technique.

    To be honest, he did not have that much of an expectation.

    When he first entered the ssroom, he secretly listened to the talks of other students because this ss that he took was more talkative than he thought.

    -There are actually a total of two sses of magic casting, and among those two, this one is taught by a fallen aristocrat.

    -Originally, he was a new professor who couldnt pass the entry examination here, but he was lucky to pass because there were five vacancies due to the professors who retiredst year.

    -All the rumors about him in are fake and exaggerated.

    It was obviously the talks from the aristocratic students who spoke ill of others and looked down on them.

    However, Aidan, who came to Leathevelk from the countryside, did not doubt their words much because he knew that they were seniors and that they were great aristocrats.

    Is the professor named Ludger Chelysie really not that good?

    It was just a ss that he chose without much thought, so he regretted it for some reason.

    But Aidan realized how wrong his doubts were when Ludger appeared.

    The man who overwhelmed the ssroom atmosphere with 80 students in it just by standing on the podium was like a soldier facing a fierce war.

    And what happenedter made Aidan even more shocked.

    After having a conversation with a female senior about the impossibility of shortening the time span of spell casting, he introduced a spell technique.

    As soon as he witnessed the spell that Ludger Chelysie called source code, Aidan felt the blood in his body race.

    It was a shock that made him feel like there was a zing explosion in front of them.

    It was the light of knowledge that appeared when he clearly watched a mystery that had never been witnessed before and the revolutionary moment that expanded his perspectives toward a wider world.

    It seemed like an excessive line, but at least Aidan felt that way.

    When he was a little kid who didnt know anything yet, there had been a wandering wizard who showed him magic.

    The first spell that the wandering wizard showed was only first-tier magic, and when he reminisced about it, the spell technique was imperfect and crude.

    At that time, Aidan thought that the performance was extremely cool.

    Since then, he had been taught by the wandering wizard in studying magic and continued on his own, but nothing had beat the thrill that he felt when he witnessed magic for the first time yet.

    Still, he remembered that learning magic itself was so much fun.

    Thanks to his passion for magic and unexpectedly great talent for magic, Aidan advanced faster as the days went by. Thus, he was able to enter Sren Magic Academy through fiercepetition.

    He took his first ss thinking that this ce might satisfy his thirst for magic and open up a new world before him.

    He ended up witnessing something that was extremely astonishing.

    Professor Ludger Chelysie is really an incredible person!

    Aidan already thought that he was extraordinary from his first impression of Ludger, but it was real.

    He had showcased a real, new spell that didnt exist in the world yet, not just some false facade.

    Aidan was so happy to take the ss that he couldnt hide his excitement.

    Hmph.

    It was then

    The voice of tant disdain aimed at him was heard from the next seat.

    When he turned his head, a male student who looked like he was from the same year was looking at him with his arms folded.

    His face was handsome, but he looked quite greasy, probably because of his parted blond hair that highlighted his forehead.

    This is why we should have nomoners. Hes amazed just because he saw something like that.

    Huh? Did you say that to me?

    Then who else is amoner besides you here?

    Aidan then looked around at his surroundings. Now that the majority of students have already left the ssroom, there are not many people left.

    Ah! So you were talking to me!

    Because of his innocent reaction that contradicted his expectation, the aristocratic male students face who just triggered the dispute frowned.

    You. Are you making fun of me right now?

    What? Making fun of you? No way.

    Aidan smiled awkwardly and tried to say that he didnt mean to make fun of him at all, but the person in front of him was already so upset with thinking he had been insulted.

    How dare you look down on me, Jevan, the first descendant of Baron Felio?

    Aidan was drenched in a cold sweat. It seemed that it would still be hopeless for him in many ways even if he wanted to let this pass nicely.

    What do I do?

    As soon as Aidan was contemting how he should ovee the situation, someone came to help him.

    If youre from Felio Baronage, isnt it the family that lived at the ce closest to the border of the Empire?

    What what the hell?! Who are you?

    It was a sky-blue-haired boy whose height was shorter than the others who helped Aidan.

    Jevan Felio looked at the boy and sneered.

    * * *

    * * *

    Hah. Is this kind of brat able to enter Sren Academy too these days?

    Its still better than the fact that an idiotic son of a baron passed Srens test.

    What?! How dare you insult the Felio family?

    As Jevan clenched his teeth and was about to charge his mana, Leothe boy with sky blue hairdid not lose his smile.

    You should pay for your words and actions for insulting an aristocrat

    Try to do it.

    What what?

    Try to do it. Lets see what will happen if you cast a spell to attack us here.

    Jevan was dumbfounded by Leos confident words.

    Jevan thought amoner would bow their head meekly if he was intimidating enough.

    Do you think it is still your family background that makes you superior to us? Wake up. If you cause even a littlemotion here, you cant even call yourself a nobleman. Didnt you get that kind of notice before you came here?

    You, you!

    Since I have nothing to say, just shut your mouth if you dont know what else to do except re at me like that. And check the situation before you even raise your voice. Cant you see the surroundings?

    Hearing Leos words, Jevan realized that there were still several students left in the ssroom. Among them, there were also children of aristocrats from higher status whom he would not dare to look at.

    Hee, heek! Just wait and see!

    Jevan stared at Aidan as if he was about to kill him before leaving the ssroom.

    Aidan contemted what he should do with the situation.

    However, at that moment, his priority was to thank that fellow for helping him.

    Thank you for helping me. Im Aidan.

    Im Leo. Ah, and you dont have to thank me. I just stepped up because I was disgusted to see him acting up as an aristocrat.

    Youre such a nice person, arent you?

    How did you perceive my words just now?

    Leo stared at Aidan as if he was a strange fellow and shook his head.

    Well, whatever. Im leaving now.

    Ah! Im leaving with you.

    Where do you think Im going?

    Arent you going to take the next ss? The thing youre holding in your hand, its for the Alchemy ss of Embodiments specialization, right? Its also my next ss right after this one.

    Tsk. Do whatever you want.

    Leo spoke brusquely, but he did not kick Aidan away or reject Aidans offer to apany him. Aidan felt that Leos way of speaking was just a little strange and that he was a good person.

    Leo suddenly opened his mouth while watching Aidan, who was packing his textbooks for the next ss.

    Youd better go around without being too obvious about it.

    Huh? Obvious about what?

    Obvious about being a country bumpkin, obvious about being amoner, obvious that you havent studied magic properly. Whatever it is, youre showing it off too much.

    Oh, is that so? Im sorry. I dont know much about that.

    Dont forget, this is Sren Academy. Its a ce full of amazing people.

    Amazing people? Ah, I think I know it since I just saw Professor Chelysie.

    Leo sighed at Aidans stunned response. There seemed to be a lot to exin to this poor fellow.

    Listen up. Since youre already taking the ss, you need to know how this ce works. And you also have to be careful about certain students.

    Certain students?

    There are students who have an exceptionally overwhelming position inside Sren. Right now, us first years are considered not knowing anything because we just came in, but it wont work if we proceed to the second year.

    The most representative example was Flora Lumos.

    Flora Lumos, the sophomore. I didnt expect her to take the same ss with us, but you should be careful about her.

    Why?

    There are rumors that she has a trashy personality. They said that the sudden resignation of the professor who was in charge of the magic casting ssst year was mostly due to her influence. To be honest, I thought it would be like that again this time

    Leo also recalled Ludger Chelysies ss. The groundbreaking spell of source code that he showed was certainly amazing.

    That Flora Lumos had even stepped down without even being able to say anything.

    However, he didnt think Flora Lumos will back down just because of that. Instead, there was a possibility that her spark of anger would be released to the others.

    So youd better avoid her as much as you can.

    Is there anyone else?

    Of course there is. Someone who came from the noblest lineages of the Exileon Empire.

    Ah, I heard that rumor too. They said theres a royal princess among the sophomores, right?

    The 3rd Princess, Elendil von Exileon. Shes extremely noble, and the Emperor is fond of her, thats why shes able to enter this ce. Of course, its not good for us asmoners to get involved with her.

    Ah, that person.

    Aidan recalled a woman with hair that resembled weaves of golden thread.

    Blonde hair wasnt that rare, but there was only one person who was able to radiate such nobility through her blonde hair.

    Andstly, Freuden Wolburg.

    If its Wolburg, do you mean that Wolburg? One of the three ducal families.

    Do you think theres another Wolburg in the Empire? Freuden, the eldest son of the Dukes family, Wolburg. He is the man who leads the biggest faction in his second year. Its an upper-ss faction consisting of only aristocrats, to be exact.

    Upper-ss faction.

    They are people who seemoners like us as no different than bugs on the side of the road, so its better not to get involved with them. Fortunately, Freuden doesnt take this ss. For your information, the idiot who picked a fight with you a while ago seems to belong to that faction.

    It was inevitable. Is there anyone else?

    You were just being stamped on, but you are curious about the other people instead? Should I say youre quite bold or quite slow?

    Leo had no idea what kind of person Aidan was, but at least Leo was sure he was not a bad or rotten guy.

    There are indeed a few more.

    Oh really? Who are they?

    Ill tell them to youter, on the way.

    Okay! Ah, do you also want to eat with meter?

    What? Why should I?

    Aidan and Leo left the ssroom while chattering.

    Without knowing that one of the remaining students in the ssroom was watching them.

    ***

    Hmm. Is this a private professors office?

    I felt a little peculiar gut feeling in front of the door of a room that was called a professors office.

    Perhaps because it was Sren, even the new professors were given a considerably spacious personal space.

    The namete at the entrance also had the name Ludger Chelysie.

    Lets go in first.

    I was curious about what the inside looked like, so I decided to check it out.

    I opened the door and went inside the professors office.

    And I had no choice but to be surprised to see the guest who had arrived there first.

    Oh my, Mr. Ludger. Come here.

    One of the people whom I had to be the wariest of

    The principal of Sren Academy.

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 16

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    Why is that person suddenly here?

    I didnt know why on earth the principal was there.

    I walked into my private professors office at a leisurely pace and closed the door.

    There should never be a situation where I revealed my true feelings, no matter what happened, when I didnt even know what purpose she came to see me for.

    ck.

    As the door closed, a breathtaking silence nketed the room.

    I naturally sat on the seat opposite the guest sofa where the principal sat.

    She just smiled brightly at me.

    It was the principal who opened her mouth first.

    What do you think? The interior design is quite pretty, right?

    It was a sentence without any context for the start of a conversation.

    But I wouldnt let my guard down. Maybe such action itself was her attempt to pry into me.

    Yes, it is.

    Sren Academy provides every professor with their own personal space. You can do whatever you want here without being self-conscious of the others, Professor Ludger.

    I like that.

    The principals golden eyes turned to me.

    I also faced her without avoiding her gaze.

    I could see myself inside her eyes akin to a beautifully decorated amber.

    Just like when I first met her, I felt somewhat anxious when I faced the principals eyes.

    I immediately changed the subject.

    What brings you here, your honor?

    Did Ie to a ce where I shouldnt havee?

    Im just curious as to why such a busy person like youes to a new professors private office.

    Then its not like Im in a ce that I cante to, right?

    But I feel burdensome.

    The principal shut her mouth when I spoke straightforwardly.

    Her gentle smile still lingered, but inside her eyes, a peculiar feeling that was hard to understand spread like a drop of ink in the water.

    The principal shook her head

    There is no particr reason.

    Is that so?

    Even though you are a new professor here, youre still a valuable assigned professor at Sren Academy. Of course, as a principal, I cant help but pay attention to you.

    I see.

    Listening to my moderate response, she showed a pouty look, somewhat dissatisfied with it.

    You can be a little more surprised, though?

    Im sorry, but Im already surprised enough.

    Its not a lie, its the truth.

    I had opened the door excitedly because it was my personal space, and I was very surprised to see the principal.

    I was more confident that I wouldnt be that surprised if I ran into a ghost on the street in the middle of the night.

    However, I just didnt show it because I had no leisure to do it.

    In fact, my heart was still beating like crazy, so I was nervous that the president might hear it.

    The other professors were all surprised.

    Did you stop by the offices besides mine?

    Yours is thest one.

    Why did shee to mest? And is the principal thinking of having a face-to-face talk with the new professors?

    I suddenly remembered the existence of a secret society that permeated Sren.

    Maybe

    Did the principal notice something?

    No matter how secretive the society was, they could not hide their tail perfectly.

    And if it was someone like the principal

    She may have noticed that those who made suspicious movements havee into Sren.

    If I didnt know, I would pass it on, but because I knew there was a secret society there, I saw the principals attitude differently.

    Is she being suspicious of me?

    There is a possibility.

    Its a bit unfair for me, but frankly, I cant raise any objections.

    I dont belong to the secret society, but Im the secret society executive.

    I dont know what this is all about, but those are actually my current circumstances.

    Come to think of it, my real identity is not that honorable as well, so I have to work hard not to be caught.

    So, what question does your honor want to ask me?

    Its nothing. Id like to check how your first ss was. You were justing back from your ss, right?

    Yes.

    Have you ever had a hard time with students?

    Not at all.

    Rather, I wondered if it was alright for the students to not ask me questions like what happened then.

    Well, I deliberately gave off the vibe of prohibiting them froming near me, but I just meant for them not to bother me too much. I didnt know anyone wouldnt do anything at all.

    Ah. But the daughter from Lumos family did ask me a question.

    Hmm, thats interesting. I looked at the list of students who attended your lectures this time, and there were quite a lot of famous students.

    Is that so?

    You havent seen the list yet?

    I brought it to see it now.

    I waved the paper in my hand.

    Well, its actually up to you, Professor Ludger, but just in case, please be careful not to cause any problems, as the princess is there as well.

    Yes, I will.

    The princess?

    Did even a royal princesse to take my ss as well?

    I just felt confused rather than feeling honored or anything else.

    Suddenly, I remember a blonde student who had boldly asked me a question.

    Come to think of it, I thought she looked familiar, so she was from that lineage

    And I heard that there are also many freshmen in your ss. I thought you were only going to teach the sophomores, but I didnt think you were going to teach it as a joint ss with the freshmen as well.

    Because I didnt mean to build differences between the first and second years.

    Im not ming you. Rather, I approve of your way that brings a breath of fresh air to this Academy. I can especially see some of the most amazing students among the freshmen.

    Amazing kids you said?

    Yes. There are some kids who use [Umon] magic, some kids whoe from great families, and some kids who have worked hard while being raised in the magic tower. Usually, I think there would be a gap if theye from different years, but I dont think thats going to happen for the freshmen who came in this time.

    Her brightly smiling face when she was thinking of the students fit her position as an academy principal.

    But my skin shivers whenever I see that smile.

    First of all, I was not a person who would say such a thing confidently because of my conscience, so I only listened to the principal and responded briefly.

    Well, anyway, Sren has high expectations for Professor Ludger Chelysie

    Im unworthy of such an appraisal.

    Im d you didnt encounter any problems in your first ss, and your first impression of the students seems to be okay. You saved me from my concerns.

    The principal stood up at the end of her sentence.

    How about having a cup of tea before leaving? I asked out of courtesy.

    Yes?

    Was it unexpected that I said that?

    She showed a slightly confused look before squinting her eyes like a crescent moon.

    I appreciate the offer, but I have a lot of work to do. I could barely spare the time toe here.

    I see.

    And you just arrived here, do you even know where the tea and sses are in the professors office?

    Somewhere inside the shelf, right?

    Wrong. Actually, we only prepared coffee. If you want to drink tea, you have to apply for a separate tea room.

    I see. I didnt know about that.

    You can keep it in mind for the future. Then lets get along well in the future as well.

    The principal, who sent her farewell to me with a yful smile, left after she said those words.

    She was simply like a calm storm.

    I sighed softly and rubbed my eyelids with my fingers.

    * * *

    * * *

    How was it?

    The old gentleman, Wilford, asked while following the principal, who walked in the hallway with leisurely steps.

    Have your suspicions of Professor Ludger been resolved?

    Well, I dont know.

    The principal recalled the conversation she had with Ludger Chelysiethe restrained attitude that he had shown her, to be exact.

    Im not so sure.

    Is that so?

    Ludger Chelysie was a unique man. The principal thought.

    When anyone looked at her, they would be enchanted by her golden eyes.

    To be exact, its more like they would be possessed by her eyes that were gifted with the reverberation of magic power since she was born.

    A captivating vaskania.

    Its her power and the first merit that brought her up to her position.

    Of course, it was not intentional for her to use the captivating vaskania on other people. It was kind of a part of her blood since she was born, so if she made eye contact with someone, theyd get captivated without her intention.

    It was possible to control her eyes to some extent at least, but in the past, her daily life was difficult.

    But after bing principal, she honestly admitted that she couldnt havee to that position without the vaskania.

    Because nothing beat her eyes if people who came into Sren had a secret n and she wanted to find out about it.

    I was going to pry him with the excuse for a personal face-to-face talk, though.

    The more the mana that the other party has, the more influenced they will be by my vaskania, though.

    Her vaskania could affect even a fourth rank wizard. Of course, the requirement was that the other person did not currently use any mental defense magic.

    Especially since, the greater the magic power the other party had, the easier it was for them to be influenced by her vaskania. The power of her vaskania was proportional to the total amount of magic power the other party had.

    But Ludger was not like that.

    He must have been a fourth rank wizard, but his reaction waspletely different from other professors.

    The first time he met her vaskania was when he had just entered the principals office.

    And that was the second time.

    The man faced her vaskania twice and showed no signs of being swayed.

    Did he not manage to see it? No, she knew that he obviously faced her vaskania, but he showed no signs of being swayed.

    It meant that he had resisted the power of her vaskania with a steel-like strong will.

    The principals eyes shone.

    He really is

    an interesting man.

    The principal had no choice but to think so.

    But of course, she couldnt show her feelings bluntly.

    I sensed suspicious movements, so Im focusing on the people whom I feel the most suspicious of, but I havent had any results.

    Since she had recently found out that a group of bad people was hidden in Sren, she couldnt even let the little things pass by.

    Ludger Chelysie was involved in a train terrorist attack on his way there.

    It wasnt his fault

    But she had some suspicions just in case.

    What if the train incident was a blindfold, and in the meantime, a man named Ludger Chelysie was reced?

    Thats why the principal sent Wilford, her most trusted right-hand man and one of the strongest men in Srens history

    On the pretext of picking him up.

    What do you think about it, Mr. Wilford?

    Hmm. I dont think I can trust him right away, but I didnt find anything suspicious about him either.

    Is that so?

    If Wilford said so, it was one among two probabilities:

    Either Ludger Chelysie was really innocent

    Or he was someone who was amazing enough to fool them perfectly.

    I can only hope that its not thetter.

    There were so many things to worry about at the moment, so she decided to stop worrying about Ludger.

    Oh, but I can be sure of one thing.

    Whats that?

    That Ludger Chelysie, hes not an ordinary person at all.

    Hes not ordinary? What made you say that?

    All I can say is that its just from this old mans gut feelings.

    What?

    Wilford seemed to favor Ludger Chelysie quite a lot.

    She could trust Wilford, who had good eyes on people, if he said so.

    Still, it didntpletely remove her suspicions.

    Because at any given moment, there could be the worst possible oue.

    A wizard was a person who had to give deep consideration to such possibilities.

    Most of all, she was the principal of Sren Academy.

    She had no choice but to be careful in every case because she held a position that required her to be the perfect person who could not tolerate even an inch of carelessness.

    ***

    Being left alone, I was finally able to rx my shoulders and let out a sigh after confirming that her sense of presence outside the door was getting farther away.

    I was exhausted.

    My brain demanded mana.

    I cant believe the principal suddenly came to see me.

    Well, ording to her words it was just a personal face-to-face talk with new professors.

    But who would believe such words if a principal suddenly came to see them?

    I betted they were all inwardly questioning it.

    Thats not whats important.

    I went straight to my personal desk and sat down.

    The desk that was made of luxurious wood seemed quite expensive.

    There was a clock made of cogwheels on one side of the wall; on the other side of the wall, Srens map was disyed on a board and was spread out.

    Red curtains were spread out on the left and right sides of the window with an antique design, and even the chair I was sitting on was very luxurious.

    I was impressed by Srens totality, which allocated that amount of space to new professors, and again by the fact that it was filled with all sorts of high-end furniture.

    I looked at the list of students who were taking my lecture.

    So its for real.

    There were students who had exceptionally long and cool names on the list of those who took my ss.

    Elendil von Exileon from the second year

    If someone had the Empires name Exileon as their surname, you would have known right away that she was of royal descent unless you were a fool.

    Shes the student who questioned me daringly during the orientation, right?

    I had thought she looked familiar to me. So she was a member of the royal family

    It was driving me crazy. Why does the princess, of all people, have to attend my lecture?

    She must have been taking sses from other professors besides me, but that doesnt mean my burdens went away.

    No matter how Sren was said to be the third area where private autonomy was guaranteed within the Empire, if there was a person from the imperial family, the story would be different.

    If anything happened to her, Id be in trouble.

    Theres no way anything could happen to her in Sren, but its just in case.

    I could not rule out small incidents that might ur when she was experimenting with magic chemicals, simting actualbat, or performing alchemy.

    Even if I paid attention to the safety of students as much as I could, there were times when students fight against each other in ces that cant be seen by their professors.

    In order to eliminate such a situation as much as possible, professors were also obligated to protect students.

    Come to think of it, there was even a secret society hidden in Sren recently.

    Its driving me crazy.

    Well, there wont be any incidents happening right away, so lets think calmly for now.

    I also looked carefully at the list of other students.

    There were also some other first and second years who stood out.

    Flora of the Lumos family as well, and there are even aristocrats from other kingdoms?

    Then my gaze went to a students name and stopped.

    Aidan.

    Amoner who did not grow up in a particrly great family or that was taught by a prominent wizard.

    He must have had the talent since he managed to enter, but he was also a child whom I couldnt find anything special withpared to other students.

    He looks somewhat familiar.

    There was something that was strangely gripping my nerves.

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 17

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    Theres nothing thates to my mind right away.

    Even if I was concerned about Aidan, I couldnt recall anything right away, so I decided to move on.

    I put all the personal information of the rest of the students into my brain.

    There were a total of 54 freshmen and 26 sophomores.

    The ratio between first and second years was roughly 2:1. I had already guessed that the number of freshmen was higher because their was dominant among the existing name tags, but it was more than I thought.

    There are also some freshmen whom I should be careful of. Starting from the neers who were backed by the magic tower and the alchemy school, to the kid who was publicized as an extraordinary rookie in the magic tower.

    Even students with ordinary grades in Sren were called geniuses when they went outside Sren.

    And all those geniuses then strayed to various ces.

    The ce was crowded with such people, so it was certainly far frommon sense.

    Having checked the list of all the students, I ced the papers on the desk and pressed my fingers against my throbbing forehead.

    Im tired. Im tired in a lot of ways.

    I recalled the meeting and conversation that I had with the principal a while before.

    Considering the principal came to me and pried at me, it meant I hadnt fully earned her trust yet.

    Moreover, Srens trust as well.

    It wasnt aplete suspicion, probably fifty-fifty when I thought about it.

    There was a high possibility that their views toward me would be divided depending on how I behaved in the future.

    It doesnt matter.

    Since I had already decided to y my role, I had no intention of showing any suspicious behaviors.

    The principal was the sixth rank , almost the top of the eight existing hierarchies.

    I had heard she had crossed the seventh rank.

    A fourth rank wizard could not beat her even if there were 100 of them.

    Not to mention the principal The biggest problem is the secret society.

    The secret society was still quiet because it was just the beginning of the semester, but if time went by and there was a chance for them to maneuver behind the scenes, theyd move right away.

    The problem was: for what purpose did they infiltrate Sren Academy?

    What were they trying to do by nting people there while getting rid of some employees?

    Were they literally aiming to overthrow Sren, or was there something in Sren?

    Maybe its a kind of treason against the empire.

    I brought out the newspaper that was stuck between the documents and spread it out.

    The article in the newspaper, written in ck letters, still covered thest incident of the Magic Engineering lotive terror attack.

    [The terrorist attack on the Magic Engineering lotive turned out to be conducted by the Revolutionary Army.]

    It seemed almost certain that there was a Revolutionary Army behind the train raid.

    The Revolutionary Army, or the Liberation Army.

    The Revolutionary Army, under the ideal of the fall of imperialism and the uprising of citizens to break down the existing unfair status system

    To be honest, its no different than a terrorist organization.

    Originally, if it was ording to the earths history, the politics of this time would have felt like a parliamentary cab system was added to the modern constitutional monarchy, but this world, where magic existed, still belonged to the power of kings and nobles.

    Still, seeing all kinds of various movements taking ce in this world over the past 50 years, the world was also on a simr trend to the flow from the Earth where I lived.

    The stagnant magic and the science that grew rapidly.

    At the same time, magic engineering was born bybining science and magic.

    It was just amazing that such extreme change was happening in less than a century.

    And thats also the reason why the Revolutionary Army happened.

    However, it is highly likely that the secret society is not rted to the real Revolutionary Army.

    Frankly speaking, the death of the real First Order, Ludger Chelysie, led me to such a conclusion.

    If he was in the same organization, why would he be involved in a train terror attack and die?

    The reaction he showed then was that of someone who never expected his train to be attacked.

    It meant that the terrorist attack itself waspletely unexpected by the secret society.

    It would be right to separate the secret society from the Revolutionary Army.

    And there was another thing I could guess:

    The First Order known as Ludger Chelysie was not someone who was suitable forbat.

    He was definitely good at magic; his judgment wasnt bad either. He probably received high-level training.

    However, it was not so overwhelming that he was called an executive of a secret society.

    What particrly bothered me was the reaction of his secret societys subordinate, who had contacted me secretly.

    His subordinate saw my face and she just thought I was the First Order. Im sure its not that she doesnt know the face of the Ludger I saw on the train.

    Why?

    She obviously epted the fact that his appearance had changed.

    If she thinks that its natural for him to change his appearance, I can figure out the specialization of the dead Ludger Chelysie.

    In other words, the First Order specialized in disguise and infiltration.

    It was rather fortunate for me since I had those characteristics as well.

    At least I wouldnt gain any suspicions from the other members by my appearance.

    I could be at ease.

    For now, Im just going to do my activities as a professor, and I wont say anything to the secret society. I can just say its an attempt to clear the Academys suspicions.

    All I had to do was get the subordinates below me to do all the bothersome things, and in fact, as someone who held a First Order qualification, I just had to be careful about solidifying my position.

    Maybe I wouldnt have to worry about it for a while.

    However, the problem would genuinely arise when the secret society awakened from its slumber and became active.

    From the nting of their executive-level figure as Srens professor, it was clear that they intended to overthrow Sren in some way.

    Itsplicated.

    Sren was not likely to copse easily, but it was not an iron fortress that waspletely impossible to attack either.

    No matter how powerful an empire was, it was bound to copse.

    History had proved that.

    In particr, the more extreme the transitional form in the generation, the closer the possibility became reality.

    Even if it was just in case, I couldnt ignore the slightest possibility that the secret society would overthrow Sren.

    In that case, would it be better to leave Sren andmit myself to the secret society?

    No, I cant do that.

    Even if I have to do that to survive, it wontst long.

    For the moment, it wouldnt be a problem if I acted like I was their newly appointed professor under the guise of Ludger Chelysie.

    Would the other First Order, who hadnt been actively moving together with me so far, not notice the subtle changes in Ludger?

    Im sure theyd find out.

    I didnt know what would happen if I got caught being their traitor. Itd be the worst case if the secret society could win against Sren.

    Rather, keeping the professors position while deliberately interfering with their ns was the most likely way for me to survive.

    However, if I was also explicitly standing on Srens side, the society would immediately notice my betrayal.

    Its a moment of extreme tightrope walking.

    Unless I knew what the purpose of the secret society was, I couldnt n to do anything right away.

    I picked up my pen and wrote down a summary of my future ns on an empty paper.

    -Be wary of the other First Order from the secret society. Need to quickly identify who they are. After that, refrain from contacting them as much as possible.

    -Maintain my position as a professor. Dont let go of my wariness so that I wont be neglectful in my sses.

    -I will focus on working as a professor so that the academy wont be suspicious.

    After writing it down roughly, there were about three things to do.

    I didnt worry about the possibility of anyone reading it.

    Since I wrote it in Korean, people in this world would not know what it means even if they were reborn after they died.

    Well, all I can do right now is do my best as a professor.

    Tap tap.

    I tapped on the wooden desk with my fingertips.

    Well, if the secret society contacted me and pressured me by asking why I didnt make any movement, I could make an excuse that it was an attempt to clear their suspicions.

    I immediately took out a new piece of paper to write a letter and picked up a pen.

    I originally had an acquaintance whom I was supposed to meet at another ce, so I had to tell that person that I couldnt go there.

    Theres a lot for me to do.

    In fact, I had to deal with it in advance on the first day, but I forgot because there were so many things to worry about.

    Well, since I had nothing to feel sad about, I betted that fellow wouldntin much about it.

    I wrote the letter with as many pleasantries as possible, instead of direct words, in case someone opened it.

    Like the letters that Ludger Chelysie had, I also used ciphers.

    At the end of the sentencee to Leathevelk in the letter, I had forgotten an important request that I included at the end of the letter instead.

    [Bring my stuff on your way here.]

    * * *

    * * *

    The reply to the letter came the very next day.

    The appointment that was written in the letter was for me to meet them at Leathevelks industrial area the next weekend.

    As for me, I wanted to meet them a little earlier, but they said they were busy with their work, so I decided to understand them.

    Whrrrr.

    After reading the letter, I immediately burned it to avoid the worst case that might happen.

    Immediately leaving out of the professors office, I dressed casually and headed to my amodation.

    Excuse me!

    Someone was in a rush while calling me.

    It seemed that he was a Sren employee, but seeing that his outfit was neater than the others, he looked to be an errand man who served as a messenger.

    Are you Professor Ludger Chelysie?

    Yes, thats right. How can I help you?

    When I asked him so, the messenger looked slightly frightened as he flinched.

    As soon as I sensed that even the employees were avoiding me, the messenger gave me a document after calming himself down.

    Whats this?

    Its a patrol duty invitation.

    Patrol duty?

    Isnt that usually done by an employee or a security guard? Why would a professor have to do that?

    When I looked at the messenger with such a stare, the messenger made an excuse while drenched in a cold sweat.

    There there was an order from the principal this time. Now that new students have entered the school, Srens students are at their ckest, so this is an attempt to prevent them from causing any problems.

    To a professor like me?

    The principal said it would be the most effective if the professors do it instead. And the article in your contract states that professors should also step up and prevent the problems that might happen within Sren.

    Come to think of it there was such an article.

    However, I had thought they were telling me to do it at my own discretion.

    I didnt expect for them to be that aggressive in giving me the order

    Hmmm.

    But maybe he took my pondering differently.

    The employee hurriedly spurted out additional exnations in a cold sweat.

    You you dont have to stay up all night. You just have to do the patrol from after the ss ends until before the dorm curfew.

    And today is my turn?

    Yes, yes.

    I received the duty invitation without a word from the messenger.

    The name Ludger Chelysie was written there on the days date.

    There were several professors besides me in Sren, so the patrol duty must have been done only once a week.

    It would be a little annoying if I needed to do it on the weekend.

    Then then please excuse me.

    The messenger, who had told everything that he needed to say, ran away from me in such a hurry as though someone was going to catch and eat him alive.

    I ignored the messenger and checked the list in the duty invitation.

    Considering Sren is so wide, does it have a structure where one professor has to do the patrol in each designated area?

    There were three more people on duty that day besides me. Among them, I also saw the name Selena, a professor of Spirit Studies, who was a newly appointed professor just like me.

    Well, we dont have to meet each other because the area of our patrol is different, but lets say hello if we meet.

    More than that, if it wasnt like this before but the rule is suddenly implemented under the direction of the principal, does the principal also suspect that spies are nted among the professors?

    Perhaps that was how professors were being used to weed out their suspicious contacts or movements.

    If they were spies, they would not move hastily unless they were a fool, but that did not mean that the principals policy was meaningless.

    The principal herself gave the instructions because they would be a deterrent to warn the other party not to act recklessly.

    It was some kind of warning.

    From the principals point of view, it was good if the suspicious people got caught there, and even if they didnt get caught, there was still nothing to lose from that kind of policy.

    We dont know what the students who are at the peak of their excitement will do after the semester starts, so theres no room to argue if the professors have toe forward and prevent possible incidents.

    They were not ordinary students, but geniuses who used magic, and of course, the scale of incidents that could be inflicted by them was different from those of ordinary people.

    If the professors had to stop it, they would certainly do it.

    The new professors who were just being appointed that year would not be able to refuse the principals order because they wouldnt have any solid arguments in the first ce.

    The hierarchy existed even inside the Academy. We had no choice but to do what the principal demanded us to do.

    The patrol area I was assigned to was the .

    This is really

    The training center was a ce where students often went to show off their magic skills to the fullest, so it was difficult for problems to not ur there.

    Dont tell me shes not sending me here on purpose because shes aiming at me, right?

    I headed to the training center while hoping that it was not the case.

    ***

    The magic training center was not far from the main building.

    They were separated by a short distance that could be reached within a 10-minute walk along a well-paved path.

    Arge building could be seen through the trees in the moderately cultivated garden.

    Its overall design has an appearance that reminds me of a superrge vinyl greenhouse.

    Its so big.

    Even on Earth, the size of the stadium was sorge that it couldnt be measured properly, so its very impressive.

    There are three such buildings inside the Academy.

    Each was called the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd training center, and thergest of them, the 3rd training center was also the main stage where Sren Academys event[Magic Festival]was held every semester.

    I looked at the third training center that was located closest to me, but there were no particr incidents, so I passed it.

    There were only a few people at the second training center, and most of them went back to the dormitory after they finished their training.

    I was just about to check out thest first training center before going back to my amodation

    Eventually, an incident broke out.

    How dare a lowlymoner like you!

    I could feel some mana that was fluctuating inside the training center along with a shout that seemed to be torn in octaves.

    Sensing that my anxiety had be a reality, I immediately ran inside the training center.

    When I ran down the corridor and arrived at the audiences railing

    One girl student was seen trying to shoot a spell at another girl student.

    The magic she used was the second-tier electric spell [Burning Thunder].

    Even if it was a second-tier spell, it was a spell that could cause fatal injuries if the opponent was defenseless.

    I shouldnt bete.

    I immediately casted a spell technique.

    The spell technique that was created by that student was almostplete, but with the source code, I could cast spells within third-tier ss faster than anyone else.

    The spell that I used was a first-tier releasing spell thats made with mana, [Shining stone].

    I shot it fast and pierced through the middle of the students spell technique just before it waspleted and destroyed the spell.

    Who is it?!

    The student whose spell technique was destroyed stared at me with anger, thinking that she had been disturbed.

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 18

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    Srens training center was an open space for anyone to use.

    Its wide and there were three such training centers, so students could freely cast spells anywhere in the spacious space.

    The mostmon users of the training center at the beginning of the semester were especially the freshmen, who were curious about the prestigious Srens facilities.

    As a result, it was inevitable that the freshmen would obviously be involved in small idents.

    The children who entered Sren had already heard that they were geniuses everywhere.

    Freshmen who have not experienced properpetition have strong self-esteem because they still think that they are the best.

    There wasnt any chance that they would give up to the other party.

    At the start, they would spend time nonchntly with each other, but if they gradually proceeded with the ss and be engaged with each other, there would always be a collision that happens.

    And it was the first training center where such urrences happened most often.

    Just like at that moment.

    What? Say it again.

    This is a ce thats free to use for everyone. Theres no reason for me to leave, though?

    Lynne frowned at the three students who were ring scornfully at her.

    The woman who had gray hair, which was rare in the Empire, was caught in a dispute when she visited the first training center out of curiosity.

    The reason was trivial

    Its just that those three people were going to use the ce, so they told Lynne to get out of there.

    They did not speak in a good manner, and they one-sidedly ordered her to leave because they did not want to use the same space with amoner.

    There were not that many students using the training center and there was enough free space.

    Nevertheless, it was a tant insult for anyone to only rule them out and tell them to leave.

    A total of three people were picking a fight with her: one woman and two men.

    They were all children of aristocratic families with nobility flowing in their blood.

    Among them was Dynema Romley, a first-year student who was the daughter of Count Romley. She was standing at the center of the trio while spitting direct verbal abuse at Lynne.

    Her blonde hair, which was flowing down to the waist, was curled up like a roll in the edges.

    Just by looking at her fierce impression, Lynne could already assume that her personality was usually rude.

    Even so, Lynne didnt expect Dynema to suddenly pick a fight with her like that.

    If you feel so ufortable, why dont you guys leave instead?

    Hah! How dare you talk back to me? How dare such a vulgar and impudentmoner like you to a noble blood like me?

    Sren doesnt divide the students rank by social ss and blood. You entered this school yet you dont even know about it?

    Thats just what you guys want to believe. You have a blind trust in what they said to you just to make you happy. Thats why you guys are so low.

    Thats right, Miss Dynema. Thats why we shouldnt have low-ssmoners here.

    This is why people say that you shouldnt be nice to your underlings.

    The two boy students on both sides were ttering Dynema as they adjusted themselves to her mood.

    Lynne bit her lips.

    They didnt even try to listen to whatever she would say in the first ce because she was amoner.

    Even if she continued to argue there, shed only tire herself out.

    Lynne turned her back while thinking that she would just not have them as herpany.

    The problem was that such behavior offended Dynemas high self-esteem.

    How dare amoner like you ignore me when I was talking?

    Count Romley was a typical aristocrat who fell into elitism and looked down onmoners.

    And Dynema, the only daughter of the Count, had also inherited her fathers tendency.

    For her, who had only seen and heard such elitist views since she was young, she was bound to have that kind of personality.

    Dynema thought she should y a leading role in Sren Academy.

    Even if there were many great seniors in the second years, she should be the most dazzling one among the first years.

    Thats what she believed.

    When she arrived at Sren, most of the students became herpetitors. It was a hard reality for her, who had been receiving the best treatment throughout her life.

    It cant be like this!

    It already hurt her pride formoners to use the same ssroom and take sses with her, she wouldnt want to ept the fact that there were also students who were more talented than her.

    An aristocrat must always be aloof and stand on top of everyone

    Because thats how she was born.

    She was the chosen one, and those lowlymoners were nothing but a tool that she used to make herself stand out.

    To Dynema, amoner named Lynne was just an annoying existence.

    The first time Dynema noticed her was when they were in the ssroom.

    Her extremely umon ash gray hair had also attracted peoples attention, but most of all, it was Lynnes beauty that irritated Dynemas nerves.

    She was like a doll made by the goddess of beauty with all her best efforts, her beauty seemed to be out of this world.

    Even she, who was also a woman, thought that it was enviable for a moment.

    Her pride was hurt.

    Dynema couldnt forgive it. She couldnt forgive herself and that despicablemoner who had swayed her.

    Dynema needed a target to vent her anger, and the target was obviously Lynne, who had caused such animosities inside her.

    So she started a quarrel with the intention of taking her down a notch.

    Whats up with that arrogant attitude?!

    Lynnes eyes were looking at her as if she was pathetic.

    Dynema gritted her teeth and red at the back of Lynnes head.

    How dare she ignore me and think that shell be alright afterward?

    Dynema took out her wand. It happened unexpectedly, so even the two followers who were clinging to Dynema could not react.

    No way, Dynema is aiming at Lynne with her wand and going to cast a spell as she was leaving after turning her back?

    The same went for Lynne.

    She never imagined that she would do such a thing in Sren.

    How dare a lowlymoner like you!

    A spell technique was formed with mana, and buds of hot lightning sparked around its surroundings.

    Feeling something strange, Lynne turned her back, and her blue eyes widened.

    Stupid. Its already toote.

    A cruel smile formed around Dynemas mouth.

    It wouldnt kill her, but instead, it was going to burn her beautiful face.

    The moment she was about to shoot the prepared spell into the face of that despicablemoner

    A white sh of light pierced through her magic.

    Dynema distorted her face into a demon-like appearance when she saw the reverberation of the scattered lightning.

    Who is it?!

    She stared at the ce where the spell was casted.

    And she saw him

    * * *

    * * *

    A man who was looking down at them from the audiences railings.

    What are you doing?

    Do the frost pirs that are raging on the frozen ground of the Northern continent feel like this?

    Her skin reacted the moment his voice, which was mixed with subtle anger, touched her ears.

    It was such a force and vigor that it would make anyones teeth bump together on their own.

    Hes not a student, not a Sren employee either. There was no way Dynema didnt know about a man with such an intense impression in the first ce.

    Prof Professor Ludger?

    While I was on patrol, I suddenly felt a wavelength of mana, so I came here.

    His gaze nced through Lynne, Dynemas gang, and the students who had just watched nearby and hadnt stopped the gang.

    I didnt know created this kind of problem habitually.

    It wasnt even a mere fight between students.

    To be exact, it was an incident in which one side unterally attempted to ambush the other party.

    Sren must have looked pretty easy to you.

    If they had fought in front of each others faces, he could just pass it with a warning.

    However, it was undoubtedly one-sided negligence that caused her to ambush an opponent who had no intention of fighting with her.

    The professor had even witnessed it with his own eyes.

    Exactly why and how did it happen?!

    Dynemas anger had already reached the top of her head and she shouted while protesting against Ludger instead.

    This is to protect my authority as a proper aristocrat!

    Authority? Who the hell is that authority for?

    Thats what thismoner

    All students are equal in Sren. Their learning, teaching, and magic are only going to be judged ording to their talents and passion. I dont care how noble your blood is.

    Ludgers words were for them to stop bluffing while acting as an aristocrat.

    Dynema bit her lips.

    Ludger shook his head at her behavior which had not shown any remorse.

    He was convinced that the first years would cause trouble.

    Rather, it was possible because they were first-year students who were still ignorant of the world.

    Freshmen who didnt know the way Sren was run naturally made their judgments based on their environment so far.

    The petty and prejudiced way of thinking that the world they lived in was everything there was obviously caused the problems.

    Just like Dynema Romley had been thinking.

    But her ignorance wouldnt absolve her.

    If her prejudiced way of thinking was the cause of the problems, it wasa Srens policy to impose stronger disciplinary actions to bring people back to their senses rather than to forgive them.

    It hasnt been long since school started, and youve already caused such a big problem, so please dont believe that you can avoid disciplinary action.

    Youe with me right now.

    Ludger said so and turned his back immediately.

    Shes understood by now.

    He thought his warning would moderately soothe the incident.

    Of course, it was not only a verbal warning, he really intended to put disciplinary action on her.

    It wasnt a mere fight, she was trying to cowardly do an ambush on her ssmate.

    A mere fallen aristocrat like you

    But with that one sentence from Dynema Romley

    The training center, which was already quiet, became dead silent.

    M-Miss Dynema?

    The two students, who were Dynemas followers, were drenched in a cold sweat.

    No matter how badly they acted, they thought her words were not a good choice.

    Even Ludger Chelysie, who was about to leave, stopped walking.

    It was a big problem.

    The students who were watching the situation turned pale.

    Dynema btedly realized what she had just said.

    But she couldnt take back what she had already said.

    What did you just say?

    Ludgers more subsided voice was aimed at Dynema.

    It didnt stop there, his body also floated in the air lightly.

    Ludger, who slowly came down from the audiences railings while walking in the air,nded on the ground and walked toward Dynema.

    Thump. Thump.

    With every step that Ludger took, Dynema felt the illusion that her world was falling apart.

    She didnt realize it when he was far away, but when she faced him closely, the pressure that Ludger emitted was beyond her imagination.

    He looked exactly like a giant.

    He had a huge appearance like a mountain which made it seem like he could press her with just one finger.

    Ah, aah.

    She identally said a harsh thing.

    It was something she shouldnt have said, but she had crossed the line.

    Its no wonder that Ludger was angry.

    Did you just call me a fallen aristocrat?

    Ah, uh, aah

    Dynema couldnt even move her mouth properly as Ludger looked down at her while casting a shadow on her face.

    Ludgers atmosphere was so brutal that it seemed it would be no wonder if anyone died afterwards.

    When the students were thinking if they should stop him while ncing at each other

    Professor Ludger!

    Selena, the new professor of Spirit Studies, rushed over while calling Ludger from the outside.

    She had just arrived after hearing the news a little while before.

    But as soon as she got there, she saw Ludger, who was ring at a trembling girl as if he was about to eat her.

    No way Just in case Maybe

    An uneasy thought entered her mind.

    The moment Selena was about to stop Ludger

    Ludger opened his mouth.

    Thats not exactly wrong.

    What everyone heard was apletely unexpected word.

    What?

    What did Professor say just

    They thought hed get angry.

    Or they thought hed punish give her a physical punishment on the spot.

    I am definitely a fallen aristocrat, but this is Sren and I am Srens professor. Dynema. What you said were clearly the words of a student whos challenging the authority of the professor.

    But Ludger did not do it.

    He just spoke in an infinitely calm and admonished voice.

    But you are still a young child before you are an aristocrat and a student. Its your first time, so you might not know.

    Ah

    So Ill pass it as a warning this time for your slip of the tongue, but just know that theres no second opportunity.

    It was a totally unexpected and yet so mature treatment.

    The students had no choice but to stare nkly at Ludger.

    Of course, you will have disciplinary action ordingly for what you did to your ssmate. I hope you are aware of it.

    Dynema felt the illusion that the world was copsing at the mention of disciplinary action, but even so, she could not protest.

    What Ludger said was too much of an argument.

    To the point where they thought he was too lenient on her instead.

    Ludgers eyes turned to Lynne, the gray-haired girl, as Dynema showed no words of consent.

    And you there. Lynne.

    Yes, yes!

    Lynnes shoulder shook when she heard Ludger call her name.

    Did you get hurt anywhere?

    Pardon?

    I asked if you got hurt anywhere.

    Ah, aaaah no! No! Im alright! Be-because Professor helped me..

    Then its a relief.

    Ludger turned his head right away and looked at Selena.

    Professor Selena, Ill leave the rest to you.

    Ah, yes!

    Ludger left the training center after saying that to Selena.

    No one dared to move until he disappeared beyond the darkness of the corridor.

    Just nkly

    They could only stare at Ludgers back.

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 19

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    Away from the training center, I headed straight to a secluded ce.

    I couldnt see any students, perhaps because it was way past school time.

    After looking around and checking that there were no people, I took a pill out of my pocket with my trembling hands.

    I thought I was going to die from holding it in.

    I put the pill in my mouth and chewed it.

    With a bitter and pure sense that touched the tip of my tongue, intense mana spread through my mouth.

    Phew, I survived.

    As the energy from the drug spread and mana was being supplied to my brain, my slowly deteriorating body condition returned to its original state.

    The ringing inside my ear, which I could hear faintly, also disappeared immediately as if I was turning off a radio.

    I took a breath while sitting on a quiet bench.

    The first signal hade when I stopped by the second training center.

    My fingertips were shaking, and my head felt numb with a headache.

    It was some kind of chronic disease that I had after I came to this world.

    Id be in big trouble if I didnt have the pills.

    Still, I had thought it was bearable, so I was going to take the medicine right after checking up on the first training center.

    I didnt expect a fight between freshmen to break out there.

    No, should I call it a fight? One sides unteral attempt to make an ambush cant be counted as a fight.

    School violence.

    It was a situation where the victim and the perpetrator were clearly divided.

    I intervened in between and managed to prevent things from getting bigger.

    Afterwards, I had been talking about disciplinary action and such, but I felt the soaring wave building up inside of me.

    Feeling my bodys signal to put the pill in my mouth quickly, I had tried to take care of the situation fast and leave.

    But there was a problem

    Who would have thought that she would insolently tell me that I was a fallen aristocrat?

    For a moment, I didnt even know what she had just said to me and was contemting hard on it for about three seconds.

    I wondered if she really meant it, and all kinds ofplicated and long lines were being prepared inside my head, but mymunication skills were poor, so those might have been myst words.

    However, the problem was that after I heard such an impudent speech, I couldnt just go away as a professor.

    Why did she have to say that at that kind of timing?

    If she had just said it to herself without anyone else listening, I would have pretended not to hear it, but there were too many witnesses around her.

    In the end, I had to say something to protect my authority as a professor, but I couldnt say anything usible because my brain wasnt working well.

    -Originally, what you did was an evident challenge to the professors authority.

    -You may be referred to the disciplinarymittee in ordance with school regtions.

    -You might get a penalty or be reported to the principal.

    Well, I should have said these kinds of principled things, but they didnte to my mind.

    So I just said whatever came to my mind.

    I was in such a hurry that I said whatever came to my mind in the best way possible so that my image didnt get ruined.

    Even while I had said that, I was having a hard time keeping together my crumbling expression.

    Maybe my face was a little distorted, and my eyes were a bit bloodshot.

    It wont be a big problem, right?

    Anyway, since professor Selena btedly came, I left the rest of it to her and hurriedly left my spot sessfully.

    I got up from the bench while gulping down the pills that still lingered in my mouth.

    I was d it was just an early symptom.

    If it got worse there, other people might have noticed my peculiarity.

    The pill, is this thest one?

    I sighed when I found out that the medicine bottle was empty.

    I put the extra medicine in a bag that I had sent away; I didnt know that this would happen since things went awry in the middle.

    Im meeting him next weekend It honestly seems like it will be hard for me to hold out until then, so Ill have to write a letter again and tell him toe earlier.

    Otherwise, Id have to rent a private pharmacy and make it my own space, but if I did that, I would be in trouble because it would be recorded.

    Seeing this kind of situation, Im not sure if I canst even five days.

    If I consumed mana, the period of five days would be shortened.

    I hope everything will go by safely until then.

    I went on patrol again, taking a light breath into my mind as it gradually became clearer.

    * * *

    * * *

    Are you okay?

    Yes, Im fine. Thank you for your concern.

    Dont mention it; this is my job.

    Lynne bowed to Selena, who took her to the infirmary even though she adamantly refused her offer and told her that she was fine.

    Selena gave a warm smile and waved her hand, but Lynne meant her gratitude.

    That Professor Selena.

    Hm?

    What will happen to her?

    You mean Dynema, right? Hmm. Im not sure what will happen to her either. I just got in here as well.

    Oh, thats right

    But ording to the pre-announced school rules, its not a mere fight but a one-sided quarrel, so I think shell have a disciplinary action even though she wont be dismissed from school.

    It would be nice if the Academy took strong disciplinary action against someone who had great pride and high self-esteem like Dynema.

    Even so, both of them were vaguely aware that they would not take such an action.

    The weak punishment would y its part because she was a freshman who didnt know anything yet, but most of all, there was a Counts family on her back, so they would let it slide.

    Why? Are you worried?

    No, its just Im curious.

    To be honest, she didnt feel sorry for Dynema after she had explicitly aimed at her andunched an attack from her end.

    She would get what she deserved. It was rather surprising that she did not get expelled from school even though she did that much.

    She was just asking because she felt upset.

    Are you concerned?

    Pardon?

    Your expression shows everything.

    Ah

    Lynne nodded quietly. Her bobbed, gray hair swayed in tune with her movement.

    Its just when I came here, it was more intense than I thought. I thought Sren was a ce full of dreams and idealism.

    But after I talked to the aristocratic students then, it didnt seem like that at all. Although the person will be punished, there is no guarantee that something simr wont happen again.

    I suppose so.

    Selena agreed with Lynnes opinion.

    Even though Sren said that both royalty andmoners were equal, such a promise had rarely been properly protected.

    Even if the professors also became mediators among students in the most neutral way possible, they had nothing to say about the problems that arose when the students were mingling with each other.

    Some professors from the aristocracy even showed some discrimination againstmoners and secretly favored aristocratic students.

    As a result, some people, who had a strong pride as aristocrats, looked down on the professors just because they were amoner or from a fallen aristocratic family.

    Dynemas verbal abuse against Ludger just was a result of it.

    Yeah, I honestly think her words were too much for Professor Ludger.

    Selena puffed up her cheeks with her hands on her waistline as if to prove she was angry.

    Selena smiled softly while looking at Lynne, who opened her eyes wide as if she didnt know that the professor would say that.

    But Professor Ludger has passed it as a mere warning. We cant say anything anymore.

    Arent you angry?

    Of course, Im angry, too. Im just trying hard to hold it in, but Im sure it was Professor Ludger whose mind was more messed up than anyone else.

    Ah.

    Lynne recalled the expression that Ludger had shown at that time.

    She couldnt see it properly because there was a shadow casting on his face, but it must have been very scary.

    Even Dynemas face turned ghostly pale after looking at those eyes.

    He was originally a scary professor when he set the mood of the ssroom, so she couldnt imagine how scary he would be if he was genuinely angry.

    Nevertheless, Professor Ludger said that he would forgive Dynemas mistake only that time.

    He must have been angrier than anyone else.

    Yet he endured it and let it slide.

    He didnt let it slide just because he sumbed to the other partys family either.

    On the contrary, it was more like a form of mercy to guide a student who was reallycking in many aspects.

    And that was because Ludger stared at her coldly all the time instead of being intimidated by Dynema.

    A person who showed such an expression would not step down just because of the other partys family influence.

    To be frank, when he spoke to Dynema while saying that he was indeed a fallen aristocrat

    Lynne thought that his behavior waspletely unexpected as she witnessed it.

    And also that he looked really cool.

    So Im going to believe it for once. Im sure what they did is wrong, but theyre still young students, right? Just think that theres still a chance for them to change.

    Ah.

    Selena scratched her head.

    Hehehe. Sorry. I really sounded like an olddy, right?

    No. Professor Selena is still quite young. Honestly, if we met outside Sren, I would have called you as though youre my older sister.

    Oh my~ Thank you for thepliment. Youre a good girl, Lynne.

    No, its true, though?

    Selena herself may have thought that she was old, but ording to Lynne, she was so young that she would look like her senior if she wore a school uniform.

    Selena, who was beautiful and always smiled, had already been the target of some male students love. It was just that she was not aware of it, actually.

    She wondered if people in their mid-20s thought they were that old in the first ce.

    Hmm. Older sister, you said~ It sounds good. I wish I had a younger sister like Lynne as well.

    I also wish I had an older sister like Professor Selena.

    Really? Oh my, youre such a nice girl~

    Heheh. Then can you give me some more points during the Spirit Studies ss?

    After I saw you working hard~

    Selenaughed while replying to Lynnes joke.

    Times already passed by so fast. Ill go look around the rest of my patrol area. If theres something wrong with your body, you have to tell me, okay?

    Yes, I will.

    Selena left the infirmary while waving her hand.

    Lynne, who was left alone, stared at her physical condition and got out of bed, thinking that she was fine.

    Come to think of it, Professor Ludger actually called my name.

    When she used the training center, she worefortable clothes in case her uniform got dirty.

    Obviously, she didnt have a name tag then, so no one knew Lynnes name.

    But Ludger Chelysie naturally called her name.

    Lynne, he had said.

    Did he remember me from when I took his ss?

    For Ludger Chelysie, she was just one of his 80 students, amoner who didnt even need to be noticed.

    Still, Ludger remembered her name.

    Suddenly, she remembered what he had said to Dynema.

    All students are equal in Sren.

    Just like a stone that was thrown into the calm water, the words caused a ripple in Lynnes mind.

    If he had only spoken empty words, she would not have believed it and would have been rather disappointed.

    But Ludger was not like that.

    His actions, his unwavering principle, his voice

    He instilled hope in Lynne for Sren.

    His first impression was obviously that of a scary professor.

    Even as he was a new professor, she hadnt expected much when she took his first ss.

    However, she was surprised at once by the innovation of the source code shown by Ludger and realized that he was not appointed as a professor in Sren just by his words.

    Even so, recalling the inconsiderate and audacious attitude that he pointed out to Flora

    She thought he was a tiresome professor in many ways.

    But he wasnt like that.

    When he was mediating the situation, he ended up only warning the student, even though he had been insulted.

    He had even asked her if she had been hurt anywhere as he saved her.

    He suddenly appeared at the moment of crisis and saved her. It was just a passing moment, but it seemed like she saw a prince riding a white horse in the fairy tales.

    It made her heart throb.

    No, Professor Ludger wouldnt have thought much of me.

    Yeah, there was nothing more shameful than being all flustered by herself for no reason.

    She was there to learn magic, not to look for that kind of dramatic encounter.

    ***

    I was able to return to my amodationfortably because nothing unusual was found on my patrol after the incident at the first training center.

    When I got back to the amodation, I immediately mailed a letter to him.

    The content of the letter was for him toe earlier because it was hard for me to wait until the next weekend.

    And the next day

    The reply came early in the morning.

    What was written inside the letter was simple:

    The work he was dealing with ended earlier than he thought, so he would depart right away.

    We will meet the next day on the weekend.

    The ce of our appointment was the industrial zone beyond the eastern business zone of Leathevelk.

    I burned the letter, thinking it was a suitable ce that was away from peoples sight.

    Today is Friday. Its Saturday tomorrow, so Ill be able to go through the day.

    Students must have been at the peak of their excitement because it was the first weekend since the start of the semester, but would the same type of incident happen, simr to the previous day?

    While thinking so, I heard a strange story from Professor Selena, who was having lunch with me.

    Did you just say werewolf?

    Yes, werewolf.

    Rumors about werewolves began to circte in Sren.

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 20

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    Professor Selena, who was smiling brightly again that day, nodded at my question.

    Yes. Rumors have already spread all over amongst the students. A werewolf who exists only as a citys ghost story. Funny, right?

    No matter how many geniuses are gathered here, I think theyre still students after all. I cant believe they are genuinely concerned about that kind of ghost story.

    Professor Selenaughed, saying that the students imaginations were so cute, but I couldntugh.

    It was said that the first source of the rumor was from the students who went out to the nearby city of Leathevelk the previous day.

    It was a dark night in Leathevelk when the sun had set.

    The first sighting of a werewolf was when they saw a ck shadow wandering through the roofs of the buildings in between the night fog that was gently subsiding.

    I shook my head.

    Theyre still children, arent they?

    Yes. Of course, but it was a little fascinating to hear that the werewolf they saw outside the city was also seen in Sren.

    Inside Sren too, you said?

    Were the students inside the school seeing things because those who saw a werewolf in the city spread rumors about it?

    Sren must be so wide, and since it is a ce where all kinds of magics are prevalent, strange phenomena ur due to the magic power. There are seven ghost stories in real life, right?

    Seven ghost stories, you said?

    Yes, you didnt know?

    Professor Selena knows a lot about ghost stories, I see.

    Wh-what?!

    It was just apliment, but Professor Selena somehow overreacted to it.

    She opened her eyes wide, and her cheeks blushed in a pinkish ; her hair also stood on the edges a little.

    When I gave a curious look as to why she was reacting like that, she spoke in a hurry as an excuse.

    I I didnt look meticulously for Srens school ghost stories in particr! Its just I was thinking about what topics to talk about when were having a conversation about the students, so thats not the case, really!

    I get it, so calm down.

    Seeing that both of her arms that lost direction were shaking here and there, they seemed to nearly bump into the tes and spill the food as if she was being careless.

    Noo. Its really not the case.

    But Selena continued to make more desperate excuses as if she sensed some temper in my attitude.

    When I thought that lunchtime was unlikely to proceed like that, Professor Merilda intervened.

    Oh,e to think of it, Professor Ludger, I heard youve done your job quite splendidly since your first ss. Is that true?

    What are you talking about?

    You know, you showed them a groundbreaking magic that shortened the time spent for casting spells. Whats the name again?

    Source code!

    Selena also forgot that she was embarrassed and shouted such words with fire in her eyes.

    Her shout was so loud that there was a momentary silence in the professor-only cafeteria.

    Professor Selena lowered her head when she realized her slip of the tongue. Her earlobes that were exposed through her pink hair turned bright red.

    I let out a small sigh and nodded.

    Yes, thats right.

    As I nodded and confirmed it, the gazes from every direction of the cafeteria stuck to me.

    They were the gazes of the professors who were eating at the other table.

    As I was wondering why they were staring at me like that, Professor Merilda moved her upper body toward me and exined it in a way that I could hear well.

    Its because everyone is interested in Professor Ludgers spell.

    My spell, you said?

    Oh my. Are you pretending not to know? The spell that Professor Ludger showed in your first ss has spread throughout Sren, though?

    Hm.

    I put a piece of meat in my mouth and figured out how things were going.

    Are they interested?

    From the first day of ss, I vaguely guessed that it would be like that.

    From the perspective of the people of this world, the source code that was borrowed from a 21st-centuryputer programming method was simply innovative.

    I had already expected enough that the ripple effect itself would reach the other professors.

    I heard that it dramatically reduced the time span of the spell techniques casting. Can you really showcase it here?

    Thats right. Youll be able to earn a lot of money by patenting such a spell in a magic tower.

    Professor Selena also responded.

    Well, its not wrong to say it, to be exact. The source code spell would be the wind of change in the stagnant magical society.

    In fact, if I offered that magic to the magic tower where the magic patent system exists, I could literally sit on a money cushion.

    Of course, thats ostensiblymon sense.

    I dont care about that.

    I pretended to be humble, but I knew better than anyone else why I should not apply for a patent.

    For those who didnt know anything yet, they might think it was great to offer the newly developed magic to the magic tower, but the reality was quite different.

    There was definitely a magic patent system at the magic tower.

    Wizards whocked money wanted to earn ie through such a patent system, but such an ostentatious offer was only superficial.

    Spells could only be patented if they were properly recognized by the magic tower

    The problem was that most of the magic that was usually submitted as a patent was nitpicked while the magic tower made all kinds of excuses.

    It might be better if its just an excuse, but there are people who also abuse it.

    Other new professors may have still had a positive perception of the magic tower, but I have already experienced how dirty and cheap they are, so my perspective toward the tower was different.

    Even if the old judges of the magic tower found a new magic that had no room to be nitpicked, the problem still existed.

    If you dont have any supporter who will be a reliable support to you or a backing from a noble family, your magic patent will literally get snatched away.

    Or, if the developer was dissatisfied with it and did not want to apply for a patent, they could be dragged to ces like a back alley or something and forced to cast their developed spell.

    There was a time when such a thing happened.

    In other words, the nominal patent system that was being promoted by the magic tower was nothing but an ostentatious fraud.

    Knowing that, I didnt offer my spell to the magic tower in order to earn money.

    It was an obvious reality to get kicked out because one didnt have a backing, let alone money.

    Im better off as Ludger now.

    Although he was a fallen aristocrat, he was currently working as a professor in Sren, so it was not bad in terms of his recognition.

    However, even with Ludgers identity, the magic tower might make me catch a sleeping weasel if I barely lowered my guard.

    A ce where stagnant old mens greed was as rampant as sticky mud.

    Even I loathed such a ce.

    And the source code that I intentionally showed in Sren was an act that was done with some calction.

    First of all, the students would spread talk that the groundbreaking spell of Source Code was created by Ludger Chelysie, and the story would circte.

    The rumors would keep spreading among students and reach the professors, and even among the professors, the rumors would keep spreading outside of Sren.

    Thats how itd reach the ears of the magic tower.

    If I lowered my head first and applied for a patent, itd be like offering my neck to be cut.

    However, if they approached me because they were getting impatient with the advent of new magic, then the position of the former and thetter would change.

    And Ludgers status would be even higher.

    Rather than being viewed as Srens new professor who had nothing, he would be a Srens professor with considerable talent.

    If I carried around such a name card, people around me wouldnt easily look down on me.

    It would take a little time, but there was nothing better than that to solidify my position.

    However, the problem is that the other professors are after me with their eyes on fire.

    It was like that even then.

    Professor Selena and Merilda were good-natured so they just passed it, but the other professors had been sending me explicit jealousy.

    Especially the eyes of Chris Benimore, one of the professors who was newly appointed with me at the same time, seemed to be like an infested magma.

    He could kill people with his eyes like that.

    But its still a shame

    I dont have to think that its a shame to show it to my students first.

    I got up from my seat after properly wrapping up my sentence.

    It was because I thought I would get indigestion from the other professors gazes if I stayed there.

    Ill be on my way now. I have another ss to teach.

    Oh, yes! Good luck with your work!

    Good bye~

    I nodded my head lightly to the two professors who sent their farewells to me and walked away quickly from the professor-only cafeteria.

    * * *

    * * *

    Merilda narrowed her eyes as she watched Ludger go away.

    She had thought he was a great guy from the first time she saw him, but she realized it even more while talking with him.

    Ludger Chelysie That man had really shown the spell of source code, which even the other professors had eyes on, to the students first.

    Otherwise, he wouldnt have kept it secret until he showed it to the students in his first ss, let alone revealing it to the magic tower.

    From Merildas point of view, Ludgers behavior had not been something akin to wizards in those days.

    Its a little strange to say a term like wizards those days, but wizards had always been like that since the old days.

    Because they were too cool-headed, theycked a lot of empathy, and that made them selfish andcking in consideration for others.

    But over time, such tendencies had be much worse.

    It was the magic world of that time that even a teacher who had to teach someone never showed his vision bluntly because they did not trust their student.

    She was feeling it earnestly because she also had experienced a simr situation.

    But what about Ludger?

    Even when he had that great spell, he didnt show off his skills to his surroundings.

    And what was more surprising was that he used the spell in front of his students.

    No matter how young the students are, if he shows them how to use a spell like that, some sensible students might get the ropes of the technique.

    Doesnt he even worry about his spell being snatched away?

    There are only two reasons for him to do so:

    One was that the spell was something thats hard to understand just by looking at it.

    Or

    Hed resolved that it was okay for the spell to be snatched away by someone.

    Eyy, no way.

    But if it wasnt that, the confident attitude that he showed her when they were eating a while ago

    That couldnt be exined.

    I cant believe such a person is a new professor like me.

    The more she thought about it, the more shabby she felt about herself.

    Merilda sighed and turned her head to the side.

    Selena, her colleague and close friend, stared vacantly at Ludgers seat.

    She was pretty much into it, too.

    Merilda shook her head, thinking that she couldnt help it, then she immediately smiled mischievously before touching Selenas neck with her fingertips.

    Heeyaaa!

    Selena, what are you thinking about? Why? Are you feeling upset that Professor Ludger left first?

    Pr-Professor Merilda? What on earth are you talking about!

    It was indeed fun to tease Selena.

    Merilda thought so and teased Selena for a while.

    Of course, she would have to appease Selena afterward, who became sulky along the way.

    ***

    Saturday after the theory ss ended.

    From noon, when the sun was shining the brightest, I had already been in Leathevelk, a nearby city from Sren.

    At first, it seemed like I was having a simple walk to look around nearby cities, but in reality, I did that because I had a previous engagement.

    The appointment was at night, so there was still a lot of time left.

    I arrived early to look around and see what kind of ce Leathevelk was.

    The city itself looks pretty splendid.

    Leathevelk, a city with advanced magic engineering, was a huge city where the Ramsey River, which stretched for more than 500km, flowed into the center of the city.

    The flowing rivers and countless railroads on its ground were the blood vessels that instilled the vitality of the city, and the people living in them were full of vigor.

    Leathevelk, which was the center of all kinds of business, magic, and engineering, had won the reputation of being the most developed city since it was side by side with Sren Academy.

    I walked through Centerford, the main street of Leathevelk.

    Unlike other districts, there were gentlemen anddies dressed in suits quietly enjoying their leisure time.

    Centerford, a ce that symbolized the revival of Leathevelk

    A residentialplex inhabited by rich people, the roadside trees were beautifully carved, and steam cars and golem wagons roamed on every road.

    I drank coffee while sitting on the terrace of a quiet cafe.

    The subtle fragrance of coffee beans and the aroma of coffee I drank were mixed in a cafe that was quiet, even on weekends, inflicting a strange atmosphere.

    Its cool.

    It was a beautiful ce, and I wanted to live in a ce like that at least once.

    It would be natural to have such a vague idea in my mind.

    The price of the housing here must be expensive.

    After I got up from my seat and calcted the price of the coffee I drank, I headed to the next area.

    It was Grand Chapel, a high street with the most poption in Leathevelk.

    It was the ce where a huge white cathedral in Gothic Revival style stood tall.

    It was a busy street for some reason, so many things that I had never seen before in the other ces were all packed on that street.

    Machines emitted white steam from an externalbustion engine made of brass and the technicians working with those machines.

    Children ying with little mechanical toys.

    People who were busking on the streets while ying ordions, cellos, and violins, and the citizens who danced while listening to the music.

    As I walked around the city while taking a look at various ces, the sun was sinking, and the sunset began to burn the skys .

    Ding. Dong. Ding.

    A huge clock tower that was rising throughout the city rang a bell, signaling that it was already six oclock.

    Since it was early spring, where there were still traces of winter, the sun set early, and the air that touched my skin quickly became cold.

    I headed for the appointment while closing the front of my ck coat.

    So far, I had only seen the beautiful appearance of Leathevelk, but the ce I was headed to was the opposite.

    A clear shadow thats cast under the intense light.

    The ce was called the hideous bare face of the city.

    I walked through the water vapor that was rising from the surface of the Ramsey River while pressing the wide-brimmed hat that I wore on my head.

    When the clouds, which were the of burning scarlet mes, drifted over to the west and the deep blue sky covered the entire city of Leathevelk

    I stood in front of an alleyway in a foggy industrial area.

    There were no people.

    The street vagrants gave up begging and went back to the deep side of the alley, and the children who worked hard to earn a daily wage while coughing severely also went home.

    I was the only one there.

    The scarlet light of the streetmps touched the fog and hazily scattered.

    In that empty silence, I waited for the person I was supposed to meet while leaning against a brick wall covered with dirt.

    He said hede early, but heste.

    As soon as I thought so, I heard a sound from the inside of the alley that I was leaning my back against.

    Grrrrrrr.

    It was a sound that could never be made by a human being.

    I pulled my back from the wall and stared inside the alley.

    A pair of red eyes rose from inside a strange space that was half-mixed with gray fog and pitch ck darkness.

    This is really

    I remembered what Selena had said at the cafeteria the day before.

    The rumor that students saw werewolves.

    Shed gone on by saying that its just a ghost story, but I wasnt sure.

    Looking at it then, I wondered what she would think of it.

    At that moment

    He moved in the darkness.

    His movement was heading towards me in an instant.

    I didnt miss it and stared at the werewolf intensely.

    I immediately raised my fist and hit him on the head.

    Baam!

    Aaargh!

    A loud scream resounded briefly amidst the fog.

    I looked down at the guy who sat down in front of me without hiding his pathetic face.

    I wondered why you werete, so you were nning to y this kind of prank.

    Darn it. Still, its been a while. Cant you act surprised somehow?

    The person who said that and touched his head with his hand was the acquaintance that I was supposed to meet, who could also be called my subordinate.

    Long time no see, Hans.

    Long time no see.

    He was the cause of the werewolf rumor among the students.

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 21

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    Mm, more than that..

    Ludger interrupted Hans when he was about to say his real name.

    Now my name is Ludger. Call me Ludger Chelysie.

    Ludger Chelysie, you said? Ah. Come to think of it, you also used that name when you sent me the letter. What on earth happened? Why didnt you meet me in the capital city where we were supposed to meet?

    Its a long exnation. More than that.

    Ludger shook his head as he nced at Hans.

    Youre still causing idents no matter how much time has passed, huh. What kind of appearance is that this time?

    Damn it. Who do you think would want to be like this?

    Hanss current appearance resembled a werewolf that could make anyone who was walking on the street scream and run away.

    However, that was because the surroundings were dark, but if people had seen this appearance in bright daylight, they would have felt rather odd instead of running away.

    Hanss appearance had no ferocity peculiar to a werewolf at all.

    To be exact, he even had a cuteness that did not match his size.

    What did you get bitten by this time?

    I dont know. It was some kind of a furry brown puppy. Who would have thought that he would bite me after suddenly jumping down from an olddys arms?

    I can tell roughly what kind of dog breed it is from that appearance.

    Hans, who had the shape of a half-human and half-beast, had brown fur on him.

    However, the brown fur was not a dark and dull of a wolf that had been traveling throughout the wild, but rather it was more of a noticeable brighter brown.

    Above all, the shape of his face was very different from that of a wolf. He had a shorter muzzle than a wolfs long head and bigger eyes.

    Right.

    He looked just like a [Pomeranian] that was famous for its cuteness as a pet.

    The furry puppy that Hans said had bit him was a Pomeranian.

    Ive been feeling this way for a long time, but you have a very interesting body type.

    Damn it. Dont make fun of someone elses hardship. I wonder if Ive actually been cursed.

    Hans was a human being who was born with a rather unusual body type.

    When an animal bit him, that animals genes were expressed into his body, and he was mutated into their shape.

    The legendary werewolf whose human skin was suddenly torn and their wildness exploded when they saw the full moon

    That was Hans.

    However, should I say that its a w that he is different from ordinary werewolves?

    Werewolf meant transforming only into a wolf, just like the name suggested, and it only reacted when the full moon rose, but Hans was not like that.

    Hans was still intact even when he saw the full moon, but only when he was bitten by an animal did he forcibly mutate.

    And he would transform into the animal that bit him.

    If he got bitten by a wolf, then he would be a werewolf.

    If he got bitten by a tiger, then he would be a weretiger.

    If he got bitten by a bear, then he would be a werebear.

    Hans, who could mutate through thay way, had quite enormous power.

    The problem was that he was born in the wrong generation.

    Where are the wolves, tigers, and bears in the cities in this current age where civilization and science have developed?

    They were the men who had to go somewhere in the deep and perilous mountains to discover those animals.

    And the precondition that they could only change when they got bitten was ridiculous.

    If they got bitten by a wild predator beast, they would die with one bite, let alone being able to transform, so howe they could only transform when theyre bitten?

    If they didnt want to die, it was better to give up the idea of mutating to something wilder.

    As a result, Hans could only mutate himself into animals in the city that could easily be encountered, whether they were wandering street cats, wild dogs, or pets raised by nobledies.

    It seemed that his unusual body type might have had some kind of effect, as the problems when the animals were rushing to Hans ovepped with each other.

    It didnt matter if something like an animals fur only touched his skin.

    As soon as the animals bit him because they were being attracted, that cursed ability was awakened.

    There was no such thing as letting him mutate by his own will.

    There was also no proper way for him to control the ability.

    If Hans lowered his guard for even a little bit, he would be bitten by a small animal and forced into mutating into the form of a half-human and half-beast.

    Just like his appearance in front of Ludger at that moment.

    A strange power thats different from magic.

    What Hans had was actually more of a superpower.

    Take this.

    Ludger took an ampoule jab containing a green chemical from his pocket and threw it to Hans.

    Hans hurriedly grabbed the ampoule with both hands and injected it right into his forearm with a happy face.

    Shoot!

    Then a change urred immediately.

    The fur that had grown thick on his body thinned, and his big size gradually decreased.

    The bright, cute Pomeranian face had also changed to a slightly mean-looking man.

    Returned to his original state, Hans touched his body here and there and breathed a sigh of relief.

    Phew. If it werent for you, Id have been going through a lot of suffering for a few more days.

    Its right now that I think about it.

    It was quite a long time ago that Ludger had met Hans.

    At that time, Hans was being chased here and there, being called a monster because he couldnt control his own body.

    Still, if he had the power to turn into a beast, he could pretend to be a king in the back alley, but he was a man who couldnt fight, so he just wandered from ce to ce to avoid persecution.

    It was a once-in-a-lifetime fortune for Hans to meet Ludger at that time.

    I almost died when I first met you.

    You did. I thought you were a Cryptid that was roaming around the city.

    A Cryptid was a mysterious creature that appeared implicitly throughout the city now that the monsters had disappeared.

    They were some kind of monster remnants.

    Compared to monsters in reality, they were a little more like a supernatural phenomenon.

    Magical beasts, spirit beasts, and the other strange beasts Or also beings who reacted to negative emotions and magic power then embodied them.

    That was a Cryptid.

    Ludger had also met Hans because he was asked to eradicate Cryptids.

    But when he had first met Hans, Ludger was quite taken aback when he realized that he was not the werewolf he had imagined.

    That was because Hans at that time was a half-human and half-beast that had a simr shape to a Chihuahua.

    He was a so-called werechihuahua.

    I was quite surprised to find outter that you were a human being with a decent ability to talk.

    Was that a surprise? I was rather surprised by your ability to develop the cure to it in such a short time.

    It is not a cure. Its more like a neutralizer.

    Well, thats that.

    * * *

    * * *

    Hans snorted.

    If it werent for this medicine that you made for me in the first ce, I might have been hunted as a monster somewhere in the back alley.

    Ludger nodded as he didnt deny such a statement.

    But this time, you said your alias was Ludger Chelysie. And a Professor at Sren Academy? When the hell did you create that identity called Ludger Chelysie? It sounds a little chaotic. How surprised I was to hear that you suddenly became Srens professor in the letter.

    Its a little long to exin the situation.

    Ludger exined how he became a teacher of Sren, starting with the terrorist attacks on the magic engineering train.

    When Hans heard hisst sentences, he couldnt help but burst intoughter.

    Kekek. Hahahaha! Youre really amazing, too. How could you say that youre Ludger right there?

    I had to do it if I wanted to live.

    If it were me, I would have stuttered and acted extremely suspicious. Even worse, Ludger was originally a member of an unidentified secret society?

    Hes also an executive called the First Order.

    Hmm, First order First Order, huh.

    Do you know anything about it?

    Hans was immersed in contemtion as he stroked his chin.

    It was his habit when he tried to think of something.

    Well, I think Ive heard of it. No, its surely within my memory. Have you heard of the recent turmoil in the Empires underworld?

    No. Not yet.

    Well, its quite recent, so you might not know. They say there are a lot of new guys out there, but theyre all pretty strong and crazy. Oh well, those guys call each other as members or whatever and ssify each of them with what-what-Order.

    I think its certainly them. Whats the name of the society?

    Theyre called the ck Dawn Group. Some people call them the ck Dawn Society.

    The ck Dawn Group, or the ck Dawn Society.

    Ludger mused on the name.

    The guys involved with him were definitely not normal, nor were they average.

    They had nted many of their members in Sren, assassinated the employees, hid their identity, and even did an infiltration.

    They must have been extremely vignt people.

    Do you have any more information about them?

    Its very recent, so I dont know the details. What I know is just the name of the organization and its rank, but did you just be their First Order recently?

    Its not that I became the First Order. Its a situation where I have to wear the mask of the original First Order.

    Right now, youre lucky that they passed it with that face, but if you make a mistake, wont you get caught?

    Yeah.

    And if he got caught, hed be tortured in a way that went beyond imagination.

    Ludger clicked his tongue and rummaged through his pockets.

    So I have to prepare.

    Ludger took out the pillbox and tried to take the pills inside, but he realized that he had eaten all the pills the other day and stretched his hand to Hans.

    My suitcase.

    Oh, I brought it here.

    Hans brought a ck suitcase hidden in the dark of the alley and handed it over to Ludgers hand.

    Ludger confirmed that his suitcase was intact.

    So you didnt open it.

    You think Im crazy enough to open your bag? I couldnt open it even if I wanted to.

    Hans was fed up and denied Ludgers half-joking sentence.

    I know. More than that, did you meet Sheridan?

    The little kid? Well, of course I met him beforehand. He was the one who was waiting for you in the Empire at first.

    Im sorry about that.

    You dont have to be sorry. Did you or us know this was gonna happen?

    Ludger opened his suitcase and examined all of his personal items inside.

    It was still the same as when he organized and put the luggage in the suitcase before sending it.

    Ludger took out two pills from the pillbox and poured them into his mouth.

    Hans looked at Ludger with a slightly pitiful eye.

    Youre suffering a lot, too.

    Well, youre not the only one.

    Well, I suffer too, indeed, bute to think of it, you and I are both living while heavily dependent on drugs.

    But unlike narcotics, its fortunate that our drugs have no side effects.

    So what are you going to do with your future n? Do you have an appropriate method? Ludger is an unintentional identity, so there must be a lot of restrictions on him.

    Ill have to think about itter.

    Originally, he had intended to use Srens power to control them or disrupt their ns, but that alone seemed to not be enough.

    It was too optimistic to expect Sren alone to take care of the ck Dawn Society.

    He also needed to move more actively and uproot them.

    Hmm.

    Ludger, who was trying to lock the suitcase again, suddenly remembered something, so he asked Hans a question all of a sudden.

    Hans. If you arrived here two days ago, why didnt you ask me to meet you on that day? Why did you ask me to wait two more days?

    What do you mean?

    Why do you even ask? Rumors spread all over Leathevelk that a werewolf appeared at night two days ago. There was someone who even saw you in Sren.

    Eh? What do you mean? I just arrived in Leathevelk today.

    What?

    Ludger asked back without realizing it.

    It was the same with Hans.

    More than that, there were rumors of werewolves in Leathevelk? Even before I came?

    Yeah. I thought it was you.

    No, I just came here today. And you know my personality. If I hade the day before yesterday, I would have asked you to meet me right away. What reason would I have to stand by here for two days?

    The two men were speechless for a moment.

    So who had caused the werewolf rumor to spread?

    Owoooooooo!

    At that moment, a cry was heard from beyond the foggy darkness.

    In a civilized society, they were supposed to no longer face the dangers of wild animals.

    There was no way the two men in the present could not identify the cry of such an iconic beast.

    Hey.

    Yeah.

    Ludger leaned his back against the wall and was on guard, watching his surroundings.

    The sound of something moving fast with rough breaths in the wind echoed in his ears.

    Its really a werewolf.

    So it wasnt a rumor. It was real?

    Maybe.

    At that moment, Ludger and Hans looked up at the same time.

    In between the factories that were built with bricks

    On the high rooftop, they could see a ck shadow crossing quickly.

    A ck-furry beast shed a bloody red glow in its eyes through the air.

    The distinctive disgusting smell of a beast could be smelled on the tips of their noses.

    His instincts sensed that it was not fake.

    Crazy, it was real Shall we leave this ce now? I dont think he can recognize us right away. Hans asked as he swept the goosebumps rising above his skin with his hands.

    Its only a matter of time.

    The werewolf was moving around fast.

    But it didnt go far away. It was currently wandering around the factories in the industrial area.

    It was currently looking for prey.

    It seems like there was something on the werewolfs neck.

    When the werewolf had shown its appearance in that brief sh

    Ludgers eyes had prated the thick fog and clearly scanned the werewolf.

    What caught his eyes was something simr to an identification tag that was hanging on its neck.

    Is it the belonging of someone that it ate? No. It was more like a leash.

    Maybe he was mistaken.

    It was such an instant moment that he might have been mistaken about it.

    But the fact that the werewolf appeared in Leathevelk and its rumors also spread in Sren disturbed him to no end.

    Hans, I think Ill have to check it.

    Check it, you said? Dont tell me youre going to catch that werewolf?

    Something is fishy about that werewolf. Maybe someone artificially made him and released outside.

    What? Who the hell

    Ill have to check it out now.

    Ludger said so and picked up his items one by one from his suitcase.

    He wrapped a leather belt around his waist. The multifunctional belt was full of empty holsters.

    Ludger put all sorts of things into the empty slots of the belt one by one.

    Thrown weapons, closebat weapons, drug bottles with chemicals.

    Lastly, two ck revolvers.

    ck.

    Ludger checked the firearms quickly and stuck them on his back.

    Click.

    Ludger even finished putting on gauntlets with mechanical devices on both of his arms.

    Looking at Ludger putting on his equipment one by one, Hans recalled the first time he had met him in the past.

    Its been a while since Ive seen you use them.

    Despite the addition of all kinds of equipment, Ludgers appearance had not changed.

    As such, the tools that he used were very secretive and seemingly unobtrusive objects.

    Was it when you were a Cryptid hunter? Didnt you use an alias then, too?

    You are right.

    What was your name at that time? You have used so many aliases. I dont really remember it. Va Van what?

    Van Helsing.

    With all the equipment on, Ludger got up from his seat while closing his suitcase.

    His face was shaded by his hat.

    Abraham Van Helsing.

    It was the name that Ludger had once used when he was a hunter.

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 22

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    Five years before

    The Kingdom of Durman, one of the small countries in the southern part of the continent, was gued by a sudden infestation of Cryptids.

    Wolves roamed in the middle of the city, mysterious beasts ate people every night, and the nightmare of an endless blood scent continued for more than a month.

    Even the officers were helpless.

    Even though soldiers and knights were deployed, the Cryptids evaded their siege by messing with the knights.

    The situation had been sluggish and unsolved.

    Among them, there was one of the most notorious Cryptids.

    It was a monster that had invaded Jvaudan, one of thergest cities in the Kingdom of Durman.

    It was a rare monster that ate three knights who held the title of elite soldiers.

    The worst Cryptid ever to dominate the horrors of the kingdom and a nightmare for Jvaudan.

    The monster of Jvaudan.

    The King of Durman thought that things wouldnt work out like that, so he had issued an official paper saying that he would give a huge reward to those who defeated Cryptids.

    After hearing the rumors, all kinds of frence wizards, wandering knights, and famous mercenaries from the continent gathered in the Kingdom of Durman and began a massive operation to suppress the Cryptids.

    Countless Cryptids had died, and a considerable amount of human beings had also died.

    People called the hunt Bloody Night because the blood shed at that time ed the ground red.

    The Bloody Night was enough to instill fame in many people.

    At that time, there was one person who had made the greatest achievement.

    A person who single-handedly defeated the most notorious monster in Jvaudan and recorded the most achievements in shooting down and ughtering Cryptids.

    He was not a famous wizard, a high-ranking chivalrous knight, or an elite special mercenary.

    He was only a hunter.

    The hunter was adept at handling all kinds of tools and weapons, and during the year after the Bloody Night, he traveled all over Durman, setting up a record of defeating Cryptids with a kill count of more than three digits.

    The name of the hunter, who was also famous as a mystic because he didnt actually reveal his identity

    Was Abraham Van Helsing.

    ***

    Fully equipped, Ludger slowly walked out to the boulevard.

    The damp night fog nketed his coat.

    The blurry scarlet light spreads dimly around the streetmp as if it had consumed the water from the fog.

    The smell of the beast, which gently exuded among the reek of soggy mud, brushed against the tip of his nose.

    What a memory.

    Dum!

    Ludger immediately kicked a drum that was lying around in the street.

    Ka-boom boom!

    As the drum copsed, a strong noise echoed through the air. The werewolf, who was searching for prey, turned his head when he heard the sound.

    His ferocious eyes found Ludger standing alone in the center of the boulevard.

    Grrrrr.

    The werewolf jumped from the roof of the building andnded in front of Ludger.

    Its big.

    Ludger was able to get a closer look at the werewolf.

    He was over 2.5 meters tall, had bloodshot eyes, and his body was full of ck fur.

    His sharp nails were pointed on both hands, and his energy was so creepy that Ludger could feel it in his skin.

    If he got caught by that thing, even steel would be ripped like paper.

    But most of all, what caught his eyes was the metal leash that was stuck in the werewolfs neck.

    I knew it. I wasnt mistaken.

    Theres no way that was just hanging around the werewolfs neck without a cause.

    There was no way that a wild beast who lost his rationality would think by himself and wear that around his neck.

    There was only one possibility:

    Someone deliberately raised or made that werewolf.

    He thought that it wasntpletely impossible.

    It was a world where magic existed where and science had developed in a strange direction, and Hans, whom he knew, had the body type that made him turn into a beast whenever he got bitten by a beast.

    Well, it wouldnt be strange if some secret organization made a werewolf as their experiment.

    The question is: why does it have to happen in this kind of timing?

    The incident happened not long after the start of Sren academys semester. when things had been quiet without much news until then.

    Also, in the year when he was appointed as the professor?

    He couldnt help but be suspicious about the situation that was so tant.

    Well, Ill find out once I catch and beat him up.

    Ludger immediately got into his position.

    The werewolf distorted his face as he seemed to feel ufortable when the human in front of him raised his will to fight rather than run away.

    Owooooo!!!

    The roaring werewolf that was stretching his chest and raising his head to the sky rushed immediately toward Ludger.

    The werewolf, who ran fast on the ground with his four legs, was faster than a car.

    Ludger stepped back while watching his movement. The werewolfs ws passed through the air where Ludger was.

    Grrrr!

    The werewolf waved his arms nonstop; Ludger continued to take back steps and focused on avoiding the werewolf.

    Thud.

    The moment the tip of Ludgers brown shoes touched the ground, a strange wavelength spread around him.

    Booom!

    Every time the werewolfs attack missed, Ludger continued to tap the ground with his toes and spread the wavelength of mana.

    In an extreme situation where he might be torn to the bone just by brushing against the ws, Ludger never allowed the werewolf to attack him.

    Gaaaaah!

    The angry werewolf roared and spread his arms wide. He was going to attack Ludger in that state and grasp him so that he wouldnt be able to avoid his attack.

    So he used his brain.

    Ludgers mouth, which was covered by the shade of his hat, smiled.

    Hiiiiiiiiiiing!

    The werewolf, who was about to jump at Ludger, suddenly distorted his face and fell t on the ground.

    Badump.

    The werewolf slipped over the mud that covered the ground.

    Oh, ooh?

    Hans, who was watching nervously from afar, suddenly opened his eyes wide, confused at the sight of the fallen werewolf.

    Did he eat something wrong?

    Your head will ring a lot.

    Ludger gently stepped on the back of the werewolf, who was struggling in pain.

    The werewolf was more of a beast than a human.

    And since it was a canid, it was particrly sensitive to high frequencies that ordinary people couldnt hear.

    Ludgers stomping while avoiding the werewolf attacks was a preliminary preparation to cast such a spell.

    That spellwhich moderately mixed sound waves and vibration magicmay have been nothing to humans, but it was different to werewolves, who heard sounds beyond a certain frequency range.

    Even then, the ultrasonic waves that rang the werewolfs ears in real-time and shook its brains continued to shake the surrounding area.

    I dont have to use expensive silver.

    There was no more suitable way than that because the purpose was to suppress the werewolf, not to kill it in the first ce.

    Now, lets check where the hell they made this guy.

    It was when Ludger took out a syringe and tried to collect his blood

    Hiiiiiiiing!

    Here it is! I heard a sound from here!

    Everyone, move quickly!

    * * *

    * * *

    With a whistle, uniformed policemen rushed towards them from beyond the fog.

    Police officers, who had been patrolling for two days due to rumors of werewolves, must have flocked as soon as they heard the disturbance here.

    Why does it have to be right now.

    When Ludger looked away for a moment, the werewolf, who had stayed still meekly, jumped up.

    Ludger hastily stepped back and avoided an iing mishap.

    Ludger was immediately wary of the werewolfs counterattack, but the werewolf had no interest in Ludger in the first ce.

    The werewolf shook his head a few times and soon turned his back and ran away.

    Darn.

    I didnt expect the werewolf to run away in this situation.

    Ludger sighed and released the high-frequency spell that was spread around him.

    When the police officers who were carrying mana appeared one by one, Ludger decided to slowly step back from his spot.

    There! Theres someone there!

    Arrest all suspicious people!

    Before he knew it, the werewolf was climbing up the wall of the factory and climbing to the rooftop.

    Ludger ran after the werewolf.

    He was running through alleys avoiding spells and the sound of whistles.

    Ludger, who was running through the dark alley, stretched his arm in the air as he felt that the werewolf was going farther away.

    Whoosh!

    The machine spring, which was hanging under the wrist of his gauntlet, quickly turned around, and soon a wire-mounted hook was shot toward the roof.

    Click!

    As soon as the hook was fixed to the roof railing, the cogwheel rotated and wound the wire at high speed.

    A tightening pulling force.

    Ludger used the rebound to fly up to the roof.

    It was Ludgers favorite item when he was active as a hunter,monly called a Wire Launcher.

    Ludgernded splendidly on the rooftop.

    Whiiirrrrr!

    Ludger, who pulled the wire and withdrew the hook, witnessed the back of the werewolf that was fleeing far away.

    I wont let it go.

    Ludger put mana on his legs.

    Wizards that were in that world had methods of strengthening their bodies with mana which had spread widely in case of unexpected situations.

    Ludger stormed out the roof and chased after the werewolf with his strengthened legs.

    Whoooosh.

    The night scene in the industrial zone quickly passed by. He could see the werewolf that was running away gradually getting closer.

    The werewolf looked back as he felt a strange sense of presence as he ran; he found out that Ludger was chasing him, then elerated his speed to escape.

    The werewolf, who was constantly jumping over between the roofs of the factory, jumped onto the huge railroad down there.

    Just in time, a cargo train loaded with magic stones was passing underneath.

    Boom!

    The werewolfnded roughly on the cargo train.

    Ludger jumped down andnded on the cargo train as well, scared to miss the werewolf.

    He minimized the shock of hisnding by flowing the mana that was loaded on his legs to the soles of his feet.

    Ludger gazed at the werewolf with a flick of his hand over his shoulder.

    Perhaps the werewolf realized that he could no longer escape. He looked back at Ludger while raising his bent body.

    ckety-ck.

    On top of the train, Ludger and the werewolf faced each other about three cabins apart.

    As the train ran, the strong wind blew Ludgers coat hem.

    The scarlet streetlights stretched along the streets and scattered around as it was reflecting the light.

    I was just going to control you moderately at first.

    Grrrrrrrrr.

    But I cant do that.

    Judging from his situation and the police officers around who were after him after hearing somemotion, he couldnt afford to do it.

    The night breeze that was passing by the edge of his cheeks and the steam emitted from the head of the train blurred the view for a moment.

    Hap!

    Using that moment, the werewolf rushed toward Ludger.

    It was a pretty sharp move to pierce through his opponents weak point using the moment when his opponents view was covered.

    But Ludger had already calcted a couple of steps ahead of the werewolfs movement.

    Ziiiiiing!

    The werewolf, who was rushing toward Ludger, stopped running at the strange noise that rang in his earsit was some kind of instinctive intuition as a beast.

    His judgment was indeed correct.

    Something sharp passed quickly on both sides of the werewolfs neck.

    Your intuition is good.

    As they cut through the skin of the werewolfs neck, they spun around and went back to Ludger.

    They were boomerangs with sharp des that were spread out like a fan.

    If he was a little toote to stop, the sharp circr saw would have cut the werewolfs throat.

    The werewolf quickly regenerated the wound running through his neck. He was angry at the fact that there were wounds in his body, and veins popped out throughout his body.

    I was just going to finish you with that in one blow.

    Ludger left his regret behind and took out a wand hanging from his waistline, and grabbed it.

    That time it was Ludgers turn to charge.

    He held a wand in his right hand and collected mana in his left hand to create a spell called [Shining Stone].

    It was shot like a bullet and aimed at one eye of the werewolf.

    Whoosh!

    The werewolf bowed his head and dodged the [Shining Stone]. At that moment, Ludger flicked his left index finger.

    Then, the [Shining Stone] that passed by the werewolf made a turn in the air and hit the back of the werewolfs head.

    Baam!

    While the werewolf was dumbfounded by the intense pain that he felt in the back of his head, Ludger rushed at the werewolf and swung his wand to the werewolfs face with all of his might.

    As soon as the werewolf tried to block it with his arms, a saw de boomerang flew and pierced through the werewolfs hands.

    Ludger had already expected it and threw the boomerang ahead of time.

    Aaaaargh!

    The bewildered werewolf opened his mouth wide and bit Ludgers wand because his arms were not able to move.

    Craack!

    His powerful teeth gripped and bit the wand.

    The werewolfs eyes bent like a crescent moon.

    Since he had already bit the cane, there would be nothing that his opponent could do.

    As soon as the wound on his arm regenerated, he was going to tear the arrogant human in front of him into pieces.

    But as if he was mocking such werewolfs thoughts, Ludger immediately took the next move.

    Whrrr.

    The handle and the grip of the wand were separated, and a white sword de was pulled out of it.

    At such an unexpected sight, the werewolf could not even think of putting the empty shell of the wand in his mouth.

    Wand de.

    Often referred to as a sword-stick, it was more like an assassin weapon that pierced through the opponents weak point rather than a weapon used head-on.

    And there was only one moment when he picked this in a fight that was aiming for each others lives.

    It was only when he was confident that he could kill the other person.

    Ludgers body spun around once in his spot.

    Whoosh!

    A solid white line was drawn in the air.

    An extremely thin but vivid light gently split the werewolfs neck.

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 23

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    Hmp, phew. I almost got cornered and caught as a suspicious person.

    Hans, carrying Ludgers suitcase, walked slowly through the dark alley while avoiding the eyes of the police who had suddenlye to the scene.

    It was just that day that Hans had arrived there, but he didnt get lost because he had already memorized a map of Leathevelk city in his head.

    More than that, he went to catch a werewolf. When the hell is heing back?

    As he thought so, something fell in front of Hans from the air.

    It was a giant wolfs head that rolled to his feet.

    Heek!

    Hans shrugged his shoulders and desperately held back the scream that was about to leak out of his lips.

    Surprised?

    Ludger walked slowly out of the darkness of the opposite alley.

    Shoes and leather trousers with a white dress shirt and a brown leather vest over it and a long dark coat on the outside and a hat on his head.

    It seemed like Hans might have plopped down on the spot if he didnt know who he was due to the intense pressure that was being emitted by his appearance.

    Damn it! When you want to show up, say something before that! I almost dropped your suitcase! Hans shouted with quivering lips.

    You didnt, so its fine.

    Ah shit. Is this the werewolf? Well, Im not looking down on your skills, but I wonder how you managed to catch this horrible guy in that situation.

    Hans, who checked the head of a werewolf who had died with his tongue stuck out, shivered and handed Ludger the ck suitcase.

    epting the suitcase, Ludger turned his back and walked ahead.

    Hans followed in Ludgers back.

    Can you leave the head just like that?

    Yes, I dont need it anymore.

    Why did you bring it then?

    To surprise you.

    So you still remember me trying to tease you in the alley?

    When Ludger was silent, Hans sighed and raised his hands.

    I get it. I lost. I lost, so lets not do that again.

    Seeing you do it

    The two people who left the alley came out to the street where there was human presence with pedestrians here and there.

    So what was the identity of the werewolf? Is it really Cryptid?

    No. It was an artificial experiment made by someone.

    Experiment? Theyre crazy. Ill have to watch myself while Im in this town. It means that the people who made that are here.

    I have something to tell you about that.

    Something to tell me? Im suddenly very nervous. Can I not listen to it?

    I I get it! Tell me what it is.

    I should move up the work I originally nned.

    The work you originally nned? Dont tell me

    I think its better here than in the capital.

    Ludger threw two bags at Hans.

    Hans took them and checked the contents. One was full of gold coins, and the other contained his beast neutralizer.

    This is?

    Shouldnt we slowly settle down?

    But in Leathevellk? In a ce thats in contact with Sren, and where there might be the secret society, the ck Dawn Society? Theres even a gang in the back alley since its a big city, though?

    Yeah.

    Youve gone crazy.

    Theres plenty of funds for it, so do your best.

    What about you?

    I cant move hastily because Im an academy professor for now. The principal is still suspicious of me.

    So I have to do this all by myself?

    Ludger shook his head.

    Im not asking you to do everything. Im asking you to gather important information first. Whos the gang in this city, whos the mafia, how the underworld goes here, and how we can get a spot there. You can figure them out and tell me.

    Ill step up, then.

    Hans, who understood what Ludger was about to say, gulped down his saliva and soon smiled and nodded.

    Yes, thats my specialty.

    ***

    Returning to the dormitory of the academy, I unpacked all my luggage in the amodation.

    I had left it to Hans to collect information by himself for the moment, but it will be fine.

    He didnt seem trustworthy, but his ability to gather information was unrivaled.

    I didnt take him around often for no reason.

    I should build up my own force to prepare for unknown situations.

    I couldnt move right away for the moment, so I decided to just prepare in advance.

    The principal was still suspicious of me, and I still didnt know exactly what the secret society of the ck Dawn Society was going to do.

    It was rather poisonous for me to move rashly.

    Having finished organizing my luggage briefly, I sat on a fluffy sofa and recalled what happened that day.

    That werewolf It was an experiment deliberately made by someone rather than pure Cryptid.

    The existence of werewolves was not surprising.

    Monsters exist in this world, and by then, theyd been driven out beyond the shadow barrier, which was the outside of the continent, but there were still traces of them.

    Cryptids were a prime example of the remnants.

    The subspecies of monsters were more like urban legends or ghost stories caused by the abnormal urrence of mana rather than the beings called as monsters.

    The werewolf I caught that time was also some kind of Cryptid, but it was just a fake one, to be exact.

    Because experiments and spells that create werewolves have existed for a long time.

    There was a curse potion made by putting various medicinal herbs in the water with wolfs footprints in it and mixing them with wolfs fur.

    It was a transformation potion that could make even ordinary people turn into a beast if they drank it.

    It was certainly ck magic.

    ck magic was prohibited nationally, so they would be punished with an unconditional death penalty no matter what reason they had if they got caught.

    It also rarely circted in the underworld.

    But how could they make a werewolf like that? Seeing that he even has ab marker as the sign that hes an experiment, I dont think theres a lot of power involved in his creation.

    Seeing that it has a leash, are they mixing human genes after capturing wild wolves alive?

    There were signs of restraints and other traces of experiments engraved on the werewolfs body.

    It was certainly the result of science.

    A potion that corrupted humans and transformed them into beasts was the exclusive property of ck wizards who had almost gone extinct.

    Science had intervened in that thing.

    Someone deliberately urged them to do it.

    Then who was that someone?

    Normal space was not enough to make that much of an experiment secretly.

    A fairlyrgeboratory was needed, and it should have been kept hidden from people.

    Space, confidentiality, and possible failure in the experiments

    Considering all that, it meant that there was a big investor in the case who could provide a huge source of funding.

    An aristocrat or a millionaire.

    There must be a suspicious rich man in the empire.

    I shook my head.

    I didnt know who was suspicious enough, and since Id eliminated the werewolf and finished collecting his serum, I wouldnt have to worry about it anymore.

    It was the weekend after a long time, so I didnt want to be involved in any more troublesome work, and the next day was Sunday, so I wanted to rest well.

    Moreover, I have to prepare for what I should do for the next ss.

    There were so many things that I had to deal with in many ways that I had a headache.

    ***

    Monday morning marked the beginning of a new week after a peaceful Sunday.

    I had breakfast with simple toast and coffee and then went to work at my private professors office in the main building.

    The ss was the next day, but I had to show myself going to work for the moment because I was a new teacher.

    Thats social life.

    After sitting at the desk in the office, I opened the days newspaper that I brought from the amodation.

    It was to simply check what happened in Leathevelk or Sren.

    But

    What the hell is this?

    The front page of the warm newspaper that came out just that morning was inscribed with a single prominent title in the coverage.

    [An unidentified murderer in Leathevelk. Still in search!]

    -Last Sunday, five more people died in Leathevelk. As a result, the total number of deaths exceeded 10. The culprit has yet to be identified, but witnesses say it is a dreadful beast with ck fur. Although the cops say that its just a lunatic murderer and announced that theyd arrest it soon, citizens are still anxious.

    What is this?

    I read the article on the front page of the newspaper again and again.

    No matter how I looked at it, it was the werewolf that I had killed the previous Saturday.

    But the newspaper said that the death toll happened on Sunday.

    There were as many as five people.

    I definitely ended his life then, and yet theres a new victim. Does that mean there wasnt only one werewolf?

    It was the moment when I felt that the situation was going weird

    Beep! Beep!

    The translucent crystal ball on the work table began to sh with a strange sound.

    I knew what that was.

    The principal is calling me.

    It was some kind of signal artifact to bring the professors together.

    That meant that there was a meeting to be held.

    I have to go.

    I stood up and put on my coat on the hanger.

    * * *

    * * *

    Suddenly, I remembered what professor Selena had said during the meal on Friday.

    Some students had said they witnessed werewolves inside the academy.

    Victims in Leathevelk, including sightings at the Academy.

    Even if I excluded the one that I hunted, there might have been at least two more werewolves.

    Maybe more than that.

    Trying to move on from such anxious thoughts, I headed to the meeting room where the professors had gathered.

    Chatter chatter.

    The conference hall on the higher floor of the main building was full of professors.

    Those who were clearlypetent in their own teaching fields.

    When I went inside, peoples eyes were looking at me.

    Most of the feeling that was emitted in their eyes was curiosity, but I knew it was directed at the source code that I had invented, not curiosity toward me.

    Professor Ludger! Here!

    A familiar pink-haired woman was seen swaying her hand in the corner.

    When I found out that professor Selena was waving at me, I walked toward her.

    Is that person Ludger Chelysie?

    I heard he invented some pretty great spell. Is that true?

    I heard hes from a fallen aristocrat family. Hes acting so high with that look.

    Among some professors, there were not a few people who looked at me with hostility who were descendants of the aristocracy.

    Their hostile and jealous stares were quite stinging, but I just shrugged it off.

    Professor Selena greeted me as I sat in an empty seat next to her.

    Did you have a good weekend?

    I had a good rest. Did you have a good rest, too, Professor Selena?

    Yes, its been a while since I had a good rest. More than that, have you heard the rumor?

    Did you mean the reason why we gathered this time?

    Two first-year students were severely injuredst night after they were attacked by an unidentified assant.

    Selena exined that the situation was like that.

    Last night

    It was said that two first-year students who were returning to the dormitory after going outside the academy were attacked inside Sren.

    The injuries were not life-threatening, but it was quite serious, and it was a big shock that such an incident happened inside Sren.

    And one of the students who just woke up that morning had said

    That a horrifying beast had attacked them.

    I guess the werewolf rumor that has been going around sincest week was true. There were also victims in the nearby city of Leathevelk.

    I see.

    It was difficult to simply dismiss them as seeing some hallucination, and the wounds carved on the victims bodies were said to have been scratched by a beast.

    Thats why the professors were all gathered that time.

    First of all, it was mentioned in the contract that Srens professors had to work with all their might in case of an emergency.

    That meant it was hard to calm things down with internal guards or employees alone.

    If the opponent is a werewolf, it would be much better to send elite professors than to put in unnecessary manpower.

    Srens professors didnt only teach students normally.

    In other words, the professors skills had been guaranteed to some extent at the time when they tought the prestigious Sren students.

    The principal ising.

    When a woman in her mid-50s with wrinkles on her face said that, all the professors who were talking to each other became quiet.

    I was wondering who she was, and Selena exined it to me.

    Shes Professor Mary Ross. Shes been teaching in Sren for more than 20 years. Her field of teaching is pharmacology.

    I see.

    Shed been teaching for more than 20 years in Sren? It meant that she had great ability.

    She came forward and settled down the situation, and all the other professors were silent.

    The principal ising.

    Then the door opened, and the principal came in.

    She was always beautiful. Along with her fascinating golden eyes, her two-tone hair with white and light pink s naturally caught peoples eyes.

    Good morning, everyone. The reason I called you in so urgently today is that I have something to announce to you.

    The principal got straight to the point without dragging more time.

    All the professors in the conference hall pricked up their ears.

    Recently, an unidentified assant appeared inside Sren. In fact,st night, two new students who entered the school this year were attacked and seriously injured.

    Whos the culprit?

    It hasnt been revealed yet, but ording to what the witnesses say, it was a werewolf, which means that it was done by a Cryptid.

    The mention of the werewolf that was just rumor caused a stir among the professors.

    That cant be true, your honor. Arent they mistaken? Howe theres a Cryptid in Sren?

    It was an avaricious middle-aged man who appeared to be in his mid-50s who stood up while speaking so tantly.

    He parted his greasy hair neatly 2/8 and had grown his mustache, which made his face look full of grumpiness.

    It was like seeing an old boss that every school seemed to have..

    However, after he stood up, the atmosphere of the conference hall strangely changed.

    Anything you want to say? Professor Hugo Bourtag?

    This is Sren. This ce is protected by the Exileon Empire. For such a werewolf to appear in Sren, I wonder if the students have been mistaken after believing the ghost stories that are currently circting.

    Professor Hugo. You dont seem to know anything. Didnt I just say there were already two victims?

    I know. Even the victims were children of noble families. Thats why I dont think it was done by a werewolf.

    Hugo Bourtag nced at the crowd once.

    I think the criminal is a fellow Sren student. Amoner at that.

    What?

    Otherwise, theres no way that only the aristocratic children would be among the many students who got hurt. A werewolf attack in Sren? Rather than saying that, it is much more credible if some students deliberately pretended to be werewolves andmitted crimes.

    The words certainly had a usible persuasion, but I couldnt help myself but feel some instinctive displeasure at Hugos words.

    Yes, he is not purely questioning the situation.

    He was just trying to nitpick at the principals words and pass the me on to certain students.

    Looking through the atmosphere, I nodded inwardly.

    Oh, I get it roughly.

    As long as Sren was also an organization, it was inevitable that factions existed within it.

    Students were divided intomoners and aristocrats, but the professors were not that different.

    The reality was that professors also had a subtle, strange atmosphere betweenmoner professors and aristocratic professors.

    The new teacher, Chris Benimore, who had just joined Sren, had also refused to eat together whilementing about me being a fallen aristocrat.

    I thought the ck Dawn Society would go against that, but I dont think so either.

    Maybe Hugo was the only one who acted rashly like that, but he would have known that there were quite a few people who secretly agreed with him.

    Some aristocratic professors united and formed a faction.

    And that faction didnt seem to get along well with the principals faction.

    Its not enough for them to work together, but what kind of situation was an internal conflict like that?

    When I thought, Is this what Srens reality is like? a small bug climbed up the wall and crawled onto my shoulder.

    The moment I was about to bounce it off with my hand because I thought it disturbed me, I had no choice but to pause.

    It wasnt a bug. It was a small thin piece of paper in the shape of a bug.

    Fortunately, others had not noticed it yet.

    I grabbed it naturally and checked the contents in a way that others wouldnt notice.

    It was fortunate that most professors attention was focused on the war of nerves between the principal and Hugo.

    After checking the contents, I pressed my finger against my slightly throbbing forehead.

    Three of the experimental subjects escaped. Immediate capture is required. Eliminate them if not possible.

    I could immediately see who sent the message and who was the mastermind behind the werewolves.

    But the most important thing was thest sentence.

    If the experiments whereabouts is revealed, there is a risk that your identity will be revealed.

    Oh, my God.

    Why do You give me such a hard time?

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 24

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    I crumpled up the note and put it in my inside pocket, and then I was immersed in contemtion.

    First of all, I knew that the ck Dawn Society was rted to the werewolf crisis.

    However, considering that it was urgent to capture the werewolves and get rid of them if it was not possible, it meant that the werewolves escape was probably unexpected by them as well.

    The problem is, if the werewolves get caught, the ck Dawn Society will suffer greatly.

    If they suffered greatly, it was no different than a boon to me.

    Even if I pretended to feel nothing on the outside, I weed such a situation with open arms inwardly.

    But if there was a problem, it was written in thest sentence.

    -Theres a possibility that your identity will get caught.

    In other words, it means that the identity of Ludger Chelysie was somewhat rted to the creation of the werewolves experiment.

    I had to catch at least three werewolves. No, it was two.

    In other words, I had to find and catch the werewolves before Sren did and then kill them.

    Come to think of it there was a mark on the werewolf.

    Maybe the mark itself was rted to the people who did the experiment.

    The problem was that Ludger Chelysie was somehow involved in it.

    Honestly, if it wasnt rted to me, I would have just left it up to Sren to take care of it.

    But because I was getting involved there, the story was different.

    If I got caught, Id die.

    Professor Ludger? Are you sick?

    Its nothing.

    I racked my brain while responding that I was okay to professor Selenas question when she anxiously asked me about my well-being.

    For the moment, it had been confirmed that there were as many as three werewolves.

    I had caught one, so only two of them were left.

    One in Sren and one in Leathevelk.

    I must hunt them down.

    Meanwhile, the war of nerves between the principal and Hugo gradually headed toward the end.

    Well, its up to Professor Hugo to be so narrow-minded, but I just want to make sure that you get the job done.

    So, do I need to intensify the patrol?

    Thats not all. Im going to increase the number of people who do the patrol a little bit, and most importantly, we cant stay still until all the students return to the dormte at night.

    Hugo looked tantly annoyed at the remark.

    Rather than worrying about the student, he didnt seem to like the fact that someone like him had to go on a patrol that only employees should have done that in the first ce.

    However, the incident had already taken ce, and other professors were also aware of the seriousness of the situation.

    Even Hugo was in a position in which he could not directly oppose the order.

    Well, of course.

    Good. And other professors should also warn students not to go outte at night. If they vite the warning, you can give them a penalty point. Its the directions that I, the principal, ordered myself. Understood?

    Tsk. Understood.

    After the meeting, the professors rose from their seats and scattered one by one.

    I was also about to get up and go back to my office, but some people blocked my way in advance.

    Are you Professor Ludger Chelysie? Im d to meet you. My name is Daniel Masrak, and Im in charge of astrology.

    Professor Ludger, this is the one whos in charge of the reinforcement ss

    It was obvious why they approached me.

    They want to ask me about the source code spell.

    The greed emitted in their eyes already told me that.

    Im sorry, but I have to go because Im busy.

    I immediately shook off their interest in me and left the conference hall.

    ***

    Instead of heading straight to my office, I moved to a secluded warehouse.

    I stopped at my spot because I thought it would be enough.

    Come out.

    The person who messaged me at the meeting must have been waiting for me toe out.

    There must have been something they wanted to say because they couldnt convey all their intentions within a few lines of messages.

    As soon as I spoke, I could feel a presence of someone who was hesitating over the pir and sticking out their head.

    Uh

    Speak.

    Her first impression was a girl who looked like a squirrel.

    Well, I thought Id seen her somewhere, but she was one of the subordinates of the ck Dawn Society who tried to approach me 15 days after I entered Sren.

    Whats the matter?

    S-so

    She was visibly flustered, as she didnt expect to see me again.

    Then she showed herselfpletely from behind the pir, and I was a little surprised to see her in Srens uniform.

    I didnt expect her to be a student there.

    The reason why most members of the ck Dawn Society were hiding as employees there was because the students status could not be simply manipted.

    In order to get in there, I was sure that they needed to have the talent or the ability to pass the entrance exam.

    I didnt know that the person who seemed to be a low-rank member of the society was a student there and that she was also a freshman who had just entered the school.

    At our first meeting, I didnt know because she wasnt wearing a uniform either.

    Lets move from here first. Follow me.

    Ah, yes.

    I took the lead, and she followed.

    I suddenly remembered something, so I looked at my back and asked.

    Do you like coffee?

    Pardon?

    * * *

    * * *

    I sat face to face with the Third Order student at a quiet cafe.

    She had been at a loss for some time and shrank her shoulders.

    I nced at her.

    White skin and borate facial features, voluminous brown short hair with a slender build.

    I couldnt see her ears and her bangs were so long that they almost covered her eyes.

    It was literally like seeing a little squirrel.

    I guessed I wasnt mistaken when I saw that she was shaking at my intimidation then.

    I took a sip of the hot coffee in front of me and put it on the table with a loud sound.

    Tap.

    Heek!

    The sound of the coffee cup and table touching each other made the girl curl her shoulders.

    Name.

    Pardon?

    I wont ask you again. Name.

    I Im Sedina Rochen.

    Is it a real name?

    Yes, yes.

    Its not an alias?

    This is unexpected.

    Having a surname in this world meant that they were from a higher ss rather than amoner one.

    An aristocrat, a clergywoman, or a great rich merchant.

    Why did a woman who grew up in such a perfect environment go into a secret society? And she also had the talent to enter the Academy but could only be the lowest Third Order?

    No. Its possible that the more prestigious the family she came from, the less favorable treatment she would gain.

    The strangest part was that she was only a Third Order with that level of talent.

    Well, Id ask her thatter.

    I flicked my fingers lightly.

    Tell me exactly what happened Without missing a single thing.

    Oh, that our surroundings

    I casted a voice-blocking spell. Even if we scream here, the conversation wont leak out.

    Voice blocking spell? As as expected from Mr. First Order.

    It was weird for her to keep saying that I was the First Order.

    No, it was ufortable, to be honest.

    Well have to improve that nickname first. Dont call me Mr. First Order from now on.

    Pardon?!

    At my remark, Sedina opened her eyes wide as though she had just heard news that seemed like a bolt out of the blue.

    I didnt think I would make that face even if people said that the country was destroyed without any exaggeration.

    Do you want people to be suspicious? Im a professor at Sren now, and you are the student.

    Yes, yes. Thats right.

    From now on, call me Professor Ludger.

    Ho, how can I be so profane

    Its an order.

    O order.

    She nodded while saying, Understood, when I spoke in a strong tone that it was an order.

    However, contrary to the obligation that was ordered to her, her lips were constantly rising because she was happy to be able to call my name.

    So, whats the situation?

    Ah, yes. Ill exin everything. The recent werewolves incident that urred at our ck Dawn Society, or, to be precise, at an affiliated organization that joined hands with us.

    I was confused for a moment at the sudden change in her tone of speech, but I nodded naturally.

    Keep talking. Without missing a detail.

    Just like what First, no, Professor Ludger already knows, there are factions within the ck Dawn Society. Especially with Victor Dreadful, the other First Order, who pushed this project the most enthusiastically.

    Yes, of course.

    Actually, I didnt know anything.

    But I pretended to know everything when responding to her words.

    Victor Dreadful Ill have to remember that name.

    The Shamsus school, which was created by gathering the scientists who were kicked out of the association due to habitually using ck magic and hical experiments in the back alley, went into Cryptid experiments as usual.

    What kind of experiment did they focus on exactly?

    Only a few of us know that, so I dont know that much Oh,e to think of it, you lent your name when Mr. Victor asked for help.

    I just lent him my name. I didnt expect him toe this far.

    Looking at her response, Ludger seems to have been somewhat close to the person called Victor.

    Its just that their closeness would be poisonous for me at that moment.

    The Shamsus school must have undergone an experiment on Cryptids, and theirb rats eventually escaped, and things turned out to be like that.

    It was their fault, so they should have taken care of it by themselves, but one of the escapedb rats hid in Sren through the sewer.

    Thats why there were victims the day before.

    Yes. This was something that even we, the ck Dawn Society, didnt expect at all.

    Oh, Im sorry. Im too talkative I often make these mistakes when I get too thrilled. As as expected, someone like me

    Sedina Rochens attitude had changed into a noticeably passive one, perhaps because she took my staring in a different way.

    I shook my head right away.

    No. Unlike your stuttering at our first meeting, your exnation was surprisingly good, so I was just impressed.

    I Im just feeling sorry.

    You speak better than I expected. You may exin further. It was nice to hear your exnation.

    Is is that true?! Yes! Understood!

    After throwing a fewpliments, Sedina immediately became happy and continued her exnation.

    I inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

    If she stopped exining, I couldnt find out any more information.

    I had to pull all the information out as long as I was being respected by Sedina because I was covered in the shell of the First Order.

    Its surprisingly easy to utilize her.

    For the moment, Sedina Rochen was a Third Order member at the bottom of the ck Dawn Society, but her own abilities were quite outstanding.

    Starting from collecting information to continuing her exnations, our conversation itself was quite long and smooth.

    Sneaking the note that was sent to me was also part of her magic.

    However, why did she only be a Third Order with that level of skill?

    She seems out of ce.

    The fact that Sedina had a surname meant that her family was a pretty well-off aristocratic one.

    Her reaction showed reluctance when she said her surname in her introduction. In other words, she doesnt like her family. Reluctance? Sense of defiance? Something much bigger than that.

    The problem was that she may have entered the ck Dawn Society by her own will, but it did not look like that at all from the perspective of other members.

    They thought that maybe she was a spy, and she herself had a loose screw personality, so she couldnt get along with the other members properly.

    To send me magic in secret, to be literate about a lot of information, to be admitted to Sren as a student Her position is rather lowpared to the outstanding ability that she has. It looks like, inside the organization, she is only considered as a pawn thats being used roughly before being thrown away.

    Just by looking at her, who seemed like she was dedicated to me, in the identity of someone who was known to have a trash personality, I could get a rough estimation.

    Sedina herself might be so passionate that she vowed allegiance to the ck Dawn Society, but the society itself was not happy with her presence.

    She tried to work harder as she seemingly realized that fact, but the situation did not improve favorably towards her, and she fell into a deep pit.

    From the standpoint of the ck Dawn Society, theyre keeping her for now, but shes like something that they hesitated to use since they have so little interest toward her, but they still cant give up on her.

    No, there was no way a First Order executive cared about her in the first ce.

    They were probably trying to use her as a sacrifice to do a mission that required her to risk her own life.

    I could picture her future without looking at it.

    Is someone from the Second Order going to get rid of her?

    It was a while ago that I saw a crack carved inside Sren at the meeting.

    And right then at that moment

    I could also see the cracks carved inside the ck Dawn Society.

    There was no perfect organization in this world.

    After all, the ces where people live are all the same.

    This is maybe

    It felt like I could see a way out when I found out that both parties had considerable disputes within each other, in a situation where Sren and the ck Dawn Society had been caught inyered problems just like a sandwich.

    If I did well, maybe I could gain something from Sedina?

    Once you catch theb rats, its better not to leave any evidence. The priority is to capture them alive, but we have no choice but to get rid of them as soon as possible since the people are getting noisy about it. There are three of them, so well try our best to

    No. There are two of them.

    Pardon?

    I took out the werewolf leash that I had put in my inner pocket and showed it to Sedina.

    Th-this cant be

    Ive already caught one of them.

    Wh-when on earth did you.

    Two days ago, in Leathevelk.

    Her face was nk since she didnt know that I had caught one of the three werewolves already.

    As as expected from Mr. First Order.

    Her expression was one of extreme respect.

    Her trust level toward me had always been maxed out, but it felt like it advanced more.

    Anyway, are there two of them left?

    Yes, yes.

    You said that the werewolf hid here through the sewer, so Ill expand the search around the sewer first. Sren still doesnt know this information, right?

    Yes, youre right, but I dont know how many more days it willst.

    Then Ill have to move right away.

    I said so and got up from my seat.

    Sedina looked up at me as if asking if the conversation was already over and immediately bowed her head as she thought her behavior was rude.

    I released the sound barrier that I had surrounded us with.

    Sedina Rochen, Ive heard your story well. Ill see you next time if I have a chance.

    Yes, yes! Uh Professor Ludger.

    Sedina blushed shyly after saying so.

    If I looked at her like that, she looed like a fresh young girl of her age.

    How did such a child end up in a hideous organization called the ck Dawn Society?

    Well, she must have had her own circumstances.

    Well, then

    I left the cafe after drinking up all the coffee.

    ***

    Flora Lumos was going to go to the library and study leisurely because she had no ss that day.

    She was usually just going to ck around, but recently she couldnt sit still because of a professor who had ignited her desire to learn more about magic.

    Thinking so, she was walking in an outdoor corridor with long arched pirs.

    Oh?

    Beyond the second-floor window of a cafe not far away from her, she could see a familiar face.

    How was it possible for her to forget such a face?

    That was the man who taught the ss that she took just then.

    Ludger Chelysie.

    But there was something fishy about his attitude.

    Whos the girl on the other side?

    Ludger, who seemed somewhat softer than usual, was having a face-to-face conversation with a female student.

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 25

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    What? What are those two talking about?

    Ludger was having an in-depth conversation with a girl student.

    At least, thats what it looked like to her.

    However, no matter how much she wanted to listen to them with her ears, she couldnt hear the conversation between the two that was too far away.

    If it were just an in-depth conversation, Flora would have thought that Ludger was just giving career counseling or something rted to his lectures to the student.

    But she saw it with her own eyes

    A strange mana field was spread around Ludger and the girl.

    Whats that? Magic? Judging from the , is it a spell to block sounds?

    Flora Lumos had a secret she hadnt told anyone.

    The reason why she was able to maintain the title of genius even in Sren.

    The reason why she could see through the weaknesses of spells that she had never seen or learned beforehand.

    Thats because Flora Lumos had a unique body type that was called .

    She could feel the  and smell of mana.

    Most people perceived mana or magic itself as only visual.

    It was because the magic technique used by others could only be seen through sight among the total of five senses of human beings.

    But Flora also felt in addition to that.

    She saw a well-organized magic technique as though she was looking at a painting and smelling the scent of delicious food.

    Born in a noble family, she was so sensitive to those things that she found it easier than anyone to sense that odd feeling if a technique was slightly off.

    Moreover, if one sshed out of harmony with the other s, or if there was a nasty smell mixed in between ordinary smells.

    Flora had always discovered wrong magic in that case.

    Obviously, she perceived the right magic with apletely different sense from others.

    Just like the s that were floating around Ludger.

    As a professor whom she couldnt hold in check, the magic tricks around Ludger were also perfect without any ws to be pointed out.

    She could not smell it because it was far away, but the s of mana were so clear beyond the windows of the terrace.

    I cant believe hes having a conversation while using magic. What the hell are they talking about?

    She was curious.

    If it was just some ordinary professor, she would have ignored them and passed by, but she couldnt stand her curiosity because the other party was Ludger.

    Shall I go and just pretend that its a coincidence?

    After thinking that far, Flora shook her head. Wasnt that too obvious?

    And it would certainly seem like she had an interest in him.

    I would never do that!

    Ludger was a wall that she had to climb.

    On the first day, she had felt such a great insult in front of everyone.

    Of course, there was no room for disagreement in her defeat.

    It was uneptable to her pride if she spoke ill of the other party after losing a fair duel.

    The source code spell presented by Ludger was so powerful that she was bound to lose because of it.

    She had never heard of such a spell in the first ce.

    So he beat her purely by magic, just like she had always done against other people.

    Still he was somewhat wonderful.

    When Ludger performed the source code spell, Flora felt a sensation she had never experienced in her whole life

    An indescribable visual pleasure and sweet scent.

    In particr, Ludgers source code spell was like looking at an elegant painting in which myriad metals of silver and gray s were meticulously and solidly woven.

    Flora Lumos felt exceedingly proud of her magic because of her unique body type and talent, but she even felt bored because of it.

    But the source code shown by Ludger rekindled the spark in her boredom.

    She thought that she wanted to see more if there was anything else in his sleeves.

    However, there was an image that she had been building so far, so Flora was in a situation where she could not move hastily.

    Ill sneak a peek just once

    The moment Flora was about to move

    Flora? What are you doing here?

    Kyaaa?!

    Flora could not help but be surprised by the voiceing from behind her back all of a sudden.

    Looking back, Cheryl, her best friend, was looking at her with a confused gaze.

    Ch-Cheryl. What are you doing here?

    What do you mean? It was you who asked me to study with you in the library.

    Oh, oh right. Of course, I did.

    Are you sure youre okay?

    Cheryl showed a subtle look of concern.

    It was already well known that Flora had received a hard blow instead on the first day of Ludgers spellcasting ss.

    Because of that, some students who usually felt envious of Floraughed at her.

    Cheryl was extremely worried about it.

    Hmm? Just~ its nothing.

    Whats in there? You seemed like you were watching something.

    No, no. Its nothing like that. Lets just go study.

    Hmm.

    Flora pushed Cheryls back toward the library.

    Even so, she couldnt avert her gaze from the second floor of the cafe that was getting farther away.

    ***

    Having been informed by Sedina Rochen, I told her to see me next time and immediately returned to my private office.

    I hung my coat on the hanger and sat on a fluffy sofa while resting my chin on my hands.

    Lets get this straight for now.

    There was a ce called the Shamsus School, where ck magicians and crazy scientists joined hands. It was that ce that created the werewolves as their experiment.

    Although it was a separate group from the ck Dawn Society, it was an alliance that held hands with the ck Dawn Society, or maybe they were just holding the same intention for a short time.

    The one who joined hands with the Shamsus school was one of the executives of the ck Dawn Society, Victor Dreadful.

    Sedinas exnation suggested that the ck Dawn Society was responsible for the invention or research.

    The problem is that this urred in Shamsus school.

    Three werewolf experiments that the Shamsus school was secretly experimenting with had escaped.

    I didnt know exactly where theb was, but the rampage that happened in Leathevelk meant that theb was around there.

    The werewolf should have been captured as soon as possible in the early days of the incident, but the rumors had already spread in the city. It was impossible to simply keep it as a secret that had never happened since there were already people who died.

    One of the werewolves even had hidden in Sren and hospitalized two students.

    It was fortunate that there were no deaths in Sren, but the problem was that the situation had be more serious and out of control.

    Its right to ask them to take care of it by themselves because its their fault, but the problem is that the ck Dawn Society also gave some support to this Shamsus schools experiment.

    And in addition to that, the former owner of my identity, Ludger Chelysie, had also gotten involved in it.

    I would greatly wee it if another member was being caught and tracked down, but it was different if I also got involved there.

    In other words, if I wanted to live, I had to catch the werewolves before others.

    First of all, my priority is to get rid of the werewolf who hid inside the academy.

    Just in time, security patrols have also stepped up.

    In addition to the existence of werewolves, the professors will also patrol untilte at night because it is clear that there is an unidentified assant wandering around inside Sren.

    No one would find it strange if I got rid of the werewolf there.

    I thought I had quit hunting quite a while ago.

    Five years before, I had ended my blood hunt and practically retired, albeit temporarily.

    The reason was not something fancy. Rather, It was because I became so famous.

    Of course, I had used the alias of Abraham Van Helsing so that my real identity wouldnt get found out.

    However, the source of trouble was that, after hunting the monsters in Jvaudan, many people tried to approach me because I had be so famous.

    So I retired while getting rid of the said identity and changed to a new identity.

    How many times have I changed my identity?

    Thest identity that I had used was Gerrard, a rich middle-aged man with a lot of money, and after that, I had be Ludger Chelysie.

    It was a fake life, not a real one, but I didnt feel particrly dissatisfied or suffocated.

    Was it because I was born again in this world after I had died once?

    My perception of life and death had changed to be a little different.

    Even so, I dont want to die again.

    Id already died once, so I hated dying even more instead.

    I wanted to live longer and morefortably. However, there were things to do for me to achieve that.

    It was originally just a part of my journey to the capital of the empire.

    That train attack had turned my life into aplete mess.

    First, lets focus on catching werewolves.

    I had to deal with the werewolves first before anyone else found them.

    I racked my brain while contemting on how to catch the werewolves.

    * * *

    * * *

    The werewolf rumor among Srens students was like a hot potato.

    Even the students, who had just dismissed the werewolf stories as mere rumors, finally epted the existence of werewolves when the news that there were two students injured that time broke out.

    Those rumors were especially exaggerated because they were students.

    Obviously, the professors had to suppress the curiosity and vigor of the students as much as possible.

    You should study, study! Why do you believe such a false rumor? Ill surely give you a test today, so you should be focused! Those who fill wrong answers afterwards, you will be on your own.

    Everyone, theres a patrol this week, so you should go back to your dormitory as soon as the sun sets. If you get caught walking around, there will be a penalty point.

    Dont bring yourself to get some penalty points. You should take care of yourselves.

    Some timid students thought they should go back to the dormitory immediately after ss due to the professors warnings, but the number of students who didnt go back to the dormitory immediately was not small either.

    The more prideful a student was, the more theyd want to do it if they were being prohibited.

    Hey, theres a werewolf. Honestly, arent you curious?

    So what?

    Lets catch it.

    What? Didnt you hear that we will get penalty points if we get caught once we make a wrong move?

    Hey. Think about it. Theyre telling us that because theyre worried about us, but if we catch the werewolf instead, wouldnt the school give us an award for doing well?

    What if the professors catch us before we find a werewolf?

    Then we just need to try not to get caught!

    There was even an official letter in the newspaper that said if someone caught a werewolf in Leathevelk city, they would receive a reward.

    The first-year students in particr, who had not yet tasted the bitterness of the reality that they were not that great in Sren, dreamed of bing heroes by hunting the werewolves.

    It was when they were in the vigorous youth of their life when they wanted to be praised for being great and to show a good image to their peers.

    Aidan. What do you think?

    Leo asked him while looking apathetically at the students who were already excited about what to do with the reward they would receive after catching the werewolf.

    Just in time, Aidan, who finished taking notes of the form written on the magic board, asked back to the voice that called him.

    Huh?

    What? You werent listening?

    Why? What did you ask me?

    What do you think of the werewolf case?

    Ah, that?

    Aidanughed awkwardly.

    Well, the professors told us to be careful, so I think I should just buy it. If we get caught, there will be a penalty point.

    Tsk. Right. I knew youd say that.

    What about you, Leo?

    Im not the type that likes to take action as well. If theres a victim, then its what professors need to do in the first ce.

    A female student approached the two boys who were having that conversation.

    She had red hair that was tied in pigtails. She was a very attractive beauty with her coy eyes.

    She stood in front of Aidans desk and pped the table with her palm.

    Leo responded with, Shes here again, but Aidan was different. He greeted the girl, who stared at him with a bright smile.

    Hello. Tessie. Good morning.

    Good morning, you said?

    Tessie Friad, the girl who received the greeting, wriggled her eyebrows while staring at Aidan instead.

    Leo sighed at her reaction.

    Hey. If you lost in sparring, isnt it time for you to stop already?

    Lost? It was a draw. You havent settled the quarrel with Aidan yet. And this is about me and Aidan. Can you not intervene?

    Sigh.

    Leo shook his head.

    It hadnt been long since Tessie Friad had approached Aidan like that.

    It happened during the battle of magic to be exact.

    Aidan, who didnt know anything yet, had a battle with Tessie, and thats where the rtionship between the two began.

    The situation was advantageous for Tessie, but the problem was Aidans unusual magic.

    Get yourself back together this time. We should use all of our power while not hiding each others strength.

    Oh, oh? I I dont know.

    The battle then ended in a fairly vague result of a draw, but Tessie couldnt ept it.

    Tessie had always tried her best to study magic in order to revive her nearly fallen aristocratic family, the Viscount Friad.

    Coming into Sren, she had the idea that she should do the best in her first year. In fact, she was so outstanding that her entrance grades were in the top five.

    However, it disturbed her pride that she failed to win a proper victory in the rankings of the magic battle ss and that she lost to a loose-mindedmoner at that.

    Her pride was hurt.

    And the spell that Aidan was about to show then

    It was certainly not a kind of spell that was normally seen. If the professor hadnt told them to end the battle, she couldve seen what kind of spell it was!

    Anyway, stick with me today in the evening after ss.

    Im sorry, Tessie, but I dont think I can do it today.

    Then, tomorrow!

    Tomorrow is a little.

    Why?!

    What do you mean, why? Theres a werewolf wandering around out there, so we cant do any activities at night. If we get caught by the professors, well get a penalty point.

    Hngg.

    Listening to Aidans excuse, Tessie folded her arms and then sneered.

    Youre trying to run away from me with that excuse, right? I know everything. So you are scared?

    It was a tant provocation.

    Tessie expected Aidan to get triggered and shout, What? No way!, but Aidans reaction was different.

    Huh? Yeah. Then just think of it like that.

    Aidan had decided to concede in his position because he didnt want to have a fight with his friendalthough Tessie herself would strongly disapprove that she was his friend.

    He never expected that the mature response would give a scratch on Tessies pride instead.

    Raising her eyebrows, Tessie shouted in front of Aidans face.

    Its a match! Aidan!

    Huh? What kind of match?

    If you cant fight with me, we can just do something else.

    Well, so whats

    Werewolf.

    When the topic came up, Aidan and Leo stared at each other before staring back at Tessie again.

    They were already anxious about what kind of ridiculous offer she would bring up.

    The person who catches the werewolf first wins the bet. What do you think? You wont run away because youre scared, right?

    No

    Okay. Well do it.

    Leo?!

    Aidan was about to reject it because it was dangerous, but he was shocked by Leos action that cuts in his words instead.

    Okay! The loser will grant the winners wish!

    You are the one who shouldnt be so meek to us.

    Listening to Leos provocative tone, Tessie left after saying, Of course!.

    Leo. Why did you suddenly ept such a ridiculous offer?

    Youre stupid. If you said that you wont do it right here, then its obvious that shell bother us again. Thats why I gave her a moderate agreement to pass it like that. Look. She went right away. Peace has finallye.

    Still Lying is bad. I wouldnt care about the werewolf in the first ce.

    Idiot. Is that the problem now? The professors will take care of the werewolves anyway. We just need to stay still. Whether its a match or whatever, it wont be able to be decided in the first ce.

    But Tessie seemed sincere about it. What if Tessie runs into a werewolf when she wants to hunt it before the professors do?

    Hey. She wouldnt do such a reckless thing on her own unless she was a fool.

    Oh, hm. Thats true, but honestly, I thought that if it was Tessie, she would do it, though.

    No way.

    Aidan and Leo looked at the back door of the ssroom where Tessie had disappeared at the same time.

    No way she would do such a reckless thing

    But

    Could they answer no with confidence to such a statement?

    Is she for real?

    I told you so.

    Tessie, whom theyd met for the past few days by then, had the personality which she would definitely do what she said she would do.

    She had a strong character in which she would grit her teeth and still do it even if it was dangerous.

    That was Tessie Friad.

    The two of them looked right out of the window.

    There, they could see a familiar girl with red hair huffing and puffing while heading somewhere.

    The direction was the opposite of the womens dormitory.

    She was heading to a dangerous forest where the professors had warned never to go at the beginning of the semester.

    Were in trouble.

    They had to stop her.

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 26

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    Sedina Rochen recalled her dreamy encounter with Ludger with a nk face.

    Mr. First Order had recognized her.

    She always made a lot of mistakes, and even within the ck Dawn Society, she was considered as an outsider, yet Ludger Chelysie had recognized her.

    I wasnt wrong.

    Rochen, the leading big merchant family in the Empire. Sedina was born as a child there.

    It may have seemed like a good family to others, but for Sedina, the Rochen family was a ce worse than hell.

    Herst name, Rochen, always followed her just like a curse, and it was the same when she left her family.

    Rochen.

    In order to escape from that hateful family, Sedina had entered the ck Dawn Society.

    To get rid of Rochen and to find her real self in the ck Dawn Society.

    Even after knowing that the society was antisocial and immoral, she still chose that path.

    She could be different there.

    She could live by herself, not as the Rochen familys insignificant daughter.

    But the reality hadnt gone that way.

    As the ck Dawn Society was a ce of resistance to the world, most of its people were low-ss people or criminals who operated at the bottom of society.

    In such a ce, Sedina, who had Rochen as her surname, was so different from their kind.

    -What? You have a surname? Is it for real?

    -Rochen? Why in the world would someone from such a great family be here.

    -Be careful. She could be a spy who sneaked in here.

    -Those damned upper sses.

    Unlike them, who came up from the muddy water, there was no way they could see Sedina, who came down from the top, as someone on the same board with them.

    Thats why she was called a Third Order even though she was talented in magic and had entered Sren.

    The surname Rochen eventually made her feel out of ce even at the ck Dawn Society.

    Even though I just wanted to be recognized.

    She wanted to get rid of her hateful family, so she had entered the ck Dawn Society. Eating well and living well wasnt her goal.

    She believed that if she tried hard, the gazes of caution and contempt toward her would gradually change.

    She wanted to believe that.

    However, the vignce of the members of the ck Dawn Society toward Sedina became even worse, and she became an object of envy and jealousy because she even had the ability to enter Sren.

    Originally, Sedina was a talented person who could upy a position above the Second Order.

    Without even being able to receive the attention of the First Order, she continued to stay at the low rank of the Third Order due to being kept in check by the other members.

    A good pawn to be used before being thrown away.

    Just a little, useful human being.

    They could utilize the name of the Rochen family that she had.

    Their intention was so clearly conveyed that it brutally ripped through Sedinas tender heart.

    But I met him.

    When she was tired and thought it would be fine for her to meet any kind of ending

    Orders were issued to her in the organization.

    It was an order from a Second Order a little higher than her.

    First Order.

    Code name .

    Unlike other First Orders, he was an unknown existence whose real appearance and identity had not been revealed.

    She was asked to contact him and check the progress of his mission.

    The man, who was being called Ludger Chelysie, was a master of disguise and an executive who specialized in infiltration and assassination and who never revealed his true identity.

    But there was a w: his personality was very trashy.

    He was a psychopath who beat people up in their seats when he was annoyed or even killed them in the worst case, even though those people were fellow secret society members.

    Even Zero Order, the leader of the ck Dawn Society, turned a blind eye to such behavior.

    Unless the other party was the same First Order executive, Ludger was bound to be a symbol of fear within the ck Dawn Society.

    Having been tasked with asking him why he didnt contact them was practically no different than sending her to die at his hands.

    Sedina Rochen shed tears of resentment.

    She was resentful to the ck Down Societys colleagues who had told her to go and die, and she was also resentful to her cowardly self who couldnt deny such an order properly.

    What she hated even more was the idea of giving it all up and living as the Rochen familys daughter again.

    I dont want that.

    She hated her family so terribly that she might as well die instead.

    So she approached Ludger.

    With the mindset of having been determined to die, it didnt matter if he killed her.

    But when she got closer to him, the mans charisma was beyond her imagination, and Sedina shuddered without realizing it.

    She made a slip of the tongue, and her voice trembled. She had done pretty much everything she shouldnt do in front of him.

    I may die.

    That was what she thought.

    But to her surprise

    Ludger did not kill her.

    He didnt even show a murderous intent.

    Just as the rumor went, she felt that his personality was trashy and ill-tempered during their conversation, but that was all.

    Ludger let her go without saying a word.

    And just then

    Ludger even praised her for her good exnation instead.

    She wouldnt have been that happy if it was just a lip service.

    But in Ludgers ttery, she could feel his honest behavior.

    From correcting his title that he was professor Ludger, not First Order, he listened to her more cautiously than anyone else, even though it might be just a pretense.

    She was extremely happy because of it.

    Because she thought that she might be helpful to someone.

    She felt like tears wereing out of her eyes.

    Mr. First Order. No, Professor Ludger Chelysie is really great.

    She felt her heart beating when she saw him starting from their first meeting.

    She thought it was because of tension and fear at that time, but the meeting she had just had made her realize for sure.

    It was a sense of awe.

    It was an endless adoration for the man she truly wanted to serve.

    She didnt think she was treated like that because she was special.

    It was nothing more than a small, small reward for the misfortune and effort that she had experienced until then.

    Ludger Chelysie may have done some good deeds for his subordinates as an executive of the organization.

    It was still too early for her to be ted because of that already.

    Still

    Even so

    It was the first time someone praised her for doing well.

    * * *

    * * *

    When it was time to leave school, and the sun was setting, Ludger packed his outer clothes and examined all his equipment.

    In order to properly hunt the werewolves, speed was essential, and of course, all the tools needed for hunting had to be prepared.

    They were highly secretive items that were not very visible on the outside, so people who encountered him while passing by wouldnt be suspicious of him.

    Ludger, who left the professors office while thinking so, met Hugo, who was visiting him just in time.

    Oh! Professor Ludger!

    Professor Hugo Bourtag.

    Hugo Bourtag.

    His family was Marquis Bourtag, a famous magical great family with a long history in the Exileon Empire.

    However, due to their excessive magical and authoritarian tendencies, the family was gradually on the decline due to their inability to ept modern science properly.

    A representative man who was at odds with the principal at the meeting in the morning visited Ludger.

    Do you have a business with me?

    Hoo. You punk. Do I need to have some business in order toe and see you?

    Hugos exceedingly friendly attitude.

    Thats what he said, but Hugo went there to make an offer to Ludger.

    You. You havent seen the other professors properly yet, right? It seems like youre only close to the other new professors.

    Whats wrong with that?

    Hugo wriggled his eyebrows at Ludgers rigid attitude, which did not even bend, let alone be intimidated by him.

    However, it was him that would be at a loss, so Hugo decided to endure such an attitude and move on.

    Ahem. Id like to introduce you to the professors Im close to, though.

    Listening to Hugos subtle offer, Ludger immediately noticed what purpose he had in visiting him.

    Faction recruitment.

    Hugo intended to bring Ludger to a faction that consisted only of aristocratic professors.

    Even in a situation where students were anxious because of werewolves, was it a fight to divide the professors into groups for the sake of power?

    Ludger shook his head inughter at Hugos attitude.

    Im sorry, but Im alreadyfortable right now.

    What?

    Hugos face turned red at Ludgers direct refusal.

    He had already spoken very nicely, but not only did such a fallen aristocrat not thank him, he even rejected Hugos offer?

    Do you know how many years Ive been a professor here?

    Do I need to know?

    Its been 15 years. It means Im the next highest professor except for that olddy, Mary Ross. It means Im a senior and superior far above you!

    Superior, you said?

    Yes!

    Thats strange. My only superior is the principal.

    Principal.

    Hugo gritted his teeth at that word.

    For Hugo, the name principal was not weed at all. It was more of a disgust that awakened his inferiorityplex and anger instead.

    Hugo, who immediately managed his facial expression, opened his mouth.

    Professor Ludger, I heard you were in the military before you came here.

    It was just a short stay.

    Didnt you say that you achieved brilliant military service as you hunted the Cryptids?

    Did he already obtain that much information?

    Well, it was a specification that was intentionally spilled by the ck Dawn Society anyway, so it was not strange for a person like Hugo to know about it.

    Ludger nodded his head.

    Im saying this because I admire your ability. Dont you want to bring back your fallen family? With the support of our aristocratic faction, its possible.

    Hugo chose to make the most persuasive argument that could make Ludger give in.

    He was anxious.

    The principals faction was getting stronger day by day. Even Hugo could not be off guard against such a woman, especially because she was a sixth-rank Lexure wizard and had natural political ability even though she was young.

    If it werent for her, Id be the next principal!

    Hugo was dissatisfied with it.

    Moreover, the president was not only being nice to aristocratic students but also taking care of themoners more instead.

    There were as many as five new professors, three of whom weremoners and one of which was a fallen aristocrat.

    There was only one pure-blooded aristocrat.

    It hurts my pride, but Ludger Chelysie I must bring this man to our faction.

    It was already known that hees from a fallen aristocrat family.

    Normally, he wouldnt have given a look at him, but he couldnt help it because the situation was urgent.

    In addition, Ludger Chelysie was a fourth-rank wizard at a young age and a fairly capable man.

    That was also the case when he posted a military achievement on Cryptid Hunting.

    There was no more coveted and talented person except him, with the exclusion of his birthce.

    Thats why Hugo visited him directly.

    I can help you. So what do you think about holding hands with us?

    What exactly does it mean for me to hold hands with you?

    That time, instead of answering with no, he asked back.

    Hugo continued, thinking that Ludger was finally interested in his offer.

    In other words, do I have to amodate the aristocratic students?

    Oho. You just need to show them a little bit of flexibility.

    Hugo thought Ludger was almost giving in.

    This man who served as a soldier in the first ce was probably trying to rebuild his family by somehow building some achievements.

    Hugo judged Ludgers track record as such.

    Then I cant do it.

    Wh-what?

    Hugo asked back foolishly as he did not know that he would get a rejection there.

    I appreciate the offer, but I reject it.

    A-are you serious with that?

    Yes. You are telling me to treat the students differently and discriminate against them. Ill pretend I didnt hear it.

    Its not discrimination! Im just telling you to be flexible!

    Then Ill ask you. If the principal gave a particrmoner student a better benefit and wrapped it up as flexibility, would you be willing to follow it?

    What? Is amoner the same as a noble? You have to say something that makes sense!

    Thats exactly what I mean.

    What?

    Hugo showed a nk face. Thats exactly what I mean, he said. What does he mean anyway?

    Flexibility should eventually be applied to both sides, not to either side. But if flexibility only applies to the aristocracy, its no longer mere flexibility. Its a privilege.

    No, I mean, the aristocrat

    There are nomoners, nor aristocrats, nor royalty inside Srentheyre all just students who receive magic lessons. I have no intention of bending this idea.

    You!

    Hugo clenched his teeth at Ludgers remark.

    Hugo raised one side of his lip to calm his anger and mocked Ludger.

    Alright. I wasnt thinking straight. By the time you got here, I was overlooking the fact that the principal might have used her authority in your appointment.

    I dont know what youre talking about.

    Ludger meant it.

    He had no intention of getting involved with a man like Hugo in the first ce.

    Helping him to raise his fallen family back up?

    Then theyd find out that his family was fake. From Hugos point of view, it was meant to help him, but for Ludger, he was nothing more than a meddlesome man that would expose his identity.

    He didnt even want to revive his so-called fallen family in the first ce. His only purpose was to stay there for two years without getting caught.

    Moreover, it would also bring troubles to him if he joined hands with Hugo and confronted the principal.

    No matter how he saw it, Hugo and the principal were not equal.

    Hugo himself may not think so, but in Ludgers view, the principal was much more overwhelming.

    If I do something weird and get caught in the eyes of the principal, I will get worn out.

    There was a tiger in the mountain, so he must have no brain if he was also holding hands with a fox.

    It would be ideal to walk a tightrope without belonging to either side, so Ludger was bound to make a choice as the other party was clinging to him so tantly.

    If he had to choose between the two, of course, hell choose the principal.

    It was more convenient for him to choose the principal who treats everyone equally rather than the authoritarian nature of the aristocracy.

    I have to go on patrol now, so Ill be on my way. Professor Hugo, you might be in danger, so please go in first.

    Youll regret it.

    Ill bear it in mind.

    Ludgers provocative words turned Hugos face red like a boiled octopus.

    His thick cheeks quivered, but Hugo could not say anything to Ludgers back, which had already left him.

    To be honest, it was because he was scared by the appearance of Ludger, who was staring at him.

    He was a lot more senior and a lot more prestigious than Ludger, so why was he even scared?!

    Hugo didnt want to admit that fact.

    Argh!

    Hugo stomped on the innocent ground, then he huffed and puffed while leaving that ce.

    If there was a student that he caught red-handed wandering around that night, he thought about giving them a penalty point.

    ***

    Ludger, who separated ways with Hugo, patrolled outside.

    Before he realized it, the magical lights were turned on inside Sren after the sunset and the lights were spread around in his surroundings.

    The night, which was supposed to be silent without any sense of presence, finally emerged, but strangely, darkness was still alive.

    Ludger sighed inwardly and headed to a nearby bush.

    So you didnt listen to the order that told you to go straight back to the dorm.

    As he broke through the bush that was protected with magic, the students who were hiding inside it swallowed their breaths.

    Ludger spoke coldly while staring at the three students, who were looking up at him dumbfoundedly.

    Or you listened to the order, but youre acting boldly.

    Uh, Professor. It its not that, but

    All of you have five penalty points.

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 27

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    Then I went on patrol and captured nearly 20 students, gave them penalty points, and forced them back into the dormitory.

    I mean, why did those guys keep wandering around at night?

    The first years were immature because they were new students, but I had a headache seeing that the second years were also caught in my patrol.

    Thats how much everyones interested in this werewolf case.

    The sun was already setting, and darkness nketed the surroundings.

    There were still quite a lot of students hiding inside Srensnd, although security guards were walking around and other professors were patrolling.

    Even though they are just students, they are kids who can use magic, so ordinary employees cant find the kids who are hiding.

    The werewolf case must have fueled their spirit of adventure.

    To be honest, I was just going to ignore them and pass by, but I couldnt let them be because each one of them stuck out too much and it bothered me.

    If I just ignored them, it was obvious that they would go even wilder when they became proud that they were not caught by the professors.

    I couldnt stand that.

    There are a lot of them.

    Most of the students were obsessed with the idea that they would capture the werewolves.

    I wondered why they were like that even when they would get penalty points if they got caught inside the school. It turned out that it was because of an official letter that came from Leathevelk.

    If they killed the werewolves or captured the werewolves alive, the city itself would pay them a reward.

    It was no wonder that it made the students jaws drop.

    With the desire to be a hero, theres no one whose jaw wouldnt drop when they would get paid, and their reputation would go up if they caught the werewolves.

    Even ordinary people who were short of money would be fascinated by the prize money that they would get from knocking down the werewolves.

    In the case ofmoners, there was a system that supported schrships and self-funding within Sren, but it did not provide all the magic textbooks and various other supplies.

    There were so many things that the wizards had to pay for.

    The same went for students.

    If they became a hero in that case, they might have sponsors who noticed their abilities, so it was no wonder that everyone coveted it.

    Some boy students seem to have done it because they couldnt beat their youthful passion of getting attention from the opposite sex.

    But since Ive sent most of them back to the dormitory, Ill have to start tracking the werewolf again.

    It took a lot of time.

    Besides, I realized that the situation was worse than I thought.

    I didnt know there would be so many students.

    Other professors must have also felt that something was strange and done the patrol more diligently.

    If someone other than me found the werewolf first

    And if they noticed that it was not a normal Cryptid but something manufactured from aboratory

    The situation would spread like a forest fire that was even more out of control.

    So before that happens, I should deal with it.

    I headed to the sewage treatment nt, the most likely route that the werewolf went through in order to sneak into Sren Academy.

    Since Sren had a vastnd, there was quite a lot of water used in Sren, so there was a huge sewage treatment facility outside thend.

    A ce where a huge amount of water was drawn from the Ramsey River, and at the same time, arge amount of water was discharged through a huge earthen pipe.

    Considering the size of the werewolf that I encountered at that time, it was highly likely that it went back and forth through the earthen pipe.

    Fortunately, no one hase here yet.

    Most professors went on patrol and sent students back to the dormitory or prepared for an unknown situation.

    There was no one who thought about where the werewolf came from or how it moved or chased its prey like me.

    Well, it was because that was not the way a wizard did it.

    It was a hunters method.

    Walking around the darkened sewage treatment nt, I finally found a trace.

    Footprints.

    The footprints that had clearly stamped on the bushes seemed to have been engraved there for days.

    Other people would have been naturally passing it by, but I didnt miss it.

    After I approached the footprint and swept it with my hands, I was sure.

    Comparing the size by its footprints, its a little smaller than the one I encountered then. It must be pretty intimidating.

    However, there was one problem

    There were two kinds of footprints.

    Even the werewolf with a rtivelyrger size appeared to have made some footprints recently.

    Dont tell me, are both of them in Sren already?

    I thought there was only one, but the footprints show that the guy who ate people in Leathevelk also came all the way here.

    I moved slowly and chased after the tracks.

    The two steps initially moved in the same direction but then split on both sides.

    The small one to the right, the big one to the left.

    I didnt expect those guys to split up there.

    Originally, the wolf had a lonely image, but in reality, it was a beast that flocked groups. Of course, the same went for werewolves, who had inherited such strong tendencies.

    Normally, they shouldve stuck together.

    I didnt know why, but those guys were moving separately from that point.

    I had to make a choice.

    ***

    Im in trouble. Im toote.

    Lynne, who had ash gray hair , which was rare even in Sren, was running on through Sren with magic textbooks in her arms.

    It was a while ago that she forgot to go back to the dormitory and fell asleep while studying in the library.

    Looking out the window with her hair clinging to her cheek, she rushed out of the library in a hurry when she saw the sun setting.

    While running toward the dormitory, Lynne had no choice but to me herself.

    Stupid! Idiot! Why did I have to doze off there?

    In recent days, her fatigue had umted, perhaps because she had concentrated on homework and studying more and had reduced her sleeping time.

    Sren was uneasy, so the professors threatened students to go back to the dorm right away without doing anything else after school.

    The source of trouble was that she opened some books in the library with acent thought that she would study a little more, then fell asleep.

    It was also a students duty to control their body condition.

    Just because she dozed off due to her forgetfulness didnt mean it wasnt her fault.

    If she was caught by the professor, there was no excuse for her to avoid a penalty point.

    Aah. Still, getting a penalty point is a bit painful.

    As she was tight on money, she was in a position that required her to survive on a schrship in Sren. However, Srens schrship support amount decreased if the student had a penalty point.

    When the students penalty points were serious, their schrship application itself was sometimes rejected.

    She wouldnt be penalized so badly for one point, but the fact that she might get a penalty point itself came as a burden to her.

    Still, cant I just go back to the dorm before I get caught?

    She also had to avoid the eyes of the dormitory supervisor, but she was confident that she would not be caught by the supervisornot the professorssomehow.

    Lynne continued to move anxiously and walked fast on a road that was being illuminated by streetlights.

    When she thought that she would certainly get the penalty point, she had some hopes that there was a possibility of her not getting caught, but she didnt want to move while hiding in the dark.

    Even so, its too much. Howe no one woke me up?

    After thinking so, Lynne sighed deeply.

    Originally, it was the basic principle of students attending the academy to make friends and get close to each other, but it wasrgely due to the controversy caused by disputes with nobles from the beginning of the semester that she couldnt do so.

    Due to Dynema Romleys disciplinary action, Lynne was considered an arrogantmoner who insulted the aristocracy, ording to the aristocratic students.

    Othermoner students were intimidated by the aristocrats and decided they should not go near her.

    Still, there were some boy students who asked her if she was okay the next day after the incident.

    Her appearance was the only reasonable excuse why those students were approaching her.

    Lynne didnt feel like wanting to get close to those people.

    * * *

    * * *

    The librarian is gone, too. They didnt even want to wake me up in the first ce.

    Perhaps the employee who worked as a librarian in the library was also on the side of the aristocracy.

    Im already being disliked.

    Lynne bit her lips as she felt sad about her situation.

    It was the moment when she decided to go back to the dormitory, wash up, and organize what she had learned in the days ss

    Rustle.

    Who who is that?

    Lynne stopped her footsteps unconsciously and shuddered.

    She must not have been mistaken when she saw that the grass shook greatly beyond the darkness where the trees were nted.

    Hu-hurry up ande out. If you dont, Ill call other people.

    Lynne had also heard the rumor that was circting recently of a werewolf.

    There were actually two people who had been hurt, so she couldnt dismiss them as false rumors.

    To think that maybe there really was a werewolf that had been rumored

    A chill of fear flowed down her spine.

    No way, is it really a werewolf?

    Lynne stepped back, moving her shaky feet.

    At that moment, the rustling sound in the dark approached her quickly.

    And something popped out from inside the bush.

    Lynne shouted while closing her eyes tightly.

    Aaaaaah! Help me! Im not delicious at all! If you eat something like me, youll only get a stomachache!

    However, the expected shout of the wolf was not heard.

    There was also no pain.

    Lynne cracked open her closed eyes slightly.

    The first thing she saw was blond hair that shone brightly in the dark under the light of a streetmp.

    Leaves were stuck here and there on her body, but her nobility had not faded the slightest bit.

    Looking at her with her hands on her waist, she was Lynnes senior, one year above her.

    She was the princess of the country.

    Really. What do you mean Im going to eat you? Isnt it rude to say that in our first meeting?

    Oh, oh?

    Lynne immediately noticed who the person in front of her was.

    No, how could she not recognize that iconic person in the first ce?

    Y-Your Highness?

    The 3rd Princess: Elendil von Exileon.

    Lynne had also seen her in Ludgers ss before, so she bowed her head immediately.

    When she saw the princess, she was so shocked and shouted, Dont eat me, so it was not strange to hear her say something about profanity.

    However, when Lynne was about to bow her head, Princess Elendil stopped her.

    No, its fine, its fine. You dont have to do that.

    B-but..

    Its my fault that I surprised you in the first ce. And this is Sren. Did you forget? Everyone is equal in Sren. You and I are the same.

    Listening to Elendils dignified words, Lynne opened her mouth with an eh without realizing it.

    She didnt expect to hear Srens ideology from the mouth of the princess herself.

    Regardless, Elendil was only focused on shaking off the leaves on her body.

    Oh, but why is Your Highness in this ce?

    I told you not to call me Your Highness. Youre a freshman, right? Then justfortably call me Elendil in a casual way.

    M-me?

    Because its morefortable for me. I dont have any intention of acting impudently with my status in Sren in the first ce. Did you say your name was Lynne?

    Oh? Do you know me?

    Were taking the spell casting ss together. I have a good memory.

    Youre amazing.

    Well, that ss is really unique. I remember most of the students in that ss because it was so intensely craved in my memory. And youre pretty noticeable, too.

    Oh. was she talking about her hair ? Lynne smiled bashfully.

    She never thought shed get attention from the princess because of the of her hair.

    So why are you wandering around herete at night? Didnt the teachers warn you?

    Well well, thats.

    Despite her shyness, Lynne honestly exined why she was moving alone thatte at night.

    After listening to her whole story, Elendil opened her eyes wide.

    Whaat? No one woke you up? Isnt that too much?

    No. Its still my fault that I dozed off.

    No! I cant just let it be. How could they do such a dishonorable thing? I will say something to the librarian as soon as pos

    M-more than that! What were you doing here?

    Lynne hurriedly changed the subject because she thought that it had beplicated on her part.

    Oh, you mean me? Im still in charge of finding and sending back students who havent returned to the dorm. Everyone must have been so loud right now.

    Uh Arent you a student, too?

    You dont have to worry. Im moving with permission.

    Oh, I see.

    Anyway, hurry and go back to the dorm. Oh, if you keep going through this path, theres another professor, so if you go back to the dormitory through this path, they wont see you.

    Oh, yes! Thank you!

    It was the moment when Lynne was about to leave while bowing her head

    Grrrr.

    A strange sound came to Lynne and Elendils ears.

    If they hadnt heard it wrong, it was definitely the sound of a beast.

    Lynne. Stay back.

    Elendil red at the darkness and pulled out her wand.

    There were a pair of red eyes floating in the dark. It came slowly towards the two of them.

    The streetlight showed a werewolf beneath it.

    I didnt think the werewolf was real.

    The rumor wasnt fake?

    Why are you so surprised? You were surprised the first time you saw me as well.

    Well, thats because anyone would be surprised if you suddenlye out from the dark like that!

    Anyway, this is a big problem.

    The werewolf in front of them did not look weak at all.

    The eyes that were ring at them obviously consisted of murderous intent.

    Lynne and Elendil were pretending to be tough, but they were actually very scared.

    Still, as students of Sren, if they couldnt do anything

    Get out of the way.

    At that moment, there was a strong me in the air.

    The high-temperature me engulfed the werewolf and burned its whole skin.

    Fwoooosh!

    The werewolf rolled on the ground, screaming.

    Perhaps because of the beasts instinct to avoid fire, it did not die from a direct hit, but its flesh and fur melted down since it could not avoid the blow.

    Its wounds were also recovering quickly, but it was enough to buy some time.

    Both womens eyes turned to the ce where the magic was casted from.

    There stood a man.

    Lynne shouted his name without realizing it.

    Professor Ludger!

    Ludger Chelysie.

    He was wearing a ck suit and a ck frock coat, still neat and stylish.

    Ludgers icy gaze moved away from the werewolf and turned to Lynne and Elendil.

    Ludger opened his mouth to the two people who were overwhelmed by such spirit.

    Lynne And Elendil von Exileon.

    Yes!

    Yes, Professor.

    The two waited for Ludgers next words, feeling fortunate that he hade to rescue them.

    Five penalty points for both of you.

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 28

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    Pardon?! W-wait! Arent you supposed to ask if were okay at times like this?

    Elendil thought she had misheard Ludgers words.

    The professor who saved them from the werewolf said he would give them penalty points as soon as he saw them.

    It was indeed breaking the atmosphere, but from Elendils point of view, it was quite unfair.

    Elendil. What are you yelling about?

    I got permission from another professor!

    Shut up. Even if you get permission, its something you can only do if theres no danger. Dont you know what you were about to end up like?

    Th-thats.

    Your mouth is still able to move even though you cant even manage your body properly, I see.

    Urk.

    Ludger was ruthless even though his opponent was a princess.

    Elendil could not refute what Ludger said.

    She was able to walk around like that in the middle of the night because of her status as a princess.

    It was easy for her to send the students who were at the peak of their excitement back to their dormitory with their heads bowed down just because of her status as a princess.

    Because Elendil herself, as a princess, had a sense of responsibility to keep the students from being in danger and was preupied with that role.

    Although in the end, she had to be in danger first before she realized that she had her priorities wrong.

    Realizing that, Elendil bit her lips and clenched her fist.

    There was nothing wrong with what Ludger said.

    Then at least remove the penalty points for her.

    What?

    Ludgers eyes turned to Lynne.

    As Ludger recognized Lynne, whose shoulders all tensed up, he soon stared at the textbook that she was holding in her arms.

    Lynne.

    Yes, yes. Professor Ludger.

    What are you doing, not going back to your dorm?

    Th-thats

    I acknowledge your enthusiasm for studying, but dont you know that if you do that in this situation, youll be a nuisance to others?

    Im sorry.

    Ludger shook his head.

    Whatever he said there would just exhaust him emotionally, and it wasnt a fundamental solution either.

    Elendil.

    Yes.

    You should take responsibility for Lynne and send her back to the dormitory. If you do that, the penalty points that I just gave you will be dismissed.

    Pardon? Is that for real?

    Should I say that again?

    No. I understand.

    Elendil replied that she would do that, but she couldnt get rid of her sudden curiosity.

    Wait. Why is there such a big difference between him talking to me and him talking to Lynne?

    He had been giving her criticism and telling her to get her senses together and such, but he was actually asking a question to Lynne in a more concerned manner.

    While she was thinking about whether to argue about it or not, the werewolf who, was burned by the mes jumped up.

    Pr-professor! There!

    I know.

    Ludger stared at the werewolf while standing in a position to protect Lynne and Elendil.

    Most of its wounds that were inflicted by magic had been healed, but it was still dazed because of the pain.

    The werewolf, who was staring at them with boundless hostility, suddenly moved.

    Not to rush them but to run away.

    Ah! Its running away!

    At the same time as Lynne shouted, Ludger chased the werewolf.

    He never had the slightest intention of losing the werewolf that he had found.

    Lynne and Elendil hadnt noticed yet, but the werewolfs neck was also tied with a leash.

    It was fortunate that the leash was covered with its fur and could not be seen properly.

    However, if someone else found it afterwards, it would be difficult for him to destroy the evidence.

    Ludger stormed out from his spot with mana in his legs.

    As he chased the werewolf through the dark grass and crossed the garden, he could see the werewolf crawling up the roof on the outer wall of the nearby research building.

    Its sharp nails easily dug into the outer walls of the building, and its huge body soon reached the rooftop full of spires.

    I wont lose it.

    Ludger immediately used his wireuncher to soar vertically into the air and settled on the rooftop.

    Elendil and Lynne, who were still watching the scene from afar, were amazed, with their mouths wide open.

    Was that a floating magic?

    Maybe?

    Floating magic that could be implemented by the release of mana casting.

    They couldnt believe Ludgers ability to operate his mana, which he could use naturally while he was running.

    The two of them, who couldnt see the wireuncher because it was dark in the night, saw Ludgers entire movement as a part of his magic.

    The two silhouettes on the roof faced each other.

    Although it was not clearly visible because it was far away, it was not difficult to distinguish Ludger among the two by the size and approximate appearance.

    Ah. The full moon.

    The clouds in the sky were cleared, and soon a cold and tender silver lining poured down onto them like a curtains hem.

    It was a full moon night.

    Ludger moved first as he was bncing himself on the rooftop of the spire-filled building.

    The werewolf also rushed toward Ludger.

    The two of them crossed each other, and a tight fight broke out.

    Whoa.

    Oh my Gosh.

    Lynne and Elendil watched Ludgers battle, forgetting that they had to leave.

    There was something about Ludgers fighting style that made it hard for them to take their eyes off of him.

    Under the moonlight, Ludger moved like a dancer and avoided the werewolfs attacks.

    The attacks made their skin shudder even though they were far away from the battle.

    Yet none of them touched Ludgers body.

    And his brilliant spells that were casted amidst the gap of the werewolfs attacks

    Fire, ice, wind. The elements of the spells were being shot like an arrow.

    The spells were second-tier magic, but they exactly hit the vital parts of the werewolf.

    They said he was in the army before he came here.

    Elendil recalled what she knew about Ludger Chelysie.

    She wasnt particrly interested, but the maid who was taking care of her brought her his data to read just in case, so she had read everything to kill some time.

    At that time, she remembered that Ludger Chelysie had been in the army and had a military achievement while hunting for Cryptids.

    The phrases that were written in his personal history

    They were actually unfolding before her eyes.

    Elendil saw a wizard who fought for the first time.

    No, could she see that as a wizard fight?

    It was more controlled, neat, and meticulous.

    Rather than a wizard, his fighting style was more like that of a soldier, or perhaps more like a hunter who aimed for his goal urately.

    Gaaah!

    The werewolf rolled on the roof while producing a violent sound and slipped on the slope.

    Ludger did not miss the chance.

    He was a predator who never missed the gap that was created by the wounded prey.

    His appearance when using magic to attack the werewolf seemed to be more simr to the wolf itself.

    Whoosh!

    The icy fangs that Ludger shot pierced the werewolfs chest.

    Three fist-sized ice spears prated the werewolfs body in a row and impaled it on the rooftop.

    No matter how resilient the werewolf was, it was bound to die immediately from such a wound.

    The fight was over.

    Phew, Im tired.

    Ludger realized that he had consumed a considerable amount of mana to deal with the werewolf.

    Its not good to use a lot of mana, though.

    He was d to have been able to meet Hans and carry his medicine again. He would have been in big trouble if he hadnt done it.

    Originally, he wouldnt have to use magic in order to deal with that werewolf.

    There were many more certain ways than consuming mana uselessly.

    His deteriorating body condition also yed a role in his mana consumption.

    If he had to point out a problem, it was that the ce was Sren.

    There were some eyes watching him from time to time.

    A magic professor is bound to use magic in front of his students.

    First of all, he was a so-called Sren professor, so if he used the tools or methods that he often used in the days when he was a hunter and not magic there, they would be suspicious of him.

    Ill have to finish it quickly before it gets more bothersome.

    There was still another werewolf hiding in Sren.

    He was going to finish his duty to get rid of the werewolves that night.

    Gaaah!

    As Ludger slowly approached the werewolf, the stumbling werewolf suddenly raised its arm.

    There was still a long way for him to go to reach the werewolf, so even if it swung its arms, it wouldnt be able to reach him. What was that werewolf going to do?

    Ludgers question disappeared the moment he saw the debris of the building that was thrown by the werewolf.

    What?

    It was fortunate that he was on guard just in case.

    Ludger built barricades around his body by releasing his mana right away.

    The debris that flew like an arrow hit it and bounced off, but the problem was that the werewolf dragged some time for its next move.

    It immediately raised its hands and hit the rooftop floor hard.

    Crack!

    Due to the strong muscle strength of the werewolf, a part of the rooftop copsed, and its body fell down from there.

    Debris was spread, and a foggy cloud of dust soared around it.

    Ludger squinted at that sight.

    The werewolf is using its surroundings as a tool?

    No matter how artificial that non-Cryptid creature was, since it was based on a wolf, its instinct as an animal naturally preceded its action.

    Even if it was able to use its brain, it was mostly about distinguishing whether it could touch its opponent or not.

    But from the previous werewolf to that one in front of him

    It is somehow doubtful to call them werewolves.

    Ludger also didnt expect the werewolf to run away as soon as it felt an emergency situation, but he never expected it to throw away the wreckage of the broken building in particr.

    Did I lose it?

    Ludger, who entered the building through the gaping hole, clicked his tongue when he realized that the werewolf itself had disappeared.

    However, he did not entirely lose it.

    There was still its subtle scent in the air that stimted his nose.

    Its a good thing that I buried my scent in the middle of the fight, just in case.

    Ludger followed the scent left by the werewolf.

    His intention to finish all of it by the end of the day remained unchanged.

    Because he wanted to live.

    * * *

    * * *

    Tessie! Tessie! Where are you?

    Aidan. We couldnt find her no matter how much we walked around. Wouldnt it be better to just give up?

    Aidan and Leo were searching hard for Tessie in ces where people didnt visit.

    Last time, they had heard that Tessie had gone to the woods in the east, then the two continued to look for Tessie even after the sunset.

    But there was no sign of Tessies presence.

    Leo spoke first as he was slowly starting to get irritated.

    Im sure Tessie must have backed off when she realized that she couldnt do it by herself. Dont you think thats the case if we cant find her, even in a ce like this?

    But you never know. Even though it was Tessie who made the bet, its our fault for not rejecting it properly.

    Leo looked sullen as he listened to Aidans argument.

    He was obviously the one who thought that Tessie was bothersome as she kept clinging to them and had lied to her in order to kick her out.

    He felt a little bit guilty.

    That was also why they were walking around looking for Tessie.

    But were also in danger if we get caught by the professors. Others will say its only a penalty point, but its also a big penalty for us since we also have to pay attention to our ranking.

    But we cant let her be.

    Do you really believe that Tessie is still looking for a werewolf?

    I dont usually believe that, but its Tessie were talking about.

    In fact, Aidan didnt know why he was so sure after saying it.

    But the look in Tessies eyes when she asked him to fight with her again and when she was just chattering on a usual asion

    The look in her eyes always seemed extremely desperate and obsessive, just like a person who wanted to achieve something.

    The thought that she might really be wandering around with her body messed up in order to catch a werewolf came to his mind.

    Phew. I get it. Lets check for just 30 more minutes, but if we dont find her by then, lets go back to the dormitory.

    Leo sighed as he looked at the boy beside him, who had a strong sense of justice.

    Even so, Leo couldnt stop him.

    He knew that his good-natured fellow, who approached him to be his friend at first, was someone who was so stubborn at crucial moments and not willing to make anypromises.

    It was the moment when the two people who had taken a little rest were about to move again

    Kyaaaa!

    There was a distant cry that belonged to a girl.

    The strangely familiar voice was obviously the voice of Tessie Friad, whom the two had been desperately searching for.

    Leo!

    Yeah. I heard it. That way!

    The two ran through the grass and branches to the ce where the scream came from.

    At that moment, the grass on the opposite side shook, and someone popped out.

    And Aidan, who was running in the lead, collided with that someone.

    Aidan fell backwards as he was pinned underneath by something.

    Oh my. Whats this all of a sudden?

    Hngg.

    Aidan raised his head as he felt something crushing his body when he fell backwards.

    The first thing he saw was a woman with red hair who had a strong presence, even with subtle moonlight shining upon her.

    Tessie?

    Aidan?

    Tessie raised her body immediately as she realized who the person she had underneath her in a cuddly position was.

    You you! Why are you here?!

    Thats because I heard your scream

    What?! Wh-what do you mean a scream?! Ive never done that.

    Looking at Tessie, who blushed and shouted at Aidan, Leo sighed while saying, I was worried for no reason.

    Then they heard a shout of a beast.

    Grrrrr.

    Oh! Aidan. Did you hear that?

    Yeah. Is it really the werewolf of the rumor?

    The two mens wary gazes turned over to the bushes. Aidan and Leo both took out their wands.

    Then Tessie stood in front of the two.

    Both of you. Hold on a second.

    Tessie. What are you doing?

    As Aidan asked her such a question, Tessie hesitated, unlike her usual self. She put her finger on her lips and motioned them to follow her.

    Aidan and Leo looked at each other because they wondered what was going on and eventually decided to follow Tessies footsteps.

    The three of them, who moved quietly, soon reached the front of the basin where the ground was blown out.

    Look at that.

    As they looked in the direction that Tessie pointed in a quiet voice, they saw something wriggling in the center of the basin that was full of fallen leaves.

    Thats

    Aidan, a country boy with good night vision, immediately discovered what it was.

    Werewolf?

    It was obviously a werewolf. It was full of wounds everywhere and was gasping for air all the time, but it certainly was a werewolf.

    And

    Its a pup, though?

    The little werewolf was a pup that was not all grown up yet.

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 29

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    Aidan and Leo only looked at each other.

    Werewolf

    The one who turned Sren into a crucible of chaos was right in front of them.

    But no matter how many times they looked at it, it was a pup; even its grumbling voice made it clear that it was hurt somewhere.

    I came across it a little while ago.

    The reason why Tessie screamed It was because she had suddenly found a werewolf while walking around without much thought.

    Tessie, who blushed because she was ashamed of the fact, soon acted arrogantly.

    So? I won the bet, right?

    Youve only found it. Wasnt the bet for the one who captured it?

    Tessie immediately raged at Leos remark.

    Is that so? Then Ill soon!

    Tessie, wait a second.

    Aidan pulled Tessies nape as she was about to go down into the basin.

    Urgh! What the hell are you doing?!

    Ah, sorry. I didnt realize it.

    Arent you being rude to ady?

    Thats not whats important right now.

    If its not, then what?!

    Tessie immediately sneered as she realized something.

    Hoho. Aidan, are you being impatient because I found that werewolf? You pretended that you didnt, but you actually cared about losing to me.

    Tessie. Didnt you feel anything strange?

    When a serious question was heard after her provocation, Tessie pouted her lips as if she had been disappointed.

    What?

    Thats a werewolfs pup over there. Aside from whether its possible for a werewolf to have a pup, the pup over there doesnt look well at all. I dont think it can move properly.

    Yeah. So why?

    But look Its surrounded by fallen leaves. Besides these surroundings, its a location thats far away from the public eye. Ive never heard of a ce like this in the forest, no matter how wide Sren is.

    Well, so whats wrong with that?

    Do you think that little werewolf settled here and collected the fallen leaves by itself?

    Tessie realized something and shut her mouth when he said that.

    In other words, Aiden was saying that the injured werewolf pup could not have gone all the way there alone.

    It meant there was something else that had helped the pup.

    Who in the world?

    I dont know who it is. Maybe Theres probably another werewolf.

    Aidan kept his eyes on the werewolf while saying so.

    Just in case it noticed their presence and suddenly rushed at them.

    Although it was a pup, it was bigger than a fairlyrge dog.

    The probability of danger could not be excluded.

    Oh?

    Aidan, who was carefully examining the werewolf, found something strange.

    Near the neck of a werewolf that was covered in fallen leaves and only just visible, he seemed to see something shining under the moonlight.

    When he looked at it while focusing his eyes, it turned out that he wasnt mistaken.

    Isnt that something like a leash?

    At that moment, Aidan judged that the werewolf did not just ur naturally.

    Aidan? What are you doing?

    It was the moment when Leo called him, as he felt that the look on Aidans face was quite serious.

    Aidan glided down the basin, determined to do something.

    Aidan! Hey, hey!

    Leo was confused, and so was Tessie.

    The two rushed after Aidan. Aidan, who hade down to the center of the basin that was more than five meters away from his original spot, slowly approached the werewolf pup.

    Aidan! What are you doing?! Its dangerous!

    Theres something strange about it.

    Aidan wanted to confirm it with his own eyes.

    At that moment, the werewolfs pup, who was closing its eyes, stared at Aidan.

    Aidan paused as he tried to approach it cautiously.

    Their eyes were tangled in each others gaze, and a breathtaking tension was lingering in the surroundings.

    Gulp.

    Aidan slowly held out his hand while swallowing his dry saliva.

    Its okay. I wont hurt you.

    He said so because he had seen the werewolfs eyes.

    There was no hostility or murderous intent.

    The transparent and clear eyes that were staring at him were full of innocence that seemed to belong to a country dog.

    A werewolf with such eyes attacked two people and sent them to a hospital room?

    Aidan didnt think so.

    Leo and Tessie couldnt think of stopping Aidan any longer.

    The pup, who was staring at him, immediately turned its head and closed its eyes again.

    Aidan breathed a sigh of relief inwardly and drew closer to the pup.

    As expected, it was docile.

    It even made a purring sound as though it was in a good mood when Aidan swept its fur with his hand.

    You hurt a lot, I see.

    Aidan said so and examined its wounds that were exposed outside of the fallen leaves.

    Didnt it get bitten by an animal?

    The traces on its body were not caused by an attack from other animals. Rather, it was more like a cut from something.

    When he looked at its neck while sweeping its hair with his hand, he could feel a hard and cold metal.

    As expected, he was not mistaken.

    I thought it was just a mere werewolf, but theres more to it.

    It was when Aidan thought that far

    From the darkness, the sound of something approaching them quickly could be heard.

    Leo, who first noticed the strangeness of that sound, shouted.

    Aidan! Run!

    As soon as Aidan heard the sound, he rushed in the opposite direction from which the sound was heard.

    Soon after, a huge shock hit his body.

    Argh!

    Aidan, who bounced more than three meters and rolled on the ground, shook away his dizziness and looked at the mysterious creature that had knocked him away.

    Werewolf!

    The thing that had hit him with its shoulder while running fast was an adult werewolf that was 1.5 times bigger than the werewolf pup.

    It red at Aidan as if wanting to kill him while standing there protecting its pup.

    It its really a werewolf.

    Tessie trembled at such a sight and eventually raised her wand while charging mana with a determined look.

    The werewolf also stared at Tessie while thinking that she was about to do something.

    Hey, hey! What are you doing?!

    Leo tried to stop her, but Tessie didnt listen to him.

    There was a werewolf in front of her The root of what had driven Sren into chaos.

    If only they didnt exist, and she got rid of them

    She could revive her family.

    A fallen family. Her mother, who forced a smile at her while saying that Its okay.

    The trashy people who used to cling around her but turned their backs right away after her family had copsed.

    She had to do it.

    Only she could raise the Friad family back up.

    The werewolf in front of her was a certain steppingstone for it.

    Just because she hunted a werewolf did not mean it would revive her fallen family.

    Tessie was fully aware of it, but even a little recognition was fine.

    She could get an award point, collect a reward from the city of Leathevelk, or make her name known.

    She learned magic to do that, and she had gone to Sren to aim for sess.

    !.!

    The werewolf rushed at Tessie.

    It was fast.

    Tessie tried to cast a spell, but she made a mistake without realizing it due to the pressure of the werewolf that was rushing toward her.

    The spell!

    Her impatience had ruined her spell casting; the barely drawn mana was meaninglessly scattered.

    Beyond the appearance of the spell that disappeared like a ripped, wet paper, she could see a werewolf approaching her while showing its fangs.

    Ah. Is this the end?

    As she thought so, Tessie felt someone suddenly push her to the side.

    The sharp ws that were wielded by the werewolf passed right in front of her through the air.

    Whirrrr.

    Tessie, who rolled on the ground with someone, was stunned.

    Oh, oh?

    Tessie! Are you okay?

    Ai. dan?

    It was Aidan who had saved her from the crisisthe boy whom she kept bothering and asked for a match.

    If he was the slightest bitte in pushing her, Tessie would have lost her head.

    Im d youre safe.

    You, you. Why did you.

    I cant just watch my friend whos in danger.

    Friend.

    The word left Tessie speechless.

    * * *

    * * *

    Aidan looked at the werewolf, not caring about Tessies reaction.

    Theres something wrong with its movement. I think its seriously hurt somewhere. Maybe thats why we were able to avoid its attack.

    As expected, there were threerge holes that had yet to be healed in the werewolfs chest that was slightly exposed in the dark.

    Aidan gulped and opened his mouth.

    Sorry. It wasnt on purpose. We dont intend to do any harm to your pup.

    Aidan? What are you doing?! Theres no way a werewolf canmunicate!

    Tessie shouted from behind, saying, What kind of stupid thing are you doing? but Aidan was serious.

    Aidan continued, staring at the werewolf in front of him with an unshakable gaze.

    You. Can you understand us?

    Whats

    Leo and Tessie looked puzzled.

    But the werewolfs reaction was strange.

    The werewolf, who was staring at them like it was going to kill them, calmed down and went back to its pup.

    Leo, who was watching such a scene, couldnt close his mouth.

    Does it really understand you?

    It just overreacted because it was afraid that its pup might be in danger.

    But Aidan, it already attacked two students. Its calm now because of its baby, but we dont know when itll suddenly show its true s.

    Leos point was valid, but Aidan felt something indescribable.

    It was possible for Aidan to know because it was him who had faced the werewolfs pup the most closely.

    As soon as he had seen the pups eyes, Aidan had clearly heard something.

    Please help me.

    Leo, Tessie, I know what Im saying is far-fetched, but believe me, just once.

    Aidan said so and slowly approached the werewolf.

    Grrrrrr.

    The supposed mother threatened Aidan by showing her gums, but Aidan raised both of his hands and made a gesture that he was not dangerous.

    Its okay. I wont hurt you.

    As he narrowed the distance little by little with such determination, the werewolf ring at Aidan also stopped showing its hostility.

    That was because the pup was in the worst condition.

    Use this.

    Aidan took a small medicine bottle out of his pocket that he usually carried around.

    It was a very basic recovery medicine that he had made when taking pharmacology sses in curses and dispelling.

    Since his skill was still insufficient, the potions poor performance wouldnt show any great significance in healing, but at least it would help improve the condition of the pup, who was gasping for air.

    It was the moment when he tried to approach the werewolf with that thought

    A white ray of light from somewhere prated the mothers body.

    Oh, oh?

    Aidan, who was approaching the werewolf slowly, along with Leo and Tessie, who were watching the scene while holding their breaths from behind, were surprised and confused by the ray of light.

    It was a silver, shiny metal that prated the body of the werewolf mother.

    At first, he thought it was a sharp spear, but eventually, its shape copsed and turned into a that bound the mother werewolfs body.

    Is that a metal magic that uses ?

    Who the hell does this?

    As soon as everyone was dumbfounded, a ck shadow fell from the sky.

    You guys. What are you doing here?

    It was a man who they saw as a ck shadow.

    And the man was someone whom they knew very well.

    Professor Ludger?

    Ludger, who overpowered the werewolf with a surprise attack, squinted his eyes, as he didnt know there would be three students there.

    You all look familiar. Aidan, Leo, and Tessie Friad. What are the students who took my ss doing here at thiste hour?

    The three people whose names were called shuddered.

    They were doomed.

    They didnt expect to get caught by a professor in that situation! Their opponent was even Ludger Chelysie, who was famous for having no blood or tears.

    Ill hold the three of you responsible for thister. Back off for now.

    Tessie and Leo followed his order.

    But Aidan was different.

    He intervened between Ludger and the werewolf, blocking Ludgers way.

    Wait!

    Aidan. What the hell are you doing?

    Hearing Ludgers cold voice, Aidan trembled but did not back down.

    Professor Ludger! Pl-please wait a minute!

    You told me to wait?

    Theres something strange with that werewolf! No, I mean, to be exact it seemed to understand peoples words! Please reconsider killing that werewolf for a moment!

    Aidan spouted out what he had found out.

    Otherwise, Ludger would take the breath of that mother werewolf right away.

    It understands people, you said? What nonsense are you talking about?

    Its not nonsense. Maybe that werewolf

    I told you to step back.

    Despite Ludgers threat, Aidan didnt step back.

    While staring at Aidan, Ludger found a baby werewolf licking its mothers face with its tongue over Aidans shoulder.

    No ferocity at all; it just showed pure concern for its own family.

    The pup stood with its feet. It was the moment when the fallen leaves that covered its entire body were pushed out, and the rest of its body that was covered by the fallen leaves was shown.

    It saw Ludger.

    His eyebrows wriggled slightly.

    Oh?

    Aidan, who was staring at Ludger intensely, immediately noticed the subtle changes in him.

    Whats wrong with Professor?

    Aidan was about to look back unconsciously.

    Whoosh!

    At that moment, his body flew through the air as if it had been pulled strongly by something.

    Aidans body gentlynded on the ground without any injury.

    It was a buffer effect that used wind magic.

    It was all done by Ludger.

    Prof Professor?

    What he saw was Ludgers back, wearing a ck frock coat.

    He couldnt see the werewolves that were hidden by Ludgers back.

    When Aidan was about to say something

    Ludger casted his spell.

    Whrrrrrrr!

    There was a sh of hot fire all of a sudden.

    It swallowed the two werewolves in a sh, scattering light everywhere.

    He could feel the heat even from a distance. It was obviously an attack spell that would kill the opponent.

    There were no screams from the werewolves that were swallowed by the fire.

    There was no time for them to scream, and they couldnt even feel the pain, as they had already disappeared into ashes.

    When the magic firepletely subsided

    There was no trace left of the werewolves.

    There were only ck ashes.

    Go back to the dormitory.

    Ludger said so without looking back.

    I will hold you responsible for your deviant behavior tomorrow.

    There was no emotion in his voice.

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 30

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    Ludger stood still and stared at the ce where the werewolves had been.

    His hands had burned them all down without a trace.

    Along with all the evidence that they were ab test and not just werewolves.

    It was okay for him to be relieved.

    Since it was over now.

    But Ludgers mind was not the slightest bit at ease.

    Until the other professors, who lit up a fire with their magic from a distance, arrived one by one

    Ludger stood still, stuck on his spot.

    ***

    The werewolf casewhich had caused a stir at Sren Academyended with the removal of werewolves by the new professor, Ludger Chelysie.

    Many students wondered if the incident was simply an inted false rumor, but there were many witnesses who had actually witnessed the werewolves, so such an opinion was ruled out.

    Rumors had already spread among students that Ludger had a bloody fight with a werewolf on the roof of a building under the full moon.

    The students had already talked about the case on the .

    -Is it true that it was a real werewolf?

    -I saw it in person. On the roof of the research building, the new professor fought with the werewolf, and it was so cool.

    -Its not a lie?

    -Actually, a part of the roof of the 3rd research building was broken, and there were signs of a fight.

    -Whoa. So the new professor really caught the werewolf?

    -I heard the new professor is a former soldier. Then its possible.

    -Hes awesome.

    So there were also questions about what the werewolves were and where they had appeared from.

    Some even argued that the werewolves might actually have been a secret experiment from somewhere.

    However, in the absence of clues, such an opinion was nothing more than gossip that did not even circte properly.

    Because that wasnt the important thing.

    -Ah, I got five penalty points because I got caught.

    -Me too. This is a bit risky for my warning in this Academy.

    -Yeah. I dont care about my five penalty points~ I already got award points.

    -Where do you live?

    That time, most of the students who decided to catch werewolves were found and faced penalties.

    Out of the entire school, there were 130 students who had been caught.

    Even the third-year students were included among them, so it was understandable.

    They went out to be heroes, but instead of solving the case, they only got penalty points, so most students tore their hair out of regret about their wrongdoings.

    It was the same for Aidan, Leo, and Tessie.

    Aargh! Were doomed! Were really doomed! Why does it have to be Professor Ludger who caught us out of all people?!

    The three of them had been called to the counseling room for a meeting with the principal.

    Aidan was still immersed in his thoughts, but Tessie was different.

    She was restless.

    She should never have allowed a loophole in order to revive her family, but in the werewolf incident, let alone beingpensated, she was being properly punished by Ludger.

    Tessie red at Aidan with resentment and soon bit her lower lips and shook her head roughly.

    She couldnt me Aidan.

    She wouldnt be alive without Aidan.

    Aidan was the one who saved her from the werewolf attack, after all.

    Yeah. Im just I couldnt do anything at the time

    She felt so stupid that she grabbed the hem of her uniform with her trembling hands.

    Itd been about 10 minutes.

    The door to the counseling room opened.

    The three musketeers: Aidan, Leo, and Tessie, who were sitting in their seats, stood up on their feet.

    Principal She wasing into the counseling room with a beaming smile. She had white on the outside part of her hair but a pinkish on the inside part of her hair.

    Following the principals footsteps was a man with a cold-hearted image.

    It was Ludger Chelysie, the man who blew down the werewolves the night before.

    Ludger looked the same as usual.

    His outfit was a red long coat, not his usual ck frock coat, but his firm neatness still remained.

    Now, now. All three of you, sitfortably.

    Hearing the principals words, the three people, including Aidan, sat down again while studying the principals face.

    The principal also sat in her empty upper seat.

    Please sit down as well, Professor Ludger.

    Ill stand here.

    Well then, if thats convenient for you. Now, lets get down to business. Do you know why I called the three of you here?

    No one answered that question right away.

    But there was no one who didnt know.

    There was only one reason why the three of them were gathered there: Because they had witnessed the werewolves from the closest distance and gotten caught by Ludger.

    Tessie, who didnt expect to face the principal, thought Ludger had really been determined to punish her.

    What does he mean by not just giving penalty points but also telling the principal about it?

    Wasnt it a deration that it would never be finished with ordinary disciplinary action?

    Im doomed!

    She held back her tears for dear life.

    It was some kind of a bad feeling.

    After that day, she never forgot that she had promised herself never to cry again.

    Most of all, she was triggered by Aidan and Leo, who were sitting casually.

    What will happen to us?

    Aidan opened his mouth first, but as Aidan spoke, his gaze did not avert from Ludger.

    Why do you think I called all of you?

    I dont think you wanted to give us a mere penalty point.

    Youre right.

    It was then that Ludger opened his mouth.

    The three of you ignored Srens warning and went all the way into the forest and posed a danger to yourselves, and you almost got hurt. If things had gone even a little wrong, one of you could have died.

    The three people who felt as if they were stabbed by his remark shut their mouths.

    Even though there wasnt an ident in which anyone died in the end, I thought you should know for sure how serious yourcent behavior wasthats why I offered the principal a suggestion.

    They realized it was serious.

    All three of them knew that those words didnt have good intentions behind them.

    As the heavy atmosphere lingered in the counseling room, the principal pped her hands.

    Now, now. Dont make faces like the world is copsing. Think positively. And Professor Ludger. Your words that frightened the students were a bit harsh.

    Your honor, this is not something that should be overlooked.

    Of course, thanks to Professor Ludgers hard work, it ended without anyone getting hurt, and you are right that the students werecent. But it ended well, didnt it?

    I dont understand.

    Because theyre still kids. And even with the intimidating remarks, Professor Ludger gave quite a detailed exnation, right? Aidan?

    Yes, yes!

    When he was suddenly called, Aidan answered in a hurry.

    I heard the story. I heard you jumped to save Tessie from danger?

    N-no. Its just.

    Competition among students is important, but its better to help each other instead. And neither of you ran away from the location so that you could protect Aidan.

    At the words of appraisaling out of the principals mouth one by one, confusion lingered on the faces of Aidan, Leo, and Tessie.

    Why is the principal like that?

    Youre absolutely wrong in your behavior; thats why I decided to take Professor Ludgers advice and give each of you 10 penalty points.

    Ten penalty points!

    If it was 10 and not 5 points, it meant that it was twice as badpared to other students.

    It was obvious that it was disadvantageous towards them.

    But

    At that moment, the principals clear voice awakened the three people from their thoughts.

    * * *

    * * *

    Your actions in the moment of crisis are certainly worthy of praise, so Ill give all three of you 10 award points.

    Pardon?

    Is is that true?

    Ten penalty points. However, in addition to that, the penalty points had practically disappeared due to 10 award points.

    The principals words did not end there.

    Aidan. You showed your courage in thinking of your colleagues before your own body in a time of crisis; Ill give you 10 extra award points.

    Oh!

    Leo. You didnt forget to be cool-headed in a moment of urgency, and you deliberately left a trail on the path as you passed so that others could follow you.

    How, howe

    Ill give you 10 extra award points. And Tessie Friad.

    Yes, yes!

    You had the courage to face the werewolf and fight without running away. Some might say its reckless bravado, but youve understood it well. I hope you will keep that unshakable heart forever.

    Yes, yes! Understood!

    Because of that, Ill give you 10 award points.

    As a result, the three of them had received 10 additional award points rather than penalty points.

    The principal, who had been smiling at the three people who still couldnt ept that this was real, looked back at Ludger while sitting down.

    You dont have anyints, right, Professor Ludger?

    If thats what your honor wants.

    Ludger stepped back and drew the line that there was no disagreement.

    The principal pped her hands.

    Congrattions, kids. Keep up the good work in the future.

    Oh, yes! Thank you! Your honor!

    But still, dont overdo it. Now we have already taken too much time. Everyone, hurry up and go back to the dormitory.

    The three students left the counseling room while thinking that they were still dreaming.

    Aidan, who was leavingst, stopped and looked back at Ludger, who didnt even nce at him.

    What was the reaction that Professor Ludger had shown just then?

    Aidan left the counseling room with unresolved questions.

    The door closed, and only Ludger and the principal were left in the counseling room.

    Phew, Professor Ludger. Are you satisfied now?

    The principal said so after the students werepletely out of their sight.

    I was surprised. Even though it was you who asked me to take good care of those children.

    The principal, who was shaking both of her legs with her head leaned back, nced at Ludger with half-opened eyes.

    On top of that, youre asking me to act as if I was the one who did all of it.

    Because it wouldnt carve a very good image of you if you did what I was doing there.

    I know. You want us to y a good cop and a bad cop, right? I cant believe you call yourself a viin. Arent you feeling sad about it?

    I just chose the most efficient method.

    Oh, is that so? Well, since you said youre fine with that, I wont bother longer about that because, in the end, it was a good thing for the students.

    The president, standing up from her seat, approached the window that showed Srens scenery and swept the transparent window with her slender fingertips.

    Professor Ludger, you said you took care of the werewolves yourself, didnt you?

    Yes.

    What did you see there?

    What do you mean?

    Wasnt there something peculiar about the werewolves?

    Even with the principals sharp words, Ludgers expression did not change.

    I didnt think there was anything.

    Is that so?

    Yes. I just chased the werewolves, and I got rid of them because I was afraid that they would pose a threat to the students. Just like what I did in the military.

    Hmm. Well, then it cant be helped.

    The principal also did not question him any further because Ludgers fight with the werewolves while protecting students was already so famous that it had spread throughout the school.

    Anyway, Id like to thank you once again. Thanks to you, nobody died.

    I just did my job.

    I like that confident attitude. Ill look forward to your good performance in the future.

    Ludger bowed his head without a word.

    After his conversation with the principal, Ludger returned to his professors office.

    Ludger, who was sitting while leaning on the back of his chair, recalled what had happened the night before.

    What had surprised him

    The body of the werewolf pup that had been hidden by the fallen leaves that no one else had ever discovered.

    It had certainly belonged to a human child on which fur had not yet grown.

    Right

    He wasnt mistaken.

    It was obviously a human body that had not yet turned into a wolf.

    The Shamsus school did not use wolves as experiments to create werewolves.

    Rather, it was the opposite.

    They created a werewolf using human beings as an experiment.

    Instead of substituting human genes into wolves, they had captured human beings and forcibly mixed beast factors into them.

    The strange behavior of the werewolf who had thrown the wreckage with her hands when she was in an emergency was finally understandable.

    He had wondered why their brains worked so well, they were not like beastswho should have no reasoning.

    The werewolf pup must have been a human child.

    It must have been the mother who blocked his way to protect her child.

    Was it her family?

    The three werewolves who had made a mess in Leathevelk and Sren

    Was it a human family thatd been used as an experiment?

    A child and two parents.

    Ordinary people who were just being swept away by unfortunate incidents.

    Ludger had killed the three of them with his own hands.

    Silently

    Ludger tightened his fist.

    I have no regrets in my actions.

    Even if he went back to that time, Ludger would have made the same judgment.

    Otherwise, it would have been him who was in danger.

    All of the experiments had to be eliminated, and the connection he was involved in had to be broken as well. There was no other way.

    And there was already a death toll from the werewolves.

    Even though they had no choice but to do that in order to live, they had still killed and eaten someones family.

    That was why he had killed them.

    Yes

    Hes sure that was enough.

    The eyes

    The babys clear eyes as it looked back at him at the end after licking its mother.

    While Ludger was casting his spell to kill them, the look in the pups eyes did not contain any rebuke or anger toward Ludger.

    There was only one emotion

    The pup had been thankful to him for ending their terrible lives.

    Ludger got up from his seat.

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 31

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    Aidan, Leo, and Tessie, who were sitting on a bench in a quiet garden, had yet toe back to reality as if what happened a while ago was a dream.

    It was Tessie who came to her senses first.

    So we really didnt get punished. It still feels like a dream.

    I know, right?

    Who would have thought that the principal would take action and side with us.

    I know, right?

    Leo, who usually had sharp conversations with Tessie, agreed with herpletely at that time.

    The two peoples eyes soon turned to Aidan.

    They stared at him as if asking if he had anything to say.

    Hey, Aidan. Aidan?

    Huh? Oh, yeah.

    What are you thinking about?

    Unlike the two who were happy to receive the award points, Aidan showed a serious face the whole time.

    Aidan, do you have any concerns?

    Well, should I say its a concern? Well I know that its kind of weird to say this now

    So what is it? Dont hesitate, and say it so your heart will feel more at ease!

    When Tessie strongly whined at him, Aidan hesitated for a while before confessing his concerns to his two friends.

    Its just that something is weird.

    Weird? Whats weird?

    The werewolf yesterday. You may not have seen it, but the werewolfs neck was tied with a strange silver leash.

    What?!

    Shh!

    As Tessie raised her voice, Leo immediately gestured to her to be silent.

    Be quiet. What if someone hears you?

    The three looked around and checked if there were any other listeners, and then they put their heads together and spoke in quiet voices.

    Keep talking. Is that true?

    Yeah. Im sure. Thats also why I tried to stop Professor Ludger.

    A leash, you said. Are you saying that the werewolf is not an ordinary werewolf?

    I think its really someones intentional experiment.

    If his story was true, it was bound to be a serious problem.

    Leo also opened his mouth with a heavy expression as if he was thinking about something.

    Me too; I heard a rumor recently

    What is it?

    That there are suspicious people hiding in Sren.

    Suspicious people? Whats that? Youre talking about a secret organization, right? Isnt it just a secret club or false rumor that the students created by themselves?

    There was nothing unusual about having a secret meeting between students in Sren.

    Leo shook his head at Tessies question.

    If it was just that, he wouldnt even say that the rumor was suspicious.

    Im not sure either, but I think its clear that a secretive organization that has not been revealed has permeated Sren. I realized it, especially after I saw this werewolf case.

    W-wait. Then you are saying that there are dangerous people in Sren.

    Its just still in a level of doubt, but Ill say so. Aidan. Do you think so, too?

    Yeah. Honestly, its not a good thing to suspect someone, but Im sure something is off. And I think that, in particr

    Aidan shook his head and shut his mouth as he tried to say something.

    No, never mind.

    What is it?

    Is it because of Professor Ludger?

    At Tessies straightforward words, Aidan wasnt able to lie and nodded his head.

    The reason why Aidans heart has been weighed heavily since a while ago was because of the violent behavior that Ludger had shown the previous day.

    I dont want to be suspicious of Professor Ludger, but the way he lookedst night was somewhat strange.

    Strange, you said?

    You may not have been able to see it properly because you were covered by Professor Ludgers back, but I was facing him from the front. At that time, Professor Ludger saw something.

    The reaction that Ludger showed at the time was obvious, even though it was just a brief moment.

    Aidan hadnt missed it.

    But before he could ask about it, Ludger had forced him to get away and burned down the werewolf.

    Leo held his chin after hearing Aidans words.

    Do you mean Professor Ludger tried to destroy the evidence?

    What? Professor Ludger? Is that possible?

    Tessie asked back as if saying that he was such a fool to say so.

    No matter how likely it was, she couldnt believe that Ludger Chelysie, who had helped them and fought fiercely with the werewolves, had something rather secret beyond his action.

    Im not sure. However, I keep thinking that Professor Ludger might know something. The professor at that time seemed to be in a hurry to hide something.

    Maybe its a misunderstanding.

    Theres no way a Sren professor would do such a dangerous thing.

    But what if its real? What if Ludger Chelysie is a part of a secret organization thats too dangerous to talk about?

    What if he killed the werewolves to destroy evidence?

    Are you idiots? No matter how likely it is, you still went too far.

    Tessie put her hand on her waist and shook her head while rebuking the two.

    Professor Ludger must have thought of something. And when we were talking face to face with the principal earlier, didnt you think something was weird?

    Oh? What?

    I didnt think so.

    Phew. Idiots. Dont you remember what the principal said when sheplimented us? She pinpointed each of us for what we did well and our deeds.

    Oh, right. She did. I couldnt think of it because I was so focused on something else.

    Think about it. How would the principal, who wasnt even there, know about it?

    Oh, thats

    Of course, someone told the principal everything. And who could tell the principal about what we did?

    Ludger Chelysie.

    It was just him.

    Professor Ludger was pretending not to, but he actually witnessed everything that we did. If he wanted to scold us, he wouldnt have told the principal our good deeds.

    Ah.

    Listening to Tessie, it certainly seemed so.

    Only the principal and Ludger came into the counseling room, and when the principal said she would give them award points, Ludger took a step back and yielded.

    Everything is Professor Ludgers n? But why on earth?

    I dont know it either. Still, Professor Ludger cared for us and only told the principal good things about us. Isnt it too much for you to suspect Professor Ludger?

    Aidan and Leo had nothing to justify their previous remark.

    To be honest, it was indeed true.

    * * *

    * * *

    If Ludger was a suspicious person, would he have taught them the groundbreaking spell of source code in his first ss?

    It doesnt make sense for a person who had to hide his identity to reveal it instead.

    Is that so?

    Aidan scratched his head, but he couldnt get rid of his subtle doubts about Ludger.

    He was sure that Ludger was a respectable professor, but he also couldnt deny that there was indeed something strange about him.

    Yes. Tessie, I think youre right. Its meaningless to think about it right now anyway.

    Yeah. As long as you know that.

    More than that, Im hungry. Did you guys eat?

    No. Not yet.

    How about Tessie?

    Why me?

    If you havent eaten yet, why dont we go eat together?

    What what?

    Tessie wondered if she was mistaken when listening to Aidans words.

    What? Eat?

    With me?

    Are you for real?

    Why?

    That, thats because eating is uh

    As she was embarrassed, Tessie twisted her hair with her fingertips and murmured softly with a blushed face.

    For fellow friends

    Were already friends, right?

    !

    Looking at Aidan, who stared at her while smiling brightly, Tessies ears turned red.

    Leo, who was watching the scene from the side, sighed and shook his head.

    Seeing that childish girl who couldnt be honest and his friend who had no sensitivity whatsoever

    He thought that his daily life in Sren would be eventful.

    ***

    Oh! Professor Ludger!

    It was after I was headed back from work.

    On my way back to the amodation, I met professor Selena.

    She, who found me first and ran toward me like a puppy while making a fuss, looked more like a student in the Academy than a professor.

    Isnt she lying about her age?

    Are you off from work?

    Yes.

    I heard the news. Yesterday, I heard that you caught the werewolves.

    Yes, I got rid of them.

    Whoaaa. Really?

    Professor Selena was looking at me with a burdensome gaze.

    Still, we were fellow new professors, but I thought that she was looking up at me too much.

    All theyve been talking abouttely is only Professor Ludger. More than that, how on earth did you catch the werewolf? Was there any method to do it?

    Wait.

    Pardon?

    Im a little busy today, so Ill talk to you next time.

    Listening to my firm words, Professor Selena nodded with a slightly sullen look like a child scolded by an adult.

    That Im sorry. I shouldnt have called you when you were busy.

    No. Its not that I couldnt answer your call. Have a good rest, professor Selena.

    Yes. Please take care on your way, Professor Ludger.

    I greeted Selena and separated ways with her.

    Unlike other professors, she was a good person who was interested purely in my achievement.

    However, I couldnt get close to anyone because I was in a tight position.

    It was still possible to eat together as a group, but that was all.

    And first of all, I had one thing to do immediately.

    When I returned to my private amodation, there was a package at the door.

    Taking the package, I went inside the amodation and checked its contents.

    It was data that Hans had sent me.

    Areas where missing people and some particr people had gathered recently in Leathevelk.

    Whirrr.

    After checking the contents briefly, I headed to my private study.

    On one side of the wall in the study, photos were pinned everywhere, along with a map of Leathevelk city.

    I cut out some of the contents of the document and pinned them to one corner of the map.

    An area full of abandoned factories in Leathevelk.

    An abandoned slum.

    There was aboratory around there.

    After I finished pinning the locations, I immediately took out a portable crystal ball.

    As mana flowed in, a voice came from beyond the crystal ball.

    [Did you check all the data that I sent?]

    Yes.

    [As you told me yesterday, I checked the surrounding area. In one abandoned factory, about ten strong men rushed in and out. I think Im sure about that.]

    I see.

    [And I personally checked what you told me to. Someborers have recently gone missing outside the city.]

    Was there a family of three among them?

    [There was. Its the only case where a whole family disappeared. The police didnt do much investigation and hushed it, but their neighbors must have been very nervous. The data came out easily after investigating a little bit.]

    I got it. I will go there soon.

    I left that message and cut off themunication.

    After staring intensely at the map fixed to the wall for a while, I left the amodation while wearing a dull brown coat that was unlike my usual one.

    ***

    One dark night

    In Leathevelks factory area, where starlight and moonlight disappeared due to the thick clouds in the sky

    The chimney of the factory, which stood tall without emitting any smoke, became a tombstone in honor of those who died in the shadow of the city.

    Considering that there were actual people who died due to a difficult environment, the word tombstone was not particrly wrong.

    The slum area, usually called an abandoned area, had a strong sense of destion because there were no street lights that were sometimes seen from time to time.

    All he could see was a gutter rat passing by the ground quickly.

    Ludger arrived at that ce where even vagrants gave up begging and gave a wide berth.

    You came?

    Hans, who had arrived first and was waiting, weed Ludger.

    Hans looked at Ludgers face, then he shook his head and clicked his tongue.

    On the surface, he looked nothing like a danger, but Ludger was already heavily armed.

    Hans could feel that Ludger was thoroughly prepared for the fight ahead, judging from the bitter energy emanating from him.

    Will you go alone?

    Will you help me if I ask you to?

    Well, I thought I might be able to deal with one or two of them.

    Never mind. Its enough for me alone. What kind of guys are on the inside?

    There are nearly forty people, but it seems like they know that theyre in a rushtheyre slowly leaving this ce. Itd be in vain if you were here three dayster.

    Whats their power?

    Youd better assume that each of them and even some of the nobodies have guns. Well, guns wont work against you, whos a wizard, but there are about three of them who are wearing strengthened armor.

    What about their elites power?

    There are two ck wizards.

    I see.

    The entrance was arge pipe tube that was drilled for wastewater disposal.

    Ludger, who was about to head to theboratory, stopped and asked Hans a question.

    Hans. The family that I asked you about beforehand

    Yes.

    How old was the kid?

    Their kid, you said?

    With his back against the wall, Hans looked up as if he was thinking of something.

    The sky was full of gloomy clouds.

    He was seven years old. He was still such a little boy.

    Seven years old, huh?

    Ludger moved his legs again.

    I see.

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 32

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    Ludger headed to the entrance of a secretboratory that was decorated with arge wastewater pipe.

    The wastewater pipe, which was rusting everywhere and full of odors, seemed real, but when he went a little deeper, the scenery changed right away.

    The inner wall of the wastewater pipe neatly changed, and even the odor that used to reek disappeared.

    Ziiiing.

    From beyond that ce, a sound was heard with subtle scarlet light.

    Ludger immediately advanced with caution while trying to show as little sense of presence as possible.

    Hah. Im so bored. How much longer do we have to stay?

    I dont know. We still have more than two days to spare, so shouldnt we wait a little longer?

    Why did those damn experiments escape anyway?

    Were not going to get caught yet, so it might be okay. We are cleaning this ce up and going to leave to prepare for the worst possibilities.

    But Id rather be guarding like this. Its a mess inside currently, as they are organizing the equipment.

    Its time to switch shifts soon anyway.

    Argh. If only those sh*tty experiments hadnt escaped.

    Ludger leaned his back against the wall and listened to their conversation.

    The two, who were bored due to having to stand on guard for a long time at the entrance, did not stop chatting.

    I was outside at the time. How did that happen? Did the management make a mistake?

    There must have been a mistake. I heard that the kid who was kidnapped didnt take medicine often, so he didnt turn more Cryptid-like. Maybe its because hes still young.

    So?

    Why do you even ask? So when I tried to pull him out to inject more drugs into his body, he resisted.

    I heard its really painful to be injected with the drugs. Is it true?

    Im sure its painful because they scream loudly. But the problem is that his parents made a ruckus there.

    What? His parents? They had already be werewolves, yet they were still trying to protect their kid?

    Yes. The scientists didnt know that they still had some reasoning. They were angrier than we expected, and the inside theboratory was a mess.

    Damn it. So thats why they escaped? Isnt it a bit dangerous then?

    Hahah! Dangerous, my ass. Dont worry. I heard that we asked a reliable person to take care of the werewolves. Anyway, Id have stepped on the werewolf pup until he died if I were there. He made us suffer like this.

    I see.

    Ludger felt that he no longer needed to eavesdrop on their conversation.

    Because he had already found out about everything and how things were turning out.

    Ssh.

    As Ludger stepped on the water that was puddled on the ground, the two people who were chattering immediately closed their mouths and stared at him.

    What? Whos that?

    Isnt it just a rat?

    Magical lights were shining around the entrance, but the ce where Ludger stood was rtively dark, so he couldnt be seen.

    The two men pulled guns from their waistlines.

    But before that, two beams of light flew out of the darkness and prated the middle of their forehead faster.

    Bam! Bam!

    Without even being able to scream, the two men who were guarding the entrance copsed right on the spot.

    It happened in the blink of an eye.

    Ludger walked slowly out of the darkness.

    He was wearing shin-length leather boots, ck pants, a gray vest full of pockets, and a shabby brown coat over it.

    His face was covered with a ck hood that was drooping down to his nose, and he wore a hood that covered up to his forehead.

    Ludger walked past the corpses and went into the secretboratory with ghostly silent steps.

    And not long after he entered

    A scream rang out from the inside.

    ***

    Aaaaaaah! Help me!

    The man who was patrolling near the entrance appeared from the dark and ran away desperately from a monster that had killed all of his colleagues.

    He didnt know from where the monster had suddenly appeared.

    Like a mirage, the monster had suddenly appeared and killed his patrolling colleagues in a sh.

    What did the guys who guarded the entrance do?

    At the moment he thought so, his sight turned upside down.

    Oh?

    His body swayed, then he fell forward. He couldnt move his legs below the shins..

    Why why on earth?

    He looked down at his legs and finally realized why.

    His legs were cut off under his shin.

    The moment he recognized it, the pain came btedly.

    Urk!

    He gritted his teeth and red at the darkness behind his back.

    Beyond the wide passage was a darkness where all the lights had gone out.

    He heard footsteps from there.

    His spine became cold, and every hair on his body stood on end.

    It was a guy.

    The intruder who had suddenly appeared and killed all his colleagues

    He is alreadying after him.

    Step.

    The intruder slowly emerged from the darkness.

    He covered his whole face as he appeared from the darkness, so he could not be identified.

    However, based on his sturdy build, it was clear that he was a man.

    He warned the man in a trembling voice.

    You, you. You thought youd be able to get away after messing with us? I dont think you know whos in there, but youre already done.

    The man didnt respond.

    Rather, the mans eyes that were seen beyond the shadow of his hood became sharper.

    His lips and throat became dry.

    As soon as he wondered if he should rather beg for help, arge number of people flocked from beyond the passage.

    Here! There was a noise here!

    In the distance, he saw mercenaries approaching the ce where with magical lights.

    All of them were packed with guns; one of them especially stood out, as he was heavily armed.

    The man shouted as he discovered his colleagues hade to his rescue.

    Here! This way! Here! Hahaha! You are dead now! You will turn into a honeb in this narrow passage Urk!

    Ludger thrusted a dagger into the mouth of that noisy man. When the dagger was pulled out, blood sttered, and his body fell sideways.

    It was then that the troops who arrived just in time discovered Ludger.

    There! Shoot him!

    They aimed their guns right away without asking who Ludger was, perhaps because they were well-trained soldiers,

    Meanwhile, Ludger stood still as if he were stuck on his spot.

    Shoot!

    They pulled the trigger right away, but there was no gunfire.

    Oh?

    Wh-what?

    ck. ck.

    No matter how strongly they pulled their triggers, the bullets didnt emerge. Their guns were not broken, but the gunpowder was frozen.

    A stream of cold sweat flowed down their leaders cheek, who had instructed them to shoot Ludger.

    In this case, he understood from his own experience.

    Silence of Fire! Hes a wizard!

    It had been a long time since weapons based on gunpowder emerged as the world had evolved.

    Nevertheless, wizards and knights still kept their positions of being those who held the most power in the world.

    There was only one reason for that:

    It was because guns were not threatening at all to knights and wizards.

    Knights with superhuman physical abilities could easily avoid or cut down ordinary bullets.

    On the contrary, wizards didnt have to do that.

    The Silence of Fire spell that they used made it possible to prevent the iing gunshot.

    Silence of Fire

    It was literally a spell that suppressed the performance of gunpowders that was targetted at the wizard within a certain range.

    The spell made it possible to neutralize even machine guns if used by a third-rank wizard.

    If a 5th-rank wizard used the spell, they could even neutralize a cannon.

    If a 6th-rank Lexure wizard used it, the flow of the war would change from then on.

    Thats why wizards and knights could maintain their powerful spots even when the era of guns and gunpowder had alreadye.

    But the spell that Ludger used ended in the third tier.

    So Ludger realized that he couldnt go beyond that and made up for hisck of power by strengthening the casted spell.

    When amon third-rank wizard used Silence of Fire, their effective range was within a radius of 20 meters.

    And the effective range of the Silence of Fire that Ludger used

    Was within a radius of 200 meters.

    Darn it! Everyone, pull out your weapons!

    The people affiliated with the Shamsus school were quick to make a move.

    They threw away their meaningless guns and immediately took out their swords and clubs.

    Zzzzt.

    An electric current flowed all over the clubs.

    Ludger raised his hands at such a sight.

    Each of his hands held a revolver.

    Idiot! When youre using Silence of Fire, even your guns are useless!

    Shoo!

    The man who wasughing at Ludger fell backward as his forehead sprayed blood.

    Everyone watched the scene with a paleplexion.

    What just happened?

    Wh-what?

    How the hell?

    Ludger had obviously shot his gun, but it wasnt a bullet that he fired

    Magic.

    It was actually mana which had the shape of a bullet.

    * * *

    * * *

    Therefore, there was no sound when he shot, and the Silence of Fire spell itself wouldnt be affected.

    You you!

    Did you want to fight in an equal battle?

    Ludgerughed at the soldiers and shot bullets of his mana randomly.

    Ratatata!

    However, even though he seemed to shoot randomly, the bullets hit their foreheads precisely.

    In an instant, blood and screams were rampant.

    These idiots! Everyone, get out of my way!

    A big man dressed in massive armor stepped forward. His reinforced armor, made of ck synthetic metal, easily deflected the mana bullets that Ludger fired.

    It was an armor suit that had been reinforced and made with recent engineering development.

    Its movement was slow but very sturdy, and it required tremendous strengthit was used exclusively for great knights.

    That will be a bit of a bother.

    Die!

    The big man in reinforced armor rushed toward Ludger with his arms wide open.

    His stomping steps gave off a sense of intimidation as if he was a rushing tank.

    Ludger was not panicking or frightened at all.

    After withdrawing his revolvers, he took out two Karambit daggerswhich had the form of crescent moonsfrom his waist and held them tightly.

    Youre going to have a close-up battle as a wizard?

    As soon as he reached out his arm to grab Ludger by the cor, Ludgers figure distorted and disappeared.

    What? Where did he disappear to?

    The moment the man in the reinforced armor was dumbfounded by his disappearance, a terrible pain punctured his forearm.

    Blood gushed from the gap in between his armor.

    Aaaaaargh! Wh-what?!

    A dagger pierced in between the joints of his armor.

    How the hell? No, more than that, hes so fast that I cant even see

    As soon as he tried to move his left arm, there wasnt any strength left in his left arm.

    It was because something cold and sharp had pierced down his armpit.

    Wh-what?

    Next was both of his ankles.

    Before he coulde to his senses, the tendons of his legs were cut off, and he knelt down on the spot.

    Andstly

    He felt a cold touch on his neck.

    H-help

    sh!

    Ludger cut his throat with a Karambit dagger without listening.

    Damn it! Gabe was defeated!

    Get out of the way! Im gonna fight him!

    That time, it was someone with a slightly different type of reinforced armor who stood in the front.

    He was wearing brass armor, which was not ck but yellowish, and white steam spewed out from behind his shoulders.

    It was a reinforced exoskeleton made with steam engines.

    Both of his hands held onto a huge gun barrel, and the end of the gun barrel was connected to arge Te coil hanging from his back.

    Die!

    Zzzzzzzt!

    A purple current engulfed the passage. The high-voltage current of the Te gun, which wouldnt be affected by the Silence of Fire, spread in all directions and sshed sparks of electricity.

    Bwahahahaha! What could you do?

    But he had no choice but to stopughing.

    The high-voltage current that he fired was not moving forward; it was as if it had been blocked right in front of Ludger.

    Wh-what?

    No, to be exact, the electric current was seeping into a metal that had popped up in front of him and was permeating it.

    Is that a metal magic based on alchemy?

    No way, he was a guy who specialized in metal among the elemental properties?

    He was doomed. A Te gun that shot high-voltage current did not work against wizards who used metal elemental magic as their attribute.

    He realized it, but it was toote.

    Ludger pulled out his revolver again and fired his mana.

    It hit exactly at the Tes gun port and made it explode.

    Zzzzzt!

    The electricity spread all over the ce, and all the people nearby burned into ashes.

    The only one who managed to survive leaned his back against the wall and stared at Ludger, who was slowly approaching him.

    Half of his body was already charred, and he was barely breathing.

    Gasp. Gasp. Cr-crazy bastard. Why the hell are you doing this to us?

    He felt it was unfair for some reason, but Ludger didnt even reply and just walked past him.

    He didnt kill him.

    He couldnt survive in that state anyway, so Ludger was going to leave him in pain a little bit longer.

    How many people have I dealt with so far?

    About 20 people.

    There were still about half of the troops that were left inside theboratory.

    And seeing that they werent approaching him, it was clear that they were preparing to encounter him from the inside of theboratory.

    Most of all, he could feel that gaze

    The gazes that aimed at him from the gaps of the pipes that covered the wall.

    Eyes that were ring at Ludger.

    Is it ck magic that utilizes insects?

    Hans had said that there were two ck wizards inside.

    He had heard that some of the ck wizards could also explore areas that were difficult for others to discover by utilizing insects vision.

    Maybe it was him who was watching Ludger.

    Pheew.

    Ludger exhaled lightly while swinging his right foot and walked lightly on the ground.

    ng.

    The noise of the floor as his boots stomped on it.

    It became an echo and spread wide and deep to the inside of theboratory.

    ***

    The inside of theboratory

    The scientists there were bound to be very anxious.

    Are you sure this is all right? We need to destroy the data right now and pack the experiments drugs

    Oh, its all right.

    It was the blonde man with a tattoo on his neck that stopped the feeble scientist.

    The blonde mans outfit was also quite light, and he didnt look like he possessed any weapons, so it seemed as if he hade out just for a trip.

    But everyone knew that the man was the most influential ck wizard in theboratory.

    The same went for the giant bald man who was sitting quietly next to him.

    The bald mans name was Veron.

    The blonde mans name was Bruno.

    Although they werent rted by blood, the two were ck magicians who had their own reputations in the underworldthey were called the insect brothers.

    Because theres only one opponent.

    The younger brother, Bruno, stated the information that he had confirmed through an insect.

    Yeah.

    Surprisingly, there was only one intruder.

    He couldnt believe that it was only one guy who had wiped out two people with reinforced armor and one troop that was armed with guns all by himself.

    Who who on earth?

    We dont know that either. Maybe the Empires security department has discovered us.

    Sec-security department!

    Security department.

    An organization that consisted of only of the most elite troops within the Empire.

    Among them, there was one Knight Order affiliated with the security department.

    The Nightcrawler Knight Order

    Of course, they were a little different from the ordinary Knights.

    The scary thing about them was not only that each of them had brutal individual power but also that they would use any means necessary to achieve their goal.

    They were Knights, but they didnt act as square as the other Knights.

    Rather, they killed their enemies by thoroughly prying into their opponents weaknesses, then piercing into those weaknesses and killing them.

    They were Knights who could kill even a three-year-old child without mercy if the child was judged to be harmful to the Empire.

    It was no wonder that they were called the devils of the underworld.

    But the way he fights is a little strange.

    He wanted to identify his appearance a little bit more through insects, but he didnt know what trick that intruder was doing because all the signals were cut off from the insects that he sent.

    Did he notice that they were watching him?

    He was not an ordinary person either, considering the fact that he wasing alone.

    Brother, we need to get ready.

    Yeah.

    The older brother, Veron, stood up. Theboratorys guards were also very nervous and held up their shields and weapons.

    The passage from the entrance that was heading to the center of theboratory

    It was when they were all prepared while staring intensely at the passage to encounter the intruder

    A strange wavelength swept through the interior of theboratory, and soon all the lights went out, and darkness engulfed that ce.

    Wh-what?! Hurry and turn on the lights!

    Turn the backup power on!

    Looking at his men, who were moving in a hurry, the younger brother Bruno looked at his older brother.

    Brother. I think hes ying tricks on us, though?

    Brother?

    There was no answer from Veron.

    Bruno looked back at Veron. Even in the dark, hisrge size could be clearly distinguished among the silhouettes.

    The silhouette of Veron

    His head was cut off, and his corpse rolled on the floor.

 Chapter 33

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    Damn it! Brother!

    Bruno reacted as soon as he confirmed that Verons head had been cut off.

    Countless insects wriggled through the gaps in his clothes.

    Bruno quickly racked his brain.

    What that man used was the sound waves And he even used metal magic

    Elemental properties were divided into 10 elements:

    Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, nts, Electricity, Metal, Ice, Darkness, and Light.

    There were also unknown properties that had yet to be revealed.

    In the case of sound magic, it was often seen as an offshoot of wind elements because it uses atmospheric vibration.

    And what Ludger used to stop the Te gun was the Metal property magic.

    Metal is an element that is derived from the earth. The elemental properties that can normally be handled by the wizard are made up of only simr characteristics.

    ording to Brunos judgment, Ludgers elemental magic that he was able to handle were Wind, Earth, and Metal.

    Usually, in the case of wizards, there were about two to three properties that they could handle.

    No matter how skillful they were, they could only handle up to four properties.

    If they could handle five properties, it could be said that they were within an area of natural talent.

    As a result, wizards basically casted three elements that their opponents had to deal with.

    That was basicmon sense, and it was an obvious thing.

    If hes dealing with wind elements, the characteristics of small flying insects wont be good against it. Then Ill have to solve it with my men who have giant builds.

    Since he wasnt sure yet, he could not rule out the possibility of Ludger having a fourth element.

    A giant centipede with a thick crust poked out of Brunos sleeve.

    It was an insect that could not be seen in a general ecosystem, created through ck magic and subspecies hybridization of specific insects caught in the southern jungle.

    But the centipedes neck that Bruno pulled out was cut off in an instant.

    It took less than a second for the sharp sword to aim at his neck.

    Urk!

    Bruno twisted his body and escaped Ludgers de.

    Hidden underneath his clothes, hard beetles were wrapped around him like chain armor.

    Hes willing to have a close distance fight? Is he a war mage?

    Bruno immediately tried to distance himself from Ludger.

    At that moment, a spell technique was carved in front of Ludger.

    Brunos eyes widened.

    Thats Fluttering me!

    A spell technique that seemed to form a burning me was carved in just a few milliseconds.

    The spell of the 3rd-tier me element, Fluttering me, engulfed Bruno in less than a second, emitting intense mes.

    Aaaaaaaaargh!

    The fire broke out along with Brunos scream, brightening up the surroundings. The soldiers, who were staring at the entrance, looked back and opened their eyes wide.

    It its the enemy!

    How the hell?!

    But in the meantime, Bruno twisted his body inside the heat.

    The most difficult magic element for a wizard who dealt with insects was definitely the me property.

    He couldnt believe that the intruder was utilizing an element that had nothing to do with the other three properties.

    It was unbelievable.

    H-how the hell?

    All the insects that were burned barely managed to survive, but Brunos condition was not very good either.

    As he was half-melted from a burn on his whole body, he stared at Ludger while copsing on spot.

    He thought that he hadnt let his guard down, but he also didnt expect that his enemy would be this extreme.

    Who the hell are you?

    Bam!

    Instead of answering, Ludger drew a revolver and shot through Brunos head.

    At the same time, the backup power was activated, and the light turned on inside theboratory.

    Oooh!

    No no way, the insect brothers are dead.

    The soldiers who were in charge of the inner security looked at the bodies of the Bruno and Veron brothers and were at a loss.

    Even if they allbined their power, they would still lose in the hands of one of the brothers, and the intruder alone had overpowered both of the brothers.

    The soldiers lost their fighting spirit.

    There was no way they could fight a monster like that.

    Everyone stepped back from Ludger in fear, and a change was happening in Verons body, which had been decapitated and had copsed.

    Whoosh!

    !

    Ludger responded immediately. As soon as the body flew forward, a huge hand scratched the space where Ludger had stood just before.

    It was an insects front leg, full of sharp spines on its smooth shell.

    Everyone else watching the scene was also stunned.

    Werent you dead?

    Ludger looked at Veron, who was moving his body and asked that question.

    Verons body, which had been decapitated, rose from its spot again. It was his bizarrely transformed right hand that had stuck out at Ludger.

    Veron stretched out his left hand, which was still in human form.

    There was a mouth in his palm.

    I was surprised. I didnt expect such an ambush.

    Is it your insect form?

    Oh. So you know?

    It was Bruno whose specialty was dealing with insects.

    On the contrary, his older brother, Veron, had a big body and didnt deal with bugs, so Ludger had wondered why they were called the insect brothers.

    Was it because of that?

    Veron was a ck wizard whose body itself mutated like some kind of insect.

    Such a body wouldnt ur naturally, so he had actually used his own body as an experiment of ck magic.

    Veron was an example of why ck wizards were full of crazy people.

    Even so, your head was cut off, so I didnt expect you to be fine.

    My body is no longer that of a normal persons.

    At the same time, when he said that, Verons body mutated with the chilling sound of crunching.

    The ck robe surrounding his body expanded, and countless spines popped out.

    Ludger backed off.

    Veronwho already had a giant bodylooked down at Ludger as he was growing even bigger.

    He had a horrible form of monster that looked like a mixture of various insects.

    At that point, it was hard to tell whether he was a ck wizard or a Cryptid.

    [I cant believe you killed my younger brother. Im not sad, but Ill make you take responsibility for it.]

    Verons arms pulled back and shot at Ludger like arrows.

    Ludger immediately flew up using a wireuncher.

    Verons stab passed by Ludgers feet and prated the soldiers who were lining up behind.

    Aaaaaah!

    Run!

    Veron didnt care, even though his men screamed and died.

    [Oh my. Youre quick to make a move. Youre literally like a flying insect.]

    Veron looked up and tried to find Ludger.

    Boo-boom!

    At that moment, the steel structures on the ceiling copsed and fell over Verons head.

    Baam!

    Veron was fine, even though a considerable weight of iron had fallen upon him. There was only a slight scratch on his shell, and there was no wound.

    [Were you trying to draw my attention with this?]

    Veron turned his huge head and looked at Ludger, who slowlynded on the ground with a wire.

    It was obviously a provocative act, but Ludger didnt respond much.

    What a bother.

    Verons body was already out of the ordinary insects league.

    The shell surrounding such a huge body was also hard, so it was no wonder that he was called a monster beyond a mere ck wizard.

    This is why theyre ck wizards.

    Ludger, who was about to shoot his revolver, quit and withdrew all his weapons.

    He realized that even a hundred shots wouldnt work for Veron.

    [Oh. Are you giving up?]

    Veronughed at Ludgers actions, but Ludger stretched his hand out toward Veron instead.

    [What is he doing?]

    Ludgers actions, who stretched his arms toward Veron, went beyond provoking Verons curiosity and even triggered his displeasure.

    [Is he trying to use some kind of magic?]

    However, it is practically impossible to attack Veron unless it was a spell above the fourth tier.

    Ludger, ording to his judgment, was a 3rd rank wizard.

    His spellcasting speed was so fast that it was bizarre, but that was all.

    He didnt think that Ludger could deal proper damage to him.

    [Its not bad to give a little generosity and see what this cute intruder is trying to do.]

    Veron made that judgment.

    I didnt want to use this in this situation, though.

    [Hmm?]

    Well, it cant be helped.

    As soon as Ludger finished his sentence

    The interior of theboratory was filled with white light.

    * * *

    * * *

    Huu. Haa. Its still chilly.

    Hans, who was waiting for Ludger outside the abandoned factory, trembled as he reached into his pocket in the cold, still night air.

    Itd already been half an hour since Ludger went inside.

    Its almost time for him to finish it.

    Ludger had tried hard to not make it obvious, but Hans realized that he was very angry.

    Well, he would be angry as well.

    He couldnt believe that those nuts had kidnapped a seven-year-old kid and his parents and used them as human experiments.

    No matter how much he was someone who couldnt be fair and square, there was a line that should be protected, even by people who did his kind of job.

    That Shamsus school crossed that line too hard.

    Hes a bitte. Was it hard since they had two ck wizards?

    All the more so if the ck wizards were the insect brothers, who had their own reputation in the underworld.

    But Hans didnt think that Ludger would die.

    Theyd known each other for years.

    Ludger was a man who should have died a long time ago.

    There was only one reason why he hadnt died:

    He was that strong.

    He doesnt seem to intend to make it obvious.

    He was a hunter who had hunted the monster in Jvaudan alone in the first ce.

    There were more than five knights that the monster had eaten, and Ludger had hunted such a monster alone.

    Moreover, Ludger did not use only the identity of Abraham Van Helsing as a hunter.

    He was also a private detective,

    A mysterious thief,

    A criminal consultant,

    A mercenary,

    An artist,

    And so on.

    He had many faces, and each of the masks he had used in the past had always made a great impact.

    Startle!

    Just when he thought it was about time, a strong light that made his eyes hurt came out from the entire abandoned factory.

    Whiiiiirrrrr!

    At the same time, the light turned into mes, transforming the abandoned factory into a sea of fire.

    It was a terrifying power that blew up the huge factory.

    Hans knew very well who had done that.

    So he used it.

    Hans himself referred to that skill as it, but in fact, Hans also didnt know what kind of ability it was.

    He had asked Ludger about it once before.

    The only words that he had heard was Ludgers strange answer that it was a real magic.

    Magic is magic. Whats real magic anyway?

    Anyway, Ludgers use of that skill meant that the opponent was that tough.

    And it showed how serious Ludger was about it.

    ***

    Ludger put the data from theboratory and the experimental drugs that they had used for the experiments in a suitcase and went outside.

    Hans, who was waiting outside, greeted him.

    You came? Lets leave this ce first. The police wille here even if its an abandoned factory since what you did here is quite fancy. How about the inside?

    Ive taken care of everything.

    Ludger had checked deep into theb after dealing with Veron.

    The horrible experiments appearances that were trapped in a cage in the dark

    They were all ordinary people who had enjoyed their daily lives.

    But their daily lives were eventually broken.

    They were those people who suffered from crossing boundaries where their bodies mutated. They had lost their reasoning and were no longer able to be called human.

    The only mercy Ludger could give them was to let them go to the hereafter without any pain.

    Ludger had blown up the entireboratory, killed the scientists, and came out with their research reports and experimental results.

    Is this it?

    Hans asked when he saw an ampoule containing red liquid inside the suitcase that he received from Ludger.

    Yes.

    The world has be so scary. Who would have thought that there were people who do human experiments in a ce like this? I never imagined that scientists and inventors would have joined hands with the ck wizards.

    Thats not all.

    Yeah? What else is there?

    How do you think they got a secretboratory that big?

    Thats

    Theres someone behind them whos been giving them a huge amount of money.

    Thats obviously a big problem.

    It must have required a huge amount of money to build aboratory like that secretly.

    It meant that there were a lot of people behind the scenes who supported their backs.

    Dont worry. I already know who it is.

    Are you for real?

    Yes.

    Hans felt uneasy at Ludgers answer.

    Dont tell me

    Why?

    Its not that right?

    Ludger did not ask what Han meant. He just stared at Hans once.

    Ah.

    Hans couldnt stop him, then.

    Hans, who immediately realized it, epted the suitcase.

    Ill go to the hideout first. If youre going to stop by there after work, juste.

    Hans walked away without listening to Ludgers answer.

    Ludger stood still in his spot for a while.

    The bright red mes of the burned factory in the distance brightened the dark abandoned factory zone.

    It was like the most spectacrly burning candle just before the fire went out.

    ***

    You brought me this kind of food?!

    Praang!

    In the interior of a luxurious mansion, the millionaire Belfort Ricksen threw a te of food that was brought by the maid.

    The maid, who was struck by the te, flopped down, her forehead bleeding.

    The food on the te stained her clothes and face.

    But no one could assist or help her.

    An old man in his 60s, whose white beard had been growing for years, showed a loathful re at his maid and clicked his tongue.

    Are you telling me that was food? What a load of crap for something I paid for.

    Belfort stood from his seat and left the dining room.

    He was a man who stood tall as a very sessful capitalist in this era of revolution.

    But when he was sessful, it was an old man full of wrinkles whom Belfort saw in the mirror.

    After all, he had dedicated his youth in order to gain his position.

    So he wanted to regain his youth.

    With that wish in mind, he had aided the ck wizards in doing some kind of experiment.

    Recently, some of the experiments had escaped, and he was told that the experiment was messed up.

    Damn it! Idiots! Useless trash!

    How much money do you think Ive invested in you?!

    Belfort returned to his room in a rage.

    Still, the experiment itself wasnt meaningless. Sooner orter, there will be a decent result from it.

    A drug that would bring the weakened human body back to its prime

    The ability to gain back his youth was not far off.

    He wanted not only to be young again but to also be healthier and stronger.

    It was the moment when he tried to turn on the light in hisrge room that had previously been dark while being immersed in such thoughts

    Belfort Ricksen.

    Wh-what?! Who are you?!

    There was someone in the center of the room.

    Belfort tried to turn on the magical light, but the light didnt turn on because something was wrong.

    Belfort was trapped in the room alone with an unidentified intruder in the darkness without moonlight.

    S-security! Security!

    They wont hear you, even if you call them.

    He had already spread out a sound barrier in the room. Of course, since it was a millionaires house, if someone used that kind of magic, the rm would ring right away.

    Ludgers magic was so secretive that even the magic in the rm wouldnt catch it.

    Ludger, who was sitting in a chair, stood up.

    And he slowly approached Belfort

    Belfort Ricksen, let me ask you a question.

    Wh-what?! Who are you?! Reveal yourself!

    A seven-year-old kid is desperately trying to survive this terrible reality, witnessing himself and his parents bing monsters

    Baam!

    Ludger stretched out his arm, grabbed Belfort by the cor, and pulled him close to his face.

    His eyes glowed red in the dark.

    How do you think the person who knew they had no choice but to burn them to death feels?

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 34

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    Ludger still couldnt forget that moment.

    The kids clear eyes that had looked up at him while licking his injured mother.

    Even when Ludger had used his spell to kill them, he had shown a genuine smile as if saying thank you to him instead.

    He couldnt forget it.

    He could never forget it.

    I I dont know! How am I able to know? More than that, who the hell are you?

    You dont know?

    Ludger threw Belfort Ricksen, whom he held by the cor, down to the floor.

    Belfort, whose body was in bad shape due to his old age, grasped his waist as he fell on the floor.

    Argh. Who, who the hell are you?

    Do you know what this is?

    Ludger took an experimental drug that he had prepared in advance out of his pocket and threw it in front of Belfort.

    It contained a red liquid that seemed like a melted ruby inside a transparent ss tube.

    There was no way that Belfort, who had instructed the scientists to make the drug, could not recognize it.

    This this is.

    Do you know it now?

    What what do you want from me? Do you want money?

    Belfort realized that the opponent had his weakness and went on with showing a submissive attitude.

    In addition to him being able to sneak into his room skillfully, the opponent even had the drugs of the experiment he was involved in, although Belfort didnt know how he had gotten it.

    No way, is he affiliated with the Nightcrawler Knight Order from the Security Department?

    Damn it! How the hell did those insect brothers not do their job?

    What did they think he was thinking when he invested a lot of money in it?

    Not only did they miss the experiments who escaped, but they had also let this mysterious mane to his residence.

    However, he could not immediately express hisint.

    He didnt know who the man in front of him was, but there was no doubt that the man was clutching his life in his grip.

    I I wont hold you responsible for sneaking in here. And since you secretly came to find me, you must have something that you desire, right?

    Something I desire?

    Yes. What do you want? Because I have a lot of money, I can give you as much as you want.

    But the answer that he heard from Ludger was far beyond Belforts expectations.

    Answer.

    Wh-what?

    Answer the question I just asked you.

    The question you asked me, you said?

    Belfort racked his brain as hard as he could and recalled the question Ludger had asked him before.

    It was what he thought about a seven-year-old kid.

    Belfort opened his mouth in wonder.

    Was it you who got rid of the experiments that escaped?

    Hahah! I see! It was you! Why didnt you tell me? Ahem. If you suddenly threw me down like this, there was bound to be a misunderstanding. Thanks to you, the incident didnt spread like a wildfire.

    Just answer what I ask you.

    I I get it, I get it! That seven-year-old kid, hes an experiment, right? Whats the problem? Hed rather die since he had already be a monster so he wont be caught by others.

    Isnt he someone from a lower ss whom people dont even know existed anyway? Is it something to be sad about if many of those guys died? They had made a noble sacrifice of their lives to produce excellent results instead.

    A noble sacrifice

    Belfort Ricksen genuinely thought so.

    What did it have to do with him if some of those lowly people rolling in the mud of society, whether they wereborers or poor people, died?

    They were rotten eggs that did nothing for society.

    Rather, if they became cornerstones as experiments that helped thepletion of drugs that would bring back human youth

    Wasnt that their way that would have normally been beyond their capabilities to contribute to humanity?

    Even if those dirty, low people work in a factory for 100 or 1000 days, could they really get some money?

    It was much more productive to use those meaningless lives in a more valuable way.

    To be someones experiment for drug development.

    Thats what they meant to Belfort.

    Did you finish giving the answer?

    Yeah, thats enough.

    Then

    You were too full of yourself and got blinded by it.

    Grab!

    Ludger grabbed Belfort by his neck.

    Belfort opened his eyes wide and grabbed Ludgers forearm with both of his hands, but his rough grip was too powerful for his old body to fight back.

    Cough! Why why?!

    He answered it properly!

    Belforts eyes showedints toward Ludger.

    Instead of answering, Ludger put a bottle of medicine in front of Belforts face, then poured it into his mouth.

    Bloop bloop!

    Belfort tried desperately to resist the drug, but even that was impossible because he was being choked.

    Gulp.

    The red drug flowed through Belforts throat.

    At the same time, changes began to take ce in Belforts body.

    Urk! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!

    With a severe pain that seemed like his body was tearing apart, Belforts body slowly began to swell.

    Ludger let go of Belforts neck, then he stepped back and watched the scene.

    His skin, which was full of wrinkles after being swept away by the tides of time, turned tight, and soon, his skin split from side to side, then fur grew out in a massive amount.

    But his mutation didnt stop there.

    His growing fur fell out, revealing his red skin, and the skin began to swell like a bubble.

    Belfort had drunk all the drugs in the bottle.

    In fact, in the case of the experiments, only a small fraction of the drug was injected into them, considering they couldnt even handle it and that it would cause severe mutations.

    The amount of drugs that the old Belfort had drunk had already exceeded his own capability.

    Aaaaaaaaaargh! Why?! Why?!!!

    While his body was torn, twisted, and mutating, Belfort had no choice but to shout toward Ludger.

    It was when his face was strangely distorted and half mixed with the appearance of a beast

    It was not a human cry or a beasts cry that was shouted out of Belforts throat, but a voice that belonged to something else.

    Aaaaaaaaargh!!!

    No matter what I say, you wont even understand it, let alone repent.

    Then he doesnt have to understand.

    Instead, he should also feel the pain he has caused to others.

    Ludger lifted the sound barrier that had been spread.

    Brrrrrrinngggg!

    At the same time, a mana-detecting rm rang out throughout the house. Following that, the shout of Belfort, who had be a monster, echoed.

    Aaaaaaaaaargh!

    Whats this sound?!

    Its an intruder! The voice was heard from Master Belforts dwelling!

    Master Belfort! Master Belfort!

    Bam! Bam!

    Security from the outside knocked on the door strongly.

    Soon, the locked door broke, and bulky men rushed inside.

    Among them was a frence wizard who was hired to protect Belfort.

    It its a monster!

    Where did this monstere from?

    Everyone, get out of the way!

    The wizard immediately casted fire magic and burned the monster.

    The monster was burned easily, unlike its hideous appearance.

    It had a very persistent vitality, so even though the body was burned, it continued to regenerate, but that just made the process of burning the monsterst longer.

    The wizard also felt some kind of threat and poured all his mana into the me magic.

    When an hour passed like that

    The monsters body copsed; it was no longer regenerating.

    Haah. Hah. Its finally over.

    How about Master Belfort?

    Find him!

    No matter how bad he was as a person, he was still the employer who paid them sries, so the people were eager to find Belfort Ricksen.

    However, no matter how much they wandered around, they couldnt see Belfort, and they couldnt find any trace of him.

    Everyone in that ce eventually had no choice but to reach one conclusion:

    It was that Belfort Ricksen had been eaten by that monster.

    It was an absolutely absurd situation.

    At the same time, they didnt know

    The secret safe that was hidden in Belforts room

    A safe containing Belforts property that was hidden in a secret space behind arge portrait

    It had been taken by someone.

    * * *

    * * *

    You came?

    The hideout that Hans told him to meet at was a shabby house located deep in the alleyway of Leathevelksmercial district.

    Worn out signboards, creaky doors, and exterior walls and windows that were filled with oil stains.

    However, that only applied to its exterior, and when he went inside, there was no smell, and the interior was very clean.

    It looked like a normal pub on the outside, but it was just trickery.

    You chose a pretty good ce.

    Its in themercial area adjacent to the factory area. I had a hard time getting this.

    How about the surrounding location?

    Im not done checking yet, but Im sure that the back alleys of Leathevelk are prettyplicated. I need more time.

    I see.

    Ludger said so and put the safe he had brought on the floor.

    Hans opened his eyes wide when a bam sound was heard.

    Whats that? You must have had a hard time bringing it here.

    Not really.

    So is this a safe? It looks exactly like one.

    Yeah. It was magically secured, but I released the security magic on my way here, so you can open it right away.

    Hans didnt argue with such words.

    Hans, who opened the door of the safe and checked its contents, immediately closed it.

    There are too many.

    Use some of it as a supply for your work. Hide the rest of its contents in the right ce for now.

    Well, then I would have no objection. Rather than that, are you going to go now?

    Yeah.

    You look a little tired. Why dont you take a break first before you go? I have a separate room for you.

    Ill check it outter. I think Ill be back here soon anyway.

    What identity will you use when youe here?

    The most suitable identity to do activity in the underworld.

    Oh, you mean that?

    Hans didnt ask any more questions. More than anything, Ludger must have been pretty exhausted from the days fight.

    Please rest well. Ill finish my work as soon as I can too.

    Yeah.

    Ludger stepped out of the hideout with tired steps.

    The air in the back alley, where people rarelye and go, was stale and warm, and the humidity adhered to the skin like glue.

    Whenever he walked on a road with a stale smell, he could feel the gazes that were exploring him beyond the darkness of the deeper alley.

    Hyenas of the back alley.

    They looked at Ludger like they were going to scan through him, and eventually, they realized that he wasnt someone they could mess with, so they stepped back.

    When he waspletely out of the alley, Ludger took off the hood on his head and pulled down a hood that covered his mouth and nose.

    As he was staring at some steamboats that were still wandering around Ramsey River, a loud bell rang out from the clock tower standing in the center of Leathevelk.

    Ding! Ding! Ding!

    It was the sound that notified people of midnight.

    Ludger continued to stare at Ramsey River in the dark.

    Until the memory of the eyes that the child had shown himpletely washed off into the river.

    ***

    [The millionaire Belfort Ricksen is dead]

    It was the front page of the newspapers headline published in the city of Leathevelk the next day.

    The death of Belfort, the evil entrepreneur and one of Leathevelks millionaires, was enough to heat up Leathevelk.

    Even more so because the cause of death was a werewolf attack.

    The monster was eradicated by a wizard who had been guarding the inside of the mansion, but the death of Belfort was a big issue.

    Some said that Belfort was punished by heaven, and the others said that Belfort met a disaster when he used evil ck magic and couldnt control it by himself.

    Reporters mored for days in front of the Ricksens mansion, begging to get inside of it.

    Creaaak.

    Then a ck car stopped behind the reporters.

    Huh?

    The reporters stared at the person who got out of the car, as they were full of curiosity.

    Who is it?

    There were a total of three people who got out of the car, and all of them were wearing the same attire.

    A ck uniform with a golden epaulet on the shoulder.

    The eyes of the reporters widened as they recognized the attire, which wasmonly called the ck coat, that only authorized people could wear.

    Sec-Security Department!

    The Nightcrawler Knight Order, too, moreover!

    The security department was not a particrly secretive organization. Rather, they had a tremendous reputation in the light and a terrible notoriety in the dark.

    The reporters gulped down their saliva.

    They had gone to the entrance of the mansion simply for gossip, but if the security department stepped up, it would be a different story then.

    Exclusive

    Such a word continued to linger in the reporters minds.

    It it wont work like this. Since I wont be able to go inside anyway, Ill have to write something rted to the security department.

    If even the security department is stepping up, it means that this is really a big deal. Moreover, the person who stands at the lead..

    Cold, silver hair that contrasted perfectly with a ck coat that had abination of gold and red embroidery.

    The sharp-looking woman who tossed her hair up to show her forehead was a very famous person.

    Terina Lionhowl.

    She was the head of the Lionhowl Marquis family, which symbolized the protection of the Empire.

    She was the Knight Commander of Nightcrawler Knight Order, who was affiliated to the Security Department.

    Her widely famous nickname was Lord Protector.

    The lions cry had be a symbolic phrase for her, who had so far eradicated countless people who posed a threat to the Empire.

    The reporters were split side to side and made way for Terina, who walked unhesitantly toward the mansion.

    With her sharp charisma, she was the idol of all the female Knights within the empire.

    Open the gate.

    As the security department stepped up, even the guards guarding the entrance were bound to be drenched in a cold sweat.

    We were told not to let anyone in..

    The gate.

    Terina spoke while pointing her finger at the guards.

    Open it.

    Yes yes!

    The guards whose faces became pale immediately moved.

    The tightly closed gates of Ricksens mansion opened wide.

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 35

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    Ricksens mansion became filled with tension after Terina Lionhowl and her two lieutenants appeared.

    The police inspecting the scene noticed Terina and saluted her as they quickly stood up.

    Ma-Marquise Terina! Its an honor to meet you! My name is Inspector Teboran!

    Oh, yes. Youve worked hard.

    May I ask, if you dont mind, what brings you here, Marquise Terina?

    Didnt you hear the news? Starting from now, all investigation into the murder in the Ricksen mansion is under the control of our security department.

    S-security department, you said?

    Inspector Teboran, who had a long mustache and whiskers, gulped down his saliva.

    He also didnt believe it was just a simple murder case, but if the security department came forward, it meant that the case was extremely dangerous.

    The security department didnt take action unless the case was really serious.

    Please please excuse us! Everyone, withdraw!

    The Inspector and his subordinates fled the scene quickly.

    All they had left to do was block the reporters who looked like hyenas, flocking in front of the gate while still watching the events inside the mansion.

    As the staring eyes disappeared, the young-looking female Knight of the man and woman lieutenants following Terina rxed her shoulders.

    Phew. I was having a hard time setting the mood.

    Oho. Enya. You should still show the honorific behavior of the Nightcrawler Knight Order, even if there are no eyes watching us.

    The female Knight, Enya, scowled at her senior, Lloyds, nagging.

    Well, Senior. But still, we dont have to act like that now.

    Enya you

    Stop it, Lloyd. You only have to be like that in front of others.

    See. Even the Captain said that.

    This little junior is really

    Deputy Lloyd eventually shook his head and raised a white g.

    The Nightcrawler Knight Order was a ce where only elites gathered, just like the Knights who were guarding the center of the Empire were supposed to be, but it was also a ce where they spokefortably among seniors and juniors.

    It was all because Terina herself, the Knight Commander, liked such an atmosphere.

    However, it did not mean that their regtions themselves were loose.

    It had also been a long tradition of the Nightcrawler Knight Order to deal with what had to be done in a more surefire way than anyone else.

    Most of all, the fact that the Nightcrawler Knight Order did not copse was evidence that their current Captain, Terina Lionhowl, had great power ofmand and charisma.

    Dont forget about our purpose foring here.

    Yes.

    Yes.

    Rather than being an ordinary case, the incident was evaluated as such a serious matter that even the security department had to take part in the investigation.

    In particr, it was not just a usual serious case because Terina, the Knight Commander, had stepped up by herself in the connection between Cryptids and ck Magic.

    Its just a rumor so far, but the dead Belfort was a man who had been suspicious and was on the list of people that we, the security department, were to keep an eye on. Its not just a mere coincidence that he was suddenly killed by a monster.

    Lloyd and Enya nodded at Terinas words.

    The three immediately began to investigate Ricksens room.

    Broken windows that appeared to have been caused by the intruder and ck stains that could be said to be signs of a burnt monster.

    And the blood that was supposed to belong to Belfort that was scattered around.

    Witnesses had said a monster appeared, and Ricksen was killed.

    Given that their statements are all identical and consistent, they didnt think those witnesses were lying.

    After more than 10 minutes, they moved in search of possible clues, but there was no sign of anything.

    But as soon as Lloyd was about to say something after he thought that he had searched everything

    It was then that Terina, who was thinking hard with her arms folded, suddenly strode toward one wall.

    Captain?

    So its here.

    What Terina stared at was a painting hanging on the wall.

    As one of the richest men in Leathevelk, Belfort had decorated his spacious room with all kinds of colorful artwork.

    Terina, who moved closer to the wall, touched the border frame of the painting and then picked up the mural in the corner and put it aside.

    Captain? Whats with that painting?

    Theres a space behind it.

    Before asking if it was for real, Terinas fingertips, covered in white gloves, touched the center of the wall.

    Then the wall opened with a rattling sound as if it was pushed aside.

    A secret space that had a length and width of only one meter.

    What on earth is this? Enya asked while staring at the empty space with a curious gaze.

    Terina raised her voice in an apathetic tone while folding her arms.

    Based on its size and location, it was probably the ce where his secret safe was hidden.

    Secret safe?

    Belfort Ricksen was notorious for being a rich and evil entrepreneur. There must have been money that he hid to avoid taxes and some ck money to avoid the surveince of the Empire.

    Is this the safe where he put that money?

    But there is no safe

    Lloyd opened his mouth with a heavy face as he realized something.

    Someone took it away, I see.

    Yeah.

    Then who took it away? The employees of the mansion? Should we interrogate the butler, who was the most suspicious, first?

    Terina shook her head at Enyas remark that was already full of desire.

    No. It will be meaningless. The butler has nothing to do with this.

    Pardon?

    There is no way a man like Belfort could have confided his secret funds to someone else. He probably hid it thoroughly so that only he knew about it.

    But its empty here.

    Just because he didnt tell everyone doesnt mean no one knows about it.

    Didnt Terina also find that secret space right away?

    Businessmen, millionaires, and merchants all have simr ideas. Theyre not that happy to open a bank ount. They always want to keep valuables or gold coins within their reach for the momentonly then would they feel at ease.

    Then who took it away?

    Were going to find out about it now. Its just a guess, but the person who stole the safe must have had something to do with Ricksens death.

    But they said that Belfort Ricksen was eaten by a werewolf.

    I doubt its a werewolf. Look at the traces left behind. Nearly half of the floor in thisrge room was burned. It was burned by magic, so it didnt escte to a fire. It was only a precise range that the mes covered and burned, but its still that big.

    That means

    Cryptids and werewolves, no matter how big they are, are only three meters tall. Theyre also very big, but if you burned them to death, there wouldnt be a mark that big

    And it was said that those who actually witnessed the werewolf initially mistook him for a monster.

    Since it was dark and the people were frightened, they may have had some kind of illusion.

    That wasnt the case, judging from the traces.

    The result is that someone is involved in the death of Belfort Ricksen An unnatural death, the appearance of a monster, and even the bad rumors about BelfortTheres a lot left to check.

    What bothered Terina most of all was the ability of the mysterious intruder to take the safe that was supposed to be inside without leaving any trace.

    She lit her eyes and tried to find traces, but the intruder had left no evidenceas if he was a professional.

    As if the safe didnt exist in the first ce

    No way. There was definitely a safe here And it was here untilst night.

    Her evidence for that was that there was no dust on the bottom of that empty space yet.

    No matter how enclosed the space was, air and dust were bound to enter.

    Then who on earth took it away?

    Her feeling that was as if she was trying to hold a blurry mirage with her hands was not unfamiliar.

    Im so used to it that I feel like Its dj vu.

    It was inevitable that Terina Lionhowl brought up the memory of her past all of a sudden.

    A couple of years prior

    * * *

    * * *

    There was a thief who had created chaos throughout the continent.

    He was so mysterious that no one had ever seen his real face because he was blurred as if he were surrounded by the darkness of night, and his movements were extremely elusive.

    He was the one who had easily prated any heavy security measures wherever he wanted and taken away valuables without leaving any trace, causing many rich men to shed tears and anger.

    The thief, Arsne Lupin.

    Dont tell me that thief No, no way. Its been a few years since he stopped his activities, yet he moved again now?

    But the method that had been used still disturbed her mind.

    Even if it was not him, she could not deny the possibility of the intruder being his acquaintance, aplice, or disciple.

    Lloyd.

    Yes, Captain.

    Is there anything else unusual that happened in Leathevelk?

    Oh, well, there was one thing.

    What is it?

    One of the abandoned factories was burned down in mes; thats also the same day when Belfort died.

    So its there.

    What happened in the abandoned factory that had been set ame?

    Even the location was a remote ce that people no longer visited.

    Lets go.

    ***

    The werewolf case that caused chaos in Sren and Leathevelk ended with the death of the evil millionaire.

    I was lying sick on the bed in the room of my amodation.

    Uurgh. If I knew this would happen, I wouldve prepared a little more before I went. Im d I didnt have to teach any sses today; otherwise, I would have been in big trouble.

    Rather than a sore body, my spinning head and the following migraine were the most painful to me.

    I took out three pills and poured them into my mouth while lying in bed.

    Munch munch.

    Others may think the pills were something like headache medicine or painkillers, but I was literally chewing mana pills that replenished mana.

    Usually, if someone was recovering their mana, it wasmon for them to recover their mana automatically over time or to drink mana potions.

    But because pharmacology had developed

    It had be possible to grind mana recovery pills into powder and drink them in water or to mix the starch like I had and turn them into pills.

    Powder and pills were easier to store and carry than carrying them around in the form of potions.

    In other words, it was a world that thought the pills that restored mana were not that marvelous.

    The distinction was just in how the same medicine had the best effects.

    Therefore, what was important in pharmacology was how good the efficiency disyed by its ingredientspared to the others.

    Effect

    Risk

    And efficiency.

    Combining those three factors, the drugs could be rated from the best level, which was 1, to the lowest level, which was 10.

    The pills I was taking were my own original recovery pills.

    It was the pill that maximized its effectiveness at the expense of raising its risk a little because of my body type.

    Since it was my own special drug, it didnt go through any clinical trials, but it also didnt have any rating tag.

    I think that pill would probably have a pretty high rating, and I was chewing those pills instead of rice.

    It was a problem because I used too much of my energy. I always won my fights at a swift pace, but who knew that he would be a ck wizard who changed his body in that way?

    Insect brothers

    Because of the older brother, Veron, I had been given no choice but to use real magic, not the magic of this world.

    It was magic thatbined the ult and mythological knowledge in the world I used to live in, not magic techniques or knowledge from this world.

    The problem was that the magics aftereffects were no joke.

    Taking drugs that replenished mana regrly was also something I had to experience because I had learned that magic.

    []

    Sound

    The sound that kept bothering me slowly faded and then disappeared.

    That voice could only be suppressed by using mana, so I had be a person who consumed mana just by breathing.

    Therefore, it was necessary for me to make up for theck of mana periodically.

    Its a bit better.

    I was immersed in a different thought when my headache went away

    The werewolf case at that time was able to be finished after I had stepped up.

    I had burned it all down without a trace, so they couldnt find any evidence of the werewolf experiment.

    The only problem was that there was a witness at the scene.

    Aidan.

    The freshman who had blocked me from killing the werewolves.

    Someone with a sympathetic impression along with brown hair that didnt stand out that much.

    But the greatest thing about him was his personality.

    His action to risk himself and throw his own body into danger to protect his friend or standing up by himself without knowing that he was in danger was a rare sight, even in Sren.

    Yeah.

    If I had to define him, he was like the main character in an anime or novel.

    In the case of the students who were taking my ss, I remembered all of them, and the Aiden I recalled was a model student who focused on my ss with shining eyes more than anyone else.

    Unlike other people, who were learning magic as if they were being chased by something, he was a hardworking type of a person who had entered Sren purely because he liked magic and enjoyed it.

    Such a fellow had witnessed the secret of the werewolves.

    If it was a game, I think the title [Act 1. Srens Werewolf] woulde straight to my mind.

    He might be suspicious of me for killing the werewolves against his will right there.

    Fortunately, Leo and Tessie Friad, who were there with him, didnt notice that.

    If Aidan had told them, it would be a different story.

    How could a freshman get caught up in such an incident and get closer to the truth?

    He didnt mean to be caught in it, but the situation had gotten so screwed up that it became like that.

    I put my hand on my forehead and swept my hair back.

    If it became like this

    There was one method that came to my mind.

    Should I kill him?

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 36

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    While I was contemting whether to kill Aidan or not, I remembered when he had carefully approached the werewolves.

    His stupid act of pulling out a crude recovery potion and smiling at the werewolfs child.

    Its okay. I wont hurt you.

    Thinking about Aidans life or death, I shook my head.

    I couldnt kill him.

    I could be as careful as I could if I did the work I had to do, but I couldntpletely rule out the situation where I was suspected by Aidan.

    Should I bring up the situation where I became a professor in Sren after I was caught up in terrorism while getting on a train?

    In the end, it was natural if somethingpletely unexpected happened.

    There was a saying of ck swan theory.

    When an event thatspletely unexpected urs, it analyzes the event by fitting together the cause of the event through the results of it, and in fact, it ims that there was a prelude to such an event and that it was possible to predict it.

    It meant that post-analysis was easy, but pre-investigation might be harder to do and that the events causes were forced to fit together.

    But looking at my situation

    It was impossible to fit the string of causes together, even if the ck swans theory was being considered.

    Most of all, I cant disturb Aidan anymore because hes getting attention from the principal.

    Of course, I was the one who had suggested giving him award points to the principal.

    But that was inevitable. I couldnt deny that the trio of Aidan, Leo, and Tessie were at the scene at the same time.

    And what could have been the result if I were to punish Aidan thoroughly when the principal had not yetpletely cleared me of her suspicions?

    In fact, the principal did not like the aristocratic-centric atmosphere in Sren and was satisfied with the appearance of amoner boy who yed a big role.

    Moreover, although Aidan is amoner, he possesses the rare Umon Magic.

    ording to his data, it was his teachera wandering wizardwho had taught him when he was young.

    It was a funny thing for him to be able to learn Umon Magic quickly just because he had been taught about it, and it was even funnier that his teacher was a wandering wizard.

    If it wasnt a strange fate, what was it, then?

    Anyway, Aidan was a boy who knew how to use such umon magic and had been secretly receiving the attention of the principal for a long time.

    It was a dangerous thing and I would gain suspicions if I messed around with Aidan.

    It was better if

    Why dont I use Aidan?

    As with the Umon Magic that he had, I had a strong feeling that something about him would bring about all kinds of events.

    The same went for his actions and his mental attitude.

    It felt like he was born to bring along righteousness.

    I thought that a person like Aidan might be able to face the ck Dawn Society hiding in Sren.

    Its not bad, but Ill just leave it open as part of the possibilities.

    After that night, I didnt even know what Aidan thought of me, and no matter what method had been used for him to learn umon magic, he was still only a student.

    It was better to watch over him for the next few days or weeks, judging from the severity of the situation.

    It wouldnt be toote to make a judgment then.

    Lets concentrate on my recovery for now.

    The voices hadpletely gone, but my body was still sore from the aftereffects, so I had no choice but to take a rest.

    I was worried about ss the next day, but at that rate, I thought my recovery would be almostpleted by morning.

    I closed my eyes while thinking so.

    ***

    Terina Lionhowl frowned while looking at the burnt-out evidence.

    All burned to the ground

    The site that used to be an abandoned factory was nothing but burnt traces.

    Captain What can we investigate if the situation is like this?

    It looks like everything got burnt.

    Just as the two lieutenants said, the factory was burned down, and there were no clues left as to why it happened.

    Terina tapped the ashes with the tip of her military boots.

    As expected, this is strange. A fire breaks out in an abandoned factory where people dont visit often, and everything around here has been burned down.

    Did they burn down everything because they didnt want to leave behind a tail?

    I suppose so.

    When she heard the news of the fire, she had vaguely guessed that it would be like that.

    Looking at the ruins where there was nothing left, something tasted bitter.

    Terina patted her chin and arranged her thoughts.

    The death of Belfort Ricksen A mysterious thief Werewolf Fire in an abandoned factory All happened the same day.

    All of those puzzle pieces were put in one ce, and they formed a picture to a certain extent.

    But there was a big hole in the center of the puzzle, the most important piece

    It was not known who was behind the incident.

    Lloyd. Were there any other cases besides this?

    When Terina asked him, Lloyd pushed the rimless sses on his face with his fingertips.

    Lloyd, whose hair was neatly brushed in pomade, had more of a schrly appearance than a knightly one, so to speak.

    And in fact, his main tasks were rted to obtaining and organizing information and incident identification.

    There were no other special cases except for this one, but

    But?

    I also heard that werewolves appeared at Sren Academy.

    Sren Academy?

    It wasnt that Terina didnt know about Sren.

    It was the Empires best educational institution that fostered wizards.

    Established with the full support of various kingdoms, empires, and magic towers, Sren was also a ce with history and tradition that was over hundreds of years old.

    In particr, it was also a famous ce for giving equal opportunities to themoners and those belonging to the lower ss if they had the ability, not just for the nobles and the rich.

    Sren was located within the empire, but it was a ce that was free from the empires touch.

    Werewolves appeared in Sren, he said?

    Yes. It appears that werewolves from Leathevelk infiltrated Sren through a sewer pipe.

    It must have been a big deal for the students.

    Fortunately, there were no deaths. There were about two people injured, but even their injuries didnt affect their lives.

    What happened to the werewolves that hid in Sren?

    The currently appointed professor dealt with them.

    I see. If its a Sren professor, then theyre bound to be an exceedingly decent wizard. How about the werewolves? Is there anything left?

    None. The professor burned them all.

    Burned?

    For a moment, she thought it was simr to the burning of the factory, but it was too much of a spection.

    In the first ce, it wasmon for me spells to be used as the elemental magic to effectively eliminate monsters such as Cryptids.

    Hmm. Sren. Sren, huh

    Do you want to go to Sren? You might get some clues.

    Terina shook her head at Lloyds question.

    No. Not yet. For now, Im focusing on gathering the clues around here.

    However, it seemed necessary to keep in mind that there was also one possibility in Sren.

    Someday, well find out.

    Thats why she hade forward.

    The people who were doing their activities secretly in the Empire

    She needed to uproot them and restore national stabilitythat was the mission and significance of the Nightcrawler Knight Order.

    * * *

    * * *

    The ssroom in which Ludger taught spellcasting

    The students gathered there while talking among themselves about what had happenedst time.

    Of course, the subjects of the conversation were werewolves and Ludger.

    Did Professor Ludger really hunt the werewolves?

    They said he was a soldier. I heard that he also achieved a military achievement for hunting Cryptids, so its probably true.

    Whoa. I already thought the atmosphere that he had was no joke from day one, so it was real.

    In addition, Ludger had stopped the fight between themoner Lynne and the aristocrat Dynema Romley, and even his adult-like speech was also mentioned in the middle of their conversation.

    Before the first day of ss, Ludgers evaluation was not so good among the students.

    That was because he hadnt said much about what he would teach in his ss and had also announced conducting joint sses for the first and second-years.

    He had boasted that they would know what he was about to teach when they came into his ss, but how many people believed in that remark?

    It was said that he was a new professor, so why would he be so confident?

    His evaluation had improved when his past track record was revealed a bit, but there were still some negative judgments toward him.

    However, the source code that he presented on the first day of his ss was a groundbreaking spell.

    From the moment he showed the spell, the students evaluation towards Ludger was bound to change.

    Not only did the students who didnt attend Ludgers ss regret not taking his ss just because he was a new professor and a fallen aristocrat, but there were also some students who tried to change their course time so they could enter Ludgers ss.

    Even the fourth-years, who were getting busy preparing for graduation, were rejected for applying to his lecturete.

    As time went on, more conversations about Ludgers lecture circted around.

    Even fellow professors were interested in Ludgers source code spell, and rumors had been circting that the news had also entered the magic tower.

    The werewolf case was like a cherry on top for Ludgers achievements.

    Among the first and second-years, the name Ludger Chelysie was bound to be known.

    Professor Ludgers name is mentioned a lot these days, huh.

    Elendil, who was still listening to the story about Ludger, recalled Ludgers appearance that day.

    The man who said the words he wanted to say coldly toward her, who held the status of a princess.

    No, his attitude, which seemed rather oddly hostile to her, clearly made her dumbfounded.

    No matter how she had done something wrong, he didnt have to speak in such a harsh way.

    Moreover, he actually treated my junior, Lynne, tenderly.

    At that time, the situation was so urgent that she decided to overlook it, but now that she thought about it, she felt it was somewhat unfair.

    She couldnt believe that there was someone in this world who looked down on the princess and cared more formoners.

    Wasnt it usually the other way around?

    Of course, such a thought came to her mind when she saw Ludger fighting with the werewolf under the moonlit night.

    Just in time, the back door of the ssroom opened, and a girl came in.

    She had ash-gray short hair and rtively long side hair.

    It was Lynne.

    Her shoulder shuddered at the burdensome gazes some students had toward her.

    Because of her incident with Dynema at the beginning of the semester, the aristocratic students did not look at Lynne favorably.

    As a result, Lynne was in a situation where she went around alone without making friends.

    Seeing that the seats in the ssroom were almost full, Lynne had to go to the only empty seat.

    It was the most burdensome seat since it was beside Elendil, the princess.

    Hello, Lynne. How have you been since that day?

    I Im fine. Elendil.

    The seat next to the third Princess.

    Even the aristocrats who wanted to make connections with the imperial woman were avoiding such a burden, yet themoner Lynne sat there.

    Even when Elendil greeted her in a tender manner, some students eyes were bound to stare at them profoundly.

    What is thatmoner doing? When did they be so close?

    Lynne couldnt raise her head, as the gazes toward her were getting more intense.

    Aaah. Why are they doing this only to me?

    To be frank, it was her honest feelings that she didnt want to be involved with anyone.

    What happened at the beginning of the semester was just something light.

    No, it was not light, but it was just something that happened identally.

    After her mistake, Dynema was punished ordingly, so she didnt mean to say anything about it anymore.

    But it was just ufortable for the third parties to step up as they pleased as if it was their business.

    Because of that, it was not normal for her to be hated by the aristocratic students.

    Creeaaak.

    The front door of the ssroom opened.

    All the students shut their mouths.

    Everyone sat upright and stared at Ludger, who was entering the ss through the open door.

    The man was exactly as looked on the first day. His movements were restrained, and his footsteps were silent.

    The only thing different was his attire.

    On the first day, he had worn a gray suit and a ck frock coat along with a silk hat, but what they saw was different.

    He wore a white longcoat with a ck suit underneath along with a red necktie with the addition of a wine-colored scarf that was wrapped around his neck.

    He didnt wear a hat.

    His sharp gaze and sculptural appearance were clearly revealed.

    The students were focused on the sight.

    Some of the girl students stared nkly at Ludger.

    Ill start the ss.

    Along with those words, a pile of papers that Ludger brought was scattered in the air.

    A total of 80 sheets of paper flew in the wind and settled naturally on the students desks.

    They were printed materials by a copy machine containing what he was about to teach that day.

    Today, I will exin the basics and principles of spell casting, one of the specialties of the Elemental Property.

    One of the four specialties of spell casting, Elemental Properties.

    It was the most important field for the wizards, and it was also the most popr specialization that most people thought of when they thought about magic.

    Even then, when magic had developed in various ways, the students would still think of fire, water, ice, and wind when they thought of magic.

    In other words, however, it was the most basic knowledge that most of the freshmen who had just entered Sren had already learned.

    When they heard that they were going to learn it again, the students reactions, who expected some marvelous ss, were bound to be somewhat disappointing.

    It was then that Ludger continued his exnation.

    But this alone will not satisfy your passion and desire for learning magic, so Im going to show you a new method here today.

    New

    Method?

    Was there anything they needed to know for the elemental magic?

    When the students were all wondering, some of them who had already learned the advanced course noticed what Ludger was trying to do.

    This is a method to increase the power of elements that you can use from at least 20 percent to at least 80 percent.

    Theres such a thing?

    They couldnt dismiss it as a lie, as Ludger had shown his own unique ways so far.

    What do you think?

    Ludger asked while skimming over the ssroom.

    Are you interested now?

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 37

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    Some of the students looked puzzled.

    It was also a bad thing to raise their curiosity and not satisfy it right away.

    Ludger pointed to a student who was sitting in the front row.

    The student in the front row there. Are you Anthony?

    Yes, yes! You are right. Professor!

    Which one of the existing element properties can you use?

    Th-that water, ice, and nt.

    Three, huh. Its moderate. What are you most confident about among those three?

    Well, its the ice element.

    Then can you implement and showcase your ice element here?

    Listening to Ludgers words, Anthony said yes and floated a sphere of mana above his right hand.

    Basic mana release had begun, and the property of mana was genuinely embedded in it.

    A white sphere.

    To be exact, it was akin to a snowball that was tightly squeezed in his hands.

    Thats normal.

    Th-thank you.

    It means that its insignificant.

    Anthonys face sank sullenly as he listened to Ludgers words.

    Look how I do it.

    Ludger floated a sphere of mana in his right hand.

    It was a lump of ice that was simr to the one that Anthony had made.

    It was very much the same as Anthonys ice property, but something was different.

    No, it was still changing.

    Can you feel it?

    The students did not respond to Ludgers questionthey were just staring at the lump of ice that he created as if they were being possessed.

    If Anthony made a big snowke

    The element that Ludgerunched was much colder and sharper than that, and it felt like perpetual snow that was lying deep underneath the northern continent.

    Ludgers element was not a mere white round ice, but it was more strongly condensed and took the form of snow crystals.

    The blue crystal emitted cold air around it, causing the illusion that the ssroom itself would be covered with ice.

    Can you tell the difference?

    Ludger dispelled the crystal.

    But the students still stared nkly at the ce where the element had existed.

    It was the same ice element, but Ludgers and Anthonys were very different.

    Was it because he had put in more mana?

    It was not like that It was different in the efficiency itself.

    And thats what Ludger was going to teach them that day.

    Somethings very different, right?

    How on earth did he do that?

    The atmosphere in the ssroom gradually heated up.

    They didnt understand well when they only heard his exnation, but when they saw the magic in person, they became greedy.

    There was no wizard who would refuse the chance to improve their magic skills.

    Half of the two hours of todays ss will be spent learning basic theories, and for the rest of the time, you will learn how to increase the efficiency in casting the element properties that I teach you.

    All the students focused on Ludgers words with sparkling eyes.

    Before we go into the principle of spell casting, lets start with the basic theorem of Elemental Properties. Its in the content of the papers that I shared with you.

    All the students looked through what was written in the handout.

    Element properties are so specialized in history and pedigree that they appeared immediately after the release of mana in spell casting.

    Magic could only be used with the existence of mana.

    And primal magic, the very primitive form of magic, was based on the casting of this mana.

    That was the first specialization of spell casting.

    It was Mana Release.

    What developed from the Mana Release was the Elemental Property, which contained natural elements in mana.

    Now it has be a part of spell casting, but in the early primitive forms of magic, element properties were called the foundations of all magic.

    Ludger said so and floated four mana spheres into the air.

    At present, natural science has established itself as expressing the power of the system to suit ones own magic, but when wizards were casting the element properties in the beginning stages, the emphasis was on the rtionship between nature and humans.

    Each sphere of mana began to form a property.

    Each was fire, water, earth, and wind.

    These are the first four properties. Compared to the current age where the number of properties has increased to more than 10, the number 4 is too little and simple. But we cant just view these as mere properties. These four elements dont mean pure elements, but they contain the symbolism of the peoples mindset back then.

    Earth was hard and strong.

    Fire was powerful and destructive.

    Water was soft andpliant.

    Wind was freedom.

    The students listened to Ludger as if they were being possessed.

    Theoretical lessons about the origin of magic should have just been boring.

    But no one thought it was boring.

    Huh, I already know everything.

    Flora was unhappy with it.

    As a person who knew all the origins of the element properties anyway, it was boring having to listen to what she already knew all over again.

    However, even though she knew it, her pride was hurt as she saw herself secretly attracted to Ludgers voice.

    Really. Whats so interesting about his exnation?

    Since then, elemental properties have evolved and have begun to be analyzed with rational eyes rather than some natural symbols. The four elements increased to ten elements afterwards.

    He keeps going on and on about what I already know.

    There was also a conflict between the mystical school that valued tradition and the natural science school that tried to apply modern science to further develop the element properties.

    He just has a handsome face and a good voice.

    In the end, however, we have no choice but to adapt to the changes in the world. Not by the teachings of the school, but by where we should use this natural magic.

    But its still worth listening to.

    Ludger, who dispersed the mana that had been floating in the air, nced through the ssroom and asked a question.

    Do any of the students here know for what purpose the magic of element property has developed so rapidly for? Ill give five award points to the person who gets it right. The example is the me element.

    The students immediately raised their hands.

    Ludger pointed to the students one by one.

    There.

    Its to light up the fire and drive out the darkness.

    Wrong. Next.

    To burn and cultivate the forest.

    Its cliche. Next.

    Oh, hmm. Is it to eliminate the primal fear of human beings that was symbolized with darkness?

    Youd be better suited to writing poetry.

    Laughter broke out among the students.

    Flora Lumos, who couldnt stand hearing those answers any longer, raised her hand proudly.

    Right. Flora Lumos.

    It was to burn something to death.

    At that moment

    There was silence in the ssroom.

    Floras words were that straightforward and shocking.

    Can you tell me exactly what that something is?

    Of course its another person.

    The students rolled their eyes while being speechless.

    Everyone there had the same thoughts: Ludger would give Flora a strong rebuke.

    But Ludger nodded instead.

    Correct. Flora Lumos. You receive five award points.

    For real?

    Flora had acted arrogantly as if saying that it was nothing.

    The students eyes were staring at Flora before heading back to Ludger.

    * * *

    * * *

    They stared at Ludger as if asking if it was true, so Ludger opened his mouth.

    What did element property magic develop for? Its to ughter.

    After civilization was established and formed its shape, magic had continued to develop.

    As the hierarchy was divided, the higher the magic hierarchy was, the stronger and higher the power to kill others.

    Yes.

    It was the power to kill.

    The first target was monsters, but even after the monsters were driven out beyond the backbone of the giant, to the shadow of the continent, magic was still getting stronger. Why, huh? Because of Cryptids? However, there are very few Cryptids wandering around. So why is magic getting stronger and sharper?

    It was because of human beings.

    Magic was developed to kill human beings.

    War. Colonial rule. Violence.

    That was the driving force behind the further reinforcement and development of magic.

    This was the era of peace where the war disappeared.

    So for the students who were learning magic, those words were taboo.

    Topare magic with its history and tradition to murder people

    Ludger was like telling everyone there that they were a potential killer.

    But that was a fact without question.

    It was also a reality that the tradition-oriented wizards persistently denied.

    Fire is to burn people, water is to drown people to death, wind is to cut something, and electricity is to electrocute someone. The magic that developed with human history grew on the back of the driving force of war and ughter. That is absolutely undeniable. Yes. After all, this element property that we learn is from the Tower of Babel that was built on the blood of countless lives and corpses.

    He took a breather for a while.

    Then Ludger continued his words.

    You who learn that subject are the executioners of the ughter.

    Gulp.

    The ssroom was so silent that the sound of someone swallowing saliva rang loudly in it.

    As such, the topic that Ludger talked about was sensitive to all wizards and not only to the students who were learning magic.

    But we can change it.

    And Ludgers voice that was heard

    Gently nketed the whole ssroom.

    There is no guarantee that we will do the same thing right now and in the future just because we did it in the past. Now that the world has changed, fire is not used to burn something. Take a look at the back pages of the handouts that I handed out to you.

    Come to think of it, there were handouts that he handed out as soon as he entered the ssroom. They were so focused on the teachings that Ludger gave that they forgot about the handouts.

    The students hurriedly flipped over the handouts and examined the contents of the back page.

    There were crude photographs of various constructions that were printed in ink.

    However, there was no difficulty in recognizing the photographs themselves.

    Fire is not just used to burn, but it also provides energy with its burning power. In the cold, fire is a symbol of survival, not destruction.

    The flowing water spun a waterwheel, and the river where the water gathered became a passage for countless boats to travel.

    Winds provided wind power to the spinning windmills, and the electricity itself replenished energy and emitted light.

    Water and ice washed away the heat in the burning desert.

    The meaning of element properties depends on how we behave in the future after learning it.

    Ludgers voice echoed in the ssroom.

    To build something, not to destroy something.

    Not to get rid of the world, but to lead it in a better direction.

    Thats the basic mindset you have to learn before you study element property.

    No one dared to speak recklessly.

    It felt like a big wave came in all at once and swallowed their bodies whole.

    But what they felt was not displeasure but rather refreshingness, as if something that had been weighing their head was taken off.

    Even Flora Lumos stared at Ludger with her mouth wide open.

    Although they were obviously just ttering words

    The feeling of that approach was different because Ludger did it himself and not anyone else.

    Use your strength for a better world. My teaching of element property ss is for that.

    Ludger smiled at the students and stepped down from the podium.

    We will now begin to genuinely implement the element property.

    The students gathered in the ssroom began to implement the elements.

    What elements they were specialized in were basically discovered from the time they first learned magic.

    The students who had been taught about magic even before they entered Sren did not have difficulty inunching their mana and adding their own elements into it.

    Ludger slowly walked around the ssroom and pointed out the elemental spheres made by the students one by one.

    Joseph. Focus on the flow of your mana a little more. The element itself is fine, but the mana that you released is immature. Are you a Sren sophomore? Dont lose your concentration.

    Yes, yes!

    Irena Caromen. Are you casting a nt element right now? nt properties must have the freshness of nature itself, but yours seems to be seen like decaying leaves on the ground inte autumn. Get your senses together. Make sure you have a strong image of the sprouts that have just prated the ground in your mind.

    Yes

    Ludger never spoke kindly. Every time he said a word, the students faces copsed ghastly.

    But what was more unfair to them was that Ludger was not wrong at all.

    More than that, his advice was far too urate.

    It might have sounded harsh, but Ludger was looking properly at the students weaknesses and at the same time provided a method on how to make them better.

    At first, he seemed to hurt their pride, but if they reflected on what he said, they would find out that he was not just nitpicking their ws.

    However, it was true that Ludgers Spartan style teaching itself was frightening to the young students.

    Whenever Ludger headed their way, the students were not able to properly implement their element property because they were too focused on Ludger.

    Whenever that happened, Ludgers nagging could be heard.

    What are you doing now? Do you see magic as a joke? If you cant stay focused, its not worth it for you to take my ss.

    I Im sorry!

    Pay more attention to your magic before you speak. Close your ears and keep your eyes on whats in front of you.

    Yes, yes!

    One by one

    Whenever Ludger passed by, the students murmur spread like a ripple, forming a harmony.

    Aidan, themoner boy who took Ludgers ss, sweated as he watched the professor getting closer to him.

    Because

    That was because Aidan had yet to be able to express a proper element property.

    Stop.

    Ludger stopped in front of Aidan.

    His sharp eyes turned to Aidan, who couldnt do anything.

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 38

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    I looked down at the sullen Aidan and was rather taken back inside.

    Whats wrong with him?

    At first, I thought that he was going to rebel against me.

    Was he expressing his subtle dissatisfaction because I had sent him away with wind magic when he had asked me to stop at that time and had been keeping it in his mind?

    Looking at his reaction, I dont think thats the case.

    He couldnt be acting with his face that looked like he was genuinely sorry and didnt know what to do.

    In other words, Aidan really didnt know how to release his property, which was the basis of the element property magic.

    I couldnt believe it.

    A rare Umon Magic possessor couldnt do such a basic thing?

    Wasnt it like saying that a kid who was able to do backwards tumbling couldnt even walk properly?

    What should I do with this?

    I thought he was telling me to look forward to it, but I didnt think it was the case when I saw him stuck.

    Was it because of his Umon Magic that he was able to enter Sren in the first ce?

    I can just ignore him like this

    I didnt have to pay attention to those who couldnt even follow the basic lessons.

    The more I did that, the more I wasted the precious time of other students.

    Hadnt I said something when I let the first and second-years take my ss together in the first ce?

    I didnt intend to be considerate of the students who couldnt keep up with my lessons.

    It might be a good thing to me that Aidan, who might know my secret, was falling behind in my ss on his own.

    Yes

    I didnt have to show any affection to him.

    The world, by nature, was such a cold ce.

    ***

    Aidan. What are you trying to do right now?

    Aidan closed his eyes tightly while thinking that the time had finallye.

    Uh, thats.

    You arent even doing any element implementation. Are you going to rebel against me now?

    All the students eyes were on Aidan and Ludger.

    Ludger frowned and looked back at the students.

    Have the students who are paying attention to me and Aidan already perfected your own element implementation so you can look away from it? Then Ill have to remember your faces and check it out myself.

    Heeek!

    The students immediately turned their heads and began to focus on their elements again.

    Aidan was drenched in a cold sweat and was at a loss as to what he should do.

    Ludger spoke while folding his hands behind his back.

    Aidan.

    Yes?

    Have you not been able to cast your element properly yet?

    Yes. Shamefully.

    Aidan wanted to hide in a mouse hole.

    All the other students who entered had entered were following the ss brilliantly, and he felt like he was falling behind and something was holding back his ankle.

    Aidan was also able to enter Sren due to some kind of exception that was applied to him, he stillcked basic things that others could do naturally.

    What elemental properties can you use? You know that, dont you?

    Fire, water, and wind.

    Three, huh. Thats normal.

    Ludger thought he would be specialized in more elements because he was able to deal with Umon Magic, but that wasnt the case.

    It was basicmon sense that the more talented people were, the more elements they could handle.

    Then lets start with me.

    Yes, pardon?

    Aidan thought he had misheard Ludgers words. It was the same for Leo, who was sitting next to Aidan, and Tessie, who was sitting behind him.

    It means Ill teach you. I cant let the students fall behind because they cant follow my teachings from the first lesson.

    B-but I

    I extremely hate the idea of having such a person in my ss. I dont take any disagreements. Focus.

    Ah, yes!

    Gather your mana. You can do basic casting, right?

    Yes.

    Aidan nodded and made a sphere of mana.

    It was a basic process that could not even be called first-tier magic that anyone could do once they were introduced to magic.

    Think of turning that mana into an element. As I just said before, its a me.

    I will try to do it.

    Aidan stared intensely at his mana sphere as if that was everything he could do.

    Tessie and Leo gave Aidan a cheering stare without saying a word.

    Hnnng.

    However, it was difficult for Aidan to properly implement the me property, no matter how much he was focused.

    As soon as he thought that it wouldnt work like that, Ludger opened his mouth after watching him silently.

    Rx your mind; dont think about it too much. No matter how hard you try to think of me in your head, it will still be hard at first, so dont just think about it with your head, but feel it with your senses.

    Senses?

    You canpare the characteristics of the me to your individual senses. The first one is sight. Imagine the figure of a burning fire. Close your eyes and focus.

    Yes.

    Aidan focused on the image of fire in his head after listening to Ludgers advice.

    However, it was not easy to think of the shape of fire that kept wavering in his head.

    Focus. Remember the moment when the fire was most intense in your memory.

    Yes, yes.

    Since Ludger said that, it made Aidan feel like he had an idea of what to do.

    Aidan, who was focusing his mind, was slowly able to bring out the most impressive moment in his memory.

    When he was burning the firewood in his country home, the senses he felt at that time.

    A fire that was burning in the firece.

    His own family had been watching it.

    The scarlet fire at that time wavered and shook from inside the heater.

    Ludgers voice rang in his ears.

    Now think of the sound of fire.

    Instead of answering, Aidan followed Ludgers instructions.

    Crackle crackle.

    The sound of fire and burning firewood in the wind.

    The sound of fluttering embers put an end to the serenity and cold in the chilly air.

    Ludgers voice was heard again.

    Next is the sense of smell.

    No, it was close to guiding him deep into his inner side.

    Aidan wandered deep into his unconsciousness.

    The smoky smell of fire that was burning the firewood At the same time, he could detect the subtle scent of charcoal.

    Aidans family had even cooked stew over that fire.

    Since fire doesnt have a sense of taste, think of its sense of touch. Recall the senses in your skin when you faced the fire.

    Following Ludgers guidance, Aidan evoked the memories of his past like he was staring at a painting.

    His senses which were being guided one by one clearly recalled the memories of his past.

    And he could remember it

    Eight years prior

    In the cold winter when it snowed

    It was a day with a raging blizzard over the dark blue window outside.

    Wrapped in thick clothes to avoid the cold, he had put firewood in the heater so that the burning fire wouldnt go out.

    His two younger sisters had clung to Aidan while whining that they were feeling cold.

    That was how the whole family had gathered in front of the heater harmoniously and eaten together.

    His younger siblings chattered, his mother nagged, and his father smiled softly as he bore witness to such a scene.

    Even though they couldnt eat fancy food and there was a cold wind blowing through the gaps of their clothes that werent properly sewn. Obviously, the memory of that time was as vivid as if it was just happening.

    The fire was not hot.

    He wasnt even scared of it.

    Just

    The me that he felt back then was so warm.

    He remembered that he could spend a warm winter because of it.

    Thats exactly it.

    Ah.

    As if it was a ripple on the calm water, Aidan opened his eyes after he heard Ludgers voice.

    And then he saw it

    The small me sphere that was burning in front of his eyes.

    !

    Aidan opened his eyes wide in disbelief.

    It seemed to have summoned the warm me that existed in his memory.

    The me was closer to warm rather than hot, and closer to soft rather than destructive.

    Did I really implement this?

    Thats pretty good.

    Aidan was stunned by Ludgers praise.

    It was the first time that Ludger, who had been brutally pointing out the ws of the students who were called geniuses instead of praising them,plimented someone.

    Aidan didnt know if he could call that apliment, but Ludger spoke a positive sentence from his mouth.

    Other students, who pretended not to pay attention while pricking up their ears, were also shocked by Ludgers words.

    The me transformed beyond the ordinary elements to be your own me. Instead of imitating others and blindly implementing only what others have taught you, you showed the element of fire that you felt by yourself. Aidan. Thats your own magic.

    This is my own magic?

    Aidan stared at the sphere of the me he had created like a man who had sent half of his soul flying away.

    Was it because he lost his concentration?

    Fwoosh.

    The fire disappeared like a mirage without a trace.

    But it felt like its lingering scent was still in the air.

    Aidan.

    Yes, Professor.

    Dont forget that sense.

    * * *

    * * *

    Ludger left such words behind and moved on to approach the next student.

    Aidan was still feeling like he was dreaming.

    Leo and Tessie, who were watching nervously from his side, tapped Aidans arm.

    Aidan. You are awesome!

    How did you do that just now?

    Huh, huuh?

    Ludgers praise for Aidan fueled the motivation of the students who had yet to be evaluated.

    Ludger nced at the students and opened his mouth.

    Im sure youve noticed, but this is the method I wanted to teach you before I went into this ss.

    The students all pricked up their ears.

    It was the application of your senses through your own experience.

    The students waited for his next exnation after the words application of senses.

    The elemental property should be based on a basic understanding of the rted element. Even a three-year-old child knows that the fire is simply hot and the ice is simply cold. If youre a true wizard, you have to put something special in it.

    Something special?

    Think of the elements that you want to cast as intense moments that you actually face, not as some vaguely encountered memories. Not just simply your sight but your five senses should also feel the elements.

    Dont just simply follow with your eyes.

    Feel the elements with your five senses.

    When they followed his advice, the students responded with joy.

    Oh, ooh? It works!

    Whoa! Its much better than it was before!

    The students, who were happy to learn such magic, were more focused on not forgetting the lesson.

    Ludgers words were not a lie.

    Their memories and experiences werebined so the elements were more carefully recalled and implemented, so an element that was much more intense than the previous ones was implemented.

    Even the feeling of the element itself changed depending on their experience and tendencies.

    The element was painted in their own color.

    At that moment, a loud shout broke out from somewhere.

    Whoa. Crazy. Whats that?

    Ovepping element? Youre already able to use that?

    Flora Lumos was at the center of the shocked gazes.

    She had created that element with a confident expression.

    To be exact, it was abination of two elements.

    Fire and ice.

    The shape of the burning fire had turned into the light blue color of ice, but the ice was still swaying a little.

    It was the so-called frozen me.

    Hmph. This is nothing.

    At first, Flora had intended to implement just one element properly.

    Because she thought it would be enough for her not to be disapproved by Ludger.

    She was already learning how to implement elements through her five senses, and because of her unique magical synesthesia, she was able to implement properties that were much moreplete than others.

    But when Ludger had carefully taught a first-year student and even given him apliment at the end

    Something had heated up in Floras heart.

    Her pride had not approved of the situation.

    Lets see if he willpliment me as well.

    It was not enough for her to simply fully implement one element.

    She was Flora Lumos.

    She was peoples favorite in magic who had never let go of the title of genius, even in Sren.

    If the magic she casted was only a single element, it would obviously hurt her pride.

    So she casted two elements.

    And those two elements were me and ice, which could be said to be the opposite of each other.

    If the two magic techniques were coordinated and woven together so that they did not infringe on each other, fire and ice could coexist.

    Rather, each elements characteristic wasbined to change into a new form.

    Just like she had done.

    The ovepping of elements was called the advanced level of Elemental Properties.

    Flora Lumos could easilybine the two elements.

    Flora suddenly became greedy.

    Maybe it was because she was in a strangely good condition and she was spiritually high.

    At that moment, perhaps she could seed in triplicating the elements, which she had been unable to do before.

    Frozen fire If I put the wind element in here and make it swirl

    A magic that was created by ovepping two techniques

    Flora started creating another new technique from there.

    Three ovepping elements by adding one element to the existing two elements.

    It was a magic that had always failed before, but somehow, she felt like it was going to work.

    She was alreadyughing while imagining Ludgers face that would be ruined in a good way for her when shepleted the technique.

    It didnt take long for Florasplexion to change.

    Oh, oh?

    Flora first saw it through her own eyes.

    As soon as the three colors were about to beautifully blend, they suddenly deviated from their shape and began to collide with each other.

    Stench permeated through her nose.

    It only meant one thing:

    It was the moment when the magic flowed in a different direction than what she had intended and ended with failure.

    No!

    In the end, greed only caused misfortune.

    Three properties collided with each other, generating an intense energy.

    Flora clenched her teeth and tried to suppress the energy, but it didnt work out as smoothly as she wanted.

    The magic that was already beyond the threshold was out of her control.

    As the three elements merged into one, they began to emit intense light.

    Oh, oh?

    W-wait.

    The intense mana was felt in the center of the ssroom, and the students realized that something was strange.

    Flora? Flora! Hurry up stop!

    Her best friend Cheryl, who was sitting next to her, shouted, but Flora could not answer her.

    Biting her lips, she could only desperately suppress the out-of-control mana.

    But it started to get harder and harder.

    I should block it, no matter what!

    At that rate, it would explode.

    With the determination to at least avoid damaging the surroundings, Flora put a magic barrier around herself.

    Even if the magic exploded, the magic storm wouldnt spread outside.

    Then, Flora closed her eyes tightly.

    At that time

    Her hands touched something warm.

    Oh?

    Flora opened her eyes.

    Ludger stood in front of her.

    While facing her, his hands gently wrapped around the back of her hand as he was holding the magic as tightly as possible.

    How on earth? She was sure she had spread up a magic barrier.

    Ludger, who had easily broken down the magic barrier, spoke while adding his mana.

    Focus, Flora Lumos.

    Pr-Professor?

    Dont give up; control your mana.

    Flora stared nkly into Ludgers eyes.

    Despite the impending explosion of mana, Ludgers eyes showed no sign of fear.

    Because I will help you.

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 39

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    Ludgers mana gently wound around over the mana that was about to explode.

    Blue mana wrapped over the white light that was at its bursting point.

    The ovepping elements that expanded in all directions and seemed ready to erupt became a spherical form and gradually stabilized.

    Flora was breathless while staring at such a sight.

    At that moment, Ludgers voice awakened her senses.

    Its not over yet. Dont distract yourself.

    Ludgers thick and warm hands that were holding her hands together, and his reprimand that seemed to reproach her.

    Flora came to her senses again and focused on dealing with her mana.

    If you stop here, your magic will disappear without you being able to aplish anything. Do you want that?

    Flora clenched her teeth at his words.

    The magic that was deviating gradually regained its stability, but if she stopped there, the magic would not be anything.

    Ludger spoke.

    He was telling her that since she hade that far, she should see it through.

    Yes. Rather than leave it as a failure!

    She couldnt let the magic that she was trying to cast disappear.

    Flora responded to him by squeezing out all her remaining mana.

    In order to meet Ludgers expectations, who was helping her, she had toplete the magic.

    Whoooong.

    The three round elements gradually decreased in size and eventually began to take on the faint shape of something.

    Flora opened her eyes wide to the sweet smell that brushed past her nose.

    The color

    The scattered and wild colors returned to their original ces.

    No.

    The colors went beyond returning to their original shape, they started to beautifully harmonize.

    Oh.

    She stared at the magic that was being implemented in front of her with trembling lips.

    It had started due to stubbornness and sudden greed.

    The previously failed triple properties

    Her reason for attempting it had been, in fact, a childish act to get a word of appraisal from Ludgers mouth, who had been looking down on her.

    For Flora, who was born with a talent for magic, even difficult high-tier magic could eventually be achieved.

    Therefore, magic was considered too easy and natural for Flora.

    She was not pleased with her sess,

    She didnt dwell on her failure.

    It was because any magical feat was something that she could naturally achieve someday.

    She had thought that such a mindset wouldnt change.

    She had thought that, even if she seeded in what she had failed so far, she would feel no joy.

    Thats what she had thought.

    So you seed.

    Flora did respond Ludgers words.

    She felt something choked up in her heart.

    Her eyes were stuck to the finished elements.

    The white wind revolved fiercely in an atomic orbit around the frozen me like a sharp awl.

    Fire, ice, and wind werebined into three superimposed elements.

    Flora felt the illusion that not only her gaze but her soul was being swept away by the brilliant beauty that it created.

    Its beautiful.

    Cheryl said so as she was watching the scene anxiously from the side.

    Yes

    The magic that she had wanted to create was as beautiful as looking at a work of art.

    Floras reaction in particr was much more passionate than other students.

    What excited her were more than simple senses of sight and smell.

    It was the sense of spiritual inspiration that bubbled like a foam deep in her heart.

    The sense of aplishment of being able to cross the wall that she felt when shepleted a magic that she had not been able to achieve so far.

    Although it was not achieved by herself, she still could not resist her joy.

    Ssssss.

    The impressive magic soon disappeared into a colorful powder of light.

    As she watched the scene as if she was being possessed, Ludger opened his mouth.

    Flora Lumos

    Yes, professor Ludger.

    Flora answered Ludgers call calmly.

    But she was only calm on the outside, not on the inside.

    She might burst into tears of joy if Ludger spoke an appraisal from his mouth right there.

    Thats how excited she was.

    Youve done something foolish, I see.

    Yes pardon?

    But along with the cold words that came out of Ludgers mouth, Flora btedly realized what she had done.

    Ah.

    She had almost put every student in the ssroom at risk for her own greed.

    As she was faced with the reality that she had forgotten due to the joy of her sessful magic, Flora had no choice but to bow her head gloomily.

    Anyone who challenges and fails at a new magic can be like that, but it must be the wizard themself who has to bear the cost of their failure in the end. Not the other students, but you.

    Im sorry.

    What Ludger had said was correct a hundred times over.

    She had almost put her other ssmates in danger.

    At the end, she had felt that she was responsible for it and put up a magic barrier to surround the exploding mana, but could she havepletely prevented the damage?

    If Ludger didnt step up

    Someone might have died.

    But most of all, what I reprimand you for, Flora Lumos, is the amateurishness of your magic.

    Pardon?

    Amateurishness of her magic, he said What on earth did he mean by that?

    When you first ovepped the elements, you mixed the elements of fire and ice, right?

    Yes. I did that.

    Fire and ice are the opposite of each otherthats why its hard to mix them together. Beyond putting up an effort to make the techniques not conflict, you also needed to create a stronger effect by harmonizing both techniques.

    Yes. You are right.

    And Flora Lumos had done it sessfully.

    She had implemented a magic that became one by mixing opposing forces with each other.

    Then whats so amateur about my magic?

    Her voice was bound to be mixed with disappointment.

    If he was just going to reprimand her, he just had to do it because of her excessive effort to triplicate her magic.

    Why did he point out her perfectly aplished ovepping elements of fire and ice?

    Flora thought that Ludger might be trying to undermine his evaluation of her established ovepping elements using her mistake.

    No, but even so

    When she was in danger

    Ludger had helped her control the mana that was out of control after going through the magic barrier that she had spread.

    Beyond the understanding of mana and the ability to see through the magic structure, if one did not have an excellent control of mana, it was them who could end up in danger.

    Ludger had helped her to put up with that danger.

    There was absolutely no reason for Ludger to just ruthlessly undermine her.

    But she still felt somehow unfair about it.

    She just wanted to hear apliment.

    As soon as she was about to be disappointed, Ludger created a sphere of ice and me based on his mana.

    Ill show you why it was amateurish starting now.

    Ludgerbined the two elements that he created into one.

    He adjusted the techniques so that the mana from the properties did not collide.

    Hebined the two techniques into one

    And he forced the ovepping elements to harmonize with each other.

    Flora stared intensely at the sight so she wouldnt miss a thing.

    The whole process was obviously simr to what she had tried before.

    But the result was not the same.

    Oh?

    Floras ovepping elements, which had simply cased the me to be as beautiful as ice, and Ludgers ovepping elements that he showed were fundamentally different.

    Flora Lumospared the ovepping elements that she had created with the ovepping elements that Ludger created.

    Thebination of fire and ice

    There was certainly no difference in terms of the elements.

    However, the results of the two elements were entirely different.

    Appearance? That was also true, but fundamentally, the energy that was contained in the ovepping element itself was different.

    Flora, who was especially sensitive to magic, could feel it more clearly than anyone else.

    The color and smell were different from hers.

    It was clearer and more fragrant.

    Flora Lumos. Do you know what kind of ovepping elements Ive created?

    Flora hesitated for a moment and nodded.

    It was impossible for her not to know.

    Yes.

    Then exin it.

    The ovepping elements that you created have a different dependence on mana. The spread of the me and its power to engulf the surroundings and the coldness of the ice property coexists with it.

    On the other hand, how about yours?

    Pardon?

    Im asking about yours.

    Flora just moved her lips slightly and was speechless.

    Eventually, Ludger spoke instead.

    Flora Lumos. The ovepping elements that you created was just magic that was beautiful in shape and had not the slightest bit of practicality.

    Flora shuddered at the scathing remark.

    You dont have to be so harsh.

    Such words surged up to her throat, but the moment she met Ludgers sincere gaze, those words were swallowed all the way in.

    * * *

    * * *

    Magic should be practical. If not, at least, there should be no meaningless magic. Its the basic foundation of all magic.

    Ludger had said as much before entering the lesson.

    They had to use magic in a better way

    To make and achieve something, not to kill something.

    That would lead the world in the right direction.

    But Flora. How was your magic?

    I

    Frozen me. Its a basic me-burning form of magic technique surrounded by elements of ice. Yes. Its obviously beautiful because the shape of a burning fire was frozen.

    Ludger spoke in his usual tone of voice.

    But thats all.

    Flora had no excuse for that.

    Because everything that Ludger said was true.

    Are you thinking of getting a job in a circus with this magic, or did you n on going to the Crystal Pce in the capital and disying your magic beautifully?

    Its not like that.

    Then what is the significance of the existence of your magic? Is it just a self-parade to show off that you can use ovepping elements?

    Self-parade

    Ludgers point was irrefutable.

    She didnt know where she would use it, it was just a beautiful magic.

    She was just proud about being able to use the ovepping elements, nothing less and nothing more.

    Im sure Id appreciate the fact that you mixed a wind element in it and gave some purpose to the magic to an extent, but even that attempt failed.

    Flora bowed her head at hisst words which were full of truth.

    Cheryl, who was sitting next to her, looked at her worriedly, but she couldnt convey to her anyfort in that situation.

    Ludger scattered the Scorching Cold that he had created into the air.

    The ovepping elements that climbed close to the high ceiling of the ssroom exploded like fireworks.

    Whirrrr!

    For a moment, all the students in the ssroom felt the illusion that they heard the sound of burning ice.

    Cold air that resembled white frost spread throughout the ssroom without touching the ceiling and scattered subtle snow.

    It fell down and melted away before it could reach the students.

    However, all the students who had gathered in that ce could feel it.

    It was a magic that had extremely opposing elements since there was also a spreading me within it.

    It was the best magic to extinguish a fire.

    Flora Lumos. Your ovepping elements were quite interesting. Ive never seen a wizard at your age disying that skill.

    Floras eyes, which were distracted by Ludgers magic, turned to Ludger again.

    It was the moment when she stared at the mans face who was looking at her with a pitying look

    She felt somewhat guilty and emotional.

    But the intention of what you did was wrong. Im not talking about your skill. Im talking about something much more fundamental than that.

    Do not use magic just to show off. That kind of action, Flora, lowers your value.

    My value?

    Yes. This is heartfelt advice for you.

    He had been biting her harshly so far, but he was talking about value?

    But Flora had no choice but to agree with Ludger.

    The magic she had created was just beautiful in its outward appearance because of her intention to show off her skill in order to get apliment from someone else.

    On the contrary, what Ludger had made was much more practical, even though it had the same ovepping elements as hers.

    The power of the me also had its own firepower, but once it was attached to the other elements, it did not extinguish properly and spread in a sh.

    Big incidents that happened due to fire always urred from a big spread of fire.

    Ludger had captured such characteristics with the chilly air.

    The chilly cold air that spread like an infectious disease the moment it exploded

    The purpose of that magic was to extinguish and devour the spreading fire instead.

    Considering that it was a magic that so far had been used tounch and shoot ice purely in the form of a weapon or to cause a wide range of snowstorms

    What Ludger had created was very practical.

    I lost again.

    She thought shed get recognition that time, but she didnt.

    Let alone being proud, Flora realized how impatient and foolish she was.

    Ive never been like this before.

    Most of all, the sincere gaze that Ludger had shown toward her

    It didnt escape her mind.

    It was an attitude of genuine concern, not intended to ridicule or to have contempt for her.

    Has anyone ever looked at me like that?

    No.

    There were always only two kinds of stares that headed towards her:

    Envy

    And jealousy.

    Not to mention her own family with her brothers and sisters that she didnt want to see

    Even her seniors were jealous of her.

    And so were Srens professors.

    Floras talent had caught up with their teaching in an instant, even though they had learned magic for many more years.

    Whenever that happened, the professors eyes were always filled with an unbearable me of jealousy.

    Flora knew it, but she hadnt shown it outwardly.

    Because thats what real talent was. There was no need to be joyful or sorrowful over the gazes of those who were jealous of her talents.

    But she didnt mean to let it slide either

    So she had trampled on their pride while presenting them with a more overwhelming appearance.

    She had thought that it was obvious.

    But just then

    Flora was confused for the first time in her life by Ludgers unfamiliar attitude.

    Professor Ludger

    He had saved her from her nearly failed magic.

    He had helped her to ovee the wall of the three ovepping elemental properties which she had not been able to ovee until then.

    Then he had looked her in the eye and given her a harsh lecture.

    Flora btedly realized that she was dizzy and out of breath.

    Mana depletion

    She had consumed too much mana to implement the three ovepping elements of magic.

    Im tired to death here, but is Professor alright?

    Ludger, who had suppressed the mana that was about to burst, would have consumed much more mana, but his breathing was still normal.

    It was the first time

    That she felt a real wall.

    And the wall was so high and thick that she wasnt sure if she could cross it.

    But she didnt want to give up.

    Flora felt a sense ofpetition.

    Flora made a strong resolution to herself that she would definitely go beyond him next time.

    What is this?

    Grit.

    Ludger, who was chewing on the mana recovery pill that was secretly hidden in his mouth, trembled unconsciously.

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 40

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    After I gave my advice to Flora, I looked at the situations of several other students and gave them advice as well.

    Its not hard to teach them.

    The casting of elemental properties was the most basic subject.

    Some may have thought that it was easy and nothing, but there was nothing more important than Elemental Properties to build a proper foundation.

    Elemental casting used five senses that were close to a form that had developed with a framework at the basic level.

    Actually, I didnt know that the basics would be that important either.

    The magical elements that were created by the mana that was used by the wizards were slightly different from the elements that simply existed in nature.

    To be exact, the mana that was floating in the atmosphere was closer to imitating the elements with its strange power.

    Of course, if the world recognized the mimicry itself as real and was hit by fire magic, the world would have been burned.

    Naturally, it could be implemented with mana and did not ur naturally, such as the warm and cozy me that was casted by Aidan a while ago.

    In other words, the elements that were created with magic were fake and real at the same timetwo literally contradictory characteristics coexisting with each other.

    It was called the mystery of magic.

    The elements that were created by such magic naturally followed the tendency of the wizard.

    The ice magic that was used by cold and cool-headed people and the ice magic that was used by people who were full of passion and were hot-blooded would showpletely different results, even if they were using the same spell.

    Wizards who had traveled the world and experienced many more varied experiences could carry more diverse emotions in their magic than the magic that was used by wizards who were confined to the corner of their room.

    Right

    In the end, magic itself was more like putting human emotions into mana.

    Just like there are songs that have emotions and songs that dont.

    However, as the magic of that time was only casted thoroughly by theory and calction, the emotional method was a very old method that was no longer left in the history books.

    Perhaps it was still written in an old and worn-out book in the far corner of the library in the magic tower.

    It was not that no one knew such a method, but it was still a little-known methodpared to what it was in the past.

    I knew it because my teacher had taught me.

    My teacher taught me how to maximize the elements through the senses.

    It was a method that only I, the disciple, was informed of, and this dull-witted disciple was releasing his teachers tips to the whole world in order to survive.

    Im sorry, teacher.

    But if I hadnt done that, my life would have been in danger.

    Anyway, magic was such a mysterious study.

    It reminds me of the first time I learned it.

    When I had first learned that magic existed in this world, I had believed that I would be a great wizard whose name would remain in history.

    The fact that I was reincarnated from another world was enough for me to hold such hope.

    Of course, such a dream quickly came to an end.

    Because I had no outstanding talent in learning magic by myself.

    It was possible up to the basics, but that was all.

    It was practically impossible for me to be a great wizard who would remain in history.

    Therefore, I had no choice but to change my direction of learning magic.

    Basically, my limit was easily using magic up to the 3rd tier.

    If I overdid it, I could use basic 4th-tier magic.

    If I looked at my level, Id be at the beginning point of a 4th rank wizard, and that was my best and my limit.

    I couldnt use magic beyond that, so I improved the quality of magic that I could use up to the 3rd tier.

    That was the reason why I had kept strengthening my basics.

    Most of all, I had memories of my past life, so I could look at magic with a slightly different perspective than the others.

    Source code was the representative example.

    In addition to that, I had received Spartan-style teaching from my teacher, so I could be proud that the basics of my magic were more solid than anyone elses.

    And the method that I had been sticking to so far had finally shone in Sren.

    At the time, I hadined about why they had asked me to do this, but now that I think about it, theres nothing better than this situation.

    Perhaps magic that used the five senses was a method that even the magic tower had not taught them.

    At least, it was like a secret sauce of a famous restaurant that was given in hints only to the important talented people who were being promoted from within the cooking schools.

    I had just made it public.

    In fact, the students were also satisfied because there were noticeable changes in the oue of their magic.

    But I cant let my guard down. Flora Lumos Who would have thought that she could use ovepping elements at that young an age?

    Ovepping elements was not just aboutbining different elements.

    It was a risky move that could have more serious consequences if the wizard handled it incorrectly, so the method of formting the magics had to be altered to make sure they didnt collide with each other.

    Therefore, when the wizard was using the ovepping elements, elements that were well-suited to each other were oftenbined.

    Just like water and ice, fire and wind, wind and electricity.

    However, Flora had ovepped elements that were opposite to each other, which were fire and ice.

    Perhaps that was not enough for her, ovepping three elements, all of which had quite a high-level difficulty in elemental properties, was also attempted.

    It was just not a skill that a wizard could show at that age.

    I realized again that Flora was not called a genius in Sren for no reason.

    Even so, she almost failed.

    An out-of-control mana fluctuation

    I also felt dizzy from using too much mana because I had frantically suppressed it.

    Fortunately, I was lucky that I had recovered quickly because there was a mana pill in my mouth that I had secured in advance, otherwise, I might have stumbled disgracefully in front of the students.

    So I slightly felt like wanting to scold Flora, albeit severely.

    In the past, I had also been very confident in my new magic creation when my teacher had shattered my confidence terribly.

    At that time, I had done a lot of dangerous things to cast great magic.

    When I thought about it when I was about to sleep, I might have kicked the nket with my feet loudly because of it.

    Flora, who had seeded in ovepping two elements and was overly proud because of it, coincided with my old self when I had been learning magic from my teacher.

    The memory of that time came to my mind and the panic button was pressed on its own.

    That was also why I had pushed Flora a little too hard.

    I btedly thought that I was a bit harsh, so I said, Actually, its because Im worried about you. You know how I feel, right? as an excuse.

    Maybe shes terribly hurt inside from that.

    But she was called a genius, so shed get through it easily, right?

    I decided to turn my attention away from Flora and focused on the rest of the students.

    As expected. Maybe because it was Sren, but everyone is already good at it, even though I just gave them a few simple tips.

    I saw some students who were particrly noticeable.

    The first thing I saw was a student who was casting the elements of thepressed earth.

    It was a brown-skinned girl with animal ears on her head who implemented an element that looked like she pulled up a vein of the ore that existed deep underground.

    Was her name Iona Obeli?

    I had seen her on the first day as wellshe was the only beastperson in the ssroom, after all.

    She looked back at me as though she felt my gaze. I just nodded lightly to express that she had implemented the element admirably.

    I wonder if I had done something marvelous because she opened her mouth wide with an ah.

    I ignored her and looked at the next student.

    It was someone with a nt element.

    A dark-blue-haired girl with braids andrge, round sses that were covering half of her face unfolded such magic.

    She looked like someone who said Im good at studying, just through a nce, she was a girl who was sponsored by the alchemy school, and she had her own reputation among the freshmen.

    Was her name ra Haniss? She was pretty good, too.

    Other than her

    There were twin sisters who were from a rather famous aristocratic family in the Eastern Kingdom, and there was even a rookie who was being sponsored by the magic tower.

    Even that rookie seemed to have quite a sense of rivalry toward Flora Lumos.

    I heard that this years freshmen consist of only amazing students. Im entering the Academy at such a peculiar time, too.

    It was called the golden age.

    I thought I had heard Professor Selena say that there were many such children in the first year.

    And surprisingly, most of them were taking my ss.

    I was going crazy due to too much pressure.

    I had a little hope of wanting my ss to be somewhat moderate.

    It felt like I was losing my energy because of teaching those smart kids one by one.

    It was just then

    As the ss was nearing its end, I found the only student who could not float the elemental property.

    That kid is

    * * *

    * * *

    Her face was familiar; that was because I was bound to notice her bright gray hair and heavenly beauty.

    She had been there when something happened at the first training ground the previous day, and she was also there during the werewolf incident.

    But most of all, I knew that kid well for another reason

    I approached her.

    What happened, Lynne?

    Oh. Professor Ludger.

    Is it not working well?

    No, no. Thats

    Lynne hesitated to answer.

    Next to her seat was the princess, Elendil.

    What? Did the two get close since then?

    Elendil shook her head in silence when I looked at her as if asking what had happened.

    Then Lynne sighed and released her mana and floated the sphere.

    Since Lynne was also able to enter Sren, she had basic knowledge and talent for magic, so it was possible for her to float the mana.

    It was fine so far, but the problem happened afterward.

    I precisely caught on to what the problem was.

    Your casting of the elemental property doesnt work well, I see. No. To be exact, does the property itself not exist?

    Yes.

    Lynne was the possessor of mana without any properties, which appeared very rarely.

    ***Im doomed.

    Lynne was afraid that she might have taken up a lot of time pointlessly.

    As she bowed her head like that, the clock bell rang in the ssroom to announce the end of the ss.

    This is the end of todays ss. Everyone, review what you learned today. Ill rece the homework with that.

    Oh!

    But dont try to get away with it. Ive remembered all the properties you used today, so Ill check them out in the next ss.

    Some students, who were happy with the news that there were few assignments that time, hurriedly redirected their eyes when they met Ludgers gaze.

    I will be able to spot those of you who dont practice properly. Im looking forward to that.

    Thank thank you for today!

    The students ran away from the ssroom.

    As soon as Lynne was about to get out of her seat, Ludger called her up.

    Lynne.

    Yes? Yes!

    You follow me to the professors office.

    Oh!

    Lynne swallowed her breath unknowingly.

    The remaining students looked at Lynne with pity.

    In the spell casting ss, the elemental property was the second most important specialization after the release of mana, but those without any properties didnt work like that.

    Perhaps he called her because she couldnt carry out his lecture properly, so he would rmend that she attend another ss.

    That was only the second week, but Ludgers ss had already been rumored to be the best in Sren.

    His teaching in particr, which strengthened the foundation of their elemental properties, was enough to hedge the students expectations.

    Not being able to take such sses in the future went beyond just missing a teaching in Sren, it was almost half the loss of their life.

    If they didnt know from the beginning, they wouldnt know.

    It was a different level of problem to quit his ss that they had already taken and experienced themselves.

    Of course, most students were relieved that they were not the target.

    The person concerned, Lynne, was about to cry.

    Following Ludger, who walked slowly in the hallway, Lynne moved with quick steps to chase him from behind.

    Lynne couldnt hide her ominous feelings while following Ludger.

    Why did he call me? Is it a personal interview? So is he about to kick me out of his ss?

    Although it was only the third time she had seen him, including the incident in the training ground before, Lynne fully understood what kind of person Ludger was.

    If she thought of Ludgers extremely sharp personality, she would be able to attend his other lecture in a good case, and in the worst case, she would be kicked out of Ludgers ss.

    Aaaaah! Im doomed.

    Lynne was depressed for some reason and bowed her head.

    It was better to change her ss as soon as possible because it was still at the beginning of the semester, but it was very painful for her to leave Ludgers lecture and not another professors lecture.

    She would not be that sad even if she happened to pick up a jewel on the road and had to throw it back on the side of the road.

    Come in.

    As they had already arrived at the private professors office, Ludger opened the door that had his namete on it and went inside.

    Lynne entered Ludgers office as if she was a prisoner on death row who was heading to the gallows.

    Inside the office, the interior itself was quite sophisticated and neat.

    The ce resembled its owner, indeed.

    That man used a ce with an antique atmosphere.

    Sit down.

    Yes, yes.

    Lynne sat on the sofa after she heard Ludger speak, frozen.

    The leather on the luxurious sofa was obviously so fluffy that she should have beenfortable, but Lynne had no choice but to keep straightening her back.

    Ludger sat at his office desk, and then he opened the drawer and pulled out a pile of papers.

    Lynne closed her eyes tightly at the sight.

    Aaaaah! As expected, hes about to send me away to another professors lecture!

    Would he nag if I knelt down and begged him to let me take his ss? What if he despised me more?!

    At the moment when her mind was getting moreplicated, a thin book was being pushed toward Lynne.

    Lynne closed her eyes tight and cried out.

    I will do my best! Ill do everything you told me to do, so please dont tell me to stop taking your ss! Im in trouble if I dont take your ss!

    Despite Lynnes desperate appeal, Ludger was unwavering.

    What are you talking about? Its not like that.

    Yes, yes? This This is not a lecture change application form?

    What are you talking about?

    Pardon? I I thought I couldnt take sses from you anymore.

    Youre saying something weird. Just hurry and pick it up.

    Lynne politely epted the book that Ludger had given her with both hands.

    What kind of book is this? With that thought, Lynne, who looked at the title of the book, had no choice but to widen her eyes.

    [Understanding Non-property Magic]

    Therge letters on the cover of the book caught her eye.

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 41

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    O-oh? Professor Ludger? What on earth is thi

    She had heard that those who did not have any property could not handle the element itself properly.

    She had heard that people like her were so rare that no one taught them the method to use their ability.

    So they had a book about non-property magic?

    Read it.

    Yes, pardon?

    If you read whats there, youll at least see a path you havent known so far.

    Lynne still didnt understand how things were turning out.

    Why did he bring her to the professors office out of nowhere and give her a strange book?

    Is is this for real?

    Lynne stared at the title, [Understanding Non-property Magic], with an incredulous look on her face.

    As far as she knew, non-property magic was extremely rare and the method to use it had never been properly discovered.

    When she looked closely at the cover, the book did not have any authors name, nor even a stamp of where it was published.

    Isnt this fake?

    It was natural to have such doubts.

    Its natural for you to doubt it.

    Hm? Ah! N-no! Its not like that!

    Had it been revealed in her expression? Lynne hurriedly adjusted her cheeks and controlled her expression.

    Fortunately, Ludger didnt seem to have any intention of berating her.

    Its okay for you to judge it after reading it first. It will be more helpful than not knowing anything.

    There was no information rted to non-property magic, even in the magic tower

    Did my source code spell exist in the magic tower?

    Lynne closed her lips to such an excellent retort.

    So is this really real?

    Wh-where did you get such a precious

    Fate brought that book into my hands.

    Fate brought this book into his hands, he said?

    Lynnes head tilted slightly to the side at such a remark.

    Was this something that could be obtained by fate?

    Lynne was confused as she spoke to Ludger.

    Uh, Does Professor Ludger know anything about non-property magic?

    Ludger, in Lynnes observations, looked so natural in treating her that she had no choice but to think that he had actually encountered non-property magic by himself and gained some knowledge about it.

    She had expected that if it was Ludger, who had created the source code spell, then he might know something that others didnt know.

    A little bit.

    Really?!

    I met a person with non-property magic once before.

    Oh my Gosh. I didnt know there was another possessor of non-property magic besides myself. So where is that person now?

    Gone. That person is dead.

    Ah

    Ludgers voice seemed to be somewhat remorseful as he said so.

    At least that was what Lynne felt. The usually cold and sharp Ludger somehow felt like wet cotton at that moment.

    Lynne became cautious as if she had asked something unnecessarily bad.

    Im sorry.

    Never mind. It happened a long time ago anyway.

    Then did that person leave this book before they died?

    Yes. It is the result of their study of their own magic throughout their life. It doesnt even exist in the magic tower.

    Why did?

    Why did he give it to her and not pass it to the magic tower?

    Lynne couldnt manage to say thest words.

    Because she wanted it.

    Ah. So its a she.

    Rather than that, what did he mean by she wanted it?

    Lynne suddenly wondered who the possessor of the other non-property magic was.

    But isnt it better to hand it over to the magic tower from most peoples point of view?

    Even if I hand it over to the magic tower, that ce is full of greedy old people who will not acknowledge this book. No, some of them may acknowledge it, but they wont show it to anyone else and theyll just use it amongst themselves. Its much better to give it to someone who really needs itthats why Ive been keeping it.

    It was to hand it over to someone suitable for the book someday.

    Lynne saw Ludger again as she heard that response.

    I see.

    If you read the book and practice hard, you will definitely discover a new path there as well.

    Then is there any way for me to learn the magic of the other properties?

    As far as I know, no.

    Ludgers answer made Lynne feel depressed for some reason.

    Although she didnt reveal it on the outside, Lynne also had a desire to use elemental magic that was as marvelous and beautiful as the others.

    Are you disappointed?

    To be honest, yes. I wanted to try to deal with just one element at least.

    Others were able to deal with two, three, or more elements, and the talented people were able to deal with five or more than five elements.

    Suddenly, Lynne remembered the appearance that Ludger had shown her in the ss.

    Come to think of it, how many elements is he able to handle?

    He had shown fire, water, earth, and wind, and had even used the ice element in the first session of the ss.

    Then five elements?

    As expected of a Sren professor.

    One element, huh.

    Ludger actually pondered what Lynne had said calmly, not knowing what was in her mind.

    Lynne. You said it because you didnt know anything, but only being able to use one element isnt something to be taken for granted.

    Pardon? Isnt it a good thing to handle at least one element?

    Everyone, to be precise, wizards, is born with being able to handle at least two elements, so if theyre only able to handle just one element, what do you think they are?

    Oh, hmm. Are they talentless people?

    No.

    Ludger shook his head.

    Those who can only handle a single element are those who have limitless talents that are unrivaled in that element.

    Lynne opened her mouth in disbelief as she listened to Ludgers words.

    But Ludgers words were not a lie.

    Although it was only a very small minority of the wizards, there were those who could handle only one elemental property.

    But just because they couldnt handle other elements, it didnt mean that they were weak.

    On the contrary, they were beyond it.

    Lynne. Do you think the elemental magic that a wizard uses can affect the magic of the same property? For example, could a wizard who deals with the fire element property subdue the mes of a hot fire?

    Oh, thats not possible, is it?

    Lynne had at least that muchmon knowledge.

    Being able to use the me element didnt mean you could handle real fire.

    It was also a factor that people misunderstood a lot.

    That if one was a fire wizard, it meant they could handle fire, so they wouldnt be affected by hot fire.

    If one was a wizard whos able to deal with metal, theyd be able to handle all kinds of metal, so theyd disy great power in the war.

    That was a false saying.

    The casting of an element and the handling of the element werepletely different concepts.

    Yes. Usually, thats the case, but there are wizards who were born with only one element; the magic they use ispletely different from the properties of ordinary wizards.

    When the others could use at least two elements

    Single property wizards could only handle one element.

    Instead of being unable to deal with other elemental attributes, they could rule over the elements they dealt with.

    For the single attribute wizards who were well-known to the world, the magic tower gave them titles as colors of the rted element. It means that they were are all the ones who had reached the peak of their own elements.

    So thats what its like to deal with a single element

    Lynne fully realized that her knowledge was shallow and her face became red.

    * * *

    * * *

    She would have looked ridiculous from Ludgers point of view when she said just one element at least without knowing anything.

    Even the single element that she looked down on was such a great wall to her.

    So did she really have to live like that for the rest of her life without being able to deal with any elements?

    Lynne was frightened.

    Lynne. What on earth do you think about non-property magic?

    Oh.Doesnt it literally mean that they dont use any property?

    Lynne pondered and answered ording to what came to her mind.

    If you asked that question to a little kid passing by, youd hear the same answer.

    Im sorry.

    People say that its non-property, but in reality, its not clear whether there really is no element in non-property magic.

    Pardon? Are you for real?

    A typical example would be sound magic.

    Lynne opened her eyes wide and tilted her head slightly when she heard the words sound magic.

    Does sound magic exist separately?

    Yes.

    But sound, to be exact, is a kind of wave thats transmitted through a medium called atmosphere

    So do you think that its like the wind element?

    Thats what I thought.

    No. Youre wrong. Wind property and sound property arepletely different. Although its derived from the wind element, the sound property is more of a vibration-induced wave, to be exact.

    Oh, so theyre different?

    Even if it is not through the air, sound waves still spread through the water. Does that mean the sound property can be called a part of the water property?

    Its not like that.

    Ludger suddenly asked one more question since he was a little interested in exining it.

    Then what is poison?

    Poison you said?

    Its a little moremon than non-property magic, but wizards who handle poison are also rare. Can the poison they deal with be called an element of nature?

    Oh, hmm.. isnt it nt element?

    Then what about an animals venom?

    Th-theres also that.

    Lynne exined poison ording to her knowledge.

    Hmm. Poison or venom itself is a kind of self-defense tool created by nts and small animals to survive in the ecosystem in the first ce, right? Wouldnt it be a little vague to call it an element of nature?

    Yes. With the development of science and chemical knowledge, it is unreasonable to see poison as a property of nature. But poison exists as a property. What is it if the mana itself dposes something and melts it if its not poison? If its not a poison, then the dposition property may have to exist separately.

    Thats true.

    However, in the top 10 elements, except for the non-property, poison cannot even be included as one of the elements. The same goes for sound. So why on earth is that?

    Oh, is it because the number of people who are using it is really small?

    If thats the case, then those who possess the magic of light and darkness are also included in the minoritytheyre rare cases, as well.

    But light and darkness exist in nature.

    Then Ill ask you. Lynne. What do you think nature is?

    Pardon? Well nature is

    Lynne tried to say something before shutting her mouth.

    What is nature?

    And what are the properties and the elements implied in nature?

    Nature? Isnt that the world? But is calling nature as the world too inclusive? Then whats an element?

    Your face looksplicated.

    Oh, hmm, yes. Now that I think about it, I dont think I can define it clearly.

    Of course not. Because human beings cant define the world recklessly in the first ce.

    Pardon?

    As she was listening to the words that seemed unlikely toe out of the professors mouth, Lynne looked dumbfounded for a moment.

    Looking at her mouth widely opened mouth, Ludger spoke while maintaining his rxed expression.

    Wizards judge themselves to be rational beings, and they try to put the world in such a frame to fit that rationality.

    Th-thats obvious. In the first ce, magic expresses the mystery of human rationality and volition

    Thats what I call a stereotype mindset, Lynne. You should have a more liberating way of thinking. When do you think the metal element that currently exists in the top 10 properties appeared?

    Metal was not originally evaluated as a property element.

    Metal was derived from the ground, after all. That was because it existed after being lumped together as soil and the earth property.

    But as science progressed and all kinds of iron-made machines and tools became increasingly popr

    Metal was proudly included in the top 10 elements.

    Thats also the case for the ice element. Ice is just a change that happens when water eventually goes down to the freezing point. Then arent water and ice the same thing after all?

    However, in the end, the properties of water and ice were separated.

    The same went for light and darkness.

    Lynne. Youre thinking is that the magic in the current age is already perfect and can no longer be improved.

    Ah

    Lynne felt like lightning struck the top of her head as she listened to Ludgers words.

    Her shoulders trembled, and she stood stiffly.

    Up until then, she had thought that magic itself was something that could no longer be changed, something that had reached a distant stage.

    But was that really the case?

    Couldnt magic change any further?

    It wasnt like that.

    Ludger shook his head when he noticed that Lynne had finally realized something.

    You finally realized it. Thats the point: a wizard should rule magic, not be ruled by magic.

    Ludger rose from his seat and walked toward the window.

    Beyond the transparent window, he could see Sren Academysndscape that would take charge of the future of the era.

    It was definitely a great ce.

    But if someone asked him if it was a perfect ce, the answer would be no.

    The world changes, and of course, we, as a part of the world, also change; the same goes for magic. The previous four elements have already developed into ten elements, but it doesnt mean that those ten elements constitute everything. There may be unknown properties that have not yet been revealed. It could develop into 20 elements or maybe more than 30 elements.

    And it was a heart-pounding situation for not knowing when it would stop developing.

    The same goes for your non-property magic. Now its still a non-property, butter on, that may be named as a new property as well. If not now, then definitely at some point in the future.

    Lynne had a vague vision of something as she listened to those words.

    Her sessful appearance in the future where she had made great achievements in one field.

    It was the image she had dreamed of, and it was so dazzling that her delicate hands unwittingly clenched into fists.

    Ludger, who averted his eyes from the window, turned his body around.

    Ah.

    As she was dragged back to reality, Lynne unknowingly uttered an exmation.

    Ludger looked so different from the coercive look he usually showed as he was looking at her with his back against the light that was pouring down from the window.

    The man who had seemed to be a pir of steel was nowhere to be found.

    Standing in that ce was a magic explorer just like her.

    Dont be afraid of being different. Dont be afraid of the unknown. Believe that you can be a pioneer in history, and be different from anyone else.

    Lynne parted her lips to say something, but nothing came out.

    Just as something heavy and huge was weighing on her chest, even her thoughts were muddled and could not be shaped into words.

    But she didnt feel stuffy or painful.

    It was an extreme delight that she had never felt before.

    Ludgers remark tore apart the unsettling future she had been seeing so far.

    There were no wordsing out of her mouth.

    But even so, she had to at least say thank you to show him her gratitude

    So do your best from now on. Make sure you read the book I gave you today. This is personal homework that I give to only you.

    There was a slight wind after Ludger said so.

    The wind gently swirled around Lynnes body, lifted her up from her seat, and guided her out of the professors office.

    Oh, I.!

    When she crossed the doorsill of the professors office, she could breathe easily again after the magic was lifted.

    Lynne turned her body right back around and was about to say something to Ludger, but

    Click.

    The door closed faster than her impending words of gratitude could emerge.

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 42

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    After her face-to-face talk with Ludger, Lynne walked down the hallway with a dreamy look on her face.

    She held the book of non-property magic that she had been given by Ludger in her arms.

    Even though her consciousness seemed to be preupied with something, she instinctively felt that she had to treat the book preciously.

    Lynne, who was walking down the hallway with quick steps, stopped when she heard a voice calling her.

    Lynne.

    O-oh? E-Elendil?

    It was a soft and sweet voice that had called her.

    She was a second-year student who took the same spell casting ss as Lynne, and she was the third princess of the Empire who was certainly the best on the continent and was even famous in Sren.

    Elendil looked at Lynne with a worried look.

    What brings you here?

    What do you mean? I was waiting for you because I was worried. You were summoned by Professor Ludger.

    Pardon? Ah, ah! Yes. Right. Hehe.

    Hmm?

    Elendil felt even more suspicious at Lynnes strange reaction.

    Lynne Did you experience any harassment from professor Ludger?

    Elendil had not thought of Ludgers behavior prior to that in the best way.

    It must have been because his first impression was the worst to her.

    During the first orientation, Ludger had shown his guts by not telling the students what he would teach in his ss. Because of that, there were a lot of talks among the students in , so his attitude must have been really surprising for them.

    In fact, it was Elendil who had asked that question to Ludger first in a slightly sharp tone.

    For her who had the right values of righteousness, Ludgers actions were simply uneptable.

    Afterwards, the teachings in his ss were quite incredible, so she admired them, but that alone did not immediately erase her bad perception toward Ludger that was stuck in her mind at the beginning.

    Rather, it was even more upsetting for her to see Ludgers unexpected cold-hearted attitude toward her in the werewolf incidentst time.

    It was obvious for her to have bad thoughts when Ludger took Lynne to the professors office.

    It its not like that!

    Lynne hurriedly defended Ludger.

    Professor Ludger just gave me some advice.! Well, he didnt touch me or anything like that! Professor Ludger is not such a pervert!

    Whaat?

    It was Elendil who was rather embarrassed when Lynne said that.

    Elendil blushed and spoke in a rather startled tone.

    I I didnt mean to say it like that. Lynne Youre quite sly, I see.

    P-pardon?

    I was just talking about him telling you to change your ss or forcing you to take another ss and kicking you out of his. I I cant believe that it was an intercourse between a man and a woman that came to your mind

    O-oh? W-wait! Its not like that!

    Lynne also blushed full of embarrassment when she realized that she had caused a big misunderstanding.

    As she was looking at Lynne, who was desperately trying to say something in embarrassment, Elendil burst into loudughter.

    Hahaha. I get it. Since nothing that Im concerned about happened, Ill take it in a good way.

    Really?

    So was there really nothing that happened? Nothing at all?

    Yes. I told you that there was nothing.

    Then whats that book?

    Ah.

    Elendil had noticed that Lynne was holding a book that she had never seen before in her arms and pointed at it.

    She had noticed that Lynne Lynn had been handling that book carefully like it was something very precious.

    Of course, she was bound to be curious about it.

    This is the book that Professor Ludger gave me.

    Professor Ludger?

    Lynne nodded her head. Elendil opened her eyes wide, as it was a little bit unbelievable to her.

    She didnt know much about Ludger, but she never thought that hed take care of Lynne when she couldnt keep up with his ssmostly because of his personality.

    She thought that hed kick Lynne out of his ss instead.

    Yes. He told me that if I learn this book, it would help me a lot in following his ss.

    Really?

    Seeing Lynne smiling faintly made Elendil feel even more incredulous.

    Ludger did this much of a favor for her?

    Didnt that man sharply and brutally point out the ws of the students implementation of elemental properties in thest ss?

    Of course, his words were all true, and she understood that it was his method of motivating his students by irritating their pride.

    Elendil didnt really like that kind of method.

    Wait. I think he was especially nice to Lynne at that time as well.

    When the werewolves had attacked Sren

    She remembered that Ludger had been rather harsh to her, who held the title of a Princess, and had spoken a little softly to Lynne.

    Of course, the memory of that time was slightly distorted because of her bad views toward Ludger, but the overall context did not change.

    If she looked at the fact that he summoned Lynne separately and even gave her a book

    No way

    Elendil had some words in her mind, but she didnt say them out loud.

    At that time, Lynne was concerned about something and asked a question in a careful manner so that only Elendil could hear it.

    Do you think that, perhaps, the professor likes me?

    Lynne actually uttered the thoughts that Elendil had only in her mind.

    Elendil shook her head while contemting how to exin it.

    No, thats not it.

    No?

    Yes.

    I see.

    Lynne also thought that what she said wasnt true.

    However, after saying that, she had some doubts as well.

    Doesnt it mean that Professor Ludger likes me for real?

    If she said it like that, it sounded like she was boasting, but Lynne was confident in her appearance.

    But arent I pretty enough?

    Lynne was actually a woman with a really beautiful appearance who could catch the eye of even a decent aristocrat.

    Her hair color was also quite rare, but her heavenly beauty that matched it was enough to make Lynnes name known amongst all the boys in Sren.

    Suddenly, Lynne imagined the scene where she was together with Ludger.

    * * *

    * * *

    She thought that they would be a good match, but Lynne shook her head immediately.

    No, no matter how good we might be To be together with someone I dont really know yet

    Lynne had a quite strong conservative personality when it came to that kind of thing.

    Elendil, who was looking at Lynne as she was shaking her head after showing a nk face all by herself, spoke carefully.

    Have you already eaten?

    Pardon? N-no. Not yet.

    Then do you want to eat with me?

    Can can I really do that?

    Lynne was ted at the Princesss offer to eat with her because she had never expected it.

    That was because she thought that if it was Elendil, there would also be other people eating with them.

    But it was Lynnes misunderstanding.

    Elendil had rarely hung out with anyone thus far. Her status as a princess was great, but she was avoided by other students because the status that she held was so high.

    There were students from noble families who asionally talked to her, but they onlymunicated with her for political purposes. They didnt approach her purely because they liked Elendil as a person. What they saw was the third Princess, not Elendil.

    Yes

    Elendil was, quite frankly, a loner who went around by herself, even in Sren.

    Because Elendil was like that, she courageously offered, for the first time ever, to eat with her junior who had be close to her.

    Oh my Gosh. Youre the first person who has asked me to eat with them!

    And in Lynnes eyes, who had been lonely all along because of the incident at the beginning of the semester, the offer seemed like a great mercy that was given by her senior.

    Maybe Elendil thought Lynnes dyed answer was a rejection, she twisted her blonde hair with her fingers and spoke.

    Well. I cant help it if you dont like it or feel ufortable

    No! I want to eat with you!

    At that moment, Lynne and Elendil, each for the first time, finally had a close friend with whom they could eat together with.

    ***

    After sending Lynne away, I sat alone in the professors room and recalled my meeting with her.

    I didnt think she knew it, but I knew what power she had.

    Non-property magic Its not a surprise that the property itself doesnt exist.

    For me, non-property magic was a new form of magic that had never been discovered, so there was nothing new about it.

    Because magic had always been new to me.

    Because I had lived in a world without magic before, the magic that existed in this world always gave me a mysterious experience.

    Ironically

    I, who had memories and knowledge of another world, appreciated magic even more than the wizards who were the residents of this world.

    The recent wizards with a narrow way of thinking were isted and stagnant in their own lives.

    Having experienced death and a new life, moreover, realizing that magic existed afterward, I was one level higher in epting something than the others.

    Should I say that the limiter in my brain had been loosened?

    The other wizards who discovered the new magic would say:

    -Non-property magic? There cant be something like that!

    And even when they were foaming at the mouth, I would say:

    -Non-property magic? This is a world where magic exists, so there can be something like that.

    It had reached beyond the point of being flexible.

    The perspective that I had and my way of perceiving magic itself were that different from the wizards of this world.

    Even my strict teacher used to click his tongue with that particr topic when he was teaching me.

    However, what I cared about while looking at Lynne was not her magic, but her eyes.

    Non-property magic was just a part of her power.

    The real power was her eyes.

    Those eyes No wonder I thought that Id seen it somewhere.

    My old teacher had all kinds of antique books that were typically hundreds of years old that the wizards could no longer find about monsters and demons.

    It was said that there were no monsters except for a few Cryptids, but in the past, the continent had been full of all kinds of monsters.

    And there were even demons who had handled those monsters.

    It was only a brief moment, but the eyes that she showed me

    I recalled Lynnes eyes.

    Her eyes had a subtle blue color.

    But when we had talked a little while before, I had noticed a subtle change in the color of Lynnes eyes.

    Among her deep blue irises, there were white lights that shone like the starlight in the sky.

    Her eyes resembled the calm surface of the Milky Way in the night sky.

    I was bound to recognize such peculiar eyes.

    Eyes that distinguish good from evil, the Judgment Eyes. If Im not mistaken, Lynne is the owner of those Judgment Eyes.

    The Judgment Eyes were eyes that distinguished the good and bad in others, and beyond that, clearly showed whether or not they had hostility towards the owner.

    It was an ability that could not be called magic, but rather, it was literally close to miracle and mystery.

    The greatest thing about the Judgment Eyes was that the owner could spot the demons hiding in the cracks of human beings.

    Right now, those demons are mostly treated as legends.

    To people of the current age, demons were just evil beings with red skin and horns on their heads that only came out in fairy tales.

    The product of lies to frighten children.

    However, ording to the literature, it seemed that the demons had actually existed.

    There must also be demons in this world where magic exists. I died and came back to life again, so why couldnt there be something like demons?

    And Lynnes eyes had a strong connection with demons.

    I had seen with my own eyes that the Judgment Eyes, which were only written as a record, actually existed.

    In other words, the existence of the Judgment Eyes that distinguished demons also proved the existence of demons.

    Another characteristic of the Judgment Eyes was that, if they appeared, a big event would ur, regardless of the period in time.

    Fortunately, Lynnes Judgment Eyes were not in a fully awakened state, and she probably did not know that she had such ability.

    But one day, she would realize it.

    Is this also what they call fate?

    The book about non-property magic that I handed over to Lynne

    I didnt expect that the book written by her would circte and return to Lynnes hands.

    I didnt think Lynne remembered it herself.

    Its a bit of a headache.

    The fact that I realized that she was the owner of the Judgment Eyes and the fact that I was being faced with the connection to my past again like that.

    I cant believe Im getting involved in this kind of event in Sren.

    I got up from my seat with a sigh.

    Suddenly

    Some thoughts came to my mind.

    If Lynne could use the Judgment Eyes properly, she might be able to find all of the members of the secret society that were hiding in Sren.

    The most threatening thing to me was especially the other First Order, who was still hard for me to identify.

    I couldnt figure out who the hell he was and what he was doing, but that didnt mean I could ask Sedina Rochen about him.

    I intended to raise my guard as much as possible, but I need to be able to make a guess first in order to do that.

    Unless I knew where they were and what the other First Order was doing, I had to be as careful as I could.

    But if Lynnes Judgment Eyes worked properly, maybe itd help me a lot.

    The Three Musketeers, including Aidan and his friends, plus Lynne

    If I use the power of those children cleverly, then maybe

    No, never mind. Lets get off work for now.

    When I opened the door to leave the teachers room while wearing my overcoat, I had no choice but to stop when I heard a scream outside the door.

    Aaaaah.

    The dark-blue-haired girl was sitting on the floor with her hand holding her head as if her forehead had bumped the door.

    Looking down at her, contrary to my confused inner thoughts, I uttered in a cold voice.

    What brings you here, Flora Lumos?

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 43

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    Flora Lumos, what the hell are you doing here? Moreover, youre like a thief hanging around the door while hiding your presence.

    When Ludger pointed her out, Flora stood up quickly from her spot and coughed while dusting off her school uniform skirt.

    Floras forehead was still burning red after Ludger opened the door, but she opened her mouth while desperately pretending to be okay.

    Ahem. Its a pleasure to meet you, Professor Ludger. I came here just because I wanted to ask you something.

    Act in a proud and elegant manner.

    She acted while repeating those words in her head, but she couldnt hide the subtle trembling of her voice.

    Ludger was about to point the slight tremble out, but he decided to let it slide.

    I dont mind if youe whenever to ask me questions about the lesson, so you dont have had to wait outside like this.

    No. Not that. Id like to thank Professor Ludger, first of all.

    Thank me?

    I uh You saved me from a spell failure that almost went out of control.

    He was wondering why she was there. Was it because of that?

    But she was there to say thank you?

    Flora was furious when Ludger stared at her with a surprised gaze.

    Why? Why are you looking at me like that?

    Nothing.

    Urgh.

    Flora felt very awkward about herself, perhaps because she had never thanked someone like that before.

    Speaking her gratitude made her feel something ticklish in her skin, but she was determined to say it no matter what.

    Uh, thanks to you, I didnt get hurt either.

    I just did what I had to do as a professor.

    Ludgers voice, which sounded so t, seemed to say that he had never been the slightest bit interested in her gratitude.

    Flora knew that it was obvious for him to be like that, but it also strangely hurt her pride.

    No matter how he had no interest in it, couldnt he at least ask if she was okay?

    He was a man whose sensibility was so hard to find.

    Still, she decided not toin because she had gone there to apologize as well.

    And, uh I think that professors words back then were not wrong.

    She said so while twisting her fingers in her bangs.

    Ludger tried to seriously recall what her remark was about.

    Not wrong?

    And he immediately realized what she was saying.

    What she meant was his nagging when she used the ovepping element magic.

    -Use meaningful magic. Dont lower your value.

    Was it that?

    As long as you knew that.

    More than that, uh, are you alright, Professor?

    Ludger wriggled his eyebrows as he listened to Floras question.

    What are you talking about?

    You must have consumed a lot of mana. I was exhausted from suppressing the mana, too, wasnt it harder for you than it was for me? Usually, it should be many times more burdensome for the person who helps in that kind of incident.

    It was nothing.

    Ludger said so, but in fact, he had almost fainted from mana exhaustion.

    He was lucky that there was a mana recovery pill that he had prepared in advance in case of an unexpected situation, otherwise, he might have copsed disgracefully in front of the students.

    It was fortunate for him to have a lot of pills in case ofck of mana.

    Of course, he was almost out of the medication that hed prepared due to having to stop Floras out-of-control mana.

    Well, I can just make those pills again.

    The ce was Sren.

    Obviously, there were ces where people studied in pharmacology sses, and there were also pharmacology rooms in the research building where professors could freely enter.

    Since the drug room, where the professors could make as many drugs as they wanted, was equipped with a lot of materials, the professors could just fill out the entry list whenever they wanted and do their experiments right away.

    Uh, how many elements can you deal with? Flora asked while fiddling with her fingers.

    Why do you ask me that?

    Just because You dealt with five elements in the ss. Isnt that a lot?

    Ludger suddenly wondered why Flora was asking him so many questions.

    Most children who were geniuses did as they pleased, and they did not continue to have a conversation with others for long because they had a strong ego.

    Ludger thought Flora was one of that kind. He also thought that she had tried to use the triple ovepping properties in the ss before because of that.

    Still, students are students.

    They wanted to see how good the professor who taught them was.

    Ludger pondered about what to say.

    Actually, I think that I can handle most of the elements.

    The ten elements that most peoplemonly referred to

    Ludger knew how to use them all.

    He could be said to be the opposite of a single attribute wizard who could only use one element and could achieve the peak of the rted element.

    An all-property owner.

    However, that was why none of the elements that he dealt with had achieved a certain level of proficiency.

    He might seem like an all-around talented person to others, but Ludger evaluated himself as a jack-of-no-trades.

    Even so, itd be a problem if I said that I could use all of the properties here.

    Among the wizards who were in the history of the magic tower, the wizard who was known for dealing with most elements had only achieved eight.

    The wizard had the official number one record that was specified in the  that could be called the history of wizards.

    But Ludger had already smashed that number one record.

    If that were to be known, the magic tower would probably be overturned once more and be in chaos. If there was a short-tempered wizard, then they would want to dissect Ludger alive.

    In fact, Ludger did not find it unusual that he could deal with all 10 elemental properties.

    My teacher didnt say anything nice to me in the first ce, anyway.

    Of course, he was the number one teacher who had the greatest influence on Ludger since he was born again in this world after his life in the previous world.

    He was the person who had taught Ludger magic since childhood, and he had also taught him how to live in this world along with giving him other tips and knowledge.

    He had chosen Ludger as his disciple purely because he was unique and interesting, so he just thought of Ludger as a pet.

    Even considering that, Ludger was quite grateful to his teacher.

    However, he was such a cranky person that he only evaluated Ludgers source code spell as not bad.

    Of course, he was also such a teacher who had advised Ludgerwho was able to use all of the top 10 elementsby saying, If you go anywhere and show it off, youll get hit by rocks.

    So, under the serious advice and instruction of his teacher, Ludger never felt conceited or great, even if he knew how to handle all of the top 10 elements.

    However, Ludger was objectively aware of the severity of knowing how to use all 10 elements, so he had not informed anyone about it.

    So Ludger had decided to just limit it to the five elements that he had shown the students in his ss.

    Those five elements are everything.

    Five elements, I see Thats surprisingly a lot.

    Is that the end of your questions?

    Oh. Theres also a question rted to the source code: are you going to teach the source code to all of the students in the ss?

    In the first ss, Ludger had deliberately shown the source code and attracted the students attention.

    It didnt end just as a show-off, either. Ludger actually intended to teach students the source code.

    However, he had not properly exined to whom, how much, and when he would teach the source code.

    * * *

    * * *

    Well. Come to think of it, I didnt give you any notification. I wont teach the same thing to everyone because this spell is like a foundation to me. There are conditions to learn it.

    What are the conditions?

    That Im only going to teach it directly to the top five students.

    Flora smiled at his answer with interest.

    Five students, huh. Its a little bit small Still, the total number of students are 80 people.

    Because the spell holds that much worth.

    Whats the evaluation? Are you going to give the evaluation at the end of the semester? In Sren, the students are evaluated by dividing a total of four parts in a semester. Itll be hard to decide because the rankings keep changing for each evaluation.

    I already anticipated that and came up with a method. Its this

    Ludger immediately casted a spell technique on his palm.

    It could have been seen as monotonous because it was made up of only white lines of mana, but theplex structure that it evoked made the spell not look ridiculous.

    Flora also voiced a slight admiration for the color that she felt in the spell itself.

    Its a part of it, huh? To be exact, its a part of the source code spell that you showed us.

    You saw it precisely.

    Ludger nodded.

    Just as Flora said, the spell technique that he showed was one of the source codes mainponents.

    I call this the Framework.

    Framework..

    That Source Code, the spell that I casted, consisted of a total of four Frameworks.

    Then are you going to give this Framework to the top 5 people in every quarter of the semester?

    Yes. The semester is divided into four parts, and I will teach the four Frameworks in each part of the semester. In other words, the students who cant steadily reach the top five wont be able to learn the right spell.

    In the end, if the students wanted to be properly taught the Source Code spell, they had to take sses with a burning passion, submit assignments steadily, and do well on the tests for the whole semester.

    Realizing that, Flora stared at Ludger with a slightly bewildered look.

    So you have carefully calcted it.

    Did this solve your curiosity?

    But can you really show this to me?

    What do you mean?

    The Framework that you casted What if Im analyzing it?

    Flora pointed to the Framework spell that was still floating in Ludgers hands.

    No matter how few other people saw that spell, it was unlikely for a wizard to continue exposing their spell technique like that.

    It was impossible to do unless the wizard trusted the person they showed the spell to that much.

    Oh.

    Ludger btedly realized his mistake.

    Wizards basically didnt show others the spell techniques that they had developed for a long time.

    If maybe they had submitted a paper or a patent rted to the spell, it would be a different case, but if someone copied the spell technique and insisted that it was theirs, it would be a headache.

    In fact, that kind of case happened frequently.

    That was the reason why wizards thoroughly kept their own vision magic a secret.

    Ludger recognized his mistake, but he decided that it wasnt a big problem.

    It doesnt matter.

    Pardon?

    It doesnt matter if its you who saw it.

    Especially if the one he was showing it to was Flora Lumos.

    Flora Lumos was a genius.

    Ludger also didnt know if she was an actual genius because he had only heard it through rumors, but when he had only helped her a little bit with the triple ovepping elements in ss, he had realized that the rumor was true when he saw her ablility toplete it.

    -Ah. Shell get first ce no matter what she does in my ss.

    Even if she didnt get first ce, shed consistently be in the top five, so it wouldnt be a problem if he showed her one Framework anyway.

    Because shed be able to learn the whole Source Code spell.

    P-pardon?!

    But Flora took Ludgers words differently.

    Her face flushed red and she soon began to stutter out of the blue, unlike her usual arrogant behavior.

    Wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-what on earth do you mean by that?!

    Why are you so flustered? I dont think its wrong. Youre going to take first ce in my ss and get the Framework anyway.

    N-no, well, thats that, but

    But it was foul y for him to say that.

    Flora Lumos replied in a low voice so as not to be heard by Ludger.

    It didnt matter if he showed it to her, he had said.

    It was just like he had given her special treatment.

    However, while she thought so, she couldnt stop her heart from pounding hard.

    Even though she pretended not to be that blunt on the outside, the corners of her mouth kept slightly raising at the fact that this man was having a good view of her.

    Then Ill be on my way.

    When Ludger turned his back, Flora called him unconsciously.

    Oh, Professor!

    What else? Do you still have more questions?

    No. That, it, its nothing.

    When she looked back at Ludgers face, who was looking at her with an unwavering gaze, Floras face turned red as if it was going to explode.

    Having heard such words a moment ago, she couldnt possibly face Ludger.

    Just by meeting his gaze, her skin became ticklish and she got goosebumps.

    It was weird. She had never experienced that before.

    Ludger looked at Flora with a t gaze, who was embarrassed on her own and was at a loss of what to do, then soon turned his back and left.

    Flora, who kept looking at Ludgers back that was getting farther away with a vacant stare, was finally able to barely regain her senses and calm down her excitement.

    Right. Calm down, Flora Lumos. You werent supposed to be like this.

    She was always arrogant and confident and easily made fools of others with her own abilities.

    In Ludgers case, although she had challenged him on the first day and failed disastrously and then lost again this time, her volition hadnt crumbled yet.

    Didnt she make up her mind to exceed him next time?

    She shouldnt have been that feeble already.

    Flora strengthened her weakening heart.

    Oh,e to think of it, I was going to ask him what he talked about with themoner girl earlier, but I forgot it.

    Even if she pretended not to show her interest in it, she was curious as to why Ludger had called Lynne away separately.

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 44

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    After the pharmacology ss taught by Professor Mary Ross ended, Aidan was immersed in practicing his magic while recalling the visualization of the elemental properties that Ludger had taught him.

    Next to Aidan was Leo, who was clinging to him everywhere just like a best friend, and Tessie, who had recently joined the duo and often hung around with Aidan.

    The trio materialize their own elements in the first training ground and worked hard to master the elements.

    Pheew. I almost did it.

    Aidan wiped the sweat that was flowing over his forehead while looking at the wind element materialized in his palm.

    The memory of the warm and cool breeze that he felt while running through the wide fields of his hometown.

    Even though it was not perfect, the element in front of him was visualized nearly akin to the wind from his memories.

    Aidan couldnt hide his excitement at the fact that he was able to visualize an element at that level, even though he didnt know anything about the elemental property beforehand.

    It was all thanks to the method that Ludger had used to teach him.

    As expected, hes awesome.

    His advice was so practical that there was nothing that he missed.

    Ludgers advice as well as his manner in helping Aidan when he had been struggling before was enough to touch Aidans heartstrings.

    As expected, was it a mistake that I suspected Professor Ludger back then?

    Ludgers words and actions were always cold and frigid, but Aidan could feel how much he loved magic and seriously appreciated magic through his tone of voice.

    People who liked magic couldnt be bad.

    Most of all, if Ludger was a bad person, he would not have passed on such a precious method of visualizing elemental properties to his students that the others did not teach them.

    Im not really sure yet.

    Aidan vaguely felt that there was something about Ludger. But even so, he didnt feel that Ludger was a bad guy.

    Was it because his contradictory feelings had made his mindplicated?

    The wind element that had finally materialized soon disappeared without a trace.

    After smacking his lips, Aidan looked at Leo and Tessie.

    The two were also sweating and eager to visualize the elemental properties.

    It was because the two people were also deeply impressed by the warm me that Aidan had shown in the ss before.

    Aidan didnt want to interrupt their good serious appearance, so he was only watching, and just in time, a group of students came into the training ground.

    Those people

    Some of the students who arrived at the training ground caught Aidans attention.

    The person who had dark blue hair with a hint of azure color lingering in the hair

    The person who had a neat hairstyle with parted hair to show the forehead

    On the contrary, the one with white skin that even looked pale, with a sharp nose, and sharp, narrow eyes stood out the most.

    He looked like a sophomore with his natural elegance flowing in his attitude, and all the students nearby him gathered around him.

    Who is he? He made the aristocratic students gather like that. He must be an extremely incredible person.

    While Aidan was watching them like that, the man turned his head and looked at Aidan.

    Their eyes met in the air.

    Aidan suddenly remembered what Leo had said.

    Leo told him not to make eye contact with aristocratic students for long and not to pay any attention to them.

    Aidan was not stupid enough to ask, Its good if we get closer to each other afterward, so why? So he naturally averted his eyes.

    The man didnt give anyment after Aidan did that, either.

    Aidan had already taken a proper break, so he was going to focus on practicing magic again.

    Oh? Who is this?

    It then that one of the flocked aristocratic students approached Aidan and spoke in a loud voice.

    Leo and Tessie, who were distracted by that voice, also looked at the aristocrat student while halting their practice.

    It was a boy student who was rolling up the corners of his mouth as he showed a mean smile while staring at Aidan.

    Oh, you.

    Just when Aidan thought that he looked familiar, he realized that the boy was apparently the eldest son of Baron Felio, who had argued with Aidan at the beginning of the semester and stepped down after hearing bitter words from Leo.

    Why is he suddenly acting like he knows us?

    Leos face quickly rotted as he recognized that boy.

    Jevan Felio did not care about Leos question and deliberately approached Aidans party.

    Arent you Aidan, who wasnt even able to visualize the elemental property properly?

    Jevan strongly criticized the moment when Aidan couldnt visualize the elemental property intentionally.

    Aidan and his other friends must have known his innermost thoughts.

    Hey, Jevan. Were busy practicing magic right now, so why dont you just get lost to that corner over there? Leo replied with a cynical smile.

    Hah. I was wondering who it was, are you the arrogantmoner fromst time? You two ended up hanging around together, huh?

    Leos eyes were staring at the aristocratic students, who watched the situation with excitement over Jevans shoulder.

    They didnt seem to have any intention of stopping Jevan. More than that, the man who stood at the center of the group kept disturbing his mind.

    Jevan. Are you trying to show a good appearance because the seniors are here?

    Leo knew very well who the senior at the center of the aristocratic students was.

    In the first ce, there werent that many gentlemen who held that much fame in Sren.

    Freuden Wolfsburg.

    (TL/N: Change the prior trantion of Wolburg into Wolfsburg to fit the context better.

    He was the eldest son of Wolfsburg, one of the three Ducal families of the Exileon Empire that symbolized the wolf.

    Leo also understood why Jevan had suddenly started a quarrel.

    In order to stand out in that mans faction, who could be called as the center of aristocratic students, Jevan deliberately took action to create a deep impression about himself.

    We dont want to y along with your pranks, so get out of here right now. This is a space for practicing magic.

    A meremoner like you. Dont you dare tell this noble-blooded body what to do, Jevan responded with a snort as he listened to Leos words.

    Its because you dont understand the situation yet.

    And its Aidan that Im talking to, so why does a little boy like you interfere with us?

    Grit.

    The words little boy were just about the most triggering words for Leo.

    Because Leo was especially shortpared to his peers.

    Some girls thought Leo was cute, but Leo extremely hated being treated like that.

    For Leo, his small height was like an Achilles tendon.

    You

    Leo. Calm down. Just leave it to me.

    Aidan stepped forward to stop Leo from getting angry.

    At that rate, the situation itself wouldnt seem to end soon.

    Jevan, I dont know whats wrong with you all of a sudden, but please just pass by us quietly. I dont want to fight with a friend.

    Jevan grimaced at Aidans words.

    Friend? Why am I your friend? This dirty trash.

    W-were you not?

    Are you crazy?

    That was why he didnt like thatmoner.

    * * *

    * * *

    It was also annoying to see Aidan looking at him with such clear eyes as if he was detached from the whole world.

    If you are amoner, act like amoner and bow your head in front of the aristocracy.

    Jevan. I dont know what on earth it is about me that bothered you, but Ill apologize about it here. Im sorry. So can you just pretend that it never happened?

    ording to Aidan, those words were him raising his white g and they were his effort to be as considerate to Jevan as he could.

    The boy didnt want to bring himself into a fight, as he had never been unprovokedly hostile to anyone.

    Jevan responded with a snort to Aidans words.

    Never happened? Alright. Then Ill let it slide, but you should do one thing

    Then he pointed at his feet with his hand.

    Kneel down.

    You!

    Tessie stepped up, as she couldnt stay still watching his behavior that was crossing the line.

    Thats enough. Dont you even have any dignity as an aristocrat?

    What? How dare a mere fallen aristocrat interfere?

    Tessies face froze at his sinister question.

    What?

    Shut up if youre from a family thats too embarrassing to be called a fellow aristocrat family. I think Im going to smell that disgusting stench.

    Do you want to die?

    For Tessie, her family affairs were the most taboo topic.

    But Jevan had salted Tessies wounds as if it was nothing.

    As Tessies body was surging with mana, Jevan sneered at her.

    Im afraid youre not even a fallen aristocrat since youre not properly educated

    Jevan Felio.

    Huh?

    It was none other than Aidan who called his name.

    But Aidans voice was different from usual. As his tone of voice was heavier, Jevan flinched unknowingly.

    Jevan. I cant do anything about yourints toward me. If you insulted me with that, then yes, I could let it slide, but

    Aidan strode toward Jevan.

    His eyes that were zing with anger red at Jevan.

    Once you start messing around with my friends, I will no longer restrain myself.

    Ha, haha. So what if you dont restrain yourself? Oh? Okay. Then lets see.

    As if he had been waiting for it, Jevan took a white glove out of his pocket and threw it at Aidan.

    Its a magic duel. If youre scared, just run away.

    Aidan shook his head as he looked at the gloves that hit his chest and slid down on it.

    Do we really have to do this?

    What if I said we have to?

    Alright.

    Aidan nodded.

    Aidan!

    Hey, what the hell are you going to do?

    Tessie and Leo tried to stop Aidan, but Aidan was serious as well. His instinctive intuition was telling him that he must not back down there.

    His fight with Jevan was inevitable.

    He didnt want to avoid either.

    Good. Then bring it on. And the loser is going to kneel down and beg the winner for an apology. What do you think? Its good, right?

    As long as you promise to keep those words.

    Hahaha! Yes! Whenever! As long as you can beat me.

    Jevan was confident.

    Although they were fellow freshmen who were the same age, Aidan was a beginner who had not even learned the basics of magic properly yet.

    Jevan didnt know how the hell he was able to get into Sren, but he must have benefitted from being amoner.

    Jevan was confident that he could win against Aidan because he had been learning magic from his private teacher since he was young.

    It was the moment when the fight between the two boys was about to take ce

    What are you doing right now?

    The cold voice weighed heavily on the shoulders of all the students on the scene.

    ***

    I was on patrol.

    Although the werewolf crisis was over, the patrol would continue for a while due to the principals words that stated that she did not know when or what some other incident would happen again.

    It was annoying, but it couldnt be helped, so I was just walking around with the thought of cooling my head.

    No matter how many students existed in Sren, would there be more trouble just after the werewolf crisis was over?

    And it took me less than five minutes to realize howcent my thoughts were.

    What are you doing right now?

    I asked cautiously, looking at the two students who were on the verge of fighting.

    Yes. I was a little annoyed, but I still needed to hear the details of the situation.

    So I asked it quietly without getting angry.

    Some of the students faces turned pale, perhaps because they did not expect me to show up.

    Really. People would think that some kind of ghost had shown up.

    You two there, what are you doing?

    I asked while pointing at the two students who stood at the center of the incident.

    One of them was especially familiar, and after I wondered who he was, it turned out he was Aidan, the brown-haired country boy.

    You again, huh.

    I would jokingly say that he looked a lot like a shounen character, but at that point, I thought he was really serious.

    Was his opponent an aristocratic student? I think his name was Jevan Felio.

    Seeing that he didnt look that familiar, he was just a kind of guy of no importance.

    I sighed.

    Just because you cant sharpen your magic on the training ground doesnt mean you can fight with each other here.

    As I approached them slowly, the students who were gathered nearby avoided me and opened the way for me.

    Strangely, their treatment towards me troubled my mind, but I decided to just think of it as them getting out of the way on their own.

    I just ignored Jevan and passed him by, and then spoke to Aidan, who was in the center of the situation.

    Exin exactly what happened.

    Th-that

    This is a fair match!

    Then Jevan shouted behind me.

    I looked back at him without a word.

    Was it because he thought I was ignoring him? He was huffing and puffing while staring at me without concealing his anger.

    A fair match?

    Yes. Im about to have a magic duel with Aidan. Its definitely not a fight.

    Magic duel, I see. Its funny that the first-year students who just came to Sren are suddenly having a duel.

    Cant the first-year students do that?

    Why is this guy being like this? Did he eat something wrong?

    I was a little confused when a boy who usually wouldnt even meet my eyes properly shamelessly stepped up instead.

    And I could realize why.

    It was because of the other students who were standing behind Jevan while seemingly supporting him.

    All of them were aristocrats.

    One of them especially stood out the most.

    That guy is

    It seemed like Id seen him before.

    Is he the Captain? He seems to be the one roughlymanding the men surrounding him.

    He also looked at me and gave me a slightly odd stare.

    A confrontation between themoners and the aristocracy in the first training ground, huh. Im familiar with this situation from somewhere

    I was thinking about why I was used to that situation, it turned out that it was simr to the fight between Lynne and Romley.

    However, in the case of Lynne, it was a surprise attack, and with Aiden, I think they were about to fight with each other.

    I had a headache.

    It was not strange if boys were fighting, even in a world like this, but why did it have to happen when I was on patrol?

    Moreover one of them was Aidan, whom I had even been paying attention to since before.

    Jevan Felio and Aidan. I dont intend to hold you ountable for what hasnt happened yet, so just lets call it a day and go back to the dorm.

    Professor Ludger!

    I told you to go back.

    As Jevan spoke strongly while ring at Ludger, he clenched his teeth to see if he could challenge the authority of the professor, even though he was having a noble faction on his back.

    Why dont you let them be?

    It was then

    I heard a new voice.

    The students eyes turned to the entrance that was the opposite of the entrance I had entered from.

    I saw a man approaching while staring at me from there.

    Professor Chris.

    He was Chris Benimore, a new professor and a member of the aristocratic faction who had joined Sren with me at the same time.

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 45

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    The atmosphere that had been sorted out flowed strangely after Chris Benimores appearance.

    The response of the aristocratic students was particrly passionate, and the reason was simple:

    Chris Benimore was of noble descent and a professor who pushed other noble students from behind.

    Ludger stared at him and opened his mouth.

    Professor Chris Benimore, I dont understand what youre saying.

    Its not a difficult sentence to understand because it has a literal meaning.

    Literal meaning?

    No matter how were the professors, we cant control all of our students behavior. Even from what I heard, it seems that both students are trying to spar on their own, but isnt it too much of an infringement on their freedom for a professor to step up and stop them?

    Ludger wriggled his eyebrows slightly as he listened to Chriss sly words, but it was also for a very short time.

    Ludger sneaked a look at the atmosphere of the other students.

    As he was looking at their reaction, he saw some students nodding at Chriss words.

    Some even said that it was an abuse of a professors authority to intervene in a fair spar with each other, even if the professor was Ludger.

    I got a sharp retort, I see.

    Chris Benimore was a professor who favored aristocratic students.

    His appearance raised those students vigor considerably.

    Ludger decided to step back.

    Even so, it can be problematic for students to engage in an arbitrary magic duel without a professors permission. If these students got badly hurt, it would be a loss, even for Sren.

    Of course, its true. But how about this?

    How about what?

    Both of us are going to observe it

    The students buzzed at Chriss words.

    Professor Ludger and Professor Chris are going to observe it?

    Do we need to have a magic duel in front of two professors?

    Just imagining it made them feel burdened and frustrated.

    Some students were confused, but the aristocratic students were different.

    Their eyes were filled with a certain shine.

    Since the professors said that they would step up and observe it themselves, they wouldnt be able to prevent the duel under the pretext of it being dangerous.

    Or are you going to stop me by saying its dangerous, Professor Ludger Chelysie?

    Chris purposely gave a sarcastic smile to provoke Ludger.

    I didnt know you cared about them so much that you wanted to be overly protective toward them.

    Its not that Im overprotective, Im just considering the chances of possible danger.

    But if the two of us step up, such a risk wont exist. What do you think? Those two students want to battle against each other.

    Ludger could roughly guess the situation from Chriss words that seemed to have an explicit intention toward him.

    Chris Benimore hadnt thought of Ludger Chelysie in a good way since even before that.

    Unlike Ludger, who was said to be the new professor in Sren from a fallen aristocrat family, Chris was still an active aristocrat.

    For Chris, who had a strong aristocratic tendency, Ludgers existence itself had annoyed him for a long time.

    Ludger Chelysie I havent liked him since the first time I saw him.

    Othermoner professors still acted ordingly asmonerstheir behavior was full of rashness; no nobility or restraint at all.

    But Ludger was different.

    He shone more than anyone else on his spot. He was much more aristocratic than the aristocracy themselves.

    He didnt lose his shine, even when he was a mere fallen aristocrat. Chris didnt like it.

    Whats so good about the downfall that made him stand stiff with his neck tightened?

    Was he not even embarrassed about it?

    It was the same when he had met Ludger for the first time. Chris had thought something was churning inside his stomach as he looked at Ludgers behavior, who just nodded his head without showing any surprise at all when he saw Chris.

    I didnt like it when Professor Hugo wanted to ask him to join our faction either.

    Ludger had even dered in front of Hugo that he would not enter such a ce.

    He felt relieved, but somehow, he felt repugnant about it as well.

    Such a ce? What does he mean by such a ce?

    What did he believe in for him to act like that? Chris had heard that Ludger had created a great spell called Source Code, but that was all.

    Chris didnt understand. The more time went on, his dark feelings toward Ludger only gradually deepened.

    And at that moment, Chris got a chance to give Ludger a proper blow.

    What do you think, Professor Ludger? Isnt it enough?

    I will hear the opinions from the students.

    Ludger said so and looked back at Aidan.

    It was a stare that seemingly asked Aidan whether he really wanted to have a magic duel with Jevan.

    Yes. Absolutely.

    Aidan nodded with firm determination.

    At first, Aidan thought he wanted to solve the case with nice words without having to fight, but Jevan had crossed the line too far.

    How could Jevan say such a mean thing to his friend?

    Aidan couldnt forgive Jevan because of that.

    Ludger looked back at Chris again while sighing inwardly at Aidans persistence.

    Since Aidan said hed do it, Ill allow him to do it under our observation like what Professor Chris said.

    Oh, thats a relief.

    Then

    Oh. Professor Ludger. Wait a second.

    What else?

    Chris had no intention of letting go of that hard-earned opportunity.

    Why dont we make a bet as well?

    Bet? Thats such a sudden offer.

    ording to my point of view, you seem to care a lot about thatmoner kid.

    Hes not amoner, hes Aidan. I hope you watch out for discriminatory remarks.

    Ah, Aidan, I see. I didnt know because he didnt take my ss. Anyway, I consider Jevan Felio to be a pretty talented wizard.

    It was obviously ttery, but Jevan already looked thrilled like he had taken thatpliment sincerely.

    Ludger replied in his usual cold voice.

    So what exactly do you want us to do?

    To decide who will win the duel. Of course, Im betting on Jevan Felio here to win the duel.

    Its funny that a professor said something about making a bet in front of the students.

    Chris was annoyed by such words, but he managed to hold it back and maintain his smile.

    So what do you think? Well, if you dont want to, then theres nothing I can do about it. Indeed, if I was Professor Ludger, I wouldnt bet on the losing side either.

    The students spoke noisily at his words.

    As Ludger subtly cared about Aidan, then naturally, Ludger and Aidan became rivals to Jevan and Chris.

    Really

    Ludger found Chriss behavior funny.

    He could have ended it by efficiently refusing that offer and walking away.

    However, even if he did that, he would not be able to erase his regret afterward.

    It was Chris who had encouraged the duel that could have been stopped in the first ce, and it was Chris as well who subtly irritated him even at that moment.

    He couldnt just ignore it and pass by, there were too many eyes that were looking at them, and Ludger was annoyed.

    Why should I step down?

    So far, he hadnt cared much about Chriswho had been showing his hostility toward Ludgerjust because he didnt feel the need to do so.

    Because he didnt have to upy his mind with thinking of people who didnt like him from the beginning anyway.

    But

    If those people irritated Ludger directly, then the story would be different.

    Yeah. Ill y along with you for a little bit.

    He had already wanted to properly check Aidans real skills with the duel anyway.

    Ludger nodded.

    Since Professor Chris wants it so badly, Ill go with such entertainment for once.

    Oh. Thats surprising. I didnt think Professor Ludger would ept this offer. So, which student do you think will win?

    Aidan, of course.

    * * *

    * * *

    Aidan widened his eyes at Ludgers unwavering voice. Aidan never thought that Ludger would choose him there.

    The same went for the other students.

    On the other hand, Chris seemed to know that it would happen.

    Well, he nodded satisfactorily as if he had looked forward to it happening.

    Good.

    What will be the oue of the bet?

    Oue? Hmm. Well, even though were professors in Sren, were still wizards. Were professors who teach the same spellcasting lessons, as well.

    Spellcasting, you said? Ludger asked back, as he was slightly surprised at the remark.

    Ludger was asking because he really didnt know.

    But Chriss face turned red because he had perceived Ludgers words as making a fool of him.

    This damned fallen aristocrat!

    The mere fact that such a shout didnte out of his mouth was no different than a disy of great patience for Chris.

    That was one of the reasons why Chris hated Ludger.

    Chris Benimore had gone into Sren to teach spellcasting ss confidently. He was proud of that fact.

    However, he suddenly found out that a fallen aristocrat named Ludger Chelysie was in charge of the same spellcasting ss as him.

    Moreover, Ludger was in charge of the second year, and Chris himself was in charge of the first year, lower than Ludgers.

    It was natural for a morepetent person to be in charge of a higher year. In other words, Chris Benimore basically had been one stage below Ludger Chelysie already.

    Ludger had evenmitted the atrocity of stealing arge number of talented students out of his ss by allowing both first and second-years to attend his ss.

    He had every reason to dislike Ludger.

    How dare you think that youre going to be safe after humiliating me that much?

    In fact, Ludger was not aware of the actions that he hadmitted.

    He didnt even know that Chris Benimore was a professor in charge of spellcasting like him.

    That fact had trampled on Chris Benimores pride even more severely.

    Ludger understood Chriss behavior just barely.

    No wonder I was wondering why he was strangely hostile toward me. So hes in charge of the same spellcasting ss.

    It was no wonder that Chris was angry. Hed also be full of anger if he was beingpared to a professor who taught the same lesson as his.

    Moreover, he also taught the Source Code and elemental magic visualization through sensestips that would normally never be taught in sses.

    Chris barely calmed down his anger and fixed his sses.

    Ahem. Anyway, lets each provide a part of the magic and theoretical fields that weve researched in the spell casting world. Oh, of course, it shouldnt be at the level of being an important piece of our research data, but shouldnt we do that much to make a bet?

    Shouldnt you also specify how high the level of theory that we need to provide is?

    Well leave it to our own discretion.

    Our own discretion. There was nothing more difficult to understand than those words.

    It was like saying to put in an appropriate amount of ingredients whenpared to things like food.

    If he give a piece of information that was ridiculously useless, he would be revealing that his level was only to that extent.

    But if he gave a piece of information that was too good, it might cause an enormous amount of damage.

    In the end, the term appropriate among wizards meant that it was right in the middle line that wouldnt damage their reputation and wouldnt make them suffer too much from the damage.

    Ludger didnt really care, either way, so he decided to ept it.

    Alright, but its too much for them to have a duel right now, so lets take some time before starting the duel.

    How long do you want to wait, then?

    Three days will be fine. Well have an open duel then.

    Hmm. Three days, huh. Well, itll suffice.

    If they waited longer, there was a chance for the opponent to take some kind of measure to counter the student they were fighting, so three days was the limit.

    Even geniuses couldnt learn new magic that was being taught to them within three days.

    It was really all about analyzing the opponent for the rest of the three day period or maintaining the best body condition.

    Then lets gather here again in three days.

    Of course.

    It was an open match with the consent of two professors.

    It was enough to spread a big wave throughout the entirety of Sren in a sh.

    ***

    When everyone scattered to spread the rumor about the meeting, Aidan was at a loss when seeing Ludger, who was still in his spot.

    Thinking that Ludger might have been carried along by the incident just because of him, he opened his mouth while being determined to at least apologize because he felt guilty.

    Uh, Professor Ludger. Im sorry. Just because of me

    Never mind.

    Ludger cut Aidan off coldly.

    Pardon? But

    Its already happened, Aidan. What you need to be concerned about right now is not how to be sorry for what has happened, but how to win against Jevan Felio in the duel.

    Oh, hm. Thats right.

    Ludgers words were correct because it was toote to regret the past.

    But Aidan wasnt confident about something.

    He didnt realize it when his anger surged, but when he thought about it rationally, it was unclear whether he could win against Jevan or not.

    He was just a beginner in learning magic, but Jevan wasnt a beginner.

    What are you contemting so much about?

    Ludger red at Aidan and cornered him strongly.

    Are you going to say you cant do it now?

    Th-thats

    Aidan, you told me youd do it yourself. Then was your answer back then just a lie because you were swept away by the atmosphere and had no choice but to say it?

    Thats not it.

    Yes. Of course its not. I epted it because I knew you were that sincere.

    But a real fight is

    Different. Jevanes from an aristocratic family and must have had a personal education even before he entered Sren. Both of you are already different from the starting point, so you also knew it well.

    Aidan was unable to refute the statement.

    Because everything Ludger said was right.

    However, it is too early to conclude that we will definitely lose. Aidan, what do you think is important in a fight?

    Oh, hmm. Im not sure. Is it skill?

    Ludger shook his head.

    No matter how great a person might be, itsmon for them to die at the hands of a person weaker than themselves. The world doesnt just run because of power. The oue of a fight could be overturned in a split second.

    Then what on earth is it?

    You already have it.

    Aidan shut his mouth at Ludgers remark.

    Ludger must have been talking about the Umon Magic that he possessed.

    You only have to use it at important moments.

    There was only one reason why Ludger easily epted Chriss bet:

    Because he was confident that Aidan would win the fight.

    But I I want to win purely with my skills!

    But Aidan was different.

    Aidan was surely grateful for the magic that had let him enter Sren, but he didnt feel like wanting to win the fight with it.

    Professor Ludger! Please give me a lesson!

    Aidan stared at Ludger with an unwavering gaze.

    Ludger inwardly felt confused as he was looking down at Aidan with a cold stare.

    Why is he like this?

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 46

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    Honestly, when Chris first offered me a bet from a duel between Aidan and Jevan

    I hadnt shown it through my expression, but I was secretly pleased.

    Because it was a bet where I was bound to win.

    I wasnt saying that Jevans skill was not good enough. He was also a student who was walking on the magic path and had entered Sren. Obviously, he had some talent and sufficient skills.

    Rich merchant families and aristocratic students had been thoroughly educated since childhood, so it was natural for them to be far ahead of themoners from the beginning of the semester.

    Within just two weeks after the start of the new semester

    The time was stillcking formoner students to catch up with the aristocracy.

    But it was okay.

    Because Aidan was different from ordinary students.

    I wasnt recognizing the kid as a shounen main character for no reason.

    Professor Chris Benimore doesnt seem to know that at all.

    If he was in charge of the first-year spell casting ss, he must have checked the list of students who were unique among the first-year students.

    But nevertheless, Chris didnt value Aidan very much.

    I realized one fact there

    Chris Benimore didnt even give the list ofmoner students a look.

    He probably only memorized the names of students from noble families that he should care about the most.

    It was a disqualification as a professor, but I understood.

    He was a person who was born as an aristocrat and had been living as an aristocrat and would continue to live as an aristocrat.

    Of course, it would be unpleasant to put amoner who lived in apletely different world from him in his memory.

    Rather, it was quite wise for him to choose not to even pay attention to thosemoners.

    I didnt intend to me him for eithermitting discrimination or judging them by status.

    Because that ce was that kind of world.

    But he mustve never thought that it would hold him back.

    Aidan was able to enter Sren, even if hecked magical knowledge, purely because of the Umon Magic that he had.

    He received some kind of admissions benefit, but that didnt mean Aidan had a bad ability.

    The principal wanted more students who had learned rare magic to gather in Sren.

    It is probably toote for Chris to realize what kind of magic Aidan learned.

    The bet was already settled. Insisting on invalidity was rather an action that would reveal hisck of information which he did not check in advance.

    Even if Chris realized Aidans ability afterwards, he would have no choice but to continue the bet.

    But what the hell is this guy saying?

    What? He wanted to win just by using his strength?

    For a brief moment, I didnt understand what the hell he was talking about.

    I had no choice but to btedly realize how single-minded and righteous Aidan was.

    He was a person who came forward to help even the werewolves who had threatened his life.

    I was thinking of telling him toe to his senses, but I was slightly concerned about it.

    It might not be a bad idea to take this opportunity to check it out.

    I wonder what level it was that Aidan possessed.

    Yes. Just as he said, if I only pushed him to use Umon Magic, wasnt it just pushing him to only rely on one tool?

    It didnt seem that bad to make certain of his volition and talent for learning something new.

    The casting of elemental properties was so basic that it was impossible to argue about Aidans talent with that alone.

    Then

    Ill have to teach him something more certain.

    I nced down at Aidan.

    As he felt my gaze, I could see Aidans shoulder shudder.

    Aidan.

    Yes, yes.

    If thats what you want, then fine. For the remaining three days, I will teach you how to prepare for the duel.

    Pardon? Are you serious about that? But thats

    The dice have already been cast. Maybe Professor Chris will also give Jevan some advice or teach him some basic magic techniques. This isnt a match between Jevan and you, its a matter of pride between me and Professor Chris. As professors As wizards.

    Then Am I also going to learn magic from Professor Ludger?

    I shook my head. Teaching magic was impossible in the first ce.

    There is no victorious magic that I can teach you. There are only three days left in the first ce. Thats a ridiculously short amount of time to learn something in the meantime.

    Implementation of elemental properties waspletely basic, there was no need to review it anymore.

    But that doesnt mean theres nothing for me to teach you.

    A duel between wizards did not happen purely with magic.

    Speed of spell implementation?

    Having a massive amount of mana?

    Magic uracy?

    No.

    Those alone were not enough.

    It was nothing more than a preconception that when a wizard fought, they only fought with magic.

    Aidan, Ill teach you how you should fight when you fight against a wizard.

    R-really?

    Yes, but the remaining time is three days. What I can teach will be a very basic thing because the time is tight. It will be very hard. You may fail as well. Do you still want to do it?

    Yes! I will do it!

    Aidan answered loudly in determination.

    Yes. That was a good attitude.

    Of course, I didnt mean to go easy on him, even if he refused to learn it.

    Then lets get started today.

    P-pardon? Are you sure?

    Aidans face became slightly stunned because he didnt know that we would start right away.

    I nodded and nced at the two people who were watching both of us from a distance.

    The same goes for both of you.

    Pardon?

    Us us too?

    Leo and Tessie. When I called them, both of them were confused but couldnt refuse me.

    Of course, it wasnt like Aidan was the only one who was going to move, and they seemed like they were going to stay together forever.

    If I was going to improve the skills of one of them, I had to pour my teachings to all three musketeers.

    The remaining time was three days.

    Chris and Jevan must have been celebrating it early, thinking that they would win.

    I had no intention of disturbing their toast of celebration.

    It was up to them if they wanted to celebrate prematurely in their imagination.

    However, would they be able to enjoy their freedom even after seeing what was going to happen in three days?

    Just a little bit

    I started to look forward to it.

    * * *

    * * *

    Aaaargh. Im dying.

    On a dark night when the sun waspletely gone

    Returning to the dormitory, Aidan dragged his tired body to lie down on the bed.

    He was proud to have never missed a single training since he had arrived at Sren, but Ludgers training was beyond his imagination.

    Was it because he was a soldier?

    As Aidan recalled Ludgers hard training, who was teaching Leo and Tessie along with him, he massaged his aching body.

    I didnt expect that I would use my body that much.

    What Ludger taught them was not spellcasting or spell technique, but it was literally how to use their body.

    Well, they did use their brain.

    It was because they had to use their body and brain at the same time.

    Aidan didnt know how many times he rolled on the floor in the training ground because of that.

    He couldnt believe he had to do that for another two days.

    Still, I feel like Ive improved.

    Ludgers teaching was hard enough for him to overwork his body, but Aidan carried it out silently withoutining.

    Because he instinctively felt sure that the method was helpful to him.

    More than that, why did Professor Ludger say he would trust me?

    Did it mean that he didnt think Aidan would lose to Jevan? Then what on earth was the reason for that?

    Is it because of the magic I use?

    There was that kind of probability. Professors basically had the right to browse through students information.

    He still didnt understand why Ludger had certainty in him with that alone.

    Ludger had never seen him using Umon Magic himself, so why was he so sure?

    The magic he learned was passed on by his teacher himself, so it would be hard to understand the magic just by hearing its name.

    Does Professor Ludger happen to know anything about my teacher?

    Aidan closed his eyes with that thought.

    The day was so tiring that he fell asleep without even thinking about changing his clothes.

    ***

    Two dayster

    Aidan was running on the outdoor training ground until he was out of breath.

    Haah haah.

    Ludger stood with his hands behind his back on the street where Aidan was running.

    Aidan elerated his run further as he saw Ludger.

    Ludger, who was keeping his hands behind his back, stretched out his right hand.

    At that moment, a white mana sphere flew toward Aidan from Ludger.

    Urgh!

    Aidan turned sideways while clenching his teeth as he looked at the sphere, and when he was about to cast a spell at the same time

    Tak.

    Oh?!

    He twisted his legs and fell on the spot.

    Aidan had avoided the magic, but he had to roll several times on the ground.

    Ludger slowly approached Aidan.

    Mana cirction and moving your body are separate things. Dont try to ovep them, but perceive them separately.

    Yes, yes!

    Aidan, who was covered in dirt, stood back up from his spot.

    You failed again this time, so do anotherp. Run around.

    Yes!

    Aidan ran around the training ground once again.

    Leo and Tessie, who were resting on chairs in the training ground, stared at Aidan like they were looking at a devoting monster.

    Oh, my God. We are already tired and dont have the strength to run anymore, but Aidan really has the stamina.

    Tessie was purely admiring Aidans tireless physical strength.

    She had been building up her physical strength even before she had entered Sren, but it was not at a level that was even close to Aidans.

    She had tried to catch up with Aidan by clenching her teeth, but she had eventually put up the white g.

    Hes very determined.

    On the other hand, Leo was the first to take a break because he was physically weaker than Tessie because his body was small.

    But Leos ability to see things was sharper.

    ording to what Tessie saw, he looked fine, but Aidan had actually reached his physical limit.

    Nevertheless, the fact that he kept running was probably due to his determination to not lose in the open duel.

    Hnggg.

    Tessie listened to Leo and stared nkly at Aidan.

    A boy who didnt say that he didnt like her even though her treatment toward him was so bad

    He had smiled and asked her to eat together and reached out his hand as her friend first like a stupid person.

    She couldnt take her eyes off Aidans appearance as he was working hard in his traininghe looked dirty with all the sweat and grime, but was it too much for her to think that even that was cool?

    Before they knew it, Aidan had already run around a fullp and rushed toward Ludger.

    Ludger raised his hand.

    Itsing.

    Leo and Tessie were nervous at the same time.

    A cold sweat flowed in their clenched fists.

    Ludgers magic flew toward Aidan, who was gasping and almost on the verge of exhaustion.

    It was a basic spell of Shining Stone.

    It would hurt if he got hit, but it would be easy for Aidan to avoid if he just focused on the magic, as Ludger was going easy on him.

    The problem was that it was not easy to avoid the magic while running.

    But

    Tessie, who saw Aidan twist his body sideways in a running position and avoid Ludgers magic, jumped up from her seat unconsciously.

    He avoided it!

    Not yet. The important thing is the next step.

    It was as Leo said.

    Aidan needed to avoid the magic and then strike back.

    Aidan immediately gathered his mana. Without stopping his run, he used his mana and deployed a spell technique.

    It was a technique that required a wizard to use their head and body separately in order to cast magic while moving their body.

    At first nce, it might seem simple, but nothing was more difficult than that for a person who had not yet mastered magic properly.

    It was more difficult than drawing a square with one hand and a triangle with the other hand.

    A division of thought.

    And he had to move his body and cast the magic separately.

    Aidan. If its you, you can do it.

    Leo clenched his fist.

    A wizard must concentrate his mind to the extreme in order to cast their spellthat was why the process of carving magic was important.

    Because a wizard couldnt move when they used magic.

    That was why wizards were always exposed to danger.

    Wizards had taken the method of wrapping a barrier around themselves or shortening their spellcasting so they could safely cast their magic.

    However, there were some people who took apletely different method.

    There were people who thought that if it was dangerous if they could not move when using magic, they should just use magic while moving.

    They were wizards, but they did not just stay still but practiced their magic by training their bodies to the limit.

    Unlike those who learned and explored magic, they were entric people who moved around the world and adventurers who always challenged the unknown to fights.

    War Mages.

    The method that Ludger taught him was Moving Magus, the most basic way of fighting that those war mages learned.

    Hap!

    Aidan took a deep breath and boosted his mana.

    He did not stop his legs from running; he didnt even have time to catch his breath.

    There was no need to talk. The important thing was his will.

    He moved his body and charged his mana separately at the same time.

    A magic emerged on Aidans hands, who was running nonstop. Leo and Tessie, who were watching the scene from a distance, opened their eyes and mouths wide.

    And the spell that Aidan casted

    It was a basic first-tier spell, the same Shining Stone that Ludger shot at him.

    Even though it was more insignificant than Ludgers spell and more like a blurry spell than a shining one

    He clearly casted the spell properly and it flew towards Ludger.

    Baam!

    However, Ludger lifted his gloved right hand and grabbed Aidans Shining Stone easily.

    Leo and Tessie, who were watching the scene, unwittingly eximed, Ah! and expressed their frustrations.

    They thought he couldnd at least one shot.

    Haah, haah.

    Aidan, who was gasping, stopped in front of Ludger and regained his breath.

    Aidan.

    Haah, haah. Yes, Professor.

    You passed.

    Drop.

    As soon as he heard Ludgers answer, Aidan sprawled on the ground.

    With acent smile that he finally did it.

    The duel is tomorrow, so get enough rest for thest time today.

    Haah. Haah.

    Aidan couldnt afford to answer that.

    Ludger smirked at the sight and turned his back.

    If its you, then you can do it.

    Aidan was too tired and couldnt hear it.

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 47

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    Chris Benimore, who received a letter in his private office, read the letter once and immediately burned it down.

    Yeah. As expected, I already knew it.

    The report had been sent by a Sren employee

    The content of the report was news on Ludger Chelysie.

    Hes eagerly teaching thatmoner kid? Hes desperate to win the bet even though he pretended not to be like that, I see.

    He muttered andughed at Ludgers desperate attempt, but Chris Benimore didnt stay still, either.

    He turned his head and looked at the boy who was standing nervously in front of him.

    Jevan Felio.

    Yes!

    I think you already know what I want to tell you.

    Jevan nodded his head with a determined look.

    Yes. I know it. I have to win this open duel against that arrogantmoner.

    Just winning the duel is not enough. You should properly show the gap between aristocrats andmoners with overwhelming power.

    It was a rather hard request to the point that it felt burdensome, but Jevan Felio did not think he would fail.

    When he heard that Aidan was being taught something by Ludger Chelysie, he was somewhat anxious, but he had Chris Benimore by his side.

    Take it.

    Chris threw a chemical bottle at Jevan.

    This, this is? Jevan asked back with a bewildered face while looking at the blue liquid filled inside the bottle.

    Its a mana boosting drug. Drink it before you enter the duel.

    A-are you for real? But wont I be disqualified if I drink this?

    No. Its alright. Its the specialty of the Benimore n to not leave a trace if you take the drug in advance, so you wont get caught.

    This

    If you drink it, it will boost your power instantly, but itsts less than five minutes.

    Five minutes, huh. Its quite short, I see,

    Yes. Of course, its short. Thats why you wont even get caught in the preliminary examination. It doesnt boost your existing mana, but it increases the limit of your mana output, so its closer to drawing out your mana. The trace of the drug will disappear immediately, leaving only its effect, so watch out for mana exhaustion after half an hour.

    Jevan gulped at Chriss words.

    In fact, it was more like a drug that allowed him to use the mana that he possessed all at once.

    His pride did not allow him to drink such a drug to go against a meremoner, but

    But if its for a definitive victory

    Since Ludger was behind him anyway, he might have received something just like Jevan.

    Because he was a dirtymoner

    He mightmit a very serious foul y.

    Jevan put the boosting drug in his pocket with a stiff face while thinking so.

    Chrisughed at the sight.

    Well thought out. Now, shall we go?

    ***

    More than half of the seats at the second training center were filled with people who came to see the days freshmens magic duel which was about to be held in public.

    Most of the first-year students had gathered, and that time, the second-year students and other professors were also unexpectedly gathered in between.

    If it was just a fight between the first-years, they would have just passed it by, but if it was a duel where the two professors officially gave them permission and observed it, then it was a different story.

    Ludger Chelysie

    Chris Benimore

    The two professors had just been appointed to Sren, and they both had something inmon: they were in charge of spellcasting ss.

    However, one of them was a fallen aristocrat, and the other one was a prestigious high-ranking Count.

    They had a considerable difference in their status.

    Moreover, Ludger supportedmoners, and Chris Benimore supported the aristocracy.

    The uing duel went beyond a mere fight between new students into a single-round match betweenmoners and aristocracy.

    In the end, who will win?

    Isnt this a fight between freshmen? Then the aristocracy side has more of an advantage. They have been receiving a private education from a young age, right?

    But I heard that themoner freshmen who entered Sren this time cant be looked down either, though? I heard he also made a great contribution in the werewolf incidentst time.

    But he still didnt catch the werewolves, can he be the aristocracys opponent?

    We dont know, right? People had been talking a lot about how Professor Ludger helped him.

    In that case, Professor Chris is helping the other side, though?

    I dont really know that Professor. Is he in charge of the first-year students?

    Yeah. Theyre teaching the same spellcasting ss anyway, but I think hes quite determined whenpared to Professor Ludger.

    You totally got me.

    While they were talking like that, the peoples eyes were heading to the upper seats among the audience where only the professors could sit.

    Hey. Look, look. They came.

    Oh. Its for real, huh?

    Chris Benimore, who had just entered the professors seat, sat calmly while keeping his dignity as an aristocrat.

    Because of his intelligent appearance, the girl students eyes naturally followed Chris with admiration.

    Chris also subtly enjoyed such gazes.

    The way they looked up at him made him realize that he was a greater man.

    At that moment, the students buzz grew louderthe buzz was quite different from when Chris had shown up.

    What?

    Chris wondered who it was, and it turned out it was that man.

    Ludger Chelysie.

    A man with long, ck long hair that was tied into a ponytail.

    His sharp jawline and high nose bridge.

    His vigorous facial features and deep, calm eyes that made womens hearts cry.

    His ck, cotton pants and ck dress shirt. His necktie was ck as well, and even the long coat on top of it was also ck.

    His overall impression came from thebination of ck color, which literally reminded Chris of a raven.

    With a staff in his right hand, he looked like the head of a prestigious magic family.

    * * *

    * * *

    Whoa. Look at Professor Ludger.

    His atmosphere is no joke, though?

    All the students eyes, which had been distracted by Chriss appearance some time ago, were directed at Ludger.

    However, Ludger went straight to the empty professors seat and sat down without even caring about how much attention he received.

    Did you see that?

    Yeah. His atmosphere is really no joke. I understand why the rumors about him are so popr.

    Is he really a fallen aristocrat? I thought he was more aristocratic than other aristocratic professors.

    Chris clicked his tongue as he overheard the students talking like that.

    His crude eyes, which did not hide his unpleasant feelings, turned to Ludger, who sat in the next row after him.

    Ludger should have looked at him as well, but the man was staring at the training ground with expressive eyes and Chris didnt know what Ludger was thinking.

    Chris gritted his teeth in response when Ludger seemed to pay absolutely no attention to him.

    Hmph. His smug attitude will be over now. I will make you feel defeated in front of everyone.

    That fight would be won by Jevan Felio, anyway.

    Aidan? Wasnt he amoner?

    Chris didnt even know there was such a student. He hadnt even checked the list ofmoner students.

    He felt that it was a waste of time trying to check out the list.

    Amoner is amoner anyway. Even if those who are not properly educated enter the Academy with some special favor, in the end, thats their limit.

    When he was thinking so inwardly, the uproar of the audience reached its peak.

    Feeling that the uproar was louder than when Ludger appeared, Chris looked back and was able to realize why.

    Your honor. You came?

    Chris jumped out of his seat at the appearance of Elisa Willow and greeted her.

    The principal epted Chriss greeting with a beaming smile.

    Hello, professor Chris Benimore. Whoa. There are so many people here, I see.

    What brings Your Honor here

    I heard that something interesting happened, so I came to see it since I have spare time.

    I see.

    The professors who followed the principal to assist her were Mary Ross, in charge of Pharmacy, who was known to have been Srens longest-serving professor, and Hugo Bourtag, who led a faction of the aristocratic professors which included Chris.

    When all the most famous people from Sren gathered, the students expressed their surprise, as they didnt know that the duel at that time was going to be so great.

    It was the same with Chris. He just thought the two students would fight moderately and then end their duel, so he didnt expect the principal to show up.

    As expected, was the principal bound to show up because it was a fight between amoner and an aristocratic student?

    The principal was nominallypletely neutral without siding with either faction, but Chris knew.

    That the principal valued themoner students more than those from the aristocracy instead.

    Thats why Hugo was at odds with the principal in the first ce.

    Is it going to be okay?

    Even after the principal showed up, the man just sat still without looking back.

    What an extremely insolent act.

    But he thought that it was just like Ludgers usual self, so Chris was annoyed with himself for some reason.

    Professor Ludger! Long time no see!

    The principal greeted Ludger first with a bright smile.

    Only then did Ludgers head, which was still, turn to see the principal.

    He slowly rose from his seat and bowed to the principal.

    Hello, Your honor.

    Yes. Have you been well, Professor Ludger? How are you?

    Yes. I have been well.

    I was really surprised. Suddenly, I heard that Professor Ludger and Professor Chris would watch the students duel. I was wondering what was going on.

    We just made a simple bet.

    Hmm. Bet, huh. Who did you bet on winning, Professor Ludger?

    The principal asked subtly as if she wanted to hear it from Ludger himself, even though she already knew the answer.

    I betted on Aidans victory.

    A bet doesnt work unless each party chooses the opposite, so does Professor Chris bet on Jevan Felios victory?

    Yes. You are right.

    Chris had no choice but to reluctantly answer.

    The principal smiled beamingly and pped her hands.

    Im really looking forward to it. Of course, the priority is for the students not to get hurt, right?

    You dont have to be concerned about it. Weve prepared as much safety equipment as possible, Mary Ross answered from the principals side instead.

    No matter how formal the duel between students was, it was highly likely for them to hurt the other person.

    Therefore, they put on light protective gear in advance before entering the duel.

    They were metal protectors that could be attached to the chest, shoulders, and knees. The metal protectors resonated with each other and created a thin barrier of magic over the students bodies.

    The mana energy of the barrier would be consumed to prevent external magic shocks.

    In other words, it was a safe method that wouldnt put someones life in danger at all, someone would be defeated when all of their barriers energy had been consumed.

    Then its a relief.

    Oh, the participants arrived just in time.

    The first person to stand at the center of the training ground was Aidan, who looked very nervous.

    He looked like he was already going to throw up because he was not used to the spotlight.

    However, he felt like he was desperately holding it in because it was the position he had to bear with, after all.

    Aidan! Cheer up!

    Just break that impudent Jevans nose!

    Thanks to Tessie and Leo, who shouted and cheered at him in a loud voice, Aidan nodded his head with a morefortable face and waved to the audience.

    Themoner students cheered wholeheartedly for Aidan, hoping that he would boost the status of themoners.

    At that time, Jevan appeared through the opposite entrance.

    Jevan! We believe only in you!

    Show us the pride of the aristocracy!

    The aristocratic students cheered for Jevan. Jevan nodded with his smug smile as if he was already familiar with this situation.

    The two stood face to face. Jevan mocked Aidan.

    You didnt run away, huh?

    Are you nervous? Tsk tsk. Im suremoners are not used to this kind of position. Why didnt you just run away? If you had run away, you wouldnt have had to suffer a horrible defeat in front of everyone.

    If I win.

    Huh?

    You should apologize for saying harsh words to Tessie. To Leo as well.

    What? Hahaha!

    Jevan burst intoughter, as he didnt expect Aidan to say such words there.

    Alright. If you win, Ill kneel for you.

    I definitely heard those words.

    But Ill only have to do that after you win against me, though?

    Jevan was confident.

    The powerful mana that filled up his body It was from the mana-boosting drug that he drank just before going on stage.

    The item durationsted for such a short time that no one would know if he used it or not.

    There was a condition that he had to fight properly and win in less than five minutes, but with this power, it didnt seem that it would be very difficult to do so.

    If were using the same magic anyway, my body that is currently overflowing with mana will win.

    There was nothing more advantageous than firepower in a wizard duel.

    Even if both of them casted the same magic at the same speed, he could overpower Aidan with his strength.

    Jevan was in a state where it was possible for him to do so.

    It was only five minutes, but it was a very sufficient amount of time.

    Before entering the duel, the judge had checked the conditions of Aidan and Jevans bodies.

    It was to check if irregrities were involved in their bodies before the duel. Jevan took Chriss word for the inspection, so he agreed to do it proudly.

    In fact, the judge could not notice the irregrities in Jevan.

    The judge, who checked Aidans body condition soon after, opened his eyes wide when he saw the object hanging on his waist.

    Student. Whats this?

    Oh, this is my own staff that Im going to use for the duel.

    Aidan replied with a smile, but the judge still looked confused.

    It was because Aidans staff was different in shape whenpared with the staves with a unique material that was usually handled by wizards.

    The staff was

    In the form of a sword.

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 48 - Students’ Duel (2)

    The judge wanted to ask why he brought a sword for the magic duel, but the shape of the sword was somewhat strange.

    The tip of the sword was blunt, and the thick de looked like it was an object meant to strike, not to cut.

    It was more like a magic staff in the shape of a sword instead of an actual sword, so in fact, the danger and killing power of the sword itself were both close to zero.

    The judge contemted on it for a while before letting it slide, thinking that it would be okay.

    Alright. Get in your positions, you two.

    At the judges instruction, Aidan and Jevan stood at opposite ends of the stadium.

    The audience, which was shouting out loud, also shut their mouths and became quiet.

    Silence fell in the second training ground.

    At the center of the training ground, Aidan and Jevan stared at each other with intense gazes.

    Start!

    As soon as the judges shout was heard, the two aimed their staves at each other.

    At the same time, they weaved their mana like threads to cast their magic spells.

    The first spells were to check whether they could deal damage to the other person.

    The most fundamental aspect of a match between wizards was for each to analyze the gap between the opponent and themselves.

    It was done with a first-tier spell exchange.

    Zaap!

    The spell that Aidan casted was a first-tier water property release-type spell, Flowing Water.

    On the contrary, the spell Jevan casted was Shooting Fire, a first-tier fire property release-type spell.

    Oh. Theyre fast.

    Is it the same speed?

    Their spells were casted at the same time with no way obvious way to tell who had implemented their technique faster.

    In other words, Aidan, whom people had originally thought the duel would be disadvantageous for, had implemented his spell technique faster than expected.

    And there was also a difference in the elements that were casted by the two.

    Aidan had shot water

    On the other hand, Jevan had shot fire.

    It was needless to ask which attribute had a greater advantage.

    As expected!

    Aidan eximed inwardly with joy.

    In order to take away the dominant position from the opponent in the first exchange, it was necessary for him to upy the advantageous position with the correct elemental property.

    It was a sort of rock-paper-scissors, but it wasnt just determined with luck.

    I already thought that Jevan would use a fire element spell.

    If Jevan hated him and had a fiery personality, Aidan predicted that it was highly likely that the magic he used first would be fire magic.

    And he was absolutely right.

    Aidan had read the opponents magic in advance through psychological warfare and had prepared the magic that would counter it.

    Some students might have thought that it was just a coincidence, but the professors were different.

    Ooh. Hes already leading the fight from the start.

    Hugo retorted sharply while not hiding his expression of difort from the principals side, who spoke joyfully.

    The winner has not been decided yet.

    Just as Hugo said, the situation did not lead to Aidans victory.

    Water and fire When the two magics collided in the air

    Contrary to peoples predictions, it was the me that eliminated the water magic.

    Oh my Gosh.

    What? He beat the water with fire?

    Is the difference in their mana that big?

    No matter how dominant one property was over another, if the opponents mana was higher, even such dominance would be ignored.

    Jevan was exactly like that.

    The me evaporated the water in an instant and soon flew toward Aidan.

    Aidan hurriedly bowed down to avoid the flying me, and his incredulous gaze was directed at Jevan.

    Haha. Did you see that? This is the difference between you and me, you pettymoner.

    Jevan didnt stop utilizing his mana, even when he was talking.

    While Aidan moved to avoid the me, he immediately prepared the next spell.

    Aidan also immediately invoked his spell as he fixed his posture.

    That time, each of them casted first-tier magic again.

    Jevan shot out a lightning element, and Aidan shot out a fire element.

    Boom!

    The two spells collided and cancelled in the air.

    However, if there was an evident difference, the ce where the magic was cancelled was a little closer to Aidan.

    Aidan was being pushed back.

    Haha! Is that everything you can do?

    Jevan used his mana again, and so did Aidan.

    Both spells collided again in the air.

    Aidan knew that he was almost being pushed back by Jevans firepower, so he put in more mana and casted his spell.

    Boom!

    The third collision happened right under Aidans nose.

    He was getting pushed back.

    Urgh!

    Aidan stumbled due to the shock of the magic explosion.

    Aidan was pushed back!

    As expected, is there nothing he can do as amoner?

    Jevan was excited to hear those people chatting among themselves in the audience seats.

    He was going to take the opportunity and end the duelpletely.

    They had used magic at the same time not long before, but in their next exchange, Jevan was much faster.

    Jevan casted his spell again.

    Aidan straightened up his posture and tried to aim his staff for defense but immediately corrected his action.

    No. Its toote to use magic now!

    Jevan had already entered into a stage of spell implementation.

    Even if he tried to catch up to Jevan in a hurry, Jevan would still cast his spell first in the end.

    If he was focused on speed and used a simple spell, his magic was highly likely to fail.

    Jevans power was also overwhelmingly dominant.

    In that situation, if he had Ludgers Source Code, he could cast a spell first to knock down his opponent.

    Because its impossible in the first ce.

    Before that, he realized that their speed of spell technique implementation was the same, so it was time for him to take a different method.

    From here on, Im going to use what I learned from Professor Ludger.

    He had been practicing hard until he had torn himself apart in thest three days for that, after all.

    Instead of aiming with his staff, Aidan stormed out of his spot and rushed toward Jevan.

    What?!

    Is he going to run over there?

    Did he give up?

    There were bursts of confusion everywhere.

    Most of the audience thought Aidan was giving up everything and just throwing his body at his opponent.

    The fact that he used his body was an unwise judgment as a wizard.

    Was he going to rush in and punch Jevan?

    Barbaric. Somoner-like.

    Aidan What on earth are you going to do?

    While everyone was either looking down on Aidan or feeling ashamed.

    Jevans spell had beenpleted.

    Hah! Are you giving up because you know you cant win in the end?!

    Jevan used the second-tier spell Burning Thunder with a cruel smile.

    It was a very powerful spell among second-tier spells that pierced the opponents body like lightning with a quick bolt.

    He wouldnt die because he had a safety device on his body, but considering the overflowing mana in it, the spell could make Aidan feel pain as if he were dying.

    Jevan aimed the spell exactly at Aidans forehead.

    Take it!

    Aidan was running fearlessly towards him.

    Commoners aremoners, after all.

    That must have been Aidans limit.

    Jevan thought so while invoking the Burning Thunder.

    Zzzzzzt!

    * * *

    * * *

    The yellow current in the air soon became an arrow and flew toward Aidan.

    Everyone watching the scene thought the duel was over.

    Its over. Jevan won in the end.

    Chris smirked as he watched the duel go in the direction that he expected.

    He had already looked back at Ludger while looking forward to what kind of ruined face he would show.

    What?

    Ludger was just staring silently at the duel with his casual face.

    As if the duel wasnt over yet.

    !

    Chriss eyes rushed to look to the stadium.

    In his eyes

    At the same time, he saw Aidan responding to the magic that was flying at him.

    Aidan avoided the magic that was flying straight at him while he was running by turning his upper body and head sideways.

    Zzzzt!

    Uurgh!

    The Burning Thunder shed past Aidans cheeks and shoulders. Aidans face was slightly distorted due to the pain, but that was all.

    Aidan didnt stop.

    Chris was inwardly shocked to see the sight.

    He noticed how Aidan had avoided the attack.

    Even in the midst of his disadvantage, he didnt take his eyes off his opponent?

    Usually, when new students engaged in a magic duel, those who were not yet familiar with fights between wizards tended to act like beginners.

    They might turn their eyes away from their opponent, or they might close their eyes and raise their arms instead of defending themselves against the magic.

    When they realized that pain was approaching, their body instinctively moved.

    That couldnt be helped.

    Because it was a human beings instinct.

    There was no way to reduce that but to train for a long time.

    But Aidan was a freshman who had just entered the Academy. He was a beginner who didnt know much about magic.

    Wasnt he amoner who didnt have the environment to receive education like others?

    But

    Aidan was not scared and did not stop running while not averting his eyes even though the magic flew toward his forehead.

    He did not simply avoid the magic by luck.

    Courage. A strong will to ovee pain.

    It was possible because there was confidence that he would avoid the magic which was apanied by courage.

    No. It will still take time for him to get back into his position and use magic from over there!

    Chriss judgment was correct since Jevan still had the lead anyway.

    As if to live up to his thoughts, Jevan also took action.

    After being bewildered for a moment when he realized that his attack was off the mark, Jevan prepared the next magic.

    There was no time for Aidan to use magic, as he was still moving

    !

    However, Jevan was bound to open his eyes wide when he saw Aidans spell technique was being formed under his nose.

    It was the same for Professor Hugo, Mary, and the principal, who whistled with interest.

    Not to mention Chris.

    He immediately noticed the technique that Aidan used.

    M-Moving Magus!

    Moving Magus.

    A skill for actual fighting that war mages learned to use by casting magic while moving their bodies.

    Chris turned his head and looked back at Ludger.

    The man hadnt taken his eyes off the duel since a while ago.

    He had a slight, faint smile on his mouth.

    No way, did he teach this to Aidan?

    Since it was a victorious spell, there must not have been enough time for Ludger to teach such a thing, so there must have been a limit to Ludgers method when he was teaching it.

    That was why Chris had handed over the mana-boosting drug to Jevan.

    It was alright for him to act cowardly. Just win the duel.

    But Ludger wasnt like that.

    In a short period of three days, that man had taught thatmoner the Moving Magus, a skill that put him one step ahead of his opponent in the duel.

    He learned that only in three days?

    No. Of course not.

    It wasnt that Ludger had taught him in three days

    Aidan had mastered the Moving Magus in only three days.

    A meremoner was born with that talent?

    Chris didnt know how hard and fiercely Aidan had been practicing under Ludgers teaching while Jevan and Chris had already spent their timecently and were drunk on the toast of victory.

    He didnt know how much they had worked behind the scenes to change things when Chris and Jevan had hastily concluded that nothing would change.

    He would never know about it.

    He probably wouldnt know even after someone told him that.

    That was how ridiculous he thought the current situation was.

    Jevan! You stupid brat! Stop your spell!

    Chris wanted to shout it out, but thest remaining rationality that he had kept his mouth shut.

    If he shouted to give instructions toward Jevan there, it was an act that would ruin the fair duel and undermine his own image.

    He had no choice but to just wish that Jevan would notice by himself and take another action.

    I was wrong.

    Chris closed his eyes tightly.

    Jevan was preparing for the next spell, as he never expected Aidan to use magic while running.

    It would have been better for him if he had been puzzled by Aidans dodge and stopped preparing his next attack.

    However, Jevans natural ability became a shackle to his ankles in the middle instead.

    He had quickly responded to the abnormal situation that he encountered for the first time.

    There was nothing wrong with his judgment, but Jevan could not respond at all to the abnormal situation that was unfolding not only once but twice in a row.

    Oh?

    After btedly witnessing apleted spell technique in front of him, Jevan realized that the situation was going awry.

    However, there was no way he couldplete casting the current spell technique first.

    The spell that Aidan shot was the Shining Stone that he had practiced so much.

    It was a simple first-tier spell technique.

    But it was very deadly, as it was a spell that was casted amidst an opponents carelessness and surprise.

    Boom!

    The shining stone prated through Jevans spell and destroyed it. The spell did not stop there, but it also hit Jevans forehead hard.

    Aargh!

    It was not fatal, but it did notpletely erase the pain.

    The giddy shock in front of his eyes caused Jevan to fall backward.

    His movements slowed down, and the ident froze him as if he was submerged in icy water.

    The short attack didnt even take five seconds.

    The attack yed a decisive role in determining the oue of the fight.

    Jevan stood up hesitantly.

    But

    Aidan, who had taken over the opportunity to attack, did not just stand still and watch.

    So its over.

    Ludger was pleased at the sight.

    The flow of the fightpletely leaned toward Aidan.

    If it were a brawl that was decided with fists, there would still be a possibility for Jevan to win somehow.

    But a magic duel didnt flow that simply.

    It was a fight that was thoroughly decided by flow.

    From the moment a wizard lost his condition and lost the flow of the fight, their defeat was already set.

    Aidan aimed his staff at Jevan.

    Now its my turn.

    N-no!

    But despite Jevans cry

    Aidans spell, which had been invoked immediately, hit Jevans body countless times.

    As soon as the total amount of defensive mana armor surrounding Jevans body reached zero, the oue of the duel was decided.

    ____

 Chapter 49

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    The duel was over.

    The winner, Aidan!

    Along with the judges yell, shouts erupted from the audience.

    All of them were shouts of themoner students who hade to cheer for Aidan.

    Aidan! Youre cool!

    You are so dope!

    You are awesome! When on earth did you learn that skill?

    Leo and Tessies joy was particrly significant.

    On the contrary, the aristocratic students openly expressed their displeasure and then red at Jevan, who was sprawled on the floor in defeat.

    Tsk. Jevan, that punk, has disgraced the honor of the aristocracy.

    He was always a sucker. He was a mere baron, yet he was trying to sponge off us like he was something, and that became bothersome.

    I cant believe he lost against amoner. Hes a disgrace to the aristocracy.

    Words that could be heard noisily were very sharp.

    Jevan looked around with a nk face.

    I lost?

    He couldnt believe that it was real

    But when he tried to wake up from this dream, he didnt wake up. Because it was not a dream, it was a reality.

    The scornful gazes and the criticism that flew at him were all real.

    On that stage, it was not him, but a pettymoner that he had been looking down on so much who was drunk with the joy of victory.

    No. Something, something must be wrong here!

    There was no way he had lost.

    Yes. There must have been some mistake. That dirtymoner must have used some kind of cowardly foul y.

    If that wasnt the case, then there was no way that he could use magic while moving.

    This damnedmoner brat!

    Grit.

    Jevan had erased the fact that he secretly drank a potion and doped because of it from his head.

    If he knew that it was a shameful act in the first ce, he wouldnt have done that.

    All he had left was endless hatred for themoner who had insulted him in front of everyone and his will to murder themoner.

    I will kill you!

    Jevan began to wring out all of his mana.

    When everyone was so focused on Aidan, who was within the spotlight as the winner, no one would notice Jevans behavior.

    Anyone would think so.

    Who would expect that a man who had lost a fight would suddenly get up and use a spell as a surprise attack?

    Jevan squeezed out all of his mana and prepared a second-tier spell.

    It would take about four seconds before the spell was casted.

    It was quite a long duration if his opponent was focused on him and dealt with the spell, but four seconds was a very short duration when everyone was off guard.

    Oh?

    Aidan was the first to notice the oddity. Something was wrong with the spirit that Jevan radiated as he was bowing his head.

    Just as he looked back at Jevan, his eyes met Jevans, who was ring at him.

    Jevan?

    Jevans eyes which were glistening due to murderous intent were bent like crescent moons.

    And what Aidan saw was the spell technique that he was secretly implementing.

    It was a second-tier fire magic, Raging Wave.

    Now that the duel was over, Aidan had removed the safety device attached to his body.

    Moreover, Raging Wave was an attack with the widest scope among the second-tier magics, making it practically impossible for him to avoid it.

    However, it was impossible for him to defend himself from it because time was running out.

    The magic had been casted.

    Red mes swirled and surged toward him.

    Oh, ooh?

    The judge, who was about to check Aidans physical condition, was also bewildered.

    Never thinking that Jevan would do it, he hurriedly took out his cane and charged his mana.

    He was a Sren employee, but he could also use magic to some extent.

    But it was toote.

    The spell had already reached just under his nose.

    The hot me approached them like a wave that was about to engulf them.

    Fwoosh.

    Aidan moved his body first before even thinking.

    Aidan, who bounced like a spring, grabbed the back of the judges neck, then threw the judge to his back.

    Then he sped the sword-shaped staff with his hands.

    Within the slow flow of time, he could see the surprised audience with their eyes wide open.

    The professors also jumped from their seats one by one as they btedly realized the situation.

    But it was already toote for them to step up.

    Because the waves of me had just reached Aidan.

    Aidan!

    Tessies cry echoed throughout the stadium.

    But Aidan didnt look back at her.

    He kept his eyes fixed to the front and lifted his sword-shaped staff.

    He charged his mana

    And struck the me.

    Whooooosh!

    Oh?

    Wh-what?

    Then, something unbelievable happened.

    Following the trajectory of Aidans staff, the magic of Raging Wave that Jevan had used was split precisely down the middle and scattered.

    Whiiiirrrrr.

    Eventually, the Raging Wave lost its power and disappeared after it was scattered into the air.

    What was just happened?

    He cut the spell?

    While the students murmured nkly at the iprehensible sight

    Ludger stared at Aidan as if he knew that would happen.

    Did he use that spell because it was a moment of crisis?

    Aidan was a wizard who could use Umon Magic.

    Unlike the other four types, Umon was not properly ssified by modern magic, and spells that werent widely known formed a mainstream ssification.

    It was the same with what Aidan had just used.

    One of the Umon magics, Anti Magic.

    In other words

    A spell that erased another spell.

    What Aidan used was exactly that.

    No no way!

    Chris was simply on the verge of fainting.

    He was already going crazy because of Jevans cowardly act, and to make things worse, Aidan, whom he thought was amoner, had used Anti Magic.

    Dont tell me that man already knew it!

    Chriss gaze turned to Ludger.

    He had sat still in his seat and wasnt surprised when Aidan was attacked.

    Its not that he wasnt surprised.

    That man had no reason to be surprised in the first ce.

    Because he already knew everything.

    He had known that Aidan would win thepetition and that Aidan was the owner of an Umon Magic.

    Oh, my God.

    It was the same with Jevan Felio.

    When he saw the Raging Wave that he had used with all his mana disappear in vain

    And the fact that Aidan was the one who cut the spell off

    He looked stunned.

    Aidan walked toward Jevan, who hadpletely lost his fighting spirit.

    Jevan

    You, how the hell did you do that? Howe amoner used that magic?.

    Thats it. Clench your teeth.

    What?

    Before Jevan could ask again, Aidan moved.

    Baam!

    His clenched fist hit Jevans cheek hard.

    Jevans body rolled on the ground.

    Looking down at the fallen Jevan, Aidan spoke while ring strongly at him.

    I thought that youd at least take your defeat well, but I didnt know that you would be this much of a piece of trash.

    Jevan could not answer him.

    He had already beenpletely physically and mentally defeated by Aidan, so he could not maintain his rationality.

    * * *

    * * *

    The judge btedly rushed out and checked Aidans body.

    Aidan! Are you alright?

    Yes, Im alright. But are you alright, Mister? Are you hurt anywhere?

    Oh, no. Thanks to you. Im grateful. I would have been in danger if it werent for you.

    Aidan said that it was nothing to the judge, who kept his head bowed down and apologized instead.

    The professors and audience, who were watching the scene, were bound to see Aidan in a new light.

    Oh, my God. I heard hes an Anti Magic owner, so it was real.

    Mary Ross, who had already vaguely heard some news about Aidan, put her hand around her mouth and chuckled.

    Hugos and Chriss expressions, on the other hand, were simply dejected.

    It was just Ludger who had been expecting that to happen and maintained his unchanging attitude.

    The students response was simply enthusiastic.

    Did you see that just now? He cut the magic with a de!

    You idiot. Its not a de but a staff.

    Whatever it is!

    Even so, I didnt feel him casting a different spell. What the hell was that?

    He erased magic? Is that possible?

    For the students who did not know about the existence of Anti Magic, Aidans performance was almost like a fairy tale.

    After an incredulous thing done by Jevan

    Aidans magic was so great that even the incredulous event could be forgotten in an instant.

    Among the surprised students, there were some who noticed what Aidans magic actually was.

    That kid Did he just use Anti Magic?

    A beautiful girl with white hair and a snow-cold impression stared intensely at Aidan.

    Her tone seemed to consider Aidan lower than her, but she was also one of the freshmen who had just entered Sren.

    The girl was definitely enough to be discussed as the one who held the best position among Srens freshmen.

    She was the top student who had entered the Academy that year and the most promising extraordinary rookie from the magic tower.

    Julia Plumheart.

    She looked at Aidan with interest.

    I just wanted to kill time at first, so I came to look around here for fun. It turned out that I witnessed something interesting.

    With her personality, she wouldnt even care about that kind of event.

    Because no one was curious about the result of the students duel.

    However, that time, the incident was bigger, and it had moved into a fight betweenmoners and nobles and not just one between students.

    Moreover, the news that it became a pride fight between two professors had spread after that, so she had onlye to see the duel briefly.

    When they fought for the first time, it was so horrible that it was hard for me to keep my eyes open, and I thought Id go back right away.

    She was d she didnt leave.

    She couldnt believe that she was witnessing Anti Magic in a ce like that.

    His name is Aidan, right? Where on earth did amoner learn to do Anti Magic? Hmm. I got a little interested.

    Julia left the stadium as she saw Aidan knock out Jevan.

    Other than Julia, there were also some people who were interested in the magic that Aidan had shown.

    It was the same for Freuden, who had the most power in his second year and posed as the head of the aristocratic faction.

    Is his name Aidan?

    When Jevan, the eldest son of Baron Felio who wanted to join his faction, said he would fight Aidan

    Freuden hadnt bothered to stop him. His true intention was that he didnt even care about it in the first ce.

    No matter who Jevan fought with, he thought that it was ok as long as Jevan didnt be aggressive toward him.

    Who would have thought that the opponent whom Jevan had fought against was amoner who could use Anti Magic.

    I heard that all the neers in the first year cant be looked down on, so it was true.

    Freuden had a personality that could admit things neatly.

    He highly valued Aidans Anti Magic.

    Of course, he didnt know how much Aidan could deal with Anti Magic, but his value as a human being was at least higher than that of the aristocracy.

    Lets go.

    Freuden stood up from his seat while ncing at Jevan, who had fallen with a pathetic stare for thest time.

    The students from his faction stood up in lines following Freuden.

    Before Freuden left, he nced sideways at Ludger, who was sitting in the professors seat.

    That professor

    Freuden, who had been staring at him for a while, soon turned his eyes as if he was not interested in him and left the stadium.

    That was how the people left one by one and made a lot of ruckus about the duel incident that day.

    The appearance of a new prodigy.

    Aidan, a wizard who could use Anti Magic.

    Oh, my.

    Aidan scratched his head.

    He originally had no intention of using Anti Magic in the duel.

    Well, he also didnt intend to use it in the future while studying in Sren.

    His teacher had said that such magic was very important, so he shouldnt use it unless he was really in a crisis. If he didnt do what his teacher told him to, he would be in trouble.

    So this is what my teacher meant.

    Looking at the passionate eyes of the students who already had high expectations of him, Aidan instinctively felt that his life at the academy would be very tiring in the future.

    Oh, yeah.

    Aidan immediately turned his head to the ce where the professor-only seats existed.

    It was to find Ludger, who had helped him win the fight.

    Fortunately, Ludger remained in his ce, and it was not difficult for Aidan to find him.

    Ludgers ck outfit definitely stood out.

    Ludger had his usual expression on his face and wasnt visibly happy about Aidan winning the duel.

    After both of them looked at each other in silence

    Nod.

    Ludger just nodded his head once.

    !

    Of course, that was enough for Aidan.

    When Ludger admitted that he did well, Aidan finally realized that he had gained the victory.

    Aidan!

    You did well! You won!

    Tessie and Leo came up to Aidan and smiled beamingly. Aidan also smiled at his friends.

    After watching the three for a while, Ludger got up from his seat.

    Because the duel was over, it was time for another business.

    Professor Chris.

    Chris Benimore, who had been standing ufortably in his spot the entire time, shuddered at Ludgers call.

    His eyes turned to Ludger.

    We still had our own business left, right?

    Chriss face copsed even more disastrously at his words.

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 50

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    Chris thought that something destined had finallye.

    He had made a bet with Ludger.

    They had decided who would win the contest among their students and dered that the loser would give one of their magic research papers to the winner for free.

    It was Chris himself, and not anyone else, who had suggested it first.

    He had dered that he would make the bet in front of many students, so he couldnt even make an excuse and say no.

    Chris tried to say something, and he red at Ludger sharply.

    You Did you already know that themoner student is an owner of Anti Magic?

    Yes. You are right.

    Chris shouted out full of rage at the answer that Ludger gave as if it was too obvious.

    Did you make this bet even after you knew it?!

    Hmm. I dont understand why Professor Chris is so angry.

    What nonsense

    So you didnt know that Aidan is an owner of Anti Magic?

    Chris became tongue-tied at his words.

    It was just as Ludger had said.

    He hadnt known that Aidan was an owner of Anti Magic.

    Yes. He hadnt known it, and that was why he had allowed that duel.

    I heard that Professor Chris is in charge of the first year, but didnt you check on the first-years who entered the Academy this time?

    Most of all, Aidan never used Anti Magic throughout the whole duel. Did his mastery of Anti Magic affect the oue of the duel?

    Chris shut his mouth.

    Just as Ludger said, Chris was not in a position to argue about the match.

    He could have known it, but it was he who didnt want to know about it.

    He didnt pay attention to them because they weremoners and because they were insignificant kids. He didnt think paying attention to them was necessary.

    The narrow-minded way of thinking that he usually had eventually turned around and flew toward him like a boomerang.

    Who the hell should he me for that?

    Was it Ludger, who knew about it but didnt tell him?

    Was it Aidan, who had learned Anti Magic as a meremoner?

    No.

    It was him who was wrong, after all.

    He didnt even prepare for anything thoroughly and had mistakenly thought that he would definitely win without thinking of gathering any information in advance.

    His arrogance was the cause of his defeat.

    If you had checked thoroughly what specialties the students had, an incident like todays wouldnt have happened.

    Chris just chewed his lips without being able to answer anything.

    Yes. It was obviously his mistake in not realizing the Anti Magic that Aidan had.

    But what hurt his pride more than that was that the oue of the duel was not determined by the Anti Magic.

    Aidan didnt even use his Anti Magic in the duel.

    He had simply knocked down Jevan using only what he had mastered and learned sinceing to Sren.

    There was no way he could spit out words such as cowardice or foul y.

    The moment he said those words, he would have really lost.

    Looking at Chris, who was shaking and couldnt say anything, Ludger took his luck.

    I remember you told me to use a magic academic paper as a price for the bet.

    I did. Alright, what can I give you?

    Nothing.

    Chris was puzzled by his words.

    Now, what on earth?

    I wont take anything.

    Any thing? Why all of a sudden?

    Its not all of a sudden. I was going to say this from the beginning.

    Chris couldnt understand his action as he heard Ludgers words.

    No. He actually understood it, but it was more like he was trying to deny the reality.

    Its cheap to rob the others teaching material as the price of a bet.

    At the end of his sentence, Ludger turned his back and left.

    As if he had no intention of continuing the conversation with Chris.

    Chris looked stunned at the sight.

    Cheap, he said?

    He wasnt that annoyed when he was ignored by Ludger or when he had lost the bet.

    But after Ludger had won the bet and said that the bet itself was cheap while not even taking anything from it

    Chris went beyond feeling irritated and even felt a sense of dejection.

    That man was like a mirror A heart mirror that reflected his ugly side so clearly.

    The more Chris red at him with hostility and growing hatred, the more he felt disgusted by his own appearance that Ludger showed him.

    I Chris Benimore Cheap?

    Chris bit his lip; a stream of blood ran down his mouth.

    He didnt even think about wiping it, he only red at Ludgers back with bloodshot eyes.

    Ludger Chelysie

    How much more did he have to trample on Ludgers pride to get rid of his anger?

    He couldnt forgive him. It was uneptable.

    Next time, he would surely repay Ludger with double the amount of humiliation that he had experienced.

    Professor Chris.

    Hugo approached and called him, but Chris did not respond.

    Not wanting to show his ugly appearance to anyone right then, he hurriedly went away from his seat.

    Hugo distorted his face at the sight, and he had no choice but to hold his irritation when looking at the principal, who was smiling softly.

    That would be remembered as a day of great shame for the aristocracy.

    Ludger Chelysie

    He was thinking of the man who was the culprit behind all of it.

    Hugo Bourtag gritted his teeth silently.

    * * *

    * * *

    Aidan, who was drunk on the joy of victory with his friends, suddenly remembered the promise he had made with Jevan.

    His gaze flitted toward Jevan, who was getting up from his spot.

    The three people looked at each other, then nodded and approached Jevan.

    What?

    Jevan looked at Aidan and his friendsing toward him and spoke in a weak voice.

    Was there anything left for you tough at me for?

    Jevan, you didnt forget the promise you made before the duel, did you?

    The word promise made Jevans face crumple severely.

    He couldnt think of it because he couldnt get away from the shock of defeat.

    Jevan Felio, you should respectfully apologize to my friends here right now for saying harsh things to them.

    How dare you You told me to apologize, now?

    You were the one who made the bet and participated in the duel, Jevan, Im just telling you to keep your promise. Hurry and apologize Respectfully.

    Jevan clenched his fist, but that was all.

    He waspletely defeated by Aidan; even his surprise attack had failed.

    It wasnt a mere defeat, it was an ugly defeat after he desperately tried to win.

    There was no ce left for him to stand in Sren.

    Jevan cried out of frustration.

    Damn it. All of it because of you! Because of you, I!

    Jevan.

    Shut up! Dont call my name! If it werent for you, I wouldnt have been suffering this ugly appearance in front of everyone! Yes! Its all your fault!

    Tessie was about to step up, full of rage, when she saw Jevan talking in a frantic state of mind.

    But Aidan raised his hand to stop her.

    Aidan Why?

    Aidan knew itthe fact that no matter what Tessie said there, Jevan wouldnt listen to it.

    Aidan realized something when he saw the action that Jevan showed.

    * * *

    * * *

    Two people had fought because they didnt understand each other, and he believed that the story would have been different if they understood each other.

    He thought that people could get to know each other while having a conversation with each other, and then they could get closer to each other after that.

    But Aidan still couldnt forget Jevans face that had been full of murderous intent.

    Jevans expression swayed his thoughts.

    Meanwhile, Jevan shouted even more desperately.

    Damn it! Fucker! Because of you dirtymoners, I cant even stay in Sren anymore! The Felio family cant raise our heads anywhere in the future! Because of you! Because of all of you!

    Jevan had already erased his foul y and cowardly acts from his memory.

    He just couldnt understand why he had to go through this to the point that he felt resentful and cheated about it.

    Why?! Why does someone like you have that ability?! Why dont I have it?!

    Jevan.

    Damn it. Damn it. I just wanted to raise the reputation of my family!

    Jevan bowed his head and screamed.

    He wouldnt have stopped, even if he knew the method he used was wrong, because he had that objective as his purpose.

    Aidan was about to say something while looking at Jevan, but he shut his mouth tightly

    In that state, it was difficult for them to continue a proper conversation let alone him receiving an apology from Jevan.

    Even Tessie, who would normally have been angry while telling people to act properly, was reticent when she saw Jevans ruined state.

    She also felt something that was tightening in her chest when she saw Jevan had done that to raise his familys status.

    Maybe I could have been like that as well.

    She shuddered with fright at such thoughts.

    At that moment, a cold voice was heard between them.

    What are you doing here? The duel is over.

    Professor Ludger

    Ludger, who was dressed in all ck, had a strange atmosphere that they could not resist.

    He stared at Aidan and his friends, then red coldly at Jevan, who was sobbing and copsed in his spot.

    Jevan Felio, what are you doing, showing such an unsightly appearance after you lost in the duel?

    Its not enough for you to lose the fight, you didnt ept your defeat and even attempted an ugly surprise attack. Whats so unfair about it that made you cry? Do you deserve to cry now?

    Pr-Professor Ludger.

    No matter how bad Jevans behavior was, Aidan thought that Ludgers words were too harsh, so he stepped up, but Ludger didnt stop.

    You are petty, I see. You are so petty. Your current appearance is far worse than themoners that you have always hated and despised.

    What do you know?!

    In the end, Jevan, who couldnt resist Ludgers words, stood from his spot and red at Ludger.

    What what do you know about what Im feeling?!

    Do I have to know?

    Wh-what?

    Do I really need to know that?

    You, you!

    Jevan was about to shout something, but when he saw Ludgers eyes, he swallowed back his words.

    His burning anger quickly blew out, and fear dominated his emotions instead.

    Ludgers eyes, and the cold gaze that was directed at him.

    It was like facing a nightmare in the dark.

    You picked a fight, and you lost the bet. Its all your own fault that you didnt even ept your defeat and copsed. But after that, you want others to understand how you feel. Why should we know how you feel?

    Th-thats

    You think this ce is still your home? Do I look like a babysitter who listens to yourints?

    I, I

    Youre such a bad kid who cant even take care of himself, and now youre screaming your anger like a baby bird. You, who doesnt know how shameful your actions are, have been disqualified as a wizard. Aristocrat and wizard, my ass.

    Jevan couldnt maintain his right mind as he listened to Ludgers nearly violent words that were unlike his usual self.

    I, I

    Shut up. I dont even want to listen to your excuse. Ill refer you to the disciplinarymittee for your behavior that I saw a moment ago, so get out of my sight now.

    At Ludgers warning, which was close to threatening, Jevan, whose face turned pale, stepped back with a shaky step and then fled the stadium.

    The three musketeers, who watched the scene silently from beginning to end, all had the same thoughts.

    He definitely served Jevan right, but wasnt it too much?

    Aidans expression was especially not very good.

    Aidan.

    Yes, Professor.

    Youve practiced the Maneuver Technique properly. Good job.

    Its all thanks to you, Professor.

    But you dont look that happy about winning the duel, I see.

    Thats

    Aidan could not understand why his mood was so low.

    Obviously, he had won the duel in front of everyone in a cool way. He could not disagree if someone said he had to be happy about it.

    Maybe it was because he had heard Jevans scream afterwards.

    I dont really know why.

    You dont really know, huh?

    I obviously felt delighted at first. Jevan humiliated my friends and started a quarrel with me. Im sure my intention to defeat Jevan remains unchanged. But the problem is after that.

    Did you just get swayed by Jevans whining?

    I definitely didnt have to listen to his words. Yes, it would be enough if I just ignored him, but I couldnt do that.

    Aidan showed a bitter smile and spoke frankly.

    Ludger looked at Aidan in silence.

    He had already known that Aidan had been overly righteous and possessed righteous values since before, but he didnt know that Aidan would have a heart so weak like that.

    He even had sympathy for Jevan, who had ignored and looked down on him.

    But if someone asked Ludger if it was a bad appearance, he would say no.

    Aidan was still young and a student who studied in that shining world called Sren.

    Because he was a student and still young

    That was quite possible. That was okay. Ludger couldnt me him while saying that Aidan was stupid and that it frustrated him.

    Because that was how he looked at the world.

    Aidan

    Yes. Professor.

    As you live in this world, one day you will run into various types of people.

    Pardon?

    Keep it in your mind. It means that not everyone is like you. Someone will hate you, dislike you, and be hostile toward you. In the end, its going to be like that because your world and the others worlds are different.

    Is that so?

    But it changes depending on how people behave.

    Aidan, Tessie, and Leo looked at Ludger as they were slightly surprised at those words.

    Its not a bad thing to take care of your own things. And your deed that sacrificed your everything is not stupid either. But in the end, what you need to live in this world is moderation.

    Moderation

    Only half of them. Aidan. You can just pick half of selfishness and selflessness. If I give half to someone instead of taking half from them, then there will be a day when both of us understand each other.

    Aidan looked back at Tessie at Ludgers words.

    He obviously remembered that his first time meeting her wasnt so good.

    Tessie was like a rose full of thorns.

    But at some point, the two became close and hung around together often.

    Im not telling you not to yield and not to be considerate to others because it seems impossible to you. Thats why I said this. Its okay to not be fully considerate of others, but its also alright for you to be at least half selfish.

    Half

    Aidan felt anxious, as he was catching something from those words.

    I spoke too much. I will leave now.

    Uh, Professor Ludger!

    What?

    Those words I will definitely keep them in mind.

    Looking back at Aidan, who answered with a determined face, Ludger left the stadium with a light nod.

    The three stared silently at Ludgers back until he disappeared.

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 51

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    Walking alone in the dark hallway of the stadium, a person popped her head out from the corner as if she had been waiting.

    First no, Professor Ludger.

    Sedina, right?

    Sedina Rochen, who had brown, volumized hair. She brightened her face the moment she saw Ludger, as she had been waiting for him.

    After looking around for a while and checking if there were any other people, she opened her mouth when she thought it was okay to speak.

    Congrattions on winning the bet.

    Yes.

    More than that, are you alright? Maybe youve gotten too much attention from inside the Academy because of this incident. The other members are worried as well.

    The part that Sedina was concerned about was that.

    Ludger was hiding in Sren under a false identity.

    However, his recent moves had attracted too much attention in Sren.

    In that case, no matter what he did, their eyes would follow him, which would significantly interfere with him in a long-range n.

    Ludger shook his head at her concern.

    Its okay. I prepared myself for when it became like this.

    You prepared yourself

    Sedina, do you know something about the principal of Sren?

    Sedina nodded immediately when the principals name came out.

    Yes. Her name is Elisa Willow. She is a famous wizard who achieved the 6th rank of Lexure ss at a young age. Shes now the principal of Sren. Shes a woman whom you can never let your guard down to.

    Yes. Shes currently suspecting me.

    Do you mean Professor Ludger?

    The principal is aware that our people are hiding in Sren. Maybe Im now on the list of her suspects, even if Im a professor.

    That

    I need to get rid of her suspicions now. Because of that, it will be impossible for me to contact other members, but it cant be helped.

    You came here as a Professor so you could be less suspicious, though

    It was something I had to do anyway. Its a profitable deal if I gain reliability from Sren through this incident, but we need a little more time to do that.

    As as expected, its like that. I believe in you!

    Sedina, who had already been properly blinded by Ludger, believed Ludgers words without a question.

    Actually, it wasnt aplete lie, either.

    Ludgers behavior in which he distinguished himself in Sren was based on his intention to look good to the principal.

    However, for Sedina, there were some concerns that Ludger might be receiving too much attention.

    In fact, when she secretly listened to other members, there were even talks that said Ludger was a First Order but that he didnt have anything to do to the point that it became weird.

    Yes! As expected, theres no way Professor Ludger was like that!

    She believed in Ludger, and she also wanted to believe him in the future.

    It was the first time

    There had been a person who listened to her so well.

    Having suspicions toward such a person itself felt likemitting a crime that could not be washed away.

    Sedina. The same goes for you. Do your best as a student now, as you are now a student in Sren.

    Is is that so?

    Yes. You are the only one among the other members who can make easy contact with because Im a Professor, and you are a student. They wont doubt us just because we meet and have a conversation, but I cant thoughtlessly meet a student who has no actual business with me.

    Of of course.

    You should make yourself prominent as a model student. The more you do that, the more suspicious eyes from others will subside.

    I see!

    Yes. In other words, its a mission just for the two of us to adjust thoroughly to our own identities in our own position. Do you understand?

    A mission.. just for the two, of us.

    Sedinas eyes went nk when Ludger used the word us.

    Looking at her expression, Ludger thought that it was fortunate.

    If Ive exined it to this extent, shell understand quite well, right?

    He had been working hard because he was absorbed in his work as Srens professor. However, Ludger had never ignored the existence of the ck Dawn Society even for a moment.

    In their eyes, he was nominally an executive who held a title of First Order in the ck Dawn Society.

    The problem was that Ludger did not yet know what he had to do as an executive after he infiltrated Sren.

    All he learned from the interpretation of the cipher was for him to infiltrate Sren and gain their favor.

    And after that?

    Had their original n been decided, or was a new order going to be issued in the future ording to theter situation?

    Ludger didnt know that.

    But he couldnt even ask Sedina. How could she know what kind of mission an executive hade for?

    In the end, I have to figure it out by myself.

    It was highly likely that he was directly ordered by Zero Order, or that another First Order was sharing the work with him together.

    The way to find out right away was that he had to find another First Order who had infiltrated Sren.

    However, in a situation where he couldnt find the other First Order, Ludger had to work as much as possible while clearing the suspicion of the ck Dawn Society.

    That was why he deliberately moved more eagerly as a Professor.

    Its true that the principal suspects me, and its true that I need time to clear her suspicions. Using that as an excuse, I can at least quell the growing discontent of the secret society.

    And it was also possible to extend the deadlines that were given under this pretext.

    In fact, even though he only exined it that way, Sedina seemed to be convinced immediately.

    No. Cant she be a fair example because shes just extremely praising towards the First Order?

    But it was okay.

    If Sedina could go forward and exin it to the other members instead of him, it would be much easier for Ludger.

    In fact, Sedina was already full of such thoughts.

    As expected, Professor Ludger! We were worried that something might happen to him, it turns out that he had nned it all along!

    Sedinas social status had led to simr bullying within the organization, but recently, the other members had stopped irritating her because she had been acting as if she was Ludgers full-time subordinate.

    That made Sedina respect Ludger even more, thinking that it was also a blessing.

    Hes even worried about someone like me and giving me that kind of advice! Hes really awesome!

    As Ludger had said that, Sedina decided to obey the order even after she died.

    Exin it well to the others.

    Yes! Just leave it to me!

    Ah, and

    Yes! Do you have anything else to tell me?

    * * *

    * * *

    No. Never mind. Ill talk to youter. And its nice to see you more confident than before.

    Ludgersstpliment gave Sedina a tingling and electrifying shock all over her body.

    I will leave it to you.

    Yes! I will do it even if I have to die!

    Dont die.

    Yes! I will never die even if I have to die!

    Yes. Whatever.

    Ludger left Sedina behind, who was bing increasingly burdensome every time he saw her.

    ***

    Returning to my private amodation, I entered the room and briefly summarized what I had to do.

    First of all, through this open duel, I have extensively developed the image of being on the principals faction. I dont know how the principal herself will take it, but she has her own circumstances, so it will be hard for her to throw me out.

    For the moment, the principals faction seemed to be more dominant, but the noble faction led by Hugo could not be looked down on either.

    No matter what anyone said, the biggest force among the students was Freudens power, who had gathered the aristocratic students.

    The aristocratic professors, including Hugo, had joined hands with Freuden.

    The principals power seemed strong, but if they properly opposed the principals will, it would be difficult for the principal to decide anything recklessly.

    And thanks to the fact that I attracted the principals attention, I got the justification that, even though Im an executive of the ck Dawn Society, I still cant move hastily. Other members from the secret society wouldnt want to contact me recklessly, either.

    In other words, I got an exemption from doing anything in the ck Dawn Society for a certain period of time.

    So lets put off the ck Dawn Society for now.

    As expected, is Srens side the most important thing?

    With that open duel, I had turnedpletely hostile to Hugos faction.

    But I didnt care much about that part.

    I was going to quit after two years anyway. Being obnoxious to the aristocratic teachers wouldnt cause me any major problems.

    They would mess with me a little unpleasantly, but it was only at a level of being cutepared to all the groups of people I had experienced in my whole life.

    Most of all, I saw some kind of possibility through that days duel.

    Aidan Ive felt it before, but hes definitely a good guy. He has a moderate sense, a moderate good side, and he is a hard worker.

    It was just amazing that he had learned the Moving Magus in three days, although I had taught him a little intensively.

    Was it his talent, or was it more like a tenacious effort?

    Considering that a wizard couldnt fully master Moving Magus just because they were good at using their head, he might have been born with the ability to use his body as well.

    His movement when he had cut the magic using Anti Magic

    It was definitely a performance that one could see from someone who had trained with a sword before.

    Considering that, Aidan was highly likely to stand out in a real battle.

    Indeed. Thats understandable, considering who his teacher is.

    It could be inferred because I had met a wizard whom I assumed was Aidans teacher, well I was actually quite certain about it.

    Aidans posture that he showed once was exactly the same as the textbook example of swordsmanship that the person I was thinking of usually used.

    I thought that hed live alone his whole life and die without a single soul knowing about him, but it turned out that he had gotten a disciple.

    If Aidan is an Anti Magic owner, he will rise to a considerable position in Sren, at least.

    I finished a simple calction in my head.

    I will use Sren and some special students to fight against the ck Dawn secret society.

    As I was squeezed between the two with one foot on both sides, thest thing I needed was to increase the pressure that weighed down on me.

    The thing that bothered me the most was the ck Dawn Society.

    If I reduced the power of the society members in the Academy by squeezing their power little by little

    Im sure my chances for surviving will be that much higher.

    Aidan, Leo, and Tessie The abilities of those three musketeers were objectively worth evaluating well.

    If I looked at the talent that they had, it could be the best amongst the first-years.

    If I added Lynne, who had Judgment Eyes, to the group.

    It wont be bad.

    Of course, that might not be enough, so it seemed necessary for me to look for more other people for assurance, just in case.

    If I made them collide with each other, I would be able to get out of a dead-end.

    Thats all I should do for the let the barbarians fight it out among themselves method. I have to build up the strength on my side, too.

    My situation was under pressure from both organizations and I, as an individual, was about to be crushed.

    Simply weakening both groups couldnt be the fundamental solution to the situation.

    So what was the method?

    I also have to make my own organization.

    In fact, I preferred to move alone.

    But as long as I needed to stay in the Empire, I could no longer do a solo y.

    I needed more people.

    In addition to Hans, I needed to call the people I had connections with before and create a new organization.

    That organization would be my strength, and that power would make me able to resist the forces that oppressed me.

    Talk of the Devil, and he is sure to appear, they said.

    I was just thinking of him, and the crystal ball I left in my room began to sparkle.

    The fact that the marble for personalmunication that I handed to Hans rang it could only mean one thing.

    Hans. Whats the matter?

    [I checked everything around the area ording to your order.]

    Was it because of that?

    Considering your skills, youll have as much information as I would. And yet, since you contacted me separately, it seems that you need some force.

    [Youre so quick in catching it. You are right. From now on, I need some armed force. You knew it too, didnt you? That Im not good at fighting.]

    I didnt expect anything from you in that department since the first time.

    [Anyways, I need your help now.]

    I see.

    It was not bad timing.

    I got up from my seat, dressed in a ck long coat for outdoor use, and wore a gentlemans hat on my head.

    [So when are you going toe? I think well have to deal with it by the end of the week at thetest.]

    Ille right now.

    [Pardon?]

    Because he didnt know that Id say Id go right then, I heard a bewildered exmation from beyond the crystal ball.

    Dont you think its better to deal with it quickly?

    [Thats that, but Are you going to be okay? You are so busy, though.]

    Itll be over soon, anyway.

    [How are you so sure about it?]

    Because Im going to make it that way.

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 52

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    The air lingering in the back alleys of Leathevelk was cold enough to make peoples skin sting.

    In the dark and deep space, Hans raised his head while leaning against the wall.

    Its too high.

    Hans was also proud to have traveled around many cities and seen many things, but Leathevelk, the imperial metropolis, was taller than any other city he had ever seen.

    The same went for even the shabby back alley where he was standing.

    It was like a prison of bricks and brass.

    Should I carry around a wire hook like he doester?

    If he had a wire hook, he thought it would be easy to escape from Leathevelk at a dangerous moment.

    Of course, the biggest reason was that Ludger had looked cool when he used it to chase the werewolf.

    At that moment, the darkness beyond the alleyway swayed and a shadow emerged.

    It was a surprising sight that seemed like a ghost had appeared, but Hans, who took his back off the wall, greeted it while adjusting his cor.

    Because he had seen such a sight a few times already.

    You came?

    Whoosh.

    Before he knew it, the shadow changed its shape and took the form of a human being.

    He wore a ck inverness coat with a cape on its shoulder

    He wore ck leather gloves on his hands and had a gold and ck cane.

    Unlike usual, he wore a silk hat with a hairstyle that was neatly pulled back and didnt tie his hair at all.

    That alone made Ludgers impression look very different.

    How about the situation?

    Yeah. Let me tell you what I found out first. Our hideout is in the back alley, isnt it?

    Yes.

    Well, obviously, there are various underworld organizations dividing their power and sharing it around there.

    Hans organized the information that he had confirmed by himself and gave it to Ludger.

    He had been wandering around so much for the past few days to check the information out anyway.

    They arergely divided into four organizations. There is one strongest andrgest organization among them and the other three are medium-sized organizations.

    So there are four ces in total. Maybe its because this is a big city, but the number is a lot.

    Ill start by exining the medium-sized organizations. First of all, there is a circus built by people who are physically disabled or neglected.

    Circus?

    Its a must to make a living in a city like this with a proper talent. Its a circus called Kirchus thats also some kind of a gang and union where those people gathered.

    Ludger nodded his head as he understood Hanss exnation.

    Kirchus, huh. Alright. Whats next?

    And then theres a ce consisting of only women. No matter what city you go to, such a ce will never be left out from the underworld.

    So its a brothel.

    Without even a hint, Ludger guessed it right.

    Average people would express their difort or displeasure just by thinking of the word, but it was a ce that could never be left out in the underworld.

    Because this ce was that kind of world.

    Even on Earth in the 21st century, that kind of ce had always existed.

    But its not just a weak brothel, and I feel like theyre living as an organization because they have their own know-how. They have considerable ability in gathering information, and theyre also reaching out to many businesses in the city. They share patterns of tiny ck roses to identify members of their own organization, so theyre called ck Rose Women.

    ck Rose Women, huh.

    Ludger recited the name in a low tone.

    How about thest one?

    Thest one is abination of children and old people. The people who are very old cant do their jobs properly, but they are full of people with know-how and experience, and children are still young but they jump to the front line to make money.

    Ludger nodded his head.

    In fact, children who worked at a young age and were treated asbor force were amon sight in the world.

    Because the streets were full of kids selling newspapers right then.

    In addition, there were children who pick-pocketed as petty thieves or children who were in charge of chores at a mansion.

    The worst of those child employment jobs would be those doing physicalbor in factories or mines without getting proper rest.

    They call the ce Old Kids, where old people and children gather. They are also focused on gathering information, making them and the ck Rose Women the tworgest information gathering groups.

    Because children can listen to a lot of things.

    To organize the information Hans gave Ludger, it was like this.

    Circus group, Kirchus.

    The brothel, ck Rose Women.

    Thebor union of old people and children, Old Kids.

    It was a total of three medium-sized organizations in the underworld.

    Now theres only one big guy left, huh.

    Its Crimson Society, a back-alley gangster group.

    Crimson Society, huh. I think Ive heard of that name.

    Theyre the ones who dominate the back alleys of Leathevelk. Kidnapping, intimidation, potion and drug distribution, the liquor industry, muscle work, and so on. There is almost no dirty work that they havent done.

    If the first three organizations were formed by standing together to survive on their own

    Crimson society was literally an inevitable existence created by gathering the shadows of the world and the insects that were attracted by the odor.

    These back alleys are maintained by the Crimson Society and the other three organizations in a bnce of each others power. Its more like the Crimson Society is doing all the wicked jobs and the other three are standing together with their power.

    So its the Crimson Society that I need to deal with.

    You are right. The other three organizations are the ones who dont even respond unless were messing with them directly in the first ce. In fact, their danger is low. But The guys from Crimson Society are different.

    I see. Its because theyre either going to overpower the small organizations under them, or theyre going to destroy those organizations.

    * * *

    * * *

    Please be careful. Theyre so strong that its hard to overpower them. Recently, they started to send some people to secretly watch our hideout. So first, just grab their tails one by one

    Ludger shook his head and cut off Hans words, who was speaking his own opinion.

    No, nevermind. I dont have to grab their tail first. Its a waste of time.

    Pardon?

    Hit their head; then the rest of them will bend down on their own.

    N-no. But how will you do that?

    Ludger smirked at Hans, who was bewildered.

    Of course, through taking the bull by the horns.

    He had purposely dressed up the way he was to do that.

    Hans was about to tell him not to say anything crazy, but eventually raised the white g when he realized that Ludger was serious when he said so.

    Whatever Hans said, Ludger would do what he wanted anyway.

    And he would seedbecause hed always been like that.

    Indeed. That outfit, too. Are you going to use that identity this time? You know that one A self-proimed criminal consultant, an important figure who dominates the underworld.

    Yeah.

    Ludger replied while putting on a gold monocle that could only be worn on one eye from his pocket.

    His usual sharp and cold soldier-like appearance was erased at once.

    On the contrary, he appeared to be a man who seemed intelligent and calm but seemed to have a somewhat venomous aura.

    That was one of Ludgers past identities that he would use.

    Are you really going to take the bull by the horns?

    Why are you like that?

    Its because the atmosphere within the Crimson Society is currently pretty chaotic. Unexpectedly, the members of the organization are all gathered together with keen edges to their des.

    Chaotic, huh. I think I know why theyre being like that.

    How do you know that?

    Hans was curious when Ludger replied that he already knew something that Hans had not found out yet.

    I think thats probably why the Crimson Society is in a mess right now Because of the death of millionaire Belfort Ricksen.

    Howe the death of Belfort Ricksen Ah!

    Youve noticed, I see.

    Hans had be even more serious as his question had been answered.

    So there was some kind of connection between Belfort Ricksen and the Crimson Society.

    Yes. Belfort Ricksen was notorious for doing a lot of dirty work since even before this. Death under suspicious circumstances of his rival businessmen, fires in shantytowns against factory construction, and so on. Were all those works handled by that person on his own?

    He had an aplice that could be ordered instead.

    And thats the Crimson Society.

    Indeed. They need a rich man whom they can get along with and they take care of the dirty work instead.

    Hans, now that Belfort Ricksen is dead, the Crimson Society must be pretty hot-tempered because their biggest cash cow is gone. Theyll stay calm for now, but theyll move to make up for the short money sooner orter.

    So thats why theyre gathered. No, wait. So youre actually their enemy and the culprit, arent you?

    Of course.

    Hans looked speechless at Ludgers rxed answer.

    In fact, Ludger had killed Belfort Ricksen, which was why the Crimson Society was so angry.

    Of course, they didnt even know that Ludger had killed him, so they couldnt call him an enemy.

    And now is a better time instead because the people who are normally supposed to be scattered are gathered in one ce for the first time in a long time.

    Are you really going to do it?

    Why?

    Well, youre a wizard, so itll be fine no matter how many gang members you run into, but the problem is that the Crimson Society isnt an ordinary gangster group.

    Not an ordinary gangster group?

    Armed with all kinds of weapons Even though no bullet will work in front of a wizard, theres a whole bunch of de masters among them.

    Hmmm.

    You know. They are the ones who tried to be knights, but thencked money or personality, or the ones who got stuck with mercenary work. There are a couple of such people in the Crimson Society. I guess thats why the Crimson Society upies first ce in the back alleys.

    So they have strength equal to a semi-Knight, is that it?

    It got a little annoying when there were Knights mixed among them.

    If he thought of a knight on Earth, hed think of an old-fashioned armor-d butcher, but it wasnt like that here.

    A knight was a superhuman.

    A knight had extraordinary physical abilities that could deflect bullets as long as they held weapons in their hands.

    Knights had been rivals to wizards for a long time, so as a wizard, the most ufortable type of people to deal with were the knights.

    Because people who dealt with auras could cut down or break through some decent magic.

    Therefore, Hans wanted to take a safe path, even if it took a little more time.

    Because it was too dangerous to enter the enemy camp as he pleased.

    Thats interesting.

    But Ludger smiled rather amusedly at Hanss remark.

    Hans thought he heard it wrong.

    No, will you still go after all this?

    Is there a reason for me not to go?

    There are semi-Knights there!

    Those semi-Knights are just that, theyre not real Knights. Hans, I dont think you know it well, but the difference between semi-Knights and general Knights is big, and the difference between the Knights with those who are the Captains is even bigger.

    No, Im not saying that Im going to talk about it

    I dont know about if they were regr Knights, but semi-Knights are nothing great.

    Hans shut his mouth and contemted seriously, thinking, Is that so? after listening to Ludgers confident tone.

    There was nothing particrly wrong with what Ludger had said.

    The difference between the semi-Knights and the general Knights was actuallyrge.

    In fact, to tell it in a good way, theyre semi-Knights, but in reality, those were people who couldnt be Knights.

    It was true that they were even weaker than an apprentice knight who served beside the knights and received their teachings.

    I think it seems like that after hearing it briefly?

    Come to think of it, Hans was judging the situation too pessimistically.

    Yeah. He was uselessly scared because there was the word Knight in their title, but they were actually nothing, right?

    Hans, who thought he was worried too much, nodded his head while thinking that he couldnt help it.

    Well, if thats what you say.

    Of course, it was Hanss big mistake.

    It was true that the semi-Knights were weakerpared to general or apprentice Knights, but they were not that weak.

    There was a difference in their power, but it could not be called a crucial difference.

    Even if they were semi-Knights, they were talented people who could cut peoples throats with only a spoon.

    For the people of the underworld there, their skill was akin to a wall that they couldnt resist.

    Ludger knew the fact, but he hid it from Hans.

    Even if Hans knew it anyway, he would still go into the Crimson Societys camp.

    It was just easier for Hans to follow him without knowing anything.

    Take this.

    Ludger threw something at Hans.

    Hans grabbed it and went to check what it was.

    I need your help a little bit.

    .Are you sure?

    What Ludger threw at Hans

    Was a wolfs fang.

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 53

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    Hans didnt bother to ask why Ludger had given him the wolfs fang.

    It was him who knew his physical type better than anyone else.

    Even so, if I go alone, the atmosphere wont be right. I need one big guy behind me to threaten them properly.

    I dont know if I get into a fight like this, I will escape right away.

    You dont have to worry about that.

    Haah

    Hans sighed, he held the wolfs fang in his hand and stabbed it into the palm of his hand until it was bleeding.

    Whooosh.

    And shortly afterwards, around the wound by the wolfs teeth, ck hair began to grow on Hans body.

    The gene contained in the wolfs teeth prated his skin and made contact with his blood, triggering his physical transformation in which the beasts factor was expressed.

    Craaack.

    With the sounds of bone twisting, Hans turned almost 1.5 times bigger than usual.

    In time, Hans was reced by a ck-haired werewolf wearing clothes that were almost about to burst.

    Hans carefully took off his top and ced it nearby, as his clothes were stuffy.

    Is this enough?

    Hmm. Not bad. Well, if I can do as I want. Id say you dont need pants either, but

    Please be careful about that.

    Yes. I should understand that part.

    If his transformation went away afterwards, and he took off his pants as well, there would be nothing more horrible than that.

    Hans breathed a sigh of relief.

    Thats a relief.

    Hmm. Your size is not bad either. Im sure that your shape will change depending on which animals teeth you use.

    Well, thats something that Ive had to learn after an awful lot of experience, even though I didnt want to know about it.

    Thats a shame. I wanted to keep the teeth of a bear or a tiger if I could get them.

    Hans didnt have to be bitten directly by the beast.

    His physical type was triggered only when the animals factor touched the inside of his body.

    In other words, it meant that his conditions for transformation were met just by puncturing his skin with an animals teeth.

    But I think this wolfs fang is especially amazing, am I right?

    Hans looked around at his own figure and said so.

    Hans, who had turned into various shapes unwantedly, felt special how he was at that moment.

    His body was full of strength, and his muscles were 1.5 times thicker than usual.

    Hans was sure it wasnt just amon wolfs fang.

    Yeah. Its a fang of a ckfang that exists in the North Continent.

    Hoo. Do you mean the especially ferocious beasts that are dangerous to kill? No wonder I became more powerful than usual.

    Compared to anything youve transformed into so far, you can be proud of this being in the top ranks. Of course, if you use it that I gave you just in case, you can be stronger than anyone else.

    Hans frowned until it was clearly recognizable in his face even though he was transformed into a wolf as he heard the word it from Ludgers mouth.

    But I dont want to use such an extremely dangerous thing. If I did something wrong, Id probably be eaten by the wilderness.

    I handed it over to you just in case. We dont know how the world would turn out. Use it if you think your life is in danger. Its better than dying.

    Thats that, but

    Hans recalled the huge mr.

    It was a tooth, but it was so big that it had to be carved and made into a dagger.

    It was a special gift from Ludger for Hans.

    Hans, who thought his physical type was a curse, still kept that tooth, even though he was reluctant.

    Then shall we go?

    Ill say it again, if theres a fight, Ill run right away.

    I already said it: you just need to set the mood. Ill go in first, so follow me when I send you a signal.

    Pheew. I get it.

    Ludger, who was dressed in ck, and Hans, who had be a shadowy beast, disappeared as if they were melting into the darkness of the alleyway.

    ***

    Located on the outskirts of Leathevelk downtown, Poages Street was famous for its many stores, restaurants, and music halls.

    There was also a workshop to make a power device made of mechanical springs. which was an active ce for children as well as adults.

    In the depths of Poages Street

    In the boundary between the bright outside part of the city and the back alleys

    Damn it!

    There was a man with red hair who blew a bottle of alcohol and drank it.

    Compared to others who had muscr builds, his build was nothing remarkable, but his face was pretty much so.

    Having long sideburns, he had arge scar across one of his eyes, so his ferocity was extraordinary.

    When he became annoyed, his subordinates around him walked on eggshells.

    At that time, the subordinate who yed the role of an advisor took courage and stepped up.

    Big Brother, are you alright?

    Do I look alright to you right now?

    Its hard to say yes, honestly.

    The man was the Crimson Snake, Daughtry, the leader of the Crimson Society.

    It was an obvious thing for him to get angry right then.

    It was because Belfort Ricksen, the biggest cash cow and supporter in the Crimson Society, had died all of a sudden.

    From Daughtrys point of view, who was the closest to Belfort and raised the Crimson Society with Belforts power on his back, one of the big pirs that supported him had copsed.

    There were still a few more pirs to help them, but the problem was that. before Belfort Ricksen died, the Crimson Society had invested a huge amount of money in his project.

    It was an obvious fact that all of Belforts wealth had scattered because the conductor of the project was dead.

    Most investors would share their invested money, but it was difficult to recover the invested money from Daughtrys point of view, who couldnt spend money fairly.

    That wouldntpletely ruin the Crimson Society, but it couldnt be helped that the atmosphere within the society became uneasy.

    But its still bearable, so why dont we seek a new way?

    Thats why I summoned all of you here. I think well have to significantly expand our business soon.

    Business expansion

    That was what he said, but it would be a work apanied by blood and violence.

    It suggested that maybe they would fight with another organization that had only been snarling and ring at them so far.

    But no one was worried about it.

    They were the Crimson Society, and their forces were the best in the back alleys of Leathevelk.

    First of all, lets dominate over the ck Rose Women, no matter what

    When Daughtry muttered like that

    Creeeeaaak.

    The door of the bar creaked open and a person entered.

    Huh?

    What?

    At first, they thought he was a member of the organization who arrivedte, but they were bound to change their mind soon.

    The man seemed too tidy to be a member of the Crimson Society.

    He wore a ck Inverness coat and held a cane in his hand; he also wore a ck silk hat on his head and a monocle on one of his eyes.

    His figure was that of a gentleman who looked rich and rxed.

    Who the hell is that brat? Hey, cant you see that the bars door is closed?

    Daughtry red at the uninvited guest with his drunken, red face.

    The man took an empty chair near him and sat at the center of the bar, seemingly indifferent to Daughtrys gaze.

    * * *

    * * *

    As the man was sitting with his legs slightly apart and holding a cane with both hands, he was full of strange dignity that was difficult to describe in words.

    Who the hell is that brat?

    Is he crazy?

    All members of the Crimson Community red at the uninvited guest.

    After Daughtry emptied his liquor bottle, he stood up from his seat.

    Who are you?

    Daughtry, the leader of the Crimson Society. Am I right?

    Yeah, but you I havent seen you yet. Have we met before?

    Its the first time weve met.

    Daughtryughed as he was dumbfounded.

    Hoo. You came in here alone, even though you knew we were the Crimson Society? Brother, what do you believe in to do that?

    Something I believe in? I came here because I have it.

    Despite the res from all sides, the man was confident without any fear.

    Daughtry felt a strange sense of uneasiness at his appearance.

    He didnt seem to be bluffing.

    Having been wandering around for a long time in those back alleys, he could distinguish between the reckless bravado of ipetent people and the confidence of the really talented ones.

    Among the two, the man in front of him was thetter.

    The clothes hes wearing look luxurious, and his atmosphere itself is extraordinary.

    That kind of person came to see him?

    Daughtry thought he needed to hear the mans story first.

    Hmm. For what reason did youe to see me?

    It hasnt been long since I came to this city, so Im going to start a new business.

    Oh! Business! Good! You came to see the right person.

    Daughtry pped his hands and rejoiced.

    That man talked about business, but everyone there knew that it meant money and dirty work.

    With the mans outfit and his atmosphere

    Seeing that he had gone there while knowing something, Daughtry was sure that he was in the same league as Belfort Ricksen.

    A rich merchant with a lot of money and a ck heart.

    Customers who wanted to make money through all methods.

    Hes a cash cow that I must catch!

    But Daughtry was not quickly pleased. Wasnt it theirw that it would be easy for him to get hit in the back of the head if he believed in that person blindly when there were still a lot of things he didnt know about that person?

    If he didnt know the person yet, he should never trust him.

    Even if he knew that person, he should only trust half of them.

    Betray before you get betrayed.

    It was the way and regtion of people living in the gutter.

    So, whats your name?

    When asked by Daughtry, the man spoke in a rather soft tone.

    My name is James Moriarty.

    Huh? James Moriarty?

    Dutri wondered at the name that felt somewhat strange. He thought he had heard of that name, but he didnt remember much.

    At that time, his right-hand man, who was his deputy and advisor, rushed up to Daughtry and whispered to him.

    James Moriarty! Its him.

    Who is he?

    The important figure who once dominated the underworld of the Delica kingdom.

    Ah.

    Daughtry could only think of the name when his right-hand man said it.

    James Moriarty

    Or. as the people called him, Professor Moriarty.

    He was a notorious criminal consultant who called himself a professor.

    Delica was an iron kingdom that had made remarkable progress in the steel industry.

    It was that man who stood right under its light, dominating the darkness there.

    The rumor was half as famous as a legendary tale in their field.

    But was it for real?

    Daughtry had doubts.

    It was a few years ago that Professor Moriarty had disappeared from Delica.

    Rumor had it that he was killed by a well-known aristocratic detective.

    Some said he was killed and had rotted in a deep dungeon in Delica, and others said he chose to die by himself before being killed.

    Otherwise, there could not have been no news from him for years.

    Perhaps there was a possibility that the Professor Moriarty in front of him was fake.

    Well, I can just check it out.

    Daughtry coughed and greeted him.

    So you are Professor Moriarty. I heard your name often.

    Im d that you know me.

    Hmm. By the way, isnt this a little vague? Its a little vague as to whether you are really Professor Moriarty or not.

    Do you think Im just impersonating?

    Thats because someone who suddenly disappeared a few years ago suddenly appeared in front of me.

    Moriarty nced sideways at his surroundings.

    Daughtrys men were taking out their weapons one by one from their waistlines and holding them.

    The weapons were easy to carry, so they were closer to handguns than daggers.

    The smell of cheap gunpowder that gently stimted the tip of his nose convinced him of such thoughts.

    Knowing that all of the men were given guns, he realized that the Crimson Society was a pretty big ce.

    I want to warn you about one thing.

    Please speak.

    I rmend you not to pull a gun if you can avoid it.

    Moriarty immediately raised his right hand.

    ck ck ck!

    At the same time, countless men around him pulled out their guns and aimed them at Moriarty.

    If he did anything suspicious, hed be a beehived corpse.

    But Moriarty wasnt scared at all.

    At the spirit of his haughtiness that seemingly told them to do it if they could, Daughtry started to wonder if the man in front of him was the real Moriarty.

    Youre quite noisy.

    Some members of the organization were furious with anger as they heard Moriartys provocative tone.

    They looked at Daughtry and asked him if they should shoot that man.

    Daughtry was contemting for a moment, and then he nodded slightly.

    His men, who confirmed his signal, slowly pulled the trigger of the guns in their hands.

    Their target was not his head but his shoulders.

    If they gave him a shot of lead, he might show them his true colors.

    ck.

    But the bullets didnt shoot out.

    Oh, ooh?

    The guns dont work?

    And it wasnt only that. The guns of all the members of the organization who were gathered in the bar were frozen.

    Thats why I warned you

    Moriartyughed quietly at their confusion.

    Not to pull the guns.

    Wi-wizard!

    Daughtry knew why all the guns were suddenly frozen.

    It was clearly the Silence of Fire magic that the wizards used.

    That meant that the man in front of him was certainly a wizard if nothing else.

    At that moment, Moriarty whistled.

    When the sound of his whistle rang within the bar and spread out beyond

    Soon, the door of the bar was smashed, and a giant entered.

    Argh!

    Wh-what the hell is that?!

    The giant was a huge wolf who was walking on two feet.

    It had a huge size with ck fur all over its body and a body height of more than 2.5 meters, and sharp ws that grew on both of its arms.

    Everyone knew about the werewolves crisis that had made Leathevelk chaotic not long before.

    Slowly entering the bar, the werewolf stopped and stood behind Moriarty.

    As if protecting him.

    Daughtry immediately changed his attitude at such an appearance.

    Oh, my. So you are real. I didnt recognize the noble.

    Did I give enough proof?

    Haha. More than enough.

    Then we can finally have a genuine conversation.

    Yes. What kind of business do you want? What do we need to do?

    I have a message to tell you first.

    A message to tell us?

    Daughtry opened his eyes wide while asking the meaning of Moriartys words.

    You know, I dont really like this kind of dirty and disgusting stuff.

    What?

    It means that the Crimson Society will disappear from this ce as of today.

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 54

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    Daughtry was aware of what Ludger, no, Moriarty said.

    In order to survive in this world, the first and foremost thing he needed was a quick sense.

    Daughtry immediately grasped the situation.

    Everyone, kill him!

    Daughtrysmand was quick.

    If Moriarty hade to get rid of them, there was no other answer but to fight hard instead of bothering to deal with him or whatnot.

    Daughtrys men moved under his order.

    They threw away the guns that didnt work and took out daggers.

    However, the flow was not so good. As the space was limited, their failure to bring proper weapons became poison to them.

    Hiyaaaaaat!

    Kill him!

    But their opponent was a wizard.

    The moment they hesitated, they would obviously die.

    There was a chance of winning if they rushed toward him from all sides.

    More than anything else, Moriarty was sitting in the middle of the bar and not somewhere far from them.

    Even though what bothered them was the ck werewolf who was standing behind him

    They numbered close to 100 people.

    As expected.

    Hans gave him a questioning gaze as he saw the Crimson Society gangsters running toward both of them from all sides.

    What should I do now?

    Hans was honestly amazed that the Crimson Society did not run away, let alone be scared by him.

    A sense of loyalty? No. Rather than that, they were so spiteful that no matter who their opponent was, they would rush toward their opponent and bite their neck.

    Just like the name of the crimson snake that lived in the southern jungle.

    The Crimson Society was full of those kinds of people.

    Ludger didnt answer Hanss question; he showed it with his action instead.

    Tap.

    Ludger lifted the cane in his hand and tapped it gently on the floor.

    At that moment, shadows began to flow from the cane and spread throughout the bar.

    Oh, ooh?

    Wh-whats this?!

    The Crimson Society members tried to move after they were confused by the shadows, but their bodies remained still.

    No, to be exact, their bodies moved, but it wasnt ording to their own will.

    The darkness swallowed up all the light inside the bar.

    Ifpared to the alleyways outside that had no streetlights, Ludgers shadows were much denser and darker.

    It was a pitch ckness in which light hadpletely disappeared.

    And within that ckness, there was only one person.

    Ludger himself was able to move without a hitch.

    Aaaaaargh!

    What?! Aargh!

    I cant see anything!

    Screams resounded in the dark. All of them were agonizing death screams by members of the Crimson Society.

    There was a sword drawn from inside the cane; Ludger grabbed the sword and quickly killed the members one by one.

    H-help me!

    Leader! Please help me! Leader!

    As their colleagues died one by one and their voices were clearly heard, the rest of the organization members failed to stay sane.

    It was a horror where they couldnt see anything.

    And at the same time, they heard the sound of death steadily approaching them, so they couldnt hold their sanity.

    Aaaargh! Die! Just die!

    Argh!

    Hes here!

    Frightened, the organization members swung their weapons all over the ce, unable to withstand the fear.

    And they aimed at other colleagues nearby them, and in an instant, the bar turned into a battle where they were killing each other.

    It was not simple magic.

    To be exact, it was more like aplex magic that used darkness and shadow and then added a curse that instilled fear in the opponents minds that had been weakened.

    Based on the spellcasting elemental properties used

    It was the third-tier darkness spell

    The Dream of a Fool.

    It didnt work for people with strong mental powers or good abilities.

    In a space filled with only low-rank people, it was a spell that had a greater effect than everything else.

    Damn it! What are you guys doing?! Hurry and stop him!

    Daughtry clenched his teeth and shouted. He could not see in front of himself, but his will was not shaken by that kind of darkness.

    Because he had something to believe in.

    Following hismand, the two men who had been standing guard for Daughtry near him moved.

    Whoosh!

    When the two wielded their swords, the aura that was ced on the tips of their des cut the darkness that was made up of magic and crossed through it.

    Soon, the magic was canceled, and the surrounding light returned, inly showing the appearance of the bar.

    Daughtrys lips trembled.

    The the hell?

    The bar was apletely horrible mess.

    Fewer than 10 people survived among nearly 100 of his men.

    Even those few people were almost dying, they were bloody and full of wounds.

    Daughtrys bloodshot gaze turned to Moriarty, who stood at the center of the horrible scene.

    What about the wolf monster? Where did he disappear into?

    The werewolf had disappeared somewhere in the middle of the chaos, as he could not be seen, and Moriarty was alone.

    His figure that standing still with a sword amidst the corpses was like a grim reaper who appeared just before peoples death.

    There was not a drop of blood on Moriartys body, even though his surroundings were covered with blood.

    His appearance seemed to be that of someone who was beyond the world, so Daughtry unwittingly got goosebumps on his skin.

    Kill him!

    The two men moved as soon as Daughtry gave them the order.

    They were a big man with mostly shaved hair and a slender long-haired man.

    The two went to either side and rushed toward Moriarty at terrifying speeds.

    Their speed was extremely fast.

    Average people would have allowed both men to approach them at the moment they said Oh and immediately lost their heads.

    Semi-Knight

    Those who could not be Knights but had far more physical abilities than ordinary people.

    Theyre not something to look down on.

    Not only did they split his magic just then, but they were also the ones who knew how to deal with auras.

    Their level was almost equivalent to regr Knights, even though they hadnt managed to enter the Knights Order.

    They were stronger than apprentice Knights.

    I dont think Im going to lose, though.

    Ludger slightly stepped back and spilled a bottle of pills under his feet.

    Fwoosh!

    Immediately afterward, the bottle of pills exploded and purple smoke spread widely around.

    Poison!

    The long-haired Semi-Knight stepped back and protected Daughtry. No matter what anyone said, the battle was over when the leader died.

    The big man tried to resist the poison by surrounding his body with an aura.

    At that moment, flying daggers flew while piercing through the smoke.

    ng ng ng!

    The big man calmly swung his sword to strike all the flying daggers.

    It was a sudden attack, but he struck them all away with transcendent reflexes.

    But there was something he overlooked.

    The fact that there were poison bottles mixed between the flying daggers.

    Baam!

    The poison from the exploded reagent bottle spilled all over his arm.

    Aaaaargh!

    Whiiiiiiieeee!

    However, no matter how much aura he emitted, the poison that came into direct contact with his skin could not be easily cured.

    What Ludger threw was more like a chemical that dissolved everything rather than a poison that reacted in ones body.

    Unless he protected his body with an aura shield, he couldnt prevent it.

    Darn it!

    In an instant, the big man, who couldnt use one of his arms, swung his de with his remaining arm toward the purple smoke with a murderous gaze.

    Whoosh!

    Arge wind blew from his sword and the smoke was torn away.

    The big man, who was about to chase Ludger immediately, was confused when he could not see Ludger.

    Where is he?

    Be careful! Below you!

    At that moment, his colleague, who was watching from behind, warned the big man, but it was already toote.

    Whoosh!

    Ludgers sword, which popped out of the shadow below, pierced the big mans chin and emerged from the top of his head.

    Just because Im a wizard doesnt mean I dont fight in closebat.

    Ludger said so and pulled the sword from the big mans corpse.

    Therge corpse tilted and fell sideways.

    The reason for his defeat was that he had thought that because his opponent was a wizard, the opponent would distance himself and prepare for the next magic.

    Therefore, Ludger was able to win immediately by exploiting the opponents preconception.

    The long-haired guy, who had no choice but to watch his colleagues death, clenched his teeth.

    You brat. What the hell are you?

    I told you before. Im Professor James Moriarty.

    * * *

    * * *

    There is no way that rumors about a wizard who fights like that didnt spread in the first ce. Its strange that I havent heard from Moriarty in years as well. Are you hiding your real identity?

    Do I have any obligation to answer that? You are someone who is about to die, though.

    Ludger sneered at the long-haired man and showed a mockingugh over his shoulder and toward Daughtry.

    Daughtrys face turned pale.

    K-kill him! Kill that brat! Do as I pay you!

    One of the two men who held the greatest power in the Crimson Society had been killed. The only person Daughtry could trust now was the long-haired man who protected him.

    The long-haired man clicked his tongue and read the atmosphere.

    Seeing Ludgers moves in killing the other Semi-Knight, he seemed very experienced inbat.

    From his psychological warfare that caught the opponent off guard to his moves that did not even hesitate to engage in closebat as a wizard.

    He couldnt underestimate Ludger even the slightest bit.

    You wont attack me?

    Will you let me live if I step back?

    You!

    Daughtry shouted with a pale face as he heard the long-haired mans words.

    A-are you going to betray me now?!

    Whether its betrayal or whatever, look at our current situation. The guy whos as talented as I am died without having any chance. You want me to fight a monster like that?

    I gave you the money!

    That money is not more valuable than my life.

    T-twice! No, I will give you thrice of the money! Including the portion that was meant for your dead colleague! So kill him!

    When Daughtry said that it was going to be three times the amount of money he usually received, the long-haired mans ears perked up as he was tempted.

    Thrice? Then it was worth the challenge.

    Because he was also usually getting a lot of money.

    Is it possible?

    Ludgers presence was quite intimidating at first, but he had already seen the method he used to fight.

    Originally, fighting was about understanding the other persons method and reading their technique.

    If he couldnt suppress Ludger with his strength, then the top priority was to get his guard down no matter what and pierce through an opening.

    Actually, Ludger also fought like that.

    If he was careful about that, then somehow

    At that moment, Ludger pulled a gun from his waist and shot toward them.

    Bang! Bang!

    Uurgh!

    He deflected the two bullets fired at them with his sword, but the sense that he felt in his hands was somewhat strange.

    They werent bullets. Rather, they were more like something with mana

    Mana bullets? Crazy. He even uses this kind of thing?

    It was simply not the moves that the wizards he knew would show. They said that entric wizards sometimes did strange things, but it waspletely beyond hismon sense.

    At that moment, Ludger fired a mana bullet again.

    The long-haired man, who was deflecting the mana bullet with his sword, thought that he should not distance himself like that, so he rushed to Ludger.

    Ludger stepped back again.

    The long-haired guy who was a Semi-Knight was running much faster, but reagent bottles were rolling where Ludger stepped back.

    Do you think Ill react the same to what I saw just then?

    He had already seen Ludgers way of fighting and had noticed his moves.

    That was a bottle that spread poison fog. The long-haired guy swung his sword before the smoke was invoked.

    He had nned to cut the smoke down before it was invoked

    But his face soon distorted.

    The sword!

    When he cut the bottles down, the sticky liquid that popped out from them locked his sword to the floor.

    He tried to pull the sword off by surrounding the sword with his aura, but there was a gap of a couple of seconds.

    Ludger aimed his gun at the long-haired mans forehead.

    If I cant block it, I should avoid it!

    With his reflexes, he could avoid flying bullets just by watching the other person pull the trigger.

    Therefore, he, who was concentrating on Ludgers figure, had no choice but to look down due to the sudden, hot pain that he felt in his abdomen.

    Oh?

    There was something like a ck spear piercing through his stomach.

    He turned his head and looked back, and the spear that was popping out from his shadow prated his abdomen from his back.

    H-how.?

    The magic that wizards used wasnt it usually invoked from the spellcaster?

    Ludger had used magic and rotated it away to aim for his back?

    It wasnt like that. If it was, he would have recognized it because he hadnt taken his eyes off Ludger.

    Then there was only one possibility:

    The magic was literally aimed at him after being invoked from a different direction.

    The magic wasing from apletely different ce.

    I have never heard of thi

    Baang!

    Ludgers magic bullet pierced his forehead.

    Eventually, both of the people with Semi-Knight strength died in vain without being able to leave any scars on Ludger.

    After watching the scene from beginning to end, Daughtry plopped down on his spot as if it was slippery with a face like he was facing the grim reaper.

    Step. Step.

    Ludger slowly approached Daughtry and looked down at him.

    His face, which was backed by light, was blocked by the shadow, so Daughtry couldnt see him well.

    Well, then.

    But it was clear that the person was looking at him while smiling.

    Lets finish our conversation.

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 55

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    Hans, who had run away under cover of darkness, crouched still outside the door of the bar and waited for the fight inside to end.

    There was no reason for him to step up in fighting the Crimson Society with Ludger.

    Even though he looked like a werewolf, he didnt know how to fight.

    The sight of a ferocious werewolf with ck fur and a height of over 2m sitting still was a strange sight that could only be seen in a dream.

    Oh.

    Hans, who was listening to the situation inside with his ears pricked up, eventually got up from his spot.

    So its over.

    The sound of blows being exchanged from the fight inside stopped as silence subsided.

    Thest thing he heard was the pained scream of the Crimson Snake, Daughtry, the leader of the Crimson Society.

    Maybe he was being tortured for Ludger to get the information he needed or something like that.

    When even that sound stopped, it meant it was all over.

    As expected, when he entered the bar, he smelled the thick smell of blood.

    Aargh.

    Hans, who had be more sensitive to smell as he had the shape of a wolf, clicked his tongue and moved carefully so as to not to step on the corpses.

    Ludger sat on the front bar, sipping liquor quietly from a transparent ss.

    Is everything over?

    Yeah, Ludger replied without looking back.

    How about both of the Semi-Knights?

    Under my feet.

    Hans was surrounded by corpses.

    Hans decided not to ask exactly what had happened.

    Argh. Im going crazy because Im sensitive to the smell while Im maintaining myself in this form.

    Hans immediately inserted the drug ampoule given by Ludger into his forearm.

    Shoot.

    His swollen body shrunk, and he returned to his human form; then, Hans quickly put on his already prepared coat.

    He shuddered at the dreary sight of his surroundings.

    You are so awesome. You can drink liquor in this kind of ce?

    Im just getting used to it.

    More than that, what kind of liquor is that? The smell seems like its very good.

    Even though he had returned to human form, his sense of smell, which became a little more sensitive due to the influence of his transformation, picked up the smell of Ludgers liquor.

    The scent was quite sweet.

    The liquor in Ludgers ss itself was so clean that there were no foreign matters, so the vor looked quite strong.

    It must have been a pretty expensive liquor.

    Its said to be from the 38th year of Gorgonne Mountain.

    Oh! That precious liquor, you mean? Damn it! Please, give me some as well!

    Wasnt your stomach upset?

    Even if I throw up because I am disgusted by my surroundings, I should drink it!

    Ludger handed over the liquor bottle, and Hans took a moderate, empty cup and poured the liquor into it for himself as well.

    A shabby bar full of corpses

    Where the smell of blood and alcohol was strangely intertwined, the two men sat side by side and drank together.

    So are you sure that you killed Daughtry?

    I havent killed him yet because I wont have anything to use on him after pulling the important information from him.

    Indeed. Now that you have a new ce here and moved your dwelling Whats that again? Theres something you told me before. Did you say that youre here to give out rice cakes?

    Yes.

    I dont know what the hell it means to give out rice cakes, but I suppose that its something like greeting people in a good way since you just moved in, right?

    [TL/N: The meaning of giving out rice cakes is exactly like Hans supposed it to be. Since its Korean peoples tradition to give out rice cakes when they just moved houses.]

    You guessed it exactly right.

    The Crimson Society has been dominating them and building their society up with a notorious reputation If you get rid of the Society, the other organizations will really love it.

    Of course, he had not yet eliminated all of the Crimson Society.

    As they dominated that big city, of course, the total number of their people was well over 1,000.

    But not all 1,000 of those Crimson Society members wereplete members.

    Rather, the 100 people who had gathered in the bar were the key figures.

    Now that the head of their organization is gone, the rest of them are practically destroyed. What are you going to do? Are you going to assimte all the small fry?

    No.

    Ludger shook his head.

    The organization could not be maintained properly, even if the number of its people was increased with useless mongrels.

    I will just use the few people who are needed. Of course, Ill need the guys who will be subcontracted, but not all of them. Pick people who are smart enough and have a good personality.

    Hmm. Youre telling me to go around a little bit.

    Hans. Im done with everything I can do. The rest of the data will be in their office upstairs, and their papers and secret ledgers will be all there, so you can look at those and proceed with your task.

    Oh, my. I will be busy again.

    Hans sighed.

    Hans had worked really hard for a couple of days to get information, collect data, and organize it.

    Ludger hadpleted all the necessary processes in just one night.

    Of course, it was possible because Ludger was so great, but Hans felt it to be a little unfair.

    No. I chose not to walk on a safe path and not risk my life, so I cantin about it.

    Of course, he had to take risks when collecting dangerous information, but it was possible for him to borrow the power of his unusual physical type for that.

    That was why he thought Ludger was even greater.

    Otherwise, there would be no reason for Hans to honor him and follow him everywhere other than that.

    But even after our hideout is decided, theres no one else but you and me, right? What are you going to do about that?

    If theres no one else, we should increase the number.

    Increase the number, you said? But a little while ago, you said no one shoulde in

    Im not talking about any Tom, Dick, and Harry. Hans, you must know it as well. There are several people I know.

    Ah.

    Hans immediately crumpled up at Ludgers remark.

    Are you sure?

    Why are you like that?

    Why, you said? Thats because

    Ah. Now that I think about it, your rtionship with them is bad.

    Ahem. More than not having a bad rtionship, its a bit like

    Hans hesitated because he knew who the people I know that Ludger was trying to refer to were.

    Of course, they were definitely skilled in each of their fields, and their skill was good enough to be mentioned by Ludger himself.

    However, if there was a problem, would it be that they didnt have responsible personalities?

    No, by the way, will those extremely stubborn people reallye? They wont budge, no matter what I say to them, though.

    I already sent them letters. Unexpectedly, they said they were going toe after finishing their work.

    Urgh.

    Hans kept grumbling until he emptied his ss, seemingly ufortable just by thinking about them.

    Do you hate them that much?

    Its not that I dont like them, its more like I feel ufortable about them. There arent any normal people among them. Well, even though I shouldnt be saying that with my body as it is.

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    Cant you just get along with them?

    Pheew. I think youre saying that because you dont know, but how can I get along with them when they all have the same bullshit personality? Some of them used to treat me like I was some kind of experiment.

    Is that so?

    Yes. Of course, yes. Theyre a little meek when youre around, but I might really die if you disappear. Are you still going to be here?

    Im busy maintaining my Ludger identity right now.

    Thats exactly it! Every time youre away as a Sren Professor, have you ever thought about how much of my blood dries up?

    Thats your own business. Will you die because of it, though?

    Of course, he wouldnt die, but he might be all stressed right before he almost died.

    Hans sighed.

    It was a reality that had already happened to Ludger.

    * * *

    * * *

    Haah. Now that I think about it, theres indeed no one else who can do this kind of nasty job as well as they do.

    Because theyre so talented.

    It was one of them that had done such a great job in creating all of the equipment that Ludger still used.

    More than that, are you going to be alright?

    What do you mean?

    Are you a Sren Professor for now? Besides, wasnt it a bit dangerous because you showed your real face this time, unlike your previous identities?

    Yes. Thats also why I was moving like this.

    You said they somewhat suspected you, though. Then is it okay for you to just walk around outside like this?

    It was that part that Hans was worried about.

    If Sren suspected him, shouldnt Ludger refrain from going out to the city?

    Moreover, as their opponent was a wizard, their opponent might be secretly monitoring him through any methods.

    He obviously needed to move with caution in doing everything.

    You dont have to be worried about that.

    Are you sure? Isnt your opponent a wizard?

    Hans. What do you think a wizard is?

    Hmm. What is a wizard? If they use magic, then theyre a wizard. But if I have to answer that question A very rational and cool-headed seeker? Something like that.

    You are close. Just as you said, wizards are quite rational. No, I think they need to be rationalthey wont tolerate the slightest of mistakes.

    It was essential to have a calm mind for a wizard to cast their magic.

    Of course, wizards could not be free from all mistakes, because they were human beings.

    However, it was the basic t of a wizard to do their best to reduce mistakes in whatever they could.

    Especially because, the higher the wizards rank, the more they should be careful of mistakes.

    The principal is a sixth-rank wizard. Moreover, shes smart as well. I understand your concern because she is suspicious of me.

    But are you okay, even after that?

    Lets say the principal is suspicious of me and keeps her eyes on me.

    Lets say it like that.

    And what if I notice that? If I argued with that, saying, why did you secretly watch me, what do you think she would do as the principal?

    Thats

    Hans became silent and was unable to quickly answer.

    She was supposed to be tracking Ludger secretly without getting caught, but what if she got caught? wouldnt that be a pretty bad situation?

    What if she said, I was suspicious of you shamelessly?

    Can she just not get caught?

    Its not certain for her not to be caught. But the possibility of getting caught might exist. Hans. What are you going to consider in this case?

    Hmm. Im sure its thetter. If shes really not sure that she wont get caught, then she shouldnt mess up with you.

    Her opponent is a Srens Professor, and his real skills are not well known. If she tails such a target recklessly and gets caught, shell be in a lot of trouble, no matter if shes the principal or not.

    So its better to just not tail you rather than having to suffer loss by doing it?

    Wizards are like that. Besides, Ive shown good performance as a Professor so far. If she makes a mistake here and disappoints me, she will be quite embarrassed as the principal.

    A principal that couldnt trust the Professor and tailed him

    That fact alone would put the principal in a bad position.

    Of course, considering the personality of the principal, she would prepare as much safety as possible, but she was already defeated the moment she even considered that as a possibility.

    The principals position Even the principal cant do anything she wants at the moment, there are opposing factions and not all Professors follow her. She has to be more careful the more those kinds of factions exist because her position is just like that.

    Aha. I see. So you dont mind moving around freely like this by using that chance?

    Of course, Ill get caught if I act too explicitly because the tail thats long is bound to be stepped on.

    Thats why Ludger managed his image as a Professor and made sure he strengthened his internal stability.

    Thanks to that, even if he went out freely, the principal would not track him or follow him, even if she is a little suspicious of him.

    Especially when there was a conflict between the aristocracy and themon people like there had been that day that had caused Sren to be noisy.

    I understand, so I dont have to worry about it right now.

    Of course.

    So if we all get together and form an organization, have you decided what to name it?

    Name?

    Arent you and I going to move and live in Leathevelk? Then we should definitely name the organization. Well, even if were going to get rid of our organizations rank and stuff, would the atmosphere be alive without a name?

    You make a good point.

    Dribble..

    After pouring all the liquor into the empty ss, the bottle was empty before he knew it.

    He was disappointed because it was a luxurious drink and it tasted good.

    The liquor was still full just then.

    How many people in total will be gathering?

    Hmm. Including you and me, its about six or seven.

    Small.

    Of course. The number is ridiculously insufficient to form an organization.

    But more people wille in. Maybe if we add a few more people, 10 people wont be bad.

    10 people? Its adequate. So have you decided on the name?

    Name. Name, huh

    Ludger suddenly remembered a famous original novel and poem that had the same name that he had seen in his previous life.

    He had read it a long time ago, but it was such a famous novel that he still remembered it clearly.

    There was a character in the novel

    A person who suppressed peoples sinful acts and judged those who could not be dealt with byw.

    Someone who eventually got rid of himself.

    .

    ? The organizations name is unknown? Whats this? Did you just change the meaning of the word unknown with a pun?

    Yeah.

    I like the ent.

    Thus, the new organization that Ludger would create was named .

    One more ss?

    Yes.

    Clink.

    In celebration of the birth of the new organization, Ludger and Hans shared a toast, lightly bumping theirst remaining ss.

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    Inside that alley

    It was a night in a bloody bar.

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 56

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    The day after the open duel

    Aaaargh. Im tired.

    Aidan staggered along the corridor, his footsteps seemed almost like a zombies.

    Even then, as soon as the ss was over, some students approached him and talked to him or pretended to be close to him.

    The excessive interest of other students was too burdensome for Aidan, and it was to the point that it rather made him have a sour stomach.

    Uurgh. Why did it be like this?

    Thats because you did your best in front of everyone. Are you stupid?

    Leo, who heard Aidan talking to himself, scolded him with an incredulous expression.

    Is that so?

    Phew. Yourepletely oblivious to this kind of thing, I see.

    Leo sighed when he realized that Aidan was being sincere. Aidan scratched his head awkwardly.

    Aidan had the type of personality where he wouldnt want to brag about how good he was in the first ce.

    He was the person who had entered Sren purely because he liked magic rather than having a determination to seed as a wizard.

    There werent many people like that in Sren.

    It was not enough for you to win the magic duel against an aristocrat in the first ce, you even used a strange spell to remove the opponents magic, so of course, itd be weird if you didnt get any attention.

    Is that so?

    Aidan, what on earth was the spell you used back then?

    Tessie, who was walking a step closer than usual next to Aidan, couldnt resist her curiosity.

    Her eyes showed a strong will to find out the spell Aidan had used.

    Aidan hesitated to reply as he saw her burdensome gaze.

    Oh, hmm. Its just something I learned when I was young. Its nothing much.

    Nothing much, you said? Hey, if thats nothing much, then what are we?

    Right. A spell that removed the others spell. Ive never heard of such a thing. Dont beat around the bush, and answer us quickly.

    Hmm.

    Aidan hesitated to answer.

    That was because his teacher strictly warned him not to reveal the spell recklessly.

    That was why he had desperately avoided answering the persistent questions of other students.

    Although he had been told by his teacher that he didnt mind him telling those he could really trust

    Is it really okay?

    Aidan contemted for a moment.

    Tessie and Leo Both of them were precious friends he had made there in Sren.

    He didnt think that there would be a mix of political calctions in their rtionship because they had been close even before he used Anti Magic.

    Suddenly, he remembered what his teacher had said.

    -Youll always have to make choices throughout your life. In that case, follow your heart.

    Follow his heart

    The teacher himself spoke about it lightly, but Aidan had never forgotten that lesson.

    Aidan made his decision.

    Alright. Ill tell you.

    Oh, really?

    Tessie was rather surprised when Aidan answered their question seriously.

    In fact, she was indeed pushing him too hard when she asked him, but she didnt expect much from Aidan, as she saw him keep his mouth shut to the persistent questions of the other students even after the ss was over.

    She thought Aidan might have his own circumstances that wouldnt let him tell it to the others, so she was just going to poke him about the matter; that was why she didnt expect him to give her that kind of answer.

    Lets move to a quiet ce for now.

    The three then headed to Rose Park, a ce that students did not visit often.

    ***

    Rose Park was filled with a gentle scent under the dazzling sun.

    Aidan was contemting what to say as he was sitting on a secluded bench in a park full of colorful, beautiful full-bloom roses.

    Hmm. How to start telling you about the spell

    Then, when he thought that it was good to talk from the beginning, he opened his mouth.

    What I used is Anti Magic, its a spell to get rid of another spell.

    I understand that since I already saw it.

    So its called Anti Magic, huh.

    There was an opposite reaction between Leo and Tessie.

    Aidan smiled awkwardly and continued.

    Hmm. And it was my teacher, a wandering wizard, who taught me this spell, but he said that Im currently the only one who can actually use Anti Magic.

    What? Why?

    I heard that it can only be used by people with a unique physical type. I didnt know about it either, but my teacher said so.

    Its only possible if the person has a unique physical type, huh

    Who is that teacher?

    What Tessie and Leo were most curious about was Aidans teacher.

    Who the hell was that wandering wizard to teach him Anti Magic? It would be strange if he hadnt publicized himself anywhere if he was that talented.

    I dont know either, Aidan responded while scratching his cheek with his forefinger.

    Whaat?!

    Is that even possible?

    Aidan held out his hands and made a hasty excuse as he saw Tessie and Leos sharp gazes.

    No! Its for real! When I first met my teacher, I was so young that I was only eight years old. It was more than 10 years ago.

    Ten years

    And hes free-spirited and someone whos hard to understand, so I dont know where and what hes doing now, either. I also cant contact him. He disappeared like the wind when he left, so I didnt have time to ask him about his name.

    What? Then it means you dont know whether hes currently alive or dead.

    Hmm. But considering his skills, he must be living well somewhere. I think so.

    They couldnt believe he had such a calm response after being left by the teacher who taught him the extraordinary spell of Anti Magic.

    Tessie was about to say something about Aidans behavior, but she shut her lips.

    She unconsciously epted the fact that he could be like that because he was Aidan.

    Tessie had a surge of frustration.

    I want to know everything about Aidan, though.

    Suddenly, Tessie realized that she was overly interested in Aidan.

    Aaah! No! I cant believe I have an interest in him! The only important thing to me is reviving my family!

    Tessie immediately cleared her distracting thoughts and shook her head violently from side to side.

    Her red hair that was tied in pigtails also shook in tune with her head.

    Its just curiosity, simply a mere curiosity. Yes. Just that.

    Leo, who was listening to Aidan while Tessie felt troubled inside, raised a question.

    More than that, its amazing. No matter how it happened 10 years ago, the Anti Magic that you use is not well known.

    Hmm. Maybe its because the spell is so rare?

    The rarer the spell, the more famous it is. People are curious about that which is hard toe by. Moreover, if the spell can delete other spells

    Anti Magic clearly had no killing power.

    Compared to other spells, Anti Magic itself certainly seemed to do less.

    However, when fighting against a wizard, Anti Magic showed a ridiculous performance just by its appearance.

    Aidan. That Anti Magic, does it work regardless of the spell tiers?

    Hmm. I dont really know about that either. Honestly, it was my first time using it properly. Id never used it like that before.

    Didnt your teacher tell you about that?

    He never exined it in much detail because my teachers personality isnt like that. Besides, I just liked learning magic at the time, so I just learned it without thinking.

    Pheew.

    Leo sighed as he listened to Aidans answer.

    It was a coboration between an irresponsible and secretive teacher who didnt exin anything and an immature little countryside child who thought nothing would matter as long as he would be able to learn the spell because he liked magic.

    But Leo, why did you ask me that?

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    Just because I think I heard something a long time ago.

    Heard something?

    Your teacher You dont know his name either, right?

    Huh, huh? Yeah. I didnt ask his name. Maybe he told me his name, but I dont remember it.

    Maybe its right that he didnt tell you his name. It bothers me that you havent heard from someone like that in thest 10 years. If hes that talented, itd be no wonder if they put his name on a page in a newspaper.

    Is that so?

    Aidan was an outsider to that kind of thing, so he couldnt answer properly.

    * * *

    * * *

    I think its because youre not aware of it yet, but Anti Magic is a spell that can definitely cause a fuss just by its existence, especially to the whole magic world.

    But the other students didnt seem to know much about it.

    That means it was that secretive. Its hard for students who are currently learning magic to know about it well, something like that.

    Then Tessie, who was only listening, stepped in.

    But if thats the case, didnt the Professors know about it? If they didnt know about it, the Professors wouldnt have left Aidan when he was attacked.

    Some of the Professors also reacted as if they were seemingly surprised. They knew about Anti Magic, but it was the first time they saw someone actually using it.

    Did you check their reactions amidst the attack?

    Leo nodded.

    When everyone had sat in the audience seat and watched Aidan using Anti Magic with nk faces, Leo had focused on the audiences reactions.

    Among them, several people had reacted naturally as if they knew it would happen from the beginning.

    People who knew about Anti Magic, knew that Aidan used it, and were not surprised to see it in front of their eyes.

    First of all is the principal.

    The principal? Well, the principal is a great woman, so she obviously knew. Anyone else?

    There was also Hugo and Mary Ross, who seemed to have been working as a Professor for a long time. Other than those people, the new Professors didnt seem to know about it. But

    But?

    Professor Ludger Chelysie was different.

    Professor Ludger Chelysie?

    Yeah. Professor Ludger responded naturally as if he had known about Aidans Anti Magic from the beginning.

    Aidan suddenly remembered Ludgers appearance that day.

    Aidan always thought that Ludger was a person who merely had a less expressive face, but when he thought about it, his attitude that had remained the same even though he used Anti Magic was somewhat strange.

    Maybe Professor Ludger knew a little about the Anti Magic that Aidan used.

    He knew it, you said? If he knew about it, then to what extent?

    I dont know that much. But this is just a guess, he may have some connection with Aidans teacher.

    Then Tessie stepped up and refuted.

    Ayy. No matter how hard I think about it, its a really wild guess. Did you ever think that Professor Ludger didnt know much about it but he didnt want to make it seem obvious in the first ce?

    Its you who doesnt know about it, Tessie.

    Whaat?

    Think about it. Why on earth did Professor Ludger treat Aidan so well?

    Treat him well, you said?

    Tessie frowned at Leos words.

    Have you forgotten about it? When he was teaching about the elemental properties, Professor Ludger praised Aidan.

    Well, thats because Aidan did well

    That cold-blooded man? Havent you seen Flora Lumos? It was Professor Ludger who bombarded that genius with hard truths and harsh words.

    It was true when she thought about it.

    And the important thing is what happened next. Do you remember the bet that Professor Ludger made with Professor Chris?

    I obviously remember that.

    Professor Ludger bet on Aidan winning the duel then without the slightest bit of doubt. Dont you think its strange? Until then, Aidan had been an ordinary student whom he didnt know much about.

    Thats

    What made Professor Ludger so sure that Aidan would win against the aristocratic student? And why did he teach Aidan Moving Magus while using his own personal time?

    The more Leo spoke, the less Tessie was able to say anything.

    It was because the more she heard him speak, the more right he seemed to be.

    I checked and found out that Moving Magus is a real-life battle technique used only by special people in the military.

    They said that Professor Ludger served as a military officer.

    Its exactly that. The lessons that he learned in the military Being a military officer He knew about Anti Magic to some extent. I found a connection there.

    Whats that? Tessie asked.

    Aidan waited for Leos next words, intrigued by his spection.

    Maybe, Aidan Maybe Professor Ludger knew something about your teacher.

    Professor Ludger? But how?

    I dont know the details, of course, but thats my assumption. Professor Ludger must have met your teacher when he was an active military officer. If thats the case, then the pieces of the puzzle match. Your teacher is not famous and is secretive, even though he had that many abilities, because hes from a secret army unit that shouldnt be known.

    Leo was inwardly convinced that his deduction was almost correct.

    Aidan tilted his head a little bit as he heard that.

    The teacher he knew was a man simr to a soldier who was thorough in discipline and always restrained, so to speak, just like Ludger.

    However, the teacher in his memory was not a soldier, but rather more like a free man akin to the wind.

    No, if hes from a secret army unit, he might be different from a regr soldier.

    In some way, Aidan thought Leos guess might be right.

    Does Professor Ludger know about my teacher?

    Considering the behavior he showed you, I think its possible. Theres no way hed be nice to you otherwise. Maybe both of them were close to each other.

    Ludger was not only naturally epting of Aidans Anti Magic, but also Ludger, who was unlikely to pay attention to others, had spent time teaching Aidan how to do Moving Magus.

    Leos words were certainly convincing.

    Then, if you ask Professor Ludger, will he tell you about your teacher?

    Aidan contemted for a moment at Tessies question and shook his head.

    No. Never mind. Were still not certain yet. Besides, I dont want to bother Professor Ludger again. I already gained a lot of help from him.

    Well. As long as you think so.

    Then, as the conversation was about to be ended, Tessie opened her mouth as she seemingly recalled something.

    Ah. More than that, have you guys heard about the rumor?

    Rumor?

    What rumor?

    Well

    ***

    I was eating with fellow new Professors who had just joined the Academy.

    Most of all, they were fellow colleagues who had entered the Academy in the same period as me, and it was essential for me to maintain the least amount of personal connections, no matter how lonesome I was.

    It was not a bothersome thing to do.

    While I sat still and ate quietly, the other teachers would ask for current news on their own and exchange news with each other.

    Professor Selena in particr liked to chat so much that she chatted nonstop while eating.

    Of course, she was not annoying or anything.

    Rather, Selenas behavior was like the life of the party.

    Still, I didnt pay much attention to the information that they were talking about because 10% of the information was of no importance, among the 10 topics, only one topic piqued my interest.

    Ah, right. Professor Ludger didnt do that?

    However, the news was different from usual and was somewhat of an eye-opener for me.

    What do you mean by that? I looked back at Professor Selena and asked.

    Youve been working alone all this time. Collecting data, organizing textbooks, and even checking assignments, right?

    Right.

    Well, wasnt that the role and the job of a Professor?

    As soon as I thought so, Professor Selena asked me innocently.

    Why dont you have an assistant?

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    There was something like that?

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 57

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    When Professor Selena asked me that, I quietly put down my dish on the table and spoke.

    I havent felt the need to do so yet.

    It was a lie.

    Actually, I didnt even know there was a Professor Assistant role.

    Come to think of it, I dont think Ive ever seen other Professors go around alone.

    Most Professors had people around them.

    At that time, I didnt know they were Professor Assistants, and I had thought they were just students who followed the Professor to ask personal questions.

    Or an employee whom they ordered to do chores.

    So they were Professor Assistants, huh.

    Then, did everyone except me pick their own assistants and order them around, and only I didnt know that?

    Professor Selena was quite surprised by my answer.

    Whaat? Th-then, so far, you have organized the assignments, student attendance, and materials for ss preparation

    I did it all by myself.

    D-dont you feel tired?

    Had I felt tired due to it?

    Oh, it was certainly a little bothersome to guide nearly 80 students one by one, organize their data, and prepare the ss contents by myself.

    The most difficult thing in particr in that matter was checking the homework submitted by the students one by one.

    But I shook my head because I didnt feel tired.

    Its not that tiring.

    I I see. How many students did you have in your ssroom?

    80 people. It reached the maximum quota.

    The words caused breathtaking sounds from other Professors who were eating together with me.

    So you alone have been in charge of 80 students since the semester started?

    Isnt it usually like that?

    Its not usually like that.

    Is that so?

    Yes.

    I see.

    Since I didnt look at the other Professors deeply, they shouldve known that I did something wrong.

    Then did you pick an assistant as well, Professor Selena?

    Yes. But I didnt need a lot of helping hands, so I only picked three people.

    She said she didnt really need it, but she picked three assistants?

    Well, did the other people take 10 assistants with them?

    I skimmed my eyes around and suddenly found a Professor passing by outside the restaurant.

    He was Chris Benimore, a Professor who looked temperamental and hysterical.

    Since his defeat in thest bet, there had been eight restless students behind Chris Benimore who had always been in a bad mood.

    There were a lot.

    I think you should take this opportunity to pick one assistant, too. Moreover, you said that there are 80 students who take your lectures, right? Then youll need more than five assistants.

    I think so too.

    Professor Merilda also intervened in the conversation.

    It may be okay now, but youll be exhausted after a while.

    Do I need it right away?

    You dont have to pick all of your assistants at once, but you can just increase the number little by little.

    I see.

    Hmm. As they suggested that I pick assistants so much, I was also intrigued by it.

    In addition, looking at the reactions around me, it seemed that if I didnt have any assistants, I might attract the attention of others too much.

    First of all, it seemed necessary for me to select the right person in the near future.

    I understand. Then Ill try to pick an assistant as soon as possible.

    Since you are popr, if you post an official paper, there will be a lot of students who apply to do it.

    Thank you for thepliment, even if its just a ttery.

    Its not ttery, though

    Then since Im done eating, Ill get going now.

    After I got up from my seat, I said goodbye and left the cafeteria.

    ***

    Hmm.

    After I went back to the Professors office, I patted my chin while reading a collection of data on assistant recruitment.

    Even if I am a new Professor, I can hire an assistant, and usually, the Professor will have more than six people. So, indeed, I have to pick assistants.

    Well, there were indeed teachers and disciples among wizards, so it was expected in a magic academy.

    In the case of the magic tower alone, there were teachers in each school, and there were dozens of disciples under the school.

    Of course, they were closer to ves who used the title of disciple as an excuse to be worked around asbor, but nominally, it was like that.

    The magic tower had established some kind of tradition themselves, and Sren, that taught magic, had also not escaped that influence.

    And surprisingly, Sren also had a university student system.

    Instead of rxing for graduation after their fifth year, Srensst-year students were studying magic and producing papers under their Professor.

    Yes, frankly speaking, they were just like university students in the 21st century.

    What an innovative academy.

    In both good and bad ways.

    Anyway, aside from that part.

    I dont feel the need to hire an assistant right away because theres nothing among my work thats beyond my capability, but it wouldnt be bad if there was one person who handled the chores.

    Sren wasnt a real magic tower anyway, but an academy, so I didnt have to worry about the security issue of someone robbing my magic data.

    I just needed them to organize the materials rted to the ss.

    Being an assistant basically gives them more credit, or they can get a more personal instruction from the Professor.

    There was no obligation to pass on my magic.

    If there was such a treaty in the first ce, the Professors would have protested.

    After looking through the use with my eyes, I crossed my legs and folded my hands.

    If I have to choose an assistant, Id better choose apetent person.

    The simplest way to pick an assistant was to post an announcement.

    If I said Id recruit a few assistants under my name, there would be applicants, and Id sort them out.

    Basically, it was said that people who were about to graduate were the ones who usually did the assistant jobs, but there was no particr age limit.

    New Professors focused on picking the first and second-year students who took their sses instead.

    Should I choose the students who take my ss?

    If I chose an assistant among the students who took my ss, then they would be given the role of the ss president in my lecture only.

    Then I needed someone who could lead and give directions to the students well.

    There were indeed some people who came to my mind.

    First of all, both of them were high-ranking nobles and royalty, and they had their own charisma, so they were good at setting the mood.

    However, those two wont want to be my assistants.

    First of all, I honestly criticized Flora Lumos quite a lot, so it would be hard to pick her as my assistant, and in the case of the Princess, Elendil, I felt more ufortable.

    No way I could order a Princess to be an assistant.

    No matter how Sren imed equality of their students status, it was still too much.

    Even if she told me that she wanted to do it wholeheartedly, I would have had to say no.

    Should I postpone the selection, after all? I know the students wille by themselves if I post an official announcement properly, but it still takes a little bit of time. I dont want to pick students who havent been verified.

    If I had to pick someone, it would be much better if it was someone that I feltfortable ordering around.

    I decided to go back to the amodation for the moment because the answer wouldnte even if I contemted about it.

    Aftering out of the Professors room wearing an overcoat, I suddenly felt a familiar sense of presence, so I stopped my footsteps while walking in the hallway.

    Sedina.

    Y-yes!

    Sedina Rochen, who was hiding in the corner of the hallway, jumped out in surprise.

    As she was still looking at me in awe, she seemed to have been secretly waiting for me.

    Doesnt she have any tasks?

    Do you have any businesses with me?

    N-no. Its not like that

    She looked restless for fear of being scolded by me.

    I was going to tell her to go back then, but I thought of her point of view for a moment and opened my mouth.

    Is that so? You came at a perfect time.

    P-pardon?

    You should be my assistant.

    Yes. Ah, yes.

    Sedina nodded reflexively.

    And five seconds afterwards

    Pardon?!

    Sedina shouted out in astonishment.

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    I had just said a couple of words, but her response was so extreme.

    You dont want it? If you dont want it, I wont force you to do it.

    It its not like that! Ouch!

    Sedina bit her tongue when she hastily said no to me.

    Her appearance when she was covering her mouth with both of her hands seemed like a real squirrel.

    Then will you say yes?

    Nod nod.

    Sedina shook her head violently up and down, unable to open her mouth.

    Im d that you want to do it. Theres still some time left, so fill out the assistant application form ande to my office.

    A-are you sure? Are you sure its okay for me to be your assistant?

    Theres no reason for you not to be. Or do I have a reason to lie?

    N-no!

    The deadline is two days. Remember it.

    I spoke thosest words to Sedina and left.

    As a member of the ck Dawn Society, based on her performance until then, she was specialized in gathering information.

    If I kept her near me, Id have more opportunities to find out about the ck Dawn Society.

    Rather than setting a ce and time to make contacts every time, working as a Professor and assistant made it much easier to get in touch.

    Above all, she would be able to erase the suspicious gaze of the third party.

    Choosing her wasnt a bad choice.

    First of all, Sedina is already confirmed. The rest can be chosen slowly in the future.

    I found a faithful ve faster than I thought.

    * * *

    * * *

    A few days after the open duel between Aidan and Felio

    The story of the duel that day still lingered among the students, but as usual, they wanted to find new gossip rather than an outdated story.

    And that time, the students chatter was enough to attract everyones attention.

    Oh, my. Arent people more noisy than usual?

    Lynne asked Elendilfortably, as the third Princess was sitting next to her.

    Although the difference between the status of an imperial woman and amoner was far away, they were able to get closer faster than anyone else because they had no close friends.

    And neither of them cared about such trivial things.

    Ah, you came, Lynne. I think theres a strange rumor going around among our fellow students these days.

    Strange rumor?

    Yeah. Theyre talking about Professor Ludger recruiting assistants.

    Whoa. Thats a little tempting.

    It was a quite popr issue among students that Ludger Chelysie had not chosen any assistants so far.

    Considering that most Professors must choose an assistant, it was quite unusual for a new Professor not to choose a single assistant.

    As a joke, it was even said that Ludger might not have known that he actually had to have an assistant.

    Of course, there is no way that Professor Ludger would be like that.

    It didnt ur to her that such a thorough man would have a weakness there.

    The students were just joking as well.

    If Ludger said he would choose an assistant, the front of Professor Ludgers office would probably be crowded with students shouting for him to pick them.

    If it was Ludger, who seemed to hate noisy and annoying things, he might not have chosen an assistant simply because he didnt like it.

    But the hottest rumor is something else.

    Something else? What else is there?

    Yeah. Have you heard of the Seven Legends of Sren?

    Seven Legends? No. I havent heard about it..

    Lynne was an outsider in that matter, so she couldnt answer properly.

    Ah, so you dont know.

    Oh, yes. I dont really know things like that

    Well, thats obvious as well. The seven legends are just a rumor in the first ce.

    However, that was why students were more enthusiastic.

    Srens seven legends

    One of them was that, somewhere in this Academy, there was a dungeon hidden by the founder and first principal of Sren.

    The so-called Forefather Room.

    Another famous legend was that there was a beautiful flower tree that always fulfilled the wish of people who confessed their feelings there.

    Thats probably the most buzzing topic right now.

    What is it?

    The omnipotent stone that makes ones wishe true.

    Lynne thought she had mistakenly heard something for a moment as she listened to Elendils words.

    There was a stone that makes our wishese true?

    Theres a rumor that the stone exists somewhere in Sren.

    Pardon? Really?

    Lynne felt strange at those words.

    Is there really a stone that makes our wishese true?

    Seeing Lynnes reaction, Elendil lifted her forefinger and shook it from side to side.

    You dont know much, I see.

    Oh what?

    There are so many unknown mysteries in the world that have yet to be revealed. Monsters and demons that existed in ancient times, cryptids that are still scattered all over the world, secret ruins, and even unknown gods.

    Elendils eyes were burning with curiosity toward the unknown as she said so.

    In a world like that, there is no way that the mysterious stone doesnt exist in Sren, which is the center of all magic! Of course, its impossible for the stone to be omnipotent or grant any wish, but Im sure its an artifact with corresponding power!

    Oh, yes.

    Lynne was inwardly confused by Elendils unusual appearance.

    She didnt know that Elendil, who maintained her dignity as a Princess and always acted aloof from the others, had that kind of hobby.

    In addition, she might be quite serious with her hobby, given that once she had fallen into it, she didnt care about the reactions around her at all.

    You know uh. such things quite well, I see.

    Ah. Sorry. I have pretty invested in this kind of thing. Its a bit too much, right?

    N-no! You look even better instead.

    Lynne thought Elendils appearance shone in a fresh way.

    If it was outside Sren, she would have been far too high for them to even make eye contact.

    The Princess, who was always aloof and confident and had to shake off her charisma in front of everyone, was actually a person with personal tastes just like everyone else.

    There was absolutely no reason to look at it in a bad way.

    Anyway, Sren became noisy because of the omnipotent stone.

    Ah, so thats why.

    Besides Lynne and Elendil, all of the students were also talking about the omnipotent stone.

    Hmph. Omnipotent stone, huh? I cant listen to it because its too childish.

    Flora Lumos snorted inwardly while eavesdropping on the students.

    If there was such an omnipotent stone in this world, the adults would have already taken it before it entered into students ears.

    If such an object existed in the first ce, it shouldve been taken at the national level.

    In the end, the omnipotent stone was just a false rumor that had been born on its own as people gathered.

    She couldnt believe they truly trust in that legend. Could they be called wizards like that?

    When she saw the students talk about it after school, she even felt embarrassed that they were the same Sren students as her.

    Well, I can just mind my own business.

    What Flora cared about was the news about Ludger that was sometimes being talked about instead.

    Hes choosing an assistant? Professor Ludger?

    She couldnt believe that such a thoroughly superhuman guy was choosing an assistant.

    Of course, he could pick an assistant because he was a Professor, but when she heard that he was going to pick one, she wondered who he would pick.

    In the case of Professors Assistant, they usually represent the image of a Professor, so a person whocks the skill wont do it.

    If it was a Professor like Ludger, the assistant should have the skills to match him.

    If she had to say it, it was someone like her.

    Ah, really. What kind of thought is this?

    Flora shook her head.

    She couldnt believe she considered herself to be Ludgers assistant. That was too much.

    It would be a different case if Ludger asked her to be his assistant directly.

    Well, if he does that, I have nothing to be worried about.

    They just said that he was going to pick someone, but there was no way that he would pick them right away, so it wouldnt be bad to look at the progress over time.

    As she was thinking that way, the front door of the ssroom opened and a girl student came in.

    What?

    All the peoples eyes were focused on the student.

    She had a small body and voluminous, brown, bobbed hair. That girl did not care about the gazes of other students and put the data that she held in her arms on the podium.

    The Professor ising soon, so please be quiet.

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    Floras face became nk at her daring, soft voice.

    He already picked an assistant?

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 58

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    I gave Sedina Rochen two days.

    Until then, I told her that she could slowly submit the application form to be a Professors Assistant.

    But to overshadow my words, Sedina neatly finished the application form an hourter and came back to me.

    She was gasping for breath from running so quickly.

    I epted it with a nk face because I didnt expect her to want to be my assistant that much, and Sedina was appointed as my assistant through a formal process.

    And the next day in my ss

    I handed Sedina the ss material and told her to go first and put it on the podium, and then she went slowly on her way to the ssroom.

    First of all, I need to show my students who my assistant is.

    Sedina was very thorough and smart with others, even if she looked weak and delicate.

    Rather, she often showed her vignce against others, and I guessed it might be rted to the reason why she entered the ck Dawn Society.

    She was only acting weird in front of me, as she had mistaken me for the First Order.

    I didnt know if I should like that part or not, but it made it easy for me to order her around.

    I guess I should go in now.

    Sraaak.

    When I opened the door of the ssroom and entered, Sedina, who was standing on the podium, saw me and hurriedly bowed to me.

    Good job.

    Yes, yes.

    With only one word spoken by me, Sedinas body shuddered with emotion, and she left the ssroom.

    I naturally climbed onto the tform and nced at the students.

    Their reaction is somewhat strange, huh?

    Flora Lumoss gaze in particr was most noticeable amongst the students.

    She clenched her teeth and stared at me with a sharp gaze to avoid showing her feelings, but for a moment, I thought I had be a sinner.

    I ignored her gaze and looked at the other students reactions.

    Maybe because its been a while since the school started, but some students gazes are starting to change.

    Some students had spied on each other and hid themselves at the beginning of the semester.

    Was it the end of their investigation?

    The spirit of some students had changed considerablypared to the beginning of the ss.

    The reason for that was probably Aidan.

    Oh, huh?

    Aidans body shuddered as he felt my gaze.

    The open duel between Aidan and Jevan Felio had been enough to stir up the calm atmosphere in Sren.

    There was also a werewolf case before, but the tant confrontation betweenmoners and aristocratic students must have been the decisive factor.

    It was not necessarily Aidans fault.

    That was bound to happen one day, and Aidan just happened to take the lead in making it happen.

    It was not a lucky urrence for him in some ways.

    Whatever one would call it, it was true that there was a new wind blowing in Sren.

    It was about time for the students affected by the wind to start showing their true colors.

    If there was a problem, no one knew whether the wind would flow in a good direction or not.

    Thats probably why the ssroom is so noisy right now.

    Whether they were surprised or amazed by the fact that the professor had picked an assistant, they were ring at me.

    Looking at their various reactions, I thought that they were students after all.

    Quiet.

    The students who were talking among themselves became silent at my word.

    In the end, all the fuss was a matter between the students.

    It meant that I didnt have to care about it.

    Lets start the lesson.

    A professor should just do good in their ss.

    ***

    Thats all. What you learned today will be in the next exam, so be sure to review it when you get back.

    After a two-hour ss ended

    Having given a simple assignment to the students, I organized the teaching materials and was about to leave the ssroom.

    Professor Ludger, I have a question.

    At that time, one of the students raised her hand and spoke up.

    It was a principle that a professor shouldnt refuse personal questions, even after ss, but it was the first time that someone asked me questions like that.

    Why?

    Until then, everyone had just looked at me and couldnt even think about approaching me.

    What are you curious about?

    First of all, since there was nothing I couldnt answer, I asked the student who raised her hand.

    The first thing I saw was white hair that resembled the snow.

    It was the same color as the perpetual snow that I saw in the Northern Arette Mountains before I reached the Exileon Empire.

    The moment I saw the distinctive hair color, I remembered her name.

    Julia Plumheart.

    Oh, my. So you remember my name.

    Because you are a student who attends my ss.

    Julia Plumheart

    A woman with white hair, pale skin, and a strange atmosphere that made people feel like they would freeze just by getting closer to her.

    But she had a captivating yet subtle smile all the time.

    To put it bluntly, it was a somewhat dark smile.

    However, If I had to pick the most memorable reason for why I remembered her, it was because she was the top first-year student who had been first ranked in Srens entrance exam.

    Not only that, but she was an unrivaled rookie that the magic tower supported and had expectations for.

    Before this, she was just taking my sses calmly, this is surprising.

    I was just trying not to make it obvious, but I couldnt believe she had a question.

    So, what are you curious about?

    If it was a question from a rookie whom the tower supported, was it something rted to magic?

    I stood still and waited for Julias question.

    How did you pick your assistant?

    I was wondering what she was curious about, so it was rted to the Professors Assistant?

    There was no reason why I couldnt answer that.

    I looked and picked her by myself.

    Do you have any qualifications, then? For example, they have to be skillful enough at magic for them to be suitable for bing your assistant.

    All the students stared at me curiously after hearing her words.

    * * *

    * * *

    Julias question seemed to be just out of pure curiosity, but it wasnt.

    Her intention was to pierce through Ludger.

    He had suddenly picked an assistant, but was he sure that she had the suitable ability?

    Her question was implicitly interrogating him.

    Or, well, do they have to be from a famous ce where people can tell who they are just by hearing their name?

    When Ludger didnt answer her, Julia asked a more explicit question.

    That was the intention of the question, after all.

    Did he gain something from his assistant?

    Her subtle attack might be offensive to some people, but Ludger just stared at Julia with calm eyes.

    Soon, when everyones attention was focused on him, his mouth opened.

    When I pick someone as my assistant, there is only one thing that I see in them.

    Whats that?

    Personality.

    Julia was at a loss for words at his very confident answer.

    I dont see ss, status, or honor when I see or pick someoneI only see their personality. I chose my current assistant because she has a suitable personality.

    Then you dont consider anything else at all when you pick your assistant?

    Yes. I wee anyone as long as they have a suitable personality. Well have a basic inquiry session.

    Ludger said so and gave Julia a warning.

    However, you dont seem to be suitable for bing my assistant.

    Julias face, which had been smiling, changed as she had been criticized.

    What he said indirectly meant that she had a bad personality.

    Ludger looked around at the other students without looking at Julias reaction.

    Is there anyone else who wants to ask me a question?

    Ah, here!

    Ludgers eyes turned to where the sound came from.

    It was Aidan, Leo, and Tessie. It seemed that Leo was the one who spoke, but it was Aidan who looked confused.

    What are you curious about, Aidan?

    Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks

    Oh, pardon?

    Werent you curious about something and wanted to ask me a question?

    Aidan hesitated to answer Ludgers question.

    It was obviously Leo who had raised his hand, but suddenly, the attention passed to him.

    Leo pped Aidan on the shoulder next to him, saying, Cheer up with the movement of his mouth.

    But instead of ming Leo, Aidan thought that it was a chance to ask Ludger a question.

    But the question that came out of his mouth was of a way different topic.

    Have you heard the rumor about a stone that listens to peoples wishes?

    Aidan said it himself and he wondered what a silly question it was.

    He was so confused that his brain went nk, so he just said anything without thinking.

    He had originally been intending to ask about his teacher, though.

    Tessie and Leo, who were cheering Aidan from next to him, also stared at Aidan with expressions like, What are you doing all of a sudden?

    I heard it.

    !

    The students showed disbelief on their faces as if saying, He answered this kind of question?

    That

    I heard it, but I want to say that its a false rumor. Dont tell me that youre a student in my ss, yet you really believe in such false rumors?

    No one could answer the question.

    Because everyone knew that he didnt really ask the question out of curiosity.

    When you have time to care about such rumors, use it to sharpen your magic, if even a little bit. You know that the first evaluation day ising soon, right?

    Ludgers voice, which turned even heavier, weighed down the entire ssroom.

    The first evaluation exam

    The examination hall where all the Srens students of every year faced the new semester.

    Those who dont produce the right results then will be considered to be distracted by rumors and not faithful to their studies. Ill know once I see the results.

    Some students gulped down at Ludgersst words.

    Does anyone else have any questions?

    If theres none, Ill be going.

    Ludger left the ssroom at the end of his sentence.

    Sedina, who was waiting for Ludger with her back against the wall next to the door, weed him hastily when she saw hime out.

    Ah. That you did good work for your ss, pr-professor.

    Have you been waiting here?

    Yes. Somehow.

    Next time, just waitfortably in the assistant room. Dont uselessly waste your time here.

    Ah, yes!

    Even after Sedina answered so, she nervously fiddled with her hand, as she seemingly had something left to say to Ludger.

    Do you have anything else to say?

    Oh. Th-that.

    Ludger saw the reaction of Sedina Rochen and recalled Julia, who had asked him questions.

    Is it something rted to Julia Plumheart?

    N-no, thats!

    Looking at your reaction, it seems that Im right. Dont worry. I dont want to pry into your personal matters.

    Yes.

    Sedina nodded with relief at Ludgers reply.

    Take this.

    P-pardon?! Aah?

    When Ludger handed over the pile of assignments he was holding, Sedina hastily reached out and epted it.

    It was so sudden that she stumbled, but she managed to bnce herself.

    Sort them out until I get off work for today.

    Yes, yes.

    Just answer once.

    Yes!

    Alright.

    At that moment, the back door of the ssroom opened, and a girl with long, blue hair approached Ludger.

    Flora Lumos.

    Along with her appearance, Sedina stepped back while holding the pile of homework.

    Flora Lumos, do you have any business with me?

    That I heard that Professor is picking assistants

    As you can see, for now, I picked one person, but why are you asking me that question?

    That

    Flora Lumos wanted to ask Ludger about why he hadnt told her when he was picking an assistant.

    Then, she btedly realized what she was thinking.

    Oh, my God. He would ask me why I didnt offer myself to be his assistant. Wouldnt it look like I was jealous?

    Flora thought that it was not her usual behavior.

    Looking at Flora, who kept grumbling inwardly and clenching her fists then opening them, Ludger spoke apathetically.

    Or do you have any intentions of applying as my assistant?

    N-no?! Why would I?!

    Flora unknowingly raised her voice and shouted.

    Btedly recognizing her indecency, she covered her mouth with her hands.

    Her white, jade cheeks flushed red.

    Is that so? If you dont want it, then never mind.

    N-no, well

    But the chance is always there. It doesnt matter if you apply after you change your mind. If its you, then maybe its possible.

    Ludger turned his back after speaking those words.

    Flora, who was left alone, stared nkly at Ludgers back as he went further beyond the corridor.

    It was possible if it was me, he said.

    What on earth did he mean by that?

    Flora clenched her fist tightly and chewed her lips.

    Its annoying.

    Either it was her caring about something trivial, or it was Ludger, whom she had been focused on since the first ss.

    Flora was at a loss because she had no idea how it had happened.

    Hmph.

    Even so, she didnt reveal it outwardly.

    Because she always had to be haughty in Sren.

    ***

    Returning to his private professors room, Ludger could not rest and had no choice but to get back out of his seat.

    [Professor Ludger? Would you minding to my room for a moment?]

    It was because the principal herself had called Ludger in person.

    Why the hell?

    Ludger had no time to ask about it.

    Because the crystal ball turned off as soon as it was done with its business.

    Eventually, Ludger was forced to walk to the principals office.

    He got on the elevator to the principals office in the main building.

    Thus, Ludger reached the door across the corridor and knocked on it with his fingertips in a modest way.

    Knock knock.

    Its Ludger Chelysie.

    Please,e in.

    The door opened along with the principals voice.

    There was only the principal inside. Ludger naturally sat in an empty seat opposite of the principal.

    Why did you summon me?

    Professor Ludger, have you heard the rumor?

    It was not an answer but a question in reply to his question.

    What did the rumor mean?

    The rumor about the omnipotent stone that makes peoples wishese true?

    Omnipotent stone, you said?

    Ludger nodded his head.

    I heard a bit of it. It seems that its very popr among the students.

    I see.

    However, I didnt care much because I thought it was just a false rumor.

    Ah. So Professor Ludger thinks that its a false rumor?

    The principal shook her head with a mysterious smile.

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    Then she spat out a bombshell.

    In fact, an omnipotent stone that makes peoples wishese true really does exist.

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 59

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    The omnipotent stone existed

    Her words were so out of the blue that I was at a loss for a moment while contemting what to say.

    Are you surprised?

    Its indeed unexpected.

    If the principalughed and said, Im kidding, I would have passed it by while thinking that it was just a superiors workce joke.

    But judging from her reaction, I thought she was telling the truth.

    Hmmm. First of all, Ill need to exin about the omnipotent stone to you.

    The principal moved her fingers lightly as she said so.

    Her movement was too natural and light.

    But in the end, it wasnt like that.

    The enormous and vivid mana that was emanating from the principals fingertips moved and formed a shape in front of me.

    It was obviously a hologram that was shaped like a stone in the air.

    I couldnt believe that mana could give shape to something like that.

    It was a surprising sight, but I controlled my expression and examined the shape of the embodied stone in detail.

    It was called an omnipotent stone, but it was more of a rough gem or gemstone than a regr stone.

    As you can see, this omnipotent stone exists, and it has been around for a very long time. Its an object thats existed for so long that its hard to guess its age, but it still has unknown and mysterious power. Theres a term in this world for this kind of object.

    A Relic I see.

    Relics, or, in other words, antique objects.

    The word referred to old objects with mysterious power.

    So you knew.

    Yes. Because Ive heard about them as well.

    Relics and artifacts were different.

    Artifacts were more of a magical handicraft that was artificially created for a particr effect.

    But relics werent like that.

    Unknown identity Unknown year Unknown ability

    Nobody had yet figured out who had made them, how they were made, or how they worked.

    And their effects or powers were at least 100 times more potent than the artifacts created by the great wizards.

    In some ways, they were second only to strategic weapons that required special maintenance for each of them.

    That was what a Relic was.

    However, as they had great power, the number of Relics was so extremely small that it was hard to find one in the entire continent.

    Such a Relic existed in Sren?

    Since Professor Ludger must have heard something about it, itll be easy for me to exin it. Yes. There was a Relic called the Omnipotent Stone in Sren. Its been kept in Sren for a very long time, to be exact.

    Is that so?

    I nodded my head.

    Well, there was no reason for me to be surprised and say, Impossible! when she was there.

    However, the problem was with why the principal had called me and told me the story.

    Wasnt it confidential no matter how you looked at it?

    I need your help, Professor Ludger.

    What is it?

    Currently, the rumor about the Omnipotent Stone is spreading amongst the students. It means that most people in Sren already know about it.

    I nodded my head.

    Because that was what Aidan had asked me after ss.

    At the time, I thought it was just a fake rumor and had scolded him to study hard instead.

    Who would have thought that it was real?

    I became embarrassed for some reason.

    Is there a problem with that?

    This rumor wasnt supposed to spread in the first ce.

    Ah, so, in the end, it was that.

    The fact that the rumors about the Relic that were supposed to be kept a secret spread means that inside information was leaked out.

    So you mean someone didnt keep the secret properly.

    Yes. Well, theres one reason for that. The Omnipotent Stone is a relic with such an extremely powerful strength that the ce its stored in needs to be periodically touched up.

    To sum up what the principal said, it was like this:

    The Omnipotent Stone that listened to peoples wishes The Relic itself was a stone that emitted a strong force.

    It was kept in a secret ce that could not be seen by others, but whether it was a storage box or ce, it couldnt do its role properly because of the strength that was emitted by the Relic itself.

    Of course, periodical maintenance and repair is a must.

    Then, while fixing the storage ce, the Relic should be moved to another ce for a while before being brought back, but the problem was that the information leaked during that preparation.

    That eventually became a rumor and spread among students

    The principal seemed to take it quite seriously.

    Someone is intentionally leaking the information.

    I see.

    The reason why I called you is because of this. I need your help, Professor Ludger.

    Help, huh?

    I think I knew the help that the principal was talking about without listening to it.

    Id rather not make it obvious and just ept it silently.

    If I argued with the principal there, such behavior itself could only be seen as antipathy toward her.

    To gain her trust, I needed to show that I trusted her first.

    Trust toward each other wasnt one-sided toward only one party, but it was given and received by both parties.

    Trust was built through this method.

    In other words, when I immediately said that I would believe and follow her, it was no different than answering that I was not her enemy and that I fully believed what she said.

    It is better to maintain a good rtionship with the principal for the long run. If I ept her request here, it will also erase the debt of my heart.

    I answered right away because of such a calction.

    Of course, I emphasized the countenance of a soldier who did not show their feelings on the surface and just silently carried out the orders from their superiors.

    Professor Ludger, please be aware of the students rumors and let me know immediately if anyone shows any suspicious movements. Other than that, Ill need help with transporting the Relic.

    Understood. When should I move?

    The faster the better.

    Is there any other professor rted to this job besides me?

    Yes. Indeed, but I dont think youll encounter each other because youre in charge of different jobs.

    I see.

    It meant for me not to put too much concern on it.

    Even so, I couldnt believe she had called me out to do it, as I was just a new professor.

    She must have been very wary of me.

    Through my bet with Professor Chris, I had given a huge blow to Hugos faction, but was that not enough?

    First of all, please behave as usual, Professor Ludger. We still have some time left before we move the Relic.

    Understood.

    The incident would happen when the Relic was out of its safe ce.

    At that time, the people who deliberately spread the rumor of the Relic would aim for it and make a move.

    And such people very likely belonged to the ck Dawn Society.

    Things are flowing in an interesting way. She ordered me, a First Order, to hunt down the members of the ck Dawn Society.

    It must have been a joke of destiny.

    Was it a coincidence, or did she do it on purpose?

    If it was perhaps thetter, and the principal thought that I was a traitor, she would think that I wouldnt be able to do the task.

    But that was a mistake.

    Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks

    Because theres no one who wants to expel the ck Dawn Society from Sren as much as me right now.

    They were a shackle to me.

    I never knew when or where they were going to suddenly do something crazy.

    Ill take this opportunity to check how great the ck Dawn Society is.

    Whatever was going to happen, it still didnt change the fact that there was an additional problem that I had to solve.

    It was a good thing that I had gotten an assistant in advance.

    Even though it was contradictory because my assistant was a pawn of the ck Dawn Society.

    Ill contact you privatelyter.

    Yes. Understood.

    After getting up from my seat, I bowed to the principal and left the principals office.

    * * *

    * * *

    After Ludger left the principals office

    The principal, Elisa Willow, stopped organizing her papers at the sound of knocking on the door and raised her chin.

    Pleasee in.

    When she gave the permission, the door opened quietly.

    Soon, Wilford entered the principals office with a silver tray in one hand.

    On the tray were cookies and warm tea that was freshly brewed.

    Please enjoy.

    Ah. Thank you.

    Dont mention it. This is my job.

    Elisa stretched to loosen up her stiff body and immediately picked up a cookie and put it in her mouth.

    Haah. As expected, your cooking always tastes good whenever I eat it.

    You look very exhausted.

    Well, its indeed true.

    The principal usually didnt show her feelings, but Wilford was an exception.

    He was a loyalist who had been assisting her for a very long time.

    So did Professor Ludger Chelysie ept your offer?

    Yes. He nodded obediently to my surprise.

    Elisa was still amazed when thinking of it.

    Still, she had thought that hed be surprised and ask her questions.

    As soon as he had heard her request, he had read the situation right away and epted her request naturally.

    Id say that he seemed like a soldier who absolutely obeys his superiors orders

    At first, she had been suspicious of Ludger Chelysie.

    Because she knew that suspicious individuals had infiltrated Sren.

    Their existence was so cleverly hidden that it was hard to tell whether they were employees, students, or professors.

    That was why Elisa had put the new professors on the list of suspects, especially Ludger, whose past track record was rtively ambiguous.

    However, she had no choice but to change her mind when looking at the attitude that he showed afterwards.

    It was indeed unexpected that my Vaskania didnt work on him, but looking at his behavior, it suggests that he has a strong mentality.

    His evaluation among the students was also overwhelmingly good.

    Especially, the Source Code spell that he created, which was enough to stimte Elisas curiosity even though she had only heard the rumor about it.

    If she had not held the heavy position of a principal, she would have searched for Ludger before anyone else.

    Hoho. Didnt I tell you so? Hes a reliable person.

    But you were actually suspicious of him too at first.

    It was until I met him at the train station directly.

    Elisa was suspicious because she didnt believe in Ludger, but now she thought it was okay for her to trust him.

    He had made the Hugo faction dumbfounded, which had been bothering her more than anything else.

    That alone had relieved her one-year stress while she was working as the principal.

    Even so, she couldntpletely trust him.

    That was why she let him handle this job.

    Professor Ludger. This is thest time. I hope you can show me more than I expect.

    The principal mumbled so while chewing on her cookies.

    ***

    Knock knock.

    I was reading a thesis in the professors office when I heard a knock on the door and raised my chin.

    Who is it?

    Im Sedina, professor. Im here to look for you because I have finished sorting out the homework.

    So its Sedina. Come in.

    When I gave her permission, Sedina opened the door and came in.

    Her face after having sorted out the homework of 80 people was full of fatigue, but she was still proud that she had done it.

    Heres the summary.

    Yes. You have worked hard.

    Yes.

    I took off the rimless sses on my face and carefully examined the data Sedina had been organizing.

    Sedina stared at me doing that with a nk look on her face.

    Hmm. Theres no issue. Good job.

    N-no. It was afortable work because I just had to sort them out.

    Is that so? You worked hard. Now go back and take a rest. Im also about to get off work.

    Ah, yes! You have worked hard!

    Sedina brightened up at mypliment and left the professors office excitedly.

    As I was left alone again, I organized the pile of assignments Sedina had been sorting out, turned my head, and stared out the window.

    Before I knew it, the sun had set and the sky turned dark.

    The twinkling stars embedded in the sky were so dazzling and brilliant that it was hard to see such starlight on the earth where I had lived.

    Was it already nighttime?

    The principal will call me again in the next few days.

    A Relic that was kept in Sren

    And the ck Dawn Society organization that was after such a Relic.

    The principal had long been aware of the existence of the ck Dawn Society. Perhaps that would be the first proper fight between Sren and the ck Dawn Society.

    And I had gotten involved in that.

    I cant jump to conclusions yet because what I should do hasnt been decided, but Im sure this is a big turning point.

    Rather, no matter how it was the biggest magic academy on the continent, I never imagined that a Relic would exist in that ce.

    A Relic was not a simple object.

    They were objects with a huge mystery that even wizards could not identify.

    Tuk tuk.

    I took the medicine out of the bottle and poured it into my mouth.

    After I felt refreshed and charged with mana, I suddenly remembered something, so I took an object out of my pocket.

    The principal would have thought I might have heard something about Relics because I was a military officer, but that wasnt the case.

    There was only one reason why I wasnt surprised to hear about relics

    Relic, huh.

    The object that I took out from my pocket

    It was a piece of metal of unknown material that looked like a fragment dropped from some round object.

    I didnt know Id find it in a ce like this.

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    Because I also had a Relic.

    To be exact, it was a piece of something that used to be a Relic.

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 60

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    Hmmm.

    Lynne kept tossing and turning whileying on the dormitory bed and staring nkly at the ceiling.

    She couldnt sleep even though she closed her eyes to sleep.

    The night was deeper than she thought, but it was also because her mind was a little uneasy.

    So Professor Ludger chose an assistant in the end.

    It wasnt exactly something strange. There was no reason why a man as busy as Ludger wouldnt pick an assistant.

    However, she was a little disappointed that the one in that position was not her.

    But it was something else from before that kept bothering her

    The book about non-property magic.

    Lynney down after grabbing the book that she put at the bedside and opened it.

    Inside the book were detailed, organized words about non-property magic.

    The part when she felt ufortable with her magic until then, and even the situations that she hadnt realized yet

    The book was full of such experiences.

    For her, who had suffered from various inconveniences due to herck of properties so far, that book was beyond even a thousand gold in value.

    I read it many times, but its still seeping into my heart. Why did Professor Ludger willingly hand this over to me? And where did he obtain this?

    She was pretty much illiterate about magic, but she wasnt stupid enough not to know the value of the book.

    Obviously, the value of the book was pretty high.

    No. It wasnt only high, it was worth billions.

    She could even get enormous wealth and fame for her whole life if she took it and handed it over to the magic tower.

    But Ludger wasnt like that.

    He said that he did not write the book himself and replied to her that it was right for the book to go back to its suitable owner.

    Then who on earth wrote this book?

    Every time Lynne opened the book, she felt strange.

    The author of the book did not reveal her name, and she had not even said the reason why she wrote such a book.

    The author was unknown.

    No matter how much she read the book, it was hard to even identify a clue of who the author was.

    But I dont think shes aplete stranger.

    Even though it was just her hunch

    Whenever Lynne saw the authors handwriting, her heart felt overwhelmed.

    She could feel the unknown familiarity and sense of longing through the writing itself.

    Lynne couldnt figure out why on earth she was like that.

    Its weird. I really dont know why Im being like this.

    In the end, Lynne had no choice but to close the book.

    Aayy! Lets just sleep instead of worrying about this kind of thing!

    Lynne covered her headpletely with the nket.

    However, she still couldnt sleep properly, so she had to wriggle, then toss and turn for hours.

    ***

    I had been traveling around the continent for a long time and swapping my identities.

    Sometimes as a mercenary

    Sometimes as a hunter

    Sometimes as a criminal consultant

    Sometimes as this, and sometimes as that

    There was only one reason why I wandered around the world while hiding my real self:

    Relics.

    An unknown world in which magic existed An ancient Relic containing an overwhelming mystery in it

    I had gone around the world while looking for the other piece of the Relic that I had.

    The sun hadpletely set and a night full of starlight had emerged in the sky.

    I sat by the window of my amodation and remained still on a chair under the moonlight.

    I came here after receiving information that there was a Relic in this empire, but I didnt know there was one more in Sren.

    It felt like I had spotted an unintended gain.

    Of course, I didnt think that the Relic I was looking for and the Omnipotent Stone in Sren were the same Relic.

    The Relic piece I had could be called a simr Relic if looking at its categories, but its effects and performance werepletely different.

    However, there mustve been a good reason for why there was a rumor that it was called a stone that granted wishes.

    I dont really covet the Omnipotent Stone itself, but if I can discover another piece of the Relic that Im currently looking for with the Omnipotent Stone

    It was a slim chance, no matter how I looked at it.

    Relics themselves were so rare that they werent easy items to be found just because I wanted to find them.

    Even for me, who had been wandering on the continent for a long time, meeting countless people, and going through all sorts of incidents.

    There were only three pieces of the Relic that I had gotten from that struggle, including the one I held.

    Guessing from the size and shape of the pieces, there are four left to find.

    A total of seven pieces must be collected toplete one Relic.

    If I did that, I would obviously..

    I stared silently at the first piece in my hand.

    I had first obtained it due to an ovepping coincidence.

    The miracle that thest remnant of power in that Relic fragment showed me

    If only I could reproduce it again

    Bee bee beep.

    After thinking that far, I slowly got up from my seat.

    It was because a signal came from the crystal ball that I had for private contacts.

    I put mana into my fingertips and spilled it slightly onto the crystal ball.

    Soon, the crystal ball shone softly and a voice was heard.

    [Are you there?]

    Hans?

    It was Hans who contacted me.

    Well, actually, Hans was indeed the only one who privately contacted.

    The number of people who privately contacted me would increaseter, but not at that moment.

    Whats the matter?

    [After you defeated them in that battle, Ive finished roughly organizing.]

    So youre talking about the remaining organization.

    [Yes.]

    Hans voice from beyond the crystal ball even contained the relief that he had finished his job.

    So what happened?

    [Theres no one whos against us for now. Its a relief For us and for them.]

    Do they ept our existence unexpectedly meekly?

    [Yes. Well, to be honest, what can they do if they dont ept it anyway? Just the two of us have cruelly andpletely destroyed the existing Crimson Society. No, actually, you did it alone.]

    Even so, they were the body of the organization that also rolled for a long time in the darkness of Leathevelk. We cant just ignore them.

    [I know it. Thats why I told you that its a relief. Well, theyre not interested in supremacy in the first ce, so its enough if they just have adequate space.]

    Even so, there must have been a lot of talk about the authority that the Crimson Society had before.

    The Crimson Society had been in charge of all the dirty businesses in the underworld of Leathevelk.

    Drugs, alcohol, gambling

    Even without drugs, the bars and gambling houses operated by the Crimson Society wererge enough to bring in a considerable amount of money.

    Since the organization that was handling those businesses disappeared overnight, their surroundings must have be very noisy about it.

    Some of those organizations might want to take that opportunity to try reaching out with the intention of having a round of battle with them.

    I was sure those people who couldnt even think of overpowering the Crimson Society before must have raised their heads one by one.

    The time for chaos hade.

    Unless someone appeared and condemned the chaos at that time, there would be a bloody smell within the alley.

    [For now, the other three organizations are working together to keep us under control, but this probably needs to be discussedter]

    Of course.

    [Our side has the initiative, but still, I dont have the ability to negotiate this alone, so I need your help.]

    When do you need it?

    [The faster the better, but this is not an urgent matter. You can decide about itfortably.]

    Even though he said that, I knew that I shouldnt dy it for too long.

    Id have to be on the negotiation table in at least a week.

    It would be easier for me to make a move right then if I could.

    I cant do it right now because I have a task to do rted to the Omnipotent Stone.

    Sooner orter, the Omnipotent Stone would be moved away from its existing storage area and transferred to a temporary storage area.

    Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks

    Since in the process of its preparation, the information on it had leaked and the rumor had spread.

    Perhaps the mastermind of the rumor had already known when and where the Omnipotent Stone would be moved.

    Its certainly the work of the ck Dawn Society, but the question is who the hell masterminded this case.

    They hadnt contacted me yet.

    If there was any contact, then Sedina would have tipped me off right away.

    I dont know yet if the First Order other than me did his job on his own lines or if there was a reason other than that.

    But one thing I could be sure of was that the incident surrounding the Omnipotent Stone would happen sooner orter.

    That was why I couldnt be away from Sren right then.

    Ill go there within a week.

    [Is there something thats also going to happen there?]

    Something rted to a Relic.

    Oh, my.

    Hans, who had a good ear for information, immediately understood when I said the word Relic.

    [You have a professor identity, but why does it seem that youve experienced more incidents than before?]

    I agree.

    [And a Relic, you said? Hmm. Is it because Sren is that prestigious? Who would have thought that the Academy would keep Relics in it?]

    Its a ce with that much history and tradition.

    [ording to rumors, theres also a secret dungeon made by the first principal, dont tell me thats real as well?]

    Hans, dont spit out too much nonsense.

    [Tsk. Its a joke. Anyway, well try to arrange the negotiation time for this week before youe out.]

    Yeah. Work hard.

    After I finished my call with Hans, I looked up out the window without saying a word.

    Relic, huh.

    I wasnt aiming for it, but I had someone gotten involved in that Relic case.

    I wondered if it was fate.

    That night, the moonlight floating in the night sky felt unusually cold.

    * * *

    * * *

    Your Highness, shall we prepare your bath?

    No. Never mind.

    Would you like to have a meal?

    Im already full.

    Then how about some snacks?

    Its a rule not to eat anything in the evening. Please just step back.

    At Elendils order, the employees bowed their heads, as they were at a loss of what to do, and stepped back.

    Pheew.

    Elendil, who was barely left alone, sighed in a low voice so as not to be heard by her employees.

    If anyone heard her sigh once more, theyd immediately stick to her and bother her asking about any concerns that she had.

    Finally, Elendil entered her room, as she had been freed from other peoples eyes.

    Its tiring.

    When the other students were assigned to stay in a dormitory, she was assigned to stay in arge mansion and was staying there as a Princess.

    No matter how much Sren treated everyone equally, they dared not ignore the blood of the royal family that she possessed.

    Elendil was dissatisfied with it.

    I also wanted to get along normally like other students.

    It was her honest feelings that she wanted to have a new semester, make new friends, and live an exciting life at an academy.

    But her status as the third Princess didnt leave her alone that easily.

    Apart from the magnificent mansion, the extreme hospitality of more than 30 employees toward her made her feel something beyond gratitudeshe felt ufortable.

    Even so, this is something I cant do anything about.

    Considering her position, Elendil should acknowledge it and move on from that particr bother.

    If she didnt care about others eyes and acted ording to her own will, it would only be harder for the employees and her maids.

    To be considerate of them, she needed to listen to what they wanted, even if it was inconvenient for her.

    Even so, well, its not like the inconvenience is unbearable.

    Normally, it would have caused her a lot of stress, but recently, it had also decreased.

    It was because Elendil also had a person she could call her friend.

    Lynne was a very pretty and nice junior.

    The fact that she was amoner bothered Elendil, but it was because Elendil was worried about Lynnes treatment toward her, she had no intention of looking down at Lynne because that girl was amoner at all.

    Still, maybe it was because she behaved in front of Lynne without constraint.

    Elendil felt good because she seemed to fulfill the life she wanted little by little.

    I hope I can make more friends like this one by one.

    At least the Academy was where Elendil could get away from her aggressive older sisters touch.

    Just as she thought so, someone knocked on her door.

    Elendil, who had been fully rxed, immediately straightened up and asked in a solemn voice.

    Whats the matter?

    Your Highness, you got a call from the outside.

    A call?

    Elendil was slightly concerned inside on hearing the word, call.

    Because it was impossible to contact the Princess directly unless the person had a fairly high status.

    And usually, in that case, the identity of the person who contacted her was always obvious.

    Dont tell me, its not my sister, right?

    The First Princess

    Although they were sessors to the same throne, the First Princess and Elendil were not particrly on bad terms.

    In fact, since it had been determined that the First Princess would be the sessor to the throne,petition between siblings could not be, found no matter how hard one looked for it.

    All the more because Elendil didnt really want that position in the first ce.

    However, her older sister, the First Princess, showed a strange amount of affection for Elendil.

    Sometimes, she even went too far.

    Im not my sisters doll.

    The reason why Elendil entered Sren was also actually to escape from her sisters interference.

    In some ways, it was also natural for her to worry about whether her sister was trying to interfere in her life, even within Sren.

    Fortunately, however, it was not the First Princess who contacted her.

    Its the Lord Protecter, Miss Terina Lionhowl.

    Terina, the Knight Captain?

    She was rather apletely unexpected person.

    Terina Lionhowl

    Elendil had never thought that Terina would contact her, considering that she was the strongest knight in the Exileon Empire.

    Bring it in.

    The employee immediately brought in themunication crystal ball that they had prepared.

    They then bowed their head and stepped back.

    After confirming that there were no people, Elendil activated the crystal ball.

    I heard that youre looking for me, Captain Terina.

    [I apologize for calling youte at night. Your Highness, Elendil the Princess. This is because there is an extremely urgent matter.]

    No. Its okay. Rather, I became curious as to why the Knight Captain suddenly contacted me. So whats the matter?

    [I heard that a werewolf appeared in Sren recently. Have you heard about it too, Your Highness?]

    She knew about it.

    Because she faced the werewolf right under her own nose.

    If Ludger hadnt shown up to help her then, she might have been severely hurt.

    However, if she told Terina about it, Terina was bound to say something about the Princesss safety, so Elendil replied to her while hiding that fact for now.

    Yes. I heard about it, and I heard that it was also solved soon after.

    [There is also a werewolf here in Leathevelk]

    Pardon? Dame Terina, then are you currently in Leathevelk?

    [Yes. Im currently investigating an incident rted to that.]

    An incident, huh

    [We have to investigate this secretly, so please kindly forgive us for not telling you, Your Highness,]

    No. You dont have to apologize.

    The fact that Terina stepped up meant that the security department had moved.

    She obviously had no choice but to be careful.

    [While I was investigating the case, I confirmed that this werewolf case is not amon one.]

    Readtest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site Only

    Terina Lionhowls powerful voice echoed throughout the room beyond the crystal ball.

    [Your Highness. Do you maybe perhaps who solved the werewolf case in Sren?]

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 61

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    Yes. Well, first of all, a Sren professor did solve it.

    [Do you know who the professor is?]

    He is Professor Ludger Chelysie, he is the newly appointed professor.

    [A new professor? Hmm. I see. Understood.]

    Does that help you?

    [Yes. For now. Ill have to meet Professor Ludger Chelysie as soon as possible.]

    I hope there will be progress in your investigation, Dame Terina.

    [Thank you for your concerns, Your Highness.]

    Yes, goodbye then.

    [Oh, yes, Your Highness Elendil.]

    Yes. Whats the matter?

    As Elendil was about to hang up themunication, Terina Lionhowl remembered something.

    [The First Princess said that she wants to hear from you. She said that she was disappointed because she hasnt heard anything from you recently, so she asked me to tell you in her stead.]

    My sister? Yes. I understand.

    [Yes. Then farewell.]

    After the call ended, Elendil had no choice but to let out a sigh while dropping her shoulders.

    She was so ufortable to hear that her sister, the First Princess, was looking for her.

    But she couldnt even argue about it.

    Because Elendil knew that her sister was being as considerate as possible when she conveyed her message through Terina.

    Yes. She thought that she could at least say hello.

    More than that, is Dame Terina going toe to Sren?

    The werewolf case seemed to be more serious than she thought.

    Otherwise, the Security Department and even the Knight Captain of the Security Department wouldnt have moved directly.

    If there was anything she could get from visiting Sren, then that would be a good thing.

    Elendil didnt think more than that about the case.

    ***

    What did she say?

    Lieutenant Lloyd, who was waiting for Terina to finish her call, asked while shing his sses.

    She said that the werewolf situation in Sren was solved by a professor.

    A Sren professor, you said?

    And she also said he is a newly appointed professor. Maybe I should meet him in person and talk face to face with him. Maybe he noticed something strange at the time.

    Then are you going to go there right away?

    Terina shook her head at Lloyds question.

    The investigation in Leathevelk is not over yet. Enya, do you have anything special to report?

    Yes!

    Enya, who was standing by, responded energetically.

    Im certain that the burned-out factory zone was a secretboratory that studied or developed something.

    The important thing is who was there and what was going on in that ce.

    Thats still

    Other than that?

    Hmm. Other than that, there seems to be nothing but the recent chaos in Leathevelks underworld.

    It wasnt only a day or two that the underworld was in chaos.

    Knights were the ones on the stage who received everyones attention, but those in the security department were different.

    Since they had been moving so secretly and seeing so many dirty things, they had a deeper connection with the underworld than with the normal route.

    In fact, the ce where they got the most information about the incident was the underworld.

    Enya continued the report after a slight pause at Terinas words.

    Well, I heard that something unusual happened this time.

    Something unusual?

    Theres a group that dominated the underworld of Leathevelk called The Crimson Society, do you know about them?

    I heard about them. Theyre quite a bother, but I didnt feel the need to get rid of them directly, so I just let them be. I remember that their scale was quiterge.

    Yes. Recently, that Crimson Society was destroyed and disappeared within a day.

    A day?

    The darkness that existed behind the city

    It would not be surprising to hear that someone was dead, because there were all kinds of organizations fighting there.

    It also had something to do with the news that some organizations had suddenly been cut off.

    However, the Crimson Society couldnt just be called some organization.

    They were the organization that dominated the underworld of Leathevelk.

    Since Enya said that such an organization had disappeared overnight, even Terina had to be curious.

    Thats a little interesting. Do you think its rted to this case?

    Oh, hmm. I dont think so. However, I think it would be better to keep a close eye on Leathevelks underworld for now because it seems that a quite great and talented group of people has shown up therethey might pose a threat to the empire.

    She didnt know how many people did it, but seeing that the Crimson Society was eliminated overnight, there must be a lot of talented people involved in it.

    Knights? Or were wizards involved in it?

    Only God knew if they had any ill intentions.

    Terina shook her head contrary to Enyas concern.

    No. Its fine. Were currently still too busy, so you dont have to worry about that. We should be more focused on the investigation were on right now.

    Ah, yes!

    Once its confirmed that theres nothing more to look for in Leathevelk, we will head straight to Sren.

    Understood.

    Terina, who was left alone after the lieutenants stepped down, tapped her arm with her fingers as she folded her arms.

    Sren, huh.

    Although she did not speak about it to her lieutenants, Terina had been paying keen attention to Sren ever since she had spoken to the princess not long before.

    She had a vague conviction that there might be a definite clue to the case in Sren.

    It was just a hunch, so she didnt bother to tell her lieutenants, but considering that she was a Knight in the captain position, even such a hunch was enough to be an indicator.

    Even though Ill have to go there to see the details myself

    There would certainly be something in that ce.

    Her instincts kept telling her that.

    * * *

    * * *

    Even after the principal told me about the Omnipotent Stone, rumors still circted in Sren about the stone that granted wishes.

    No, it was much worse than before.

    Somebodys behind the scenes trying to stir up rumors.

    It was difficult to identify exactly who they were.

    The people who were living in the huge territory of Sren reached thousands.

    Although it was named an academy, it was basically a small city, so it was practically impossible to identify all the people here.

    Even the ce where the rumors spread was called the Akashic Records, which could only be used by the students, and it was difficult to find the source because the security for their anonymity was thorough.

    Id rather get rid of the Omnipotent Stone quickly and get the incident over with it.

    Among the students, people who said, Shall we look for the stone? began to appear one by one.

    Did they not realize anything from thest werewolf incident, or did they think that that case was different?

    More and more students became distracted from their studies and focused on strange rumors.

    Im just letting them be because theres no one crossing the line yet, but that wontst long either.

    They were told to stay inside during the werewolf crisis, but the people who went outside chose to catch the werewolves.

    Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks

    But honestly, I wasnt in a position to say anything about the Omnipotent Stone.

    Finding the stone didnt mean that anyone would get hurt because of it.

    Rather, if I tried to prevent them even more, the students might be more suspicious of the existence of the Omnipotent Stone.

    Never mind. The principal will take care of this anyway.

    Just as a student had their duty as a student, I, as a professor, also had my duty as a professor.

    And my duty as a professor was to teach my sses well, after all.

    Now. Focus.

    As I was conducting the ss as usual, their attention was drawn toward me when I spoke with a little strength in my tone.

    However, I didnt feel the same enthusiasm as at the beginning of the semester.

    I thought I knew why.

    The Source Code spell had raised their initial expectations too much.

    In fact, since then, Id been teaching them what was written in the textbook and not mentioning any new magic.

    Among the things I taught was Visualization of Elements, but it seemed that it was not enough for the students who were in the age of learning.

    Some students were starting toin about my ss.

    Tap.

    I ended up closing the teaching material that I had in my hand with a loud noise.

    A lot of you seem bored, so Ill show you something fun instead of my lesson today.

    ?

    The students, who were about to m their heads on their desks, raised their heads at my words.

    They were starting to get interested.

    It reminds me of the old days.

    There was a time when I had lived on Earth when I was also a student.

    I woke up at 6:30 a.m., took the zero hour ss, and studiedte until 10 p.m.

    I spent 15 hours a day studying.

    I was that desperate, but there were certainly times when I couldnt stand it because I was too bored to continue my sses.

    At that time, teachers would always relieve the students boredom by telling stories that were not rted to sses, but when I became a teacher myself, I felt like I knew why my teachers had done that.

    Wizards always use the magic immediately around them.

    When I began to speak, the students responded as if asking what I was saying.

    With expressions instead of words.

    I continued while ignoring those reactions.

    Typically, elemental magic is always used while revolving the spell around the spellcaster.

    I said so and used the first-tier me magic, Pyro.

    A small me broke out at the tip of my finger.

    It was the most basic magic that any student in the ss could use with their eyes closed.

    It was a spell that didnt even requireplicated techniques, so it wasnt that surprising.

    But

    If you improve this spell a little bit, its possible to do this as well.

    After removing the me from my fingertips, I soon casted the spell again.

    That time, it was the same first-tier me magic, Pyro.

    The only difference was

    The me wasnt invoked above my hands, but in a ce that was quite far away from me.

    Whoaaaaa?!

    A male student, who had almost been on the verge of falling asleep, screamed in amazement when he saw the me right in front of his nose.

    But no oneughed at the student.

    Everyones eyes were nailed to the mes floating in the air.

    Their reactions were all the same.

    Whats that?

    Its 10 meters away, but a me was invoked there?

    How did he do that?

    Isnt it a deception?

    I knew that such words woulde out, so I immediately ended the Pyro spell and invoked a different spell.

    Small sparks of electricity sshed throughout the ssroom, water droplets formed, and wind swirled slightly.

    Their locations were all different

    But I was the only one who casted the spells.

    Only then did the students eyes turn to me, as they had realized there was really something special behind it.

    There was silence in the ssroom, and it was to the point that I could hear someone swallowing their saliva.

    Do you have something youre curious about?

    Then, most students raised their hands.

    Their reactions were the opposite of the boredom that they shown me just before.

    I smiled inwardly and pointed at a student.

    Yes. What are you curious about?

    How on earth did you do that magic?

    The intent of your question is vague.

    At my critique, the student organized his thoughts and opened his mouth again.

    Normally, magic revolves around the spellcaster. Its because the magics base material, which is mana,es from the spellcaster.

    I nodded my head.

    Because it was obvious logic andmon sense.

    Yes.

    But your magic was triggered at a distance beyondmon sense.

    Most people would be curious about that.

    So I decided to show it again.

    Now, take a look at the spell.

    I invoked a me on my palm.

    Although magic is said to be centered on the spellcaster, the magic doesnt touch my skin. Instead, its stuck in the air, five centimeters above my palm.

    But it has a certain degree of freedom.

    The other female student cut in the middle and said that.

    I didnt bother to point her out or criticize her words.

    I just quietly

    Nodded my head.

    Yes. Usually, the limit is one meter. And ording to what I just did, its practically impossible to cast a spell from this podium that reaches the very back of the ssroom.

    But Professor Ludger

    You did that.

    I understood what the students were talking about.

    The impossible thing

    A mysteriousness beyond ones understanding

    That was the magic I had shown them.

    In the end, the principle is simr to what Im showing you now.

    I got rid of the mes floating on my palm.

    Even though one meter is the limit, its actually not impossible to go beyond that limitits only that the mana consumption will only be more intense. However, it is possible if you use a different principle, as I did just now.

    Instead of casting spells around the spellcaster

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    I used a method of casting spells at a distance by creating a spell at a particr coordinate.

    This is the Coordinate Designation spell.

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 62

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    Coordinate Designation spell

    With the advent of the new spell, although the students did not let screams out of their mouths, their eyes were already on the verge of popping out.

    Just like an active volcano that burned hot after a long slumber.

    Whoa, oh my God.

    In the meantime, there was a student who purely admired the emergence of new magic with an envious eye.

    It was Aidan.

    Leo. Did you see that? As expected from Professor Ludger! I cant believe he invented such magic!

    Leo? Leo!

    When Leo, who should have usually answered him, didnt say a word, Aidan shook Leos shoulder.

    Leo! Are you okay?

    Oh, uh? Oh? Yeah.

    Why are you like that? Youre just spacing out. So unlike you.

    Aidan. Do you know how awesome that spell is?

    Yeah? Why? Its great, but is it something surprising?

    You, haah. Nevermind.

    Leo sighed and shook his head.

    Sometimes he thought of howfortable it would be to be in a position like Aidans, who didnt know anything.

    Because Leo knew a lot, it was hard for him to gather his senses together with the groundbreaking magic that Ludger had just shown.

    A spell that goes beyond space. What on earth is that Professors real identity?

    Leo had no choice but to be suspicious of Ludgers identity.

    Just like Leo, there were some other students who were surprised to see Ludgers magic.

    The more one knew about something, the more they were able to see things.

    One of the prime examples of that was Flora Lumos.

    Wh-what?

    Flora almost let go of her sanity for a moment because of the sweet scent that lingered strongly at the tip of her nose.

    It wasnt only that. Colors appeared in aplex manner in front of her, and it felt like her vision was paralyzed.

    Magic synesthesia

    Her natural gift that she was born with was confusing her at that moment.

    Ive never seen it before Such magic.

    Although she had never heard or learned about such magic, Ludgers spell was just as unique as that.

    So far, the magic she had felt with her synesthesia had always seemed to be like looking at a painting in a frame to her.

    She could tell how well a spell was created just by looking at it.

    But the magic that Ludger used right then was different.

    If she had to express it, it felt like she was at the center of a firework show rather than looking at the artwork itself.

    Firecrackers exploded everywhere, and the colorful lights made her eyes dizzy.

    Flora had a hard time staying sane.

    Where on earth does that magic

    Flora closed her eyes tightly without realizing it, but then she felt some regret because of it.

    Just a little

    She wanted to see that magic just a little more.

    She wanted to feel that sense and pleasure again.

    With that thought, she repeatedly opened her eyes and closed them again due to excessive stimtion.

    Elendil, the princess, also stared at Ludgers magic with a stiff face, and Lynne, who was sitting next to her, shed pure admiration.

    Julia Plumheart showed her usual expression, but her squinty eyes were much sharper than usual.

    Ludger stopped his spells, as he had attracted the attention of all the students.

    What do you think? Does it pique your interest?

    With the advent of a spell that went beyond space, the students could not answer Ludgers questions.

    They still looked like they were dreaming, and they were just stuck in dazes as they recalled what they had seen.

    Ludger opened his mouth again.

    It may be quite a wondrous and surprising magic for all of you, but it also ys a very small part in this vast world because its just a little bit of a modification in spellcasting.

    That was just a little bit of a modification, he said?

    The students had no choice but to doubt their ears at Ludgers words for a moment.

    But Ludger was being serious.

    The Coordinate Designation spell that he used was nothingpared to the real magic that he usually knew.

    This spell that I used is also something thats simply inspired by a wizards spell.

    Oh, my God.

    Is that for real?

    Ludger nodded his head to the students questions.

    He didnt have to lie or brag about that kind of magic.

    There are still a lot more undiscovered magics in this world. Anyone here can create and develop their own magic as well.

    His words made it seem easy, but none of the students looked down on Ludgers spell.

    Even if they felt inspired by it, changing the spell into their own magic was another level.

    Of course, I didnt show this spell to teach you about this.

    Ludgers words made some students shed some regretful exmations.

    Since it was a new spell that he showed after the Source Code, they had a little bit of expectation about it.

    No matter how generous I am, I cant share all of my knowledge. Just be satisfied with what I show you.

    Are you not going to tell us about the principle?

    Yes. If youre curious, think about it yourself and analyze it.

    Then why did you show it to us?

    Because I want you to see this and realize something.

    Some students looked at him as if asking why he showed something he wouldnt teach them, but Ludger also had his own intentions.

    I also made this magic based on the inspiration of someone elses magic. After all, magic isnt all about your own pure creative work.

    It was definitely a magic that was born anew by imitating someones magic.

    Because it was so hard and practically impossible to create magic purely from scratch.

    That was why Ludger had shown his magic to the students.

    Dont try to understand magic as something thats too difficult andplicated. Of course, if you dig really deep, youll feel dizzy enough to have a headache, but sometimes you will look at magic in a simple way.

    Ludgers words awakened the students spirits.

    Ludger showed that magic just then to evoke the mindset of the students who were tired of his boring ss.

    An enthusiasm for new magic

    And his advice that anyone could do it

    Of course, there will be some students who are purely curious about the spell that I casted, and some students must have already been analyzing the spell.

    There were many people who were stabbed by Ludgers words, and they shuddered.

    * * *

    * * *

    So if youre curious, focus on the ss. What you need topletely integrate the enlightenment youve learned from the magic that you saw into your own magic is, above all else, a solid foundation.

    Solid foundation?

    Is that for real?

    Those who have a good foundation can analyze and use magic properly when they want it in the future. I guarantee you.

    In some ways, it was really just lip service.

    But it was also true that the weight of those obvious and natural words became different depending on who said them.

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    Some students, who thought that it was just a boring ss without much to learn, had no choice but to reflect on their attitude.

    And if I have to give you a hint, this Coordinate Designation spell has the concept of space. Perceive space while focusing on yourselves and figure out how to send your mana there.

    Is that our homework? Someone raised her hand and asked.

    It was Flora Lumos, who still couldnt get out of the magic shock given to her by Ludger.

    Ludger stared at her for a moment and nodded with a nk face.

    You can think of it like that. If you can look at my magic and analyze it, and then vaguely imitate it, its proof that you followed my instructions well.

    She was asking just in case, but she didnt expect him to answer so seriously.

    Flora was at a loss.

    If you think youve mastered this magic, you cane and show me. If you do that, Ill give you award points.

    A lot of them, too.

    Hisst words were enough to inspire the students subdued motivation.

    Todays ss ends here. Everyone seems quite tired, so I wont give you homework today. I think the spell I showed you is already enough for your homework.

    Whoaaa!

    Students raised their hands and cheered when they heard there was no homework.

    For students who took multiple sses every week, it was a reality that every bit of homework in each ss was very heavy for them.

    Professor Ludger was stern and thorough, but he was really good in that part.

    The students, who were already excited to hear that there was no homework, chatted among themselves.

    Then, you should prepare and review your lessons thoroughly until the next ss. Todays lesson ends here.

    Yes! You have worked hard!

    Ludger nodded and left the ssroom at the students loud answers.

    ***

    As I was back in the professors room after ss, I flopped down in my designated seat.

    Sedina, who was only peeking at me, approached me gently.

    Uh, professor

    Thats fine. Just go back.

    Pardon?

    Todays work is done, so you can go back and rest.

    Ah, yes.

    I guess she was worried because I looked a little tired.

    It was a rtionship that was only beneficial to one side, but she was still cute whenever I looked at her.

    But I was morefortable being alone right then.

    Sedina answered in a small voice as she could not resist my orders and left the professors office.

    After I was leftpletely alone, I was absent-minded for a moment before picking up a professor-only crystal ball on the table.

    Its time for the Omnipotent Stone talks toe out.

    Omnipotent Stone

    The Relic was the source of rumors that had heated up Sren.

    The principal had said she would leave the Omnipotent Stone in the temporary storage area before bringing it back to its original ce.

    And in the process of that, she said she needed my help.

    ording to her words, the process itself didnt seem to take that long, so it was time for the principal to contact me.

    Bee beep

    Speaking of the devil.

    As I was looking at the crystal ball that was sending a signal, I immediately activated it.

    Yes, Your Honor?

    [Professor Ludger. Theres a big problem.]

    Big problem?

    The principals voice, contrary to my expectations, was quite seriously subdued.

    Naturally

    I also straightened up my posture and waited for her next words.

    Is something happening?

    [The Omnipotent Stone was stolen.]

    ***

    No way, even I hadnt expected it to happen before the Stone was even moved yet.

    I organized my thoughts for a moment and spoke in a careful tone.

    What exactly happened?

    [I looked down on the enemies too much.]

    What do you mean?

    [Theyve dug more deeply into Sren than I thought.]

    As I was listening to her sentence afterwards, I understood why the principal was talking like that.

    I had heard that the incident rted to the Omnipotent Stone was a top secret known to very few people.

    Although I thought it would be all right if I quickly brought the Stone back to its original location, even if the rumor had spread outside.

    I didnt know it was a mistake.

    The enemy already knew the location of the reserved storage ce, and the principal said that they snatched it first before the principal tried to implement her n that night.

    The unidentified assants who had stolen the Omnipotent Stone were hiding inside Sren.

    I heard that a manhunt party was quickly formed to chase them, but we didnt know when they would be caught.

    [More than anything, if they use the Omnipotent Stone, things will get out of hand.]

    Thats for sure.

    I didnt know how much power the Omnipotent Stone had, but since it was a relic, it was undeniable that the stone was a very dangerous object.

    What if the person who had the Omnipotent Stone identally ordered things to go out of control?

    There might have ended up being enormous casualties.

    But even so, it didnt make sense to dere an emergency to the entirety of Sren.

    Was there any reason to panic the students?

    Furthermore, announcing that fact might damage Srens reputation. There was already a lot of talk about the werewolf crisis, so we couldnt cause more crises there.

    In the end, it was a time fight that required us to put out the mes before they hadpletely spread.

    What do you think is the golden time?

    [Its until midnight today.]

    I see. Understood.

    [You wont ask me anything more than that?]

    It would be better to move right away rather than asking you questions.

    I said those words and hung up the call with the principal.

    I couldnt act like a stranger to things that might get me involved.

    If someone used the Relic incorrectly, it could be a dangerous weapon powerful enough to blow up a city.

    And there was no guarantee that the aftermath to that wouldnt affect me.

    If I ran from there irresponsibly, I would also be used of being an aplice without being able topletely clear the principals suspicions.

    It was beyond control as long as I had already put my real face on it.

    Pheew.

    I sighed and released the sound barrier that I had set before I spoke to the principal.

    Sedina.

    I called her in a low voice and felt a sense of presence from someone who got startled beyond the door.

    I had known for a while that she hadnt left yet and had been hanging about in front of the door.

    Come in.

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    It was a good thing.

    Because I needed to gather some information.

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 63

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    Sedina Rochen was hanging about in front of Ludger because she had to tell him something.

    That was why she didnt leave after Ludger told her to go and instead hung around the door, and it was fortunate for both of them.

    It seems like the subordinates are doing their own thing as they please.

    Ah, that yes.

    Sedina tried to exin something in Ludgers words, but she immediately nodded when she realized she didnt have to do it.

    Just as Ludger said, it was an undeniable fact that they had done things as they pleased.

    What exactly happened?

    One Second Order No, someone tried to take care of things without any superiors order.

    Exin it from the beginning.

    Ludgers ferocious voice made Sedinas thin body shudder.

    But it was not a frightened response.

    It was a thrill.

    Because her gaze was stuck on Ludgers face, who was staring at her intensely.

    It started with a Third Order asking for information. He was gathering information about some of the employees he had handled while hiding in Sren, and he realized that one of them had made contact with the source of the rumor.

    A stone that made wishese true

    Id pass it by, saying it was just an absurd rumor that would bemon in an Academy of Witchcraft and Wizardry if I had simply heard it from someone.

    The Third Order had listened to that information as if they were attracted to it.

    Thats how they found out the truth That, somewhere in Sren, a fairly powerful Artifact is secretly kept.

    And the report must have gone up.

    Yes. You are right. The Third Order informed their superior, the Second Order, about this fact. And

    The one who received the report didnt report to the people above them.

    Yes.

    It was not a strange thing to inform the First Order of something as great as a Relic.

    However, the Second Order cut off and concealed the information on his part

    And he did things as he pleased.

    Did they think I wouldnt know about it?

    Sedina responded hastily to Ludgers voice that even seemed a little angry.

    That I also dont really

    Whos this Second Order?

    Its someone named Demires.

    Ludger tapped his chin and made a gesture for Sedina to say more.

    He is a member of the Second Order who is closely rted to the Information Department and was in charge of their work. However, he wasnt as good as his own greed

    What do you think is the reason behind why Demires did this?

    Its hard to judge, but I think that probably he wants to make a big contribution and move up to the First Order position.

    First Order position?

    Yes. The founder of our ck Dawn Society, the Zero Order, created the First Order position for seven people, and that position can be changed at any time.

    When the story of the First Order came out, Sedina was unconsciously excited.

    The First Order had nothing short of her admiration.

    It was the same for the man in front of her.

    The First Orders are now firmly protecting their position, but there are not just a few Second Orders who are eager to take over their positions.

    I see.

    Ludger shook his head and clicked his tongue as he was thinking about the ck Dawn Societys system.

    He already thought that they were notoriously cruel people who brutally dealt with traitors, but he didnt think there would be another harsh rule inside the organization.

    Does that mean that a person who is abandoned or cant handle things properly will lose their seat?

    It meant that the current First Orders might have been there by taking over someone elses positions.

    But what he was most curious about was the existence of Zero Order, the founder of the organization.

    Who the hell were they to make that crazy rule?

    Im sure they wont lose their position.

    There was a basis for that conviction.

    And the obvious reason was also that he was certain of the Zero Orders power.

    He didnt know what kind of guy they were, but Zero Order was the most important person he needed to be careful about.

    So hows the current situation?

    Well, it seems that Demires did it by calling the other Third Orders who agreed with him. Before the Artifact was moved, he stormed the storage area, seized it, and is now on the run.

    His location?

    Judging from the situation, he just figured out how to escape, other than that, hes still

    So he still hasnt escaped Sren.

    Yes.

    Ludger brushed his chin lightly with his hand.

    Sedina hadnt checked Demiress whereabouts thoroughly, so it must have been that urgent for her to inform Ludger first.

    Considering the time the principal contacted him, it meant that it hadnt been long since the incident had taken ce.

    However, considering that the principal needed his help, Demires must have been good at running away because he was a member of a secret society.

    Is it a game of hide-and-seek?

    Pardon?

    No. Im just talking to myself.

    Ah. Yes

    Ludger turned his head and looked out the window.

    It was time for the sun to set and the sunset to start burning.

    Spring was not over yet, so the daytime was not long. The darkness of the night would cover the surroundings early on.

    That would further interfere with his pursuit.

    It was the time when the one who was being chased would slow down and the one who was chasing would feel some extent of relief.

    That was his time to step up.

    I need to move right now.

    That! Fino, professor, are you going to move on your own?

    Of course. I have to deal with them before things get any worse.

    What should I do then?

    Sedina gathered her courage and asked so.

    If Ludger said he was stepping up and she didnt do anything, it would be ufortable for her.

    Besides, wasnt all she had been doing bringing in information.

    She couldnt say that she was working by only doing that kind of thing.

    Nothing.

    Pardon?

    Sedina, youve done your part sufficiently just by telling me about this.

    Me?

    She did her part sufficiently?

    Sedina didnt know that woulde out of Ludgers mouth.

    No, it was questionable whether she had ever heard such apliment properly in her life.

    Are you sure about those words?

    Yes.

    Ludger replied without the slightest hint of doubt.

    You did a good job.

    !

    Sedina felt a lump in her throat at those words.

    It was the first time that she was being acknowledged by someone else.

    She was always treated like trash, that was why she had tried to run away from her family, but no one weed her after she had fled from that ce.

    * * *

    * * *

    She had thought many times that maybe she was at her limit.

    But Ludger had acknowledged her.

    Her eyes became red and it felt like tears were going to flow from there.

    But she desperately held it in.

    She couldnt show such an ugly face in front of the person she admired the most.

    Flutter.

    Ludger took his ck long coat from the hanger.

    I will go now. Ill leave the rest to you.

    Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks

    He said that as he passed by Sedina, who bowed her head while desperately holding back her tears.

    It was no wonder she was hurt by the indifference that he showed when he seemed not to care about her.

    Sedina knew that it was because of her own feelings towards him.

    ***

    No, I just said a few words. What was wrong with her?

    I shook my head while thinking of Sedina, who was left alone in the professors room.

    I had just said a few words to make her feel better, but I couldnt believe she was crying on her own.

    I didnt understand her, but I thought it might be because she went through such hardships.

    She was trying hard to pretend to be strong, but it was just a shell to hide the fragile part inside her.

    Is it the Rochen family?

    I had also heard of the Rochen family.

    Although it was not quite right to call it recently. It was undeniable that the family had an emerging power among prestigious families.

    However, a lot of rumors came out from their family, too. It was not well known, but I was sure the family had grown in all sorts of dirty ways.

    If I had to put a grade on their evil deeds, they would be as bad as Belfort Ricksen, who died by my own hands directly.

    Perhaps the Rochen family was much worse off than him.

    However, it has nothing to do with me now.

    That was obviously Sedinas personal business.

    Her hatred of her family, and her connection to Julia Plumheart

    It had nothing to do with me.

    She yed the role of my assistant recently, but our rtionship was nothing but a shell in the end.

    I didnt have to devote myself to paying attention to it.

    I guess theres something else more important than that.

    My priority is to find the stolen Relic the Omnipotent Stone.

    Once I heard where the other ck Dawn Society members fled to, there was no problem in chasing them.

    Even though Sren was so wide and had a lot of spaces to hide

    That didnt mean I would never find them.

    Coming out of the building, I slowly walked down the street and looked up at the sky.

    Time was going slowly.

    When the sun hadpletely disappeared beyond the western horizon, the light disappeared without a trace, and coldness was mixed in the wind.

    When my surroundings became dim, I began to hear the noise of grass bugs one by one.

    Stop.

    I stopped my footsteps.

    I looked around, but I couldnt see anyone.

    No, there were actually students leaving school one by one or people walking around chatting among themselves, but it was true that no one was interested in me.

    Well, it was because I was already perfectly assimted with my surroundings.

    Ater Nocturnus.

    The ck shadow that covered my body was swaying and hid my existence from the surrounding scenery.

    It was my original magic called ck nocturne in Latin.

    Unusually, however, unlike its appearance, that magic was not a dark attribute elemental magic.

    It wasnt even the Spellcasting-type of magic that I taught the students.

    To be exact, it was a Summoning-type magic.

    One of the five magic affiliations, Summoning magic.

    There were four specialties in this Summoning magic:

    Spirit, which followed the will of nature

    Golems that were made of metal and earth

    Creed that invoked and applied the remaining will of the soul

    And thest one was the Magic Beast I was using.

    All wizards dealt with mana, and that mana was a mysterious power that had not yet been properly defined.

    When a person dealt with that mysterious power, the mana itself was affected by the persons tendency.

    Whether it was their body type, living experiences, the spellcasters wishes, or hidden talents.

    It didnt matter what it was.

    All of those elements were woven into one, and the mana itself had its own will and had a shape as a Summoned Beast.

    That was a Magic Beast.

    The Magic Beasts, which had different forms and abilities, were in a different track from ordinary living things.

    Even the Magic Beast I was handling right then was taking the form of clothes rather than a normal summoned beast.

    And its role was also heterogeneous.

    Lets go.

    Seeeuukk.

    The shadow at the end of my coat flowed like ink that was dropped in the water and moved on the ground.

    Soon, a shadow that was clearer than the darknessid like a carpet on the ground, creating a road.

    I moved along the path that it led me to.

    Huh?

    Whats wrong?

    No. It seems like there was something passing by just now.

    I didnt feel it, though? Was it bird?

    No one that I encountered in the dark could recognize me.

    They couldnt even recognize my existence.

    It was one of the abilities that my magic beast, Ater Nocturnus, possessed.

    It devoured and got rid of the abstract power called the existence of its summoner. It did not just hide its summoner, so it showed great performance that let its summoner conduct a magical search without even getting caught.

    However, it could not be used for a long time.

    Because my presence was being eaten, if I wore it for a long time, it would devour my existence.

    Sraaak.

    I took the pills out of my pocket and put them in my mouth.

    I would not be able to use it for long because of its extreme consumption of mana.

    Because even though it followed my order well, it didnt listen to me all the time.

    It followed me because I fed it like that or else it would eat me at any time.

    Every magic that I use is missing some screws.

    As I was teaching the basics aftering to Sren, I realized that fact even more.

    Still, I had no choice but to use it.

    I kept moving in the dark while thinking so.

    ***

    Huh?

    Flora? Whats wrong?

    After finishing the days study, Flora Lumos stopped in her spot while walking along the street with her childhood friend, Cheryl.

    Cheryl was confused at Floras sudden action, but Flora didnt answer her.

    Just now, something passed by me.

    It couldnt be seen with her eyes.

    It couldnt be felt with her skin either.

    If it were someone else, they would have mistaken it for wind.

    But Flora wasnt like that.

    Theres a scent.

    A strong scent came toward her and then moved away from her again.

    It wasnt a mere scent; it was definitely a magic scent.

    If the usual magic scent was sweet and stimting

    The scent of magic just then was a little darker and deeper, like ck coffee full of vor.

    What on earth was that? A magic that cant be seen by my eyes

    Even the fact that the magic passed by her

    Flora was curious, even though her pride was slightly hurt by her curiosity.

    The scent still remains.

    The reverberation of that scent still remained like a path.

    Lets go.

    Flora thought so and immediately took action.

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    Flora? Flora!

    Cheryl Wagner anxiously called out to Flora because of her weird behavior.

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 64

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    Before I knew it, the sun waspletely gone, and night hade.

    I headed to the depths of the forest that the students couldnt reach.

    Inside that forest, the members of the ck Dawn Society who had stolen the Omnipotent Stone were hiding.

    Whisper.

    Srens guards who were chasing after the members were seen near the entrance to the forest, but they were guarding the outside of the forest without going into it.

    I easily broke through the loose part of their security.

    They didnt recognize my shadowy existence.

    There are a lot of dense forests here, maybe because its Sren.

    There were three major forests inside Srensnd.

    The first one was the Secret Forest, where no living beings ever lived.

    The second one was the Silent Forest, where all sorts of eerie events and bizarre psychic phenomena urred.

    The third one was the Forest of Fantasy Dream, where all kinds of spirits and supernatural phenomena existed with enormous vitality.

    The forest itself was a prohibited area that went back and forth between danger rank two and three.

    It was indeed surprising that such a ce existed inside the Academysnd, but it was even more surprising to know that the Academy let those forests be.

    I cant consider the sense of safety of people in this world the same as those who lived on the Earth in the 21st century, but I cant help my inability to understand it.

    I thought I was quite used to living there, but I still couldnt help feeling the gap from my past life.

    In any case, there were three ces designated as dangerous areas that were simply considered as forests inside Sren.

    Among them was the Silent Forest, which was the ce where the men who stole the Omnipotent Stone ran away to.

    A forest full of evil hands and powerful, wicked minds that were designated as dangerous entities.

    It was said that thend was used as a cemetery before the foundation of Sren.

    The corpses and death, which had been umted in the cemetery for a long time, had spread to be a supernatural phenomenon of the magic sort since Srens establishment.

    That was how that distorted forest was established.

    If someone entered the forest mistakenly, they would be possessed by the vengeful spirits and be lost, or they would be covered by wicked minds and forced to be somethingpletely different.

    It was a ce where one had no choice but to witness disaster fall on a person with weak mana or mental power if they entered the forest.

    That was why it was called the Silent Forest.

    Because the people who went into it would disappear without any sound or news.

    They manage to maintain this kind of forest, I see.

    It was what I said, but in fact, Sren had taken measurements a few times regarding the Silent Forest.

    It seemed that some of the principals in the past had argued that the forest should be disposed of due to its danger.

    Nevertheless, there was only one reason why the Silent Forest still remained

    It was because all of the disposal efforts had failed.

    When they cut down the trees, they will grow again the next day.

    It was said that some people who had cut down the trees even went crazy or became idiots.

    Even the wizards who had strong mana suffered from nervous breakdowns and nightmares.

    However, even when they tried to set the forest on fire, the forest did not burn down, as it seemingly had its own will.

    Many principals had no other choice but to get rid of their goals of removing the Silent Forest.

    In the end, all they could choose to do was impose a ban on entering the forest itself.

    But the Silent Forest has its own boundaries as if it had drawn a line by itself. If the trespassers dont cross that line, they will bear no ill effects from entering the forest.

    It didnt matter if they kept staring at the Silent Forest beyond its boundary.

    They would be all right as long as they didnt go into the forest.

    The problem was that those guys were inside the Silent Forest.

    Even if the rumors of the forest are exaggerated, there must be a danger to the Silent Forest itself. Do they have the confidence to go there, or were they forced to flee there?

    I paused my steps while letting out a sigh.

    I had also been inside the Silent Forest for quite a while.

    There were voices of unidentified insects and beasts.

    And even the voice of someone sobbing.

    [Die. Die. Die.]

    [Hiks hiks hiks. I hate it. I despise it.]

    [Please help me. Someone, please get me out of here.]

    Those voices kept ringing in my head, but I didnt mind them because I had been going through worse things than those voices all the time.

    Now that I hade that far, it would be all right for me to lift the magic.

    I immediately released Ater Nocturnus and poured mana pills into my mouth.

    Are they around here?

    Dim, vengeful spirits flew around me in the air.

    But they didnt approach me or do me any direct harm.

    Rather, the spirits peeked at me secretly and were busy running away with strange screams.

    I ignored those vengeful spirits and searched for the traces of the secret society members who had fled.

    I found them.

    There were footprints on the damp ground.

    They numbered around five people.

    Their number is unexpectedly small. I heard that there were at least 10 of them, though.

    The rest of them were either killed while running away or were caught in the hands of their pursuers before they could evacuate.

    In other words, those five people who seeded in escaping were the ones with the most proper skills.

    I kept moving along the tracks.

    The forest was dark because there was no light, and even the night fog made it so I could not properly distinguish the direction I was headed.

    But it didnt really matter to me.

    I followed the traces of the ground with unshakable steps and headed deeper into the forest.

    Those people standing by outside Right now, theyll only stand by at the entrance to the forest, but if enough of their people gather, theyll begin to go straight into the forest.

    So before that, I had to finish the portion of my work.

    Not as the Professor Ludger Chelysie, but as John Doe, the First Order of the ck Dawn Society.

    Chatter.

    As I continued to walk, I stopped at the voicesing from beyond the hazy fog.

    I naturally eliminated my presence.

    Those voices were not made by vengeful or wicked spirits.

    Conversations.

    Walking along the trail, I finally reached my destination.

    * * *

    * * *

    Pheew. Mr. Demires. What should we do now?

    Theres a tracking party outside the forest right now.

    Right. In addition, just by staying still in this forest, our sanity keeps getting consumed. We cant continue on if we keep being like this.

    Just shut up!

    Demires, who had been keeping his mouth shut, screamed at theints of the Third Orders.

    I have a n! So stop talking nonsense, and just follow along properly!

    The Third Orders shut their mouths at Demiress half-threatening words.

    But their anxiety was not something to be resolved with just a few words.

    Because one of their colleagues who had already entered here went mad because he couldnt stand the magic power of the Silent Forest.

    They couldnt afford to help him either, so they had thrown him away in the middle of the forest, and they didnt even want to imagine what had happened to him.

    Damn it. If the tracking partyes in, arent all of us going to die without being able to escape?

    The Third Orders had the same thought in their minds.

    They had been believing everything Demires, the Second Order, had said without question and following him.

    But they must have sensed that things had already gone awry from there.

    Demires had acted without telling any First Orders about it with the irresponsible words that he would take responsibility for everything.

    There are two First Orders in Sren right now.

    No matter how hes the Second Order, can he really sort this out?

    I dont even see any way to survive in the first ce.

    Everyone closed their mouths and only rolled their eyes.

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    In fact, Demires also felt uneasy.

    It was good that he did it at first, but honestly, he didnt care much about the aftermath.

    Damn it! They said its an Omnipotent Stone! But its not worth anything!

    Demires looked down at the fist-sized stone in his right hand.

    It was the Omnipotent Stone that had made him confident in his n.

    The stone that was wrapped up in cloth was emitting mysterious power just from being held in his hand.

    But that was all.

    The Omnipotent Stone itself was emitting powerful force, but it never granted any wish.

    I trusted the power of this stone and did this thing.

    Demires felt like he was on the edge of a cliff.

    It was his original n to make a wish on the stone there to gain strong power and to rise to a higher position.

    That was why he had even kept it a secret from the First Orders.

    Damn it. How do I use it?

    The force flowing out of the stone was obviously real.

    But the force was something else that didnt mix with the mana he dealt with.

    It yed a perfectly separate role, like water and oil.

    As a result, Demires had no idea how to deal with that force.

    Even if he made a wish earnestly in his heart, the stone was silent.

    Even if he stroked the stone with his hands or spilled his mana into it, it wouldnt budge.

    At that point, it was nothing more than a pretty and powerful mana stone.

    Sraak.

    There was a sudden sound of footsteps on the grass.

    The members of the ck Dawn Society, who were surprised, were all nervous and stared at the ce where the sound hade from.

    Who is it?!

    It was when Demires stepped up and shouted like that

    That a man dressed in ck appeared in the dark.

    Is he an enemy?

    It was when everyone thought so and aimed at him with their wands and weapons at him

    Is this everyone?

    The members of the ck Dawn Society unconsciously flinched at his sharp voice that was full of irritation.

    It was some kind of reflex.

    They wondered why they were like that, but at the same time, they were bound to realize who the man was.

    You managed to run away without getting too far, I see. Still, youre members of the ck Dawn Society, huh?

    Y-you are!

    Demires, whose eyes had be ustomed to the dark, recognized the mans face and hardened his expression.

    F-First Order, Mr. John Doe!

    Oh! It its really him.

    The rest of the members also recognized Ludger and knelt down in front of him with pale faces.

    Demires also bit his lips tightly and bowed his head.

    Ludger nodded satisfactorily at their sharp response.

    Demires slowly raised his head and managed to move his lips.

    Wh-what kind of business does Mr. John Doe have here?

    Second Order Demires.

    Yes! Mr. First Order!

    Why do you think Im here?

    Ludgers question forced Demires to shut his mouth.

    Why was the First Order here? Demires had only received a question back instead?

    No way

    Does he know everything?

    There was only one reason why the First Order, who was hiding in the professors position, hade to that ce.

    It was to hold them ountable for causing the incident.

    Demires quickly racked his brain.

    His opponent was an executive of which there were only seven members of in the organization of the ck Dawn Society.

    There was no way that position could have been gained simply by personal connection or luck. It must have been because he had the skills to match the position.

    Even the man with the code name John Doe was famous for having a trashy personality.

    A man who even killed fellow members of the ck Dawn Society when things went awry, the man was a symbol of fear from the perspective of the lower members.

    The reason why he didnt get scolded by the Zero Order for doing so must be because theres something that he has that makes him able to keep his position that firmly.

    Such a First Order was holding him ountable.

    Then what should he do? No, there were a lot of tracking parties out there in the first ce, so how did John Doe get there?

    Demires hadplicated thoughts.

    Youre racking your brain, I see.

    That!

    Demiress mind went nk at Ludgers voice, who spoke as if he was seemingly piercing through him.

    He was bound to rack his brain hard as he had gotten to that situation.

    He raised his trembling hand.

    He politely held the Omnipotent Stone previously gripped in his right hand with both of his hands.

    He politely offered it to Ludger.

    And he recited the most optimal words to be spoken there, which were chosen by his instinct.

    Th-this is the Relic called the Omnipotent Stone.

    Yeah.

    I I offer this to Mr. First Order.

    He didnt say anyme excuses of why he did that to obtain the stone.

    He was just offering the item that he desperately obtained as if he was offering it as a tribute to his superior, Ludger.

    It definitely hurt his pride, and he thought it might be better to cause a mutiny right away.

    However, Demires wasnt like that.

    Ludger didnt give any answer for a long time.

    The rest of the mens lips dried due to his silence.

    It was after 10 seconds, which seemed like 10 years, had passed

    Rather than opening his mouth, Ludger showed his action instead.

    He took the Omnipotent Stone that Demires handed to him.

    Alright.

    The men, who were very nervous, became extremely relieved at his words and loosened their bodies.

    Because of that, they failed to respond properly to Ludgers next words.

    And farewell.

    Pardon? What does that

    Shoot.

    The darkness of the ground fluttered, and soon, thorns popped out and prated everyone, holding them in their ces.

    Demires stared at Ludger with incredulous eyes.

    His pouting mouth was about to say, Why the hell?.

    However, Ludger only looked down at him with a cold stare that held no emotion and gave him no answer.

    Drop.

    The corpses whose vital points had been pierced rolled around the ground.

    Ludger had no intention of keeping them alive in the first ce. If he kept them alive and they stepped on his tail, his position would be in danger.

    It was better to shut them up forever in that Silent Forest.

    Is this the Omnipotent Stone?

    Ludger untangled the cloth that covered the stone.

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    Ludgers eyes turned sharp when he saw a dark green emerald stone.

    His usually expressionless face frowned very slightly.

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 65

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    I had actually seen Relics, and I had a fragment of Relic.

    I couldnt say that all Relics were all the same, but I still knew why it was called a Relic.

    So I could be sure.

    This Omnipotent Stone was not a Relic.

    The principal told me that someone had stolen the Omnipotent Stone.

    And she said that the stone was a Relic.

    But the Omnipotent Stone that I held, in reality, wasnt like the Relics that I knew ofit was just a stone that possessed a lot of magic power.

    At that moment, I was bound to assume the worst.

    Shiver!

    And at the same time, an eerie sensation flowed down my spine.

    The Silent Forest was not worthy of its name, as countless vengeful and wicked spirits wandered around and wept.

    Sometimes, mutated beasts, or spiritual beasts, also roamed around.

    But at some point

    All the sounds were snapped off.

    It suited the name of Silent Forest.

    My surroundings be quiet.

    I looked up at the sky.

    Far above the dense, grey coniferous forest

    Underneath the sky that was hidden by the clouds of the night sky

    Something was floating.

    It was far away, but I saw it clearly.

    And even the fact that it was gradually gathering power and light.

    !

    I immediately invoked my mana.

    At the same time, I summoned the magical beast of Ater Nocturnus and quickly wrapped it around my body.

    Whiiirrr!

    A shadow that was simr to a ck cloth wrapped around me like I was a mummy.

    At the same time

    A star fell from the sky.

    ***

    Booooooom!!!

    A white and dazzling explosion urred in the center of the Silent Forest.

    The white light that burned through the darkness spread in the form of a huge dome and reached the edge of the forest.

    A huge storm struck the forest, and debris from branches and stone splinters sshed everywhere.

    The white dome, which was spreading as if to devour the entire Silent Forest, soon stopped its explosive expansion and slowly disappeared.

    Shaaaa.

    There was nothing left in the ce where the light had been.

    The trees that formed the Silent Forest, the wicked spirits that were floating in the air, and the spiritual beasts who were eroded by the forests energy

    Because they had also stepped down in fear and awe of one being.

    Thats the end.

    The clouds lifted and the moonlight fell from the sky.

    Her white hair shone faintly in the moonlight.

    Principal Elisa Willow.

    She descended from the sky andnded in the center of the ruins she had created.

    It was a terrifying view as if a star had fallen from the sky.

    There was only one thing that was left in shape where everything was gone.

    And I brought the fake Omnipotent Stone.

    The principal muttered so and looked around. At the same time, she lightly scattered her mana, but nothing was caught.

    In other words, she had dealt with the guys who were hiding within Sren in a single blow.

    It was all thanks to the bait, which had the name of the Omnipotent Stone.

    I wanted to catch bigger fish, but I cant hope for it.

    The principal shook her head lightly from side to side.

    She didnt want to stay there for long. Thanks to the high-tier spell that she used a while ago, the surrounding area had be quiet, but the Silent Forest would fill the ruins back into its own space.

    I wish I couldpletely erase this forest.

    No matter how she was a high-ranking wizard, she was not enough to destroy that forest alone.

    But if someone entered the Silent Forest with their poor skills, they would be crazy due to the magic power of the forest.

    It was annoying, but she had no choice but to leave it alone.

    I can just say to the other people that Ive taken care of it properly.

    Elisa deliberately asked the other professors for help in order to deal with the matter in secret.

    Ludger Chelysie was a representative example.

    She had asked him for help because he seemedpetent, but she still had suspicions on him that she had yet to erase.

    She had thoughts that maybe Ludger had even been in that ce.

    How did he end up in the end?

    The magic she used was not easily blocked, even by a wizard of the same rank.

    Moreover, it was more like a surprise attack, so it was even more impossible to avoid.

    Even if they were a wizard, they couldnt escape death if they got caught there.

    If Ludger was there, he would also be dead.

    I wish thats not the case.

    It was a personal admiration.

    She wished that at least a man that great was not a traitor to Sren.

    Elisa thought so and flew back up into the sky while carrying her bait.

    ***

    To be honest I was surprised.

    Ludger, who had confirmed that the principal left her position from a faraway ce, wiped off the cold sweat flowing on his forehead.

    I didnt expect the principal herself toe forward. It would have been a disaster if I had been even the slightest bitte in reacting.

    The magic that was used by the principal It had been an explosion of light as if a meteorite had been dropped.

    The sight that seemed like a missile exploded and blew up the whole forest made his skin crawl, even though it was far away from him.

    Was that the magic of a sixth-rank wizard?

    Ludger couldnt believe he had been there a little while ago.

    He had managed to escape thanks to the Ater Nocturnus that he used.

    Its a good thing I set the coordinates in advance.

    There was no teleportation magic in this world.

    No, it would be right to say that the magic actually existed, but there was none of it that was known externally.

    That was also why the students were surprised by Ludgers coordinate designation spell in the middle of his lecture.

    It was astonishing to them that magic could be expressed beyond space.

    Even when the magic itself was like that, it was also impossible ording to peoplesmon sense for spellcasters to teleport through space.

    Although in fantasy novels that often existed in his past life, there was a magic called Blink or Teleport.

    There was no such magic in this world.

    But Ludger had used that.

    His method was simpleit was because of the characteristics of the Magical Beast that he used.

    A Magical Beast was both a Summoned Beast and a spell in itself.

    Unlike most Summoned Beasts shapes, Ludgers Magical Beast was an attire, and it maintained its shape by wrapping around Ludgers body.

    When this Ater Nocturnus was moved by a coordinate designation spell, Ludger himself also became a mechanism that moved together with it.

    He knew how to use the coordinate designation spell, and teleportation was possible thanks to the characteristics of Ater Nocturnus.

    In other words, it was a unique teleportation technique that only Ludger could use.

    I feel dizzy.

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    With a slightly trembling hand, Ludger took the pills from his inside pocket and poured them into his mouth.

    Only then did the tremors of his body subside as pure mana was supplied to his brain.

    The downside of such teleportation magic was that the number of its uses was extremely limited.

    Ludger suddenly remembered that the principal had asked him for help.

    No way, was she aiming to do this?

    He shook his head immediately after thinking that far.

    Then there was no way that such a bothersome method could have been used by her.

    Even though she had said that she would leave it to the other professors on the surface, the case must have been very secretive for her to take care of it by herself directly.

    The only thing Ludger overlooked was that he hade into contact with the enemy faster than the principal had assumed would be possible for an innocent.

    Elisa, the principal, must have intended to take care of things by herself and was going to tell Ludger and otherster.

    She wouldnt think that Ludger would find the enemies before her in that Silent Forest.

    And even that Omnipotent Stone was fake. As expected from the leader of Sren I cant let my guard down.

    Even if he was a professor in Sren, she should hide the truth from him for efficient work.

    Ludgers body shivered a little bit.

    Again, he remembered that she was an extraordinary human being.

    Ill have to be more careful to not get caught.

    If the principal found out that he had a fake identity or if he was caught by the ck Dawn Society

    It didnt seem that the oue would be good if he got caught by either group.

    He definitely realized it even more after seeing the blow from the principal a while ago.

    He must be careful of that person, too.

    The only benefit I could gain from this mission was the Omnipotent Stone, and even that stone was fake, huh?

    No matter how he looked at it, he only suffered a loss.

    Ludger didnt feel regretful.

    A trace was left.

    The Omnipotent Stone that Demires stole was a fake one made by the principal, it wasnt a real Relic.

    However, he could not affirm that the Omnipotent Stone did not exist just by that.

    When the principal called him out and told him about it privately, Ludger hadnt found her words strange at all.

    * * *

    * * *

    Demires and other members of the ck Dawn Society couldnt have been fooled around like that just from a fake item. There must have been a real item that they were bound to be attracted to.

    When the principal found out that they had discovered the real item, she had made the fake one and wiped them out.

    It meant that the real item still remained.

    Since I have left a trace on the fake item, Im sure the principal will go to check the real stone. I can just remember the trace that I left on the fake one.

    That was why, when the principal was on the verge of dropping her attack

    Ludger had carved a trace on the fake stone by himself that even the principal wouldnt be able to notice.

    The fake stone itself emitted such powerful mana that even the principal would not be able to notice that.

    I moved at the right timing.

    The moment he was about to exit the Silent Forest while thinking so

    Crack.

    There was the sound of someone stepping on a branch that echoed from behind him.

    Professor?

    Ludger slowly turned around.

    There stood Flora Lumos, who was staring at him with trembling eyes.

    Did she see it?

    Ludger did not question why Flora was here.

    Just the fact that she now encountered him in that Silent Forest was all that mattered.

    Ludger clenched his fist and released it again so she wouldnt be able to see that.

    What should I do here now?

    He thought of destroying the evidence immediately, but Ludger opened his mouth while thinking it was too much.

    Flora Lumos. Why are you here?

    Pa-pardon? N-no. Well thats

    Flora Lumos could not answer why she had entered the Silent Forest hastily.

    That was because

    How can I just say that I followed him because I smelled a nice scent for the first time?

    And if even the someone that she encountered at the end of the scent was Ludger Chelysie

    Wouldnt she look like a pervert if she said it like that?

    Arent you going to answer?

    Th-that Why are you here, Professor?

    In the end, that was all Flora could say.

    Ludger sighed low at her confused response.

    Seeing that she didnt quibble over it seriously, she didnt seem to have seen the scene that happened in the darkness.

    Even so, people were guarding the Silent Forest outside, did she identally arrive there by using the other path?

    Flora Lumos. This forest is dangerous for a student like you. Hurry and go back.

    Im not that weak.

    The Silent Forest was a dangerous ce. Even more so for students.

    However, if it was a student like Flora, she could endure the Silent Forest.

    Moreover, because she had a unique physical type of magic synesthesia, she was able to avoid it if the mana of the forest was dangerous.

    Flora wanted to ask since she came all the way there.

    Was it right that he came all the way here using magic to cover his appearance?

    And what on earth was that magic?

    Flora, who was about to ask that, found out that Ludger was holding a medicine bottle in one hand.

    Professor. Whats that?

    Its nothing.

    Ludger said so and put the medicine bottle into his pocket.

    Flora stared suspiciously at Ludger.

    She hade into the forest after chasing the scent, but there was a big light shing from a distance.

    She went all the way here to follow the scent, and there was Ludger.

    I

    Flora! Where the hell are you? Huhuu!

    At that moment, Cheryl Wagners weeping voice echoed as she searched for her from afar.

    Flora and Ludger both shut their mouths at the same time.

    Floraaaa~! Im scared! Where the hell did you go~?

    Haah.

    Ludger sighed and walked.

    Follow me. Ill help you get out of this forest safely with your lost friend.

    Flora also calmly followed Ludger because she had given up on questioning him in a situation where the mood had been broken.

    Ludger saved Cheryl, who was being bullied like a ring around the rosie by the vengeful spirits, then took both of them out of the forest.

    Just in time, the guards who were exploring the outside of the forest found the three people and approached them then asked for the whole story.

    The students entered the forest and got lost. Thats why I took them and led them to the way out.

    Ludger then replied that it wasnt a big deal to them.

    The tracking party who had been stationed near the forest were dissolving at the order of the principal.

    Cheryl repetitively said, Im sorry~ while crying, but Flora wasnt like that.

    Why was Professor Ludger in that forest?

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    And what on earth was the magic that he used?

    Flora couldnt erase her suspicious gaze as she was looking at Ludgers back.

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 66

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    When I arrived at the entrance of the forest, most of the people were backing down, and only a few people in charge of the forest remained.

    Among them, the most prominent human being was, as expected, the principal.

    Her distinctive two-toned hair stood out, even during the night.

    Your Honor.

    Ah. Professor Ludger.

    The president greeted Ludger with a grin.

    Then she opened her eyes wide when she saw two girl students standing restlessly behind Ludgers back.

    Oh? What happened with both of them?

    Because they entered the Silent Forest recklessly, I took these students who got lost and came here.

    The Silent Forest?

    The principal squinted her eyes for a moment.

    The shivering Cheryl Wagner quivered her body even more as it was hard for her to bear the anxiety, and Flora Lumos shut her lips tightly.

    Hmm. To go to a dangerous ce called the Silent Forest in the middle of the night What on earth was the reason for that?

    W-well I!

    Cheryl was choked up and couldnt speak properly.

    At that moment, Flora stepped up.

    Its because of me.

    F-Flora.

    I went into the Silent Forest on my own. Cheryl was just chasing me..

    Flora Lumos?

    Flora Lumos, a second-year Sren senior, was also a student whom the principal had been watching with interest.

    Her family, appearance, and magic talent.

    Such ady went into the Silent Forest on her own?

    Did something happen?

    No. It just happened because I was walking thoughtlessly to lift my mood; then Professor Ludger saved Cheryl and me.

    Hmmm. I see.

    The principal did not ask Flora why she went into the Silent Forest.

    Because she already knew that Flora Lumos was innocent.

    It was not nonsense to say that they went in by mistake.

    Because the Silent Forest was so wide, it was practically impossible to manage all of the forests areas, even in Sren.

    Especially on dark nights like that one, students were sometimes attracted to the magic power of the forest without realizing it, so that could have been their reason.

    She was just possessed by the magic power of the forest.

    The principal stared at Ludger, who brought the two students.

    Thank you for taking such a long walk, Professor Ludger.

    It was a matter of course.

    But what can I do but apologize? The case is already over.

    Have you finished everything, Your Honor?

    Yes. I did it myself due to the urgency.

    The principal apologized and took a close look at Ludgers expression.

    But Ludgers expression remained unchanged.

    He wasnt surprised, relieved, or annoyed that he had walked in vain.

    He just epted the situation as it was.

    Understood.

    Oh? Your feelings werent hurt? I asked you to do it and ended it on my own.

    I think the case has been solved well because the principal is morepetent than me. That would have been a more efficient and faster way to get things done.

    The principal nodded with a puzzled look at Ludgers words.

    That Yes. Well, thats true.

    I have noints about that. I dont feel disappointed or sad about such a trivial thing.

    The principal was at a loss for words at the response that was so honest and straightforward.

    As expected from a soldier.

    Ludger had been very consistent since the first time she had seen him.

    More than that, the item in your hand, Your Honor

    Ludger opened his mouth when he saw the item that was wrapped in a cloth in the principals hand.

    Ah, this one? Its nothing.

    I see.

    When the principal said that, Ludgers attention was drawn to it.

    He acted secretly, even though he knew what it was.

    Ludger nodded and aimed his gaze slightly at the two students he had brought along.

    So what should I do?

    Ah. Well, students can make mistakes like that, right? So I think you can talk to them properly and send them back to the dormitory.

    I dont have to give them a penalty point?

    Oh, my. Youre saying something so heartless. Ill take care of them, so just send them back.

    Y-Your Honor!

    Cheryl looked at the president with a touched look and eyes full of awe.

    Flora just stood still as if she were not particrly interested in such things.

    Then Ill take the responsibility to send them back.

    Yes. Professor Ludger, please do a little more work tonight.

    Understood.

    Ludger then left that ce after he finished his encounter with the principal.

    * * *

    * * *

    So what happened?

    After Ludger left with the two students, Wilford, who was watching the situation from afar, approached and asked the principal.

    With Ludger Chelysie.

    This incident haspletely wiped out my suspicions toward him.

    Is that so?

    Yes. He didnt react much, even when he saw me. If he had anything to do with them, he should have shown at least a slight bit of agitation, but it didnt happen.

    In addition, Ludger had even taken two lost students out of the woods.

    Maybe because she had asked for help, he had rushed over there and found the students in the woods.

    Hes quick in managing his work and I like his attitude as well. Most of all, he has a strong mentality that doesnt fall to my captivation.

    You must like him.

    Well, I think so. I think the same goes for Mr. Wilford, though?

    Hoho. Well, I wont deny it either.

    Wilford was a former knight, so he especially liked Ludger.

    He had a restrained and sharp devotion that was unmatched by the other weak wizards.

    His remarkably trained body in particr, which stood out subtly under his attire, showed that he was different frommon wizards.

    His physical training couldnt have been sloppy.

    That part made a pretty good impression on Wilford.

    Anyway, I think this case brought an alert to them.

    Im not sure. I hope so.

    Or should I have captured them alive and questioned them?

    The principal shook her head violently at Wilfords words.

    You know about it very well too, Mr. Wilford, that its not gonna work on them.

    Thats true.

    They were the members of a secret society that hid in Sren.

    No matter how many of those guys she caught and interrogated, it would be impossible for them to tell her the information about their organization.

    If they were that meek in the first ce, the organization wouldnt have recruited them.

    Furthermore, some measures might have been taken by them to prevent another possible leak of information.

    It was much better to get rid of the visible ones.

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    I hope this will calm them down for a while.

    ***

    Now go back.

    Ludger, who escorted Flora to the dormitory, turned his back without hesitation, as he had finished his work.

    That

    Whats the matter?

    Flora called Ludger and was about to say something.

    However, no matter how many times Flora mumbled with her lips, her voice didnte out properly.

    Itste at night. If you have nothing to say, Ill go.

    Ludger had no consideration or concern, even when the other person was Flora.

    He disappeared like the wind, as he was seemingly busy.

    Cheryl, who was next to her, even got astonished.

    Whoa. As expected from Professor Ludger. Hes so ruthless. Flora. Are you okay?

    Yeah. Im alright.

    I was worried Why the hell did you go into that forest all of a sudden?

    Just because

    Just because?

    There were times when I just wanted to go around without realizing it. And then, out of all ces, I went into that forest.

    Phew, I got it. But you need to be careful next time. I was also very scared!

    Yeah. Thanks a lot for your concern, Cheryl.

    Flora went back to the dormitory with a weak smile.

    After washing up and changing into her pajamas, she flopped down on the bed.

    She kept remembering Ludgers appearance, whom she had seen in the Silent Forest a while ago.

    Professor. What you held in your hand was obviously some kind of medicine bottle.

    Ludger was slightly startled when she had asked about it.

    Even when she first discovered Ludger from a distance, she could only see his back, but he had definitely been shaking.

    Why was he being like that in a ce where there were no people?

    Did he get hurt anywhere?

    A hypothesis suddenly came to her mind.

    Flora unconsciously propped up her upper body.

    No way, is it the truth?

    Once she was immersed in her thoughts, the other thoughts came consecutively, and she couldnt let them go.

    It had certainly looked like that

    His body shivered because he was in pain Even his behavior of hiding in a remote ce where people couldnt see and taking medicine secretly

    Theres no way that Professor Ludger is taking bad medicine. Hes been pretending to be strong, but it doesnt mean that hes not feeling well, right?

    Flora shook her head, realizing that she was thinking too much.

    No. I cant be sure yet. So lets not think of it too much.

    However, no matter how much she inwardly denied it, she couldnt help but keep thinking simr thoughts.

    Next time

    If she had the chance, she could check it then.

    Flora closed her eyes while thinking so.

    She didnt think she would have a nightmare unlike the usual that night.

    ***

    A night when everyone fell into a deep sleep beyond midnight

    The principal finally checked with her own eyes where the real Omnipotent Stone was.

    Its working, huh.

    She turned her eyes to the fake stone and moved the real stone safely and stored it.

    For that simple distraction, she had taken measures to get rid of the roaches that hid in Sren herself.

    She had even gone as far as keeping secrets from others.

    It was inevitable if she wanted to get things done properly.

    But it was a relief.

    Thanks to the bait, she was able to wipe out some of the enemies, and the real stone was kept safe.

    It was a storage facility simr to an altar

    The principal breathed a sigh of relief as she looked at the Omnipotent Stone at the center of the altar.

    It looked exactly the same as the replica made to deceive others, but the real Relic was so dangerous that one shouldnt approach it recklessly.

    Just like a stone that made ones wishese true, it responded to its owners desire and made their wishe true.

    The problem is, theres no limit to its ability.

    That was the scary point of its omnipotence.

    That stone responded to the darkest and most powerful desire that was hidden deep inside the user.

    Even when someone begged on the stone to make a lot of money, it wouldnte true unless it was their real desire.

    Rather, the stone often forcefully granted what the user did not want to happen.

    Most human desires were based on darker evils.

    Rather than making money and being happy, human beings secretly wanted the person they hated and despised to be ruined or suffer.

    The stone granted that very wish.

    But if it doesnt have an owner, the relic scatters the wavelength of its own magic power and lures in the person who is sensitive to it.

    Therefore, the Omnipotent Stone had to be stored in an enclosed space covered with countless partition walls.

    So that its magic power wouldnt leak out.

    And those who guarded the surroundings of the Stone had to be people who would not be easily seduced by its magic.

    Thats how much I have to be careful with it.

    In the pieces of literature of which only a few remained, there was a record that a kingdom disappeared in the past because of that Stone.

    One might wonder why such a dangerous thing should be stored in Sren, but in other words, because it was located in Sren, the item could be stored safely.

    If it had fallen to the hands of the magic tower or any other kingdom, a war would have been raging already.

    Its a relief that everything went well.

    The principal closed the entrance to the partition wallspletely after checking the Omnipotent Stone for thest time.

    The metal outer wall that had a thickness of 3m, which blocked the wavelength of the Stones magic power, closed with a thud, and darkness emerged within the storage.

    Only the green light emanating from the Omnipotent Stone dimly lit up the surroundings.

    That was how the Omnipotent Stone would have been ced there for a long time, once again out of anyones sight.

    If only a shadow did not wriggle in the dark.

    Ssshaaa.

    A man rose from within the shadow.

    Pheew.

    The man, who shook off his dizzy head once and sighed, looked up and stared at the Omnipotent Stone that was located in the center of the enclosed space.

    Thats real, huh.

    It looked simr to the fake one, but the quality of its atmosphere was different.

    Ludgers excellent sight immediately distinguished the original from the fake one.

    The Omnipotent Stone also scattered a stronger wavelength around it, perhaps realizing that humans existed around it.

    Ludger frowned as he felt its wavelength with his skin.

    Is it seducing me?

    A stone that made wishese true

    If there was a mentally sensitive person within a certain range, it emitted the wavelength of magic power to make a wish toward the stone.

    It didnt just have an impact on his body

    It dug deep into a persons mind and touched the desire hidden deep inside them.

    Its doing an interesting thing.

    But it only worked for weak people.

    Ludger approached the Omnipotent Stone instead.

    Then he reached out and grabbed the stone.

    Im sorry, but I dont intend to make you realize my desires on your own.

    Whoooong!

    The Omnipotent Stone vibrated as if it was disobeying Ludger.

    If someone was seeing it for the first time, they would have gotten confused and gasped.

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    How many Relics do you think Ive seen so far?

    He was an expert in that area.

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 67

    ACADEMYS UNDERCOVER PROFESSOR

    Ludger had traveled around the continent to look for Relics.

    The original fragments that he was gathering, to be exact.

    It was to make a Relic.

    He had visited many cities, many countries, and many ethnic groups.

    As a result, there were times when he had unintentionally encountered Relics that were not rted to the fragments.

    Evenmon wizards had never encountered any Relics in their lifetime.

    Ludger, on the other hand, had seen several Relics so far.

    In terms of Relics, Ludger could be seen as more experienced than anyone else.

    Stay still.

    He recited those words as ifmanding the Stone and invoked his mana.

    The Omnipotent Stone emitted a violent magic power as if to resist Ludger, but Ludger was not surprised.

    Sometimes, that kind of volition existed for a unique Relic.

    It was a small mystery created by the peculiar, powerful force of the Relic.

    The Omnipotent Stone existed to satisfy the desires of others.

    Its reckless purpose of listening to ones desire was sublimated to the will and influenced the surroundings of the Relic by spreading the wavelength of desire to its surroundings.

    In some ways, Relics were also cursed items.

    So it resisted Ludger, but Ludger sneered at the Relics volition.

    You cant make my real wishe true anyway, no matter what kinds of methods you use.

    Even in front of the Omnipotent Stone, Ludger did not believe in the Omnipotent Stone itself.

    Was it going to grant his wish?

    He was sure that the Stone would listen to it, but it would only be within the limits of the Stones power.

    He couldnt say that the Stone would grant his wish.

    A wish with limitations was not a wish, after all.

    It was nothing more than a mere fake wish fulfillment.

    If youre a fake wish fulfiller, then just do as I say.

    The Omnipotent Stone didnt give up.

    Instead of scattering the wavelength of its powerful magic power to its surroundings, it focused more on Ludger.

    Green magic power coiled around Ludgers body.

    Ludger frowned at the magic power that permeated his mind.

    A useless struggle.

    However, he did not push away or block the Stones magic power.

    Instead, hemitted a bold act by increasing the mana in his hand that was holding the Stone.

    Whooooong!

    Then, it was the Omnipotent Stone that was flustered.

    What on earth did this human do? Instead of raising his defense, I received more magic power?

    The Omnipotent Stone didnt stop invading Ludgers mind while questioning his actions.

    The moment it went into Ludgers inner mind while thinking that it was a good urrence, instead

    Bump!

    The magic power that the Omnipotent Stone flowed into his mind was blocked at some point as if it was hitting a barrier.

    What the hell blocked its magic power?

    The Omnipotent Stone, which aimed to respond to a humans innermost desires, questioned the situation in which it could no longer enter Ludgers inner mind.

    Did Ludger pretend like he let the magic power into his inner mind but actually block it off? Why?

    It found out right away that it wasnt the case.

    It wasnt Ludgers mana that had blocked the Omnipotent Stone

    It was a disparate force that waspletely different from Ludgers manait was a strange force that could not even be ssified that blocked the Omnipotent Stone.

    It was a force that was impossible to understand; the Stone could not even analyze the force.

    Mana? No. That kind of disparate energy was different from that.

    It was higher than mana. It was as if something else was watching and protecting his mind.

    Youd better stop there.

    Ludger warned against the volition of the Omnipotent Stone.

    If you go beyond that, it wont be good for either you or me.

    Ludgers warning was not a mere bluff

    It was sincere advice.

    The Stone was sure that something worse would happen if it attempted to go beyond that.

    If the Omnipotent Stone had feelings, the Stone would have been deeply moved by Ludgers warning.

    However, the volition that the Omnipotent Stone possessed onlymanded the Stone to do its role as best as it couldthere was no emotional factor within the Stone.

    The Omnipotent Stone epted Ludgers advice.

    If it attempted to go further, it would be destroyed and never see the light again.

    If that happened, it would not be able to perform its role in the future.

    Ssshhhh.

    Good job.

    The Omnipotent Stone gave up on its will.

    It was simr to stopping after hitting a barrier, but it was the volition of the Stone that made the choice.

    Ludger put his strength on the Omnipotent Stone as it was, forcing his own wish into it.

    The fragment of the Relic that I currently have

    With one of his hands that wasnt holding the Stone, he took a fragment out of his inside pocket.

    Tell me where the other four fragments are.

    At that moment, a brilliant green light burst out of the Omnipotent Stone.

    The light was clear and would have been strong enough to be seen from quite a distance if emitted in an open area.

    However, in an enclosed space that blocked the wavelength of the Stones magic power, the light only shone inside.

    When the light of the Stone waspletely gone

    Ludger removed his hand from the Omnipotent Stone.

    Two, huh.

    Two

    That was the number of fragments that the Omnipotent Stone had shown in response to Ludgers wish.

    What Ludger wanted was the location of the other four fragments, but the limit that the Stone could show was only two fragments.

    And one of the two was the fragment whose location had been roughly discovered by him already.

    The only benefit I gained from the Stone was, in the end, the location of the other one fragment.

    It was a very ungraceful effect for a Stone who granted peoples wishes, but Ludger decided to think positively.

    Just by finding another fragment of the elusive Relic, he had saved many years that could have been wasted.

    Even so, I didnt think that the fragment would be so near.

    The whereabouts of the fragment that he had unintentionally discovered

    It existed in the big city of Leathevelk.

    Its a relief to discover that one fragment.

    Whoooong.

    The Omnipotent Stone vibrated finely as if protesting against Ludger.

    If the Stone had helped him, he should take the Stone outside.

    But Ludger lightly dismissed its volition.

    You are a dangerous item. You will continue to destroy the people who are influenced by you. You should stay here forever.

    Whoooong!

    The Omnipotent Stone tried to protest violently, but Ludger had already covered his body with shadow and whisked himself away into the darkness.

    The Omnipotent Stone that was left alone blinked green lights as it was seemingly protesting, but the Stone soon calmed down.

    Because there was no one who could listen to it.

    * * *

    * * *

    As I came back to my room, I sat on the sofa for a while to rest because of the extreme amount mana I had consumed.

    As expected, teleporting between spaces wasnt supposed to be done several times.

    I felt dizzy and nauseated, and most of all, I had consumed a lot of mana.

    In addition to that, I had even used my strength to utilize the Omnipotent Stone.

    I was lucky that I didnt copse from exhaustion.

    []

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    There were noises flowing from my brain.

    I frowned at the noises and roughly emptied the pills into my mouth.

    The mana from the pills that permeated my body filled the mana I had consumed, but it was insufficient.

    That time, the recovery needed more time, especially because of how much mana I had consumed.

    Im going crazy.

    To avoid those noises, I was always going around while chewing pills in my mouth.

    Of course, I benefited from these annoying noises that time.

    The Omnipotent Stone prated my mind, but thanks to it, I was able to get over it without being seriously damaged.

    Still, I couldnt help but be annoyed.

    It was fortunate that it was the first stage, the recovery would be hard if it became worse than that.

    I pressed my finger against my throbbing forehead slightly as if I was doing acupressure therapy.

    Perhaps because I had stayed still for about 30 minutes, the noises from my head disappeared at some point.

    Was it over?

    I stood up with a sigh of relief. Now that I knew the whereabouts of the fragment, I was going to inquire about it.

    When I grabbed themunication crystal ball and sent my mana into the ball, the reaction immediately came.

    [Did you call me?]

    Yeah.

    Hans responded immediately as if he had been waiting. It was alreadyte and past midnight, but he responded to the call sharply like that.

    He must have been waiting for me to contact him.

    [Are you done with everything you were attempting to solve?]

    It ended faster than I thought. Thanks to that, Im able to have some leisure time.

    [Thats a relief.]

    You can push forward the appointment time. A weekend would be better if we could do that.

    [I was just thinking that it was the right time. I dont think thats all you wanted to say to me. Is there anything else?]

    As expected from Hans.

    Maybe it was because he had been working with me for quite a long time, but he was quick to notice that kind of thing.

    I found the location of another fragment piece.

    [Where?]

    Its in Leathevelk. You should search for it mainly at the auction house.

    [Auction house, huh. Theres only one auction house in Leathevelk.]

    Yeah.

    There was only one auction house in Leathevelk.

    Kunst, the one and only Leathevelks auction house.

    It was one of the auction houses operated by Luke Co., thergest auctionpany in the Exileon Empire, and among them, the branch in Leathevelk was one of thergest in the continent.

    The influence of the Kunst auction house was not limited only to Leathevelk or the Exileon Empire.

    The Kunst auction house showed a very high participation rate because rich people from all continents could gather and purchase items there.

    Money was bound to attract money.

    High-quality antiques, historical objects, and even outstanding artifacts

    Good items attracted rich people.

    And those people invested huge amounts of money to show off their wealth.

    The auction house was the ce where big bucks circted that even I, who received a huge sry from Sren, couldnt help but be astonished by.

    When such an overwhelming winning bid came out, rumors spread again and attracted the attention of people from other countries.

    It was a repetitive, vicious cycle of money.

    Such a vicious cycle created what was the Kunst auction house.

    And if my prediction was correct, the fragment I was looking for would exist at the Kunst auction house.

    Its not bad timing since a big event will be held in the Kunst auction house soon.

    Hans would be able to easily check the list of the soon-to-be-appearing items at the Kunst auction house.

    Check the list, and find out when theyre up for auction.

    [I got it without you having to tell me about that, but isnt the Kunst auction house a big ce?]

    So what?

    [Then I think the usual method will be a bit hard to implement.]

    I realized what Hans was concerned about as I heard his anxious voice.

    I know it as well. For now, Im going to make a move as a proper guest.

    The Kunst auction house maintained a terrifying security system, as it was a ce where all kinds of wealthy people gathered.

    When the auction was held, they could even hire a number of people who were as skilled as Knights and ce them as the guards.

    It meant that the scale of the auction was that huge, and Luke Co.s reputation for conducting such an auction house was also great.

    They werent just mere Knights. Even wizards participated in it, and all the valuable items were even under security magic.

    It was too much to stick to the old methods in such a ce.

    Dont worry too much. Theres a lot of time left anyway.

    [Well, thats I get it. Lets check the list of items first. Argh?!]

    Why are you like that?

    Suddenly, Hans screamed, and I wondered if something had happened.

    [No. Its nothing big. Its just because a bothersome good-for-nothing is throwing a tantrum.]

    A bothersome good-for-nothing?

    [You called them, didnt you? One of them hase already.]

    Ah. I see.

    They arrived faster than I had expected.

    At that moment, a shout of something was heard from beyond the crystal ball.

    [Argh! Wait! Iming!]

    Seeing Hans shouting fiercely like that, I wondered if a certain person had arrived first.

    [Anyway. Ill see you around the neighborhood soon.]

    Yes. Work hard.

    I ended my call with Hans.

    I had gained everything I could gain from utilizing the Omnipotent Stone, and I had killed the guys who had attempted to steal it.

    That ended the case rted to the Stone that granted wishes.

    I have cleared almost all suspicions of the principal toward me with this case, so that alone is enough.

    It was time for me to go back to my daily life as Professor Ludger Chelysie again.

    What bothered me for the moment was Flora Lumos, that girl.

    I dont think I encountered her in the forest by ident.

    She had dropped by exactly where I was.

    Or did she run into the ce where I was during the night by ident? And in Silent Forest on top of that?

    But if it wasnt just a mere coincidence, if she was actuallying for me

    That was all the more ridiculous.

    The Ater Nocturnus that I used erased my own presence, so a mere student shouldnt have been able to sense me.

    Even the principal hadnt sensed me.

    Flora Lumos

    Or was there something else that was peculiar about her?

    But the good thing is that, judging from her reaction, she didnt see me using magic.

    Perhaps it was thanks to the high-tiered destruction spell that was used by the principal that attracted attention instead.

    But it didnt change the fact that she couldnt erase her suspicions of why I was there.

    Although I had been silent all the way through

    I should be careful.

    Flora Lumos behavior also needed to be watched closely.

    But I had criticized her severely, so she would be quiet for a while, right?

    I fell asleepte at night while thinking about it.

    Because I had to wake up early again the next day.

    ***

    In the early morning in front of the professors office

    I saw a girl pacing around in front of the professors office door and had no choice but to stop my footsteps.

    Flora Lumos.

    Readtest Chapters at Wuxia World . Site Only

    Oh? A, ah! Pr-Professor Ludger!

    The girl whom I was concerned about because of the encounter the previous day was waiting for me in front of the professors office.

    ____

    ____

 Chapter 68

    I was sick so I couldnt post until today.

    Flora Lumos, what the hell is going on here?

    Flora hesitated to answer Rudgers question.

    Actually, she wanted to ask Rudger if he used unusual magic without anyone elses knowledge.

    But, how do you say that?

    Smell was the only proof that he had used magic and only someone with a special constitution like Flora could sense that unique fragrance.

    Ah, that, so.

    Why was Rudger there that night in the first ce? And what was the medicine box he was carrying? She had several questions she wanted to ask, but at the same time she couldnt.

    Hmmm.

    Come to think of it, she wasnt particrly good with Rudger. Although Rudger himself says he does not understand at all, Flora still has not forgotten the humiliation she suffered on the first day of ss.

    All of them were defeats caused by her shorings, and even the battle of insults that followed did not end nicely. To her, Rudger Chelici, was nothing more than a man worthy of her challenge.

    Flora was fiddling with the hem of her own uniform skirt.

    Yeah, thats right. Calm down Flora Lumos. Even Mr. Rudger is sick, thats not my business.

    Until Flora had put her thoughts together, Rudger just stood still and stared at her.

    Flora coughed a little, and she looked at Rudger.

    .

    And she unwittingly turned her eyes to the side. She felt ashamed when she finally made up her mind and met Rudgers eyes.

    What? Those eyes.

    Rudger was just staring normally, but not at all in his predicament. Rudger is a man who turns into a picture just by keeping his mouth shut. His impression is sharp and charisma is felt just by looking at him. Those who receive such a gaze from him will automatically feel embarrassed.

    That intense, unshakable gaze had something that was difficult to face for more than 3 seconds. It was as if she was dealing with beings higher than the nobility.

    Is there nothing to say?

    Rudger was not at all embarrassed as he was going to work early in the morning and a student was standing in front of the door, especially a student who may have witnessed his secret.

    Have you seen it? So you want to threaten me with it?

    Flora, unaware of his thoughts, panicked at Rudgers gaze. In the end, Flora had no choice but to bring out her purpose after hesitating.

    I heard that you are hiring assistants.

    Actually, she didnte here for anything rted to teaching. She tried to ask what she had seen in the forest, but she dared not speak so she switched the topic.

    In fact, when Rudger hired an assistant, she was intrigued.

    Obviously.

    Rudger nodded her head and agreed with her.

    Flora clenched her tiny fist tightly and spoke with courage.

    I, ICan I help you with your work?

    .

    Raise one of his hands and put it on his chest. For a moment, Rudger wondered if he had heard something wrong.

    What did you just say?

    I said that I could help you with your assistants.

    So, did you say that you want to be my assistant now?

    No. Not that!

    Flora pursed her lips.

    Still, she said that he woulde and help with the work, as she is a senior in the second year. If it were another teacher, they would thank her immediately and hold her hand but Rudgers reaction was blunt.

    Hey, even though I look like this, Im very talented at magic.

    I know.

    If you know why are you reacting like that?

    Because I no longer need an assistant right now.

    Yeah?

    Floras eyes widened as if she had heard something wrong. Her long dark blue hair shook due to her emotions.

    That, what now.

    Its as you say. Ive already hired one assistant, and I dont need another assistant right now. Above all else, I look at things other than magical skills when I hire an assistant. Ive already exined this in ss.

    Yes.

    Rudger does not hire assistants simply because of their magical abilities or their background but because of how diligent and faithful they are to their role. That was the condition Rudger put forward.

    Flora was a little shocked because what she said with courage was so harshly rejected. She slightly bit her lip and lowered her head. At that moment, Rudgers voice rang in her ear.

    But, I appreciate your kindness.

    Yeah?

    Flora shook her head.

    That

    Werent you just here to help?

    Oh, wasnt I?! That, didnt you misunderstand me?!

    .

    Rudger couldnt understand her and decided to act like an adult.

    Then do that.

    Well, its not like that.

    If there is nothing else to do, I will go in first.

    No! I have one more question!

    One more?

    Rudger hoped that thest question would not waste his time or he would be really bitter. As he stared at Flora, she roused her magical powers even though she was pouting.

    Isnt that what Mr. Rudger said back then? If there is anyone who understands my magic, pleasee and find me.

    In thest ss, Rudger showed his students the coordinate designation magic and said that if there is a student who can imitate it he will give them extra points ordingly.

    Look at this.

    Flora said and created a tiny drop of water in the empty space between her and Rudger. She didnt stop there as small pieces of ice formed on the ceiling and the wind blew from the other side of the hallway.

    Rudgers eyes widened as he watched the scene. That was obviously the {coordinate designation method} he showed in ss the other day.

    It wasnt as sophisticated and neat as he showed and even the effect is only at a weak level but the basis is definitely the same as what he showed.

    You were sessful.

    Because I am a genius.

    As Rudger graciously admitted, Flora naturally raised her nose.

    What do you want? Do you want to get the extra points as I said then?

    At first, I thought I would just get the points.

    Flora didnt think it would be fun then and halfway through, she changed her mind.

    I want another reward that is equal to the points.

    Another reward?

    Yeah.

    Floras request was bold, but she deserved it. Rudger pondered for a moment and then nodded his head.

    Good.

    Really?

    She didnt expect that Rudger would agree to her request. Of course, she also had her own inner intentions.

    She cant openly ask him to show her another magic and cant ask him to tell her a secret either. But what if she left that judgment to Rudger? She was sure that he would give her a suitable reward.

    Because Mr. Rudger is surprisingly knowledgeable.

    Rudger Chelici is blunt, hard-headed, and sometimes rude, but he is confident in his words.

    Come in.

    Rudger said and opened the door to the office.

    Yes?

    I told you toe in.

    .

    Flora swallowed her saliva. Is he saying that the two of them are going into the office alone now? Flora had a strange thought without her knowing, but then she shook her head.

    Yes. He just told me toe in. Lets not think strange things!

    She said yes and followed Rudger into the office.

    The office was just like Rudger neat and tidy. It was well-organized and there was a strange sense of stability thanks to the pleasant smell of wood and the scent of ink and paper and even the light that softly illuminates the interior space.

    This is it.

    Rudger guided Flora through a door on one wall of the office. It was a privateboratory dedicated to teachers, where the assistants stayed and Rudger himself used to do magic experiments and research.

    Rudger opened the door and went in first, and Flora followed.

    Wide.

    Flora had such a sentiment as she looked at Rudgersboratory. Usually teachers are all supported with simrly sizedbs, but Rudger felt particrlyrgepared to other teachers because there was hardly any clutter that took up space.

    Is he really from the military?

    He didnt put anything aside, except for the bare minimum of books, documents, and materials he needed.

    On a long ckboard on one wall, dense magic circles and theories drawn with magic chalk were visible.

    What the hell did you study?

    Most of the writings were merely copying passages from papers or books, which Flora also knew. However, seeing a pattern drawn on one end of the magic board, Flora had no choice but to stop without her knowing.

    This is?

    Rudger researched the starting point for various magics. She didnt feel much inspiration there, but the pattern shes seeing now is different.

    Pattern? No. Is that alcohol?

    But for a drink, the shape is a bit strange. Basically, the magic technique takes on a three-dimensional form as if drawing a picture through lines and nes with magic in the air.

    Its appearance varies greatly depending on the magic, but there are many things that are basically splendid or create elegant beauty. However, that one painted by Rudger was strange, it looked like an ordinary cube.

    When asked to draw, she could draw even with her eyes closed. However, if there is another small cube inside the cube, and each edge is connected by a line, the story is different.

    Did he just draw it? No. Its not just a drawing.

    As she approached and tried to study it, Rudger opened his mouth.

    I was thinking about what to give you.

    Flora turned to Rudger, who looked like he had already decided.

    The coordinate designation form I showed. As you feel and use it, it is to set mathematical forms and coordinates centered on the user, and to manifest magic from distance, controlling the mana used as much as possible, fixing it in the air, and manifesting another technique at the coordinates.

    Of course, students who cant understand even if I say this wont be able to do it. In fact, Flora Lumos was the same. She could only imitate Rudger thanks to her talent.

    If its you, its okay if I show you this.

    Rudger said and began to draw a magic circle in front of him. However, it was very different from the usual magic circle.

    What is that?

    Flora unknowingly shook her shoulder.

    The basic technique is to draw a line of magic in the air to create a three-dimensional picture but what Rudger showed her now was entirely different. It was a technique and magic that showed the possibility of another dimension beyond three dimensions.

    !

    At the same time, Floras synesthesia was activated, a transcendent sense that its beyond the limits of the human senses. The moment she felt it with her senses of sight and smell, Flora could not stand the shock and passed out.

 Chapter 69

    Ummm.

    Flora rubbed her forehead and slowly opened her eyes.

    What?

    She fainted when she saw Rudgers magic and had a dream that made her feel nostalgic and sympathetic. Her body felt warm as if she was in the arms of her mother who is now dead.

    Btedly, Flora realized she was lying on the sofa.

    Ah.

    Flora slowly raised her torso, and discovered that the coat covering her body was running down. She recognized the familiar ck frock coat with golden thread.

    This.

    Are you awake?

    Unknowingly, she turned her head toward the ce where the voice came from and saw Rudger Chelici, sitting at his work desk, reading. Instead of the coat he usually wears, he wore a pure white shirt and a ck vest.

    His long bangs were slightly pushed back, revealing his forehead and his usual sharp gaze was diluted thanks to the rimless sses he wore on his face, further entuating his intellectual feeling.

    You dont remember?

    Yeah?

    I showed you one magic.

    It was only then that Flora could remember what Rudger was talking about. He showed her a magic and, stunned by the intense sensation, Flora fainted.

    No, thats! Sir, thats!

    Flora got up from the sofa but perhaps because of the shock, her legs lost strength and she fell back on the sofa.

    Keep sitting. It seems that you have not yet recovered from the shock of fainting.

    How long has it been?

    About 30 minutes.

    About 30 minutes.

    Flora shook her head and stared at Rudger almost as if she was about to eat him.

    What the hell was that magic?

    What do you mean?

    What you showed me right before I passed out!

    AhThat.

    Rudger replied in a muffled voice as if it was nothing.

    It was just something I just came up with. Its called Klein disease.

    Klein disease? Did such magic exist?

    It is not practical magic in the first ce. Its more of an experiment.

    Is it an experiment?

    Flora wiggled her lips in disbelief. Others would have thought that it was an unusual type of magic but Flora knew that Kleins disease was different, it was an innovation.

    The level of magic thats limited to three dimensions was raised. Even after seeing it Flora could hardly believe that such a magic existed but she epted it.

    Yes.

    But to Rudger it seemed as if it wasnt a big deal.

    This is an experiment to see the extent to which the magic created through mana can reach?

    Is that great thing just an experiment? Teacher is.

    What the hell are you trying to do?

    Flora couldnt bear to ask about it because she couldnt possibly fathom the magic Rudger was trying to create.

    Hmm.

    The reason he created the Klein disease was because his curiosity for mana was not satiated.

    Does mana exist purely materially? If so, does mana receive full physical effects?

    Mana manifested in the form of magic, mana was already something beyond thews of physics. Magic is the embodiment of mystery and mana its the base.

    The unknown that has not yet been revealed.

    With mana one can jump through space and Kleins disease was created to prove that as it was a magic that can be manifested in 4 dimensions.

    Mana goes beyond mere space and can interfere with dimensions beyond that.

    However, Kleins disease only serves to prove the hypothesis because there was still not enough research to apply it to other magic.

    Anyway, Im d you woke up.

    Yes?

    Come to think of it, Flora fainted in theb, but when she woke up, she was in Rudgers office.

    Did teacher bring me here?

    I cant leave a fainted student in theb.

    Flora recalled the figure of Rudger who caught her when she fainted and her face turned red in an instant.

    That!

    Flora Lumos, are your eyes and nose okay?

    Yeah?

    Why all of a sudden? Before Flora could question it, Rudger spoke first.

    Hey, dont you feel magic in a different way?

    !

    Flora was astonished because Rudger discovered the secret of her peculiar constitution that no one had noticed until now.

    Damn, how are you.

    Because I saw it.

    Did you see it?

    Every time you look at my magic, your pupils dte greatly. I found out that you were not looking at the magic spell itself, but the secondary phenomena that resulted from the spell.

    .

    Flora could not believe that Rudger had noticed such a reaction that she was not aware of.

    And every time you saw a new magic, your fingertips trembled, its a reflex behavior that urs when you feel momentary pleasure.

    !

    In particr, it is good to change the habit of twitching the bridge of the nose. From the looks of it, it seems that you can ept magic with your sense of smell, but it wouldnt be good if you open your nostrils like that

    Ahhhhh!

    Flora couldnt stand it and screamed.

    Why are you screaming?

    What disrespectful words are you talking about ady nose?

    I was talking about your habit. Be careful not to get caught by others.

    Hmm.

    Flora muttered as if fed up with Rudger.

    Rudger sighed, stood up from his seat, and walked slowly towards Flora.

    Donte near me!

    I dont know what the misunderstanding was.

    Rudger took his coat from Flora and after waving it in the air a few times, Rudger hung it neatly on the hanger.

    Seeing you screaming so loudly, it seems that your body has recovered properly. You should leave.

    Yeah?

    Cant you hear me telling you to leave?

    Flora asked Rudger, still having not cleared her suspicions.

    Are you not curious?

    What do you mean?

    About my unique body.

    You mean the fact you feel magic in a different way?

    Right.

    Flora nodded her head frankly.

    Her Magical synesthesia body had two of the five senses. If he had been any other wizard, he would not have been able to turn his eyes away from this unbelievable constitution. Thats why Flora asked in a worried voice.

    Not at all.

    But Rudger was different and answered in a firm voice.

    Yeah?

    I am not interested in what you are like.

    That, what.

    However, it would be better not to tell other people about that constitution. Magicians are very dangerous when they discover something they dont know.

    Flora read something in Rudgers attitude because he seemed to be aware of the magical synesthesia she possessed.

    In extreme cases, someone might abduct you and use you as a test subject.

    .

    Gulp.

    Flora swallowed at Rudgers heartfelt warning. At the same time, she couldnt help but think,

    Why are you so calm? Have you ever met someone with a simr constitution besides me?

    Teacher, do you know anyone other than me with a constitution simr to mine.

    .

    Rudger didnt answer, instead he raised his hand and pointed to the door of the office.

    Flora wiggled her eyebrows at the action, but did not follow it. It was a moment, but Rudgers face had a somewhat sad look on his face. So she did not dare to ask and had no choice but to leave the office.

    Teacher knew. He must have met someone else besides me.

    No rather than that, how did he know that it would be dangerous if her constitution was discovered? And the subtle expression he showed at the end.

    Did we know each other?

    Then Rudgers behavior was understandable. He said that he had an acquaintance with a constitution simr to her and that acquaintance suffered harm. If so, who was that person? Man? Woman? If it was a woman, what kind of rtionship did the two have?

    No!

    Flora shook her head and stopped thinking about it.

    Yes. Lets just move on today.

    Just as she was thinking about it, Flora suddenly had such a thought.

    By the way, I havent received another award instead of the extra points.

    Rudger showed her Kleins disease and did nothing else because she fainted. Flora looked back at the office door.

    If I go back in now and ask for the prize.

    That be a bit.

    Im stupid too. Why did I forget the most important thing because O was so caught up in something else?

    Flora wanted to rip her hair out but time that has already passed cannot be turned back. She left her regret behind and had no choice but to back down this time.

    At that moment, someone from afar approached her with staggering footsteps. No, to be exact, she was approaching Rudgers office.

    You?

    Huh?

    Holding an old book in her arms and walking with careful steps, it was a girl with a rare gray hair color.

    I remember.

    Flora is not very interested in other people, but she remembers a few unusual children in her ss and Rene was one of them. At the beginning of the semester she had a quarrel with an aristocratic student but the fact that she, amoner, gets along with the 3rd princess overshadowed that.

    She is also strikingly beautiful in appearance, so even if people dont want to know her, they cant help but remember her.

    Uh, you.

    Rene also recognized her Flora and stopped her steps. If she were to name the most famous person in Theon sophomore year, its her. She is the daughter of the Duke Lumos and has a natural talent for magic in addition to her beautiful appearance.

    She has no attributes like herself but unlike her non-attribute magic, which is difficult to understand the source of, her senior, has her own firm path. But why is that person in front of Rudgers office?

    .

    .

    The two looked at each other without a word. They take Rudgers ss together, but other than that, theres almost no contact. However, Flora could not help but doubt why Rene hade to Rudgers office, especially when she was holding a book.

    Rene was also wondering why a senior like Flora was standing in front of Rudgers office.

    It was Flora who moved first in that subtle and ufortable silence.

    Huh.

    She passed Rene as if she wasnt interested. Rene stared at Floras back and remembered why she came to Rudgers office.

    Oh right. Book!

    After reading the book on non-attribute magic, she came to return it to the owner, Rudger. With that thought in mind, Rene gulped her saliva in front of the door to his office. It was the moment she was about to take a deep breath and then knock.

    Come in. The door is open.

    Rudgers voice sounded from inside.

 Chapter 70

    After Flora left, Rudger recalled the conversation he had just had with her.

    I asked how she found me, but it was because of the smell.

    Flora Lumos was born with her constitution to feel magic in a different way. When she sees the same magic, she sees different colors and feels different smells.

    I was skeptical about her at first, but her reaction to Kleins disease convinced me.

    There was a loophole in my Ater Nocturnus.

    It was not possible to avoid everyones gaze by simply erasing my existence. Flora felt the very subtle magical reverberation that flowed in the magic water and found him.

    She perceives magic through her senses of smell and sight. Indeed, there must have been a reason for being number 1 in the 2nd year. Its understandable that she made fun of several teachers so far.

    If so, what to do next?

    From Floras reaction, it was as if she had not seen what Rudger had done in the Silent Forest that day. She had a slightly suspicious gaze, but there was no solid evidence.

    The opponent is a daughter of the duke family that the Empire is proud of. If I touch her, it will be troublesome.

    Still, the academy is buzzing thanks to the recent events, and I cant do anything over the top. However, it seemed necessary to keep an eye on Flora more closely than usual.

    Ill let Hans do the background check. Even so, Im sure Ill find someone with that kind of constitution in Theon.

    After all, this is the best academy that teaches magic. Both teachers and students are extraordinary people. Even those whom I have seen so far were only a small fraction of this academy.

    Do I have to live in a ce like this for 2 years?

    Its been a while since Ive worked here, and two big incidents have already urred. How many more will it happen?

    It was then that I felt a presence in front of the door.

    Come in. The door is open.

    As Rudger said that, he felt a shudder through the door, and then the door opened cautiously. A girl with dense facial features, clear blue eyes and gray hair that is hard to find in Theon poked her face through the half-open door.

    Is it Rene?

    Yes.

    What did youe here for?

    The bookI finished it.

    Book..

    Rudger recalled that he had handed Rene a book about non-attribute magic. With only her face sticking out, Rene entered the office with her careful steps. She looked as if she couldnt make the slightest mistake.

    I thought I should give it back to teacher.

    You mean that?

    Yes, Mr. Rudger.

    Rudger shook his head and said.

    The book is not mine. I, too, am only giving further what I have received.

    Then this book.

    Keep that book with you.

    Yes?

    You may have read it many times, but you will always need it. Sometimes you wont remember parts of it so its better to have it just in case.

    Still.

    Some things show their value only when they have a suitable user. The book about non-attribute magic will shine more when you have it than if it is in my hands.

    Rudger took a moment to catch his breath and took off the rimless sses he wore on his face.

    I believe that you will take good care of it.

    .

    Rene couldnt say anything because Rudgers words cluttered her head.

    Do you believe in me?

    Rene was dizzy as Rudgers words kept echoing in her head.

    Why do you believe? Do you have a good reason for that? Or is it simply because I am the owner of non-attribute magic?

    She suddenly had a thought.

    Rudger knew the previous owner of this book. If so, did he hear something from him?

    I.

    What?

    That, so.

    Rene couldnt help but ask. Even when she opened her mouth, only unlistednguagese out. It was because of Rudgers outspoken words that her head was not spinning properly.

    If you have nothing to say, just leave. sses are starting soon.

    Yes.

    In the end, Rene gave up and was forced to leave the office. She walked down the hallway with staggering footsteps as her head was still a mess.

    * * *

    Oh right.

    It was only after she wandered aimlessly and reached her sparse garden that Rene finally regained her sanity.

    I was going to ask about the assistant position as well.

    She was so embarrassed and out of context that she didnt even think of asking.

    By the way, it seems that senior Flora also came to see Mr. Rudger. Did shee here for Mr. Rudgers assistant position too?

    As a senior in the second year who holds the title of genius, which is rare in Theon Flora Lumos was pretty popr even among the freshmen.

    Although shees from a great family, she does not belong to a faction unlike other nobles and stays with her childhood friend.

    No. Lets stop paying attention for now. I have to start preparing for the next ss at the library during the rest of the time.

    Just as I was thinking about it, I heard a conversationing from over the trees in the garden.

    Uh?

    Rene had no choice but to stop her steps when she saw the students who had finally appeared. They were students from aristocratic families that stood out even from afar. Also, she doesnt get along well with them as usual.

    Ah.

    Among them there was a man who left a great impression on Rene when he approached her and wanted to date her as if he was doing her a favor. In the end, Rene relentlessly pushed him away, and naturally he began to harbor a grudge against Rene.

    I really hate it.

    In addition to that, a group of people who were jealous and secretly quarreled after seeing Rene getting along with the 3rd princess recently joined the situation.

    I didnt know she was going to meet them here.

    There was no way they would leave her alone. It was better to avoid any shes and Rene has realized through her past experiences. She immediately turned her gaze away.

    Lets go inside.

    Rene headed deeper into the garden. Since the site of Theon is so wide, even the size of the garden was different. There were marble fountains, colorful flower fields, and a long avenue of trees. Even some artificial forests or small open spaces have been created, and sometimes the students used them to socialize outdoors.

    Some say that there is a secret ce in thisrge garden that other people dont see, but she didnt know that.

    Lets hide for now.

    Rene moved immediately and went inside the garden.

    Vines and beautiful pink flowers grow to block the sunlight, creating a long tunnel of arched perg.. As she walked through it, it was as if she were passing through a door to another world.

    As she exited the perg, she saw the lush greenery.

    There was a ce like this?

    She had just entered this ce and was still not familiar with the geography or structure, so whenever she encountered a new ce, she was simply amazed.

    Rene pricked her ears and listened to the situation outside.

    Did they go?

    She could still hear the soft chatter between them. Are they thinking of staying here?

    I dont think theylle this far.

    Killing time in this area in moderation, avoiding the noble students, and going back through a detour were Rene thoughts when she leaned her back against a suitable tree and suddenly turned her head in one direction.

    Is this a song?

    A voice came from inside the forest.

    Who is inside?

    It was something she could just ignore but Rene was curious. Some of the songs are good to listen to, but its because she felt a sense of dj vu as if she had heard it somewhere.

    It feels simr to when I got the book from Mr. Rudger.

    Rene was curious and unwittingly moved her steps towards the source of the sound.

    Lets just check.

    Theres still time until Rudgers ss anyway. With that in mind a small open space that greeted Rene, who was heading into the forest. It was not a natural ce since the vacant lot was very neat as if someone had been managing it before. Besides, there was even a small flower bed nearby.

    Who is it? Did the gardener do it?

    With that thought in mind, she slowly walked towards the center of the vacant lot. The melody that had been heard a while ago was no longer heard.

    Who are you? This is a ce no onees to.

    A voice came from behind her back.

    Rene looked back in surprise and saw someone sitting on a thick branch and looking down at her.

    Who are you?

    Well?

    The young man, who seems to be the owner of the flower bed, questioned her reaction and eventually realized that he had juste here by chance.

    He let out a smallugh, then jumped off the tree andnded lightly in front of Rene.

    Renes eyes widened at the quick movements.

    Did youe here by chance?

    Oh that.

    Rene was btedly able to recognize who the other person was. He was a sophomore and above all, the dark blue hair color he had was easy to recognize.

    Senior.. Freuden?

    Freuden Ulburg, the eldest son of the Ulburg family, who symbolizes the wolf, one of the three duke families of the Exilion Empire. He is also a student who is regarded as the head of the noble faction in Theon.

    Is this the flower bed that senior Freuden was managing?!

    Rene realized that she had entered the tigers den.

    The rumors about Freuden had already spread among other students and his notoriety among themoners grew because he is the leader of a faction made up of noble students who openly despise and harassmoners.

    He was also the eldest son of the Freudian family, unmatched by anyone except the imperial family, somoner students were afraid of Freuden. The fact that aristocratic students looked down on and harassedmoners was to the extent that it was even said that this man had given orders from above.

    Formoner students, Freuden was the final boss to be wary of and fear more than anyone else.

    To see such Freuden Ulburg alone in a ce like this.

    No, its ruined.

    Rene thought about whether she should run away right now.

 Chapter 71

    Sorry for theck of post but I had stomach issues and I was bedridden for 3 days.

    If you knew Im amoner, wont you attack right away?

    Rene swallowed her saliva.

    She was at the point where she wondered if he could just pretend she didnt know and get out.

    Hmm.You?

    Freuden looked at Rene and raised an eyebrow then he approached her.

    Hmm.

    Renes stomach was burning at the sight of him staring at her with a slightly skeptical look. Did the leader of the noble faction even recognize her? Will he remember the Dunema incident and ask her to take responsibility now?

    Renes head was spinning in aplicated way.

    ording to the rumors she had heard, Freuden was famous as a demon that hatedmoners and had no mercy. Meanwhile, Freud did not take his eyes off Rene.

    When his gaze finally settled on the book about the non-attribute magic that Rene was holding in her arms she hid the book behind her back without realizing it.

    Freuden narrowed his eyes.

    You.

    Yes Yes?!

    No, nothing.

    When Rene reacted too violently, Freuden shook his head.

    How did you get here? Ordinary students would note this far.

    Well, that.

    Rene pondered how she was going to answer.

    Freuden was suspicious of Renes attitude and narrowed his eyes even more.

    Rene choked her chest at the sight.

    Freuden is a handsome man that stands out, his skin is white and his jawline is thin, so he has a very sharp image, but he has a lot of charisma because of his unique eyes and the parted hairstyle that exposed the forehead raised his mood even higher.

    Since the rumors were so strong Rene answered frankly to her fear that she might die if she lied.

    I heard someone singing.

    Singing?

    Yeah.I wouldnt havee if I knew this was seniors space! Really! Trust me!

    Freuden looked at her with slightly widened eyes, then turned his gaze away and murmured.

    You heard a song?

    Yeah. Song.

    How was it?

    Yes?

    Im pretty sure you came here by chance.

    I, really? Thank god.

    Instead, I want you to keep it a secret from other students. This is my personal space and even my bodyguards dont know about it.

    Huh.

    At Freudens attitude, which waspletely different from what she had heard, Rene lost her voice for a moment.

    Hey, arent you mad?

    Angry? Why?

    Oh no, I mean.

    Im amoner.

    She couldnt even say those words, so she just muttered to herself.

    I will not me you foring here. All you have to do is keep what you saw in this ce a secret.

    Of course! I wont tell anyone! Really!

    Are you going to promise?

    Yeah! I promise!

    The conversation went better than she expected and Rene started doubting the rumors about Freuden.

    Maybe you have mistaken me for a nobleman? I dont think so.

    At least ording to the rumors she heard, Freuden Ulburg always had a cold attitude that seemed to prey on someone. However, the Freuden she is facing now did not do that at all and the cute flower bed jumped into her eyes.

    Did senior raise them all?

    Judging by his reaction, this must be Freudens personal space.

    Senior Freuden made this.

    That Freuden? The eldest son of the House of Ulburg, one of the three dukes of the Empire? He is a symbol of fear formoners and even for aristocrats.

    At least the aristocrats she knows are extravagant and brag all the time about their hobbies like buying expensive clothes, buying fancy essories, or having tea parties but Freuden was different.

    What a simple noble. Is it possible that senior Freuden sang that song too?

    If so, from whom did he learn the song? Rene tried to ask, but she immediately withdrew.

    No. Its much better not to draw attention here.

    Freudens unexpectedly merciful nature, contrary to what she knew, made it a better choice for her to take advantage of this opportunity to leave.

    Sorry, I wont speak about this with anyone. Today I didnt see anything. Yep. So Ill just go.

    Yes.

    Freuden didnt really want to look down on her or make fun of her since she was amoner.

    Then, Im going.

    Rene stepped backwards slowly.

    Rene.

    Yeah?!

    If you want toe, you cane again.

    Yeah?

    You cane. I will give you special permission.

    .

    Rene didnt understand what the hell this meant. She didnt know if he was serious or was just kidding with her.

    Ah yes.

    As she moved away from Freuden, she could only think that she was dreaming because todays been full of incredible things and with quick steps, she escaped from Freudens secret garden.

    * * *

    Rudgers ss has begun. He came in right on time for lecture and scanned the pulpit where the students were sitting. Before this, they seemed quite bored, but after showing the coordinate designation magic, the students concentration had returned.

    In this state, a month should be sufficient.

    Rudger shook his head with satisfaction and opened his mouth.

    The first test period ising soon.

    That soft voice reverberated throughout the ssroom.

    There are many tests to be taken during the school year, but the word 1st came heavily to the students. In particr, this is the first exam for the freshmen who just entered Theon.

    As I told youst time, I n to teach {Source Code} only to high-ranking students who do well in exams.

    Rudger continued.

    Of course, I am not teaching the entire Source Code. What you guys can get from the first test is one of the {frameworks} that make up the Source Code.

    The Source Code form consists of a total of four frameworks. In other words, if they want to learn the entire Source Code the students must be in top 5 for all 4 tests that take ce during the semester.

    I wonder who will learn the entire Source Code this semester.

    Gulp.

    Some of the students swallowed and clenched their fists.

    Their responses were half mixed with anticipation and tension but in the midst of that, there were some who showed leisure.

    As this is the first test, there will be no difficult content. Its a test to check how carefully you listened to my sses based on the basics.

    A sigh of relief erupted everywhere at Rudgers words.

    I think you know everything about the subject itself, but just in case you dont know, Ill tell you again. If anyone doesnt know yet, write it down now.

    As soon as the words came out, the students took out their pens.

    Even if they already knew, they decided to write it down in case of any unforeseen circumstances.

    Tsk. Its stupid.

    Floraughed at the students actions since she already remembered everything Rudger had taught in her mind.

    Of course, I remember everything because Im smart. Its not because I never thought that the teachers ss was good.

    While she was rationalizing herself, Rudger introduced the subjects one by one to the students.

    The range of questions will be from Mana Mechanics 1st volume, the Basics of Natural Sciences, and the Basics of Understanding and Introduction to Elements. There are a total of 20 questions and all of them are subjective.

    In addition, in the case of a problem that requires calction, he even warned firmly to write down the entire math.

    Even if the answer is correct, if the exnation is strange, it will be considered incorrect. In the opposite case, I will still give partial points. So, dont go over what you know vaguely, and review properly.

    Rudgers exnation was clear and the students didnt even have any more questions to ask.

    Its my first test, so Ill go lightly.

    Lightly?

    Its an open book test.

    Yes?!

    To that call, some freshmen responded by asking why while an unexpected reaction burst out among the second graders.

    Youre still a freshman, so you dont know the meaning of the open book test.

    People think an open book test its a very easy test because you just have to look at the answers and write them down but its the opposite. There is only one case when a teacher has allowed students to open books.

    He will make the exam so hard that it will be difficult to solve it even if the students use the book.

    The second gradersughed at the first graders.

    Rene, who knew what open book meant, did not stop writing notes even though she had a slightly nk expression on her face. Then she suddenly felt a gaze and turned her head.

    Huh.

    Flora Lumos was looking at her but that gaze just disappeared as if passing by.

    What?

    However, Rene felt a strange sense of uneasiness. She felt as if Flora was somehow looking at her with a slightly wary gaze.

    The exnation of the test ends here. I will start the ss right away.

    With the following words of Rudger, Rene had no choice but to put an end to her doubts.

    * * *

    Soon after the ss was over, the night came, announcing that the holidays were approaching. Rudger immediately finished getting ready to go out, and rode a wagon down to Leathervelk.

    Today was the day of the meeting about how to deal with the behind-the-scenes world of Leathervelk.

    Dressed in a long ck coat, he pressed his hat deep down as he stood on the sidewalk. At that moment, a ck-coated car stopped in front of him. One of the car doors opened and a familiar face appeared.

    Brother lets go.

    Where did you get the car?

    Rudger asked, sitting in the back seat naturally.

    Hans, who took the steering wheel, responded while starting the car.

    Well, the enemies of the Red Society were working on this and that. Among them was the transportation industry, and I just brought the best performing vehicles they had.

    Hmm.

    Oh, of course, I am not saying that I use it for personal purposes. We have to be stylish when we go to the meeting.

    Yes.

    How are you going?

    Rudger pulled out his one-eyed sses from his inner pocket, put them on, and cleaned his cor.

    I will go as I always have.

    Ha-ha. You are my brother.

    Hans drove to the meeting point.

    Eventually, they stopped at a street side bar lit up with colorful lights. From the entrance, customers were swarming and nearby women were waving their hands in thick make-up to solicit.

    Its needlessly shy.

    Well, wouldnt it be better than doing it in a dirty and dreary ce?

    Yeah.

    Lets get off.

    The two got out of the vehicle.

 Chapter 72

    The pub was cluttered by theughter of women with heavy makeup and perfume, and men approaching like bees, drawn to the smell of honey. There were people who were drinking and shouting loudly, and there were people ying musical instruments.

    Its pretty noisy.

    Because this ce is quite famous and it is a bar with a total of four floors, so there are bound to be many customers.

    Rudger and Hans entered and looked around.

    Where is the meeting ce?

    4th floor.

    Is it at the top?

    Up to the second floor, the general public can use it, but from the third floor, it is agreed that only authorized people can enter.

    The two had a light conversation and went up to the second floor.

    The second floor was not much different from the first floor. The ce was full, and it was noisy like the first floor. The only difference is that there were guards on the second floor.

    As Hans said, the stairs leading to the third floor were blocked by two guards with a strong body.

    Only authorized people go further.

    Here.

    Hans held out the invitation he had prepared in advance.

    The guard checked it, and without saying a word, he turned to open the way.

    Lets go, brother.

    Yes.

    Hans took the lead and Rudger followed. The guards gaze lingered on his back, but he lightly ignored it.

    Eventually, when he reached the third floor, Rudger immediately understood why this ce was a high-end bar.

    Its so quiet that it cant bepared to the noisy 1st and 2nd floors.

    Even though it was so noisy below, the 3rd floor was soundproof. The interior is more luxurious and the customers were all dressed in neat and tidy clothes, enjoying the moody atmosphere and sipping alcohol lightly.

    The scarlet light made the atmosphere dreamy but Rudger and Hans goal is one floor higher. It was the highest ce in this bar, where only the most important people could gather.

    The two climbed the wooden stairs and arrived on the fourth floor.

    Unlike the 3rd floor, which was like a wide hall, the 4th floor had a long hallway.

    Is it a room type?

    It was a very suitable ce for a quiet conversation.

    What room?

    At the end. It is the innermost ce.

    Is there no one guarding this ce?

    Ah. Maybe its because this ce is so special.

    A special ce?

    Hans exined the information he had picked up.

    It is said that this bar has been used a lot as a meeting ce for the organizations behind Leathervelk from before. As a result, an unwritten rule was set among themselves, and it was that they would never fight within it.

    Dont fight.

    Well, even those who betray each other and live a damn life have iron rules or beliefs that they follow.

    Thats right.

    Rudger shook his head.

    As you know, this world also has its own rules. And this is where the discipline is most strongly applied.

    Inviting us to such a ce.

    Its just to make sure were really following the rules.

    Its fun.

    Rudger smiled slightly.

    They have guts to target someone who destroyed the Red Society alone. If Rudger had been a little more entric or cruel, blood would have flown through the 4th floor of this bar today.

    Still, to invite him would mean that they were confident.

    Come in.

    Yes.

    Eventually, the two of them reached the end of the hallway, opened the door and went inside. Various foods were ced on arge round table made of wood and those who sat at the table kept a certain distance from each other.

    The number of important characters is four in total.

    Rudgers gaze first turned to the person seated to the right of the table. He had a beard on his face but what caught his eye the most was his absurdly small stature, unbelievably small for an adult.

    Dwarfism.

    Also called short stature, it has the same body structure as a normal person, but is close to a kind of disorder with only the height being too small.

    Is this person the leader of a group?

    In a world where human rights are not yet sufficiently developed, his disability must have made life difficult. Rudger noticed that this dwarf man was the leader of the Circus, Pinion.

    Next he looked at the two people sitting in the middle right opposite to each other.

    Is it an old man and a girl?

    This, too, was a strikingbination. An old man with gray hair and a grumpy impression, and a cute blonde girl like a doll. However, since they are gathered here, those two are also the heads of one organization.

    They are the leaders of the group Old Kids, Maste and Deon.

    The child is surprisingly the one who has the initiative.

    Ordinarily, the older Deon would be seen as the leader, but Rudger did not think so because he felt a strong analyzing gaze from Maste. She knows how to manage her facial expressions, and although she is young, she is clever.

    Andstly, the women of the ck Rose.

    There was only one person sitting to the left of the table. She was ady in a ck dress, with hair braided up and her face was covered with ck cotton.

    Is that woman, Violetta, the one who leads the women of the ck Rose?

    Except for the Red Society, the heads of the behind-the-scenes world of Leathervelk had all gathered in one ce and even a small number of subordinates escorted them.

    Rudger sat down in the seat reserved for him and opened his mouth.

    James Moriarty.

    His monocle gleamed in the light.

    Everyone calls me that.

    The first to react was Violetta and an alluring voice came from beyond the ck cotton yarn.

    Are you really that legendary man who ruled the Delica Kingdom?

    You know me well.

    James Moriarty, the de facto ruler of the Delica Kingdom, famous for its steel industry, and who even worked with the military to start a war with other countries.

    As those words came out of her mouth, the atmosphere in the room became even heavier. In particr, Hans, who stood almost behind Rudger, did not hide his ufortable feelings.

    Rudger nodded happily.

    One troublesome detective ate it all up, though.

    After that I thought you died or were arrested, I didnt expect you would show up like this in Leathervelk. So, for what purpose did youe here? Are you nning to start a war in the Empire?

    Violettas voice had a strange edge. The other leaders stared intently at Rudger, perhaps of the same opinion as her.

    Thats a nonsensical thing to say.

    Violettas words were just ridiculous. How could they speak of war without knowing the reality of what happened in the Delica Kingdom?

    I dont think like that.

    Did such a person destroy the Red Society as soon as he came here?

    There was something dirty in front of me, so I just cleaned it up.

    Rudger said as if he was indifferent to the fact that he had wiped out the Red Society but no one argued because he did it with overwhelming skill.

    So what do you want?

    It was Pinion, the leader of Circus, who opened his mouth this time. He had a hoarse voice that didnt suit his small body and Rudger noticed that he was smoking.

    Coming here and epting our invitation means that you have a purpose.

    Yes.

    Rudger had nothing to hide, so he meekly nodded his head.

    I want to build my power here.

    Pinion tapped the armrest of his chair with his finger.

    That answer is not enough.

    Do you need more exnation?

    If you got rid of the Red Society simply to create your own force, thats fine. The Red Society had a dirty personality and was our enemy.

    The important point is this. Is there any guarantee that the new organization created by the famous James Moriarty will not be a second Red Society?

    The second Red Society, thats what they were worried about. The Red Society did anything that made money, and they crossed the line even in the back alley so they united to fight against them.

    Up until now the three organizations had only managed to maintain a bnce by working together but that bnce was broken by an individual who appeared out of the blue.

    Were you worried about that?

    Theplexion of the people hardened at Rudgers sullen tone. It was a serious matter to them but Rudger said it as if it was nothing. Of course he had the qualifications to do so.

    Rudger smashed the Red Society alone and in a way he was more dangerous than them.

    Then it would be better to clear up the misunderstanding.

    Misunderstanding? What misunderstanding are you talking about?

    Deon raised an eyebrow and asked.

    Rudger shook his head once and then pointed at Maste with his chin.

    Say it yourself.

    What.

    Grandpa Deon, its okay.

    Maste stared at Rudger with her curious eyes.

    Youve noticed that Ive done it.

    A child with innate talents and circumstances is far more frightening than an old man who does nothing in the world.

    So what are you saying we are misunderstanding?

    If I was going to get rid of you because I thought you were annoying, I would have done that long ago.

    It was a tant remark, but no one was angry or upset.

    But the reason I didnt do it is because I also have a line that I must keep.

    So what are you trying to say?

    At least you guys are far better than the Red Society dead at my hands. I dont have to pretend with you guys, thats why I joined this meeting.

    At least, when he hinted that he had no hostility, their vignt gazes faded a little. However they didnt trust him.

    So what are you going to do now? All of the infrastructure and businesses of the Red Society are nominally owned by you.

    Pinion wiggled his mustache and ate the turkey leg that was in front of him.

    Pinion cant you please stay still, at least in this ce?

    Im sorry, Auntie. Im not as noble as you.

    Auntie? Thats why you uncultured people.

    Both of you, do it in moderation.

    Maste came forward and mediated.

    Rudger seemed to have a rough idea of how these three organizations worked. Their rtionship is bad, but there are people who can mediate the situation in moderation.

    So, are you going to keep the structure of the Red Society intact?

    At Mastes bold question Rudger shook his head.

    I wouldnt keep such a messy thing.

    Then you must be thinking of something great, right?

    Yes.

    When he decided to create an organization, Rudger had already made a n and Leathervelk will be the cornerstone for that.

    I am going to start a new business different from what the Red Society did, a business that can be carried out more proudly.

    BusinessThat sounds really interesting.

    Violetta said in a sarcastic tone. How proud would they be if the business they were running in the back alley was honest? Even if they dont do drugs and human trafficking like the Red Society, they cant brag about their business.

    Reading their thoughts, Rudger grinned.

    If you think that way that will be your limit.

    I beg your pardon?

    Since everyone is gathered, let me make one suggestion.

    It was the time to reveal his purpose.

    Everyone,e under me. That will bring you sess.

 Chapter 73

    The room was filled with heavy silence.

    What the heck?

    Violettas voice trembled as if she could not believe what Rudger said and the rest had a simr reaction. In the case of Pinion, his lips were twitching and he wanted to start spewing insults.

    Brother, what are we going to do now?

    Hans, who was standing behind me, signaled me urgently and asked. He also seemed a bit embarrassed by what I said.

    Did you think that I was here to have a peaceful discussion? If so, its time to correct that misunderstanding.

    I think you didnt understand, so let me tell you one more time. Everyone wille under me.

    At his arrogant words Violetta showed her objection.

    Disgusting.

    She didnt hide her feelings.

    I thought you would be different because you got rid of the Red Society and still decided to have a conversation with us but you and the Red Society are the same.

    Same?

    Arent you forcing us to work for you?

    Did it look like that?

    I beg your pardon?

    I know what theyre worried about. Of course, I am not demanding unconditional submission from them.

    You can keep your business.

    As an organization, money is essential, and of course, they must earn money in the best possible way. However, the biggest source of money was held tightly by the Red Society.

    Dont you want to make big money?

    I made them an offer that they couldnt refuse.

    Big money?

    What are you talking about all of a sudden?

    Naturally, the responses thate back are full of questions so I decided to kindly exin.

    I got rid of the Red Society and took possession of the various business sites they upied, but to be honest, we dont have enough people to operate all of them.

    When I spoke openly about our weaknesses, Hans was astonished. He must have been desperately hiding this fact from other organizations but in this case, it is convenient to just let it out in the open.

    Our organization is not yetrge. As a result, inevitably, there will be fields that have not been covered yet so I will hand over the business to you.

    Maste asked suspiciously.

    What do you mean?

    I shrugged.

    Didnt I say? Youe under me.

    You mean youre letting us take over part of your business instead of going under you?

    If you dont want toe under me, you dont have to but I will give you a part of the business that I dont need anyway. How you use it is entirely up to you.

    I do not understand. What do you want?

    At this point, they will have no choice but to feel something beyond their doubts.

    As you know, I am in a difficult position to be active right now.

    If I try to act as James Moriarty, the Imperial Security Agency will probably move in and try to catch me as was the case with that detective kid.

    What I want is to build my own firm power. However, I didnt want to make pointless enemies.

    I dont want useless disputes.

    Huh. Is the person responsible for eradicating the Red Society saying that?

    It was necessary to get rid of them. Had they been left, they would have caused problems in some way.

    Says the one who started a war in Delica Kingdom.

    Violetta said sarcastically while I shrugged lightly.

    If you dont want to believe, you dont have to. However, I would like to hear your answer here. Will you join hands with me or not? Of course, Im not going to force you.

    Even if they dont hold hands with me, they will get a part of the business. For them, there is nothing to lose.

    The chiefs exchanged nces with each other and weighed whether what Im saying is true and whether its really good to hold hands with me.

    Hmmm. Can I know exactly what that business is?

    Pinion coughed and asked.

    Pinion, what are you doing?

    Dont meddle, Violetta. At first, our Circus said that it was short on supplies. If we can make money, we will do anything.

    This snob!

    Lets talk straight. In the end, this is what matters in this world.

    Pinion made a money shape with his hand and shook it left and right.

    After all, without money, we are nothing. Doesnt it mean that people who are despised need money to live like human beings in this world? I dont understand the way you live your life.

    You.

    When ites to business that makes money, we wee it with open arms.

    Pinion said that, but he didnt fully believe me.

    Of course, I want to hear in advance what that business is. Well, no matter how dangerous it is, isnt our life like that? Dont feel bad.

    I understand.

    I nodded.

    Pinions attitude is understandable. He has a disability called dwarfism and the organization he leads is simr to a circus troupe of people with disabilities.

    There is a thing called a freak show, a show that gathers deformed people and turns them into spectacles and makes money through the circus. In the 18th century, when human rights did not really exist in Europe, this freak show was popr. This Circus run by Pinion is also based on this freak show.

    However, the general difference is that the manager himself has a disability.

    Pinion is not simply trying to take advantage of people with disabilities in simr circumstances. They made this choice only because they could not survive without doing a freak show.

    I promise. I will never do anything that puts you in danger.

    Pinions eyes widened at my words.

    So, what kind of business it is, can we hear a little bit about it?

    Of course. Pinion, do you know what kind of entertainment the nobles enjoy?

    Well, thatsthey enjoy opera and music.

    What is often called opera is the main culture of the nobility of this era. Not only the aristocrats but also the wealthy enjoy this. Its a majestic tale of gods and heroes with boring and old-fashioned stories from the tragedy of the ancient kingdom.

    But why are you asking that? Surely our Circus cant do that?

    No way. Isnt it too old-fashioned for nobles to enjoy now?

    What I rmend is higher than that.

    More than that?

    Not more shy, more fun.

    Pinion didnt seem to understand what I was saying.

    Thats natural, for people of this day and age, what I am going to introduce is a very unfamiliar word.

    Do you know what a musical is?

    Musical?

    A splendid performance thatbines singing, dancing and theater. Its lighter, more bouncy, and freer than opera, so its the best way for them.

    Its about telling a story with the right mix of y and song, and joyfully expressing it with colorful stage lighting and dancing.

    How is that different from what the nobles enjoy?

    Its freer. You dont necessarily have to just sing. What is important is harmony and you can dance.

    Is that what we do?

    Yes.

    I remember the first time I came to Leathervelk and wandered around the city, people singing and dancing on the street. There is music and dance in this world so I seriously considered the existence of musicals.

    Do you think it will work?

    Yes.

    And Im sure of this because history tells me. Looking at the development of the culture of this era, the appearance of musicals will happen someday anyway. Not now, but it is highly likely that it will appear in at least 10 years.

    Are you interested?

    Hmm. I dont know yet.

    Dont worry about that. Let me show you the materials I have prepared.

    Obviously, there will be some bacsh at first. There will be people who look down on them, saying its a low-key thing. However, just like the flow of history, the emergence of popr culture is not something that a few incumbents can prevent.

    I took out the script book I had prepared in advance and handed it to Pinion.

    Pinion took it coldly and scanned the contents quickly. The sound of turning the pages ended and Pinion said.

    It seems certain that you have a clear vision. Lets do well.

    Those words were, in effect, the same as dering that he would hold my hand.

    Its surprising.

    The heads of Old Kids, Maste and Deon, looked at me with slight disbelief. Did they think I would use my strength to suppress them?

    What the hell do you want here, Moriarty?

    Change.

    I answered without hesitation.

    Most of the people in the industrial area and Forges Street were not well-recognized. The only ce to go for those living here is the soot-filled factories in the industrialplex. Over 18 hours of hard work a day, a dull gray world with no pleasure whatsoever that leads to a dark future.

    I want to change that.

    I want change.

    If I do that, this Forges Street where ordinary people live will be the Broadway of Leathervelk. And, of course, that will start with the people gathered here.

    The first workyes. I like Leathervelks West Side Story.

    There are no more back alleys of the past. Now this ce will change to a ce where people can live, not a dark, damp, stinky ce.

    It is not possible to separate levels and divide sses forever. What they need to see is not a sludge of dirty, rotting water but to look at the sky and live.

    I decided to give them hope and that will look like the sweetest fruit to those gathered here.

    Of course, I can advise other organizations besides Circus on business ideas that are suitable for them.

    Violetta and Mastes gaze contained a strange aspiration.

    Are you serious about listening to me now?

 Chapter 74

    Its amazing.

    As we safely left the meeting room, Hans felt as if he was dreaming.

    What do you mean?

    The ideas brother brought up. Even I, who is proud to say that I have seen and heard many things in my own way, have never seen such a thing in my life.

    Well, its nothing.

    It doesnt matter. Didnt you think of it all?

    I, too, just saw other peoples things and thought of them. I cant say theyre my ideas.

    Im just suggesting a path based on the history of Earth Ive seen. This is not something I came up with, but a path that pioneers of an era made with blood and sweat so there is no reason to pretend they were my ideas.

    Still, its surprising, all the organizations have made a promise to obey your words.

    They said theyde under me, but that doesnt mean theyrepletely obeying my orders. I understand their feelings so I dont regret it because I havent shown much yet for them to trust and follow me. So, I must sessfully finish this project and win their sincere loyalty.

    There are many businesses that can be used and the basic funds are enough.

    Businesses used by the Red Society or the money they have saved up and even Bellbot Ricksons slush fund.

    But thats not whats important right now.

    I stopped, turned around and stared at the corner of the alley.

    If there is something you want,e out.

    Yes?

    Shortly after Hans asked what that meant, a woman hiding in the dark appeared, ady with a ck veil over her face and ck old-fashioned attire. She was Violetta, leader of the women of ck Rose.

    Looks like you have something else to say seeing that you didnt even bring an escort.

    Yes. I would like for the two of us to have a quiet conversation.

    Hmm, thats right. Hans.

    Yes, brother.

    Go first.

    Are you okay?

    Hmm???

    I was a little worried.

    Hans shrugged his shoulders and quickly disappeared through the alleyway. It was only me and Violetta who were left in that ce.

    Would you like to walk for a while?

    No. Well just talk here.

    Okay.

    There were many things she wanted to ask me, so she brought up the subject right away.

    Do you really think our business will do as you say?

    When ites to business, it is.

    I suggested a musical to Circus led by Pinion. It was because I had a vision that suited it, and I thought I could do it but the women of the ck Rose are different.

    I cant expect splendid showmanship like Circus has from them. If so, how should they conduct business?

    The answer I came up with was fashion. Clothing, apparel and design, thats what I suggested to them.

    Do you think you cant?

    In this world, clothes upy a considerable mainstream in the market. From time immemorial, people have tried to show off their style through clothing, and they do not hesitate to spend a lot of money for it. It was still the same today.

    The clothing market is dominated by aristocrats and wealthy merchants.

    Right.

    Theyve built their own solid brands and are solidifying their position every day. Its a ce where no one can squeeze in.

    I nodded.

    Those who are considered the leaders in the current fashion world are brands that sell professional clothing to the aristocrats. Expensive and good material, beautiful and colorful design, thats calledhaute couture.

    For the upper ss, it refers to clothing and clothing stores that are custom-made by individual designers. It is no different in this age as it is the property of the nobles. Whenever a banquet hall or a party is held, thedies always wear clothes with these brands.

    This culture or situation has already be entrenched and for the past decade or so, it has refused to change itself.

    Do you think we can break through?

    It will be difficult.

    When ites to fashion in this world, it is only for the rich and wealthy but that doesnt mean that people cant be involved in fashion just because they dont have enough money.

    Naturally, the logic of the market is, after all, the logic of money so the flow has no choice but to follow those who have money.

    Fashion always changes and now fashionable clothes have been around for too long. Its time to slowly change the water.

    Its not as easy as it sounds.

    Surprisingly, you know a lot about the fashion world, dont you?

    .

    At my point, Violetta bit her mouth like a person who has been fooled.

    You must have been very interested.

    So what?

    Violetta asked, furiously. Her job is to be a prostitute who is despised by society. Although she is the head of a group and she has beautiful looks, the stigma still remains. No matter what she does, she can never escape her stigma.

    There is nothing that cant be done. No, rather, if there is a lot of interest, we can see that it is fortunate that we agree with each other.

    You really think that is possible.

    Did you not see the design drawings I gave you?

    The clothes designs I gave her were less than 10, but it must have been quite a shock to Violetta. Unlike the clothes that insist on only beautiful and shy like now, it was rather close to the opposite lighter and morefortable clothing.

    It is not a fashion that only a selected few can lead, but a method that the public can choose. Mass fashion aimed at the many, not high fashion for the few. No, in this case, I should call it Pret-a-porter (a ready-to-wear suit).

    The clothes that clothing brands are selling now are just for show and its difficult to wear them in everyday life. So, clothes that have been sublimated into more practical designs were born, clothes that can be worn on a daily basis but with the image of luxury.

    It was not the exclusive property of the nobility, but a path that could be chosen by arger number of the poption. In fact, even in the history of Earth, after the Industrial Revolution urred,rge-scale production became possible, so the old fashion faded and these popr clothes began to take shape.

    The upper-level culture was left behind and inevitably pushed aside by the popr culture.

    Yes, I saw them and they were definitely surprising. I didnt think a man like you woulde up with such an idea.

    Its not mine. I also got it from someone else.

    Whatever it is, this is definitely innovative. Of course, there are a lot of things that need to be fixed, and there are things that are annoying.

    Its up to you.

    What I am trying to do in the first ce is to bring those who were in the shadows to the sun. At the same time, it is no different than dering an all-out war against the culture enjoyed by the high society.

    It is said to be a change that wille someday, but as long as it is pushed forward, shes with the older generation will be unavoidable.

    But we will definitely win.

    History has proven it.

    Although magic that did not exist on Earth exists in this world that is full of mysteries, there are bound to be some simr situations in ces where people live. Wherever people live, the winds of change are sure to blow.

    How long can we live under the hood?

    Its surprising.

    What do you mean?

    At first I thought you were a hard and cold man, but now I see that you have more ambition than anyone else.

    Thanks for thepliment.

    I answered by gently lowering the fedora hat on my head. Anyway, thedies of the ck Rose will open a clothing store based on some of the businesses I handed over. It is premature to start dealing with luxurious things like a tailor shop from the start.

    Right now, they will be selling mainly clothes that the public can wear but they will be different from the clothes that are now widely spread on the street.

    We will start small but gradually expand our scope.

    In particr, the woman in front of me has a better eye for fashion than others. Was it a natural talent, or was it that she worked hard? Maybe it was both.

    It seems that she has been holding back for a long time because of her lowly origin, but she doesnt have to now. She is free to use whatever she wants.

    Now I dont have to worry about protecting my sisters from others. If you are such a person, then I wille forward.

    In order for them to freely do what they want, they need support and I will do that role.

    Is that so?

    If you want to get some ground, you should think about applying magic to fashion.

    !

    At my words, Violetta trembled greatly. Her expression was invisible because of her ck yarn, but it was easy to see that she was astonished.

    Did you think I didnt know?

    How did you know?

    A wizard recognizes a wizard.

    Violetta, who was only a high-ss prostitute, was able to create a power like the Women of ck Rose in Leathervelk underworld, because she was a wizard.

    Yes, it is at a level that is insignificant.

    No matter how insignificant it is, if you dont have talent, you wont be able to learn even that magic. Who did you learn from?

    It was just one of those rich wizard guests. He gave me a little candy because I served him while wearing a mask, and he was so happy that he taught me some magic.

    I see.

    Yeah, I couldnt cast off the status of a high-ss prostitute.

    No matter how much she knows how to use magic, in the end, her identity is fixed there and does not change.

    Are you really going to lift us up like this?

    That is Violettas true intention after all. She had ambitions, but she had no choice but to hide them. Thats how the weak are in society. They are despised and despised by everyone, and for that reason, there is only one ce to lean on, the deep bottom of the ss system.

    The wall they felt was sorge that they had no choice but to give up before even trying to do anything. Even Violetta, who is trying so hard to pretend to be strong, has anxieties about this business in her heart, so other people will be shocked.

    Sure.

    Seriously.

    The important thing is not who does it, but how well you do it. Arent you curious?

    What?

    When they saw the people they had been ignoring and looking down on, horribly chasing up from below. How will those high-ranking people react?

    Ahahaha!

    At my words, Violetta grabbed her stomach and chuckled. It was not like ady who had been polite before this, but like a girl who had thrown off a heavy load.

    Hahaha. That would be really fun.

    Yes. It is well worth the challenge.

    Okay. Ill admit it. James Moriarty, you win. We women of the ck Rose will trust you.

    As Violetta said so, she lifted up her veil that covered her face.

    Since weve decided to be together, I cant hide it forever.

    As felt by her voice and graceful behavior, she was quite a beauty. However a terrible burn was engraved on one side of the womans face, which should have been more beautiful than anyone else.

    Is it a burn caused by magic?

    Well, what can I do? A crazy wizard who mistook his twisted possessiveness for love did this because I decided to endure from the moment I learned magic.

    .

    I didnt ask what happened to the wizard because a wizard will not be punished by the state for only inflicting a wound on the face of a prostitute.

    Hes probably living a good life somewhere. Nevertheless Violetta stood up to protect women in a situation simr to hers, until she was subjected to such a thing. She gave up her dream and future as a woman to do that.

    Isnt it ugly?

    No. You are a very strong woman.

    So she liked it even more. She believes in such a person and can work with them.

    I appreciate the lip service.

    Did it sound like that?

    Then I should give her something too.

    Since you showed me something, it would make sense for me to show you one thing too.

    Yes?

    Stay still.

    As I said that, I slowly reached out towards Violettas face.

    She opened her eyes wide and was bewildered at the sight, but when she met my gaze, she stood still with a determined face.

    As you know, I am a wizard.

    Yes. With that power, the Red Society was wiped out. I dont think youre trying to say such an absurd thing to use magic to heal my wounds, right? Its already toote to fix this burn. Healing priests of the Lumensis Church also gave up.

    That would be the case with normal magic.

    Normal magic?

    Violetta didnt seem to understand what I was saying. Maybe I dont even know how to exin it.

    What are you trying to do?

    Just keep in mind that its real magic.

    Real magic.

    I said only that and raised a small amount of magical power. At the same time, I used some of the power I normally suppressed.

    In a dark alleyway where only the moonlight thates down through the cracks illuminates us a pure white light that warms even the heart gently rose and disappeared.

    Okay.

    Eventually, I let go of the hand I had ced on Violettas burn marks.

    Yeah?

    Check your face.

    Violetta immediately took out a hand mirror and looked at her face. The burn marks that had covered a side of her face had disappeared as if washed away.

    Her trembling gaze turned to me.

    Damn, how are youWhat did you do?

    Didnt I tell you?

    I shrugged my shoulders lightly.

    Its real magic.

 Chapter 75

    You dont have to cover your face anymore. You have a beautiful face at best, but wouldnt it be better to show it off?

    !

    Violettas face reddened. She hurriedly backed away from her and pulled down her ck veil to cover her face.

    Thank you for your words, but Imfortable with it for now.

    Rudger did not respond and Violetta calmed her pounding chest. Thats weird. Why is her heart beating so fast? It feels like someone is stomping their feet.

    No way.

    While doing this, I promised myself that I would not give my heart to anyone.

    She thought that her heart would not like and longing for someone, because she is a prostitute who is despised by everyone. She has been that way to this day and will always be.

    Yes. Its just the joy of having the old scars go away.

    Having sorted out her feelings, Violetta barely regained her reason. She touched the spot where her scar had been with her hand. The rough touch disappeared and her smooth skin was felt. He healed scars that even priests have given up on healing in an instant.

    Is this real magic?

    Magic is magic, but what is real magic? Even Violetta, who had learned magic over time, couldnt understand the words. He seemed to shake her whole definition of magic.

    So what are you going to do now?

    For now, Im going to do the work as directed, starting from tomorrow.

    Its good because its fast.

    Violetta has also seen and heard many things. How dangerous is this man named James Moriarty in front of her and how great he is.

    His abilities were clearly demonstrated a while ago. It was only a small favor that he erased her scars. He gave her good intentions as if it was only natural. The more he ces a greater meaning on it, the more he loses.

    Naturally, Violetta realized in this dark alleyway, facing each other that he is a different person from her.

    Todays meeting was impressive but Ill be going now.

    Violetta.

    Rudgers voice catches Violetta as she is about to leave and she stops walking.

    What?

    Rudger was staring at her back asplicated thoughts rushed through her mind. His gaze red over as if prating the darkness.

    Why are you calling meWhoa!

    Violetta couldnt finish her words. Rudger stretched out his arms and hugged her back, pulling her tight.

    Violetta was taken aback by the sudden event.

    What are you doing!

    Just as she was about to argue like that, an arrow flew past her cotton yarn. The tip of the arrow that pierced into the wall trembled.

    Violetta saw it and murmured as if in dismay.

    Surprise attack?

    I think so.

    Rudger said so and roused his magical powers.

    Come out.

    As soon as those words were finished, people with weapons appeared one after another from all over the alleyways. Rudger narrowed his eyes as he looked at them.

    They didnt bring a firearm.

    In other words, knowing that he was a wizard, they even prepared for it. Come to think of it, an arrow that was fired during the surprise attack.

    Is it a crossbow?

    They are even using stuff like this?

    Its a deliberate way to target a wizard.

    Rudger had no choice but to nod his head as he recalled whether he had caused someone to resent him to the point where he was suddenly attacked in a back alley like this.

    Is it the rest of the remaining Red Society?

    James Moriarty.

    Among the besieging crowd, a man in his mid-30s with a messy beard revealed his yellow teeth and grinned.

    I cant believe that such a giant is walking around alone without an escort. Thank you for giving me the opportunity.

    I dont know who you are.

    You are going to die soon anyway.

    You fool. Do you not know how the Red Society disappeared?

    Yeah, I know that you are a wizard but you think we werent prepared for that?

    Hmm.

    Rudger realized that the magical energy he had been generating was not working properly and sighed inwardly.

    Things arent very good.

    It took a lot of energy to fix the scar on Violettas face and it takes time to recover. He didnt expect to be attacked at this time.

    Let me go.

    Excuse me.

    Violetta nced at Rudger over her ck yarn, and she then took her position.

    Are you going to fight?

    We are already surrounded. Youre not trying to tell me to run now, are you?

    Violetta said as if her self-esteem has been damaged.

    Rudger shrugged his shoulders.

    I apologize if I sounded like that.

    Thats okay.

    As Violetta said so, she pulled out a ck parasol from the inside of her skirt full of ck frills. This is no ordinary parasol, it was obvious that it was made from a special material. Rudger realized that it was a self-defense weapon used by Violetta.

    You have some pretty interesting stuff.

    The hot sun is poison to ady.

    Rudger grabbed his wand andid his back against Violetta.

    With James Moriarty, there is even Violetta who leads the women of the ck Rose. I didnt know when the meeting was going to end, so I was curious, but I was really lucky.

    You waited so long for this? Those words bring tears to my eyes.

    Are you pretending to be rxed in this situation? Ill see if you can keep that attitude after your limbs are cut off.

    The remnants of the Red Society drew out their weapons and slowly approached them. Rudger scrutinized their faces, but he did not soften his vignce.

    The one who shot the crossbow is not here.

    The man was nowhere to be seen, he hid immediately after shooting.

    Are you trying to hide yourself in the crowd and save your life?

    Its not a behavior that a back alley bum would have. Even if he was a member of the Red Society, he shouldnt be at this level.

    Pro.

    A type of person who has a knack for killing people also known as contract assassin.

    It seems that the remnants of the Red Society raked up money and hired them.

    If they kill him and take back the lost business, they can make money again.

    Rudger inhaled calmly.

    A subtle smell was felt through the stagnant air of the narrow alleyway. Not the musty smell of a dark and humid alley, but a scent that tingled the tip of his nose.

    Is it diffusion? A drug that interferes with the operation of magical power.

    Its a type of drug that interferes with the magicians operation of magic and causes a major setback in the manifestation of magic techniques but brings no harm to the body.

    The effect of diffusion incense is not to nullify the magic but the opposite, by increasing the conductivity of the magic too much, and instead of condensing the magic, it is spread around a wide area.

    In other words, even if I try to make a fireball, the me will spread around me, so the power cannot be concentrated and the caster suffers damage.

    Its used to make artifacts, so its hard to obtain and its expensive. Are they trying to use something like this?

    Sealing the attack magic is painful for a wizard. Of course, magic like [Silence of Fire] spreads more widely, so they didnt bring any firearms but the most important thing would be the contract assassin hiding among them.

    There is nothing more fatal against a professional than showing a momentary gap.

    They are just waiting for me to panic.

    Foolish. Even if you didnt use this expensive diffuser, it was difficult for me to use magic right now.

    In fact, Rudger could use magic however, there are disadvantages. The power is reduced and the casting time is quite long, but in the case of the casting time, using [source code] makes it meaningless.

    Even so, if there is an assassin, this drug must be quite deadly to wizards. Even deliberately putting up these meat shieldsIs he cheating?

    Rudger, in a quiet voice, warned Violetta as she turned her back to him.

    It is a scent that interferes with the operation of magical power. For the most part, I rmend not using attack magic. It will be scattered before it is evenpleted.

    Do you know anything about that?

    The more you experience, the more you know.

    Its annoying. I dont like to use my body.

    As she said so, she was prepared to face the enemy. Did she learn something like swordsmanship?

    Well, in such a difficult world, you have to learn anything.

    It was the same for Rudger. He was a wizard, but he didnt just use magic.

    The number is about thirty but there is a dangerous one hiding among them. There might be more than one person, maybe a teamabout three.

    Are they the ones who shot the crossbow? Those who take money and kill people.

    Are you acquaintances?

    Well, theyre a little bit famous so I got an idea who it is. There are people from the southern desert. I know that they are very expensive, but the work is definitely done. It looks like they spent a lot of money to kill you.

    Exactly, me.

    Im already on your boat, so Im the same.

    * * *

    Oddly enough, she is very stubborn in this area. Rudger shrugged his shoulders and grinned. He didnt really like her or anything, though.

    So, Lady. Do you know how to dance?

    No.

    Realizing that they were not using magic, the raiders rushed in screaming. Each one of them was armed with an iron pipe or a knife. However, the look on Rudgers face as he greeted them was somber.

    * * *

    A harsh noise erupts from the alleyway, and a huge shadow flies in the sky and is thrown onto the garbage. The face of the remnant of the Red Society who had seen hisrade beaten by Rudger became pale.

    He cant use magic, so why cant you defeat him!

    A ck parasol was swung towards the face of the man who spoke. His face is deeply depressed, and his broken teeth stter while feet in ck shoes mmed down hard on his nted head.

    Die!

    The remnants of the Red Society rushed behind Violetta, who had just put one down and a long sword swung towards the back of her head.

    Rudger cut in the middle and raised his staff to block it. The sword and the staff shed but surprisingly, the ck staff could not be cut.

    What kind of wand!

    Its a special product. Rudger said so and swung his wand gently. The upper body of the man who had been giving strength to the long sword was thrown forward.

    Huh?

    The moment the man panics and tries to step forward with his feet to stabilize himself the wand that Rudger was rotating mmed upward towards his lower jaw. The moment he was about to turn his head backwards, the parasols ring-shaped handle popped out and hung around his neck to prevent him from dodging.

    Once more?

    However much.

    Rudger swung his staff as hard as he could.

    After being hit in the forehead, he spins severalps in mid-air and falls to the floor. More than 10 people were already lying around him, foaming.

    Youre a magician, why are you fighting so well!

    They are just two opponents! One is a woman!

    They are tired! Just push it a little bit more and it will be over!

    Seeing the members of the Red Society chatting among themselves, Violetta shrugged her shoulders and took a deep breath.

    Im a little tired. Maybe its theck of exercise.

    After this is over, lets start with stamina.

    You give encouragement at times like this

    Its a pity that I cant have such a friendly personality.

    Huh. Moriarty looks really good.

    Actually, this is close to my main job.

    As Rudger replied, he did not forget to watch the assassins.

    That man.

    The assassin from the south clenched his fists almost involuntarily, almost at Rudgers gaze.

    Ive been waiting for a gap to open for a while, but he never allowed one so far.

    Fortunately, the female side had a few openings, but every time that happened, the man named James Moriarty blocked them.

    Ive been vignt here ever since the fight started.

    Normally, when such arge number of people do joint work, it would be impossible to not get distracted by it but Rudger was always on guard against him. Even in the midst of that fight, his eyes kept busy searching for something.

    That manits like us. No, maybe more. Its not the first time something like this has happened to me.

    I heard he killed a sorcerer and two quasi-knights so I spent a lot of money to use the diffusion incense that interferes with the operation of magic.

    There must have been a mistake with the information so he had to level up his assassination target. Even if we receive 10 times or more of the existing down payment, it is not correct.

    But the contract has already been made.

    They said they were going to do it, so they had to do it. It was their absolute credo.

    Once the woman is tired, we focus on that part.

    The number of people still standing is quiterge. If we wait a little longer in this state, we will have a chance but Rudger was suddenly behaving strangely.

    What are you going to do?

    He got rid of his cane and ran away with the woman.

    Damn!

    I didnt know he was going to run away at this moment. Several people have fallen and the encirclement is loose so there was enough way for Rudger to get out.

    Chase!

    * * *

    What are you doing now?!

    If we keep fighting on the spot its our loss.

    Rudger grabbed Violetta and ran quickly into the alleyway.

    Take me down. I can run too.

    Arent you tired already?

    Arent they going to catch up quickly anyway?

    Be careful not to bite your tongue.

    Yes?

    Before Violetta could even ask anything Rudger used a mechanism mounted on his left wrist. With the wireuncher Rudgers body soared straight into the sky along with Violetta.

    The assants who were chasing from behind stared nkly at him.

    This! Hes going to the roof!

    The assassins who were hiding from the crowd climbed the wall with agile movements. Two climbed up the crevice of the window frame and the wall, and the other ran up the iron stairs attached to the exterior wall of the building.

    They couldnt have gone too far!

    The de of the sword stick greeted the assassin who reached the roof first. The assassin, who had his forehead pierced, fell backwards down the alleyway without stepping on the roof properly.

    There are two left.

    Rudger was waiting for this moment.

 Chapter 76

    This is chapter 1/5 sponsored bymystichead.Thank you for your support.

    Rudger had been waiting for this situation from the beginning. He already knew that the assassins were hiding in the crowd, waiting for them to wear out.

    If we try to break the loose siege and run away quickly, they will have no choice but toe out.

    Assassins, given the circumstances, carry out their missions in a frighteningly calm manner and since Rudger broke the situation they have created, the assassins had no choice but to show up.

    Since their n failed they had two options to step back or toplete the mission.

    As Rudger climbed onto his roof, he didnt forget to watch for the enemies following him. Indeed, as he expected, the assassins quickly climbed up to the roof, revealing their true colors.

    The number was three, as he initially guessed and he waited for the guy who was the first to climb up the outside stairs quickly then pierced him with the sword stick at the right time.

    Two are left.

    What are you.

    Violetta stared at Rudger in disbelief.

    How the hell did you know they would move like that?

    Thats usually the case with Southern Assassins.

    The reason Rudger was certain was because the opponent was an assassin from the southern continent. To be precise, {Calsapa Assassins} led by the Fatima dynasty. They are the most famous assassination group on the continent, and they are also the most infamous.

    Usually assassins retreat when things go like this, but they dont.

    When a task is given, it is aplished no matter what. Its near-indoctrination teachings,bined with the doctrines of the religion they believed in and followed, made the Calsapa Assassins very famous.

    Because of strict discipline, they were able to grow and be stronger.

    But the rule that the mission must bepleted binds them.

    It was impossible to point out that they were stupid when they had a bad opponent who was a mage, who knew how to engage in closebat and was armed with strange devices.

    I just poked that loophole.

    You are also knowledgeable about Southern Assassins.

    Ive been targeted a few times.

    Yes?

    Violetta asked in disbelief and Rudger suddenly recalled the past.

    When he was still a kid, he was targeted by the Calsapa Assassins. At that time, he thought he was really going to die.

    If it wasnt for Master, I would have already died.

    Because of that experience, he was able to deal with them so easily now. Compared to those who chased him in the past, those who are aiming for him now are like children.

    They were in Leathervelk because they were kicked out since they failed their mission or came to improve their skills. Whatever it is, if Rudger looks at them from an objective level they level was far below the real ones in the south.

    Are youing again?

    Rudgers gaze, standing on the railing, was directed down the alleyway. The two assassins are busy moving in the darkness.

    Its because theyre Calsapa Assassin, isnt it? Theirrade is dead, but theyre not affected.

    What are we going to do now?

    While Rudger was troubled, the assassins who had hidden themselves in the dark moved. They popped out of the building crevices and quickly threw their daggers.

    Huh!

    But Violetta did not stand still. She opened wide the ck parasol she was holding in her hand. As if proving that it was not made of ordinary material, the sharp daggers could not prate her parasol.

    Ah, this.

    It seems that the parasol has no resistance to poison at all.

    The poison applied to the tip of the dagger corroded her parasol. Meanwhile, the assassins hid themselves.

    Hey, how have they done this.

    It is a special poison used by the Calsapa Assassins. When ites into contact with the skin, it seeps into the body and is quite dangerous, and it disassembles any armor.

    They can throw it with a knife?

    Its a special dagger. To be precise, it was coated on the dagger by melting celvantium, a rare metal from the south. Celvantium is the main export product of the Fatima dynasty, and it is a special product called the metal of the gods. It is very resistant to corrosion.

    I see.

    When information leaked from Rudgers mouth, Violetta decided not to ask him any further. She had epted that what this man said was not strange.

    So how do we respond?

    You have to hold out until they run out of daggers to throw.

    Can we?

    Since the parasol has melted, we cant and we cant even use magic right now.

    In other words, if they do not dodge the next attack, they will die.

    Then we should move first.

    Where?

    Back down.

    It was perfect to be a prey for the assassins on the open roof.

    Rudger reached out to Violetta without a word. She hesitated and took his hand.

    Hold on tight.

    .

    Rudger grabbed Violetta in one of his arms and jumped from the roof.

    Huh?

    One of the members of the Red Society, who were scattered to chase after Rudger and Violetta, had his head smashed in Rudgers shoe.

    Rudger got down to the alley using one person as a buffer and ran blindly without looking for the assassins location.

    Are you trying to hide?

    The assassins did not understand Rudgers actions at the moment. He went to the roof, and they suddenly came down again.

    It is an unpredictable target. Ill have to be careful.

    One of his colleagues has already been killed.

    The two Assassins exchanged nces at each other in the dark. That alone conveyed the meaning. One will chase right behind and the other will be moving from above and blocking the way.

    Catch them before they escape.

    With that thought in mind, the assassin, who was secretly chasing Rudger and Violetta, found a ck shadow in front of him and stopped walking.

    He found the target but something is strange.

    The woman is alone? What about the man?

    Has he left her? Certainly, looking at the battle just before, the woman looked like a burden.

    Come on, wait! How could you leave me?

    As if she had actually been abandoned, she stood up and screamed but the assassin wasnt sure if it was a trap or not.

    Maybe he never really left. Is it a trap? Are they trying to confuse me?

    The escape to the roof a while ago was also a trap. Perhaps a man named James Moriarty is hiding somewhere around him.

    The assassin slowly walked towards Violetta with a poisoned dagger in his hand. His gaze turned to Violetta, who was left alone, but his ears were set high to pick up the sounds around him.

    At that moment, he heard a small sound in his ear from the right.

    Its here!

    The assassin determined that this was where Rudger was hiding and immediately threw his dagger but nothing was hit.

    What?! There was definitely a sound.

    He is highly trained to handle such situations and could never have been wrong.

    Its unfortunate.

    A voice came from behind him as if it suddenly popped out of the air. Rudger stood behind him.

    How and when? Rather than having such a question, the assassin unconsciously moved his body based on the training he had received.

    He grabbed the dagger and swung it backwardsBut before the assassin could move, Rudgers sword stick pierced him from behind.

    How.

    The sound came from the right side, but he appeared from behind?

    Its that kind of magic.

    Rudger said as he pulled out the sword stick from his body. The remnants of the diffusion still remain but Rudger reversed the diffusion direction.

    Hebined sound magic and coordinate designation magic to make the direction the sound came from difficult to distinguish.

    You got him?

    Yes.

    Violetta was embarrassed when Rudger asked her to y the role of bait but she did as she was told and he killed one more assassin.

    Well, its magic that lets out sounds from different directions. It must be embarrassing for those who suffer.

    But when you fight for your life, there is no need to be considerate to your opponent.

    Now there is only one left.

    At times, a cool breeze blows through the alleyway.

    The diffuse scent is slowly washed away.

    In the end, it has to remain in the atmosphere to be effective, and since were in an alleyway, it is maintained for a long time but since the wind blows, it will eventually disappear.

    Now time was on Rudgers side and at that moment, a ck shadow fell over his head.

    Above!

    Violetta saw it and reacted, but it was already toote.

    The assassin threw something at Rudger.

    Hmm.

    Rudger raised his sword stick as if he knew this, but what the Assassins threw was not a poisoned dagger, it was a hook on a chain.

    The hook caught the middle de of the sword stick, pulled it with strong force and the sword stick slipped out of Rudgers hand. The assassin, who came down to the ground, threw the sword caught in the hook on the floor and rushed towards Rudger.

    A sharp dagger was pulled from his waist.

    Its dangerous!

    Violetta eximed and the assassin was sure of victory. There was no time to use magic and he stole the target weapon. Two of hispatriots died, but he aplished his mission nheless, the assassin thought so.

    Even on the brink of death Rudger did not lose hisposure.

    What? Why the hell are you looking like that.

    He couldnt understand the situation but his thoughts didnt go any further. It was because in that moment when he ran towards him, Rudgers two hands moved faster and faster.

    Huh?

    The assassin, who had precisely cut the nape of Rudgers neck, copsed on the ground, his body rxed.

    You were distracted at the crucial moment.

    Rudger lightly wiped his blood from the crescent-shaped karambit dagger held in his hand. The assassin in front of him revealed a gap in his conviction that got him killed. If you are going to kill your opponent, you have to be vignt and do your best at every moment.

    That momentarycency killed you.

    Rudger picked up the sword stick that had fallen on the floor. After checking to see if the de had been damaged, he decided that it was still intact and put it in his bag immediately.

    Rudger gripped his staff and stretched his cor lightly.

    Did you best the Southern Assassin in closebat?

    Why? What else do you want to know?

    Even if Im curious, I wont ask.

    It was hard to count how many times Violetta was surprised today and at this time a cry from the Red Society was heard from afar.

    Its here! The sound came from this way!

    Come on catch them! If they run away, its all over!

    Violetta stared at Rudger.

    What are you going to do now?

    How are you feeling?

    Rudger shrugged his shoulders.

    All the diffuse scent is gone.

    Oh yeah?

    Yes. So leave it to me.

    In the ck cotton yarn, Violetta smiled alluringly. The fact that she was able to use her magic, which had been banned for a while, means that she has an opportunity to do her own thing.

    She lifted the parasol, which was almost melted. It was a weapon for her self-defense, but at the same time it was also a staff that helped her concentrate her magical powers.

    Ill take care of the rest.

    The sound of footsteps getting closer and a horde of the Red Society members appeared.

    Its here! They are!

    And what greeted them was a de of wind that sharply cut through the darkness.

 Chapter 77

    Violettas active use of wind magic made it possible to quickly deal with the remnants of the Red Society. There must have been quite a bit ofmotion, but the cops donte all the way here since this is a sparsely popted alleyway, thats why murders take ce like meals here.

    Is it all over?

    Yes. There doesnt seem to be anyone left.

    Violetta said as she shook her hand. Perhaps it was because she had wasted quite a bit of mana when she was using attack magic but her voice seemed to be a bit tired.

    I stood still and secretly took out a pill and chewed it.

    Really. If youre fine, please help me.

    What do you mean?

    Is this a test to check my skills?

    .

    I dont know what youre talking about. Oh, is it because I just watched the remnants of the Red Society get cleaned up? Because I cant spend mana carelessly, I just stayed still. Wouldnt I be a hindrance if I interfered when my allies use magic?

    Apparently, Violetta interpreted my attitude a little differently.

    It doesnt matter.

    I dont need to correct the misunderstanding, my priority is to restore my mana.

    These guys did it pretty splendidly. After the organization waspletely destroyed, they recruited people tounch a surprise attack.

    They must have been desperate or maybe too greedy.

    Well, they must have thought that they would have everything if they killed us but they would know for sure that they would suffer losses unless they were idiots.

    Violetta couldnt finish her words properly because she had something to do with it. Come to think of it, the Red Society hired the Calsapa Assassins. No matter how novice they are, they are highly trained assassins so they should be very expensive.

    Did they have enough money?

    It wouldnt have been easy even if they had a slush fund that they hid. Besides, those bastards, knowing that the assassins failed to kill us, did not run away and rushed at us. Did they think weve lost our strength? Didnt the people who lived in the back alleys know about it?

    They couldnt run away.

    They couldnt escape and had no choice but to fight us. Then why couldnt they escape?

    They were pushed.

    Yes?

    The remnants of the Red Society.

    At my point, Violetta seemed to have realized something, and eximed,

    If so, then there are other people involved in this matter.

    They probably provided the money to hire the assassins.

    Who are they? There cant be too many people who have that kind of power in the back alley.

    I shook my head.

    Maybe its not someone from this world.

    I hope so.

    Okay. Someone up there, who doesnt like this situation, must have been involved.

    Also, someone who is somewhat nimble about the situation here and can secretly provide money.

    I thought its rted to Bellbot Rickson, but thats not it.

    There were suspicions that Dutri had ties with Bellbot Rickson.

    There is no doubt. They actually had a connection.

    Yes?

    Ive heard it from Dutri myself, so Im pretty sure.

    Wait a minute. Did you hear it yourself? When? Before you kill him?

    I havent killed him yet. Now, Dutri is locked up by my subordinates.

    Violetta was speechless for a while.

    Almost everything was sorted out, but he is still the head of the Red Society. He should have spit it out if he knew anything more.

    You are strict.

    Dutri took advantage of the Red Society to team up with Bellbot Rickson. He was paid and did the dirty work for him.

    But Bellbot Rickson is dead. I saw in the newspaper, its said he was attacked and killed by a werewolf.

    I killed him.

    Yes?

    I was the one who killed Bellbot Rickson.

    .

    It is said that he was attacked by a werewolf, but the reality is different. Bellbot Rickson secretly used the Red Society to make tests on humans.

    Why did you tell me that?

    When the story of the incident came out of my mouth, Violetta looked very embarrassed. It would be rather embarrassing to hear a truth that you didnt expect.

    So I killed Bellbot Rickson. I gave a worthy end to a man who vited human dignity and when I searched his safe and ledger, I caught the tail of the Red Society.

    So you got rid of the Red Society?

    Anyway, I also have to settle here and I didnt really want to stand with them.

    .

    Well, I understand the surprise and youll wonder why Im saying this.

    I will make sure this is a secret.

    Its good that you understand quickly.

    This will prevent Violetta from thinking of betraying me.

    Although we had already fought together and I gave her a vision for her organization to move forward as a human being, even if she received various benefits,ter she will quickly forget and might betray me.

    This is a kind of intimidation.

    I killed Bellbot Rickson, one of the richest people in Leathervelk. In other words, unless it was a noble, I could kill everyone else if I wanted to. This fact alone will make my presence even greater for Violetta.

    You are a smart woman. You will understand what I am trying to do.

    This time, we have to find the person who instigated the Red Society that attacked us.

    Okay.

    I will be very busy. I have to carry on the business you told me to do.

    Cant you?

    At my question, Violetta shook her head.

    Thats a statement that hurts my self-esteem but Im sure I can take care of it.

    So be it. If you cant show that level of performance, youll be in trouble. Ill hand over Dutri to you as a reward for your hard work.

    Arent you still holding him?

    Hes in a state of disrepair, unable to walk properly. You are free to use him to extract information or kill him.

    I could hear Violetta swallowing her saliva and smiled softly

    There were a lot of things that were piled up, so you can use any method. This is also my gift to you.

    The reason Dutri was spared was not to extract information, but to leave him alive and leave a good impression on the other three organizations.

    As they had many connections with the Red Society, they must be the ones who want to kill Dutri more than anyone else.

    I will work hard. More than you would expect.

    Good answer. Ill see youter.

    The bodies.

    In the back alleys, people dont ask the reason for death because the dead do not speak.

    Yes. I know.

    Violetta bowed her head politely towards me. Nominally she is an equal partner with me, but already she has sworn allegiance to me.

    It wasnt a bad feeling.

    * * *

    Is brother done?

    Yes.

    Somehow, a mysterious group was going to the ce where brother was. Have you met?

    Instead of answering, I slowly removed the one-eyed sses from my face and took off my coat.

    Hans nodded his head knowingly.

    I think youve got it all sorted out.

    They even hired the Calsapa Assassins.

    Those crazy.

    They were newbies out to gain experience.

    But isnt Calsapa still Calsapa?

    So you have to move a little.

    Yes?

    There are people behind the scenes who ordered us to be killed. It seems that the Red Society is disappearing and a new one ising in, which is not a small thing.

    No, Im dying to check the listings at the Kunst auction house right now.

    If you cant, dont.

    No, I will. It is directly rted to my life, and I cannot afford to waste it.

    As soon as I hung the coat on the hanger, the door swung open with a loud bang. This is our secret base, where people rarelye, even in the back alleys. It was a ce where ordinary guests would nevere but the door was opened and she appeared.

    Is it Seridan?

    Five.

    At my words, the little girl who had just entered the room looked at me and her eyes lit up.

    It was Nari after all!

    Lightly tanned brown skin and white hair tied in twofortably. The raised eyes and corners of the mouth look full of yfulness. She was wearing loose-fitting trousers and a loosely draped shirt with a lot of oil on it.

    Iron Feet Seridan is a dwarf girl who is the developer and inventor of the wireuncher I use.

    Its still powerful and noisy.

    Saying so, I loosened the strap that had been attached to my left arm and threw it at her. She jumped out of her ce, grabbed the device, and checked its condition right away.

    HmmThe tip of theuncher is worn out, and some of the cog screws are loose. Besides, I have to change the wire.

    I had a lot to do.

    This fitting is loose, I think it happened because one more person was added to the original weight? I told you to be careful, this is for a single person to use! Its just barely enough to raise a person with all kinds of stuff like Nari!

    I used it that way because it was strong.

    You dont know how delicate machines are?!

    So you cant fix it?

    10 minutes is enough!

    When ites to machines, shes more of an expert than anyone else. The sword sticks and saw de boomerangs I used were all made by her. Of course, it was me who provided her ideas.

    When I give her a rough idea, she gets stuck on it and invents like crazy.

    Hey, assistant! Help me!

    Who is your assistant?

    When Seridan called, Hans shouted.

    If your sister sayse, you wille! Wont youe?

    I got it! So get rid of that mouse tooth!

    If you dont listen to me youre getting stabbed by this. Okay?

    Damn it. Brother, please stop that bastard.

    Its fine.

    Thats what I said, but actually, I cant stop Seridan either because shes impossible to control. Im just d that she didnt cause such a fuss with me.

    Seridans riot is mainly directed at Hans, because she knows his weakness and deliberately carried something like a mouses tooth to threaten him.

    Then, I will go to the workshop first! Come quickly!

    Hans clenched her fists as she watched her go away like a storm.

    That little bastard.

    Even if she looks like that, shes older than you.

    Seridan looks like a little girl because shes a dwarf, but shes actually older than Hans.

    I know. Damn. Why is she only doing this to me?

    Yeah.

    Because shes happy, but I couldnt say that because Hans expression quickly turned gloomy.

    Are there more peopleing here?

    By the way, Seridan is not allowed to touch gunpowder.

    I know that, because I dont want to die either.

    Iron Feet Seridan is a great inventor and developer, but perhaps because of her terrifying personality, she was also a time bomb. However, the problem is that shes a time bomb not a metaphorical meaning. If she has real gunpowder, she will try to make all kinds of bombs.

    Do you remember when brother and I first saw that bastard?

    It was an underground mine in the Kingdom of Delica. They illegally enved different races and forced them to mine day and night.

    I do. That guy was also caught there.

    It would be foolish to say that she was caught.

    I think so too.

    When I was using the James Moriarty identity me and Hans sneaked into a mine and found Seridan who was secretly making a bomb to blew up the tunnel.

    If it exploded, we would all be dead, right?

    If the tunnel copsed 1km below the ground, even the strongest knights wouldve died.

    I have to take care of that crazy bastard who tried to destroy a tunnel.

    Take care.

    Hans has a lot of trouble and surprisingly, only one member of our new organization {U.N. Owen} hase so far.

 Chapter 78

    C78: Iron Feet Seridan (2)

    Sorry it took so long but Im back. I wanted to resume releasesst week but Ive been super busy these past 2 weeks. Now Im finally free so I hope to release 3 chapters daily this week.

    There were still ten minutes left until Seridan will fix the wireuncher.

    Considering her personalityPerhaps shes got another shy idea, and shell add extra features.

    She said 10 minutes, but considering the process, it would probably take 30 minutes.

    If its 30 minutes, I still have time.

    Its time to get some rest and then go back to Theon, he thought, as he looked down from the window on the third floor.

    What?

    Three ck shadows were busily moving in the middle of the alleyway where no one was going. Second to their inconsistent movement, their steps are unusual.

    Its fast and light, well centered and their body doesnt sway.

    It was just a coincidence that I found them. Their movements were so secret that I would not have noticed if I hadnt looked down the window at the moment. They were covered in dark robes so I couldnt see them clearly, but I knew who they were right away.

    Highly trained knights.

    They were also of a different levelpared to the two quasi knights who were working for Dutri.

    Ordinary knights wouldnt even be interested in the back alley, so why are they here? Besides, the direction they are heading is not the ce where I and Violetta were fighting the Red Society just before.

    I narrowed my eyes and watched them carefully.

    If you are a knight and are not afraid to wander around a ce like this.

    No way.

    The moment when I was about toe to a conclusion the knight who was moving at the forefront stopped his steps and threw his gaze towards me but I hid by the window.

    Did he notice?

    I was watching them carefully, but he has a better sense than I thought. Fortunately, the gaze that had been staring at me for a while was quickly removed.

    The security bureau.

    To be precise, the Nightcrawler Knights belong to the Intelligence Department of the Security Agency.

    Unusual people who move secretly contrary to the knights who stand on a shining stage where everyone is watching and do honorable things.

    The Nightcrawler Knights eliminate those who threaten the nation in a dark ce out of the sight of people. A being that willingly chose and epted to walk a path stained with blood and mud for the sake of the country.

    Therefore, they are a symbol of fear and a target of caution to those who know. They are also the most dangerous people to meet in such a dark and narrow street than on a highway in broad daylight.

    When I looked a little while agoAt first nce, it looked like silver hair.

    When ites to knights with silver hair in the Security Bureau of the Exilion Empire, there is one person thates to mind.

    No wayIs she here?

    The generalmander of the Security Bureau and themander of the Nightcrawler Knights, which consists of only elites, a guardian angel who protects the empire, Lord Protector Trina Ryanhowl.

    Why is she here? Maybe it was because of the werewolf incident.

    He vaguely guessed.

    The reason is probably the death of the cryptid, who appeared in Leathervelk, and the rich man, Bellbot Rickson.

    The Security Agencys intelligencework would have learned that Bellbot Rickson had partnered with someone to conduct some kind of experiment since their eyes are spread all over the empire.

    Even so, the Nightcrawler Knights wille out on their own.

    After all, they conducted human body experiments on ordinary citizens. Even a warlock was involved, so it would be strange for them not toe out of the security department.

    They should have investigated Bellbot Ricksons mansion and discovered the secret safe that had been stolen.

    They must have even noticed that the mes in the basement of the abandoned factory that I had burned down.

    Everything inside was removed without leaving a trace, but the problem is that no matter how much fire burned, the fact that something was there cannot be erased.

    They may haveunched an investigation in response to that. This is a bit of a problem since knights of the Security Agency, even the knightmander are in Leathervelk.

    In particr, Trina Ryanhowl was not a very good match for me. That monstrous woman is one of the few things I dont want to get involved with again in my life.

    Im d I hid.

    If our eyes met and she had sensed something suspicious she would havee to me.

    It must have been a big deal because that woman has a very strong intuition.

    I have no choice but to move cautiously until the Security Agency decides that the case is a dead end and leaves Leathervelk.

    First of all, Im d I dont have to step on my tail.

    They probably will close the investigation however if Trina Ryanhowl continues to stay in Leathervelk that might not be the case.

    She held a prestigious position in the Empire and if she wastes her time trying to catch the tail of an unresolved case, it will open a big hole in the security of the empire.

    Maybe shell leave some of the knights behind.

    If thats the case, thats fine, without the leader Trina, Im confident that I can avoid their gaze, no matter how good they are.

    As I was thinking about it, I heard a thumping noise from below and the door was open. Soon after, Seridan appeared with a stick in her arms.

    I made it!

    Is it over? It was sooner than I expected.

    I thought it would take 30 minutes, but it took 20 minutes.

    I can tell by looking at whether there is so little to change, or whether her skills have improved by leaps and bounds.

    Yes! Originally, it was supposed to take 10 minutes more, but when I was repairing it, I thought of some things and finished earlier!

    I looked at the armband that Seridan handed me.

    The one I was using was quiterge enough to reach from my wrist to my forearm, but it was a pretty radical change this time and the size was reduced to less than half.

    Its smaller and thinned out.

    And even morefortable!

    Sheridans ponytails of pure white hair fluttered up and down her as she spoke. Even though my gaze was taken away from it for a while, I turned to the wireuncher I held in my hand again.

    Have you removed all the useless parts?

    Since it also serves to protect the forearm, the armband I was wearing was sized to cover the entire forearm.

    What Seridan has been able to fix this time around is only about 1/3 of the forearm from the wrist.

    Yeah. Youre not a hunter right now, are you? So I put more emphasis on convenience than performance.

    Youre right. Im not a hunter now, Im a magician.

    Oh, what should I call you then? Van Helsing? Moriarty? Lupin?

    Call me Rudger Chelici.

    Mmm. Rudger sounds amazing. This time youre a magic teacher, at Theons! Thats great!

    Something happened.

    I know, I know. As expected you infiltrated the most famous ce in the Exilion Empire. That was a piece of cake, right? Well, as expected, Nari.

    It seems to her that I am a terrifying person with great ability. Bing a teacher of Theon seems to have taken ce because of my tremendous abilities.

    Thats not the truth. That said, I was caught up in terrorist attack on a train, and I identally became a magic teacher, so I decided to just go along.

    Anyway, as Nari said, I boldly took off the troublesome things and put in only what you needed. The wireuncher will work properly, so check it out.

    Hmm.

    I put the brace on my left arm. Maybe because the material was changed, it feels like my arm is bent gently rather than the thick and hard texture from before, even when worn over a shirt.

    The fit has definitely improved, now lets see what it can do.

    Ill have to try it over there.

    I shot the wireuncher at an empty wall. The wireuncher fired at a terrifying speed and then pierced the wall. This is a bit surprising.

    The power has grown considerably.

    Yes. The output is almost doubledpared to the previous one! The wire strength has been increased, and the hooks have been renewed! It is now possible to move with one more person!

    Is that so? I think there are other features added.

    Having retrieved the wire, I asked, pointing my finger at the small groove on the back of my hand.

    Seridan grinned, revealing her white teeth.

    Oh, that? Nari is the best. You have good eyes. Its a new function that I added this time.

    What is it?

    Think of it as clenching your fists and flexing your wrists.

    Like this?

    Ring.

    At that moment, a pure white sword came out of the thin groove in the wristband.

    This.

    How is it? Isnt that cool? It is made of the same material as the de of the sword stick used by Nari, so it is very light and strong. Nari told me that there are some assassins who use these things.

    I did.

    I just thought of it and applied it. What do you think?

    Hmm.

    When I rxed my wrist lightly, the protruding de went back inside. It would be perfect to use it in an emergency or when the opponent is careless. This wasnt made for fighting against cryptids but humans.

    Aside from that, see the little hole on the left?

    Yes.

    You can shoot a paralyzing needle from there! Of course, you have to load the paralysis needle in advance!

    Whoa.

    Previously, only the wireuncher was fired from the lower part of the wrist, and its other role was to block attacks, but this time its the exact opposite. It maximizes other factors instead of defense.

    In particr, for a person who has to use this secretly without being exposed to the outside like me, the newly changed wristband by Seridan was a very wee item.

    I like it.

    As expected! Nari knows well! That coward who was downstairs was only talking nonsense like that you shouldnt put such a dangerous thing in it.

    Dont be too harsh on Hans. He only said that because hes worried.

    Your opponents have to worry about it, not you.

    As Seridan said so, she supported her chin with her index finger and thumb and stared at me with a mysterious gaze.

    Well, Ive always felt this way, but you look really nice in such a calm-looking outfit. It was not bad to wear wild clothes when you were a hunter, but I think this suits you better.

    Is that so?

    Yes. The moment I saw you, I immediately felt that you were a noble person. No, a nobleman is not enough, you look like royalty.

    At Seridans words, I couldnt help butugh.

    Im d you think so.

    No, I have a feeling.

    Anyway, thanks for the new one.

    Oh, youre leaving now?

    Yeah. I have to be a teacher first, so I have to stay at the academy. Coming out today was part of my outing.

    Thats too bad. Its been a long time since we met, and I thought we could have a long chat!

    Ill take a rain check on that since we havent all gathered yet.

    Besides Sheridan, there are a few more I have called.

    Sheridan nodded dly, perhaps because she knew it.

    I know! Theyre members of the new organization, right? People Ive heard of!

    Yes.

    Did you say the name of the new organization is U.N.Owen? Very mysterious, I like it because it suits you! So I became a member of this secret organization?

    An executive.

    Executive!

    Did she like her position as an executive? Her eyes sparkled even more.

    If Im an executive, I can make anything without being interfered with by anyone, right?

    Was it because of that?

    Ill allow it for a while, but wont you refrain from making bombs that will blow up the surrounding area?

    Of course I know that! I also know how to read between lines. Youre telling me to make enough bombs.

    Its best not to make them at all.

    Well, banning this crazy inventor would be crueler than forcing a bone marrow smoker to quit.

    Just do it in moderation.

    Hehehe. Dont worry about it! So Nari, have you decided on that?

    What do you mean?

    If its a secret organization like this, there must be a code name!

    A code name? She must have heard something from somewhere.

    I didnt really care much about it but seeing Seridan like that I know shell be disappointed if I dont agree with her. If that happens, Hans wont be able to handle her irritation.

    A code name?

    Well, theres nothing you cant name if you want.

    Wells would be nice.

    Huh? Wells? Thats a good codename. Good! Im Sheridan, the executive of U.N. Owen, from today!

    Im d shes happy.

    Where did this Wellse from?

    Its the name of the greatest inventor I remember.

    Oh, if you say so, he must be a great man.

    Of course.

    He is the creator of a machine that travels through time. The name Wells I gave her is from Herbert George Wells, the author of the novel Time Machine.

    In fact, I wanted to give her the name of the main character of the Time Machine novel, but the original story only mentions time traveler not his name. However, in the sequel that was officially recognized, George, the artists middle name, was attached to respect the original author.

    But George is not a good codename for a girl so I gave her Wells instead of George. Seridan seems to like it, so everything is good.

    Then what about the assistant lying down there? Does the assistant have a code name too?

    Seridan asks with a twinkle in her eyes. She seems to be bothering him all the time, but did she still care about Hans?

    Considering Hans characteristics his codename should be

    Kafka.

 Chapter 79

    C79: The Approaching Nightcrawlers (1)

    Trina Ryanhowl, who was leading the way, stopped and looked back.

    Leader? Whats the matter?

    No. Nothing. I just felt like someone was looking over here.

    No way.

    Lloyd said so by fixing his sses under the hood, but Enya was different.

    The leader has a better sense than us, so just in case. Thats why were here.

    Hmm.

    It was Trina Ryanhowls fault that the three men, sent to investigate the mystery of Bellbot Ricksons death, are now roaming the alleyways in the middle of the night.

    She, who has a good sense, came here with two deputy officials as if she were hooked on something.

    Lloyd was dissatisfied andined. For him, who values reason and scientific thinking, the sixth sense seemed like a childrens fairytale.

    The back alley its all about gangsters fighting and killing each other and vagrants anyway.

    Its a little different this time.

    Whats the difference?

    Thats what my hunch is saying.

    Another hunch?

    Lloyd couldnt say anything to Trina, because Trina was clearly his superior, and above all, her senses were surprisingly good.

    She made a lot of achievements that didnt make sense thanks to her good senses and has been sessful in missions, which others thought were impossible. Therefore, Lloyd did not show it on the surface even though he was unhappy.

    Its here.

    There were several bodies scattered at the scene.

    Its quite a lot of bodies.

    Is there some kind of war going on here?

    There must have been a fight between the organizations.

    Trina strode toward the bodies and confirmed it by squatting in front of one of the dead bodies, especially one that stood out.

    An assassin.

    What? What?

    This body. Its not just a regr assassin.

    Trina frowned at the sour smell from the bottle hanging from the waist of the body.

    Its a poison. A special poison used by Calsapa assassins.

    The body itself seemed no different from the others around it, but it was nothing more than a disguise to avoid being noticed by the other party.

    At Trinas words, Lloyd and Enya also came closer and checked the body.

    Indeed. There are definitely signs of training, rough hands full of calluses and even the small scars on the body. This is not something we can see in the back alley bastards.

    Wow. The Calsapa Assassins are the famous assassination group from the Southern Fatima dynasty right?

    They are terrifying bastards who dont even spare their lives to kill their targets. But why is he in this back alley?

    Trina got up.

    Leader?

    Hes a Calsapa Assassin, but maybe he came all the way here because he was wandering around to gain experience after training, or he was kicked out forck of ability.

    But isnt he a highly trained assassin?

    Yes, its true that theyre not the kind of people who would be stuck in this ce.

    But such a Calsapa Assassin died in the back alley, it was an unbelievable result.

    The cause of death is probably a wound on the forehead. A thin de pierced his forehead at once and it fell from top to bottom.

    Trina looked up at the night sky full of clouds that was blocked by the walls of the alleyway, making it seem cramped.

    I dont know who his opponent was, but hes very powerful, seeing that he finished it with a hit without any injuries on his body.

    The Calsapa Assassin was killed by a blow. Trina stopped the autopsy, and moved her steps to the darker side of the alley while Lloyd and Enya followed her in silence.

    When they arrived at another location, they saw another group of corpses.

    Is this by magic?

    Enya asked, looking at the corpses all over the ce.

    It was impossible without magic that nearly 10 people were cut and killed by something at once in these alleys.

    I guess so.

    Its amazing that a wizard can participate in a fight in such a ce like this. Then maybe that assassin too?

    I dont know.

    Then Lloyd, who found something, opened his mouth.

    Leader, there are more bodies there.

    In the darkness beyond the crowded bodies, there were two more dead bodies.

    Trina realized that the two bodies were also Calsapas Assassins.

    This is the same as the first one. One died from having his heart prated and the size of the wound was the same as the first one, so he was killed by the same person. Was it a surprise attack from behind?

    Someone made a surprise attack on an assassin. How the hell? And in the case of the second corpse, the neck was cut by something sharp.

    The first two were killed with the same weapon, but thest one is different. Lloyd, check your feet there.

    Yes?

    There are marks left near there.

    What do you mean, marks.?

    Lloyd looked carefully at the ground near his feet, half in doubt and as Trina said, there were slight traces of metal scratching the ground.

    This is.

    The weapon that killed the first two Assassins must have fallen to the ground. If so, the picture is roughly drawn. The Calsapa Assassins and these corpses were trying to kill someone.

    However, the opponent was not an ordinary person and they were all killed. Thest remaining Assassin seeded in taking the opponents weapon, but eventually lost.

    The thing that cut off the neck was a sharp weapon. It specializes in cutting rather than stabbing. It must have been a dagger since the wound wasnt very wide. If so, it must be the ck sword stick used in the first ce.

    Why are you so sure?

    You might think its a rapier, but look closely. The opponent who killed the assassin is a human who specializes in finding other peoples loopholes. If such a human used a stabbing sword, he would have a sword hidden in his staff.

    I see.

    And this trace. The assassin was trying to engage in a close-quarters battle with the opponent. If the opponent was a swordsman using a rapier, he wouldnt have tried to do that. He had guessed that it was an opponent that he had to fight at close range but thats not the case.

    You have great reasoning skills.

    Lloyd had no choice but to admire Trinas reasoning ability to grasp the course of the situation in an instant. Enya didnt even need to say anything because she was already staring at her boss with immersed eyes.

    Its not a big deal. I also learned only moderately from someone I know.

    Who did you learn to reason from?

    Its just a quick way to find clues around you rather than reasoning. He told me right away that I have a good sense and that I can learn easily.

    Who the hell is he? And when did you learn.

    A few years ago I met him when I was visiting another county.

    What is he doing?

    Hes a private detective.

    What? Only a detective?

    Obviously, a detective is a great person because hes specialized in finding clues and reasoning. Even so, he could teach Trina, whose senses are far beyond the general poption?

    Hes a detective, but hes quite a freak. Thats how good he is. Sometimes, I was surprised by his nonsensical reasoning.

    I cant believe the captain said that.

    They were surprised to hear Trina, whos always calm and charismatic, say that.

    Whatever it may be, this was no ordinary fight given the bodies scattered here. Since they hired the Calsapas Assassins, the attackers have risked their lives.

    Is that rted to the death of Bellbot Rickson that we are investigating?

    We dont know that yet. However, it is certain that there will be quite a stir in the back alley of Leathervelk.

    Trina carefully looked around to see if there were any other clues.

    Well, the rough finding is that only two people who have made all this happen

    One man and one woman.

    The marks and traces of shoes carved on some bodies are clearly visible.

    One side uses a knife and the other is a wizard.

    Trina approached the wall of the alleyway and nced at it with her fingertips. Then she rubbed her fingers and smelled it. A subtle scent was hidden between the stenches of this ce. Traces of the smell still linger in the alleyway.

    This smells like diffusion.

    Diffusion incense was famous for increasing the conductivity of mana, but she knows that it is used when dealing with wizards.

    The Assassins moved knowing that their opponent was a wizard but they failed. Didnt they know he was using a sword?

    That means both the man and the woman were wizards. However, one of the two also handled the sword well. The assassins didnt know that so they died.

    A wizard good with swords.

    Trinas eyes shone sharply because there was a simr guy in her memory, a man who wore ck shadows and stole all kinds of expensive things. The most famous thief she tried to catch again and again when she was not yet a Knight Commander, Arsene Lupin.

    The safe in Bellbot Ricksons mansion has disappeared. Is that him?

    At one point, she thought he had disappeared without a clue, left this job and went into hiding.

    The mysterious thief that suddenly reappeared, a werewolf cryptid, suddenly appeared and the secret abandoned factory that was burned.

    Trina was sure that all these clues were connected.

    The confirmation isplete.

    Already?

    Yes, I got everything I could get here.

    So what do we do with the bodies?

    Leave it alone. Im sure the cleaners in the back alley will take care of the bodies in these ces anyway.

    Trina knows the rules of this ce. No one is surprised or asks about the corpses. Even if dozens of people die, it is not even listed in the newspaper the next day. It is natural for the world to disappear behind the emptiness without being part of the great flow of times.

    Then what are you going to do now? Does the investigation end here?

    Trina shook her head at Lloyds question.

    The investigation continues.

    But we havent had any results yet. If we keep going on like this.

    Yeah, so this is actually thest time.

    Yes?

    So, lets go to the ce where thest clue might be.

    Trina turned her head and stared in the direction of the ce.

    Im going to Theon Academy.

    * * *

    Early in the morning the birds were chirping.

    Rudger worked steadily in the teachers office even on days when there was no ss, but he decided to rest in his private amodation today.

    It was because of the umted fatigue from having been too busytely.

    He had to deal with the  incident and after that was over he has to take care of Leathervelk back alley.</almighty>

    But its a good thing.

    Rudger sighed, lying on a fluffy sofa.

    He was able to use the excuse that he was giving the test questions because it was the first test period. Thanks to this, he didnt have to go to the teachers office and stayed in his amodation and rested.

    Knock, knock.

    A knock on the door woke him up.

    Who is it? He tried to pretend he wasnt there, but if he dared toe all the way here, he must have known he wasnt in the office.

    Rudger immediately got up from the sofa and opened the front door.

    Ah! Mr. Rudger!

    Miss Selina.

    So it was Selina who came to visit him.

    What are you doing here?

    Ah. Because Mr. Rudger didnte to the office today.

    Yes, I dont have sses today, and Ive been troubled by the exam questions.

    I see.

    Selina stared at Rudgers figure, blurring the end of her words. This is because she saw Rudger dressedfortably at home for the first time after seeing him dressed neatly every time.

    Of course, he was properly dressed with trousers and a shirt, but that alone was new to her.

    Youve loosened your hair too.

    The hair that he usually ties looked different because hepletely untied it. Maybe he didnt sleep well, because he has dark circles under his eyes, but even so he has a decadent beauty.

    Selina sighed in admiration and remembered why she hade here.

    Mr. Rudger. The reason Im here is because I have a guest looking for Mr. Rudger.

    A guest?

    Yes.

    Why dont you send an employee and Selina herself.

    Hehehe. I can stop by on my way anyway, so I decided toe. Thats good for each other, right?

    I see. So what kind of guest came to see me?

    Selina replied with a bright, innocent smile.

    Knights from the security bureau.

    .

    Rudger frowned, but Selina didnt notice it.

 Chapter 80

    C80: The Approaching Nightcrawlers (2)

    Ill be ready in a minute.

    I closed the door and returned to my room.

    I stood still in front of the closet and pondered why this happened. Did theye from the security department? If they were knights, of course it would be the Nightcrawler Knights.

    Is it the ones I sawst night?

    Why did theye here?

    They must be busy investigating the incidents that happened in Leathervelk, so why did theye to Theon to find me? Are they sure that I am the culprit?

    Im worried for nothing.

    If they knew I was the criminal, they wouldnt juste to me as guests, they would have issued a warrant and dragged me by force or sneaked up on me in the middle of the night.

    The fact that they came in such a polite way meant that they didnt know I was the criminal yet.

    Nevertheless, they came to me.

    I recalled why right away. The death of Bellbot Rickson in Leathervelk was determined to be caused by a werewolf and that werewolf also appeared in Theon.

    I was the one who killed the werewolf.

    Thats probably why they came to see the teacher named Rudger Chelici.

    They are having a setback in their investigation of the case. I guess they know what happened, but the core of the puzzle is gone and the only clue left is in Theon.

    However, it is too early to let my guard down. If I show any signs of suspiciousness, they will immediately suspect me.

    Especially if the visitor this time is a woman I know, Trina Ryanhowl.

    Now, in a way, it could have been the biggest crisis of my life because her senses belong to something higher than a human. Even so I cannot refuse to meet them.

    When a new teacher suddenly refuses to visit the Nightcrawler Knights he will appear suspicious and if I dont meet them now that will give them an excuse to stick around.

    Ill have to meet them for now.

    After all, they know me as Theons new teacher, Rudger Chelici. They dont know about the past me. In this meeting, I just have to lightly respond to the investigation.

    With that thought, I adjusted my cor and dressed neatly. I put on a ck frock coat and tied my flowing hair with a string. Since it is still morning, the air is a little cool, so I put a muffler around my neck.

    After checking my clothes in the mirror, I put on my shoes and immediately opened the front door. And what I see is the pink cotton ball under my eyes.

    Ah. Mr. Rudger! Are you ready?

    Hearing the door open, the cotton ball, no Ms. Selina, looked back.

    Were you waiting for me?

    Yes.

    She averted her gaze and smiled awkwardly.

    If I knew it, I would havee out earlier.

    Oh, no! I was the one who waited on my own, and Mr. Rudger didnt have to rush because of me!

    Thank you for your consideration. Then lets go.

    Yes!

    Well, its just two teachers going to school together, Im sure no one will think anything of it. Anyway, I also wanted to ask Selina about the whole story.

    I walked in step with her and naturally asked the question.

    The security bureau suddenly came to see me, did you hear the reason?

    Oh, yes. I think its because of the investigation into the werewolf situation. Recently, a werewolf appeared in our Theon, and I think its because Mr. Rudger solved the case.

    I see.

    Hmm. Is it because of that? But even if you ask me, you wont be able to hear the answer you want. You wont know that, but youre struggling to catch a rotten rope.

    More than that, is Mr. Rudger getting ready for the exam? This is my first test.

    Yes, I did it somehow.

    Wow! Thats amazing. Im worried about how to do the difficulty level and how to submit the questions so that students can do their best to solve them.

    I agree.

    Obviously, from the point of view of a teacher, it is quite difficult to create a test question. It shouldnt be too easy, but not too difficult either.

    Although there are deviations in each problem, it is important to think deeply about them, rather than make the questions unnecessarily difficult.

    Questions that required a change of mentality were necessary. Wouldnt the students be satisfied with a problem that would give them a sense of aplishment?

    However, its not as easy as it sounds.

    Every man has his own way of epting things and it was not possible to give everyone proper satisfaction, it was quite a headache for the examiner.

    Well, the first exam should be made easier anyway.

    The important thing is to make sure the students have a solid foundation. It would be appropriate to give tests that require advanced courses only after the 3rd examination round. At least I think so.

    Theon main building was up ahead so it was time to say goodbye to Ms. Selina.

    Ill go and greet the guests now. Keep up the good work.

    Yes! Good luck, Mr. Rudger!

    As she was about to leave, waving her hand to me, she called me as if she remembered something.

    Oh, by the way, Mr. Rudger!

    Yeah. Anything else you want to say?

    Teacher Selina opened her mouth with a slightly meaningful smile at my question.

    They are quite scary, so be careful.

    Then she turned her back and walked away with fast steps.

    Be careful? I was already fully aware of that. They are scary? Did you meet them in person?

    But why would Selina tell me that?

    Is it a deliberate warning? Or is she just giving me advice because she thinks Im nervous?

    I dont know why, but that wasnt the point right now. I lifted my head and turned my gaze to where my office was.

    I went into the main building and headed towards my office. It was quiet inside and I didnt meet anyone on the way because its the middle of the ss.

    When I arrived at the teachers office, I took a deep breath and opened the door.

    The door opens and what I see is my office and my personal space as it was before I left. The only difference is that someone was looking through the books in the study.

    I stared at the guest silently.

    Ah, youre Rudger Chelici.

    It wasnt who I thought it was. Instead a man with a stern look, hair neatly pulled back and no-rimmed sses on his face was standing in front of me.

    He wore a ck uniform and gold epaulet. Its clear from his attire that hes a member of the Security Agency.

    Wasnt it Trina Ryanhowl?

    Maybe I was wrong that day so I sighed in relief and epted his greeting.

    Nice to see you. Im Theons teacher, Rudger Chelici.

    My name is Lloyd, an agent from the Security Agency.

    Lloyd, there is nost name, but I cant conclude that hes amoner because the agents of the Security Agency do not properly reveal their identities.

    He didnt even say he was a knight, he just said he was an agent. Is he deliberately hiding it, or did he feel that there was no need to brag?

    I rolled my eyes slightly and looked at his outfit. It is a neat outfit with no wrinkles. His head is also free of clutter and his posture is straight as if a ruler was raised.

    I guessed it from the outward appearance, but it is clear that hes a pretty neat seeker.

    Is his hand bare, without gloves on?

    His stout physique and clunky hands exposed over his uniform clearly proved that he was a knight.

    I made you wait a long time.

    No. Rather, we apologize for not contacting you in advance.

    Sit down. Do you like coffee or tea?

    Sorry, I dont eat during office hours.

    I see.

    I sat facing Lloyd, with the guest table in the middle. He was staring at me with intense eyes, as if he was trying to pierce me. I was worried about the appearance of a lion, but only a wildcat came.

    So why did youe to see me?

    I got straight to the point.

    I heard that a werewolf appeared in Leathervelk this time.

    Yes, but its been a while.

    And I heard that you were the one who got rid of that werewolf, Mr. Rudger.

    Youre right. I took care of it.

    Awesome.

    I was just doing what I was supposed to do as a teacher.

    The questions and answers were light but there was subtle air current flowing through them.

    So.

    Lloyd, takes the rhyme for a moment and I thought it hade.

    Didnt you notice anything strange about the werewolf?

    Something strange?

    The Security Agency also noticed that the werewolves were strange but I didnt show my feelings on the outside. I just responded with a consistent attitude like the beginning.

    I dont know what you think is strange.

    It was strange that a werewolf also appeared in Theon.

    The investigation found that the werewolf came from outside through a huge sewer line that connects Theon and Leathervelk.

    I didnt lie. In fact, the werewolf climbed up the big sewer and came into Theon. It was impossible for ordinary people, but it was possible for werewolves.

    Hmm. Thats right. I heard that Mr. Rudger fought a werewolf head-on.

    Yes, thats right. It tried to hurt the students, so I stepped up.

    How did you fight?

    It was a strange question. Maybe its probably because hes nervous that he didnt receive the answers he wanted but instead of asking why he asked that, I answered the truth as it was.

    I used elemental magic. Avoiding his attack as much as possible, I burned his fur with mes and pierced him with a spear of ice.

    I see.

    But maybe because I was too strong, he felt threatened and ran away into the woods. So I chased him and I seeded in eliminating him in the forest.

    Were there any other problems?

    There was none, except that some of the energetic students went out to catch the werewolf.

    I see.

    Lloyd didnt look very surprised. His reaction was natural as if he already knew.

    I see. You already heard the report, so you knew how it happened, but did you ask me again to check it out? Is there any difference between my testimony and the circumstances he confirmed?

    Perhaps because he is a member of the Security Bureau, he showed a thoroughness not to miss any details.

    Then let me ask you another question.

    Yes, please.

    Lloyd has asked me several questions since then, but I answered naturally without panicking.

    The question-and-answer session that followed was over five minutester. Lloyd stood up and shook hands with me.

    Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule.

    I shook hands with Lloyd.

    Then Ill be on my way. It was an honor to meet you Mr. Rudger Chelici.

    Yes, it was an honor for me, too. Mr. Lloyd.

    Lloyd nodded to me and left my office.

    The interrogation of the Nightcrawler Knights belonging to the Security Agency ended like this.

    * * *

    Whoo.

    Lloyd waited for his boss at the meeting ce, recalling the conversation he had just had. When the promised time was 10 minutes away, two familiar figures were seen from beyond.

    Leader, are you here?

    Yes.

    Trina Ryanhowl, the leader, and Enya, the deputy were also visiting Theon. However, unlike Lloyd, who met Rudger Chelici, the two went to check the scene.

    Did you find any clues?

    I got permission to investigate with the presidents help, but I didnt find anything. What have you got?

    I didnt gain anything.

    Was anything about Rudger suspicious?

    First of all, to the best of my knowledge, I didnt feel anything strange.

    Hmm.

    Trina didnt get the answer she expected, but she wasnt disappointed.

    Just in case, she gave Lloyd one order.

    Lloyd. Did I do what I said?

    Yeah. Before we parted ways, I did as you told me.

    Lloyd nodded solemnly at Trinas question.

    So how was it?

    As if this was the most important thing, Trina asked with a sharp gaze.

    Does his hand, which you shook, belong to a trained man?

 Chapter 81

    C81: The Approaching Nightcrawlers (3)

    More chapterster.

    Trina gave Lloyd an order before he went to interrogate Rudger.

    Lloyd.

    Yes, boss.

    If you dont get a proper answer from him, just give up.

    Is that okay?

    Yes, but shake hands when you say goodbye at the end.

    A handshake, you say?

    You have to do it naturally. You know what I mean?

    Lloyd didnt even ask why.

    The night before in the alley Trina exined everything. The one who killed the Calsapa Assassin was a wizard who specializes in closebat so she wanted Lloyd to check Rudgers hand for traces of training.

    Did you shake hands with your bare hand?

    Yes, but he was wearing gloves.

    Is that so? But theres no way you didnt notice with just oneyer of gloves.

    Lloyd nodded. In the end, all he was aiming for was a handshake at the end. The questions that he asked before were a trick to divert the other persons attention.

    So how was it?

    Yes, I felt it as I shook hands with him.

    Lloyd delivered what he had confirmed as it was.

    Hes an ordinary wizard without any training.

    What?

    Trina frowned.

    * * *

    Rudger, who was left alone in his office after Lloyd left, sat in front of his work table and clenched his fist.

    Handshake, ok.

    In the eyes of a third party, it would be thought that it was just a polite way to end the meeting but from Rudgers point of view, he had no choice but to think that it was a show of deceit.

    Lloyd of the Nightcrawler Knights under the Security Bureau. Age iste 20s, sses were worn on his face, and his hair was neatly parted. It must be said that he has an unshakable gaze and a personality that gets things done neatly.

    He felt it during the conversation.

    As if he had prepared all the questions in advance, Lloyd calmly and confidently asked them one by one, like a well-written script.

    Rudger had the illusion that he was building bricks when asked. The bricks piled up and piled up, surrounded him before he knew it, so he wouldnt escape. Andstly, Lloyds handshake.

    Keep asking questions, influencing the other person mentally, and throw a decisive shot the moment he lets his guard down at the end. Its a very sophisticated way.

    If it was a stranger, he would shake hands with him without much thought but Rudger guessed right what he was thinking.

    That man named Lloyd must have checked my office before I came.

    As Rudger entered through the door, his eyes were on the window sills and shelves, and his fingertips skimmed through the books in the library.

    He checked the ces that are difficult to reach and where dust is easy to umte. His behavior was restrained and he even refused the light refreshments he offered.

    Rudger was convinced that a person like Lloyd would not ask for a handshake without gloves.

    He was trying to confirm something by shaking hands.

    So what was he trying to confirm? Was he trying to measure the other persons skills by letting the magic flow through the hand he was holding? That is a very rude act that can be considered an attack on the other side. Even the Nightcrawler Knights cannot do such a thing carelessly.

    Furthermore Rudger is a teacher of Theon and this identity cant be treated carelessly even by the Security Bureau.

    Then what can be confirmed simply by shaking hands?

    Thats right, traces, traces on the palm of his hand.

    Last night, the security officers visited the scene where I and Violetta fought. I dont know how they got there, but it was a close call.

    And he must have gotten a clue from the traces of the fight there. The culprit is a wizard, but he also handles weapons well.

    How is that possible? Even if asked like this, it would be possible for Nightcrawler Knights.

    There was magic, and there was a corpse stabbed with a sword. As they belong to the Security Agency, they are also elite, so they should have noticed right away.

    Was he trying to see if I was the one by shaking hands?

    Theyre smart people, using a handshake to confirm if a suspect is the culprit. However, since I knew about it I could cope with it.

    Rudger recalled the conversation he had with Seridan before leaving his hideout.

    Seridan.

    Huh? What?

    Before I go, I have a favor to ask of you.

    What is it? What do you need?

    Can you make some kind of gloves for my hands? They must be simr to human skin, but from a very soft material.

    What?

    Is it possible?

    Sure! However, it is difficult right now to bepletely identical. I have to work on the material and that takes time.

    Thats fine. I can do the rest with my magic.

    Okay. There are ingredients left from making the infinitesimal sphere that Nari used, so it will work somehow. Oh, but what happened to the infinitesimal sphere?

    I tore it up and threw it away.

    What?

    Rudger added a portion of the artificial skin he received from Seridan to the palm of the inside of the glove. Thats right, the skin Lloyds felt in the glove as they shook hands, was not Rudgers real skin.

    Even if youre a security officer, you wont notice it.

    Seridans skills are the real deal and the artificial skin she created isparable to real skin. The face mask made of artificial skin can easily pass even thorough inspections in the border area.

    Officers of the Security Bureau have good brains, but thats it.

    Rudger rolled up the corners of his mouth and began reviewing the test questions for the first test.

    * * *

    Senior, is that true? Are you not mistaken?

    You think I dont even know that?

    No, but.

    Stop it. Theres no way Lloyd didnt notice.

    But, sir.

    Trina was quite disturbed since Rudger was their only clue but nothing suspicious about him was found.

    Then is the case back in thebyrinth?

    In other words, the real culprit was hiding somewhere in Leathervelk but she couldnt figure out who it was because the city is huge and she doesnt know many people.

    Arsene Lupin, I thought I found his traces.

    Is she going to not catch him again?

    Trina Ryanhowl clenched her fist.

    During the time when she was called the Patriotic Frontier and made her name as an elite of the Knights she was always on a roll without knowing her failure, but she experienced defeat for the first time.

    She was born as an aristocrat, had natural talents and with appropriate efforts, she never experienced failure until she met him. A man who steals what cant be stolen and ys a lot of tricks, Arsene Lupin.

    She wanted to find him right away if she could, but

    I cant spend my time on an investigation that doesnt make any progress.

    Her role ended at the point where she couldnt find any clues.

    She is the leader of the Nightcrawler Knights belonging to the Intelligence Agency and because of her position it was difficult for her to move around.

    Lloyd, Enya.

    Yes!

    Yes!

    Im leaving for the capital again.

    Then the investigation into this case.

    Without a proper clue, we cant go any further. Ill report to the top that the investigation is temporarily suspended.

    Then is it over?

    I cant stay here forever, because Im busy. So, you stay here.

    What?

    Stay here in Leathervelk, and if anything suspicious happens, dont hesitate to report it to me. Do you understand?

    Yes, but what about senior?

    No. Lloyd has something else to do. Lloyd, do you agree?

    If its your order.

    Uh, uh, but if you say this all of a sudden.

    Enya. Please.

    !

    Enya nodded with a determined face when she realized that this was an order from Trina Ryanhowls the individual, not from the Security Agency.

    Yes, sir!

    Im sure youll do well.

    Trina answered and was about to leave but at that moment, Lloyd eximed.

    All right, boss! Are you going to keep going? Will you meet Mr. Rudger in person.?

    No. I cant do that.

    What? Why.

    The reason I came here in the first ce was because of that kind of condition.

    I cant believe it.

    It was iprehensible to Lloyd. Is it that hard to meet someone?

    Trina tried to exin the whole situation to her confused lieutenant, but felt someone approaching her and turned her head.

    Just in time.

    What?

    Lloyd and Enya also starred in the direction that Trina was looking at. There was a woman approaching slowly towards them.

    Since when?

    Although she was close enough to be easily seen with the naked eye, she did not feel anyone approaching.

    A beautiful woman with white and pale pink two-tone long hair waving in the morning sunlight was approaching them. She smiled brightly and waved her hand.

    Yay! Trina! Long time no see!

    Elisa, we met earlier this morning, what do you mean a long time?

    Thats how I feel.

    Seeing her talking to Trina in a friendly manner, Enya and Lloyd were embarrassed inside.

    Elisa? Elisa Willow?

    Shes the president of Theon Academy, isnt she?

    A genius wizard who achieved the 6th rank, Lexorer, at a young age.

    Elisa, what are you doing here?

    Youre leaving soon, so I came to see my friend off.

    Huh. Its unnecessary consideration.

    Thats what friends are for.

    If thats the case, then theres no reason why you couldnt arrange for that bastard named Rudger Chelici to meet me right?

    No, thats different.

    Elisa shook her head.

    Dont bother our talented newbie too much.

    Looking at Elisa talking to her with a mysterious smile, Trina swallowed her irritation inside.

    The reason she couldnt meet Rudger Chelici in person was because none other than Elisa Willow interfered.

    You must like him quite a bit.

    Because he is a rare and talented person, but what would he do if he met Trina in person?

    You look at me like Im someone who destroys people.

    Wrong.

    .

    Trina stared at Elisha and then turned her head.

    Were leaving Enya, Lloyd.

    Oh, yes!

    Yes, sir!

    Trina, youre going to go like this?

    I will go. So there is no need to see off.

    Arent you going to see the princess?

    She is also the blood of the imperial family. I dont have to check if shes doing well. Youll do well on your own.

    As if she didnt want to talk anymore, Trina stopped coldly but Elisa was not dissatisfied or regretful with Trinas attitude. It seems to be natural between the two so she just epted it.

    Im leaving.

    Maybe because of the old days Trina added thest words.

    * * *

    The president knows her?

    I shook my head as I watched secretly from the window. Even watching from afar, it is clear that the atmosphere between the two is not very friendly but notpletely hostile either. Still, they dont look that close to each other.

    Is this an ambiguous rtionship?

    Two people, who were originally friends, meet each other as leaders and keep each other in check.

    Maybe its because there was some kind of incident between the two of them in the past.

    I dont know exactly what happened.

    Im d that I dont have to face Trina Ryanhowl in person.

    Its all thanks to the presidents protection.

    If she hadnt stopped Trina Ryanhowl she wouldve been the one who came to see me, not Lloyd. Im truly fortunate and one thing Im sure about this situation.

    The president decided to trust me.

    After the Werewolf affair, Aidan and Jevan Pellios duel and even the Almighty stone incident that followed I thought that the president acted when the Knights of the Security Agency came to visit me

    The president promised to take care of me. In other words, I have taken a big step toward bing a trusted teacher of Theon.

    However, this is different from unconditional trust. Now, she thinks Im a good guy, so shes protecting me.

    If there were any signs of doubt, the president mighte forward and try to kill me. So I have to be as careful as possible to avoid that.

    Now, all that remains is to find the First Order of the ck Dawn.

 Chapter 82

    C82: The First Test (1)

    The day of the first test was near. Rudger finished reviewing the final exam questions in his office. Across from him, his assistant, Sedina, was sitting and diligently organizing all the papers.

    Sedina.

    Yes! Fir, no, Mr. Rudger!

    Did anything happen recently?

    Rudger asked Sedina, keeping his eye on the test questions. Seeing his concentrating look, Sedina looked at the scene in a nk te without realizing it, and then she came to her senses and answered.

    Well, there really wasnt anything.

    Well, what are the others in the organization doing?

    Everyone is taking care of themselves. All of them are cautious in their actions, probably because the Security Bureau recently visited Theon.

    I see.

    Rudger shook his head. He was quite relieved that the ck Dawn Society was not active at the moment and remained still.

    He doesnt know if theyll do anything during the first test. That would have been quite embarrassing.

    Shes helpful at times like this.

    Trina Ryanhowl was a troublesome opponent in many ways when he met the enemy, but now it is different. Thanks to her visit to Theon to investigate the Leathervelk case, the members of the ck Dawn Society had to resign themselves.

    Being the shield that protects the Empire and the tycoon of the Security Bureau, she is considered the most dangerous existence for the ck Dawn. Considering her achievements so far, it is natural for them toy low.

    How many secret organizations have been smashed by Trinas hands, and how many criminals have died in her hands? If Trina felt anything suspicious and started an investigation, there was a high possibility that the power of the ck Dawn Society would be greatly reduced.

    Of course, since this is an unprecedented secret organization, there are many powerful members hidden.

    If the two fought, no matter which side lost, Rudger would not be disappointed.

    Perhaps thats why the members of the organization are careful and meet each other outside of Theon.

    Is there a meeting?

    Yeah, thats what I think.

    Sedina, didnt you go to such a meeting?

    Yes? Yes. I just.

    Seeing Sedina getting pale, Rudger wanted to ask something. In the first ce, she is also a member of the ck Dawn, so she should have been invited.

    Still, Sedina would have been visibly depressed in the past, but this time, she didnt think much of it. There was no one around her back then, but now there is Rudger.

    Just as the two of them were about to end their conversation, Sedina opened her mouth as if she remembered something.

    Come to think of it, there was one unusual thing.

    There was?

    Yeah. Actually, its kind of weird to report to Mr. Rudger, but.

    Exin. Ill judge after hearing it myself.

    Oh, yes. Three days ago, three members of the organization were caught by police. Theyre all only Third Orders though.

    Caught by the police? That was a little strange.

    Well, even if they were Third Orders, they wouldnt have been so stupid as to be caught by the police.

    Yes, thats right.

    Someone else got involved in the case. Who is it?

    Its said to be a student of Theon.

    Student?

    Rudger took his eyes off the questions and stared at Sedina.

    Embarrassed to receive that gaze from him, Sedina shrugged her shoulders even more and nodded her head.

    Yes. There are three students in total, two boys and one girl. I dont know if you know, but theyre also students in your ss.

    Students in my ss?

    Two men and one woman. Rudger could immediately recall the unusualbination.

    Aidan, Leo and Tracy Friad?

    Yes, thats right. I cant believe you remembered right away. As expected, FirstTeacher.

    How did those kids caught the Third Orders in townRight. It was because of that.

    Rudger remembered the existence of the Bulletin Board in Theon. The exact name is {Application Board}. It is a legitimate means of making money that Theon students can use.

    Did the students carrying out the quest find any traces?

    Yeah. I guess so.

    Of course, this quest is simr to what the mercenaries do.

    Some difficult quests will be formally requested through the mercenary request office, but there are also misceneous quests that mercenaries do not take.

    Theon tuition is expensive and although there is a schrship system, it covers the pure educational expenses, but does not cover the cost of living expenses or other materials necessary for research and experiments.

    It is said that if you enter a club, research costs will be paid steadily, but establishing a club is not easy.

    After all, for students who are short of money, this is the only way to make quick money.

    Other than that, working part-time in Theon was also possible. Still, they are high-quality workers who can use magic, so wouldnt that hurt their pride? And so the Bulletin Board appeared.

    Its mostly used by low-ie students whock money.

    A noble family, or a wealthy merchant family, is never short of money in the first ce. The rich students always get plenty of support, and they can get most of what they want.

    Naturally, the main students who used this request board were themoners or those whocked money.

    Very often, there are nobles who apply for entertainment. This {Application Board} is said to be avable to anyone, but of course there are conditions.

    There is also a difficulty or risk in the request, so the grade is important to receive the request. The higher the grade, the more difficult the request can be, but the lower grades could only take the easy requests.

    Of course, even if the student grade is low, a temporary would be issued by Theon if they pass a test.

    Even so, theyre still in their first year.

    No matter how special Aidan magic is, he cannot receive high-level quests. Nevertheless, while carrying out his given mission, he made a contribution to catching as many as three Third Orders for the ck Dawn Society.

    Is it a coincidence or destiny led him?

    Rudger paid attention to Aidan since the werewolf incident. He felt that there was something about him that attracted the incident.

    Rudger thought of a board in his head, arge chess board made of ck and white tiles. He checked his pieces one by one.

    The pieces I can use.

    The members of the {U.N. Owen} organization were elites who were united and had extraordinary abilities. Their roles are rook, knight and bishop.

    Aidan and his friends, on the other hand, are actually pawns.

    He was still an idealistic kid but the presence of pawns in chess was sometimes more threatening than anyone else. The pawn that survived could be a bishop or a knight.

    It could be a queen.

    Pawns are nothing but junk, but they have infinite potential to be anything. Rudger rated Aidan quite highly. He possessed talents, but in particr, his mental strength and tenacity were way above other students.

    Reality is different from chess, so even if he survived for a long time, he could not be promoted unconditionally but Aidan might go beyond queen and be a king.

    Mr. Rudger?

    Whats wrong?

    Rudger returned to reality at Sedinas voice.

    I asked about the treatment of those students.

    Treatment?

    Yes. No matter how coincidental it was, they have been instrumental in the capture of our members of the ck Dawn. Besides, that student named Aidan also uses bizarre magic to nullify magic.

    Sedina made a suggestion to cut out the sprouts of the student named Aidan in advance since hes dangerous.

    Rudger shook his head.

    All right, let it go.

    Are you going to leave it as is?

    Yes, it does not pose a threat to us right now. Moreover, if we mess with Theon students, we risk revealing our existence.

    But more importantly,

    Those who were beaten by students and arrested are useless to our organization. Its a good thing.

    I see!

    Sedina admired Rudgers words.

    Perhaps because he was a First Order, he had a different perspective on the incident. He may seem like a terrible cold-blooded man, but Sedina, who was by Rudgers side for a while, understood an executives point of view.

    Anything else, Sedina?

    Yes, the members are just saying to take care of ourselves until the test is over.

    Is that so? I see.

    Rudger said and rose from his seat. Sedina stood up as if she had been waiting and picked up a bunch of test papers.

    Lets go.

    Yes!

    It was time for the first test.

    * * *

    There was tension in the 80 person lecture hall. It was natural to be nervous now that the first test was approaching, but this time the situation was a little different.

    Opening the long-awaited ry for the next three days is the test of Rudger Chelici. Even as it is an open book test, it was no exaggeration to say that the final boss came out from the beginning for students.

    Argh! I studied, but I have no idea!

    Wouldnt you get the answer if you read the books?

    How hard are you trying to make an open book test.

    All the students who were seated had no choice but to tremble as they watched the flowing second hand. Some shook their legs and some bit their nails.

    The moment when the endlessly rotating clock hand points to the right time the sound of the door opening thundered through the quiet ssroom. At least the students waiting for the exam had no choice but to feel that way.

    It was Rudger who opened the door and came in. Unlike usual coats, this time he wore a simple style with a gray vest and suit pants on top of a white dress shirt but his sharp gaze was still there, and his mood never softened.

    As everyone knows, today is the first test.

    A small sized assistant who was standing next to Rudger whined and ced the test paper on the tform.

    The total duration of the exam is 3 hours. As previously announced, it is an open book test. Well start in five minutes, so if you havent been to the bathroom yet, go now because once the test starts, no one can leave until the answer sheet is submitted.

    It was to prepare for any possible negation. In fact, there are many cases like this every year.

    If you study hard, you can do well on the test. Theres also a partial score, so you dont have to give out a nk paper because its difficult.

    And the important warning was this.

    Ill warn you of one thing. If youre caught cheating on my test

    Rudgers voice, which was usually cold, fell even heavier.

    Then I promise you Ill make sure you pay the price.

    .

    The whole ssroom was frozen by Rudgers warning.

    The students didnt even dream of cheating since they were afraid of Rudger but hearing the warning it became clear.

    Dont ever cheat.

    Of course, I will be the supervisor of this test.

    If he was the supervisor, they would never dream of cheating even if they were confident in their magic skills. Some students had no choice but to close their eyes when even thatst hope was trampled.

    The wind blew on the tform as soon as Rudger finished speaking.

    Under Rudgers spell, the test papers were scattered in all directions and came down slowly one by one in front of the students.

    Wow.

    Passing test papers to 80 students with wind magic made them realize how ridiculous and great that Rudger is.

    It seems that no students want to go to the bathroom. Looks like everything its ready.

    Rudger took a golden watch out of his pocket.

    The test is starting now.

    This was the first wall Theon students had to face.

 Chapter 83

    C83: The First Test (2)

    I checked the Ko-fi page and I saw that it was taken down so I made another one, the link its now working.

    I also worked on thements issue(maybe you didnt notice but thements didnt appear even though they were approved). Leave somements to this chapter so I can check if everything works.

    Only the sound of magic pens across the paper echoed softly in the quiet ssroom. It seemed like the sound of insects gnawing at something, but in a way, it was not a wrong expression. Because the students mental strength was being gnawed by a bug called the pressure of the test in real time.

    Ugh, its hard. What is this?

    I saw it in the book, but why cant I solve it? Is this a real problem?

    How could I be so stupid?

    He didnt say those words out loud, but he can see the students thoughts.

    It will be very painful.

    Rudger stood upright on the tform and stared at the students.

    As previously warned, the test is held in an open book test. It means that it doesnt matter if you look up the contents rted to the problem in the textbook. But if you look at the textbook and know the answer right away, can it be called a test?

    Its not just about asking for one-dimensional knowledge. I twisted the questions over and over again, so you wont be able to see through the hidden trap.

    He added a trap in the middle of the problems. Its in all the test questions, so students will be troubled. There are only 20 questions, but that is the reason why the exam time was 3 hours.

    Oh my gosh. Even though I studied hard, its difficult!

    Rene also felt steaming out of her head. Her eyes are spinning, and the letters on the test paper seem to be dancing. It was very difficult, although she never missed a review.

    She was confident that the first test would check the basics, and from the moment she faced the first problem, her hair felt white.

    [Question 1]

    [The magic liquid serves to store mana inside in the process of absorbing mana from the atmosphere. After 10 years of exposure to nature, the magic liquid can be converted into a magic stone that supplies mana that wizards can use. In order to induce crystallization with magic stones by refining this magic liquid in its pure form.]

    First of all, the rtionship between magical liquid and magic stones is basic knowledge that is learned in the magic release ss.

    The magic liquid that has matured for more than 10 years crystallizes and turns into mana stones and then its processed in order to make artifacts or magic tools used by wizards. The wands that wizards use are made by mixing special wood with mana stones.

    I expected this to be on the test. Mr. Rudger said over and over again that its going to be in the test.

    So she studied carefully and in order to not forget anything.

    But its still too hard!

    Rene kept on reading the question while screaming inside.

    [.Hereinafter, the magic solution was added to an aqueous contra solution and melted to form A, and B, which was aggregated by adding calidium metal. When you try to grind these A and B substances in the sameboratory under the same conditions, describe the form for which of the two can be made first.]

    (However, the temperature of theboratory remains constant at 30 degrees, and the pressure is 0.982 atmospheric pressure.) The crystallization reaction of B applies the standard rate of change.)

    This is only question number one?

    Whats even more surprising is that this question #1 had the lowest score!

    She wondered if she was the only one who thought so, and the other students around her were also grunting.

    They were prepared, but the questions were more difficult than they expected, so the pressure felt by the students must be considerable.

    Get a hold of yourself!

    Rene thought she was fine so far, and she nced over the problems.

    Yes, its all difficult, but if she read them carefully, she could see that the questions were only from what she actually learned.

    Rudger did not lie, the questions were from what he taught in ss.

    She could be sure because she listened to his ss more enthusiastically than anyone else.

    Maybe its because youre a sophomore, but youre solving it right away.

    Princess Erendir, who sits next to her, is already in the middle of solving the problems. She is a model student and Rene felt motivated seeing her.

    I can do it!

    Her eyes sparkled.

    * * *

    Hmm. Its a prettyplicated form.

    Flora Lumos solved the test questions with a nk face. Her hand, holding the pen, did not rest for a while. Rather, it was almost twice as fast as other students who work hard.

    She also vaguely felt it. Rudger said they were given three hours of time, but that was cutting it close.

    If I write continuously without resting as much as possible, it will only take about 2 hours and 45 minutes.

    The questions were also tailored to the level of freshman, because Rudger understands the average abilities of students. Moreover, it is not just difficult to solve the problems.

    Hmm. This matter follows the Empires basic standards, but its actually a trap. The Rumosk Experimental Form came from the Durman Kingdom, not the Exilion Empire, so of course I have to follow that standard. The standard itself is a kind of deception. He taught very little in ss and if students neglect to take notes, they are bound to be wrong.

    Flora grasped the intention of the examiner at once and wrote down the correct answers. While looking calm on the surface she continued to explore the problem inside and was admiring the way the examiner made it.

    Youre going to change the magic form like this? Example 1 and Example 2 are superficially simr, but the direction of the flow is fundamentally different. Students who dont know will think its the same.

    Thats a good question.

    Flora thought she could solve everything in an hour at this rate.

    Realizing something, she suddenly stopped her pen.

    Am I really enjoying this test right now?

    It was unbelievable. For her, tests were nothing more than a boring event.

    Writing down and exining all the facts that she already knew in a way that is not difficult. What could be less interesting than that?

    It is possible to fall into contemtion in a ss where teachers with insufficient ability talk freely, but in a test, it is annoying to move your hands directly. Nevertheless, she did not miss the top spot.

    She is not only gifted with the ability to feel magic, but also has an excellent brain that understands magic. Therefore, it was true her life in Theon did not have any particr stimtion.

    She finished most of the tests in less than 30 minutes but for the first time she was interested in test questions and found them interesting.

    It cant be.

    I cant believe Im having fun on the test!

    What a disgrace!

    Flora shook her hand without a pen and clenched her fists.

    I cant help but solve the problem to build up my self-esteem.

    Flora imagined Rudgers reaction when she submitted a nk paper.

    [Hmm. Is that a nk sheet? I see, after all, this was your limit.]

    Yeah. Im sure hell say this.

    He wont get angry or annoyed, he will just bluntly point out her shorings. He wouldnt even ask why or what happened.

    Other teachers would make a fuss!

    [No! Ive never seen anything like that!]

    So what should I do? There is only one way. The best way to surprise him is to do the best in this test.

    First ce? No, the important thing is to aim for a perfect score.

    Yeah, this is a fight for pride. A fight between students and teachers, a fierce battle that has been going on between her and Rudger with her record being two wins and two loses.

    How can I forget those painful days of defeat?

    Not this time! Ill show you that I won by getting a perfect score!

    Rudger himself didnt think much of it, but Flora had already decided on her own.

    Flora showed strong motivation and began to focus on the problems. She defended herself that she was just trying hard to beat Rudger. She was not aware that the more she solved the problems, the more she was immersed in them.

    * * *

    Its quiet.

    At first, the sound of suffering that was heard here and there disappeared after about 30 minutes. Rudger, who was standing on the tform and monitoring possible cheating, thought this was enough, and gave Sedina a signal.

    Yes!

    She answered in a very small, yet strong voice.

    Without a word, Rudger pointed his finger at two chairs in the corner. Sedina nodded and brought the two chairs to the tform.

    What are you going to do?

    Let go.

    Yes! And?

    Sit down.

    Yes? yes.

    Sedina put a chair aside and sat down, Rudger also put a chair nearby and satfortably.

    Take a rest.

    Yes?

    There are still two and a half hours left before the exam is over. As it is the first test, I, a teacher, and you, an assistant, cannot be left out, but your legs hurt if you continue to stand for the rest of the time. So sit back and rx.

    Sir!

    Sedina looked up at Rudger with her impressed look. Rudger, who is now familiar with the gaze, suddenly realized that another gaze was on him and turned his head.

    Among the students taking the exam, a girl with pure white hair was staring at him with a strong gaze.

    Julia Plumhart.

    As soon as she met Rudgers gaze, she immediately focused on solving the exam questions, but Rudger was only bothered for a moment by the disrespectful gaze she had sent. Also her target was Sedina not him.

    Well, thats it. There is no need to point it out.

    Rudger sat in a chair with his arms folded and his legs crossed.

    The remaining time is 2 hours and 30 minutes. Its quite long from a waiting standpoint, but it will feel very tight from a students point of view, because thats how he coordinated it.

    Even if its only the basics I deliberately twisted the questions so its going to take a while.

    If they cant solve all the problems, they need to focus on what theyre good at. These students were not fools, so they were focusing on questions they could definitely answer.

    Even the least aplished students will be able to specialize in some aspects as long as they enter Theon. As a result, the students were now in a trance and into solving problems.

    For a teacher, it was a very desirable appearance. Flora Lumos was also staring at the test questions.

    There are a lot of good students.

    Rene and the princess sitting next to her were working hard. Aidan and his friends sitting behind him also looked troubled, but they didnt seem to have given up.

    The beast girl over there is good too.

    Is she Iona Obeli?

    She had brown skin and much darker ck hair and was working hard at the problems in an unppable manner. He thought it would be difficult for her because she is a beastman, but she was surprisingly quick to adapt.

    Is it the beast people magic?

    The beast people also have their own culture, history and traditions. Instead of using magic the beast people used the power of Mother Nature called Spirit.

    Spirit is simr to the spirits of nature, but it is distinctly different. If the spirit is shaped in any form by the rich vitality of nature, Spirit is a big concept that epasses not only nature but also ancestors and animals.

    In the magical summoning series, the specialization called

    Originally, there was no

    Because of the repulsion at that time, the beast people reject magic, so it must be the same now.

    But a beast girl came to learn magic at Theon, a general organization that teaches magic.

    Herst name was Obeli? I know that the surname of the beast people is influenced by their bloodline.

    Although herst name is Obeli, that is so it can be calledfortably in human society. In fact, herst name was O-Belly, which had to be said with a slightly increased ent. It means Bellys blood, and for humans, it was like a noble family.

    Belly, I think Ive heard of it somewhere.

    I dont know much about the beast people, so it was a little vague. I have no choice but to look it upter.

    Thinking so, two hours passed before I knew it.

    You have 30 minutes to finish the exam. I wont ept submissions if youre even a minutete, so keep that in mind.

    The students pen speed became urgent at his words.

    The next test will be fun since its a little different.

    Rudger took a strange pleasure from seeing the students in pain.

 Chapter 84

    C84: The First Test (3)

    Dang Dang.

    The bell rang announcing the end of the exam.

    Its over, everyone stop writing. If you get caught doing something ridiculous here, Ill treat it as cheating and give you zero points.

    Rudgers warning was effective as the students stopped moving their pens.

    Assistant Sedina.

    Yes.

    When Rudger called her name, Sedina rose from her seat and hurriedly collected the students test papers one by one. When the test paperpletely left their hands, the students sighed as they realized that the test was over.

    I should have studied a little harder.

    Ah! I knew this! The form is correct, but I made a mistake and the answer is wrong!

    Hey, is this the right way to do it? What did you write?

    Ugh, its frustrating. I made a mistake!

    I cant tell even if I look in the book.

    The students gathered among themselves and discussed briefly what the answers were, but that did not change the answers they had already written.

    After retrieving all 80 sheets of test paper, Sedina arranged them neatly and brought them to Rudger.

    Great job.

    Rudger picked up the test papers.

    Everyone had a hard time taking the first exam. There are still two more days left for the first test, so dont overdo it and try to adjust your condition to the best.

    Of course, even if he said this, the students who crammed will do the same. Still, as a teacher, he just advised his students.

    After saying these words, Rudger left the ssroom.

    Whoa.

    This was their first examination in Theon and although it just ended, Rene felt relieved as if she had crossed the biggest wall.

    No, we still have a lot of tests left, right? Lets not bex already.

    Still, I can think this positively because I did pretty well on the test.

    Thanks to her constant review none of the 20 questions were submitted nk.

    When I first saw the test questions, I wondered what was so difficult, but when I looked carefully, I realized that it was not necessarily the case.

    As she felt the flow and solved the problems in a trance, 3 hours had passed.

    Its a relief that there was enough time to solve everything.

    Rene looked around with a little relief. She was going to ask Erendir if she did well.

    But since shes a princess and a senior, she must have done better than me.

    Unlike her, who was puzzled at first, Erendir immediately began solving the problems.

    Rene, who was going to ask Erendir had no choice but to postpone the action for a while.

    Senior?

    Huh? Whats wrong?

    Oh, no. TheYou looked a little bit embarrassed.

    Oh, yeah? Is that so?

    It was as Rene said. Erendir was restless after submitting the test paper and her confidence was gone. Her legs were shaking and she was stuttering like a person who failed the exam.

    Oh no. Theres no way, right?

    Rene ignored her negative thoughts and asked Erendir.

    Senior, did you do well on the exam? As Mr. Rudger said, everything was from what he taught in ss!

    Uh Really?

    What do you mean, really? As soon as she heard Erendir ask back, Rene felt the corners of her mouth twitching unconsciously.

    Her anxious thoughts were graduallying to reality.

    Senior. ThatI dont know if I can ask you this question.

    Huh? Yeah, it doesnt matter. Ask me anything youre curious about.

    TestHave you ruined it?

    .

    Erendir, who answered confidently, closed his lips tightly.

    Senior?

    .

    She was even turning her head to avoid her gaze and her ears were flushed red in the midst of her colorful blond hair. Erendir was ashamed.

    Senior, dont tell me.

    Even her own imagination seemed to insult her, but she couldnt help but ask.

    Did you really screw up on the test?

    Flinch!

    When asked by Line, Erendir shook her shoulders.

    From that gesture Rene realized that Erendir, the 3rd Princess of the Empire, who was called everyones idol, ruined this exam.

    Really? No, is it because youre not feeling well today? Recently, you had too many things to think about. A review of the future of the country? Because of that, right?

    Erendir focused on the test more than anyone else but Rene was so confused that she had to believe it.

    At least, she thinks the princess is a great person who can easily upy the top ranks in any field.

    Hmm. Junior Rene.

    Erendir, who regained herposure to some extent, opened her mouth.

    People are saying that everyone has their own field. If there is something you are good at, there is something you are bad at. So what this means is that no one is good at anything. Do you understand?

    UhI mean, youre not in a bad condition, youre not particrly tired todayYou just failed the test?

    Junior Rene I didnt pass the exam because I wasnt good enough.

    Just in case, what was your rankingst year?

    As Rene remembers, Theon has more than 800 students per grade. Of course, the higher the grade, the more students drop out, so the number of senior students decreases considerably but every year, a corresponding number of new studentses in.

    Erendir is a sophomore this year so it would be no surprise if her grades were based on the 800 students when she was in the first grade.

    Why are you asking that? Dont tell me youre judging people by their rankings, too, are you?

    Youre not in the top 500, are you?

    !

    The moment she saw that Erendirs eyes widened as she turned around, Rene was startled. Erendir, who looked like a model, is actually really bad at studying theory!

    It was a great shock.

    Even the other nobles were overwhelmed by her atmosphere and could not approach her recklessly, so the princess was always alone.

    She looks like a typical model student but she is actually in the middle and lower ranks in theory ss!

    In the practical sses, my ranking is high!

    Erendir exims desperately.

    It wasnt a lie. In the theory sses she was ranked 500 out of 800 students, but she was in the top 30 when it came to practical skills.

    Because she was born into a good family and has a strong bloodline, her magical powers are far greater than that of other students. Her rank in the practical exam was only possible because she received a thorough early education before she came to Theon.

    When she saw that Erendir looked like she might burst into tears, Rene hurriedly nodded and responded.

    Oh, well, thats possible! Besides, these days, theres a strong trend of putting more emphasis on practice than theory, right?

    Right? I admit that Im not good at theory and knowledge, but Im also proud of my skills as a wizard.

    Rene responded to Erendirs words while sweating but inside she was a little disappointed.

    As expected, you shouldnt judge people by their appearance.

    She felt that the noble image of the 3rd princess she knew was ruined.

    * * *

    In her office on the top floor of Theon main building, the president, Elisa, looked down through the window.

    The first test has finally begun.

    Wilford, who brought the refreshments, nodded at Elisas words.

    I hope all the students get good results.

    If theyve tried, theyll definitely get them.

    I guess so

    A total of four tests are held in one semester and a year is divided into two semesters, so students have to take as many as eight tests a year.

    Not only students but also teachers who made the tests were tired. Above all else, because their job is to raise elites called wizards, the tests were quite intense and radical. Thats why there were a lot of dropouts in Theon as each grade level went up.

    In the first test of the first semester students who were proud of themselves as geniusespeted with students who were in a simr situation for the first time and realized how narrow the well they were living in was.

    In the case of students whose hearts were broken, it was not umon for them to leave Theon after the first test was over.

    I hope many students can hold out this time.

    Thats why you asked them to take the first test lightly.

    I did. Of course, the kids who will fall will fall away.

    Elisha felt sorry for that.

    She didnt view thepetition itself as bad. However, it was her honest opinion that she wanted to avoid the fact that some students were ruined due to excessivepetition.

    As Theons president, she wanted to make sure arge number of students get a great education and spread their talents.

    How about the new teachers? They must have given exam questions while working as a teacher for the first time. Werent they nervous?

    Would you like to take a look?

    Wilford brought the prepared test paper and handed it to the president. In the case of exam questions, it was possible because the president had the right to see it directly.

    Among the new teachers who gave theory tests were Bruno from the Golem Studies ss, Chris Benimore and Rudger Chelici, who are in charge of the manifestation system.

    In particr, this test was a matchup full of curiosity among Theons teachers, as the two new teachers, who are pr opposites, gave a theoretical test in the same field.

    Well, Mr. Bruno asked about the magic circuit that drives the Golem, and the structural mechanics of the Golem. The difficulty itself seems to be okay.

    Yes. He has a special affection for golems, so I think its okay.

    Elisa nced through the exam questions Bruno had made, and nodded her head with satisfaction. He didnt show anything that exceeded expectations and was just average, so it didnt seem like a problem.

    Next its Chris Benimore and Rudger Chelici.

    Do I have topare them?

    Actually, you cant do it without making aparison.

    Wilford nodded with a wry smile.

    Elisa quickly scanned Chriss test questions.

    Well, Chris asked questions on the side of Mana Release and Elemental Attributes.

    Yes, and its.

    The same goes for Mr. Rudger.

    No matter how different the grades they were in charge of, to openly give exam questions in the same field was like dering war on Rudger.

    It must have hurt his pride to lose the bet.

    Since that day, Hugo Burtag faction has been forced to hang their heads down for almost a week.

    Right. It was so refreshing to see him keep his mouth shut. I feel like I have regained my old self-esteem.

    Elisha smirked at Chris test questions.

    I think this test is a simple revenge for Chris. No, I dont think its simple, he seems to have put his heart and soul into it.

    As a result, Chris Benimores exam papers were filled with jargon-filled problems, dotted with all kinds of difficult words.

    What kind of test is this? Hes just bragging about his knowledge.

    Elisa clicked her tongue and shook her head.

    Chris Benimores excessive arrogance and self-pride eventually led him to the point where he increased the exam difficulty to an absurd level.

    Will students be able to solve these problems properly?

    I told him to give the basics for the first test, but hes already ying around like this. In particr this theory is something students learn in the third grade.

    Of course, even though it was something that was taught in the third grade there were students who already learned it, the aristocratic students of the upper ss because they were educated before they joined Theon. On the other hand, themoner students werent.

    The problem was that he discriminated against themoner students and favored the noble students.

    Really.

    Elisa had a headache but she couldnt me Chris Benimore for this either. The test is up to the teacher, and if she interferes with this, it doesnt look good.

    Because she was Theons President, she couldnt do anything she wanted.

    Well then, lets see how Mr. Rudger handled the problem.

    If it were his usual self, it might be more or less the same as Chris or maybe the questions were monotonous because of his overly rigid atmosphere?

    Elisa looked at Rudgers test questions with that in mind.

    What?

    She opened her eyes wide.

 Chapter 85

    C85: Spirit Studies ss (1)

    Elisa, who was staring at Rudgers test paper, was very surprised.

    Hmm? This, maybe.

    After muttering something unintelligible, she quickly pursed her lips, picked up her pen, and began to solve the problems.

    Wilford, who was watching the scene, quietly backed away. It was unusual to see Elisa, the president, like that, so he didnt want to interrupt her.

    If its her ability, itll take less than five minutes to finish it all. But Wilfords prediction was wrong.

    This is because Elisa showed no signs of ending even though it was more than five minutes after she started solving Rudgers test questions.

    Ten minutes.

    15 minutes.

    Twenty minutes have passed like that.

    Even then, Elisa focused on the problems by endlessly teasing the pen point like a person possessed by something.

    Has the president ever held on to a problem for so long?

    Wilford was inwardly taken aback by such an unexpected situation. Elisa would always write down the answers to the questions on the spot while looking at the test questions submitted every semester.

    It was a kind of evaluation of teachers in Theon. And all that assessment was made entirely by the president, Elisa herself.

    Elisa preferred to solve the test questions given by the teachers herself since she was also a wizard with a great passion for learning.

    It was a pleasant experience just to look at the problem in a new way she was unaware of. asionally, in the case of easy questions she would just skim over them but she never took more than 5 minutes to solve the questions even for the 4th and 5th grade exams, which are very difficult.

    Even the difficult questions that made her head throb didnt impress her much. Maybe thats why Elisa was feeling bored these days.

    So when she saw so few interesting things she would be too preupied with them, just like right now.

    Elisha recalled the previous her, when she was still learning and was eager to explore the unknown of magic. The sense of aplishment and pleasure when you finally seed, even though you feel hopeless about the knowledge you see for the first time.

    It took Elisa 30 minutes to solve Rudgers test questions, but it was also because of her desire to slowly savor the delicious dishes, although Rudgers questions were demanding in the diversity of thinking. Of course, it would have taken at least 15 to 20 minutes, even if she did her best.

    Its amazing.

    Are you finally done?

    Wilford, who was waiting, asked in a surprised voice.

    Im sorry, I made you wait.

    Ha ha. No, Im d, its been a while since Ive seen the president so motivated.

    Well, thats true.

    Elisha did not bother to deny that she was absorbed by the problems. She thought these were really good problems. While demanding a solid foundation, it asks for diversity of opinions and a flexible way of thinking.

    There were many pitfalls while solving the problem, but even when she saw them, she felt more pleasant than annoyed.

    Its really amazing. These problems were created by a new teacher. I want to let other teachers solve them.

    Is it that good?

    Mr. Rudger is such a boring person that I thought he would just give ordinary questions for the exam.

    Elisa shrugged her shoulders.

    I was mistaken.

    Come to think of it, Rudger showed magic beyond basicmon sense. Wasnt this the [source code] magic that he demonstrated to his students in his first ss? Magic that enables magic to be implemented at a high speed by making it ridiculously fast. It was something that couldnt be created by ordinary people.

    It was a wless test paper.

    Compared to Chris test questions?

    Theres noparison. Serious exploration and respect for learning and a means to boast of ones knowledge. Putting them on the same line is an insult to one side.

    Chris Benimore tried to prove he was superior to Rudger Chelici with the test questions but Rudger didnt care about Chris Benimore in the first ce. He didnt even respond to his brawl, he just did the best he could.

    Indeed, can this be seen as a fight?

    If you ask Chris to solve this, his expression will be quite impressive.

    Elisa smiled yfully like a child, imagining what would happen sooner orter.

    Wilford shook his head at the sight, saying, I cant stop you.

    * * *

    Rudger put the test papers in his suitcase. Since he finished the test as the first batter, he will be able to take it easy and grade it for the rest of the test period.

    Ive put a lot of effort into this question, but Im also curious about what the students wrote.

    Will the students who usually listened to the ss perform well? How many unexpected incorrect answers would the students who did not study properly give out?

    As a teacher, he had a strange expectation. Although it was a false identity, Rudger felt his own nature in his work.

    On his way back to his dormitory, Rudger found students gathered in front of him.

    Have they finished their test? Oh, is it a practical test?

    Rudger was quite familiar with the person who was leading the fifty or so students. The first thing he saw was pink hair that shines under the bright sunlight. She was kind to everyone and always smiling, like a princess from a fairy tale. It was Selina.

    It must be a test for the Spirit Studies ss.

    Selina was in charge of the specialty {Spirit} in the summoning series. Spirits are the embodiment of the energy of nature that exists in Mother Nature. Spiritology is the study of borrowing their power throughmunication with such spirits.

    As a result, the theoretical part was all about the history of spirituality, and in fact, most of the conducted sses were practical sses. From how to summon the spirits, to the contract with the spirits, to how tomunicate with the spirits and use their powers.

    Its still the beginning of the semester, so even if its a test, it wont be that difficult.

    There are no spirits around the students. Is the first test making a contract with a Spirit?

    Since there are only a limited number of people who can learn Spirit Studies, the test itself was focused on absolute evaluation rather than rtive evaluation.

    Even if you are an average student, you will be able to pass if you seed in signing a contract with a lower spirit.

    As Selina was thinking she saw Rudger getting closer.

    Oh, Mr. Rudger!

    Selina greeted him with a smile.

    Are you done with your exams? Come to think of it, you said your test was first, right?

    Yes, Im on my way home after finishing it a little while ago.

    Oh, I see. Im just starting an exam.

    Is this a Spiritism Test?

    Yes, would you like to take a look?

    Rudger, who was about to refuse, couldnt do it as she stared intently at him, because Selina was giving Rudger an SOS gaze.

    Are you nervous?

    Rudger understood why she asked him toe with her. This test must be the first for Selina and as a teacher, evaluating students can be a burdensome and stressful task. As a result, she turned to Rudger, who had alreadypleted the exam, for help.

    Rudger wasnt in charge of Spirit Studies, so he couldnt really help her.

    Its also true that she would feel relieved when at least a colleague is around.

    Normally, it was something that he would easily overlook and make an excuse that he was busy with grading. But he suddenly thought that theyve been eating and talking together so far, and it would be cold to refuse her.

    No matter how fake you are, youre a teacher right now, its not good to be hated by your colleagues.

    The aristocratic faction teachers led by Chris Benimore were already hostile to him.

    Could he reject Selina who was popr among students and teachers so easily? If he did that his reputation that he worked hard on would be ruined.

    In fact, I dont care about my reputation.

    The important thing was that he was also helped by Selina, and he couldnt ignore her request. Thanks to her approaching him first, he was able to talk to other teachers.

    I will.

    Selinas expression brightened noticeably as Rudger nodded while the students watched the two with strange eyes.

    What? Is Mr. Rudgering?

    Whats the rtionship between them? Are they dating?

    I dont think so. Its because theyre both new teachers.

    Oh, right. You like teacher Selina.

    What? Its not true

    Selina, who gained courage, opened her mouth while the students were talking among themselves.

    The exam will start soon, so lets all move! Lets finish fast!

    Yes.

    The students moved busily ording to Selinas words.

    Selina took the lead with Rudger followed by the students. The ce that they arrived was the entrance of Forest of Fantasy, one of the three forests of Theon. In it there are a huge flood of spirits, animals, and other ecosystems.

    Forest of Fantasy was thergest among the three major forests in Theon. The risk level is level 3, and the general public is prohibited from entering.

    However,pared to the other two forests with a risk level of 2 or higher, the Forest of Fantasy is rtively safe and it will not be a big problem as they stay at the entrance and dont go deep in the forest.

    In fact, I think this is a safe space because its often used as a test site.

    Traces of humans were visible everywhere. Even the no-entry signs or guidelines made along the way.

    Rudger lifted his head and looked up at the endlessly towering trees. Trees with thick roots likerge pirs soared high toward the sky. Their height seemed to be over 10 meters.

    Even though they havent fully entered the forest yet, he thought that the inside of this Fantasy Forest would be so dense that it resembled the Amazon.

    Is that the Spirit of Light?

    Something was floating in the air, sprinkling a subtle light through the trees. Indeed, it is easy to notice the spirits from the entrance of the forest, perhaps because it was a forest full of vitality. Here it would be easy to sign a contract even for students who are not yet familiar with spirituality.

    I announced in advance that this test is about signing a contract with a spirit. You can use your magic tomunicate with the spirit and be friends.

    Selina acted as she spoke. She closed her eyes and activated her magical powers. A warm magical light shed around Selina and the students eximed in admiration.

    Oooh.

    Wow. Thats the ability of a spirit studies teacher.

    Spirits hidden throughout the forest appeared one by one in response to Selinas magic. Some curious spirits flew into the air and wandered around Selina. In an instant, there were cute spirits around Selina.

    The beautiful sight of a princess in the forest kept the students silent.

    Selina, who opened her eyes, looked at the little spirits all around her and smiled benevolently, and then she reached out her hand towards the spirit that was like a pure white cotton ball.

    Hello

    Ppiyong!

    The pure white cotton ball epted Selinas greeting. Rudger also watched the scene silently.

    Hehe. You all saw it, right? Its not difficult. You just have to do it like teacher.

    Maybe it was because her words gave them courage, the students immediately activated their magical power and attempted tomunicate with the spirits.

    Small spirits gathered around the students.

    Wow! Its working!

    Oh, hes so cute

    Hello

    The students joyful shouts erupted everywhere. The scene where spirits and students gathered was quite pleasing to Rudgers eyes.

    Not wanting to disturb them, Rudger stood a little far from the students.

    Would you like to try, Mr. Rudger?

    Selina approached Rudger and said.

    He was going to ask how the students tests were going, but shook his head when he saw about three assistants working hard to guide them.

    Thanks for the offer, but I refuse.

    What? Why?

    Im not very weed by the spirits.

    What? No way. The spirits are so nice! Let me introduce you to a cute spirit! Its the Spirit of Light who signed a contract with me a while ago, and I named it Pongpong!

    Selina said so and held out a ball of white cotton on her palm to Rudger but soon she opened her eyes wide.

    Huh? Pongpong?

    The spirit in her palm was shaking.

    Po, Pongpong? Whats wrong with you?

    Selina immediately understood why the spirit was doing this.

    Are you afraid?

    It wasnt just Pongpong, the other spirits who wandered through the forest didnt approach Rudger either.

    Rudger replied familiarly to Selinas bewildered look.

    I told you.

    What?

    The spirits dont like me very much.

 Chapter 86

    C86: Spirit Studies ss (2)

    Spirits are born from nature. They have existed since the existence of Mother Nature in the beginning, and of course, they have lived in this world longer than humans.

    Spirits derived from nature retain the power of nature. That is why they are strong, beautiful, and the purest. There are only two kinds of emotions that such spirits feel toward humans, like and indifference.

    Therefore, when spirits sign contracts with humans, they determine the criteria based on curiosity. No matter how cruel the opponent is, even if they are pointed at by the same people, the spirits dont care. Because the standard of good and evil that humans share in front of Mother Nature was nothing more than a speck of dust.

    Nature is not afraid of humans and humans are also a part of Mother Nature. They were one of the elements of the world. Spirits derived from nature have no reason to fear humans, who are part of nature.

    However it was happening in front of her now. Spirits were afraid of one human being. Selina knew that there has never been a case like this.

    Mr. Rudger, whats going on?

    Teacher Selina, you dont have to be so surprised.

    Seeing Selina staring at him like he was something strange, Rudger thought he should calm her down a bit.

    There are so many different people in the world. There is nothing strange even if there are people who hate spirits.

    You look hateful to the spirits?

    Yes. I have such a unique physique.

    Rudgers excuses were, in fact, absurd to even call them excuses but this was the best excuse Rudger could give because she cant tell the truth of his true physique.

    Really?

    Of course, Selina was not aplete fool either. There is a degree of naivety but even she would never have believed such nonsense. However if the person who said it was Rudger, the story would be different.

    Rudger was a mysterious man. Since he came to Theon, he has shown great skills one after another, unbelievably good for a new teacher. Among them, the most famous is the creation of a new magic called Source Code, which has never existed before.

    Even her, who is a teacher, feels like she is going back to her student days whenever she sees Rudger. Even if people say the same thing, the persuasiveness of it depends on who the messenger is. The existence of Rudger to Selina now was reliable enough to believe whatever he said.

    And look. Its mostly the low-level spirits who hate me, other spirits do not.

    uhBut are there only low-level spirits around?

    Then you can check out the spirit that Selina is calling.

    Most of the spirits floating around now are low-level spirits. Selina, on the other hand, has signed contracts with intermediate spirits or higher, as she was invited to be a teacher at Theon at a young age. She already signed contracts with three kinds of intermediate spirits of water, wind, and earth attributes.

    Oh.

    It was as Rudger said. Her contract spirits, invisible to the eyes of others, existed around Selina. The three intermediate spirits werent afraid of Rudger, like the other low-rank spirits.

    The intermediate spirits that were only visible to her were rather curious about the appearance of other lower spirits.

    What do you think?

    Oh? Thats true. The intermediate and higher spirits who contracted with me are quiet.

    Selinas eyes glittered as she discovered something new.

    Its more amazing than that! Ive never seen low-level spirits be afraid of anyone.

    Selina closed her face and Rudger pulled his upper body back slightly.

    There are many kinds of people in the world.

    Im sorry. I wish Ms. Rudger had also been friendly with her spirits.

    Thats all right, Selina. Is it okay for you to lose this much time with me? The students are waiting.

    Yes? Ah! What was I thinking in the middle of a test? Thanks, Mr. Rudger!

    Dont mention it.

    Seeing her hurriedly approaching the students and arranging contracts with their spirits, Rudger sighed in relief. It passed like this because it was Selina, but if it was someone else, he might have questioned.

    Im d I didnt run out of magic.

    Rudger was fully aware that the spirits were afraid of him but it was not exactly him that the low level spirits were afraid of, but something else that was behind him.

    I still have a lot of magical power now, so I dont think the Intermediate Spirits saw it.

    But when he consumes a lot of his magic and if the [noise] resonates in his head, the intermediate spirits will respond. Otherwise, it would have been hard to even exin to Selina.

    Even in my condition, the lower spirits are aware of it. Ironically, being the weakest being, they are aware of this strange power.

    Far away from the students, Rudger chewed and swallowed a magic potion to avoid being caught by others.

    Rudgers gaze turned to Selina, who praised the student who had just sessfully signed a contract with a spirit. She was genuinely delighted with her students sess as if it were her own.

    More than that, did Selina only contracted intermediate spirits?

    First of all, she is known to have a total of three intermediate spirits. Intermediate spirits of water, intermediate spirits of wind, and intermediate spirits of the earth, respectively.

    That was definitely a great skill but to be a teacher at Theon she should have one more thing she is confident in besides that.

    Rudger thought so, and narrowed his eyes at a sudden strange sensation.

    Sight.

    Rudger rolled his eyes and followed the owner of the gaze that was directed in this direction.

    Where is it?]

    First of all, it was not the students. The direction of the gaze was among the dense trees but it was hard to guess the exact direction, as if a fog had spread around.

    Is it a spirit?

    Low-level spirits fear him and are reluctant to evene near him and intermediate spirits roam only around Selina.

    The strange heat felt with the gaze. He must be quite powerful.

    Yes, this is definitely the Spirit of Fire. Just being a little interested in it is enough to affect the temperature of the surrounding atmosphere.

    Its at least an advanced spirit.

    Whenpared with wizards they exert at least the power of the fifth rank. Especially in the case of strong individuals, up to the sixth rank is possible. Above all, the gaze is full of vignce.

    Theres no way a superior spirit would appear in a ce like this because its the entrance to the Fantasy Forest.

    Besides, this is literally a forest. Spirits living in the forest are basically spirits of nts, light, water, wind, andnd. Fire spirits were often seen in hot ces, mainly in volcanic areas and deserts. But in this forest, even in the outskirts, an advanced fire spirit appeared.

    Other students didnt seem to be aware of its existence.

    Neither did Selina, who is very sensitive to spirits.

    He is not a guy that exists in a natural state. Someone artificially beckons him.

    From the gaze facing this direction, I can even feel the intention of criticizing what kind of person I am. Indeed, is he trying to confirm whether Im really a threat because Im feared by the spirits?

    It was a little annoying for Rudger, but he didnt mean to make it obvious in the current situation.

    Is there someone else in this forest whomands spirits? Or is someone hidden among the students controlling this spirit?

    He wasnt sure yet but if he shows his strength to identify the Spirit of me, he will run away immediately. For now, he had no choice but to let it act as it pleases.

    A person whomands higher spirits while hiding his identity.

    A spirit studies teacher in charge of senior students? The chances were extremely low. Rather, there is only one being who could do that, a First Order.

    A member of the ck Dawn Society hidden in Theon. Him or her, student or teacher, an existence that has not even been identified yet since unlike other ck Dawn members, it is the only one who may notice his strangeness.

    I dont know why hes suddenly looking at me like this. Or is it some kind of signal?

    If so, how do you react here? If he reacts explicitly, it can be counterproductive.

    The opponent is a First Order of the ck Dawn Society. As an executive of a secret organization, he will be careful when contacting an executive of the same rank.

    If so, what should he do?

    Rudger opened his mouth, just in case.

    Its a little hot.

    A spontaneous murmur to oneself its nothing more than a normal reaction. However, the meaning was clearly conveyed to the person staring at this side.

    Theres a response.

    The source was not something that even Rudger could do. It cant be removed, and its not something that can be ignored. On the contrary, if he doesnt maintain his mana all the time, that source would try to encroach on him.

    It was for this reason that he kept taking magic pills on a regr basis to keep his magic power to the maximum.

    There are a total of three restrictions so only the low-level spirits respond.

    Its just a prediction, but higher-grade spirits will respond if 2 or all 3 are lifted.

    It wasnt much of a pleasure for Rudger either. Even if only one restriction is lifted, Rudger would hear the tiresome noises in his head, if two are lifted he would feel their touch.

    And for thest restriction his teacher told him not to lift it even if he dies so its hard to even imagine what will happen.

    How did this happen?

    Suddenly, he remembered what his mother said in his previous life.

    [All sorts of beings are watching you.]

    He didnt believe it at the time, but hes been aware of it every day since he came here. So he was annoyed because he kept remembering memories that he doesnt want to recall.

    At that moment a small spark ignited in front of Rudgers eyes and eventually turned into letters. Rudger was not surprised at the sight since he had already finished preparing his mind and calmly scanned the letters engraved with fireworks with his eyes.

    Whats so frustrating is that the other side approached me first.

    [Three dayster. After school hours. Here again.]

    The First Order, which he had been looking for so much, attempted to contact him first.

 Chapter 87

    C87: Daily life after the test (1)

    One more chapter in a few hours.

    For students, exams are often viewed as annoying events. In the midst of extreme tension, they burn theirpetitive spirit towards each other and theyre exhausted both mentally and physically.

    However, just as the rain at the end of the drought was sweet, the sense of freedom that came when the three-day test waspletely over was indescribable.

    Wow! Its finally over!

    Oh, Ive had a hard time for three days.

    The freshmen who just entered Theon were very happy that they finished their first test and even the senior students felt a sense of freedom after the test was over.

    Hey, how was your test this time?

    Dont mention it. I think Im screwed.

    I hope my ranking is at least in the middle.

    What are you talking about? The lower ranks will be close.

    Of course, the main concern of the students gathering around the school was the test results. How was the test, who did well, and which teachers test was the easiest and mostfortable.

    If they knew which teachers test is reasonable, next semester will be aimed atpleting the said teacher ss.

    Curses are not my cup of tea.

    I think Im more suited to discharging magic.

    Next time, Ill focus on alchemy.

    Students who have passed the first test will now have a sense of urgency. Do they choose a ss with a bang or a honey ss?

    Mr. Meridas test was good this time. Its a theoretical part of drug manufacturing, and it was detailed.

    Teacher Selinas test was very simple. If you connect with a Spirit and sign a contract, you will definitely get a pass.

    Hey, thats limited to students who met basic requirements for taking the Spirit Studies ss. People with low affinity cant do it. Ill just choose Golem studies or something simr.

    I heard that certain maniacs are so good at Golem studies that its hard to get in the top ranks

    Dont mention it. There are so many people who are wearing sses and just mumbling about the parts.

    There was a hot topic that came to mind among students while they were discussing this subject.

    Did you hear the news? I mean, Mr. Rudger Chelici test.

    Yeah, I heard it was really hard

    Its not just that its hard, but I heard people couldnt solve it properly even though it was an open book test.

    Wow. Then was there something behind the scenes?

    No, people said it was hard but rational. Anyway, it felt like that. In addition, the questions were given exactly from what they were taught.

    Doesnt Mr. Rudger teach manifestation?

    Uh. It oveps with Mr. Chris Benimore.

    Originally, Chris Benimore, who is in charge of the first grade, and Rudger Chelici, who is in charge of the second grade, never bumped into each other. However, as Rudger epted to teach first graders, the two could not avoidparison.

    How was Mr. Chris exam?

    Dont ask. We were tested in areas that were not taught.

    Really?

    I heard its a course that you can only learn if youre in the third grade or older and I just made a hard bet. It was ridiculous, really.

    Wow, thats crazy.

    Dont even mention it. The test papers are full of jargon Ive never seen before. You have to be able to use it even if you try to get a partial score. I really regret it. I should have just taken Mr. Rudgers ss. Did you take Mr. Rudgers ss?

    Yeah. I was really lucky. Someoneplimented me a lot on Akashic Records, so I just chose it half-heartedly, and it was awesome.

    Hey, will Mr. Rudger teach you the source code magic if youre in the top ranks?

    If you consistently finish in the top five, youll learnplete source code magic.

    I envy you. At least you still have an award that motivates you, we dont even have that. What should wemoners do in this situation?

    Chris Benimores ss was authoritarian, dismissive and contemptuous of themon people, so was not very popr with the students. With the exception of a certain few students who benefit from him, Chriss ss is of the kind that is both terribly difficult and irritating.

    For students who took the ss because of their high grades, they had no choice but to sigh every day in a ss that waspletely different from what they imagined.

    I will definitely take Rudgers ss next semester.

    Thats not going to be easy

    Why?

    There are a lot ofpetitors. They would all stand in line to attend Mr. Rudgers ss. He even rarely selects assistant teachers unlike other teachers.

    Really? I have to take the manifestation ss next semester, how do I do it?

    You have to figure it out.

    * * *

    In arge office decorated with ornate ornaments Chris Benimore checked the questionnaire in his hand and soon twisted his face ferociously.

    Rudger Chelici.

    Chris Benimore didnt know how to cool off his anger when he saw the test questions that Rudger had given this time.

    [Mr. Chris. You did a great job giving the test questions. Here, take this!]

    Elisa Willow the president suddenly appeared and gave him a test paper but before he could ask what it was, Elisha smiled at him.

    [Chris, youre in charge of manifestation ss, right? Thats why Im giving it to you because I think itll be helpful for the next exam. You dont have to say thank you.]

    Chris Benimore immediately recognized what the test questions the president handed him were, or, to be exact, whose.

    Rudger Chelici.

    It was the questions that the hateful man gave in the first test. Rather than wondering why it was given to him, his eyes were faster to scan the contents.

    Chris Benimore is also a wizard who explores the truth. It was natural to wonder what questions a teacher other than himself asked.

    Chris Benimore, who looked through all 20 questions in 10 minutes, was forced to crumple the test paper with strength in his hands.

    Damn it!

    He realized why the president handed him the test paper.

    Do you want me to emte the exam questions that Rudger Chelici gave?

    How can he not know the intentions contained in the presidents words?

    This is a test paper that was handed out openly to refer to it.

    From the fact that it wasnt just a test paper made by an old teacher, but a new teacher who was appointed at the same time as him it was obviously the presidents insidious intention to tantly check their side, which favors aristocratic students.

    Damn it! Why do I, the eldest son of the Benimores, have to suffer like this?

    Chris gnashed his teeth, unable to contain his anger. He grew up as an aristocrat, learned magic, and was an elite of the empire. He even became a teacher at Theon Academy, a top educational institution that fosters wizards responsible for the continents future.

    There was a family behind him, but he would not have been able toe this far if his skills were not good enough.

    Chris was proud of his aplishments. He was convinced that he would be one of the pirs of the era but the tantparison with someone else was an unbearable act for him, whose pride was soaring in the sky.

    No, he was okay with theparison but he was upset that the results were not what he wanted.

    Youreparing a fallen aristocrat to me?

    The Presidents tone even seems to say that he was clearly below Rudger. If she wasnt a higher-ranking wizard than himself, Chris would have been spoken back. But most of all, it was Rudgers test that made Chris Benimore angry.

    He didnt want to admit it, but the problems Rudger created were of a very high level.

    Is this a problem created by a fallen aristocrat?

    He was really angry for another reason.

    As soon as he saw the problem of Rudger Chelici, who had ignored and looked down on it, he admitted it to himself without realizing it. The fact that he recognized the person who was supposed to be under his feet, not anyone else, left a big scar on Chris pride.

    Rudger Chelici!

    Chris Benimore chewed out his name.

    He didnt like him from the first time he met him and after the bet they made under the pretext of the students duel he hated Rudger more than anyone else in the world.

    Ill make sure youll pay for this humiliation

    Chris was thinking of the Magic Festival day when he was going to defeat Rudger in front of everyone.

    To do so he had to find his weakness so Chris Benimoremunicated with his family through a magic crystal ball.

    Its me.

    * * *

    Rene walked down the street with her lunch box. Originally, he had to eat with Erendir after the test, but Erendir, who ruined the test, became depressed and left her alone.

    I hope you get well soon.

    She was worried about Erendir and since her exam was over, she thought that she could rx a little but she met the aristocratic gang, whom she did not want to meet.

    So there I  uh?

    Moreover, the other party immediately recognized her and smiled. There were two men and two women and she didnt especially want to meet the rogue-looking man with drab blonde hair.

    Santoni Oatmouth is the descendant of a count and he has been vindictive since he confessed to her a while ago and was rejected.

    Who is this? Amoner who lives with a very proud and noble taste, right?

    .

    Oh, what? Youre not going to ept my greeting? Im disappointed.

    Instead of answering, Line tried to avoid the gang, but Santoni blocked her way.

    Please get out of my way.

    What? I cant hear you well.

    Are you still holding a grudge for having confessed back then? You are so narrow-minded and dont deserve to be an aristocrat.

    Rene also responded harshly. In the first ce, she wasnt the type to bow down. She got into a fight with Dunema Rommli on the training ground for actually saying what she had to say.

    You, you!

    When Rene revealed his dark history, Santoni grimly face distorted.

    He nced around. In the first ce, this neighborhood is near an artificial park where few peoplee and go. Before long a sadistic smile lingered on his face.

    Follow me.

    What? What is it? Let go of me!

    Santoni grabbed Rene by the wrist and dragged her into the park. Rene resisted desperately, but the difference in power couldnt be made up.

    In addition, other students with Santoniughed, saying it was fun to see her in pain.

    Isnt it the job of the nobles to educate the cheekymoners?

    What are you talking about?

    Santoni, who dragged Line to a ce where no one else woulde and pushed her. Line copsed weakly on the floor, and the lunch box in her hand rolled around on the floor. Her lunch, which had been kept inside, spilled on the floor.

    Rene raised her eyes at Santoni.

    Do you know what youve done now?

    Wow, look at these eyes. Do you still not understand the situation youre in?

    .

    Santoni expected Rene to beg in front of him, tremble and apologize. Contrary to his expectations, however, Rene red at him venomously. Facing her unshakable eyes, Santoni felt as if he had be a loser.

    Suddenly, he was fascinated by her appearance and remembered when I was dumped.

    How dare you raise your eyes at me?

    She was a dirtymoner but he treated her a little nice because she had a smooth appearance and now she was arguing with him.

    Thats whymoners need education.

    Santoni pulled a cane from his waist and aimed it at Rene.

    It was the moment when magic gathered on Santoni staff.

    What are you doing?

    Santoni hurriedly turned his head at the sudden voice. There was a man with his arms folded and his shoulders leaning against a tree in the garden, pale-looking skin, sharp eyes and dark blue hair.

    Santoni, a nobleman, recognized who he was at once.

    Sir Freuden Ulburg?

    Although he is a sophomore in Theon, he is the leader of the noble faction, a man who is both awe-inspiring and a symbol of fear.

    Sir, why are you here?

    Thats strange. I asked a question first and I havent heard the answer yet.

    Freuden eyes went back and forth between Rene, who fell on the floor, and Santoni, who pointed a cane at her.

    Ill ask again. What are you doing?

    His voice was as cold as ever.

 Chapter 88

    C88: Daily life after the test (2)

    Rene was just confused by the situation. It is true that she ran into Santonis gang, was in danger and she thought it would be good if someone could help.

    However, she did not expect that the one who would help her would be Freuden Ulburg, one of the three dukes of the Empire.

    Even at a young age, he led a faction and stood tall on the heads of aristocratic students. Of course, Theon is full of geniuses and super humans who solve everything on their own without being ruled by anyone, but that doesnt mean that the light of the name Freuden is fading.

    That Freuden was now staring at Santoni with cold eyes.

    Senior, youre really a scary person, as the rumors say.

    The rumors of Freuden were also popr among themon people. So, when she first encountered him, she was afraid and she was surprised to discover that he was an unexpectedly easy-going person.

    But now Rene realized that rumors about Freuden were never wrong or misleading and the energy he exuded proved it.

    Why arent you answering? Did I ask a difficult question?

    Santoni sensed the danger and hurriedly opened his mouth.

    I was just educating a cheekymoner.

    Freudens eyes turned to Rene.

    Ugh.

    Rene trembled involuntarily. She froze up without even thinking of getting up from the ground. Come to think of it, it wasnt exactly a situation she would like to be in.

    The opponent was Freuden Ulburg, leader of the aristocratic students in Theon and she is just amoner. Between Santoni and her, it was obvious who Freuden was going to turn to.

    So.

    Freuden, who understood the whole situation, opened his mouth.

    Are you saying that the four of us are educating onemoner?

    Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

    You. Whats your name?

    Its Santoni Oatmouth.

    Oatmouth, hmm. Is it the Earl of Oatmouth? I think I vaguely heard him.

    He never heard of a counts family?

    Even Santoni, who was likely to feel insulted, epted the fact as if it was natural because Freudens someone whos in a position where he can do that.

    So, the son of the Oatmouth family along with three others is in such a remote ce bullying amoner girl?

    What do you mean bully?

    One of the girls from Santoni group made an excuse in haste.

    Thats not true. Were just educating her. Yes, I was just trying to educate her.

    Thats education?

    Yes, yes!

    Freuden was popr with young women not only because he was the head of the aristocratic faction, but also because of his beautiful appearance. Therefore, the two girls who were with Santoni, desperately made excuses to look good in front of Freuden without knowing that their actions were irritating him.

    Its themon girls fault. She dared to stand in front of the nobles and ignore us.

    Thats right! We were just trying to lecture such a cheekymoner!

    At some point, Freuden frowned at the four people who started to talk believing that their actions were justice.

    Noisy.

    Mr. Freuden?

    Not just noisy, its disgusting.

    Yes, yes?

    The four didnt understand why Freuden was so hostile to them.

    Why is he staring at them like that? They were just punishing amoner. Why is he so angry? Come to think of it, why was Freudian here?

    Mr. Freuden. Is it because we interrupted Mr. Freudens rest?

    They thought he was angry because they were interrupting his resting time. However, Santoni made a big mistake.

    You really dont know?

    What? What do you mean we dont know? No way. Because were doing something about amoner girl? Ha, ha, ha. No way.

    That didnt make sense and Santoniughed senselessly.

    That Freuden Ulburg was worried about themoner girl and got angry at this situation?

    Santoni figured that Freuden must have felt bad because they showed a dirtymoner in front of him and nodded his head in a wild guess.

    Im sorry to interrupt your break. Ill take care of it in a quiet ce right away.

    You really dont seem to understand me. Do you still not know why Im angry?

    What? If its not.

    I cant believe it.

    Freuden clicked his tongue and let go of his hands.

    I cant do this.

    What? Whats.

    When Santoni was about to ask something the atmosphere became several times heavier, and pressed his body from top to bottom.

    Santoni fell t on the floor and looked like a frog.

    Freuden looked down at Santoni, who was lying face down on the ground and couldnt even raise his head.

    Mr. Freuden! What are you doing?

    Santonis friend stepped up and asked. However, his protest was extinguished as easily as a candle in the wind when he faced Freuden gaze.

    Freudens gaze went beyond him and reached the two noble girls who were observing the situation from behind. The noble girls trembled at the feeling of their skin getting cold.

    You still dont know why Im doing this?

    Yes Yes? We do not know why Mr. Freuden is doing this.

    Thats enough. Its not worth it.

    Freuden released his crushing magic and barely free from the pressure, Santoni gasped and rose, his face covered with dirt.

    His gaze toward Freuden was a mixture of anger, embarrassment and fear.

    Leave the child and go.

    Are you defending themoners Mr. Freuden?

    Commoners? Thats funny.

    Freuden rolled up the corner of his mouth andughed.

    I just didnt want to see the garbage that wasnt aristocratic. Why? Are you angry because you suddenly got into a rough situation?

    Oh, no.

    Santoni bowed his head immediately. Even if he is the son of a count, his opponent is the son of a duke. Besides, he felt how strong Freuden was when he was under his spell a moment ago. There was no sign of the magic manifestation process and he was beaten without knowing how.

    He was angry, but also afraid of him.

    Go away. I wont say it again.

    Freuden hated repeating the same thing.

    Seeing Santoni and hisckeys running away like defeated soldiers, Rene could not close he her slightly open mouth, and could only watch the scene.

    Freuden sighed and approached Rene when Santonis grouppletely disappeared.

    Line finally came to her senses.

    Sunbae?

    Get up.

    Freuden said and held out his hand to Rene. Line looked at his face and hands alternately, and soon stretched on her own.

    Freudian shrugged his shoulders and put his hands away and Rene bowed.

    Thank you for your help.

    I just did what I had to do.

    Well, then Ill go.

    Rene said and sighed as she looked at her lunchbox lying on the floor.

    Im having a hard time with the textbook costs these days, and I cant believe the rice I barely prepared is now on the ground.

    Was it lunch?

    It was.

    Thatll be hard to eat. What are you going to do?

    No, no! Its okay! But the potatoes can be eaten if I shake off some dirt.

    It fell to the ground

    Line also smiled awkwardly and covered it up.

    Hehe. Im just kidding. I should just skip lunch. Thats great. Its perfect if you think about dieting.

    There seems to be nowhere else to lose.

    Thank you for thepliment.

    Rene smiled bitterly. She was very grateful that Freuden adjusted his mood.

    After a brief look at Rene, Freuden turned around and said,

    Follow me.

    What?

    I was going to have lunch just now.

    Uh If its lunch, are you eating here, Mr. Freuden?

    I like to eat in a quiet ce.

    Oh, in that garden?

    Yes, and I basically pack my own meals.

    What?

    Rene at a loss, thought it was already spilled water and followed in Freuden footsteps.

    The ce she followed him to was the small garden she had visited before. Come to think of it, it was close to the garden where Santoni forced her. Maybe thats why Freuden heard the fuss and came to check.

    Here it is.

    Freuden grabbed a small bundle on one side of the vacant lot. Inside of it was a luxurious lunch box but the inner contents were more impressive than the exterior.

    It was full of luxurious dishes that she couldnt imagine and it was decorated nicely, so just looking at it made her mouth water.

    Is this your lunch?

    Yeah, lets share it, if you dont mind.

    What?

    I dont think I can finish it all by myself. I got excited and made too much.

    What?

    Rene had no choice but to be surprised when she heard that Freuden made his own lunch.

    No way. Did you make all of these?

    Yeah, family cooks are not reliable. Ive read books since I was seven years old, and Ive always cooked and eaten my meals.

    Since you were seven years old?

    Renes head felt dizzy. What did she do at that age?

    Rene tried to recall the past, but nothing came to mind because she was an orphan with no parents and no home in the first ce.

    When she came to her senses, she had been growing up in a church, and when she grew up, she got noticed by a strange wizard, learned a variety of magic and thanks to the preferential treatment system she was admitted to Theon.

    Try it.

    Can I really do that?

    Hurry.

    Oh, yes.

    It was hard to bear the hunger to say no, so Rene nodded because it seemed like it was not polite to refuse Freuden. And as soon as she picked up a piece of meat with a prepared fork, Rene opened her eyes wide at the feast of vors exploding in her mouth.

    Oh, my God. Its so good!

    She has a low appetite, so she eats almost anything, but it wasnt to the point where she couldnt tell the difference between the borate dishes.

    Rene came to realize how great Freuden was. He has a nice family, and he looks great. Hes an aristocrat who even knows how to do housework. Hes like the main character of a romance novel thats very popr among young people these days.

    Rene wondered why such a person took such good care of her.

    Perhaps?

    Rene, who had expectations, shook her head.

    Im sure he just thinks that Im a good person. Lets just eat.

    Eating something delicious washed away all the bad things that happened a while ago.

    Freuden stared silently at Rene, while she was eating.

    * * *

    Night fell.

    Streetmps, which were turned on by magic, brightly lit the road, and lights that had not yet been turned off from several buildings leaked out through the windows.

    I walked in darkness where even such a light could not reach, to the entrance of the Fantasy Forest because we promised to meet here.

    You havente yet.

    At that time, Selina came to this ce so that the students could make a contract with the spirits, but no presence was felt around him now.

    asionally, spirits shining faintly in the dark appeared, but when they saw him, they were surprised and ran away.

    Today he will encounter a First Order for the first time and he wondered what kind of person he was and if his identity would be seen through.

    [You came early.]

    A voice came from the darkness. At the same time, mes fluttered in the air, and soon it turned into a ball of fire the size of a human fist.

    I stared at the me with a subdued gaze.

    TL note: I dont know how I do it but I always end up with a cliffhanger. Sorry for the cliffIll try to release some chapter tomorrow.

 Chapter 89

    C89:First Order Esmeralda (1)

    One more chapterter.

    Im looking forward to meeting the First Order.

    Rudger, who confirmed that the opponent appeared only as a me without showing up, had no choice but to bite his tongue inwardly.

    You dont reveal yourself, but we meet like this.

    In fact, it was not a situation that he didnt expect. A First Order will have to carefully hide its identity and not be exposed.

    Considering the way he was signaled to meet, he vaguely expected something like this.

    Yourete.

    Whatever the case, the owner of the me in front of him is a First Order. Even if he doesnt know its true identity, he shouldnt show his disappointment.

    At this moment when they face each other and talk, if he let his guard down even a little bit, the other party might be suspicious of his identity.

    Theres no such thing as regret.

    Rudger immediately washed away his misceneous thoughts. Even if they dont meet in person, there are plenty of ways to get to know the other person.

    A word that they say without any intention can be a great clue.

    [I didnt know you would be here so early]

    The answer came back in a slightly hoarse voice. Although the mes were fluttering and the voice reverberated, it was easy to tell that the subject was a woman.

    He didnt think that voice was used to deceive him.

    His opponent must be aware that he is Rudger Chelici, the First Order, and she wouldnt use such a troublesome way.

    So what did you call me for?

    Rudger said, trying to figure out the opponents intention.

    The [John Doe] that he is impersonating right now is a very relentless and merciless human being, even when ites to members from the ck Dawn Society. Hes always annoyed and angry, and even kills them if hes too annoyed.

    Nevertheless, he maintained his First Order position because he was capable and Zero Order thought highly of him but there is no guarantee that it will be the same for the others First Orders.

    Would this [John Doe] character behave as usual to the other First Orders?

    Adding unnecessary words could have made him reveal who he really is so he must be careful with whatever he says now.

    [Hmm?]

    Was Rudgers question unexpected?

    A surprised voice came from the me.

    Whats wrong?

    [Youre less angry than I thought. You used to try to tear me apart.]

    Its just a matter of time and ce. If I get angry in a ce like this, is there any advantage besides getting caught?

    [Oh. Thats definitely true, too. Youre a teacher of Theon now.]

    Im very busy right now. I dont know why you called me, but Ill go back if you have nothing more to say.

    With that said, Rudger turned his back. Of course, it is not right to leave as he has not yet fully figured out who his opponent is. However, a detailed review of the situation changes the story.

    In the first ce, it was the me in front of him, the other First Order, that asked for this meeting.

    Since the other party wants something from him he can leave without worries because the other party will try to stop him.

    [Wait.]

    Indeed, as he expected, the me stopped him. Rudger stopped walking but he didnt look back.

    Hell listen for now, but it means hes not fullymitted and the opponent didnt know that.

    [Okay. Sorry, Imte. I made an appointment first, but I offended you because I was just joking around.]

    Just get to the point.

    [Whew. Youre still hard and cold. Anyway, I called you like this because I need help.]

    Only then did Rudger look back.

    Help? You?

    [ I wouldnt normally do it, but this is Theon and I cant do things my way.]

    Do things your way. If you say that with your own mouth, , it means that what youve been doing before was pretty morous.

    You seem pretty impatient.

    [My second order disappeared recently]

    Its because of the Almighty Stone.

    [Yes, thats it. They tried to take matters into their own hands, but theypletely screwed it up!]

    Just thinking about what happened at that time made the mes stronger. The heat reached Rudger, but he kept a casual look on his face and the me, which grew bigger, returned to its original size.

    But theyre all dead.

    [Right. Who knew the president would kill them all? Its even.]

    It was a trap.

    [What? You know everything?]

    How can he not know that? If he had not left right away, he would have been swept away by the presidents magic. Of course he cant be honest about it, so hell just answer in a sloppy way.

    Theres no way I wont know.

    [As expected, of John Doe. Come to think of it, that was your role. Disguise yourself and hide in the enemys camp to win the admiration of others and steal information. Your skills didnt die.]

    Thats enough nonsense.

    At Rudgers reaction the me, which was expanding yfully, became slightly withered. Surprisingly, she is a chatterbox.

    [Anyway, I lost a subordinate that I thought was useful, so my n was disrupted. Its a n thats left to be carried out right away.]

    Because you treated such a person as a subordinate, you ended up like that.

    Rudger said, giving his opponent a hard time.

    The me remained silent because there was nothing to refute.

    [Well, Im in a different field than you. You just do things quietly on your own, but I cant do it.]

    .

    [What is that silence?] Thats why youre not popr even among our First Orders. Because I dont get along with anyone.]

    I just didnt feel the need.

    [Ha. So funny. Youre so handsome and youve always been loyal to Zero Order. Youre the only one whos good, right? Getting a lot of love from Zero?]

    Noisy. So what do you want help with?

    [Will you help me?]]

    Lets hear it first.

    At Rudgers words, the opponent seemed dissatisfied and the mes were shaking. However, from their conversation, Rudger was convinced that he was in control.

    The Second Order, who died during the Almighty Stone incident, was her subordinate, and because her immediate subordinate disappeared it caused a major setback in her future ns.

    However, it would be impossible to use another Second Order and a third order. Its not good enough.

    One thing Rudger knew for sure while ying Sedina was that the ck Dawn Society consists of seven First Orders along with the Second and Third Orders under them which naturally divides the faction inside.

    Perhaps the second order, who died trying to steal the Almighty Stone this time, is most likely her subordinate.

    Did he say his name was Demires? Even if he was a master of his own will, he must have been apetent subordinate. With such a man dead, the n she had made must bepletely nk. However, calling another Second Order will inevitably lead to hesitation because their faction is different.

    If she uses the Second Order of the opposing faction, she will show another First Order her weakness.

    I see. Thats why you asked me for help.

    Unlike other First Orders, Rudger Chelici acted alone, and he wasnt part of any faction. Those without factions were neutral.

    [You know, my specialty is setting fire but no matter how much I set fire in Theon, the wizards quickly extinguish the fire. Its an environment where I cant use my talents well.]

    Yes.

    In Theon, both teachers and students can use magic. Since the ce is full of elites any fire can be easily extinguished. Above all, there is no way that there is no way that there is no preparation for a fire in Theon, where all kinds of things happen with the use of magic.

    In particr, it should have been considered impossible to set a fire in Theon, since strict preparations were made. Nevertheless, she did not give up.

    Shes capable enough to set a fire, I guess.

    She could not have be an executive of the ck Dawn Society for no reason.

    [My role is focused on destruction but the defense here is solid. That doesnt mean I cant do anything. If you make the preparations, I can burn more brightly than anyone else]

    Are you asking me to prepare for that?

    [Id appreciate it if you did. If you help me, I will also give you the corresponding help. Its kind of a deal and a promise.]

    Whose deal is it with?

    [Of course] Its John Does deal with Esmeralda.]

    Rudger found out the name of the person who made the fire in front of him.

    I dont know if its a code name like John Doe or a real name.

    In the case of John Doe, hepletely concealed his identity and called himself by a code name, but Esmeralda likely didnt just like Victor Dreadful.

    John Doe was an unusual case, and I didnt think the rest would.

    [Hey, do you have to check like this to make your stomach feel better?]

    Its better to make a deal clear.

    Rudger said calmly so as not to be caught rejoicing.

    [I told you honestly and now its your turn to answer. Do you ept my offer?]

    I refuse.

    [What?]

    Theres nothing I can do for you in my situation.

    [Wait. Are you really going to do this after listening to everything?]

    The mes burned more strongly as if they were expressing anger but Rudger stared at the mes with a nk face and no sign of fear.

    Are you asking because you dont know my position? Im a teacher of Theon. Even if its nominal, its not an easy ce to move.

    [If youre good enough, you can do it. You always try as hard as you can to hide yourself. Its just annoying, so can you do more than make an excuse?]

    I would normally have, but not now.

    [Why?]

    The president is still suspicious of me.

    Esmeralda could not argue more and shut up when the president was mentioned.

    [You really cant? Even though its a job that would put me in debt?]

    Yes.

    [Theres nothing we can do. Then we have to pick the right person]

    When she clearly drew her line, Esmeralda took a step back, fearing that hanging on to me would hurt her self-esteem.

    [But keep this in mind. If this is sessful, it will help our ck Dawn Society a lot and you kicked the chance.]

    Everyone has their own thing to do. Just because I dont help you doesnt mean Im not loyal to the organization.

    [You talk annoyingly as well. Anyway Ill take care of it myself.]

    I was grateful that she would give up on her own. However, Esmeralda keptining because she was angry that she was rejected.

    [I was crazy to ask you for help.]

    So what are you going to do in the future?

    [Are you curious now?]

    Even though the words were so blunt, she didnt hide anything.

    [What am I supposed to do? As always, Im doing what Im good at.]

    I see. Do your best.

    There was nothing more to be gained by asking more questions. Above all, he already figured out what he can find out, so this meeting was not without benefits for him.

    When Rudger was about to say good-bye and leave.

    [Come to think of it, I heard some interesting news recently.]

    What do you mean?

    Rudger felt anxious at the sudden remark. Why was she suddenly talking about interesting news at this time?

    [You said you had a subordinate]]

    The word subordinate shed Sedina Rosen across Rudgers mind.

    [I mean, thats weird. The John Doe who imed to befortable alone, has a subordinate? A third order, too?]

    Esmeralda was suspicious and asked him.

 Chapter 90

    C90: First Order Esmeralda (2)

    This chapter was sponsored byMisheru Hoshizora,Envy,ChrisounandPunten. Thank you for your generosity.

    Rudger pondered inside. Did Esmeralda just ask this question without thinking?

    No. This is obviously a questionable remark about him.

    If its not an illusion, it feels like the temperature has risen a few degrees around him. No, it was actually going up.

    [Tell me. What made you do that?]

    The question was simple, but the hidden meaning was not simple.

    The scorching heat surged, and then it began to take shape. At first, it was as big as a fist, but it was already encroaching on his surroundings, overflowing with tentacles made of mes.

    Ordinary people would have stuttered in embarrassment, or felt that their life was in danger and reflexively counterattacked because it was more important to live somehow than to die.

    Thats a natural response.

    But not like that.

    Rudger suppressed his body, which was about to react on its own.

    Even though the rising heat bothered him, he stared silently at the mes without changing his breath.

    You talk as if you know me very well.

    [What?]

    Provocative remarks are nothing short of crazy in this situation. If anyone had watched this scene, they might have asked why but Rudger did not hesitate.

    There was no need to do that.

    You asked for help first, and then made your own conclusions. Do I seem weak because I stayed still after infiltrating Theon?

    Esmeralda took a step back at his remark.

    [What? You did something you wont usually do in the first ce]]

    I always do my best depending on my identity and now Im a new teacher of Theon, Rudger Chelici. What would it look like if such a teacher didnt have an assistant?

    [So you choose a Third Order?]

    I just decided that this is better than having a guy who doesnt know anything. I dont know why Im trying to convince you.

    Rudger was tantly annoyed and said tly that there was no need for exnation. Rather, if he tried to persuade her about why he acted like this in this situation, he could have raised doubts from the other party.

    The First Orders all had great skills but at the same time, they were all out of their minds. John Doe, Victor Dreadful, whom he just indirectly encountered, and Esmeralda in front of him were all the same.

    Being calm and rational with them would backfire.

    It was better to act annoyed to clear the other partys doubts and he made the right decision because the tentacles of the me quickly melted into the air.

    [Just kidding. I was just joking, but arent you overreacting?]

    Esmeralda, no matter what, its clear that youre suspicious of my loyalty.

    [Okay, Im sorry. Youre right. You didnt talk to anyone but Zero Order. Dont be angry, instead, Ill tell you a piece of good news.]

    Whats going on?

    [Zeros order will visit to check our condition soon. Im serious.]

    When the name Zero Order came out, Rudger calmed down.

    Ill let it slide this time. However, keep this in mind. If you do something like this again

    Rudger opened his eyes sharply and red at the mes. No, the Esmeralda hidden in them.

    Then one of us will have to die.

    [Yes, yes. All right.]

    She took him lightly as if she was not listening, but if Esmeralda was talking like that, it was clear that the threat worked.

    [All right. Anyway, Im done with the message, so Im leaving. Its annoying to have a setback in the n, but it cant be helped.]

    .

    Rudger didnt respond to the monologue and left immediately.

    Esmeralda stared at the back of Rudger for some time but she lost interest quickly and the me disappeared.

    At the entrance of the Fantasy Forest, darkness fell again.

    * * *

    I almost got in trouble.

    After leaving the Fantasy Forest, I wiped the cold sweat running down my forehead. My body was still tense because I barely escaped the situation with desperate acting a while ago.

    Im d the other person stepped down, after pretending to be strong.

    Thats how people in secret organizations in the underworld are. When you look weak or try to solve something with words, it looks ridiculous, especially in the eyes of executives.

    In such a situation, it is more effective to be aggressive. In fact, Esmeralda rolled up her tail and stepped back.

    Even so, it was dangerous. If I had any strange reaction there, she would have tried to kill me right away.

    At least until I got angry, Esmeraldas reaction was genuine, she was really going to kill me but its good that we didnt fight otherwise it wouldve been dangerous.

    The president is looking for suspicious people and has her eyes on him. What wouldve happened if he wouldve fought at the entrance of the Fantasy Forest in the middle of the night?

    Considering Esmeraldas level, shes not someone that could be defeated easily. The mes she deals with, seemed enough to burn the forest in an instant.

    Fortunately, nothing happened.

    It was fortunate that he knew John Doe character in advance.

    Although he has a filthy personality and is unbending against the other First Orders, he swore allegiance to the Zero Order, the leader of the ck Dawn.

    Even after killing the lower orders of the ck Dawn, the reason he remained in ce was perhaps because he was favored by Zero Order.

    Im d I didnt get caught. And I got a clue about the first order, Esmeralda.

    First order Esmeralda.

    Gender is female. Age is still difficult to guess, but for now, it was clear that she was young.

    But the most important thing is her ability. The me she used a while ago and the heat that quickly expanded.

    I noticed it from the moment I first felt her presence in the Fantasy Forest, but Esmeralda was a spirit warrior, a powerful elementalist who wields a spirit of me that is at least at the advanced level.

    The fact that she can send her voice through her spirit means the spirit is very capable.

    In that case the number of suspects is reduced greatly. I can suspect people who specialize in spirits in the whole of Theon.

    The first thing I should suspect is the Elemental Studies teachers.

    From 1st grade to 5th grade, there are a total of five teachers. However, as far as their skills are concerned, they are all first-ss without any doubt.

    Considering that shes a First Order it was very likely that she infiltrated Theon as a teacher.

    But that doesnt exclude the students.

    Rather, if you hide your identity, hiding among students its much more likely to go unnoticed.

    Even if it was limited to female students among the students who were in the spirit studies ss, the number would be quite high.

    However, if I look around for fire spirits, the range will narrow enough to count them on my hand.

    She contacted me when I came to see the test in the Fantasy Forest. That means that someone who can move freely at that time or someone who was on the scene must likely be the First Order.

    The scope has been narrowed further.

    In the case of teachers, he can focus on those who did not give tests or did not go to work. However, he cant go to them one by one and ask them where and what they did that day.

    But its not like theres no way out.

    The first test is over.

    Although there are four tests in a semester, the first test is of course meaningful. Theon gives small gifts to those who took the test for the first time, saying that they worked hard.

    Students are given a total of three days off and the same is true of teachers.

    A weing party for new teachers, which should have been held at the entrance ceremony, will be held after the first test.

    Only after giving the first test and evaluating the students could one say that he took the first step as a teacher.

    The weing party held at the beginning of each year will be attended by all teachers of Theon, and outsiders who donate a huge amount of money to Theon will alsoe.

    Its kind of a banquet thats held in arge city near Theon and since theres only one city near Theon.

    A banquet in Leathervelk.

    He was going to attend and find the First Order.

    And what Esmeralda said at the end.

    Zero Order, founder of the ck Dawn Society will visit soon. Will Rudger be able to fool him?

    * * *

    Whoo.

    In a dark room the ck shadow let out a small sigh. It was Esmeralda, who ended her meeting John Doe.

    Great job.

    A small spark came to her side when she said so. It was small enough and looked cute, but with the power it contained and the true identity of the embers, no one would call it cute.

    The embers flickered a little, and then disappeared as if they were extinguished. Esmeralda got up and looked out her window.

    She is standing in a small research building and beyond the window, Fantasy Forest, one of the three major forests of Theon could be seen.

    Its a forest so huge that its hard to see it at a nce, even inside Theon and its notpletely clear whats inside.

    As she gazed carefully at the entrance to the forest, she saw someone slowly walking out.

    Esmeralda narrowed her eyes. Even with the mana-enhanced vision, only the shape could be vaguely recognized.

    John Doe.

    The man disappeared through the darkness with leisurely steps. It seems that he is just walking normally, but he is assimted with the surroundingndscape and cannot be seen properly. Indeed, he deserved to be called a First Order like her.

    You came here and did your best as a teacher without doing anything, so I wondered what you were thinking.

    She was anxious that he might have betrayed the organization, but she soon shook her head and shook off the idea. John Doe has the highest loyalty to the organization.

    Still, the reason she deliberately tested him is because he has drawn attention and his recent behavior has been excessive.

    I thought youd be very quiet because you said youd sneak in as a teacher, but it was unexpected.

    Esmeralda doesnt know exactly how John Doe handles things. She knew hes specialized in disguise and infiltration, but everything else is a secret. However, considering that he has not failed in his duties so far, his skills must have been verified.

    He tested him to find out his skills, because the existence of John Doe is differentpared to the other First Orders.

    Those eyes. Even with my me right in front of his nose, he didnt feel scared at all.

    John Doe shot back rather strongly, even in a situation where he mightve been burned to death by the Fire Spirit she was controlling.

    He didnt have any fear at all.

    It wasnt a bluff because he had enough power to respond to her attack. His attitude in the Fantasy Forest, as well as his new form of magic that Rudger Chelici showed were new to her.

    John Doe is a wizard of considerable ability. Maybe hes stronger than I vaguely guessed.

    He said he was wary of the president, but she didnt know if that was true or he just wanted his acting to be perfect.

    She thought it was thetter. Indeed, she could see why Zeros Order supported this man. He is loyal without forming factions, and has outstanding skills.

    It is understandable that John Doe infiltration yed a major role.

    Tsk. I tested him, but I couldnt find anything.

    She had to take care of herself before she cared about John Doe.

    Come to think of it, I heard theres a banquet this time.

    She thought that she had to attend and was annoyed.

    Esmeralda was not very fond of such formalities.

    I should still go.

    The main role will be yed by someone other than her anyway.

 Chapter 91

    C91: Celebration (1)

    Chapter sponsored bymystichead,thank you for you support.

    Recently, Rene has been experiencing a series of things that made her lose hair.

    The arguments with the aristocratic students, the setback in ss because of her non-attribute magic and the men who are interested in her and bother her.

    There were fun and happy things, but there were more things that she didnt like.

    It was the same now.

    Now that the first test was over, Theon students were taking a break to make the most of their few free sses.

    Some were already studying because their pride was hurt when they failed the test but it was none of Renes business. She seemed to have done well on this test no matter how much she thought about it.

    I was going to take a break.

    The older students also agreed that it would be difficult to rest after this so if she was going to rest she should rest now. Rene agreed with them and tried to take a break.

    Why am I here.

    She lifted her slightly bowed head and looked at the man sittingfortably opposite her.

    Whats wrong?

    Freuden Ulburg asked if he felt her gaze.

    Looking at him again, he is a very handsome young man. The eldest son of Ulburg and the man who will be the next leader of the Duke family was sitting face to face with her now. They were also eating alone in a small vacant lot where people do not visit.

    How did this happen?

    Rene was dizzy from the splendid taste of the food in her mouth and the gap between them.

    Obviously, theyve met and eaten like this before but she thought it was just Freuden pity because her lunch fell on the floor.

    I thought this would never happen again after that.

    We just ran into each other on the street.

    At that time, she was looking for a ce to eat while holding a lunch box, thinking that she should be especially careful. However, she didnt really want to go to the student restaurant.

    She didnt have any friends to eat with, and going to a ce where many people gather would attract too much attention.

    How could she eat peacefully when people are staring at her?

    In such a situation the food she ate made her stomach feel stuffy. But isnt it too much to eat in the bathroom?

    She doesnt want the rumor that she doesnt have friends and eats alone in the bathroom to spread, thats why she came outside.

    Who knew she would run into Freuden here?

    Maybe he was on his way to eat, too, since he was moving alone with a lunch basket.

    Are you going to eat?

    What? Oh, yes.

    HmmLets eat together.

    .

    There was no way she could refuse so Rene eventually ended up eating with Freuden, and thats the situation right now.

    Looking back, its a really fancy meal.

    Looking at the Freuden lunch box, Rene realized how terrible the lunch box she had packed was. As shes pressed for money, all shes going to eat is steamed potatoes and some vegetables. Her reality was that she could not even dream of meat.

    While she was depressed, meat was piled up on her lunchbox.

    Oh, senior?

    Eat more.

    What?

    Come to think of it, mine has too much meat.

    Freuden said so and concentrated on the meal again.

    Rene thought about whether to reject this or not, but she decided to eat it because she thought it would be a waste to throw it away.

    More than that, its amazing.

    While eating the delicious meat, Rene had no choice but to wonder.

    I think senior brought more food than before. Who was he trying to give it to?

    Maybe he made an appointment with someone, but he went with her instead because they met by coincidence.

    Is it good luck or bad luck?

    Rene decided not to dwell on it.

    Its delicious.

    Its been a while since she had meat.

    * * *

    It was so awkward, but the delicious meal was over.

    Then, Ill go now.

    Freuden stood up saying that he had to take care of the garden.

    At least for this moment, he didnt seem to want to be disturbed by anyone, so she nodded her head saying she enjoyed the meal and left.

    I think senior is a good person.

    She didnt think deeply about why Freuden was nice to her, She thought Freuden was just a good person.

    Because he didnt seem to have any bad intentions.

    He did not discriminate against her because she wasmoner, and it was Freuden who even saved her when she was in danger. For some,

    Freuden may seem like a scary viin, but at least Rene didnt think so. She had a feeling that he was a good person.

    Rene had a special sense of recognizing the hostility or danger of others toward her. Its not magical, its just a vague feeling, but she quite trusted this feeling of hers.

    In fact, this sense of hers was right almost every time.

    The atmosphere of those who approached her because they were attracted by her appearance and those who helped her with her pure good intentions were different.

    It was the same when I came to Theon. Jealousy, contempt, possessiveness, etc. all sorts of different emotions were directed at her, and Rene avoided them as much as possible.

    There was darkness behind the students who approached her and said they were the samemoners, and the aristocrats who approached with a friendly smile so Rene didnt get along with other people carelessly because she couldnt.

    She knew what was behind their smiles but Freuden was different, thats why Rene joined him and ate together. Otherwise she wouldve rejected his suggestion.

    There arent many people like this, its fascinating.

    Currently, there are only a handful of people who do not have any ill will toward Rene in Theon.

    Among them, if she had to pick a representative person, there was Freuden Ulburg, whom she had a meal with a while ago.

    There is also senior Erendir and.

    Thest thing thates to mind is the figure of Rudger who gave her a book about non-attribute magic.

    Mr. Rudger Chelici.

    Rudgers sharp gaze towards her seemed to be filled with dissatisfaction in everything, but Rene knew that he was not hostile towards her. Rather he had goodwill that it was strangely different from others. He doesnt show his affection for her, but rather a slightly darker side.

    Rene felt that it was sorry or guilt.

    Why?

    She couldnt be sure, but it just looked like it.

    Oh, my.

    Rene rubbed her eyes with her hands. She didnt know if it was an illusion but Rene felt itchy around her eyelids these days.

    A person stood silently in front of Rene, who rubbed her eyes like that and looked straight ahead again.

    !

    She was so startled that she didnt even scream.

    The man in front of her smiled and greeted her, regardless of her condition.

    Hi, youre Rene, right?

    Oh, yes, but who are you?

    He was wearing the same student uniform as her but looking at his name tag it said second grade.

    He was a handsome man with a big smile and his slightly scarlet hair was tied in a tail. His slightly open squint seemed to be very nice, but Rene was under the impression that he was a little like a snake.

    That meant that he must have a motive to approach her but Rene didnt run away because she didnt feel any hostility from him. Instead she felt extreme curiosity from the man in front of her.

    I recently wondered what Freuden was doing alone.

    Oh, are you a friend of senior Freuden?

    Senior?

    Was it unexpected that she called him senior Freuden senior without any hesitation?

    The squinty man opened his eyes slightly, and soon giggled.

    Yes, were friends. My name is Henry Presto, a friend of Freudian. Nice to meet you.

    My name is Rene.

    Yes, I already know that.

    Oh.

    Dont look so wary. I was just amazed that my friend Freuden, who has always been lonely, packed a lunch box and moved to meet someone in person on a holiday. Have you two met before?

    Well, how do you.

    I have my ways.

    Rene realized that Henry was an extraordinary man. He doesnt have any hostility towards her, but she was sure that he is dangerous. He knows things that other people dont know.

    Ha ha. You dont have to be so wary.

    Yes.

    Even if he said that, Rene stared at him with a disapproving gaze.

    Henry scratched his cheek with a smile, thinking he had made a mistake from the beginning.

    Well, am I being suspected? Then, I will give you good information as an apology.

    Good information?

    Yes, good information. Youre having a hard time these days, arent you?

    What?!

    Line reacted and regretted itter. She had to pretend she didnt, but he was so right on the point that she revealed it.

    Ah, its not.

    Everyone is the same. Other students need money, so they work a lot of part-time jobs here and there or go to themission board and get amission.

    .

    But, to be honest, epting a request is cumbersome, and you cant tell which is dangerous and which is not. So, the most stable thing is to make a living by doing chores inside Theon.

    Thats true.

    In fact, Lynne was recently looking for a bunch of people to make money.

    I know a lot about the things that are convenient and make a lot of money. Honey information that other students do not know. I can tell you that.

    Arent you a senior?

    Yes, I am but I know a lot about how things work in Theon. What do you think?

    Rene was quite suspicious of Henrys sudden offer. Normally, she wouldnt have listened to it, but things were different now because she was actually really short of money.

    Henrys offer came at the right time, moreover he had no hostility towards her.

    Why are you telling me this? We met for the first time today.

    To be honest, is it because of curiosity.

    Curiosity?

    It was amazing that Freuden had a meal with amoner girl.

    Is that amazing? I think its because the senior is a good person.

    Whos good? Freudian? Hahahaha!

    Henryughed out loud as if he had heard something funny.

    Why are youughing?

    Oh, yeah, thats right. Freuden is a good man. Thats how I felt after watching Freuden for a long time. Anyway, so Im kind of interested in you.

    .

    Why does the word interest make my heart flutter instead of pounding in my chest?

    So Im going to help. It wont be bad for you either. If you listen to whats going on, youll be tempted too. The work is easy, and the pay is high.

    The pay is high? Lines ears pricked and moved.

    What do you think? Are you interested?

    Lets hear it first.

    You will not regret it.

    * * *

    Arge banquet hall.

    One by one, guests entered the banquet hall where beautiful light flowed out. All of them were high-ranking people dressed in luxurious clothes.

    Hey, isnt this Senator Thomas?

    Oh, Count Gerald, long time no see. Youre still alive.

    Ha ha. How could I possibly miss this.

    Inside the colorful and clean banquet hall, well-dressed people gathered to chat.

    Wow.

    ssical music, a chandelier sparkling in vermilion along with the polished marble floor to the dining table around made Rene express her admiration on the inside.

    It was the first time in her life that she hade to such a ce.

    The reason why she came here was simple. It was all thanks to Henrys rmendation.

    He said I just heard of a part-time job where you only need to carry tes at a party!

    But how in the world was this a party?

    But this is way beyondmon sense. This kind of job is so ufortable.

    Rene swallowed theint inwardly. She feels like shes been tricked by Henry.

    Still, the pay is great.

    Whatever it is, theres really not much to do, and its a simple part-time job where you just have to stand still. In fact, there were several other students of Theon besides her.

    What kind of party is being held here?

    It may not be once or twice that the upper ss of society is having parties, but Line guessed that this party was not a usual one.

    The door of the banquet hall opened and new guests came in.

    Oh, the main characters are finally here.

    Are they the newly appointed teachers?

    Following the crowds gaze, Line turned and looked at the entrance. Familiar faces were seen through the wide open door.

    Oh, its teacher Selina.

    Dressed in an unusually colorful dress, she was entering the banquet hall with a face full of pressure. Next to her, teacher Merida escorts her in a purple dress with a deep back.

    In addition, other teachers appeared one by one.

    There was Chris Benimore and teacher Bruno, all of them were new teachers.

    Oh? Then.

    Renes eyes naturally headed for the entrance of the banquet hall, which was wide open. There was one person who hadnte yet.

    Thump.

    The sound of shoes knocking on the marble floor passed through the banquet hall. Its not just an illusion that the normal steps sound unusually loud only when people are buried in their own noise.

    There is a moment of silence in the banquet hall. Even the soft sound of the instruments remained silent for a moment.

    All eyes turned to the entrance.

    Whoa.

    There was a maning into the banquet hall. He was wearing a long ck tailcoat tailored to the dress code, a ck coat over his shoulder and held a cane in one hand. Unlike usual, his bangs were neatly pulled back.

    Rudger Chelici.

    The man who received everyones attention nced over the banquet hall with an emotionless look.

 Chapter 92

    C92: Celebration (2)

    Another chapter sponsored bymystichead. Thank you for you support.

    As he entered the banquet held to celebrate the appointment of Theons new teacher gazes flew over him like arrows.

    There are a lot of people.

    I was embarrassed for a moment because the eyes were full of burdensome attention, but I kept my calm appearance and headed inside.

    Rather, when ites to banquet halls, dont they usually y music to maintain a soft atmosphere? Why are they staying still?

    Hasnt the party started yet?

    With that in mind, I leaned my back against one of the walls to get a full view of the banquet hall.

    In an instant, the stopped time began to flow again. The people who were talking to each other continued the conversation from a while ago, and some of them rolled their eyes and burst intoughter as if they were having fun.

    However, the basis of such behavior was full of pretense that was hard to hide. I can even feel the illusion that it flows out and spreads around like a ck fog.

    Theyre not talking to each other, theyre watching someone else.

    Especially me.

    If I said this, I might seem paranoid but theres no way that I, who is sensitive to such gazes, would not know. Most of the people were either looking sideways at me, or ring at me.

    I could fully guess why.

    This banquet is held with the purpose of making rtionships.

    Theons new teachers are young and have excellent magical skills, so they think that it would be good to make a rtionship with them, even a little.

    Indeed, as I was watching the people in the banquet hall began to move.

    Oh, Miss Selina. Good to meet you. Im a member of the House of Representatives, Charles.

    Are you Ms. Merylda? My name is Walt Miller, a director of a magic potion manufacturingpany. Are you interested?

    Oh. Count Chris Benimore. As rumored, you are really handsome.

    I checked the faces of the people in this banquet hall.

    All of them were rich and noble people, city councilors, aristocrats, wealthy businessmen, etc.

    All of them are Theon supporters.

    Theon needs a huge budget for operations like magic research, ss materials, special materials, all kinds of infrastructure, etc.

    Considering the cost of raising a single wizard, the amount of money spent at the academy that trains arge number of elite wizards every year is bound to be astronomical.

    My starting sry as a new teacher right now made my mouth water. Considering other misceneous expenses, it would be difficult to imagine the detailed amount.

    It is difficult for the Theon Academy to cover the money on its own.

    Theon is not an international bank, and money cannot be printed and distributed like a factory.

    In order to invest a huge amount of money, it is inevitable to receive external support and all the people here smell of money.

    There are people who need money and people with money but who want to get something more and in this hall transactions that benefit both parties are made.

    Thats why Theon belongs to the Empire, but it is not purely part of the Empire.

    All kinds of countries have invested in Theon. Not only the Exilion Empire, but also Delike, Queoden, Utah, Bretus, Fatima, etc.

    And even the huge capitalists without borders, regardless of country.

    It wouldnt be unusual for them to put a face stamp on talented people who might make a name for themselves in the future. This is a kind of annual event that is held to the point that it is tiresome to ask why. It is a ce to build personal connections under the pretext of congratting the new teachers.

    As I watched the desire wriggle, someone approached me.

    Nice to meet you. Are you Professor Rudger Chelici?

    I replied with a slight nod.

    Yes, but.

    Nice to meet you. Im Count Deckers, one of Theons supporters.

    I wondered why he didnt move until now, but he was measuring me.

    When Count Deckers stepped forward first, people who were only looking at him began to move one by one. Once someone started it was easy for others to move. I wasnt happy with the situation.

    What should I do? If I leave it like this, things will be messy.

    Im here not to have a formal conversation with strangers. I came with the intention of finding the First Order of the ck Dawn Society hiding in the banquet hall.

    The process had to be natural and I didnt want anyone to disturb me, but from the start I got tangled up by these people before I could even start.

    If this is the case, I have no choice but to push myself a little harder.

    Im sorry.

    I spoke firmly to Count Deckers, who spoke to me with a heavy air.

    I dont feel like talking to anyone right now.

    What did you say?

    I said, Id appreciate it if you could step aside for a while.

    My tone sounded like I didnt even want toe here.

    As I said it, narrowing my eyes, Count Deckers swallowed his saliva, and then hurriedly nodded his head.

    Im sorry I wasted your time.

    Im d youre quick-witted and so were the people around him.

    When Count Deckers left without doing anything, those who were watching from a few feet away stepped back.

    They are clearly inferior to the Count Deckers and since he had not been able to speak with me they gave up.

    I think the first round is over.

    The problem is, there are many people who havent given up yet.

    I dont know exactly who Count Deckers is, but considering his position, he must have been above average among those gathered at this banquet hall.

    The fact that there are people who dont give up giving me persistent eyes when such a person has stepped down naturally proves that their level is high.

    Im sure theyre pretty annoying people.

    Im not happy if such peoplee forward and talk to me. As I was thinking about how to solve this, I saw a woman with pink hair and a pink dress.

    It was teacher Selina who was embarrassed by a young mans tant approach.

    Hmm. Maybe.

    I pulled my back from the wall and walked toward teacher Selina. Some people see me moving and look at me with curious eyes but I lightly ignored them.

    Someone plucked up the courage to try to talk to me in the middle, but I blocked all their actions by shaking my hand lightly.

    Selina, how about having a drink with me? I know a good ce.

    Eh, hehe. Im sorry. I dont really like unfamiliar ces.

    Why are you refusing? Its a ce where its hard for ordinary people to go.

    Oh, no. I mean, its.

    Thats enough.

    As I stepped up and spoke, the person who was flirting with Selina teacher looked this way.

    What is this?

    He distorted his face with irritation, perhaps because he thought he was disturbed.

    I stared at him in silence.

    Hes in histe 20s, clothing that looks luxurious, a bad posture with one leg without proper standing and a self-conceited, defiant look.

    I looked around.

    All the guys who were after Selina have gone away

    Although Selina is amoner, she is capable enough to be a teacher of Theon at a young age. In addition with her striking beauty and a good personality she must have been quite fascinating for people seeking personal connections,

    Rather, it would be easier to approach her because she was amoner rather than aristocrat.

    It sounds like hes a high-ranking noble.

    His family is so strong that even small and medium-sized aristocrats cant speak but that doesnt concern me.

    Its rude to trouble ady.

    Oh, so who are you?

    Then Selina looked back at me and opened her eyes wide.

    Teacher Rudger!

    Rudger? Whos that?

    He doesnt recognize me.

    Seeing that he was saying that sincerely rather than deliberately, I was very embarrassed. It was at the moment I was thinking about whether I should introduce myself as a new teacher of Theon. A man who looked old among the crowd rushed up, approached the man in front of me and whispered something in his ear.

    He is dressed for the party but I could tell he is a wizard. Maybe hes telling me who I am.

    So what?

    With that intention in mind, the man let out a sigh as if it was ridiculous.

    Oh, really. Maybe its because hes a fallen aristocrat, but theres nothing in his head.

    The words made the faces of the nobles watching the situation cold. However, some people who knew about this man were showing signs of resignation as if they knew it would happen. Judging by that reaction alone, it must not have been the first time he spoke such nonsense.

    My name is Ivan Luke, have you heard of it? Dont you know Luke? When ites to Lukes, its a name even the back alley beggars have heard of.

    I know the name Luke well. Founded by Theodore Luke, Luke is one of the richest conglomerates in the empire. Lukes has spread its influence throughout the empire to such an extent that it is said to reach out to any field where money exists. Naturally, as a businessman, the name Luke could never be taken lightly.

    Above all Luke is the owner of Kunst, which hosts the uing auction. Given that Ivansst name is Luke, he is probably the descendent of Theodore Luke, the founder of Lukespany.

    Thinking that he was the second generation of a rich conglomerate, I immediately understood the person in front of me.

    A fallen noble like you is not someone who should make eye contact and talk with others in this ce.

    .

    If you understand, get out of my way Ill let you off the hook.

    This is a bothersome situation. I just came in with the intention of removing the flies that were bothering Selina.

    Apparently, the person in cause was a descendant of Luke. It seems that while I was trying to remove some flies I pocked a beehive.

    Behind my back, Selinas slender hands were shaking as she held my sleeve.

    If I step down from here, that jerk will try to force Selina to go with him.

    I cant help it.

    Hey, get out of the way

    Im sorry.

    I said, staring at Ivan with unwavering eyes.

    Ms. Selina has a prior contract with me first.

    My face didnt change while I lied.

    Isnt that so? Teacher Selina.

    Oh.

    Perhaps reading something in that action, she nodded hastily.

    Yes, yes, thats right.

    Ivan Lukes face was horribly distorted.

    Hey, are you kidding me?

    Do I look like Im kidding?

    What? Ha. Youre a funny guy. Just because youre a Theon teacher or something, do you think Im going to quit?

    Ivan strode up to me, saying so then he raised his right hand and tried to push my shoulder but he couldnt because I was faster and grabbed his wrist.

    YouWhat are you doing? Arent you going to let go of my hand?

    If you say so, Ill give you the same treatment.

    I said and increased the strength of my grip on his wrist.

    Did you think Id step down just because youre a member of the Luke family?

 Chapter 93

    C93: Magic Duel (1)

    Gasp! Let go of me!

    Ivan Luke opened his eyes to the intense pressure on his wrist and tried to shake off his arm.

    Wow, what kind of power is that?

    His hand doesnt budge. As such, Rudgers grip was stronger than he could have imagined.

    Evan, who thought that the wizards were a group of people who only read books, was shocked.

    Hey, arent you going to let this go? You dont know who I am?! Do you want to lose your teaching job right now?!

    If you can.

    There was a slight shadow on Rudgers face as he looked down at him.

    Try it.

    This, this!

    Lets stop there.

    It was Ivans attendant who intervened between Rudger and Ivan. Rudger stared at him and looked around with a sidelong nce.

    Before he knew it, security guards stood around him as if they were surrounding Ivan. The attendant stared at Rudger with a gloomy gaze.

    Stop there and let go of that hand. Otherwise.

    Otherwise, what do you intend to do?

    Rudger asked back in a blunt voice.

    The moment the attendant was about to say that he would regret it his voice didnte out properly. He gulped and felt a cold sweat running over his forehead.

    This guy. Hes out of the ordinary.

    He thought he would win if they fought. Although Rudger is a teacher at Theon he is a professional wizard directly employed by Luke.

    Now he is bowing his head to a kid, who is much younger than him, and he is constantly swearing, but his skills are inferior and he cant do anything.

    This look. This spirit. I feel like my bones are freezing even though Im simply facing him. Is he really a new teacher?

    The aide changed his mind when he saw Evan huffing while trying to step back. He couldnt back down from here.

    Even if Ivan Lukes is a jerk, he is the chairmans only blood. Although Ivan does not have the ability to inherit his legacy, and the President also did not show much affection for Ivan, he was still treated like a blood rtive. Thats why he was looking after him.

    The three bodyguards were even made up of members of the Knights Academy.

    Yeah, we wont lose.

    However, the only thing that bothered him is that the location is not good. If there was a quarrel on a dark road with no one around, he could just deal with it quietly, but this a banquet hall full of people.

    All sorts of distinguished guests were watching the situation with interest.

    Although it is said that the character of the master has already spread throughout the society, if we try to suppress the situation here with force, the image of the group will be severely damaged.

    Its embarrassing and annoying, but in the current situation, he had to deal with it as best he could.

    The assistant finished his calctions and started talking.

    Lets stop here. If we start fighting in this location well hurt other people.

    .

    As the assistant said as gently as possible, Rudger let go of Ivans hand. Barely freed, Ivan grabbed his throbbing wrist and licked his lips.

    Hey, you bloody fallen aristocrat!

    Young master, lets stop here. There are a lot of eyes on us right now.

    The aide intended to end the situation as much as possible before Ivan did anything but when he tried to persuade him to stop Ivan pped him on the cheek with all his might.

    Hey, you punk. I told you to call me Director.

    Im sorry, Director.

    And, uh? My arm. Cant you see this? You want me to step down after all this? Do you want to get fired?

    No.

    Suddenly, the atmosphere began to take a strange turn. The assistant sighed inwardly as he saw Ivans bloodshot eyes.

    It seemed that the situation could no longer be solved through conversation.

    Do you think I should just let it slide in front of people like this? Huh? Answer me.

    No.

    No, right? Right?

    Ivan nced at Rudger with eyes full of hostility.

    Hey, youre done. Ill make sure youre fired on the spot. You know what? I keep my word.

    Ivan Luke is a director of the Luke family, and under the protection of the chairman, he is a troublemaker, but the weight of his power was never light.

    It was nothing to cut a new teacher if Luke, who gives Theon a huge amount of funding every year, was determined to put pressure on it.

    Rudger, who was watching the scene from beginning to end, wondered what was going on. Originally, he should have quietly left his seat and started searching for the First Order but Ivan ruined his ns.

    There are a lot of eyes around, but it doesnt seem like anyone will stop me.

    Rudger was just thinking about how to do this when someone intervened.

    President?

    Theon President and genius wizard Elisa Willow wearing a ck dress full of long frills appeared naturally at the breathtaking scene with an innocent smile.

    Are you here to help me?

    When Rudger had a curious expectation, Ivan Luke was already annoyed and when a new interrupter appeared, he stared at Elisa with an expression as if he wanted to eat her alive.

    Who are you?

    Me? Im the president of Theon

    What?

    Ivan looked at Elisa slightly bewildered. Hes heard of Theon president, but its the first time he actually saw her, so he didnt recognize her right away.

    A young woman like this is the president? Ivan rather thought it was good.

    How did you educate your teachers?

    Education? What education?

    That fallen aristocrat has used violence against me!

    People who watched the situation would not have called it violence, but Ivan believed he was a victim.

    Elisa asked Ivan again, still smiling.

    So?

    So what? Fire him right now. If you want to continue to be sponsored by Luke, youd better.

    Luke? Ahhhhhhhhh. You were the son of Chairman Luke.

    As if Elisa understood, she pped her hands and nodded.

    Ivan smiled around, thinking that someone he canmunicate with hase.

    However, Elishas following words made his face copse.

    So?

    Huh? Didnt you hear me now? Luke.

    The owner of Lukespany is Chairman Theodore, right? So why is it that you decided that on your own?

    Although I am a director, I am the only son of President Theodore, you know? I have enough power to decide.

    Oh, really? So have you discussed all this with your father?

    .

    The remark left Ivan speechless.

    There is no way that he could have talked with his father since he got angry and shouted without thinking.

    Oh, my father would feel the same way. Im his son. Dont you know that?

    Oh, really? Thats a relief.

    What do you mean by relief?

    The chairman just happened to be here!

    What?

    Ivans face turned stupid.

    The chairman is here? No, it cant be.

    A lie like that wont work.

    Wouldnt it be better to see for yourself if I lied or not?

    Elisha said so, and moved slightly aside.

    Ivan was able to find a person spreading a strong presence beyond the crowd obscured by Elisa.

    A white-haired old man was standing on his cane and staring at him.

    Huh!

    Ivans face was as pale as a sheet of white paper. He was running wild without knowing the meaning of the word afraid, but he couldnt stand up to his father.

    Oh, father?

    You useless fellow, I told you to go and build awork, but what are you doing?

    Thats not it.

    Stop making excuses. It was troublesome that I entrusted this task to an idiot like you.

    Chairman Theodore Luke stared at Ivan angrily and bowed his head toward Elisa.

    Sorry, President Elisa. My stupid son did this on his own.

    Its fine. On the contrary, there are not many people who dare to step forward like that to me these days, so it felt a little fresh.

    Thank you for saying that.

    Theodores gaze soon turned to Rudger.

    He was quite displeased with the situation. Even if Ivan made a mistake in the first ce, there was no way he would have been able to admire a man who almost had a fight with his son.

    It was then that Elisa suddenly intervened.

    Oh, but I think Ive been a little harsh on your son.

    President Elisa? Now its.

    So Id like to give you a chance. Now we are going to end the situation neatly between the parties.

    .

    Theodore read something in her manner and immediately shut up and it was the same for Rudger, who was watching the situation.

    I was relieved that the president intervened.

    The president secretly nced at him. The corners of her mouth were flinching as if she could not bear the entertaining situation.

    I think shes a little fickle.

    The fact that she has that kind of personality is something Ivee to realize from meeting her several times.

    Im thankful that she mediated the situation, but the president seemed to want to lead the game in the direction she wanted.

    The two of you willpete in front of everyone. What do you think?

    At those words, the eyes of the audience watching the situation lit up as if they were interested.

    What she said was simple. A duel.

    Of course! Ivan doesnt know magic, and Mr. Rudger is a wizard, right? In that case, it cannot be an equal match. So I will give Mr. Ivan a chance to choose someone to fight in his ce.

    Ivan didnt understand why Elisa suddenly said this but then he stared at Rudger, clenched his teeth and nodded.

    All right! Thats what I wanted!

    Elisa tells him that he can use people, so he seems to think its worth a try.

    While he was thinking Elisa looked back at Rudger as if asking What do you think? Can you do it?

    Seeing it, Rudger sighed inwardly.

    But I cant say no.

    It was Elisa who calmed down Ivan, who was about to run wild, no matter what anyone said. Besides, the method of duel wasnt bad for him either.

    If he forces the situation to end vaguely, Ivan will have bad feelings for him for a long time and act behind the scenes. However, if they have a duel in front of everyone ande to a clean conclusion, then the story will be different.

    Even the chairman is watching, so even Ivan cant go on a rampage afterwards.

    No, hes just confident hell win.

    I will not retaliate for my defeat in a duel in the presence of so many eyes and if Ivan tries to do something, Theodore, the chairman, wont let him.

    Im sorry, Mr. Rudger. Because of me.

    No. its okay.

    Rudger shook his head at Selina, who was sorry.

    Even so, I felt that I needed to be in this position at least once.

    What?

    Theres something like that.

    In no time, the center of the banquet hall was emptied, and arge space was created.

    The audience, who retreated outside, stared at Rudger with interest. Among them was contempt for Rudgering from his enemy Chris Benimore.

    In the end, this is how it goes.

    Ivan chose his assistant as Rudgers opponent. Although hes an assistant he is also a skilled wizard and a person who once served in the military.

    Im not going to hold back.

    He pulled out a cane from his waist and aimed it at Rudger. Rudger answered with a shrug and lifted arge cane in his hand.

    Everyone watched the scene breathlessly.

    A duel between a professional wizard hired by Luke and a new teacher appointed at Theon was a special event that they couldnt see anywhere else.

    Now, show us a legitimate match! Begin!

    The observers were President Elisha and Chairman Theodore Luke.

    At the same time as Elisas cry, Ivans aide quickly started casting a spell. He wanted to end it as fast as he could since it was the best he could do for a talented junior, as a senior on the magic path.

    I will finish this as quickly as possible without wasting time.

    The most important things in a magic battle are speed of casting and uracy. In fact, the way he fought was to cast quick spells and immediately overpower his opponent.

    He also made significant contributions thanks to these abilities when he joined the military, and the reason why he was hired by Luke after his retirement was because of that.

    He had been through this kind of duels many times in the past and always won so he thought this duel will be just like those in the past.

    What?

    The moment he was about to unleash his magic he saw that his opponent manifested a much greater amount of spells that swallowed down his magic like a tidal wave.

    He didnt even had time to respond.

    !!!

    What followed was excruciating pain running through his body and he fell back unconscious.

    .

    .

    The surrounding area became quiet in an instant.

 Chapter 94

    C94: Magic Duel (2)

    Ill try to post 1 more chapterter.

    The audience didnt understand what was going on at all. The duel, which they thought would be a long and fierce battle, ended too quickly with a one-sided victory.

    Is this possible?

    I heard that the other person is a professional hired by Luke.

    They stared at Rudger in disbelief. From before and until now, Rudger had never changed his cane-raising posture. His expression also didnt change as if it was natural to win.

    Winner! Rudger Chelici!

    Elisa Willows bubbly voice signaled the end of the duel.

    The atmosphere of the banquet hall, which was filled with silence and surprise, finally returned to its original state.

    p. p.

    People began to p their hands one by one. Just as water droplets fell on the calm water surface and caused a stir, the sound of apuse spread like a contagious disease and filled the entire banquet hall.

    p p p p p, p, p, p!

    What a surprise! Is this the power of a Theon teacher?

    The wizard hired by Luke isnt ordinary but he was defeated so easily.

    What the hell were those spells just now? What a quick magic manifestation! I didnt even see him casting the spells.

    Was the rumor of using an unusual magic true?

    Contrary to what I expected, the duel itself didnt feel like it ended too quickly. Still, for an impromptu event, it gave quite a lot of enjoyment, so the audience was satisfied.

    Oh, my God, thats amazing.

    Theodore looked at Elisa smiling as if he knew this would happen next to him, and said.

    The aide I gave to my son was a famous wizard, but he was beaten up in an instant. Are all of Theon teachers such monsters?

    Ha ha. No way. Actually, Mr. Rudger is an exceptionally unusual person.

    Hmm. Right. I dont think there are more people like him. I wonder if theres anyone worse.

    Im sorry for being a worse person but I was able to show him that way in front of everyone.

    Theodore smiled and shook his head.

    I was worried about nothing. Its my fault for having an ipetent son. It was a fair duel, and I will ept this defeat neatly.

    Having said that, he looked at Ivan, who was still sitting on his seat with a nk expression on his face as if he still couldnt believe his defeat.

    That stupid fellow wont even ept it and will go wild, but you wont have to worry about it. Ill step up and block everything.

    As expected, Chairman Theodore. Its nice to talk with you.

    So I want to ask you a favor.

    Elisha shook her head like a knife as Theodore Luke tried to speak.

    You cant.

    I havent said anything yet.

    You want me to introduce you to Mr. Rudger, right? Well, you dont have to say that. Im sorry, but please refrain from reaching out to our teacher.

    Huh. If you say so, theres nothing I can do.

    At Elishas subtle warning, Theodore was forced to raise his hands and dere his defeat.

    Rudger is clearly a person who is coveted, but he judged that he was not enough to offend the president of Theon in order to make a rtionship with him.

    Theodore is a big hand who has a huge impact on both the political and business world of the empire, but there were a few people who he could not even touch carelessly and Elisa Willow, the woman in front of him, was one of them.

    Well, it would be shameless of me to bring it up.

    Theodore said so and nced sideways at the entrance of the banquet hall.

    But I dont know what they would do.

    Thats right.

    Elisha followed Theodore at the entrance to the banquet hall, and herplexion slightly hardened.

    Unwee faces were seen entering the banquet hall.

    * * *

    Oh, my.

    Seeing Ivan Lukes aide stretched out in front of my eyes, I was somewhat perplexed. I thought he was a good-looking person, who would have known that he would fall in vain like this?

    He said that he was strong, so I was serious.

    I was a little worried because I didnt know what kind of magic my opponent uses. Surprisingly, however, he was a wizard who excelled in rapid magic. The most important thing in a duel between wizards is the speed of casting.

    Considering that part, the man in front of me could be seen as a talent that specialized in one-on-one duels in a way, and was close to a first-ss talent. Thats probably why he said hed deal with me confidently.

    He must have been convinced that he could defeat me with his special skill.

    But why use that against me?

    This was why I was dumbfounded.

    Im not bragging, but even if a wizard of 5th rank or higher came, I could keep up with the speed of casting magic due to the source code.

    As far as third-tier magic is concerned, I can show a speed that I can beat anyone.

    At this point, I was embarrassed to the point that I thought he came out to lose on purpose.

    Did he not know?

    I deliberately spread rumors while showing the source code magic openly in the first ss, but dont people know by this point?

    Nevertheless, the fact that he bet on speed, I had to say that the person in front of me didnt know the magic I used. No. Even if he knew, he didnt believe it was real like many other wizards around the world.

    It doesnt matter that I won.

    The fallen assistant was carried away by Lukes bodyguards.

    Ivan, the culprit of all this, was still stunned, unable to believe that he had lost the duel.

    This!

    He soon looked at me and clenched his fist but he couldnt scream like he did a little while ago and I also realized that his gaze was over my shoulder.

    Are you Rudger Chelici?

    I slowly turned my head to look at the owner of the voice. It was

    an old man with a long white beard stood with a cane.

    He was an unusual old man. It was because everyone was wearing stylish suits and dresses, and he was wearing a robe.

    It wouldnt be strange to be kicked out for not following the dress code by the guard who stood at the entrance right away. However, if a logo symbolizing a specific organization is embroidered on the robe, then the situation is different.

    Are you from the tower?

    Oh, you can see it right away.

    The old mans eyes lit up at my words and he chuckled.

    Having a logo symbolizing a tall tower contained in a gold circle on his robe of course I knew the old man in front of me was a wizard from the tower.

    Even the foolish Ivan Luke was aware of the existence of the Tower, so he stayed in his ce.

    So why did youe to see me?

    He didnt evene alone because behind him were five other wizards.

    I saw the duel a little while ago. The opponents spell casting was quick but you were much more than that. Ive never seen anyone cast their magic so quickly in my life.

    Is that so?

    Is that the rumored [source code] magic?

    I was wondering why you came here, was it because of this?

    I nodded because it was nothing to hide anyway.

    Thats right.

    Oh! I see! I knew it!

    The old man reacted like a child who found a great toy. His wrinkled face suddenly showed a strange reaction, and I frowned unknowingly.

    I asked in a slightly curt tone.

    So why did youe to see me?

    Oh? Oh, my. Come to think of it, we didnt even say our names to each other, did we?

    Far from answering my question, the old man immediately began to introduce himself.

    My name is Altego Dantes, and I am a member of the Tower Council.

    Im Rudger Chelici, a teacher at Theon.

    I know. I went to this humble ce myself in the first ce to meet you.

    A humble ce? But this is a banquet where VIPs gather, so I think its too much.

    Me?

    I was going to visit Theon in person, but who would have thought that the wicked fox would interfere and sabotage me in every way?

    Rudger immediately knew who Altego was talking about.

    Oh. Isnt it Chairman Altego?

    Because the person in question, came out with a smile on her face.

    Altego frowned outright when he saw that she came.

    Elisa Willow. I cant believe Im seeing you all in a ce like this. Is it okay for the president to be in this? Youre so light-hearted, why dont you step down?

    Well, what brings you here, Chairman? You said that you dont fit well with fancy events where you have to be formal.

    Do I have to tell you that? Im just here because I have someone to meet.

    Aha-ha. The chairman is very honest. Are you here to see our new teacher?

    The presidents mood, which had been yful until now, had be sharp from the moment she met Altego.

    A young genius wizard like the president must be like water and oil with the stagnant and rotting Tower Council.

    The council is a symbol of the old generation and the president is a symbol of the new generation who epts change and wants to develop further.

    By the way, this isnt a very suitable ce for someone like the chairman toe, right? Did youe here to get something to eat?

    A wicked fox like you should not block my path. The reason I came here has nothing to do with you.

    Having said that, Altego tried to ignore the president and spoke to me.

    I wont be able to talk for long anyway, so let me be straightforward. Why dont you join our Tower? I promise Ill give you the best treatment.

    Chairman!

    President Elisa screamed and I was also surprised by Altegos blunt remarks. His behavior now was very rude but Altego continued, ignoring the reactions around him.

    Should a wizard your size just waste his talent teaching a bunch of kids? When I first heard the rumors about the source code, I was skeptical, but after seeing the duel a while ago, I was convinced. You are a talented person suitable for our tower.

    .

    I will write a letter of rmendation myself. If youe to the tower, you can upy a particrly high position.

    Judging from his reaction, it seems that he had tried to contact me before, but he was stopped due to the constant interference from the president so he decided toe to the banquet for new teachers.

    Its a good thing for you, too. You wont have to waste your time teaching some little kids. Would those young bastards even know what magic is? But the tower is different; its the ce where every wizard on the continent wants to join!

    Altego talked excitedly about the tower.

    The summary of what he said was the Tower its the best and everything else is trash. He was really arrogant, but in a way, he was not too wrong. The majesty of the tower was definitely something he could be proud of.

    I paused for a moment, pretending to think about it, and then opened my mouth.

    If I were to go to the tower, what could you do for me?

    Oh.

    Mr. Rudger?

    Altego knew this would happen but President Elisa couldnt believe it.

    Haha! What do you want? Do you want a lot of money? The amount of support thates into the Tower every year is second to that of Theon! I dont know how much they give you, but we can give you at least three times that!

    .

    Or do you want power? If youe under me and submit a magic thesis, youll win the position of chief wizard directly under the Council! Or do you want a great artifact? I can give it to you if you want to!

    In that case.

    I brought up the subject.

    If I ask for a seat in the Tower Council will you give it to me?

    What?

    Altegos face contorted for a moment. The same was true of the five wizards who were lined up behind him and listening to the conversation. They soon realized what I was saying and turned hostile.

    What does that mean? You want a seat in the Council?

    Yes.

    Are you crazy? When you enter the tower, you need to know how to say thank you. We even give you money! But a seat in the Council? Do you not know what kind of position that is?!

    I know very well.

    How can you not know?

    Isnt it a ce for old people who dont have skills?

    Are you serious? Or are you drunk and dont know what youre saying?

    Im wide awake.

    Are you out of your mind?

    Altegos face changed to that of a dove that had been shot. He red at me and gritted his teeth.

    Its not enough to dare to reject the Tower offer and spheme the name of the Magic Tower? Are you still sane? Now that youve developed a new magic, have you ever mistakenly thought that youve be something?!

    The old man, who had been chatting happily until a while ago, was nowhere to be found. Altegos forehead was filled with blood, and his face was red.

    There are things that should be said and things that shouldnt be said!

    I guess I put it in a difficult way.

    What?

    So heres what Im talking about.

    I looked down at the old man in front of me and said.

    No matter what you give me, I wonte to the Tower.

 Chapter 95

    C95: The Tower

    Another chapter sponsored bymystichead.Thank you for your support.

    When Rudger told them directly that he would never join the Tower, Altego just opened his mouth and didnt say anything. It was the same with the five wizards who followed him.

    Although they are now called the old guard and have declined considerablypared to the heyday of the Tower, which wielded absolute power, there were still countless wizards who dreamed of joining the Tower.

    Altego was one of the 12 members of the Tower Council that only a selected few members of the Tower could join and the reality was that he couldnt even put pressure on the wizard in front of him.

    But, what?

    What did the boy in front of him say now? Even if they give him a seat in the Council, he wont join the Tower?

    You punk! How dare you say that in front of me?

    The first to grasp the situation was one of the five disciples Altego brought.

    The chairman is kind to the teachers of Theon, so dont be arrogant! Master, you should just ignore a guy like that.

    He couldnt control his anger, and he looked like he didnt want to be here for even a second. But as soon as he was about to leave, he heard Elisas giggling, not Rudgers reply.

    Hahahahaha

    Instead of her usual fakeughter, herughter was 100% real this time.

    Altego was embarrassed by herughter and it was the same for the five disciples. After a long giggle, Elishaughed so hard that she had to wipe away her tears with her fingertips.

    Its so funny. I dont know how long its been since Iughed like this.

    Saying that, she returned to her usual appearance.

    Mr. Rudger doesnt want to go, so what can I do? You came all the way here for nothing.

    It was a good opportunity for Elisa to tease Altego since he was rejected by someone much younger than him and had his pride hurt.

    I told you~ youll be rejected anyway, so why bother visiting the academy? Do you think the current Tower is still the old one?

    You! Cant you watch your mouth?

    One of Altegos five disciples stepped up in a fit of rage and Elisas expression changed in an instant.

    What if you dont like it?

    What?

    What are you going to do if you dont like it?

    At the moment Altegos disciple panicked, a chilling spell erupted from Elisha and began to tighten his body.

    Cough!

    He couldnt breathe properly and stared at Elisha with disbelieving eyes.

    He knew that Elisa Willow was a genius wizard who achieved the sixth rank at a young age. Even though she was a member of the Tower she suddenly left, and became the President of Theon.

    When the public praised her as a genius, he couldnt take it. If she were a real genius, she should have stayed in the Tower and made a name for herself. Why did she left and became Theon president?

    Of course, he thought that she ran away and went to an academy where she yed house for children because she was afraid that she couldnt handle the situation in the Tower.

    He thought that the rumors about her were exaggerated and if he met her he could prove that he was superior.

    Different dimensions.

    He couldnt move even a single tip of his finger. It is difficult to even breathe, let alone use magic. He felt like he was deep in the deep sea filled with endless darkness. But what makes him even more distressed is that Elisa was at least considerate of him so he could breathe.

    Im not her opponent.

    This was the power of the youngest 6th-level wizard, the power of the [Lexorer] rank, which is the 3rd highest among the existing 8 ranks.

    Stop it.

    It was Altego who broke the overflowing tension with a single word.

    Elisa sighed inwardly and withdrew her magic power. Despite his personality, she knows Altego abilities are real. He is a 6th level wizard like her, so if they sh for nothing, things will only escte.

    Altego restrained his disciples with a calm voice.

    You should stop, too.

    Oh, but, sir,

    Altego looked back at his disciples in silence. The disciples, who tried to refute something, shut their mouths when they saw Altegos expressionless face.

    Lets go.

    Before leaving, Altego red at Elisa for thest time and then red over her shoulder at Rudger, staring at him with a nk face.

    Youll definitely pay for itter.

    Even if hes a no-nonsense person, hes just backing down because his personality isnt so bad that he would make a fuss in a ce like this.

    Altego promised time and again that he would never forget this disgrace. Usually, in this situation, the other person will also react nervous or embarrassed but Rudger didnt, he only nodded his head slightly.

    It was like he was saying try it if you can.

    Altego left the banquet hall, biting his mrs and the five students, who were at a loss, rushed to follow after Chairman Altego.

    Phew.

    When Altego disappearedpletely, Elisa rxed her shoulders. Then, unlike usual, she smiled at Rudger with a little tired look.

    Im sorry, Mr. Rudger. I should have been more thorough.

    No, the president helped a lot.

    You dont have to say that. Anyway, the reason I interfered is because I have a bad rtionship with them.

    After saying that Elisa asked abruptly.

    Do you hate the Tower?

    If he had to answer, he would say yes and it was the same with Elisa.

    Actually, I was a magician from the Tower.

    I know.

    Its actually harder to find a wizard on the continent whos not from the Tower, anyway I called a genius there..Oh, thats too much bragging about myself.

    Thats all right.

    I worked hard there but the Tower is a bit old-fashioned, isnt it? These days, science and magic are advancing, so it was hard for old people in the Tower to ept them and we fought a lot.

    The old and new towers are separated.

    The old Tower is a ce where pure wizards gather. Their mindset its that magic is the greatest and only the chosen ones should practice it.

    On the contrary, the God Tower is a faction trying to cast off the authoritarian mask of magic andbine it with modern science.

    It may have been hundreds of years ago, but human history has made rapid progress in thest 200 years. Cars appeared instead of carriages, and weapons using gunpowder instead of simple swords were the mainstay.

    Nevertheless, the existence of wizards and knights was still an axis of the world, but they could notpletely reject change either, especially the wizards.

    Magic and science seem to be the same, but they are different.

    The Old Tower wizards argued that science should be rejected, but the New Tower wizards thought science and magic should bebined so they acted and created magic engineering bybining magic and science.

    The birth of magic engineering made the world develop faster. Steamboats, engineering trains, steam golems, flying airships and all sorts of things were born, and even now new things are continuing to appear.

    In such a turbulent world, the tower was torn apart by the two forces. The confrontation between Altego and Elisa shows the rtionship between the old and the new and Rudger was a new-age wizard.

    To be more precise his mind is that of a new-age wizard but his magic is old fashioned. The real magic, which he did not show well to others, was much closer to old-fashioned magic than to new-age magic.

    However, it was not something to brag about, so Rudger nodded and only responded to Elisas words.

    Did I talk too much? Still, this is a banquet for a long-awaited celebration, and Mr. Rudger must be tired.

    No.

    Ill leave you alone now, I have a lot of people to deal with. Mr. Rudger, enjoy yourself today but with just a little bit of alcohol! You get it, right?

    Of course.

    Elisa disappeared from his sight, fluttering the hem of her ck dress as she did when she appeared.

    Is it finally over?

    Following a quarrel with Ivan Luke, the wizards of the Tower came and bothered him. It was quite a mental exhaustion, but Rudger soon got back on track, because he came here for a purpose.

    Ah! Mr. Rudger!

    As Rudger approached, Selina, who was with the others, weed him.

    Teacher Selina, are you all right?

    Yes. The president of that Luke Company personally came and apologized.

    Thats a relief.

    No matter how ipetent his son was, the chairman apologized himself. He may have an ulterior motive, but he is certainly not a fool like his son.

    Rudger nced back and looked at the faces of the people with Selina.

    You were talking to other people.

    Selina had very few friends present in the banquet hall, but besides her was Ms. Merylda who often takes care of her.

    Oh, nice to meet you.

    You are the one from the rumors.

    Three women and a man open their eyes in surprise at Rudger. They were people he met for the first time, but faces that he passed by at least once. They were the teachers in charge of Spirit Studies at Theon.

    There were four of them, each taking up one seat from the second grade to the fifth grade.

    Rudger greeted them courteously.

    I am Rudger Chelici, the teacher in charge of the 2nd grade Manifestation ss.

    I heard of the new teacher in charge of the second grade. Im Sethruna, the second-year Spirit Studies teacher.

    Sethruna was a woman with short red hair. For a moment, Rudger suspected that she might be Esmeralda, the First Order.

    No. I cant make a decision yet.

    The other teacher introduced themselves as well.

    My name is Partonya, and Im in charge of the third grade.

    Partonya, who teaches third-grade students, was an impressivedy with a great presence.

    My name is Vierano Dentis, and Im in charge of the fourth grade.

    The teacher in charge of the fourth grade was the only man in the Spirit School and he looked rather timid with a small frame. Surprisingly, he was an elf with pointed ears.

    Is he an elf?

    There was nothing particrly strange about having multiple sub-races in Theon so an elf in charge of the Spirit Studies ss is nothing special.

    Im Ang Anderson.

    Finally, the 5th grade teacher in charge of the graduating ss was a sharp-looking woman wearing sses. She was strict but quite beautiful and looked like she was hard to approach.

    If I narrow down the list, one of those three should be Esmeralda.

    The problem is who the real one among the three is. Esmeralda knows about the identity of Rudger so she might show some kind of reaction when they shook hands but none of them showed any particr reaction towards him.

    Could it be that its none of them?

    Esmeraldas personality is fiery and tricky and she gets annoyed quickly when things dont go her way.

    The second grade teacher Sethruna its the most suspicious.

    Only teachers with experience are appointed for the third grade and higher and the new teachers are mainly in charge of the first two grades so if the ck Dawn Society wants to nt people they would most likely be there.

    Should I get Hans to find out about the person named Sethruna?

    As his worries deepened, he was a little thirsty and as he was about to call a waiter he had no choice but to pause for a while because she looked familiar.

    .Rene?

    A student who attends his ss and possesses non-attribute magic and because she was paying attention to him she was staying close to Rudger.

    Wearing a ck and white waitress suit and holding a silver tray in one hand Rene also froze when she saw Rudger.

 Chapter 96

    C96: Banquet of mes (1)

    Only 1 chapter today.

    Rudger was a bit perplexed because he didnt know that Rene would be in a ce like this.

    Rene, what are you doing here?

    Uh, thats.

    Rene pondered whether or not to say this, but she didnt have anything to hide anyway, so she decided to be honest.

    Part-time jobIts.

    Part-time job?

    Yes, I heard theyre looking for people to serve here, so I got a rmendation from a senior I know. I heard that the pay is good and the job doesnt take long.

    Is it a part-time job?

    I wondered if it was necessary to entrust it to Theon students, but surprisingly, this kind of thing happened quite often.

    Leathervelk once had an agreement with Theon. It is said that Theons students are specially hired for various necessary tasks in Leathervelk.

    The same is true of the bulletin boards that exist in Theon. The purpose of the agreement was to hire Theons students for less difficult work and give them the opportunity to earn the necessary funds.

    This was also good for Leathervelk because they could have the opportunity to meet Theons students and put a face stamp on talented people who would be great wizards in the future, along with a positive image of the city.

    Even with these banquet halls, it was not umon for some students toe as part-time workers.

    Besides me, there are several other seniors, so its okay.

    Line smiled and replied.

    ording to Henry this was an easy part-time job and she could earn a lot of money but she didnt expect that it would be a banquet hall where teachers and important people gather?

    Yes, I see.

    Would you like a drink?

    Yeah.

    Rudger took a ss from Renes tray and immediately drank it.

    It was a little unexpected to have Rene in a ce like this, but it wasnt really a problem. It was just a little surprising.

    This wasnt something he needed to worry about.

    But.

    Whenever he sees her, he suddenly remembers what happened in the past. Its even more so when he sees her standing still and looking at him having a drink with sparkling eyes. She has the same appearance as Rene and he couldnt get her out of his head.

    Rene. You.

    What?

    Rudger, who was suddenly going to say something to Rene, could not finish his words properly.

    No, its nothing.

    I cant tell her because of that promise. Giving her the book its the only thing I could do.

    Dont overdo it, go home early.

    All Rudger could say was, after all, just some advice.

    Oh, yes. Thank you. Ill be on my way.

    Yes.

    After Rene bowed her head and backed away, Selina, who found herte, approached Rudger and asked.

    That kid just now was Rene?

    You know her? I thought she wasnt in your ss.

    Yes. We got to know each other the other day but what is Rene doing here?

    She said she had a part-time job.

    Selina pped her hands.

    Aha. Thats right. I think I heard that some students who dont get schrships make money from other jobs. No wonder my assistant was here.

    Your assistant?

    At the word assistant Rudger remembered how Selina took the students to the Fantasy Forest for the test.

    Who is it?

    Its that kid over there.

    Selina raised her hand and pointed to one side. There was a girl with dark brown hair and long braids over her shoulder.

    He couldnt see her face well because she was wearing big sses, but Rudger recognized her immediately.

    Her name is Joanna Lovett, a freshman who entered Theon and I took her as an assistant because she has a deep knowledge of spirituality.

    I see.

    Joanna Lovett? It was his first time taking her name because she was not a student taking his ss.

    Rudger stared carefully at the figure. She stood still with a tray that had now been emptied, looking like the other students who were working here.

    Hmm. Come to think of it, among the people on the scene at the time, I didnt pay much attention to the assistants.

    Esmeralda wields a high level spirit of fire, so that was the reason why he thought she would be at least a teacher. With Esmeraldas real identity unknown, Joanna Love could not escape from the suspects list.

    Just as I thought so, Joanna Lovett, who was standing still, began to move.

    What is she trying to do?

    Rudger watched her movements closely. She was now ncing around secretively so that no one else would notice her, but Rudger could tell.

    Joanna moved cautiously, cing a silver tray on the table at the center of the banquet hall.

    Where are you going?

    After she put her tray down, she went back to her ce and stood still.

    Was she just trying to put an empty tray away?

    Maybe Ive be too sensitive.

    Rudger looked away from Joanna Lovett and nced over the banquet hall and he could hear people talking.

    Did you hear the news this time?

    What do you mean?

    Theyve been saying that the back alley vagrants have been acting extraordinarilytely.

    You mean the low ss? Thats what happens all the time.

    If it was the same I would have lost interest but this time its a little unusual.

    What is so unusual?

    The middle-aged man who opened his mouth nodded and cleared his throat.

    Would you believe me if I say theyre doing business?

    Hahahaha.

    Theughter was indistinct because everyone was talking, but Rudger, who was listening, certainly heard it. It was obviously augh.

    Huh. The lowlifes doing business? Did you see it wrong?

    I didnt see it either, I just heard the rumors, but I dont think its just false rumors.

    Its not a false rumor?

    I dont know whats been going on in the back alley recently, but they said the guys who were fighting everyday are now holding hands.

    He said everything he knew.

    They cleaned up the slums and started using a building as an office. People said they even saw arge amount of fabric going into it.

    Huh. What the hell are they doing?

    I heard theyre trying to get into the clothing business but they dont have a chance.

    Hahaha. Thats right. What can the lower ss do since the luxury clothing stores are holding the market as tightly as they are now?

    Overhearing this, Rudger realized that what he had ordered was going well.

    Youre moving faster than I thought. Since people noticed whats happening, it must have been quite a while since you started moving in earnest.

    They tried to pretend not to, but they were desperate and the strategy that Rudger showed them was more than effective and a little overkill.

    People who used to roll in the dark, dirty mud found hope. They who lived their entire lives down there realized that they might be able to go up, so how can they stay still?

    And that strong desire will be a huge wave that no one can stop.

    No matter what the lower ss do, itll be from there.

    Thats right. What about the money they need for business? Will the back alley prostitutes, beggars, and bastardse together change anything?

    Its amazing that theres someone whos funded them. I cant even borrow money because my credit rating is low.

    Isnt it because the royal family is all for themon people these days? So the lower ones are climbing up.

    Its ridiculous. Theyre just going to eat the piece of bread that rolls down from the top, and are going to enjoy some kind of wealth.

    Dont be so angry. Still, we dont have to step up and trample on them, do we? What can they do? Theyll just destroy themselves. Lets have wine while watching the scene.

    Ha ha ha ha.

    Eventually, they couldnt hold back and burst intoughter among themselves.

    You fools.

    Rudger shook his head. They wont be able tough in the future. Theyre just individuals who cant read the tide of the times. The human world is so small, and on the contrary, the world is so huge. More than what we see, what we know by knowledge, and what exists on a map.

    From their point of view, the immeasurably huge world inevitably seems to stand still but that doesnt mean the world has stopped.

    The world is moving endlessly toward the future.

    History proves it.

    Nothing seems to have happened in a day or two, but a surprisingly big change will happen in a year and two since the world is changing in every moment.

    Youll find out soon.

    After thinking that far, Rudger stumbled in his seat without realizing it.

    Teacher Rudger, are you okay?

    Its nothing. The floor is a little slippery.

    Selina asked anxiously. Rudger responded lightly, but couldnte to his senses because of the ringing sound in his head.

    Are you all rightIll.

    Im going to get some fresh air.

    The words around him began to be eaten up by the noise.

    Rudger cleared his breath and left immediately. Selina looked worried, but she didnt follow him when he refused.

    He came out on the balcony. There was no one here because the banquet was in full swing.

    Whoo.

    Rudger held on to the marble railing with his hands.

    The noise, which was not heard properly, began to take on the shape of a clearnguage.

    [epting]

    [LetsLetsLets.]

    [YoureYoure chosen.]

    Shut up.

    Rudger ignored the voice and took out his pills. Unlike the usual two or three pills, he put as many as he could in his mouth this time. At the same time, his voice, which had be increasingly distinct, began to be crushed again, as if trapped behind a fog.

    Soon the noise gradually decreased and disappeared like an echo leaving the mountain.

    Whoo.

    Rudger sighed with relief and stared at the night view of Leathervelk over the railing on the balcony.

    The city, where light flowed everywhere, was shining brilliantly in the dark and Rudger felt the night breeze over his body.

    He closed his eyes for a moment and thought about what he should do in the future, what he can do and soon the answer was clear in his mind.

    * * *

    Rudger Chelici?

    Chris Benimore, wandering around to take a break, unwittingly hid behind a wall when he saw Rudger Chelici standing alone on a balcony.

    What are you doing here alone?

    It was 30 minutes ago that he defeated the wizard hired by Luke in front of everyone.

    Chris Benimore had also watched the duel. He had hoped Rudger would be brutally defeated there, but the reality was not the same as his wishes.

    Rudger knocked down his opponent with overwhelming force in front of everyone. The speed of his casting was instantaneous, and Chris realized it was the [source code] magic.

    Hes a formidable man.

    As he thought so, he struggled to ignore the growing sense of inferiority he had in his heart.

    By now, you should have been surrounded by people and hearing all kinds of praises.

    But he was alone on the balcony.

    Youre eating something?

    The man, who was usually expressionless and emotionless, was now so exhausted that he was unrecognizable.

    He took something out of his arms and began to pour it into his mouth.

    Is it medicine?

    Is it what he usually eats? Does he have a chronic disease?

    Chris Benimore reached a conclusion at this moment.

    Too much medicine its harmful to the body but theres only one kind of medicine that isnt.

    A drug that restores mana.

    Although there are very few magic recovery drugs in the form of pills, it cannot be said that there are none. Are you eating them because you are suffering from ack of magical power?

    If yes, why? Chris head was spinning.

    Its because of the duel a little while ago.

    Rudger knocked down his opponent using a series of colorful magic in front of everyone. The magic power was not great and it was all second and third-tier magic, but Chris could tell that Rudger was now struggling with ack of mana.

    Chris Benimore was the first to notice the weakness of Rudger.

    I see. Thats why he ended the magic duel quickly.

    The hidden secret of Rudger Chelici, unknown to others, was that the amount of magical power he possesses is absurdly low.

    So far, you mustve been regrly taking a magic pill to not get caught.

    Chris Benimore couldnt help but smile since he found Rudgers weakness that no one knew about.

    The magic festival is about to take ce. I can do it there.

    Chris Benimore ran away before he fully recovered, fearing that he might be caught by Rudger.

    * * *

    Is it over?

    The cause was that he used too much magic during the magic duel a while ago. At first, he thought it was okay, but he didnt notice that he was running out of magic because he took his time talking to other people.

    I have be toox.

    He used to live with a pill in his mouth like a habit, but he forgot even that. There were so many other things to care about, but it seemed necessary to reflect on himself a little.

    At least I managed to narrow down the list of suspects and Im one step closer to discovering Esmeraldas identity.

    When he came back to the banquet hall thinking that screams erupted from everywhere.

    Ahhhhh!

    A monster, a monster!

    Everyone shouted in a tearful voice. Rudger, who had just returned to the banquet hall, could also see that in the center of the banquet hall the figure of a giant of zing fire appeared on the table.

    Its Esmeralda!

    Rudger realized that the ck Dawn Society First Order Esmeralda summoned the spirit.

 Chapter 97

    C97: Banquet of mes (2)

    Chapter sponsored bymystichead.Thank you for your support.

    The sudden appearance of the fire giant turned the banquet hall into a crucible of chaos in an instant.

    Well, what the hell is that!

    Argh! Run!

    People were startled and scattered around but ended up colliding with each other. Most of the people who gathered here were ipetent. As a result, they failed to maintain their reason in the sudden situation and panicked.

    The giant opened his mouth when he saw them. When the mouth full of sharp fangs like that of an animal opened, what was seen inside was a bright red wiggling me like the one on the bottom of hell.

    The people watching the scene turned pale and they felt instinctively what the giant was going to do.

    A me that was so hot that their skin burned even if they were far away for it was spewed out from the center of the banquet hall but at that moment, the guards moved.

    Since it is a banquet hall where important people gather, all the guards were knight in case something happened.

    The guards in ck suits pulled out the sword worn on their waist and swung it right away. Even if the number of guards is notrge, considering that one knight is equal to several dozen or more mercenaries, the security of this banquet hall was not low.

    The first sword wielded by the guard hit the me. The aura contained in the sword cut through the mes and deflected it in another direction.

    A long stream of fire turned and engulfed the ceiling of the banquet hall. The fire spread like concentric circles on the ceiling and burned up all the chandeliers hanging in the air.

    The chandelier, unable to withstand the heat of the fire, melted and fell to the ground.

    Avoid it!

    Run away!

    Screams resounded everywhere.

    The panicked people bumped into each other and fell but others stepped on them and kept running. The banquet hall was instantly filled with chaos, reminiscent of a battlefield. It was then that Theons teachers acted.

    This way!

    Slowly! Move calmly!

    Spirits appeared everywhere to block or remove debris falling from the sky. The Spirit of the Wind helped those who fell, and the Spirit of Water extinguished the mes on the ceiling.

    Other wizards didnt sit still either as magic erupted from everywhere and was shot at the fire giant but the fire giant blocked the magic with his body.

    We must defeat that monster!

    Where the hell did ite from?!

    Just buy some time! Peoples evacuationes first!

    Rudger stared at the figure of the fire giant. Its his first time seeing it, but that energy definitely looked familiar. It was clear that it was the advanced-level spirit of fire he encountered at that time.

    Advanced? No. Its stronger than that.

    At that time, he felt that it was at least an advanced-level spirit, but now that he sees it, its majesty is quite extraordinary. At this level, it seems close to a supreme-level spirit that has an extremely low probability to be born from the essence of nature.

    The supreme level is the level directly below the elemental lords that are representing the attribute of the elements. To think she called a guy like that.

    On the continent, spirits are graded from the lowest to the highest. Among them, the advanced-level spirits belong to the 4th and 5th rankspared to wizards, and the supreme-level spirits are close to the 6th rank. And on top of that was the elemental lord.

    The giant of fire, who just broke into the banquet hall, is a supreme-level spirit, which can be said to be just below the elemental lords.

    Since it was such a powerful existence, the attack magic used on the spot was not able to deal it a proper blow.

    EsmeraldaWhere is she?

    Rudger rolled his eyes. The most suspicious person was a girl named Joanna Lovett whom Selina had been talking about. However, she has not been seen since the fire giant appeared.

    He needed to find her.

    As soon as he thought so, the giant of fire, which had been under attack, moved again. The fire from the ceiling which had not been extinguished stretched down as if responding to the cry of the giant. It felt more like a thick liquid with high viscosity, rather than a fire.

    As it fell, the guards moved in haste.

    Dont let the guests get hurt!

    Cut it down or get rid of it! Do as you please!

    One of the guards who shouted like that immediately swung his sword and cut the falling drops of fire.

    What?

    The thick me he had cut with his sword was not properly cut, but rather stuck to his sword. If that was all it wouldnt have been an issue however the me attached to the de spread to the body of the guard in an instant.

    Argh!

    The guard, who hit the falling drops of fire, was caught in mes in an instant and rolled on the floor. Even with the superior physical ability of a knight he had no power at this moment.

    The power of fire possessed by the supreme spirits is different from ordinary fires and has an extremely high temperature.

    The faces of the other guards who saw the scene turned white.

    Everyone, be careful! You must not touch it!

    If it attaches to your sword, throw it away otherwise, you will die!

    Maybe it was because the call was a littlete but three more guards were burned to death after the first victim.

    Rudger frowned at the sight.

    Is it because the spirit used the element? Its not like a normal fire but more like magma.

    For a fire, the shape is clear, and even though it is small in size, its calorific value is unimaginably high. In fact, if one looked closely at the giant of fire, there were ck spots all over its body, it was literally the embodiment of living magma.

    I heard that spirits usually show the mystery and magnificence of nature.

    It is said that the form of the spirit is not fixed but there are some rules. Basically, a spirit takes the form of an animal, nt, or other deformed structures.

    It is the same as the spirit level increases. The spirits rank changes depending on how much natures energy it holds.

    The higher the rank, the stronger the energy of Mother Nature, and the more it is, the more it bes something other than the form of a living being.

    Long ago, while wandering the world with his master, Rudger once witnessed the Elemental Lord of Water.

    The appearance he saw at that time was quite different from what people assumed and talked about. It looked like a mixture of oriental dragons and giant whales.

    The being that was bigger than an ind was moving above the sea level, scattering countless white manes like a huge sea fog behind its back because it literally embraced the wonders of nature

    But the fire giant in front of him did not do that, it was close to being tailored to human senses.

    A supreme-level spirit that has human form.

    Human form with arms crossed. Although it isrge, it looks more like a bizarre lump of fat rather than muscles. The ck spots that appeared all over its body made the appearance of the fire spirit even more ghastly.

    A Twisted Spirit.

    That was the best way to describe it and as Rudger stared at the spirit he noticed something strange.

    It has no lower body?

    Compared to the giants peculiarly erged upper body, the lower body was almost invisible. Probably because he didnt have a lower body and I knew right away that it was because it wasnt summoned properly.

    She used a medium.

    There are two ways to make a spirit manifest when summoning a spirit. The first is to summon a spirit through the contractors magic. However, if this method was used, magicians sensitive to magic could immediately recognize the identity of the summoner.

    In that case, the second method is used. That is, using a medium to summon a spirit. It depends on the type of medium, but a top-tier spirit wont be summoned properly unless a very expensive ore is used.

    But the advantage of using a medium is that the summoner wont be discovered.

    Esmeraldas choice was the second method and she used a medium to summon the fire spirit.

    The silver tray on the table.

    It was obviously the tray that Joanna Lovett had secretly brought in the middle of the banquet hall. Even if it was iplete, it was not amon tray if it had enough power to summon a supreme-level spirit.

    Its fortunate that Esmeralda has been identified, but the situation was not been quite favorable for Rudger either since he cant go after Joanna until the spirit is taken care of.

    Now its not the time.

    Rudger looked around.

    The guards were working hard to restrain the giant and some wizards are also hitting him with water and ice magic.

    In the chaotic situation, Rudger found a person who had not yet been evacuated.

    Thats

    His expression hardened quickly.

    * * *

    Whats going on?

    Rene opened her closed eyes. She remembered walking around and serving people until a while ago, but she couldnt remember anything clearly after that.

    Thest sight she had seen was something exploding in front of her.

    Did she faint?

    Raising her upper body by gripping her dizzy head, she finally realized what had happened at the banquet hall.

    What?

    The center of a banquet hall, the ce where the party was supposed to be in full swing, was aplete mess and a fire giant was wreaking havoc.

    A spirit? Is that a spirit?

    A giant of her great stature was fighting against the guards and magic teachers in her banquet hall, it was so powerful that she couldnt guess its level.

    Its not the time for this. I have to run!

    As Rene tried to move her body, she felt a burning pain in her ankle and frowned.

    My legs.

    She had a scar on her ankle, the wound wasnt deep, but she couldnt move.

    I have to crawl and run!

    At that moment, the fire giant scattered mes around. It must have intended to get rid of all the flies that bothered him at once.

    Ah.

    Rene saw the scene and realized that she couldnt avoid the fireballs that have the power to turn a person into ashes.

    Rene closed his eyes tightly and waited for death but at that moment, she had a feeling that something had covered her body and pulled her strongly somewhere.

    Huh? Doesnt it hurt?

    Rene carefully opened her closed eyes and saw Rudger looking down at her.

    Rene.

    Mr. Rudger.

    Are you okay?

    Why is he here now? No, more than that Did he save her? Rene was desperately rolling her head that didnt work well, and realized what was going on.

    Rudger saved her life.

    Sir

    Stay still.

    Ren struggled with her face dyed red, but Rudger remained motionless. He held Rene in his arms, withdrew to a safe ce, and immediately checked her legs.

    The wound is not deep. I have a recovery pill, so wait.

    .

    Seeing Rudger immediately taking out the medicine bottle from his arms, Rene felt a strange feeling.

    What is it?

    Obviously, Mr. Rudger and her had little contact. To be honest, she didnt have much to do with him. But at this moment, Rudger saved her from a crisis and was even treating her. It urred to her that she had seen this sight somewhere.

    Teacher.

    Whats wrong?

    Rene didnt know why shes saying this, but she really wanted to ask.

    We. Didnt we meet before?

 Chapter 98

    C98: Banquet of mes (3)

    Chapter sponsored byMadlove27. Thank you for your support.

    At Renes question, Rudger trembled for a moment but it was only for an instant and Rene didnt see it.

    Rudger replied calmly.

    What are you talking about? Did you see anything?

    What? Oh, no. Just. I suddenly felt that way.

    Thats enough nonsense. The treatment is over.

    Oh.

    Renes injured leg immediately recovered thanks to the medicine.

    Rene, leave, its dangerous here.

    What about you?

    I will do what I have to do here as a teacher. Youre the only one left, so go ahead.

    .

    Rene was about to say something, but she stopped. Because she couldnt ask Rudger all the questions she had in a dire situation like now.

    Nevertheless, what is this feeling?

    She was moring in her head to ask Rudger the questions as soon as possible.

    No, I cant disturb Mr. Rudger now.

    Rene tried to shake off her lingering feelings of regret and bowed to Rudger.

    Thank you for saving me.

    Then she ran out in the direction pointed by Rudger.

    Rudger turned to the banquet hall after confirming that Rene hadpletely disappeared out of his sight.

    As the fire giant began to move, wizards and guards were being pushed helplessly. Still, the number of deaths did not increase due to ignorance as before, but it was be only a matter of time now.

    Rudger checked his physical condition.

    This noisy banquet is going to end now.

    * * *

    Countless spells flew through the air targeting the supreme-level spirit, the main culprit for the current situation. Eventually, magic collides with the spirit of fire, explodes, and scatters powerful shock waves around it.

    We got it?

    As soon as a wizards murmur, which had been sweating due to excessive mana consumption, ended the fire giant appeared from the foggy smoke and he looked even more ferocious than before.

    Get out of the way!

    At that moment Theons Spirit Studies teacher stepped forward. Among them, Ang Anderson, who is in charge of fifth-grade sses, took the lead.

    Bite it! Ventuswalpe!

    Ventuswalpe, a supreme-level spirit of the wind, who looked like a giant wolf with a fluttering white mane jumped at the giant of fire at the order of the contractor and bit his neck.

    Kuo!

    The fire giant, who did not even move even after being attacked by magic, responded for the first time.

    The giant of fire, who was screaming in pain, clenched his right fist and tried to swing it toward the wolf hanging from his upper body.

    You cant do that.

    It was Vierano Dentis, the fourth-grade Spirit Studies teacher and an elf who spoke. Behind his back was a tiny smander made of pure water swimming around.

    Vierano pointed his hand at the giant of fire and the Spirit of Water moved. He rolled his little body in a circle, and soon shot out like a shell.

    Boom!

    It collided with the fist of the fire giant, which had just been aiming at Ventuswalpe.

    No one on the scene thought that the little lizard could stop the giants attack but the result of the crash was surprising. The fire giants right fist turned ck after the fire was extinguished under his elbow.

    Compared to Ventuswalpe, the supreme-level spirit of the wind, it was shabby in size but its power was that of a supreme-level spirit and since the opponent was a fire spirit it had the advantage.

    Well done!

    With this, we can win!

    Some people watching the situation from behind cheered but Unsnes contractor, Vierano, frowned secretly.

    It was a powerful attack, but it didntpletely defeat him.

    Others dont know, but he did. In particr, Unsne, who signed a contract with him, was not maintaining its form properly due to the collision just now.

    Even though it only bounced the giant fist, Unsne was significantly pushed back.

    Isnt it possible to deal with a supreme spirit using a supreme spirit?

    The supreme spirit of fire that appeared in the center of the banquet hall was unlike ordinary spirits and it also took the form of a human being.

    If the president was here, the situation would have been different.

    The President left the banquet a little while ago and the Spirit of Fire appeared after that, so the president couldnte to help.

    Maybe the person behind this attack now may have been aiming for the Presidents absence. Even so, there are a number of Theons teachers here, knowing that they still started the attack.

    Is it because they were confident in their power?

    Who the hell summoned a supreme-level fire spirit here? A person of that level shouldnt be a terrorist.

    But his thoughts didntst long.

    The supreme spirit of fire, which had slowed down for a while, began to move. The fist of his right hand, which had been extinguished, burned again.

    Seeing that he wasnt affected by Unsne hit Vierano made a bold decision.

    Teacher Ang, have Ventuswalpe step back!

    All right.

    Ang heard Vieranos words and Ventuswalpe immediately stepped back. Soon after, a scorching heat spread around the fire giants body.

    Had she been toote to withdraw Ventuswalpe, the spirit would have been engulfed by the heat.

    Teacher Ang murmured in a faint tone.

    Thats the power of a supreme spirit.

    We cant take it down but we can buy time if we work together.

    In a little while Leathervelks police will move after hearing the news, the Knights of the City that exist above them, to be exact.

    If they step forward, it will be easier to defeat the fire giant.

    But hes really hot right now. Even if we work together to defend ourselves, how long will west?

    Even though he was prepared for the aftereffects of this, he didnt know if he would have to squeeze out all his strength.

    The moment he was determined to do so and wanted to convey his opinion to others, Vierano noticed a ck shadow rising above the fire giants head.

    What?

    What is that?

    It was the same with other guards and wizards.

    A man was looking down at the giant of fire, floating high enough to cling to the ceiling while holding a staff.

    Rudger Chelici?

    The most frequently mentioned name in Theon recently.

    But why now?

    He was fully aware of his skills after seeing the magic duel at the beginning of the banquet but this is a different case. The opponent is a supreme spirit of fire. No matter how powerful Rudger Chelici is, he cant deal with that.

    You got caught!

    What Vierano was worried about happened. The fire giant discovered the existence of Rudger. The two eyes that contain the essence of hot fire were raised and faced Rudger.

    Rudger stared silently at the ugly monster.

    Did you not like that look? The fire giant contorted his face and clenched his fists.

    At that moment, Rudgers magic appeared. Third-tier magicbined with the source code was unfolded at a swift speed, appearing around him one by one.

    Around Rudger, like countless clock hands, spears made of each element appeared. However, they were not only small in number, but also had insufficient power against the enemy in front of him.

    Then, the hand holding the staff pointed at the fire giant and at the same time, the magic moved.

    Thats not going to work.

    All the teachers watching the scene had the same thoughts. The fire giant will receive Rudgers attack with its body and block them.

    The scene in everyones head was all the same but

    Kuah!

    The giant of the fire suddenly screamed and curled up. It was like trying to protect something from Rudgers magic.

    Rudgers magic struck the fire giant in the back and even those watching were embarrassed by the sudden action of the giant.

    Whats wrong? Why is it moving like that?

    Vierano recalled one thing he had overlooked.

    Medium? Did he aim for that?

    What? Mr. Vierano. Are you talking about the medium for spirits?

    Vierano nodded at Angs question.

    After he became convinced, he began to see things he had not seen.

    Why has such a huge spirit suddenly appeared in the center of the banquet hall?

    Because it was summoned using the highest quality medium.

    Most of the spirits are summoned only with the contractors magic, so he forgot about the other case.

    Now, Mr. Rudger is directly targeting the medium from which that spirit was summoned. So the spirit responded to it and crouched down.

    If it is a medium, is there a problem?

    Ang answered Partonyas question with a stiff face.

    Its a big problem. The spirit of fire is protecting it with his body so it would be impossible to even pierce it without a high amount of firepower.

    She said because all the attacks that Rudger threw were blocked by the fire giants body and disappeared. No matter how much magic he used, he will not be able to prate the fire giant and eliminate the medium inside.

    Rudger also felt the same way.

    I dont have enough power but to be honest, it would be difficult to use other magic here.

    It had been a while since he had almost exhausted himself from consuming too much mana. If he consumes arge amount of magical power here, he will not be able to recover it even with medicine for a while. Besides, there were too many eyes to see around.

    If he uses his real magic here, the aftermath will be so huge that it cant bepared to when he showed the source code.

    Then.

    It can be used with less magical power, and it was enough to use the magic that could most effectively ovee the current situation.

    Rudger immediately stopped his floating magic and descended to the ground. He stood in front of the crouching fire giant who raised his head and stared at Rudger.

    The festival ends here.

    Rudger said in a low voice that only the fire giant could hear and activated his magic which was a little slower since he didnt use source code but as soon as it waspleted the fire giant rattled, perhaps feeling something strange.

    The metal tray, the medium of summoning, that he hid under his bloated upper body broke in half with a sudden bang.

    No matter how much you surround it, you cant fully protect it.

    His attack went through space and reached the target, it was the coordinate designation magic.

    The magic that Rudger used was not a big deal but the situation was different since he destroyed the summoning medium of the fire giant.

    The fire giant opened his eyes in disbelief but now that the medium of summoning disappeared, there was nothing he could do. The heat so strong that it melted everything around it gradually disappeared and the fire giant stared at Rudger as if to kill him, and his mouth opened wide.

    Was it going to breathe fire in as ast effort? When everyone thought that, what came out of the spirits mouth waspletely unexpected.

    [Human. Hateful scum.]

    The will of the spirits can be said to be part of Mother Nature, so everyone was surprised that it could speak.

    [Im going to burn them all!]

    There was no change in Rudgers expression in the face of the incredible sight of the Spirit speaking the words of hatred.

    Try it.

    He even provoked the spirit.

    The Fire Giant was reverse-summoned without doing anything else. Countless sparks scattered in the air and fire giant disappeared as if it had melted away like a me that burns without leaving ashes.

    Oh, my God.

    The people who were watching the scene couldnt help but be astonished.

    The supreme spirit of fire that could not be defeated even by countless wizards and knights was subdued by Rudger Chelici alone.

 Chapter 99

    C99:Source of sounds (1)

    The fire giant hadpletely disappeared, and the case was quickly closed. The wounded were treated and all healthy people were sent home but the outside was cluttered with citizens who flocked to see what was going on.

    Rumors of a fire giant appearing at the banquet hall have spread widely. Reporters flocked to try to figure out what was going on, and the police stopped them with their bodies.

    Are all the students safe?

    Oh, Mr. Rudger.

    In the temporary clinic that was made to treat the injured Selina and Merylda, who were waiting nearby, brightened their faces when they saw Rudger approaching.

    Mr. Rudger! As expected, youre safe!

    Yes, are you two all right?

    Merylda replied, waving her hand.

    Were fine. I only helped students and guests evacuate.

    I see. Where are all the students?

    I sent them all back. They were just doing part-time work at the banquet so there was no need to have them stay but why are you asking?

    I just wanted to make sure everyone is alright.

    If he persists in asking about Joanna Lovetts whereabouts here, theyll get suspicious so Rudger made up an excuse.

    Merylda smiled gently as if Rudgers answer was unexpected.

    Mr. Rudger is really interesting, too. When I first saw you, you looked like you wouldnt bleed even if I poked you, but you worried a lot about the students, I guess you care a lot about them.

    I hear that a lot.

    Rudger looked around and saw that the injured were taken to hospitals, and the remaining people were cleaning up the scene.

    Some people were talking to the police about how the incident happened.

    The incident was clearly defined as a terrorist attack, causing 12 deaths and about 80 injuries. And considering that most of the casualties are people with considerable status in society, the damage could be said to be even greater.

    If Esmeralda was aiming for this,, Id say she was half sessful.

    While the president was away, she used a summoning medium to summon a supreme spirit of fire. She shouldve had the intention to kill everyone around using the spirit. Fortunately, the victims were few because of the strong resistance of the guards and wizards.

    Although the incident wasnt big it wasnt without damage. The fire spirit mightve been summoned through a medium but it wasparable to a sixth rank wizard.

    The impact of this incident was beyond description because it imprinted in peoples minds that no matter how high the security attacks will happen somehow.

    Mr. Rudger?

    Then someone approached Rudger and called his name, it was Vierano Dentis, one of the wizards who fought against the giant of fire until the end at the scene. The elf teacher yed a big role with Ang until Rudger came forward.

    Yes. May I help you?

    Can I talk to you for a moment?

    Its possible, but.

    Rudger slurred and the quick-witted Merylda immediately grabbed Selinas arm and slipped away.

    Miss Merylda?

    Selina, lets go this way.

    When the two were left alone, Vierano bowed to Rudger.

    Thank you. You helped us end the situation before there were any more victims.

    I just did what I had to do.

    Rudger got to know the elf teacher a little better. Although at first nce he seemed a little soft, he was the one who yed the biggest role in fighting the supreme spirit of fire.

    In particr, as the fourth-grade teacher, he seemed much better at dealing with spirits than Ang, the fifth-grade teacher.

    In terms of skills, he is superior to Ang Anderson, but is he deliberately staying as the fourth grade teacher because he feels burdened by such a position?

    Elves are a long lived species, so they are actually older than their outward appearance.

    He had the skills but he was not in charge of the fifth, so he most likely refused to take the position.

    So you came to me to say thank you?

    Thats true, but I have one question.

    What is it?

    You know how strong that fire spirit was, right?

    Rudger nodded his head.

    He knew the power of a supreme fire spirit without fighting it. Although the medium could not properly handle the power of the spirit, only his upper body came out and his essence was a little twisted but his power was the real deal.

    How did you do it?

    At Vieranos sudden question Rudger asked back with a wistful smile.

    What do you mean?

    You knew the spirit was summoned through a medium, right?

    Yes. To be precise, I found outter.

    Rudger exined to Vierano how he knew that the fire spirit was summoned through a medium.

    The lower body didnte out properly.

    Perhaps the spirits power was so strong that it couldnt be summoned properly through the medium. It was a coincidence that I realized it.

    I see. But youre still amazing. Even if it was a coincidence, Mr. Rudger noticed the weakness at a nce.

    Whoever was there would have known right away. I dont think its because Im special.

    No. If it were me, I wouldnt have noticed right away as you had seen it.

    Vieranoughed bitterly as if he realized hisck of ability in the incident.

    Im an elite in spirit science but because this was so unexpected I couldnt realize it in time.

    .

    Rudger didnt bother to me him. In the first ce it is very rare for someone to use a medium to summon spirits so it was an unexpected situation.

    Spirits are natures beings, and signing contracts with them and summoning them is the power of Mother Nature and the energy of the contractor. On the contrary, in the case of a medium, it is said that most spirits hate it because it is an artificial summon.

    In particr, the higher the rank, the stronger their pride, so spirits reject summons through mediums even more. It is not a forced contract between contractor and spirit, but an equal contract with each other that can never be done.

    I overlooked it because I thought it was too obvious. I didnt think there was someone who could summon a supreme spirit through a medium.

    The opponent may have so much power.

    Theres definitely that, but I think the fact that the spirit was different from the ordinary spirits yed a part.

    Rudger felt that it was different from ordinary spirits.

    Ive never heard of a spirit that hates humans.

    Isnt that the case with ordinary spirits?

    The spirits are the image of the energy of nature itself and nature energy is the source of this world.

    I know.

    Spirits are part of nature and Mother Nature doesnt think about the species that exist inside her.

    Rudger suddenly remembered a lesson he had learned in a previous life.

    The pursuit of the heavens and the earth and all things.

    Ites from Laozi moral scriptures. People want to influence heavens will, but heaven doesnt have a will. All things are just beings that live in harmony with nature like grass or dogs.

    Even if something goes wrong and something terrible happens, nature does not be a particrly frightening thing.

    Even if theres a typhoon, a flood, a drought and countless beings die, nature its just nature and so are the spirits. But the fire spirit was different. Rudger could clearly sense his hatred for humans.

    I didnt think there would be such a spirit in the world. It hates humans and doesnt care about being summoned through a medium. And even the fact that there is a person who made a contract with such a supreme spirit.

    Thats pretty serious.

    Although its toote to understand the situation Mr. Rudger did his best Especially the magic you used at the end.

    Vierano immediately noticed what magic Rudger used.

    It must have transcended space, right?

    .

    You dont have to be too sensitive about it. Because Im an elf and Ive seen as many things as Ive lived for a long time. So what I saw is correct, right?

    Youre right. It was a coordinate designation magic, a method of fixing magic in a specific space and manifesting it in that ce.

    Setting the coordinates. Was that possible?

    Its hard at first, but its easy once you get used to it.

    .

    Vierano didnt quite believe what he said. Others might not understand it but he was an elf. Although he may look like a small boy in his mid-teens, he has lived more than a century.

    Even if his main interest was spirit science, he could confidently say that his knowledge of magic was second to none so he knew that the coordinate designation magic that Rudger used was not ordinary magic.

    Theres no way it can be done that easily.

    Recognizing everything in the world as coordinates and designating a form there, cant be easy.

    If anyone can do it its either because they were born with an excessive perception of spacepared to others.

    Or the brains limiter ispletely off.

    The average person would think it was the former, but Vierano could not dispel his doubts. He thought that Rudger might belong to the second category.

    Can a person with good brains designate space coordinates leisurely in such an urgent situation? Besides, he invented an extraordinary magic called source code.

    Vierano asked, slightly concerned.

    Are you okay?

    When you use magic do you feel worse than usual?

    Rudger, who was trying to ask back what it meant, realized that Vieranos expression was very serious.

    This may be an old mans nosiness but please keep it in mind. Theres a story that I heard when I was very young.

    What are you talking about?

    There are some people who think too muchpared to others.

    Vierano took a breath and spoke again.

    Theyre often called geniuses, but theyre a little bit different from real geniuses. Geniuses break through their specialized abilities within a given framework, but they arepletely different.

    Whats the difference?

    Theres no given framework.

    .

    Rudger lost his words for a moment and then opened his mouth.

    Thats a good thing.

    If you dont have a frame, you dont have limits. You might think youre blessed in a way, but youre not. People dont know that the frame is in fact, a strong barrier protecting them from the outside.

    The moment the word outside came out Rudger clenched his fist unconsciously but Vierano didnt realize the strangeness of Rudger.

    As if preupied with his exnation, he asked, staring at Rudger with a serious gaze.

    Im asking just in case. Mr. Rudger do you sometimes hear strange sounds?

 Chapter 100

    C100: Source of sound (2)

    I wanted to post 2 chapters today but as I was eating dinner yesterday all of a sudden I heard a snap sound and I couldnt turn my head to the left. My neck hurts a lot and I cant stay to much up, so until I get better only 1 chapter a day.

    Can you hear anything?

    Vierano, who asked that, seemed to have some kind of certainty but Rudger shook his head and denied it.

    It didnt happen.

    Is that so?

    Yes. Mr. Vieranosments are very interesting, but unfortunately they have nothing to do with me. However, it is a little strange that there are people who do not have standards in their talents and thinking. Do you know anything more?

    I dont know because Ivee across it in an old literature. Thats all I heard about when I was a kid.

    If thats what Mr. Vierano, an elf, says, I think its almost a legend for humans.

    At Rudgers words Vierano smirked.

    Yeah. Maybe.

    Vierano was disappointed that the man in front of didnt have a framework but he somehow expected that.

    If youre an ordinary person, youll never be able to endure it.

    People will not know since they live less than 100 years and tried to record a lot of history, but in many cases not all the facts that actually happened are recorded, at most, 70% of them are.

    Thirty percent is so forgotten by humans but the elves are different. They have a lifespan over ten times that of humans and theyre like observers of history.

    Although their numbers are extremely small and were reduced even more in the wars up until 50 years ago they still remember it all.

    There are beings far beyond human cognition in the world.

    Huge spirits that exist in Mother Nature, higher races far superior to humans and even existences like monsters and demons that disappeared beyond the barrier of shadows in the Giants Spine Mountains.

    Andstly, looking down at the world.

    God.

    Therefore, humans without a framework are quickly destroyed. Their vessels are so small that they dare not contain all the water of higher beings interest. A talented man may have a bigger bowl, but all he can do is hang in there a little longer.

    But Mr. Rudger is fine. I didnt feel anything strange before, and I dont feel anything now. I guess hes not thetter case.

    He was a little disappointed, but was relieved because he liked this human teacher in front of him.

    As soon as he thought so, Rudger opened his mouth and asked a question.

    I have a question.

    Yes, go ahead.

    You said that people who dont have a frame hear voices of being outside.

    Yes, thats right although it might be a false rumor.

    If its true, then theres more than that?

    More than that?

    Vierano stroked his chin and groped his memory but shook his head immediately.

    No. As far as I know, there are only cases where people heard voices.

    Is that so?

    There may be more but the average person wouldnt have endured that much to make it there.

    If they endured it, what do you think will happen?

    Well, Ive never heard of that, but if they really get through it, there might be a next step. Just like how symptoms get worse.

    Vierano lifted his index finger.

    I think the next step after hearing voices is seeing things.

    You mean visions?

    Yes, but its just a hypothesis. Theres no way theres such a person in the first ce. If it was, theyd be crazy. Wouldnt anyone be crazy if they had to see things they didnt want to see all the time?

    Even long-lived species, especially nature-friendly elves, would have a hard time bearing it let alone humans.

    And this is just in case, but if theres another one, I think its probably this.

    What is it?

    If you can hear the voice and see it with your eyes, theres more to it than that.

    Vierano said that it wasnt a big deal and it wouldnt happen anyway.

    You can have direct contact.

    And added one more word.

    God.

    * * *

    Vierano left to exin the details of the incident. It was in the midst of his busy schedule that he hade to say thanks to Rudger.

    Rudger watched his back for a while before moving.

    Is it contact with God?

    Vieranos hypothesis was interesting. No, beyond interesting, Rudger was deeply impressed.

    Because its all true.

    As expected of an elf who lived for a long time. Narrowing the truth all the way here with a story he read a long time ago.

    But Im not going to tell you anyway.

    His constitution was not something that could be easily talked about. Thats why hes trying to suppress it with his own magic but this wasnt important now.

    Joanna Lovett. No, Esmeralda, First Order of the ck Dawn Society. What should I do with her?

    Rudger contemted a lot while talking to Vierano. Should he hint at the real culprit of the spirit of fire terrorist attack?

    If he does that, he can clean up one of the most intrusive first orders but he will also be suspected if Esmeralda were to be identified.

    She, who has not been active until now, is identified as the culprit the moment she moves for the first time?

    If that happened ck Dawn might start an investigation and that would be a disaster for Rudger.

    If I make assumptions without proof things will be troublesome.

    It was clear from the circumstances that Joanna Lovett was Esmeralda. However, her opponent is a contractor who wields the highest level of fire spirits.

    The power of the supreme spirits is close to that of the 6th rank. In particr, the fire spirit may be even more dangerous because it is so different from normal spirits. It will not be easy to overpower such an opponent without considerable force.

    To do that the president must step in but when that happens, it will be difficult to hide the truth.

    In other words, Rudgers immediate ie was that he discovered Esmeraldas identity but he couldnt decide what to do with it yet.

    Is it better to pretend that I dont know?

    He had no choice but to since Esmeralda would have noticed that Rudger hade forward and cleaned up the scene. Unless shes a fool, she wont argue why he interrupted her. Rudger also went out when he thought it was appropriate.

    He came to a conclusion immediately.

    I cant touch her for now.

    If Esmeraldas identity is revealed immediately after the incident has just begun, the ck Dawn will suspect a traitor.

    Hes doing it for his safety but if he touches Esmeralda he would be in more danger so he had to wait and see.

    When she acts next time and shows her tail, at least a little.

    At that time, he will use Theon power to secretly reveal her true identity.

    So Im waiting.

    Patience was one of his greatest weapons.

    * * *

    The next morning the fire spirit terror incident was featured on the front page of the newspaper.

    [Terrorists attacked the banquet hall! Who is the culprit?]

    The provocative title, which wasrgely written in ck, naturally caught the eye.

    I sat at an outdoor table in a secluded cafe and opened the newspaper.

    Well, it caused a riot, but it would be rather strange if its not known.

    Leathervelk expressed its regret for this incident and threatened to find the culprit but Rudger didnt think they could do anything.

    If they could catch the ck Dawn Society they would have done it long ago.

    There are all sorts of conspiracy theories regarding the culprits identity.

    Starting with lunatic terrorists, the opinion that the perpetrator of the terrorist attack was the work of the Liberation Army was dominant.

    In particr, considering that the majority of the victims who died this time are high-ranking members of society, it was inevitable that people would think it was the Liberation Army.

    They didnt do it but took the me.

    Rudger felt that it was a bit silly but he didnt like the Liberation Army anyway. To put it bluntly, he was closer to hating the Liberation Army.

    Because of them, I am suffering now.

    My teeth are still gnashing at the thought of that time.

    If they hadnt stormed the magic train he was on, his hidden face wouldnt have been destroyed and he wouldnt have been forced into Theon Academy.

    But what can he do? It already happened. Now all that remained for Rudger was to do his best in the current situation.

    On the next page of the newspaper, there was an article written in small letters about the fact that the security of the auction at the Kunst auction house would be strengthened. And the fact that Lukes director, Ivan Luke, is the main host of the Kunst auction house.

    The mans rude face came to his mind.

    Is he the main host of the auction this time?

    Perhaps Ivan Luke will make the event even bigger, especially to make up for the scandal at the banquet hall. It will attract people, hold more spectacr ceremonies, and increase costs. He will restore his copsed image by making a big fuss this time, and solidify his stake as a director at Luke.

    A faint smile formed around Rudgers mouth.

    Im looking forward to it.

    If the auction ends without a hitch, Ivan Luke will be able to make up for what happened out of his fathers sight.

    If it ends without a hitch.

    Its a pity for Ivan that he does not know that the man he quarreled with at the banquet hall is secretly attending the auction.

    Rudger, who had been thinking that far, folded the newspaper because the person he was waiting for came.

    Are you here?

    You said you were a teacher. Can youe out like this early in the morning?

    Looking at Violetta staring at me with a slightly dissatisfied gaze, I got up from my seat.

    You dont seem to be in a good mood.

    If you call someone as a guide early in the morning, everyone will be like that.

    For that, I think you put a lot of effort into your makeup.

    Makeup is like armor to a woman. It takes a long time to prepare.

    So it was.

    Violetta was dressed a little differently than before. At that time, she wore a ck dress with a strange atmosphere to be formal, but this time, it was more of an easy-to-move activity suit.

    She wore long leather boots on the legs and a leather corset fitted to the waist and a wide-brimmed hat that blocked the sunlight on her head.

    After all of her burns were healed, she no longer wore the ck cotton yarn that covered her face.

    Its a suit that an adventurer or mercenary would wear.

    There is nothing morefortable than this when moving around. Lets go, we have to see what has changed.

    Yeah.

    There is only one reason why Rudger came out to Leathervelk early in the morning. It was to confirm the changed appearance of the slums.

    Violetta was already anxious to show him the changes. Her thorny attitude from when they first met disappeared and now she looked like an excited young woman.

    Now, look, this is the new street.

    Oh.

    The streets of the dirty, smelly slums I had seen before werepletely cleaned up.

    As you said, I used the money and hired people.

    Cleaning, grooming, eliminating the existing shabby buildings and building new ones required a huge amount of money and manpower

    and this is a ce full of surplus manpower that other people dont use.

    I spent more than 80% of the budget on this.

    The huge amount of money in the vault of Bellbot Rickson and the money from the Red Society was used to fix the slums.

    The effect was clear because the dying streets were starting toe alive.

    As you said, I will make this road a street of artists.

    The dark and dull slums were gone and carpenters were seen tearing down shabby houses and working hard on new houses.

    The children, who used to always sell newspapers, were seen running around.

    This is the newly opened clothing store.

    Violetta had brought Rudger to a clothing store withrge ss windows showing the inside disy.

    There, people belonging to the Women of the ck Rose were moving around eagerly arranging and cutting clothes but out of sight countless steam engines were also moving and pulling out fabric.

    First of all, Im focused on using machines to pull out as many clothes as I can. Popr clothese first but when we get to a certain level, were going to challenge the luxury brand.

    You must be confident, right? The opponents are those who have long taken root in the Empire beyond this city.

    I have always dreamed of this moment.

    Violetta smiled confidently.

    No matter how deep the roots of a tree are, if it is rotten, it will fall down when the wind blows.

    Thats a good resolution

    Would you like to look inside?

    No, thanks. Ill check the other ces.

    Then Ill show you somewhere else.

    Rudger has only checked one clothing store but there are more ces that need to be inspected.

 Chapter 101

    C101:Flowers blooming on an abandoned road (1)

    The next ce Violetta showed him was the huge vacant lot where Circus was located. It was once a site for arge building, but development was canceled for some reason, leaving nothing but a huge open space.

    Perhaps the reason the development was canceled was because there were only shantytowns around, so the conditions for moving in were not very good.

    As a result, the city was virtually abandoned, and Circus took its ce and was using it.

    Standing tall in the center of the vacant lot is a shabby butrge tent. It was a circus troupe that Circus was proud of and was especially crowded today.

    A song came out from the inside.

    Im trying the musical you mentioned. Its still in the early stages, but seeing what Ive shown in a demonstration, the response is good. I n to open a theater in earnest to attract customers after trying it a few times at an outdoor venue in the near future.

    When I went inside the tent, the cheerful singing sound became clearer.

    Circus members were seen on the central stage of the tent. They threw off the bizarre outfits they were wearing before and were dressed as neatly as possible.

    The guests could not take their eyes off the spectacr performance of singing and dancing to the music. Although it was just a rehearsal, most of the reactions were favorable.

    Pinion is also very active in this matter. He was so happy with himself that hepletely quit smoking.

    Pinion, the leader of Circus, the man with dwarfism was singing with all his might on the podium. Surprisingly, he had an excellent singing ability.

    At first, he, the leader, was furious about what kind of song he was singing, but now he is at the forefront. In fact, he must have wanted to do it the most.

    Hes an unusual man.

    I wasnt honest. After this rehearsal is over, we will start ticketing in earnest.

    Have you decided on a theater where the musical will be held?

    Theres a theater that was built a long time ago, but was closed because no one came. The location isnt bad either so I paid a lot of money to fix everything. The same goes for the surrounding streets and the people are already watching with interest.

    Lets see.

    Rudger could see why what was happening in the slums was also in the ears of the upper ss. If they make such a big deal, everyone will be interested.

    Do you think people will gather?

    First of all, the reaction from people around us is favorable, but it is also true that there are far more people who do not know about it, thats why you need Old Kids. Lets go to the next ce.

    Violetta stepped out.

    The two of them came out of the circus tent and stopped in front of a building while walking on a clean footpath.

    Its a publishing house run by Old Kids.

    The building, which had previously been used as an illegal gambling ce for the Red Society, was renovated to be an office.

    Youre here.

    At the entrance, Maste greeted us with a smile and Deon stood beside her like a stone, as always.

    Violetta folded her arms and stared at the two with disapproval.

    Maste, didnt you go to work?

    The owner is going toe here himself so we cant leave. You have to check the progress of the project yourself, wouldnt it be right for us to guide you ourselves?

    Their eyes were tangled in the air and Violetta shrugged her shoulders.

    Yeah, do as you please.

    Maste was the right person to exin exactly what was going on inside.

    She smiled and invited Rudger inside.

    Lets go in, owner.

    Yeah.

    Rudger couldnt get used to Maste acting so mature.

    A cute little girl like a doll runs a business that adults should and does it with all her heart.

    She was precocious, but on the other hand, it was also unfortunate that she was not able to live in a good environment and had no choice but to mature early.

    There were a lot of machines running inside the building and countless papers were running fast along the rails. It was recognizable at a nce that a thin book was made by a machine.

    I made what the owner told me. Is it called a magazine?

    Rudger silently grabbed a finished magazine and opened it up. What was written on the inside were various gossips that usually appeared in magazines.

    Looking through the contents, Rudger nodded.

    Its not bad.

    Although it fell short of what he imagined, but given that this was the first issue, it was rather above the threshold.

    Most of the information can only be obtained through newspapers, and as a result, there is almost no way to find out information that the newspapers did not provide except for organizations that buy and sell confidential information.

    In particr, since most newspapers only publish articles favorable to the upper sses, the middle and working sses were reluctant to buy newspapers.

    Even in these areas, the ss gap still existed and the magazine was a decisive business item that would reduce the gap between those sses.

    The main purpose of the magazine is to make the news more essible to the public. However, if it contains too much information, it can be boring, so entertainment content was added to the back of the magazine.

    It was a short novel that can attract peoples attention, a collection of short stories called pulp fiction.

    Pulp fiction on Earth means cheap short stories that were serialized in magazines made of cheap paper. However, the reason why you cannot look down on this pulp fiction is because it is the way you can enjoy genre literature the most.

    Even in this world, mystery, adventure, and horror novels are gaining poprity. However, people whock leisure time and feel pressured to pay for books are not enjoying this at all. So, what appeared as a substitute was Pulp Fiction published in magazines.

    It seems that a lot of writers have gathered.

    Theres no one who writes without money.

    Most of the writers of this era, except for the few who published bestsellers, were poor and couldnt even eat properly. For such poor writers, listing their short stories in this magazine could be a kind of livelihood and since a lot of money was invested in the magazine a lot of writers flocked to make some money.

    This will be andmark first publication, but if it grows in poprity, I n to expand into other fields.

    Rudger said with conviction.

    It doesnt matter if you fail. So, dont worry about that and make as many copies as possible.

    Maste and Deon widened their eyes as if in surprise at the fact that they would not be held ountable if the magazine failed.

    Most people tend to ignore even the mistakes made due to their carelessness and pass them on to others but Rudger didnt.

    After all the money is overflowing.

    Even if it fails, he can make up for it because he has a lot of money.

    Maste was at a loss for words.

    Really?

    Yes.

    Maste wondered how he could say it so easily and how he could put those words into practice.

    We are the abandoned people of this city.

    The slums are ces that have been given up even by Leathervelk. Most of the development in the city is for the rich, and the ce where the lower sses live is effectively abandonednd.

    No one even pays attention to this ce and no one cares.

    -Who do you think would throw a penny to trash like you guys?

    Every once in a while someone came over here and tried to benefit but in the end, even such a person deliberately approached with a mask in order to retrieve even a single pearl from the mud.

    The moment they realized that they had nothing to gain from here, they showed their ugly inner side and fled.

    It was natural not to trust anyone.

    Because they were abandoned, they didnt even have expectations. So when she first saw the vision that Rudger presented to them, she was half-suspicious.

    What he wanted in return for giving them the business ideas was their obedience so she thought that he wanted to use them too.

    But when she epted the proposal with that one hope that she could escape from this terrible reality Maste never dreamed that the choice she made would be something she would never regret for the rest of her life.

    Rudger got to work right away. He released a huge amount of money she didnt know where he got it from and distributed it all over the slums.

    The mayor, who said he would step up to promote equality in the city, and the House members who used to say that they would do their best for the lower ss repeated the same thing over the years just to say it, but Rudger has created jobs for the slums with huge funds in thest few weeks.

    He showed them the way to go and gave them the impetus to move forward with actions, not words.

    The priority is to spread the No. 1 release to as many people as possible. If we build a reputation and recognition with it, more people wille.

    Thats why Im spreading rumors using the kids on the streets.

    Children receive all kinds of news, but on the contrary, it is also possible to spread rumors. When children hint at their parents, they create rumors among themselves.

    I think youre doing well, so Im leaving now.

    Yes. Goodbye owner.

    After making sure that the Old Kids were working properly, Rudger left the building with Violetta.

    It was confirmed that the Women of the ck Rose, Old Kids, and Circus were steadily carrying out their respective businesses as Rudger taught.

    Its still in its early stages, so it costs a lot of capital, but if the business gets on track in earnest, it will steadily earn more than the money invested.

    Rudger is not a phnthropist. He invested money in this slum because he was confident that he could earn more. Once he confirmed that the process was going smoothly Rudger decided to focus on his work.

    Where are you going now? I think youve checked everything.

    Lets go meet someone.

    Who?

    You can think of them as colleagues who will work with us in the future.

    Originally, he was going to move alone, but he thought he could introduce Violetta to them. As such it was Rudgers turn to guide Violetta.

    Rudger took Violetta to the downtown area of Grand Chapel.

    Why are you here?

    There are a lot of women.

    What?

    Violetta stared at Rudger in disbelief. She didnt think he was that kind of person.

    I know what youre thinking.

    What? I didnt really think about that.

    Im not the target in the first ce. Look at that.

    Rudger raised his hand and pointed to one side. She looked carefully to see what was there and saw a man talking to a woman.

    It was an unusual man, dressed in a suit that wasmon among people walking around, but what stood out was his exotic skin color.

    His skin was brown, as if from a southern kingdom, and his curly hair shone as if gold was melted and woven into threads.

    Whos that?

    My colleague.

    Rudger replied and walked slowly toward the blond man. Meanwhile, the man was reciting all kinds of honey-filled words to attract the attention of thedy.

    Beautifuldy, would you please give me a chance to have dinner with you today?

    Uh, um. I cant.

    At first, thedy refused but she was about to fall for his sweet talk then Rudger stepped in.

    Thats it for the conversation.

    Huh? Who are you?

    Thedy grimaced as Rudger interrupted at an important moment, but as soon as she saw his face, she smiled. The brown-skinned man also smiled awkwardly at Rudger.

    Haha. Leader youre here? But what are you doing here? Dont I still have time left until the appointment?

    I think Ill bete again if I leave you like this. Im sorry miss this guy here is my colleague, so Ill take him.

    Well, go ahead.

    Rudger spoke with courtesy, and thedy waved her hand and said it was OK.

    He immediately grabbed the mans back and dragged him forcibly to where Violetta was.

    Oh! Theres another beautiful girl here! As expected, Leathervelk has great waters.

    As soon as the man saw Violetta, his eyes lit up and he smirked. His neat teeth glowed white in the sun.

    Is he really a colleague?

    Yes. His actions are frivolous, but his skills are real.

    Thats why youre the leader. Calling me all the way to this city means theres a hot adventure waiting for us here too? What other heart-pounding beauties and gold and silver treasures will greet me today?

    Are you really talented?

    Rudger opened his mouth, letting go of the back of the man he was holding.

    Let me introduce you. This is Alex, who will be working with us.

    Nice to meet you, beautifuldy like a rose. Even if I look like this, Im from a noble family in the Southern Fatima Kingdom, so take care.

    Is he a noble?

    Rudger corrected Violetta, who was surprised and asked.

    Be careful. This guy is a scammer.

    Youre a con artist?

    Violetta looked at Alex, who was still smiling, with astonishment. Did he cheat her right after meeting?

    Alex asked Rudger, ignoring the astounded Violetta.

    Leader, why did you suddenly called me here?

    Now Im going to settle down in earnest.

    Oh, is the long wandering life finallying to an end? So what am I going to do here?

    What youre good at as always.

    Rudger answered in a low voice so as not to be heard by the passersbys.

    Were going to rob the Kunst auction house this time.

 Chapter 102

    C102:Flowers blooming on an abandoned road (2)

    Chapter sponsored byKatarina, Zombiedoll and MaDalk.Thank you for you support.

    What? Youre going to rob the Kunst auction house?

    Violetta, who was listening to Rudger, muttered without realizing it, and immediately covered her mouth with her hand.

    There were many ears around and she would not have made such a minor mistake normally, but it was so shocking.

    There are a lot of people here, so lets go back to the hideout and talk about it.

    Oh, theres a hideout, too?

    Alex shrugged and followed Rudger with a light step.

    More than that, since hes the leader will he gather more members?

    Members?

    The unusual people whom the leader often spoke of. No, arent they all human?

    Yes, I did.

    Rudger nodded.

    And besides you, the rest of us are in this city by now.

    Oh, Im curious about that. Who are they? What if theyre too normal for what I expected?

    If its normal, what part are you talking about?

    Their abilities.

    At that, Rudger paused for a moment. He moved his foot, which had stopped as he pondered on something.

    It wont happen.

    * * *

    A train station in Leathervelk.

    The station, which boasts a floating poption of more than tens of thousands every day, was crowded with people even in broad daylight.

    Mechanical devices installed everywhere spun around to announce that the next train wasing.

    Some people checked their tickets and sat down thinking it was not their turn yet, and those who were taking the train stood on the tform to wait for the uing train with their luggage packed.

    Paaah!

    Soon, the train arrived while the horn was heard from afar.

    Ellie, lets go.

    A woman grabbed her childs hand and dragged her away. Maybe she pulled too hard because her six-year-old child lost the balloon was holding in her arms.

    Mom! My balloon!

    Oh, my.

    The balloon rose to a height beyond the reach of the child and the mother tried to correct it, but it was toote.

    The rising balloon has already risen to a height that even adults cant catch.

    Balloons!

    It was the moment when the child looked at the balloon with tearful eyes that a coarse, huge hand popped out and grabbed the balloons string.

    The child looked up at the person who held the balloon.

    Wow.

    To a child, all adults looked tall, but even considering that, the man in front of them looked especially huge. People around him were also surprised by the mans size and nced at him.

    Here.

    Pantos bowed his head and handed the balloon to the child. The child received her balloon back from his hand with shining eyes.

    Thank you, Mr. Giant!

    The man with long white hair like a lions mane answered by lightly flicking the brim of the hat on his head.

    Thump.

    As the giant walked down the road, people made a way for him. At that moment, a young voice came from right behind him.

    Mr. Pantos, do you know the way?

    Surprisingly, the giant was not alone.

    Everyone was surprised by his size, so their attention was focused on him, so they didnt even think to give a nce to the dwarf man next to him.

    He was a man in contrast to the grim giant. At an age that seems to stand at the crossroads between a boy and a young man, he even had a bright smile on his face. He was a man who suited the term Midong (handsome boy).

    Pantos, the giant man, paused for a moment at the words of his colleague standing next to him, and scratched his head with his thick fingers. He was usually doing it when he was embarrassed.

    The small man, as if he knew it, stabbed Pantos in the waist with his forearm and took the lead.

    Follow me. The leader told me where to go.

    How do you know?

    He told me through a crystal ball. Pantos, you were listening to it with me, didnt you know?

    I dont remember.

    Yes, yes, I suppose so.

    The two strange people, the thin man and the white-haired giant, took their first steps in Leathervelk.

    * * *

    Here it is.

    Rudger took Alex and Violetta to the secret hideout of his new organization, U.N. Owen.

    Brother, are you here?

    Yes, Hans.

    Hans, who noticed Rudgers visit, weed him. However, unlike usual, dark circles were engraved under Hans eyes.

    Youve been tiredtely, havent you?

    Not recently. Ive been tired for a long time. Thest person I want to see is here.

    Just in time, the one who made Hans so tired appeared.

    Huh? Hehe. Oh, long time no see boss.

    Yeah, its been a while. She was a woman with a gloomy impression. Her orange hair, which was dyed as thick as autumn leaves, was not organized, making it look like a strawberry house.

    Her appearance was beautiful enough for her to be called a beauty, but the unique gloomy atmosphere, smile and trembling pupils undermined all of those advantages.

    Violetta looked closely at her figure and was surprised.

    Eh, youre an elf, arent you?

    What stood out most were her ears.

    Elves are a sub-race where everyone is beautiful and is born with the power of nature. The orange hair and the sullen womans pointy ears were a sign of her identity.

    Yes, yes. Im Elf~

    She replied with such a grin that made her look like a drug addict.

    Rudger thought she wouldnt be able to say her name properly at that rate so he introduced her.

    Shes Bruna Petana. As you can see, shes an elf, mainly responsible for the production of drugs and chemicals. She has medical knowledge, and shes good at alchemy.

    An elf?

    Alex, who was meeting Bruna for the first time, also asked back in surprise at Rudgers words.

    Why? Is there a problem?

    I cant say theres no problem. That person, no, that elf. Yeah. You said that Brunady is an elf

    Thats right.

    Dont you think its weird? Elf manufactures drugs? Do they have extensive medical knowledge?

    Alexs point was valid. Elves are a race of forests and are loved by nature. Thats why Elves worship nature more than anyone else and hate artificial things extremely.

    Human-made drugs, and all the new chemicals that emerge with the development of science were the things elves hated the most.

    However, it is unbelievable that there is an elf that manufactured drugs and made gunpowder.

    Not all elves do that. Alex, wont other races see you and think that all humans are con artists?

    Thats true, but isnt your evaluation too harsh?

    And dont you think thats too old-fashioned? Elves have also long epted change. Thatment is very elf-discriminatory.

    Elves still live mainly in huge forests that are not easily essible to humans, but many Elves have epted the change of the world since the conquest war that took ce half a century ago.

    Among them, some elves travel to know the wider world, and others are fascinated by the field of science.

    Of course, Bruna is one of the greatest elvesAlthough she has an entric personality her skills are real.

    Did you just say entric?

    Anyway, she will be of great help to us.

    Even the magic reagents that Rudger uses while fighting are all made by her.

    Bruna grinned as if hispliment was pleasing to the ear. Then, she recalled her purpose and immediately approached Hans.

    Now, now, Mr. Hans. Shall we talk about what we couldnt do before?

    Argh! Get out of here! You crazy elf! Brother! Please help me!

    Hans begged, clutching Rudgers trousers.

    I havent been able to sleep properly since that crazy elf came! Shes trying to use me as a test subject whenever she has time!

    The nightmare of the past few days passed like a panorama before Hans eyes. Bruna approached Hans from time to time and forcibly extorted body tissue. She injected strange drugs into the food he was eating and even when he was sleeping she crawled in her bed and cut him with a scalpel.

    Bruna replied with a smile.

    Ha, Mr. Hans, what do you mean crazy? Im just a knowledge seeker and I like new discoveries.

    Why are you seeking that knowledge from me?

    Yeah, its because Hans has a very attractive constitution. Thats okay, right? Wouldnt it be nice to have a little bit of your finger? You might grow it again when you transformter.

    Grow up? What do you mean to grow up again? Get out of here!

    Rudger sighed, it seemed necessary to clean up this mess.

    Huh? People are already here

    At that time, a clear voice was heard through the open entrance.

    Everyones eyes turned to and saw a man with long gray hair and a young man smiling at this side.

    Both of you arrived on time.

    Yes, I was almostte because Mr. Pantos went off the wrong track again.

    I see. Anyway, almost all the people who are going to gather are here. Come on in.

    Rudger pped his hands and caught everyones attention.

    Im sure some of you already know each other, but some of you are new so lets get to know each other.

    * * *

    The meeting room was filled with various kinds of people. Some sat on the sofa, some standing still and some leaned against the wall.

    Rudger spoke.

    Everyone got along well. You all know why I called you guys. Im going to get over my long wandering life and settle down and at the same time, Im going to create my own power.

    The foothold is this Leathervelk?

    When asked by Alex, who was sitting on the sofa crossing his legs, Rudger nodded.

    As you all know, I called all the people here, but most of you dont know each other so lets each introduce ourselves briefly.

    Hans was the first to step forward.

    Hans, as you can see, Ive known you for a long time. My main job is collecting and organizing information.

    Is it an expression of his will that he doesnt want to be looked down on at this moment?

    Hans gave a solemn air with a lot of strength.

    Thats it for my introduction.

    Hans.

    Whats wrong, brother?

    You have to say something else.

    Something else? No wayThat too?

    Hans frowned when he realized what Rudger was telling him to say.

    Are you serious?

    We will be together in the future. Its better to talk about it now since its bound to be revealed when you work anyway.

    Well, if thats what you say.

    Hans hesitated a little and then confided in his real ability.

    Im a bit of a peculiar person, exceptionalpared to others but that doesnt mean Im weird or anything..

    Hans, who thinks his ability is a curse, was not very happy to speak about it.

    Eventually, Sheridan, who couldnt resist Hanss chatter, rose from his seat and approached Hans back. She pulled a beasts tooth out of her pocket and poked Hans.

    Argh!

    Hans screamed. He looked like he was about to cry when he saw Seridanughing and the beasts teeth in her hand.

    This is why I didnt want to tell you.

    At the same time, change began.

    Oh.

    Oh, my God.

    Wow.

    If ordinary humans suddenly grow hair from their bodies and turn into half-human, people will have various reactions but the reactions of the people gathered here were a little more boring than expected.

    Hans looked at his hands and stared at Seridan.

    What teeth did you use?!

    I just took it because a stray cat was brushing its teeth.

    What, a cat?

    Hans looked hurriedly in the mirror. He now had a bizarre appearance of a half-cat and a half-human. He suddenly felt a strong urge to lick his fur with his tongue.

    Hans, take it.

    Rudger took a reagent ampoule from his pocket and handed it to Hans.

    Thank you brother.

    After receiving the ampoule, Hans injected it directly into his body. Soon, his size gradually decreased and returned to his original human form.

    Rudger opened his mouth.

    As you can see, Hans has the characteristic of taking the beasts factor into his body and turning into that beast. Hes not abat agent, but this particrity is also Hanss strength.

    Hwiyu. Thats amazing I cant believe a human being can change like that.

    Alexs eyes shone with admiration.

    Rudger stared at the crowd.

    And the same goes for you. All of you have one thing thats special.

    Rudger has encountered all sorts of extraordinary things while traveling for a long time across the continent and those who could not get along with those around them because they had special abilities and outstanding talents.

    Rudger had reached out to them and encouraged them to join him because special things suit special people.

    So, who is going to introduce himself next?

 Chapter 103

    C103: {U.N. Owen} (1)

    Seridan, who injected Hans with cat teeth, poured cold water on the quiet atmosphere.

    Then Ill go first! My name Seridan Iron Feet and as you can see, Im a dwarf!

    Her white hair, tied in two ponytails, swayed up and down her as she moved. She had red eyes and soft brown skin and looked like a very cute girl, but anyone who knew her true colors would never be fooled by her appearance.

    There was a monster inside her that was different from her cute appearance.

    My hobbies are development and invention! I love working on all kinds of things! Of course, I mostly like machines, but my favorites are gunpowder and bombs!

    If there is any chance that Seridan will touch the gunpowder, be sure to dry it.

    Unless you want to die together.

    Rudger added a remark.

    The fact that Rudger warned them exined how dangerous this dwarf girl was.

    When Sheridan finished introducing himself, the next batter was Bruna, who was looking around.

    Hello. My name is Bruna Petana and as you can see, Im an elf. My specialty is drug manufacturing, alchemy, and explosives. And if anyone is injured, I can treat them. I dont have a doctors license, worked as a field doctor before..

    Hair dyed in dark orange like the autumn leaves in the mountains, which was not properly groomed, was so long that it covered her eyes. And the most unusual thing is that she looks like a loose, crazy woman even though elves have intelligent and arrogant images.

    In fact, it was not wrong to say that she was crazy to some extent, as she smelled the drugs she works on every day.

    Bruna has been treated like an outcast among elves so she escaped from the forest and ran away to a city where humans lived but because of her gloomy personality, she didnt get along well with others, so she lived in the back alley as a doctor.

    However, unlike her ugly appearance, her skills were real. In fact, there were rumors that the drugs she manufactured were much more effective than those on the market.

    The magic recovery pills that Rudger often eats were made with the advice of Bruna.

    Oh, lets do our best from now on. Hehe.

    As she spoke, her eyes were on Hans and he trembled.

    With this, three people, including Hans, have already finished introducing themselves. The atmosphere shifted towards the need to exin oneself.

    Next up was Alex.

    Ugh. You cant keep your mouth shut in this kind of atmosphere. My name is Alex and as you can see, I am just amoner without ast name.

    Alex shuddered, took off the hat on his head and used his fingertips to fiddle with his golden bangs.

    I dont have any specialties or talents that stand out like the others in front of me. But if I have to say it, Im confident that I can do better than anyone else when ites to melting womens hearts.

    And lying.

    Violetta added curtly.

    Alex smiled and nodded at the criticism.

    Of course, my artistic work sometimes involves falsehood, but it doesnt matter, does it? Until you get caught lies will be the truth.

    Alex the con artist, an exuberant handsome man with an exotic appearance is good at winning the favor of women by using sweet words, and excellent acting. He is also a natural liar.

    Ive learned a lot of skills, but I cant really show off to the people here.

    Thats how Alexs self-introduction ended.

    The next man toe out was a giant with white white hair like a lions mane.

    Even though Rudger and Alex were not short because they were over 180 cm, the difference was so big that they looked two heads smaller than the giant.

    In fact, even in thisrge space, Pantos was bowing his head slightly otherwise his head would hit the ceiling.

    Im Pantos. Nice to meet you.

    What? Is that the end of your self-introduction?

    When Alex asked, Pantos kept his mouth shut. In that delicate atmosphere, the man who came here with Pantos spoke.

    Mr. Pantos doesnt talk much, so please understand. He has a very quiet personality. Ill tell you instead.

    Who are you?

    Hans looked at the man and asked.

    He was a man of a strange atmosphere. He has a smile that looks like a good person, but hes somewhat heterogeneous and looked like an ambiguous mix between a boy and a young man

    If he dared to rate his age based on his appearance, he wondered if he would be the youngest among them. Except, of course, the dwarf Seridan.

    Just looking at his appearance, he is a handsome boy thatdies like. His dark brown hair was well organized and he was wearing a neat suit.

    Oh, my name is Arpa. I dont have a surname like you.

    Is there anything unusual about you? And how did you get to know him?

    You mean Mr. Rudger? Well, if I may say so, Im close to Mr. Rudgers child.

    What?

    It was Violetta who asked back in surprise. She stared at Rudger, wondering if that was true.

    Could it be that he had a child like that?

    I dont know what youre thinking, but Im not married and I have no children.

    But he just said.

    Just because he is close to a child doesnt mean that is a real child. And the case of Arpa its a bit unusual.

    Thats right. I am special.

    Arpa smiled and agreed with Rudgers words.

    I was just born, so I dont know much about the world yet. The reason I recognize leader as a father is because of how much he showed and taught me.

    I cant believe you were just born.

    Everyone is looking at Arpa suspiciously but the unknown boy smiled and did not stop introducing the giant.

    Once again, back to the self-introduction, this is Mr. Pantos. As you can see, hes very big and he looks scary, but hes actually kinder than anyone else. Oh. And Mr. Pantos is not human. Mr. Pantos? Can you take off your hat?

    When Arpa urged him, Pantos took off his hat on his head and his hidden ears were revealed.

    Youre a Suin?

    Suin is a species with animal powers born naturally not like Hans who transforms into different animals. They are a physically superior race to humans, but even considering that, Pantos was exceptionallyrge.

    Mr. Pantos was born with an unusually strong body.

    Well, looking at him, he must have had a tough job, right?

    Mr. Alex is right. Mr. Pantos has been doing a lot of things because of his strength but the most representative of them should be whale hunting.

    Whale hunting?

    Alex questioned his ears for a moment while everyone stared at Alex because of his overreaction.

    Ugh. Arent normal beasts afraid of water?

    What Alex said was not a prejudice against the Suins. In fact, the Suins live mainly in the southern part of the continent, in and full of vast grasnds and deserts. They had a naturally powerful body but they were small in number and were especially afraid of water.

    So the Suin people never lived near beaches or rivers.

    But what about whale hunting? Wouldnt he have to go out to sea?

    Everyone stared at Rudger, wondering if that was true.

    No matter what anyone says, the person who knows Pantos best in this ce is the man who gathered them.

    Yes, thats right. Pantos is a Suin, but hes a little unusual and hes not afraid of water.

    Huh. Brother then its almostplete, isnt it?

    A beastman who overcame the fundamental weakness of the species. In addition, Pantos looked muchrger and stronger than normal Suins.

    Looking at that thick forearm the muscle line is revealed on top of the extremely wide ordered clothes. It looked as if the muscles would rip off the clothes and pop out if he put strength into it.

    In fact, with Pantos power and skill he deserves to be called a hero among the Suins. But he doesnt like it very much so Pantos gave up leading the n and came out to the outside world.

    Why?

    Because theres prey.

    It was Pantos himself who answered the question.

    Thats why Pantos went out to sea. He overcame the inherent fear of water that the species possessed, held a giant harpoon that matched his size, and hunted whales in the stormy sea just because there was prey.

    Is hunting your specialty?

    .

    Pantos shut his mouth again.

    You answered earlier, but now youre silent again.

    Hans was annoyed by the frustration, but he didnt show it. If Pantos shook his iron fist once, his head would explode.

    Rudger went on to exin instead.

    Pantos likes to hunt huge prey. He regards it as his destiny.

    Then how did youe across Pantos?

    He tried to hunt me down.

    What?

    Everyone was surprised by Rudgers words while Pantos and Arpa remained unresponsive.

    Hunting? Brother? That big guy?

    Yes. When Pantos and I met for the first time he came to hunt me down.

    Seridan asked, tilting her head.

    But Nari is not a whale.

    Huge prey is a bit of a metaphor. Pantos wasnt just hunting whales, he was just trying to hit something like a wall he couldnt cross.

    In other words, the reason Pantos held the harpoon was to ovee the inherent fear of his species, confront the harsh environment and to go beyond his own limits by hunting giant prey that were several timesrger than himself.

    It is Pantos own belief and a kind of sublime ritual. Therefore, Pantos hunting targets were not just whales.

    It was worth it, because it was important for Panthos to fight against beings that could make him risk everything he had.

    Thats why hes here? Because brother is strong hes going to hunt you?

    Yes.

    Rudger clenched his head.

    If so, isnt this giant Suin just a madman?

    No, rather than that, he said he was trying to hunt brother but brother looks very fine.

    Seridan asked innocently, perhaps to solve Hans question.

    But Nari looks very normal

    Of course. Because I was the one who won the fight back then.

    Wow.

    At Rudgers confident answer everyone looked at Pantos and wondered if it was true.

    Pantos, who was standing silently, said, Rudger is right by nodding his head slightly.

    Yeah, I fought with this guy. But this man was too strong. At first, I pushed him, but I was the one who lost.

    Pantos still hasnt forgotten the fight. No. It was right to say he couldnt forget.

    He traveled the continent dreaming of a fight against a strong being and if he judged someone as a strong being he would fight them.

    Thus he has won countless battles then he heard news about a wandering wizard. It was said there is a wizard who is so strong that no one can touch him recklessly.

    At that moment, Pantos recognized the existence of a prey that he could challenge and since he had a sixth sense that is far superior to humans he went to the wizard and started a fight but in the end was defeated.

    It was strong.

    Pantos calmly spoke of his defeat.

    Brother must have suffered too.

    If I had to tell the story of that time, I would say that there was a bit of a misunderstanding.

    Misunderstanding?

    Pantos came to hunt a great wizard, but in fact, his initial target was not me. We just bumped into each other and ended up fighting.

    What? It wasnt you?

    What do you mean by that? So this giant man mistook his prey and fought with Rudger?

    Well, who was he originally going to fight?

    Bruna was curious so she asked and everyones attention was focused on Rudger.

    Rudger sighed and said.

    My teacher.

 Chapter 104

    C104: {U.N. Owen} (2)

    Only 1 chapter today. Sorry I couldnt release 2.

    Rudger Chelici had a teacher, a benefactor who taught him magic and how to live in this world. But at the same time, he is also the one who traumatized him after overworking him.

    While traveling with his teacher, Rudger went through many things. Most of them were extraordinary and difficult experiences. Of course, I wont deny that I came to my current position because I had those experiences.

    Still, it was inevitable that I sometimes thought, Wasnt it a little too much then.

    Because of his teacher, he was involved in various incidents and was hurt a lot. That was the case with Pantos.

    The Suin race are naturally born warriors and Pantos was born way superior to them. Although the normal Suing race members have superior physical abilities, there is no big difference in appearance from humans.

    Except for the ears and tail, there are more fine muscles attached to the body, and the sticity of the muscles is far superior to that of humans.

    In terms of appearance, it was meaningless to distinguish the differences but Pantos was different. He showed a big difference in appearancepared to other Suin people. Even at a young age, one head was taller than children of his age, and nearly twice the size.

    When he was a child, he was almostparable to an adult, and now that he is an adult, hes way more than that.

    He was not slow or dull due to hisrge size, in fact he was faster than other Suins. His steps on the great meadow were faster than wild horses running in the wind.

    At that time, the tribe had no doubt that he would be the next chief but Pantos rejected it for one reason.

    This ce is too small for me.

    His heart was always directed at a wider world.

    He wanted to use all his power, to risk it all and bump into it.

    It didnt matter who it was. If there was just a huge wall, it was important to jump over it.

    Pantos also traveled around the world and challenged many beings.

    While he was wandering like that, he came to a small fishing vige at the northeast end of the continent. Pantos stayed there, oveing his fear of water, hunting whales, and oveing his limits. He became stronger, much more than when I was in the meadow.

    His spirit was renewed and his ego erged.

    At that time he was going to challenge Rudgers teacher.

    The wizard Pantos was originally aiming for was my teacher. In the first ce, there was no famous wandering wizard except for him.

    But why did you fight for him?

    Pantos came when my teacher wasnt around

    Ah.

    Pantos came to see Rudgers teacher. However, at that time, his master was absent.

    So did you fight?

    I said my teacher was away, but Pantos didnt listen.

    Pantos came to fight the strong.

    Rudger said his teacher was gone, but Pantos didnt believe it because his sixth sense kept warning him that the man in front of him its strong.

    Pantos opened his mouth, feeling a little embarrassed.

    I fight because you feel strong.

    Pantos was convinced that his judgment was not wrong then.

    The moment he actually entered the fight, Rudger showed incredible strength and knocked him down.

    In the beginning, Pantos had the upper hand. The superior physical ability and hunting instinct created by the wildness of the Suin people were enough to defeat a wizard.

    The swift magic used by Rudger did not hurt his robust body, and the coordinate magic he used was read by Pantos transcendent senses and evaded.

    Nevertheless, Rudger also narrowly endured without being unterally beaten by Pantos.

    The fight was fierce until Rudgers mana gradually diminished. At that moment, he used real magic.

    When Pantos thought of that time, he felt the feeling of fear that he thought had beenpletely ovee, resurface.

    I fell down in an instant. I didnt have time to resist. It was an indisputable defeat for me.

    Pantos would not exist in this world now if Rudgers teacher had not returned at that time.

    Andter, when he came to his senses, Rudger made a suggestion.

    You have something in your heart that cannot be resolved. If you need help, then pleasee to me.

    Thats why Pantos responded to Rudgers call.

    A strong man who mercilessly defeated him called him and he said he would remove the thirst hidden deep inside him.

    I couldnt help but follow.

    Even when suddenly he entrusted a boy named Arpa to him and asked him to show the world.

    Even when he told him to be quiet until the next time he called.

    Pantos silently fulfilled those words because he was convinced that only Rudger could give him real meaning.

    Rudger, the person involved, said in a tone that it was not a big deal.

    Whatever happens, Pantos will be the main fighter in our organization. His actualbat power ranks second.

    There was no one to refute that statement.

    Pantos overbearing appearance and the momentum flowing from him were shouting that he was a strong man.

    There was no one here who couldnt feel it.

    You all have your own roles. Pantos is abat agent, Hans is in charge of intelligence, Seridan is in the development department and Bruna is in charge of drugs and pensions.

    Leader, what about me?

    Alex, youre a reserve whos in charge of field entry and fighting in case of emergency with me.

    A reserve? Your evaluation is a bit poor.

    Your greatest ability lies in being able to cope with any situation. There is no one who moves as fluidly as you do and performs well in the field.

    Rudger! What about me?

    Arpa asked, raising his hand.

    The naive question put Rudger in a dilemma.

    Arpa, what did you learn while you were away?

    Well, Ive seen a lot of things in the world with Mr. Pantos.

    Did you feel anything while seeing them?

    I do not know. I cant seem to find anything like that yet. oh But I am sure of one thing.

    What was it?

    This world is really beautiful.

    The conversation was difficult to understand by those not involved in it.

    Is that so?

    Rudger reflected on Arpas words with his arms crossed. Then he said,

    Arpa is smart. You can remember everything you saw at once.

    Everything? Without missing anything?

    Yeah, from the moment I called him here. How many people he ran into by the side of the road, and what they looked like. Arpa remembers everything.

    Arpas specialty was called total memory, though only one of his specialties to be exact

    With this ability Arpa doesnt have a special role since you can do anything.

    [You can do anything.] The meaning of the word was great.

    Everyone is exceptional in one field in this ce, but Arpa epasses all those fields.

    Violetta gulped.

    Indeed, as Rudger said, all of them had missing screws but they were not ordinary.

    Andstly, Violetta.

    What?

    Violetta did not understand why Rudger called her.

    You will also work with us.

    Me?

    Violetta had never heard of such a thing, so she turned it around politely.

    I just came here to guide the owner in the first ce. I am also very busy with my current business.

    The business is already progressing step by step, isnt it?

    Because I design the clothes.

    Didnt you finish them and organize the draft?

    That.

    Violetta couldnt think of anything to refute. To be honest, there wasnt much she could do about it since the business was already on track.

    She needs to periodically check to see if things are going well, but in fact everyone will be fine without her.

    Still, she said that there was one reason why she was ufortable with this position.

    I dont know if I can join this ce.

    This was her sincerity.

    Violetta saw the face of the people she gathered in this ce and she realized at first sight.

    These are colleagues who hung out with the man named James Moriarty or now Rudger Chelici and she is not fit for this position.

    Why do you think so?

    Well everyone else has their own merits, but I dont..

    Violetta.

    Rudger called her name quietly.

    If you werent good enough I wouldnt have brought you here.

    Still, there is only one reason why I brought you and introduced you to everyone. You deserve to be with us.

    Me.

    Violetta spoke in a trembling voice.

    Is that really possible?

    Of course, I dont talk nonsense.

    Im not good at magic either.

    It hasnt been long since you learned it, but your aptitude for wind magic is very high. You didnt have anyone to teach you but this will change from now on.

    My status is low, too.

    I dont judge people by the insignificant standards of their status. There is only ability that I see.

    But I.

    No more excuses came to mind as she was speechless when Rudger said he acknowledged her.

    Watching the scene, Rudger turned his back from the wall.

    Its aplex face. Good. Lets do this. You dont have to say such nonsense. You only have to answer one thing.

    Violettas eyes, which were on the tip of his toes, headed back to Rudger.

    He was now staring at her with an unshakable stare.

    Would you like to join us?

    When asked, Violetta was surrounded by strange emotions, especially yearning.

    She thought that she wanted to be with them but her status was low and she had only learned a little bit of magic. Will she really be worthy of that position? Maybe just being here would be an insult to this ce.

    But Rudger didnt. Rather, he urged her to join them.

    How can she reject those words that seem to see through her heart urately?

    Even so, no words came out. So far, she hasnt shown it, but once she realized it, her situation and self-esteem caught her ankle and took hold of her.

    Rudger spoke quietly and softly.

    I want to hear your sincerity.

    .

    Violetta caught her breath for a moment to calm down while Rudger waited quietly for her answer.

    Having regained herposure, Violetta smiled broadly at Rudger.

    Ill join you.

    As a result, Violetta became the leader of the Women of the ck Rose and also a member of the U.N. Owen.

    Thats good.

    Rudger nodded with satisfaction then he nced through the crowd.

    They are all the best people he knew. Its a shame that not all of them came, but this much is more than he expected.

    Then lets start a strategy meeting to learn each others skills.

    And to say the reason why he gathered them.

    Were going to rob the Kunst auction house soon.

 Chapter 105

    C105: n (1)

    Kunst holds a big auction once a year. And this year, in particr, the organizers put in more effort to hold the event in a grand manner.

    Thergest auction in the world.

    As such, the items in this auction are so rare that its hard to see them somewhere else and among them there is a Relic fragment that Rudger was desperately looking for.

    Rudgers initial purpose was to obtain the Relic fragment. But after the recent incident involving Luke, he decided to change course of action a little this time.

    Director Ivan Luke, the man who flirted with Selina at thest banquet and picked a fight with Rudger, is the organizer and general manager of the auction.

    Rudger wanted payback.

    Ill have to go big this time.

    Stealing the Relic fragment is already a matter of course so there is no reason to leave the other valuables stored together while stealing the fragment.

    The recent project in the slums has consumed a considerable amount of money. If the opportunity arises, it is necessary to prepare the funds in advance for the future.

    Is there anyone who doesnt think this is right?

    Leader, I have a question.

    It was Alex who opened his mouth first.

    Yes, tell me.

    Robbing the Kunst auction house certainly looks interesting to me, so there is no reason to refuse but there are a few problems.

    For example?

    The auction thats going to be held is pretty famous so many wealthy and powerful people will attend.

    Right. Itll be the most crowded this time.

    Rumors about the auction are already spreading abroad so all the items will be of the highest quality. I understand what youre doing but the security will also be strengthened. How are we going to deal with that?

    No one denied the statement because everyone was thinking the same thing.

    As the scale grows, more people wille, and if that happens, there will inevitably be a group of suspicious people. Unless Luke is a fool, he will take enough measures to prepare for any possible danger.

    And as far as I know, in the case of the Kunst auction house, I heard that no one has ever robbed it.

    This was the part that Alex was most worried about. He raised his fingers one by one and pointed out the issues one by one.

    The Kunst auction house is the ce where the most money circtes in Leathervelk. Billions of denars areing and going so all of you know what kind of guys this rich people have with them.

    Hans, who was still, answered instead.

    Expensive bodyguards that are first-ss in terms of both records and skills.

    Thats right. Add to that the guards hired by the auction organizers and the Kunst Auction House is truly an impregnable fortress.

    It is not that there have been no people who have tried to rob the Kunst auction house. In fact, attempts to steal auction items by all means have been steadily existing since the past.

    The number of attempts exceeds three digits and the number of times Kunst auction house was robbed.

    Zero. The auction house, which is 20 years old this year, has never allowed a thiefs muddy feet in thest 20 years.

    There was no one here who didnt know what that meant.

    Rudger is now seeking to rob Kunsts auction house, which no one has seeded in for 20 years, with this few members.

    Alex shrugged and rattled.

    If we hadnt known each other before I wouldve said youre crazy.

    I understand.

    The reason Alex didnt left and epted this ridiculous suggestion seriously was because it was Rudger who brought it up.

    I wouldnt believe it if it was someone else, but its a different story if its what the leader said.

    Alex said so and examined the reactions of his colleagues around him.

    Well, I think everyone else feels the same way.

    No one here was looking at Rudger with suspicion.

    They are aware that it is nonsense, but they are taking Rudgers words seriously. It is a reaction that can nevere out unless solid trust is umted.

    So. Whats the n?

    Youll know once you see it. Hans.

    When Rudger called his name, Hans moved immediately. He brought arge drawing paper he had left in the corner of the room and spread it out in front of everyone.

    Seridans eyes shone when he saw the picture unfolded inside.

    Is this a drawing of the Kunst auction house?

    Yeah, its a real drawing that Ive had a hard time getting from someone who built it 20 years ago.

    There were some parts that were worn out over the years, but the drawing was still looking pretty good because it was stored carefully.

    Rudger raised his finger and pointed at the bottom of the drawing.

    Our destination is here.

    Is this underground?

    Rudger nodded to Arpas question.

    The Kunst auction house was an unimaginable building, and there was a huge underground space beneath it.

    This is the underground facility of the Kunst auction house. The items for auction are kept here, 40 meters below the building.

    40 meters? Thats crazy! How do we get in here?

    The only way down is an elevator, stairs dont even exist.

    Theres only one entrance and of course there is only one exit as well.

    Its literally the perfect ce to store important things. I dont think itll matter if we sneak in somehow.

    Hans shook his head at Alex, who was stroking his chin and muttering.

    Its going to be hard.

    Why?

    Its not just that theres only one entrance and one exit. The interior is so heavily fortified that its like a royal castle.

    Hans took some paper out of his arms and put it on the drawing. It was a blurry picture that was not printed properly, but it was not unrecognizable.

    These are the guards at the Kunst auction house.

    Guards? But theyre all wearing armor.

    Bruna, who was watching the picture closely, said.

    The people in the picture were all wearing full te mail, which is a product of the old days.

    Hans nodded.

    Surprisingly, these guys in armor are the guards. While everyone else is dressed in stylish uniforms, they wear armor made of special alloys.

    Is that possible?

    I dont know how much money was given in order to obtain the citys permission to do this inside the Kunst auction house. They poured astronomical sums into this.

    Did it cost that much? Just because of the armor on the guards inside?

    Its a kind of show off, and the armor itself isnt ordinary. Its also a specially-made armor, and Im quite intimidated myself. And above all else, the ones inside the armor are also formidable.

    Hans said so and took out the data he had prepared separately.

    Violetta thought it was amazing when she saw it. Because the appearance of Hans Ive seen so far was the epitome of someone who is unreliable.

    Where the hell did he get that data?

    She realized why Rudger had that man around and why he said he was specialized in gathering information.

    The guards at the Kunst Auction House are called the ck Guards, and here is a list of some of them.

    The personal information of several people was written in the material Hans pulled out.

    A former mercenary leader who led a huge mercenary corps, a retired knight, a skilled knight, etc.

    It would have been tough to fill the guards with only this kind of people.

    Thats how much money they put in. Of course, the numbers arent that high and these guys work in three shifts, butProbably not on the day of the auction.

    A space of 30 meters underground with only one entrance and all the troops guarding the interior are like knights and after taking into ount the escort force of the guests visiting on the day there wouldnt be enough space for a needle to pass through.

    Well, thats enough..

    Hans hit an additional blow to Alex, who was wondering if there was any possibility.

    By the way, the road leading to this cer is full of all kinds of rms. Only authorized people can pass from the entrance to the basement, and the rm is filled with magic down there.

    What?

    And the biggest problem is that they can see the storage room in real time.

    They can check it out in real time? Is that possible?

    Look at this.

    Hans said so and brought out the materials he had prepared in advance.

    Three years ago, a wizard from the old tower presented a unique artifact. It was a modified crystal ball.

    A modified crystal ball, thats interesting.

    The tower has decided that the effectiveness of the artifact is useless. So the patent didnt fall, but rather it was rejected and Luke approached the wizard like a ghost to buy the rights for that artifact.

    And is this the artifact?

    The paper Hans brought had a rectangr ss te drawn on it. The magic crystal ball was shaped like a sphere made of ss mixed with mana stone, which was thin and wide.

    It looked unfamiliar to others, but it was familiar to Rudger because it resembled the TV disys on Earth.

    Compared to regr crystal balls that can only transmit voices it is said that this one can show images in real time.

    I cant believe theyre using this artifact to supervise the storage!

    Seridan trembled as if she was horrified. It was more of an outrage than admiration because such a great artifact was used for such a menial thing.

    Hans continued his exnation, ignoring the spirited Seridan.

    Anyway, as long as theres an artifact thats transmitting this real-time view of the archive, well be caught quickly even if we seed in breaking inside.

    Is this the end?

    Even entry and exit is possible under strict control, and the only passage is an elevator that goes 30m underground.

    There were ck Guard everywhere, magic rms dotted inside the underground space andstly, artifacts that allowed them to monitor the inside view in real time.

    Yes.

    When he was finished, Alex patted his forehead with his fingertips because he was dumbfounded.

    Is it possible to pierce this?

    Everyones eyes turned to Rudger.

    Of course.

    Despite the overwhelming attention from everyone, Rudger nodded his head without changing a single expression.

    It can be pierced.

    Leader, are you really serious about that?

    Theres no reason for me to lie.

    Thatsbut.

    Apparently, youre most wary of this artifact that can watch real-time scenes from a long distance.

    Alex nodded.

    There seems to be no way to avoid it since it was watching the inside view 24/7.

    What if you break it? That is also a problem. Even if you break it and cover yourself, people wille after you.

    After all, you have to move without getting caught by that artifact and if youre not invisible that cant be possible.

    Thats why he expected an answer from Rudger and that was not a problem because Rudger was already familiar with the artifact.

    I didnt know there were things like modern CCTV here.

    Of course, considering the times, this magical artifact is very innovative for the people here.

    I have an idea.

 Chapter 106

    11-14 minutes31.05.2022

    C106: n (2)

    Owner, what are you talking about?

    Violetta, who had been listening in silence, couldnt resist her curiosity and asked.

    Instead of giving a direct answer, Rudger called Hans name.

    Hans.

    Yes, brother.

    Is it possible to check the structure of the underground storage room that can be watched in real time through this artifact?

    Whatscking in this drawing?

    The detailed structure of internal items is not shown in the drawing. Is it possible?

    Its possible.

    Hans pointed his finger to the drawing of the Kunst auction house.

    Theres only one way to and from the underground vault of Kunst, but its only the way for people to go.

    Hans pointed to one side of the drawing, there was a small passage connecting the ground and the underground. However, the size was so small that people couldnt go through it.

    Seridan, who noticed what the structure was, said.

    Its a vent.

    Right. The cer has to store valuable items, so it basically has to maintain temperature, humidity, and cleanliness. Theres a limit to magic. Thats why the air has to circte periodically, and there are many vents through which it passes.

    But how are you going to get there? Are you going to go in yourself?

    Im not going there myself. You think Im going to rub myself in that narrow hole?

    You werent?

    No, I wasnt. I have a friend to go in for me.

    Friend?

    Seridan looked around. No matter how hard she looked at the members gathered here, there was no one that could go through that narrow hole.

    Hans sighed at Seridans immature appearance.

    At that moment there was a small cry in one corner of the room. There was a small mouse there, facing everyones eyes.

    In an instant he crawled up and stood before Hans. As Hans leaned down and reached out his hand, he climbed up and settled on his shoulder.

    This friend will do it.

    Did you just call the mouse your friend? Hans, Im sorry. Ive been bothering you a lottely, havent I?

    Im sorry, Mr. Hans. You must have been under so much stress

    Why do you look at me like that?

    Hans frowned at Sheridan and Bruna attitudes.

    Its not like that, so dont worry about it. You know, my constitution is a little unique.

    Its not good, is it?

    Anyway! I borrow the beasts characteristics to increase my strength, but in fact I have a separate way of using my powers and thatsmunicating with these kids.

    Communication? With animals?

    Hans thought it would be more convenient to show in person instead of talking, so he carefully ced the mouse on his shoulder on the table. Then he lifted his finger and pointed at his mouse.

    Turn around.

    Then the mouse spun around.

    Stop.

    When he told him to stop, he stopped right away.

    Land.

    When his fingers took the shape of a gun and he pretended to shoot, the rat flopped to the side. He was pretending to be dead.

    Its amazing.

    Pantos, who had been silent until now, eximed softly. The fact that there are humans who canmunicate with animals made him feel like seeing a different world.

    Oh, cant Mr. Pantos talk to animals? Youre a Suin.

    Being a beast doesnt mean you canmunicate with animals. It is something that only tribal shamans who have been trained within the tribe and who can properly handle the spirit of Mother Nature.

    Even so, only simplemunication was possible. There was no case in his memory where someone gave such detailed instructions and the animal executed them.

    In fact, Hans was rather embarrassed when Pantos, the Suin, said so.

    Well, is that so? I just did it.

    In fact, the reason Hans was able to gather information that others did not know was because he had the mice rather than doing it alone.

    People think that animals have low-intelligence, but they just dontmunicate with humans, and in reality they are quite clever. Above all, the senses of animals were often far superior to those of humans.

    Well, anyway, if you send a few more with this friend, youll be able to check the inside structure in detail. But how are you going to do that?

    Im trying to open up the possibility.

    Rudger stroked his chin and looked at Seridan.

    Seridan.

    What came into your mind when you saw this artifact broadcasting images in real time?

    Well, its definitely an interesting thing? The other crystal balls deliver sound through the wavelength of mana but this shows the surrounding scenery. The person who made this first was pretty clever. But why are you asking?

    If the conditions are good enough, can you make something simr?

    What if its simr?

    For example, applying the same surrounding scenery to this disy.

    Disy?

    Realizing that there is no such proper noun in this world yet, Rudger immediately added an additional exnation.

    This is the term used to refer to this thin, wide te. I thought it would be good if you could make an object that sends a video over here instead of this disy, right?

    Oh, my. Disy. That sounds pretty good. Anyway, what Nari is saying is that you asked me if I could make an object that sends a video over here instead of this disy, right?

    Yes.

    It is possible. Because there is actually a thing called a projector. I could make something simr to it but the quality cannot be guaranteed. Theck of time can make it less durable.

    I dont care. I wont use it for a long time anyway.

    But what if I made this? Looking at this shape, I think the crystal ball and the disy are filming the artifacts, so I dont have to make a disy?

    You dont have to make it.

    Huh? Why?

    When Sheridan asked with his head tilted, Rudger replied in a tone that it was nothing.

    Because something has already been made.

    Is it already made?Ah.

    Sheridan and other members who were listening quietly noticed what Rudger was saying. Why Rudger wanted to check the details of the interior structure of the storage room and why he wanted to create a projector to transmit images to the disy.

    Alex. Uh, yes leader.

    You should, um, act in the middle.

    Act? Like what?

    It would be nice to be a child of a noble family from the Southern Kingdom. He doesnt know the world, but has a lot of money and will be going on a spree. Youll also need an outfit. Violetta.

    Yes, sir.

    Can you make Alex a garment for the Southern aristocracy? It has to be a very luxurious design.

    Anything you want is possible.

    Good. Bruna.

    Yes, yes. What should I do?

    Rudger threw an ampoule filled with red liquid at Bruna.

    Bruna took it with her hands in a hurry.

    What about this?

    Its a drug made by a ck wizard. Analyze it.

    Yes, yes!

    And just in caseIt is harmless to the human body but itll make the skin very itchy if ites in contact with it. I think it can be widely distributed.

    A, I think its possible.

    Then you should mass produce it.

    All right.

    Rudgers eyes turned to Arpa. He seemed to be already excited about what orders Rudger would give him.

    Arpa.

    Yes!

    You stand by for now.

    Eh. Am I not doing anything?

    Because you dont have to do it right now. Until you have to act, stay still.

    Shit.

    Pantos, you too.

    Got it.

    Unlike Arpa, Pantos immediately nodded his head in agreement at Rudgers words.

    One week left. Until then, lets do our best.

    * * *

    Mmm~.

    While eating, Rene stared into the air with an unfocused gaze. Erendir, who was watching the scene from the side, called her.

    Junior Rene?

    .

    Junior Rene!

    What? Yes?

    Looking at Rene, who barely came to her senses in surprise, Erendir, who was eating together with her on a mat, stared at Rene with a worried gaze.

    Whats going on these days? Does your body hurt anywhere?

    Oh, no, its not like that..

    Come to think of it, I heard you were caught up in a terrorist attack while working part-time. Did you get hurt badly then?

    No, I didnt get hurt. Even then, Mr. Rudger.

    Mr. Rudger?

    When the name came out, Erendir reacted with wonder. However, Rene, who actually brought up Rudgers name, was once again immersed in her own world. Erendir sighed, grabbed Rene by the shoulder and shook her lightly.

    Yeah. Oh! Sorry. I ended up nking out again.

    What happened to Mr. Rudger?

    What?

    You said something about Mr. Rudger earlier. Dont tell me did the teacher touch you?

    As Erendirs expression gradually turned cold, Rene shook her hands desperately.

    Its not like that!

    What is it then?

    He saved me when I was in danger.

    Oh, was that so? Then why are you spacing out so much?

    Its just, I suddenly have a strange memory.

    What do you mean, strange memory?

    I think Ive met Mr. Rudger before.

    Erendir had a solemn expression at Renes words.

    Didnt you feel that way because he saved you in a time of crisis?

    Oh, is that so?

    I saw it in a recent paper. Was it called the swing bridge effect? Is it possible that you have fallen for teacher, junior Rene?

    What?

    Renes face flushed.

    Its not like that! Dont make fun of me, senior!

    Im d you said no. If you really did.

    What if?

    I would have stopped you at all costs.

    What?

    Erendir words werepletely unexpected to Rene.

    Senior, do you dislike Mr. Rudger?

    Rather than dislikeits a bit ambiguous. It is true that the new teacher changed the ss conditions at will, so I was annoyed at first, but he has proven his ability.

    But?

    I can tell. Mr. Rudger Chelici has a dangerous smell!

    DangerousSmell?

    What the hell is that smell?

    How can I put this? Well, junior knows that Im a princess right?

    Yes, I do.

    Is that so?

    Oh, no! I did! Yes!

    Rene answers hurriedly to Erendir, who asks back, narrowing her eyes.

    Come to think of it these days, Erendir has shown such an unexpected appearance that she has been undermining her dignity as an imperial princess, and Rene forgot about it.

    Well, anyway, Im a little sensitive about other people. Should I say Im sensitive? I have no choice but to meet a lot of people because of my position. Thats why my senses have developed in this way. I can roughly know who the dangerous ones are.

    Oh, I see.

    But the biggest problem itsbecause of my sisters existence.

    What about your sister?

    Erendir has one older sister, one older brother, one younger sister and one younger brother. Basically, the imperial family is fighting orpeting with each other for the right to seed to the throne but surprisingly, the Exilion Empire didnt have such a thing.

    This is because there was an undisputed sessor that no one could refute. Surprisingly, it was the First Princess, not the Second Prince.

    The second prince was capable and had a strong reputation, but even he couldnt stand a chance against the first princess.

    The First Princess was so different to the extent that jokes have been made saying that shes no longer human.

    Even Rene, who was ignorant of this part, had vaguely heard of the First Princess, so it was worth guessing how high her status was.

    Whats wrong with the first princess?

    Its purely because of my sister that Im looking at people and distinguishing whether theyre dangerous or not.

    Arent you family?

    As an orphan Rene couldnt rte to the existence of the older sister Erendir spoke of. However, Erendirs expression showed that she was not very pleased with her sister. No. There was even a subtle fear in her eyes.

    Anyway. I realized one thing when I saw Mr. Rudger.

    You realized.

    That teacher.

    Erendir von Exilion, as the third imperial princess, remembered the moment when Rudger Chelici appeared in the ssroom and the dangerous and cool momentum he exuded.

    Hes simr to my sister.

 Chapter 107

    C107: The narrowing shadows of the past (1)

    Today chapter was sponsored bymomo.Thank you for you support.

    But isnt it apliment if you say he resembles the First Princess?

    What the hell did you hear me say? My sister is a dangerous person!

    Erendir still had chills when she remembered her older sister, First Princess.

    Although she came all the way to avoid her sisters interest and oppression, the fear of her still remained as a scar deep inside. Thats why Erendir wasnt very happy with Rudger from the first time she saw him.

    The teacher looked like her sister.

    Well, I dont know.

    In fact, even if Rudger was a dangerous person, Rene didnt really care about it.

    Obviously, the first impression was that he was a scary person that was difficult to approach, but when they actually talked, it was easy to see that he wasnt that kind of person.

    He even saved me in a dangerous moment.

    When there was a quarrel at the training ground, when a werewolf attacked, and when she was almost caught in the attack of the fire giant at the banquet hall Rudger saved her life. He even taught her about magic and lent her books.

    Huh? Thinking like this, II just got something from Mr. Rudger, but I didnt do anything for him.

    Of course, there is a difference between the status of a student and a teacher, but even so, if she only received like this and does nothing, then there is a problem.

    What should I do?

    Ive been thinking about it for a while, but I cant think of any special gift because Mr. Rudger didnt seem to need anything. Above all, I was eating with Erendir now, so I had no time to think elsewhere.

    Anyway! Junior Rene watch out for Mr. Rudger, okay?

    Uh, yes Ill try.

    Whoo. Thats enough.

    But youre okay now, right? You seem to have been very busy since the test.

    A little. Would you mind not talking about the test?

    Erendir avoided Renes gaze. She wanted to show her a great performance as a senior, but it was a shame because she messed up the test.

    Even the maids who followed her to protect the dignity of the royal family urged her to study. Because of that, it was hard to meet Rene, a friend she had only recently made.

    Hmm. But its okay now. Were guaranteed free time.

    Of course, if she messes up the next exam, then it will be worse than now.

    Oh, yes.

    The more confidently Erendir said something, the more uneasy Rene felt. Having these feelings wont constitute a crime of disgrace to the Imperial family, will it?

    Then, will we continue to eat together next week?

    Rene suddenly remembered that she had an appointment with Freuden not long ago and she didnt think the appointments should ovep. If it is not possible, it seemed necessary to tell the senior in advance whether they would eat together or postpone it.

    Well, wouldnt it be hard when the sses dont ovep? And next weekWell, Ill be busy then.

    Is something wrong?

    Theres a big auction at Kunst next week and theyre begging me toe.

    Erendir is a princess, but she didnt particrly like such formal asions. However, the problem was that, because Lukes auction was sorge this time, arge number of key figures from other countries gathered.

    The Empire also had to be represented by the right person and Erendir was the only one that could attend the auction. At least she wasnt the type to turn away from the responsibility of her own identity.

    It will definitely be a bothersome and annoying ce, but she had no choice but to go since she was a princess.

    You must be having a hard time, too.

    Are you worried? Thank you.

    Oh, my. What?

    But Im worried about junior Rene. Without me, junior Rene would have to eat alone.

    Yes, well.

    Since Erendir looked at her with sorry eyes she couldnt say that she had more people to meet. It seemed like Erendir was looking at her as arade without friends. How would Erendir react if she said, I have someone else I can eat with?

    Lets not do it.

    She didnt even want to say that out of curiosity.

    Anyway, have a good day senior. Dont get hurt like me.

    Ill be back in a little while just to show you. The Kunst auction house is also famous in the Exile Empire, so its very secure.

    Erendir waved her hand, saying,

    Dont worry. Could something happen there?

    * * *

    Lindebrugne, the capital of the Exilion Empire.

    In the center of the great city, a white, majestic imperial castle that dazzled in the light of the sun took its ce with deep roots.

    A woman entered a ce that was dark even though it was daytime because the light did note in properly. She was a beautiful woman with fierce eyes and silver hair that grew long to her waist.

    Did you call me?

    It was Trina Ryanhowl.

    She bowed her head, kneeling on one of her knees to the one who had called her.

    Hmm.

    But there was no reply from the other party so Trina remained seated with her head down silently.

    The figure of the person sitting at the top of the room was not visible. A shadow was cast, so all she could see was a part of her lower body and her right hand, which received a little light. The white and slender jade hand moved around the chessboard next to it.

    After putting thest piece on the chessboard aloud, the owner of the room opened her mouth.

    I heard the investigation failed.

    I have no excuse.

    Its an interesting thing. Ryanhowlsing back without getting the hang of the case.

    At first nce, it sounded like she was ming her, but she didnt. The owner of the voice was purely admiring the fact that she had failed.

    I have no excuse.

    All right, raise your head.

    When permission was granted, Trina could only raise her head.

    So you really didnt get anything.

    It has been confirmed that there has been some kind of experiment. Its just.

    So you didnt know more than that.

    Yes.

    Well.

    The owner of the voice seemed to be troubled for a while, then moved her hand again to grasp a chess piece. It was a white knight.

    The Werewolf Incident in Leathervelk.

    She muttered and knocked down a ck pawn on the chessboard.

    Death of the Godfather, Bellbot Rickson.

    Then, another ck pawn was pushed down.

    The ashes of a burned factory.

    Tuk. Another ck pawn fell down and when the white night reached the end of the chessboard her hand stopped abruptly.

    On the chessboard, where there should be nothing, a piece was blocking the way.

    Oh.

    The n went wrong.

    If it wouldve gone as nned Trina would have found out the real culprit of this incident and even caught the tail of those behind it. However, the flow was cut in the middle by someone.

    There was a disturbance which I had not foreseen.

    if you say disturbance.

    The one who obstructed your investigation and covered up this case.

    The owner of the room put the knight on the chessboard and the one in front of the white knight was the ck king. The knight couldnt move forward because of it like Trina Ryanhowl, whos had a hard time with the investigation.

    Everything that should have ended smoothly turned out wrong. It is my fault.

    In fact, the voice of her who spoke had a hint of joy in it.

    Trina was inwardly surprised at the sight because the presence in front of her and the owner of this room said she made a mistake.

    She ys everything in the world like pieces on a chess board and in fact she had the ability and talent to do just that.

    Trina has never seen her fail.

    I dont know how long its been. Apletely unexpected interrupter stepped in.

    Did something simr happen before?

    Yeah, that was when you werent around the border.

    Yes.

    Well, its no big deal. Its a story of when I was young, and I didnt have my powers yet.

    Although she is now wielding the power of the National Security Agency, she didnt have that much influence back then. Like everyone else, she had a time when she was alone.

    I, who had not yet fully achieved my power, had no choice but to get help from outside in order to increase my power.

    Outside, you mean?

    Oh, dont overreact too much. Even if it was outside, it had nothing to do with other countries. Im sure I wont get caught by you, the Nightcrawler Knights, because the person that I received help from was a wanderer with no connections whatsoever.

    Are you saying that you only got help from someone like that?

    Yes, I got it.

    The First Princess did not deny her past and shorings.

    Even though I said I didnt have the strength at the time, I opened my hand to someone. Its a funny story.

    Recalling her past, the owner of the room and appointed as the next emperor of the empire, the First Princess Eileen von Exilion curved her golden eyes like a crescent moon in the shadows.

    Trina couldnt believe that she, a tall, proud, and solitary superhuman, said that she had been helped by someone.

    Trina, you think Im kidding.

    No.

    I dont mean to me you. No one would have believed me if I had said that. I am now that kind of person to you but this is definitely true.

    Princess Eileen carefully lifted the ck king.

    Trina Ryanhowl.

    Yes, Your Majesty.

    Im sure youre familiar with the military, too

    Not much, but Im sure I know enough.

    In the past, more than five years ago, the military prepared for a coup.

    What?

    Princess Eileen waved her hand to Trina who asked in surprise.

    Listen to me. Its over anyway. Anyway, the ringleader of the case was the Marquis of Tetperon, who controlled the military. In hister years, he became senile and determined to be emperor of the empire, so he secretly formed a military unit under hismand and tried to stage a coup.

    Its crazy.

    Its crazy, but whats more surprising is that the operation almost seeded. My ipetent father in peace knew nothing about it and I had no means at that time.

    How on earth could the First Princess stop the Marquis of Tetperon, who controlled the military?

    Trina, do you know about ck Ops?

    Isnt it a special unit that operates secretly in the Empire?

    People think that the Nightcrawler Knights of the Security Service are the most dangerous and dirty work groups, but that is wrong. In fact, there was one organization more unknown than them.

    If the Nightcrawler Knights were to deal with the dangers within the Empire the ck Ops were people who were secretly active in other countries beyond the Empire.

    There was an Alpha team of the most dangerous guys in the ck Ops.

    The Alpha team.

    Eileen smiled softly at the muttering Trina.

    No, its not.

    What do you mean?

    You think that I called the ck Ops Alpha team. Thats wrong, its the other way around.

    If you say otherwise.

    The Marquis de Tetperon, who was trying to start a coup, called the ck Ops Alpha Team.

    The ck Ops lived in the shadows of the Empire and the Alpha Team wasposed of the six most experienced members of the ck Ops.

    The one who eliminated the Alpha Team by himself.

    What?

    Eliminating the Alpha Team alone?

    Trina didnt understand what she said. The Alpha Team is made up of a small number. However, each and every one of them is called a human weapon.

    Unlike the knights who simply received formal training, they were polished in practice, and they were also people with unusual powers that were not well epted by the public. But someone dealt with them alone?

    At that time, I didnt have any talent yetpared to now, so I was immature, but I still had an eye for the flow.

    Is that so?

    I saw no coup, I didnt know who secretly supported it or how they might move. But hehe saw everything.

    Like the ck king she was holding. He appeared suddenly like a goblin, and disappeared suddenly like a mirage.

    After that, I tried to find him, but I couldnt. What Im thinking is that the man who suddenly disappeared, maybe this is him now.

    Do you know who he is?

    I dont know. He didnt tell me his real name in the first ce and used a pseudonym to hide his identity.

    The firstdy recalled the alias andughed.

    Jack the Ripper. Thats how he introduced himself.

    Jack the Ripper.

    The Jack mentioned over there is just a word with the meaning of anyone that represents an unspecified person. So, the man who introduced himself as Jack the Ripper simply named himself a man-killer. In a way, it was a really ignorant pseudonym.

    But if thats the man who killed all the Alpha Team, the core of the forces that led the coup, the meaning of the name changes then.

    Hahaha. Its getting fun.

    Princess?

    Trina Ryanhowl was puzzled when she saw feelings of joy in the eyes of the First Princess because she was always bored and it was also the first time she saw herughing.

    It may not be fully revealed yet, but the fact that theres a trace like this means hes the one.

    Are you saying that Jack is going to act soon?

    He may or may not be. I dont know everything. But isnt it just as fun to not know?

    Princess Eileens softughter echoed low in the audience room and her eyes shone sharply.

    I look forward to it.

    * * *

    Hmm?

    Rudger, who was reading the magic thesis presented by the Magic Tower this time in his office, felt a tickling in his ear.

    Whos talking about me?

    It wasnt a big deal anyway. The moment when his magical powers are depleted, wasnt there even a voice calling him tenaciously?

    Tsk. Damn it.

    After taking the magic pill, it felt like the voice had subsided again.

    Rudger dismissed it and turned his gaze back to the paper.

 Chapter 108

    C108: The narrowing shadows of the past (2)

    Trina Ryanhowl, who finished her audience with the 1st Princess Eileen, walked alone in the long corridor of the pce.

    Her gaze scanned the garden inside the pce outside the window. Trina reflected on the conversation she had with Princess Eileen. Eileen told the story of Jack the Ripper, a man who helped her in the past and the fact that he might be in Leathervelk now.

    Jack the Ripper?

    Trina Ryanhowl muttered the name to herself. It was the first time she had ever heard the name, but she felt a sense of dj vu.

    There was something Trina couldnt say to Princess Eileen. In Leathervelk, there may be a name thief, Arsene Lupin who she had encountered in the past and failed to arrest him.

    Jack the Ripper and Arsene Lupin.

    Perhaps.

    Trina, who suddenly stopped walking, came up with a hypothesis by contrasting what Eileen said with what she went through.

    What if Jack the Ripper, the man the princess mentioned, and Arsene Lupin, whos been hiding until now, are the same person?

    It was a thought that popped up like a small spark. There was no logic or rational reasoning, it was just a hypothesis made out of a sh of intuition. But Trina strangely felt her mind leaning toward this hypothesis.

    But, its a little strange. Why would a person strong enough to wipe out the ck Ops Alpha team lead a wandering life? Is there any need for such a man to act as a thief?

    Killing people and stealing things. Both were against thew, but that did not put them on the same line. And, if he was that talented, wouldnt he be treated well wherever he went?

    I cant be too hastily. Maybe theyre different people.

    However, as Princess Eileen said, it seemed necessary to pay some attention to Leathervelk. Trina knows best that shes not a person who talks nonsense.

    Eileen von Exilion, the First Princess, the next emperor of the Exilion Empire and the real ruler of the present empire.

    From an early age, Eileen clearly showed her talent. At least, Trinas assessment of her was a human being close to perfection. No. She is more than a human being, and she even feels alien.

    She has a brain that can acquire evenplex and difficult knowledge at once, a keen eye for seeing huge flows at once, speech that shakes the hearts of others and even the amount of natural magic and her talent for magic.

    In fact the Tower wanted to make the First Princess their leader but she refused because she wasnt interested.

    Because she is so perfect and a person who can do anything she started to feel bored with life itself. Although she showed unexpected interest and affection to her younger sister, the 3rd Princess, Erendir, she left for Theon.

    Eileen was always spending her days in a swamp of boredom.

    She was always wearing a smile mask, but Trina could see her sharpness.

    I need to be on my guard.

    Fortunately, Trina has left a reliable subordinate in Leathervelk and she intended to contact Enya as soon as she returned.

    * * *

    There were five days left before the Kunst auction and Rudger walked around the grounds of Theon Academy to prepare for the next ss.

    Near Rude, his assistant, Sedina Rosen, the third order of the ck Dawn, was chasing after him, carrying his ss materials in her arms.

    On the way out to the main building where the sses were held, Rudger met a familiar face.

    Is it Selina?

    Selina, Theons first-year Elemental Studies teacher, was talking to someone. It was a man he had never seen before but considering his clothes he looked like a teacher.

    Considering that Rudger doesnt know him, he is not at least a teacher in charge of the first and second grades, but at least a third grade.

    Rudger stood still and watched the scene.

    The two are talking, but rather than sharing something because they like each other, the man was more of a one-sided talker. Selina just smiled awkwardly and epted what she said.

    Given that she was a little troubled, the other persons intention must have been quite tant. As soon as she was wondering whether to ignore this or help her, Selina found Rudger and waved.

    Oh, Mr. Rudger!

    The male teacher, who was talking with her, slightly distorted his face when he saw Rudger. He quickly said goodbye to Selina and hurriedly left.

    He mustve been embarrassed but Rudger didnt care about him, rather he had his eyes on Selinas assistants.

    Rudger fixed his eyes on one of them. It was Joanna Lovett, who was staring at the teacher who was talking to Selina a while ago also known as First Order of the ck Dawn Society Esmeralda and the master of the fire giant that attacked the banquet.

    The moment he saw her, Rudger wondered how to treat her.

    Its right not to make it obvious.

    Rudger decided so and greeted Selina lightly.

    Long time no see, Ms. Selina.

    Yes, its been a while.

    Who was that just now?

    What? Oh, thatHe was a teacher in charge of fourth graders.

    Selinas reaction was somewhat awkward.

    What happened?

    Oh, no. Its just its all about worrying about what happened at thest banquet hall.

    Thats what she said, but he couldnt have said it out of sheer concern. Obviously, that was just an excuse, and it must have been intentional. Selina knows that too, but shes such a nice person that she doesnt gossip.

    However, Rudger, who had no intention of disparaging others who were not here, replied with a light nod.

    I see.

    Normally, the conversation would have ended here but Rudger didnt want to miss the opportunity to face Joanna Lovett in a ce like this.

    Ms. Selina. How have you been since then?

    Im fine. Didnt Mr. Rudger have a harder time than I did?

    I didnt do anything.

    His words seemed humble, but in reality, Rudger was the biggest contributor to dealing with the Fire Spirit.

    Flinch.

    To that, Joanna Lovett had a subtle reaction. The other assistants did not notice her strangeness, but Rudger, who was secretly watching her, did but he pretended not to know and continued to talk with Selina.

    Since then, have you checked if the other students have returned safely?

    Ah. Thats fine. All students are safe. My assistant was there at the time, and said it was okay.

    Your assistant?

    Yes.

    Selina stepped aside slightly and pointed to Joanna Lovett.

    Joanna Lovett greeted Rudger by bowing her head slightly. She was clearly drawing a line.

    That is fortunate.

    But when I think about it now, its a bit disappointing. I should have done a little better then.

    You did your best.

    But I couldnt do anything.

    Couldnt do anything

    Rudger saw Selina with his own eyes summoning her spirits to help people evacuate.

    She cant say that she didnt do anything. Perhaps Selina felt ashamed of herself that that was the only thing she could do. If she had been a little stronger, maybe she would have fought against the Spirit of Fire with others.

    But all she could do was help evacuate the civilians and watch the others fight.

    Is that what you were thinking about?

    Selina, who always smiles brightly, has something to worry about.

    I heard from Mr. Vierano that Mr. Rudger yed a decisive role.

    It wasnt a big deal.

    As expected, Mr. Rudger is amazing. Can I be like that too?

    When asked if that could happen, Rudger shook his head.

    No, you cant.

    What?

    Selina opened her eyes wide.

    Usually the answer to a question like this would be Yes, you can do it.

    Ms. Selina and I are different. Even if Selina wanted to be like me, it wouldnt be possible.

    Oh, my God. Really? Yes, I see.

    Selina, who was about to be disappointed, was surprised by Rudgers next words.

    But in other words, I cant be like Ms. Selina.

    Oh, what?

    I dont know how to smile brightly and speak kindly to someone like Ms. Selina. And Im sure its only possible for Ms. Selina.

    Rudgers words almost made Selina float.

    Dont try to be like everyone else. Ms. Selina can do her job well enough as she is now.

    You know what? Mr. Rudger is very special.

    Hmm. Is that so? I dont know.

    If it were other people, they would have only said nice things to me but Mr. Rudger told me whatever you want.

    Im sure everyone does.

    It certainly would have been because Selina is beautiful, and she was loved by everyone. Anyone wants to say something nice to her, and they dont want her to be hurt.

    But Mr. Rudger is different, youre cruel and realistic.

    I apologize if it was hard to hear.

    Selina shook her head.

    No, I think its a relief.

    .

    You know, Mr. Rudger. People say Im a lovely person. Mr. Rudger, do you think so?

    What probably? That actually means no.

    Selina burst intoughter at the words.

    Thats not really the case.

    Maybe so. Are you hurt?

    No

    Then Selina smiled with relief.

    On the contrary, I appreciate you treating me this way. I dont deserve to be loved anyway.

    .

    The moment she uttered those words, her expression was cast with a dark shadow that he had never seen before. But it was only a moment, and Selina returned to her usual fairy-tale princess-like form.

    Oh, look at me. I wasted too much time, right? Mr. Rudger is going to ss soon.

    Thats okay. We still have a lot of time before ss starts.

    Thank you for listening to myints. Ill buy you a mealter.

    You dont have to.

    No, you just have to eat it.

    Selinaughed like a child and took her assistants away so Rudger was left alone. No, he wasnt alone. Rudgers assistant, Sedina Rosen was with him.

    Its unpleasant.

    Sedina Rosen murmured in an irritating voice as she watched Selinas back receding.

    How dare shein to sir First Order? Shes so arrogant.

    I dont care. You dont mind it either.

    But

    You need generosity to pass over these things.

    Yeah, thats right! As expected of Sir First Order!

    It doesnt matter when were alone, but when were with someone else, call me teacher.

    Oh!

    Recognizing her own mistake, Sedina Rosen blushed and bowed her head.

    Sedina Rosen.

    Yes, Mr. Rudger.

    Can you find out about one person? What he did in the past or what his family history was like.

    Sedina nodded at the remark.

    Yes! If you let me do it, Ill know all about his inws and cousins!

    You dont have to do that.

    Rudger, who had already calmed her down a little, cautiously gave Sedina an order.

    Investigate Joanna Lovett.

    Ordinary people would have asked why they should do that, but Sedina, who has already been properly trained by Rudger, did not even think of doing that.

    She was just happy that Sir First Order had given her an order, so she just answered vigorously.

    Yes!

 Chapter 109.1

    C109: Preparations (I)

    After ss, Rudger immediately dressed up in his outdoor clothes and headed to Leathervelk.

    There are five days left before the auction. As time was running out, it was necessary to deal with the preparatory work as quickly as possible.

    Youre here?

    As I entered the building, the meeting point, Alex, who was waiting there, greeted me. However, the atmosphere was clearly different from his usual appearance. It was because of the clothes he was wearing.

    Youve be so handsome that I dont recognize you.

    Wasnt that why you dressed me like this?

    The attire Alex was wearing was not the formal or everyday wearmonly seen in the city today.

    A white, barrel-lined garment with gold thread all over the body. On top of that, he even wears a turban on his head, so his exotic atmosphere is much stronger thanks to his brown skin.

    Alex lifted the hem of his robe and admired it.

    Did you say Violetta? Shes a pretty awesome woman. I cant believe she perfectly designed the clothes worn by aristocrats in the Southern Desert Kingdom.

    Is it okay to wear it?

    She didnt just copy the surface and its sofortable to wear so Ill just wear it.

    Im d you said that. Dont forget, from now on you will be a noble of the Southern Kingdom.

    I know. Al-Guar Mu, son of Al-Jahad Mu and the eighth concubine of the Fatima dynasty. He gave away all of his session rights, but still, thanks to his fathers blessing, he took over some of the mining business. And hes also a cool guy that captivates the women hearts.

    Take out thest one.

    Thats too much.

    Alex smiles mischievously.

    But of course, Alex is not alone in this operation. Rudger looked at Pantos, who was standing next to Alex like his escort.

    Can you do it?

    If it is an order.

    It will not be difficult. After all, Alex here will do all the acting anyway. You just have to stand still and set the mood.

    Pantos role was to be Alexs escort knight. Of course, he was also dressed in a distinctive Southern costume, like Alex.

    His skin was also quite dark in color and he didnt give a sense of alienation at all, perhaps because of his gray hair, like a lions mane, full of wild beauty.

    If youre ready, lets go.

    Whoa. Im nervous for no reason.

    Heres the n.

    First of all, Alex will meet Ivan Luke as the son of a southern nobleman.

    Kunst Auction House is an auction house, but there is a living space to serve guests. To put it bluntly, it is like a hotel.

    This auction is arge-scale event that will be held for a total of three days. As a result, many customers came to Kunst ahead of schedule. And all the guests who usuallye are valuable hands.

    Leader, will Ivan Luke meet me?

    Hell meet you because youre not a regr guest.

    A car was waiting in front of them when they came out. Compared to other cars, it is a modern car with a glossy ck color.

    The three got into the vehicle, and Rudgers exnation continued.

    As you know, Luke is one of thergest conglomerates in the Exilion Empire. The field is so broad that they are found everywhere.

    Right. I know that.

    However, there are areas that Luke could not touch, like dealing with magical tools and artifacts.

    Artifacts? I get it. In the case of magic tools, the business is led by a prestigious high-ranking magic family.

    Right. Entrepreneurs who cant use magic dont dare to set foot in this field.

    The vehicle has started.

    With the gentle sound of the engine, it flows slowly through the city scenery reflected outside the window.

    But even if its apany like that, it doesnt mean there isnt a hole they can go in through.

    Is that the magic liquid?

    Yeah. Magical Liquid is the raw material for magic stones needed to make magic tools. And there arent many ces where the magic liquid can be obtained from. One of them is.

    Southern Fatima.

    The Fatima dynasty is a country with a long history and tradition. How long do you think a nation can survive in that barrennd, where the scorching sun burns and the desert is everywhere?

    Thats because of the existence of a magical liquid called Gods blessing.

    The Fatima dynasty is a country that has built up wealth based on the enormous amount of magical liquid buried deep in the ground. In addition, it has been confirmed that coal and oil, which are used in the recently developed field of science, are also found inrge quantities.

    The magic liquid of the Fatima Dynasty is a luxury that can make high-quality mana stones. Luke cant be the artifacts themselves but if they get the right for raw materials needed for artifacts, the story will change.

    Well, from Lukes point of view, they have no choice but to focus on areas that we havent entered yet. And the role that Im ying right now is the perfect prey.

    Although he is the son of the eight concubine who is not known to the public, he is bound to be a connection and a line for them.

    Ha ha ha. Actually, hes not even the 8th concubines child. First of all, what 8th concubine? How can one man have so many wives?

    To Alex, whoughed jokingly, Rudger responded with a serious tone.

    There is.

    Huh? Really?

    In the Southern Fatima dynasty, a nobleman had more than 20 wives. On the contrary, the words 8th concubine child feel a bit understated.

    Leader. I desperately want to be a nobleman in the Southern Kingdom.

    Unfortunately, it is a ce that values pure blood, so it is a structure that cannot be attacked from below. The religious doctrine is also difficult.

    Well, thats a shame. But what can I do? Since Im acting, I have to make my role clear. What if Ivan Luke doesnt recognize me?

    Do not worry because rumors have been spread in advance.

    The car has stopped.

    Sitting by the window, Rudger opened the door and went outside since he couldnt go to the auction house with Alex. From here it was now Alex and Pantos work.

    Before closing the car door, Rudger reached out to Alex.

    Take it.

    Oh, whats this?

    Alex wondered when he saw the little thing Rudger had given him. It was a strange-shaped pebble-like object, but he couldnt figure out what it was used for.

    Its a portablemunicator.

    Communicator? This little one?

    Seridan made it. If you wear it inside your ears, we can talk in real time even if you are far away. You may try it now.

    Alex wore a portablemunication device handed to him by Rudger in his ear.

    Is this how you do it?

    [[How is it? Can you hear me well?]]

    Thats awesome. It sounds really good. Even the surrounding noise is not blocked.

    [Its still a prototype, so it wont work for long.]

    How much?

    [At the most 3 hours.]

    Well, thats enough.

    Rudger, who finished speaking through themunicator, said before closing the car door.

    Alex, I believe in your ability.

    Oh, my. If you look forward to it, Ill have to show it to you.

    Pantos. You work hard too.

    I get it.

    Rudger closed the car door and hit the roof of the car with his hand. The driver, who received the signal, started the engine and left.

    Rudger stared at the back of the car moving away for a while, then entered into the alley.

    He was also wearing a portablemunicator made by Seridan so now all that was left was to listen to the situation.

    * * *

    Hmm. Sigh.

    At the entrance to the Kunst auction house Ivan Luke repeatedly looked at the watch several times, shaking his legs restlessly.

    I heard hesing, but when will he arrive?

    Director Evan. Lets calm down. It hasnt been long since the news was delivered, so he should arrive soon.

    His bodyguard next to him carefully opened his mouth, but Ivan Luke was not calmed down at all.

    The son of a Fatima nobleman. We must get close for the good of thepany.

    Even if its a parachute, he has the position of a director, so he also knows roughly how thepany is run. And where Lukespany is vulnerable and what weaknesses it has.

    Wouldnt it be better to go inside and wait?

    Cant you understand the situation now? What if we wait inside and the other person arrives? If we make a bad first impression, will you take responsibility?

    Oh, no.

    Then shut up. This is an opportunity for Luke to push out the damn Rocheen and expand our business properly.

    If he wins the magic liquid business right, he will have an opportunity to recover his fathers lost trust. Of course, even if it wasnt for that, it was necessary for thepanys interests, but what happenedst time at the banquet hall made it even more difficult.

    At that moment, a ck car stopped under the entrance to the auction house. It was not an ordinary car just by looking at its appearance.

    Hes here.

    Ivan Luke intuitively realized that his long-awaited guest had arrived. And his intuition became a reality.

    When the driver got out of the car and hurriedly opened the back seat door, what came out of it was an exotic handsome man with brown skin.

    He really came!

    Ivan Luke, desperately hiding his joyous look, lightly checked his outfit. Then he coughed and walked towards the man.

    Its nice to meet you. My name is Ivan Luke, the general manager of this Kunst auction house.

    Oh, I see. Nice to meet you. Im.

    I have heard of you. Al-Guar Mu, the eighth son of Al-Jahad Mu.

    Alex, now Al-Guar Mu, smirked.

    ha-ha. You recognize me, who is virtually alienated from my family? Im so grateful for this.

    No. How would you speak like that? Lets go inside. Id like to serve you with all my heart.

    I will.

    And the escort.

    Ivan shut his mouth when he saw the escort from the passenger seat of the car.

    His own bodyguards are also the same size, but when a man one head taller than them appeared, he lost his words under the pressure.

    He had a solemn and heavy atmosphere and muscles that almost tore his clothes apart along with wild white hair.

    Ivan Luke gulped.

    Ha ha ha. Your escort is really great.

    Oh, do you recognize him? Hes an incredible warrior that can fight a hundred men. Hes even a Suin.

    Oh, a Suin warrior. I knew it!

    Ivan responded desperately to Al-Guars words and he immediately gave his bodyguards a wink.

    Ivans bodyguards, who had been given instructions in advance, moved quickly and cleared the way.

    The other guest looked at the grand wee but Ivan Luke didnt care about that because he had to focus on the man in front of him.

    Lets go. Mr. Guar.

    Ha-ha Ivan. Dont call me Mr. Guar, you can call mefortably. From my perspective, you look the same age as me, isnt that morefortable? No. Id rather you do that friend.

    Should I?

    Ivans face flushed and he felt like flying in the sky as the guest that he had to convince came out so friendly.

    Alex received Ivans hospitality and entered the Kunst auction house. He whispered in his ear.

    Leader, Im in.

    [I get it. Good luck.]

    What did you just say?

    Oh, I was amazed for a moment because I like the interior. Its fascinating because it has a different tone from our kingdom.

    Hahaha. You have good eyes. This interior is made by a promising architect, Lidenars.

    Alex quickly scoured the auction house, replying appropriately to Ivan, who was excited and chattering wildly.

    Well, the hall near the entrance is pretty heavily guarded.

    As Hans told them, ck Guards in ck armor were ced everywhere and stood guarding their seats.

    If he didnt hear it in advance, he would think that they just left the armor model in ce. However, seeing the gazes through the gap in the ck helmet, it was certain that there were persons inside the armors.

    Ill have to check another ce first.

    The internal structure is already perfectly memorized in his head, but seeing it with his own eyes is another thingpared to checking the drawing.

    So Alex was guided by Ivan and toured the auction house.

    Ivan didnt even think to question Alexs identity. First of all, Alexs outfit, as well as his exotic and rxed appearance, were the same as the nobleman he knew.

    In fact, Alexs realistic ount of what happened in the Fatima Dynasty was like that of the locals.

    Ivan, my friend. Come to think of it, there was one thing I forgot.

    What did you forget?

    I was given a valuable item on my way here, but I dont have a ce to store it.

    With that said, Alex snapped his finger, and the man he had hired as a driver popped out a bag. The guards around him prepared for a possible situation, but Ivan raised his hand to stop them.

    Whats that?

    This time, our family carried out a project to make a better quality mana stone using a newbination of magic liquid.

    Ivans eyes were filled with greed at his words.

    Really?

    He tried to stay calm, but Alex was sure that he had already fallen for it.

    Where are you going to use it?

    Nothing has been confirmed yet. Im here to check it out.

    Really? When are you going to decide?

    I want to decide right away, but since Im here, Im going to take a break. But I cant always carry these precious prototypes when I y, right? If I keep paying attention to things like this, Ill only get stressed.

    Ha ha. I understand.

    But I cant really think of a ce to keep it. So Id like to ask you, my friend, do you know any good ces?

    Alex threw the bait and Ivan took it so easily.

    Of course! Follow me! Theres a good ce.

    Ivan immediately took the lead and Alex, who was watching his back, signaled Rudger.

    Leader. This is <hugo>. I will start the operation with <melville>.</melville></hugo>

    [I get it.]

    Alex, code name Victor Hugo, and Pantos, code name Herman Melville, moved to the basement of the Kunst auction house.

 Chapter 110

    C110: Preparations (2)

    Ivan boasted that he would show the basement of the Kunst auction house. Alex, who already knew about it, was surprised that Ivan Luke himself came forward and introduced it.

    Its not really a secret.

    Ivan is acting like that for two reasons.

    One is that people are thoughtlessly stupid enough to easily expose such an important ce.

    The other one.

    Even if he lets people know that such an important ce exists, he is confident that they will never rob it.

    Alex thought thetter was obvious.

    Here it is. What do you think?

    Alex could feel from the moment he stood at the entrance to the underground why Ivan Luke could be so confident.

    Its bloody from the entrance.

    The elevator is the only way down to the basement and guards were guarding the elevator entrance.

    There are only two guards but if theyre knights the story is different.

    And even the security of the entrance.

    Surprisingly, the elevator didnt have a separate button. Instead, Ivan took out a key he had brought beforehand and inserted it into an existing groove instead where the button should be. Then, the door of the elevator opened from side to side with a rattling sound.

    Is this not just a lift? It looks like its made of pretty sophisticated machinery, so it wont open without a key.

    Alex pretended to be surprised at the sight, but his eyes did not miss the shape of the key. An ornate key ted in gold with a red jewel on the handle.

    Come on. Lets go in.

    Of course, my friend.

    Ivan Luke, Alex, Pantos and other escorts got on the lift.

    The driver could not follow because this was a ce where only invited people coulde. As a result, Pantos was holding the case instead of the person hired as driver.

    The inside of the elevator was wider than expected, enough for more than 30 strong adult men to ride. It may have been made like this because arge number of objects are carried.

    Ring.

    Soon the elevator door that arrived underground opened. Contrary to what he thought it would be monotonous, the inside was quiteplex with a long corridor and several passages.

    This is the basement of our Kunst Auction House, where we maintain an imprable security that has not been breached by anyone for the past 20 years.

    Oh, thats great.

    Alex pped his hands in delight as he skimmed through the scenery inside.

    I didnt know there was such a huge space in the basement of the auction house.

    Ha ha. It takes that much space to store the items for auction. My father, the chairman, has thought of that issue since he built this building.

    As expected of Chairman Luke. Ivan, are you the chairmans sessor?

    Hmm. What do you mean by that? Not yet, but Ill soon be. Ha-ha-ha.

    When Alex ttered him, Ivan couldnt control his excitement and talked about things that he didnt ask.

    This basement has a room where the guards live, and there is also a storage room. But the safest ce is probably the auction room. Its practically a safe.

    Are you keeping my things there too?

    Of course. The meaning of this underground space is the storage room. Its made up of threerge rooms, each with thetest artifacts to keep an eye on the interior 24/7.

    Thats great!

    Alex was impressed but checked against the information Hans had learned and confirmed that it was all true.

    Then where should I keep this thing?

    Of course in room number three. Actually, there are three storage rooms, but theyre not all the same. We divide the items in the order of importance and put the lesser ones in room 1, and the most important ones in room 3. Of course, everything is important since we store them, but you know what Im talking about.

    Of course. No matter how valuable items are, theres definitely a difference between them.

    Hahaha. As expected, Guar, youre well aware of it. Poor, stinkymoners think theyre all pretty and cool things, but people like us need to know how to properly identify the true nature of these things. Look at this watch Im wearing.

    Suddenly Ivan Luke starts boasting about the brand and ornaments of the clothes he was wearing. Alex thought they were the same, and tried to reciprocate his words, but suddenly stopped because the atmosphere of Pantos, which had been silently following him since a while ago, was not good.

    Pantos was now slowly getting irritated and Alex immediately gave Pantos a hint that only he could see.

    Hey, what are you doing? Are you trying to start a fight?

    .

    Pantos had been staring at Ivan Luke for a while. The other bodyguards hadnt noticed yet, but Alex, who was sensitive to this, realized that it was only a matter of time before he would get caught.

    Oh, by the way!

    Alex pped his hands to change the mood.

    Ivan also stopped talking to his hearts content.

    Come to think of it, I havent eaten anything since noon today. Ivan, is there any restaurant you would rmend?

    You can actually eat here. Inside the Kunst auction house, theres a top-notch restaurant for customers.

    Then please guide me! Escort, hand over the bag.

    Alex nced at Pantos but Pantos remained silent and stood still.

    Although he knew from the first time they met that Pantos had a weird personality he hoped that hell not mess up the operation.

    Guar, what happened to your escort?

    Dont worry, he does that often. Hes such a silent fellow that sometimes he doesnt listen to me.

    Is that okay?

    Yes, because his skills are real.

    Alex walked up to Pantos and whispered quietly so that only he could hear him.

    Are you going to vite the leaders orders?

    Pantos reacted for the first time when he mentioned Rudger. He had been trying to figure out how to keep Ivan quiet, since he waspping in front of him for a while.

    It didnt matter what the operation was because he hated seeds that had no strength and no spirit, but lived only with their mouths.

    But as soon as Alex brought out Rudgers name, Pantos realized that the leader had given him an important task, which was more important than anything else.

    Here it is.

    Pantos held out arge case in one hand and Ivans bodyguards stepped forward and epted it instead.

    Alex wiped his sweat at the sight.

    Shall we go eat?

    His purpose has already been achieved, since he has seen all the internal structures with his own eyes.

    * * *

    Alex shared a meal with Ivan while Pantos stood still at distance from them because he thought he might hit Ivan without realizing it.

    Alex thought it was rather fortunate because Pantos was like a ticking time bomb without Rudger and he almost raised suspicions in the basement storage room a while ago.

    But there was a profit.

    Before sharing the meal, Ivan showed Alex another ce. It was the security control room that monitored the underground storage room in real time.

    In a spacious room, about six of what Rudger said were disys were hung on the wall, and the guards watched them.

    Was that how it was structured?

    Ivan may have been showing off, but Alex couldnt get enough of it. Thanks to this, he had aplete picture of how security was maintained here.

    Now all thats left.

    Was to inform his leader and colleagues of this fact and to do that, he had to get out of this ce quickly

    Have a good meal.

    Just in time, the chef himself brought a te of steak and ced it in front of him.

    Oh, Ill eat first.

    He couldnt refuse food made by a top chef.

    Alex raised his fork and knife, thinking like that.

    * * *

    After finishing the meal, Alex briefly told Rudger the details while Ivan was distracted.

    [The n is a sess leader.]

    [Really? Thats a relief]

    [Its exactly as the leader said. I checked it with my eyes, and remembered everything I saw. All we have to do now is execute the strategy properly, right?]

    [Of course] As long as you remember everything you saw.]

    [Who do you think I am? This operation can definitely seed without an unexpected ambush. Thats what my gut tells me.]

    [Thats a relief.]

    Alex was about to say goodbye to Ivan but at that moment a woman walked into the restaurant inside the Kunst auction house.

    I am. Why is the manager telling me to wait here?

    What?

    Alex had a nk look on his face without even thinking about managing it and hemunicated with Rudger in a trembling voice.

    [Leader, Im in trouble.]

    [Whats going on?]

    [An unexpected ambush has appeared.]

    [What?]

    Alexs eyes could not be separated from the woman looking around the restaurant.

    She hadnt figured this out yet but the moment the womans head turned to look around Alex unknowingly turned his back on her.

    [Victor Hugo. Answer me. What happened?]

    [Shes here.]

    [She? Who came?]

    [Enya Joynus.]

    The woman who just entered the restaurant inside the Kunst auction house was dressed in a dress, but she kept twisting her body around as if she was ufortable. She was the Nightcrawler Knight member that was staying in Leathervelk on Trinas orders.

    [If its Enya, is that Enya?]

    [Yeah, my ex-girlfriend.]

    She was also Alexs former lover.

    * * *

    Rudger, who heard the news from Alex, frowned. It wasnt a response to the news but the opposite.

    Enya Joynus?

    Rudger recalled that not long ago she hade to the Teachers Office to find him.

    I see. Was it then?

    At that time, it was a knight wearing sses called Lloyd who asked him about the werewolf incident.

    Trina Ryanhowl also came to Theon but thanks to the president he never had to face her in person but he remembers seeing her from afar through the window.

    At that time there was another knight with Lloyd by Trinas side, but he didnt pay much attention to her, so she went unnoticed.

    It was Enya.

    Rudger also knew that Alex was an old lover of Enya. What happened to them in the past? Why did the two of them have face each other here?

    Victor Hugo. Get out of there at once. Dont worry about anything else.

    [I got it]

    Alexs answer came back over themunicator. He, who finishedmunicating with Rudger, immediately spoke to Ivan.

    Friend, I have to go.

    Uh, are you going already?

    Ha ha. Since Ivee to a big city of the Empire, shouldnt I look around a little more? Dont worry too much. Ive checked it in, and Ille backter.

    Oh, of course. More than that, the mana stone.

    Well talk about itter. I want to talk about business at a more important ce. You know what I mean right?

    Yes, of course!

    Alex gave Pantos a signal. The operation was over, so it was time to leave.

    Pantos immediately followed Alex, standing by him like an escort.

    There are ces like this in the world.

    Enyas voice echoed in his ear and Alex nced at Enya as he left the restaurant.

    She hasnt noticed him yet because hes Guar not Alex right now.

    She hasnt changed.

    But inside, he also wanted her to recognize him.

    Before and now, Enyas appearance has remained the same. No. Butpared to then, he can tell that she was a little more mature.

    Of course, shes still small and looks ridiculous but Alex knew better than anyone how strong she was.

    But

    He bit his lips because he can no longer approach Enya.

    Youre a liar!

    He still cant forget the voice Enya was crying at him that day. So even if he met her in a ce like this now, he had to pass it as if they had never met.

    Lets go.

    Alex swallowed his regret and left the auction house with Pantos.

 Chapter 111

    C111:Rain and City (1)

    Chapter sponsored bymomo.Thank you for your support.

    After returning to the hideout, Alex immediately changed into his usual light clothes.

    Sigh, this suit fits me the best.

    At least fasten the buttons properly in the front.

    Despite Rudgersments, Alex was hanging on the sofa and didnt listen properly.

    Rudger tried to say something but stopped. He knew that Alex was acting like that because he was so mentally exhausted.

    Just in time, the door opened and the members arrived one by one. Of the executives of the secret organization {U.N. Owen} only Bruna was absent, and she was busy analyzing the werewolf drug Rudger had given her.

    Everyones here so lets start the meeting.

    Rudger, who confirmed all the people gathered, looked sideways at Alex.

    Alex.

    All right.

    Alex shook his head and exined what he had seen at the Kunst auction house and what was going on inside, in particr the structure of the internal underground storage room.

    The other members listened to him with surprised expressions.

    Thats all.

    Hmm. Is it structured like that?

    Hans stroked his chin and asked Alex.

    You said they could see the inside from 6 spots?

    Yes, there were two artifacts in each vault.

    Is the internal structure of the safe all the same?

    All three are of the same size. There is a difference in how the objects are ced, but I remember all of that.

    Rudger said.

    Violetta, do you know any architecture or interior design experts?

    Yes, you can ask Old Kids for that.

    Seridan, how is the production of the items I ordered?

    Itll be done in three days.

    Please do it as soon as possible.

    I will. Besides, theres more than one thing to do now, arent you rolling me too hard?

    Seridan pouted her lips and grunted.

    In fact, she was busy making a shooting device that mimics the artifact tool and a portablemunicator, as well as other items. Shes probably the busiest in this organization.

    But what can we do? We need the items to be done in the shortest time possible.

    But arent you doing it because you like it?

    Thats true!

    Seridan couldnt bear to refute. No matter what anyone says, she enjoys the whole process. In fact, even now, her hands are itching because she wants to make things quickly.

    The auction is held for a total of three days. The period is longer, especially as it is held in a grand manner and every day the items that are auctioned will be different.

    When I checked the lists, what we were looking for was in safe number three, which holds the most important items. So its going to be auctioned on the third day.

    On the first day the items in safe number one will be auctioned, on the second day the items in safe two and so on.

    Since what we need will appear on the third day it would be appropriate to execute the operation on the second day.

    Leader, why did you choose the second day?

    They will be the most vignt on the first day since they must be alert in case anything happens. At that time, if we stand out even a little, we will be suspected immediately but if we pass the first day safely, theyll be a little off guard from the next day, so thats the best time.

    Its certainly usible.

    Is it better like that?

    It was Violetta who opened her mouth.

    You said a security officer was there? The Nightcrawler Knights of the Security Bureau have a reputation.

    But its only one person.

    Alex replied, but Violetta snorted lightly.

    How can you be sure that there is only one? There may be more toe after that. And from hearing Mr. Alexs story, it seems that hes familiar with the security officer. Will that affect the operation?

    .

    Hans and Seridan nodded as if in agreement with Violettas words.

    Alexs role is to pretend to be someone elses, but things will go wrong if someone who knows his past will be there.

    Its more surprising than that. I cant believe you know a knight from the Security Agency. What was your rtionship?

    What kind of rtionship? Its nothing.

    They were lovers.

    It was Rudger who answered and Alex stared at Rudger with a stern look.

    Leader.

    Its a lie that will soon be found out anyway. Pantos was there so whats the point of lying here?

    Yes.

    He couldnt refute him so Alex had no choice but to let out a sigh. He shook his head as if he had finally given up, raising both of his hands.

    We met a while ago and were lovers for a short time. Thats it.

    Alexs voice was so calm and heavy that they could not find his usual frivolity.

    Did you have an affair?

    Well, thats it.

    Alex smiled bitterly and did not deny Violettas words because she wasnt wrong.

    But Im confident that Ill definitely do my part. So dont worry.

    Well, just looking at the information you brought today seems to be enough. I dont doubt you. The leader seems to think so too.

    Violetta didnt push Alex any further since Rudger, the leader of the organization, didnt say anything.

    At that time, Arpa, who had been quietly listening to them talk, raised his hand and asked a question.

    Then, will the operation proceed as it is?

    Yes, theres a security officer, but theres only one. Its still part of my prediction.

    So theres nothing wrong with that, is there?

    Yeah, itll be alright as long as no more annoying people show up.

    Rudger stared out the window. Dark clouds were gathering in the sky, and even in broad daylight, a light shadow was cast on the city.

    Seeing the sky making a loud noise as if it had a stomach upset, it felt like it was going to rain heavily soon.

    Is it a dark cloud from the north?

    Thats unlucky.

    As long as there are no annoying people.

    * * *

    At a railway station in Leathervelk the citizens moved hastily as they had a hunch that heavy rain would soon fall from the dark clouds.

    The entrance to the train station, which would normally have been crowded, was quiet as if a war had broken out. At that moment, the cheerful sound of footsteps echoed in contrast to the deste ce.

    Finally, were here!

    The woman, wearing a short beige trench coat that was refined to make it easier to work, looked back with a bold smile.

    Assistant, its going to rain soon. If you are toote, youll end up like a wet mouse.

    Wait a minute Casey! Dont go on your own like that! I have a lot of luggage.

    It was a girl of a smaller build than a woman named Casey who came out protesting. She had blonde short hair and her age seemed to be between a teenager and an adult.

    Looking as if she had a doll-like perfect figure, she had arge lump of luggage on her back and under her arms that were three times her size.

    Why are you telling me not to bete if you leave all this stuff to me?

    Its because youre strong. Isnt it natural for a more capable person to carry the heavier things? Its an efficient distribution of work.

    Its sophistry! Were traveling in the first ce, so whats the point of packing so much? Most of them are useless!

    Theyre not useless, theyre tools to relieve my burning inspiration.

    At that moment, some of the bags held by the blonde girl leaned sideways and the contents inside spilled on the ground.

    It was a myriad of paper sheets.

    Ah! Seriously! What is this? I cant believe that newspapers and incident materials that you have collected from all over the continent for the past five years are piled up in my bag. Did you know that these alone are heavier than 30 books? Do I have to carry these with me?

    I need everything. So, Betty, arent you going to move fast?

    The girl called Betty twisted her face.

    Why?

    Because its going to rain soon.

    Its raining? Thats definitely not a good thing.

    Betty didnt like being in the rain. It had to do with her birth, and she couldnt help it.

    When is iting?

    Hmm. The sky is dark, its a little bit windy and the humidity right now is about five?

    Five minutes? Its not toote yet!

    4, 3, 2, 1.

    At the end of her count a raindrop fell from the sky to the top of Bettys head.

    Ah?

    Bettys face turned pale. Her eyes turned to the sky from where raindrops fell one by one through the cracks in the dark clouds.

    Argh! Casey! Its raining! Its raining!

    I know.

    Im not saying I know, I mean we should avoid it! Oops! The paper on the floor is going to get wet!

    Seeing Betty screaming at her, Casey unfolded the ck umbre she had prepared beforehand.

    When did you bring your umbre? What about mine?

    I only have mine.

    What?! Now, wait a minute! I cant get rained on! You know how delicate I am!

    Seeing Betty who became desperate and contemtive, Casey grinned, revealing her little teeth.

    Just kidding.

    The moment she said that, Caseys magic was manifested. The rain falling from the sky flew down as if blocked by an invisible membrane and surprisingly, even the paper spilled on the ground didnt get wet.

    The raindrops, which had been falling from the sky, couldnt touch Betty and Casey.

    Betty, who was in tears, stared at Casey.

    Really. If you were going to do this, you shouldve done it earlier!

    Despite Bettys annoyance, Casey justughed as if she was funny. If a third person saw this scene, even someone who had some deep knowledge of magic, he would have been shocked.

    Casey didnt create water using magic, but was interfering with the raindrops falling from the sky with magic. It was only one attribute, but only a wizard who reached the extreme of that attribute could do it.

    She is a talented person who can interfere with water existing in nature beyond making water in the air and her name is Casey Selmore. She is also the owner of the title Water Colour, a title that can only be obtained by the best existing wizards.

    Although she is a wizard, she is an entric adventurer who wanders the world. She is the granddaughter of Serocion Selmore, a very famous detective in the past andstly a genius private detective who knocked down the infamous Professor James Moriarty in the Kingdom of Delica.

    And now she came to Leathervelk.

    Kathy, what the hell did youe to Leathervelk for?

    Betty, who was curiously watching the falling raindrops move away from her, suddenly asked, unable to resist her curiosity.

    She was picking up the materials she had spilled and putting them back in the case and Casey, who was leading the way, said, kicking a pool of water on the floor with her leather boots.

    It smells like an incident here.

    Whats the smell of the incident?

    Betty, you know what? I heard that there have been many recent incidents in this city called Leathervelk. One of the prime examples is the werewolf attack.

    Because of a werewolf? But the appearance of a cryptid is not a problem, right?

    Its not an ordinary cryptid.

    What do you mean?

    Instead of answering the questions,

    AndThest traces are pointing this way.

    Whose traces?

    James Moriarty.

    Betty asked again if she had heard something wrong.

    Who?

    James, Moriarty.

    So, who?

    James Moriarty!

    Why are you screaming? It was said that James Moriarty was caught, no killed by Casey.

    Do you still believe that crap?

    I dont know. It was after that that I met Casey.

    Oh, my.

    Casey Selmore let out a rising sigh.

    Thats just what people say. Its all nonsense with no logic or proof.

    Then, was it a lie that he fell from the cliff where a waterfall falls after the final battle between the man and the Kingdom of Delica?

    No, thats true.

    What?

    But the only difference from whats known is that hes not dead.

    Why? I heard his body was not found. Did you see him run away?

    No, its just my hunch.

    Betty frowned.

    Youre having a hunch again? Where do you put that superior reasoning ability?

    These are things that a friend I met a long time ago passed to me, but I may have been a little influenced by her.

    Friend?

    I have a friend who I cant meet easily even though I want to and I didnt just say it because of my hunch. Theres evidence that hes actually alive.

    Casey pointed with a thin finger to the case where Betty had been holding documents and newspapers until a moment ago.

    You know the newspapers and case documents in your case.

    Betty wiggled her lips. This is because she never imagined that the pieces of paper that this tomboydy had collected so far had meaning.

    Really?

    Five years ago.

    ?

    In the Kingdom of Durman, there was an incident where countless cryptids multiplied abnormally and attacked citizens. It was called the Bloody Night.

    Oh, I heard that, too. There was a huge monster that led the cryptids.

    The beast of Durman. It is known that it was a bigger and more terrifying beast than any cryptid that had ever appeared. Its just that the cryptid ate up as many elite knights that belonged to the royal family.

    Thats right, thats right.

    And there was one hunter who defeated such a beast.

    I know. The best hunter, Abraham Van Helsing. Hes famous, right?

    Yes, Abraham van Helsing has built a great reputation by hunting the beast of Durman but he suddenly disappeared.

    Whats wrong with that?

    Casey said something else instead of answering.

    The Kingdom of Patali, adjacent to the Empire four years ago. It is a country that has been disgraced to the point where aristocrats have exploited people and made it difficult for the nation to finance itself. There appeared a thief called Arsene Lupin. He stole a lot of stuff, and after about a year of activity, he suddenly disappeared.

    Casey, what are you talking about?

    Three years ago, a huge conspiracy wriggled in the shadow of the Kingdom of Delica. A man united all the organizations of the back world, took control of the military industry, started a war, and tried to sweep away enormous wealth. It was the infamous James Moriarty and he suddenly disappeared.

    .

    Betty also noticed what Casey was trying to say.

    Theyre all the same person, right?

    I guess so.

    Isnt that just spection?

    I hope so, but I heard some interesting news recently. You know there was a civil war in northern Utah not too long ago?

    What? Yes, I did. The prince faction started a civil war and the royal faction fought against it. Eventually, the fight ended with a victory for the royalists.

    Yeah, but theres one less well-known piece of news. There was a man who led the royal faction to victory.

    What?

    The mans name is Machiavelli. He suddenly disappeared after the war. Like the others I mentioned.

    Casey smiled and stared at the scenery of Leathervelk, where the mist was rising. People were not seen because the rain could not be prevented by an umbre. The only reflection on her retina is the image of a drenched in the rain.

    Thest ce he supposedly went to was Leathervelk.

    Her blue eyes seemed to stare at something else beyond the city.

 Chapter 112

    C112: Rain and City (2)

    Sorry for theck of updates but I had 3 crazy days. To make up Ill release 2 chapters today and tomorrow.

    The rain poured as if there was a hole in the sky and a hazy mist of water engulfed the entire city.

    The boundary between the dull sky and the city copsed. Even beyond the far horizon, it was crushed into one, as if the sky and the ground were united by rain.

    Casey walked through the center of the water-covered world.

    Casey, is that true?

    Casey turned her head halfway at Bettys question, who had been following her in the rain thanks to her magic.

    What?

    That James Moriarty is alive, and that he is now in this city.

    Yes, ording to my reasoning. The timing of the activities of the people I told you about is oddly right.

    But that doesnt make sense. Why is a man of such skill walking around the world hiding his identity?

    I dont know that.

    What? You dont know but you were so sure?

    Betty, theres one thing my grandfather told me.

    Whats that?

    After you exclude the impossible, all that is left is the truth, no matter how absurd it may be.

    Thats what Serocion Selmore, a famous detective of his time, always said to Casey.

    Casey, you are a smart kid, smarter than me. One day you will surely be a great person.

    Her grandfather, who sat in her rocking chair and smoked his pipe, warmly stroked her hair when she was a child with his wrinkled hands.

    So please. Make this world a better ce to live.

    Rumbling.

    Casey, who was recalling those memories, woke up from her imagination to the sound of thunder ringing in the sky.

    Anyway, its like that. Thats why I was tracking him. The famous hunter, the big criminal of the back world, the mercenary who ended the civil war and the worst thief. I cant let such a man run amok.

    Who is he?

    Well, even the name James Moriarty is a pseudonym. He might have been active before that. That was the first time Id ever met.

    Casey was also curious about the mans identity but its not his identity that matters.

    The man who drove the Kingdom of Delica into chaos, the evil man who almost started a war, could not be left alone, she had to arrest him.

    So lets go. I have a reservation for a hotel.

    Wait! Can we take a carriage?

    What kind of carriage can we get in this rain? Dont you know that carriages drawn by golems cant get into water? And in this day and age, its hard to find a real horse-drawn carriage.

    Ugh. Annoying.

    Dont worry, the hotel is not far away.

    Where is it?

    Kunst.

    Casey nced up at the heavy raindrops falling from the sky. The rain has weakened so it will probably stop raining by the time they reach their destination.

    Theres a big auctioning up, and Ive been invited.

    Is Casey interested in the auction?

    Im not interested in the auction itself. Originally, I needed a suitable ce to stay, but they just sent me an invitation. Well, they needed the name value of a famous guest.

    Kunst, run by Luke, did not attract Caseys attention. She chose it because she wouldnt have to go through the cumbersome process of checking in at another hotel.

    Of course, she had another purpose.

    And theres that.

    Casey smiled yfully. It was the mischievous smile she put on whenever she thought of an event toe.

    Betty, you know what? Every time theres a big event like an auction, theres always an incident.

    Looking at her, who had already enjoyed the idea of an incident and solving it, Betty replied with a slight pout.

    At this point, isnt Casey just bringing the case? Im a little suspicious.

    Oh, Im going to go to the hotel and rest.

    Ah! Now, wait a minute! Rain! Its raining! You did it on purpose, right? Casey!

    Casey lightly ignored her.

    * * *

    The rain, which seemed to sweep the world away, soon stopped and the dark-clouded sky gradually began to regain its original light.

    Sunlight poured down through the cracks in the clouds while I stood on the spire on the roof of the building and stared at the sight of Leathervelk.

    The golden light emitted by the dying sun touches the clouds and spreads around and the water of the Ramsey River, where the rough current flows, sprayed the broken light.

    Watching the magnificent appearance of the sky and the contrast of the silent city suddenly reminded me of the old days when I first met my teacher and learned about the world and he brought me around the continent and showed me the wide world.

    Even then, such a beautiful sunset was falling.

    I reached out my hand in the air, its the same sky as then, but the touch is different. I was younger in the past, and I wasnt as tall as I am now. Above all, it was a vast meadow, not a city.

    Where the wind ran like a wild horse and cast its footprints on the grass, where the endless Milky Way unfolded like silk at night and The sound of insects and the smell of grass that stimted the tip of the nose. At my fingertips, the touch of silver grass still lingered in the wind.

    What are you thinking?

    Then a voice was heard.

    I turned my head and Alex wasing up through an irondder leading up to the spire.

    I was just looking at the sky.

    Sky?

    Alex stood next to me and whistled as he watched the golden sunset over the clouds.

    Its a rare sight in a city like this. Is it because its after the rain?

    Maybe.

    You were looking at the sky alone in such a difficult ce to climb up? Leader is more emotional than I thought.

    It sounds like you have something to tell me.

    Is it because I hit the nail on the head right away? Alex looked foolish for a moment and smiled despondently.

    I just wanted to say thank you.

    What are you talking about?

    You trusted me and didnt let me out of this operation.

    Have you not given up on her yet?

    I dont deserve to have regrets.

    Alex is usually being frivolous, but he wasnt like this from the beginning. There was a time when he also had a dream and tried to do it and Enya was the lover Alex met at that time.

    Have you calmed down?

    Roughly.

    It should be enough not to cause a setback on the day of the operation.

    Dont worry about it. Well, thats enough of my story. I thought Id talk about my colleagues first.

    Talk about his colleagues? Rudger already expected that. Each of them was a talented person full of personality and strange abilities that he gathered through his personal connections.

    They say they get along well with him, but theres no guarantee theyll get along with each other.

    Especially the big one.

    Do you mean Pantos?

    Whats wrong with him? He almost messed up!

    But didnt it work out well?

    It was barely enough because I used leaders name. If I hadnt acted properly there, I would have already been caught.

    It cant be helped, Im the only one he decided to swear allegiance to. He doesnt care about others.

    Damn. There is no such thing asradeship. Hes a troublesome character.

    But Pantos is so candid and sincere. If you dig into it well, he will be a goodpanion.

    Oh, I dont like such a hard guy.

    I dont really hate it after saying that. What about the other people you saw?

    Alex pondered my question with his arms crossed and came up with an answer.

    Everyone is first ss in their field but their personalities are a little weird.

    Does it include you?

    Its the same for leader.

    Alex responded to my mischief with a joke.

    And you know that guy named Hans.

    Yes.

    His ability to gather information is first ss, but I feel a bit disappointed.

    There would be no regrets for doing more than the role he was given.

    That peculiar constitution, the power to turn into a beast will surely be of great help in battle.

    I was wondering what he was talking about, but was it because of that?

    As you know, Hans avoids fighting. Thats his nature.

    You mean hes a coward?

    Are you a coward?

    I nodded, brooding Alexs retort.

    He wasnt wrong.

    Yes, hes a coward. He has that kind of power and he prefers to avoid fights. So he kept running away until he met me.

    Well, I thought hes pretty strong when I saw him turning into a beast.

    Alexs senses were keen.

    In fact, when Hans transforms into a beast the strength of the body is close to the level of a hard-trained knight. If he uses the teeth of a more special beast, he will be even stronger.

    Even if he doesnt fight, Hans is doing his part well enough. Its none of your business.

    Well, thats not a bigint, Im just a little disappointed. Its a pity to rot with that power.

    You dont have to look too negative. One day, there will be a time when Hans will be determined.

    Really?

    Maybe.

    I stared over the horizon at the sun that was gradually fading.

    Maybe soon.

    Is that just a hunch? Or is that reasonable reasoning?

    Which side do you think it is?

    Well, if I had to say it, Id say its a hunch. Oh and the kid named Arpa.

    When Alex thought of Arpa he was confused.

    Something is strange.

    What do you mean?

    Its just. Should I say its his actions, or should I say he gives off a heterogeneous energy? Well, its obvious that leader brought him in, but hes a little.

    Alex nced at me and asked.

    What was he doing?

    I didnt answer the question and turned my back.

    Lets go down. We have to prepare for the operation.

    Ha. Youre not going to tell me until the end?

    Its a way to figure it out on your own.

    Thats too much, really.

    Isnt it boring if I tell you everything? Dont be impatient. Youll find out gradually when you work together. Thats the fun of life.

    Alex shook his head as if he had lost.

    * * *

    Time went by quickly, and the day of the auction that will make Leathervelk noisy hase.

    People dressed in colorful clothes head to the Kunst auction house one by one while the employees bow down to greet the guests.

    Even under the dark night sky, the Kunst auction house was filled with colorful lights beyond the light of the streetlights to the point where its brilliance flows out from the outside.

    This was an auction to mark the 20th anniversary of Kunst. The auction, which willst for as long as three days, was of unprecedented interest to the rich and authoritative.

    Even the first days eve people were paying a lot of attention but they were more focused on the second day.

    Famous actors, aristocrats, wizards, entrepreneurs, merchants, etc. Wherever you go, there are many people who dont have a single name.

    There are a lot of people.

    Erendir, who came to the Kunst auction house under the guidance of a retainer, seemed to be drawn to the splendid scenery inside.

    Oh, my God, how much is that? If I sell that one, how many ordinary people can I save?

    Someone approached her as she thought of such nonsense.

    Third Princess Erendir von Exilion, thank you for visiting this Kunst. My name is Ivan Luke, the general manager of todays auction. Please feel free to call me Luke.

    Ah yes.

    Erendir replied lightly to Ivan because she had only made a formal visit. She didnt really like people that pretended to be fancy.

    However, without knowing Erendirs true feelings, Ivan Luke reached out to escort her. Erendir couldnt refuse coldly, but she decided to respond appropriately for now.

    Ha ha. Thank you for allowing me this precious time.

    Its nothing.

    I will guide you to your seat. Would you like to watch the auction right away?

    No. Im a little tired today, so I want to rest in my room for now.

    Our Kunst auction house also serves as a hotel, so Ill take you to a room dedicated to VVIP.

    Erendir, who followed Ivan Luke, stopped as if she had found a familiar face among a myriad of people.

    Whats wrong, Your Highness?

    No, its nothing.

    Erendir replied, but could not take her eyes off the crowd.

    Did I just see something wrong?

    She was sure she had seen someone familiar in the crowd but it happened so momentarily that Erendir was not sure if it was real.

    * * *

    Rudger, who entered the Kunst auction house,municated to the other members through a micromunicator worn on his ear.

    This is {Unknown}. Can you hear me?

    Soon after, other members replied that they could hear well.

    Rudger, whost confirmed that the silent Pantos answered yes, gave instructions while looking inside the auction house filled with colorful lights and entertainment.

    {U.N. Owen}, lets start the operation.

    Operation Rudgers 8 has begun.

 Chapter 113

    Chapter sponsored bymomo.Thank your for your support.

    [Starting the operation]

    Outside the auction house, Hans, who was waiting inside the building opposite the big boulevard, gulped down with nervousness.

    It finally started.

    The first attempt to rob Kunst auction house that has stopped every thief in thest 20 years.

    Hoo. Lets calm down.

    He has done many things to help Rudger so far, but he was proud to say that there are only a handful of cases where his heart trembled like this.

    Of course, his job was easypared to his colleagues who went directly into the auction house. He only had to activate the inventions that Seridan had made when the timing was right.

    Sneaking away the curtains by the window, Hans looked down at the scenery outside. The entrance to the Kunst auction house, which entered its second day today, was still crowded.

    There were rich businessmen and nobles, people who are at the top of the pyramid of society, and everyone looks up to everywhere.

    They have a good life.

    Hans has always envied people like that.

    When he wandered aimlessly, not knowing when he would be hunted because of his damn constitution, these people must have lived in splendid mansions, unaware of the cold and hunger.

    That didnt mean that I hated them or anything like that. Rather, he admired them a little.

    He also wanted to make a lot of money someday to settle down and live a decent life. He wanted to enjoy freedom in his own house without anyone disturbing him, thats what he dreamed of.

    Then I met you.

    Rudger showed him the way. He reached out to him, who was covered in scars and dust. He said he would make him sessful.

    Since five years ago Hans had never forgotten that moment until now.

    My role is simple. I just have to operate the machine ording to the signal they send.

    Next to Hans, there was a unique invention made by Seridan, an object that can instantly neutralize the surveince artifact in the underground vault of the Kunst auction house but only for 5 minutes at most. Therefore not even an error of a few seconds could be allowed.

    And Im not alone.

    Hans relieved some of the pressure by watching his colleague Arpa, who decided to move with him.

    Is this okay?

    Arpa was staring at the world outside the window like himself. The world reflected on the transparent retina was so clear, but he couldnt read what emotions were in Arpas eyes.

    He always had a smiling face, but whenever he received the beasts factor and his senses were amplified, Arpa gave him goosebumps.

    Are you okay?

    But Rudger brought him and they now worked together so Hans plucked up his courage and spoke to Arpa.

    What?

    Arpa looks back and asks with a bright smile.

    Why are you staring at the outside?

    Oh, that? Its interesting.

    Interesting? What?

    There are so many people here. Ive been wandering in remote areas where there are no people with Pantos until now.

    What?

    Was saying that when he had a beautiful appearance with no damage to his skin in order to exaggerate his actions, or is there something else?

    Anyway, do you remember our mission?

    Of course. If they send a signal, were going to act ordingly.

    Yeah, its not that difficult. No, its actually very simple.

    Thats enough!

    At the cheerful reply with a bright smile Hans had no choice but to scratch his cheek with his index finger.

    Yes, the important thing is to carry out the operation well anyway.

    Hans recalled Rudgersst briefing the night before.

    Me, Alex and Pantos will move in this operation.

    Hans agreed with the remark. Alex was good at acting and lying, he had even convinced Ivan Luke that he was a southern aristocrat.

    The giant Pantos is a battle specialist. His force was indispensable when they would inevitably sh with the ckguard inside.

    And Rudger is, of course, a key force that cannot be left out.

    We directly infiltrate the basement of the auction house and steal the items in Vault #3.

    In order to do that, the other members had to be sessful with their tasks.

    First we have to steal the key to the elevator entrance leading directly to the basement.

    There is only one way to go underground. Of course they couldve dug a tunnel from the outside, but unfortunately, this method was not adopted due tock of time. After all, the fact that they have to take a lift from the front and go underground doesnt change.

    To do that, something was necessary.

    Find the [Key Master] who holds the key to the elevator, take the key from him and quickly subdue the guards guarding the elevator.

    Neither job was easy and if things go wrong from here on out, the operation literally goes down the drain.

    The role of taking the key away from the [Key Master] was Violetta and Alexs job and Hans had no choice but to hope that they would handle the task well.

    * * *

    In room 3108 on the top floor where only VIPs of the Kunst Hotel stay Alex changed into afortable outfit and came out there.

    He had already infiltrated Kunst by falsifying his identity as Guar the previous day and now its time tounch the operation, so hes ready to go down.

    Just as he was about to go down like that, he found a familiar figure at the end of the hallway and had no choice but to stop.

    Crazy, why are you here?

    Alex immediately hid in the corner of the hallway and poked his head out to see that he wasnt mistaken.

    Enya Joyce was standing in front of the elevator he had to ride, tapping on the ground with her shoes.

    What the hell?

    Did the hotel get you a nice room because youre with the Security Agency? Damn it. What if we run into each other here?

    At this rate, he cannot ess the elevator and it will take a long time to wait for Enya to go first and then take the next one.

    Alex pped his tongue inside and moved to the emergency stairs.

    If I knew this would happen, I would have asked for a room on a low level.

    It was troublesome that he got a top room because he was fascinated by the word good room.

    Alex went down the stairs and immediately used a portablemunicator to signal Violetta.

    This is Victor Hugo. Please respond.

    Violetta was sitting still in the lobby on the first floor waiting for Alex. She muttered quietly, being aware of the gazes of those around her.

    Whats going on?

    [The shoce is untied. It will take some time to get down.]

    I see.

    It was their own ng and password set in advance in case anyone else might hear them.

    If the shoces are untied, it meant that there were obstacles that unintentionally prevented the progress of the mission.

    Is it like this from the start?

    Violetta couldnt help but sigh, but then she saw the person they had been targeting.

    Key Master.

    He was a middle-aged gentleman in his mid-40s with long sideburns who had worked at the Kunst Hotel for 20 years and was in charge of the keys to the underground elevator.

    He was trusted by Ivan Luke and was also the only one who had the elevator keys to the basement.

    I found him sooner than I thought.

    Originally, she should have joined Alex, approached the Key master, and naturally stole the key from him.

    Theres a problem above, so I have no choice but to do it alone.

    Violetta rose slowly from her seat and naturally approached the Key master. She grabbed a ss of champagne on a silver tray held by a waiter passing by and quickly drank it.

    What?

    The Key master, who was giving instructions to his subordinate, saw a beauty approaching this way and sent the subordinate away immediately.

    Go now.

    Yes, sir.

    The key master, who sent his subordinates, cleared his neck with a soft smile on his face.

    Well,dy? Do you have any business?

    Oh, are you an employee here?

    Violetta, whose burns disappeared from her face, was showing off her beautiful appearance since she was dressed up. With an alluring smile, she gently stroked the Key masters forearm with her ckce glove.

    Haha. Ill tell you what. I think I drank too much, so could you show me to my room? I feel dizzy.

    Ha ha. Of course. Lady, Ill show you around.

    Violetta knew of the mans insidious intentions.

    As expected.

    Kunsts key master personal information was known because he was investigated in advance.

    He looked like a decent, well-mannered hotelier on the outside, but he was actually a very promiscuous man. Although he was ying a socially prestigious person, he did dirty things behind the scenes, such as attending meetings in the dark or having an affair.

    Thats why Violetta chose beauty.

    The Key Master enjoyed the current situation without knowing that the one who approached him was a ck serpent with ulterior motives and even if he knew that he was confident he could handle things.

    Will you help me?

    Of course.

    The Key master put his hand on Violettas slender waist. The tant touch annoyed Violetta, but she didnt twist her smiling face because she had experience dealing with people like him.

    Lady, what room are you staying in?

    Hmm. Maybe its because I drank too much, but I cant remember.

    Oh, my. Is that so?

    But you cant stay in this noisy ce. Could you guide me to a private and quiet ce?

    Of course I know one well.

    The Key master happily guided Violetta.

    * * *

    Rudger, who confirmed the situation through radio, judged that he did not need to step up yet. Violetta is a capable woman and since she said she would sort out the situation herself, he was going to trust and leave it to her.

    For now, I will have to join the other members in case the key is stolen from the Key master and brought back.

    He has the ability to jump through space through coordinates via [Ater Nocturnus], but he could not use it prematurely.

    First of all, in order for him to jump over the space, he has to see the coordinates of the location with his eyes or with his head, but it was difficult to estimate the exact location because he was not the one who actually saw the underground safe.

    If he did something wrong, he might move into the ground and get stuck there and even if he arrived sessfully, he couldnte out with all those things.

    To do that, he had to make hundreds of round trips, which was practically impossible because it would consume a lot of mana and he would feel a vertigo every time he teleported.

    It was that moment.

    Oh? Who is this?

    Someone recognized Rudger and approached him.

    Rudger looked back at the caller with a calm face.

    I cant believe were meeting at a ce like this. What a wonderful coincidence! Its been a while since I saw you at the banquet hall Mr. Rudger Chelici?

    Ivan Luke.

    I dont know why youre here, but its Nice to meet you.

    Ivan Luke was smiling, but his eyes were burning with endless hostility toward Rudger.

    It seems like you dont want me to let you go.

    Of course, Ivan Luke wouldnt even kick out Rudger outright unless he was an idiot. Rather, it was the opposite.

    Are you enjoying the Kunst auction?

    It was worth a look.

    Ha ha! Youre good at making jokes, too. Well, theres a saying that you can see as much as you know, so theres nothing you can do.

    You might think so. Then Ill go now.

    Its fate that we met, but you are just going away like this?

    Ivan Luke blocked Rudgers path and behind him, reliable guards stepped up. It was not the ckguards in ck armor, but a security team dressed in a separate suit.

    But since youvee all the way here, Ill give you a little help, considering the past. He is an important guest, so treat him very politely. Do you know what I mean?

    Yes.

    The two guards stood on both sides of Rudger, answering forcefully.

    There was no lie in what he said as the two guards literally stood by Rudgers side and didnt harm him but it was annoying.

    Youre trying to keep an eye on me on purpose.

    Ivan must have given these instructions with the intention of disturbing him in his own way. Since this is his workce, it was obvious how much authority he had.

    However, since he was a guest, Rudger could not refuse the sabotage under the guise of favor.

    Cant help it

    Rudger eventually decided to ept the situation.

    I will.

    He nodded and allowed the two bodyguards to apany him. At the same time, he naturally sent a signal through the portablemunicator worn on the ear with its fingertips.

    [Tap tap tap.]

    It was a predetermined action in case of an unexpected situation and its meaning was simple.

    [[Im unable to act due to some reason. Request for backup]

    * * *

    What?

    Hans, who was listening to the signal outside, opened his mouth wide.

    Apparently, the leader, Rudger, was stranded, and the one he requested for support was Hans.

    Uh I have to go?

 Chapter 114

    C114:Rudgers 8 (2)

    The signals sent by Rudger were all passed on to the other members.

    Leader cant act? Will the operation be okay?

    Violetta, who followed the key master to a private room, was worried about the news she had heard through themunicator. However, they had nned in advance to have backup personnel move instead in preparation for this situation.

    p!

    The Key Master smirked as he locked the door to the room.

    Hahaha. Hey, girl. Shall we y a fun game?

    Oh, its nice to y.

    Violetta replied in a lively tone and the key master, who thought she would stumble with her drunkenness, was instantly stunned.

    At that moment, Violettas slender hand grabbed his cor. She narrowed her eyes and smiled seductively at the bewildered key master.

    How about this kind of game?

    Then she threw the key master on the floor with all her might.

    Agh!

    Unable to take the pain, the key master rolled his eyes and passed out. Violetta clenched the hand and circted the mana in her hand throughout her body while her arms shone with a subtle charm.

    Strengthening the body with magic. Its a mysterious sensation.

    The only magic Violetta knew to use was Attribute Element and Magic Emission. Even in the case of elements, she can only deal mainly with the wind element, so she wasnt considered a real wizard but Rudger recognized her abilities and taught her what she wascking.

    Violetta realized how fit she was for magic and she specialized in the manifestation series among the 5 magic series.

    With so much help from Rudger, Violetta was able to master the remaining specializations of her manifestation series in a short period of time, <strengthening> and <yeomdong>. (If anyone knows the english term for this please let me know <>.)</yeomdong></strengthening>

    Although her mastery was superficial and hasnt reached the advanced stage it was enough for now.

    Anyway, I need to get the key first.

    Violetta rummaged through the fallen key masters body but no matter how hard she looked, she couldnt find the key.

    That means the key master doesnt have the key right now.

    This is the room where the key master lives so it must be here somewhere.

    Violetta walked toward a tightly closed shelf on one wall, opened it wide and saw them.

    Oh, my God.

    There were hundreds of keys that were used in the Kunst auction house and hotel inside the shelf.

    * * *

    Damn. Why do I have to go on my own?

    Hans grumbled inwardly, but got dressed and was ready to go out.

    Mr. Hans, are you leaving?

    Yes, I have no choice but to step up because brother cant move. Arpa, please use this device for me.

    Oh,e to think of it, Mr. Hans, we have a problem.

    Problem? Whats wrong?

    Arpa said, pointing his hand at the machine Hans had entrusted to him.

    Its not working.

    What? That cant be.

    I pressed it once as a test, but there was no response. Is the signal weak?

    Hans looked at the invention Seridan made with a serious face.

    The way it is used is simple, you just have to press the button at the set time and the machines lights were designed to illuminate red as proof that it was working properly.

    However, Arpa pressed the button for a demonstration, but the red light did not appear on the contrary, only a squeaky sound resonated.

    Realizing that something was wrong, Hans hurriedly contacted Seridan.

    This is <kafka>. Can you contact me now?</kafka>

    [Oh, this is >Wells>. Whats going on?]

    I think this machine you made is not working properly.

    [Oh? Really? Wait a minute. Where are you now?]

    In the building opposite the auction house.

    [Hmm. Whats the status?

    Its squeaking and the lights arent working properly. I cant find anything else strange.

    [Maybe its a problem with the signal? Is there some kind of jammer between the inside and outside of the auction house?]

    Seridan, who had been muttering something, finally came to a conclusion.

    [The light is still on, right?]

    Uh. Its just not working well, but the machine itself doesnt seem to have a big problem.

    [If its about transmission, theres only one answer. All you can do is go a little closer and use it.]

    Closer? How much closer?

    [At least closer than in the building across the road.]

    Hans felt a headacheing because he would have to move with Arpa in that case.

    [What are you going to do?]

    I have to do it.

    [Okay. Good luck, <kafka>. Its time to move on this side, too.]</kafka>

    Aftermunicating with Seridan, Hans patted the middle of the forehead with his finger and told Arpa.

    Lets get out. We have to move now.

    Yes.

    Hans and Arpa wrapped the machine in a cloth and left the building.

    * * *

    Erendir, who had been resting in the VVIP room, couldnt stand it because she felt a little sore when she stayed still.

    Its okay to just leave it like this and go, but its kind of weird.

    Still, it should be enough to tell her friend, Rene, what mysterious objects were found at the auction house.

    Erendir imagined herself exining nicely what she saw at the auction to her junior and Rene, shining eyes as she listened to her.

    She enjoyed that admiration.

    Its pretty good.

    Thinking in such a positive way, Erendir felt motivated. She immediately rose from her seat and finished getting ready to go down.

    The servant, who was waiting at the entrance, hurried to her side when she came out.

    Princess, where would you like to go?

    The auction is just going on right now, isnt it? I want to go take a look.

    Yes, Ill take you to the best VVIP seats.

    Erendir headed to the ce where the auction house was held, guided by the escort.

    It was a spacious hall on the first floor with many opera-like seats that were full of VIPs dressed up in expensive clothes.

    Erendir sat in a VIP seat where only invited guests could sit. It was a high-rise seat overlooking the auction house and she sat down just as the auction started.

    Ladies and gentlemen! Thank you foring to Kunsts auction house today!

    The host stepped up, greeted everyone lightly and immediately started the auction.

    Well, then! This is the first item that wille out on day two of the auction! The Mermaids Tears!

    From the very beginning, something great came out.

    The mermaids tears were a beautiful blue jewel worthy of its name. As if the legendary mermaid had shed her own tears, the jewel in the shape of tears emitted a dazzling and pure light.

    Wow.

    Erendir, who was not interested in such a thing, was unconsciously drawn to the beautiful jewel.

    The starting price is 1 million denars! Please feel free to bid!

    The auction started strong and when the price of more than 500 million denars came out, Erendir started thinking about different things.

    But its not even a mermaids tears, its just a jewel. You spend that much money on such an extravagant item? How many people can be fed with that money?

    When she had that thought, she felt ufortable for no reason.

    The negative energy emitted by a ce where desire and greed were entangled was iparable to when she faced her sister, but that did not mean that this atmosphere wasfortable.

    Should I leave?

    Just as she was thinking, someone came and sat down next to her.

    You dont look very happy.

    Oh, yes.

    Talking to her was a woman with sky blue hair with a side ponytail hairstyle. What stood out in particr were the blue sea-like eyes staring at her.

    She was a mysterious yet beautiful person. In a way, it was natural to have such a thought.

    The tears of a mermaid are the tears shed by a legendary mermaid who lives in the ocean. Of course, the mermaids tears on the stage right now are fake.

    How can you be sure of that?

    I saw the real thing. At least the beautiful light remains the same, but the mermaids tears should emit a calm, flowing mana but this one doesnt do that.

    Her blue eyes red sharply through the essence of that gem.

    Can you feel that theres no magic even though youre so far away?

    While Erendir admired her and suddenly wondered who the woman she was talking to was.

    Who are you? I dont think youre a normal person, considering that youre here.

    Oh, youre right. My introduction iste. Im this kind of person.

    She skillfully took out her business card with her index and middle fingers from within her own arms and handed it to Erendir. It wasnt polite, but Erendir epted the business card because it was such a good fit.

    The name on the business card read Casey Selmore and underneath [job: detective].

    Casey Selmore. Casey Selmore. Erendir, who was muttering the name in her mind, uttered a startle of astonishment.

    No way! The famous genius detective Selmore?

    Oh, you recognize me.

    Well, of course! The one who arrested the notorious criminal, James Moriarty! Youre even known as a water element wizard!

    As Erendir was a magician, she could see how great Casey was. It was because wizards who got the title Colour for the Magic Tower arentmon.

    I didnt expect to see you here. Nice to meet you. Im.

    Youre the Third Princess Erendir, arent you?

    Huh? Did you know about me?

    No, we met for the first time today.

    But how.

    Casey grinned at the bewildered Erendir.

    You have a bored look on your face even after watching the auction. Besides, I saw that the back of your hair was slightly pressed, so you were lying in a room until a while ago. The scent of the air freshener used to clean the room is strangely lingering.

    !

    When she was caught, Erendir hurriedly smoothed her hair while Casey shrugged her shoulders to continue her reasoning.

    But you didnt put on perfume and didnt even wear makeup. This simplicity cant be seen in the VIP seats. So you have an overwhelming status that you dont have to pay attention to other peoples eyes and the situation.

    Feeling bored and sitting in a VIP seat where only the invited guests can watch the auction from.

    There is already a rumor among guests that a child of the imperial family participated in the auction so theres only one answer, right?

    Thats great.

    Erendir admired Caseys reasoning and admitted that she was right. Indeed, she was a genius detective who was famous throughout the continent.

    Erendir suddenly asked Casey why she came to the auction.

    You seem to be curious.

    Yes.

    Well, I got an invitation when I came to Leathervelk and they offered great hospitality and a nice room so I didnt say no.

    Why did youe to see this auction?

    The bigger an event is it brings together the eyes and attention of countless people, so more incidents can happen.

    Erendir thought Casey was joking. What kind of incident can happen in this ce?

    The security of the Kunst auction house was so strict that it reminded her of the Imperial Pce. In addition, considering that there are even personal guards brought by guests whoe here, any criminal inside will be overpowered in no time.

    The princess seems to think Im joking.

    What? Ah, no. No, not exactly.

    Well, I understand. When I say that problems can pop up out of nowhere, its only natural to think so but I wont ignore the possibility that something might happen.

    Erendir had to be taken aback by Caseys confident remarks.

    * * *

    In the alleyway adjacent to the Kunst Auction House building Hans and Arpa leaned against a wall, fiddling with machines, in a messy alley near the garbage dump that disposes of food waste from the restaurant.

    Like this?

    Oh, Mr. Hans, look at this. The light is on properly. I think the signals working.

    Great. You dont even need to go inside. And here, call me <kafka>. Do you need to reveal my name?</kafka>

    Oh, right. Thats right. Mr. Kafka, please call me Dumas, too.

    I was going to do that anyway.

    Hans, who had beenining lightly, is now ready to operate the machine at the required time.

    It was that moment.

    Whos there?

    Perhaps he heard the two of them chattering but a man dressed in a suit came into the alleyway.

    Oh my! Did I get caught?

    Hans was embarrassed because he didnt expect that the outside guards would patrol the alleyway.

    What are you guys doing there?

    The guard could signal his colleagues toe at any time so Hans pondered what to do. At that moment, Arpa raised his crouching body and approached the patrol guard.

    Hey, hey! What are you going to do?

    Hans quietly called from behind, but Arpa approached the man regardless.

    Huh? What? Youre a kid, arent you?

    The patrol man relieved his vignce at the sight of Arpa, who looked young and that was his defeat.

    Ok!

    Arpas tiny fists were firmly entrenched in therger guards abdomen. The guards massive body copsed, and Hans looked at the scene with a nk expression.

    What did you just do?

    You put that giant to sleep in one blow? It is said that the external security of the Kunst auction house is a little lower than the inside, but even then, he would not be an ordinary human, right?

    Arpa, who did the unbelievable thing calmly, looked back at Hans with a smile. It became more difficult to evaluate Arpa with that stupid expression, I did a good job, right?

    What the hell is he?

 Chapter 115

    Chapter sponsored byJ.Thank you for your support.

    How the hell did you just do that? Were you also a knight?

    Arpa tilted his head slightly to the side to Hans who asked in surprise.

    A knight? Ah! Are you talking about superhumans who are far superior to others? If thats the question, the answer would be no. I am not a knight.

    Arpa shook his head and Hans stared at him with a look of disbelief.

    Not a knight? But considering the incredible punching power he showed just a moment ago, he couldnt help but think he was a knight.

    Was he a knight cadet, or was he even discharged from the military academy in the middle?

    Well done. Lets tie him up properly and hide him nearby. We can put him in the garbage here.

    Yes.

    Arpa grabbed the fallen man with one hand and dragged him along. Hans tied the body of the guard, who fainted with a rope he had prepared, and muzzled his mouth with a torn cloth.

    Even if he wakes up in the middle, theyll be fine until someone helps him.

    It was that moment.

    Hey, Deckard, whered you go?

    Hans hair stood on end. Over the entrance of the alley, the colleague of the guard that Arpa knocked out came to find him.

    Are you ying hooky? Hey! Deckard! Where are you?

    The voice was getting closer and Hans was so frozen didnt know what to do but at that moment, Arpa opened his mouth.

    [Uh! Wait! Im here!]

    Huh? What? Were you there? What are you doing in the alley?

    [Hey! Donte! Im in a hurry, so Im doing my business!]

    What? You punk, you were doing business in that dirty ce? Why didnt you go inside?

    [It was urgent! I didnt have time to go inside!]

    A tampered voice wasing from Arpas mouth and it was just like the voice of the security guard, Deckard, who he knocked out a while ago.

    It is not at the level of mimicking the voice by altering his own but the tone and the sound of the voice are identical to Deckards.

    Hans was surprised by Arpas hidden ability but regardless of whether Hans stared with astonishment or not, Arpa continued to talk.

    [Are you going to watch me do business?]

    Ugh! Who wants to watch you! Anyway when youre done go back to your post quickly otherwise Ill get caught and get yelled at!

    [Okay, go ahead.]

    The guard steps were getting further away and Hans, who was relieved, drooped his shoulders.

    Did you have that kind of talent?

    How was it? Was it the same?

    I was really surprised.

    Hans, who was replying in a despondent way, smirked.

    But it was the best.

    Thank you.

    Anyway, Im over the edge. Now lets wait a little while and then well go inside.

    * * *

    Ah really. How many keys do you have that look alike?

    Violetta checked all of the hundreds of keys. However, no matter how much she looked, she could not find the key to the basement storage room.

    A golden key. Besides, he said it had jewels in it.

    She couldnt find it in the pile of keys so that would mean that it was hidden somewhere other than this shelf.

    Were running out of time. I need to find it right now.

    Violetta took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

    Be calm in moments of crisis its something Rudger told her when he was teaching her magic.

    Theres no way that key would be in a ce thats so obvious. It should be in a more secretive ce.

    Violetta unleashed her magical powers and a gentle breeze began to blow in the quiet room.

    A gentle stream of air swept through the interior of the room, therefore the flow of air was disturbed and a gap beyond human reach appeared.

    I found it.

    Violetta touched the floor everywhere with her hands and a slight gap was caught in her fingertips. When she pulled it with force, a hidden space emerged.

    Here you are.

    Violetta, who identified the golden key hidden in the secret space, took it right away.

    Whats this?

    There were other things besides the key there like whips, candles, biting gags, etc. They were obviously the favorite items of the owner of this room, the key master.

    Anyway.

    Violetta nced scornfully at the fainted key master, and took out all the objects in the hidden space and scattered them all over the ce.

    She made sure that no one else was walking around in the hallway and got out carefully. As she got out of the wide hall, there were still many people busily wandering there.

    At that moment, she found Rudger, who was apanied by two big men. Rudger also nced at her, perhaps feeling Violettas gaze, and with a slight curl of her head she disappeared from his sight.

    Whats left is to hand over the key, but the security of the ck guards is too fierce.

    Some of the ck Guards stood tall like stone statues in ck armor, and there were even guards who periodically patrol the inside.

    Violetta slowly descended the stairs of the main hall and just in time, Alex appeared on the first floor through the emergency stairs.

    Alex descended as quickly as possible from the top of the 31st floor and found Violettaing down the marble railing.

    Their eyes shed in the air and Violetta signaled that she had taken the key with a slight nod.

    Alex approached her, answering with his eyes that he knew and the two met in the center of the hall.

    Oh, my!

    Violetta leaned against Alex, pretending to fall on purpose.

    Oh, my. Miss, are you all right?

    Yes, thank you for your support.

    Alex naturally helped Violetta and picked up the key, it was a covert delivery that no one noticed. The ck guards nced at the two and soon turned their eyes since there was no problem.

    The two who fell back walked in opposite directions.

    This is {Victor Hugo}. I will take the key and go to the elevator.

    [This is {Melville}. I will wait until youe.]

    Pantos, who was waiting nearby while reducing his presence, answered immediately. It was possible because Rudger instructed him in advance to speak when they carried out the operation.

    Pantos was standing on one side of the hall. Due to his massive size he could see everyone in the hall but people would asionally nce at him too.

    He was now assimted with the surroundingndscape since the Suin people who deal with the spirit of Mother Nature are great warriors and outstanding hunters. They knew how to hide their signs and use natural assimtion techniques to hunt their prey.

    The spirit of Mother Nature enveloped his body and made him be perceived by others simr to the surroundingndscape. Usually, this spirit ability does not work against a sharp opponent, but Pantos, which has ridiculous potentialpared to other Suins, was not even noticed by the ck Guards.

    However this ability was not perfect because although he could not be seen by people the magic rms in the building could still detect him.

    Therefore, Pantos alone did not enter the interior and was waiting outside.

    Just in time, Alex appeared across the hall. Pantos, who confirmed that there was no tail around, released his Spirit.

    Oh, you scared me. Im surprised.

    Alex didnt look too surprised to say so. Pantos didnt bother to ask why and brought up another subject.

    Whats the key?

    Here.

    Alex smiled mischievously and shook the key. The two, who secured the key, headed to the ce where the elevator entrance was located.

    Well, there are a lot of people.

    There were ck Guards guarding the entrance. Unlike when he checked before, it was the day of the auction, so there were more people than then.

    There are six guards and all of them are at the knight-level. Besides, the corridor leading over is in a straight line, so a surprise attack wouldnt work.

    Alex immediately sent a signal over themunicator.

    This is {Hugo} and {Melville}. We have reached the entrance.

    [Okay, Ill move]

    The dwarf girl Seridan replied.

    Seridan, who was mixed with the crowd, was wearing a cute and luxurious dress like a child of a noble family. Because she was young, she was able to be rtively free from other peoples gaze.

    Naturally passing people by the people she spilled pure white powder on the floor and no one was aware of that.

    As people passed by, trampled on the powder and kicked it, it spread like dust until it was seen with the naked eye and then

    What? Acho! Acho! Acho!

    Cough cough! What the hell is this?

    Screaming, coughing, and sneezing rang out everywhere. Seridan, who covered her mouth and nose with her handkerchief, checked the mess from far away.

    The white powder she used was tear gas and the effect of the special tear gas powder made by Bruna under Rudgers direction was more than expected.

    The people who were dressed up pretty and stylishly and talking only with arrogant and pretentious words were struggling in an ugly way with tears and runny noses.

    It evoked in her a strange pleasure and euphoria.

    Honestly, I wanted to use gunpowder but theres nothing I can do because theres a magic defense against explosives here.

    Some of the ck guards inside the Kunst auction house were wizards, so the magic of [Silence of Fire] was always maintained. So, instead of her specialty, she borrowed the power of Brus, who mainly made chemicals and she was satisfied seeing such a spectacle.

    What? Suddenly?

    Is it a terrorist? Where is it?

    The ckguards were at a loss at the sudden chemical attack. It was not embarrassing because no one attacked, and many suddenlyined of coughing and sneezing.

    First, people should be evacuated to a safe ce, but there were too many people.

    Guests! Calm down!

    Were short of numbers! Ask for help!

    The uproar reached Alex in the distance.

    It started.

    As soon as the words were said, four of the six ck guards guarding the elevator hurriedly headed somewhere.

    The attention-grabbing operation was sessful.

    Even so, there are two left. It doesnt matter, right? Lets go, big guy.

    Hmm.

    Alex led Pantos out of the hallway and the ck guards, who found Alex in the distance, shouted at him.

    Who is it? This is off limits!

    Hey! Dont you know who I am?

    What?

    Alex came closer to them so that they could recognize his face.

    Its me, my friend, Ivan Luke, is in charge here! You really dont know me?

    What?

    Theres no way you wouldnt know since they were the ones who stood guard thest time Alex came. The reason why they chose toe five days ago is that the rotation of the security guards at the entrance happened today.

    Hey, do you know where my friend Ivan is? I wandered about and found myself lost!

    Uh, well, its.

    His opponent was the son of a Southern aristocrat who was also friends with Ivan Luke so the ckguard also had no choice but to respond carefully.

    Alex led Pantos and slowly approached and as soon as the ckguards were about to feel something strange about Alexs continuing to narrow the distance, Pantos moved.

    Whoo!

    Behind Alex, a huge shadow moved and ran like the wind towards the two ckguards. Pantos move was stealthy and swift, unbing of a giant.

    He stretched out a huge fist and shoved it right into the ckguards abdomen.

    If a bare fist hits the armor made of special alloys it will break but the result was the opposite. The armor crumpled and couldnt stop the impact of Pantos fist. The two guards guarding the entrance fell to the floor, vomiting blood.

    Alex asked, looking at Pantos, who overpowered both ckguards in an instant.

    You didnt kill them, did you?

    I did it with my hands.

    To beat a knight-ss man in armor with your bare hands. What a ridiculous physical ability.

    Pantos physical ability was unbelievable and even knights with bodies that transcend regr humans were easily defeated by him with his bare hands.

    How the hell did leader win against this guy?

    He took care of the guys at the entrance, so Ill ask my questionster.

    Alex immediately sent a signal over themunicator.

    This is {Hugo} and {Melville}. The entrance has been cleared.

    [This is {Kafka} and {Dumas}. Okay.]

    Hans, who answered, beckoned Arpa and Arpa immediately started the machine.

    After confirming that the lights were on properly, the two immediately started changing their clothes.

    In an instant, the two changed into work clothes and packed a cart of pre-prepared food ingredients and headed to the back door connected to the restaurant. The restaurant clerk skimmed through the two and sent them inside.

    * * *

    Its going well.

    Rudger, who came to the bathroom, looked in the mirror and washed his hands, confirmed that the operation was progressing step by step through the conversations of his subordinates heard through themunicator.

    Rudger, who wiped his wet hand with a towel, came out of the bathroom and on either side of the bathroom entrance were the two giants Ivan had attached waiting for Rudger.

    Did you finish your business?

    Rudger nodded.

    Where are you going now?

    Lets see the auction.

    The big men apanied Rudger for surveince under the guise of guidance. As he entered the spacious hall where the auction was held, people were enthusiasticallypeting for a jewel.

    Rudger took a moderately empty seat and sat down. The guards even checked Rudgers seat and stepped to the back of the auction house.

    Now that youvee this far, you think its appropriate.

    He knew that as soon as he got out of his seat they would stick to him again. Rudger, who was peeking through the auction house, wriggled his eyebrows when he saw a special seat on the second floor.

    Thats

    He could see the face of a familiar person with colorful blond hair, it was the 3rd Princess Erendir von Exilion but Rudgers eyes were not on her.

    What really surprised Rudger to see was the person sitting next to Erendir. The familiar clothes and hair color he has seen years ago but still remembers vividly.

    Casey Selmore?

    The bad rtionship he encountered in the past when he was James Moriarty. She is the most troublesome kind of human being who never misses a prey she decides to hunt.

    Why is she here?

    She was now in Leathervelk and at that moment, Casey looked his way, perhaps feeling his gaze.

 Chapter 116

    C116: Magic, Science, and Tricks (1)

    Rudger recalled the old days.

    Five years ago, he was active in the Kingdom of Delica under the name of James Moriarty, not Rudger Chelici. At that time, he was unintentionally involved in several incidents, and as the incidents grew, he was involved with all kinds of people.

    The most memorable person among them was Casey Selmore. She was called a genius detective and in Rudgers view, that was not an exaggeration at all.

    She actually pushed him to the edge of the cliff with ridiculous reasoning and instinct. Not figuratively, but literary, she even fell with him from the top of a waterfall, as if they were going to die together.

    That crazy woman is here.

    Maybe its because he was staring too closely but Casey Selmore suddenly turned her head.

    Rudger hurriedly fixed his gaze on the tform where the auction was held before their gazes met.

    I was disguised at that time anyway, so I cant guarantee shell recognize me now, but just in case.

    Rudger has gained a lot of enlightenment while wandering around the world, and there is one thing that he feels deeply about.

    -There are people in the world who destroymon sense.

    And one of the people who smashed thatmon sense was Casey Selmore over there. Rudger knows because he has often heard rumors about her.

    After the James Moriarty incident Casey Selmore achieved a tremendous magical achievement and even received the title of Colour symbolizing a single attribute element.

    At that time, I could only fight on an equal footing, but now that she has earned the title of Colour, I cant deal with her.

    He suddenly felt a kind of anxiety. If Casey Selmore was here his n to rob the auction house might have been exposed.

    Rudger shook his head immediately.

    I havent been caught yet. If she knew that, she wouldnt sit still and chat with the person next to her.

    Now, Erendir, who was sitting next to her, was almost invisible to Rudger. Thats how much Casey Selmore was a threat to him.

    I dont think shes aware of whats going on here yet, given that shes staying still like that.

    That is only a matter of time. If she felt anything suspicious, she would jump out of her seat immediately.

    If a wizard who has won the title Colour starts to investigate the operation that has been worked on since a few weeks ago will be in vain.

    Its a mess.

    Rudger had no choice but to expect his men to handle the operation as confidentially as possible.

    * * *

    Youre here.

    Alex and Pantos, who were pacing around at the entrance of the elevator, recognized Hans and Arpa disguised as handymen.

    Wheres the key?

    Here.

    When asked by Hans, Alex shook the key lightly and the four of them gathered at the entrance of the elevator.

    Lets get ready.

    Hans and Arpa immediately removed the armor worn by the two fallen guards at the entrance.

    Whats this? Why is it so dented?

    Hans frowned when he saw that the chest of the armor had shrunk. As he looked closely, it wasnt just crumpled, but the shape of a fist was stamped on it.

    He nced sideways at Pantos fist.

    Hans, who wasparing the size of the mark on the armor with Pantos hands, had no choice but to swallow his saliva.

    He couldnt bring himself to argue.

    Its better than not wearing it.

    Hans immediately wore the armor that ckguard wore and the same was true of Arpa.

    The two ended their disguise as ck guards guarding the entrance of the elevator, holding their spears.

    The two fainting guards were put in the cart of the food they had brought and left out of sight. Judging from the state of things, they may stay unconscious all day.

    Alex immediately inserted the key into the hole and the door of the elevator opened with the sound of arge gear turning from the inside.

    All right, lets go down.

    Alex patted Pantos on the forearm friendly and Pantos stared at Alex, wriggling his eyebrows. Alex smiled awkwardly and took a step back.

    Was it too much?

    No thanks. Lets go down.

    Ignoring Alex, Pantos went into the lift and Alex followed him.

    Good luck.

    Yes.

    After speaking Alex closed the elevator door and went down.

    * * *

    In a security office at the Kunst auction house the security guard, who was monitoring the vault in the underground storage room in real time through the newly developed artifact, yawned as if he was bored.

    Ahhhhhaha.

    Hey, look straight.

    Well, what am I supposed to do with the boring stuff? I think Im going to lose my mind if I stare at the same scene that doesnt change.

    Do you think its just you? Just hang in there a little bit more since your shift its almost over.

    Oh, I know its harder because the auction is open, but what if a big guy goes in there?

    True, but its there a way to get there in the first ce?

    The conversation began to bloom little by little in the security room where silence was hovering. Theyve been sitting for hours looking at the same screen thats reflected through the artifact and it made them want to talk about anything.

    But its still fascinating. Thanks to this mysterious artifact, we can see whos inside and whats going on. Otherwise, I would have to stay crouched down at the underground entrance.

    Thats true.

    At that moment a crackling sound was heard and the screen that was showing the scenes inside the underground safes was slightly chirpy and blurred.

    What?

    Whats wrong?

    Wasnt the screen shaking?

    The screen? Its nothing.

    It happened in such an instant that it made the one who asked the question wonder if he saw wrong.

    Ive been looking at the same screen so much that my eyes are in trouble.

    I was about to conclude it was an illusion when a colleague sitting next to him touched his arm in a hurry.

    What?

    Hey, hey, that. Can you see that?

    What?

    His eyes moved to vault no. 2 along with his colleagues finger.

    What?

    The guard, who asked what the hell was going on, had no choice but to open his mouth at the scene unfolding inside. One wall of safe no. 2 copsed, and an intruder wasing in through it. They had their faces covered with a hood, so there was no way they knew who they were.

    Hey, that!

    Crazy! The vaults are tens of meters underground here, but they dug a tunnel and came in?!

    The guards used a telmunication crystal tomunicate this fact.

    * * *

    What?

    Ivan Luke, who had a light conversation with the guests suddenly heard the whisper that one of the staff members gave him, and shouted without realizing it.

    Immediately afterwards, conscious of the gaze around him, he coughed and lightly surrounded him, saying, Its nothing, and asked the member quietly.

    What did you just say?

    Well, thats why.

    Say it right! Do you want to get fired?

    Thean intruder appeared in the vault.

    !

    Ivan Luke endured trying to yell with desperate patience. He managed to cool off and asked what was going on.

    What exactly happened? How can an intruder get in there? What about the guys who were guarding the entrance?

    Hehas dug a tunnel into the safe from underground..

    What? A tunnel?

    Its tens of meters underground, and they dug a tunnel to go in?

    He wanted to argue that such a thing doesnt make sense, but he wouldnt have misunderstood it because the news was delivered after checking it through the artifact.

    Ivan Luke is in a hurry.

    If this continues, the auction that was held for the first time in a long time will be ruined!

    How much he prepared for this auction. How much effort has been put into it? To look good to his father, he put everything in here to make up for the ugliness he had shown at thest banquet.

    He couldnt let a thief ruin the auction.

    Get the guards.

    How many?

    All of them!

    * * *

    ck guards, who had been guarding their spots like stone statues, moved.

    People didnt realize they were moving because they didnt move at once but quietly left one by one.

    Nearly 20 ck guards have already stood at the entrance of the elevator and Old Guard, the head of the guards, stepped up. He was a man who served here for 20 years.

    Is everyone participating here? What about the rest?

    The rest are staying in ce to prepare for any possible situation.

    Great. Take 10 guards and go outside. Since they dug their way through the underground the entrance cant be too far away. Capture everyone at the entrance and kill anyone you cant capture.

    Yes!

    The other 10 people will go down the elevator with me and go in. You all know the manual, right?

    The ck guards nodded.

    In a way, it was fortunate for Kunst that they entered safe number two because the really important stuff was in safe number three.

    The number of intruders is about four and they must be good to sneak into this ce. However, there are also people waiting inside, so there is no need to worry since there are more of us.

    They knew they were strong, but they were not conceited. As professionals who work for money, they intended to overpower the enemy with all their might and not underestimate them.

    Other guards are already on standby at the bottom, so it wont matter if they move together after joining.

    With that in mind, the ck guards went down in the elevator.

    The security guard who was listening to the situation in the security office said.

    The ck guards are going down.

    Ivan Luke listened, biting his nails in anxiety because on the screen of the surveince artifact he sees the thieves packing important items in their bags.

    Damn! How much are the items in that box!

    Evan trembled with anxiety that he might miss them at this rate. Meanwhile, security guards who exchangedmunications at the security office slowly recited the situation.

    Guards, you have arrived in the basement storage room. Join the staff thats waiting inside.

    Damn. What the hell were the guys inside doing?

    Ivan said so out of frustration. Of course, it would be unfair for those waiting inside. Who knew that an intruder would dig underground ande in?

    At least its a relief that safe No. 3 with the most important items is intact.

    Ivan gave instructions to the guards through amunication ball.

    Capturing them is important, but the first priority is to move the items from Vault 3 to a safe ce. And make sure you keep the items in safe 2 as well. Whats left there are valuables that well showter at the auction.

    [All right]

    Right now, the outer wall of Vault 2 has been breached, but the thought that they might even be aiming for Vault 3 made him feel anxious and crazy.

    The guards who received Ivans order moved in unison and split into 2 teams. One is the suppression team will capture the criminals who are robbing safe 2 and the other ones will take out the stuff from Vault 3 and move it to a safe ce.

    As soon as Vault 2 was opened, the security of Vault 3 couldnt be guaranteed.

    Move.

    The ck guards moved but fortunately there was no one in Vault 3.

    [This is the security room, I can see the guards entering Vault 3]

    I see. Get the items to safety.

    Yes.

    The rest of you follow me. Lets break the limbs of those arrogant thieves.

    The guards of the capture team stood in front of Vault 2.

    Here we go.

    After the signal they immediately opened the door to Vault 2 and stormed inside.

    Dont move!

    The team leader, who shouted, realized something was wrong and it was the same with other guards.

    What?

    Nobody is here

 Chapter 117

    C117:Magic, Science, and Tricks (2)

    Chapter sponsored bygrandafrato.Thank you for your support.

    What? Why is there no one here?

    The suppression team, who entered Vault 2, could not hide their embarrassment as they looked at the empty interior.

    The instructionsing down through the crystal ball said that there was definitely a thief inside and he was diligently robbing valuables.

    But what about the sight in their eyes?

    There was no one and even the stored items were intact.

    They thought the thieves might be hiding somewhere, so they looked more carefully, but the results were the same.

    Feeling something strange, Old Guard lifted the crystal ball.

    This is Old Guard. Security room, can you hear me?

    [Whats going on?]

    Now Im in safe number two but theres a problem. I cant see the thieves.

    [What? You cant see them? What does that mean?]

    Its literally true. There are no thieves. Are you sure theres an intruder?

    [So]

    [Hey! Move!]

    With a wild cry Ivan Luke took the crystal ball.

    [What are you talking about? I cant believe you cant see the thieves!]

    Director? I mean, literally. Safe number two is clean, with no sign of anyone breaking in.

    [What? What are you talking about? Even now, those thieves are robbing the safe!]

    What? But we dont see anything.

    [Then, what is this that Im looking at?]

    Ivan gritted his teeth at the sight that unfolded before his eyes.

    The scene reflected through the artifact screen was still the scene where thieves carried things through the hole they made in the wall. In addition, there was no sign of the ck guards entering.

    Are you sure youre in the right ce?

    [What? Never mind. Im sure were in safe number 2.]

    Then why on earth.

    Why is what he sees here different from what they see in the vault?

    By this time Ivan Luke, too, had an intuition that something strange was going on.

    Oh, oh? Director! Look at that!

    At that moment, the subordinate was surprised and pointed to the screen. The scene where the thieves were busy robbing the safe No. 2 turned into a blur with the crackling sound, and suddenly disappeared and what was seen again was the ck guards who went into Vault 2.

    Ivans head was at a loss at the sight.

    What, what is this? Why? So what we just saw.

    The screen they were looking at was fake? No, but how? It was definitely the same as inside the safe, how did they make it? No, more than that, the artifact. How could they?

    Guards, whats the situation?

    [Everything is fine without any objects being stolen. There must have been some kind of mistake.]

    Thats not the problem now!

    [What can we do? The items in Vault 3 are being moved to a safe ce by the other team, so should we bring them back to their original ce?]

    That.

    Ivan pondered and concluded.

    No. Just in case, take care of the items in Vault 3 ording to the original instructions.

    [Yes, I see. The guards just got on the elevator with the goods.]

    I got it.

    Themunication was cut off.

    Ivan and the security guards still felt like dreaming. It was hard for them to judge how this happened.

    No way. Did we just fall for a video?

    Someone said so cautiously.

    What?

    Isnt that it? Isnt the artifact showing the scenes in the vaults on these screens?

    Keep talking.

    So in the middle of that, someone might have stepped in and changed the images.

    Hmm?

    Yes. Someone interfered in the process of transferring the image taken by the Artifact to this screen and made it lookpletely different. Let me show you a record I took in advance.

    No way.

    I think someone changed the images to make us think Vault 2 was robbed.

    Then why? Even if they do that, they wont be able to steal anything and theyll be caught in no time.

    It didnt matter how they did it since Vault 2 was safe but in that case why have they done it?

    Well, I dont know.

    Ivan clicked his tongue as he watched the guard answer in a cold sweat. At that time, his aide, who was watching the incident, shouted as if something had suddenlye to mind.

    No way!

    What? What happened?

    Vault 3! Director! Its Vault 3!

    What? What does that mean?

    What they were after was Vault 3 from the start! This trick was done in order to make us think theyre after Vault 2 and wait for us to transport the goods to another ce as per the manual.!

    What? Well, then.

    Ivansplexion turned pale and their bad prediction came true.

    [Security room! Security room! Can you hear me?]

    They got a call from the ck guards who were underground.

    Whats the matter?

    [Were in trouble! The elevator is going up to the ground!]

    The news heard through the crystal ball was like a bolt from the blue.

    * * *

    About 10 minutes ago Alex and Pantos, who went down through the underground elevator, carefully checked the basement hallway.

    Well, I dont think theres anyone yet. Is it somewhere else?

    Let me check.

    How?

    Instead of answering, Pantos closed his eyes and used the power of spirits. His gray hair fluttered in spite of the wind.

    Alex stared at Pantos behavior with a calm face.

    Is this the power of spirit that the Suins are dealing with?

    It was a little subtle, but different, from the aura and mana handled by the knights and magicians.

    The power of spirits was everywhere in the world but unlike mana and aura that the users refined for them the power of spirits could be used without that process.

    Alex realized that the subtle waves spreading around Pantos had passed through his body and recognized what it was.

    Spirit search? Its a technique to find out the location of others by the minute wavelengths spilled in the air. The Suins were not called natural hunters for no reason.

    Soon Pantos, who finished his search, opened his eyes.

    There are 8 men scattered around.

    Where are only two of them?

    Follow me.

    Pantos took the lead, his steps were strong but his footsteps on the ground were not heard at all. It was an instinctive hiding as a hunter when he started hunting.

    Soon the two arrived at the entrance of a small storeroom.

    Seeing that he could hear many conversations from the inside, they seemed to be killing time in moderation.

    Pantos opened the door and went inside. The two guards, who were chatting, were bewildered when they saw Alex and Pantos suddenly appearing.

    What? Who are you?

    There is still time until the shift ends.

    However, at the same time they held the weapons that were ced next to them proving that they were professionals. However, their opponent was too powerful.

    The guard, which was simr in size to Pantos, fell backwards with Pantos fist stuck in his face even before he could respond properly.

    Damn it!

    The other one stepped back and tried to take a stance but Alex tapped his foot and he lost his bnce.

    What?

    I managed to avoid falling, but the gap shown for a moment was fatal. He, who was hit by Pantos, floated in the air and crashed to the ground.

    All right, lets get ready now.

    Yeah.

    The two immediately took off the guards armor and wore it.

    Pantos wasrge so the armor was a little tight on him and he twisted around in the ck armor.

    Hang in there. Itll be over soon anyway.

    It was as Alex said. Shortly thereafter, an rm sounded calling for reinforcements inside.

    What? Whats going on?

    First, gather up!

    Alex and Pantos naturally joined the other ck Guards. Soon, reinforcements came down from the ground in the elevator and among them were Hans and Arpa, who pretended to guard the entrance.

    The suppression team will go into Vault 2, and the others will move the items from Vault 3.

    Old Guard set up a dedicated team he led and headed for Vault 2.

    Ha, look at you taking your close aides out to make a contribution.

    What should I do? There is nothing I can do about it now that I have the opportunity to y an active part.

    The guards, who were left behind, grumbled but steadily, carried the items of Vault 3 in the cart they had brought under Old Guards orders.

    After getting on the elevator with such important things, Pantos and Alex, who were disguised, moved.

    Whats this? Argh!

    Ouch!

    A short scream rang out, and the guards copsed without even being able to resist.

    Watching the scene, Hans shuddered at the horrifying force shown by Alex and Pantos.

    What kind of knight falls down like this?

    He already knew that Pantos was strong, but it waspletely unexpected that Alex, who was a con artist, showed such formidable skills. Contrary to Pantos, who is honest and powerful, he overpowered other guards with his ridiculous skills.

    What was that move? He should be at least at the knight-level.

    He didnt know what hes been up to in the past, but Alex was definitely a great talentpared to his seemingly light-hearted words and actions.

    What? Am I the weakest one here?

    Even Arpa, who seemed easy-going, had the ability to knock down a gigantic man, and he felt a sense of inferiority for no reason.

    Of course, hes in charge of gathering information and he cant fight, so its not right topare his power with theirs.

    Wouldnt my position be threatened if things go on like this?

    The problem was that they were not just good at fighting. Combat capabilities are just basic skills, and they showed outstanding talent in other areas as well.

    He didnt feel much when he was with Rudger, but moving with the others made him realize his weak spots.

    The door of the lift that arrived on the ground opened and the four people took out all the objects and the fallen guards into the hallway.

    Well, thats thest step.

    Alex lifted the spear and thrust it towards the key mechanism inside the elevator.

    [Crack!]

    As it is a sophisticated machine-powered object, nothing is more fatal than being hit in the keyponents.

    [Rumble!]

    The elevator crashed underground.

    [Aww!!!]

    * * *

    The elevator its broken? Thats why I cante up?

    Upon hearing the news, Ivan Luke looked as if his soul was going toe out of his mouth.

    What do we do now, director?

    Is there no one outside?

    There are but most of the ckguards went underground.

    He didnt expect they would break the elevator and iste people inside the basement and it was due to the fact that there was only one entrance to the basement.

    Should we inform the guest of this first? Or should we call the Leathervelk Police Department?

    No! If we do this the auction will be ruined.

    What should I do?

    I dont know! I dont know either!

    Ivan had no choice but to shout like that since he couldnt make a proper decision on how to deal with the situation.

    Where the hell did it go wrong?

    He was in a bad situation since he had to handle the internal problems carefully so that the guests wouldnt find out.

    I, Im screwed. If my father finds out about this.

    The aide, who judged Ivans condition was bad, gave instructions instead.

    You guys move! Get all the security team members together! Were going to stop them!

    Yes!

    It was the moment when security guards in the security room stood up and tried to go outside.

    The door wont open!

    What? What are you talking about?

    [Knock Knock Knock Knock!]

    The guards pushed the door hard, but the door of the security room did not open. No matter how much they grabbed the doorknob and turned it, the door did not open as if something was blocking it at the entrance.

    Damn it! Whats going on?

    Seridan giggled when she heard screamsing from inside the security room. She looked proudly as she hung several hinges of metal in the door.

    Theyre all in there like fools, so theyre asking to be locked up.

    Seridan walked down the hall, snorting.

    The invention I made seems to have worked.

    Communication hacking equipment was something Rudger asked her to make in order to deal with the artifact that surveyed the vaults.

    They didnt expect we would change the video in the middle so that the disy would show apletely different scene.

    For that purpose, Alex went into the vaults while hiding his identity and saw the entire interiorposition with his eyes. It was something that ordinary people could never do.

    Hans, who got the design and noticed the internal condition, Alex, who memorized everything he saw with his eyes and Rudger, who devised all these operations.

    As expected, Nari is incredible.

    Meeting him in an underground mine in the Kingdom of Delica may have been a big turning point in her life. No, she was sure it was.

    Ah, sir, can you hear me? This is Wells.

    After exiting therge hall, she looked at the scene inside the auction house, which was more cluttered than before, and sent Rudger a message while her gaze was on 4 ckguards that were carrying valuables.

    Operations. Sess.

    [I see. You all worked hard.]

    * * *

    Afterpleting themunication, Rudger nced at the back of the auction house. The big duo, who were waiting to monitor him, suddenly left in a hurry.

    You must be on fire because you heard the news of the robbery.

    Hans, can you hear me?

    [Hey, brother. Whats up?]

    Wheres the item?

    [I got it all. Nothing left.]

    What did you say?

    [I knew it, so I took it out in advance. Wait a minute, Ill go get my clothes changed.]

    Yeah, thismunicator is running out of time, so lets meet and talk about the rest.

    The sound was suddenly cut off because the time limit of the portablemunication device was over. The timing was as if it had been measured with a ruler.

    Rudger, who no longer felt the need to be in the auction house, rose from his seat.

    There was nothing good about staying longer but at that moment a huge explosion swept the area on one side of the auction house.

    A hazy dust broke out, and the host who was conducting the auction was swept away and copsed.

    Rudger frowned at the sight.

    What is this all of a sudden?

 Chapter 118

    C118: The ending is always explosive

    Violetta, who had just confirmed that the ckguards rushed to the underground elevator location, realized that the operation was sessful.

    Then Ill have to get out of here, too.

    She was waiting just in case she had to intervene, but she no longer needed to and just as she tried to move she found a familiar faceing out of the hall with a huff.

    Hes the key master, isnt he?

    The key master whom she knocked out was looking for someone with bloodshot eyes.

    This is so annoying. I used enough strength to make him faint for as long as possible, but was it not enough?

    It was hard for her to go out easily because the key master was guarding the exit.

    She tried to go out through the back door, but the people have already been instructed to block it and if this continues, she will be trapped.

    Just because the door is blocked doesnt mean theres no way out

    Violetta walked lightly to a window. She is now on the fifth floor but she opened the window wide and looked down slightly. Vehicles and citizens were seen passing by with scarlet streetlights.

    The Kunst auction house is also a hotel and has a higher height than the surrounding buildings. However, Violetta did not care and carefully lifted her skirt and turned her foot over the window frame.

    Shall I go?

    She sat by the window and jumped down. At the same time, the ck parasol held in one hand was wide open and surprisingly, Violetta did not fall to the floor, but rather floated in the air.

    The wind pushed the parasol and she floated higher. No one saw her because she was dressed in ck and it was already dark outside.

    Ordinary flying magic uses the method of {Mana Emission} but Violetta is still inexperienced so she used another method. Shebined her specialty the wind element with the {Telekinesis} learned from Rudger.

    Violetta, who flew far away in the wind through the ck parasol, fell gently out of reach of people and soon before the time limit ran out, thestmunication was sent via the portablemunicator.

    This is Mary Poppins. I escaped the Kunst auction house safely.

    As soon as she tried to move to the hideout, she felt something and paused.

    A child was looking at her with his eyes wide open. She thought he happened to see somethinging down from heaven.

    Shh.

    Violetta put her index finger to her mouth with a yful smile and the little boy nodded nkly, unable to close his open mouth.

    * * *

    Hey, are you ready?

    Seridan, who was sitting in the drivers seat of the truck that had been prepared at the entrance, looked back and asked.

    Four people in ck armor, the symbol of ckguard, were busily loading the truck.

    Its precious, so be careful with it!

    Oh, my God. People would think its yours.

    Hey Hans, what did you say?

    I didnt say anything.

    The members who loaded all the items settled in the luggagepartment of the truck.

    Did you finish loading? Then, were going to leave now

    Oh, wait. Im getting off here.

    Why? Did you leave anything behind?

    Its not that. I have something to give you.

    Hans took out an item he had collected in advance from Vault 3. It was a sculpture that seemed to be part of something and also a fragment of a relic.

    This was the most fundamental reason why Rudger pushed ahead with the operation and Hans intended to hand it to Rudger himself.

    In fact, Rudger even told him to bring it to him in thestmunication.

    Go ahead. Ill catch up with you soon.

    Really? Okay. Well, it doesnt matter if we go without you.

    Hans, who took off his ck armor, immediately changed into a suit and headed inside the auction house. The tight guards, who would have guarded the entrance before, were now veryx in handling what had happened inside.

    Hans went into the auction house naturally without anyone doubting him. Unlike when he sneaked in through the back door a while ago, his steps toward the main gate were confident.

    Hans, who was moving with the desire to quickly deliver the fragment of the relic he had taken to Rudger, stopped for a moment.

    What is it?

    As he passed by a restaurant, he noticed a group of four people in ck suits sitting in one corner. On the surface, it was not particrly strange, but Hans smelled a strange odor from them.

    Somethings wrong with them

    He nced at the suspiciously and at one point peoples screams rang out throughout the auction house and amotion began to ur. As if it were a sign, the group of ck suits began to rise from their seats.

    Hans felt his whole body bristling when he saw they took out wands that only wizards could use.

    Oh, my!

    At the same time, a shady, muddy ck spell swept the surroundings.

    * * *

    Whats going on all of a sudden?

    Rudger was quite embarrassed by the unexpected explosion. At first, he thought Seridan could not suppress her instincts and eventually caused an ident, but he immediately erased that spection from his head.

    The silence of fire is always active in this auction house so explosions cant happen in this ce.

    That means it happened in a different way, not with gunpowder. Was it magic or something else?

    It doesnt matter what it is. The problem is who did this. If theyre the ones who caused the explosion and confusion in a ce like this.

    Stay still, everyone!

    All the people who move will die!

    They must be obvious guys.

    Who the hell are you guys? You dont know where we are? Argh!

    I told you to shut up!

    Ahhhhhh!

    When the middle-aged man, who had stepped forward fearlessly, fell down bleeding from his head, the guests realized the seriousness of the situation and started screaming.

    Looking at the crowd that made a mess of the auction house in an instant, Rudger realized that the situation was going badly.

    How the hell did you get into the Kunst auction house and how dare you do this in such a heavily guarded ce?

    Ah.

    Rudger, who thought so, now realized where the ckguards who were supposed to protect the inside the auction house, and sighed quietly.

    Is it because of us?

    The ckguards guarding Kunst are now trapped in the underground storage room and the lift is broken, so he doesnt know when they wille up. As a result, no one can quickly overpower the intruders.

    Of course, there is internal security, but the guys who appeared now are far from ordinary. From clothes to the weapons on hand it was clear that they came here determined to rob this ce so they must be prepared and the difference in power is overwhelming.

    Normally, they wouldnt have acted but now things are different since more than 80% of ckguards power has been locked underground under Rudgers n, the best opportunity for them to move hase.

    Of course, the guests have bodyguards with them but theyre here to protect them not the auction house and the intruders were aware of that.

    Eat this!

    A green mist spread out in an instant and the escorts clenched their teeth when they saw that it looked dangerous.

    Stay back! Dont touch it!

    A fight to protect someone is much more difficult than a fight to simply take down the other person. After all, for the escorts it was enough to keep their employers safe, so there was no need to fight the intruders with a sense of justice.

    But for that matter, theres a disturbance.

    Rudgers keen hearing caught a subtle roar elsewhere. Aside from those who are on the podium, collecting valuables that have just sold out, there are other groups who have broken into this Kunst auction house.

    It was the price of the disappearance of the inhibitors that kept the criminals out of action.

    Many people have been waiting for an opportunity and now they showed their greed but the problem is that it was now.

    There are crazy ck wizards!

    Someone came screaming into the auction house. His skin was ruffled with ck veins, something like a curse used by ck wizards.

    He was one of the big guys watching Rudger and now was screaming with his eyes turned upside down. Soon the man foamed, fell to the ground and died.

    Ahhhhhh!

    Run away!

    Get out of the way! Our employers escapees first!

    Dont disturb me!

    The escorts tried to protect their employer, and those who have not yet figured out the situation. People died, there were explosions everywhere, panic and screams.

    Those who ran away, bumped into each other, got tangled up, and spouted abuse. In a sh, the auction house became the center of chaos. It was like a scene where someone evil set up arge basin and poured a lot of mud called despair on it.

    I have to get out of here, too.

    Since I achieved my purpose of visiting the Kunst auction house anyway, I didnt have to stay here anymore. In addition, there were a lot of invaders and even ck wizards were moving to rob the auction items.

    In addition, the sound of fighting elsewhere made it clear that there were more other groups involved.

    Rudger, who was trying to escape naturally mixed in between the fleeing crowds, suddenly remembered that he had given Hans a separate instruction.

    He asked Hans to bring the fragment of the relic.

    Did he get out safely?

    Usually, he was a quick-witted guy, so he should have gotten out of the way. Obviously, it was natural to think so, but Rudger felt a strange sense of unease.

    * * *

    Oh, what is this?

    Hans realized that he had fainted for a moment.

    He felt the texture of the marble on his cheek. When the hell did he fall?

    He tried to stand up with that in mind.

    I cant get up.

    His whole body was drained of energy. When he desperately put strength in his hand, his right hand moved properly. He rolled his eyes and looked at his right hand.

    Where did the sculpture go?

    His hand, which had held the relic fragment until just now, was empty.

    Hans raised his head with difficulty. People were lying around, and in between, he could see people in ck suits moving like ghosts.

    The evil smell of death they exhaled was clearer than before.

    ck Wizards.

    Damn it. Hansmented to himself.

    He didnt expect ck wizards would rob the Kunst auction house on the same day as them.

    Is this happening because the ckguards are gone?

    Hans, who tried to close his eyes and pretend to be dead, suddenly found one of the dark magicians holding the relic piece that he took from him when he fainted.

    It may seem like a useless thing to just look at, but the ck wizards may recognize the value of the fragment.

    No, you cant.

    This was something to deliver to his brother. It was not an item those damn ck wizards could take.

    Hans mouth moved before he thought about how to recover what was taken away in this situation where his body was not moving.

    Give it to me.

    Huh? What? Hes not dead yet

    The ck wizard, who took the relic fragment sculpture from Hans, heard Hans murmur and approached him.

    He used curse magic around him to get rid of all the annoying humans, but he didnt expect there were survivors.

    Give me that.Its a gift for brother.

    Oh, this?

    The dark wizard smiled at Hans, who was staring at him, kicked him hard in the side and startedughing.

    What do you want me to give you?

    Hans, whose body was turned upside down,y down looking at the ceiling. The ck wizard, who was trying to kill Hans, smiled when he saw the ck veins rising up on his skin.

    Looking at you, I dont think youll be able to live long anyway. Ill show you mercy and not kill you myself.

    He said so, but he meant to let Hans struggle to death in pain but Hans could not refute any of the ck wizards ridiculous remarks.

    Huh. Heh.

    Hans gasped desperately and clenched his teeth. He had no strength in his body and it was hard to breathe.

    He felt that his body was gradually dying.

    If it wasnt me who was here, but someone else?

    What if it were Alex, Pantos, or Arpa?

    If they were here they wouldnt have been sprawled on the floor like him. They probably wouldnt have lost the item they had to deliver.

    Im weak.

    The rising helplessness made it difficult to bear the misery. Even if he clenched his teeth and tried to endure it, he couldnt stop the tears from flowing.

    He was afraid of fighting and only ran away, then he met Rudger, and he was able to do what he was good at without fighting but Rudger wasnt here.

    In his absence the idiot named Hans was nothing more than a weak coward who could not do anything.

    Im

    Gradually, breathing became difficult and he felt his lungs breaking.

    The curse left by the ck wizards was encroaching his body but Hans squeezed out all his remaining strength and moved. He took out an object with his trembling right hand.

    Its a dagger. However, it was different from an ordinary dagger.

    Ordinary daggers had sharp des but this one had a rough ivory tooth instead. Hans looked at it with trembling eyes.

    Damn it!

    He thrust the dagger into his abdomen with all his might.

    * * *

    Everyone, escape this way! Calm down!

    Dont push! Be careful!

    What are the guards doing?

    Rudger, who was mixed with the crowds of people escaping, stopped walking while trying to go outside.

    What? Dont stop!

    Get out of the way!

    Ignoring the shouting crowd, Rudger looked back. His sense of anxiety, which had beenining for a while, sounded the final rm.

    From the far back of the auction house, the smell of nightmares that he had encountered a long time ago flowed in the wind.

    AAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!

    The cry of a beast rang out.

 Chapter 119

    C119: The King of All Vicious Beasts (1)

    Pantos starred in the direction of the Kunst auction house.

    What are you looking at?

    Alex, who was in the truck loaded with stolen goods, asked when he saw Pantos abnormal behavior.

    I was looking where we left.

    Kunst auction house? Why are you looking there?

    I felt something there.

    You felt something?

    Alex also stared at the Kunst auction house.

    They had already crossed over a few blocks and were blocked by the wall of the building, so he couldnt even see Kunst.

    What do you feel?

    Huge prey.

    What prey?

    This guy is saying things he doesnt understand again. Is it because he is a Suin?

    But its dangerous.

    What?

    From its smell and presence this prey its not ordinary. It might be even more dangerous than all the preys Ive encountered so far in my life.

    Pantos shut his mouth as he spoke.

    What? Why did you stop talking? So, its at the Kunsts auction house?

    Yes.

    What really happened to the auction house since Pantos said that?

    There were still their leader, Rudger, and Hans, who went to join him in Kunst. Nothing is going to happen to them, right?

    No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Lets not worry about anything.

    Alex shook his head, dispelling his anxiety.

    The day he met Enya he talked with Rudger separately and asked him one question.

    Hey, leader.

    Whats wrong?

    Come to think of it, the leader said Pantos is the second best fighter in our organization.

    I did.

    Whos first ce then? Is it leader?

    The answer that came back to Alex, who asked with a yful smile, waspletely unexpected.

    The second ce inbat power I mentioned is an evaluation given only to personnel in charge ofbat. Of course Im included.

    What? Then whos in the first ce? Is it me?

    Alex, you are third. Even so, you maintained good grades at the Knights Academy, so your skills are second to none, but its not enough to get first ce.

    Is there anyone who can be number one?

    There is.

    Whos that?

    When asked so, the name Rudger brought up waspletely unexpected.

    Hans.

    * * *

    Hans suddenly recalled what had happened in the past while he felt his mind disappearing beyond the distant darkness. It was quite a while after meeting Rudger and pledging allegiance to him.

    Even though Rudger knew about Hans constitution, he only made him do things that did not include fighting.

    One day, Hans couldnt resist asking when he saw Rudger, who handled everything with his own hands instead of asking for help even in battle.

    Brother, I have a question.

    Say it.

    Why did you ept a coward like me?

    Hans still didnt understand why Rudger, who saw his real ability, refused to take full advantage of it. Rather, he thoroughly ruled out the fighting as if to be considerate of him.

    I used to run away like a coward even though I have this ability.

    Is it because its weird that I epted you like that?

    To be honestThats right.

    He said this because he couldnt believe him since he had been chased everywhere his entire life and didnt receive anyones favor until now.

    Yeah, Im sure it was.

    What did my brother say?

    Its because youre a coward.

    I know its because I dont like fights, but it breaks my heart when I hear it from others.

    No, its simr but different.

    If its simr, its simr. What else?

    Hans, you know very well about your powers. You know how dangerous that power is and how much responsibility there is. Arent you afraid? Im afraid youll hurt someone on your own.

    .

    For the first time in his life, Hans realized that no words coulde out.

    Thats not it. I just dont like fighting, and Im a coward who ran away because Im afraid of getting hurt.

    I should say that, but the words that came out of my mouth werepletely different.

    I was an orphan.

    Heined with a pitiful voice.

    When I was a kid, I spent time in an orphanage but I couldnt get along with people there then either.

    .

    I had a little sister who took good care of me. She was so bright and cute that she couldnt bepared with a guy like me. If she had grown up she would have married into a good family.

    At that time, he recalled himself as a loner even in the orphanage.

    I killed her.

    Hans.

    It was an ident. She brought a dog from who knows where and wanted to show it to me.

    If the dog hadnt bit Hans hand then.

    If he knew his constitution then.

    If I hadnt epted her kindness then.

    That wouldnt have happened.

    It was a candid remark, but for Hans, what happened that day was a nightmare and trauma that could not be washed away even after a lifetime.

    It was the first manifestation of the beast factor and Hans, who was a child, couldnt suppress the rushing wild instinct and killed the girl.

    It was the first murder of my life.

    He still feels dizzy when he thinks about what happened then. His bloodied figure, his dead friend and the taste of flesh and blood in his mouth.

    That miserable memory was also a sin he had to carry for his entire life. So even with this ability, Hans kept running away without fighting anyone. He couldnt stand the power of this filthy beast that had trampled on a girls miserable life.

    Hans in life, there will surely be a day in your life that doesnt go your way.

    Are you cursing me?

    Its not a curse but advice. You may one day run into a reality you dont want to face and if you had that power, you might be able to.

    What if I run away then? Throw everything away.

    Hans replied with a forced smile, as if deliberately joking. Perhaps he wanted Rudger to rebuke him but he didnt.

    Thats your choice.

    As has been the case so far, even if such a momentes, its enough to run away.

    Hans, if that momentes one day and you run away, I wont me you.

    What?

    Rudger didnt say such a thing as I trust you or You can do it if its you. It only slightly relieved him of his anxiety that he would not hold him responsible for running away.

    Hans grumbled about what it was, but he couldnt answer with confidence that he wouldnt.

    I guess its time for me to die. I dont want to remember the past anymore.

    Hans scoffed at his own pitiful plight.

    He thought he had done something worthwhile by meeting a good person after only running away all his life even if it was something that wouldnt be appreciated in the public.

    For him, working with Rudger was a haven to escape from the trauma of the past.

    It wouldnt be so bad to die like this.

    But since its thest time, lets burn everything.

    * * *

    Rudger headed into the auction house through the crowd flowing outside. The inside was still a mess with people who had not been able to evacuate and intruders who made even more chaos.

    Kill! Kill them all!

    You damn people!

    In Rudgers eyes, the forces that attacked the Kunst auction house began to appear one by one.

    The first people to attack the auction house were criminals who came to rob the valuables.

    They didnt think of fighting the guards and just packed the valuables. However, some were blinded by greed and tried to take away the ornaments and jewelry worn by thedies.

    ck magicians also used ck magic in the back.

    There were also many valuable artifacts at the Kunst auction house. Its something that ck magicians would drool over, but even those who protect it disappeared, so it made sense for them toe forward.

    The most problematic thing is those guys who dont aim for things or anything else, and theyre purely trying to kill everyone.

    Those guys who purposely fight even though they dont have to fight. No, theyre not fighting, they want to kill the nobles.

    Rudger had met such men once before and immediately guessed who they were.

    Theyre the Liberation Army.

    Since rich aristocrats and businessmen gathered in one ce, how can the Liberation Army just let it go? They dont hesitate to bomb themselves if they can kill their enemies.

    Youre going to die!

    Then the door of a hall opened, and a Liberation Army soldier with a hood on its mouth rushed at Rudger.

    Rudger, who already felt the enemy used [source code] and shot out a white light at him. The second-tier lightning magic [Burning Thunder] prated the Liberation Armys soldier sr plexus.

    Cough.

    ncing at the fallen Liberation Army soldier, Rudger wondered how they coulde here.

    Liberation forces will not be able to fight easily where [the silence of fire] is maintained because most of them use gunpowder weapons.

    Have they brought a wizard? But I think they lost a lot of power in the train terror incident.

    Come to think of it, these guys.

    Rudger was about to approach the fallen Liberation Army soldier when he sensed something and hurried back.

    His judgment was correct because the body of the Liberation Army soldier, which had fallen just before, exploded with a strong me.

    Rudger, out of the radius of the explosion, frowned at the sight before him.

    Is suicide bombing something normal among Liberation Army soldiers?

    In addition, Rudger, who was once subjected to this suicide attack, was naturally aware of their ways, and was fully prepared for it.

    There was an explosion in a ce where the silence of fire was maintained?

    He had also spread the [Silence of fire] around him, keeping it active all the time but there was still an explosion in this zone where a magic that suppresses gunpowder action was active?

    Its not a magic artifact and I couldnt feel the lingering scent of the unique mana. That means its a bomb made of pure gunpowder.

    There was only one such case in his memory. It was a special powder that [Silence of fire] doesnt work on.

    The rebels have it?

    It was impossible because the special gunpowder, along with the status of James Moriarty in the Kingdom of Delica, was burned and the entire factory was destroyed without even a trace remaining.

    I thought we had them all removed, but were there any remnants left? And they even joined the Liberation Army?

    The special gunpowder that the [Silence of fire] does not work on has fallen into the hands of the Liberation Army.

    Rudger had a hunch that it wasnt an ordinary problem, but thought he had to find Hans and get out of here quickly.

    Then the outer wall of the building copsed with a rumbling sound and all the lights inside the building went out.

    Aaaaaaah!

    Someones desperate scream resounded from beyond the hallway like the endless throat of a beast. Before Rudger could prepare for it, a ck shadow flew in, rolled on the floor, and stopped at Rudgers feet.

    Person?

    It was a man in a ck suit covered with blood. However, the eerie magic that emanated from him hinted that he was no ordinary man.

    Is this the ominous magic power of a ck wizard? Theyre the ones who raided the auction house. But this is.

    The wounds engraved on the ck wizard body were neither from swords nor from magic, it was more like a trail of countless beast bites.

    A normal person cannot make such a mark.

    Did Hans make that?

    This was the identity of anxiety that he had felt a little while ago.

    * * *

    Oh, my God.My Kunst auction house.

    Ivan Luke, whopleted the evacuation outside, looked devastated as he watched the disturbance inside the building. ck guards were trapped underground, and suddenly ck wizards, criminals, and Liberation Army forces appeared and made a fuss.

    Perhaps because Ivan Luke had barely managed to escape, his hair scattered and several parts were torn and filled with dust.

    Director, its all right! The building is still intact and the evacuation of the guests is somewhat over.

    Guests? Now, wait a minute. Where is she? Where is she?!

    Uh, uh, I havent checked it yet.

    What are we going to do if the princess is harmed? Hurry up and check it out!

    Yes!

    The moment when the deputy was about to leave in a hurry.

    Oh oh oh oh!!!!!

    From the inside of the building, there was a howl of something. It was like the sound of something huge shouting, or a myriad of beasts shouting at once.

    The emotions in it were endless hatred, anger and sadness.

    People who were watching from the outside shut their mouths and felt tension run over their skin for an instant.

    The sudden spread of fear brought silence around.

    What was that?

    Aww!

    One wall of the Kunst building copsed.

    Considering the 8-story exterior wall and the exceptionally high floor height, it was almost 1.5 times the height of other buildings, so the rubble fell down in an instant.

    People screamed and fled.

    Whats that?

    Those who escaped spotted a silhouette beyond the hazy fumes of debris.

    Wolf? Is that a wolf?

    It was the head of a ck wolf that popped out of the rubble of a broken wall on the eighth floor.

    They couldnt understand why there was a wolf in the Kunst auction house, but their astonishment did not end there. The wolfs head, which had only been seen at first, began to protrude outward one by one.

    One, two. Eventually, when it grew to more than a dozen, people felt something strange because the body of the wolf was taking the shape of something else.

    Hand?

    It was a huge hand not a wolf.

    A huge hand with a beasts head on each finger broke the outer wall again. The debris fell, and a cloud of dust engulfed the surrounding area but the people were frozen in ce and didnt think of running away.

    He broke down the building of the Kunst auction house and appeared outside. It was a huge ck-haired beast with a body height of over tens of meters and had the heads of countless beasts on its body

    The head of the body was a terrible shape that looked like the skull of a skinny wolf. Those three heads, one on each shoulder, emanated a red glow from the ck pupils.

    Along with the twisted horns hanging over his head and the ck mane fluttering in the wind it was a horrible heterozygous creature that resembled a hellhound entangled with countless creatures.

    Its him!

    Someone who recognized the monster said in a trembling voice. He has witnessed with his own eyes what happened in that city five years ago.

    He couldnt forget that monster that still appears in his nightmares.

    He once appeared in the Kingdom of Durmant summoning countless cryptids, and eating even the elite knights of the kingdom. He was the main character of Blood Night five years ago and the nightmare of the city where the incident took ce.

    The Beast of Jvaudan!

    The king of all violent beasts was resurrected in Leathervelk.

 Chapter 120

    C120: The King of All Vicious Beasts (2)

    Chapter sponsored byJana.Thank you for your support. Also Beast of Jvaudan will be changed to Beast of Gvaudan like someone rmended me in thements.

    Erendir, who had not been able to evacuate the Kunst auction house, had no choice but to grind her teeth as she saw raiders openly targeting her.

    I shouldnt havee here!

    I shouldve just taken a rest in Theon!

    There she is! There she is!

    Upon hearing the disturbance, the Liberation Army rushed at her with a ferocious force. For the Liberation Army, Erendir, who passed on the blood of the royal family beyond the nobility, was the enemy and goal that must be overthrown.

    Above all, killing her will alert those hateful royals to the danger and strength of the Liberation Army.

    The Liberation Army prepared bomb vests and rushed together to die because the Silence of fire was of no use now since they had the bombs made with special gunpowder and were no longer helpless against magic.

    Youre too loud.

    At that moment, it was Casey Selmore, who spoke.

    What?

    The Liberation Army was perplexed by Caseys sudden appearance in the air. Well, she suddenly emerged from the empty air like a curtain.

    Erendir looked at her too.

    Thats the power of a wizard who received the title [Colour].

    That was Casey Selmores unique magic of wrapping a thin film of water in the air to distort the light and disappear, [The Mermaids Raincoat].

    Releasing it, Casey Selmore immediately pointed her cane at the Liberation Army, which was rushing toward Erendir.

    Stay quiet.

    At the same time, moisture from the atmosphere gathered around the liberation forces, turned into bubbles, and trapped them all. The Liberation Army, which quickly floated in the air, clenched their teeth and tried to detonate bomb vests on their bodies.

    It doesnt work?

    The bomb, which had been intact in the magic of Silence of Fire, which inhibits the action of gunpowder, failed when it was trapped in the bubble.

    Casey scoffed at the bewildered Liberation Army.

    Even if its special gunpowder, its useless if its wet.

    Casey used the moisture in the atmosphere to make their gunpowder wet. The biggest misfortune for the Liberation Army was that Casey Selmore was present in the ce they attacked. Of all things, who would have expected that a powerful wizard who uses the water element would be in the Kunst auction house?

    Dont be so proud of us for overpowering us! There are still more of ourpatriots here! By now!

    Oh, you mean those people?

    Casey raised her hand and pointed to one side, looking at the Liberation Army still in high spirits. There,patriots of the Liberation Army, who had just arrived at the scene, were brutally trampled on by two women and copsed on the floor.

    Damn, what the hell is this.

    As a liberator, he remembered, those two women had little presence and he didnt even know their names. However, the two women knocked down all of theirpatriots without a single wound.

    In a way, it was natural not to know. One of the two who knocked out dozens of liberators was from the Nightcrawler Knights of the Security Agency, and the other was Casey Selmore assistant.

    Casey, Im done organizing this side!

    Betty answered while waving cheerfully and Enya Joiners, who was by Bettys side, hurriedly approached Erendir.

    Princess, are you feeling well?

    What? You were with Captain Trina before.

    Ki, its an honor for me to be remembered by you! Im Enya, a member of the Nightcrawler Knights!

    Enya finished introducing herself loudly. If her senior Lloyd was here, he would have scolded her to not advertise the Nightcrawler Knights openly.

    Erendir smiled awkwardly at the foolish and helpless appearance of the woman in front of her since just a moment ago, Enya brutally beat the attackers without changing her expression which was fitting for the name Nightcrawler Knights that criminals fear the most.

    And that woman, too.

    The girl named Betty who came here with Casey Selmore. She was small and cute like a doll, but surprisingly, she had the power to wield even a giant three times bigger than herself in one hand.

    If Enya was a technical fighter who dealt with the enemy with a long-trained technique, Betty was rough and foolish, and destroyed her opponents with overwhelming force. Where in the world is that tiny, thin bodying from?

    Thats not whats important right now.

    Erendir turned to Casey who was interrogating one of the captured Liberation Army soldiers.

    Do you think Im going to say anything?

    Well, if you dont, itll hurt a little

    What?

    You know what? Im a water wizard. I can only use water magic, but I can handle anything with water.

    What the hell are you talking about?

    The soldier seemed to have no knowledge of what a wizard with the [Colour] title could do.

    So Casey Selmore decided to show a little bit.

    Can you see it?

    She pointed her fingertips and moisture gathered from the surrounding area forming a single drop of water.

    I can handle water. Of course theres a limit to distance and the quantity, but theres hardly anything more fluid than this water.

    The drops of water turned into countless fish, swimming, and eventually turning into the form of a deer hopping in the air. The deer eventually turned into a winged bird, and while flying in the sky, it turned into raindrops and fell to the ground.

    The water that fell on the floor evaporated and disappeared.

    Its like this.

    As she moved her fingers, the bubbles that trapped the Liberation Army soldiers came closer to Casey.

    How much moisture do you think there is in the human body?

    What?

    The answer is more than 70 percent. All that blood running through your body is water. Then, if the water boils or freezesHow would it feel?

    Aaah!

    Overwhelmed by Casey staring at him with a creepy look, the Liberation Army soldier screamed.

    Uh, um, shouldnt we do something?

    Erendir, who was watching the scene, became anxious and asked Betty.

    Betty shook her head, saying,

    Its okay! Its okay! No matter how selfish she is, she doesnt do such a terrible thing!

    Betty, who was boastful, suddenly remembered the past when she was with her. She was always in pain, swayed by a selfish Casey.

    Maybe?

    Then you have to stop her!

    Just in time, Casey, who finished the interrogation, approached.

    Ive figured out what theyre doing. Why do you look at me like that?

    Oh, no, nothing.

    Hmm. Because I trusted Casey!

    Oh, I was wondering what it was.

    Like a genius detective, she immediately caught on.

    Oh, my. Who do you think I am? What I said was just a threat. I dont actually do that, and I dont intend to.

    Right?

    You dont have to worry because Im not going to do it unless it is someone evil.

    Doesnt that mean youre going to do it against evil?

    Unfortunately, in my life, I have yet to meet a man who I would call evil by my standards. Oh, of course theres only one.

    Did she think of someone at that time? Casey shut her lips and seemed to be lost deep in thought.

    As soon as she tried to ask something, Casey, who regained her senses, took the lead.

    Anyway, I think the situation is very bad right now. It seems that all kinds of people got tangled up here while the security was weakened. So its time to escape.

    Oh, yes.

    Princess, I will serve you!

    Yes, please.

    Casey patted her chin, checking the faces gathered.

    Thats not a badbination. Two forward and two backward.

    Even their individual power is excellent.

    Erendir 3rd princess, who is born with magical powers inheriting the blood of the imperial family, Enya Joiners of the Nightcrawler Knights of the Security Agency, where only elites can enter, Betty, her devious but skilled assistant and herself a water wizard with the [Colour] title.

    With this kind of power, they can escape this crowded Kunst auction house safely.

    Oh oh oh oh!!!!

    Just as she was thinking so, a scream filled with the joy and despair of a beast rang out in the distance and she got goosebumps on her skin.

    The four instinctively perceived that the one who made that sound was a very dangerous thing.

    What was that?

    Casey replied in an uncharacteristically serious tone to Erendir, who spoke in a trembling voice.

    I dont know what it is, but its not something a normal beast would make. We need to get out of here as soon as possible.

    I agree. Lets go.

    * * *

    The Beast of Gvaudan, who appeared while tearing down one part of the building of the Kunst auction house, could not support his huge body and fell on his four feet.

    For him who was considered a wild beast, his arms were closer to those of a human than those of a wild beast.

    The three heads of the ck beast nced around and its tail, full of ck mane, disappeared in an instant, leaving a blurry afterimage.

    Quang!

    The outer wall of the Kunst Auction House exploded and scattered debris in all directions.

    Ahhhhhhhh!

    Run away!

    Those who had been frozen by the appearance of an unprecedented monster, only then realized the seriousness of the situation and ran away screaming.

    The Beast slowly stretched out his arms, looking down at the fleeing people with murderous eyes.

    Kreung! kunk kunk!

    The heads of innumerable beasts that make up the hands revealed their teeth or howled as they watched those fleeing. People looked back and saw the giant hand approaching them.

    Avoid it everyone!

    At that moment, a white sh flew in and cut off a finger. The head of the beast on his finger cried painfully and died with his tongue pulled out.

    The faces of the people who recognized the neers were bright.

    Its the Clockwork Knights!

    They were elite knights from Leathervelk.

    Crrrrrrr.

    The Beast red at the Clockwork Knights. It was impossible to have good feelings for humans that suddenly appeared to interfere with him.

    The Clockwork Knights looked up at the Beast of Gvaudan and swallowed their saliva.

    We suddenly got a report that the auction house had been attacked, but what the hell is that monster.

    Everyone, be quiet! Whatever it is, we must take down that monster for the safety of the citizens.

    Only then did his subordinates shut up at the leaders firm order.

    Each of them raised the output of the horse-shaped magic golem they rode to the maximum. The magic golems twitched as white steam came out.

    Then the Beast moved.

    Kyao ooo!

    The countless beasts on its body were howling all at once, and the Beast of Gvaudan raised a huge hand and mmed it towards the Clockwork Knights.

    Avoid!

    The horse-shaped magic golems driven by knights scattered in all directions. The monsters arm hit the ground and a huge shock wave spread, creating a cloud of dust.

    The ground hit by the beasts huge palm cracked sharply. Maybe he touched the sewage pipe underground but water soared through the gap.

    Kwaaaaaaah!

    But the attack of the Beast did not stop there. Its huge tail swung like a whip, stirring mercilessly in all directions. With the sound of the air exploding, the windows and exterior walls of the surrounding buildings shattered, and the ground exploded.

    The Clockwork Knights focused on avoiding the attacks. The knightmander, who was desperately moving, secretly shed a cold sweat on his back.

    What a ridiculous speed that doesnt suit his size. Where the hell did that monstere from?

    * * *

    A half-destroyed exterior wall from where the night sky of Leathervelk can be seen.

    In the bleak wind, the half-exposed reinforcing bars sway precariously with a squeaking sound and Rudger stood there, looking down at the scene unfolding under the raging wind.

    A giant beast with three heads and twisted horns with the mouths of a myriad of beasts on his body, it was clearly a cryptid in his memory.

    But it was not like the guy in the memory because Rudger got rid of that guy back then.

    Hans.

    The crude dagger made of teeth he gave to Hans as an assurance.

    It was Rudger who gave it, but it was purely Hanss will to use it and Rudger thought Hans wouldnt use it when he handed it to him.

    Hans had a good reason but he eventually used it and the howling monster in front of him proved it.

    It wasnt meant to be used lightly. He didnt even have to think about how much trouble he would have to go through to remove that tooth from his body.

    Hans.

    The figure of the monster running wildly, seemed to be in agony.

    The Beast of Gvaudan, no Hans, was in pain, destroying everything around him, but also being hit by the swords of the knights.

    I cant leave my long-timepanion alone like this.

    I dont like fighting, but I have no intention of avoiding it if I have to.

    [Ater Nocturnus]

    A ck shadow covered Rudgers body along with a ck cape that fluttered out behind his back and a ck crow beak mask covered his face.

 Chapter 121

    C121: The King of All Vicious Beasts (3)

    Hurry up and run!

    Casey ran without hesitation, looking at the shaking auction house. Her assistant Betty, the third princess Erendir, and the knight Enya followed her.

    The walls are cracked, and crumbs are falling from the ceiling. It was only a matter of time before the ceiling copsed at this rate and that was all because of the aftermath of the battle going on outside.

    Were close to the exit.

    The four women were energized as they saw the light outside from the dark end of the hallway.

    The two knights and the two wizards who can strengthen their bodies were able to escape safely outside without holding each other back.

    As soon as the four escaped unharmed, the aisle they ran out of copsed. If they had been a littlete, they might have been buried under that wreckage but they could not easily embrace the feeling of being alive because they were overwhelmed by the view in front of them as soon as they came out.

    What is that?

    Erendir murmured in a trembling voice as she saw a giant monster fighting against the Knights of Leathervelk. It had three wolf-like heads and countless beast mouths on his body.

    The Beast of Gvaudan?

    Casey, who recognized the monster at once, opened her eyes wide as if she could not believe it.

    Enya was surprised to hear the murmur and asked back.

    What? Wait a minute. Isnt the Beast of Gvaudan the one active in the Kingdom of Durmant five years ago?

    Yes, thats right.

    But how? The Beast of Gvaudan was said to have died five years ago.

    Hes actually dead. Parts of his body are still kept in the Royal Museum of the Kingdom of Durmant.

    However, Casey continued.

    Unlike the body I saw then, this one is a little different.

    Especially the front legs.

    The body of the monster she had seen was a little more beastly than the one before her eyes. Of course, the monster in front of her has the shape of a beast, but his overall shape ismore like a human figure.

    It was because the paws that it wielded mercilessly were in the shape of a human hand, not that of a quadrupedal beast. Of course, seeing all kinds of animal heads on his hands made her think so.

    Its definitely not like the body I saw. In the case of the body in the Kingdom of Durmant, nearly 70% of its body was lost but theres no way I wouldnt recognize it.

    A monster that ate several knights from the kingdom, the Beast of Gvaudan, died at the hands of the great hunter Abraham Van Helsing.

    Casey was specting that Van Helsing might be one of the identities of James Moriarty whom she was chasing.

    Then is it a coincidence that the Beast of Gvaudan appeared here?

    Casey thought of the worst situation possible.

    Professor Moriarty. What the hell are you going to do in this city?

    Casey clenched her fist. Her lifelong enemy that she must capture and the only wall that she has never ovee was somewhere in this city now.

    Hes here.

    In thest three years Casey has been trying to find his traces, thus she gained the title [Colour] as a wizard.

    She promised she wouldnt miss him if she ran into him next time.

    But first of all.

    Her gaze turned to the Beast of Gvaudan. Every time he wags his tail, his surroundings are swept away. Thats not a monster, its more of a living and breathing natural disaster.

    We need to subdue that wild monster so that the damage doesnt get any bigger.

    Her purpose has not changed a bit since before. She strived to create a better world following the words of herte grandfather.

    Casey moved just as the Beasts huge arm was falling over the heads of those trying to escape. Her magic was activated, and at that moment water reacted.

    Whoo!

    The sewage gushing out of the cracked ground followed Caseys will and turned into a whip, tying the Beast.

    !!!

    The movement of the Beast which did not even budge despite the efforts of the Clockwork Knights stopped as the flowing water tightened the monsters body like a giant snake.

    Hey, did that monster stop moving?

    Thats amazing!

    The members of the Clockwork Knights, who were fighting against the Beast, shouted in surprise.

    Casey, who actually created the ridiculous scene, frowned.

    What kind of power

    Her hands trembled when she handled the water.

    She used tens of tons ofrge water in tying up the Beast. Nevertheless, he was gradually removing her restraints using his power.

    At this level, even a tank can be easily overturned!

    Kwaaaaaaa!!!

    The monsters left head howled and the terrifying shout permeated the water that bound him.

    Pooong!

    The water that tied the monsters arm exploded.

    What?

    Casey clenched her teeth and tried to draw more water, but it didnt move as easily as she wanted.

    I cant interfere properly. Theres something in that cry!

    Casey sharply analyzed the monsters ability since mana was present in his cry. Did that mean that he could use magic despite his size?

    On that day five years ago, even the wizards couldnt control the Beast of Gvaudan.

    But if thats the case, then I cant be called a wizard with the title of [Colour]!

    Her main magic was water after all. In the presence of water, she was able to exert powerparable to a god and there was plenty of water in Leathervelk.

    The huge Ramses River across the center of the city, and the water flowing through the blood-stained sewer pipes throughout the city was her weapon.

    Aww!

    The water gushing from the cracks became stronger. It eventually gathered in the air and turned into knights wearing armor. Behind their back, there were two pairs of fairy wings that moved as they attacked the Beast of Gvaudan.

    The Clockwork Knights did not miss this golden opportunity. The sudden magic support is amazing, but they werent stupid enough to admire it. Every time the tip of the sword containing aura shes, the monster heads of the Beast of Gvaudan body were cut off one by one and ck blood poured from the cut sections.

    Woooooooooooooooooo!!!

    The Beast of Gvaudan screamed at the pain felt all over his body. From all sides, the Clockworks Knights and the knights made of water shed his body.

    His red eyes full of hatred captured the wizard who handled the water. The instinct of the beast knew who was the most dangerous in this ce.

    Woooooo!!!

    His right head opened his mouth wide and let out a howl.

    Casey noticed that the cry was different from the one before. The evidence was that the water knights she handled were intact.

    Isnt that a shout that interferes with magic? Then what are you going to do?

    The answer to the question came out quickly as ck shadows rose one by one from all over the city.

    Casey felt goosebumps running down her spine.

    Hey, what is that?

    Others who recognized it were also surprised.

    Argh! What is this?

    Theyre rats!

    Where the hell are there so many rats?!

    What emerged from the fissure were giant rats.

    The procession of over hundreds of thousands of rats was like a ck wave. It wasnt just rats, there were also stray cats and wild dogs among the mice. They appeared from all sides as if they were one body and rushed at the people.

    Nonsense! He can control other beasts?

    Casey couldnt hide her astonishment and used her magical powers to create arge wall of water around her.

    The swarm of rats rushing toward her was swept away by the water but the vacancy was quickly filled with another swarm of mice.

    This is one of the abilities of the Beast of Gvaudan that led to that nightmare five years ago.

    The cry of the left head interferes with the operation of mana and the cry of the right head exerts control over all the beasts. As the king of beasts, he rules over all beasts, and Cryptids in the form of beasts are no exception.

    It is said that the night of blood was caused by the abnormal proliferation of countless cryptids, but if you dig deep, only one existence was the source of everything, the Beast of Gvaudan.

    He was the king of all vicious beasts and a monster that created a nightmare 5 years ago.

    Gasp!

    When Casey saw the mouse approaching her ankle, she let out a whistling sound. She kept it a secret, but she didnt like mice very much.

    She is known to have a strong heart but she actually has rat phobia.

    Hey, go away!

    Casey rxed but didnt stop using water to tie down the Beast, even as she shouted with a tearful face. If she stops, that monster will eat the other people brutally.

    Casey bit her lip but before she knew it, the mouse climbed up her calf and reached her thighs.

    Casey!

    Then Betty stepped up. She grabbed a swarm of rats that stuck to Caseys body and threw them far away. Every time Bettys slender legs moved, the waves of rats burst out.

    Perhaps that wasnt enough so she lifted the wreckage of the broken building with her hands and swung it around. Wielding a steel pirrger than her, she was like a being that could only be seen in mythology.

    Ill help too!

    Erendir also came forward and protected Casey with magic and next to Erendir, Enya also ughtered a flock of mice with a portable sword.

    Thank you for your help!

    Casey was able to concentrate fully on the Beast. The water knights, which had been popping out after being hit by the monsters hands and tail, permeated into the wolfs wounds. At the same time, they became countless thorns and struck it from inside.

    A!!!

    The Beast of Gvaudan let out a painful scream. The city beasts responded to the kings cry and a swarm of rats, wild dogs, and street cats all rushed at Casey.

    Casey, I think that monster is really pissed off! Beasts areing in!

    Hold on, Betty! Citizens safetyes first!

    Were going to die!

    Ignoring Bettys startled cry, Casey red at the Beast. All she has to do is drag on until the citizens who have not yet evacuated leave the premises safely.

    But can she and her colleagues stay safe?

    Maybe Ill die. StillIf only I could save more people.

    As she was thinking so.

    What is it?

    Suddenly, the Beast raises his head and looks in a different direction. At the same time, the waves of beasts, which were pushed as if to kill them, also stopped.

    Huh? That bunch of rats suddenly?

    The monster, did it stop?

    The murderous intent that had been suffocating disappeared like a mirage.

    Casey was embarrassed to see the monster, who had been staring at her like death a moment ago, change his attitude like a palm flip.

    Why all of a sudden

    He has a wild sense and immediately recognized who is most dangerous to him here. Thats why the Clockwork Knights were ignored and he aimed at her when they wounded his body.

    Did the Beast of Gvaudan turned his attention away from her?

    Then there was only one reason. A top predator who was judged to be much more threatening than her, appeared.

    Crrrrrrr.

    The Beast of Gvaudan let out a low roar. It is a shabby cry in contrast to the ones from before.

    Caseys innate judgment captured the subtlety of emotion in the cry. It was anger and irritation. And

    Fear?

    Casey, who analyzed it without realizing it, was embarrassed for a moment. This is because she thought it made no sense that that monster, which can be called a nightmare, felt fear.

    Casey starred in the same direction as the Beast, as if she was possessed. Just in time, the clouds in the sky cracked and the light of the moon came down.

    There was a ck shadow, to be exact, a person with a shadow on his body. A ck suit and a ck cape fluttering over its shoulders and the mask of the crows beak on his face.

    Holding arge cane in one hand, the figure seemed to resemble an actor on a well-organized stage.

    Casey recognized him, and her eyes were wide open. Her pupils contracted and her lips quivered.

    How could she not know?

    Even if he hides his face and puts a shadow on his body she can never forget the presence she felt when she faced him.

    James Moriarty!

    Her greatest enemy appeared at this moment.

 Chapter 122

    C122: Night of the Hunt (1)

    Double release today and dont worry there wont be a cliff. To be honest I dont know why so many people say the ending of thest chapter was a massive cliff when it ended with the start of the fight between Rudger and the Beast.

    Standing on the rebar of the precariously wobbling building, he seemed to be floating in the air.

    The Beast of Gvaudan looked up at him. The red eyes of the ferocious monster were calmer than before. Unlike the other humans he perceived as prey the neer is recognized as an equal or more.

    However, the fading fire burned again and revitalized the monsters body. Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!

    The three heads howled. Not only that, but the heads of the countless animals on his bodies shouted at once and a thunderous howl spread throughout the city of Leathervelk.

    The citizens who were watching from afar lowered their heads while covering their ears with their hands, and the weak passed out with bubbles in their mouths.

    Hearing the roar that seemed toe from the bottom of hell Rudger bent his eyes sharply inside the crow mask. It was a nightmare-like roar for others but all that evoked from him was a little longing.

    Yeah, it was like this back then.

    When he was the hunter, Abraham Van Helsing.

    The decisive factor in gaining the reputation of being the best hunter was hunting the Beast of Gvaudan and the difference from then is that the king of the beasts staring at him is different.

    Hans appears to have mutated due to his unusual constitution and the evidence was that the beast had a strange human form. From the perspective of face-to-face, it seemed less beastly and less ferocious than in the past.

    However, that did not guarantee that the monster in front of him was weaker than the one he faced in the past. Rather, seeing that he is clearly wary of him but does not move hastily meant he had a clever side.

    I wanted you to recognize me a little bit and be calm, but was it a vain hope?

    Hans can maintain his human self even if he turns into different beasts now, but he didnt do that in the past. Even now, whenever he transformed, Hans showed a few times that he could not easily shake off his animal instincts.

    On the other hand, the Beast of Gvaudan is a monster far beyond ordinary animals. Just by looking at the countless heads of beasts that make him up, he could vaguely see how huge the madness as a predator contained in the monster genes is.

    An ordinary human being facing it will go crazy or have his ego erased.

    But Hans is still alive.

    The Beast of Gvaudan roared because of its instincts but for an instant he recognized Rudger. That was evidence that Hanss ego inside was alive.

    Theyve known each other for a long time and if Hans used the tooth it meant he was going to die. Its not because hes trying to avoid fights and run away like a coward, but because hes prepared for something.

    Watching the growth of subordinates is also the job of a leader.

    And if that subordinate is in crisis giving out a helping hand is also what a leader should do.

    Let me see your skills.

    At the same time, Rudger took his foot off the rebar that was standing precariously and crashed down.

    * * *

    James Moriarty!

    Casey stared at James Moriarty, who fell suddenly from the air. A shadow darker than the darkness of the night wriggles as if protecting his body under the moonlight.

    Even the Beast felt threatened and judged that the man was more dangerous than himself.

    Although she got the title [Colour] her pride was a little hurt because she was ignored.

    James Moriarty was Abraham Van Helsing in the past.

    She visited the Royal Museum in the heart of the royal castle of the Kingdom of Durmant and saw the body of the Beast of Gvaudan there.

    The appearance of the horrible-looking beast, which humans have no choice but to be frightened of, seemed to becking despite the rumors.

    Surprisingly, however, nearly 70 percent of the monsters body had been destroyed. All that was left is half a head, one arm, and a skeleton thatll barely make sense of shape.

    The rest of it was destroyed or made impossible to even regenerate.

    The whole thing, that guy did it.

    The king of the beasts who reigned in the night of blood and the master of the nightmare that will go down in history was killed by that man.

    With 70% of the monsters body destroyed and unable to regenerate it was obvious why the Beast of Gvaudan was wary of him

    Casey Selmore bit her lip.

    She wanted to capture James Moriarty alive right away. However, now that the attention of the Beast was on him her priority was the evacuation of the citizens.

    Fortunately, that man seemed to be trying to deal with the Beast of Gvaudan and she was d that he distracted the Beast.

    As soon as he made up her mind, Moriarty and the Beast collided. The Beat opened his mouth and tried to swallow the shadow.

    At that moment, the shape of the shadow contracted from the air and before long it appeared in front of the Beasts middle head.

    High-speed movement? No. There was no time difference between disappearing and appearing.

    Caseys eyes widened as she realized what he had done.

    Did he move through space?!

    The cane handle held in Rudgers right hand was pulled out, and a white sword appeared. Rudger thrust the sword into the monsters eye.

    The tormented monster shook his head violently. Rudger came down neatly on his back, cutting off the heads of animals that thrust their gills at him.

    His movements were neat and it was not just physical strengthening, but martial arts that could only be shown by learning swordsmanship for a long time.

    However, the Beast of Gvaudan was not one to fall in such an attack. Even when the swords containing the aura of the knights cut its heads, they immediately regenerated.

    You do, dont you?

    But the heads cut by Rudger didnt regenerate; instead a ck smoke flowed out with a squeak on the cut cross section.

    Is that sword made of an unusual material? Or some kind of magic?

    Without any time to analyze it, the Beast wagged its tail.

    Now is not the time to watch.

    Casey looked at the people, putting a curtain of water around them.

    Everyone, stay away!

    She could only hope that James Moriarty would stop that monster.

    * * *

    The Beast swung its tail that exploded even solid steel with a hit. It was an attack that a persons body couldnt bear but facing it, Rudger disappeared again in the air as if he knew this would happen.

    He used space movement again and the Beast was looking everywhere to find Rudger. In addition to the three heads, which can be called the main body, the eyes of countless beasts rolled around and chased Rudgers traces.

    Soon, all heads turned in one direction at once, perhaps they found the goal they were pursuing.

    Rudger was above him and as soon as he found him countless bottles of medicine poured down from the air.

    The Beast whipped its tail and the medicine bottles, which were hit, broke and the white powder inside it scattered in all directions.

    When the pure white powder descended like the dew of dawn on the Beast, there was a reaction.

    Crrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

    The countless heads that grew on the monsters body sneezed and coughed in pain. Except for the three main heads, all the heads that appeared all over the body were having the same reaction.

    What the hell is that. ?

    Casey, who was looking at the white powder flying in the wind, immediately knew what that powder was.

    Tear gas.

    Casey hurriedly spread a thin curtain of water around her.

    As if to prove that it wasnt ordinary the gas smelled a little through the barrier and made breathing difficult.

    Are you really using something like that?

    The animal heads are distressed so the gas must be specially made. Its a stench that makes her teeth tremble even as a human being, but what about an animal that has a much more sensitive sense of smell than humans?

    Due to the terrible and intense smell of the tear gas the Beast was almost paralyzed. In particr, the eyes of other beasts continued to shed tears, creating countless gaps in the monster where blind spots did not exist.

    Crrrrrr.

    The Beast curled up its huge body while its heads wriggled and twisted violently. Soon the Beast started rolling on the ground.

    What is that?

    Erendirsplexion turned pale.

    Monsters escaped from the Beast of Gvaudan body but they werent only heads they had torsos and legs. In an instant, the four-legged beasts staggered and stood up. Some even stood on two feet, simr to humans.

    asionally, in the case of a body that was not fully formed, the head devoured the surrounding swarm of mice. Then the flesh swelled up and the torso wasplete.

    Cryptids!

    Did they multiply?

    The Clockwork Knights, watching the scene from a safe distance, broke into a cold sweat. They finally found out how so many cryptids appeared 5 years ago in the Kingdom of Durmant.

    The Beast of Gvaudan had the ability to produce countless proliferators. He is like a colony thatmands countless legions.

    What was even scarier was that new heads began to grow again on the Beast body, which was supposed to be empty. If left as it is, it was clear that the Beast of Gvaudan would create cryptids endlessly.

    Rudger was aware of this as well.

    Are you going to throw away your heads because of the tear gas and create new ones? You know how to use your brain differently than you did then.

    Like a snake that sheds its skin, his judgment was not bad but there were obvious shorings.

    [Fire!]

    A white fire broke out in the air and covered the body of the Beast. The heads, which were about to grow anew, could not withstand the high heat of the fire and burned.

    When you threw your head away your defense became weak so even third rank fire will burn you.

    Crrrrrrrrrrr!

    Three huge heads red hatefully at Rudger. He was standing on his ground at some point, watching as if he was ying a game.

    He wanted to crush that human by swinging his arm, but he instinctively realized that it was useless. No. On the contrary, his judgment was mixed with fragments of what would be called reason.

    Is he noting?

    Rudger is deliberately guiding his movements to show a gap but the Beast raised its guard even more.

    Youre quick-witted.

    However, it was already toote because his magic had already been activated.

    A light leaked from beneath the rubble of the ground on which the Beast rested. At the same time, the ground rises like a giant spear and prates the back feet and palms of the monster that is standing on the ground.

    A cloud of dust rose and filled the surroundings.

    In the smoke, the Beast of Gvaudan twisted his body, but his prated hands and feet remained motionless so he ordered the cryptids to attack Rudger.

    Rudger looked at them and tried to swing his sword, but pulled it back.

    Thats a lot.

    Instead, he pulled two ck revolvers from his waist.

    Numerous bullets of mana were fired and prated the brows of the proliferated beasts. There was no need to reload because the bullets were made from mana.

    In an instant, dozens of cryptids fell.

    Rudger, who put the revolver back in the holster of the waist, stared at the Beast to see if there was anything else to do.

    The Beast shrank as he faced his gaze. If his limbs had not been pierced, he would have stepped back unknowingly.

    Rudger looked at it and decided it was over.

    It would be best to knock him out like this, but you saved me the trouble.

    Rudger lifted his head slightly. He could see something glittering in the moonlight of the dark night sky. Shortly thereafter, a huge harpoon was pierced through the cervical spine of the Beast.

    The power was so strong that the upper body of the monster with such a gigantic size fell down.

    A drug was released from the ampoule of the harpoon that tore the flesh and reached the bone. It was an antidote to remove the beast factor, which Rudger had often given to Hans.

    !!!

    The red eyes of the Beast widened greatly and before long the monsters gigantic body began to shrink at a rapid rate.

    Hans, who had returned to being fully human, fell to the floor. At the same time, ck shadows fell from the air one by one.

    Arge, gray-haired man with a mask on his face covered Hans body as he fell on the floor and wrapped it around his shoulders. In his other hand, he picked up the harpoon he had thrown.

    Alex, who came with Pantos, asked Rudger.

    Leader, is he all right?

    Hes fine. When he was transformed he had high recovery power so his wounds healed.

    As Rudger answered, he chewed on the magic pill he had prepared in advance. When fighting using Ater Nocturnus, the consumption of magical power was extreme, so it had to take pills.

    I got {Kafka} safely, so lets leave. Itste.

    Now was the right time to run away, when the knight could not approach due to smoke.

    Stop!

    At that moment, Casey Selmore appeared and Rudger stared at her silently.

 Chapter 123

    C123: Night of the Hunt (2)

    Chapter sponsored byJae.Thank you for your support.

    In the fiery shadow Rudger stared at Casey while Casey stared at Rudger and asked in a clear tone.

    Weve met before, havent we? Do you even remember who I am?

    Casey Selmore.

    How could he forget? She is by far one of the strongest viins in his memory.

    You remember it well. Then you know why I called you?

    Are you going to arrest me right now?

    Rudger smiled silently at those words. Its been a long time since he met her, and shes going to arrest him. Come to think of it, however, the two were not even close enough to say hello to each other.

    No matter what anyone says, in the Kingdom of Delica, he was chased by her. Of course, Casey was more of a one-sided antagonist to Rudger.

    I knew it, Moriarty. That you didnt die that day at the waterfall.

    Why didnt you just live without knowing? It would have been good for each other.

    You want me to bury the shame of the day? No way.

    So you followed me all the way here? With the idea of fleetingly losing your life?

    You made a fool of me and you thought Id give up on that much? Im not what I was then.

    Their eyes shed violently in the air. Since they have no concessions to each other, it was natural for them to be like this the moment they met.

    Water droplets began to float around Casey and Rudger clicked his tongue at the sight.

    Should I see blood here or are you going to go easy on me?

    No way.

    Then theres nothing we can do about it.

    He had to use force.

    With that thought in mind, when she tried to use her magical powers, Rudger also raised his shadow as if to respond.

    The space between the two was filled with tension and Rudgers men also stared at Casey.

    What?

    Erendir was bewildered by what had happened so suddenly.

    In such a sudden situation, Casey opened her mouth.

    James Moriarty. No, Abraham Van Helsing.

    .

    Rudger shuddered as he didnt know she would bring up the name but Casey didnt miss the minute response and a smile formed on her face.

    Well, to be honest, I was surprised, too. I didnt know you were doing activities while hiding your identity.

    Nonsense.

    Is this nonsense? Van Helsing, James Moriarty. The civil war in the Northern Kingdom of Utah that ended a while ago, thats your work, right?

    Casey found some of the trails Rudgers been trying to hide and his eyes in his beak mask narrowed. He didnt expect his past identity to be exposed.

    Under what kind of identity are you hiding in this city? Do you think I wont be able to find you if you run away from here?

    .

    Im sure Ill find you. And Ill chase you to the end. To the end.

    At the near-unteral deration, Rudger remained silent for a moment, and then nodded.

    Well, I think I made a fool of you.

    On the day of the showdown in the Kingdom of Delica Casey Selmore could not defeat Rudger even though he had used all his mana and as ast resort he threw himself off a waterfall but she jumped with him. Her behavior was almost madness and she didnt even care about her own death.

    Rudger thought that she would pursue her own path after that but she still came after him and she was much stronger than in the past.

    Rudger acknowledged that this was his fault.

    The title [Colour] means that although only one element can be used, it is therefore more absolutely powerful than anyone else.

    My opponent, who was already crazy, has be so strong that I cant touch her recklessly has now returned.

    But Casey Selmores biggest weapon is not her magic skills but her reasoning ability. Even her tenacity and perseverance beyond that reasoning was her real weapon.

    Even if he runs away from this spot safely, Casey Selmore will not give up and try to find him.

    Tracing traces, narrowing distances and collecting evidence, shell do it one step at a time.

    If that happens.

    She might discover his Rudger Chelici identity and if that happens he would be checkmate.

    If it was in the past, he could abandon his fake identity and leave again, but the situation was different this time because he used his real face when he pretended to be Rudger Chelici.

    Its going to be troublesome.

    In the future, it was highly likely that even the recovery of the remaining pieces of the relic, which he targeted, would be hindered.

    Then what should he do?

    Rudger narrowed his eyes.

    Should I remove her?

    The first sure thing that came to mind was the destruction of evidence. It was an idea that could not be dared toe up with against a wizard with the title [Colour], but this was also not without a way.

    Caseys body trembled involuntarily when his hidden murderous intent arose. Swallowing her dry saliva, she felt the spirit flowing from Rudger changed.

    Its the same as back then.

    A sense of intimidation that makes you lose your fighting spirit just by feeling it. Even though she became strong enough to go anywhere, the viin she faced in the past still felt like a high mountain but she didnt back down.

    Casey clenched her teeth and kept her eyes on Rudger. There was still something she needed to know.

    I heard thetest news. There have been countless incidents all over the continent, but there are disturbing movements, especially in the Exilion Empire and an organization that operates in the shadows.

    .

    At the mention of the organization, Rudger unwittingly strained himself.

    No way, the secret organization I created called U.N. Owen has already been discovered?

    With her ridiculous reasoning ability it was no wonder she already noticed so much. It was more of a superpower than justmon sense but what came out of her mouth was apletely different name, contrary to his concerns.

    Tell me. What does ck Dawn have to do with you?

    .

    ck Dawn? That name suddenly came up here?

    Casey felt sure of her suspicions, because of his bewildered appearance.

    As expected, I must have hit the nail on the head.

    .

    A good idea shed through Rudgers mind.

    I dont understand what youre talking about.

    To say yes outright would be a bad move so Rudger took his time and pretended not to know in order to turn her doubts into certainty. As if his action was correct, Casey looked confident that what she said was right.

    Its no use pretending not to know. Are all the recent events your fault? Then it is your fault that the auction house became like this today.

    Auction house? Oh, she meant the Liberation Army that caused the terrorist attacks along with the other criminals and ck wizards that have stepped in?

    Casey seemed to think that even their movements were all done by him.

    Thats not what I did.

    Even if he pointed out the wrong thing, she was right in a way since it is true that what he and his colleagues did was the trigger for this incident.

    This might be.

    Rudgers idea, which initially leaned toward eliminating Casey, tilted the other way around. Casey Selmore ispetent and even if he tried to remove her she would do a lot of damage.

    If he did such a thing he might not be able to hide his identity.

    I changed my mind.

    At the moment, he should not be identified by both the powerful Theon Academy and the ck Dawn.

    In this case the ck Dawn Society is a little more dangerous but what if he makes Casey Selmore go against them to divert their attention.

    She will be a great hound.

    Since Casey is convinced that he has some kind of connection to the ck Dawn it was an opportunity for him.

    Casey Selmore, my old enemy, you saw through my scheme but can you stay like this?

    What?

    Casey, unable to grasp the intent of the question, asked stupidly and Rudger exined kindly.

    There are still terrorists inside that auction house that are searching for prey.

    Are you threatening me? You want me to let go of the big criminal in front of me and deal with the small fries?

    If you feel that way, I cant help it but I wont be easily caught. My men will stand up to you with all our might.

    You!

    Will you be able to control me and my men? And in the meantime, what will happen to the citizens who have not yet evacuated?

    Rudger deliberately stabbed at her weakness.

    I am not responsible for that.

    Casey red at Rudger as if to kill him but Rudger saw through her weakness clearly.

    Why is she catching her criminals? Isnt it to make the world in a better direction, as her grandfather said so that people do not suffer from crime? So that even one person can smile happily.

    Casey has taken it as a belief, and she has solved countless cases to date and Rudger correctly pointed out Caseys weakness.

    Would she let go of a big criminal instead of saving people? That man might be captured alive but at the expense of how many people?

    Casey Selmore was at odds.

    Looking at her swaying figure, Rudger was convinced that his judgment was correct.

    Shes a nuisance, but shes got certain abilities. Casey Selmore, you must be the hound that will bite the ck Dawn, not me.

    And the other task she will be entrusted with was the special bomb used by the Liberation Army.

    The special gunpowder that works even when [Silence of fire] is active its something I definitely got rid of when I was in the Kingdom of Delica.

    How can the Liberation Army use that explosive? Maybe the manufacturing method that he thought would have beenpletely destroyed was left behind or maybe there was someone who had connections with the Liberation Army.

    Whatever it was, there was nothing good about leaving it alone.

    Hugo, Melville, Dumas, were leaving.

    Now that Casey was faltering, it was their chance. He didnt expect her to make a decision right away anyway since his purpose was to confuse her mind.

    As Rudger tried to take Hans away to a safe ce, Casey eximed desperately.

    Stop!

    She aimed her stick at Rudger as if she wouldnt miss him. At the same time, a huge stream of water shot like a water cannon and headed for Rudger But it was so easily blocked by his shadow.

    The scattered water immediately changed shape and the countless drops of water floating in the air turned into sharp needles.

    This was the moment to besiege Rudger and other U.N. Owen executives but the blue current from Rudgers shadow disintegrated all the surrounding water.

    Even a wizard with the title [Colour] cant control electrolyzed water. At that time, Betty, who was looking for a gap, stepped out.

    Yap!

    She threw her fist at Rudger with a cute cry but Bettys surprise attack was unsessful because a masked man suddenly appeared and blocked her fist, with his bare body, too.

    Beyond the harsh shock wave, Bettys eyes were full of disbelief.

    Did you block my fist?

    The eyes in the opponents mask stared at Betty.

    Betty clenched her teeth and kicked as if she was analyzing her opponent. The high kick that drew a splendid orbit and the masked man raised one arm to block it.

    Even a well-trained person would have his arm crushed, but her opponent was not pushed aside an inch. Betty stared at the masked man with a look of disbelief.

    YouWhat are you?

    The man did not answer.

    The moment Betty tried to ask more, the man stretched out his legs. Shortly after Betty reflexively crossed her arms, a strong shock struck her and Bettys body was pushed back.

    Betty!

    Dont worry! Its just a scratch!

    Casey couldnt believe Betty had been pushed back.

    Ill join you.

    Enya also stepped forward, thinking that it would not work like this. She jumped over the man she was dealing with Betty and swung her sword at Rudger.

    Enyas eyebrows wriggled because another masked man blocked her attack. But instead of panicking, Enya immediately recovered the sword, turned her body around and aimed at his neck.

    The man in the mask did not panic and calmly ced his sword vertically to block her attack.

    Enyas offensive continued without hesitation and the two swords collided in session. With the roar of iron and iron colliding, fireworks lit up the darkness.

    Enya gritted her teeth as she watched an unidentified man dealing with her.

    Hes strong. At least to the level of an elite knight.

    Those who handle swords and have superhuman bodies are called Knight, but they are also divided into several grades.

    Most of the people called quasi-knights are just learning the sword. After that are the apprentice knights which can be called knights in earnest.

    Then there are the regr knights and Enyas rank was higher than that, she was an elite knight.

    The fact that she cant easily ovee the enemy in front of her means that her opponent is on par with her but it didnt matter because she had her arcane swordsmanship.

    Swinging the sword with her right hand, she pulls out a secret sword hidden in the waist of the banquet dress so that its in the other persons blind spot.

    She then pierced with her long sword while throwing her secret sword under the shadow of her sword. Unlike other knights who purely fight with swords, she uses a style that pierces the opponents loopholes.

    The dagger that stabbed at the opponents gaps was the Sting Sword, the arcane swordsmanship of Enya Joynus family. A technique in which the opponent does not notice another dagger hidden under the sword and suffers from it.

    Chaeeng!

    However, as if the opponent knew this, he naturally struck her down with his sword.

    He stopped it?!

    He blocked an attack that couldnt be seen.

    Its not just a coincidence. He knows my skills!

    Enya stared at her opponent with wide eyes.

    Who are you? How do you know this technique?

    .

    There was no answer from the man in the mask.

    Enya tried to ask again, but her wishes failed toe true because Rudger sprayed strong mana around her and pushed her back.

    We can`t take any more time. Herees the Clockwork Knights.

    Yes.

    All right.

    Soon, the four people, except Hans, who fainted, floated in the air. A huge gale swirled and lifted their bodies and when they rose into the air there was a woman floating in the sky with a ck parasol.

    She was also covering her face with ck cotton yarn, so she was hiding her identity, but it was clear that she was the one who caused the strong wind now.

    Casey tried to stop her, but she was caught off guard by what Rudger said.

    Survivors havent been evacuated from the auction house yet!

    Rudger didnt miss the crack she revealed.

    Lets go.

    Just before his body disappeared beyond the dark night sky he heard Casey Selmore cry.

    James Moriarty!

    Before leaving, Rudger turned his head slightly and looked back at her. Casey also stared at Rudger with unwavering blue eyes.

    I wont miss you next time! Ill uproot you and your organization, the ck Dawn from this world!

    It was quite provocative, but Rudger responded kindly.

    As you wish.

    The words left by Rudger were delivered to her by the wind; however before Casey could get angry and shout again, Rudger and his men disappeared in the wind beyond the darkness of the night sky.

 Chapter 124

    C124: Sthlern Kapelle (1)

    Even if the Beast of Gvaudan disappeared, the situation wasnt sorted yet.

    Everyone, move! There are still criminals inside Kunst!

    The Clockwork Knights moved in unison and entered the auction house. They overpowered all the Liberation Army remnants and captured criminals who tried to flee while stealing things.

    It was Casey Selmore who took the lead and overwhelmingly swept away criminals. As if to vent her anger that she had missed her once-in-a-lifetime enemy, James Moriarty, she went on to subdue the criminals without hesitation.

    After blowing off some steam her reason gradually returned and she analyzed the scene immediately.

    At this point, did we catch them all? But the most threatening ck wizards, they were all dead.

    The ck wizards, who she thought were the biggest obstacle, had already be corpses. All of them had horrible wounds from beast bites. There was no need for an autopsy to determine who killed them.

    They must havee for an artifact but the Beast of Gvaudan killed them all.

    But what happened to the Beast of Gvaudan?

    She knew Moriarty knocked it down, but it was strange to see that the giant suddenly disappeared. Because of the smoke she couldnt see what happened and after the smoke disappeared the Beast of Gvaudan was gone. Instead, a huge man was wearing a nket wrapped around his shoulder. Maybe that was the Beast of Gvaudan?

    Is that little thing a monster that ran wild a while ago?

    It must have been a test object created by some kind of experiment in the ck Dawn Society.

    James Moriarty. He must be an executive of the ck Dawn Society.

    She thought so, but someone approached Casey.

    Magician, the whole scene has been suppressed.

    Casey responded with a gentle smile toward the approaching Knight Commander who saluted her.

    Thank you for your hard work.

    No, were grateful. If you hadnt helped us, it would have taken a long time to wrap this up.

    Once again, the Knight Commander bowed his head. He was the head of the Knights representing Leathervelk and a strong man who was a senior knight, but he was no match for Casey.

    He knew that she was a famous genius detective and a magician that received the title [Colour]. In fact, if she hadnt used water magic to tie up the Beast of Gvaudan, many lives would have been lost.

    Call me detective, not wizard.

    Oh, yes. Im sorry, detective. And as you instructed I have recovered the bombs that the terrorists used.

    Thank you.

    Okay. Lets think about Moriartyter. Okay. Lets think about Moriartyter. I dont know where the Liberation Army got them, but the bombs they used were not affected by magic.

    Theyre dangerous because [Silence of fire] doesnt work on them.

    It has been a while since science has developed and guns and gunpowder. This is an era where scary items such as Tes gun, reinforced armor, and chariots were also produced.

    In this rapidly changing world, old things naturally had to decline to the far side of the times, but wizards and knights did not because guns and explosives were still not a threat to them.

    Knights are those who see and avoid ordinary bullets if they are more than apprentices and the wizards were able to use the magic of Silence of fire, which restrained the action of gunpowder, which is the most important thing for guns.

    Therefore, they were still the mainstream of the world, and they were going to stay there forever.

    This gunpowder that the Silence of fire doesnt work on is fatal to a wizard.

    Of course, wizards were not without other defenses. However, a wizard cannot always protect himself by putting a mana barrier around his body.

    Now theyre using it as a crude bomb, but if they can apply it to a gun.

    Casey imagined a sniper attempting to assassinate an important national figure.

    Usually, the more important the position, the more the wizards keep the Silence of fire active and are wary of the surroundings. Therefore, no surprise attack works, whether its a bomb or a gun.

    But what would happen if there was a special gunpowder? The sniper will pull the trigger and the bullets that shouldnt have been fired will be fired and the person caught off guard is shot.

    Its dangerous. Its really dangerous.

    Its a game changer.

    The Liberation Army cannot have created such a dangerous thing. They have Liberation in their name but theyre only anti-socialist terrorists that fight against the state.

    Although their organization is quiterge they have only engaged in guerri warfare.

    The Liberation Army doesnt have the technology to make this dangerous thing. Theres someone else. A man built this dangerous object and gave it to the Liberation Army.

    The first thing that shed through her mind was James Moriarty but this was simply not something an individual could do. There is arger power, not an individual, hiding.

    ck Dawn Society.

    It wasnt that long ago that Casey learned of their tracks. Surprisingly, the ck Dawn was a secret organization that had been lurking all over the continent long before she knew it.

    James Moriarty. No, Im sure he belongs to this organization, too.

    The ck Dawn Society is very dangerous. Maybe all that happened in the Kingdom of Delica was led by them. She wanted to find them right away, but Casey decided to calm down for now.

    Theres still not enough evidence. I dont have enough information and I dont know how big they are and how strong they are.

    In her view, the man named James Moriarty was only part of the ck Dawn. He had at least a high position equivalent to an executive, but its not enough to call him the boss of the organization.

    The mere existence of the ck Dawn and their leader forced Casey to be nervous.

    Since he can subdue James Moriarty their leader its a very dangerous figure.

    If she tried to find them blindly, they will hide more deeply. She had to step on their tail step by step and aim for that decisive moment when their body could not hide.

    First, I need to analyze how this gunpowder works.

    Fortunately, she had an acquaintance that was very capable in this regard, it was her assistant Betty.

    * * *

    Workers cleared the wreckage and escorted the injured.

    Leathervelk city police set up a guard line to block people from entering. Beyond the off-limits guard line, people came to see what happened during the night.

    Enya watched the scene and recalled the tragedy that had just happened. In addition to the sudden raid on the auction house, the appearance of a dead Beast of Gvaudan there was also an unidentified group that overpowered the Beast.

    Detective Casey called them ck Dawn.

    The name James Moriarty is familiar to her. He was the godfather of crime that shook the Kingdom of Delica three years ago.

    It was shocking that he was still alive and belonged to an organization called the ck Dawn Society. Above all, the person who made Enyas head dizzy was the masked man who fought with her.

    He knew the swordsmanship I was using.

    The Joyners have long been an orthodox knight family. Although the other knight didnt like them because of their overly practical and brutal arcane swordsmanship their status could not be ignored.

    In fact, Enya only recently joined the Nightcrawler Knights, and she proudly ascended to the rank of a senior knight. Her Sting sword was something that even ordinary knights could not stop.

    That man knew my swordsmanship.

    Very few people knew about her skills even amongst her colleagues. The only people who know are her senior Lloyd and the leader Trina Ryanhowl.

    Could it be that the familys arcane swordsmanship information was leaked?

    Maybe hes someone Ive met in the past.

    Who is it? Perhaps an enemy that I failed to kill in the past?

    Suddenly her heart throbbed and hurt as she tried to recall the past. It was not a physical pain, but a recurrence of the wounds in the heart that were engraved a long time ago.

    No, I dont think so. Lets not recall that time.

    It wasnt this that mattered now.

    Enya pulled out amunication tool that could only be used between the Nightcrawler Knights. She signaled to the leader through amunication channel.

    Leader, Im Enya.

    Shemunicated everything she experienced and saw today. Andstly, I added this.

    And Casey Selmore is here.

    Enya, who finished themunication, visited the third princess to check her condition. Just in time, as the third princess was with a girl named Betty.

    Detective Caseys assistant.

    However, the reaction of the third princess facing Betty was somehow strange.

    Princess are you alright?

    Well, thats why he.

    Erendir pointed to Betty with trembling hands.

    Enya was also surprised by the reaction and checked Bettys figure, and she was standing with her eyes closed.

    What is this? Did she pass out?

    Was she sleeping standing up? It was understandable because she had slept while walking during the march when she was training at the military school.

    Shes not breathing.

    What?

    Enya checked Bettys condition just in case. She put her finger on Bettys neck and examined her pulse. She closed her eyes as if she had fallen asleep, was cold and was not breathing.

    Is she dead? So suddenly?

    It was so shocking that she died, as no injuries were seen anywhere. At that moment, Casey, who summarized the situation inside, approached them.

    What happened to you two?

    Ms. Casey! TheMs. Betty, Ms. Betty.

    Erendir wept but after hearing that, Casey responded,

    Oh, Betty fell asleep again.

    What? She fell asleep? Shes not breathing right now!

    You dont have to panic too much. Hmm. Well, itd be better to see it yourself.

    Casey said so, loosening the hem of Bettys coat, her back shed down. Erendir opened his eyes wide when Bettys white skin was revealed.

    Casey, what are you doing?

    Wait a minute princess.

    Unlike Erendir, who cried out in panic, Enya found something strange.

    Theres a groove on her back

    There was a very small groove in the middle between Bettys shoulder des.

    Casey took something out of her pocket. It was a small key.

    Casey put the key in the groove behind Bettys back and turned it clockwise.

    Kirik. Kirik.

    The sound of the machine and the gears meshing together was heard, and then Bettys closed eyes shed.

    Gasp!

    Erendir freaked out when Betty, who had not been breathing until a while ago, opened her eyes.

    Was she resurrected?

    No, mydy. Ms. Betty is not human.

    Enyas sharp gaze examined Bettys condition while Casey put her hand on her waist and nodded.

    Yes, thats right. My assistant, Betty, is no ordinary person. No, shes not a human being in the first ce.

    Not a human?

    As youve just seen, Betty, uma machine, to be exact, an autonomous machine. Its an automaton.

    At the word automaton, Enya realized how Betty disyed a formidable force that did not fit her size.

    Oh, automaton? But Ms. Betty seemed to be the same as us.

    Youre sharp, princess. Thats right. Betty knows how to think like us, and she has feelings of joy and sorrow.

    It was an automaton equipped with so-called artificial intelligence and emotion. Erendir has never heard of a machine that resembles a human being so much.

    Such a sophisticated automaton shouldve been famous.

    Betty is different from the crude automatons that aremonly known.

    What?

    A few years ago in the Kingdom of DelicaIts kind of a secret weapon.

    There was a slight shade on Caseys face that said so.

    An illegal project was carried out in secret in the dark of the Kingdom of Delica. Only one among them was a sess and her code name was Beta. Thats Bettys real name.

    They were surprised at the shocking truth that came out of Caseys mouth.

    Huh? Ahhhh! Casey! What did you do with my clothes?

    Betty, who came to her senses, screamed at the sight of her half-sttered top

 Chapter 125

    C125: Sthlern Kapelle (2)

    Chapter sponsored byFence.Thank you for your support.

    Hans floated in the endless dark space. It felt as if his body was submerged in water but floated in the sky at the same time.

    Where am I?

    How long has he been in that space?

    When Hans opened his eyes, he realized that he was not in the dark but there were beasts everywhere.

    The ck things that spread around him were not darkness, but all of them were animal hairs.

    !

    He tried to scream in surprise, but his voice didnte out.

    At that moment, red eyes rose among the ck fur group. The threergest pairs of eyes looked down at Hans.

    The beasts roared at him. Hans shook his limbs like crazy to live. Then, he felt a cold and strange touch on his palm.

    With a feeling of grasping at straws, Hans grasped it strongly. At the same time, Hans woke up from the dream with the feeling of his body being pulled strongly.

    Gasp! Gasp!

    Did you wake up?

    Brother?

    Hans stared at Rudger, who was looking down at him, and asked back in a stupid voice.

    What the hell is going on? Where are we?

    This is a secret hideout. I brought you here after you fainted. Is there anything strange?

    No.

    Thats a relief.

    More than that, I didnt die.

    Hans remembered the scene before he passed out.

    Unfortunately, he faced ck magicians, and his body was eroded by their curse. So just before he almost died he put the monsters teeth into his body.

    After that, all he remembers are small and fragmented memories that can only be called fragments.

    Did I be a monster and lost reason?

    Yes.

    But Im still alive.

    Its a relief, so give it back now.

    What? What do you want?

    What you decided to give me.

    Ah.

    Hans btedly realized what Rudger was asking for. Didnt he say that he would hand the Relic fragment to Rudger?

    However,

    It was taken away by a dark wizard.

    Thest thing he saw was that the ck wizard had in his hand. After that, Hans had no idea where the fragment was because he doesnt have any memories.

    Im doomed.

    In the worst case scenario, it may lie under the rubble of a semi-copsed Kunst auction house. Thinking so, a cold sweat flowed down his back.

    Well, brother, I meanDont be surprised and listen carefully.

    Stop talking and give me the thing you have in your right hand.

    Right hand?

    Only then did Hans realize that he was holding something in his right hand. The cool touch he felt in his dream was from this item.

    When he opened his palm, there was the relic fragment that Hans had been looking for so much.

    Huh? Why is this here.

    Youve been holding it since you fainted.

    I was?

    Yeah, when you fainted and when I moved you here you held it as if you would never let go. So let it go now.

    At that, Hans looked down silently on his right hand and burst intoughter.

    Ha ha ha ha.

    It wasnt taken away. Even at the moment when he turned into a monster without reason he protected the object. In a way, its really nothing, but Hans got emotional for no reason.

    Take it. Im d I didnt lose it.

    You did a great job. Hans.

    Never mind, it was my job.

    Hans smiled faintly and handed Rudger the relic fragment. Rudger, who received it, stood up from his seat while touching the fragment with his fingertips.

    Now that youvee to your senses, get up. Theres a lot to tell everyone, including you.

    What happened after we robbed the auction house?

    Theres definitely that, but thats not the point now.

    What?

    Hans tried to ask what it meant, but Rudger left the room first, so he had no choice but to get up in a hurry and chase.

    All the other colleagues were already seated in the conference room downstairs.

    They opened their eyes slightly wide when they saw Hans woke up. Hansughed awkwardly because the gazes were burdensome for no reason.

    Well, where should I start?

    Rudger opened his mouth, ignoring their reactions.

    First of all, you all did a great job. It was a series of unintended incidents, but thanks to everyones good work, the operation ended sessfully.

    Wow! Were rich now!

    Seridan raised her arms and shouted happily. Bruna, who was ncing at her, raised her arm awkwardly and shouted Yeah~ in a weak voice.

    But its too early to be happy. These stolen goods would not immediately be reced with money. At least it would take quite a long time to dispose of the stolen valuables.

    Fortunately, Kunst, who could track them, waspletely ruined, so he was less worried about catching their tail.

    But there is another really important matter.

    At those words, everyone became serious.

    Im sure everyone felt something while working together for the first time. You must have realized at the same time what kind of skills you have and how youre going to move forward.

    As Rudger said, the executives of U.N. Owen, who had not yet fully known each other, clearly imprinted their colleagues abilities on their minds through this operation.

    The first person to speak was Alex.

    Well, to be honest, I was surprised. Hans transforms into a giant beast, and Ive never seen anything like this before.

    You were pretty good too.

    Pantos, who had been listening silently, looked at Alex and said,

    Youve got quite a unique swordsmanship. Were you a knight?

    I wasnt a knight, I was just an ordinary squire.

    Your power wasnt at the level of a squire.

    Alex fought on an equal footing with a Nightcrawler Knight. He says hes a squire, but hes as strong as a senior knight in terms of pure skills.

    He was unbelievable for his young age. The reason that such a talented person is hiding his identity and scams people is probably because there are circumstances that he cannot tell.

    Alex immediately changed the subject as the atmosphere gradually went against him.

    More than that, leader. What the hell was that girl?

    It was a tant turn of the subject, but everyone paid attention to it. The most curious thing was the blue-haired wizard girl who was there.

    Alex, who is not very skilled in magic, was convinced that she was no ordinary person.

    Im curious, too.

    Pantos, who is usually quiet, was also curious. Casey Selmore was also included in the prey category because Pantos was only interested in the strong.

    Even if he pretends not to, the other people were also interested.

    Its just a bad rtionship I encountered in the past.

    Looking at her reaction, I think you met when leader was using the name of James Moriarty. Right?

    Yeah.

    What happened in the Kingdom of Delica was one of the most intense memories of Rudgers past years. Now that theyvee all the way here, theres nothing to hide, Rudger said.

    Her name is Casey Selmore. You should know the Selmores.

    Selmore? Wait. If its the Selmore family I know, all I can think of is the famous magical family. Is that right?

    There is only one Selmore family, so it is the family you are talking about.

    Hans, who has wide feet in this area, knew the weight of the name very well.

    The Selmores have long been famous for producing great wizards. Theyve even recently produced two wizards who have earned the title [Colour].

    And one of the wizards with the title [Colour] was Casey Selmore, who had a conflict with Rudger. She is a genius wizard and her achievements as a detective are well known.

    I met Casey Selmore for the first time in the Kingdom of Delica.

    Did you meet by chance?

    Not at all. Rather, she came to see me.

    Perhaps it was still a headache to think of that time but Rudger frowned slightly.

    * * *

    At the time, I was traveling in the Kingdom of Delica.

    Traveling?

    You told me how you met Betty, but you suddenly brought up the story of your trip. Erendir could not hide her curiosity.

    A trip is a trip, but, um, what should I say? It had a purpose.

    What purpose?

    At that time, I was in the middle of being arrogant because I was gaining considerable recognition and fame as a detective.

    Casey was conceited by the praise she received from all over the ce. Then she overheard a rumor of a man in the Kingdom of Delica, where she happened to visit.

    I heard that there is a professor who has a very good, brilliant mind. Even though he was young, he established a lot of mathematical forms and was especially well versed in geometry.

    Professor? Is that.

    Yes, he was Professor James Moriarty.

    What? But wasnt he a vicious criminal?

    It was onlyter known, but at first he gained fame because he was an excellent mathematician. Theres a reason why his name wasbeled as professor.

    Of course, the title of professorter changed to a bad meaning for those who promoted crime.

    I first went to the Kingdom of Delica to see who the prestigious man was and we actually met.

    Casey, who recalled the first meeting at the time, had an annoyed expression but she didnt mean to disparage his achievements.

    No matter what anyone said, the geometric form he created was so great that it caused a big stir in the mathematics world.

    What kind of person was he?

    He was a douchebag.

    What?

    Erendir was greatly embarrassed because she didnt expect that such an evaluation woulde out of Caseys mouth. In times like this, shouldnt she usually say things like, He was an unusual person from the first time we met or He looked suspicious just by looking at him?

    Anyway, he was a very annoying person. Hes a person who lives on his high horse. Every word that came out of his mouth was annoying.

    How did you find out that such a person was a criminal?

    A series of disappearances urred shortly after I visited the Kingdom of Delica. Many people disappeared without a trace every day, especially young children.

    I cant believe its a case of disappearance.

    I went around trying to trace it, and then I got an important clue. It was an abandoned mine that was deserted but there were suspicious people inside.

    Then Casey, heading deep into the mine, saw something amazing. It was not just a closed mine, but aboratory that was conducting some kind of secret work. The space was full of all kinds of machines, it was a factory consisting of steel, pipes, and mechanical levers.

    And James Moriarty was there.

    Not James Moriarty the famous mathematician but the criminal, James Moriarty.

    Recalling the scene, Casey clenched his fist. At first, she simply wanted to think that there would be a misunderstanding but the situation was not like that.

    The bodies of the Delica Kingdom police officers were scattered around Professor Moriarty. Above all, the body of a child who had gone missing that day was lying in front of Professor James Moriarty.

    Casey almost instinctively picked up her cane and shot a spell at him. Professor Moriarty also naturally blocked her magic.

    It was the first sh between the genius detective and the criminal mind of the century.

    You know what happened after that. He ran away from the fight that day, and I kept chasing him to arrest him.

    As she pursued the traces of James Moriarty, she faced the hidden events that were lurking in the Kingdom of Delica and solved them one by one.

    The disappearance of several people has already led to a huge n for the nations survival. The monopoly of the military industry to wage war, the development of new weapons, ns to assassinate key figures from other kingdoms and even a secretboratory that used people as test subjects.

    Casey dug them up one by one, captured all the people involved alive and exposed their ns in detail.

    The newspapers of the Kingdom of Delica were stered with new events every day. And three days before the day of the showdown she faced James Moriarty at a factory.

    It was a secret base that was manufacturing automatons. How the hell did he secretly prepare that? He was the enemy but I was amazed.

    To Casey, who came all the way there, Moriarty talked about his ns without thinking about hiding them. He even asked major figures of the country to start a war and sweep away huge wealth.

    But just before the oue of the n waspleted a huge explosion quickly engulfed the factory.

    Explosion? Did the detective do that?

    Casey looked at Erendir.

    Im a water wizard not a bombshell.

    It was a time when she was still immature and didnt even have the title [Colour] so she could only use elemental magic.

    Of course, I did try to prevent the factory from operating properly just in case but it wasnt enough to cause the explosion.

    The reason she timidly refuted was that she wasnt sure what caused the explosion. Maybe its really because she touched something wrong in the factory but that wasnt the point.

    The arrest of James Moriarty, the mastermind behind all this, was her top priority but they couldnt fight properly in the burning factory, and James Moriarty ran away.

    Eventually, Casey, in a hurry, found Betty while searching the burning factory for evidence. She was kept in a half-copsed room as if she was asleep. On therge capsule where she was lying, the word Beta was written.

    Betty is a special automaton made there. Bettys very existence is evidence of that scene.

    Casey got Betty out of the factory and shortly after she escaped, the factory disappeared in the fire.

    Thats what happened.

    Erendir was amazed to hear Caseys story and it was the same with Enya.

    This was a famous story, but it felt quite different when they heard it directly from the person involved. Still, there were actually some details Casey couldnt tell Erendir and Enya.

    The only thing I saw at the time was the half-copsed room and Betty.

    Codename [Beta], a sessful project, to be exact.

    Her suspicions arose then because the existence of the codename [Beta] means that there was something made before that. It must be Project Alpha that was created before Beta.

    So, where the hell is that Project Alpha?

    * * *

    Rudgers story naturally ended with meeting Arpa.

    As you may have felt, Arpa here is not a human being. Hes an automaton.

    Oh, my God.

    When Hans heard it, his tongue twitched as he was surprised.

    Hes a machine? But hes just like a human.

    Arpa is special.

    No, its beyond that, even if its special. How can there be a machine so simr to a human? If you hadnt told me, I would have thought he was just a weird guy.

    .

    Everyones eyes were on Hans. It was as if they were asking, What do you mean?

    However, since he was an automaton, the ridiculous abilities that Arpa showed finally made sense.

    Then the girl who shed with Arpa at the scene.

    Actually, shes my sister.

    That day Arpa realized it immediately when he faced Betty. She was made for the same purpose as him.

    I was surprised. I never thought Id see a kid like me there.

    The same goes for me. I didnt know there was still an automaton in the factory.

    Casey Selmore assistant was one of the automatons that Rudger thought werepletely destroyed.

    Arpa opened his mouth with a smile.

    But Im d to know that Im not the only one who survived the project.

    It was then that Violetta, who was listening quietly, opened her mouth.

    So Arpa is the only automaton left in the Kingdom of Delica?

    Something like that.

    What was the purpose of the Kingdom of Delica to make such an automaton?

    Arpa was not an ordinary automaton by all ounts. He had a terrifying physique, excellent intelligence and strange but human emotions.

    Rudger closed his eyes with his arms crossed.

    There is only one reason to mass-produce soldiers that can be consumed as much as they want, without requiring knights and wizards.

    The kingdom of Delica, a powerhouse in the steel and munitions industries, had one purpose. It was not intended to be a tank or anti-aircraft gun, but a steel soldier that thought and moved autonomously in the form of a human being.

    They could turn the tables of any war by supplying a country with the dolls made of steel they made and the project name was Sthlern Kapelle (Steel Chapel).

    Its war.

    The first automaton and sessful prototype of the project had the codename [Alpha], Arpa.

    TL Note: This was the longest chapter of the novel so far (2838 words).

 Chapter 126

    C126: Sthlern Kapelle (3)

    Wait a minute. So leader wasnt the one who instigated the war?

    To the public, James Moriarty was a viin who tried to wreak war by dominating the military industry in the Kingdom of Delica but the truth of the past that came out of Rudgers mouth was different.

    Rudger did not answer Violettas astonishing remarks.

    Anyway. This is how Arpa and I met in the past.

    The events of that time were still vivid in his memory but in the end, it was all in the past.

    * * *

    Thats how me and Betty met. When I got her out of the burning factory, we had a connection.

    Casey closed her eyes and said as if recalling the past. Of course, Betty opened her eyes quite a while after rescuing her.

    It was more urgent to chase Professor Moriarty right now.

    In the final showdown, I fought with him. At the end, as everyone knows, we jumped down a cliff.

    On a distant precipice of waterfalls she pushed James Moriarty with all her might. But the man was not called the godfather of crime for no reason, he blocked all her attacks and rather pressured her.

    She still remembered that she was so sweaty and she couldnt use any more mana. On the other hand he stood rxed and stared at her. She was defeated by Professor Moriarty in magic and was very resentful of that.

    As thest straw, she gathered all the strength left in her body that was not moving properly and ran at him.

    Perhaps Professor Moriarty was also surprised because no one would have expected that the final choice made by a sorcerer who consumed all her mana would be to throw herself at her opponent and die together.

    She fell down the cliff with Moriarty but she didnt die.

    That day. I didnt die.

    When she came to her senses, she was ashore, and her body was covered in nkets.

    Its not like someone else came by, found her and helped her. After falling off the cliff and losing consciousness, Casey had opened her eyes once in the middle of a very brief moment.

    Her vision was all blurry because of mana exhaustion and the stress of death but she still remembers that moment.

    The back of a man burning a bonfire. The man who covered her with nkets and even made a bonfire, though he could have killed her he did not.

    Professor James Moriarty saved her life.

    What the hell?

    She tried to move her lips to speak out, but her voice didnte out and fell asleep. Afterwards, when she fully came to her senses, only the ashes left behind and the dew of dawn remained, but there was no trace of the man anywhere.

    Professor James Moriarty, who made the Delica Kingdom so tumultuous, disappeared from that day, after abandoning everything he had achieved.

    Im alive again now.

    Casey, who recalled the day three years ago, sighed inwardly.

    Professor Moriartysst act was far different from the vicious man Casey had seen.

    Professor Moriarty saved my life even though Ive been interfering with his work to the end.

    Casey was curious and couldnt stand it. Why did he let her live? Didnt they fight to kill each other?

    He must be a bad guy, a bad guy who tried to start a war in the shadows of the kingdom.

    Her clenched fist trembled.

    She was angry because her pride was hurt but also curious about the iprehensible behavior of the man who saved her life and one possibility came to her mind.

    What if the man who allegedly encouraged all crimes, in fact, wasnt the criminal?

    No, its a wild guess. The man saved my life, yes. It was just a simple whim. The psychology of criminals is always out of the question.

    However, it was ufortable for her to conclude this unterally.

    She had to know why and everything that happened that day, even his true identity.

    So Ill have to find him and beyond that, the ck Dawn Society, his organization.

    Casey Selmores new goal has been set and it was the ck Dawn Society that was hiding somewhere in the Empire.

    Ill do it. Ill arrest you this time.

    Her unshakable blue eyes burned with strong will.

    Detective Casey, is that okay?

    What?

    Enya asked, recalling Betty.

    If you leave Betty like that, there will be a lot of talk. Since shes a piece of evidence, arent you supposed to remain in the Kingdom of Delica?

    Oh, that? Enya is right. Betty is supposed to be in the Kingdom of Delica.

    But why.

    Its a secret.

    What?

    Even Enya was embarrassed by Caseys yful tongue sticking out.

    You didnt tell the kingdom?

    Yes, I hid everything.

    Isnt that illegal?

    Well, its not illegal because I just havent submitted the evidence yet.

    You know thats totally unreasonable, right?

    I know that. But look, the incident that happened that day is not over yet. James Moriarty is still alive, and hes plotting something suspicious in a faraway country.

    To sum up Caseys words, the case of the day has not been settled yet, so its okay for Betty to apany her.

    More than anything, my inability to believe in the Kingdom of Delica also yed a part. Theres a lot of people in the country involved in all sorts of incidents, who would I trust to entrust Betty to?

    Just in time, she could see Betty approaching with her luggage in the distance. When Casey waved her hand, Betty distorted her face as if she was annoyed.

    Erendir and Enya still couldnt believe that such an emotional girl was an automaton.

    In that tiny body steel machines are spinning endlessly.

    Bettys all packed, so Ill have to go.

    Where are you going?

    The hotel has beenpletely destroyed. I need to find a new ce to sleep.

    It was time to say goodbye so Erendir wriggled her hands and thanked Casey.

    Thank you very much for saving me. If Detective Casey hadnt helped me, I wouldnt be here.

    I just did what I had to do.

    Pleasee and see meter. Ill give you a personal reward.

    Aha. Im looking forward to that.

    Casey also said goodbye to Enya.

    Good luck, Enya.

    Yes. Oh, Detective Casey.

    Whats wrong?

    Well, the leader said that we would see each other againter.

    Leader? You mean Trina?

    Recalling her past ties, Casey smiled brightly and nodded.

    Thank you for informing me. Ill be staying in Leathervelk for a while, so if you want to meet me let me know.

    Yes, I will.

    Well, then, Ill leave.

    Casey and Betty left with their luggage. Of course, it was Bettys role to pick up the luggage.

    Casey turned her head slightly and looked at the half-broken Kunst. A man sat stunned at the scene where construction was underway.

    Was his name Ivan Luke?

    She heard it was Lukes director, the blood of the chairman and the person in charge of the Kunst auction house.

    The event that you held on your own happened to be ruined.

    It is said that all the valuables that were supposed to be auctioned on the third day were stolen.

    The Beast of Gvaudan also appeared, the building that was hosting all kinds of VIPs was destroyed and there were even terrorist involver.

    The amount of damage is impossible to estimate and Kunsts reputation, which had a 20-year tradition, was also buried on the same day.

    Since this terrible thing happened, who wille to Kunst auction house to buy and sell items in the future? Considering the size of Lukespany, its not a staggering amount of damage, but the business in one field has beenpletely destroyed.

    So who should be responsible for that?

    At the end of the day, the general manager himself has to take the me.

    Ivan Lukes hair turned white overnight and he looked ten years older. In fact, it was surprising that he was still alive but she didnt feel particrly sympathetic since she heard he was a jerk who caused all kinds of idents.

    I personally dont like people like that.

    Casey Selmore has worked as a detective and solved many incidents and difficulties. She was thanked by several people for capturing countless criminals alive including the high-ranking people of the country, wealthy merchants and high-profile aristocrats.

    But she knew that they were no different than criminals. They did not kill directly, but put countless people in pain with their greed and power.

    There was no reason to feel sorry for such people suffering.

    I just need to do my job and not waste my time with that nonsense.

    She would stay in this city and think about her future. No, theres nothing to think about, shell track down the ck Dawn Society.

    Its going to be pretty busy in the future.

    Yes? Casey, what did you just say?

    Nothing.

    * * *

    The events at the Kunst auction house were too big to hide. However, news that the Kunst auction house was robbed was not found in any newspaper headlines because that wasnt the main thing.

    [Resurrection of the Nightmare. Will the Bloody Nighte again?]

    The Beast of Gvaudan was the most eye catching issue for the citizens since many people witnessed his terrible appearance.

    The cries of the Beast of Gvaudan have spread throughout Leathervelk. Maybe that day, everyone who was sleeping woke up and wondered what was going on.

    Its such an obvious title.

    On the front page of the newspaper, there was nothing but articles about the Beast of Gvaudan. Whether its a column about the bloody night in the Kingdom of Durmant five years ago, or gossip about how the monster reappeared.

    An investigation into the incident was alsounched in the city of Leathervelk.

    Im lucky because theres no trace of the organization I lead.

    I folded the newspaper neatly and put it on one side of the table. When I still remember what happened that day, I felt my eyes tickling with fatigue.

    I didnt expect Casey Selmore toe to this city.

    James Moriarty was the first name he used to dominate the back streets in the past. Of course, since then, he has been referred to as owner and has not given his name to others, but there is nothing he can do about his anxiety.

    Who knew shede all the way here to get me?

    She knew about some of the aliases I used, as if she had done some research on my past. If Im lucky because she assumed Im in a high position in the ck Dawn Society.

    Well, it wasnt really a mistake.

    With a bitter smile on my face, I looked at Sedina, who was eagerly reviewing the documents. In any case, I am nominally a First Order of the ck Dawn Society. In other words, Casey Selmores spection was half correct.

    I hope the sparks donte all the way here.

    With that in mind, Sedina, who had reviewed all the documents, approached me.

    Sir, Im done sorting.

    Good job. Ill take a rest now.

    Sedina looked at the headline in my newspaper and asked.

    Did it happen yesterday?

    Yes, I heard there was a huge monster in the city.

    The Beast of Gvaudan is a very famous cryptid.

    This is not a big deal right now.

    Perhaps because there was a werewolf incident not too long ago, all kinds of rumors were circting again with the advent of the Beast of Gvaudan. Of course they werent worth listening to.

    Even so, its fascinating. ording to the article, the Clockwork Knights overpowered the monster, but I didnt know the Knights were so strong. I think well have to raise our rating.

    Maybe.

    To be honest, this part was unexpected. I thought Casey Selmore would openly tell the world that James Moriarty was alive but there was no mention of the name anywhere in the newspaper. The only ones that defeated the Beast of Gvaudan were the Clockworks Knights.

    That Casey Selmore kept it a secret?

    I dont know what shes up to.

    But Im relieved she didnt tell anyone. Later Ill have to contact Circus and Old Kids separately and order them to keep the name James Moriarty a secret.

    Did you hear anything else?

    What news are you asking about?

    They said they moved because the Beast of Gvaudan appeared yesterday.

    They?

    The Knights of the Holy Land of Bretus.

    The Holy Land of Bretus?

    The name she brought up forced me to frown with tant displeasure.

    Why the hell are they

 Chapter 127

    C127: The Bretus Kingdom /The Holy Land of Bretus

    The Bretus kingdom is an ind country far from the continent.

    Although it is a little smaller than other kingdoms in terms of the size of the country, there is no country on this continent that ignores the Bretus Kingdom.

    Is it the Holy Knights? The troublesome bastards have moved.

    Their real strength lies in religion. The Holy Land of Bretus is the headquarters of the Lumensis Church, which believes in the God of Radiance.

    Because it is a country that performs miracles of God, other countries could not tamper with the Bretus kingdom and did not try to offend them.

    They hardly act, but the fact that they dispatched the Holy Knights on arge scale this time  Is it because of the Beast of Gvaudan?

    The Holy Land of Bretus has been active under the mission of saving mankind from the past to the present. Therefore, they have been steadily performing purification ceremonies by removing heresy from various parts of the continent by hunting cryptids.

    The Holy Knights of Bretus are, in a way, more faithful and pious than anyone else, and are apletely perfect organization that cannot be touched by any group.

    It is true that it is a thing of the past now.

    The Holy Land of Bretus is now considerably less powerful than hundreds of years ago.

    Too much blindness led to fanaticism, and the doctrine deteriorated. Just like the religions that existed in history, the Holy Land of Bretus has taken the path of corruption.

    If the Tower was divided between the Old and New powers with the advent of science, the Bretus Kingdom was weakened by its outdated policy.

    Science has developed, and the world has advanced at a noticeable rate. Now the rich ride in luxury steam cars, not wagons led by horsemen.

    However, Lumensyism has not changed anything from the past. They did all kinds of atrocities, saying that only they could do it for mankind.

    After the colonial war, anti-war movements took ce, and it has been more than 50 years since countries on each continent signed treaties to take peaceful steps but only the Holy Land of Bretus protested.

    How could they leave those heretics alone?

    Because the Holy Land defines as heresy the subspecies of Elves, Dwarves, and Suins.

    The Holy Land of Bretus believes in the extreme doctrine that only human beings are the sole offspring of God, and that only human beings should exist in the world.

    But for the past 20 years, theyve been quiet and solved internal problems in the country.

    Five years ago, during the blood night in the Kingdom of Durmant, the Holy Land of Bretus did note forward.

    But the fact that they moved this time

    It means that theyve solved the internal problems theyve been suffering for 20 years.

    The dispatch of the Holy Knights due the incident in Leathervelk will be just the beginning of their future moves.

    I cant believe theyve been quiet for a long time ande out right away because they caught a trace.

    They have been looking at this opportunity for a long time.

    Yeah. Thats because they sent out the Holy Knights with a statement bearing the seal of the Holy King.

    It was such a fast job that the expression stir-fried beans in lightning came to mind.

    I can clearly feel that theyve been waiting for years.

    Its a little suspicious. Why is the Holy Land, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly moving?

    Sedina was quite wary of the reason why the Holy Land of Bretus was moving. Bretuss existence itself is a nuisance to the secret society ck Dawn.

    Maybe its because the fight for the throne in the Holy Land is done now.

    I cant believe there was a fight for the throne in the Holy Land. Teacher even knows that?

    Its just a guess.

    I changed the subject because I was worried. Whatever happened, it didnt change that those annoying guys started toe forward.

    Sedina, have you finished what I asked you back then?

    Yes? Ah yes.

    I gave her one order a while ago. I wanted her to do a background check on Joanna Lovett, a student supposed to be Esmeralda.

    Sedina replied as if she had waited to show that she had faithfully fulfilled my orders.

    Joanna Lovett is one of the Second Orders and one of the new students. Thest name, Lovett, is a fake status created by the society.

    You know thats not what Im curious about.

    Yes, I did, and it turns out that Joanna Lovett is from the Kingdom of Durmant.

    Kingdom of Durmant?

    Yes, and she is even a survivor of the Roteng Fire.

    The great fire of Roteng, Ive heard of it.

    A huge fire broke out in Roteng, a well-known beautiful town in the Kingdom of Durmant, and everything was burned down. It was an incident that was so damaging that there were few survivors, and the cause of the fire is still unknown.

    Although it happened more than a decade ago, it was famous enough to rank among the biggest disasters in history.

    Joanna Lovett is a survivor of the fire in Roteng?

    The moment I heard the word fire, I remembered the spirit of fire I saw that day. A hateful body of fire that is not considered amon spirit, with endless malice against mankind.

    It urred to me that maybe the fire was rted to this guy.

    Thats all Ive found out for now. I need time to check more.

    Do you know how many survivors of the Roteng fire are there?

    There are three people in total, including Joanna.

    Three people?

    The fact that there were only three survivors was something that could not be understood bymon sense and it was certainly suspicious.

    Do you know the whereabouts of the other two survivors?

    One has been confirmed, but the other is in the dark.

    Then whos the one you know about.

    Its a young man named Pierre. Well he must be over 30 years old now.

    What is he doing?

    Hes a painter. He liked the beautiful scenery of Roteng, so he stayed there and painted.

    A painter? He may not be an important person, but it was interesting to hear that he was a survivor of the Roteng Fire.

    There was only one thing that intrigued me. Its the identity of thest survivor.

    Is there anything else youre curious about?

    This is enough. Thank you for checking.

    Oh, no. I just did what you told me to do.

    Sedina was so pleased with mypliment that her blunt face glowed.

    Sedina, isnt work hard?

    What?

    Other teachers basically have at least three assistants.

    However, Sedina alone is responsible for more than half of my work.

    Given that other assistants alsoin every day, Sedina should also be quite tired but shes just not showing it on the surface. I felt like I was overworking this small, thin girl.

    Besides, shes in charge of all kinds of information, so she must be way busier than regr assistants.

    I think it would be better to pick a few more assistants.

    No, its not!

    Sedina shouted.

    Im not tired! I can sleep less than two hours a day if I can help Mr. Rudger.

    Youd better get a good nights sleep.

    Do you not trust me? Is it because I didnt live up to your expectations?

    She, whose voice was already watery, bowed her head and clenched her fist.

    This sight baffled me.

    I thought it would be difficult, so I tried to make it a little easier, but I didnt know the person in charge would react so radically.

    As Ive felt before, she seemed quite on the edge mentally.

    I see. Lets pretend I didnt say anything just now.

    Really?

    Yes, Sedina Rocheen. I dont have anyints about your work. Im rather very satisfied.

    Sedina, whose eyes were slightly red, stared at me with a moved expression. His face, which seemed to be copsing until a while ago, changed in an instant, like a bipr patient.

    Its just that your work seems to be too much, so I said it to reduce your burden a little.

    Oh, no. Im really fine. Yes, really.

    Now that youre saying that, I understand. I wont bring this up any more.

    Come to think of it, she was also not an ordinary person. Although she has the name Rosheen, she also belongs to the ck Dawn Society.

    She is very talented, thats why I kept her around for so long.

    Lets go. Its ss time soon.

    Oh, yes!

    I packed my coat and left the teachers office while Sedina caught up with me in a hurry.

    * * *

    The students waiting for ss talked loudly about the incident that happened in Leathervelk the other day.

    The appearance of the Beast of Gvaudan, called the King of Nightmares, was enough to interest not only students but also teachers.

    It was even said that the appearance of the werewolf in Theon that day may have been a harbinger to the appearance of the Beast of Gvaudan.

    Im sure everyone is very interested.

    Erendir, who was sitting still, listened to the other students. Most of them were talking about what happened at the Kunst auction house and the Beast of Gvaudan.

    I cant believe I was able to escape without getting hurt in that situation. Its a relief.

    It was all thanks to Casey Selmore. Of course, there was help from Betty and Enya. After escaping safely, the bodyguards and her maids appeared and made a fuss about whether she was injured.

    While grateful for their concern, Erendir thought inwardly.

    If I tell this story to other students.

    Maybe this is her chance to emerge as a big star.

    Erendir has long dreamed of living in the Academy. Making friends within the peaceful academy grounds and enjoying youth with each other. It was Erendirs simple dream after living under the pressure of her sister for a long time.

    If she begins to unravel her experiences, which are like a part of a heroic story, wouldnt her ssmates views toward her change?

    If it were this, the students, frightened by the shadow of her older sister, who was the first princess, would also be interested in her.

    Did you really see the monster in person?

    Oh! Thats amazing! As expected of a princess!

    Actually, I have admired Princess Erendir for a long time!

    Students praising her with their eyes shining, just imagining the scene made her lips curl up.

    But I have to be patient. Its not sophisticated at all to start talking about it on my own.

    Erendirsst conscience caught hold of the mouth that was about to open.

    She couldnt say Hey, I was there at the time or Would you like to hear about it?

    When she was a freshman a year ago, she talked unconsciously to get close to other students, but it was a trauma for her because every time shey on the bed she would kick the nket when she thought of the embarrassing gazes staring at her at that time.

    She was bound to be cautious because she vowed never to repeat her past mistakes this time.

    I just need someone to talk to me.

    If someone gave her a slight push, she was confident that she could talk about it but no one approached Erendir.

    Sometimes they gave her a curious nce, because she was restless like someone who was desperate for something, but that was all.

    Erendir became nervous because at this rate the ss would begin.

    No! Not yet. I still have Rene!

    She looked at the empty seat next to her.

    The first friend she ever made since she came to Theon. Although it was a senior and junior rtionship, Erendir was genuinely thinking of Rene as a friend.

    As Rene was also isted like her, Erendir considered Rene as a soulmate because they could sympathize with each other.

    Senior. Hello.

    Rene arrived just in time and greeted Erendir, sitting next to her, which was now her regr seat.

    Oh, yeah, yeah. How are you?

    Yes. How have you been?

    Rene nodded and slowly organized the textbooks she had brought while Erendir stared at her.

    Rene! Talk to me now! Come on!

    She stared at Rene with such an intense gaze, but contrary to her wishes, Rene was eager to prepare for the ss.

    Erendir, who couldnt stand it, spoke.

    Wow, hmm. Junior, did anything special happen?

    What? No. I just studied, reviewed, and looked for a part-time job as usual.

    Okay.

    Erendir smiled awkwardly and carefully began to rhyme.

    You went to the auction house, right?

    What? Oh, yes. I did.

    Okay.

    Erendir realized something was wrong with Renes reaction.

    If she had sent her so many signals, wasnt it time for her reaction toe? It was as if she had no idea what gossip was going on around her.

    No way.

    Erendir asked cautiously just in case.

    Rene, did you read the newspaper today?

    The newspaper? No.

    Uh, um. Have you heard the rumors? Everyone is talking about them now.

    Rumors? I dont really talk to anyone, so I dont care about other peoples stories.

    Erendir realized that the innocent girl in front of her is not interested in gossip at all, even though she doesnt have any friends like herself.

    Rene put his index finger on her lips and thought hard about something.

    Well,e to think of it, the atmosphere is a mess unlike usual. Did anything happen recently?

    Uh, yeah, well, there was. Yes.

    But at the moment she wanted to say more.

    Everyone, take your seats.

    The door of the ssroom opened and Mr. Rudger came in.

    Erendir had no choice but to give up the dream of bing a celebrity in the ss operation, shedded tears in her mind.

    Standing on the tform, Rudger opened his mouth, standing upright as always.

    The results of the first test are out.

 Chapter 128

    C128: First Test Results

    All the students who were chatting in their seats kept their mouths shut.

    When Rudger Chelici stood on the tform, everyone remained silent, which had long been an unwritten rule in Rudgers ssroom.

    Its still quiet today.

    On the other hand, Rudger felt slightly disappointed by the appearance of the students who kept their mouths shut whenever he entered the ss. He felt even more so after he heard that other teachers were weed with a smile when they entered the ssroom.

    Did I do something to disappoint the students?

    No. I taught hard in ss, and I made the questions by thinking as hard as I could when I was giving the test questions.

    Didnt he even say that he would teach the [Source Code] that has be his trademark to students at the top of the ranking? Even if he wasnt a generous person, it was enough to be proud that he gave more benefits than the other teachers.

    And yet this heavy response.

    I didnt know there would be such a reaction even when I told them about the test results.

    The first impression may have been the problem, too. At that time, it was a choice that I was forced to make because it was too sudden to prepare for employment.

    Im sad, but theres nothing I can do.

    Still, since he intended to do his best in this role during his stay, Rudger decided to proceed with the ss steadily as always.

    As I said before, Ill let you know the results of the first test before we start todays ss.

    The results of their first test in Theon which would decide their position in the future were about toe out but there were no students who reacted rashly.

    If they do something like that in Rudgers ss, his sharp eyes will be on them.

    The entire ss results will be posted on the information board by Assistant Sedina after ss but Ill let you know what youre curious about right now.

    At Rudgers words, the students eyes lit up with expectation.

    I will announce the first to fifth ce in the first test. And as I promised earlier, Ill give the Source Code framework up to fifth ce.

    The students stared at Rudger with their mouths shut.

    If the silence was caused by tension and fear when he first entered the ssroom, now they cant even think of speaking because of their extreme concentration and anticipation.

    First of all, I will announce the first ce. Everyone seems to have predicted who will take the first ce in the rankings and they are probably right.

    Some of the students eyes were focused on one girl. No matter what anyone says, if its first ce, itll be Flora Lumos, who has the title of genius.

    Hmph.

    Flora Lumos, the person who received the gaze, remained upright and rxed as if it was nothing. She also did not doubt that she was first ce.

    First ce, Flora Lumos.

    And as everyone expected, Floras name came out.

    The students responded as well, and Flora also raised her nose lightly. She suffered a lottely but she used to be like this.

    And Julia Plumhart.

    !

    The students were shocked when another name came out and everyones eyes were on the white-haired girl sitting on one side of the ssroom.

    She still had a mysterious smile on her face.

    Both are tied for first ce with a perfect score of 100 points.

    When the scores came out of Rudgers mouth, the students had no choice but to ept it. If they both got perfect scores, which can be said to be the highest score, they could understand why they were tied for first ce.

    Wow, shes on par with Flora Lumos?

    She came in first ce when she entered the school. The tower also supports her, so thats understandable.

    There was nothing strange about it. Julia Plumhart was the top freshman in the ss. Still, they couldnt believe she was on par with Flora Lumos. They thought that another genius might have appeared in Theon.

    Since there are two first-ces, there is no second-ce so Ill announce third ce right away.

    Rudgers eyes were on one side of the ssroom. Aidan, Tracy, and Leo, who received the gaze, swallowed without realizing it.

    Why is the teacher looking this way? Did we do something wrong?

    Third ce is Tracy Friad with a score of 98.7 out of 100.

    What? Aidan and Leo looked back at Tracy at the same time.

    When her name came out, Tracy Friad was momentarily absent-minded and clenched her fist.

    Wow, Tracy. Congrattions! 3rd ce is amazing, right?

    Its pretty good

    Aidan, who was sitting next to her and Leo, who was sitting in front of her, congratted Tracy.

    Huh. Now you know? Im always like this.

    Perhaps, as a fallen nobleman, people did not expect that she would take third ce, and some nobles stared at Tracy with jealous eyes.

    Normally, because of her fiery personality she would have reacted to this and tried to y her part, but she was generous because she was in third ce.

    Thats great, Tracy. Your hard work paid off.

    Hehe. Aidan, I can teach you how to study if you want. What do you think? Do you want to do it?

    Tracy blushed slightly and said to Aidan shyly.

    At that, Aidan replied with a bright smile.

    No, its okay. I cant just interrupt Tracys studies.

    .

    Oh, oh! Tracy, Tracy. Why are you doing this all of a sudden?

    I dont know, you idiot!

    Aidan was embarrassed to see Tracy suddenly punching him in the forearm. Did he make any mistakes? But as soon as he tried to say sorry, Rudger opened his mouth.

    Next is fourth ce.

    The students held their breath. Its okay up to third ce. At least the names that came out now are people who have been famous for a long time.

    Tracy also ranked second behind Julia in freshman admission so it was not surprising that she obtained a high grade.

    But now that those three are gone, the ssroom is filled with tension for thest two ces since anyone could rank 4th or 5th.

    Who will it be? Is it me? Or him? I cant be as bad as him.

    The attention of students who all thought alike was focused on Rudger since they didnt intend to miss thest two names.

    Anyone could be nervous when they get this kind of excessive attention, but Rudger didnt budge an eye. Theyve felt this for a long time, but he was a man of steel.

    Rudgers eyes turned to one side of the ssroom. Erendir von Exilion. The Third Princess sat there.

    The students thought to themselves.

    The third princess is in fourth ce.

    Of course, it was mostly freshmans opinion, and some sophomores were quite embarrassed.

    What? The third princess is 4th in rank?

    They knew shes quite talented in magic, but isnt that purely in practice? At least in their memory, Erendir didnt even fit in the middle of the overall ranks in her freshman year.

    Rene is in fourth ce with 98 points out of 100.

    What!

    No way.

    And the name that came up was totally unexpected and Erendirs startled nce was directed at Rene.

    At least all of the first to third ces in the rankings so far were aristocrats. Of course, Tracy is a fallen aristocrat, so she is different from ordinary aristocrats, but at least she made other students feel better about it. But isnt Rene amoner without a surname?

    Me, me?

    Rene, who was involved, seemed quite embarrassed, as if she didnt know her name woulde out. She didnt study for a high ranking, but just did her best at that moment.

    Rudger nodded silently. There was no way Rudger would lie, so it was clear that she was fourth in the rankings.

    Rene felt like she was flying in the sky when she heard her test results.

    ReneYoure amazing.

    Oh, no. What?

    Erendir seemed quite embarrassed as she didnt know that Rene would perform so well. At least as a senior, she wanted to show her a great performance, but she fell behind in the theoretical examination!

    It was both pleasant and quite heartbreaking for her.

    Other students reactions were also quite disturbing. This was especially true of aristocratic students and most of the ring eyes at Rene were hostile.

    It was hard to ept that they lost to amoner. In addition, Rene is the one who caused amotion by having a conflict with a noble student from the past.

    At that time, there was nothing wrong with Rene, but the aristocratic students already recognized Rene as an arrogantmoner who dared to confront the aristocracy.

    As a result, even though she got good grades, their opinion of them wasnt good.

    Quiet.

    Rudgers voice instantly captured the atmosphere of the ssroom, which was about to be noisy.

    If youre unhappy with your grades, tell me.

    None of the students objected to the remark. They couldnt have said they werent satisfied with this result in front of Rudgers face without going crazy.

    In the end, the aristocratic students decided to let themoners take fourth ce.

    Then at least in the 5th ce, the name of the aristocrat must be included to fill this broken pride.

    Ill announce the 5th ce.

    The aristocratic students gulped down. Some even had a cold sweat in their clenched fists.

    No. 5 is Leo with a score of 94.3 out of 100.

    Contrary to that expectation, however, it was none other than themoner Leo who came in fifth.

    Aidan stared at Leo with wide eyes. This chic blue-haired boy still had a gloomy face, as if he wasnt too impressed with the fifth ce.

    Tracy stammered as she didnt know Leo would finish fifth.

    You, what are you? That was pretty good.

    I did it moderately.

    Well, Im in third ce anyway. You know? Im different from the 5th ce.

    Who says what?

    The two of them quarreled as usual but the other students were not asfortable as Tracy or Leo.

    Two of the top five positions were held bymoners. In other words, it meant that the aristocratic students who did not make it into the top 5 were inferior to those twomoners.

    Out of all five ranks, only three were nobles and one of them was the daughter of a fallen aristocratic family who is not even treated as a noble.

    Being lower than themoners is the most shameful thing for aristocrats.

    Youre looking very tantly.

    Leo felt the students gazes on him since they were all nobles filled with pride and it was like they were shouting a meremoner.

    They couldnt make it to the top of the rankings because they couldnt study, so why are they staring at him?

    Thats why I dont even want to talk to aristocrats.

    Leo was not the type to bow down just because his opponent was a nobleman. Therefore, Leoughed at the students who stared at him as if they were going to kill him.

    Some aristocrats tried to react in a fit of anger, but they realized they were still in Rudger Chelicis ss. That man, who didnt even care if his opponent was a nobleman, was the object of fear for aristocratic students.

    After ss, the five students called cane to my office to receive the framework. It doesnt matter if you donte right away, but you have to get it at least before the second test.

    At the end of the sentence, Rudger gave a signal to his assistant Sedina, who stood still beside him. Sedina moved immediately and handed out the paper to the students. It was the ss material for today.

    So, lets start the ss. What I will teach you today is a magic circle based on {Magic Release}.

    The magic circle is the most basic field for a wizard. Right now, they were using the technique of drawing a line connected with magic in a three-dimensional space, but they drew magic circles much earlier than that.

    Magic circle?

    Todays ss is surprisingly normal.

    The magic circle is still useful since Talismans and Artifacts are made by engraving magic on objects.

    Since three-dimensional magic is not suitable for engraving on objects or paper, magic circles were still in the spotlight. Above all, the magic circlests longer than the three-dimensional magic.

    The magic engraved in the air is a one-time use magic, but as long as the magic circle is engraved, it willst for a long time until its traces disappear. For this reason, the magic circle was still regarded as a basic yet important study for wizards.

    Look.

    Rudger immediately drew a circle on the Magic Board. A circle, which can be said to be simply perfect, is drawnrge at the center of the board.

    Most magic lines are drawn around a circle. Its an old tradition, but it has its own meaning.

    The reason why the magic circle is drawn in a circle is that this figure means the world itself. In addition, the circle was also a figure containing the firm belief that it protects itself from external forces.

    Therefore, the magic circle has always been developed by drawing a circle first, then adding a double circle or drawing various shapes inside it.

    But this is something that everyone knows. I dont even want to teach such a banal thing.

    Rudger said so and erased the circle he had drawn and instead he drew another pattern on the magic board.

    This is the magic circle I will teach you.

    The students that looked at the magic board were perplexed.

    It was understandable because the pattern that Rudger created was not a circle that could be called the basis of the magic.

    Whats that?

    Is that a magic circle?

    It was a figure that cannot be understood with conventionalmon sense, since it was a square.

 Chapter 129

    C129: Magic Square ss (1)

    I had to delete the previous novel because of some issues thats why the Novel Updates links didnt work for a while and why thements disappeared but dont worry everything its fine now. There will be one more releaseter since I couldnt post yesterday.

    When the students saw the square shape drawn on the magic board, their reaction was split in half.

    On one hand was the anticipation to what kind of mysterious magic Mr. Rudger would show this time and on the other hand was the disbelief since they couldntprehend what was in front of them.

    Even though Rudger had shown various magics so far, the square magic circle was beyondmon sense.

    The fact that the magic circle is always drawn as a circle has its symbolism, but above all, it is because the circle is the shape through which the power flows most perfectly whether its the force that flows from inside to outside or from outside to inside.

    The curve of the circle helps the flow of power flow smoothly and circte in the magic circle. However, the figure in which angles exists is different.

    The magic that flows through the magic circle has a kind of inertia toward the direction it flows. Naturally, the magic that flows in a straight line cannot be bent the moment it encounters an angled corner and escapes to the outside.

    The leaked magic power gets lost, scatters here and there, collides, and eventually disappears without any effect. No, it would be better if it disappeared since in severe cases, it may explode.

    In other words, the magic circle drawn in a circle is the minimum standard to keep the flow of magic stable. However, Rudgers square had as many as four angles. This means that there are four corners where the mana that extends in a straight line will escape.

    What if you want to block the magic that escapes to the corner and draw a new line there?

    After all, the straight line drawn on the magic circle must have an end. A circle without an ending is not a magic circle.

    If you want to draw an endless straight line to reduce the loss of magical power, there will be insufficient space even with a drawing paper the size of a continent.

    However, the magic circle that Rudger drew now is at a level of only 70 or 80 cm on one side. Theres no way hed be able to create a pass in there that would allow him to use magic effectively.

    You dont seem to believe me.

    Rudger wasnt unaware of the suspicion in their gazes. He fully expected this reaction from the moment he drew the figure on the magic board.

    .

    .

    The students kept their mouths shut, but they couldnt deny it because they also had basic knowledge and pride as wizards.

    Some students were convinced that Rudger was wrong this time.

    What are you up to, Mr. Rudger?

    Flora Lumos furrowed her fine brow, trying to grasp Rudgers intentions. If it was her usual self, she would have raised her hand immediately and asked a sharp question. However, Flora Lumos once did that and then got scolded by Rudger.

    Afterwards, she sought a few chances, but Rudger didnt show any gaps. Even if she wasnt a smart woman, at this point, she had no choice but to realize that the man named Rudger Chelici doesnt talk emptily.

    Because Flora knew that, she stayed silent even though she had a sullen face. She rather red at the students who gave her a little anticipatory nce.

    What do they think of me as?

    Its not that she didnt understand that they expected her toe forward, but Flora was annoyed for no reason.

    When it was revealed that she was in a bad mood, the students who made eye contact withdrew their gaze.

    Flora, who had finished suppressing them, crossed her arms and looked at Rudger.

    Well, thats no way teacher would lie about it.

    Rudger doesnt bring up nonsense so Flora concluded that there must be a reason for that.

    Cause if it wasnt, Id be disappointed.

    So hes going to show us something amazing this time and tten the noses of those unbelievers. Flora Lumos pretended not to be, but she had expectations inside.

    There are students who cant believe it, so let me show you.

    Rudger showed the students a piece of paper that he had brought as ss materials.

    As you can see, what is drawn here is a magic circle. Its like what I drew on a magic board.

    On the magic board was an ordinary square, but on the paper Rudger showed them, there was a square magic circle with several things added besides the square.

    However, the students felt rather anxious because the shape of the square divided by 5 horizontally and vertically consisting of a total of 25 squares looked more like a chessboard rather than a magic circle.

    There were letters engraved on the inside and nothing else seemed to have been specially added.

    I will now imbue this magic circle with mana. Lets start with the manifestation of simple elements.

    Rudgersments were met with indifference from students.

    The moment he infuses mana into the square magic circle, the magic circle will not be able to y its role. Everyone pictured the same future in their heads but a little while after Rudger infused mana the students opened their eyes wide.

    Light began to flow from the magic circle, and eventually a small me was lit from the center of the magic circle.

    Did it work?

    What? What the hell happened?

    It was unbelievable. How did proper magic emerge in a magic circle of angr shapes that did not circte mana?

    Some students, including Flora Lumos, stared at Rudgers magic circle with cold eyes, while most of them seemed to be dazzled as if they were in a dream.

    As you can see, magic circles made of squares also work well. What do you think is the reason?

    Flora Lumos raised her hand as soon as Rudgers question fell but she wasnt the only one who raised her hand.

    Rene raised her hand as well and Floras gaze naturally turned to Rene.

    That kid.

    It took a little while before, but recently, shes been getting more and more attention. Even then, she had visited Mr. Rudgers office separately.But Flora Lumos thoughts disappeared the moment Rudger opened his mouth.

    Flora Lumos you raised your hand fasted so answer. Why do you think this square magic circle is working properly?

    Its a letter.

    Can you exin it in more detail?

    The letters are engraved inside a square divided into five squares, for a total of twenty-five squares. Thats what helped the magic cycle.

    Despite Floras remarks, the prevailing response was that students were still curious.

    Teacher put letters into the magic circle?

    Is that possible?

    To be able to do that with only letters, one must use the ancientnguages now known as being lost.

    The students thought that Flora was wrong but opened their eyes at Rudgers words that followed.

    You got it right.

    Is it real?

    The students eyes turned to the letters engraved on the magic circle. Its not a sentence, its a letter.

    The eyes of the students turned back to Rudger as they realized that he brought out a new magic again.

    * * *

    Their eyes have changed.

    Now I am used to the reactions of the students.

    Thest time I showed the Source Code, they had a simr reaction. At first, they dont believe it but the moment they ept it, Theons students turn into a monkfish who craves knowledge.

    Its only natural because its a magic circle with a unique shape that they cant see in this world.

    Because the magic circle I showed my students now was not from this world, but from Earth. Its actually a Magic Square, not a Magic Circle.

    The origins of the Magic Square can be traced back to Hanara, China, about 4,000 years ago.

    King Wu, the king of Hanara at the time, identally found the shell of a turtle during the Yellow River flood, and the first thing he thought of when he saw the engraved pattern was Magic Square.

    The Magic Square was then introduced to Western Asia, South Asia, and Europe by Persian and Arabian merchants across India and developed in various forms.

    Now, if you add numbers in any direction with mathematical meaning, the same numberes out, but the origin is closely rted to the ult.

    I owe it to my mother who was a shaman.

    I didnt believe in the ult or the supernatural, but I still had to force it into my head because of my mother so I studied like crazy.

    I didnt want to learn, but I had a greater sense of opposition to my mother who told me to be a shaman.

    I wanted to prove that no matter how perfectly I memorize and study hard, its useless in the end. That there was no point in doing my best and that she wasted my time.

    So I wanted to show her that she was wrong.

    It was a childish move but I know I had no choice but to act like that then. I think its only natural that I still acted like that but at this moment.

    No. Not just now, but every moment since I was born and lived in this world I realized that her teachings at that time were not in vain. Mother was not wrong.

    .

    I felt depressed for no reason, so I decided to focus on the magic circle.

    The magic circle I used is not a magic circle based on numerology, but Sators Magic Circle.

    Sator.

    Arepo.

    T.

    Opera.

    Rotas.

    These five words, engraved in ancient Latin, have the same effect whether they are rotated or read backwards if the letters are written ording to the standard.

    Theyre called palindromes.

    This does not stop at simply matching the meaning of the letters no matter how they are read. A word that has the same meaning even if it is read in the opposite direction and read in different directions literally means cycle, that is,pleteness.

    In other words, even if you do not draw the magic circle in a circle, if you borrow the power of the letters contained in it, the cycle of magic ispleted.

    Even if its a square-drawn magic circle, you can use it like a normal magic circle if you use thenguage in it well.

    Teacher, I have a question.

    As someone raised their hand to ask, Rudger nodded and allowed the question.

    What is it?

    Obviously, its amazing to draw a magic circle using a square. But is there an advantage of doing thispared to the circr magic circles?

    There is.

    What is it?

    Its easy to draw.

    .

    The student who asked the question received such a clear answer and was speechless.

    Is it easy to draw? Thats all?

    .

    However, when he tried to refute it, he couldnt think of any words because Rudger was right.

    Rudger exined it himself for students who didnt know yet.

    As we all know, it takes a lot of effort and practice to draw a magic circle. A circle is a perfect figure so the moment it goes a little offIt loses its strength.

    The reason why magic circles are still in the spotlight in the artifact business is that not many people are good at drawing magic circles.

    Anyone can draw on t ground or neat drawing paper. However, not anyone could engrave a neat circle on an object, even on a hard surface of a curved object.

    It has no effect if the shape is out of proportion even just a little. Therefore, the government also granted Meister Certificates only to wizards who can engrave these magic circles professionally.

    But squares are different. Just draw four dots at the same distance and connect them in a straight line, and you can easily draw a square anywhere.

    This is the advantage of the magic square. Its easier to draw than a circle if you concentrate. Even a light eye measurement can tell if its right or wrong. And it was possible not only for the Meisters, but also for the students.

    Its an advantage to be able to draw faster and more concisely than the existing magic circle. Is that a good answer?

    Yes. Thats right.

    Then take a look at the materials Ill hand out.

    When I made a chin gesture, Sedina moved diligently and handed out ss materials to the students.

    The magic circle drawn as a square is just a simple example, and in reality there are many different types.

    All the students focused on the material. Various figures were engraved in it, and not only letters, but also numbers that fill the nks.

    This magic square can be expressed not only with letters but also with numbers. Of course, the effect will be very smallpared to the existing magic circle, but it will be more effective than the existing magic circle in detailed fields.

    Numbers look at the world with reason, but there is also a mystery in them.

    Egyptian Numerology, Gematria in Israel and even the Pythagorean school of Ancient Greece.

    It gives meaning to a number and evokes mysterious power through an array of numbers. This was something taught on Earth but never appeared in this world.

    That was the ss I was going to teach the students today.

 Chapter 130

    C130: Magic Square ss (2)

    Chapter sponsored byFence.Thank you for your support.

    Two hours passed while teaching the students numerology and the magic square.

    When I came to my senses, the end of the ss was just around the corner. Is it time to wrap up?

    There are five minutes left until the ss is over. In five minutes, Ill erase all the contents of the Magic Board, so if there are any students who havent taken notes yet, please finish.

    I had no intention of finishing ss early or extending it.

    Finish it right on time. This was my motto.

    Wow! Its already time!

    Oh, no! I havent finished writing it down yet!

    Maybe its because he made a clear impression of finishing right on time from the first ss but students, realizing that my words were not in vain, hurriedly scribbled their pens.

    The students who didnt want to miss a single word fell on their desks with exhausted faces after 5 minutes.

    Ugh. I wrote it all down.

    If I had missed one, I would not have slept tonight.

    Their satisfied expressions contrasted the tired voices.

    I felt proud just to see the smiles made by students who desperately wanted to learn. Yes, thats what learning is all about. The desire to do something, to know something.

    Learning is a sublime longing that should not be disturbed by anyone.

    I will announce it in advance. The uing second test will be practical and based on todays ss.

    When the word test came out the students straightened their backs and entered a listening position.

    The subject is, of course, the magic square I taught this time. As you all have learned, the magic square is notpleted by simply drawing one square.

    This means that magic squares are not drawn using only squares but also triangles, hexagons, and stars. Breaking away from the conventional circle and being able to draw the shape you think of as a magic circle.

    In other words, it means infinity that is not bound by form. It was because of this expectation that I chose the magic square as the second test for my students.

    Create your own magic circle through todays lesson. This is both the content of the second test and your task.

    The students are buzzing at my words.

    It was not enough to announce the contents of the second practical test already, so it was too absurd to have them create a new magic circle.

    Most probably thought that even the second test would be a moderately written test. In fact, Theon academic curriculum basically takes this form. However, I have no intention of following Theon curriculum.

    Although it is only a two-year contract, I intend to do my best during that period. So Im doing the test in my own way.

    I expect the best results.

    At the end of that I left the ssroom with my back to the desperate students.

    * * *

    After ss, Rudger posted the report card on the notice board in the ssroom, as previously announced so the students flocked to check their rankings.

    From 1st to 80th ce, the rankings and scores of all students were written on the paper.

    Whats wrong with my score?

    No, I got this question wrong? I shouldve done it more calmly!

    Oh, my. I didnt get better than the average score.

    The average score on the test was 65 out of 100. The top-ranked students scored more than 90 points, but other students did not score more than 80 points, let alone 90 points.

    As a result, the names of students who failed to make it to the top five but exceeded 90 points were inevitably noticeable.

    6th ce  Iona Ovalley. 92 points.

    7th ce  ra Harness. 91 points.

    Among them, the most eye-catching was the fifth-ce.

    7th ce is a rookie of the Alchemy School. Then 6th? Who is number 6? When the students first heard the name Iona OValley, they wondered who it was but soon realized who it was and put on a strange expression on their face.

    Because of her copper-toned skin and height Iona stood out in many ways. In particr, the animals ears, which rose above her thick hair.

    It was a reality that it was hard to ept that Iona, a Suin, ranked sixth in the overall.

    A Suin is sixth? Does this make sense?

    I heard that the Suins are a barbaric race that only knows how to fight.

    The Suins were seen as barbarians who physically solved everything. Unlike some elves and dwarves in human society, most of the male poptions were very hostile to humans.

    It was the aftermath of colonial rule after being defeated by humans in the colonial war in the past. Still, in the southwestern frontier, it was the current reality that a group of Suin robbers appeared.

    Therefore, public perception of Suins was much worse than that of other species.

    As students, they couldnt have liked the low-race girl who stared at her ranking with a nk face. They were upset that themoners were on their heads but now even a Suin was above them?

    The aristocratic students red deathly at Iona Ovalley. It was uneptable that a barbaric Suin, not themoners, took such a high ranking.

    Honestly, what did you do?

    Thats what Im saying. How can a barbarian take sixth ce? Im sure youve made some kind of dirty deal.

    Come to think of it, Dr. Rudger said something to everyone else during the ss, but he didnt say much to her.

    The beasts ears on Iona Ovalley head wiggled at the sound of a murmur from behind. Because her five senses were sensitive, she could easily recognize that the students were talking about her.

    Iona Ovalley silently watched the students gossip about her expressionless face, before she left her seat. Her attitude rather added fuel to the behavior of the students jealous of her.

    Ha. What? Did you see his eyes just now?

    She made eye contact with us and left.

    They stared at Ionas back as she was moving away and exchanged nces without a word. Their eyes gleamed as they nodded.

    * * *

    Hmm. Is this the framework?

    Leo, who had received a framework from Rudger right after ss, recalled what had happened in the teachers office a while ago.

    [Leo, youre the first one.]

    Did he say that he was the first one toe?

    Rudger really gave him the framework as promised.

    Its only a quarter, but its definitely a great magic.

    The framework was only part of the source code, but the structure was veryplex and detailed. Is it because its a technique that makes a form?

    Leo, who was confident in tried to analyze it but just gave up.

    This alone is not enough. I need to collect all four toplete the form, so its practically useless to analyze it right away.

    It was only then that he understood why Rudger just gave these to students because it didnt matter if the framework form was leaked.

    It was impossible to reverse theplete source code equation with the framework. You cant tell what a person looks like or what kind of life he or she lived just by shaking hands.

    Anyway, how can he make this kind of magic and just give it to students? Mr. Rudger Chelici, what the hell was he doing?

    At first, I thought he was just an ordinary fallen aristocrat. There have been many people in the past who want to restore their old reputation and rebuild their fallen family or make a name for themselves by bing a teacher at Theon.

    But Rudger Chelici was different.

    He made a name for himself, but the way he did it was very different from those of his predecessors.

    The others raised the value of their names by appealing that they became teachers at Theon, but Rudger was the opposite. He showed his extraordinary talent as if it was only natural for him to be a teacher at Theon.

    Even before that, it was said that his achievements were quite good.

    In fact, seeing his abilities in person, the past evaluations seem to have been underestimating him. With that level of skill, he didnt seem to have toe into the right ce. The title of Theon teacher seems like a shackle to him.

    Its funny that hes a fallen aristocrat. If I were that good, I would have rebuilt my family already.

    Leo was so sure that Mr. Rudger Chelici is definitely someone who has something to hide.

    The werewolf crisis at that time, and the coordinate designation magic that was shown in ss, there are more than one or two suspicious parts.

    ording to a secret investigation, Rudger showed great performance in the recent terrorist incident at the banquet.

    No matter what hes toopetent for a new teacher. Hes definitely a character of interest to watch out for.

    While heading to the ce where he was supposed to meet Aidan, Leo found a disturbance on one side.

    What is that? What are they doing over there?

    Leo stopped and narrowed his eyes. Two boys and two girls surrounded one girl. It was the noble students that Leo hated the most.

    And being surrounded by the noblesIs it Iona Ovalley?

    Being a beast girl, Leo also remembered her. There was no way that he wouldnt know the most noticeable person in the ssroom.

    Come to think of it, when I roughly looked through the ranks, she was sixth, right?

    He remembered the sixth-ce ranking right below him was Iona. It was also quite impressive that her score was over 90 points, it seems she studied quite hard for a Suin.

    Leo immediately understood why those nobles surrounded Iona.

    Are you messing with an easy target because you cant admit that youre worse than her? Thats a smug aristocratic way of thinking.

    Such behavior of the nobles did not happen for a day or two.

    Leo thought for a moment. He couldnt just pass by after discovering such a situation.

    If something happenster on, Ill be the only one who feels ufortable.

    If it was him in the past, he would have just passed by without seeing anything, but now it is different.

    Tsk. That idiot Aidan personality infected me? There is nothing I can do.

    Leo thought it was better to intervene appropriately for now. He, who looked at the scene with that thought in mind, hardened his face as if he felt something.

    His steps elerated.

    * * *

    Hey, does that even make sense?

    Why is a smelly Suin taking the same ss as we are? Its disgusting.

    Iona Ovalley, who saw the students chatting in front of her, still looked puzzled. When her face had not changed for a while, the noble students were a little embarrassed and annoyed.

    It felt as if this arrogant Suin were ignoring them.

    You know that? A savage like you has no ce toin even if you are harmed.

    As if to prove that it was not just a verbal threat, a male student, who was the leader, raised his mana. The electric current ripples through the palm of the hand.

    Iona stared silently at the scene.

    Did you get it?

    Ionas mouth, which had been quiet so far, opened for the first time.

    If I dont get it.

    What?

    What will you do?

    Iona was still expressionless but the aristocratic student who was threatening her felt some kind of anxiety at the sight.

    You filthy savage!

    Lets stop, okay?

    At that moment Leo appeared and everyones eyes were on him.

    Who are you?

    Thats it. Or do you want to go all the way?

    What?

    That would be fun. The four of you persecuted one in a group and even threatened her other with magic. Ive seen it all.

    Youre.

    You know that teachers are also keeping a close eye on the arrogant attitude of aristocratic students these days, right? Dont you remember Jevan Pellio? He dropped out not too long ago. Do you want to be like him?

    Leo constantly muzzled the aristocratic students.

    Well, if you dont mind that, you can do what you just did. Youll have to be prepared for it. Im going to get a framework from Mr. Rudger Chelici now.

    !

    When the name Rudger Chelici came out, aristocratic students opened their eyes wide. No matter how fearless they are, the fear of Rudger was deeply embedded.

    From the beginning of the semester, when Rudger had made a move he never let go even if his opponent was a noble. Unknowingly, Rudger was a celebrity among aristocratic students.

    He could even criticize Flora Lumos relentlessly, so what can they do?

    Leo smiled.

    Why? Why dont you keep doing it? Arent you supposed to do something more?

    Youre just amoner good at studying. Nothing will change.

    Then please dont let me show off.

    Lets go.

    The frowning aristocratic students left. Leo looked at their disappearing backs and talked to himself.

    Phew. I cant do anything by myself, but I have a lot of pride.

    Why did you help me?

    Iona OValley couldnt help but ask Leo. She never thought she would get help from this ssmate, who is one head smaller than herself.

    Leo kicked his tongue as if it were a silly question.

    Help? Dont get me wrong. I didnte out because I was afraid of what might happen to you.

    Leo sighed angrily, looking at the Suin girl staring at him with an innocent stare that he still doesnt know what it means. He stood with his arms folded in a crooked position and stared at Iona.

    If I hadnt stepped in a moment ago, you were going to kill them.

    .

 Chapter 131

    C131: Iona Ovalley

    Leo didnt intervene because he was worried about the girl in front of him, it was rather the opposite.

    How did you know?

    How can you not know when you are showing it openly? Of course, the idiots just now didnt even know the de was near their necks.

    I didnt mean to kill them. I was just going to set an example.

    Oh, really? So you meant to kill at least half?

    So, what are you going to do now?

    Leo frowned at Ionas wary question. She did not seem to realize it, but before she knew it, her golden pupils were vertically divided, like a beast.

    Hey, dont stare at me like that. Do you think I was trying to ckmail you?

    Werent you?

    No, I wasnt.

    Then why did you stop me?

    I shouldnt say anything but if you are going to do it, at least dont do it in public in broad daylight.

    .

    Ionas eyes returned back to normal. She looked at the little boy, who spoke with annoyance before her, with a questioning stare.

    Leo was furious at the gaze.

    What?

    Arent you scared of me?

    Leo suddenly wondered what it was, but immediately understood why she asked this question.

    Did you think Id discriminate against you because youre a Suin?

    Most people here hate me or are scared of me.

    Thats because they dont know anything.

    Leo answered grumblingly. He wasnt like that originally, but after hanging out with Aidan, his personality changed.

    Feares from ignorance. On the contrary, if you know something, you dont have to be afraid of it. You said your name was Iona Ovalley, right?

    Yes.

    Youre a Suin but have a surname so you must be from a very powerful family. Considering that the average Suin is hostile to humans, youring here is probably not the will of the whole tribe.

    Right.

    Nevertheless,ing to Theon.

    Iona listened to Leo in silence. There was even a feeble expectation to what the little boy was saying.

    Youre here to learn about humans and about the wider world, arent you?

    .

    Iona was silent at Leos words because everything he said was correct.

    Right, how the hell did you know?

    Well, thats easy to understand. Ive heard how the Suins live.

    Its amazing. Ordinary people think of us as barbarians.

    Thats because theres still less information about ethnic groups. Now a racial discriminationw is about to be implemented, but the dirty aristocrats are desperately trying to prevent it.

    Leos tongue twitched as if his teeth were grinding just by thinking of the nobles. For him, who loathed the nobles, it was natural to stand against racial discrimination, which the nobles hated the most.

    So, dont get me wrong because I only helped you because I dont like them.

    Pequina Solda, you are a good person.

    What?

    You are a good man.

    No, not that. What one said before, Pequina, what does that mean?

    Pequina Solda. Its our tribalnguage. In your words, it means little brave warrior.

    What?

    A vein popped on Leos forehead at Ionas honest words. She onlyplimented purely, but what she said touched Leos heart.

    Hey, Im warning you, dont say that Im small or something.

    Why?

    Because.

    Are you asking because you really dont know that? Leo tried to say, Look at me. There is nothing more miserable than to exin it with your own mouth.

    Leo was always shorter than children his age due to theck of proper nutrients from an early age. Born to be small and unable to eat much, he had no choice but to have a small body, which was nothing short of Leosplex.

    Are you saying that even after seeing my condition?

    Ah.

    Iona also noticed the meaning of Leos words.

    I do not understand. Why are you so obsessed with such trivial things?

    Its trivial?

    Leoughed at the remark.

    Thats because youre a Suin. Suin people are naturally tall and have superior physical abilities. Do you even know how small people feel?

    It doesnt matter if youre short or tall. Its the strength of the heart that counts

    The strength of the heart. What kind of fairy tale are you talking about? Leo stared at Iona with suspicious eyes, but her expression was more serious than before. Those unshakable eyes were telling him that Iona was serious now.

    Pequina Solda, you just helped me even though it was a dangerous situation where I couldve fought other students.

    If I wouldve left it alone, something worse would have happened. Besides, it was just because I hated them.

    If you were a really bad person, you would have left me alone. Rather, you could have encouraged me to harm the nobles.

    .

    Each word of Iona prated Leos heart. Leo felt something ticklish on his skin. It seemed unpleasant but somehow pleasant, which was quite a familiar sensation. Yes, it was simr to the sense he had often felt since he was close to Aidan, that idiot whos uselessly nice and nosy.

    So you dont have to worry too much about being small.

    OK.

    Leo sighed while getting angry at Iona, who immediately closed her mouth when he said it was okay.

    Just call me Leo.

    What?

    I mean my name. Im not Pequina Solda. If you are going to call me in the future, please call me by my name.

    From now on?

    All right, all right. Anyway, Im done with my business, so Ill go.

    Leo tried to leave, waving his hands moderately. He thought hed feel weird if he was with her for no reason.

    Doesnt it matter if youre short? Whats important is the strength of your heart? Heughed at the words, but ironically, they were the words that most prated Leos essence andforted him.

    The fact that she wasforted by the manly girl who came alone to a faraway country touched Leos long-hurt pride.

    She doesnt seem to care about that.

    He didnt intend to pretend to know much after anyway, so he just pretended he didnt.

    Leos footsteps, which were moving with that intention, recognized who was approaching from a distance and stopped at the wee cry.

    Oh! Leo! Youre here!

    Aidan was approaching him with a smile like a big dog and Next to Aidan was Tessie with a coy expression.

    Aidan.

    Im on my way back from receiving the framework with Tessie. Oh, of course not me, Tessie. But when I heard that you received it first, I thought you might be nearby, so I followed you right away.

    While speaking, Aidan found Iona standing behind Leo.

    Oh,e to think of it, your name isIona?

    Its Iona Ovalley.

    Oh, I see. Nice to meet you, Iona.

    Hey, Aidan, what are you doing?

    Huh? Shes a friend who listens to the same lecture.

    Leos face twisted at the word friend.

    What do you mean friends? Were just ssmates.

    Isnt that a friend?

    What do you mean.?

    Ah! Do you want toe with us if you dont mind? Were supposed to have lunch together. Since were eating together, its better, right?

    He already knew that Aidan was nosy but Leo didnt expect he would say something like that.

    Leo looked back at Iona with a slightly uneasy look.

    Well, wait a minute, Aidan. You want her to go with us? Thats not right, is it?

    Tracy also tried to dissuade Aidan.

    Huh? Why?

    Its just that its kind of weird to eat all of a sudden with someone youre not close to.

    At Aidans innocent face, Tracy shoved the words into her throat. It wasnt because she was scared or hated the Suin people. It was just that she didnt want Aidan to naturally encourage another girl to eat with him.

    Wait. Why dont you like me?

    When Tracy, who didnt understand why he was annoyed, was torn, Aidan waited for Ionas answer.

    Iona nodded to Aidans suggestion.

    Good.

    Really? Thats a relief! Lets go together! It will definitely be more fun if there are many people.

    Oh!

    This.

    Tracy and Leo, who couldnt find the right time to stop Aidan, eximed with regret. But it was already spilled water.

    This was the moment when a new member was added to the usual three musketeers.

    * * *

    Elisa Willow was constantly busy processing the paperwork that filled the presidents office. The documents floating around with mana circled around Elisa and her golden eyes moved quickly and scanned the passing documents at once.

    Several pens emerged and signed the documents. Normally, she would have done it with ease, but the amount of documents that she has received has more than tripled recently, so if she doesnt do this, the work will not be finished.

    The morning work ended only when the floating documents piled up one by one and approached the high ceiling of the presidents office.

    Whew!

    Elisa stretched out her arms vigorously and Wilford, who had been waiting calmly, approached.

    Are you done with your work?

    Not yet. Ive only done half of it but Im going to rest a little now.

    Youre going through a lot.

    Ive prepared myself to be in the position of president. But I cant deny that its been particrly difficult because of recent events.

    Elisha grumbled but grabbed some of the papers she had set aside and waved them.

    Im telling you, I dont know why theyre asking for help with a case they have to deal with.

    It was a direct request from the city of Leathervelk to Theon.

    Is the situation that serious?

    Its certainly a big deal that the Beast of Gvaudan has appeared, but that doesnt mean they should just ask for help. Not just students, but graduates and teachers with whom they have connections.

    Elisa let out an irritating sigh and wrinkled her forehead.

    Thats a little too much. It seems theyre in a hurry.

    How can they bezy when such an incident urred. Even so they have crossed the line.

    The atmosphere in Leathervelk was quite chaotic after the Beast of Gvaudan appeared. Citizens were afraid that the Blood Nightmare would suddenlye back, and as a result, the vitality of the city itself was bound to decrease.

    But isnt it better now?

    Hopefully, I didnt know that they would have the support of the Bretus Kingdom.

    After calling for help from the capital, a group appeared in Leathervelk. The people who wore white uniforms were not from the Exilion Empire, but from an ind country far away.

    The Holy Knights of Bretus.

    With white and warm energy, they immediately roamed the city, reassuring and invigorating the citizens.

    Isnt that a relief?

    It will be fine for now. But the problem is The Bretus Kingdom has started moving.

    Thats true.

    The image of Bretus would usually be reverent and beautiful, but in reality, it was not. Bretus was an outdated nation and their true self emphasizes a doctrine and makes people reluctant because of excessive fanaticism.

    Therefore, the first emotion she felt when she heard that the Bretus Holy Land supported Leathervelk was anxiety, not relief.

    If the atmosphere in the city is bad, we will be affected, too. No matter how much Theon is recognized as a separate administrative district, it cant bepletely separated from Leathervelk.

    The students and the employees were quite upset, too. Thats why the paperwork has increased a lot.

    Yeah, weve got a lot of work to do at once.

    Well, then, since youre taking a break, would you like to see this?

    Whats that?

    Elisa looked at the paper Wilford handed her, and her eyes stood out.

    Oh, this is Rudgers ss material

    Yes.

    Thank you for taking care of me, Wilford.

    Elisa smiled and checked Rudgers ss materials handed over by Wilford.

    Recently, Elisa has a hobby to relieve work stress and rx and that hobby was to directly check Rudger Chelici ss materials. It was her favorite thing possible under the authority of the president.

    Wow. Such a magic circle.

    Just a moment ago, Elisa, who was frowning and organizing the documents, began to check the materials joyfully like a child who received candy

 Chapter 132

    C132: Elisa Willow

    Sorry for not updating for so long but things were a little chaotic these past days. There will be 1 more chapter in a few hours.

    As she read Rudgers ss material, Elisas smiling face grew serious. She picked up her pen as if she had been possessed by something, brought a suitable piece of paper nearby, and began to write down the form.

    The paper was quickly filled with dense letters and Elisa instinctively waved her hand in search of another piece of paper.

    Wilford, watching the scene, straightened out the papers that were still piled up so as not to disturb her. This is because if left as it is, Elisa would use even the documents that have not yet been checked as a notebook.

    Its going to take a long time.

    Elisa was now in focus mode. She, who entered that state, cant react no matter what happens next to her because she was a wizard before she was the president.

    Wilford shook his head.

    She seemed to be having a hard time these days, so he brought Rudgers ss materials, but looking at the current situation, the afternoon work had to be postponed until tomorrow.

    Its been a long time since Ive seen the president concentrate.

    Elisa has previously looked at other teachers ss materials, but she has only had a momentary interest and has never been very impressed.

    She has reached a level too high to aspire and enjoy something. But shes changed a little bit since she recently solved the first test questions from Rudger Chelici.

    Others dont seem to know yet, but Wilford, who has been with Elisha for a long time, knew. Elisa, who has always been busy, has recently developed a new kind of energy, and she has more leeway.

    It was all thanks to the new teacher.

    Even so, his ss materials intrigue her. I knew he was an extraordinary man from the first meeting, but he was even greater than I thought.

    Wilford, a former knight, didnt know much about magic. However, he was proud that he had an eye for magic as much as a wizard because of his experience and his years of living and Elisa.

    Even in Wilfords view, Rudgers ss materials were quite high level but looking at Elisas reaction, it must have been more than he thought.

    Oh, my. Is it because Im old, too? I dont have the same eye.

    Still, it was enough for thedy to be happy, Wilford thought so and sat quietly.

    * * *

    Only the sound of pen tips crossing the paper echoed quietly in the presidents office for three hours after Elisa finally stopped.

    Oh, look at me.

    After checking the clock on the wall, Elisa btedly realized that she had abandoned her work and was too immersed in magic. However, rather than regret, she was full of freshness.

    Are you done?

    Oh, Im sorry. Ive dyed too much, havent I?

    Wilford shook his head with a benevolent smile.

    Thats all right. Its better for me to see that you look a little relieved.

    Its different these days. I dont think its ever been like this before.

    Isnt this a good change? The president also needs time to catch her breath.

    Yes, well, anywayIm also very grateful to Mr. Rudger.

    Elisa stared with pride at the magic circle she created based on Rudgers ss materials.

    A magic circle thats not drawn as a circle.

    Even the way in which numbers were put into the figure to express power was quite amazing.

    The square magic circle is notpletely impossible. In fact, it has been tried many times in the past.

    But it never worked properly in her memory.

    Wizards did not invest much in anything other than the circle when dealing with the magic circle. It takes countless trials and errors to get a proper effect, which resulted in no satisfactory resultspared to the investment.

    As a result, it has be an established theory that the magic circle is drawn in a circle because its the most optimized, and its the most popr so the development of the magic square was stopped.

    But this is the finished product that people who went through all kinds of trial and error at that time might have finally reached.

    How the hell did Mr. Rudger Chelici find out about this?

    The only thing thates to her mind right now is the idea that Rudger is truly a gifted man. No. There couldnt have been an answer other than that in the first ce.

    Its amazing. First the Source Code and now the square magic circle. He could have won wealth and honor by just entering the Tower or the imperial family.

    Why did such a persone to Theon as a teacher?

    Theon name value is not insufficient, but it does not mean that there is no position higher than Theon.

    In Elisas eyes, Rudger was a person who could take a seat anywhere.

    Nevertheless, he came here because he wanted to work as a teacher.

    Just teaching these valuable materials to students shows it.

    There is no way that one can easily give others the path he has pioneered. Everyone can be selfish, and even if they give something, they want a corresponding reward.

    It would have been normal for a fallen aristocrat to risk his life more for personal sess, but he didnt. Mr. Rudger, what the hell.

    She was also proud to be in a ce where she sacrificed for the students. As the president, she was satisfied that she was doing her best in Theon. So the more shepared herself to Rudger, the more embarrassed Elisa became.

    What did I do when I said it was for Theon and for the students?

    She thought that she deserved a reward for her hard work, and that she deserved praise because she was in a position of sacrifice. What an arrogant person she was.

    After all, she is also not much different from a human being who is deeply absorbed in her appearance for others.

    Im stillcking.

    It is meaningless for her to think on her own. What matters is, after all, practice. Isnt it the basis of development to show what shes decided with action?

    Lets take a step forward.

    With that determination, Elisa immediately took a document out of the desk drawer and filled in her name.

    President?

    Ill ask you a favor. Please pass the official letter here to the teachers.

    What official letter are you talking about?

    Im going to change the academic schedule. I would like to hold the Magic Festival, held at the end of the semester, right after the second test.

    <magic festival=""> is a traditional festival that has shared Theons long history. Originally, the festival was still far from being held, and Elisa was nning to advance it with the authority of the president.</magic>

    Will you be okay?

    It is more helpful to hold such a festival in times like these days. Other than that, Im sure there will be people who will protest, but thatll be fine. Ill take care of everything.

    With a definite answer, Wilford no longer asked Elisha.

    All right, Ill send the official letter right away.

    Yes, please.

    * * *

    Rudger, who was reviewing ss materials in his office, tilted his head crookedly when he saw an official letter that suddenly came down.

    The magic festival will be moved up?

    The president seems to be trying to hold the festival earlier than usual.

    At Sedinas words, Rudger suddenly tried to say, Why? but stopped.

    The atmosphere of Leathervelk has not been good recently, and it was spreading to Theon. It was not a bad choice to open the festival early and refresh the atmosphere.

    However, he thought it was unexpected because it happened so suddenly without discussion in advance. At least the president he knew wasnt someone who improvised.

    Well, it doesnt really matter.

    Even if the festival is held, it has nothing to do with him. On the contrary, the number of days with sses decreased, so it became morefortable for him.

    Although the number of sses is tight, there will be no problem thanks to teaching the square magic circle. At this rate, winning a bonus is a piece of cake.

    Thinking about the amount of bonuses from Theon made Rudger feel better for no reason.

    He also had an excellent material called Magic Square, so the evaluation material of the students for the uing test was already done. However, when he remembered that there were still a lot of things to be dealt with, his excitement dimmed down.

    The festival is he festival, and he hasnt decided what to do with First Order Esmeralda yet.

    Its a lot of pressure to remove her in advance. If I assassinate the First Order without revealing my identity, the ck Dawn will discover that they have a traitor in the midst.

    And the most likely suspect would be himself, the First Order.

    He already knew how they dealt with traitors so he had to be more careful.

    When Esmeralda moves in earnest Ill have to reveal her identity and Theon will take care of her. Its not that difficult.

    The only problem was when Esmeralda would be moving.

    Ill see the opportunity. The moment when she will be the most active.

    Esmeralda previously summoned the supreme spirit of fire when there were many people gathered.

    From that experience, the next opportunity for Esmeralda to move was fixed.

    It looks like a suitable te has beenid at the right time.

    Rudger stared at the official letter about the Magic Festival. His reason and intuition whispered at the same time.

    -Im sure Esmeralda will move during the festival.

    But there was ack of information and the part that was strangely annoying was when she would act.

    Roteng Great Fire.

    Rudger recalled that she was a survivor of the great fire along with two others.

    There were still a few puzzle pieces that had not yet been put together.

    Everything must be done to perfection. In order to reduce the variables, I have to go to Roteng as soon as possible.

    As he thought so, he heard a knock on the office door.

    Come in.

    As soon as Rudgers words fell, the door was opened cautiously and it was ash grays short hair that was sticking out.

    Hello.

    Is it Rene? Are you here to get the framework?

    Yes.

    As Rene walked into the office, she saw Sedina and nodded her head lightly as a greeting. Of course, Sedina pretended not to see her greeting and concentrated on her paperwork.

    Come closer.

    Yes.

    As Rene approached, Rudger raised his palm and the framework floated over it. The white framework, which was made of countless lines of mana, looked like a crystal made up of magic

    Put your hand here.

    As Rudger ordered, she brought her palm to the framework, and therge framework softly shone and permeated over Rene palm.

    Oh, thats it?

    Yes, remember theposition of the magic form. Youll need it when you put the rest of the pieces togetherter. I wont let you know even if youe backter because you forgot, so remember that.

    Yes.

    Rene stared at her right hand while clenching and opening her fist. Contrary to what she expected, the process itself felt empty.

    She vowed not to forget the magic of the framework that permeated her body through her palm.

    The process is over so you can leave now.

    Mr. Rudger.

    Whats wrong?

    Well, I.

    Rene tried to say something, but she made eye contact with Rudger and closed her mouth.

    Oh, no. Nothing.

    In the end, the words that squeezed out her lips were all evasive and she immediately left Rudgers teachers office as if running away.

    * * *

    In the end, I couldnt ask.

    As she left the teachers office and trudged down the hallway, she kept looking back in regret. But even if she went back now, she didnt have the courage to ask Rudger, so she decided to wait for the next opportunity.

    Maybe its a good thing she didnt ask now because his assistant was inside.

    Rene.

    Senior.

    Rene ran into Erendir, who was passing by just in time.

    Hmmwhat a coincidence. Where are you going now? If you dont mind, why dont we have dinner together?

    Erendir said so and stared at Rene with an anticipative gaze.

    In fact, she was looking for Rene. Erendir, who recently couldnt eat with her junior, needed to heal her mind but her expectations were brutally shattered by what Rene had said.

    Im sorry senior, I have a previous engagement for dinner tonight.

    Huh?

    Erendirs face changed, as if she had been struck in the back of the head by a hammer.

 Chapter 133

    C133: The Sword in the Shadows (1)

    Erendir shook her hands. Herplexion was as pale as a person who heard a secret that should never be heard.

    Are you okay?

    What? Whats wrong?

    You dont look well.

    Uh, yeah. Im afraid so.

    Erendir managed to answer but as she spoke, she felt something ck wriggling up inside her. To be honest, Erendir was feeling betrayed by Rene.

    You were my soulmate!

    The cry that could not be uttered fluctuated in her heart.

    Junior Rene is kind, and even pretty. Obviously, there was nothing strange about having a friend who ate with her.

    Erendir thought that the reason why she couldnt admit it was because she wascking.

    Well, still. I was going to tell you what happened at the Kunst auction house while we were eating together!

    She had already drawn the entire script in her head to tell the story. Now she only needed someone to listen to it, but she couldnt believe she had a setback here.

    The unbelievable reality made Erendir cry.

    Well, by the way, junior Rene.

    Yes.

    The person who eats with youWho is it?

    Uh, well, thats.

    Rene hesitated to answer because the person she had the appointment with was Freuden Ulburg.

    Freuden avoided the gaze of her people, because he was a simple person who took care of his own garden, and she was the only one who knew his secret.

    -I want you to keep things here a secret.

    That was what Freuden asked her.

    If she speaks Freudens name here, she will be a light-mouthed person who freely talks about other peoples secrets.

    Erendir was shocked again when Rene kept her mouth shut. That nice, innocent junior Rene kept the person she eats a secret from her!

    This is a man! Im sure its a man!

    Erendir was convinced that it was a man who was eating with Rene. Her judgment was made in a fit of anger but was surprisingly urate.

    Erendir opened her eyes and hurried to control her facial expression.

    Is that so? Since youre busy it cant be helped.

    Im sorry, senior. Lets eat together tomorrow!

    Of course. And Im not a narrow-minded person who gets upset about things like this. You know, right? Im not offended or anything.

    What?

    Its just Its just that.

    Oh, yes.

    At the sight of Erendir talking with a smile, Rene nodded and was relieved.

    Its a relief that you understood with a big heart.

    Still, I thought it would be a little awkward, but maybe because she was a senior and a princess, she was considerate of Rene and had a broad mind.

    See you tomorrow.

    Yes. Goodbye.

    Rene nodded at Erendir, who was waving her hand, and disappeared through the hallway with staggering footsteps.

    Erendir, who was waving her hand to Rene, stood still as if time had stopped as soon as her figure disappeared from view.

    Is junior Rene going to eat with a guy?

    Erendir thought.

    Due to her character, theres no way she could have approached someone first. That being said, it is highly likely that the male side approached her first.

    A situation was pictured in Erendirs mind at once.

    Clearly, a wolf-like guy seduced my naive junior Rene!

    There were not a few male students who were aiming for Rene. Since she was amoner, there were many aristocratic male students aiming for her.

    No matter how much Rene lifts a wall and hides her secrets she cannot stop everyone who approaches.

    I cant stay like this! I have to do something to help my junior!

    Erendir was filled with a sense of justice since Rene was her first friend since she came to Theon. Her friend was about to go the wrong way, and she couldnt just stay and watch it happen.

    Erendir followed Rene in secret.

    There!

    Rene had just left her main building and was heading towards the park.

    The park its the best ce for students to secretly have an affair.

    Erendir knew that there were many such cases.

    She followed after Linnaeus, feeling her uneasy imagination gradually bing a reality.

    How dare you, shameless fellow! Let me see your face!

    As she thought so she saw Rene going to the remote forest adjacent to the park.

    Erendir became impatient and thought about going to stop Rene right now or wait.

    Oh, no!

    While thinking about it for a while, Rene entered into the forest.

    Erendir hurriedly followed her trail and headed for the forest. After walking for a while, Erendir found a small open space in the forest and stopped her footsteps.

    Is there an open space in this ce?

    On one side of the artificially open space there was a flower bed presumably nted by someone. And Rene, whom she was pursuing, was standing in the center of the open space waiting for someone.

    That means that the person who promised to eat with Rene was here.

    Where are you?

    It was then that the voice came from behind Erendir, who was hiding behind a tree and looking around.

    Who are you? What are you doing here?

    Erendir, who looked behind her in haste, was startled.

    And her eyes widened as she recognized who spoke to her.

    Are you, Freuden Ulburg?

    The Third Princess Erendir?

    Freuden Ulburg squinted at Erendir with a cold impression.

    I wondered who came here secretly like a mouse, what are you doing here?

    No, why are you here anyway?

    Freuden shook his head as he tried to answer.

    There seems to be no reason for me to exin it.

    What?

    Senior!

    Did she hear the two of them talking?

    Rene, who was waiting in the open space, approached.

    She saw Freuden and was about to say hello, but when she saw that Erendir was there, she stopped.

    Why is senior Erendir here?

    Then she turned her head and alternated between Freuden and Erendir and a strange silence fell between the three.

    * * *

    So.

    Erendir, who sat on a mat, nced at Freuden with a suspicious look.

    Are you saying that this open space and flowerbed were taken care of by you, and that junior Rene meets and eats with you?

    Is there anything wrong with that?

    Freuden answered bluntly, picking up the food from his lunch box.

    Rene, who suddenly got involved in the fight between the two, kept quiet. She thought about what to do with the situation and opened her mouth cautiously.

    What brings you here, senior Erendir?

    Erendir flinched at her question. She hesitated, avoiding Lines gaze.

    Well, thats because I was worried that you were suddenly heading to the park when you said you were eating.

    I see.

    Rene immediately understood why Erendir followed her. If an acquaintance went to the forest to eat, she would have a simr idea but Freuden snorted and refuted Erendirs words.

    Youre makingme excuses. Thats why you dont have any friends.

    What? Im not without friends!

    Saying that she had no friends, Erendir mmed her palms on the floor.

    Freudens words were tantamount to digging through her unhealed wounds.

    Hmm. Then what the hell are you doing, Ulburg? Its uncharacteristic of you to cultivate a cute flower bed in a ce like this. Youre totally different from your usual image.

    Freuden frowned at Erendirs counterattack.

    Dont gossip about other peoples hobbies.

    I never dreamed that the cruel wolf had such a girlish taste.

    I think a princess like you should have a girlish taste.

    What?

    The appearance of the two growling at each other was, no matter how much she looked at it, that of a grudge.

    Freuden shook his head.

    If we talk like this, we will only consume each others mind.

    Hmm. Thats the same for me. Lets go our separate ways.

    Why are you eating my packed lunch while saying that?

    Erendir had been eating the food that Freuden had packed for a while.

    She who suddenly stopped at his words, decided to shamelessly go all out since she came all the way here anyway.

    What if junior Renes food doesnt taste good? As a senior, I have to eat to check it out.

    Freuden put on an absurd expression at the attitude of this shameless princess. It wasnt like she was checking if a kings food was poisoned.

    Even more ridiculous was that Erendir, the princess, says she will check the food for Rene, themoner. Shouldnt the situation be the other way around?

    Because youre so obsessed, you dont have any friends.

    What!

    Erendir tried to shout out loud but she closed her mouth since Rene was staring at her from the side.

    Uh, um, Ive been feeling this for a long time, but senior ErendirYou dont have any other friends?

    What are you talking about? I dont have any friends?

    Isnt that so?

    No, you saw it properly Rene. Sadly, this helpless 3rd princess is a poor person who couldnt even make a proper friend.

    You!

    Erendir red as if to kill him, but Freuden only shrugged.

    When Rene heard that, she didnt understand the situation. Why is Erendir unpopr when shes a princess? If youre in a high position, dont people approach you?

    If youre curious about why, its simple. Its purely because of Eileen the 1st princess that Erendir the 3rd princess became like that.

    If its the First princess.

    1st Princess Eileen von Exilion. She remembered Erendir warning her that she was a very dangerous and scary person.

    Whats wrong with that?

    It happened because the status of the First princess was so firm.

    Lets stop talking about useless things, right?

    Erendir retorted not to say any more, but Freuden had no intention of doing so. He was also quite annoyed that a guest he didnt invite came to his nest.

    In ordinary families, it ismon for children to argue over the right to inherit. In severe cases, there are fights on a national basis.

    Just looking at the civil war in Northern kingdom of Utah right now, thats true.

    The battle between the princes faction and the princesses faction sparked wars across the kingdom of Utah, resulting in many casualties.

    But very rarely, there is no need for such pointless disputes.

    What do you mean?

    If there is a firm next-generation heir.

    Erendir let out an ufortable murmur. However, she did not say anything to say to refute because everything Freuden said was true.

    The First princess, Eileen, is an undisputed figure to be the next emperor because shes got everything as a ruler..

    Freuden once faced Eileen in a banquet at the Imperial Pce. The feeling she felt at that time was like looking into an endless abyss in the sea.

    It was like something other than a human being that was contained in empty eyes that waspletely unknown.

    As a result, other peoples positions are bound to be ambiguous.

    In general, fights between heirs to the throne were supported by the nobles and it was normal for them to develop into factional fights. However, if there is an overwhelming heir, such factions do not even form.

    Since everyone bets only on the winner, fighting has no meaning.

    As the First princess received overwhelming support, the position of the remaining heirs became ambiguous. The nobles did not have to risk being attached to another heir. It was enough just to swear allegiance to the first princess.

    Of course, even so, the strong background of the Third princesses will still be quite attractive to other nobles. If they marry a princess, they can maintain a closer rtionship with the imperial family.

    Thats true, isnt it?

    But that was also canceled by the First princess. I dont know why, but she decided not to throw away her siblings, but rather to embrace them.

    If someone else did this, they might have been told they are crazy but since it was Eileen the situation was different.

    Shes not embracing us. She just needs toys to y with.

    Erendir retorted with emotion, but Freuden did not answer it.

    Anyway, the First princess will be the next emperor so there are no aristocrats who do things outside her eyes.

    It was for this reason that Erendir was treated like a nobleman within Theon.

    The aristocrats did not even approach the Third princess because the act of making friends with her could offend First princess.

    Conversely, themon people were not able to approach her because they felt burdened by her high status as the 3rd Princess.

    The 3rd princess didnt know that, and said she would make friends when she was a freshman, so she went around everywhere, such as club activities or volunteer activities.

    Ugh.

    I couldnt imagine how ufortable other students would have been.

    Ugh.

    As Freuden words continued, Erendirs head turned downward. In the end, the past she had been desperately trying to hide was revealed.

    The noble Third princess was actually a loner who couldnt make any friends! Erendir couldnt bear to raise his head in shame.

    Rene felt sorry for her so she opened her mouth to defend her somehow.

    Then was the First princess that great since she was young?

    Surprisingly, thats not the case. There were times when she too was alone without any supporters.

    At that time, there were nobles who showed tant disturbing movements. They viewed the First princesss talent as dangerous and plotted a plot to oust her.

    But all those nobles disappeared without realizing their purpose.

    They disappeared?

    I dont know the details. It happened a long time ago and its strictly confidential. However, there is a warning that was secretly spread among the nobles.

    It was at that time that Erendir, who had been listening, started talking again.

    Beware of the shadow of the First princess. There is no ce that the shadow of the First princess cant reach.

    Freuden and Renes eyes turned to her. Erendirs face was faint but frightened.

    If you face the shadow, you will surely die.

    What is that?

    The taboos circting among the nobility.

    It may not sound funny, but I had no choice but to say it this way.

    This is why no one can disobey my sister, the First princess.

 Chapter 134

    C134: The Sword in the Shadow (2)

    The story of the shadow of the first princess was quite famous among the nobles.

    After the Marquis of Tetperon, the de facto ruler of the military in the past, was mysteriously killed at his home, which was like an iron fortress, his military unit was torn into small pieces.

    However, the clever nobles did not miss where the power of the Marquis of Tetperon was absorbed.

    In the hands of the first princess, Eileen von Exilion.

    Freuden had no choice but tough inside. The death of the Marquis of Tetperon, known to the public, was a natural death due to old age, but no one believed it.

    Probably from then on she showed her talent in earnest because she was capable butcked her own hands.

    The first princess, who dominated the nobles with overwhelming charisma and intelligence, gradually interfered with the finances and did what the current emperor could not do without failure.

    The nobles, who were still wary of the first princess, had no choice but to pledge allegiance to her because they knew what happened to the nobles that tried to disobey her.

    There was a sharp sword in the shadow of the First princess that was waiting quietly to be swung.

    Naturally, the nobles were afraid since they didnt know when the de in her shadow would slice down their necks.

    They couldnt even defend themselves since the opponent was the one who killed the Marquis of Tetperon. He was so cautious that he maintained a tight security even when he ate a small meal since he had so many enemies.

    But in the end he died. He was not even killed while walking around outside, but was found dead in his room, the safest chamber in the mansion so the nobles were afraid of the First princess shadow.

    The shadow wasnt active since the incident, but all the nobles know that she could use it anytime she wished.

    Eileen, who was not disturbed by anyone, gradually expanded her power, and now she has taken the position of a firm absolute ruler that no one can oppose.

    After hearing the whole story, Line was surprised. She heard that the first princess was dangerous and scary, but she, amoner, could not know that there would be such details.

    Naturally, she realized why Erendir was treated like that even though she was a princess.

    Senior Youve had a hard time.

    As expected, junior Rene is the only one who understands my heart!

    Erendir hugged Rene with an emotional expression while Rene struggled with frustration.

    Freuden sighed and dissuaded Erendir.

    Lets stop there. Rene is having a hard time.

    Hmph! Thats not true for Rene. Isnt that right?

    Yes, yes.

    Look! She says its okay!

    Ha.

    Freuden felt a headacheing. At the same time, she wondered how Rene was able to be close to that stubborn princess.

    He is well aware that Erendirs suffered countless failures and frustrations while trying to make friends in Theon, but that did not mean that the third princess would just befriend anyone.

    Considering Renes personality, Erendir may be a good person to be close to.

    How did she get to know the Third princess?

    Arent ordinary people unable to raise their faces in her presence, let alone talk to the princess?

    Even if this ce is Theon where all students are equal, the remnants of the ss remain, and Erendir is not just a nobleman, but a member of the royal family.

    It must have been hard to talk to her properly.

    Isnt it just like that?

    Bute to think of it, although she might have been nervous when she first saw him, she answered every question he asked.

    Now that he realized it again, heughed.

    Lets stop for now, the food I brought will be cold.

    Oh! Thats right. Shall we talk after we finish eating?

    I guess you liked it?

    Well, Ill admit it. The cooking skills of the Ulburg family are quite impressive.

    Its a dish I made myself.

    Freuden, of course, did not say that. He was caught taking care of the flower bed, but he didnt want to let Erendir know that he was cooking.

    Thats how the meal started again.

    Unlike when there was little conversation between Freuden and Rene, now Rene and Erendir chatted with each other.

    It was Erendir who mainly led the conversation.

    Freuden felt sorry that his resting ce had be noisy, but decided to move on quietly, satisfied that it was not bad.

    The subject of the conversation had already reached the Kunst incident Erendir had experienced.

    You dont know how much trouble I was in the Kunst auction house this time.

    What?! Then, were you involved in the incident that happened there?

    Oh.

    Freuden, who had been listening quietly, also showed interest in this and Erendir thought that the opportunity had finallye and told the story of the day at length.

    In particr, in the part where the Beast of Gvaudan appeared, Line took a deep breath.

    It was a terrible monster that looked like it just crawled out of hell. The heads of beasts were all over his body, and the three main heads uttered terrible roars.

    This part was the truth without exaggeration.

    When Erendir closed her eyes, the sight of that time was still vivid.

    I still cant believe Im alive.

    I think its a real relief that my senior is safe.

    Erendir felt his heart beat violently at her response. Her first friend listened to her seriously and even worried about her. Isnt this the academy life she dreamed of?

    So what happened to the monster? Is he really dead? Or did he run away? I heard the Knights knocked him down, is it true?

    Oh, thats.

    Erendir agonized over trying to answer.

    It was the Clockwork Knights under Leathervelk that were known to have eradicated the Beast of Gvaudan, but in fact, it was a man named James Moriarty who really defeated the beast.

    However, the name James Moriarty was still kept secret after the incident because Casey Selmore didnt want to reveal it yet.

    -Princess, the whole story of this incident should not be known yet.

    -Are you telling me that I should hide the truth?

    -Its good to follow your sense of justice. But, mydy, the atmosphere is not good right now. Look.

    The dust was cleared, and the scene of the Kunst auction house almost in ruins was seen along with the wounded and the still terrified citizens.

    -People are afraid. The citizens anxiety will worsen when they find out that the person who killed the beast is a newly emerged big criminal.

    -So, Casey, youre saying that the citys knights, not the criminals, taking care of the beast is a way to end civil unrest.

    Comfortable lies are sometimes better than ufortable truths.

    Erendir could not bear to contradict her since that was the only way they could solve this series of situations.

    And the word of James Moriarty and his gang was spread, theyd hide themselves in deeper darkness and Casey wouldnt be able to track them.

    - I see. I wont say anything about this.

    Thank you.

    Erendir, who recalled the conversation at that time, immediately replied to Rene.

    Of course, the Clockwork Knights, which Leathervelk is proud of, came forward and solved it.

    She felt guilty while talking, but it was inevitable. Erendir, who was trying to avoid the subject, suddenly remembered seeing a familiar person at the Kunst auction house.

    Oh,e to think of it, I think I saw Mr. Rudger at the auction house that day.

    It must be confusing because she saw him from afar, but Erendir thought she could recognize his unique atmosphere.

    What? Mr. Rudger?

    Rudger Chelici?

    The two people who were listening showed interest in this story because they didnt know the name woulde out.

    Well, Im sure thats right because he cant hide his unique atmosphere.

    Why on earth did Mr. Rudger go there?

    Well, isnt there any reason why you cant go to such a ce just because youre a teacher? Seeing that he went to work without any problems afterwards, Mr. Rudger might have just stopped by and left early.

    But it doesnt look good on me.

    Is that so?

    Yes. He doesnt care much about luxury goods or jewelry, does he?

    There is definitely that feeling. Erendir, however, could not readily agree with Rene. It is always the case that a person is different from the inside.

    Come to think of it, junior Rene received the framework from Mr. Rudger, right? How was it?

    Oh, that was surprisingly normal.

    Didnt Mr. Rudger say it before? In the elemental attribute ss.

    It was then that Freuden, who had been listening to the two conversations, intervened.

    Wait, Rene. Did Mr. Rudger call you in person?

    Thats right. You dont know how worried I was about her.

    Instead, it was Erendir who answered.

    Freudens eyes turned to the school bag that Ren brought. When he first met Rene, he remembered the book she had hidden from him.

    The book at that time. I think Ive seen it somewhere.

    Freuden had a strange feeling that something was about toe to mind.

    Then Rene said,

    Oh. Come to think of it, I heard that magazines are popr among students these days.

    Magazines, right? Oh! I think Ive heard that before.

    Rene took a magazine out of her backpack and showed it to her.

    For a moment, Freudens eyes turned to the bag, but when Rene showed the magazine, he naturally had no choice but to turn his head there.

    The magazine was literally a thin-looking book. The cover was full of promiscuous pictures, and the letter No. 1 was engraved on it.

    Whats that?

    When Freuden asked, Rene replied with a smile.

    Its a book that was recently published in Leathervelk. But its not an official publication, so its a little thin, but there are a lot of interesting things.

    Whats interesting?

    Oh my. Dont tell me you dont even know the magazine thats popr among students these days?

    Erendir smiled at the thought that she had finally had one over him but Freuden shook his head with a growl. He didnt realize it when they were formal but he wasnt tired when facing the real face of the Third princess.

    So whats great about the magazine?

    You can think of it as a book full of misceneous stories. Like a newspaper, it contains a variety of big and small news.

    Then its not different from newspapers, right?

    No. Its totally different. Most newspapers are published by newspaperpanies, so they distort the contents ording to their taste. But this magazine speaks from a more neutral point of view. Of course, the publisher of this magazine worked hard on it.

    Is that all?

    Of course not. In addition to other information not covered by the newspaper, the real reason why the magazine is so popr is because of the various short stories in the second half!

    Freuden responded with a sour reaction, saying, Theres nothing special.

    However, contrary to Freudens light-hearted view, these short stories were quite sensational among students.

    Most of the books published on the market were formal or difficult to express in lengthy words. Its the same with fiction.

    Literary novels were too messy to read, and even nobles who tried to force themselves to be formal often gave up reading them.

    The short stories in the magazine were the opposite. They were well received by the public for their short and concise sentences and refreshing development.

    Recently, its poprity among the aristocratic students was rapidly increasing to the point where they were reading them one by one.

    Simple yet intuitive short stories are much more interesting than hard-to-read literary novels.

    There were already many people waiting for the next magazine because it had the charm of cutting off the content at an important moment and making them expect the next number.

    There are so many things going on these days. Maybe I should read it too.

    Freuden put aside his review of the magazine but suddenly he frowned slightly while recalling a name.

    Rudger Chelici.

    His name has often been heard recently but because he only saw him from distance he didnt pay much attention to him.

    The only thing he remembered was that Rudger Chelici has a very serious atmosphere. He didnt pay much attention before, but recently the name was heard so often that Freuden recalled Rudgers face, which he had seen then and he ended up ovepping it with the strangely familiar faces.

    I think Ive seen him somewhere.

    Freudian eyes became sharp.

 Chapter 135

    C135: Framework (1)

    Chapter sponsored byLucifer Loop, Zombiedoll, Katarna and UnseenPurpleOrk.Thank you for your support.

    Have you heard? The Magic Festival will take ce after the second test.

    Really?

    The news that the Magic Festival, a traditional festival of Theon, would take ce earlier soon spread. Teachers had already received an official letter branded by the president, and everyone who heard the news was delighted.

    Yeah. I heard itll start especially early this year. I guess thats what the president decided.

    Wow. Ive only heard of Theon festival, but its my first time participating. Im totally looking forward to it.

    Unlike most of the students who liked it, the teachers reactions were the opposite. To be exact, they were divided into pros and cons.

    In the official letter, the president clearly wrote down the reason why she had moved up the hosting of the Magic Festival.

    Many teachers were convinced of the reason, but many werent. To be exact, they were in a position where they had no choice but to be against it even though they were convinced.

    This is unfair!

    In the conference room of the Theon Main Building, where the teachers were gathered Marquis Hugo Burtag protested fiercely to the president, shaking his thick cheeks.

    How can you change the schedule of Theon, which has history and tradition, at your own discretion? Even as the president, this is an abuse of power!

    Behind Hugo Burtag, who shouted so, stood teachers who sympathized with his will. What they have inmon is that they are all aristocrats and the fact that they are friends with the Marquis of Burtag.

    Hearing theirints, President Elisa did not blink an eye.

    So you dont want to follow, Hugo?

    Its unfair! Even though youre the president you cant change the schedule like this!

    Why cant I? The former presidents made changes in the academic schedule 3 years ago, 9 years ago and 11 years ago.

    Hugo flinched at Elisas words and was embarrassed because he didnt expect Elisa to know about them.

    Well, it was adjusted after thorough discussion with the staff, and not changed by the presidents personal authority as it is now!

    Thats why Im asking for your opinion, right?

    How would our opinions matter since you told us after you already took action?

    Elisa shook her head, but Hugo Burtag had no intention of backing down. It was because he, who is at odds with the president, must take this opportunity to take the lead.

    It was a chance now that the president, who doesnt show any gaps to others, crossed the line for the first time in a long time.

    So youre saying you dont want to follow Mr. Hugo?

    Who said no? However, Im telling you that even those who want to follow will have no choice but to be hostile if the president makes such a decision.

    As you know, the reason why I moved up the holding of the Magic Festival is to change the atmosphere after the recent turmoil.

    Arent you supposed to tell us that in advance?

    Then itll bete. Theres not much time left until the second test, and the magic festival needs a preparation period, so how long will it be dyed to coordinate them?

    The president was right. Hugo would have protested, even if she had formally called in the teachers and board members to reconcile their differences.

    Hugo also knows in his head that her way is right, but he wouldnt go along with it.

    Opposition for the sake of opposition. Through this appearance, it was proved that Hugo Burtag is the kind of person who thinks that nothing else matters for the sake of his political position.

    So youre saying that you did a good job of doing what you wanted to do?

    Im sorry about that. But please know that this was for the best.

    President, Im worried about that. I was forced to do it now, but if I set a precedent like this, there is no guarantee that you will not do the same again in the future.

    Elisha, who had maintained a consistent attitude, was forced to frown at Hugo Burtags attitude to tantly assert this injustice.

    Its as if youre sure Ill be like this in the future, right?

    I dont know what people will do.

    As the atmosphere between the two began to flow in an unusual way, a third person intervened and stopped them.

    It was Marie Ross, the longest-serving employee of Theon and one of the people with the highest voice.

    It has already happened, and the positions of the president and Mr. Hugo are also not iprehensible. But fighting here is not going to solve the problem.

    Ms. Marie Ross., the president crossed the line first. This is definitely something to point out.

    Then, can you provide a clear answer to the current situation, Mr. Hugo? You dont know whats going on in the nearby city of Leathervelk, either. The presidents opinion is valid.

    Even so!

    You shouldnt do things your way. Rather than saying so, it was faster for Marie Ross sharp gaze to scan Hugo.

    Then Id appreciate it if you could tell me your solution. Im sure Mr. Hugo has a great solution, seeing that youre shouting so loudly, right?

    Why did thise up all of a sudden?

    Marie Rosss gaze shone sharply toward Hugo, who hesitated.

    Or did you just reject other peoples opinions without a solution?

    .

    Its not good.

    Because of her poprity, Ms. Maris Ross was a very strong speaker among other teachers. If she defended the president, this would be a little embarrassing.

    Hugo had a hunch it was time to step down. But something didnt feel right. If not now, when can he scratch that presidents thick face?

    Its a chance he got after a long time and he wanted to make the issue a little bigger. At that time, the teacher who was standing behind Hugo approached him.

    It was Chris Benimore and he whispered to Hugo immediately.

    Vice President Hugo. I think you can stop here.

    Chris, do you want me to let go of the chance Ive just caught?

    Im sure they understood what the vice president was saying. But now that Ms. Marie came forward, were going to be hit if we go further.

    Chris advice was correct.

    Hugo argued with the president based on an excuse, but not everyone condemned the presidents actions. On the contrary, Hugos actions, which did note up with an alternative but only scuffled, made his image worse.

    So what do you want me to do? Back out cleanly?

    How about this?

    Chris whispered something to Hugo, and his eyes flickered as he heard it. Having said what he had to say, Chris quietly stepped back.

    Hugo drew attention by coughing.

    Well, if the president really does that, its not something we dont understand.

    Elisa was surprised by Hugos sudden change. Seeing his smiling face made her feel anxious for no reason.

    Well, it is inevitable that the festival has already been moved forward. Hasnt it already happened? Good. Thats all good. Still, there are requirements since this has already happened.

    Requirements? What else are you going to do?

    Cant we at least give our opinions?

    Say it.

    Hmm. What I want to say is, since were holding the festival early, why dont we put in a different event than the previous one?

    As if this is the point Hugo naturally offered his opinion.

    Which one?

    We will be adding something new to the fighting event held in the Magic Festival. For example, yes. Something like a special event where teachers will duel with each other.

    Hugos face was full of insidious ns.

    * * *

    When I checked the official letter that came to my office, I lightly touched my temple with my fingertips.

    I think its confirmed that the festival will be held as soon as the second test is over. The schedule is tighter than I thought.

    Well start preparing for the festival right after the second test.

    The preparation period alone will be sorge that it will take a week, considering that there are a lot of employees and wizards living or working inside Theon.

    Rather, its more surprising that it takes a week to prepare even with those people.

    It hasnt been long since the first test results were released, but its time for the second test already.

    Still, itll be easy for me since the second test will be the magic square practical test.

    To be honest, I wanted to believe that. Surely there arent any students here who are sloppy?

    Still, I solved the conversion in my own way.

    Maybe Im the only one who thinks so. The magic square its fascinating but its not really that amazing.

    The framework for the magic square already existed in this world. The magic square research stopped at some point, but the system itself was not apletely new magic.

    That is, I did not create something out of nothing. Now, I just put new firewood into the bonfire where only residual fire remained.

    Its rather shameful for me to brag about it.

    Im hoping for some good responses.

    Now that the second test is approaching, I was thinking of going out a little farther.

    Roteng Vige of Durman Kingdom.

    Now, I was going to stop by a ce where there was nothing left because it was burned down by fire to check the identity of the first order.

    So, Sedina, who would normally remain, was also sent home right away. Sedina said she would stay longer, but she couldnt break my strong will.

    Shall I go?

    Just as I was putting on my coat, someone knocked on the door of the office.

    Come in.

    The door opens and I can see the familiar blue hair. It was Flora Lumos, one of the students in my ss, who came into my office.

    I wondered what had brought her here suddenly, but I immediately guessed why.

    Flora Lumos, are you here to get the framework?

    Yes, thats right.

    You cameter than I thought.

    Except for her, the other four came before and took the framework from me. Her being thest one was quite unexpected.

    Ive been a little busy.

    Did something happen?

    Its none of your business.

    It was just a ritual question, but that answer came back. But its too much of a stretch to ask questions here, right? Because I have to respect the privacy of the students.

    When I didnt ask any more questions, Flora became slightly annoyed.

    Arent you curious?

    You said its none of my business

    Hmm. Thats enough.

    What is it? You look angry. I was quite taken aback by Floras sudden, clueless attitude. Is it because of thete onset of adolescence?

    Anyway, if youre here to get the framework, Id like to say you came at the right time. If you were a littlete, you would have knocked on the door of an empty office.

    Thats a relief.

    Flora Lumos, congrattions on winning the first ce, albeit btedly.

    I gave Flora a lightpliment. I know shes good and smart. Still, shes the student who took first ce in my ss, and as a teacher, I had to praise her this much.

    Flora opened her eyes wide since my congrattions were unexpected, and avoided my gaze.

    It wasnt a big deal. It was a piece of cake for me.Of course, its a shame that I was tied for first ce.

    I understand. Your opponent was also a formidable prodigy.

    1st year Julia Plumhart. She performed on an equal footing with Flora Lumos, earning the reputation of being tied for first ce proving that she didnt get the attention of many teachers from the beginning of the semester for nothing.

    Oh, anyway. Give me the framework.

    Shes so confident. However, Flora deserved to be so confident because she won the prize given by her ability. That kind of behavior suits her more.

    I lifted my palm and when I tried to use magic to float the framework my hands were covered by Flora Lumos white and thin hands.

    .

    I stared at Flora Lumos, who put her hand over my hand without saying a word.

    Whats wrong with you? Are you not going to give it to me?

    She still didnt seem to know what she had done wrong so I sighed softly.

    Flora Lumos.

    Why are you calling me?

    The framework procedure is something that does not need to be received by skin contact.

    What?

    Flora Lumos gave a curious reaction.

    One second.

    Two seconds.

    When exactly three seconds passed.

    !!!

    Flora Lumos realized what she had done and hurriedly removed her hands. Her face was red to the earlobes like ripe mussels.

 Chapter 136

    C136: Framework (2)

    There was an awkward silence in Rudgers office.

    Flora flushed and panicked as he stared silently.

    Oh, no. So this is!

    Did you get confused?

    I spoke up to her because I didnt think the conversation would proceed if I left it as it is.

    Well, yes, I was confused for a moment.

    Its uncharacteristically for you to make a mistake.

    Well, there we go.

    I immediately showed her the framework, a magic trick that uses mana to form the [source code] on the palm of my hand.

    In an instant, a technique consisting of white lines was created. Flora Lumos pupils dted when she saw it shining like crystal.

    Is it okay?

    I remembered Flora Lumos unusual constitution.

    Has she said that she feels mana in a different way? As a result, when it was excessive, it seemed that she would feel confused. It was simr to the so-called Stendhal Syndrome.

    When asked by me, Flora took a light breath and nodded.

    Its all right

    Im d to hear that.

    I put forward the framework to Flora, saying so.

    Put your hand here.

    She flinched for a moment as if her mistake had urred to her, but soon reached out her hand as she was told.

    When the white framework touched the palm of her hand, it disappeared as if it were absorbed in an instant like snow melting in the suns light.

    This is the framework.

    Flora muttered as if she was amazed by the sense of the framework that permeated her hand. It must have been quite a strange feeling to sense it flowing through her body.

    This is the end of the transition. If youre done with your business, go out.

    Oh, I

    Whats going on?

    At that time, the trick that you showed me in your privateboratory.

    At that time?

    Yeah, when I passed out.

    Her voice was little as if she was ashamed.

    I remembered what Flora was talking about.

    Are you talking about Kleins disease?

    Kleins disease its a technique that expands the existing magic form in a higher dimension than the one that was drawn in a three-dimensional picture.

    In other words, Kleins disease itself has no magical meaning. It is just the result of an experiment that I made to see how far the mysterious power of magic can reach.

    Why do you ask that?

    There was something else you wanted to make besides the Kleins disease.

    You must have secretly seen what was written on the ckboard at that time.

    Flora red at me in a way that meant what I said was a little ridiculous.

    How can you not see since its drawn so openly?

    Even so, it is not polite to see it. It was me this time but be careful with others.

    So whats the name of the magic?

    You mean that?

    Perhaps what Flora Lumos was talking about was a more extended concept of magic beyond Kleins disease. A four-dimensional figure that is seemingly made up of two cubes, but is actually much moreplicated than that.

    Tesseract. Thats what I call it.

    Tesseract?

    Other names areYeah, its called a super cube.

    Of course, she wont understand even if I say this. Its a concept thats hard to understand for people of this world. However, Flora Lumos asked me in a slightly trembling voice, whether she realized that the name alone was an unusual magic.

    What kind of magic is that? What are you going to do with it?

    Well.

    At those words, I muttered vaguely.

    Klein disease and Tesseract are just research subjects for me. How far the mysterious power of Mana can be applied and how far it can be expanded.

    A study to find out whether it can interfere with space-time, which is four-dimensional beyond the present, which is three-dimensional.

    The super cube research was made in order to search for an answer to that question, and through Kleins disease, the answer to my question was decided to be yes.

    So what am I going to do with this figured out answer now?

    The answer was already in my mind. However, I cant tell the student in front of me honestly.

    A quest for the unknown.

    This is all I can do now.

    Dont tell me if you dont want to.

    Flora replied in a slightly sulky tone, as she realized my intention.

    Anyway, Ive got what I need to get, so Ill go now. Have a good day.

    Yes.

    Ah, but that kid named Rene.

    Flora, who was about to leave immediately after holding the doorknob with her hand, asked me with her head slightly turned.

    Did you two know each other?

    Me? Why do you think so?

    Its just, I think its something like that.

    Just. Thats not the answer a wizard should give.

    So you know her, dont you?

    I am a new teacher who has just been appointed here. Theres no way Ive known a freshman before entering this school. Was that a good enough answer?

    Thats right. Oh, andstly.

    Seeing that its thest one, I think this is the main point.

    What else are you curious about?

    Teacher, dont you feel sick?

    Sick? What do you mean?

    Youre really okay, right?

    I dont know what youre talking about.

    I didnt really know why, but Flora still kept her suspicious gaze on me.

    I asked you something I shouldnt have asked. Pretend you didnt hear it.

    Flora shook her head as if she had asked something useless. Her hair fluttered softly as she left the teachers office immediately.

    Why do you ask me if Im not feeling well? Are you going to bring me some healthy food?

    I dont know why you asked me that.

    When I checked the clock on one wall of my office, I thought it was a mistake.

    Oh, my. The time is already

    Flora Lumos suddenly came to visit, and a lot of time was wasted unintentionally.

    I hurried a little and left the office since it was time to go to Durman Kingdom.

    * * *

    Its been a long time since Ive been in this country.

    Rudger, who finally arrived at his destination on a long train, muttered as he looked at the scenery in front of him.

    Its been five years since the Bloody Night? At that time, it was actually the first time he hade to such a remote vige as he was working in a city called Gvaudan.

    Oh, my.

    Hans sighed deeply.

    Why did I have toe too?

    Because youre the right person.

    Say what?

    Wasnt it your job to collect information?

    When Rudger asked, Hans grumbled, Thats true.

    Hans was confident in hiswork since It wasnt just limited to one city, but it had its influence on all kinds of countries but even so not here.

    Is there anything to get here?

    Hans looked disapprovingly at the once most beautiful vige, where only debris remained. Roteng, which was burned down by the Great Fire, could no longer be called a vige.

    The tanned marks were all erased after a long time, but on the contrary, they were full of dense nts that were not burned by humans. Vines and mosses that cover up some of the remaining remains with the endless sound of grass bugs among them.

    It was like looking at an old historical site so Hans didnt think he could get anything out of a ce like this.

    But isnt it still there?

    What do you mean?

    Survivor.

    It is said that all the vigers were killed in the Roteng fire, but there are actually three survivors and one of the three still lived around here.

    If you knew, you couldve juste alone.

    Isnt it lonely toe by myself?

    Are you saying it from the bottom of your heart?

    Move.

    Phew, lets do it.

    Rudger and Hans walked through a thick grass road that grew to their waist. The footpath to the Roteng vige was abandoned for a long time and blocked by all kinds of nts.

    Rudger stretched out his hand lightly, as the wind blew and cleared the road. Theybed through the ruins of Roteng Vige but all they could see was the densely grown grass, and the survivor was not seen.

    Brother, didnt you throw the survivor out somewhere else? I cant find it no matter how much I look for it.

    No. I dont think so.

    Why are you so sure?

    Look over there.

    Rudger raised his hand and pointed to one side. A shabby hut was seen outside the ruins. The size was so small that it seemed safe to call it a warehouse and unlike other ruins full of vines, that house was the only one clean.

    He must be living there.

    Huh? Thats weird. Why didnt I see it?

    He hid it so that no one woulde to him carelessly.

    What does that mean?

    Hans, who was wondering, saw Rudger walking first and hurriedly chased after him. When Rudger arrived in front of the cabin, he tapped lightly on the door but there was no answer.

    When he grabbed the rusty handle and pushed the door carefully, it opened easily.

    Didnt he lock it?

    When he opened the door wide, a strange smell like an oil painting came from inside. Rudger, who has been active in various statuses, also had his own knowledge of art. He noticed that this smell was the smell of pigment used to paint oil paintings.

    The interior of the narrow cabin was filled with sunlight flowing through the window opening on one side. He could see the dust fluttering because of poor venttion.

    Rudger saw paintings that filled the walls and floors. They were allndscapes painted in oil.

    Why are there so many paintings?

    Hans looked around the inside and since he had little time to step, he looked a little tired.

    I guess theres no one here

    I see.

    Rudger closed the door again. It was confirmed that a person was living here, but it seemed that he was away now.

    As he was thinking about whether to wait until the owner came or to go where he went, Rudger raised his head slightly and looked in the distance.

    Brother, whats up?

    Its over there.

    Huh? No, wait a minute! Lets go together!

    A faint reverberation of mana in the direction Rudger was walking slowly. The magic flowing in the wind wasnt that far away, just in a hilltop adjacent to the back of the vige

    On a high hill overlooking the now-defunct vige, a man was sitting still and drawing something.

    Brother, dont tell me hes?

    It looks like we came to the right ce.

    It was one of the survivors of the Roteng Great Fire.

    Rudger moved the steps that had stopped again. As the distance approached, he was able to see the man properly.

    A weak-looking man in his 30s was wearing shabby clothes with paint everywhere but the most eye-catching thing was the ck eye patch hanging around his eyes.

    Was he blind? But all the cottage paintings had colorful colors and beautiful figures.

    Even though he approached to check, the man did not look at him once. There was not even a tiny response. It was not acting because he was a really blind man.

    Rudger climbed the meadow hill as if the wind wasing down and stood close to the man.

    Perhaps hearing the sound of stepping on the grass, the man who was painting stopped brushing.

    I have a visitor. What brings you here?

    Im sorry if I interrupted your drawing.

    At the words, the man smiled faintly and shook his head.

    No, I was almost done anyway.

    At the words, Rudger nced sideways at the painting. Surprisingly, the canvas contained the ruins spread out at a nce at the bottom of the hill.

    Can you see everything?

    No, I just feel them. The smell of flying in the wind, the sound of insects and the natural energy that touches the skin. Even if I cant see, I naturally realized it after living for a long time.

    The man said so, slowly organizing the painting tools while Rudger waited calmly by the side.

    Thank you for waiting. Id like to treat you to a cup of tea. Its going to be hard because my house is so messy.

    Its all right.

    Rudger shook his head and found a suitable ce to sit. But there was no room to sit around except for the right-sized rock on which the artist was sitting so Rudger stamped his foot lightly, then the ground sprang up, creating a ce to sit.

    Did you use magic?

    The artist looked a little surprised as if he felt Rudger using magic.

    Rudger smirked at the response.

    Isnt that normal, too?

    What does that mean?

    Only Hans, who was eavesdropping, did not understand.

    That artist is also a wizard.

    Youve noticed. Thats right. Im also a wizard.

    Rudger was able to follow the traces of painting here in the first ce because he was using magic when painting. Hans failure to find his house was the same reason because he hid the house through magic.

    I didnt know that one of the few survivors of the Roteng Great Fire was a wizard.

    I cant brag about being a wizard. Its just something I learned a little over my shoulder.

    Knowing how to use your magic in drawing its not something that can be learned normally.

    Its a skill that I naturally realized after painting for a long time. So, may I ask why a great man like you came here?

    Do you know about me?

    The painter shook his head at Rudgers question.

    No, I dont know who you are.

    But why did you call me an amazing person?

    Even if you cant see it, or because I cant see it, theres something that feels more certain.

    He stared at Rudger with his ck eye patch.

    The energy felt by the wind, the strange power that you have and what nature is telling me. You are the hero who solved the terrible things that happened in this country a long time ago.

    I didnt know you even had spirituality.

    I can only hear a little fragmentary voice, let alone make a contract with the spirits. Its not something grand.

    Its the same for me. Im not great enough to be called a hero.

    The artist went straight to the point.

    So what brings you here?

    Roteng Great Fire.

    The man shuddered at Rudgers direct words.

    I heard there were survivors.

    Yes, I am the survivor.

    Three in total, including you.

    .

    You knew that, too. The face of the artist with the eye patch said so.

    Did youe here because you wanted to know that?

    Who are the other two survivors?

    The sun began to set and the world turned scarlet as the sunset burned over the ridge. The wind blew in from the west and the chill of the night was felt. The shadows of the two people sitting facing each other stretched.

    I want you to tell me.

 Chapter 137

    C137: Roteng Fire (1)

    Chapter sponsored byJohn117.Thank you for your support.

    The sunset light was scattered through a gap among the thin clouds in the sky. Red and warm light nted, leaving a long shadow next to Rudger.

    The grass bugs cried loudly with the sound of the grass swaying in the wind as the artist stared at Rudger as if to see something even though he couldnt see.

    Since youvee all the way here, you know a lot after all.

    It was the painter who opened his mouth first in a long silence. He got up from his seat with his painting tools in one hand.

    Lets go down. Its going to take some time, so lets go on the way. Oh,e to think of it, we didnt introduce ourselves.

    Rudger Chelici.

    My name is Pierre. Im a normal angry person.

    After a light statement, the two slowly walked down to the ruins below the hill. Hans stepped back tactfully and widened the distance so that the two couldmunicate easily.

    Pierre, who was leading the way down the hill, swept the grass up to his waist with his fingertips.

    Its now a deserted ruin, but Roteng used to be a very beautiful ce.

    They say it was a beautiful vige like in the picture. Ive heard it a lot.

    It was like that in reality. But everything disappeared because of the big fire that day.

    Pierre had a bitter smile around his mouth. His invisible eyes seemed to be looking at the scenery at that time.

    As Mr. Rudger said, I am a wizard. No. I was a wizard, to be exact. My aristocratic teacher gave me up because I had talent, but I couldnt adapt. Im a timid person who likes to draw, both in the past and now.

    Rudger listened to his story in silence.

    I was too sentimental, unlike a magician, and my brain was not working well, so I was scolded a lot by my teacher. They even broke my brush. At first, I held it in, but as it continued, I couldnt stand it so I ran away at night. I liked drawing more than using magic.

    I want to draw a picture.

    Pierre, who ran away and wandered with that thought, arrived at a vige that was beautiful and peaceful called Roteng.

    I thought it was a great ce and that I could really paint here. But what can a blue child who doesnt know the world suddenly settle down in the vige do? It was hard to get used to the vige. At that timeshe helped me.

    Her?

    The two, who came down the hill, arrived at the mouth of the ruins.

    Pierre took out his brush instead of answering. He moved his hand holding the brush before expressing as to why he suddenly took out the brush.

    As if painting, in the air a surprising thing happened.

    Pierres brush was colored and a line was drawn in the air. It was simr to the implementation of the magic form to manifest magic, but Rudger immediately saw that it was clearly different.

    Pierres brush strokes quickly filled the surroundings with color. Red, blue, green and yellow all sorts of colorful lights spread around.

    Before he knew it, the sun disappeared over the hill in the west and the darkness sank like a night fog over the ruins filled with silence.

    Only Pierres painting shone clearly in it.

    Rudger watched it in silence. The magic of Pierres paint in the air drew a line or spread widely, and eventually drew andscape around it.

    In time, what Rudger saw was not the ruins of the middle of the night, but the beautiful vige in broad daylight. He could see the carriage moving around and people leading their lives.

    Is it magic using paintings?

    Painting magic was a new form of magic that he had never seen before. People in thendscape began to move even before he was surprised by it as if they were alive.

    The world of painting showed the scene of those days and Pierre began to walk as Rudger followed him quietly.

    Roteng is a ce with a lot of wanderers. It is also a ce frequented by people who have no connection or who travel but as they settled down a vige was formed where even the wind rests. Thats Roteng. There was one thing to be proud of in such a vige.

    Pierre, who was walking slowly in the center of the painting world, stopped and Rudger stopped by his side, too.

    At the center of the painting world was a woman who caught his eye. She was a beautiful woman with long ck hair. He could only see her back, but he could easily see that her beauty was out of the ordinary.

    Her appearance at first nce seemed strangely familiar and unfamiliar. It may be because her face was shaded around her eyes and was not properly visible.

    I cant see her.

    I couldnt paint her beauty intact with my humble drawing skills.

    There was a limit to what he could show with painting magic. When he heard that painting magic was not perfect, Rudger had no choice but to agree.

    She was a girl who seemed to havee out of a fairy tale. She was always kind to everyone without losing her bright smile. Everyone in the vige loved her. In addition, spirits liked her, perhaps because of her excellent nature-friendliness.

    Whenever the dark-haired woman walked down the street, people smiled, said hello, and waved and whenever that happened, she waved her hands and greeted me.

    Small natural spirits floated around the woman, and the singing birds sat on her shoulders and picked their feathers. The figure was like a fairy tale, so Rudger was caught in the moment even though it was a moment.

    Its warm, it feels like Im back in my childhood.

    It was also her that helped me who couldnt adapt to this vige. She was beautiful like a jewel and showed a warmer smile than the sunshine. Esmeralda.

    Shes.

    There was a constant smile in the vige. Thats how peaceful it was.

    Warm and peaceful.

    Looking at the scene, Rudger also thought he wanted to live here but the peace didntst that long.

    One day, an aristocratic wizard happened to visit Roteng Vige, and everything changed. The watercolor-likendscape quickly distorted and changed the appearance of the painting world.

    The wizard who led his men was a handsome blond man. He whispered all kinds of sweet words to Esmeralda.

    I fell in love at first sight. I want you to be with me.

    It was easy for Rudger to see that it was not pure love. What the aristocratic man wanted was not a woman named Esmeralda itself. He wanted her spirits friendly ability to be added to his own lineage.

    Those who search for talented women and force them to have their offspring.

    It was stillmon for aristocrats to deliberately marry talented women for better blood.

    But she, who was naive, believed the words of that aristocrat. She was so pure that she couldnt doubt the words of others who hid their true feelings.

    Before he knew it, he saw Esmeralda, who fell asleep with expectations and the vigers worried about her.

    If Esmeralda is bound up with someone, it must be a blessing. However, if the other person had a purpose, not a sincere love for her, he had to prevent it even if he was hated by Esmeralda.

    Everyone was helped by her. Her warmth and innocence had to be saved. She could not be dragged by a wicked aristocrat and made to live in misery for the rest of her life.

    But no one dared toe forward and stop it. I didnt exactly have the courage to do that. Thats right, because the other person was a noble.

    Yes, the old Kingdom of Durman was that kind of ce.

    Rudger nodded as if he understood.

    Now society still has a hierarchical system, but in the past it was much worse, especially the Kingdom of Durman.

    Rudger recalled a familiar word in his previous life.

    Ancien Rgime.

    It means the old system, and it means a society in which the long-standing feudal system gradually umted and generally rotted.

    The Kingdom of Durman was a stark example. In an excessive confrontation between aristocrats and royalty the lower sses were exploited by them and the people that couldnt stand it starved to death.

    At that time, themon peoples opposition to nobles was almost equivalent to treason. It was usual to exterminate a family even if one person did something wrong, and in severe cases, all the people in the vicinity were hanged.

    Did the people abandoned her?

    Did the abandoned woman ended up taking revenge on the vige?

    But Pierre didnt answer. The world of painting was already running toward a set ending, so he didnt feel the need to reflect on the tragedy of the day with his own mouth.

    If you look, youll know.

    Pierre stood in his seat as if he had swallowed the pain. Thendscape changed and it changed to the day when the nobleman decided to take Esmeralda.

    The atmosphere of Roteng, which was beautiful, was darkened. The vige, which had a cozy and subtle light even at night, was heavy and dull as if he had guessed its future. It was not just an illusion that even the air touching the skin feels cold.

    The nobleman came to pick up Esmeralda as promised while leading the soldiers of his family.

    Come with me, Esmeralda.

    -Im

    The sound of conversation between the two was heard over the blurredndscape.

    Even Esmeralda, who was naive, was hesitant because she felt something strange. But now that she came this far, she couldnt resist, so Esmeralda tried to hold the mans hand.

    No, you cant!

    Then a boy in the vige stepped forward and shouted.

    Lady! Dont believe him! Hes a seducer! Every word of love for you is a lie!

    How dare you! Who do you think this person is?

    The soldier holding the spear threatened the boy. But it wasnt just the boy who stepped up.

    No matter how noble you are, you cant take her!

    Get out of my town right now!

    Lady! You cant go with him!

    A friendly bakery grandfather, a woman who had a grocery store, a farmer, etc. All the vigers defended Esmeralda and protested against the nobles and their soldiers.

    If it was a fairytale, the aristocrat would have stepped down here grinding his teeth. However, the world that this painting magic shows was not such a hopeful story of good and evil.

    It was hopelessly dark and horrible.

    Are you trying to fight me?

    The appearance of whispering love to Esmeralda was gone, and the face of the aristocrat was distorted like a devil. When he raised his hand, the soldiers lined up behind him moved.

    -The people here insulted the aristocracy. Its an act of revolt against the kingdom! Sweep them all out!

    The soldiers moved as if they were familiar with the order. Thats how the massacre in Roteng vige began. Its not that the vigers didnt resist, but the gap with the opponent was too wide.

    The opponent was a trained and elite army of a noble family. There were a few, but there were knights and wizards.

    On the other hand, the vigers are all retired mercenaries and wandering adventurers.

    They couldnt have been an opponent in the first ce.

    A man stabbed by a soldiers spear copsed with a scream as the red paint smudged.

    The soldiers torches burned the houses as yellow and orange spread like an explosion. The mes were scattered and a person who could not escape from the inside burned to death.

    ck paint was smeared on the ground as hell wasid out on the people.

    Dont tell me, its.

    Yes, thats right.

    Pierre nodded as if he knew what Rudger was trying to say.

    This is the truth of the Roteng Great Fire, which is unknown to the world.

    The Roteng Great Fire was not just a natural disaster.

    It was a man-made disaster and the Kingdom of Durman has hidden the ugly truth until now.

    Please stop! Please! The vigers are innocent. Ill follow you. Please.

    At the center of the horrific massacre Esmeralda shed tears.

    She begged the nobleman to quit. He shouted, I will follow you, so stop killing anymore, to stop the meaningless ughter. However, the aristocrat whispered love to her in a cold voice.

    Its toote. See with those two eyes what happens to those who rebel against the aristocracy.

    The man who whispered love words was gone and only a monster with ugly desires remained.

    When she saw who he really was Esmeralda fell on her knees while her empty eyes watched the dying people.

    -No.

    Life is dying out in a house that is falling apart. The mes scattered in all directions and soon melted away. That spark was someones life. It was somebodys scream.

    -No.

    Esmeralda, who had been weeping incessantly, bowed her head as if she was about to copse.

    The noble man licked his tongue as he saw it.

    -Is she broken? No, maybe this is better. Its easier to handle a doll.

    He had no intention of hiding his true feelings now.

    -I cant do this because Im dizzy from the smell of garbage burning. Ill leave first, so you stay and leave no rat behind.

    -Yes.

    -Leave her alone and bring her to me when the situation is over.

    -All right.

    The nobleman left the burning vige behind and left with his immediate escort. There was no guilt aboutmitting the massacre on that face.

    -Its almost over.

    -Yeah, the guys who were waiting outside killed everyone that tried to run away.

    -Tsk. So why are you resisting the aristocracy and causing trouble? Lets take the girl first. Shes going to be a concubine of a young master.

    The remaining soldiers approached Esmeralda and reached out to her ording to the order given but at that moment a fire suddenly began to burn around her.

    The lumps of fire, which rose one by one like a goblin fire, revolved around her as if protecting Esmeralda.

    -What is this?

    -Is this a spirit?

    Judging that they were the lowest spirits without proper power, the soldiers tried to push them away with the spear.

    That negligence caused death.

    The mes that spread through the spear engulfed the soldiers. The soldiers tried to shout something at the fire on their body, but even that scream was engulfed in the mes.

    In a sh, two soldiers were ashes and disappeared.

    The me, which was a spirit, grew in size using the body as fuel.

    It was now too alien to be called a spirit.

    The me responded to Esmeraldas despair. mes rose from all over the burning vige as they sucked the red paint on the floor.

    Rudger had no choice but to watch the scene.

    Was it the original wish of the dead?

    The mes that absorbed the ck and red paint on the floor began to converge around Esmeralda.

    -What, what the hell! What have you done? Answer me, girl!

    The soldiers who saw the scene were horrified beyond description.

    Esmeralda slowly raised his bowed head. Her eyes, nk and empty, turned beyond the soldiers to the ce where the aristocrat, who hadpletely left the vige, disappeared.

    -I hate you.

    What came out of his lips were the deafening curse words.

    Eventually, the me that clumped behind Esmeralda conceived a presence. The giant, whose whole body soared with hot mes, rose.

    A fat, ugly, curvy body with a magma-infested face that was distorted by anger.

    Rudger remembered that spirit. It is the spirit that attacked the banquet hall at that time.

    -I hate everything about you.

    The soldiers panicked up the spear. Esmeralda, who was watching the chaotic scene, mumbled prayerfully, holding her hands together.

    So please. <quasimodo></quasimodo>

    The souls of the dead, the little spirits, Esmeraldas despair and hatred were intertwined in one ce and an artificially created incarnation of revenge was born.

    Burn them all.

    Quasimodo opened his mouth wide and spewed out mes.

    A new life born of death brought about death again.

 Chapter 138

    C138: Roteng Fire (2)

    Fire giant Quasimodo proved that Rudger didnt mistake him for a highest level me spirit for nothing as he killed the soldiers with overwhelming firepower.

    The soldiers melted along with their armor and did not even leave their bodies behind.

    In front of Quasimodo the elite troops of the noble were only firewood.

    The mes burned using life and death as firewood and kept getting bigger and bigger. me rain poured down on the fleeing soldiers while Esmeralda wept endlessly at the sight.

    -Why?

    Just yesterday she was spending her day as usual.

    The daily life of waking up listening to the birds chirping, ying with the spirits, and greeting the vigers whom she was close with. A dream where she danced, sang, andughed endlessly.

    The tears that flowed down her cheeks evaporated because of the heat around her. There were only dry traces of tears left like her now gone daily life.

    Esmeralda rose and began to walk. Quasimodo, who was watching her, soon turned into a small me and was absorbed by Esmeraldas body.

    She left the burning vige behind and disappeared beyond the ck darkness without knowing where she was heading.

    I couldnt do anything then.

    Pierre starred in the direction where Esmeralda disappeared with a sad face.

    He was painting outside that day but when he realized what happened in the vige and came to help there was nothing he could do as a beginner wizard.

    These two eyes were also lost during the fire that day.

    Thendscape has changed. Pierre, who had gone blind, was fortunate enough to survive. However, he couldnt even walk properly because he couldnt see, and it was only a matter of time before he was swallowed up by the fire.

    Then someone grabbed Pierres hand and dragged him.

    Hey, get up!

    It was a childlike but slender voice so the owner of the voice was presumed to be a young girl but Rudger couldnt see her. There is only a scene in which the silhouette of a blurry ck person grabs Pierres hand and drags him.

    The painting magic only shows what ones own eyes had seen so Pierre couldnt possibly draw what happened after he became blind.

    With the help of the girl, Pierre was able to escape the fire safely.

    Thank you. You saved my life.

    I just did what I had to do.

    What about the others? Is there anyone alive?

    No, theyre all dead.

    Thats

    Pierre stared nkly at the burning town of Roteng. He couldnt see with his eyes, but the hot heat from there was telling him that there was a town there.

    How absent-mindedly he must have been watching the scene.

    He could feel the girl who saved himing next to him.

    Hey, youre the painter who just got here?

    -You know me?

    I remember you being emotional.

    -Im sorry.

    Theres nothing to be sorry about. No, its not something you should be sorry about in the first ce.

    The girls voice was filled with anger so Pierre asked cautiously.

    What are you going to do now?

    I have to get revenge.

    -Revenge?

    Isnt that obvious? All the vigers were killed. Soldiers set fire and ughtered people just because the noble was upset.

    -I.

    Pierre did not dare to fight but the girl sighed and approached Pierre.

    Are your eyes okay?

    I dont see anything.

    -You have a lot of burns. If you cant see when youre an artist, isnt that a problem?

    I should be thankful that Im still alive.

    -Thank you.Unlike you, I cant do that.

    Pierre couldnt say anything at the girls words.

    He was only a short time in town, but this girl would have been around much longer. There were people who were close to her and maybe she had a family.

    Are you going to go?

    Pierre was worried about the girls future because he was blind and couldnt even look after her.

    Of course, I dont want to force you to take revenge but I cant do that.

    -.

    -You can leave on your own. Just in case peoplee here.

    The girl who said so left Pierre behind.

    Pierre stretched out his hand towards the back of the girl who was nkly moving away. He wanted to ask what her name was but couldnt help it.

    Pierre, who remained alone like that, continued to sit there until the fire extinguished itself because there was nothing more to burn.

    The magic ended there.

    Finally, the world of painting disappeared after the burning vige, and it was an empty reality that took its ce. The hot mes disappeared, and the dying people were erased without a trace.

    Now, only the remains of a vige remained.

    I couldnt bear to leave.

    At the center of the ruins, Pierre muttered.

    All my close friends died, and I couldnt even draw what I wanted to draw, and now there are only nightmares left.

    Why?

    I may have lingering feelings. It was the first town that epted me or maybe its a sense of duty. Someone needs to protect this ce.

    Thus Pierre remained in the ruins. He stayed and kept drawing, recalling the scenery from then. He went through countless trials and errors because he couldnt see, and sometimes desperately endured his heart breaking and copsing.

    He continued to paint in this ce.

    After living like that, something changed. I didnt know much about magic, but I was able to put magic in my brushwork. Maybe this was my talent.

    A painter that could only paint a proper picture after losing his sight. It was really ironic but Pierre was neither grateful nor sorry for not being able to see.

    The only thing that bothered Rudger is that he doesnt know what happened to the survivor of that day, Lady Esmeralda, and the girl who saved Pierre.

    I see.

    Rudger stood at the center of the deste ruins and closed his eyes as the night breeze tickled his face.

    He reflected on the sight he had just seen.

    The fire wiped out the ce and then the kingdom of Durman used the word Great Fire to cover up what happened in this town.

    It would have prevented the rumors from spreading abroad, but it could not prevent the internal anger.

    There must have been people who felt suspicious about the sudden fire. And if they investigated a little bit, they would realize that someone intentionally set the fire.

    After the Roteng Great Fire, it was inevitable that the Kingdom of Durman would take a path of decline.

    The anger of themon people toward the vested interests of the aristocracy, which had been umted before, ignited the incident as a fuse and exploded, raising the g of revolution.

    Nevertheless, the vested interests of the Kingdom of Durman would not have copsed because they were in power.

    If everyone used guns and gunpowder the same way as the Earth in his previous life, the one with more numbers will inevitably have an advantage but this world has an asymmetric history of magic and knights.

    No matter howmoners stand up, the revolution wouldnt have been as easy as it sounds.

    However, the started fire did not die down easily.

    The culmination of that was the Blood Night incident that took ce five years ago in Gvaudan, a city of the Kingdom of Durman. In that incident the kingdom lost the trust of the people.

    The people who justified the evil of the established power based on the doctrine of the new kingship couldnt do anything about the cryptids.

    The divine right of kings. In other words, the kings authority was given by heaven, that is, God, so everyone should obey the power.

    Durman, who used Lumenism as a state religion, followed this most fervently. However, as the cryptids ran rampant in Gvaudan their prestige plummeted in an instant.

    The Kingdom of Durman couldnt properly deal with the Beast of Gvaudan rather the fact that it was not a wizard or knight belonging to the state but a wandering hunter who killed the cryptid further fueled peoples distrust.

    -What did the nation do?

    What did those great knights and wizards do?

    In addition, the response of the Bretus Kingdom, their ally, was also a problem.

    For an unknown reason the Holy Father of Bretus shut down the country 20 years ago and didnt send any Holy Knights outside.

    At the same time, citizens distrust of Lumenism, which had collected huge religious taxes every time, hit the sky.

    It was the moment when their faith in God copsed and the fire of revolution red up again bigger and hotter than before.

    Now, five yearster the Kingdom of Durman lost its past prestige, and most nobles fled or defected abroad.

    There was still a royal family left, but it was like a candle in front of the wind that could fall at any time.

    The Kingdom of Durman was still in the throes of change and the end of that change will surely be in a better direction than before but there have been too many incidents in the process of getting here.

    Thats exactly what the Roteng Great Fire did.

    What are the lives of those who have fallen like mes in the shadow of history?

    Who should be held responsible for the monster born in it?

    First Order Esmeralda and Fire Giant Quasimodo were monsters created by a terrible time. The monsters born by the world joined hands with the ck Hand Society and infiltrated Theon.

    Are all your questions answered now?

    To some extent.

    Then thats good.

    Arent you suspicious of me?

    Rudger didnt understand why Pierre had told him everything. In addition, the magic he used was eye-opening for other wizards. Pierres actions showed that he had hidden his abilities. Nevertheless, he showed Rudger the magic of painting.

    I doubted it at first.

    At first?

    But there was something I felt from Mr. Rudger looking at the past I showed him. Feelings of anger,passion, sympathy.

    Ive never revealed it.

    You may not believe it, but thats how I felt. Because I cant see, Im more sensitive, thats why I believe that Mr. Rudger is not a bad person.

    Is he saying that after losing his sight he opened his sixth sense?

    What would you do if it was all your own illusion?

    Then its because I wasnt good enough. But I dont regret it.

    And.

    And?

    A really bad person doesnt say anything to confirm that.

    Pierre smiled softly and said in a relieved voice.

    Rudger, who saw it, took his hand out of his pocket and bowed to him.

    It must have been a painful past for you, but thank you for letting me know that.

    When Rudger bowed his head with respect but Pierre shook his head, saying it was okay.

    Rather, Im grateful. Ive never been this honest with anyone before. Maybe its because Ive been facing the wounds Ive been ignoring so far, but Im more relieved now.

    Pierre, who said so, was not a foolish young man, he was a wizard who overcame his wounds and trials.

    So, please. Mr. Rudger, please help thedy and the girl ovee this sadness. They may still be fighting a tough fight somewhere in the world.

    The reason Pierre told Rudger everything was probably because of the hope that he might help. However, Rudger felt just bitterly sorry for Pierres attitude. The girl named Esmeralda is burning people to death and became a revenge-mad arsonist.

    Will Pierre ever know the truth? Should he tell this fact to him who knows nothing?

    Ill try.

    In the end, Rudger had no choice but to give a vague answer. That was the best consideration he could give Pierre.

    Thats enough.

    It was time to say goodbye now that he had achieved his goal.

    Pierre knew it and tried to return to his cabin. Then Rudger asked Pierre.

    Are you going to stay here?

    Yes. Im going to stay here and continue to paint.

    Why?

    Because I dont know if there will be new people here someday. As people gather one by one, there will be a new vige here. They need someone to do that, someone who can tell them that there was once a beautiful vige here.

    I see.

    That was the end of their conversation as Pierre said goodbye to Rudger.

    Hell stay here and paint until someone elsees here because it was the only way to repay those who once reached out to him.

    The sublime belief caused a small stir in Rudgers quiet mind as he left.

    When Hans saw himing out he rushed towards Rudger.

    Brother, did you find anything?

    I found out something, but it didnt help much.

    All I found was the reason why Esmeralda acted like that.

    Then wasnt this a waste of time?

    Not really.

    He got a clue, so it wasnt a meaningless trip.

    Hans, I have something to look into.

    Say it.

    I would like you to find out who is a famous magician among the noble families who were once in the Kingdom of Durman and went into exile elsewhere.

    Thats a bit too much. Do you have any characteristics that can narrow the range?

    The family has been born blonde for generations and the current leader is a man in his early 30s.

    Hmm. It seems vague, but its not to the point where I cant do it. All right.

    Now that Im done with my business, its time to go back to Theon.

    * * *

    As time passed, the second test came close. The students, who were usually waiting in the lecture hall, stood in the open space around them with slightly nervous faces.

    And in front of them stood Rudger Chelici, their teacher and general manager of the test.

    Since I announced it in advance, I believe everyone has been preparing hard.

    There were no students who answered the question. Everyone just waited for the uing second test with a determined face.

    Lets start the test.

    The second test [Magic manifestation based on the magic square] has begun.

 Chapter 139

    C139: The Second Test (1)

    One more chapter in a few hours.

    It was called a test, but the process itself was not long because it was close to a task rather than a test.

    Since it was announced in advance, each student has made their own magic square based on the lessons Rudger taught.

    This was the ce to demonstrate it to Rudger and, by extension, to the students in the same ss.

    Before we start, everyone must have drawn a ticket.

    Before entering the test room, the students randomly drew a numbered ticket.

    Lets start right away. Come out number one.

    Yes!

    When Rudger called, the first batter, a male student, came forward.

    Since he was first his steps were stiff due to the tension but none of the studentsughed at him because only a maniac canugh at a sight that he may soon be.

    Most were inwardly relieved that they were not the first.

    I said Id be prepared for it.

    What if the other guys show something more amazing than me?

    Ah. If I knew this would happen, I would have paid more attention.

    The underprepared students were nervous with anxiety. In the meantime, the first student demonstrated the magic square he prepared.

    I mixed the attribute elements with the magic square so that they could be conveniently manifested whenever I wanted.

    Next to the student who said so, there was parchment, and a small me was formed on it. It is the manifestation of the fire element using the magic square.

    The fire did not spread widely, and its power was kept very evenly. In addition, it was possible to adjust the power, such as lowering or raising it. The fire power could not be raised above a limit, but it seemed enough to boil water.

    The shape of the magic square is a rectangle. Little has changed from what Rudger taught.

    I saw it well. Then Ill grade it.

    Gulp.

    Scores range from A+ to F. Among them, your score is D-.

    What?

    Did he think he would get at least a C? The face of the student who received a result that fell far short of expectations was colored with embarrassment.

    Sir, sir. My score is Do you mean D-?

    You dont seem to understand. Obviously, the magic square you made is something that can be useful in real life.

    Looking at its stable appearance, it looked like a gas stove on Earth. Itll probably be quite popr if its distributed to families but in the end, that was all.

    You just changed the numbers written on the magic square and choose the stable path without even challenging yourself.

    Obviously, the details with the ability to control the fire power areudable, but did no one else think of it?

    There are no major drawbacks, but the problem was that it was too easy.

    You made slight changes and chose a safe path to sess rather than trying to make excessive changes and failing. Why do you think Ive taught you the magic square? Are you dissatisfied with the score now?

    No, Im not.

    Be aware that the score I evaluate is based on a logical and reasonable evaluation. And be thankful you didnt get an E, let alone a D-.

    The student couldnt even answer Rudgers words and backed away as if he were running away with his head down.

    The students watching the scene felt a cold sweat running behind their backs since most of them chose a safe way like the students who heard the harsh words now.

    Next. Number two,e out.

    Rudgers eyes became sharper. Perhaps he didnt like the demonstration of the first student, but his atmosphere was harsher than at the start.

    Im doomed.

    The second runner murmured to himself and dropped his shoulders.

    * * *

    The atmosphere is so fierce.

    Leo fluttered his tongue as he watched each student demonstrate his magic square. In this breathtaking atmosphere, he was worried if he could make a proper presentation even if he drew the magic square well.

    At this point, he seemed to be taken to the ughterhouse, not to go to the second test.

    Aidan, did you prepare well?

    Huh? Yes, for now.

    What about you?

    Ive done the best I can, but no one knows what will happen, right? Of course, it could work out.

    Then if you get a low score?

    It cant be helped but if I do my best, I wont regret it.

    Looking at him talking with a nice smile, Leo was about to sigh again. What idealistic answer is that you have no regrets? It was hard to understand for Leo, who was very realistic.

    Iona, standing next to Leo, nodded as if she had heard good things.

    Its a great mindset.

    Thank you.

    When Aidan thanked her, Tracy, who was watching him, opened her mouth.

    Well, AidanYoull get a C+ though. Dont be so discouraged.

    Leo thought this stupid girl said something weird again. Its not enough to cheer for a friend to get an A, but youre telling him to be satisfied with a C+?

    Whats funnier is that Tracy herself looked satisfied as if she had done her best to cheer.

    Yeah, I used to be like this.

    Because of her personality that is disingenuous to ones feelings Tracy Friad who was often misunderstood because of her poor way of expressing herself.

    Fortunately, Aidan is a very good-natured guy.

    Thank you for your support Tracy.

    He even smiles at Tracy, knowing that she has no evil intentions. Tracy, who saw that, blushed and averted her gaze, was a bonus.

    Theyre having fun.

    Leo snorted in his head.

    Oh, thats right, Aidan. Whats your number?

    Me? Im number 13.

    Number 13?

    The order is faster than I thought.

    At the same time as I thought so, I heard Rudgers voice in the distance.

    Next, number 13. Come out.

    Isnt that your number?

    Oh! Youre right!

    Go quickly.

    Leo pushed Aidans back and he, who was pushed out, stood in front of Rudger.

    Aidan, youre number 13?

    Yes!

    Aidan was unconsciously intimidated in front of Rudgers charisma.

    Rudger nced at Aidan with a sharp gaze and said.

    Show me the magic square youve prepared.

    Yes!

    For your information, all of the students in front of you did not meet my expectations. I hope you wont disappoint me.

    Aidan swallowed his dry saliva and took out the parchment he had prepared.

    Hmm?

    Rudger showed signs of wonder for the first time when he saw Aidans magic square drawn on the parchment.

    Aidan.

    Oh, yes, sir!

    Are you really going to take the test with this?

    Oh, this one? Of course!

    Rudger narrowed his eyes as he saw Aidan answering. Thats because Aidans parchment had a round shape on it.

    What I taught you was not the magic circle, but the magic square.

    Magic circles and magic squares are different. The magic square could be drawn in a new way by breaking away from the existing circle shape. However, Aidan has drawn the magic square based on a circle as if he was sticking to the existing method.

    What are you going to do?

    I had a lot of thoughts at first.

    Aidan spread the parchment on the ground.

    From the day Rudger taught him the contents of the test until now, Aidan had never thought about it for a single day.

    What kind of results will the teacher want? How can I make a good magic square?

    Shall he try a different shape since the magic circle taught was square? It may be pentagon, hexagon, or star-shaped. But Aidan shook his head immediately. Such a change was too one-dimensional.

    Aidan knew his limitations well. No matter what anyone says, hes still a beginner. It was clear that he could not even make a one-dimensional change properly and would fail the test.

    Then what should he do?

    In the end, I ended up doing what I was good at.

    Aidan smiled shyly and poured his magical energy into the magic square.

    It was only then that Rudger realized that the circle Aidan drew was different from the ordinary magic circle. Because what was engraved in it wasnt the regr symbols, but the letters and numbers he had taught him.

    Honestly, digging one way like a fool.

    Soon, light flowed out of the magic square and scattered warm warmth around it. As if drawing waves, the warmth spread in an instant and filled the auditorium.

    This is my best shot. Sir.

    What Aidan made was a concentric magic square.

    He stood upright and looked at Rudger, waiting for his evaluation. Rudger stroked his chin with his hand and Aidan gulped at the sight.

    Aidan.

    Yes, sir.

    B+.

    Yes?

    I said B+.

    Aidan thought he had misheard at first. Seeing that everyone else could not escape the E-D range, he was praying to get at least C. But when Rudger saw his results, he gave him more than that.

    You boldly mixed the existing magic circle and the new magic square. The spirit of challenge lives high in you. In fact, unlike conventional magic circles, it was activated by scattering waves in concentric circles. Youve increased stability inrge numbers so that the mana does not run out.

    Rudger knew exactly what Aidan was thinking while making this.

    Aidan listened to his advice with concentration.

    The magic square I devised has the advantage of being neatly matched, but thats why theres something frustrating about it. It is not flexible because it is fixed but you made up for it with a flowing circle.

    Thank you.

    Aidan, who didnt expect such praise from Rudgers mouth, still felt like he was dreaming.

    However, there is still some foolishness about it.

    Of course. You cant justpliment me.

    Aidan smiled bitterly inside, but in fact, he has been waiting for this moment more than anyone else.

    You tried to break away from the existing magic circle while drawing your magic square but you ended up using it. This doesnt dilute the significance of the magic circle.

    Ah!

    It was a part that he missed because he was focusing only on new things.

    Im sorry.

    There is nothing to be sorry about. In addition, the flow of numbers used inside is still insufficient. If there was a little more detailed coordination, it would have been much better.

    It was a part that he couldnt help because he was pressed for time. Even with that in mind, Aidan has shown far better results than the previous 12 students.

    But its the best Ive seen so far.

    Aidans face brightened at the almostplimentary words, and the students who were expecting Aidans failure from behindmented.

    Its that guy again.

    Damnmoner.

    Regardless of the students feelings, Rudger immediately called out the next runner.

    Number 14,e out.

    Student 14, who did not prepare properly, had a face that looked like chewed poop.

    * * *

    Like that, all 80 students showed off their magic squares one by one.

    Among them, there were a few students who stood out. Aidan was one of them at first, but Aidans performance was too insufficientpared to the students who came afterwards.

    Flora Lumos. You used multiple shapes.

    Yes, thats right.

    The magic square that Flora Lumos has made was in the form of nine hexagons touching each other. It had a much moreplex form than other students magic squares and looked like a turtle shell.

    I didnt think Id see what I saw on Earth again here.

    I only taught the basics of magic square, but you drew Jisoo Gwimundo. (I dont think this is the correct term but its something likethis.)

    Besides, the calction form that exists inside is also perfect without any errors. It wasnt for nothing that she was given the title of genius at Theon.

    Flora Lumos, A+.

    Ha!

    Flora Lumos, who scored the highest score, smiled leisurely, shaking her hair with her hands.

    The students eximed and praised her.

    Julia Plumhart, A.

    Oh, what a shame.

    The much-anticipated prospect Julia Plumhart also scored high for her excellent magic square. She was second ce after Flora however, she did not seem to be disappointed at all.

    Erendir von Exilion, C+.

    Yeah.

    Erendir was confident in practical skills but because making the magic square is rted to writing she had no choice but to give up the idea of making up for her failure in the first test.

    Rudger shook his head as he looked at Erendir stepping down. He couldnt believe she was of the same blood as the woman he knew. Did she take all the good genes?

    Tracy Friad, B.

    Iona OValley, B+.

    Leo, B.

    Aidans friends also scored high. Rudger was a little surprised that Iona, a Suin, joined Aidans party at some point.

    Andstly, the girl with ash gray hair presented her magic square.

    Rene.

    Yes, sir.

    Show us the horse magic square youve made.

    Rene, who was very nervous, opened her mouth as if she had made up her mind.

    I didnt bring parchment paper with a magic square.

    What?

    Rudgers eyebrows wiggled at the bombshell.

 Chapter 140

    C140: The Second Test (2)

    Renes remarks were enough to surprise other students.

    What did she just say?

    Isnt it possible that she didnt make a magic square? Thats why she has no parchment.

    On Mr. Rudgers test? Crazy.

    When the students were buzzing, Rudger stared at Rene silently and slowly opened his mouth.

    Then what are you going to do? Is it safe to say that there is no magic square to demonstrate?

    At the words, Rene shook her head.

    No, I definitely made a magic square. But

    But?

    Its difficult to draw on a parchment so Im going to show you in person.

    Rudger was going to ask Rene what she made but seeing Renes unshakable eyes, it was clear that she didnt speak empty words.

    Good. Show me.

    Instead, if she doesnt live up to his expectations, even if she is Rene, she wont be able to avoid being scolded.

    Rene cleared her breath and roused her magic power. She put a lot of thought into making the magic square for the test.

    The other students ended up showing the attribute element through the magic square, but she couldnt even do that due to her attributeless magic power.

    It was disadvantageous because she wasgging behind from the start, so Rene did the best she could.

    She couldnt help but be at a loss at the start but thanks to the book that Rudger lended her, she was able to figure out how to move forward and not give up.

    Ill show it to the teacher. That Ive changed this much.

    She stretched her hands forward and slowly generated mana. When she focused her mindpletely, she felt like she was the only one left in the world.

    Before long, magic lines drawn with mana began to appear in front of Rene slowly but clearly. Rudgers eyebrows wiggled when he saw them. Of course, his expression quickly returned to its original state and no student noticed the changes because everyone was looking at the magic square created by Rene.

    Its a three-dimensional magic square.

    As expected, teacher recognized it at a nce.

    Rudger looked at Lines magic square floating in front of him and evaluated it that way.

    If the other magic squares were a two-dimensional picture drawn on parchment, the one that Rene made was a three-dimensional magic square.

    This form, resembling the Rubiks Cube, was called a three-dimensional square in mathematics and a Magic Cube in the ult.

    Rudger scrutinized the flow of magic carved into the magic square to be sure that it wasnt simply imitating the shape.

    Perfect.

    Theres nothing wrong with it. All the horizontal, vertical, height, and solid diagonal lines that exist in the cube, as well as the sum of the magical powers in the cross section, are all the same.

    It was a perfect three-dimensional magic square, with the mana flowing evenly in any direction and there was no deviation.

    Did she study the magic constant to this extent? It would have been insufficient to produce this level of results within the given time period, but she did it.

    Renes shoulders, which were confident at first, began to shrug a little since Rudger was silent for a while.

    Rene.

    It was then that Rudger, who took his eyes off the three-dimensional magic square, opened his mouth.

    Your score is A+.

    What?

    On the contrary, it is a pity that I can only give this much. Thats how perfect the magic square you made.

    What?

    Rudgers sessivepliments made Rene unable toe to her senses, she never expected him toplement her like that.

    Rudgers words were not empty-handed but sincere.

    Youre born with this kind of talent.

    Rene cant use attribute element magic unlike other students because of her attributeless magic. At the same time, releasing mana was quite difficult for her.

    But her gains were as big as her losses. Renes perception of space, especially her three-dimensional space, was significantly higher than that of the other students.

    No, she doesnt have topare herself to other students. Shes just overwhelming.

    Flora Lumos, who made Jisoo Gwimundo through the magic square, was also a great talent but even she had to admit that Rene magic square surpassed hers.

    Rene.

    .

    Rene.

    What? Who? Me?

    There is no one else here but you.

    Ah, yes. You called me.

    Rene was still out of her mind. She did my best with a determination not to disappoint Mr. Rudger, but she didnt know she would get such a good evaluation.

    Rene, how did youe up with this magic square? Even if you had the idea, it would have been almost impossible to actually implement it in such a short period of time.

    Uh, thats.

    Rene calmly exined her circumstances.

    At first, I just thought a lot about making something new but that wasnt enough so I tried to deal with the shing magical power in various ways.

    Have you dealt with it?

    Somehow.

    How did you do it?

    Rene nodded shyly.

    I didnt mean to, but the flow of my mana is, umDifferent? This is what happened when I left it to the flow and developed the magic square that I envisioned in my head.

    She just did it and it became natural. Those were words that only those with extreme talents could say.

    You just did it and it worked? Thats funny.

    You should stop lying.

    When the students heard that, they thought that Rene was bluffing on purpose to look good to Rudger. However, Rudgers expression did not change much.

    Rudger knew better than anyone else that Rene was not a person who would try to look good by lying so that meant that everything she said was true.

    The magic flowed naturally?

    Usually, there is no case where the magical power itself moves beyond the casters will. It was most likely that she did that instinctively without realizing it.

    And it was highly likely that the reason why she suddenly showed such talent was because she read the book Rudger lent her a while ago.

    Maybe the book I lent her served as a kind of trigger.

    Attributeless mana is an unknown power whose origin is still unknown. However, looking at the magic square created by Rene now, he had a sense of where it is specialized.

    Teacher, are you okay?

    Its not a big deal. Anyway, great magic square, I enjoyed it. Thank you for your hard work.

    Oh, yes.

    Rene couldnt get rid of the feeling that Rudger was wrapping things up in a hurry. However, the reason why she couldnt bear to ask why was because, although it was only for a moment, Rudgers expression was too serious.

    I believe everyone remembers their scores. If theres anyone who erased it from their memory, check the ssroom bulletin board. Ill send an assistant soon and announce it.

    The students who scored low sighed deeply at his words.

    The top five in the second test are Flora Lumos and Rene, who received A+, Julia Plumhart, who received A, Iona OValley and Aidan, who received B+. I didnt mean to, but the numbers are just right.

    The above-named five were eligible for the second framework.

    Rudger said he would give it to them after the uing magic festival because he was busy right now.

    Ha. I really want to die. Why is it a D?

    You are better off. I got an E- and although its not the lowest score, whats the difference from the lowest score?

    I should have worked harder.

    The expression of aristocratic students was seriously distorted by the fact that there are only two nobles among the top five in this test.

    In addition, one of the top five is not amoner, but a Suin.

    The students who have been educated for a long time got lower grades than the barbaric Suin people. This made them feel like they were in a dream.

    If you have anyints about your test results, tell me directly. If you really feel its unfair, Ill review it individually.

    When Rudger spoke with his eyes tightened, the mouths of the students who were secretly mutteringints closed.

    That was the end of the second test.

    The students packed their own bags, so some students wanted to go back to the dormitory and rest, and some students went to take other tests.

    Rudger stared at Rene, who was still standing there with a puzzled face.

    Is it the non-attribute magic?

    Non-attribute magic is an unknown power and even Rudger does not yet know its origin. Even in the research book on non-attribute magic, the details of what kind of power this magical power was were not written down.

    Most of the things included were exnations of how to use the non-attribute magic.

    Mana flowed naturally into the three-dimensional magic square. It didnt feel like I was forced to move. Is the magic rate that high?

    Magic rate its a measure of how well a wizards mana matches magic when performing a specific spell. This is because even if the same magic is used, the magic power varies depending on the attribute of the wizard.

    [Fluttering me], which is considered the most representative attack magic, is stronger when used by a fire attribute wizard than by a water attribute wizard. Thats because the magic rate ratio is higher.

    The non-attribute magic had the lowest magic damage rate for any magic. The fact that this magic square is different means that it specializes in that direction?

    Perhaps.

    Rudger made an assumption in his mind.

    Non-attribute magic is not just magic specialized for elements that exist in nature. It is a much higher level than that, yet it is impossible for people in the world to measure it.

    For examplespace.

    There are many types of magic in this world, but the only one that does not exist is space magic.

    Teleportation and Blink were treated as false legends in this world.

    Its quite funny. Theres anti-magic, dreams, divinity, paintings, origami, and everything else, but theres no space magic.

    Whats funnier is that theres also magic to interfere with time, but theres no space. Of course, this time magic is not very usefulpared to its name, but it exists.

    In other words, Rudger was the only one in the world who knew how to use spatial magic.

    If Rene magic is really about space.

    It was still only a hypothesis, so he couldnt be certain but if the hypothesis bes true, then.

    That power is essential to me.

    * * *

    Flora Lumos moved with her best friend Cheryl Wagner to take the next exam.

    Cheryl asked Flora, who was walking silently down the hall.

    Flora, how did you do that?

    What?

    The magic square. Mr. Rudgers ss seems different, but its very difficult but Flora was number one. How did you do it?

    Cheryls intentions must have been pure praise for her genius but Flora couldnt be happy.

    Im not number one.

    But Flora got the highest score.

    Should I say it myself? Its because there are other people who got the highest score besides me.

    That kid named Rene?

    What was that magic circle? And also teacher, he neverplimented me like that.

    To be honest, I was upset and it urred to her that she encountered Rene near Rudgers office. They didnt know each other, so she just ignored it at the time, but it was very suspicious when she thought about it.

    That little girl.

    Flora bit her lip slightly, recalling Rene. It was hard to imagine he approached the student first because of the iron walled character of Rudger but if its the other way around, it somehow made sense.

    No, Im sure. If it was anyone else, they would be overwhelmed by Mr. Rudgers spirit and they wouldnt be able to talk to him, but if it was someone with the audacity to walk around with the Third princesses.

    Flora thought she was docile, but she was more like a fox than she thought. She seemed to understand why Rene had frequent conflicts with other aristocratic students before. However, Flora decided to ignore Rene for now because the tests came first.

    .

    .

    Until she met Rene and the Third Princess at the entrance of the ssroom where her next exam would take ce.

 Chapter 141

    C141: The Second Test (3)

    Rene was now in a rather embarrassing position. This is because while heading to the ssroom to prepare for the next exam, she encountered a familiar person at the entrance of the ssroom.

    Flora Lumos, a cold-looking beauty with sharp eyes on one side and Sheryl Wagner, who seems to have no worries about the world, and is the opposite of Flora.

    She was a year older than her and a person who attended Rudgers ss together. Normally, she would have just let it go without paying attention to her, but Rene couldnt.

    If there was a reason, it was because of Flora.

    Uh Did I do something wrong?

    Flora Lumos, who usually has no contact with her, was staring at her like she was her enemy for some reason.

    Rene pondered whether she had done anything rude to her. Sensitive to the hostility of others, Rene had never felt any signs of emotion from Flora before so the present situation was really surprising for Rene.

    Shes notpletely hostile, but I think shes ufortable with me.

    It was hard for Linnaeus to guess why. Was it because of the 2nd test? Because she got the same A+ grade as her?

    It was a spection but there was nothing else that came to her mind.

    What do I do?

    Rene agonized.

    Flora Lumos was staring at Rene with half-open eyes. She didnt seem hostile but Rene felt she didnt like her and if she opened her mouth hastily things might take a bad turn.

    When Rene was agonizing over what to do Erendir who was next to her stepped up.

    Do you have anything to say Flora Lumos?

    .

    Floras gaze turned to Erendir. The sharp eyes on Rene had be a little softer for Erendir. To be precise, it is aplex emotion filled with frustration and pity.

    Flora sympathized with Erendir, who was with Rene.

    After living in the shadow of her older sister all her life, the Third Princess finally became close with someone.

    But she didnt think to say it out loud because Flora herself wasnt in a position to sympathize with the Third Princess.

    Flora?

    Cheryl, who was looking around, called her carefully. Flora didnt answer and went into the ssroom through the open door.

    Ah, hahaha. Im sorry. Flora must be feeling a little down today.

    Cheryl smiled awkwardly and apologized to Erendir and Rene, and immediately followed Floras footsteps and headed for the ssroom as if fleeing.

    Erendir red at the back of the two with disapproving eyes.

    What the hell? Dont suddenly block the road. I asked her, but she didnt answer and just left.

    Thats right.

    As for Rene, she had no choice but to smile awkwardly and respond to Erendirs words.

    Cheryl, who followed Flora in an empty seat in the ssroom, asked her questioningly.

    Flora, what happened? Its not like you.

    Whats not like me?

    You usually didnt even pay attention to other students. Did you care that much about the kid named Rene?

    .

    Flora knew her personality better than anyone else because she had known Cheryl since she was young and was aware that she would not give up.

    In this case, there was only one thing to do.

    Cheryl, did you prepare well for this exam?

    What?

    Cheryls face was perplexed by the sudden question. She likes to y and usually picks up gossip, and to be honest, she was very far from studying. It was undeniable that the words and actions were lighter than other students.

    You know that the person in charge of the test is Marie Ross, right?

    Why are you talking about it all of a sudden?

    Marie Ross, Theons longest-serving teacher, was a popr person thanks to her gentle personality and consideration for students. She was teaching pharmaceutical science and even various fields rted to pharmaceutical science were within her ss category.

    Teacher Marie Ross was so soft on the students that she gave them at least C+ even if they didnt do well on the test. So, Maries lectures were famous for honey sses andpetition among students was very fierce. It was one of the few lectures where they could get a stable grade.

    This year, teacher Marie said that if students dont take the test seriously, theyll be forced into another ss instead of getting a low score, right?

    There were also students who purposely roughly took the test to get credit for Marie Ross goodness. So Mari Ross took special measures on that part.

    Students who did not take the test seriously were forced to transfer to other teachers sses.

    It would be impossible for the teacher to change the lecture once decided, but it was possible for Marie Ross, Theons oldest teacher.

    Are you sure youre going to be okay?

    Ah.

    Cheryl broke out in a cold sweat at Floras point.

    Oh, what should I do? Flora.

    What do you mean? Why do you ask me that?

    Flora, please help me. Please.

    Get away from me. What the hell are you doing?

    But Flora, if I keep going like this, I wont be able to get a proper grade. Were friends. Please give me one more chance.

    In the end, Cheryls choice was to stick to Flora.

    Flora handed her the notebook she had brought, judging that this was enough to distract her childhood friend.

    Take it. Ive just summarized the points, so if you cram for what youll remember right away, youll avoid failing.

    Thank you! I love you, Flora!

    Flora was looking at Cheryl who immediately started cramming and found Rene sitting on one side of the lecture room. Even though she is amoner, her hair color is rare, but her face is definitely pretty.

    If that child was an aristocrat, wouldnt she have been greatly courted by other students?

    Just in time, Rene also looked back at Flora as if she had felt her eyes. Their eyes met in the air and Flora immediately turned her head. It was because she was ashamed of herself for arguing with a child for no reason.

    Never mind. Im not worried about themoner.

    Flora, who put her elbow on the desk and put her chin on her arm, suddenly muttered to herself.

    Whats good food for someone whos not feeling well?

    Huh? Flora, are you not feeling well?

    Cheryl, who had her nose in the notebook, suddenly raised her head.

    Cheryl focused on cramming, while Flora replied heartily, looking at the extraordinarity of her friend who picked up her words like a ghost.

    Im just curious. Do you have any medicine to rmend?

    Hmm~

    Cheryl nced at Flora.

    Suspicious. Very suspicious. Flora Lumos, whos not interested in others, is worried about whats good for her body? However, it would be her consideration as a friend to move on without pointing this out.

    Its not like theres nothing, right? I heard that there are many medicines that aristocrats in their 40s and 50s take these days. Was it a powder made by grinding dried mandragora?

    Mandragora, which is counted as an A-grade ingredient in pharmaceuticals, was a precious ingredient that was hard to get even with a lot of money.

    The reason Cheryl purposely brought out these ridiculous ingredients was half a joke.

    Is the mandragora the best?

    What?

    She thought it was just a thoughtless question, but Cheryl, who didnt expect such a serious answer, could not hide her embarrassment. But it wasnt long before she smiled like a yful cat.

    Hmm. Theres someone in the world that cares about Flora, right? Who is he?

    What?! Its not like that!

    Floras fair skin turned red and Cheryls suspicions were assured by her unusual violent reaction.

    No way~. Ive known you for a long time. You cant fool my eyes!

    Why arent you quiet? You have less than five minutes until the test. Will you be okay?

    Oh!

    Cheryl, who became aware of her situation, hurriedly looked at the notebook. She, who was in tears, asked Flora for help with a pathetic stare.

    Flora, what was the scope of this test?

    From the production of the beginner recovery potion to the precautions for transferring magic power.

    There are too many.

    Why havent you studied regrly?

    Flora studied simrly to me. Why me?

    You get angry when I say its because Im a genius. Do you think I dont know that you always y without studying?

    Hey!

    As if giving the final sentence to Cheryl, who was screaming in pain, the door to the ssroom opened and Ms. Marie Ross, who was in charge of the exam, entered.

    Teacher Marie remained calm as usual, but she had a charismatic smile that could not be resisted.

    Did everyone prepare well for the exam?

    Cherylsplexion turned white.

    * * *

    Teacher Marie Rosss exam was over and the assistants came forward and collected the test papers, as the students stretched out in joy that the test was finally over.

    Cheryl, who burned everything, was the only one who was dead with her head stuck on the desk.

    Ugh. I managed to solve it somehow.

    She wasnt dead, but her voice was half dead.

    Ho-Ho. You all worked hard on the test.

    As Mary Ross spoke in a gentle voice, the rxed students focused on her words one by one.

    No students left after the exam.

    Cheryl, get up. Its tip time.

    Oh, right!

    Cheryl, who was bing one with the desk, raised her head quickly, straightened her back and entered the listening mode.

    Usually, students run out of the ssroom immediately after a test, but today they did not.

    There is only one reason to stay in the ssroom and give teacher Marie Ross a look of anticipation. It was because of the special subject that they could only take in teacher Marie Rosss ss.

    There is a famous story among students in Theon. Teacher Marie Ross tells the students who take her ss that they had a hard time taking the test and then talks about a topic thats not in her ss materials.

    This is the tip time that Flora told to Cheryl, and this tip time is both fun and very useful, so its popr among students. It was not just a tip, but information that might be a big topic in the magic world, so students paid attention to it.

    As everyone knows by taking the test today, I have an additional exnation about the precautions for magic transfer.

    The students listened closely and some had even prepared to take notes.

    Magic transfer is done between wizards. It can also be very dangerous if the messenger has poor control of the magic power.

    These days, mana recovery potions are used, but if that doesnt work, its not umon to transfer magic power to a patient who is out of power as an emergency treatment.

    Realistically, you can save money on medicine if you take a little risk.

    But you know what? A mysterious phenomenon urs when the magic power of the two wizards collides and is mixed together.

    Teacher, what is that mysterious phenomenon?

    You can read memories.

    You can read memories while sharing magic power?

    Unlike the bewildered students, some of them who had their own knowledge in this area responded that they had heard of it somewhere.

    This is called Memory Storming, and its actually a phenomenon listed in the Tower Papers.

    No way. Youre not lying?

    I think Ive heard of it.

    Marie Ross smiled mildly as if the students reactions were cute.

    Do you know mana has a memory? Mana is said to contain many things that we dont know. In particr, the mana inherent in the wizards body contains more memories the longer it sticks with the wizard.

    Teacher, how does Mana remember?

    When asked by the student, Marie Ross shook her head.

    Unfortunately, it hasnt been revealed yet. There is ack of research, and it hasnt been long since the paper came out.

    What?

    Mana is still an unknown power, and it is our job as wizards to explore it. However, recently, research results from the Tower came out, and although the cause of this memory storming phenomenon is not known, it is said that it can be used.

    She was speaking lightly, but the weight of her words was great.

    It was too easy to talk about the research results from the New Tower, which was split from the Old Tower. This is the reason why Marie Ross tip time was famous among students.

    As expected, shes the longest-serving teacher in Theon.

    Among the students she taught, there are a lot of people from the Tower, right?

    Even after they graduate, she still keeps in touch with her students.

    The students were excited about the news that was not yet known.

    Actually, there are only talismans that can implement this memory-storming phenomenon in a very small way. My old disciple sent it to me as a gift, saying it was a sess.

    Mary Ross took out several pieces of paper that looked like a white talisman. They had a geometric pattern on them that can cause memory storming.

    Its a prototype and its not that effective, so theres no risk. Who wants to try it?

    Was she saying that if they use that talisman, they can read the memories contained in magical powers?

    When the students were puzzled by it, Flora Lumos was the only one whose eyes lit up.

    Can I use that on other people?

    Her brilliant mind was already thinking of a different way.

 Chapter 142

    C142: Preparations for the Festival (1)

    Memories exist in mana. This is a topic that has recently emerged, and it has been enough to rekindle the interest of wizards and schrs in the unknown power of mana.

    The phenomenon in which the memories collide and one feels as if he had experienced the past of another person was called memory streaming.

    The wizards studied the phenomenon of memory streaming and pondered how to utilize it. At the end of that, theypleted one thing, and this was the talisman that Mari Ross showed the students.

    Miss Marie, is it dangerous?

    At first nce, it sounds interesting to hear that you can read memories, but the side effects might be too much.

    Actually, memory streaming can be toxic in extreme cases. The memories can be so confused that it creates a rift in the ego.

    It wasnt that there were no victims.

    Although there are very few, there have been cases where memory streaming caused confusion and the people thought they were the ones whom they saw the memories of.

    These mental side effects were difficult to treat even with divine magic.

    But it was an ident when someone tried to deliver mana in a hurry without following safety rules. And even in that case, the side effects are so small that theye out 1 out of every 100.

    But it can happen right?

    Yes. However, this Talisman, which came out as a prototype this time, is a product made so that you do not have to worry about such side effects. Its a consumable artifact, so its power is weak, but its stability is high.

    The students who were a little skeptical were also curious about the high stability. It was good to see that there was no danger since Miss Marie had said so.

    All of the students raised their hands saying they wanted to try using the Talisman. On the contrary, Marie, who brought up this positive response, was embarrassed.

    Oh, there are so many students who want to do it. First of all, I brought it ording to the number just in case.

    The number of students taking Mari Rosss lectures is quite high, with thergest number of students at 80. It was also a joint subject of the first and second years, so it was difficult to empty a single seat. Mari Ross himself was aware of it, so she brought 40 Talismans.

    But theres something to be careful about. This is used in pairs of 2 people and simply injecting your own magical energy does not mean that memory streaming urs. You must have a partner but the most important thing to note is that others can see the past that you do not want to show.

    After that, the students looked into each others eyes. Inside they had the desire to try it but they were worried because they had to do it in teams of two.

    Maybe someone else might find out about their secret. It is unlikely that such a thing will be caught in countless memories, but the chance its not zero.

    What are you going to do?

    Shall we try? Im curious.

    Ugh. Seeing my memories its a little

    Who cares? Its nothing.

    Those who cared about privacy were very reluctant to use the Talisman. No matter how close you are to your partner, there is one secret you dont want others to know, especially in the case of opposite sex.

    Who wants to try it?

    When teacher Marie Ross asked for confirmation, the number of students raising their hands decreased significantlypared to before. Still, around half of the students in the ssroom showed interest.

    Rene, lets give it a try.

    What? Are you sure?

    Rene asked, embarrassed by Erendirs suggestion. She never thought that the Third Princess would make the suggestion first.

    Dont you want to be honest?

    Erendir coaxed Rene.

    Honestly, Erendir wanted to try because the part of sharing memories with friends was a romantic notion for Erendir.

    I cant believe I can share memories with my friends!

    Erendir, who had never made friends, was quite obsessed with this. Like wonderful memories with friends or unforgettable memories. In fact, it is also a phrase that often appears in novels.

    Of course, sharing memories through memory streaming is different from sharing real memories, but Erendir, who had no friends, judged that this or that it was the same.

    It wont be much if you look at mine. Would you be okay?

    Rene was worried about Erendir. She is amoner of little importance, but Erendir is the Third Princess of the empire.

    The difference in their status wouldnt have allowed them to stay next to each other and talk like this if it werent for Theon.

    She doesnt have much resistance to showing her past, but she wondered if it wasnt a crime for amoner to peek at the memory of a princess. Rene thought she was ignorant of the world, but she was sure that this was an issue.

    Whatever. I dont really care either. I dont have much to show you anyway.

    Erendir didnt think much of it.

    If it wasnt because of her rtionship with her sister, she would have hesitated, but there was nothing more to hide since Freuden Ulburg had already exposed it to Rene.

    She was the Third Princess who was pushed out of the fight for the throne so she didnt even know any important information as others thought.

    Oh, well.

    When Erendir herself said this, Rene no longer tried to break her stubbornness. In fact, she was curious about memory streaming.

    Yes, lets do it.

    Good!

    Erendir went straight to the podium and received a Talisman from teacher Marie Ross.

    Marie Ross seemed quite surprised that Erendir, the third princess, woulde forward, but soon nodded with a gentle smile.

    Well, lets do it.

    Some students were already using Talisman.

    Suppressing her excitement, Erendir held Talismans one end in her hand and held it out to Rene, who grabbed the other end.

    The way to use the Talisman was simple. The two parties can each hold one end and inject mana.

    Both ends of the white Talisman were gradually colored in different colors due to the influence of mana. The side that Rene held was dark gray, and the side that Erendir held was brilliant gold.

    Gradually, the spreading color came across the center of Talisman and began to blend in with the figure drawn on it. Rene and Erendir, who were closing their eyes, trembled at the same time.

    A huge stream hit their minds. The flow was veryrge and strong, just like the flooding river after the heavy rain.

    I, its.

    Rene stared at the scene like a huge torrent where it was hard to discern even an inch ahead quietly. It was an overwhelmingndscape that she had never seen before, but she instinctively realized what it was. That huge torrent was the passage of time and the memory of Erendir.

    Is this the memory streaming phenomenon?

    Several scenes passed quickly like a panorama in the huge whirlwind. The sight of theming into the ssroom a while ago came to mind blinking like a shing light bulb.

    Can I look further back at the past if I follow the flow?

    Rene stepped against the great flow. There was quite a lot of pressure, but it wasnt just unbearable. How long could she go back?

    I think its getting harder and harder.

    The more she went against the flow, the stronger the burden on her body. Even though it was protected by mana, it was too much. In the end, as soon as she gave up moving and released her mana, a scene unfolded in front of Rene.

    Senior?

    Erendir, who was now a sophomore, was a freshman who had just entered Theon. Her appearance was no different from now, but her atmosphere itself looked much fresher than when she first saw her at the beginning of the semester.

    The scene has been conveyed vividly as if she was experiencing it herself.

    This is the memory of senior.

    While marveling at the mysterious phenomenon of memory streaming, she suddenly wondered what kind of school days Erendir had in her freshman year.

    Rene watched the scene with a little excitement but it wasnt long before she made a grim face.

    * * *

    Flora was troubled to see the Talisman in her hand.

    If you put the other persons magic on this piece of paper, can you read the memory by sharing the persons magic? It was quite an interesting discovery.

    Its just that its a bit of a waste to use it now.

    Flora looked at Cheryl sitting next to her with indifferent eyes. When Cheryl faced the gaze, she trembled like a frightened rabbit.

    Well, Flora. Youre not going to use that, are you?

    Why? You dont like it?

    Oh? Oh, no. Its not that I dont like it. Its justShould I say that Im not ready for it?

    Cheryls reaction was unexpected. If it was her usual self, she would have rushed to do it, thinking it was rather good.

    Though trying to pretend not to, Cheryl was now extremely reluctant to do memory streaming. Was there something in the past that she wanted to hide from her?

    No way. How long have I known Cheryl?

    Flora skimmed through the ssroom. Some students did memory streaming, but some did not.

    Well, if you dont want to use it, dont.

    Flora slipped Talisman into her pocket.

    No one noticed her behavior because memory streaming was over throughout the ssroom at that time.

    Students who peeked into each others memoriesughed as if they had seen something interesting, or reacted as if there was nothing special.

    Hey, yboy! You said you only loved me! Now I know why you didnt want to use it!

    Jee, calm down! Cough!

    Sometimes there were interesting situations that were rare.

    Marie Ross smiled awkwardly as she saw a woman believed to be a couple shaking a man by the cor. It was the moment when a couple disappeared from Theon Academy.

    Rene and Erendir also opened their closed eyes after the memory streaming was over.

    Its fascinating to see the memories inherent in magic through memory streaming. It might seem like a lot of time has passed but it was only an instant. How was it, junior Rene?

    Oh, me?

    Rene was embarrassed because she didnt know how to answer Erendir. She carefully opened her mouth as she pondered whether to say this or not.

    That senior. You know what?

    Huh? What?

    I dont think its right to send invitations to students who are not close to you even on birthdays.

    Ah

    At Rene s words, Erendir recalled the dark history of the past that she had forgotten. The useless days of trying to make friends in Theon with dreams and hopes. Now, every time she sleeps, her pastes to mind and makes her kick the nket.

    Rene looked at her past when she was a freshman. The event she wanted to forget the most, and nearly all of it, was her birthday party.

    That, ugh that.

    I understand you.

    Ha-ha.

    Erendir closed her eyes tightly. It was more painful for her to see Renes sincere sympathy than to be caught in her past.

    More than that, what kind of past did you see? Im really curious, too. Did you watch the memories from a year ago?

    Rene asked a question to change the subject. In fact, Rene was not very curious about her past since there wasnt anything special. Her judgment was that Erendir would have looked at the past a year ago like herself at best. The days when she just stayed in her small room all day and studied.

    Ive seen a little further back in the past.

    However, contrary to Renes thought, what Erendir saw waspletely unexpected.

    You could see so further back?

    I dont know how far it was but what I saw was a little strange.

    What?

    What I saw was how you looked when you were young. It was a time when you looked more than 10 years younger than now.

    Erendir, who was saying that, realized that something was strange, and touched her forehead with her hand.

    But somethings wrong. Normally, this is viewed from the perspective of the person who remembers, right? But I saw your childhood from someone elses perspective.

    Someone else? Who?

    Maybe it was your mother.

    Thendscape that Erendir saw was not from Renes point of view, but from her mothers point of view. The memory of holding Rene in her arms as a young child, who was still less than 10 years old, was still vividly felt by Erendir.

    A cabin on the meadow where no one lived, you lived there alone with your mother? I thought that Rene was loved by her mother.

    Senior, what do you mean?

    When Rene actually heard the words, she was curious.

    I grew up without my parents

    * * *

    After finishing the second test, I immediately returned to the teachers office and started cleaning up the test. There was nothing to worry about because the scoring was done on the spot anyway.

    Are we officially preparing for the festival now?

    Speaking of festivals reminds me of my past life. In fact, I lived a life that was not rted to festivals. The only thing I remember was a college festival, but it was all about singing famous singers and opening a bar to drink.

    Still, since its Theon, its a lot different when ites to festivals. While thinking about that, Sedina handed me a piece of paper, saying it was an official letter that had juste.

    Whats this?

    This is the schedule for the magic festival.

    Didnt you get the schedule already?

    Well, it seems that there were some changes as the festival is held early this time. Thats why they are announcing the new schedule.

    Theres nothing strange about it.

    My opinion is that the festival, which would have been held at the end of the first semester, was moved up early, so that much is natural.

    While reading the official letter with such a light thought, I narrowed my eyes to the contents.

    At the magic festival event match, there is a magic duel between teachers?

    In addition, the promoter was Hugo Burtag.

 Chapter 143

    C143: Preparations for the Festival (2)

    Initiator, Hugo Burtag.

    As soon as I saw the name, I could feel his plot in the event of a public match between teachers.

    You say that we should hold a unique event, but in reality, you intend to further solidify the position of the aristocratic forces you lead?

    Perhaps Hugo found fault with the presidents arbitrary change of schedule. Not long ago, Hugo and other teachers from the noble faction went to protest against the president. I wasnt there at the time, so I dont know the exact situation, but this proposal was probably their suggestion.

    It seems that the duel will be between aristocratic teachers andmoner teachers. The main target is, of course, the teachers who teach the first and second years.

    On the festival day, guests from outside will also visit, so they will fight with a smile. However, behind the scenes, was Hugo Burtag calction that he would take this opportunity to solidify the position of aristocratic teachers in Theon.

    This is going to be a bit of a headache.

    Usually, when such events are held, it is natural for new teachers to attend. No matter which organization you go to, the first thing the youngest members have to do is unchanged. Perhaps in the case of this event, newly appointed teachers must attend.

    I dont know if Esmeralda, the first order, will move during the festival, but I have to participate in an event like this?

    To be honest, I dont want to waste my time. However, I cannot force out events that have already been decided. Thats the youngest sadness.

    It would be best to fight moderately in the beginning and lose.

    When the festival begins in earnest, it will be difficult to make time since teachers have to patrol regrly in pairs.

    Because we dont know when or where an incident will happen.

    As Theon is an academy that fosters wizards, the frequency of events urring there when the festival is held is iparable to usual.

    If an incident rted to various magic experiments happens many people might lose their lives. There is a protective magic and safety magic in ce to prevent it, but in this situation we must always assume the worst.

    Since we are given free time, I should try to stop Esmeralda somehow by aiming for that time.

    The festival is one week away so I must be fully prepared.

    * * *

    So you dont have memories rted to your parents in the past, do you?

    In Freudens secret spot that became a regr eating ce Erendir wrinkled her forehead as if she was seriously troubled.

    Its strange, but what I saw was definitely you from the past.

    Are you sure Im the one you saw?

    Of course. I cant mistake the color of your hair and memory streaming is based on the persons magic. I saw it with your magic, so of course its your past.

    But my Well, I heard you saw it from the perspective of my mothers point of view, not my eyes.

    Yeah. Thats why its weird. Its normal to see it from the point of view of the mana owner.

    First of all, in my case, I saw your past, so the Talisman its working properly.

    When the story of Erendirs first year was about toe out, she hurriedly changed the subject.

    Anyway! I think what I saw is quite different from the usual case. You feel the same way, dont you?

    Well, Im sure it is, but I dont think Im sure of this either. The phenomenon of memory streaming is not well known yet, so there may be an exceptional situation.

    Rene retorted because she had no memories rted to her parents.

    Rene, you really dont remember anything from the past?

    Yes. All I remember is that when I was young, I came to my senses and my teacher brought me up.

    Teacher?

    Yes. He taught me magic before I entered Theon.

    What kind of person was he?

    Hes like a grandfather. He was small and frivolous, but he was still a good person. He treated me like his granddaughter.

    Hmm.

    Erendir stroked her chin.

    There was something strange about Renes inability to remember her past. She cant make a person remember all their past since humans are creatures of oblivion.

    She doesnt understand why Rene cant remember what happened when she was a child. Even so, when ites to remembering childhood, it ismon to vaguely recall it. Even a small memory was good but Rene didnt remember anything.

    To be exact, it would be right to say that her memory was forcibly cut off by someone.

    Its weird no matter how much I think about it. You cant remember your parents? Theres no way you didnt have parents.

    Before I grew up, maybe it was sold. In fact, such things aremon.

    Ordinary people without money sold their magic-talented children to wizards.

    No. Even considering that, its strange that you dont remember a thing.

    Thats true.

    And in the past, you seemed to be very happy with your mother. You only looked about nine years old then.

    Nine years old

    Rene, what is the oldest memory you remember?

    Well, I think it was when I was about 10 years old.

    Dont you think its weird? How can you not remember anything before you were 10 years old?

    Yes.

    So far, Rene hasnt been very curious about her past. Its obviously a strange thing if you think about it rationally.

    She has no memories before being 10 years old and her teacher raised it after that. Whats surprising is that until Erendir pointed it out, Rene herself didnt feel it was strange at all but her expression hardened as she recognized the seriousness of the situation.

    You said that you remember when you were with your teacher, right?

    Yes, thats right.

    Then I think the teacher might have something to do with it.

    What? My teacher?

    Rene, even if he was your teacher you shouldnt believe him so easily. The situation is so suspicious in the first ce and maybe hes been nice to you in your understanding but that mightve been acting.

    .

    Rene could not answer because as Erendir said, her teacher may be rted to her erased past.

    Has her teacher erased her memory? Or is it rted to someone else who erased the memory? Then why did he do his best to teach her magic and raise her?

    I dont know.

    There are a lot of unknowns. All the memories of her past that disappeared and the mother Erendir talked about.

    The only way to check right now is to try memory streaming again.

    But havent we used the talisman already?

    Thats why its not even possible but as Miss Marie Ross said if the talisman is released on the market, it will be possible to check then.

    Erendir held Renes hand as she looked at her, whose expression became sullen while talking.

    Dont worry too much. Im sure itll work out. And you know what? Maybe your parents are alive somewhere.

    I guess so

    Of course.

    Renes expression brightened a little as if her sincere constion helped but Erendir couldnt get rid of some anxiety while looking at her.

    Its definitely strange that Renes memories were erased. There was definitely some sort of incident there, besides that, there are more strange things.

    Erendir looked at Renes past through her magic but what she actually saw was not the past from Renes point of view, but from her mothers.

    How could I see her mothers memory, through her magic?

    Is that really possible? Mana belongs solely to the individual and it was basicmon sense that no one else could rece the magic of others.

    But now themon sense was destroyed and at the same time, she felt that Rene had a huge secret that she didnt know.

    I think Ill be able to figure it out if I dig a little more.

    Why dont we go see Miss Marie Ross now and ask for more talismans? But even if we use it, there is no certainty that I can clearly see the memories of the past that have disappeared.

    What do I do?

    This is the first friend she made since she came to Theon and Erendir wanted to do her best to help Rene regain her memory.

    I cant believe you erased the memory of such a good child. I dont know who you are, but Im sure youll pay for it!

    As Erendir was burning inside a new guest appeared in the secret spot.

    Youre here again Third Princess.

    It was Freuden Ulburg.

    He suddenly noticed that Rene and Erendirs expressions were unusually serious.

    Rene, what happened?

    Oh, thats.

    Nothing happened.

    It was Erendir who cut off Rene.

    She immediately winked at Rene telling her not to speak about what happened.

    Rene also noticed the gaze and shut up.

    Is that so?

    Freuden wondered at the behavior of the two women, but did not dig deeper because a bothersome person followed him.

    Wow. What? The Third Princess is here? What a strangebination.

    A fine-eyed man with long scarlet hair tied to his tail, Henry Presto appeared pitifully behind Freuden.

    Senior Henry?

    Rene, nice to meet you. Long time no see.

    Henry Presto, what are you doing here?

    Erendir stared at Henry and said.

    Henrys family, the Presto family, was a long-established family who had served the Ulburgs, one of the three great dukes.

    The three dukes of the Exilion Empire have their own vassal families. Such a family has a presence above its original position among nobles.

    The Wagner family serves Lumos, the symbol of the eagle.

    The Deville family serves Kadushan, the symbol of the mountain goat.

    And finally, the Presto family serves Ulburg, the symbol of the wolf.

    A frivolous and light-spoken person like you.

    Of course, Erendir would not be too wary of being a simple vassal but Henry was a particrly nasty person among them.

    Unlike Cheryl, who goes with Flora, everything that happened in Theon had to do with Henry. He also saw all the events in Theon as if he had put them on his palm.

    As a model student, Erendir had no choice but to be wary.

    You speak ill of me. What have I done so wrong?

    I should set boundaries in the first ce.

    There was another reason why Erendir was especially wary of Henry.

    Do you still have the incident from when you were a freshman in mind? I told you then, but Im not the one who started the rumor.

    Be quiet!

    This was because Henry was the one who spread Erendirs dark history in the first grade.

    Henry smiled embarrassingly and scratched his cheek with his index finger.

    Oh, my. I cant prove my innocence.

    Even if you didnt make the rumor you cant say you didnt fuel it!

    To inform others of the dark history that could be called adys wounds. How can she not say that hecks manners and consideration?

    Henry is Freudens friend, this was the reason why Erendir hated Freuden. If the two are friends, then Freuden must be a simr person!

    Was that why you were wary of me?

    In fact, Freuden realized the reason why Erendir hated him, and he was rarely embarrassed.

    Anyway! This is between women, so dont interrupt.

    I wasnt even interested in the first ce.

    Oh, Im a little curious. Can you tell me what you talked about?

    Shaak!

    At the sight of Erendir threatening him like a stray cat, Henry shuddered! Then he raised his hands and stepped back and waved to Rene, who looked at him curiously.

    Hi, Rene. Its been a while, hasnt it?

    What? Oh, yes.

    Hold on, Rene! Dont tell me you know that t cunning snake-like man?

    What do you mean a cunning snake? Even if youre a princess youre being too harsh.

    Be quiet!

    Rene nodded with a puzzled face.

    Yes, I just happened to meet him and got some help.

    You got help? He didnt ask for conditions using that as an excuse, did he?

    Excuse me, princess. No matter how much I say that, it hurts. I didnt ask for any conditions in the first ce.

    Is that true?

    Henry is right. I was just rmended a good part-time job.

    It was a part-time job with a very good allowance. All she had to do was go to the banquet hall and serve quietly.

    Come to think of it, the banquet hall where I went to work at that time was the ce where the terrorist attack urred.

    Rene words were said casually because it was already in the past but Erendirs eyebrows watered over the bombshell.

    Nothing happened! As expected, youre an incredible person!

    Oh? What?

    Henry broke out in a cold at Erendirs gaze and asked Freuden for help.

    Lets stop there. I dont think Henry had any bad intentions. Maybe.

    Are you going to do that too Freuden?

    As if this is all he can do, Freuden did not bring it up anymore.

    Oh, my. Theres no one on my side here.

    Henry shook his head helplessly. On the surface, he looked embarrassed, but his sharp gaze was already shining like a snake searching for its prey.

    Oh, right. Junior Rene you know the festival is soon, right?

    What? Oh, yes.

    At Henrys question, which suddenly changed the subject, Rene suddenly nodded.

    Since youre a freshman, this is your first magic festival, right? Then should I give you some good information?

    Good information?

    Rene had a slightly wary reaction.

    Thats right. Didnt she almost died after going to a part-time job that Henry rmended?

    When Henry saw her reaction, he waved his hand.

    I really didnt know that at the time. I swear, but this time its Theons festival, so theres nothing too dangerous. Really.

    Still

    Hmm. I cant help it if you dont want my help but its about a part-time job that pays more than three times more than back then.

    Ill go!

    Rene shrieked, her eyes shining. She no longer cared about the past.

 Chapter 144

    C144: Preparations for the Festival (3)

    Wait, Rene! If you suddenly ept it like that!

    Wow, youre a reliable person junior Rene! Thanks! Ill let you know the detailster!

    Henry thanked Rene before Erendir nagged him again and left as if he was running away. Erendir shouted to his back, but Henry had already disappeared from sight.

    She bit her lips and swung her head toward Rene. Her long blonde hair moved with it.

    Rene! Why did you take that suspicious persons suggestion carelessly?

    What? ButA part-time job with a good ie. I have no choice but to receive it.

    Why? Didnt you get a schrship?

    Erendir did not understand Renes decision.

    Why? Of course its because Im in need of money. Even if I get a full schrship, it doesnt support the cost of teaching materials and purchasing magic materials, so I have no choice but to earn that money through a part-time job.

    So, while reducing the cost of food, for a while, she only ate three meals with baked potatoes.

    Really?

    Erendir was surprised as if she had never heard such a thing before while Freuden, who was watching from the side, sighed and shook his head.

    You didnt know about such small things because the Third Princess is rich enough, but themon people whock money have no choice but to make money that way.

    Erendir was even more shocked to hear this from Freuden, not anyone else.

    Im sorry, Rene. I spoke without knowing anything.

    I know its because youre worried about me so I dont really care.

    Erendir med herck of knowledge, but in fact it was natural that she didnt know. Theon full tuition support system seems to work well on the outside, but there were many shorings in the details.

    Freuden added an exnation.

    Since the department in charge of finances is full of nobles, themon people do not enjoy all the proper benefits.

    The tuition support system, which had been present just in name before, was able toe this far thanks to the strong push by Elisa Willow after she became president. However, there were a lot of things that had to be fixed.

    I cant believe that happened.

    Im d you know now, Third princess.

    Freuden, how do you know this in detail, then? Wasnt it that you werent interested in themoners at all?

    The externally known image of Freuden Ulburg is the leader of the aristocratic students faction. For themoner students, he was the head of aristocrats who looked down on them and bullied them.

    Who wouldve thought that he had an unexpected hobby such as cultivating flower beds, but even so, his actions were bound to seem strange for the Third princess.

    At least so far, Erendir thought so.

    You had an unexpected aspect of caring about themon people.

    Think as you please. I just said what I knew.

    Freuden turned his back as if he didnt want to talk any more.

    Oh, Mr. Freuden, are you leaving?

    I just stopped while passing by. I have an appointment, so I have to go now.

    If thats the case, why are you here?

    Freuden lightly responded to Erendir, who was grumbling.

    Im a busy person because Im very popr unlike others.

    What?! So whos the proud Prince Ulburg going to see now?

    An annoyance.

    Freuden said, lightly loosening the cor of his tight school uniform with one hand.

    I got a request for marriage.

    After saying so he left his seat.

    Marriage? Who could it be?

    What? Are you interested?

    No way.

    Rene shook her head as if it was nonsense.

    Im just amazed that such things really happen among the nobles.

    As amoner, it was astonishing that something she had only seen in her novels actually happened.

    * * *

    Youre here.

    Did you wait?

    Henry, who was waiting for Freuden outside the garden, found himing out and asked nicely.

    Where are you meeting?

    The third floor of the cafeteria. I made an appointment in a hurry, but I seeded in renting a whole floor.

    You did something unnecessary.

    What. The fewer the eyes, the better, right?

    Henry shrugged his shoulders and sent a sly gaze to Freuden.

    So, whats your rtionship with the kid named Rene?

    Theres nothing going on.

    Without stopping, Freuden replied casually. Of course, Henry, who had known Freuden for a long time, did not believe him.

    You dont expect me to believe that, right? You were indifferent to the nobles showing interest and suddenly started taking care of amoner girl?

    You talk a lot today.

    I have a lot of questions.

    It was a frivolous remark and action that an Ulburg vassal shouldnt do, but Freuden did not bother to point that out. Their rtionship has been like this for a long time.

    Im just interested.

    Oh, whats your interest? Appearance, right?

    Lets stop chatting. Weve arrived.

    At the entrance of the cafeteria not far away, a woman stood still. She has a name tag that symbolizes the second graders and lemon-colored bobbed hair. It was Cheryl Wagner, the darling of the Wagner family, who had long served the Lumos family.

    Freuden, who recognized her, had a rare wrinkle on his forehead.

    Tsk. Lumos again?

    I couldnt help it. The instructions came out before I realized the situation. It seems that the family is trying to achieve this condition as quickly as possible.

    It must be the will of the family head and the old man. To strengthen the family alliance, they dont care what the parties opinions are.

    Well, this hasnt happened once or twice, has it?

    For something like that, this time its pretty tant.

    I think its because the festival has been moved forward.

    Festival?

    Henry continued his exnation.

    It seems that the heads of both families are going to visit Theon during the festival.

    So what?

    Thats not what Im saying. Youve been putting off all the wedding talks before, havent you?

    I didnt put them all off.

    You turned down more than half so the old people in the family are in a hurry since the lord will visit Theon during the festival and want to show a good performance.

    Hmm. Thats silly. A wolf can never be with an eagle. What did they think would change if they came to Theon?

    Its a problem because you dont think so.

    Just in time, Cheryl also saw them and waved. Henry also whispered to Freuden, smiling and waving his hands.

    Anyway. Just do whatever you want.

    You acted as if you were going to make this marriage happen, but you changed your mind?

    What do you mean change?

    Henry smirked and tapped Freuden on the shoulder instead of his usual pretentious smile.

    Ive been saying this for a long time, Im always on your side. Thats what Im going to do as a servant.

    Yes, I see.

    Oh,e on, both of you.

    Henry waited at the entrance with Cheryl and Freuden went up to the third floor of the restaurant alone.

    Inside the restaurant where the soft light shines from the window he saw a woman sitting high at the table in the center so Freuden naturally approached and sat opposite her.

    Freuden Ulburg didnt want toe here, but he could tell by her face that his opponent was the same. Flora Lumos kept staring out of the window without giving him a single nce even though he sat down.

    As if they were used to this kind of thing, the behavior of the two was natural.

    The chef approached the two silent people.

    Heres the food.

    He wanted to run away quickly in this breathtaking atmosphere, so he quickly withdrew after he left the food.

    When the dish came out, the two people who were still moved at the same time and naturally grabbed a fork and knife and cut the meat.

    It was Freuden who opened his mouth first.

    You dont usually show your face. Whats going on?

    Flora Lumos, who cut a piece of cut meat with a knife, wiped her lips with a napkin.

    I was tricked intoing.

    I see.

    Then again, the meal continued in silence. Normally, he wouldnt have said anything until I finished eating here, but today was different.

    Recently.

    Floras knife stopped cutting the meat. Suddenly, a questionable gaze flew toward Freuden, who opened his mouth.

    I hear the name Rudger Chelici a lot.

    So?

    Do you take his sses, too?

    I dont know why youre wondering about something like that.

    I was just curious. Ive heard the teachers name so oftentely.

    Freuden stared intently at the ted vegetables and stabbed them with his fork.

    Its been a long time since I gave up expecting a normal reaction from Freuden anyway, so Flora opened her mouth with a half-gave-up look.

    Its a manifestation ss, amon subject for first and second graders.

    What do you think?

    What do you mean?

    The teacher. Did he say something special?

    Special?

    First of all, at least for Flora, Rudger Chelici is a very capable man. The same goes for everyone else.

    I dont know.

    Well.

    Whats going on?

    Its not your usual reaction. Werent other people good objects to make fun of whether they were teachers or not?

    She tried to pretend she wasnt interested, but Freuden, who was sharp, immediately noticed her strangeness.

    You seem to be interested in something, right? The wolf of Ulburg I know was never a person that took interest in others.

    Freuden responded calmly, and Flora, who red at him. From the perspective of a third party, they were a pair of a handsome man and a beautiful woman who fit well with each other, but under their appearance they had never understood each other.

    I can see that Mr. Rudger is not ordinary just by your reaction.

    Oh, is that so? So what are you going to do now?

    What do you want me to do?

    With what excuse are you going to break up the marriage this time? Isnt that why youre here anyway?

    Flora talked as if she was used to it by now and Freuden put his fork and knife on the table.

    Dont worry. As always, it is my job to cancel this wedding.

    Whats the reason? Wasnt it you who said that if you cancel the marriage without any reason, there would be a problem?

    The weather was gloomyst time. He didnt like the ce before. And before that, he was in a low mood.

    Freuden broke the marriage with Flora several times with all kinds of excuses and avoided it.

    The reason.

    Freuden pretended to be a little troubled, then looked at the dish he had left half-eaten and said:

    The food doesnt taste good.

    Then he got up from his seat.

    Thats what Ill say.

    Hmm. Suit yourself.

    Hes an unlucky man. Floras assessment of Freuden has been consistent in the past and now.

    Normally, Freuden would have left here first, and Flora would have stayed. It was to remind people that it was Freuden who unterally broke the marriage. However, unlike usual, has she also experienced a strange change of heart?

    Hey.

    Flora called him as he left.

    Freuden stopped and turned his head half way, asking what was going on. His gaze contained the meaning of Why are you calling me?

    Maybe she shouldnt have talked to him. Although she regretted her unknowingly behavior, Flora decided to go on shamelessly since it happened.

    I want to ask you a question.

    You? Well, lets hear it.

    Its not a big question or something to do with the family anyway.

    Do you know where I can get dried mandragora?

    Freudens face frowned at the question as if it was difficult to understand.

    * * *

    Preparations for the festival were in full swing. Unseen barracks came up everywhere, and Magic Golems eagerly carried heavy loads. The students who werepletely free after the second test were also working hard.

    The {Magic Festival}, one of Theon main agendas and there were only a few days before it began.

    I was lost in thought as I watched the scene below the teachers office window.

    I wondered if the ck Dawn Society would show some suspicious movement during the festival preparation, but they havent.

    I asked Sedina, but she also replied that there was nothing much going on yet. Considering that there are quite a few orders under Esmeralda, it wouldnt have been strange to have already been ordered to move by now.

    What the hell is Esmeralda going to do?

    Its toote now to suddenly n something. So shes not going to do anything?

    Or will you act alone without telling your subordinates?

    Isnt that too reckless?

    At that moment, a voice came from theb next door.

    The crystal ball. Is it Hans?

    Im d I left another crystal ball in theb just in case.

    Entering theb, I operated the crystal ball by using sound blocking magic around it.

    Hans, whats going on? Did you earn any money?

    [Money? Of course I have.]

    Hans voice from beyond the crystal ball seemed excited as if he had found out a pretty surprising fact.

    [What you asked me to find out. I finally found it]

 Chapter 145

    C145: Crollo Fabius(1)

    [There were many nobles who went from the Kingdom of Durman to other countries, but there was only one that met the conditions you said.]

    Who is it?

    [Its Duke Fabius.]

    Fabius? Ive never heard of it.

    Five years ago, when I was working as the hunter, Abraham Van Helsing, my main stage was the Kingdom of Durman. After hunting the Beast of Gvaudan, many people called me a great hunter and tried to contact me, most of whom were nobles who wanted to keep me under theirmand. But I had never heard of the name Fabius even among the noble families.

    Its for the first time that I hear about the existence of this duke.

    I cant believe there was such a duke. I didnt hear about him when I was a hunter.

    [At the time when brother was there, Duke Fabius was not in the Kingdom of Durman.]

    It didnt exist? The duke family?

    I need a detailed story.

    [As you know, the kingdom of Durman was ruined five years ago after the Bloody Night incident.]

    Yeah.

    Due to the abnormal proliferation of cryptids, the state haspletely lost credibility of the people. Although the cryptids hunt ended sessfully, the damage was devastating.

    The estimated damage was astronomical. So did the kingdom release the money topensate?

    Whatpensation. They were busy filling their pockets.

    No matter how manymoners died, it didnt matter much to the nobles. Rather, they would have liked it better if the number of people trying to start a revolution decreased.

    These actions ignited the anger of the citizens that had been suppressed. Above all, it was not a knight or a wizard but only a hunter who killed the Beast of Gvaudan at the time.

    It was like pouring oil at a time when there were manyints about the defeat of the nobles and the result was directly linked to the revolution.

    The angry people raised a g of revolution that was iparable to before, and the royal family sacrificed the nobles to live.

    In fact, the royals were the same people, but they had something better than the aristocracy, so they were quick to notice.

    Thanks to the swift condemnation of the nobles, the royal family was able to maintain the name Durman, at least nominally.

    Most of the nobles were divided and other nobles, who recognized the seriousness of the situation, attempted to flee to another country as a whole with their families.

    In other words, it was after the Bloody Night incident that the nobles of the Durman Kingdom fled to other countries. However, it was said that the Duke Fabius defected before it happened, so I didnt understand.

    He left years before the revolution?

    It wasnt being exiled. Did they run away?

    [Yes youre right, they ran away.]

    They ran away. From what?

    [He was curious about that, too, so I looked for a reasonTheres something weird going on. A case? No, its a little vague to call it a case.]

    Hans over the crystal ball seemed quite embarrassed, wondering if he could say this.

    Just say it.

    [There was a rumor that the family itself was cursed before the Fabius family went into exile.]

    Cursed? At the sudden words, Rudger remained silent and Hans exnation followed.

    [Thats right. One day, the familys elders disappeared.]

    The elders disappeared. Is such a problem rted to a curse?

    [The problem is that it didnt end there. The people in the family disappeared one by one. The culmination of that is the previous house master, who stepped down, was burned alive.]

    Burned alive?

    [Whats interesting is that the house was not on fire, only the previous house master caught fire and died. It was such a strange story that no one believed it even though rumors spread at the time.]

    At the end of the day, people had no choice but to be afraid because the Fabius family received Gods punishment.

    If you look at the flow, even the elders who disappeared one by one.

    [Right. They were all burnt to death. Just like the death of the former house master, their bodies suddenly caught fire and became ashes. The family hid it as much as possible, but they got caught.]

    Its strange.

    [Thats right, its strange. The Dukes family would have strict security, and a part of the family members were wizards.]

    All those people were burned to death one by one.

    It made sense for people to say that it was Gods punishment, not just assassination.

    Was that why the duke family of a country fled like they were exiled?

    The people of the Fabius family also realized that the curse, or something else, was trying to kill them so they ran away to all parts of the continent to live separated and scattered from each other.

    But the incarnation of revenge created by the union of death, malice, hatred, and sadness followed them.

    How many members of the Fabius family are left?

    [Only one.]

    He didnt know how many people were there in the Fabius family but it would never have been a small number because it was a family with a duke position in a country. There shouldve been at least 100 people.

    Are all the rest dead?

    [Of course, they were all burned to death.]

    Esmeralda found all those members and killed them.

    But wizards wouldnt have died like this. Was there any resistance?

    [There was. They hired people, called knights, and everything but as you can see the results.]

    Is that so?

    [I watched the case in chronological order, and I found something unusual. The scale of the fire is increasing.]

    The scale has increased?

    A rustling sound was heard over the crystal ball. It seemed that Hans was looking through the data he had collected.

    [At first, only the people of the Fabius family died. A scared man had dozens of bodyguards but only he was burned to death like a ghost.]

    You mean they didnt touch anyone else.

    [But as more and more new arson attacks took ce, the damage began to spread not only to people from the Fabius family, but also to people around them.]

    At first only the members of the Fabius family were targeted but things escted.

    [It got bigger and bigger and in thest case a whole house was burned down.]

    I remembered Quasimodo, the spirit of fire that appeared in the banquet hall. At that time, I took it for granted that he ran rampant as soon as he appeared, but up until now, he had purely eliminated his targets?

    The damage, which was initially limited to certain targets, gradually spread? It is surprising, so there mustve been some kind of change of mind since the scale has grown.

    I remembered Esmeraldas past in the painting magic. I dont know what happened to herter, after she disappeared into the darkness of the forest on the day of the Great Fire of Roteng.

    I dont even know how she got into the ck Dawn Society.

    Hans, who is thest survivor of the Fabius family?

    [Thest surviving member of the Fabius family its a guy named Crollo Fabius and he is also the current head of the Fabius family.]

    The head of the family is still alive?

    [I checked and it was like that.]

    Wheres that Crollo Fabius guy?

    [You didnt know?]

    What do you mean I dont know?

    When Rudger responded that he didnt really know, Hans replied in a slightly dismal tone.

    [That person is a teacher in Theon right now.]

    * * *

    Rudger stopped in front of a private residence for teachers in Theon.

    Here it is.

    The que at the entrance read [Crollo Fabius].

    I cant believe he was really working as a teacher in Theon.

    At times like this it is said that it is dark under themp. Dont tell me thest survivor that First Order Esmeralda was chasing was in Theon.

    Esmeralda infiltrated Theon to kill him.

    All Esmeralda has done so far was to remove the people of the Fabius family. After eliminating them one by one, thest survivor of the Fabius family was the family head and he was here in Theon.

    Its surprising that she moved only for revenge, considering she entered the ck Dawn Society. Zero Order agreed with this?

    It was hard to conclude recklessly because I didnt know the nature of Zero Order.

    Ding-dong.

    Rudger rang the doorbell but there was no response from within.

    Theres no way he isnt here.

    Rudger had already stopped by Crollo Fabius teachers office beforeing here.

    Crollo Fabius was a teacher of Theon, but he was practically close to an honorary teacher. He was not chosen after taking the teachers test, but because he was a nobleman from the Kingdom of Durman and received his position as a condition of asylum.

    He is a honorary teacher, but he didnt even went to work.

    Then he must be at home.

    Maybe hes still sleeping? Rudger, who pressed the doorbell a few more times with that thought, shook his head and grabbed the doorknob with his hand.

    .

    After a moment of silence Rudger carefully let go of the doorknob and slipped back. Immediately after that, the door opened by itself, and an attack magic flew from inside.

    Magic?

    It was a sudden attack, but Rudger reacted calmly. The source code magic was activated, creating a mana barrier in front of him and the magic that flew was blocked and scattered.

    The power is weak. It wasnt a targeted attack but a hastily executed magic.

    However, there was no guarantee that another attack would note. There is no one watching now, but if there is a disturbance, it will attract attention.

    After the judgment, Rudger stormed out and ran into the house through an open door.

    Aaaarrrrgggghhhh!

    There was a startling cry from the inside. Although it was broad daylight, the inside of the house was dark because of insufficient light, but Rudger saw through it.

    Crollo Fabius was hidden behind a fallen wooden table while pointing his cane away.

    Without slowing down, Rudger immediately jumped at him. The tip of the cane held by Crollo shed and a ray of light was shot. A third-level light attribute emission magic. The range is narrow, but the pration is high.

    It cannot be stopped by a hastily ced barrier but the ray of light emptily cut through the air.

    What!

    Crollo opened his mouth wide at the sharp movement that he couldnt believe was executed by a wizard. Shortly thereafter, Rudgers right hand, who ran over the table, grabbed his mouth and twisted his arm holding the cane with his left hand.

    Ugh!

    Quiet. Do you want everyone outside to know whats happening here?

    When I whispered quietly, he stopped screaming. As if he had finally calmed down, his breathing slowed even further.

    Rudger carefully let him go.

    Who are you?

    Rudger Chelici.

    Rudger raised his body, which was bent.

    Im a new teacher.

    Youre a teacher?

    Mr. Crollo Fabius, right?

    Thats right.

    Crollo finally realized that Rudger was not an enemy, and sighed in relief.

    Rudger looked around the room that was messy and smelly because it wasnt cleaned in a long time.

    As I approached the window to open it, Crollo cried out.

    Hey, dont open it!

    Isnt it full of dust?

    This is my house! Just leave it alone!

    His eyes were full of fear.

    Rudger also took a closer look at the figure of Crollo Fabius. It was obviously the first time they met, but Rudger realized that he was familiar with him.

    That man

    The blonde hair, which used to be brilliant in the past, has now be murky and has lost its shine. Maybe he couldnt wash properly or sleep well, but under his eyes, he was full of dark circles, and his untidy beard grew messy.

    Crollo Fabius.

    Thest surviving member of the Fabius family and the man that caused the Roteng Fire.

    I couldnt have forgotten what I saw in the magic world of painting.

    I thought I saw him somewhere.

    Isnt he the one who talked to teacher Selina a while ago? At that time, I only saw his back, but the blonde hair, physique, and atmosphere were very simr.

    The man whomitted such a thing is still alive.

    A feeling of disgust rose, but Rudger suppressed it. What matters now is that he wasnt trying to hold Crollo Fabius ountable for his crimes.

    With his hands off the curtains, Rudger slowly approached Crollo. He picked up a fallen wooden chair nearby, ced it in front of Crollo and sat there.

    Mr. Crollo Fabius.

    What.

    Crollo felt something irresistible form Rudgers voice calling his name. He was relieved to hear that you are the new teacher, but what was that atmosphere?

    Rudgers eyes seemed to glow red in the dark.

    Lets talk.

 Chapter 146

    C146: Crollo Fabius(2)

    Crollo Fabius watched the man in front of him and broke out in a cold sweat.

    At first he thought he was an assassin who was after him. In fact, there was no way that someone would do such a thing in broad daylight in Theon, but Crollo, who was driven to the edge of the cliff, couldnt think of anything else other than that. So heunched a preemptive strike but he was subdued in the blink of an eye.

    He had confidence in his magic and knew that pre-emptive strikes were the most important thing when wizards fight but his first attack was blocked with ease and the subsequent one was avoided.

    He thought the opponent was a wizard, but he felt like he was seeing a ck beast wandering through the jungle in the middle of the night.

    Until his opponent spoke to him, Crollo saw the vision of a giant predator. It was not until he regained his reason that he realized that it was a hallucination and only then could he see the real face of the intruder.

    A ck-haired man with sharp eyes, who introduced himself as a new teacher, naturally brought a chair and sat on it then he said Lets talk.

    Crollo thought it was ridiculous.

    What talk? Get out of here! Do you know who I am?

    He didnt had the patience to talk with anyone because he didnt knew when the monster would appear. The terrible devil who burned down everything he had achieved might burn him to death right away.

    Crollo, whose mind was driven to the limit, couldnt afford to care about anything else and Rudger, who recognized his condition, looked around. The room that has been messed up was a sign of fear and obsessivepulsion.

    Youll regret it if you dont.

    Regret? Who do you think you are to talk to me like that? Im Crollo Fabius! Duke Fabius!

    Rudger sighed, closing his eyes softly. His bloodshot eyes, slim cheeks, and the smell of alcohol every time he shouted showed that he was not in a good state to be persuaded with words.

    After the judgment, Rudger rose from his chair.

    If you knew, get out of here right now!

    Rudger grabbed Crollo by the cor with his right hand and forced him to rise.

    I think there was a misunderstanding in what I said.

    What, what are you doing!

    I didnt asked you to talk, I told you to do it.

    Crollo struggled, but Rudger remained steadfast.

    What kind of wizard grip!

    Rudger only used one hand but he used both and couldnt move him and he didnt even strengthen his body with magic.

    At this time Rudgers voice was heard again.

    Crollo Fabius, youre still alive even after the Great Fire of Roteng.

    You, you!

    Crollo opened his eyes wide as he didnt expect Rudger to talk about that.

    Who are you? Did the devil send you to kill me?

    If the devil had sent

    Rudger smashed Crollo to the floor.

    Agh!

    You wouldve died a while ago.

    Cough! Then why?

    Ive been investigating a number of cases recently, and something strange has happened.

    Since he came all the way here, it was impossible to continue while wearing the teachers mask. Rather, it was necessary to go stronger and be more brazen.

    The Fabius family fell after the Roteng Great Fire. All the elders, including the former family head, were burned alive under Gods punishment, right?

    Well, how the hell did you.

    Its too early to be surprised. After that, the people of the family dispersed, but they all died.

    Crollo shut up. He was pretending not to, but his body was trembling like a thorn.

    Everyone was burned to death and no one from the Fabius family remained.

    No, no, no.

    Now you are thest survivor but how long can youst?

    You, what the hell.

    It was only then that Crollo realized that Rudger was not an ordinary teacher.

    Rudger sat back in the chair and loosened his neck-tight cor slightly.

    Do you understand now?

    Who are you?

    You dont have to know, Crollo Fabius.

    Yes, yes!

    Crowe, who was pushed by Rudgers momentum, answered politely.

    You are being chased by a scary guy.

    Thats right.

    Crawley yed lowball with Rudger.

    He felt it instinctively. A line of salvation came down to him, who was shaking because he didnt know when death woulde.

    He realized it only now that his life was at stake. The name Fabius, the Duke Fabius that he has held on so far, was useless.

    The Devil of Fire ising to kill me. Even then, in the banquet hall, the devil!

    Thats what I thought.

    Quasimodo appeared at the banquet hall that day because Crollo was also there. Until then, Crollo had no idea, but as soon as he saw Quasimodo, he realized the seriousness of the situation.

    Rudger finally realized that the real purpose of Esmeralda was revenge. She came to Theon to kill the man in front of him. But why didnt she kill him right away?

    Her movements were quite cautious to be disturbed so Rudger came to one conclusion.

    Shes slowly ying with her prey.

    Her n was to make him suffer all the pain she has suffered for a long time.

    Slowly drive him to the edge of mental and physical health

    Thats when her revenge will bepleted.

    If he had been watching from a third partys perspective without being directly involved in this situation, Rudger would not have paid attention to her actions. However, Rudger was deeply involved with the ck Dawn Society.

    As long as Esmeralda stays in Theon his life will be in danger.

    He didnt want to speak about morality when it came to someone elses revenge because he wasnt an honest man, he just wanted to live so he had to act.

    So what about him?

    Who?

    The devil of the fire that wille to kill you. I asked you what her name is and what the features of her appearance are.

    Her name is I dont, I dont remember.

    What?

    Rudger red at Crollo, wondering what was wrong with him. He doesnt even remember the name of the person whosing to kill him?

    Shall I just let him die?

    When Rudger was seriously contemting inside, Crollo must have felt something, too, so he hurriedly crawled and grabbed Rudgers trouser leg.

    I can remember! I can remember!

    Aside from the name, what other specific elements are there?

    That that shes pretty and that her hair is ck.

    And?

    Shes probably in her mid-20s now.

    Mid 20s?

    Rudger recalled Joanna Lovett. As she infiltrated as a student, Joanna Lovetts appearance was not much different from those around her.

    Shes a little mature, but can he say that shes in her mid-20s?

    No, considering that wizards and knights look younger than they really are, even when they get older.

    Rudger stared at Crollo with a look to tell him more. Crollo opened his mouth and hurriedly changed the subject as if there was nothing more to squeeze.

    Where did youe from?.Do you happen to belong to the secret agency of the Empire?

    The Imperial Security Agency was quite famous, and even Crollo knew about them. The Nightcrawler Knight, the Knights of the Security Service, was called the Criminals Nightmare.

    Also, one of the investigative agencies under theirmand, Shadow Fang, was an elite team of wizards and mercenaries. If he belonged to such a secret organization, he would have at least a que of proof, and Crollo thought so and asked.

    Rudger sighed inwardly. He thought it would work if he intimidated Crollo moderately but even so he still had a noble side or a clever side.

    Do you have nothing to prove your identity.?

    When Crollo tried to ask with a slightly suspicious gaze, Rudger took out a ck dog tag out of his inner pocket and showed it to Crollo.

    Well, thats.

    Is this not enough?

    Crollo shook his head. Many organizations have cards to prove their identity, but ck dog tags are only used in one ce.

    Military! Thats also a very secretive unit!

    Seeing Crollo suspicions go away, Rudger clicked his tongue inside.

    Im d I kept it just in case.

    Team ck Ops Dog Tag was one of the things he had collected in the past and if Crollo had more detailed knowledge in this area, he would have known that this identification tag no longer existed.

    Yeah, I knew it!

    Crowe took out a piece of paper from his inner pocket.

    What about that?

    He, the devil sent me Its a letter.

    He was hiding this even though he was on the verge of death?

    Whether he was clever or stupid was unknown but its a relief he showed it to him at least.

    Rudgers eyes lit up when he saw what was written in the letter.

    This is not a bad harvest.

    The letter was short with delicate words written in ink.

    [Thest day of the festival. I will find you.]

    Rudger stroked his chin.

    No unnecessary stuff is written, however the hatred is evident in her restrained attitude.

    It was a very encouraging result to find out when Esmeralda would move, if nothing else. With such a tant warning, Im sure shell move on thest day of the festival, as it says here. If he looked at the starting point of action so far, she wouldnt suddenly go crazy.

    Rudger, who took his eyes off the letter, stared at Crollo with a half-hearted gaze. Crollo forced the tip of her mouth to curl up and smiled haphazardly.

    What do you say? If this is the case, the help is.

    This is not enough.

    Yes?

    Rudger flung the letter to the floor and the action colored Crollo face with despair.

    The preparations are in full swing right now and the Magic Festival will start in five days.

    Five days to go before the festival and the festival willst five days so Crollo only has 10 days left.

    That, that! If you ask Theon for help!

    Stupid. Do you think itll make any difference if I let the president know? Did the other people who were killed so far died because they were stupid?

    The president wouldnt get involved even if I tell her everything. However, since Crollo believes me Ill be able to use him.

    What should I do?

    Wait for now.

    What?! What the hell.

    The opponent foretold the date. On the contrary, its safe to not do anything before that date because they wont touch you.

    Well, in the meantime, Im preparing.

    But in the meantime, dont you think the other person can spy on you secretly?

    Crollo shut up at Rudgers point.

    If you run wild and create rumors here and there, I wonder if the other person will patiently wait until the appointment date.

    Then, what should I do?

    Stay still like nothing happened. No. Rather, it would be better to pretend to be fine.

    Esmeralda wanted Crollo to be devastated and in despair. Rather, Rudgers calction was that if he remained intact, Esmeralda, whose n didnt work, would be angrier.

    To do nothing. Thats your role.

    * * *

    The remaining five days of preparation have passed like an arrow, and the time of the festival hase.

    The wide main gate, which should normally be tightly closed, was wide open, and several wagons lined up to enter Theon through it. Many people wandered inside the quiet site where barracks were built everywhere, and students gathered in twos and threes.

    It was the opening day of The Magic Festival, Theons festival full of history and tradition.

 Chapter 147

    C147: The Festival Begins (1)

    Wow, thats amazing.

    Rene eximed at the banners installed everywhere. For Rene, who has never experienced a single festival in her life so far, it was a natural reaction because the first festival he encountered was Theon Magic Festival, which has a reputation on the continent.

    Erendir smiled gently at the innocent appearance of her junior.

    Is this your first magic festival?

    Yes, its actually my first time at a festival.

    Then you should definitely enjoy this opportunity. Since its your first time, youll have to make good memories.

    Erendir vowed to guide her friend properly at this festival. She was going to show her dignity as much as she could with the opportunity she got after a long time.

    Since junior Rene and I will be busy starting tomorrow.

    Theon festival, whichsts for a total of five days, attracts many visitors as it is one of thergest in the empire. There is room on the first day, but it will probably be more crowded from the second day since nobles wille as well.

    When such people gather, a social gathering will usually happen and as a princess she is forced to attend. In that case, it was clear that even if she wanted to enjoy the festival with Rene, she wouldnt be able to. Therefore, she was going to escort her junior properly so that Rene could fully enjoy the festival today.

    Oh! Look over there!

    There was an experience center where people could try on Theon uniforms at the ce that Rene pointed with her fingers. It was a ce where people who have reached the age where they cannot attend the academy can immerse themselves in old memories.

    The children who had not yet entered the school wereughing and wearing uniforms that fit their bodies. There were many other things that were amazing.

    Senior, what is that?

    Alchemy Lab. It seems that the alchemy club swore that they would definitely turn copper into gold this year.

    Huh? Is that possible?

    No way.

    Maybe it would be nice if the test tube didnt explode.

    Senior over there?

    This time, the ce Rene pointed to was arge open space adjacent to the forest. There was a wooden fence installed there and there were a lot of people inside ying with spirits.

    Oh, its a spirit ranch.

    Ranch?

    Only the name is a ranch, and it is actually a spirit experience center, a ce where people canmunicate with spirits called by the spirit masters. Small spirits are cute and popr with children and women.

    I see.

    Rene asked Erendir about all the other strange things and Erendir answered smoothly because she learned all the catalogues of the festival in case she had such a close friend.

    Senior! What is that ce for? It looks very gloomy.

    Oh, thats the Necromancer House.

    Necromancer House? Necromancy?

    Thats right. One of the specializations of the summoning series is necromancy. Its a science that talks with souls and borrows their power, but during festivals, they use the power of necromancy to summon souls and surprise people.

    Uh, is that okay?

    Most of the souls who epted the summoninge because they think its fun too.

    Oh my gosh. A haunted house ran using real souls.

    Of course, even if it was a soul, it would be closer to a fragmentary thought than to actually a dead person, but it was still a strange thing.

    Oh! Senior! There are people in zombie makeup passing by! Are you a member of the Necromancer House over there too?

    No. Thats a graduate student.

    What? Doesnt Theon have 5 grades?

    Did you not know? Theon has a graduate student system. After graduation, they stay here, work with professors, write theses, and explore magic.

    In fact, exploring magic is more like being a ve to theb and working endlessly without sleeping properly. Even now, graduate students, who moved like zombies, were not able to enjoy the festival and were going to the research building.

    Their gloomy aura even led to a strange phenomenon that frightened people in their own way.

    At this point, Rene thought that theb room where those graduate students are headed might be scarier than Necromancer House.

    They graduated and are attending the academy? Thats weird.

    Rene, dont be so mean to graduate students. They just made the wrong choice.

    Everyone has a dream of leaving asting mark in the society with a magic thesis until they became a ve in theboratory. That is the fate of graduate students.

    Except for one or two geniuses who are likely to be born in one century, the rest will be deceived by a wicked professor and live in pain. The end of those who did not see reality was always the same.

    I never want to be a graduate student.

    Its the same for me.

    The two made a light bow to the growing group of zombies as this was all they could do. Thanks to their choice,ter generations realized how dangerous graduate students were and avoided the path, so how could it not be a noble sacrifice?

    Their choice is the courage to be respected by their juniors. Then, a noticeable person was caught in the eyes of the two.

    Oh, its Mr. Rudger.

    Rudger was seen patrolling through the crowd with the familiar pink hair.

    * * *

    Rudger, who was on patrol, turned his head to the murmur from the side. He could see a teacher with a physique who was barely able to reach his shoulder looking around excitedly.

    Mr. Rudger. Did you see that? Its a store that sells love potions! Its amazing!

    Selina raised her finger in an excited tone and pointed to a store. Teachers were supposed to patrol in pairs during the festival, and Selina was paired with Rudger on the first day.

    I see.

    Rudger responded to Selinas words in a low voice. No matter what, they had to patrol together for the day, so he couldnt just keep his mouth shut.

    Of course, in Rudgers mind he was thinking about what to do with Esmeralda while answering with his mouth. He knew she was going to move on thest day of the festival, so he had to n somehow.

    Since hes also a First Order, he could approach her and end it in a surprise move? No. She might be more wary if he intervened in such a situation. And what if rumors will be spread after that?

    In my head, all sorts of methods popped up and disappeared like bubbles over and over again but none of them felt right.

    Mr. Rudger?

    .

    Mr. Rudger?

    Hmm?

    It was only then that Rudger realized that Selina had called him.

    I cant believe I was lost in thoughts.

    Rudger turned his head at Selinas call, and something poked him in the cheek. It was Selinas finger.

    What are you thinking about, that you dont answer me even if I call you?

    Im sorry. Ive been thinking about it without realizing it because Ive been having a lot of worriestely.

    If its something I can listen to, Ill listen to it.

    Selina smiled like a bright flower in full bloom in spring but Rudger replied in a dismal tone.

    First of all, your finger.

    Oh! Im sorry.

    Selina flushed her cheeks and hurriedly removed her fingers. She became ashamed of herself for acting without realizing it because she thought they had be a little close.

    I was a little rude, wasnt I?

    No, rather, its my fault that I couldnt concentrate properly.

    Thats a relief. What were you worried about then?

    I couldnt say even if my mouth was torn that I was thinking about how to kill a secret association executive who hid in the academy.

    Selina took the lead first while Rudger was thinking about excuses.

    Ah. I think you know what it is! The duel tomorrow right?

    Thats right.

    I was just grateful that she misunderstood me. Come to think of it, there was an event like that tomorrow. Recently, I had a lot to think about because of Esmeralda, so I forgot it for a moment.

    Im sure you have a lot on your mind. Its an event where even outside guestse.

    Wont Selina participate too? I remember that most of the new teachers will be there.

    Oh, not me. Originally, I wanted to go, but other seniors stopped me.

    Selina grumbled slightly as if shes angry about being treated like a child and Rudger seemed to understand why other teachers had dissuaded her.

    There was no need for her to intervene in such a dispute of interest. Given that she couldnt participate, a teacher at least in the 4th grade would have taken her name out.

    Is it Vierano Dentis?

    The small elf teacher, who might have been mistaken for a boy, may have helped. Did he think she would be in a tough situation if she participated?

    Considering Selinas personality, its oblivious why she was stopped. In fact, other participants were also dissuaded because their fellow teachers are dangerous.

    But why isnt anyone stopping me?

    Rudger felt something was missing. Come to think of it, he didnt have any coworkers or seniors who cared about him.

    Are you saying that youre not worried?

    He was a bit disappointed but there was a person looking at this with worried eyes right in front of him.

    Is Mr. Rudger all right? Even if its a duel, you could get hurt.

    It wont be a big deal.

    Yes, if he had to, he could just give in to the atmosphere. He wont win anything anyway so there was no need to be too serious.

    Then shall we start patrolling again?

    Havent we been on patrol all this time?

    Somehow, instead of patrolling, I guess we were just busy looking around.

    At Rudgers point, Selina averted her gaze and smiled awkwardly. Rudger shrugged his shoulders at the sight, saying,

    We dont know where an incident will happen, so its our role to look carefully and in detail. As we have been.

    Yes, yes! Thats right! As we have been!

    The two people started moving again.

    All kinds of banners were installed inside Theonsrge campus, and all of them were enough to attract peoples attention. In addition, there was a street restaurant, and the cafe in the building was also open to the outside terrace to greet customers.

    The sound of the guests resounding here and there added to the vibrancy of the festival.

    Surprisingly, this part is simr to other festivals on Earth.

    Watching the festival of Theon, Rudger brought back memories of his previous life. There was also a time when he was in college and attended a festival. Of course, Earths festival had many shoringspared to Theons.

    In fact, it was all about gathering at a bar on the street, drinking alcohol, and inviting celebrities to perform on stage.

    But in the case of Theon, students still made use of the magic major they learned to have various fun experiences. Even so, it was undeniable that there was a cultural simrity to Earth.

    For example, that doll shooting thing.

    Just in time, he saw someone pointing a shotgun at the stand of the doll shooting range. Of course, it is not a real shotgun, but a safe model gun made by remodeling it.

    But isnt it a bit different to call it a model gun? It didnt imitate the shape of the gun, but it was a real gun modification.

    He was looking around with that thought, and saw a familiar person who lowered his upper body on the stand and aimed the shotgun.

    Aidan?

    It was Aidan, one of the students in his ss.

    Bang!

    With the sound of the air exploding, Aidan fired the shotgun but failed to hit the target.

    What a waste!

    Isnt it too far off target to say its a waste?

    As expected, he should say. By Aidans side were Leo and Tracy but it was unexpected that Iona O Valley was also with them.

    I thought it would be easy, but its hard to do it.

    Aidan, who was scratching his head andughing, immediately lowered his head when he found Rudger staring his way.

    Oh! Hello, teacher!

    When Aidan greeted him, Tracy, Leo, and Iona, who btedly discovered Rudger, also greeted Rudger and Selina.

    Are the teachers on patrol?

    Yes.

    Usually, students didnt even think of approaching Rudger, but Aidan didnt. Was he ignorant or are you brave? Leo and Tracy, who were watching from behind, were rather nervous.

    Rudger nodded and nced at the shooting range.

    Is this a shooting experience center?

    Yes. Would you like to try it too?

    Aidans bright question made Tracy and Leo pale. What was he asking a teacher on patrol!

    The two stared at the back of Aidans head with intense eyes. Iona was just standing there peacefully. No, she wasnt standing still, but she was munching on the food sold at the food stall.

    Teacher, here you go!

    When Aidan handed over the shotgun, Rudger was surprised.

    He was looking through the gun with his eyes, and the owner of the shooting experience center appeared. He was a middle-aged man with bulging muscles full of small scars, and he appeared to be a retired soldier.

    Hahaha! Are you a new challenger?

    No, I.

    But do you know how to shoot? Ive never seen anyone in a proper position to shoot, let alone shoot properly. Wizards are so weak that they cant even hold guns properly.

    So I.

    Mister, take that back! Mr. Rudger was a soldier even though he looks like this!

    I.

    Huh! This corny-looking man? He was a soldier, huh? You need this much muscle!

    The owner shows off his biceps.

    Rudger, who was caught in the middle, sighed as the owner and Aidan stared at each other with intense eyes. As soon as he returned the gun and tried to retreat moderately, Rudger had no choice but to flinch at the intense gaze flying from Selina.

    Selinas eyes staring at him with anticipation were asking, Youre going to do it, right?

    Its not just Selina but Aidan and his friends Tracy, Leo, and Iona, were looking at Rudger with anticipation.

    Rudger was thinking of refusing, but eventually gave up.

    Lets do it.

    Haha! It seems that you still have pride in being a teacher! Do whatever you want.

    He didnt expect that reaction from the owner.

    Ill tell you, if you know how to hold a gun properly.

    Bang!

    A rubber bullet fired at a frightening speed exploded a small balloon.

    The grip is not bad.

    Rudger, who held a shotgun with his right hand and his back with his left hand, muttered as he watched the condition of the gun.

    It was a dull voice that didnt had any emotion.

 Chapter 148

    C148: The Festival Begins (2)

    What?

    The owner of the shooting range was embarrassed and couldnt speak properly.

    I couldnt see the posture properly!

    When he first saw him, he thought it was a pretentious man. Of course, he had to admit that Rudger had charismapared to others. However, as soon as he saw a beautiful woman next to him, such thoughts disappeared as if they had been washed away.

    He isthe enemy of men.

    Honestly, I didnt expect it.

    It was a shooting experience center made for fun, but it felt like his stomach was twisted when he saw people who didnt know how to hold the gun say its easy.

    Especially for a magic teacher, arent they the kind of people who sit in front of the desk and stick to their pens?

    He heard that he was a soldier, but even if he was a wizard from the military, he would only servefortably as an officer for about a year or two. At least most of the wizards he saw when he was active were those who couldnt do field work.

    Looking at his face, he had white skin and a sharp jawline, just from that it looked like Rudger had never done any hard work.

    The owner of the shooting range judged so but what happened after surprised him.

    What the hell is it?

    He couldnt believe it or maybe he didnt want to believe it, actually.

    When he saw him standing leisurely after hitting the target, he was filled with anger.

    For a teacher, you have a good posture, but its a coincidence that you got it right. Will you be able to get all of these?

    Rudger nced at the owner, who shouted proudly, and then took another posture. This time, it was not a grip with one hand, but a proper posture and the owner was perplexed at the very natural behavior.

    Thats a proper posture.

    Shortly thereafter, Rudger pulled the trigger.

    Bang! Bang! Bang!

    The rubber bullets were shot in an instant and properly popped the balloons one at a time. Since it was made by remodeling a bolt-action gun, Rudger naturally pulled the bolt every time he fired the gun and pulled out the model shell.

    Click! Click! Pang!

    Shoot, pull the hook, load it, and shoot again.

    Not only the owner but also Selina and the students watched the scene without breathing.

    In an instant, Rudger, who ran out of bullets, handed the gun to the owner staring at him with a nk face.

    Theres nothing left to shoot.

    How can a wizard.

    Just.

    Rudger did in a moderate amount. Of course, he was able to unfold it because he had experience using a rifle. When he was a mercenary in the kingdom of Utah, his main weapons were guns.

    But my skills arent rusty.

    Rudger, who had revived his old sense for the first time in a long time, was proud of his skills.

    The owner shouted.

    Not yet! Not yet! This is the beginners section! If you really know how to shoot, you should be able to do the veteran section!

    At the same time, isnt it just opening the door next to the experience center and guiding them to arge ce?

    Unlike bursting balloons in a narrow space for beginners, the veteran shooting range boasted a fairlyrge size.

    The owner salivated and shouted.

    50m to the target! Its a distance thats hard for a regr person to hit! Will you be able to do it?

    In the target area, there were disks marked in red, which were smaller than human fists and since they were 50 meters away only dots could be seen.

    Selina shouted, This is unfair, but the owner did not step down. Rather, he even threw a provocation with his arms folded.

    Hahaha! If youre scared, you can leave!

    The owner smiled cheerfully with confidence that he would never seed.

    Rudger looked at several firearms on one wall and chose one of them. Compared to the bolt action rifle used a while ago, the headboard and gun line were shorter.

    Lever action? Are you going to use that?

    I like this.

    Hmm. Whatever you want! After all, this is by no means afortable ce!

    The owner was confident that Rudger would not seed this time but Rudger didnt feel the need to indulge in that attitude.

    I came all the way here, so it wouldnt be a bad idea to give it a shot.

    Rudger took a gun and prepared himself while other people passing by were curious and started to look.

    Rudgers standing still with a gun was more like a soldier than a magic teacher. Nevertheless, thebination of sophisticated clothes and long ck hair created a strange atmosphere.

    Rudger moved.

    Bang!

    The gun was pointed at the target at some point but it was faster to hear the sound of air bursting in the ears than to check the target with the eyes and when they looked the scene of the target 50m away falling was ying.

    You hit it!

    50m may feel short, but in fact, a target as small as a human fist at 50m away looks like a dot. He didnt even aim at it for a long time but shot it right away, so it was a shooting skill that was close to a miracle.

    Rudger did not stop there. He immediately reloaded the lever action rifle he was holding with one hand.

    Spin cocking was a technique to hold the lever and turn the gun to load the gun with only the weight of the gun.

    Bang! Bang! Bang!

    The trigger was pulled immediately after the reload and every time the sound rang out, the distant targets fell one by one. The interval was so short that people thought the targets fell almost at the same time.

    When thest target copsed and there was nothing left to shoot, Rudger lowered the gun. The people who gathered and watched took a breath that stopped then.

    Wow! Thats amazing! Did you just see that?!

    Is he really a teacher? Are teachers usually picked based on their shooting skills?

    Its also Mr. Rudger!

    The owner closed his eyes tightly at the cheers of the people and couldnt help but admit it.

    Amazing.

    At first, he couldnt believe it, but the moment he saw Rudger shooting, those thoughts disappeared as if they were washed away. Rather, he fell in love with his perfect shooting posture and reloading.

    He was absolutely wless.

    I admit it.

    The owner bowed his head. Rudger was qualitatively different from the wizards he had ignored so far.

    The charisma he exuded was not just an imitation to capture the atmosphere, but the natural appearance of a predator.

    I guess Ive been off the scene for too long. I cant believe I didnt recognized such a talented person.

    It was fun after a long time.

    Im d you liked it. I met a talented person after a long time, and you got the maximum score so take the prize.

    Saying so, what the owner gave Rudger was a huge stuffed doll close to the size of a real person. The doll resembled a dog with ck fur, and Rudger thought hed seen it somewhere.

    Our stores special product! Its a super-sized doll! This is a limited edition stuffed toy handmade by a famous designer from arge doll maker in the Empire!

    When the owner handed over the doll, Rudger identally received it. He thought it was quite big when the owner was holding a doll, but when he hugged it, he was bigger than he imagined.

    Still, the owners words that it is the best product were not false, and the texture was quite good.

    No, more than that, this doll.

    Rudger asked the owner just in case.

    Whats the model of this doll?

    Oh, that? It was made after the Beast of Gvaudan who was active in the past in the Kingdom of Durman.

    The Beast of Gvaudan? Hearing that, Rudger wondered if he was serious. However, when checked the doll in his hands he thought it looked like it.

    I thought Ive seen you somewhere before, and you look simr to Hans.

    By the way, did he say that he was modeled after the Beast of Gvaudan? Can they make something like that into a doll?

    When Rudger gave such a questioning look, the owner nodded as if he understood.

    The doll maker is a geek. When he visited the museum of the Kingdom of Durman once, he said that he was inspired to make it by seeing the body of a monster stuffed there.

    So he made this? How many?

    No, thats the only one. He said he was proud of it as his masterpiece, but people said they hated it and they passed it on to each other until it got here.

    That is why it has now be the first prize at the festival.

    They put up a doll that others dont want as a prize?

    Rudger asked just in case.

    Then, isnt this practically just passing over now?

    Oh! It was a fair game! You deserve it!

    No, I mean.

    This is yours now! Take it! You can give it to someone else!

    Its right to pass it on.

    Wow, thats great! Its a really cute doll!

    Just in time, Selina shouted when she saw the monster doll held by Rudger.

    Its cute? Rudger was seriously concerned that Selinas standard of cuteness might have been severely damaged.

    Of course, the doll did not imitate the Beast of Gvaudan, but it was more like a moderately round form. Even so, isnt it a little strange to say that the monster that terrorized a country is cute?

    Aidan approached with his eyes shining as Rudger seriously agonized inside.

    Wow! Teacher, youre amazing! You hit all those targets!

    Is it Aidan? Come to think of it, you were going to shoot, too. What kind of prize did you aim for?

    The one youre holding.

    This one? Rudger was quite embarrassed to see the Beast of Gvaudan doll he was holding.

    At that gaze, Aidan smiled awkwardly and said.

    Tracy, who happened to find the doll while passing by, looked like she really wanted it.

    Hey, Aidan! When did I do that?

    Tracy blushed as she was embarrassed and shouted!

    Rudger felt a certain sense of crisis since Tessie wanted this but just at that moment, Rudgers sight saw Rene and Erendir, who had discovered this ce.

    I can ask those two.

    Rudger approached the two with the doll in his hand.

    Rene and Erendir saw Rudgers amazing shooting until a while ago, and felt a strange pressure seeing Rudger who was slowly approached them with a huge doll in its arms.

    Rene, Erendir.

    What?

    Whats the matter?

    Does this doll really looks cute?

    Rudger asked with a serious expression on his face and the two also answered seriously.

    Yes, its so cute!

    Maybe it looks a little cute? But what kind of doll is it? I dont know why, but my body feels cold..

    Rudger was quite shocked to hear the twos reaction.

    That

    Most people who have seen this doll so far said it was cute. At this point, Rudger was worried that his aesthetic sense might actually be wrong.

    I see.

    ?

    He suddenly approached them and asked if the doll was cute, they said yes and he left. What is it? Was he trying to show off his doll?

    Rudger, who actually held the doll, forced it to Aidan.

    Huh? Teacher?

    Take it, Aidan.

    Oh, are you giving this to me?

    I dont need it so you can have it.

    It was an unnecessary interaction for Rudger, but Aidan shouted with joy.

    Tracy, look at this! I got the doll! Youll finally be able to hug you when you sleep at night!

    You idiot! Speak quietly! Do you have to tell everyone that?!

    Looking at the two people who were already noisy, Rudger thought to himself that this was youth.

    Oh, thats too bad. I wanted that doll, too.

    Selina wiggled her fingers regretfully at the doll that fell into Tracys hands.

    I should have given it to Miss Selina.

    No, Im afraid I cant help it. I think it met a good owner because the students were so happy.

    Tracy blushed and screamed at Aidan. Considering that she was angry at Aidan, she was hugging the monster doll Aidan gave her like a precious object.

    Selina was watching the scene with a pleased eye.

    Do you like it that much?

    Isnt that enough to see the children smiling?

    Because the children are smiling.

    She was too young to call them kids, in fact their age gap with Selina wasnt big. But to Selina, even her grown-up students may look as cute as her children.

    Rudger looked at Selina and thought she was really different from him. She is sentimental, smiles well, and is kind to everyone so she was a good teacher unlike himself, who couldnt protect the childrensughter.

    Then lets move on.

    He opened my mouth with the intention of resuming the patrol before I was immersed in useless sentiments but someone approached Rudger.

    Who is it?

    It wasnt just a passerby, but the person who approached him clearly knew him.

    It was an old man in his 60s with short gray hair. Although he was old, he had few wrinkles on his skin, so he actually looked younger than if he dyed his hair.

    Haha. When I heard the name at first I thought it was a person with the same name, but I saw from a distance and knew at first nce that it was you.

    His hand, which naturally touched his shoulder, showed a caring or affectionate feeling toward the other person.

    Yeah. How long has it been?

    Hes been pretending to know someone he has never seen before.

 Chapter 149

    C149: Reunion (1)

    Sorry for thete release but Ive been super busy this week.

    Rudger quickly scanned the appearance of the old man who seemed to know him.

    White hair and beard, estimated to be in his 60s with sharp steps. Although he is wearing casual clothes, his clothes are clean and lint-free, and the shoes he is wearing shine like new ones. The asional scars on his skin are irregr in size, but most of them are linear and looking closely the cut marks are obvious.

    At first nce, it can be seen that his hand has thick calluses. That means that he held an object with a suitable size for a long time, but it must be a baton rather than a knife.

    The emotion contained in the gaze toward me is delight. Its not just a reaction to the value of the name Rudger, but a genuine joy.

    Fragmentary information that could be obtained immediately was piled up one by one, and Rudger was able to draw one conclusion.

    I see, I havent seen you in a long time. Nothing has changed since then.

    Haha! Youve changed quite a bit, on the contrary! At that time, you still looked young, but now youvepletely grown up!

    The opponent is a soldier, also a person rted to the false status of Rudger Chelici.

    Yeah, I knew this would happen one day when I used Rudgers name.

    Although Rudger is a fake, his shy track record was something that could not be made simply by maniption. Submitting a dissertation to the Tower would only publicize the name and not the face, but the military is different.

    The story of being in the military is not something that can simply be made up. Someone really served as a military officer as Rudger.

    His thinking elerates and his five senses expand. Rudger did not stop analyzing.

    He said I was young and its been a while since weve met, so its probably been more than 5 years at least. My opponent recognized me right away. He said that I have changed, but what are the elements that can be noticed?

    Since he talked to me on the assumption that my appearance changed a little as I got older, it would be right to look at it as an atmosphere. In fact, I thought that he was a Second Order of the ck Dawn Society when he approached me.

    In other words, the attitude and image shown in the past are not much different from now. Fortunately, the opponent did not even question Rudgers current appearance.

    People in this world often change in reverse with age, even if they are cute when they are young. Considering that, the opponent judged that Rudger did not change much from his military appearance.

    I dont know if the dead First Order yed this role, or someone else built the achievements for me. But a situation where there is no immediate suspicion is wee.

    Rudger found a medal on the opponents left chest. It was no ordinary decoration. Rudger recalled from his memory where he could get that medal and the title of the person who can hold it.

    Have you been discharged, Brigadier General?

    Drawn as if a sword and a gun intersect around the shield, it is a medal of the Empire that only those who can wear a star can receive.

    He would be a brigadier general at least, but it would not be higher if he coulde freely in such casual clothes. The opponentughed in vain as if Rudgers reasoning was right.

    What do you mean? Im just taking a vacation after a long time. Of course, now I cant stand in line like I used to and hold a baton from behind. Im too old.

    The brigadier general still looks fair.

    Thank you for saying that. Is the job of a teacher suitable for you?

    Its my first time, but Im trying hard.

    Haha. Your social skills have improved a littlepared to the past, right? You didnt get close to anyone because you were really quiet at the time.

    Was Rudger very quiet when he was a soldier?

    Since he is a created identity, of course he would not have wanted to be close to anyone.

    The brigadier general Im talking to now approached me in a friendly manner because he was my immediate superior at the time.

    As I got older, I have developed my social skills.

    Hahaha! You know how to joke now? Im d to hear that. You were so hard that I felt like you were going to break without bending, but after seeing you now I guess youve grown up.

    If a person like Hugo Burtag had heard this conversation, he would have jumped from his seat, asking what nonsense was this. But from the perspective of the brigadier general, who is a soldier, it was clear.

    Mr. Rudger, this is.

    Selina, who was just listening to the conversation between the two, carefully opened her mouth.

    Oops! Look at me. I forgot you were not alone.

    Brigadier General, this is Selina who joined Theon with me this year. Shes in charge of spiritual studies.

    Hello.

    Selina bowed politely.

    In terms of age difference alone, Selina is close to the age of Brigadier Generals granddaughter, so Brigadier General smiled and nodded.

    Teacher Selina. This is.

    Rudger naturally tried to introduce the brigadier general to Selina. Come to think of it, he didnt know his name.

    Should I introduce you or will you introduce yourself?

    If you just do it, itll get worse.

    Then I have no choice but to show the reputation of the Brigadier General. Im going to exaggerate a little.

    Youve be much more mischievous. I lost! I lost! Ill have to take care of my introduction before I get embarrassed. Nice to meet you, miss. My name is Brigadier General Frawler. I was his immediate superior when he was in the army.

    Oh, yes. Nice to meet you, too.

    Brigadier General Frawler? Not revealing hisst name would mean he was amoner.

    Usually, military officers are made up of aristocrats. Naturally, the difference in treatment betweenmoners and nobles would have been severe.

    However, rising to the rank of brigadier general as amoner meant that Frawler was not only a possessor of great abilities, but also a terrifying maverick.

    More than that, what brings you to Theon?

    Didnt I say I was on vacation?

    Even if you said that, you probably didnt juste to Theon without a goal.

    This was Rudgers intuition.

    Frawler looks like an old man with a nice smile, but inside, there was a hidden figure that led him to the rank of brigadier general.

    These kind people have one thing inmon. No matter what they do, they dont move in vain.

    Well, its nothing. Didnt a cryptid appeared in Leathervelk recently?

    It did.

    The Beast of Gvaudan. Well it wasnt really a cryptid but Hans transformed by borrowing the power of the monsters teeth.

    For those who did not know the truth, the nightmare of the Kingdom of Durman was as if it had been revived in the Exilion Empire.

    Its not just a cryptid, its a monster that made a neighboring kingdom suffer greatly and of course I have no choice but toe here.

    Is that so?

    Rudger recalled that when he was a soldier, he had a record for hunting cryptids.

    That being said, the ce where he was employed as a soldier was a unit dedicated to hunting cryptids, so it was not unusual for his direct superior, Frawler, toe to Theon.

    Perhaps he came to investigate the appearance of the Beast of Gvaudan, but saw that the festival was being held in advance and stopped by.

    Tsk. I dont know whats been going on in the Empire recently.

    It wont be a big deal.

    I wish it would, but I cant even dream of suchcency because of my position.

    I see.

    Look at me. I was so d to see you that I held you for a long time. Did you have any ns?

    I have to patrol during the festival.

    Oh! Why didnt you tell me? Id like to reminisce, but I cant keep a busy person. Ill go.

    Yes, thank you.

    After Frawler left, Rudger was barely able to rx. If they had talked more about the past here, he might have really been revealed at that time.

    How nervous I was when they suddenly approached me as an acquaintance. Im d I dealt with it on the spot like putting a puzzle together. If I had been caught unaware of anything, I would have been found to be a fake.

    I cant let my guard down because of the festival.

    Rather, it may be more dangerous because of the festival. There might be more visitors who know the fake identity of Rudger in the past.

    However, considering that Brigadier General Frawler, a soldier, did not suspect anything, the other people would not doubt me.

    The military is inevitably a structure where he had no choice but to live together with people, so there are people who know him, but except them he doesnt have to worry about other people.

    In fact, when he submitted his thesis to the Tower, he rarely appeared and was like a ghost.

    ording to Frawler, Rudger seems to have been blunt and unsocial even when he was in the military.

    Teacher Rudger was indeed a soldier.

    Selina murmured curiously next to him. The way he shot, and he knew an actual military officer, so she must have realized it then.

    How was your life there?

    There wasnt much.

    Rudger had no choice but to answer so because he had never done that before; however after his answer, Selina gave Rudger a more respectful look.

    I heard the military is really hard! And yet, you speak casually, Mr. Rudger is amazing.

    No, is this how it is? Rudger wanted to tell her that he didnt meant it that way, but he decided to just give up.

    Lets finish the patrol.

    Yes!

    Selina followed Rudgers side with a jolt. He felt it over and over again, but he thought she was a pure person, not like the other teachers.

    Rudger was worried that there might be people pretending to know him again, but it didnt happen. Until the sun went down, Rudger and Selina went around various ces on patrol and enjoyed the festival.

    Of course, Rudger was a spectator, and Selina enjoyed it the most.

    This is delicious.

    Selina chewed on the stick candy she had just bought. The sky was getting dim before he knew it. However, the heat of the festival did not fade with the arrival of the night.

    Did you enjoy the festival?

    What do you mean enjoy it? I dont know what youre talking about!

    Selina pouted and avoided eye contact. Looking back, she must have realized that she was really excited and ran wild.

    Mr. Rudger. Its a secret to the other teachers, okay?

    I had no intention of talking.

    Really? Really?!

    Im sure everyone else is enjoying it as well anyway.

    Well, I guess so

    She was a very easy-to-understand person, seeing that her reaction was different every time she spoke.

    Time went by quickly. I cant believe the day is already over.

    There are still four more days left for the festival.

    Oh, yes. And Mr. Rudger tomorrow.

    Yes. I will attend the duel.

    Rudger nodded. Tomorrow afternoon, Rudger will participate in the magic duels, one of the events of the Magic Festival.

    Previously, it was an event for students to show off their abilities, but this year, teachers were also invited to attend thanks to Hugo Burtag.

    Of course, it is not apetition between teachers and students, but students versus students and teachers versus teachers.

    Rudger didnt care much about it since it wasnt important to him anyway. Whether others misunderstand it or not, Rudger has only one interest in this festival, Esmeralda.

    Now we can finish our patrol.

    Rudger found a familiar person as soon as he tried to say so.

    Crollo Fabius?

    A blond man who looks tired hastily moving somewhere. He was Crollo Fabius, who should have been confined to his quarters and note out.

    Crollo was moving as if he were being chased by something, or something.

    What the hell is he doing?

    Rudger squinted his eyes. Thest time they met, he warned him to stay still until thest day of the festival.

    Miss Selina, I will be away for a while.

    Oh! Mr. Rudger!

    Rudger rushed after Crollo Fabius. The ce where Crollo was headed was amercial area that existed in Theon.

    As the sun went down there was no light entering the alley between buildings and Crollo was strangling a girl there.

    Die! Die!

    Seeing Crollo screaming full of madness, Rudger immediately activated source code. A lump of mana cut through the air and hit Crollo in the back.

    Who is it?

    Crollo red bloodily at the uninvited guest who disturbed him. Then he saw Rudger standing at the entrance of the alley and froze.

    Rudger gazing at him with his back to the faint light flowing from the festival site felt like something indescribable.

    Crollo pped his teeth without realizing it.

    Now.

    Rudgers voice was very cold.

    What are you doing here?

 Chapter 150

    C150: Reunion (2)

    Didnt I warn you? Stay still.

    Rudgers bleak voice coiled around Crollos whole body.

    Or didnt my words sound like a warning?

    Oh, no!

    Crollo felt that he might die at this moment. He managed to move his lips and made a desperate excuse.

    I tried to stay still at first. But that monster! That devil kept watching me!

    Watching you?

    He kept watching me and threatened my life! I wanted to stay put, too!

    .

    Okay, then look! I finally caught the demon!

    Crollo shouted at Rudger with a face that didnt know whether he was crying orughing.

    Where he pointed his finger, there was a girl who had fainted from being strangled by Crollo. When Rudger saw the figure he widened his eyes.

    Joanna Lovett?

    Its not a mistake. It was Joanna Lovett of the ck Dawn Society who was strangled by Crollo and fainted.

    Crollo bragged about catching the devil, so Rudger thought he was crazy and hallucinating.

    This easy?

    How did she get beaten by Crollo? With her skills that shouldnt be possible.

    But that Joanna Lovett over there isnt a fake.

    Rudger covered his mouth with his hand and rolled his head. Crollo looked into Rudgers eyes and asked cautiously.

    What do you think?

    The situation isplicated, so for now.

    It was the moment when I was going to take Joanna, who fainted, and move her to another ce.

    Teacher Rudger!

    Selina was rushing in and calling Rudger at the entrance of the alley.

    Rudger is conscious of where he is now. He is standing with a half-devastated Crollo Fabius in a dark alley and a fainted Theon student. It was obviously a crime scene.

    What?

    Selina, who was running, stopped and opened her eyes wide as she saw the scene. Her reaction to covering her mouth with both hands seems to have engraved the word surprise.

    I got caught.

    Now that this happened, Rudger had to deal with Crollo right here and draw a line that he had nothing to do with the situation. This was the only way to put out the urgent fire right away.

    But the problem was that given the current state of Crollo, its no wonder he was caught red-handed. Its a festival right now, so they wont do anything about him right away, but theyll keep him in custody somewhere until the festival is over.

    The problem is that if that happens, peoples eyes will gather. If that happens, his goal of dealing with this matter quietly will go up in smoke. Even so, it was important to deal with the urgent situation right away.

    Teacher Selina, its like.

    Ah, ah, ah.

    Selina suddenly stumbled and fainted. Rudger rushed out and caught her before she fell to the ground.

    Did she fainted from the shocking sight?

    It urred to him that Selina, who has a soft heart, could do so. Maybe thats for the better.

    If he asked Crollo Fabius to leave right now, he could somehow cover it up.

    Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

    But there was something wrong with Crollos reaction. The man, who had been running wild with joy for having caught the devil with his own hands, was shaking with his fingers pointing at Rudger.

    Whates out of his mouth is a scream that doesnt even resemble the humannguage.

    Whats wrong with him?

    Rudgers irritation was about to rise to the top of his head now because of Crollos behavior.

    Rudger, who was about to shoot back, found something strange in Crollos attitude. He wasnt pointing his finger at himself now, he was pointing to Selina in his arms, to be exact.

    Why the hell?

    !

    As he was about to ask, Rudger felt a chilling sensation running through his body. His gaze naturally turned to Selina, who was in his arms.

    The atmosphere has changed?

    Apparently, just a little while ago, he confirmed that Selina fainted, but she suddenly came to her senses? Before he could grasp the situation, Selinas right hand moved and grabbed Rudgers cor.

    Ah, really.

    Her pink lips opened and her voice was different from Selinas. The cheerful and soft voice became sharp like the thorn of a rose full of venom.

    Rudger had heard this voice when he met Esmeralda in the Midnight Forest.

    I was going to stay still at least until the end of the festival, but why are you doing this?

    Selinas eyes, which opened her closed eyes, were red, unlike what the original light purple and resembled jewels.

    Her eye color changed?

    The change did not end there. Selinas trademark pink hair gradually bleached from the end and turned ck. The color of the hair was influenced by mana, which caused the change.

    This is why I feel like a fool waiting for the appointment time.

    Selina, who rose up in Rudgers arms, stared at Crollo with an alluring smile. Crollo trembled like he was facing an envoy from hell.

    C, you are.

    Long time no see, Crollo Fabius. How have you been?

    It was you! It was you! Esmeralda!

    Do you remember me? Im d. Then you know what Im going to do with you?

    Hi! Help me! I dont want to die!

    Crollo was in pain, tearing his head hard with his hand. His spirit, which had barely endured so far, copsed as soon as he faced the person that was trying to kill him.

    Esmeralda, watching the scene, stretched her finger at him. Crollo turned his eyes upside down and fainted with a yelp.

    I wont kill you yet. Not yet.

    Rudger still didnt understand what was going on. Selina is Esmeralda? She was the First Order? But so far, he was never suspicious of Selina. It wasnt something she could hide simply because she was good at acting.

    Rudger came up with one correct answer at this moment.

    There were two people?

    Oh, my.

    Esmeralda smiled with her eyes as if she had just found Rudger staring at her.

    Come to think of it, you were there, too? Nice to meet you, John Doe. This is the first time were meeting in person, right? Thats right, youve been hiding your identity with the permission of Zero Order, and Ive always been hiding from the beginning, even at the First Orders meeting.

    Rudger opened his mouth, imprinting the fragments of that information in his brain.

    I was surprised. I didnt think you would make a different personality and rece the existing personality.

    The structure of mana itself changes, so the color of hair and eyes changes, and the personality itself changes. Rather than a simple mental illness caused by dissociation disorder, it is more of a feeling that two really different beings coexist in one body.

    Amazing. Did you notice that in one go?

    Esmeralda spoke genuinely surprised, but her eyes were smiling. Rudger was lost in thought, controlling his facial expression.

    Theres nothing strange about it. Even Esmeraldas spirit Quasimodo is a mixture of human origin and natural spirits.

    After all, the character Selina was created by Esmeralda a long time ago to hide her identity.

    In other words, Esmeralda lived as a fake Selina, and whenever she took revenge, she turned into Esmeralda and killed the people of the Fabius family.

    Selinas identity was definitely created in the past. Shes been working under the name Selina for a long time.

    However, if you lived this double life for a long time, you would have been caught up in the end. Nevertheless, Selina was not suspected by anyone until she entered Theon.

    Because someone took care of her.

    And of course theres only one party that looked after her, the ck Dawn Society. The reason Esmeralda became the First Order must have been in exchange for helping her get her revenge.

    Now the whole story is put together.

    Then the fainted Joanna Lovett was thest, unknown third survivor of the Great Roteng Fire. She is a member of the ck Dawn Society and a Second Order. She is a direct subordinate of Esmeralda.

    The reason why she burned her hostility when she saw Crollo was because she went through the events of the day.

    It was a mistake.

    I cant believe I didnt notice a First Order that was so close to me. Even though he knew that he could not notice unless he knew the future, it was difficult to get out of the aftermath of the shock. However, contrary to his mental surprise, Rudgers mouth spoke naturally.

    So what are we going to do now Esmeralda? Are you going to kill him?

    Revealing her identity here means shes willing to take revenge right away.

    Oh, that?

    Esmeralda shook her head.

    I wont kill him.

    Have you given up on revenge?

    I told you, not right now.

    The man who deceived and seduced her when she was once innocent. She still hated him, who was now broken and fallen, and whose majesty could no longer be found like in the past.

    I didnt expect to wake up like this. I didnt know Selina would lose her mind in this ce.

    What? Dont you share memories with each other?

    If we had shared memories, would Selina, this poor child, have been able to hide her identity properly?

    At the same time, Rudger nodded, saying it made sense, and realized what Esmeralda and Selinas rtionship was like. Esmeralda and Selina have the same body, but they are separate beings. Its a double personality, but they dont share each others memories.

    Thats why they use different spirits.

    Selina uses the intermediate spirits of wind,nd, and water but what Esmeralda uses is the twisted spirit of fire, Quasimodo. It was also possible to sign a contract with apletely different spirit because the two were not the same.

    This kid doesnt know anything. Thats why shes pure and lovely. Yes, just like me in the past who didnt know anything.

    Esmeralda, who murmured like that, red at Crollo, who fainted as if she recalled her days in Roteng Vige. There was a fierce passion from her as if she wanted to kill Crollo right away but reason desperately suppressed it.

    Rudger, watching the scene, carefully clenched and unfolded his fist.

    Now. Is it possible?

    Rudgers eyes moved busily. Esmeralda had her mindpletely focused on Crollo, and she barely cared about him. A quick surprise attack here can kill her.

    Can Ikill her?

    Selinas appearance ovepped with Esmeraldas at first nce. If he kills Esmeralda here, Selina will die, too since they share the same body.

    Esmeralda is the First Order of the ck Dawn Society and is certainly his enemy but what about Selina? Is she really an enemy of Rudger?

    Decision

    He had to make a judgment. If not now, another opportunity will no longere. However, unlike his head that kept shouting to kill her, his hand did not move.

    Rudger closed his eyes and rxed his shoulders. Hes not even sure hell be able to kill her. From the moment Esmeralda opened her eyes, she recognized Rudger.

    Youve been watching me for a while.

    Considering that Esmeralda is staring at Crollo Fabius, theres only one guy watching Rudger and thats Quasimodo.

    Hes on his guard against me.

    He didnt forget being beaten by Rudger at the banquet hall that day.

    For now, since he is Esmeraldaspanion, hell be quiet, but his gaze with a hint of heat was a clear warning to him not to try anything. If he ignores it and tries to fight, the surrounding area will be a sea of fire.

    Because of the festival there were people everywhere and the aftermath would surely reach them and a lot of people would die.

    Theres nothing I can do.

    Fortunately, Esmeralda wont kill Crollo right now and what happened in the alley will be kept secret. However, the grace period is now only four days away. Until then, he had to make a choice, too.

    Ive got to go.

    Just in time Esmeralda opened her mouth.

    Youre leaving?

    Take care of Selina. Looking at her reaction, she doesnt seem to hate you at all.

    After finishing her words Esmeralda copsed but Rudger caught her.

    Her ck hair was back to pink.

    Her energy changed back to the original energy of Selina. I cant believe it but I should move now.

    But what about Crollo Fabius and Joanna Lovett who fainted? It takes time to move everything by magic, and if someone witnesses this scene in the meantime, it would be difficult for him so he needed help.

    There was one suitable person at a time like this and Rudger immediately pulled out a portablemunicator.

    Its me. Ill tell you the location, soe right away.

    About three minutes passed and a person appeared in the alley.

    Did you call me?

    Sedina Rosen, who appeared to be in a hurry, was holding a freshly baked sausage in one hand and candy in the other. She even wore a headband on his head.

    I guess youre enjoying the festival.

    When he told her to enjoy the festival, she said she wouldnt go but now that the festival has begun, she must be enjoying it in her own way. Looking at her like that, her status as a student suits her very well.

    Oh!

    She hurriedly threw the things in her hands on the floor and took off her headband. She said in a shrill voice.

    Sorry, Im sorry.

    There is nothing to be sorry about. I was the one who told you to enjoy the festival.

    More than that, why did you call me...

    Rudger silently pointed his finger at Crollo Fabius and Joanna Lovett.

    Take these two away.

    This is why having an assistant wasfortable.

 Chapter 151

    C151: Public Duel (1)

    Sedina Rosen walked the streets of the festival alone. She would normally have spent the day helping Rudger with his work in the office, however he told her not to go to work on the festival day, so she was forced to walk around with tears in her eyes.

    Because Rudger ordered her to enjoy the festival she went around alone because she didnt have any friends, but Sedina didnt care, she was used to being alone.

    But enjoy the festival. I dont know what to do.

    Why did Mr. Rudger give such a confusing order? No matter how much she thought about it, nothing came to mind.

    Is this an ordeal for me?

    Lightning swept over Sedinas like she got enlightened. First Order Rudger told her to enjoy the festival. Why did he make her do the most unconfident thing?

    Hes teaching me that I need to be able to do things that I dont want to do.

    No one in the world can live doing what they want to do. Life is always hard, so people live by forcing themselves to do what they dont want to do.

    But here people are divided into two categories. There are people who say they dont like it, and people who dont like it but do it well.

    Sedina realized that Rudger wants her to be thetter.

    As expected from Sir First Order!

    Sedina, trembling with emotion, decided to faithfully fulfill Rudgers order. If so, she should enjoy the festival, but how will she enjoy the festival?

    Sedina, who was worried, smelled delicious somewhere.

    Thats

    Where her eyes naturally went, there was a street stall. She was attracted by the savory and sweet scent that came from there.

    The owner looked at Sedina and asked.

    Wee, little girl. Is there anything you want to eat?

    Well, thats not.

    If its hard to choose, Ill rmend you something. How about this one? Its the most popr food in our store. Do you want this?

    Yes.

    When she nodded her head, the man immediately served her food. It was a fried potato stuck on a long wooden stick, and it was a dish coated with honey with butter. After paying the bill, Sedina carefully took a bite while looking at the food in her hand.

    !

    Her eyes opened wide and firecrackers popped over her head. It tasted so amazing. Compared to the ingredients, it seems like a bit of a rip-off price, but it had a unique taste that harmonized with the festival.

    Sedina, who ate the food in an instant, threw her eyes to another store.

    When she was told to enjoy the festival at first, she was at a loss how to enjoy it, but she felt like she could see the way.

    As the sky grew dark and the sun was about to set, a signal came through themunicator that she always kept in her arms.

    [Its me. Ill tell you the location, soe right away]

    At that familiar voice, Sedina realized that the First Order needed her and ran to the ce where she was called right away.

    If hes calling me out of the blue, he is finally starting a full-fledged operation, right? Dawn is the best time to move around during the festival!

    Sedina arrived at the scene with strange expectations.

    She btedly realized that she couldnt throw away the food she had in her hand because she came in such a hurry, but that was not the point. There was a secret operation in front of her that made her heart race.

    Rudger said to Sedina, who awaited orders with a fluttering heart.

    Take these two away.

    Eh?

    * * *

    With the help of Assistant Sedina, Rudger was able to move the fainted people safely without being caught.

    After shoving Crollo into her own dormitory, Sedina took Joanna on her back, saying that she would send her to her dormitory. It was strange to see the small Sedina carrying Joanna, who was taller than herself. In fact, Joannas toes were dragging on the ground.

    Shell be fine.

    Rudger came to the infirmary with Selina on her back. It was quiet and there were no people in the infirmary because the sun had already set. The dark interior felt like a different world, with only the red light of the far-off festival shining softly.

    Rudger looked at Selina, who was lying on the bed and was sleeping quietly.

    Esmeralda and Selina were the same person.

    He never thought that the First Order he was looking for was so close.

    At first, he was suspicious. However, after seeing Selinas appearance, he tentatively concluded that she was not his target. In terms of the results alone, Rudgers guess was only half correct.

    There was definitely a chance.

    When Esmeralda was distracted by the stunned Crollo Quasimodo continued to be wary of Rudger, but he certainly had a chance to kill Esmeralda there. He missed the opportunity because of his own hesitation.

    Esmeralda can be killed. But.

    Selina could not be killed. She is a good person and although there is a scary existence behind her, that did not make Selina a viin because she didnt know.

    Is ignorance a crime? Then all the warmth and good deeds she has done so far be meaningless.

    Rudger thought it wasnt. Sin is sin and good deeds are good deeds.

    You cant cover up your mistakes with good things like simple addition and subtraction. Conversely, just because a personmits a sin it does not mean that the persons good deeds disappear.

    Then, if a good man and a sinner share one body, how should that person be treated?

    Its difficult.

    Rudger shook his head but he couldnt just dy the answer.

    Thest day of the festival wille four dayster and Esmeralda will move to kill Crollo Fabius as promised.

    So far, Esmeraldas purpose has been revenge against the Fabius family but the problem is after that. What will Esmeralda do after killing Crollo Fabius, thest survivor of the Fabius family?

    As long as she belongs to the ck Dawn Society, she will not be able to disobey Zero Orders orders. Maybe she came in here in exchange for revenge.

    If the Fabius family disappearspletely, Esmeralda will faithfully follow Zero Orders orders. It was clear to Rudger, who intended to eliminate the ck Dawn Society someday, that she would be a huge barrier.

    It is right to get rid of Esmeralda to prevent that situation from happening.

    Rudger examined Selinas figure calmly. Her pink hair disheveled over the pillow was shining softly under the light outside the window. She was like a princess in a deep sleep.

    Uh, uhm.

    Selina let out a sigh and then opened her eyes. It was not Esmeraldas red eyes, but her original pale purple eyes.

    Uh, huh? Here is?

    Are you awake?

    Mr. Rudger?

    As soon as Selina came to her senses, her shoulders trembled at the sight of Rudger. It wasnt long before she realized that she was in the infirmary, and that Rudger was sitting next to her.

    What happened?

    You fainted.

    Yes, yes?

    You must have been tired recently. You suddenly copsed while enjoying the festival, so I just brought you to the infirmary.

    Did I?

    Rudgers voice was so serious that Selina believed his words. In fact, Rudger was not wrong. She couldnt sleep because she was so excited the day before the festival.

    Idiot! How can you faint?

    Doesnt this make her look like a person who is exhausted and copsed from enjoying the festival too hard? Selina screamed inwardly at the thought that she might appear like a person who likes to y to Rudger.

    I fainted! Oh no! Then did Mr. Rudger carry me in his arms? Was I heavy?

    On the other hand, Rudgerpletely erased the little vignce he had when he saw Selinas reaction.

    Fortunately, she doesnt seem to remember what happened a while ago.

    Its encouraging to make one less excuse. Rudger, who examined Selinas condition, stood up after judging that she was okay.

    Where are you going?

    I think youre safe, so Im going to get up now.

    Uh, you know, Mr. Rudger.

    When Selina tried to say something, Rudger stood up from his seat and waited silently for her words. Selina wriggled her fingers and couldnt bear to look at Rudger before finally speaking with a small voice.

    Thank you.

    I just did what I was supposed to do.

    Its not just that you carried me when I passed out.

    Selina shook her head.

    Thank you for everything. The fact that you gave me advice, that you enjoyed the festival with me, and that you didnt show that you didnt like it even though it was annoying.

    All of that was a good memory for her.

    Im rather sorry if Ive caused you trouble for no reason.

    Teacher Selina, if you really bothered me, I would have made it clear on the spot.

    What?

    The reason Ive been with Selina teacher without saying anything is because I didnt hate it either.

    Although not obvious, Rudger also enjoyed the festival in his own way. Winning a prize at the shooting range, buying snacks at street shops, and looking at various magic tricks plus seeing the students smile was pleasant for Rudger too.

    He always lived his life in the dark, hiding my identity. Without revealing his real name, he has walked a path marked by hard and painful work. Maybe thats why he enjoyed the festival.

    Today I had fun too.

    Really? Thats a relief.

    Selina breathed a sigh of relief and patted her chest.

    Im worried that I might have bothered Mr. Rudger.

    You dont have to worry so much.

    Rudger immediately tried to leave the infirmary but Selinas voice rang behind him.

    Mr. Rudger.

    Yes.

    Rudger answered without looking back.

    Well definitely be able to enjoy the festival together next year, right?

    In fact, Selina herself did not understand why she asked this question. It just suddenly urred to her that this might be thest time.

    Rudger fell into thought at Selina, who asked in a slightly uneasy voice.

    Next years festival?

    The festival is held every year.

    Maybe more people will gather than this year. Theyll all enjoy the festival and make new memories. However, on that day in the future, can the two people here still stand together then?

    No way, one of the two will not be there. Its fate but even so.

    Im sure we will.

    Knowing that, Rudger had no choice but to tell a lie and Selina smiled brightly, as if that answer was enough.

    Yes! Then lets go to the festival together next year!

    Yes.

    Promise!

    Yes, its a promise.

    Even though he knows its a promise that cant be kept, Rudger answered calmly.

    * * *

    Thats how the first day of Theon magic festival ended.

    Darkness came after the festival lights went out one by one but there was a person who moved as if he had waited for such a ckout.

    A person entered quietly in Rudgers office and scanned the surroundings lightly with magic.

    It seems that there is no detection magic. Security is sox.

    It is also funny to assume that someone will sneak into a teachers office. The intruder, who stepped on the carpet on the floor in a cautious manner, searched Rudgers desk.

    The intruder, who searched through several drawers of the desk, grinned when he found what he wanted.

    Found it.

    The man who shook the white barrel in one hand several times confirmed the sound of pills clinking inside.

    If I take this away, I can easily win tomorrows duel, right?

    Rudger Chelici takes medicine without others knowing. This medicine may be a magic pill to make up for theck of mana.

    I didnt expect that Rudger Chelici secret would be right here.

    Lack of mana.

    Who would have imagined that a teacher who teaches magic wouldck magic? And he even covered that with pills.

    Im looking forward to tomorrow.

    What will happen if a wizard suffering from ack of mana loses the means to restore it? He couldnt resistughing just imagining it.

    The intruder first organized the messy desk that he searched, and then left the teachers office through the window he entered.

    The office, which returned to its original appearance, became calm as if no one entered it.

 Chapter 152

    C152: Public Duel (2)

    The moon went down and a new light of dawn rose. The second day of the magic festival has begun.

    Move it slowly!

    Are you ready for this?

    From early in the morning, students and users busily walked around to check the banners and items. Since the full-fledged festival started on the second day, the preparations were more thorough then the previous day.

    As if to prove it, wagons wereing in through Theon main gate in line from early morning. It was a simr scene to the previous day, but there was a big difference, which was the pattern engraved on the wagons.

    Look, its the Duke of Lumos carriage!

    He really came.

    Is that the pattern of the Deville family?

    Then, didnt Duke Kadushan alsoe?

    The guards at the entrance were also nervous at the appearance of the noble people, who were so high in rank. They, who did not show their faces on the first day, came to Theon the second day because the main event was concentrated on that day.

    The magic duels caught the most attention. The Duel event, which selects the first to third ces by grade, was a key attraction in the magic festival every year and teachers will also participate this year.

    It was a situation where more people were paying attention because the news were spread widely. Contrary to great expectations, only the teachers in charge of the first and second grades participated, but that alone was enough.

    The title Teacher of Theon was never light even for the first-year teachers. As if to prove it, the stands where the event will be held soon were already full of people.

    Did you hear the news? Teachers are participating in the duel this time.

    The lineup wasnt great, was it?

    Honestly, I wanted to see teachers in the 4th grade or higher, but thats inevitable.

    Its because it was a surprise event. Do you think theyll do it again next year if the response is good this year?

    The aristocrats who had just entered Theon today had already taken a good seat and waited for the uing special event with anticipating eyes.

    There were not only aristocrats in the stands. On one side of the VIP seats, wizards from the Tower caught peoples attention at a nce.

    Look at that. Its the Old Tower and the New Tower wizards.

    They really came.

    As if they didnt want to get involved with each other, the two groups of wizards split their seats in half and sat separately.

    As if they were worth their name, there were many old wizards in the Old Tower, and on the other hand, there were many young wizards in the New Tower.

    Im sure the Tower is here to recruit talented people in advance, right?

    Maybe they are. In addition, about three years ago, the two towers were eager topete with each other, and they were very fierce in recruiting talents.

    Thats right. Besides, its not just the Tower that recruits talented wizards, is it?

    The Imperial Magic Society, the Empires Magical Troops and schools of nationally recognized associations were interested in Theons geniuses.

    I want to get business cards from people like that.

    Wake up. Thats only possible when youre in the top 10% of Theon.

    The top will pick the ce they want, right?

    Of course but you dont have to worry too much because well go to a good ce when we graduate. Graduation is work.

    Being chosen by them is a privilege that only a few students can enjoy, so most students had no choice but to give up their vain delusions in regret.

    More than that, when does the duel start? To be honest, I cant wait any longer because Im so excited. Ive never seen a teachers duel before.

    It was a surprise event before the students duel so Im sure itll start soon.

    Oh! Look over there. The president is here.

    Just in time, Theons president, Elisa Willow, appeared at the top of the stadium. As it was a public asion, Elisa, dressed in more colorful clothes than usual, smiled and waved at the people in the audience.

    As Elisa appeared, people who were looking for an opportunity approached her immediately.

    President Elisa, how are you? Youre still beautiful.

    Long time no see, Miss President. How have you been? Do you remember me?

    Hello. This is Mitra from the Journal of Magic. Can I have an interview?

    Theons president always draws peoples attention. The new president, Elisa, was famous for being the sixth-ranked Archmage at a young age.

    In some ways, it was a natural reaction for her people to try and build connections with her because she was also a beauty.

    Im sorry, but Im busy right now, so I cant afford to talk to anyone.

    Elisa smiled. At the same time, her golden eyes shone magically, and 90% of those who tried to approach Elisa fell off.

    With only a word and a smile most of the flies had their will broken. People who were watching the situation from a distance were amazed.

    Is that the famous magic eye? She caught everyone with her eyes.

    I cant even approach her with my poor skills.

    Those who tried to approach at the opportunity had no choice but to give up and take a step back.

    Thank you for your consideration.

    Elisa made a light bow and headed to her seat. Among the VIP seats, only the highest-ranking people can sit. When she got there, there were already people who came first.

    Oh, there are precious people here.

    President Elisa! Haha, its been a long time.

    An old man holding a cane in both hands greeted Elisa. It was an old man with bright gray hair and a long beard. Luxurious clothes that looked expensive at a nce and a unique soft atmosphere. The ring on the finger was engraved with the image of a mountain goat.

    Nice to meet you, Duke Heibaek.

    Heibaek Kadushan. He was the oldest of the three great dukes of the Exilion Empire, but he was also the lightest man in words and actions.

    I have been frustrated because there was no one I couldmunicate with. This boring friend doesnt answer me properly no matter what I say, right?

    Whos your friend?

    It was a man with dark blue hair who spoke in an irritated voice. He had a heavy voice and a sharp look. The eagles seal on the cloak he wrapped around his shoulder shone silver in the sunlight.

    Its been a while, hasnt it, Duke Caiden? Are you here to see your daughter?

    Humph.

    Caiden Lumos, the current Duke Lumos and the father of Flora Lumos, responded with a snort to Elisas question. In response, Heibaek shook his head and pped his tongue.

    Oh, my friend. You dont care that your daughter goes here? Are you really her father?

    Dont pay attention to other peoples families.

    Caiden was a thin-lined handsome man in his mid-30s, but his actual age was much higher. Thats why he was able to talk recklessly against Heibaek, who looked old.

    Haha. Look at this. President Elisa. How boring must it be to have a guy like this sitting next to me?

    You two are on good terms.

    That old man is making friendly enemies as he pleases. Trying to get acquainted with the slick Kadushan its something I wouldnt do unless I was crazy.

    But isnt it better than the hard Lumos?

    What?

    Elisa intervened because she thought they would fight again if she left it as it is.

    So where did the other person go? I thought all three great dukes were here today.

    Oh, you mean David? I dont think its here yet. I thought hed be the first one toe.

    Contrary to the expectation that all three great dukes would gather, David Ulburg, the leader of the Ulburg family, did note to the stadium.

    The pirs supporting the empire are gathered here. Its amazing.

    Hugo Burtag approached them. The president only red at Hugo, who rubbed his hands with disapproval, but did not restrain him.

    It was undeniable that Hugo also had a ce in Theon. Hugos shoulders were so high like they had never been before.

    Im sure the uing teacher duel will meet your expectations. I put some effort into it this time.

    Oh, was that your suggestion?

    .

    Heibaek responded lightly to Hugo, who imed that the uing duel was his idea, and Caiden continued to ignore him.

    Hugo did not forget to look around while nodding his head as if he was sorry. Then, seeing Elisas appearance, he had a glow of jealousy in his eyes.

    She, the president, was full of people trying to approach her just by sitting still. Some people chattered and tried to get close, but Elisa had no choice but to raise her chin once because people were embarrassed.

    For Hugo, the effort the president put into getting to that position was not considered at all but there was no one here who had the same thoughts as Hugo.

    Tsk. Whats so great about that foxy woman?

    Altego Dantes, the elder of the old tower, did not hide his annoyance at the crowd gathered around Elisa. Seeing Elisa respected by others made his stomach muscles twist.

    Altegos surrounding aides were worried that he might take it out on them but soon Altego turned away from Elisa and looked at the stadium. Elisa didnt matter now.

    Is that bastard participating in the duel this time?

    Altego, who has ears to listen to, heard an interesting news this time. The inside story of how the uing magic duel of teachers will work.

    On the outside, it was a show to show the audience the status of Theon, but inside it was a fight between the aristocracy and themon people. And Rudger Chelici will participate in thepetition.

    No matter how handsome he is, can he really keep his neck stiff even here?

    The disgrace he experienced at the banquet hall that day still lingered in Altego Dantes mind and was burning like a me. Even now, when he closed his eyes, he vividly remembered the humiliation he suffered from Rudger at the banquet hall that day.

    How dare you treat me, an elder of the Tower, like that?

    Therefore, Altego was looking forward to this match. ording to the information he heard in advance, there was a saying that Rudger Chelici had no choice but to lose.

    As he wanted to see him ruined quickly, someone shouted with a loudspeaker.

    [Everyone! Youve been waiting for a long time!]

    The noisy people closed their mouths and stared at the sound. There, they saw a female student holding an artifact that amplified her voice.

    [The festivals special event, Magic Duel, will begin soon! Im Jesse Luna, a seniormentator whos hosting your game today! And this is fourth grade magic battle instructor, Carter Lower!]

    Next to a fourth-grade student called Jesse Luna, there was a man in his early 40s with dark circles under his eyes and a somewhat loose impression. Those two were thementators and hosts of the event.

    [Lets start the Magic Duel!]

    The match table was already set, so the game proceeded quickly without a long dy.

    [This time, Theons teachers will participate in the duel! Todays long-awaited first game! Oh! This is unusual from the start! The new teacher who has recently be famous in Theon! The creator of the new magic source code! Rudger Chelici!!!]

    A shout of excitement rang out throughout the stadium and everyone stared at the stadium with expectant eyes.

    Its Mr. Rudger.

    Wow. Oh, my God. Mr. Rudger from the first duel.

    Today its a great day.

    The students responded with a mixture of admiration and longing.

    Rudger, dressed in a ck frock coat, stood there like a model.

    Flora, look over there. Its Dr. Rudger. Hes dressed up nicely again this time.

    What? Im not that interested.

    Unlike Cheryl, who shouted excitedly, Flora had a sour reaction. But it was a superficial appearance, as Flora had strong expectations inside.

    Standing in the center of the stadium, Rudger nced around with a calm gaze.

    There are a lot of people here to watch.

    He couldnt believe so many people came to see the duel. Just when their eyes met, the president said with her mouth to be strong, and waved her hand.

    Even the expectations are high.

    He didnt expect that the president would cheer for him. It was not a weed sight for Rudger who just wanted to go through the motions.

    [And the other star of today! Matthew Summert, who is in charge of Theons first year!!]

    The person who came out as his opponent was of course an aristocratic teacher from Hugo Burtag faction.

    No. Few aristocratic teachers are not in Hugos faction.

    The opponent was already ring at him with a serious gaze. This must be the first time theyve met, but he was treating Rudger like an enemy.

    Im hated by the people over there.

    Rudger held the magic wand in his hand, thinkingfortably. The opponent also took out a cane and held it.

    [Then! The duel will start right away. Oh my god!]

    With the hosts cry, his opponent, Matthew Summert, pointed his cane at Rudger.

    Rudger watched the scene in a rxed manner and Matthew stared at Rudger with trembling eyes but didnt shoot his magic. He couldnt move recklessly unless he knew what to expect from his opponent but over time, he will definitely use magic.

    Yes,e on.

    Rudger wanted Matthew Summert to quicklyunch an attack magic at him. He was going to lose by pretending that he couldnt block the attack properly.

    Come on.

    Matthew Summert flinched as Rudger stared at him with a longing gaze. Having been aiming at his cane for a while, he did not think of using his magic and the tip of his cane was trembling.

    Hurry up and shoot! If you shoot, Ill lose.

    Rudger urged Matthew Summert, in his head but Matthew continued to stay there without moving.

    When such a strange confrontationsted five minutes Rudger felt something strange.

    Why isnt he shooting?

 Chapter 153

    C153: Public Duel (3)

    Chapter sposored byPeksi.Thank you for your support.

    Matthew Summert back was damp with cold sweat. As time went by, his mind and soul were slowly being eaten away by insects. When in his life could he feel this tension?

    But now, Im feeling it.

    He thinks he will be swallowed up by Rudger Chelici, the man in front of him. He has to attack before he gets eaten. His instinct shouted so, but Matthew Somerset could not hastily use magic because of the momentum flowing out of Rudger.

    This is such a strong momentum. I cant believe hes a first year teacher like me.

    Rudger wasnt even pointing his cane at him. If it was someone else, he might have taken offense and mocked him for that behavior but Matthew Somerset did not.

    The opponent is a wizard who uses the source code magic that casts any magic almost instantly. I cant let my guard down even though he didnt aim his cane at me.

    Rudger information is familiar to him.

    Even though he seemed to be standing still to others Matthew Summert thought differently.

    -Rudgers ready for battle.

    His rxed-looking posture was clearly bait to make his opponent lower his guard by showing a gap on purpose. The moment he catches it and takes the lead, he will be very hard to stop.

    Thinking so, Rudger, who was standing still, was seen as an iron fortress without any gaps.

    Rudger Chelici! Hes a scary man.

    Matthew bit his lip tightly. People around him said Rudger was overrated, but he didnt believe it. No. At first, Matthew certainly had distrust in Rudgers evaluation. However, when he faced him in person and aimed at his cane, such thoughts disappeared as if they were washed away.

    That man is the real deal.

    That attitude of pretending to be rxed, the act of holding the cane lightly without aiming it and even those eyes waiting for the opponent to make the first move showed how confident Rudger was that he could win the duel.

    It was getting harder and harder to breathe and sweat ran down Matthews forehead and stabbed his eyes. Rudger, who was waiting to see when his opponent would use his magic, could not hide his doubts when he saw Matthew Summert.

    Whats wrong with him?

    Matthewsplexion was so bad that he was worried about him. Was he sick?

    The audience who watched the match between the two was also surprised.

    What? Why would they just stand still and do nothing for 5 minutes?

    Whats wrong?

    Rene, who was sitting on one side of the stands, was also suspicious of the situation.

    Senior, why are they both staying still when its been a while since the duel started?

    Junior is still inexperienced.

    What?

    Erendir, who was sitting next to her, said proudly.

    Look at that. Now, Matthew looks nervous. Hes even sweating.

    Yes, but?

    Dont you understand? The fight between the two has already begun.

    The fight has already started?

    Renes surprised voice attracted the attention of people around her while Erendir chattered with excitement.

    Dont you know? The battle of real masters is going on without having to use magic in person. Just like now!

    Those who secretly overheard the conversation between the two nodded unconsciously and were convinced because it was somehow usible.

    Above all, it was the Third Princesses saying that, not just anyone else.

    Its strange. I think Mr. Rudger is bored.

    Rene muttered in a low voice. She didnt know why she thought that, but she just had a feeling. However, when her senior spoke with such conviction, Rene had no choice but to agree with her.

    At that moment, Matthew Summert, who had been sitting still so far, moved because he couldnt stand the tension anymore.

    Yeah, thats great. Now that its like this, Ill show you properly!

    Matthew clenched his teeth and prepared his magic. A line of magical power was drawn in the air, a magic form was engraved, and eventually a single magic waspleted.

    White ice flowers were formed in the air, it was the third-rank attribute elemental magic [exploding ice flowers]. As soon as the ice flowers were in full bloom, countless petals rushed toward Rudger like an explosion.

    A part of the audience burst into admiration at the spell appearance that was both powerful and beautiful.

    Wow! Thats amazing! Beautiful ice-floating magic that unfolds in an instant! How will Rudger stop it?

    If this is the case, even you!

    Matthew Summert, who was confident of his victory inside, opened his eyes wide at the scene that followed. This is because the ice petals that were flying toward Rudger melted down in an instant and disappeared.

    There was a hot fire around Rudger, forming a thin wall.

    Thats the defensive spell [Fire wall]. When the hell, I couldnt even see him casting it.

    It was a powerful blow, but he was shocked to learn that he didnt do any real damage.

    What?

    Rudger, on the other hand, was puzzled because the attack was too weak.

    Thats it? Really?

    It would be too obvious if he pretended to be hit as soon as his opponent attacked, so he stopped it and waited for the next magic to fly, but strangely, the opponent didnt take any action.

    The fight between wizards must be so tight that even 0.1 seconds of everything is important but his opponent already wasted three seconds since the first attack.

    Should I have just gotten hit by the attack? No, no matter how much I fake it, I cant lose after being hit by this.

    If he wanted to make it usible he should use 4th rank magic. However since the opponent used a third rank magic he had no choice but to defend.

    Wow!

    Seeing his attack blocked Matthew stepped back with a murmur. He felt a lot of pressure after seeing the source code. It was so fast that he already felt suffocated.

    He looks bad.

    Looking at Matthewsplexion, Rudger was convinced that the magic he had hoped for would no longere.

    Looking at hisplexion, he doesnt seem to be in a good state. Its not polite to stall against someone like this.

    He couldnt believe he wasted so much time with a sick person. Rudger decided to finish it as soon as possible with an apologetic heart. His cane, which had been facing down the whole time, moved slowly.

    Itsing!

    Matthew immediately unleashed a defensive spell. He remembered what he heard from Chris Benimore before entering the arena.

    Listen well. When Rudger Chelici uses magic, always focus on defense. Dont think about anything else, only defense.

    Matthew Summert was also quick to judge the situation as a Theon teacher. He immediately surrounded himself with a mana barrier. Shortly thereafter, countless magic spells battered the barrier.

    -Hes the type that uses fast magic but its not very powerful besides his amount of mana is small so he cannot attack for a long time.

    On Chris Benimores advice, Matthew gritted his teeth and poured mana into the mana barrier to increase its power. He nned to hang in there and look for a gap but something was wrong.

    What kind of magic, endlessly!

    A number of spells beyond imagination flew at him. Usually, wizards shoot magic slowly one by one but Rudger poured magic endlessly like shooting a machine gun by using the source code.

    Matthew overlooked the spells power a little and there was a crack in the mana barrier, and another magic hit it and broke the barrier before he had time to reinforce it.

    He opened his umbre when he saw that it was raining, but instead of stopping the rain, raindrops went through the umbre.

    Ah.

    That was thest thing he said as the swirling magic quickly engulfed Matthew Summert.

    [Wow! After a long battle, Rudger Chelici s the victor! A series of spells hit his opponent without a break! What an unbelievable speed!]

    Looking at Matthew Summert, who fainted and was carried off on a stretcher, Rudger was pleased to see the results. Still, he thought he had showed enough courtesy for the opponent.

    Excitement emanated from the audience.

    He stood still all that time and then hit his opponent with a series of spells before he even had time to react.

    Was that why he stood still for that long?

    Rudger Chelici is a scary person. He was actually ying with his opponent.

    Everyone stared at Rudger with wary eyes. Hugo Burtag, who hoped Rudger would be brutally destroyed, clenched his fists and gnashed his teeth.

    That damn thing! Are you saying that you can be rxed in a ce like this?

    The mere sight of that indifferent face raised his tension. Hugo, who clenched his fist, slowly loosened the power he had given to his hand. How can a man be full from the first drink? There was still a chance.

    Rudger Chelici, you must have used up a lot of mana in this duel.

    His n with Chris Benimore started right here.

    Yeah. Just keep winning. The higher you go, the bigger the shock when you fall.

    Hugos eyes glistened faintly.

    * * *

    Hmm. Mana consumption is quite extreme.

    Since then, Rudger participated in three more duels and he won every single one.

    What happened?

    He was definitely going to lose moderately, but when he came to his senses, he was in the final.

    Rudger was seriously troubled. Obviously, he was willing to lose naturally even if his opponent only used proper attack magic but he won every match.

    Why isnt anyone attacking me properly?

    He didnt understand that.

    All of Rudgers opponents responded only with a persistent defense as if they had talked with each other. Even though he intentionally revealed gaps, they were shrinking their necks like turtles hidden in their shells, so Rudger had no choice but to sigh and attack them.

    Its not good.

    It was unwee to Rudger, who wanted to save his strength.

    These days, I was cutting back on my medicine. If I go on like this, Ill suffer from ack of mana in the next duel. Was it a big mistake that I thought nothing would happen because it was a festival?

    Since he had a constitution that consumed mana just by breathing, it was beyond his calction to prolong the duels. It was still okay, but it was clear that his mana would be exhausted during the final.

    I ate it yesterday, so I should have endured for five days but now it looks like Ill have to prepare some medicine in advance.

    Rudger stopped by his office before the finals. He opened the desk drawer where his recovery medicine was and had no choice but to narrow his eyes.

    Nothing.

    He looked further in other ces to see if he forgot that he put it somewhere else, but he couldnt see it.

    He crossed his arms and nced around. When he tightened my eyes, he could see small dents and dirt on the carpet.

    Footprints. There was a thief in my officest night.

    The other person may think he acted as carefully as possible, but he couldntpletely erase the traces. But since a thief broke in, why did he steal nothing but the magic recovery pills?

    The strange sights he had felt before were fitted into the missing puzzle andpleted one picture. Why did his opponents tantly dragged on the duels maintaining defense magic?

    There is only one reason. It was to use up his mana.

    Someone noticed that Ick mana.

    Where the hell? Who?

    It means that someone saw that he was taking medicine. It was a little surprising that he was caught even though he hid it as much as possible.

    I see. Was it at the banquet hall?

    There was a time when he consumed a lot of mana and took medicine without checking the surroundings in a hurry. Perhaps someone witnessed the scene then.

    I cant believe I got caught. Its a little painful, but it cant be helped.

    There are noplete secrets in this world. Right now, there are people who recognized the identities that he has used in the past and follow him tenaciously.

    It is natural for information to leak from somewhere because humans are not perfect.

    The problem is that the opponent is attacking him through that weakness.

    Seeing that my opponents are all noble teachers I think that everyone in the Hugo faction knows about it. That means that someone among them discovered my secret.

    And he must have stolen the medicine while Rudger was away after discovering his secret.

    He was in a lot of trouble and was pressed for time so he couldnt manufacture the medicine now.

    I have 5 minutes left. Its a tight time just to get back on the field.

    He couldnt leave because he had reached the finals. If he suddenly disappeared from here, it would not only damage the prestige of the academy, but also damage his image.

    Thinking it was inevitable, Rudger left the teachers office and immediately returned to the field.

    [Everyone! This is the long-awaited final! Both sides, pleasee up to the arena!]

    Rudger decided to finish as soon as possible because his mana was quitecking. His opponent was a man in his mid-30s who looked somewhat sly.

    [Todays final match! The undefeated myth that has not allowed a single attack so far, Rudger Chelici! His opponent is the teacher in charge of practical magic in the second grade and a wizard from the Burtag family! Devian Burtag!]

    Devian Burtag? If its Burtag, is it the same family as Hugo?

    Devian was a close rtive of Hugo Burtag, as the name Burtag suggests. However, unlike Hugo, Devian was skinny and not fat.

    Rudger quickly examined his figure. The footprints pressed against the carpet and the actual size of his feet matched surprisingly well.

    Thats him.

    The man who came into his office and stole his medicine case.

    And the culprit behind all this.

    Rudgers eyes were directed at Hugo Burtag and Chris Benimore, who were sitting in the stands. Among them, Chris Benimore noticed Rudgers gaze andughed at him.

    Rudger shook his head.

    I think I looked down on people too much. A teacher made such a childish prank.

    I was talking to myself, but Devian reacted as if he heard it.

    A childish prank? This is ridiculous. Arent you stupid? Thats right. You should have kept the medicine container well.

    Devian purposely showed only to Rudger the medicine bottle in his vests inner pocket. Despite the tant provocation toward, Rudger only stared at him with a calm gaze.

    Rudger wouldnt be swayed by such a low-key, cheap provocation.

    [Then! Lets start the semi-finals!]

    The audience responded to the shouts ofmentator Jesse Luna.

    Rudger spoke to Devian, who was already prepared.

    Ill give you a piece of advice before we start.

    What is this all of a sudden? Are you scared now?

    Give up this fight.

    Devian burst intoughter at Rudgers words.

    Hahaha! Are you bluffing now that you dont have your medicine?

    This is my sincere advice. If you surrender here and return the stolen medicine, I will let you go.

    Can you move on?

    Devians face frowned as he was getting annoyed.

    I think youre thinking something weird right now. You dont know whats going on? Are you still joking about the seriousness of the situation?

    Do I look like Im joking?

    For a moment, Devian flinched without realizing it because Rudgers eyes changed and he felt as if he was looking at an endless abyss.

    I dont joke around. So listen to me.

    Usually, since he went this far, Rudger doesnt have to be considerate of the other person because he wasnt the type to show mercy to those who were hostile to him.

    This is yourst chance.

    Still, Rudger is now warning Devian.

    What Devian did was nothingpared to what might being.

    At least it would be better for me to lose when I can use magic.

 Chapter 154

    C154: Public Duel (4)

    Im not sure if this fight was the final or semi-final because in thest chapter it was the semi-final but in this chapter it said final. I hope the situation will be cleared in the next chapter but until then enjoy this release. Btw the next chapter will be released Monday.

    What?

    What did Rudger just say? Devians face was distorted as a tendon came up on his forehead when he understood what he said. Even under these circumstances, instead of bowing his head, he ignited his wrath by acting like he was a great man.

    Mr. Hugo told me to do it moderately, but I cant do that. Ill fix you properly today.

    You wont listen to my warning.

    Rudger was genuinely sorry for Devian, who didnt even listen to his sincere words.

    Warning? Ha! Im speechless.

    Devianughed at him. He thought he was trying to hide his embarrassment because his bluff didnt work. Rudger must be out of energy due tock of mana, but hes urging him to surrender?

    Hes bluffing. Did he think Id be scared just because he said a few strong words?

    Other teachers may have been shaken by a few words because theycked practical experience, but Devian was different. Devian was born in the Burtag family and had a fairly outstanding magical talent, and he was also able to rise to this position thanks to his hard work.

    It wasnt just luck that allowed Devian Burtag to reach the finals of the duelspetition but his skills. Hugo knew that, so he sent Devian out and told him to smash Rudger in front of everyone.

    What? Is it better to lose when you can use magic?

    As the hostility from Devian increased further, Rudger gave up persuading him because he didnt feel the need to persuade someone who refuses to listen.

    In the end, youre causing trouble.

    [Then! Lets start the final of the duels event!]

    Devian used magic after the hosts cry. A translucent magical barrier surrounded him in the form of a tortoise shell and Rudger realized what that magic was.

    Its a fourth-tier spell. [Magic Protect] Im in trouble.

    Magic Protect is a defensive spell, but it has a slightly different characteristic than other defensive spells. Magic Protect was one of the must-have spells in a wizards fight. It was because it did not prevent physical attacks, but on the contrary, it showed stronger power than any defensive spells against magic.

    It must have been hard to use it so quickly because it is the top magic among the fourth-rank spells.

    The first thing that came to Rudgers mind was [Reverberation of Memory]. It is a magic that allows you to save spells and use them in an instant when you need them.

    Devian Burtag used Reverberation of Memory to store Magic Protect before he got on the field, thats how he was able to use it so fast.

    This is why I wanted to end it quickly.

    Devians judgment was correct. In fact, as soon as the duel started, Rudger tried to end it by pouring all his remaining mana in the source code. However, since he is using Magic Protect, he is wasting a part of his mana.

    Should I look for a chance?

    As soon as he thought that, a hot fireball flew toward Rudger but he dodged it by turning his upper body and moving one step to the side.

    Devians voice came from inside the barrier.

    Avoiding that? It wasnt a lie when you said that you were a military officer.

    Rudger didnt answer Devian mocking, he was thinking about something else.

    Hes maintaining Magic Protect, but he could still attack me?

    To use attack magic, you must cancel Magic Protect. It is possible to multitask andunch attack magic while maintaining defense magic from the 6th rank or higher but Devian was only at the fourth rank.

    Thats it.

    Rudger found a beast wrapped around Devians neck. It was a green translucent snake.

    [Oh! Its here! Teacher Devian Burtags magic beast! Grun ng!]

    It is one of the four summoning magic consisting of {Spirits} {Golems} {Necromancy} and {Magic Beasts}. Among them, Magic Beasts had a characteristic that was quite different from other summoning specialties.

    -Anyone can use it.

    Basically, summoning magic is the area where talent is needed the most.

    If you do not have the ability tomunicate with spirits, you cannot make a contract with them.

    If the cognitive ability is low it is impossible to properlymand spirits summoned with {Necromancy}.

    If youck knowledge of mechanical engineering and general mechanics, you cant deal with {Golems}.

    But {Magic Beasts} is different. Even people without talent can use {Magic Beasts} if they are wizards. This is because a magical beast is a living creature that is created from the users mana. Since there is no magician without mana, anyone has the potential to use {Magic Beasts}.

    [Aether Nocturnus] used by Rudger was also a magical beast in the form of clothing.

    Currently, Devian Burtags magic beast is a translucent green snake. When he opened his mouth, a fireball was formed and flew again toward Rudger.

    The magic used this time was less powerful than before, but much faster. Judging that it was inevitable, Rudger used defensive magic and the little mana he had gradually diminished.

    Rudger narrowed his eyes.

    Is it a magic beast that uses magic on behalf of its master?

    He blocked the attack and analyzed the opponent.

    The magic power is in the early 3rd rank, if I set itpared to Devian, who is at the top of the 4th rank. The magic beast bes proportionally stronger depending on how strong the user is?

    Grun ng handled by Devian Burtag was close to the concept of a servant who assisted his master. Above all, the most annoying thing about that magical beast was the versatility of its attacks.

    The user concentrates on defense magic, and on the contrary, the magic beast uses attack magic on behalf of the user.

    The user and the magic beast could use different magic. It was truly an all-in-one.

    It is a very advantageous ability to have when fighting against other wizards because it was like fighting 2 against 1.

    My magic beast wont work well here because its power will be reduced by the barrier.

    In addition, [Aether Nocturnus] is specialized in stealth maneuvers and raids, but its not very useful in face to face fights. He is also very greedy and has a very high rate of mana consumption. In this situation, Rudger will notst 10 seconds before running out of mana.

    If it was a fight between life and death, he was confident of winning easily, but since it was a match in front of the audience, he was limited in what he could disy. While judging that way, an attack flew again from Devians magic beast.

    This time, Rudger, who judged it inevitable, defended the magic and the mana left behind quickly diminished.

    Hes trying to make me run out of mana.

    Although annoying, Devians strategy was very useful because he knew Rudgers weakness.

    Then I have to use a different method.

    Rudger controlled mana precisely. Even if Magic Protect protects the surroundings, there were ways to pierce it.

    Spatial coordinates.

    In the space between the Magic Protect and the Devian Burtag a weak magical power began to form in the air. That magic could be used through any defense magic as long as you knew the spatial coordinates.

    Space magic consumes a lot of mana, so I dont use it unless I have to, but I cant help it because its an urgent situation.

    It was the right time since the opponent was off guard. The energy in the air soon turned into a fist-sized stone, aiming for the back of Devian Burtags head but at that moment his magic beast moved.

    The snake with its mouth wide open and bit the flying stone. A broken piece of stone fell on the floor.

    He stopped that?

    Devian Burtagughed at Rudger after noticing that he used spatial magic.

    You thought I couldnt deal with your spatial magic? My Grun ng doesnt just use attack magic.

    One of the abilities of Grun ng was called interception. It recognizes elements that threaten the user within a certain range in advance and prevents or responds to them.

    Of course, the magic that can be prevented is limited to low power, but it was not good for Rudger, who was unable to use any of the big magics as he is now.

    How do you feel? How does it feel when your magic doesnt work?

    Rudger did not respond to Devians provocation. Maybe its because of the extreme mana consumption of coordinates, but he really doesnt have much mana left and his head was beginning to ache.

    Somethings wrong with Mr. Rudger?

    Elisa, who had been watching from the audience, was about to step out, because she felt uneasy. This is because her strange intuition shouted that she had to stop the duel now but Hugo Burtag took the lead first.

    President, what are you doing? Were in the middle of the duel.

    I think we need to stop the duel.

    Huh. What do you mean stop the duel? This is the final.

    Something might happen.

    Hugo knew that Rudger was going to lose, so he thought the president wasing forward to stop that.

    What is happening? Isnt it unavoidable that something like this can happen in the middle of a match?

    Elisa stopped her movements. As the number of eyes around her increased, Elisa had no choice but to sit down again with her eyes frowned.

    Mr. Rudger.

    Selina, who was watching the match with Merylda on one side of the stands, clenched her fist.

    Under the Magic Protect, Devian grinned.

    What are you doing? You dont even use attack magic anymore? Is there no way to do that now?

    Devian kept provoking Rudger while Grun ng shot a fireball from his mouth at Rudger who was only focused on defense. The audience also began to question the slow flow of the situation.

    What is happening? Mr. Rudger has been defending the whole time.

    Why doesnt he use attack magic like the first time?

    Teacher Devian just said something about Mana, is running out of mana? No way, the teacher?

    The agitation spread and there were those who instigated it from behind. Not by the students who usually respected Rudger, but by the students who were scorned by the teacher named Rudger Chelici.

    Look at that. I knew this would happen

    That must be the limit of the fallen aristocracy.

    Honestly, arent all the words that have been said so far a bubble?

    Rudger quietly closed his eyes at the voices that filled the entire stadium.

    Haha. Did you give up?

    Its noisy.

    What?

    Did he just say he was noisy? Devian Burtag twisted his face, but Rudger did not respond.

    [.]

    A voice that had been suppressed by magic began to be heard. It was a voice that could normally be lightly ignored, but now that his mana iscking, the voice quickly grew and made his head hurt.

    It was as if an old dam was copsing. Just as it has been locked up for a long time the umted water is released at once.

    The voice did not stop at merely conveying its intention to Rudger.

    Rudger, faced with the limit, opened his closed eyes. At that moment an ice arrow flew at him. Rudger no longer used defensive magic. Instead, he caught the arrow flying with his left hand without holding a cane.

    Its too noisy.

    He looked rather pale.

    A piece of broken ice arrow fell on the floor and soon disappeared.

    This is why I warned you.

    What do you mean.

    Before he could feel anything about Rudgers actions, which he didnt doubt that it was a bluff, Devian has discovered something foreign.

    A faint but ck hole appeared in the air above Rudgers head. As soon as he saw it, goosebumps spread all over his body. It was a purely instinctive reaction, with no reason at all.

    At that moment, a dazzling light exploded from the tip of Rudgers wand. The brilliance filled the arena in broad daylight as if the sun came down.

    The crowd covered their faces with their arms due to the unexpected explosion of light.

    Ah! What is this? This light!

    Light magic?! Teacher Rudger, could use light magic?!

    Rudgers elemental attributes known to the public were water, fire, ice, wind, and earth. Five of the 10 elemental attributes are worth calling a great talent, but he could even use light?

    Light is even considered a very rare elemental attribute just like darkness but Rudger was using it now.

    [Ah! I cant see anything because its so bright! Whats going on?]

    While everyone was confused and unable to grasp the situation, Rudger moved slowly in the light.

    What?

    Rudgers appearance was strangely clear in the white world as Devian saw Rudger slowly approaching him but his body didnt move as if time has stopped.

    Something above Rudgers head caught Devians gaze and forced him to fix it. The ck hole, which was only about the size of a little finger joint, grew bigger and grew to the size of an adults upper body.

    The ck contrast looked strange in the white world. The gap was disparate and enigmatic and Devian felt something staring at him.

    His magic beast opened his mouth and screamed, but soon disappeared as if melting.

    The magic beast is afraid?!

    Then a strange sound tickled Devians ear. It was like the sound of bones breaking or the sound of a giant insect crawling and it wasing out of the ck hole.

    What?

    Something was slowlying out of the ck hole. Something ck, sticky and clingy.

    What the hell!

    Devian let out a scream full of despair. In the meantime, it was slowlying out of the hole and showing itself. Just looking at it, he felt like his body was falling into the cold deep sea, and his brain was tearing up.

    Rudger, who was close to Devian, stopped.

    Ah, ah, ah.

    Devian opened his mouth and uttered only strange sounds. What came out of the hole resembled a branch but looking closely it was human bones.

    The joints of countless human bones slowly approached Devian, like tentacles but beyond them it was something even more terrible. All kinds of meat and flesh, twisted in a strange form.

    Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

    Devian Burtag, whose leg was weakened, fell on his buttocks. In the meantime, its hard to tell if it was bones or tentacles, but they slowly approached him.

    Stop.

    At Rudgersmand they stopped moving.

    Rudger stared at the ck hole floating on his head with an empty stare.

    If you dont like it, Ill give up the opportunity to someone else. The choice is yours.

    Eventually, the bone tentacles that were approaching Devian slid back into the hole.

    After sighing, Rudger lowered his upper body and searched Devians clothes, who had not yete to his senses, for his medicine bottle.

    Rudger immediately took out about five pills inside and poured them into his mouth. As pure mana spreads in his mouth and circtes throughout his body the ck hole floating above Rudgers head gradually narrowed and disappeared.

    Rudger, who turned off the urgent fire, put the medicine bottle in his inner pocket and released the light magic.

    Oh, oh? I can see!

    Teacher Devian is lying down!

    What the hell happened?

    Jesse Luna, the host who came to his senseste, shouted.

    [Ah! Look! The light that burst suddenly disappeared, and its settled! The one standing is Rudger! Its Rudger Chelici!]

    [Hmm. Teacher Devian Burtag doesnt seem to be in good shape.]

    Carter Lowe, who has not spoken so far, also shed a murmur as he could not remain silent about the strangeness of the situation.

    Havent I told you?

    In the uproar, Rudger looked down at Devian with indifferent eyes.

    Surrender while I can use magic.

    Devian, who had already lost his mind halfway through, couldnt even respond.

 Chapter 155

    C155: Unwee Guests (1)

    The final is over.

    Rather than cheering for the winner, the audience was full of questions because they didnt know what was going on. A bright light shed, and when it died down, Devian, who had always had the upper hand, was defeated.

    What? What the hell happened?

    I dont know. What happened in the light?

    Altego, who was convinced of Rudgers defeat, also shook his fist with a sniff of anger.

    What the hell is this? What do you mean, light attribute magic all of a sudden?

    No one knows what happened in that light. The process of the fight is only known to Rudger and Devian.

    Altego couldnt calm down so he jumped out of his seat and left the stadium. The aides, who were wary, hurriedly stood up and chased him.

    The students in the audience as well as the other teachers who came to see the duel and the guests outside stared at Rudger with strange eyes.

    Devian was stretchered out, Rudger stood for a while and walked off the field.

    Its an event match and there was no award ceremony for the winner so he left like this. Rudgers eyes, which entered the hallway, saw medical staff rushing from afar.

    Rudger walked in the direction where the medical staff disappeared. Arriving in the emergency room inside the stadium, Rudger could find Devian Burtag lying inside. He was still unconscious with his eyes wide open.

    Mr. Deviane to your senses. Teacher Devian!

    Even if the doctor shook him, it was of little use. There was also Hugo, who was venting his anger at the medical staff as he saw Devians condition.

    Whats going on here?! Why is Devian still like this!

    We dont know.

    Its your job to figure it out!

    There are no wounds on his body! I think well have to try a close-up to find out more..

    As the medical staff rushed to make excuses, Rudger stepped forward.

    Its because he was traumatized momentarily.

    Hugos fleshy face was distorted when he saw Rudger

    With time, hell recover on his own if he has a strong mentality.

    Do you know what youve done?

    Hugo screamed but Rudger had a face that he didnt understand.

    I dont know why youre mad at me.

    It was only a duel, you didnt have to go this far.

    Did you say I went too far?

    Rudgerughed quietly as if he had heard an interesting story.

    These days, it seems that sneaking into someone elses teachers office and stealing medicine is less than enough.

    That!

    Werent they the first ones to set things up to keep him in check in the duel? Hugo, who was rolling his eyes, screamed at the innocent medical staff.

    Everyone, get out!

    The medical staff were wary and left the room as if they were running away.

    Even though the hearing ears were gone, Hugo walked away.

    I have no idea what youre talking about.

    Well, you said you dont know, so I wont say anything more.

    Of course, theres no way Hugo really didnt know about this. Devian, whom he had never met before, secretly stole his medicine case, and since Devian was a member of the Burtag family, it was clear at a nce who encouraged him.

    However, there was no clear evidence and he couldnt push Hugo anymore, so Rudger decided to stop here and move on.

    He won and Devian lost. Above all, it wasrgely due to the fact that his head was still throbbing as he hurriedly suppressed the power of God.

    It was best to avoid unnecessary arguments.

    You punk.

    Hugo wriggled his eyebrows. Here, if Rudger had asked persistently once more, he would have tried to force him by citing evidence in reverse, but this rascal escaped like a ghost.

    So whats your business here?

    I came here because I was worried that he fainted.

    Worry? Did he just say worry? Hugo seriously thought that at this point, Rudger might havee just to mock him. No, he was sure about it.

    On the other hand, Rudger, who confirmed Devians condition, was a little relieved inside.

    Looking at the state of things, its not too serious.

    Him saying that he was worried wasnt a lie. Still, destroying the other persons ego in duel was too big to cover up and pass it as a simple ident. If Devian was seriously injured, it would have an effect on himself.

    Looking at Devian Burtags condition now, hell probably get back to his original state if he rests well for about two days. Of course, the memory of that time will remain a trauma.

    All of a sudden Rudger felt his forgotten headachee back to life.

    I quickly replenished my mana, but Im still feeling a headache because Im on the verge of a dangerous situation.

    Hugo, who did not know Rudgers innermost thoughts, had no choice but to grit his teeth at Rudgers attitude. His n to defeat Rudger in front of everyone failed, along with the Burtag familys unsightly defeat.

    It was as if he had fallen into the trap he dug.

    What the hell did he do? Was he hiding his skills?

    As far as Hugo knew, Rudger could only deal with five elemental attributes. He had never heard of him being able to use light magic but this time, Rudger used a new magic.

    In the first ce, thats not the level a new teacher should be at!

    No matter how high the level of Theons teachers is, there is a limit but Rudger has long since passed that. Most of all, what frustrated Hugo was that he didnt know how Devian was defeated by Rudger.

    His body was fine, but he couldnt even guess what magic Rudger had to use to make his mind go out. For Hugo, this whole thing felt like a mess, like someones bad joke.

    At that moment, Chris Benimore opened the door to the hospital room and came in. He stiffened his face when he found Rudger and Rudger stared at Chris Benimore with indifferent eyes.

    Humph.

    It was Chris Benimore who avoided eye contact first. He looked at Devians half-asleep condition and told Hugo.

    Fortunately, his body is not affected. I think you should take a break for now. Just in case, Ill bring you some of the Benimore familys special healing potion.

    Yes, thank you.

    Hugo replied and stared at Rudger as if he were going to tear him to death.

    Ill hold you responsible for this!

    Responsibility? I dont understand the responsibility at all.

    No matter what it was a duel but you harmed the other person.

    It was then that a third partys voice rang the hospital room.

    Isnt it inevitable that something can happen during a duel? Everyone should be prepared for that.

    Rudger, Hugo, and Chris eyes turned to the door of the hospital room and President Elisa stood there. Her face was filled with a faint smile as if she had heard an interesting story.

    Isnt that what you said to me was, Mr. Hugo Burtag?

    When did I say that?

    Hmm? Thats weird. When I was trying to stop the duel, Mr. Hugo said it and everyone was listening, right?

    Elisa said so, stepping aside slightly and looking back. Only then could Hugo see the people that Elisa was covering.

    Of course. Thats exactly what I heard.

    An old man stroked his beard and entered the hospital room. Hugo Burtag recognized him and his eyes grew sorge that they popped out.

    Duke Heibaek?

    Heibaek Kadushan, one of the three great dukes of the Empire appeared here but that wasnt the only thing Hugo was surprised about. Caiden Lumos and many other nobles were also present.

    Maybe Im too old and my eyes are wrong. Right?

    Oh, no! No way!

    Hugo, who hurriedly exined, stared at the president, but the president responded with a smile. Hugo immediately changed his expression, took a handkerchief from his pocket, and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

    I think I just got confused because I was out of my mind. Of course during apetition idents can happen.

    As if he had taken back what he said, he had no choice but to smile on the outside even though he shook his fist inside.

    Elisha thought it was a good idea and congratted Rudger saying that he did a good job.

    Congrattions on winning. How do you feel about winning in front of everyone?

    It wasnt much.

    Rudger, who had no intention of winning in the first ce, so even his feelings were simple.

    Honestly, unlike what I expected, everyone was busy defending. We didnt exchange magic.

    But others didnt take it that way. No matter how many opponents he defeated, they were still teachers of Theon like him, and his remark made him look arrogant. However, when the winner does this, the feeling its different.

    Duke Heibaek smiled and reached out to Rudger.

    Nice to meet you. My name is Heibaek Kadushan. I am undeservedly seated in the Dukes seat.

    Im Rudger Chelici.

    I enjoyed the duel, it was really cool especially when you fired magic at such an incredibly high speed. Besides, youre even a light attribute magic user? Its strange how people like you still havent achieved fame.

    Heibaek praised Rudger until his mouth was worn out, with no room for anyone else to intervene. Rudger tried to show difort in the action, but when he saw other nobles not approaching, he gave up the idea.

    Everyones looking.

    Somehow, the people who wanted to make a connection with Rudger, the protagonist of todays event, dont even approach him.

    Rudger stared at the old man standing in front of him with an unexpected gaze.

    Are you trying to stop them?

    The way Heibaek keeps clinging to Rudger seems like an old man is making a fool of himself. On the other hand, it was also a secret action to warn the nobles not to bother Rudger.

    Kadushan was the family that symbolizes mountain goats. There is a thorough calction underneath his frivolous behavior. He is not the third duke that supports the Exilion Empire for nothing.

    Even his appearance that would look friendly and light to strangers was intentional.

    Heibaek naturally led Rudger out of the hospital room and the other nobles had no choice but to watch the scene.

    Haha. People are too noisy, arent they? Please understand. Its because everyone wants to see you so badly.

    I know. And even the fact that the Duke deliberately took me out of an ufortable ce.

    You knew that?

    Heibaek chuckled, pretending to be surprised but his eyes, which were bent like a crescent moon, sank heavily.

    Hes a rare talent with a good eye. Usually, a person who has achieved great achievements at that age bes overbearing and misses little things.

    Heibaek decided to change his purpose since Rudger was not an opponent he could coax with a few words.

    Some people cant be pleased just by saying good things and in that case, he could just move on neatly.

    If you need my help,e to me anytime. Kadushan will treat you as a VIP.

    Heibaek, with his experience, realized that sticking to him would only give Rudger a bad impression. Rudger also nodded, thinking it was unexpected to see Heibaek stepping down.

    Yes, indeed. I look forward to our next meeting.

    Huh, yes.

    Heibaek was a man who knew to get out when he had to. Seeing Heibaek stepping down cleanly without any regrets, Rudger realized that he was a formidable high-ranking aristocrat.

    Soon after, Heibaek disappeared and Rudger thought he should leave but then a group of wizards rushed to Rudger from afar in the hallway.

    One of the wizards, who appeared to be the representative, stepped forward and greeted him.

    Hello. My name is Luchek, and I belong to the New Tower. Youre Rudger Chelici, right?

    Yes, but

    Rudger rolled his eyes. Most of the wizards were young, with no beard or creasespared to the wizards of the Old Tower.

    The faces of the wizards of the New Tower surrounding him were all heavy and hard. Unlike the authoritarian Old Tower, the New Tower looked like an army, somewhat hard and rigid.

    What do you need from me?

    When Rudger asked that question, the wizards of the New Tower exchanged nces without a word, and then nodded their heads heavily.

    Rudger narrowed his eyes at the sight.

    What? Are you trying to kidnap me? In the present situation where there are still a lot of guests in the stadium?

    Even the New Tower should be afraid of Theon right? While Rudger was thinking so, the representative of the New Tower, who introduced himself as Luchek, put his hand in his pocket with a solemn face.

    Rudger strained his body and was ready to respond to any surprise. He couldnt fight hastily because he wascking mana but he was ready to escape.

    Rudger explored the escape route in case of an emergency. At that moment, Luchek hand was pulled out like lightning and headed for Rudger.

    Rudger shuddered. It was not because he was scared, but because he almost pulled out the dagger hidden in his waist without realizing it.

    What Luchek put out was white paper. Looking at the pure white paper with nothing else written on it, Rudger stared at Luchek wondering what the hell this is.

    Sir, please sign.

    .

 Chapter 156

    C156: Unwee Guests (2)

    I think I heard it wrong, so could you repeat?

    Im a fan!

    After taking a deep breath, Luchek eximed. Rudger looked at Luchek with a bewildered gaze and turned to the sorcerers of the New Tower who came with him.

    The expressions of the New Tower wizards, who felt solemn just a while ago, were all hardened with extreme tension when examined closely.

    .

    Rudger took the paper carefully.

    The pen

    Here you are.

    Perhaps prepared in advance, another wizard suddenly took out a pen. Rudger, who received the pen, scrawled his name on the paper with a fine handwriting.

    Everyone stared intently at the scene, holding their breath. There were 20 people standing, and only the sound of pen and paper rubbing echoed through the hallway.

    Im suffocating.

    At this point, Rudger seriously pondered whether this was a new type of torture.

    Here it is.

    Thank you!

    Luchek slipped Rudgers signature into the frame he had prepared in advance. Some pped their hands to congratte him, while others stared at Luchek with envious eyes.

    Given that others are noting forward, it seems that Luchek has agreed toe forward as a representative and get an autograph.

    Unable to hide his excitement, Luchek realized who he was standing in front of and changed the atmosphere by coughing.

    Thank you for giving us this precious time and congrattions on winning. It was a great victory.

    They couldnt see anything because he was covered by the light. What great victory? However, their expressions were sincere. Rather, the eyes facing him were burdensome and made Rudger feel bloated.

    I thought they would be proud and arrogant because they were magicians of the Tower. Thats surprising.

    The image of the wizards belonging to the Tower was not so good. There was a strong perception that they were basically clogged up and very authoritarian.

    But the New Tower was different. It was a ce where people disillusioned with the old-fashioned atmosphere and unchanging customs of the Old Tower gathered.

    The magicians of the New Tower are those who break away from authoritarian rtionships and constantly challenge new things, so-called romance and dreams.

    Even so, this level of respect is a bit strange.

    Luchek smiled, scratching his head awkwardly.

    Were all graduates of Theon.

    Ah.

    It was only then that Rudger understood the reaction they were showing. The reason why the sorcerers of the New Tower admire him is that most of them were graduates of Theon. In addition, Rudger was a teacher of Theon and even created a magic called source code that had never existed before.

    There was nothing strange about the sorcerers of the New Tower showing this reaction.

    I saw the source code made by Mr. Rudger. It was amazing and I can only admire how you coulde up with that way of casting spells!

    It is not worthy of such praise.

    From Rudgers point of view, the source code had no innovation at all. After all, he did nothing more than imitate the Earths Knowledge Program and put it into magic.

    In other peoples eyes, it would be a creation that sprouted from the barrennd, but for Rudger, it was nothing more than an imitation of what was there.

    Should I be happy about it if I am praised for walking along the road that already existed?

    Its not something he pioneered, or something he sharpened. Could he boast that hes apuded by someone just for the fact that he walked on a road that already existed?

    Im not.

    It was for this reason that Rudger did not consider himself truly great.

    No! How can you say that? You can be more proud of your achievements.

    For wizards who didnt know that, they had no choice but to think that Rudger was just humble. Moreover, the magic that transcends space was even a high-level skill that an ordinary wizard could never even imitate.

    Rudger replied instead by nodding his head, judging that they wouldnt understand whatever he said.

    Heres my business card. Id like to have a serious discussion with Mr. Rudger about magicter on. Please feel free to visit our New Tower. We wee Mr. Rudger.

    Thank you.

    The wizards of the New Tower rushed away after receiving his autograph and giving Rudger a business card. They were a little strange but were not bad people.

    The New Tower?

    If the base of the Old Tower was in the form of a tower that soared high as if it could touch the sky, it was different in the case of the New Tower.

    Ive been there once before, but its been quite a while since then, so a lot has changed. It wouldnt hurt to visit at least once.

    He wondered if other nobles would chase after him, but fortunately, no one came after Rudger. He nced over the corner of the hallway and saw that President Elisa was holding onto the others hard and talking. Then at that moment, he made eye contact with her, and the president winked at Rudger with one eye.

    Ive been helped.

    Rudger thought that he should get away while the president dragged on the clock and immediately stepped back. At that time, he felt a strong sense of surprise behind his back.

    Rudger turned slowly around, barely holding his hand in reflexively.

    Flora Lumos?

    With blue hair tied in half twin tails, a haughty look and sharp eyes Flora calmed her surprised chest and asked Rudger questioningly.

    I was surprised. How can you suddenly step back like that?

    Im sorry if I did. What are you doing here?

    Its just well Congrattions on winning.

    Flora said so shyly, but Rudger knew she wasnt just here to celebrate his victory. Rudger recalled one of the nobles who visited the hospital room a while ago.

    A cold-blooded looking man in his mid-30s, his hair, which was long enough to curl ande down to the neck, was clearly dark blue like the Flora he sees now.

    Is that so?

    Rudger noticed what Flora hade for.

    Are you here to see your father?

    What?

    The duke is having a conversation with the president right now. It would be better to go in a little while.

    Wait. Its not like that.

    Flora responded with tears in her eyes, but in reality, it was closer to the reaction of a person that was caught red handed.

    Then why are you here?

    Why? Its just, its just.

    Flora couldnt bear to finish her sentence. Its true that she came to see her father but it was ambiguous to say that.

    Rudger found a strange sense of alienation in Floras response.

    You have a delicate reaction to your father. Theres a strange expectation, even though you seem afraid.

    Rudger recalled Caiden Lumos. He was a man who looked like he would not bleed even if he was stabbed with a needle and after speaking a few words the other nobles were reluctant to approach him. Hes probably quite strict with his children, too.

    More than that, sir. Is my father really over there?

    If its really hard, I can ask for you.

    No! Dont do that! Never!

    There was something strange about Floras embarrassment.

    She came to meet her father, but shes reluctant to face him in person. Are they having a family feud?

    This was all that could be inferred from Floras response. But Rudger was probably half sure this was right.

    Flora, are you not on good terms with your father?

    Why are you suddenly asking me that?

    As a teacher, lets say its amon question.

    Its just Its not bad. Its not a good thing either.

    Is your father ufortable?

    .

    Thats true. It certainly seemed so. Duke Caiden looked like an overly cold and hard man. He must be a little hard to get along with.

    Flora, who heard Rudgers words, stared at Rudger with her disbelieving eyes wide open.

    Thats not what youre going to say, is it?

    What do you mean?

    No. If you dont know, thats fine.

    Flora gathered her courage and tried to say something, but eventually gave up and dropped her shoulders.

    Anyway, congrattions once again on winning. Ill be on my way now. I have a match to y.

    Are you going to participate in this event?

    Now that the teacherpetition is over, the next event is, of course, the students duel.

    Flora Lumos is a student who is so talented in magic that even second graders cantpare. Of course, if she participates, shell win the championship.

    But?

    I see. If youre good enough, youll win.

    Flora was embarrassed by the unexpected cheering, but soon smiled and raised her nose.

    Thats a given. I dont want to lose against anyone.

    Flora snorted and said.

    When he said something that was a little encouraging and saw that the response came right away, he thought that a student was still a student.

    Then, will youe to see me?

    Do you mean me?

    Yes, well. Honestly, if youre busy, it doesnt matter if you donte.

    Rudger made a gesture of contemtion for a moment. Flora was nervous at the sight and waited for Rudgers next words. She wanted Rudger toe even if she pretended not to.

    I have time so Ille and see how well the students are using magic.

    Floras face quickly turned bright in response, but she immediately went into facial expression management mode and coughed.

    You wont regret that choice. Then bye.

    Flora disappeared with a light step that isparable to when she approached him.

    As a teacher, Rudger found it very difficult to please the students.

    But Im d I feel like Ive regained my energy.

    Rudger recalled Caiden Lumos, the Lumos family head and Floras father. But Rudger had a strange feeling from him. As soon as he saw him, he was convinced that they wouldnt get along.

    However, Rudger, who judged that they had nothing to do with each other, shook his head.

    Is this the end of todays schedule? Its been a long time since Ive had free time.

    But he couldnt rx just because it was free time. The First Order Esmeralda will move in the next three days. Until then, he had to figure out what to do with her.

    Fighting was inevitable but if he had to fight he must decide how to do it. Knowing the opponent abilities and powers in order to take appropriate countermeasures was not an option but a necessity.

    I cant do it alone.

    Rudger left the stadium and came out of the festival. Perhaps because of the uing duel, most of the guests were gathered in the stadium, so it was surprisingly quiet outside.

    Rudger strutted between the festivals barracks. It was when he reached the fountain, which was the ce of appointment.

    Lets go see that! Lets go see it! Go see it!

    No, what are you doing? Didnt you hear me wait here?

    Is that important? There is a new golem starting ceremony right now!

    Rudger shook his head and headed to the ce where the noisy voices were. In front of the beautifully carved marble fountain, Hans was desperately holding Seridan and blocking her from going anywhere.

    Seridan struggled to escape Hans while People around were happily watching the scene, thinking that they were a grumbling daughter and a father.

    Rudger stepped in between the two, feeling a recurrence of the gradually reduced headache.

    You were early.

    Oh, youre here?

    Ah! Nice to see you, sir!

    Seridan and Hans were called by Rudger himself for a possible situation. Now that Theon festival started, the main gate was wide open, so it was easy for the two people toe in.

    Lets talk while walking for now. Is there any ce you want to go?

    I dont have one.

    Me! I have one! Theyre releasing a new Golem over there! Lets go see it!

    Rudger asked Hans intention when Seridan shouted with her eyes shining while Hans shrugged his shoulders.

    Well, she wants to go, so what can I do?

    Youll see when we get back! Ill poke you with my mouse teeth when you sleep!

    No, brother told me to wait here first! I just did what I was told, so why?

    The two of you are still good friends. Anyway, Seridan wants to go, so lets go there.

    With Rudgers permission, Seridan took the lead and walked with a happy expression on her face. The ce where the three of them arrived was the starting ceremony of a new golem.

    Just as the event of floating dry ships in the sea for the first time was called theunching ceremony, the start ceremony was called the golem maneuvering ceremony.

    Several people gathered at the demonstration hall, mostly children who came to see the new golem and their parents. Children had toys in their hands, mini golems made of the basic structure of a machine.

    I dont think there are that many.

    Hans murmured as he nced at the people.

    Golemology is not such a popr field.

    Huh? Still, in the factory and redevelopment site industries, golems were an indispensable factor.

    It may be the case in the field wherebor is precious, but the story is different in a strong academy where everything its about magic.

    Isnt that magic, too?

    To be exact, its a mixture of magic and machines. In fact, there was a lot of controversy until Golems were added in the Summons.

    The controversy over whether Golems should be regarded as a Summon has continued steadily since the Golems prototype came out. This is because, unlike other summons, the golem was closer to the making side.

    Therefore, there were many opinions that it would be right to move Golems, which can be made by anyone, to science rather than magic.

    However, the main driving force for moving Golems was Mana Stones, and it was only possible for wizards to move Golems and give themmands through such Mana Stones.

    These days, if you have the ability, you can handle Golem even if you are not a wizard, but there is a limitation that you can control it yourself or it can only execute basicmands.

    Fine, movement, and high-level behavior were only possible for wizards.

    Hmm. Thats why its not popr.

    Here we go!

    Just in time, someone came up to the stage of the demonstration hall. He wondered who it was, and it was Bryno, a first-year teacher who was appointed to Theon with Rudger.

    Although he was fat, he had a good impression in a different way from Hugo, and he greeted the audience.

    Nice to meet you. My name is Bryno, a first-year golem teacher in Theon. Thank you to the audience who came to the start of the Golem we made today, and were going to start the ceremony right away.

    He went straight to the point as if he was itching to show the new golem

    Then please take a look. The new Golem DT-3000 developed by Theon!

    Bryno peeled off the cloth that was covering a huge object. Then, the appearance of a huge golem hidden inside was revealed.

 Chapter 157

    C157: Unwee Guests (3)

    Chapter sponsored byMyName.Thank you for your support.

    The golem, which Bryno unveiled, was slightly simpler than expected. No, not a little. The content, which was thought to be a human-type golem that should walk on two legs and have two arms, was instead a huge sphere.

    What is it? Its just Its a round piece of metal.

    The surface had a subtle golden color, but it was not gold, but an alloy made by mixing brass and other metals. The eyes of the children who expected a wonderful golem were full of disappointment.

    Whats that? What piece of metal did they bring?

    Hans also could not hide his disappointment. The only one that didnt lose interest was Seridan. She stared at the giant metal sphere with her arms folded.

    Bryno continued the exnation with a smile.

    Of course I understand. If you look at this, you might think, [What kind of golem is this?] So Ill show you the real image of this new Golem.

    Bryno said so and took out a small mana stone that he had prepared in advance.

    Lower ss golems used for industrial purposes work with steam engines but high ss ones work with mana stones.

    Golems also have a rating. The higher level, the higher the output and uptime.

    Bryno put a finger-sized blue-colored mana stone on the sphere. There was a small groove on the surface of the sphere, and the mana stone fit perfectly there.

    Soon after, the mana stone shone and blue lines ran on the surface of the golden sphere. It was a magic circuit engraved on the golem.

    The sphere split along the fine grooves engraved on the surface, and both legs came out and raised themselves. The sound of iron interlocking and the ferocious rotation of the cogwheels made the audiences ears dizzy.

    In less than 10 seconds the metal, which was only a round sphere at first, soon took the form of a golem with two legs and two arms. The golems small face, which looked like a round bowl turned upside down, shone with a blue light from the mana stone.

    Wow!

    Thats awesome!

    The audience who watched the scene from beginning to end pped their hands. The children threw away their toys and already pulled their parents sleeves to ask them to buy the golem for them.

    Whoa.

    Rudger also patted his chin interestingly as he saw the golem.

    Its a round design thats not that sophisticated, perhaps based on the sphere. Compared to the rtively poor lower body, the two arms and the upper body that looked strong showed that it was made for a very practical purpose.

    The legs are short, but the arms are big enough to touch the floor. I think it is specialized in moving heavy objects or breaking something. It looks suitable for use in a mine.

    Seridan, who seemed to be the most excited, unexpectedly analyzed the use of the new golem.

    It is also true that it looks easy to move when it is not in operation as it is made of a transforming sphere. Just roll it and move it. But Im a little disappointed if its just that.

    There seems to be something more.

    You think so, too, right?

    Rudger noticed from Brynos expression that he was still hiding something more. As expected, Bryno went straight to the point.

    Im also satisfied with your response, but the true nature of the DT-3000 has yet to be revealed. Now, look.

    Bryno immediately used his mana and activated the golem.

    The golem curled up slightly, bending his upper body. Just as it first changed from a sphere to a human form, this time, the sound of the cogwheels rang out and the shape of the golem changed.

    The short legs stretched, and the arms also supported the ground strongly. The golem in human form eventually turned into a horse.

    Wow, my God.

    Hans, who was bored at first, glittered at the sight. It was the same for others.

    From a round sphere to a human form and from a human form to a horse form. Everyones blood boiled when they saw the golem transforming into various shapes and it was the same for Rudger.

    Is it a transformer? Ive only seen it in movies.

    The difference was that the one in the movie was made up ofputer CG, and the golem in front of him was real.

    Will it transform into a carter?

    Suddenly, he was curious, but Rudger smiled because it was a useless idea even if he thought about it himself.

    Bryno continued to exin the golem functions.

    As you can see, this new Golem DT-3000 can change into a total of three shapes. A human form suitable for breaking and cleaning things up, an animal form for transporting people and things and its usual sphere form.

    A golem that can be operated by changing its shape ording to the situation was certainly greatpared to todays golems, whose shape is fixed. The audiences response was just as enthusiastic.

    This alone will make the golem very popr in many ces.

    There were many parents with children among those gathered at the start-up ceremony, but there were also many businessmen who carried out business rted to golems.

    They responded as they were already itching to see the future possibilities in the DT-3000.

    Sir! Can I look around more?

    Rudger nodded at Sheridans bright eyes as he turned around.

    Yes, dont go too far.

    Dont worry!

    Hans sighed as he saw Sheridan running forward without anyone stopping her.

    Oh, my. People will think Im here to y.

    Dont say too much. However, sometimes it is necessary to relieve the mood in this way. Otherwise, who knows what she will do.

    I guess so too.

    Hans knew very well what would happen if Seridan exploded. She would really cause an explosion. This is because the talent and instinct that she possesses as a bomber cant be stopped unless Rudgeres forward.

    I think it was the first time I saw her.

    Yes, it was in the kingdom of Delica, wasnt it?

    It was.

    The first ce the two met Seridan was in an underground mine in the Delica Kingdom.

    The Delica Kingdom was enving sub-races and used them in the mines. Rudger, who was digging into the darkness of the Delica Kingdom at that time, discovered the reality before anyone else.

    There, when everyone was digging a tunnel with no hope, the only one who didnt lose the me was a dwarf. She picked up the scrap metal the guards left andbined sulfur powder and ammonia from the mine to create a terrifying bomb to escape the mine.

    Perhaps if Rudger and Hans hadnt stumbled upon it then and stopped it, she would have used the bomb to copse the mine. Sheridan was such a dwarf.

    Recently, she had been stuck in a workshop in the corner of the back alley, so Rudger took the opportunity to give her a break. Otherwise, the tragedy that could have happened in the underground mines of the Kingdom of Delica that day might have happened in Leathervelk.

    I still get goosebumps all over my body when I think about that time.

    But youre alive now.

    Hans nodded that Rudger was right. Just in time, the students passing by recognized Rudger and greeted him.

    Mr. Rudger! Hello!

    Yes.

    I enjoyed the duel! Congrattions on winning!

    Yes.

    He just answered shortly, but the studentsughed among themselves and left. Hans looked at the growing students and asked Rudger.

    Are you popr among students?

    Do you mean me?

    Then, who could it be, if not you?Theres a lot of gossip about a charismatic new teacher who developed a new magic. From the perspective of the students, there are bound to be a lot of stories out there.

    At Hanss words, Rudger still seemed to have doubts.

    Dont tell me Are you not aware of it?

    Aware?

    Im asking just in case just, but what do you think your position in Theon is right now?

    I am not just an ordinary new teacher.

    Are you serious? How the hell are you an ordinary new teacher?

    Of course, it is true that I am slightly different from other new teachers.

    Slightly? Have I misunderstood the word slightly?

    It was difficult for Hans to follow Rudgers words.

    No, my brother is so talented, I know that since I have followed you for a long time and you show your outstanding talent wherever you go. Even so, arent you too ignorant?

    I am very talented?

    The source code magic that brother created is the talk of the neighborhood right now. Dont you know that youve already surpassed other teachers?

    Source code was the magic that made the most brilliant contribution to making Rudgers name known. The coordinate designation technique shownter was also surprising, but that part was not so widely known because Rudger did not properly spread the information. But even then, he showed it a little in the finals, so anyone with a keen eye would recognize it at once.

    Why the hell did you do that? Werent you trying to be as quiet as possible while maintaining your status as a teacher?

    I needed to make my name known. At least to find out what the ck Dawn Society was up to, I had to deliberately win Theons favor.

    Rudgers judgment was reasonable. If Rudger had really been busy avoiding the situation, he might have been as ordinary as others without any difficulty as a teacher.

    But whats the point of breaking things down if I do that?

    In the end, there was nothing he could do but be dragged into the situation. So Rudger deliberately opened his paddles one by one.

    After deliberately making his name known, he gained recognition from Theon. Of course, he was also aiming for a bonus based on ss evaluation.

    Hans also nodded his head as he understood that part.

    Well, as the value of your name increases, on the contrary, it will be difficult for the ck Dawn Society to hastily order brother.

    As his name value has increased, interest in Rudger also increased.

    As this interest increases, there is a risk that Rudgers identity will be revealed, but on the contrary, it will be difficult for the ck Dawn to move such a Rudger.

    Rudger also doesnt have to follow orders when he can give the excuse, I cant move because I attracted too many people.

    But on the other hand, you are also in danger.

    Hans. In order to achieve something, one has to take risksmensurate with it. Otherwise he wont get anything.

    Thats true, but Im very worried. Even if it was to gain recognition, it was too hasty to disclose the source code.

    Why was that hasty?

    If you solve something that important, of course theres nothing to show youter, right? If you attract too much attention at first, it will be toxic to brother as a result.

    You dont have to worry about that.

    What?

    Source code magic is just a part of what I have anyway. I did it because I thought it didnt matter if I showed it.

    .

    Hans looked at Rudger, wondering if that made sense.

    Doesnt your brother know how much attention the source code is getting right now?

    Source code was an innovation in the world of magic. At a magic that makes another magic in the shortest time without failure the wizards had no choice but to go crazy.

    There were many people that came to Theon for the source code but Rudger was treating it as something dispensable.

    Are you serious?

    Hans, when did you see me lying about that?

    My God, you mean it.

    Hans eventually shook his head.

    Ive known my brother for a long time, but Im still not sure about your real abilities.

    Didnt I tell you before?

    Is it real magic? Honestly, I still dont know. If its magic, its magic. Whats real magic? And the thing thates out when you run out of mana.

    Hans, who had heard a lot from Rudger, was still half-believing if it was real. Even though Rudger moved through space, invented the source code magic and he even saw with his eyes that he was well versed in other fields.

    Rudger spoke peacefully, as if it were nothing.

    Magic is magic. Mysterious and hard to understand, unlike the ones we use now.

    Are you talking about the story of the wizard from the legend?

    What if its not just a legend?

    Thats

    As Hans expression became serious, Rudger shrugged.

    Its a joke.

    Ive felt this for a long time, but your jokes are bad for someone with a weak heart like me.

    Its not a legend.

    To what extent?

    Hans opened his mouth wide, but noticed someone approaching them, and began to manage his expression.

    Im sorry, but can I ask for directions?

    A voice that gently enveloped the human ear and was also familiar was heard. Rudger slowly turned his head to look at the owner of the voice.

    Do you know the way to the stadium where the magic duels will be held?

    The first thing he saw was sky blue hair and confident eyes that have a strong sense of curiosity and challenge. Everyone who had the beauty pass by them turned around at least once, but Rudger couldnt think of such afortable thought.

    Why is she here?

    Casey Selmore, the person Rudger is most wary of right now is right in front of his nose. The detective who wants to catch a criminal that should never be identified the most.

    The two faced each other with their identities hidden.

 Chapter 158

    C158: Unwee Guests (4)

    Even Rudger, who seemed to fear nothing in the world, was reluctant to meet some people. Among them, the absolute first ce was his Master, the one who fed and raised Rudger and was practically like a parent.

    However, on the contrary, he was also a typhoon-like person who inevitably got involved in incidents when they stayed together because his personality was so entric and arbitrary.

    So Rudger dered independence and separated from his teacher. In fact, it was close to running away. In addition, while running away, he even brought some things that his teacher loved, a magic book, and magic reagent materials.

    To be honest, he was terrified of his master. However, even with the exception of his Master, there were many people whom Rudger was reluctant to meet. Among them, Casey Selmore, the detective in front of him, is definitely at the top.

    Why the hell is she here?

    Did shee to Theon because of the festival?

    Except for when the incident happened, she was always moody, so there was nothing strange abouting here. Its just that he didnt know how to face her all of a sudden.

    Casey Selmore didnt recognize me and talked to me. The current situation is purely coincidental.

    Rudger, who finished his judgment quickly, pointed to the direction of the stadium and opened his mouth.

    The stadium is over there.

    Thats the only thing Rudger said. His current character didnt talk much anyway and he didnt want to speak with the woman in front of him for a long time.

    Casey, who had a bizarrely good reasoning ability, might read something out of his trivial remarks and actions. There was a need to be careful about everything.

    Oh, its over there. Thank you for letting me know.

    Dont mention it.

    Oh, by the way.

    Casey asked, staring at Rudger as she walked away.

    Didnt we meet somewhere before?

    .

    Rudger did not answer. Instead, with a calm gaze, he sent the meaning of what he meant.

    Im not asking that for any suspicious purpose, but I suddenly thought so. How can I say this? I feel like we met before.

    Its my first time seeing you.

    Rudger cut it short and said so but Casey was confused by his firm voice.

    Somethings not right.

    It was the first time she saw him. However, the more she looked at this man in front of her, the more Casey could not help but feel a sense of strangeness.

    Its not a suspicion. Rather, it was more of a curiosity. The first time she spoke with him was because of the strange atmosphere he emitted just standing still.

    Hmm. Nice to meet you. Since we met like this, should we say our names? My name is Casey Selmore. Im working as a detective.

    Im sorry, but I dont feel like having a conversation.

    What?

    Contrary to expectations that he would recognize her, Rudgers reaction was cold. Casey pondered if she had ever done anything to offend this person. But no matter how much she thought about it, she didnt do anything to upset the other person.

    Ordinary people are impatient because they cant talk to me once.

    Some were fascinated by her appearance, others showed off their over-familiarity due her reputation but t Rudger was the other way around. While Casey was a little flustered, Rudger tried to get leave, thinking that his job was over because he had told her the way.

    However, it was faster for Casey to open her mouth.

    Youre a teacher here, arent you?

    Rudger pondered a little about how to answer the question. He showed he didnt want to talk, but she didnt seem to want to step down. However, if he tried to push himself further outright here, Casey may be suspicious of him. At least if it was Casey he knew, it was very likely because he pushed her away once.

    Ill have to step back at least once.

    Rudger opened his mouth thinking so.

    Why did you think so?

    I knew right away by looking at you.

    You knew right away after seeing me

    First of all, the outfit youre wearing. Its a very luxurious and detailed outfit that I cant see any sewing lines or threads. The unique wave pattern on the shoulders must be a coat sold at the

    tailors shop.</perilton>

    Rudger nodded because she was right.

    Thats right.

    But that kind of suit is something that ordinary people cant easily buy. Its hard to wear it on a festival day like this in an environment where clothes get dirty or the smell of food is easy. Its a waste. Plus, this is a golem startup. Did you know that you can get oil on your clothes?

    Casey stretched out a finger.

    Then there is only one answer. Its a person who doesnt care about money. But is it a merchant? Thats not it because they always carry a purse but theres nothing in your pocket and theres no sound of coins. Merchants are punctual but you didnt check the pocket watch in your chest. I mean, you dont really care about time. Then you must be a noble.

    Oh.

    But you dont have a family mark or a ring that symbolizes your family. You dont want to or cant reveal your family name, but in this case you must be a fallen aristocrat. However, there is no reason for a fallen aristocrat to visit Theon as a guest, so he must be living or working here.

    The clues are piled up one by one and the painting, in which all the pieces were gathered, points to a single result.

    If I exclude them one by one, I end up with only one fact left, that youre the teacher here at Theon. If youre a fallen aristocrat and you have such a presence, then you must be Rudger Chelici, right?

    She only saw him for a moment, but she judged that far? Her ridiculous analysis and excellent eyesight must have raised her to a higher level than before.

    Thats right. Then bye.

    Oh, oh? Wait a minute!

    Is there anything else?

    When Rudger asked, Caseys face became nk for a moment.

    No, its Arent you surprised?

    What do you mean?

    Ordinary people are amazed or surprised when I deduce something like this.

    Casey has always seen a simr response. If she analyzes and deduces a person she meets for the first time and guesses the persons job, most people are surprised.

    Sometimes people who recognized the extraordinariness of her ability even had feelings of fear.

    Casey took it for granted because she realized that she was special. To be honest, it was also true that she was halfway enjoying this kind of reaction.

    The world was a dull ce without stimtion for her, who was too talented. Her noble mission of leading the world in a better direction still remained deep in the heart and became the driving force of her life but there were times when she felt unbearable boredom.

    Analyzing someone and noticing his nature was Caseys own little y to wash away such boredom. But the man in front of her showed an unexpected reaction. He was not surprised but calm enough to ept it naturally.

    Is that surprising?

    The answer that came back was also spectacr and Casey was genuinely embarrassed by his response.

    What is this? Why doesnt he look surprised?

    She tried to surprise him a little because he was being stiff, but she failed but his response hurt her pride.

    Other people were very surprised.

    There are many people in the world. Isnt it possible to understand the other persons job at first sight?

    In the first ce, Caseys arbitrarily analyzing his job and talking to him was something he experienced enough when he was [James Moriarty]. And he also did a simr job while working as a private detective.

    Knowing what your opponent will do, and being surprised by it, was a rookie thing to do. On the other hand, Casey, who heard Rudgers answer, thought differently.

    I see. This person was taking my actions for granted.

    Most people said Caseys behavior was strange. But Casey has always questioned the question, Is that really strange behavior?

    And then she realized the fact that she was quite different from the rest of the world. Different and strange dont necessarily mean the same thing because she was so outstanding.

    People couldnt admit the difference and turned it over as strange. Thats why Casey Selmore was also called a freak but Rudger took Caseys actions for granted. He didnt force himself to say it while looking at her.

    There, Casey noticed what Rudger really was.

    Hes the same kind as me.

    She heard the name Rudger Chelici. A fallen aristocrat and a teacher at Theon, he recently invented a groundbreaking magic called source code and showed it to his students.

    She couldnt believe that he taught his students a magic that didnt exist before. Can an ordinary wizard do such a thing?

    Considering the character of this man Im facing right now, Im sure he didnt show such magic for a purpose.

    In Caseys head, her assessment of Rudger changed and she judged him to be the same character as her. The word mediocrity is used to separate special existences from the regr people.

    I didnt expect that there would be another person like this. From the moment I nced at him I felt that he was special.

    In fact, Caseys conversation with Rudger wasnt just to ask for directions, but something else. Rudgers appearance as he passed by suddenly ovepped with a person she knew in the past.

    He was special, too.

    Casey remembered a man he met in the kingdom of Delica.

    James Moriarty.

    Now they are enemies, but they have not been hostile since the first meeting.

    At that time, he was a person who seemed to be out of touch with the world as if everything was meaningless.

    There was no particr reason why she went to see the rumored man. She just went to see a great young mathematician out of curiosity but that encounter shook Caseys life.

    Still, it wasnt that bad at first.

    It wasnt a good rtionship either. From the first meeting, the two fought like oil and water that didnt mix.

    They had no choice but to collide because they had great talent and her pride was erged ordingly, not because she really hated him but they secretly acknowledged each others skills and abilities.

    Casey was also pleased to meet an equal.

    The reason why that rtionship ended up being ruined.

    It was an incident of that day, an incident in which people went missing one by one. In addition, even the police continued investigation did proceed properly and she came forward because she couldnt stand it.

    And what I sawThat man. James Moriarty.

    The man who stood still in front of the missing childs body. The red blood flowing on his hands must havee from the bodies of the child and the police around him.

    It was then that Casey realized what the man named James Moriarty was like. He was a wicked man but so outstanding that it was fate that he had no choice but to turn against the world.

    -Why the hell did you do that?

    At first, she tried to talk with him. Maybe there was some misunderstanding.

    I thought you were smart, but youre asking an unexpected question. Did you think you were like me because you were hanging out with a criminal?

    But the mans cold voice shattered her expectations.

    -How can humans live ording to those who are worse than themselves? Casey Selmore you know that, dont know?

    She didnt expect that.

    The world is so boring and the people who live there are so insignificant.

    Still showing his back to her, his eyes glistened faintly with only his head slightly turned.

    -Im suffocating. Im so frustrated that Im going crazy.

    So, youve done all this for your own good? Killing people here?

    Is that so wrong?

    Maybe he didnt even realize he was bad. Bad deeds aremitted only to those who are equal to them. For James Moriarty, who did not see others as equals, what he did now was not evil.

    -You know that, dont you? Deep inside you, theres a voice like me.

    What James Moriarty said stimted the darkness in Caseys mind. The role she has had for a long time, and the evil she has turned a blind eye to.

    Casey bowed her head.

    You know, I didnt want you to be a bad guy.

    -.

    Its just that this whole situation is just Yes, thats right. Misunderstanding. I wanted it toe from an inevitable misunderstanding. If we talk to each other, well definitely be able to solve it. Such a minor misunderstanding.

    -.

    Because were alike. I thought we could understand each other if we talked.

    James Moriarty did not respond to her words and just stared at her with a cold gaze.

    Casey made a sad face as if she was about to cry, and then bit her lip and took out her cane, showing her determined will.

    James Moriarty. Im arresting you here!

    What was contained in that action was her noble will to punish the evil in front of her.

    And James Moriarty faced it.

    -Try it if you can.

    He was obviously smiling.

 Chapter 159

    C159: Children and Adults (1)

    This is difficult.

    What I said made her fall into her imagination, and for a moment, her eyes were looking at something other than me.

    Hans is already far away and is looking at me. If it goes on like this, Ill be wasting a lot of time.

    Are you done with your business now?

    When she spoke strongly in a slightly scolding tone, Casey, who had been thinking for a while, came to her senses. She smiled softly and nodded her head without being surprised.

    Yes, I do. Im sorry I took your time.

    Thats all right.

    Well, Id appreciate it if she said shed step down on her own here. Moreover, Caseys voice did not show any signs of suspicion. Its a relief that he suddenly met her, but she didnt seem to know that he was James Moriarty.

    Wow!

    Just in time, cheers came from afar and the hosts voice amplified by the subsequent loudspeaker resonated softly. At the same time, a blonde girl who was as beautiful as a doll ran toward me from afar.

    Casey! What are you doing there? The duel is about to start!

    Oh, my God, look at me. I asked for directions, but I forgot and got distracted. Ill be on my way.

    I nodded and nced at Betty.

    Automaton Beta made for the same purpose as Arpa. Shes been with Casey the whole time.

    Looking at the girl nagging Casey, the two seemed to get along pretty well. Her emotional expression seems much richer than Arpa.

    Its a relief though. Thanks to her, Ive been able to get away from Casey.

    When I was relieved inside, a small drop of water came up in front of my eyes. Soon it burst and turned into a small business card and fell on my hand. My eyes naturally turned to Casey, who was dragged by the girl.

    Casey looked back at me as she was being dragged, closed one eye and moved her lips.

    -Call me if you need any help.

    Then she disappeared out of sight without a moment for me to say anything.

    I cant stop her.

    I analyzed the business card lightly, using my power. Meanwhile, Hans, who had been far away, approached me.

    What happened? Whats that blue paper on your hand?

    Casey business card. She left it at will before she left.

    Business card? Cant you just throw it away?

    Its not an ordinary business card. Seeing the magic, its acting as a kind of signal. If I throw it away, shell notice it right away.

    Huh. Is there such magic?

    Because the other person is a single attribute element wizard. Unlike conventional magic, theres nothing strange about her magic.

    Hans nodded his head, saying that I was right.

    Thats true. I think its possible when I see you.

    Anyway, Casey Selmore doesnt seem to know who I am yet. Giving a business card is a sign of friendship more than doubt. But Im a little worried that I caught her attention with this identity.

    Did she find something suspicious about you?

    You dont have to worry about that. Because I erased all the habits I showed her with the identity I used before.

    Is it possible to erase your habits?

    I shrugged my shoulders at Hans who was screaming.

    Its basic knowledge to erase every little act consciously.

    Ive been wearing various masks all my life. Of course, the mask that I wore during James Moriartys time waspletely different from the mask Im wearing now. In other words, I dont have to worry about being discovered by making trivial actions.

    But he wasnt without worries because of James Moriartys appearance.

    I didnt disguise myself back then.

    The actual change was the degree to which the hairstyle was neatly pulled back and the outfit was different. He, who did not have a chiseled face at the time, used light magic to make his impression different. Of course, this alone is bound to change the impression of a person, so not many people will recognize him.

    Still, I thought that someone like Casey Selmore would identify me based on my appearance.

    Judging from her reaction, fortunately, that doesnt seem to be the case. If even Casey, who has excellent observation skills, didnt recognize him, there would be no need to worry about being caught by anyone else.

    Hans, you should be concerned.

    When I pointed it out, Hans opened her eyes and pointed at himself with her index finger.

    Me? What about me?

    If it was Casey Selmore I knew, she would have specified your outfit or behavior. Youll be in trouble if youe across herter.

    She doesnt know my name and I left right away. Would she remember me?

    Dont look down on her. She is a woman who reaches the truth with one small clue. She should have seen us talking from afar when she approached me, so she already remembers your characteristics.

    What should I do?

    First of all, I rmend not wearing those clothes for a while and intentionally carry other props to make it look like you have a different profession.

    Casey Selmore doesnt simply remember a person because of its face. The persons voice, tone, step, petty behavior, wink, etc are all pieces of the puzzle. On the contrary, if only a few of these puzzle pieces could be intentionally removed, the suspicion of being the same person could be avoided.

    Of course, if the number of encounters increases, the tail will be stepped on, but it will not matter if she passes by lightly like this time.

    Hans was shocked, saying, She just nced at me once, but should I do this?

    Hans, you have a habit of slightly frowning your nose, especially when you talk. If its hard to fix it, purposely shake your mouth or close your eyes. A small habit is like a persons ID, if you cant erase it, you should at least change it.

    Id rather sneak around without being caught.

    That wouldnt be bad either.

    Hans is sick and tired of it, but what can I do? Still, if I point it out, I dont have to worry anymore because hell put it in practice right away

    Nari! Look at this!

    I think Seridan finished watching the Golem just in time, so she was running this way. Seeing the bright smile on her face, she seemed to have enjoyed it enough but Seridan wasnt the only oneing.

    Teacher Bryno?

    Huh? Mr. Rudger Chelici?

    Seridan came with Bryno, the main character of the Golem start-up ceremony. As I thought it was unexpected, Bryno also opened his eyes wide to see that I was here, and soon smiled warmly.

    I was surprised. A child who seemed to like golems came to me and talked to me but was more versed in Golem and mechanical engineering than I thought. So I came wondering who her guardian was, but I didnt expect Mr. Rudger to be here.

    Were a little connected, but were not exactly guardians because shes a dwarf in the first ce.

    Oh, well! No wonder shes so knowledgeable, but if shes a Dwarf, it makes sense.

    Mister! Ive been saying this for a while! Im not a kid.

    Seridan must have consistently said that she was not a child. However, on the outside, she looked like a child, so Bryno would haveughed it off, thinking that the child just wanted to pretend to be an adult.

    Realizing his mistake, Bryno bowed to Seridan.

    Im sorry, Miss Seridan. I was rude.

    At the sight of Bryno apologizing immediately, Seridanughed yfully.

    Then, tell me the design of that golem!

    Well, thats a little.

    What a shame.

    Shes still asking for the golems blueprint. Isnt it the same as asking for a wizard for a spell? But surprisingly Bryno did not get angry?

    I apologized to Bryno instead of Seridan.

    Im sorry, Seridan is not familiar with human etiquette yet.

    Haha, I understand. Dwarves are stubborn. Ive met Dwarfs before, but Seridan is rather calm, so I dont care much.

    When Bryno said that Seridan was calm Hans looked surprised.

    If that crazy bomber is on the quiet side, how are the other Dwarves?

    Seridan, who heard what he said unknowingly, stabbed her elbow in Hanss abdomen with a smile.

    Seridan muttered something to Hans, who bowed his upper body with a chilling look. Given that Hanss face has turned pale, its probably a threat to test his constitution with the teeth of various animals when they return to the hideout.

    More than that, did Mr. Rudger also watched this start-up ceremony?

    Yes.

    Thats unexpected. I thought you wouldnt be interested in this.

    While saying so, teacher Bryno realized his mistake and immediately waved his hand and made an excuse.

    Oh, so I didnt mean it in a bad way. I mean, its just.

    I know. Ordinary wizards dont have a good impression about golems.

    Besides, he was in charge of teaching the entire manifestation system, which wizards consider to be the most orthodox. From Mr. Brynos point of view, it was natural to think that way.

    However, I do not discriminate against magic and Im also quite interested in golems.

    Oh! Is that so?

    Brynos eyes glistened at my words.

    Could you please tell me what was good at todays start-up ceremony? I want to get advice from a fellow teacher.

    Hmm. First of all, the golem you showed today called DT-3000 is quite interesting. It can change formspared to a fixed golem and that alone will add an infinite number of uses.

    Thats right!

    Im concerned that it would be difficult to use the metal used to make the existing golems because the pressure on the seams and joints is strong. A metal with high conductivity that is resistant to heat, pressure and has excellent ductility is needed. Have you created a new alloy?

    Yeah. I actually experimented and found that ordinary steel was not enough. So.

    You mixed chrome and tried to reduce the need for maintenance by mixing metal that is good for corrosion resistance.

    Thats stainless steel.

    Bryno nodded his head like a man who had lost his soul.

    As a result, I think its a great golem.

    There was nothing I could point out. Even if I dont point out the problem, Bryno will notice it quickly thanks to his skill. All we have to do is encourage him.

    Heh, heh heh. Hearing that from Mr. Rudger makes me embarrassed.

    There is no need to be embarrassed. Because I was just saying it as it is. Mr. Bryno can take pride in his work.

    Unlike the source code that was created by following existing knowledge Bryno created a transforming golem purely with his own inspiration.

    Unlike me, who followed the path that already existed, he pioneered a new path. The word genius is a word that suits someone like that, not me.

    Oh my gosh. Even the humility of being able to humble yourself so much!

    But why does this person look at me with a more burdensome look when I keep saying he did great?

    It was a fun experience anyway teacher Bryno. People who want to talk to you have been standing there looking around for a while, is it okay?

    I pointed to the students who couldnt get closer and stared anxiously at teacher Bryno. They wanted to ask something theyre curious about, but theyre nervous because they cant approach him.

    Among them, there was a new student who was supported by the Alchemy School, ra Hanis, who was taking my ss.

    Oh, I see. Thank you for yourments today.

    Yes, I enjoyed it, too.

    Teacher Bryno headed to the students. I watched the students eagerly asking questions about the golem and teacher Bryno epting them.

    I dont know when, but Seridan was naturally mixed there.

    Brother must be quite a vocation for being a teacher.

    Do I look like that?

    Of course. The sharpness that used to seem subtle is all gone and youre even pleased to see the children.

    I nodded at Hanss words.

    At least this is a different ce from the world we lived in. Dont you think so?

    Well, I wont deny that this ce looks peaceful and good but Im a little ufortable here.

    I looked back at Hans and he sighed with aplex look.

    We werent like that back then. No, actually, I couldnt.

    Hans

    To be honest Im jealous of them because I didnt grow up in such a blessed environment.

    Having talent and growing up in a good environment withoutcking anything. For Hans, that appearance must have been a repulsive sight to the point where hives appeared on his body.

    We are so different.

    His voice, which seemed to be somewhat despondent, sounded hollow. Because of his constitution he couldnt live like a human being.

    When I lived on the run, the children here would have enjoyed their youth. They must have been chatting with their roommates in a warm dormitory while I was shivering in the cold during the Lunar New Year. Nevertheless, theyined and were annoyed that it was hard.

    He recalled the past when he was angry at the unfairness of the world.

    It was a long time ago, but he still remembers that day clearly. He once saw a building so tall that it was going to soar in the sky while he was on a bus to find an academy to study. It was such a high apartment that even if you bent your head for a long time from right below, you couldnt see the rooftop.

    To be honest, he was overwhelmed. With everything a person needs to live in, it looked so expensive that he couldnt think that he could live there even if he was reborn.

    Then he found a familying out of the entrance of the apartment. Among them, the most noticeable thing was a 10-year-old boying out holding his fathers hand.

    The child had a father and a good house he could live in. However, the childs face was filled with heartache because he was so dissatisfied and annoyed.

    Then he felt a sense of despondency beyond words. Did that child really made an effort to live in a house like that? No, that child was just born from good parents.

    He was born with something that others cant reach for life made Hans realize then that the world was an unfair ce.

    There are still many children who cannot study even if they want to, and who go to the factory area filled with soot every day and suffer from harshbor but can only watch at the wealthy families children who dont do anything.

    The students of Theon work hard too. Exploring magic isnt usually hard but can it really be called the unhappiness of life?

    Compared to the suffering experienced by children who are still exploited inbor and do not receive a proper daily wage, the dissatisfaction of students cannot be called dissatisfaction. Yet they do not know how to be grateful.

    They are people who can rise to a position of admiration just because they were born with the ability to use magic. Thats too much. Its unfair.

    Even if he could use magic, he always lived a life of facing death, hiding his identity.

    Hans, to those who have lived like us, most people in the world may seem as peaceful as they are in a flower garden.

    Rudger fully understood Hanss mind. Wouldnt he have felt that way?

    Nevertheless, you cannot me the children.

    The reason is simple and insignificant.

    Because the children are innocent.

    A child should not be guilty of enjoying something. It is impossible for an adult who couldnt eat anything when he was young to take a candy from a child, saying that he doesnt deserve it.

    Isnt that unseemly?

    An adult should y his role as an adult no matter what.

    Shouldnt the childrenugh?

    Adults just have to make sure that children dont live like them and point them to a better way.

 Chapter 160

    C160: Children and Adults (2)

    My goodness.

    Hans, who heard all of Rudgers words, looked nk and soon rxed his shoulders andughed.

    I think you really like children.

    Do you mean me?

    Are you going to deny that? Even though you say I shouldnt get caught, what you do is always attract peoples attention.

    It wasnt that Hans didnt know either. Rudgers various actions so far sometimes seem different from his purpose.

    He hid his identity, revealed his abilities, did dangerous things, and taught important magic freely. It was all mainly when he was involved with students.

    Considering its forced, isnt it just a teachers job? Well, Ive known for a long time that my brother cares about children very much.

    Its not because I like children. Its just a duty for me to act like this.

    Rudger couldnt do what he wanted to do in his previous life because his mothers teaching and the path he wanted to go werepletely different. Nevertheless, he did not break his stubbornness until the end, but his end was not good.

    The same was true in his present life. He couldnt even imagine enjoying something in the present life as much as he couldnt achieve in his previous life. He had to contend with death at an age when he shouldve lived in peace like any other child.

    He lived that kind of life and walked that path. Rudger just didnt want anyone else to follow in his footsteps. Hans, who knew part of Rudgers past, looked at him with sad eyes and said.

    You may not know, but its amazing that you think of others as a duty and know how to think of others. There are many people in the world who couldnt do this.

    Isnt it funny to see someone who couldnt do that and settle down with relief that hes better than someone like that?

    But everyone does.

    Yes, everyone does. But I dont do that.

    I think youre a teacher by nature. If you had lived without hiding your identity, you would have gone somewhere to teach children.

    Hans shook his head, thinking that Rudger was stubborn in this regard. Then he suddenly realized something and lifted his head.

    But isnt it a bit absurd to call the students here children?

    What do you mean?

    Students, who attend Theon, should be treated as adults already in terms of age.

    Hans point was valid. The average age of Theons students was 18. In this world, considering that you be an adult at 17, they were not children.

    There were definitely younger students, but it could have been rude to treat them as children considering that they would be almost 20 years old after the third grade.

    But arent they younger than us?

    Hey, dont you know that theres not much age difference between 5th graders and me?

    What? Hans, how old were you?

    When Rudger asked, Hansughed as if he was dumbfounded.

    Did I not tell you? Im 24 years old this year.

    .

    Rudger opened his eyes wide as if he were shocked for the first time.

    Oh, really?

    Why are you so surprised? Whats with that face?

    No, Im just Well.

    Dont apologize.

    Im sorry.

    Dont apologize!

    Rudger stared at Hans with sad eyes. Honestly, when he saw Hans, he thought he was over mid-30s even if he wasnt in his 40s but he was younger than him.

    Come to think of it, hes been calling me hyung(older brother) since we first met.

    At that time, he thought it was because he was just stronger than Hans, so he called him hyung for protocol. In the world they live, seniority is divided ording to skills, not age. He thought so, but he didnt know Hans called him brother because he was younger.

    Rudger offered his constion to Hans.

    I understand. If a person lives a rough life, he may lose a lot.

    Saying that only makes it worse! I havent aged!

    Rudger life was more than 10 times tougher than Hans, but isnt there a big difference in their appearance? From Hanss point of view, he was just about to die of unfairness.

    Considering how he lived Rudger shouldve looked like he had one step in his coffin but instead his skin was good and he was handsome.

    It was said that thedies work hard to take care of their skin to stop the flow of time but Hans realized how meaningless those words were.

    Management is not important. After all, if theyre all born with it its all natural.

    People who are strong dont look old easily even with the passage of time or if they go through hard times. The world was full of this unfair absurdity and Hans had no choice but toment inside.

    Hans, hows everything going out there?

    I didnt want to die like this, butWhat did you just say?

    Hans, who wasining to himself, btedly realized that Rudger called him.

    I asked if things were going well outside.

    Oh, theyre pretty smooth. First of all, the magazine is bing more popr now, so the outlook is bright, and the first demonstration of the musical was also held, and the response was hot.

    That day Rudger nted several seeds in a dark, damp back alley that people didnt visit. The seeds that have not rooted yet, but the possibility that will inevitablye out someday.

    Circus got a good response from people after its first sessful musical performance.

    The magazine business conducted by Old Kids was going smoothly and gradually recording arge sales volume.

    What else?

    With the Women of the ck Rose in the lead, an entire street was refurbished and turned into an artists street. They cleared out the trash and filth and changed the whole building.

    Im d its going well.

    The only thing to be careful about is that othermercial districts that have been closely watching our movements have begun to keep us in check.

    At first, people in the surroundingmercial districts were busy snorting at the behavior of the lower ss in the back alley. It was because they thought that even if they tried to do something, they would end up wasting money and time but it didnt take long for the sneer on their faces to turn into anxiety.

    The projects of the poor, which they ignored, began to expand at an unusual pace, and they felt a sense of crisis. The musical, which wasughed at, became a hit from the first performance as the magazine was sold out in an instant.

    It was clear that the street of fashion people to be openedter would be sessful if it went on like this.

    Theyre trying to keep us in check by feeding the city and the police money.

    Of course, because I was expecting this to happen in the first ce. When I showed them the permit, they shut their mouths. It was good to spend a lot of money to lobby in advance.

    However, Hans continued.

    Since then, its been a little quieter, so it seems like theyre nning something. They are not the type of persons who will stand still with just one stab.

    Just in case, warn others to be careful.

    I know, brother. Oh and thest one.

    Hans took a bottle of red reagent from his pocket and handed it to Rudger. Rudger epted naturally and no one around me noticed the secret exchange.

    This is.

    The medicine that brother brought during the werewolf incident. The analysis is over.

    It was the experimental drug obtained by sweeping all underground bases of the Shamsus School during the werewolf incident. The drug, which turns humans into monsters by diluting it and administering a small amount, was a product created by the ck Dawn Society and the Shamsus School.

    Bruna had a hard time with it. Still, well, she seeded in the end.

    Whats the result of the analysis?

    There was one magic reagent with all kinds of ck magic that stood out. They used narcotic hallucinogens from Peluma nts.

    The herb called Peluma has been used as a medicine in the past because it has an intense pain relief effect. Now, it was a material that was practically banned because it was highly addictive and had a high risk of hallucinations.

    As you know, Peluma has one famous trait that everyone knows.

    That the ce they grow is very limited.

    Yes, and there is only one ce in the Exilion Empire where you can collect Peluma, the thorn forest adjacent to Baltanung city. This nt grows only there.

    Baltanung was a nearby city adjacent to Leathervelk.

    Rudger nodded.

    If we investigate the ce, we will be able to catch the tail of a secret branch of the ck Dawn Society. If were lucky, we can find a hidden base around there.

    Ill go check it out once the business Im working on bes stable.

    Yes, its not an urgent job.

    Above all, the urgent fire that had to be put out immediately was nearby.

    I heard youve identified the First Order Esmeralda.

    Yes, I did.

    I have to ask you how it was, but looking at brothers expression, I guess it was not very pleasant?

    Rudger nodded.

    Hans and Rudger stood side by side and stared at the children who were chatting and ying with the mini golems. In that state, Rudger told Hans the truth he had found out. Esmeraldas identity and how she ended up joining ck Dawn Society.

    Huh.

    Hans sighed when he heard the whole story.

    I didnt think shed hide her identity in that way. Is it better to know even now?

    Knowing is better than not knowing.

    So, what about you?

    What about me?

    Im asking if youre ready.

    Despite Hanss point, Rudger was not able to answer hastily.

    Brother, Im asking you just in case, but are you seriously thinking about it?

    .

    I fully understand your position. You wouldnt want to have to kill your fellow teacher whom youre close to.

    Turning his head, Hans caught the scene of a peaceful festival in sight.

    Hans looked up at the sky for no reason at the sight of people happily enjoying the festival under the light. The sky was so damn bright as if it didnt notice their situation.

    Still, you know. Otherwise, brother could die.

    Thats right

    Innocent victims are bound toe out all the time. Of course, Im not trying to justify that. Thats unfortunate. But youve been through it too. Even if we are careful with cancer, there will be victims.

    And that you cant save everyone even if you try to struggle.

    At Hans words, a scene from the past was oveid on Rudgers retina. A boy was seen bleeding to death under the children ying.

    He approached slowly and raised the boys torso with both hands. The boys body, whose life was nearly lost, was as cold as ice.

    -Mr. Moriarty. My brother, please.

    The child closed his eyes at the end of the sentence. He believed in and followed him, and his dream of bing a great schr one day was blown away by the wind. Only red blood, which once proved that he was alive once, was dripping from his hands.

    Brother?

    Hans voice brought Rudger to reality. Rudger looked at his hands. His hands were not red and there was no blood on them.

    Are you okay?

    Yes.

    Anyway, this is what Im trying to say. If its something you have to do, dont hesitate. You know the unwritten rules of the people who live in our world.

    We, who live in a world of violence, always have this in our hearts.

    Its bitter, but thats the reality. If I dont kill, Ill die so I have no choice but to kill.

    Hans tried to say something to Rudger but ended up staying quiet. This gentleman always seemed strong on the outside, but he was actually more sensitive than anyone else.

    He is a man who acts like a human butcher when dealing with bad people, but cares too much about innocent people.

    Well. All of our members, including myself, see and follow your human side.

    Still, it was notfortable for him to see Rudger falling into trouble so Hans said words of support to cheer him up.

    Haha! What are you scared of? Youll do as well as you have done so far anyway!

    Hans pped Rudger on the shoulder with his palm. Patting his shoulder with too much pressure.

    Ah.

    The atmosphere quickly turned cold.

    .

    Uh, well, I didnt mean to, I justI was trying to help you because you looked down. Its.

    Hans blurted out the end of his words. Rudger ended up smirking at the sight of Hans, who was always scared and couldnt speak properly.

    I know.

    Ha, haha. As expected, right? I believed that my brother wouldnt keep it inside with this!

    More than that, Hans.

    What?

    There is also a small animal shelter here in Theon and it has a collection of endangered species, so why dont you stop by there?

    Hans broke out in a cold sweat at his words.

    * * *

    The third day of the festival had dawned and it was time for Rudger to go on patrol.

    How did I end up here?

    Tables and chairs with a white tablecloth spread out in the wide open air and even people of noble status would share a ss of wine and chat here.

    The ce he was in was an outdoor banquet hall that only authorized people could enter during the festival.

    Heh heh heh. Drinking in the daytime is also good.

    Hayrack Kadushan chuckled next to Rudger.

    And why does this person keep sticking to me?

    This is why he didnt really like festivals.

 Chapter 161

    C161: The Lumos Family (1)

    Chapter sponsored byMagnesia.Thank you for your support.

    It was no wonder that there was a separate ce for the nobles in Theon. As the Magic Festival is one of thergest festivals in the empire, various peoplee. Naturally,moners and nobles could not spend time smiling at each other in one ce.

    The barracks and academic demonstration booths on the festival streets are mainly for themon people and merchants to enjoy.

    City councilors and nobles gathered at the outdoor banquet hall and chatted among themselves. It seems unequal, but this will prevent idents, so I nodded.

    Well, rather than putting the nobles andmoners in one ce and having something happen, it would be more convenient for the people to separate the ces like this.

    It is no different from the banquet hall where high-ranking people came and talked among themselves. Rather, the level of people gathered now is much higher than then but this time I thought it had nothing to do with me.

    How did I get dragged here?

    Thest banquet was a wee party for new teachers so I had no choice but to attend but I didnt expect to go to such a ce.

    I cant help it because Im the winner of the magic duel event.

    It was just an instant event, but the response was overwhelming. Even now, there were many people who nced at me from all over the outdoor banquet hall. Its not ufortable but eyes are flying everywhere even though Im just drinking a cup of water.

    Arent their eyes too obvious?

    I answered by nodding to the old man who talked to me next to me. Its okay to watch but the real battlefield will be if theye to me. In that respect, I was now benefiting from this old man.

    Heibaek Kadushan, one of the three dukes of the Exilion Empire stood by my side, stopping the low-ranking people from approaching me.

    Well, Im grateful for what I

    I nced at the old man next to me but I dont know why he came to me.

    Its hard to read what this person is thinking.

    Heibaek is a noble family who has been in politics for decades. No matter how much I tried to analyze such a persons inner thoughts, it was difficult to understand him.

    Whether he knew what I was thinking or not, Duke Heibaek smiled and continued to say what he had to say.

    Thats how aristocrats are. Theyre busy ttering each other and being pretentious to suit their positions.

    I see.

    I dont know much, but I also agreed on this part because I sympathized very much. Its just the way I see it right now.

    For example, two men holding champagne sses over there. One was a middle-ss nobleman, and the other was a member of the House of Representatives of Leathervelk city. The gentleman was eagerly appealing to the aristocracy, and the aristocrat was listening with an interested expression.

    At first nce, the conversation seemed to be going well, but it wasnt. The truth behind it isnt that simple.

    Thats Representative Pretzel, isnt it?

    Do you know him?

    It was just that we met once at a banquet and heard his name. He wasnt an interesting person.

    He remembered that he wasnt an interesting person. Well, Duke Heibaek has attended countless banquets and he has a considerable memory even if he pretends not to.

    The nobleman listening to him is Count Rine, who is in charge of the banks finances. Do you wonder what they are talking about?

    I shook my head.

    Im not very curious. At best, the Representative is trying to persuade him to increase the budget .

    It was obvious what the member of the House of Representatives wanted from the noble. He wanted his support.

    Huh?

    He is probably trying to raise the welfare of Centerford, a wealthy neighborhood. The nobles that have private vis there are scattered throughout the Exilion Empire.

    Probably trying to win the hearts of the rich and win votes for the Centerford district. Parliamentarians always look at the votes. It was the same in the past and so its now.

    Oh, thats pretty good. Mr. Rudger is right, he actually tried to get a budget for that purpose.

    Congressman Pretzel must be amoner because he doesnt have a surname, and he, amoner, came to this position because he appealed to the general public at first and won votes. But after bing awmaker, he seemed to change his mind and pursue policies for the rich.

    You even know that?

    If you think a little deeply, youll know. But Count Lorraine, who listens, doesnt seem to be very interested.

    Count Lorraine listened with a smile, but the feeling in his eyes was nothing but boredom. He immediately saw through Rep. Pretzels intention to win the budget.

    His opponent is a member of the House of Representatives from themon people. If Count Lorraine is in charge of banking, his family must have a long history, and they wont favor themon people. Im sure hes looking down on him. Still, since he is awmaker, he pretends to listen to him for now.

    Oh.

    Rep. Pretzel is not a fool either. He knows that words wont work for Count Lorraine. He knows, but hes trying to fool him somehow. Hes going to figure out the budget somehow and put off the restter.

    Just by looking at those two people, he realized at once what kind of ce this outdoor banquet hall is, a grotesque battlefield of invisible swords.

    Its all a cheap skit.

    Thats correct.

    Duke Heibaek grinned and nodded.

    I cant believe you can figure this looking at them. Did you hear anything beforehand?

    I just watched them.

    Reasoning and analysis were skills learned when he worked as a private detective, one of his new identities, after abandoning his <james moriarty=""> status.</james>

    Private detective < Eugne-Franois Vidocq>, the first private detective in Earths history, who was a criminal butter turned into a detective. It was an alias that he borrowed because it was simr to his situation at the time.

    But dont be too harsh. Cheap skits are worth watching in their own way.

    I know. It just doesnt suit my taste.

    Sometimes you have to look at things that wont suit your taste. Especially an extraordinary person like you, youre going to be bothered by people around you. Lets see this, lets see that.

    You mean like now?

    I made a provocative remark but Duke Heibaek smiled instead of getting angry.

    No. Rather, Im close to protecting you from a troublesome lion.

    A lion is far scarier than a few hyenas.

    Was teacher looking at me like that? Well, I understand. Just to be honest with you on this asion, I dont want anything from you.

    You dont want anything? The words came out of the Duke of Heibaek mouth, but I didnt believe him.

    You dont seem to believe it but thats true. At this age, I dont live for greed and purpose.

    Then what do you live for?

    For fun.

    Duke Heibaek smiled like a viin. It was a smile full of wrinkles but paradoxically, his smile was younger and more innocent than anyone else in his position.

    When I was young, I burned myself for all kinds of passions but after I got older, I didnt have the energy to do that anymore. I cant get enthusiastic as easily as I used to be. Thats what aging is about.

    It doesnt look like it.

    It used to be more than it is now.

    Im curious about that.

    The older I get, the calmer I be in everything. Ive already been through a lot of surprising events thats why I naturally try to find stimtion. Thats now the joy of my life.

    Ive heard something simr before so I wont dismiss it as an old mans nonsense. My teacher said that often. Was it because of interest that he took me, raised me, and taught me magic?

    I guess Duke Kadushan looked like he was having fun.

    Call me Heibaekfortably. Isnt it too heartless to call me by myst name? And the answer to the question is yes. Youre a very interesting person to say this, but youre also seen as attractive to other aristocrats. Do you know that?

    Im fully aware of that.

    I knew this would happen since I was tied to the Old Tower at thest banquet. I was the creator of a new magic but nevertheless, a person who is easy to touch because he doesnt have a strong backing. Thats what they were looking at me.

    And Im fully aware of how to act.

    Youre pretty brutal. Ive felt this since the first time I saw you, but you have spirit. Thats why Im standing next to you, I also dont want the flies to bother you and cause a dispute.

    Since hes interested, well talk and he will get rid of his boredom.

    In return, he will prevent the people around from bothering me. It was a silent transaction that was made naturally even though we did not talk to each other.

    Im staying still now because I also agreed with Duke Heibaeks will.

    Yes, yes. You know something.

    However.

    ?

    If the duke crosses the line.

    I said, staring strongly at Heibaek.

    Youll see something really interesting.

    Duke Heibaeks face fell out of my words and returned to its original state.

    All right, all right. Youre too energetic, maybe because youre young.

    Im d you understood.

    Thats what he said, but I saw a momentary but fleeting smile on his face. Perhaps in a brief moment, this person must have been thinking a lot.

    Will it be really fun? But in the end he broke that desire. Hes a scary person. Ive warned Heibaek enough, so he wont bother me anymore.

    At first nce, it would seem disrespectful for me, a fallen aristocrat, to talk to the Duke in this way, but considering Heibaeks character, he was not a person to bother about it. At least he wont get angry about his pride being hurt like other people. Thats the dignity of the nobility.

    I should drink a few sses of water before I go.

    With that in mind, I was about to drink water but I saw a familiar figure, Flora Lumos. She was wearing a blue dress that suited the formalities of the banquet hall, not the Theon uniform. She had an unusually hesitant attitude.

    What is she doing here?

    I watched Flora closely. Her gaze was directed at people on one side of the banquet hall.

    Its the Lumos family.

    Of the people gathered, the most prominent is the ones in the center and Duke Caiden Lumos was leading them. Is she here to see her family?

    Maybe he noticed my gaze just in time, Heibaek opened his mouth.

    Huh? Are you interested in the Lumos family? You said that there is a child from their family among the students who take the ss, right?

    Yes.

    I nodded.

    Flora was watching her father from a distance now. At that sight, I intuitively realized what position she was in the family. It was the same with Duke Heibaek.

    Thats Flora. What a pity.

    Why?

    A child born with the best magic talent is ignored just because she is the child of a concubine. Whats more unfortunate than that?

    .

    I felt a throbbing pain in my back at his words. The old wounds I thought I had forgotten about by now.

    * * *

    Flora Lumos agonized. Should she leave the banquet hall like this, or should she still say hello face to face once?

    Yes, just this once.

    For that reason, didnt she change her clothes ande here? She has achieved so much since she came to Theon. Flora Lumos was a genius who didnt miss the top spot in her grade with her outstanding magic talent.

    Im not who I was when I was in the family. Im different now.

    Lets tell them and show them. His daughter, a child he didnt pay attention to, grew up so brilliantly.

    She believed that her father would look at her if she did so. She was walking slowly with that determination, but her legs trembled strangely. Her heart was throbbing and aching.

    Calm down.

    Flora took a deep breath. She kept her pace, staring straight at the front, without changing her expression.

    Dont be afraid.

    She was no longer the weak child of the past.

    Dont be scared.

    She has grown up to the name of the proud Lumos family and was well qualified as a member of the family.

    Dont be afraid.

    But why? Why is it so suffocating and painful?

    Flora had already reached the point where her fathers voice could be heard, as disturbing emotions crossed the wriggling space. People around her recognized Flora one by one but her father didnt even look at Flora.

    Father.

    Flora took a deep breath and tried to call her father but before that someone approached Flora, intercepting her words.

    Oh, who is this? Isnt it a half Flora?

    She smiled scoffingly at Flora.

    Oh, thats right. You entered Theon, right? No wonder I couldnt see you in the family recently?

    Katrina.

    Katrina Lumos, was Flora Lumos half-sister and a woman recognized by the family.

    Katrina frowned as Flora called her name.

    Will you stop calling my name? Its disgusting hearing my name from a dirty half-blood.

    Uh, what is it? Flora?

    A man approached Katrinas side. He was in his mid-20s with a cheesy impression and moderately long curly dark blue hair.

    Flora greeted him with the courtesy of an aristocrat.

    Long time no see. Brother Kamal.

    Kamal Lumos was the next leader of the Lumos family and the heir of the Lumos family. He smiled at Flora greeting him.

    You look good. You wouldnt have been able to talk properly in the past. Did you enjoy your academy life so much?

    .

    Oh, no. Youre closing your mouth again. You always kept silent as if you were against yourself from a long time ago.

    Flora did not reply. She knew Kamal was waiting to eat her. From her experience Flora knew she had to give in here.

    Kamal pped his tongue at Floras calm response and told his father, who was next to him, as if on purpose.

    Father, look whos here now.

    Well.

    Only then did Caiden Lumos react for the first time. His inorganic and sharp eyes turned to Flora.

    .

    Floras shoulders trembled because she couldnt feel a grain of emotion from her own flesh and blood.

    What is it?

    The voice that came out of Caidens mouth was unbelievably cold and pierced her skin like a needle.

    Flora opened and closed her lips.

    My voice is noting out.

    The hand clenching the hem of her skirt trembled. The blood drained from her hand held that it looked pale like a corpse.

    Flora couldnt meet her fathers eyes. She didnt have the courage to face that gaze that seemed to see her as a separate entity, not his child. She felt like her memory was erased and she became a nk sheet.

    I

    Why did shee all the way here? She was about to cry because she was sad for no reason. NO, she made up her mind not to cry anymore so she wore a mask to avoid showing her weakness.

    However, even such a trivialint was not allowed in this ce. It was as if everything in the world was pointing a finger to suppress her but it was then.

    A man stood between Flora and Caiden like a wall.

    Whats going on?

    Kamal frowned at the sudden interruption of the uninvited guest, and Caiden stared at him silently.

    Ah.

    Flora looked at the wide back. All she could see was the wide shoulders, a nice coat and the flowing long hair. He stood there and looked like a strong barrier that kept her safe from the world.

    As if guarding Flora, Rudger opened his mouth at Caiden, who stared at him.

    Is there something wrong with our student?

 Chapter 162

    C162: The Lumos Family (2)

    Rudger watched Flora closely. Although she is pretending to be strong, Rudger, who has a keen eye, saw at once that Flora was in a state of mental instability and steps were precarious.

    At that time, she said she came to meet her father, but she showed hesitation in meeting him.

    It wasnt until he heard the Duke Heibaek words that he realized why Flora was reacting like that.

    Flora Lumos is the daughter of Caiden, but her mother is a concubine. The absurdity of a concubines children among the nobles cannot be expressed in words. However, even considering that, because of her talent, her family would have no choice but to ept her reluctantly. It didnt make sense for Flora to react like that.

    The biggest reason for her current situation was.

    Lumensism.

    The Lumos family is the most devout Lumensist family of the three great dukes of the Exilion Empire. And Lumensism does not recognize concubine children.

    Believing in the monotheistic Lumensis, this church follows a doctrine only for humans. Therefore, they had a history of suppressing all kinds of different races. However, their arrows did not simply point at the sub-races.

    Lumensism was not a religion that insisted on human equality for the sake of human beings. The basis of their doctrine is, in the end, a division of superiority and inferiority.

    Superiority of humans and inferiority of sub-races.

    Superiority of the upper-ss citizens and inferiority of the lower-ss citizens.

    The superiority and inferiority of the fittest.

    The Lumos family fiercely follows the Lumensism religion so Flora, the concubines child, will never be recognized by her family no matter how talented she is.

    Are you still going to your father?

    Although she feared her father who would never treat her like his child, Flora wanted to be epted by her father. Even in such a precarious situation that she never knew when the mask she was wearing would break.

    She did not stop walking but it was at that moment that a girl next to Duke Caiden Lumos talked to Flora, a girl with long dark blue hair like Flora.

    Rudger couldnt hear what she was saying because he was far away. However, the expression of ridicule from her expression clearly showed that she was not saying good things.

    She looks two or three years younger than Flora, but her position is clearly revealed in her actions. She must be a child of proper descent.

    It wasnt just her sister who was picking a fight with Flora.

    Is that the next leader of the Lumos family, Kamal Lumos?

    He didnt hide his negative feelings toward Flora.

    Kamal Lumos and Katrina Lumos never recognized Flora as their own family. Flora, who heard insulting remarks from her two siblings, was very intimidated unlike her usual self.

    Soon after, Caiden Lumos looked at Flora. It was like he was dealing with someone he didnt need from the beginning and there was no emotion in his gaze while looking at daughter.

    The moment he saw it Rudger stepped out without realizing it.

    Oh, oh, hey, teacher!

    There was no time for Duke Heibaek to stop him.

    Is there something wrong with our student?

    Rudger intervened among the people of the Lumos family and said so.

    Caidens gaze toward Flora was directed at Rudger and their eyes crossed in the air. Perhaps he felt the atmosphere flowing strangely, Duke Heibaek rushed up and stood next to Rudger.

    Then Caiden Lumos mouth opened.

    Its a family affair. Mind your own business.

    Caidens eyes were cold and he spoke in a determined tone but Rudger did not back down.

    Its the issue of a student in my ss. As a teacher, I cant just watch.

    Are you saying that a teacher should intervene in a familys affairs at will?

    It didnt seem like a family affair.

    Rudgers intention, as he said, was quite straightforward. It was like saying, Is what you do really a family affair?

    !

    The nobles who were listening around were shocked but Caidens expression didnt change. Rather, Heibaek, who stood next to Rudger, looked around between Caiden and Rudger.

    Whats wrong with you?

    He thought Rudger didnt want to get caught up in other troubles, but he suddenly confronted the Lumos family.

    Is it because of the student?

    Rudger, who has been still so far, stepped up as if he was protecting Flora Lumos. Flora Lumos is one of Rudgers students. She is even an honor student who stands at the top among them.

    There was good reason for Rudger to step up.

    Even so, its simply crazy to have such a tant confrontation against Duke Lumos.

    The opponent is a duke who can be called the Great nobility. Even as a Theon teacher he will be at a disadvantage if hes hated by him. Thats why even though Heibaek teased Caiden he never crossed a certain line. Nevertheless, Rudger Chelici stood proudly in front of Caiden.

    Heibaeks gaze calmed down.

    Was he a man who cared about his students, unlike his cold appearance?

    Heibaek recalled Rudgers momentum, when he had warned him. No matter who his opponent is, he wont budge. Its just that he openly confronted a duke.

    The nobles who gathered to make connections with the Lumos family were also embarrassed. Flora is a painful issue that even the Lumos family is reluctant to talk about. It was a vague fact that anyone who was deeply involved in the Lumos family knew.

    Are you going to go against the Lumos family?

    Tsk. You must think youre something because people around you praise you.

    Most of the aristocrats clicked their tongues inside. Rudger is a man of great fame recently, but in the end he is only a fallen aristocrat. His power is iparable to Caiden Lumos.

    There was such a deep silence that someone could be heard swallowing their saliva.

    Rudger Chelici and Caiden Lumos kept staring at each other without avoiding their eyes. If they had swords in their hands, they would wield them right away.

    At that moment, the second daughter Katrina stepped up.

    Wow! Hello.

    Katrina greets Rudger with a smile. She asked, looking up at Rudger with a subtle gaze.

    Youre Mr. Rudger Chelici, arent you? I enjoyed watching the duel yesterday. It was really cool! You shoot magic really fast and use light magic.

    You are

    Oh, my. Imte to introduce myself. Nice to meet you. My name is Katrina Lumos, a legitimate sessor of the Lumos family.

    Katrina bowed politely, lifting the ends of her skirt slightly with both hands. At the same time, she even nced at Flora behind Rudger, emphasizing the word legitimate.

    More than that, Mr. Rudger, are you really Floras teacher?

    Katrina immediately showed her true colors. Her eyes, which curled like a crescent moon, turned toward Flora. There was an unbearable smile around her mouth.

    Its amazing. Flora, who was abandoned by her family and couldnt do anything, is being treated as an honor student here. I guess you dont know about people. Well, she was born with a magic talent, so much magic. Oh, you didnt know? Flora, that kid, shes half-hearted in the family.

    Katrina covered her mouth with her hand and giggled. Far from contradicting her, Flora bowed her head.

    I got caught.

    Flora wanted to hide in a mouse hole when she heard what Katrina said. The fact that she was caught by Mr. Rudger, not by anyone else, was more shameful than anything else.

    I shouldnt havee here.

    She thought it was okay now and didnt want anything else. Was it such a big mistake to wish for such a thing?

    Was it such a bad thing to at least want to be treated like a human being, if not withpassion? The tears she tried to hold back seemed to overflow again. She thought she let it go in the past, but she still had tears.

    Im an idiot.

    She thought her father would recognize her because of her talent. What a stupid wish.

    I

    Excuse me.

    Rudgers voice erased all Floras thoughts. Rudger did not respond to Katrinas words, nor did he nce at Flora.

    He was staring at others with a blunt face as usual and only spoke in a steady voice.

    Miss Katrina, are you interested in Theon Academy?

    Rudger addressed Katrina respectfully because she was an outsider, not a student. Katrina nodded to that.

    Yes, of course. I am also preparing to enter Theon next year.

    Katrina spoke confidently, spreading a second-ranked spell over her palm. It was a second-rank ice magic.

    A sharp block of ice rises on the palm of her hand in an instant. The casting speed and concentration of mana are so excellent that it is hard to see at her age. In fact, Katrina was already thinking she will win the top spot next year.

    Its a great magic.

    Ho-Ho. Its nothing much. This is a piece of cake.

    As a teacher of Theon, may I evaluate Miss Katrina?

    Yes, of course.

    Katrina readily agreed, thinking that only praise woulde out anyway but Rudgers momentum changed at that moment.

    Katrina Lumos, 10 points for poor attitude.

    What?

    Katrinas smile, which expected praises, cracked.

    Five penalty points for failing to achieve the standard for the implementation speed of the spell, 19 penalty points for insufficient skill development and 10 penalty points for thinking light about magic.

    Hold on! What the hell is that!

    Let me ask you a question. You just casted the second rank spell Ice Crystal, which consists of a total of four elements. Do you know what kind of structure it has to expand its power?

    Thats

    Did you not even analyze the structure of the spell you casted, and just followed what you were taught? Did you show that you were proud of it? Up to 20 penalty points have been added forck of understanding of magic.

    .

    Due to Rudgers momentum, Katrina failed to make a proper rebuttal. She was so dizzy from the penalty points that piled up in an instant.

    She was never treated so harshly because she is from the three great dukes of the Empire. Everyone always said nice things and ttered her.

    Theon looks funny? If youe to Theon with only that kind of skill, your ranking will only be in the middle, let alone taking the top spot.

    Rudgers face was shaded as he red at Katrina. His eyes turned to Caiden Lumos as he watched Katrina clench her teeth and her fists in anger.

    Duke Caiden Lumos.

    His eyes, which were empty all the time, were filled with feelings for Rudger for the first time.

    Rudger spoke coldly to Caiden.

    In order to be admitted to Theon, you need to re-educate your children.

    A feeling of astonishment spreads. Kadushan opened his mouth wide, and Flora, who was standing behind Rudger, also opened her eyes wide. Not to mention the reaction of Lumos followers watching around.

    Now Rudger insulted Caiden in front of everyone.

    I, I!

    One of the nobles pointed his trembling finger at Ludger.

    How dare you do that in front of!

    Did you go crazy because you were praised too much?

    A fallen aristocrat being so arrogant!

    At this opportunity, those who tried to look good to Caiden Lumos screamed and instead became angry. Rudger slowly opened his mouth, looking at them with a calm gaze like ake at dawn.

    Because she asked me to do so, I just evaluated her as a teacher of Theon.

    You cant just say anything you want to.

    Thats it.

    The aristocrat, who was furious and tried to fight Rudger right away, closed his mouth when he saw the old man who stepped forward. Heibaek Kadushan, who overwhelmed the crowd, waspletely different from when he was frivolous to Rudger.

    He spoke with a benevolent smile.

    The issue escted a lot because of the inevitable conflict of opinions. Its been a while since I had a good time, so why dont you calm down a little? Mr. Rudger, you went a little too far, too.

    I was careful.

    And you. Why are you so agitated when this has nothing to do with you?

    But!

    The middle-aged aristocrat tried to protest, but he couldnt finish his sentence.

    Stop. Thats enough.

    A magnificent voice that touched their souls restrained the nobles. The atmosphere, which was boiling like a volcano just before the eruption, quickly extinguished as if the ice age started.

    Everyone looked at Caiden Lumos with a look of anticipation for what he would do

    Did you say teacher Rudger Chelici?

    Caiden Lumos voice was calm.

    My daughter didnt know anything yet, so she was rude. Please forgive her generously as an adult.

    Rudger, who met his gaze directly, could feel it. The anger in his eyes was so hot that it seemed like it would burn him up at any moment.

    As he met his gaze, Rudger nodded his head shamelessly.

    Of course. What could be wrong with a child?

    .

    Caiden Lumos forehead was wrinkled for the first time.

 Chapter 163

    C163: The Lumos Family (3)

    The excitement has gone down.

    Caiden Lumos said so, then turned and walked away.

    Ah, father!

    His son and daughter, Kamal Lumos and Katrina Lumos, rushed after Caiden. Katrina Lumos red at Rudger and Flora standing behind him with a vicious stare before leaving.

    The nobles who followed Lumos also left with Caiden and the atmosphere that had been filled with tension was relieved as many people left.

    The spectators dispersed one by one and only Rudger, Flora, and Heibaek remained.

    Flora had been unable to make eye contact with Rudger for a while. She had no idea how to deal with Rudger now.

    Are you all right?

    .

    Flora could not answer. Originally, it was right to say thank you here. But what was she thankful for? That he protected her from her abusive family or from her father who doesnt recognize her?

    If she said thank you here it was tantamount to admitting that she was treated as an abandoned child in her family.

    Flora bit her lip.

    The teacher knows. Theres no way he doesnt know how I am.

    She knew that Rudger understood her situation.

    But Im.

    Nevertheless, it is different from saying it out directly with her own mouth because she had nothing left to protect except her pride.

    That was the only thing she held was a work made of very small and beautiful ss and she held it in her hand because it was so precious but the ss cracked and cracked at some point. What she had now in her hand could no longer be found in its old form.

    It was broken and the ss shards dug into her palm and even wounded her. Nevertheless, she couldnt let go. She had no choice but to grab stronger so as not to lose what she had.

    She hurt herself and made her palms bloody because this is the only real thing left to a girl who is not recognized by her family. So Flora couldnt say thank you or sorry.

    All she could do was to desperately put up with the overwhelming sadness. Then Rudgers soft voice rang in Floras ears.

    Go ahead.

    Towards Flora, who raised his head in surprise, Rudger turned his head and stared at one side.

    Your friend is waiting.

    He was considerate of others even in this situation, and treats them as usual.

    At the end of that gaze stood Cheryl Wagner, her old childhood friend.

    Flora

    Cheryl didnt have her usual bright smile on her face as if she knew it had already happened. She came up to Flora and examined herplexion.

    Flora, are you okay?

    Yes

    Lets go back.

    Yes.

    At Floras seemingly powerless voice, Cheryl bit her lip slightly, and bowed her head while ncing at Rudger. It meant thank you for helping her friend Flora.

    Soon after, he watched the two people moving away, and Heibaek, who was next to him,mented as if he was sorry.

    Its a pity. No matter which family you were born into, that talent would be a blessing but she was born in Lumos who believed in Lumensism and was treated like that.

    Duke Caiden, contrary to his appearance, must be a very devout believer.

    Hes so reverent that its more like madness. But the better thing for that child is that she wasnt branded.

    Rudger frowned at the remark and Heibaek nodded as if he understood.

    Lumensism brands an unclean child when he or she is born and the brand that wont disappear during their lifetime. Its a barbaric act of doing something terrible to a child.

    And even justifying it by wrapping it up as Gods will.

    But that child is not branded. If it was a guy like Caiden, it wouldnt have been strange to have her branded.

    There was only one reason for that.

    The childs mother, she desperately protected her.

    Floras mother.

    Unfortunately, she left this world.

    After all, Flora Lumos lost her mother early and was not recognized by her father.

    For that matter, her evaluation within the academy wasnt that bad.

    Since she was the child of a concubine, it would be no wonder that some noble students would confront Flora but since no one did it meant that her position in the family has not yet been revealed to others.

    The Lumos family hid it.

    The fact that she didnt get branded meant that they intended to use her for the benefit of the family. It was judged that Floras value alone would be sufficient for a political marriage with another family. Thats why there were no rumors in Theon.

    Fortunately these rumors will not spread among the students.

    Of course, looking at Katrinas actions, it wouldnt be surprising if she spread rumors in Theon right away.

    Duke Caiden wont let her.

    Even though they exchanged nces a few times Rudger figured out what kind of person he was at once. Caiden Lumos is a man who will suck the marrow of his opponent if he is useful.

    ording to his personality, he would never say bad things about Flora. Not because hes worried about his daughter but because he doesnt want the value of the tool he will use to be damaged.

    Is that Floras father?

    For Rudger, even the memory of his father was now blurred but one thing he can be sure of is that his father was definitely a good man, a person who can be a reliable support when he had a hard time.

    However, Caiden Lumos showed no goodwill toward the daughter he gave birth to, he doesnt even treat her as his child.

    Someone like that cant be a father.

    The existence of parents is more important than anything else to a child. Rudger knew better than anyone else what could happen to a child who lost his mother or father. It was for that reason that he was overly emotional. He was angry, thats why he came forward.

    Are you all right?

    Did he show his emotions with his expression?

    Im fine.

    Rudger, who changed his expression immediately, replied casually.

    * * *

    Dad, are you really going to leave that arrogant teacher like this?

    Kamal argued with Caiden, huffing and puffing to see if his anger had been relieved by what had just happened.

    That fallen aristocrat insulted my father and my sister in front of everyone.

    Right! Even in front of Flora!

    Katrina also helped.

    Caiden, who was walking in the lead, stopped. He turned his head slowly and looked back at his children.

    So, what do you want?

    Katrina closed her mouth at his voice full of irritation. However, even though Kamal was intimidated, he continued talking.

    We have to formally protest against Theon and bring Flora back into the family.

    Kamal. What do we gain from doing that?

    What? Thats the prestige of our family.

    Stupid fool.

    Caiden frowned as he stared at Kamal.

    Do you think Lumos prestige will be destroyed by just a few words from a teacher? Or do you want to say that Lumos is only worth that much?

    No!

    Then what is it? Did you want to bury that teacher there? All you can get from that is a low satisfaction that puts out the feeling of anger for a moment.

    Caiden dismissed the feelings of his son and daughter with those words.

    Of course, his behavior is obviously arrogant but as you saw, the insidious old man was with him.

    Well, thats.

    And you guys dont know, but Theon president was also watching the situation.

    She was?

    Yes.

    They didnt know because everyone was looking at Rudger, but Caiden could tell that Elisa Willow, Theon president, was watching them from a little distance.

    And if I tried to move, she would have interrupted me.

    No way.

    Kamal muttered in disbelief. He was surprised that Theon president was there, but what was more surprising was Caidens eye. In that situation, Caiden looked around from a wide perspective and calcted everything that was going to happen.

    Ha, but why is the president.

    It means that the fallen aristocrat teacher is more trusted by the president than it seems.

    Then, do you mean youre going to forget this?

    Normally, Kamal would have been convinced and given up here. However, he asked his father what he would do.

    Kamal. What did I teach you? As a man of the family, remember the words I told you.

    Lumos does not necessarily forget his enemies.

    And?

    Even if it takes 10 years, we will surely repay them.

    Yes, thats it.

    Caiden nodded, trying to grab his sons shoulder with his hand.

    Our Lumos family has not forgotten our grudges, so we were able toe up to this point. Im leaving now, but I will never forget this. Do you understand?

    Yes.

    If you know, thats fine.

    Father, what about Flora?

    Katrina, who was listening, couldnt hold back and asked. She was humiliated in front of Flora and it was unbearable for her.

    Leave Flora alone.

    Why? We should let them know right away that the failure is the daughter of a concubine.

    Then wont her value drop?

    From his words, the two siblings could clearly feel how Caiden viewed Flora. He did not see Flora Lumos as his own flesh and blood, just a good tool to use. That was all.

    Flora wouldnt have even been treated like this if she wasnt talented in magic. Knowing her fathers personality well, Katrina didnt argue any more.

    I see.

    If you know, thats fine.

    Caiden said so and took the lead again but Kamal and Katrina looked at their fathers back with respect. Still there was one thing Caiden Lumos didnt say to his children.

    The teacher.

    Caiden, who recalled Rudger staring at him, slightly opened his hand. His palms were covered with cold sweat.

    Its a dangerous guy.

    The reason Caiden didnt provoke Rudger was because of his instinctive intuition. The various experiences he had while ascending to the role of family leader and the sensibility and instinctive senses umted as a result told him not to fight Rudger so he left. Rudger had a sense of pressure that could only be felt from a king.

    But Lumos never forgets his grudge.

    A grudge must be repaid. Because it was the history of Lumos and the driving force that brought the family to this point. He, the leader of the family, felt the fact more keenly than anyone else.

    * * *

    Really. He almost got into trouble again.

    Elisa shook her head as she watched Caiden Lumos stepping down from afar with an opera ss. However, a smile lingered around her mouth, considering that she actually said so.

    As expected, youre quick-witted because youre going.

    Elisa put the opera sses on the table. Wilford, who was pouring tea next to her, asked.

    Did he?

    Duke Caiden stepped down after learning that I was watching. He realized at once that its not good for him to be emotional.

    But considering his personality, he wont forget it easily. I think hell keep it in mind for a long time.

    I suppose so. The Lumos im to be a noble eagle, but they are narrower than a snake.

    The Lumos family was one of the masters of magic, but it was their poison and obsession that made the name of the Lumos more known. The most representative example was the conflict with the Deville family.

    The Deville family was once a vassal of Lumos. However, after some kind of incident, they went under Kadushan.

    Lumos was constantly putting pressure on the Deville family to stop using the eagle emblem for 100 years. However, Veronica Deville, the current leader of the Deville family, did not respond.

    Veronica, the deputy leader of Cold Steel, used the eagle emblem openly as if she wasughing at Lumos demands.

    There is no way that duke Lumos, who is so tough, will give up easily, right?

    You look quite happy.

    Of course. Im confident in Mr. Rudger.

    Are you sure?

    I knew for sure when I saw his attitude of standing up to the Duke for his student. I can trust him properly.

    Elisa has suspected Rudger several times before. In fact, it was not only Rudger, but also other people. However, Rudger seemed particrly extraordinary, so she only kept her doubts of him for a short time.

    However, considering the various actions Rudger has made so far, he has never been a bad man. Of course, she is still concerned that this was an act in order to gain her trust.

    No way.

    No one would share a new magic with his students in order to gain her trust. And a person who acts to ingratiate himself is bound to be obvious but Rudger had no explicit appeal to others for his good deeds.

    Of course, hes a person who hides a lot of things.

    Wouldnt that make him more attractive?

    Elisha was sure that Rudger will be the center of action against the noble faction in Theon.

    So, please take care of me from now on Mr. Rudger.

    * * *

    What?

    Rudger suddenly shivered from the chill running down his spine.

 Chapter 164

    C164: A New Medicine (1)

    After the incident, Duke Heibaek also left because he had to say hello to other people.

    The strong barrier disappeared, but no one approached him. Maybe it was because he had an argument with Caiden Lumos. They wouldnt approach him, just in case they annoyed the Lumos family.

    If he knew this would happen, he would have done it earlier.

    But what was that chill just now?

    He felt like hes taken on some heavy responsibility without even realizing it.

    Im going to kill some time and get out of here.

    He looked up at the sky from a corner of the banquet hall. Just in time, a group of birds was flying across.

    What?

    Something in the sky flew toward him.

    Bugs?

    Feeling something strange, he stared still at the flying bug flying toward him. As the distance shortened, the figure was clearly visible. It looked like a white scarab, and all kinds of letters were filling it like a pattern.

    As far as he knew, there was only one person who used this kind of magic.

    Is it Sedina?

    One of Sedina Rosens specialties was origami magic. Rather than using a crystal ball for directmunication, it was a secret magic that she often used.

    The paper bug that came down on his palm soon returned to a small note and he carefully examined the contents of the note so that it would not be noticed by others.

    Hmm. This.

    The note had quite a long sentence, but this was the shortest summary of the content.

    [Currently, other orders are showing suspicious movements, centering on Second Order Joanna.]

    Joanna Lovett, Second Order and a survivor of the Great Fire of Roteng and a member of the ck Dawn Society.

    Joanna Lovett is moving? Has Esmeralda given any orders to her men?

    Thinking about it, he immediately concluded that she didnt.

    When I met Esmeralda that day, she wasnt expecting to bump into Crollo Fabius there.

    It was Joanna Lovetts job to run into Crollo Fabius in the alley that day.

    It is impossible to meet by chance. Probably Joanna Lovett acted on her own.

    The ck Dawn is a ce where hierarchies are strong but a Second Order doesnt listen to a First Order?

    There is a possibility. Joanna Lovett is a survivor of the Roteng Great Fire.

    A picture began to be drawn in his head. First Order Esmeralda moves alone for revenge only but Second Order Joanna, moves on her own even though the First Order has not given her any instructions.

    Did the two fall apart?

    He covered my mouth with one hand and agonized. In the scene seen that day, Esmeralda did not me or criticize Joanna. Its not that theyre on bad terms. Maybe its the other way around.

    The bond that those who survived the disaster that day can have.

    Joanna Lovett is probably worried about Esmeralda, so shes going to do it herself. In other words Joanna is acting on her own.

    If I do well, Ill have something to dig into.

    Even during the {Almighty Stone} incident, he vaguely felt that the ck Dawn Society was not a perfect organization. There are factions here, too, and there are even some who drag others down to climb high.

    There is a mixture of people who do things at will or those who do not follow the orders of their superiors. Its probably because there are a lot of people that were brought in purely based on their abilities. Looking closely at the iron fortress, which looks solid from a distance, it is cracked and full of ws.

    The ck Dawn Society also had its weaknesses.

    I have to be prepared. I think Ill use up a lot of mana, so Ill make more medicine.

    * * *

    Day 4 of the festival.

    Rudger visited the drug room in theb. Normally, it was a ce where entry would have been strictly prohibited, but because of the festival many people visited it and were enjoying hands-on activities.

    Pharmacy is a study that allows ordinary people to make simple drugs if they follow the instructions of experts. The very low entry barrier yed a part because only thebination and ratio of the materials were well controlled.

    Rudger visited the opposite ce, not the beginners section where the experience activities are taking ce. It was a high-level drug room where only those allowed could enter.

    As I became a teacher of Theon, I cane to these ces as I want and itsfortable.

    He can make magic recovery pills on his own, but considering whatsing, he had to use something more effective than that. To do so, better materials and more detailed tools were needed and Theon drug room had it all.

    Thats a lot.

    Rudger eximed inside as he looked at the material storage boxes that filled one wall of argeboratory. This ce was so full of all kinds of ingredients, to the extent that there was nothing missing.

    Metos leaves? Its hard to find them in the market because theyre precious, but there are so many here?

    In terms of rarity alone, it was full of valuable materials. Seeing that there were ingredients that would eat up not only money but also time to get personally, he thought it was Theon after all.

    I cant believe I can use as much as I want as a teachers privilege. I should havee a little earlier.

    Of course, it is essential to write down how many materials were used while manufacturing a certain drug. This is to prevent the possibility of stealing some materials.

    There is no need to steal anyway.

    He can use them freely, so why would he do that? After putting his name on his list, Rudger started to gather the necessary tools for making his medicine. Scale, beaker, dryer, tablet and all kinds of reaction reagents were prepared.

    If Bruna saw this, her eyes would have turned upside down.

    For an elf who likes to manufacture drugs, this ce must have looked like heaven. Rudger had such wild thoughts and arranged things in order so that they would be easy to use. Then he heard a tongue kick.

    When he looked up, there was a familiar face on the experimental table opposite him.

    Rudger Chelici, whats your business here?

    Chris Benimore looked sharply at Rudger as he didnt expect to see him here and it was the same for Rudger.

    Then what is Mr. Chris doing here?

    Dont you know when you see it? Of course, Im here to make medicine.

    Its the same for me.

    Ha. Medicine?

    Chris Benimore snorted when he heard that Rudger was making medicine.

    Pharmaceutical studies are easy to learn. However, it is based on the premise that there is a form but Rudger didnt have a recipe right now.

    Even Rudger, who is in charge of overall education in the specialized field, came to make medicine, so he justughed.

    If you want to make medicine, isnt it better to be taught by the assistants in the beginners section?

    It was a tant sarcasm that his skills would not be enough, but Rudger didnt budge an eye. Rather, he threw a question in reverse.

    Then why is Mr. Chris here?

    What does it mean?

    You must have been interested in pharmacology.

    At Rudgers words, Chris twisted his face.

    My main job is pharmaceutical science!

    Did you have a job?

    Dont you know what the Benimore family is like?

    The Benimore family has long been the greatest contributor to pharmaceutical science. In the past, they were unrivaled in manufacturing potions, so they did not miss the best position in the industry.

    I dont know.

    However, Rudger did not know that because he had no reason to pay attention to the Benimore family.

    Chris was speechless at his brazen answer.

    How dare you now, our Benimore family.

    Then why didnt you teach pharmacology?

    Chris was at a loss for words at Rudgers question.

    Why is he, the next head of the Benimore family, not teaching pharmacology in Theon?

    Well, thats.

    Chris hesitated to answer because Rudgers words pierced his sore spot.

    The Benimore family used to be famous for their pharmacology, but now the trend has changed considerably.

    This is because most of the medicines they make were mainly potions and now most of the drugs on the market are pills because they are easy to store, weigh less, and have no significant difference from potions.

    Of course, there is still a demand for potions. However,pared to the time when it maintained its overwhelming market share in the past, it was minuscule.

    Even the Benimores have basically been working on making medicine by hand. Now, with advances in science, it is now possible to manufacture drugs in much greater quantities and faster than ever before.

    It was natural that the Benimore family, who had not adapted to the times, was slowly pushed out. Thats why Chris Benimore teaches manifestation.

    Pharmacology learned from families who have not adapted to change is not helpful in Theon now. On the other hand, manifestation is a field that represented magic the most over the years, thats why he chose it.

    You dont need to know.

    Chris had no choice but to answer like that.

    Rudgers question was pure curiosity without any malice but Chris didnt think so.

    This guy. Im sure he said this to mock me on purpose.

    Regardless of Chriss intentions, Rudger nodded as if he understood and organized the ingredients.

    That guy.

    Chris stared at Rudger and was surprised because his way of handling pharmaceutical tools was very natural.

    Does he have any knowledge of pharmacology?

    It cant be. Chris shook his head and got rid of his uneasy thoughts. However, even if he didnt want to be interested, his curiosity never disappeared.

    Rudger is the man who invented the unique magic source code and the coordinate designation spell. He also heard that he recently improved the magic circle and even conducted a unique ss called the magic square.

    As a wizard, it was undeniable that he was a curious being, if not respectful and such a Rudger was making medicine now. Chris couldnt even figure out what drugs he was trying to make.

    Maybe thats why he couldnt concentrate, so he had no choice but to pay attention to Rudgers work.

    What the hell are you trying to make?

    Rudger was naturally taking the materials that filled one wall, one by one. There was no thought or hesitation in his actions.

    Chris narrowed his eyes to the boldness of not knowing the efficacy of each material.

    Is that ruble root? The efficacy is only 4th grade, but it is a grade 2 material because it is difficult to handle.

    All the ingredients he took one by one were unusual.

    From Petrasia leaves to cocoon buds. Its highly toxic, so you have to dilute it several times to use it. Did you choose that one? Are you trying to make poison to kill someone?

    All of them were reagent materials that were inherently dangerous, even if they werentpletely atrocious. Of course, assuming that the right drug is manufactured, the efficacy of the drug will be very high as the risk is high.

    All of them are for the purpose of exploding, raking, or amplifying mana.

    Using strong ingredients at once was bound to have far greater side effects than proper efficacy.

    I, there.

    Perhaps Chris wasnt the only one feeling the anxiety, so the assistant in charge of the pharmacy came directly to Rudger and spoke carefully.

    Whats going on?

    Well, the ingredients you just tookAre you going to use them all?

    Yes.

    They are both difficult to handle and have severe side effects. If used incorrectly, it will just blow up ingredients.

    It doesnt matter. I know how to handle them.

    You know how to handle them? The instructor was dumbfounded by his remark.

    Huh. Are you trying to bluff?

    But looking at Rudgers serious expression, he seemed to believe him.

    Ill just let it go. If he fails, thats it.

    Still, it was a bit of a shame to let him just use those materials, but it was not the first time some teachers used materials on their own.

    As an assistant, it was best to avoid unnecessary shes. Still, he was going to keep an eye on Rudger just in case.

    Rudger ignored the assistants gaze and brought the ingredients to the experiment table and started manufacturing the medicine.

    The assistant, who was watching the process carefully, opened his eyes without realizing it.

    What?

    It was the same for Chris Benimore, and the others who were peeping.

 Chapter 165

    C165: A New Medicine (2)

    At first, when Rudger boldly mixed all the ingredients together, those around him were astonished.

    Are you going to use them without refining them? Did you go crazy?

    The assistant, who was watching him in order to prepare for an unexpected situation, seriously considered whether to stop him or not. Then, at the moment when he vaguely took his butt off the chair, the assistant had no choice but to stop because Rudger did something more.

    Is that the polytan sap that was crushed and made into juice?

    After mixing all kinds of mana herbs together, Rudger poured polytan sap into it. Then something amazing happened.

    The poison in the mana nts Is it falling out?

    The round mana nts were submerged under the sap, and their toxicity floated on the surface of the sap.

    It was aplete separation of poison, which can be said to be the biggest danger of mana nts.

    I knew the polytan had detoxification effects, but what the hell.

    There is no way that such effects can be achieved simply with sap. It must have been a different magical process.

    Did that ingredient have that effect?

    Rudger ced dried leaves on top of the sap. Then, the toxicity floating on the surface was absorbed by the leaves and the green leaves were ckened.

    After removing all the toxins, Rudger took out the clumps of mana herbs with sterilized tongs and put them in arge bottle. The whole process was as natural as flowing water.

    Chris Benimore watched the scene as if possessed. His stare was obvious even though he was watching secretly.

    What Rudger did was something that Chris, who was knowledgeable in pharmaceuticals, could not understand. He used as many as 10 high-grade materials, herbs, and mana nts that were difficult to handle properly.

    Its definitely right to fail.

    If the mana in the herbs was to be operated in the wrong direction an explosion would have urred but what he was worried about didnt happen.

    So, did that mean that Rudger sessfully made a medicine from those countless herbs?

    No way. Obviously nothing dangerous has happened, but I dont know if it works properly as a medicine.

    At the same time, Rudger finished the tableting process of the refined medicine and made a perfect pill.

    Chris stared at the medicine to check its surface. Properly made pills have a smooth and even surface, but in the case of failed pills, the surface is usually uneven or cracked. However, the pill made by Rudger was so neat that it was called perfect.

    Sess. He did it?

    Did he make it right with those dangerous ingredients?

    In addition, as if to prove that it was not an ordinary medicine, there was a subtle glow of magic in the translucent pill. Chris, who was about to ask how he made it, barely endured it, his pride wouldnt allow it.

    Come to think of it, the pills that he took were not sold on the market either.

    Did he make all the pills himself?

    He made his own medicine from scratch?

    What is this?

    The assistant, who couldnt hold back his curiosity, approached and asked. The same was true for the other people who were quietly immersed in research around them as they waited for Rudger to answer.

    Its a pill to restore mana.

    May I check it out?

    Here you go.

    The assistant, who immediately tried to find out the effects of the mana recovery pill, had no choice but to stop at Rudgers dissuasion.

    If you try to use it carelessly, youll suffer from mana overflow.

    What?

    In order to restore mana, other effects were not considered at all. I have only eliminated the toxicity that is fatal to the human body.

    If an ordinary wizard eats, they will suffer from mana overflow. Even if they eat with all their mana depleted, it will be hard to withstand the overflowing power.

    The assistant, who heard the warning, looked incredulous. It is true that Rudger used a mixture of dangerous mana nts, but he was relieved the pill worked.

    It was then that Chris, who was watching the situation, stepped up.

    Hes right.

    Sir Chris Benimore?

    Chris came here often, so he was acquainted with the assistant. The assistant seemed quite flustered, as if he had not expected Chris Benimore to defend Rudger.

    Even if you estimate only with the ingredients in it, it will be enough to break the body that has run out of mana. If you do something wrong, the whole bodys mana nervous system will burn.

    You saw it right.

    Hmm. I can tell at a nce what a dangerous pill it is.

    Even if the loss rate of ingredients in the drug is close to 80 percent or more, the remaining 20 percent is enough to destroy the body.

    Effectiveness, risk and efficiency, it was an extreme drug that maximizes only one effect and ignores other factors. Even if the poison from the nts was removed, the pill is more dangerous than the poison. Thats the kind of medicine Rudger made.

    Are you going to kill yourself?

    Then I wouldnt have made this much.

    Then what is it? You really made it to use it?

    Is there any reason why I cant?

    Chris had a strange feeling at Rudgers words. From his actions and tone he didnt seem to be bluffing.

    Are you serious?

    He knew that Rudger usually suffers from ack of mana because he happened to find him taking medicine at the banquet hall that day. He didnt know if it was a chronic disease or something else, but Rudger was no longer trying to hide this fact.

    He didnt have to because it was already out anyway.

    Even so, it cannot be normal to use such drugs.

    It was not just because of the mana overflow. Even high-ranking wizards couldnt withstand such strong medicine. No matter how strong Rudger is, there is no way that he canpletely digest the drug effect.

    Or, the amount of mana used is ridiculously high.

    If mana is water contained in a water tank, the discharge amount is a passage through which the water is extracted. Of course, the first thing a wizard requires is a certain amount of mana. If they dont have enough mana, they wont be able to properly use the magic they want to use. But the second important thing, of course, is emissions.

    Even if you have a vast amount of mana if your emission is low you wont be able to use your mana properly. If only one bucket of water can be pumped at once from a vast reservoir, that much water is virtually meaningless.

    However, if a wizards emission is high, he can y his role as a wizard.

    As a wizard, it is better to be someone who has 5 mana and can use 3 than have 10 mana and use 1.

    However, normal wizards emit less than 10% of their maximum mana no matter how high their emission is.

    However, since emissions can be increased through training like human muscles, skilled wizards can increase output. Considering all that, emissions are hard to exceed 20% of the total mana.

    Sometimes there are people with more than 30% emission in unusual cases, but such cases are few enough that can be counted.

    He can do that? No way.

    However, he realized from watching the duels that Rudger has a significantly higher emission than others. He didnt know what chronic disease he had, but he knew that Rudger was alwayscking mana.

    But that medicine was too much.

    Assistant. I think Im done checking. Do you still have any questions?

    Oh, no.

    Realizing that he could no longer ask Rudger anything, the assistant returned to his seat. But he couldntpletely suppress his curiosity, so he kept staring at him.

    Chris nced at the people around him and spoke so that only Rudger could hear him.

    Is it because of a chronic disease that you need to take medicine regrly?

    Rudger, who was putting the created pill into a suitable vial, looked at Chris, wondering what that meant.

    The need to continuously restore mana means that mana is being consumed in real time. I have never heard of such a disease.

    Youre probably right youve never heard of it.

    In the first ce, it was more of a constitution problem than a chronic disease so Chris wouldnt know.

    Im surprised that Mr. Chris is curious about this.

    Why?

    Didnt you use that trick in the duel in the first ce to aim for this?

    .

    At Rudgers point, Chris was briefly speechless.

    Do you feel any sympathy now?

    I know you wont believe it anyway. But let me tell you in advance, it was Hugo who made the proposal first.

    Chris was right to inform Hugo that Rudger was taking medicine. However, Chris never thought he would secretly enter the teachers office and steal the medicine. Chris, who is proud of himself as an aristocrat, didnt like that very much.

    Whoa. I know. After all, its all an excuse.

    He didnt expect Hugo to make Devian do such a thing. Perhaps the problem was that he informed him of Rudgers weakness.

    I wont say Im not at fault. I may not have intended it, but I did something that was not aristocratic.

    Chris readily admitted his mistake after realizing he had done something unbing.

    To be honest he still hated Rudger. At first, he was angry that he took away the specialized field he was going to teach.

    A fallen aristocrat threatening his position was a sensitive fact to Chris, because his family was already declining.

    An insolent fallen aristocrat was Chriss assessment of Rudger but he changed his mind while watching him.

    Rudger is a fallen aristocrat who did not cling to his family and ignored Hugos proposal. He was contrary to himself, who tried to maintain the power of his family by increasing his connections with the nobles.

    He invented a new magic and taught it to his students. It was the opposite of himself who never wanted to reveal his familys secret.

    When the students were in danger during the werewolf incident, he took the initiative and dealt with him. It was the opposite of himself who was deceived by Hugos im that the culprit was a student.

    Rudger was Chris opposite and each of his actions touched Chris. He didnt want to admit it, but he had to. He was unseemly jealous of this guy.

    Take it.

    Chris couldnt bring the words out of his mouth, so he threw a reagent bottle at Rudger. Rudger, who lightly grabbed the bottle in the air, looked at what it was.

    It`s a special medicine of our family. If you take the pill you made, youll get sick, so itll be better if you take them together.

    Chris, who said that, clicked his tongue, feeling embarrassed for no reason.

    Are you really giving it to me?

    Then, are they fake?

    I didnt see you as someone who would give things so easily.

    Are you picking a fight?

    Its pure admiration.

    Hmm. No matter what, Im from the Benimore family.

    The Benimore family has made medicine since ancient times. Medicine to cure people and medicine to cure diseases. Even though they were behind the times, what they wanted was dedication to people. Thats why Chris readily gave the drug to Rudger.

    No matter how jealous and hateful he may be, if the person is sick, he will dly give him medicine.

    Ill tell you, I havent epted you yet but Im not the type to let people do such crazy things.

    Rudger stared at Chris with an unexpected look. He understood how precious the medicine Chris gave him was.

    Mana stabilizers are expensive and precious.

    Its a medicine thats close to a cure that puts out the urgent fire for a wizard whos experiencing mana overflow. The ingredients are different and expensive because it is a product only for wizards, not for ordinary people but Chris Benimore readily handed it over.

    At least he isnt a noble who only built his pride.

    Of course, the image of Chris Benimore was still that of an unlucky aristocrat but at least he looked a little more like a real aristocrat than any other aristocrat.

    Since you gave it to me, it would be rude to refuse. Ill use it well.

    When Rudger carefully packed the medicine bottle, Chrisughed and said nothing. Still, he seemed satisfied in his heart.

    As Chris was about to make his own medicine, he had no choice but to question Rudgers unexpected behavior.

    What are you doing now?

    Rudger was drying the leaves that sucked the poison of the mana nts and breaking them into small pieces.

    Why not collect the crushed powder and carefully sweep it away?

    Isnt it a waste to throw it away?

    Chris was speechless at the sight of Rudger answering in a dull tone.

    Do you know how dangerous it is?

    I know.

    What?

    And actually this is the real deal.

    .

    Rudger is now nning to use even the toxicity from that lump of mana nts without throwing it away.

    Chris first felt something other than irritation at Rudger. It was pure wonder.

 Chapter 166

    C166: Preparations for Battle (1)

    Rudger came out of theboratory and moved towards his next goal. As he left, Chris Benimore and the pharmacy assistant looked at him with astonishment, but Rudger ignored them lightly.

    After seeing a total of 20 blue pills, Rudger was satisfied with the result.

    I owe it to Bruna.

    The magic recovery pills he made were created with the knowledge of Bruna. Although entric, the elf Bruna is a pharmaceutical specialist with extensive knowledge of all kinds of medicinal herbs.

    She was able to make this kind of medicine because she was more capable than a wizard or alchemist who majored in pharmaceutical science.

    She warned me not to use it as much as possible because its dangerous.

    Rudger had to make something like this just in case.

    Should I look for someone to handle things next time?

    Of course, he had already thought about that. Rudger quickly organized his future affairs in his head.

    First order Esmeralda will move to kill Crollo Fabius on thest day of the festival.

    But she was only going to move alone, thats why Joanna Lovett was making a separate arbitrary move.

    Since I have a chance, I have to do something.

    He didnt know what Joanna Lovett was thinking, but it wouldnt be a normal thing to see members gathering together. If there is a problem, big or small, it will be troublesome for him, too. So he was thinking of uprooting it before it became a problem.

    However, they are divided into two teams and preparing separately.

    He could either get rid of Esmeralda before she was going to face him. However, the other side is so far away that it is practically impossible to see her hand.

    Rudgers top priority was First Order Esmeralda. He had no time to deal with the Second and Third Orders.

    Theres no chance unless its thest day of the festival.

    If he misses this opportunity, he never knows when the next one will be. Therefore he had to deal with Esmeralda but also needed someone to take care of her subordinates.

    Of course Rudger knew the right person.

    Aidan.

    Aidan, who uses anti-magic, will be able to suppress them. Of course, entrusting work to students was fraught with anxiety in many ways.

    However, it is even more dangerous to leak information to other teachers or Theon.

    Rudger did not want to show his tail. If the tail was long, it would be trampled on but it was in a situation where he had to take risks.

    With Aidans skills now, he can easily deal with the ck Dawn Societys members disguised as students.

    Of course, he wouldnt take such a gambler if Aidan was alone.

    Aidan had reliable colleagues. Tracy Friad, who is a fallen aristocrat but has an outstanding talent for magic Leo, who is amoner but has a smart brain and is quick-witted and the newly added blood of Suin tribe leader, Iona O Valley.

    Leo is a reasonable person so they wont rush in blindly with him as a safety device.

    If Aidan is a runaway tank with a sense of justice, Leo is a brake that can effectively stop it. Can it be more perfect if they make up for each others shorings?

    Rudger stopped walking because he could see the dormitory building where male students lived.

    Rudger, who looked at the window from the outside, took a note out of his pocket. Leos room was on the 4th floor.

    The paper on Rudgers palm was covered in shadow and disappeared but it appeared in front of Leos room on the 4th floor of the dormitory.

    Hes a smart guy so hell take care of it with the information written there.

    Rudger immediately took out a smallmunication device and plugged it into his ear.

    Hans, can you hear me?

    Yes.

    Whats the state of Crollo Fabius now?

    [Ive been watching, but hes quietly locked in his room.]

    Rudger left Hans to watch Crollo. It was to prevent him from acting as unexpectedly like thest time. Fortunately, so far, he has not been causing much trouble.

    Maybe hes in a state of half desperation.

    Hed appreciate it if Crollo stayed put. There would be one less thing to worry about.

    Whats left is waiting for tomorrow toe.

    The sun was setting over the sky before he knew it and the battle would take ce tomorrow evening.

    Lets do it.

    * * *

    Its boring.

    Leo walked leisurely down the hall of the dormitory.

    I looked around because it was a festival, but it wasnt very interesting.

    For Leo, who prefers to be quietly alone, the atmosphere of the festival waspletely opposite to his wishes. So Leo was on his way back to the dormitory after walking around in moderation.

    Its been 4 days, so this festival will end tomorrow. Until then, I can spend some time reading books in my room.

    It was obvious that Aidan would bother him on thest day, but it was something to think about then. Leo, who arrived at his room with that thought, narrowed his eyes when he found the paper that fell in front of the door.

    What is this?

    He picked up the paper and immediately looked around. There was no one around, and there was no sign of anyone passing by.

    I dont think anyone dropped it by mistake.

    Leo thought so and nced at the contents on the paper.

    This is

    Leos expression changed in an instant and his bored expression flew away.

    If whats written here is true.

    Leo went straight into the dormitory room just in case anyone saw the note. He sat in front of the desk and read the contents on the note several times to confirm that he was not mistaken.

    This is a big deal.

    Evildoers have infiltrated the academy, and they are nning something on thest day of the festival. If it was someone else, he would think it was someones bad joke, but Leo didnt.

    Ive been constantly receiving information that there are suspicious people inside the academy.

    He didnt know who sent this, but at least it wasnt written as a joke.

    Leo thought calmly.

    The person who handed this information ispletely anonymous and cannot be identified. The next question was why was it sent to him?

    No way

    Leo, leaning on the back of the chair, opened his eyes wide.

    Do you know who I am?

    Leo hurriedly changed his posture and read the contents of the note again with trembling hands. In the written words, the movements of the people hiding in Theon were written in detail.

    At first nce, it seems to be just conveying information to him but Leo realized that another meaning was hidden in the words.

    I know who you are.

    The person who sent me this note is telling me that.

    Thats why this valuable information was sent to him. The other party knew that he was a special intelligence agent belonging to the Liberation Army.

    Leo clenched his teeth. Aside from how they found out his identity, he became angry at the fact that the other party was so tantly trying to take advantage of him but at the same time, he was afraid.

    Hes a scary person. Rather than revealing who I am, hes trying to use me.

    Soon, his fist rxed and heughed.

    Yeah. This is my karma after all.

    Leo, of course, didnt like his role. It was because the Liberation Army forced him to join them and gave him this position. In the end, it is him who was shaken by affection and failed to reject their dangerous proposal.

    The Liberation Army did not want to miss Leo, who was amoner talented in magic. They coaxed his acquaintance into the Liberation Army, and threatened him with half a hostage. In the end, it was Leo himself who lost.

    Damn them. What is liberation for themon people?

    Leo hates the aristocracy. However, he also doesnt sympathize with the Liberation Army, which is indiscriminately terrorizing everyone.

    Liberation for themon people? Then how could they not hesitate to oppress the samemoner?

    Therefore, Leo had half a distrust of human beings, and he had no intention of getting close to anyone in Theon until he met Aidan.

    Yes, no matter what, if this information is true, and if the other persons intention is to send this information to me.

    He had no choice but to follow for now.

    But Ill find out who you are.

    Leo stormed out of his room. Since he found out about this, he was going to have a conversation with Aidan. Whats important is how to tell Aidan this issue.

    I can say that I discovered this by chance and make him tell the teachers naturally.

    Leo nned the whole process in his head.

    Just in time, Aidan was seen in the distance. Was he also looking for him?

    Aidan, who ran as soon as he saw him, shouted before Leo started talking.

    Leo! I just found a suspicious person!

    What?

    Feeling uneasy about Aidans words, Leo asked calmly.

    Tell me whats going on.

    Yes!

    Aidan exined to Leo what he had just gone through.

    There was a suspicious person, so he secretly followed him, and there was a meeting, and he overheard the conversation they were secretly having.

    Oh? This.

    Leo, who listened to Aidan, had no choice but to feel something strange.

    Its the same as the note in front of my room.

    Aidan, apparently, has already discovered an unidentified organization.

    Leo, what shall we do now?

    Looking at Aidan, who is torn, Leo felt like a fool that he worried until a while ago and realized again that he attracted events too often.

    * * *

    In the dark moonless night a woman opened her eyes quietly. Her red eyes glistened in the darkness.

    Its night.

    She had an old dream while she was asleep about the nostalgic scenery of that day. Beautiful flower beds and green meadows, fun stories from the wind and people who have always smiled and her mother, the nun that raised her.

    She had nothing to be ashamed of. The world was so beautiful and warm that there was nothing more she wanted but that happiness was brutally trampled on by an aristocrat.

    Agh! Help me!

    Please! Please like this child!

    -Mom! Where are you?

    In the zing fire, peoples screams resound. A reckless massacre wasmitted solely for the sole reason that they tried to oppose him.

    The nightmare of that day, no matter how hard she tried to forget it, continued to haunt her mind.

    Because of you.

    This wouldnt have happened if you just quietly left town.

    I shouldnt have epted you!

    The resentment of the dead poured a curse upon her as she vomited her blood. The people in her dreams were staring at her with tears in her eyes and countless voices resounded in Esmeraldas head.

    It was the nun who raised her, a middle-aged woman who treated her like her daughter. She was opening her mouth trying to say something but every time Esmeralda covered her ears. She didnt want to hear that her mother resented her.

    -  !

    -!

    She was still living in hell and had to finish her revenge in order to get out.

    Now, this is thest time.

    Esmeralda curled up and said in a trembling voice. Killing Crollo Fabius tomorrow night will end her revenge.

    Since the Roteng Great Fire, Esmeralda has only moved for revenge. She had to kill everyone that burned the town. She must take revenge on the man who caused her grief.

    She had to convey the pain of loss to him.

    However,

    Should I?

    Each time she killed, her hatred grew out of control, and the more she killed, the more her pitiful victims were. The power of her hatred was beyond her control and caused an unintended disaster.

    The more she acted, the more her heart was broken. Esmeralda was an Elementalist, so she could feel her soul being corrupted by her vengeance.

    It would be dangerous if her soul broke, because she wouldnt be able to go back to the past. The memories of her past werebined with innocence and created a personality.

    Selina.

    A poor child who still retains her innocence, unlike her who has changed now and the personality that she has created with half her soul.

    Selina knew nothing but when she fell asleep the monster opened his eyes and went around killing people but she didnt want her to see that.

    Selina is the image of her innocent days that she cant see anymore so she wanted to keep her clean. But sometimes, very asionally, Esmeralda felt envious of Selina.

    Very often, Im jealous of you.

    In fact, Esmeralda herself wanted to live like in the past more than anyone else but the contract with Zero Order made it impossible.

    [I will help you take revenge on the Fabius family and when your revenge is over youll do as Imand.]

    That was the offer Zero Order made when they recruited her and because she was mad with rage she epted.

    Would it be better to run away now?

    Now that madness didnt invade her reason. Now, while still remaining sane, she may have the opportunity to give up on her revenge and quietly disappear while turning her back on everything.

    She was sure she could start a new life. Not like before, but maybe

    [Esmeralda.]

    !

    Esmeralda trembled at the me rising in the dark.

    [Are you going to stop taking revenge? Are you going to leave the man who killed us all alone?]

    The zing hands gently smoothed her shoulders and Esmeralda felt goosebumps running down her spine. A terrible energy was seeped into her body by the mes.

    [We need to avenge ourselves. Because of you.]

    -Youre a good kid, arent you?

    Esmeraldas trembling body stopped at those words. A stream of tears ran down her cheeks under her red, out of focus, eyes.

    Yes

    Madness engulfed reason and a smile formed around Esmeraldas mouth, which had been expressionless.

    I have to take revenge.

    Esmeralda smiled vacantly. Just like when she was called the Witch of Fire that burns everything to death.

    * * *

    Thest day of the festival hase. People enjoyed the festival more diligently as if they did not want to leave regrets for the Magic Festival.

    Theon also prepared a grand fireworks disy on thest day of the festival to give everyone unforgettable memories.

    Thest stage of the magic festival was a ck sky covered by fireworks and people were already waiting for the big event toe.

    Thats a lot.

    Rudger, who was standing at the top of the spire that overlooked the festival scene muttered.

    All of these people were going to have happy and joyful memories but that light-filled street wasnt where he was supposed to go. His objective was a dark street where only dim street lights exist, a dark street to which no one pays attention to. Thats where he was going to be today.

    [Brother, they moved.]

    I got it.

    Aftermunicating with Hans, a ck shadow enveloped his body and he disappeared.

 Chapter 167

    C167: Preparations for Battle (2)

    Crollo Fabius was locked in a room and trembled. Eventually, the day came. The day the Witch of Fire promised to kill him.

    Where the hell is he now?

    Rudger, who said he would help him, was not seen. No. Was he even trying to protect him in the first ce?

    Come to think of it, he didnt even leave the means to contact him.

    Crollo trembled at the sudden rush of anxiety.

    What if Ive been tricked?

    What if Rudger didnt intend to help him from the start? But he certainly seemed to have a purpose for the Witch of Fire. Then at least hell deal with the Witch of Fire but that didnt guarantee his safety.

    The thought just urred to him and it became certain the moment he heard a hum from afar.

    Agh!

    At the sound of the song that always resounded in his nightmares, goosebumps grew all over Crollos body.

    The witch came to kill him.

    Oh, where are you? Where is he?

    Crollo tore his hair and shouted to himself. Meanwhile, her singing voice gradually grew louder. It means only one thing. His death was approaching.

    Is this the end?

    In such a desperate moment a mouse appeared in front of Crollo Fabius.

    * * *

    Esmeralda walked slowly down the dark and quiet street with no one around. She shook her ck hair in the darkness where even the moonlight was not visible. Her bouncy steps were light and cheerful as if she was a person who went out for a walk.

    Before long, she stopped at the front of the dormitory where Crollo Fabius was staying. Esmeralda raised her hand and knocked lightly on the door.

    Knock knock. Can you hear me?

    She asked, but no answer came from within.

    Esmeralda, who had been agonizing for a while, pulled the door handle.

    What?

    The door, which she thought would be locked tightly, opened too easily. Did he give up? Or is he going to beg for his life?

    No, no.

    How long has she been waiting for this day and to end this?

    Esmeralda entered the house, holding back her slowly rising anger.

    The room was so messed up that she couldnt believe someone lived here.

    I thought he would get worse.

    She was going to give him death after pushing him to the limit. However, looking at the traces of the room, he was pressured more than expected.

    Esmeralda was beginning to get annoyed and started looking at the room, wondering why she couldnt see Crollo Fabius.

    Where is he? He should be here.

    Then a sound was heard from afar and a cruel smile appeared around Esmeraldas mouth.

    Hmm. Thats how it should be. Do you think its more fun if you struggle like that?

    The scenery beyond the window was so dark that she couldnt see anything, but Esmeralda saw the back of Crollo Fabius, who was hurriedly running away clearly.

    Ahahaha.

    Esmeralda smiled happily and followed him.

    * * *

    In a dark forest far from the festival site four men and women were moving cautiously.

    Aidan, what the hell are you going to do?

    As the end of the festival was approaching, Tracy kept grumbling in disbelief that she was in a ce like this.

    I dont know if its true that there are really suspicious people in the first ce.

    Be quiet because there are or you can leave.

    What?

    Leosments made Tracy angry and in the end, Aidan had no choice but to mediate.

    Shh. Stop it, both of you. We might get caught at this rate.

    Aidan, if what you said is true, we shouldnt be here.

    Tracy brought up a legitimate argument.

    Aidan confided to everyone that he had witnessed some suspicious people, thats why the four of them were moving now but Tracy wasnt very happy about this.

    This is too dangerous.

    She was worried.

    If there were suspicious people gathered thening here its like entering a tigers den.

    Cant you just tell the teachers?

    Thats

    Aidan also hesitated because he was worried about that, but Leo quickly stepped up.

    Will the teacher believe us?

    At Leos point, Tracy replied indifferently.

    What? Theres no guarantee that they wont believe me.

    So, who are you going to tell? Miss Merylda? Or Miss Selina? If not.

    Mr. Rudger Chelici?

    He didnt bother to mention his name, but everyone kept their mouths shut up. Leo was sure that Mr. Rudger would be of great help but he is not a person thats easy to talk to.

    Leo continued.

    We found out about this unintentionally. Say youre letting the teachers know, theyll ask right away where we found out about this. How did that happen?

    Aidan happened to be.

    Tracy closed her mouth as she tried to speak.

    Yes, its a coincidence. Will the teachers believe we just happened to know?

    Are you saying that we, too, have no choice but to be suspected?

    We should have told them earlier if we wanted to tell. We came all the way here and if we tell themter well also be suspected.

    It wouldnt be a dangerous situation, but it was certain that their academy life would be affected.

    Now we have to prove our innocence or just pretend not to know and go to the festival.

    Thats not allowed.

    Aidan said firmly.

    The meeting of a suspicious organization was not something he could ignore.

    Leo shrugged his shoulders, saying he knew it, and asked Tracy with an expression, What are you going to do now?

    Tracy bit her lips and hesitated to answer. In fact, she also wants to make contributions but she doesnt want to take risks.

    But its during the festival.

    Tracy wanted to properly enjoy the first Magic Festival in a long time. She even promised to watch fireworks with Aidan but now, she is chasing suspicious people through the dark bushes.

    Tracy looked at Iona with a look of asking for help. She, who had been following silently so far, looked at Tracy and tilted her head and responded that she did not understand why Tracy looked at her with that kind of look. Iona didnt think much in the first ce.

    Ah! Yes! Okay! You can do it!

    Eventually, Tracy, who gave up, squatted down and huffed while Leo breathed a sigh of relief inside when he saw her.

    Have I passed the hurdle?

    If teachers were called here, the situation would escte. It was a little forced, but he was d that he seeded in persuading them.

    I dont know who gave me the information, but he wants things to be done by me.

    Otherwise, he would have distributed information to Theon as well.

    The fact that he only informed him means that he will wait and see what he will do.

    I feel like Im being tested.

    However an unidentified opponent held the reins so he had no choice but to follow.

    Aidan approached Tracy, who was squatting and asked carefully.

    Tracy, are you okay?

    I dont know!

    Aidan couldnt understand why Tracy was suddenly angry and Leo, who was watching the scene, tapped Aidan on the shoulder.

    Good luck.

    Huh? Huh? What does that mean?

    If you dont know, thats fine. Anyway, I think its about time.

    As soon as Leo finished speaking, the bushes moved a little and people began to appear one by one.

    Aidan and his group hurriedly lowered their bodies.

    Before they knew it, about 10 people gathered in one ce and began to talk about something.

    Everyone, are you ready?

    Yes, everything is ready. Now is the time when the festival is in full swing.

    Then lets go. Everything is for Dawns sake.

    Hearing their conversation, the four of them stared at each other with heavy eyes.

    Aidan nodded and said carefully in a low voice.

    Lets go.

    * * *

    Rudger moved quietly in the dark. He was so stealthy as if a shadow was crawling on the floor. There were no people on the street, but even if there were, they wouldnt have been able to find him.

    Hans, whats the situation now?

    Rudger, who was moving fast in the shadows, asked Hans and the answer came right back.

    [Crollo Fabius is running away]

    Where is he heading?

    [First of all, Im using mice to guide him to a ce where there are no people. Im thinking of guiding him into a deserted warehouse.]

    What about Esmeralda?

    [Shes following him calmly. Fortunately, she seems to be enjoying this situation and wants to y with her prey slowly.]

    Hans was watching the situation in real time while speaking with Rudger.

    Crollo Fabius was running away panting like a man who encountered a ghost and Hans was controlling the mice that were guiding him.

    Whenever Crowe Fabius tried to escape to a ce where there were people, a fireball came and blocked his way.

    Kyahahahaha!

    Crollosplexion became pale and tired at the creepy screams that flowed out as the mes exploded.

    Watching the scene, Hans felt the back of his neck wet with cold sweat.

    [Shes really stimting Crollos trauma by leading him how she wants to.]

    It means she doesnt want to kill him right away.

    [It looks like it]

    I see.

    Rudger said so and cut off themunication.

    Thats what I expected.

    Esmeralda had no intention of killing Crollo Fabius immediately, nor did she want to be noticed. The reason was that she deliberately led Crollo to another ce, because he was trying to run away to a ce with a lot of people.

    Esmeralda is trying to keep things quiet.

    At least she didnt mean to kill anyone like a lunatic.

    The reason she summoned Quasimodo at the banquet hall that day was because she thought she wouldnt be able to kill Crollo Fabius another time.

    It must have happened out of impatience. However, that action eventually alerted Crollo Fabius and helped to make him suffer. Thats why shes moving with more leeway now.

    Then, lets clean up the troublesome ones first.

    Rudger, who melted in the shadow, suddenly appeared in the center of the forest path. After releasing the [Aether Nocturnus] around him, he arranged his clothes and walked slowly toward the inside.

    He heard a loud noise in the distance. Though invisible to the naked eye, Rudgers sharp sense caught the people there.

    He took the pocket watch out of his chest and checked the time. By now, Aidans party would be dealing with the remnants of the ck Dawn Society on the other side.

    The students are capable children, so there will be no problem.

    He gave Leo the information because he knew theyll be fine. Otherwise he would have contacted the other teachers in advance.

    Who is it?

    Someone beyond the bush found Rudger and shouted. In the first ce, he approached them openly, so they discovered him.

    Rudger smirked at them.

    What are you doing here?

    Enemy!

    The other person, who did not recognize Rudger because it was dark, shouted reflexively and everyone took out their weapons.

    Youre quick-witted.

    But before that, countless ropes sprang out of the shadows under their feet and tied their bodies.

    Unauthorized gatherings within Theon are prohibited.

    Ugh!

    They tried to shout, but their mouths were blocked and they couldnt even scream.

    There were 11 people and all of them were infiltrators.

    Is Joanna Lovett not here?

    Then shell be where Aidan is.

    Joanna Lovett is a Second Order so even if she came to Theon as a student, she will have excellent skills but that doesnt matter.

    After confirming that all 11 infiltrators had been subdued, Rudger took a piece of paper out of his pocket. It was the blue business card from Casey Selmore.

    Rudger tore it in half and as if proving that it was not an ordinary item, the torn business card turned into water and scattered like bubbles in the air.

    Less than a minute after the signal was sent, the reaction came.

    The smell of water came from afar, along with the sound of rushing water. Soon waves glided through the bushes and on top of the waves stood the sky blue-haired Casey Selmore.

    Huh? This.

    Casey got off the water and was puzzled by the scene.

    Im here. Who are these people?

    They are the ones who dared to sneak into Theon and set up a plot.

    I see! Not.

    Casey stared at Rudger with a slightly questionable stare.

    Did you call me for this?

    He knew shed wonder, too, so Rudger sprayed the bait he had prepared for this.

    These guys call themselves the ck Dawn Society.

    .

    There was a sharp glow in Casey Selmores eyes.

 Chapter 168

    C168: The hottest festival (1)

    Is that true?

    Despite the feeling of numbness in his skin, Rudger remained expressionless but inside he was satisfied. He reconfirmed that the hounds teeth are very sharp.

    Yes, I overheard them talking. I didnt know exactly what it was for, but I knew the name of the organization.

    Rudger exined the situation and asked naturally.

    Do you know them?

    To some extent.

    Then it will be easier. Please take care of the mess.

    At that, Casey was stunned to realize what purpose Rudger had called her for.

    Hold on! Did you just use my business card for cleaning up?!

    Wasnt it you who told me to call you if I needed help in the first ce?

    Thats.

    At Rudgers point, Casey blurted out the end of her words.

    Thats right. In fact, she asked Rudger to call if he needed help when she gave him her business card. The business card she handed him was like a promise to help only once. However, she never imagined that he would call her for such a trivial thing.

    Casey, who had mumbled her lips a few times, said as if protesting.

    You couldve used it for something more important.

    If someone else had received the same business card, they would have thought a lot about where to use it.

    This is important enough for me.

    But Rudger did not.

    He only caught a suspicious group, and called Casey to be in charge of cleaning up. As it was herself who promised to help, Casey couldnt think of anything to refute.

    Oh, I see. But did it have to be me? If you found a suspicious group during the festival, it would be better to call Theons people.

    It was a sharp question, but Rudger, who had thought of it in advance, answered it easily.

    Its because of the festival.

    What?

    I dont want to ruin the atmosphere by letting others know.

    Ah. Are you sure you called me to keep it quiet?

    I dont intend to hide this incident. However, there is no need to immediately inform them that it has happened during the festival. So we have to deal with things quietly right now.

    Casey looked at Rudger with an unexpected look. The choice of the man who is as cold as an ice mountain in the north surprised her.

    It was just so amazing for her.

    Just in time, the right person came to mind and I called you. Didnt you say you are a detective?

    Rudger pointed to the remnants of the ck Dawn Society, which copsed.

    Where the hell are these people from and what kind of people they are. I think you know better than anyone else.

    This man

    Casey listened to Rudger and realized what he was thinking about when he called her.

    He didnt mean to call me for personal purposes.

    The business card she handed to Rudger, as a [Colour] wizard was very valuable but he used it so easily.

    Even if you give 10 million won to others, precious things that you cant get are just a handful of trash in front of this man. At the same time, he is even considerate to handle things quietly so as not to ruin the atmosphere of the festival.

    Of course, Im not included in that consideration.

    Maybe hes moving around like this for the students even though others dont know about it because he believes its the right thing to do.

    Casey judges that Rudger is a superman who pushes ahead with what he believes to be right, not a superman who transcends humans.

    Nevertheless, what is this feeling of anxiety? I feel like Im missing something important.

    No matter how hard she thought about it, she couldnt get an answer so Casey thought about what to do with these fainted people first.

    The ck Dawn Society. Im sure these guys are connected to James Moriarty.

    She could interrogate them appropriately and hand them over to Theon after.

    Rudger, who was watching Casey thinking about what to do in the future, breathed a sigh of relief inside. Fortunately, she doesnt seem to have much doubt.

    I was able to deal with the business card that I had been forced to receive.

    When he first received her business card, he seriously thought about throwing it away. For him, who should not be identified, the business card handed by Casey Selmore was ufortable. Still, it was fortunate he could get rid of it now.

    When he heard that Joanna Lovett and other sub-orders of the ck Dawn Society were secretly moving he thought about how to use this business card.

    I shook off Casey Selmores suspicions, and at the same time, I thinned out the ck Dawn Society members that hid in Theon.

    Of course, there was a possibility that Casey Selmore could suspect Rudger because at first nce, it seemed suspicious that the situation was flowing too naturally.

    But I am nominally a teacher of Theon. Even if I do this or that, she will not doubt me since Im under the protection of the president.

    It was fortunate that the president was an outstanding person. If she was an ipetent person, Casey would have been rather suspicious.

    In this way, Casey Selmore will focus on the ck Dawn Society, not me.

    It was for this reason that the remnants of the ck Dawn Society were handed over to her.

    Give a good hound the smell of the prey to bite forward.

    At the same time, Casey Selmore will even prove Rudgers alibi. For Rudger, it was a way of killing two birds with one stone to deal with the troublesome matters all at once.

    If I can deal with Esmeralda as well

    As he was thinking so, a huge pir of fire that killed the dark night soared from afar. The eyes of the two naturally turned to the ce where the me burst. It was not the colorful color of the firecrackers, but a bright red fire that seemed to have overflowed from hell.

    At the same time, Hans urgent voice rang out from themunication device in his ear with a chirping sound.

    [Im in trouble!]

    As soon as he heard that, Rudger realized that something unexpected had happened.

    Rudger said to Casey.

    Ill leave this to you.

    What? Oh, wait!

    Rudger didnt listen to Caseys shouts from behind and left. He tapped themunicator with his hand and signaled Hans.

    Hans, what happened?

    [As nned, we seeded in luring the witch by leading Crollo Fabius to the target location.]

    The target location is the equipment warehouse. It was a ce where no one woulde right away, but at the same time, it was a ce where they could avoid peoples eyes.

    A maze-like ce with all kinds of things piled up was suitable for Crollo to escape without being caught.

    [However, Crollo suddenly stopped and started talking.]

    What did he say?

    [I dont know. It happened so suddenly.]

    Hans was receiving information through his mouse and as a result there was a limit to the amount of information that could be obtained.

    Crollo suddenly stopped and said something to Esmeralda. After that Esmeralda immediately exploded and mes swept through the warehouse.

    [Whatever it may be, its certain that he did something that wasnt nned.]

    I see.

    He didnt expect that Crollo Fabius wouldnt follow the n. Rudger thought he wouldnt do anything because he was scared, but he was pushed to the edge of the cliff, so did he snap?

    Whatever it may be, Esmeralda, whom he thought would stay calm, seemed certain to have revealed her power.

    Whats the situation now?

    [All the rats I sent inside are dead so I dont know about anything else, but its going to be hell. The rats outside are not listening to my orders because they are afraid of fire.]

    Its not good. How big is the fire now?

    [Its big enough to be seen from the outside because it swept away a third of that big warehouse in no time. Right now, we will survive with the fire extinguishing system inside the warehouse, but its only a matter of time.]

    Theons warehouses had an automatic fire extinguishing system to extinguish the fire. Thats why he lured Esmeralda to that ce in the first ce.

    But to deal with someone who wields the highest level spirit of fire that alone is not enough.

    It is impossible to extinguish the fire itself, even if it can be controlled a little bit by bit. The fire Esmeralda handled was not so simple.

    Seridan.

    Rudger signaled Seridan through themunicator.

    [Whats going on, Nari?]

    What about the festival?

    [Fireworks are being prepared right now. But why?]

    Didnt you notice any abnormalities there?

    [Anomalies? I cant see anything]

    Im d to hear that.

    [Hmm. Based on your reaction, I think something happened there. [Right?]

    Yeah. Ill have to take some time over there.

    [Hehe, I got it. I was waiting at the scene just in case.]

    Seridan said so and cut offmunication. Soon after, colorful fireworks exploded one after another over the night sky.

    * * *

    Why were the fireworksunched now?

    Who was it? We still have 30 minutes left before we start!

    You didnt manage it right!

    Seridan, who heard from the shouts from afar, giggled.

    There are still a lot of firecrackers left to set off, but for now, this should be enough.

    People were drawn to the sudden fireworks disy.

    Originally, the fireworks would start in 30 minutes and some people were puzzled that it had already begun, but the idea was quickly forgotten by the splendid colors that magical mes created in the air.

    Wow! Pretty!

    Look over there! Its a me!

    A dragon made of mes flew through the sky and spewed fire from its mouth. The children were amazed by the existence of the dragon in the legends, their eyes shining.

    Nari, whats left is your role.

    They were not bombs but fireworks werent bad. Seridan vowed to make something simr when she returned to the hideoutter.

    * * *

    Rudger was relieved by the spectacr mes bursting in the distance. Thanks to Seridan, people wont know theres a fire here yet.

    [Brother, when are you arriving?]

    I have a ce to stop by for a while. Whats the situation?

    [Theres not much difference from before, but it seems to be a matter of time.]

    Are there any witnesses nearby?

    [Not yet But itll happen if we dont subdue it in time.]

    Ill have to hurry.

    Rudger, who cut off themunication, stopped walking.

    In the center of an open-air exhibition hall that people have stopped visiting was a structure covered with arge cloth.

    Rudger peeled off the fabric that covered the structure while in his right hand, a blue mana stone was shining softly.

    * * *

    There was a strange heat at the festivals. Even those who normally wouldnt have had much to do felt their hearts beat strangely and heat up at festivals. It was also the time when the love between the opposite sexes burned the strongest.

    Thats why there are the most couples after the magic festival. Naturally, there were couples who could not control their hot hearts and made love in ces where there were no people.

    Oh, my. What are you doing here?

    Wait a minute. The spectacr fireworks will start soon

    A couple was sitting close to each other on the grass. The boy smacked his lips as if he had been waiting for this time. He stopped by the dormitory and brushed his teeth more than three times.

    Its my first time, but I must be careful not to make it obvious.

    He manages to move his right hand, which is stiff and does not move well on the shoulder of the female student sitting next to him.

    The female student only flinched her shoulders but did not move his hand away. It was a sign of permission.

    This is my chance!

    The male student was about to make his move when all of a sudden colorful mes embroidered the sky. Originally, the fireworks, which would take another 30 minutes, had already begun.

    Wow, its pretty.

    What? The timing was good. Why did you start all of a sudden?

    Unlike a woman who was purely happy, the man had no choice but to be embarrassed. It was the moment when I was determined to go further that this happened.

    Squeak! Squeak!

    Large gutter rats appeared through the dark bushes. If they were ordinary rats, it would have run away after seeing the two, but the ones that appeared now were different. The rats approached the two couples threatening them with their hideous front teeth.

    Ah! Why is the mouse here?

    Oh, thats disgusting! I hate mice!

    Huh? Where are you going? Hey, you bad guy! Youre leaving me alone!

    The male student screamed and ran away, and the female student who followed after him. As the two disappeared, Hans, who was hiding in the dark, appeared.

    Students, huh? Even in the midst of studying, theyre still dating.

    A swarm of mice gathered around Hans and raised their front paws. It was like asking, Did I do a good job? and they wanted to be praised.

    Yes, you all did a great job.

    Hans, who used a flock of mice to drive away all the people gathered around here, returned to the warehouse again.

    The zing fire showed no sign of going out. It would be okay because there are no witnesses right now, but how long will thisst? Its only a matter of time before they would get caught.

    When the hell are youing?

    At that moment the sound of horse hoofs was heard from the thick darkness.

    What?

    At the sound that did not match the current situation, Hans eyes naturally turned to the source of the sound. In the distance, something was approaching him at great speed.

    Is that a horse?

    It was not just a regr horse, but a metal horse that shone. The appearance of a horse with shining blue eyes in the dark, emitting white steam behind its back, gave a sense of intimidation.

    Brother?

    Riding the horse was Rudger Chelici.

    Steam Golem, DT-3000 elerated and its blue eyes stretched like tails in the darkness of the night. In the midst of the shaking, Rudger did not lose his posture.

    The ce where Rudger was headed was the warehouse where the fire was spreading. At that moment, a huge me erupted outside through the entrance of the warehouse.

    The fire was about to engulf Rudger, who was running towards the warehouse.

    Its dangerous!

    The moment Hans shouted, watching the scene nervously. Rudger gave a big swing at the reins.

    Blue mana began to form on the back foot of the steam golem, and the giant soared high into the air. Rudger and the Steam Golem jumped into the open logistics warehouse.

    Huh?

    Hans had no choice but to watch the scene nkly as if he had been possessed.

 Chapter 169

    C169: The hottest festival (2)

    In the dark warehouse Crollo Fabius, who was desperately running in the natural maze made by the equipment piled high on the ceiling, suddenly felt skeptical.

    What am I doing now?

    Hes running away now.

    From what?

    From the witch.

    Naturally, one question emerged.

    How long do I have to live like this?

    How long can he just run away like this? He may be able to escape danger once but the witch will chase him to the end of hell and kill him.

    There is a limit to running away because shell never let him go.

    Crollo Fabius felt despair. He had a splendid mansion, soldiers following his orders and employees who bowed their heads in awe of him. His past felt like a dream.

    I, why would I?

    Crollos legs slowed down and soon he stopped running.

    Sigh.

    He was tired of running away and he saw Esmeralda creeping toward him from beyond the darkness of the warehouse. She was walking slowly but her figure stimted Crollos fear from the deepest part of his soul.

    Hmm?

    Esmeralda tilted her head as she looked at Crollo, who stopped running.

    Why wont you run anymore? Did you give up now?

    Crollo twitched his lips and Esmeralda had a hunch that he had something to say.

    You must have something you want to say. Then say it, theres no reason why I cant listen to you for thest time. Ill let you leave a will.

    Crollo shouted at her provocation.

    Thats enough!

    What?

    It was a cry that Esmeralda didnt expect.

    Enough? Why is he saying its enough?

    How much do you have to break me to be satisfied? Its working now! The Fabius family has already fallen because of you!

    Is it because of the uing stress of fear and death? Ironically, the emotion that came to the mind of Crollo Fabius, who was driven to the limit, was anger, not sadness.

    Why do I have to be treated like this?

    Looking at the difference between his gorgeous past self and his miserable present he was going crazy.

    He couldnt eat properly, sleep well, and had nightmares every day. His brilliant blonde hair became dry, and intelligent eyes were full of dark circles, along with the dark beard that covered his thin cheeks. He looked like a scoundrel.

    Is this me, the lord of the great Fabius family?

    Crowe clenched his teeth.

    Why? Why do I have to be so tired?

    He killed a lot of people but so what? They were justmoners. He only gave the right punishment to those who tried to stand up to him.

    If she had just listened to me properly in the first ce, if the bloodymoners hadnt resisted me. This wouldve never happened in the first ce.

    When he thought so, all the pain hes been through so far sublimated into anger and engulfed his reason.

    All because of you!

    Crollo didnt even realize what he was saying now.

    If it werent for you, I wouldnt have been like this!

    Esmeraldas expression hardened at his cry.

    Because of me, this happened?

    Esmeralda couldnt ignore the words Crollo Fabius eximed.

    How dare you.

    Why would he say that to her?

    -Its because of you.

    Esmeralda kept hearing those words in her nightmares.

    -Because of you!

    -Everyone died because of you! The cursed words she heard many times in her dreams and the bloodied vigers that poured outints against her.

    The words ovepped with Crollo Fabius cry and rang her head.

    No

    Esmeralda grabbed her head with both hands.

    Crollo, noticing that Esmeraldas condition was strange, stepped back without realizing it.

    No way!

    !!!

    At the same time, a huge fire erupted from Esmeraldas back and engulfed the whole area.

    * * *

    Its serious.

    Rudger frowned in the mes zing everywhere. Water was steadily dripping from the sprinklers on the ceiling, but the spreading mes showed no signs of being easily quenched. Rather, they were burning more intensely.

    Rudger led the steam golem DT-3000 into the depths of the warehouse and found a fainted Crollo Fabius filled with burns.

    Esmeralda.

    Esmeralda was sitting down and shaking her shoulders but there was an overwhelming presence beyond that.

    The burning mes swirled in one ce, eventually forming the form of a fire giant, an ugly spirit of fire, full of flesh and curved back.

    Quasimodo.

    As if responding to Rudgers call, Quasimodo stared at him with his red magma eyes.

    The air heated up just from his look and Rudger felt like the heat that touched his skin permeated his lungs.

    Esmeralda doesnt look very well.

    Its just that she didnt kill Crollo and Rudger had a hunch that something was wrong.

    She hasnt killed Crollo yet and seeing that shes sitting with the objective of revenge in front of her, she must have been traumatized by something.

    Esmeralda sank in the burning mes and her past, which he saw as a painting magic, ovepped with the situation before him.

    A word shed past Rudgers head like a sh.

    Trauma.

    Esmeralda was now in a trauma.

    Then.

    Rudger got off the steam golem and approached her carefully. In order not to rm Quasimodo, he paid attention to each step.

    Quasimodo, the fire spirit. No, hes not a spirit, its an existence close to a spirit.

    As he approached Esmeralda, Rudger thought.

    Even though the owner is in that state, the spirit is full of hatred. He has already gone far beyond ordinary spirits.

    The heat became much stronger as he narrowed the distance.

    Quasimodo stopped him but Rudger opened his mouth cautiously.

    Quasimodo. Do you know about me?

    [Human]

    Im sorry for that time but I couldnt help it because of the situation.

    He wanted to persuade him so Rudger continued his words as carefully as possible so as not to offend him.

    I am a colleague of your master. I dont mean to fight.

    [.]

    Quasimodo did not answer but instead he smiled. Did he ept it?

    You have a dirty, scary face.

    Perhaps because his face was made of magma and mes, the level of brutality was different. Even Rudger, who had met many bad-looking people, felt a chill on his spine from the smile.

    I see the response, its favorable to me.

    Rudger naturally activated the machine in his left hand, a device that can shoot a micro anesthetic needle made by Seridan.

    After naturally aiming it at Esmeralda he shot so secretly that no one noticed.

    It was the moment when a very small needle flew towards Esmeraldas neck a huge fire hand appeared and stopped it.

    What the

    Rudger looked up at Quasimodo with an incredulous stare. He noticed that he was going tounch a surprise attack?

    Since when?

    Quasimodo was still looking at him with a smile that was full of alienation.

    This guy. He didnt believe me from the beginning.

    His act of smiling at Rudger was only an act in order to deceive him. How could he act like that on his own even without the owners orders?

    Quasimodos smiling face quickly twisted into anger.

    Danger!

    Rudger immediately stepped back and Quasimodos fist fell like a hammer where he was a while ago spreading shock waves and mes.

    The hot heat passed by his body like a back st and Rudger, who stepped back and posed, shook off the embers on his outer clothes.

    Even though he was equipped with all kinds of items resistant to fire, and wore heat-resistant magic clothes, the heat prated his body.

    I felt it then, but hes beyond my imagination.

    At that time, Quasimodo was recalled by directly eliminating the medium that summoned him, but this time it was different. As long as Esmeralda was present Quasimodo wouldnt be recalled recklessly. He knew the fact, so he was guarding Esmeralda.

    Then this time.

    [Coordinate designation.]

    When Rudger used his mana, Quasimodo responded immediately. He opened his mouth wide, and a furnace-like me wriggled in it.

    [Aether Nocturnus]

    The shadow surrounded Rudgers body and soon spread ck wings behind his back.

    Rudger flew into the sky in an instant while mes shed under his feet.

    Quasimodo reached for Rudger and the mes around him moved and followed Quasimodos will and rushed into Rudger. As the tentacles of wriggling mes approached from all sides, Rudger focused on avoiding them.

    He doesnt want to give me time to use magic.

    He learned how to counter his magic from thest time they fought.

    Shortly afterwards, a huge fist flew straight to Rudger but as Aether Nocturnus moved, it turned into arge shield, blocking Quasimodos fist. The shadow could not stand the scorching heat and was pushed away. Rudger retreated back from the recoil andnded on the ground.

    Its not a good match.

    Aether Nocturnus uses shadows and as a result, he was infinitely weak against fire and light.

    Aether Nocturnus shook his body as if whining to Rudger.

    I get it.

    Rudger was forced to take a pill out of his inner pocket and put it in his mouth. Then, his quickly consumed mana quickly filled up.

    The mana recovery medicine that had a high effect that was iparable to the previous one. Arthur Nocturnus swallowed Rudgers magic to his hearts content, as if he had neverined.

    Work as much as you eat.

    Aether Nocturnus swelled up roughly. Like Quasimodo, who protected Esmeralda, a giant ck shadow monster rose behind Rudgers back and stared at Quasimodo.

    As the two shed Rudger tried to fire an anesthetic needle at Esmeraldas again, aiming for the gap but the hot mes revolved around her distorted the air and his vision.

    Are you trying to make it impossible for me to specify the coordinates by making her invisible to my eyes?

    He never imagined that Quasimodo would be so sly and even smart.

    This is the power of a First Order of the ck Dawn Society.

    Boom! Boom!

    Every time Aether Nocturnus and Quasimodo collided, shock waves exploded one after another. At the same time, the fire spreading around the warehouse was growing out of control.

    Should I borrow the power of God again?

    Rudger thought that far and shook his head. To use that force, the preparation stage will be long, and once the reins are released, the entire area will be devastated.

    In a situation where every minute and second counted he didnt want to make more innocent victims.

    Abandon the operation to surprise Esmeralda.

    The fight between the two monsters was decided in an instant. No matter how much mana he injected, he couldnt ovee the power of Quasimodo, and Aether Nocturnus returned to Rudger with a shrunken body.

    Cant youst a minute?

    Aether Nocturnus trembled once, perhaps because he felt it was unfair.

    Rudger sighed but he didnt have time to get annoyed because Quasimodo wanted to kill Rudger as soon as possible just in case he was going to do anything else.

    A sticky fire sprang from Quasimodos mouth.

    Start DT-3000.

    The steam golem, who was waiting in the form of a horse, was ordered and moved. The horse grazed and eventually turned into a human form.

    Boom! Boom!

    The golem strode and stood in front of Rudger, crossing his big arms and taking a defensive posture. Soon after, a hot fire hit the golem directly.

    The surface of the golem was red-hot from the heat but Rudger touched the golems back.

    Enhance durability. Increased heat resistance. Shape recovery. Material reinforcement.

    {Transformation} and {Alchemy} magic of the implementation system, not the manifestation system, was used and the golem, which copsed as it melted down, returned to its original state.

    The half-copsed golem stood tall again and Rudger put a pill back into his mouth.

    He poured the filled mana back into the golem and used reinforcement magic but the fire was never-ending. As the golem copsed and was repaired endlessly the breath of fire, which seemed endless, ended.

    The fire spread and the warehouse equipment became ash and scattered like powder.

    Everything around Quasimodo had melted away. The center of the warehouse was wider than before as it melted down to the steel structure.

    Quasimodo was gazing at Rudger.

    Oh, my.

    Rudger sighed at Quasimodos action to kill him sincerely. It is virtually impossible to target Esmeralda from a distance. However, it is also difficult to knock down Quasimodo itself.

    Is it just a frontal breakthrough?

    Somehow, if the special anesthetic would be administered to Esmeralda, he would be able suppress Quasimodo.

    The remaining pills.

    Rudger smiled and shook his head as he tried to check how much mana recovery medicine was left.

    Ill do my best.

    With that said, Rudger took an object out of his chest. Quasimodo raised his guard because he thought Rudger was doing something else.

    Dont panic. Cant you afford to be rxed?

    What Rudger took out was a pipe cigarette that harmonized ck and gold. The inside of the cigarette was filled with the poison that remained from when he made the mana recovery medicine.

    Rudger, who was about to start the pipe cigarette, smiled when he realized the situation around him and reached out his hand holding the pipe cigarette to his side.

    Let me borrow a light.

    With a sharp grin the mes floating in the air settled on the poisonous pipe and lit it.

    Rudger took a light breath with the pipe that was emitting white smoke in his mouth. He even closed his eyes, so he looked like a drowsy person enjoying leisure but when he opened them his eyes were tinged with a deep blue color of expansive magical power.

 Chapter 170

    C170: The hottest festival (3)

    Chapter sponsored bymyo. Thank you for your support.

    Originally, Rudger had no intention of using poison. The medicine he usually takes was beyond the standard of general medicine, and it was enough for him but that changed aftering to Theon.

    A series of things that he couldnt handle with his usual medicine happened. He often experienced ack of mana so Rudger thought that he needed better and stronger medicine.

    He needed a secret measure just in case so he asked Bruna to make him a much stronger medicine than the one he usually takes.

    As an elf, she was stunned to hear Rudgers words, but she didnt refuse him as she was interested. In that way, the two people put their heads together and worked together to make a better medicine.

    Even Bruna who handles medicines everyday thought that it was dangerous but Rudger thought it couldnt be better.

    -Ee, Ill throw this away for now. Its the first medicine, so there are many unstable parts. Well, since we have the correctbination, well be able to make it properly next time.

    -Thank you.

    -Ha, but its definitely dangerous. The boss is going to use the by-product of the poison from the magic nts, right?

    -Yeah.

    -The poison itself is dangerous, but the amount of mana in it is more than that. It makes the pill I originally made look like scraps.

    Bruna seriously warned Rudger.

    How do I use it?

    Well, thats.

    The method of using the by-product was simple. A piece of paper filled with poison is cut into small pieces and burned to absorb the smoke.

    However, the moment he absorbs it, an ordinary wizard will not be able to handle the magic and will explode. Even if his body was healthy, it was clear that he would die of poisoning.

    If you cant release the rising mana right away, your body will be ruined. No, you have to release mana faster than its being replenished.

    But Bruna soon realized something and nodded.

    Well, it doesnt really matter to the boss.

    Thats right. For other wizards, this may be the most dangerous drug in the world but not for Rudger.

    Thats right, boss has 100% emission, right?

    * * *

    Inhale the smoke and circte it through the body. It looked like someone smoking a cigarette, but inside Rudgers body, mana was raging like a storm.

    Whoa.

    And exhale.

    A thick white smoke spread and disappeared in the heat. All the mana contained in the poison cigarette was absorbed by his body, and only the poison was released outward and disappeared in the mes of Quasimodo. Nevertheless, the poison was so strong that the stench was left behind.

    Is it venom?

    Rudger, who had a pipe cigarette in his mouth, recalled the old days, feeling the venom that was about to invade his body.

    I felt it so much when I was young that Im not impressed.

    It was not voluntarily but his body had a strong immunity to any poison. Therefore, even the dangerous poison of the magic herbs, which Bruna was worried about, did not cause any harm to Rudgers body.

    Whoo!

    It wasnt just white smoke that came out of Rudger. The mana that overflowed from his body circted around him like a blue mist.

    The endless mana was released outward repeatedly and at some point a blue light circled around Rudger.

    Quasimodo felt something strange. Usually, mana disappears as if it melts in the air the moment it is released because the wizard lost control of mana.

    However, the mana released by Rudger did not disappear and remained in the air. Rather, it was even circling around as if protecting Rudger.

    A blue mist in a world burning red.

    Although the amount of mana in Rudgers body wasnt high it was enough to use fifth-rank magic.

    The mana held in the air began to move at Rudgers will. After a total of 23 magic discharges, a thick blue mist spreads through the air and it eventually coalesced and merged to form a spell.

    Do you prefer power fights?

    The magic unfolded with the deration of war.

    The fifth-rank water attribute magic [Wrath of the Seas] was unleashed and huge water cannons were fired at Quasimodo.

    Quasimodo could not respond because it was fired at a speed that transcended cognition.

    Bang!

    Quasimodos right arm flew away in an instant. He looked down at the missing right arm and twisted his face.

    [How dare!]

    mes rose from the cut section, and the missing right arm grew up in an instant. Quasimodo, who clenched his fists, rushed towards Rudger.

    Does the broken body regenerate in an instant?

    It was an attack that was applied using water magic, but it did not inflict much damage. On the contrary he only became angrier.

    It is a simple spirit, but its power isparable to that of the highest rank spirit of fire.

    If so, 5th rank magic might not be enough because highest rank spirits have the power of a 6th rank wizard.

    The seal that suppresses the power of the gods is working. Its been a long time, so Im going to use it as much as I want.

    The magic that he already knew, but couldnt use due tock of mana.

    Rudger was going to take this opportunity to fully use what had been umted.

    Go, DT-3000.

    Rudger gave orders with his palm on Golems back. At the same time, Rudger strengthened Golems arms by using [Shape Transfiguration].

    The golems hand, which specializes in crushing and destroying things, rose sharply and turned into a de.

    As it emitted steam for both shoulders, the golem rushed toward Quasimodo. Although it is a golem that is almost 4m in size, it looks like a child standing in front of an adultpared to Quasimodo.

    But the fearless golem wielded the wrist de that Rudger had transfigured and wounded Quasimodos body.

    [Aaaaaah!]

    Quasimodo screamed every time the de cut through his body. It was because of the cold air flowing out of the de due to the fourth-rank magic [Icicle Fang].

    It was a cold attribute magic that Rudger used in advance.

    [Human!!!]

    Quasimodo shouted in anger. It didnt stop there, but it spewed out huge heat and set fire to the surrounding area.

    The golem raised his arms to block the heat. Cold and heat collided, and white water vapor spurted out.

    Quasimodo radiated more heat. The wounds on the body could not regenerate in an instant, but the mes burning over the body intensified like hand-made wildfires.

    The cold air magic on the golems arms that prevented it gradually faded.

    Hold on a little longer.

    Rudger concentrated his mind to prepare for a greater magic. Golem, DT-3000 tried to faithfully follow the order, but the reality was that it couldnt.

    The enchantment magic disappeared due to the gradually increasing heat, and the output of the golem gradually decreased. It wasnt that the golems body was copsing but his energy source.

    Rudger immediately noticed the abnormality.

    The power of the mana stone has run out.

    The blue light from the golem shes as if it is about to go out. There is no problem with the golem itself, but the mana stone is almost discharged due to the excessive power used.

    I dont have any spare mana stones.

    If golems stops like this, the fight will be very difficult because the golems role was to protect him from Quasimodo.

    I really didnt want to use this.

    Rudger frowned and put his hand into the inner pocket of his clothes. What was taken out there was a test tube containing a bright red liquid. The moment he opened the lid of the test tube, the blood scent came out. Its not a liquid that looks like blood, but real blood.

    Im sorry, sir.

    He didnt know he would use it in a ce like this, so Rudger apologized in his mind.

    Usually, as soon as the force is exhausted, the mana stone is discharged and only a shell is left. However, mana stone is an object in which the magic liquid is solidified. Even if its out of use, its still possible to y a role as a bowl that can hold mana.

    In urgent situations like now, it is also possible to use a method of urgently replenishing mana using reagents and the blood of a high-ranking wizard is the best reagent.

    There was nothing like this to increase the output of a shrinking mana stone so Rudger immediately poured the blood over the golems mana stone.

    The mana stone began to suck the blood and took on an ominous glow. The magic circuit that flowed over the golems brass surface was dyed red and was on the verge of exploding.

    The golems eyes were red as red mana flowed around its body, which had entered the Overclock state.

    The surface of the well-processed mana stone was brittle and cracked. The mana contained in blood could not be handled by the stone.

    Im not sure about one output right now.

    The golem moved and its speed was iparable to the blunt movements from before.

    Quasimodo stretched out his arms to force the golem back.

    His eyes just turned red, and the cold attribute that threatens him has also disappeared but surprisingly, the golem was not pushed back. Rather, it was Quasimodo who overpowered.

    With both hands together, DT-3000 was pushing Quasimodo back.

    [Aaaah!]

    Unbelievable, Quasimodo opened his mouth and spewed fire. Ava-like fire poured over the head of the DT-3000, which was struggling with both arms. Surprisingly, however, the DT-3000 endured the ze.

    Rather, the overflowing red mana climbed up on the golems arm and it was eroding Quasimodo.

    [Scrap metal!]

    Quasimodo raised the heat of fire. He didnt know what the red mana was, but it gave Quasimodo an instinctive displeasure and fear.

    Quasimodo tilted his head back and hit the DT-3000s energy source, a red burning mana stone with a headbutt.

    The cracked and precarious mana stone was broken because it could not withstand Quasimodo attack and the golems red eyes turned off. The exhausted DT-3000 copsed.

    [How dare you!]

    Quasimodo trampled the golem over and over again with his thick legs.

    After dealing with the golem he turned his eyes on Rudger. The temperature of the warehouse where the mes were burning dropped sharply. When the cold air hit, Quasimodos eyes headed toward the center of the cold air where Rudger was and red at him.

    [Human!]

    The mana fog, which had been spread out, was all consumed to cast a single spell.

    The amount of mana cant bepared to the 5th rank magic that he just used. Source code cant handle that amount of mana, so he had to cast the spell step by step.

    Its over.

    Along with the words, the mana condensed to the limit spread in a frenzy. Countless lines were drawn in the air and after nearly a hundred of them appeared a three-dimensional shape was formed in the air.

    It was not long before the spell waspleted.

    The first ship in history that reached the icy continent in the far north and disappeared in the past. A magic created by Lexorer, an adventurer and wizard who reached the 6th rank, to praise its greatness and not to forget about it. A ship that is still advancing endlessly toward that faraway frozennd.

    6th Rank Ice Magic [Heavenly Icebreaker]

    Paaaang!!!

    The sound of a gigantic ship horn echoed, and the ice ship rushed towards Quasimodo. The ship was so huge that even Quasimodo, who was over 10m tall, had to look up.

    [Aaaaah!!]

    Quasimodo let out a scream.

    Standing on the deck of the ice ship, Rudger exhaled smoke from a pipe cigarette.

    Lets see if you can stop this.

    The ice ship collided with the fire giant.

 Chapter 171

    C171: The Flower of Remnant Fire (1)

    The fire in the warehouse burned hot and was about to spread to trees and bushes near the warehouse. That could lead to a major fire.

    Brother, are you okay?

    Hans, who was waiting outside, hesitated. Rather, he was seriously considering whether to use the Beast of Gvaudan power to intervene.

    Then a mouse shouted at Hans. It was a sign that someone was fast approaching his way.

    Hide!

    As soon as Hans and the swarm of mice hurriedly hid themselves from the scene, Casey Selmore appeared.

    Fire?

    Casey Selmore shot water as soon as she saw the fire but the fire didnt go out even after pouring water. The me shrank once and soon burned again fiercely.

    What fire.?

    Casey immediately spread the shroud of water and surrounded the warehouse. The shaking fire was trying to go outside, but was blocked by the tent of water and shrank.

    Casey narrowed her eyes.

    This is not a normal fire.

    Casey could tell after using her mana to keep the mes under control. This fire had a will and it was escaping outside and trying to burn everything.

    Its not even a fire caused by ordinary magic. Judging from the will of fire, this should be at least the level of a Colour wizard.

    When ites to fire with will, there is one thing that came to her mind, a spirit that controls fire.

    Maybe a spirit? But there is no way a spirit can use such terrible power.

    Casey had just arrived in Leathervelk and had read past newspaper articles about the events in the city. In her memory, an article came to mind that a giant of fire appeared in the citys banquet hall. And now, the ck Dawn that hid in Theon at the festival.

    It was clear that there was some connection between the two.

    Mr. Rudger Chelici must be in there right now.

    A fire broke out in the distance, and it was enough to infer the direction in which he suddenly disappeared.

    What the hell is going on.

    Casey thought about using water to go inside, but if she picks up the curtain a little, the fire will spread out of control.

    Did he call me because he expected this?

    At that moment, a huge wave of mana was felt in the burning warehouse and the raging mes quickly died down as if they were being sucked inside.

    After a while, foggy steam billowed through the cracks in the ceiling and outer walls of the copsed warehouse.

    Magic? At least 5th-rank.

    The zing fire faded once. Casey, who was holding out the fire close by, could feel it. Theres a huge amount of magic unfolding in the warehouse right now.

    What the hells going on inside?!

    * * *

    Quasimodo took a significant hit from Rudgers sixth-rank magic [Heavenly Icebreaker] but wasnt beaten yet.

    He gathered the mes of the warehouse around him and resisted Rudgers magic. A zing fire from hell and cold ice from the North Sea collided among the steam in the warehouse.

    In the steam, a small me rose in the air. The me grew in size and became a fireball. As the remaining fire spread around it slowly gathered and got bigger and bigger. An ugly-looking giant of fire that had arms and legs, soon appeared.

    [Human!]

    Quasimodo was not dead. Even after being hit directly with that level of magic, his summon was not undone, but instead he restored his body with unbelievable vitality.

    However his size decreased by half after the damage he took but that was only temporary because Quasimodo will regain his original strength as the mes in the warehouse gather together.

    A human would need to rest for days to recover from that damage but as a spirit Quasimodo recovered quickly.

    [Ill kill you!]

    Furthermore, Quasimodo burned with anger and hatred as he was quickly recovering.

    [Ill kill you!]

    Quasimodo looked around and tried to find Rudger but the steam obstructed his vision.

    Soon Quasimodo found a ck shadow running inside the steam. Quasimodo smiled and punched at the shadow.

    [You will die!]

    The mes that spread instantaneously hit the ck shadow. Quasimodo, who was about to shout victoriously at the thought of finally killing the loach, was surprised when he saw the lifted steam.

    [Human, no?]

    He didnt hit Rudger but Aether Nocturnus. If so where was Rudger now? Quasimodo hurriedly turned his head and looked where Esmeralda was.

    [You!]

    He saw Rudger holding Esmeralda in his arms with one hand.

    [Rudger Chelici!]

    At Quasimodos vicious cry, Rudger responded with a cold smile.

    You called my name for the first time Quasimodo.

    [Aaaarg!]

    But its over.

    Quasimodo rushed to protect Esmeralda in an urgent manner but Rudger put a pre-prepared drug injection into Esmeraldas neck.

    [!]

    Quasimodo, who was running, stopped and curled up, clutching his head as if he were in pain.

    Rudger breathed a sigh of relief.

    No matter how great the spirits are, if the summoner takes damage, they will inevitably suffer as well.

    The drug Rudger injected into Esmeralda was a kind of antipsychotic anesthetic.

    Originally, summonersmunicate with the spirits of nature and establish a contract through their minds. No matter how powerful the spirit is, if the summoner mind is affected, the spirits power is also weakened.

    I couldnt cancel the summoning, but this is enough.

    He had to move the fainted Esmeralda out of the eyes of people and after he seals her spirit Selina will remain alone. At that time, Esmeralda, whom he thought was asleep after getting the anesthetic, opened her mouth.

    Oh, no.

    Are you still awake?

    As Rudger was about to ignore her, Esmeralda grabbed his cor.

    What are you doing?

    Hurry up and run away, I cant control it anymore.

    Control?

    It took him a while to understand Esmeraldas words when he felt a twitch in his back bone. It was a danger warning sent by his instincts.

    Even before he knew it, Rudger instinctively squeezed his remaining mana to create a mana barrier.

    Shortly thereafter, arge fist hit the Mana barrier and as the barrier cracked, the shock was delivered to Rudger. Withstanding the pain in his body, Rudger stared at the one who punched.

    Quasimodo.

    Quasimodo, who had been suffering until a while ago, was smiling creepily.

    [What a bummer.]

    He was alive and well as if it was a lie that he suffered.

    [I couldve killed you.]

    You

    Only then did Rudger realize that something was wrong.

    Why is Quasimodo fine? Why hasnt Esmeralda, the one who summoned him, lost her sanity?

    Rudgers thoughts did notst long as he felt an eerie touch on his cheek and his hands instinctively moved first.

    He grabbed Esmeraldas wrist, which was about to be swung toward him with a sharp dagger in her hand. If he had been a littlete, he would have been stabbed.

    What are you doing in this situation.?

    Rudger, who was trying to argue with Esmeralda, couldnt bear to do that and closed his mouth because she was in tears.

    No, I didnt mean to do this. Im sorry. Im really sorry.

    Like a person out of her mind, she kept muttering strange things.

    It wasnt Rudger that he apologized to. Esmeralda was looking at something else now.

    From a little while ago, what the hell.

    Rudger was about to say something, but he stopped. Instead, he concentrated mana on his eyes to improve his eyesight. Then, what used to be blurred by the steam began to be clear.

    It was a red thread. A bright red thread from Quasimodo was tying Esmeraldas wrist and her whole body like a marite thats easy to control.

    A fuzzy red thread fluttering in the air touched Rudgers body. As soon as I felt it, apletely different scene unfolded in front of Rudgers eyes.

    I hate you.

    In the burning town of Roteng Esmeralda was in tears and suffering, with Quasimodo standing behind her.

    Is this a memory storm?

    Rudger stared at Quasimodo in the vivid scene as if he had experienced it in person. At first nce, Quasimodo seemed to protect Esmeralda, but it was the opposite.

    [Burn your hatred. Hate humans.]

    The hidden story of the event that was not revealed by painting magic. It was him who continued to instill in Esmeralda her madness and hatred.

    Thendscape has changed. It was the scene after Esmeraldas first revenge.

    This is amazing.

    On a dark night, a man stood with his back against the rising full moon. He wore a mask on his face to hide his identity, but that could not hide the momentum of a unique strong man.

    -I didnt know that there was a great person who killed a nobleman. The Fabius family has always been our goal, but now Ive found someone with the same purpose.

    He said so and then shook his head.

    -No. Not a person but something else.

    The man looking at Quasimodo, not Esmeralda, from the beginning was Zero Order of the ck Dawn Society.

    Join us and well help you do what you want. What do you say?

    Quasimodo did not reject Zero Orders offer as the woman was in tears of anguish, but no one cared about her.

    * * *

    After the memory storm, he came back to reality.

    It was you.

    Rudger had a headache because of the information that came all at once. He frowned at the headache and looked at Quasimodo.

    It was all you.

    Esmeralda moved for revenge. She also entered the ck Dawn and burned and killed the people of the Fabius family,ter bing known as the Fire Witch.

    Esmeralda didnt sign a contract with Quasimodo but instead he was using her as a host.

    He was a monster born in response to the despair of a powerful soul in a ce marked with death, fire, hatred and anger. Not a spirit, nor a normal soul, but something terribly twisted. He was no longer a spirit but a cryptid.

    Quasimodoughed at his words.

    [You got me.]

    He didnt sound surprised, but he seemed to enjoy the situation and wasughing at Rudger.

    [Its toote now!]

    His gloomy way of speaking also gradually changed.

    Esmeralda was rather ying the role of a suppressor that prevented Quasimodo from running wild but now that he injected the anesthetic, Quasimodo has more freedom ever.

    [The game is over now!]

    Quasimodos size gradually began to swell like a balloon. As his size grew, the mes intensified, and the water vapor that was scattered around waspletely washed away.

    The hot heat stung Rudgers skin and he felt his skin ripening even though he was protecting his body with magic. Sweat was running through his forehead but it evaporated and disappeared.

    [Youre going to die now!]

    He grabbed Esmeralda and hurriedly left.

    [Its no use running away!]

    Behind him came the voice of Quasimodo. Quasimodo, who regained his original size, chased him at a frightening pace.

    Rudger immediately connected the rope to the ceiling with the wireuncher on his left hand and jumped over the pile of materials and immediately after that, the floor under him burst into mes.

    What should I do?

    He almost used up the means he had. Even though he found that the real identity of the First Order was Quasimodo that was all.

    Then should I leave Esmeralda here and run away alone?

    He looked down at Esmeralda as her ck hair had spread all over and turned pink. Her pale purple eyes, whose red color had disappeared, were looking up at him.

    Is it because Esmeraldas character has subsided that Selinas character was awakened?

    Mr. Rudger?

    He couldnt easily answer the voice. No, it was more likely he didnt know how to deal with Selinas personality right here.

    Selina was half of Esmeraldas soul, a personality created by her. If Esmeralda was real, Selina was fake.

    Then Selina smiled at him. It was a weak smile like a falling petal.

    Its all right.

    .

    Im fine, so leave me. You dont have to do this.

    At that, he stopped running away. He had no choice but to stop even though the monster was chasing him.

    But so far, Ive had enough fun.

    In Selinas helpless smile, Esmeraldas crying in agony ovepped.

    Im sorry, everyone, Im so sorry.

    He remembered her past, which he had just seen.

    Roteng was dazzlingly bright like the summer sun. It was a warm ce to the depths of his heart like a meadow in spring.

    He tried to imagine what if the ce was still there. The people there were alive and there would have been no grief or distress. Esmeralda would have lived there happily.

    Maybe, if I settled down one day, I would go there.

    Maybe if they didnt meet like this.

    Its all meaningless assumptions.

    There is no more Roteng because it was burned and trampled by others. Nevertheless, Esmeralda dreamed about the happiness of that day and the despair of that day.

    She cries sorry and apologizes, but she cannot abandon the hell of that day from her mind. The real monster was not even Quasimodo but the nightmare that bound her past.

    Haha.

    Sheughed out of frustration.

    You have to wake up from your nightmare.

    Mr. Rudger, what is it?

    If you wake up after a nap, itll all be over.

    He put Selina to sleep with a simple spell. Normally, she wouldnt have even felt it, but now she couldnt even resist.

    Looking at the sleeping Selina he put her on the floor as a shadow rose and caught her.

    Keep it safe.

    He looked back as the giant of fire was slowly approaching.

    [Why? Cant you run away?]

    I changed my mind.

    He loosened his necktie roughly. Now that he saw that, he couldnt just go.

    Since I came all the way here, I should see the end.

    Compassion and sympathy are swords that one hurts himself with, how could he not know that? He felt it more than anyone else.

    But so what?

    If kindness toward someone is a knife that cuts him hell cut himself. His body is full of scars anyway. Whats the difference if he added a scar to this?

    Bring it on ugly.

    He poured the remaining medicine into his mouth.

    Ill show you what real magic is.

 Chapter 172

    C172: The Flower of Remnant Fire (2)

    Chapter sponsored byIx. Thank you for your support.

    Ionas fist was neatly connected with the opponents chin. The third order of the ck Dawn Society, whose eyes were out of focus, copsed like a doll with a broken thread.

    In addition to her naturally strong body Iona who had a special bloodline could overpower the opponent only with her physical ability.

    You filthy sub-race!

    Another enemy rushed in anger at the sight of his fallen colleague. The knife swung toward her contained killing intent but Iona raised both arms and took a defensive posture.

    From the tip of her fist to her elbow the earth clumped together to form gauntlets. It was the second-rank earth attribute magic [Mud Armor].

    Iona, who had originally improved the magic to cover her entire body but spread it only to an area, grabbed the other persons de with one hand.

    What?

    Her opponent was bewildered as if he did not expect Iona to grab the sword, and Iona immediately clenched her fist with her opposite hand.

    Sleep

    A fist was stuck in the face of a third-order who was about to shout after sensing a crisis. At that time, a second order secretly aimed his cane at Ionas back.

    You let your guard down!

    And as soon as the magic was about toe out, strong winds from elsewhere blew his body away. After hitting a big tree with a bang, he fainted with bubbles in his mouth.

    Iona looked in the direction of the wind. There, Leo, who had just unleashed his magic, was kicking his tongue at the fallen man.

    You let your guard down.

    Iona approached Leo, releasing Mud Armor.

    Thank you for your help.

    Its no big deal.

    There were as many as five people from the ck Dawn Society who copsed around the two. Its been quite some time since they fought the suspicious people hiding in Theon.

    Did it work so well because it was a surprise attack?

    Despite being outnumbered, it was all the people of the ck Dawn Society who fell on the floor. Among them, Aidans [anti-magic] contribution was the greatest. All the magic the enemies used to counterattack was split in half and disappeared.

    It was a bizarre sight where multiple spells are cut and disappear at the same time. Even though he had seen it before, he couldnt get used to it.

    What about Aidan?

    There.

    Aidan was now confronting thest remaining opponent.

    Give up now.

    Unlike others who sneaked in under the pretext of users and festivals, the only remaining enemy was a student here.

    Joanna Lovett, the second order of the ck Dawn Society, to be exact. She was staring at Aidan with trembling eyes, unable to believe they had been defeated.

    How.?

    There were 10 members and among them were closebat experts who trained their bodies to be knights but to her surprise, Aidan overpowered them with that knife-shaped magic wand.

    What the hell is wrong with him?

    Even though he was a third order, he was a skilled man. Although he was not even as good as a knight, he was stronger than the other orders with his sword.

    You have a cheat ability like anti-magic, but youre this good at closebat?

    How in the world can such a person exist? Well it doesnt matter that it exists but why would he interfere with her noble mission?

    Aidan aimed his wand at Joanna.

    Youre a freshman, arent you? Why the hell are you doing this?

    Why? If I tell you, will you pretend you didnt see us and move on?

    No. I cant do that.

    Aidan shook his head firmly. He didnt know what Joanna came here for but it was clear it wasnt a good thing. Nevertheless, the reason he asked was because he was genuinely curious.

    There is a festival going on right now. Why do you want to disturb those people?

    It was a pure question. Curious as to why she wanted to do something bad.

    Joannaughed at the remark because it was ridiculous.

    Isnt that obvious? I hate them all. I hope the world itself burns down and disappears.

    Joannas eyes were filled with tears of injustice.

    What are you allughing and living well? Why am I the only one whos having a hard time? Thats not fair.

    You

    Aidan read the sadness on Joannas face. He took a breath, stared at Joanna with determined eyes, remembering what Mr. Rudger said to him.

    Do you understand, Aidan? Its half.

    Selfishness, altruism.

    -In the end, its not good to be extreme on either side. So you can be a little selfish.

    He wondered why those words came into his mind but his head felt strangely refreshed. Aidan, who would have originally tried to understand others, pointed his cane at Joanna.

    Then Ill stop you here.

    Leo, who was anxious that Aidan mightmit another unexpected action here, breathed a sigh of relief.

    Well done, Aidan.

    Leo suddenly thought like that when Aidan shook off his weakness and embraced his determination.

    Will you act that way when you find out who I really amter?

    Of course, its all meaningless assumptions. Only stupid people would get into trouble with something that hasnt happened yet.

    Joanna stepped back slowly. Shes the only one left, however, the other side is all fine without a single injury.

    I cant believe that the members of the ck Dawn Society were defeated by four kids. Even though theyre students of Theon.

    Aidan alone is difficult to deal with, but he has three helpers.

    Joanna had to make a choice. Resist, or fight to the end.

    It was at that moment that hot wavelengths were felt not far away. Joannas head swung around when she felt it.

    Sister Esmeralda?

    Suddenly, Joanna moved even before Aidan could ask what that was. She summoned a wind spirit and created a cloud of dust so she could run away.

    Aidan! Joanna is running away!

    Lets chase!

    Aidans party followed Joanna.

    * * *

    Like bubbles rising from the deep sea her mind, which was as heavy as cotton in water, returned to its original state and Esmeralda opened her closed eyes.

    This is

    When she opened her eyes, what she saw was the ceiling of the warehouse. Esmeralda, who was trying to get up, noticed a ck shadow wriggling around her.

    After seeing the interior of a warehouse on fire Esmeralda realized what happened.

    I see. I also.

    She killed that man.

    A tear trickled down her cheek. What was more distressing was that this nightmare didnt end here. The Devil of Fire will soon try to control her mind and body again.

    At that moment a huge fire giant bounced off one wall with a great brilliance that shed and erupted from one side.

    Quasimodo?

    Quasimodo, the incarnation of madness and hatred, has power equivalent to a highest level spirit. She couldnt believe that such a Quasimodo was thrown away.

    Quasimodo rose up with a burst of fire. His eyes stretched out toward the person who blew him away.

    [Aaaah!! Rudger Chelici!!!]

    Esmeraldas gaze naturally turned to the other side and a man was standing there.

    Rudger CheliciNo, John Doe.

    A First Order of the ck Dawn Society like herself but unlike other first orders, he was a man who carries out his mission alone, hiding his identity.

    He was now fighting with Quasimodo.

    Why?

    Why was he fighting?

    [Human!]

    The appearance of Quasimodo began to change. His size decreased to 2m and its body became thinner, quite the opposite to his usual form. The horns that rose above the head turned bigger and more vicious, and the longer arms touched the ground.

    He looked like a devil that rushed out from hell and held a sword of fire in his hands.

    No, its dangerous.

    Quasimodo controls Esmeralda, but on the contrary, Esmeralda also yed a role in suppressing Quasimodo.

    Now however the link between them has faded and Quasimodo was stronger than ever. No matter how much Rudger resists and fights him in the end hell melt away and disappear.

    Run away! Just run away!

    Esmeralda shouted, but Rudger did not run away.

    Why dont you run away?

    You dont have to fight.

    Esmeralda bowed her head. Then something touched her shoulder. When I looked up, there was a tentacle of a shadow that protected her body.

    You are

    The tentacles pointed to Rudger.

    Esmeralda fixed her eyes on Rudgers back as if she had been possessed by something.

    What kind of magic is he using? Can that really be called magic?

    He didnt recite a chant or use a want but the magic was activated. At the same time a sword of fire was swung at Rudgers neck but a white tower was created around Rudger blocking it.

    [What is that? What did you do?]

    Was it quite a shock that a strange structure he had never seen before prevented his attack so Quasimodo asked impatiently.

    It is simple magic. It is a magic made of the five elements.

    [Ive never heard of it. There cant be such magic.]

    Of course not. This is the magic I made.

    [Youre saying nonsense]

    Quasimodo thought Rudger was making fun of him.

    [How can you call it magic when theres no chant and no hand gestures?]

    So its magic.

    The red light from Rudgers eyes flew through the air like a long thread.

    I dont cast spells with my mouth and I dont use hand gestures in vain. Thew of changees true if I truly believe, follow, and pray. This is the real magic.

    A blue light shed behind Rudgers back, then turned into arge sword and mmed down Quasimodos head.

    Quasimodo hurriedly raised his sword of fire and blocked it.

    It also has another name.

    Unable to withstand the shock, Quasimodo fell on one knee.

    Its called a miracle.

    [Aaaah!]

    Quasimodo roared and mmed his arms to break the blue sword and after that he stared calmly at Rudger, shaking his body.

    Are you noting?

    [I admit that youre different from other humans Rudger Chelici. Youre not a normal human being. You are a superman who is the best among humans.]

    Because you were pushed by me, you suddenly be more talkative.

    [So I will ask. Why are you disturbing me?]

    Quasimodo pointed at Esmeralda with his ming sword.

    [You have that kind of power, but why are you acting like this?]

    Why was he fighting against him instead of running away? Why was he doing this just because of that one woman?

    Quasimodo was asking Rudger so.

    [I admit that youre strong. Your power is obviously great so these words are meaningless. Either you or I die, but the one who survives also has to carry a lifelong wound. Do you want to take this risk?]

    You cant stop talking. I dont think thats what the guy who was trying to kill me just now would say.

    [I didnt know that back then.]

    Quasimodo replied brazenly like he was not ashamed because of that.

    Quasimodo was sincere. If your opponent is weak, you kill him. However, if its strong or if its an opponent who has to be annihted the story is different.

    His judgment was reasonable. However, Rudger had no choice but tough at Quasimodos behavior.

    He hates humans and burns them to death but hes trying to reason with the strong ones. Isnt it just a sample of strength and weakness?

    Rudger gathered his magic as if he didnt have to listen to it anymore.

    [Are you trying to fight?]

    Of course. We fought like that a while ago, and now youre shamelessly going to solve it through conversation?

    [Then I also have no choice but to fight with you with all my might. Are you willing to risk all that to help a puppet? Youre already beyond ordinary humans.]

    I am not a superman.

    Rudger shook his head and denied what Quasimodo said.

    Ive never been a superman, and I dont want to be a superman.

    [What nonsense?]

    The reason Im fighting with you right now is because youre dirty and disgusting. Thats all Im saying.

    He treats people like puppets, and enjoys watching their despair. Then he burns and kills other humans like worms. Rudger couldnt stand it because it was disgusting.

    [Then die!]

    Quasimodo rushed to Rudger but Rudger activated the magic he had already prepared.

    In the five elements, fire is the opposite of water. Water suppresses and hinders fire.

    A wave of blue energy rushed to cover Quasimodo.

    Quasimodo tried to cut off the blue energy by swinging his sword, but the fire was pushed away by the blue energy.

    [Its useless!]

    If he cant cut it, he can avoid it. Now that his size has gotten smaller, his speed has be iparably faster than before. Quasimodo approached Rudger through the blue energy with a sleek movement.

    Instead of backing down, Rudger shed directly with Quasimodo. The blue sword in his hand collided with Quasimodo sword.

    As soon as he entered the power struggle, blue energy was condensed under Quasimodo feet like a whirlpool. The blue mist condensed on the ground rose like arge column, throwing Quasimodo into the sky. Part of the warehouses ceiling was also blown away cleanly.

    Rudger shot the wireuncher on his left hand and prated Quasimodos sr plexus.

    [You fool! Burn up and die!]

    Quasimodo, holding the wire in his hand, wanted to set it on fire but Rudger had already used water magic on it.

    The wire was pulled, and Rudger soared towards Quasimodo. The moment they collided in the air firecrackers exploded and lit up the surroundings. As if the first me was only the beginning, the ck night sky quickly became colorful.

    Ah.

    Esmeralda stared nkly at the fight between the two while everyone gathered in Theon raised their heads to watch the fireworks.

    Beautiful flowers were blooming in the night sky and concealed the fight between the two.

    No one knew that behind this beautifulndscape, there is a man who fights desperately. They will never know about the heroic battle that took ce.

    Only Esmeralda kept her eyes on Rudgers fight. Even at this moment when everyone isughing and talking, she was watching the noble battle of a man who desperately fights a monster. How could she turn her eyes away?

    Quasimodo and Rudger, who collided several times in the air, fell down again. Following the trail of the two shes, traces of red and blue light remained in the space like afterimages simr to a fireworks disy.

    Quasimodo, whonded on the ground, looked up at Rudger, who was slowlying down, and shouted.

    [Dont think you can do anything with this power! My fire will not be quenched with this kind of water!]

    Is it useless as the opposite of the Fire Element?

    [Thats the limit of real magic..]

    Then Ill go with something stronger.

    [What?]

    As soon as Rudger finished speaking, a white frost began to fall over the blue energy of the waves.

    [What is this?]

    The rise of the five elements destroys the energy beyond the opposition that suppresses the energy. As soon as the water exceeds the heat of the fire, the water eventually freezes.

    The freezing cold made Quasimodos body slow. Nevertheless, Quasimodo did not die. He breathed out heat and resisted the cold.

    At that moment, a figure appeared behind Rudgers back. It was a shining tree. A sacred tree consisting ofplex shapes, lines, flows and paths.

    [Theres more?]

    The ninth path is pure intellect. The bottom of Arodos pir of bnce along with the release of Arodo Purification and thest living omnipotence.

    At the top of a perfect triangle, a huge amount of condensed andpressed energy flickered.

    Quasimodo felt a sense of crisis for the first time. Meanwhile, Rudgers magic continued. An ultimate magic that drew all the mana of the medicine in Rudger mouth.

    The ninth Sefira of the Sefirot Tree.

    The power of Gabriel, the archangel in charge of water.

    Yesod!

    The dazzling light, which was shot in a straight line, devoured Quasimodo.

 Chapter 173

    C173: The Flower of Remnant Fire (3)

    Casey Selmore, who was suppressing the fire outside, was anxious.

    What if something happens?

    Caseys intuition sensed that something big wasing soon.

    As if to prove that her prediction was not wrong, a dazzling light gushed strongly from the warehouse.

    What!

    Half of the water curtain surrounding the warehouse was blown away instantly. Even though it was only an aftermath, it shook her magic greatly. Casey frowned and sensed the familiar attributes contained in it.

    Is this the smell of water?

    That means that the magic used inside was water attribute magic and it was at least sixth-rank magic.

    What baffled Casey Selmore was that he couldnt figure out what magic it was at first. It was a magic of water that she, a Colour wizard who deals with water doesnt know.

    Rudger Chelici. Why the hell is he?

    At the moment when the curtain of water was half blown away due to the aftermath, Joanna Lovett arrived at the logistics warehouse.

    Sister

    Joanna jumped into the burning warehouse.

    Wait! Stop!

    Aidans group tried to chase after her, but they were suddenly blocked by the curtain of restored water.

    Whats this?

    Water? Is this magic? How can she envelop this huge warehouse with water?

    Casey, who found four surprised people, approached.

    What are you guys doing here?

    You are?

    Casey waved at the four pairs of eyes looking at her.

    Youre students, right? Its dangerous here, so stay back. Go get your teachers.

    Are you the one who cast this curtain of water?

    Aidan asked boldly and Casey nodded.

    By the way, dont you know who I am?

    What? Who are?

    Oh my!

    It was Tracy Friad who screamed as only after seeing Caseys face clearly could she recognize her.

    Eh, Aidan! Thats her! Its her!

    Who is she?

    Are you really asking because you dont know? Its crazy!

    Cried Tracy in a very excited voice.

    A wizard with the [Colour] title! Single Attribute Element Magic User! A genius detective who solved all kinds of dangerous cases! You dont know that Casey Selmore?!

    Really?

    Casey, who was listening quietly, nodded.

    There is a student who knows me? Thats unexpected.

    Theres no way I wouldnt know. Youre my role model!

    Thank you, sweetdy. Normally, I would have given you an autograph, but unfortunately, I cant because of the situation.

    Casey stared at the warehouse that was still on fire.

    That fire is dangerous. So everyone stay back.

    Hold on a second! A little while ago, a person went in there! If I leave it like this, she might die.

    A person? Oh no, did they enter when the barrier weakened?

    Casey, murmuring softly, shook her head.

    But it cant be helped. You guys wait here. Thats not whats important.

    But!

    It is not bad to have the will, but if you dont have the ability youll only suffer. And you dont have to worry.

    What?

    Because theres a pretty trustworthy person in there right now.

    A trustworthy person?

    Aidan asked, but Casey did not answer.

    * * *

    The light subsided and silence came to the warehouse.

    Esmeralda still couldnt believe the present reality. The hot mes were almost gone and the remaining mes were still shining on the inside of the warehouse, butpared to the beginning, they were closer to a remnant fire.

    Like a flower that gradually faded away, even the remaining mes slowly subsided. The fluttering embers were like petals that were blown away by the wind.

    In the center of the fire, there was a man looking up at the sky. The light of firecrackers pouring down from the cracks in the open ceiling was lighting his back.

    Esmeralda couldnt take his eyes off him but at that moment Rudgers body was out of bnce and tilted. However he managed to stabilize his body and grabbed his head.

    This is still a little hard.

    The mana recovery medicine he made was almost exhausted but fortunately, he managed to keep the seal under control.

    Rudger was relieved that his actions didnt lead to a worrying catastrophe.

    Rudger Chelici.

    Rudger looked back at Esmeralda after hearing his name.

    Her face was messy and stained with soot and tears. Nevertheless, her beauty did not disappear, and she opened her mouth.

    Why did you save me?

    .

    As you know, were not that close to each other.

    Rudger knew that too.

    The First Orders of the ck Dawn Society are not in a coborative rtionship. They are not on good terms andpete. Sometimes they hold hands, but its also just a business deal.

    Given that, Rudgers fight with Quasimodo was clearly not supposed to happen.

    You didnt have to fight. No, you didnt even have to be here in the first ce. But why.

    Didnt I tell you? Its because I dont like him.

    Although he spoke of his excuse, Esmeralda did not believe it.

    Dont lie. Are you going to fight like that just because you dont like him? Dont tell me youre.

    Esmeralda, noticing something strange, blurted out the end of her words and Rudgers eyes narrowed and turned sharp.

    It was then.

    [That, that, that thing. A human being]

    A hand of fire soared from the ground and grabbed Esmeraldas body.

    Argh!

    It was Quasimodo whom he thought waspletely extinct. He reappeared in the form of the original ugly giant.

    He didnt die even after being hit by that? What an incredible life force.

    Was it because his existence itself is not in line with ordinary life?

    Not good.

    His mana has been almost used up since a while ago.

    He was pretending to be rxed now, but if Quasimodoes back to life he would have no choice but to run away.

    Even Esmeralda was captured by Quasimodo.

    [Give me strength!]

    Argh!

    Esmeralda, caught in the hands of Quasimodo, screamed.

    Rudger saw that Quasimodo was absorbing her power through an invisible thread connected between the two. The power extracted from Esmeralda was passed on to Quasimodo.

    [Yes. Give me your strength. Give me life.]

    Quasimodoughed as he did not care about Esmeralda and Esmeralda, already physically and mentally wrecked, could not resist it.

    [Esmeralda. Dont resist. Youre a good girl, arent you? You have to take revenge for us.]

    Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

    Esmeralda screamed in pain while Rudger fired a spell at Quasimodo, but failed to hit him properly.

    [Youre weak. Youre exhausted, too.]

    Quasimodo grinned as he stared at Rudger. His eyes contained the joy of winning.

    [Wait a little bit. I will quickly regain my strength and kill you in the most painful way.]

    .

    Rudger, who had a hard face, seriously considered whether to use the power of God.

    No. If I release the seal with the remaining mana, it will be irreversible then.

    Rudger looked back at Esmeralda. She also managed to move her head and stare at Rudger and grinned at him in pain.

    Run away

    She wasnt asking him to help her but to run. Does it mean that she cares about others even in this situation?

    Hua.

    Rudger sighed and swept his flowing bangs over his forehead. He grabbed the cane and aimed it at Quasimodo.

    Quasimodo, whose upper body has already been fully regenerated,ughed with his mouth torn.

    [Are you trying to fight until the end? Illpliment you for not running away.]

    Quasimodoughed at Rudger as he made a sword of fire in his left hand and swung it.

    Rudgers cane and the sword of fire collided, sparking mes in the air. He stepped back five steps and his hands were numb even though he lost most of his strength.

    The protective magic that was protecting the body was almost out of effect. He felt like his clothes were getting tanned and his skin was getting ripe.

    Despite the pain, Rudger didnt change his expression. With a cane sword in his hand he stared at Quasimodo.

    Quasimodo felt a strange displeasure from that action.

    [What are those eyes?]

    Each time he swung his sword of fire, Rudger blocked or deflected it. He staggered but didnt copse.

    Why was he standing so firm? Why was he looking down at him even in this situation?

    [Youre dying!]

    Quasimodos face was distorted with anger. No matter how weak he was now, he was annoyed by the reality that he could not subdue Rudger, who was equally exhausted.

    [Im sick of ying with you. Just die.]

    Quasimodo opened his mouth wide at Rudger and apressed high-temperature me was fired at him.

    Rudger, who held only one cane, had no room to escape.

    If youvee all the way here, isnt it time to move?

    And the moment Rudger muttered those words arge stone wall rose from the ground to block the mes of Quasimodo. At the same time, a sharp wind flew in and split Quasimodos body, and water poured down over his head.

    Three intermediate spirits of wind, water, and earth appeared around Rudger. Esmeralda noticed whose spirit they were.

    Selina?

    Unlike herself, who suppressed Quasimodo, Selina signed contracts with three intermediate spirits. Now the spirits appeared and saved Rudger.

    [What is this all of a sudden?]

    Quasimodo was surprised by the spirits sudden appearance. The three spirits stood as if protecting Rudger and stared at Quasimodo.

    I wish you had helped me from the beginning.

    The spirits reacted disapprovingly to Rudgers words.

    Rudger is not loved by the spirits. Beyond simply not being able to win the favor of the spirits, it was his constitution that the spirits feared or avoided. But the Spirits who signed contracts with Selina turned up to help Rudger.

    Their owner is Selina, but they have now decided to form an alliance with Rudger as a stopgap measure.

    [What are you going to do with three intermediate spirits?]

    This is enough for you, who is weak enough.

    Ngh!

    The Spirit of the Wind in the shape of a horse carried Rudger on his back. The moment the horse hit the ground, a gust of wind blew past Quasimodo. At the same time, Quasimodos left arm holding the sword was cut off.

    Rudger again pointed the edge of his sword at Quasimodo.

    [You bloody fools!]

    Quasimodo aimed for Rudger, but he was already far away with the Spirit of Wind. At the same time, a water cannon was fired at the back of his head and hit Quasimodo.

    The Butterfly-shaped Spirit of Water wandered through the sky and continued to attack Quasimodo.

    Quasimodo tried to remove the most annoying spirit of water first but before he could act the ground rose in a stampede and blocked the front of Quasimodo.

    [How dare you ant!?]

    Quasimodo regenerated his severed left arm.

    He curled up and fired balls of fire everywhere, although they were only fist-sized mes, they were fatal.

    Rudger analyzed Quasimodo condition and gave the Spirit of the Wind an order.

    Its not good. The spirits wontst long.

    The situation seemed to be favorable to them at first nce, but in reality it was the opposite.

    The three spirits that have now been summoned beyond the will of the contractor are like candles that could be extinguished at any moment.

    Quasimodo continues to be strong.

    He was gradually trying to return to his heyday by forcibly extracting strength from Esmeralda.

    On the other hand, there are only a few magic spells that I can use.

    He could only use real magic twice before the seal would go out of control so he had to end Quasimodo with two spells.

    What?

    Something was caught in Rudgers sight, who was riding on the Spirit of the Wind to escape the attack of Quasimodo.

    What, what happened?

    The blonde man, covered in soot, was staggering up. Crollo, who fainted in the corner of the warehouse, opened his eyes.

    Rudger was dumbfounded, and even in this urgent situation, heughed.

    I cant believe he didnt die during the fight. Hes a lucky guy. Is it because of the expensive armor on the body?

    He didnt have to care about Crollo Fabius anymore because he ruined his n with his unexpected behavior and that made Rudger rather annoyed.

    Wait.

    Rudgers eyes shone and he just came up with a good idea that could kill Quasimodo.

    Giddy up!

    Rudger spurred its movement by tapping the wind spirit on the back.

 Chapter 174

    C174: Burned Ash, Seed of Wind (1)

    Cough!

    Rudger struck Crollo Fabius in the back of his head, knocking him out. Then he put his palm on the head of the fainted Crollo and a strange energy flowed over his hand and permeated Crollo.

    The wind horse scolded Rudger. He seemed to be asking what he was doing.

    Stay still. This guy will be the key to defeat that fire monster.

    Rudgers words seemed very incredible as he withdrew his hand from Crollo Fabius.

    That should be enough.

    What did you do?

    Ill tell you thatter. Thats not whats important right now.

    Rudger saw the Spirits of Earth and Water holding against Quasimodo but their power was considerably weaker than at the beginning. The time of manifestation of the two spirits has reached its limit.

    The horse hit the ground with its hooves and looked at Rudger asking what his n was. He was in a hurry because he didnt know when his contractor would die.

    Dont whine, Im going to tell you. As you can see, Quasimodo is holding Esmeralda. Theres only one thing to do. We have to separate them.

    Of course, it is not as easy as it sounds. Unlike before, Quasimodo knew his strength and did not move. He was quite cautious, perhaps because he had once experienced the crisis of death once.

    Hes a cunning guy, so hell move in a way so as not to lose Esmeralda. We must somehow get his attention and save Esmeralda so your role is important.

    The wind horse stared at Rudger. He understood what he had to do and epted it.

    Thank you.

    Rudger thanked him and the wind words nodded.

    They are spirits born in nature so disappearing here does not meanplete disappearance from the world. Of course theyll have to rest for a very long time.

    It will take a long time for them to reunite with the owner they want to meet but as long as theyre alive theyll definitely meet one day. Such a belief was embedded in the three spirits so they were using all their strength.

    Rudger also understood the spirits will.

    Then please.

    At Rudgers words the three spirits rushed towards Quasimodo. They didnt attack like they did a while ago but pushed Quasimodo from the front with force.

    [Weak people are cornered, so they are making theirst move.]

    Quasimodo was grateful that they were attacking him directly. The earth spirit threw himself when Quasimodo emitted a fire. The high-horned bison blocked the fire but his shape slowly began to copse.

    Then the Spirit of Water sprinkled water on Quasimodos eyes.

    [It tickles.]

    Quasimodo was not pushed out. Rather, it was the Earth Spirit who fell to the floor and melted away in light.

    In the meantime, Rudger rushed toward Quasimodo.

    As soon as Quasimodo captured Rudgers appearance, the water spirit jumped at Quasimodos head with all its power.

    Water vapor rises as water and fire meet. However, the water spirit disappeared due to hisck of power.

    [Heh heh. Is that all you have?]

    Quasimodo opened his mouth and spewed fire. A much hotter and more intense breath than before came rushing in like a wave.

    There was no room to escape. Still, Rudger never stopped running.

    The moment the waves of fire were about to devour Rudger thest remaining spirit, the wind horse, appeared in front of Rudger.

    In that brief moment, the wind spirit and Rudger connected their eyes and Rudger nodded.

    The wind spirit squeezed out all his strength but the horse shape copsed and soon turned into a sharp gust. The wind drilled a hole in the center of the me and the wind spirit disappeared with the light.

    The remaining wind pushed Rudger back, it was thest help left by the wind spirit. Encouraged by it, Rudger jumped up.

    Quasimodo saw the image of Rudger flying through the mes he exhaled.

    Rudgers sword de shed and shone, his goal was Quasimodos right hand holding Esmeralda.

    [It was shallow.]

    The ck sword wielded by Rudger cut half of Quasimodos wrist but the de could not withstand the heat and melted.

    [Its unfortunate. If the sword had been a little stronger, you would have won!]

    Quasimodo grinned at Rudger but Rudger did not answer. At that time, a strong wind blew and turned like a de, cutting off Quasimodos wrist.

    Quasimodos cut wrist, which was half cut by Rudger, fell off without regenerating.

    [What?!]

    The surprise was the same for Rudger.

    The wind spirit did its job a little while ago by piercing the mes.

    Let my sister go!

    Joanna Lovett?

    A sudden intervention by a third-party was enough to change the close fight.

    Why is Joanna here? No, thats not the point. Thanks to her, I got a chance.

    Joanna Lovett attacked Quasimodo with a wind spirit.

    You monster! Get away from my sister!

    Quasimodo immediately recognized Joanna, who interrupted him.

    [Joanna. Yeah. You were there. A survivor of the great fire.]

    Shut up!

    [Why are you interrupting me? Im the agent of revenge you want. Wasnt my existence the embodiment of hatred you wanted?]

    Quasimodo stabbed Joanna in the sore spot. She was speechless and couldnt bear to refute him.

    She wanted revenge against the Fabius family who burned down the peaceful Roteng. Revenge for a world that hides this terrible fact and no one recognizes it and to do so, she entered the ck Dawn Society.

    [Are you going to disobey me?]

    In the first ce, it wasnt a monster like you that I followed!

    [Wow. Did you get some courage now? Joanna the Coward. Even though your family was dying in the burning building that day, you just watched.]

    Quasimodo shook his head sadly.

    [The family shouted for help, but you couldnt open a door. Youre a coward who could not save anyone. A weak person like you is going to fight me?]

    I, I.

    Quasimodo reached out to Joanna to burn her to death and take Esmeralda back or so he thought.

    Its wrong to say that no one was saved.

    Brilliant colors disturbed Quasimodos eyes, twisting the direction of his fist in a strange ce.

    What?

    Joanna was mesmerized by the magic spread in front of her eyes. It was such a beautiful magic she had never seen before.

    Rudger, watching the scene, smirked.

    Why didnt youe sooner Pierre?

    Im sorry. There were a lot of people around me and I tried toe without being caught, so I waste.

    What?

    Joanna looked perplexed when she saw Pierre appearing with an eye patch on his eyes.

    You.

    Pierre smiled broadly at Joanna, who was bewildered.

    Long time no see. Joanna, I couldnt ask your name back then, but now I know you. Do you remember who I am?

    I cant not know.

    Joanna recognized Pierre at once due to his weak impression and distant eyes. Even the clothes soaked in paint and the brush he held in his hand. On that day, after losing her family, he was the only person that she had the courage to save.

    Why are you here.?

    Because I couldnt stay there forever.

    Before the festival began Rudger ordered Hans to contact Pierre.

    If you want to end the nightmare of the day,e to Theon.

    I was scared at first but I couldnt stay still when I heard that you, who saved me that day, were still alive and fighting.

    Pierre smiled softly at Joanna.

    [How dare you half-wizard!]

    Pierre stamped the palette with a brush in his right hand and sprayed it in the air. Then, the colorful colors stretched out and blocked the view of Quasimodo.

    Yes, Im not good enough as a wizard. Even if Ie to help like this, all I can do is paint in the air.

    Pierre felt the heat through his skin. He could see it more clearly because it was invisible. The heat of that day and the hot fire that burned the vige still remained in the world.

    I med myself time and time again for surviving but here I am, thanking Mr. Rudger.

    He was finally able to find a ce for himself to stand on. Pierre held the brush so tightly as if he would break it.

    Even if all I can do is drag on!

    His magic reacted with paint and decorated the colorful scenery around him.

    As long as thats what I can do!

    [What are you going to do now? You didnt do anything that day?]

    Quasimodo twitched his lips. He got really annoyed that the bugs that survived Roteng continued to interfere with him. He was so angry that he couldnt bear it.

    [Childs y. I will burn it all!]

    Pierres painting magic copsed when Quasimodo spewed out mes. As the colors melted away Pierre also recoiled from the shock.

    In a single blow, all of his biggest magic was destroyed. The difference between the two was overwhelming.

    Pierre clenched his teeth. His most powerful magic was destroyed in one attack.

    Well done.

    At that moment, a white chain appeared and tied Quasimodos body.

    You can be proud Pierre. That one spell just now, definitely overturned the situation.

    [What is this chain?]

    Quasimodo tried to free himself, but the chain did not break, rather it tightened his body even more strongly.

    Quasimodos body slowly began to be pulled by the chains. The ce where the chain popped out was from where the heart of the fainted Crollo Fabius was.

    Quasimodo knew instinctively what Rudger was going to do.

    [You dare imprison me in that human body?]

    You are quick-witted.

    [Dontugh! I have already signed a contract with Esmeralda! The contract is absolute!]

    Yes, the contract is absolute. But I think theres one thing you dont know, a contract is meant to be broken by a bigger contract.

    The chain that connects Crollo Fabius and Quasimodo was qualitatively different from the red thread connecting Quasimodo and Esmeralda.

    It is a magic that renews the sealing ceremony of an evil spirit. As you be weak, there is no way you can resist it.

    [Esmeralda! What are you doing? Save me!]

    Quasimodo, who was being dragged by the chain, squeezed the remaining strength and held on to the red thread.

    It was a tug-of-war between chain and thread, but the thread was not easily broken. Rather, Esmeralda was suffering from the power of her contract.

    Quasimodoughed slyly.

    [Heh heh. Did you forget Esmeralda? The sadness and revenge of that day! Are you going to leave me?]

    Stop, stop!

    [I am you! Only with me can you be perfect! Soe on, save me!]

    Esmeralda grabbed her heart and opened her mouth.

    If you want me so much.

    She looked up and stared at Quasimodo with eyes full of tears.

    Then take it all!

    Something escaped from the threaded linked to Esmeralda. It was her soul. When the soul that had been used as an anchor escaped, Quasimodos body began to be dragged into the chain helplessly.

    [Esmeralda! What are you doing? Do you want me to die with you?]

    Esmeralda did not respond to Quasimodos cry. Instead, she looked back at Rudger and smiled.

    [Please take care of Selina.]

    You

    Even before Rudger could say anything, Esmeralda shouted, staring at Quasimodo.

    [Lets die together, Quasimodo! Your pointless ughter will end here!]

    [Dont make meugh!]

    Quasimodos body slowly began to be dragged towards Crollo.

    Crollos body burned, unable to withstand Quasimodos power. The chain heated up on the body of the contractor.

    [Argh! Why? Im fire itself!]

    Quasimodo let out a scream of pain.

    The devil of fire, a giant born of fire and the Crypt of Hatred was burning in the chains mes.

    Sister!

    No! Youre not going to get involved!

    Pierre grabbed Joanna, who was about to rush in.

    The soul of Esmeralda, who was with Quasimodo, was engulfed in mes. That me burned the soul and the pain was enormous inparison to burning the body.

    Nevertheless, Esmeralda was smiling as if she were satisfied to burn and die with Quasimodo like this. That was herst choice and her one and only role.

    I can rest now.

    Esmeralda closed her eyes. Now there was no beautiful scenery, all that appeared in front of her was a hot fire.

    In the fire, the dead reach for her.

    Come on, you too.

    To suffer together.

    The red thread flowing out of it tied her body. This was an inevitable fate. If she could burn her soul and end all this, she would be happy to do so.

    Esmeralda slowly closed her eyes and threw herself into the fire pit.

    What are youughing at?

    Something grabbed her hand and Esmeralda opened her closed eyes. Even in the hot fire, the touch of the hand felt clearer than anything else.

    [How?]

    She could see Rudger holding her hand through her blurred vision and the mes that were spreading through her hands to Rudgers.

    [What are you doing? Let go!]

    Noisy.

    The fire that touches him must be more painful than anything else. Even now, it was burning his palms and arms but Rudger didnt blink an eye. Rather, he stared at Esmeralda with ring eyes.

    [Why?]

    I dont like it.

    [What?]

    Why are you trying to die on your own? Did you think it would be over if you threw your life away? Or would you feel at ease if you died like that?

    [I, I]

    Rudger shouted at Esmeralda, who was embarrassed.

    Dont misunderstand.

    He holds Esmeraldas arm which is about to be dragged away strongly.

    Its not you wholl end this fight.

    He raised his half sword and as squeezed out all the mana he had into it a silver aura appeared on the tip of the sword.

    Thats me.

    He struck and the red threads that bound Esmeralda were cut off at once.

 Chapter 175

    C175: Burned Ash, Seed of Wind (2)

    Chapter sponsored byIx. Thank you for your support.

    The cut thread is scattered in the air and Esmeralda, in her soul state, couldnt take her eyes off the scene.

    She was finally free from the longsting curse that bound her for a long time. She thought she could never escape except in death but the curse was broken now.

    Tears flowed down Esmeraldas cheeks even though she didnt have tear nds in the soul state. What she was shedding were the tears of the soul in the image of all sorrow and lumps. It was a rare sight to see even once in a century.

    [No! I cant do this!]

    Quasimodo scratched the ground roughly with his hands. He, who no longer had a rope to hold on to, was dragged into the chain without hesitation.

    The fire burning Crollo Fabius body became stronger and the white chain and the fire that connected it burned strongly as he mingled with Quasimodo.

    Ahhhhh!

    The souls of Quasimodo and Crollo Fabius screamed together.

    [This cant happen!]

    Quasimodo. First Order of the ck Dawn Society. Cryptid born in fire.

    Rudger stood in front of Quasimodo and his magma-like eyes directed at Rudger.

    [Rudger Chelici! All because of you! Its all because of you!]

    Be ashes and disappear with all the sins you havemitted.

    Quasimodos body slowly began to crumble. The countless fireballs that made up his body were scattered and melting in the air.

    Thats.

    Its the soul.

    Rudger replied to Joanna, who did not realize what was going on.

    The soul of the Roteng vige bound by Quasimodo and burning with hatred.

    The spirit was finally free from Quasimodo and was ascending. Quasimodo reached out anxiously, but it was a meaningless resistance.

    [Power! My strength]

    Quasimodos loud voice gradually decreased and the giant soon shrunk to the size of a child. Unlike the souls that escaped from the chain, Quasimodo could not escape.

    [I the whole worldTo burn]

    With those words, Quasimodopletely disappeared along with the soul of Crollo Fabius.

    Thepletely liberated souls shone white and the scarlet mes caused by Quasimodo scattered like white petals.

    Two lights approached Joanna, who was staring nkly at the scene.

    Mom? Dad?

    Joanna instinctively reached for the souls, but they flew high into the sky in the wind and disappeared with the light of firecrackers embroidering the sky.

    Joanna stared at the scene in tears and Pierre couldnt keep his mouth shut at the sight.

    What a vivid beauty.

    Even though he was blind, Pierre was vividly watching the miracle allowed only at this moment as if he would not miss it. He will never forget this beautiful sight.

    [Its over.]

    Esmeralda, who was in the soul state, copsed. The nightmare that she thought wouldst was over.

    [But still]

    What was lost would never return. The scarred memories of the precious past that disappeared were still there.

    [Sorry.]

    Esmeralda apologized to the departing souls. Everyone died because of her.

    [Sorry. Im so sorry.]

    She couldnt fully convey her feelings with her words. Nevertheless, this was all she could do right now.

    [Because Im weak. Because Im stupid. I made everyone die.]

    Tears didnte out as if the miracle she just shed was everything.

    [If I followed him from the beginning.]

    Her body slowly began to cken and blur. Quasimodo disappeared, but her soul was already severely damaged in the aftermath of their longsting contract.

    The damage to the soul is more serious than anything else and Esmeraldas gradually ckening appearance proved it.

    At this rate, she will be a ghost, forgetting even the memories of her life but Esmeralda was not sad. Maybe its because she thinks this is the end that suits her, who was foolish.

    Rudger looked at the sight without saying a word. Now that he had exhausted his mana, Rudger had no way to help Esmeralda and even if he had mana there was no way to return a fallen soul.

    To restore a truly corrupt soul to its original state, Esmeralda himself must be saved but she couldnt as there were no words to heal the wounds engraved on the soul.

    Is it a soul that cant even ascend?

    Unfortunately, there was nothing more he could do for Esmeralda but the moment he thought so, he saw a soul that showed unusual movements.

    Unlike the other souls who were rising to the sky there was one light approaching Esmeralda against the flow. Esmeralda also stared nkly at the soul approaching her.

    A white soul shone and soon turned into a person as Esmeralda opened her eyes wide.

    [Nun]

    A nun led a small church in Roteng Vige and the one who raised Esmeralda appeared.

    Esmeralda bowed her head as she didnt want to face her. She still vividly remembers the cries of those who uttered hateful words toward her in her dreams. The dream always ended with seeing her mother, the nun.

    The other person was fine but she didnt want to hear that from her. She didnt want to be med by her.

    [Sorry, sorry. Sorry.]

    Esmeralda kept saying the same thing over and over again with her head down.

    The nun looked down at Esmeralda and slowly reached out to her.

    The moment the fingertips touched Esmeraldas shoulder Esmeralda raised her head startled.

    The nun hugged Esmeralda silently.

    [Oh]

    Esmeralda opened her eyes wide and soon sobbed, twisting her face with sadness.

    [Didnt you have a hard time?]

    [I I!]

    [Im so sorry I couldnt be with you]

    Esmeraldas mother stroked her back and whispered that it was okay.

    Soul.

    Esmeraldas soul, which had been dyed ck, has changed. Like white petals flying around her soul, who had shaken everything off, soon regained its original innocence.

    Rudger stared at the scene silently.

    At this moment a soul that had fallen into the darkness was saved as Esmeralda and the nuns bodies slowly rose to the sky and joined the other souls.

    [Oh]

    Esmeralda, who was about to leave holding her mothers hand, looked at Rudger as if she had thought of something.

    Rudger also stared at her until the end.

    [Please take care of Selina]

    Esmeralda smiled softly. It was a pure smile that didnt fit the name of the Witch of Fire, which was eroded by madness.

    A strong sh burst out and the souls disappeared like a mirage. The sight he saw a while ago felt like a dream.

    Where would the souls that have been wandering for so many years go at the end?

    Rudger murmured quietly, looking up into the empty air.

    Its really far away. But one day, the end of my journey will definitely.

    At that time Joanna slumped down and breathed out the breath that Pierre had held back.

    Its over.

    No. Its not over yet.

    Rudger said, staring at Pierre and Joanna.

    Joanna Lovett. No, Joanna, Rotengs survivor.

    .

    Joanna gulped down as she realized who Rudger was.

    Rudger raised his hand and pointed out the warehouse.

    Leave.

    What? What did you just say?

    I told you to leave. Leave Theon and donte here again. Joanna Lovett, the Second Order of the ck Dawn Society, died here today.

    Joanna looked at Rudger with disbelief. Rudger ignored Joanna and told Pierre.

    Take her and leave. Can you still unfold the magic that deceives peoples eyes?

    Yes, thats possible.

    Then go. And dont let anyone know what happened here.

    Why?

    Because its all over.

    Quasimodo, the souls of the suffering Roteng citizens and the two captured by the past, everything was over.

    Your story ends here.

    Rudger muttered and held Selina, who had fallen on the floor in his arms.

    Quasimodo disappeared, but the remnants of the fire were still burning the warehouse. If they stay here, theyll be crushed to death by the copsing warehouse.

    Thank you!

    Joanna shouted at Rudgers back, which was moving away but Rudger did not reply.

    Lets go back.

    But, where?

    Where would it be? To our hometown.

    At Pierres words, Joanna nodded, saying, I understand.

    Pierres painting magic came into y and soon the images of the two disappeared as if they were melting in the air.

    * * *

    Extinguish the fire!

    The fire is so strong that we cant stop it!

    There were quite a few people gathered outside the burning logistics warehouse. Workers with buckets of water and some teachers tried to extinguish the fire in the warehouse by shooting water.

    Casey, who was watching the situation, realized that the fire was weaker than before.

    What happened? The me that was trying to escape from the outside just now seems to have weakened..

    It was not an illusion and at the same time someone shouted.

    Look over there! Theres a maning out!

    All the eyes of the people gathered at the scene headed to the main gate of the warehouse as two people emerged through the burning mes.

    Rudger came out holding Selina, who fainted.

    Mr. Rudger?

    Theres also teacher Selina.

    His steps were slow and precarious.

    Actually, Rudger was covered with wounds but strangely the people were overwhelmed by the sight.

    It was Casey Selmore who came to her senses first.

    What are you doing? Help him, hes injured! The rest of us will try to put out the fire!

    Only then did the workers who came to their senses rushed to approach Rudger.

    Are you all right?!

    This way!

    Supported by the crowd, Rudger headed towards the medical staff. After confirming that Rudger had escaped safely, Casey Selmore lifted the water curtain and poured it all into the warehouse.

    Follow me!

    Casey wanted to ask Rudger what happened inside right away, but the situation was not favorable. Even if the fire has weakened for now it could suddenly spread again, so now was her chance to put it out.

    People followed Casey in her footsteps and entered the warehouse. Moments after she entered inside, the burning fire in the warehouse gradually subsided.

    Are you feeling well? Oh, my God, your arms are like this!

    Thats all right.

    Thats all right?

    Do you have any recovery pills?

    Rudger showed his half-baked right arm.

    I think we need treatment urgently.

    Ill bring the people right here!

    Rudger breathed a sigh of relief as he looked at the distant worker.

    Its finally over.

    Only then did Rudger feel his whole body rx and Selina, who was lying on the stretcher, also came to her senses.

    Teacher Rudger?

    Are you awake?

    Yes.

    Selina nodded her head with a vague look. She, who raised her upper body, opened her mouth with a painful face.

    I had a dream.

    A dream?

    Yes. It was such a sad and painful dream.

    I see.

    Rudger responded moderately while watching the slowly dying warehouse fire.

    Selina asked.

    Why did you save me?

    .

    I did something bad. Not me but the other me.

    You knew. Since when?

    Selina nodded and did not deny Rudgers question.

    I met her. When I lost my mind, in the endless darkness of unconsciousness she was waiting for me there.

    What did she say?

    She said, [Im sorry. Youve had a hard time.] And she told me this too. [Keep going].

    .

    Shesshes gone, right? How was thest time you saw her? Did she leave happily?

    Yes, she went with a smile.

    Thats a relief.

    Selina bit her lip while trying to say something. Then she plucked up her courage and asked Rudger.

    You know, Mr. Rudger?

    Yes.

    Why did you help me?

    Selina faintly felt what she did in her nightmares. Shemitted an unforgivable sin and hurt somebody. Even if something else did it she was also at fault. Still, Rudger saved her.

    Like me.

    You promised.

    What?

    Lets enjoy the festival together next year, too.

    Selina stared at Rudger with her eyes wide open, as if she had never expected such an answer.

    Rudger turned his head to Selina, who was lying down, and looked at her. At that moment fireworks exploded embroidering the sky.

    They were Bigger, grander and more colorful than any firework symbolizing the end of Theons Magic Festival.

    Thats why.

    Ah.

    A splendid light shone on the two of them.

    Selina was speechless at Rudgers gentle smile and twisted her face as if she was about to shed tears.

    Tears were actually flowing down her cheeks but instead of being sad, Selina raised her mouth and smiled at Rudger. It was powerless and pitiful, but thats why it was the most beautiful smile.

    Yes!

    * * *

    Soon the medical staff came and Selina was stretchered away.

    Others made a fuss about Rudgers need to rest, but Rudger stopped them and left. No one was able to stop Rudgers momentum and he walked away.

    The fire calmed down and some students even came nearby to see as they heard the news of the fire. However, the festival ended safely.

    Amunication came to Rudger, who sat alone a little away and watched the scene.

    [Brother, you did a great job. Ill leave with Seridan now.]

    Yeah. You did a great job, too, Hans.

    [I ordered the rats to erase the evidence, but I dont know what will happen]

    Thats enough.

    Rudger, who finishedmunicating with Hans, breathed a sigh of relief inside, thinking that it was finallypletely over.

    The moment he thought he could have a really good nights sleep.

    Hmm. I came here to see the festival, but something interesting must have happened.

    A voice came from behind Rudgers back and a chill flew down his spine as the hair all over his body stood on end.

    No one talked to Rudger because everyone is concerned about fighting the fire. Even more approaching him without him sensing it.

    The other person spoke in a voice still full of ease.

    Is it the monster of fire that haspletely disappeared in the colorful fireworks? HmmThis is so different from the original n.

    A cold sweat ran down Rudgers forehead. Theres no way he wouldnt know this voice.

    Join us and well help you do what you want. What do you say?

    He saw parts of Esmeraldas memory and after hearing the voice and feeling this sense of pressure he realized who the other party was.

    Zeros order!

    The founder of the ck Dawn Society was now behind his back.

    So. Can you exin what happened now? John Doe.

    Zero Orders eyes were on Rudgers back.

 Chapter 176

    More than that, I think you look a little different from when you left. John Doe.

    A sensation of coolness was flowing down his spine, sharply picking his lungs. It was a tension he hasnt felt in a long time.

    Rudger answered slowly.

    Yes, I thought I needed a little change.

    Did he get caught?

    If Zero came, it wouldnt be strange to know who John Doe really is.

    Well, thats not bad either. Before that, you were so ordinary that I had the impression that you would be buried everywhere.

    I didnt get caught.

    It was fortunate for him now that John Doe ability was specialized in disguise but he may also be trying to sound him out.

    Lets be calm.

    I closed my eyes and elerated my thinking. Is the man behind me really Zero Order?

    Thats probably right because the voice of the man I saw in Esmeraldas memory is simr.

    The next question is why Zero Order came to Theon.

    Without letting me who is a First Order know.

    I heard that Zero Order woulde once in a while after talking to Esmeralda that day. But thats now?

    At least he could have informed me of hising, but he didnt.

    There are two possible situations. One is that Zero Order came to Theon for personal confirmation without informing other executives.

    However, I could not hastily conclude from a position where I did not know what was going on.

    And the other one.

    Or is he suspicious that Im a fake.

    The circumstances of being suspected and the Zero Order that came all of a sudden are not good and Rudger had no choice but to struggle.

    But things are bad.

    There is too little information about the zero order. What power he has, what power he uses, how strong he is, what were his weaknesses, what kind of power was useful against him or his fighting habits.

    Theres not a single piece of data.

    Even in perfect circumstances, it may be difficult, but what if he was in a situation where he ran out of strength like now?

    If you try to fight now, I might lose.

    The only way is to borrow the power of God but thats too risky.

    There are too many people nearby and using Gods power will affect them all.

    But why arent you talking?

    Zero Order was silent.

    At that moments grace, I thought of another possibility. What if Zero Order doesntpletely doubt me yet?

    Should I turn around and check his face? No. If I suddenly look back, he is bound to be suspicious.

    He had to choose his words calmly so that he wouldnt provoke the other person.

    Im sorry, Sir Zero Order.

    I naturally moved my mouth, keeping my gaze straight ahead.

    Because of the situation, I couldnt say hello properly. I ask for your understanding.

    Of course. Im the one who came without contacting you, so you dont have to be too careful John Doe.

    [I came to see you without any contact.]

    Does that mean that Zero Order had something else to do in Theon? To the point of keeping it a secret from a First Order?

    No, nothing has been confirmed yet. I dont even know if Im still under suspicion.

    Zero Order confirmed the disappearance of Quasimodo.

    Was he watching? All the magic I used?

    No, if he was watching it, he wouldnt have asked me what happened. Maybe theres some way to check the energy of Quasimodo, and he confirmed that he was gone.

    He didnt know the process but only the results, so he was just going to ask me who was here.

    Should I tell the truth or a lie?

    Of course, even if its the truth, it will not be 100% pure truth, but some truths mixed with lies. Pure lies are easy to spot, but lies mixed with the truth are more usible than anything else.

    I continued, taking a deep breath inside.

    First order Esmeralda, or Quasimodo, is extinct.

    Did you know?

    I didnt know until now, but I just found out. I didnt think the fire giant was the main body.

    Im sorry to keep it a secret from you guys. Because Quasimodo is a bit different from other first orders he couldnt easily reveal himself.

    I understand.

    More than that, why did Quasimodo disappear? He wasnt that easy to beat.

    Quasimodo is a me cryptid with the power of the highest level spirit of fire. A monster that uses the human soul as fuel and continues to revive if the contractor does not die because it has acquired the characteristics of a spirit.

    Since such a fellow disappeared on Theon festival day, it may be questionable for Zero Order.

    I squeezed out an answer on the spot.

    It was Esmeralda.

    Hmm. Esmeralda?

    Zero Order knew the rtionship between Quasimodo and Esmeralda. This man was the first person to notice and recruit them into the ck Dawn Society, so there is no way he wouldnt know.

    Thats strange. Esmeralda was obviously being manipted by Quasimodo. She couldnt even rebel against Quasimodo with her power.

    At the same time, his gaze flies even stronger and falls on me.

    Unless someone helps.

    The suspicion of the Zero Order towards me grew. This is also a situation within my assumption so I had an answer prepared already.

    Crollo Fabius did it.

    Crollo Fabius? Is that true?

    Indeed, Zero Order asked me again as this was unexpected so I continued my exnation as not to miss this opportunity.

    Not long ago, Quasimodo attacked the banquet hall where new teachers were celebrated.

    Yes, I heard the report.

    At that time, Crollo Fabius was present at the banquet hall and he realized that someone was trying to kill him.

    Thats right. Theres no way that the man who was the next head of the family would not know how the people of the Fabius family have died so far.

    The problem is that Quasimodo couldnt kill Crollo Fabius in the banquet hall that day.

    This is all true but I also mixed it with lies.

    Crollo Fabius, who survived, agonized thinking that he might die at this rate so he made a n.

    A cornered mouse bit the cat.

    Yes, but Crollo Fabius didnt tell Theon about it. He probably thought it was hard to get help from them and that there might be traitors inside.

    I would have thought of something simr to that.

    If you think there is an assassin who came to kill you among the teachers, how can you trust Theon?

    So he individually asked for help from outside forces. It was thest straw that no one expected.

    I added a little exaggeration so as not to lose interest in Zero Order. Of course, my way of speaking remains calm.

    I dont think hell be a match for Quasimodo with any outside forces

    Fabius was once the most famous magical family in the Kingdom of Durman. The people he called were not ordinary people, I also dont know whether he had made any deals while he was in the Exilion Empire.

    They werent ordinary people?

    It looked like well-trained elites but they were also hard to identify.

    I vaguely released the information that they were great guys.

    If you mention an organization here and Zero Order already knows about them, all my alibis will get twisted.

    A well-trained elite who moves secretly. If its rted to the Exilion EmpireIts the ck ops.

    Zero Order came to a conclusion on its own. How can he be so sure of the existence of ck Ops, which is difficult to know unless you are even a general?

    Zero Order. Was he reaching out to the military?

    Its not strange if I think about it. Before I got the name Rudger Chelici, John Doe was active in the military under this name.

    Zero Order knows because he actually served as a military officer it was not just a fabricated status.

    So Crollo Fabius fought against Quasimodo, and Esmeralda escaped from his control while Quasimodos strength was weakened.

    And Esmeralda, who escaped could not be controlled as easily as before.

    Then what happened to Crowe Fabius?

    Crollo Fabius died fighting to the end.

    He fought until the end? Its surprising that he had that much spirit and ability.

    People who are about to die always show unexpected possibilities. I watched the situation and tried to intervene, but I waste.

    Quasimodo spread mes all over the ce, and I was also caught up in it and burned. Then, there were strong people around me who heard the news, so for now, only Selina escaped from the inside.

    This is the whole story of the case. Im here in the name of saving Selina so I wont get suspected.

    Did Quasimodo and Esmeralda really disappear from Selina?

    Yes, I checked with my own eyes.

    Is that so?

    Zero Orders reaction was quite dull. Was there anything I forgot to say?

    How about that teacher named Selina?

    What do you mean?

    I know Esmeralda and Selina are separate entities. But will Selina remember what happened with Esmeralda and Quasimodo?

    Zero Order is saying to get rid of her just in case so I spoke in a hurry.

    I checked but she didnt seem to know why she was in that warehouse.

    She didnt know.

    Yes. She thinks its a dream.

    John Doe, that alone is not safe. If youvee to your senses in such a burning warehouse, youll definitely feel ufortable.

    The slightest possibility could turn against the ck Dawn Society.

    Clearly, Zero Order is right. There are too many issues to ignore Selinas existence.

    Then, what should I do?

    I tried to stay calm and asked Zero Order. Its not right to step up right now. First, I have to read the other persons mind.

    But no matter how much I thought about it, all I could think of was Zero Order telling me to kill Selina.

    If Zero Order asks me to kill Selina, I cant resist. In order not to arouse his suspicion, I must kill teacher Selina.

    If Zero Order orders me to kill, then Ill.

    I clenched my fist. Id rather fight him now.

    Well, let it go.

    But Zero Orders answer was as simple as my concern.

    If you tell me to leave it.

    You said Selina, didnt you? We dont need it anymore. Weve used enough of that power anyway, so its no longer worth caring about.

    Is that so?

    Yeah. Did you want to kill her? John Doe, I know youre loyal, but there are times when you have to step down.

    Did it seem that way because I asked to reconfirm? And this also confirmed information that John Doe is loyal and radical.

    I feel ashamed.

    In the current situation, touching a Theons teacher is a significant risk. Youre the only one whos going to take care of the job, and you cant avoid suspicion.

    I dont mind.

    Theres nothing more stupid than investing time and passion in meaningless things. Even more so if its pushing subordinates to the brink.

    Unexpectedly, he tends to care about his subordinates? Besides, its safe to say that Selinas safety is guaranteed.

    Have I put out an urgent fire?

    But the situation is not over yet because Zero Order asked me another question.

    So, are you doing well with what I asked you to do?

    What did he asked him to do?

    Of course, the first thing that came to mind was an order that has been decrypted and verified.

    [Infiltrate Theon and win their favor.]

    But is that really all?

    Actually, what if Zero order personally left John Doe with another job? Unlike other First Orders, the first order called John Doe performs special missions for Zero Order.

    What if theres another mission I dont know?

    Im working on it step by step.

    I had no choice but to give a vague answer.

    Thats a relief. It wouldnt have been easy to proceed while avoiding Theons suspicion.

    Was that all?

    Its almost time. A troublesome person ising. I dont want to face it, so I have to go.

    It was rather fortunate for me. If he stayed longer, there would have been a hole in my stomach.

    John Doe there will be an Orders meeting soon. Esmeraldas seat is empty so other First Orders should know that.

    An Orders meeting

    I vaguely thought there would be such a thing, but I didnt think Id hear about it myself.

    But it was an opportunity for me to find out what the other First Orders are like. So how do I attend this meeting?

    Is he telling me toe on my own because the meeting is taking ce?

    This is dangerous. I dont know where the meeting is.

    Zero Order, who was about to leave then, said.

    You have what I gave you back then? It cant be done without it.

    He suddenly asked and given the context of the conversation it was clearly the key to the executive meeting.

    Zero Order. First of all, Ill say Im sorry.

    What?

    As you know, I was caught in a train attack on my way to Theon that day.

    Train attack? Oh, you mean that? The Liberation Army did it.It was something we didnt expect either.

    Yes, and part of the luggage was lost because of the train attack. Im ashamed.

    Zero Order stared at me silently. The gaze on the back of my head stings as I swallow my saliva quietly. To be honest, this is a risky unexpected act however; it was also an inevitable gamble.

    If thats the case, there was nothing you couldve done. Take it.

    After saying so, the Zero Order ced a ring next to me. I rolled my eyes and checked the hand of the Zero Order.

    I felt it in his voice, but I was sure when I saw his hand. Surprisingly, Zero Order is a young man however, his hands were not noticeable. So, is he a wizard? Or something else?

    Ill see you at the meeting.

    Zero Order left the words and disappeared with the wind.

    I looked at the ring next to me without saying a word, took it and put it in my arms. The presence of Zero Order haspletely disappeared.

    I didnt get caught.

    I could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

    No wonder Zero Order appeared in Theon at this very moment. Hes not a man Ill get to see easily.

    He even noticed the disappearance of Quasimodo.

    I was really nervous just in case I got caught.

    I took out a tiny red jewel in my arms without saying a word. The energy of the hot fire was wriggling in the jewel.

    I thought Id get caught with this.

    Quasimodos energy of fire that I got after the fight.

 Chapter 177

    Chapter sponsored byIxandMelekono. Thank you for your support.

    Quasimodo eventually died but as the tigers that leave behind their skin when they die so did he. He left a red jewel when he died and I packed it right away before anyone else noticed.

    I didnt check it properly, but I had a feeling that it was the nucleus of Quasimodo and the source of its power. It was a stone simr to a spirit stone that is created by the power of the spirits.

    In the case of Quasimodo it can be called cryptid core not spirit stone.

    I rolled the jewel over my finger and opened it gently. Heat swirled inside the red jewel, a me that continues to burn and regenerate endlessly.

    This familiar feeling was the fire of Quasimodo and it was a very interesting subject for me.

    I dont know how to use it, but it wont hurt to have it.

    It was fortunate that Zero Order didnt find out about this. Maybe thats even the reason he came.

    I was trying to breathe a sigh of relief, but a familiar person was approaching me from afar.

    A dazzling gray hair that is clearly visible even in the dark night and at the same time, the inside of the hair was pink. It was a strange two-tone hair.

    I immediately changed my facial expression and hid the jewel.

    You are here President.

    The president, who always had a smile that was hard to understand, was uncharacteristically serious.

    Mr. Rudger, what the hell happened?

    That resolute voice was full of will to hear the truth from me no matter what.

    I waited knowing this would happen and exined in detail what I had seen and experienced to the president. Naturally, it was a different truth from what the Zero Order had been told, with another lie added to it.

    This is what happened.

    Is that so?

    After hearing the story, the president covered his mouth with her hand. I kept an eye on the scene and was thinking of taking the questions in moderation.

    Head

    My head was dizzy and my vision was spinning like a whirlpool swirling inside my skull. Is it because of the aftermath of excessive fighting and extreme tension?

    My body slowly leaned to the side.

    Mr. Rudger!

    Thest thing I saw was the bewildered look of the president who looked at me and shouted in amazement. It was the first time I realized that she could show that expression.

    * * *

    The magic festival of Theon ended sessfully. There was no ident that I was worried about, and people were all satisfied and went back to their daily lives.

    The unsettled atmosphere has beenpletely reversed by one festival. But people wont know that on thest day of the festival, a fire broke out while fireworks were in full swing.

    Some people were distracted by the shy fireworks, but there were people who tried desperately behind the stage to prevent the fire from spreading.

    Still, it didnt cause any major damage, though.

    While reading the report of the warehouse fire in her office, Elisa slipped the papers to one side of her desk and yawned gracefully.

    The fire at the logistics warehouse was almost finished because she, the president, stepped up herself but she still thought at the words Rudger had told her the day before.

    The culprit behind the logistics warehouse fire is Crollo Fabius.

    Elisa, who crossed her arms, tapped her arms with her fingers.

    He was an honorary teacher who was staying in Theon thanks to the former president, probably.

    She didnt care about Crollo Fabius. Although he came from a family famous in the Durman Kingdom, it was all in the past.

    The Fabius family fell under a curse and the reason why such a person entered Theon was probably because he made some kind of deal with the former president.

    Elisa didnt care if such a person was in Theon anyway, so she bothered with him.

    To take a teacher hostage in collusion with the ck Dawn Society.

    Elisa reflected on what Rudger said to her the previous day.

    The ck Dawn Society and Crollo Fabius joined hands. From the fire in the warehouse to the previous attack in the banquet hall, it was all by Crollo Fabius.

    -Is that true? What happened to him?

    I killed him.

    The voice sounded so indifferent that it sounded as if he was saying that he had cleaned up the trash on the side of the road.

    He was practically impossible to subdue because he used the monster of fire that previously attacked the banquet hall.

    So you killed him?

    I was also in danger, so there was nothing I could do about it. If I left it alone, I could not guarantee the safety of teacher Selina, either.

    Im not trying to me Mr. Rudger. Rather, its a relief that there were no deaths. Its just, I was a little surprised.

    What she heard from Rudger was quite shocking.

    Crollo Fabius joined hands with the ck Dawn Society to rebuild his family. And on thest day of the festival, taking advantage of the crowds, he must have been nning tounch a terrorist attack as he did in the banquet hall.

    However, thanks to Rudgers performance, their ns ended up falling apart and she even heard the shocking truth that Crollo Fabius was the culprit who caused the Roteng fire in the past.

    If the suppression of the incident was even a littlete, the festival held after a long time might have been ruined at the end.

    The ck Dawn Society.

    When she checked, the external forces hiding in Theon were called the ck Dawn Society. The suspicious movements that had been caught inside Theon for a while were also them.

    Those who have been moving before must have also been them.

    Elisa knew about the existence of the ck Dawn Society but she didnt expect them to hide so deep in Theon.

    Ive been ignoring them because theres been no direct contact so far.

    But after this festival she has no choice but to change her attitude.

    Im d they were caught before an incident happened.

    On thest day of the festival, about 20 members of the ck Dawn Society were captured alive. Half of them by Aidan and the other freshmen and half by Rudger Chelici.

    Two people were killed: Crollo Fabius and Joanna Lovett.

    It would be fortunate if there were no fatalities.

    However, there were parts that were not clear.

    First of all, its good that the situation ended safely thanks to Rudgers actions; however, all of this was too neatly done.

    There are criminals and there are witnesses. Im d there were no victims. Not bad. Its a good thing.

    Things worked out strangely well.

    All the remnants of the ck Dawn Society hidden in Theon were captured alive, of which Crollo Fabius and Joanna Lovett, who led the ck Dawn Society, died.

    Except for the deaths of the two key members miraculously there were no victims and all that happened was that teachers Selina and Rudger were injured.

    Maybe.

    Thats what Elisa had in mind.

    What if Crollo Fabius wasnt the real killer?

    What if theres another killer and he med everything on Crollo Fabius?

    Elisa soon shook her head.

    What am I thinking?

    Rudger and Selina couldnt have been the culprits in the first ce.

    Selina is a spirit user but the spirits she has contracts with are intermediate level spirits of water, wind, and earth. It was practically impossible to also have a highest level fire spirit along with those three.

    Its impossible unless you have two souls in one body.

    Then what about Rudger?

    Even more impossible.

    Just looking at the magic that Rudger has shown so far is enough to already have an impact on academia. Besides, what about coordinate designation magic that has not been officially revealed yet?

    All of them were rted to the manifestation system.

    Such a Rudger also had a highest level spirit of fire?

    Why would a talented person like thate to work as a teacher at Theon?

    In addition, Rudger even burned his arm while saving Selina from the fire. If he had a contract with a spirit of fire, that injury didnt make sense.

    In the end, thinking rationally, the culprit was Crollo Fabius.

    Elisa rubbed her cheeks with her hands.

    Yes, its not good for my skin.

    She felt sorry for Rudger, too.

    He saved Theon from a crisis while she was not present. Originally, that was her job as president.

    Ill have to give Mr. Rudger a personal thank youter.

    Looking at the duel that day, it seemed like hecked a little bit of mana, so should I bring him some healthy medicine?

    Knock, knock.

    While thinking like that, someone knocked on the door of the presidents office.

    Elisas expression, which had been loosened, changedpletely.

    Come on in.

    As soon as the permission was given, the door of the presidents office opened and a woman entered. She had beautifully colored hair that seems to have brought the blue color of the vast sky. Even the smell of water appeared as soon as she entered.

    Elisa smiled at her.

    Nice to meet you Ms. Casey Selmore.

    Casey Selmore, a [Colour] wizard.

    She stared at Elisa and their eyes were tangled in the air.

    * * *

    Theon hospital room, which would normally have been quiet, was unusually crowded.

    Teacher Selina! Make sure you get well soon!

    Heres a hospital visit gift.

    Ill put the flowers here!

    Thank you all.

    The next day after the festival students came to visit Selina after hearing that she was injured in an ident during the festival.

    I heard you got hurt while managing the firecracker warehouse. Are you alright?

    You must get well!

    Yes, I will.

    First of all, Selina is in the hospital room because of an ident caused by poor management of magic powder at the end of the festival.

    What happened in the logistics warehouse was kept secret, so the students all believed Selina had an ident.

    Maybe its because shes usually popr but Selinas hospital room was filled with bouquets of flowers for her recovery.

    Thank you all so much!

    Selina thanked the students who visited her one by one, even though she might be tired of too many visits. Some boys blushed and even stuttered at the bright smile.

    Whos making so much noise?

    At the same time, the blinds next to Selina were lifted.

    Oh, Mr. Rudger?

    You have a lot of nerve to scream in a space where the patient has to rest. Would it be okay to call it a challenge to me?

    Sin, Im sorry!

    When Rudger frowned, the students who had gathered rushed out.

    Rudger shook his head at the sight.

    Teacher Selina, you dont have to force yourself to ept all the students stubbornness.

    Im sorry. I shouldnt have bothered you Mr. Rudger.

    The noisy students were at fault, its not your responsibility.

    But you hurt yourself trying to save me, didnt you? In terms of the cause, Mr. Rudger is in the hospital room because of me.

    Im the one who made the choice. And its a wound that will heal soon. I just need to rest for half a day.

    Thats why the two were assigned the same hospital room.

    Oh, you did, didnt you?

    At Rudgers words, Selina wriggled her fingers.

    Well, I wanted you to stay longerShould I say that Im sad? I think its a good opportunity.

    What did you just say?

    Oh, no! Nothing!

    Selina, realizing that she was thinking out loud, waved her hand with a red face.

    Rudger looked carefully at Selina and asked.

    Are you sick?

    Yes, yes, yes?!

    Your face is red.

    Well, thats I mean.

    Selina closed her eyes tightly.

    I, I have never had any evil thoughts or thoughts that it would be nice to be with you! I really didnt!

    Yes? Oh, yes.

    Rudger was bewildered by Selinas behavior and he hoped she wasnt sick.

    No way  Am I being watched?

    It was probably because she shared the same room with a man, right? Even though it was only for half a day, it seems that she certainlycked consideration.

    Selina, on the other hand, med herself for saying that.

    Im a fool! I didnt have to talk this much!

    It was an opportunity to be alone with Rudger for a long time, but she couldnt talk properly.

    But its hard to bear. Just looking at his face makes my heart explode.

    Selina ced her hand on her chest, which was still beating like crazy.

    This feeling. Its the first time.

    So she has no idea what to do next or how to deal with Rudger.

    Should I ask Ms. Meryldater?

    When I was thinking about that, Rudger closed the blinds again.

    Ah.

    Selina had no choice but to suck her fingers in regret.

    Lying on the bed, Rudger had a ring in his pocket.

    Zero Order said that there will be a meeting of executives and handed it over. Does that mean that there is some kind of device in this ring?

    Rudger looked around at the ring.

    Hmm. What about this?

    There was a gleam in his eyes.

 Chapter 178

    C178: Wolves and Crows (1)

    Casey Selmore and Elisa Willow were staring at each other in silence. A strange tension hung between the two in the seemingly serene and peaceful sight.

    However, the two were busy trying to gauge the other person inwardly.

    Casey Selmore was a genius detective and a wizard with the title [Colour].

    Such a person witnessed the fire that day and hasnt said anything yet. What the hell is she up to?

    Just as Elisa was wary of Casey, Casey was wary of Elisa.

    Elisa Willow, Theons youngest president and a sixth-rank wizard. Her every action was calcted and Casey couldnt read her at all. Moreover, a strange glow emanated from her distinctive golden eyes.

    I dont know exactly what kind of power it is, but I cant let my guard down.

    Casey was able to guess the job and characteristics of the other person only by their small habits but nothing could be read from Elisa. She was simply an irond woman.

    She called me to talk about the fire yesterday.

    Casey decided to stop fighting and ask the other person. She doesnt have to be hostile anyway.

    When she looked around the fire scene the day before, Casey thought she was responsible in her own way.

    Shall we stop measuring each other and talk about what happened yesterday?

    When Casey came out honestly, Elisa also nodded her head.

    Oh, my. Id love to. Thats why I called you.

    The two women who signed the peace agreement sat facing each other.

    I heard that Ms. Selmore witnessed the incident yesterday. Can you tell me more about it?

    Casey is enough. I dont really like using the family name.

    Oh, Im sorry.

    Its okay. Anyway, to continue with the story, Ill have to exin how I found the scene in the first ce.

    Casey exined how she met Rudger and handed him her business card and even how Rudger used her business card when he captured the ck Dawn Society members in the middle of the night.

    I never thought hed use the business card I personally handed over in such a ce.

    Casey still felt it was ridiculous even now. On the contrary, Elisha, who was listening with interest, thought that thats how Rudger would act.

    Did Detective Casey saw the criminal herself?

    Unfortunately, I couldnt. When I arrived at the warehouse, the fire in the warehouse was already about to spread around. I was busy trying to stop it.

    Really?

    But Im sure something unusual happened inside.

    Although she was blocking the fire in a ce a little away from the warehouse she couldnt help but remember the strong wavelength that burst from the inside.

    She still remembered the powerful mana that made her skin numb.

    The man named Rudger Chelici. What the hell is he?

    Casey asked impatiently.

    The magic felt in the warehouse was definitely more than the fifth rank, close to the sixth rank. Even if he was a Theons teacher it shouldnt be possible for him to use such magic.

    Did the president in front of me disguise herself at that time? No, theres no way I wouldnt recognize her. And the magic of the water that followed.

    In the end, Casey could onlye up with one guess. The man named Rudger Chelici is Theons secret weapon that the president brought in.

    On the other hand, Elisa did not understand the purpose of the question for a moment.

    Who is Mr. Rudger? Hes not an unusual person, but is she that wary of him?

    Elisa, who did not see Rudgers magic, had no choice but to wonder why Casey was asking that.

    She wants information about him?

    Elisa had to make clear what kind of person Rudger is.

    Hes just one of our great teachers.

    Is that so?

    Casey narrowed her eyes at the vague answer.

    Shes fooling around.

    Elisa was tantly refusing to hand over Rudgers information to her.

    Yeah. She wont give me that much information about her person.

    Does the president know that Rudger is at least a fifth-rank wizard?

    Maybe she intentionally nted her own person in Theon.

    Casey was well aware of the division of aristocratic andmoner factions within Theon.

    She sneaked in a knife to gain an edge in internal factional politics. Theres nothing strange about it.

    Elisa was likely to know that Rudgers skills were greater than originally known. Then there is no need to say here that Rudger has used at least five great spells.

    Anyway, as the president has already heard it, there was a fight inside after Mr. Rudger went into the warehouse, and after that, he came out with the saved hostage. Thats all.

    I heard you checked the inside of the warehouse after the incident ended, did you find anything there?

    A discovery? I do not know.

    Elisa narrowed her eyes at Caseys vague answer.

    Is she hiding something?

    Contrary to Elisas suspicion, Casey had nothing to hide because there were no traces left inside the warehouse.

    It was not an ordinary me, so even the bodies were burned and disappeared. The only trace that can be recognized is the scar caused by a terrifying magic collision.

    No matter how good of a detective Casey was, she couldnt find a clue in the burned-out warehouse.

    The only thing that bothers me is the rats footprints on the floor.

    Burnt ashes on the ground with traces of rats on it.

    But theres no way theres no way there are no rats in such a warehouse.

    Most of all, Casey didnt think much about it because she hated mice.

    There was no trace since everything was burned down. I didnt see a body.

    Hmm. I see. After all, the only thing I can rely on is Mr. Rudgers testimony.

    I guess so. But I dont think what he said was wrong. He fought and got hurt.

    He must have hoped that the festival would end safely.

    Elisa also nodded her head.

    Teacher Rudger is a person like that.

    There was a brief silence between the two and the ostentatious conversation ended here.

    The real issue started now.

    So, you said you wanted something from me.

    When she first called Casey to her office, Casey made a request to Elisa.

    You want to conduct the interrogation of the captured ck Dawn members yourself?

    Yes.

    If its not rude, may I ask why?

    Elisas eyes, which were smiling all the time, changed sharply but Casey replied proudly, not avoiding her gaze.

    Theres someone I really want to catch.

    * * *

    What is it?

    I was analyzing the ring and suddenly got a chill.

    Is it because Ick mana?

    I thought Id be fine now because Im almost recovered, but maybe its the aftermath of excessive use of my strength while fighting with Quasimodo.

    By the way, this ring.

    I didnt think it was normal at the time Zero Order gave it, but when I checked, it was more than that.

    There is a magic imprint on the inside of the ring.

    There were engravings along the inside of the ring that were difficult even for masters to craft.

    The skill of the craftsman is good, but the engraved magic engraving is not easy.

    The moment you wear this and use magic, its supposed to work naturally. Does the effect make the user fall asleep?

    Its different from normal sleep. Rather, it makes it seem like you are falling asleep and is more like moving your consciousness elsewhere.

    Division of consciousness and then the specific impossible coordinates.

    I immediately realized what this ring was for.

    The ring is the key and where I can get through that keyin a dream.

    The magic engraved on the ring was dream magic.

    [Dream Walk]

    It is a magic that makes you enter or dream of the other persons dream.

    It is a {special} type of magic, not a conventional type of magic, and it is closer to the spiritual side than the physical one.

    However, among the { special} types of magic, which are difficult to learn and are mostly passed down by one person, dream magic was surprisingly easy to learn.

    It was small, but there was a separate school for dream magic.

    Even so, there must be a limited number of students. Does one of the Dream walkers belongs to the ck Dawn Society?

    Dream School, which can use dream magic, is a famous ce where freaks gather. I know this fact because I have an acquaintance there.

    The magic itself is not dangerous. In other words, it leads users to the dream world and brings them together.

    The executives meeting will be in a dream. Thats pretty good.

    In this way, there is no need to be worried that others will track you. However, it was not without risk.

    Dream magic wanders around the unconscious, so if you do it wrong, you can fall into the deep world of the unconscious.

    This unconscious world is called {Dreand}.

    The name alone sounds like a ce full of hope like an amusement park, but the reality is the opposite.

    Dreand is a mindless pit created by countless ovepping human dreams, unconsciousness, and in-depth consciousness.

    It wouldnt matter as long as you only wander around the surface consciousness but people cant handle whats deeper than that.

    One schr argued that another world unfolds in the depths of Dreand, and that it is an unknown world where something spiritual exists, just like the spirit world. But nothing has actually been revealed yet.

    It wont be a big problem if we meet in the surface world.

    Zero Order said he would hold a meeting of executives soon. Since he didnt specify the time, does he want to contact me separately?

    An executive meeting.

    There are a total of seven First Orders in the ck Dawn Society.

    One of them, Esmeralda, or Quasimodo, has disappeared, so there are six left.

    Not even six. Since the real John Doe died, there would be five.

    But I couldnt let my guard down just because there were only five people left.

    In other words, there are five more strong beings who are about the same as Quasimodo.

    And even their pinnacle, Zero Order.

    People might think that Quasimodo is a slightly unusual case, but thats a very hopeful observation.

    Among the five first orders left, the one I know is Victor Dreadful.

    Known as the Doctor, he was closely rted to the Shamsus School during the werewolf incident. Hes a crazy scientist and he has a specialty in research, transforming humans into werewolves.

    Excluding him, there are four First Orders left.

    It was necessary to know the personal information of the four.

    As he set his goals the front door of the hospital room became noisy again. As soon as he chased the students away, new people came again.

    I was looking at the scenery outside the window through the blinds because I was toozy to open them.

    With the sound of footsteps approaching this way, the blinds suddenly opened. I thought he was a student who came to see Selina, but she had something to do with me.

    What is it?

    Looking back at who it was, I saw a familiar figure.

    Flora Lumos and her best friend, Cheryl Wagner.

    Flora asked me with a look of nervousness.

    I heard you were hurt.

    Well, as you can see.

    I showed my right arm with a moderate bandage.

    Does it hurt a lot?

    Its not that bad of a wound. Im better but Im just taking a rest for stability.

    .

    So when I was about to ask why I came, something popped out in front of my eyes. It was a fruit basket.

    When I stared at Flora with a look of what this was, she blushed and avoided my gaze.

    I didnt bring it because I was worried about you. Its embarrassing toe empty-handed, so Cheryl kept asking me to buy this.

    Flora winked at Cheryl.

    What are you doing? Youre not going to answer? My arm hurts.

    Ill take it.

    I received Floras fruit basket and put it next to me.

    Even if she pretended not to, it was obvious that she came to visit the hospital because she was worried about me. I didnt think anyone woulde to see me except for Selina.

    Still, I didnt spend my time as a teacher in vain.

    Thinking like that, the door to the hospital room opened again and new people came in.

    Mr. Rudger! Are you all right?!

    Aidan youre noisy. Please keep quiet in the hospital room.

    Aidan, Leo as well as Tracy Friad and Iona OValley. I didnt expect these guys toe.

    The hospital room became noisy again with the appearance of the four. Of course, it was Aidan who usually asked me where I was sick and if I was feeling well.

    Im sure all the people who wille are here now.

    Was that acent idea?

    Is Mr. Rudger there?

    The door to the hospital room opened carefully, and another visitor came in.

    Oh. Isnt that Rene?

    There was a small basket in Renes arms, which timidly entered the hospital room. It wasnt just Rene who came in. There was also Erendir the 3rd princess with her.

    Rene opened her eyes wide as she looked at the students in the hospital room. The students in the hospital room also opened their eyes wide when they saw Erendir with Rene. And even the person behind them.

    Oh, oh, oh? Hes.

    There was one more person behind Rene and Erendir.

    Freuden Ulburg? Why is he here.

    After seeing Freuden Leos expression became cold but Freuden was staring at me as if he didnt mind such a gaze.

    I also looked at him and wondered why someone who has no contact with me came to this ce.

    He was staring nkly at me and soon Freud opened his mouth.

    Its been a while.

    Everyone present widened their eyes. Only I kept staring at Freuden with an expressionless face.

    This guy

 Chapter 179

    C179: Wolves and Crows (2)

    Chapter sponsored bymyosotis. Thank you for your support.

    Everyones eyes widened at the words, Its been a long time, and they looked at Rudger and Freuden in turn.

    They were asking with their eyes if they knew each other and it was the same with Rene who brought Freuden.

    Huh? Did they know each other?

    Originally, Rene was going to visit the hospital alone but Erendir said he would go with her and on top of that Freuden, who did not fit in with others, said he would also go.

    Looking at Freudens attitude of talking to Rudger, it didnt seem like they had met for the first time. She thought theyve known each other for a long time..

    At that time, Rudger said in a clueless tone.

    I dont understand what youre saying. This is the first time weve met.

    I see. I must have misunderstood something.

    Freuden responded gently to Rudgers, who clearly drew a line.

    If a stranger saw it, it was a reaction that seemed to be mistaken because he really saw the wrong person.

    Then Erendir stepped up and said.

    I came to see Mr. Rudger and Ms. Selina because they said you were hurt. Heres your present.

    Erendir said so and pushed Rene back.

    Rene, who suddenly stepped forward, blushed with embarrassment.

    Mr. Rudger. Here you are.

    Oh, yes, thank you.

    Rudger, who received the basket, left it next to the fruit basket Flora gave him.

    Flora, who was watching the scene, was annoyed for no reason.

    What? You just said youd take it and didnt say thank you.

    Was he discriminating against people? But beyond that, the presence of Freudian and Erendir further distracted her.

    Erendir, 3rd princess, likes to meddle, so she can appear here.

    That Freuden guy. What the hell is he thinking bying here?

    Basically, Freuden is a man who never moves unless he has a clear goal. The steps of the Grand nobility should be heavy enough to match its weight.

    Flora agrees with that, but the ce now is not where Freuden woulde by any stretch of the imagination.

    There must be something. Something I dont know.

    When Flora thought about it, the students gathered in the hospital room greeted each other lightly.

    Oh, nice to meet you. Ive seen you in ss, but its your first time were talking, right? My name is Erendir.

    Yes! My name is Aidan! Nice to meet you, senior!

    Senior?

    Erendirs expression quickly loosened, as she didnt know she would be called senior by anyone other than Rene.

    Erendir and Aidans party became so easily acquainted. To be exact, Erendirs attitude of approaching them in a friendly manner was a problem because she was wary of the word senior.

    What is this? I dont feel any dignity. Is she pretending to be close on purpose?

    Leo, who belonged to the Liberation Army, was initially wary of Erendir, but based on her loose attitude, he decided that it was unnecessary.

    In fact, it is safe to say that the Third Princess doesnt have any power because its all held by her sister the First Princess. Even so, Erendir had the blood of the imperial family.

    She looks like a person who cant make friends.

    It was a surprisingly urate decision, but Leo dismissed his idea, thinking, Is that possible?

    More than that I cant believe that the imperial princess and the children of two of the three great dukes are gathered in one of these hospital rooms.

    Leos eyes naturally turned toward Aidan.

    And the unique user of anti-magic.

    Next was Iona.

    The daughter of a great lineage of the Suins.

    Well, Tracys just a talented kid.

    She would have been angry if she had heard the overly brief evaluation herself.

    And even me, an agent of the Liberation Army who hid his identity?

    What a strangebination, Leo thought. Still, in terms of his status alone, the Third Princess is the highest.

    Oh my! You can call me noona morefortably instead of senior.

    Hold on a second! Dont get too close to Aidan!

    Seeing Tracy was trying to stop Erendir from approaching the nave Aidan, Leo felt like an idiot for being nervous.

    * * *

    The short but noisy visit ended and Selina, who sent the students away, smiled as if she had enjoyed it.

    Hehe. Its been a noisy day.

    Thanks to you, I

    Well, for that matter, Mr. Rudger didnt really kick the students out, did he? They were even children who came to see Mr. Rudger this time.

    Thats

    Teacher Rudger is also popr with students.

    Popr? Rudger didnt think he was that much. The popr one should be Selina since her bed was full of get well gifts.

    But I think its all over now.

    I came to see you.

    The door rattled open and Merylda came in.

    Rudger, who tried to speak, had no choice but to sigh at Merylda.

    What is it? Sighing at people.

    No, its just that I suddenly feel tired.

    Are you not fully rested yet? You can rest more.

    Thats all right. Im going to get some fresh air.

    When Rudger left the hospital room, Merylda, who was left alone, looked back at Selina with sparkling eyes.

    So Selina.

    Yes?

    How was it? Huh? Talk to me. You two were together.

    Well, thatsI.

    Selina broke out in a cold sweat at Merylda gaze, like a predator trying to eat her prey.

    * * *

    Rudger left the building and walked moderately nearby. In addition, Selina and Merylda seemed to have something to talk about, so he left them alone.

    In addition, Rudger also had an appointment.

    While walking with that thought, he found someone blocking his way and stopped.

    You are

    Rudgers eyes shone sharply as he recognized his opponent.

    Freuden Ulburg.

    Freuden, who had his name called, did not give any answer and just stared at Rudger with an expressionless face.

    Were you waiting for me toe out?

    I have something to do personally.

    Im sorry, but I have nothing to say to you. Go back.

    Despite the order, Freuden did not budge and Rudger frowned.

    What are you trying to do?

    Do you really not know me?

    I dont know what youre talking about. Even if youre talking nonsense, you should consider the other person.

    Rudger passed by Freudens side as if he didnt have to listen anymore. If they couldntmunicate he would just leave but Freuden spoke.

    You hid your identity and became a teacher, to appear in front of her again.

    .

    Rudger stopped walking while Freuden turned to look at Rudger and stared at him with a stern look.

    What on earth were you thinking bying here?

    Sigh.

    A sigh that came out of Rudgers mouth and Freudian eyebrows wriggled at the action.

    Rudger turned his head and looked at Freuden with half-opened eyes.

    I thought you were a kid who didnt know anything, did you remember?

    Then he raised his lips and made a sneer at Freuden.

    Ulburg Puppy.

    * * *

    So what happened?

    At Meryldas persistent question, Selina couldnt win in the end and had no choice but to confess everything. That she fainted in the mes, and that Rudger jumped directly into the fire to save her.

    Oh, my God. Its so romantic!

    She liked this kind of story so Merylda didnt hide her interest.

    Merylda, youre not worried about my injury, are you?

    No way. Of course I was worried. But looking at the current situation, I didnt need to ask.

    Really?

    Of course. I was more curious than that.

    What are you so curious about?

    What happened with Mr. Rudger?

    Selina was flustered and stuttered at the unexpected question while Merylda smiled yfully at the sight.

    There was, right? You cant say it because youre flustered.

    Its not like that!

    What do you mean? There was something. You just have to be honest with me.

    Not yet!

    Selina, who shouted in anger, finally realized her mistake and covered her mouth with her hands but it was toote.

    Really? Not yet?

    Teacher Merylda is so clever.

    Selina is too naive.

    Thats not true. Im not naive!

    A person who is not really naive doesnt even talk like that.

    .

    Selina had nothing to refute, so she just patted the bed with her fist.

    So, what happened?

    I dont know.

    Whats wrong with you? Of course Im asking you how far youve gone with Mr. Rudger.

    Its not like that.

    You cant fool my eyes. When Mr. Rudger left just a while ago, you looked at him with a disappointed gaze.

    Selinas face turned red like autumn leaves at Meryldas sharp point and Meryldaughed while thinking She is still naive. Of course if she said it out loud Selina would be mad and wouldnt speak for a while.

    Selina, its a long-awaited opportunity for the two of you, so try your best.

    Honestly I dont know. Ive never done this before.

    Selina, whose cheeks flushed red, said hesitantly, as if she had the warmth of a warm spring.

    Teacher Rudger is an amazing person. Smart, cool, strong and very popr with students but I can only handle spirits and I always act like a fool.

    It was the anxiety in Selinas heart.

    She said that she doesnt fit with someone like Rudger instead she was closer to looking up to him. Hes such a great person that he wouldnt even notice someone like her.

    I dont deserve him.

    What qualifications?

    Merylda lightly dismissed Selinas concerns.

    Selina, youre too insecure. Im sure theres a long line of guys who like you.

    What? That cant be true.

    Ugh. Have you ever seen such an innocent girl? This is how it feels to put a child on the water.

    Im not a child!

    And who are you with, what qualifications do you need? Its weird and wrong to argue about that.

    Thats.

    Anyway, theres only one piece of advice I can give you. Just bump into each other naturally, just like usual. Wouldnt that work?

    What do you mean, Im usually.

    For Selina, Meryldas advice was not well received.

    Esmeralda, who used to be her real self, was gone.

    And if youre really struggling, why dont you ask for advice?

    AdviceOh!

    Selina grabbed Meryldas hands as if she had an idea.

    Then, Merylda! Help me!

    What?

    Merylda was embarrassed because she didnt know Selina would suddenly be so active.

    Merylda must know how to win a mans heart!

    Me, me? Huh? Why do you think so?

    Teacher Merylda is the master of dating!

    Huh? The master of dating? Me?

    ording to what I heard you are the queen of society!

    Merylda was speechless at her words.

    No, but its somewhatIts like Im showing off

    At first, she didnt want to look cheap, so she pretended to be a little strong. But that behavior came back like a boomerang.

    In the first ce, I dont know a mans heart!

    Although she was now showing off her gorgeous, mature appearance in the past, Merylda had a typical image of an outsider, wearingrge sses that covered her entire face and her bangs.

    She has never held a mans hand properly, and the number of people she has dated is zero.

    The reason why she specialized in her curse magic is because she cursed while watching couples ying together.

    How much effort did she put into making a love potion that didnt even exist for the person she had a crush on secretly?

    She still sometimes thinks that she wanted to die when she remembers the memory of that day.

    Can I really give dating advice?

    She wanted to decline Selinas request.

    But How can I refuse if she looks at me with such expectations?

    Selinas eager gaze with glistening eyes was something hard to refuse and in the end, Merylda was forced to raise the white g.

    Huh, hmm. Yes, I see. Let me help you.

    Wow! Really? That is very thoughtful of you teacher Merylda!

    What do you mean by that?

    Merylda, who saw Selinas true love, broke out in a cold sweat inside.

    There was no turning back now.

    * * *

    There was a chilly air between Rudger and Freuden.

    I dont know how long its been. Has it been about 10 years?

    It was almost 12 years ago in terms of the number of years.

    Was it 12 years ago? You were a total kid at that time.

    At that time, you were much younger than now, too.

    But now you look like an aristocrat. Youve grown up pretty well.

    Stop talking nonsense.

    Freuden snarled Rudger.

    More than that, you didnt answer the question I just asked. Why are you here?

    Is there any reason why I shouldnte here?

    A man like youYou have a reason toe here? And in the first ce your name wasnt Rudger Chelici.

    Youre talking as if you know me well.

    The wind swept through between the two and Freuden clenched his fist.

    How did you approach her?

    I dont know what youre talking about.

    You thought I didnt know you handed her a magic book and helped her? Do you want to atone for it now?

    .

    The word atonement weighed heavily on Rudgers chest but Freuden continued.

    The enemy who killed her mother with his hands.

 Chapter 180

    C180: Wolves and Crows (3)

    At Freudens angry words Rudger closed his eyes quietly.

    Are you going to pretend you dont know now? Give me an excuse.

    Rudger, who closed his eyes, thought of Rene.

    Yes, I was certainly surprised when I first met her in Theon. I didnt know wed meet in a ce like this. But thats all.

    Since they didnt know each other anymore anyway, he didnt make it obvious, and didnt pretend to know. To be exact, he was close to a position where he shouldnt pretend to know.

    But is this what fate is all about?

    While on patrol for the first time, he intervened in the Rene quarrel with an aristocratic student and solved it. After that, he saved her when she was almost attacked by a werewolf.

    When she realized her non-attribute magic, he handed her a book that he had had for a long time.

    He also saved her from the attack of Quasimodo at the banquet hall.

    At some point, their meeting increased, and when I came to my senses, we became close just like in the old days.

    The kite of the past did not stop at Rene. Another party closely rted to the events of the day was present in Theon.

    Is this also because of that decision?

    Rudger recalled Renes eyes and the power she hadnt yet discovered.

    From that day 12 years ago to now it was highly likely that the rtionship of that day, which had been skipped for a long time, would be faced again here in Theon due to the power of fate.

    In a world where gods and magic, different races and mysteries exist it was not strange for fate to exist too.

    It is impossible to argue about what has already happened now.

    Now, Freuden Ulburg was staring at him.

    The cheeky and arrogant little boy from 12 years ago had grown up without forgetting what happened that day.

    Thats why I had no choice but to go wild.

    What do you want me to do?

    What?

    After all, its a thing of the past. What is your intention for revealing it and saying that to me?

    You.

    Freudens eyes were disgusted with Rudger.

    I thought you kept that day in mind because of regret and guilt. Thats why you came to Theon to help her.

    Dont be mistaken.

    Rudgerughed off Freudens words.

    I came here with what happened 12 years ago? You should stop saying funny things.

    Then, why are you here?

    Thats

    Why did hee to Theon?

    Rudger, who recalled the reason, was speechless.

    You dont have to know that.

    As expected

    Did he read something from his expression?

    Freuden had rather strong doubts.

    At least in Freuden memory, Rudger was a hidden wanderer. Then, he suddenly became a teacher of Theon under the name of a fallen aristocrat? Even in the year when she entered school as a freshman? It cannot be a coincidence.

    You try to deny it, but I know what purpose you came here for.

    What a load of crap.

    Even if you act so brazenly, the sin youmitted that day will not disappear. Even if youre nice to her due to your guilty conscience, do you think she wants it?

    So what are you going to do? Are you going to go to Rene and tell her everything?

    When Rudger asked, Freuden closed his mouth.

    Yeah, you cant tell her because you also knew that she had lost her memory, otherwise you would have said it until now.

    Im not like you.

    You and I both know what happened that day, but youre ignoring it. If you thought it was wrong, shouldnt you just say everything?

    What do you know to say that? You dont even know how I feel!

    Ha. Should I know that?

    !

    Freuden stared at Rudger with bloodshot eyes.

    His fists trembled but he did nothing more.

    You can do that if you want to do it. I dont care.

    At Rudgers provocation, Freuden bit his lip. He stared strongly at Rudger for thest time, and soon turned his back and left.

    If he continued to face Rudger like this, he would be unable to control himself.

    You little thing.

    Rudger sighed a little as he looked at the back of Freuden, who was moving away.

    Theres nothing in the world thats not tiring.

    Ive already heard of the name Freuden Ulburg. However, I thought he forgot everything because it happened a long time ago.

    He was an aristocrat at the time and Rene was the daughter of an unknownmoner woman.

    But in retrospect it was also funny to think that he would easily forget what happened that day.

    Just as Freuden didnt forget what happened that day Rudger also hasnt forgotten what happened that day.

    Now that hes gone, you cane out. Hans.

    Oh my God.

    When Rudger said, Hans, who was hiding, appeared from behind a tree.

    Sorry, brother. I didnt mean to listen.

    I know. We were going to meet each other, but its because he intervened.

    Are you better than that? Looks like youve been caught. Isnt it only a matter of time before you get caught if you keep going like this?

    Hans recalled the reaction Freuden had shown Rudger a while ago. Based on the reaction alone, it was highly likely that Freuden knew that Rudger used a false identity.

    You dont have to worry about that.

    What? Did you prepare something in advance?

    Theres no need to be prepared.

    Rudger said, paying attention to the ce where Freuden disappeared.

    He cant say it anyway.

    * * *

    Im the same person as him?

    What Rudger said still lingered in his mind and anger boiled cold in Freudens heart.

    Rather, you shouldve said sorry as soon as you saw me and her from the beginning.

    But what was his reaction? He brazenly entered Theon and remained ignorant until the end. Rather, he even approached Rene naturally.

    It was Freudens honest feelings that he wanted to reveal everything Rudger had done in the past. But there was a catch at the same time. Rudger is already a teacher who has gained fame in Theon.

    Now that he is a student, if he says that Rudgers identity is all false and that he has done wrong in the past, who will believe it?

    In the first ce is that theres no real evidence left.

    There is no evidence and no justification to bring down Rudger. On the contrary, it may hurt the reputation of the Ulburg family.

    Did he make his reputation like an iron fortress in case this happened?

    And there was one more reason why he didnt want to tell the truth, his pride did not allow it.

    Spreading rumors with his weaknesses was tantamount to admitting that he could not win face to face.

    Even though he knew its not rational he couldnt ept it.

    Even soRene needs to know this.

    Rene is a victim of Rudgers crime. It was not enough to go through that terrible incident that day, hey memory was also changed.

    Senior Freuden, are you done with your business?

    Just in time, he ran into Rene, who was passing by.

    Erendir went somewhere else?

    Now that she was alone it was his chance so Freuden approached Rene.

    Rene.

    Senior, did something happen? You dont look good.

    I have something to tell you.

    He had to tell her about what happened that day and the missing piece of her life.

    Freuden spoke with that in mind.

    .

    But strangely, his voice didnte out as if it was blocked by something.

    Senior?

    Freuden was suddenly scared at the sight of Rene asking back innocently. If he tells the whole truth, will Rene be happy?

    That cant be true.

    He was sure Rene will be sad if she finds out the truth. The teacher she trusted and relied on, in fact, was the one who erased her memory and killed her mother.

    What tragedy was this?

    Was it right to make her recall memories that can hurt under the name of truth? It was this point that made Freuden hesitate.

    Can Rene handle this truth? Maybe Im trying to do something that will hurt her again.

    Obviously, even if a person is hurt and sad, he or she can ovee it and move on but thats just idealism.

    There are far more people in the world who cannot ovee their wounds because not everyone is a superman.

    The average person cries and copses at the slightest failure.

    What is more irresponsible than advising people to just ovee their sadness?

    Does she really deserve that?

    He wished he didnt knew from the beginning and suddenly remembered what Rudger said a while ago.

    You and I are the same.

    It was Freuden himself who was angry at the words. However, at this moment of hesitation, Freuden secretly admitted that he was right.

    No, Im not like him.

    He had to prove that he was different from someone who lies and deceives people so he shouldnt be silent here.

    Senior?

    .

    Renes pure eyes were looking at him with worry.

    The moment he saw the starlight of the night sky in them Freuden felt his whole body rx.

    Are you all right?

    Yes, its all right.

    What do you want to talk about?

    No, its nothing.

    In the end, Freuden did not say anything.

    He couldnt.

    Im sorry. I wasted your time.

    What? No, no! Absolutely not!

    Go ahead. Ill be going too.

    Freuden turned his back and slowly walked away from Rene.

    I couldnt tell you.

    In the end he also deceived Rene.

    He also knew that he was the same as Rudger and hated himself for it.

    Nevertheless, he couldnt say.

    I didnt want to hurt you.

    He didnt want to see her cry.

    He didnt want to see her sad.

    Even if he falls like the man he hates the most he could only protect her innocence now.

    Rene, you probably dont remember.

    That days meeting.

    He was sure she wont be able to remember it in the future but it was okay.

    Cause Ill remember.

    At the same time, Rudger, a man with everything fake, came to mind.

    The behavior of the man, who did not stop him, but rather provoked him as if to show off.

    He knew from the start that I would never be able to speak.

    Freuden clenched his fist. He didnt feel good to be yed by Rudger.

    Yes, I admit it. Now I dont have the power to bite you. I have to put up with it now but if I get a change Ulburg wolves never miss a chance to bite their prey.

    * * *

    Its okay to ignore Freuden Ulburg for now. Hes not a proper wolf yet. I dont knowter, but I dont have to worry about him right now.

    What? Oh, yes. If thats what brother says.

    Hans replied indifferently, but Rudger said so much, so he didnt take it seriously.

    For now, I collected information in my own way while organizing it while brother was away. Fortunately, yesterdays warehouse fire was judged as an ident caused by insufficient management of firecrackers.

    The president will end it like that.

    Little is known about this case, so everyone seems to be thinking so except for a few.

    Its good that the case wont escte.

    Since there are some captured people, I think more than that will be a waste of time and manpower.

    What happened to the remnants of the ck Dawn Society?

    For now, they are detained inside Theon but the subtle thing about this is.

    Hans said, scratching his cheek.

    Surprisingly, the blue-haireddy seems to be interrogating them.

    You mean Casey Selmore?

    I checked that she entered the presidents office, but I dont know after that. However, it is certain that there was some kind of transaction there.

    Thats what I wanted. Is it because of the bait from that day?

    I know you did it on purpose.

    Hans asked in a slightly worried tone.

    Will you be alright? She seemed to have a strong temper.

    Its not that its hard, but its actually a bit of a bummer.

    If such a girl finds out that she has been taken advantage ofArent you going to be a little tired?

    Thats true.

    Rudger was also convinced of what Hans was worried about.

    Of course, he canfortably say that he can keep it a secret without being caught for the rest of his life. But is there no guarantee that Casey Selmore will not catch him in the future.

    Maybe she will notice something strange when she reaches a certain step.

    What then?

    What can I do? I will deal with it then.

    Isnt that too irresponsible?

    Irresponsible would be right.

    Who knew that she would follow what happened 3 years ago until now?

    Then youre in trouble.

    What?

    Three years ago, you used her then, too.

    In the Kingdom of Delica three years ago Rudger actively used Casey Selmore as James Moriarty there. She acted on his behalf to dig in a case that involved the nation.

    .

    If you get caughtter, arent you going to pay for the three-year one at once? I heard that she came to this city right away, too.

    If Casey Selmore finds out that she has been used twice by the same person.

    Well.

    Brother?

    I hope I wont get caught

    What? But you just said that the detectivedy will definitely notice one day.

    I did.

    Then what are you going to do then?

    In fact, it was a part that he didnt think too much about. He had other things to care about not other than Casey Selmore but if that really happens.

    Ill have to run away again.

    Oh, my.

    Hans sighed as if he knew it.

    Hans, thats not the point now.

    Then what is it?

    Hans, who was trying to ask back, saw Rudgers expression and a thought came into his mind.

    Brother expressiondoesnt look good

    When Rudger who never changed his expression made that face it meant that he was nervous.

    Come on, what the hells going on?

    Rudger closed his eyes and sighed.

    Because of this, my teacher may have noticed that I am here.

 Chapter 181

    C181: Silver Sun (1)

    It, who was asleep, woke up much earlier than usual.

    In the darkness where nothing was seen, as if the ink had been poured on it only red eyes like red jade shone magically.

    It slowly rose to its feet. Normally, It would have killed time here nkly, but this time It didnt because It felt something familiar ing from afar.

    The smell of blood. This is my blood.

    The light slowly returned to the slightly blurred eyes. Soon, when the fog in Its head pletely cleared up, It smiled as if it was funny.

    You bloody disciple. When you ran away, you secretly drew my blood and then ended up using it.

    The emotion in the voice was more intense than irritation and anger.

    But I thought the blood he took wouldnt be used because I taught and raised him hard.

    As long as the student was not a fool, he knew that It could sense his location as soon as he used the blood. That means that he was forced to use it.

    Its fun.

    Hes a bad disciple, but hes still a great guy. Nevertheless, to use It blood means that he was caught in something interesting.

    I got interested.

    It is an existence far from the world. Surrounded by boredom, It turned its back on the world and lived a quiet life alone, paying no attention to anything outside. But when It smelled its blood from far away, the boredom disappeared.

    Its blood boiled when It found out that its disciple was going through something interesting somewhere.

    Its been a long time. Why am I moving like this?

    It needed to take a look at the outside world and see how much it changed.

    What will the world look like after a long time?

    The sin that caused this master to move Its heavy steps. You will have to pensate me with ample pleasure.

    * * *

    Rudger trembled unknowingly.

    Are you okay?

    No. Its not okay. This is definitely not OK.

    Is it because of your teacher?

    Yes.

    Hans, who didnt know about Rudgers teacher, didnt understand why he was so scared. Still, from what he heard from him vaguely, his teacher is a great wizard and a wanderer.

    Even taking that into ount, is there any need for a person of Rudgers caliber to fear such a person?

    Arent you exaggerating too much? When you talk about your Master, brothers reaction is like someone who saw death before he died.

    Actually, Master is like a death god.

    Haha! Brother, your jokes have improved a lot.

    Hans. Where do you think I learned these magic and skills in the first ce?

    Well, I thought you just learned it on your own because youre such a genius.

    At Hanss words, Rudger shook his head.

    Im not a genius, as I said many times. Most of the technology I use was pioneered by others and I just copied it.

    No. Usually, even if there is a pioneer, no one can copy it all.

    Why cant I do it?

    .

    Hans gave up because Rudger standard is so high that it is too much to underestimate himself. He wont listen to him if he talks.

    Hans, think about it. Why dont I reveal it to others even if it seems like Ive acplished something great?

    Isnt it because your standard is too high?

    No, I have my own pride. The pride of letting others know what was not in the world and what others didnt know.

    There was. But why are you being timid?

    Why? Because I didnt like my teacher.

    Even Rudgers magic [source code], that people are drooling after, was dismissed by his teacher. Rather, he was criticized for showing off with just that.

    Rudger didnt think it was a disgraceful feeling of jealousy. In the first ce, it was Rudger who came up with the basic gist of the source code, but it was his teacher who yed the biggest role in creating it.

    At the same time, It never imed his ownership. That was how his teacher was like.

    Rudger has been growing up looking at such a teachers back since he was young. It was for that reason that his standard of seeing something was inevitably different from others.

    No, if your brother says so, how great is that teacher?

    It is a monster. I risked dying several times because of Master.

    Hans was stunned by Rudgers confident words.

    Monster? Its still his teacher. Can he use that word?

    However, he said it so seriously that Hans had no choice but to nod with a puzzled face.

    What a son of a gun!

    Dont curse, right?

    Uh Im sorry.

    To be honest, swearing is unfortable.

    Hans became embarrassed for no reason.

    Well, if you say so.

    Yes, lets call it a day.

    First of all, it would be nice to say that the incident in Theon has not spread anywhere else and has been concluded internally. And brother removed a First Order of the ck Dawn Society himself, this is a great feat.

    Rudger shook his head.

    Its safe to say that the most likely risk has been reduced but I cant rx yet. I wont give up on the ck Dawn Society.

    He still felt chilly when he remembered that Zero Order came to Theon.

    Theyll step back now, but you never know when theyll act again. So before that, we have to start from here.

    Hans had no choice but to nod.

    What happened now to finding their hideout, which I ordered at that time?

    Peluma extract, a material derived from the ingredients of the reagent that was conducting the werewolf experiment.

    The other day, Rudger ordered Hans to search the Baltanung city where Peluma grows. Of course, he didnt think the information would be found immediately.

    I was about to speak about that.

    But Hans was more petent than he thought.

    Its easy to find it right away if the location is specified. As brother said the other day, I discovered movements of suspicious people in Baltanung city.

    Whats the possibility its them?

    More than 90 percent.

    He was almost certain.

    Theyre in an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of Baltanung and are holding hands with a nearby gang to maintain their power.

    Didnt they notice something and tried to run away?

    They didnt. It seems they didnt think we caught their tail.

    Theboratory where the Shamsus School was working was pletely gone, but they must have been convinced that even if investigators gathered all the data there, they would not discover them.

    Theres one more ce I need to visit soon.

    Ill be ready.

    Hans, who was quick-witted, immediately understood Rudgers meaning and answered.

    Rudger nodded satisfactorily.

    As a result, it was safe to say that most of the things to be sorted out were over.

    Of course, there are things that havent been pleted yet.

    For example, Devian Burtag, who fought in the final of the magic duels.

    As Rudgers seal control technique was released, he saw the appearance of a God that existed beyond.

    Rudger was d that he stopped in the middle. If he was a littlete Devian would have bee an idiot. But what will Devian Burtag say when he es to his senses?

    Well, even if he talks about what he saw, no one will believe him and he will be treated as a lunatic.

    At least it was obvious that teachers from noble factions would be wary of him and closely watch him. The same is true of being involved with the Lumos family at the outdoor banquet hall. He didnt think a man like Caiden Lumos would go through with it.

    But its better to go on like this.

    Now that he was famous Rudger had to pay attention to public reputation and politics.

    In the future, many people will e up to him and try to cling to him or obtain something from him.

    The nobles are insidious and will stab him in the back if he lets his guard down so he needed to show them.

    How dangerous it is to touch me carelessly.

    If he simply stays calm, they will look down on him in the end so he had to show them that even if his opponent is a duke he wouldnt back down.

    That was a sort of territory deration and he also got points from the president for the incident. It was his calction that, in the grand scheme of things, there was nothing to lose.

    Hans, is there anything you want to say?

    Hans, who was supposed to leave, hesitated and was looking at Rudger.

    Well, thats.

    Dont look around and just say it.

    Brother I told you that time, right? If the projects we are carrying out bee stable, we will go to Baltanung to check the secret branch of the ck Dawn Society.

    I did. Did something happen to the business were working on?

    No, the business itself is progressing step by step.

    Then what is it?

    Its a problem because were too sessful.

    Rudger, who had patted his chin for a while, noticed why.

    You havent been disturbed since that day, have you?

    Thats right. The merchant association, which had been interfering with our work by filing a petition to Leathervelk city councilor, suddenly calmed down.

    Did you find out anything?

    I havent figured out anything yet butthere are some guys who have been acting suspiciouslytely.

    Theyre showing suspicious movements?

    Brother must have heard about them too. A criminal organization out in the sun.

    Rudger had one thing that came to mind when he heard it was a crime syndicate out in the sun. It was the criminal that dominated the back streets of Leathervelk before the Red Society.

    Silver Sun.

    * * *

    It was a luxurious room with leather sofas, expensive furniture, and even the finest carpets.

    However, even though it was in the daytime, the room was dark because the light was not ing in well due to the blinds covering the windows.

    Only a scarlet me burning in the firece was illuminating the room and a man sitting on the sofa in the center said as if bored.

    Hmm. I mean.

    Hisnguid gaze directed at the people in front of him.

    Beggars who havent even learned to eat are climbing up without even knowing what to do, so you would like me to step on them?

    The man waved the document in his hand.

    The five people who came as representatives of the merchant cooperative could not say anything with their heads bowed.

    Was our Silver Sun that funny?

    Whenever the mans blue eyes scanned their bodies, they trembled as if they had epilepsy.

    Silver Sun.

    Commonly called SS, they were once gangsters who were vicious in the dark, but they came out to the sun and became a corporation due to their growing size and power.

    Whether its legal or illegal when it es to money its their job to intervene in the union and collect money, but there were quite a few areas where they reached out.

    Extorting money from street vendors in the name of protection money, distributing food ingredients and wine exclusively, swept away enormous wealth, and lined up with city councilors.

    The chairman of Silver Sun, who achieved it, was the man who is now sitting on the sofa andughing as if he was having fun.

    His name was Carlone.

    The snake-like eyes of the man, who fed the political and business circles money and even the police, looked at the merchants.

    Youre going to borrow my hand because you cant handle beggars?

    Carlone threw the data handed over by the merchants into the stove. The paper quickly burned and the fire spread out of the stove while the sound of burning firewood made their ears sting.

    Carlone took a sip of the wine beside him while Merchants were forced to watch the scene, swallowing their saliva.

    Soon after, Carlone, who took his mouth off the wine ss, said.

    Temoran, for how many years have I known you?

    Ten years, sir.

    Temoran, a middle-aged man in his mid-50s, replied in a trembling voice.

    Okay. 10 years. If so, you should know enough about who I am.

    Oh, no! I can exin!

    Eximed Temoran.

    If he hesitated here, Carlone will surely try to kill him even if theyve known each other for 10 years.

    In fact, the biggest problem is not the beggars. Its a man called the owner behind them!

    Only then did Carlone begin to be interested and Temoran spoke urgently so he would not miss this opportunity.

    Originally, the Red Society ruled the back world on its own.

    Yes, they did. They were the ones I left to do that.

    Not long ago, a man appeared and wiped out the Ren Society. Thats the one whos now called Owner by the lower sses.

    So whats his name?

    Most of the time, they only call him Owner, so I dont know about it either.But its clear that hes the culprit behind all this.

    Carlone frowned.

    You didnt bring the most important information?

    I know!

    At that time, one of the young merchants who was listening quietly opened his mouth.

    Carlone chinned him with an interesting gaze.

    I overheard them heading somewhere in the middle of the night before the Ren Society was pletely dissolved. Thats when they said one persons name.

    What did you say?

    The young merchant answered in a trembling voice.

    James Moriarty.

    Ha!

    Carlone couldnt hold back hisughter as soon as he heard the name.

    Suddenly, the young merchant who spoke his name broke out in a cold sweat at the sight of Carloneughing like crazy.

    Soon after, Carlone stoppedughing.

    Well done.

    With that said, he took out his gun and shot Temoran.

    The sight of Temoran falling down turned the other four merchants faces white.

    Carlone blew the smoke from the muzzle through his mouth.

    Congrattions, young merchant friend. Now youve seeded Temoran. What did you say your name was?

    My name is Cayleton.

    Yes, Cayleton. Ill start dealing with the slums soon. The price to move us will be great and of course, Ill get more money. If you give something, you need to receive something. Do you have any objections?

    Oh, no!

    The merchants nodded their heads.

    Okay. Then you can go now. Take the body.

    The merchants carried Temorans body and left as if they were fleeing. Soon after, Carlone, who was left alone, couldnt hold back andughed.

    Stupid people. You really think I dont know.

    Carlone knew the whole series of events that the merchants told him about.

    He was the first to receive information that a man named James Moriarty appeared in the back alley of Leathervelk and swept away the Red Society. It was also him who spent a lot of money to hire Calsapa Assassins using the remnants of the Red Society.

    However, the assassination failed, and I decided that there was something about the other person, so I watched for a while.

    At that moment, he didnt expect the merchants to e and ask him for help.

    In the first ce, Carlone was thinking of taking over the back alley sooner orter. Then, the merchant association asked for help, so could he be luckier than this?

    He was going to take this opportunity to extort money from them.

    James Moriarty? Thats funny. Its just a fake name anyway because he died in the kingdom of Delica.

    Of course, he admitted that he was capable.

    The ability to sweep away the Red Society and quickly start the slums was enough to impress Carlone but the Silver Sun was different from the Red Society.

    In the first ce, Red Society was just a pawn of Silver Sun. They were a tool used to clean up the back alleys periodically.

    Its a pity that the tool has disappeared, but it doesnt matter. Its enough if I make it again.

    Rather, it was enough to gulp down the projects currently being carried out in the slums.

    As long as I get it in my hand, I can go higher.

    Carlone was already convinced that everything had e into his hands.

    Hey.

    Yes.

    A subordinate hiding in the dark appeared.

    Im going to do what Ive been preparing for. The cleaning of the slums. You know, right?

    I see.

    Just give them a light warning for now since we still need some people to carry out the business. Lets do it as usual.

    Ill be ready at once.

    Soon the subordinate hid himself in the dark again while Carlone hummed joyfully.

    The wine was especially sweet today.

 Chapter 182

    C182: Silver Sun (2)

    Chapter sponsored byJesus. Thank you for your support.

    After the festival was over, Theon returned to its original routine. The students talked about the past festival and expressed regrets and promises for the next year.

    As a result, there were many students who were cluttered because they couldnt forget the heat of the festival.

    In many sses there were various students that couldnt concentrate but not in Rudger ss.

    I think I still see people living in the festival.

    Standing on the tform, he opened his eyes and the students straightened their backs. It was a moment when the students, who had been a little rxed, tightened their tension.

    If you catch my eye, Ill keep an eye on how the results of the uping third test will turn out.

    The stern warning forced all the students to behave.

    Above all, Rudger was even injured in an ident during this festival. If they think of the festival here, and they were sure itll add fuel to his anger.

    The students were not so tactless that they quietly shut up and the ss that took ce in such a quiet atmosphere ended without much trouble.

    Clean up.

    Yes, yes! What about you, Sir?

    Theres a ce I have to go for a while.

    Rudger had Sedina, his assistant, bring the material to the teachers office, and came out of Theon.

    Since he had no appointments and a lot of free time he went to check how far the progress of the business in Leathervelk has gone.

    Its been a while since Ive e to Leathervelk.

    Leathervelk remained unchanged. The atmosphere has been unsettled since the Kunst auction house incident, but as time went by, even that has pletely cooled down.

    Carriages and cars moving around the streets, smoky chimneys and even the hard-working workers.

    However, unlike usual, people in priest clothes were often seen.

    Are they from the Holy Land of Bretus?

    Perhaps because of the emergence of the Beast of Gvaudan, which shook the foundation of a country, the withering Lumensism has again spread its shoulders. How they step up remains to be seen.

    Of course, that was not the only change in Leathervelk.

    Is it here?

    The ce where he arrived now was the ce that had recently undergone the most changes in the city of Leathervelk.

    Its gotten a lot cleaner.

    Even when he visited once in the middle, construction was still underway. Now that it was all over, the appearance of the dark slum, which was once full of filth and odor, had pletely changed.

    Aside from the clean exterior, the number of people walking around was higher than before but the biggest change was the vitality of the streets. The most powerful positive energy emitted by those who tasted hope.

    The people who are influenced and attracted by the atmosphere are invigorated.

    Catch me!

    Hey! There!

    Children with small mechanical toys passed by Rudger.

    Originally, they were children who had to drink smoke in the factory area and do forcedbor or were children who had no choice but to steal things or pickpocket.

    But now those children wereughing and ying happily.

    Rudger nced at the back of the children who passed by and stepped back.

    In time, he arrived at the busiest clothing store on the street.

    Ring!

    Before Rudger entered the store, the door opened and two customers came out. They were rich looking middle-aged women in their mid-40s.

    The two women, dressed in what appeared to have just been bought, looked very satisfied.

    I didnt know there would be such a good store in the world.

    Oh, I told you. Its a ce that became famous recently. And the magazines were full of introductions about this ce.

    Ill have to tell the otherster.

    Rudger went into the store after seeing the two people leaving each otherughing.

    The waitress, who heard the door open, approached Rudger.

    Wele. What are you looking for?

    Is there a manager here?

    What? Ms. Violetta is working upstairs right now.

    Call her.

    Well, who should I say is looking for the manager?

    The waiter asked in a slightly wary voice. Doesnt she know me?

    Rudger considered for a moment and opened his mouth.

    You just have to tell her that the owner is here.

    The waitress trembled as if she had thought of something. It hasnt been long since she started working, but she knew how great the owners presence was on this street.

    In particr, even Violetta, the manager of this ce, treated the owner with great care and respect.

    Ill be right back!

    Shortly after the employee disappeared, a thump came from above and Violetta appeared upstairs with an urgent face.

    You didnt have to e in such a hurry.

    How can I not show my face when the owner visits me himself?

    Rudger shrugged his shoulders as he watched Violetta speak calmly as she began to manage her expression.

    Violetta said with a slightly sly look.

    You should have contacted me if you were going to e in advance. I would have prepared.

    There is no need to bother to do so. Its a distraction for working people, too.

    Looking at you saying that, I guess you finished watching on your way here?

    When asked by Violetta, Rudger nodded.

    Its pletely changed. People are full of energy.

    Its all thanks to the owner.

    I just invested. Its your ability.

    If the owner says so, Ill go with that.

    Violetta readily epted his words.

    The man, who provided not only the funding but also the idea of the business, took up most of the shares of the changed street but he didnt care about praises or bragged about it. He was this kind of man.

    So what exactly is your reason for ing? A simple outing?

    I came because I had some time left, but I heard that there are a lot of intruders recently.

    Thats ridiculous. How tiring it is to rush here and therete because people who usually dont pay attention start looking at you.

    Still, the obstruction done by merchants could be prevented without any problems. The real problem was next.

    The fact that the owner came all the way here, did you hear the news?

    Yes.

    You know, Silver Sun was the one who dominated this world before the Red Society. Theyre out in the sun now, but theyre much more brutal than the Reds.

    Those guys are even bigger now.

    The Silver Sun was like a typhoon blocking the road in the current situation where they were moving forward like a ship on a fair wind.

    It was a disaster that cannot be avoided by a single boat so Violettas face was bound to be filled with water.

    You know, theyre different from the Red Society. Thats why its dangerous.

    I suppose so.

    They are not ones to look down on as a criminal organization. There are wizards and knights inside the Silver Sun. Like those who are pressed for money or if they are active knights but waste money because of gambling.

    It was mon to immerse oneself in a dark world half of ones own will and half of others. The same was true for wizards because of money.

    It was like that in the past, but now the world is more and more driven by the power of capital.

    Although the knights and wizards who are still in charge of some of the fighting power in the world are great. They were also helpless in the face of the power of capital after all.

    Silver Sun tied such people strongly with money and used them as their own hands.

    When she heard that Silver Sun was aiming for them, she couldnt sleep well.

    They wont e forward right away, but I think we need to prepare.

    Yes, thats why I came here. First, Id like to talk to the person in charge..

    As soon as the two were talking, the door of the store rattled open.

    Theres trouble Violetta!

    Whats going on?

    Its an assault! Some bastards came and set fire to the printing nt!!

    What?!

    Violettas expression became serious but Rudger moved before Violetta could say anything.

    Ill go first.

    Rudger, who ran out of the store, climbed to the roof of the building through a wireuncher. When he looked around from the rooftop, he saw smoke ing up from not far away.

    Rudger ran in the direction of the fire without dy.

    * * *

    People wearing white hoods around their mouths suddenly attacked the printing nt without saying anything.

    Sweep it all!

    Flip it all over!

    The employees who worked there were overwhelmed by the sudden attack.

    Members of the Silver Sun broke the printing machine with pipes and mercilessly beat anyone who disturbed it. Screams of pain were everywhere.

    Fire!

    Gasoline was sprayed on magazines piled up on one side of the factory and they were set on fire. In an instant, the paper burned and the mes spread wildly.

    Done. Lets go!

    They got out as quickly as they did when they rushed in. It was only after that that Rudger arrived at the scene that was in a mess.

    .

    From the inside of the chaotic factory to the urgent appearance of people bringing water to extinguish the fire.

    At this rate, the fire would have engulfed the entire factory.

    Magic

    It was when Rudger tried to magically extinguish the fire that Something in his inner pocket moved.

    This is

    It was a red burning gemstone.

    The stone that Quasimodo left behind when he died.

    As it got closer to the hot fire, the tremor of the cryptid stone became stronger. At this moment, Rudger realized how to use this gemstone.

    Get out of the way.

    After breaking through the people, Rudger lifted the cryptid stone and pushed it forward, and the burning fire began to move.

    The fire?

    Is it getting sucked in?

    The fire, which was about to burn the factory, was sucked into Rudgers cryptid stone. It was a little bit, but it seemed like the cryptid stone became brighter.

    The fire is out.

    Hurry up and move the wounded!

    Rudger, who was watching the busy people, peeked at the cryptid stone and put it back in his pocket. Suddenly, he realized that he couldnt see the ones he needed to see.

    What about Deon and Maste?

    Originally, the business rted to Job Printing was the role of Old Kids, one of the slum organizations of the past.

    It was Deon, an old man, and Maste, a doll-like girl who ran the Old Kids but they were not here now.

    No way.

    Rudger headed to the adjacent wooden building where Deon and Maste stayed with a heavy face and opened the door roughly.

    The scene inside was harrowing.

    The bloody building was filled with bodies, most of them were members of the Silver Sun, wearing white hoods but in the center of the misery were Deon and Maste.

    Grandpa, open your eyes.

    Deon lying on the floor was covered in blood. He was missing one arm and his body was full of stab wounds. On the contrary, Maste was not hurt at all. Blood sttered, but it wasnt her blood.

    Maste was shaking Deon with a messy face.

    This is

    Maste felt Rudgers and looked back at him.

    Owner. Are you here? Im sorry, Im sorry. Were going toI shouldve gone to greet you.

    Maste.

    Oh, its weird. I cant stop crying. I cant do this.

    Mastes face was a mess with tears and a runny nose.

    Rudger realized how this happened. Some members of the Silver Sun set fire to the printing nt and some aimed at Maste and Deon.

    And Deon fought to protect Maste.

    Why the hell are you doing this to us?

    Maste, who usually acts mature, couldnt resist and shouted.

    She finally got her hopes up that she could seed. She expected that she would not have to live in pain like she used to.

    We just wanted to live like people.

    Abandoned children huddled together to support each other in the cold of winter. There were children who were beaten for not making money, and who starved for not being able to eat a piece of bread.

    When they asked for help, people said,

    Dirty people like you are a sin just by being born.

    It was wrong to live like a human being but she has not lost hope in such a world. She tried hard not to lose it and yet, the world was trying to take something precious away from her.

    Please help me.

    If there is a god, please. Please listen to our story.

    The moment Maste tried to speak in a tearful voice Rudger covered her eyes with his hand.

    Its all right.

    The gentle voice scared Maste. It was a soft voice that she didnt think came from the usual owner.

    Its all right.

    Rudger consoled Maste and kept his eyes on Deon. There was nothing strange about Deon, whose eyes were not properly focused, when his breath stopped. Even so, Deon desperately stared at Rudger until the end.

    Im asking you to take care of the child.

    Thats what his eyes were saying.

    If he ran away, he could have survived. Nevertheless, Deon chose to fight back instead of running away.

    Ill do that.

    A wounded child is crying and an adult died for a child.

    The future set at the end was eventually marked with sadness.

    If so,

    Release the seal control.

 Chapter 183

    C183: Silver Sun (3)

    Deons condition was so serious that it was not unusual to die at any time because he lost too much blood.

    Such serious wounds are impossible to recover even with the magic I use.

    Rudgers recovery magic is the sixth Sefira of the Sefirot tree, Tipheret.

    This magic containing the power of Archangel Raphael, called divine healing, can heal quite a few wounds. It was this magical power that erased the scar on Violettas face but it wouldnt work on Deon.

    He bled too much.

    Even if the wound is regenerated, the blood he shed would not return.

    Blood is the weight of life. The absence of blood in aplete body is like an empty shell from which the soul has escaped so he had to choose another way.

    Release the seal.

    Mana drained out of his body. The moment he hesitates, Deon will die.

    Maste, whose eyes were covered by Rudger, trembled unknowingly.

    Its cold.

    It felt as if the temperature around them had dropped several degrees in an instant. Then she heard something like bugs crawling.

    Rudgers voice came to Mastes ear, who was trying to raise her head without realizing it.

    Stay still.

    The words made Maste pause.

    You shouldnt look at that so cover your ears with your hands.

    She didnt understand why he told her to cover her ears. Nevertheless, Maste covered her ears tightly with her hands, as Rudger ordered. It was because her instincts were shouting to follow what she was told.

    Rudger, who saw Maste covering her ears with both hands, raised his head.

    A ck hole was floating above his head and looking at it, Rudger said.

    I need help.

    A reaction came from the ck hole. It was a strange, creepy noise, like something twisting and interlocking but Rudger said without batting an eye.

    I want you to fix this person.

    A response came from the darkness. It was as if it was asking why it had to help such a human being.

    It wasnt because it looked down on Deon, but rather it was more like aint about Rudger kicking it out by forcibly closing the door the other day.

    If you dont like it, I dont care. I can call someone else besides you.

    The presence beyond the door reacted as if it were angry at the words.

    What are you going to do? If youre going to drag it out, fold it. Im busy.

    In the end, it was the existence beyond the door that raised the white g first. In the first ce, it was not a situation where they could trade equally with each other.

    For this being, Rudger is the only human being who it coveted.

    Of course, I wont just ask you to do it. Ill give you a little reward.

    At the word reward, God replied that it would help. With this, the deal was concluded.

    Countless bundles of tentacles flowed down through the open hole. They moved slowly and wrapped around Deons body.

    Maste trembled as if she felt something and Rudger, who was watching the scene, covered her eyes more strongly without a word.

    Soon after, the bundle of tentacles disappeared back into the hole and what remained in the ce was the appearance of an intact Deon, whose woundspletely disappeared.

    His breath, which had been panting, was also stabilized.

    Well done.

    The ck hole was closed with the words to keep the promise.

    Rudger recouped the scattered mana and formed a sealing control technique again. He didnt use it for that long, but his head was dizzy.

    Thats enough.

    He let go of the hand that covered Mastes eyes. There was a moment of relief that the strange sensation was over.

    Maste was speechless at the sight in front of her.

    Grandpa Deon!

    Deon, who had been dying a while ago, was alive and well. The severed arm, the bleeding, all kinds of wounds, it was as if nothing had happened from the beginning.

    Oh, how? How could this wound?

    Maste?

    Deon, who had his eyes closed, came to his senses. He was also surprised that he was alive, so he alternately looked at the appearance of his intact body and Maste.

    And beyond that at Rudger.

    Owner.

    Take a good rest, Deon. You havent recovered from the mental shock yet.

    Thank you.

    At Deons words, Maste btedly realized her mistake and bowed to Rudger.

    Sorry, Im sorry. Owner. I made an ugly face in front of the owner.

    Maste.

    yes, owner.

    You dont always have to act like an adult.

    What?

    Maste raised her bowed head. Her expression was bewildered because she didnt understand what Rudger was saying.

    Rudger spoke softly to Maste.

    Sometimes you can just be normal like a child.

    Ah.

    The moment Maste heard that, she was filled with emotion and started shedding tears without wiping them.

    Thank you for saving Grandpa Deon.

    Yes, thats enough.

    Just in time, the door opened and people rushed in.

    Hey, are you okay?

    After hearing the news of the attack, Hans led the slum people to appear. However, Hans was puzzled to see the situation that was already over.

    What?

    The situation is already over Hans.

    Rudger rose from his seat and came out of the building. As the rest of them cleaned up inside, Hans followed Rudger.

    Brother, are you going to go?

    Whats wrong?

    No. Nothing.

    Hans sighed and said.

    Ill tell the other members in advance to prepare.

    Never mind. I alone am enough.

    Rudger moved away, and Hans looked at the back without saying a word. Then Violetta, who waste, approached Hans.

    Mr. Hans, whats the situation? What happened?

    Thanks to brother , it ended without much damage.

    Where is he going now? Dont tell me.

    Hans dissuaded Violetta from following Rudger.

    Stop. Youd better not follow him.

    What? But.

    Hans shook his head.

    From Violettas point of view, he may be saying that because he is worried about Rudger, but Hans, who has known Rudger for a long time, knew that he did not have to.

    No matter what you say to brother now, it will be useless.

    Why?

    Its been a long time since Ive seen him so angry.

    Angry?

    Violetta saw Rudger moving away. His face was as expressionless as usual and his emotion was not revealed.

    If she had topare it, the atmosphere itself was heavier than usual.

    Hans said as if he understood her reaction.

    Be aware. When my brother is really angry, he rather shows nothing on his face.

    Owner is angry?

    Of course. Brother is also a person, so he is both happy and angry. And especially remember that brother is more sensitive than anyone else when ites to children.

    What about children?

    It happened in the past and maybe even before that, brother had a simr trauma.

    Trauma

    Violetta was surprised that Rudger had a trauma. Because he was like a superman who wouldnt be hurt no matter what.

    In the end Rudger was also a person like her. Even though he had extraordinary abilities he would be angry and sad like others.

    So you dont have to worry. No one can stop brother in that state.

    It was a good thing for them because they didnt need to worry about another attack in the future.

    On the contrary, you should pray for the rest of the world. It wasnt enough that they touched the wrong person but they touched the person that shouldnt be touched the most.

    * * *

    Leathervelk is wide. Not all districts are equal, and naturally there are ces that peoples eyes dont reach.

    Most of them were slums or factory areas. However, in a different sense, there was a ce where peoples eyes did not reach.

    In the heat of the fire and where greed and despair wriggle was the Underground Fighting Ground, the Hidden Underworld of Leathervelk.

    Carlone, sitting at the top of the ce, was watching the fight over a ss of wine.

    Two men were fighting fiercely in a steel fence. The iron fence was full of people, all holding paper in their hands and shouting their throats.

    What are you doing? Take him down!

    Kill him! Kill him!

    I bet all my money on you!

    Each of them cursing, cheering, or praying for victory and Carlone couldnt helpughing at them.

    Look at that. Its like youre leaning your life on someone else.

    The subordinate who had been quietly pouring wine by the side agreed.

    Thats right, boss. Theyre stupid.

    The same goes for the two guys fighting over there. I cant believe those guys who could have made their name known as knights are fighting barehanded in this dirty ce because of their gambling debts.

    Both men fighting inside the fence were knights and were waving their fists at their opponents, covered in blood and sweat.

    Even if you have a body that transcends humans, you cant even be a dog because youre tied to money. What a ridiculous world it is.

    This is the power of money.

    Even the noble knights had to fight because they were in debt but Carlone didnt care. He shined because he had such humans.

    Thanks to this, his recent underground arena business was booming.

    The group of people down there was either in despair or was rejoicing in gambling. On the contrary, those who have a lot of money watch the scene from a specially prepared upper seat over the window.

    It was not just a ce to watch people fighting in iron fences but also the scenes of despair, frustration, and tears at the oue of the fight.

    The sight of the ruined falling into the abyss after falling into a swamp of gambling was also part of the show.

    Just in time, the door of Carlones VIP room opened and someone came in.

    Boss, Ive finished what you asked me to do.

    Oh, really? What happened?

    I broke the printing press and set the factory on fire. I also took care of a few guys as examples.

    Good. The warning must be clear.

    Carlone nodded with delight.

    And

    What else is there?

    No, nothing.

    The subordinate who tried to deliver the message tried to say that more than 10 of the sent men were dead, but stopped.

    His boss is quite moody and if the boss feels bad after hearing the news he will be the one to me. The dead ones were like meat shields so there was nothing to lose even if some of them died.

    They must have been very scared. Will you send the delegation as it is?

    You must have informed the members of the organization in advance, right? So that you can move right away whenever I tell me to.

    Yes. Theyre always ready.

    Yes, yes. Now it will depend on how ites out over there. Of course, blood will flow even if theye in with their heads down.

    Carlones eyes shone horrifically. The subordinate who was watching from the side felt goosebumps on his skin for no reason.

    He is the boss he serves, but there are times when he is so cruel that he wonders if he is really human.

    Well, Ive seen good things and heard good news. Im getting hungry, so Im going back to the mansion.

    Just in time, the fight was decided in the stadium below.

    A man with a crushed face raised his hand and posed for victory but sight divided people. Some of them were cheering and the rest were frustrated.

    As expected, its fun.

    Carlone emptied his wine ss and left the underground fighting area.

    It was already dark outside and Carlone returned home in a ck car.

    His mansion was on a huge lot far away from the city. The ce illuminated by the streetlights was the mansion where Carlone was staying.

    As the ck vehicle approached, the men guarding the front gate of the mansion opened it.

    Soon the gate closed and the Silver Line members returned to their ces.

    * * *

    Mark was a member of the Silver Sun. His role is to protect the main entrance of the mansion in case of an unexpected attack.

    Who dares to touch our Silver Sun in the first ce?

    Even if someone came, it would be an assassin, but would ite to the front door because unless it was crazy? As a result, protecting the entrance was actually a boring task with only a variety of options.

    There were two hours until the next shift but something was caught in his sight, which was full of thoughts.

    Whats going on?

    What is it, Mark? What?

    No, look over there.

    When Mark pointed, Loopton, who guarded the main gate with him, reacted. Their eyes turned to the entrance of the mansion.

    Something stood under the light of the streetmp.

    At first, they thought it was just a wild beast. The mansion was a little far from the center of the city, so sometimes wild animals appeared but it wasnt a beast.

    Isnt that a person?

    The moment Mark says that darkness fell before them.

    What?

    Mark was taken aback because the streetmps were turned off at once.

    Hey, Loopton. Its like.

    Marks face turned pale as he turned around calling his colleague. It was because Looptons head, which had been standing intact until a while ago, was rolling on the floor.

    What?

    At the moment when he was about to shout something, Mark swallowed his breath when he saw the ck shadow that suddenly rose in front of him.

    The presence in a ck shadow was staring at him with a red glow.

    Who, who are you!

    The shape of the shadow swayed once as if hit by a wave and then said.

    Jack.

    The shadow engulfed Marks body. Mark couldnt even resist, he didnt even think about it because he was stiff with fear.

    Soon there was silence at the entrance.

    The shadow stared at the mansion beyond the huge iron gate and eventually it melted away.

    Darkness settled over the mansion.

 Chapter 184

    C184: Jack the Ripper (1)

    It was more than seven years ago that Rudger first used an alias. It was when he had just escaped from his teacher and entered the outside world in earnest.

    His first destination was the Exilion Empiresrgest city and the ce where he would most likely find fragments of his relic.

    In Lindebrnew, the capital of the Empire, the name that was unintentionally used in connection with the military coup was {Jack the Ripper}.

    Rudger, holding a knife in one hand and a Karambit dagger in the other hand, headed to the mansion where Carlone stayed.

    This is Carlones mansion, but at the same time it was home to the Silver Sun Mafia. All the employees working here were members of the Silver Sun.

    This fact only suggests one thing to Rudger. That he didnt have to let anyone in this mansion go.

    * * *

    All the lights in Carlones mansion went out.

    The darkness that the light could not drive out invaded the interior of the mansion and soon the mansion became ck and was filled with heavy silence.

    What? Whats going on?

    Somebody go check the power! If it doesnt work, turn on the emergency generator!

    The members, who were resting inside, hurried to move, embarrassed by the sudden power outage.

    idents caused by insufficient management of the mansion are unforgivable and knowing how entric the bosss personality was, the members hurried to the breaker.

    Upon arriving at the breaker with a portable light, the members found a figure of a person standing in front of him.

    Was it a colleague who came first?

    Hey, what happened? What about the breaker?

    .

    Why arent you answering me? What happened to the circuit breaker?

    The members of the organization shed the light in annoyance and saw the corpse of a colleague that died.

    What?

    The members of the group who saw the scene were startled. As the dead body soon fell forward the existence that was hiding behind it was revealed.

    It was a shadow that covered the whole body with something ck and only red lights flowed where both eyes were supposed to be.

    What, what!

    Who is it? Who is it? How dare you do that?

    The shadow did not speak. The red eyes seemed to explode strongly once, and the shadow stretched silently. At least thats what it looked like in their eyes.

    Soon after, as the shadow passed by, the members of the group copsed, spraying blood one by one.

    Enemy attack!

    Kill him!

    Members of the Silver Line also fought back without running away. They, who have lived in a fence of violence for a long time, did not avoid the fight but this time they picked the wrong opponent.

    The shadow was fast and too strong. No matter how much they swung their axes or sticks, they never touched the shadow. Rather, only the members who wielded weapons died.

    Bring me the gun!

    They thought they couldnt go on like this, so they brought guns right away, but it was dark and they couldnt see anything.

    What are you doing? Get out of my way!

    My legs wont move!

    What?

    The screams of the dying members drew nearer and the gunman showed hesitation but the captain yelled from the side.

    What are you doing? Just shoot!

    But my colleagues in front of me!

    If you dont shoot, well all die!

    Eventually, the gunmen clenched their teeth and pulled the trigger. However, even after the trigger was pulled, the bullet did not go out.

    What are you doing?

    The gun is broken.

    What?

    There is no way that the gun, which had been in good shape, suddenly broke because it was constantly checked every day. The captain knew this better than anything else.

    Silence of fire? Is the attacker a wizard?

    The captain thought it was ridiculous because his subordinates died when the intruder passed by them. How could a wizard do such a thing?

    The captain gritted his teeth.

    Get out of my way! Im going!

    In the end, he had no choice but to step up. Although he retired due to injury, he was once a knight. If the opponent is a wizard he can fight him.

    With that thought, the captain pulled out the sword from his waist and rushed toward the shadow.

    You punk!

    His sword fell vertically while he shouted but at that moment, the opponent lifted the daggers in both hands to block the sword.

    Block? If so, Ill press down with force!

    In a power struggle the one with superior physical ability has a much better advantage.

    The forearm of the captain swelled and nearly doubled in size as he intended to cut the intruder in half but the sword he wielded did not go any further.

    What?

    At that moment something shed before his eyes and the captain instinctively turned his head back.

    Thanks to the instinct he had developed while living as a knight he wasnt decapitated. The captain hurriedly stepped back but he lost his sword.

    His eyes, which had adapted a little in the dark, judged the outline of the other person roughly.

    Four arms?

    It was an exceptionallyrge arm that blocked the sword he wielded. There were also two arms made of shadows that flowed like coats down his shoulders.

    An ordinary wizard cannot have such parts.

    Its a spell!

    The experienced captain grasped the identity of that shadow at once.

    He understood the magical power of a wizard and that ridiculous fighting power because wizards can summon magic beasts.

    He swung a sword using the magic beast, and the magician himself swung another sword aiming at the gap created by the magic beast.

    Wasnt he almost killed by that method?

    Who are you? Why is a man of your caliber ing into the Silver Sun and doing this? Isnt it a waste of your life?

    Did you touch me because you didnt want to waste your life?

    The shadow spoke for the first time and the captain frowned as he replied.

    We touched you?

    It doesnt matter. Its enough to just give back as much as you suffered. Arent you like that too?

    Among Mafia members, there exists a strong precept called Omert,

    Among them, there is only one principle and those who touch it will never be tolerated by the organization.

    [Vendetta.]

    Revenge of blood, and punishment that must be achieved without ever tolerating the other person. The captain, who understood the words, twisted his face.

    Revenge? How dare you take revenge on Silver Sun?

    The captain pulled out an extra sword. A little while ago, he was surprised by the unexpected attack and stepped down, but now it was different.

    Ill cut off your neck and take it to the boss!

    However, the captains words did not continue until the end because white frost tied his legs.

    Magic? When?

    It was a secret magic that deceived ones senses.

    Thats nothing!

    As soon as he broke the frost with his legs, the shadow rushed at him. The daggers held by the shadows of both shoulders disturbed his eyes and the captain had no choice but to concentrate on defense.

    Each sword wielded by the shadow arms was powerful enough to shake his muscles.

    I used to be a knight, but Im going to lose against a wizard?

    Reality was brutal and the sword in the captains hands bounced high in the air. The captain looked at the scene in vain and shouted urgently.

    No, wait!

    But the opponent ignored him as his red eyes shining in the dark looked down at him.

    If youve acted like that until now, you should have been prepared to suffer.

    And the sword was swung.

    * * *

    The noise inside of the mansion subsided quietly as the sound of footsteps jolting along the quiet hallway echoed softly.

    Soon the door of the office where Carlone, the boss of the Silver Sun, was opened.

    Wele. Ive been waiting for you.

    There, Carlone weled Rudger with a smile.

    He didnt run away. Rather, he was sitting in front of the table and drinking wine as if he was showing off his posure.

    There was a chair opposite Carlone and Rudger went into the room without a word and sat down on the chair.

    Along the path through which he passed, a blue mist settled gently on the floor.

    Rudger put what he had in his hand on the desk. It was the bloody sword used by the captain who had just died.

    Its a shame. He was still useful.

    Carlone was not surprised by his subordinates death, shrugged his shoulders.

    Rudger revealed his face by half releasing [Aether Nocturnus].

    Oh, my. Youre nobler than I thought.

    You didnt escape.

    Rudger spoke to Carlone in a provocative tone and Carlone smirked at the unkind provocation.

    Did you think Id run away?

    You should have a secret passage in a ce like this just in case.

    No way.

    Even though he said so, Carlone secretly adjusted his assessment of Rudger. He was a sharp fellow and at the same time knew the way this industry worked.

    So youre the one that the beggars call Owner?

    At least by those people, Im called Owner.

    By those people? Interesting. It sounds like you have a different name.

    Youre right.

    Rudger leaned his back against the back of the chair. His slightly arrogant chin was full of the feeling of looking down at Carlone.

    Sometimes Jack the Ripper.

    Those eyes.

    Sometimes James Moriarty.

    Looked inhuman.

    Sometimes Abraham Van Helsing.

    Carlone was unconsciously intimidated.

    And Machiavelli until recently.

    Ha.

    Carlone sneered to show that he was not pushed back. Above all, he believed that bluffing is real when people do it moderately.

    Arent you too young for that? And it was surprising that you thought of ing into a ce like this alone.

    It wasnt a big deal. Ive heard of Silver Suns notoriety, but to be honest Im disappointed.

    Is that so? When this is over Ill have to change all the guys below.

    There is no need to do that. Ive taken care of everything. Do you think youll have a next time?

    Youre a very cruel man but do you really think you have an advantage right now? Do you think youre holding my life line now?

    Trying to deny reality.

    Hey, were not like the Red Society, were Silver Sun. Did you forget? You seem like youve used all your strength, so you should have straightened your shoulders while sitting down.

    Carlone snapped finger.

    Upon receiving the signal, the hidden doors of the rooms study and walls opened, and people hiding inside appeared. They were all members of the gang dressed in ck suits.

    All twenty of them are knight-level powers and theres even a wizard among them.

    Carlone couldnt hold back theughter that was about to escape from his lips.

    Showing his hidden cards in front of an opponent who thought it had the upper hand and putting him into the abyss of despair was a pleasure for Carlone.

    Ill tell you one more thing. Now that youre here, havent you thought about what will happen to those beggars?

    I dont know what youre talking about all of a sudden.

    I sent my men, much more than I sent this afternoon. Dont tell me the people there thought that was all Silver Sun had?

    .

    They should have arrived by now and theyll be happily sweeping up the slums while youll die struggling without doing anything. Everyone is powerless in the face of violence.

    Carlone took a sip of wine.

    From the beginning I was above you in strength and resources.

    Thats funny.

    When the expected response did not e out, Carlone narrowed his eyes.

    Its no use pretending to be calm on purpose.

    Its funny that youre bragging about using something so primitive as violence.

    What?

    You need to correct your attitude. First, I knew from the beginning that your men were hiding in secret spaces and secondly Im grateful to you for this.

    Grateful?

    Violence.

    Rudgers eyes curled like a crescent moon.

    Its the field that we are most confident in.

    * * *

    A dark street at night.

    Even streetlights were not installed, so hundreds of people who walked there had to depend on the moonlight alone.

    All of them were ferocious and had weapons in their hands.

    A lot of them are ing.

    Alex took off his back from the wall of the building he was leaning against.

    Youre saying we can beat them all up, right? Its simple.

    The members of U.N. Owen stood around Alex one by one.

    The squad members who received the order frowned at those who stood in their way. There was a woman, a kid, and a strong man.

    What should we do?

    Didnt you hear the bosss order? Sweep them all.

    Anyway, only a few people were there but they had over 200 people.

    The members of the squad exchanged nces with each other, grabbed their weapons, and strode forward.

    Alex, watching the scene, stuck out his tongue.

    Oh, my. Youre trying to kill us without asking me who we are.

    I like it because its neat.

    Pantos said, loosening his shoulders.

    Arpa also smiled as if he was looking forward to the uping fight.

    Well, lets fight.

    Alex said with a mask on his face.

    It was the moment when the executives of {U.N. Owen} stepped up.

    * * *

    Then, can I say that this is all the remaining power of Silver Sun?

    Rudger nced lightly at the batants staring at him. All have great power and talent, but they are born evil and kill for money so he didnt had to go easy on them.

    Is this guy funny?

    Among them, an old-looking wizardughed at Rudger.

    I dont think you understand the situation. Dont you know its you whos under siege now? Or do you still not understand what will happen to you because youre not smart?

    I dont know what will happen to me.

    Rudger stared softly at the wizard who spoke to him.

    But I know whats going to happen to you.

    The wizard wanted to argue to his senses and furthermore his instincts suddenly warned him.

    What is it?

    It was the same for the other elites. The strange feeling of anxiety didnt go away from their minds.

    Wait, this blue energy on the floorWhat is it?

    If this was pure manna that this man has been spilling since he came in here then he would have no more mana left to use magic but what is this anxiety?

    His whole body was screaming that it wanted to run away from here right away.

    What have you done?

    Carlone also stared at Rudger, perhaps because he felt a certain sense of crisis.

    I didnt do anything.

    Rudger replied with a nk face.

    Immediately after that something ck came down slowly from the ceiling.

 Chapter 185

    C185: Jack the Ripper (2)

    What, what is this!

    What have you done?

    A ck tentacle crept down through the ceiling. Its not just one but dozens.

    Carlones elite escorts trembled with goosebumps running down their spines. They dont know what that ck thing was, why it suddenly appeared through the ceiling, or when it started.

    But if theres one thing they were sure of it was that they should never touch it.

    You punk!

    A knight-turned-guard who was quick to judge the situation swung a knife at Rudger. His intuition was saying that if Rudger died, this strange phenomenon would be over.

    As expected of a knight, that movement was made in a split second but before his sword touched Rudger the ck tentacles from the ceiling touched his shoulder quickly.

    What?

    It was thest word uttered by a knight who tried to wield his sword.

    His body, which was touched by the tentacles, twisted like a vortex and began to be sucked into the tentacles. The terrible sight of ignoring thews of physics froze the guards who were preparing to provide support in case the attack failed.

    Carlone, who had been rxed all the time, was starting to get tense.

    What is this?

    The person twisted like a breadstick and disappeared.

    What the hell is that?

    Carlone has killed many people so far and he didnt blink an eye to the extent that a person died and blood sttered because it was his routine.

    Carlone prided himself on being closer to violence and death than anyone else and it was the same with his men here. Nevertheless, Carlone could not ept the present reality.

    The scene that unfolded now was far from his mon sense.

    What the hell have you done.?

    Didnt I tell you? I didnt do anything.

    Dont make meugh!

    At Rudgers words, Carlone eximed in fits. Meanwhile, a tentacle reached another escort and soon sucked him in like a vortex. The once-promising knight couldnt even resist.

    Do you believe in God?

    What do you mean all of a sudden?

    Carlone was dumbfounded when Rudger suddenly asked if he believed in God.

    How much do you know about the existence of God?

    The existence of God? Are you telling me to repent now? To God?

    No way. I just let you know. This ck tentacle youre looking at is the one you call God.

    What?

    At Rudgers words, Carlone became as absent-minded as a person who was hit in the back with a hammer. His trembling eyes now represented his feelings.

    This awful tentacle is God?

    Yes. She is also a goddess who loves humans very much.

    Dog, dont talk nonsense! This cant be a god!

    Its just your personal judgment.

    Rudger raised his hand lightly. A tentacle, which was fluttering from the ceiling, approached Rudger and rubbed itself against the back of his hand.

    Rudgers arm, which touched the tentacles, twisted and was sucked in but Rudger didnt mind.

    Carlone trembled.

    How can you?

    The owner of this tentacle is a goddess who lost her name due to someones betrayal a long time ago. Humans no longer remember her.

    Rudger opened his mouth, ignoring Carlones reaction.

    Rather, she was criticized as an evil spirit and lost her symbolism but she loved humans so much.

    How much did she love them?

    To the point where all of her body was made up of human beings.

    Screams rang out everywhere.

    A knight, who was frightened by something difficult to perceive and tried to run away, was touched by tentacles and disappeared. The other knight swung the sword vigorously, but the tentacles were simply not cut by the sword. It was as if he was trying to cut through running water.

    Eventually, the knight who resisted disappeared, swallowed by the tentacles.

    Hee! This is a dream. This is a dream!

    The wizard, whoughed at Rudger, copsed and cried, saying, This is not reality.

    He, too, was quickly absorbed by the tentacles.

    More than 20 guards disappeared in an instant and only Carlone and Rudger were left in the room.

    Carlone stared at Rudger with trembling eyes.

    What was this man who acted naturally even after seeing the tentacles overflowing everywhere?

    He couldnt believe that he was fine after seeing that. No, maybe that man was already crazy.

    Her abilities are quite helpful because she is more familiar with the human body than anyone else, she will heal any wounds as long as the person its alive.

    Even if an arm is cut off, a lot of blood is lost or ones body is rotten, as long as the person its alive she can save it because its the miracle of God.

    The only downside would be that appearance.

    Rudger lightly shook off the tentacles that touched his palm and the tentacles slowly approached Carlone.

    Ugh! Ugh!

    The moment the tip of the tentacles touched Carlones forehead he saw something.

    It was a huge figure standing still in the dark, a horrible monster that looked like a mixture of thousands and thousands of people.

    I love humans, but the feelings of the gods are hard for a person to understand.

    Rudgers voice was heard over the shocking sight seen by his eyes.

    Because she loves humans, everything is made up of humans, but she doesnt care at all about what people call an aesthetic sense.

    At the same time the vision disappeared and Carlone came back to reality and pped his teeth in a cold sweat. He only saw a part of the figure, but he felt nauseous.

    Carlone prayed to Rudger, the only one who was fine here.

    G, Help me. Please. Please. I beg you. I, I was wrong.

    Unfortunately, I cant do that. I already made a deal. I will dedicate the people here to her.

    It was Rudgers reward for keeping Deon alive.

    Carlones face turned white at the deration.

    You dont have to worry. Didnt I tell you? She cares about humans so you wont die.

    Ah, ah, ah.

    Carlone was swept away by greater despair when he was told he would not die. In other words, it meant that he would be taken alive by that monster. Perhaps he will live with the monster without dying for the rest of his life.

    Kill me! Please! I want you to kill me!

    Didnt you ask me to save me a while ago?

    Ah! Please! Please kill me!

    Carlone immediately pulled out a knife and tried to kill himself, but it was toote. As soon as the tentacles touched the wrist holding the knife, Carlones arm began to twist.

    Argh! Please! Kill me!

    He didnt feel pain in his hand even when it was twisted but that stimted his fear even more. However, even his cries turned into silence as soon as his vocal cords were twisted.

    Carlone, whose everything was twisted, soon followed his tentacles into the goddess arms.

    * * *

    After Carlone disappeared, a bunch of ck tentacles fell throughout the mansion and collected the remaining bodies. The blood sshed on the hallway and walls was sucked into the tentacles and so were the bodies of Silver Sun members who fell on the floor.

    Soon the tentacles disappeared into a ck hole in the sky and there was nothing left in the mansion.

    The next day the Leathervelk Police confirmed that a missing persons case urred at the mansion where Silver Sun members gathered.

    At first, it was judged to be a fight between organizations, but there were no bodies left and no traces. However, there was a sense of alienation since so many people disappeared like a mirage and it was also the notorious Silver Sun.

    Eventually, the case ended without making any significant progress and people started talking.

    Someone said that all the members of the Silver Sun had secretly fled the city.

    Another said that Silver Sun was attacked and disappeared.

    However, the ordinary citizens were relieved or delighted that all the bad guys had disappeared.

    That night, one person who happened to pass by imed that there was a huge ck hole above the mansion and something came down from the sky. It was a dark night with nothing in sight, and the man was very drunk at the time, so no one believed his words.

    The notorious organization that dominated one of the citys pirs disappeared in a night leaving behind countless questions.

    * * *

    The night Rudger broke into Carlones mansion there was a fight between 200 people and 5 people on a dark street.

    One side had 40 times more members than the other but surprisingly the side with 5 members won.

    They dont even count as a warm up.

    They were not disciplined.

    Alex was d things were easy, but Pantos seemed to be quite unhappy that the fight had ended ndly.

    Now we have to deal with this mess.

    There were signs of a fight so intense that it was hard to believe it was only a gang fight.

    The members who contributed the most to this were Seridan and Violetta. Violettas wind magic and the bombs Seridan used had too much aftermath.

    Fortunately, no one lived near here because it was an area that will soon be redeveloped anyway.

    In case of an emergency, it was easy to destroy evidence before the police came in.

    Its a house that needs to be demolished after redevelopment anyway, should we just blow it up?

    Seridan was muttering scary words next to him.

    Alex recalled Seridan, who had been throwing bombs at Silver Sun members a while ago whileughing wildly and driving red mes. She was simply a lunatic.

    Leader, you are back.

    Rudger, who headed alone to Carlones mansion, returned and found members of U.N. Owen standing on the street.

    Are you done?

    Of course, leader. There was no problem because they were all ragtags anyway.

    Good work. However, it must have been difficult to deal with therge numbers. How did you do it?

    Alex shrugged his shoulders.

    Instead, it was Violetta who answered.

    Owner theres a saying in Leathervelk. Dont bury the dead bodies flowing through Lemzier River.

    It was kind of like an unwritten rule and the police also hushed when they found the bodies flowing along the river. This is because most of the bodies drifting away from the river were rted to vagrants in the back world.

    Since all the bodies were spilled into the river, there was virtually no reason for them to question it.

    Thats a relief.

    Owner what happened to Carlone? The fact that the owner is here like this.

    Ive taken care of everything.

    Werent his guards there, too? Everyone mustve been strong.

    Thats why I said it. Ive dealt with everything.

    Violetta was surprised to hear that Rudger had dealt with them all by himself, but was soon convinced that he could do so if he came back.

    Oh? What? Is the leader the only one who had fun?

    Was there a strong man there?

    When Alex and Pantos asked with interest, Rudger shook his head.

    Most of the knights neglected their training for money or retired. They werent that great.

    What is this? Boring.

    Oh, and Violetta.

    Yes, owner!

    When Rudger called her name, Violetta answered immediately.

    With this, Silver Sun is annihted. The remaining ones are subcontractors.

    Yes, I think so.

    The business establishments that Silver Sun had. We can take them from here, right?

    Violetta nodded as if it were a matter of course.

    There is nothing easier to eat than an empty house without an owner. Of course, if its asrge as the Silver Sun was well need some funds to digest it.

    It doesnt matter how much money it costs. The funds that Silver Sun had will also be ours anyway.

    Thats enough then.

    Actually, the business is progressing step by step now. On top of that, if they eat the business sites operated by Silver Sun, it was like adding wings to a tiger.

    Of course, most of their businesses are in the dark, so it was a problem to swallow them as they were.

    Hows Deon doing?

    Hes fine. Thanks to the owner.

    Is there anything strange?

    He looked stronger than before.

    Is that so?

    Rudger responded pretending to not care but Violetta could tell that if he wasnt worried he wouldnt have asked about Deon in the first ce. No matter what, the owner was a man of passion.

    It was then that a new crowd appeared in the distance. At first, he thought it was the remnants of the Silver Sun, but it wasnt. The people who showed up were men and women of all ages.

    Its our people.

    Rudger recognized them right away.

    Everyone heard that Silver Sun was ing in, so they came to fight.

    I told you to stay away because its dangerous.

    As soon as Violetta was about to say something, Rudger stopped her.

    Arent they all people who came forward with a proud heart?

    Violetta stared at Rudger with an unexpected gaze while he was smiling softly at the people.

    Yes, they are.

    Violetta also smirked. She, who unknowingly smiled, was surprised and smoothed her lips with her hands.

    She has always pretended to be strong and lived with a mask but now she couldugh sincerely.

    After ying the ideal human for so long to survive she thought that a sincere smile was just a luxury in her dreams. It was the same for other U.N. Owen members.

    Everyone smiled proudly at the sight of the people ing forward.

    Owner.

    Whats wrong?

    Violetta replied with a smile.

    On behalf of the abandoned people, I will say something to you. Thank you for everything.

    Rudger smiled and replied.

    Its no big deal.

    * * *

    At the entrance to Carlones mansion, which was virtually closed a ck vehicle stopped and soon the Nightcrawler Knights in their ck uniforms got off.

    Leathervelk. Finally, Im here again.

    One of the most notable of them is a steel woman with long silver hair up to her waist.

    Trina Ryanhowl.

    I just left and another serious incident happened.

    What the hell was going on in Leathervelk?

    Next to Trina was Enya Joyners, who remained in Leathervelk.

    Nya what the hell happened here?

    Trina shook her head as she asked.

    Who are the people involved in this incident, have you found out anything?

    Yes.

    Enya nodded with a firm face.

    The slum side of Leathervelk is the most likely to be rted to this case.

 Chapter 186

    C186: King of the Dark Path (1)

    Chapter sponsored bymyosotis. Thank you for your support.

    For now, well hear the details after the investigation.

    Trina, Enya, and three Nightcrawler Knights headed inside the mansion to begin their investigation.

    The Nightcrawler Knights brought up the artifact they had prepared. It was an oval sphere the size of a human fist. It looked like an egg of something and had a subtle gold color on its surface.

    What is this?

    Enya showed curiosity at the sight of the object she saw for the first time.

    Come to think of it, you must have seen this for the first time because youre only in Leathervelk. It is a new type of artifact that was recently introduced.

    Artifact?

    Its an item made by bining the theory of memory storming in the New Tower. Its an early prototype that hasnt been named yet, but its definitely effective.

    Whats its effect?

    It allows you to read the criminals memory rted to a magical incident.

    The artifact reads the remaining mana and absorbs it into a special piece of paper inside it and if someone infuses the paper with mana theyll be able to see the wizards fragmentary memories.

    It was a very innovative artifact that made it possible to analyze most magical events.

    Enyas eyes shone, too.

    Thats amazing! It will solve the unsolved cases right away.

    There is also the limitation that it needs the remaining mana and since spells used by wizards pletely disappear after 36 hours, there is a time limit.

    In addition, there is a limitation that there must be a wizard who handles Mana to use this artifact.

    Of course, its something great enough to pletely offset those shortings.

    Trina put the artifact on the shelf.

    The artifact, which looked like a golden egg, split into 4 parts and a magic stone appeared. The magic stone surrounded by white paper resonated with a hum and scattered waves around it.

    Did it work?

    Yes, now the artifact will scrape away the residual mana and turn the white paper into a different color. That way, well be able to immediately determine if this incident was the work of a wizard.

    An hour passed like that but there was no change in the paper that covered the magic stone.

    Trina frowned.

    Captain, there is no change in the artifact.

    I know.

    Dont tell me that.

    Trina nodded with a heavy face.

    Yes, this case has nothing to do with magic.

    That doesnt make sense.

    It was an incident in which people in the mansion evaporated overnight. Obviously, they could see that there were people here untilst night by looking around a little bit.

    A typical example was the kitchen where the ingredients that were just being trimmed remained.

    How many people stayed in this mansion?

    We estimate at least 100 people.

    How is it possible for 100 people to disappear overnight without magic being used?

    This is physically impossible unless magic its used in the first ce.

    Yes, thats why its a problem. That physically impossible thing happened here.

    Any further investigation seemed pointless.

    Trina recalled her conversation with Enya.

    Nya you said a while ago that this has something to do with the slums. What did you find there?

    Do you remember the day you found a body in the back alley while investigating the death of Bellbot Rickson?

    I remember.

    Trina clearly remembered it because it was unusual that a Calsapa Assassin was involved in the fight of the backstreet vagrants.

    After that, I couldnt care less about the looting of the Kunst auction house, but I recently had a chance to check it out.

    What happened to the slums?

    Yes.

    Enya nodded with a firm face.

    The ones fighting in the alley the other day were the remains of the Red Society.

    The Red Society was previously said to be the organization that ruled the back alleys of Leathervelk.

    They did but just nominally. The ones behind them are right here.

    Silver Sun.

    Trina muttered as she looked at the deste mansion.

    These were the mafia bastards that the Mayor of Leathervelk condoned, the scum that eat away at the country.

    Trina, who hated the wicked, frowned and did not hide her displeasure at the loaches that mitted illegal acts and were protected by thew.

    Although the news that Silver Sun was destroyed in a day caused a sense of exhration, the problem was that the impact of this case was too great.

    An incident that cannot be identified even by a magic tool used to track magic was something major.

    Do you think the key to this incident in the slums? But what on earth can those abandoned by the city do to get rid of an entire mafia organization?

    A normal slum couldnt have done that.

    That means its not normal now.

    Enya told Trina everything she had found out.

    The slums are thriving at a tremendous rate these days.

    They are?

    Until recently the organization which had been divided into three came together as one and began to carry out several projects that were sessful simultaneously and continue to thrive.

    Trina folded her arms and her eyes shined sharply.

    Thats a strange thing. What kind of money do the abandoned people of the city have to do business? Did the city go into redevelopment as part of the relief policy?

    It didnt make sense otherwise but Enya shook her head.

    The city of Leathervelk still doesnt care about the lower ss. Rather, they want them to disappear because they hurt the beauty and image of the city. Surprisingly, it is not the city councilors or the nobles who have brought about this change but one person.

    Only one person?

    An intriguing smile crept across Trinas lips involuntarily.

    It must have been because an unexpected answer came back to her as well.

    Who?

    The people are calling him [Owner].

    That cant be a name. Did you get his real name?

    Enya could not answer and Trina looked at her surprised.

    Thats surprising. You havent figured it out yet. Does it mean that the opponent hid his identity that well?

    Its embarrassing, but its true. One day, the man called Owner, suddenly appeared in Leathervelk and took plete control of the dark world. Hes a ghostly man, with no trace of what hes done in the past.

    Beyond integrating small and medium-sized organizations into one, they are continuing their aggressive moves by achieving sessful projects.

    Because of that, the surrounding mercial districts were nervous.

    Its a wonder that an individual can make such a thing possible.

    You may not believe it, but it is true. Owner must be quite something.

    Trina looked around inside the luxurious mansion also known as the home of the mafia, which became a haunted mansion in just one day.

    The appearance of the Owner and the copse of Silver Sun, which was at odds with them. Was there a connection between the two?

    It was a hasty decision that he was the criminal, but it was clear that he was a prime suspect.

    Ill have to meet him.

    Ill prepare it right away.

    Retrieve the artifact and keep the no-entry guard line intact. We cant let the reporters of the newspaper run wild.

    Trina looked out the window. At the entrance of the mansion, there were already many reporters gathered.

    Theyre rushing in too quickly. These guys are like hyenas.

    At that moment, Trina pulled out her sword like lightning and aimed it at the air.

    Leader?

    Enya and the Knights panicked but Trina stared at the empty space with a sharp gaze.

    Come out right now. Dont hide yourself like a rat.

    As expected, Trina.

    At the same time a voice was heard in the air where there was nothing. The thin curtain of water, which used to distort the light, disappeared, and the person hiding inside appeared.

    Your intuition is very sharp? I havent seen that in other people.

    Casey!

    Yeah. Long time no see, Trina.

    Detective Casey?!

    Enya, who recognized Casey, also jumped in surprise.

    Trina immediately put the drawn sword and strode up to Casey to ask for a handshake.

    I dont know how many years its been! How have you been?

    Im doing fine as usual. Ah. Nice to meet you Enya Joyner, wasnt it the first time we met at Kunst that day?

    Ah, yes. Long time no see. Detective Casey.

    Hey Casey. Who is this person here?

    Trina btedly realized that there was a blonde girl next to Casey.

    Ah. Let me introduce you. Trina, this is my assistant, Betty.

    Im Betty, a great assistant who works hard to assist the unruly Casey.

    Betty, this is Trina Ryanhowl, the current Marquis Ryanhowl and the leader of the Nightcrawler Knights.

    Nice to meet you, Miss Betty.

    Oh, oh? Were you an aristocrat? Im sorry, Im sorry. I dont know.

    Enya and Casey smiled bitterly at Bettys change of attitude in an instant.

    Casey, what are you doing here?

    What do you mean? Does a detective need a reason to look into a case?

    I see, but youve gone too far. This ce is off limits to the public.

    So I sneaked in. And Im not a normal person, am I? Im a state-approved detective.

    Casey winked her eye and next to her, Betty muttered an excuse.

    I tried to stop her. Its all Caseys fault.

    It wasnt an excuse, but a statement that sold Casey.

    I wont expect normal behavior from you but Id like you to at least let me know. If you had done something wrong, I would have swung my sword.

    Im sorry about that but it was such an interesting case that I couldnt control myself.

    Trina let out a small sigh as she realized she couldnt hide it.

    Yes, I suppose so.

    Looking at your reaction, I see you found nothing. I wonder if I can help you with anything.

    The words shook Trinas heart a little.

    Casey Selmore is the only person she recognizes as a close friend and a person of exceptional talent.

    She failed to find a clue, but Casey might. It wasnt that she didnt feel like leaning into the slightest possibility but she had to make a clear distinction between public and private life.

    Im sorry. Even I cannot ask for help with this matter.

    Hmm. Its a pity.

    Casey didnt really want much either since she already had a good look at the crime scene.

    It was clear that this was not a regr case so Casey turned her attention away.

    You have something more interesting than that.

    Oh, you mean this artifact?

    Thats an artifact that was recently made by the New Tower, right? It is a product that bines the recent emerging memory storming phenomenon in academia.

    As expected, you know everything.

    I just heard it over my shoulder. Looks like there are a few. Can you lend me one of those?

    The Knights opened their eyes wide when asked by Casey but theres nothing they could say because this woman looks close to the leader.

    When the Knights showed their displeasure, Trina held them back with a nce.

    So this was your purpose.

    Just looking at it, I got a feeling. So what do you say? One is okay, right?

    Well, it doesnt matter if its one.

    When Trina handed over the artifact in her hand, the members shouted.

    Leader! Handing things over to outsiders!

    I dont care. Shes not an ordinary outsider in the first ce.

    When Trina, the leader of the group, said so, the members couldnt talk more. Regardless, the decision was made by their most respected leader, so there must be some reason.

    Casey, who actually received an artifact, also responded that it was unexpected.

    Huh? I thought youd turn me down but you actually gave it to me?

    Youll try to get it at all costs anyway so its better to just hand it over.

    What? You know me too well.

    Its easy to understand because youre so weird. Considering what would happen because I didnt pass it over, my judgment is that it would be cheaper to give it now.

    Casey smiled awkwardly.

    Betty nced at Casey next to her and scolded her, How many idents have you caused?

    Anyway, Ill take care of it well because you gave it to me.

    Yeah. From your reaction, you must be chasing something, too.

    Yes.

    But what are you going to use that artifact for? I dont think youre just taking it because of your personality.

    Of course I have a ce to use it. However, I will exin the details separatelyter.

    Caseys eyes were unusually serious when she said so and Trina nodded.

    If you say so, I wont ask you anymore.

    Anyway, its a shame that we havent talked for a long time even though its been a while.

    Dont worry, its always possible if youre in this city. Next time, lets set a date and solve this regret.

    Okay. Then Ill go ahead.

    In an instant, the images of Casey and Betty disappeared like a mirage.

    Trina smiled at the sight while thinking that her friend was still the same.

    Lets do our job.

    Yes!

    * * *

    Rudger fell into a deep sleep in the hideout. It was a reaction using Gods power.

    Hans and other members knew he was tired, so they didnt wake him up and left him alone. They had too many tasks to handle to be worried about Rudger.

    First of all, they had to take the business run by Silver Sun as soon as possible.

    Analyzing the ledgers and tracing the source of the money was not an easy task. It was purely a race against time, as some individuals were already moving.

    At noon after a busy morning Rudger, who thought he would sleep more, came downstairs.

    Brother, are you awake?

    Wele Owner.

    Nari! You slept so soundly!

    Hans and Violetta, who were analyzing the books diligently, and Seridan, who teased Hans, greeted him.

    Instead of epting the greeting, Rudger stared out the far window.

    Brother? Whats wrong with you?

    Get ready.

    What? What?

    A customer is ing soon.

    It was also a very annoying customer.

    The Nightcrawler Knights of the Imperial Intelligence Service that were a symbol of fear for the people in the back alley were ing.

 Chapter 187

    C187: King of the Dark Path (2)

    Rudger was asleep, but his senses were much sharper than usual. It should be said that it is the price of borrowing the power of the goddess and a little grace.

    Contact with God also had some influence on Rudger too.

    He could see the energy that a person has and could also sense the size of their souls or their power like a white fire burning in the dark.

    His body was asleep, but his mind was watching the me of the soul.

    The me of an ordinary man was like a small candle.

    In the case of those who are superior and called geniuses by the world, its the size of a torch.

    And for those who are geniuses beyond geniuses its like a bonfire thats much bigger than all the other mes and in the distance such a bonfire was approaching the slums along with four torches.

    The moment he saw them Rudger opened his eyes.

    * * *

    At first, the members did not immediately understand what Rudger meant when he said guests are ing.

    What are you doing? Well have visitors soon. Get ready to greet them.

    But when Rudger urged them, they started moving.

    Rudger immediately disguised himself.

    Hans, who still didnt understand the situation, soon opened his eyes to the information that a mouse approached and handed over.

    Brother, how did you know the Nightcrawler Knights were ing?

    I just felt it.

    It sounded like an excuse, but he meant it.

    He closed his eyes and slept deeply and opened his eyes because he felt that way vaguely.

    Then wouldnt it be better to hide? I think its dangerous to do something that might get us caught for no reason.

    It doesnt matter if you meet them with the title Owner instead of me, but youll be caught immediately so its better if I e forward myself. Tell the others to not stop them and treat them with utmost respect.

    Okay.

    Rudger immediately grabbed his overcoat and put it on.

    * * *

    This is a slum?

    One of the Nightcrawler Knights looked at the surroundingndscape and muttered in disbelief.

    The other knights as well as Trina Ryanhowl felt the same way.

    Its pletely different from when we saw it that day. Id believe it if someone told me that this is a different ce.

    There was no ce where filth overflowed anymore and the vagrants that squatted helplessly and begged were gone too.

    The roads were well paved and there were new buildings constructed too while the smell of delicious food was felt from all over the ce and the kids were ying happily.

    It was much more colorful than the general mercial area to the point where it could even be called a busy street.

    Enya, who saw the process, opened her mouth.

    As you can see, the slums are changing rapidly. Its still happening in real time.

    This is all the result of the Owner.

    Yes.

    At this point, she wanted to meet that unusual person and needed to know what kind of ideas he had and what his tendencies were.

    There is nothing more dangerous to the nation than a viin with great ability and the Nightcrawler Knights exist to prevent that.

    As she was walking down the street like that, someone blocked Trinas way from the front.

    Trina and other Knights stopped.

    Its an honor to meet the Nightcrawler Knights of the Empire. Im Violetta, your guide.

    Violetta, dressed in neat clothes greeted them politely.

    Trina stared at Violetta intrigued by the fact that she already knew they were ing.

    You know us.

    The Owner told me to serve you with all my heart.

    When the name came out, the knights exchanged eyes and Enya whispered carefully to Trina.

    Leader, isnt it a trap? I think he knew in advance that were ing.

    No.

    Trina replied sternly. If this was a trap they wouldnt have sent a guide. Rather, it was more of a challenge.

    The Nightcrawler Knights, notorious in the Empire? So what?

    The Owner proudly dered that they could e if they wanted to e because he had nothing to hide.

    All right, Ill follow you.

    Violetta took the lead with Trinas permission, followed by other Nightcrawler Knights.

    At first, the knights were suspicious, but when Trina, the leader, showed posure and followed her calmly. Of course, they still kept their guard up because they didnt know when an incident would suddenly happen.

    More than that, is this a slum?

    Trina was in awe of the new street.

    This ce was abandoned by the city so it wont be strange no matter what happens but miraculously in just a few months it became unrecognizable.

    I cant believe this is possible.

    Eventually, Trina couldnt help but open her mouth.

    The Owner must be quite a man of ability.

    Yes, he is.

    Violetta replied with a gentle smile.

    Its all thanks to the owners grace that we were able to change like this. If it werent for him, wed still have to live abandoned by the city and country.

    Violettas words had thorns.

    She said in a roundabout way, You abandoned us, but he didnt forsake and led us all the way here.

    In a way, it was more of an insult to the state, but Trina wasnt as angry as other tight-knit bureaucrats and aristocrats. Such a provocation could only be seen as cute in her line of work.

    Even so, Trina responded lightly because she didnt intend to just ept the provocation.

    Thats fascinating. Were here to catch a man whos a danger to the state.

    At that moment, Violetta, who was at the forefront, stopped walking and slowly looked back.

    Of course. There must be a reason why Nightcrawler Knights came all the way to this edge. I just want you to know this.

    Violetta was still smiling, but her eyes shone faintly.

    The moment you try to touch the Owner, well all fight with our lives.

    It was not a mere verbal warning and silence fell on the noisy street.

    Captain.

    Well.

    The store owner preparing to open the store, the woman drying the nket outside the window, and the children ying with toys were staring at them with a dry and hostile gaze.

    What is felt in their eyes is a determined will. If anything happened to the Owner, they were determined to attack them even if they died.

    Its like Im in the mouth of a giant beast.

    Trina decided to step back for now.

    Ill take a closer look.

    If she had been a proud ordinary knight, she would have drawn her sword in a fit of rage, but Trina was different. On the contrary, she even had a bit of respect for the one who brought the abandoned area to this point on his own.

    Im d you understand. Ill guide you again.

    Violetta started moving again. The people who were watching them also went back to their daily lives as if nothing happened.

    That subtle sense of disparity gave the Nightcrawler Knight goosebumps.

    Here it is.

    They arrived at an ordinary three-story mansion that was not much different from other houses.

    The Owner of the back world is staying in a ce like this?

    Unlike the suspicious knights, Trina followed Violetta inside without hesitation.

    Violetta knocked on the door of the reception room on the first floor to announce the arrival of the guests.

    Owner. I brought our guests.

    Come in.

    Violetta opened the door and entered when permission was given from the inside as Trina immediately examined the structure of the room.

    There is no ce for someone to hide andunch a surprise attack and there is no secret space. Is it literally a ce to greet guests?

    Her eyes werest directed at the Owner waiting for them in the center of the room.

    Thats him.

    The owner was sitting on the sofa. He was wearing a suit that didnt look expensive but wasnt cheap either and a big hat on his head along with a white mask worn on his face.

    Its nice to meet the Nightcrawler Knights. Im an undeservedly called Owner.

    Trina Ryanhowl.

    Oh, you were a noble. Have a seat.

    I will.

    Trina did not refuse and sat across from Owner. Her action was relentless and even imposing.

    The four knights, including Enya, lined up behind Trina.

    Violetta.

    Yes, Owner.

    You did a great job bringing the guests. You can go out now.

    Yes, sir.

    When Violetta closed the door and left, there was silence in the guest room.

    The first person to speak was Trina.

    You dont need your subordinates?

    Our people are very busy. The slums have changed a lot pared to before, but there are still many things to be fixed. We cant waste our time doing this.

    He doesnt mean to bow down unlike others.

    Against the Nightcrawler Knights, also called the Empire Nightmare? What a man of great ambition, even his polite way of speaking in a subtle twist.

    This man is extraordinary. If I let my guard down, I will be swayed.

    Trina immediately raised her assessment of the Owner.

    Knights, you should go out too.

    What? Leader.

    Its an order. Rest in moderation nearby.

    The members couldnt refuse Trinas order and the members left the room, but Enya remained adamant.

    Enya.

    Im sorry, but I cant get out of here because Im your aide.

    I see. Youll dly allow at least one person, right?

    The owner nodded at Trinas yful question.

    I dont care.

    Is that so? Id like to ask you one more question. Do you have to keep wearing that mask?

    Trinas gaze shone sharply. It was like trying to recognize the face hidden in the mask.

    Or is there a reason why you have to hide your face?

    You must have been offended that I faced you with a mask on.

    Thats not how you should treat your guests.

    Well, this is a mask to be considerate of you.

    Owner said so and only slightly lifted up the bottom of the mask. A hideous burn was seen inside.

    He immediately put the mask back, but Enya and Trina, who have good eyes, saw it.

    Please understand that I have to wear a mask like this because of severe burns.

    Of course, Rudgers burned skin was a fake made by Seridan but it was so sophisticated that they wouldnt notice it was fake unless they touched it.

    Trina felt a little unfortable, but she didnt argue any more.

    First of all, let me ask you a question. Whats your name? Youre too petent to suddenly appear out of thin air.

    You mean my name?

    I cant just call you Owner forever.

    I see.

    Owner, no, Rudger naturally spoke the pre-prepared name.

    Im Oliver, who was born here in the past.

    Anything to prove your identity?

    Sadly, there isnt. There is no way that a person born in a slum would have such a thing.

    Were you from here?

    My mother died soon after I was born, and I have been living in a workhouse since I was a child. Then, when I got older, I went abroad to earn money, and my business was sessful to some extent, so I came back to my hometown. I had a twisted life, but now I am living well. Are your questions answered?

    Not yet.

    Trina opened her eyes sharply at the words.

    Lets get down to business for now.

    Yes.

    Silver Sun disappearedst night.

    Trina said so and looked at Rudgers reaction.

    Did you e here because of something rted to Silver Sun?

    Rudger, who had guessed the reason, naturally replied.

    Yes, we know the news that Silver Sun has disappeared. By the way, did you e to see me because Im the most likely suspect?

    I heard that Silver Sun recently yed a trick against your slum.

    Yeah. That hurt many people and caused quite a lot of damage.

    They came openly, so he didnt hide it.

    Dont tell me you think we did that, right? People from the slums like us?

    I have a hunch.

    Its just a hunch. You dont even know how many people have grudges against Silver Sun in the first ce.

    In fact, Trina has found the culprit but Rudger was confident he wouldnt be caught.

    Trina knew there was nothing more she could get from asking.

    But its strangely frustrating.

    She kept having the feeling that the man named the Owner in front of her eyes was suspicious.

    Shes still a sharp woman.

    Come to think of it, it was the same then. Even when he robbed a nobles house to raise funds, Trina followed him without a clue. She is a nuisance with a sense of a beast.

    And to that extent, it must mean that my actions in this area were unusual.

    It is doubtful that the dying streets have been pletely transformed into new ones but Trina couldnt stop.

    Silver Sun are bad guys anyway. Its nice if they disappeared, but I dont know why the Nightcrawler Knights came all this way to persecute me.

    When Rudger poked her sore spot, Trina wrinkled her nose.

    The Nightcrawler Knights are called nightmares by criminals, but the basis of all that action is based on the belief that justice is enforced.

    Silver Sun is an evil organization that persecutes people, extorts money from them, and bribes politicians. They are loach-like people who turn puddles into muddy water.

    This is what Rudger asked.

    Why do those who enforce justice protect the wicked?

    It touched Trina Ryanhowls pride.

    Thats definitely true. I cant deny that.

    Surprisingly, Trina neatly epted Rudgers point.

    But I hope you know that. If we had really suspected you, there would have already been blood on the sword.

    At the same time, the inside of the drawing room was filled with muddy flesh.

    Trina Ryanhowl is the Nightrawlers Knight Commander and one of the few master-ss knights in the Empire. Her life was enough to make even average knights suffer a nervous breakdown or pass out with bubbles the moment they encounter it.

    She would be considerate of him, but it was also a warning to him not to cross the line any further.

    Hes a suspicious man, but hes from the underworld.

    It will be necessary to properly imprint who is above but wasnt the man named Owner naturally nodding his head even after receiving that?

    At that action, Trinas eyes shook slightly. It was the same for Enya, who was watching the situation from behind.

    My lifeHe endured it?

 Chapter 188

    C188: King of the Dark Path (3)

    Thanks for pointing out my mistake at the end of c187 in the ments. After double checking I discovered one more mistake a few rows before it and after fixing them both the text makes way more sense.

    At the same time Trina was talking to Rudger in the slums Casey, who received an artifact from Trina, returned to her rented house.

    She wanted to talk to Trina if she could, but Casey had something to do.

    Ugh. Casey, please clean up your room! Its like a pigpen!

    The house they lived in this time was toorge for just two people, Casey and Betty, but it was only a few weeks.

    Her room was so messy that it was hard to find a ce to step thanks to Casey, who collected all sorts of things paranoidly. It wouldnt matter if it was organized well because there were things anywhere.

    Okay.

    You said youd do it everyday, but you dont!

    Betty finally couldnt stand it and started cleaning. Of course, even if she organized the room it would be restored to its original state after a week, but she couldnt quit even though she knew it.

    Casey should thank me. If it wasnt for a great partner like me, there would be no one to take care of Casey.

    Betty grumbles and starts organizing while Casey ignores Bettys words and approaches one wall. There was a map of Leathervelk on it. Above the map a newspaper article cut out was pinned to the tack and there were countless threads that followed the tack.

    Casey clipped an article about Silver Sun from todays paper and pinned it to one side of the map. After connecting the thread rted to the slum, she bounced it once with her fingertips.

    Looking at the trembling thread, she folded her arms.

    The map of Leathervelk was filled with a web of threads and Casey stared at the map as if she had fallen into her own world.

    Recently, there have been strange incidents in Leathervelk.

    Until justst year, Leathervelk had no major problems but many things have happened this year.

    The werewolf incident, an abandoned factory was burned, the attack on the Kunst auction house, the resurrection of the Beast of Gvaudan, the appearance of the ck Dawn Society.

    And the disappearance of Silver Sun.

    As for the suspect, the slum side was the most likely.

    It is said that the slums are undergoing tremendous changes recently but Casey didnt check it herself because she only heard it, but the rumors are going around for no reason.

    Im sure Trina went there to check.

    Casey carefully ced the artifact she had brought on one desk, recalling Trina.

    The artifact cracked with a squeak, revealing the mana stone that was inside. Casey nced at the mana stone and took a separate white sheet of paper that surrounded it.

    Key item that is rted to memory storming.

    The name hasnt been decided yet, but she knew it wasnt an ordinary thing.

    To think of making something like this out of the bark of an elven tree that can only be found in the elves forest.

    Should she say that the magicians of the New Tower are great or reckless by thinking of getting trees from the elves who love nature more than anyone else?

    But that kind of challenging spirit created a new artifact.

    ording to the rumors, there was no problem as it was said that they made a deal with the elves who epted the new culture.

    Ill be able to read it using this.

    Casey, who had been looking at the white paper for a while, folded it up and put it in her pocket.

    Lets clean up first.

    Caseys top goal is to track the ck Dawn Society.

    She visited the site where Silver Sun disappeared because she thought it might be rted to the ck Dawn Society but she found nothing there.

    Casey realized the moment she saw the mansion that literally had nothing left, let alone a trace.

    No matter how hard I tried, I couldnt find a clue.

    Something close to a miracle that surpassed magic happened and even Casey couldnt do anything about it.

    In terms of the results alone, no connection could be found with the ck Dawn Society.

    Then all that remains is information from the men questioned that day.

    The members of the ck Dawn Society captured thest day of Theons Magic Festival.

    Through the deal made with Elisa, Casey had the opportunity to question them in person. Of course, the result of the interrogation is not always the answer. In reality, it would be right to say that there wasnt much gained.

    Should I say that the secret associations members are hard-willed or crazy even if they are low ranks?

    They dont open their mouths easily, and even if they open their mouths, they say only false information.

    Besides, physical torture is not my way.

    But Casey drew information from those guys.

    Her way was very simple, she just had to ask a question.

    The element that delivers information to people is not limited tonguage.

    Eye tremors, breathing, subtle reactions and other little acts could have been a sufficient answer.

    Unless they had special training in preparation for this situation, they had no choice but to be obvious. In fact, the third-orders of the ck Dawn Society showed the various reactions she wanted and that was enough for Casey.

    Casey put a new map on the empty wall next to the map of Leathervelk.

    {Baltanung}

    A neighboring city of medium size, thoughcking in parison to the big city of Leathervelk rted to the ck Dawn Society

    Casey was suddenly worried.

    Im not very happy to fight with a crazy dog.

    Casey, who was a little shaken, recalled James Moriarty, the man wearing a neat suit and flying a ck cape behind his back.

    But Ill have to do it.

    Didnt she e all the way here with the determination to chase James Moriarty? On the contrary, she should work harder since she knows that the ck Dawn Society is rted to him.

    Sooner orter, shell have to visit Baltanung.

    * * *

    Trina had a high opinion of the man named Owner.

    He is a man, who has made great progress in the barrennd with nothing known as the slums.

    Owner was great, not just in a business-rted sense. Knowing that Silver Sun disappeared and knowing in advance that she would e she sent a guide.

    He must know all the little information in the city and it was clear that he was a person to be wary of.

    Thats why I used my intent to scare him.

    The man in front of her was indifferent to her murderous intent. Looking at the naturalness felt in his actions, it was clear that he was not acting.

    She wanted to open her mouth right away and ask what his identity is. However, asking such a question here was tantamount to admitting that she lost the war of nerves.

    Having talked to each other so far, Owner knows the intention of her questions, but he will avoid them or roughly surround them.

    I cant believe it, though. When regr knights receive my intent, they are frozen and unable to move.

    But Owner endured it.

    Hes not an ordinary guy either.

    It was not for nothing that he reigned as a master in this back world.

    Is he the king of the dark path?

    It would have been easier if he was a viin who illegally umted wealth, or a criminal who did anything wrong. She couldve just pulled out her sword and attacked.

    However, ording to information from Enya, the mans business was surprisingly clean so the Nightcrawler Knights couldnt just appear and use violence against him.

    Even though the Nightcrawler Knights do dirtier things than regr knights this was tantamount to undermining the reputation of their order.

    In addition, he has a strong poprity, so if we touch him everyone around here will turn into an enemy.

    If they touch Owner here, all the people in the slums will fight with their lives on the line.

    They are people who have lived without hope until now and if someone would get in the way of their hope one side would have to pletely disappear.

    Are you done with your questions?

    Yes, thank you for your cooperation.

    Trina rose from her seat with a nod. She didnt have to stay here anymore because she had nothing to do.

    I wont send you back.

    I was going to say I dont need it anyway.

    It was the moment when they tried to back down after exchanging their eyes with each other.

    Leader, are you here? Id like to ask you a question.

    Alex came in as the door of the reception room, which had been firmly closed, rattled open.

    His appearance was unexpected even for Rudger.

    Alex?

    Enya, who recognized Alex, called his name.

    Alex, who opened the door without thinking, froze when he saw Enya.

    Rudger realized he didnt warn Alex in advance because the Nightcrawler Knights came so suddenly.

    Alex, right?

    .

    Why are you here?

    Rudger sighed quietly behind his mask at the fact that Alex met his former lover whom he broke up with on bad terms.

    * * *

    Alex tried to escape but Enya had no intention of letting him go and blocked his way out.

    Lets talk.

    I have nothing to say.

    Why are you here? You said you were going back to your hometown.

    Alex closed his mouth at Enyas words, staring at him. Obviously, he remembered saying that before he broke up with her a long time ago.

    Of course it was a lie to force Enya off.

    Theres nothing for you to know.

    For Alex, it was best to speak coldly.

    Didnt our rtionship ended a while ago anyway?

    .

    Enya bit her lip. Her eyes staring at Alex were moist.

    Alexs heart ached at the sight.

    You are

    Alex was shaken by the appearance of Enya, who was about to shed tears. Theres no way he doesnt know the emotion in that gaze.

    You still havent forgotten me.

    Enya still had feelings for him.

    He still remembered hurting her and leaving. It made him happy and unbearably sad at the same time because now, in this ce, he had to hurt her again.

    If I could raise my hand and wipe the tears from her eyes.

    Could we go back to that time? To those days when weughed and dreamed of the future.

    No.

    He stopped his hand because Enyas gaze at him ovepped with her crying in the past.

    Alexughed to himself.

    Theres no way Im qualified to do that.

    It is not anyone but himself who hurt Enya and left her first so he couldnt beg for forgiveness or be forgiven.

    Why dont you go now that youre done?

    Alex was surprised at himself that he could speak in such a cold tone.

    Enya trembled and then nodded.

    You havent changed at all.

    Enyas suppressed voice pierces Alexs heart. However, Alex desperately endured and did not show it.

    At first nce, Enya showed disappointment when she saw Alex like that. Maybe she wanted this guy to be sorry at least a little bit.

    Yeah. Im sorry to interrupt. Take care.

    Enya left those words and turned her back.

    Alex remembered this look. It was a scene from the old times but the difference is that she didnt shed tears this time.

    Youve gotten stronger.

    Unable to resist Alex tried to reach for her back but in the end he didnt. As Enya disappeared from view, Alex slid down against the wall of the building.

    Ha ha. Im so ugly.

    How could he reach out his hand while looking at her back as she was about to leave?

    He couldnt face her with such a half-hearted determination.

    Even now, he wanted to run to Enya and catch her to tell her that everything he said that day was a lie and that he still had her in his heart.

    Theres no way I can say it.

    She is a noble and he is a moner.

    Even though they were from the same knight center it wasnt enough for them to reach the end in this kind of world.

    So he had to change it.

    He still remembered how that person came to him and reached out to him who was covered in mud.

    Hearing the sound of footsteps, he turned his head to find Rudger taking off his mask. Has he finished talking with the leader of the Nightcrawlers?

    Leader, what are you doing here?

    Im sorry, Alex. I should have told you in advance.

    I apologize. It was me who came in without checking. Did you e to fort me? Whats with the people behind you?

    At those words, he could feel that the presence that was secretly hiding waver and soon, the members of U.N. Owen appeared, coughing awkwardly.

    Alex smiled at the sight.

    How many people are there? Rumors must have spread all over the neighborhood.

    Well, theres no way they dont know.

    After all, this happened when the Nightcrawler Knights visited. Alex was also convinced of that, so he lowered his head.

    Oh, I cant keep it a secret since it came this far.

    Alex raised his head with a self-helpful smile and Seridan asked after a nce.

    Was the Nightcrawler knight your ex-lover?

    Thats right. She was my colleague, rade, and my first love.

    If she was your colleague then..you too.

    Violetta noticed something and Alex shrugged his shoulders.

    Yes, I used to be an aspiring knight, more exactly a cadet of the Empire.

    Hans opened his eyes wide as if he had noticed something.

    Wait a minute. If you were a cadet of the Empire.

    Yes, I was a cadet at the Imperial Military Academy, Noble Knights.

    Then he added bitterly.

    More exactly a dishonorable former cadet.

 Chapter 189

    C189: Lanterns for the Abandoned (1)

    Chapter sponsored byJae,Bromoandmyo. Thank you for your support.

    Enya walked away at a quick pace. She held on to her breath, and her legs were about to loosen.

    Facing the past that she had barely forgotten here felt like the wounds which were deeply engraved in her heart, were opening up again.

    I wanted you to at least apologize.

    Alex looked at her coldly, and she couldnt feel any emotion from him.

    Youve forgotten everything.

    She hated Alex so much so she desperately held back her tears. She didnt want to show her weakness in front of him.

    Enya.

    Leader.

    Enya found Trina waiting for her and immediately lowered her head.

    Im sorry Imte, sir.

    I guess youre done talking.

    Yes.

    Did you know each other?

    Trina asked, ncing at Enyas figure.

    Enya wouldnt have tried to make it obvious, but Trina noticed at once that her deputy was in a worse mood than usual.

    Yes, once upon a time, very briefly.

    Wasnt that Alex just now?

    One of the Nightcrawler knights who came with them opened his mouth.

    Enya tried to stop him, but Trina reacted first.

    Alex?

    Oh, yes, sir. He was once one of the most talented Noble Knights cadets.

    Oh.

    While Theon Academy is the empires number one educational institution for training good wizards, Noble Knights is a training center for nurturing knights.

    Almost all of the famous knight families came from these Noble Knights graduates, and thepetition to enter here was tough.

    However, since Alex, who seems to have been in a rtionship with Enya, was from the Noble Knights, Trina couldnt help but be interested.

    Then, Nya, he must have been your colleague.

    Yes.

    Enya didnt want to think about it much, but when the leader asked, she had no choice but to answer.

    Why is such a person in this back alley?

    As Enya couldnt respond to Trinas question one of the knights did.

    Oh, the one named Alex.

    What happened?

    He was dishonorably discharged.

    Enya bit her lip at the word of discharge but no one noticed her reaction.

    Why?

    A few days before themission ceremony, he assaulted a fellow cadet and instructor.

    After assaulting five ssmates and two instructors Alex became a disgrace and was expelled from the academy.

    * * *

    Is that true that you beat up your colleagues?

    Alex opened his eyes wide and shook his head as if he could not stop Arpa from asking innocently.

    Yeah, I beat them. Not only did I beat my colleagues, I also beat the instructor.

    Why did you beat him?

    Because I was the problem.

    That cant be true. Alex isnt a bad guy, is he?

    .

    Alex was speechless at Arpas words.

    You, were doing illegal things right now but Im not bad. Do you know what that means?

    But thats how I felt.

    Alex tried to rebuke Arpa; however the moment he saw his transparent eyes, those thoughts disappeared.

    I had a problem with them.

    Those guys?

    The people I beat up on. Well, it was actually a 5-1 fair fight, and I was so strong that I was a one-sided beatdown. They were jealous because I, amoner, was doing well even though they were aristocrats.

    Thepetition in the Noble Knights was fierce and it was unbearable that amoner was better than them so the aristocrats couldnt let it go.

    At his words, Rudger recalled the situation of Theon. The discrimination between aristocratic andmoner students and the indelible huge crack, carved between the two groups.

    I may seem to be pretending, but I was the best cadet even if I look like this.

    In fact, Alex was close to the top spot in terms of grades and skills. Without the unsavory incident that day, Alex would surely have been a great knight and amoner may have been given a title as an emerging noble.

    But why are you here? If you held it in, you would have lived your life without a fuss.

    Alexughed bitterly at Violettas criticism.

    I wonder if it was because I was tired. Actually, I didnt do it out of anger. The anger that had umted and umted for a long time exploded.

    He didnt make a mistake at that time simply because he was overwhelmed by anger. Their sabotage actually started from the moment he entered the Noble Knights.

    The same goes for the instructors. It must have been unpleasant for them to have amoner show off in a ce where aristocrats should be doing well. They were determined and kept interrupting me.

    Whatever he did, they punished him. Even when others rested in their amodation in the evening, Alex ran through the training ground sweating under the pretext of guidance.

    He couldnt sleep well, and even though he showed excellent results and didnt receive a word of praise.

    Alex has endured the inequality with his teeth clenched

    for three years.

    Oh, my God. For three years.

    You managed to endure it.

    In the end, I couldnt stand it.

    The lump in his heart that had umted over the past three years exploded shortly after the appointment ceremony so he got involved in cadet violence.

    In the end he was expelled in disgrace withoutpleting the appointment ceremony.

    But she didnt seem angry simply because you were discharged. Wasnt there something else?

    Pantos, who had been listening silently with his arms folded, opened his mouth. He pointed out Enyas appearance and attitude.

    Hmm?

    Hes surprisingly quick to sense!

    Violetta, Seridan, Hans and other members were silently shocked by Pantos question, which they thought was muscle brain that only wanted topete with the strong.

    Whats wrong with everyone?

    Pantos asked if he felt something from the gaze of his colleagues but instead of answering, they looked away since they couldnt say I didnt expect a muscle brain like you would say that.

    Pantos is right.

    Alex agreed with Pantos.

    Because she and I were lovers.

    She was the one I saw at the auction house at the time. How did you meet her?

    No matter how she appeared here, Enya is a very high-ranking person.

    Enya is a woman and is smaller than others and since knights use their bodies Enya was naturally full of disadvantages. It was purely the result of effort that Enya had better results among other knight cadets.

    Alex and Enya, of course,peted with each other. Since they had a reason to do their best it was natural for the two to get close in a way.

    She was a rival at first. I thought I could never lose to her, so I fought with my teeth clenched.

    Alex still vividly remembered the time when his blood was boiling. They were the few good memories of his life.

    Then, from some point on, I felt strongly that I wanted to be with her rather than beat her.

    Oh, my.

    At the love story, Violetta covered her mouth with her hands and made a fuss.

    And Enya thought the same thing as me. It was a time when we were young.

    They also promised each others future. But the happiness didntst that long.

    As Alex stayed close to Enya and Enya had high grades in the military academy, public interference toward Alex continued toe in.

    You dont fit in with her. How can it be fair for amoner to go out with an aristocrat? Not only the cadets blinded by jealousy, but also the instructors said so.

    Diddy Enya not know that?

    She didnt know.

    Why?

    Because I hid it.

    She didnt want to let her know. If he had been honest with her, the stubborn Enya would have been arguing with them.

    Enya rose to that position through her own efforts and I cant make her go back to the past just because of me.

    Enya, an aristocrat, immediately changed the opinion when she proved her ability in contrast to Alex, who was amoner.

    Nevertheless, he was jealous of Enya. He wanted her to congratte him.

    Maybe thats why I couldnt deny the words of those bloody cadets and instructors.

    There was a real reason why Alex kept everything secret from Enya. It was because Alex himself, no one else, was agreeing with them.

    There is a big difference in status. No matter how well I finish themission ceremony, thebel ofmoner will continue to follow me even if I be a knight.

    Enya, on the other hand, was a noble and thanks to her skills and hard work Alex was sure that she would be more sessful than him.

    I was nothing more than a stumbling block in her life.

    No one could console him when they heard his words.

    So I pushed Enya away.

    You pushed her away?

    Yeah. I intentionally dumped her pretending to be dating someone else. If I had just said that we should break up, she wouldnt have listened.

    He still cant forget Enyas shocked face and how tears flowed down her cheeks when he told her that.

    He repeated to himself that it was okay several times, but his thoughts and the reality he actually faced were different.

    Alex, who broke up with Enya like that, felt an endless emptiness.

    I thought it would be okay if we broke up, but it wasnt. Rather, I felt like a fool after enduring it for the past three years.

    At that time, aristocratic cadets approached Alex, mentioning Enya and as soon as he saw their tant ridicule, Alex burst intoughter and beat them up.

    They were five and even had swords, but they were no match for the bare-handed Alex. The instructor who came to stop it also favored the aristocracy so he beat him as well.

    Being banished from the Noble Knights was simply a fitting end for amoner.

    I was being too arrogant. Themoner looked up at the high ce without knowing his ce.

    He hurt the person he loved and was kicked out of the ce where he could achieve his dreams.

    There was nothing left for Alex.

    * * *

    He has talent, but he was discharged in the end.

    Trina listened to her men and ran her gloved hand over her chin once and shook her head.

    Its a pity.

    She doesnt know exactly what happened between Enya and the man. However, when Alex first entered the room, Trina could feel it through her knight intuition that he was well trained.

    Why is such a man working for Owner?

    Even though he was expelled he was still from the Noble Knights so he couldve found a better ce instead of being a subordinate of the backstreet ruler.

    Well, its because hes amoner after all.

    Because thats the only thing he could do.

    At the words of the Nightcrawler Knights, who were chatting among them, Enya bit her lips softly.

    Trina asked, looking at Enyas reaction.

    Are you okay, Nya?

    Im all right.

    But

    I have nothing to do with him in the first ce.

    Trina didnt ask any more questions at Enyas words.

    * * *

    Ive been wandering ever since.

    Alex wandered around like a bum. He drank and gambled every day.

    After a quarrel with the gang that was manipting gambling Alex could have beaten all of these guys, but he didnt. Rather, he was beaten and chased by them, and even rolled in the mud.

    It was a rainy day and Alex, stretching out of the mud, looked up at the sky. He knew his life was miserable but it didnt matter because trash like him deserved that.

    It was then that someone appeared in his field of vision.

    -Why are you being bullied by someone weaker than you?

    Even the people passing by the street pretended not to see it on purpose but a man who spoke to him.

    -Who are you?

    I just happened to see you in the bar. You knew they cheated, but you lost. Is getting hit a hobby?

    -Dont talk nonsense.

    -Then Ill ask you another question. Is it satisfying to live like that?

    The words touched Alex nerves and he raised his upper body.

    If you tell me, then will you back off noble?

    -It depends on what you say.

    Even though he was sarcastic the only thing that came back was a blunt answer.

    Alex gritted his teeth because he knew that the other person only came to him with pure intentions. If he wasnt really interested, he would have ignored him like everyone else but he couldnt control this anger even though he knew it.

    Self-loathing. Are you releasing your anger on yourself?

    So what do you know.

    -Arent you angry?

    -What?

    -Bowing down to guys who are worse than you. You have skills, but you are not treated well.

    -Dont bullshit.

    -But why are you ming yourself for that anger?

    Stop talking bullshit!

    It was a sudden outstretched hand that came back to Alexs cry.

    -Lets do it together.

    -Why would I believe you?

    Do you really need to believe me?

    -What? Then would I go with you?

    The manughed and said,

    -At least you dont think Im amoner.

    -.

    He thought it might have been just lip service. No, actually, maybe thats what he wanted to believe but Alex knew that while everyone ignored him theres no way this guy who was the only one who talked to him and held out his hand would lie.

    You can hold my hand or push me away. I dont mind if you borrow money from me. Ill lend it to you if you want. I have a lot of money even though I look like this. But can you do this one thing?

    -What is it?

    -At least dont do anything that hurts yourself. Isnt that painful?

    -.

    It was the first time that someone trulyforted him. No. It wasnt actually the first time because even though he couldnt see her anymore, she kept worrying about him. Nevertheless, it was him who pushed her away and ran.

    At that moment, the dam that had blocked Alexs heart copsed.

    Damn it. Why me?

    Even when he broke up after hurting his beloved lover, even when he was kicked out of the Noble Knights Cadet Academy or even when he ran around drunk he didnt shed any tears but Alex burst into tears like a child for the first time that day.

    -Its raining a lot.

    Rudger murmured so, watching the rain pouring from the sky but Alex, who bowed his head, could not answer.

 Chapter 190

    C190: Lantern for the Abandoned (2)

    How long has it been since the rain started?

    Alex raised his head and stared at Rudger. There was a determined light in the empty eyes.

    -Did you decide?

    -Yes.

    Alex grabbed Rudgers hand and Rudger lifted Alex up not caring that his sped hands got dirty in the mud.

    -Now then, since its a monumental day, lets go and punish those who robbed my subordinates money first.

    -Wait a minute. Why am I your subordinate?

    -Isnt that obvious? I made the offer, so Im the captain.

    -I didnt agree to that!

    -Call me leader.

    -No, you, what are you doing now!

    Rudger and Alex walk into the bar where the gambling fraudsters were. Then, several peoples screams have resonated along with the sound of something breaking.

    That was their first meeting.

    Mr. Alex also has a very unfortunate past.

    The other members couldnt say anything for a while about Arpas pure appreciation since their pasts were also plicated.

    In the end the first person to speak was Hans.

    I understand. I was treated like a monster because of this bloody constitution and ran away here and there.

    Well, thats the same for me.

    Seridan nodded her head with her arms folded.

    I was treated like a weirdo in the town of dwarfs and kicked out. Oh, my. I almost blew up half the town.

    No, you deserve it!

    The people gathered here were all the same. They have been abandoned in the world or turned their backs on the world.

    They were people who would never have met yet here they are gathered together in the same ce and at the same time, thanks to one person.

    Its all thanks to the leader.

    If it wasnt for you, I wouldnt have e all the way here.

    I benefited a lot from the boss.

    Rudger scratched his cheek awkwardly as everyone looked at him.

    I dont deserve your praises.

    Its not too much. Leader is like antern.

    Lantern?

    Yes, antern for those who were abandoned, like us.

    Everyone nodded as if they agreed with Alex. Rudger, who had hoped to refute Alexs words at least a little, felt his face heat up. No. It actually got hot.

    Owner. Are you embarrassed now?

    Oh, its true. Leaders face is a bit red

    Huh. I cant believe brother can react like that.

    The members were talking as if theyve found a rare sight.

    Brother, are you not annoyed or anything?

    Why? If Im annoyed, will you stop?

    Uh, um, maybe?

    To be honest, I dont feel too bad.

    Rudger smirked.

    At least what Ive been doing was not in vain.

    Rudger muttered and a small light came out of his chest.

    This is

    The relic fragment that he obtained from the Kunst auction house the other day was shining.

    Brother, its shining now.

    I know.

    Everyones eyes were on the light but no one knew that it was Rudgers most sought-after item at the Kunst auction house that day.

    Soon the light disappeared and the fragment returned to its original form.

    Leader, what the hell was that?

    What has the fragment reacted to?

    Reacted? What the hell? More than that, all of a sudden?

    Thats what a Relic is. Because it is an unknown thing that is difficult for us to understand, it wouldnt be strange if it suddenly did this.

    Alex, who had been curious since before, asked while the opportunity arose.

    Leader is aiming to collect the fragments, right?

    Yes. In the first ce, the reason I traveled around the world was to find this.

    He wandered around the world looking for the relic fragments, that was the only thing the members knew but they didnt know why he was looking for them.

    If its not rude, may I ask why youre looking for them?

    Everyone waited for Rudgers answer to Arpas question.

    Have you ever felt that the world is stuffy?

    What?

    They thought they would get a clear answer, but it was a random question instead.

    Have you ever felt like the world was a huge cage that someone had built?

    Other people exchanged looks at Rudgers question.

    It is true that they suffered from inequality and irrationality in the world, but what Rudger said was something more prehensive than that.

    Leader, is this a riddle?

    It means as it is.

    Rudger stared at the relic fragment on his palm.

    The world is a cage created by someone, and those who live in it live without knowing that they are oppressed.

    Rudger clenched the fragment strongly.

    This is the key to breaking the cage.

    The members, who didnt initially understand, realized that Rudger was not lying.

    Wait. As the leader said, if the world is a cage, and the relic is the key to breaking it.

    Doesnt it mean that the plete version of the relic can break the world itself?

    There is not a single person here who doesnt know how dangerous a Relic is. Its power is enormous and it could cause various phenomena. Perhaps it might really break the world.

    There will be nothing for you to worry about.

    However, Rudgers words were calm.

    How can you be sure of that?

    Because the people who made this didnt want it.

    What do you mean by the people who made it?

    If someone made this ancient relic, he must have been a great man in the distant past.

    Since it was made so many years ago how could Rudger know that the creator didnt want it?

    But since its Rudger, they thought he might know somehow.

    Collecting all the pieces wont fix this broken relic.

    Right.

    Of course, restoring the relic requires a corresponding process. He couldnt imagine how much it would simply cost to restore the lost technology.

    Wait a minute.

    Hans suddenly remembered that Rudger was investing somewhere after making a huge amount of money.

    Dont tell me that you saved so much money while walking around the world.

    Rudger has made countless sums of money so far. When he was working as Arsene Lupin, he robbed the coffers of nobles and vicious merchants.

    With that money alone, Rudger could go anywhere and live free of worries but he didnt, instead he was busy wandering around the world.

    Then, what happened with all the money he stole?

    Hans didnt bother to care about that in the past but now that Rudger revealed a part of the truth he could guess where he was spending the huge profits he made.

    It does cost a lot of money to recruit famous archaeologists who have a big mouth and create an institution to study relics.

    Thats why. Ive done business here, too.

    So thats how it is.

    Even his sry as a Theon teacher is already arge sum that ordinary people cannot touch in their lives.

    What about Bellbot Ricksons secret safe? The wealth he umted illegally was simply vast.

    Rudger even created prosperous business as Owner still he didnt show that he had a lot of money and he didnt spend money except when he invested in business.

    All for that one thing.

    Hans didnt understand and it was the same for others.

    Rudger said the world is a huge cage and they understood it was frustrating to know it. But its a whole different story to go around hiding your identity all your life trying to destroy it.

    Isnt it a waste?

    What do you mean?

    With the money youve earned so far, you can buy a house in a goodnd and live while ying and eating all your life.

    Hans dream was to enjoy a peaceful life in his own house while looking at his endlessnd. So, for Hans, Rudgers behavior seemed inprehensible and phenomenal at the same time.

    I could have done that.

    But why.

    Why? I couldnt stand still. Maybe Im the same as you guys.

    Same as us?

    Didnt I tell you? Everyone here is abandoned in the world. Its the same for me.

    At first, he thought it would be nice for him to live quietly but he knew he couldnt. His constitution, his destiny, and the world didnt allow it.

    There was always a chance to run away. This is not like a mission that must be achieved in the first ce. I dont have to take responsibility, and I wont die just because I cant achieve it.

    Even though he knew that he couldnt stop.

    Why?

    He wouldnt have known that the road ahead was a bloody thorny road.

    At the end of the day, Ill be angry, too.

    He was just angry.

    Im trying to fight because Im angry, and I see abandoned people on the side of the road.

    So he gave them his hand and led them to move forward together.

    Its really nothing special, and its for a nonsensical reason.

    .

    No one could open their mouth.

    The desperate emotion felt in Rudgers muttering was what everyone here was feeling.

    No, its not nonsense.

    Alex denied Rudgers words.

    If it werent for leader, we wouldnt have e this far.

    Thank you for saying that.

    It was then that Pantos, who had been listening, opened his mouth.

    Thats surprising. I thought someone as big as you would have a greater ambition.

    Was this not enough?

    There is nothing strange about collecting relics. Its just that the trigger was simpler than I thought.

    Simple?

    Rudger smirked at his words.

    Maybe its simpler.

    What does that mean?

    No. I just said it.

    Pantos had a hunch that in Rudgers words, there was something more that he hadnt said yet.

    It somehow became a ce to talk candidly.

    Rudgers trembling words made the membersugh.

    At first, it was a ce to fort Alex but from some point on, it became an atmosphere where they confessed that they were the same.

    I have a question.

    Did she think he had no chance if it wasnt now?

    Bruna raised her hand.

    What is it?

    Boss knows our pastbut we dont know boss  past.

    When she said that, they thought, Thats right.

    Come to think of it, its true.

    We dont know what you did in the past.

    Dont you know Mr. Hans?

    What? Me?

    Hans broke out in a cold sweat as the arrow returned to him and looked at Rudger to ask for instructions. Since Rudger did not answer, Hans refused to answer.

    I dont know everything. Its funny that Im talking freely even though its not my business.

    Honestly, Im curious. Sir, if youve e all the way here, cant you tell us?

    Seridan also supported Brunas opinion.

    I agree. Honestly, I do wonder what leader has done in the past.

    Me too, me too!

    Alex and Arpa helped.

    Well.

    Pantos was convinced and nodded.

    Uh, no matter how hard it was, you helped us.

    Although only Violetta hesitated to keep her loyalty to Rudger.

    Violetta, be honest. Youre curious like us and we wont get a better chance.

    Well, a little bit.

    At Seridans point, Violetta had no choice but to raise the white g.

    Naturally, the atmosphere flowed in the direction that Rudger had to tell his story.

    This happens when a lot of people gather.

    Rudger ined to himself.

    Seeing their eyes he knew they wouldnt let him escape. He has been swept by emotions and defeated.

    But, well, its not polite to hide it when Ive e all the way here.

    Bother, are you going to tell us?

    Then should I lie? Ill continue to be with you, so its time to let you know.

    At Rudgers words, Violettas eyes, who pretended not to be curious, changed.

    Pantos, who pretended not to be interested, also pricked up his ears.

    I was going to tell you one day, but Ill tell you now since this has happened.

    The members who were waiting for those words felt like their hands were sweating.

    Why am I so nervous?

    Rudger opened his mouth in the stillness that sank like dew at dawn.

    I was royalty.

    His words took everyones breath away.

 Chapter 191

    C191: Dream camouge (1)

    Chapter sponsored bymyosotis.Thank you for your support.

    Rudger introduced himself as a royal.

    Everyone was surprised by his words and was about to say something, but soon nodded their heads in agreement.

    Somehow it seems so.

    Uh, um, so am I. I have to say that I understand something.

    Me, too.

    Rudger, who thought there would be a big reaction, felt a little weak in his shoulders when he saw the members agreeing surprisingly easily.

    Im not surprised.

    Alex replied indifferently to Rudgers appearance, which looked somewhat sullen.

    No, thats right, because considering leader s usual appearance, it makes sense to say that he is a royal.

    As Rudgers painstaking collection of people, the members of U.N. Owen have extraordinary abilities unlike others so they knew at once that Rudger was no longer an ordinary man.

    I easily guessed that a leader would be a hidden aristocrat in the first ce.

    Thats right. I thought that even if you dont say it, you would be at least a great nobleman.

    Well, it was a little surprising that the boss was a royal.

    Rudger decided to think positively about the appearance of his colleagues who immediately agreed.

    Then the story will be easier. I was born into a royal family but I was just an unwee being.

    A word shed across everyones mind when he said unweed.

    Rudger was the kings illegitimate child.

    If it was an ordinary illegitimate child, I could live as if I were dead. My only fault is that I wasnt normal.

    No one could refute even though he seemed arrogant because they knew Rudgers abilities better than anyone else.

    People who saw me as dangerous tried to kill me all the time so as not to lose their seats.

    The most representative of the methods was poisoning.

    Bruna murmured something bewildered.

    Then the reason boss was so resistant and well versed in poison.

    I dont know if its because Ive eaten too much since I was young, but Im not affected anymore.

    Of course, when he first took the poison, he was sick for days.

    No matter how talented a person is, it is one thing to endure the poison that gnaws at the inside of the body. Still, Rudger survived without dying because of the power of God.

    The gods did not want Rudger to die.

    When Rudger was still inexperienced in dealing with power, the gods gave him protection and a curse.

    All the toxins in his body dposed and disappeared during the few days he was sick and his immune system became stronger and stronger.

    Since then, years of poisoning attempts have made Rudger unaffected by any poison. It was a curse and a blessing at the same time, a miracle made by those who want to kill and those who want to save.

    Later, they tried to kill me in all sorts of ways because it wouldnt work with poison so I ran away to live.

    Then the fact that you kept using aliases.

    Yeah. They kept trying to kill me even after I ran away because my existence itself bothers them.

    The reason why people in high positions keep their position is simple. They never leave any danger behind and try to get rid of anything that bothers them at all costs.

    Especially if the other person dies on the road, then it has nothing to do with them.

    One of the most memorable attempts was the attack of Calsapa Assassins.

    Ah.

    At the words, Violetta realized why Rudger knew so much about the Calsapa Assassins.

    He has been fighting with the Calsapa Assassins for a long time and learned with his body what they are like.

    Like that, I went around with my teacher, hiding my identity. As I saw it, I no longer had a pursuer.

    But Rudger knew that the moment they find out who he is, the pursuers will move again. Thats why Rudger had to keep changing his name and identity.

    He had to give up on his real self to survive.

    What Rudger was going through was nothingpared to simply insurmountable discrimination.

    Rudger felt grateful for the way his colleagues looked at him with worried eyes. At least there was someone who really cared about him.

    So let me introduce myself again.

    He didnt mind telling them his real name.

    My name is.

    * * *

    When Rene opened her eyes, she saw the ceiling of the dormitory. After she got up she recalled the dream she had just had.

    I feel like I had a happy dream.

    In her dream she was young. It was a curious thing since she couldnt remember her childhood, but had a childhood dream.

    In her dream, Rene yed on the green meadow.

    On the endless horizon where the blue sky and the greennd met, the stars, wind, and light were beautiful.

    Rene lived there for a long time and sometimes she looked up at the night sky with stars but she didnt feel lonely.

    Yes, I had a family. No, I think there was.

    In her dream, Rene had a family. She wasnt lonely because she had someone with her. However, she doesnt remember who it was. If its a family, was it a mother or a dad? But she doesnt remember her parents.

    The first memory Rene remembered was an old man with gray hair who told her to call him teacher. She doesnt remember where she lived, what she did, and who she was with before.

    And there were more people.

    In the dream, she was an ordinary girl whoughed and cried much more than now.

    Sometimes when she fell while running, she shed tears and there was a boy of her age who reached out to her. She couldnt remember his face properly because its blurry as if its in the fog but she was sure they yed together because she thought it was fun to y with him.

    Andstly.

    She had an older brother.

    She doesnt know if its her brother or not. However, although he is old, she may have thought so because he was not an adult.

    Of course she doesnt remember his face. However, she thought that the soft smile that he sometimes made while looking at her or the touch that patted her head was very warm.

    My heart aches.

    When she thought of him, one side of her chest hurt like a sore thumb.

    Whats wrong with me?

    Rene didnt know much about herself. However, what was clear was that it was quite painful now.

    Its only a dream. Why?

    It was a confusion between dreams and reality and maybe this was not just an ordinary dream to see the scene she wanted.

    What if it was all real?

    I dont know.

    Even now, she couldnt tell if this was a dream or reality.

    Rene held her hand and opened it. The sensation felt vague in her hand as if it was floating in the air.

    In fact, this was a dream, and when she fell asleep, she thought she opened her eyes again in reality. When she thought about that.

    -I came here because I felt something strange but this is interesting.

    At the sudden voice, Rene slowly turned her head.

    Maybe it was because she was in a dreamy mood but Rene stared at her opponent with little surprise.

    Who?

    It was definitely her dormitory room where no one was supposed to be, but one person was there, a gray-haired girl with a subtle smile that is hard to understand.

    Ah, you are.

    What was the name again? Julia

    -Julia Plumhart.

    Thats right. It was that name.

    She was a ssmate who took Mr. Rudgers ss with her. Above all, she had the highest grades in the admission exam, so there is no way Rene wouldnt know her.

    But how did you get here.

    -What? Are you curious about that? Hmm. Ive actually been led by your dream.

    Dream?

    Dream.

    She was led by a dream. Its a hard word to understand. However, Rene vaguely remembered seeing something simr in the literature she had read before.

    Dream magic.

    You know it? Thats cool. Usually, students dont know much about our dream school.

    I read it in a book.

    -You studied hard, didnt you?

    Reneughed, as if she was happy to be praised for no reason.

    But Why did youe to see me?

    -I told you, I came here for an interesting case.

    Interestingcase? Are you talking about me?

    Yeah, you had a weird dream, didnt you?

    I think I did.

    Hm. Its a secret that Im a dream wizard, but since I saw something interesting, Ill exin it to you.

    Julia said so and sat next to Rene but she didnt feel heavy.

    Rene realized that Julia Plumhart in front of her was a kind of vision, not the real one and felt something strange.

    She couldnt believe she was having a secret conversation with Julia since they never spoke to each other before and was also a little nervous.

    Now you are on the boundary between dream and reality. Maybe its because your dream is very simr to reality.

    Julia, who speaks softly in a pleasant voice, surprised Rene because she was so different from the image she showed in ss.

    Why are you looking at me like that?

    Amazing.

    -Whats amazing?

    I didnt know you could talk this much.

    -Well, I understand that. Honestly, I dont talk to other people.

    Why?

    -Its not fun.

    Julia grumbled, as if she wasining.

    -Even if its Theon, the level of students is too low and I dont want to mix with them.

    Uh, um.

    -But I kept watching quietly, and there were some interesting people. The kid who can use anti-magic and now.

    Now? Oh, you mean me?

    Usually people dream, but its very far from reality. However your dream is different. Its simr to reality, or in fact, its closer to peeking into the past through dreams.

    Julia Plumhart, who uses dream magic from the dream school, evaluated people through dreams. Thats why she appeared in front of Rene.

    She became interested in Renes dream because it was so unique that it was rare in recent years.

    Its like a dream fairying here for a dream. Hehe.

    -Im still thinking that Im talking to you because Im drunk.

    Julia became interested in Rene. At first she thought she was just amoner who wanted to stick with a powerful person since she was hanging out with the 3rd princess, however she felt the opposite when they talked in her dream. She was a child with some strange charm.

    Usually people dont like me when they see me.

    Why?

    -It must be because Im always pointing out something and dont choose my words well.

    However, Julia is aware of that part but wont change it even though she knows it. It was difficult to correct because of her birth and because she doesnt like to get involved with other people for no reason.

    -Anyway, Im talking about your dream, but its probably not a dream.

    Not a dream?

    Ordinary peoples dreams are different from reality. You dont understand, but as a dreamwalker I can tell. The dream you had was a projection of reality rather than a dream. More specifically a projection of your past.

    At the words, Rene felt strange as she was about to catch something.

    But I dont remember very well.

    Lets see, um.

    Julia reached out to Renes forehead. Rene closed her eyes softly and opened them when Julia said, Thats enough.

    -Its weird.

    What?

    I cant see your dream. No, I can see it, but its incredibly blurry.

    That was something that Rene agreed with. She knew she did something and was with someone, but she couldnt tell exactly who it was.

    -We Dreamwalkers can read the dreams that the other person has just dreamed, but if we cant see it, theres only one case.

    Whats that?

    Someone intentionally erased your dream, no, your memory.

    Huh? But why are you suddenly.

    -I dont know since when, but your blocked memories started leaking little by little recently.

    Rene could not keep up with Julias exnation.

    Someone erased his memory? Why the hell?

    However, there were parts that made sense. Her childhood, which she doesnt remember, was somewhat strange and it was only recently that she realized that.

    Come to think of it, even since I did the memory storming with Erendir.

    She began to dream of this.

    Hm. Thats interesting. I cant believe its a memory seal.

    Can you open it?

    No, I cant. Its not something I can touch.

    Julia dered neatly and Rene felt depressed at her words.

    -You dont have to be so depressed. You cant find the sealed memory right away, but knowing it is enough.

    How?

    The dream you had. I can find the key to the seal of your memory in it. Think about it. Was there anything in your dream that you remember clearly?

    At Julias question, Rene thought a little and opened her mouth.

    Come to think of it, I dont remember the face, but theres a name thates to mind.

    -What name?

    Rene thought about whether she could say this or not and put the name in her mouth.

    Heathcliff.

    * * *

    My name is Heathcliff Van Bretus.

    Everyone opened their eyes wide when Rudger said his name because there was only one ce in the world where the name Bretus was used.

    Home of the Lumensis Church, The holy kingdom, Bretus.

    Member of the royal family of the Holy Kingdom of Bretus, and blood rtive of the Holy Emperor Bretus. That is me.

 Chapter 192

    C192: Dream camouge (2)

    -Heathcliff?

    Julia, who heard the name, put her index finger on her chin as if to recall something.

    Not at all.

    Julia shook her head.

    -Its not a mon name, but I cant think of a person right away just by his name. Its someone in your memory in the first ce, and I dont know.

    Oh, youre right.

    -You have a strange, stupid side, dont you?

    Hehe.

    Julia sighed at Renes awkward smile. It wasnt a pliment.

    Julia got up from the bed.

    Oh, are you going?

    -I have to go. Look at my condition.

    At Julias words, Rene was able to notice the changes that had urred to her.

    Is your body getting blurry?

    -I guess that name was the trigger. You used to be on the border between dream and reality, but now youre trying to wake up from your dream.

    It was all through dream magic that they could talk like this. Now that Rene woke up from her dream, Julia could no longer maintain this state.

    A person who wakes up from a dream cannot have a dream conversation.

    -Im going to go now. It was a pretty interesting story. Although it has nothing to do with me, I hope you find your memory sometime.

    Oh, look, Julia Plumhart.

    -Just call me by my name fortably. I dont really like being called with myst name.

    Can I talk to you againter?

    Julia looked a little ridiculous at the words and said with a smile.

    -No.

    Why?

    -Its purely because of my whim that we talked today. I dont really want to be close to anyone.

    Still

    -If you really want to talk to me, draw my interest with your dream. Then maybe Ill e back again like today.

    She didnt want Rene to talk to her in the ssroom pretending to be close.

    -Good luck, then.

    Julia disappeared like a mirage with the words. At the same time, Renes vague energy disappeared and she regained her plete reason.

    Talking to Julia a little while ago seemed like a dream.

    No, it was not a dream.

    Obviously, the memory of talking to Julia remained clear along with the words Julia told her.

    The name in the dream.

    Heathcliff.

    Was that person rted to her lost memory?

    ButWhere and how do I find that person?

    The night went deeper and deeper while she was struggling with unattainable worries.

    * * *

    Its turning.

    No matter how much Alex thought it was too much to imagine and he grabbed his head.

    The blood of a prosperous family. Leader, how did you eat it?

    I was curious about that, too.

    Did you have a headache because of your natural ability?

    The members knew that Rudger had a chronic disease in his own right.

    At that, Rudger nodded.

    I have a constitution that is terribly easily excited and Ive always been listening to strange voices. Not even the other blood rtives could do that.

    and in a God-believing country, there is no greater talent than that but an excellent talent is sometimes too toxic.

    I hid it as much as I could, but I ended up getting caught.

    They understood why other royal family members tried to kill Rudger.

    Seridan asked.

    If you get discovered, what will happen?

    Theyll send assassins again or use other means.

    Other means?

    Bretus Holy Land has closed its borders for nearly 20 years. What do you think the reason is?

    Whats wrong with your family?

    My biological father and the emperor of the time was not very healthy. Since then, there has been an internal struggle over the right to inherit the throne.

    But they didnt want to make it known, so they locked up the country and took care of it with the intention of avoiding damaging the nations image.

    But the Holy Land of Bretus is back in action.

    The door that has been locked for the past 20 years has been opened and that means one thing.

    The battle for session ended and the next sess has been decided.

    When Rudgers real identity is discovered one day what will happen to him depends purely on the choice of the next sess, thats why he had to prepare.

    * * *

    The weekend has passed and the weekdays have returned.

    Theons morning started early and employees came out from dawn to sweep fallen leaves, clean the streets, and organize their luggage.

    It was the time when early summer passed and summer pletely started, so sweat flowed down the working peoples foreheads.

    As soon as the morning sun rises, Theons day begins. Students sleeping in the dormitory wake up and teachers prepare to go to work.

    It was the same for Rudger.

    Rudger, who went to work early in the morning in his office even though there was no ss, was diligently reading a paper on magic with rimless sses.

    One of the privileges granted to Theons teacher was the right to read magic papers from the Old Tower, the New Tower, and academic societies more quickly.

    Its nice to be able to subscribe to magic papers quickly every month.

    The Tower and the Magic Society have been widely known to the world for their research through journals published every month.

    Previously, journals papers were only intended to boast of their knowledge, but recently, the pattern has changed a lot.

    These days, they try to pete with each other.

    That pattern began after the Tower was divided into the Old Tower and the New Tower.

    The New Tower has published numerous papers with the discovery and development of new magic. On the contrary, the Old Tower was so intoxicated with the glory of the past that itughed at the actions of the New Tower.

    No matter what anyone says, the Old Tower is still an object of envy to the wizards and they thought that the New Tower was not even close to their feet.

    But thats an old saying now.

    The actions of the New Tower quickly became popr and newspapers in each county were busy praising their actions while criticizing the Old Tower.

    Especially from the moment when most of the artifacts and magic development articles blew up, most of the countries started to support the New Tower.

    The Old Tower was treated like the setting sun, not the great legacy of the past.

    Like that it became a chicken race of wizards that even the Old Tower had to take part in.

    An unexpected participant in the petition that was expected to take ce just between the two organizations emerged.

    It was the small and medium-sized schools that responded to the petition between the Old and New towers.

    Originally, the schools were like s in the magic world. Because they were sharpening and polishing their own magic, they had little interaction and sometimes treated each other as if they were enemies.

    Then, the schools formed a coalition because they didnt want to be affected by the Tower progress.

    As a result, the {School Association} was born.

    The magic world was divided into threerge organizations: the Old Tower, the New Tower, and the School Association.

    Its nice to see petition and improvement, unlike when the Tower almost monopolized everything in the past.

    Thats why all kinds of novel papers e out through the journal.

    In the past, they would have been busy hiding them, but now that theyre peting, they cant do that anymore.

    Of course, most of the papers seem difficult to apply to reality but its okay to have something like this.

    Challenges start with not being afraid of failure.

    Thats probably why letters keep piling up on my desk.

    One side of the desk in his office was full of letters, especially since at the festival, many people saw the [source code] magic used by Rudger.

    Its annoying to read all of this.

    Just then, the door opened and Sedina, his assistant, entered.

    Teacher, here are todays letters.

    Sedina puts a bunch of letters from her arms on the desk.

    .

    As the amount of letters piled up nearly tripled, Rudger took off his sses and rubbed his forehead.

    Sedina Rosen.

    Yes. Whats wrong?

    Didnt I tell you to filter out all the rest except for the letters that seemed important?

    Yes, I did.

    But what the hell is this?

    Thats about it because its filtered out.

    Rudger skimmed through the letters that were only visible on the surface. The seals enclosed in the letter stood out, not only the nobles of the empire but also the invitations from other kingdoms.

    Its starting.

    I guess it was very impressive to see him during the duel that day.

    Most of the contents of the invitations were like, Please visit this side because there will be a party, and such contents written in the aristocratic style.

    Oh, here are some letters that you have to pay special attention to.

    I see.

    Rudger examined the seal enclosed in the letter.

    An invitation to the Tower.

    Even the invitations of the Old and New towers came at the same time.

    This is another headache.

    Is it an invitation to Mysterious Night?

    Yes.

    {Mysterious Night (Geheimnis Nacht)}

    It is an annual event where wizards from all over the world gather together.

    Its a kind of festival, but its hard to think of it like Theons magic festival. Even though the Wizards are much better than they used to be, there are still many freaks like those who have gone beyond the desire for magic to madness.

    And since such people e together in one ce there will be many fights in the dark in order to obtain magic.

    It seems that my name value has risen as well. The invitations are ing.

    Thats not true. If they didnt invite teacher , who would they invite?

    Sedina spoke defensively, but for Rudger it was just a nuisance.

    Its true that I like magic.

    Although his job as a magic teacher is just a superficial job on the surface of his status, Rudger is actually an authentic wizard who explores magic deeply.

    Of course, he had been steadily reading the Magic Papers for a long time, and he was also very interested in the groundbreaking magic developed by other wizards.

    But this invitation is a problem.

    The invitations came from the Old Tower, the New Tower, and the School Association, respectively.

    This was the problem.

    Because the result differs depending on what invitation I ept.

    In a situation where there are currently three separate organizations, the Old Tower, the New Tower, and the School Association, it would be a fools errand to choose one.

    The moment you choose one, youll be treated as a VIP.

    At the same time, the other side will turn into an enemy and try to bite me.

    Sending an invitation so early was to somehow upy a person in advance and to quickly recognize who were their enemies.

    Sedina said to Rudger, who was agonizing.

    Oh, by the way, theres a letter and a gift.

    A gift?

    Simply sending an invitation letter would make people disappointed, thats why those who have great power will do their best to recruit talented people.

    Sedina entered her office and soon brought the gifts.

    The first thing Rudger checked was a gift from the Old Tower.

    Oh, my.

    In the small book was a bracelet but Rudger could tell what the bracelet was like at once. Its an artifact created by Gehenner, a meister from the tower.

    Gehenners golden bracelet.

    He remembered it because it was so famous in the artifact industry.

    Meisters do their best to engrave one imprint, so the speed of making artifacts is remarkably slow and the same was true for Gehenners golden bracelet.

    It was a special artifact that the Meister spent a month working on and a special piece since only 12 would be made in a year.

    Even if it were released on the market, it would boast a considerable price.

    They gave him a big present.

    Its authentic, considering it even has its own number.

    The effects of the golden bracelet are various. First of all, defense magic and attack magic are basically embedded, and in the absence of a cane, mana cohesion is increased to help use magic more easily.

    However, the biggest effect would be that location tracking is also possible in case of an unexpected situation.

    Rudger smirked.

    I can see clearly whats inside. Trying to tie the leash on the pretext of a gift.

    He knew they were already on bad terms, but he still didnt expect them to send him such a tant gift.

    Its like a gift from the Old Tower that symbolizes oppression.

    On the contrary, the gift from the New Tower was a little unique. They sent prototypes of various artifacts they newly developed.

    Rather than a gift for him, it was clearly conveyed that they wanted to be evaluated for the things they made.

    Its a ce full of freedom and this gift fits the New Tower style.

    Rudger looked at several artifacts. Of course, instructions for each artifact were enclosed, so there was no need to worry about what kind of artifact it was.

    Among them, there was one artifact that caught Rudgers attention.

    Is this an artifact with the memory storming effect?

    One of the interesting papers Rudger recently encountered was about mana and memory. Mana has a memory, and by reading that mana, you can even find out the wizards past.

    It was a really interesting article.

    Its amazing that it didnt just stop at nonsense, but they raised it to the level where it can actually be mercialized.

    Since ancient times, there has been great difficulty in finding out the culprits because there is no clear evidence left in cases caused by magic.

    However, this artifact would be of great help in dealing with such unsolved cases.

    This is going to be a little dangerous for me, too.

    There were also quite a few useful artifacts such as artifacts that peel fruit well and artifacts that made steel soft.

    They really made all sorts of things.

    He didnt know what the nerds thought.

    Rudger shook his head and checked the gift from the School Association.

    The School Association was formed by biningrge and small groups of s (magic schools) that do not belong to the Tower.

    The gifts they sent were very simple pared to the ones before but they were effective.

    Is it an elixir?

    The translucent tablet in a small box that looked like a beautiful bead was definitely an elixir. Unlike mana drugs that restore depleted mana, this item increases the total amount of mana.

    Rudger gave up halfway because elixirs were not something he could get just because he had money.

    I never thought Id get it at a ce like this. Its nice to be famous.

    At that time, Sedina, who was still watching the situation, carefully opened her mouth.

    Sir, what are you going to do?

    What do you mean?

    The gifts.

    Oh.

    Sedina was now asking Rudger which one to choose.

    He received invitations and gifts from three organizations that have equal power to each other so he had to think carefully about which to choose.

    Sedina, what do you think?

    Well, do you mean me? How could I.?

    I can hear your opinion.

    You also listen to your subordinates opinions. As expected of Sir First Order.

    Sedina got emotional at his words but since he saw it so many times he just waited for her to answer.

    I think the old tower would be better. They still have great authority so they would be useful.

    Rudger nodded as if Sedinas opinion was convincing.

    But thats not enough.

    What? Then, is the gift of the New Tower better? Looking at the recent growth trend, there is definitely a possibility that it will surpass the Old Tower in the future.

    No. Thats not what Im talking about. Why do I think you should choose only one gift?

    For a moment, Sedina opened her eyes wide as if she heard something wrong but she didnt misheard.

    Cant I just get everything?

 Chapter 193

    C193: Rosens Secret (1)

    What?

    Sedina looked stunned when she heard that he would receive all of them.

    Normally Sedina would have shouted As expected of Sir First Order! You have great aspirations! but now she just looked at him in a way that asked why.

    Oh, no, thats. Is it all right to ept all the gifts?

    I dont care.

    There might be a problem.

    Were you worried about that?

    Rudger nodded as if he fully understood.

    Sedina, why do you think they sent me a present?

    They gave it in order to attract you to their side.

    Thats not the reason.

    Rudger said tly.

    There is still a lot of time left before the Mysterious Night starts in the first ce. Nevertheless, they argued with each other and sent me an invitation. Why do you think they did so?

    Its a way to preupy people in advance.

    The invitation was enough, they didnt even have to send a gift but they did. Why do you think so?

    I think its to attract Sir First Order.

    The author knows that the rhetoric written in the letter cannot lead peoples hearts. Therefore, it was necessary to show more materialpensation than that.

    The gift they sent doesnt mean I can get this if you hold hands with them, but it is more of a tribute to me to be with them.

    Ah.

    Sedina opened her mouth as if she had realized something.

    What Rudger said seemed simr butpletely different.

    Sedina thought that the giver and the receiver were on equal terms with each other, but Rudger said that he was in a superior position.

    It wouldnt matter if it came from only one ce. Rather, its a relief that it came from three ces at the same time.

    Who are you going to choose after you get it all?

    I wont choose anyone.

    What?

    I wont choose anyone.

    He said it twice because she didnt seem to understand.

    Sedinas head tilted slightly to the side.

    Anyway, the gifts were given to make them look good. It is my right to receive them all.

    In addition, it is also my right to decide whether to make a choice or not after receiving the gift.

    Then Should I send a reply first?

    No, you dont have to reply. If I dont say anything, theyll be nervous on their own.

    What? Then.

    If they have ears to listen and eyes to see, they will know I havent chosen anything yet. What do you think will happen?

    If he chooses either side neatly, they can shake off their lingering feelings without hesitation but if he cant reach a conclusion here and put his choice on hold.

    The Tower and the Association will naturally be impatient!

    Yes, their impatience will soar as the Mysterious Night approaches.

    Of course, they wouldnt be very sad that they didnt have Rudger.

    Theyll pretend.

    He could guess what they think of him since they have already sent him gifts.

    I must have looked like an attractive prey.

    His [source code] and coordinate designation magic were bound to turn the eyes of those exploring magic upside down.

    Rudger has no choice but to hold it in and not be impatient. Since they sent him an invitation it meant that they valued his special magic.

    So we just have to take the gifts from them and shut up.

    I didnt recognize that kind of wisdom. Im sorry!

    Sedina bowed her head guiltily.

    In the past, he would have told her to do it appropriately, but now that he has known her for a long time, even this behavior has been epted as a daily routine.

    More than that, she is still loyal to me.

    Rudger had a n since he made Sedina Rosen his assistant and put her close to him.

    Sedina Rosen is a superficial presence within the ck Dawn Society. Nevertheless, she is loyal to the organization and has excellent ability.

    If I could turn that loyalty to myself, not to the ck Dawn Society.

    Sedina will be a great double agent who can get the information of the ck Dawn Society better than anyone else.

    The problem is that I dont know what shes thinking at all.

    He couldnt tell what the source of the respect he was receiving now was.

    Was it the respect given by the First Order position? Or was it the respect she felt purely as an individual?

    I cant rule out the possibility that if I reveal my cards she might turn on me.

    [Actually, Im not the First Order you know.]

    If he said this there is a possibility that Sedina would fight me to death while shouting Youve deceived me!

    It hasnt been long since Zero Order appeared in Theon, and I cant take a risk when I dont know the oue.

    Still, looking at Sedinas behavior these days, her excited behavior has decreasedpared to before.

    Before she tried hard to keep looking good to me, but now she doesnt. Its probably because shes mentally stable.

    Until recently she was not recognized within the organization and was being ostracized but that alone is not enough. Unless I know and solve the fundamental problem of Sedina Rosen our current rtionship cannot develop any further.

    I need to know the fundamental problem of Sedina Rosen.

    While thinking about it for a while, someone knocked on the door of the office. There wont be any studentsing to his office at this early hour so Rudger opened his mouth in wonder.

    Come in.

    The door opened when permission was given and the person that entered surprised Rudger.

    Teacher Vierano?

    Vierano Dentis, an elf teacher in charge of Theons fourth-grade spiritual studies.

    Although he has the appearance of a young boy, his unique calm and pessimistic atmosphere shows that he has considerable experience.

    Oh, you are here Mr. Rudger.

    What are you doing here?

    After the attack at the banquet hall that day, they didnt see each other in particr.

    Vierano answered Rudgers question.

    Im here because I want to see your assistant, not exactly Mr. Rudger.

    You mean Assistant Sedina?

    Rudger stared at Sedina with a curious stare. Sedina, on the other hand, seemed a little embarrassed to have experienced a simr situation before.

    Whats wrong with my assistant?

    No, its not because of work. I just came because of personal reasons.

    What did he mean by personal reasons?

    Even if Vierano looks like this, he is an elf with considerable knowledge so it was a little strange that he would visit Sedina, who is a freshman.

    If you dont mind, may I talk to Sedina?

    Yes, by all means.

    Miss Sedina, have you answered what I asked before?

    Vierano asked but Sedina hesitated to answer his question.

    Is it a confession of love?

    Rudger thought so unknowingly, but immediately denied it.

    In terms of appearance alone, Sedina, who is small, and Vierano, with his young boys appearance, are a good pair but their age difference is huge.

    It was then that Sedina opened her mouth.

    Im sorry, but Im fine as I am.

    I see. Im sorry. Maybe I shouldnt have bothered you.

    Oh, no.

    Sedina bowed her head and showed a rare courtesy. She rushed into the assistant office under the pretext that she had not finished organizing the data, as if she was ufortable.

    Oh, no. Im afraid Im hated.

    As Sedina left as if she were running away, Vierano muttered in a sad voice.

    I dont think she hates you, but shes probably doing that because shes shy.

    Im d to hear that.

    Its more surprising than that. Teacher Vierano was interested in Assistant Sedina.

    Are you amazed at my behavior?

    To be honest, yes.

    Vierano scratched his cheek in embarrassment.

    It is not unreasonable to think so because I am fully aware of what kind of elf I am but I would rather ask Mr. Rudger.

    What do you mean?

    Sedina Rosen. Didnt you really know she was unusual?

    Rudger had to think about what the intention behind the question was.

    He was not asking because he knew she was a member of the ck Dawn Society. Rather, he pointed out that Sedina was hiding something.

    Come to think of it.

    Sedina seemed to have a lot to hide. She hated her family, and even seemed to be associated with Julia Plumhart, the first-year top student.

    He didnt ask because he didnt think it was necessary, but was there anything else?

    Looking at the reaction, I guess you didnt know. I thought Mr. Rudger recognized Miss Sedinas peculiarity and hired her as his assistant.

    I chose her purely based on ability.

    I see. Besides, looking at Miss Sedinas reaction, I think its fun to work with Mr. Rudger.

    Shes having fun?

    Rudger wanted to refute that it was not to that extent but he was going to listen to Vieranos story for now.

    So what is the peculiarity of Assistant Sedina?

    Its weird to say this where shes not present.

    Vierano, who had hesitated a little, sighed slightly.

    It doesnt matter if you know Mr. Rudger. There must be a good reason for her to trust and follow you.

    When he said that, Rudger got interested and listened to Vierano without saying a word.

    Didnt you ever feel that its strange? Why werent there any rumors about such an outstanding child so far?

    Its just.

    Didnt she hide on purpose because she was a member of the ck Dawn Society?

    Then Ill ask you something else. Why do you think Miss Sedina is hiding her ears while growing her hair like that?

    .

    An act of deliberately concealing oneself, a hostile disposition against her family and the contact with Vierano, an elf. He felt like the pieces of the puzzle scattered in his head were being put together in an instant.

    Dont tell me

    Vierano nodded.

    Yes, Sedina Rosen has the blood of an elf. More exactly shes half elf.

    * * *

    Rudger nodded slowly at Vieranos exnation.

    Thats amazing.

    I dont think youre very surprised. Did you happen to know that?

    .

    What are you talking about? I was really surprised.

    To be honest, he thought he was confident that he could ept anything, but he was a little surprised that Sedina was a half-elf, although Vierano didnt seem to believe him.

    But if she really has elf blood then her behavior makes sense.

    Her hairstyle that covers her ears and her unusual magic derived from nt attributes like paper magic make sense now.

    Half-Elf.

    A Half-Elf is literally a mixture of humans and elves. Considering that Rosen is herst name, her father is human and her mother is an elf.

    However, if Sedina would be asked if she was born because her parents loved each other her answer would be no. In this day and age, its hard to ept the existence of mixed-race in a positive way.

    Is that why Mr. Vierano asked Assistant Sedina to work for him?

    Yes. She has elf blood like me and if she were caught and brought somewhere, I woulde forward and help her.

    What do you mean?

    I was going to get her out of the Rosen family and show her where our elves live.

    It was amazing that he considered bringing a half-elf to the elves vige.

    You look surprised. Its been a long time since the war ended, but not for a long-lived race like the Elves and the Suins.

    Rudger nodded, too.

    It was almost half a century ago that science developed and many things appeared in this world. In fact, from the perspective of modern people in the 21st century, there were still many human rights issues.

    Its still like that now but it was worse in the past.

    The race war that took ce during the days humans were enving and capturing other races was a long time ago.

    Now, a long time after the war, people dont remember that time and the main culprits of the war were gone but will it be the same for other races?

    There are still many races who hate humans because they cannot forget the scars of war. As a result, a mixed race being cannot naturally be seen as good because it reminded them of the war.

    Considering that the Rosen family is not a ce where good rumors are heard. The birth of Sedina could be.

    From a ve and the humans desire to make a better bloodline.

    This is difficult.

    He just discovered that his assistant was a half-elf.

    Im sure Mr. Rudger knows about the persecution of mixed blood in history.

    Yes.

    So Ill ask Mr. Rudger for help, shamelessly. Would you please persuade Miss Sedina?

    Vierano seriously asked for help and Rudger felt his pure goodwill towards Sedina.

    He agonized over the answer but in the end he said.

    Im sorry, but thats not possible.

 Chapter 194

    C194: Rosens Secret (2)

    Teacher Vierano thought my rejection was unexpected and couldnt resist asking.

    May I ask why? Out of pure kindness, I.

    Calm down. Im not saying I pletely disagree with teacher Vieranos opinion.

    I took a step back to reassure teacher Vierano for now. Just because I refused him it didnt mean that I would unconditionally deny his will.

    Assistant Sedina is a great student, she has excellent grades and ability. I found out that she had been living in a bad environment, but that doesnt mean I can decide and do whatever I want.

    How e? Youre not the teacher in charge.

    Yes, Im in charge. But Mr. Vierano, you should know that someones choice is ultimately up to him.

    .

    Of course, this is just a good excuse. To be honest, I didnt want to let Sedina go.

    Sedina is not just an assistant, but an excellent source of information from the ck Dawn Society.

    Sedinas absence will be a considerable gap for me.

    The work as a teacher can be handled somehow, but it is different for the First Order of the ck Dawn Society.

    Sedina will be my eyes in the ck Dawn. If Sedina leaves for the elves vige, there will be a big setback in my future work but I cant tell Vierano that.

    But Mr. Rudger. This is for Miss Sedina.

    I do not doubt Mr. Vieranos idea. However, Assistant Sedina rejected that opinion once.

    What if its not her will?

    You decided that if you persuaded me, I would change her mind.

    Did you know that Ms. Sedina is not close to anyone else but only works as an assistant for Mr. Rudger? Even when I talked to her, she replied that Mr. Rudger should give his opinion.

    Did she?

    I didnt know that either. I told her to make friends, but he must have been alone the whole time.

    Because it is Mr. Rudger, I am asking you. You can change Miss Sedinas mind.

    If I persuade her to break her thoughts, thats not assistant Sedinas will.

    How can the actions made by others be considered yours?

    Teacher Vierano is not sure what real happiness is for assistant Sedina.

    Thats undeniable.

    I also fully sympathize with Mr. Vieranos feelings for the same kind. But, sir do you really think Assistant Sedina would be happy to go to elves vige?

    I fully understand that Mr. Vierano cares about Sedina but will other elves think the same? I dont think so.

    Ive also heard about elves. They have a strong sense of kinship, but on the contrary, even if others have elf blood, they are rejected if they are different from them.

    That was Bruna case. As an elf and interested in medicine and alchemy research, she has been rejected by the elves and being treated as a freak.

    Eventually, Bruna, who was kicked out of the forest where she stayed, had no choice but to e to the human world.

    Elves are obviously a beautiful and noble race. At the same time, they have a tight mindset because they value tradition too much and do not make changes.

    Will such people ept mixed blood as their members?

    But Miss Sedina has half the blood of the elves.

    Its only half.

    .

    Teacher Vierano must have had a fairly high position in the forest.

    How do you do that?

    I only got a clue from what he said so I patted the table with my fingertips and said.

    From your confidence. You have the power to incorporate Assistant Sedina into the elves vige and youll take good care of her. An ordinary elf would never have thought of that.

    Vierano, an elf who came out to the human world and worked as a teacher was enough to be called a freak among other elves.

    If he didnt, Vierano would not have said he would take Sedina carelessly.

    If you persuade Sedina, Im confident that I can take her to the elves vige.

    That means Vierano has enough power to dismiss the opinions of other elves.

    Mr. Vierano, are you an elder in the forest?

    Yes, thats right.

    Huh?

    I asked just in case, but I didnt expect this to be the right answer.

    There is a distinction among elves like how noble and moner is for humans called High House and I thought he was only part of them.

    You already knew about me.

    Its just.

    I nodded in moderation as I tried to make an excuse.

    As one of the seven roots of the world tree, we, the Dentis family, have been in charge of protecting the forest beyond the boundary since ancient times. And I am the head of the Dentis family.

    Is it okay for someone like that to be a teacher in Theon?

    I cant help it because of past promises and being here doesnt mean Im neglecting my original mission. In fact, I used to return the wandering members of my family to the forest and in the arms of their patriots.

    Protecting the outside of the forest prevents foreign enemies from entering the forest.

    Does he have the purpose of protecting the people who are far away from the forest?

    My family can help Ms. Sedina adapt well. The thick roots of Dentis are tough enough to beat anyone.

    But other elves wouldnt do that. The Dentis family is not the only High House of the elves.

    Once you hear the story, the Dentis family is a very enterprising ce. Helping elves wandering in the outside world, and extending a helping hand to mixed races without discrimination.

    This is a rare trait among elves but other elves wouldnt do that, especially the other High Houses.

    Anyway, I listened to Mr. Vieranos words. But since you asked for help yourself, lets ask for Sedinas opinion.

    Yes, thats enough. I dont mean to bother Miss Sedina anymore. I know that this ideal is nothing but self-righteousness.

    Hes very considerate in this regard, even though hes an elder. I thought hed just act his way, but its quite unexpected.

    Come to think of it, teacher Selina said that teacher Vierano is popr among the students.

    Usually, teachers in Theon have no choice but to get close to people of the same lineage.

    Ms. Selina, who is in charge of spiritual studies in the first grade, naturally knows the spiritual teachers who are in charge of the other grades above her.

    Of course I am not.

    In the first ce, all the teachers in my lineage are Hugos aristocrats, so we dont get along.

    Ms. Selina said that teacher Vierano looks like a younger brother, but he behaves like a grandfather. She also said that he has a charm that makes her lean on him mentally.

    After that, she said, Students said it! Its not me! She made a desperate excuse, but I dont know why.

    Yes, rumors are rumors so I thought he would be different in reality.

    However, after meeting with teacher Vierano and talking for a long time, I think I know the reason for sure.

    He has a strangely caring personality, even if he pretends not to be. I think I would feel like this if I had a close grandfather. However, the strange point is that he is trying to pretend not to be.

    What a dishonest elf.

    Thank you for your time Mr. Rudger.

    Its fine.

    I have to leave but Ill return soon, bye.

    Teacher Vierano left the office with those words.

    The guest left, but I had a new problem.

    Standing quietly from my seat, I knocked on the door of the assistant office.

    Sedina, can we talk?

    Yes.

    Sedina replied in a low voice.

    May I e in?

    What? Now, hold on!

    After about a minute of noises the door has been carefully opened. Seeing that her cheeks are slightly red and breathing is rough, she seems to have cleaned up in a hurry.

    Come in.

    The view through the open door was unexpected. I thought Sedina must have piled up all kinds of papers all over the room since she can use origami magic and gathering information is her job but my prediction was off the mark.

    There are a lot of nts.

    The assistant office itself is not that narrow since its supposed to be used by at least seven people.

    Considering that Sedina uses it alone, it can be seen as wide but it was filled with nts. Even though it is the same space, the air itself feels much clearer.

    Sorry, Im sorry from decorating the room as I pleased.

    Sedina, who thought I was mad, hurriedly bowed her head.

    You dont have to be sorry. Its just because its fascinating.

    Looking at the leaf conditions of most nts visible, there was no defect.

    You must have raised them hard.

    Yes, yes.

    Is it a hobby?

    Yes, I have raised them since I was young.

    Since you were young.

    It must be because of the elf blood. I nced around inside the assistant ssroom and asked Sedina.

    Sedina Rosen.

    Yes, sir.

    Let me ask you a question. Its an extension of what I just talked about with teacher Vierano.

    Ah

    Do you really want help?

    Sedina hesitated to answer my question but when she hesitated, she made a big mistake.

    She had to firmly shake her head to say that she didnt. Conversely, I wouldve had a chance to show my sincerity, saying that I dont doubt her loyalty but Sedina didnt.

    Her heart has bee weak.

    Her loyalty to the ck Dawn Society was a little shaky and this was a big boon for me.

    Sedina, I regard you as a very good person even if you are like this so you can be honest.

    Mr. Rudger?

    I also know that you cant get along with other people and yet you are here. You mustve entered Theon thanks to your ability.

    I can see that she came to the ck Dawn Society out of revenge because she hated her family. But will her future be bright?

    After all, the ck Dawn Society must disappear and Im going to make it happen. So what will happen to Sedina who belongs there?

    If you say you want to leave, thats fine.

    What do you mean?

    If you say youll give up everything to live a quiet and peaceful life, Ill help you.

    Sedina its an excellent talent in my service but I wont force her to follow my will. A persons will is important, I know that more than anyone else.

    What you say here is a secret between you and me. You dont have to worry about it leaking somewhere.

    I.

    Sedina hesitated between the path of vengeance and the path of serenity, wiggling her hand.

    She was given an opportunity to go either way and a smart kid could see which way was better for him.

    At that time, Sedina raised her head and made eye contact with me. Unlike before when she always avoided my eyes, her eyes are very straight.

    First of all, Id like to apologize to Mr. Rudger.

    The moment I heard it, I realized it. Like a smart kid, she will make the right choice.

    I havent been able to properly assist Mr. Rudger.

    What?

    Even on thest day of the festival, Mr. Rudger was swept up in that and I didnt realize it. I didnt go to visit you and in addition, I even hid my identity.

    Saying that, Sedina lifted her brown hair. It was smaller than the ears of the elf, but still pointed mixed-race ears could be seen.

    Her disgrace, which has been hidden so far.

    Her ears were red just by showing them to me, she must have been shy and wanted to hide it.

    I may not, obviously, be qualified because I received an undeserved grace to be with teacher like this.

    Sedina tried to say that she was okay, but her expression showed her pain that she could not hide.

    Still, there is someone who has told me that he needs me. There is someone who has plimented me on how great I am. Whether its future peace or revenge, honestly, Im not sure right now.

    Sedina

    But this one thing is for sure. Sir, I really want to follow you for acknowledging me. So please dont say that its okay for me to leave.

    It was a firm attitude that Sedina doesnt show since she usually bows her head.

    As I stared at her, Sedina btedly realized what she had said and returned to her usual state.

    Sorry, Im sorry! How could I.

    No, dont be. Sedina Rosen Ive heard your opinion.

    Teacher?

    I said, putting my hands on Sedinas shoulders.

    I have something to confess to you.

    What? What?! Confession!?

    Did she realize that I was serious?

    Sedinas face flushed even more red than before.

    Yes, its a confession. Im making a serious confession here.

    Sedina, Im not actually a First Order.

    What?

 Chapter 195

    C195: Rosens Secret (3)

    Sedinas eyes quickly turned into s at my shocking confession and her mouth also became an inverted triangle.

    It must have been quite a shock.

    I fully understand. If the boss at work, whom you sincerely believe in and follow, suddenly says Actually, I am not your boss, but I am an industrial spy, everyone will do that.

    Thinking rationally, it was right to keep hiding this fact.

    After spending more time with Sedina and knowing that she wouldnt betray me I wouldve told her the truth. However, as we talked a little while ago, I realized one thing.

    There is an irreparable crack in Sedinas infinite trust in the ck Dawn Society and the moment I realized that, I decided to move the n forward.

    Now that Zero Order has suddenly e to Theon, I cant just move so easily.

    This gamble was made by judging the moment but it was a sessful gamble.

    What do you mean? Sir, youre joking too much.

    Im not kidding. Im not the First Order you know.

    Sedina tried to turn a blind eye to reality, but she couldnt, perhaps because of my hand holding her shoulder.

    Im not John Doe, nor a member of the ck Dawn Society. My status that youve trusted so far is nothing more than a fake.

    Sedinas face turned pale when she realized the reality.

    Well, thenDid you lie to me until now?

    I didnt mean it.

    She moved roughly, shook my hand, and soon tried to run away from the assistant office.

    I watched the scene in silence without following her.

    Sigh.

    Sedina put her hand on the doorknob but she didnt go outside even though she knew that I was a fake and could run away.

    Sedina.

    How e!

    Sedina shouted loudly unlike her usual self.

    If I hadnt used sound-blocking magic in advance, people would have been able to hear it in the hallway even if the soundproofing was good.

    How e youve been fooling me so far? Then, until now, for whom the hell have I been!

    Sedina, you havent answered my question yet.

    What question!

    Sedina turned towards me with tears in her eyes.

    Who wouldnt be sad if the person they respected and believed in so much was a fake? Even a country would tremble at the betrayal of a high rank person.

    To be honest, it would be a lie if I said I didnt feel sorry. It might have been better to stay in this false rtionship but I made a choice.

    I choose the brutal truth over the good lies.

    Sedina, is it me in front of you who you really want to follow? Or is it the First Order of the ck Dawn Society?

    Of course!

    Sedina, who said that, bit her lip.

    Of course

    She couldnt answer.

    Once carved, the cracks never return to their original state, rather they create a bigger rift.

    Then Ill ask you a question. Was your entire attitude when you served me so far false?

    Thats

    Sedina, you were definitely thinking I was a First Order a while ago. Nevertheless, you showed hesitation in front of the opportunity to turn your back on the ck Dawn Society.

    Sedina shuddered at my criticism.

    You know what happens to those who betray the ck Dawn dont you?

    The day I first took office in Theon Sedina came to me and told me all the news.

    Yet you hesitated in a situation where you might be called a traitor.

    .

    You know that, too. That your actions so far were not sincere loyalty to the organization.

    Sedina could not answer that since I must have hit the nail on the head.

    Thats why I also gave you the right answer and told you the truth. Do you still think Im deceiving you?

    What do you want from me?

    Sedina, who managed to regain her reason, asked.

    Having told the truth like this, did she think I might make a new request to her?

    Its simple. All you have to do is give their information to me.

    And if you receive something, you have to give something.

    If you do, Ill help you get revenge.

    My revenge will be achieved by the ck Dawn Society.

    Will they really help you take revenge? If Im helping you take revenge, why are you abandoning the ability to do so?

    Sedina knows the treatment she has received so far in the ck Dawn Society.

    Sedina, I appreciate your ability. Im sure youve put a lot of effort into getting where you are even though no one acknowledged it.

    !

    Sedinas eyes swayed at my words.

    Her greatest desire wasnt revenge after all.

    So as someone who recognizes you, I will say.

    She wanted to be recognized, thats why she tried so hard and came this far on her own.

    You worked hard.

    At my words, Sedina couldnt hold back and shed tears.

    She was trying to act mature and strong but in the end she was like the students Ive taught.

    * * *

    Sedinas tears stopped after a while and Rudger held out a handkerchief to Sedina.

    As a teacher and an adult I will fulfill your goal. Will you join me?

    Sedina looked down at the handkerchief she received from Rudger and quickly wiped away her tears.

    Her red eyes were straight and steady.

    Yes.

    Her little hand held Rudgers hand.

    I will follow you.

    Good. This adds another secret between us.

    What should I do now?

    Act as usual. Im nominally a First Order of the ck Dawn Society.

    Mr. Rudger, what happened to the real John Doe?

    What happened?

    It was this part that she was really curious about.

    At least as far as Sedina knows First Order John Doe was supposed to e as a teacher at Theon under the name Rudger Chelici.

    It happened during the train attack.

    Yes.

    Sedina needed to know this part, so Rudger exined the whole story to her.

    When the Liberation Army attacked the train John Doe was in he fell in a canyon and Rudger used his identity.

    Thats ridiculous.

    Sedina, who had her own fantasy about the First Order, stumbled as if her head was dizzy when she heard it.

    He was careless and unlucky. Of all things, the Liberation Army attacked the train.

    The Liberation Armys suicide bombing threw John Doe in a canyon in the Arete Mountains.

    He was practically dead.

    Then what is your goal, Mr. Rudger? Why are you a teacher at Theon?

    My purpose is to get rid of the ck Dawn Society.

    Although Rudgers actual purpose is to collect pieces of the Relic, he was going to introduce the other members and tell herter.

    What is your real identity?

    Sedina asked in a trembling voice.

    Its Rudger Chelici now.

    You wont tell me?

    Youll find out over time.

    Compared to other U.N. Owen executives, Rudgers rtionship with Sedina wasnt so deep. Unlike them, who were united by their bond, Sedina and Rudger joined hands knowing each others weaknesses however there was no trust between them.

    All right. Then I will act as usual for now.

    Sedina answered straight away. After all, she joined hands with Rudger and got on the same boat so she had no choice but to do her best.

    Hes amazing.

    Sedina used to look at Rudger with awe.

    His ability, his insight and his charisma, there wasnt anything that wasnt right.

    So I thought he was the First Order.

    But in reality he wasnt. If so, it means that he has pretended to be a First Order without being caught by anyone.

    That doesnt make any sense.

    She knew he was great from the start but after seeing the truth, Rudger looked even greater. She even felt a kind of fear but,

    He recognized me.

    He recognized how hard it was for her and held out his hand to her.

    It was thanks to Rudgers sincerity that Sedina was able to calm down her anger and despair despite the shock of betrayal.

    He must care about me a lot for telling me the truth without considering the damage.

    She was deeply touched by the warmth she had never felt in her life.

    At this moment Sedinas goal has changed. Her original purpose was to follow the ck Dawn Society and support the First Order but not anymore.

    She decided to respect and follow the man named Rudger Chelici from now on.

    Then Ill introduce myself again to redefine our rtionship. My name is Rudger Chelici, a teacher at Theon.

    Sedina RosenNo. My name is Sedina nte.

    Is that your mothersst name?

    Yes. No one knowsThat its myte mothersst name.

    It was a token of her sincere confidence in Rudger.

    * * *

    Vierano, who left Rudgers teachers office, recalled the conversation he had with him a while ago.

    Still, he said he would deliver my words, but the expected results probably wont e out.

    Vierano knows that Sedina is wary of him, and on the contrary, she has great faith in Rudger. Nevertheless, he couldnt leave her alone.

    Miss Sedina must be She must be her blood rtive.

    Elven Forest.

    In the kingdom of the elf that exists there, there are seven elders who serve the worlds tree and one of them was the Dentis family to which Vierano belonged.

    And another family that exists in Vieranos memory was the nte family, thergest and thickest of the seven roots.

    It is said that she of the nte family has been missing since the war of the races. I never thought Id find her blood here.

    She was also under the name Rosen.

    Maybe Rosen paid a fortune to buy her as a ve from the ck market.

    He was ashamed of the atrocities mitted by the Rosen family, but that was not the important thing.

    The fact that he found the blood of the nte family and that she was in Theon was important. However, Sedina did not trust her patriot Vierano. Its not that she hated him. However, she seemed to be reluctant.

    Since youve been a mixed blood, she was discriminated against and persecuted for a long time. Even if Im an elf, its natural for her to be wary.

    It was surprising that she followed Rudger sincerely.

    As expected, hes an amazing person. I cant believe hes trusted by such a vignt child.

    In addition, while talking to him in person, Vierano had no choice but to realize that Rudger really cared about Sedina but he doesnt know what kind of power Sedina has. He doesnt even know what her real name, nte, means.

    Should I have told him?

    Vierano wondered if he should have tipped off Rudger. But when he learned that, he was worried that Rudgers attitude toward Sedina might change.

    I dont think a man like that would change his attitude easily.

    Because Sedinas hidden surname was nte, things were different and if Rudger knew the truth even he, a man who seemed like an impregnable fortress would be shaken.

    Rather, if I say it now, Mr. Rudger might be surprised. It would be difficult to say too many things at once.

    He decided to bury the truth for now so that Rudger wouldnt be surprised. It wont be toote to talk after they get familiar with each other.

    Should I give him a special tea leaf grown in Elfs forest as a gift next time I visit?

    He thought it wouldnt be bad to have a tea party and drink tea together, although his taste was old enough to be liked by Rudgers grandfather.

    Without knowing that, Vierano even had expectations that Rudger and Sedina would be happy.

 Chapter 196

    C196: Returning to the Starting Point (1)

    Chapter sponsored byGerald.Thank you for your support.

    Rudger brought Sedina out to Leathervelk while he was telling her the truth.

    Others thought that he was going to procure books and materials needed for research with his assistant, but of course he wasnt.

    So, this is our new member?

    Yes.

    In one of the secret hideouts of {U.N. Owen} in the slums the members there looked at Sedina Rosen sitting in the middle of the room with interested gazes.

    Sedinas body was shaking, as it was hard to withstand the intense gazes of the members.

    The kid that leader brought.

    She looks cute.

    Wow, shes young.

    Most of them had a favorable view of Sedina because it was Rudger who brought her in but that didnt mean that everyone was weling and Hans was one of them.

    What can you do when youre so young?

    For Hans, Sedina was too young to be trusted.

    Of course she is a talented member of the ck Dawn Society, and she has the characteristic of knowing the information better than anyone else.

    That was why.

    He felt threatened by her since their specialties ovepped.

    I agree!

    Seridan, who was wandering around Sedina and looking at her calmly, raised her hand and shouted.

    She looks cute, and if you brought her, there must be a reason!

    Im against it.

    Violetta who opened her mouth to refute her.

    She is a member of the ck Dawn Society. What if the fact that she betrayed them is a lie?

    Whatever. I think Ill be fine

    Alex agreed with Rudger.

    The leader brought her in the first ce. Doesnt that mean that shes proven to be safe? And I wele a new cute kid like this.

    Wait! Alex! The cute one is here!

    No, Seridan, youre a little.

    The members did not hesitate to express their opinions while Sedina looked up at Rudger with anxious eyes in a space full of pros and cons.

    In the end, Rudger was forced to step up.

    Everyone, stop.

    When Rudger opened his mouth, the conversation suddenly stopped.

    The sight seemed strange for Sedina.

    They were so loud until a while ago but they stopped in an instant.

    She thought they were out of control but their attitude was full of courtesy and respect for the head of the organization.

    And all of this is probably

    Because of Rudger Chelici and his exceptional abilities, natural charisma, and insight that elicit the respect of others naturally.

    I have heard everyones opinions. I also understand what you guys are worried about. However, the recruitment of Sedina Rosen has already been decided.

    Can we really trust her?

    Asked Violetta.

    Although she was thest member to join, Violetta, who was more in awe of Rudger than anyone else, did not want to pass on the unnecessary danger.

    I can believe her.

    Rudger spoke with conviction and Sedina was moved to tears by his words.

    The fact that he believed in her washed away the fear she just felt.

    If brother says so.

    Well, I agreed with leader s opinion from the beginning.

    By the way, boss, this kid feels familiar.

    Bruna raised her hand and said if she felt something from Sedina.

    I was actually going to introduce you properly. Sedina Rosen is a member of the Rosen family and at the same time a half-elf.

    When Rudger called her name, Sedina moved her brown hair and revealed hidden ears.

    Admiring eyes flew in from all over the ce and Sedina was shy because she seemed to reveal her disgrace was trying hard not to show it for Rudger.

    Bruna you felt that way because she has elf blood.

    No. Theres something, something more.

    Anyway, I guarantee Sedinas ability. Shes a great wizard and a great informant. Her special magic will help us.

    Sedina raised her palm as if she had been waiting and on her hand, the folded paper was alive and moving.

    Her magic is versatile and its quite specialized in gathering information.

    Shes like Hans except that he uses mice, but is it better to use cute paper.

    Hey!

    Hans was furious at Seridans words. However, he, who couldnt do anything more than that, nced at Sedina, who was staring at him and soon turned his head.

    Rudger smiled bitterly. It wasnt that he didnt understand Hans position.

    You dont have to worry too much. Sedina is only a temporary member. She also agreed not to bee an official member immediately.

    Hans seemed a little convinced and it meant he was above her in the hierarchy.

    Please take good care of me from now on.

    As soon as Sedinas weling ceremony was over, Seridan, Bruna, and Arpa approached her.

    It was a natural result because there were three curious people.

    What have you been up to?

    HmmShe smells unique. Its like looking at an old forest.

    Wow, I cant believe youre a half-blood. Can I touch you?

    Yes?!

    Sedina seemed embarrassed in many ways and couldnt adapt to such interest.

    I dont have to worry about her because they seem to get along well.

    When Rudger was thinking so, Hans sneaked up on him.

    Brother.

    Whats wrong with you?

    What are you going to do now?

    Hanss question was quite prehensive.

    He brought a new member, but whats going to happen was even more important.

    There must be a lot to report since the Silver Sun disappeared. Say it.

    First of all, we ate most of the Silver Sun business. The remaining sugar is easy to absorb, so it wasnt a big deal. Thanks to that, the businesses have grown to nearly twice the size of before.

    Thats a good thing. Anything else?

    Hans pulled out the list he had been organizing and recited it as if he had been waiting.

    The business is booming. The investment was big but the profit is also great so I think we can recover the cost quickly. And all thats left is to make a bunch of money.

    What is the Merchant Association doing?

    Since Silver Sun disappeared theyre scared to death. Well, if they are smart they wont fight with us anymore. All that remains is to slowly nibble at their mercial district.

    Good news.

    Making a lot of money alone was good news, that way he could spend more money on researching the Relic.

    Dont press them too hard, cooperation is important.

    I know that. Oh, by the way, about the relic fragment.

    Yes, say it.

    How many did you say you needed to find?

    There were four, but now that I found one at the Kunst auction house, there are three left and one of them might be in Lindebrnew, the empires capital.

    It was for that reason that he tried to head from the northern kingdom of Utah to the capital of the empire.

    To say it now.

    Yes.

    Hans nodded.

    I found it. No, Im sure its in that ce.

    You must have been searching even before I came to Leathervelk, but if the results only came out now, it must have been quite hard to find.

    Rudger was supposed to meet Hans at Lindebrnew, thats why Hans went to the capital in advance to find the relic fragments but things went wrong in the middle and he was dyed for a while, but now things were back on track.

    So whats the reason you havent found it for so long?

    Its in the only ce I cant reach.

    If you cant reach it.

    There is only one ce in the capital.

    The Imperial Castle of the Exilion Empire.

    A ce so clean and well guarded that not even a rat can enter and also the only ce Hans couldnt reach.

    I couldnt find it anywhere else so it must be there.

    So you used the method of elimination, thats why it took so long.

    Hans let out a murmur of shame. He was the one who boasted that he could find it faster than anyone else before.

    I couldnt enter the pce. Its a ce where not even a rat hole exists.

    Its good enough that you found its location. Well think about how to obtain it in the future.

    Its going to take a lot of time again.

    I guess so, but we still dont have any clues about the other 2 fragments.

    But what are you going to do now?

    At Hanss words, Rudger replied as if he was asking what he was talking about.

    Hans, did you forget what kind of identity I have now?

    Oh, I did.

    I have to prepare sses, new assignments, and even the next exam so theres a lot to do but for now I have to visit Baltanung.

    Rudgers eyes shone.

    Because I have to root out the ck Dawn Society.

    He must do so in order to live, besides, he couldnt leave them alone.

    Hans, who was watching the scene silently, carefully opened his mouth.

    But will you be okay?

    What do you mean?

    No, the question is wrong. Are you sure youre okay? Brother, your behavior is too inconspicuous these days.

    This was what Hans was worried about.

    Rudger has to hide his identity, but he is revealing his talent. Of course, in some cases, it can only be revealed in a force majeure situation.

    Even though you didnt have to, it was too dangerous to take risks on your own.

    As in Esmeraldas case.

    Rudger didnt have to act conspicuously and when things go wrong, he just had to pretend that he didnt know anything and step down but he didnt instead he took risks.

    I dont mean to me brothers behavior because of your personality, it has to be like this but if theres a problem, how are you going to deal with whats going to happen?

    The Nightcrawler Knights were lurking around, the famous detective Casey Selmore came to Leathervelk and Zero Order visited him once at Theon.

    We might be caught someday and when that happens.

    You have to make a choice.

    Yes. Actually, Im sure brother knows the best, but I said it just in case.

    Sedina, Seridan, and Brunasughter tickled their ears, it seems they were enjoying their talk in the distance.

    Hans, its not that I didnt think of that either. I dont have to take these risks if I purposely bend down quietly and stay low.

    Why did you do that since you knew?

    Its a whim.

    Hans gasped at Rudgers words. He seriously doubted if this was what the brother he knew was saying.

    Did you hurt your head?

    .

    No, Im kidding. Why are you staring at me like that?

    Anyway.

    Rudger looked out the window. Although it was said to be a secret hideout, the view outside was ordinary because it was a general house simr to the surrounding buildings.

    To others it looked like a peaceful and quiet street but to Rudger this world was a stuffy cage.

    Hans, Ive changed my identity several times so far. For me, the real thing was my status as a prince who had already been abandoned in the past.

    He thought that having to live a fake life was inevitable for his future journey.

    But was that so?

    To be honest, arent you resentful?

    He made several rtionships with his false identities but he had to forsake them when he changed his identity because of other peoples intentions rather than by his own will.

    He lived half of his life running away, hiding and lying.

    Even if lies and deceit were ingrained in life, he didnt do it because he really liked it.

    I realized it since I was caught up in the train attack and had to use this unwanted identity. Maybe I was hoping for this.

    Will he live his whole life as a fake?

    But did you risk dying?

    Of course, I dont really intend to die because I have work to do and I want to do it so I turned around and formed an organization even if I will be caught for who I am in the future.

    Rudgers gaze toward the window changed sharply.

    I want to be able to say No one can touch me!

    To shout so, Rudger built up his power.

    In the end, {U.N Owen} is a haven for each of us, and it is brothers anger toward the world.

    Its our anger.

    Those abandoned in the world and those who want to get something but cant even hold it in their hands.

    Who will listen to their desperate voices?

    Who can bring their condemnation and resentment together and spread it to the world?

    Before he knew it, all the other members who were talking were listening to Rudger with their mouths closed.

    Be aware, I am not your teacher nor your captain, boss, leader, or savior.

    Rudger said emphatically.

    Im just a mouthpiece, a messenger who shouts the anger of the weak toward this world, including myself.

    So feel free to shout. Ill spread your voices.

    The slums of Leathervelk where no one es will be our starting point and our fortress.

 Chapter 197

    C197: Returning to the Starting Point (2)

    Hans and other members felt Rudger true feelings again. The true image of the leader who they always thought was cool-headed and rational.

    He had feelings too and a spark that ignited after he formed the current organization.

    The Empire wont move. What we have to worry about is Theon and the ck Dawn Society.

    If you get caught, wont they hang you?

    Not necessarily.

    Thew is not always right and noble but a patent for the possessor. If we have a position and money, thew would always be on our side.

    If were strong enough theyll try topromise with us just like they did with Silver Sun.

    Why was an organization like Silver Sun present in Leathervelk?

    It was because the city agreed to their existence.

    A nation is formed from countless elements, big and small that interlock like pieces in a machine. However, this machine known as The Empire wont move sometimes because its blocked by certain pieces.

    Lets say the empire is trying to get rid of us because we bother them. Whos going to act against us?

    Sedina replied.

    The most basic thing would be to use the police.

    But the police cant touch me anymore. Whats next?

    It must be Nightcrawler Knights of the Intelligence Service.

    Rudger nodded at Hanss words.

    But Nightcrawler Knights stopped by the slums and went back without doing anything since they felt that they couldnt touch us carelessly. Now, whos next?

    The imperial family?

    Even if they try to move the imperial family, the nobles will not just ept it because they make noise around them every time they move.

    If the world was just, they would all gather together and try to kill Rudger. Unfortunately, however, there were far more unjust people in the world.

    Someone wants to keep the imperial family in check, someone just hates them and someone gets something from us.

    There were all sorts of reasons.

    Giant cogwheels will not try to mesh with each other, and naturally, there is a space in that gap.

    Its the same with Theon.

    Theons most powerful man is President Elisa Willow but that doesnt mean that she wields unbridled power within Theon because the area of politics is also intervening.

    Politics means to hold hands with a person you hate if its beneficial to you and the President is well aware of that. She didnt rise to her current position with magic prowess alone.

    At that moment, Arpa, who had been listening quietly, raised his hand.

    Say it, Arpa.

    If you say so, it sounds like Theon is suspicious of leader? Am I mistaken?

    Oh? Come to think of it.

    Everyone recalled what they were missing when they heard Arpas question.

    Yes, thats right. The president is suspicious of me.

    Hans asked embarrassedly at Rudgers shocking remarks.

    Oh, no, wait a minute. Whats wrong with the president?

    Hans realized that he had asked a silly question after saying so.

    It would be strange if Rudger didnt know what he did so far. In fact he was sure the president stopped doubting him after what happened on thest day of Theons Magic Festival.

    Then, even though she knows?

    Hans. Didnt I tell you? Thats what politics is about.

    * * *

    Elisa received a new report while she was working in her office. It was about Rudgers frequent appearances in Leathervelk recently.

    Hmm. Youre going around a lot these days.

    She was going to use this knife herself, but she couldnt believe he was walking around like that. Therefore, there she had no choice but to be suspicious and keep him by her side.

    Of course, Im not sure if this will be okay.

    On thest day of the festival, there were many issues with the fight in the logistics warehouse. No. To be exact, the flow was weirdly natural and from there her suspicions rose again after her talk with Casey Selmore.

    Crollo Fabius, the Great Fire of Roteng, a fire Giant and the sudden appearance of the ck Dawn Society.

    And Rudger Chelici, who stands at the center of the case.

    It would be a lie to say that he has nothing to do with the case.

    And there was another key piece of evidence.

    Casey Selmore did not seem to have gained anything from questioning the remnants of the ck Dawn Society, but Elisa was different.

    No matter how strong the mental power of the remnants of the ck Dawn Society, everything bes meaningless the moment they face her eyes.

    But they were all disposable pieces so I wasnt able to get much.

    But one thing is for sure, there are still members of the ck Dawn Society in Theon and maybe Rudger has something to do with them. Maybe he was her enemy?

    No, thats not it.

    What was the reason for first doubting Rudger and then giving up the doubt?

    Teacher Rudger is toopetent.

    If he had acted like a regr teacher without showing his skills, he would not have been easily doubted but Rudgers track record was the opposite.

    He revealed his new magic and sincerely taught his students. He still had hidden cards, but he didntpletely hide his skills so it wouldnt make sense for him to be a spy but she couldnt rule out the possibility.

    Im not sure about the other issues, but I wouldve nevere forward to protect a student.

    The most memorable situation would be when he faced Duke Lumos and his figure standing in front of the frightened Flora like a strong barrier.

    As soon as she saw the scene, Elisa realized that Rudger hid his identity.

    Under imperialw, he is a sinner but whats wrong with that?

    He was a good man like she judged him to be and his skills were excellent. He was such a useful person.

    If I dont handle him properly, it would be my loss.

    * * *

    Rudger said, looking out the window in the direction of Theon.

    In the end, we use each other.

    Dont tell me youre aiming for this, so on purpose.

    If Rudger had tried to hide his skills and hide his identity, he would have been shackled without any mercy if he waster found out.

    However, if he shows his skills and is seen as attractive by the other person, the fact that he hid his identity can be dismissed.

    Moral ws?

    A man of ability is free from such a thing because hes aplished too much to arrest him for simply hiding his identity.

    Actually, I have no intention of being hostile to Theon, so if you look at her intentions, Im on the same page with the president.

    It is true that the president is holding a sword.

    His false identity is definitely a weakness but even so the president cant swing the sword because she is restrained by Hugo Burtag and his subordinates.

    They are Rudgers enemies and at the same time a breakwater that suppresses the power of the president.

    Then what about the ck Dawn Society? Are they okay?

    No way.

    Even if I squeezed out a lie on the spot, Zero Order would have felt a sense of alienation unless he was a fool.

    But why?

    Why did he leave without saying anything?

    Rudger took out the ring handed over by Zero Order and rolled it with his finger.

    I dont know why.

    In the first ce, he is a man whose identity is not certain.

    Rudger didnt know what he was trying to do because he didnt feel his purpose or will properly so he couldnt understand why he backed down so easily.

    He may also have felt something from me or maybe decided that he could get something from me.

    Its a total mess. This is why everything gets tiresome when politics are involved. Everyone is out of their minds.

    Hans shook his head in disgust. He doesnt have a one-dimensional idea that if you dont like it, you dont like it. He realized that he has to force himself tough sometimes even if he doesnt want to but this is not the case.

    Yes, Im out of my mind. You cant do this if youre not out of your mind.

    Of course, Rudger said this, but he felt great anxiety since Zero Order behavior was unpredictable.

    He could understand the presidents intentions but Zero Order was a man whose everything was shrouded in mystery.

    What was his purpose and why did he hand him an invitation to the executive meeting?

    This is the end of todays talk.

    Rudger said so and left, saying he was away for a while.

    * * *

    Sedina opened her mouth when Rudger left and everyone was quiet.

    Well, by the way, sirWho exactly is he?

    Huh? Nari didnt tell you?

    Yes, he said I would find out on my own.

    Why are you raising your voice? Do itfortably! Comfortably! You and I look about the same age!

    Youre over 30 years old. What do you mean?

    Hans said to get revenge for being beaten and Seridan back shouted in a fit of rage.

    My human age is half of my dwarf age.

    Oh, I see.

    Do you want to fight?

    Bruna said while the two were bickering.

    The boss is from a great family. However, he is hiding like this because his life is threatened.

    I see.

    A person born into a good family but not recognized. Wasnt he just like her?

    Sedina even felt a strange gratitude that they were in simr situations. Maybe Rudger helped her because of that?

    What are you talking about? And you there, dont be so curious about brother. You shouldnt just dig into other peoples secrets.

    He said that, but there was a thick nuance of someone like you shouldnt dare to be curious.

    At those words, Sedinas shoulders shrank but Seridan stepped up.

    Hans, arent you being too mean? Cant you give a warm wee?

    What am I?

    Tell me honestly. Are you insecure because you think your position is threatened? Youre jealous! Thats right. You are jealous.

    What!

    Since Seridan hit the nail on the head Hans shouted.

    Whos jealous of such a kid?

    Youre lying! Youre jealous!

    No way!

    Thats right!

    dont fight like kids.

    Violetta, who saw the fight between the two, looked tired.

    Then Sedina opened her mouth.

    Excuse me. You said Mr. Hans, didnt you?

    The code name is <kafka>. Brother gave it to me.</kafka>

    Seeing Hans introduce his code name out of the blue at Sedinas words, the members looked like him with eyes that were saying Do you want to win against that girl that much?

    But Hans didnt mind the looks at all.

    Why did youe all the way here since you were born in a good family and had the talent to enter Theon?

    .

    Sedina couldnt bear to contradict that.

    From an external point of view, Sedina was born in a blessed environment.

    -Whats with her?

    -She said shes from the Rosen family.

    Huh. Whats with the kid from a big family?

    In the ck Dawn Society she received looks of contempt and hostility from those who are different from her but Sedina was even used to the situation.

    Im sorry.

    Sedina apologized frankly.

    If she did so in the ck Dawn Society the other members would just ignore her but that was the only thing she could do.

    I didnt know.

    Hans was rather embarrassed when her voice became watery.

    I didnt mean to say that much.

    Hans! What are you going to do? Shes about to cry!

    Ah, no, I was just asking because I was really curious.

    A kid appeared next to his brother and threatened his position but Hans didnt think it would turn out like this and hurriedly consoled Sedina.

    That Dont be sad. Youll be able to get a code name someday.

    You call that constion? You idiot!

    Seridannded a double side kick in Hans face and Sedinas tight heart seemed to be loosened at the sight.

    Its amazing.

    It was quite different from the ck Dawn Society.

    Even if she made a small mistake, there would be a huge amount of abusivenguage and swear words, but there was nothing like that here.

    The executives even get alongfortably like friends that have known each other for a long time.

    She was envious of that, but she was strangely relieved that she was able to be with the people here.

    Sedina, youre all right, right? Do you want me to hit Hans a little more?

    Thank you for your concern but Im really fine. Hans, Im sure you dont trust me, but Ill do my best not to cause any trouble.

    Oh? Yes.

    Hans scratched the back of his head awkwardly as if he was ashamed of himself for being angry and asked to change the subject.

    You said you handle paper, didnt you?

    Yes, I use magic to handle paper and I can fly the pieces of paper around.

    Then, you collect data by scattering the paper all at once?

    Oh, no, thats not it. To be exact, Im scouting by assimting my consciousness on the paper I sent, but right now, I can only use one.

    Really?

    Hans was relieved at her words. He thought that Sedinas ability was superior to his own, but it clearly had its limits.

    I think I can let it slide since thats all.

    Ha. Well, do your best.

    Yes.

    For your information, I can even talk to mice.

    .

    Sedina didnt know how to react to his words, so she had no choice but to nod, Oh, yes.

    The colleagues watching the scene sighed and shook their heads.

    Im excited that a new member joined us.

 Chapter 198

    C198: The one who doesnt dream (1)

    Chapter sponsored byWarRock.Thank you for your support.

    In Rudgers ssroom Aidan was smiling awkwardly as he scratched his head.

    I got scolded again.

    At the height of the fireworks disy on thest day of the festival they fought against the members of the ck Dawn Society and won.

    No one was hurt and the worst was prevented but what came back to Aidan and his friends was a penalty.

    Thats true. I was too reckless this time.

    Aidan was confident that he would do well, but what he knows and what others see is different. He had no choice but toe to terms with being penalized.

    The only thing he was sorry about is that he even got his friends involved.

    Sorry. It happened because I made you go along with it.

    Thats enough.

    Leo, who was listening next to him, said.

    Its me who agreed to that anyway, and Im the one who asked to do it together.

    He was thankful just for the fact that no one was hurt.

    Tracy nodded as if she sympathized with the words. Iona was not interested because it was just a penalty point in the first ce.

    But it was bad luck. Of all things, we were caught by Chris Benimore.

    Thats right.

    Chris, a teacher who favors aristocratic students, naturally did not like themoner students.

    Aidan said, stretching the back of his head.

    Thats right. If it was Mr. Rudger, we would have escaped with just a warning.

    I remember that he scolded us badly thest time.

    Isnt that better than penalty points?

    You think that because you havent heard the teachers abusivenguage.

    I think it was okay

    you know, Aidan. I sometimes envy your skin-thick innocence.

    Thank you!

    Its not apliment

    When Leo was grumbling, someone approached them.

    Leo looked at the person approaching him and opened his eyes wide.

    You are

    Hello.

    She had dazzling white hair like the morning sun but it was her beauty that attracted more attention than her hair color.

    An ordinary male student would have been tempted by her appearance but Leo called her name with a lot of vignce.

    Julia Plumhart.

    You know me.

    Of course. Youre the top student of our year.

    She was the freshman who entered Theon as the top student and the Tower had great expectations from her but she was also one of the targets that the Liberation Army ordered Leo to pay particr attention to.

    Of course, he had no intention of following such an order.

    What happened to her, who usually moves alone without talking to anyone?

    At the beginning of the semester, several students approached her to be friends. Of course, there were students from noble families among them but Julia ignored them all since for her it didnt matter if they were noble ormoners.

    There were people who were dissatisfied with it, but after being stared at by Julia for a few seconds they immediately avoided eye contact and lowered their tails.

    Perhaps because of that, no one approached Julia since then.

    Her seat was also in the back of the ssroom and Leo forgot about her because she was always alone.

    Its quite surprising that she talked to him first and right now the students inside the ssroom were looking at him as if they were amazed.

    Besides, looking at her gaze, Leo thought she was interested in Aidan.

    Shes suspicious.

    From the standpoint of collecting and analyzing information, an eye for people is essential but Leo couldnt figure out what Julia Plumhart was like.

    It was hard to understand her since she was good at hiding her feelings. Even if its known that shes good at studying and that she entered the school as the top student, that cant be all.

    Whats your business with us?

    Leo asked first because he would be mentally exhausted if he kept confronting her and Julia said with a mysterious smile.

    You guys? No. Im only interested in that kid.

    She pointed at Aidan while she spoke.

    Me?

    Aidan reacted naturally.

    Yes. Youre Aidan, arent you?

    Yes, you areWell.

    Dont you know me?

    When Aidan blurted out the end of his words, Julia opened her eyes as if she were surprised. She didnt mean to brag, but at least she thought that there were no freshmen who didnt know her.

    Oh, right. I remember! Julia? I wondered where I saw it, and it was the name that was always in the first ce in the test score!

    What a funny kid you are.

    Aidan didnt act like that to get her attention. His reaction was full of purity and Julia thought it was funny, even though it hurt her pride a little.

    Hes a kid with interesting dreams, and this is only natural.

    Julia, a neer to Dream School, where dream wizards exist, and their best talent, can see the other persons dreams.

    Dreams are the unconsciousness of a person and the embodiment of desire. If you want to know the inside of a person, nothing is more effective than seeing his dream.

    Thats why Julia Plumhart judged people for their dreams.

    All the other guys are boring, but this kid is different.

    All the dreams Aidan had were rted to magic.

    How could he have such a firm and upright belief?

    Usually, dreams would be as murky andprehensive as clouds and fog but Aidans dream was like looking at a straight stick. However, he even used [unique] magic that others didnt use.

    Anyway, Im interested in you.

    Wait a minute.

    Tracy Friad stepped up.

    What are you? You cut in out of nowhere and say whatever you want.

    Her eyes toward Julia were full of vignce and hostility.

    Well, who were you?

    Tracy Friad.

    Tracy? Oh, the one ranked below me.

    That remark touched Tracys nerves since she was ranked second in the admission exam and the fact that she heard it from the person in the first ce made it even worse.

    Julia stared at Tessie with a smile.

    Hmm. This kids dream isnt great.

    Tracys dream felt very passionate, just like her personality. It burned red like a hot me, but what was contained in it was a weakness that could easily be extinguished at any time.

    Obviously the concentration of purity and passion was high, but that was all. She was little better than others but was far from attracting Julias interest.

    I think your tenacity to catch up with others through desperate efforts is high, but its not to my taste.

    At least she was much better than the ones approaching her with a mask and a ck lump on their mind, it just didnt attract her.

    But there was something fundamentally different about Tracy being wary of Julia.

    Anyway, I dont know what youre thinking about approaching Aidan, but I want you to know that its a little inconvenient.

    Oh, I dont think so. Its good to have more friends, right?

    You be quiet!

    Julia immediately noticed.

    She got a feeling from Tracy ncing at Aidan while she was talking.

    Were busy right now because we have something to talk about. So why dont you step aside?

    Hmm. Am I not allowed to hear?

    Yes, its our issue.

    Tracy purposely emphasized and drew a line as she looked into Julias eyes.

    Hmm. Well, I was just going to show my face in moderation today, so Ill stop here. Besides, its time for ss to start soon.

    If you know, go away! Shoo! Shoo!

    Julia responded with a smile to Tracys gesture and Tracy felt defeated by her mature response.

    See youter, then.

    Julia returned to her seat while waving to Aidan while Aidan looked at her, smiled innocently and said.

    Shes a very pretty girl. Right?

    .

    Ah! Wait! Tracy! Why are you hitting me?

    I dont know!

    It may have been a purepliment without any self-interest, but that was even worse.

    Tracy punched Aidan in the shoulder and Iona was watching the scene with an expressionless face, and Leo sighed, saying, I think something annoying will happen again.

    When Julia returned to her seat, her eyes shone as she watched Aidans group chattering.

    Its fun.

    Their dreams were also quite uniquepared to those of other students.

    That short boy is hiding something, and that Suin girl seems to have some purpose.

    Obviously not at the beginning of the semester, but at some point their dreams changed and that change happened after they got close to Aidan, thats Julia was curious about Aidan.

    Although Julia deals with unusual magic that is different from others and has a unique personality she was also a wizard and naturally, as a wizard, if something rted to her field urs, she will be interested.

    Other than that, theres another interesting dream.

    It was of course Renes dream. While everyone dreams of ideals she dreams of reality.

    At that moment, there was silence in the ssroom. Everyone heard the slow echo of footsteps from the entrance of the ssroom.

    The closed door opened and the teacher Rudger Chelici appeared. He was wearing a frock coat even though it was summer now. Of course, the coat was magical, so it will be cool during the summer and warm during the winter.

    Even considering that, it was not the case for the viewers. In a sense, he was a very consistent person.

    However, Julias attention was focused on the person who followed Rudger like a chick.

    Sedina.

    Sedina Rosen, the first assistant professor chosen by Mr. Rudger Chelici and the wizard named Julia Plumhart.

    Childhood friend.

    Julia felt ufortable whenever she saw Sedina. If shes being honest, shed be right to say she was angry.

    Sedina the liar.

    As a child, Sedina met Julia and then the two became friends. It was then when Julia first opened her heart to others but Sedina subsequently rejected her offer to be with her afterward and even reneged on her promise.

    Now they meet again at Theon but Sedinas dream waspletely ck as if it were ted with darkness. The bright appearance and dream of her innocent childhood friend in the past were no longer there.

    I cant believe she let go of that beauty.

    Julia couldnt stand it. Nevertheless, Sedinas appearance of lowering her head as if she were scared without pretending to know her was beyond disappointment and even contempt.

    She was definitely like that.

    Something was different today though. Her steps were light and strangely lively, unlike her usual self.

    The biggest change would be her dream. At the beginning of the semester, Sedinas dream was clearly bad enough to receive the worst evaluation from Julias point of view.

    It was dark and dirty and just looking at it made her feel bad, so she was in a bad condition that day. Although it has improved gradually recently, its essence has not changed but today it waspletely different.

    I cant believe the color of her dream changed in a few days.

    It felt like the contaminated water was purified and the change waspletely unimaginable for Julia.

    What the hell happened?

    Since her dream has changed it meant that something has changed inside Sedina, something very fundamental and there was only one person that could have that effect on Sedina.

    Mr. Rudger Chelici.

    He was a new teacher at Theon and a much more capable person than any other teachers. The [source code] magic he showed was beyond interest, and even Julia, who was not interested in anything other than dreams, was mesmerized for a moment.

    I thought that special abilities and having a good influence on others arepletely different areas.

    But Julia had a hard time believing that Rudger had an influence on Sedina.

    Yes, thats how Rudger is.

    The only person who can influence a dream is someone who has another dream.

    A prime example was Aidan, whom he has been eyeing since before.

    The straightness and goodness of his heart could be seen through his dream, and Aidans friends who were affected by it also changed.

    It was like a beautiful virtuous circle.

    A dream that was clearer than anyone elses was needed.

    Thats why Mr. Rudger is a person who can never influence others.

    The reason was simple: Rudger Chelici had no dreams.

    Come to think of it, Ive heard of it before.

    There were very few examples, but it was said that such people existed in the past.

    The wizards in Dream School call those people like this The one who doesnt dream.

 Chapter 199

    C199: The one who doesnt dream (2)

    Beasts and small creatures also have desires and hopes.

    Dreams are the essence of life. Therefore, all human beings, who can be called desire itself, dream.

    There is only a difference between clear and cloudy, light and heavy in the shape of the dream.

    Having no dream is not allowed ording to thews of the world but sometimes there are those who deviate from thews of the world.

    They have been called the ones who dont dream.

    Although he was her senior, he was almost twice as old as Julia and he was close to an uncle in his 30s.

    What is it all of a sudden, old man?

    I told you to call me your senior!

    Considering that most of the wizards belonging to the Dream School were over 50s, the mid-30s were very young but for Julia, even that was just an old man because she was a genius who entered the dream school in her early teens.

    All right. Anyway, would you mind not talking to me?

    -You should get rid of the habit of judging people at will.

    -But your dream is not cool.

    Youre so mean!

    Her unsuspecting senior coughed while shouting.

    Julia, keep this in mind, you cant judge people by their dreams forever.

    Why? Dreams are the essence of a person.

    Because there are people who dont have dreams.

    Juliaughed at his words then.

    -Youre joking. Who in the world is like that?

    There are. Surprisingly, Ive seen one in person once.

    Who?

    Its a secret. Anyway, there are people like that.

    -If you say so, at least its not a lie.

    What did you think of me?

    Mmm. Unreliable uncle?

    -Have I done anything wrong to you?

    The senior who drooped his shoulders, immediately recovered. He had a great mentality and quickly recovered from any vicious remarks.

    Maybe it was because he had to survive in the Dream School, which was full of geeks.

    -Anyway, if you stay in our Dream School, you will meet a unique person someday. For example, the dreamless one I talked about earlier.

    -What is the one who doesnt dream? Can a person not have a dream?

    Its called that because it exists. I dont know why. However, there are several hypotheses.

    The word hypotheses intrigued Julia.

    Questions in their field always made wizards feel hungry.

    -What are those hypotheses?

    -Not sleeping or being blocked by something else. There are many hypotheses, but most of them are nonsense. However, the most likely theory is that.

    -What?

    Self-confidence.

    -Does self-confidence refer to an upright belief in oneself?

    Yes, those who dont dream have confidence. The certainty that they can achieve dreams that other people just wish for.

    People dream to chase their ideals that are impossible to achieve in reality.

    -They dont have desires of others but a firm belief they can achieve it.

    An ideal that can be achieved can no longer be a dream because its an extension of reality.

    Yeah. I mean, hes the ultimate superhuman who can achieve his ideals.

    Julia returned from her past recollections and stared at Rudger.

    Is he the ultimate superhuman? What an interesting expression.

    She even thought that what her senior said was not just nonsense.

    It was fascinating since I saw you at the beginning of the semester.

    In the past, her senior earnestly asked her to let him know if she ever met someone like that but Julia didnt want to. For now, she wanted to watch.

    The one who doesnt dream changed Sedinas dream. And in a very positive way too.

    The only thing that can affect a dream is a stronger dream, staining good dreams with evil or dyeing bad dreams with good. But the one who doesnt dream changed Sedinas dream.

    This was a great discovery and change in the dream magic academia.

    Should I ask how on earth that happened?

    But she didnt think Mr. Rudger would say it easily because of his personality and she had limited methods to find out by herself.

    In the end Julia had no choice but to reach out to other possibilities.

    The wizards of the Dream School. They have strange personalities, but their skills are real, and they thirst for mysterious things more than anyone else.

    Maybe if she asked them indirectly they might give her an answer.

    Still, it hurts my pride a little to ask for help from them.

    But it was rted to Sedina, who was her childhood friend so a little bit of damage wont matter.

    * * *

    The ss started.

    The amount of magic that each wizard releases varies widely. This is because the innate elements of the body y a big role.

    The students concentrated on writing and moved their pens quickly.

    Some papers argue that healthy and disciplined bodies can release more magic, but the effect has been found to be insignificant. It means that even if you make your body strong as a wizard, the efficiency you can see is less than that.

    How to increase the amount of mana emission is a challenge for all wizards. So far, many wizards have been preupied with finding a better way, but they dont have any significant results.

    Some said that by increasing the total mana in ones body the amount of mana emitted will increase proportionally to that but increasing the total amount of mana is very difficult.

    The most effective method currently known is to master the process of depleting your mana and restoring it quickly.

    It was a ng term among wizards called mana muscle. Of course, it was not a real muscle but more of a roundabout expression.

    In order for muscles to grow they have to be worked to the limit, then torn and regenerated and it was the same with the mana muscle.

    However, this method also has limitations and some people reach out to the forbidden paths to seek a better way.

    The ck Wizards?

    Yes, they touched the taboos and experimented on humans.

    The ck wizards were crazy and used people as test subjects. In the end they even experimented on themselves.

    In fact, one of the bug brothers whom Rudger fought against previouslybined his body with a bug.

    There are research materials of some ck magicians obtained through the Empiresrge-scale subjugation. The Tower revealed only a part of it in the past, but if you look at the outline that was revealed, the ck magicians tried to make a circuit in the human body.

    What circuit?

    A mana circuit.

    A part of it was simr to magic engineering which has recently emerged and the mostmon example was the golem.

    In the past, golems were made of soil and stone but now that science has developed the bodies of the golems are made from steel and brass and theirponents contain highpression steam and mechanical springs.

    Although the mana stone drives the golem not everything works because of the mana stone. Sophisticated mechanical parts must be engaged, while pipes and cylinders must be moved.

    The circuit which moves the mana stone energy into the golems parts ys the most important role. It was also the circuit that ck wizards were interested in.

    They forcefully engraved the circuits that exist only in machines in human bodies.

    The students made a fuss.

    The human body is made up of skin and has a fixed form from birth. No one knew how dangerous it was to add a new circuit that was not originally present in such a body.

    The body might reject the circuit and even in the best case there was a high possibility that it couldnt adapt to it.

    The probability of sess is extremely low, and even if it is sessful, enormous pain will appear whenever mana is used but ck wizards did such a thing without hesitation.

    Of course, that is strictly prohibited under nationalw. What the ck wizards are trying to do is forcefully undermine reason and harmony. That kind of development is not worth it.

    Is there any way to increase mana emission other than endless training?

    Right now there isnt.

    The students seemed to be disappointed by his words because they thought Rudger might know a way.

    Rudger smiled inwardly at the obvious students.

    Increasing mana emission will be the discovery of the century. Something like the Source code was iparable to it.

    Its not that theres no way.

    Rudger decided to give them some advice.

    You dont have to feel sad. Maybe one day there will be a better way.

    Do you really think there will be a better way?

    Yes.

    Rudger replied without a shadow of doubt.

    You may not know, but in the past magic was less sophisticated than it is now but the wizards of that time were more powerful.

    They could drop lightning from the sky, cause snowstorms and shake the ground.

    Although such great magic is treated like a legend, wizards of the past could use it.

    Isnt that just an exaggeration?

    Someone asked.

    In fact, most students thought so.

    Magic has evolved over time and it never urred to them that the magic of the present era would be weaker than the magic of the past.

    Maybe it is. Perhaps, even if such a thing was actually possible, it could have been caused by an out-of-standard being with an amount of magical power equivalent to that of an archmage.

    What?

    If a being had an enormous amount of mana, then even when they released a little they could create a gigantic phenomenon.

    But there is definitely something to learn from the magic of the past.

    In fact, the research direction of the method of increasing mana emission in the Tower has recently been changed. They now tried to get clues from the ancestors and Rudger knew that was the correct answer.

    Sometimes, rather than the possibility of the future, looking at the past calmly and paying attention to the wisdom of ancestors can also help development.

    Of course, students wont understand even if he says this but it didnt matter, there were definitely a few people who took it seriously.

    Soon the bell that ended the ss rang out.

    Thats all for todays ss, your task is to review todays content. Summarize and submit your review and exploration of the old literature rted to mana emission in a report. The time limit is next week. Thats it.

    Thank you for your hard work!

    The ss was over and Rudger organized his files.

    At that time, some students showed signs of hesitation and were wondering whether to approach Rudger or not.

    Tell me if you have something to say. Dont stand there.

    When permission was granted, the students approached.

    He was wondering what it was, but they asked about the contents of the ss.

    Recently, students seem to be asking a lot of questions.

    Before, they were overwhelmed by Rudgers atmosphere and no one wanted to approach him after ss but the starting point of change was after Theon {Magic Festival}.

    The fact that Rudger ran into the fire to save Selina, spread among the students.

    After that the students thought of him like a teacher whos usually cold and aloof, but does the right thing when its important. His appearance was also handsome, so at that moment his good points that were not normally seen were suddenly highlighted.

    Rudger, who didnt know that, was not able to easily adapt to the attitude of the students who have changed recently.

    Teacher, do you have a girlfriend or someone you like?

    If its not a question about school, refrain from it.

    When he answered in that way the girlsughed.

    He hoped that the students would approach him, but he felt that the distance suddenly decreased.

    Sir, I have a question.

    Rene?

    I dont understand this part of the form, can you exin it to me again?

    Questions like this were always wee, so Rudger nced over the notes Rene had brought.

    The skeletal lines are tangled with each other. On the surface, it may not seem like much, but this will inevitably reduce the flow of mana.

    I see.

    You can find out more about this by reading [Introduction to the Structure of Spells III]. Its an old book, but its probably what you need the most right now.

    He pointed out what was wrong and even rmended books necessary to supplement her knowledge. Unlike his blunt tone, his exnation was very helpful.

    Rene peeped at Rudgers figure. His face was calm as he looked at her notes.

    He was cold and rational, but she felt something familiar when she saw Rudger, like she often met him somewhere.

    It was something she forgot, something very distant and nostalgic.

    She didnt know why, but Rene unknowingly said a name.

    Heathcliff?

    She was surprised that she said it and Rene opened her eyes wide as if she didnt understand her behavior but what surprised her even more was Rudgers reaction.

    What did you just say?

    Because Rudger was staring at her with a stiff face.

 Chapter 200

    C200: Memory (1)

    I want to thank everyone who supported this novel. Without you all I wouldnt have reached this milestone so quickly.

    Rene, what did you say?

    What? What did I just say?

    Rene asked back vaguely and Rudger stared at her silently. She shrugged her shoulders and mumbled her lips at the intense cold steel-like gaze.

    Oh no, teacher must be angry because I asked a question and then said something weird.

    At least as far as Rene knows, Rudger abides by his principles.

    Im crazy.

    Rene.

    Sorry, Im sorry! Im very tired these days, so my mind goes back and forth. I think I said that because I didnt sleep well.

    It was reallyme to call it an excuse, but there was nothing else she could say.

    Fortunately, Rudger didnt ask any more questions.

    You need enough sleep. Its good to concentrate on studying, but dont try to reduce your sleep to the limit.

    Yes, sir.

    Rene was relieved and was about to leave but Rudger called her.

    Rene.

    Yes?

    Rene was afraid that Rudger would find fault with what she said before and her face was red.

    The reason why I havent been able to sleeptely.

    When Rudger was about to ask something, his assistant Sedina approached him.

    Mr. Rudger.

    Whats wrong, Sedina?

    The president is calling you.

    Rudger turned his eyes to the outside of the ssroom and through the open door, he saw that a person was staring at him with soft eyes.

    Wilford.

    An aide of the president and an employee of Theon but his real identity was that of a retired knight of considerable skill.

    Why is the president calling me all of a sudden?

    Such a question urred to him. In fact, there were so many things that he couldnt choose one.

    I see.

    Rudger nodded his head and collected the ss materials.

    Rene breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Rudger leaving the ssroom. She would have been scolded a lot if she said, I said that because I thought of a name from my dream.

    She would have been criticized by Rudger for being distracted by her dream.

    But what is this subtle feeling?

    She felt relieved with her head but not with her heart and her chest felt stuffy.

    * * *

    I heard you wanted to see me.

    Rudgers visit this time was not in the presidents office but in a high-rise terrace in the main building.

    Wee, Mr. Rudger. Please sit here.

    On the terrace, there was a table with refreshments and a guest chair.

    Rudger sat down in an empty seat without hesitation. As he turned his eyes, he could see Theonsrge campus over the beautifully embossed marble railing. Nevertheless, it was so vast and unobstructed that it could not be seen at a nce.

    He turned his head again and stared at the president who had been looking at him in an upright posture for a while with a subtle smile on her face as usual.

    It was the presidents usual face but Rudger felt ufortable.

    The problem was that the president was the same as usual.

    Do you like tea?

    I dont hate it.

    As Elisa gestured, the teacup and kettle flew in from afar and the kettle poured the tea gently.

    Drink.

    Rudger didnt refuse, but picked it up and savored the aroma.

    Its White Rivenda petals.

    You know it?

    It only grows in ces where it is neither cold nor hot like Cenderil, a small valley town in Queoden Kingdom. The area is small and cultivation is not easy, so it is quite precious.

    I didnt know Mr. Rudger was so knowledgeable about tea.

    Its difficult to find even if someone has money and I think its too precious to give it to a guest.

    Why? Mr. Rudger deserves it.

    Is that so?

    It was a kind ofpliment to hand over a rare, hard-to-find tea.

    Saying that he deserves it is tantamount to saying that she admired Rudger.

    But she couldnt have called me this far simply topliment me.

    Even Wilford, who always apanies her, was not present today.

    Since it was only the two of them it meant that the president had something to say.

    Rudger took a sip of Rivenda tea. The pungent yet soft scent lingered on the tip of his tongue and the level of sweetness was just right for him.

    President, you wouldnt have called me just to treat me to a cup of tea so Ill ask you directly. Why did you call me?

    Are you so curious about that Mr. Rudger?

    .

    Rudger remained silent.

    Nothing good would happen to him if he makes it obvious here.

    The presidentughed at his appearance and immediately brought up the main topic.

    The reason why I called Mr. Rudger separately is to make a suggestion.

    A suggestion?

    Mr. Rudger since you came here you have been working hard for our Theon. You eliminated werewolves, caught bad people and protected the students.

    He understood her meaning however Elisa did not directly say, I know your identity.

    It was the same with Rudger.

    I just did what I had to do.

    He just said the obvious thing a teacher would say but also had the hidden meaning he wouldnt reveal his identity.

    There are a lot of people who didnt even do that but Mr. Rudger did. I dont know why you did that, but isnt it a good thing that everything went well?

    The president took a sip of tea, saying so and her dazzling golden pupils showing the appearance of a teacup.

    So I thought about it. No matter how new he is, he works so well so he needs some kind ofpensation.

    I didnt do it forpensation.

    Still, giving is my duty so I thought about what kind of reward would satisfy me as well as Mr. Rudger.

    The president pped her hands and said.

    I had a good idea and it wouldnt be a bad suggestion for Mr. Rudger either. Its a rather good thing.

    What is it?

    Mr. Rudger is the teacher in charge of the second grade, right? Its unusual among new teachers.

    Rudger nodded.

    Even so, there are more students in the first grade.

    Oh, that doesnt matter. Anyway, Mr. Rudger hasnt even worked for a year and although you adapted quickly you stillck experience. Thats why.

    The president was finally getting to the point so Rudger focused on her.

    Would you like to go to the nning department?

    President Elisas proposal was very unexpected. She wasnt asking him to reveal his identity but was giving him a new position.

    If its the nning department.

    To be exact, you will be one of the evaluators belonging to the nning department.

    Me, an evaluator?

    Yes. You know that there are several affiliated organizations in Theon, right?

    Rudger nodded.

    Theon was equivalent to a city so theres not just the space for the students to study. Residential facilities, living facilities, and rest facilities all exist. There were evenboratories, administrative offices, central libraries and training centers.

    Although it couldntpare to Leathervelk, Theon could be considered a small city but when it came to internal infrastructure Theon wasparable to arge city. As a result, there were departments that shared various tasks.

    One of them was the nning and Evaluation Department where Elisa wanted to send Rudger. Although the name might sound like nothing, its power was enormous.

    It was in charge of performance management, self-audit, external exchange, and department evaluation. However, their biggest authority would be budget management.

    It takes a lot of money to do research and conduct sses and the nning office distributed those funds.

    Rudger was suspicious since the president said she was going to let him into the nning office.

    May I ask why you made this proposal?

    Actually, that seat in the nning office has been vacant for a long time.

    The president spoke in a casual tone, but it didnt make sense to simply give him a seat. The nning office is not an easy ce to enter and even among teachers, only a person with experience and excellent performance would be admitted.

    Youre going to put me in that important position that I cant obtain even if I want to?

    Besides, from what she said, she didnt seem to have consulted with others.

    There are many things that must be done in the nning office but they also had a huge amount of power within Theon. Even if Im in charge of school administration, all I have to do is approve important documents and I can hire personnel to do the rest.

    Several teachers aimed for that position since they could gain strength in Theon but the president said she would give it to him under her authority.

    Youre suspicious of my identity, but youre giving me authority.

    It was something impossible to do unless a person was quite crazy.

    Youre saying that youll purposely give me greater authority and watch me closely.

    Rudger had no choice but to admire the president.

    Cause thats how you reduce variables.

    She evaluated his track record and ability shown so far higher than his uncertain identity so she chose to give him more power and keep a closer eye on him than to limit his power and iste him.

    Was she so confident that she could control everything?

    What do you think?

    Elisa asked with a smile.

    If you just say you want to do it, I can push through with the presidents authority.

    Does the president gain anything by doing that?

    Me? No I dont but Mr. Rudger will. People have to sit in the seats that match their abilities.

    I see, replied Rudger calmly.

    The presidents actions are nothing more than gnawing at her own flesh.

    How could she force a new teacher to sit in a position that others coveted for almost a year? There is bound to be a bacsh and the first thing he thought of was Hugo Burtag.

    The man would try to denounce the president as a tyrant and the same would go for the other teachers who supported the president.

    Among them, there will surely be people who are skeptical of the presidents decision and jealous of Rudger.

    Nevertheless, the president suggested it and she is not a fool that would make losing deals.

    Its because even considering all that, her gains are greater.

    Since she will get the talent named Rudger Chelici.

    The president smiled on the outside and her eyes shone on the inside

    The better you are, the more I want to keep you close.

    Dangerous?

    Thats why Im keeping him by my side.

    If she puts him near her, he wont do anything dangerous.

    She knows what others will say but so what? It is true that they have the ability to enter Theon but they have also overestimated their abilities. In particr, the aristocratic faction led by Hugo, has been present for too long.

    She couldnt let those people flourish anymore when she was tired due to outside intervention so she needed a knife to cut them out and the most suitable one was Rudger.

    He was a sharp sword that could cut anything and she would cut out the internal problems with it.

    Rudger understood the presidents meaning as well.

    The president said I wont ask your origin or identity. Instead, lets work hand in hand.

    She was a great woman and made a choice that he wouldnt make unless he would be out of his mind. Thats why he liked her.

    After all, the two knew each others situation well but they wouldnt bother to say it out loud. Because they were better than anyone else, they know even if they dont talk to each other.

    Theons president, one of my greatest treats, will protect me voluntarily. This is an excellent development.

    Since the president reached out to him, he had one less thing to worry about.

    Rudger, who finished the judgment, calmly opened his mouth.

    Your suggestion is very fascinating. Im even grateful that you made this offer.

    Oh, really? Im d you liked it.

    Yes, so in addition to your suggestion, I will give you a better opinion.

    What is that?

    Tell me, the presidents golden eyes were saying so.

    It is not enough for me to be an ordinary member of the nning Department. If you give me the position of head of the nning Department, I will ept it.

    Elisas smiling face cracked for the first time.

 Chapter 201

    C201: Memory (2)

    Hmm. Did I hear wrong?

    Elisa immediately controlled her facial expression but couldnt hide the tremors in her eyes.

    You heard right. I want to be the director of the nning department.

    However, Rudger had no intention of backing down.

    Elisa couldnt believe that he was so confident and asked back.

    Mr. Rudger, do you know how important the position of director of the nning department is?

    Isnt it the director of the nning department?

    I was prepared to suffer considerable backsh just by pushing you into the nning department but you want a bigger position.

    For the first time, the presidents golden eyes narrowed. Her eyes, which were always bent with a smile, stretched thin and stared at Rudger like a sharp golden de.

    It was not obvious on the surface but her demonic eyes were affected by her emotional agitation and shone.

    Rudger smirked inside, feeling a tickling sensation flowing over his skin.

    Shes shaken.

    She made him a good offer but he wanted an even better one so it was normal for the president to be mad.

    The power of her magical eye flowed naturally, clearly showing that she was very displeased.

    If you be the director of the nning department it wouldnt be strange if most teachers went on strike. You must not be aware of the impact that would cause.

    The position of Director of the nning Department is not currently vacant for nothing. Since the person in that position would have the authority to organize the internal budget of Theon.

    As soon as someone tries to obtain that position, the opposing factions would stop him. As soon as even neutral forces enter the fight, all kinds of illegal favors and lobbying will be rampant. In that case, it was obvious that Theons work would be paralyzed and the president wanted to avoid such a thing.

    Didnt the president say that? A person needs a position or reward that is worthy of his ability.

    Does that mean that Mr. Rudger has enough skills to take the position of nning Director?

    Rudger took a sip of tea without saying a word as the president stared at him.

    Honestly.

    -Thud.

    The sound of a teacup crashing into a dish echoed and Rudger opened his mouth.

    The position of the director of the nning department is not satisfactory either.

    At those words, President Elisas eyebrows twitched. Magical power influenced by her emotions began to take over the surrounding space.

    The table trembled and there was a big ripple on the calm teacup.

    Does that mean that you are rejecting my offer?

    She was the same as usual, but the feeling of intimidation felt quite different. It was like looking up at Mt. Tai in the distance.

    If any teacher were to be brought in front of the president in her current state, they would not even be able to meet her eyes. A weak person wont even breathe properly.

    However, even in the tension of an active volcano just before the eruption, Rudger was calm. It was a strange sight, as if a small boat was sailing leisurely in the center of the open sea where a typhoon was raging.

    There is no doubt that the president is feared by everyone and is a wizard with great skills. However, he hade too far to be surprised by things like this.

    Rudger has been feeling pressure stronger than the presidents for a long time.

    Didnt I tell you? I appreciate your suggestion.

    Then why.

    Do you really think that I, the person youve seen so far, is a danger to Theon?

    Its a mystery. Theres a possibility that all of that might be acting.

    Your answer makes you look hesitant unlike your always confident self.

    Even though it would be hard to breathe due to the density of the mana emitted by the president Rudger replied with an unaffected face.

    I think Ive shown enough faith in the president so far, more than anyone else.

    Yeah, I admit that. Thats why I called you here.

    And Im still trying to show that faith.

    .

    Elisa was right to be angry at Rudgers arrogant remarks but she was also lost in thought.

    Even though he threatened him with her magic, Rudger was not afraid.

    His tone of voice and the look in his eyes showed that he was confident so she couldnt help but think that there might be some kind of n behind his actions.

    If you give me the position of nning director, you wont regret it.

    All right.

    The president sighed softly and the mana storm from the terrace stopped.

    However, it is not something that can be given simply because Mr. Rudger asked for it. We need arguments that no one will dare to speak against.

    Yes, I know that.

    Elisa raised the corners of her eyes as Rudger shamelessly nodded.

    Do you have a way to deal with the peoples dissatisfaction?

    She seemed to ask casually but she was sure Rudger had a n.

    What would you do if I did?

    It wont work the normal way since theyll attack you from everywhere. If you were a nning and evaluation officer, I would be able to protect you somehow.

    The director position cannot be obtained so easily.

    Exactly. Youre going to be the ruler of a department where you can sway other teachers evaluations so they will be even more wary. Besides, you havent even worked here for a year.

    The vacancy of the nning director position was also a symbol of peace since the moment someone takes over the bnce will copse.

    The administration, support, and research departments cannot be ignored, but the nning department is different. If you really want to do it you have to show results that cant be contested or else you wontst long.

    Results?

    Yes, results that not only Theon but other institutions will have to pay attention and acknowledge.

    For example.

    Oh, for your information, the source code wont be enough.

    The source code was obviously a great magic and rumors spread already. Although its principles werent known yet it was acknowledged by the magic world so it wont cause a big impact anymore.

    In the first ce, you said that the source code would be given to students ording to the test results, right? From the point of view of other wizards, the information will be released on its own over time, so there is no need to fret.

    Thats certainly true.

    But it will be very difficult for you to show something else. Although the magic square was surprising its not enough either. What about the coordinate designation magic you showed?

    That wont work. It will be very hard to use even if I reveal it.

    Then I dont think theres any particr way to do it.

    The presidents voice contained even a little disappointment.

    Why do you think there is no way?

    Then does Mr. Rudger want to say that there is another way? A magic that will heat up the magic world?

    Yes.

    The president opened his eyes wide at his words.

    Really?

    Its not a lie.

    What is it? Can you tell me what it is?

    Since were on the same boat anyway, I can tell you.

    Rudger raised his hand and cast a sound blocking spell around them. It was a way to prevent anyone from eavesdropping.

    Rudger opened his mouth in silence, but no one other than Elisa could hear him.

    .

    As soon as she heard him, the presidents eyes, which were full of doubts, widened to the point of tearing and even her poker face cracked.

    What do you think? I think thats enough.

    Its enough. Maybe itll be even grander than the 5th Magic Revolution.

    Its not enough to name it so grandly, but Im just grateful that you rate it like that.

    He was too modest and calm for someone who has brought up that idea and at this point, the president had no choice but to have a question.

    Is there anything else? Looking at Mr. Rudgers behavior now, it seems that you still have a lot to hide.

    Yes, there is.

    Really?

    You wont believe it even if I tell you anyway.

    .

    The president mumbled his lips a few times to say something.

    Im curious, but I wont ask. That will also be the foundation of Mr. Rudger.

    Thank you for your understanding.

    .

    In response to the slightly brazen answer, the president nced at Rudger with a sulky gaze.

    Yes, yes. Theres no way you would be so calm without having anything under your sleeve.

    I had no intention of hiding this for the rest of my life. Its just that I had no opportunity until now. However, since I have a chance, I n to actively use it.

    Hmm.

    The president gave a suspicious look, but she couldnt see through his intentions.

    Then, just announce it and everything will go easily.

    Yes, but you will need a period of preparation to publish a thesis and research results in the magic world.

    Thats right. We need to show that the new approach works and that would take at least six months.

    At that, Rudger shook his head.

    We dont have to wait six months. I can do it faster than that.

    How long will it take?

    A week is enough.

    Are you serious?

    Elisa clenched her fists without realizing it.

    In fact she made a lot of concessions when she said six months but Rudger only asked for a week so she couldnt get rid of the idea that Rudger was making fun of her.

    Wouldnt that be dangerous? If you make a mistake the aftereffects will be great.

    Thats not going to happen. Its just that it will cost a lot of money.

    You dont have to worry about that. I can give you as much research funds as you want. What else do you need my help with?

    Id appreciate it if you could arrange a position for me so that I could hire people to prove this theory.

    Who will you hire?

    Good students will have the most noticeable effect.

    Rudger took the initiative as soon as he saw the presidents expression change.

    There will be no aftereffects. I know you dont trust me, so Ill send the data to the president separately. You can read it and decide for yourself if its dangerous or not.

    What if I dont like it?

    You can reject it. If that is your judgment, I am willing to ept it. The final approval is ultimately under the authority of the president.

    .

    When she said this, the president had no choice but to agree with him.

    All right, lets do that first.

    Yes, I will send you the data as soon as possible.

    It seemed that the conversation ended with this and Rudger was about to rise from his seat when the president opened her mouth.

    By the way, Mr. Rudger.

    Yes.

    What is your real identity?

    This time she spoke straightforwardly and Rudger replied after a moment of hesitation.

    I was a prince.

    What?

    The president red at Rudger.

    Get out.

    I will.

    Rudger left the terrace with a light bow while the president who was looking at his back grumbled.

    If you dont want to tell me, say no. How can you make such ame joke?

    * * *

    Less than half a day after Rudgers departure, a bundle of data was posted in the presidents office.

    This fast?

    It was as if he had prepared in advance because he knew it would be like this.

    The president immediately looked at the materials sent by Rudger.

    Elisa read the data with eyes of doubt and distrust. As soon as she found any loopholes she was going to firmly reject it.

    The handwriting is very neat and clean.

    It is said that a persons handwriting is influenced by the its inclination, but what about Rudger?

    The presidents expression gradually hardened as he read through the material while thinking such silly thoughts.

    When she turned all the pages and finished the material the president read the book one more time from cover to cover to review it.

    Again!

    After reading it five times she burst intoughter.

    Sheughed so hard that she even had tears in her eyes and after theughter died down, the president took out her seal and stamped it on the document.

    [Approved]

    * * *

    The next morning on the bulletin board in the central hallway, students gathered and were talking about something.

    Huh? Why are they all gathered there?

    Aidan became interested in the unusually crowded bulletin board today. At this moment, his sensor of intellectual curiosity toward magic responded as if lightning had been plugged in.

    Aidan managed to squeeze through the students and looked at the bulletin board.

    Huh?

    He saw a notice that appeared to have just been posted this morning.

    [Announcement to recruit participants for clinical research]

    Clinical trials to assess the effectiveness of maximizing the wizards mana emission.

    Anyone over 15 years old.

    However, the following persons are not allowed to participate.

    Persons with a history of  respiratory, circtory, endocrine, blood disease or other chronic diseases.

    Persons with a history of gastrointestinal surgery that can affect the absorption of drugs.

    If you participate, you can get a mana check-up without any additional cost, and arge number ofpensation fees will be paid.

    It was a recruitment announcement for a study that would increase mana emission. However, what caught the students attention the most was the name written under the notice.

    Contact Rudger Chelici, a second-grade teacher.

    Increasing the amount of mana emitted?

 Chapter 202

    C202: Water and City (1)

    Rumors about the clinical research spread quickly among students.

    Did you hear? They said they were conducting clinical research to increase the amount of mana released.

    Are you sure thats all right? If its clinical research, its still something you do to your body.

    But I heard Rudger Chelici is doing it.

    That teacher?

    There were a lot of stories in Theon about Rudger so everyone was contemting whether to participate or not.

    Anyway, isnt clinical research like that?

    Its a study that increases the amount of mana released so its not as easy as it sounds.

    Thats right. If it worked, other wizards would have already done it.

    There were many negative reactions but there were also people who thought positively.

    Its Mr. Rudger after all.

    Thats right. From source code to the magic square, they were all new magics that never existed before. Maybe its possible this time, too?

    People believed in him because he already showed many impressive things but some were still anxious about participating in a clinical trial.

    Its not just a paper study, its a clinical study. Honestly, wouldnt there be side effects?

    They say that it will increase the amount of mana released but if it goes wrong.

    Ill just wait and see who does it.

    The burden of having side effects gave students hesitation.

    Rudger made great results so far but there is no guarantee that he will continue to do so in the future. Furthermore, the magic-rted side effects are tantamount to a death sentence for a wizard.

    Sess is good, but failure is irreversible so the students were scared.

    Hmm. As expected, there are few applicants even if there are a lot of recruitment notices.

    Rudger swept his chin when he heard Sedinas report. He already guessed that no one would apply immediately anyway.

    Teacher, will you be okay? At this rate, there will be no applicants before the study starts..

    Its okay. There wont be applicants.

    People were concerned for now and thought about risks and returns but in the end there will be people who will take risks.

    Its only a matter of time. The announcement was just posted but as time passes applicants will appear.

    He just had to wait, besides there were still three days until the recruitment period ended.

    By the way, Sedina.

    Yes, sir!

    When her name was called, a powerful voice responded.

    Until now, fear had been mixed in her voice, but after learning the truth that day, it disappeared. Rather, her expression was much brighter than before, and she looked livelier.

    If there are students whoe to see the official document, write their names and report to me.

    Yes, sir. Are you leaving?

    Yes, I have something to deal with now.

    Sedina knew that Rudger was going to a branch of the ck Dawn Society and had a strange feeling since not until long ago she was a member of the ck Dawn Society.

    Of course, Sedina has not officially withdrawn from the ck Dawn Society, so she was still nominally a Second Order of the ck Dawn Society.

    However, since she had no loyalty left, she didnt feel sorry even if Rudger hit them. Rather, she was surprised by her calm appearance.

    I, surprisingly, was not deeply loyal to the ck Dawn Society.

    She was being loyal to the ck Dawn because she craved recognition from them and now that Rudger gave her what she desired she was loyal to him not to the ck Dawn Society.

    Now her task was to deliver information about the ck Dawn Society to Rudger.

    Then Ill go.

    Sir, theres one thing you need to know before you go.

    What is it?

    A rumor saying that another First Order maye to Baltanung is circting among the other orders.

    A First Order? Interesting.

    Maybe the person with the highest probability is Victor Dreadful.Of course, this is not urate. Its just a rumor inside the organization.

    Theres no smoke without a fire. Since such rumors are circting, there must be a good reason. Whatever it is, thank you for letting me know. It was helpful.

    Oh, no!

    Sedina spoke humbly, but the corners of her mouth kept trying to ascend to the sky.

    See youter!

    Leaving Sedinas greeting behind, Rudger left Theon.

    * * *

    Baltanung, the neighboring city of Leathervelk, was dark even though the sun hadnt set yet.

    The city is filled with yellow dust-like orange fumes. It was a poison that destroys the lungs just by breathing, different from the usual fog and made the Baltanung look qualitatively different from Leathervelk.

    Is this Baltanung?

    The two-story streetcar going around was full of workers with no hope in their faces.

    The buildings were tall and the roads narrow so no more light came in.

    In the darkness, the collected water rotted and the beggars quarreled over the discarded food.

    Its a truly end of the world atmosphere.

    There was nothing to see in Baltanung, as most of the infrastructure and industrial manpower had been taken away by Leathervelk. Even the wind blowing was so faint that it prated through the cracks in the clothes.

    The street was lit with scarlet street lights even before the sun had set and the light was blocked by smoke and fog.

    This is why it would be difficult to find the warehouse that Hans mentioned.

    There wasnt even amon road sign in Baltanung. No, they couldnt be seen because they were broken.

    Seeing the graffiti in the vicinity, it seemed that the city of Baltanung had practically given up.

    Now that this has happened, I have no choice but to procure information locally.

    The streets were quiet enough to match the gloomy atmosphere. Few people opened stores, and even those who did had a club on one side and wary gazes.

    If they saw even the slightest shadow of a person, they would turn their heads and stare at it, but they didnt look like they could be asked for directions.

    A skinny wild dog barked loudly and ran away in a hurry when the store owner grabbed a club.

    Rudger headed for an alley. The streets of Baltanung were dark everywhere, but the alleys were even worse.

    The stench pierced his nose so Rudger raised the hood that covered his mouth even higher without changing his expression.

    Hey, brother. Are you here alone?

    After crossing a few alleys, three gangsters weed Rudger.

    Your clothes look nice.

    You mean this outfit?

    Rudger nced down at his clothes and shook his head.

    I chose something cheap and simple to avoid drawing as much attention as possible.

    What Rudger was actually wearing was amon cheap frock coat but the gangsters didnt think so.

    Give me everything you have. Take off your clothes.

    The one in charge said so and reached for Rudger but Rudger caught his wrist. The gangster frowned and opened his mouth, but Rudgers words came first.

    Do you know where B-13 is?

    Are you crazy? What the hell are you talking about all of a sudden? Youre not going to let go of my hand?

    I made a mistake in asking a question.

    Rudger broke his wrist in an instant.

    Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

    The bully knelt down without even thinking of swinging his dagger.

    Timmy! You punk!

    Die!

    Two gangsters waiting in the back attacked Rudger with their weapons. One was an iron pipe and the other one a rusty dagger.

    As soon as it was about to touch him Rudgers body rotated and the fluttering hem of his coat disturbed the eyes of the gangsters.

    Rudger disappeared like a ghost.

    What?

    The gangster with the dragger didnt understand the scene in front of him but felt a strong pain in his chin.

    Donte!

    As soon as the terrified gangster tried to reflexively swing the iron pipe, Rudgers right hand stretched out like ab and his fingertips hit his uv.

    Cough!

    The moment the bully was suffocating and felt dizzy Rudger hit him in the face and his broken teeth were scattered in the air.

    Rudger, who overpowered the two gangsters in an instant, turned to the first one.

    Ill say it again.

    When Rudger opened his mouth, the crying gangster trembled and looked up at Rudger with a fearful stare.

    Tell me where B-13 is, if you dont want to die.

    * * *

    B-13 is an abandoned factory in Baltanung. In the past, it was considered a key area of the developing industry, but now it was a destend where no such traces could be found.

    Baltanung residents refer to this abandoned factory area as the Fallen Glory since it signified that it was once an honor to be able to live a decent life.

    Its a good ce for suspicious people to hide.

    There were no people around and there were many big factories but the problem was that there were many buildings and it was hard to find his objective.

    After looking around for a while, Rudger found something strange.

    Stone statue?

    In front of an abandoned building, there was a stone statue that suited the gloomy atmosphere. The arrangement was natural, so it looked as if it had existed from the beginning, but Rudgers eyes could not be fooled.

    Its a gargoyle.

    A gargoyle is a summoned beast in the form of a stone statue used to protect a mansion or a specific ce. To be precise, it was simr to a golem.

    In the past, it was a gatekeeper that attracted quite a lot of attention, but now that the age of steel has arrived it has been pushed back by the steam golems.

    Still, there were a few people who preferred gargoyles because it suited the unique atmosphere of their mansions.

    Its very suspicious for it to be in front of this abandoned factory.

    They intentionally corroded the surface and covered it with a lot of ck dirt, but Rudger could see that the gargoyle was fine.

    If he was toote to notice, the gargoyle would have attacked him.

    Its definitely this factory.

    However, he couldnt approach recklessly because he went around the factory and there were gargoyles everywhere.

    The same goes for the rooftop.

    Gargoyles were also ced on the roof of the factory so it was virtually impossible to go to the rooftop through floating magic or a wireuncher.

    Spatial movement required calcting coordinates, but he cant use it hastily because he doesnt know whats inside and he had to save his mana as much as he could.

    Now that this has happened, is going down the only way left?

    He hated smelly things, but he couldnt help it so Rudger immediately found the entrance and went down to the underground waterway but the sewer didnt smell as bad as he had feared.

    Is it like this because there are no people living there? But it smells like a strong drug.

    There is no way that the smell of drugs coulde out of an empty factory so he was sure that the branch of the ck Dawn Society was here.

    Rudger removed the hood that covered his mouth and used mana. The air vibrated once as if arge drum was hit and then shook in a concentric circle. The waves moved on, hit the wall, were reflected and returned to Rudger.

    After searching using sound waves, Rudger drew the structure of the underground waterway in his head at once.

    Theres an entrance to the factory just a little further from here.

    But there was one problem.

    Theres one more person besides me.

    When analyzing the returned sound waves, there was another person in this underground waterway besides Rudger and since he wasnt a patrolman it meant that he was not from the ck Dawn Society.

    And he sensed me, too.

    The opponent was also approaching by tracking back the waves he used.

    Rudger closed his eyes with his back against the wall and controlled his breathing and maximized his five senses as much as possible.

    The opponent tried to not make noise but he couldnt fool Rudger and the moment the distance between the two narrowed Rudger held his cane, turned the corner and popped out of nowhere and aimed at the other person.

    The other person responded calmly without being surprised and its hand holding the cane was facing Rudger too.

    The confrontation in which they pointed their canes at each othersted and the two were able to confirm each others appearance.

    The first thing that was seen in Rudgers eyes was the watery hair that stood out even in the dark underground water.

    Casey Selmore?

    Rudger Chelici?

    They were quite surprised because they didnt expect to see each other here.

    What brings you here, detective?

    What about Mr. Rudger?

    I came because the base of the suspicious group hiding in Theon is here.

    Thats fascinating. Im here for the same reason.

    After staring at each other for a few seconds the two lowered their canes at the same time like they had a silent agreement.

    I didnt expect Detective Casey toe here.

    Thats the same for me. In the first ce, Mr. Rudger is a teacher.

    Of course, an agreement is just an agreement. They didnt fight each other, but what they had to do remained unchanged.

    Where are you going?

    Im going to do my job.

    Youre going to go in there alone now?

    Is there anything wrong with that? Detective, you do your job.

    Arent you willing to cooperate with me?

    If the detective says shell follow my orders, Ill consider it.

    Ahaha. Youre good at joking, too. Thats what I was going to say.

    Then the negotiations are broken. Im off.

    Rudger suggested that they should go their separate ways and was about to leave because Casey Selmore pointed her cane at Rudgers back as he was about to leave.

    Dont move.

    What is this?

    Rudger said without looking back.

    What do you mean? Mr. Rudger told me to do my job so Im doing it.

    What does that have to do with what you are doing now?

    It has.

    A certainty was felt in Caseys voice and Rudger suddenly felt a sense of dejection.

    I can definitely tell by looking at your back. No, I know for sure.

    It was a simr situation with what Rudger experienced three years ago in the Kingdom of Delica.

    Its been a while, hasnt it?

    .

    How long are you going to pretend? Do I look like a fool?

    Casey smiled.

    Or should I call you Professor James Moriarty.

 Chapter 203

    C203: Water and City (2)

    Chapter sponsored byMelekonoandmyo.Thank you for your support.

    At Casey Selmores words, Rudger shut up because he could feel her confidence. His identity, which he had been hiding until now, was discovered by Casey Selmore.

    There is a possibility that she is simply testing me.

    Rudger decided to pretend for now.

    What are you talking about?

    What are you trying to hide? I told you, James Moriarty.

    How dare you aim your cane at me and say nonsense. Is this the detectives way?

    Its no use pretending you dont know until the end. From the time I saw you in Theon I had a feeling of dj vu.

    Casey was now convinced that he was James Moriarty and the situation was not good for Rudger, who felt that he could no longer back down.

    He tried to deal with a branch of the ck Dawn Society quietly but things got messed up from the start and he got caught by the person who shouldnt have caught him.

    I was surprised. I didnt think you would be a teacher at Theon. How did you get into Theon and how did you make the president ept you?

    .

    Are you going to keep quiet? That would be nice. Since wevee this far anyway, theres no point in making any excuses.

    Caseys voice contained an unbearable sense of joy.

    I finally found him.

    This time it was real. All of her senses and all of her cells were shouting that the man in front of her was the one who she had been looking for so long.

    It didnt make sense that he could be a teacher at Theon and that the president didnt deal with him.

    Judging from her conversation with the president, Elisa Willow was not an easy opponent.

    Teacher Rudger Chelici who received so much attention was a notorious crime consultant in the past?

    Those who heard it would have dismissed it as nonsense. At least thats what Casey thought when he first met Rudger.

    However, on thest day of the festival, Casey felt a strange sense of wonder at Rudgers behavior that informed her of the traces of the ck Dawn Society.

    Its the same as before, when I chased him three years ago in the kingdom of Delica.

    Ironically, the naturalness of the situation gave Casey a clue.

    It was like that back then, too.

    It felt like someone was showing her the way by putting pieces of bread in a maze where the exit is unknown as if he wanted her side to find out the answer.

    Casey, who solves cases with her own power, felt an unpleasant feeling that was hard to express in words and she never wanted to experience that unpleasantness again.

    Casey stared intensely at Rudger again and at the same time, the knot in her heart was undone.

    Her extreme obsession for him has finally reached the right answer.

    I told you, didnt I? I never miss.

    .

    Throw away the cane and raise your hand.

    Rudger slowly raised his hands, putting his cane down on the floor.

    Turn around slowly and dont try anything.

    .

    Rudger turned slowly as Casey told him to.

    Yeah. Go ahead and show that smug face.

    Caseys heart was pounding as she was waiting to see Rudgers expression. Her fingertips trembled with excessive excitement as the long-cherished event approached her eyes.

    What expression was he making? Defeat? Pain? Disgrace?

    At that moment Caseys body froze at the sound of a mouse crying from somewhere.

    It was an instinctive reaction and in the gap of that moment Rudgers body suddenly moved quickly and attacked Casey.

    Oh!

    The distance between them was more than 3 meters however Rudger narrowed the distance quickly.

    Faster!

    His body was not strengthened by mana or else she would have noticed right away.

    Rudger moved only using his pure physical ability and his hand left an afterimage as Casey cane flew from her hand.

    Casey btedly realized that Rudger had thrown a dagger he had hidden.

    Dagger? A wizard?

    Losing her wand disrupted her judgment and Rudger pushed Casey against the wall.

    Kuk!

    Rudgers strong right arm grabbed Caseys wrist and a hidden dagger popped out of the back of his wristguard mounted on his left arm and aimed at Caseys neck.

    From the moment her cane flew away, she drew water from the underground waterway to create countless spears at the same time that Rudger pointed a de at her neck and surrounded Rudger with a window of water.

    Their eyes intertwined in the air and Casey said with a grin.

    What a man. Youre a wizard and youre hiding your skills?

    Be quiet. If you do anything stupid, youll get a hole in your neck.

    Do it. Will you be faster, or will I kill you faster?

    Your bluffing wont work.

    Rudger and Casey red at each other and when the situation was about to reach its limit a rat cry reverberated through the sewer again.

    Casey shuddered at the cry and the spears of water she made trembled a little.

    Rudger looked at Casey who was sweating and asked just in case.

    Are you afraid of mice?

    Casey clenched her lips at the sharp remark. Her eyes, which were not shaken at all, rolled to the side.

    I dont know what youre talking about.

    He said so, but her body was already responding and a slight tremor came from her slender wrists.

    Then, as a rat approached her Caseys face turned pale.

    Rudger lifted the mouse with his magic and brought him close to Casey.

    What, what are you doing? Get rid of it! Get rid of it!

    .

    Rudger was dumbfounded at Caseys scream. She was really afraid of mice.

    Thats why I didnt even want to fight.

    The brutal atmosphere, in which they seemed to kill each other a little while ago, flowed in a strange direction because of a mouse.

    Thatsme.

    Rudger said so and received the protruding dagger. He also let go of Caseys wrist.

    What are you doing?

    Asked Casey.

    Meanwhile, Rudger released the mouse that ran away in a hurry.

    What are you doing?

    The great detective is terrified of a gutter rat. I cant evenugh because Im speechless.

    You!

    Casey raised her eyes at the words that touched her pride.

    I can kill you with just one hand. Do you know that?

    Try it.

    What?

    Try it.

    At Rudgers confident eyes, Casey was speechless.

    If you can kill me, why dont you do it right away? Use your water magic to kill me. Wasnt that the title you received for that?

    Shut up!

    Or you cant kill me? What a coward.

    Death is too merciful for a man like you.

    You shouldnt speak so confidently when your legs are weak and you cant even stand properly.

    Hey, its just..

    As soon as she tried to make an excuse, Rudger pressed her forehead with his fingertips.

    Casey slumped and the spears of water surrounding the area also disappeared.

    If you want to catch me, I hope you can grow your courage a little more. The famous detective being afraid of mice discourages me.

    Are you in such a position to be this confident? If you were caught, you should think about running away first.

    Casey spoke in a threatening tone, but even that felt like a whining for Rudger.

    Do you think I cant do it? I can ster your identity on the front page of tomorrows newspaper right away!

    No. You wont.

    Why are you so sure? That kind of bravado.

    Because your pride wont allow it.

    .

    Rudger hit the nail on the head and Casey was speechless.

    Wow, dont make meugh. I.

    If you didnt really need your pride, you wouldnt have followed me secretly for three years.

    Casey could have spread the rumor like James Moriarty is alive, and he lives in disguise but she didnt.

    Because youre a woman who hates to borrow someones hand to handle things.

    The words stabbed into Caseys heart and she gritted her teeth while stared at Rudger with zing anger in her eyes.

    Did you know everything?

    Yes.

    You knew and you used me?

    Are you angry that Ive been using you? Its funny to argue about that now. In fact, isnt it you who knows better than anyone else?

    .

    If you really wanted to catch me, you would have casted a spell right away when you had a chance a while ago.

    But Casey Selmore did not.

    Was she not paying attention because she was excited about achieving her goal?

    Rudger didnt think so.

    Casey Selmore, you didnt chase me purely for the purpose of being a detective.

    What Rudger would say next, was clearly pictured in Caseys head.

    You chased me with a personal grudge and your feelings were shallow like a childs.

    Casey couldnt make any retort while her lips quivered and her gaze was lowered.

    Was I wrong?

    She couldnt argue with him because everything Rudger said was true.

    It was a disgrace that the man she hated the most actually understood her better than anyone else.

    She suddenly remembered what she had said to him before.

    -Yes. I thought you might understand me.

    However, she criticized Rudger formitting evil, saying that he was wrong when he actually didnt.

    You know, you know everything.

    Her thin clenched fist trembled but no more words came out of her mouth.

    She was still angry and felt insulted that he used her but she knew that Rudger wasnt the only one who deceived her.

    Casey Selmore deceived herself more than anyone else.

    Im disappointed.

    .

    At least I thought you would be different, but I guess I was wrong.

    Rudger stared coldly at Casey Selmore. She looked as if she was about to shed tears as she lowered her head, shaking her fists.

    Then what about the ck Dawn Society.

    Theyre annoying, so I wanted to take care of them by borrowing your hand, but I didnt trust you. Itsmendable that you came this far, but I dont think you can take care of them properly.

    Casey Selmore reached for Rudger but was quickly subdued. Rudger restrained her arms with one hand and kept them close to the wall.

    He looked down at Casey whose eyes were wet withplex emotions. However, he didnt think of giving her any words of sympathy or constion because he had work to do.

    I dont intend to fit in with your pretentious y. Get out of here if you dont want to be swept away.

    Whether she leaves or not, whats going to happen wont change.

    Rudger, who let go of her held hands, turned his back.

    Dont you mind leaving me like this?

    Rudger came to a standstill.

    I know who you are in Theon.

    I dont care.

    It wouldnt matter anyway since the president knew about him.

    The president knows about me.

    Casey, who was quick-witted, saw at once that he was involved with the president, thats why her threats wont work.

    No matter what she says, if the president wille forward and protect Rudger so she would be the only one going to look stupid.

    If you really want to aim for me, prepare a dagger that I cant avoid. That way, you can at least engrave a scratch on my skin.

    Rudgersments were even arrogant and it was like he was dering You can never beat me.

    If you cant, just y detective games full of justice like before. Dont bother me.

    James Moriarty. No, Rudger Chelici. What the hell are you after?

    .

    Rudger left without answering Caseys question.

    Although she didnt ask for an answer, it hurt her pride to be ignored so openly.

    Sigh.

    Left alone, Casey sighed and picked up her magic wand that fell on the floor, then suddenly burst intoughter.

    Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

    Laughing almost like a madman, she soon rxed her shoulders and sighed.

    Really. Its hard to pretend to be shocked.

    Casey said so and took out a piece of paper that she had put in her sleeve. The paper, which would have originally been white, was stained blue with Rudgers magic.

    What? Guess Im wrong? Am I disappointed?

    After saying that, Casey immediately added her back story.

    Im actually good at it. However, this was different.

    Her teeth grinded just thinking about the mans verbal abuse; however she was convinced that his words werent wrong.

    She was just pretending to be okay because what she heard from him definitely shocked Casey.

    I.

    Casey sighed as she stared at the paper containing Rudgers magic.

    Sigh. Its not like that. What am I worried about?

    She looked up where the hideout of the ck Dawn Society that she was chasing was since she originally came to attack that ce.

    You dont have to do that.

    The man said he would step up and she believed he didnt lie.

    She thought he belonged to the ck Dawn Society but he was actually hostile to the ck Dawn Society.

    Hed better be honest and take care of everything up there.

    Considering the mans skills, it would be natural for her to pray for the rest of the people above.

    Still, she came this far and her pride did not allow her to leave without doing anything.

    Yeah. Do whatever you want and Ill take care of things on my own.

    As soon as her words were over a loud sound echoed through the underground sewer.

 Chapter 204

    C204: Water and City (3)

    Inside the secret branch of the ck Dawn Society in Baltanung.

    Quickly stir it!

    Today its the deadline!

    What are you doing there?

    With shouts echoing here and there, hot smoke filled the interior and the managers with gas masks on their faces shouted at the workers that havent slept well for days.

    In addition, as they continued to smell the strong medicine without a gas mask they almost became living corpses.

    A skinny worker who couldnt stand the harsh environment copsed on the floor.

    What?

    A manager approached him and tapped him with a club in his hand.

    Hey, get up. Get up.

    But the fallen worker didnt budge.

    When the manager lowered his head and went close to check he saw that the workers eyes werepletely loose because of the drugs spread in the air.

    Tsk. I cant use this guy anymore.

    Whats going on?

    One guys gone.

    Again? Haha!

    The colleague who approachedughed as if it was familiar.

    Dontugh. Cant you be serious?

    There are so many guys like that in this Baltanung anyway, right? We can catch a few guys and bring them back.

    We have to put in a new one right away. Its hard to meet the payment period.

    It cant be helped. All the branches in Leathervelk have been wiped out. We have no choice but to pull out the supplies.

    Ha, its driving me crazy.

    It wasfortable to push the workers by giving them a few pennies, but the problem was that the work was too slow. In fact they couldnt even meet the quota since the Leathervelk branches were destroyed.

    I heard that a high-ranking person from the headquarters ising this time so we have to work hard in order to not be med by him.

    Who?

    I heard its a First Order.

    The two managers wearing gas masks were mercenaries who worked as subcontractors for money, not belonging to the ck Dawn Society.

    Oh, I heard hell be in charge of the drug business were running now.

    Crazy. Where the hell are we going to distribute this many drugs?

    But this is not just a regr drug.

    What else is there?

    I dont know exactly. I heard something, but you know what were making?

    Whats wrong with it?

    There are rumors that this is the leftovers of a failed experiment.

    This drug is just a leftover? Then what are they going to make?

    I dont know. People said ck wizards are involved and the person in charge of overseeing them wille here.

    Oh, crazy. Then theyre in the same category as the management office here.

    The man trembled as he heard that since he was afraid of getting involved with ck wizards.

    If someone catches their eyes theyll immediately be a subject on their experiment table.

    But I dont know. They only say theyreing, but if you look at the inside atmosphere, it doesnt look that urgent.

    Is it just a rumor?

    Something like that. Lets do our job. Do you want to go drink beer after work?

    How can you drink beer in this smelly city?

    I dont know. I just drink it.

    The mercenary, who was speaking, nced at the floor.

    Was there a puddle here?

    Did someone spill their drink?

    I dont think so. Look. Its stilling up. Did something burst underground?

    Maybe its because its such an old ce that hasnt even been repaired so the rusty pipeline might have burst.

    The mercenaries wondered whether to report this above or not.

    At that time, the water flowing through the cracks in the ground became rough and soared high enough to reach the handmade ceiling.

    What?

    The mercenaries stared nkly as the rising stream of water began to shake and hit the surroundings violently. The steel frame, which could not withstand the water pressure of the huge water column, bent, and the boxes containing the medicine copsed.

    What! Whats going on?

    I dont know!

    Boom! Boom! Boom!

    The factory floor exploded as water columns rose from various ces and they stirred up a rampage inside the factory while the managers were unable to react due to the sudden abnormality.

    Whats all this is?

    Then a loud voice rang out from the inside and soon a middle-aged man with disheveled hair appeared.

    The mercenaries froze in unison.

    Director!

    Whats this?

    Instead of responding to his subordinates, the manager opened his eyes wide.

    He felt a disturbance inside, so when he came here, water pirs were rising from all sides and making a mess of the factory. Moreover, as if it were not ordinary water, the water column was wandering around like a snake.

    At that moment, a pir of water flew toward the manager who kicked his tongue, and pulled his right arm back.

    How dare you attack like this?

    A fist came out and the water column that bended steel easily disappeared.

    The scattered water poured down like rain inside the factory and

    the mercenaries trembled with fear at the sight.

    He broke the water column with his bare fist.

    Yeah, as expected of the Knight yer.

    The ck Wizard Moloch became was a ck wizard who became stronger through body modification and his nickname on the Empires wanted list was Knight yer.

    It was a nickname obtained by tearing apart a famous knight known to have surpassed human physical ability with his bare hands.

    Damn it. I was sleeping soundly. Whats going on?Huh?

    Moloch, who was grumbling, squinted at the person who stood in his way.

    Who are you?

    It was an unusual man with his body covered in shadows and a gas mask shaped like a crows beak on his face.

    Oh, youre the one who attacked, arent you?

    A man who apparently seemed to be rted to the attack appeared confidently in front of him.

    Although it was a little unfair for Rudger since Casey attacked with the water. Of course, it was easier for him to infiltrate the building because she made a mess.

    Since Rudger wanted to do things quietly Caseys intervention was disturbing.

    Theres already water everywhere, so now its hard for me to move secretly.

    Therefore, he appeared in front of a man who appeared to be the leader and Moloch was rather offended by that.

    How dare you appear confidently in front of Moloch? Ill take that courage from you.

    Molochs body became 1.5 bigger and the clothes he was wearing couldnt withstand the expanding muscles and were torn.

    I wont kill you easily because you interfered with my sweet sleep. Ill y with you like a doll.

    Moloch the Knight yer?

    Rudger muttered the name while looking at Moloch.

    It was a name he heard of since he killed a knight with his bare body.

    When he heard the rumor, he wondered how he did it, but when he saw such a huge body, he immediately understood.

    You modified your body with reinforced drugs.

    Ho. You must have heard of me.

    Molochs body was a product of madness peculiar to ck wizards. Otherwise, humans wont be able to have a body size of more than 3 meters.

    I think it would have been a good opponent if he fought against Pantos.

    Sadly, he had to deal with him now.

    I dont know how you knew about this ce, but your luck was over as soon as you met me.

    Moloch said that and prepared to attack.

    As his huge body was shot like a cannonball Rudger, who sensed that something wasing, immediately flew sideways.

    Shortly after the huge wind pressure passed by him, a roar rang out from behind. Looking back, Rudger clicked his tongue as he saw the unfolding misery.

    Its amazing.

    There was arge hole in the steel vapor pressure tank that had stood there. It was made to withstand high-pressure steam, so it wont budge even in the case of a huge shock but Moloch went through it.

    He didnt even used magic on his body. Did he broke it purely with his physical ability?

    It seemed that his nickname Knight yer was not earned for nothing. With such a strong body, even a decent knight could have been torn with his bare hands.

    Hahaha! You managed to avoid it!

    Moloch, who popped out of the wreckage, burst intoughter at Rudger. He felt a lot of joy since he had a person to y with.

    Rudger pulled a ck revolver from his waist and aimed it at Moloch.

    Guns? Thats funny but Im a wizard even if I look like this.

    Moloch immediately used [silence of fire].

    But despite the magic of having an absolute advantage over firearms, Rudger pulled the trigger.

    The gun shone andpressed mana was fired at Moloch. However, the mana bullet could not prate Molochs skin and bounced in vain.

    Ha-ha, its not a normal gun, is it? But thats too bad. You cant even scratch my muscles with such weak means.

    In terms of the strength of the body, he seemed to be almost the same as Veron of the bug brothers, who wrapped himself in a shell since not even a mana bullet that could pierce an iron te was useless against him.

    This is why I dont want to deal with the ck wizards.

    Since ordinary wizards are specialized in fighting using magic, their attack methods are constant and easy to deal with but ck wizards are different.

    As they touched taboos,mon sense cant be used in a fight against them.

    Rudger fired a me spell at Moloch. A huge fire burned like a wave and tried to devour Moloch.

    Do you think this will work?

    Moloch spread his hands wide and pped them. The shock wave generated from the palms of his hands pushed the me wave back.

    Moloch smiled but then he felt a strange touch on his neck.

    Whats going on?

    Before he knew it, Rudger was on his shoulder, strangling him with a white wire.

    Was me magic a bait to block my sight?

    The wire and his skin touched and made a strange noise. Even though it was not an ordinary wire, Molochs body didnt have a scratch.

    Do you think you can cut my skin with this?

    Moloch reached out and Rudger stepped back from his shoulder.

    In the meantime, he aimed at Molochs eyes and fired a mana bullet with his revolver.

    No matter how good his physical ability is his eyes cannot be strengthened so Moloch covered his face with his hands.

    Youre like a rat good at fighting.

    His opponent used magic, but his fighting method was specialized in stabbing loopholes like a war mage that walked on the battlefield.

    Is he a soldier? But a military wizard wouldnt havee here alone.

    At first, he thought it was a suitable person to y with, but he changed his mind. He wanted to check his face to see who it was.

    As he tried to move his body, Moloch narrowed his eyes at the pressure he felt in his body.

    What else?

    On closer inspection, a translucent wire connected to all the heavy stuff inside the factory was tying his whole body like a spiders web.

    Thats interesting.

    Moloch showed his teeth and tightened his body.

    His muscles began to bulge and push the wires away and the iron structures connected to the wire began to shake and be dragged one by one by one.

    You can only earn a few seconds with this.

    Yes, but a few seconds will be enough.

    Rudger murmured and pointed his finger at Moloch.

    What is he trying to do? Magic? But usual magic wont hurt my body.

    Moloch judged that it was a bluff but at that moment, Rudger lowered his finger.

    What did you do?

    Suddenly Molochs throat was squeezed and blood came out.

    Cough! What?

    His body was slowly losing strength.

    Rudgers attack couldnt be seen but even so his strong body shouldve prevented all attacks.

    What the hellhow.

    Moloch, who modified his body, could see what had happened inside his body.

    It prated the heart.

    The heart is a key human organ that is protected by strong bones and muscles, and thick skin that no one could touch it, but there was a hole in Molochs heart.

    Moloch forced his muscles to control his blood flow rate.

    Thanks to this, he did not die immediately, but there was no way to avoid death as long as there was a hole in his heart, which is the core of life.

    What the hell did you do?

    I simply calcted the coordinates.

    The coordinates

    If I cant attack from the outside, I will do it from the inside.

    After deliberately turning Molochs attention elsewhere and making him careless he managed to block him for a few seconds.

    I couldnt use this method against ordinary wizards or knights because their bodies were surrounded by mana. However someone like you who strengthened his body with drugs and experiments was easier to catch with your guard down.

    Moloch opened his eyes wide. He tried to say something, but he couldnt speak because blood flowed out of his open mouth.

    Agh

    His eyes closed and soon the giant fell forward.

    It was a very vain end for the notorious ck wizard known as the Knight yer.

    Well, then.

    Just when he was prepared to deal with the other people.

    What kind of mess is this?

    At the sudden appearance of a third partys voice, he stopped and turned his head toward it.

    A man with research goggles on his head appeared. He was a middle-aged man with a bald head and a white gown on his body. It was a typical scientist appearance.

    I visited in person to see how much work was done, but there were customers who were not invited.

    Its definitely Rudgers first time seeing him but he knew who he was.

    Victor Dreadful.

    A First Order of the ck Dawn Society and a mad scientist who conducted all kinds of experiments.

    Rudger silently aimed his revolver at Victor.

 Chapter 205

    C205: Delica Kingdom (1)

    Chapter sponsored byJohn Lucas.Thank you for your support.

    Victor smiled bizarrely at the gun pointed at him.

    Oh Hyo Hyo.Youre a quiet customer. Are you a hit man or something?

    Rudger didnt answer that and pulled the trigger right away.

    A mana bullet protruding from the gun shot away at Victors forehead but was blocked by a gold wall soaring in front of Victors nose and disappeared.

    What?

    Rudger narrowed his eyes in the shadows at the wall that suddenly appeared. It was a wall, but its appearance changed, and it soon turned into a round sphere.

    Apparently, it was a very flexible metal.

    Oh Hyo Hyo. Isnt it amazing? This is one of my masterpieces.

    Victor opened his arms wide, showing his teeth toward Rudger.

    Its my original Liquid Golem, whichbines alchemy, metal conversion, and all kinds of magic!

    Victor said golem, but the way it crawled on the floor was like a lump of pure mucus.

    At that moment, the body of the liquid golem trembled and countless tentacles shot long at Rudger.

    Rudger immediately backed off, tumbling backwards as many spears fell where he was just standing.

    Its fast and very flexible. Is it fighting by changing its form freely? It means that it is an autonomous golem since it could move like that when the user didnt give any specific instructions.

    Rudger aimed the revolver at Victor to check his conjuncture. Then, as the liquid golem reacted to it, he built a wall around Victor.

    It was as Rudger expected. The golem has an order system in ce to remove the owners enemy and protect the owner at the same time.

    It was surprising to see such a thing after only looking at the dull steam golem.

    The scientific power of this world is quite different from Earth, but its technology is very advanced.

    He didnt have a clue how high Victor Dreadfuls scientific ability was in order to create such a thing. However, considering the existence of Arpa and Betty, the abnormal development of science due to magic may be an unstoppable trend.

    Rudger shot a fire spell at the liquid golem and the third tier magic [Fluttering me] collided head-on with it.

    Its no use trying to melt it. Ive also made sure its heat-resistant!

    As Victor said, the liquid golem was fine even after being hit by the high heat. Looking closely, a mana circuit could be seen shining on its surface.

    Does it even have resistance to elements? Then I must use the standard method.

    If its a golem, theres a core.

    Dealing a powerful blow to the golems core was an old way to deal with a golem.

    Rudger sensed the golems mana and vaguely felt the presence of a core but he realized that it would be hard to target it.

    The position of the core keeps changing.

    Unlike other golem cores, the liquid golem core kept moving and that made it difficult to aim for it.

    At that moment, shadows fell from the ceiling andnded on both sides of Rudger. As soon as they touched the ground, there was a crack in the floor.

    The two hooded beings immediately swung their des at Rudger but Rudgers body was swallowed by a shadow and soon appeared in a ce a little away.

    After dodging Rudger was able to confirm the appearance of the attackers from the ceiling.

    Are they automatons?

    What fell from the ceiling were automatons in human form. Although their human figure was notplete the ivory-colored joint dolls had long des on their arms.

    Huh? It was an inevitable attack, but you avoided it?

    Just as Rudger analyzed Victor, Victor also looked closely at Rudgers magic and behavior patterns.

    Certainly you couldnt move that distance with speed. No. There was no room to escape. Nullify physical attacks? Its not like that. Perhaps?!

    Victor shouted, spitting in his mouth.

    Could it be that you jumped over space?!

    .

    Rudger stared at Victor with a deep gaze since he noticed this magic just by looking at it once.

    Is it because he has a science-rted brain? He has a different sense of analysis.

    Victor shouted in an excited voice to see if his thought was right, even though Rudger didnt answer.

    How did you do it? Let me know, too! Let me know!

    The sight of the middle-aged man shouting as if a child wereining was quite bizarre. However, unlike the lightness of the action, he was a very dangerous adversary since he saw through Rudgers magic at once.

    Ill be annoyed if I reveal my bottom line while wasting time like this.

    And the two newly appeared automatons were also formidable. Even though that much weight fell sharply from that height, they moved normally.

    Great technical skills beyondmon sense, a sharp eye contrary to appearances and a casual nature of conducting inhumane experiments.

    First Order Victor Dreadful was a dangerous man.

    I have to eliminate him now.

    The shadow surrounding Rudgers body burned like a me. At the same time, his body disappeared as if it were melting into the shadow.

    Because he disappeared from view the automaton and liquid golems reaction stopped for a moment.

    Huh? Where did he go again?

    Rudger appeared behind Victors back and aimed his heart with a sword stick taken out of the shadow.

    The moment he tried to pierce his heart something bright red shot at Rudger.

    .

    Rudger gave up stabbing Victor in the heart and pulled himself back. Otherwise, his waist would have been cut off at once.

    Rudger stepped back, and a new uninvited guest appeared between Victor and him.

    Doctor, where are you looking?

    The new man was wearing ck full te armor, had an obsidian-like greatsword on his shoulder and a red mane fluttered over his helmet.

    Although the figure itself boasted a sense of intimidation and considerable coolness, at the same time,

    Armor in this day and age?

    In this era, both soldiers and knights were unified with uniforms instead of armor.

    There is a special exoskeleton-reinforced armor, but it is mainly for industrial use and is not suitable forbat.

    It was also the first time anyone had ever worn a suit of armor so openly.

    Besides, that red sh just now.

    It was clear that it was the trail created by swinging the sword.

    The sudden interruption and the light treatment of Victor Dreadful didnt feel right.

    Oh Hyo Hyo. Thank you for saving me, Night Verom! You saved my life!

    Its noisy and unpleasant. Why do I have to clean up the mess of people like you?

    The man called Verom grumbled but didnt take his eyes off Rudger.

    Hes a First Order.

    Seeing him treat Victor like that, Verom was also in the same position.

    Two First Orders in one ce, huh?

    Did they notice his attack and joined hands?

    No, Victor didnt expect Verom to appear.

    Rather than trying to deceive Rudger its more likely that they meet by chance.

    Rudger was unlucky.

    I thought one First Order mighte, but I didnt think there would be two.

    In addition, Verom appeared to be a closebat specialist. Furthermore, the blood attack he used is not, by all ounts, avable to ordinary knights.

    Its not aura so it must be a special ability, constitution, or something else.

    What he just saw could be all of them but Rudgercked information. Considering that, it was too risky to fight.

    I cant help it. Its dangerous to fight any more. Im going to get out of here.

    Verom noticed that, and red eyes shone from the inside of the helmet.

    Are you trying to run away? To think of running away against me, Imend you for your courage.

    His old-fashioned way of speaking was out of ce in todays world but contrary to his tone, his power was real.

    A blood stream began to form on the greatsword held by Verom with both hands. It was fundamentally different from the aura used by knights and it was fired in the shape of a crescent moon following the trajectory of Verom swinging his sword.

    So far?

    Rudger immediately jumped over the space through the shadow as a red attack stirred roughly through the ce where he was standing a while ago.

    Seeing that everything was swept away, the power alone was outstanding.

    He is a fast and swift man.

    Verom murmured and swung the sword several more times. Whenever that happened, a red crescent moon shot across space.

    The iron structures were cut off and torn debris flew in all directions.

    Unable to withstand the power of the attack, the outer wall of the factory copsed.

    The factory, which was originally in danger, began to shake as if it were going to copse.

    Ah! Night Verom! What are you doing? There are so many important facilities here, are you going to destroy them all?

    Be quiet. We have to dispose of this ce anyway.

    But there are experimental materials that I havent collected yet!

    Experiment data? Are you referring to the bag that ck guest is holding right now?

    What?

    At Veroms point, Victor stared at Rudger with his eyes wide open beyond the goggles.

    Rudger, who appeared in the distance, had a briefcase in his hand.

    When the hell?! Night Verom we have to stop him! Thats my experiment!

    Why does he have that important thing?

    I dont know that! I kept it in the safe!

    He robbed the safe in such a short time to get the data?

    As the eyes of the two first orders turned this way, Rudger decided to step down quickly.

    Verom then dashed out and rushed toward Rudger.

    I wont miss you!

    This time, he wielded a sword with a determination to catch Rudger but a light exploded inside the shadow surrounding his body.

    The explosive light shone brightly inside the factory, and Verom, who thought he would avoid it, had no choice but to cover his eyes with his hands.

    What is this?

    At the same time, his whole body sensed danger and the ck armor he was wearing trembled and warned him that something wasing.

    Verom stopped the swinging sword and drove it into the ground. Then the blood-colored energy swirled up and surrounded his body.

    Victor felt the crisis as well and the liquid golem wrapped his body in a circle like a cocoon and the two automatons stood in front of him

    !!!.

    Soon after, a white me quickly engulfed the surrounding area.

    * * *

    Rudger, who was standing on the roof of the building and watching the scene, released [Aether Nocturnus] who surrounded him.

    He immediately poured the mana medicine he had prepared into his mouth and recalled the fight a while ago.

    I wish they died in the attack a while ago, but that would be too greedy.

    Before leaving Rudger used his original magic, theTree of the Sefirot.

    Among them, the 8th sefirot wasHod. With the power of Michael, the angel of fire, this high level fire magic creates a huge me storm along with light and blows up the surrounding area.

    It was also the magic he used to blow the entire factory away when he was dealing with the bug brothers in Leathervelk.

    The sun-like me that rises after the pure white brilliance erupts burns anyone who opposes it. However, this time, he used it too fast and less than half of its original power came out.

    Since they both noticed my attack at the end and went into defense.

    Its a pity that he couldnt kill them, but he decided to step down because he achieved his original purpose and they didnt know who he was anyway.

    On the contrary, Rudger discovered information about another First Order and profited greatly plus he also stole the experimental data.

    Rudger looked through the experimental data he stole.

    While avoiding Veroms attack, he went into the ce where Moloch came out from and took it.

    Was I lucky?

    The urgent data was surprisingly proper.

    A report on human experiments to manifest the power of beasts in human genes.

    It was also the cause of the werewolf crisis in Leathervelk but it wasnt a big surprise because it was a fact that he already knew. What was important was the next data.

    Development of special gunpowder unaffected by the Silence of Fire.

    Knowing that the terrorists known as the Liberation Army were using the special gunpowder gave Rudger a headache.

    There was something simr to this before.

    Three years ago, a secret experiment in the Kingdom of Delica.

    The gunpowder unaffected by magic and the automaton legion.

    The moment he saw the data acquired through todays attack and the automatons Victor Dreadful was using, the puzzle was put together.

    Three years ago the ck Dawn Society was involved in what happened in the Delica Kingdom .

 Chapter 206

    C206: Delica Kingdom (2)

    It was a deep night and the full moon rose brilliantly as Casey Selmore, who left Baltanung, returned to her lodgings in Leathervelk.

    The bluish moonlight streamed through the curtains onto her sofa.

    Um? Hehe.

    Betty was sleeping there, curled up like a shrimp.

    Did she fall asleep because she was tired of waiting? Its amazing how an automaton can sleep.

    She didnt know if Betty was really sleeping or just pretending to be sleeping.

    It was the Delica Kingdom that made Betty like this.

    Casey covered Betty with a nket and returned to her room. Her bed, full of all kinds of documents and piles of luggage, seemed to have no room to lie down.

    She pushed her luggage moderately to create an empty space and flew over the bed.

    On the rocking bed, Casey took out a piece of blue-colored paper.

    A piece of paper with the mans magic. I can use this to get a glimpse of his memory.

    The memory that can be seen is said to be random, when used by the typical wizard but Casey Selmore was different.

    Casey Selmore concentrated her magic on the paper on her fingertips.

    Rudgers mana and Caseys mana tangled in the paper as she closed her eyes slowly. Her mind flowed somewhere far away, and the sensation of her body being submerged tickled her skin.

    What she saw with her eyes open was the bottom of a fast-flowing river.

    The memory is simr to running water. Its like time from the past to the future. Here others will be eager to resist not to be swept away, but I am different.

    For Casey, who handles water, dealing with this flow was easier than anyone else. Thats why she wasnt swept away in the huge torrent, and she was able to move where she wanted to.

    Casey went back to the upper reaches of the memory.

    Images passed by like a panorama in the translucent water of memories but she had no time to check them. If she got a little distracted she might be swept away.

    Caseys goal was memories from the past that were hard to find but as she continued searching she discovered something and she let herself to be swept in the torrent of memory.

    Her field of vision darkened for a moment and then regained its light.

    This is

    When she opened her eyes she saw the scenery of the Delica Kingdom from three years ago.

    A man has just entered the city in thendscape. His name was James Moriarty but now hes known as Rudger Chelici.

    His appearance of three years ago and his present hasnt changed much. Rudgers face was the same as James.

    Youre so handsome that I cant take it anymore.

    A sharp face line and a nose bridge that looks like a sculptor carved them with all his might. His eyshes were quite long, too.

    From birth, he showed that he was a noble man.

    What the hell was he doing?

    She was surprised this is what he really looked like. However,pared to the days when he was called Professor James Moriarty, he was a little different.

    Am I looking at his memories from a third persons point of view?

    She wondered about it, but it didnt interfere with the memory, so she decided to keep an eye on it.

    Hes getting emotional.

    She couldnt understand what he was thinking, but some of his feelings seemed to be shared.

    Having just entered the kingdom of Delica, he was slightly excited by the overwhelming expectations.

    Is this the home of famous mathematicians and scientists?

    His eyes shone intelligently with anticipation for something. Casey looked at the ecstatic figure but came to her senses quickly.

    I cant believe you made that face all of a sudden. I was surprised.

    Her opponent is a dangerous man who kept changing his identity.

    Re-energized, Casey looked closely at Rudgers actions so as not to miss anything. Now that shes in a ghostly state she cant stay away from Rudger, but shes not disturbed by anyone.

    The first thing Rudger did was to travel around the capital and learn the geography. Then, when he saw a prominent bookstore, he stopped by there from time to time.

    Books?

    Rudger bought some books from a bookstore, mostly rted to math and science.

    In the Delica Kingdom, there are many major books because the academic society upies the foundation of the country, but why did he buy them? Is he going to study?

    It could be because he was not a professor yet.

    The first time she met James Moriarty was when he was called professor. Although he was hiding his identity, his academic knowledge was real.

    Was he interested in learning? Why is he hiding his identity? Somethings wrong.

    The sun went down and the night fell. Rudger slowly walked down the road to find a ce to stay. At that time, a small shadow protruding from the alley collided with Rudger.

    What?

    Oh!

    It was a boy in his mid-teens wearing a newsboy cap that bumped into him. When the boy saw Rudger, he bowed his head in surprise.

    Im sorry my lord!

    Because Rudgers well-dressed, noble-style appearance reminded anyone of an aristocrat the boy was scared since he bumped into him and left ck stains on his clothes.

    Thats enough. Im also at fault for not paying attention.

    Well, but because of me, the stain on the clothes.

    You mean this?

    Rudger smiled when he saw the stain on his coat.

    It doesnt matter, clothes can be washed. Boy, are you hurt?

    The boy opened his mouth wide at Rudgers words. Unlike his first impression, he was very gentle.

    Casey, who was watching, almost shouted, I cant believe it.

    What is this guy? Why are you so gentlemanly?

    It was the very opposite reaction from when she first met him, although she spoke a little bitterly at their first meeting.

    Is that acting, too? No hes not, because now I can feel some of this guys feelings.

    When he lied, she could tell at once. Nevertheless, there is no sign of falsehood in his words.

    Did you always have this personality?

    Apletely unexpected fact made Casey feel like the reality she knew was being denied.

    Im fine.

    As the boy said so, he wanted to get out of here as soon as possible and as soon as he tried a shout came from the alleyway where the boy popped out from and soon a man appeared.

    Finally, I found it! You thief!

    Thief?

    It was only then that Rudger realized that the boy had a book in his arms.

    Finally found you thief!

    Oh, no!

    The boy cried out in a rage.

    I paid properly!

    What?!

    Its because you dont want to sell it!

    Hmph! It must have been stolen money anyway! I was suspicious, so you just left the money, took the book and ran away! Besides, how can a dirty little boy like you read such a difficult book?

    Rudger knew roughly how things were going.

    The bookstore owner held out his hand at the boy. The boy froze at the sight and closed his eyes tightly.

    Lets stop here.

    Rudger stood in front of the bookstore owner.

    Who are you?

    The bookstore owner retrieved his outstretched hand as he looked at Rudgers attire. At first nce, he looked like an aristocrat, so he had no choice but to be careful with his words and actions.

    Its not very nice to see a grown adult persecuting a child.

    Thats the thief who stole our stores books! What are you talking about?!

    Instead of answering, Rudger flicked a coin at the bookstore owner. The owner, who grabbed it reflexively, looked at the golden coin and opened his eyes wide.

    That much money will be more than enough to pay for a childs book or should I get the change?

    The bookstore owner hurriedly left the ce in case Rudger would tell him to return the money.

    The boy, who was looking around, bowed to Rudger with a shiver.

    Thank you for your help but I have no money to pay you sir.

    I dont care.

    What?

    Its just my pure favor to pay for it.

    .

    The boys eyes shined with a warning light.

    You seem suspicious.

    I understand. If you really think so, Ill do this. Im new to this city and I dont know the way. Can you tell me a ce with good amodations? If you do that, I wont take the money for the book I paid for a while ago.

    Really?

    A transaction is cleaner than a simple favor.

    At those words, the boysplexion brightened.

    Then leave it to me!

    The boy led the way and Rudger followed him while Casey was watching them.

    Hes more normal than I thought

    Casey thought that Rudger would enter in force but the beginning was trivial.

    But that boy.

    Casey felt a sense of indescribability at the sight of the boy guiding Rudger.

    Well see.

    That man just hasnt shown his true colors yet so she was going to keep an eye on him for now.

    * * *

    The amodation the boy guided him to was an inn in a remote ce. However, the inside was quite neat and the price was low.

    Thats where I live.

    Are you here?

    Just in time, a cute little girl appeared from the inside. Apparently she was the boys sister and was trying to greet her brother, but found Rudger with him and hid behind her brothers back.

    Brother, who is that?

    This is my benefactor and guest. You dont have to be too scared because hes a really good person.

    As the boy smiled and said, Sally walked up to Rudger and bowed her head.

    Hello.

    Yes, its nice to meet you.

    You can stay here! Its hard to find a cheap ce like this! The owners food is delicious!

    You, Arte!

    At that time, the innkeeper appeared with a roar.

    He was a man like a bandit with a rough beard and Rudgers first impression was that he had been through all sorts of hardships.

    Mr. Keck.

    Where did you go?

    I just took a walk.

    What? Isnt that a book youre hiding behind you? Did you go to the bookstore again and buy that useless bunch of paper?

    Its not useless!

    Arte, listen up. People like us dont have time to put anything in their heads. Were busy making a living day by day.

    I got it, so stop it! Ive heard that story more than 100 times already! And here! We have a visitor today!

    The owner, who was about to make a speech, btedly opened his eyes wide when he found Rudger.

    Who are you?

    The child to you. Im your guest.

    The owner stared at Arte with an incredible gaze at the word guest, his eyes were asking if it was true.

    Yes, I brought him here.

    Hahahaha! Well done, Arte!

    The owner, who was trying to scold Arte a while ago, burst into a cheerfulugh and changed his attitude.

    Arte pouted his lips and nced at the owner.

    Guest, I proudly say that there is no other ce around here that is morefortable than here!

    Ive already exined everything

    Seeing them squabbling with each other, he thought it wouldnt be bad to stay here.

    Arte, you brought him here, so show him the room.

    I was actually going to do that. Sir, please follow me.

    Rudger followed Arte up to the second floor of the inn.

    This is the room where you will stay in the future. I clean every day, so theres not much dirt.

    Its cozier than I thought even though the price is cheap.

    I told you. Theres no ce like this.

    Rudger said he understood and unpacked the luggage he brought right away. Arte opened his eyes wide as if he had found something unexpected while looking at it.

    Huh? Isnt that a new thesis book?

    You mean this? While I was in the city today, I stopped by some other bookstores and came across them so I bought them.

    Wow, thats really hard to get.

    Is that so? I guess I was lucky.

    Artes gaze did not fall from the book Rudger purchased.

    Are you interested?

    Yes?

    You seem to be quite interested in learning. When you were chased by the bookstore owner, you didnt want to let go of the book even if you died.

    Yes, thatswell, thats right. My dream is to be a great schr.

    Thats cool.

    Is it cool? Othersughed at me for dreaming out of ce.

    There is no such thing as a dream that is out of ce. Dreams are the freedom of imagination that the person can unfold.

    Rudger presented his thesis book to Arte.

    If youre interested, would you learn from me?

    Really? Why would.?

    Because a child who has not neglected learning in such a difficult environment needs a suitable reward.

    Arte said as if he was encouraged by the words.

    Then Ill learn. I want to learn!

    Yes.

    It is a city where he will stay for a long time so it wouldnt be bad to teach him while staying together.

    Please call me teacher from now on.

    Yes! Teacher!

    * * *

    Thats how two weeks passed.

    Rudger stayed at the hostel and was busy with personal studies and teaching Arte.

    Teacher, Im not sure about this!

    Arte had a passion for learning and was very smart. In short, he was a gifted child who learned everything quickly, so Rudger felt some kind of joy in teaching Arte.

    Yeah. Whats this problem?

    Its a recent question submitted by the conference!

    If its an academic society, it must be Ordo University, which is famous in Delica Kingdom.

    Yes! A high-ranking person from the academic society put the prize money on it! I thought you could solve it teacher.

    This guy. The prize money was your goal.

    Hehe. Its a coincidence.

    Give it to me.

    Rudger nced at the problem Arte had brought then he took out a pen and began to write down the form on paper.

    Arte looked at his figure with admiring eyes.

    Only the sound of a square pen rang in the room and after a while,

    Ive solved it all. Here, take it.

    Huh? Already?

    Already? Its already been an hour.

    Arte realized that he had been staring at Rudgers solving the problem for an hour.

    Thank you, sir! I will post this ande back!

    Rudger told him to do so without much thought and devoted himself to research again.

    Three days after that Arte came to Rudger, who was immersed in research in his room as usual.

    Sir.

    Arte, whats going on?

    Artes appearance was different from usual. His face was red, and he was panting so Rudger wondered if he was sick.

    I got an invitation from Ordo University.

    Invitation?

    The question that you solved three days ago! The president wants to meet with the person who solved it.

    Arte clenched his fist and said in an excited voice.

    The Kingdom First Society has officially invited you!

    At that cry, Casey, bored of watching, pricked up her ears.

    Ordo University was the ce where she first met James Moriarty.

 Chapter 207

    C207: Delica Kingdom (3)

    Chapter sponsored byRaven.Thank you for your support.

    Is teacher going?

    I cant help but go since I was invited. Personally, I am also interested.

    I cant believe Im going to a ce called a treasure trove of knowledge. Thats truly amazing! It was a ce I really wanted to go, too.

    Arte, Im sure its possible for you.

    Looking at Arte smiling, Rudger nced at the invitation.

    The date is tomorrow and he didnt have anything to prepare because all he had to do was to go there. After all, what they wanted was his knowledge.

    They wanted to know how he solved the problem.

    If you enter the society, you will have a chance to read books that are not avable to the public.

    She was frustrated at the bottom of her heart because the progress of the investigation was slow, but a good opportunity came.

    Casey folded her arms and looked at Rudgers figure.

    I see. This was the reason why this man became a professor at Ordo University.

    When she wondered how Rudger, who was focusing only on personal research in the room, became a professor, she didnt know there was this inside story.

    More than that, his response was rather lukewarm. Its a ce where people who are involved in learning are anxious to enter even if they have to pay a lot of money, but he doesnt seem to be very happy even if he was invited.

    The dean invited him himself.

    And

    Casey squinted her eyes.

    The most interesting thing was Rudgers research. There was data with all kinds of various shapes and forms that were so difficult that even Casey, who had been watching from the side, could not understand.

    No matter how fast the flow of dreams was faster than the actual time, it hurt her pride quite a bit.

    I was confident that I had some knowledge in this field, but I dont understand this no matter how much I look at it.

    The few clues show that Rudgers research is an area that no one has touched so far and the main thing is mathematics, but it can bebined with magic.

    Come to think of it, during James Moriartys time, he was called the top authority on topological mathematics.

    Until then, this study, which was called an extension of geometry and belonged to a subfield, waspletely overturned by a man.

    The perception of mathematics known to the public was a study that handled intuitive objects with the logic of numbers. However, topology did not y with numbers like other disciplines.

    It was more like something beyond cognition rather than mathematics, dealing with abstraction with logic.

    If the research this man is doing right now is topological mathematics, its normal that I dont understand it.

    Topology was an iprehensible esoteric study for Casey Selmore. Nevertheless, as a result of peeking at Rudgers research data from time to time, he realized an unexpected fact.

    These pictures that I thought were just figures for phase space resemble a magic spell.

    Geometry dealing with space and further topological mathematics werebined and created the space magic that James Moriarty showed.

    Space movement, phase change, coordinate setting. What kind of magic was this man trying to create?

    She saw him use something simr during the Kunst auction house incident. The fact that he turned into a ck and appeared in a different ce was definitely spatial movement.

    Space movement magic. Thats what James Moriarty made.

    She vaguely recalled hearing that there was a coordinate designation magic among the magic shown by the teacher named Rudger Chelici.

    Was it said that magic isunched frompletely different coordinates within a certain range around the wizard?

    Although it did not receive much attention because it seemed difficult to usepared to the highly versatile source code.

    Thinking of it as a prototype of space movement magic, the possibilities are more than the source codes.

    But what the hell are you nning to do with this kind of magic?

    To say that he made it to enjoy great wealth didnt make sense because he did not show this ability well. All that was shown was the prototype coordinate designation magic.

    If space magic ismercialized, the impact it will have on this world will be impossible to estimate.

    Even if he put his name up as the founder, he could be a great wizard who will go down in history but he didnt.

    Making spatial movement magic is not his main purpose.

    For Rudger, space magic was just a means to achieve something. His real purpose was beyond that.

    What the hell are you nning to do?

    To think that creating this level of magic was merely a process.

    She couldnt imagine how huge his ambition would be after that. At start she simply wanted to look at the past of that day but she felt like things were going out of control.

    But lets wait and see.

    Caseyforted herself.

    * * *

    The next morning Rudger was ready to go out.

    Wow. Teacher is so cool!

    Is that so?

    Because he was called by the society, Rudger dressed more neatly and in an antique style than usual.

    Shiny shoes and ck pants with no wrinkles along with a vest with a tie, and a ck frock coat over it.

    His long flowing hair was pulled back with a hair tie, and a hat was worn on top of it. He even wore a gold monocle over one eye.

    Thats.

    Originally, he had a sharp impression, but when he changed his outfit and his style, he felt so different that Casey couldnt recognize him.

    Now he looked just like Professor James Moriarty that Casey met in the past.

    Ill be back.

    Rudger went out after saying goodbye to Sally and Arte. At the same time, he adjusted the amount of light on his face, making his impression change drastically.

    Oh, thats why I didnt recognize you at first.

    When he changed the atmosphere andplexion beyond simple disguise, the charismatic noble turned into an iron-blooded consultant.

    Like that, Rudger headed to the main hall of the society in a carriage.

    The main building of the society was in the Ordo University campus and as if it were worth showing off its reputation, the building was veryrge and magnificent.

    The Monas Hall which can be seen when you go up the wide central stairs of the main building was a ce where famous schrs gathered to discuss.

    Rudger went to the center of the hall and stood.

    Is that him?

    Is it such a young man who solved the problem?

    An empty ckboardy alone in the center.

    Rudger dressed lightly, taking off his coat, hat, and sses.

    Schrs who were waiting in advance showed various reactions to Rudgers rxed appearance.

    The atmosphere is extraordinary. Is he an aristocrat?

    That would have been rumors.

    Surprise, admiration, interest, irritation were shown.

    Most were surprised or unhappy that Rudger was younger than they thought since the majority of people gathered here were in their 30s.

    Quiet. Quiet.

    The deans words at the top of the Monas Hall weighed heavily on the inside of the hall.

    The dean opened his mouth with satisfaction at the sight.

    Nice to meet you. My name is Gord Himbel, the dean of this school. Your name is.

    I am James Moriarty.

    Rudger naturally gave a false name.

    Moriarty? Thats a family Ive never heard of.

    He must be an emerging aristocrat who bought his position with money.

    Those unfamiliar with Rudgers name had a hunch that he was a nobody but the dean did not bother to stop them because they spoke in low voices.

    All right, Mr. Moriarty. Do you know why we invited you all the way here?

    Yes. To exin the process of solving [Nemars equation].

    Can you show us?

    As much as you like.

    White chalk began to fill the prepared ckboard with countless expressions and the Schrs who initially disapproved of Rudger began to sit back as he continued to write.

    Inside the huge, still hall Rudgers low voice and the sound of chalk hitting the ckboard resonated.

    Thats all.

    After the solving ceremony waspleted, Rudger, who finished the exnation, nced at the audience and fixed his eyes on the dean.

    Old Gords eyes glistened at the sight of Rudger.

    Excellent. It was a wless interpretation by Professor Moriarty.

    The title professor meant that the dean recognized Rudger.

    Im ttered.

    It is a wonder that such an outstanding man has not been known until now. Do you belong to a private institution?

    No, I dont. I just studied on my own because Im from a humble family.

    Huh. Its amazing that you can do this on your own. The heavens helped us meet today. Is there anything else you want?

    Anything I want.?

    Anything is fine. Oh, of course, Ill give you the prize money but if theres anything else you want, tell me. I met a great person for the first time in a while and I want to give you something as a senior whos walking the same path.

    Dean Gord took advantage of his good impression and smiled softly.

    Casey looked at it and shook her head.

    Its obvious what youre up to. You want to keep him.

    Rudger solved the problem that they couldnt solve, so the dean will want him.

    Although he didnt believe that James Moriarty was self taught he was still a brilliant gemstone.

    If you say youll give it to me, I wont hesitate. Then theres one thing Id like to ask.

    Tell me.

    I want to enter Ordo University as a professor.

    A buzz came from the audience at the words.

    You want to be a professor? Do you think you can just be a professor at Ordo University?

    Asking for such a position when you dont have a career or a reputation, youre too greedy.

    Did you be arrogant because you solved one problem?

    Most thought that Rudgers requirements were excessive however Dean Gord stared quietly at Rudger as if to confirm the authenticity of his words.

    Rudger also did not shy away from the deans gaze.

    Are you serious about that?

    Yes.

    Thats nice

    When the deans words of consent came out, some schrs protested but the dean spoke in a solemn voice.

    Stop. I told him to tell me what he wanted, and I said Id do it for him. This is a decision made under the authority of the dean.

    But giving him a professors position just for solving one problem is too much.

    Too much? Then, is there anyone here who can solve Nemar Equation more neatly than James Moriarty?

    His words silenced the crowd.

    I believe that this is a great achievement for those like us who walk the path of learning.

    So dont belittle your opponent by saying that you only solved one problem. Respect his achievements and treat him ordingly was the underlying meaning of the deans words.

    Of course, I wont give you the position of a full professor right away. For now, youll only have a temporary position.

    When he said so the other people could not resist since people in temporary positions could be kicked out if they dont prove their ability.

    From the beginning, Dean Gord was going to support that man.

    Rudger is young, capable and doesnt even have a distinct affiliation.

    Of course the dean would want to recruit such a talented person for the reputation of the society.

    Rather, the dean would have thought that this mans suggestion was right since he was going to offer him a position as a professor anyway.

    But Rudger said he wanted to be a professor on his own and the dean liked it because he wouldnt have to do something else for him.

    Without knowing it was his trick.

    In the first ce, Rudgers position as a professor was nothing more than a sham.

    Rudger wanted the authority to read the important papers written in the Central Library of Ordo University and the position of professor was just a means to it.

    He can change his identity at any time anyway.

    For the dean, who doesnt know the inside story, it must feel like a pie fell from the sky. Thus James Moriarty became a temporary professor at Ordo University.

    * * *

    A week has passed since Rudger became a temporary professor and news about him spread among the students and that he will soon be taking the full professor appointment test.

    Wouldnt it be okay to be a temporary professor ced by the dean?

    Well, there are other executives besides the dean.

    The students headed for Monas Hall where the appointment test would take ce were talking.

    Its starting.

    In the darkened interior of the hall light gathered in the center of the ce and a man was seen. He was a steel man who didnt feel any tension even though there were over a thousand people watching.

    Nice to meet you. James Moriarty, temporary professor.

    He held a chalk and did a slight salute.

    Ill start right away without dragging on. This is a geometry form that Ive been working on recently.

    He said so and began to write down some of the contents he was studying on the ckboard.

    As the people in the hall were watching at first they thought it was the work of a temporary professor who had no ability and there were many hyenas waiting to bite if any loopholes were seen.

    However, as Rudger continued to write down the form, no one coulde forward because there was nothing to point out.

    Casey, who was watching the situation by Rudgers side, was convinced.

    Thats why.

    Casey realized again why Rudger, whose identity was unclear, could be a full professor of Ordo. The reason was obvious and so simple, he was just too excellent.

    He could be Professor James Moriarty because the people of the Ordo University Association longed for the knowledge he had.

    Knowledge and ability are power.

    Rudger has won everything on his own ability.

    Its not just one specific field, but all sorts of different fields.

    How on earth did such a person hide his identity and lead such a false life even though he had the ability to be treated well wherever he went?

    Thats all.

    There was silence in the hall.

    He just showed some of his knowledge and everyone had no choice but to admit it.

    Its great.

    Dean Gord nodded with a proud face since the person he supported showed better performance than expected, so he was as happy as if he were flying now.

    Is there anyone that has doubts?

    Since the audience responded with silence to Dean Gords question he continued with an excited voice.

    Congrattions. I wish you well in the future Professor James Moriarty.

    This is how the story of the man known as Professor James Moriarty began.

 Chapter 208

    C208: Guest (1)

    Finally!

    James Moriarty became a full professor.

    Casey Selmores eyes lit up the moment she saw the historic scene. Her heart was pounding in anticipation that James Moriartys life would finally begin in earnest.

    I can finally see what hes trying to do.

    She decided not to miss a single move this time but just as she thought so Casey realized that her body was being dragged away strongly by something.

    What?

    A question passed through her head at that moment. Come to think of it, how long has she been staying in his memory?

    Wait a minute!

    Casey shouted urgently, but it didnt work.

    Unable to read all the memories contained in the magic, she was kicked out of the flow of memories.

    Its only just the beginning!

    For a moment her consciousness was in the dark and when her eyes opened, Casey Selmore leapt from her bed. Looking around, she saw that it was a deep dawn and the sun had not yet risen.

    The artifact?

    The paper in hand lost its blue light and was discolored.

    The end? This is the end?

    She thought she could barely trace him.

    Ah! So annoying!

    When she couldnt contain her anger and screamed, Bettys cry came from the living room.

    Casey! What time is it? Be quiet!

    * * *

    Delica Kingdom.

    Back in his private quarters, Rudger recalled memories from three years ago.

    He earned the title of godfather of crime as James Moriarty, but in fact, everything he did was more like spreading what had originally happened.

    There were a lot of hidden secret facilities in the Delica Kingdom.

    Preparations for war at the national level and all the inhumane experiments done for it.

    Steel Chapel was just a part of it and there were a few more unknown secret operations.

    One of them was the development of gunpowder that was not affected by magic.

    He thought the factory that used to make the gunpowder burned down but as he expected there was a separate person who made it.

    Victor Dreadful developed the gunpowder.

    He looked up at the night sky outside the window as the bluish moonlight was giving off a strange warm light. Thanks to this, he could organize his thoughts calmly.

    Liquid Golem is a high-performance automaton. Considering the person who made it, it is not impossible to make gunpowder that is not affected by magic.

    And in order to use it to make sure it worked, they contacted the Liberation Army and handed it over to them.

    People will only be interested in the Liberation Army who carried out the bombing, and they will not know what is behind it.

    I have eliminated the secret branches in Leathervelk and Baltanung, but they wont disappearpletely unless I remove the fundamental buds.

    It was regrettable that Victor Dreadful could not be killed but he couldnt help it if he thought about it rationally.

    He didnt expect another First Order.

    But thanks to that I found out information about another First Order. ck Knight Verom is a First Order and he uses an antique tone and a red-blooded sword.

    As a result, there are three First Orders that are unknown.

    What ability and strength do the other three have?

    And what is the power of Zero Order that brought them all together.?

    Rudger nced at the ring handed over by Zero Order. Now that he thought about it, it was strange that he gave him this ring.

    He gave it to me on purpose. To invite me.

    Zero Order was akin to the president. In a good way, its bold, and in a bad way, its a crazy person.

    Well, he wouldnt be able to do this if he was in his right mind.

    How will the next meeting with him go?

    Thinking so, Rudger closed his eyes in a chair and fell asleep quietly.

    * * *

    The next morning Rudger, who came to work early even though there was no ss, found Sedina cleaning his office.

    Sir.

    Rudger checked his watch. It wasnt time for breakfast yet.

    Sedina, you came to work early.

    Yes. Im working hard not to disturb you when you start the day.

    Did you eat?

    Not yet but its okay. I brought a lunch box!

    Sedina said that and showed her packed lunch. When she opened the lid, the inside was filled with fresh blue vegetables and fruits.

    theres a lot of grass.

    Yes, its good for my health and I like it. Oh, by the way. Did you eat?

    No, I havent.

    Rudger always ate breakfast separately. The lunch was mainly eaten with the other teachers, but even that has be rare since the festival.

    For now, Im going to eat breakfast in moderation.

    With that said, Rudger took out arge barrel that he had prepared. Inside, there was powder made by grinding all kinds of grains and herbs.

    It was a processed food called magic wheat eaten by wizards.

    Sedina asked in a trembling voice.

    Are you going to eat only that?

    Yes, does that matter?

    Of course there is a problem!

    When Sedina screamed, Rudger flinched without realizing it.

    After he seriously wondered if he had pressed the wrong switch, Sedina strode up and took away the magic wheat in Rudgers hand.

    Isnt this magic wheat that wizards often eat because they cant eat a real meal?

    Yes, I tend to use it, too.

    It definitely fills the body and makes meals easy but unequal nutrients will ruin the body.

    Uh, well, yes.

    Ill give you my packed lunch box, so eat it all!

    Isnt this your breakfast?

    Thats all right! I have one more prepared!

    As she said that she took out another lunch box.

    Due to her unexpected thorough preparation, Rudger was stunned and could not find a cause to refuse.

    Teacher, you must eat vegetables! These ground-up snacks will one day be the main culprit of body damage!

    Sedinas determined speech that sounded as if she was a mother preaching to a childining of side dishes had some strange power.

    From now on, Ill pack your food every morning and evening!

    No, you dont have to go that far.

    No! This is necessary.

    Im afraid youll have a hard time.

    Im not tired at all. This is what I want to do.

    If you are so stubborn, I wont stop you.

    Rudger eventually gave up and nodded.

    Then, have this.

    A lunch box thrust out of the blue. Rudger was sure that it was filled with grass (fruits and vegetables).

    Is there no meat?

    Nothing!

    None?

    Rudger stared at Sedina with a shocked face.

    Can a person live without meat? Or were the Half-Elves a meatless race?

    Looking at Bruna thats not necessarily the case.

    Bruna was a huge meat eater although she was a pure elf. However, it is absurd that Sedina, a half-elf, does not eat meat.

    How do you supplement nutrients without meat?

    This lunch box I prepared contains all the essential nutrients. This nt here has vegetable protein, so its good to eat, and if you look at this fruit, its high in fructose and carbohydrates..

    She was so happy that she told him everything even though Rudger didnt ask and when he heard it all, he realized that the nutrients were unexpectedly bnced.

    No, I know it has all the nutrients.

    But isnt it good to have meat?

    Rudger wanted to argue, but he decided not to when he saw Sedinas gaze.

    He really thought shed get angry if he said anything.

    Sedina is usually calm and courteous but when she is fixed on something theres no stopping her. Even Rudger felt strangely pressured by the tremendous spirit that she showed at the moment.

    Did I ever feel this pressure from someone other than my teacher?

    There were Zero Order and Elisa Willow. Of course, these two have the power to match it.

    He didnt know Sedina had this side to her.

    Are you not going to eat it?

    As Sedinas voice became anxious and her eyes began to sharpen, Rudger replied hastily.

    No, Ill eat it.

    Sedina sat in a chair and watched him eat.

    Thats weird. Shes an assistant and Im a teacher.

    What was this feeling that the rtionship has turned around?

    Rudger, who was eating like that, suddenly remembered the past.

    Whats wrong? Is there anything you dont like about the meal?

    No, it tastes good. Its better than I thought.

    Sedina blushed and smiled brightly at hispliment.

    But why?

    It just reminded me of the old days.

    Ah, if its your old days.

    Not what you think but a long time ago when I was walking around with my teacher.

    When she heard about his teacher, Sedinas eyes shined.

    Are you talking about your teacher? Who was it?

    My teacher is someone so great that I had no choice but to call him a monster. I dont dare to say that I touched the toes of my master when ites to magic skills.

    What?

    Sedina cried in surprise.

    Rudgers magic skills are at a level where no one in Theon is arguing and Sedina could tell he was not humble to lift up his teacher.

    Even considering all that, Rudger sincerely thought that his skills were not even close to his teacher.

    In a way, I was very lucky that someone like him taught me. Anyway, it was simr to how it was when I was with him.

    What do you mean youre simr?

    He always forced me to eat meals. However, if I were to point out the difference from you, would it be that he told him to eat a lot of meat.

    Meat

    Sedina whispered.

    Well, I dont hate meat either, so I eat it often, butMy teacher likes to eat meat strangely undercooked. When I ate it, I struggled with the fishy taste.

    Rudgers words were light but it waspletely uneptable for Sedina.

    In the world, you can take all the nutrients evenly with just vegetables, but meat that is extremely tilted on one side! This is uneptable!

    Its a thing of the past.

    Of course, I dont mean to me it either. HoweverI have a feeling that it will not fit in with your teacher.

    Rudger nodded his head because he was strangely convinced by her words.

    No. Considering teacher personality, Im not sure about that either.

    He was so unpredictable that it was meaningless for me to dare to specte on his behavior. In other words, they might get along with each other.

    More than that, Im sure teacher just woke up.

    On thest day of the magic festival Rudger used his teachers blood, one of the means he wouldnt use unless it was really necessary.

    There was a reason why Rudger didnt use it before.

    The moment I used it, teacher realized that I used his blood and woulde to find me.

    It was inevitable no matter how much Rudger shakes when he thinks about what will happen after that.

    Considering his unruly personality, he will note here right away, but will look around first. Still, Im sure he will arrive in front of me someday.

    That would be a real problem since he was the one who extracted his teachers blood when he was asleep and ran away.

    Just thinking about what would happen if they met made his back wet.

    Maybe helle right away..

    As he was thinking someone knocked on the door.

    Who is it?

    It was a Theons employee.

    Whats going on?

    There is someone who wants to see Mr. Rudger.

    What?

    Rudgers heart sank.

 Chapter 209

    C209: Guest (2)

    Rudger was worried when he heard a guest came.

    I dont think theres anyone who cane now.

    That made him even more nervous.

    No. Theres no point in thinking about it here. If Im not going to run away, I have to face it.

    Rudger, who had finished thinking, opened his mouth.

    I see. Tell the guest Ill be right there.

    No, you dont have to. I came here myself.

    With that said she pushed the employee away and came into his teachers office.

    Rudger, who was nervous, rxed his shoulders when he saw her.

    Was the guest you Casey Selmore?

    Why do you feel strangely relieved?

    You can leave now. Good work.

    The employee his head.

    Hmm. Is this your office?

    As the employee closed the door and left, Casey slowly looked around the inside of the teachers office with her hands behind her.

    Rudger frowned at her.

    Why dont you tell me what you came for?

    What, do we have to have business between us?

    Between you?

    It was Sedina who responded to the remark.

    Casey looked at Sedina and greeted her with a gentle smile.

    Oh, thats right. There was one more person. Hello sweetdy, whats your name?

    Sedina Rosen.

    Sedina Rosen. Seeing that youre staying here, I think youre his assistant, right? Is the teacher nice to you?

    Sedina nodded instead of answering but her gaze towards Casey wasnt friendly and Rudger intervened because he thought there would be a fight at this rate.

    Sedina, you wait in the assistant office.

    But sir.

    Its fine. I have something to talk with the guest.

    When Rudger said so, Sedina was forced to leave for the assistant office. Of course, she didnt forget to stare at Casey once on the way.

    Oh, no. I must be hated.

    Casey looked at Sedina leaving and shook her head as if she was disappointed while Rudger stared at her.

    So what business did youe to me for?

    Are you already being so cold-hearted? You enjoyed our secret meetingst night.

    Casey winked with a yful smile but there was no way Rudger was ignorant of her intentions so his reaction was cold.

    Casey patted her chin.

    Thats weird. People usually like it when I do this.

    If you call closing an eye a beauty, Ill tell you that youve been wrong for a long time. Theres no fool who would get caught in that in the first ce.

    Everyone liked it when I smiled at them.

    Its because theyre stupid.

    Rudger realized that this detective girl was in many ways different frommon sense. Her ability was so outstanding that shecked empathy and she could not understand other peoples feelings.

    Its funny that you just called it beauty.

    It was just that her natural appearance was outstanding, so she mistakenly thought that what she did worked well with other people.

    Are you trying to get revenge on me for what happenedst night? Is this the I will confess and punish you?

    What?! Who confesses to whom?

    Im d to hear that. Youre not my cup of tea.

    Thats funny! Youre not my type either.

    I thought you were an obsessive person because you secretly stalked me for three years.

    Of course not!

    Casey proudly shouted no, but in the eyes of a third party, she was severely obsessed. Only she didnt realize it.

    Casey, who had tried to cut Rudger out for no reason, stared at him and found a lunch box on his desk.

    Were you a vegetarian?

    I thought it would be like that in the future.

    What do you mean?

    There is such a thing. Forget it, just answer what I asked you a while ago. Why did youe to see me?

    Rudger got up and walked over to Casey. As the distance between the two grew closer, Casey naturally looked up at Rudger.

    Its so big.

    Casey didnt avoid Rudgers gaze, thinking that the man was tall and broad-shouldered. She felt like she was losing to him.

    Are you asking why? Theres no way you dont know.

    Well. I am Rudger Chelici, a teacher at Theon Academy, and I have no idea what you are talking about.

    Are you saying that you will thoroughly protect your identity?

    Youre a very rude guest.

    Ha. Youre going to deny it until the end, right?

    It was then that Casey, who had been staring at Rudger, suddenly reached out.

    What?

    Rather than reaching out naturally, her movement was somewhat weird.

    He didnt know what it was, but he didnt want to deal with her, so Rudger lightly pulled his body back and avoided her touch.

    What are you trying to do?

    Casey, who opened her eyes wide, immediately made an excuse.

    You have dust on your shoulders.

    Rudger shook his head at herme excuse.

    I dont know why you came to me, but if you try more meaningless tricks, Ill kick you out with my teachers authority.

    Ha, funny. Did you say you dont know?

    What?

    You took advantage of me like that.

    Seeing Casey shaking her fists, Rudger felt that she would explode if he left her like that.

    Rudger sighed.

    Sit down for now. Since youre here as a guest, Ill treat you to a cup of tea at least.

    Saying so, Rudger took the tea provided inside the office and handed it to Casey. Originally, it was an assistant professors job, but he was the one who sent Sedina away.

    Drink.

    Isnt it poisonous?

    Should I drink it in front of you?

    No, thats enough. I dont think youre going to use such a dirty trick.

    Casey, who was staring at the teacup in front of the guest table, took a sip of it. She, who intended to criticize as soon as it tasted bad, opened her eyes wide to the scent of soft tea.

    What is this? It looks like a luxurious tea.

    She was going to find fault with him, but he gave her a luxury tea. Besides, his methods were perfect, so there were no ws.

    This person is good at brewing some kind of tea.

    Casey grumbled inside and slowly savored the aroma. When she controlled her emotions inside, her hot head calmed down.

    Whoo. Yeah. Lets be calm.

    At first, she tried to calmly draw Rudgers true feelings, but something came over her the moment she saw his brazen face greeting her with an expressionless face while doing such a thing yesterday made her angry.

    Her pride was so hurt because she thought she was the only one seriously worried.

    You seem to have calmed down a little.

    When Rudger said so, Casey only red once with a sharp gaze, but did not argue further.

    After finishing the tea, Casey lightlyid down the teacup and stared at Rudger with clearer eyes.

    Theres something I want to ask. Are you hostile to the ck Dawn Society after all?

    .

    Well, I guess so. The factory in Baltanung was the secret branch of the ck Dawn Society and I tried to get rid of it.

    Rudger held out some papers to Casey Selmore without saying a word.

    What is it?

    Read it.

    Casey, who received the document, quickly scanned it with her eyes.

    After a while she took her eyes of the papers and she stared at Rudger with disbelief.

    Is this for real?

    I brought it myself from there.

    Was it rted to them, too?

    Looking at your reaction, you came to Baltanung after the traces of the terrorists who attacked the Kunst auction house.

    Youre so quick-witted.Yeah, I got their gunpowder and analyzed it. It took time, but I managed to find it.

    Casey, who was nodding with her arms crossed, suddenly felt a strange feeling and raised her head.

    No, wait. Why am I having such a normal conversation with you?

    Youre nitpicking about everything. Anyway, Ill hand this data over to you. Work it out on your own.

    Why are you passing it on to me? Do you think Im your subordinate?

    You dont have to do it if you dont want to. I was just trying to help you because Im investigating the case, but I cant help it if you refuse. I have no choice but to do it.

    Rudger tried to take back the documents but Casey stopped him.

    What are you doing? Didnt you say no?

    No. I changed my mind. Ill do it.

    .

    Rudger shook his head but understood why Casey was acting like that.

    You just dont want to do what I tell you.

    Shes been called a genius all her life and felt defeated for the first time.

    To be used by someone and to move as he wishes was an insult to a self-respecting person. Thats why she insisted not to move as Rudger wanted.

    However, didnt youe back to square one? After all, you do what I tell you to do.

    Perhaps Casey cant afford to think that far now.

    She makes excuses, but in the end, she only chooses the side she thinks is right.

    Therefore, even if he handed her the data and made her catch a ck Dawn Society, she was going to do it while showing that she didnt like it.

    As if she could read his thoughts, Casey was furious.

    I dont know what youre thinking, but dont get me wrong. Im not doing this because you told me to, but purely because I think the ck Dawn Society guys are dangerous. Do you understand?

    Yes.

    We have to make sure that this is clear. Never, never, never because you told me to do it.

    I said yes.

    Hmm. And dont worry. Im leaving you alone for now because theres no clear evidence, butter, you know? Ill put you in jail if you let your guard down.

    She had a very unpredictable personality, but Rudger thought he could get used to it a little. Rudger nodded, drawing a soft arc around his mouth.

    Ill look forward to it. Try your best.

    Thatll bring me bad luck.

    It was apliment.

    Casey eventually dropped her shoulders because she felt more miserable than ever. The man in front of her is annoying, but the more important thing right now is to deal with the direct threat of the ck Dawn Society.

    It was an inevitable choice but its not like she lost anything.

    If youre done with your tea, go out now. I have work to do.

    Your job as a teacher?

    Of course not.

    Is the research on increasing the amount of mana emitted also rted to your work as a teacher?

    At Caseys point, Rudger narrowed his eyes.

    You peeped quickly in that short time.

    Its the fault of the person who left it visible.

    Usually, you notice everything with just one nce.

    What can I do if Im too good? Is that even possible? Increasing the amount of mana emission will not be easy.

    Its possible, so we`re recruiting people for tests. We need proof.

    What? Youre not going to do anything dangerous, are you?

    Casey stared at Rudger with serious eyes that were saying I wont forgive you if you do such a thing.

    Dont talk nonsense. There is nothing dangerous.

    How do you prove it?

    Because Im the living witness.

    What? You?

    Yes, but I cant prove it properly by myself because it is necessary topare the figures before and after the changes. Thats why were recruiting applicants.

    Is it possible without side effects? Whats the way?

    Theres no way he would teach her but Rudger suddenly recalled Casey Selmores position. She is a detective by profession but she is also a magician with the title [Colour]. Her fame in the world of magic is enormous.

    Well, if its her, maybe.

    I cant exin the detailed method, but if I have to summarize itIts a kind of overload.

    Overload?

    I will forcefully control the amount of mana released and in that state Ill try to increase it. To paraphrase, its simr to knights wearing sandbags to strengthen their bodies.

    How do you control the mana emitted? Are you using magic handcuffs?

    The magic handcuffs do not suppress the release of mana, but forcibly cut off the flow of mana so that magic itself cannot be used. What I use is different. Its a very old, ancient way.

    An ancient way?

    Casey Selmore, how much do you know about the magic of the ancients?

    What? Compared to now, I heard that the technique has not been established, so it is at a crude level.

    Certainly, the sharpness and neatness of the current magic would be superior. But there are some areas where people in ancient times were better than the people today.

    That is the amount of mana emitted. In other words, it was the power of the spells used.

    Ancient wizards did not neglect training to increase the amount of mana emitted. At that time, the amount of mana was proof of strength. It was as strong as it was crude.

    Such a method existed? If there was such a thing, why has it not been known until now?

    Because the genealogy has been cut off. To be exact, there is no one left who can interpret the words of that time.

    Rudger got up from his seat and pulled out one of the books stuck in one wall of his study.

    It is a copy of the Larsilnguage that no one has been able to interpret because it has been lost.

    Larsil is an ancientnguage that is almost a thousand years old. Why all of a sudden?

    It contains the recipe for the drug. Ancient wizards used this training method to increase their mana pool.

    At that, Casey had to grab her thighs tightly with her arms to keep herself from standing up.

    What? This man can interpret an ancientnguage whose genealogy has been cut off?!

 Chapter 210

    C210: Ancient Language (1)

    Chapter sponsored byBrune.Thank you for your support.

    How do you know that? The Larsilnguage has been challenged by many archaeologists, but they never made any progress in its interpretation.

    Because I was sessful.

    .

    Casey shut up. She didnt expect that the word sess woulde out so lightly.

    No, no, wait a minute. Then why didnt you announce it until now? The mere announcement of this can cause a great stir in the archaeologicalmunity.

    Are you stupid?

    What?

    You still dont seem to understand my situation very well. Do you think there is a person who will believe that an unidentified person who can interpret Larsil appeared out of nowhere?

    But if you show me with your skills.

    The archaeologicalmunity is closely rted to the ancient magic school of the Old Tower. In fact, archeology today is not interested in the cultures of people in the past. They are interested in the origins of Relics and the magic that was used in the past.

    And the Old Tower is a group whose evils are deeply rooted and do not change easily.

    Now it got a little better since they had topete with the New Tower but the foundation remained.

    Id rather bite my tongue than hand my research materials to a ce where there are still a lot of dissertation scams.

    On the other hand, now that he has built his reputation as a teacher of Theon, he had enough capital to step forward because the Tower couldnt touch him recklessly.

    Yes. I see the situation. So are you going to publish all of this?

    What I do is prove through experiments that this method exists and that it is not false. Of course, I have no intention of telling the details.

    Well, that might be your lifeline. But if you unlock this valuable information, there will be more people aiming for it, right?

    Increasing the amount of mana emitted is a step forward for wizards like a ray of light thates down to those that couldnt increase their total amount of mana and their rank.

    In the world, there are wizards who can no longer develop from their existing skills so they be corrupt and reach out to ck magic.

    Considering that there are not a few people who have fallen into taboos, the knowledge Rudger possesses is very sweet. Thats why its dangerous. Because fragrant flowers attract all sorts of flying insects.

    Are you sure youll be okay?

    Its up to me. Mind your own business.

    Even if people worry about you, you always say that.

    Im so grateful that youre worried about me, that Im about to burst into tears.

    You dont like to lose when ites to words.

    Thats enough. I think Im done with the tea and youre done with your business, so will you leave. Its been a long time.

    What? I still want to ask.

    Go ahead.

    Rudger said so and used wind magic to move Caseys body.

    Huh? Now, wait a minute!

    Perhaps she didnt expect him to use magic here, so Casey couldnt respond.

    The wind carried Casey out of the office and threw her into the hallway.

    Ouch!

    Casey, who fell on the floor, frowned and looked back. The door of the teachers office was closed tightly.

    You have no manners towards ady.

    Casey fiddled with her throbbing butt. Fortunately, it didnt seem to be bruised.

    But Ive gained something.

    She took a piece of paper out of her inner pocket. It was originally supposed to be white, but it was dyed blue.

    I never thought youd use magic at the end. Was it helpful to test his temper?

    Thanks to this, she was thrown out and her butt hurt, but she achieved what she wanted.

    This time, definitely.

    Casey red at the teachers office with determination and left.

    * * *

    At lunchtime Rudger was at a restaurant with his fellow teachers after a long time.

    Its been a long time since we got together and ate together after the festival. Hehe.

    Yeah.

    Selina, who sat next to Rudger, said so with a warm smile. Rudger was also pleased to see such a light atmosphere because it had been a long time.

    By the way Mr. Bryno doesnt look very well.

    Bryno, sitting across from Rudger, looked quite haggard, unlike before the festival. Originally, he was a well-to-do person, but he seemed to be in a lot of trouble.

    Something like that happened.

    Bryno answered helplessly.

    Selina whispered cautiously from the side when she thought something bad was going on.

    Mr. Rudger. Didnt you hear that?

    What do you mean?

    Selinas face flushed when Rudger asked, closing his face to hers.

    What happened to Mr. Bryno?

    Oh, no, I meanI heard that Mr. Brynos golem was stolen on thest day of the festival.

    Ah.

    As soon as he heard her, Rudger could only think of the golem melted down in the fight against Quasimodo that he forgot about since he was so busy.

    Im sorry Teacher Bryno.

    Unable to tell the truth, Rudger apologized to Bryno from the bottom of his heart.

    Ill give you a presentter.

    Merylda opened her mouth as he thought so.

    More than that, I think I havent seen your face because youve been busytely Mr. Rudger.

    Ive been a little busy.

    I heard youre preparing a study this time.

    Merylda said so and winked at Selina, who was spacing out at the intense gaze and she came to her senses.

    E, thats right. I heard it, too. Is it a study for a new magic?

    Its not new magic. However, it is something that quite a few wizards will be enthusiastic about.

    Oh, I read the official letter.

    Bryno, who was half out of his mind, also reacted.

    I heard youre doing research to increase the amount of mana emissionIs that true?

    Yes.

    When Rudger nodded his head honestly, exmations flowed from the other teachers.

    Is that true? But the amount of mana emissions wont increase easily.

    It is true that there is a clear limit to the current method. What Im offering is a new path.

    Do you know any new ways?

    Yes, and I need results that can prove my research based on that, thats why recruiting students but not many applied.

    I guess so. Students wont easily believe it.

    In fact, now that the rumor has spread, most of the people didnt believe it.

    Im going to wait and see.

    Well, then.

    Selina spoke with a tense voice.

    Can I join you there?

    You want to join?

    Yes.

    For Selina, it was a courageous action. If she participates in the study, shell spend more time with Rudger.

    Well done, Selina!

    Merylda also sent a sign to Selina, saying, Good job.

    Rudger stroked his chin slightly as if he was seriously worried about her suggestion.

    Hmm. I appreciate that you said that yourself, but I cant judge recklessly since youre a teacher.

    Ah

    Im thankful for your kind intentions.

    Rudger said it out of consideration for Selina, but Selina felt like she was going to cry.

    Oh, what do I do Miss Merylda?

    Selina gave Merylda a look requesting for help, but she shook her head.

    Rudger was determined in this respect, and it was unlikely that he could be forced here.

    She has no choice but to look for the next opportunity.

    I finished my meal so Ill get up first to see if there are any applicants.

    Mr. Rudger you only ate meat today

    Rudger, who was about to get up, nodded indifferently at Selinas point.

    Yes, well, from now onI think its going to be hard to eat meat.

    What?

    There is such a thing. Then have a good meal.

    Rudger said goodbye and got up from his seat.

    * * *

    About three days have passed since Rudger posted the official letter but the story, which heated up the students attention on the first day, seemed to have withered a little on the third day.

    Most students concluded that this was impossible, even though Rudger was the one doing it but not all of them had that opinion.

    Flora Lumos felt her brain spin but she thought Rudger wouldnt do that without a reason. If he even posted an official document, surely there must be some way.

    In addition, the presidents permission was stamped on it. Considering her personality, shes not someone wholl just give permission for a false study.

    Maybe the president has seen something else about Rudgers research that others dont know about and she allowed it because she saw the possibility.

    Theres a good chance.

    Shes been thinking a lot for the past three days, but she finally came to a conclusion.

    Its a loss not to participate. But Im going because of my curiosity and enthusiasm as a pure wizard..Because I got help that day. Yes, thats right. Im just trying to help you with your research because I got help. There is no personal interest.

    Flora, standing in front of the teachers office, calmly knocked.

    Sir, this is Flora Lumos. I saw the official letter and came to apply.

    Come in.

    Flora proudly headed into the teachers office and saw that there were a lot of applicants inside already.

    What?

    She thought she came first, but there were five more people who came before her.

    You came just in time. Im d more people applied than I thought.

    Rudger said so and examined the faces of the students.

    From left to right there were Aidan, Rene, Erendir von Exilion, Julia Plumhart, Freuden Ulburg and Flora Lumos.

    They are all extraordinary people.

    The six people gathered in the meeting had simr thoughts.

    What? Why is he here?

    What the hell is he?

    Senior is here, too.

    Among them, Aidan was the most excited one.

    Wow. As expected, only prominent people came because of Mr. Rudgers research!

    Aidans motivation for support is his longing and curiosity for pure magic. Originally, he was going to apply right away on the first day, but Leo stopped him, so he waste to apply secretly on the third day.

    Since my problem is non-attribute magic, I wonder if I can get a clue about this.

    In Renes case, she had a chronic problem with mana, so she applied with the idea that Rudger might fix it.

    I cant leave my first friend and junior alone!

    Erendir saw that Renee was going, so she followed her just in case. In fact, the real reason was that she didnt want to be left alone, but Erendir had already neatly erased it from her head.

    What did that teacher do to change Sedinas dream? And Sedinawhat do you think of me?

    In the case of Julia Plumhart, she became interested in Rudgers research, but the biggest reason was Sedina Rosen.

    Ill watch what youre doing here.

    Andstly, Freuden Ulburg, who has been staring at Rudger since the moment he entered the office with the idea that he wouldnt stand still if he did any nonsense.

    Six applicants gathered with such different minds but Rudger was happy because all of them were elites.

    I think everyone knows what research Im doing since you read the official letter.

    Yes! You said youd increase the amount of mana released!

    Youre too loud Aidan, lower your voice.

    Yes!

    Rudger already felt like he was having a headache.

    Before we begin, I will ask if everyone can really pledge to follow this study well. If you cant, you can go out.

    I have a question before we start.

    What is it, Erendir?

    The fact that it increases the amount of mana releasedHow exactly do you do it?

    It is a secret. Ill teach you if you want to, but I cant tell you since I havent received a definite answer yet. However, you can be sure that there are no aftereffects or problems.

    Well, you dont have to worry. Im going to do it. Isnt that right?

    Yes, me too.

    The rest were all the same.

    I see. Then, each person should write his or her name on the confidentiality pledge. Sedina.

    When Rudger called, Sedina, who was waiting in the assistant office, came out and handed out the secret pledges one by one.

    She showed a little hesitation when handing it out to Juliast, but she eventually handed it out safely and disappeared back to the assistant office.

    Julia stared at Sedinas back as all the students who received the pledge wrote their names on them.

    Since it was a pledge with a magical effect, the contract was signed from the moment the name was written.

    I wrote it down. You can exin it now, right?

    Rudger, who had checked all the vows, opened his mouth.

    Once a day youll take the medicine I make for you.

    Medicine?

    I said it was medicine, but its more like a drink made by grinding all kinds of herbs.

    What happens if we drink it? Does drinking it permanently increase our mana emissions?

    If there was such afortable way, anyone would have discovered it. Its the other way around. If you drink it, you will have great resistance when you use magic.

    Erendir squinted at the word resistance.

    This resistance is quite high, so even the magic that you guys normally use wonte out with more than 3% of your original strength. We will train in that state.

    Training with our mana suppressed?

    The training itself will start with the very basics. Mana operation and release, and mana implementation.

    Its surprising because its more basic than I thought.

    Rudger could see that everyone was thinking that way since he used to be like that when he learned from his teacher.

    It may seem easy just to hear about it, but youll know when you do it.

    How hard and painful it is.

    Youll realize it only when you experience it yourself.

    Although he didnt feel much joy from teaching normally Rudger was sure that he was going to enjoy this.

 Chapter 211

    C211: Ancient Language (2)

    The next day Rudger brought the six volunteers to theb.

    Starting today, you will undergo a clinical study for a week.

    The students listened to Rudgers words with half-expectations and half-nervous eyes.

    Before entering, you made a mana test in advance, here are the results.

    Through the mana test, it was clearly recorded how much mana they had and what was their maximum emission.

    Based on this record, I will measure how much mana has increased over the week and record it in detail. And the president who made this ce will help.

    Hi, guys.

    President Elisa Willow waves and speaks softly.

    The students gathered at the meeting stared at her with a look, Why is the president here?

    The main reason the six students were nervous was her presence on the scene.

    The president said she wanted to visit in person. We can proceed with the research thanks to the president, so we will wee her with a happy heart.

    The students pped their hands with disconste expressions. However, the president was not the only one in the position of an observer.

    Oh, I cant believe I can see this kind of research myself!

    Luchek from the New Tower, who handed over his business card to Rudger on the day of the Magic Festival, a wizard belonging to the Old Tower and a wizard from the School Association were also present.

    There were a total of four observers, including the president.

    Luchek looked forward to it but on the contrary, the Old Tower wizard and the wizard belonging to the School Association were still suspicious.

    They came when I heard that Rudger was conducting clinical research, but honestly the two of them didnt believe it could be done.

    First of all, before starting the research let me exin exactly how were going to proceed. This study will start by suppressing the existing mana.

    Suppressing means taking the special medicine you mentioned?

    Aidan raised his hand and asked.

    Rudger, standing in front of the magic board in theb, nodded.

    Yes, of course, some people will wonder how that leads to increased mana emissions. So take a good look here.

    Rudger showed the data he had been preparing on the magic board. Pieces of paintings that are winding but are somewhat regr appeared.

    It was anguage the students never saw before.

    Thats

    Larsil, an ancientnguage more than a thousand years old.

    Even if he exined it like that, Larsil was an unfamiliar word to the students. Rather, it was the observers who responded.

    What do you mean, Larsil? Are you saying that the method is written there?

    No, more than that, Larsil is anguage that has not yet been interpreted.

    Rudger continued his exnation calmly when everyone was wondering.

    Im not trying to teach you how to interpret it, so Ill just get to the point quickly. Look here.

    Larsil was engraved on the magic board of theb.

    As you can see, the form is messy. Since the Larsilnguage has aplicatednguage system, it was inevitable that it was cut off. Anguage should at least be intuitive and simple to learn. Look at this example.

    Even the simple greeting, Have you eaten? has more than 10 different meanings starting from the smallest part.

    Larsil has little inmon with the more than 3,000nguages that have existed so far. Therefore, it is difficult to infer it even in thenguages that exist now. If there is any connection, there is a slight simrity in Quo-Denian.

    However, Rudger continued his exnation.

    That alone does notpletely decipher Larsilian because they used a total of three types of letters at the same time. Quo-Denian is part of thenguage that symbolizes Lar-Sil among the three.

    The students opened their eyes wide and it was the same for the observers.

    Thats why the name Larsil was given to anguage that should not have been named. The only interpretation, the Larsil part, became the name. The other two forms ofnguage follow their words, one is Geu-ka and the other is called Sham.

    While listening to the exnation, Luchek of the New Tower was unknowingly amazed.

    I can see why Larsil was difficult to interpret. I cant believe they used three forms ofnguage in parallel. Although they look simr, they are actuallypletely different characters.

    He could understand why many wizards and archaeologists were not able to interpret it.

    There was no way that there would be any improvement since they could not interpret even one third of the entirenguage.

    Rudger Chelici interpreted it?

    The observer from the Old Tower muttered as if he could not believe it.

    Rudgers exnation followed.

    I havepleted the interpretation of two other forms of Larsil, which are unknown to the public, and through this, I have learned the content of this manuscript.

    Existing characters were erased on the magic board, and other characters began to be engraved.

    Geu-ka

    Sham

    The remaining two types of characters constituting Larsil were ssified in detail.

    This is a word that can be said to be the basic framework. The grammatical part isplicated to exin, so Ill skip it. Thats not whats important right now.

    At that, the observers could not hide their regret and only the president was watching the scene with eyes full ofposure.

    The contents written in the Larsil manuscript appeared on the magic board.

    If youbine words like this to interpret thenguage, you can see that this manuscript was written by a wizard. ording to the handwriting, ancient wizards in the past used primitive rough magic that had no established spells unlike today.

    The power of ancient wizards, often described as a natural disaster.

    It may have been a little exaggerated, but it was true that the magic of ancient wizards actually boasted superior power to modern magic.

    Rudgers teacher used to say simr things often.

    -Theres no magic these days. In my day.

    Rudger has heard that more than 100 times while living with his teacher.

    ording to this journal, the magic they used appears to be as powerful as it is simple. And it says it was possible because there was a great consciousness.

    The great consciousness is.

    Yes, thats how ancient wizards increase their mana emission.

    And this was the reagent that Rudger was going to feed to the students in the clinical study today.

    The ancient wizards were small in number. At that time, wizard was a special position that only the chosen could ascend to. Compared to now, magic was not developed universally.

    As a result, the number of wizards was smallpared to now, but it was said that they did their best to groom every one of them and great consciousness was the central process in fostering such powerful wizards.

    Rene raised his hand and asked a question.

    Then why is that method forgotten now?

    There are many reasons, but it seems to have disappeared naturally over the years because it was also a way that only a few people followed.

    They couldnt increase the number of wizards?

    Wizards of that era were very short-lived. They were great beings, but they used to die from frequent exposure to danger.

    Ah.

    Even now, there were some wizards who sometimes got hurt or died because their experiments went wrong. It would have been worse in the old days when magic stability wascking.

    To sum up, the great consciousness means to train in mana operation with your mana suppressed to the limit.

    Its a rough idea that only ancient people could think of and it was unclear whether it would be useful, but thats why they created this ce.

    Then Ill stop exining here. Assistant Sedina bring what youve prepared.

    Yes.

    Sedina moved quickly and brought the bottles she had prepared in advance to each student.

    This is.

    The students looked at the bottle in front of them and made surprised expressions.

    In the bottles was the special drug made by Rudger, to be exact, it was a mana inhibitor that ancient wizards drank in the past.

    The color is unique

    There was a visual problem because it looked like sticky purple porridge and even bubbles wereing up.

    Everyone, including the observers, felt the same way.

    Isnt this poison?

    They looked at Rudger with such questionable eyes, but he was determined.

    Drink it.

    What?

    Drink it.

    What?

    Drink it.

    Drink this? Everyone thought they were going to die as soon as they drank it.

    Hey!

    The moment when everyone hesitated Rene took a sip of purple liquid and opened her eyes wide.

    What?

    Rene, are you okay?

    It tastes better than I thought?

    Really?

    Yes, Im really fine. Its like sweet juice. You should try it, too.

    Rene said so and drank the reagent at once to prove that it was not false.

    Seeing that there was no change in her expression, it seemed to taste really good, contrary to its appearance.

    Then, shall we drink it?

    The people who hesitated began to put the reagents in their mouths one by one and various reactions erupted.

    Wow!

    mmm.

    Sweet.

    Some said it was okay, and others frowned at the terrible bitterness. In particr, the most distressed were Erendir and Freuden Ulburg.

    Oh, I forgot to exin. There will be a difference in the taste that each person feels. Still, it doesnt affect your body, so just endure it and drink it.

    This man.

    Freuden stared at Rudger with a sharp stare.

    Im sure he did it on purpose.

    Rudger lightly took Freudens gaze.

    Of course, the taste of the reagent varies slightly depending on the person and he added a lot of sweetness to make it less bitter for obedient students since the effect would be equal anyway.

    But Aidan, what the hell is that guy.

    Aidan is a model student, but honestly, he was also the most elusive so Rudger added a special bitter taste to his reagent but surprisingly he drank it without changing his face.

    Oh, this is the taste of reagents from ancient people. I feel like Ive already gotten stronger.

    Everyone else who had tasted the bitterness looked like they were going to die, but he was the only one who muttered those words with a straight face.

    Youve finished it so there will be a response soon.

    As Rudger said, the students who drank the reagent did not feel much at first, but after five minutes, they felt something was wrong.

    Ugh! My body is heavy.

    Whats this feeling?

    They felt like they were submerged under the sea level while being bound by invisible chains. Obviously, there is no difort in moving their body, but the stuffy and intrusive feeling did not go away.

    Everyone seems to have responded.

    Sir, this is?

    As I said earlier, it is the effect of the mana inhibitor. Mana, which you used to handle naturally, is hardened and doesnt move properly.

    Something, somethings hard.

    Of course, youre going through the process of learning, but youre definitely a wizard. Now that mana, which has always been with you, doesnt move as you want so youre no different from a slightly better ordinary person.

    For a wizard, if mana doesnt move they want, they will feel like one side of their soul has disappeared.

    Try to move your mana in that state.

    As Rudger instructed, the students concentrated their minds to use magic. The mana, which usually flowed naturally as if breathing, did not move as if it was blocked by something.

    It felt like a huge dam was built into the flowing river and opened its floodgates a little so the students had difficulties extracting even 1% of the mana they usually used.

    After 10 minutes have passed, no students have sessfully released their magic and sweat began to flow over their foreheads.

    Stop. Thats enough.

    When Rudgers words fell, the students who were distracted took a breath that they had endured.

    Hoooo.

    Rudgers heavy voice rang low in theboratory, where only rough breathing was heard.

    Everyone must be tired because its your first time. Its mentally exhausting since the mana that you used to handle naturally, doesnt move as you wish.

    Is this going to continue for a week?

    When asked by Aidan, Rudger replied yes.

    Today is your first day, so focus on getting used to the feeling of your heavy body now. The full-fledged training will begin tomorrow.

    How long does the medicinest?

    Exactly one day.

    Erendir made a sickening noise at his words.

    She was already bothered by the foreign feeling in her body but when she heard that it wouldst one day she thought of giving up already.

    To be honest, it would be a lie to say that she didnt underestimate this clinical study.

    A day will be enough to get used to the feeling, half a day, maybe even shorter, if you have some talent. You should know how to use mana in that state since the process itself is part of the experiment.

    Rudger looked at the clock.

    Before the full-scale experiment, he exined the ancientnguage and two hours passed already. It made him feel like he had another ss.

    This is the end of the day. Since its the first day, theres nothing to record.

    If we do thisIts going to be effective, right?

    Julia asked, wiping the sweat running over her forehead with a handkerchief. She was still doubtful whether it was really possible to increase mana emission in this primitive way.

    Its possible.

    However, the answer that came back was determined.

    Ill show you the evidence.

    Rudger released his magic by saying so.

    A huge resonance rang around him and a bluish mist began to flow out and magical fog that appears when high-density mana is gathered was formed.

    It was a phenomenon that could only be seen when high-ranking wizards used great magic.

    This is 50 percent of my total mana. Its exactly half.

    That alone filled theb with a bluish energy.

    The students swallowed their breath and the spectators opened their eyes wide at the sight.

    It took less than two seconds to release this amount. Its a figure that far exceeds the wizards average emissions.

    Rudgers voice had a mysterious echo as if it were a man walking through a cloud in the sky.

    Soon the blue mist was drawn back into Rudgers body following his will.

    If you guys follow my instructions well for the rest of the week.

    Rudger, who appeared from the fog, looked at the students and said.

    You can be like this, too.

    There was no answer because they were overwhelmed by Rudgers amazing performance.

 Chapter 212

    C212: Dream Invitation (1)

    Chapter sponsored byNidin.Thank you for you support.

    Rudger, who recovered his mana, looked at the peoples reactions.

    I released the mana to show them, but I should have said it was 90% not 50%.

    In fact, the mana he had just pulled out was the maximum mana he could use, excluding the seal control technique.

    Of course, in terms of the amount emitted, it was more than 90% of his total mana. Rudger deliberately said 50% to bluff.

    Did everyone think it was too little because I said 50 percent? But its a shame that I cant correct it now.

    Fortunately, his maximum mana increased thanks to the elixir given by the School Association. Thanks to this, he was able to handle more mana than before, so he didnt show much. It was also because he was a little happy because of his innateck of mana.

    When he saw their reactions, he thought it was a little too much.

    In this case, it would be best to just ignore it.

    For now, the first day went smoothly. Since there are only students with strong self-esteem, they will try to use their magic without listening to me even if I tell them to rest well.

    How long will it take?

    In terms of talent alone, the children gathered here were better than Rudger himself. His only way forward is to follow what someone has already made.

    Now that theyre on their own path, these applicants must be what people call a real talent.

    I said a day, but it must be shorter than that.

    He was looking forward to how long it would take.

    Thats it for today.

    At the same time as Rudger uttered the words, the restless observers rose up from their chairs. They wanted to ask Rudger as soon as possible how he interpreted the Larsilnguage and how he made the mana inhibitor.

    Although he wouldnt let them know, the intense curiosity and the amazing discovery made them look like moths that naturally led them into mes.

    Rudgers research was so attractive.

    Well, Mr. Rudger!

    As soon as an observer of the Old Tower with a beard like a goat tried to call Rudger, there was a person in front of him, Elisa Willow, president of Theon.

    She looked at the observers with golden eyes smiling like a crescent moon.

    Does Mr. Kumatap have anything to do with our Mr. Rudger?

    Well, thats.

    I remember you made a promise in advance. As an observer, you simply have to testify at ater presentation of the results of our study. That was the original contract, right? You cant break that.

    Even so, this is such a big discovery! If you dont let everyone know about this, itll slow down the development of the magic world!

    Then why dont you open the secret warehouse of the Tower and show it to the world for the development of the magic world? There must be a lot of magic, artifacts, and papers that you hold in your arms.

    The eyebrows of an angry observer wriggled at the insult of his organization.

    President, youre talking too much. Are you insulting our Tower?

    Yes, so?

    The presidents words were firm, and her actions were dignified.

    What.

    And Im even thinking of kicking you out if you dont want to respect the contract.

    The wizard of the Old Tower, who was trying to argue, had no choice but to shut up since he was only an observer.

    Its good to ask a little because of curiosity, but youre not allowed to have excessive contact with the other person or to cross the line.

    Since it was notified in advance, the observer of the Old Tower had no choice but to chew on his lips without being able to refute it.

    Its unusual that the president acts like that. I actually saw it with both eyes.

    He had to submit a report to the Tower right away. However, it was hard to believe even for the person who saw it with his own eyes and it was questionable whether the people who received the report would believe it.

    The president is tantly protecting Rudger Chelici. If, as I said, Larsilnguage interpretation is clear and the study of mana emissions through mana inhibitors is sessfully concluded.

    At that time Theon would be holding a huge knife.

    Im just going to have to watch this?

    Moreover, to be honest, he didnt have the courage to confront the president.

    What about Rudger Chelici?

    To be honest he got goosebumps when he unleashed his mana a little while ago.

    His emission is high and it even made a mana fog. Hes a much more powerful man than the public knows.

    It means that not only his magic theory but also his power is great.

    I heard that he wasnt that strong during the duel at the Magic Festival. Did he hide his strength?

    This terrible amount of mana is not enough to use the rare light attribute element magic.

    He didnt understand why such a man was working as a teacher in a ce like this. Even though he is young, he is at a high level of seniority in terms of mana.

    I have no choice but to step down for now.

    As an observer, he made a rational judgment.

    When he stepped down, an observer from the School Association also looked around and left. Only Luchek of the New Tower bowed to the president before leaving.

    The president shook her head with a smile on her face.

    Oh, my. Even if its part of the show, youve shown you too much Mr. Rudger.

    To be honest, she was also surprised but people couldnt tell because of her worldly skills and poker face.

    If youre going to do this, you should have told me in advance.

    Elisa nced at Rudger with discontent. Feeling that gaze, Rudger wondered when the president stared at him.

    What is it?

    He thought the exnation was sessful on the first day, but was there anythingcking?

    I think I showed you everything you wanted to see.

    Above all, he even handed over the data to the president in advance. After seeing it, she evaluated it on her own and stamped the research permit.

    Did you want it to be more shocking?

    If he had known this, he should have bluffed that when he released my mana, he used 20% of his total mana. But nothing changed because he regretted what had already happened, so Rudger humbly decided to ept his mistake.

    Great job.

    It wasnt much.

    Rudger responded with a salute to the president.

    So, are you sure the inhibitor works?

    Yes.

    What do you think will cause the increase in emissions, Mr. Rudger?

    It depends on the person. Rather, the more mana you naturally have, the less the width.

    In other words, the less mana you have, the more efficient it is.

    Something like that.

    Even if you use 10 out of 100 mana and release 20, it is 20% of the total.

    Conversely, if you use 5 out of 50 mana and then release 20, it bes 40% of the total.

    Even if you cant reverse the amount of innate mana, you can at least make it equal.

    It was the wisdom of distant ancestors who tried to find a way to ovee the difference in birth.

    But if this method is true, old people will roll their eyes.

    You dont have to worry about that.

    What? Why?

    Its for the same reason that only students were recruited as volunteers for the study. They will have to increase their emissions through this method, so I used mana inhibitors.

    Elisa didnt know that either, so she had wrinkles on her fine forehead.

    Is that true?

    Yes, its only a way for young wizards who can still grow. Its no use to those who are already old.

    Is it really of no use?

    As I promised beforehand, students can show a big difference in a week. However, if you go beyond your 20s, there is no improvement even if you do it for half a year, and it is safe to say that it is virtually impossible if you do itter than that.

    In fact, this was a method to foster young talents and had no effect on established wizards.

    I cant believe the number of people who can feel the effect has narrowed down. Thats a bit of a shame.

    Nevertheless, this method will cause a great stir in the magic world. Older wizards will be sorry, but if they can make a child they can raise him into a stronger wizard.

    It was a great help in building up the familys power.

    President wanted it, too?

    Theres no wizard who would refuse to grow.

    Sadly, the president cant do it.

    What? Are you saying that Im old?

    The presidents smile cracked and Rudger broke out in a cold sweat at the sight.

    Come to think of it, how old is the president actually?

    It urred to him that maybe there was more than it seemed.

    What I mean is that it wont make much difference if a person as talented as the president tries this method.

    Thats enough. Well, its encouraging that it works for students, though.

    Yes, but.

    We cant give the same grace to all students. This is it, right?

    For me, it doesnt matter if I just let everyone know.

    At the words, the president stared at Rudgers face to distinguish whether the words were simply meant to be humble or sincere.

    Do you really think so?

    Personally I feel that it is not pleasant to give preferential treatment to a few.

    I guess so. However, if this method is told to everyone.

    Yes, Im sure the aftermath will be formidable.

    This is the case with the herbal ingredients used in the mana inhibitor reagent. A particr group could have monopolized it and then tried to wield power with it.

    There is no ideal situation in which everyone can benefit equally.

    Humans have desires and those desired will produce far worse oues than originally hoped.

    I also feel ufortable about solving this method, but.

    But why did you say youd do it?

    At least I think the president is a reliable person.

    And this was also a return for her trust.

    President Elisa decided to move on without finding fault with him, so he also showed a suitable appearance. However, the president opened her eyes wide as if Rudgers words were quite unexpected.

    President, whats the matter?

    No, its just unexpected. Well, Ive been looking forward to it this much, so Ill have to step up for the first time in a while to get the best results.

    You can do as you please. Even if the president uses it for a little private greed, I wont say anything about it.

    At that, the president red at Rudger.

    I wont do that. What do you see me as?

    Rudger did not answer.

    People have feelings and desires, so she wont do that now but there was no guarantee that she would continue to stay that way.

    Some people dont change. However, there were only a few such people so it was a relief.

    Considering the appearance of the person named Elisa Willow so far, it seemed that the situation that they were worried about would not happen.

    Im counting on you to at least try for the kids.

    No matter what, the result of all these achievements belongs to Mr. Rudger. I dont intend to take it away.

    However, you can exert some influence on those who helped.

    Yes, to use the knowledge in a good way.

    On the surface, it seemed like a harmonious rtionship, but in reality it was not because they do not judge people entirely emotionally.

    Being swept away by the emotions of the moment and looking only at a bright future and ideals is what fools do. Both Elisha and Rudger knew that.

    What makes them believe in each other is not a sincere voice or a heart-to-heart conversation. It was all about giving each other a knife to wield.

    Rudger provided the data and President Elisa delegated authority to Rudger. That was the reason and it was more than enough.

    They had a very cold and disciplined business rtionship.

    Please take good care of me in the future Mr. Rudger Chelici. No, should I call you Director of the nning Department?

    Rudger took the presidents outstretched hand and shook it.

    You can call mefortably president.

    * * *

    A quiet night hade and Rudger was working hard in his private room, organizing the research materials. Beyond the scarlet back, the sound of grass bugs crying came quietly from outside the window.

    Its already this time.

    Magic papers are important, but in addition, he had to check the progress of the business in Leathervelk.

    After finishing the whole process, time flew by.

    But its not bad.

    The recent winds of change in Leathervelk have been quite encouraging.

    It originated in the slums, and thepletely changed slums are now called the name of a new street, not slums.

    [Royal Street]

    Many people came to the streets to match the name, and it was good news that sales were high every day.

    Rudger, contented, folded Hans report and burned it with fire.

    It was that moment that the ring on the desk trembled.

    Are you finally here?

    Rudger, who once thought this woulde, grabbed the ring and put it on his finger.

    He turned off all the lights in the room and sat on the sofa quietly closing his eyes.

    The dream invitation for the meeting of the First Orders of the ck Dawn Society was finally here and Rudger was willing to ept it.

 Chapter 213

    C213 Dream Invitation (2)

    I slowly opened my eyes. The antique room scenery disappeared and I found myself under the starless night sky.

    The sound of water was heard as I stepped forward. When I looked down, the whole ground was made up of water. It was too dark to know the depth and a faint mist was rising on the surface.

    It reminds me of the Salt Desert.

    Under the surface of the water, where my appearance was reflected like a mirror, colorful star lights were embedded but there was no starlight in the sky above.

    This is the outskirts of the dreams.

    It was the outermost edge of the world, called Dreand, made up of human dreams and unconsciousness. And these star lights submerged under the surface were all peoples dreams.

    I walked slowly and whenever I stepped on it, the surface of the water caused a stir and spread like a concentric circle.

    The starlight dreams submerged under the water shook wildly at the ripple.

    The meeting ce is not far from here.

    It was hard to tell the direction due to the fog-filled road but the ring on my hand made it possible. The emerald light from the ring stretched out and told me the direction.

    I walked along the sidewalk of light. Its not that Im not interested in this space itself, but theres something more important now.

    How long did I walk along the light?

    The light from the ring stopped before I knew it, the fog in front was lifted and arge door appeared.

    Is this the entrance?

    It was a door made of gray marble and on top of the door was a horned devils figure, which looked like an entrance to hell.

    I cant believe they carved the devil. I dont know who made it, but its a bad hobby.

    I approached the door and when I brought the hand with the ring on it, a red light flowed from the devils eyes above the door and the door opened.

    Inside the stone door was a ck darkness where nothing could be seen.

    I did not rule out the possibility of a trap however that would be significantly lower.

    I walked straight into the darkness and when I went inside, the door behind my back closed with a thud.

    I heard a noise from somewhere and saw a big table not far away. The noise was from the people sitting there.

    You got caught off guard.

    This time, my research results were stolen, soWhat?

    Those who were chatting stopped talking and stared at me as I approached.

    It was the same for me because what was ced on the chair was not a human figure, but a form of burning ck mes.

    Itspletely different from reality because its just the mind?

    This makes it impossible to distinguish even if I try to see the appearance. On the contrary, is it fortunate for both of us that we wont be caught either.

    Oh Hyo Hyo. Who is it? You approached me without saying a word.

    The ck me talked to me. Even though I didnt see him in person, I was able to guess who he was just by his way of speaking.

    Victor Dreadful was looking at me now and asking me to identify myself.

    What do I do?

    Should I reveal my name here?

    First of all, John Doe from my information is not a very friendly character. From the reactions of other orders, I infer that they are loyal only to Zero Order and have little interest in others.

    I naturally sat in an empty seat after making a decision.

    Oh, my. You dont even want to talk, so you seem like John Doe. Youre still quiet! Oh Hyo Hyo!

    John Doe, you didnt say anything to the same First Orders. Why did you talk to me on the train then? Was it because of your disguise?

    Look at that. Youre the only one pretending to be arrogant and acting cocky again.

    At that time,ints erupted from the ck me sitting in another seat. It seemed to everyone that they were annoyed because they didnt like my arrogant behavior.

    Who is it?

    Night Verom, dont be so angry. Its not like he wasnt like this before, right?

    You crazy psychopath.

    Oh Hyo Hyo. Thats too much. I cant believe you didnt call me Doctor. I feel like Im going to cry!

    Shut up. Do you think I call you that because I want to? Damn it. I wish it wasnt a curse.

    Thats Verom?

    I remembered Verom, whom I met at the Baltanung factory. A knight who shot a red attack with a ck cape flying over a ck full te armor.

    The First Order, who even used an old-fashioned way of speaking, uses such harsh words and actions.

    Looking at how he hates the way he talks, is he the real one? The one I saw then must have been drunk for some reason.

    If so, there was a high possibility that the armor he was wearing was special like a cursed item or an ancient relic.

    He got his strength from the armor, but he must have been limited by it.

    Are all the First Orders I know of here?

    There were a total of eight seats on the table. Except for the most senior Zero Order seat, the remaining seven seats belong to the First Orders and there were a total of four people sitting at the table, including me.

    Who the hell is that one?

    The mes burning quietly all the time were showing no reaction. Seeing that it didnt even look at other members even when I appeared, it didnt seem to be interested in them.

    Its hard to know who you are if youre quiet like that.

    Then a new First Order arrived at the scene.

    Oh, more than I thought

    The newly arrived me sat in an empty seat with a friendly tone.

    Did you hear? I heard Esmeralda copsed.

    He naturally brought it up to Verom and Victor.

    The Witch of Fire? Thats why she, who would normally havee early, wasnt here.

    Oh, Ive heard that for sure. Maybe Zero Order will tell you soon.

    Thats unexpected. I didnt think Ms. Esmeralda would be the one to suffer anywhere.

    Well, thats what I think.

    The First Order, whose words were so vague, stared at me.

    John Doe. Dont you know since you infiltrated Theon together?

    Naturally, Verom and Vector Dreadfuls eyes naturally flew at me. I had already thought about such a question, so I brought up the prepared answer.

    Zero Order will exin it to you. Listen to him.

    I naturally passed the issue to Zero Order.

    When I said so, they didnt ask any more questions.

    Its quite convenient to sell the name of Zero Order in this area.

    But his eyes were still on me.

    What is it? Is it rted to John Doe?

    Its not that I didnt think about naturally mixing words and eliciting information from them.

    Like I was trying to dig up information, there was a possibility that my opponent would figure something out from my words.

    Considering the risk of having my identity suspected it was the best choice to keep quiet. I had to avoid being caught lying as much as I could.

    When I look at Zero Order, I think he already knows that Im a different guy.

    Hasnt he told that to the other First Orders yet?

    Still, its weird not to tell the executives. I just dont know whats on his mind.

    For now, I decided to put off concerns rted to Zero Order. It was impossible to judge his innermost thoughts, but it was my priority to immediately identify the First Orders gathered here.

    As I remained silent, the chatty First Order continued his conversation with Victor.

    Have you heard of recent news? I heard that the Holy Land of Bretus is moving again. Recently, the pdins have been mobilized.

    Oh, I heard that, too. I cant believe a ce thats been quiet for 20 years is suddenly moving. Is there a bad sign?

    Because the appearance frequency of the cryptids has increased these days. The King of Beasts appeared in Leathervelk, one of the great cities of the Exilion Empire.

    You mean the Beast of Gvaudan? I heard it, too. Thats too bad. I wanted to see the magnificent figure with my eyes. Its so sad that it was subjugated because I wanted to dissect that great cryptid and put it in a formalin bottle.

    Well, you said he was subjugated, but considering that there were no bodies left, I think he might have run away but its fascinating. No matter how big Leathervelk is, theres no ce for that giant monster to hide. Maybe it went down in the underground water system.

    The main talker was the unknown First Order. He made all kinds of topics so that he could say he knew everything.

    Beyond the simple world situation, to trivial things such as who did what, where, and what veins were discovered in which area.

    You are well-informed and know a lot about the world situation. If youre in charge of intelligence, do you belong to a state agency? He might be infiltrating the intelligence agency or something.

    But I dont think he just came here because he is smart. At least when ites to force, his ability must not be inferior to the other orders.

    So, Niki, do you have any particrly interesting news these days?

    I didnt miss the name Victor spoke like he was passing by.

    Is his name Niki?

    To be called that name by the same First Order within the organization means that it is at least a name directly rted to ones status.

    The First Orders, including myself, are a total of five people. Considering Esmeraldas vacancy, is there only one left?

    As I was thinking, thest First Order just arrived.

    You are still the same. Those who talked are still talking, and those who were quiet are still quiet.

    From the thin, high-pitched voice I realized it was a woman.

    I wonder if there was something that made me feel bad when I saw that there were thorns in her words and actions or it could have been her usual personality.

    I didnt react because I had an intuition that she would bother me if I was noticed.

    The First Order that camest asked in a curt tone.

    So, what about Zero Order? Hes not here yet?

    Zero Order will be here soon. And Miss Bentmin is thetest among us.

    Loud, mad scientist. Dont call me by name. Just hearing it gives me goosebumps.

    The First Order, called Bentmin, verbally abused Victor.

    Oh Hyo Hyo. Youre a feisty person. Isnt it time for us to get along?

    Id rather hug a maggot than get along with a guy like you.

    She seemed quite disgusted by him.

    Indeed, Victor Dreadful does human experiments as if he were eating, and his appearance is also unfavorable. Hes a person who you cant get along with in themon sense. Verom also seems to hate to hear him talk.

    Looking at Victors behavior, he doesnt seem to care what others say. So he doesnt even care about what others think of him.

    Victor Dreadful is an innate psychopath whocks morality and empathy and is doing a human experiment like its nothing.

    But thest members name is Bentmin.

    There was an indescribable antique in her annoying way of speaking. Unlike other informal First Orders, I felt it in her unique ent.

    Shes from a good family but I dont think the ck Dawn Society is a ce for aristocrats toe in.

    Sedina, who is from a giant merchant family, has been discriminated against within the organization just because her family lives well but this First Order is from a noble family?

    I need to remember.

    What about Esmeralda? I know shes not usually thiste.

    Oh Hyo-hyo. Bentmin, havent you heard the news? Miss Esmeralda cante anymore.

    What? That Esmeralda was eliminated?

    I heard so. I thought it was something to know, but you didnt know it, which is surprising!

    Noisy. How many times do I have to tell you that Im not that bright about the situation outside in the first ce?

    As they were talking I felt a vibration that shook the ck space itself and the noisy First Orders closed their mouths as someone was approaching from beyond the darkness.

    Hes here.

    Zero Order, the leader of the ck Dawn Society, and in fact the protagonist of this ce.

    The First Orders were nervous at his appearance.

    Everyone came well without beingte.

    Unlike the First Orders that existed in the form of mes, Zero Order took the shape of a normal human being. He wore a white mask over his face and wore ck clothes.

    The mask looked like the devil that I saw at the marble door when I entered here.

    There was another person next to Zero Order, and he was wearing a hoodie, so it seemed difficult to know his gender, let alone his age.

    Who is it? Given that he is not seated, he should not be a First Order, is he Zero a subordinate?

    Did he sense my gaze?

    The deputy raised his head slightly and I could feel the darkness in the hood staring at me.

    You are here Mr. Zero Order.

    It was then that the me, which had been silent and silent so far, opened its mouth.

    His voice was polite and respectful and also filled with enthusiasm to the extent that it was surprising that he had kept his mouth shut so far.

    Yes, its been a while Leslie.

    Zero Order naturally sat in his chair and nced around and his gaze lingered once on Esmeraldas empty seat.

    Everyone seems to be doing well. Even though its an irregr meeting, no one is missing. Now, lets start the meeting.

    And finally, his gaze was on me.

    The first topic isHow to fill the vacant First Order position. Lets start with that.

 Chapter 214

    C214: Order Synod (1)

    Chapter sponsored byNidin.Thank you for your support.

    As soon as the meeting began, the most silent First Order raised its hand. It can only be expressed that he raised his hand because something like a thin hand rose out of the round fire.

    Yes, Leslie, do you have any questions?

    Leslie was the name of the one who has never spoken before. Now Rudger knew all the names. Its just that what they were doing in the world wasnt revealed yet.

    There is a vacancy in the First Order position this time, so does that mean Esmeralda died in the middle of the mission?

    Yes.

    I didnt want to believe it, but what Niki said was true. Then may I ask you how it happened?

    They couldnt believe that a First Order who had a contract with a highest-level fire spirit died.

    The question was how Zero Order would react.

    The eyes of the First Orders, including Rudger, were directed at Zero Order.

    Zero Order in the mask opened his mouth.

    Hmm. I hope John Doe, who was at the scene at the time, can exin it.

    Are you turning the arrow on me here?

    Rudger smiled even at the sudden situation.

    Esmeraldas death came from Quasimodo. To be exact, the two destroyed each other.

    When I opened my mouth as if I had been waiting, everyone was surprised.

    Destroyed each other?

    You probably didnt know, but the first order Esmeralda, or to be exact, the spirit of fire she was using, was the real First Order.

    Do you mean the ugly monster Quasimodo?

    When asked by Bentmin, I replied yes.

    Yes, Esmeralda was just a tool, in fact, Quasimodo controlling her body. The master-servant rtionship was reversed.

    The case in which evil spirits manipted humans to move themselves.

    I revealed the truth to everyone. As I exined to Zero Order, when Quasimodo was cornered, Esmeralda began to resist and the two destroyed each other.

    It was a co-destruction.

    Leslie, who asked the question, murmured as if she had been convinced.

    Did she really have that peculiarity? Then Esmeralda may not have actually been fit for the First Order position. Its the end worthy of iplete power.

    However, her power was real. I feel sorry for the empty seat. Actually, I wanted to analyze it a little bit! Oh Hyo Hyo!

    Even if the existence itself was iplete, the power of Quasimodo was real.

    Insane life force that regenerates even after being hit directly by a great 6th tier spell of the opposing attribute and even a me with the will to burn anything.

    Rudger knew its power because he fought with Quasimodo.

    The reason the Zero Order recruited him as a First Order must have been because of his terrifying power. Even so, Rudger didnt see a single person who was sad since their colleague died.

    Are you saying that there is no fellowship between you?

    Zero Order opened his mouth.

    So Im thinking of picking a new First Order first. Is there anyone who disagrees?

    Everyone was silent at Zero Orders question. They must be very self-conscious to leave the executive position vacant.

    Even if theres a new first order, they wont oppose it because its not rted to them.

    Oh Hyo Hyo. Zero Order, who do you have in mind for the First Order position?

    I want to ask you what you think first. Do you have any suggestions?

    I think we should promote a qualified person among the Second Orders.

    Niki gave a proper opinion.

    There are a few people among the Second Orders who covet the First Order position, or who have the ability to rise to it.

    Niki, is there anyone you rmend? Ill consider it if theres anyone we can use under your wing.

    Im sorry, but the members below me are the only ones who are not suitable for the First Order position. But most of all, I dont think anyone will catch Zero Orders eyes.

    As expected.

    Well, I just said it. Isnt everyone here picked by Zero Order? Hahaha.

    All of the people gathered here were selected by Zero Order not promoted.

    Even in Esmeraldas memory, Zero Order recruited Quasimodo himself.

    Inviting me to this position may also be to rece John Doe, who is now dead. Zero Order is making me the real John Doe. What an irony.

    We all respect Zeros choice.

    When Niki said so on behalf of Leslie, she did not hide her difort.

    Niki, refrain from stepping up as if youre our representative.

    Huh? Is that so? I just said it because everyone was quiet.

    Even if you dont bring it up, our opinions are the same. You dont have toe forward like that.

    Oh, Im scared. Lets listen carefully.

    Perhaps because of Zero Order, the atmosphere of the two did not be more serious.

    First orders dont seem to get along very well.

    Indeed, they are all strange people with abilities and personalities.

    It is a miracle that these guys are gathered in one ce.

    Is it because of the charisma of Zero Order that made it possible?

    Well, theres nothing for me to do except to bring in someone who fits the First Order position. It wont take long because there are a few people who have been eyeing it recently.

    Eventually, Zero Order decided to recruit a new member to fill Esmeraldas vacancy.

    Then lets move on to the second agenda. Are you all doing your job well?

    Just as John Doe infiltrated Theon, the other First Orders have their respective missions.

    The first person to speak was Leslie.

    Yes, its going well over here. Old wizards will self-destruct without knowing it sooner orter.

    Old wizards. Self-destruction. Sooner orter.

    I listened to Leslie.

    What its the next big event rted to wizards?

    While Rudger was thinking only one thing came to his mind, Mysterious Night.

    If shes talking about old wizards that means that she belongs to the Old Tower or is she a senior member of the School Association.

    The New Tower could not be excluded from the list of suspects.

    Although its made up of rtively young people, its not like they dont have old wizards among them.

    Whatever it may be, as long as the opponent was a First Order, it was clear that he was in a fairly high position in an organization.

    Me too. Im working hard to stir up peoples anxiety and fan the Liberation Army behind their backs.

    It was Niki who spoke.

    Is he an agitator who supports the Liberation Army from behind and shakes ordinary citizens?

    However, there is no way that an ordinary person is proficient in all kinds of information.

    Looking at your firm confidence in this, you must be sitting in a high position in an institution.

    Its possible that he is sitting in a senior position in an intelligence agency and the intelligence services of the Exilion Empire are no exception.

    Im also progressing calmly, but theres a little bit of a nuisance.

    Next to Niki was Bentmin.

    The integration is progressing step by step, but we havent found the missing it yet. So I think it will take some time.

    Integration and something shes looking for.

    Integration means that they are separated from each other, but what is there to integrate from the perspective of Bentmin, who is noble just by looking at the way she talks?

    Oh Hyo-hyo. I.

    Then it was Victor Dreadfuls turn. Victor, who would normally have talked excitedly, showed a little hesitation when his turn came.

    When he didnt answer, Niki said with a sneaky smile.

    Oh, yeah. Victor said hisb was attacked by someone. This should be the second time it happened, right?

    What? Is that true? No, Victor, youve always been so careful. Whats going on?

    Victor said in a tearful voice.

    Its unfair! The experiment escaped on its own or an unknown intruder appeared! My subordinates didnt do their job properly!

    Its your responsibility for not managing those underneath you properly. I hope you dont just focus on your own experiments and pay more attention.

    Leslie shot back reproachfully.

    Victor couldnt resist and asked Verom, who sat next to him, for help.

    Night Verom say something. You were there then!

    Damn it. Why are you biting me? It has nothing to do with me.

    You are also responsible for letting the enemy escape! You should have caught it then!

    Oh, my.

    Verom sighed.

    Verom, did you have anything to do with it?

    Leslie, let me tell you, when I arrived, the Baltanung branch had already been robbed.

    But you seem to have faced the enemy, did you miss it?

    Because it wasnt an ordinary person.

    If you were using the power of ck armor, you would have been able to control it at once even if it was a decent opponent. Besides, werent there a ck wizard and Victor with you?

    The ck wizard was already dead, and this crazy scientist almost died. I saved him.

    What?

    Leslie was surprised.

    It seems that quite a number of great people acted.

    No. It was just one intruder.

    Only one?

    Yes. Thats a different level.

    Victor helped out.

    Thats right! He really didnt make sense! He put a ck shadow on his body and jumped over the space!

    In addition, the me magic he showed at the end was not normal.

    When Victor and Verom said this, Niki couldnt hold back his curiosity and asked.

    Who the hell was it? Did you see the face?

    I couldnt see it because he had a shadow all over his body. The only thing I know is that he had a shadow over his body, can move through space and used a great fire spell because the factory became a sea of fire when that spell was used.

    A sea of fire Didnt you say that the Leathervelk branch waspletely burned out?

    Thats right! Thats what I heard!

    Hmm. I think its the same person who attacked the Baltanung branch and the Leathervelk branch.

    Nikis guess was sharp because Rudger actually burned them both down but they wouldnt even dream that he did it.

    The First Orders, who had expressed various opinions on the unidentified intruder, concluded that there was little they could find out right now.

    John Doe, what did you do?

    Thest batter was me.

    Im gaining credibility by infiltrating Theon and building up my performance as a teacher. Its actually going well.

    The mission given to John Doe was simple. Since he is specialized in disguise, infiltration, and assassination anyway, the scale of the mission is remarkably small unlike other First Orders.

    I closed my mouth as if I had finished my business with those words.

    It was then that Niki opened his mouth at that moment.

    Hmm. Ive heard a lot of newstely. John Doe is verypetent as a teacher.

    .

    I nced at Niki. He seemed only a ck me, but not to the point where I could not even feel the emotion contained in his gaze.

    But its very strange. Youre making a name for yourself, unlike your usual self.

    What was in his gaze was doubt.

    I hear that name often these days. Rudger Chelici created a new magic Rudger Chelici makes a splendid performance. I dont know about other guys, but I hear that name a lot.

    So, what do you want to say?

    Niki waved his hand and said as I spoke impatiently.

    Me? Hahaha. I dont have anything in particr to say. Im just saying that the way youve been doingtely is not like you.

    Niki just said as if in passing, but the other First Orders were affected by it and stared at me softly like they were asking Are you really John Doe?

    Oh, my.

    Zero Order is just watching this scene as if it was funny. He had a perfect bystanders attitude of no arbitration or help.

    Its fun.

    Are you deliberately keeping your mouth shut?

    Zero Orders idea was too tant. If thats the case, I have no choice but to go a little tantly here.

    John Doe, why arent you saying anything? Or maybe something really fishy.?

    Niki.

    I opened my mouth, staring softly at Niki.

    Its hard to keep listening to your nonsense. Why is your tongue so long?

    Niki shut up at my rant and the atmosphere of the round table turned cold.

 Chapter 215

    C215: Order Synod (2)

    Rather than branding me as suspicious, Niki steered the situation. His words were both natural and sly, proving that he was not acting as an agitator for no reason.

    He says he had valid doubts, but at the base of that lies his feelings toward John Doe.

    Thats why hes been secretly conscious of Rudger since he first came here.

    But his point is not far-fetched.

    Im an executive of the ck Dawn Society on the surface, but I wasnt the real John Doe. The steps I have shown as a teacher so far are things I shouldve never done.

    Building a reputation for myself when I was a spy was an uneptable act and it was natural in a way for Niki to point that out.

    He was probably quite dissatisfied with John Doe, but he must have found an excuse this time.

    All Niki wants is to prove his superiority by making a dent in John Doe credibility and since his reason is personal I also hit back without mercy.

    Zero Order adopted a wait and see attitude.

    The same goes for other First Orders. Someone said they enjoyed my fight with Niki, and someone else said it had nothing to do with them.

    They didnt feel the need or the thought of stopping it. As a result, the situation led to a match between me and Niki.

    Nikiughed.

    John Doe, your words and actions are very fierce. Or do you feel guilty about something?

    I just dont want to listen to words that arent worth listening to.

    Ha. Are you confident? So whats the point of making that incredible move? Are you saying that you have an objective?

    Yes.

    When I answered shamelessly, Niki sighed.

    I think youve be more brazen than before John Doe.

    Brazen? If you feel that way, it means that your information iscking.

    Niki had considerable pride in knowing a lot. From the time he came here, he was impatient to tell other executives what he knew.

    I was convinced by his strange pretentious words and actions. The same was true when he opened his mouth to attack me.

    From the information he received, he said that I moved too suspiciously.

    He knows so much. And everything he knows is true. Its probably because hes convinced that his premise cant be wrong.

    He is confident that he will not be inferior to anyone in his field, but on the contrary, his sources were a weakness that was too obvious.

    Thats why I openly stabbed Nikis pride.

    So what if you know a lot? Your hair is too short to think based on that. (Rudger tells him hes stupid)

    Do you want to fight?

    Did it sound like that? I didnt mean to say it directly, but judging from your reaction, it seems that you have a sense of entitlement deep down inside.

    Nikis point to me was valid, however I snorted and showed a snobbish attitude telling him not to point out such trivial things.

    It was an illogical response to a reasonable opinion and he was hit by a bacsh but if I insist ignorantly, Ill be right.

    The more people pretend there is something, the more confusing it is so its better to act confidently and brazenly.

    Other executives who had doubts about me due to my forced attitude were looking at Niki.

    Niki said impatiently.

    Dont change the subject. You havent answered my question yet.

    As the situation went badly, Niki refuted his argument. It was the most correct judgment Niki could make but he doesnt know that the right action is sometimes wrong.

    I replied with a snort.

    Didnt I tell you? I dont feel its worth answering.

    Youre not avoiding the answer on purpose, right? Come to think of it, its weird. What youre saying now is deliberately distracting the conversation.

    Hes a quick-witted fellow so I guess he noticed I was doing this on purpose.

    Well, theres no way a First Order of the ck Dawn Society would let this go without getting an answer.

    I didnt act thoughtlessly either, I had a goal.

    Nici, the reason why I dont feel worth contradicting your words is because your premise is wrong.

    What? What are you talking about?

    You think you know everything and stand on other peoples heads. Thats not the case at all.

    Are you ignoring my intelligence?

    Itsmendable that he obviously knows a lot of things, but he doesnt know everything.

    Then do you know who blew up the Leathervelk branch?

    How am I supposed to know a person who is hiding?

    You didnt even know that, but you pretended to know everything until now?

    Ha. So, John Doe, do you know who the culprit is?

    Yes.

    Niki gasped at my confident answer and the other executives responded simrly.

    Youre bluffing. Theres nothing more ridiculous than pretending to know without knowing.

    Why do you think I dont know?

    Of course.

    Since you dont know, its natural that I dont know either. Do you really think so?

    .

    Nici, thats why you cant.

    What?

    The initiative returned to me and I was able to end my fight with Niki since Zero Order never intervened.

    It would be better to break the habit of acting as if you know a lot of things with only superficial truths.

    Ha. Then tell me the truth that you know if youre that good.

    What? Theres nothing I cant say.

    I slowly told the truth.

    Im the one who got rid of the Leathervelkboratory.

    !

    At my words, silent astonishment spread over the round table but only Zero Order moved his shoulders with interest.

    Although Nikis face couldnt be seen he couldnt hide his dumbfounded voice.

    Now, what.

    Theboratory in Leathervelk. I said I got rid of it.

    Mr. John Doe! What do you mean by that?!

    Victor, who was watching still, shouted in amazement. He must have been surprised.

    Mr. John Doe! I used to believe in you!

    Shut up, Victor. Why are you ming me?

    Yes?

    It was obviously your management mistake that led us to escape the werewolves from theb in the first ce. Then you even asked me for help to catch the werewolves who ran away.

    Victor shut his mouth when I growled.

    I tried to help you with your issue, but what was the result? Your poor management led to the escape of the experimental subjects and almost made me expose my identity. How do you think I felt when a werewolf broke into Theon and the traces were ced right in front of the presidents nose?

    Oh, well, thats.

    So I got rid of it with my own hands. Is there anything you want to refute?

    Well, but the management there is not entirely under my jurisdiction.

    Yeah. Its the fault of the ck wizards and Shamsus school guys who worked there. But wasnt it purely your will to join hands with those guys Victor?

    I red at Victor.

    I wouldve liked to get rid of you as well but since were both First Orders I decided to be generous but not to the lower ones.

    Dont tell me you got rid of the Leathervelkboratory.

    Yes, I finished with my own hands. No matter how many useless guys there are, theyll hold on to our ankles. In that case, it would have been easier topletely destroy even the evidence.

    The other executives were silent at my words and were wondering why I did that since it was betrayal.

    No one would do that except John Doe who kills his men if he doesnt like them. A guy who only follows orders from Zero Order and doesnt get along with other executives.

    Since his mission was disturbed and he felt his life threatened it seemed natural for John Doe to kill all the people involved.

    His dirty personality was helping Rudger now.

    I dont need useless people, no matter how many of them there are. Id rather kill him than allow mistakes. Am I wrong?

    John Doe, are you kidding me? Your behavior was too much.

    Niki stepped up in protest but I responded to his remark with a snort.

    Why? Shouldnt you be grateful? Thanks to me, the werewolfb disappeared and no secret was leaked.

    Are you saying that now? Even if they are low level theyre our ck Dawn strength!

    If I hadnt gotten rid of it then, the Nightcrawler Knights would have discovered everything. Its not like you dont know that Niki.

    .

    When the name of the Nightcrawler Knights came out, Niki, who was trying to argue, shut up.

    That response suggests that he knew how dangerous Nightcrawler Knights of the Intelligence Service are.

    Or did you not know?

    No way. I also knew that the Nightcrawler Knights and even Trina Ryanhowl, their leader, went to Leathervelk.

    Then Ill ask. If I had left theboratory unturned, would the lion you spoke of not find the existence of theboratory?

    .

    Niki could answer that he didnt know but he couldnt say that because he was Niki, who knew a lot.

    There was no way that a person like Trina Ryanhowl wouldnt know about the escaped experiment and the existence of theboratory.

    Then she would rather have a chance to attack with the fool who did not even know the enemys strength. In fact, she is a person who has extended her pursuit to me, who has almost erased his traces.

    If you know her, youll never look down on her.

    Niki knows that, so he cannot refute it.

    I had to remove the Leathervelk branch for the cause of the ck Dawn Society and toplete my mission.

    I said to Niki who was ring at me.

    Without knowing that, you said that an unidentified person attacked the branch. Why are you talking so much?

    .

    You dont even know what I did, but youre talking about what I did in my disguise as a teacher. Youre making too much noise. Its suspicious.

    Every time I spoke, Nikis ck me trembled with shame and anger.

    Nici, there is only one reason why I did not contradict you. Its because its funny to see you believe your supposition was true when you have so little information.

    !

    Oh,e to think of it, thats what you said a while ago. Theres nothing more ridiculous than pretending to know without knowing. I also deeply agree. Niki, thats a very nice saying.

    Nikis opinion was at first sight justified and reasonable. In fact, his suspicions were even sharp but his act was one of hostility against John Doe, rather than actual doubt but he lost in the end because he wasnt sure of the truth behind the scenes.

    Nikis intelligence power has not reached that far.

    Of course, in the process, it was revealed that I had eliminated the Leathervelk branch, and in a way, from the perspective of the ck Dawn Society, I did something close to betrayal so Niki decided to continue brazenly.

    No, not yet.

    Niki, who had remained silent, clenched his teeth and said.

    John Doe. If what youre saying is true, you can at least take responsibility for getting rid of the Leathervelk branch.

    Thats enough.

    It was Leslie who stepped into the conversation.

    Leslie what are you doing?

    Niki, isnt that enough?

    Who are you to judge it on your own?

    Its your fault that you got into a fight first and didnt even get your money back. The issue is already over. Or are you going to do more?

    Leslie pretended to intervene and berated Niki. They hadnt been on good terms before, so she must have seized the opportunity now that Niki had made a mistake.

    It was all Nikis fault. He shouldnt have lost if he was upset.

    I agree with that. I hate to lose time by arguing.

    When even Bentmin stepped forward and said that, Niki backed down but he red at me with a strong gaze so I said with a smirk.

    Niki, try harder next time.

    !

    Niki roared inside.

 Chapter 216

    C216: Order Synod (3)

    John Doe, youve gone a little too far, too.

    Leslie, who mediated the situation, also scolded Rudger.

    Even though you said they made the mistake first you exaggerated killing your colleague subordinates.

    Thats what she said, but Leslie was honestly in a good mood.

    Seeing Niki suffer, she felt like her resentment was dissipating.

    Niki has been in frequent conflict with Leslie since before. Unlike Leslie, who was serious, Niki, who was light in words and actions, and they were like water and oil.

    If it wasnt for Zero Order they wouldve never worked together so Leslie was happy for what Rudger did.

    Nici you always scolded John Doe, who is favored by Zero Order and this is what happened.

    Looking at Niki still shaking so I thought he would stop for now.

    Its more surprising than that.

    John Doe was more than Rudger thought. He already knew that his personality was a mess, but what he saw today was beyond his imagination.

    A crazy dog that bites to the point where the flesh falls off. Thats the only impression I had.

    A stray dog that only follows orders from Zero Order and a psychopath who kills his colleagues if theyre wrong, that was John Doe.

    I often wondered why such a guy with an excessively violent personality was a First Order.

    John Doe was specialized in disguise, infiltration, and camouge among the First Orders, so his actualbat power was unknown.

    This is because the information revealed is significantly less because he is moving in secret. So opinions were divided among First Orders about his qualifications.

    And the benefits were too muchpared to the position given.

    John Doe even killed his subordinates from the ck Dawn Society.

    Other First Orders also had the right to impose sanctions on scoundrels and traitors, but John Doe was a severe case. Nevertheless, Zero Order did not me John Doe.

    Why is that?

    I didnt know until now what the hell Zero Order was thinking to keep John Doe as a First Order but today I figured it out and I felt Zero Order. He knew everything.

    Zero Order is a person who is outstanding beyondparison and had his reasons to act like that.

    In fact, now, John Does hidden skills have been proven.

    The fact that he knew things that Niki didnt know and the fact that he moved secretly enough not to be observed by the same First Order stood out today although he still has a horrible personality.

    Especially saying that I erased Leathervelksboratory with my own hands.

    Actually, the Leathervelk branch ispletely gone but considering John Does past moves, he must have moved alone.

    There must have been a lot of troops and a dark wizard inside, but I cleaned it up with my own hands.

    It meant that John Doesbat power, which has yet to be revealed, exceeded their predictions.

    I dont mean to pretend, but I have to be careful.

    Even if they belong to the same Dawn Society, the First Orders do not get along well. Rather, it is safe to say that they consider each other aspetitors.

    John Doe.

    When Leslie called his name, John Does eyes turned towards her. It was still a lethargic gaze that didnt show the slightest sense of fellowship.

    Leslie didnt care and asked what she was curious about because it was the same for her.

    You admitted with your own mouth that you did the Leathervelk thing. Then, is Baltanung your work, too?

    I dont know about Baltanung, I only dealt with Leathervelk.

    Rudger feigned ignorance because he had a reason for Leathervelk but not for Baltanung.

    Is that so?

    However, I can guess who did it.

    Leslies ears were intrigued by his words.

    You can guess?

    ording to the information I have obtained.

    Isnt that something Nici doesnt know?

    I could feel Niki flinching at her words so Leslie waited for John Doughs answer, feeling pleased with it.

    Recently, there have been many dangerous guys in Leathervelk and the Nightcrawler Knights Commander, Trina Ryanhowl is a typical example.

    Well, shes keeping a close eye on our movements, too.

    But there are more people who are wary, just like her.

    Who?

    Casey Selmore.

    Leslie was silent when the name came out and other First Orders responded simrly.

    The [Colour] wizard, Casey Selmore?

    I heard her name too. She is the detective who took down the notorious James Moriarty.

    Victor, who was listening quietly, opened his mouth.

    But the opponent we fought with was wearing a ck shadow

    I know one but I dont know the other. Victor, wasnt there a sea of water around in theboratory?

    It was.

    It was Verom who answered.

    No wonder it was full of water. So thats the reason.

    That means the ck shadow attacker is rted to Casey Selmore! Maybe theyre working together! Oh Hyo Hyo!

    Rudger said with a nod.

    Yes, she bit your tail.

    Thats certainly a nuisance.

    Id just ignore it if a little guy stepped on the tail but someone like Casey Selmore cant be ignored.

    Besides, in the Selmore family, there was another wizard who received the title [Colour] besides Casey so it was a bad way on many levels to have someone like that after them.

    It seemed that even Niki did not know. If he had known this, he would have been the first to speak out but John Doe said it calmly.

    John Doe knows more than Niki.

    Is this why Zero Order left him as a First Order?

    Its more amazing than that. I cant believe hes been hiding this level of skill so far.

    Leslie knew better because she worked in a ce rted to the world of magic.

    Rudger Chelici was the fake identity used by John Doe to infiltrate Theon.

    He proved his skills in Theon and even created a magic that made the magic world buzz.

    When she first heard the news, she thought it was purely because of Zero Orders help rather than his own strength but it didnt looked like that today.

    Why did you stand out now after being calm so far? In addition, it is said that Theons infiltration was the order of Zero Order, which is.

    Leslies thoughts gotplicated and it was the same for the other First Orders.

    John Doe did not give any particr opinions or remarks during the usual meetings. He was extremely reluctant to reveal himself and did not try to mix in the conversation with the other First Orders but he showed an exceptional amount of things today.

    Niki provoked him but there must be other reasons. For example, trying to establish his or her rank among First Orders.

    Bentmin felt the same way as Leslie, so she remained quiet.

    If youre trying to sort out the ranks, its a sess. You crushed Niki in front of everyone. Well, I dont care who wins, butJohn Doe, hes a prick no matter how I look at him.

    Even Victor was crouching, unable to look at John Doe and Bentmin was satisfied that the annoying scientist was quiet.

    So what about Casey Selmore?

    As always, I should do as Ive decided.

    Do you mean to get rid of her? The [Colour] wizard?

    No matter how good a wizard is, assassination is easy if she wanders around.

    Oh Hyo-hyo. I agree with that.

    The conversation naturally flowed to Casey Selmore and the result was to get rid of her. It was a big deal since she didnt belong anywhere and walked around alone.

    I brought it up first, but shed handle it on her own.

    Rudger felt sorry at heart but thought it didnt matter since she could survive with her skills.

    If theres a problem, its Zero Order.

    There are many reasons for taking an unconventional measure to eliminate Leathervelks secret branch, but it was also to examine Zero Orders reaction.

    I removed a secret branch. How will you react?

    But Zero Order did not react to the shocking remark.

    When even the other First Orders were appalled, he still just looked at the situation in an unwavering manner and didnt show any gaps.

    I think were done talking.

    Zero Order, who had been watching the situation so far, opened his mouth.

    I think its a relief that everyone seems to be doing their job well. Of course, there are cases where it didnt go as I wanted.

    Niki and Victor flinched at his words.

    The important thing is how well you deal with it in the future. So you dont have to be discouraged.

    Oh Hyo-hyo. As expected of Sir Zero Order.

    Thats all for todays meeting. The next time we get together, the empty space will be filled.

    Zero Order waved his hand. It was a sign that the meeting was over.

    I wonder if the important thing remained unobtained.

    Still, there were gains because I discovered that other First Orders held a significant number of key positions in each field, and that they were up to some sort of work.

    John Doe, you stay for a while.

    Other first orders overreacted to the remark. Theres never been a case where Zero Order asked anyone to stay after the meeting.

    Nikis response was particrly intense and his whole bodys blood was boiling out of jealousy.

    The fact that Zero Order called John Doe proved how much John Doe is favored.

    Yes, sir.

    Even though he was called, there was no tremor of joy in John Does voice.

    He was rather upset.

    Whats that reaction? Are you saying its natural for you?

    Niki managed to hold back the cry from his mouth and hurried out of the meeting because he thought he would not be able to stand it if he stayed here longer.

    Other First Orders were a little dissatisfied, but realized that they had no choice and left one by one.

    Only Zero Order, Rudger, and Zero Orders deputy were left at the round table.

    When Zero Order raised his hand slightly, the deputy bowed his head and stepped back. As a result, only two people remained.

    How was the meeting today?

    Nothing much.

    Despite the words that might seem arrogant, he responded with a smile.

    Yes, John Doe. If you say so, it was.

    .

    Rudger wriggled his eyebrows at the words.

    Even though its only us left, he called me John Doe.

    How can you maintain this attitude even when you are facing the unidentified existence that may have killed your subordinates?

    For Zero Order, his men may be nothing more than a handy tool.

    Thats why even if someone dies, it doesnt mean much, that way he kept calling Rudger, John Doe until the end.

    He was treating John Doe as a position, not as a person and now that the former John Doe is gone, Rudger is the new John Doe.

    Even so, I cant believe he called an unidentified person to a meeting of the executives. I have no idea whats going on.

    The only thing I can be sure of is that he doesnt have any hostility.

    Maybe hes crazier than I can imagine, so hes enjoying the situation. If thats the case I have no choice but to match him.

    Is there anything else you want from me?

    Is there anything else you want from me?

    What do I want?

    At that, Zero Order patted his chin under the mask.

    No. If I have to say it, it doesnt matter if you work hard on the mission I gave you.

    Mission, you mean?

    Yeah. I cant stay in Theon anymore so I want you to find it.

    At that, Rudger concentrated on the next words of Zero Order.

    A person of destiny exists in Theon. You must find him.

    A person of destiny?

    At those words, Rudger rolled his head.

    If Zero Order put John Doe in Theon just to find one person then it must be someone extremely important.

    Just then someone appeared in Rudgers mind.

    No way.

    Maybe it was a spection since he didnt go through the rational judgment but just derived the result.

    Rene.

    There is only one person thates to mind in Rudgers head.

    A user of non-attribute magic and a studious child whose mother he killedwith his own hand and even erased her memory.

    Renes eyes are still unawakened.

    There is a saying that when a person of destiny appears they will get caught in a fateful whirlpool. Others may not believe it is an old legend, but Rudger was different.

    Maybe Zero Order is looking for Rene.

    Although it was just a guess it could also be the right answer so Rudger wanted to ask something to confirm his guess.

    Are there any characteristics?

    What do you mean by that?

    Knowing this will help narrow it down.

    I cant say with certainty but the possibility that its a woman is high. They also say they see things that others cant see.

    They see things that others cant see?

    Rene came to mind when he said it was a woman, but Rudger thought of Flora Lumos when Zero Order said they see what others couldnt see.

    Flora Lumos smells the magic and feels the magic that others cant see with their eyes.

    Do you have any idea?

    No, not yet.

    Rudger answered without hesitation.

    Is that so? Id like you to tell me if you find itter.

    Yes.

    Im sorry I kept you for a long time. Ill be going now.

    Rudger rose from his seat.

    After Rudgerpletely disappeared over the stone gate Zero Order called his subordinate.

    Setadel.

    Yes, Mr. Zero Order.

    Theres a ce you need to go for a while.

    Yes, sir.

    Arete Mountains are a rugged ce but you have to go there.

    The Arete Mountains were located between the Kingdom of Utah and the Exilion Empire. In the past, it was also the ce where Rudger assumed John Doe identity.

    There is someone you have to find.

 Chapter 217

    C217: Mana Path (1)

    Chapter sponsored byNidin.Thank you for your support.

    The brighter scenery greeted me as I came out of the conference hall. Unlike before, when it was like ake at dawn, a white cloud appeared over the blue sky.

    The sun was rising over the horizon and the stars were no longer visible under the surface of the water touching the soles of the feet.

    The stars in this world are dreams of the people but it was time for people to wake up from their dreams now that the night was over and dawn wasing.

    It looks more like a salt desert.

    The calm water on the floor became a mirror that reflected the sky, dividing the world into top and bottom.

    In the past, if I could travel abroad, I wanted to go to ces like this.

    It was all in the past and now I was left with nothing but longing.

    * * *

    Aldan, whats wrong with your face?

    Leo, who sat in the ssroom, was surprised to see Aidans expression and asked.

    Huh? Why?

    No, your eyes.

    Aidans face had very thick dark circles.

    Aidan, are you sick? You dont look so well. Dont you have to go to the nurses office?

    Even the disingenuous Tracy advised with a worried face.

    Aidansplexion was not so good but he smiled awkwardly and scratched his head at the consideration of his friends.

    Haha. Its okay. Its not like Im sick.

    But why.

    Just, I couldnt sleep wellst night.

    Is that because of Mr. Rudgers research?

    Leo, who was quick-witted, immediately recognized the reason.

    If theres something wrong.

    No, its not. Its not like theres a problem. Its just that I overworked myself. You dont have to worry too much.

    Did you get any results?

    Yes, I mean.

    Aidan was about to say something.

    Uh, well, first of all, Mr. Rudgers research is correct, but I cant say since its a secret. Im sorry.

    Aidan couldnt say more since he signed a contract and immediately shut up.

    I almost said it.

    Aidan spent yesterday and thest night training and his efforts paid off a little.

    With the mana inhibitor on his body, Aidan is able to move his mana a little. Of course, when it became possible, he didnt get enough sleep because it was already dawn.

    Although his body was tired because of the effort his mind was clearer than ever because of the satisfaction of achieving something.

    To be honest, he was very excited. To the point where he almost told his friends even though he signed a contract.

    I cant wait to finish the ss and show everyone the results of my training.

    What happened to the other applicants? Is there anyone else who seeded besides me? What else are we doing today?

    Aidans eyes glistened.

    His face was pale, but his eyes were alive, so the teacher, who just came into ss, trembled when he saw Aidan.

    What is it? Did I enter the wrong lecture room?

    No matter how the teacher looked at it, it was the right ssroom.

    The teacher conducted the ss in a cold sweat as Aidan had a strange smile on his face.

    * * *

    Todays ss is over! Im going to go now!

    Huh? Aidan!

    Aidan, who wanted to show his results as soon as possible, ran straight to Rudgersb. His friends called him from behind, but he couldnt care less about it.

    Teacher! Im here!

    When he opened theboratory door and entered, Rudger, who was reviewing the data from the inside, nced at him.

    Youre loud, Aidan. If youre going toe in,e in quietly.

    Yes. Im sorry.

    Sit down for now. You came sooner than I thought.

    Oh, yes. I couldnt wait toe.

    Looking at your reaction, it seems you realized something yesterday.

    Yes, thats right! So yesterday, I.

    Stop. Well talk about itter when everyone else gets here. Stay calm for now.

    In response to Rudgers cold, dull reaction, Aidans emotions that were about to overflow became surprisingly calm. As the tension and excitement were relieved, he felt like he was getting tired.

    I shouldnt be sleeping.

    At the moment when Aidan, who sat down and was about to fall asleep, shaking his head without realizing it a sudden sound was heard and he raised his head.

    Before he knew it, Rudger was looking down at him closely.

    What?

    You have dark circles under your eyes. Did you stay up all night?

    Aidan hesitated, unable to answer the question and Rudger shook his head because that alone was enough of an answer.

    Aldan its quitemendable that youre passionate about this study, but its not good to try to get results by overworking yourself like that.

    Oh, no. I did it because I liked it.

    Still, you have to take care of your body more. A good nights sleep is especially necessary. Your health will deteriorate if you miss too much sleep.

    Rudger said so and held out a bottle.

    Drink it.

    Whats this?

    Its a remedy for fatigue. At least itll help blow your sleep away for now. And Aidan, get some sleep early today. Do you understand?

    Oh, thats.

    All right?

    Yes, yes!

    Good.

    Rudger nodded as if he was satisfied with the answer and began to review his data again while Aidan stared nkly at the water bottle in front of him then grabbed it and gulped down the contents.

    Oh.

    As Rudger said, after drinking it, he felt like the fog in his head was disappearing. However, it was nothing more than a dy in time because it did not remove the fatigue itself that wasing in now, but pushed back for a while.

    I should rest really early today.

    He was grateful for Rudgers consideration. Come to think of it, Leo, Tracy, and Iona were worried about him too.

    The expectation and burden of participating in such an important study made him overdo it.

    I have to reflect on myself. When I meet themter, Ill apologize for making them worry.

    Meanwhile the other students arrived one by one.

    Were here.

    All the students sat down. Their expressions were different, but some looked tired like Aidan, and on the contrary, some were rxed as usual.

    I think everyone is fully used to the state of the body where mana is suppressed.

    Rudger nced around at the students.

    Of course, I said this, but everyone must have tried to manage their magic somehow.

    Everyone was poked by the words, so they avoided Rudgers eyes.

    I wont me you. It was your choice, and I didnt stop you from doing it. So, is there anyone who seeded in releasing mana after drinking the mana inhibitor?

    Aidan raised his hand as if he had been waiting for the question but he was surprised when I looked around because everyone else raised their hands, too.

    As expected, it wasnt just me.

    Some of them even had rxed expressions and Aidan felt again that he was in Theon. Even considering that, the people who gathered here were especially unusual.

    This is surprising. Usually, on the first day, you would have been busy adjusting to your heavy and drowsy physical condition.

    The students thought Rudger was talking empty words. Even if he was surprised, his expression was natural as if he knew this would happen but on the inside he was not like that.

    I didnt expect that all of them would be sessful.

    Besides, every single one of them seeded in releasing mana in a day.

    I guess its because theyre talented kids.

    There is no need for further exnation, lets get to the main point. Drink this first.

    Sedina, who was waiting next to him, handed each applicant a mana inhibitor and they drank it.

    Ugh. I feel bloated.

    I thought Ill get used to it, but I cant.

    They feel like their bodies, which were about to get a little lighter, were wrapped around a chain again and submerged under the water but it was a little better than when they first drank a mana inhibitor.

    Now, show us your achievements. First of all, its the basic mana release.

    Each applicant began to activate their mana.

    Most of the students put mana on their hands without any properties or models. It was literally a basic mana release.

    However, although they managed to do so, most of the students foreheads were covered with sweat and only three were still looking rxed: Flora Lumos, Freuden Ulburg, and Julia Plumhart.

    Julia Plumhart. Does that mean that the top student is different? Freuden and Flora you kept your pride as seniors.

    Rudgers eyes naturally turned to Erendir.

    The 3rd princess.

    Erendir was all about maintaining mana. Her amount of mana and the quality of mana are certainly great, but he was only at the level of a beginner in dealing with it.

    You have a sharp sword, but you dont know how to swing it.

    She was so different from her sister.

    Rene, who was closing her eyes calmly next to her, seemed more rxed.

    Enough.

    When Rudgers words fell, the students gathered their mana while some gasped and wiped off their sweat.

    In fact, only one minute went by, but they felt like an hour had passed.

    We have confirmed the basic mana release. At least youve learned how to get through the road with your mana suppressed. However, some people may not understand it with their heads because they learned it with their bodies, so I will exin it to you.

    Rudger said so and distributed the materials he had prepared in advance to the students.

    After drinking mana inhibitors, it is difficult to release mana. Its hard to say, but its actually close to impossible. Nevertheless, the reason I said you should do this is because there is a way.

    Rudger looked at Aidan, saying so.

    Aidan.

    Yes.

    How did you manage to release your magical powers?

    Uh, well, thatsI just did it as if I was pushing it away.

    Tell me more details.

    So, at first, I felt that the mana itself was trapped inside my body and could not escape.

    Aidan recalled what he felt when he tried to release manast night.

    It felt like I was locked in a prison that fit my body and I couldnt move no matter how much I tried.

    But how did you seed?

    I kept trying and I felt a gap.

    Aidan couldnt think of anything other than that word.

    Rene, how about you?

    Me? I felt the same way. I was trying to squeeze out mana through the gap as much as I could. As a result, something that was originally narrow gradually opened up and the path becamerger.

    Is it the same for the rest?

    When Rudger asked, the rest of the students all nodded.

    Aidan breathed a sigh of relief at the sight, thinking, I wasnt the only one.

    Everyone must have felt the same way. Actually, mana inhibitors literally block your mana. Nevertheless, you have forged a way through the oppression.

    Rudger said so and floated a picture on the magic board. It was a painting of a man, with blue lines drawn over his body.

    Each wizards body has its own optimal route.

    Route?

    Yes, in other words, its called path.

    Are you saying thats the way? But thats a taboo.

    Yeah. Its like the magic circuit that ck wizards forcefully carve and widen through surgery. But this is different from that since its not made through artificial procedures, but it exists from birth.

    The students looked suspicious at his words because no one has felt the magic circuit in their body so far.

    Everyone seems surprised. I understand that feeling. Its something that you didnt realize because you usually handle magic naturally.

    Its like recognizing how to breathe.

    Breathing is natural and so its using your body.

    There is no overdoing it and of course they wouldnt realize its ufortable. But what if the whole process is suppressed for some reason?

    What if its hard to breathe?

    What if its hard to even walk normally?

    Then people would change their mind and would search for a way instead of taking it for granted.

    When there is a problem, people try to solve it and find the most efficient way through many attempts.

    The knights learn how to use their body during training.

    Anyone can swing a sword however it would take a lot of effort and time to wield the sword in the best way without exerting as much force as possible.

    The optimal path and method arepleted through the process of trimming and sharpening.

    The gap you found is the optimal mana path that you have always had but have not been aware of until now.

    And the role of this mana inhibitor was to make the hidden mana pass recognizable by the body.

 Chapter 218

    C218: Mana Path (2)

    Sorry for thete chapter but as Christmas approaches Ive been busy. The releases these next few days mighte at irregr times but Ill still release daily chapters.

    Does that make sense?

    Erendir stepped forward, asking so.

    Erendir, can you fold and unfold your arms?

    Yeah? Thats easy.

    Erendir did as Rudger ordered.

    Which muscles did you use while doing that?

    Well, its an arm muscle, right?

    Do you know the exact name of the muscle you use to bend your arms?

    At his words, Erendir was perplexed.

    Thats the point.

    What do you mean by this?

    People are not interested in the body parts they usually use. I just do it because its a given.

    If someone is asked to move their arm they do it because its something they usually do but if theyre told to focus on their forearm and biceps they wont know what to do.

    The same goes for the Mana Path. There is no need to use magic while mana is suppressed, so no one will notice it.

    Magic can be activated without the mana path.

    The students responded to his words with half-mistrust. They didnt say anything, but they were not sure if it was true.

    Its funny that the mana path exists, but you cant believe that you found the mana path that no one has ever found in this ignorant way.

    Modern wizards focused on the study of magic, such as more optimal magic and simpler magic.

    How can I use magic faster?

    How can I refine the magic to reduce mana consumption?

    What should I do?

    What else can I do to make it more efficient?

    Magic has always been the target of an endless process of exploration, research, and challenge

    On the other side the ancient wizards were the opposite since what they were aiming for was always the self. Instead of refining and developing magic, they chose their own bodies so that they could unleash stronger magic.

    At that time, most people thought so, and believed that they should be stronger to use more powerful magic.

    Thats the way it is.

    A man cannot lift anything heavier than his limit, thats why a tool called a crane was created.

    If you cant do something due to your bodys limitations, you invent a tool but the old wizards didnt.

    -You cant lift heavy things? Its because youre weak. You just need to train your body enough to lift something heavy!

    It was a stupid thing to do but such a tight-knit mentality has surprisingly created a path, the way to use mana in the best way and with the best efficiency. A miracle that was possible because this is a world where magic exists.

    If there was such a way, why didnt the wizards knew it until now?

    I wondered who asked, and it was Freuden. He waited with a keen stare for me to answer.

    They cant help but not know. The interpretation of thenguage became impossible, and the genealogy waspletely cut off.

    Even so, wouldnt that method have been handed down by word of mouth?

    Even if it was told, many have dismissed it as superstition. The way to make a mana inhibitor is hard to pass on by word of mouth, but the other way is what wizards now call a barbaric method.

    And the most fundamental problem is the externalNo, lets not say this. They wont understand if I say it anyway.

    The way we put too much emphasis on efficiency has ironically resulted in the exclusion of all other paths.

    As a result, they denied the existence of other shortcuts in ces they did not know.

    So we were wrong and the ancestors were right?

    Its not unreasonable to think so, but its not unconditionally. ording to the ancient wizards notes, they also suffered countless failures and trials and errors.

    In fact, Ive seen a lot of ridiculous cases.

    A wizard tied to a stone to develop the power of water magic and sank down the river in order to increase his water affinity and unfortunately the wizard never came up to the surface.

    Could the people of today believe that this was one of the many ways in the past?

    As they tried to be strong by putting a load on the body, the old people tried all kinds of strange ways and suffered many failures.

    Many died but they didnt stop exploring.

    Increasing mana emissions through mana inhibitors waspleted because people in the past did countless trials and errors.

    -It was a very silly thing to do with the wizards acting like clowns but it was fun to watch.

    Thats what my teacher told me when I was young. In the first ce, it was teacher who taught me how to interpret Larsil and trained me to increase my mana emissions.

    Throw away the stereotype that the ancestors are more stupid than the present day people. On the contrary, they might know a better way than now.

    Just by looking at Relics, unprecedented items that we dont know who, where, or how were made.

    Only the fact that Relics are rted to the ancient people spread like a rumor among academics.

    Then this research that were doing now, its simply a great discovery.

    Rene said with her eyes shining.

    Thats true in a way, but I didnt think so.

    Its not a great discovery. Its nothing more than restoring the forgotten way.

    But its amazing!

    Yes, the effect is great but whats truly amazing is the wisdom of the old saint who first came up with the method.

    I dont intend to take credit for that great discovery. I just have to pay my heartfelt respect to it.

    Dont forget the path you found.

    Then what are we going to do in the future?

    Julia, who was just listening, asked.

    If youve opened the road, now you have to widen it. Youve just recognized the existence of the mana path and the mana you can move through that path will be very weak.

    Mana Path doesnt mean you can just let it go just because you pierced it once. If left alone, it fades again and is forgotten, but on the contrary, the more you use it, the bigger and stronger it bes.

    The Mana Path shows better growth only when you try to grow it as much as possible while your mana is suppressed. Thats why I gave you guys a week.

    The students were amazed at what I said. Of course, it is correct that I set it for about a week to produce visible effects as soon as possible.

    Increasing mana emissions by just 10 percent is a salivating achievement in academia. Still, I was going to teach them one by one if they didnt find the pass, but I didnt know they would alle through in a day.

    Thanks to you, Ill waste less time exining.

    It was inevitable that I had a strange regret.

    Since I exined about the mana path, try releasing your mana once again but this time use the mana path consciously.

    At my words, the students started to pay attention again.

    * * *

    Thats fascinating.

    Julia Plumhart channeled her mana through her mana path and watched Rudger with her half-open eyes.

    To think there was something like an optimal path in my body that I didnt even know existed.

    It was as if I had found a small pebble that was invisible in broad daylight, but only shimmered when night came.

    It was like the dream magic that I handled, so it was somewhat dreamy.

    But I can feel something strange about Mr. Rudger Chelici.

    If its not an illusion, thats definitely a sign of a dream magic.

    She could feel it clearly because she was the most talented person in the dream school.

    From the traces, it seems that teacher did not use dream magic. Is it rted to a senior from another school?

    But there was something more intriguing than that, and thats Rudgers dream, which had not been seen before, began to appear faintly.

    The dream of a person who doesnt dream. Is that something else than a dream?

    Perhaps it was a path that hadnt existed until he contacted something through dream magicst night like how he taught them about the mana path now.

    Im a little curious.

    About the knowledge of all sorts of strange magic and where he got it.

    He doesnt even dream but he influenced Sedina Rosens dream.

    Rudger was a man whose everything was covered with unknowns.

    Sedina.

    Julias eyes naturally turned to Sedina Rosen, who was standing next to Rudger. She may be trying to pretend not to, but Sedinas gaze has been directed at Rudger all along from a while ago until now.

    Julia felt a little annoyed at the sight.

    Youre saying you dont even care anymore?

    Julia didnt get close to people, but she was as different as Sedina.

    A long time ago the first friend Julia made was Sedina.

    Sedina was so nice and pure that Julia, who couldnt trust others, opened her heart.

    But one day, Sedina changed. She refused to meet her and left far away until they faced each other again at Theon but Sedina changed. She was dark and broken unlike her bright and innocent past self.

    Thats what happened.

    She changed again. She has been regaining her old brightness since she was with Rudger Chelici.

    I need to take a chance to find out.

    I was going to get a glimpse of Rudger Chelicis dream and discover how he changed Sedina.

    * * *

    Research on the increase of mana emission was conducted with rapid progress. The students who confirmed that the research process was not false did their best to study.

    There was no reason to refuse because showing good performance was to further increase ones mana emission, and that means that they would grow further as wizards.

    Drink it, Freuden.

    .

    Freuden frowned at the mana inhibitor handed by Rudger.

    Why dont you drink?

    Id like something else, please.

    Freuden didnt know that Rudger intentionally fed him an inhibitor with bitter taste.

    This is yours.

    Dont you have more of the others left? If its all the same anyway, please give me the right to choose.

    Is that so? Then we can give this to Rene.

    Ill drink it.

    In the end, Freuden had no choice but to drink the special bitter mana inhibitor.

    Ugh!

    The taste was stronger than before, so Freuden frowned and covered his mouth with his hands.

    Rudger looked at Freuden and said with his eyes.

    Even if you run, youre a young wolf.

    Wow, you bloody man.

    Rudger lightly ignored Freudens gaze.

    Each applicant who took a mana inhibitor focused their minds on releasing mana.

    Today is the fourth day of the study. The students who had already opened their mana path on the first day showed more progress than Rudger had expected.

    Especially them.

    Among them, there were two students who caught Rudgers eye the most.

    Julia Plumhart and Flora Lumos, the first ces in their grade, were showing remarkable achievements, not shaming their reputation as geniuses.

    Basic release is already in the final stage. Beyond that, can they already create a basic line to activate a spell?

    It was like doing an borate brushwork with heavy dumbbells hanging on both arms. You have to go through repeated training for a long time to get used to it.

    Did these two reached the step that I took a month to reach under teacher Spartan training in only three days?

    Their expressions were calmer than those of other students.

    Carrying out such borate work in a state where most of the mana does not move well due the magic suppressor means that they have definitely made the mana path their own.

    They only needed three days. What gifted geniuses.

    He was jealous of talent but Rudger wasnt too obsessed with it. He knew that he had no talent anyway so he didnt feel much shame because he was aware of it.

    To be ranked first in a ce where all kinds of talented kids from all over the world gather means that one day they can rise to the level of a great wizard.

    Nothing is more meaningless thanparing yourself to others from birth. Rather, Rudger was fully satisfied with the fact that he taught the children.

    He pushes the back of the talented people so that they could move on.

    Although the speed is different, and they cannot reach the same destination it was at least the duty of an educator to allow them to walk without giving up that path.

    These two are doing well on their own, so theres no need to look at them anymore.

    Rudgers eyes naturally turned to other students who did notplete the task.

    Rene, youve put in too much strength. Reduce the output there.

    Really?

    In the case of the Mana Path, if you try to force it from the entrance, there will be a reaction. You need to be a little more careful because youre still getting used to the pass and expanding it.

    Following Rudgers advice, Renes mana flow, which was somewhat frustrating, became a little more flexible.

    Thats true! I did what you told me to do and its fine now!

    Well done. If you keep doing it calmly like that it wont be long until you reach the next stage of the mana path. Dont be impatient.

    Erendir, who was watching the scene from the side, opened her mouth.

    Teacher, I dont think this is working well.

    The soft eyes toward Rene quickly became hard.

    Stupid thing. Cant you do that? You dont know how to handle mana because you have too much.

    .

    Erendir was stunned because Rudgers reaction was the oppositepared to when he was talking to Rene.

    Why is there such a big difference between me and junior Rene?

    Rene is amoner and Erendir is a princess but of course in front of Rudger their status is meaningless. Erendir herself was also extremely reluctant to be treated ording to her status.

    Even so, wasnt this difference too big?

    Teacher, arent you being mean to me?

    What are you talking about? I treated everyone the same way.

    Sir, I have one more question. Is it okay?

    Of course, Rene. What are you curious about? Any questions are wee.

    Everyone can tell its different!

    Rudger looked at her with irritation as Erendir shouted.

    Whats the problem Erendir?

    The difference its huge! Anyone can see it.

    Erendir shouted and Rudger looked at her with an annoyed gaze.

    Erendir, you are a senior who has been learning here for an extra year. Why are youining because I treated a freshman a little better?

    A little bit?

    Isnt everyone else doing well except you in the first ce? Look at Julia, shes a junior to you, but shes much better.

    Shes the top student of her grade!

    Then look at Aidan. Hes working hard by himself and doesnt even try to ask me bothersome questions.

    Oh, me? I have some questions, too.

    Erendir, do you still think your behavior is so honorable?

    Excuse me, Mr. Rudger?

    Erendir bit his lip. No matter how much she thought about it, she was at a disadvantage.

    If you know, try to do something. If it doesnt work out, I can give you some advice.

    Ugh! So annoying!

    Erendir, who waspletely defeated by logic, had nothing to do but grit her teeth inside.

    Teacher, I have a question.

    Then someone called Rudger. He wondered who it was, and Flora Lumos was staring at him.

    Whats going on?

    Suddenly, the magic line became unstable, so the implementation is not going well.

    I saw that you were doing well just now, but suddenly you cant?

    Rudger was suspicious but although Flora shuddered inside she didnt change her expression.

    Can you tell me what to do sir?

 Chapter 219

    C219: Research results (1)

    Chapter sponsored byNidin.Thank you for your support.

    Flora thought that Rudgers research was not as difficult as she believed by her standards but the other students were sweating profusely. Even the noble Freuden had a little crease on his forehead.

    Theres nothing more to see here. My onlypetitor..

    Flora nced at Julia, whose face showed no emotion.

    Was she the top student among freshmen?

    Just looking at her made Flora instinctively feel that she was the same as her. However, she didnt feel like apetitor.

    Flora wasnt interested in a student like Julia in the first ce. Her eyes were on Rudger.

    Rudger also nced at her results and nodded, as if he had felt her gaze but that was all.

    What is this?

    Flora was unhappy about it.

    Cant you at leastpliment me?

    Flora was a genius, so she didnt have to spend much time trying to do something because everything was easy.

    She only reduced her break time and managed to expand the mana path and was thoroughly prepared for the next stage.

    Flora made an effort that she wouldnt usually do to look good because she wanted to be praised by Rudger.

    But was it because Rudgers expectations for her were too high that he took Floras achievements for granted?

    Is it because Im too good? I cant do this.

    Flora had mixed feelings whether to be pleased with this or not.

    She understood with her head that it was an evaluation she received because she was good, but her heart didnt do that at all and she was annoyed for no reason.

    Then, after seeing that Rudger was seen being kind to Rene and calmly answering her questions.

    What? You dont treat me like that.

    Rudger was pretending not to be, but Flora could tell thatpared to others, Rudger was only being nice to the kid named Rene and her pride was hurt.

    AppearanceFlora was confident but put it on hold because Rene was also pretty.

    FamilyHer family is better but considering the treatment she receives, it was not something to brag about, so she put it on hold.

    Yeah. Magic skills. If youre a strong student, you have to win with your magic skills.

    Flora was better at magic and although Rene was trying hard she was notparable to her.

    She was the winner when ites to magic but she got less attention.

    Itsits not fair.

    Flora looked at the mana line she had created. It was so precise and clean that she could admire it even if she made it herself but she boldly erased it then she raised her hand.

    Teacher, I have a question.

    At that, Rudger turned around.

    Was it surprising that she had a question? There is a hint of doubt in his gaze.

    Flora was stabbed inwardly, but since this happened, she decided to shamelessly go all out.

    Can you tell me what to do sir?

    I see.

    Rudger said so and came close to her.

    Flora shouted in her mind that she had done it, but her face began to heat up as Rudger got closer.

    So, what exactly doesnt work?

    Uh, you know.

    Your face is red. Are you not feeling well?

    Yes, yes? Me? Oh, no, Im not sick..

    Do you have a fever?

    Rudger raised his hand and ced it on her forehead as Floras heart jumped and her rational thinking stopped.

    Hmm. I dont think you have a fever. First, show me the mana line.

    Yes.

    As a result, Flora naturally created a mana line as Rudger instructed and at the same time as her instincts told her.

    Perfect. I dont think theres a problem.

    What?

    Flora realized her mistake.

    Oh, I should have made a mistake on purpose.

    She regretted it, but it was toote.

    I think its good, Ill go now.

    Rudger left her as Flora screamed inside.

    * * *

    A week has passed since the study began and the research hase to an end.

    The students who had been drinking mana inhibitors and wearing sandbags for a week finally became free.

    I feel very light. Its only been a week, but I feel something has changed.

    Rene looked at her physical condition and was in awe. It hasnt been that long since her mana was suppressed, but she felt new.

    Above all, the pressure that suppressed her body disappeared, so she felt like she was flying.

    Everyonee over here and measure the amount of mana emitted.

    Under Rudgers instructions, the students began measuring their mana emissions.

    Arge disk wasid on the floor, and an artifact that looked like a crystal ball was ced in the center of the disk.

    The measuring method was simple. They just had to put their hands on the crystal ball and let your mana flow inside as much as possible.

    The mana, which flowed into arge disk through the crystal ball, circtes inside and the amount is measured.

    The testing time is 3 seconds because they had to measure the instantaneous amount of emission.

    In this way, six people took turns and finished all the measurements.

    The results are out.

    Rudgers words made all the students swallow their saliva. Even Julia, who was always rxed, could not hide her nervousness.

    The average value of your mana emissions measured a week ago is about 12 percent. Ive already told you that, so you remember it.

    And now it was time to see the results after a week of training.

    The average mana emission of the six of you is 36 percent, 24 percent more than before. There might be an error depending on the individual, but it is roughly three times more.

    Three times more?

    The students were surprised and the staff in the measurement room opened their eyes wide at the figures. It was the same with the reaction of the spectators since they had never imagined that the results would be so good.

    What do you mean 36 percent? How can such figurese out?

    Its not like there was an error in the measurement, right?

    Because they had suspicions the measures were repeated but the results were the same, 12 percent before training and 36 percent after training.

    Oh, my God. I cant believe its tripled.

    I feel like Im energized, but was it that much?

    Aidan, Rene and Erendir were purely happy while Flora, Julia, and Freuden didnt show it, but they were also inwardly admiring their changes.

    He really did it.

    Flora stared at Rudger with awe.

    His face was the same after seeing the result unlike everyone else who was shocked. He didnt feel any joy like he was about to achieve his goal. Rather, it was surprising because he was calm.

    Was he sure it would be like this?

    She knew that Rudger himself had be stronger through this method. But there was no guarantee that it would work for anyone else.

    Nevertheless, Rudger gathered people, did the research and showed results.

    How can he do that?

    How can a person be so strong? How can he not have any doubts about his way?

    I thought it wouldnt work.

    Rudger was relieved to see a sessful oue. He was worried that some variables might produce bad results, fortunately the results were more than he expected.

    As he was thinking, the wizard from the Old Tower among the observers stood in front of the mana measuring tool himself.

    I cant believe its changed this much in a week. Its weird no matter how I look at it. The meter may be wrong!

    The observer from the School Association also nodded at his words. He was not speaking, but his innermost thoughts were no different from the wizard of the Old Tower.

    The wizard of the Old Tower tested the measuring instrument himself.

    [The maximum amount of mana released is 15%]

    It was less than half of the students numbers but it was not low.

    Theres nothing wrong with the meter?

    He rather hoped the meter was wrong but looking at the result, there was nothing wrong.

    Oh, you didnt believe me?

    As soon as the presidents voice crossed his ears, the observer of the Old Tower trembled.

    Cough, hmm. No. Its not that I didnt believe it, I checked just in case. Dont you want us to be clear as observers?

    As he spoke the notion of not believing was erased from his mind.

    Its justa minor misunderstanding.

    Really? Im d to hear that the misunderstanding has been resolved.

    Ha ha ha hahaha.

    The wizard of the Old Towerughed awkwardly, and the observer dispatched by the School Association also sweated. He was d the Old Tower became the arrowhead.

    Well go now.

    The observers left but only the observer of the New Tower, Luchek, bowed his head politely.

    The president also lightly saluted and turned to Rudger.

    Good job. Mr. Rudger. Youve shown us a good result.

    Its too early. In order topletely wash away the distrust, the students mana emissions need to be measured periodically over the next three days. We have to prove that this is not a short-term result.

    One could say that the power of the drug increased the amount of mana emission and to prevent that, he was going to add additional measurements in three days.

    Most of the mana drugs dontst more than a day, so that was enough.

    Mana drugs that increase mana emissions are expensive, have a short duration of effect, and even have aftereffects. Therefore, more detailed measurements were needed topletely clear away the doubts in that part.

    That would really make the academic world buzz.

    President, I believe you have not forgotten your promise.

    Of course, Mr. Rudger has shown so much sincerity, how can I not keep my end of the deal?

    From the time she read the data Rudger gave her in advance, she did everything to create this ce.

    Congrattions. Many people will soon find out about Mr. Rudgers great discovery.

    Is that so?

    Thats not a very pleasant reaction. Whats the problem?

    No, nothing.

    Rudger glossed over.

    Now, theres really no turning back.

    In the next few days after the news spreads, it will really be irreversible.

    Now that I have spread the method you have taught me, I cant really hide anywhere.

    He will not disclose how to make the mana inhibitors, but will that be enough?

    The process was necessary, but the aftermath was frightening to imagine.

    It doesnt matter if people bother him.

    But teacher is different.

    They must have woken up when Rudger used their blood and noticed what he did while sneaking off.

    When we meet, should I apologize first?

    Maybe hell really die.

    Rudger might not be killed because its their students but one can grasp his teachers personality.

    The presidents eyes shone when Rudger had such an idea with an expressionless face.

    He doesnt care even after producing these results. Hes more fun than I expected.

    She knew the name and status of Rudger Chelici were fake but seeing how capable he was she wondered what his real identity was and what was his purpose for visiting Theon.

    He didnt appear to be trying to take anything from Theon.

    Rather, looking at what he is showing now, he seems impatient because he cant show everyone what he has.

    A more teacher-like person than a teacher, thats how Rudger appeared in the eyes of President Elisa.

    I wonder who this man really is.

    As time passes, will the daye when he tells her who he really is?

 Chapter 220

    C220: Research results (2)

    Hey, did you hear that?

    You mean the Mana Emissions Study?

    Yes, I found out that it was true.

    Rumors spread in Theon that the research to increase mana emissions ended with sessful results.

    Originally, no one should know until the results of the study were published but the reason it was known in Theon was because someone leaked the results.

    There were people at the monitoring station beside the observers who saw the results of the increase in mana emission and they couldnt stop everyone from speaking.

    Those who went as observers will also testify what they saw after returning, so it was a set procedure anyway. It was only pulled forward a little.

    The students who heard the news naturally responded enthusiastically.

    I shouldve done it if I knew this would happen!

    I cant believe it was real!

    The students who did not apply for Rudgers research regretted their choices. Of course, even if they said so, their judgment at that moment was definitely right because the purpose of the study itself was absurd.

    But who knew it would actually seed?

    However, it was toote for regrets so the students interest shifted to the other side.

    If they couldnt participate in Rudgers research shouldnt they ask the students who participated in it?

    As many as six applicants participated in the study and they might be able to get information from them but they didnt approach anyone.

    First of all, there were people whom they couldnt talk to like Flora Lumos, the second-grade genius and the daughter of Duke Lumos, Erendir von Exilion, the third princess and the eldest son of Duke Ulburg, Freuden Ulburg.

    They were all people with prominent families and, above all, extremely unfriendly rtionships with others.

    If Erendir had heard it, she would have cried out why she was on that list, but that was what most of Theons students thought.

    As a result, their target was narrowed down to first-year students.

    Julia Plumhart, who was the first-year top student, was like an iron wall so she was excluded.

    Most of the time she responds with a smile when spoken to, but the reluctance felt in her smile bothered people.

    As a result, Aidan and Line became the easiest targets.

    Hi. Are you going to ss now?

    What?

    As she was heading to ss some students suddenly approached Rene.

    They werent interested in her, but you suddenly approached her pretending to be friendly. Did they suddenly want to get close?

    No way.

    Rene was not naive.

    There must be a plot behind the sudden change of attitude and Rene knew exactly what they were after.

    If you have time, lets.

    Im sorry, but I cant tell you the results of Mr. Rudgers research.

    Rene tly refused.

    There are some things that she didnt know that much, but she didnt intend to tell them even if she knew.

    Its not because she signed a magic contract but because she promised and didnt want to betray Rudger.

    The students who tried to aim for Rene while Erendir was away had no choice but to open their eyes at the sharp rejection.

    Rene passed by the students who called her up.

    Ah, no luck.

    She tried to ignore the voice from behind. Rather, the eyes of other students who were interested in this were sharp.

    Now that rumors were already rampant and they wanted to find the secret of increasing mana emissions from Rene somehow.

    Go to the ssroom.

    As soon as Renes steps were about to get faster, someone blocked her path.

    Are you a freshman?

    She looked at the name tag and it was a third grade student.

    I want to talk with you. Follow me.

    I dont want to.

    It was not a subtle suggestion, but an order to follow.

    Rene naturally backed away, but his opponent wouldnt tolerate it.

    Look at this guy. Are you talking back?

    When did I?

    This is whymoners dont do it. You cant understand if I say it nicely.

    When did you ever say good things?

    Rene tried to argue, but the opponent strode up first. She did not panic, but rather stared at her opponent strongly and the third grade aristocrat didnt like it.

    Whats with your eyes? How dare you look up to the aristocracy when you are amoner?

    What?

    I wonder if you can keep that attitude going after this.

    It was then that a third party intervened.

    Im curious about that, too.

    Whats going on?

    Annoyed by the sudden interruption, the third-grade nobleman stared at where his voice was heard and when he saw the person standing there, he froze.

    Rudger Chelici.

    You call a teachers name recklessly when youre a student.

    The third-grade aristocratic students froze, perhaps because they didnt know they would face Rudger in a ce like this.

    Rudger looked at the frightened Rene and the frozen seniors with a knife-edge stare.

    It was easy to see how the situation was going without needing an exnation.

    I cant believe third grade students are doing this since early morning.

    What are you talking about? We havent done anything.

    You didnt?

    Yes. We just talked to the junior here for a while.

    It was just an attempt anyway.

    What are you going to do if its nothing?

    The other two naturally nodded at the words.

    Thats right. The teacher misunderstood.

    Its just a joke, a joke.

    Rudger squinted at them.

    You are joking?

    Yes, were just kidding.

    Rudger released his magic and a huge amount of mana spread around him.

    Ah!

    At the pressure the faces of the third-grade nobles turned white like corpses.

    Why, why the hell?

    Whats wrong with you? Im just kidding.

    What kind of joke is this?

    Isnt this the kind of joke you like?

    Under increasing pressure, the third-grade students could not even answer.

    Did you think it was funny enough if I would have fallen for a lie that even a child would not have been fooled by?

    Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

    Since you are aristocrats, you must have thought that if you put it around properly, I would let it go.

    Agh!

    Thats just stupid.

    Despite the stifling situation, Rene felt strangely rxed.

    Thats strange. I dont think Ive ever seen my opponents as aristocrats. Should I remind you where you are again?

    The violent energy flowing out of Rudgers body made the third-grade nobles go nk. They couldnt think of any excuse to make, and they couldnt even speak.

    All they were allowed to do was tremble like a mouse standing in front of a predator.

    Mr. Rudger, please stop there.

    Rene reached out and dissuaded Rudger.

    There was a minor misunderstanding.

    At those words the pressure weighing on the third-grade nobles disappeared.

    Ignoring the students who were out of breath, Rudger looked at Rene and she looked back at him with clear eyes that were as pure as a childs.

    Really?

    Yes, Im telling you the truth. You think so too, right?

    The third graders, who got the redemption rope at her words, nodded hurriedly. Of course, their drooling looks were not normal to anyone.

    Rene, now that you say so, I will not argue about this anymore.

    Thank you, sir.

    Even so, you dont know the future. If anything happenster,e to me.

    Rene opened her eyes wide.

    What?! Its okay. You dont have to do that.

    Although it was purely your will to participate in the study, its also my duty as a teacher to help you if you have troubles.

    Rene opened her mouth at the words and soon smiled.

    Yes, sir. I will.

    Youll bete for ss. Follow me.

    What about those seniors?

    Leave them alone, they will recover on their own.

    Rene didnt defend the seniors any more.

    They made a mistake first and paid the price for it.

    Follow me.You were going to my ss, werent you?

    Ah yes. I was.

    So lets go together.

    Yeah?

    For a moment, Rene thought that her ears werent working properly.

    * * *

    Aidan was also targeted by other students.

    Aidan, did you eat? Do you want to eat with me?

    Aidan, why dont we go to the study room together?

    Aidan. Aidan. Aidan!

    His name was called everywhere and Aidan was dizzy for the first after hearing his name being called a lot.

    At first, he was happy to think that he would make a pure new friend, but his thoughts quickly changed.

    Everyone wanted to ask me about the research process.

    Of course they want to. You havent had much contact so far, but now theyre suddenly talking to you, so what other purpose is there than that?

    No, I thought it might be because they just wanted to get close all of a sudden. Its a bit of a shame.

    you. What a flower bed your head is.

    Leo shook his head and sighed and it was the same for Tracy.

    Aidan is too whitepared to other ck-hearted guys, thats why she couldnt leave him alone.

    Had Leo, Tracy, and Iona not been able to stop the countless students a while ago, Aidan, who has a good personality, would have epted everyones questions.

    That was a terrible thing to imagine.

    Aidan ignore everything. Theyre not talking to you because they like you anyway. Its because theyre all after something.

    Yes, I should. Im the reason why you guys got swept up. Im sorry.

    You dont have to apologize. I was worried that you wouldnt have been prepared to do this at the time I wasnt with you.

    Aidan was deeply moved by the words.

    Thank you, everyone!

    Why are you so moved? I didntpliment you.

    Tracy replied curtly.

    Even if she said so, it was her who was attacking the people who were approaching Aidan like an angry cat more than anyone else. In particr, when the female students approached, her reaction was the most intense, and Leo did not bother to point that out.

    The important thing is that the ss will start soon so theyll be safe for now but what about ss?

    They were already worried about how many people woulde.

    Then Iona said in a blunt tone.

    But I understand their reaction, too. Everyones trying to be strong.

    That was something Leo and Tracy agreed with but there was a limit.

    Tracy asked, twisting the ends of her braids with her fingers.

    So Aidan. Is the rumor true?

    What rumor?

    The fact that you secretly participated in Mr. Rudgers research this time.

    Oh, Im sorry about that but I really wanted to do it.

    Okay. We dont mean to say anything to you about the past, you wouldnt have stopped even if we said something.

    Oh.

    The important thing is that the rumors are spreading now, so is Mr. Rudgers research true?

    Uh Thats true, as youve already seen other peoples reactions.

    Really?

    But I cant tell you more than that.

    All right, thats it.

    Aidan, who thought they would ask more questions, was dumbfounded by the unexpected answer and the sight made Tracy wince.

    What? Did you think we were going to ask a difficult question under the pretext of friendship?

    Oh, no, so thatsYeah. Sorry. Honestly, I knew it.

    What do you think we are?

    Im sorry.

    Hmm. You apologized honestly, so Ill let it slide this time. You cant say it even if you want to.

    Thats right. I signed a magic contract.

    Thats why I dont want to bother you for no reason, so I wont ask. If the research is sessful anyway, it will be publishedter and well check the results then. Well, those idiots who still keep an eye on us dont seem to care about that at all.

    At those words, Aidan realized that his friends were very considerate of him.

    Leo murmured.

    This is very surprising. Mr. Rudger hasnt even finished giving away the framework for the Source Code and he came up with something even more interesting. What the hell was Mr. Rudger doing?

    At this point, he should be used to being surprised, but he couldnt do anything about Rudger.

    Hes not just a normal teacher.

    Doubts have sprung up inside Leos heart.

    I really hate to ask the Liberation Army, but I have no choice but to ask them to find out about this.

    It seemed necessary to clearly confirm Rudger Chelici origin and family.

    At that time, the students sitting by the window talked.

    Herees Mr. Rudger!

    At the word that the owner of this ssroom and the party that is receiving the most attention right now wasing, the students quietly took their seats.

    At that time, the back door opened and Rene entered at the same time as Rudger was entering through the main door.

    What? Why is sheing in now?

    Most of the students were not interested in Rene because they only cared about Rudger but Flora Lumos was different.

    Maybe its because shes been conscious of it for a long time, but she noticed that Rene came in at a simr time as Rudger.

    What is this? Are you two here together?

 Chapter 221

    C221: Research results (3)

    Merry Christmas!!!

    After entering the ssroom, Rene hurried to her seat and sat down.

    Erendir, who hade in advance, alternated between Rene and Rudger, who entered the ssroom at almost the same time and flinched her lips as if she wanted to ask something.

    Then Rudger, who climbed onto the tform, opened his mouth.

    Before we begin the lecture, I have something to tell you.

    The students instinctively noticed what Rudger was trying to say.

    The time has finallye.

    There are a lot of people here and there asking about my research results recently. Today I found out that someone tried to ckmail an applicant without even asking me first. How cheeky.

    The students who were stabbed by the words talked among themselves. It was surprising that there was someone who would go so far.

    Im very annoyed.

    His voice was cold, and they could even feel a subtle anger in his tone.

    The students in the ssroom gulped down as they thought that Rudger might take it out on them.

    However theres no point in getting angry here.

    Fortunately, Rudger didnt go any further.

    But let me tell you. If this happens again, then I will deal with the perpetrator myself. The ones that get caught wont step in Theon again so try hard not to get caught.

    It was rare for Rudger to speak so openly. He would usually warn the students in an abstract tone but this time it was different since making them unable to step into Theon meant more than just suspension.

    And let me add that. No matter how much you bother the six applicants, you wont get anything. I kept it strictly secret about how to increase mana emissions and they just benefited.

    The students did not understand his words since they were contradictory but Rudger wasnt wrong.

    In order to increase the mana emission, the bodys Mana Path must be found and strengthened but the only way to do it was to train while using mana inhibitors.

    So basically, unless they know how to make a mana inhibitor, people wont even be able to find the Mana Path.

    And Rudger was the only one who knew how to make the inhibitor.

    No matter how much you pry, there is no other way to know than to hear it directly from me. So, throw away those useless thoughts and focus on your studies.

    Of course, not everyone believed his words but Rudger only spoke so that bothering the six applicants became a risk. That was enough.

    Okay, lets start the ss because the third test is not far away.

    * * *

    Maybe its because Rudgers warning worked but after ss, no students bothered Aidan and Rene.

    In addition it was hard to approach Rene because Erendir was with her and Aidan had friends.

    Students in other ssrooms who did not hear the warning sometimes talked to them, but it was much better than before.

    I was so tired that I was going to die.

    Rene managed to rx after having a hard time since people were bothering her. She was rather relieved that it was over although people around her were still watching her but that was all.

    No one approached or talked to her as openly as before. Thanks to this, Rene was able to take ssesfortably.

    Spells are divided into ranks. The higher the rank, the moreplicated and difficult the spell bes, and more mana is needed. As a wizard, its quite difficult to get to the top.

    She was taking a liberal arts ss rted to magical history that was also famous for its good gradespared to the difficulty of the ss.

    The wizard has no name until the fourth rank. But from the fifth rank, its named. As you all know, the fifth-ranked wizard is called Amnuki. Why is that? Does anyone know?

    Isnt it the name of a wizard who achieved the 5th rank for the first time?

    You only got half right. It is true that the 5th rank is called Amnuki, but he did not be the first 5th rank. Thats the same for the sixth rank. Whats the name of the sixth rank?

    Its Lexer.

    Yes, its named after Lexer, a great wizard and adventurer but Lexer isnt that old. Hes closer to the modern times. Who was the first 6th rank wizard?

    The students realized something, too. The name given to the rank its not the name of the wizard to achieve that stage.

    The name given to the rank is not the name of the first wizard to reach that rank but its because he established the hierarchy. There was a fifth-rank wizard before Amnuki, but no one had ever thoroughly analyzed and organized the 5th rank magic. The same goes for Lexer.

    Then, are you saying that there have been people who have achieved a high rank in the distant past?

    Thats right. In fact, if you look at the power of the ancient wizards in the ancient books, theyve gone beyond the sixth rank of the fifth rank to the seventh rank.

    The students thought it was a fake. Theirmon opinion was that in the ancient times, when magic less developed in magic than now, wizards couldnt reach that level.

    There may be an exaggeration in that part, but I wouldnt be wrong. In fact, starting from the 7th rank, it is like that.

    Isnt the 7th rank called Impera?

    Thats right, everyone. Do you know who the wizard, Impera?

    Is that the first person to reach the 7th rank?

    All of the previous ranks were named after those who established the hierarchy, but its different from Impera, right?

    What.?

    Its because the ranks are different from the 7th rank but the student didnt bother to say the obvious.

    Wizards who reached the 6th rank were also treated with great respect, but the 7th rank was of course even greater than that. They were few in number, even on the continent.

    It takes a very strong talent to get to the sixth rank but to reach the seventh rank something else beyond talent was needed.

    Since the level of magic used was different, there was no need to establish the hierarchy. Thats why the seventh rank is named after the first person who reached it.

    Impera was the first wizard that reached the seventh rank. Long before science developed as it is now, it was the emperor of the past empire. Even now, the 7th rank is a dream for many, but people at that time also achieved the 7th rank.

    No way. After all, hes an old-fashioned wizard.

    One of the students said so.

    Now, magic techniques are more advanced, and much more efficient and detailed magic is born. Just as sword-wielding techniques are created to use the optimal path, not the rough one, magic is also stereotyped, formalized, and changed.

    Most of the wizards perception was that ancient seventh-rank wizards couldnt even be a sixth-rank wizard of the present era.

    Teacher, whats the 8th rank called?

    The eighth rank is called Grander.

    Is the name also derived from the name of the wizard who reached the rank for the first time?

    Maybe so.

    Maybe?

    Unlike before, students wondered at the unclear answer.

    I dont know how the name Grander spread, but a wizard with that name didnt appear in any literature. Of course, it may be written in ancient documents that have not been interpreted, but it is now widely believed that the name Grander was passed down by word of mouth and not academic materials.

    Then why do we keep using that name?

    Thats because theres no other wizard who achieved the eighth rank yet.

    Everyone who dreamed of bing a wizard admired the eight rank Grander even the seventh rank wizards who stand at the top now.

    Even elves, a species that live longer than humans, have never heard of an 8th rank wizard. In the first ce, it was questionable whether the 8th rank existed.

    Perhaps Grander is not a name, but a noun that refers to impossible in an ancientnguage.

    If one day a new eighth rank wizard is born, that person might change the name of the rank.

    Even though they knew it didnt make sense, the students imagined themselves bing that eighth rank wizard. Everyone would chant their name and they would remain in history for eternity.

    Where in the world could there be more glory than this?

    * * *

    It walked the road. The outside world after a long time was very strange. Its only been a few years, but the world has made a lot of progress in those years.

    Just looking at the prosperous city was enough entertainment.

    Maybe It can look around a little more on its way to find its student.

    It turned its head suddenly after thinking that.

    Beyond those red eyes, It felt something. Men with considerable magic all gathered in one ce.

    Seeing that they are gathered in a deserted ce, they are not honorable people, and considering that, they are quite strong.

    It could ignore it and pass by, but It became interested in them because its been a long time since It went out.

    It headed to a ce where it felt energy with a light step.

    When It arrived at the ce where It felt the energy It could see suspicious-looking people nning something. The surroundings were covered with red bricks full of smoke, and it was dark and dull even in broad daylight but It liked the ce.

    Whats going on?

    Those who gathered at the meeting, members of the ck Dawn Association, frowned at It sudden appearance.

    Why are you here?

    The first thing they saw was gold hair flowing down gently like a carpet, red eyes and snow-white skin. She was wearing a wine-colored Gothic dress full of frills and a parasol in one hand.

    Anyone would think that she was a girl who was small and cute like a doll and had a strange charm that was hard to describe so they wouldnt expect her to appear here.

    What did the guys who were guarding the entrance do?

    Even if she got lost, it was virtually impossible for such a girl toe into this ce. The road isplicated, and the men who were guarding the entrance would have kicked her out.

    But that girl.

    Feeling something strange, a Second Order narrowed its eyes.

    Its surprising to see someone like her in a ce like this, but her reaction is weird.

    Usually, a person like her would be anxious about such a ce. Even if she came in, it was normal to be scared or run away when she saw people with a bad impression gathered.

    But what was that reaction?

    She was walking towards them.

    Shes not afraid of us? Does that mean she believes in something? Hidden escort? Or her skills?

    Did she read the intentions contained in that gaze?

    The girls red eyes drew a crescent moon.

    Ho. Theres a guy whos surprisingly quick-witted.

    Who are you?

    The rest of the people moved quickly, perhaps realizing that the Second Orders reaction was unusual.

    They surrounded the area and blocked the escape route to prevent her from escaping but the girl smiled at their actions.

    Youre quick-witted and responsive. I came here out of curiosity, but it seems you arent an ordinary group.

    I dont know how you got here, but since youvee this far, dont think about leaving alive.

    At the words, the girl opened her eyes wide and burst intoughter.

    Her cheerfulughter raised the eyebrows of the Second Order.

    Are youughing right now?

    Hahaha. How can I notugh when its funny? Dont think about leaving alive? I didnt think anyone would say that to me. I can feel that the world has changed a lot.

    What?

    In addition, from the way she talks, she sounds like an old person.

    The Second Order was a little wary but he thought maybe the girl was out of her mind.

    Kill her.

    The subordinates slowly approached the girl at themand of the Second Order.

    At that moment, the girl folded the parasol she was using and as its tip touched the ground an extraordinary event happened.

    What is it?

    The Second Order was surprised to see his subordinates that were approaching the girl suddenly copse like broken dolls.

    What happened?

    He couldnt understand what the hell happened and he didnt see or feel anything.

    The Second Order felt his whole body shaking and his instincts crying out. That person in front of me, its something he doesnt dare to face.

    You, who the hell are you?

    All he could do was ask in a trembling voice.

    At that, the girl said with a smile.

    Grander, do you know that name?

    What do you mean.?

    You dont have to know.

    The girl waved her hand lightly. Although her action was so simple that it could be considered meaningless it was also thest thing the Second Order saw.

    Grander, a girl who took more than dozens of lives in an instant, lifted the parasol and looked up at the sky beyond the high wall.

    Where is the disciple who made this master move her heavy steps?

    That day a branch of the ck Dawn Society, led by First Order Niki, disappeared without a word.

 Chapter 222

    C222: Presentation (1)

    Rene returned to the dormitory room with her tired body. After lying on the bed, she remembered what happened today.

    Was it because Mr. Rudgers warning was still valid that no more people approached her to ask the results of the study?

    Is it because of that? Im much more tired than usual.

    Just passing by, she felt like her mind was worn out as all kinds ofplicated eyes flew. Some students looked jealous because they couldnt approach her openly, and the eyes of aristocratic students were so fierce that her back was cold.

    Previously, she had a feud with Dunema Rommel. In addition to that, she, amoner, received the benefits of research, so it was natural to be jealous.

    Ah, Impletely hated.

    Just today, there was a quarrel on the way to take a ss in the morning. Although it was said to have been an attempt, it would have been dangerous if Rudger had not helped then.

    She felt a sense of injustice.

    Come to think of it, I was helped by Mr. Rudger.

    It was thanks to Rudger that her amount of mana emission increased, and it was Rudger who helped in the moment of crisis. Even the people who bothered her disappeared thanks to Rudgers warning to everyone immediately after the incident.

    Rene recalled the appearance of Rudger.

    Teacher, was so cool.

    Rudgers saving her at the moment of crisis was like a prince on a white horse that seemed toe out of a fairy tale.

    He didnt actually ride a white horse and he wasnt a prince but thats what he looked like in Renes eyes.

    At the banquet hall, he saved me.

    She remembered how Rudger carried her like a princess during the banquet just by closing her eyes. Renes lips went up without realizing it, and she smiled.

    Then suddenly, an idea came to her mind.

    When I look at Mr. Rudger, I miss him. Why? Did Mr. Rudger and I ever meet before?

    Come to think of it, Rudger seemed to be nice to her.

    Usually, he seems infinitely cold, but he always answers what she is curious about and even teaches what she doesnt know kindly.

    It is because its easy to be misunderstood because of the way he talks and facial expressions, but rather, Rudger thought of the students the most.

    Is it possible that Mr. Rudger?

    She thought so, but Rene immediately shook her head and denied it.

    No, it cant be.

    Theres no way that a cool person like him would like amoner who doesnt have much to show like me.

    It was probably because she was a student who took his lecture. Or maybe it was because she was born with a rare constitution.

    Besides, if hes like a teacher, theres nothing strange about meeting someone whos much prettier and greater than me.

    One had to live within ones means. She had to meet with the right person and only imagine what was right for her. Thats what it is.

    What should I do now?

    After the existing problem was solved, a new problem suddenly came to mind.

    In recent lectures, the proportion of group sses conducted in pairs has been increasing.

    Originally, at the beginning of the semester, they didnt do much because they didnt have a chance to get close to each other, but now that the second test and the festival are over, things are slowly proceeding.

    But theres a problem because Rene hasnt gotten close to anyone yet.

    Since she had been involved in various incidents and idents since the beginning of the semester, everyone was reluctant to get close to her.

    Erendir and Freuden are the only ones who are talking to her right now.

    I cant get help from senior Erendir forever.

    As a freshman, she couldnt keep up with Erendir and there were very few sses that ovepped with hers, a sophomore.

    She needed to make friends that were in the same grade. In addition, making friends in Theon was quite good for the future.

    When she graduated from Theon and went into the society, the friendships she made at this time would be helpful. Therefore, Rene felt the need to form a rtionship with people.

    But I dont know what to do.

    This was the worst part.

    She was already hated by the aristocratic students and othermoner students were keeping away from her because they feared the aristocrats.

    She was anxious to think that she would not make a proper friend for the rest of her life.

    She knows what happens to people who get along without friends since she was acquainted with such a person.

    Im sorry senior Erendir.

    It was hard to suppress the guilt that came up just by thinking about her but what could she do?

    But I dont want to be like you. First, lets check out the clubs on Akashic Record.

    There are many clubs in Theon and it is said that it is good to join a club to meet people.

    While thinking about finding a club inside the Akashic Records, Rene found one strange thing.

    Random matching? Whats this?

    Akashic Records is an integrated magical exchange field that can only be used inside Theon.

    Both students and teachers could use it and anonymity was guaranteed, so there were many cases of exchanging information with each other.

    Of course, false information and useless fights were widespread.

    I havent been able to use it because Ive been so busy, but I didnt know there was something like this.

    Random matching probably means that you can exchange direct conversations with random people.

    Rene was intrigued.

    In the past, when I was learning under my teacher, I used to write and send letters to my teacher.

    Of course, I was scolded by my teacher, but it was a good memory.

    Thinking that maybe this would help her, Rene immediately tried random matching. Soon after, a matching was given with a ringing sound.

    They greeted each other by writing letters with magic.

    [Hello]

    After a while, the reply came back.

    [Hello]

    Oh, thats interesting.

    [How did you end up here?]

    [After finishing all the busy things, I had time, so I came here out of curiosity. I didnt know there was something like this, but its fascinating.]

    [Oh? Its the same as me. I was like that, too.]

    When I saw the replying back, she didnt think it was a strange person.

    [What ss are you taking here? Oh, should I not ask this?]

    [Thats right. I think keeping secrets is one of the main purposes of this space.]

    [Hmm. What should I call you?] I dont know your name.]

    When I asked such a question, the answer came back after a little time.

    [Just call me John Smith]

    [What is this? If youre going to use an alias, use something more sincere.]

    [What about you?]

    [Oh, me?]

    Rene answered with a grin after thinking.

    [Honestly, its my first time doing this, so I dont know. Can you give me a name?]

    [Judy]

    [Judy?]

    [Yeah, Judy is nice.]

    Judy. Judy.

    Having called the name out of her mouth a few times, Rene thought it was quite good.

    [Good! Judy]

    Like that, Rene lost track of time and continued to exchange conversations with the other person.

    [Oh, its already this time. I should go now.]

    [Thats true. Its been a long time.]

    [Smith, can we talk again next time?]

    [I dont care]

    [Then, at this time?]

    [All right]

    Thats how Rene finished random matching but she suddenly wondered who the person she talked to was.

    Looking at the way Smith talked he looked older than her. Hes not a teacher, is he?

    * * *

    Rudger finished random matching and ced the Akashic record te on the table. Teachers also tried it out of curiosity but they fell into it without realizing it.

    Well, it wasnt a bad feeling.

    It was like using a messenger app when I lived on Earth, so it was not bad because I could feel the nostalgia of that time. In addition, the person whom I had a conversation with was strangely friendly, so I was also excited and we had a long conversation.

    It is by nature that my way of speaking normally is hard, but speaking on messenger in this way was also a part of being able to speak softly like in my previous life.

    I thought it was not a bad experience in that I could recall myself that I had not yet forgotten.

    Its nice to refresh your mood like this sometimes.

    The many things that haveplicated my mind are over.

    First of all, Theon has sessfullypleted the transaction after receiving approval from the president, although it is still unofficial.

    The same is true of the ck Dawn Society.

    Other first orders dont know, but Zero Order has decided to acknowledge my existence.

    Its still only a matter of sealing the urgent wound, butpared to the first time when I felt my life threatened just by being caught, its a huge difference.

    Thats why I could spend time on these little entertainments but I know theres still a lot of work to do after all.

    The academic presentation date is just around the corner.

    The deal with the president is not over yet because he has to announce the results of his research on increasing the amount of mana emission he achieved this time and take the position of nning Director in recognition of his contribution.

    Im looking forward to it.

    How will people react tomorrow?

    I thought it would be fun even though I knew I shouldnt do this.

    * * *

    [Arcane Chamber] was a huge grand hall where wizards gather to present their findings.

    The huge space, reminiscent of an ancient dumping ground, was filled with wizards since regr presentations of new discoveries are held periodically.

    However, the seats that would not have been half full normally were especially full today since all the wizards gathered here heard some rumors.

    Is it true that they are publishing a study rted to increased mana emissions?

    I dont know, but ording to rumors, yes. Its just that there are a lot of other people gathered.

    It was clear that all the people gathered here had heard the rumor.

    And look over there.

    A wizard pointed to the air.

    The Arcane Chamber basically consists of a dome that resembles a huge stadium and all the seats are arranged like a circle around this huge space.

    Nevertheless, there is an individual space for the special people floating in the air.

    A huge octagonal metal te embedded with mana stones was floating in the air. There was a person sitting there who wouldnt normally be present to this kind of event.

    Is that Auguste, one of the Three Wonders of the Old Tower?

    Thats right and theres a representative of the New Tower over there. I heard that they have great skills at a young age.

    Theyvee here because of Theons president, so she must be the one who arranged the seats.

    In the top seats there were wizards who have built fame throughout the continent sitting and only at least six ranks could climb there.

    Then some wizards were forced to make another fuss.

    Look, Sir Clinton, the great wizard of the imperial family.

    Oh, my God, the seventh rank wizard is here?

    Clinton Rothschild, one of the few 7th rank Impera wizards in the world. He was an old man but he looked so clean that people didnt think so at all just by looking at his appearance.

    After sweeping the white beard that came down to his chest once, he sat down in his seat as if he didnt care about the eyes around him.

    In addition, a wizard named with the title [Colour] was also present at the scene.

    Oh, my. Why did Ie here?

    It was Casey Selmore.

    She was assigned a top seat, but she refused and sat in a moderately back seat. Originally, she had no intention ofing, but she came because Theon sent her an invitation directly.

    But now she wasnt in a very good mood.

    I need to read that persons memories as soon as possible.

    Since she was kicked out of Rudgers teachers office that day, she has been looking for opportunities to obtain his mana and continue to see his memories.

    She was busy because of a series of things that happened one after another. Since her position of detective was not a hoax, the police in Leathervelk asked her for help.

    Because she was busy she couldnt find time to obtain Rudger mana but that was just an excuse. The reason why she dyed was because of her internal hesitation and the pressure of finding out the truth that no one knows.

    Even she felt a little fear as to whether or not she could ept and handle the truth that she would see.

    After hesitating and dying it, she came all the way here.

    Is it a thesis presentation?

    I didnt know that the research data I saw in his office would reallye this far.

    Presenting in front of people means that the results of the study have been sessful.

    If its really possible, it was really unusual.

    I dont know what youre up to.

    Casey, who was agonizing with her arms crossed, sighed because even if she thought about it she wont get an answer so shell have to wait and see.

    As soon as she thought so, the lighting began to get dark.

    The Arcane Chamber is literally made up of huge domes and by reducing the light a little, it was possible to create a dark atmosphere even in broad daylight but there was also a ce that got as bright as the rest of the space got dark.

    The center of the Arcane Chamber was lit to show those who presented their papers and proved their achievements and values.

    The wizards who were talking among themselves were silent. It was an amazing sight to see the ce where thousands of people gathered so quiet that not even a breath could be heard.

    They all know that the future announcements, big or small, will bring a storm to the magic world.

    Its starting.

    The 136th Magic Thesis presentation has begun.

 Chapter 223

    C223: Presentation (2)

    Contrary to what the wizards expected, the first presentation was not Rudgers.

    Since it was not a presentation given for individuals, of course, several wizards were supposed to take turns and show their discoveries but there was a problem because this presentation was receiving much more attention than usual.

    Well, I mean.

    The wizard, who was the first to reach the podium, stuttered because he could not continue his words properly at the gazes pouring on him like arrows.

    Even though they had prepared a lot, the number of people was higher than expected.

    The voice shrank and the exnation slowed but the more that happened, the more cold the eyes that touched the skin became.

    Why are so many people here at the time of my presentation?

    There are as many as 5,000 seats in the Arcane Chamber and on the day of the regr thesis presentation, it was fortunate if 1,000 seats were filled, let alone half of the total seats.

    On bad days, there will barely be more than 500 people. However, today, there were people standing and there watching because the 5,000 seats were full.

    If they could show more people what they have achieved, that would be the best opportunity but this was too much.

    It was not even a problem of numbers.

    Along with the Old Tower, the New Tower, and the School Association, a seventh-rank wizard, called the best wizard of the time, were present.

    The wizard felt like his soul was shrinking and his hands and feet were trembling. His fear was much greater than the desire to do better.

    In the end, the wizard, who took the podium as the first presenter, was forced toe down without properly taking out half of what he had prepared.

    His back was pitiful as he left with his head down but no wizards in the audience expressed sympathy for him.

    It is true that it was a sudden situation simr to a natural disaster, but breaking through it was also a matter of individual ability. In the end, those who failed to do socked skills, and only met a suitable end.

    [Next person. Pleasee up.]

    The second presenter came up after the first one left. He knew what the previous person looked like, so he started the presentation with a firm determination that he would never be like that.

    This one isnt bad.

    But its not particrly special.

    Like that, one at a time presentations followed, and sometimes there were people who seeded in eliciting their own repercussions, but that was all in the end.

    As time passed, the final presentation was just around the corner.

    A man appeared on the tform.

    That person.

    Is todays star finallying out?

    The rxed atmosphere changed and the spectators gazes were stronger than when it first started.

    No matter how courageous a person was, he had no choice but to be intimidated by more than 5000 stares but Rudger Chelici wasnt.

    Rather, as if he was taking a walk, his steps to the tform were rxed.

    The VIPs at the top of the table were quietly amazed by his confident attitude.

    Hes definitely different from the ones from before.

    I dont think hes pretending to be strong on purpose. Is this his natural disposition?

    The audiences response was also enthusiastic, in particr from the female wizards.

    Oh, no. Everyones going crazy.

    Casey Selmore pped her tongue at the sight.

    What if the wizards are misled by his appearance? Of course, hes handsome, but this.

    She didnt expect this much reaction and Casey was annoyed for no reason.

    But isnt that person nervous?

    She felt like her hands were sweating just imagining herself standing on the stage but Rudgers appearance was truly peaceful.

    She knew that there have been several such asions in the Kingdom of Delica. However, the size of the Arcane Chamber was simply iparable to that time.

    Rudger, standing on the tform, paused for a moment and looked around. As it was a tform under the spotlight, the appearance of the people in the audience was dark and blurred but it was evident that they were all watching him.

    Rudger raised his head and looked up at the top seats floating in the air.

    The faces of the people sitting there were certainly extraordinary at first nce.

    Those who have the greatest influence on the continent.

    Will Leslie, one of the first orders, be there? Maybe she didnt attend because she was busy preparing to act during the Mysterious Night.

    Whatever it may be, there was only one purpose for him to be here today.

    Nice to meet you. My name is Rudger Chelici, and Im currently a teacher at Theon.

    The beginning was a light greeting. However, he firmly established his position by nailing his affiliation to Theon.

    A low-pitched voice spread throughout the wide hall of the Arcane Chamber through acoustic amplification magic installed on the tform and the people waited for his next words.

    Then Ill start the presentation right away.

    Unlike the conventional conversation, Thank you foring here Rudger cut to the chase and the wizards in the audience who were rather embarrassed.

    Even VIPs came to see him, but his attitude of saying what he had to say rather than bowing to them was notmon.

    In a good way, he didnt care about pretentious manners but in a bad way, he may seem rude. However, rather than being angry at his attitude, the idea that it was his natural disposition became a popr opinion.

    Theres been a saying since ancient times. Handsome men and beautiful women look good no matter what they say or do.

    The reason Im here today is to announce the results of the increase in mana emissions, as you all know.

    The main point was finallying.

    At the same time, Rudger showed the data he had prepared. A research result table prepared on a magic board appeared on the tform. The contents were greatly erged and reflected so that the wizards could see them.

    Everyone gathered here is a wizard, so I think youve all measured your mana emissions and you know what this means.

    The duration of the experiment was a week and the data showed that the amount of mana emission jumped three times in that short period of time.

    We conducted a study with six students and found that the amount of mana emissions nearly tripled. It was not just a short-term effect and by conducting additional tests over a total of three days, we found that the figure remained unchanged.

    The wizards fretted when the sessful result was deeply embedded in their minds from the start.

    So whats the way?

    How the hell did he increase mana emissions?

    And the key to the sess of this study lies in the mana inhibitors.

    I have a question.

    One of the wizards in the upper seats opened his mouth. It was Auguste, one of the Old Towers elders.

    Yes, go ahead.

    Ive never heard of a mana inhibitor, but does it really exist?

    It was an issue that the other wizards were also curious about.

    A wizard needs to amplify his mana but why suppress it and for what?

    Of course, simr drugs and tools existed. Magic handcuffs used to capture magical criminals are a typical example but this was more like a deterrent, forcing the flow of mana to be cut.

    The same is true of diffusion scents that interfere with magic activation. The diffusion scent was closer to preventing concentration of mana by spreading it more strongly rather than suppressing mana.

    In other words a mana inhibitor didnt really exist.

    Yes, it exists.

    Did you make it yourself?

    I didnt make it myself. Its a restoration of an ancient recipe that was lost.

    What do you mean by ancient recipe?

    I was actually going to exin it. Please look over here.

    New data emerged on the magic board.

    Unlike the previous data, which seemed easy to understand at a nce, this one was something the spectators wondered about at the first time they saw it.

    For wizards who were not well versed in ancientnguages, it was just aplicated, windingnguage, but the people with knowledge in this field seemed to not believe what they saw.

    Thats Larsilian.

    Larsilian? Did it say anything about mana inhibitors?

    How on earth did hefrom what we havent interpreted so far..Did he seed in interpreting it?

    The spectators quickly became perplexed and even the wizards who didnt know about Larsil realized that big things were happening.

    Clinton, the seventh rank wizard, opened his mouth.

    Mr. Rudger Chelici, may I ask you a question?

    He was the highest rank wizard here and even though he spoke politely and like an ordinary grandfather next door, the buzzing noise suddenly stopped.

    In the still silence Clinton stroked his beard with an interesting expression.

    I think what youve shown us now is Larsil, but does that mean that Mr. Rudger has interpreted an ancientnguage that no one has ever been able to?

    You can treat mefortably.

    Ha-ha. I amfortable like this.

    I understand and to answer that question, Ill say yes. I finished my interpretation of Larsil, and based on that, I figured out the recipe for a mana inhibitor, and found out how to increase mana emissions.

    Everyone opened their eyes wide at Rudgers shocking reply.

    The issue rted to the amount of mana emission was bigger than they thought and the news that he has fully figured out the ancientnguage heated up the hall.

    If thats true, its a great discovery.

    Yes, so Ill continue with the exnation.

    Rudger did not show any fear or polite attitude, even if his opponent was a seventh-ranked wizard.

    Clinton was interested after seeing his actions since most wizards freeze when they face him and cant even speak properly.

    Hierarchy among wizards is a measure of power and a ss that measures the level of the opponents. In particr, his 7th rank was the highest rank on the continent.

    Anyone cant help but freeze when they face him, and when they mix the conversation, they feel sorry but Rudger was different.

    Theons teacher, I heard hes a fourth-ranked wizard.

    From Rudgers appearance, he may have respect for him, but there was no fear at all. As he got older, he had a clear eye for this.

    On the contrary, Clinton liked the way Rudger spoke confidently without avoiding his eyes.

    Yes, thats the way wizards are.

    They should not be intimidated by the fact that their opponent is of a higher rank than them, but rather be prepared to go up far.

    That mindset is the most basic virtue to have as a wizard and only those people had a chance to reach his position.

    As you know, the existing Larsilnguage has unknown characters that have not been fully interpreted. There may be many reasons why the form isplex and simr, but there is only one reason why it is not fully interpreted. We misunderstood the fundamentals of thenguage.

    He came out to announce the results of the mana emission, but before they knew it, the presentation flowed to the interpretation of ancientnguages but none of the wizards in the audience pointed that out.

    Unless theyre fools, they cant not know that its rted to that and the subject that hes talking about now must have been a great discovery.

    Rudger went on to exin.

    It was the same exnation he gave the observers and students on the first day of the trials but he showed more neatly organized data and told more people what he said that day.

    Larsil is not actually made up of one character, but it uses a total of three characters and even the fact that the remaining two characters can be interpretedpletely.

    Huh. They used three characters in onenguage?

    Furthermore, all three look simr, so it must have been natural that we couldnt tell the difference.

    How did he find out about it?

    When everyone was wondering, again someone raised their hand for a question.

    The man who couldnt sit in the top seat, but took the front seat of the audience and it was a familiar face for Rudger, too.

    I have a question.

    Yes, go ahead.

    Altego Dantes, one of the Old Tower elders and an old man who was insulted by Rudger at the banquet held for new teachers.

    Altego sighed and cleared his throat. It was a moment, but Rudger did not miss the disturbing light in his gaze.

    The research data. Are you sure you discovered it?

 Chapter 224

    C224: Presentation (3)

    Chapter sponsored byYor.Thank you for you support.

    Altegos remarks were also quite rude.

    It was like asking if he really thought of it alone in a public ce with thousands of people watching.

    Was he helped by others, but he only attributed the achievement to himself?

    In fact, Altego was asking that.

    Auguste in the top seat stared at Altego. What Altego did was an unexpected act that Auguste did not hear of beforehand.

    Auguste is a member of the same senior council, but he wondered whether to stop Altegos unexpected behavior, since Altego is one grade lower than him.

    If hes this confident, he must know something.

    Auguste realized that the action was based on some calction and decided to stay still. Even if it wasnt him, the reaction of the wizards around him was loud.

    Is it okay for an elder of the Old Tower to say that?

    He wouldnt say that for no reason. Has he discovered something?

    Whatever it is, things have be interesting.

    Rudger asked, staring at Altego.

    Senior Altego what is the intent of your question?

    Its exactly what you heard. Is the result of this study purely your merit?

    Why are you asking me that?

    No. Its just because its amazing. Anguage that countless archaeologists and wizards have tried to decode so far waspletely interpreted by a rank four wizard? Do you think I would believe that?

    Some wizards epted Altegos logical point.

    Thats true. If you think about it, somethings wrong. A Theon teacher might be amazing, but it doesnt make sense to produce this kind of results.

    No matter how much of a genius he is Im also suspicious that a fourth rank wizard suddenly did what no one has ever done.

    Doubts began to spread throughout the hall and Altego smiled inwardly as the situation was flowing as he intended.

    Lets see if you can answer the question properly you cheeky little brat.

    Altego didnt think Rudger really figured all this out. Even if he invented a new magic, this waspletely different from understanding and interpreting a lostnguage system.

    Its great to achieve just one thing, but he mastered a whole different field?

    Altego was a narrow-minded wizard, but nevertheless, he had a solid basis for judging something and the main reason was his own experience.

    He is a man who has lived for a long time, even if he looks like this, and one of the wizards who achieved a high rank.

    He saw and experienced a lot of things as he came up to his current position and also umted a lot of knowledge.

    In most of the cases it worked well in light of his experience so Altego based his judgment on statistics.

    Rudger Chelici would never have conducted that study alone.

    There have been some wizards who have stood out in one field so far. I admit youre the sort. Creating a new magic is certainlymendable, but exploring other areas is quite different.

    Simr precedents were not absent in his memory. Like the great wizard, Clinton Rothschild, sitting in the top seat right now and watching the situation with interest.

    He is a genius who has made a lot of waves in the world since he was young. That is why it has been able to reach the highest level that mankind can reach, the seventh rank. However, another case like Clintons was hard to find.

    In the first ce, there are few wizards in the 7th rank even if you look at the entire continent and it didnt ur to him that Rudger Chelici would have that possibility.

    In Altegos opinion Rudger was a genius but not a monstrous genius.

    Im sure there are people who helped carry out that study. I dont know if youre hiding it because you want to or purposely to steal the credit. Personally, I hope its thetter.

    However, there was something on his mind.

    Rudgers attitude was too calm even though the situation was going against him.

    Altego squinted his eyes.

    You dont panic in this situation. I dont know if youre serious or if youre desperately trying to act calm.

    Rudgers reaction made Altego anxious and even a little annoyed.

    Mr. Rudger, the research you showed us is certainly interesting but thats my question. Is this something you can find out by yourself?

    Theres nothing that cant be figured out.

    Then why hasnt anyone figured it out so far? Are you saying that theycked ability?

    Rudger frowned weakly at Altegos persistent bite.

    Youre trying to find fault with me somehow.

    Just by looking at the reactions of the spectators, about half of them were swept away by Altegos opinion and wondered.

    He understood that it was unbelievable for such a young person to achieve something that even an older person could not do. It could be called a narrow mindset, but on the contrary, it also meant that Rudger did something too unconventional.

    Probably, he attacked me with confidence in that

    Rudger nced away and looked at the presidents seat. Sitting on one of the top seats, she was staring at him. She wasnt expressing her emotions because she was managing her facial expressions as usual, but her eyes were asking, Can you do it?

    He guessed she would be worried if he pretended he couldnt do it.

    I was expecting something simr to happen anyway.

    In the first ce, he didnt think everyone would be happy to p their hands when he announced the results of this study.

    Most of the members of a wizards family are immersed in research so they have an insidious corner. Some will be purely amazed at the great discovery made while others might point out even minor things or force themselves to undermine his performance somehow.

    Since Elder Altego of the Old Tower is so curious, I will also answer as a presenter. This is the result of my research, and Larsils interpretation has been achieved only by my own power.

    How can we be sure of that?

    If you insist that my research results are not purely mine you have to prove it first.

    Altego grinned as if he had only waited for that.

    Then you mean you can answer anything I ask in detail about this matter?

    Yes, you can ask me as much as you like.

    Rudger noticed from Altegos words and actions that he had prepared something.

    Seeing that he is drawing attention and speaking with conviction, he must be confident that he can send a sharp question.

    And the person who asked that question would not be himself, but an expert in this field.

    As Rudger guessed, the person sitting quietly next to Altego rose from his seat and a beam of light from the dome ceiling naturally shone on him.

    Nice to meet you. My name is Marloso Greborg.

    It was a tall, skinny man. Because of his curly brown hair and nose sses on his face, he had a strong impression of a schr and a poisonous snake that could bite his opponent anytime.

    Im involved in ancientnguages and archaeology and Im confident that I know thenguage better than anyone else because Ive been exploring it until recently.

    Some wizards recognized him and Rudger did not miss their response.

    From that reaction, its clear that hes actually a person with a name in his field.

    Above all, it was clear that he was preparing for this moment, considering that he had studied the Larsilnguage among ancientnguages.

    Were you sure Id talk about Larsil? The wizard of the Old Tower, who came as an observer, must have leaked the information.

    Marloso was greeting the people around him with courtesy, but his eyes beyond the sses peeking at Rudger fiercely.

    Rudger felt hostility even though it was the first time he met him but the exact emotion contained in his gaze was jealousy.

    Youve brought a hungry hound.

    At first nce, it was clear that he had lost his credit because Rudger analyzed Larsil.

    Marloso raised one corner of his mouth toward Rudger. The ridicule soon conveyed his willingness to bite his neck.

    Rudger did not respond to the provocation, he just looked at Marloso like he was a clown.

    Well, then, Mr. Rudger Chelici said we could ask questions, so Ill ask you a question from my humble knowledge.

    As much as you like.

    Mr. Rudger said that Larsil actually consists of three types of characters.

    Yes, thats right.

    Then can you interpret this sentence?

    Marloso held a magic pen and wrote letters in the air. The bluish letters made up a single sentence, which was in Larsil.

    Since youve interpreted it all, I think you know what this means.

    Rudger looked at the words written in the air.

    It waste in the morning and the meal I ate in a hurry was terrible.

    His interpretation took less than three seconds but the smile built around Marlosos mouth deepened at his words.

    Are you sure?

    Yes.

    Thats strange. Ive also been studying Larsil for a long time, and at least I know what this sentence means. But the sentence that Mr. Rudger interpreted is very different from what I knew.

    Marloso was rather discouraged. He thought Rudger would be at a simr level at least, but his level was so low that theres nothing to bite.

    What Mr. Rudger interpreted does not match this sentence at all. Im sure of it. You are wrong.

    The wizards buzzed at his words and the faces of those who had some sort of anticipation became grim.

    You tried to cheat so many people. Is the Arcane Chamber funny to you.

    I dont understand what youre saying. Ive never cheated.

    No? Isnt your interpretation wrong? You got the first word wrong in the first ce. Do you know what this is?

    Light.

    Rudgers words left Marloso speechless.

    Yes, the first word is light. And the next word is.

    Blessing.

    Marloso felt something strange about the answer that came back like a knife.

    What, did you know and make a mistake on purpose?

    I have never been wrong.

    What do you mean?

    Because that happens when you interpret the words as they are, primarily.

    Primary?

    Marloso did not understand Rudgers answer.

    I dont think you know, so Ill show you. First of all, if you interpret the sentence primarily, it reads, The light bestowed grace, but I did not fully ept it.

    .

    Marloso was not amused because the sentence he managed to interpret naturally came out of Rudgers mouth even more naturally than he did.

    Marloso felt anxiety creeping up and tapping his back bone.

    Why did you say something else on purpose when you knew it? Were you going to make fun of me?

    Why would I do such a thing?

    What? No, youre.

    And didnt I say it? The one just now is the first trantion. If theres a first trantion, theres also a second trantion.

    That meansAre you saying that your interpretation its the second interpretation?

    Its the second and final version.

    Marlosos face turned red at his words.

    Dont make meugh! Arent the two sentencespletely different in the first ce?

    Thats why you cant interpret Larsil easily. In ancient times, people didnt usenguage intuitively.

    What the

    Analyzing ancientnguages is meaningless in modern linguistics. Phics and phonology are possible, but analysis through semantics is virtually impossible. Didnt you know?

    Modern linguistics doesnt work?

    Since its like this, Ill kindly exin the meaning.

    Before Marloso could say anything, Rudger used a spell. Just now, the Larsil sentence written by Marloso with a magic pen appeared over Rudgers head in a much more neat and elegant style.

    In the past, people believed that texts have mysterious power, so they made changes twice when writing down their usual conversations to make them more mysterious and beautiful. Ancient people called this change of consent. Have you heard of it?

    Well, thats.

    Yes, you havent heard of it. Otherwise, you wouldnt have made a stupid statement that the right interpretation was wrong.

    Marloso swallowed his words as if he had been stabbed in the chest by something sharp.

    In this sentence, light means the sun in the morning. Even the same word is followed by grace, so light here is not literally light, but light that gives grace. For the people of that time, it means the sun, and its grace means the food to eat on that day.

    The words in the air moved and the sentences began to change.

    Basically, if he refused on his own, he would have said that he threw grace out of his will. The reason why I couldnt ept it was because its said that the food was not good so he skipped the meal.

    The only copy of Larsil recorded in the first ce is a wizards handwriting. There are things like the culture and behavior of those days, and the mindset that you should have as a wizard.

    On the contrary, even some small daily issues of the wizard who wrote down the notes might be among them.

    Thats ridiculous.

    Marloso turned pale when he realized that the sentence he had interpreted meant that someone skipped breakfast.

    It was the same with Altego, who enjoyed watching the situation from the side.

    So the sentence that Mr. Marloso interpreted is a useless sentence among the notes of the ancient wizard. Well, for those who dont know the other two characters, it would have been the easiest way to interpret it.

    Rudger fired a confirmation shot in front of everyone.

    So, did you get enough answers?

 Chapter 225

    C225: Arcane Chamber (1)

    More than a decade ago Grander took Rudger as a disciple and taught him a lot. Her methods were both quite barbaric and self-righteous and involved great suffering but Rudger followed them well without a word but he did not always learned the lessons without reason.

    If he had any questions he would persistently ask his teacher and one of them was how to increase the amount of mana emission.

    -Teacher, I have a question.

    What is it? Tell me.

    How the hell did you find this mana path? No, how did you figure out the recipe for this mana inhibitor?

    Its in the book.

    -What book is it? I want to read it, too.

    -You cant read it.

    His teacher, who was saying that, reached out to the bookcase on the wall and one of the countless old books on the shelf flew over and settled on her hand.

    This is the book but thenguage it was written on is now lost and no one can recognize it.

    Grander soon smiled and handed Rudger the book, as if she had an interesting idea.

    -But my student is curious, so Ill let him read it. This is the book with what you were curious about. Read it.

    -Do you have a trantion?

    Why would I need it?

    -Cant you read it?

    -I can.

    -Then you can interpret it for me.

    Me? Imzy. Why do you have to rip out readable things one by one ande up with an interpretation?

    -cheap zombie.

    -You must miss your teachers love rod for the first time in a while.

    -Anyway, I understand that you dont intend to let me know. Ill do it by myself.

    When Rudger, who received the book, said he would interpret it himself, his teacher called him from behind.

    -My student.

    -Why are you calling me?

    -Are you really going to interpret it yourself?

    -Yeah, I think so.

    -You wont be able to.

    -Ill know if I try.

    -Im saying this knowingly. Do you think ancientnguages are easy? Its possible because its me, but you are not good enough.

    This is what the eighth rank wizard said, so Rudger couldnt refute even though he was annoyed.

    The difference between his teacher and his talent was just like the sun and fireflies.

    -Well, if you do, I can show you mercy as a teacher. Thenguage, seemingly all simr, is actually made up of three characters. Be aware of that.

    -Is that all?

    -Yeah, thats all. Whats left is up to you.

    Grander had no particr reason for telling him that thenguage was made of three characters but she believed that her student could not do it so she thought it wouldnt matter if she said this much.

    Interpreting an ancientnguage consisting of three characters was not something a boy in his early to mid teens could do. He would get tired soon and ask for help.

    -I see.

    However, Rudger, who did not know his teachers yful inner thoughts, entered his room with the information about the three characters in his head along with a book written in Larsil.

    Helle out soon anyway.

    Grander thought her disciple had a strong pride and expressed his emotions only a little but he was not an idiot who blindly sticks to the impossible.

    She believed that he would crawl out of his room in half a day at best and she would be waiting for him smilingly.

    He is a great student but he is also prideful so he will hesitate to ask for help.

    She was excited just imagining the scene of Rudger asking for help and using that as an excuse, she was going to take that opportunity to fix his bad habits.

    She waited with anticipation for half a day but her disciple didnte out yet.

    Youre holding out quite a bit. But how long will itst?

    Another half a day passed and Rudger still didnte out of the room.

    Well, I guess you fell asleep. Ill wait until tomorrow.

    The next day Rudger still hasnte out.

    No, seeing that the breakfast table was set, he must havee out and cooked as soon as the sun rose.

    She didnt realize it because she slept a lot.

    Grander grumbled as she nibbled at the rice her student had prepared. She should have gotten up a little earlier however, it hurt her pride to call him again now, so Grander decided to wait again.

    Then the day passed again.

    This guy. Hes very determined this time.

    Another day passed with that thought in mind and its been three days since Rudger locked himself in his room.

    The door opened around the time she thought he might note out again today, and Rudger appeared.

    Youve been hanging in there for quite a while. Yeah. Did youe here to ask because you didnt know? Show your respect for this teacher first.

    -Im done with the interpretation.

    Rudger said so with a tired face, as if he had not slept well for three days and nights.

    What? Did I hear something wrong?

    What do you mean?

    -I said Im done with the interpretation.

    -Youre trying to make fun of this sky-like teacher.

    -Why would I try to make fun of my teacher?

    -There you go. Ill check it out myself. If what you said is false, Ill give you a hard time.

    Grander said so and entered Rudgers room.

    She was about to ask how well did he finish the interpretation when she froze after seeing a wall in Rudgers room.

    -What?

    A sigh of admirationes out of her mouth.

    Countless pieces of paper that filled one wall and on each paper the sentences written in the Larsil book were scattered like puzzles, breaking up into pieces of text beyond words.

    The scattered pieces gathered together to form various forms, and eventually appeared properly in aplete sense.

    ReallyYou did it.

    I thought you were lying.

    She only gave him a small hint but he did it in three days.

    In three days, the three characters of Larsil, were dismantled to the skeleton, analyzed, and had their meaning found.

    Rudger, who came into the room afterwards, said in a heartless voice.

    -Teacher told me its made of three characters. Its all thanks to you.

    -Thanks to that? Are you serious?

    -Yes. Is there a problem?

    Grander thought as she looked at her student who was not aware of what he had done.

    This guy didnt realize his talent.

    What kind of talent was that?

    Just by looking at the results on the wall now, she could see how much effort was put into this.

    Why are you looking at me like that?

    In fact, this stupid fellow is still asking in a stiff tone.

    Grander smirked at the sight.

    -Youre finally looking like a genius.

    -A genius?

    Grander thought that Rudgers talent is a dangerous thing and she couldnt guess what would happen if he realized his talent so she had to pay attention and not let him be conceited.

    The moment he goes out to the outside world, the world will be shaken in some way.

    -So dont be conceited yet, but try your best.

    -Yes, its also thanks to the teachers advice.

    Grander was dumbfounded andughed.

    Calling this kind of thing as advice, not deceit and the distorted way of thinking of her student, was like a bad joke so Grader startedughing.

    -?

    Little Rudger tilted his head because he didnt understand why his teacher wasughing.

    * * *

    Rudger thought as he looked at the embarrassed Marloso.

    Yes, you dont understand. I wouldnt have known either if my teacher hadnt given me a hint.

    But he didnt feel sorry for embarrassing him since Marloso openly attacked him in front of everyone.

    From there, Marloso became his enemy, so he didnt n to be gentle.

    Have I answered enough questions?

    No, not yet. Not yet!

    Marloso, with his bloodshot eyes, somehow threw a series of sharp questions to squeeze a gap in Rudgers research results.

    It was possible to ask those questions because he majored in Larsil and the linguistic knowledge he had showed that he did not waste his time researching ancientnguages but today he met the wrong opponent.

    Not to mention the answer to that question. Rather, your interpretation is wrong.

    Did I do something wrong?

    Havent I told you? It looks simr, but its apletely different text. Look here.

    Rudger said so and projected the text he analyzed as magic in the air. Among the sentences were the words that Marloso misinterpreted and spread them.

    After that the words spread out and were divided into phonemes. Then even the phonemes were divided into small pieces, making it difficult to recognize their forms.

    What are you doing.?

    Look closely at these two shapes.

    What do you want me to look at?

    Cant you still see it?

    Marloso narrowed his eyes and stared at the words that Rudger projected in the air and soon his eyes expanded greatly.

    Its different. The difference between the thickness of the pressed letter and the bluntness of the end was small, but it existed.

    Do you understand now? Only by breaking down thenguage like this can it be interpreted.

    Thats

    Any more questions?

    .

    Since you arent answering Ill take it as no.

    Marloso haspletely lost his fighting spirit. He faced a huge wall and had no choice but to admit it.

    Rudgers eyes naturally turned to Altego next to Marloso.

    Senior Altego is this enough to prove that all these results are mine.

    I, I!

    As soon as Altego tried to argue, a sneer erupted from the top seats as Altegos face, full of tendons, turned upward and the moment he saw the other person, Altegos face was mercilessly wrinkled.

    Because Elisa Willow, who had a feud with him, was looking down at him proudly.

    Senior Altego its good to be suspicious, but I didnt expect you to speak so confidently in front of everyone even though you were wrong about your suspicions.

    She should have been polite but she spoke without hiding her joy.

    As soon as he heard that, Altego felt his spine cold.

    He doubted Rudgers findings in front of everyone now but Rudger exined everything, and the mistake came back to him like a boomerang.

    You must be prepared to pay the price, right?

    This doesnt make sense!

    Honestly, he didnt know this would happen.

    Does that make sense?

    Altego thought of fifty thousand things, but there was nothing he could say. He knew that whatever he says here will be nothing more than an excuse.

    Hismon sense has beenpletely broken here and he had to ask for help.

    Altegos mournful gaze was directed at Auguste, an elder of the Old Tower like himself

    He asked for help with his eyes.

    Sir Auguste! Help! Dont we belong to the same Old Tower?

    Auguste, however, ignored Altegos gaze.

    Youre the one who caused the problem, so you should fix it ordingly.

    Auguste drew a line openly, even though they belonged to the same Old Tower.

    Altego looked around.

    In addition to August, there were other people from the Old Tower here however most of them ignored Altegos gaze and some of them reproached his behavior.

    Seeing that no one was on his side Altego felt an unbearable sense of shame.

    Damn it!

    In the end, Altego had no choice but to leave the audience with his head bowed.

    Altego Dantes will receive a fair punishment for maliciously using his opponent in the sacred Arcane Chamber.

    Okay then.

    When Rudger opened his mouth, everyones eyes naturally turned to him.

    If you have any further questions, feel free to ask.

    Ill answer anything.

    No one opened their mouths to his words.

 Chapter 226

    C226: Arcane Chamber (2)

    Chapter sponsored byNidin.Thank you for you support.

    The crowd was quiet and the wizards who were questioning Rudgers findings also closed their mouths as if they had never done so.

    The atmosphere at the scene went back to the beginning.

    Anyway, theyre like people without pride.

    Casey, who was watching the scene, clicked her tongue inside as she saw the wizards changing their attitudes like turning their hands upside down.

    The guys who were suspicious of Rudger just now suddenly believed him and he seemed to know this would happen.

    How can you say that he took someone elses achievements with such detailed research results?

    In the past when Rudger was James Moriarty, he was able to do it because of how smart he was and Casey knew it.

    Casey watched Rudgers memories and saw that he was doing a lot of research in the field of mathematics and science even before he was called Professor Moriarty in the Delica Kingdom.

    Naturally, she had no choice but to think that the interpretation of the ancientnguage that came out now was a result of his achievement. He never cheated on academic knowledge, if nothing else.

    The difference in information created a gap between the other wizards and Casey.

    But when did he learn the ancientnguage?

    Caseys pride was hurt. She was nervous because the person she thought was a kind ofpetitor kept showing her new things.

    Considering that, she didnt intend to agree with Altego Dantes but it wasnt that she couldnt fully understand his mind.

    If anyone showed great performance in one field, they would be vulnerable in another field.

    If everyone could do well in every field why would each person still have a major? Each person has their own path to learning and magic, and it is also difficult for ordinary people to choose one path and climb from there to a high position.

    But that man did it so easily.

    The wizards gathered here would not know that although Rudger created the [source code] and interpreted this ancientnguage he already did many great things in the past.

    Rather, it was Casey who knew it, so she was able to ept the research results that Rudger was presenting now.

    Really. I shouldnt admit this.

    In the end, Rudger was a criminal who hid his identity and caused stirs under various aliases and the name Rudger Chelici, which people know, is also an alias.

    Everything about him is veiled and everything he shows is false. The only thing thats real is his handsomeness that makes people admire it.

    No, but the more I see it, the more I dont understand it. With that level of skill, you can live an easy life wherever you go, right?

    She didnt want to admit it, but Rudger was more of a genius than she was.

    She was born with the talent of reasoning and analysis, but she couldnt count the areas Rudger explored with one hand.

    Anyone who was this extraordinary would be recognized everywhere, and there was no need to hide their identity.

    To be honest, he seemed to be able to make a living with his face alone. Nevertheless, he was hiding his identity.

    Is there a reason why he shouldnt be caught? Then whats the reason?

    It would have been rather difficult to know if Rudger was a half-baked person because there were so many cases. However, if a man of that level tries to hide his identity, then he can cut off all the odds.

    Hes hiding his identity, but hes not hiding his abilities. Like an awl in my pocket, hes so good that he cant help but stand out no matter what he does.

    Rudger also didnt bother to hide his power.

    Whats the reason why a person like that can keep hiding his identity? Its not arbitrary. He must be forced to hide it because of external factors and usually in that case, it would be dangerous if he gets caught.

    Caseys unconscious expanded greatly and began to reason.

    For a man with natural charisma, outstanding appearance, and even noble dignity like Rudger there must be only one reason for hiding his identity.

    He must be an aristocrat somewhere, but also an unwee being. Was he the son of a concubine? Then he ran away because his life was threatened.

    But if he ran away, and persistently concealed his identity.

    It must be because there are people whoe to kill or catch him as soon as he reveals his identity. Theres no way hell keep changing his identity if not for that.

    If so, it means that Rudgers is not part of an ordinary aristocratic family. If its an aristocratic family, theres no way to catch Rudger if he ran away to another country.

    If you have to hide your identity so that you dont get caught even if you wander around the world, it means that your family can affect the entire continent.

    Casey, who crossed her arms, tapped them with her fingers.

    Then its not a noble family. It must be at least royalty.

    And a country so influential that can touch other countries even over the entire continent.

    No way.

    Casey shook her head to thwart her reasoning when she reached that point.

    And theres another strange thing. Hes not hiding his skills even though he shouldnt be caught. Why? He must have another important purpose other than hiding his identity.

    A goal worth risking for and all kinds of research materials she saw in his memories.

    I dont know.

    Unless something has beenpletely revealed, the results cannot be reached only by psychological evidence.

    Is it almost over?

    Starting with increasing the amount of mana emissions, the mana inhibitors and further to the full interpretation of Larsil. By the time the exnation waspletely over, the wizards in the audience werepletely amazed.

    Mr. Rudger! I have a question!

    Do you intend to publish a revised version of theplete interpretation of Larsil?

    How do you make mana inhibitors?

    They knew they shouldnt ask, but they couldnt suppress their overflowing curiosity. Even though they were questions that did not have to be answered, Rudger answered calmly.

    If you have any questions, please ask one by one.

    Mr. Rudger, my name is Edwin, from the New Martyr.

    Yes, Mr. Edwin, speak.

    Are you willing to reveal the recipe for the mana inhibitor?

    No.

    Rudger said tly.

    There was a buzz everywhere, but no one openly questioned Rudgers reason because the mana inhibitor recipe was invented by Rudger, and intellectual ownership was in his hands.

    Of course, there were people who couldnt bear to ept it even if they understood it in their heads.

    Wait, isnt that too much?

    The person who spoke this time was a wizard sitting in the upper seats, not in the audience.

    Sitting on a chair made to the size of an adult was a little kid. She was a doll-like little girl with red-brown hair tied in two braids, and Rudger recalled a simr presence the moment she saw her.

    She would be the same as my teacher if I looked at her from the outside.

    Of course, the thought stopped there.

    Sitting at the top of the table meant that she was a great wizard and shouldnt be judged by her appearance.

    Whats your name?

    Caroline Monarch.

    Her confident eyes were asking, Dont you know me?

    The wizards who actually recognized Caroline whispered among themselves.

    Caroline Monarch, that mercenary wizard?

    Its said she wandered around various ces and received various missions.

    Caroline Monarch, 6th Rank Wizard, was famous among wizards.

    Shes actually amoner, but I heard that she was given the Monarch Castle and was made a honorary noble for her outstanding achievements.

    Shes much smaller than I thought. Is she really an adult?

    Oh, my. So cute.

    You, did you have that taste?

    Rudger, who picked up some simple information, looked at Caroline and asked.

    Yes, Mr. Caroline. So what do you mean?

    That youre going to hide the recipe.

    Caroline was informal in front of thousands of wizards but that was how she was.

    Her face was cute and she looked young, but she had a character like a tyrant. She never bowed to anyone, and if the other person is annoying, whether its a noble or a royal, she fights them.

    Because of that, she had her life threatened several times, but she did not change her attitude so the nickname given to her was Traitor. The modifier small was added in front of it, but it was not usually used.

    The moment that word went into Carolines ears, not many couldnt handle what was going to happen.

    Im older than you, so can I speak informally?

    I dont care.

    Caroline is over 30 years old, and her skills are close to the top of the sixth rank. In terms of age and experience, she was definitely higher than Rudger.

    The name Caroline Monarch, I remember hearing it somewhere. They were the ones I encountered in the Kingdom of Utah.

    Her direct mercenary corps, Monarch, the living legends of the mercenary world, consisting entirely of wizards, known for theirbat power.

    Although their reputation has decreased a little recently due to the existence of Machiavelli, who ended the civil war of the Kingdom of Utah, Caroline and her mercenary corps were still referred to as one of the leading mercenary groups.

    I was involved with the Monarch mercenaries there.

    Of course, he had never met Caroline, the leader, so he didnt care much but he didnt think that his opponent would be the captain of that mercenary group.

    If you show all the research results in front of everyone and hide the recipe, it only sounds like youre going to take advantage of the information.

    It may seem like it, but Im just here to inform you that the study of increasing mana emissions was sessful.

    In other words, it was not necessary to exin the process and method of increasing the amount of mana emissions.

    So youre going to withhold the information?

    I dont have to tell everyone what I found, so its not withholding.

    I guess so. But, if you know how to make a mana inhibitor, youll have a problem with it. What about the ingredients? If you monopolize one of the most important ingredients, the problem will grow.

    Carolines point was the danger of monopoly.

    Im not here to give valuable information. I just used this space called the Arcane Chamber to show my results.

    In the end, only Rudger knows the recipe for the mana inhibitor, and if he decides, he could hoard and monopolize the most important key ingredients.

    The most important thing is that an individual would be holding the knife and that was unpleasant for Caroline, who was not pleased with the power itself.

    The reason why she wandered without joining any power even though she was a sixth rank wizard was because she hated such power and loathed the government.

    Hmm. I agree with that.

    It was Auguste who came forward in favor of Caroline. Although he didnt take Altegos side he also felt a considerable sense of crisis by looking at Rudgers research results.

    The old tower has already been hated by Rudger because of Altego, and it is highly unlikely that the information on mana inhibitors wille to them.

    Youre all so mean. Wasnt it the wizards individual freedom to show their achievements in the Arcane Chamber?

    Elisa Willow defended Rudger.

    President Elisa, that is not the case this time. A research that can cause such a big stir like now is not something that can be simply hidden.

    If it was an ambiguous research data, it would have been okay not to disclose it, but the increase in mana emissions was a different story.

    Elisa Willow, youre taking care of him because hes your academy teacher, you think I dont know?

    Oh, Caroline. Were you here too? I couldnt see you because you are too small.

    What? Do you want to fight with me?

    Carolines pigtails shook violently at Elisas words that touched her nerves.

    President Elisa, who looked calm and mature, and Caroline, who was small and fiery, werepletely opposite in personality and appearance.

    Even so, I dont think its right for many to persecute and take away individual research results.

    Then another voice came out of the top seat. It was a wizard with a mask on his face who opened his mouth.

    Its Rotteron, one of the pirs of the New Tower.

    Why is he wearing that mask on his face?

    He wore clothesfortable to work in, but his mask was quite unusual but he expressed his opinion as if he did not care about the reaction of others at all.

    Since when has the Arcane Chamber put pressure on someone for their research results?

    Rotteron, this time its a different case.

    Do you want to make an exception? Who decides the threshold for exceptions? The Old Tower?

    It was the same with the other wizards who sat in the high seats.

    Thats right.

    She was a female wizard with long bangs and blind eyes. Apparently timid, she spoke in a small voice that suited her appearance.

    Well, isnt it too risky to have an individual to monopolize this kind of information, no matter how you look at it? Sorry! Someone like me is recklessly raising an opinion!

    She bowed her head right away but no one considered her behavior pathetic because Royna Pavlini was a sixth rank wizard and a member of the School Association.

    Thats not right!

    This time, there was a loud shout.

    It was a nearly two-meter-tall muscr wizard who was wearing a robe that was bursting with muscles.

    Thats Garon from the School Association, right?

    Garon? Hes more like a muscr idiot than a wizard.

    Garon, who had a strong body bulging with muscles, was also famous as a nerd within academia but who couldugh at him since just sitting at the top of the table proved his ability.

    A lot of people are persecuting and trying to take away the research data created by individuals! Thats against justice!

    Hee! Im scared.

    The situation naturally flowed into a structure of confrontation between the old and the new towers and an internal confrontation within the School Association.

    Is it a confrontation between an adult and a child?

    I hope Caroline wins.

    You, sit away from me.

    The words of those at the top hold considerable weight within the Arcane Chamber and naturally, wizards in ordinary seats also disagreed.

    Information should be disclosed.

    No, its up to the presenter. You cant infringe on it.

    This information is too big for an individual to hide. What if they make something foolish?

    -Then its not toote toe up with a new n then.

    -It might bete by then.

    People sitting in the top seat naturally drew attention to one side but what was needed when opinions were divided in half was the judgment of the most authoritative wizard here and now there is only one person that holds the greatest authority in the Arcane Chamber.

    It was Clinton Rothschild, a grand wizard at the Imperial Pce and an Impera-grade.

    Huh. Do you want an answer from this old man?

    Even as Clinton chuckled, he knew that the situation was unavoidable and everyone waited for his answer.

 Chapter 227

    C227: Arcane Chamber (3)

    The wizards attention was on Clinton since he was the most famous wizard here.

    More than a thousand wizards enthusiastic arguments were lighter than feathers in front of his words. Thats why everyone wanted Clinton to rule.

    Rudger thought as he watched the skit.

    I dont even care, and theyre all trying to decide on their own. Is it like this even though I have Theons backing?

    He thought he would be checked to some extent, but he didnt know there would be an argument that the information should be forcibly opened.

    I thought that the wizards in the top seats would be a little more polite.

    In other words, it can be said that all wizards are the same when ites to research.

    Rather, Im d Im a teacher at Theon. If I was a wandering wizard with no support, I would have robbed and died on the street.

    The worst was avoided, but that did not mean that the current situation was okay since greedy people wanted to pressure him somehow to release information.

    Now what Clinton says would determine his treatment.

    Haha. Everyone has too much expectation for this old man. However, both sides opinions are usible to conclude recklessly.

    So, Clinton continued.

    I will remain neutral. Its not good to change the conclusion depending on my choice. Is it because Im old? Im not motivated. Whats important is the opinion of the researcher.

    Clinton dered neutrality on the pretext of being old. In a way, it was fortunate, and on the other hand, it was frustrating because the ruling was not made.

    However, Clinton did not withdraw his gaze toward Rudger after speaking but had a strange sense of anticipation in his eyes.

    Rudger realized what he wanted.

    Youre telling me to take care of it

    Beyond his benevolent appearance, he was quite calcting. Thats why he took the position of imperial wizard. His skills are good, but he had to make a living.

    Rudger burst intoughter inside.

    Youre a naughty old man.

    After all, it was him who had to settle the situation and Rudger liked it this way. It was not in his nature to leave someone to choose what his treatment will be like.

    Ive heard your opinion well.

    When Rudger opened his mouth, all the wizards who were starting to argue loudly again closed their mouths.

    I never thought my research would be on the lips of so many people. Id like to thank you first for your excessive interest.

    What?

    What are you up to?

    On the contrary, suspicious reactions came out one by one, as if it seemed strange for him to speak confidently.

    However, this decision is entirely up to me. It is not wee for others to decide on my treatment in front of me.

    The remark caused a great stir among them.

    Someone asked what that means while for someone else, thats a given.

    The disturbance spread like a concentric circle once, and soon gathered again in the center, where Rudger stood.

    No matter what everyone here concludes, my choice will remain unchanged.

    At that determined voice, Auguste asked, squinting his eyes.

    Mr. Rudger Chelici, are you saying you wont publish the results of this study?

    Youre going to keep it all to yourself?

    Caroline stared at Rudger.

    If so, I will ask. If I announce this, will there be any benefit to me?

    Youve already found enough. What honor is more than this?

    Auguste, who said so, hurriedly continued because he thought it was a mistake.

    Of course, if you make the right choice, we will reward you ordingly.

    The reward will not reach the value of the discovery I made.

    It was an arrogant remark, but Auguste did not deny it.

    Then what are you thinking?

    I dont think Im going to be forced to hand away my research results here, so its hard to say anything.

    Auguste frowned at the remark since he was right.

    Its a totalitarian idea to force the disclosure of the research. However, if such an act is modeled as for themon good, the story will be different then.

    This is the way for everyone.

    Were there words that justified this behavior as much as that?

    Rudgerughed inside at Augustes words.

    There werent many opposing opinions, the atmosphere of Arcane Chamber was not half-and-half, but rather one that the results should be disclosed.

    President Elisa, who tried to prevent it somehow, was also quite worried about the unexpected atmosphere.

    Or are you going to reject themon good, Mr. Rudger Chelici?

    If so, I will ask. Lord Auguste. What answer do you think Im going to give here, as you see it?

    Rudger asked, staring at Auguste with an unshakable gaze.

    Auguste shut up at the question What kind of answer do I think Ill give?

    An ordinary wizard will have no choice but to look around and say yes but Rudger asked, What do you think Im going to do?

    Rudgers gaze moved to Royna from August to Caroline.

    Tell me. What do you think Ill answer?

    Everyone was silent at the words as the faces of the people at the top of the table stiffened.

    Rudgers unyielding attitude seemed to be saying that he would fight right away.

    Was he trying to do it in front of everyone?

    The spectators were flustered and nervous at Rudgers attitude.

    Auguste opened his mouth in a crucible of confusion mixed with those emotions.

    That means youre going to reject the demand until the end?

    Reject the request?

    At that, Rudger shook his head.

    Its the other way around.

    What?

    I dont know why you said that, but I wont say it twice, so please listen carefully.

    What is that now.

    Let me release the data.

    As soon as they heard that, the people on the scene did not understand what Rudger was saying and after about three seconds a great surprise filled the Arcane Chamber.

    This choice is not forced by anyone, but my thoughts, so the consequences and responsibilities are all mine.

    Its not the honor you guys throw as if youre generous, but the honor I win. It is not taken away by your coercion, but by my mercy.

    The choice is mine.

    .Are you serious?

    Caroline asked with her eyes wide open. There was still a deep feeling of distrust in her eyes.

    Yes. Didnt you press me because you wanted to hear this?

    No, thats No, its not.

    Even so, she didnt know he would say yes so easily.

    Didnt he looked like he was willing to fight a little while ago? Why did he suddenly changed his attitude?

    Auguste, Caroline, and Royna, who insisted on disclosing the information, were also embarrassed. The others who tried to protect him were also embarrassed.

    Really? Youre going to reveal it?

    I said Id do it, so Ill do it

    Crazy. I cant believe he is going to share that great information with everyone. I wouldnt do it if I were him.

    A murmur of voices was heard but the only one remaining calm in a magical abyss of emotion was Clinton.

    He held back his desire to burst intoughter.

    Haha, how interesting.

    Clinton noticed what Rudger was thinking the moment he brought that up.

    I was going to reveal it from the beginning.

    As soon as the wizards gathered here saw Rudgers research results, they could not escape the shock.

    Moreover, since only the results were mentioned and the most important processes were deliberately passed by, they naturally thought that Rudger was hiding the information.

    In fact, Rudger had always maintained an attitude of never giving up but then he suddenly said that he would disclose the information.

    Since this is being disclosed for the public interest, there is no need for the Arcane Chamber to give me a reward.

    Are you saying you really dont need it?

    This ispletely my own choice, not coercion due to threats or conciliation. How can I get paid for doing good?

    Rudger said so and created letters in the air with magic.

    This is how you make the mana inhibitor.

    And the moment he saw it, Auguste realized something was wrong.

    Oh, my! He got them!

    Augustes purpose in pressuring Rudger was to prevent him from monopolizing important information. And if he made the choice to disclose it, he was going to coax him appropriately to give the information to the Old Tower first.

    Other organizations wouldnt just y around, but it didnt matter either because the factional fight, which has been fixed, was going to change.

    But Rudger suddenly opened it up to all over 5,000 wizards present here.

    The wizards in the audience were wide-eyed but did not stop writing the recipe Rudger unfolded.

    This is unstoppable.

    Although his desired purpose of not making an individual monopolize has been achieved his next purpose was thwarted by Rudgers unexpected action.

    Of the more than 5,000 wizards gathered, how many independent wizards are present?

    Now that theyve all learned this information, theyll have the mana inhibitors made by tomorrow.

    The chance of the Old Tower, New Tower and School Association to step up was gone and at the same time, everyone will be praising Rudgers name.

    No way, youre aiming for this?

    Since he couldnt prevent the disclosure of information anyway, he rather gave it to everyone.

    I think youve checked everything, so Ill erase it now.

    No one was sorry because the people who needed to see it did it already.

    Although I have worked hard to discover this over the years, I am willing to sacrifice myself for the development of the magic world and for future juniors who will learn magic.

    The calm murmuring words burst into thunderous apuse and shouts from the audience.

    Oh, my God! I cant believe he gave this to everyone.

    It wouldnt have been easy to make this resolution, isnt he a living saint?

    Rudger Chelici! Rudger Chelici!

    Some even shed tears, saying they were moved and it was the same with Caroline, who was sitting next to Auguste.

    That guy was a good guy, wasnt he? I didnt even know.

    Even Caroline, who initially suspected Rudger, has already fallen for Rudgers trick.

    Auguste finally realized that even though what he held in his hand was taken away, the winner of this argument was Rudger.

    Id like to thank everyone who came here today, and Ill take my leave now.

    Rudger bowed politely and the spotlight, which was pouring down from the ceiling, snapped out.

    The regr academic presentation at the Arcane Chamber ended but even though it was all over, there were no wizards standing up.

    There was still a lingering feeling of emotion in their hearts.

    * * *

    After leaving the presentation hall, Rudger walked down the hall, joining the president.

    The president asked Rudger.

    Why did you do that?

    What do you mean?

    You didnt have to reveal the information. Can you improvise like that?

    I didnt do it spontaneously. I had an idea.

    You were thinking about throwing away all the advantages from the beginning?

    Information is bound to be released sooner orter anyway. The benefits that can be taken in the meantime are not that much. Rather, Im in my situation due to antipathy and Im bound to be isted.

    . Its because the ingredients needed to make the mana inhibitor are verymon, so theyre easy to get.

    The price of ingredients will soar right away, but theyll find out eventually that the mana inhibitor works only on young wizards anyway. That the demand is not bigpared to the supply.

    President Elisa was also convinced to some extent.

    However, you should have given me a warning. Do you know how surprised I was?

    Im sorry if I surprised you but no one could know about this. I needed to lead the atmosphere.

    Originally, it is much bigger to give it when people dont think youll give it than to give it out naturally.

    To do so, perfect acting was needed, and even our allies needed to be deceived.

    Elisa grumbled in a sulky tone.

    You won the hearts of many people with that push and pull. You expected that?

    I dont know because I dont care about that.

    Even so, its a bummer. Its kind of refreshing, but a bit disappointing at the same time. At least there are some benefits to it.

    You dont have to worry.

    Why?

    Even if they know how to make inhibitors, they wont get the results they want.

    What do you mean?

    Just because they know the ingredients and thebination, they cant make it.

    Now theyre excited and are going to try to make a mana inhibitor somehow, but theyll realize soon enough that something important is missing in the process of making mana inhibitors.

    Once again, you dont have to worry.

    I originally didnt intend to do that, but I dont think I can because of someone.

    Is that so? Rather, we should greet the guest first.

    Guest?

    Only then did Elisa realize that someone was blocking their path and after seeing that it was Caroline Monarch her expression hardened.

 Chapter 228

    C228: Caroline Monarch

    Happy New Year!!!

    What are you doing here?

    Elisa spoke coldly when she saw Caroline.

    It was a natural reaction since they just had a confrontation in the Arcane Chamber.

    Elisa Willow.

    Caroline frowned at Elisa standing next to Rudger.

    From there, their personalities were clearly revealed.

    Elisa Willow takes care of her expression and is polite even though she is annoyed and displeased while Caroline Monarch, who is honest with her feelings and expresses her dislikes openly.

    Their personalities couldnt mix together like water and oil.

    Answer me.

    It has nothing to do with you.

    Youre here to see Mr. Rudger, arent you? Then, of course, Im involved since hes our Theon teacher.

    What kind of babysitter are you? Its an abuse of power to go that far because youre the president. Dont interrupt and get out of my way.

    If you have something to say, say it here. Mr. Rudger is busy, so he doesnt have time for a savage like you.

    You, I told you not to call me that since a long time ago.

    Caroline was furious at the word savage.

    Caroline and Elisa Willows bad rtionship was deeper than Rudger thought.

    They have known each other for more than 10 years when they were both students of Theon.

    Caroline, who was always noisy, and Elisa, who was always calm, had no choice but to sh frequently. Furthermore, their talents were great, so people around them have beenparing endlessly.

    Oh, are you in a position to be angry?

    Dont make meugh.

    Dont you think its not right that you came to see Mr. Rudger in the first ce?

    Elisa said with a smile.

    Didnt Caroline put pressure on Rudger a while ago? What qualifications does she have to have a conversation with Rudger?

    Caroline couldnt bear to refute the remark, so she bit her lip and Rudger, who was watching then, stepped up and spoke.

    President, you can stop there.

    Mr. Rudger?

    Since shes my guest, Im going to at least hear what she has to say.

    When Rudger said so, Elisa did not step forward any more.

    Miss Caroline Monarch.

    You can just call me Carolinefortably.

    What do you want to tell me?

    Thats

    Caroline hesitated for a moment, but soon lowered her head toward Rudger.

    Sorry.

    Rudger was surprised that she apologized to him.

    At first, I thought you were a bad guy.

    Today its the first time we meet.

    Thats what Im sayingIt sounds like an excuse, but I naturally loathe high-ranking nobles and royals.

    What does hating royalty have to do with me?

    When I first saw you, I thought you were a royal somewhere. Thats why I became hostile. I shouldnt have done that, but its a mistake that stemmed from my intolerance.

    .

    She thought he was royalty so she judged him differently.

    From Carolines point of view, the high aristocrats and the royals were human beings who stamped everything with authority.

    There are many wizards who use their family name to obtain benefits so I only judge people based on my gut.

    It sounded ridiculous, but Rudger didnt make the rebuttal she deserved since to his surprise, Caroline got everything right.

    She is simr to Casey Selmore.

    Her instincts and senses are superior to intuition and reason. He could see why Elisa called her a savage.

    Doesnt Caroline also have the surname Monarch?

    Oh, you mean the Monarch castle. Thats not my realst name. Its just a leash to restrain the disobedient fools, bestowed by the country.

    Caroline was originally amoner so the country has given Caroline, who has exceptional magical talents, a castle and made her a half-noble.

    I didnt like it at first, but thest name was surprisingly helpful since after receiving it my treatment changed. I epted it because I thought there was something to use.

    Was that how your mercenary corps was made?

    Yes, the Monarch Mercenaries, its my own mercenary unit named after the castle.

    The castle given only to those who hold high positions in society was used to make a mercenary corps.

    It was an outrageous disgrace to the eyes of other nobles since they were not an honorable knighthood made by a noble castle, but an act of tarnishing their reputation since Carolines hatred for nobles was deeply rooted.

    But you were different. You didnt show authority like the others, and werent conscious of other peoples eyes. In addition, you casually disclosed such a great discovery.

    Caroline knew that Rudger didnt have to give in because he was pushed back, but he made that choice because he wanted to.

    It didnt matter if he was a real aristocrat and a royal since his decision would be respected regardless of his status.

    I apologize again. Im sorry.

    Knowing that her judgment was wrong, Caroline apologized frankly and Elisa sarcastically put her head down on Carolines head.

    It is veryfortable. Every time you bite hard, youre trying to hit me with an apology.

    .

    Caroline didnt have anything to say in that part, so she stayed still without raising her head.

    Elisa clicked her tongue at Carolines response and her eyes naturally turned to Rudger asking what to do now.

    Raise your head. It doesnt look good.

    Are you epting my apology?

    I didnt do anything to deserve an apology in the first ce and the same goes for Caroline. You dont have to feel guilty about me.

    Caroline raised her head and looked up at Rudger, asking what he meant.

    The Arcane Chamber is a ce where wizards test and collide with the knowledge they have honed. It is a battlefield where any amount of disagreement,rge or small, can ur.

    You

    I took all that into ount from the moment I stood there. Even if Caroline didnt speak, someone else would have said the same thing.

    But I did it in the end and Im the one who has to take responsibility for that. I dont need you tofort me.

    If so, I will ask. Is Miss Caroline grateful or annoyed to see the sun rise in the east?

    He didnt think so because thats a given and no one would be annoyed by it.

    Its the same. Someone makes a rebuttal opinion while someone makes a reasonable point. Thats natural, its something that needs to happen.

    !

    Thats why I dont care. I threw everything that happened a while ago away from the moment I left the ce.

    Rather, Rudger only thanked Caroline since it was because she led the way that the wizards pressed him strongly to disclose the information like he originally intended to.

    Even if she didnt intend it, she made the board as he wanted, so she became Rudgers biggest helper. Caroline, however, did not know this so she was moved by how easily Rudger forgave her.

    If it were other guys in this situation, they would have tried to rip me off somehow. You were such a great fellow!

    Thats also an undeserved assessment.

    Okay, I wont bother you anymore but it doesnt suit my taste to leave while being in debt.

    Caroline said so and handed Rudger a business card.

    Take it. Its a business card for our special VIPs of the Monarch mercenaries. Call me whenever you need helpter. Ill make sure to carry out any request.

    Any request?

    Yeah, Im not saying it carelessly. Im sure Ill take any requests.

    I see.

    Unable to refuse, Rudger put it in his pocket.

    Elisa, who was watching from the side, opened her eyes wide unlike the usual.

    That proud Caroline gave Rudger the Monarch mercenaries VIP card?

    Its a business card that even the emperor of the Exilion Empire did not receive.

    It was questionable whether it existed because she heard that there were only a few people who received it so far but she witnessed it before her eyes.

    Im done talking, so Ill go now. Lets meet again when we have a chance! And Elisa! Screw you! I saw wrinkles around your eyes!

    Looking at Carolines back, who disappeared like an arrow after speaking, Rudger thought she was a strange person.

    He thought shed make friends with him on the pretext of an apology, but she really disappeared after apologizing and in the meantime, she didnt forget to say mean words to President Elisa.

    Elisa pressed her forehead with her fingertips as if she was tired.

    Is she always like that?

    Ha. Yes. Her unpredictable personality is really a nuisance.

    I think shes pretty high rank for that.

    No matter what anyone says, Caroline is also a sixth-tier wizard. She was my rival when I was in school.

    Are you talking about your school days?

    Yes. Oh, didnt you know Mr. Rudger? Me and Caroline have been bumping into each other since our school days.

    Even if they fight each other every time they meet, does it mean that they acknowledge each other inside?

    Rudger had a sudden thought.

    Wait, youve been rivals since school?

    Caroline Monarch, unlike her teenager looks, said she was over 30.

    That means that President Elisa.

    Mr. Rudger?

    When Elisa called his name, Rudger was shocked without realizing it.

    Yes, sir.

    No more than that, all right?

    .

    Rudger nodded quietly instead of answering and that was enough for Elisa.

    * * *

    The White Arete Mountains, which cross between the Kingdom of Utah and the Exilion Empire, were full of shrinking cliffs and unmelting ice caps. The natural environment was harsh and the sun can be seen less than a month a year due to the always raging snowstorm.

    Setadel of the ck Dawn Society walked alone in the Arete Mountains without any cold protection equipment. Wearing a ck robe, he was not affected by the blizzard.

    He stopped and when he looked up there was still a strong snowstorm.

    The ce where he stands is a deep canyon between the mountains.

    Setadel reached out and touched the snow. He came looking for someone, but theres no sign of it in the snow.

    Even the footprints he made will be erased by the falling snow in 10 minutes. Furthermore, there was no way to see traces that were made months with the naked eye.

    Setadel chose the other way instead. Taking a small golden bell out of his arms, he shook it lightly and the blizzard shrank.

    A whitish energy popped out of the snow field and flew in one direction.

    Thats it.

    Setadel walked in the direction the energy was going and soon found a cave under the cliff.

    Setadel went into the cold cave without hesitation. Inside there were traces of someone alive but they were weak.

    When he reached the end, Setadel found the image of a man lying down with a cold body with burned firewood and ashes spread around him.

    John Doe, did you crawl all the way here without dying right away even though you fell from that cliff?

    However, John Doe, who was living in the cave, eventually died because he had no way to ask for help.

    It was a harsh environment where food was not avable and even his body had many wounds here and there.

    In the end he couldnt hold out and starved to death.

    The real John Doe, who should have infiltrated Theon, was here but Setadel wasnt surprised to see him dead.

    He took out the golden bell he had just used.

    Open your eyes, sleeping soul. Raise your head and spit out your voice.

    With a shake of the bell the body of the dead John Doe wriggled once, and soon a white air stream flowed over the top of his head. It moved slowly and eventually took the shape of John Doe.

    [Where are we?]

    John Doe, do you know who I am?

    [Setadel. Zeros deputy]

    You remember it well.

    [Why am I here? No, more than that, why are you here.?]

    No more boring gossip, Ill get to the point first. John Doe, youre dead.

    [Dead? Me?]

    John Does soul still didnt seem to understand the situation.

    Maybe its because you just awakened so your memory is a bit foggy. John Doe, what was your purpose? Think about it.

    [My purpose was to infiltrate Theon as Zero ordered. To do so, I was ying the role of Rudger Chelici. Yes, I remember now.]

    What happened after that?

    [Riding the magic train, talking with the passengers.And something happened. The train was attacked and the moment I tried to subdue one of the raiders and ask him who he was, he blew himself up.]

    Well, thats what it is. You, who couldnt prepare for it, so you were thrown off the train.

    [I managed to escape the crash by using wind magic but the shock of the explosion was severe and because of the bad environment, I came into this cave while looking for a safe ce.]

    And he died.

    John Doe was disappointed by the fact, but suddenly he had a question.

    [Mission. What happened to the mission given by Zero?]

    You dont have to worry because theres someone who does the mission for you.

    [Who is that?]

    You know him. He was a passenger on the train like you?

    [A passenger?]

    Didnt you just say that with your own mouth? I talked to a passenger who was on the train.

    [Oh, yeah, yeah.]

    John Does voice became clearer as if the memory of that time was revived and Setadel narrowed his eyes.

    Somethings off. If it were you, you wouldve only talked to regr passengers.

    [Just a normal passenger? No. He was never a normal person.]

    Not an ordinary person

    [Yes, I could tell. He was hiding his appearance and identity, but I could tell at a nce who he was.]

    Who the hell is he?

    [A person who wanders around the continent wearing a mask, a shadow without a name.]

    You talked to him even though you knew he was such a suspicious person. Why is that?

    John Doe closed his mouth and Setadel showed his annoyance.

    John Doe, answer me. What are you hiding now?

    [Thats]

    You cannot refuse my orders because your soul has already answered my call. So go ahead and answer me. Why did you contact him? What was the purpose?

    At Setadels urging, John Doe finally couldnt bear it and opened his mouth.

    [Its because Ive always admired him]

    .

    [I was a fan]

 Chapter 229

    C229: Tangled Truth (1)

    Im curious how many of you saw thating. I for one didnt expect that to be the reason.

    Setadel had a headache.

    John Doe, I didnt know you were such a good joker until you died. Thats too bad. I wish we were close.

    [What are you talking about?]

    You just talked to a person whos hiding his identity because youre a fan? Even during the mission, too?

    [Cant I do that? And hes not a person who hid his identity!]

    John Doe said in a fit of rage and Setadel was dumbfounded by the emotional response he wouldnt usually see.

    No. Come to think of it, youre right that hes not an ordinary person.

    He impersonated John Doe after his death and was never caught. Of course, Zero Order quickly noticed, but to Setadels surprise, he epted the fake John Dough as if he were real.

    If Zero Order evaluated him like that, hes definitely not an ordinary person.

    What was his behavior during the Orders Synod?

    He was obviously a fake.

    That would have been the first time that he met another First Order but at the meeting, he naturally grabbed the mood against an unknown opponent.

    Yes, John Doe I admit I made a slip of the tongue. As you say, he must be extraordinary.

    [I respect Zero the most, but that doesnt mean theres no one who thinks highly of him. All other humans are burrs that hold me back, but he was different.]

    Who the hell is he?

    [I dont know who he is. Very little is known about him and even I, who had known him for a long time, knew only three of his identities.]

    Dont you know a lot if its three? What have you found out?

    [Phantom thief Arsene Lupine, detectiveVidocqand thest one is one of the main yers who led the civil war in the kingdom of Utah to victory a while ago.]

    A main character who led war to victory, no way.

    [A mercenary who achieved something that even the famous Monarch mercenary group couldnt achieve. The one who turned the cornered royal faction into the winner. Mercenary Machiavelli]

    .

    The name Machiavelli has also been heard of by Setadel.

    A mercenary suddenly appeared in the Utah kingdom where a civil war broke out one day. A fighter armed with all kinds of weapons, who ravaged the battlefield more roughly than any wizard or knight.

    That man, Machiavelli?

    [Yes, and for some reason, he abandoned his status as Machiavelli, disguised himself as a wealthy merchant, and boarded the train.]

    Whats the possibility that he aimed at you?

    [I cant be sure because I dont know what hes thinking, but I cant say its impossible.]

    .

    Setadel pondered.

    First of all, the man who is now John Doe decided to call his current status, Rudger.

    Rudger Chelici. Did he board the same train when he found out that John Doe was on it?

    No matter how much he thought about it, there was no way that the two of them happened to get together. It would be true that at least one person approached the other intentionally.

    In addition, he changed his status after the train attack.

    John Doe was caught up in the explosion and thrown out of the train, while the Cold Steel Knights dealt with the Liberation Army.

    In the midst of the chaotic event it was unknown to anyone that a man named Rudger Chelici robbed John Doe of his identity.

    Thinking about it like that, it made sense. Rudger Chelici robbed John Doe of his identity after the train attack. The process would have been so stealthy and natural that the Cold Steel Knights wouldnt have noticed. He knew it would happen and was prepared for it.

    What was his purpose?

    An unknown person hid in the position of an executive of the ck Dawn Society. In a way, it is like a time bomb that could explode anytime.

    Why does Zero Order want to keep such a dangerous man by his side?

    Setadel is a deputy to Zero Order, but he doesnt know what Zero Order usually thinks since Zero Order never revealed his thoughts even to his closest confidants.

    No matter how many of his men die, he doesnt get angry about it and because he was that type of person he was convinced by Rudger and epted him.

    Maybe this is an opportunity.

    When Setadel thought so, John Does soul opened its mouth.

    [Are all your questions answered now?]

    Ah, yes. I think I know what happened.

    [Anyways, Im d youre here now. Although my body is dead and I have nothing but my soul left, if you tell the truth to Zero Order, thats enough.]

    Setadel, who was covered in a hood, smiled deeply.

    Im sorry, but I cant do that.

    [What?]

    Setadel moved first before John Doe felt anything strange about the words.

    At the same time as the sound of a bell out, a silver chain bound John Does soul.

    [What are you doing Setadel?]

    What do you mean? Youre asking the obvious. I do what I have to do.

    [What?]

    Zero Orders order to me was toe here and find you who died. After that, he didnt tell me what to do.

    [What are you talking about?]

    I dont want to exin the reason for everything. Simply put, you are not needed anymore.

    John Doe opened his eyes wide. However, no matter how hard he tried, his soul could not escape from the chain.

    Its no use resisting. The chain that binds the soul, its not that easy to escape.

    [Setadel!]

    Youve done a great job so far, John Doe. Take a good rest now.

    Setadel waved the bell and the silver chain disappeared along with John Does soul.

    After watching the scene to the end, Setadel soon came out of the cave. The blizzard stopped and a stream of light poured through the cracks of the splitting clouds.

    Whatever the identity of Rudger Chelici is, his existence is not bad for me.

    Esmeralda, who hid in Theon, was also likely to have been handled by him.

    The enemy of my enemy is my ally.

    Please, mysterious man.

    Setadel murmured as he walked slowly through the snow.

    Please, kill Zero Order.

    * * *

    It bothers me. It really bothers me.

    Niki, a young man sitting inside a fancy office, tapped his forearm with his fingers and his arms crossed.

    He recalled the Order Synod not long ago.

    The shame of that day was so deep in his mind that he couldnt forget it even if he tried to and he clenched his fist when he thought of the insult he suffered from John Doe that day.

    Why the hell didnt he die? Was that not enough?

    When John Doe boarded the train from the Utah Kingdom to the Exilion Empire, Niki secretly leaked the information to the Liberation Army.

    At the same time, spies were nted to help the Liberation Army enter the train easily and to help it invade from the inside.

    Through a sudden attack, I was nning to remove John Doe, who had been annoying for a long time but his n failed.

    John Doe was not killed, and the train raid did not produce any significant results.

    The Knights of Cold Steel should have reached the train a while after the attack. Nevertheless, it failed. Was the Liberation Army more useless than I thought?

    It couldnt be since there were a few wizards who attacked the train. There was even a guy who threw his life and took stimnts tomit suicide bombing. And yet, he failed to kill John Doe.

    John Doe was much stronger than I thought.

    He thought he was a First Order just because he was good at disguising.

    John Doe has frequently avoidedbat while on duty, but he showed his ability during the train attack.

    He wanted to hide it, but Nikis eyes couldnt be fooled.

    I was going to prepare as much as possible and make getting rid of him an ident.

    But John Doe was not dead. Instead he was hiding his skills.

    He thought he had been thoroughly prepared, but there was a mistake in his calction.

    You loach. Were all the moves youve shown so far to deceive others?

    Niki didnt think hed intentionally hide his power and reveal it only at an inevitable moment.

    And what was that intelligence?

    He knew what Niki didnt know yet.

    In addition, his behavior couldnt be read after John Doe entered Theon. Although he was doing his job properly as a teacher, that was all Niki could know.

    In addition, he knew that Casey Selmore was aiming for our Dawn Society. You mean his intelligence is superior over mine?

    Niki couldnt admit it.

    He didnt know anything else, but he didnt want to admit that he was behind in intelligence.

    I want to kill him right now, but.

    Niki shook his head.

    I cant do that now. John Doe is hiding his power. I cant say for sure that everything hes shown now is all hes got.

    Rather, considering the appearance shown during the Orders Synod, he must have a few more hidden cards. Rather, if he moves now hell fall in John Does trap.

    Maybe hes waiting for it.

    Since Niki pursues his own safety, he decided not to think about what to do with John Doe immediately but that only meant that he would be patient not that he would give up because that days grudge still lingered deep in his heart.

    Id rather be happy. Im no longer satisfied with just dealing with him indirectly.

    Considering what John Does done to him, its too benevolent to borrow someones hand to remove him.

    John Doe, Ill kill you myself.

    Opportunities wille so for now Niki decided to do his job as an executive of the ck Dawn Society.

    Its me.

    When Niki called, the answer came back through the crystal ball.

    [Did you call me Mr. Niki?]

    Theres one person I need to deal with.

    [Who is it?] Ill take care of it right away.]

    Thats a good answer. However, this opponent will not be that easy.

    [Who are you talking about?]

    My goal this time is Casey Selmore, a single element user of water and a wizard who received the title [Colour] from the Tower.

    [You must be in a lot of trouble if you want me to deal with her. Okay, Ill move after Im fully prepared.]

    Yes, I can trust your skills.

    At the end of the sentence, Niki was about to end themunication, but his subordinate called him urgently beyond the crystal ball.

    [Niki, there is one more thing I need to tell you.]

    What is it?

    [Thats]

    The subordinate, who had been reporting everything, hesitated unexpectedly and Niki squinted his eyes.

    Dont hesitate to speak. Ill judge after I hear it.

    [That, please dont be surprised. Just a few days ago, one of the secret branches you were preparing disappeared entirely.]

    What did you just say?

    [That, thatAn entire branch has disappeared.]

    The branch suddenly disappeared? How is that possible?

    [I dont know the details. Seeing that contact with them was cut off, I wondered if they were all affected.]

    Okay. What has already happened cannot be undone. Take care of what you are told to do first.

    [Yes.]

    Well, good luck.

    After finishing themunication, Niki exhaled, Whoa!

    What the hell happened?

    A branch of the ck Dawn Society under hismand disappeared?

    Who the hell got rid of it?

    No way, John Doe?

    That was the only possibility.

    Knowing this card that others dont know and being able to remove it without anyone knowing it.

    John Doe! You damn punk!

    * * *

    What is it?

    Rudger, who was organizing papers in his room after returning from the Arcane Chamber, looked up.

    Who called me?

    Feeling the strange itch in his ears, he felt like someone else was calling out his name but thinking that there could be many people that could do it he resumed organizing his papers.

    Oh, right.

    Rudger recalled what he had forgotten just in time.

    Ill have to warn you.

    He took out an empty paper.

 Chapter 230

    C230: Tangled Truth (2)

    There was nothing to write in the letter. In fact, it was too much to write a letter because it was enough to deliver a warning message.

    Nevertheless, it must be because he was thinking of picking it up a little bit, but he wrote it carefully in a letter and even stamped it with a seal.

    Its hard to pass it over.

    He could order Hans to run errands in moderation.

    Come to think of it, I havent been able to go out to the city because Ive been too busytely.

    He didnt have sses tomorrow, so he decided to see how the business was going.

    All the reports he received were good news, but there was a difference between reading and seeing with his own eyes.

    Its been a while since I saw the others.

    * * *

    The next morning Rudger was about to go out of Theon in a carriage, but frowned at the people waiting at the front door.

    There are a lot of journalists.

    The main gate was full of reporters, who were unable to enter Theon after being stopped by the security guards.

    There was a good reason why reporters who would not normallye were gathered at the entrance like that.

    Is it because of me?

    Journalists are quick-witted people. Naturally, some of them who have a goodwork knew what happened at the Arcane Chamber.

    They came here with the intention of meeting Rudger Chelici, who made a great discovery, and interview him somehow. However, they were blinded by the scoop and came to Theon recklessly, so they couldnt cross the main gate and were forced to wait there.

    What shall we do?

    The driver of the carriage asked Rudger. He also noticed that it would be annoying to be surrounded by reporters.

    Just go ahead.

    will it be all right?

    It doesnt matter.

    As Rudger said so, the driver operated the golem horse that moved slowly ahead.

    Oh? Someonesing out.

    Who is it?

    As the main gate opened and the carriage came out, reporters naturally focused their attention.

    Whos in the carriage?

    When the reporter asked, the driver hesitated to answer and the quick-witted journalists did not miss the slightest sense of alienation.

    Whos in there?

    Is it Rudger Chelici?

    Several reporters approached the carriage.

    The guard shouted to step away from the distance, but those who were blinded by the scoop did not listen.

    Are you Mr. Rudger?

    Show us your face!

    The door of the carriage was forced open with a rattling sound and the faces of the reporters, who had swelled with anticipation, hardened as soon as they looked inside the wagon.

    What? Theres no one here.

    The interior of the carriage was empty and the disappointed journalists withdrew from the carriage, thinking they had lost their scoop.

    There was no word of apology to the driver of the wagon for their rude behavior.

    I think its a wagon for greeting guests outside.

    Oh, no. Its a waste after all.

    Seeing the reporters stepping down the driver left with the carriage and after a while spoke.

    No one is following me.

    Good job.

    As the driver spoke, Rudgers voice came from the empty carriage.

    In time, Rudger appeared like a mirage in a ce where there was nothing.

    How did you do that? Is that magic, too?

    Its magic using the principle of light.

    By distorting the light a little, he made himself invisible to the reporters.

    Thats amazing.

    Its only useful against ordinary people who cant use magic but its nothing more than a childs prank that would have been seen through if the opponent was a wizard.

    Isnt it amazing that youre so popr with ordinary people?

    The driver thought so, but Rudger really didnt think it was a big deal.

    In the first ce, light attribute magic itself is a rare attribute because very few people could use it.

    I dont know what the geniuses think.

    The employee drove the wagon thinking so and arriving in Leathervelk, the carriage stopped at one side of the street.

    Weve arrived.

    Good job. Ill go in now.

    Yes, thank you.

    The carriage left and Rudger headed toward the slums.

    The streets where few people would normally be were particrly busy. As he got closer to the slum, the number of people increased, and as soon as he entered the street, there were so many people that it was like a market.

    The slums were no longer called by the name of the past. Their new name was [Royal Street].

    Thepletely transformed street has be the most famous innovation street in Leathervelk, and it was crowded every day.

    I hoped it would work out, but Im so dizzy.

    Rudger paused and looked around, but a little boy spotted him and went to him.

    The little boy bowed his head to Rudger and spoke in a small voice.

    Wee Owner.

    Do you know me?

    Yes. Theres no one on this street who doesnt know Owner.

    It was an uncharacteristically sharp answer.

    People in the slums considered Rudger a benefactor as they were thoroughly educated about the existence of Owner, and they engraved deep in their bones that they had to treat him with all their heart when he came.

    There are a lot of people, right? Ill show you a shortcut.

    Lets go.

    Although the entire street was remodeled, a maze-like narrow alleyway still remained. And these alleys were only allowed to people from slums, which the general public did not know.

    Led by the boy, Rudger was able to reach the hideout faster than expected through a shortcut.

    Rudger took a coin out of his pocket and handed it to the boy.

    Good job. Go and buy something delicious.

    Yes! Thank you!

    The boy, who received money, left with a smile.

    Rudger ovepped a scene from the past with the boys back moving away. A sight he saw in the kingdom of Delica, never to be seen again.

    Rudger shook his head.

    Ive be very sentimental, too.

    Alex, who was just sitting around in the living room, weed Rudger as he entered the hideout.

    Oh, is the leader here? Its been a long time.

    Long time no see, Alex.

    Rudger greeted Alex, then paused for a moment, looking at the giant sitting next to him.

    Pantos?

    Sitting next to Alex, Pantos fixed his eyes on Rudger when he called his name and nodded.

    What the hell is with that look?

    Pantos, as Rudger remembers, was a big, muscr man. But what about Pantos in front of him?

    Youre going to roll with just a little push.

    In the time he didnt see him, Pantos became extremely fat.

    What the hell happened?

    Well, you know.

    Alex smiled awkwardly and told him the whole story.

    Rudger, who had heard the whole story, murmured.

    So, he looked bored after staying still for too long, so people gave him food and thats what happened?

    Hes always staying still like a wooden stone, right? But I can tell that even if hes quiet, hes anxious to be quite wild inside.

    I suppose so.

    He didnt want to stay still, so I told him to help people in moderation, and he did.

    Pantos helped rebuild the slums. It was all up to him to carry heavy materials or carry luggage.

    Of course, that alone would not have subsided the dissatisfaction that existed inside Pantos, but it was intended to extinguish the urgent fire.

    Then there was a problem.

    I guess the people who got help gave him something to eat as thanks. Among them, there was something like chocte.

    Pantos called himself a warrior and fought against the limit and until Rudger called him Leathervelk, he was out in the rough sea hunting for whales.

    For him, eating was just a means of supplying energy to the body, nothing more and nothing less.

    But, of all things, this guy figured out the taste of sweet food that he never tasted before.

    Pantos encountered chocte for the first time aftering to Leathervelk and was fascinated by the sweetness at once. That was enough to make the muscr giant close to 2m turn into a huge ball.

    Why didnt you stop him?

    I tried to stop him. To be honest he only eats those things 3 times a day otherwise I wouldnt have stood still.

    You didnt just watch because you said it was fun, did you?

    What the hell do you think I amOf course, it was fun at first, so I watched it with a smile.

    As expected.

    Ah~ at first, it was like that, but as he continued I realized the seriousness so I persuaded him to try something else, but well, hes too stubborn and wouldnt listen to me.

    In fact, Alex dissuaded Pantos from gaining weight over and over again. However, Pantos reply was spectacr.

    What did he say? [Dont stop me. Im testing my limits as a warrior.]

    did you really say that?

    Rudger looked back at Pantos in surprise and he asked back, What is it?

    Alexs words seem to be true.

    What?

    Come to think of it, Pantos was still eating chocte while Rudger and Alex were talking but he was not aware of it because his behavior was as natural as flowing water.

    Pantos mumbled over the chocte.

    This is an ordeal.

    Tell me when youre done eating.

    Gulp. This is an ordeal.

    What on earth is an ordeal?

    The temptation of this ck snack. I mean

    Chocte?

    Yes, chocte.

    You didnt even know the name of the snack you were eating?

    Rudger and Alex looked at each other with absurd eyes while Pantos spoke.

    It tastes like a heavenly persimmon, the ultimate beauty that I have never tasted before. This is the ordeal of fate for me who is walking the path of a great warrior.

    No, but why would you eat that ordeal?

    Shouldnt I face this ordeal?

    Alex was speechless when Pantos asked with a face that he didnt understand what he was talking about.

    Warriors dont shy away from trials but fight back. Thats what it is.

    No, this isIm not saying that youre afraid of sweets, so dont eat until you finish it.

    I dont give in to trials. Although my body lost its form and became heavier than before.

    You know youve gained weight.

    He who walks on the path of a great warrior can ovee this kind of ordeal quickly.

    He put a chocte in his mouth again.

    Alex shook his head as if he was fed up with it.

    Did you see that, leader? I told you so.

    Ill have to make a ce for Pantos soon.

    Pantos, who always pushed himself to the limit to ovee the wall, became that shape and Rudger realized that a part of the responsibility was his.

    At this rate, he might be the first of his species to die of diabetes, so it seemed necessary to n for Pantos to move soon.

    What happened to you, leader? Werent you busy these days?

    The work has been sorted out, so I came here because I have something to tell you. There were a lot of people out there.

    Did you see it on the way here? I was surprised, too. I didnt expect this to happen.

    Where is Hans?

    Hes on the second floor. Should I call him?

    Ill go up. You dont have to call someone else.

    All right.

    Rudger approached the second floor where Hans worked and knocked on the door.

    Come in.

    At Hanss voice, Rudger opened the door and went inside.

    Hans was sitting in a chair struggling with the documents.

    Brother, when did you get here?

    A while ago.

    Oh, if youre going toe, tell me youre going toe.

    Rudger sat in an empty chair, nced at the scenery inside Hans room, and when he found something he had not seen before, his eyes shone.

    Are you raising a new crow?

    Oh, that guy?

    Hans looked at the crow sitting still at the open window and said.

    My ability has been getting strongertely. In the past, only mice could be called, but one day, suddenly a crow listened to me.

    Thats convincing. In fact, crows are intelligent animals.

    The quiet crow had been staring at Rudger since he entered the room.

    Brother, be careful. Hes so cruel that might peck you with his beak if you approach him the wrong way.

    Hearing Hans warning, Rudger reached out to the crow and the crow, who was still, spread its wings and rushed toward Rudger.

    Hans, who watched the scene, was surprised and tried to shout something, but as soon as he saw the crow sitting quietly on the back of Rudgers hand, he closed his mouth.

    What a surprise. He doesnt approach people like that for the first time.

    It looks calm.

    Maybe its because Im in front of you.

    Rudger put his finger on it, and the crow rubbed his head. For a big guy, he had a lot of aegyo (cute disy of affection).

    Hans.

    Yes, brother.

    This guy can look into the pce.

 Chapter 231

    C231: The marks of fire (1)

    Chapter sponsored bymwalcott.Thank you for you support.

    Hans didnt try to answer Rudgers words, but soon nodded.

    A crow flying in the sky would be morefortable than a mouse crawling on the ground.

    Furthermore, no one is wary of birds.

    Rudger patted the crows head gently and the crow opened its beak and crowed. It meant he was in a good mood.

    If we coborate with Sedina, well be able to find the Relic location quickly.

    Keke. With that kid?

    Why? You dont like it?

    No, its not that I dont like it.

    She is a poor child that has nowhere to lean on, and she even hung on me who might kill her. Thats how desperate she was.

    Hans sighed at Rudgers words.

    Okay. I got it, so stop talking. Are you doing this on purpose because you know Im weak to this king of things? Ill do as brother tells me, so stop.

    Yeah. Youre a senior, so you should set an example as a senior.

    Still, Hans felt morefortable when he was praised as a senior. It was because at least Rudger seemed to admit he was higher in rank.

    What if we locate Relic? Are you going to steal it?

    What do you think I should do?

    You didnt mean to use that identity?

    Are you talking about Arsene Lupin? If I rob the pce with that status, itll make a lot of noise. However, I intend to leave it as ast resort.

    Cant you just go through the shadows?

    Its not that easy to use. If I dont know the exact coordinates, I may go into the ground.

    Thats what I and the kid need to check.

    And there are more problems. The imperial pce is the most heavily guarded ce in the empire. In particr, such an important ce is painted with all kinds of magical protections. The ability to move through shadows is also new, but in the end, its magic. If there is an obstacle in the middle, it will be dangerous.

    I mean, the conditions are very demanding. Well, it wouldnt have made sense if it hadnt been for that kind of magic. No, does it still not make sense enough?

    Thats why I have to remove all the protective magic to steal, but it takes too long.

    We have no choice but to take another way.

    Hans also nodded as if he was finally convinced. Of course there was one more thing Rudger didnt say there.

    If I rob the royal family as Arsene Lupin, she might really kill me this time.

    Nightcrawler Knights Commander, Trina Ryanhowl, the protector of the Empire.

    In the past, she was a great knight, but now shes beyond the level of master, so Rudger must avoid fighting her.

    More than that, brother, when will you stop by the capital?

    Theres one thing that wille up about that.

    What is it?

    Theon is nning a field trip.

    Hans wondered and nodded as if he was convinced.

    Even students have a problem with staying inside the academy.

    Thats right. Students are still solving a lot of things in Leathervelk through themission board, but thats not enough.

    Wizards are basically people who are locked up in a corner of the room and immersed in research. It was like that in the past, but it has be much more serious these days.

    Theon was concerned about that, so they organized an educational curriculum to make students periodically roam outside, and field trips were one of them.

    Coborating with the schools that support Theon and the Imperial Magic Society we will let the students see the city and meet other peers.

    Ive heard of it. Was it called mentor and mentee?

    Yes. They will meet various wizards working in other fields, listen to their stories, and find the way that suits them. The intent itself is very good.

    Thats the purpose, but most students are busy looking around the city.

    Even considering that, it wasnt ineffective.

    At that time, I will also go to the capital as a guidance teacher, so when I meet the Imperial Magic Society, I will be able to look for an opportunity somehow.

    Then Im d you got a chance.

    Oh, and Hans.

    What else?

    If youre able to control a crow, I think youve be more capable than before. Is there anything you can guess?

    If Hans, who could only use mice before, suddenly became able to use crows, there must be a reason. Right now, its just one, but it could increase to severalter.

    Uh-huh. I dont know. I just suddenly woke up and it worked.

    Its natural?

    Yes, well.

    Did you have any dreams?

    Dreams?

    Hans scratched his head and seemed to be pondering something.

    Soon he shook his head.

    People who ask me about dreams dont know me well. I forget everything when I wake up. But why did you think it was a dream?

    It feels like it.

    I cant believe it.

    I dont know anything else, but I can guess why your ability has be stronger.

    Oh? Really?

    Rudger said, putting a feed in the crows mouth.

    Its teeth.

    Teeth? Are you talking about those teeth?

    Yes. The Beast of Gvaudan can control other animals. Maybe it was because of your transformation at the Kunst auction house that day.

    Well

    There has been no change so far, but it is probably because your constitution was strengthened.

    Then whats bad about it?

    If you cant suppress the ever-increasing wildness, then you will lose control.

    Hans face hardened in an instant and a memory that he didnt want to remember came to his mind. If this continues, he may be eaten up by his constitution and lose his human identity.

    That alone was enough to scare him.

    But there is a solution.

    You mean the neutralizer you gave me?

    The neutralizer only inhibits your constitution and does not cure itpletely. Besides, I dont know how to make a cure. Your case, its the first and its unprecedented. Even if I make a cure, I cant guarantee how long it will take.

    Then theres no point.

    Not necessarily. It depends on your decision.

    Me?

    Hans asked with his eyes wide open.

    What am I supposed to do?

    Poison can be a medicine if you use it well. Hans, do you understand what I mean?

    Are you saying that depending on how I use this ability, a better path will open up?

    Youve improved your senses a lot and your constitution is the first of its kind. Do you know what it means to be the first?

    Hans pondered for a moment and came up with the answer.

    Isnt it amazing?

    Thats the result.

    Then whats the answer? I cant think of anything.

    There is only one thing that the first one means, infinite possibilities. You have a myriad of ways you can choose from.

    Hans shut up at Rudgers words.

    Hans, you are walking on a path that no one can walk on. I dont know whats at the end of the road and I dont even know where youre heading. Maybe your steps will be the road itself.

    Hans felt that Rudgers words were being said to him as well as himself.

    Depending on where and how you go, you can be a great person or you can be reduced to a mere beast. All of that depends on your will.

    .

    It will be okay now, but one day you will have to make a choice. What choice you make then is purely your will. Take your time, but dont becent. Its not bad to prepare an answer in advance.

    Ill keep it in mind. Theres nothing to lose by listening to you. But honestly, I cant guarantee that it will work.

    Dont worry, thats enough for now.

    So what are you going to do now?

    I came out for now, but theres nothing I have to do.

    Hans startedughing at Rudgers words.

    Its unlike you, to move without a n.

    Sometimes its good to have no ns. Ive been so busytely so I have to rest when I have time like now.

    Well, its understandable that you say so. It was not long ago that you announced the research results in the Arcane Chamber. Its time to cool off.

    I came out to rest, but Im worried about what to do first.

    Hans thought the remark was unexpected, but he smiled as if it was funny. It was out of ce to see a person like Rudger wandering around.

    Why dont you go shopping, since you made a lot of money?

    Most of it disappeared after the investments.

    Ignore the investments for now. Go eat delicious food or buy new clothes. Isnt that what life is all about?

    You talk as if youve lived longer than me.

    At least I can be confident that I know more things to enjoy than you do.

    Rudger smirked at Hans generosity.

    Okay. Its been a while, so theres no harm in getting new clothes.

    Would you like to go to a store run by Violetta?

    Id like to ask for customized clothes.

    The store is so famous now that theres a waiting line but if its brother you can just go right away. Lets go. Did you meet them?

    Yes.

    Im going to make him go on a diet soon. Dont worry too much.

    * * *

    Royal Street was full of people day after day. The people gathered spread rumors, so more people gathered and a virtuous circle was formed.

    The reason why this positive thing continued was that the new business became popr.

    People who came out after watching the musical chatted happily.

    The new magazine in the bookstore sold like hot cakes as soon as it came out.

    Newly designed clothes have increased the number ofdies visiting Royal Street exponentially.

    All the artists of the city who couldnt make money gathered in one ce. Musicians make money ying musical instruments on the streets, and painters painted beautiful paintings on empty walls while poets and novelists all wrote for the magazine.

    Children running around with toys and the smell of freshly baked bread spreading through the chimneys of the bakery made the streets full of life and warm.

    It was a brightness that was not seen in the city where steam and fog often used to be.

    Recently, Leathervelk has started to push the Royal Street openly.

    Walking down the street, Hans said to Rudger.

    Not too long ago, the guys who tried to check us after receiving back money from nearby merchants suddenly changed their attitude.

    For now they wont be able to do as they please.

    Thats the same, but they may have been careful because they dont know much about the Owner. I think theyre trying to contact you somehow. What will you do?

    Well wait and see. After all, the work of reaching out to the entire city from behind the scenes is progressing calmly.

    Although Royal Street is now in Rudgers hands as they gradually expand their influence around the city, it will have a great impact on the entire city.

    Some people think that its an evil tycoon trying to devour the city.

    It might look like that.

    With such a silly conversation, the two entered the House of Verdi store run by Violetta.

    The store was full ofdies who came to check their clothes and busy employees. Surprisingly, there were as many men as thedies.

    There are more people than I thought. I thought only women would get together.

    Well, maybe because of word of mouth, a lot of famous fashion designers have been visiting recently. In addition, wealthy merchants and high-ranking wizards areing.

    Even wizards?

    Wizards also have to dress up.

    Ive never dressed up.

    Youre such a liar. Lets go meet the manager first.

    Yeah.

    It was when Hans was trying to take the lead and go up to the second floor.

    The person in charge,e out!

    Along with the loud sound that poked the ears, subtle mana was released in waves and the surroundings were soaked in silence.

    Rudger and Hans eyes naturally turned to the ce where the mana flowed out. There, a young man with orange hair was frowning.

    A wizard.

    Rudger noticed that it was him who shouted a little while ago and released mana. And even when an employee caught up in the mana wave fell to the floor.

    Oh, my. Whats going on?

    Isnt that Albert Pablo?

    Among the gathered guests, someone who recognized the wizard called his name.

    Isnt Pablo a master of magic from the Old Tower?

    I heard it, too. Plus, the Pablo family has a [Colour] wizard.

    Its Alberts brother.

    Since he was annoyed Albert yelled again.

    I cant see the person in charge!

    When no one was able to stop him, Violetta appeared from the second floor.

    Violetta, who came down to see what was going on, looked at Alberts face and her expression immediately hardened. On the contrary, Albert recognized Violetta and twisted her mouth.

    So it was really you Violetta.

 Chapter 232

    C232: The marks of fire (2)

    Facing Albert, Violetta suddenly put her hand on her face. The burn marks have now disappeared but the spot throbbed like a fire.

    Violetta took a deep breath and calmed down. Without taking her eyes off Albert, who was staring at her, Violetta slowly descended the stairs with dignified steps.

    Albert frowned at the sight.

    Look at that.

    He was surprised that Violetta was the manager here, but thats all. He thought she would be more convenient to use but when she stared at him with a confident gaze without being scared properly stimted his mood.

    What can I do for you sir?

    At the words of Violetta, who drew a line between them, Albertughed.

    Why did you call me customer?

    We werent close enough to call each other by name.

    Kuk-kuk. While I couldnt see you, you became very bold.

    Albert nced around the interior of the store.

    Youve made quite a ssh to be the manager of such a store. How many men have you had in your skirt so far?

    .

    And your face is fine. Not anyone could cure that burn or is it covered in leather?

    Mister, if you have nothing to say, please.

    Albert, who was stroking his chin, frowned at Violettas words.

    Youve grown up a lot. You wouldnt have made eye contact in the past, but you proudly told me to go out. Or was the punishment I gave you not enough?

    Violetta bit her lips at his words.

    As the conversation between the two flowed abnormally, words began toe out around them.

    Oh, those two must have known each other.

    More than that, Mr. Alberts attitude toward the manager here is strange.

    Listening to the conversation between the two, I think the manager is a person who did another job before.

    Rudger, who was watching the situation, also felt something strange. Looking at Alberts attitude and Violettas reaction, the two seemed to have known each other in the past.

    The burn marks on Violettas face.

    Now Rudger fixed it, but until then, Violetta had been wearing a ck veil covering her face, to hide the ugly burn marks covering half of the face. And the person who made the burn marks.

    You did it.

    A bad past rtionship that left a scar on Violetta.

    Hans.

    Yes, brother.

    Rudger spoke to Hans in a quiet voice.

    Tell me what kind of guy Albert is and call Pantos.

    All right.

    Meanwhile, the conversation between Violetta and Albert continued.

    I dont want to see you anymore. Its all over after that day.

    Violetta was trying to pretend to be okay, but her clenched hands were shaking.

    Oh, my. Violetta, you know one thing but you dont know the other. You think youre done, but Im not.

    The work from that day ended with a scar on my face.

    It did, but where is the wound now?

    Albert said with a sly smile.

    I dont know what the hell you did, but thats great. Its been treated very neatly. Did you get to know a high priest? Wow. How good is your night skill to be cured by that kind of priest?

    Alberts words mocking Violetta hardened the expressions of the employees who were listening anxiously. Most of the staff at the House of Verdi belonged to the Women of the ck Rose and all of the employees here receive the help of Violetta.

    Without her help, they would have grown up in the slum. At the bottom of a society where even dreaming is not allowed. It was the Owner and Violetta who helped them live like human beings.

    Now that Violetta was now being insulted the atmosphere quickly turned ugly. Even the quick-witteddies noticed that the air in the store had changed and stopped talking.

    If youre going to keep talking, lets do it in a quiet ce.

    Why?

    Violetta tried to move, but Albert refused.

    Just talk here. Oh, I cant do that? It shouldnt be revealed that the owner of the good dress shop was a body seller.

    You.

    Violetta was angry at Alberts words but looked at the surrounding reactions. Although Violetta now works as manager of a prestigious dress salon on Royal Street her job was a prostitute.

    If the richdies discover that the store they visit is run by a former prostitute, she will definitely be affected so sales will decrease and rumors will spread and adversely affect others.

    Albert thought that somedies would be shocked by his words and make a fuss but something was wrong with their reaction.

    What is this? Its quiet.

    They were watching, but they couldnt hear their conversation. No, it was so quiet that he couldnt even hear their breathing.

    Whats this? Magic?

    Albert realized that magic was spreading around him and Violetta.

    When has she used this magic?

    What surprised Albert most was that he did not notice even after this magic waspletely unfolded.

    No way!

    Albert thought that Violetta had used magic but after seeing her reaction he noticed that she didnt. It was a different person who used magic.

    Then who the hell is it?

    Albert, who was looking around, found a man approaching them.

    Who are you?

    Albert frowned and red at the masked man and instinctively realized that he had used this magic.

    Do you have any business at our store?

    Rudger said so, while snapping his fingers and the sound blocking magic installed around was lifted at once.

    Who is that?

    Since when has he been here?

    When customers were wondering, all employees who recognized Rudger bowed their heads to Rudger at the same time.

    Owner.

    Having said that, it was impossible not to know his identity.

    Is that the Owner?

    The one who revived Royal Street!

    Violetta also recognized Rudger and opened her eyes wide.

    Oh, sir. Whats going on here?

    Albert, who heard Violettas murmur, smirked at the Owner.

    Oh, youre the Owner of this Royal Street, arent you?

    Albert heard about it too. Recently, there was a ridiculous rumor that Royal Street, a hot street in Leathervelk, was rebuilt by only one man.

    The person who covered his face with a mask and did not reveal his identity was someone who even the city leading figures wanted to meet.

    He had heard that he was thoroughly hiding his identity and could not be found even if someone tried to find him, but he never thought he would show up in a ce like this.

    Everyone.

    When Rudger opened his mouth, the staff responded in unison.

    I dont think its possible to keep the store open any more today, so take the guests outside.

    Yes.

    Customersined as the staff moved at Rudgers orders.

    No, wait a minute!

    Thats right! Were definitely here as customers!

    Im sorry to the customers, but the situation is not good right now. Instead, as an apology, we will give the guests who are here will have top priority at Verdis new products.

    Their words melted thedies displeasure. It is true that this situation itself is very interesting as gossip, but if they could get new clothes earlier than other people just by leaving the store. After all, there were many other ces to see Royal Street than this shop.

    In addition, it also yed a part in that they would not be bothered if they were caught up in the mess of Albert.

    Oh, my God. Then theres nothing I can do.

    Its a shame, but today isnt the only day.

    The guests left and there were only a few people left in the shop.

    Oh, my.

    Albert kicked his tongue as this series of situations was ridiculous and on his left and right, two guards from the family stood as if they were protecting him.

    Youre crazy.

    What do you mean?

    Did you think Id be scared if you let the guests out? You know who I am?

    Albert Pablo.

    Alberts forehead was wrinkled.

    A cheeky fellow. If you know me, its not enough to take off your mask and kneel.

    The second child of the wizard Pablo family. His natural magical talent itself is not bad, but hes a fool who cantpare to his older brother.

    Albert frowned at Rudgers words.

    More than 10 cases of drunken assault alone and the most serious thing is his rtionship with women. Nearly 30 women were sent to the hospital with sadistic tendencies. However, thanks to the Pablo familys power it did not appear in the newspaper.

    What are you? Did you dig into my background?

    Once he got in trouble for touching the Barons daughter and then went around the brothels since prostitutes couldnt do anything even if he bullied and destroyed them. They must have looked like the right prey for him.

    .

    He uses his brothers halo but he is jealous of him more than anyone else. He doesnt want to work hard but only finds people who were weaker than him and bullied them to relieve his inferiorityplex. Hes a lowly human being.

    Alberts eyes were on fire.

    Bring that bastard to me.

    Albert gave orders to the escort who followed him.

    Hurry up!

    Albert shouted, and the two escorts slowly approached Rudger while Rudger warned the two escorts.

    Stay still if you dont want to get hurt.

    What?

    Upon hearing this, the escorts were dumbfounded.

    No matter how foolish he is, he is definitely a member of the Pablo family. It was a position where amoner who knew his identity could not dare to say this and that.

    I warned you.

    The two escorts ignored the words and tried to move, but couldnt. It was because their bodies did not move forward even if they moved their legs.

    The two realized btedly that someone was pulling up the nape of their clothes.

    What?

    The vassals who escort Albert were former knights. Of course, they had superior physical ability and were taller than the average person but now these two people looked like childrenpared to the fat, gray-haired man behind them.

    What is this guy?

    What kind of big.

    He was so huge that even the knight had to look up at him. And what about strength? Each of them, who weighed 90 kilograms, were lifted with one hand.

    Pantos, who had a ridiculous appearance, stared at the two escorts in his hands with a disinterested gaze.

    I came here in a hurry because I heard I had something to do, but theyre nothing special.

    What? Now insulting the vassal of the Pablo family.

    Go to sleep.

    Pantos shed the heads of the two escorts.

    Albert crumpled his face when he saw the escort who fainted and fell down.

    Youreyoure really. How dare you touch someone from the Pablo family? Do you think youll be safe like this?

    With Alberts cry, mana was released, causing strong wind pressure around him but the mana pressure flying toward Rudger and Violetta easily disappeared with Pantos light stir.

    Pantos turned his head and stared at Rudger and Rudger shook his head when he asked what he should do with his eyes.

    I will take care of him.

    .

    Pantos nodded and stepped back while Alberts face became livid at the sight of the two people who were treating him as a disobedient kid.

    Dont ignore me!

    Albert took out his cane and used magic. He formed a sphere of me but when he was about tounch it at Rudger a bundle of light flew through the me and hit Alberts stomach.

    Cough!

    The me fizzled out and Albert knelt down after grasping his sr plexus.

    Was that Shining stone?

    Albert was confused by the fact that Shining stone, a very basic magic, destroyed his magic. Moreover, what confused him was the masked man who used the magic called Owner.

    I knew he was a wizard, but how?

    No matter how simple the magic was, Owner didnt have a cane. In addition, it was him that used magic first, but he was the one defeated so he couldnt understand what happened.

    Rudger slowly approached Albert and Albert raised his head and looked up at Rudger.

    Who the hell are you?

    I told you, Im the owner of this ce.

    Donte any closer.

    Why?

    If you touch me, the Pablo family will never!

    With a sound, Alberts head snapped to the side.

    Albert did not understand for a moment what had happened then he felt a burning pain in his cheek.

    Did you hit me? Me? The descendant of the Pablo family?

    Rudger held Alberts hair roughly and fixed his gaze then spoke with a cold voice.

    You still dont understand the situation?

 Chapter 233

    C233: The marks of fire (3)

    Chapter sponsored byMelekonoandL.Thank you for your support.

    I also finally managed to clear the queue so from now well go back to regr schedule(Mon-Tue-Thur-Sat)

    Seeing the cold gaze through the open eyes of the mask and feeling the burning pain in his cheek Albert thought that he was dreaming now.

    He was hit by a man whose face or identity is unknown, not his father or anyone else. That was not enough, but a guy who should never have been able to look into his eyes was looking down at him.

    You son of a bitch!

    When Albert was about to get up, Rudgers hand moved and Alberts head turned sideways. He felt a tingling pain on the other cheek, which was fine.

    Violetta, who was watching the scene nervously, felt like her heart was pounding.

    Oh, lord!

    No matter how rude he is, Rudger shouldnt have touched someone from the Pablo family.

    Thats enough. If you do more than that, the problem will!

    Violetta, youre talking nonsense. Hasnt the problem already urred? This is a big problem, too.

    Ha, but if you end it here, you can cover it up. I dont know what to do!

    No. Its not a problem that I hit this rascal.

    That wasnt the problem? So whats the problem?

    Rudger turned his head and stared at Violetta while she was wondering because she didnt understand his words.

    This guy tried to insult you, the manager of the store, in front of everyone.

    That!

    Violetta was speechless because Rudgers answer waspletely unexpected and she felt grateful that he cared about her but even so

    Im fine. In the first ce, I have nothing to say even if I hear such insults. Im a dirty person born and raised in the slums.

    She didnt want Owner to bear a loss because of her but Rudger, who heard what she said, spoke in a calm tone.

    Violetta, no one is clean or dirty from the beginning.

    At least I think I am.

    Even so, you are trying to live a better life but heughed at such a person and tried to trample you.

    Rudger curled Alberts hair and pulled his head up.

    I just cant stand it.

    Alberts head was swung to the side.

    Ugh.

    His cheeks were pped so hard that they swelled up.

    So what I do to this guy is reasonable.

    Even so, the burden!

    Why do you say that?

    When Rudgers gaze turned towards her, Violetta felt suffocated.

    Violetta, I told you that this Royal Street will be our castle. No one would dare say anything to us.

    An indescribable spirit flowed from Rudger.

    Or did you not believe me? Do you think Im a person who throws words in vain?

    Thats not true.

    Violetta answered hastily.

    She knew that Rudger wasnt a man who spoke recklessly. He is a man who has made even absurd remarks that others would not believe into reality.

    Wasnt he the one who transformed the slums into the most fashionable street in the city?

    If you know, dont forget.

    Rudger looked at Albert after ending Violettas anxiety.

    Albert Pablo.

    Oh.

    Answer.

    Rudger flicked Alberts head back and Albert finally came to his senses and looked up at Rudger. Alberts deathly re disappeared, and his eyes were filled with fear.

    How can you pass out already? I havent finished what I want to tell you yet.

    Do you think youll be safe by touching me?

    Thats not something you have to care about.

    Rudger shook Alberts head back and forth.

    The important thing is that you caused a disturbance in our store and made us suffer a significant financial loss. How are you going to take responsibility for that?

    Oh, just something like that.

    I guess there was ack of understanding between us.

    As Rudger raised his hand, Albert closed his eyes tightly.

    I got it! What do you want? Tell me!

    Albert thought that Owner was a crazy madman, otherwise he wouldnt have hit him, a member of the Pablo family so openly.

    Albert, who always hurt and bullied the others, never thought he would suffer and the actual situation was enough to frighten him.

    I dont want to get hit again.

    Was the only thought that came to Alberts head.

    Tell me what you want. Ill listen.

    Thats a good answer.

    Rudger lowered his raised hand and tapped Albert on the shoulder and Albert waited for Rudgers next remark, feeling fortunate that he was right.

    Theres nothing easier than to pay with money. His family is rich so no matter how much the other party asked for, they could pay.

    The important thing is after the payment.

    You thought you could make me look like this and get away with it, right? As long as I get back safe, Ill kill all of you. When that timees, I will remove that hideous mask covering your face and burn your whole body.

    Albert was able to put up with the humiliation at the moment.

    Ill tell you the terms.

    Rudger moved aside so that Albert could see Violetta.

    Kneel down politely and apologize to our manager who you insulted. Then Ill let this slide.

    What?

    We will not im financial damages. You have to do a simple thing and all these problems will be solved.

    Albert opened his eyes wide.

    Apologize to Violetta?

    Alberts lips trembled in humiliation. At this moment, he had no fear or fear of being hit by Rudger.

    This!

    The only thing that remained was anger.

    You damn thing! Do you think its funny!? Me!? Apologize to her!?

    Do you mean you dont want to?

    Me, who is an aristocratic wizard, kneel to the woman who sold her body? Youve really lost your mind!

    Albert, who said his background, screamed loudly.

    Im going to kill all of you here! I dont care anymore! All of them, if anyone has anything to do with you, Ill get rid of them with my familys power! And you!

    Albert red at Violetta.

    I dont know what other big fish you asked to remove the burns from that day but Ill be sure to take care of you.

    Violettasplexion hardened coldly as Alberts screaming appearance ovepped her nightmares of the past.

    Ill give you asting imprint. Rejoice, its proof that youre in my hands.

    The scene of that day when heughed at her screaming in pain was still vivid.

    Ill crush your face so that you cant raise your head anywhere in the future! Lets see if hell be able to fix you again!

    Albert, who erupted in anger uttered words he was not supposed to say.

    Ill carve a stigma that will follow you for the rest of your life!

    At that moment the temperature around them dropped sharply.

    What?

    Violetta shuddered at the chill. She thought someone had used magic, but that wasnt it. She felt cold, but there was no cold wind inside the store and that meant there was only reason she felt so. It was because of Rudger.

    Owner?

    She could only see Rudgers back, but Violetta could feel that he was angry like never before. This was the second time she had seen him so angry since the day when Deon was injured by the Silver Sun.

    Did you say a stigma?

    What.?

    Albert felt the seriousness of the situation as well. Rudger was wearing a mask, but Albertsplexion turned pale at the formidable spirit emanating from his body.

    Thats a good idea.

    What?

    Rudgers hand covered Alberts face before Albert could ask anything back and he used his magic.

    The mes from Rudgers palm covered Alberts face.

    Aaaaaaagh!

    When Rudger let go of his hand, Albert rolled on the floor.

    Rudger watched the scene quietly and the me soon went out.

    Albert touched his face with trembling hands, and was horrified by what he saw in the mirror set up inside the store.

    My, my face! My face!

    His face, which had no blemishes, was covered with terrible burns and Albert couldnt believe that it was really him in the mirror.

    Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh! Uh, how could you do this to me?

    Whats wrong? Didnt you do it because you liked it?

    Priests! Call the priest! Hurry! If burns are not treated quickly!

    Albert held onto Rudgers leg and begged while Rudger stretched out his arm again toward Albert. His hand seemed to sh a warm light, and Alberts scream stopped as the pain he felt on his face disappeared.

    What?

    Albert smoothed his face with his hands and the moment he looked in the mirror again, he was horrified.

    The burn disappeared?

    Albert looked back at Rudger with horror.

    Who are you? Who the hell are you?

    Burns are hard to fix unless you are a high priest but Rudger fixed it on the spot, in the blink of an eye.

    Hallucination?

    No, the terrible pain of burning his face was never a hallucination or a dream.

    He knew his opponent was a pretty good wizard but this level of healing was beyond the reach of a wizard.

    Why are you so surprised?

    What?

    Its just the beginning.

    Albertsplexion turned pale and he suddenly felt anxious.

    What are you talking about?

    How many people have you burned so far?

    .

    When Albert heard it, he realized what Rudger was going to do.

    It must be hard to count correctly but Im sure its over 10.

    Ah, ah, ah, no!

    So feel the same way.

    Albert tried to resist, but his hands and feet were fixed with a mana chain.

    Rudgers touch touched Alberts face again.

    Aaaaaaaahhhh!

    mes rose again with the scream.

    * * *

    Oh, my head.

    What the hell happened.

    Alberts fainted escorts came to their senses.

    They got up with their bumpy head in their hands, recalled Albert and hurriedly looked around finding Albert lying on the floor.

    Master! Wake up!

    The guards, who examined Alberts condition, were at a loss when they saw him. There were no visible wounds, but his appearance of fainting with his eyes open made it clear that he went through something.

    Are you up?

    The guards gaze headed to the ce where the sound was heard. A masked Rudger sat on the sofa prepared for the guests and next to him stood Pantos and Violetta, who were watching the situation.

    The guards broke out in a cold sweat as the momentum flowed from Rudger and felt an instinctive sense of crisis

    They had no choice but to wait for Rudgers next words with a nervous heart.

    Get that rascal and get out of here.

    the lord will know this.

    The escort surrounded Albert and warned Rudger. It was because the Pablo familys pride did not allow them to leave recklessly.

    Rudger replied with a smirk as he stood up.

    I wouldnt have done this if I was afraid of such things.

    .

    Get lost.

    The guards red at Rudger and left the store while he watched the scene silently.

    Is it okay?

    What do you mean?

    Looks like theyre never going to let this go.

    I guess. Theyll probably put official pressure on us or if that doesnt work, theyll act behind the scenes.

    Is it still okay?

    Didnt you want this?

    Pantos did not deny Rudgers words.

    A chance to fight its always wee.

    Thats what it is. Besides, I needed to show you once.

    Why are you showing me?

    To let everyone know that theres no use trying to persecute us with power and prestige.

    Above all, the Pablo family will not be able to take their anger out on them officially since there was not a single wound on Alberts body.

    If the Pablo family had to choose, theyd probably secretly send someone to deal with them.

    Rather, the city of Leathervelk would warn them not to interfere in their affairs.

    There will be a dog fight without a referee. Pantos, you can do it, right?

    At the word, the beasts ears jolted. His expression still remained unchanged, but Rudger could fully see that he was very tempted now.

    Following you was a great choice.

    Ill take it as apliment. Violetta?

    Yes, Owner.

    Its been dyed a lot because of one loser. We still have a lot of time left, so lets open the store and start operating again.

    Rudger took off his mask while the employees who were keeping people outside came back inside.

    The House of Verdi began to be lively again with customers visiting and in the meantime, Rudger headed to the managers room on the second floor.

    What brings you here?

    Its been a long time since I had a holiday, so I want to get a new outfit.

    Upon hearing that, Violetta opened her eyes wide and soon smiled.

    Whats wrong?

    If you had just ordered it, I would have made it myself and sent it to you, but I was just amazed that you came to see me.

    I wanted to see how well it was going while I was here. So, can you make me clothes that look good on me?

    Of course. Actually, Ive been thinking about clothes for Owner for a long time.

    Since before?

    Violetta said so and opened one of the closets. Inside, there were all kinds of luxurious-looking mens clothes.

    Its all what I made. These are the things that would suit Owner.

    There are a lot of clothes.

    I piled them up like this just in case I had a chance, but fortunately, that opportunity came.

    Rudger realized that Violettas eyes had turned somewhat dangerous.

    I think youre busy now, so Illeter.

    Where are you going? Do you want to try this on first?

    Rudgers attempt to escape was foiled.

 Chapter 234

    C234: Chance Encounter (1)

    Back to the regr release time (I hope).

    It was almost two hourster that Rudger came down from the second floor. Hans, who was waiting with his arms folded below, grumbled when he found Rudgering down with a trudging step.

    Why are you sote? I thought I was dying while waiting.

    Im notte because I want to bete.

    This was even the result of somehow reducing the time otherwise it would have taken longer.

    I dont know what the hell happened up there, but you dressed up nicely.

    Hans nced at Rudgers clothes.

    Rudger is usually well-dressed in luxurious clothes, but this time he felt that he put more effort into it.

    Garments decorated with finely crafted silver in ck-based material. Thebination of only two colors, ck and silver, rather than looking boring, created extreme antiquity through moderation.

    The embroidery was colorful, and from the color, it even suited the character of Rudger Chelici.

    He wasnt aware of it, but the guests who had already gathered around were admiring Rudgers appearance.

    Who is that? Where the hell did he get those clothes?

    Wait. Hes Rudger Chelici, right?

    Rudger Chelici? Is that the person who published the magic paper about mana emissions?

    People began to recognize Rudger one by one.

    Brother, I think we need to get out of here quickly.

    I should.

    Rudger also tried to escape after checking the peoples reactions.

    Once he went outside and was trying to decide where to go, he faced the two people who were going to enter the store.

    Huh? Teacher Rudger?

    Miss Selina and teacher Merylda?

    Selina and Merylda opened their eyes wide when they saw Rudger since they didnt expect to run into him in such a ce.

    What brings you here, Mr. Rudger?

    Im here to get new clothes.

    Indeed. Mr. Rudger seemed very interested in clothes, so there is nothing strange about visiting here.

    In fact, Rudger often changed his clothes at Theon, so it was no wonder that they thought he was interested in fashion.

    Its a habit Ive developed during the time I disguised myself.

    For Rudger, it wasfortable to mistake him for being interested in fashion, so he did not deny it.

    Then Merylda tapped Selina with her forearm.

    When Selina looked back at Merylda with a look at what was going on, she said with a look.

    What are you doing? Youre just going to miss this chance?

    Ah.

    Selina also realized somethingte and opened her mouth wide.

    Uh, what do I do?

    Merylda shook her head and sighed quietly as Selina looked embarrassed, then she smiled and said to Rudger.

    Mr. Rudger, I didnt expect to see you here.

    Yeah.

    Selina and I originally came out to shop today. But what should I do? I suddenly remembered that I have an appointment.

    An appointment?

    Yes, I cant believe I just remembered an important appointment that I made in advance. I mustve lost my mind. Hohoho. Im not sure what I ate this morning.

    Shouldnt you take dementia medicine at that point?

    Rudger thought, but didnt said it out loud.

    Teacher Selina, I have to go now.

    What?

    Goodbye.

    Merylda disappeared so fast that Selina and Rudger didnt even have time to hold her.

    The atmosphere was about to get awkward, so Rudger took Selinas hand and went out of the House of Verdi, thinking that this would not work.

    Excuse me for a moment.

    What?

    When Rudger held her hand, Selina couldnt say a word properly and was dragged out by him. Naturally mixed in the crowd, the two could not stop until they reached a moderately quiet distance.

    Rudger nced back and wondered if there was anyone chasing him from the store, but fortunately, there was no one like that.

    Miss Selina, are you all right?

    .

    Selina did not answer. She was staring at Rudgers hand holding her hand with a bright red face.

    Teacher Selina?

    What?! Did you call me?!

    Are you okay?

    What?

    Youre blushing. Are you sick anywhere?

    Ah, ah!

    Selina hurriedly let go of Rudgers hand and soon patted her cheek with both hands.

    Her cheeks were full of heat to the point that her face looked redder than her pink hair.

    It must be because its hot.

    Well, its gotten a lot hotter these days.

    Yes. Thats right.

    Im sorry, I think you had something to do in the clothing store, but you got caught up with me for no reason.

    Oh, no! Im fine! Im rather grateful.

    What do you mean?

    Nothing!

    Selina held her hand and opened it. She was holding Rudgers hand with this hand until a while ago and it still felt the vivid touch and warmth.

    Then she suddenly realized why Merylda stepped aside. Selina instinctively thought she should not miss this opportunity.

    Excuse me, Mr. Rudger!

    Yes. Whats wrong with you? You spoke so loudly.

    Are you busy right now?!

    Rudger pondered for a while and came up with an answer to Selinas question.

    Im not particrly busy. I came out here to rest.

    Selinas face glowed at his words.

    Well, then. Mr. Rudger. Would you like to have a meal with me?

    .

    You cant?

    Rudger pondered for a moment about Selinas nervousness.

    Hans stepped down quickly and had already left this ce.

    I dont think I can ask Hans to guide me now.

    He didnt mind going around alone. However, it was strange to refuse an offer when he met a colleague for the first time in a long time.

    He didnt exactly have a good reason to refuse.

    Yes, I will.

    A bright smile bloomed on Selinas face, who was almost depressed because she thought she would be rejected. At the same time, flowers seemed to bloom around.

    Well, then! Lets go eat together!

    All right.

    Selina took a deep breath for a moment and held Rudgers hand. Rudger watched the scene without saying a word.

    This way!

    Selina said, turning her head deliberately to avoid showing her red face. In fact, she couldnt hide the red earlobes through the gap of the pink hair that shone brilliantly in the sunlight.

    Oh, my God. Im holding hands!

    Selina had to struggle to suppress the corners of her mouth, which kept on going up, while dragging Rudgers hand.

    She was worried that Rudger might shake her off with a straight face. Still, she was courageous because she couldnt miss the chance she got after a long time.

    Fortunately, Rudger didnt refuse to hold hands. It may be out of consideration for her, but Selinas mood seemed to fly in the sky just from that.

    I found a good store. Lets go that way.

    Selina took Rudgers hand and led the way while Merylda, who was watching the scene from afar, clenched her fists.

    Good job Selina!

    She was worried that Selina couldnt use this chance properly. Besides, she already tried to contact Rudger several times recently but she failed every time and was a little depressed.

    If she missed this opportunity, Merylda thought it would be hopeless for Selina.

    Youve grown, Selina.

    Merylda, who shed tears of emotion at the growth of her fellow teacher, who was just like a baby bird, has yet topletely rx.

    Selina has taken the courage to take a step forward, but it cannot guarantee that things will flow perfectly since this meeting is aplete coincidence that no one expected. Will Selina be able to do well after that?

    She could have expected Rudgers lead, but when she thought about it, the chance for that was very low since Rudger didnt seem interested in dating for now.

    Should she say that he seems like a person who invests his whole life in research?

    Its too greedy to ask such a person to take the lead.

    Selinas role was heavy, and Merylda was obliged to watch her. She naturally mixed in the crowd and followed Rudger and Selina.

    It would be easy to lose them because there are many people, but Selinas pink hair was quite rare, so it was easy to find it in the crowd.

    Merylda started following them but she wasnt the only one.

    Who is that woman?

    Hans, who disappeared, looked suspiciously at Merylda, who was chasing Rudger and Selina.

    Youre also a teacher at Theon. Why are you following him?

    Merylda suddenly said she had an appointment from the moment she faced Rudger, leaving Selina behind. Her behavior was so unnatural and suspicious.

    For a teacher, her attitude is quite suspicious.

    Hans suddenly had an uneasy thought.

    Does she doubt brother?

    Seeing her tail Rudger like that, it seemed possible.

    And that pink-haired girl, shes the one from the festival.

    Hans was one of the people who knew about what happened on thest day of the festival.

    Selina is said to be okay now because she barely remembers what happened that day, but Merida, who is with Selina, did not look as pure as she was.

    Maybe shes after something.

    Hans was troubled.

    He had to take that purple-haired woman away from his brother, but it was impossible for him to do it on his own since she must be stronger than him.

    Ask for help first, and Ill continue to follow.

    Hans immediately ordered a mouse to bite a note in his mouth.

    Go and tell him.

    The mouse cried at Hans words and disappeared into the alley.

    Hans, who had sent the mouse away, made up his mind and carefully followed Merylda footsteps.

    A strange chase has begun.

    * * *

    Mr. Rudger, its here.

    The ce Selina guided him was a restaurant along the busy boulevard. Perhaps quite popr, the restaurant was crowded with customers even outside.

    I made a reservation since I heard this ce is very popr. Come in.

    Selina, who was going to quickly show the benefits of the restaurant she found out, faced an unexpected big problem.

    What? What do you mean theres no reservation?

    Your reservation is today correct?

    Yes, its lunch time today.

    Lets see. Is Miss Merylda here?

    Uh

    Selina was stunned when she saw the booking was made under Meryldas name.

    Well, Im here because Im herpanion.

    Im sorry. ording to the store regtions, the person who is on the reservation list must be present.

    Then how long does it take to get inside?

    There are more than 30 parties waiting outside. I think youll have to wait at least two hours.

    Oh, my God.

    Selina felt like the sky was falling. If it werent for Rudger, she would really have slumped to the floor.

    Is there a problem?

    Mr. Rudger.

    Oh my god!

    When Rudger stepped up and asked about the situation, the store clerk, who recognized Rudger, opened his eyes.

    Please wait a moment!

    He hurried inside immediately, talked to the chef, and came to Rudger and Selina panting.

    Miss youre lucky. A spot was just freed.

    What? Until a while ago, all the seats were upied.

    Just now some customers canceled their reservations! Youre really lucky. This is a rare opportunity!

    Wow. Really?

    Selina was purely happy but Rudger knew that the answer changed because the employee saw his face.

    Maybe he brought an empty table from the supply room of the restaurant. No matter how much he thought about it, it was clear that the employee recognized him.

    In fact, there were some other employees besides him who were actually guarding the entrance.

    You dont have to do that.

    Still, Selina was pleased with it, so it may be a good thing in the end.

    Guests, have a nice meal.

    Rudger tapped the shoulder of the employee who bowed his head as he entered the store to tell him that he did well.

    The employee opened his eyes wide at the sight, and soon bowed his head even more.

    Mr. Rudger. Im so d theres a vacancy left. I think Im really lucky today!

    Selina had a feeling that today was the day.

    Ill use this momentum today and show you for sure! Be prepared!

    Oh, yes.

    Was it a promise?

    Dont you usually say look forward to it?

    Selina was not aware of her slip of the tongue and was in high spirits so Rudger decided to just shut up.

 Chapter 235

    C235: Chance Encounter (2)

    Chapter sponsored byBrune.Thank you for your support.

    Merylda nced inside the restaurant with her back to the streetmp. She even wore a wide-brimmed hat to avoid being identified.

    It was embarrassing enough to be called a disguise, but at least Merylda watched Selina and Rudgers date believing she was disguised.

    Good job, Selina. You made it to the restaurant safely.

    There was a disturbance at the entrance for a while, so she wondered what had happened, but fortunately, it didnt seem like it was something serious but she couldnt be relieved yet.

    The real problem starts after the meal and in Merylda eyes Selina had no choice but to think of her next n during the meal while Hans watched Merylda from a little distance.

    Hans, leaning his back against the wall, was pretending to read the newspaper and staring at Merylda.

    Shes sneaking a peek at brother in disguise!

    He didnt know what she was up to, but he was going to keep an eye on her so that things dont go her way.

    * * *

    Rudger and Selina ordered the menu rmended by the chef and waited for the food toe out.

    As the two faced each other Selina only smiled as if she was happy about the situation while Rudger was ufortable to sit still so he carefully opened his mouth.

    You look very happy.

    What? Is that so?

    Yes. Its good that youre on vacation after a long time, but I was worried that I might have taken up your time for no reason, but Im d.

    No! You dont have to! Im rather d I met Mr. Rudger.

    Its nice of you to say that.

    The food they ordered came just in time. When various dishes wereid on the table, Selina admired and opened her eyes wide as if wondering.

    Oh? I didnt order this.

    There were additional dishes that she didnt order and the employee looked at Rudger and hesitated to answer. Then the quick-witted manager stepped up and said.

    Its a special service. Thedy who came to our store today was beautiful, so the chef cheered up.

    Selina smiled shyly at the naturally flowing words while Rudger signaled the manager well done with his eyes.

    The manager bowed his head.

    Youve at least got a proper education.

    Rudger was satisfied and lifted the tableware. The food itself was quite delicious because the chef did his best to cook it for Owner.

    More than that, how did Miss Selinae to Royal Street?

    Oh, didnt Mr. Rudger know? This ce is very famous these days.

    Famous?

    Yes, its a street for the youths. The students often came here and after hearing about it from them I decided to visit too.

    Selina answered and was happy to have a topic to talk about.

    The clothes on Royal Street are said to be much more wearable and more beautiful in design than traditional clothes. In fact, there are rumors that a famous designer in the capital praised House of Verdis dresses.

    So thats what happened.

    Come to think of it, isnt the outfit that Mr. Rudger is wearing new?

    Do you mean this?

    Rudger looked at his clothes and nodded. In fact, it was made by Violetta, the manager of House of Verdi, so she was not wrong. It was a custom made product, but he didnt need to say that.

    Yes, thats right.

    Wow, thats great. I heard that mens clothes are also verypetitive, so they are only made on a reservation basis.

    I was lucky.

    I can see you became famous by looking at the clothes. Your outfit is really nice. Oh, of course, that doesnt mean that Mr. Rudger iscking!

    I know. Have you heard anything else about Royal Street?

    Rudger wanted to hear how his Royal Street was evaluated from a third partys point of view.

    First of all, it is famous as a fashion street, but we cant ignore other parts, can we? The most famous one is called musical.

    Musical?

    Rudger remembered Pinion and knew that he was working hard, but work and effort is usually not proportional to performance. However, rumors say that the musical was well received, and that yed a role in attracting people.

    In fact, even among other teachers, people are envious of those who get tickets for musicals.

    Its surprising that its popr even among teachers.

    Oh, and its worth seeing the streets of culture and art. Was it said that the street itself was a painting? I heard that students oftene to watch.

    Rudger nodded and suddenly questioned. Studentse often? They didnt recognize him, did they?

    * * *

    Cheryl Wagner walked lightly along the street lit by the warm sun.

    Now, before summer camepletely, it was the most suitable weather to go around outside, so she couldnt go around like this unless it was at this time.

    Cheryl visited [Royal Street] which is said to be popr among students recently.

    Originally, I wanted toe out with Flora, but she couldnt.

    The reason was that she rejected Cheryls offer at once because Flora didnt like to go around outside Theon.

    Cheryl came out on her own, feeling sorry, but she couldnt help it.

    Yeah, well, Im going to enjoy myself and go back.

    It is also true that she is worried about Flora, who is left alone even if she says so.

    Flora is a child who pretends to be blunt on the outside but is soft on the inside, so she probably thinks about Cheryl who went out alone.

    Im going to buy a souvenir for Flora on my way back.

    Cheryl, who was walking on the street with that thought, stopped walking because she found a familiar person on the street where many people walked around.

    Teacher Merylda?

    Cheryl recognized Merylda at once.

    As a second-year student, she had no contact with a first-year teacher like Merylda, but she couldnt help but know because Cheryl listens to all the stories inside Theon.

    Merylda, wearing a hat, was staring somewhere, hiding herself under the streemp.

    No matter how much Cheryl looked at her, she stood out.

    What the hell are you looking at?

    Cheryl followed Merylda gaze and saw the inside of a restaurant crowded with customers. She was familiar with two of them and her pupils dted.

    Wow! Its Mr. Rudger and teacher Selina, right?

    There are many teachers in Theon, and there is always a big debate when asked to pick a famous person among them.

    There were many prominent teachers however, there was no disagreement among new teachers, or among the most famous teachers recently.

    Rudger Chelici as a male teacher and Selina as a female teacher, both were popr among students because of their looks and had outstanding skills.

    Those two people are now sharing a meal together at a restaurant.

    What? What? What are you two doing? Date? This is a date, right?

    The kind Selina, who smiled at everyone, and Rudger, who always looked expressionless or cold, stood opposite each other.

    However, looking at the two people sitting face to face like that, Cheryl felt like she was looking at a painting.

    Selina, who talks with a bright smile like spring, and Rudger, who is silent but listens and nods his head.

    She didnt want to admit it, but there was a strangely fitting part.

    Oh, my God. I cant believe I found such an interesting situation!

    Cheryl didnt want to miss this scoop because she was exposed to all kinds of rumors and information within Theon.

    Did the two teachers have that kind of rtionship?

    Suddenly, Cheryl remembered something.

    Wait. What about Flora?

    Her friend Flora would not admit it, but Cheryl knew that shes particrly interested in things rted to Rudger.

    But if Selina and Rudger are like that, what about Flora?

    Cheryl shook her head and shook off her anxious thoughts.

    No, its not. I dont think so. They are just having a meal together as co-workers. Im sure thats the case.

    However, Cheryl felt that her love sensor was responding violently from a while ago. She didnt know about Rudger, but for now, Selinas attitude was almost certain.

    Looking at her eyes and her smile anyone could see that she was interested in Rudger.

    Its a big deal!

    Flora has a rival.

    No, it wasnt just a rival, it was a very big barrier.

    Selina has a pretty face, a good personality, and even a high enough position because she is a teacher of Theon.

    Although she might be amoner, whats wrong with that these days?

    Im happy just to watch good men and women go around together, but Flora is more precious to me!

    Cheryl thought that nothing was confirmed yet.

    Im sorry from teacher Selina, but Mr. doesnt know how she feels yet, doesnt he? So theres still a chance.

    However, the important thing was that if the date was sessful now, Flora could be at a disadvantage.

    Cheryl came up with an answer after much thought.

    Lets just wait and see. If I think its a little dangerous while watching, I can always interfere.

    Although it was for Flora, the biggest reason was that she thought it would be fun to be honest.

    Cheryl immediately went into a nearby store and bought some clothes then changed into them to hide her identity and even wore sunsses on her face.

    Her disguise was perfect. Now she just had to wait and see how things would go but there was someone who watched Cheryls appearance with an absurd expression.

    Whats that?

    Hans, who was watching the situation through the newspaper, suddenly found it difficult to suppress his feelings when he saw the new person that was watching Rudger.

    Shes a student, but why did she dress up as soon as she saw brother?

    She felt something was wrong with the student.

    Are they aiming for something from brother?

    Theon is thergest academy on the continent and even the students who attend there should not be seen as ordinary children.

    Maybe that student knew something and was aiming for Rudger.

    Damn it. Im in trouble. Theres someone I need to watch, but I didnt expect another one to appear.

    It would have been better if the problems ended there.

    Hans, who turned his eyes to Cheryl Wagner, opened his eyes when he looked at the restaurant.

    Oh?

    A familiar person just entered the entrance of the restaurant.

    Hans did not have the ability to distinguish people by their backs, but the hair color that seemed familiar was clearly present in Hans memory.

    How could he not know that blue hair that was like the sky and the sea.

    The detective who followed brother three years ago!

    Casey Selmore and her assistant Betty entered the restaurant where Rudger was dining.

    Its driving me crazy!

    Hans felt dizzy.

    * * *

    Rudger drew information from several stories told by Selina and saw that the situation on Royal Street in the report was not an exaggeration.

    In a sense, the content of the report wasckingpared to the real peoples perception.

    Even so, I didnt know that not only students but also teachers would be interested.

    Rudger lent business ideas for sess, and did not hesitate to invest. It was a choice made knowing that he would seed, but he was a little dumbfounded by the much bigger achievement than he expected.

    I used my knowledge based on my memories of living on Earth, but its much more than I expected.

    Come to think of it, he was far from cultural life and was mainly devoted to studying. It was the same in his past life, and nothing has changed much now.

    As a result, he had knowledge of cultural life, but he couldnt calcte how much it would resonate with people.

    Should I say this is good or not?

    With such arge scale, the city of Leathervelk naturally had no choice but to pay attention.

    Other aristocrats will notice the industry on Royal Street and try to copy it or take it away.

    The real purpose hasnt even started yet.

    This is just a basic step. In the future, Royal Street will expand its influence throughout Leathervelks city.

    It allowed children, the elderly, and women to take charge of the workce and collect information faster and more reliably.

    The heart of a huge informationwork made up of only members of society was the role this street will y.

    By covering the entire city hell know everything that happens.

    As a result, its a good thing, so its right to be happy.

    Rudger took a sip of the coffee that came with the meal and organized his thoughts. Then a new customer sat at the empty table next to him.

    By the way, Casey, why did you suddenly ask me to go here?

    Im here to eat because this is a famous restaurant these days.

    Thene alone. Why are you dragging me too? You know I cant eat anyway!

    If you pretend to eat, it will be okay. Besides, how can a person eat alone?

    You always do that when Im not around since you dont have any friends.

    Youre not going to be quiet?

    The voices of the two bickering women sounded familiar.

    As Rudger naturally turned his eyes, his opponent was also turning her head this way.

    What?

    What?

    What?

    Just as Rudger recognized his opponent, his opponent recognized Rudger too.

    Casey Selmore stared at Rudger with a look of disbelief.

 Chapter 236

    C236: Chance Encounter (3)

    Why are you here?

    Thats what I was going to say.

    Casey Selmore stares at Rudger in disbelief since she didnt expect to meet Rudger in a ce like this, but neither did Rudger.

    No way, did you follow me?

    At Caseys words, Rudger frowned.

    I think youre mistaking something, but its me that came here first and was eating. If I had to argue, you are the one that followed me.

    Ha. Funny. Me? For what?

    Casey sighed and replied.

    Selina, who was still listening to the conversation between the two, opened her mouth.

    Do you know her?

    There was a tension in her voice. Selina felt a sense of crisis the moment she saw Casey Selmore.

    An acquaintance of Mr. Rudger?

    Maybe its just an acquaintance, but looking at him talking to her, they seemed to be quite close. If the two had heard it, they would have denied it, but that was how Selina felt.

    In addition, Casey Selmore was a beauty.

    Casey opened her eyes wide to see Selinas appearance.

    She was the teacher from back then, right?

    Selina may not remember, but Casey knew Selina. In fact, all Casey knew was that she was the teacher that Rudger saved from the burning warehouse on thest day of the festival.

    However, as soon as she saw the two people meeting and eating like this, Casey thought so without realizing it.

    Date?

    What?

    Selina reacted furiously to Caseys muttering. In fact, it was more of an exmation of half joy.

    Dont be mistaken. I just ran into teacher Selina and we shared a meal together.

    Then Rudger stepped up and corrected Caseys misunderstanding. Selina was sullen at the words, but Casey wondered on the contrary.

    Do you usuallye to eat together because you ran into each other?

    This is a famous restaurant where reservations are hard to make, however Rudgers confident behavior meant he told the truth.

    No, you never know. Maybe this vicious man is trying to seduce an innocent female teacher and do something behind her back.

    Rudger felt Caseys disturbing gaze, but he didnt feel the need to correct that.

    I dont know what youre thinking, but if you came to eat, it would be nice to just eat quietly and go.

    What?

    It was pure coincidence that we encountered each other in the first ce. Nothing would change if we talk about it.

    What? Above all, it is a nuisance to other customers. Are you going to make a lot of noise in public?

    Casey shut up at Rudgers blow and her clenched fist trembled.

    Rudgers words were certainly irrefutable.

    Its really unfair. Am I supposed to hear this from James Moriarty?

    Would it feel like this when the criminal of the century scolds her for throwing trash on the street?

    Casey, sit down.

    Betty, who came with her, also nagged Casey.

    There were no allies here who stood by her.

    The rational judgment was right to sit quietly however there was one problem.

    I dont want to listen to him!

    Casey knew in her head that it was enough to sit still, eat, and leave but her heart refused to listen. She felt like she would lose something if she listened to Rudger.

    Normally, she wouldnt have done that, but when she was involved with Rudger, her rational judgment was blurred.

    Even though she knew it, it was hard to extinguish her simmering sense ofpetition.

    He, he.

    When Casey was worried about this and that, Betty, who couldnt watch, grabbed Caseys hand.

    Sit down.

    As a special automaton, her strength is far higher than that of ordinary people and Casey was forced to sit down by Betty but she did not forget to stare at Rudger with a re of frustration.

    I sat down because I wanted to sit down. I didnt sit down because you told me to sit down.

    .

    Who said that?

    He didnt know whats wrong with her, but Rudger agreed and decided to move on. He had a hunch that if he didnt, he might be swept away by more troublesome things.

    Betty frowned at Caseys behavior, but bowed to Rudger and Selina.

    Im sorry. Casey is not very sociable, so I apologize for her.

    Whos bad at socializing?

    Who do you think it is?

    Rudger ignored the two who started bickering and decided to focus on the meal.

    His gaze stayed on Betty, who bowed to him for a moment, but it was only for a moment so no one noticed him.

    Hmph.

    Casey ignored him and nced discontentedly at Rudger eating his meal.

    Meeting today was pure coincidence. There was nothing strange about dismissing it as an unexpected incident and moving over it.

    She wanted to ignore it but she kept worrying about it since seeing Rudger eating with Selina made her feel sick. Her fingers kept tapping on the table because she felt stuffy inside.

    Casey was mad because she was having a hard time, while Rudger was enjoying a date with a pretty female teacher.

    You dont deserve it.

    Why are you so nonchnt after all that?

    Why are you so rxed when youre still fighting the ck Dawn Society?

    Now she couldnt tell whether Rudgers appearance was fake or real. To be honest, she didnt know.

    Casey admitted for the first time that she didnt know anything and raised the white g for the first time.

    Casey, whats wrong with your face?

    What?

    You keep groaning like a dog.

    Dog? Why dont you just cool off if you want to swear?

    Oh, my. When did I do that?

    I think thats what you meant.

    Betty hurriedly excused herself as Casey opened her eyes and nced helplessly.

    More than that, Im worried about Casey. Of course, Caseys usual behavior is so extraordinary that itsfortable for me to stay still.

    You talk like a mother who brought out a child who doesnt listen to her.

    But Caseys doing well.

    Is that so?

    Im starting to feel anxious that something bigger might explode.

    .

    A tendon sprang up over Caseys forehead.

    Still, she thought that Betty was worried about her, but she was rather anxious.

    Youwere you looking at me like that?

    When asked so while suppressing her boiling anger, Betty countered as if she had something to say this time.

    Casey, you dont even remember what you did to me, do you?

    What?

    Look at that. That attitude. I think Ill go crazy because such a person suddenly closes her mouth.

    From Bettys point of view, it would have been better if Casey had a fling as usual. She resented herself for adapting to such a weirdo, but what could she do?

    She may think its annoying, but at least she could think of her as her usual self.

    But Casey, who is so depressed, doesnt fit.

    .

    Caseys lips twitched at Bettys words. However, she soon nodded.

    I see. That wasnt like me.

    Casey smirked at her remark and felt like herplicated head was getting clearer.

    What on earth was I so worried about? I just have to act like my usual self.

    When Caseys expression brightened, Betty was relieved by her appearance. After that, he suddenly felt uneasy.

    Wait. Did I press the wrong switch?

    Unfortunately, Bettys anxiety has be reality.

    Casey stood up straight from her seat and began to cast a spell. The overflowing water moved the table and stuck it next to Rudgers table.

    Looking back at Rudger and Selina who were wondering what was going on, Casey said brazenly.

    Its fate that we met like a whole lot, so lets sit together.

    .

    Ignoring the absurd gazes, Casey smiled and Betty shook her head when she saw it. Casey, who is now in that state, couldnt be stopped by anyone.

    I have no choice but to pray that this will end safely.

    * * *

    Whats with her?

    Merylda, who was secretly watching the inside of the restaurant, was angry at the behavior of an uninvited guest who suddenly intervened.

    Selinas date!

    Looking at the uninvited guest, Merylda felt anxious.

    She was pretty while her sky-blue like hair was also attractive and she also had a unique temperament.

    In addition, the two seemed to have known each other for a long time from the way she talked to Rudger without hesitation and Rudgers behavior of epting her words.

    Someone he knew appeared here. This will ruin Selinas date!

    Merylda agonized and thought about how to support Selina.

    No, its toote to think about it now. This was Selinas first chance in a long time, and I cant let her ruin it.

    Merylda realized that she had to break into the scene herself and made up her mind but at the moment when she pulled herself away from the streetmp and approached the restaurant.

    Oh, my, Merylda!

    Merylda was startled when someone called her and when she turned her head, she saw a student with lemon-colored hair.

    Excuse me, who are you?

    Oh, you dont know. My name is Cheryl Wagner. Im a second-year student at Theon.

    What brings you here?

    My major is curses so I wanted to have a deep conversation with teacher Merylda at least once but I didnt expect to see you here!

    Of course, Cheryl didnt want to talk to Merylda because her major was not curses. However, he noticed that Merylda wanted to intervene in that situation and tried to stop her.

    She didnt expect a blue-haired woman to break into that situation all of a sudden, but that was better for Cheryl.

    If Selina and Rudgers date didnt go down like this, Flora would have a chance.

    Merylda and Cheryls eyes shed in the air.

    Shes trying to disturb me.

    Im sorry, but you have to stay still for Flora.

    Merylda and Cheryl were about to fight and Hans, who was secretly watching the two, was surprised by the unexpected situation.

    Whats wrong with those two?

    Were they enemies?

    Hans thought it was an opportunity since two people who are wary of each other are colliding, so he could send a signal to Rudger in this gap.

    I need your help.

    Hans immediately called a mouse and handed it a note.

    Give this to brother.

    The content of the note was a warning because a suspicious person was following him.

    At first, he thought about calling a crow, but soon shook his head.

    If he called a crow here, he would stand out. Rather, it was cleaner to have a mouse leave a note quietly.

    If it doesnt get caught, there wont be any damage to the restaurant.

    With that in mind, Hans sent a mouse to the restaurant. It was a simple matter since it just had to deliver a note anyway.

    A mouse with a note in its mouth ran toward the restaurant through the crowd and, after a while.

    Kyyyaaaaaaa!!!

    A huge water st erupted from one side of the restaurant.

    Huh??

    Hans stared nkly at the scene.

 Chapter 237

    C237: Chance Encounter (4)

    Next chapter Thursday.

    So how did you two meet? Whats your rtionship?

    Casey immediately asked Selina a question after joining their tables together.

    Selina, who was trying to question what she was doing, answered as if she was caught up in the baptism of questions flying like a rapid firearm.

    Well, Mr. Rudger and I are teachers of the same year.

    Wow! Really? May I ask what your major is?

    Spiritual Studies.

    Oh! Thats cool! Spirits? Usually, people say that its hard to learn that unless youre born with an affinity.

    Right?

    Originally, she was supposed to be angry, but she was swept away by Caseys words because Selina was weak.

    Rudger looked at Caseys behavior with disapproval but Casey ignored Rudgers gaze and naturally continued the conversation.

    So what brings you here with Mr. Rudger? Its a date, right?

    Oh, no! What do you mean a date! Its not like that!

    Casey felt as if she had been stabbed by a needle at Selinas violent reaction.

    Selina seemed to like Rudger but Casey felt sorry for her.

    Such a pretty girl fell for such a bad man.

    In fact, Rudgers behavior was nothing more than his attitude toward his co-workers but she made it like an unrequited love. Furthermore, Rudgers real identity was not as demure as he seemed.

    I cant do this. Im going to help you.

    Casey was going to interrupt Rudgers date passionately, as if she were saving a person. Then Selina couldnt resist her curiosity and asked.

    Well, how did you two get to know each other?

    Selina sensed that there was something between Rudger and Casey.

    Caseys behavior of recognizing Rudger and talking to him naturally was the same, but she didnt show her feelings normally, so she showed off that she didnt like Rudger.

    Its not an ordinary rtionship since Mr. Rudger responded like that.

    Although Rudgers reaction was no different from irritation, Selina felt that it was simr to the behavior shown between close friends.

    Its probably an illusion, right? Its an illusion.

    Casey prayed earnestly.

    Oh, youYou mean this guy, right? We just came across it by chance. Of course, were not that close. Thats about it.

    You dont have to worry too much because youre a useless person who only bothers me.

    Casey was furious at Rudgers reply.

    What? No, wait. Isnt that a little too much to say?

    I just said the obvious thing.

    I agree with that.

    Betty, who was still listening, also helped Rudger.

    Its funny. Youre worse than an inconvenience.

    HmmIsnt that your personal opinion?

    Selinasplexion darkened when she saw the two squabbling.

    You two are very close.

    Selinas eyes turned to the fork in her hand.

    What is this?

    Casey trembled at the sudden chill and she just felt that her life was threatened.

    Casey looked at Selina. It may be an illusion, but her eyes looked empty as if she had a moment of darkness.

    Its probably not, right? Its an illusion, right?

    When Casey thought so, Rudger looked down and saw that small mouse was looking up with a note in his mouth.

    Hans?

    Rudger naturally epted the note from the mouse, just in case others would see it. The inside of the note contained a warning message.

    Did someone follow me?

    Rudger deliberately pretended not to know anything and acted naturally. If he shows it here, the person following him may notice something strange.

    Rudger handed a nut to the mouse that brought the note, saying, Good job.

    The mouse bit it with its front teeth and quickly backed away.

    The mouse, trying to escape the publics gaze and return to its owner, moved under the table but brushed Casey Selmores ankle.

    !

    Casey shuddered at the touch of her ankle and her head didnt understand what happened now.

    The mouse that she hates so much touched her body and her instinct recognized it in a very instant at the same time she also acted.

    Casey used her mana and the moisture in the atmosphere quickly began to gather around her as arge spray of water spewed out to the outside of the restaurant.

    The tableware flew away and the table flipped over.

    It was a bolt out of the blue for the people inside the restaurant, and people walking through the streets outside stopped and watched the scene.

    Whats going on?

    Did the sewer burst?

    As peoples eyes turned to one ce, a wet mouse crossed the street and returned to Hans.

    The mouse proudly showed the nuts he was biting and raised his front feet as if to be praised by Hans.

    Uh

    Hans felt something was wrong.

    * * *

    Oh.

    Before Casey Selmore started the spray Rudger moved quickly as soon as the mana reaction came out of her body.

    Immediately, he got up from his seat, approached Selina, and instantly used a spell with [source code].

    He created a protective magic to protect Selina and him. Soon after, the spray broke out, but Rudgers quick response did not cause any damage to the two.

    Miss Selina, are you all right?

    What? Yes.

    It happened so quickly that Selina waste to grasp the situation and it wasnt until Casey magic broke out that Selina realized that Rudger had saved her. And the warm yet tough hand that holds one of her shoulders must be Rudgers.

    Selinas face was red and exploded.

    Well, well, Rou, Mr. Rudger. The hand

    Looking at the restaurant that quickly became a mess, Rudger caught Selina and led her.

    If it wasnt for this chance, he wouldnt have had a chance to get rid of that annoying woman.

    I didnt expect it, but it worked.

    Casey probably acted like that because of the mouse. In other words, the series of events that happened now was an ident.

    Rudger thought it was rather fortunate that Hans warned him about someone following him.

    The best option was to take advantage of the current disturbance and leave the restaurant so Rudger immediately took Selina out of the restaurant. The action was so stealthy and natural, that the eyes could be deceived.

    Wait a minute!

    Casey immediately tried to catch Rudger, who disappeared with Selina, but the situation was not on her side.

    What the hell is going on here?

    Casey, who detonated a water bomb inside the store, was embarrassed by the eyes of those who rebuked her.

    Oh, no, so the mouse.

    What? What do you mean? What do you mean mouse when our restaurant is so clean? Are you sure you saw it right?

    No, I didnt see it, but I acted reflexively.

    So you did this without any conviction?

    Casey had nothing to say, even with ten mouths.

    Obviously, it felt like a mouse that passed by her feet. However, the mouse had already disappeared, and now it was unclear whether it was a real mouse.

    No way. This guy?

    Casey immediately recalled Rudgers face.

    The idea that Rudger might have yed a trick to get rid of her was crazy. However, no one could listen to her voice even if sheined of injustice immediately.

    The guests who had their meal interrupted were staring at Casey with cold eyes.

    Betty! Help me!

    Eventually, she asked Betty for help, but there was no reply from her either.

    Betty?

    Looking closely, Betty was stiff in her posture and Casey felt sick the moment she saw it.

    She got water in her body?

    Betty is an automatonposed of very precise machines. It is said that she is waterproof but the effect is not that good since she couldnt withstand the water spray.

    Bettys body, which had stopped, tilted to the side and fell to the floor. The manager of the restaurant, who saw the scene, hurried up to Betty, examined her condition, and shouted in surprise.

    Shes dead!

    Shes not dead!

    She doesnt breathe! So shes dead!

    That!

    Thats true.

    Casey was stunned.

    What? A person died?

    Is it murder?

    Oh, my God. Murder in broad daylight!

    The atmosphere of the store was unusual. People who checked what happened outside also heard the news and rumors began to intensify.

    Oh, my God, a murder in a restaurant.

    Murder in such broad daylight. Just how much she hated the other person?

    Its not like that!

    Casey protested, but no one believed her.

    Argh! Rudger Chelici!

    There was nothing she could do but shout the mans name out loud as she watched Rudger disappear with Selina.

    * * *

    Selina thought she was dreaming.

    Rudger protected her, even held hands and led her.

    She wanted to hold his hand a little longer but she didnt want to miss this warmth.

    The fantasy moment ended in the end. Rudger, who decided that he was far enough from the restaurant, stopped and let go of her hand.

    Ah.

    Selinamented because she wanted the moment tost longer.

    Im sorry, Selina.

    Yes?

    Selina asked back in embarrassment at Rudgers sudden apology.

    You must have been interrupted by me for no reason.

    No, Mr. Rudger has done nothing wrong.

    Thats what she said, but it was painful for Selina to be disturbed from her long meal.

    Whats next?

    Originally, she was going to decide on the next destination while eating leisurely. However, a series of unintended incidents disrupted her ns and now she had to make an excuse not to be separated from Rudger.

    Rudger stared at Selina silently.

    At the restaurant a while ago, I had a strange feeling.

    For a moment, he felt appalled by Selina.

    Does she still have the remnants of Esmeralda?

    No. She Esmeralda disappeared so maybe there was a remnant of Quasimodo.

    Teacher Selina.

    Yes?

    I have a question for you. What happened to your spirits after the festival?

    Ah.

    Rudgers questions were quite rambling, but Selina felt relieved to be able to continue the conversation for now.

    For now, I signed a contract with a new intermediate spirit, but the children I used to call are still resting.

    I see.

    On thest day of the festival Selinas three intermediate spirits spent too much energy fighting Quasimodo and were resting now.

    In other words, there is a big gap for Selina, who used to have three intermediate spirits. Fortunately, Selina seemed to have signed a contract with a new spirit.

    Do you happen to know which spirit you have signed the contract with?

    First of all, there are two spirits. One is the Spirit of Water, and the other is.

    Selina showed a moment of hesitation as she tried to speak and Rudger was suspicious of her appearance.

    Whats the other one?

    Dont be surprised. I havent shown it to others yet.

    Selina whispered quietly so that only Rudger could hear it, then closed her eyes and called her spirit.

    Selina put her hands forward and Rudgers gaze also naturally turned to her palms.

    Soon Selinas magic disappeared, and a ball of ck cotton appeared on her palms.

    This is

    Its a spirit of darkness.

    Spirit of darkness?

    Rudger was surprised and looked at the ck ball of cotton on Selinas palm. Then the ball of ck cotton opened its white round eyes and rushed toward Rudger.

 Chapter 238

    C238: Chance Encounter (5)

    Rudger unwittingly reached out and grabbed the spirit of darkness running toward his face.

    While amazed by the soft touch felt at the fingertips, he wondered at the sudden unexpected behavior shown by the spirit of darkness.

    The spirit is not afraid of me?

    Rudger, who deals with the power of God, is a being that spirits shun. Of course, the attitude towards him varies depending on the ss of the spirit.

    Intermediate spirits can cooperate with him if they agree but usually they tend to be hostile or reluctant towards Rudger.

    But as soon as he saw me, he rushed in.

    Is it full of courage or fearless? Or, unlike its appearance, it might be a fairly high level spirit.

    Oh, my.

    When Selina saw her spirit spring on Rudger screamed when she realized it was caught in one hand.

    Mr. Rudger, are you okay?

    Yes.

    Rudger held out the spirit in his hand. Even at the moment when Rudgers hand held him, it was staring at him all the time.

    Selina epted the ball of ck cotton and sped it in her arms.

    You cant run wild.

    The spirit showed a disapproving expression but Selina held it with a stern look on her face.

    It was like a mother scolding her child no matter how Rudger looked at it.

    Its amazing. I didnt expect it to be a spirit of darkness.

    Oh, yes. Ive only heard of it, but this is the first time Ive ever seen it.

    What are the reactions of other spirits teachers?

    Youre the first person to see it, Mr. Rudger.

    Oh.

    Rudger patted his chin and examined the spirit of darkness.

    Thats incredible.

    The scarcity and value of a spirit of darkness, at least within his knowledge, could not be guessed. However, Selina did not seem to know much about the rareness of this spirit.

    It would be better to tell her in advance now so that she wouldnt be surprisedter.

    Teacher Selina, do you know what kind of spirit the spirit of darkness is?

    What?

    Looking at her reaction, he didnt think she knew it well.

    Isnt the spirit of darkness just a rare spirit?

    Its not so simple. Teacher Selina, what do you think darkness is?

    Uh Do I have to answer now?

    Selina was embarrassed by Rudgers sudden showing off his teacher side as if some switch was flipped.

    What do you think?

    Selina seriously pondered and came up with the answer because it was an atmosphere where she had to answer.

    The darkness is literally ck with nothing. Isnt it the opposite of light?

    People usually think so, but.

    From Rudgers reaction, Selina felt sullen because she seemed wrong.

    Teacher Selina, what would it be like if there was nothing in this world?

    Nothing?

    Yes. Grass, trees,nd, wind, water and even light. Aplete nkness and emptiness without any of it. What do you think that is?

    That is

    Selinas eyes were on the spirit in her arms without realizing it.

    No way, this kid.

    Thats right. Its the darkness.

    Rudger pointed to the narrow street where Selina was standing. At the shadows cast on the road, to be exact.

    A state of absence where there is nothing. Thats what darkness is. The opposite of light is not darkness. The absence of light and everything else is darkness.

    Then

    The fundamental significance of the element of darkness is that it is muchrger and vaster than you think.

    For example, there is night after sunset but there is noplete darkness in the dark.

    Even in the dark forest where there is no light, there is something visible. This is because the starlight and moonlight in the sky are present in very weak amounts, but light exists.

    Any object reflects light although it is very weak. Therefore, schrs sometimes call the concept of darkness minimization of light because it was practically impossible for light to not exist.

    The same goes for dark attribute magic. In the end, dark attribute magic is nothing more than imitating darkness with mana.

    The same is true in the case of Rudgers magic beast, [Aether Nocturnus]. It looks like a ck shadow, but it also could not be consideredplete darkness. Therefore, even in the Tower, [Colour] titles are given for each attribute element but the ck spot that represents darkness always remained empty.

    But Selinas spirit of darkness is pure darkness without any impurities.

    Considering that spirits are spiritual beings born from pure natural elements the spirit of darkness was not just a fake imitated by magic, but real darkness.

    Maybe its a really great spirit.

    What? This kid is that impressive?

    Selina didnt understand Rudgers way of talking because the spirit of darkness she held in her arms was so small and cute.

    Rudger patted his chin as if thinking for a moment and opened his mouth.

    It may sound like a random question, but do you believe in God?

    Uh, um. maybe? If its a matter of believing or not believing, Im probably on the believing side.

    Why do you believe?

    Selina was taken aback by the question, but answered calmly.

    There are many people who believe in God, and in fact, there are events like Gods grace recorded in history.

    Then let me ask you something else. Do you think demons exist?

    I heard many rumors about them but I dont believe in them.

    Selina thought Rudger was kidding, but Rudger seriously asked back.

    Why do you think they dont exist?

    There are no demons, are there?

    Can you prove to me that they dont exist?

    Selina was speechless at Rudgers words.

    Basically, proof is a word limited to existence.

    Rudger, who saw Selina confused because she didnt understand, smiled and said.

    Miss Selina, for those who believe there is a God, it is easy to prove it. Because if you show me just one proof that God exists, thats enough.

    Yes?

    But on the other hand, to say that demons dont exist, you have to prove everyone that there are no demons anywhere in the world.

    At the word everyone, Selina widened her eyes.

    She understood what Rudger was trying to say.

    Yes. Even if I im that there are no demons, there might be demons somewhere in the world that have gone unnoticed by anyone.

    Selina was also interested in Rudgers theory and showed that she had not be a teacher at Theon for nothing.

    Thats right. Proof of existence is easy, but proof of absence is impossible. And that child.

    Rudger pointed to the spirit of darkness Selina held in her arms.

    The spirit of darkness is literally born out of pure darkness. Darkness is theplete absence of light. It proves its absence.

    So thats what it was.

    Selina nodded as if she understood why Rudger said this after seeing the spirit of darkness.

    Selina, who realized something, asked, while shivering.

    Then youre not going to experiment with this kid or anything, are you?

    Why would I do that?

    Huh? You werent?

    Im just telling you because I dont think you know what your new contracted spirit is worth.

    In the first ce, Rudger had little interest in spirits.

    If I was interested in spirits and wanted to research them, shouldnt I have contracted a spirit?

    Oh, yes.

    Selina recalled that Rudger was hated by spirits.

    In fact low level spirits avoided Rudger because they were scared of him.

    But why did this child run to Teacher Rudger?

    I dont know about that either.

    Rudger said so and stared at the ball of cotton in Selinas arms. It was also staring at Rudger as if it wouldnt lose.

    Even as he was wondering about the spirits unexined hostility, Rudger felt a strange sense of dj vu.

    What is the name of this newly contracted spirit?

    Oh, you mean this kid?

    Selina said with a smile.

    Its Esmeralda.

    * * *

    At the scene where people gathered after the water spray broke out, Merylda and Cheryl realized that they had no more reason to fight.

    I missed Selina!

    Mr. Rudger is gone!

    Rudger and Selina disappeared in the sudden disturbance.

    Merylda and Cheryl were on opposite ends, but they were both worried.

    Merylda was worried that because of her anxiety Selina wouldnt be able to do something on her own while Cheryl worried that something might happen because the two of them were together.

    What should I do? I cant find them by myself.

    What can I do? If this continues, their date will end safely.

    The two, who were agonizing over different issues, locked eyes.

    Until we find them.

    Lets move together.

    A temporary alliance was thus formed.

    However, just because the number of hands increased from one to two, finding a missing person seemed far away.

    Where did the two go?

    Shouldnt they have moved to the most likely ce to go in this area?

    For example?

    A dating spot?

    There are many attractions on Royal Street, but only one of them was a dating spot.

    Musical theater!

    It is rumored that if youe to Royal Street, you must stop by at least once.

    She didnt know about Rudger but she was sure Selina would have offered Rudger to go there. However, the problem here was that the two did not know the geography of this ce yet.

    There was a long way to go because there were so many people walking around, even if they were looking for a sign.

    They didnt want to waste their time in this spot since they had to find Rudger and Selina as soon as possible, thus they had to find someone who knew the geography of this ce well.

    However, no matter how much they looked around the street, they could only see people from the outside.

    Ill miss it like this.

    Merylda and Cheryl saw a man.

    The sign of a beautiful woman who is in trouble.

    .

    .

    The beautiful blonde man with exotic skin looked rxed as if he hade out for a walk.

    No matter how they looked at him, they had no choice but to regard him as a resident living here, but the problem was his unique frivolity.

    I think Ill get tired if I get involved.

    Normally, she would have avoided him, but because of the situation, Merylda took courage as the older person and approached the man.

    Hey, I have a question.

    Yes, go ahead, beautiful girl. Do you happen to want a cup of tea? You have an eye for things.

    She couldnt believe he said that from the first time she met you. He was not an ordinary human being.

    What is this guy? Do I look easy?

    Merylda folded her arms thinking so.

    Im sorry. Whenever I see pretty people, I do this without realizing it.

    Well, then Ill let it go.

    Merylda fell for thepliment on the man.

    Miss Merida, your guard is too weak.

    Cheryl looked at them with a subtle gaze from the side. Meanwhile, the conversation between Merylda and the man continued.

    Oh, youre looking for the musical venue. I know it well. Ill show you around.

    Oh my! Thank you so much!

    Cheryl decided to follow along, although it was hard to believe.

    * * *

    Esmeralda?

    Yes.

    Why did you name it that way?

    I just had that feeling. The name Ive heard many times in my dreams. I thought there was a good reason why this kid made a contract with me.

    Is that so?

    Rudger recalled Esmeralda, who was supposed to be Selinas real personality.

    She was bound by Quasimodo and acted like a doll, but became free and rose to heaven.

    Surely that spirit has nothing to do with the actual Esmeralda. Even if its simr, its only the ck that resembles the color of her hair.

    I think its a good name.

    Selinas expression brightened at his words.

    She thought that if she continued like this she could naturally suggest the next destination to Rudger.

    When Selina was nervous about how to bring it up, Esmeralda, the spirit of darkness in Selinas arms, trembled and was summoned back as if running away.

    Esmeralda?

    Rudgers face, which was still, suddenly became seriously cold.

    Mr. Rudger?

    Selina called his name, but Rudger did not respond to her. His eyes were fixed at the end of a narrow street where there were no people.

    Rudger has always been calm, but this time it was different.

    Is he afraid?

    Rudger was clearly showing fear.

    Surprised that there was something that Rudger Chelici was afraid of, Selinas eyes naturally turned to where Rudger was watching.

    There was a beautiful blonde girl like a doll there. She wore a wine-colored dress with a lot of frills and a parasol to cover the sunlight in one hand. She looked like a woman from an aristocratic familying out for a walk alone.

    The girl was staring at them, standing still on the spot and Selina wondered what she was here for.

    As soon as her red eyes passed her, Selina trembled without realizing it.

    Somewhat, a strange feeling.

    Then the girls pink lips moved.

    Its been a while, my student.

 Chapter 239

    C239: Bloody reunion (1)

    Chapter sponsored byGerald.Thank you for your support.

    Student?

    At the blonde girls words, Selina doubted her ears for a moment.

    Is she talking about Mr. Rudger?

    While Selina was confused, Rudger whispered quietly so that Selina only could hear him.

    Teacher Selina.

    Yes.

    No matter what happens from now on, save your words.

    What?

    This is advice and warning. You should never interrupt the conversation and stay still.

    Rudger has never spoken with such a serious face and Selina nodded slightly nervous.

    Rudger turned again and headed for the blonde girl.

    Long time no see, teacher.

    Selina was shocked inside that it wasnt just nonsense from a crazy girl. But remembering what Rudger said, she remained calm.

    Long time no see? Hmm. How long has it been? I dont think youve changed much since I fell asleep.

    Its been almost seven years if you look at the years alone.

    Seven years? Thats how long I was asleep.

    Rudger calmly answered what his teacher, Grander, asked.

    She was so unpredictable that he should not offend her at all.

    More than that, disciple.

    Yes, sir.

    You used my blood.

    .

    Rudger closed his eyes tightly and slowly opened them. In the end, what was toe came.

    My student has be very bold.

    Teacher.

    You even thought about touching this noble jade body cheekily. Besides, your skills have improved a lot. Although I fell asleep I didnt realize you drew my blood.

    Grander shook her head.

    I must be proud of my students outstanding achievement, but this teacher is strangely sad. Do you know why?

    .

    Answer.

    I dont know.

    When Rudger made an excuse a grin appeared on Granders face.

    My disciple took the blood of his heavenly teacher at will, and he even used it.

    .

    Well, I understand. My blood is the best magic reagent in the world. Everyone has no choice but to covet it.

    Grander slowly approached Rudger.

    Watching the scene, Selina was under the illusion that a huge tidal wave wasing.

    I heard the news on the way here. You published a new magic theory. Everyone was talking about it, so out of curiosity I saw it and I knew it was you.

    Is that why youre angry?

    Hahaha. Theres no way Ill get angry over just that.

    To Grander it didnt matter that after she fell asleep her student secretly took her blood and ran away or that he made a reputation for himself based on the magical knowledge she taught him.

    Compared to the years she has lived and the magical knowledge she has, that was insignificant.

    If there was anything ambiguous and a little annoying to call anger, it was this.

    You used my blood.

    Yes.

    Where did you use it?

    .

    Rudger was silent at her words because he used Granders blood as ast resort to strengthen the mechanical golem when he fought Quasimodo. It was because if he didnt use it, he would be at a disadvantage.

    However, Selina was here so it was hard for him to tell the truth.

    Esmeralda disappeared but it was not that Selina didnt know anything. Although she cannot remember it properly, it is undeniable that she is also involved in the situation.

    Hmm?

    Granders eyes turned to Selina, perhaps because she felt Rudgers difficulties. Her red eyes bent as if she had just seen her, who had been with Rudger for a while.

    Selina was not offended but when Grandes eyes touched her, she could not move like a frog in front of a snake.

    Its fascinating.

    Grande took a close look at Selina.

    The body and soul are separated. And yet its so natural. It can be called extreme craftsmanship.

    What?

    Selina unknowingly asked back at Granders iprehensible words.

    You dont know?

    What do you mean?

    Well, I dont mean to exin it kindly, but since Ive seen something strange for the first time in a long time, Ill show you mercy.

    It was the moment when Grander was going to say something. Rudger moved quickly and touched Selinas neck and her eyes closed gently as he caught her falling body.

    What are you doing my student?

    She cant know more than that teacher.

    Ho. I thought she knew everything, but were you keeping it a secret? Thats amazing. I thought she was the kid you took with you.

    Shes a co-worker.

    Co-worker?

    Grander put her index finger on the tip of her chin at the word and soon eximed, Ah!

    Yes. Now you are using the alias Rudger Chelici. What did they say? Did they say that he is a teacher at Theon Academy and the most famous person recently?

    Im ttered.

    Its not apliment. You silly asshole. Yeah, well, I can see that shes a clueless person. Thats still amazing. A spirit mimicking a human being.

    Grander saw through Selinas strangeness at once, even though she only looked with her eyes.

    Artificial spirits. Even though they are not the real masters of the body, they seem more real than the real ones. Besides, is this energy pure darkness? She even signed a contract with a Spirit of Darkness.

    Its the first time Ive seen teacher so amazed.

    Of course, its amazing. The soul of a man-made spirit with a human body, much less a contract with a spirit of darkness.

    Grander said so, but her reaction showed that was not very pleased.

    But thats all. Its ambiguous for me to take him and raise him. Whats already done is hard to change.

    Is that so?

    In addition, its the first time youve shown me something amazing. Theres no one Ive seen in my life for a long time thats more unusual than you.

    Grander continued, of course.

    Thats that and this is this. Lets continue the conversation that we couldnt have a little earlier. Why did I say I was angry?

    In the end its about that?

    How dare you try to escape like a loach? Your smugness has increased since I havent seen you but even so youre still under the palm of your heavenly teacher.

    So why are you angry?

    Actually, its more like annoyance than anger. If you used my blood, there must have been a reason for that, right?

    Yes.

    Rudger gave a brief description of what happened when he fought Quasimodo.

    An evil fire spirit born due to negative emotions. Its a shame I didnt see him in person.

    It was pretty strong.

    Of course. Negative emotions are that powerful. You cant deny that hes stronger than a high level spirit but that alone is not enough.

    At his masters ruthless words, Rudger trembled inwardly.

    Are you saying that you used my blood against such a thing?

    This is what Grander was annoyed about.

    Stealing her blood and borrowing some of her findings didnt matter to her at all. The important thing was where and how he used her precious blood.

    Rudgers use of her blood felt like an insult from Granders point of view.

    To use my precious blood on such a poor fellow. Did this teacher raise you so weak?

    That cant be true. How can I disagree with my teachers teaching?

    Then what is it? Is there any other reason why you used my blood when a drop is worth more than a gold coin?

    It just happened because this disciple was anxious.

    Rudger did not feel wronged despite Granders words since his teacher was qualified to say such a thing.

    Her mana reached the eight rank which he has not reached and she was a monster that lived for more than a thousand years.

    Who would dare to disregard a pure blood vampire?

    If you say so, the price to pay for the blood will be calcted easier.

    What can I do?

    Grander grinned at Rudgers reply.

    Dont be too afraid. This teacher is not as bad as you think.

    .

    Why are you not talking?

    How can Iin when my teacher says so? Im just speechless because Im so touched.

    The way you turn it around has be very artistic. While I was asleep, youpletely forgot the rod of love. This teacher is sad.

    I said it was a rod of love, but you used it because you were annoyed with me.

    Grandes smile deepened as if she had been waiting for his words.

    How can you disparage this teachers affection in that way? I tried to forgive you for your rudeness, but I changed my mind. I guess I have no choice but to remind you of my love again.

    I knew you didnt mean to forgive me from the beginning.

    Oh, thats arrogant.

    Granders voice was no different from that of a girl who wanted to y pranks.

    What a typical girl can do is throw a small pebble into a puddle of water or trample an ants nest with her feet.

    But for frogs, the pebbles are more dangerous than meteorites, and for ants, the world is falling apart.

    Granders pranks are simr to that.

    What would a vampire that lived for more than a thousand years do was too much for humans to handle.

    It looks like youve been through a lot while I was asleep and you wandered around the world.

    Yes.

    Then there must be something new that you learned and something that you honed. Im in a mood. Ill check my disciples achievements with my own eyes.

    Rudger sighed and let down his shoulders slightly but it cant be helped.

    [Aether Nocturnus]

    Rudger wrapped himself in a ck shadow and Grande burst outughing as if she was having fun at the sight.

    Water magic in the form of clothing? Haha! Just like you, a dark and silent wizard!

    At her words, Aether Nocturnus trembled as if he was angry, but Rudger calmed him down.

    First of all, this ce has a lot of eyes and the location is not good. Lets move to a better ce.

    Rudger said so and disappeared like a shadow.

    Grander watched as Rudger appeared at the center of an empty alleyway.

    Rudger, who jumped over space, slowly looked back.

    Youre fast.

    Grander was still in her spot but she quickly caught up with Rudger.

    Thats no fun. I am not surprised.

    Because I knew master would follow me.

    Your magic that goes beyond space its not bad. While I was asleep, you learned some pretty interesting misceneous skills.

    Despite the unprecedented disy of space magic, Grander called it a misceneous technique but Rudger was not hurt or pained by the words.

    Even so, this ce is too narrow and dirty. I think it smells.

    I cleaned the streets.

    It means that the city itself doesnt suit me very well. So set the ce further away.

    Grander said so and flicked her finger.

    At that moment, her shadow wriggled and moved from under her feet and stretched to Rudgers feet.

    Rudger watched the scene quietly and soon the shadow soon turned into a vortex and sucked in Rudger along with Grander.

    The two soon appeared in arge forest far away from Leathervelk.

    Is this a forest outside the city?

    Rudger saw the terrain and realized how far he hade.

    As soon as Grander saw Rudgers space movement magic, she copied it. However unlike Rudger who could only move himself, Grander could move others.

    Unlike Rudger, whose maximum distance is limited, they have moved more than tens of kilometers.

    I cant believe you copied this in a moment.

    Although Grander only copied it, what she showed was in apletely different ss.

    Rudger slowly raised his head. His eyes, swallowed by the dark shadow, were directed at Grander floating in the sky.

    It doesnt matter if you run a little wild here.

    Grander was still floating in the sky with a red parasol spread out.

    Show me everything youve learned and honed so far.

    Her eyes gleamed appallingly.

    If you dont want to die.

 Chapter 240

    C240: Bloody reunion (2)

    Teacher, do you have to do this?

    Rudger looked at his teacher and asked anxiously.

    She was his teacher, who usually lived in boredom but now she was purely happy like a child who received a gift box.

    Rudger said in a deep voice.

    Its a mistake.

    If he showed his magic, he thought she would just let it pass because he properly trained but the result was the opposite.

    Grander was delighted by Rudgers achievements and wanted to see more. She was like a child who received candy but wanted to eat something sweeter.

    The scary thing was that children who covet candy can be stopped by adults, but Grander is an absolute person that no one can stop. Her stubbornness was like a natural disaster.

    What are you talking about, student? Seeing something this interesting, I cant stop now, can I?

    .

    Youll have to do your best. Show me everything you learned while I was asleep so that I can feel better.

    It sounded like a joke, but she was serious.

    If you are my disciple, shouldnt you be able to give joy to this teacher who has lived for a long time? That would be fun for you, too.

    Im not having much fun.

    Enjoy. Its the teachersmand.

    Rudger had no choice but to sigh at her near-unstoppable remark. He knew that more persuasion was meaningless.

    Its still daylight, so I cant extract the maximum efficiency of Aether Nocturnus.

    But he didnt think it would be particrly advantageous even if it was night. On the contrary, his teacher would be more powerful during the night.

    Rudger pulled out his cane from the shadow. It was a luxurious gentlemans cane with a crow carved on the handle.

    Now that wevee this far, I cant back down.

    He had to do his best unless he wanted to die.

    Here we go.

    * * *

    Is this your first time here?

    What? Yes.

    Merylda answered Alexs question a little obnoxiously. However, even if she said so, she didnt particrly dislike Alexs interest in her and asking her questions.

    Youre a teacher at Theon, thats amazing. Isnt that a ce thats usually hard for wizards to go to?

    Well, it wasnt a big deal.

    Merylda pretended to be coy, but her mouth was on the verge of ascension. She may think she didnt make it obvious, but Alex, her opponent, and Cheryl, a third party, didnt have the same opinion.

    I thought you were a person who was hard to approach.

    Alex analyzed Merylda while keeping his smile on his face.

    Merylda had a cold-hearted image just by looking at her appearance, but she was unexpectedly soft on the inside. Contrary to the atmosphere that seemed like she met many men, the impression she gave wasnt so.

    Is she a person who only studied during her school days?

    Indeed. If she wanted to be a teacher at Theon, she had to study every day.

    It didnt really matter to Alex anyway.

    When I got a note from Hans asking for help, he was like, Whats the big deal?

    Someone followed Rudger so he approached her pretending to be a coincidence, but when he talked to her, she was not a dangerous person.

    I dont think I have to bother with her.But just in case, Ill have to fulfill my duties faithfully.

    Alex thought so and naturally led Merylda and Cheryl in different directions. The two may think that he was guiding them to the musical venue, but the reality was the opposite. Alex was leading them somewhere else.

    Well, the girl over there is quick-witted, so this wontst long either.

    At the very least, it would be able to dy them until Rudger left and if he got caught he could just cover it up with a smile.

    Rather than that, what is leader doing right now?

    Alex couldnt believe such cute and pretty girls were chasing him around.

    I envy the life of a popr person.

    Alex smiled inwardly and continued to lead the way. He wanted to live like Rudger.

    * * *

    Here we go.

    Rudger attacked first since Grander had a strong tendency to yield the first attack because of her position as an absolute powerhouse so Rudger tried his best to make the most of it as his teacher taught him.

    His spell waspleted quickly due to [source code]. As Rudger stretched out his cane, countless colorful spears of light appeared and shot at Grander.

    Ho. Its the magic that you showed me back then.

    Grander, who noticed at once that Rudger used Source Code, smiled and put mana in front of her as a round magic barrier appeared.

    The mana barrier that could be created without any attributes was also called the basis of defensive magic. However, if the eighth-rank wizard unfolds it, the story is different.

    A red mana shield that is much stronger than a normal barrier appeared and blocked the myriad spells that shed into it without suffering even a scratch.

    Im sure he doesnt know that either.

    She always added the adjective dumb in front of the name of her disciple but Grander didnt actually think Rudger was stupid. She wouldnt even look at him if he was a real idiot.

    In other words, this magic itself is a trick. He must have another objective.

    It was just as she thought since a sudden mana fluctuation appeared on her sides.

    Magic appeared inside the magic barrier. Grander noticed at once that the magic Rudger used transcended space as a big explosion of light happened.

    Granders vision was blocked by the white light and Rudger aimed at that gap.

    The mana barrier remained in ce but Rudger, who wore a shadow around his body, emerged from Grandes immediate vicinity using space movement.

    The handle of the crows wand turned half a turn and he pulled out a pure white sword from the inside. Rudger swung his sword stick at the slender neck of his master.

    It was a blow with the determination to kill and Grander, who had her eyes closed, could not resist as her head was cut off.

    The red mana shield disappeared and Granders body in the air crashed to the ground. Blood flowed over the ground and there was a moment of silence.

    Rudger, whonded on the ground, stared at Grander without a word and Granders body, which fell on the grass, suddenly jumped up.

    Despite the incredible sight, Rudger did not panic since he saw it many times in the past.

    In the cross section of the severed neck, bright red aura shimmered like a haze, and eventually the head regenerated. Fine features, fair skin, and brilliant blond hair appeared.

    Grander, who hadpletely regenerated herself, stood up while shaking her neck slightly.

    It was a good try, disciple. But its still not enough.

    Saying that, Grander stretched out the parasol in her hand and aimed it at Rudger as a spell was casted.

    The shadow of Aether Nocturnus exploded and formed huge arms that tried to block Grangers attack.

    A blood-red column was fired at Rudger.

    The shadow and the bloody magic collided, creating a huge roar in the surroundings.

    Rudger was pushed back with a huge explosion. He lifted his arms and looked at the surroundingndscape.

    Are you thinking of killing me?

    A huge scar was carved on the ground starting from the point where the two spells collided and thend that was devastated as if it had been hit by countless bombs. It was absolutely nothing like the horrors caused by ordinary wizards.

    What do you mean youre going to die? You blocked it. Now, next.

    The sky turned red as soon as Grander smiled and Rudger raised his head.

    Grandes blood mana was overflowing over the sky, which was red as if the sunset appeared in broad daylight.

    A pure mist of blood was formed and part of it clumped together and turned into more than 1000 spears of blood.

    The fact that such arge amount of magic was created on the spot showed how high Granders standard was.

    Teachers blood magic.

    The blood magic used by Grander is a magic that belongs to an unusual series when ites to the ssification of magic. However, blood magic was the most wed magic among the unique series of magic.

    Mana must be mixed with the blood of the magic user, which is not feasible in practice. Blood magic is so strong that its power and destructive force are different from ordinary magic. However, the amount of blood required increased along with the power of the magic.

    If an ordinary human uses blood magic, he or she would die due to excessive bleeding. Although blood magic is a unique magic, it was for this reason that it was regarded as ck magic.

    Blood magic is a devils magic that uses countless lives.

    However, there are no such restrictions on teachers blood magic.

    Blood-handling vampires were not bound by that since even a drop of their blood is more effective than any magic reagent. Even more so considering that she was a pure blood vampire.

    Grander did something ridiculous and spread the vast mana mixed with her blood to obtain both power and quantity at once.

    Even the natural side effects that should have urred in the process were suppressed by the power of an eight-rank wizard.

    To think that she would use so much blood magic considering that it is much more powerful than normal magic.

    Grander did not have any restraint. Even if Rudger dies because he cant block it properly its his fault. That was Granders way of teaching.

    Rudger immediately poured a magical potion into his mouth and swallowed it in one gulp. He began to handle the rapidly rising mana with unbelievable grasping power and discharged it outwards.

    Grander beckoned and red spears rained down from the sky as if it was revenge for Rudgers wild magic a moment ago.

    Rudger immediately gave orders to Aether Nocturnus and upon receiving his mastersmand, Aether Nocturnus reacted immediately.

    The ck crow-like wings spread wide behind his back, wrapped around Rudgers body, and rotated fiercely.

    The falling spears of blood bounced as they collided with the ck whirlpool and Grander burst intoughter at the sight.

    Hahaha! Deflecting the attack by distorting space through the shadow!

    If you know the coordinates and can send magic there, but you also can, on the contrary, add a distortion point to the existing coordinates, causing the space itself to bend slightly.

    To do so, shadows, a medium of space movement, are needed, and a huge amount of mana is consumed, but Rudger made up for it with medicine.

    Even if he would be hit by all the spears, they wouldnt be able to break through that defense.

    However, in that case, your weakness is that you have to stay still.

    The bloody spears that bounced off the shadow copsed as if ice melted and the red magic immediately surrounded the ck shadow protecting Rudger.

    You can deflect all the falling spears but how will it defend against wide range attacks?

    Grander reached out for the shadow and sped her open hand. The bloody magic surrounding Rudger in the form of a ring turned into a giant beasts mouth and swallowed the surrounding area at once.

    A huge sh of light exploded and tore the blood beast apart.

    No matter how much she controlled her strength, it wasnt a technique that could be broken by ordinary magic so Grander felt her cold heart beating as she saw her disciple emerging.

    The instinct as an eighth-rank wizard and the instinct of a vampire were crying out.

    Ha ha ha. As expected, youre amazing! You used magic with no chant and now youre reproducing a pure miracle that has been lost in ancient times and cannot be found anywhere!

    Grander, who witnessed Rudgermonly called real magic, burst into a frenzy. Her red iris grew gradually and Granders whole eyes turned red as Rudger quietly cast his magic.

    GEBURA.

    The Sefirot tree, made of light, appeared behind Rudgers back and at the same time, a huge pir of fire rose from the ground and swallowed Grander.

    It wasnt that Grander didnt defend, but the magic barrier she opened was burned the moment it touched the fire.

    The power of Camael, the 5th Sefirot of the Tree of Sefirot, and also known as the Fire of God.

    If Michaels power over fire is focused on purification the Camaels mes are literally focused on destruction and only the me of destruction could break Ganders powerful magic.

    The pir of fire engulfed Grander and spun fiercely, forming a vortex.

    The ultra-high-heat me would not leave even ashes behind if it were a regr wizard but as Rudger stared at the fire pirughter was heard from it and at that momentrge red arms popped out from the cracks in the scarlet me.

 Chapter 241

    C241: Bloody reunion (3)

    Chapter sponsored byDenzel.Thank you for your support.

    Two huge bloody arms with prominent tendons appeared and grabbed the pir of fire from side to side tearing it apart as hard as they could.

    The embers scattered like petals in all directions and in the center of the storm, Grander stood in the air.

    The bloody hands protruding from her shoulders looked creepy and soon the shape of the arms twisted and eventually turned into red bat wings.

    It is simr to the Aether Nocturnus used by Rudger, but it was a different magic. Originally, it was a magic that Grander did not know how to use, but she figured it out immediately after seeing Rudgers use it once.

    Good, student! More! More!

    As the wings spread wide, bright red feathers shot like a machine gun and Rudger immediately pulled two ck revolvers out of the shadow.

    The revolver, who didnt need actual bullets but fired mana bullets.

    Red feathers and mana bullets collided in the air, causing an explosion of mana. Their numbers were about the same but Granders feathers were more powerful and little by little, Rudger was pushed back.

    I have to use special weapons.

    Rudger handed the revolvers to Aether Nocturnus and it continued to fire them.

    In the meantime, Rudger took out a new weapon from inside the shadow cape. It was a bolt action rifle painted ck and gold that is hard to load step by step.

    If there was anyone from the Utah Kingdom here, they would have opened their eyes wide because Rudgers ck rifle was the symbol of the legendary mercenary Machiavelli.

    The weapon gave off an eerie glow as a beam of light shot straight at Grander. It went through the pouring feathers and prated Granders chest.

    Another interesting thing!

    Grander blood sttered from her chest but she did not fall.

    Another strange tool!

    Grander had knowledge of guns. However, Rudger used a special product no matter how she looked at it. It was different from ordinary objects.

    Grander used evasive maneuvers as mana was sprayed on the tip of the red wings.

    Rudger kept firing but Granders flight speed was so fast that she was almost seen as a red line. Nevertheless, Rudger calmly read her movements, predicted her trajectory, and pulled the trigger.

    Every time he pulled the trigger, blood sttered on Granders body.

    Grander admired Rudgers concentration and shooting skills. Even if the distance is wide, the magic bullet hits her as if it has eyes on her.

    She hadnt even taught him how to hold a gun, let alone shoot, but he grew up to that level on his own.

    Theyre not ordinary magic bullets.

    The mana bullets that remained in her body gave her a strange sensation but despite such pain, Grander analyzed the mana bullets without blinking an eye.

    Wherever I fly, it will surely catch up. Its truly a magic bullet.

    Her red eyes eventually caught something like a thread in the air. That was the secret of the magic bullets.

    When Rudger pulls the trigger and a mana bullet is fired, the mana bullet moves along the thread. Even in the process, the speed of the mana bullet elerated exponentially.

    He used coordinate designation to mark my location.

    Rudger, who heard Grander talking to herself, kicked his tongue. In the civil war of the Utah Kingdom, his skills, which were not noticed by anyone, were discovered by her in only a few minutes.

    Even so, it will take time to cope.

    It was enough to change his stance before his master approached him.

    At that moment, Granders blood wings embraced her body like an egg. The moment he was surprised that she was suddenly doing such a thing the blood egg became a in the air and contracted.

    !

    It was the space movement magic that Rudger used.

    Rudger looked around to find his missing teacher. Then a small, thin arm popped out over his shoulder and tightened his neck from behind.

    I got you.

    Grander tried to smash Rudgers neck but at that moment, Rudgers figure copsed like a shadow and disappeared.

    Fake?

    As soon as Grande wondered, she realized that her body was not moving.

    Looking closely, a translucent thread was squeezing her body like a marite, then a de pierced through her chest.

    Looking down at the scene, Grande startedughing.

    Well done. Did you even learn how to fight like the Calsapa Assassins?

    Master taught me how to act like other people. I just saw it and copied it.

    Youve seen and learned properly.

    When Grander wandered the world with Rudger, Calsapa Assassins tried to kill him. At that time, it was none other than Grander who taught them how to fight like them and he eliminated all the Calsapa Assassins.

    However, there is something you havent learned properly. That their way of fighting is ultimately aimed at humans.

    There was a blood vortexing from Granders body.

    Rudger immediately pulled out his de and quickly stepped back.

    Its all useless in front of immortality.

    The wire, which had even bound the body of the ck wizard, broke.

    Grander looked back at Rudger in a bright red vortex and took a slow step but just then light burst from the ground and soon the awl of a rock popped out and pierced her foot.

    Trap?

    A magic trap? When has he installed it?

    Grander spread her wings again and tried to fly into the sky but at that moment, a huge pressure from the sky sank and she hit the ground.

    Countless thorns sprang up from the shadow of Grander, who fell to the ground, prating Granders whole body.

    Grander raised his head slightly and looked at Rudger.

    Wow, did you make a trap in the air?

    The spatial coordinates do not belong only to the earth.

    Hahaha! Yes, they dont.

    Grander rose slowly and the shadows clinging to her body snapped.

    What else are you going to do?

    Grander stared curiously at Rudger wondering what he was going to do next. Then a white glow flowed out behind Rudgers back and gathered in his hand.

    That is

    Grander recalled Rudgers familiar hand movements from her memory.

    Hand seals?

    There are three ways in which magic can be manifested.

    Cast(cause (a magic spell) to take effect), Mudra(hand seals used in Buddhism and Hinduism) and Magus().

    Among them, the most popr in modern times was Cast, because it is rtively stable and produces uniform resultspared to other methods.

    However Mudra and Magus still existed and there were still people who researched how to use magic with these methods.

    Mudra is a magical ritual that symbolizes the expression of words without sound but there is a limit to expressingnguage with hand gestures.

    However the magic that Rudger was using now.

    Its as if its done to the limit.

    As Rudger slowly put his hand down, Grander did not move as if her whole body was suppressed by something and for the first time, Grander had an excited voice.

    a magic Ive never seen before.

    Grande couldnt hide her excitement at the magic she saw for the first time in her life.

    Its not ordinary magic since the flow of holy energy was simr to the divine power based on faith but it was far from Gods energy. Rather, it was the feeling that humans themselves had gained holy power.

    What do you call it?

    BhumisParsa-Mudra

    Rudger said calmly.

    This magic could only be used when one gained enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree.

    In the original form one had to use it while sitting cross-legged but Rudger changed it to make it easier to use.

    Ha ha. Hand seals to ward off demons? Indeed, isnt it the opposite power of someone like me? To make something like that, its clear that youve really gone crazy.

    Thank you for thepliment. So, is this enough?

    Enough?

    Grander shook her head even under the huge pressure.

    Do you think itll be enough?

    Her ghastly red eyes were still engulfed in madness.

    Its not enough. What youve shown is great, but its still not enough.

    .

    You still have more left, right? Show me all the skills and magic youve honed.

    Her eyes, filled with madness as if she were longing for something, no longer resembled those of a human.

    As Grander was slowly regaining her freedom she used a spell and created a huge shockwave before Rudger could cast his next spell.

    As soon as Rudger slowed down, Grander was already close to Rudgers nose. Her little hands grabbed Rudger by the cor and pushed him and because of the vampires transcendent strength, Rudger fell backwards.

    Grander climbed on top of Rudger and popped her face in front of Rudgers nose.

    My disciple, this is not the end!

    Teacher.

    Hurry up and show me more. Dont hide it and use everything!

    Teacher!

    Please, kill me.

    .

    Herst words were said in a mournful voice beyond madness and Rudger sighed softly. Then, he opened his mouth and put his palm on the cheek of his teacher who hung on him.

    Stop it now.

    .

    Mother.

    As if those words had be a catalyst, Granders body stood still. The madness that filled her face disappeared, and her eyes, which had beenpletely red, soon returned to their original state.

    The pressure of the mana that weighed on the surroundings and the blood color that gradually dyed the sky red disappeared.

    .

    Grander, who regained her reason, snapped Rudgers hands touching her cheeks.

    She jumped up, turned her back on Rudger and picked up her parasol that fell to the floor.

    Rudger opened his mouth with relief at the sight.

    Are you awake, teacher?

    Annoying.

    Grander brushed the dirt off the parasol with her hand.

    You only say that when you really need it, right?

    If I dont do this, teacher wont listen to me.

    Grander, who was going to argue something about the word, shook her head.

    It already happened, what can I say? Anyway, you utter such arrogant words without realizing it.

    Was I wrong? I think Ive already proved enough to teacher.

    Do you think Im a fool? You havent done your best yet.

    Its the same with teacher.

    Grander looked back at Rudger.

    You dont want to lose a word battle. Anyway, it was a big mistake on my part to let you go outside.

    Why are you saying it was a mistake?

    Rudger, who got up, shook off the dirt on his body. At this rate hell be embarrassed to see Violetta after ruining her clothes.

    At the same time, Rudger sighed as he looked around at the surroundingndscape.

    Originally, the ce that should have been a dense forest waspletely devastated and turned into a wastnd.

    No matter how far away it is from the city, with this level of destruction, the city of Leathervelk must have felt something and dispatched people.

    The forest disappeared and the sky was colored with red blood so Rudger knew he had to leave quickly.

    Teacher, lets go.

    To where?

    Im going back to the city. There are people I would like to introduce to teacher.

    Rudger approached Grander and held out his hand while Grander looked nkly at it.

    Arent you going to catch it?

    Ha. Bold fellow.

    Grander took Rudgers hand.

    She thought he would move, but Rudger did nothing and stayed still so Grander asked.

    What are you doing?

    What do you mean?

    Arent you going to the city?

    Yes, I am.

    Then what are you doing without attending this master?

    Do you mean me?

    Grander frowned. What was this guy up to now?

    With my magic, its too much for me to go alone, let alone with teacher. So lets see some of teacher s virtues.

    .

    Grander stared at Rudger with cold eyes and tapped Rudger with her small hand.

    You cheeky fellow.

    It hurts.

    Grander, a vampire, had a far stronger physical ability than the regr people and even though she seemed to be lighthearted, it was so painful that his bones trembled.

    Youre exaggerating.

    Its true.

    Lets go.

    Grander sighed and their figures disappeared.

    It wasnt until hourster that the investigation team reached the scene.

 Chapter 242

    C242: Rhapsody on a Rainy Day (1)

    How did this happen?

    Upon arriving in a forest far outside the city of Leathervelk, the Clockwork Knights were speechless at the horrors before their eyes.

    Hey, youngest. Didnt you say there was a forest here?

    What? Yes, it was. Its obviously not big because its called Lamore Forest, but there should have been a ce with thick bushes.

    But what the hell is this? There is nothing.

    The forest no longer existed in the ce where the Knights looked. Countless scars, upturned earth and even huge craters dug everywhere. The trees were gone, and themon rocks were nowhere to be seen.

    Oh, my God. Is there a war going on?

    This kind of scene could note out unless arge-scale bombing was carried out. However, to blow up a forest an enormous amount of gunpowder was required.

    Although it was outside the city, if arge number of people had moved, reports would have been made in advance.

    The Knight Commander was lost in thought for a moment, stroking his chin.

    Commander, maybe someone secretly conducted an experiment here?

    Experiment?

    Yes, something magical. If thats the case.

    When one of the knights next to him carefully expressed his opinion, another colleague criticized him.

    What experiment, you idiot? Besides, if someone would do an experiment, they would do it in a more remote ce and not destroy everything like this.

    Is that so?

    Yes, there must have been something else.

    The Knight Commander, who was still listening, looked back at a new knight and asked.

    Rookie, what exactly was the report that came in today?

    Well, thats.

    When the chief of the Knights asked, the clumsy youngest said, with a shaking voice.

    The sky outside the city turned red, and a momentter, there was a huge noise that shook heaven and earth.

    The sky turned red?

    Yes, Im sure thats what I heard.

    Thats strange. How can the sky turn red in this sunny weather?

    He didnt understand from the words that came in the report, but was even more confused when he saw the actual tragedy. Obviously something happened here, but it was impossible to guess exactly what it was.

    Could it be that the Beast of Gvaudan reappeared?

    One of the knights said.

    The Beast of Gvaudan?

    Yes.

    The Knight Commander tried to tell him not to talk nonsense, but he shut up. He clearly saw the huge monster suddenly appearing at the Kunst auction house so it wasnt impossible.

    If a monster like that appears and sweeps the surrounding area, thats understandable.

    However, the scars on the ground were not something that could appear simply because a giant monster ran wild. The craters engraved here and there were signs of an explosion no matter how he looked at them.

    The knight came up with different opinions.

    It seems like a magic experiment to me.

    I think its rted to cryptids.

    What if its a top secret project secretly carried out by the military?

    After they were done the rookie knight also gave his opinion.

    Uh, maybe.

    The others paid attention to him as well.

    The site of destruction is wide, but considering that the form is somewhat simr, wouldnt it be done by a wizard?

    What? Wizard?

    Yes, its a very powerful wizard, too. But I think there were two wizards that fought.

    At that, the senior knights exchanged eyes and burst intoughter at the same time.

    Hahaha! Our youngest has a very interesting idea.

    Hes funny, too. What kind of wizard would fight in a ce like this behind others backs?

    Thats right. Are there two wizards who can create this kind of misery in the first ce? You have to say something that makes sense.

    The face of the recruit who gave the opinion turned red with shame while the Knight Commander, who was just listening, swept his chin.

    A wizard.

    He is a stranger to magic because he only walks on the path of the sword but since he became a Knight Commander, he inevitably learned about magic, whether he liked it or not.

    To cause this level of destruction, at least within the knowledge of the Knight Commander, it had to be at least a sixth wizard and sixth-ranked wizards were notmon.

    Was it really a battle between sixth-rank wizards?

    It couldnt have been possible. The youngest opinion had too many loopholes.

    Themander sighed and shook his head.

    I dont know. I have no idea.

    For now, the investigation was going to continue, but the Knight Commander suddenly thought so. No matter how much research they do, they wont get the results they want.

    Many strange things have happened in Leathervelk these days.

    Themander, who thought so, frowned at the words of the knights.

    Those guys.

    It was the same with the knights.

    They were having a serious discussion with each other and uttered some annoying words.

    Why are the Pdins of the Lumensis order here.?

    Knights in white armor and cloaks appeared. Unlike the knights these days who wear uniforms, they are still clinging to old-fashioned clothes.

    The pdins belonged to the Leathervelk Diocese but since this was under the jurisdiction of Leathervelk, the Clockwork Knights came forward, but the Pdins roamed the site as they pleased, as if they didnt care.

    No matter what they say, it will be of no avail since the pdins armed with the madness called faith, wont listen to anything.

    What shall we do, sir?

    Ignore them. They wont listen to anything we say anyway.

    You dont avoid poop because youre scared, but because its dirty.

    As they were talking one of the Pdins approached the Clockwork Knights.

    Nice to meet you.

    Whats going on?

    The person who approached was a middle-aged pdin with a benevolent smile.

    May the blessings of the parents be with you.

    Never mind, get to the point.

    Im here to share my opinion on this tragedy that took ce today.

    Opinion? What is your opinion? It just seems like someone did this.

    The knightmanders tone was cold, as if he didnt want to talk, but the pdin didnt blink an eye.

    Im not saying, lets work together to find out because we can guess who did it.

    .

    The Knight Commander narrowed his eyes to see if Pdins words were true but nothing could be read from Pdins smile.

    Really?

    Yes. Dont you feel the unique energy in this space?

    Theres such a thing?

    Yes. We, who serve the Lord Lumensis, can know for sure. The smell wafts from everywhere. There is only one being that smells like this disgusting blood.

    Who is that?

    The only vampire in the world.

    The pdin frowned as if the word was unclean.

    Its an entity that the Church has been tracking for a long time to eliminate.

    * * *

    Mmm.

    Selina opened her closed eyes and raised her upper body to look around.

    Where is this?

    Obviously, she was walking with Rudger during the day, but when she came to her senses, night had alreadye.

    As soon as she realized it, Selina was horrified.

    Oh, right! Mr. Rudger!

    Did you call me?

    Woah!

    Selina involuntarily screamed at the sudden voice behind her.

    Oh my gosh. You scared me.

    Sorry.

    Where is this ce? Why am I here?

    Selina looked around and what came into her eyes was a bench in a park with a panoramic view of the city of Leathervelk.

    You didnt know. Teacher Selina suddenly copsed, so I brought you here.

    What?

    Selina was embarrassed to hear that she suddenly copsed.

    Did I really do that?

    Yes, I think you were very tired.

    I wasnt. I was very lively today.

    Selina said so, but her stupidity almost made me cry.

    Stupid Selina, what are you doing? It was a rare opportunity.

    Even the meal waspletely canceled due to an unintentional guest. She thought about going to see a musical together, but when she looked at the time, it seemed that she couldnt even do that.

    Selina had mixed emotions, but she pursed her lips and the first thing she said was an apology.

    Sorry.

    Why are you apologizing?

    Because of me, teacher Rudger wasted his holiday for no reason.

    Looking at the time, Rudger seemed to have continued to take care of her, who had fainted. Come to think of it, she had a simr experience on the festival day.

    Whats wrong with my body?

    Selina was bound to get more depressed then the spirit of darkness appeared in Selinas arms.

    Esmeralda?

    The Spirit of Darkness climbed on Selinas shoulder and rubbed her cheek as ifforting because she felt good that the night hade.

    Selina smiled at her.

    Are you consoling me? Thank you.

    Rudger watched the scene and sat quietly next to Selina and said,

    Teacher Selina doesnt have to be sorry for me. Rather, I am responsible for not being considerate.

    Selina felt sorry for Rudger, but it was Rudger who was rather sorry.

    Selina, who should have enjoyed a pleasant day, fainted for half a day because of the sudden appearance of Grander.

    It was Rudger who actually knocked her out, but perhaps something more troublesome would have happened if he hadnt knocked her out on the spot.

    Mr. Rudger is kind, even though you dont have to be so considerate.

    For Selina, who did not know that, she had no choice but to think that Rudger wasforting her.

    But its toote. The day is over.

    The city was full of light, but Selina felt something was missing.

    She had to go back to Theon now because of tomorrows ss, it was the end of the happy holiday.

    I wanted to enjoy it properly, even a little bit.

    Rudger stared at Selinas profile and opened his mouth.

    You dont have to worry about that.

    What?

    Just in time.

    As Rudger looked one way, Selinas gaze naturally turned there.

    On the street, where only the light of the streetmp shone softly, a group of people slowly approached them.

    Mr. Rudger, whats with them?

    These are the musical actors that Selina has longed to see.

    The actors? Why are they here?

    This ce has long been used as a ce to practice performances. Its noisy inside the city, so they hold a small event in a quiet park like this.

    What?

    Youre lucky. Today happens to be the day.

    The musical team settled down and soon began to dance and sing together.

    Wow.

    When she saw them, Selinapletely erased her wonder at this wonderful coincidence. It was because she thought she would regret it for the rest of her life if she couldnt even enjoy this moment due to doubts.

    Sitting on a bench with Rudger and watching the actors performance was more than what she wanted.

    Then raindrops fell from the sky. She thought it might have been at a time when the lights flowing from the city looked gloomy, but as expected, it eventually began to rain.

    Oh, it just happened to rain.

    Selina was in a hurry to think that the performance might be cut off in the middle because of the rain.

    Then Rudger, who was sitting still, moved. As he stirred his hands lightly, the rain that was falling escaped as if it had been blocked by an umbre.

    The rain throughout the city avoided this space. Despite the jealousy of the sky, the performance continued without stopping.

    Rudger added a little service to that as a subtle light began to flow out and beautifully illuminated the performing musical team.

    Wow.

    There was a rainstorm in the city but the people put on a great performance against it and Selina couldnt keep her mouth shut at the dreamy sight.

    Esmeralda, who was in her arms, also calmly watched the performance.

    Rudger looked at her with satisfaction.

    Im d youre happy.

    Because of him, Selinas holiday was gone, so he felt ufortable if he didnt repay her like this. Fortunately, Selina truly enjoyed the small event.

    The musicalsted less than half an hour. However, the time was more valuable than ever for Selina, although it might have been shorter.

    p, p p!

    As Selina smiled and pped her hands, the musical actors bowed politely to Selina and thanked her.

    In time, only two people were left at the scene where the performance group stepped down and the silence was lingering. The light disappeared and all that remained in the park was the dim light of the streetmp.

    Rudger rose from the bench in the increasingly thick rain.

    Lets get going.

    Yes, we should. It seems like its raining more and more.

    I hope to see a proper musical next time.

    Selina shook her head at the remark.

    No, it was already a valuable experience. Rather, I am more satisfied.

    Im d to hear that.

    Thank you, Mr. Rudger.

    Selina smiled brightly.

    Rudger saw her and handed her the umbre he had brought in advance.

    Use this.

    What? What about Mr. Rudger?

    I have another spare, so its okay.

    But you should go with me.

    I still have something to do, so Ill stay a little longer.

    Selina nodded at the nuance not to ask for the detailed reason. It was a little disappointing, but she decided to step down after being satisfied here.

    Then Ill go first. See you tomorrow.

    Yes, Ill see you tomorrow.

    I had a lot of fun today.

    Selina smiled at Rudger and walked away with a brisk pace.

    Rudger released the magic after confirming Selinas disappearance but he opened his ck umbre before the raindrops fell.

    Rudger, who was standing still, opened his mouth.

    Why dont you stop watching ande out now?

    Then, the presence that was felt not far away came towards him.

    Sorry. I didnt mean to do that on purpose.

    Rudger slowly turned his head. There was a woman who appeared to be in her mid-40s, wearing a white outfit and a white hoodie.

    She looked at Rudger with a smile in the pouring rain, not even thinking about using her umbre.

    So.

    Rudger looked at her and opened his mouth.

    What does someone from the Church of Lumensis wants with me?

 Chapter 243

    C243: Rhapsody on a Rainy Day (2)

    Do you have any business with me?

    Despite Rudgersck of emotion, subtle hostility was revealed in his voice. To that extent, the person in front of him could not be considered good.

    The Holy Land of Bretus was the headquarters of those who branded him, denied his existence, and tried to kill them. Above all, the Lumensis order is a group of fanatics who extol only the Lord Lumensis.

    They didnt do that in the past, but now they are left with only pure obsession and madness andmitted a myriad of atrocities in the name of faith.

    Its a coincidence that I met such a famous teacher. My name is Freden, amb who believes in the Lord Lumensis. Its humble, but I serve as the parish chief of Leathervelk.

    Freden, the parish chief of the Leathervelk church, had a familiar religious figure that could be seen everywhere. From a gracious smile to a figure that is not at all daunting.

    She looked like the kinddy next door that could be trusted but Rudger knew that this was a mask made to deceive others.

    Her voice, tone, and every little action are impable therefore it was artificial and even unpleasant.

    Mr. Rudger Chelici, right? I wanted to see you once.

    You havent answered my question yet.

    A cold voice came out from Rudgers mouth, freezing even the rain but Freden bowed her head without changing her smile.

    Ive said too much, right? Forgive me.

    I didnt say that because I wanted to apologize. Just exin the purpose ofing to me properly.

    Fredens appearance was a coincidence, but Rudger knew that shes been hiding and watching him for a while.

    Yes, I see. I came to see Mr. Rudger Chelici because I wanted to see if youre the same as the rumors say.

    Thats why you waited for me on a rainy day?

    Rain is the grace of Lumensis, who makes crops grow abundantly. Theres no reason to hate it. Im even feeling grateful.

    Too much rain makes the roots of nts rot and the rivers overflow. Do you feel grateful for that?

    If grace does harm, it is also his will.

    Rudger did not contradict Fredens words. He didnt even feel it was worth refuting.

    Mr. Rudger doesnt seem very pleased with me.

    No one wees surprise guests. Not to mention that you are a member of the Church of Lumensis.

    Hmm. Thats strange. We, the Church of Lumensis, should have had no contact with Mr. Rudger Chelici.

    Now you had contact and its very unpleasant.

    You dont have to be so wary.

    In the first ce, the church that defines magic itself as a heresy, isnt it very suspicious to visit a mage?

    At Rudgers words, Freden smiled, covering her mouth with her hand.

    Hoho. Did I look like that? It may have been like that in the old days, but our teaching has changed. Now wizards are the children of the wise Lumensis.

    You talk too much.

    Rudger cut off Fredens words.

    State your requirements. I dont feel like talking to anyone right now.

    .

    Seeing that, Freden let out a small sigh. She realized that no matter what she said, Rudger would not take it favorably.

    All right. First of all, the reason I came to Mr. Rudger Chelici is out of curiosity, but also to make a suggestion.

    What do you mean?

    Please dont be surprised and listen. Others may not feel it, but I can see that you were blessed by God.

    Rudger closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them. His eyes, still cold, tried to read if Freden was serious about what she said.

    What do you mean by that?

    Holy power flowing out of Mr. Rudger. Its definitely proof that youve been blessed by God. It is a loss to the whole world to rot that talent elsewhere. So

    Are you asking me to join the Lumensis Order?

    Yes, exactly.

    I was wondering what you were going to say, but its simply not worth listening to. Ill pretend I didnt hear what you just said.

    Despite Rudgers cold answer, Freden refused to give up.

    Although others couldnt see it she could see the energy flowing from Rudgers body. It would definitely bless the world if it was used in a good direction, but on the contrary, it was a force that would be a disaster for the world if it was used in the wrong direction.

    Im not saying this lightly. I really think of Mr. Rudger.

    If you think of me.

    Rudger red at Freden.

    You shouldnt havee.

    Freden was at a loss for words due to his intense hostility toward her.

    She raised her hands and prayed.

    Ah, God. Give thismb the right light.

    It wasnt that Rudger didnt hear the murmur, but he didnt bother to point it out. No matter what he says here, she will only get more annoying.

    Before I leave, Ill let you know one thing.

    .

    Theres been a lot going on in Leathervelktely. After the resurrection of the Devil King, there was a hideous flush outside the city today. I hope you dont get hurt.

    Freden was genuinely concerned but Rudgerughed at her words.

    Ill be on my way. Have a good time.

    Freden left with another prayer.

    Rudger stared at Freden and turned his head. He stared at the night view of Leathervelk under the umbre. With the gradually thickening rain, fog began to rise throughout Leathervelk.

    The clear sound of the falling raindrops hitting the umbre was like a rhapsody.

    Its a bother.

    But even that static beauty did not impress Rudger much.

    If it hadnt been for the meeting a while ago, he would have been alone in lingering emotions, but what Freden said was on his mind.

    Is the power of God, which had been suppressed before, now visible to the parish leader?

    Freden said he had a divine energy blessed by God. The parish chief, who is much higher in position and more capable than an ordinary priest, said such a thing so it was not a lie.

    Perhaps if this was the reason for her approach, Rudger could not help but understand.

    I didnt get caught by anyone before.

    Since he maintained the seal, Rudger has not been pursued by the Lumensis Order, and he has not been caught even when he met the Lumensis Order while wandering around the world but today Freden, the parish chief, saw the energy flowing out of Rudger.

    That meant that the force he had been suppressing began to flow out.

    The cause its the frequent use of Gods power in recent times.

    He thought he did a thorough calction when he used the power of God but the result was different from what he thought.

    Seeing that she withdrew for the time being, she must still feel ambiguous about it.

    If Freden had really known Rudgers power, she would have tried to persuade him even if her eyes were turned upside down.

    No, she may have guessed Rudgers identity. Since she is a parish chief, she mightve heard something from the home country.

    Is it time to seal it again?

    That the power of God cannot bepletely ruled out in the events he will face in the future.

    Moreover, the Church of Lumensis has begun to move in earnest. Now that theyve opened the door that was closed for so long theyre starting to influence the outside world and are probably all over the ce.

    The process of session to determine the next king has finallye to an end after a long period of time.

    Sooner orter, the world will be noisy about the rise of the new king.

    Since he had to deal with the ck Dawn Society, the moves of the Holy Land of Bretus were not a good thing for Rudger. Even if he tried to ignore them, Rudgers birth will somedaye back to haunt him.

    He could flee again by sealing the power of God and hiding his identity but he would just dy the inevitable.

    In the end, I have to speed up, too.

    In order to do so, he had no choice but to collect the Relic fragments.

    The next target is the Relic fragment in the imperial family. Ill have to pack for the trip.

    * * *

    Ugh, its annoying.

    Back at her amodation, Casey Selmore flopped onto the bed.

    From the standpoint of being held in detention until just before, today was the worst but it would have been more terrible if she hadnt known the officers.

    When she turned her head slightly while lying on the bed, she saw water droplets flowing outside the window.

    It was raining outside.

    Come to think of it, it rained when I first came to this city.

    Casey choked up when she remembered her purpose foring to Leathervelk.

    Come to think of it, its all because of that person that today became like this, right?

    In fact, Rudger did nothing, but for Casey, Rudger had already established his image as the source of all evil.

    Casey took a piece of paper out of her pocket.

    Tainted with Rudgers magic, it was the only key to his past.

    Even now.

    It was a moment when she thought that she should watch.

    Tap, tap.

    The sound from the window raised Caseys upper body from the bed. When she looked, she saw that a crow was knocking on the window with its beak.

    Crow?

    The crow had a letter in his mouth, and when he saw Casey saw him, he left it on the window frame and flew away.

    Casey opened the window and picked up the letter. It was a little wet, but it didnt matter.

    When she gently created a spell, the water that permeated the letter turned into a drop and escaped outside.

    This is

    As soon as I saw the crow, Casey naturally thought of a man.

    James Moriarty. Whats his trick this time?

    Casey opened the letter and examined the contents. Contrary to what she thought that there would be quite a lot of writing, the words inside were monotonous.

    Be careful.

    Straight and neat letters as if they were printed by a typewriter. However, Casey, who realized the meaning of the letter, unwittingly raised her alertness to the limit.

    Be careful?

    There may be no particr reason why Rudger sent the letter but Caseys instinct recognized that the warning was sincere, and that it was a tant representation of her situation now.

    Caseys eyes looked inside her room. Her own dizzy but quiet space, full of her own things. No one questioned the natural interior appearance that was no different from usual.

    never minded. What am I thinking?

    Casey shook her head and roughly threw the letter in her hand into the trash.

    Then a white de popped out of her chest. It was a surprise attack from a ck shadow that fell from the ceiling.

    What?

    Casey saw the de of the sword that broke through her chest but she smiled.

    Soon, Caseys figure turned into water and disappeared as if it were torn down.

    What?

    The assassin couldnt hide his surprise when he saw a person suddenly turning into water.

    At that moment, Caseys voice came from the air.

    Why are you surprised? Did you think I didnt know?

    From the moment Casey entered her room, she knew that was hiding inside. However, the analysis and reasoning close to Caseys superpower did not miss even a clue to a very subtle change.

    I purposely created an opening with her water clone just in case, but she didnt expect someone would kill it.

    A surprise like this when he just sent a warning letter.

    Casey, who was hiding by distorting light with a thin film of water,ughed at the assassins.

    She could roughly guess who instigated this kind of thing.

    Youve had bad luck.

    The hidden assassins appeared at once on the ceiling, on the floor and over the curtain. Their movements were silent and stealthy just like beasts.

    They threw daggers at Casey, but Caseys expression didnt change.

    Well, today its a rainy day.

 Chapter 244

    C244: Rhapsody on a Rainy Day (3)

    Chapter sponsored byL, Treee and Raina.Thank you for your support.

    Rudger immediately returned to the hideout.

    Lightly brushing off the rainwater from his umbre, Rudger went up to the second floor where his master was waiting. He was thinking of asking for advice on the sealing technique.

    But the atmosphere.

    Unlike usual, the atmosphere of the hideout was heavy. It was not until he arrived at the office on the second floor that Rudger knew why.

    Are you here?

    Grander sat buried on the sofa.

    She lookedfortable as if it was her own house but the others werent.

    Brother.

    Hans called Rudger in a trembling voice, while Alex and Pantos, on the other hand, kept their eyes on Grander while in a tense state

    The two instinctively felt how dangerous Grander was despite her soft appearance.

    Even now, their skin had so many goosebumps that they could be mistaken for hives.

    Rudger sighed at the ufortable air that filled the room.

    Teacher, what are you doing?

    What do you mean?

    Youre ying too much.

    When Rudger rebuked, Grander pouted her lips.

    Some arrogant disciple left his sky-like teacher and went somewhere. Its boring to wait alone, so I yed a little prank for a while.

    The tension in the room was nothing more than a prank she deliberately created. Just a simple step to figure out what level of Rudger subordinates before hees.

    However, it must have been so heavy that it was hard for the victims to breathe. Especially for someone with a keen sense, such as Pantos, Alex, and Hans, who has a sense of beast, the time before Rudger came seemed too long.

    Teacher, lets stop here. Isnt everyone having a hard time?

    Oh, yes. All right, all right. Youre saying your men are more precious than this teacher?

    Grander deliberately gathered her momentum as if Rudger had to listen.

    Alex, who was barely rxed, wiped off his cold sweat and Pantos became silent.

    The author is his teacher as the leader said.

    Rudger spoke to them.

    Everyone leave. I need to have a separate conversation with my teacher.

    Rudger, who confirmed that all the members had gone outside, closed the door and sat on the sofa opposite Grander.

    Thats great, student. Where did you get all those guys?

    Grander expressed her honest feelings, recalling Rudgers men who went out.

    As I wandered around the world, I met them by chance.

    Ha ha. Youre too modest.

    Its true.

    Of course, it is true that Rudger recognized their talents and asked them to join him but he didnt look for them on purpose.

    The brown-skinned man was quite proficient in swordsmanship for a human being and the giant guy is a pretty interesting one. He looked nervous, but he still had fighting spirit even after he saw me.

    I see.

    He was fully convinced that Pantos did that.

    Even when he first met Rudger, Pantos came to visit him at the exact moment when his teacher, Grander, was away.

    If only Pantos had faced master at that time.

    He thought maybe Pantos would not be here. Perhaps even Pantos himself knew he would not stand a chance against Grander. Still, he would have tried because that was the reason he lived.

    And most interesting of all was the man who rolled his eyes the hardest.

    You mean Hans?

    Yes. He was a really strange guy. Being a human being and an animal, but yet not an animal. Inside him, there was a strange one that even I admired.

    Grander saw through Hans constitution at once. It didnt just stop there, but she even noticed the existence of the Beast of Gvaudan sleeping inside Hans.

    Where did you get that guy from? Was it in a box on a rainy day?

    You talk as if Ive picked up an abandoned dog on the street.

    A dog? If I have to say it, its a simr kind but its not bad to use as a pet.

    Rudger was happy that Hans was not here now. If he had, hed have been hurt.

    I encountered Hans in the Durman Kingdom while teacher was sleeping.

    Rudger exined how he met Hans five years ago. His unique constitution and the Beast of Gvaudan hunted in the Dorman Kingdom.

    The Beast of Gvaudan? It has a pretty grand name for a cryptid.

    It was strong in its own way and I only managed to knock it down after using real magic.

    Well, he must have been a very good dog.

    The cryptid that ate a knight and drove a city in despair was treated like a dog by Grander.

    The Beast of Gvaudan was a monster that left its name in history and a part of his remains was even kept in a museum but anyone who knew Grander would have been rather surprised that she had said this.

    For regr people dog is just a word buting from Grander it was a greatpliment.

    So what are you going to do with all these little guys?

    Grander asked Rudger, bending her eyes like a crescent moon.

    There must be a good reason to get out of this teachers arms and wander around the world.

    I just realized what I had to do.

    What?

    Yes. It was something I had been thinking about even before I met teacher.

    Cant you tell this teacher what it is?

    That is

    Rudger tried to speak but shook his head at once.

    Im sorry.

    what a surprise. I didnt expect you to hide something from me.

    Are you angry?

    Im not angry.

    She said so, but her expression made it clear that she was sulking. She said no, but Rudger, who knew her for a long time, could tell.

    Im sorry, teacher. If I have a chance someday, Ill tell you then. However, please excuse me for keeping it a secret for now.

    a dull fellow. If youre so serious, I wont ask but since you wanted me to meet you subordinates you must want something from me, right?

    Yes. I need a little help to fix the seal.

    The seal?

    Rudger exined that he had just met with the diocese of the Lumensis order and if that continued the order might track him down.

    I wonder. Was the power flowing out to the point where they noticed?

    From what she said, they seemed to have noticed the existence of teacher.

    Grander grinned at the remark and her white fangs stood out.

    Ill tell them toe as much as they want. I guess they still think Im scared and avoid them.

    If the teacheres forward himself, it will be difficult to finish in moderation. Be careful.

    Hmph. They werent even interesting anyway. Is that why I just have to make the sealing technique a little stronger?

    Yes, I have thought of that for now.

    Rudger took out the research paper he had prepared and handed it to Grander and Grander opened her eyes wide looking at it.

    youve already thought it through.

    Yes. However, there is no problem in theory, but there are some parts that are difficult to implement, so I wanted to ask for your advice.

    What advice? Youve already done it yourself.

    Grander grumbled at the data Rudger handed over.

    Well, itll be over if I invest a little bit of time. Its not that difficult because we just have to reinforce what was already there anyway.

    Im d to hear that.

    But youll have to be careful. No matter how much you strengthen the seal, if you continue to use that power, you will eventually reach your limit at some point.

    I know that.

    No. You dont know. If you face the limit, it wont just end up as your own problem.

    Granders red eyes stared at Rudger as if piercing him.

    Dont forget the promise you made with me ever since I got you out of that hole that day. The contract weve made while I taught you.

    Yes, I always have it in my heart.

    You always talk well.

    Grander, who cleaned up the documents properly, stared at Rudger with a subtle gaze to see if he suddenly remembered anything.

    More than that, youre my disciple.

    Yes, teacher.

    Im saying that youre the only one who knows the magic that Ive seen while fighting with me.

    Rudger had a strange anxiety when she spoke about that and replied while trying hard to suppress his emotions.

    Yes, please speak.

    I think that magic was different from ordinary magic no matter how much I looked at it. Like a dedicated magic created to deal with beings like me rather than ordinary enemies. Am I right?

    .

    As Rudger remained silent, Grander grinned, bringing her index finger to her chin.

    I wonder if my disciple made such a magic in case this teacheres and makes a fuss.

    .

    Ha ha! Youre not going to do that! How would my disciple dare to make magic to deal with his teacher? You cant do such a thing without losing your mind!

    A cold sweat ran down Rudgers back and in the end he got up from his seat in a hurry.

    Oh, my student. Where are you going like that?

    I remembered something urgent for a moment.

    Something urgent? Where else is there more urgent than talking to your teacher whom you havent seen in a while?

    Ill be back soon. Well, Im off now.

    Rudger ran away in a hurry while thinking that if he gets caught this time he might really die.

    * * *

    The next morning the teachers were gathered in Theon conference room after a long time and wondered why the president called them.

    Good morning Selina.

    Good morning teacher Merylda.

    Did you have a good time yesterday?

    Selina blushed and hesitated to answer when Merylda asked with one eye closed.

    Merylda smiled softly and tapped Selina with her arms.

    Whats that reaction? There must have been something.

    What about teacher Merylda? You left in a hurry yesterday. Did you go home right away?

    Selina was embarrassed for nothing and changed the subject and Merylda, who was asked, answered as if she had been waiting.

    Oh, my. I wasnt going to say this.

    What? Did something really happen?

    She just meant to change the subject, but she didnt know it was real.

    You know, Selina. I feel like I met my destined person.

    Destined person?

    As Selina looked curious, Merylda told her what happened yesterday and about her meeting with the exotic handsome man named Alex on Royal Street.

    In the end, he showed me the wrong way, butter he confessed honestly. He wanted to be with me because I was so beautiful.

    Uh

    If it were the usual Selina, she would have responded with joy, but this time she couldnt because she didnt think Merylda would fall in love so easily. Was it because of the cheesy words?

    No way.

    Merylda is famous for being a master of love, so how would she fall for such a trivial thing?

    Selina believed in Merylda, so she decided to think she had a usible n. Then the door of the conference hall opened and Elisa, the president, entered.

    Have you all been well? Its been a long time since the werewolf incident that day.

    Elisa, who started off lightly with a greeting, lightly looked at the teachers who looked at her with a questionable gaze.

    Most of them were questionable reactions, but there were also hostile reactions, typically from Hugo and other members of his factions.

    Elisa immediately brought up the subject.

    Im sure everyone is curious. Why did I suddenly call everyone like this?

    Did something happen again?

    Chris Benimore asked.

    Some teachers looked anxious because many things happened both internally and externally recently.

    Elisa said, Its not like that, so dont worry, ending the anxiety of the crowd.

    Ill get right to the point. Im sure everyone knows that there are still vacancies in Theon.

    The conference hall quickly became quiet because everyone knew what the president was going to talk about.

    And these empty seats must be filled.

    nning Office

    Hugo frowned at someones murmur.

    If we leave the position vacant for too long, it will eventually disrupt Theons work. So now that I have a chance after a long time, I would like to rmend a suitable person.

    Elisas words rattled the teachers. In particr, the response of aristocratic teachers, including Hugo, was the most intense, and they seemed to be unable to believe what the president said.

    Who do you rmend? I know there is no suitable talent yet.

    Hugo asked in a retort as his eyes toward the president were full of doubts.

    What is the president up to this time?

    Elisa smiled softly at Hugo.

    Why not? We recently got one.

    What? What are you talking about.?

    Pleasee in.

    At that moment, the door of the conference hall opened and one person came inside.

    Everyone shut up as the sound of shoes touching the floor rang loudly inside the conference room.

    The teachers eyes naturally turned to that person. A sculpture-like handsome man dressed much neater than usual.

    Anyone with an eye can see that the outfit he is wearing is from House of Verdis.

    His steps were more disciplined and upright than soldiers and as he walked, his ck long hair tied back ttered.

    Soon the man stood next to Elisa Willow and turned toward the crowd.

    Nice to meet you.

    Hugo opened his eyes wide.

    Im a candidate for the nning Director position, my name is Rudger Chelici.

 Chapter 245

    C245: Director of the nning Department (1)

    Rudgers words caused a stir inside the conference hall.

    What did you just say?

    Candidate for the Director of the nning department?

    The teachers didnt realize what was going on until they pondered Rudgers words.

    What are you doing?

    Hugo Burtag screamed and jumped out of his seat. There was a lot of dissatisfaction in his voice.

    Rudgers unfeeling gaze reached Hugo.

    Whats the matter?

    Whats going on? Are you asking because you dont know that?

    Hugos face flushed with anger. He wanted to hit Rudger, who shamelessly asked him a question.

    A candidate for director of the nning department? Nonsense! No, why are you doing it your way in the first ce!

    I never said I would do it my way.

    Then what did you just say! Are you trying to y with me now?!

    When Hugo shouted so, his faction, the aristocratic teachers, agreed.

    Chris Benimore, he was just folding his arms, but he was also ufortable with the situation itself.

    Do you know what is going on Miss Merylda?

    No. Im also very surprised.

    Huh. Suddenly the atmosphere is weird.

    Selina, Merylda, and Bryno were quite nervous about the strangely flowing situation in the conference room.

    Meanwhile, Hugos protests continued.

    The teachers were called out of the blue and thought something was wrong, but this was way over the line! Do you think Theon is that funny?!

    Stop it.

    President Elisa stepped up, restraining Hugo.

    However, Hugo red at the president with angry eyes as if he would never back down this time.

    President, it was all your work.

    I dont know what youre talking about.

    Dont try to get away with it. Ive turned a blind eye to your countless abuses of power, but I cant let it go this time.

    Hugo has interfered with everything the president did so far. Nevertheless, he kept a certain limit, and one of them would take a step back if they felt they were disadvantaged.

    Elisa also stared at Hugo with a ridiculous gaze.

    Why are you so shameless when you pulled yourself out knowing that if you go too far, youll face a headwind?

    Hugo did not see her gaze, but he decided to continue more confidently. He could never back down when it came to the position of director of the nning department.

    Does it make sense to suddenly rece the position of director of the nning department which has been vacant for so long with a new teacher?

    Why are you opposing it?

    Are you asking such an obvious question? He doesnt deserve it. What are his qualifications!?

    When Hugo shouted, the presidents expression quickly turned cold.

    Mr. Hugo Burtag, keep your voice down. Do you think this is your house?

    .

    Hugo, who was trying to argue further, closed his mouth due to the huge pressure flowing out of the presidents body. Only then did he realize that he was too excited.

    However, Hugo would have avoided looking at her in the past, but this time he did not.

    The president smiled again, regaining his momentum.

    Mr. Hugo, you just asked me what his qualifications are, right?

    .Yes.

    Hugo also replied in a more rxed tone, perhaps having calmed down a little.

    Isnt it nice to talk quietly like this? Then Ill ask. Have you seen the recent presentation Mr. Rudger did in the Arcane Chamber? Youre not going to say you didnt see it, are you?

    Well, its.

    Hugo broke out in a cold sweat. That event, which had already spread among the wizards, was something that even Hugo had no choice but to know even if he didnt want to.

    Anyway, it was an experiment that increased the amount of mana emitted, so it was shocking. Because of that, he even contemted whether to put an iron te on his face and give Rudger a reconciliation handshake.

    Then, an amazing thing happened. Rudger had disclosed to everyone the achievements he had exined in the Arcane Chamber. It was an act that cannot be aplished without being insane

    Among the wizards busy making great discoveries on their own, Rudgers behavior was weird. Most people, however, praised his great ambition.

    The name Rudger Chelici has be much greater than just his reputation as a Theon teacher.

    Hugo took out a handkerchief and wiped his sweat.

    Ive seen it, but.

    There was an agreement that only those who have worthy achievements can sit in the seat of the nning director of Theon. However, considering Rudgers recent move, it couldnt have been more appropriate.

    At this rate, Rudger would be the new nning director. Not his own person, but a person under the influence of the president.

    Yeah, but Ability right now!

    Ability?

    Hugo felt sick when Elisa asked back with a smile.

    No teacher was as good as Rudger, at least to the best of his knowledge.

    The new magic or theories that Rudger showed were impable. If so, the only part worth poking was the actual skills, but that part was also difficult.

    Didnt Rudger even win the magic contest that was held during the festival?

    Rudger Chelici proved himself not only to be ahead in theory, but also to be outstanding in practical magic.

    Many teachers were even surprised when it was revealed at that time that he could handle light attribute magic.

    Above all, he had a short career.

    In the end, all Hugo could argue was that Rudger was a new teacher.

    Now that this was the case, Hugo decided to go out shamelessly.

    He is a new teacher and hasnt even worked for a year. Its not fair for him to take the position of nning director.

    Elisa smiled with her eyes as she watched Hugo.

    Oh, my. Mr. Hugo is saying something strange, too. Since when did we care so much about careers?

    Ugh! Dont neglect careers!

    Then, Ms. Marie Ross should be the director of the nning department.

    Are you going to say that now? Why are you trying to fill that position with your people?

    My people? Who are my people and who arent in Theon?

    The president opened her eyes wide and lookedpletely puzzled.

    Hugo twisted his face.

    Wordys wont work now!

    Theon is nominally fair to all but thats only nominal.

    In reality, the sses were divided among students, and factions existed even among teachers.

    Theres no way the president wouldnt know that.

    Nevertheless, the reason why she came forward like that was because she had the freedom to show off because she was in a really advantageous position.

    Even so, wont other teachers feel deprived?

    Is that so? Hmm

    Elisa smiled as she pped her hands together as if it was a good thing.

    Then lets go with the majority rule!

    What?

    Mr. Rudger has already proven his skills and made achievements that will remain in the future so lets go with the majority rule. Isnt it good to ask other teachers opinions, too?

    .

    Hugo felt something was wrong with the word majority.

    Although there were not so many teachers in Theon, almost half of them were part of the aristocratic faction but the neutral teachers couldnt be excluded.

    Vierano of Spirit Studies was one of the representatives of the neutral teacher.

    But in such a clear cause, will the neutrals really side with us?

    This was exactly what made Hugo nervous.

    Teachers who insist on neutrality remain neutral because they dont want to get caught up in troublesome situations in the case of a serious dispute. However the current situation didnt belong to that type.

    Then Ill proceed with a show of hands. Raise your hand if you dont think Mr. Rudger Chelici is suitable for the position of director of nning director.

    The aristocratic teachers began to take notice.

    He figured out how to increase mana emission. Can we interrupt him like this?

    If the cause is this clear, I dont think we can win at all costs.

    The nobles were not belligerent enough to fight meaningless battles, even though they formed factions.

    They united not just to continue a stable life as aristocrats, but to fight to protect the authority of the aristocrats even at risk.

    In addition, they were anxious about how to deal with Rudger.

    Even if they oppose it Rudger would be the head of the nning department but the main reason was that they would be marked since they raised their hands.

    You punks!

    Some teachers raised their hands when Hugo red at them, but some still did not.

    Among them was Chris Benimore and as he stood still the other teachers also stayed still in sympathy with his behavior.

    Mr. Chris, what are you doing?

    Hugo rebuked him with his gaze, but Chris refused Hugos order by shaking his head.

    Then please raise your hand if you agree.

    With the presidents voice, most teachers raised their hands and Hugos face turned pale at the sight.

    Just by eye measure, the number of approval was overwhelmingly high and even Vierano voted in favor.

    The result of the vote was obvious.

    It goes without saying that the number of people in favor is overwhelmingly high. You think so, too, Mr. Hugo?

    The president asked, but Hugo could not answer.

    Then, I dere here that Mr. Rudger has be the director of the nning department by the principle of majority rule. All right, Mr. Rudger, please tell us how you feel.

    Rudger stood next to the president and nced through the crowd.

    Most of the teachers had interesting expressions on their faces but some members of the aristocratic factions hurriedly avoided Rudgers gaze as soon as he reached them.

    First of all, I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude. Thanks to everyones support, I was able to sit in an undeserved seat.

    Rudgers tone was stiff, but his voice was extremely polite.

    However, many people have not yet cleared up their doubts. I am fully aware of that as well. So Ill show you through my future activities that Im not just wearing a sweatshirt (obtained a position with connections not ability).

    The words were nothing special but when Rudger said them they were strangely persuasive.

    This guy might really do something.

    The teachers gathered at the meeting shared the same thought.

    p, p, p.

    There was a burst of apuse in the conference room and when Rudger bowed his head and stepped down, Elisa stepped forward and changed the subject.

    Then Ill talk about the next agenda. You all know that its time for the field trips soon, right?

    The teachers nodded at her words.

    This time we are going to the capital, Lindebrugne. There, we will coborate with the Imperial Magic Society and other mentors, so please prepare well.

    * * *

    Rumors that Rudger became the nning director quickly spread throughout the country. However, rather than being surprised, the students took it for granted.

    nning Director? Well, Mr. Rudger deserves it.

    Still, hes a new teacher, but didnt he get a great position?

    Well, its better than nothing.

    Well he also revealed the way to increase the amount of mana emitted.

    Considering Rudgers steps so far, it was not surprising and what the students thought was more important than the other issues.

    The field trip will be soon, right?

    Right. I heard were going to the capital this time.

    Im curious. Whats the capital like?

    Students who had never been there had high expectations for the capital of the Exilion Empire.

    I heard theres a lot of food in the capital.

    I want to go downtown!

    The Crystal Pce is the capital.

    Leathervelk is also a huge cityparable to the capital Lindebrugne, but even so, the capital had its own romance.

    In addition, mentors guided students during this field trip, which stimted students curiosity about which wizards woulde this time.

    Did you hear the rumor? I heard that the mentors are especially splendid this year.

    Really? Im looking forward to it.

    I want to meet the wizards of the New Tower. After I graduate here, I n to go there.

    I want to join the Magic Society.

    While most of the students had conversations about their dreams and expectations, there were some who did not. Leo, for example, was like that.

    Sigh.

    Leo frowned and sighed quietly inside. He didnt usually look bright, but he looked especially worried today.

    Leo also knows about the field trip this time but he was worried because just a while ago someone contacted him.

    [Leo, I got a report from Theon that they are heading to the capital]

    The Liberation Army, where Leo is a semi-forced member, contacted him that they had ns to move when the students would head to the capital.

    [The time for revolution hase. Therades who have been oppressed will rise up.]

    The message forced Leo to wrap his head because he didnt know what revolution they were talking about was.

 Chapter 246

    C246: Director of the nning Department (2)

    Chapter sponsored byGerald.Thank you for your support.

    Leo, whats wrong?

    Aidan, who noticed that Leo had a worse expression than usual, asked carefully.

    Leo stared at Aidan.

    Oh, is there something on my face?

    When he saw that fool smiling and touching his face here and there, Leo smiled without realizing it.

    He usually has no sense, but hes always fast at times like this.

    Huh? What?

    Never mind. Anyway, its not a big deal.

    Leo had no choice but to keep it to himself for now.

    Theres no way I can tell you that Im connected to the Liberation Army in the first ce.

    It was also impossible for him to ask for help. Therefore, he had no choice but to make a judgment alone.

    What should I do?

    Leo honestly doesnt like the Liberation Army.

    They force the samemoners to join the Liberation Army, and if they dont, they use them of being pawns of the aristocrats.

    Their organization is dotted solely with hatred and anger, not fighting for the cause.

    In fact, the Liberation Army was defined as terrorists who caused bombings all over the world but they im that the aristocracy is falsely using them to drive them away.

    Leo knows thats not exactly a lie.

    But I cant disagree with them.

    Leo belongs to the Liberation Army because his family is held hostage. If it werent for that, he wouldnt have joined the Liberation Army.

    Should I step up and help when the other students will be in danger?

    Leo thought so, but soon shook his head.

    Actually, I dont care what happens to them.

    Leo hates the Liberation Army, but he hates the pretentious nobles no less.

    I dont care how many of those guys die fighting the Liberation Army.

    Leo looked at Aidan, Tracy and even Iona.

    I cant do that.

    Leo couldnt stand it, thinking that his friends would be involved in what the Liberation Army was doing.

    These guys are innocent.

    Leo eventually had no choice but to make a choice.

    Ill have to argue with him.

    While Leo made a resolution inside.

    .

    Iona stared at Leo with an expressionless face.

    * * *

    While the students were excited about field trips some of the teachers were in a state of emergency.

    Damn it!

    Hugo Burtag punched his desk while his assistant trembled with anxiety.

    I cant believe he became the nning director!

    It was annoying that he couldnt stop it, but the smile the president gave him at the end still lingered in his mind. It was the mockery of the winner to the loser.

    The long-held factional bnce inside Theon haspletely copsed due to this incident.

    That damn bastard will definitely take action to keep the nobles in check.

    Rudger haspletely joined the presidents faction.

    He was promoted by the president in todays meeting, and the president also worked hard on his thesis presentation in the Arcane Chamber.

    Hugo, who had been struggling for a long time, swept his hair with his thick hands.

    But its still okay. Even if he sits in a good position, he wont be able to fulfill the role of the nning director, whose position has been vacant for a long time.

    As it is a high position, the work intensity is high and the amount isrge. Even as the seat was vacant, there was a high possibility that it would not be properly handed over.

    If I think about it, it will take at least a few months to move in earnest. Until then, we just need to be fully prepared for a counterattack.

    In other words, he had plenty of opportunities to get ready and take his foot out before Rudger would start biting this side.

    How well can he do his job as the director of the nning department? We can hold amitteeter and force him to resign forck of qualifications. Until then.

    Phew, Mr. Hugo!

    First of all, Hugo, who was trying to tell his teachers to stay safe, frowned at the person who suddenly opened the door and entered.

    Somehow all of a sudden.

    Tell me quickly. Im actually not in a good mood right now.

    Rudger Chelici is moving now.

    What?

    Hugo thought he heard something wrong for a moment.

    He moved?

    Yes. He is going around theb right now to see if the budget is being spent properly.

    Why are you telling me just now?

    When Hugo shouted, the teacher who ran to inform the situation felt unfair for no reason.

    I came as soon as I knew.

    But he didnt have the courage to argue.

    What should I do now? I think theyve sharpened a lot of knives over there.

    What do you mean? Do you think were going to stay still like this?!

    No. What can I do if I dont stay still?

    The opponent is the one who holds the handle of the sword. There was nothing good about being emotional when it was not enough to shrink his neck and bend down.

    Of course Hugo didnt know that either. However, his boiling anger could not be suppressed.

    If I bow down and step back here, hell get even more assertive and try to bite me!

    There is nothing more dangerous to a person at the top of an organization than being belittled by someone because the moment the people below question their qualifications the strong fortress they built so far will copse like a sand castle.

    Absolutely not like that!

    Above all, Hugo did not feel hopeless since their side also ys a role in Theon.

    He thought he wouldnt be so easily bitten and that it would be enough to show that he was not an easy opponent.

    Lets go!

    Yes, yes? Oh, yes!

    Hugo stormed out of his office.

    * * *

    Rudger went through the papers in his private office.

    Now that he has risen to the position of director of the nning department, he has been given a new personal office, but he intends to do it at his usual ce for now.

    There are many problems just by looking at it roughly.

    The documents were data that Rudger had just taken while traveling around variousboratories. Even still, Sedina was in the process of moving a lot of data while whimpering.

    Rudger nced at the contents of the paper through the rimless sses.

    The self-audit assessment is a mess. Budget figures dont fit either. The audit wont happen anyway, so they must have done it on their own.

    From the establishment of the department that went over the budget, there were many things that were done in a fist-fighting way.

    The organization of personnel was a mess, and most of them were handed over without proper deliberation of regtions.

    Even if the position was empty this is a mess.

    He understood why President Elisa tried to fill this position somehow.

    Obviously, these are minor problems.

    But if those little things are scattered everywhere they will be a big problem.

    Its not like theres a drop of water leaking from one ce, but there were holes everywhere, so it was a problem.

    From the presidents point of view, the disasters that took ce in various parts of the country must have been unbearable.

    This is why I cant simply close my eyes and move on.

    He tried to be decent as long as he was in this position but he wasnt brazen enough to stay still in the face of such a multitude of problems.

    No. Rather, it worked out.

    It may be at the level of a needle thief now, but there is no guarantee that it will be like this in the future. It would be better to pluck out all the buds in advance.

    The president will like it if I work hard at times like this.

    This audit was a kind of sincere show so Rudger was going to pick out the particrly severe ones from the list and punish them.

    Although I only selected people who are rtively evil.

    It was when he stared at the familiar names on the list.

    Bang!

    Mr. Rudger Chelici!

    The door popped open and Hugo Burtag came inside with a gant face with about three aristocratic teachers behind him.

    Oh? Now, wait a minute! You cante in without permission!

    Get out of the way!

    Hugo pushed Sedina out of the way and she fell slightly back and spilled the documents.

    Oh, no!

    Sedina shouted and the documents that had fallen to the floor floated in the air, and soon flew to Rudgers desk and piled up one by one.

    Piling paper with the wind.

    It was a level of mana control that she couldnt believe even when she saw it.

    How many people could handle wind magic in such detail?

    It was the same with Hugo. He was trying to argue about something, but was speechless at Rudgers mana control.

    So.

    Rudger, who piled up the documents neatly, stared at Hugo and other teachers with a sharp gaze.

    Why did youe into my office without permission?

    Under indescribable pressure, Hugo swallowed without realizing it. He soon clenched his teeth at the fact that he lost his momentum.

    I came here to tell teacher Rudger something!

    If you had anything to say, you could have asked someone else to do it.

    Its because its something I have to tell you in person.

    You even brought people with you?

    Rudger said so and looked at Sedina who quickly stepped down and went to the assistants office.

    Rudger took off his rimless sses, took out his handkerchief, and carefully wiped the sses.

    You didnt show basic manners.

    What?

    Hugo didnt understand what Rudger was saying for a moment. Soon after, his face turned red.

    Now how dare you!

    How dare you.

    Rudgers powerful voice interrupted Hugo.

    How dare you. Then say what you want to say.

    .

    I know that Mr. Hugo Burtag and others behind him worked longer than I did.

    After wiping all his sses, Rudger folded them gently and ced them on the desk.

    One of the aristocratic teachers standing behind Hugo opened his mouth as if he was displeased.

    Then we should at least get treated ordingly.

    Are you talking about proper treatment? Arent I doing this right now?

    What

    If I didnt treat you as industry seniors, I would have used harsher words.

    The faces of the teachers, who were already harsh at Rudgers almost provocative answer distorted miserably.

    If it wasnt for that position, you wouldnt even have been able to respond so brazenly!

    Its naturally my own ability to take the position. Youre Median Maureen, whos in charge of the 2nd year implementation ss, right?

    When Rudger correctly pointed out his name, Median widened his eyes with a shocked face.

    Rudger wordlessly picked up one of the papers on the desk, then a breeze was felt and the paper flew towards Median.

    Median epted it naturally and opened his eyes wide when he saw what was written on it.

    You ordered a special metal with low magic conductivity required for the ss, but the amount and number written on it did not match.

    That, that.

    You also y the role of a club advisor, but the club is made up of only aristocratic students.

    Whats wrong with that?

    Originally, it wouldnt be strange if it was closed down immediately because it didnt produce results, but it was strangely well maintained. In addition, it seems that the budget audit wasnt done properly.

    At those words, cold sweat broke out on Medians back. The other teachers were appalled by the sight, but relieved that it wasnt them in his ce.

    Are other people relieved that their names havente out yet?

    However, Rudger had no intention of being considerate of the people who came here.

    When he pointed out, those who breathed a sigh of relief inside trembled as if they had been stabbed.

    Did you think the papers piled up here were just a show-off to show that I was working?

    Well, thats.

    There are many things that are trivial enough to be called corruption, which do not need to be pointed out and overlooked but all the things are small.

    The teachers who came to protest were appalled. It was the same for Hugo who felt something was going wrong.

    Mr. Rudger.

    Mr. Hugo Burtag, watch yournguage.

    .

    Now Im sitting here as the director of the nning department.

    Rudger, who said so, stood up just.

    I happened to have all of you on my list of people to keep an eye on.

    It wasnt exactly so since Rudger only picked out the ones with the most serious crimes but surprisingly, all the teachers who came to him were on the list.

    Look forward to it.

    Rudger spoke in a heavier voice.

    I dont know how to act in moderation.

 Chapter 247

    C247: Director of the nning Department (3)

    Hugo swallowed dry saliva. He never thought Rudger would have moved this far.

    He became the nning director this morning and he already figured this out?

    No matter how fast Rudger moved, it was strange that he found those issues so early. It was clear that someone helped from behind and Hugo immediately recognized who it was.

    President has been working hard to keep us on a leash for a long time.

    Now that Rudger is in the position of nning director the president, who had a great sword in her hand, had nothing to fear.

    She handed over the materials she had prepared for a long time to Rudger.

    Rudger skimmed most of them in that short period of time and picked out those who would receive disciplinary action.

    It was Hugos mistake toe here now.

    Mr. Rudger.

    Call me the nning Director, at least for now.

    Yes, nning Director. You spoke well but can you pursue that at will?

    Do you think I cant do it?

    Hugo tried to run a chicken race, but immediately regretted it the moment he saw Rudgers eyes.

    This guy. His eyes are sincere!

    Come to think of it, Rudger has done so before. From the moment he came to Theon, if a student did something wrong, he/she was punished regardless of his/her status.

    Rather, if the opponent was a noble, they would be treated more severely and Hugo had warned Rudger several times about it. But even then, Rudger openly ignored his warning.

    He didnt act like that because he was a fallen noble and has been the same since the beginning.

    No matter who the opponent is, he never intends to bend, and he has the will to push forward with what he has decided. Rudger was that kind of person in the first ce.

    Hugo clenched his fist, forced a smile and spoke softly.

    Haha. We dont have to go this far, do we? Oh, of course it doesnt mean we did well. I admit that we made some mistakes.

    The teachers who came together opened their eyes wide at the fact that such words came out of Hugos mouth.

    Making a gesture of reconciliation, not coercion or appeasement showed that Hugo was going in with his head down.

    Although the aristocratic teachers were surprised, Hugo had to suppress the disgrace that was now rising inside him. Nevertheless, he managed to maintain his smile without showing it on his face.

    Still, isnt there such a thing as moderation? If you teach them well, no other teacher will do that again.

    It seemed like he was trying to persuade Rudger somehow, but everyone in this room knew that Hugo Burtag bowed his head to Rudger Chelici.

    Even if it was because of hisst remaining pride, he said it with a smile on his face the victor of this fight was as if it had been decided.

    Rudger stared at Hugo, who spoke with a desperate smile. A cold sweat flowed down Hugos cheeks and Rudger nodded at the sight.

    Yes. Of course, I was worried about the disciplinary actions since Im also a teacher.

    Well, then!

    So let me give you a suggestion.

    Hugos expression, which had been swollen with hope, was again colored with anxiety.

    I dont intend to discipline everyone, but I cant go without any disciplinary action at all.

    .

    Dont you know? That when there is a shower, someones clothes are bound to get wet.

    Not everyone packs an umbre and although some escape the rain safely, some get wet.

    Well, yes.

    Hugo nodded awkwardly.

    So, Ill give Mr. Hugo a chance.

    What chance?

    Mr. Hugo should pick those who were caught in the rain.

    Hugo remained silent since what Rudger said was tantamount to dismissing his aides with his own hands.

    Hugos clenched fist trembled since Rudger wanted him, a person tightly bound with the aristocracy to do the dirty work.

    You damn bastard!

    Rudger was saying that if he didnt want to die he had to cut his tail with his hands.

    Hugo stared at Rudger with bloodshot eyes, but the moment he faced Rudgers cold gaze, his fighting spirit disappeared.

    Cant you do it?

    .

    If youre having a hard time, you dont have to do it. I just need to refer the people on the list to the disciplinarymittee.

    .

    Rudger had nothing to lose.

    It was Hugo and other aristocratic factions that made mistakes in the first ce, and they were caught. They outnumbered them in this position, but it was Rudger who had the initiative.

    Ive given you a chance.

    With my hands Are you asking me to beat the other teachers?

    Youre saying something strange.

    Whats wrong with you?

    I dont understand why its hitting. Isnt it natural to take appropriate disciplinary action against persons that made mistakes? Moreover, I even reduced the number of people who would be punished because Mr. Hugo came to me.

    Hugo swallowed his saliva. Rudgers tone was light, but his voice crept up and pressed his throat.

    I hope you make a good choice while Im being considerate.

    * * *

    In the top floor of the main building of Theonughter that was not normally heard came from the presidents office where Elisa Willow lived.

    You look happy.

    Wilford asked, putting out a well-done ck tea in front of Elisa.

    Yes, its fun.

    Elisa usually didnt show her emotions, but this time she had no choice but to be purely happy because a while ago Hugo Burtag came to her and handed her a list of teachers whomitted irregrities.

    Whatever happened with Rudger, Hugo uncharacteristically confessed that several teachers belonging to his factionmitted irregrities.

    Of course, I said so, but it was clear that the expression itself was rotting and did not like this situation at all.

    But whats the point of that?

    The important thing is that Hugo Burtag, the greedy aristocrat who always put everything on the line whenever he tried to do something, finally bowed his head.

    When Hugo came to the presidents office, it was tantamount to admitting his defeat.

    I was wondering what happened when I heard that he visited Mr. Rudger, but I didnt expect such a fun thing to happen.

    Elisaughed so hard that she wiped away the tears from her eyes.

    Wilford wanted to tell her to keep her dignity, but he knew how much she had suffered because of Hugo, so he decided to let it go this time.

    You got a big present from Mr. Rudger.

    Yes, its a big gift. Ive put him in that ce through a deal, but who would have imagined this would happen as soon as he took office?

    Mr. Hugo Burtags faction must have been greatly reduced by this incident.

    Thats right. Its because Hugo Burtag himself purged them, not anyone else. Mr. Rudger used his brain very well.

    If Rudger had made up his mind and set out to wield the mace, the faction of nobles, including Hugo, would have been more tightly united since a clear enemy is more effective than a great leader in maintaining an organization.

    But Rudger did not act simply, instead he cleverly gave the de to Hugo by telling him that he would reduce the punishment.

    If Hugo refused to act, Rudger wouldve done it himself so Hugo hesitated because he knew it.

    If he set an example of five people, the rest can be safe, including himself but on the contrary, he was too afraid to lose what he held if he rejected Rudgers offer.

    Of course, the attitude that Mr. Rudger showed was also important for that. If he shows that he keeps what he says, the arrogant Hugo will also be pushed back.

    Hugo knew what kind of being Rudger Chelici was. And if he says he will do something he does it.

    In other words, if Hugo rejected Rudgers offer and somehow tried to use his faction to fight Rudger wouldve cruelly trampled on them.

    To be honest, I want to get rid of all those leech-like people.

    If you do that, no matter how strong you are, there will be too many vacancies.

    I mean, if I cut them all out, Ill also have to find new people to cover the vacancies.

    There was a high possibility people with bad intentions would infiltrate Theon at that time.

    She didnt like the aristocratic teachers, but leaving the things as they were was because it was better than the alternative.

    At least people like that are easy to read and can be controlled in a moment of need.

    Rudger was also aware of that, and admirably, he caught exactly what Elisa was worried about.

    This, I feel like Im in debt. I received something too big.

    Haha. Then why dont you give him a present?

    A present?

    Elisa opened her eyes wide at Wilfords words.

    Yes. Didnt the president often say that? If there is something to give, there is something to receive, and vice versa.

    That is

    Elisa did not deny Wilfords words.

    A gift

    Elisa was in agony.

    Have I ever given a gift to anyone?

    Elisha was always on the receiving end of gifts since most people were fascinated by her beauty, talent, and status and tried to look good.

    Elisha knew what they were like, so she epted what they gave her when she needed it, and when she didnt, she would reject it.

    Even the gifts she received were only a condition for a worthy deal. She couldnt see them as gifts of pure goodwill.

    Ive never been in debt in my life.

    But this time she certainly owed Rudger.

    She was sure she had a business rtionship with him. However, Rudgers behavior this time went beyond just a business deal.

    It would hurt Elisas pride if she didnt give him something in return.

    But a gift. Which one would be good?

    Elisa fumbled over whether she had ever given someone a present, but nothing came to her mind. This is because even when she was a student at Theon in the past, she was envied and only received gifts.

    She certainly agreed with Wilford, but she couldnt think of what to do when she tried to do it.

    Come to think of it, I never did this in my life.

    Although she was treated as a genius and came up to this position, Elisa felt strange that she didnt do something so basic in her life.

    She didnt think it was that important at the time but now she changed her opinion.

    Hmm. Are you thinking about what to give?

    Yes.

    Elisha replied sternly to the strange admiration felt in Wilfords softly asking voice.

    Wilford grinned at the remark.

    Hahaha. Oh, my. Maybe I should give you some advice.

    Mr. Wilford? You look happy.

    Do you mean me? Huh. How could that be?

    What do you mean, thats impossible.

    Now Wilford was the image of a grandfather who was making a fuss, no matter who looked at him.

    Mr. Rudger Chelici is also a man, so Ill rmend you roughly what kind of gift he would like.

    Elisa was strangely anxious, but she didnt refuse since a man would know another man tastes better and she also didnt think of asking Rudger what he wants.

    TL Note: No chapter tomorrow since the queue is clear.

 Chapter 248

    C248: Each persons choice (1)

    A piece of good news was delivered to the students of Theon.

    The third test will be conducted during the field trip but the reason it was good news was because the students will obtain points from the mentors based on the results of their tasks and wont have to solve difficult test questions.

    I heard you can get a B or higher if you are assigned to a good mentor.

    Some mentors know our situation, so they understand it.

    In particr, the students, who were worried about how difficult the test would be, were happy and waited only for the uing field trip.

    What kind of mentor will I meet when I go, and where will I stop by when I go to the capital?

    Some people did not enjoy it when everyone thought positively and among them was Leo.

    Its a big deal.

    As the field trip period approached, Leo was starting to get nervous.

    It was not long ago that he was ordered to announce the movement of the students of Theon in the capital.

    Leo pretended not to hear it, but he couldnt ignore it forever so he finally made up his mind and sent a reply.

    Most of the people here are students. There are many nobles, but the number ofmoners is also not small and he didnt want them to get hurt.

    Leos reply was like this, but the Liberation Army was determined.

    Their sacrifice is heartbreaking for us, too. But their deaths will be a noble sacrifice, bringing the future that our Liberation Army wants.

    Leo desperately tried not to swear when he saw the reply he received and managed to do so only because his patience far exceeded the average student.

    So, let the students who have done nothing wrong die?

    Theyre not dying. It is a noble sacrifice.

    Why are you deciding that their sacrifice is noble?

    It is for an equal world, free from the oppression of the nobles.

    Whatever Leo said, the Liberation Army didnt ept it.

    They had no intention of yielding, as their hatred for the nobles had prated them to the bone.

    And remember in whose care your family is now.

    Leo had no choice but to gnash his teeth at those words.

    As long as his sick mother and only brother were in their hands, Leo had no choice but to follow their orders, whether he liked it or not.

    Leo clenched his fist in a surge of anger. However, there was no one in front of him to swing his fist at.

    Bloody hell.

    He must hand over the information for his precious family but if the information is handed over, Theons students will be caught up in a terrorist attack.

    He didnt care if those hateful nobles died but there were many innocent people among them, including his friends. And when they find out the truth, how will they look at him.?

    Im annoyed.

    Leo was going to go back to the dormitory early and rest well today.

    At that time, Aidan, Tracy, and Iona, who saw Leo from afar, approached, but Leo ignored them and left.

    Whats wrong with him these days?

    Tracy grumbled at the sight of Leo leaving, while ignoring them.

    Leo. Whats wrong with you these days?

    It seems something happened.

    Iona answered immediately.

    Recently, he seemed to have a lot of worries.

    Oh, really?

    Tracy asked back as if she didnt realize it and Iona nodded silently.

    Leos condition was so bad that even the dull Aidan noticed Leo was different from usual.

    What? Am I the only one who didnt know?

    Tracy nced back at Aidan and Iona. As a self-respecting person, she was shocked by the current situation.

    Im the only one who didnt know.

    Neither Aidan nor Iona would reprimand her for such things, but Tracy could not tolerate it.

    Then we can find out, right?

    How can we find out?

    Lets follow Leo.

    Tracy brings a magnifying ss taken from who knows where to her eye.

    Uh, Aidan asked dumbfounded.

    Follow Leo?

    Yes, we need to know why Leo is like that. To do that, we need to know more about Leo. This is the basis of investigation.

    Investigation

    Dont you know? Thats something Detective Casey Selmore usually says. When something happens, investigate first. Its essential to catch the culprit.

    The culprit?

    Oh, thats what she said.

    Tessie waved her hand at Aidan, who was surprised and asked back, saying, Dont worry.

    At that time, Iona opened her mouth and asked.

    Who is Casey Selmore?

    Its my first time hearing the name, too.

    What?

    When Aidan said he didnt know, Tracy opened her eyes wide.

    You guys dont know Casey Selmore?

    Yes.

    I dont know.

    Oh, my God

    Tracys brain was muddled because of these two people whockmon sense.

    Iona is a Suin and came from the ce where her species lived, so it was not surprising if she didnt know, but Aidan?

    Casey Selmore is a genius detective and shes even a great wizard who used the magic of a single attribute element to get the title [Colour] from the Tower.

    Wow. Really?

    Of course, shes even the hero that captured the famous viin, James Moriarty, in the Delica Kingdom three years ago.

    She is an amazing person.

    Shes even humble, saying she wasnt the one who caught James Moriarty and a model that all wizards should emte.

    Tracy was a big fan of Casey Selmore. Sometimes she liked Casey so much that she took a strange pride in the fact that her name was simr in pronunciation to Caseys.

    How can you not know her!? She even came to Theon during the festival.

    Uh, um, sorry?

    Aidan, Ill lend you a book full of her greatness, so try to read it all by next week!

    All of a sudden?

    Of course thats not the point, but anyway.

    As Tracys words were about to be prolonged, Iona stepped out.

    Lets go after Leo first.

    Oh? Oh, right. Lets go, Aidan!

    Yes

    Aidan began to feel anxious about Tracys strangely excited appearance.

    * * *

    Rudger, who finished his deal with Hugo Burtag, took off his sses and rubbed his eyes at the fact that he had finished a big deal.

    Teacher, are you very tired?

    Sedina asked worriedly but she also looked very tired and was slightly dark under her eyes.

    No. Im fine. Above all, the most annoying thing is over.

    Do you mean Mr. Hugo?

    Yes. It will be difficult for aristocratic teachers to exercise their power within Theon after this incident. Of course, as time passes, they will raise their heads again as before.

    At that time, it was enough for Rudger, who had the position of the nning director, to press them with moderate force so that they could not raise their heads.

    Now he had the power to do so within Theon.

    At that thought, Rudgerughed in vain.

    Its funny to be a teacher at an academy that I didnt n toe to, but to be in an important position inside this academy.

    It was also the result of his desperate struggle to survive, but even considering that, it was very interesting.

    A new teacher rose to the top of Theon and even though the president knew that he hid his identity she still handed the position over to him.

    It was the result of Rudgers confidence in what he has shown so far, but Rudger, the person involved, still felt dumbfounded.

    Weve finished all the urgent work so you should rest too.

    Yes. Are you going to the capital, too?

    Are you talking about the field trip?

    Yes.

    Thats right. First of all, since Im a teacher, I have to go as a mentor. However, it is necessary to sort out the list before then.

    The uing mentor application period for field trips was still ongoing.

    Now that Rudger has be the nning director it was also his job to select people by looking at the list of mentor applicants.

    Most mentors have been selected in advance, so there will be few additional peopleing. You never know when a new person will suddenly appear.

    Especially after Rudger published the research theory that shows how to increase mana emission in the Arcane Chamber the number of wizards sending applications to Theon as mentors has increased exponentially in rtion to the uing field trip.

    Then isnt your work not finished yet?

    What are you talking about? My work is done.

    What? But you have to sort out the list.

    Thats not my job.

    Sedina realized something and nodded.

    Rudger, the nning director, did not have to do everything himself. That kind of misceneous work was done by subordinates. And of course, the subordinates were employees of Theon, who belonged to the nning office.

    Because of that, the people in the nning office were working all night to select the right people from countless lists.

    I just have to sign the approval documents thate up.

    Ah

    Sedina prayed for repose to the people in the nning office who had doubled their work because of Rudger.

    * * *

    Casey Selmore subdued all the assassins who attacked her and handed them over to the city of Leathervelk.

    Before that, she tried to question them personally, but the assassins never spoke.

    Well, I didnt expect it in the first ce.

    Casey gave up neatly since she had an idea who was behind the assassins.

    They must have been sent by the ck Dawn Society.

    They must have tried to get rid of her because they were annoyed by the news that she was investigating them these days.

    The fact that it was Rudger who warned her in advance was also a sufficient clue.

    More than that, the letter.

    Casey saw Rudgers letter in the trash can and picked it up.

    Be careful?

    As soon as she saw the concise letter, Casey felt aplicated emotion that was hard to express in words.

    Why should I be careful? Did he send the letter to make fun of me?

    No, he wouldnt have even deceived her by sending such a letter in the first ce.

    Hes definitely a bad person, but he isnt that kind of shamelessly broken person.

    Nevertheless, he sent a letter and gave a direct warning.

    Cause youre really worried about me.

    Casey crumpled the letter in her hand.

    Do you think Id be happy about this?

    Thats what she thought, but Caseys eyes were weak.

    Of course, this warning letter was of little use to her in the first ce.

    It started raining outside just in time, and Casey noticed the assassins hiding in the room. Even without the letter, she could have prevented the surprise attack by herself.

    Nevertheless, she couldnt get rid of the fact that she was helped by Rudger from her head.

    The fact that a man who should always look bad, worried about her made Casey not know whether she should be happy or angry.

    Three years ago he was the criminal of the century who threatened a nation, cheating, deceiving and trying to start a war but now he was different. Thinking of students, teaching magic and even revealing the discovery of the century to everyone.

    James Moriarty and Rudger Chelici moves were simply the opposite.

    No. Was it really the opposite?

    In Rudgers past that I read the other day he stayed in the Delica Kingdom and taught a boy to study. His appearance at that time seemed much softer and more kind than he was now a teacher.

    There was no need to wear a mask and he didnt teach a child to write to show it to anyone.

    .

    Casey took out a piece of paper containing Rudgers mana from her pocket. She didnt have time to see his past because she was busy but in fact that was just an excuse since she always had the chance to see but she hesitated.

    Casey closed her eyes.

    She is a member of the Selmore family, and is a [Colour] wizard who uses a single attribute but if anyone asks whats her job, Casey will proudly call say detective.

    Casey was not ashamed that she was a detective and was even proud because people should never turn a blind eye to the truth.

    Casey opened her eyes with determination andy on the bed immediately to face the truth that she had been avoiding so far.

    Casey took a deep breath and closed her eyes and Betty, who came into the room just in time, saw Casey and shouted in surprise.

    Casey, what time is it now that youre sleeping?

    Oh,e on!

    Casey threw a pillow at Bettys face.

    If youre tired, say it with words. Why throw a pillow?

    Betty took the flying pillow with one hand and left with a grunt while Casey stared at Betty and then fell back on the bed.

    It was time to see the truth.

 Chapter 249

    C249: Each persons choice (2)

    Casey Selmore fell asleep. To be precise, it would be urate to say that she threw herself into the muddy stream of memories.

    She saw the huge stream she saw the other day and thought calmly even though she was suddenly thrown into a raging river.

    It was a dangerous ce where she could be swept away by an unwanted flow of memories if she tripped even a little, but this was a ce shes already been to.

    Its not what it used to be. I can find it right away.

    Casey went back to Rudger memory stream. It wasnt as difficult as she thought it would be at first, but it was much easier and faster the second time.

    Casey finally reached the point where she stopped thest time.

    Lets go.

    And threw herself into the memory.

    As before, her vision was dark before she regained her light. The scene that followed was the continuation of the memory she saw that day.

    It was after James Moriarty became a full professor at Ordo University.

    Casey watched James Moriartys track record with a calmer mind unlike before.

    Even though he became a full professor, his life did not change. He studies, studies, and goes home to teach Arte.

    The only change is that he gives lectures to students who attend Ordo University periodically after bing a full professor.

    I wondered why he was working well as a teacher at Theon, so this was the reason.

    He repeated his schedule every day. Nevertheless, James Moriarty was building his reputation step by step.

    Professor! Hello!

    Even though I was walking on the site of Ordo University right away, female students woulde up and talk to him.

    It was to ask something they didnt know, but it was an excuse for anyone to see, and their real purpose was to somehow talk to this handsome professor.

    If youre a student, you should just study.

    Casey, who watched the scene in a translucent state, folded her arms disapprovingly.

    Kids these days dont know anything. Why are they attracted to such a dangerous man?

    Take care of yourself and go home.

    Yes, yes!

    Yay! The professor worried about us!

    And the surprising aspect was that Rudger was secretly kind to students who approached him.

    Of course, after the girls left he immediately returned to his usual expressionless and cold face.

    Casey immediately caught that sense of alienation.

    More than that is it still not happening?

    After looking at every move Rudger made, she saw nothing suspicious. He just studied or gave lectures.

    Rudger neither tries to establish awork with others nor hangs himself on them.

    No matter how she looked at it, wasnt this the typical life of an innocent professor?

    Having sent his students away, Rudger returned to his office.

    After bing a full professor, he received a fairly spacious office, consisting of a bookcase full of books on one wall, and arge ckboard on the other.

    The white chalk on the ckboard is rted to topological mathematics that he is studying.

    James Moriarty didnt have an assistant. Therefore, when drinking coffee or ck tea, he made it himself.

    Rudger slowly savored the taste of coffee while reading the newspaper.

    After reading the newspaper, Rudger folded it to one side and began to read other materials.

    Oh? Come to think of it, this sight. I think Ive seen it somewhere.

    It was around the time when Casey was puzzled by the strange feeling of dj vu, that Rudgers office door shed open, and the crackling sound of shoes rang clear in the room.

    Rudger, who was reading a book, raised his head only slightly and nced at the intruder who suddenly entered.

    That figure staring sharply at him in the sunlighting through the window behind her back.

    Casey recalled her memory the moment she saw the scene.

    Yes, it was then!

    Immediately after Caseys inner cry, a zing voice like hers rang through the space.

    I heard theres a man named James Moriarty here.

    Casey Selmore came into his office three years ago.

    She looked younger than she was now and was only wandering around the world, enhancing her reputation as a genius detective at that time.

    Casey, three years ago, was very confident and challenging, and it was fully revealed in her expression.

    Uh Was I supposed to look that bad?

    Casey stared at her past self with a bitter gaze.

    What should I say about myself three years agoI seem to be filled with pride.

    Of course, it was not without excuses.

    That was inevitable at that time, when she was in the midst of a series of unsolved cases and her nose was high.

    Then, she heard rumors about a genius professor who made his name known while studying topological mathematics.

    Even though she visited out of curiosity, it was natural that the idea this body will personally apany me was secretly mixed within.

    Oh, its like.

    The present-day Casey was embarrassed.

    Yes, I am James Moriarty. Who are you? You dont look like our students.

    Rather than getting angry at an uninvited guest who came in without the owners permission, Rudger asked in a quiet voice.

    Who am I? You really dont know who I am?

    I dont know if I should know anyone whoes into anothers office without the owners permission.

    Youre an interesting person. I dont know if youve heard of the name Casey Selmore.

    Oh

    The current Casey held her head as she saw herself talking with her hand on her chest.

    What are you doing?

    No matter how much she regretted what she did when she was younger, the current situation has never changed.

    Casey Selmore.Thats a name Ive heard before. Shes a genius detective and has solved several cases.

    Oh, you recognize me.

    Its been in the papers a lot.

    Rudger, who reads the newspaper every day, couldnt forget Caseys name, which was often written there.

    So why did a famous detectivee to such a trivial professor?

    Its purely out of curiosity. Recently, a new professor was inaugurated at Ordo University, and he is said to be very famous.

    Thats too much to say.

    I thought it was like that at first, but seeing you I agree. You can be proud. Its mypliment.

    .

    Rudger stared at Casey with a look of Who the hell is this person?

    Stop it!!!

    The current Casey, who was watching the scene, wanted to kill herself from the past.

    As she seriously thought about cutting off the memory stream and running outside again Casey in the past held out a book to Rudger.

    Can you sign it?

    Its a book I wrote.

    Yes, I read your book on topology and geometry. Its full of really interesting stories. I cant believe you came up with such a theory at a young age. As expected of a genius professor.

    Its not enough to be called a genius but since you like it this much, Ill sign it for you.

    Rudger said so and wrote the name James Moriarty on the first page of the book Casey handed over.

    Written with an ink-soaked quill pen, it was so neat that anyone could see it.

    Casey looked at it and said interestingly.

    Professor James Moriarty. Do you happen to know anything about graphology?

    Rudger nced at Caseys question and answered it.

    Ive heard of it. It is a so-called simr science that recognizes the persons inner and psychological, personality, and peculiarity through a persons handwriting.

    Its quasi-science. Of course I think so, too. Phrenology, physiognomy, physiognomy, blood type. Its kind of like this.

    Why do you ask that all of a sudden?

    Its called quasi-science, but I think theres something to pay attention to. Professor James Moriarty has a really neat handwriting. Its like a typewriter.

    Is there something wrong with that?

    Usually, people who are so neat are paranoid. Its because of the perfectionist tendency not to want the stroke endings of each letter to be ruined at all.

    Casey looked around the office saying so.

    There were books and papers littered everywhere and the ckboard was filled with white chalk powder, perhaps because it was not cleaned.

    When was thest time you cleaned this ce?

    Well, it shouldnt have been that long.

    Really? Oh, to continue with what I was saying a while ago. There are usually two types of people. One is, as I just said, a perfectionist, who never misses the slightest thing. Arent you curious about the other one?

    When asked explicitly meaningful questions, Rudger asked without losing hisposure.

    Im curious to hear that. So what is the other one?

    Hes a person who desperately hides it so that he doesnt show his true self in the world.

    .

    Rudger stared at her silently and soon smirked then returned the signed book to Casey.

    Interesting analysis.

    Really?

    Yes. And although Ick knowledge I think its better to read the book you bought until the end.

    why do you think so?

    Since this book is the first edition, it uses paper from Filepisos, which is not yet of very good quality. Turning the pages is good, but if you handle it even a little rough, your hands will burn and the paper will easily press down.

    Casey stared at Rudger with provocative eyes as she received the book he handed over.

    From the position of holding the book in your hand as you entered the room to handing it over to me, I can see at a nce that you dont really care about books. Nevertheless, the pages of the book were surprisingly clean after the middle. I dont see any pressed marks, or signs of burning hands. That means you read only half of the content of the book.

    Have you seen it in the meantime?

    I didnt see it, I just saw it.

    You are very observant.

    It wouldnt even be something to brag about in front of a genius detective.

    Their eyes shed in the air.

    Thats interesting, Professor James Moriarty. I feel like well see each other often in the future.

    I see. I think Ill see you often, too, Detective Casey Selmore.

    It was their first meeting.

    I was like this at that time.

    Present Casey gave up halfway and stared at herself, who was full of conceit three years ago.

    The young Casey didnt solve cases to gain fame and be praised as a genius but the satisfaction was short.

    Casey felt a strange emptiness as people praised her.

    She felt frustrated when she saw people who made a fuss about nothing and didnt even understand what they should know.

    Even though she met many people, she felt isted on a deserted ind alone. That was the loneliness of a genius.

    She didnt know at the time that it was an arrogant attitude that only a genius could have so when she heard the rumor about a young genius professor, Casey Selmore became curious even though they were not rted at all.

    Professor James Moriarty, whom she actually met, was at least distinctly different from the other stupid people she knew.

    She realized it instinctively that he was like her and Rudger may have felt it, too.

    Yes, he did.

    Casey Selmore has since stayed in the Ordo University and visited Rudgers office naturally.

    Rudger was bothered by Casey at first, who was constantly visiting, but he would immediately be apanion to her, perhaps interested in her unusual personality.

    Even if it was a conversation that they met and shared, it was more like they were standing up against each other.

    It was a goodwill gesture that Casey could show at the time, and Rudger didnt bother to point that out.

    However, this routine, which seemed to continue, did notst that long.

    Strange things began to happen in the Delica Kingdom and people began to disappear.

    What was not known at the time was that it was mainly children who disappeared. This is because most of them were poor children who could not eat or sleep properly.

    No one cares if the bottom of society dies or not.

    There were no newspapers dealing with serial disappearances, and sometimes newspapers only had a slight looking for missing persons article in a back corner.

    But Rudger had a strange feeling from that little part.

    Because mainly young children are missing.

    He was troubled. It was not something that he had to pay attention to but for some reason it didnt feel good so he wanted to tell Arte and Sally to be careful when he went back today.

    There was no harm in advising them.

    Teacher!

    Rudger, who returned home from ss at Ordo University as usual, had no choice but to face Arte, who was calling him anxiously.

    My, my sister! Shes gone!

 Chapter 250

    C250: Each persons choice (3)

    Chapter sponsored byGeorge.Thank you for your support.

    Arte looked as if the sky was about to copse when his sister, Sally, disappeared. The only family left for Arte, who lost both his parents, was Sally, a good younger sister who was well-behaved.

    Even when he asked the owner, he only answered that he had never seen Sally.

    Teacher, what should I do? If Sally disappears, Ill!

    Calm down, Arte.

    Rudger held his cor and calmed the tearful Arte.

    Arte was passionate about learning and showed an adult attitude, but he was still a child.

    He waspletely panicked at the news of the disappearance of her only family. The intelligence that he usually showed did not shine in the unexpected situation.

    We dont know exactly what happened yet.

    Well, its.

    Think calmly. Sally is a strong child, so Im sure shell be fine.

    However, many children have disappeared these days.

    Its because of an unountable incident. Dont worry, Ill check for myself.

    Teacher?

    Yes, youll find out soon enough.

    Rudger, who calmed Arte, immediately returned to his room, wrote a letter, and sent it through the fastest way possible.

    A series of missing incidents its going on these days.

    Even the authorities of the Delica Kingdom were strangely lukewarm about the incident.

    Since the victims were only the lower ss, they were not aware of the seriousness of the situation.

    No, theres something else.

    Unlike brave and extrovert Arte, Sally was a gentle child who was even scared when she first saw him.

    Unlike her older brother who woke upte, she woke up early andughed early, helping to clean up the store.

    She had no great dream to be a great schr but was a pure child who wanted to support her brother.

    If someone kidnapped her.

    Ill make you pay for it.

    At all costs.

    * * *

    The next day after sending the letter Rudger sat on a bench at a train station in the Delica Kingdom and waited for a person.

    Brother.

    Then Hans, wearing a gentlemans uniform and a fedora, approached Rudger and sat down.

    That person?

    Casey realized that Hans looked familiar.

    When she first talked to Rudger on the day of the festival he was there and she also saw him passing by on Royal Street once.

    Hans.

    You called me out of the blue, so I rushed here. What happened?

    Something interesting has been going on inside the Delica Kingdomtely.

    Interesting?

    Did you hear anything?

    Hans expression hardened at his words as he looked at the people walking around and said quietly to Rudger.

    Lets go somewhere quiet. I dont want to talk here.

    Yeah.

    Rudger took Hans to his private office at Ordo University.

    Hans whistled while looking inside the office, which was only given to professors.

    Wow. Thats great. Youre working in a ce like this?

    I didnt turn it down because they gave it to me. For your information, Im called Professor James Moriarty here, so dont mistake my name.

    Ill do that. Rather, I will continue what I just said.

    Hans trimmed his throat and spoke quietly about what he knew.

    There has been a rumor that the movement of the Delica Kingdom is unusual recently.

    What kind of unusual movements?

    They are buying more iron than usual, and the factory utilization rate has risen noticeably. The militarys movement is also unusual.

    Are they trying to go to war?

    Im not sure about that. However, there is no doubt that they are trying to do something at least at the national level.

    Anything else?

    Recently, more and more people went missing throughout the Delica Kingdom. At first, most of them were outsiders, but now even locals have started disappearing.

    Rudgers eyes glowed at his remark.

    Exin that in detail.

    Thats all the information I got so I dont know the details yet.

    Then well have to check the information properly here.

    Judging from my brothers reaction, it seems that I didnt hear useless rumors.

    The two stood up at the same time.

    Hans, how long will it take?

    Hmm.

    Hans pondered for a while and spread three fingers.

    Ill need three days.

    * * *

    When Hans went around collecting information, Rudger did not neglect his job as James Moriarty. However, he had different thoughts in his mind at the same time.

    Hans said there was more than one suspicious incident.

    It was also because the police did not properly investigate when the person disappeared. At first, he thought they didnt care because the slums, workers, and orphans disappeared but after looking around it wasnt just that.

    Rather, I feel like they know and avoid it.

    It was also true that there were suspicious movements on a national level. At least someone of high social standing must be involved in this.

    Then who is it?

    High aristocrats, military generals, senators, etc.

    The personal information of the main yers of the Delica Kingdom quickly passed through Rudgers head.

    What are you thinking about? You didnt even see meing.

    Rudger took his eyes off the paper and looked up at the wide open office door.

    As Ive said before, youd better make a habit of knocking first when youe in somewhere.

    Oh, Im sorry. The door is too big to knock.

    Its not something that the person who opened it loudly and came in can say.

    Its not something to be said by a person who focused on the thesis without hearing that loud noise, right? No, are you into something else rather than the thesis?

    Casey Selmore dragged a chair across from Rudger and sat down naturally. Her yful expression was filled with anticipation of what other conversations they would have today.

    What else are we here to chat about today?

    It sounds like Im interrupting the work of a famous professor.

    Youve seen it right. You have a very good eye.

    Its the basic knowledge of detectives. So what were you thinking?

    Rudger responded simply without wavering at her nce.

    I think something terrible has been happening around metely. I was worried that students might get caught up in it.

    Its a terrible thing. Like like kidnappings?

    .

    At once, Rudgers gaze towards Casey became sharp.

    I must have hit the nail on the head.

    Yes, I heard that a lot of people are disappearing these days. Its a scary story.

    Yes, but the police are not doing a proper search for the missing. I dont even know if theyre willing to do it in the first ce.

    I think you know pretty well.

    Im chasing you.

    You are following me?

    Casey grabbed a pen from Rudgers desk and whirled it around.

    Because Im a detective isnt it natural to try to solve a suspicious case?

    Then, isnt there a case where you just worry about things for no reason?

    It was like that at first, but not necessarily these days. Maybe its because I have solved a lot of cases, but everyone is busy praising me whenever I do something.

    Rudger recalled that the cases that Casey solved were always on the front page of the national newspaper. The mystery story of the genius detective itself was enough to draw keen attention from people.

    Even so, some of her followers were seen inside Ordo University these days.

    Have you discovered anything?

    Its confidential. Oh, are you curious? Hmm~ Theres nothing I cant tell you if you ask me to do it~.

    Im not particrly curious. Youll take care of it.

    As Rudger took a step back, Casey pouted her lips as if she were bored.

    The present Casey, who was watching the scene, opened his mouth wide.

    Was I always that rude in the past?

    If Betty, her assistant, heard this, she would have said she was still rude, but at least Casey meant it.

    Maybe its because she grew up, but when she saw her past self bragging like that, he almost wanted to give her a flick on her forehead.

    Is Detective Casey Selmore here?

    At that time, a new guest appeared through the open door.

    He was a police officer of the Delica Kingdom, wearing a dark blue uniform, and he recognized her immediately, as if he knew Casey.

    Oh, no. I think Ill have to go to work.

    I see.

    Rudger didnt forget to look at the policeman who came while sending Casey away.

    * * *

    Three days passed after Rudger wrote the letter and Hans arrived in the Delica Kingdom.

    Rudger came near his amodation in a car.

    Ill get off here. You should go in and rest now.

    Yes, take a good rest, professor.

    Rudger, who sent the driver away, headed to the amodation where Arte was waiting.

    For the past three days, Arte seemed to be trying to be as careful as possible, but it was obvious that he was anxious about his missing sister.

    It got worse over time, so today he was going to give Arte as much good news as he could.

    Hans will be here soon.

    With that thought, Rudger, who arrived at his usual amodation, heard unexpected news from the owner.

    Arte didnte back?

    Well, thats Im sure it was here until we served dinner tonight.

    Rudger took a watch from his chest pocket and examined the time. It was 9pm right now so that meant that Arte disappeared around two hours ago.

    Did you tell the police?

    Not yet. But just in case, Im looking for them now.

    Okay. It wont be a big deal, so wait here.

    Well, where is the professor going?

    Rudger carried a cane in one hand, put a coat over his clothes and grabbed the hat he took off and put it on his head again.

    Because the weather is nice Ill go for a night walk.

    The owner couldnt say anything when he heard Rudgers voice, which was quite heavy.

    Hans, who was waiting for Rudger, appeared in the dark when he left the amodation and came out to the roadside in a proper manner.

    Brother.

    Rudger did not look back at Hans but he naturally stood next to Rudger and walked together.

    The quiet street was lit with gasmps but it was still dim due to the night fog.

    The promised three days have passed. Did you find anything?

    When I looked into the recent disappearances there was something much bigger than I thought.

    What have you got?

    First of all, this incident happened. Its not just amon crime.

    Rudger recalled the conversation he had with Hans on the first day.

    Did you say that there is some movement within the kingdom?

    Thats right.

    And the disappearances may be rted to the movements in the kingdom.

    Yes and so is he.

    At that moment, a steam car passed by the two people.

    Inside a car that disappeared while emitting a deeper white vapor than the fog of a cloudy night was a face Rudger knew even though he changed his outfit.

    Hans.

    Yes, brother.

    Are the police involved in the disappearances?

    how did you know that?

    Rudger stopped walking. Then, he answered while looking in the direction in which the steam car disappeared beyond his sight.

    I just saw it.

    The person in the car a while ago was the cop who visited Rudgers office this afternoon to find Casey.

    He was obviously a man of little suspicion. However, the mans face has been on his mind since he saw him in the office during the day even though it was just his sixth sense and not a theory or reasoning.

    Ironically, his sixth sense was right at this moment.

    Where did they drag the kidnapped people?

    A coal mine a little way from here.

    Really? Itll take a while to get there. We need a ride.

    A ride?

    Hans looked around but couldnt see anything.

    Soon after, however, Hans realized that Rudger was staring at him and rxed his shoulders.

    oh, my life is like this.

    Hans took out the pre-prepared beasts teeth and stabbed them into his wrist.

 Chapter 251

    C251: The Truth of That Day (1)

    Rudger rode Hans, who turned into a wolf andnded in front of the entrance to an abandoned coal mine.

    Near the entrance, there was the steam car that had just passed by and besides it, they also saw a truck.

    It is certain that something is happening here. Hans, take it.

    Rudger handed Hans a neutralizer, and Hans immediately put it in his arm.

    Hans, who returned as a human being, grumbled and put on his coat.

    Its not like Im raising a dog.

    The average person doesnt ride a dog, so Im more special.

    Thats such a tearful constion.

    Rudger and Hans slowly entered the abandoned mine. The shaft was dark with no light, but it didnt matter to Rudger and Hans.

    Hans was able to see clearly in the dark because of the power that remained immediately after the transformation, and Rudger also saw through the darkness by focusing magic on his eyes.

    When the two went deep into the shaft light began to be seen in the distance, and then arge space appeared.

    The lights are on in an abandoned coal mine.

    Rudger saw footprints carved on the floor. There must have been at least five people who got out of the car a while ago, but the footprints were much more than that.

    Twenty. No, more than thirty.

    Brother, what can we do?

    From here on well go on separate ways. Youll check to see if theres another important ce.

    What about you?

    Ill follow the main road.

    Its dangerous.

    So shouldnt I go?

    Hans was speechless at Rudgers reply.

    Come to think of it, the best way to survive in the event of a battle was to stay close to Rudger.

    Be careful.

    I will.

    Rudger walked along the trail of footprints.

    After walking for a while he reached an open space that was the size of a warehouse.

    Dozens of people were gathered in the center of the space full of wooden boxes and steel instruments. They were all police officers in blue uniforms and among them was the police officer who Rudger was chasing a while ago.

    They were gathering and talking, and it seemed to Rudger that they wereughing and chatting with each other. In fact, the police wereughing.

    Their figures got more clearly visible as Rudger put strength in his eyes.

    .

    And he saw it.

    In the center of the ce surrounded by police officers was a child lying there and bleeding.

    When he looked closely, there was a club in a police officers hand and blood was dripping along it.

    The sight of a child who copsed covered in blood looked familiar.

    Huh? What?

    Who is it?

    The police noticed Rudgers presence. However, Rudger could not take his eyes off the child even after he was caught.

    Arte

    The name of the fallen child flowed from Rudgers mouth and it was the name of his personal student who disappeared hours ago.

    * * *

    After Sally disappeared, Arte was too anxious to get things right.

    The harsh but gullible owner asked Arte to take a rest today, but Arte refused the offer.

    I have to do my job.

    The owner nodded at Artes forced smile, saying, I know.

    Just in case, he looked closely after Arte. If he showed any strange appearance, he was going to force him to rest somehow.

    The owner was also sorry that Sally disappeared so he was going to stop by the police stationter while going grocery shopping but afterwards Artes appearance was the same as usual.

    He looks fine. I shouldnt have worried.

    The owner was relieved, but he should have doubted Artes appearance. When the owner was relieved and took his eyes off Arte, Arte took the opportunity and sneaked out.

    I need to find Sally.

    Arte thought.

    Where can I find the missing Sally?

    Children were kidnapped for a long time. There may still be a criminal around here trying to catch a child.

    There was no guarantee that that would necessarily happen today but this was the only thing Arte could lean on.

    If I were the culprit, where would I kidnap a child? A ce where people cant see or a ce where people wont realize even if anyone disappears.

    An area passed through Artes head and he immediately headed to the slum.

    On a dark night, the slum, where even the lights were not properly turned on, was pitch-ck, but Arte, who frequently traveled here, did not get lost.

    Arte arrived near the cave where the children were gathered.

    If the criminal is really after the kids, this is the only ce.

    Arte appropriately hid himself near the abandoned debris nearby and then a group of people withnterns appeared in the distance.

    Those people.

    I couldnt see it well because it was still far away, but they looked quite suspicious. In the first ce, there was no reason for people toe to these slums withnterns.

    Arte watched their actions with bated breaths.

    Those who held thenterns looked around lightly and eventually entered the beggars den.

    Shortly afterwards, there were a few bickering noises, and fainted children were dragged out in a bag.

    Arte opened his eyes wide.

    Theyre really kidnapers.

    Arte agonized whether to chase after them here or call the police but in the meantime, the people with the fainted children on their shoulders were quickly moving away from the slums.

    Arte clenched his teeth and chased them.

    Sally, wait. Ill be there to save you.

    Arte moved carefully so that the criminals wouldnt notice him.

    The criminals loaded the fainted children into a truck and boarded it.

    Arte rushed to the end of the truck before it left. At that moment, he almost fell as the truck started but he clenched his teeth and tightened his arms.

    The truck left the city and headed to a more deserted and quiet ce.

    When a truck stopped in front of a coal mine, Arte hurriedly got out of the truck and hid in a nearby bush.

    Hey. Move slowly.

    Oh, the smell. Did you have to bring the beggars?

    What can I do? Theyre the only ones who wont be noticed even if they disappear right away.

    The kidnappers chatted among themselves and moved the kids one by one.

    Arte agonized whether to follow them into the coal mine or return to the city to call someone.

    Dont be in a hurry. Theres nothing I can do even if I go inside right now. Rather, it is right to seek help.

    He didnt know how the inside of the coal mine was, but unlike the slums where he knew the geography, the inside of that coal mine was the den of the kidnappers.

    There was no guarantee that Arte, who is still a child, would not be caught.

    Arte was certainly aware of that.

    I need to call the police.

    Now that he knew the location, he just needed to get back to the city.

    When he thought so, a ck steam car came toward him from afar.

    Arte curled up again in the grass and held his breath.

    The number of people who got out of the car was five, and Artes eyes glowed at them.

    Its the police!

    A man in a dark blue uniform with a club around his waist must be the police.

    Arte ran out of the grass after seeing them.

    Who is it?

    The police red at Arte.

    Officer! The kidnapper! The kidnapper is there!

    What?

    Suspicious people, until a while ago, kidnapped children with that truck.

    What did the guys inside do? Why is one guy out there?

    The moment he heard the murmur of an officer, Arte stopped trying to run to the police.

    He didnt know why the police suddenly said that. However, Arte quickly turned right behind and tried to run away.

    Oh, no. You shouldnt do that.

    Then a police officer with a mustache came up and grabbed Arte by the back.

    Arte tried to struggle, but the officers attitude was ruthless and he struck Arte on the head with the club in his hand.

    The officers exchanged nces and dragged Arte into the coal mine.

    Arte, who was hit on the head, did notpletely faint. He stared at the inside of the coal mine and at the officers.

    Soon after, when they reached arge space, the officer threw Arte in the center.

    Ugh.

    This is amazing. I didnt expect such a kid toe here.

    Arte slowly raised his upper body. He asked as he looked at the police officer who had just swung a club at him.

    Why?

    Look at this guy. Hes still fine after getting hit.

    My sister. My sisterGive her back

    When Arte said so, the police officers pped their tongues and jutted at the people around them. Then, as if they were waiting, other police came forward and beat Arte.

    Hey, dont kill him. He has to be used in the experiment.

    After the beating was over Arte looked up at the officer, who had given orders. Despite the bruising and bursting lips, the me in Artes gaze did not go out.

    Trash.criminals that kidnap children. Give me back my sister, my sister!

    you brat.

    The policeman, who gave the order, twisted his face, grabbed a club, and swung at Arte.

    Hey! You orphan! How dare you!

    Artes body was torn down like a broken doll when the swinging club hit Artes temple.

    Oh.

    Now, wait. Isnt he dead?

    What does it matter if one or two orphans die anyway?

    Thats true.

    Sir. You have blood on your uniform.

    The officers were troubled since they had to deal with the boy. However, most of them wanted to leave it alone since he was bleeding heavily and would die soon.

    Then an officer turned the side. He didnt know why but he felt a sense of crisis if he didnt look there right now.

    Huh? What?

    Who is it?

    He saw a man.

    A ck Inverness coat, white gloves, a ck cane in his hand and a gentlemans hat on his head. With the distinctive sharp impression added to the outfit, he looked like a high-ranking aristocrat.

    Arte

    The uninvited guest muttered, looking at the fallen child.

    The moment they saw him, the police realized that this man was not with them.

    I dont know how you got here, but you are unlucky.

    .

    Rudger did not respond to the police. Instead, he moved slowly and approached Arte, who was covered in blood.

    What?

    The police unwittingly moved out of the way as Rudger approached without a word.

    They definitely had to stop him, but instinctively felt that they shouldnt.

    Meanwhile, Rudger knelt down in front of Arte and checked his condition.

    He didnt care if the white gloves on his hands were stained with blood.

    Sir Sir?

    Arte.

    Arte stared at Rudger while struggling to keep his eyes open.

    You were

    Save your words.

    I shouldnt have.

    I told you to save your words.

    Im sorry

    A tear flowed down Artes cheek.

    Because Im a bad childBecause I dont listen Im sorryI wanted to be a schr.

    Arte. I.

    As soon as Rudger was about to say something, Arte squeezed out the remaining strength and opened my mouth.

    Mr. Moriarty. My sister, please.

    Immediately after that, Artes head fell to the side helplessly.

    Arte.

    Rudger shook himself, but Arte didnt wake up as his cold body stopped breathing.

    It all meant one thing.

    Rudger slowlyid Artes body on the floor. He looked down silently at Arte with his eyes closed as if he had fallen asleep.

    Rudger saw his childhood self, waiting for death without doing anything in the image of the now dead boy.

    Then there was a hand that saved him but now this child had no help.

    Rudger slowly rose.

    I wondered who it was, and it was him. Professor James Moriarty.

    The police, who recognized Rudger, smirked as he smoothed his mustache.

    Why on earth would a person who is doing well at the university these dayse here?

    .

    Well, youre so smart that you could havee to this ce but unfortunately such a famous person will not be seen from tomorrow.

    Rudger looked back at him without a word. At that moment, the mustache police shivered without realizing it.

    His cold gaze towards him and the irresistible energy that flows from Rudger told him that something was wrong.

    Get him!

    The other officers also realized something dangerous and rushed toward Rudger.

    Even in that situation, Rudger remained firm on his two legs and spoke quietly.

    Those who have something to do with this no matter who they are, I will uproot them.

    The shadow at Rudgers feet wriggled and a sharp thorn popped out of the swaying shadow, prating all the policemen who were trying to run toward Rudger.

    Not only that, but also those who stretched out throughout the space and watched the situation.

    The ck thorns and red blood along with the dizzy shadows reflected in the light turned the coal mine into and of screams and death.

    At the center of it all the man who wouldter be called the Godfather of Crime dered.

    Nothing left.

 Chapter 252

    C252: The Truth of That Day (2)

    Chapter sponsored byAnonymous, Melekono and Will.Thank you for your support.

    The officers were bleeding, no, the criminals dressed as policemen.

    Rudger looked down at them coldly.

    He did not feelfortable even though he killed them more brutally than anyone else, causing them great pain.

    What a terrible world.

    Rudger thought to himself.

    He thought it was a ce where he would wander while hiding his identity, and even if he left, he would not even have any regrets but the world didnt turn out the way it wanted.

    There was a small rtionship that passed by and Rudger didnt bother to knock it down. He thought it would be good to have it, and he would be fine even if he didnt but when he looked back it was gone.

    Torn and trampled by the vicious touches of others, the beautiful things fell helplessly.

    Would the results have changed if he had kept paying attention from the beginning? Could Sally not be kidnapped, and Arte could have survived?

    He didnt know.

    Difficult mathematical forms and magic spells can also be solved in time but this had no answer.

    Even so.

    Ill do what I have to do.

    He vowed to eliminate all those involved in this incident.

    It wouldnt make him feel better, but he still had to.

    With this level of secrecy and with the involvement of the police there was something big happening.

    Since Hans said that there were movements at the national level it was obvious that more than one person was involved.

    Even if he condemns those people loudly, will anyone listen to him?

    Rather, his voice will be buried in the soil.

    The top brass of the country have done this and they will bury Rudger at all costs so he needed to do something else.

    You!

    At that moment, a familiar voice came from behind him and Rudger turned his head slowly.

    Casey Selmore was staring at him and her distorted face was full ofplex emotions.

    Casey Selmore.

    What the hell is this? Why are you here, and this body?

    Caseys trembling eyes passed through the red blood on Rudgers white gloves, and soon headed to Artes body, which fell in front of him.

    Rudger immediately felt wary at her appearance.

    No, right? Its not like that, right?

    Rudger looked around at the surroundings that were filled with policemens corpses and blood everywhere along with Rudger in the center of it all.

    Obviously, some misunderstanding.

    Casey Selmore.

    Rudger called her name and then shut up for a moment. What he has to do in the future will be so absurd and absurd that no one will ever understand him and this includes Casey Selmore.

    Rudger intended to use her and for a moment he seriously thought about asking her for help after exining everything but he couldnt do that.

    The child was dead and he had to hold the people who did that ountable until not a single one remained.

    I thought you were smart, but youre asking an unexpected question.

    His voice was cold and dry.

    I dont need your understanding nor do I want any recognition or empathy.

    He decided that he had to act as a thoroughly evil man. Not as Professor James Moriarty, but as James Moriarty, the Godfather of Crime.

    How can humans live ording to those who are worse than themselves? Casey Selmore, dont you know that?

    What?

    The world is so boring and the people who live in it are so insignificant.

    If only he had stopped talking here there may have been a chance for him to return but Rudger didnt know that.

    He didnt know, so hepletely threw away the opportunity.

    Its suffocating, its frustrating, and its driving me crazy.

    Casey Selmore choked at his words.

    So, youve done all this just to feel better? Killing the people here?

    Is that so wrong?

    Rudger shrugged his shoulders.

    You know that, dont you? Deep inside you, theres a voice like me.

    Casey hung her head low.

    You know, I didnt want you to be a bad person.

    With the desperation of betrayal and anger in Caseys voice, Rudger silently waited for her next words.

    The whole situation is justYes, thats right. Misunderstanding. I wanted it toe from an inevitable misunderstanding. If we talk to each other well, we can definitely solve it somehowSuch a small misunderstanding.

    Thats ridiculous.

    Because were simr with each other I believed that we could understand each other if we talked.

    Thats nonsense.

    Rudger stared coldly at Casey Selmore, uttering insincere words.

    Casey Selmore looked like she was about to cry but she was also a superhuman.

    She overcame the sadness of betrayal immediately and burned her fighting spirit as a righteous detective.

    James Moriarty, Ill arrest you here!

    Her eyes were filled with sublime determination to punish the evil in front of her.

    Try it if you can.

    James Moriarty finally smiled.

    Dont move. If you show any suspicious behavior, I wont hold back.

    Oh, my. Are you warning me kindly even in this situation?

    At the same time as he said so, Rudger lightly tapped the floor with the cane in his hand as a vortex formed on one side of the ground, and a piece of stone was shot from the center.

    Casey took a back step without realizing it and the wand that collided with a piece of stone fell out of her hand. However, water suddenly formed in the air, and soon it became as long as a whip then picked up the fallen cane and brought it in Caseys hand.

    Single attribute user.

    She could control the moisture in the air without a want.

    It was true that a single attribute user could not use other attribute magic, but only had control over the element.

    For now, fight moderately and step down.

    At the moment Rudger tried to use magic again the screw of the thick pipe flowing over the ceiling fell out and white steam erupted.

    The Kaga River!

    The overheated high-pressure steam blocked the view, and the pipes on the ceiling copsed because they could not withstand the overheating, and debris poured out.

    This is!

    Casey tried to chase Rudger through the steam, but the wreckage of copsed pipes stood in her way and even pieces of stones began to fall one by one from the ceiling supported by the pipe.

    Rudger was also surprised by the unexpected situation.

    Brother!

    Just in time, Hanss cry from afar revealed who exploded the pipe.

    Come on, this way!

    Rudger saw Artes body on the floor while trying to escape, immediately grabbed it with both hands and ran to where Hans beckoned.

    Shortly after, the ceiling copsed with a loud sound.

    Rudger, who barely overcame the crisis, joined Hans and headed deep into the coal mine.

    Brother, that kid?

    .

    Whoo. I wont ask you the details. However, there is something you should see.

    Something I need to see?

    Thats right. After breaking up with brother a while ago, I sneaked deep inside by myself, and I found something amazing.

    If Hans said so, it was certainly not ordinary.

    What should we do?

    I have to see it.

    Ill guide you. The road isplicated, so be careful.

    Hans guided Rudger to the depths of the coal mine. At first, he thought it was an abandoned coal mine but therge warehouse where the policemen were gathered a while ago, and the pipes flowing through the walls and ceilings showed that there must be something else here.

    In fact, as he headed further inside, there was no coal mine, but rather a well-modified secretboratory.

    This way.

    Hans guided him to a hugeboratory. No, it was more like a factory, to be exact.

    It was full ofplex mechanical devices, and metal in human shape was being suspended one after another through rails attached to the ceiling.

    Brother, did you see that?

    Yes, thatsan automaton.

    Automatic doll also known as automaton.

    But the automaton they were looking at was different from the normal automatons.

    There was an automaton factory in a secret ce like this. Then why did they kidnap kids?

    The answer to the question was revealed as the two went deep into theboratory.

    This is

    Hans and Rudger silently watched the scene.

    What the two saw was arge ss tube filled with green liquid and an adult man was inside it with his eyes closed.

    The ss tube was connected byplex wires, and at the end of the wires was a steel capsule. Inside the capsule was an automaton modeled after a human being.

    At that time, a change urred in the green ss tube that the man was in.

    The man, who was asleep as if he were dead, opened his eyes and began to twist his whole body but the change did not stop there. The mans face was seriously distorted and his body began to swell like a balloon then he exploded.

    Oh, my God

    Looking at the ss tube nowpletely red, Hans managed to swallow the swear words.

    Brother, this is.

    Yeah. I can see why they kidnapped people.

    It was easy to tell what this ce was made for just by looking at theboratory.

    The transfer of the soul. They are trying to transnt the souls of the kidnapped people into automatons.

    Why would they do this?

    Well have to find out why.

    Rudgers eyes turned to one ce.

    The fact that the experiment continued meant that there were still people here.

    He swore that no matter who the other person was, he would make sure to make them pay for their crimes but at the same time Rudger felt some hope.

    He didnt know if it was right or wrong but at least he could bring Arte back to life.

    Hans hold Arte, please.

    Brother?

    Rudger left Arte to Hans and soon after, his body began to be covered in a dark shadow.

    After Aether Nocturnus covered Rudgers body he stared somewhere and following that will, the magic beast spread its long arms and turned them into wings.

    * * *

    Ahhhh! Run away!

    A monster, a monster! What the hell did they do at the entrance?

    The guards inside the secretboratory shot at the monster in front of them. However, the ck monster killed everything in front of it, regardless of the gun.

    People died every time a huge arm that stretched out flexibly was swung. Blood and corpsesy bare on every path through which the shadows passed shadow.

    Some tried to escape quickly, but the monster didnt miss any of those people.

    The gunshots and screams that seemed to continue endlessly stopped. In time, most of the people in theboratory were organized, and the survivors gathered in the center of theboratory and trembled.

    Rudger covered by Aether Nocturnus appeared in front of them.

    This is everyone who survived.

    G, help me!

    When humannguage emerged from the creature that they thought was a monster, one of the hopeful researchers shouted but shortly afterwards, the shadows hand prated his chest.

    I havent allowed you to speak.

    The body was then flown to one side of theb as the remaining people turned pale at Rudgers warning.

    They noticed that it wasnt good to annoy Rudger since they were smart people.

    Rudger looked at the scene with satisfaction and released the shadow on his body as his body was revealed in front of the researchers.

    A handsome man with a sharp impression wearing a ck Inverness coat and a gentlemans hat appeared.

    The people who saw him were surprised that the monster was such a young man, but they couldnt breathe the moment they saw his eyes.

    Rudger ignored the researchers reactions, sat in an empty seat and crossed one leg.

    Well then, lets hear it.

    Rudgers eyes shone viciously.

    Tell me everything youve been doing here.

 Chapter 253

    C253: The Truth of That Day (3)

    The researchers told Rudger everything about what was going on here.

    The Steel Chapel was a project to create a terrifying strategic weapon automaton for use in war.

    By injecting the human soul into the automaton, it gives it more detailed and autonomous movement while at the same time, even trying to make them obey their owners orders unconditionally.

    Originally, such a project was to be kept confidential, and researchers should not talk to outsiders even if their mouths were torn. However a monster that killed all the security inside theboratory was in front of their eyes and threatened them so they had no choice but to speak.

    Nothing was more important than their own lives.

    Of course, some researchers rejected Rudgers proposal with loyalty alone, saying they would not speak so Rudger immediately killed them in public and after seeing his cruel methods the other researchers said even what he didnt ask.

    Is that all?

    Yes, yes, yes. This is really all we know.

    I see. Compared to the data here, nothing seems to be left out.

    After hearing the whole story, Rudger nodded as if he understood.

    Well, then well.

    Oh, yes. You told me everything I was curious about, so Ill have to give you a reward ordingly.

    The surviving researchers had a ray of hope on their faces.

    But before that, Ill ask you onest question. If you answer that, Ill let you live.

    Yes, yes!

    The names of the children you kidnapped and used in the experiment. Do you remember?

    The faces of the researchers, who were initially full of hope, slowly began to harden at the question.

    What? What the hell is that?

    You dont know their names?

    The researchers were silent as Rudger eyes scanned them.

    You dont know? Not a single person?

    Well, thats.

    Ill tell you, I hate lies. You saw what happened to the person who lied a little while ago.

    There were researchers who lied to Rudgers questions so they also became cold bodies on the floor of theboratory.

    Theres no one?

    What are you doing? Remember! Remember!

    Shit! You have to do that! I only measured their vitals in the first ce!

    You useless brats!

    In a hurry, the researchers stared at each other, pointing fingers and uttering abusivenguage. No one seriously tried to recall the names of the children who were used as experiments because they didnt want to and didnt need to know they didnt pay attention to anyone even if they died.

    They thought it didnt matter.

    Ah.

    Well, well

    The researchers who realized the situation turned pale and looked back at Rudger with fear-filled eyes.

    Rudger was sitting in a chair and watching them with his legs crossed, was smiling coldly at the researchers.

    Thank you.

    A creepy, cold smile appeared on his face.

    For not remembering the names of the children.

    Shortly after, a giant shadow engulfed the researchers.

    * * *

    Hans came into the bloodyb while frowning at the bodies scattered around him, he reached Rudger with big steps to avoid them.

    Is it all over?

    Yes.

    But didnt you need to keep a few alive? I think you shouldve done that so that we could proceed with the experiment.

    No need.

    Rudger looked back at Hans and said,

    Ill do it myself.

    is that possible?

    The research materials are here.

    Rudger unfolded the data he had taken from the researchers. It was an experiment to transfer the human soul into an automaton.

    The Steel Chapel Project was only in the early stages of implementation, but Rudger alone could fill in enough of the remaining parts now.

    The researchers caught the children because a childs soul was easy to transnt into an automaton.

    Then the person in the experiment did that.

    The body copsed due to the soul being separated from the body but unlike adults, children wouldnt copse. They are still small and slender in spirit, and above all, pure.

    In addition, they wanted to create a weapon that only followed their orders faithfully by transnting the soul and applying a kind of seal to the soul.

    In order to do that, it was necessary for the soul to be easily controlled so the childrens souls fit right in there.

    The experiment with children was also disrupted, but it was only recently that it waspleted.

    The reason they kidnapped people again today was that they were going to increase the number of automatons with a sessful experiment.

    Yes.

    Rudger responded by looking at the research data.

    The automaton, which can be called a sess, had its code name engraved, and the only sessful one now was Beta.

    From the Gamma position after Beta, all names were drawn with red lines meaning they were all failures.

    Then Artes sister, Sally.

    Rudger shook his head. For now, saving Arte was the first priority.

    Rudgerid Artes body in a test tube and when the machine started, green liquid filled the tube.

    Hans, who was watching Arte, submerged in green liquid, asked.

    Brother, are you all right? However, this child has already died.

    Yes, hes dead but his soul still remains. Hes notpletely dead.

    Even so.

    Hans thought about whether to say this or not so he gathered his thoughts and opened his mouth.

    The child who will open his eyes will not be the one you knew.

    I know.

    That was what Rudger was also prepared to do.

    Artes soul will now be imnted in an automaton called the empty prototype Alpha.

    Rudger wont add a seal on the soul like the other researchers but Artes soul will undergo some kind of change simply by the process of soul transferring.

    Even if the soul was sessfully transnted and he opened its eyes, he would likely be something other than Arte.

    The soul belongs to him, but if it has changed then was it his former self or something new?

    Rudger didnt bother to answer that, he just wanted to believe it.

    May this child open his eyes again.

    What do we have to do now?

    We have to watch. It takes time for the soul to be transntedpletely. Theres nothing to do since the machine will transnt it on its own.

    Then I think we should leave it here for a while.

    When its over, Im going to close it. Until then, I have to care about other ces.

    Rudger recalled the names of the people in the research materials, the people who put their stamp of approval there and the organizations they belong to, as well as many hiddenboratories and factories.

    Having heard it all, Hans stuck out his tongue in disgust.

    These are crazy people. I never thought the rumors about starting a war were true.

    It wasnt a peaceful time since the powers were bent on taking morend and resources, and were only looking for opportunities to do so.

    However, since the powers were equal and there was the huge existence of the Empire, this strange tension continued. However, if either side was hoarding this amount of power beneath the surface, the story would be different.

    The bnce of the world would be broken.

    To think they were trying to create an army of automatons that were not afraid of death and were much stronger than ordinary soldiers.

    There are stronger beings called knights, and they cost a lot of money and time to nurture but automatons dont.

    The same was true of resources, but mass production was possible and it could be put into practice immediately.

    This Steel Chapel project was enough to change the game of war.

    If it was sessful.

    But the secretboratory was now in Rudgers hands.

    Of course, he couldnt keep it hidden for long because if no additional reports were passed to the superiors theyll find something strange and send someone to check the situation.

    Hans, we have a week to make a decision.

    A week? Isnt it too tight?

    If we make a little more noise, we can increase our time since it would catch the peoples eyes and rumors would spread widely.

    If the top-secret project, which was secretly carried out in the dark, is disrupted, those involved will try to cover up the matter somehow but if it rises to the surface without a break those involved will not be able to move recklessly.

    From now on, its a battle of speed. Do we tell the world first or do they try to hide it first? Thats where it will be decided.

    They will have an advantage since we have to fight in their front yard.

    But it will be us who move first and I have a strong ally.

    Rudger replied, recalling Casey Selmore.

    Are you going to move right away?

    There is also an abandoned coal mine here but its not a ce to hide a secretboratory like this. There must be something else here.

    What else do you mean?

    It is a coal mine where a rare metal is mined.

    Hans remembered that he saw something simr.

    Rare metal mine, but I heard its closed because theres no more rare metal?

    Its a trick. Rare metal is still mined there and used for the automaton production here.

    Then its strange. No matter what, rumors about rare metal are bound to circte, can they hide them this tightly?

    It is not enough to have only a few people to mine rare metals. Large-scale manpower is needed, and it is virtually impossible to cover up information while controlling all those people.

    They dont use people when they mine.

    Then.

    Yes, thats right.

    Rudger put the word that came to Hans head in his mouth.

    They are illegally enving sub-species and use them to mine rare metals.

    * * *

    Hans face hardened in front of the rare metal mine, which was said to be thergest in the Delica kingdom after receiving information from the mouse he sent in.

    What a coincidence. I checked and found that there were a lot of people inside. Most of them are subspecies, and there are many Suins and Dwarves.

    Most probably they kidnapped them and used them as ves.

    Theyre crazy. When was the abolition of sub-species very?

    If they cared about that, they wouldnt have kidnapped people and tried to do a biometric experiment.

    Thats true, too. Damn it. I cant believe youre doing this kind of crazy thing on a national level. How the hell are they different from the ck Wizards?

    Hans was annoyed for no reason and kicked a nearby tree.

    He also saw many things normal people wouldnt usually see, but it was disgusting to kidnap children and use them as experiments.

    So what are you going to do?

    What do you mean? What we have to do is decided.

    I know that. This time, unlike the automatonboratory, I see a lot of armed forces.

    Unlikeboratories that did not need that much security, rare metal mines required a lot of manpower.

    Most of the mining is done by ves, but there were more troops than expected that guarded against the ves rebellion.

    What would you do?

    Lets go inside first. I dont know what else theyre doing in there.

    After making a decision, Rudger and Hans headed into the mine.

    They showed that the mine was closed by blocking the shaft in the middle. However, the two people who already knew where the secret passage was were not fooled by such a shallow trick.

    After walking for a long time the road was cut off and a huge cliff appeared.

    Down here.

    Using floating magic, the two slowly went down.

    When they arrived deep in the mine, there was only darkness around them and nothing was visible. Then a faint sound began to be heard from afar.

    Hans opened his mouth to the sound of iron colliding with iron.

    Brother.

    Yes, its that way.

    The two people killed the sound of their footsteps and headed to the ce where the sound was heard from.

    As they chased the sound, they began to see a light from beyond and soon they discovered a huge underground mine.

    Inside, there were people with guns monitoring the ves of the subspecies who were mining.

    Thats a lot.

    Hans was tongue-tied on an unimaginable scale.

    ves are ves, but the number of watchmen alone was almost over 100.

    Yes. Besides, its not just soldiers.

    Rudgers keen gaze turned to a side where he saw a man wearing a wide robe and a cane around his waist. It was a wizard.

    I think its going to be a little hard.

    When Hans was beside him at a loss, Rudger looked elsewhere.

    Hmm?

    He saw a ve of unusually small size, unlike other ves. It was a young girl, but seeing her in this ce, she must be subspecies, and considering her body size, it was clear that she was a Dwarf.

    She was swinging a pickaxe eagerly while sneaking the mined by-products into her pocket. Her actions were so secretive that even the watchmen did not notice it, but Rudger was different.

    Hans.

    Yes, brother.

    Maybe I can get help.

    What?

    Hans looked back at Rudger, asking what that meant.

    I found a strange person.

 Chapter 254

    C254: Seridan Iron Feet (1)

    Rudger and Hans waited untilte at night.

    Even if the surveince is strict, not everyone can stay up all night and stand guard. As expected, more than half of the guards left their seats at the end of the work hours.

    The remaining guards red at the ves with hideous eyes as if they would pull the trigger immediately if they did anything suspicious.

    There was already a precedent, so the ves tried to keep themselves as low as possible.

    Most of the subspecies, who had been captured as ves, had no fire in their eyes. They just lived for a day, and they only endured for a day.

    But not all ves were like this.

    A determination to escape without fail and the zeal to free herself from this suffocating underground coal mine. She who had such a hot me in her eyes existed even in this extreme environment.

    Seridan Iron Feet was just like that.

    Youll see. Im going to blow up this damn mine.

    In the deep night when everyone was asleep Seridan nned to escape the stuffy mine, while acting as if she were epting orders from humans.

    Rebellion was impossible since she was a small dwarf and wouldnt be a match for the armed guards. In addition none of the captured ves would agree with her.

    If the opponent was a wizard, it would be hard to win even if she took him by surprise, but theres no answer in a head-to-head fight so Seridan took a different route.

    If only this waspleted.

    While mining rare metal, she steadily took other metal by-products. The guards dont know, but Seridan, who specializes in knowledge in this area, knew.

    It was the raw material of gunpowder and if used properly she could maximize the explosive power.

    Seridan worked hard collecting gunpowder materials for the past month of being trapped here and building bombs away from the eyes of the guards.

    Theres not much time left now.

    Seridan secretly installed bombs in narrow gaps throughout the shaft, taking advantage of her unique small frame.

    Of course, special attention was needed since the bombs were not made in a proper environment there was a risk of exploding if touched incorrectly.

    Moreover, if the force of the explosion had not been properly calcted, the mine wouldpletely copse and she would not be safe either.

    A more detailed adjustment was needed by taking that into ount but she couldnt guarantee how long that adjustment would take.

    It has already been a month, and it could have taken twice as long after the adjustment period but by then it would be toote since by that time the people who captured them could change their minds and kill them all.

    Id rather now.

    At the moment when Seridan was so determined.

    I dont know what youre thinking, but youd better be careful.

    !

    Seridan shuddered at the sudden voice and looked back in a hurry. There was a man in ck standing there where no one was supposed to be.

    How?

    The patrol route and timing of the guards were already known. Right now was not the time for them toe; however, Seridan did not just let her guard down.

    She always kept her senses sharp, assuming that someone mighte unexpectedly. Nevertheless, she didnt even know someone was standing there until the man spoke to her. He was literary like a ghost.

    Benefits!

    Rudger shook his head as Seridan tried to detonate a bomb in her hand.

    The momentum is good, but if it explodes right now, everyone will die. Is that what you want?

    Better than doing nothing.

    Thats certainly true. In this situation, it would be much better to do something.

    Who are you? Youre different from the people here.

    Seridan suddenly realized that something was wrong. Upon reflection, the man in front of her was quite different from those who watched over this ce.

    Not only his clothes, but also his demeanor.

    I see youre finally willing to talk.

    Rudger smiled at her.

    Lets get the bombs out of the way first.

    * * *

    Sheridan opened his eyes wide when he saw all the patrolling guards lying down. It wasnt just a suppression, all of them were killed.

    The number of people on patrol was not small at all. Nevertheless, it didnt take so long for everyone to die.

    What was even more shocking was that no one knew about this fact.

    How the hell did you do that?

    I killed them one by one. Thats all.

    Sheridan trembled at the fact that it was a young man who had done such a ridiculous thing.

    So what do you want from me?

    I watched you closely as I entered here. You made something quite interesting.

    Rudger held up a special bomb that Seridan had installed.

    I cant believe you made a bomb in this environment. Theres even a timer and a safety device.

    What, did you know that?

    Dwarves are very dexterous but what they touch is purely iron-rted weapons. They wouldnt handle a bomb like this, yet its so well made. Did you develop it on your own?

    The words made Seridan flinch and she smiled trying not to show it.

    You do have a good eye.

    So let me help you, and I will free those held in very here, including you.

    What am I supposed to do?

    Can you help me blow up this coal mine? I could use your help.

    Seridans eyes narrowed.

    Dont you think its weird?

    What are you talking about?

    Im a dwarf, and Im making these dangerous things.

    Gunpowder and bombs? Well, from a normal perspective, I suppose.

    From a normal perspective?

    Im afraid Im far from themon man who has such narrow-minded thoughts.

    Who cares if a dwarf makes a bomb? Rudger was saying that now and the words hit Seridan like a giant wave.

    Its fascinating. The old people in our vige didnt say that.

    Sheridan was an unusual dwarf. When other dwarves were interested in hammers and anvils, she was interested inplex mechanical devices.

    Building, inventing and blowing things up.

    She was obviously a maker too, but the other dwarves didnt think so. They regarded her as entric and shunned her.

    Seridan looked at them and whined that they didnt understand her but despite her words, deep down, she was disappointed.

    She wanted someone to understand what she had created.

    It was the invention of the century and she wanted to beplimented for it.

    Those who dont have eyes to see dont know, but I do how great are the things youve made, and how great a talent you have.

    But the man in front of her admitted it. He told her that she is talented when her rtives said she was crazy.

    Seridan was unable to control his joy and smiled as bright as a child who received a gift.

    Nari has an eye for things.

    Nari?

    Rudger wriggled his eyebrows at a title he had never heard of.

    Nari means lord. It just seems like the right thing to call you.

    I dont know why, but its not a bad feeling to be recognized.

    Nari, what do you want me to do, blow this ce up?

    Can you do that?

    Seridan grinned at Rudgers question,

    Thats what I wanted the most.

    Seridan realized that she had endured that long contempt and oppression for this moment when she met someone who could recognize her while everyone pointed their fingers at her because she was abnormal.

    Brother, Im here.

    Yes, Hans. Whats the situation?

    For now, brother removed the patrol team, and we have about two hours left until the next patrol.

    What about the rest of them?

    Theyre taking a rest at the amodation now. Looking at the atmosphere, it seemed like they were about to drink heavily and get drunk Whats with that kid?

    Hans opened his eyes wide looking at Seridan.

    Sheridan also red disapprovingly at Hans, who called him a kid.

    Nari, what is that? Why does it smell like a dog?

    Whos the dog?

    Hans, who was stabbed for no reason, got angry and Rudger shook his head.

    This is Hans. Hes a colleague I work with. Hans. This isCome to think of it, I didnt ask for your name.

    Seridan. Its Seridan Iron Feet.

    Yes, Seridan Iron Feet. Im called James Moriarty for now.

    Now, when you say that, you mean its a pseudonym, right?

    Yeah. I cant tell you my real name because ofplicated circumstances.

    Whatever. I will call you Nari anyway.

    The two shook hands with each other.

    More than that, Seridan. I have a question. What were you going to do after detonating the bombs installed in the shaft?

    Oh, the bombs? I didnt take it very seriously. If it explodes, we all die together. Dont you think that you only live once so you have to go big?

    .

    Rudger was d he came here quickly.

    * * *

    There were two hours left before the next patrol so Seridan and Hans worked hard to open the cells where the ves were trapped and released them.

    The trapped ves glowed at the appearance of a savior. They were all filled with hope when they got the weapons of the dead guards.

    Looking at them, Rudger said to Hans.

    Hans, youre in charge of the people here. Even if they were given weapons, they didnt rest or eat properly for a long time. It will be hard to fight a proper fight.

    What about you?

    Although their numbers have decreased a little, there is still a dangerous person.

    The wizard who monitors the ves in this coal mine was likely to belong to the Delica Kingdom and when ites to kingdom wizards most of them were war wizards.

    Even though they are wizards, they think about how to effectively defeat the enemy with magic in real life rather than exploring magic and there were as many as three such wizards in this mine.

    If theyve made it this far, they must be a rare breed.

    Given that rare metal mining is done on a national scale, the mages here are probably not your average war mages either.

    Why would someone like that be here.?

    Probably because they cant be seen in public. Theyve most likely caused problems within the army, but if theyre here, theyre probably skilled enough to ovee those problems.

    And right now, there was only one person who could take on the war mages.

    Okay, dont push yourself too hard.

    Dont worry, I also got some fun stuff.

    Rudger showed a gun attached to his waist. It looked like a gun, but what was inside the gun was not a bullet, but a sharp hook. A prototype of the wireuncher that Seridan made to escape here just in case.

    Seridan handed it to Rudger, saying, I dont need it anymore, so use it.

    As soon as Rudger saw the wireuncher, he realized it had a lot of uses. Later, if he improved it a bit more, he could make it less bulky and hide it on his wrist or something.

    Then I will make the first move. When I give the signal, you follow.

    Understood.

    Rudger immediately covered his body with Aether Nocturnus and the ves, who had been watching him from afar, widened their eyes at the sight.

    Then Rudger spread his raven-like ck wings and disappeared down the passage at breakneck speed.

 Chapter 255

    C255: Seridan Iron Feet (2)

    Ehh.

    War wizard Frank Buckler sighed angrily as he drank a cold beer.

    How long do we have to stay in this stuffy underground mine?

    It has already been more than three months since ves started mining rare metal in the mine.

    Surveince and management are all done by the guys below, so they had nothing to do. Even so, trying to spend more than three months in a ce where there was no sunlight, he felt like he was losing his mind.

    Damn it, it was better when I was able to relieve stress with the ves.

    Since the things to enjoy were limited, he relieved his frustration by torturing the ves until a month ago since the decline in the number of ves disrupted the amount of rare metal mining and Frank was no longer able to mess with ves.

    Of course, if they openly rebel, then he could act in self-defense. However, the ves were tactless, so they deliberately lowered their heads in front of Frank. That made it difficult for him to find fault with them.

    After that, Frank has been drunk every night for thest month.

    Suddenly, he thought that the old days were good.

    At that time, there was nothing to fear as a war wizard. He was talented, and was born with a natural sense, especially when ites to fighting. Of course, outstanding talent brought pride, and Franks pride eventually caused problems within the military.

    He disobeyed his bosss order and caused a mutiny.

    Under militaryw, there was nothing to say even if he was executed immediately, but Frank did not die.

    The country appreciated his ability, removed his identity and used him for illegal activities with a promise that if hepletes his job sessfully, hell live his life again.

    For that alone, Frank endured a long, long time.

    Of course, it wasnt just bad things. There were fewer annoying orders, he was freer than when he was in the military, and he got a lot of support.

    I think there are two people who are simr to me here.

    There were two more war mages who caused trouble and were responsible for the dirty work. In a way, they were Frankrades, but Frank didnt want to get involved with them because he thought he was cleaner and better even if he was stuck in the same dump.

    It was the moment when Franky on the bed of a barracks to get a proper sleep.

    Hmm?

    Frank opened his closed eyes. He could feel the scent of a strong person.

    No it wasnt just a feeling he was calling him on purpose with a wave of mana.

    Frank immediately rose from his bed and headed outside the tent. There was someone standing in the vast underground square full of artificial light that was off limits.

    Whats that?

    It was a man covered with swaying shadows that fluttered like a cape behind his back and a crow mask on his face.

    What the hell are they doing here?

    Frank was smiling around because he couldnt hide his joy in saying that.

    I dont know where you came from, but you know that this is a restricted area, right?

    .

    The shadow did not answer.

    Well, I dont think its a good thing toe here, seeing that youvee all the way here with such magic.

    It didnt matter. No, it was better.

    Dont die easily. Its been a long time since Ive been able to get rid of boredom, but its not fun if it ends quickly, right?

    Frank used magic to create 5 fire spears and threw them at the shadow.

    At that moment the shadow moved. It seemed to be a simple spell, but the magic waspleted at a terrifying speed that could not bepared to Franks.

    The mass of ice generated collided with the fire spears and both disappeared.

    Franks eyes glowed at the sight.

    As expected, you are one of the best.

    Otherwise, he would not have sneaked into such a secret ce and openly fought with him.

    Frank looked down on the shadow on the outside, but on the inside he acted with thorough calction.

    Not expecting his first attack to seed, Frank went right into the next spell but at that moment, the shadowy man moved.

    The cloak of shadows fluttered and narrowed the distance from Frank in an instant. It was like spreading wings, not a cape.

    Closebat? Thats a pretty good judgement.

    Frank smiled inwardly at the sight and stepped back immediately,pleting a spell. For him, a war wizard, it was too easy to cast spells while moving.

    This time it was a stronger magic than before as the head of a snake made of mes opened its mouth wide to devour the shadow.

    At this rate, the intruder will throw himself into the snakes mouth but before that he used his magic as countless awls of ice grew like chestnuts in the snakes mouth and tore off the snakes head.

    Are you a war mage too?

    Frank asked, but there was no answer.

    The serpent of fire disappeared and embers scattered everywhere and Frank stretched his arm in the air.

    Countless embers were sucked into his hands andpressed into a circle.

    As soon as he tried to throw it the shadow approached Frank and a silver de was aimed at his neck.

    At that moment, Frank grinned as the sphere of mes held in his right hand stretched long and took the form of a sword to block the de wielded by the shadow.

    Did you think you would win in closebat?

    Usually, wizards are considered strong at long distances and vulnerable at short distances.

    The same was true even when wizards fight. Theypete to see who can cast his spell first, shoot their magic from distance and try to block the opponents magic.

    The fight was basically very static rather than dynamic. It could be seen asmon sense, not prejudice, that wizards are weak in closebat.

    But war mages were different.

    They could cast spells while moving and were lunatics who studiedbat-rted magic and how to kill enemies efficiently, not the magic of developing the world.

    So instead of being weak in closebat war mages preferred to fight at close distances and Frank was that kind of person.

    A sword fight? If you stick to me, Ill be more grateful to you!

    Frankughed at the intruder who attacked him.

    Looking at you using the maneuvering technique anding closer, you seem like a war mage with some fighting experience, but even so, to me.

    At that moment, the eyes inside the crow mask curved like a crescent moon.

    Is heughing?

    Frank, who was engaged in a sword-to-sword battle of strength, felt a chill run down his spine.

    What? Did I miss something?

    Strangely, he didnt feel good.

    Usually, it doesnt end well when I feel like that.

    Frank struggled to suppress his anxiety and decided to focus on the person in front of him. Whatever the case, fighting cannot be avoided.

    Ill do my best to kill him!

    Frank swung his ming sword with a murderous intent in his eyes.

    * * *

    Feeling the wavelength of the mana in the distance, two other war mages arrived at the scene where the fight was taking ce.

    One was short and looked like a child, and the other was tall.

    This is Franks amodation.

    How many people are here? Is there a security breach?

    The two dark-skinned war mages looked around as they stood where the battle had taken ce. They couldnt feel the wave of the magic collision that they felt a moment ago anymore.

    That means the fight was over.

    Hey. Look over there.

    The short war mage pointed to one side where a bloodied body was lying.

    Frank!

    The body of war mage Frank Buckler dispatched to the rare metal mine was lying there dead. His ring eyes seemed incredulous of his defeat.

    I cant believe they got Frank.

    I guess the intruder is not an ordinary person.

    If you look at the traces, it wasnt attacked by several people. It was only one person and he was also defeated in closebat.

    Frank lost in closebat against a wizard?

    Doesnt the result tell you? And if Franks dead, that means the intruder is also a war mage.

    Both wizards naturally put their backs together and were wary of the surroundings. It hasnt been that long since the mana wave disappeared so the intruder that killed Frank was still there.

    Then all of a sudden all the lights that lit the wide interior of the cave were extinguished. In a sh, darkness came and robbed them of their sight.

    He blocked our view?

    Thats an effective trick but its too obvious.

    One of them took a metal can out of his waist. When he pulled the string hanging from the end of the barrel, a light popped out and shot into the air.

    The surroundings were filled with much brighter lights than before the lights went out and the war mages looked around carefully to find the enemy hiding in the brightenedndscape.

    Under the white glow from the top of their heads a wriggling shadow appeared at their feet.

    !

    The sensitive war mages felt that something was wrong and immediately threw themselves away.

    Soon after, countless thorns soared under their feet, prating the spot they were until a while ago.

    If they had been even 1 secondte they wouldve be skewers.

    Magic? Where?

    The small war mage questioned the magic that appeared under his feet while the tall one looked around with a staff in his hand.

    The two were on guard and waited for the enemys attack.

    They nned to wait until the enemy used magic then one person was going to defend and the other person was going to attack.

    Even if they couldnt defeat the intruder with that, if they knew his location, they could win by applying pressure slowly but they never heard of magicing out of a shadow.

    As they waited a man ck and wearing a crow mask on his face appeared from the shadows.

    The two war mages were confused when an intruder appeared in the ce where they were standing a while ago.

    Was he hiding under the ground? No, but it wasnt an attack from under the ground. It was literally a shadow.

    When I was thinking about it, Rudger, the ck shadow, opened his mouth.

    Arent you going toe?

    !

    Both war mages exchanged nces and nodded.

    The short war mage pulled out two daggers while the tall one inserted mana into his staff and the two of them rushed towards the shadow at the same time.

    * * *

    Brother!

    Hans ran to where Rudger was along with Seridan.

    Weve done it sessfully!

    While Rudger dealt with the war mages, the ves in the mine took their weapons andunched a surprise attack in the middle of the night.

    Since all the patrols had been killed the ves attack happened when everyone was asleep so they could not resist.

    The rebellion was a sess and as soon as Hans confirmed it, he immediately moved to find Rudger.

    There are a total of three wizards in the mine and Hans thought that it might be dangerous for Rudger to deal with all three alone.

    Brother

    Hans, who rushed to the scene full of traces of the fight, was speechless due to the devastation in front of his eyes.

    Rudger was fine. He stood still, and near Rudger were the bodies of the war mages.

    The short war mage, who wielded daggers, was stabbed to death by his dagger and the war mage who used a staff had his head smashed and his stomach was pierced by the staff he was using.

    Youre here?

    Rudger looked back at Hans and asked.

    Oh, yeah. The Im here to help.

    Hans looked nkly at war mages bodies and muttered despondently.

    I was worried for nothing.

 Chapter 256

    C256: Dean Gord Himbel (1)

    Chapter sponsored byJasonnnnnnn.Thank you for your support.

    After dealing with the war mages, everything was over.

    The captured guards were gathered in the middle of arge square and the mine ves pointed their guns at them and spewed out insults.

    They bowed their heads as if to express their gratitude when Rudger appeared.

    It was because they knew very well that all of this was done by him and were amazed that he dealt with 3 war mages alone.

    If the war mages remained, their rebellion would not have seeded. Therefore, everyone here owed Rudger his life. But how did they know that?

    Brother, what are you going to do now?

    Rudger noticed that it was Hanss work, but tried to ignore it.

    The arrangement here is over. Now, as long as this mine copses, they wont be able to mine rare metals any longer.

    What are you going to do with these guys here?

    Hans asked, pointing to the captives.

    They were already beaten to the ves hearts content and were full of bruises here and there, but after hearing Hans words, they lifted their heads and tried to say something to Rudger.

    Ugh! Ugh!

    However, since they had a gag around their mouths, the only thing that came out instead were groans.

    Rudger looked down at them coldly.

    Even if we save these people, will they live a sincere life if they get out of here safely?

    No way. At this point in time, its very likely that the outside world is treating them like an incurable disease.

    They are people who only do illegal things.

    But they should be given a chance.

    Rudger said so and looked at the ves around him.

    Youre the ones who suffered, so take care of them as you want.

    The opportunity he wanted to give was not for captive humans. It was for those who had suffered a lot from them, and who had been in a state of depression for many years.

    Rudger turned his back and as soon as the two left, countless shots rang out from behind.

    * * *

    The Delica Kingdom was overturned once.

    The subspecies, who imed to have been captured as ves, flocked to report.

    They couldve fooled them and dealt with the situation quietly if there were one or two of them but the problem was that there were hundreds of them.

    On their bodies which were not properly washed, traces of assault and overwork remained intact, and it became solid evidence.

    The reporters, who were thirsty for the scoop, did not miss this opportunity because of the unstable atmosphere of the Delica Kingdom these days.

    very had long been abolished since the colonial war 100 years ago. However, now that hundreds of people were captured in mines, rumors spread in the wind.

    The Delica kingdom was embarrassed and announced that it would investigate the incident thoroughly.

    Seeing an article on the front page of the newspaper, Rudger folded it carefully and left it nearby. There were piles of newspapers from other newspapers stered with the same article.

    As brother said, I spread information to all kinds of newspapers.

    Well done. There must have been a lot of confusion at the top of this.

    The Delica kingdom will not be able to touch them recklessly as the ves that escaped and speak about the existence of the underground mines.

    Will the people who were released from the mines be okay?

    Itll be alright. The rumor has spread to this extent, and there will be no fool trying to get rid of them.

    Rather, they will do their best to prove that they are not criminals.

    Didnt the whole kingdom have a problem?

    There have been many state-level experiments in this case, but this does not mean that the entire Delica Kingdom has done this.

    But at least its not clear if those in high positions have joined hands.

    Yes. Since there were war mages at the scene, someone rted to the military must have done this in secret.

    To use such resources it must have been at least a general.

    Generals dont have money, so there must bepanies or aristocrats who supported them.

    The two talked and organized the information.

    At that time, Seridan, who was still working on a machine nearby, raised her hands up as if she had finished something.

    Im done!

    What Sheridan made was a gauntlet that could be mounted on the forearm. The material was added with leather to make it easier to wear instead of metal, but that was not the important part. Sticking out from the wrist of the gauntlet is a wireuncher that can shoot hooks.

    As Nari said, with a design like this, you dont have to take it to use it!

    Sheridan handed Rudger a gauntlet equipped with a wireuncher and said. Rudger epted the gauntlet without a word and looked at it with admiration.

    I gave her the idea of making it like this just in case.

    Its one thing to talk about it and another to actually make it.

    However, Seridan may have been inspired by his words, and even aftering out of the mine, she was immersed in making it without sleeping or washing properly. And to her surprise, she sessfully made what Rudger said.

    Rudger, who mounted the gauntlet on his forearm, shot it toward the ceiling.

    The ce where they were located was a factory where people did note, but the shot hook hit the steel frame of the factory and was stuck there.

    When he tested the tension by pulling the wire moderately, it was definitely powerful enough to pull up one person.

    I didnt know youd make it like this.

    Rudger thought that Seridans invention skills were certainly great. No, they were beyond great.

    Im proud that Nari evaluates me like that! Now that Im tired, Im going to lie down!

    As soon as Seridan said that, she stretched out on the floor and fell asleep and started snoring like a cat.

    Hans looked at her with a bitter smile.

    She made bombs on the spot and other strange things. Besides, when everyone said they would leave, she insisted on staying with brother. What a strange dwarf.

    Is this something a person who can turn into any animal as long as hes stabbed with a beast tooth should say?

    Brother, I have a constitution but thats her personality. Its definitely different.

    Lets just say that.

    Lets move on then. Whats your next goal? Have you decided anything?

    Yes.

    Rudger opened another newspaper.

    It was also a newspaper dealing with the ves issue, but there was one more thing that caught the eye. An article about Casey Selmore condemning James Moriarty by revealing his crimes.

    Hans nced at it from the side and said sadly.

    Seriously? Brother is now a criminal in this country.

    So were hiding in these abandoned factories.

    But James Moriartys notoriety didnt spread that much although he couldnt wander around in broad daylight anymore.

    Hans, who picked up a newspaper, sighed deeply as he read the article in it.

    [Horrible: The Hidden Side of James Moriarty.]

    Hans immediately crumpled the newspaper and knocked it to the floor.

    This is weird no matter how I think about it, its weird.

    Hans.

    Think about it. They take young children and use them as biological experiments; they kidnap subspecies and enve them in mines. They did the wrong, but why do we have to take the me?

    Rudger was a hero who revealed their evil deeds while saving the enved people and destroying theirboratories.

    However, the rumors about James Moriarty spread throughout the world were the opposite.

    You didnt do anything wrong, brother.

    Rudger was a victim that couldnt even protect a child he cared about.

    Hans. As you say, I could certainly remain a victim.

    Rudger certainly had that option.

    However, if I choose such a path, will the ones who instigated all this pay the price of their sins?

    That is

    Theyll hide and cut off their tails while pretending theyre innocent.

    Rudger had seen that many times. History so far has proved it.

    Hans, sometimes simply appealing is not enough.

    People will sympathize when they hear the appeal. They will be saddened by the suffering of the victims, and angry at those who have done evil.

    But then what?

    People will forget about this one day and real culprits in the case will still be well off without suffering proper punishment.

    The victims griefsts forever while the cry for justice is like a passing wind.

    Someone has to get dirt on their hands.

    He didnt mean to listen to the people in grief. Empathy and nodding to the victims words was nothing more than superficialfort.

    Thats your decision? To act at your own expense?

    Hans. This is not justice. Its not even self-sacrifice.

    Being cursed at, being pointed at or even having muddy water sshed on you didnt matter because Rudger couldnt ignore the evil in front of his eyes.

    At least that way, wont it beforting for the dead?

    Brother seems to be regretting his choice now.

    Regretting?

    At Hanss sharp point, Rudger smiled self-deprecatingly.

    I always regret it. All those things Ive done from the moment I was born in this world.

    .

    But what right do I have to be sorry for what I couldnt get?

    Perhaps he was too rusted to be sad about this. His tears have dried up, and even hisughter has disappeared.

    Why are you even doing that?

    Why?

    Still, there was only one reason he wouldnt turn away from the truth and face it head on.

    Because I live in this world.

    * * *

    It was a dark night but the lights didnt go out during the night in the deans office at Ordo University.

    Dean Gord Himbel rubbed his glum eyes once while reading books and papers. There has been a lot of noise going ontely, but it had nothing to do with him as a schr.

    Maybe it will calm down soon after a while.

    Then the windows of the deans office opened wide.

    Even though there was no rain or wind outside, a strong wind blew once and scattered papers piled up in the deans office in the air.

    Gord Himbel opened his eyes wide as someone was standing on the window frame by the open window.

    Who is it?

    He asked in a trembling voice.

    The opponent was surrounded by a shadow assimted with the darkness outside, so he couldnt identify him. He was wearing a crow-shaped mask and had a ck cape. Red eyes flowed out from the inside of the crow mask.

    Dean Gord Himbel.

    Gord opened his eyes wide to the voice without any alteration.

    That voiceProfessor James Moriarty?

    Gord didnt understand the situation now.

    Why was James Moriarty here?

    How could he get here when he is being chased as a criminal?

    Gord took a breath of breath and stared at him with a calmer look.

    Im here, so Im not going to knock on your door.

    At that, Rudger came down from the window frame and entered the deans office. He naturally walked into the room and flopped down on the sofa.

    Gord Himbel swallowed his saliva.

    Ive heard rumors about you.

    What rumors have you heard?

    Isnt it already in the newspaper? Professor James Moriarty was behind the scenes orchestrating a heinous crime.

    Do you think so, Dean Gord?

    The question left Gord Himbel speechless. He shook his head immediately, regaining his reason.

    I dont know. Ive seen you so far..

    Really?

    Youre a great professor and a brilliant schr. No one at Ordo University will disagree on that, by any means.

    Then he turned into a criminal.

    It was difficult for Gord to understand.

    Are you confused?

    To be honest Yeah, and its weird, too. Why did youe to me all of a sudden?

    The dean helped mee to Ordo University.

    Yes, I did. I didnt know you were that kind of person.

    Its not your fault. Its just that Im so good.

    Gord stared with wary eyes at what the hell this man was trying to say.

    Dean Gord, arent you curious?

    what do you mean?

    Why did I do this, and why did Ie to see you?

    Rudger, sitting on the sofa, stared at Gord.

    So Ill give the dean a chance.

    What chance?

    If you ask me a question, Ill answer it.

    Is that all?

    Of course there are conditions. As much as you asked me, I will also ask you. Of course, the dean should also answer truthfully.

    Lets exchange questions and answers with each other.

    Yes, lets. Its not an opportunity but a game. The first question can be asked first by Dean Gord.

    Gord took a deep breath for a moment and asked Rudger a question.

    What the hell is going on here? Howe a brilliant professor like you suddenly got involved in a crime?

    There was one unfortunate incident. Originally, I had nothing to do with this, but I ended up in muddy waters unintentionally.

    Is that your answer? Exin in more detail.

    I found aboratory where experiments on kids were being done. There, people kidnapped young children and tried to transfer their souls.

    Gord opened his eyes wide.

    They did such a dark wizard thing?

    I witnessed it, and I tried to reveal the secrets of theboratory, but I was framed for it instead.

    Gord was silent. Probably wondering if he should believe Rudger or not.

    Dean, its my turn to ask a question.

    Yes. What do you want to know?

    Rudger asked, ring at Gord behind his mask.

    Dean, why did you do that?

 Chapter 257

    C257: Dean Gord Himbel (2)

    What are you talking about all of a sudden?

    Gord asked again, as if he didnt understand Rudgers question.

    Have I ever done something wrong to you?

    That cant be true. The dean was nice to me.

    But why would you ask such a question.

    What Im asking is not why you did that to me.

    Rudgers eyes in the mask stared at Dean Gord. As soon as he faced those red eyes, Gord felt an indescribable chill.

    I dont know what youre talking about.

    Then I should tell you more urately.

    Rudger rose from the sofa and slowly approached Gord.

    Dean.

    Donte near me.

    Why did you apply for the Steel Chapel research project?

    Gord opened his eyes wide wondering how Rudger knew.

    I told you. I went in there myself and checked.

    Well, that cant be.

    I answered the question, dean. Now that I asked a question, its your turn to answer it.

    Rudger, standing in front of Dean Gord, looked down at him.

    Go ahead. Why did you do that?

    I, I dont knowAhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

    Gord tried to excuse himself, but screamed at the intense pain on the back of his hand.

    Before he knew it, a dagger was embedded in the back of his hand.

    Ugh. My, my hands!

    Dean, this is a game.

    Rudger whispered softly to dean Gord, who was struggling in pain.

    Its a game where we tell each other the truth. Ask questions and tell the truth. The dean asked a question, and I told the truth. Then shouldnt the dean also tell the truth?

    Ugh!

    But telling a lie is a vition of the rules.

    What do you want to hear from me?

    At the cry of Dean Gord, Rudger pulled out the dagger from the back of his hand at once. Blood sttered, and Dean Gords scream resounded in the office.

    What I want is that the dean tells me everything about this case.

    You think Im going to say that?

    The questions are over, dean. I gave a second answer by answering just a moment ago.

    What?

    Gord opened his eyes in disbelief.

    The question was what do you want to hear a moment ago and Rudger answered it.

    Thats ridiculous!

    Now that the dean asked a question, its my turn.

    Hey, you crazy!

    Dean Gord, what are the names of the people involved in this?

    Gords face was grimly distorted.

    I, I dont know! I dont know!

    This is a problem. You sold people out with the desire to go beyond the position of dean and enter politics, but did you think it would be possible to keep your mouth shut now?

    !

    Gord shuddered as the desire he had kept in his heart without being caught by anyone flowed out of Rudgers mouth. But what surprised Gord even more was that Rudger had already known everything about him and still came.

    I, I!

    The dean still shows hesitation, so Ill help you.

    What are you trying to do?

    Nothing much.

    Rudger held out the dagger that had just taken out of the back of Gords hand.

    Red blood was dripping on the dagger that shone sharply under the light in the room.

    Im just trying to give you a pat on the back so the dean will have courage.

    Youre going to torture me?!

    If you dont want to, then you can answer now. Who did it? Whos behind it?

    I, I!

    Dean Gord shook his head with a pale face.

    I cant talk. I cant talk!

    Is that so?

    Rudger looked at Gord and said,

    Thats a relief.

    Shortly thereafter, screams rang out in the deans office.

    * * *

    James Moriarty!

    The door of the deans office opened roughly and Casey Selmore stormed in.

    As expected, youre here! Stay away from him!

    Casey Selmore.

    Rudger took a step back, looking at Casey Selmore as she was finally able to see the horrors hidden from Rudger.

    You!

    Dean Gord Himbel was breathing heavily, squirming, covered in blood. After being tortured, he was barely breathing and was almost a corpse.

    Casey gritted her teeth at the sight of the bloody dean Gord.

    How can you do this to the person who rmended you as a professor?

    Oh.

    At Caseys words, Rudger could see why she was angry.

    I see. It was something that could look like that.

    What?

    No. Its nothing.

    Whatever it is, stay away from him!

    Casey Selmore warned Rudger, but didnt use magic recklessly.

    Weak spells would not be able to hit Rudger, but if she used powerful magic, Gord, who was taken hostage, could have been hit too.

    Rudger, who noticed that Casey was at a loss, asked, bending the red eyes in the mask.

    Is it difficult to move because of the hostage? Then Ill help you.

    wait!

    Casey tried to stop him, but it was toote.

    Rudgers hand moved, and a sharp dagger flew straight into Dean Gords forehead. Casey shouted, twisting her face when she saw that Dean Gord, who was barely alive, was out of breath.

    James Moriarty!

    A huge spray of water filled the deans office as Rudger flung himself out of the window, and shortly thereafter a giant water cannon passed by where he was.

    The broken windows and debris from the wall fell, but Rudger extended his left arm as a wireuncher mounted on his left arm was shot and caught on the high spire of the university, and his body was pulled sharply and soared into the sky.

    Standing by the broken window, Casey spotted Rudger standing on the roof of the building and red at him with hostility.

    How? How could you do this?

    Rudger opened his mouth when he saw Casey like that.

    I remember Ive already answered enough of that question. Casey Selmore, youre pretty sharp, but yourete again.

    You! What the hell are you going to do?

    Thats an interesting question. Why dont you discover it like a detective?

    Casey Selmore raised her magic as if she had no intention of listening anymore.

    James Moriarty!

    Casey Selmore, riding a stream of water, rushed at Rudger but Rudger turned his back.

    Stop there!

    Casey shot several spears of water, but Rudger avoided them all. Soon Casey Selmorended on the roof where Rudger was and immediately tried to chase him.

    Hes gone?

    But Rudger disappeared.

    Whether he rose to the sky or fell to the ground, his traces disappeared as if they werepletely cut off.

    How the hell?

    It was only for a moment as shended on the floor that she lost sight of Rudger but in that moment he disappeared.

    Casey was embarrassed to see no traces.

    [Casey Selmore, I suggest you dont chase me anymore.]

    At that moment, at Rudgers voice, Casey subsided her anger and rolled up the corners of her mouth.

    Ha. You provoked me and now you want me to quit? Do you think Im going to do that?

    [Youre bluffing but I admire your courage.]

    Can you say such a thing without being caught?

    [Isnt it a waste of your life?]

    Casey answered without hesitation to the question.

    If it was a waste of my life, I wouldnt have done this.

    [Then try to chase me. This is a game.]

    Casey frowned at the word game.

    What?

    [You chase me and I run away from you. Of course, in the meantime, I intend to finish things that have happened across the kingdom beyond this city.]

    Do you think Ill let you do that?

    [The fun of the game is not knowing who will win. But Ill give you a hint because I think Ill have an advantage at this rate.]

    Who said so?

    [Ill act in Dartans city next time. If you want to catch me,e over there.]

    Casey asked in a suspicious tone when he even said something tant.

    Why should I take your word for it? You might run away somewhere else.

    [If youre scared, you dont have toe but you will regret your choice after people die there.]

    Casey clenched his fist at Rudgers words that tantly touched her pride.

    Okay, Ill go. Wash your throat and wait there.

    [I look forward to it]

    The voice that seemed to beughing at her but was satisfied disappeared like an echo.

    * * *

    After dealing Dean Gord, Rudger immediately joined Hans and headed to Dartans.

    Dartans, one of thergest cities in the Delica Kingdom, was the heart of the kingdom and was the ce where the most factories were built.

    Rudgers goal was one of the factories.

    A new experiment?

    Hans asked while on the train heading to Dartans and Rudger in disguise nodded.

    Hans, Steel Chapel project was definitely a dangerous experiment that can change the game of the battlefield but isnt something strange?

    What do you mean?

    With that alone, do you think a country can prepare for war without looking at its neighbors?

    Hans expression hardened at Rudgers words.

    I mean, theres more.

    Steels Chapel is a project to create knight-level power indefinitely within the limits of resources.

    The problem arises here.

    If a special automaton created by the Steel Chapel project reces the knights how would they rece the wizards?

    What, making a magical automaton?

    No. They dont rece wizards.

    Then what are they going to do?

    Hans, why do you think wizards still exert great power in modern warfare?

    The [Silence of fire] suppresses the action of gunpowder, and people cant shoot a gun, it also makes bombs useless.

    Rudger nodded.

    Yes. No matter how much they modify and strengthen the automatons, they can never rece the wizards. So those who are working on the project changed their thinking.

    How?

    If they cant make wizards, they will make magic useless.

    Hmm

    Hans still looked like he didnt understand.

    How can they make magic useless? You mean, it cant be used? That cant be possible in the first ce.

    Yes, it cant be possible. Magic to get rid of magic. Such a thing

    Rudger paused for a moment, not trying to speak.

    Brother?

    Its not making magic useless, but only making it avable to special people. Of course, its not something that can be used normally.

    So how will they make wizards useless?

    Didnt you say that a moment ago?

    What did I say? I only said the [silence of fire].

    Yes.

    Rudger saw a scene passing by outside the train window.

    In the distance, I could see a city full of factory chimneys and ck smoke, it was Dartans.

    Hans, what do you think would happen if the [silence of fire] used by the wizard could not neutralize gunpowder?

    Uh, its.

    Hans pondered the answer.

    It will be dangerous, right? Of course, wizards wont die easily because of that.

    Yes, they can use defensive magic. Butat least the gunpowder weapon exerts its power.

    No waythe kingdom made such a dangerous thing?

    Hans asked just in case, but he prayed that it was not the case. Sadly, however, Rudger betrayed Hans expectations.

    They made special gunpowder. Gunpowder unaffected by the [silence of fire].

    Hans swallowed his saliva.

    That would certainly be dangerous. But how the hell did they make it?

    I dont know that.

    With the [Silence of fire] wizards exert their strongest power in modern warfare. This alone is a weapon that deals with gunpowder.

    Thats why knights who can avoid bullets and wizards who neutralize the weapon itself still upy high positions.

    But if the knights were reced by a steel weapon and the advantages of the wizards over gunpowder weapons disappeared, what would happen then?

    The spark of war will spread quickly and engulf the entire continent.

    There is a secret factory somewhere in this city that manufactures that gunpowder.

    Hmm

    So, Hans.

    Yeah?

    Find it. You have one day.

    .

 Chapter 258

    C258: The Shadow of Dartans (1)

    Arriving in the big city of Dartans, Rudger and Hans came out a reasonable distance from the factory area.

    Lets rest here for a while.

    Hans was holding arge suitcase, and while listening to Rudger, he said, Im d, and put it on the floor with a thud.

    Argh!

    Then a scream was heard in the suitcase, as the lid opened and a little girl popped out.

    Hey! You put me down on purpose so I can get sick!

    The dwarf girl with sturdy copper skin and long waist-length white hair tied in pigtails looked angrily at Hans.

    No, what do you mean? Do you know how hard it was for me to move you? We barely hid you in your bag because you didnt even have an ID.

    Im heavy? Theres no lighter dwarf like me!

    Do you think youre the only one in the bag? Its because I put all kinds of junk in it.

    Are you done talking?

    Argh! Did you bite me?

    Rudger sighed as he saw the two squabbling with each other. It didnt seem like it would end like this, so he intervened in the middle and separated the two.

    Stop. It doesnt matter if you get closer, but were not in a situation like that right now.

    What do you mean getting closer Nari?

    Thats right, brother. Do I look so close to this little boy? Ouch. You really bit it with all your might.

    Youre lucky because I dont see blood.

    I agree. It would have been annoying if I became a dwarf after getting bitten by a dwarf.

    What?

    Sheridans two pigtails soared with anger.

    Rudger rubbed his brows and suppressed a subtle headache, then smacked Hans in the back of his head.

    Brother, why are you hitting me?

    Hans, youre not a child, how long are you going to do that? This is not the time for fooling around. We have to find the hidden factory.

    Thats true, but Do you have any leads?

    There must be something about them because theyre making firearms.

    At that time, Seridan raised her hand to the two agonizing people.

    Wait! If its gunpowder, I think I know a little bit.

    Rudger and Hans looked at Seridan.

    Ah.

    Come to think of it.

    Seridan Iron Feet is a rare dwarf who was caught as a mine ve and suffered from heavybor every day, but knew how to make bombs in that environment.

    If its rted to gunpowder, leave it to me. Im really good at smelling it.

    The two decided to take Seridans word for a moment.

    * * *

    Surprisingly, Seridan kept her words. No, beyond keeping, even Rudger and Hans were amazed and made speechless.

    I can smell it from this side. Its a rare scent of white powder. Its still odorless, but it cant fool the unique scent of salt mixed with the smell of Dwarf sweat.

    Whats that smell again.?

    Hans asked in a ridiculous way.

    I dont know! It just smells like that.

    Are you sure about that..?

    Look at this.

    Seridan touched the floor near the alleyway of the factory. There was something like white powder there, and Seridan smoothed it with her fingertips then blew it with her mouth.

    Its mixed magnesium powder with white powder. Such an unusual object cannot be seen in many ces.

    Really?

    Factories dont usually use gunpowder, unless its for military purposes. If they do, they use ck powder. White powder is trickier to handle and not asmon.

    As Seridan words flowed out of her mouth like a rapid-fire cannon, Hans wracked his brain to understand her.

    Then Rudger stepped up and said.

    Whatever it may be, it seems certain that suspicious things will happen at that factory. Now Ill have to sneak a look and go through the confirmation process.

    If thats really the right ce, what will you do then?

    What do you mean?

    Rudger replied as if it was an insignificant matter.

    Im going to destroy everything.

    Nari, thats a very good answer!

    Seridan said so and took a small bomb out of her pocket and shed it up.

    Lets start!

    What do you mean, start? Besides, when did you make it?!

    I was so frustrated while I was stuck in the bag that I just made it.

    No, when in the world did you have time to do that?

    Hans muttered vainly with a stunned face.

    You built a bomb in a tight suit case that wasnt even light up properly? No, dont you mean that the bag in my hand might have exploded if you did something wrong?

    He didnt know how powerful it would be, but considering the power of the explosives that copsed the mine that day, it wont be weak.

    A cold sweat ran down Hans back.

    Wait a minute. Let me check how many enemies might be inside first.

    At the moment when Hans tried to stop her in the distance, several cars were seen racing down the street in a row.

    Rudger, Hans, and Seridan naturally hid themselves inside the alley.

    Brother, that car.

    Yeah. Its not an ordinary car at first nce.

    The ck-painted vehicles were military vehicles, not regr vehicles.

    Its a new vehicle made by Garteng. People with a lot of money and high social status usually ride it.

    The car window is colored ck, so those inside wont stand out.

    The surrounding vehicles are probably escorts. Looking at the dump truck behind it, its clear that its a separate model for the military.

    That means its clear that the person in that vehicle is at least a military general.

    Thats right. Someone with that status could send war mages to guard the underground mine.

    Seridan opened his eyes wide looking at Hans and Rudger, who were in perfect harmony with each other.

    Meanwhile, their reasoning continued.

    Hans, what do you think is the reason why a general woulde to this remote factory area where there are few people?

    No matter how much I think about it, I cant think of anything with this humble head. The only thing you can think aboutthat there may be secret weapons inside that the general is interested in.

    Its a secret weapon. How secretive do you think it should be?

    Well, at least gunpowder thats not affected by the [silence of fire].

    The car stopped just in time, and people came down from it.

    It was clear that there were mostly soldiers, given that they had weapons. Among them, there was a particrly prominent person, a white-haired old man with plenty of flesh.

    That man is.

    Hans glowed at him.

    Whats wrong, Hans? Do you know him?

    Lieutenant General Ghetto Davigne.

    I didnt know you would remember his name.

    I have no choice but to remember. Its not normal for him to do that.

    Hans gave an additional exnation because they couldnt understand what he said.

    Lieutenant General Ghetto Davigne is the third son of an aristocratic family and served as a military officer because he could not seed the family. With the support of his family, he quickly climbed to a high position but that man had too many issues.

    What issues?

    First of all, the noble familys unique ideas and arrogance caused big and small idents, and above all, he is a terrible imperialist supporter and a war advocate. He believes that war is right even though he has never fought.

    It was certainly worth Hanss remembrance.

    Its also funny that such a human being is a general.

    Besides, its not just that guy. Looking back now, doesnt the military seem to be full of people who advocate war like Lieutenant General Ghetto?

    Guided by soldiers, Lieutenant General Ghetto entered the factory.

    Some soldiers watched the area thoroughly as if they were guarding the factory.

    I dont think itll be easy to get in. Brother, what can you do?

    It certainly looks tough.

    The security was so tight that it seemed difficult to prate. Most disturbing of all were the officers with swords around the waist.

    Theyre knights from the military.

    Mages and knights. Considering theyre not the kind of guys youd normally drag around like that, Im pretty sure this is the right ce.

    The question was how to enter.

    Its a munitions factory that makes weapons, but Im sure theyre prepared to fight.

    Even the Seridans bombs were likely to be useless.

    As long as a mage was present, any explosives outside would be affected by the [Silence of Fire].

    Its virtually impossible to blow up a factory with such tight security.

    Hans shook his head.

    I dont suppose the securitycould be breached in the first ce.

    Hans thought they should rather aim for Lieutenant General Ghetto, a major figure, but even that was not possible. Even if they seed in getting rid of him by breaking through that level of escort, they would not be able to handle the aftermath.

    In addition, looking at the scale of this incident, simply killing Lieutenant General Ghetto would not end it.

    Why do you think its impossible?

    As Rudger asked him, Hans could not erase the question from his face.

    Do you have any good methods? Its hard to break their security.

    Why do you think about breaking it? Theres also an option to just blow it away.

    No, how? It would be useless to use bombs from outside.

    What if we do it from inside?

    There was gunpowder unaffected by the [Silence of Fire] in the factory so the supplies were already fully prepared.

    Wait. Wait, wait. Brother. No matter how much I think about it, thats not it.

    What do you mean?

    Unless theyre not fools, theyll keep the gunpowder in an important ce. The weapons made will also be strictly managed so that there is no risk of getting stolen.

    Thats right.

    Do you think you can get there with tight security, and what else might be inside?

    Hans point was valid. It couldnt be better if they set fire inside and detonated gunpowder, but the method itself was close to impossible in the first ce.

    No, its possible.

    But Rudger said with conviction and Hans struggled how to respond.

    No, even if you say it so confidently.

    Instead, we do need help. Hans, you must find out where the gunpowder is stored.

    That is

    Will it be possible?

    Ill try.

    Hans eventually raised his hands and immediately closed his eyes and tried to connect with the citys mice. However, it was not so easy, so it didnt work as he wanted.

    Hans.

    Uh-huh. Please wait a moment.

    Hans.

    I can do it. No, Ill try.

    Its tough at the moment.

    .

    Eventually, Hans opened his closed eyes and looked at Rudger. His eyes were trembling with anxiety, and he had already guessed what Rudger would say.

    do you really have to?

    Isnt it necessary?

    Rudger said so and reached out to Hans but although Hans disapproved he epted Rudgers hand.

    In his hand were a mouses sharp incisors. Hans, who saw the piece of teeth, sighed deeply and his face crumpled as if the world had copsed.

    You acted like you were going to die the first time but what about this time?

    Arent you going to do it?

    I will, I will.

    Hans closed his eyes and stabbed himself with the mouses teeth as hair began to grow on his body, and soon became a half-human half- mouse with the head of a hideous gutter mouse.

    ..Ugh.

    Hans wept while Rudger folded his arms without saying a word, and Seridan, who had been watching the scene from the beginning, muttered admiringly.

    Whoa. Crazy. Absolutely disgusting.

    This is why I dont like it!

    Hed rather use wolf teeth since wolves are cool at least.

    Soon after Hans attempted tomunicate with them the gutter mice began to appear one by one from the gap in the sewer since his control over mice increased after he transformed.

    Please.

    Squeak! Squeak!

    As soon as Hans spoke, the mice scattered and headed to the factory.

    The guards of the factory knew that this area was dirty anyway, so they didnt think it was strange to see the rats. They just thought that there were more today.

    The rats entered the inside of the factory, roamed through theplex interior and delivered information to Hans.

    Soon Hans discovered a ce in the innermost part of the factory that was firmly protected by something.

    Brother, I found it.

    Where is it?

    There is a warehouse in the center of the factory and wizards are strictly guarding it.

    Well done.

    So what are you going to do now?

    Youll know when you see it.

    Rudger took a look at the factory in the distance.

    Distance 300.

    He calcted the distance from the factory, measured the width and area, then located the warehouse in the center of the building.

    Lastly, I ask you to confirm. Is it the center of the factory?

    Im sure.

    I see. Hans get all the rats back.

    Hans did what Rudger told him to do and after Rudger confirmed it he activated his mana.

    Setting coordinates.

    Rudger looked at the factory, rolled someplicated math, and then cast a spell.

    Manifest magic at specified coordinates.

    Rudger cast his spell, but nothing happened around him.

    Hans was about to ask what the hell he was doing but in the distance, a huge explosion went off inside the factory.

 Chapter 259

    C259: The Shadow of Dartans (2)

    Sorry for thete chapter. Its been snowing a lot thesest few days so I was busy moving the snow today.

    Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!

    A huge explosion that shook the heavens and the earthpletely blew up the factory. The devastating fire and shock waves of the explosion scattered the remains of the factory in all directions.

    Scarlet mes spread, and the aftermath spread to the surrounding area.

    Hans, who was watching the scene from a distance, was also unable toe to his senses due to the strong wind pressure that suddenly hit his face.

    Seridan was not prepared and even fell backwards.

    Oh, my.

    What?

    Hans doubted his eyes at the strange situation. He knew Rudger did something but the sudden explosion of the factory was like skipping some of the steps that were supposed to be done in the middle.

    To that extent, what happened now was beyond Hansmon sense.

    Hans mumbled nkly as he looked at the factory that quickly became a sea of fire.

    Brother, what the hell did you do?

    Ive tried it for the first time, but it works well.

    What? What did you do that worked well.?

    Its a magic that I identally developed while doing research as James Moriarty.

    Rudger studied topological mathematics while teaching at the Ordo University. He developed it further there and continued to explore the specificity, coordinates, and three dimensions of space.

    Based on that, Rudger came to invent a new magic.

    The first is space movement through the shadows that were everywhere.

    Of course, theres a problem since it consumes a lot of mana and makes him dizzy because hes not used to it but after he gets used to it itll be a big revolution in the magic world.

    And the second magic that he made was shown now. It was a way to use a spell at certain space coordinates as long as they were known.

    I calcted the coordinates of the ce where the gunpowder was stored and scattered a wide range of mes around it.

    Is that possible?

    What do you think? The factory exploded already.

    Isnt that aplete scam?

    Its not as convenient as it looks.

    It is of no use if the defense against magic is thorough.

    If the defensive magic had been unfolded, the coordinate designation magic would be twisted and the magic was likely to explode in the wrong direction. Maybe the person who used it would even suffer a backsh because of it.

    But they only paid attention to general firearms, so they didnt guard against magic at all.

    People dont usually think about defending themselves against things that might not appear.

    Who couldve predicted that magic would appear in the warehouse?

    If the target is moving in real time, there is a high possibility that it will miss.

    Rudger said so, taking the mana medicine from his inner pocket and pouring it into his mouth.

    In addition, it takes too much mana to use.

    Moving through space using shadows also used a lot of mana and the coordinate designation technique was also formidable. In addition, he had to calcte the spatial coordinates directly in his head, and even though it was only a moment, his head was throbbing and hurting.

    There is also a lot of mana consumption depending on the distance, but the power is significantly lower. Im d its gunpowder that can be detonated with just a few embers, otherwise it wouldnt have worked.

    That.

    Its not a big deal.

    Rudger replied as if it were nothing, but Hans and Seridan, who were listening to him, could not ept Rudgers words.

    Isnt it still amazing?

    Its not like anyone else can do this. Thats amazing, isnt it?

    At that moment, Hans stiffened his face when he heard a mouse approaching him and delivering news.

    brother, I have unexpected news.

    Whats going on?

    I hear Lieutenant General Ghetto is alive.

    Rudgers eyebrows wriggled at the remark.

    He didnt die in that explosion?

    Yes, there are more facilities in the basement of the factory. I think he went down quite deep since he was fine from the explosion because I was there.

    Is it a secret passage? Hes been lucky. So what is Lieutenant General Ghetto doing now?

    Wait a minute.

    Hans closed his eyes saying so.

    About 10 secondster, Hans opened his closed eyes and said,

    He cante up because of the explosion, and hes moving to another exit with his escorts.

    There was another exit.

    Rudger threw a neutralizer at Hans.

    Taking the neutralizer with one hand, Hans naturally injected it into his forearm.

    What are you going to do?

    Somehow.

    Rudger left the burning factory behind.

    Im going to go after him.

    * * *

    After the massive explosion in the factory area firefighters and wizards were still struggling to extinguish the fire.

    Casey Selmore, who arrived at the scene, searched the area with a heavy look on her face.

    The factory exploded after James Moriarty told me toe to the city. In addition, the factory is known to be an ordinary vehicle parts factory.

    Nevertheless, this kind of explosion urred.

    It was not copsed by external magic since the debris bounced outward. Just by looking at it, the explosion was internal.

    The power of the explosion is huge. There are still traces of the wreckage and the smell of acrid gunpowder. This is definitely a fire caused by explosives.

    If the explosion was enough to blow up the entire factory, how much gunpowder was needed?

    Casey Selmore shook her head trying to approximate the amount.

    Was this a munitions factory with a stack of weapons?

    Looking around inside the factory where the fire was almost extinguished, Casey found something strange.

    It was a very fine crack, but when she saw it, she sneaked up and tapped it on her toes so that people around her wouldnt notice.

    Secret passage. Its copsed in the rubble, so I cant see it, but theres a way down.

    A sudden explosion and a secret passage underneath the nt. No matter how she looked at it, it was full of suspicious things.

    Detective, did you find anything strange?

    Casey wasnt the only one who came to inspect the scene. The city police came up and asked Casey if she had found any clues.

    Casey looked at them and shook her head.

    No, not at all.

    Is that right? Was it an explosion caused by carelessness?

    Oh, by the way. Is there anyone whoes here often?

    A frequent visitor?

    The police were puzzled by Caseys mysterious question.

    We dont know. This isnt a patrol area in the first ce.

    Its not a patrol area?

    It was an order thats been given from above for a long time. They said theres nothing to see here anyway, so theres no need to patrol. Itsfortable because we have less work.

    Casey felt something strange about the words. There was no doubt that it was not a patrol area, but the problem was because of the incident at this ce today.

    A secret factory that was full of gunpowder while saying that it makes auto parts and the area where the police dont patrol.

    Casey Selmore recalled what she saw on her way here.

    The car destroyed by the explosion wasnt something that should be in this ce.

    The body was destroyed by the fire, but Casey found out what the vehicle model was based on its approximate shape.

    Military model trucks. Does that mean this has something to do with the military?

    Is James Moriarty connected to the military? Or is there something else she doesnt know?

    James Moriarty told Casey toe to the city and today, when she arrived, the incident happened. Is all this a coincidence?

    James Moriarty. What the hell are you going to do?

    Casey clenched her fist as she recalled that the man was hiding somewhere in this city.

    * * *

    On a dark night, a ballroom used for special meetings.

    In a secret space where no one knew, a man burst into anger and banged his fist on the desk.

    Damn it! How can an explosion ur?

    Lieutenant General Ghetto, who escaped from the explosion of the factory safely, distorted his face. Thinking that he might have been swept away by it if he did something wrong, he still had a hard time cooling down his anger.

    Im sure its going to be noisy these days because of the rare metal mine thing.

    I cant believe that the ce where special gunpowder, which was not affected by the [silence of fire], was made disappeared like that. The damage is terrible.

    In addition to Lieutenant General Ghetto, there were several more people in military uniforms.

    They were generals with many decorations and like Lieutenant General Ghetto, they were in favor of colonial rule and advocated war.

    The problem is serious. With the release of the ves from the mine, international restraint maye in.

    The explosion of the factory also killed outstanding soldiers. Damn it.

    Even the gunpowder I barely made is gone.

    However, the manufacturing method still remains, but at this rate, the schedule we were aiming for will be dyed even more.

    The people spoke with annoyed expressions since they were troubled by the recent events.

    What happened to the Steel Chapel project?

    Thest time I checked, three days ago, the report was still not up.

    Did something happen there, too?

    No way.

    Thats when the gruff Ghetto lieutenant general spoke up.

    This may not be an ordinary ident.

    Lieutenant General Ghetto, what does that mean?

    At first I thought it was a coincidence, but the moment I saw this, I changed my mind.

    With that, Lieutenant General Ghetto tossed the newspaper hed taken from his subordinate.

    Dean Gord is..dead?

    The article in the newspaper was about the death of Dean Gord of Ordo University.

    Dean Gord Himbel was a brilliant schr and philosopher at Ordo University, as far as the world was concerned. In reality, he was an old man with an insane desire to secretly help with experiments.

    The killer is said to be James Moriarty, a professor who has been making a name for himselftely.

    The motive for the murder is unknown, butdont you think something is wrong?

    Everyone fell silent at Lieutenant General Ghettos words.

    Someone is after us, thats for sure.

    Is it the Information Department of the Empire?

    ck Ops. You mean theyve made a move?

    A shudder ran through the room.

    ck Ops were bred by the Exilion Empire to carry out secret missions in other countries.

    If the Nightcrawler Knights of the Intelligence Service handled things inside the Empire the ck Ops was in charge of detecting the dangers of the entire continent.

    At least, ck Ops team Alpha, which was notorious in the past, disappeared, and their activities decreased but it wasnt surprising that they had resurfaced recently.

    Does that mean we should keep quiet for a while?

    What has happened these days has raised the momentum of the anti-war faction.

    Tsk. I didnt want to see this happening, so I was going to proceed quickly.

    While everyone was sorry for the current situation, no one wanted to take the lead in pushing ahead with it.

    They said they were acting for the greater good and that sacrifice is necessary so they dont bat an eye at how many people die but the sacrifices never included themselves.

    Anyway, I think well have to keep quiet for a while.

    Lets do that. If we think its quiet, we can move again then.

    In that case, lets get going. Well not meet here again.

    When everyone nodded and tried to get up from their seats the door of the meeting ce opened wide and a strong wind blew.

    Who is it?

    There was no way that the guards outside would open the door ande in recklessly. At the very least, it was an outsider, but outsiders couldnt juste to a ce like this.

    The other escorts, waiting in the corner of the room, stared at the open door but there was nothing to be seen through the wide-open door. It was just silence.

    Where the hell did the guys guarding the hallway go?

    They panicked because they couldnt see the guards, then the shadows beneath their feet moved. Rising like countless thorns, the shadows pierced the bodies of their escorts.

    In an instant, death raged, and the generals who were about to leave could only freeze in ce.

    This, this.

    What the hell!

    Just as everyone was panicking, darkness formed a figure in the air and someone appeared like a mirage.

    It was a young man in a ck Inverness coat. His hair slicked back and a golden monocle over one eye. He wore a gentlemans hat on his head and held a staff in one hand.

    The man appeared out of the ce but the generals were overwhelmed by his atmosphere and could not move hastily.

    The man who appeared brought an empty chair from the round table and sat down.

    Who are you?

    Lieutenant General Ghetto opened his mouth in a cold sweat.

    At the sight, the man said, staring at Lieutenant General Ghetto with a cold gaze beyond the monocle.

    James Moriarty.

    !

    There was no way they didnt know the name since he was the one who killed Dean Gord, one of their associates.

 Chapter 260

    Sorry for not posting yesterday but I needed a day off. The good news is that there are still some chapters in queue so Ill release daily chapters until at least Tuesday.

    The generals gathered were terrified at the sudden appearance of an uninvited guest since not only the people waiting outside but also all the guards died.

    The person who caused all this misery was sitting down and staring at them with a sharp gaze. The emotions contained in the gaze were hard to fathom even those who survived politics.

    You must be wondering why I came here.

    At the words, all the generals shuddered. Their eyes on Rudger were filled with fear because they saw their men who had been fine until a while ago were being beaten in an instant.

    Rudger stared at Lieutenant General Ghetto sitting on one side.

    Did you receive my present well?

    What?

    I gave you a small gift to the factory, but you ran away here without receiving it.

    Lieutenant General Ghetto, who was going to question what that meant, gritted his teeth thinking of the factory explosion during the day today.

    You, did you do it?

    Next time, youd better make sure youre prepared for magic. Of course, if theres a next time.

    What on earth is your purpose? What do you want from me?

    Asked Lieutenant General Ghetto, shaking his chin. It was because he didnt understand why such a talented person targeted them.

    Are you a frontman to the Empire?

    Youre saying something offensive. Do I look like Im that kind of person?

    If youre not from ck Ops, why on earth are you doing this to us?

    As if he didnt understand. Rather, Rudger asked when Ghetto asked back.

    I want to ask you that. Why did you guys do this?

    What?

    You kidnap people, use them as experiments, capture subspecies and enve them, and build secret weapons to prepare for war.

    One by one, the faces of the people gathered in the seats hardened as what they had done secretly flowed out of Rudgers mouth.

    This man here knew all about what they did. And the recent top-secret projects theyve been working on have been ruined one by one. It was all because of this man.

    Lt. Gen. Ghetto was gritting his teeth secretly since he couldnt bear the fact that all the great work he had been doing so far was destroyed by only one person but he had to put up with it.

    Rudger was in the lead here.

    Why?

    Lieutenant General Ghetto said, twitching his lips, staring at Rudger.

    Thats because its our great job to regain the greatness of our weakened country. This is to reflect on the rules of steel in our slowly falling kingdom and make an example out of those rotten pigs.

    Rotten pigs?

    Yes. Now the Delica royal family is simply a bunch of peace-ridden idiots. Peace, liberty and equality. Its all crap. You want us to hear that?

    Lieutenant General Ghetto expressed all the grievances he had contained in his heart.

    The Delica Kingdom has made such prosperous development that it was called a country of steel in the past.

    The country grew into a prosperous country by waging wars and increasing colonies, but it was slowly falling down since peace came.

    Our steel must never rust but look at how it became now. Its rusty and corroded so Im going to change it with steel that never rusts.

    Did you kill people for that?

    What does it matter if a few people die, such as subspecies ves?

    Didnt you also experiment on your citizens?

    They dont even have the right to vote, and theyre not helpful to society anyway. Considering that what this country needs is a superior gene, it can be said that it has been thinned out well.

    From advocacy of war to eugenism, Lieutenant General Ghetto was truly proud of his opinion.

    Rudger closed his eyes the moment he heard it while Lieutenant General Ghetto looked at him and asked.

    You must be an extraordinary person since you defeated the guards easily. How about joining hands with us?

    Lieutenant General Ghetto was saying, I have acknowledged you.

    In this situation where he didnt know when he would die, he was truly thinking that everything they did was for the greater good of the country and the generals around him were saying the same thing.

    Rudger looked at them and opened his mouth.

    I understand that the people gathered here are not over 70 yet, no matter how old they are.

    The generals stared at Rudger with anxious eyes as he suddenly started talking about their age.

    But the war actually ended more than 100 years ago. No one here has ever been in a war.

    Is that a problem?

    Isnt it strange? That those born in the age of peace howl war.

    What?

    At first, I was angry. Im getting angry at the people who did all this but suddenly, Im curious.

    Rudger looked at the faces of the people gathered with thin open eyes.

    Why did these people do such a thing? Why are they so proud of themselves aftermitting such an evil deed? I wonder if there are otherplicated circumstances that I dont know.

    However, as soon as they talked face to face, Rudger realized that they had no such concern. Even theplicated circumstances, the great mission to achieve something, and the fiery feeling of revenge didnt exist.

    There was nothing but ignorance and stubbornness.

    Rudger remembered the images of people falling under the desires of a few.

    Im not even angry anymore. Its just disgusting.

    What are you talking about?

    I mean, you guys are trash that has no room for rehabilitation.

    When Rudger showed his momentum, Lieutenant General Ghetto eventually couldnt resist and stood up. He drew a pistol from his waist and aimed it at Rudger.

    Then die!

    It was a special pistol given only to generals that although had little practicality and only a splendid appearance, but its role as a gun was faithful. But, of course, this gun was bound to be powerless against a wizard.

    Unless hes a fool, hell be ready for the [silence of fire]. Therefore, Lieutenant General Ghetto was certain that he could kill Rudger with one shot.

    This gunpowder is unaffected by the [silence of fire]!

    It was not unreasonable to pierce a hole in the middle of the other persons forehead. However, even when the trigger was pulled, the bullet did not go out.

    What?

    Lieutenant General Ghetto finally realized something strange as the gun he aimed at Rudger was gone along with one of his wrists.

    Lt. Gen. Ghetto screamed at the blood and pain that came outte.

    Argh! My hand!

    You use interesting gunpowder.

    Rudger lightly swung the sword stick in his hand and shook off the blood from it.

    As Rudger reached out, Lieutenant General Ghettos hand, which fell on the table with a pistol, flew to him.

    He immediately removed his hand and held the revolver ted with brilliant gold. There were six bullets in the cylinder all filled with special gunpowder.

    Gunpowder thats not affected by the [silence of fire]. Its really interesting.

    Uh. How the hell.

    How did I know? Did you think I didnt check that when I blew up the factory?

    Lieutenant General Ghettosplexion turned pale since blood escaped from the cut arm and he was about to die of excessive bleeding.

    Rudgerughed at Lt. Gen. Ghetto.

    There are six people gathered.

    And six bullets in the cylinder.

    The numbers fit so well.

    The!

    There was a hole in Lieutenant General Ghettos forehead, which was about to shout something.

    The other generals screamed at the top of their lungs. Some begging to be spared, some looking for an escort, some trying to escape. No one admitted their guilt, and Rudger gave each of them a bullet.

    ***

    The Delica Kingdom is in a state of turmoil after a series of missing cases and a subspecies ve case.

    In addition, a famous university dean was killed by a professor and the reporters were busy drawing articles on the daily scoops, but the extermination of the pro-war military hardliners was a much bigger case.

    Six general-level officers with stars were killed at once along with their guards.

    That brought a huge stir to the Delica Kingdom since no one knew how they died. However, rumors were circting that Professor James Moriarty did it.

    He, who was used of murdering Dean Gord Himbel, even killed generals.

    In fact, it was said that Professor James Moriarty knew how to use magic and hid his identity. The resulting answer was clearly imprinted on peoples minds through Casey Selmore.

    Since the detective of the century pointed him out as the culprit, it couldnt be wrong.

    People talked about James Moriarty day after day. His brutality, his craftiness and their fear of all the crimes he wouldmit, as if they were already happening.

    Journalists didnt miss this provocative prey. They wrote an article that James Moriarty had something to do with all the minor crimes that took ce throughout the Delica Kingdom.

    It didnt matter if it was true or false but the people saw it and believed it was real.

    -James Moriarty is about to overturn the Delica Kingdom.

    -Professor James Moriarty tried to start a war.

    -He went ahead with a secret experiment.

    -The robberies and murders in the city were also rted to James Moriarty.

    Even a small rumor swelled like a bubble as the misceneous incidentsmitted by criminals also spurred rumors.

    Were James Moriartys men, too!

    It was a bluff shouted by the small fries who wanted to be big shots, but they fanned it at a bad time.

    James Moriarty became the godfather of the criminal world, who controlled all crimes in the Delica and the Delica Kingdom dered that they would definitely catch James Moriarty.

    Some people indirectly rted to the project undertaken by war advocates, led by Lt. Gen. Ghetto tried to express their goodness by condemning James Moriartys evil deeds with all their might.

    They realized that James Moriarty was actually only killing people rted to this, and somehow hid, expressing that they were not rted to this.

    Of course, most of those people have been captured by detective Casey Selmore, not James Moriarty.

    In an instant, the police officers took several researchers alive.

    They shouted that they were not guilty, but it was an excuse that would not work for Casey, who had alreadye based on solid evidence.

    Thus arge-scale cleaning was carried out throughout the Delica Kingdom.

    Sigh, Im tired.

    Casey Selmore sighed as she sat on a chair in a fancy room.

    The problem is so widespread.

    James Moriarty conducted a terrible and inhumane experiment within the Delica Kingdom and the people involved in it were taken without question because some of them were mixed with state officials and high-ranking police officials.

    I cant believe all these people were rted to James Moriarty.

    She couldnt believe it; however, James Moriarty, who was said to be the mastermind, disappeared.

    But Ive got a clue.

    Casey Selmore had a hunch that James Moriarty was after someone.

    The six generals who died, Dean Gord and those who secretly had contact with them.

    James Moriartys misdeeds are undeniable but Im sure hes hiding something considering the people he killed.

    There was also the secret passage in the factory that burned down.

    Looking at the scale alone, it seems that it has been prepared for quite a long time, but can an individual do it?

    Tonight, Im going to break the chain of all these crimes.

    Casey Selmore rose from her seat. Unlike her usual detective clothes, the water-colored dress fluttered to her movements.

    The ce where Casey Selmore is now was not the scene of a crime and if it were her usual self, she wouldnte.

    When she opened the door wide and went inside, she saw people gathered under an ornate chandelier.

    It was a banquet hall for the nobles and Casey Selmore thought that James Moriarty was bound toe here.

 Chapter 261

    Casey Selmore looked around the banquet hall.

    It was a spacious hall filled with beautiful lights like stars in the night sky. Glittering lights scattered brilliantly in the ring chandelier, and sweet music drifted inside.

    A lot of people were gathering andughing and talking. Their fancy clothes clearly showed that they hold a high position in society.

    Its so chaotic outside right now, but youreughing and drinking in a ce like this.

    Casey, who was watching the scene from the corner of the banquet hall, grumbled inward as she didnt like it.

    The atmosphere outside was now unsettled by James Moriartys crimes. Citizens held pickets one after another and police suppressed them with violence.

    Newspapers have been talking about James Moriarty every day and yet the people here were acting like they have nothing to do with it. As if the world they live in is different.

    Casey suddenly thought that maybe some of these people had something to do with what was happening.

    Detective Casey Selmore, its a pleasure to meet you. My name is Baron Gareth..

    Im sorry, but I want to be alone.

    What she didnt like most was those who came to her and tried to make friends somehow. In particr, the eyes of young male aristocrats were burdensome, all of whom were affected by her appearance and fame.

    At least he didnt do this.

    Casey, who recalled the jokes she exchanged in James Moriartys office, btedly realized what she was thinking and clenched her fist.

    Wake up, Casey Selmore. What are you doing? Hes the criminal of the century. I must not be captivated.

    And now, the criminal may have snuck into this banquet hall because his next goal was here.

    Oh, oh, oh.

    Just in time, one side of the banquet hall became noisy and Casey Selmore instinctively thought that the time hade.

    A gorgeous young handsome man was walking down the stairs from the balcony on the second floor.

    Everyone, its nice to meet you. My name is Ludwig Venkanto, the organizer of todays banquet.

    Duke Ludwig Venkanto having inherited the dukedom at a young age, he was one of the most famous people in the Delica kingdom.

    When he appeared, all the eyes of the people gathered in the banquet hall turned to him.

    Sadly, something unfortunate happened to the Delica Kingdom recently. The crime rate soared and the royal family lost credibility.

    Ludwig raised the ss in his hand high.

    But our Delica Kingdom will never copse even in this ordeal! Because just as steel gets stronger the more you tap it, so will we. Gentlemen, we never give in to evil deeds.

    Oh, oh, oh.

    There were exmations throughout the banquet hall.

    In honor of the victims, I would like to express my thanks once again to those who are here today to forget this sadness, and please enjoy the banquet prepared.

    The nobles pped their hands while Casey only red at Ludwig with a sullen look on her face.

    How is drinking and talking amongst yourselves, honoring the dead?

    In the end, this ce was only a ce to honor the dead on the surface, but in fact, it was only a ce to promote friendship with each other.

    Of course, Caseys feelings toward Ludwig, who held this event, were not good. Nevertheless, Casey came to this ce to meet Ludwig because he was James Moriartys target.

    I havent seen James Moriarty yet.

    Of course, James Moriarty will not be openly mixed among people unless he is a fool. In the first ce, he was not the kind of person who could hide because his presence was too great wherever he went.

    Even so, its clear that hes looking for an opportunity somewhere.

    It seemed necessary to meet and talk to Ludwig once.

    Would you like a drink?

    Never mind.

    Casey ignored the waiters words as he handed champagne on a silver tter and approached Ludwig.

    Ludwig, who was talking to the guests, saw Casey approaching him and asked them for their understanding.

    Excuse me for a moment.

    The quick-witted aristocrats immediately stepped back when they heard him.

    As the interrupting people disappeared, Ludwig weed Casey with a fresh smile.

    Its nice to meet you. Lady Selmore.

    Call me Detective Casey, Im not here as a representative of the Selmore family now, Duke Ludwig Venkanto.

    Im so sorry. I was rude without realizing it. Will you give me a chance to make up for this mistake?

    Casey looked around instead of answering. Even if the distance was far, there were too many people looking this way.

    Its too noisy here. Lets talk separately in a quiet ce.

    Ill do it if you want me to.

    Ludwig readily agreed.

    Casey, who left the banquet hall and arrived at the drawing room, suddenly brought up the subject.

    Your life is in danger.

    Ludwig blinked when he heard it.

    Lady Selmore. If Im not mistaken, you said that my life is in danger.

    You heard it right. I said your life was in danger.

    Then its even weirder. My life is in danger. Why is that?

    Professor James Moriarty is after you.

    Ludwig smiled amusedly.

    Its amazing. Ive never seen James Moriarty, but hes trying to kill me. He will have no opportunity for that.

    The dead military generals were closely rted to him.

    Why are you so sure?

    Ludwig did not understand why James Moriarty was after him and how Casey Selmore knew about it and warned him.

    I just saw his behavior and figured out his next goal.

    You mean its me?

    Duke Ludwig you can deceive other peoples eyes but I know you had your own friendship with the dead generals.

    I dont know what youre talking about. As an aristocrat, Ive only encountered them a few times because Im rted to the military.

    Dont get carried away. Do you think I dont know its possible to know people even though you rarely meet them?

    When Casey spoke without backing down, Ludwig leaned forward and crossed his arms.

    Very well, then. Lets say Lady Selmore is right, then what do you think I should do now that James Moriarty is after my life?

    Run away, to the safest ce you can think of.

    Haha. Funny you should say that. Have you forgotten what this ce is like?

    The ce where the banquet is being held now is the mansion of the Duke Venkanto.

    Though it is far outside the city limits, it was filled with troops to protect Duke Ludwig.

    I assure you, there is no safer ce in the country than here. How many bodyguards do you think we have here?

    You look down on your opponent.

    Im not. You say Professor James Moriarty used magic, which means hes a wizard, but what can a mere wizard do?

    Hes not just a wizard.

    I appreciate your concern for me, but I wont leave here just because of that.

    Casey realized that Ludwig wont listen to her even if she keeps persuading him.

    This guy.

    Above all, Ludwig was hiding something.

    Casey had a hunch, but there werent enough clues to pinpoint what it was.

    Ill take your advice and Ill make sure I have an escort with me.

    I understand.

    Realizing there was no point in arguing, Casey rose from her seat. Her steps wereced with irritation as she left the parlor and headed for the ballroom.

    Theres something about Duke Ludwig, and hes tantly trying to exclude me, and if he wont listen to me, Im going to have to make my own move.

    Casey was going to go back and change her clothes first. Shed purposely tailored the outfit for the dress code, but the flouncy frills kept getting in her way.

    If James Moriarty showed up, she wouldnt be able to chase him down in this outfit.

    Im already busy, but why is this skirt so annoying?

    Casey paced down the hallway, grumbling.

    * * *

    Ludwig, who was left alone in the drawing room, stared out the window with his hands behind him. Blue moonlight poured over the darkened garden as he saw his soldiers patrolling.

    James Moriarty.

    Ludwig had a very different atmosphere from when he met and talked to Casey Selmore. His cold subdued expression did not like the situation itself.

    It is a pity that the faction of Lieutenant General Ghetto died. Even old people with rotten brains didnt live in vain. I didnt know they were all dead.

    Isnt this a very painful loss from the standpoint of secretly nning a project behind the scenes?

    But its still okay. There were plenty of people in this country to rece vacant seats.

    This is all as he wishes.

    When he murmured like that, there was a knock on the door of the drawing room.

    Opening the door was a waiter with a silver tray in one hand.

    Whats going on? I told you not to let anyone in here.

    The waiter did not answer the question and Ludwig squinted his eyes.

    Youre not a waiter.

    Youre quick-witted.

    The waiter immediately grabbed his face and tore it open.

    At first, Ludwig thought he would take off his skin, but he didnt. It was an artificially made skin.

    Soon after, when the ck hair hidden inside was revealed and Ludwig smiled interestingly.

    Professor James Moriarty.

    Nice to meet you, Duke Ludwig Venkanto.

    The ck shadow on the floor hung over Rudgers waiters clothes.

    I didnt expect you toe so early.

    From that reaction, you seem to know why I came here.

    You came to kill me. Well, youve killed everyone involved in the project so far, so it was obvious I was next.

    Then are you ready?

    Ludwigughed at Rudgers words.

    Professor James Moriarty. Ill admit youre a great man. You blew up all my businesses and smashed all the important chess pieces I used to y.

    Rudger waited for what Ludwig was going to say.

    But arent you being too arrogant? I cant believe you broke into a ce like this. Are you that confident in your skills?

    All the other guys talked like that and died.

    Dont think Im the same as them.

    When Ludwig flicked his finger, a translucent wall was created between the two. It was a barrier of mana.

    Rather, I was waiting for you toe.

    Shortly afterwards, the door of the drawing room opened and the guards of Duke Venkanto appeared.

    They were all knights or wizards and surrounded Rudger at once.

    Rudger opened his mouth, staring at Ludwig over the barrier.

    Was it a trap?

    Of course. Unless Im an idiot, theres no way I wouldnt know that youreing after me.

    In the end, the banquet held now was nothing more than a trick to mislead Rudger. It was set up so that Rudger could hide.

    A quick-witteddy came and offered to help, but honestly, it was funny. Without even knowing that the person she really needs to catch was right in front of her.

    .

    But I was quite surprised. Dont tell me that theb that was working on the Steel Chapel project has not been destroyed yet.

    Rudger responded for the first time. He wriggled his eyebrows and stared at Ludwig with a look of how he knew it.

    Theres a way for everything so I was curious. Why did you leave that ce when you erased everything else without a trace?

    Ludwig stroked his chin with his finger and pulled out the answer.

    You said we kidnapped a child and used him as a guinea pig. Does that still exist? A guinea pig thats alive and not dead?

    .

    Dont worry, Ive sent someone over there just in case. Theyre good at keeping things clean.

    Ludwig grinned from ear to ear. It was the smile of a victor who was sure he had won.

    I dont know what this has to do with the child I used as a guinea pig, but dont be too sad. Ill take care of you here and now and then send him on your way, so you wont be lonely.

    The knights surrounding Rudger drew their swords and the wizards were ready to use their magic.

    Still, Id like to hear yourst words before we go, is there anything youd like to say?

    Rudger spoke up at Ludwigs provocation.

    I want to tell you two things.

    Oh. Two things? Thats a lot, but Ill be gracious and allow it.

    First, the childs name is Arte. He was a child with a dream of bing a renowned schr.

    Did he? Well, whatever the name of such a child is, it doesnt matter. So whats the second one?

    Secondly

    Rudgers blue eyes slowly turned red.

    Im very angry right now.

 Chapter 262

    Ludwigughed at Rudgers words.

    It seems you dont understand the situation. Do you think youre in a position to do something just because youre angry?

    Rudger did not respond to that and Ludwig beckoned to end it because there was nothing else to hear.

    The knights who received the signal drew their swords and slowly approached Rudger. Without saying a word, they tried to swing their swords at Rudger.

    Even in the midst of this, Rudgers gaze remained fixed on Ludwig.

    Is it hisst outburst right before his death? At least hes not begging.

    Ordinary people, no matter how strong they pretend to be, are bound to copse ugly in the face of death. Even so, Rudger remained tenacious.

    I felt it from the fact that he came to this ce, but isnt he a really strong man?

    It was strangely regrettable to think that such a figure would soon be a cold body and disappear from history but considering that it was the price of ruining their n, it was a natural return.

    The important thing now is to calcte how long it will take to restore the great work that Rudger ruined.

    It was then.

    What?

    What are you doing? Do it properly.

    You do it yourself!

    Immediately, Ludwig heard the surprise of the knights who should have killed Rudger.

    Ludwig, who was free from his thoughts, squinted his eyes and examined the situation beyond the barrier.

    Rudger, who should have definitely died, was still standing still as if nothing had happened.

    What is this?

    His men must have cut him with their swords, but Rudger was fine.

    Whenever the sword wrapped passed through his body, Rudgers figure scattered like a virtual image and repeatedly returned to its original state.

    There was one thing that came to mind at the sight.

    magic?

    But what magic is that?

    At that time, Ludwig made eye contact with Rudger, who was staring at him from the beginning.

    What

    Ludwig felt an indescribable fear while looking at his red eyes.

    Vanitas vanitatum omnia vanitas.

    What?

    Ludwig unknowingly asked back at the unknown wordsing out of Rudgers mouth.

    In vain, everything is in vain.

    What the hell are you talking about?

    Its a Latin word for emptiness. Its written in Chapter 1:2 of the Vulgata evangelist.

    What do you mean?

    Ludwig, who faced an iprehensible and mysterious situation, distorted his face for the first time. He didnt like the fact that he was scared in an advantageous situation.

    Professor James Moriarty, what the hell was that magic?

    You saw it as magic?

    Is it not?

    Its magic. Yes, my real magic that you will never know.

    Vanitas, as the meaning of the word was emptiness, has the characteristic of making the user himself unaffected by any attack. It was the same even if it was a sword or magic.

    Known from the word of Solomon, this was the magic that Rudger came to this world and created individually.

    I didnt want to use it because it consumes too much mana and I dont feel very good about making my own body look like a goblin. If I think about the future, its a magic I should never use.

    As if the body were not his own. The feeling that ones five senses disappeared as if they had been bleached and that only the mind remained and floated in the air was not tolerable with a sober head.

    It was a dangerous magic that if used by a regr wizard his spirit would dissipate so Rudger didnt want to use it.

    But when I heard what you said.

    In embarrassment, Ludwigs escorts widened the distance slightly from Rudger.

    Rudger, who released the magic at that timing, took the magic recovery medicine out of his pocket and quickly poured it into his mouth.

    I decided not to think about the future.

    The redness of Rudgers eyes became stronger with the freshness of the magic medicine breaking in his mouth.

    Even if I fall down.

    what are you doing now? Go ahead and kill him!

    Ludwig, noticing the suspicious feeling, shouted.

    His subordinates, who were perplexed, regained their sanity in response to the order and tried tounch an attack but it was already toote.

    The magic that Rudger used was faster than their attack.

    Ars Goetia.

    Goetia, is the name of the first chapter of vic Salomonis Regis, a sorcery book written by Solomon, who was called the King of Wisdom.

    Its ability was close to magic that summons the 72 demons inscribed in books. Of course, it doesnt summon an actual demon. It is nothing more than imitating the demon through magical imagery and miracles.

    And yet the power was enough to sweep away all the enemies here.

    Shuhua! Argh!

    The shadow cape fluttered roughly, and from there countless ck ghosts poured out and swept the area.

    The demons approached the people, grabbed them with their hands and bit them with their mouths. Neither the knights holding swords nor the wizards doing magic were exceptions.

    Argh! What the hell! What the hell!

    The attack doesnt work! Help me!

    There were screams everywhere as the drawing room was stained with blood.

    For the first time, Ludwigs face, beyond the barrier, copsed as all the guards of his family were killed.

    You demon.

    This is a dream. He was having some kind of nightmare.

    Cruelly, however, the owner of the nightmare began to slowly approach Ludwig.

    Rudger, who was approaching Ludwig, stopped in front of the barrier and Ludwigughed at Rudger when he saw it.

    Ha, ha ha! Yes! Even you cant break through the barrier that blocks sixth rank magic!

    .

    If all the family guardse in like this, youre dead!

    Rudger did not respond to Ludwigsments. Instead, he only extended his arms and brought them to the barrier.

    So no matter what you do, you cant get through!

    Ludwigs expression, who was about to shout like that, hardened as the evil spirits who ate all their prey and wandered around the room flocked to Rudger.

    The ghosts clumped together in Rudgers arms and cast a ck shadow covering his fingertips to his forearms.

    The ck hand, sharpened like that of an animal or devil, soon tore the mana barrierpletely.

    Ludwig could not tell whether this was a dream or a reality at the fact that the barrier was gone. It was such an unrealistic sight.

    Is this a dream?

    Even so, he wanted to deny the tragedy in front of him but Rudger who walked straight at him meant that it was real.

    Lets talk for a moment..

    Before Ludwig could shout anything Rudger grabbed him by the neck and pushed him to the window.

    Whoo!

    An overflowing huge force went beyond breaking the window and blew the whole wall but since Rudger did not intend to kill Ludwig easily, he kindly protected his body with magic.

    Ugh!

    Rudger grabbed Ludwig by the neck and pushed him out of the broken wall.

    Ludwig struggled with his feet while fearing that Rudger might drop him down just by letting go of his hand and stared at Rudger with eager eyes.

    His expression of looking down from above a while ago was nowhere to be seen.

    Your eyes have turned submissive. Did you think about having a proper conversation now?

    Ludwig tried desperately to nod.

    But what should I do because Im mad? I dont want to have any more conversations.

    Rudger slowly increased the force of his grip while Ludwig struggled to get away from Rudger, whose anger had already risen to the top of his head.

    Whoo

    Then the door of the drawing room behind his back was smashed and a water canon shot at Rudger.

    Rudger didnt even look back. Instead, his cloak moved on its own as the ck ghosts from the cloak united to form a wall.

    The water cannon dispersed in vain without breaking through the ck wall.

    James Moriarty!

    Casey Selmore, who changed into a detective costume, rushed in.

    She saw a row of bodies around her, a broken wall, and Rudger holding Ludwigs neck.

    Let him go now!

    Casey Selmore had a simr situation at Ordo University. At that time, she couldnt stop Rudger from killing Dean Gord.

    In order not to make the mistake again, Casey used a spell with all her senses on edge.

    The water moved to her will but the scope did not simply stop at the surrounding area.

    This is

    Rudger stared outside the broken wall. All the water from the artificialke in the garden of Duke Venkanto surrounded the huge mansion.

    Casey Selmore was showing her strength while moving a massive mass of close to several hundred tons, as if her previous appearance was nothing more than a childs prank.

    Rudger said with pure admiration.

    Thats incredible.

    And at the same time he thought this might be a little dangerous since he consumed considerable mana and mental power a while ago.

    As it stands, dealing with Casey Selmore, who is at her best, was pretty daunting. But Casey was also using quite a lot of power lifting theke, and her expression caught in Rudgers view slightly copsing.

    Youre doing something exaggerated, Casey Selmore. Youre having a hard time.

    Im not going to let you escape this time.

    .

    Hurry up and let him go.

    Rudger pondered for a moment.

    If he kills Ludwig here, Casey wille after him with all shes got and he wouldnt be able to escape easily.

    But if what Ludwig says is true.

    A cleaner sent by Ludwig might have arrived at the secret facility where Arte is now.

    There are Hans and Seridan inside, but the power of the two wont be enough to stop them.

    Rudger had to make a choice so he pulled Ludwig and whispered something in his ear.

    Dont be relieved. Ill be right back.

    Immediately, a dagger was pulled out of his left hand and stuffed into Ludwigs body. The Rudger threw Ludwig to Casey before she could react but she used water to easily catch him.

    Casey, who saw the bleeding from Ludwigs abdomen, red at Ludger with wide eyes.

    You!

    If you dont stop bleeding right away, hell die within three minutes. But if you stay, you can save your life.

    Will she pursue the criminal or save a persons life?

    The choice is yours.

    Rudger said so and jumped out of the broken wall.

    Casey gritted her teeth at the sight. Even if she wanted to chase him here, she couldnt do this or that because of Ludwig, who was injured.

    Ugh! That drawer over there.

    At that time, Ludwig pointed to the drawer while it was all falling down.

    Casey noticed something and immediately opened the drawer and took out the stuff inside, it was a potion.

    She didnt know why this stuff was in the drawing room, but Casey immediately poured the potion into Ludwigs wound. The wound recovered slowly, but it was not enough to move immediately.

    Catch him, please.

    There was more to Ludwigs pleading gaze than simply wanting to catch the other man because he was a criminal. Casey knew it, but she couldnt bring herself to question him.

    The important thing right now was to go after the fleeing James Moriarty but how was she supposed to know where hed run off to?

    No, there was someone so Caseys eyes were on Ludwig.

    You know where he went.

    * * *

    The cleaners sent by Ludwig arrived at a secretboratory where the Steel Chapel project was underway.

    Originally, the entrance to the abandoned coal mine, which could be entered, was blocked, but there were many other passages to the inside.

    They teamed up and moved slowly just in case. However, they didnt feel anything special inside.

    Is there no one?

    The only thing they could see were the rats walking around.

    The cleaners were called cleaners, but in reality they were more like fixers who handled the dirty work of the nobles. There were some quasi-knights and frence wizards among them, each armed with a gun.

    They were confident that they would not lose no matter how many opponents they had inside. However, the fact that there were no people inside cooled their excitement a little.

    Never mind. Its better for us if things end quickly anyway.

    Those who nodded at the leaders words increased their speed a little.

    Wait. Stop.

    At that time, when the leader raised his right hand and clenched his fist, all the subordinates who followed from behind stopped.

    Ignoring the gaze of asking what the hell was going on, the leader pulled a dagger from his waist and touched the fine metal wire in front of him.

    I cant believe they set up a trap like this. But its too crude.

    The line ran up the wall and connected to the ceiling.

    If they touch it by mistake, a bomb installed on the ceiling would have exploded and copsed the passage.

    Instead of killing the intruders, they want to buy time?

    If so, they should act ording to the other persons intentions.

    Speed up but be prepared for possible traps.

    Yes.

    The cleaners moved at a faster pace and Hans, who heard the report through a mouse, crumpled his face.

    Damn, they speeded up. I expected them toe slowly because of the traps.

    Then what?

    Seridan, who installed the traps, was surprised because she didnt know this would happen.

    Hans eyes turned to the ss tube containing Arte.

    well have to hold out somehow until brotheres.

 Chapter 263

    The cleaners moved in perfect order.

    They were professionals in these areas so the traps didnt slow them down.

    They were even aware of the structure of thisplex undergroundboratory, so they knew where to move.

    Hans bit his fingernails as he was receiving real-time reports of the cleaners movements through the mice.

    Its not going to work like this. At this rate, theyll reach us in 5-10 minutes.

    Rudger left to kill Duke Ludwig Venkanto, the leader of all this, so it was Hans responsibility to protect this ce.

    Of course, theres the little dwarf kid.

    Honestly, Hans could not havested this much time alone if it wasnt for Seridans explosives but the opponent was more formidable than he thought.

    What are you going to do now? Do you have anything in mind?

    Seridan next to him asked inquisitively.

    Hans managed to open his tight-lipped mouth.

    Theres one thing. I wasnt going to use this method.

    The herd of mice that caught Hans eyes began to move in perfect order.

    * * *

    The cleaners leader felt something strange.

    What is this?

    It was a strange sensation of tingling and a signal from his instinct that something was happening. However, no matter how wide he opened his eyes and looked around, he could not find anything strange except for the explosive traps hanging from the ceiling but they avoided them easily.

    They knew that the other party was trying to buy time so they had to move fast.

    Leader, is there a problem?

    No, its nothing.

    It was the moment when the leader of the cleaners tried to move again, saying it was nothing that the sound of ratsing was heard.

    There were rats everywhere, but the cleaners leader felt something different this time.

    Were there always this many rats here?

    They received information that theboratory was built in an abandoned mine but there could not be so many mice.

    In addition, the movements of the mice were somewhat strange. They were crawling up pipes and walls were moving toward one target. And the cleaners leader noticed what the herd of rats was going to do.

    Get everybody out of here now!

    What?

    Come on!

    In the moment when the leader of the cleaner shouted, the booby traps that the cleaners were deliberately avoiding were forcibly triggered by the rats.

    Kwagwa-gwa-gwa-gwa-gwa-gwang!

    A huge explosion engulfed the surrounding area.

    Hans closed his eyes with aplex face at the explosion and vibration felt above his head.

    Im sorry, guys.

    Hans, who carried out a suicide attack using his mice, felt a strange feeling that was hard to describe.

    He shouldnt have cared how many mice like that died, but it was strangely heartbreaking.

    After a few moments Hans opened his eyes wide after receiving signals from some mice.

    They are alive?

    To his surprise, the cleaners were alive.

    Not everyone. Obviously their numbers decreased, but how the hell?

    Hans could understand the reason by looking at the people who got up in the wreckage.

    Protective magic gear! Youre wearing that expensive thing?

    The elite cleaners, including the leader, were wearing protective magic gear, an object that automatically activates a defensive magic when a strong impact is applied.

    Its inferior to artifacts but it was like a spare life for those who live on the edge.

    Although their lives were saved they werent exactly unscathed either. The shock of the explosion and the copsed debris wounded them even though they were wearing protective gear.

    In addition, the cleaners who didnt wear protective clothing were all crushed to death by the rubble and the team of about 30 people quickly dropped to 7.

    Even so, this is not enough.

    If you cantpletely eliminate them youll only anger the enemy. In fact, now the cleaners leader was distorting his face because of what happened.

    When he frowned with his face covered with blood he looked like a devil that crawled up from hell.

    He began to shoot the rats in front of him.

    I was caught.

    Hans called all the rats back.

    The cleaners also noticed something about the mice since a bomb was detonated using them so they had no choice but to notice unless they were fools.

    How did it go?

    Seridan asked just in case.

    there are still survivors.

    How the hell?

    They were wearing expensive equipment. Of course, they barely survived, so their condition is not very good, but theyve very angry.

    How many?

    Seven people.

    It has definitely decreasedpared to before. So what are you going to do now?

    I dont know and we are also out of traps.

    Thats why Im asking.

    Hans hesitated for a moment and took a small tooth out of his waist.

    run away.

    What?

    I cant fight either, but at least I can slow them down for a while.

    It was not that Hans didnt think about running away, either. Whatever happens to the little boy sleeping in that ss tube, it has nothing to do with him.

    He didnt have to fight for his life in a ce like this to protect that child. He had no responsibility to do that but Rudger asked him to protect this ce.

    I will also run away after I dy them for a while.

    So he couldnt back down.

    He was always running away with his power, but he thought he couldnt do it at least now.

    Seridan opened his eyes wide at Hans words, then she burst intoughter and pped Hans on the back with his hand.

    Argh! What!

    No. I thought you were pretty good.

    What do you mean?

    I thought you were just a nerd who was always looking at the atmosphere and the mood but what you did a while ago changed my mind. Yeah, you dont want to fight, but sometimes you have to fight. So Ill help you, too.

    You might die. This has nothing to do with you.

    Two is better than one, isnt it? In addition, Ive been marked by them anyway, so it doesnt matter.

    Seridan smiled and asked Hans.

    So what are you going to do? If you refuse, I will go to fight alone.

    dont just interrupt.

    Hans said so and put the teeth of arge beast in the back of his hand. Soon Hans body swelled up and turned into a bear. The torn hem of the clothes flowed down through the swelling brown hairs.

    Seridan saw the figure, then grabbed the fur and climbed on top of Hans.

    Well, then, lets have a fight! Bear Rider, here we go!

    Dont call me weird names.

    Hans growled and was ready to wee the cleaners.

    * * *

    Reaching the coal mine, Rudger squinted at the footprints inside.

    The number is about 30, a considerable number of people infiltrated inside.

    Rudger ran fast inwards.

    The wreckage of the released booby traps was scattered everywhere along with the traps that didnt work properly.

    Rudger realized that things were going worse.

    This is

    When the coal mine disappeared and therge area of the secretboratory appeared, Rudger stopped to look at the copsed debris.

    The blood flowing from under the rubble showed that they had just died.

    Theres no way they made a mistake while releasing the trap. Hans and Sheridan did something as a special measure.

    Thud!

    At that moment, he felt a slight vibration below and a roar like that of a giant bear was heard immediately after.

    Hans?

    There were no animals in this ce, so it was clear that this sound belonged to Hans.

    This would mean that stayed to fight instead of running.

    Rudger immediately guessed the location of the source of the sound with his eyes and used shadow movement magic.

    It was a situation where the coordinates might be twisted but now it was not a situation to think about it.

    Rudger raised his curled body in the changedndscape. His head was spinning because he consumed too much mana for a moment, but it was bearable.

    The sticky tar-like shadow clung to his body and flowed down as Rudger looked around before examining his physical condition.

    Hans.

    Rudger, who saw a huge bear stuck in a corner of theboratory, along with Seridan, who seemed very tired. Perhaps she also participated in the fight; however, there were no wounds on her body because Hans acted as a shield.

    Brother.

    Hans, whose brown fur was all red, grinned at Rudger. His relieved face contained the conviction that this situation was over.

    Who are you?

    The leader of the cleaners, who was in the midst of a confrontation, red at Rudger with bloodshot eyes. He was also in a pretty fierce battle, breathing heavily, and there were wounds everywhere on his body.

    Three of the elite who came with him were killed by Seridans bomb and he was in a very bad mood now because of that.

    Killing all the guys here wasnt enough to relieve his anger.

    He fell into a pitfall, fought a dwarf girl with a giant bear monster, and lost his precious men. This was not at a level that could be restored, even if he was paid by the client.

    Of course, it is true that theres always danger in this industry. Still, when he saw what he lost, he couldnt help but feel bitter.

    Are you with the guys here?

    However, the reason why he didnt attack Rudger immediately was because of his instinct.

    I didnt feel hising this far.

    This man appeared out of nowhere, as if he had sprung up in the air. In addition, the fierce atmosphere he emitted showed that he was stronger than them.

    Even so, if the opponent is careless, I can end it with a surprise attack.

    The cleaners leader knew that fights couldnt be won just because someone was strong. The strong dont win, the winners are strong.

    Winning and surviving at all costs was the only belief he had.

    If I find a gapRight now!

    The cleaners leader immediately took out his hidden pistol and aimed it at Rudgers forehead however his head was cut off before he could shoot.

    Boss, boss?

    His men were surprised and tried to attack Rudger, but it was already a priority for Rudgers shadow to devour the cleaners.

    Hans felt both despondent and relieved when he saw the situation being cleared up in an instant.

    I cant believe he overpowered the opponents who we barely fought in an instant.

    Nari, youre so strong.

    The exhausted bear and the dwarf girl looked at each other and soon burst into a smirk.

    Rudger approached those two.

    It is not yet time for relief. Hans, how did the experiment go?

    I dont know, I was too focused on them.

    Rudger handed Hans a neutralizer along with a cure.

    Hans sprayed the cure on his body and injected a neutralizer. His wounds were not deep thanks to the hard and tough bears leather. Still, it couldnt be helped that it hurt, so Hans frowned.

    I cant do this again. Its fortunate that the bullet did not prate the inside of the skin.

    But you didnt use the tooth.

    I dont know what will happen if I use it in the first ce.

    Hans quickly changed into his pre-prepared clothes and the three headed straight to theboratory.

    Despite the dire situation, theboratory did not suffer any damage.

    Rudger looked at Arte, who had his eyes closed inside theboratory.

    The transfer of the soul is over but it looks like he needs some time to sync.

    Is that so?

    Automaton Alpha, the prototype of the Steel Chapel.

    Rudger, who was looking at the boy sleeping in the capsule, raised his head.

    Brother?

    Hans wondered at Rudgers abnormal behavior and asked.

    Hans, Seridan, the two of you, hurry up and escape this ce.

    What? Wait a minute. Why are you suddenly saying that?

    Itsing.

    Hans and Sheridan did not understand the meaning of Rudgers words.

    Who the hell is?

    Whoo-whoo-whoo-whoo-whoo-!!!

    At that moment, a huge vibration that rang through the entire undergroundboratory spread from above.

    The green liquids containing the experiments began to shake as if they were in an earthquake.

    Kaga gaga gak! Kagu gugung!

    The sound of something grinding and copsing gradually got closer.

    Hey, what is this?

    Unlike the bewildered Hans, Rudger stared at the ceiling. No, at someone beyond that.

    She must be very angry. She chased me all the way here and now shes trying to drill a hole in the ground.

    Rudger calmly opened his mouth because he was vaguely expecting this to happen.

    Do you want to catch me so badly, Casey Selmore?

 Chapter 264

    Casey Selmore, floating high in the air, looked down.

    The night sky seemed much brighter than usual. It was partly because they moved away from the city where the light on the ground was strong, but it was also because the moon in the sky was exceptionally huge.

    It was a full moon night today.

    Under the moonlight pouring like a spotlight on the stage, Casey stared where her opponent would be hiding under the ground. Perhaps he was also aware of her presence.

    Casey knew where this was.

    An abandoned coal mine where she first noticed the crimes of James Moriarty.

    At that time, he escaped because of a sudden explosion, but she didnt know there was a secretboratory deeper down.

    How can I capture James Moriarty here?

    He would immediately notice and run away from another exit, no matter what passage she came from and he also showed a new movement spell a while ago.

    In addition, it was unreasonable to rush from the entrance unless she knew what he was up to in there.

    Casey Selmore thought that taking it slowly would be meaningless so she decided to act quickly.

    At the moment of judgment, a huge mass of water gathered under Casey Selmores feet.

    Water on the floor, moisture in the atmosphere, and clouds in the sky enough to fill several water tanks was floating in the air.

    The moon became clearer as the cast clouds disappeared and Casey casted a spell.

    The water collected in the air began to change in response to her mana and the massive volume of water slowly began to rotate clockwise, like a whirlwinding down from the sky.

    The end of the terrible vortex began to sharpen like an awl, and then slowly descended and touched the ground.

    The tunnel began to be drilled hundreds of meters below ground. The incredible weight of water spun at high speed as stone and rock were grounded.

    The superrge perforator used high-pressure water flow drilled all the way underground without any resistance.

    Casey went underground through the huge passage through which she drilled. Then, the road that had been blocked for a moment opened, and a wide open space appeared.

    Casey stopped the rotating drill as soon as she felt a familiar mana wavelength, and slowly came down andnded in the open space.

    The water that made up the drill was torn down and spread widely around.

    Looking ahead, there was the man, the criminal of the century who she must capture.

    He didnt have a crow mask, but he still wore a shadow cape below his shoulders, and he looked intimidating.

    .

    James Moriarty looked up at the path Casey came down.

    The brilliant full moon was seen over a huge hole leading to the ground. Perhaps because of that, the underground space, which had been dark, was filled with bluish moonlight and felt dreamy.

    Its quite barbaric.

    James Moriarty lowered his raised head and made eye contact with Casey.

    Do you not know how to knock?

    What were you going to do by digging such a deep ant hole?

    The two stared at each other. On the other side, with a calm look and the other had eyes full of hostility, a sense of challenge, and anger.

    Since youe this early it means that Ludwig is not dead.

    Yes, you failed.

    Rudger shook his head at the remark.

    You always interrupt me.

    Then do you think detectives should stop criminals or leave them alone?

    Casey got to the point right away.

    Thats not why you were waiting for me to talk to each otherfortably, whats your purpose?

    Dont you think Im going to turn myself in now?

    You?

    Caseyughed as if she had heard a funny joke.

    A person who doesnt know how many people hes killed so far is suddenly turning himself in? Dont say things you dont mean.

    James Moriarty shrugged at her words.

    Well, Im just saying.

    Why do you say that all of a sudden?

    To make a suggestion.

    Suggestion? What suggestion all of a sudden?

    Isnt it time to stop this pointless chase?

    What?

    Casey was under the illusion that a huge lump of iron hit her head. Otherwise she couldnt understand what this man was saying.

    Casey Selmore, you cant capture me no matter what you do. The difference between you and me is obvious, so lets finish it. Theres nothing more meaningless than trying to get something you cant hold onto.

    Meaningless?

    Casey Selmore tried to vent his anger by twisting her face, but soon cooled down as if she had realized something.

    Youre dragging your feet.

    .

    Did she notice?

    Rudger intentionally tried to provoke the other persons anger to focus her attention on this, but Casey immediately noticed.

    Why are you trying to waste time by provoking me?

    Casey squinted his eyes and looked around, and soon looked down.

    There must be something down here, right?

    Tch.

    Rudger kicked his tongue.

    Casey felt like she was drawing something in her head.

    Kidnapped child. Experiment. Yeah.This is it.

    Now that Casey noticed, this was the end of buying time.

    Rudger calcted how much time he had earned.

    Hans and Seridan would have gotten out of here long ago but he couldnt confirm if Arte soul synchronization was over yet. Although he intended to take that chance and take Arte out of here.

    Looking at her reaction now, I dont think even that will work.

    Casey Selmore, who had raised her vignce to the extreme, did not show any more gaps.

    In addition, therge amount of water that had been dragged down surrounded him.

    We have no choice but to fight, right?

    Rudger raised his right hand and swept it slowly from forehead to chin.

    A shadow was cast along the hand, and a crow-shaped mask was put on his face.

    I used up too much mana and mental strength on my way here.

    And now his opponent is stronger than anyone he fought in the Delica Kingdom.

    If he was not in the best condition, the possibility of losing could not be ruled out but on the bright side, he was not necessarily at a disadvantage.

    Casey Selmore was also busy these days, so she couldnt sleep well, and she used up a lot of mana while dragging arge amount of water to this ce.

    In other words, Casey, like him, has been pushed to her limit.

    After all, both of them were in the worst condition.

    Rudger and Casey thought at the same time about the strange equality. Nevertheless, the one who lets their guard down, will lose.

    The two used magic against each other without saying a word.

    Casey Selmore used the water around him to pressure Rudger from all sides.

    In the action, he felt a willingness to capture him somehow without killing him. However, the huge water mass became a deadly weapon in itself.

    Although her purpose is to capture Rudger in the process, one or two bones will definitely break.

    Its impossible to stop it.

    He had to reduce the amount of mana used as much as possible so blocking attacks from all sides was impossible. Knowing that, Rudger responded by avoiding all the iing attacks.

    Rudgers body, integrated with the shadow, darted around the space and approached Casey.

    The huge streams of waterunched by Casey Selmore turned into hands to capture him, but Rudger moved shrewdly as if to fool her.

    A huge water hand passed through his body but it was only an extremely trick by a piece of paper.

    What!?

    Casey Selmore clenched his teeth at the move that doesnt seem like something a wizard would do.

    Rudger freely roams through space like a swallow that travels fast through a dark forest.

    Rudger unfolded his magic as he moved and with the spellpleted in the air, a white fog spread around.

    He used the third rank magic [Ice queens breath] and the stream of water approaching Rudger began to freeze rapidly as soon as it touched the fog.

    Casey drew the unfrozen water back since she couldnt handle the frozen water recklessly due to a kind of perception power.

    Casey Selmore handles water, but she could also handle something that could be called liquid if she recognizes it as water.

    Ice, on the other hand, was another form of water, down below the freezing point. In her perception ice is not water.

    Of course, if she forced herself she could do it but her mana consumption would increase the speed of handling would be considerably slower.

    Above all, she didnt think the person in front of her would ever wait for it.

    Casey boldly hit the ice since there was still a lot of water here considering the amount she brought and no matter what Rudger couldnt freeze all the water here because he knew that she could still use it even if its frozen.

    I have no choice but to aim for her body quickly.

    Rudger concentrated his mind by quickly replenishing hisck of mana with mana pills. Then he casted a spell but Casey noticed it and quickly defended herself.

    Shortly after, Rudger spell was done. He used the 5th rank lightning spell [Thunderbolt Ballista].

    A huge arrow was shot like a cannon, made by twisting five giant lightning stems into the form of a pentagon spiral and to counter it a huge knight of water lifted his round shield.

    The two spells shed in the air and a huge shock wave spread beyond the underground space to the entireboratory and even further.

    The situation was unstable because Casey touched several supports as she prated the ground. In addition, the magic of the two wizards collided, and the underground base could not withstand it.

    Screws of pipe pipes installed everywhere bounced off and strong steam poured out.

    Mechanical parts started to cause problems and caught fire, and huge vibrations caused debris from the ceiling to fall.

    Most seriously, the extra booby traps Seridan had set up to stop the cleaners were triggered in the aftermath of the crash.

    Kwagwagwagwagwagwagwagwagwagwang!

    Rudger looked back unconsciously at the sound of explosions ringing everywhere.

    Arte!

    Rudger left Casey and ran away.

    Casey, who blocked the debris falling from the ceiling, saw that Rudger disappeared and clenched his lips then followed him.

    Rudger, who was running through an undergroundboratory that was beginning to shake, quickly looked at the situation.

    Debris slowly started to fall apart, fumes rose through broken pipes everywhere, and explosions urred one after another.

    The precarious interior began to copse in the aftermath of the fight.

    At this rate the undergroundboratory would copse soon.

    Arte!

    Arte was still inside since the stabilization process wasnt over.

    Maybe the wreckage caused Arte.

    Rudger spurred his running speed by shaking off negative thoughts. Some debris fell and hit Rudgers body, but he didnt care.

    Rudger managed to reach the deepest part of theboratory.

    Beep!

    Inside, a red emergency warning light was on and ringing loudly.

    .

    Fortunately, Artes sleeping ss tube and automaton Alpha capsule were intact.

    Is the stabilization over?

    The machine no longer worked so that meant that the process was over.

    Rudger looked at the capsule containing Arte, or now Alpha, and put his hand on it.

    lets go.

    Moving shadows began to cover the capsule.

    In the process, Rudger looked at the ss tube next to him. The boys body which has now lost even his soul was empty.

    Rudger, who was looking at it with a gloomy and heavy gaze, slowly put his hand on the capsule.

    Rudger smacked his lips, but no words were heard.

    In this ce where he didnt know when it was going to copse he didnt have to say anything but he couldnt stop himself.

    Im sorry.

    Soon Rudgers body was covered in shadow along with the capsule and they disappeared.

    Shortly after Rudger disappeared, the burning ceiling copsed.

    * * *

    Casey, who followed Rudgers footsteps, frowned at the copsed wreckage.

    This is

    There were fires everywhere, but Casey noticed that some kind of experiment happened here.

    What did James Moriarty hide here so that he left in a hurry during the fight?

    What about James Moriarty?

    Casey, who was trying to find a clue somehow, looked around and found something strange.

    What is this?

    Originally it was hidden inside the wall, but the wall copsed after the explosions and reflected the contents inside.

    It was a huge capsule.

    And in it, a yellow-haired girl had her eyes closed as if she were dead.

 Chapter 265

    Rudger, who came up to the ground, fell on one knee because his legs were weak.

    In the aftermath of moving not only himself but alsorge capsules together, his head started to hurt badly.

    [!]

    The voice of the gods was heard in his head but Rudger gritted his teeth and put the few mana recovery pills in his mouth.

    Phew. Whoo.

    Rudger took a breather for a moment as the headache that covered his head went away and the sound of his brain ringing disappeared but the mental fatigue that was inflicted at that moment was too intense.

    Is this a nearby forest?

    Perhaps the process of drastically consuming and refilling mana made his vision was slightly blurry.

    When he took a little breath, his blurred vision slowly returned to its original state and Rudger immediately looked at the capsule he brought.

    In the capsule, an automaton in the form of a boy was sleeping soundly and Rudger immediately opened the capsule.

    The front of the capsule went up and white smoke poured out.

    Rudger peered at the boy. The appearance of the automaton with Artes soul was clearly different from that of Arte.

    He was sleeping in his clothes to look like a real person, but it was not much different from a real person in anyhow.

    Rudger watched the scene, and the automaton boy opened his eyes. The boys eyes were clear like pure white jade that shows no emotion, no dirt.

    Even though he knew the eyes were arterial, he could not distinguish them from the actual human eyes.

    .

    .

    Rudger and the boy stared at each other silently and Rudger was at a loss what to say. No, maybe he was waiting for the boy to speak first.

    The boy, who had been staring at Rudger for a while, opened his mouth.

    Who are you?

    .

    Rudger took off his tightly closed lips and then closed them again. Unconsciously, his fist was clenched.

    Havent I expected this to happen?

    Even if Artes soul was transnted, this automaton would be apletely different being when he opened his eyes.

    He knew and yet he hoped that the boy would call him teacher again.

    Do you remember who you are?

    The automaton boy shook his head at Rudgers question.

    I dont know. Nothing.

    The boy came out of the capsule and looked around the surrounding forest. His first step was precarious, but the boy immediately wandered around the capsule as if he had gotten used to walking.

    Rudger said to the boy.

    I am your master.

    The automaton boy walking barefoot on the dirt looked back at Rudger and nodded, staring at Rudger with pure eyes.

    Really?

    Yes. I see. I dont know anything, but I still vaguely think I have to do something. I have to obey someones orders.

    The Steel Chapel automaton is a machine built to carry out a givenmand. Of course, they were basically given orders, and there was a perception that they had to carry them out.

    Is there anything you want me to do?

    I

    When Rudger was about to say something a strong vibration seemed to ur under the ground, and a huge fountain could be seen from beyond the forest. It was easy to know whose water was from there.

    Rudger squinted his eyes as he watched the water droplets containing mana slowly spread around him.

    Youre trying to locate me?

    He soon looked down at the hem of his clothes. Some of his clothes were damp as he fought Casey Selmore, and when he concentrated, he felt a feeble spell from there.

    Youve marked me. You didnt use this method thest time.

    In order not to let Rudger escape, she probably devised this method during their short battle.

    In fact, as if to prove it, the droplets that spread began toe as if they were attracted to Rudger.

    you wait here.

    Yes.

    Dont be caught by anyone, you have to hide.

    Yes, sir.

    The boy said so, then went into the nearby bushes and curled up.

    Rudger looked at him with a worried gaze for a moment and quickly left.

    At least Casey Selmore shouldnt have realized the identity of that automaton.

    Yes,e and get me.

    Rudger deliberately used his magic to lure Casey Selmore.

    He could see Casey Selmore approaching in a huge stream of water.

    James Moriarty!

    In the end, youre chasing me all the way.

    Rudger first decided to move away from this forest.

    Since he didnt know the geography of the terrain he just kept running away with the intention of widening the distance between them.

    Casey chased him but Rudger didnt look back since even if he didnt he could feel her behind him.

    asionally, spears and arrows made of water flew at him, but Aether Nocturnus, who was wrapped it around his body, cut them off on his own but they both consumed mana.

    After a few spells, there was no attack afterwards.

    Casey also seemed to have spent a lot of energy, so instead of pulling up the water, she was chasing hard with her legs.

    Even though she never worked out properly she couldnt stop running to the end even though she was out of breath.

    To be honest, he was impressed. Even though they are enemies now he didnt want to kill her but he didnt feel sorry for using her in this situation.

    Although she didnt make a good impression on their first meeting. Nevertheless, they got to know each other through several meetings.

    Of course, it was Rudger himself who eventually broke the rtionship.

    It was all the result of this choice that betrayed her expectations and tried to do this until he became a criminal who shocked a country.

    Rudger regretted it and thought there might be a better way if he had thought about it a little more.

    If he thought about it over and over again he would not have had to run away because he was branded as a viin. He would not have had to fight to the limit of his spirit and mana.

    Nevertheless.

    I cant stop.

    He just walked that way since no one can live his life for him.

    Therefore, even if he regretted it, he just put it in a box that no one could open and threw it deep in theke called the heart.

    Even if it settles down and decays and decays the wholeke, once he choose this road, he can never stop.

    Cause thats how Ive lived.

    How long did he run through the forest and into the depths of the mountain?

    There was a huge roar in the distance. Its the loudest noise nature can make.

    It was a waterfall exuding its magnificent appearance that greeted Rudger.

    ha.

    As soon as he saw the waterfall, Rudger was dumbfounded and burst intoughter.

    The vicious criminal James Moriarty finally faces the waterfall?

    What an interesting fateful prank.

    I didnt expect this would happen when I chose this alias.

    Rudger stood at the edge of the cliff. There was no ce left to run away from here anymore.

    Rudger looked back slowly and there she was panting and sweating profusely.

    Nevertheless, under the moonlight of the full moon, her beauty does not fade and she stares at him intensely.

    Sigh. Sigh. Theres no ce to run anymore James Moriarty.

    Rudger repressed his rising emotions. He didnt know whether it was joy or irritation, or anything else but now, he was just doing his best in his role as James Moriarty.

    It certainly seems so.

    So, are you going to surrender?

    Rudger shook his head but Casey didnt react much as if she knew it would happen anyway.

    Casey Selmore, do you know the name of this waterfall?

    How would I know that? This is a ce where no onees.

    I see. It was an unnamed waterfall. Then Ill call this waterfall Reichenbach Falls.

    Rudger grabbed the cane from his waist and aimed it at Casey while Casey also pointed the cane in her hand at Rudger.

    This is myst.

    Casey did not answer but the magical dance of the two continued at the edge of the cliff of the moonlit night as the waterfall flowed down.

    The short dance was both desperate and dreamy but the noise it made was buried or mixed with the roar of the waterfall.

    Finally the dance was over and ironically no one won the fight.

    Youve run out of mana.

    You too.

    The two men aimed their canes and realized that they could no longer use mana.

    Casey, who has rarely experienced this in her life, had difficulty maintaining her sanity due to the huge mental fatigue that was pouring in but Rudger was different.

    From the state of things, is this fight my victory?

    He had to spend his entire life struggling with mana in an oppressed environment.

    His mana has been depleted he was forced to fill it up with mana pills repeatedly and crossed the line so Rudger was almost at his limit, but his condition was not as serious as Casey.

    Rudger stared calmly at Casey. Her appearance with her head down was so feeble that it was not strange to faint right away. Just by approaching and touching her, she would crumble like a broken doll.

    The sense of defeat eating Caseys whole body was proof that in the fight between Casey Selmore, the detective of the century, and James Moriarty, the criminal of the century the victory was obtained by evil.

    Is that it?

    Justice was defeated. Even if its a novel, its the worst ending that people had no choice but to curse at.

    What are you doing?

    She shouldnt have done that. At least at the end of this story, evil should not prevail.

    Are you about to fall down already? Youre going to drive me to the end of the cliff and give up?

    Caseys eyes, looking down, turned to Rudger again. Her eyes, which were out of focus, regained a little light.

    What are you trying to do, Casey Selmore? What are you here for?

    Noisy.

    Didnt you say you would do justice? Didnt you say you would root out evil in the world?

    Casey bit her lips since she couldnt refute his criticism.

    Wake up.

    Rudgers voice soon harbored anger and disappointment.

    Wake up!

    Casey clenched her fists and strained her trembling legs. Her body, which seemed to stumble and copse, stood tall again.

    Im still here!

    Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

    Casey stormed out with a scream. Her movement was so precarious and somber, but the momentum emanating from the depths of her soul was stronger than ever. For a moment, Rudger was frozen by her momentum.

    A blue light seemed to form behind Caseys running back, and a lump of water flew toward Rudgers face. It was thest spell she could cast.

    You could still use magic?

    He had run out of magic to use a defensive spell so it was hard to avoid a surprise attack.

    Rudger raised his right arm holding the cane to block the ball of water the size of a baseball.

    It was water that contained mana, so he felt his muscles ring and pain to his bones but Rudger endured. This alone couldnt bring him down.

    So whats next?

    As Rudger was trying to figure out what Casey was going to do he felt a shock in his chest.

    Rudger ducked his head, wondering if it was a new spell, and what he saw was Casey Selmores vaunted blue wavy hair. It was a blow Rudger hadnt expected, or anyone else for that matter.

    In this dire situation, with all her magic drained and her mental strength depleted, Casey Selmoresst option was to throw herself.

    To prevent future disasters she was ready to sacrifice her life.

    Rudgers body, pushed back, began to fall down the cliff along with Casey Selmore.

    Casey Selmore sped Rudgers body with both hands even with her blurred mind as if she would never let go.

    She didnt have the energy to look at his face since her mind had already reached its limit and was slowly darkening.

    You won.

    Maybe it was a hallucination but it seemed that the mad said so at the end.

 Chapter 266

    Casey Selmoresst choice was to fall from the waterfall with Rudger.

    The waterfall was so high that even if a knight were to jump from it he would surely die.

    Casey jumped knowing that she would die but she thought that even if she died she would eradicate a great evil from the world at the price of her life.

    That was the choice Casey Selmore made and Rudger graciously respected her choice.

    Good job.

    She couldnt hear him because she had already fainted, but he couldnt help but say this.

    Rudger hugged Caseys waist with his right arm, which was still in intense pain, and then extended his left arm toward the air.

    The wireuncher mounted on his left arm shot and stuck in the cliff. The wire was pulled tight and the bodies of the two people, who had been falling endlessly, stopped suddenly.

    * * *

    Rudger, who safely came down to the bottom of the waterfall, settled in a suitable open space on one side of the forest and made a fire.

    As he was recovering so near the fire, he felt a sign not far away.

    Are you Hans?

    Brother.

    Hans, who followed him here after seeing the light, examined Rudgers condition.

    You were safe.

    Yes, I survived.

    Nari, Im d youre okay!

    Seridan was with Hans.

    Brother, what about the detectivedy?

    .

    Rudger shrugged instead of answering. It was an unspoken act to ask no more questions.

    Instead of inquiring further, Hans handed Rudger a nket he had already packed.

    Please use it.

    Hans examined Rudgers condition. His expression was simr to usual, but behind it, the indisputable fatigue was clearly revealed. Not only that, but he didnt look very well.

    But what bothered Hans more was that Rudger was alone.

    What about that automaton?

    After he left with Seridan, the undergroundboratorypletely copsed and based on Rudgers condition, hes probably.

    Brother, cheer up.

    .

    Rudger stared at Hans as he suddenly expressed his constion with a worried look. Hans must have misunderstood something.

    The automaton boy with Artes soul was rescued safely, but Rudger was too tired to correct Hans.

    Rudger agreed to exin itter and nodded instead.

    Its a recovery medicine that Ive prepared in advance.

    Thank you.

    Cops areing in from far away. I think that they caught a tail, but Ill try to draw their attention somehow, so you should take the opportunity to escape.

    Yes, I understand. You should be careful, too.

    Where should we meet?

    My business in this country is over.

    Hans nodded with a heavy face and took Seridan with him.

    Lets go.

    Huh? Hey, wait a minute! What about Nari?

    He can get out of it on his own. We also have to earn him some time, so lets move quickly.

    Seridan pouted her lips but did not refuse Hans touch. She waved to Rudger and left.

    Rudger, who was left alone, stood up as the two left. He hugged Casey Selmore, who sat behind a nearby tree, like a princess, andid her down on a nket on the floor.

    Then, after covering her with the rest of the nket, Rudger slumped back down and stared at the burning bonfire.

    From a distance, he could hear whistles and seenterns carried by police.

    Hans said that he would attract their attention, but it seems that it was impossible because there were too many.

    .

    Rudger turned his back and looked at Casey lying still. He didnt know if it was an illusion, but he thought she just opened her eyes.

    [Beep!]

    Before he knew it, the sound of the whistle got quite close so Rudger rose from his seat.

    Rudger checked his outfit after putting the recovery medicine handed over by Hans in his mouth and moved.

    Not long after Rudger disappeared the police arrived at the ce where Casey fainted.

    Here it is! I found Detective Casey Selmore!

    Whats the status? First, move her to the emergency room! Medical team!

    The rest search the surroundings more!

    The police were bustling around, scouring the perimeter, but no trace of James Moriarty was found.

    * * *

    When he arrived at the ce where the capsule was hidden with trudging steps, someone greeted Rudger.

    Are you here?

    Have you been waiting?

    Yes, because you told me to wait here.

    The automaton responds as if he had just carried out the givenmand.

    Rudger stared at the automaton. He had blonde hair and golden eyes, looking like a beautiful boy.

    Why do you look at me like that?

    Are you curious about that?

    Curious? Yes. Maybe Im curious why my master looked at me like that.

    He seemed quite simr to Arte, who asked him something he didnt know, so Rudger put a faint smile on his lips.

    Lets walk and talk.

    Yes.

    Rudger walked and the automaton boy followed.

    Dawn began to break from beyond the forest and while walking in the direction of the sun, Rudger opened his mouth.

    First of all, I have something to tell you.

    Yes. What is it?

    You are an automaton. You know that, dont you?

    The boy nodded.

    Yes. I dont know why I was made, but I know the fact.

    But you are not a doll who follows what someone tells you to do.

    Do you mean me? I dont understand. I exist to obey your orders.

    Let me tell you one thing first. Dont call me master.

    Then what should I call you?

    Rudger almost said, Call me a teacher without realizing it, but he barely held it in.

    Boss, leader, captain, anything is fine as long as its not the word master.

    Really? Yes, sir.

    You thought you existed to obey someones orders?

    Yes, I have been made for that purpose.

    A purpose is just a purpose. What is your true heart?

    Hmm

    The boy tilted his head as if he didnt understand his words well.

    Just take it easy. Are you sure you want to follow someones orders? What do you think?

    I dont know.

    Thats enough. Since you hesitated to answer, you already have a different mind.

    The boy nodded, saying, It may be so.

    You were born anew as a child who doesnt know anything yet.

    Yes.

    So you have to learn a lot about the world.

    Arte wanted to learn, too.

    I have to learn. Thats good.

    Do you like it?

    I dont know what I like. But its somethingI think Im happy.

    Is that so?

    Perhaps that reaction was influenced by the owner of the soul in his body.

    Im sorry.

    What? What do you mean?

    Just, everything.

    You dont have to apologize to me, teacher.

    .

    Rudgers steps stopped for a moment at the word teacher and the boy who was walking with him stopped ordingly.

    Did I say something wrong? If its because youre called a teacher, Ill call you by a different name.

    He tried to say that there was no need to change it, but Rudger hesitated to answer.

    Did he deserve to be called teacher again?

    He didnt.

    Yes.

    Rudger walked again and the boy moved with him.

    The two men were out of the woods as a wide meadow spread out in the distance and dawn broke over the horizon.

    James Moriarty was defeatedst night, and Casey Selmore won therefore, the rising sun is surely a blessing to the people of this country.

    The boy admired the rising sun as it pushed out the darkness of dawn.

    Wow. Are you saying thats the sun? Its very beautiful to see in person.

    Youll see it again and again.

    Continuously?

    Yes, go on.

    Rudger turned his head and stared at the boy.

    Come to think of it, I cant just keep calling you, you.

    Code name is Alpha. It doesnt matter if you call me that.

    Isnt it empty?

    Or will you give me a name?

    Name

    The word name reminded Rudger of Arte.

    Is it right to use the name of the already dead child recklessly?

    However, on the contrary, it was not right to bury the name in his memory.

    Even if it was different, the soul that entered this automaton boys body belonged to Arte.

    Arpa.

    Rudger uttered the name as if he were convinced of it himself.

    From now on, your name will be Arpa.

    Arpa, is it.

    Do you not like it? If you dont like it, you can change it to a different name.

    The boy, Arpa, shook his head.

    No, I really like it. Its kind of familiar.

    Is that so?

    Where are we going now?

    Im leaving for another country. Theres something Im looking for there.

    Do I go with you?

    Unfortunately, we cant be together.

    Arpa was sullen at the words, drooping his shoulders.

    Instead, Ill rmend you a person.

    A person?

    Its a little unusual to call him a person butIm sure there will be no problem staying together.

    Im curious to hear you say that.

    Go around with him and look around this wide world.

    He must still be trying to catch a whale by holding a harpoon on the shore.

    Oh, and to be honest, that figure stands out too much.

    Oh, this?

    Arpa looked all over his body.

    Rudger said that his appearance was too noticeable, but Arpa himself must have cared about it.

    Your hair color is too bright and you cant help but look like an aristocrat wherever you go. Your appearance stands out.

    Oh, dont worry. I can change this.

    You can change it?

    The moment Rudger questioned, Arpas hair color changed.

    His blond hair became dark brown and his impression also changed a little.

    From the appearance of a noble aristocrat he became quite in but he was still handsome.

    Wouldnt I be less noticeable now?

    So that was possible.

    Oh, yeah. I guess its just a matter of making some changes to the basic frameworkand the voice, of course.

    The ability to change the appearance freely was a function installed to mix and infiltrate among ordinary people but Rudger didnt bother to point that out.

    Yeah. Its definitely a lot better than before.

    Arpa asked back happily.

    Really?

    Arpa, would you like to smile?

    Arpa smiled at the remark. Not forced, but literally a natural smile.

    Its definitely nice to see you smile.

    If you say so, Ill try to maintain it as much as I can.

    If its hard, you dont have to.

    No, Im not tired at all.

    Suddenly, Rudger felt that the conversation was familiar and memories of the past that he thought he would never get back shed in his head.

    Arpa.

    Yes, leader.

    Rudger smirked at the word of the leader and reached out his hand to him.

    Lets go.

    To the wider world.

    Although he did not say thest words, Arpa nodded with a smile as if he knew the meaning.

    Yes!

    The two walked slowly toward the rising sun.

    * * *

    What Casey Selmore saw when she opened her eyes was a bed in a white room. Soon after, a nurse who opened the door just in time approached her, who sprang up her upper body.

    Detective Casey! Youvee to your senses!

    Where are we?

    This is the Delica Kingdom National Hospital.

    I see that. Do you happen to have a newspaper?

    Yes, I thought youd be curious when you wake up.

    Receiving the newspaper handed over by the nurse, Casey immediately looked at the front-page article.

    [Detective Casey Selmores performance and crime godfather James Moriartys death!]

    And, below it, there was an article about thest fight under the waterfall.

    Casey stared at the article because she couldnt understand it.

    Then the nurse next to herughed and said.

    Thank you very much, detective.

    Caseys eyes turned to the nurse at the words of thanks. Her blue eyes were asking what the hell she was talking about.

    Thanks to you dealing with that heinous James Moriarty everyone is relieved.

    I took him down?

    Yeah. Isnt that obvious?

    What do you mean its obvious?

    Casey wanted to shout but she didnt do that.

    What about James Moriarty? Disappeared? Why am I alive? I jumped into the waterfall with the determination to die.

    Her head felt dizzy and her thoughts were scattered everywhere but she was sure of one thing.

    If I survived, he survived too.

    Thats right.

    In a vague dream, she remembers seeing the man. He hugged her gently and covered her with a nket.

    Casey crumpled the newspaper in her hand.

    Huh? Detective! Wait a minute! You just woke up, so you need to rx!

    Casey got out of bed, stood by the window in the hospital room and opened it wide.

    Look over there!

    Its Detective Casey Selmore!

    Wow!!!

    Guests and journalists crowded outside the hospital, and the police who blocked them.

    Casey couldnt understand the sight of people cheering her.

    Why are they cheering?

    She lost her battle with James Moriarty. Nevertheless, people were busy praising her as a hero.

    Im

    Her clenched fist trembled then Caseys eyes reached the young children mixed in the crowd of citizens. The children, who appeared to be siblings, were smiling at Casey.

    The moment she saw that Casey fist loosened and she raised her hand silently and waved to the citizens.

    [Wahhhaha!]

    As she did so there was a warm cheer but the cheers did not resonate with her in any way.

 Chapter 267

    The shback is finally over.

    After James Moriartys incident, Casey received countless invitations.

    Most of the people who sent the invitations were the prestigious nobles of the Delica Kingdom. They tried to make a connection with a detective who somehow saved the country.

    Casey was not amoner, but was part of the famous magic family Selmore, so she was coveted by many. Still, Casey ignored all the invitations that came to her, except for one.

    You look safe, Duke Ludwig.

    Casey faced Duke Ludwig Venkanto in the new drawing room.

    She looked around.

    The number of guards was higher than before, and the atmosphere they gave off was brutal, perhaps to maintain security even more thoroughly than before.

    There were no windows, so it was like a bunker blocked from the outside, not a reception room for guests.

    Perhaps it was quite a shock that he was attacked even with his trusted escorts.

    Ludwigs emaciated appearance now showed it most clearly.

    Its only been two days since that day and he looked ten years older.

    Mi, Im sorry, Detective Casey. Im so d to meet you like this.

    No, I dont really care.

    Ludwig wore a thick nket around him. Nevertheless, his lips even flew away as if the chills did not go away.

    The room was not cold. On the contrary, Casey feels that it was hot. And yet Ludwig was trembling.

    He was afraid, to be exact.

    Detective Casey. James Moriarty, is he dead?

    Duke Ludwig Venkanto didnt look very good because he was ashamed to ask such a question.

    He was of noble descent from birth and an aristocrat who seeded to his family at a young age. Outstanding appearance, brilliant speech skills, and connections that wont lose to anyone.

    Ludwigs future was bright, thats why Ludwig believed he was the chosen one but the world he knew waspletely destroyed by one person.

    Is the monster really dead?

    Ludwig, who manages to move his trembling lips and asks questions to confirm.

    He still remembered the warning that James Moriarty gave that day.

    Dont be so relieved. Ill be right back.

    Ludwig, whose fear of James Moriarty waspletely imprinted, has not slept well since that day.

    When he ate, he felt nauseous every time, and he couldnt lift an object properly with his hands that couldnt stop shaking.

    Casey had no choice but to realize that Ludwig was out of his mind now.

    It was often seen that most of the people who experienced failures and frustrations for the first time while running only on the road of sess eventually copse without restoring their old confidence.

    The stronger the self-esteem, the more shocking it would be, but would Ludwig have died.

    It was natural to conveyfort and courage, but Casey did not want to.

    Before that, I want to ask you something.

    What do you mean? Now whats more important than whether James Moriarty is alive or not.

    I saw theboratory.

    .

    The wordboratory caused a slight change in Ludwigs expression.

    Casey knew it but didnt point it out on purpose.

    Deep underground under the abandoned coal mine, there was a secret giantboratory. James Moriarty was doing something there.

    The reason why Im suddenly talking about it.

    .

    Obviously, on the surface, its a terrible experiment that criminal James Moriarty secretly conducted behind the scenes.

    .

    Ludwig frowned at her words.

    But instead of trying to argue right away, he waited for Caseys next words.

    But its weird. It will take a lot of money to build aboratory of that size.

    Where is the money from?

    Where should professional workers be obtained, and where should materials be airlifted?

    As construction of that size progresses, information will inevitably leak out but no one knew there was aboratory at the site.

    I wonder if an individual could have done it.

    James Moriarty is the godfather of the criminal world. He could have done it using his criminals.

    Really? But James Moriartys move was also strange. Why did such a person became a university professor?

    may have been the best position to be in because he is a person with a high social reputation.

    Ludwig red at Casey, not hiding his annoyance.

    Detective Casey, why are you saying this now? Do you want to say that James Moriarty didnt actually do anything bad?

    I dont deny his guilt. No matter what anyone says, the fact that he killed a person doesnt change.

    However, Casey continued.

    Isnt it unfair that there are more people who have done bad things, and they dont get punished?

    I dont understand what youre saying.

    Ludwig was shameless to the end.

    He knew Casey would say that but all the physical evidence has already disappeared.

    In the first ce, a person in a high position like Ludwig would not have easily left a mark rted to him.

    So Casey Selmore was unable to formally arrest the Duke of Ludwig Venkanto.

    Perhaps Ludwig knew it, but his face was more rxed.

    You dont seem to have anything else to say.

    Yes, I dont.

    Casey epted Ludwigs words without hesitation. There was no way she could do anything more here.

    Perhaps even if she was forced to arrest him, Ludwig could use his personal connections to get out quickly.

    Oh, did you ask about Professor James Moriarty a moment ago?

    Yes, I did.

    The expression of Ludwig, who was rxed, quickly rotted at the name James Moriarty.

    Officially, James Moriarty was reportedly killed. Yes, officially.

    .

    Duke Ludwig bit his lips.

    He tried not to make it obvious, but a flowing fear was leaking out of his eyes.

    What are you talking about? Didnt you say you knocked him down at the end?

    Thats what the loud talkers said. We fought, but I dont know exactly if hes dead or alive.

    Then the possibility of death.

    There must be.

    Well, then!

    But strangely enough, no other body was found in the vicinity of the waterfall where I was found.

    Casey got up from her seat and smiled at Ludwig.

    Isnt that fascinating?

    Well, that.

    Maybe hes alive. And hes alive, wouldnt he be sneaking around somewhere and trying to aplish something he hasnt aplished?

    If hes alive youll also be in danger.

    Why me?

    You have earned a reputation for defeating James Moriarty, and if he is alive!

    You can catch him again then.

    Casey tried to leave the drawing room with Ludwig, who was in despair at the end of the sentence.

    Oh, by the way.

    ?

    Casey suddenly stopped and turned around, while Ludwig looked at her with a questioning gaze.

    It would be better to make a window. He seems to appear everywhere in the dark.

    !

    As soon as he heard that, Ludwig, who was stimted by trauma, opened his eyes wide and fainted.

    Lou, Duke Ludwig!

    Go get the priest!

    Leaving behind his bewildered escorts, Casey left the drawing room.

    Looking at Ludwigs response, he will suffer from anxiety, fear and obsessivepulsion for life. This was all the punishment Casey could give Ludwig now.

    * * *

    The next ce Casey headed after leaving the Venkanto residence was the abandoned coal mine where theboratory was located.

    Moving around with a thin film of water around her body, she soon arrived at her destination.

    The huge hole in the basement with a capsule inside the bushes hidden near it.

    The investigation is not over yet.

    Or maybe he avoided this ce on purpose.

    Casey approached the capsule and checked the inside.

    What was in it was a small, small girl with White skin and blonde hair. She looked like the first human being in the Bible that God made or an angel sent down to earth.

    Her vivid appearance makes Casey feel like shes going woke up at any moment

    To that extent, the girl in front of her was an borately made doll, an automaton made using mechanical spring devices and advanced technology.

    When she reached over the surface of the capsule, steam erupted from the joints at the front and the lid opened.

    Casey stepped back in a little surprise and inside the open capsule, the girl automaton opened her eyes.

    .

    The transparent clear gaze of the girl turned to Casey and the girls head tilted slightly to the side.

    Who are you?

    She didnt mean to wake her up, but something seemed to have activated.

    Casey pondered what to say, and then came up with a suitable answer.

    The one who picked you up.

    ?

    The automaton just opened her eyes wide, but her eyes were asking, What the hell are you talking about?

    This was the first meeting with Betty, who wouldter be Caseys assistant.

    * * *

    Casey Selmore opened her eyes. As she rolled her eyes and looked around, the unorganized scenery inside the room stood out.

    This is

    It was her amodation located in the residential area of Leathervelk.

    Casey Selmore realized at that moment that she came back to reality after finishing the memory storming.

    Looking at the amount of sunlight outside, it didnt seem like much time passed since she fell asleep but in her dreams she spent much more time.

    Casey slowly rose from the bed and felt frustrated as if there was a heavy lump of lead near her chest.

    Ah.

    For a moment her vision was blurred and tears flowed down her cheek.

    Casey, who wiped her cheeks with trembling fingertips, btedly realized that she had shed tears.

    I, I.

    Perhaps because she had been assimted with the memory for a long time, the pain and suffering from it spread like a bruise over her feelings.

    He just wanted a little happiness. Nevertheless, the world took what was precious from him and he wasnt even entitled to grieve.

    He couldnt shed tears even though hes suffering and couldnt even vent his rising sadness and anger.

    Nevertheless, he stood up and kept going because someone had to pay for their sins.

    He walked on a thorny path full of criticism and pain because it was his choice of a ritual to honor the dead.

    She finally discovered the truth but the lingering feeling of why she didnt know at that time, the insistence that the mans thaw could not be justified, and the pity for him who suffered without anyone knowing overshadowed that.

    All kinds ofplex emotions seemed to inflict pain by squeezing her heart like a thread.

    Its so painful that she couldnt even find a way to solve it.

    Among them, what made Casey the most distressed was the feelings Rudger showed.

    The man, he felt sorry for me until the end.

    Despite his insincere remarks, the man felt sorry for her and respected her life-threatening choice. Thats why he saved her at the end.

    I hated that man.

    She rebuked him, believing that he betrayed her.

    In a way, she was also deceived by Rudger, but thats why Casey is angry with herself.

    Why didnt she notice then?

    Why didnt she know when she was called a genius and a detective?

    In the end it was only an excuse because she wascking.

    What do you mean genius detective? What hero saved the country? The real hero is that man.

    The man who couldnt save a boy saved a country.

    Casey sank into her seat and sobbed silently because she couldnt stand the rising self-hatred but then a soft touch of hands was ced over Caseys head.

    Casey, are you crying?

    .

    Casey raised his head and saw Betty squatting and looking at her with a worried face.

    Are you sick? You didnt get hurt from thest attack, did you?

    .

    Oh, is it true? Uh, well, Im not particrlypetent enough tofort you.

    Betty stroked Caseys head with her hand while saying so and smiled awkwardly when Casey looked at her with a look of whats wrong.

    Why are you stroking me?

    Hmm. I dont know why? But somehow, I had a vague idea that I should do this.

    Betty

    Its a little strange, but I mean it that much. I honestly think that Casey is having a hard time, but it doesnt suit her. I like a more energetic Casey.

    Betty went on to say it.

    The first day we met, Casey saved me.

    .

    At Bettys words, Casey felt her frustrated heart loose. All the pain that made her head dizzy disappeared like it was washed away in cold water.

    She was self-loathing because she couldnt save anyone and didnt even know the truth. Nevertheless, there was a person that she saved.

    ha.

    Casey smiled as if she had been worried for nothing.

    I see. This is definitely not like me.

    Oh, you recovered right away?

    Yes, thanks to you, my head is clear. Thanks. Ill be out for a while.

    Where are you going?

    To Theon Academy.

 Chapter 268

    C268: An Unexpected Gift (1)

    Rudger was reading documents in his office.

    Since the field trips were just around the corner his task would be finished as long as he sorted the documents.

    I think this is enough for the mentors.

    After checking the list of mentors, Rudger decided that it would be okay to proceed as it was.

    Although he should have been busy since he became the nning director, Rudger has not been very busy since the first inspection.

    Most of the work was done by the people below and Rudger just signed the approved files that came up.

    There are a lot of great mentors this year.

    Originally, several famous wizards often participated as mentors during Theons field trip.

    Theon is the number one magic academy in the Empire.

    Among the famous wizards, there were many high-ranking graduates, and there were plenty of people who would step up for their alma mater.

    In addition, just being a mentor to the students is a sign that they have been recognized among wizards.

    It was natural for wizards to apply. However,petition was particrly fierce this year.

    There were many familiar names on the list from the Old and New Towers to the School Association.

    Although their wizards always applied, this year the ratio has more than tripledpared tost year.

    Maybe its because of me.

    Most of them must have been his presentation in the Arcane Chamber.

    It was clear that it was an act to somehow contact him or make a connection to him.

    They managed to pick up a list of outstanding applicants.

    Rudger admired the staffs ability to handle tasks.

    It was a pretty perfect selection to take someone out or put someone in here.

    Isnt that a reason to work in the nning department? Its a waste of manpower to rot this ability in many ways, so Ill have to make them work more often in the future.

    If they had heard the news, the staff of the nning office would have had a bubble in their mouths.

    Recently, they have had hectic days because of Rudger. They lived with coffee in their mouth and were buried in a pile of papers every day.

    Seeing their souls walking out of their mouths and stumbling around, people thought that the nning department staff looked like the graduate students.

    Perhaps because of that, rumors have circted that zombies have appeared near the nning office for the past week.

    Mr. Rudger.

    Just in time, Sedina came from the assistants office with a pile of final approval documents.

    Heres thest approval form.

    Good job. Did anything else happen?

    Oh, I have an issue to report to you. A teacher came to the nning office.

    At such a sudden report, Rudger lowered his rimless sses slightly and looked at Sedina.

    Why?

    He thought a graduate student who escaped theb room ran away here. I think he was mistaken because of rumors that zombies appear every night.

    .

    Rudger thought he heard something wrong for a moment, but after confirming that he heard it right in the serious Sedinas expression, he put on his sses again.

    I should give some time off to the people in the nning Office after this.

    Come to think of it, it was all because of Rudger himself that employees of the nning Office became busy.

    He had a lot of things to do since he just became the nning Director, but this mentor list tended to attract a lot of applicants because of Rudger.

    For that reason, the nning office had been working non-stop for more than a week.

    But since the arrangement is over, there wont be any more work.

    At that moment, the door opened without anyone knocking.

    Rudger thought it was a rude guest but felt a strange sense of strangeness in this situation.

    There have been simr cases in the past, especially three years ago, when he was working at the Ordo University in the Delica Kingdom.

    Excuse me.

    A woman walked into the teachers office with a dignified step.

    Yeah, it was like this then, too.

    Her clear blue-colored hair shakes as she moves.

    Rudger stared silently at Casey Selmore, who came to him. Usually, everyone avoided eye contact, but Casey didnt lose and stared at Rudger.

    I hope you can knock on the door when youe in. Thats the basic courtesy.

    Youre not surprised anymore, are you?

    Rudger winked at Sedina instead of answering her.

    Since this happened often, Sedina naturally put the documents and stepped down to the assistant teachers office.

    Now I know everything.

    Thanks to whom?

    That is my business nning Director Rudger.

    Casey said so and held out a document.

    Rudger looked up and stared at Casey while looking at the documents she handed out.

    A mentor application?

    What Casey presented was a mentor application to guide students during this field trip.

    Rudger squinted his eyes. He looked as if he was wondering what this bold detectivedy was up to this time.

    This bold detectivedy looks like shes up to something this time.

    I never thought of that.

    I can tell without having to look. Well, I understand it looks suspicious. To be honest, I would have done the same. So what, are you going to do it for me?

    You always make unreasonable demands.

    Rudger, who was shaking his head and talking, hesitated unknowingly that he used an old way of speaking for a moment.

    Its been a long time since the two of them had such a silly conversation, so the habit of that time came out without realizing it.

    I thought it was just acting, but wasnt it just that?

    Maybe he really enjoyed the conversations he shared with her then, but those days can nevere back. The rtionship at that time ended badly.

    Now they had a hostile rtionship with each other but strangely enough, Casey, contrary to Rudgers concerns, did not express anger at the use of Moriartys ent. On the contrary, she revealed an emotion that was not expected.

    What is this?

    A reaction that seems somber and full of regrets.

    Of course, it was for an instant, then Casey came back to her original form as if she had never done so.

    Rudger immediately realized something had happened to Casey.

    Is it because of the assassins? Was the warning letter I sentte?

    This was the only thing that came to mind right away.

    Anyway, Im going to apply for this.

    I refuse.

    Casey was furious at Rudgers words.

    Why!?

    The application period is already over. I cant help it because yourete.

    Ha, dont you know who I am? I am Casey Selmore [Colour] Wizard.

    Even so, yourete.

    Its possible to vacate a seat at your discretion!

    Casey smiled.

    Oh, yes. You havent signed the approval document yet, have you? Then its still invalid.

    No, but it wont work.

    Whats wrong?

    Rudger quickly scrawled his signature with a pen on the file in his hand.

    The approval just ended.

    Are you going to be mean?

    Whats wrong with me doing this?

    Thats how its going to be, right?

    Casey opened prepared to use magic.

    When Rudger was nervous about what she would do, Caseys subtle magic erased Rudgers signature.

    Look, its gone now.

    The ck ink was also liquid, so Casey used his magic to evaporate it.

    It was impossible for a normal wizard, but it was possible because it was Casey.

    Rudger took the pen again, but the ink didnte out any more so Rudger red at Casey.

    Youre doing a mean thing.

    Whats wrong with me doing this?

    Rudger sighed and took off his sses.

    Is that all you came for?

    Yes.

    .

    I take it that youve epted.

    Not yet.

    Rudger grinned at Caseys words, which openly warned him to do something.

    Normally, hed feel annoyed about this but he had a curiously odd expectation.

    Seeing you say that, something must have happened recently.

    Yes.

    Caseys expression changed as she spoke.

    .

    Rudger nced at Casey and epted the application, saying he couldnt help it.

    Ill think youll do it for me, so Ill go.

    As if that was the end of the business, Casey immediately turned her back and left his office like she was running away from something.

    It waspletely unexpected for Rudger, who thought she would do something more to find a gap.

    It was obvious that something really happened.

    Shes the same as back then. She opens the door andes in without knocking and doesnt close it when she leaves.

    Rudger murmured so and wrote down his name on the application form Casey handed him.

    Sedina.

    Yes, sir. Did you call me?

    Sedina, who was waiting in the assistant room, answered the call.

    One more person has been added to the mentor list.

    That wizard just now?

    Yes. No matter what, her skill is real.

    Sedina nodded as if she was convinced.

    Casey Selmore is a person she knows well.

    How could she not know that Casey is a single attribute element user who received the title [Colour] from the Tower?

    And if she said she would participate as a mentor, Theon would wee her with open hands, let alone refuse.

    Can you make an appropriate vacancy?

    We cant add more people since Ive already picked more than I originally nned.

    Then well have to push a person out.

    Yes, Ill have the nning office do it.

    The nning teams vacation will be postponed a little.

    At Rudgers words, Sedina expressed her condolences to the people in the nning office who received more work but what could they do?

    It is the fate of sried workers to do what they are told to do.

    For a while, there were constantints about graduate students appearing near the nning office.

    It was then that he saw someone through the door of the teachers office that was still open.

    Hmm.

    Rudger and Sedinas eyes were directed there by a light cough to intentionally inform them.

    President?

    Sedina asked back in surprise, and Rudger opened his eyes wide as if he was surprised.

    Elisha asked yfully, standing outside the door.

    Mr. Rudger, are you busy right now?

    I was just finishing my work.

    If youre not busy, can Ie in?

    Yes, of course. Assistant Sedina, Ill make the president a cup of tea.

    Oh, yes.

    No, no, its all right. Im just going to do my business quickly and leave.

    Speaking of business, the president expressed an atmosphere that she wanted to talk to Rudger alone.

    Sedina knew it, so she looked at Rudgers eyes, and Rudger nodded softly.

    When Sedina left for the assistant office, Elisa came inside, closing the door of the office with magic.

    Are you surprised to see me all of a sudden?

    Well, I wouldnt be surprised to see you here, so what can I do for you?

    Rudger looked at the president, asking so.

    Elisa had a different atmosphere than usual.

    What is it?

    The person who was always full ofposure was nervous. There was an enormous power radiating from the president that made even Rudger a little nervous.

    Rudger had never seen the president react like that before.

    Did I offend her? Or was my gift too much?

    The president walked straight toward Rudger and unsurprisingly, her momentum didnt subside. On the contrary, the closer she got to Rudger, the more the momentum emanating from the president grew, like a spur.

    As if he was on the verge of a lifelong enemy, the president made a firm decision and opened her mouth.

    Mr. Rudger.

    Yes, President.

    Rudger had a hunch that something had happened.

    Had a new force invaded Theon, or was Hugo Burtag working behind the scenes without his knowledge?

    Maybe his identity was exposed?

    Rudger tensed and waited for her to answer.

    .

    .

    The two continued to stare at each other like that for a while, not breaking eye contact.

    Tick, tick, tick.

    The ticking of a clock in the corner of the room was the only sound that could be heard.

    Just as Rudger was beginning to feel the pressure as they continued to make tense eye contact, President Elisa mmed something behind her back onto Rudgers desk, then stormed out of the room without looking back.

    ?

    Rudger, who was left alone, didnt understand what just happened and looked at the object on the desk without saying a word.

    It was a sealed envelope so Rudger decided to examine its contents. Inside, there was a dining ticket with the president.

    From the handwriting it seems to have been written by the President herself.

    ?

    Rudger still couldnt understand the situation.

 Chapter 269

    C269: An Unexpected Gift (2)

    Elisa, who escaped from Rudgers teachers office as if she were running away, confirmed that she was far enough and walked slowly again and saw Wilford approaching her.

    Wilford asked Elisa in his usual polite tone.

    President, did you give the present properly?

    Yes, of course. Who do you think I am?

    Elisa answered confidently,pletely erasing the fact that she had been nervous in front of Rudger a while ago.

    Usually, if she says this, he would have moved on, but Wilford felt something suspicious and asked a question to confirm.

    What did you give him as a gift? I said I would rmend something that day, but didnt the president say she would take care of it herself?

    Why do you ask me that?

    A person like Mr. Rudger might not be easily convinced by a normal gift.

    Of course this was Wilfords lie. Rather, he wouldnt care what kind of gift she actually gave. Nevertheless, it was because of old age that he was worried.

    So what did you give him as a present?

    Dont be surprised when you hear it. I gave him a personal meal ticket.

    What?

    Wilford asked back in surprise.

    Are you serious?

    Whats wrong with you? Its a chance to eat with me, theres no way theres anyone who wouldnt like it, right?

    .

    Wilford sighed a little when he realized that something disturbing had happened. In fact, he vaguely expected this to happen.

    Elisa Willow has received gifts from others since she was a student, but she has never given anyone a gift.

    A gift is, after all, a means to look good to someone. If you dont need to look good, you dont need to give gifts.

    Beauty, family, talent, she had everything so she never needed to give anyone gifts.

    Nevertheless, she wanted to take the position of the President of Theon and obtain an equal education for all students so she walked towards her goal.

    Even if the means were not entirely clean, it was undeniable that at first sight just Elisa Willow looked like a perfect superman.

    However, Elisa was also a person, and shecked some things.

    Just like now.

    She is used to receiving gifts but feels awkward to give them.

    It was possible to give a reward as a senior, but she never gave a sincere gift because of an equal rtionship.

    She couldnt help it because of the growing environment.

    A person is a social animal after all, and the environment was the most important factor inpleting that person. This is why she was nervous when she gave Rudger a present this time.

    Elisa Willow as president was perfect, but not enough as an ordinary person.

    It seems that the president needs to learn somemon sense.

    Wilford, thats a rude joke.

    I mean it.

    .

    Elisa red at Wilford with a sullen look on her face.

    Wilford was already worried that he had a lot to teach her in the future.

    * * *

    Sedina Rosen.

    Yes, sir.

    In the teachers office, where no more guests came, Rudger called Sedinas name, cing thest organized document on the table.

    You probably know that were going on a field trip this time.

    Yes.

    Sedina would also go, so she couldnt help but know.

    Because of that, students around her were noisy because it was a day away, so she had no choice but to listen even if she didnt want to.

    But why is that?

    If Theon moves, the ck Dawn Society will not stay still. Have you heard anything?

    Oh, thats.

    Sedina was thinking about what to say, but soon she pulled herself together and honestly said what she knew.

    You may not believe it, but the ck Dawn Society is currently showing no movement.

    .

    Rudger raised one eyebrow unexpectedly and soon stroked his chin with his finger.

    Thats strange. I thought theyd take this opportunity to do something. Any orders or orders from above?

    Yes. They are just telling you to stand by.

    Stand by.

    Sedina is a Second Order of the ck Dawn Society, but recently, she has gained a considerable position while working exclusively for Rudger.

    Although she is still a Second Order in terms of status, John Doe, the First Order she works for, has a great reputation.

    Thanks to this, Sedina was able to contact higher-level information than before, and she knew pretty much everything about what was going on at the ck Dawn Society.

    Even Sedina said she had no orders from the ck Dawn Society for this field trip.

    Its not like theyve been given a separate order.

    Of course, there was nothing strange about it even if additional instructions were not given because the orders mightve already been given.

    He didnt know that Zero Order cared more about contacting information because he knew Rudger wasnt the original John Doe.

    Rudger shook his head while thinking that far.

    Because of Zero Orders nature, he wouldnt do such a bothersome thing.

    He didnt know much about Zero Order, but there was good reason to think so. If Zero Order even cared about that, he wouldnt have let him participate in the Order Synod.

    Nevertheless, Zero Order remained still at the meeting even though he knew an unknown guy took the ce of one of his executives.

    He just chose to let it go.

    Then, will the ck Dawn Society really not move during this field trip?

    As he was thinking an idea hit Rudger.

    Sedina, you said you knew some of the movements of the ck Dawn Society.

    Yes.

    But you dont know everything. Is that right?

    .

    Sedina hesitated a little to answer because it was quite painful to have to admit herck in front of Rudger.

    Im not trying to me you. Its impossible for you to know everything. In the case of information you dont have ess toIs Niki involved?

    First Order Niki seemed to be able to control the flow of information and he had the ability to handle information.

    Indeed, as Rudger guessed, Sedina nodded slightly stiffly.

    Yes, thats right.

    I see. Unless youpletely know what theyre going to do, the ck Dawn Society may or may not move.

    He hoped it would go as smoothly as possible, but he should assume the worst.

    Ive got more work to do.

    Originally, he was going to have an opportunity to go to the capital and steal the Relic fragment.

    Considering the iron security of the imperial family, it would be unthinkable, but it was not something that could not be challenged because students were allowed to look around the inside of the imperial pce only for this field trip.

    The imperial family would have intended to make a good impression on the children who will be important members of society in the future.

    He understood the point.

    Thanks to this, he would be able to enter the pce, which he thought was the highest wall, using the identity of a leading teacher. However, if the ck Dawn Society intervenes, the story will be different.

    Hes the type of person who likes to make things up behind the scenes, given the behavior Niki showed.

    In addition, Niki was greatly humiliated by Rudger in front of everyone at thest meeting.

    Considering his personality, it wouldnt be unusual for him to take revenge.

    Zero Order doesnt deterpetition among executives at all.

    From Nikis point of view, if his foe, John Doe, and one of his targets, the Theon Academy, go on a field trip to the capital he wont stay still, of course he wont cross the line either.

    To openly say that he is an executive of the Dawn Society is nothing short of simply betraying the organization. Niki must be aware of that, and he must be working within the limits of not crossing that line.

    Because that would bepetition within the limits allowed by Zero Order.

    Whatever it may be, its going to be a special field trip.

    * * *

    Looking at the scenery outside the window that began to flow rapidly while sitting in the train the students made a fuss.

    Finally, the field trip!

    Im already looking forward to it!

    Who will be the mentors?

    If Leathervelk is adjacent to Theon, a metropolis where magic engineering and science have developed, Lindebrugne was a famous tourist destination with historical records engraved with the footsteps of the Empire.

    Students who had not yet been to the capital could not sit still with excitement.

    Whos making so much noise on the train?

    At that time, a cold voice cooled down the heated atmosphere.

    The noisy students recognized the owner of the voice and immediately closed their mouths.

    Rudger Chelici, the leading teacher, overpowered the students who were running wild in their seats with his cold voice and a nce.

    The noisy wagon became quiet in an instant when Rudger passed by and the students started whispering.

    I know. I think Mr. Rudger is too strict.

    Mr. Rudger was involved in a train attack when he came to Theon.

    Oh, so what?

    Once quiet, the train arrived safely in the capital.

    Under the leadership of teachers, the students stormed out of the capitals train station.

    Wow.

    This is the capital.

    Its really pretty.

    Lindebrugne, the capital of the Empire, was a city that naturally made people say that it was white and beautiful at a nce.

    Stepping out of the train station and onto the square was like looking at a giant work of art.

    If the simrly sized metropolis of Leathervelk was a bit dark and stiff, Lindebrugne was sunny and warm in color, and had a more idyllic feel than Leathervelk.

    The students constantly uttered exmations, and although he did not show it on the surface, Rudger also felt nostalgic.

    Its been a long time since Ive been here, too.

    It was here, in Lindebrugne, that Rudger first came after leaving his masters arms. It was still a veryrge and beautiful city, but now it was much more developed than it had been then.

    No wonder, its been more than seven years.

    In a world where magic and science are advancing every day, seven years were enough time to change. Still, not everything has changed, and as he walks down the street, he sees glimpses of the past.

    Come to think of it, that happened back then.

    Rudger was just stepping out into the world and looking for work when walking on a dark night street, bumped into someone at the corner of an alleyway.

    The robe was pulled over her head to conceal her identity, but her distinctive aura and golden hair were clearly visible in the darkness.

    What are you?

    -Who are you?

    The two asked each other at the same time.

    No matter how dark the alleyway was, Rudger had a feeling that someone mighte after him. And yet, I didnt know anyone wasing until he bumped into her. It was the same with his opponent.

    That was the first meeting between the First Princess of the Empire and Jack the Ripper.

    The person who did that is now called the next emperor and is the heir to the throne.

    The fact that the previous emperor had been so helpless and weak-minded made it even more so.

    Is she still stuck in the pce, working hard? Given her personality, I wonder what else shes up to behind the scenes.

    The public perception of First Princess Eileen is that she is an iron-blooded princess who ispassionate, beautiful, and capable.

    The rumors are not inurate. In fact, Eileen has enough ability to be called that. However, rumors do not fully describe her.

    Considering her temper, I dont want to see her.

    Rudger thought that First Princess Eileen was simr to President Elisa and Zero Order. Someone whos hard to get to know and schemes behind the scenes. But shes also proud and high-minded, never humbling herself or bending over backwards.

    I respect her.

    But Rudger would rather bite his tongue than say that to her.

    He was tired of First Princess Eileen, otherwise he wouldnt have fled in disguise and would have a strong ally known as the next emperor.

    But theyre the same blood, why the hell.

    Rudgers eyes turned to Erendir, who diligently exined the capital to her juniors.

    He thought that she wanted to use her knowledge of the capital to preserve her dignity as a senior but she talked too much so the freshmen were getting fed up rather than admiring her.

    Seeing that Erendir didnt notice anything and kept exining, Rudger wondered if she was the sister of the First Princess he knew.

    Naturally, Rudgers gaze at Erendir was as cold as seeing something pitiful and pathetic.

    She took after her dad?

    Then there was nothing he could do.

    Rudger shook his head and examined the city.

    Im back again.

    Originally, I should havee here as Gerard. He would have met Hans, who was waiting here, and slowly settled down and created his own force. However, his status changed to a teacher from Theon Academy.

    So this is the central square.

    Its huge.

    When he arrived at the square that seemed far away, he began to see familiar images.

    The mentor wizards greeted the students and joined the group.

 Chapter 270

    C270: ck Lion (1)

    Im sick so releases might be irregr.

    A number of wizards gathered in the central square where the fountain was located.

    They were the ones who came to act as mentors and the students recognized them.

    That person. Is that Caroline Monarch?

    Wow! Hwiron is here too!

    Royna Pavlini? Ive read all his papers! Its my first time seeing him in person!

    The mentors gathered in the square were like celebrities for students exploring magic. Since all such people were gathered, it was like a role models All-Star Game.

    I heard that great people areing, but this is on a different level.

    Oh, my God. Im already dizzy.

    They heard from the seniors in advance that famous people woulde, but it wasnt to this extent.

    The number of wizards who applied to be field trip mentors this year tripledpared tost year. In the case of high-ranking wizards, there are far more applicants.

    Rather, the applicants were so prominent that they had to spend considerable manpower trying to thin out the right people from among them.

    It was the same with Aidan and his friends that recognized the wizards.

    Wow! Its Hwiron!

    Aidans eyes shined when he saw a giant with muscles that was not like a wizard.

    Tracy asked in a voice that said it was ridiculous.

    Why do you like it so much?

    Its because hes the person I respect the most!

    Respect?

    It came out of Aidans mouth but it was a pretty bad word to say. No, if it was Aidan, who likes and admires magic itself, he may respect someone.

    However, Aidan was not biased in taste on either side, but was an omnivorous person who liked everything. Perhaps no matter who it is, Aidan would have said he respected them with his eyes shining.

    It was quite surprising to Tracy that Aidan pointed out one of these prominent people.

    Why? Is there any particr reason you like him?

    So she had no choice but to ask if there was a special reason.

    Aidan answered the question as if it were natural.

    Yes, it is. My magic basically requires me to move my body, right?

    Thats true.

    The magic that Aidan uses is anti-magic so he had a cane in the form of a sword and he had to swing it. Perhaps because of such magical characteristics, Aidan had to train his body, unlike other wizards.

    As a result, I have to train my body, and Hwiron is a high-ranking wizard and has a perfect body.

    Perfect?

    Tracy looked at Hwiron. Huge build, swollen muscles, thick neck and a masculine angr jaw.

    She felt dizzy at his appearance, more like a knight than a wizard.

    Muscles? Its good to have muscles. But if there is too much, it is rather antagonistic. Its gross, to be honest.

    From Tracys point of view, all I could think was that Hurons body was excessive rather than perfect.

    Aidan, you like that?

    Yes. Isnt that obvious? That overflowing power. Im thinking that I want to be like that someday.

    .

    Tracy thought about it and realized she didnt want to see Aidan like that.

    Thinking of his innocent face full of muscles, Tracy got goosebumps without realizing it.

    No way!

    Huh? What?

    Anyway, no! Im against building muscles!

    Seeing Aidan confused, Tracy put her hands on her waist.

    Dont get too excited. Todays field trip is important, but theres more to pay attention to, right?

    Yes, thats true.

    Aidan nodded and med himself for being so excited. Come to think of it, Tracy point was not wrong.

    The field trip was important but they were going to find out what happened to Leo, who was recently in a bad condition.

    Leo avoided it when he was in Theon, but if its a field trip, Leo wont be able to escape because he moves ording to the set route.

    Aidan, youre so anxious but you should do it properly. In the first ce, youre not a kid, but you like meeting some of the industry seniors so muchYay!

    Tracy, who was about to say something, found one of the people gathered in the square and screamed without realizing it.

    Tracy, are you okay? Whats going on all of a sudden?

    Oh, my God. Is this for real? Hey, thats Casey Selmore! Someone I respect! The Great Detective of the Century!

    UhTracy?

    Its crazy! Its crazy! How can Casey be here? This must be a dream!

    Tracy?

    What should I do? What should I do? Id like to get an autograph right now. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

    Tracy!

    When Aidan raised his voice, Tracy, who had fallen into her own world, regained her reason.

    When she recalled her acts, she blushed and coughed.

    that, I mean, this. Its a feeling of respect that Ive had since a long time ago.

    Yes, I see.

    Aidan remembered Tessie saying, Youre not even a child but decided not to bring it up here.

    Aidan also experienced many things and developed a sense of wit.

    While students admired mentors, mentors, on the contrary, focused their attention on one person. It was Rudger Chelici, who was the leading teacher this time.

    Rudger was not unaware of the gazes flying toward him.

    Everyone seems to be burning up.

    They were high-ranking wizards. A high-quality workforce regarded as executives in a huge group of wizards

    Those who can cancel their appointment at any time if they feel unwilling even if someone eagerly invites them, and nevertheless, those who have an absolute first position that makes the other person feel awkward and bow their heads.

    Such people came together as mentors.

    No matter how much Theon is said to be the first magic academy on the continent beyond the Empire, this situation was definitely strange.

    Rudger knew all too well why.

    I taught you how to make the mana inhibitor, but it didnt work as well as you thought.

    There was a reason Rudger released the form to everyone in the Arcane Chamber.

    Even if they know the recipe, they cant make it as it is.

    Several magic societies, including the Old and New Towers, made mana inhibitors after the form provided by Rudger. However, they realized that their results did not meet the actual research.

    Theres something important missing and only Rudger knew what it was but they couldnt argue with him about it.

    Rudgers name value has risen considerably in the magical world when the information has already been released.

    Some wizards thirsty for knowledge would have tried to win by using dirty tricks, but it was also something they had to do while looking at their opponents.

    So whats left?

    The only option they had was to hear it from Rudger himself. Thats why they sent a high-ranking wizard as a mentor.

    In a way, a clear-cut action.

    Of course, not everyone came with a ck heart and Hwiron was a prime example of such a person.

    Hahaha! Mr. Rudger! Long time no see! How have you been?

    When others were somehow paying attention to their cause and looking around, Hwiron strode up as if it had nothing to do with him.

    Rudger grabbed the hand and shook it.

    Its the first time I see you since the Arcane Chamber.

    I know, Ive been busy!

    Knowing that the other person had no hidden intentions, Rudger said something appropriate.

    I think youre feeling better than before.

    Haha! Is that so? Ive changed the way I train these days. I cant believe youve noticed this! Have you ever worked out?

    Just to increase my stamina.

    Hahaha! You dont have to be shy at a time when there are so many wizards who dont even do it! On the contrary, Im jealous!

    Jealous?

    Rudger asked again as if wondering at the sudden talk.

    Of course! Research to increase mana emissions was originally the wish of our school!

    If its Hwirons school.

    Rudger swallowed hisst words because he had something on his mind.

    Hwiron is a man, who has trained his body to the limit even though he is a wizard and the reason for that was,

    It is the school to which Hwiron belongs, and unlike its yful name, it unexpectedly boasted a considerable size.

    The magic they pursued was simple. It was the strength of the body.

    -The wizards body is weak, so the amount of mana released does not increase!

    Strong body and strong mana!

    If the school of ordinary wizards is where all kinds of books are piled up and quietly explored, Muscr Biology School is a ce full of sweat and spirit.

    Not only did you fulfill our wishes, but also humbled us! How can this be so unfair? But if theres a good wind in the magic world, thats enough! Ill ept it neatly!

    Even if he said so, Hwiron acknowledged Rudger.

    I have a better face, of course. You should try your best to be as wild as I am. Hmm, maybe you should grow a beard.

    I appreciate your generosity, but Im afraid I cant afford it just yet.

    Then why dont you pay a visit to our school, which, by the looks of it, has more than enough of those qualities!

    Hwiron swept his hawk-like eyes over Rudgers body.

    What others might not have seen, he could. A very well-honed body, hidden beneath a ck coat.

    I can tell. Your body is packed to the gills with muscle!

    Hwirons eyes shone. Hed thought most of the teachers at the Magic Academy didnt work out, but here was such a bright gem. That made him greedy.

    What do you say, lets do some dumbbells together?

    I appreciate your suggestion, but Im in a hurry.

    In the strange heat felt from Hwirons gaze, Rudger felt a sense of crisis that it might be dangerous to do something wrong and immediately expressed his intention to refuse.

    Hwiron agreed as if he couldnt help it, but he smacked his lips as if he was disappointed.

    Thats too bad. I could have made your body beautiful to the limit.

    You have my gratitude.

    Hahaha! Usually other wizards would crumble under my advances, but youre very polite. I could feel it then, but I also sensed a sense of authority. Thats how a man should be!

    Hwiron left with a big smile, saying he would go meet his assigned students.

    Rudger shook his head. Unlike other wizards with a dark inside, Hwiron was very straightforward and honest. There was something about his bluntness that made people tired.

    Ive got other people to worry about over here.

    Rudger nced over at the mentors who were trying to get a word in, and his eyes locked with Caseys.

    What?

    He felt this since thest time she submitted her mentor application, but Caseys behavior was somewhat strange. Even now, when their eyes met, Casey avoided him like she never did before.

    I thought youde up and pick a fight again, but thats not it.

    Then, for what purpose did she want to be a mentor?

    Rudger had no idea.

    At that moment, someone recognized him and said.

    Oh, Mr. Rudger Chelici!

    Rudgers eyes naturally turned towards the person and he was surprised when he saw who called him.

    Isnt it Ms. Veronica?

    Veronica De Ville, deputy leader of the Cold Steel Knights, in charge of the mountainous region of the Arete Mountains in the northern expanse of the Empire.

    Haha, you remembered me.

    With her dark hair tied up in a ponytail, she recognized Rudger and approached with a smile.

    Long time no see. How have you been?

    Yes, Ive been well, but what brings you here, Veronica?

    Todays the day of Theons field trip to the capital so the imperial family sent us along to make sure the future talent doesnt get caught up in any untoward incidents. Its a policing operation, really.

    But to send someone of your rank is a little too much.

    Of course, Im not the only one here, there are other members of our Knights besides me.

    Veronica exined so, but Rudger still didnt quite understand.

    Then there will be a big gap in security in the northern mountains.

    Ah, thats fine. Since the Kingdom of Utah has ovee the aftermath of the civil war and finished its internal overhaul, weve been working with them to increase security, so its actually less work.

    Its been some time since the civil war in the Kingdom of Utah ended.

    The newly crowned queen has done a remarkable job of repairing the wounds of the civil war and bringing the country back to stability but that didnt ease Rudgers suspicions.

    The Knights of Cold Steel are one of the three great knightly orders of the Imperial Family and they called them here to take care of the students?

    Was there some kind of deal between the imperial family and Theon?

    However, even him, as the director of the nning department, did not hear anything about it. That means the president has personally contacted the imperial family.

    Or it was an act of the imperial family.

    Rudger thought thetter was more likely.

    The word policing seems to be right at first nce, but it is likely to be a lie.

    Oh, and we Cold Steel Knights arent the only ones gathered here  the Sea Keepers arent here, but there are others.

    Speaking of knights sent by the imperial family, there was only one thing that popped into Rudgers head.

    Ah. There they are, just in time.

    Veronicas words drew Rudgers gaze to one side of the square.

    In the distance, he could see a group of knights in ck uniforms, the antithesis of the Cold Steel Knights snow-white uniforms.

    Considering that they were moving in the darkness of the empire, it couldnt help but be a perfect color.

    The Nightcrawler Knights of the Security Service arrived and the figure at the head of the group caught Rudgers eye.

    Trina Ryanhowl.

    Snow-white hair and a charismatic presence.

    She was a masterful knight and defender of the empire but also Rudgers nemesis from his days as Arsene Lupin.

 Chapter 271

    C271: ck Lion (2)

    My cold is almost gone so Ill be back to the regr schedule.

    The Nightcrawler Knights.

    Rudger was watching them, and Veronica next to him said as if asking for his understanding.

    Ill go over there for a moment. I know someone.

    Yes, of course. It was a pleasure to meet you.

    It was nice to meet you, too. Ill see youter if I have a chance.

    Veronica said so and stepped towards the Nightcrawler Knights.

    At that time, one of the teachers who was looking around approached Rudger and asked.

    Mr. Rudger, do you happen to know why the Knights are here? Did the president say something else.?

    Ive never heard that this will happen to the president. But just a moment ago, Deputy Veronica told me that an order had been issued from the Imperial family.

    From the Imperial family? Why the hell?

    I dont know more than that.

    It was not just empty words, it was the truth.

    Veronica said that the knights from the Imperial Family were called.

    She said that they acted as security but was that necessary with so many mentors gathered here?

    The students were also very talented, so it was difficult to regard them as ordinary children of their age.

    It was logical to say that they acted as security for such individuals.

    No matter how stable the Kingdom of Utah is, the Knights of Cold Steel leaving the borders is weird.

    Rudgers eyes turned to the Knights in ck uniform.

    Even more so if the Nightcrawler appeared.

    The reason why they moved is probably because orders were issued from the imperial family but not for protecting the students.

    Rudger saw some kind of flow in this strange situation but he didnt know exactly what it was.

    It was as blurry as a mirage spread over the desert, and he didnt know where he was, but he was sure there was something he didnt know.

    Theres something. Is something about to happen in the capital?

    As far as he knew, there were no reports that the ck Dawn Society was moving.

    Then it means something else.

    Those who can move in this situation are most likely to be the Liberation Army. Of course, I dont know anything yet, so Ill have to wait and see.

    If he went around trying to find out something, he could have been suspected so he had no choice but to watch.

    Of course, that did not mean that he would not take any action.

    Rudger immediately whistled.

    This whistling sound using mana produced an ultra-high frequency range that humans could not hear but Sedina, a half-elf, could hear it and her ears, hidden in a rich brown bob, jumbled.

    Sedina looked back at Rudger, who stared suspiciously at the Nightcrawler Knights.

    Send the news, Sedina.

    Yes.

    Rudger gave a moderate wink, and the quick-witted Sedina nodded her head small as she understood.

    After a while a tiny worm made of paper that no one noticed flew out of the square.

    * * *

    Long time no see captain Trina.

    Deputy Veronica?

    It was the Knights of Cold Steel who weed the Nightcrawler Knights inside the square.

    ck and white, the two groups ofpletely opposite colors stared at each other silently, facing each other.

    Even though it was just that, the tension ate into the surrounding space.

    There was a lot of noise when people gathered.

    One talked about who was better, the Old Tower, the New Tower, or the School Association.

    The other about which of the three Knight Orders of the Empire was the strongest.

    Whenever that happens, peoples reactions are always divided.

    Someone said Nightcrawler Knights.

    Moving in the dark, they are ruthless and cruel to their enemies, so they are stronger than anyone else.

    On the contrary, a supporter of the Knights of Cold Steel brought up another argument.

    The Knights of Cold Steel usually stay in the northern Arete Mountains, which are rumored to have a harsh environment where there are few days without snow in a year.

    The Knights of Cold Steel are said to be more disciplined than any other knights.

    Of course, there were people who supported the Sea Keepers.

    Perhaps because of the aftermath, the psychology of considering each other aspetitors naturally yed a strong role among the knights.

    Just like now.

    The two knight orders didnt pull out their swords, but they red at each other with force.

    Perhaps because of thepletely opposite colors of the uniform, the confrontation seemed to be more prominent.

    Veronica and Trina, the heads of such groups, stared at each other with expressionless faces.

    With how tense the atmosphere was there was nothing strange if they would attack each other but after a while Veronica and Trina startedughing almost at the same time.

    How have you been Captain Trina?

    And how is Vice-Captain Veronica doing these days?

    That cant be right, weve been so busytely, were just now finding the time.

    s. The civil war has left the northern regions rampant with marauders. There were some train bombings by the Liberation Army.

    It decreased a lot now but Ive heard the rumors. The Nightcrawler Knights seem to be busier these days.

    At that, Trina smirked and shook her head.

    Dont tell me. Theres been so much weird shit going ontely, my kids are tired as it is.

    You said a huge mafia organization evaporated overnight, didnt you?

    Thats right, because a giant monster appeared in the middle of the city.

    Youre talking about the Beast of Gvaudan? I know about it because I read in the newspaper.

    Seems like when one case is over, another onees along with its tail between its legs.

    Well, I guess thats just the way it goes.

    Veronica replied with a bitterugh and raised her hand.

    The Knights of Cold Steel, who were lining up behind her, turned their heads with momentum. It was the same with the Nightcrawler Knights.

    They disapproved but did not reject orders from their superiors.

    At the sight, Trina smiled weakly as if she had given up halfway now.

    How much longer are we going to y this childish game?

    Thats right. But isnt it a relief that the Sea Keepers arent here?

    s, I have to agree. Its a good thing theyre not here because theyre busy.

    Its hard enough to get two groups of people together, but the thought of adding another one to the mix is enough to make her head hurt.

    Especially since the leader of the Sea Keepers is such a weirdo, hes the kind of guy that would rather put gasoline on a fire than put it out.

    More than that, Deputy Veronica. Hows your leader doing?

    Hes the same as always.

    He seems to be bothered by everything, but he does his job. Is that why hes not here?

    Yes.

    I see. No matter how stable the North is, it would not be good to see the Cold Steel Knights greatest power gone.

    Actually, its because he cant be bothered to travel to the capital. You know howzy he is.

    I guess hes still the same.

    Veronica and Trina chatted like old friends.

    Trina was the idol of all the women here, and Veronica had risen through the ranks to be the Knights deputy leader, so they had a lot inmon.

    Their Orders were inpetition with each other, so their rtionship was only going to be more prominent.

    Then Veronica lowered her voice and asked.

    More than that, the fact that me and you are here, does that mean theres something going on in the capital?

    Finally, to the point.

    With that, Trina told her what she knew.

    I havent heard much about that either.

    Isnt this an order from above?

    From the First Princess, to be exact.

    And you dont know about it?

    The Princess only told me to patrol the capital for now.

    At the mention of the First Princess, Veronica nodded in understanding.

    Well, if its the First Princess, thats good enough for me.

    I dont know what youre thinking, but the First Princess isnt one to give orders on a whim.

    Veronica shook her head with a heavy expression.

    You mean something might happen?

    Lets hope not.

    You mean to tell me that the Nightcrawler Knights who are the best at gathering information dont know about this?

    My pride is hurt, but I should say so.

    But the Empress First Princess knows.

    She has a lot of hands and feet besides us. In particr, there are people who move separately for the First Princess.

    Ah, the Shadow de.

    Its a dagger to be exact, but the de is not wrong either. However, it is not that we cannot guess. The movement of the Liberation Army is unusual these days.

    So theyve gathered near the capital after not being seen in the north, and were here just in case.

    Trina nodded in agreement, but honestly, she didnt like the situation. If they walked around openly like this, their enemies would only hide deeper.

    In the end, they were just dying the inevitable rather than solving the underlying problem.

    Part of me wants to nuke the whole thing.

    Whatever it is, its better than nothing at all.

    I guess thats true.

    Anyway, now that weve exchanged pleasantries well be on our way, so we dont have to tell Theon?

    At Veronicas words, Trina thought for a moment, then shook her head.

    Its a field trip, and I dont want to ruin it.

    But dont you think we should tell the teachers?

    This is an imperial assignment. It has nothing to do with Theon.

    Of course, Trina said.

    Unless theyre fools, theyll see us gathered and assume something is up. Its enough to make them wary. The teachers of Theon are a talented bunch.

    I see.

    Thus, the Knights of Cold Steel left, and Trina, who was left in the square, looked at the students of the Academy.

    The Theon Academy.

    She had visited once before, to investigate a case, but it had been fruitless because Elisa, the president, stepped forward and blocked her.

    Even Trina couldnt take on the President of Theon, so she had to back down.

    It was then that a figure caught Trinas eye.

    That man.

    At a nce, he was an eye-catching person.

    Long ck hair tied back to the back, blue eyes that were somewhat decadent, but never lost their sharpness, a sharp nose, and a tightly closed mouth.

    He was literally the sculpture of a handsome man.

    The finishing touch to his look was the clothing he wore.

    The ck, silver-lined frock coat had no wrinkles and further doubled his antiquity. This is the kind of beauty a sculptor painstakingly chisels out.

    The other Theon teachers had their own distinctive aura, but this one stood out from the rest because of his peculiar air and old-fashioned nobleman-like appearance.

    He must be Rudger Chelici.

    Then Trinas deputy, Lloyd, approached and said.

    Is it him?

    Yes. Recently, he released to everyone a study that increases mana emissions in the Arcane Chamber. Perhaps because of that, he has risen to the position of head of the nning department in Theon.

    Thats enough with such an excellent ability. The president of Theon cares about talented people.

    Trina stared at Rudger as she said so.

    It was certainly the first time she had seen him today. Still, a strange feeling of dj vu clung to her like humid air and wouldnt let go.

    What is it?

    Had they met before?

    No matter how hard she searched Rudgers face, she couldnt remember seeing him before. Then, as if sensing her gaze, Rudger looked back to where Trina was.

    .

    .

    For a moment, the eyes of the two met.

    In that moment, Trinas senses were heightened to the extreme, and she made a judgment based on feeling.

    Time seemed to slow to a crawl, and at the same time, her vision cleared and she could see Rudgers figure in the distance, magnified.

    If Rudger were to look this way, if he were to react in any way suspiciously, she would know at once.

    .

    Surprisingly, however, Rudger nced at Trina, and then turned his head without much response.

    Trina did not detect any abnormal reactions in the slow unfolding process, as if moving underwater.

    What? Was it just my imagination?

    She watched, intent on catching even his slightest pupil movement, but saw nothing. He literally looked away, as if he were looking at someone else.

    Sir, is there a problem?

    No, nothing.

    On second thought, she thought it was a useless concern.

    Rudger is a man who rose to the position of director of nning department in Theon at a young age.

    There is no way that a suspicious person with an unclear background could rise to such a position since Elisa Willow was in Theon.

    With a keen eye for people and a mind that mesmerizes them, theres no way she wouldnt recognize someone suspicious.

    Im getting a little too sensitive these days.

    Trina tore her attention away from Rudger and looked back at the Nightcrawler Knights.

    They had their own work to do.

    * * *

    I was surprised.

    Rudger, who caught Trina Ryanhowls eye, had to calm down his nervousness.

    Imagine his surprise when their gazes met.

    What the hell, why is she looking at me?

    Rudger had no idea why Trina would be interested in him.

    He hadnt realized that he had be famous among the knights.

    Luckily, he dismissed her suspicions by looking away without a second thought.

    Rudger shook his head.

    I cant stay here, I have somewhere to be right now.

    Rudgers next stop was the Imperial Pce.

 Chapter 272

    C272: Field Trip (1)

    Following Sedinas order, the paper bug left the square for a long time and quietly settled down in a quiet alleyway.

    At that moment, a mouse hiding in the dark appeared and bit the bug.

    The mouse ran into a nearby house with a bug in its mouth and found a man waiting inside.

    Good job.

    Hans took the paper that the mouse had brought and handed him an almond in his hand.

    While the mouse was happily nibbling at the almond, Hans unfolded the paper bug and read what was inside.

    Hans face quickly became serious after reading the contents of the message.

    Damn.

    Hans stood up and looked out the window.

    This ordinary house not far from the square was used by Hans as a residence for a long time. Therefore, he was able to check the contents of the letter quickly.

    Outside the window, he could see the uniformed knights walking down the street.

    The ck side would be the Nightcrawler Knights and the white one is the Knights of Cold Steel, two of the three great Knight Orders of the Empire.

    Its unlikely that two groups that dont get along would be out here on vacation. Besides, Rudgers instructions in the letter were to keep an eye out for anyone who looked suspicious.

    Hans had a hunch that something must be going on in the capital.

    No wonder things were going well. Isnt it always on days like this that something happens?

    Hans wasnt even angry anymore since he had been through too much with Rudger. He had stopped being surprised and hade to ept it.

    While he regretted that he had be so ustomed to it, Hans thought seriously about the future.

    Especially now that theres someone else besides me.

    Hans stared anxiously at one side of the room.

    There was a sofa for four people in what could be called a living room, and fine blond hair was overflowing over it.

    There, lying on the couch, bored out of her mind, was Grander.

    Snow-white skin, tightly drawn features, andzy half-open eyes. She is a mysterious figure that exudes both beauty and boredom.

    There was even a hint of decadence in her seemingly innocent appearance but Hans knew that the young girl was actually a terrifying creature.

    Vampire.

    Vampires are known to be extremely rare among the subspecies. In fact, there have been no eyewitness ounts of them, so much so that they have been considered mere legends.

    The rumors circting were nothing more than mistaking cryptids for a vampire so much so that even Hans regarded them as fictional beings.

    Thats what he thought.

    I cant believe shes brother s teacher.

    Moreover, Grander was the progenitor of vampires.

    Considering that rumors were not circting in the world, the girl in front of him was likely to be the only vampire.

    Brother told me about her from time to time.

    Shes a very strong and brilliant wizard, but shes bad-tempered and selfish, and he never wanted to see her again.

    It seemed strange to Hans that his brother, who seemed to have nothing to fear in the world, would say such a thing. Maybe thats why it felt so genuine.

    Your master must be a dangerous man, Hans thought.

    Still, I thought he would be an old man with a long beard, but who would have imagined that she would be a small and soft girl like a doll?

    While Hans was thinking so, Grander, who was lying on the sofa, opened her mouth.

    Why are you looking at me?

    Hans shuddered at the remark.

    He knew hed been caught sneaking a peek.

    Yes, yes?

    Why are you looking at me?

    Oh, its because.

    You can speakfortably. I hate lies.

    I was wondering why you followed me all the way here.

    Hans spoke carefully so as not to offend Grander

    It was true that he was curious why Grander was here since she didnt have toe to the capital.

    Hans came to help Rudger, but the other members decided to stay in Leathervelk. Nevertheless, Grander followed him so he was curious about the reason.

    Is there anything wrong with meing here, on my own two feet?

    Oh, no, there isnt.

    Still, your very presence makes me ufortable.

    Hans swallowed desperately at thatst part.

    Well, it looks like you have something else to tell me.

    Grander, who was lying on the couch, turned her head toward Hans and asked.

    Hans broke out in a cold sweat at the sight of thosenguid yet prating red eyes.

    Yeah.

    Tell me.

    With Granders permission, Hans gulped down and opened his mouth.

    Do you know? There are knights out there right now.

    Do you know, there are knights roaming outside right now?

    Knights? Oh, Ive been feeling the signs of those who are full of physical vitality from a while ago.

    You can sense that?

    Vampires are amazing, Hans mused, but he didnt stop talking.

    Judging from brother letter, I think something is about to happen here in the capital.

    Something is going to happen?

    Yes. For now, Im saying its likely, but I think its almost certain.

    So what?

    Well, Miss GranderAre you going to help brother?

    Granderughed at Hans question.

    Hahaha!

    Uh, you know.

    To Hanss bewilderment, Grander stoppedughing and said.

    Do you think I will help?

    Oh, you wont help? But its your student, after all.

    Yes, he is my student. Thats why I dont need to help. I didnt raise him to be so weak.

    Hans looked puzzled at that.

    Then why did youe all the way here.?

    I think Ive already answered that question. Or are you trying to say that I followed you here because I was worried about my student?

    You werent?

    Hans prodded.

    Ah, no, no. How dare I speak to my brothers master like that?

    Its good that you know.

    Grander shook her head again, as if the excitement had worn off.

    Hans wiped the cold sweat from his cheeks.

    Oh, really. Thats exactly like brother said. I cant figure out her personality.

    Just as he was about to turn away and do what Rudger had asked, he heard Granders voice.

    I want you to check the basement.

    What?

    Hans was surprised by the unexpected words, but looked back at Grander, asking what she meant.

    With her back to Hans, Grander didnt respond. It was as if shed told Hans everything he needed to know and didnt want to get involved any further.

    What? If youre going to tell me, at least tell me properly.

    Hans grumbled inwardly, but he knew from Rudgers ounts that Grander was notoriously selfish, so he didnt argue further.

    Come on, boys, its time to get to work.

    Hans said, and the rats waiting inside the house responded by twitching their whiskers.

    * * *

    Nice to meet you, gentlemen.

    Caroline Monarch, with a uniform coat draped over her shoulders, stood before her mentees with her arms folded.

    Its just for today, but Im Caroline Monarch, your mentor and guide.

    Deciding where to go on a field trip in the capital was purely at the discretion of each mentor. As such, each mentor had their own way of organizing the tour for their students.

    Caroline, their mentor for the day, purposely kept her voice low to gain momentum as a senior. She didnt want to be looked down upon because of her small size and cute appearance.

    Shes small.

    Cute.

    Shes like a doll.

    Carolines mentees found her cute. It was like a child desperately trying to pretend to be an adult. But despite her appearance, Caroline is a sixth-rank wizard of the Lexer ss.

    Among all Theon students who were considered talented, she was one of the few who could reach that level.

    Well, Im sure you know me, but just in case, Ill introduce myself. Im a sixth-rank wizard of the Lexer ss, the leader of the Monarch Mercenaries, and a frence wizard with no fixed affiliation.

    Caroline looked at the students with her arms crossed.

    From this moment on, you will proceed with the field trip at my discretion. It is also at my discretion to assign grades based on your behavior.

    The students didnt protest because they had been given advance notice. If anything, they were happy that the field trip would be used as a third test.

    I usually give good marks if you follow directions and have a good attitude. You guys are basically getting a free pass. However!

    Caroline said loudly, her eyes intense.

    The other dimwits will give you good grades for just enough chit-chat to make youugh and smile but I dont intend to.

    The students gulped at that.

    Then how can we get high marks?

    Stupid !!!

    Hick!

    A female student raised her hand, causing Caroline to yell at her.

    Looking pathetically at the student who had been frightened by her sudden behavior, Caroline clicked her tongue.

    You dont ask me that, you find out yourself!

    No, we dont know unless you tell us!

    The students shouted in unison but none of them dared to say it out loud.

    But we wont know unless you tell us.

    No, there was one.

    As Aidan raised his hand and spoke, students around him looked at Aidan with a shudder.

    What?

    Caroline frowned as if she was offended and an unearthly amount of magic began to flow from her body, engulfing the area around her.

    Holy shit!

    Thats a lot of power!

    A formidable mana erupted from her little body and made the students shiver.

    They realized once again why Caroline Monarchs known as a tyrant.

    It would not be surprising if her flowing mana would choke them right now.

    What was even more surprising was that she could unleash this much raw power and it would only affect her mentees, with no impact on the surroundings.

    What did you just say?

    Uh, I wont know unless you tell me?

    Ho-ho.

    Caroline looked at Aidan as if she was having fun.

    Her intense gaze made the other students look away in fear but Aidan didnt look away, and neither did Tracy, Iona, and Leo, who, though nervous, didnt back away or look away.

    You there.

    Yeah!

    Whats your name?

    Aidan!

    I see you dont have ast name, so you must be amoner.

    Yes, I am.

    Okay, you pass. You got an A.

    ?

    Caroline said, retracting all the mana she had unleashed at once.

    Hearing that, Aidan stared at Caroline with an iprehensible gaze.

    Whats with the look in your eyes? Are youining about something? Dont you want to get an A?

    Uh, no?

    Then you should be happy.

    Is that so?

    Aidan scratched his head awkwardly.

    But I thought it would be nice to know why.

    Youre amoner, arent you?

    Yes, but?

    I likemoners, hence the A.

    Oh, my God. Thats so unreasonable.

    Carolines eyes were on Tracy as the other students were surprised.

    You there. Red pigtails.

    Tracy answered confidently, even though she wondered what she was calling her pigtails.

    Yes.

    My name is Tracy Friad.

    What? You are an aristocrat?

    Caroline frowned at the remark.

    What family are you from?

    A fallen house.

    Tracy hesitated slightly to answer because she was ashamed to bring it up. It was something shed rather keep hidden, but she answered honestly.

    Ho-ho. You said it without hiding it. Thats great. Thats great. You got an A.

    Tracys eyes widened at the realization that she had gotten an A.

    Ignoring her, Carolines gaze turned to Iona.

    Oh, my God. What do you eat to be so big?

    ?

    Iona tilted her head slightly, not understanding Carolines suddenly hostile reaction to her.

    Youre well trained, though. Besides, if youre Suin and youre this good, you got an A.

    Thank you?

    Iona replied in a blunt tone with a slight doubt at the end.

    Carolines eyes then turned to Leo. Her eyes, which had previously been unwilling to give away any points, softened as theynded on Leo. It was as if she had met arade.

    Aidan felt like he knew why.

    You, whats your name?

    ImLeo.

    How old are you? Did you skip grades?

    Im the same age as these guys here.

    I see!

    The perceptive Leo frowned as he realized the reason for Carolines favoritism toward him.

    Caroline put her hand on Leos shoulder, perhaps because of the joy of meeting arade.

    Dont worry, kid. Height is not everything! You can especially call me sisterfortably.

    What?

    If you have any problems, you can tell me, and you got an A, too!

    Yes.

    Any words of gratitude?

    Thank youThank you.

    Leo expressed his gratitude with his eyes closed tightly.

    Aidan knew he shouldntugh at the sight, but he couldnt stop a smile from trying to escape.

    Tracy was giggling openly beside him, holding her stomach.

    As Leo red, Aidan tapped Tracy forearm, and Tracy immediately turned her head and avoided Leos gaze.

    Meanwhile, Caroline opened her mouth as she looked back at the students as if they were protesting.

    Everyone must be wondering why I gave these guys an A.

    Oh, because theyremoners?

    What?

    The student who gave his opinion immediately lowered his head when Caroline frowned.

    Well, I wont say there isnt a little selflessness there.

    There is.

    The students all thought the same thing. Of course, just inside.

    Now I will exin the exact reason.

 Chapter 273

    C273: Field Trip (2)

    What did you think a little while ago while facing my mana?

    No one could answer the remark carelessly.

    More than putting a level on a mentors mana, Carolines mana had something inexplicable to describe.

    I cant say it properly, but everyone must have felt fear. Is that right?

    Yes.

    Caroline nodded her head as if it were natural for the students to answer.

    Its a natural reaction. I may look like this, but Im a wizard with a higher rank than you. The mana of a high-level wizard makes the opponent shrink.

    It is said that the cry of a tiger has the effect of giving tension and fear to the other person.

    Carolines magic was simr to that. Rather, it was much more effective than the ultra-low frequency uttered by tigers.

    Just by facing huge mana, the other party forgets the will to fight and is seized with fear. Therefore, Caroline could be a tyrant who controls the battlefield.

    Everyone was scared, shivering and avoiding my eyes but these four were different. While you all avoided my gaze in fear, these four did not, thats why I gave them an A.

    Ah.

    The students eximed as if they understood.

    However, some students still could not fully ept the answer, so Caroline kindly decided to add an exnation.

    What Im going to teach you is not any magic knowledge or tricks. Rather, its much more practical.

    Unlike other wizards, Caroline traveled around the continent to build a sense of reality.

    The world is peaceful. However, if you look closely, that was only on the surface.

    Small conflicts, violent protests, small battles, raids by the Cryptids, etc. The fight never disappeared anywhere in the world, it just looked like it was gone.

    Everyone would think that hierarchy is everything to a wizard. But thats not the case in practice.

    Caroline went through many things and saw incredible sights.

    Even though he was a wizard of higher rank, he was defeated by a wizard of lower rank than himself.

    The magic skills, theposition, and the level of magic were different but the reason it happened was because of the difference in attitude towards the fight of the two parties.

    Dont be scared. You dont have to be intimidated just because your opponent is stronger than you. Just by not losing your courage, you will be given a chance to break through the crisis.

    This was what Caroline would teach the students.

    Of course, most of you, if you graduate, will not roll in the field like me but sit infortable key positions, or continue to worry about magic in the corner of a room. In fact, most of the graduates who have risen took that route.

    You know it well.

    Of course. Im a graduate of Theon.

    The students opened their eyes wide as if they were surprised by her words.

    Didnt you know? I was in the same ss as your president.

    Do you mean President Elisa Willow?

    Yes.

    Caroline answered Tracys question immediately.

    Elisa Willow was also one of the celebrities who rose to the presidency of Theon at a young age.

    Beautiful, capable, and politically skilled, she was one of the role models of the students but Caroline was a fellow Theon alumni like Elisa.

    The studentspared Elisa to Caroline.

    No matter how you look at her, they dont look the same age.

    Caroline must have sensed it, because she frowned.

    Hey, you guys, whats with the look in your eyes? I was more popr than her in school! Guys were lining up in front of me!

    Uh, really?

    Yes!

    There was some hesitation in the answer, but Caroline, who thought it was already spilled water, replied yes.

    Its not a lie.

    Of course the men were lining up to shower Elisa with gifts but Caroline wasnt wrong either.

    If the aristocratic men she beated in school were lined up they could have circled a yground.

    If she knocked someone down, another guy would appear and start a quarrel, saying, Are you that arrogantmoner?

    Then he was also knocked down beautifully. Of course, with as much magic as possible without using fists.

    She might have thrown a few punchesbut that was eptable.

    Hmm. I got challenges instead of love letters, but thats about as far as Im willing to go.

    In fact, if Caroline had received a love letter, it would have been from someone with seriously questionable judgment.

    Fortunately, or unfortunately, that never happened.

    Anyway, lets move!

    Caroline led the way.

    Most of the students were looking forward to seeing the capital.

    Caroline understood their frustration, and she wanted to show them around. So while she exined the importance of actual fighting, she also gave them some free time to explore the city.

    Lindebrugne is a touristy city so there was plenty to see on every street corner, especially food.

    The students took in their surroundings and grabbed whatever looked good on the street.

    Aidan was no different.

    More than that, Leos been hanging out by himself.

    Aidan, waiting his turn in front of the yakitori stand, cast a worried nce at Leo, who was far away and alone.

    Beside him, Tracy said.

    Lets not be too intrusive. If anything, the more we try to get any closer, hell get annoyed and push us away even harder.

    Yeah. I know that.

    Anyway, theres always a chance, so we shouldnt be impatient.

    Youre right, Tracy has been secretly caring about Leo, even though you always fight.

    Aidan said with a grin, and Tracy blushed.

    Well, whatever, Im just annoyed that hes not acting like his usual self.

    Yeah. Ill leave it at that.

    Aidan, who replied with a smile to Tracys loud words, looked at Iona. She was meekly nibbling on a street skewer, but her eyes were fixed on Leo, as if she were worried about him.

    Aidan waited for his food to be served, hoping that the problem would be resolved soon.

    Just then, a new customer joined them.

    Uh, Mr. Owner, Ill have two of those marinated skewers, please.

    Sure. Please wait.

    It was an energetic female voice, and Aidan felt a vague sense of familiarity.

    HmmIve heard that voice many times before. Its like my teacher.

    As Aidan turned his head away with this idle thought, he made eye contact with a customer who happened to be looking this way.

    She wore her long ck hair loosely tied into a ponytail, with strands of hair sticking out here and there and had an unmistakable air of lightness and ease about her that was unforgettable.

    Teacher?

    Aidan?

    The teacher who taught him anti-magic when Aidan was young.

    To Aidans surprise, the voice that sounded so simr to his teacher was indeed his teacher.

    * * *

    Loina Pavlini.

    An unsociable and shy sixth-rank wizard thatments her plight.

    Why am I here?

    She nced behind her to see a group of students huddled together, staring at her. The stares were enough to make her breath catch in her throat and send a cold sweat down her back.

    She thought back to what had happened.

    Loina, be a mentor for Theons field trip.

    -Yes?

    In order for the School Association to look good, it was necessary to select a talented person, and Loina was the most suitable person.

    The first reason was that she was younger and could rte well to the students.

    The second reason was that she was the easiest person to work with, as she couldnt refuse any task.

    Lower-rank wizards would respect her because she was a sixth-rank mage, but the other higher-ups in the Schools Association didnt.

    In the end, she couldnt refuse the offer, and when she came to her senses, she was here.

    It was one of the few times shed been able to have a proper conversation with someone, but since shede this far, she figured she had to y her part, so she forced herself to speak.

    Hey, everyone. Please follow me!

    She stammered and looked quite unreliable to the students, still she was a sixth-rank wizard so they followed silently.

    Among the students that Loina was in charge were Rene, Erendir, Flora and Cheryl.

    Loina and the students arrived at a huge museum.

    The Crystal Pce.

    It was the headquarters of the annual International Exposition, a showcase for the continents magical, artifact, and steam-powered inventions.

    The Crystal Pce, with its dazzling crystals that sparkled in the sunlight, was, as its name implies, a structure made entirely of translucent crystals aside from its steel frame.

    It was a product of magical engineering and alchemy, a mix of science and magic, and used special ss rather than ordinary ss.

    The interior was designed to feel like springtime all year round and even included an artificial park.

    It was the Crystal Pce that made the imperial capital of Lindebrugne a tourist city.

    This is the Crystal Pce where you can see the history of magic.

    Loina said with pride in her voice. She hoped this would be enough to make the students happy.

    In fact, most of the students were busy looking around with their mouths agape, overwhelmed by the majesty of the Crystal Pce.

    Great!

    Loina clenched her fists.

    The Crystal Pce attracts over 30 million tourists during the International Exposition days alone. Even on a weekday like today, its packed with people.

    Loina was right, even on a weekday, the Crystal Pce was packed with tourists. The long line of people at the entrance was proof of that.

    There are so many people.

    Will we ever get in?

    Hey, guys, dont worry. We have a reservation and we can get in right away!

    Loina said with a hint of excitement in her voice as she led them into the Crystal Pce.

    The ticket agent at the entrance recognized her and let them through.

    Wow.

    Its really pretty inside too.

    The Crystal Pce was mesmerizing from the outside with its enormous size and crystal beauty, but the inside was even better.

    The exhibition hall was neat and calcted. In addition, the lighting in from the outside spread out like it was through a prism, illuminating the interior beautifully.

    The air was warm against their skin, and there was even a sweet floral scent wafting through the museum. It was like being in a dream world with all kinds of magic.

    There was also a fountain in the center of the hall and arge tree.

    Amazingly, this was only a small part of the Crystal Pce.

    This is the main exhibition hall of the Crystal Pce, where you can see the history and development of magic.

    ying the role of guide, Loina exined the Crystal Pce to the students.

    The space further in is divided into sections. Over there is the Path of Engineering, built around steam golems and mechanical engineering and steam engines.

    Where Loina pointed, brass-colored metal could be seen beyond the crowd, along with pure white steam.

    On the contrary, they created an artificial park byndscaping the scenery of the forest. In fact, there are many animals living there, and you can sometimes see spirits. I rmend that students studying summoning should stop by at least once.

    The students were already eager to take a look inside.

    Loina smiled wistfully at the sight as she remembered being like that once.

    Its your free time from now on. Those who want to see, look around, and if you have any questions, feel free to ask me!

    The students scattered as if they had been waiting for those words.

    Renee wondered where to start looking, but then she realized she had a question and approached Loina.

    I.

    Yes, yes, what is it?

    Loina said excitedly as Rene approached her.

    At her half-nervous, half-expectant reaction, Rene asked cautiously, slightly embarrassed.

    Are there all kinds of magic here?

    Ah, magic, well, Id say they have it all, in fact, the Magic Tower and several magic societies donate magical information to the Crystal Pce.

    So, do you think Ill be able to find any information on non-attribute magic?

    Non-attribute magic?

    Loinas eyes shone through her long bangs.

    * * *

    When the students were walking around the capital with their mentors Freuden Ulburg was also meeting his mentor in the capital.

    He was also a second-year student, so he couldnt miss the field trip. Although he didnt get as excited as the other students, he was going to enjoy himself.

    I was definitely going to.

    Freuden was speechless when he saw the muscles in front of him.

    Cheer up!

    Three more sets!

    Oh my god!

    Hurry up and pick it up! No one else will hold your rod for you! Do your best!

    Argh!

    Loud shouts and screams were heard everywhere.

    The space, filled with male hormones and muscles, was a huge gym famous in the capital.

    Freuden thought.

    Why am I here?

    Apparently, he just came to tour the capital with his mentor.

    Freudens eyes naturally turned to his mentor Hwiron, a sixth-rank wizard and a member of the School Association.

    Hahahaha! You guys are so out of shape from sitting around and reading books! Listen up! The most important thing for a wizard is stamina! The more stamina you have, the longer you can sit in your chair!

    As he spoke, Hwiron grabbed a student and made him work out.

    The familiar face, sweating profusely and lifting the barbell as he was instructed, was his friend and vassal, Henry Presto.

    Henry had always attracted the attention of the girls with his easy smile and good looks but now he was lifting a barbell with his face contorted into a grimace.

    Huh. Huh. I cant do this anymore.

    What? You cant do fifteen? Youve got to be kidding me!

    Hwiron nced around at the frozen students.

    Im going to give you all a good workout today!

    Uh, hey.

    Feeling a sense of crisis, Freuden opened his mouth to speak. Unfortunately, this behavior drew the attention of Hwiron, who was looking for prey.

    Yes, there you are, you dirty little boy. Come and pick up the barbell!

    .

    For the second time in his life, Freuden felt a huge sense of crisis.

 Chapter 274

    C274: Devalk Imperial Castle (1)

    The Devalk Castle is a huge silver castle that symbolizes the Exilion Empire itself.

    Receiving the blessing of the sun by day, and the grace of the moon and stars by night the fortress, which stood tall as if to announce its presence, was a symbol of history that no one could invade.

    It was a ce where no one would normally enter but Rudger was following the guide.

    I never thought they would open the door of the imperial castle.

    Rudger looked around the interior of the Imperial Castle.

    He wasnt the only one who came. There were other teachers here besides Rudger.

    Wow, its so beautiful.

    Selina said so as she walked through a corridor full of colorful decorations and art.

    Yes.

    Rudger also responded moderately and sympathized with the words.

    Selinas response is the same as that of the other teachers since the opportunity to end the Imperial Castle is very rare even though they are Theons teachers.

    The ce theyre walking now is called the ss Corridor, and the hallway itself was a work of art made up of ss, crystal, and mirrors.

    This huge and beautiful work created through ss was called Lindberghs two major ss artworks along with the Crystal Pce.

    Its better than the Crystal Pce.

    Unlike the Crystal Pce, where anyone with a ticket could enter, the ss Corridor was only for the chosen ones. Given its scarcity, its safe to say that its far more valuable.

    Ive traveled the continent and seen all sorts of unusual things.

    Rudger traveled with his master, exploring the far reaches of the world. Secret ruins, fiery skies, frozennds, and natural wonders that defymon sense.

    Among them, he saw elemental lords that a normal person would never see in their lifetime.

    Rudger was too experienced to be surprised by what he saw.

    Compared to the wonders of Mother Nature, the works of art created by mankind are bound to fall short. Or so he thought.

    Even Rudger was awed by the ss Corridor.

    Even if it was artificial, there was a calcted beauty in the work of so many artists.

    Had he note to the capital, he would never have seen such a thing.

    Come to think of it, this is the first time Ive entered the pce in all my years of wandering.

    That day seven years ago even when he met with First Princess Eileen, Rudger had never entered the pce.

    At the time, Princess Eileencked power within the pce, and there were too many eyes on her. So the two met in the citys dark back alleys and deserted neighborhoods.

    Its funny to think about now.

    A filthy abandoned house was where the next Emperor and an Academy teacher with the highest stock price in history met.

    Its hardly the stuff of jokes. But there was a time when it was.

    A time when a woman capable of wielding unstoppable power would duck and cover in an alleyway.

    They shine brightly now, but it wasnt always that way.

    Cause not everyone was great from the start.

    Mr. Rudger?

    Yes.

    The sudden sound of Selinas voice pulled Rudger out of his thoughts and he turned to look at her.

    Selina, who hade with him as a tutor, was staring at him with a clear gaze.

    What are you thinking about?

    I was just thinking that its beautiful inside.

    Oh, I know, me too, because I never thought Id be in a ce like this. In addition, the artworks are beautiful.

    Yes, so Im going to enjoy it enough now since its a rare opportunity.

    As Rudger said that, he didnt stop scanning the interior of the pce.

    It was sorge that he hadnt been able to make out the imperial warehouse yet, but he needed to get a sense of the overall structure.

    Its even more spacious than I thought, and weve only been allowed to explore a tiny fraction of the castle.

    The corridors were endless.

    At first nce, the pce courtyard beyond the ss windows was asrge as the park of the city of Leathervelk.

    Rudger couldnt help but wonder if he should have taken a carriage or steam car instead of walking around since the pce was so huge.

    Even if I stole Relics fragment from a ce like this, I might not be able to get away with it.

    There was only one reason Rudger came to the imperial castle in the first ce. To obtain a fragment of an ancient artifact, one of the few left.

    This might be a bit of an exaggeration, but I was confident that no ce was beyond Hanss reach.

    No matter how secretive a ce is, if its in the hands of humans, its bound to be found.

    Nevertheless, Hans said he could not find it. Rather, it became a clear clue due to the elimination method.

    It has to be here.

    Inside the imperial family, there is a warehouse for valuable items, and if there is one, its probably here.

    But there were other problems.

    Even if they knew the location of the warehouse, it would have to be quiterge, given the size of the Imperial Pce.

    The fragments resonate with each other when they get close, so if I go in, it wont take long to find it.

    The problem woulde after finding it.

    The imperial pce is toorge, and once they realize that something has been taken, soldiers wille from all directions to surround it, making escape virtually impossible.

    Rudger weighed his options.

    What if I traveled through shadows?

    Its hard enough to travel through space, and theres a high risk of coordinates being distorted by the magic barriers that have been installed throughout the pce.

    Rudgers use of space movement magic so far was because he was clearly aware of coordinates with his eyes and head.

    If the coordinates were off by even a fraction of a degree, hed be plummeting from a great height.

    That would rather be a relief but if he gets stuck in a wall or buried under the ground, it would be a real problem.

    Only Rudger can use spatial magic, but given the risks, even he wouldnt dare to use it recklessly.

    Then hed have to get out of the castle with his own two legs, not purely by magic but that seemed impossible, too.

    First, the castle was toorge. Therger it is, the more people there are, and the more soldiers there are.

    Not only are there soldiers, but there are also knights who defend the royal family.

    Even now, as he walked down the hall, he could see the uniformed knights standing guard.

    The Knights of the Imperial Guard were different from the Three Knights Orders of the Empire.

    They were less skilledpared to the Three Great Knights Orders, who would go out into the wilderness and do the hard work but knights are knights nheless.

    Theyre undervalued because they stay in peaceful ces or go on patrol, but to the average person, theyre superhuman.

    And the biggest problem is the Royal Guard.

    Knights whose sole purpose is to protect the bloodline of the imperial family.

    The Royal Guard is a title given to the strongest of the knights. They are few in number, but their individual power far exceeds that of the average knight.

    From what he heard, Trina Ryanhowl could have been a Royal Guard, but she decided that she wasnt up to the task.

    Not all of them are masters, but at least theyre close.

    He had to escape the overwhelming number of Knights and Royal Guards and get out of the vast Imperial Pce.

    I dont see how thats possible.

    Rudger thought for a moment, if only he could use the power of the gods, but then shook his head.

    Collecting Relic fragments was a very stealthy thing to do but with the power of the gods, there would be no hiding it.

    Not only would his cover be blown, but the citizens of the capital would witness an unbelievable sight.

    I wouldnt be able to make a modest show of force against imperial power, and I might have to give up a lot of things to deal with that kind of power.

    Rudger ran a simtion through his mind and shook his head.

    I cant change the map to steal a small piece.

    Above all, the imperial family doesnt only have knights and Royal Guards. There were also wizards in the imperial service, and there were certainly powers yet to be revealed.

    Like the shadow dagger.

    In the past, the shadow dagger of Eileen, the First Princess, was a term referring to Jack the Ripper, one of Rudgers identities. But Jack the Ripper has mysteriously disappeared since solving the case seven years ago.

    Nevertheless, the story of the Empresss dagger echoed among the nobles.

    There was no way she could have kept the illusion alive for seven years, so it was likely she had someone new in his ce.

    In this case, well have to rethink fundamentally tearing up the warehouse of the imperial family.

    If Hans had heard him, he would have said Did you really mean to rob them? with a straight face.

    To Hanss surprise, Rudger did indeed intend to rob the imperial warehouse. Just not now.

    Rudger was suddenly curious.

    I wonder how Hans and Sedina are doing.

    * * *

    Sedina Rosen is now blocked by a big wall.

    Why with this person?

    Sedinas eyes turned to her mentor, Casey Selmore.

    Casey Selmore was also conscious of Rudgers assistant, Sedina.

    Originally, Sedina intended to gather information around her through paper magic while pretending to follow the mentor.

    Hans, her senior, had offered to help, but she couldnt just sit back and do nothing. However, her mentor was not to be outdone.

    Her opponent is the person who tracked down Rudger Chelici. She was called the detective of the century, so Sedina could be found out if she used her magic improperly.

    My magic is particrly stealthy, but thats no guarantee that I wont be detected by someone of her caliber.

    And the fact that Casey was also aware of Sedina was a big problem.

    To what end?

    Casey Selmore thought as Sedina pondered.

    If I get to know this kid, his assistant, wont I get to know him better?

    Casey applied as a mentor to increase her contact with Rudger because Rudgers past, she peeped in, was nothing like public knowledge.

    Even if Rudger had meant well, if this whole thing had been a misunderstanding, she had to make amends once she learned the truth. But even Casey, who normally would have spoken up, found herself at a loss for words as she stood before Rudger.

    Ive seen your past.

    I learned the truth about that day.

    The words didnte out of her mouth easily, and there was nothing she could do but shove the mentor application in his face.

    Eventually, Casey decided to change her approach. Shed start by getting to know Rudgers inner circle.

    Not knowing that, Sedina couldnt help but wonder if shed been discovered.

    What should I do?

    Moreover, the problem was that there was one more person in the same group who was ufortable with Sedina.

    An intense gaze was staring at her from the side.

    Sedina had to try desperately not to look back.

    Julia Plumhart joined her group and was staring at Sedina from the side.

    She also seemed to have no intention of turning her eyes away, perhaps because she was upset when Sedina did not respond.

    I cant do this.

    Sedina felt ufortable with Julia looking at her like this. It wasnt that she didnt feel sorry for her.

    As children, Sedina and Julia had been best friends.

    It was the first time Julia had ever opened up to anyone, and it was the same for Sedina but the moment Sedina decided to join the ck Dawn Society, the rtionship between the two fell apart.

    Although Im on Rudgers side now, not the ck Dawn Society, nothing changes.

    Sedina was no longer an ordinary student and her world was different from Julias.

    For Julias sake, Sedina should not be involved with her.

    Her gaze at Sedina is a mixture of anger, betrayal, and weak goodwill. Sedina felt sorry for her, but deliberately ignored Julias gaze but no matter how much she tried to ignore her, Julia seemed unwilling to give up.

    Amid such strange tension, Sedina shed tears inside.

    Please somebody help me.

    * * *

    No, what the hell is she doing, I havent heard back from her.

    Hans, waiting in the camouge house, crossed his arms and shook his legs in frustration at theck of news from Sedina.

    She cant help it, there are knights everywhere.

    Hans was well aware of Sedinas respect for Rudger. The fact that he hadnt heard from her yet meant that things were not going her way.

    In that case, I guess Ill just have to do what youve told me to do, even if its on my own.

    For now, he took the advice of Grander, whos still lying on the couch, and decided to focus on the underground sewers although he was skeptical that it would yield the information they were looking for.

    But rather than being pointed out for not listening, its right to try it.

    At the time when Hans was agonizing inside, one of the mice he sent returned.

    Hey, youre back. Did you check it out already?

    [Squeak! Squeak!]

    Underground? Did you check the inside of the sewer?

    [Squeak! Squeak!!]

    What?

    Hans could not help but be puzzled by what the rat had told him.

    You cant go any further down into the sewers?

    Hanss question made the rats whiskers stand up and he nodded.

 Chapter 275

    C275: Devalk Imperial Castle (2)

    Chapter sponsored byGreen, MarcDuvernay and E_Dex.Thank you for your support.

    Somethings wrong.

    Hans was troubled by what the mouse had told him. Usually, mice do whatever Hans asks them to do.

    Of course, rats can only do so much, so Hanss main request was to tell him where hed been and what hed seen. That was enough for him.

    Especially after his transformation into the Beast of Gvaudan, Hans felt he had more control over beasts.

    He could nowmand not just rats, but dogs, cats, and even crows.

    What this meant was that the rats would do whatever he told them to do, and they would do it faithfully.

    Hans knew it, so he sent a mouse to check the underground waterway. But somethingpletely unexpected happened.

    It said it couldnt go to the underground waterways.

    Its not because the road is blocked or theres nowhere else to go. Literally, the rats are afraid to go down any further.

    You feel fear beyond my control? I could make them jump into a fire if Imanded them hard enough.

    But the mice would never tell a lie. As long as they followed Hanss orders, they would tell the truth.

    Of course, the information they gave him wasnt always clean, so Hans had to double-check the information himself. Even with that in mind, the message that he couldnt go in because he was too scared was the same no matter how he interpreted it.

    Somethings up.

    Hans had a hunch that there was something beneath the capitals underground aqueducts.

    And brothers master knows about it?

    Hans remembered Granders advice to look into the sewers. She wouldnt have given this advice if she didnt know something.

    Hans was tempted to ask her how she knew what exactly was in there, but he forced himself to not do it.

    It wasnt as if he hadnt noticed.

    Since she told me, she didnt seem to have any intention of getting involved.

    If so, no matter how many times he asks, he wont get the answer he wants.

    Now that this happened, he had no choice but to move himself.

    I really dont want to do this.

    Hans stood up and grabbed his coat. He didnt like the idea of being on his own, but he wasnt so desperate that he would run away.

    Besides, Im not going alone.

    In addition to Hans, there is another U.N. Owen member here.

    Pantos, code name Herman Melville and Alex from Victor Hugo did note, instead an unexpected person apanied him, no an elf.

    Hey, are you ready?

    When Hans called, the stiff closed door squeaked open. Out of it walked a dusky elf with unruly orange hair, Bruna Petana, U.N Owen codename Francis Scott Fitzgerald.

    Rudger had given her that name because the drugged elf bore a striking resemnce to an alcoholic writer.

    Did you pack everything you need?

    Whoa, whoa. I did take care of everything.

    Then lets go.

    She came to the capital to help Hans in case of an unexpected situation.

    Hans put a beret over Brunas head and left the house.

    * * *

    In the Magic Exhibition Hall of the Crystal Pce Loina Pavlini smiled and led the way.

    This is called the Hall of Magic, a ce where magic is disyed, and Im sure youll find materials on magic youve never heard of here.

    Theres a lot of strange magic here?

    Yes. The Crystal Pce is the imperial familys responsibility.

    For that reason, the imperial family brought all kinds of magic and knowledge from the continent and disyed them in the Crystal Pce.

    The same was true of the [unique] series of magic that ordinary people would not encounter.

    Of course, they dont reveal all of the fundamental secrets of those magics, theyre definitely guarding those parts.

    Ah, I see.

    More than that, is student Rene really a possessor of non-attribute magic?

    Loina asked, her eyes shining. At that stare, Rene smiled bitterly and nodded.

    Ive always had trouble with elemental magic.

    That must have caused you a lot of difort in your sses.

    Yeah, because even though I could somehow keep up with the theory, I felt like I was limited.

    I know that feeling!

    Loina took Renes hand and nodded vigorously.

    She was a sixth-rank wizard, but she had never felt as great as other sixth-rank wizards.

    But isnt Mentor Loina a Lexer ss wizard?

    No, Im only at the bottom.

    I think youre amazing even if youre at the bottom.

    Thats because Im a theorist, but if you think about it, Im only half-way to the sixth-rank.

    Loina was too weak even if she was weak in practice. That was due to her innate low self-esteem.

    With such a personality, it was inevitable that Loina would see Renes determination to do well in Theon, even with the handicap of non-attribute magic, as remarkable. Though she couldnt help but feel a bit overwhelmed.

    But I think shes a good person.

    Not only did she answer her questions, but she also offered to show her around the Crystal Pce.

    It wasnt what she had hoped for, but Loinaughed and said she was doing it because she wanted to.

    More than that, Rene, you have non-attribute magic, so how are you doing in Theon?

    Yeah. It was hard at first, but there are a lot of good people there.

    But it must have been hard to follow the professors sses.

    Since there is a professor who takes good care of me.

    Oh, really? Who is it?

    Mr. Rudger.

    What?

    When Rudgers name came out, Loina was startled.

    Whats wrong?

    Uh, well. This Rudger is Rudger Chelici, right?

    Yes.

    And he was nice to you? From the looks of it, I thought hed be ruthlessly discarding students who werent good enough.

    Rene let out a smallugh at Loinasment. She couldnt me anyone who didnt know Rudger for thinking that.

    Im sure everyone thinks that, but Mr. Rudger really cares about his students. He doesnt show it outwardly, of course, but if someone is struggling, hell help them, even if he pretends to be reluctant.

    I see.

    Ive gotten a lot of help from him, too, especially with the advice on non-attribute magic, which I wascking, and even on mana emission.

    Speaking of mana emission, did you take part in Rudger Chelicis experiment?!

    Loina asked in surprise.

    Yes. Somehow.

    Im so jealous of you, to get a gig like that at a time when youre supposed to be growing up, was it scary?

    Actually, it was scary, because it was something that no one had ever done before, and I felt like if I didnt do it, Id always be stuck.

    Thats amazing!

    Her eyes lit up as if she had seen Renes courage and Rudger all over again.

    For Rene, it was a bit overwhelming to hear this from a sixth-rank wizard and a major yer in the magic world. However, despite her empty words, Loinas actions were sincere. Her eyes were telling her so.

    Rene could easily distinguish between those who liked her and those who were hostile.

    It was her eyes that allowed her to approach Rudger, whom others feared. She could tell whether they were being sincere or false, whether they had malice or favor. It was strange.

    More than that, Ms. Reee.

    What?

    Who is that blonde student whos been following us from behind?

    Renee turned around to see who it was and couldnt help but smile awkwardly at the sight of her striking, gorgeous blond hair.

    Erendir von Exilion, the Third Princess of the Empire, Renes senior and friend, was sneaking up on them from behind with her eyes burning with jealousy.

    She may have been trying hard to hide, but her distinctive hair color made her stand out in this crowd.

    Shes my senior.

    So, shes a senior? But why didnt you go separately and?

    Can you wait here for a moment? Ill go get her.

    Rene said so and approached Erendir, who was hiding in the crowd.

    Senior, what are you doing?

    Oh! Junior Rene? What a coincidence!

    You came to take the same ss as us?

    Oh right. That was it.

    Are you alone?

    .

    Erendirs expression quickly turned sullen, and Rene spoke up.

    Well, thats good, then, because I wanted to go with you, too! Ive been looking for you, and this is a great coincidence!

    !

    Erendirs face cleared again and Rene was relieved to see it, but also realized that she looked very tired.

    After all, she was a senior and a princess, so was it okay to be this simple?

    What happened to the boldness and assertiveness she had shown when she first met her?

    Still, its nice to see that shes so friendly.

    Unable to leave Erendir alone for now, Rene took her hand and led her to where Loina was waiting.

    Thats when she and Erendir came face to face.

    Student Rene thats.

    Loina, who recognized Erendir, began stuttering again.

    People who dont know Erendir well are overwhelmed by her gorgeous appearance and unique aura. Especially for someone with low self-esteem and a timid personality, its the opposite of a match made in heaven.

    Erendir was nervous, too. Despite appearances, Loina was a sixth-rank wizard, a theoretical genius, and her mentor.

    To Erendir, who had the blood of the imperial family but was weak in theory, Loina was a genius who had risen to the highest ranks only with her own inadequacies.

    If I try to force them to get along, theyll only resent me.

    Just then, Renes gaze caught sight of a magic in the exhibition hall.

    Mentor Loina, what is that magic?

    Inside therge ss tube was a form of illusion magic. There was an introductory paragraph underneath that exined what it was, but even knowing that, Rene asked on purpose.

    Oh, you mean that?

    When Loina was asked, she thought it was time and began to exin.

    Renee listened attentively, and Erendir naturally joined in the conversation.

    Thanks to this, the rigid atmosphere was resolved and Erendir regained someposure.

    Then shall we go inside?

    At Renees casual suggestion, the three of them wandered around the Crystal Pce and checked the exhibits.

    It was now impossible to tell who the mentor was and who were the students, but none of the three cared.

    Hmm. Probably this way, where the unusual series of magic are disyed.

    Where Loina pointed, they could see a ce with different magics stored among the crowd.

    It wasnt real magic, just an illusion that mimicked that kind of magic. However, it was very realistic, and people watched in admiration.

    Magic is basically grouped into categories and specializations. Among them, magic that is not defined as modern magic is divided into the [unusual] category.

    But there are more unusual types of magic than I thought.

    On the contrary, in terms of diversity alone, the [unusual] category is much vaster than the other four categories.

    Rene stopped in front of a ss disy case. Inside was a picture of a sleeping person and a mage who had entered that persons dream.

    Thats the < Dream Walk> spell. Its used by mages belonging to the School. Its surprisingly well known for such an unusual school.

    At those words, Rene thought of Julia who was also on the field trip right now, too.

    At that moment, Rene caught a glimpse of a magic. Perhaps sensing her gaze, Loina also saw the magic and eximed,

    Ah, thats divine magic.

    Divine magic?

    Its a specialty, but its also the mostmon, as its used by the pdins, inquisitors, and priests of the Order of Lumensis.

    Whats an Inquisitor?

    Its an obsolete profession these days, but the Order of Lumensis still employs them.

    I see, but they use magic.

    They say its not magic, its divine miracles, but modern theory sees it as half magic.

    Rene stared at the disy of divine magic. In it, she could see a woman d in pure white robes, her hands sped together in prayer. A beautiful glow was rising around her, and even though she knew it was an illusion, she couldnt help but admire it. But there was something that caught her eye.

    What is it?

    The light prevented the woman from being seen properly but Rene was strangely attracted to the figure.

 Chapter 276

    C276: Master of the Imperial Castle (1)

    What brings you here?

    Aidan looked at his teacher and asked so.

    Tracy and Iona, who were watching quietly from the side, were also surprised and asked back.

    Teacher?

    Wait a minute, Aidan. What do you mean teacher? What the hell are you talking about?

    Aidan felt that he needed to exin to his friends who had not yet grasped the situation.

    Oh, so this is the teacher who taught me anti-magic.

    As Aidan thought about how to exin, Madeline spoke up.

    This is going to be quite a long story, so why dont we go somewhere secluded?

    Aidan nodded slightly at Madelines suggestion and the four of them sat down on a nearby bench.

    Madeline was the first to speak.

    Hi, nice to meet you. Im Madeline.

    Tracy disapproved of Madeline, who greeted her with a casual smile, and Iona nodded with her usual expressionless face.

    You must be Aidans friends. Aidan, you brat, getting along with these beauties, you must be doing well these days.

    Madeline looked admirably at her disciple, who was now quite grown, and put her arms around him.

    Tracy eyebrows bent slightly upward at the sight.

    Ha ha, I dont deserve them.

    Look at this guy. Youve improved your manners since I havent seen you. Youve grown, youve grown!

    Rather than being teacher and student, they seemed like friends whove known each other for a long time and something about the twos chemistry was ufortable and hard for Tracy to bear.

    Madeline, Aidans teacher, seemed to have a good personality, didnt look that much older, and was even beautiful.

    Then Madeline nced at Tessie and asked.

    So, whats your youngdys name?

    Its Tracy Friad.

    Haha, I see. Oh, are you worried about Aidan?

    Yeah, what?

    Man, Aidan, hes got a lot of power. For a country boy who loves magic so much, hes got a pretty girl like this. Oh, are you his girlfriend?

    What do you mean, girlfriend!

    Tracys face turned red like ripe persimmons. She reminded herself that she wasnt going to say anything back to Madeline, but she quickly broke down.

    Huh? No? Youre so cute and pretty! Hey, Aidan, whats going on?

    What? What did I say?

    Rather, Tracy changed her mind when Madeline criticized Aidan.

    Oh, shes a good person.

    A girl in love was this scary. Aidan, on the other hand, let out a yelp because Madeline squeezed his head.

    Ouch, my head. More importantly, what are you doing here, teacher?

    Huh? What?

    Isnt Master always a bit of a wanderer?

    Well, it used to be like that, but its not now.

    No? Youre a teacher who likes to y and eat.

    But Madeline couldnt deny Aidans words. He was right about her actually liking to y and eat.

    Well, it was then, but its different now. I got a job.

    What?

    Is that a surprise?

    Aidan tried to say yes, but he changed his mind. Come to think of it, Madeline had a weird personality, but in terms of magical abilities, she was a first-rate mage.

    Ah, so youre out here for work then?

    No. This is just a fling.

    .

    Dont look at me like that. Im just kidding.

    Youre kidding, right?

    Half?

    Oh.

    On the contrary, half of it is real, because Im actually here for work.

    What work?

    Aidan asked purely out of curiosity and Madeline replied with a smirk at the sight.

    Thats a secret. This master has a very important job to do, and shes not allowed to talk about it to the public.

    Eh, master?

    Look at this guy, its like asking, What does master do thats so important?

    Is it okay to say that its an important task even though youre not allowed to reveal it?

    Well, as long as you dont tell me the details, it wont matter, right?

    I wonder if its really okay.

    What did you just say?

    Nothing, but Im relieved to hear you got a good job, master. I was worried you were starving on the street somewhere.

    Why would I starve?

    Actually, the first time you met me, you were nearly fainting from hunger.

    Ew! That, that was.

    Madeline broke out in a cold sweat and avoided Aidans gaze, as if remembering something from the past.

    What happened in the past?

    Tracy asked, and Aidan smirked.

    Hmm. The first time I met master was when she copsed in the street and nearly starved to death.

    .

    Tessies eyes widened and she looked back at Madeline who blushed slightly in embarrassment and didnt look up but Aidan continued.

    So I, as a child, brought you bread.

    Bread

    Yes. Thats why my teacher thanked me and told me that she would teach me magic. The magic I learned then was anti-magic.

    Tessies mouth dropped open in disbelief.

    Even Iona, who didnt often show her emotions, found the story so ridiculous that her mouth dropped open, if only slightly.

    Oh my god, a mere slice of bread caused you to learn a special type of magic? What kind of nonsense is this.?

    Hoo-hoo. Miss Tracy, its not ridiculous, actually, because I said Id teach him, but learning is a different thing.

    Madeline casually interjected, obviously having recovered her senses.

    What?

    So, what Im saying is that anti-magic isnt something that can be easily learned just because someone else teaches it to you. Your constitution and aptitude are also important, especially when ites to the [Unusual] type of magic.

    But Aidan learned it.

    Yes.

    Madeline couldnt refute so she smirked and shrugged.

    Who would have thought that the innocent country boy who offered me a piece of bread would have the aptitude to learn anti-magic?

    Uh, so what were you going to do if Aidan didnt have the aptitude?

    I was just going to say I was sorry on the outside, but on the inside I would be d I got the free bread and move on.

    This person has no intention of hiding her true feelings!

    Tracy realized again that although Aidan is no ordinary person, but his teacher Madeline is definitely not normal.

    Ha ha. Im d I have the aptitude.

    What are youughing at?

    Even Aidan wasughing softly, trying to pass it off as a thats how it was back then, which made Tracys stomach turn and her head feel dizzy.

    Then Madeline said.

    Oh,e on, look at me. I should probably get going.

    What? Youre leaving?

    I told you, I came out to work. Its almost time to go back.

    Oh.

    Dont be too sorry to see me go. If its meant to be, well meet again sometime.

    Madeline smiled, said not to worry, and turned to leave.

    Oh, by the way, Aidan.

    ?

    Before Madeline left, she gave Aidan some advice.

    Stay away from your mentor as much as possible.

    Yeah? Why?

    Something might happen but I dont know the details, so bye!

    Madeline stormed out without giving him a proper answer. She felt a few puzzled nces behind her, but she shrugged them off and moved on to a less traveled area.

    After a quick look around, Madeline pulled amunication artifact from her bosom.

    Princess, its me. Ill be returning to the imperial pce after my mission.

    She had a cold, businesslike voice,pletely different from the one shed used when speaking to Aidan.

    With those words, Madeline put themunicator back.

    * * *

    Rudger continued to roam the Imperial pce. Not alone, of course, but with the other teachers, following the directions of the imperial guides.

    The uneventful tour was interrupted by a man who appeared out of nowhere.

    Pleased to meet you, my name is Passius, one of the Imperial Guardian Knights.

    He was a handsome blond man with distinctive features that wore a neat imperial uniform, his posture stiff, and his demeanor polite.

    His light blonde hair grew below his shoulders, and the way it was tied moderately around his neck matched his mncholic smile.

    A few teachers who recognized the name Passius murmured.

    Sir Passius, if it is Passius?

    What the hell is the Royal Guard doing here?

    The Royal Guard was a title given to the best knights in the imperial court that existed to protect the most important members of the royal family.

    To the teachers who recognized him, Passius strode toward one person, asking for understanding with a smile.

    Rudger squinted his eyes because Passius wasing towards him.

    Hello.

    Passius stood in front of Rudger and greeted him with a smile.

    Do you happen to be Sir Rudger Chelici?

    Yes, Im Rudger Chelici.

    Oh, I see, its a pleasure to meet you. Im Passius, a knight in the imperial service.

    Yes, its a pleasure to meet you as well, so what can I do for you?

    There must be a purpose if they contact him in front of everyone. Passius nodded, his smile not cracking at Rudgers direct question.

    Yes, sir. Lord Rudger Chelici, if youre not too busy, I wonder if you could spare a moment?

    At the personal request from Royal Guard Passius the teachers around him were surprised again.

    Even the teachers of Theon were no match for the Royal Guard, the most powerful fighting force in the Empire.

    How could a Royal Guard invite a teacher of Theon to join him on a personal business?

    However, it was strangely understandable that Rudger Chelici was invited.

    What do you mean by asking for my time?

    Literally.

    Im sorry, but as a leading teacher, I cant take time off for personal business.

    Just as Rudger was about to offer his refusal, Passius spoke, lowering his voice just enough to be heard by Rudger.

    There is someone who would like to see you, Sir Rudger.

    .

    Passius said so and winked with one eye. As if to say, Ive said it enough, youve understood.

    In fact, Rudger realized as soon as he heard him say it, that he was silently suggesting something.

    Someone wanted to meet with him and sent a Royal Guard to notify him. It was a sign of respect, but also a sign of their high rank.

    Few people in the empire could do this.

    No, not a few, only one.

    Rudger mused.

    The fact that she had sent the Royal Guard to call for him in front of everyone meant that she had a purpose.

    Does she know who I am?

    He couldnt jump to conclusions yet.

    Rudger, as a teacher at Theon, has been making a huge sshtely.

    Given his performance in the Arcane Chamber, it was possible that he had simply been called in out of interest.

    Whatever the case, it didnt change the fact that someone high up in the Imperial family wanted to meet with him personally.

    There are too many eyes so I cant refuse.

    She wasnt the kind of person he wanted to meet, but it was hard to say no in a situation like this.

    Very well, I shall go.

    Yes. Then Ill show you around.

    As if waiting for his answer, Passius led Rudger away.

    As they walked away, the other teachers stood and watched the scene in disbelief. Some in disbelief, some in jealousy.

    They left the long hallways of the imperial pce and followed the path that Passius had led them down, eventuallying to a small garden with beautiful fountains and colorful flowers dotted thendscape, soaring topiaries and manicured trees.

    The sound of birds cries tickled their ears with a subtle scent.

    Small as it was, it was no less impressive than the vast courtyard of the Devalk imperial pce.

    I have heard many stories about Sir Rudger Chelici.

    Passius, who was walking in the lead, opened his mouth first.

    They say you showed quite a bit of magic in Theon, and youve stirred up the magical world in the Arcane Chamber this time.

    Its no big deal.

    Haha. No big deal. Do you know how many people there are in the world who cant do that? If someone else heard it, they would have been rather angry.

    I dont care. Thats what I really think.

    Youre serious.

    Passius eyes lit up at Rudgers words.

    Perhaps thats why she wants to meet you.

    As they passed by the towering topiary, a small open space appeared.

    In the center of the vacant lot, a small pavilion made of white marble stood tall, and it seemed to serve as an observatory overlooking the garden at a nce.

    And there she was.

 Chapter 277

    C277: Master of the Imperial Castle (2)

    Chapter sponsored byMaDBug.Thank you for your support.

    The woman in the gazebo was like a work of art made of nothing but beauty. Silver hair that looked like it had been woven from threads of moonlight, braided and tied into a bun.

    Clean skin without blemishes and features that show no ws.

    The overflowing beauty was so heavy that even a famous painter could not dare to try to paint it.

    She wore a dress of only two colors, gold and silver, symbolizing the sun and the moon, and even the splendor barely supported her nobility.

    As beautiful as she was, she also possessed an enormous presence that is hard to describe. Even as she sat still and sipped her tea, she exuded an indescribable charisma.

    I brought a guest as you instructed me, Princess.

    As soon as Passius spoke, her gaze shifted from one side of the garden to the other.

    Her amber eyes fixed not on the man who had called her, but on Rudger.

    You havee.

    A beautiful, powerful, clean voice. It was a voice he hadnt heard in seven years.

    First Princess Eileen von Exilion. In fact, the next emperor stared at Rudger with an emotionless gaze.

    Ordinary people would naturally bow their heads but Rudger did not shy away from that gaze. Instead, he met it head-on and stared at Eileen.

    A faint smile appeared on Eileens bored face.

    Youve brought the right person. Good work, Lord Passius.

    I just followed orders.

    While youre at it, Ill give you another order. I want to have a conversation with this person alone, so step back a little.

    Passius was taken aback by the words, but as soon as he remembered the word order, he bowed his head.

    Yes, sir.

    Passius went back the way he came and disappeared from the open space.

    Left alone, Rudger stared at Eileen, who was still sitting on the observatory.

    What are you doing, noting up?

    .

    Realizing that there was no avoiding it now that he hade this far, Rudger made his way to the observation deck where Eileen was sitting.

    [Ting-ting-ting! Ting-ting-ting!]

    Each step he took up the marble staircase made a beautiful keyboard sound.

    Magic had been carved into the marble itself, and it was designed to resonate with sweet music just by stepping on it. It was truly a space made for the high and mighty.

    The observation deck was not so high. At the top of the stairs, Rudger casually sat down in the empty chair across from Eileen.

    Cheeky guy, I havent asked you to sit down yet.

    Isnt that what you asked me to do?

    Ho-ho. Dont you know who I am?

    You are First Princess Eileen von Exilion.

    Even though you know that, you dont look down but face me confidently. Youre a man full of spirit as Ive heard.

    Eileen smiled amusedly.

    It was a beautiful smile that any man would immediately be captivated by, but Rudger did not fall for it.

    I heard you wanted to see me.

    Yes.

    May I ask why?

    Rudger asked straightforwardly because he had no intention of wasting time.

    She hadnt expected him to be so straightforward, but Eileens eyes lit up with interest.

    Why do I have to tell you?

    Her words had a lot of meanings but Rudger didnt let them sway him.

    If you dont tell me why, I wont know.

    The world calls you a genius, but is this something that even a geniuss intellect cant figure out?

    I do not consider myself a genius, which is why I do not know what the Princess intentions are.

    The words were spoken without any hesitation. It wasnt an act of humility to lower his status, but rather something he could only say because he genuinely thought so.

    Well, if youre that curious, Ill tell you. The reason isnt that grand, really, its just that the teachers of Theon are visiting the pce and I wanted to meet the rumored man myself.

    You mean the rumors?

    Yes. I have my own interests in the magical world and in Theon. Its where my dear little sister goes to school after all.

    One of Rudgers eyebrows twitched at the mention of the Third Princess Erendir.

    But I heard one persons name a lot in my ears. The creator of source code magic, the inventor of coordinate designation magic, and the one who has even seeded in increasing the amount of mana emitted.

    As she said that, First Princess Eileen added an afterthought.

    Oh, and did I say that he became the nning director of Theon?

    So you knew all that.

    I cant help but notice since its what everyone talks about. The difference is that while others may forget about it quickly, I dont.

    I dont forget.

    Rudger narrowed his eyes to the strange heat felt in Eileens words.

    You must have a pretty good memory.

    Yes, its a problem because its so good. I remember what happened seven years ago as vividly asst night.

    .

    . I have especially good eyes to see and ears to hear, so I often hear things that others dont.

    Thats not unusual, I suppose. All great minds have people like that.

    Yes, but I am not like them. Their eyes and ears are limited to their own courtyards, but I see farther.

    Eileen took another sip of tea and Rudger also naturally drank the ck tea.

    Among them, I hear a lot of strange stories that others dont know. Are you curious?

    Rudgers expression remained unchanged as he replied, his eyes seemingly piercing.

    Im not really curious.

    I find it curious that you are so uninterested in a story that others would be dying to hear. Or is it because you dont need to know?

    Im saying I dont need to know.

    What, its not a big deal. Its just the identity of a great hunter, a criminal of the century, a mysterious thief, and a legendary mercenary.

    Eileen smirked at Rudger, not even bothering to hide it now. It was as if she were asking him if he was going to go through with it.

    .

    Rudger sipped his tea wordlessly, savoring the vor, then silently ced his teacup on the table.

    In a peacefulndscape with birds chirping and warm sunshine Rudger opened his mouth quietly.

    You left out one thing.

    What are you talking about?

    He did some detective work in the middle. It wasnt that long, but it was popr among people.

    Hmm. I didnt know that.

    If you look up Eugene-Franois Vidocq, Im sure youll find some material.

    Do you have any other advice?

    All I know is that hes currently teaching magic in Theon.

    Ahahaha!

    At that, Princess Eileen held her belly andughed. It was an uncharacteristic look for a princess, but beautiful nheless.

    Now you dont even try to hide it!

    I just know that theres no point in trying any further in front of someone who already knows.

    Then why dont you cut the crap, I dont think youre the kind of man whos developed manners in seven years.

    Im a teacher at the Academy of Magic, so Im being polite in front of someone who might be the next emperor.

    Not the next emperor, but the actual emperor.

    The hooded figure running in the alleyways is now a new person.

    Isnt the shadow that used to rip and kill people being polite now?

    The two did not even think about hiding their true feelings from each other anymore.

    Eileen, who smiled as if she was having fun and with a dim gaze, asked Rudger.

    Youvee to see me because youre finally willing to serve me again?

    I did note to see you. I came on business, and you called me.

    You said you respect me, but you speak very ambiguously. Why dont you just speak casually?

    I can address you in the highest terms if necessary. Do youmand me using your authority?

    At that, Eileen waved her hand.

    Forget it. You wouldnt have run away that day if you did as you were told.

    Is that why you investigated me?

    Because I was curious as to why the man responsible for creating the next Emperor, disappeared from his lofty position.

    Youre not the emperor yet.

    Soon I will be, so why did you run away?

    Because power and fame are not what I seek.

    And yet youre quite famous now?

    Thats because I am now a teacher, Rudger Chelici.

    In fact, he didnt expect to be so famous at first, butter nned to use it to his advantage.

    Rudger didnt bother to exin it to the woman in front of him.

    A beautiful woman, but also a deadly poison, she was not to be shown anything that might suggest weakness.

    Its toote now that she knows what hes been up to.

    Were you responsible for the recent events in Leathervelk? No, I suppose not. I cant think of anything that Sir Trina wouldnt know about.

    Thats an unfair assessment.

    Rudger said so and asked stealthily.

    Since when have you noticed anything about me?

    My chess piece in Leathervelk kept failing to move forward. Since then, Ive got a hunch.

    Youre the only one who calls her a chess piece.

    So Im the pinnacle of this country.

    These were words that could onlye from someone who had never doubted her own abilities and power. Worse was that Rudger couldnt argue with the brazen deration.

    Thats why a man who once worked as a shadow dagger is no match for the imperial family.

    Didnt I tell you that I was visiting in the course of my duties as a teacher?

    Youre lying. You may fool others, but you cant fool me. You must be here for a purpose.

    Eileen had a point but even if she knew that, there was no reason for Rudger to tell her.

    Are you looking for something?

    .

    Rudger red at Eileen when she asked if he was looking for something.

    I guess I got it right.

    It seems that youre deliberately trying to figure it out even though you already know it.

    Not already. I had to work pretty hard to figure it out. It was a bit of a struggle because it had to be done in secret so that no one else would find out.

    Hard work might seem like an empty word, but knowing Eileen, Rudger was surprised to hear her say it.

    I wonder what effort youve made?

    Nothing much. I bought every piece of art from the Kunst auction house that was released, every single one.

    Eileen corrected her remarks.

    No, not every single one, because one was left out.

    .

    With the cooperation of Luke, I found a list of auction items toe out of the Kunst auction house. Andpared to the collected list, there was only one missing.

    .

    Its strange, though. Its not like it has any special powers or anything, just a missing piece with no known purpose.

    The woman in front of him, the one hed faced seven years ago, when hed first assumed his false identity knew more about him than anyone else.

    How many valuables hed robbed from the Kunst auction house.

    He even took them by all sorts of different routes, dividing them up instead of selling them in the same ce, and disposing of them over time. Still, Eileen was relentless, and she recovered it all on her own.

    It was crazy, to be honest but she did it.

    Oh, my.

    At this point, he didnt even think about getting angry.

    To be honest, he even felt relieved. He didnt have to make up lies on the fly to hide, or bother to see what the other person was really thinking.

    In a way, its a great way to have an unmasked and honest conversation.

    Well, its no big deal, its just a collection Im putting together for my own personal hobby.

    Eileen could see the intent in Rudgers eyes.

    Ha. Thats really interesting.

    Its been seven years. Not forgetting for seven years, she persistently tracked and raked in information. She thought she had the advantage, but this man showed no signs of panic. On the contrary, hes looking at her with a challenging gaze. No, its not a challenging gaze.

    Im waiting for my challenge.

    It was a real blow to Eileens pride.

    She was supposed to be the one getting all the information, holding the high ground, looking down. Instead, it was Rudger looking down.

    The Empress must have a lot of hands, then.

    Indeed.

    It was you who sent the lieutenant general to Theon Magic Festival, and you probably had him contact me on purpose to add credence to your suspicions.

    The words sent a shiver down Eileens spine but she quickly regained herposure and squinted at Rudger.

    Did you notice that, too?

    I cant say I did, since the other person acted as if they had no idea about it, so Im d you outlined it.

    It seems that it was not the privilege of only one side to be able to check the opponent in the process.

    Its no use trying to trap me with weakness, because Ill just disappear, as I did again.

    And if I try to oppress you with my strength? This is my domain. I have no fewer than three masters at my beck and call.

    Will you do it?

    Do you think I cant?

    Then do it.

    There was no worry or fear in Rudgers voice. That didnt mean to say that she wouldnt be able to call the Royal Guard. Rather, it was the other way around.

    Im not sure Id rmend it.

    Even if all of them were gathered, this man was only saying this because he was confident of fighting all of them.

    Ill leave the choice to the Princess.

    Sapphire-blue eyes stared at Eileen.

    Just like that day seven years ago.

 Chapter 278

    C278: Meeting with the Shadow (1)

    Sorry for thete release.

    What if.

    Eileen asked, parting her pink lips.

    If I ignore your warnings and use force.?

    .

    What would happen?

    Rudger thought for a moment before answering.

    Your Highness, howrge is the imperial castle?

    Why do you ask that?

    Because I need to know, so I can give you a clear answer as to whether the entire castle or only half of it will be destroyed.

    .

    Rudger calmly examined the appearance of the First Princess Eileen.

    If it were her usual self, she would have responded with a grin but now she just sat still without doing anything.

    It was as if she was trying to figure out whether his words were sincere, or not.

    Despite his outwardly nonchnt demeanor, Rudger had something to lose.

    He needed to collect the fragments of the relic and n what to do after but he had no idea how long those ns would be dyed if something happened at the pce.

    It was supposed to be within the next three years, but since bing a teacher at Theon, even that had be unclear. However, if there was a conflict with Eileen here, it would not be strange if the remaining process took more than 10 years.

    So I made a half-bluff threat to avoid being dragged around.

    He threatened to destroy half of the pce, but in fact, half of it was false.

    The pce can be destroyed but not by Rudger himself, but by his master, Grander.

    Shes in the capital and if anything happens to me, shell make the first move.

    Of course, given Granders usual behavior towards Rudger, its unlikely that she would step forward even if it were dangerous. But thats a judgment only someone who doesnt know her well could make.

    Rudger, who has lived with her for years, knows better. If his life were truly in danger, she would not hesitate to act.

    Masters very existence is a ticking time bombNo, its more like a tactical nuclear device in todays world. If she were to go on a rampage, even the Empires power would be no match for her.

    But Rudger didnt want that to happen.

    The advantage of a tactical weapon was its power. There was also a disadvantage, which was that she was too strong.

    If Grander goes wild, it would be hard for Rudger to be safe then.

    Rudger couldnt get away with it because it wasnt about bringing the game to his advantage, but about destroying itpletely.

    Its like ast resort with mutually assured destruction in mind.

    Actually, I dont want to use this method.

    It was a moment of crisis, so it was inevitable to borrow his teachers hand, but it was an honest feeling that he didnt want to cause trouble for Grander.

    Grander was like a family to Rudger, though they quarreled with each other every day.

    Rudger still remembers 20 years ago when he met Grander for the first time.

    He, Heathcliff Van Bretus, was seven years old and had fallen down a deep well pit, waiting for someone to rescue him but the boy knew that no one was going to save him.

    The boys fall to the bottom of the dry well was done by someone to kill him and he knew that there were many people involved but the boy who fell down the well didnt die.

    Whether that was a blessing or a curse, neither the boy nor the people who nned it knew but that was the end of it.

    There was no food and no water at the bottom of this well and it was only a matter of time before he died.

    The boy looked up at the moonlight above the narrow well. He knew he was going to die in that pale light, but he remained still.

    In fact, he had half given up. The assassination attempts he had endured over the past seven years had made him tired of living.

    -HoHo. I didnt think there would be anyone here.

    But perhaps fate would not allow him to die.

    The boys eyes widened at the sound of a voice that came out of nowhere.

    Someone was looking down at him from above the well. It was a red-eyed girl with long blonde hair.

    The image of the blonde girl with her back to the blue full moon was so unreal that the boy could only stare up at the sight, dumbfounded.

    The vampire looked at him and smiled, intrigued.

    -Hmm. That hair color and that smell of blood. You must be a noble of this damn country, and not just any noble.

    The girls words brought the boy to his senses. Something was wrong with this girl, from the way she spoke to the way she acted.

    -And yet here you are, abandoned and alone. Ah, so thats how it is.

    The girl realized at once what the boy had been through and she couldnt help butugh in amusement.

    -I was going to change my mind because I keep being called a devils child, a monster, and whatnot.

    With that, she descended to the bottom of the deep well spreading her red wings behind her back. She should have looked terrifying, like a bat, with wings made of blood and no feathers but the boy thought she was beautiful.

    -Youre not afraid to look at me, and even in this situation, you havent lost your grip on life.

    -I, you mean?

    -You think youve given up, but I can tell. You dont smell of death at all, but rather of clinging to life.

    With that, she grabbed the boy and took off into the sky.

    The boy hugged her tightly in the sudden feeling of floating. It was a natural reaction for a human who had never flown before.

    He could barely keep his eyes open, and his ears ached from the harsh winds rushing past them. Still, he could hear her voice clearly.

    -I have decided.

    When she was far enough away, she set the boy down on the ground.

    -Little one, I will raise you.

    -.

    -Ill feed you, Ill shelter you, Ill make you strong.

    -Why?

    The question the boy asked showed that he was no ordinary boy.

    Why would a being of her caliber want to save him and raise him?

    The boy didnt understand.

    -Think of it as a whim.

    -A whim?

    -When youve been in the world long enough, sometimes you want to do things your own way.

    -But there must be something you want from me.

    The boys words caught her off guard, and she burst outughing at the absurdity of it all.

    -Hahahaha! Youve got a good head on your shoulders already, little one. Yes, I didnt help you for no reason.

    -What do you want?

    -Dont worry. Im not asking you to pay me for raising you, or to live for me forever.

    He was about to ask her what she was thinking but Grandeur cut the boys suspicions short.

    -Well, I just want you to kill me when the timees.

    -Me?

    Yeah, you dont know yet, but you have the power to do that. If you use it, you can definitely kill me.

    The girls bright red eyes pointed at the boy.

    What do you say? Do you promise?

    -.

    That was the first meeting between Rudger and Grander.

    It was a vampire, a spawn of the devil, who saved the boy from being abandoned by a follower of God.

    For the next 13 years, Rudger traveled the world with Grander. He learned from her, received her teachings, and gained her wisdom.

    Because of her selfish nature, they had a lot of trouble. Sometimes they fought and sometimes they didnt speak to each other. Nevertheless, she was Rudgers teacher, her mother, the one who helped him survive in this world.

    That would never change, even after all these years.

    So rather than causing trouble for her.

    Rudgers momentum was very slight, but Eileen noticed that it had changed. She immediately smiled and shook her head.

    Dont stare at me like that. Its an unavoidable reaction to the immutable truth of beauty.

    I didnt say anything.

    You said it with your eyes.

    To put it mildly Eileens used humor to change the mood. It was an offer of reconciliation and not escting things to armed conflict.

    Its time to step back.

    Eileen was quite hurt, but she knew it was time to step down.

    As the supreme leader of the current Empire, it was impossible to lose to a teacher who has hidden his identity but Eileen wasnt one of those fools who let their position get the better of them.

    She had eyes to see. Eyes that saw the current, eyes that saw the opposition and eyes that saw the flow. Eyes everywhere.

    She also had a natural instinct for crisis, and a rational mind that could analyze with certainty when to go for it and when to back off.

    All of that has gotten her to where she is today and now, her senses were telling her to stop here.

    Eileen didnt waste that warning. The moment she sensed Rudgers difort, however fleeting, she felt a chill run down her spine.

    Destroying the imperial pce were not empty words.

    Eileen casually stroked her free forearm. There were goosebumps on the skin inside the soft arm coat made of pure silver color.

    Eileen was disappointed. Shed thought shed finally found someone worthy of her, but he still seemed unwilling to be caught.

    He was a mirage, right there in front of her, but if she reached out he would vanish.

    Which makes me want him even more.

    With this man at her side, the Thousand-Year Empire would achieve its greatest golden age ever. Knowing that, she could not give up, even if she had to retreat for now.

    For now, Eileen decided to settle for seeing the man she had been hunting for the past seven years face to face.

    Thats it for the jokes.

    Rudger stared at her calmly as her mood changed rapidly.

    I called you because of whats been going on in the capital recently.

    Does this have anything to do with why you summoned the Knights of Cold Steel and the Nightcrawlers?

    Eileen nodded.

    He must have seen it on the way, so there was no need to exin this part.

    As you know, there have been reports of a suspicious group infiltrating the capital, though it hasnt been that long, and Ive sent men to search the neighborhood in hopes of catching them unaware, but Ive noticed something strange.

    What do you mean?

    I heard reports that they had certainly entered the capital, but there was no sign of them anywhere in the city.

    .

    Not only did the mysterious group show up, but they disappeared after only a few days. The words didnt quite make sense.

    Is it possible that they slipped out of the capital again?

    The moment we heard they had gotten in, we increased security at all the gates leading outside.

    So youre saying that if they got out, you would know about it.

    Exactly.

    And the fact that we havent heard from them yet means.

    Rudger guessed, and Eileen said the answer.

    Thats right. Theyre still inside the capital.

    And thats why you called the knights, just in case.

    Yes.

    And why did you call me here personally to meet with you.

    Partly to catch up with you after all these years, but also because I need your help.

    Eileen stared at Rudger with a steady, unwavering gaze. Her clear amber eyes held an intense determination.

    Rudgers eyes closed and opened as if hed expected this.

    I take it this is a request.

    Yes. Just as I asked you that day, seven years ago.

    And what will you reward me with?

    I will open the Imperial Treasury and allow you toe out of there with any three things you want.

    The Imperial Treasury?

    Rudger asked as if he didnt expect the reward to be this big.

    Instead of answering, Eileen nodded firmly, signaling her determination.

    The royal familys report is a forbidden ce where no one is known to have entered recklessly. No one knew whaty within, and since no outsider had ever been inside, no information was known.

    It was a ce full of unknowns.

    Rumor had it that it held something like a 500-year-old holy sword.

    Eileen offered to open it up and let them take what they wanted. That meant she thought highly of Rudgers abilities.

    It must be a dangerous assignment for the reward to be this great.

    Rudger knew Eileen well.

    She was very clear about her work and her life. She rewards people when they perform to her standards. The reward is so deserved that there is really nothing to add and nothing to subtract.

    With that perfect calction, she decided to open the Imperial Treasury.

    The enemy must have dug deep into the capital, even beyond the reach of the imperial family.

    Even if he refuses this request, Rudger himself will also be caught up in the process.

    Since he was going to do it anyway, he might as well get paid for it. It was also a legitimate way to obtain the Relic fragment thaty within the Imperial Treasury.

    Honestly, its eptable.

    Rudger nced at Eileen. She might think she was hiding it, but he could tell that she was getting nervous, if only slightly.

    Shes afraid that he might reject her.

    For all her pretense of strength, shes no better than she was seven years ago.

    Rudger smirked inwardly.

    Ill ept.

    Eileens expression softened slightly at his answer, as if relieved.

    Anyone else would have done it, but to have Rudger step up, she felt relieved.

    Im relieved to hear that youre willing to ept the request.

    So what else do you have to tell me?

    My loyal servant will be back soon with news.

    A loyal servant?

    There she is, just in time.

    As Eileen spoke, Rudger felt a figure approaching the gazebo in the garden.

    Rudger turned and saw the figure, which was also approaching urgently.

    Princess, Im hereeek?!

    Madeline?

    . Rudger narrowed his eyes and stared at her.

    Madeline looked at Rudger, too, and herplexion turned pale and she shuddered.

    C, why are you here?!

    Then why are you here?

    Rudger red at Madeline with suspicious eyes since she was a member of the ck Ops Alpha team that had once been involved in the coup.

    The same Alpha team that Rudger hadpletely dismantled.

 Chapter 279

    C279: Meeting with the Shadow (2)

    The moment Madeline saw Rudger, she was as stuck as a frog in front of a snake.

    In a way, it was a natural reaction. This man was Jack the Ripper, who wiped out all the ck Ops she belonged to seven years ago.

    How could she forget?

    Madelines mission is to gather information about Rudgers past identities under the orders of First Princess Eileen but in her role, Madeline couldnt help but be clueless.

    Answer me, Madeline. Why are you here?

    As Rudger squinted his eyes and said so, Madelines body trembled like a thorn. The fear of that day remained like a scar deep in Madelines bones.

    As Rudgers momentum grew sharper, it was none other than Eileen, who lent a helping hand.

    Stop. Shes my loyal subordinate now, so I hope you wont press the matter anymore.

    Rudger realized he had been too sharp and pulled back. He couldnt help but scold Eileen.

    Embracing someone who turned against you, thats not the kind of courage you usually have.

    Normally, I wouldnt have, but Madeline is an unusual character. Im intrigued, so Im keeping her.

    Rudger nodded in agreement at the mention of unusual.

    Team ck Ops is a group of covert specialists who will stop at nothing to aplish their mission. Kidnapping, ckmail, torture, and murder are part of their daily routine.

    As a result, Team ck Ops is mostlyposed of psychopaths or people who show very little emotion, barely human, except for their loyalty.

    Madeline was an exception. She had a lighthearted attitude that doesnt take orders seriously. A coward who prefers not to fight, even though she has anti-magic that gives her a ridiculous advantage against wizards.

    Madeline has an unusual temper that makes people wonder why she was in the ck Ops at all.

    I remember that when you faced me you begged for your life.

    Ugh!

    Madelines shoulders slumped as Rudger brought up the past.

    Ho-ho. Did it happen to you too?

    No, not again?

    Same thing. When I came to nip the coup in the bud, you knelt before her and threw your hands up in the air.

    Eileen remembered that day.

    Madeline raised her hands and said, as soon as she saw Eileen, who was mixed among her pursuers.

    -I surrender, I surrender, just let me live!

    The pursuers, who had been nervous when they heard that she was from ck Ops Team Alpha, lost all will to fight at the sight of her stupidity. That included Eileen, who was about to bring down her mace mercilessly. She was so ridiculous that Eileen didnt even think about killing her.

    Rudger thought back to seven years ago. Back then, Madeline had surrendered the moment she saw Rudger.

    She had cowered in the corner while the rest of the ck ops team had tried to fight him.

    Yes, it was then.

    She was lying on the ground begging for her life in such an ugly way that even Rudger wondered what was going on.

    But thats why Madeline is still alive today.

    Well, maybe once upon a time, but now shes my faithful dog. Dont worry.

    But mydy Im not a dog, am I?

    Dont you like it? I can take you off the leash and make you a wild dog again.

    Madeline looked thoughtful and shook her head vigorously as Eileen gave her an eerie re.

    Ah, no, how could I not, just give me orders, I am the Princess loyal dog, hehe.

    .

    Looking at the way Eileen squeezed Madelines hand, Rudger felt that she was being pitiful rather than being amused.

    More than that, I wanted to ask her how she managed to teach Aidan anti-magic.

    But now it wasnt a good time to broach the subject.

    Now that I know that Madeline, who thought she would be wandering around the world, has be a hound under the direct control of Eileen, there will be another opportunityter.

    So, Madeline. Any news?

    Eileen immediately got to the point because she didnt call Madeline to chat.

    Madeline also had a serious look on her face and told her the news she had found out.

    Yes, I followed their traces as you told me toIt has been confirmed that they are still inside the capital.

    Inside the capital? I thought we searched everywhere, but we must have missed something.

    Thats what she said, but Eileen responded as if she already knew the answer. It was the same with Rudger, who was listening with her

    An underground aqueduct.

    Yes.

    Madeline nodded, confirming their guess.

    I followed their trail into the underground capital, but I decided it was impossible to go further, so I turned back.

    Oh, impossible?

    Eileen asked interestingly at Madelines honest report.

    Madelines usual words and actions seemed to be not very reliable, but her skills were real. She didnt parachute (got in through connections) into ck ops, and she didnt get lucky when she learned anti-magic.

    She just has a weird personality, but in terms of pure skill and ability, Madeline is definitely one of the best.

    If she said so, it was clear that the capitals underground had already be theirir.

    Was it impossible to infiltrate? Why?

    Theres surveince everywhere, so the only ce I could get in without being spotted was near the entrance.

    Hmm. I didnt send you there to fight, but told you to spy on them, so thats enough.

    Now that they know the enemy was underground, thats a win.

    Rudger, who had been listening to the conversation in silence, spoke up.

    I thought I could finally get a rest, but it seems my timing was bad.

    Youve got a way with words that even a passing child wouldnt believe, so what are you going to do now?

    Wait.

    When Eileen asked that, Rudger lifted his head as if waiting for something.

    It was a puzzling moment for Eileen, too but in the distance, something ck and whitish flew toward them. It was arge crow.

    A crow?

    But to Rudgers surprise, the crow had a note tied to its ankle.

    Rudger held out his hand, and the crow casuallynded on his forearm.

    Oh.

    Madeline, watching from the sidelines, gasped in admiration. The sight of Rudger casually reaching out and calling to the crow was like watching a masterpiece.

    Of course, its a funny thing to think about when the man in question was a freak of nature who nearly killed her.

    Still, scary was scary, and cool was cool.

    Well done.

    When Rudger said so while collecting the letter brought by the crow, the crow cried once and flew back up.

    Thats amazing. Did you know how to call a bird?

    Its not me, its my subordinate.

    Rudger replied, quickly skimming through the letter. Then, with an impromptu st of magic, he burned it to ashes.

    Eileen, seeing the spectacle, asked in a blunt tone.

    Why read it alone?

    Its just that I have a habit of paying attention to security.

    Is there something I shouldnt know about?

    Not really.

    Ho-ho. And yet you burned the letter in front of me? Thats an attitude worth emting, and one I wish my men would learn.

    Uh, really?

    Madeline asked innocently from the side, and Eileen red at her.

    She gave her a look that said, Are you clueless? and Madelines shoulders slumped in defeat.

    So what did the letter say? Youre not just going to pass it off, are you?

    It says that theres something underground, something huge.

    Something huge?

    Yes. Like, an unimaginably huge nt.

    Eileens eyes narrowed at the mention of a giant nt.

    * * *

    Ha, Mr. Hans. Did you send it right?

    Of course. By now, he must have received my letter.

    In a huge underground facility in Lindebrugne Hans and Bruna moved silently through the darkness of the underground capital.

    Still, its interesting. I knew the capital wasrge, but I didnt realize it was so deep underground.

    Hans frowned as he remembered the intricate pathways. Hed gotten a map of the interior, but the paths were so convoluted, he wasnt sure he was moving in the right direction.

    Even rats, Hanss strong suit, were nowhere to be seen around here. They were all too afraid to approach.

    This is no ordinary sewer. Its much deeper than that, and a bit more sophisticated.

    Hans muttered as he looked around and Bruna nodded in agreement.

    I know its called the Millennium Empire, but I didnt expect the underground to be soplex and huge.

    Buildings cant rise above a certain height over the ages, but the ground can be dug up and dug down over and over again. Judging by theck of maintenance, its practically an abandoned area. Its unheard of for the Empire to have such a facility.

    It was strange that rats did not enter these abandoned ces.

    The ce where the two are now is deeper than the underground waterway. It was an abandoned underground facility that had once been used as an underground waterway, but was no longer in use.

    And that thing we saw on the way in. Were they the roots of a giant tree? Do you know anything about them?

    The roots of a giant, twisted tree that Hans had seen as he entered the facility were something he had never seen before.

    How can there be a tree underground when theres a city above?

    Hanss question was a natural one.

    Bruna pondered his question, then spoke up.

    I cant think of any trees that big, to be honest.

    No, youre an elf, why dont you know that?

    Eh, not all elves know about trees, and since I dont, Im learning!

    Such an elf tried to use me as a guinea pig?

    Thats part of the getting-to-know-you process.

    Is that so?

    Dont worry. Mr. Hans is no ordinary man, so youll be fine.

    Thats apliment, right?

    Thats why I think its okay to be rough with you again and again.

    Thats apliment, right?!

    As they walked along the road, they came across another giant tree root. It was shriveled and faded, more ivory than dark brown.

    Hanss expression grew grave as he realized it was sticking up through one of the walls of the aqueduct system.

    We walked a lot, right?

    Probably?

    But the fact that its sticking out on this side too.

    That means the roots are quiterge.

    Do you think these roots are normal?

    To be honest, theyre definitely not normal.

    So you still dont have a clue? Are you an elf?

    Elves dont know everything.

    Bruna retorted, still staring at the tree roots through her orange bushy hair.

    This.

    No matter how you look at it.

    The two opened and closed their mouths at the same time, then stared at each other.

    What is it, tell me.

    Didnt Hans notice it?

    Actually, it urred to me a little while ago, but Id rather not say anything. Ill defer to the elf, who is an expert on nts.

    You treat me like an elf only at times like this, right?

    Only at times like this.

    Bruna was no good at arguing, so she sighed and walked over to the root.

    This, no matter how you look at it, looks like that.

    What is it?

    The source of our elves. World demand.

    Bruna stared at the wall where the root protruded and beyond it, where the source of these rootsy.

    Crunch!

    A strange sound came from somewhere and Bruna looked back at Hans, and Hans looked back at her.

    What?

    What?

    Didnt you just make that noise?

    I thought it was your stomach.

    What do you mean, dont set me up. How does a mans stomach sound like an animal?

    Then, as an elf, does it make sense for me to make animal noises?

    Crrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

    .

    .

    Both of them shut their mouths at the same time then looked at the passage from which they came from.

    Through the faint light in the distance, they could see a shadowy figureing toward them.

    Run!

    Hans and Bruna fled at the same time, neither of them knowing what to do.

    * * *

    Princess, is there something underground in the capital?

    ording to the reports Hans had received, there were things like tree roots underground along with huge structures. It didnt make sense that something like that would be underground in the thriving capital but it was unlikely that Hans would have lied in a letter.

    All things considered, Hans was telling the truth about the underground facilities and giant roots.

    Theres something more under the underground water.

    .

    There is something and Princess Eileen was dimly aware of it.

 Chapter 280

    All right, lets take a break.

    Caroline Monarch, who had been evaluating the students in between, soon gave them free time in front of the workshop street.

    The workshop street was a tourist attraction where mechanical engineering objects were mainly produced with Magic Engineering. It was also a ce where tourists bought a lot of souvenirs, as there were more cute mechanical items than industrial ones.

    Take your time.

    Caroline was a mentor who would evaluate the students scores but she was also an alumni of Theon, so she was flexible in this regard. There was a lot to see in the workshop district, so the time allotted was generous.

    Maybe now.

    Aidan was hopeful that this would be a chance to mend fences with Leo.

    Tracy is.

    Not far away, Tracy was seen with her red hair tied in pigtails. She was looking at the things in front of the stalls with Iona.

    He felt bad calling out to her as her eyes lit up with interest. Still, he had more important things to do right now, and was about to call Tracy over.

    What?

    Leo was caught making suspicious movements in the corner of Aidans view.

    Leo?

    Leo sneaked out quietly and went into the alley. His behavior was cautious, but the look on Leos face told him something was up.

    Aidan wondered what to do.

    If he called Tracy now, he wouldnt be able to chase after Leo, who was already gone. And if he went after Leo on his own, he knew Tracy would be upset.

    Maybe.

    The moment he hesitated, Leo would be gone and Aidan had a gut feeling that if he lost him here, hed never see him again.

    He didnt know why but for now, Aidan decided to trust his instincts and he quickly followed Leo into the alleyway.

    * * *

    .

    Eileen didnt answer Rudgers question quickly enough.

    Youre not going to answer me.

    Rudger realized that Eileen was weighing a lot of things in her head. Perhaps she wanted to take control of the situation, so she wasnt sure whether to speak up or not.

    If were going to be working together, we shouldnt be hiding anything from each other.

    .

    When Rudger said that, Eileen stared at him in disbelief.

    Rudger realized that hed said something pretty brazen, but he decided to be even more irond.

    Theres no telling what our enemies might do if we hesitate now.

    Whoo.

    Eileen eventually had no choice but to give up when he emphasized thatpletion of work was more important than personal feelings. Nevertheless she nced at Rudger to show that she was still unhappy but Rudger decided to make a concession instead.

    Instead, Ill share what I know.

    I understand.

    A transaction in which there is a give and take, not a unteral concession by either party.

    In this case neither party was taking advantage of the other and Eileen finally relented.

    So whats underneath the capital?

    I dont know exactly.

    Rudger narrowed his eyes at the words that came out of Eileens mouth. It made even less sense when he realized she wasnt saying it to pick on him, but because she genuinely didnt know.

    Eileen lifted her teacup in an archaic fashion.

    How old do you think the Empire is?

    Ive heard that the Exilion Empire has been around for a thousand years, so it must be at least that long.

    Yes. A thousand years. That is a long time. A thousand years that mere mortals can only think of as eternity. Thats a lot of history.

    Eileen smiled, but then shook her head.

    But the history of the Empire is actually shorter than that. Less than five hundred years have actually passed since the First Emperor founded the Empire.

    Thats a long time, too.

    Long, but not a thousand years. Do you know what happened in the five hundred years, before the founding of the Exilion Empire?

    Rudger pondered, then shook his head. Even with his vague knowledge of history, he had never heard of a ce before the Exilion Empire.

    Its strange, now that I think about it.

    Why do people think the Empire is a thousand years old?

    ording to Eileen the Empire is 500 not 1000 years old. The scale is toorge to simply inte it.

    Its hard to see it as a mistake, because historians basically only record facts that dont involve self-interest.

    Even you think that something is wrong.

    .

    Rudgers expression became quite serious at Eileens words.

    Listen, this is a story that only a few people know, including you and my faithful dog.

    Uh, me too?

    Rudger opened his ears, ignoring Madeline, who asked back stupidly.

    What Eileen was about to say would be the truth, lifting the veil of lies that had beenid down on the continent.

    The worlds version of the empires thousand-year history is a lie. In truth, the Empire has only been around for five hundred years, and before that, it was nothing more than an session of another ce.

    Session? I dont think thats possible on a country-by-country basis.

    Its not really a session, but thats what it looks like to me, because you get rid of an existing country and put a new one on top of it.

    Thats amazing. Is that actually possible?

    Possibility aside, Ive seen the imperial archives, so I only have a vague idea. I dont know about the people, but all of the major figures in the royal family at that time were eliminated.

    You mean to tell me that there were peoplewho could manipte the leading figures of a nation like that?

    That was even more unbelievable but Eileen seemed to have a hint of a clue.

    Not now, but 500 years ago when science wasnt developed and social awareness was almost nonexistent. Dont you think so?

    Yes, thats how those times were.

    Rudger nodded.

    The world in the 19th century when magic and science developed excessively ispletely different from how it was 500 years ago.

    A time of superstition, faith, and barbarism when reason did not exist, thats how the Middle Ages were.

    And then there were those who wielded the greatest influence on a continental scale. A nation, to be exact.

    the Holy Land of Bretus.

    Rudger was at a loss.

    Yes. The Kingdom of Bretus, the headquarters of the Order of Lumensis and a group of believers in the Lord Lumensis. They even had the right to depose the king at the time. Well, what it all boils down to is that the facilities that now lie beneath the imperial aqueduct predate the history of this empire.

    The legacy of the former kingdom that existed before the establishment of the Exilion Empire and was not known to the world but the sheer size of the facility beneath the underground aqueduct was far toorge for the sewers of a mere medieval kingdom five hundred years ago.

    Rudger thought there was more to it.

    Its almost as if the vestiges of a long history are still alive and well in the capitals underground.

    Yes. Ordinarily, these things would have crumbled with the passing of time, but apparently the rats got in there first and made a nest.

    Then what do you think the giant nt is?

    I dont know. I only know that theres some sort of giant facility underneath the capital, and that its a legacy of a kingdom long gone, but nothing else.

    It was only recently that Eileen learned about it.

    Ill be honest, it hurts my pride. Im supposed to be the next emperor, but to think that there are still things about this country that I dont know about. Its insulting.

    Im surprised the rats hiding out in the capital know about such a secret facility. Arent the Liberation Army terrorists, after all?

    .

    Eileens eyes changed.

    How can you know that when I havent said anything yet?

    Rudger opened his mouth as if it were no big deal.

    Because theyre the only ones whove been making movestely.

    I know. You said you had ears to hear, so its no wonder you know.

    The self-proimed Liberation Armys terrorist activities were quite troublesome, but it was not enough for them to know about the hidden facilities under the capital. However, the Liberation Army hid in the capital and immediately went to the underground facility.

    You mean there may be a third force that provided them with information.

    Yes.

    And Rudger recognized the third faction as the ck Dawn Society.

    He was half sure, but he didnt bother to tell Eileen. They werent close enough to share information about the ck Dawn yet.

    But as far as unknown forces go, the immediate threat is the rats lurking down there.

    Yes, but that doesnt mean we can send in troops right away.

    Eileen said in an annoyed voice, letting go of the cup in her hand.

    We dont know how much theyve grown their power in the underground facilities while theyve been out of sight. Besides, there are probably traps down there, and its a waste of manpower to send people down there blindly.

    Unless you know what your opponent is preparing inside, there are no guarantees, even if you send in knights or wizards.

    If you touch it for nothing, it will be like stirring up a hos nest and that was a problem, too.

    Id rather it be an all-out war, then I wont have to be so careful about them hiding under my feet.

    So thats why you called in the knights.

    Cold Steel forged in the snowy mountains of the North and the Nightcrawlers, rooting out the seeds of evil from the shadows of the Empire.

    The fact that she had assembled two such elite groups beyond the usual knights was further evidence that Eileen was considering the situation carefully.

    If they moved, they could minimize the damage.

    Even thats not enough. If we dont know what theyre doing down there, we can only be more careful.

    Eileens gaze shifted from the tranquility of the artificial park to Rudger.

    Thats why I need your help, your ability to infiltrate the enemy, no matter where they hide, andplete the mission.

    I understand.

    Rudger had a vague idea that something was going to happen, but he hadnt expected it to be this big of a deal. But havinge this far, its impossible to say no.

    There are too many students in the capital right now to let this go unnoticed.

    Theyre probably going to try to make a move on them.

    Simultaneous, indiscriminate attacks against students and civilians.

    Im sure youll pay me well.

    Eileen smiled in satisfaction at his words. A beautiful, regal smile that could mesmerize anyone.

    The Liberation Army will probably make their move today or tomorrow at the earliest.

    Why?

    Because the students of Theon and the leading figures of the Tower are here.

    Indeed. Killing all of them would certainly do a lot of damage, so its an opportunity they cant pass up. But the people from the Tower are sixth-rank wizards, and I dont see how the Liberation Army can do anything about them.

    The wizard has a spell called [silence of fire], a spell that gives you an absolute advantage against firearms unless your opponent is a wizard or knight.

    In modern warfare, where firearms were developed, it was a fraudulent magic that overturned the game itself.

    The Liberators would have elite forces, but even then, they would be nothingpared to the people gathered in the capital now.

    That would have been true in the old days, but things have changed. Theyll be using special gunpowder.

    Special gunpowder. If the word speciales out of your mouth, it must not be ordinary.

    Yes.

    Thats the information you were going to give me?

    Rudger nodded and told her what he knew.

    The gunpowder they use is unaffected by the [silence of fire].

    Unaffected by the [silence of fire]?

    Its literally gunpowder uninhibited by magic, so they can use firearms just fine.

    Thats a little dangerous.

    Eileen wondered how this man knew something she didnt know.

    How long have you known about this?

    I know it was prepared by the Delica Kingdom three years ago.

    Three years.

    And based on thatment, it seemed likely that Rudger knew something else.

    I thought I caught up but it was my own illusion.

    Eileen felt a strange, indescribable sensation.

    It was as if this man, so clearly in front of her, was a shadow that could vanish at any moment.

    She didnt know if it was an illusion, or if she was seeing something else but one thing was certain, though: the wielder of this terrifying ability was on her side, at least for now.

    More than that, are your men okay? You dont know whats underground.

    Rudger thought for a moment, then nodded.

    Itll be alright. One of them is a coward, but I have a decent person attached to him.

    It wasnt exactly a person but an elf.

 Chapter 281

    Chapter sponsored byHead_Snapss.Thank you for your support.

    Run! Itsing after us!

    Hans and Bruna ran hard through the underground waterways. In fact, it was more urate to say that he was carrying her.

    The facility was so intricate that it might as well be called an undergroundbyrinth. Everywhere looked the same, so it was hard to tell if this was a new path or the old one.

    If it was, it should be easy to outrun, but their pursuer showed no signs of letting up. The creature, which seemed to be a mishmash of several beastly forms, chased Hans and Bruna relentlessly.

    Holy shit!

    Hans was horrified at the sight of it.

    No matter how he looked at it, the creature, which could only be a cryptid, was horrifying.

    A cut or bite from one of its ws was instant death. Even more terrifying was the fact that the moment was slowly and inexorably approaching.

    No matter how much he iled his legs, he couldnt escape the four-legged beast.

    In the end, do I have to use the teeth?

    As Hans was seriously considering turning into a beast to fight to the death hanging from Hans shoulder, Bruna tugged hard on the back of his shirt.

    Wait! Stop!

    What, what are you doing!

    Hans asked, stunned by Brunas sudden halt, but instead of answering, she raised her hand and pointed to the creature charging toward them.

    Thats it, thats it, thats it!

    Whatever it is, lets just run away!

    No. We dont have to.

    What?

    If that was just a cryptid, Id be frozen in fear, too, but look.

    Look at what?

    Hans gave her a look that made Bruna stomp her foot in frustration.

    Thats not a cryptid, its a chimera!

    Gone was her usual sullen demeanor, and she was now filled with anticipation, glee, and enthusiasm.

    A chimera?

    Hans thought hard when he heard the word chimera. It was a familiar word.

    With his familiarity with the information from the Underworld, he immediately recalled what a chimera was.

    A chimera was an artificial creature created by a warlock, a biological weapon thatbines the best of many creatures. But chimeras, at least the ones Hans knew, were ragged images of flesh and leather stitched together. Or rather, they were mismatched puzzle pieces forced together to form a picture.

    Depending on the warlocks level of skill, the difference could be significant, but at least this one wasnt like any chimera Hans had ever seen.

    It resembled a tiger on all fours, but with razor-sharp spikes running along the spine of its back. Its two-pronged tail was as long as a whip, with a cluster of blunt spines like those on its back looked more like a mace than a tail.

    Anyone looking at it would think of a cryptid rather than a chimera.

    The creatures appearance was so harmonious that there was no sense of disparity but Bruna was different.

    Her intelligent eyes picked up on every subtle w and inconsistency in the creature.

    Boom!

    The chimera had gotten within striking distance and lunged with its razor-sharp teeth.

    It had two rows of teeth that resembled shark teeth. The bite wasnt just painful, it was instant death.

    Aah! Hans screamed.

    At that moment, Bruna moved. Quicker than the charging chimera, she grabbed a ss reagent vial from her arm and threw it at its feet.

    Bang!

    The ss vial shattered and the reagent inside scattered to the ground. At the same time, the seeds inside the reagent shriveled up and expanded like a firecracker.

    Hanss eyes widened. The tiny seed had grown in size in an instant, sending out fearsome vines in all directions andpletely trapping the charging chimera.

    It took less than a second for that to happen and the chimeras sharp teeth stopped right in front of Brunas nose. A second toote, and it could have ripped her throat out.

    Instead, Bruna looked at the chimeras even teeth without fear.

    You have this level of skill?

    The Bruna Hans knew was a sullen, drug-addled elf.

    She made asting impression on Hans because she shattered his illusions about the nobility of the elves and always saw herself as a test subject.

    Brunas reagent-making skills were extraordinary. She even helped create the drugs that Rudger consumes. However, Hans assessment was that she would not be helpful inbat. At least until he saw the sight a while ago.

    Capturing a chimera of that size so quickly. Did brother knew about this and send her along?

    Hans had known Bruna for some time but he had never seen her in action. Of course, he had no way of knowing what she was really capable of.

    She was a fellow U.N Owen executive but he knew nothing about her. Hans was suddenly ashamed of himself.

    That automaton kid who disappeared and I thought was dead was still alive and well. Why do I know so little?

    Hans grumbled to himself, but he was happy to have Bruna with him.

    Anyway, good job, lets run before it escapes!

    What? Why are you running away?

    Because its dangerous.

    What do you mean its dangerous? Look at him. Hes so calm.

    Bruna giggled and pointed at the chimera. Her stuttering had lessened but her grim smile was the same.

    Hans stared at the chimera that was ring at Bruna with bloodshot eyes. It looked like it wouldnt mind tearing through that vine right now and taking a bite out of Bruna.

    What do you mean, quiet? It looks dangerous no matter how I look at it.

    Its all right, its all right.

    What do you mean its okay? A chimera is dangerous.

    No, its the other way around. If it was a cryptid, Id be scared too, to be honest, but a chimera is different, because hes made, right?

    What?

    Hans asked back because Brunas words were difficult to understand.

    If its made, its not scary, its even cute. Look at it, this beautiful thing. Its a work of art!

    If the opponent is an unknown, its scary but if the opponent is created, it is no longer an object to be feared, was what Bruna was saying.

    What the hell.

    Hans was about to say something when he saw the sparkle in Brunas eyes and couldnt help but realize.

    I knew she was crazy, but shes crazier than I ever imagined!

    While Hans was still in awe, Bruna walked over to the chimera and took out a vial of reagents.

    Hehehe. Here, let me check out my little cuties body.

    Just as she had done with Hans, Bruna approached the chimera.

    The fierce chimera screamed and struggled as if it sensed some sort of danger, but the vines that bound it didnt budge.

    About ten minutester.

    Crazy.

    Hans paled at the sight of thepletely dismembered chimera in front of Bruna.

    After 10 minutes of watching the gruesome dismemberment with his own two eyes, his head started to hurt.

    Youve got to be kidding me, I thought Id seen a lot of ugly.

    Thats when Bruna looked back at Hans and smiled wryly.

    Its a shame, because one doesnt tell the whole story.

    She even smiled, and the sight of the chimeras green fluid sttered across her face heightened Hanss terror fivefold.

    Hans swallowed hard.

    I will never, ever, ever get involved with that elf!

    It was then that in the distance another chimera cry was heard. It wasing toward them at breakneck speed and it wasnt just one but at least three.

    Hanss expression turned grim, while Brunas face brightened, as if she couldnt be happier.

    Did you hear that? New cuties areing!

    Cute Uh, well. I think so.

    He had been afraid of the chimeras until a while ago, but at this moment, Hans sympathized with the uing ones.

    Oh, Mr. Hans, would you like to try these teeth? Do you know? It might turn into a chimera.

    Ohe on. Put it away!

    * * *

    Anyway, I dont need to worry about my men, theyll take care of themselves.

    Youve got some pretty useful limbs.

    Because you cant take on the world alone.

    Thats a funny thing to say, since youve been alone all this time. So, if youre going to move, when are you going to move?

    If I didnt know any better, Id go right now, since I already know everything.

    Rudgers reason foring to the imperial court was to see if he could somehow steal the Relics fragments. But now that he had the chance to get it the rightful way, there was no point in remaining in the pce.

    Eileen knew that, too. Therefore, she nced at Rudger with a sulky face as if she was a little dissatisfied.

    Still, it seems a bit hasty to end this reunion after seven years.

    Its not like we were that close anyway.

    Rudger held his ground, knowing that Eileen hadnt given up on trying to recruit him.

    Our rtionship was just business.

    It coulde across as insincere, but neither Rudger, who was saying it, nor Eileen, who was listening, took it seriously.

    Yes, I understand.

    Eileen decided not to solicit Rudger any further, as she had to deal with the rat infestation in the capitals underground for now.

    She was disappointed, but she didnt dwell on it. Now that she knew Rudger was working in Theon, shed be seeing him more often.

    Of course, if she bes too much of a nuisance, he will not hesitate to abandon his current identity and leave but he couldnt live a false life forever because Rudger was showing his real face right now.

    I dont know how I ended up using my real face, but I wont be able to live in disguise for the rest of my life.

    Eileen was willing to let it go for now.

    There will be plenty of opportunities in the future.

    This wasnt the only opportunity. There would be manyter.

    When the other side would never notice and she would be fully prepared. Then she would have the greatest sword of all.

    Yes, go ahead. Passius will guide you again. It would be helpful if we moved together.

    You mean the Royal Guard?

    Are you dissatisfied?

    I amfortable alone.

    I thought you said you couldnt do it alone.

    .

    There you go. Im not sticking you with Passius because you have an agenda. Hes a Royal Guard, after all, and hell be of great use to you in your endeavors. So if you want to treat him like a dog, treat him like a dog.

    When she said so, Rudger agreed without further ado.

    Rudger nced at Madeline before leaving.

    Heh, heh.

    Madeline smiled awkwardly at Rudger and waved. It wasnt like her to show a friendly smile to someone who had tried to kill her in the past.

    She and Aidan are quite the pair.

    Rudger descended from the observation deck, intending to ask herter how they met.

    As he retraced his steps, he saw Passius waiting.

    He spotted Rudger and greeted him with a bright smile.

    Youre here. Have you finished the conversation with the First Princess?

    Yes.

    Youre not reacting well, which is understandable. You know how stubborn and unyielding the First Princess usually is.

    Rudger looked at Passius in surprise. Somehow he had gotten the impression that this man was loyal to a fault, that he would be high-minded in such matters.

    Passius must have sensed it, because heughed softly.

    Haha. I swear loyalty to the Imperial Family, but Im the kind of person who says what needs to be said. Im not without a bit of a personal grudge, actually. The First Princess treats me a bit too roughly.

    I see.

    So what did the First Princess say? I have a feeling she wanted you to take me along for the ride.

    Passius already knew everything about Rudgers rough identity and his current situation. It was rather strange if the First Princess right-hand man and royal guard would not know.

    You know that, and yet you smile at me.

    There was no change in her demeanor from when he first spoke to him.

    The First Princess told me to treat Sir Passius like a dog.

    Hahaha, youre funny.

    .

    .

    Rudger stared wordlessly, and Passius dropped his shoulders.

    You werent kiddingso what are you going to do?

    Lets go.

    He was personally vouched for by the First Princess, so while he might not be a reliable ally, he would not be a hindrance.

    When Rudger gave his permission, Passius walked beside him, looking even more pleased.

    Haha. This is good, I was afraid you might refuse.

    Is it something youd be so happy about?

    Well, other people wouldnt understand, but Im different.

    Different in what way?

    Im a Royal Guard, but Im also a sword that takes care of a lot of things for the Princess.

    Passius reveals his true identity in a tone that is anything but guarded.

    Rudger stared at him in disbelief.

    You have the audacity to speak to others like that?

    As the Princess first shadow, you should know all about it.

    No way.

    Passius nodded, as if Rudgers guess was correct.

    Greetings, Sir Jack the Ripper, royal guard and first shadow of the Princess, Passius said.

    .

    Rudger already had a strong feeling this was going to be a bother.

 Chapter 282

    A dark alley in Lindebrugne.

    Lindebrugne is a tourist town and full of beautiful architecture, but not all neighborhoods were built equally.

    Where the light is strong, the shadows are also strong.

    While it didntpare to Leathervelk, Lindebrugne had its share of back alleys.

    Leo wandered down one of them and stopped in front of a ramshackle house.

    Whoo.

    Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door, as a reaction came as if the people inside had been waiting.

    A small sliding window above the metal door opened, revealing a pair of human eyes. They looked around, and then their gaze fell downward to find Leo.

    The sliding window closed and then the door opened wide.

    Youre a littlete.

    It was a man in in pants and a cotton shirt.

    He looked like an ordinaryborer youd see anywhere, but the sharp edge that emanated from him was far from ordinary.

    Karl, an intelligence officer with the Liberation Army, looked at Leo and jerked his chin.

    Are you going toe inside and talk?

    Im busy, just do it here.

    Leos blunt response had many implications. From the part about not entering the house, Leo was clearly drawing a line in the sand.

    Carl frowned at the answer.

    I thought you had ears to listen.

    You think I dont know that you made sure there was no one around here?

    That was some time ago. The eyes of the Imperials have been very sharptely and today.

    I know. The Nightcrawler Knights and the Cold Steel Knights showed up.

    Among them, the Nightcrawler Knights were a symbol of fear for the Liberation Army, which was undermining the Empire.

    Yeah. Its a dangerous situation that coulde back to bite you in the ass.

    You know that, which is why youve called me here, because Im the only one of you who infiltrated Theon as a student, so youre confident I wont be caught.

    .

    Carls lips twitched at Leos words because he hadnt said anything wrong.

    Were just wasting time arguing here. If you want to get this over with, just tell me what you want.

    What are the routes of the students?

    Whats the point of knowing that?

    The n will go ahead as scheduled.

    What?

    Leo raised his eyebrows.

    Are you crazy? I cant believe were proceeding with the n in this situation.

    Crazy? No, its a noble act.

    A noble act? Theres nothing noble about running up with a bomb and blowing yourself up.

    If we can take out one dictator with our lives, we can make life easier for many of our countrymen.

    You think the world runs on such easy math?

    Leo red at him, but Karls expression didnt change, knowing that he was being sincere.

    Leos head was already aching. He realized that no amount of convincing was going to work.

    There are Nightcrawlers and Cold Steel Knights everywhere right now, and youre going to force your way in when its hard enough to hide and n for the future?

    Thats why now is the time. Theyll want us to take care of ourselves and hide, but theyll panic if we do the opposite.

    Were dealing with men who are members of the Empires Three Knight Orders, an elite force. Do you really think theyre going to be surprised by that? Get a grip.

    Leo had to stop this madness. To be honest, Leo didnt really care if a few Liberators died. There was no camaraderie in being semi-forced to wear a Liberator badge. But if they went ahead with their n, Leo would be blindsided.

    There are knights everywhere, and they want to carry out terrorist attacks?

    Of course, the damage would be much less than they had nned. But it wouldnt be entirely without consequences.

    And if Aidan, Tessie, or Iona were among the dead Leo would never forgive himself but he couldnt appeal for friendship so that they wont attack his friends here.

    Part of his nature prevented him from doing so, but arge part of it was because the person in front of him was someone who couldnt be persuaded by such things.

    In addition, students are with the mentors now.

    Mentors are the perfect target.

    You dont know what youre talking about. The mentors are sixth-rank wizards, and this is thergest group of sixth-rank wizards ever assembled. Each one of them is a Lexer-rank mage, the equivalent of a strategic weapon. Youre not going to tell me you dont know their power, are you?

    .

    For the first time, Karl remained silent instead of refuting Leos words. No matter how noble it was to fight with ones will, the presence of a sixth-rank wizard was out of the norm.

    Leo decided it was time to push.

    With their [Fire Silence], the explosives you have will bepletely useless. Its like trying to hit a boulder with an egg. So for now, just do nothing.

    No, I insist.

    Leo frowned at Karls adamant tone.

    What the hell did you listen to me for?

    I heard you but its not my call to make in the first ce. Its already been decided from above that were going ahead with it, so youll have to cooperate.

    What? Dont be ridiculous! You think Im going to go along with that?

    I think you should, for your familys sake.

    .

    Leos mouth dropped open at Karls words.

    I know youve been uncooperative with us but you should know that your familys safety depends on it.

    Leo gritted his teeth and red at Karl but Karl showed no remorse or guilt toward Leo. He even seemed to take a certain amount of pride in his actions, as if hed done what had to be done.

    How could youjump into a fire pit like that in the first ce?

    We have the strength and ability to do so.

    These.

    Crazy, he was about to say but Leo suddenly sensed something and shut his mouth.

    Anyway, thats the end of the story. The operation will proceed as nned, so spit out the information.

    I dont know all the routes of the people who have already scattered.

    Leo said, citing practical limitations. It was a ploy to stall for time.

    Karl, who couldnt have known better, smirked at him.

    Leo, did you really think we had anything to go on besides the information you were giving us?

    What?

    Im saying you werent our primary source to begin with.

    Leos eyes widened at the words.

    Of course, youre excellent as an intelligence agent, but we dontpletely trust you to say something that you cant say properly.

    You!

    Well, if you want to report it, you can but Im not sure theyll believe you. Theyd probably think you were in cahoots with us.

    Karl said that and chuckled.

    Besides, I cant guarantee your familys safety, so youll have to go along with it, even if you dont want to, wont you?

    .

    Well, then, go away. Ill make sure you know what happens if you try to get your way.

    With that, Karl mmed the door.

    Left alone Leo stared at the door in disbelief then turned to leave with stumbling steps.

    Leos mind raced.

    If I dont do what they say, my family is in danger. But if I stay, Im risking my life and the lives of my friends.

    The Liberation Army may be hate-crazed, but theyre not the kind of people to rush into something they know cant be done. There must be something I dont know about, judging by their confident reaction.

    Leo realized that he was an outcast, belonging nowhere, not to Theon, not to the Liberation Army, not to anyone.

    He realized that he was like a floating object on the water, helpless. Powerless to move of his own volition he could only go with the flow and be swept along.

    I am.

    As he walked Leo stopped in his tracks when he saw who stood before him.

    Leo.

    Aidan?

    Leo was about to ask what was going on, but the look on Aidans face left him speechless. There was no smile on his friends usually innocently smiling face. Instead, there was a gaze of shock and concern directed at him.

    Leo realized that Aidan has found out who he is.

    * * *

    So what are you going to do from here, senior?

    Dont even get me started on the seniority thing.

    Rudger said with a stern look at Passius for calling him such an odd title.

    Passius nodded in understanding.

    After leaving the imperial pce, the two walked down the street, chatting.

    Ha ha. Im sorry but I couldnt resist being curious since youre my predecessor.

    Its interesting to see aroyal guard doing the dirty work.

    The Royal Guards are usually driven by loyalty, but they also have the honor of being knights. Their skill with a sword was important, but so was their chivalry.

    This is why Trina Ryanhowl turned down a spot in the Royal Guard, even though she had the skills to make it.

    As the head of the Nightcrawler Knights she had done things unbing of a knight.

    She didnt want the mud to tarnish the name of the Royal Guards but had no idea that a Royal Guard was the shadow dagger of the First Princess.

    The other knights would be horrified if they knew.

    Thats why Im keeping it a secret. Only the Princess and I know about it.

    I see, now I understand.

    Arent we on the same boat anyway? And since you were a dagger before I dont think its strange to call you senior.

    Well, I hope you dont call me senior, just call me like before.

    Oh, the shy type?

    .

    Okay, thats enough jokes.

    Rudger, who was staring at him in disbelief, shook his head at the sight.

    So, Mr. Rudger, what are you going to do now, go straight underground?

    I dont like to stir up hos nests. Unless we know what theyve got down there, if we go in first, well be the only ones with blood on our hands.

    Thats true.

    Well just have to wait. My men are searching the underground.

    Are you sure about that? We dont know whats down there, and I dont think sending your men will put my mind at ease.

    Yes, if they were ordinary people.

    With that word, Rudger revealed thepetence of his men and his firm trust in them.

    When he said so, Passius did not dig deeper.

    Then are you going to stay still for now?

    .

    The question made Rudger stare at him and Passius smiled awkwardly.

    Haha. Did I say something wrong?

    I wish youd stop bbing about things you know nothing about.

    Oh, no.

    Passius shrugged at the thought of being caught.

    To give the answer that Sir Passius wishes, I intend to go around the capital for now. Im sure the ces theyll be looking for are where the students hang out, so if we start there and work our way around the perimeter, well catch something.

    I agree. They wont all be underground; therell still be people delivering news somewhere in the city.

    Yeah. But with the Nightcrawler Knights and the Cold Steel Knights out in force, theyll be moving as carefully as possible.

    Then theyll be hard to find.

    If theyre being as cautious as possible, well just have to look as hard as we can.

    It was easier said than done, but when Rudger said it like that, Passius felt a strange sense of trust.

    Hmmm. So the Princess wasnt wrong about him after all.

    Seven years ago, Passius had not been a Royal Guard. He had his talents, but he had his moments ofcency but then he heard of the coup and realized that the Empire he was protecting was in danger.

    The Guardian Knights were shocked that they did not know anything even though the crisis of the country was just around the corner.

    And whats even more surprising is that it was Eileen, the First Princess, who solved this coup, not the ipetent emperor of the time.

    A beautiful but slender woman without her own support base escaped the imperial family and traveled outside to save the Empire from danger.

    At that moment, Passius decided to pledge allegiance to Eileen von Exilion.

    After such efforts, he was able to rise to the position of Royal Guard and became the right arm of the First Princess.

    Eileen also gave him trust, so she told him the truth of the day about the man who helped her solve the coup, a man who could have gotten all the glory, but instead faded into the shadows.

    And now Passius was walking down the street with the man hed only heard stories about.

    Rudger suddenly stopped in his tracks, causing him to reflexively stop as well.

    Whats going on Mr. Rudger?

    Passius asked, but Rudger did not answer. He just stared straight ahead, wordlessly, until Passius, curious, turned his head to the direction of that gaze.

    He could see a group of students and a mentor walking toward them from the opposite street.

    Casey Selmore stopped in her tracks when she spotted Rudger standing across the street and there was a violent swirl ofplex emotions in her expression.

 Chapter 283

    Chapter sponsored byL, Head_Snapss&Dinamura.Thank you for your support.

    Casey and Rudger stared at each other silently. At first nce, it might seem like they were just passing each other on the street, but Passius could see theplex, nuanced emotions in Caseys eyes as she looked at Rudger.

    Hmmm. This is another.

    Passius stroked his chin, intrigued. It was quite strange that Casey Selmore reacted like that to Rudger.

    Casey Selmore, a single-attribute wizard who was given the title of [Colour] by the Tower. Im told she has a reputation as a genius detective, and that her personality is selfish and quite entric.

    The look on Caseys face as she looked at Rudger was, well, what could he say?

    It was aplex mix of emotions. A love-hate rtionship, if you will.

    But in Rudgers case, theres no change in his expression.

    Rudgers expression remained the same as he looked at Casey. His eyes were so still that it was hard to tell what he was thinking. Either he was truly emotionless, or he was hiding it and not showing it.

    Passius decided to wait and see what would happen.

    .

    .

    Casey and Rudger remained silent.

    Since they were standing so still, Rudger spoke first.

    Mentor Casey Selmore, youve been doing a great job taking care of your students.

    The strangely tense atmosphere rxed a bit with that statement as Casey nodded in agreement.

    I do it for the juniors, so its not that hard.

    Is it?

    Yeah. More than that, where is Mr. Rudger in such a hurry to go?

    Im not really in a hurry.

    Yourpanion next to you seems to be.

    Casey asked, ncing at Passius. She didnt recognize the other man as a Royal Guard, but it was clear from the look of him that he was something.

    If nothing else, Caseys piercing gaze analyzed him quickly.

    Youre a knight, and a pretty good one at that.

    Huh? Did I introduce myself?

    No. Its just that from the way you look, and the way youre standing, Im guessing you belong to the imperial family. Youve got the manners down.

    Passius was inwardly surprised. He had dressed lightly before leaving the Imperial Pce since walking around in his Royal Guard uniform would draw too much attention.

    Hed even kept his sword out of sight, but Casey had noticed at once.

    Passius realized she wasnt called a genius detective for nothing.

    Youre not going to do anything dangerous, are you?

    Casey asked, looking at Rudger.

    She was trying to sound casual, but the subtle worry in her voice was enough for Rudger to hear.

    Why do you ask that? Are you worried about me?

    Rudger looked at her questioningly and Casey realized her mistake, blushed slightly.

    I was just asking!

    Right.

    Yeah. Besides, I think something happened.

    As she said that, Casey looked back and forth between Rudger and Passius. From what she could tell, Passius was an imperial knight.

    A knight of considerable skill and, judging by the way he spoke, at least a high ranking knight.

    Such a man traveling with Rudger?

    Rudger is a criminal with a hidden identity. It didnt make sense that such a man would be traveling with an imperial knight.

    If he had been arrested, she would have thought that this man had finally been identified, but if not.

    Hes still a teacher, and he is working with someone in the imperial family.

    Then what is the job?

    Casey couldnt tell, but she could sense a strange undercurrent running through the capital.

    It might exin why shed caught glimpses of members of the Nightcrawlers and the Cold Steel Knights as they wandered the neighborhood.

    Trina is here so I could ask her but I cant see her now.

    So she was left to make an educated guess from these few clues.

    The problem was that the man in front of her had every reason to know.

    He.

    Casey opened her mouth, then closed it again. She had no idea what to say.

    Shed uncharacteristically applied to be a mentor so that she could meet Rudger and talk to him. But despite several opportunities along the way, she never did.

    Every time she looked at that face, her heart kept hurting.

    Why did she keep seeing that face staring back at her, expressionless, and why did she keep seeing the crooked smile hed worn that day when hed fallen off the waterfall?

    People hailed her for taking down the criminal of the century while Rudger left the stage alone.

    The stark contrast was stuck in Caseys mind.

    He is the one who should be praised more than anyone else, but people dont realize it.

    Go ahead.

    When Casey stuttered, Rudger urged.

    No, nothing. I just wanted to check this one thing.

    What do you mean?

    Why didnt he tell her the truth of that day? As much as she wanted to ask, Casey knew she wasnt ready to ask that question yet so she decided to ask something else.

    Somethings been happening in the capitaltely, hasnt it?

    Casey asked in a low voice that wouldnt be heard by the students waiting behind her.

    It was not a question as she was asking with a vague sense of certainty.

    Hmm.

    Rudger thought for a moment. He wondered what would happen if he said yes to Casey Selmore here.

    It would certainly be helpful. Her abilities would be best suited to finding those who hide beneath the surface of this capital city.

    Rudger nced over Caseys shoulder at the students. Most of them were looking this way curiously, but their faces were bright.

    Perhaps because Casey had been walking them around and telling them stories. Some of them looked familiar, they were Julia Plumhart and Sedina Rosen.

    If only I could take Casey Selmore with me on this trip.

    The students would being to the end of their field trip.

    Rudgers gaze snapped back to Casey.

    No. Nothing is happening.

    is that so?

    Yes. I have to go check if the other mentors are doing well, so Ill be on my way.

    Oh.

    Before Casey could say anything, Rudger swept past her with Passius in tow.

    Casey could only stare after him as he walked away without a word. Her outstretched hand hesitated, as if she were trying to reach out.

    Rudger had moved away from the group of students Casey was leading and Passius, seeing his chance, asked.

    Are you all right?

    What do you mean?

    If youd called Detective Casey Selmore for backup, it would have been a big help here, but I dont think you need to pretend everythings fine.

    Even if Rudger hadnt asked for backup, he would have given him a piece of his mind.

    When asked why he withheld the truth, Rudger shrugged it off.

    Even if I dont ask, she must have noticed.

    Why do you think so?

    Because shes a smart woman, and shes persistent. If shed already noticed something was wrong, she wouldnt have believed me even if I denied it outright.

    Isnt that a guess?

    No, Im sure of it. Shes the kind of person who will make her own moves, even if we try to stop her.

    Passiuss eyes narrowed. It was as if he were mockingly asking how Rudger knew that but Rudger ignored the stare and continued.

    First and foremost, this is a mission for the two of us. Theres no ce for anyone elses hands in it.

    Even if they might be able to help?

    If we cant do it on our own, then well need help.

    So youre telling me that youre going full steam ahead anyway.

    Youre not confident?

    Rudger asked, turning around, leaving Passius speechless.

    He smirked and shook his head.

    Oh, no. Youve got me beat.

    It dawned on him that this man had a way with people.

    Hes got a subtle air about him. This is no ordinary man.

    For Passius, mediocrity is something thates from lineage, not ability.

    Having spent so much time in the Imperial City of Devalk, Passius has met many nobles and royalty. As a result, even when he encountered a nobleman who hid his identity, he was able to guess his identity by his demeanor alone and Rudger fit right in with his senses.

    Strange. If hes a wandering vagabond, as the Princess says, why does he exude an air of royalty?

    It didnt make sense to Passius. His behavior was far too strange for royalty anywhere.

    But if nothing else, I can see why Princess Aileen has been coveting him.

    With that thought, Passius suddenly remembered Casey Selmore, whom he had met earlier.

    Mr. Rudger, theres something else Im curious about.

    What else?

    Didnt you meet Detective Casey Selmore a little while ago?

    I did.

    What exactly is your rtionship with her?

    ?

    Rudger shot Passius a look like he was asking him a question.

    Didnt you hear everything from the Princess?

    Yes. Given what happened three years ago, I have a rough idea, but based on Detective Casey Selmores reactionI think she has a vague idea of Mr. Rudgers identity.

    Is that a problem?

    No, its just that somethings not right. Shouldnt a detective be grinding her teeth if she knows the identity of a criminal? But.

    But?

    Detective Casey Selmores reaction was, how shall I say, veryplicated. Should I say, she doesnt hate you?

    .

    Rudger didnt answer the question but he vaguely harbored a simr feeling. It was impossible for him not to notice the change in Caseys demeanor from the person who, not so long ago, had been desperate to catch him.

    Maybe she just happened to know the truth about Ms. Rudger.

    What difference does it make if she knows it?

    Hmm. Still, its better than not knowing.

    Id rather she didnt know.

    He didnt know how Casey learned the truth about the past but knowing it doesnt change anything.

    The past is the past. Its already happened, and the water thats been spilled cant be picked up and put back on the te.

    Because knowing doesnt change anything.

    Rudger was so adamant that he didnt dig any deeper. But judging by Rudgers reaction, there was no doubt that there was something going on with Casey Selmore.

    A secret rtionship between a man and a woman who were both quite famous in the world was something that piqued his personal interest, but for now, he decided to focus on the job at hand.

    So, what do you see around you?

    Passius spoke to Rudger in a normal tone, but his eyes never left his surroundings.

    They had just passed the group of students led by their mentor a moment ago.

    There must be something out there, like the remnants of the Liberation Army, lurking and spying on the others.

    Sir Passius., do you see them up ahead?

    Where do you mean?

    One oclock, the man sitting in front of a fruit shop, reading a newspaper.

    Confirmed. We also have a middle-aged man leaning against a streetmp looking at his watch at seven oclock.

    The number looks like two.

    Were two, too.

    Ill take the fruit stand.

    Ill take the gentleman over there, then.

    The two men moved in unison.

    Passius moved stealthily and struck the middle-aged man in the back of the neck, lightly stunning him.

    Oh, no. Let me help you up.

    He acted like apanion that would help his friend that passed out.

    Rudger, on the other hand, was a little different. He openly approached the fruit store and bought an apple from the owner.

    The Liberation Army intelligence officer sitting nearby took one look at Rudger and casually got up from his seat and slipped into the alleyway.

    He realized at once that Rudger was a Theons teacher and was on his way to the secret branch to deliver the news.

    Ahead of him, a shadow in the dark alleyway jumped up and blocked his view.

    Ugh! What, what!

    That was hisst cry.

    The stretching shadows quickly parted, turning into countless ropes that wrapped around the man. Rudger gently stomped on the mans back as he slumped to the ground, unable to move.

    Did you get him?

    Yes. And you?

    Me too.

    Passius, who had brought the stunned Liberator agent with him, plopped him down next to the shadow-bound Liberator.

    You caught him faster than I thought. Now what do we do? I dont think theyre going to give up information easily.

    Well have to make them.

    Rudgers eyes gleamed menacingly.

    Bound by shadows, the Liberator tried to look nonchnt, but a cold sweat ran down his cheeks.

    Which method do you prefer?

    Usually Im more of a physical torturer, buttely Ive wanted to see if I can touch the mental part with my magic.

    Sounds like me. I have an imperial secret torture method, that cant be endured without telling the other person what they want know.

    Do the Royal Guards learn such things?

    I was the only one who learned it separately. Its a necessary skill for a job like this, but its more useful than youd think, though most people are crippled by it.

    I guess it doesnt matter, though.

    The two men said scary things to each other.

    The magic from Rudger and the aura from Passius invaded the space as the shadow-bound liberatorsplexion paled. The pressure was too much for a normal person to bear.

    Ugh! Ugh!

    He twisted and tried to shout something, but his mouth was gagged by the shadow, and he couldnt get any words out.

    Oh. Hes trying to say something, isnt he?

    Its probably bullshit, or hes vowing never to blow.

    Ugh!

    The way hes writhing around so desperately, it looks like he really wants to say something.

    I think he might use some deception tactics.

    Still, dont you think we should give him a chance?

    The Liberation Army soldier nodded desperately at Passius words.

    Rudger snapped his fingers, and the gag that bound his mouth was released.

    Ill tell you, Ill tell you everything!

    Rudger and Passius looked at each other at the same time, and then nodded slightly.

 Chapter 284

    Sorry for thete chapter, I fell asleep.

    The Liberation Army member, who told the whole truth, was soon taken away by the police called by Passius.

    Left behind, Rudger and Passius pondered the Liberation Army agents words from earlier.

    I knew there was something underground, but to say they were working with a warlock is pretty troubling.

    He didnt seem to be lying, he also didnt have a high rank either so he didnt know much.

    He said he was a third-level informant.

    Yes.

    Passius nodded.

    The Liberation Army operative had said he was a third-level informant, someone who moved in stealth and kept the army informed about the outside world changes, a tail that could be cut off and as it turned out, he didnt know that much.

    Rudger thought it was funny.

    They say they want a world where everyone is equal, but theyre the ones whore grading and discriminating.

    Passiusughed bitterly at that.

    Theyre just like the aristocrats they hate.

    In a way, theyve be their equal, ironically enough.

    But joining forces with a warlock certainly crossed the line.

    It may have been because their power was not enough.

    The Liberation Army isnt that underpowered either, they have some high ranking people in their midst.

    But now theyve added ck wizards to those executives.

    Sort of.

    Even as he said that, Passius couldnt help but notice Rudgers eyes on him.

    Why are you looking at me like that?

    What? Oh, its because.

    Is it because of what the Liberation Army agent just said?

    Passius recalled the words of the captured agent from earlier.

    He had said that the Liberation Army was working with the ck wizards and that they were up to something underground.

    If that was all hed said, it wouldnt have bothered him. It was the other information he said that bothered them.

    -Theon, theres an agent of ours hiding among the students of Theon! I was supposed to contact him!

    The desperate words of the Liberation Army agent fueled Passiuss worry.

    Dont read too much into it. Hes probably just trying to sway us with lies on purpose.

    You dont have to console me. He was sincere and hes not the kind of person whose head would spin enough to deceive us with false information in a situation like that.

    Mr. Rudger.

    Come to think of it, it would be rather odd if someone wasnt infiltrated.

    Rudger said and turned to leave while Passius followed casually at his side.

    What are you going to do about it?

    The students lives are at stake so Ill handle it ordingly.

    Are you sure youre okay with that?

    I dont understand the intent of your question.

    Youre a teacher, arent you?

    A superficial title that can be changed at any time.

    .

    When Rudger said it so forcefully, even Passius couldnt argue further.

    I see, so our first priority is to find the student.

    If theyre right, hes a first-rate intelligence officer, so he should know a lot.

    Rudger and Passius were back out on the main street by then.

    Mr. Rudger!

    A familiar voice spotted them and shouted.

    In the distance, Aidan was running toward Rudger.

    Aidan?

    Where did he leave his mentor, Caroline Monarch?

    Judging by the way he came running this way, it was no ident.

    Hes not alone.

    Aidan was with his best friend Leo, who was often with him. Did hee here to ask you something?

    Rudger narrowed his eyes as he thought so.

    Aidan and Leos expressions were somewhat serious unlike usual. Obviously, Aidans expression, which was bright before he left, now seemed full of urgency.

    Wait, the students are looking for me.

    Yes, go ahead.

    With a nod to Passius, Rudger approached Aidan.

    Rudger stopped in front of him and stared at Leo and Aidan, who gasped for breath.

    Aidan, Leo, what are you doing here? Why are you not with your mentor and why are you calling my name so loudly on the street. Dont you guys have any shame at all?

    In fact, the two students acted arbitrarily in a serious situation, so it was impossible for Rudger to say good things.

    Had it been the usual Aidan, he would have smiled awkwardly and said sorry but now it was different.

    ThatsI thought I had to tell Mr. Rudger.

    What are you talking about?

    Its about Leo.

    Rudgers sharp gaze fell on Leo. The normally stoic boy looked terrified now.

    He didnt try to show it, but the way his clenched fists trembled gave it away.

    Rudger suddenly remembered the words of the Liberation Army agent from earlier.

    No way.

    Pushing the disturbing thought from his mind, Rudger asked.

    Tell me everything that happened.

    Leo.

    Aidan called Leos name but Leo hesitated for a long moment. He wasnt sure if he should speak, then a hand rested on his shoulder.

    Leo stared at Aidan wordlessly.

    One look into Aidans steady eyes and Leo made a decision.

    Its.

    Leo told Rudger the truth.

    * * *

    About an hour ago Aidan looked at Leo and asked.

    Are you okay?

    You.

    Leo didnt know what Aidan meant by his question so he was dumbfounded. No, more than that, he was angry.

    Are youasking me if Im okay because you dont know whats going on right now?

    Leo.

    Im with the Liberation Army.

    With nothing to hide, Leo told Aidan his identity.

    Ive been told that theres going to be a major terrorist and Ive been instructed to expose the students to that threat directly. Do you understand? The guy you thought was your friend all this time was actually a liar and an international terrorist.

    Leo.

    Dont call me by that name!

    Leo shouted, unable to control himself. It was not like Leo to lose his cool under any circumstances. Or to put it another way, Leo was pushed to the breaking point to show such emotion.

    Youre looking at me like youre worried about something! Youre supposed to be running outside to report me right now! What happened to your head?

    Leos voice was mournful, as if he were releasing every ounce of his frustration.

    I lied to you, Tracy, Iona, all of them, and you still think of me as a friend!

    Leo wished Aidan would just call him names. He would have felt better if he could have grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and pped him but Aidan listened in silence.

    It made Leos heart sink.

    Ha. Ha.

    Leo gasped for air after venting his anger for so long. He didnt even have the strength left to do anything.

    ..Idiot. Theres no point in staying here, its all over.

    Its not over.

    Aidans words made Leo stare at him like he didnt know what the hell this idiot was talking about.

    Leo, you werent going to listen to those Liberation Army people.

    whatever.

    Im sorry I eavesdropped, and I know you had no choice, which is to be expected when your family is being held hostage, but you still tried to resist.

    Whats the point? Its already over!

    The attack hasnt happened yet, and you have the information to stop it.

    Leo met Aidans eyes. Aidans eyes never wavered, as if his words werent simply meant to encourage him.

    Aidan genuinely believed he could stop this now.

    You.

    I need to tell them.

    To who? Do you think theyd believe us if we said anything, since were just students in the first ce?

    We need to tell someone who will believe us.

    And who is that?

    Mr. Rudger.

    .

    Leos face crumpled in disbelief.

    Are you crazy, Rudger Chelici, do you think hes going to believe us?

    Why do you think he isnt?

    Because of his personality, he will rather catch me and put me in prison. Thats what all people who weigh principles are like!

    No. Mr. Rudger wouldnt do that.

    How do you know?

    Then who else is there besides Mr. Rudger? Is there a suitable person?

    .

    Leo didnt have a good answer.

    Even if he told a regr teacher, there was no guarantee that what he said on their behalf would ring true to anyone else.

    But Rudger was different. He had recently risen to prominence in the Arcane Chamber and he was also a person who paid attention to mentors who participated in this field trip.

    Leo, you have to decide.

    Its toote.

    No, its not toote. It can be turned around, depending on what you do.

    What can I do on my own?

    Ill help you.

    Aidan replied without hesitation.

    What?

    Ill help you.

    Are you insane? Dont you realize youre in danger if you get involved with me? You could be arrested as an aplice!

    Well have to make sure that doesnt happen, wont we?

    .

    Aidans sarcastic tone left Leo speechless.

    After pursing his lips for a moment, Leos shoulders drooped in a half-given-up manner. But even so, a faint smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

    Seriously, youre the biggest idiot  Ive ever seen in my entire life.

    Thanks for thepliment.

    * * *

    Leo told Rudger the whole truth. How he ended up in the Liberation Army and what theyre trying to do in the capital. To be honest, he thought they were crazy.

    As he talked with Rudger, there were several times when Leo wondered if he should do this but in the end, he told him everything and when he was done, he felt an indescribable sense of relief.

    After Leo finished, Rudger stared at him wordlessly for a while. That reticent gaze weighed heavily on Leo, and it frightened him.

    How long did the suffocating momentst?

    Rudger opened his mouth.

    Leo, if what youre saying is true, your family is being held hostage, your sister and mother.

    The first words out of Rudgers mouth were neither anger nor rebuke, but confirmation.

    Yes.

    And you had no choice but to obey their orders.

    Yes.

    But that doesnt take away the sinfulness of what you did because you did, in fact, stole information from Theon.

    Youre all right.

    Leo knew there was no point in making excuses, so he humbly epted the truth.

    And yet you came to me, to try to resolve this situation somehow.

    Yes.

    Leo thought of his family. Then he thought of the friends hed made in Theon, and the memories hed made.

    Either was so precious that it was hard to give up. However, if he chose one, he had no choice but to let go of the other.

    Then Ill have to save your family first.

    Rudger said.

    What?

    Leo didnt understand for a moment and asked.

    Why?

    That, thatsmy family is now.

    We have to save them. You said they were being held hostage.

    Yeah. I did, butwhy?

    Leo couldnt help but ask.

    Its Leos family thats being held hostage, not Rudgers family. To be honest, Rudger wasnt even remotely responsible for saving Leos family. Still, he said he would.

    Leo, who am I?

    You are Mr. Rudger Chelici.

    Yes. Is it so wrong when a teacher says he will help a student?

    .

    Leo has already been speechless twice today.

    Rudgers words made sense. He is a teacher so he helps students. It was obvious. It was also the right thing to say but people didnt do the obvious.

    Leo had no doubt that the man in front of him would do the same.

    He knew hed done great things, and he knew there was something about him that set him apart from other teachers. He figured Rudger was just like everyone else in that regard.

    Leo.

    Yes.

    For this moment, all you have to do is say thank you.

    Leo felt something stirring inside him and bowed his head deeply. Maybe he knew the truth. That it was his own narrow-mindedness that wouldnt help anyone. He just didnt want to admit it.

    To admit that there are people in this world who are stupidly good or who do their part would mean that he was wrong, that he had beenughing at everything.

    Wasnt that funny?

    He said no one will help him, but inside he was desperate for help. What is more contradictory than this?

    He said with his own mouth that he should think about everything rationally and calmly.

    Wouldnt it be embarrassing if he said that and got it wrong?

    Like Aidan, who offers to help, or Rudger, who listens to the situation and says he understands.

    I cant believe Im with these fools but Im such a fool, too.

    And Leo didnt hate himself for being in thepany of such fools.

    Tears streamed down Leos face as he bowed his head.

    Thank you, really, thank you.

    It was the first tear of a boy who had vowed never to shed a tear, no matter what shed.

 Chapter 285

    Leo wept silently.

    Rudger watched in silence. At first, Rudger was shocked to hear that Leo was a member of the Liberation Army. It urred to him that he leaked information by sending a note to Leo that day.

    He had thought he could use Leos skills and discretionary nature to his advantage in the future, but he hadnt realized he was in the Liberation Army.

    What a coincidence.

    Now that he knew the truth, Rudger was troubled.

    The logical thing to do was to capture Leo and hand him over to the police. But the moment Leo told him his family was being held hostage, and the look on his face that thought melted away like ice on a scorching sun.

    He tried to provide for his mother and sister.

    Seeing Leo, Rudger suddenly remembered himself in the past. Leo trying to endure everything alone for his family seemed to ovep with himself.

    At that age, when he shouldve spent his youth happily, he became a ve for the Liberation Army instead.

    Unable to trust anyone, no one to help him. He must have lived in a hellish reality every day.

    The fact that he came to this point andid out the whole truth was a sign of his desperation and determination to do the right thing. In fact, there was probably more of a sense of giving up, of wanting to end this difficult choice.

    How can I not understand that feeling?

    Leo.

    At Rudgers call, Leo lifted his bowed head. The tears had been wiped away, but his eyes were still red.

    I intend to help you as a teacher, and as someone who is older than you in life. There is no lie in these words.

    .

    But there is something I need to verify.

    What is it?

    Are you really ready to fight of your own volition?

    Aidan, who was next to him, and Leo, who heard the words, were stunned but Rudgers expression was serious. He always was, but his eyes were especially serious now, as if he wanted an answer.

    It doesnt matter if someone helps you if you dont do anything.

    Rudger once wanted help, too. In fact, hed gotten help many times, in his previous life and in this one. But the most important thing was whether he was willing to fight.

    You cant wait forever for someone to reach out to you. In the end, it had to be yourself.

    Im asking you, are you really ready to take it all in?

    Ive spent half my life being tormented by them.

    Leos eyes shone, not avoiding Rudgers gaze.

    I dont think Ill be able to get over it if I dont at least punch them in the face.

    Rudgers eyes softened at his remark.

    Excellent.

    Aidans eyes widened.

    Since Rudger was stingy withpliments, this was the highest praise hed ever received.

    Rudger nced back. Passius was watching him with aplicated expression on his face.

    Sir Passius, thats what happened.

    Yes, it happened.

    Im afraid youre going to have to go along with my stubbornness this time.

    No, that ha.

    Passius sighed since here was no point in arguing with Rudger here.

    As a master knight, he could hear everything Leo said from a mile away. Of course, he also knew what Leo was going through right now, and for that he sympathized with him.

    The problem was, the man behind the curtain was right here, right now.

    In case youve forgotten, Im a member of the Royal Guard. Im a knight charged with protecting the Empire of Exilion, not just the imperial family.

    Youre not a Royal Guard now, where did your uniform and sword go?

    Yet even you, Mr. Rudger, said just a moment ago that you were only a teacher on the surface.

    Thats why Im trying to help on the surface.

    You havent said a word.

    Perhaps thats why the Princess sought me out.

    Passius shook his head in disbelief but with Rudgering on so strong, he realized that it was probably for the best.

    Arresting Leo here and dragging him away was not something he feltfortable with.

    Turning a blind eye to a truly evil person is something he cant stand but the fact that Leo was a victim after all was a big factor.

    I thought you were just cold-blooded.

    As much as he admired Rudgers unexpected side, he was suddenly reminded of the past.

    During the time he was the shadow of the First Princess and had learned much from her, he had, of course, heard of his predecessor, Jack the Ripper.

    -Princess, how was the former shadow like?

    Passius had no choice but to ask Princess Eileen about Rudger.

    -He was a tidy man. Cold, calcting, rational, calm. He had a quick mind and an eye for trends.

    -Thats quite apliment.

    -Ill give him credit where credit is due.

    -If you hadplimented others as often as you did him, you would have gotten a better evaluation.

    -Do you think I care what other people think of me? If youre so upset, you should try to earn it, just like that man did.

    -So thats the end of the story of Sir Jack the Ripper, The Shadow of the Past? He sounds like a killing machine without blood or tears.

    -No. Not necessarily.

    -Not necessarily?

    -Yes. The man is much more tender than you might think, with an outward appearance of coldness but a weakness forpassion, and a deep concern for others, even when hes being harsh.

    -That doesnt seem to follow what you said before.

    -Thats why hes a man, not a killing machine. We all have our own contradictions, our own stories. Thats why I chose you.

    -You mean me?

    -You may have great skill as a knight, but you have no chivalry, and if you want to do justice and have the blood of others on your hands, so be it.

    Aileen smirked at Passius, who looked at her with trepidation as she spoke.

    -That is why I chose you to seed him. You were a perfect fit.

    -That doesnt sound like apliment at all.

    When he had finished his reminiscences, Passius could not help but smirk as he recalled the image of Rudger and the words of the First Princess.

    At the time, he hadnt understood why Princess Eileen had said what she had but now it seemed to make sense.

    So what are you going to do now teacher Rudger?

    You put a lot of emphasis on the teacher part.

    Did I?

    Thats enough. We dont have time to argue with each other now. You just asked me what Im going to do, right? First of all, Im going to get information from that child.

    And when you get it?

    We need to get moving. The clock is ticking.

    Rudger listened to Leo talk with Passius. Although Leo was wary of the new blonde man with Rudger, but given the circumstances he didnt argue and told him everything he knew.

    Unfortunately, the Liberation Army didnt give Leo all the information. They withheld some crucial information because Leo wasnt usually cooperative. But that didnt mean that what Leo knew wasnt helpful.

    Like theirir below ground, and the attack that would soon center around it.

    But theres something you need to be careful about.

    What is it?

    Obviously, the targets are the Theon students, but they seem to be targeting the mentors as well, and the way theyre acting like theyre so confident that theyre not going to be easily taken down, theres got to be something.

    Dont worry about that. I have a pretty good idea what theyre up to.

    Theyre nning to use special gunpowder not affected by magic.

    If they didnt know about it even a sixth-rank wizard might be hurt but if they know it wont be that dangerous.

    Thats not the point. Leo, your family is somewhere in the capital right now, right?

    .

    Leo nodded, his face somber, his family was now in the capital city of Lindebrugne.

    They hadnte because they wanted to; the Liberation Army had brought them here on purpose.

    If they were in the countryside, far away, it would take the Liberation Army a long time to send a signal to deal with them, so they deliberately kept them close by to threaten you.

    Theyre trying to keep reminding him that if he makes the slightest move, they cant guarantee his family safety.

    But their behavior actually helped you.

    What?

    Im saying that if your family is far away, it will take time to get there, but if theyre inside the capital, things will get done faster, which is good.

    Rudger nodded and looked at Passius.

    Ill need you to take care of that for me.

    You mean me?

    Yes. Sir Passius is probably the most qualified person in this situation.

    Mr. Rudger. As you know, Im.

    Its an extension of our work. And as you heard, there are Liberation Army troops standing next to Leos family right now. I dont know about you, but Im told theyre pretty strong.

    The Liberation Army must have done the math that as long as they had Leo on their side, at least a mid-level mage woulde to help.

    Leos position as a student of Theon is too important to ignore.

    Somehow, theyre going to keep this threatening situation alive, and Leos family is going to have to be on their side.

    I cant fight while protecting his family, but Sir Passius is different, youre a specialist in hand-to-handbat.

    Passius wanted to argue, Isnt that true of you as well? but when he saw Aidan and Leo, he shut up.

    On the surface, Rudger is a teacher of Theon and he shouldnt expose too much about himself.

    After all, hadnt one of the Princess orders been to help Rudger if he was in danger?

    In the end, Passius was forced to do as Rudger told him to, even if it was unfair. Moreover, Rudgers words were not entirely wrong.

    A knight is obviously better suited to hide in a crowd and ambush someone than a wizard.

    A knight doesnt shy away from the idea of an ambush, especially if hes a master knight with superhuman physical abilities.

    That aside, what are you going to do, Mr. Rudger?

    Isnt it decided?

    Rudger replied with a nonchnt tone.

    Im going to wipe out the Liberation Army on the surface.

    * * *

    In the end, the things that I was worried about happened.

    In a secret branch of the Liberation Army, one of the people waiting there with a stiff face opened his mouth but no one answered.

    The situation was not that good.

    They say Branch 3 is caught.

    So are branches 5 and 17.

    The bad news kepting.

    It meant that the Cold Steel Knights and the Nightcrawler Knights were in full swing, and that their throats might one day be tightened.

    Its not too bad yet. All those branches that were raided were just bait.

    Said Karl, the branchs general manager and first-level agent.

    His face may have been grim, but he remained calm.

    The Liberation Army did not hope that the Empire would do nothing. They would certainly make their move, and in fact, they had called in two of the Empires threergest knight orders.

    They had at least a vague idea of what the Liberation Army was doing. As such, they deliberately set up fake branches to distract them.

    However, Karl was not without anxiety.

    This is just buying time anyway. They must have noticed since theyre the elite of the Empire, and theyll being for the main body in no time.

    For that to happen, they would have to prepare to show a united front.

    At Karls gesture, the waiting men checked their weapons.

    High explosives in automatic rifles and firearms that reeked of gunpowder, they were perfect for catching opponents off guard.

    Each group will travel to their assigned location through the underground waterways. If anything goes wrong, you must be prepared to take at least one more person with you.

    At Karlsmand, the Liberation Army agents nodded, their faces grim.

    The moment came as one wall of thepound exploded.

    nks of wood and bricks scattered. Some of the Liberators swept up in it sprawled across the floor. Suddenly, light flooded into the darkened room.

    There was a copsed wall, and a man with his back to the bright white light of day.

    While most of the Liberators were dumbfounded by the sudden surprise, Karls eyes widened as he recognized the man.

    Rudger Chelici!

    What the hell is a Theons teacher doing here?

    Karl immediately recalled Leos face and stiffened.

    At that moment, Rudgers gaze fell on him.

    Its you.

    The cold voice from his mouth coiled around Karls body like a snake.

    The scumbag who threatened my student.

 Chapter 286

    Dozens of people were huddled inside the shabby building, which seemed to be empty. Dozens of people were huddled inside the shabby building, which seemed to be empty.

    They were all armed with firearms, ready to burst through the doors of a secret passageway leading to the underground.

    If Rudger had been a few minuteste, the Liberators would have scattered in all directions through the underground tunnels.

    So many of you gathered, sticking together like cockroaches.

    Rudger said so and stared intently at Karl.

    While the others still looked bewildered by the sudden surprise, Karl did not.

    Judging by the different reactions of the others, he was at least the one in charge of this area, or at least the one with the power to do so.

    Its you.

    He must be the one who threatened Leo.

    !

    Karls lips twitched as Rudgers gaze narrowed. He bellowed at his men, who still couldnt make heads or tails of the situation.

    What do you think youre doing? Were under attack!

    The liberators, finallying to their senses, grabbed their weapons and pointed them at Rudger.

    From shotguns to pistols and automatic rifles, there were all kinds of weapons that would freeze a man in his tracks, but Rudger was different. As if hed known this wasing, he summoned the magic hed prepared in advance.

    Seeing the scene, Carl shouted in his heart.

    The Silence of Fire is of no use here!

    The gunpowder they use is a specialty product that is not inhibited by the Silence of Fire. To those who dont know that, its hrious because theyre blindly trusting in Fire Silence.

    Shoot!

    Of course, there was no point in waiting for magic, so Karl gave the order to fire. The trigger was pulled, the primer ignited, and the bullet fired at Rudger.

    It was the first time the guns had seen the light of day in the presence of the wizards. But it was all too fleeting.

    [Tick-tock-tock!]

    The bullet ricocheted off a wall in midair.

    Karls eyes widened at the sight.

    The magic Rudger used was not Silence of Fire. He had unleashed a protective barrier.

    Uh, how?

    Karl knew how arrogant wizards can be. They are mostly about efficiency. Thats why, at gunpoint, theyll use Silence of Fire instead of defensive magic. It takes less energy and is quicker to manifest but Rudger didnt.

    It wasnt because he didnt value efficiency but because he knew.

    How did he know that the gun would work in the Silence of Fire?

    Rudger was aware of the special gunpowder they were using. Otherwise, he could not have been so confident without a change in his expression even after seeing the bullet fired.

    Did Leo tell him? No. It was a secret, even from him.

    You look like youre wondering why I used a magic barrier. Did you think I didnt know your shallow minds?

    Karl gritted his teeth at Rudgers arrogant tone.

    Shoot all of them! Use everyst one of them!

    The operation is out of the question because Rudger was here so he could only hope for sess elsewhere.

    The only thing left for Karl to do was to kill the man in front of him by any means necessary.

    [BANG!]

    The guns held by the Liberation Army fired.

    Rudger watched the scene and flicked his hand.

    Magic flowed out but it didnt do any fancy tricks in the air. It merely streaked across the air in a single, lightning-like sh.

    Nevertheless, translucent tes of magic appeared in the air. Dozens of them stood at an angle near the muzzles of the firing guns, deflecting the bullets that raced over with such ease.

    [Puff, puff, puff!]

    Magical tes sprang up from all directions, deflecting bullets here and there. The deflected bullets hit another energy te, changing the direction of their flight. Eventually, the deflected bullets rained down on the liberators.

    Argh!

    The liberators were stunned as their own bullets rained down on them.

    Karl, unharmed by the baptism of bullets, squinted. At first nce, it might have seemed like a very basic spell, creating a force field out of thin air, but Karl could tell. The magic Rudger had shown him was a veryplex collection of spells.

    The [Source Code] quicklyputes the spell and along with the [Coordinate Designation Technique] he created magic tes out of thin air.

    Thats amazing enough, but Rudger even managed to adjust the angle of the magic tes to send the ricocheted bullet back to the shooter.

    This is possible? Its impossible without knowing the angr position of every muzzle and bullet!

    Besides, it didnt take long for Rudger to return fire after they shot.

    In that short time, Rudger had calcted everything and created this situation.

    A monster!

    No matter how great the teachers at Theon are, theres no way this is possible in real life.

    Even if Rudger Chelici had been in the military, he had only served as an officer, and not for long. Even a war mage with 20+ years in the military wouldnt attempt this maneuver because it wouldnt work but Rudger had done it.

    I cant believe it, but its already happened!

    Karl gritted his teeth and quickly picked up a bomb and threw it. If the bullets didnt work, hed use the explosive power to destroy him.

    [Boom!]

    A powerful explosion erupted nearby, followed by a st of searing heat. Karl faced the heat, but didnt look away to see how Rudger would fare.

    [Whoooooooooo!]

    The red-hot mes suddenly stopped expanding and were sucked into a swirling point.

    What?

    Karls voice trembled as a red gem in Rudgers right palm that had absorbed the mes.

    A fire-sucking gem?

    The sight before him made it hard for Karl to ept the reality. It would be incredible for an artifact to be able to suck fire but an unadorned gem.

    Rudger, on the other hand, pocketed the gem that Quasimodo had left behind when he died and recalled its performance earlier.

    Its good at stopping real fire instead of magical mes.

    The red gem still glinted as if it wanted more fire, but Rudger ignored it. It was clear to him that bombs with special gunpowder were of no use against him.

    Rudger was now a nightmare for the liberators, even with the special gunpowder.

    Now, wait! If you kill me like this, I cant guarantee the safety of the hostages!

    Karl quickly assessed the situation and shouted at Rudger.

    Im sure Leo has told you everything, but in case youve forgotten, his family is in our hands!

    Not anymore. I just sent a man to take care of them.

    The guard is no ordinary man. Hes a knight, unbeatable with a sword! Do you really think you, a wizard, can save hostages against a knight? No, he wont even get there in the first ce!

    Thats not necessary. Ive got someone whos good with a sword.

    What?

    A knight whose skill with a sword is unrivaled.

    Karls mouth dropped open at the absurdity of that statement.

    * * *

    Pyren was a knight who wouldnt hesitate to kill for money.

    As a result, despite his skills as a regr knight, he was kicked out of the Order and became a wandering vagabond, traveling the world.

    Killing for hire, mercenary work, human trafficking. He did his dirty work in the underworld and naturally came into contact with the Liberation Army.

    And now Pyren was following a mother and daughter, silently and unnoticed. This was his assignment.

    The woman he was following was the family of an intelligence operative who had been ced under special management by the Liberation Army, and he was to kill her on cue.

    Killing a mother and daughter who had no connection to the Liberation Army was a brutal act, but one that Pyren was willing to ept.

    Killing people is the best, especially if theyre women.

    The mother and daughter dont know Pyren exists. They dont know what theyve gotten themselves into.

    It didnt matter if they knew. Pyren thought they would rather know. That way he could enjoy watching them break down in fear.

    I hope I get the signal soon.

    After following for so long, his body was already itching because of the delicious taste. It was because he had a sore throat after only doing this for a few weeks.

    However, his experts sense was telling him that the long-awaited moment was approaching.

    What?

    Pyren smiled at the sight. It was a very sinister-looking smile, with hollow cheeks and protruding cheekbones.

    What, have they noticed the way I look? Theyre notpletely oblivious, and theyve got a pretty good head on their shoulders.

    But it was a mistake. They shouldve rather pretend they didnt know he was there, so he would have no reason to touch them.

    Now he could kill them without waiting for the signal.

    Pyren chuckled and entered the alleyway where Leos sister and mother had disappeared. Even if the two of them, who were nothing more than ordinary people, ran away, there was no way they could escape him, a knight.

    Whew~.

    Less than five minutester, Pyren found the mother and daughter stopped in front of a dead end alleyway.

    When they saw him, they shuddered.

    A deserted cul-de-sac at the end of your escape options? You shouldnt do this, isnt it better for me?

    Pyren flicked her tongue across his lips.

    The mother-daughter duos faces hardened at the creepy sight.

    Yes, it is. I like it better where there are no people.

    !

    At the sound of the voice behind him, Pyren drew his dagger from his waistband like lightning and swung.

    The dagger was aimed squarely at the other mans throat, but it was blocked. The man who spoke had lightly grabbed his wrist.

    Grab?

    He was no powerhouse, but he was caught so lightly. But Pyren was a pro at this, and he drew another dagger from his left hand and tried to sh at his opponents wrist.

    The unwee visitor let go of his hand, and not only that, but he counterattacked.

    Pyren managed to pull back, ring at the interloper.

    Who are you?

    The interrupter was a handsome blond man. Gentle enough to not appear to have blocked his attack, librarian-like in style, with colorful blond hair tied back around his neck but Pyren recognized him.

    That man is a knight like me.

    A knight who fights rationalistic battles rather than justifiable confrontations. He was obviously skilled, because he didnt even flinch as he approached.

    While Pyren was on guard, Passius approached Leos family and checked on them.

    Are you two all right?

    Yes, yes. Were fine.

    Good, I was not toote.

    Passiusughed softly and looked back at Pyren.

    Pyren gave a wry smile.

    Huh. So you came to rescue those two girls, huh, what a surprise. Looks like Karl got yed for a fool, too.

    Pyren shook his head and adjusted the daggers in both hands.

    A bluish energy rose from the top of the dagger, lengthening it even further.

    Pyren swung it once, lightly and one of the pipes on the alleyways outer wall was sliced clean through.

    I take it youre a knight too, but youre out of luck. You should have killed me a moment ago when you had the chance.

    Pyren realized that Passius held nothing in his hands. No sword at his waist and no concealed weapon.

    He knew he was a skilled knight, but without a weapon, there was nothing to fear. Even if a knight is superhuman, the presence of a weapon is important in a fight between two knights.

    Of course, I wont let my guard down. Its only for a moment, but he lightly caught my blow, which means hes strong.

    Pyren took a light breath and shot forward like a bullet. The movement was so quick that it seemed to lengthen his body.

    Stopping in front of Passius nose, Pyren swung the daggers in both hands in a quick motion.

    Die!

    The daggers came from both sides at the same time. One aimed for his throat, the other for his chest. But Passius easily dodged the surprise attack by taking only two steps backward.

    To Pyren, it was a mere sliver of air.

    Lets see if you can dodge this one, then!

    The muscles in his arms twitched and pulsed with energy. Pyrens hands moved swiftly and brilliantly, drawing countless traces of sword energy in the air.

    The sword energy was directed straight at Passius. The piercing blue light enveloped him, like a giant blue shark devouring its prey.

    Get out of the way!

    Leos sister, who was watching from behind, shouted, but Passius did not step down this time. Instead, he just stepped forward lightly.

    What Passius did was simple. He raised his right hand as a sword and swung it lightly sideways.

    [Paching!]

    The sword energy wielded by Pyren was shattered by Passius single strike. The pure white sword energy didnt stop there. It leaped over the shards andnded on Pyrens body.

    A huge mark was carved into the narrow wall of the alleyway and the aftermath stretched all the way back to Pyren back.

    Monster.

    Pyren looked down at the wound on his chest. A solid red line had begun to trace the path of Passius hand.

    Facing Pyren, who stared at him in disbelief, Passius spoke.

    Its not like I didnt kill you when I had the chance.

    He lightly shook off his bloodless hands. The white ckness that rose from the fingertips disappeared as if it were scattered.

    A chance like this? I can make it whenever I want.

    That was the power of a knight who went beyond the advanced level and reached the level of a master.

 Chapter 287

    Dont lie! You think Id fall for that?

    If youre so sure, try sending a signal.

    What?

    Karl stared at Rudger with the gaze of a maniac but Rudgers expression was serious.

    No way.

    Karl immediately sent a signal to Pyren. Normally, when he sent a signal like this, he expected to get a response but the result was silence.

    Karl pursed his lips because Pyren never failed to reply, even when it seemed like he was ying games.

    Still, if he didnt reply, that left only one possibility. Pyren had been tricked.

    Pyren may be a scumbag, but hes certainly capable. He was defeated? How is that possible? Did he send a high-ranking knight?

    Actually, he didnt send a high ranking knight, but a master knight. Of course, Karl didnt know that.

    The important thing was that he had now lost all means of intimidating the monster in front of him and the end of those who made threats, without bargaining chips, was usually bad.

    Are you done talking?

    Rudger walked slowly toward Karl.

    Karl had the illusion that a giant, like a mountain, was walking toward him, a giant who could crush a man like him like a bug with a simple flick of his hand.

    Karl gritted his teeth and pushed away the feeling of weakness.

    No, you wont get what you want from me, no matter what you do.

    It was a courageous statement, but Rudger returned it with a cold stare.

    Thats what most people say, when they dont know whats in store for them.

    Im not bluffing! Im not your average Liberation Army soldier! Ive been trained for years, and no matter how much you torture me, I will never open my mouth!

    Karls voice carried a firm conviction that he could withstand any pain. He even gave Rudger a provocative re that told him to try it if he could.

    Rudger Chelici, Ill admit that youre very good, but do you really think a mere teacher knows how to get a person to talk?

    Only time will tell.

    With that, Rudger brought his palm to Karls forehead.

    Karl was about to ask what the hell he was doing.

    Cough

    Blood immediately gushed from his mouth. It wasnt just his mouth. His nose was bleeding, eyes and ears were bleeding, too.

    His head felt dizzy and his stomach twisted. His tinnitus was piercing, and he felt nauseous.

    Karl still didnt understand what had happened to his body.

    Come on, didnt you say you could handle all the pain?

    Kuluk! What the hell did you!

    Youre quite surprised, Ill bet, because what youve just experienced is a new kind of pain that no one has ever known.

    Karl red at Rudger with wide eyes. His eyes were clearly trembling, unlike a moment ago when they had been unwavering.

    What was that?

    Magic.

    Magic?

    What else can a magic teacher do but magic.

    The magic Rudger used was simple. He used sound magic, derived from the wind element.

    Sound, after all, is the vibration of air. If you take that vibration to the extreme, you can inflict immense pain on your opponent, just like he did with the werewolf.

    The vibrations within the body would distort the flow of blood, shake the bodys organs, and ultimately destroy the brain and semi-circr canals.

    Theres no way such magic exists.

    Of course not, this is a magic that I came up with myself.

    What?

    It was originally a theoretical technique. I was considering using it, but its too dangerous, and I didnt think Ill ever need to use it.

    But now he used it on Karl.

    Karl was dumbfounded. What in the world would a teacher at a magic academy be thinking, studying such a terrible magic?

    Of course, this magic isnt perfect. The conditions are tricky. Since it involves channeling mana into the flesh of the opponent, its useless if theres mana repulsion happens and it only works if theres direct contact.

    As he spoke, Rudger once again ced his palm on Karls forehead.

    In other words, its a spell that can only be used at its most effective when all of those conditions are met.

    Aaah!

    Karl let out an uncontroble scream as Rudgers magic vibrated harshly across his forehead and into his body. Hed thought he could handle most pain, but this was something else.

    Karl tried to break free, but as Rudger cast his spell, a shadow rose up and bound his limbs.

    Aaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

    Rudger released his grip as Karl coughed up blood.

    Karls head immediately drooped. His mouth was watering from the pain.

    Ugh. Ah, how could a teacher at the Academydo such a terrible thing.?

    Funny you should say that. You Liberation Army bastards did that at first.

    What?

    The magic train bombing that happened the day I arrived at Theon. Thats what the dying mage said. Its amazing how one organization can have so many shameless bastards.

    As he spoke, Rudger stomped his foot roughly on the kneeling Karls thigh.

    Ouch!

    The pain you inflicted on my student is not a thousandth of this. But you dont think of what youve done, only what youve received.

    It was necessary for the good of my people.

    For the good of your people? Your actions are the opposite of what you say you want for your people.

    Its a necessary sacrifice! I had to do it to make the world right, because in order to gain something, you have to lose something.

    He cried out desperately. It wasnt going to work, but at least he truly believed it. The endless hatred of the haves and the repetitive self-brainwashing had done that to him.

    Rudger growled.

    Is that why you held the childs family hostage, ckmailed him into joining the Liberation Army, and threatened the lives of innocent people who had nothing to do with it?

    They are the samemoners! They have a duty to overthrow the damn aristocracy and bureaucracy! Compatriots everywhere must unite and struggle for that, its their duty!

    .

    Rudger fell silent. Not because he was at a loss for words, but because he didnt feel the need to.

    Karls fierce gaze showed that he meant every word.

    Rudger suddenly remembered how hed gotten involved in this ridiculous incident.

    The magical train attack.

    Even then, the liberators who had stormed the train had attempted a suicide bombing, sacrificing themselves to John Does magic.

    People who would go to any lengths to get what they wanted, Rudger had seen them before, much longer ago.

    The Holy Land of Bretus with their mindless praise of the gods seemed to be no different from the Liberation Army. Maybe that was why he hadnt tried to convince Karl. Nor did he want to in the first ce.

    Okay. Well, I guess Ive been wasting my time, since I know what I need to do anyway.

    !

    It suddenly dawned on him that Rudger had been torturing him for something else in the first ce. His face grew pale as he regained his senses.

    His skin was pale, but it was bleeding, and it was like looking at a living ghost.

    I look forward to it, may your faith endure more pain.

    !

    Rudger didnt hear Karls words, but once again ced his palm on his forehead and the spell was triggered.

    * * *

    Leo fidgeted with anxiety.

    Aidan, watching from the sidelines, couldnt help but notice his behavior. He knew how nervous Leo was right now.

    Leo had made the right choice, even though he knew he was in danger but that didnt mean he could ept the death of his family.

    The Leo Aidan knew was blunt on the outside but kind on the inside, strong on the outside but vulnerable on the inside.

    Itll be fine since Mr. Rudger came forward.

    .

    Despite Aidans reassurance, Leo said nothing. It was as if he thought that if he opened his mouth now, some misfortune might befall him.

    At that moment, Leos shoulders twitched and his posture straightened. Aidan immediately realized the reason for Leos sudden change in demeanor.

    In the distance, Rudger was approaching.

    Rudger had amanding presence that even from a distance, you could tell it was Rudger Chelici.

    At his side was a young, blonde man who moved with him and behind them, two women were following.

    Ah.

    Leos eyes widened as he recognized who Rudger had brought with him.

    Leo stormed out and ran toward his family. Stopping in front of his mother and sister, he pursed his lips a few times to make sure they were okay before shaking his head.

    Brother, dont you have something to tell mom and me?

    His younger sister rolled her eyes at him for not saying a word.

    Leos sister had the same hair color as Leo, but she was more of an older sister than a younger sister.

    At first nce, Rudger wondered if she really was younger than him.

    Lena, stop in.

    It was Leos mother who stepped in to stop her. She looked quite surprising, even for Rudger.

    She looked frail and very young for a mother of two. He knew from the appearance of her son and daughter that her beauty was not normal, but her small size was far beyond her years. If he had to make aparison, it would be with Caroline Monarch.

    Rudger could see that Leos small stature for his age was a reflection of his mothers.

    Leo must be in a lot of pain, so stop it.

    But mom!

    Now is not the time to talk about it. You should be thanking him.

    Leos mother, who admonished her daughter, Lena, bowed her head when she saw Rudger.

    Thank you for your help. My name is Helena, Leos mother.

    My name is Rudger Chelici.

    Its nice to meet you, and I want to thank you again. Its because of you that my family is safe.

    I was just doing my job as a teacher.

    Lena and Leo, suddenly realizing the situation, also bowed to Rudger.

    Thank you for helping us.

    Thank you very much.

    Leo was especially sincere as he was still gritting his teeth and holding back the emotions that were about to burst forth.

    Rudger looked at him and said.

    Looks like our field trip has been ruined.

    You mean ?

    Yes, but your familys here, and we cant leave it like this. Leo, get your mother and sister to safety.

    Leos eyes widened in surprise.

    Things had worked out in the end, but Leo was still used of coborating with the Liberators. However, Rudger didnt hold Leo responsible at all. In fact, he even allowed him to stay with his family.

    He should have felt grateful and relieved so Leo couldnt help but ask.

    Why are you doing this.?

    Dont you like being with your family?

    thats not it.

    Then this is the perfect time to talk about what youve been missing.

    So why would you.?

    Leo, thats what family is for.

    !

    Leos eyes widened, and then he burst into tears but he quickly dabbed at his eyes with his sleeve and bowed his head to Rudger once more.

    Thank you, really, thank you.

    Its done. Go on.

    As Leo moved away with his family and joined Aidan, Passius, who had been a few feet away, approached Rudger and asked.

    This child is still associated with the Liberation Army, are you willing to let him go?

    Do you think that student is trying tomit terrorism like other Liberation Army members?

    Noticing Leos joy at seeing his family, Passius shook his head.

    I dont think so.

    Thats why.

    Passius looked displeased at the remark. He felt that he had been taken advantage of.

    I didnt realize you had so much faith in your students.

    I dont believe in students.

    Then what?

    I believed in someone who has a family.

    The way you put it, Mr. Rudger must have had a simr situation.

    .

    Rudger didnt bother to answer and Passius wasnt expecting an answer, either.

    Did you get the information you needed?

    Theres going to be a major attack soon. Weve wiped out one branch, but there are at least three more like it, and theyve dug tunnels under each of their bases, so theyre already scattered.

    Do you know where the main targets are?

    Anywhere with a lot of people, especially the Crystal Pce and the Great Square. There are a lot of wealthy people there.

    Then well have to get the word out quickly.

    Rudger nodded.

    Ill reach out to the Knights.

    Ill alert our mentors.

    The two of them moved off, immediately assigning their roles.

    Passius walked away at a rapid pace like a knight and Rudger started to leave, but stopped and looked back in Leos direction.

    His sister arguing, Leo whimpering, his mother smirking at the scene and Aidan who was in the middle of it all, talking to Leo.

    Rudger smirked at the sight and continued on his way. His work in the capital was not finished yet.

 Chapter 288

    The Liberation Army remnants scattered throughout the city center through tunnels they had dug in advance.

    Even as sandy dust dripped from the ceiling and the old scarlet lights made it hard to see, they were swift as if it were their own backyard.

    They say the First Division has been hit.

    Behind the Liberation Armys first-rank agent, who was leading the way, an intelligence officer ryed the news hed gotten earlier.

    Wheres Karl?

    Looks like he was captured alive.

    I cant believe they moved so fast. How many of them were there?

    Thats..one man.

    What? Only one?

    Yes. It was one of Theons teachers, Rudger Chelici, himself.

    Not just an individual, but a teacher, and a mage at that.

    The first-ss agent rolled his eyes. Even if Rudger Chelici was quite famous, there was no way a mere teacher of the Academy could have attacked a branch by himself.

    He must have ambushed us from a distance otherwise we could have taken him out before he fired a spell.

    What do you suggest we do, retreat? I think weve been spotted.

    No. We proceed with the operation as it is. If wee all the way here and quit, who knows when well have another chance. Its now or never.

    As the first-level agent spoke, the Liberators behind him nodded, their faces stony. Their eyes burned with a hatred for this world that was greater than their fear. The work they hoped to aplish was already underway.

    Havinge this far, there was no point in backing down for fear of failure. In the first ce, they were all willing to die.

    For a better world.

    The words of the first-level agent at the head of the line were echoed by those behind him.

    Gathering their resolve, the Liberators scattered once more at the crossroads.

    In groups, they checked their weapons and climbed to the surface. Sneaking up through a hole disguised as a manhole, they looked around.

    Along the bright boulevard, many people were peacefully going about their daily business. The sight made their teeth chatter.

    You filthy bastards! Some of us are dying because we have a hard days work!

    Wilhelm, a member of the Liberation Army, gritted his teeth. Still young, he had been living with his ailing mother.

    Wilhelm worked every day to somehow buy medicine, but his sry fell short of a penny. He cut back on sleep and starved himself to pay for the medicine, but he never achieved his goal. Thats how his old mother died.

    Wilhelm still remembers the day he held his dead mother in his arms and cried.

    He hated the world.

    Did people born with everything really struggle as desperately to survive as he did?

    Did they stay up all night in factories, touching greasy machinery, sweating profusely, shoveling heavy loads of dirt?

    Whenborers slept, they slept in coffins. It was better that way. In the worst cases, they would sleep like a corpse, propped up by a single rope. But the fortunate would have no such experience. Theyre just lucky to be born.

    The world is so unfair. And Wilhelm knew it wasnt going to change unless someone did something about it. So he joined the Liberation Army, and he was ready to give his life.

    Not yet.

    There were not the targets he was looking for but he could see them approaching in the distance. The students of the Theon Academy led by their mentor, a wizard, were the targets of the Liberation Army today.

    The children of nobles and wealthy merchants were mixed withmoners like Wilhelm, but Wilhelm didnt consider that.

    His hatred was already so deep in his bones that he couldnt even think about it. Perhaps if he knew, he would have rationalized himself somehow.

    Here we go.

    Wilhelm exchanged nces with hispatriots hiding in another alleyway and they nodded with stony faces.

    The students were now within striking distance.

    Were stopping here.

    The iron-masked mentor in the lead said, pulling the students back slightly.

    Iron Masked Mage Rotheron, a mage from the New Tower.

    As a sixth-rank wizard, the Liberation Army members who knew him were stumped by his sudden behavior.

    What should we do?

    Should we wait?

    What if we miss our chance?

    When neither he nor they could answer, the man in charge and the highest-rank agent in the field gritted his teeth and sent out a transmission.

    Go!

    It would be too much trouble for them to wait here so at the signal, the Liberation Army men rushed out of the alleyway.

    Suddenly, a group of people poured out of the alleyway, and passersby stopped in their tracks, wondering what was going on. Little did they know the malice of these sudden intruders on this peaceful street.

    The animosity toward the powerful was soon ignited by the act of pulling the trigger and firing the bullets of hatred.

    [Tut-tut-tut!]

    Countless guns fired.

    A baptism of bullets rained down as if to kill everyone on the street and the bullets were mostly aimed at the Theon students but not a single one of them fell to the ground.

    What, what?

    A Liberation soldier who had expended all his ammunition muttered as he looked at the emerald barrier in front of him. The barrier that surrounded the entire Liberation Army had blocked every bullet they had fired.

    It was made possible by the only sixth-rank wizard on the scene, Iron Mask Rotheron.

    Hey, whats going on?

    Its different!

    The Liberation Army was baffled.

    They knew that Rotheron was capable of stopping this kind of firearm but the question was, why did he not use [Silence of Fire] and instead deployed an old-fashioned magic barrier to block physical attacks?

    And simr situations were happening all over the capital.

    Uh, how!?

    The massacre the Liberation Army was nning to unleash was met with great difficulty from the start. Their bullets were intercepted by the barriers the wizards created and not a single human life was taken.

    The surprise attack was useless. Rather, as if they had been waiting for it, the mages deflected the Liberators guns and went straight into action.

    The knights who had been waiting were also on the move.

    The Nightcrawler Knights and the Cold Steel Knights, who had been lurking in a crowded area, burst onto the scene and overpowered the Liberators before they could make another move.

    Their physical prowess far surpassed that of the mages, and they gave the Liberators no chance to resist.

    What is this?

    The Liberation Army panicked. This situation was impossible without the other side seeing through all their moves and tricks.

    The mages knew of the special gunpowder, and the Knights knew where they would strike.

    Oh,e on.

    It was Caroline Monarch who faced the Liberation Army. The petite woman stood in a rigid posture and let out an exasperated sigh. All around her, broken Liberatorsy on the ground, groaning in one or two ces.

    Caroline grabbed one of the guns on the ground and squeezed the trigger. The bullet ttered to the ground.

    It was real.

    The Liberators had indeed used gunpowder that was unaffected by the Silence of Fire.

    What if the moment I saw the guns, I wouldve tried to use Silence of Fire first instead of responding with a magic barrier?

    Even a sixth-rank wizard would have been seriously injured but a lower rank wizard wouldve died without being able to do anything.

    Caroline felt a shiver run down her spine at the thought.

    The Silence of Fire is the most basic rule of thumb for a modern wizard when faced with a firearm. But thatmon sense was broken right here and right now.

    She recalled the contents of themunication sent to all her mentors earlier.

    -This is Rudger Chelici, I have a message for you mentors.

    Rudger ryed to his mentors what he had learned through the portablemunicator they carried as an emergency contact, just in case.

    -There are liberators hiding in the capital. Theyre moving in the shadows, nning attacks, and of course, the targets are the students of Theon.

    The mentors panicked at the news of an impending attack but the panic was short-lived.

    They checked to make sure the students hadnt heard themunication and waited for Rudgers next words.

    -The terrorists use a special kind of gunpowder. Its gunpowder that isnt affected by magic, so naturally, the ban on fire through the Silence of Fire doesnt work.

    The mentors were stunned. Not only was it surprising where the terrorists had gotten such a thing, but how he, a mere teacher, knew about it.

    The only mentor who wasnt surprised was Casey Selmore.

    That guy.

    Casey remembered facing Rudger. He was traveling with an unidentified knight, and she had no idea he was doing this behind her back.

    -Mentors, please be prepared for possible raids. If you want to inform your students, you can. Well leave that up to you.

    He tells them what hes found out, but leaves the response itself up to them and doesnt interfere too much. Even if Rudger had risen to a position of power in Theon, most of his mentors were senior to him in magic.

    The mentors were in awe of him when he told them that.

    Rudgers behavior was indeed clean, with nothing to add and nothing to subtract, and in between, there was consideration and respect for them.

    -But if you ever find yourself engaging terrorists, remember this. Never show mercy to those who dare to take the lives of innocents.

    That was the end of Rudgersmunication.

    Huh.

    Hwiron, sweating in the gym, smirked as he tucked away hismunicator.

    They were not walking around outside, so there was no risk of terrorism, but that was beside the point. What mattered was that something was happening in the capital right now and the high mages in the capital could not stand idly by.

    Hwiron nced behind him.

    All of Theons students who had followed him were sprawled on the gymnasium floor, gasping for breath but one was standing.

    Kid you look like a parasite but you have a great spirit.

    Huh. Huh.

    Freden Ulburg gasped, but did not avert his gaze from Hwiron.

    A noble wolf, indeed.

    Hwiron nodded in approval.

    Good. You can take charge and take them away.

    Hmph. What, you mean?

    Theres going to be a brawl soon. This gym is in my name, so most guys cant touch it, but these guys have some pretty swollen livers.

    Freuden was not unaware, and his eyes grew serious.

    Take the students with you.

    To where?

    To the pce.

    Freudens eyes widened at the mention of the Imperial Pce. It was certainly a safe ce, but it was not one to be entered lightly.

    How do I get to.?

    I dont know. But thems said to head there, so I suppose thats the way to go.

    Where are you going, mentor?

    Im not quite warmed up from my workout earlier.

    Hwiron chuckled and pulled on the robe he had taken off earlier.

    Im going to sweat a little.

    * * *

    While the other Mentors and Knights were on the move, Rudger and Passius were not idle.

    Rudger went to the ce closest to the First Division he had raided and attacked the Liberators waiting there.

    Passius approached and said.

    Im done over here. What about you?

    Already done. This is practically thest of them.

    All around them, Liberation Army terrorists who couldnt even draw their gunsy dead. Just the two of them had taken out over thirty terrorists in one fell swoop.

    How the hell.

    Most of them were out cold, except for the first-level agent in charge of the scene, Rudger hadnt knocked him out, but had tied him to a seat. He looked pretty dazed, as if he couldnt believe his n had been foiled and scattered before it had even begun.

    Your reign of terror is over. Your special gunpowder, uninhibited by magic, never saw the light of day.

    At the mention of gunpowder, the first- level agentsplexion darkened.

    Since the other side already knew their secret weapon, there was no point in attacking them by surprise. In fact, most of the terrorists were subdued and they didnt kill anyone.

    There were a few who were willing to die along with the bombs, but the Knights were quick on the scene and only damaged a few items.

    What could have been an extraordinary carnage in the capital of the Empire had been put to rest by a single man.

    You knew all along.

    The first-level agent bowed his head deeply.

    Passius thought he was despairing that everything he had been preparing for so long was over but he wasnt.

    Pfft, pfft.

    The first-level agent began to chuckle, and Passius, noticing the oddity, frowned.

    Thats why Im d.

    Looking up again, the face of the first-level showed a smile of pleasure and amusement, not the despair he had shown earlier.

    I dont think you knew this.

    With that, the manhole cover of a nearby sewer exploded off.

    Rudger and Passiuss gazes naturally went there.

    Inside the gaping hole of the manhole there was a strange sound and a beast began to emerge from within.

 Chapter 289

    Sorry for thete release, I tranted the chapter but I forgot to publish it.

    Bursting out of the sewer manhole was a beastly chimera. Looking like a cross between a tiger and a wolf, the chimera slipped through the hole, which was much smaller than its size, with ease.

    It looked like a cat slipping through a narrow hole.

    [Krrr!]

    The chimera salivated at the sight of Rudger, Passius, and the fallen Liberators nearby.

    [Kwah!]

    With a yell, the chimera leaped high and lunged. At the same time, a pure white sh spread out like a and enveloped the chimera. In a sh, the chimeras body shattered into cubes, scattering in all directions.

    Passius brushed the white aura from his fingertips.

    Excellent.

    Rudger could see why he didnt carry a sword when he went out from the way hed cut the chimera to pieces in a matter of seconds. He didnt need one in the first ce.

    When youre a master knight, youre a weapon in your own right.

    Passius, on the other hand, was about to ask what was going on, but then shut up.

    A moment ago, more chimeras had begun to emerge from the sewer hole. They kepting, and in a matter of moments, the number of chimeras that had emerged from the sewers had risen to nearly a dozen.

    It was a good thing there were no people around, or the screams would have been deafening.

    This is getting out of hand.

    It seems so.

    Rudger responded to Passiuss words while using magic.

    The spell was quicklypleted, and pirs of stone rose from the ground and surrounded the chimeras.

    The imprisoned chimeras roared and swung their mace-like tails at the pirs. Chunks of stone rained down and cracked with each blow.

    These are no ordinary chimeras.

    Rudger narrowed his eyes while reinforcing the shattered pirs.

    The chimeras tried to slip back into the manhole cover theyd emerged from when their prison failed to shatter. Presumably, they intended to exit by another entrance.

    It seems they have some intelligence.

    Rudger didnt allow them to leave and once again he quickly casted a spell as fire enveloped the chimeras.

    As he watched them burn to ash, Passius asked admiringly.

    Is it resolved?

    I dont think so.

    Rudger lifted his head and stared in the other direction and Passius did the same.

    The chimeras didnt appear in just one ce. They appeared simultaneously wherever manhole covers existed.

    Aaaah!

    Aaah!

    As if to prove it, civilian screams echoed from everywhere.

    Rudger and Passius expressions naturally hardened. Seeing this, the Liberation Armys first-level agent couldnt help butugh.

    Kkkkk. Foolish bastards, you thought you could just stop us, but in the first ce, we were nothing more than a stalling tactic.

    Using special gunpowder, the group staged arge-scale terrorist attack to draw attention to themselves. With that attention, they have enough time to unleash their chimeras on the capital, wreaking havoc.

    Thats one hell of a n.

    Rudger frowned slightly. He knew the Liberation Army was working with the Warlocks, but he hadnt realized it had gotten this far.

    If its on this scale, theyve been preparing for this for some time.

    A fearsome, mass-produced chimera army is certainly a threat but Rudger instinctively realized it didnt end there.

    The special gunpowder impervious to the Silence of Fire was certainly something, and the hordes of chimeras hidden in the underground of the imperial city were certainly impressive but they could not fundamentally disrupt the majesty of the Millennial Empire.

    They may shake it, they may crack it, but the system of a nation is not easily destroyed by such things.

    Theres no way the people behind something of this magnitude dont know that. That means they have at least one or two more things they believe in.

    What else are you up to?

    Hmph.

    The Liberation Army agent didnt answer, justughed. Rudger wasnt expecting an answer, either, so he gave a signal.

    Passius punched the Liberation Army agent, knocking him out cold and turned to Rudger with a serious look on his face.

    You didnt hear the whole thing, are you going to be okay?

    It wasnt like he knew more than that anyway. If he knew that much in the first ce, he wouldnt have been abandoned like that.

    So what are you going to do now, do what youre told, or help?

    Passius nced at the distantmotion.

    What we need to do is find out what theyre up to. If anything, the underground is likely to be empty now that the chimeras have appeared.

    Rudgers answer was cold. As if cutting through with a knife.

    It also meant that he had no intention of stopping the chimeras from going on a rampage.

    Passiuss expression hardened. It wasnt until he saw the disappointment in his eyes that Rudger spoke.

    And I dont think its necessary for you to go out there.

    What?

    Have you forgotten how many elite troops are gathered in this city right now?

    Ah.

    Two of the Empires three major knight orders were now gathered in the city, as well as high-ranking wizards from each of the magical societies.

    Their numbers alone were enough to wage war and as long as they were in the capital, they would not let this happen.

    Indeed, as if to prove it, a series of enormous ripples of magic could be felt in the distance.

    Rudger, with his sensitivity to magic, and Passius, with his acute senses, could feel that the battle had begun.

    Even as he watched in admiration, he asked Rudger a question.

    But even the knights and wizards will not be able to protect all those people.

    The capitals police and guards wont be sitting idly by either.

    Thats true, but isnt there a just-in-case scenario? If we mess up, the students might get hurt. Are you still going to stand by and let that happen?

    Students could get hurt.

    Rudger interrupted.

    I cant deny that.

    What?

    Something about the ease with which Rudger conceded this point struck Passius as odd. It was as if Rudger had been waiting for him to say this, rather than questioning him.

    I know its only superficial, but as a teacher, I cant stand by and watch my students get hurt.

    Uh, theres.

    Lets go.

    Go where?

    Chimeras are running wild in the city, are you going to let them be?

    You could have just told mefrom the beginning.

    Didnt Sir Passius tell me that if I messed up, the students could get hurt? I just epted your words.

    When Rudger said that without changing his expression, Passius couldnt help butugh. He suddenly realized why the First Princess had said that.

    Even though Rudger spoke coldly on the surface, there was a caring side in his behavior and words. In some ways, he was simr to Princess Eileen.

    You shouldnt be ashamed.

    From the rumors hed heard, he assumed that Rudger was an inhuman psychopath, but now he knew for sure that Rudger Chelici was more humane than anyone else.

    What did you just say?

    Nothing. Lets go, we cant just sit around and y.

    For the record, I didnt make thement, Sir Passius did.

    Aye, aye, lets leave it at that.

    Rudger nodded, a little miffed and the two men moved toward the center of the fight.

    * * *

    A!

    Hwirons voice was cheerful, and he threw out his fist.

    [Pow!]

    The fist struck the air with terrifying speed and a gaping hole appeared out of nowhere in the torso of a distant chimera.

    The officers at the scene let out a gasp.

    Amazing, thats the power of a sixth-rank wizard.

    Hwirons battle method was very simple but powerful. He stored his magic in his fist and released it by thrusting it out.

    It was more like a technique than magic, in fact, some of the police officers who saw him fight were wondering if he really used magic but Hwiron proudly proimed that what he was using was magic.

    Magic, after all, is the use of mana. His argument was that his fist punch and the release of energy was also a technique that used mana, so it was magic.

    While he wasnt exactly wrong in principle, it was still a bit jarring but Hwirons performance was dazzling enough to override that.

    A horde of chimeras that the cops alone would have had a hard time dealing with were being swept away like leaves by a single punch.

    Lord Hwiron! Danger!

    Maybe because hed gotten too close to the chimera horde, one of the chimeras, scaling the exterior wall of a nearby building, lunged at him and sank its teeth into him.

    The sharp, double-barreled teeth sank between his exposed trapezius muscles and the nape of his neck but what happened next was even more disconcerting.

    The chimeras teeth didnt pierce Hwirons skin, but instead made a strange sound like they had collided with solid iron.

    The chimeras teeth, which could tear through bricks, instead shattered and fell to the ground.

    Huh? Hahaha! Look at this little guy. Trying to bite me?

    Hwiron looked at the chimera, which looked at him with trembling eyes, and then extended a vicious hand. The chimeras neck snapped in his grasp.

    The officers realized why Hwiron was a sixth-rank wizard.

    He didnt need any fancy magic tricks. All he had was a ridiculous amount of mana, the power to release it all at once, and the stamina to never tire. And that was all he needed.

    [Pow!]

    With each blow of Hwirons fist, the chimeras that had been swept away by the magic died.

    More! More!

    Hwiron shouted, and the chimeras caught up in his taunt turned their eyes upside down and lunged at him.

    The subtle ripples of magic in his shout shook the chimeras minds and a swarm of chimeras filled the street as they charged at him.

    Light shed in the air, and countless magic bombs rained down like a bombardment, devouring the chimeras.

    The chimeras were torn apart or burned to a crisp with the explosions.

    Waiting for the bloodshed, Hwiron looked up at the sky with an annoyed expression. There, with her hair tied back on either side of her face, was a small girl, Caroline Monarch.

    Hey, littledy, you cant just take someone elses food.

    Hey, muscle pig, I told you not to call me that.

    Caroline Monarch descended slowly from thin air, scowling.

    The officer, who was trained in magical knowledge, marveled at the detailed, yet effortlessly natural floating magic.

    Caroline, for one, was irritated with Hwiron.

    Youre smashing things with your fist, one by one, when you could have just stirred them up with magic all at once like this.

    Uh-huh. Im restraining myself because there wont be any buildings left if I do that.

    Forget restraint. Im sure youll enjoy the opportunity to fight for a long time. Who wouldnt?

    Hwiron shrugged and Caroline gave him a pitying look.

    Anyway, were in the middle of a situation, so put aside your personal feelings. I dont know what the hell is going on, but Im guessing this isnt an ordinary incident.

    I see.

    The chimeras began to swarm once more in the distance, despite the magical bombardment. There was an almost endless stream of theming out of the underground.

    Hwiron mmed his fists together to steady himself, and Caroline fluttered her hair as she summoned her tyrant-like magic.

    The two of them were about to counter the oing chimera wave when a beam of light fell vertically from the sky.

    Caroline and Hwiron looked up as a vertical beam of light swerved in midair and pierced the forehead of the leading chimera.

    The beam was no bigger than a fingertip, but its terrifying speed and power burned and melted the chimeras vital organs in an instant.

    It didnt stop there, though, as it veered off again and pierced the next chimera. In the blink of an eye, a dizzying array of colorful light trajectories, like constetions woven into the air, unfolded.

    The charging chimeras crumpled to the ground, almost simultaneously.

    What is this.?

    .

    Hwirons eyes widened, and Caroline fell silent.

    The spectacle of the light that had unfolded a moment ago was a sight to behold, but they both realized at once the magnitude of the magic.

    A single beam of lightpressed to the limit?

    In order to defeat such arge number of chimeras, one would have to userge-scale magic that consumed a great deal of mana but there wasnt that much mana in that beam of light. It was simply a way to kill all the chimeras with the least amount of power for the most effect.

    It wasnt as if Hwiron and Caroline couldnt do the same thing. Its just that they dont use it because theyre sixth-rank and full of mana, but its something they could do with enough time and practice.

    In other words, they had to practice for a long time as sixth-rank wizards. To that extent, the magic from earlier was exceptional in its efficiency and most importantly, its properties.

    Someone who can handle rare magic like the light attribute would be able to.

    Caroline lifted her head and saw a ck-haired unlettered man, fluttering his ck coat and looking down at the situation.

    His blue gaze confirmed that there were no chimeras in the immediate vicinity, and then he was gone, flying over the building.

    Rudger recognized them, but didnt say hello. That meant that there was no need to share.

    Well.

    Hwiron saw it, too, andughed in disbelief.

    How can such a person be a teacher? What a waste of talent.

 Chapter 290

    Stop them!

    Gunfire rang out with the cry of a knight. The officers behind the makeshift barricades spat out every bullet they had.

    The leader of the group of approaching chimeras, filling the streets, was shot.

    A few chimeras went down in a spray of blood, but they were few and far between. With their toned muscles and hard hides, the chimeras were able to withstand more than a few bullets.

    Even the dead chimeras were unlucky enough to be shot through the eye, or to take too many bullets. The rest were too strong.

    Shoot, shoot, keep shooting!

    The officers continued to fire, even as they pondered.

    Behind the barricades they had set up, terrified citizens who hadnt yet evacuated huddled together.

    If the chimeras break the barricades all the citizens will die so the officers tried to hold the line with all their might but they were running out of ammunition, and the chimeras just kepting.

    Guns could only do so much.

    Everyone out of the way!

    Thats when the out-of-breath wizard stepped forward.

    Loina Pavlini used her magic to create a massive magic barrier.

    Waves of chimeras crashed against the barrier, creating a massive vibration around them. Gritting her teeth, Loina enchanted the barrier, turning it into a zing fire.

    The chimeras near the barrier quickly burned to a crisp but they were not intimidated by the mes. Some of them tried to jump over the ming barrier, stepping on the corpses of previously killed chimeras.

    Each time they did, the officers standing by shot and killed them. It was then that Loina broke out in a cold sweat and dropped to one knee.

    Wizard, are you all right?!

    A Cold Steel knightmanding nearby walked over to check on her.

    I, Im fine.

    Loina said she was fine, but herplexion was pale.

    The officers face naturally hardened.

    Youre exhausted.

    It was strange for a sixth-rank Lexer to be exhausted, but it was that bad since Loina had used up so much magic power at least ten times.

    The survivors took up positions outside the Crystal Pce and held off the Chimera assault.

    There was no point in trying to stop them from the inside, as they would emerge from the underground passageways.

    The Crystal Pce is a major tourist attraction and there was plenty of traffic so there were more than a few streets to block.

    Loina had blocked all of them single-handedly. In fact, it was only now that her exhaustion was beginning to look admirable.

    Miraculously, there hadnt been any casualties yet, thanks to her all-consuming dedication but even that had its limits.

    She pushed herself to her feet, straining at her wobbly legs, but eventually fell back down.

    I should get up.

    The chimeras were still pouring in but at least the knights were fighting back somehow, giving her time to rest in between otherwise, they would have been wiped out already.

    Miss Loina!

    The students of Theon were enraged by the sight and rushed to help. Leading the way was the Third Princess Erendir.

    Well help!

    Oh, no, please go inside.

    I know were not good enough, but if we join forces, we can at least stall for time. Please allow us.

    The students, along with Erendir, spoke with such determination that Loina could do nothing to discourage them. She knew best that they were desperate for help.

    Theyreing again!

    The barrier of me copsed as Loinas magic wore off, and the chimeras that had been drooling from beyond moved once more.

    [Dddddd.]

    The ground shook as if there had been an earthquake as the chimeras rushed forward at once. The bloodshot eyes of the chimeras as they rushed toward them were like demons crawling up from the depths of hell.

    Considering that the chimeras actually burst out of the ground, you could have sworn that the gates of hell had opened.

    Hold on!

    The fieldmander, a female Cold Steel Knights Order, shouted at the top of her lungs.

    At the barricades in each direction, Cold Steel Knights drew their swords, used their artifacts, and shed at the Chimeras as the police and the guards of the Crystal Pce fought along with them.

    They clenched their teeth and poured out all the bullets they had at the approaching chimeras that tried to get their heads around the barricades.

    The students of Theon did not stand still and started using their magic.

    Since they couldnt do it alone they divided their tasks. One would create a wall out of the ground to block a path or block an attack, while the other would intercept any chimera that tried to climb over or bypass it.

    Proving they werent students of Theon for nothing, they did their jobs well. It was an extreme situation but everyone did the best they could in their respective positions.

    Thanks to them, the storming Chimera forces have been slowed, if only slightly. This was due in no small part to the efforts of Loina, who was doing her best to keep them at bay, but also to thebined efforts of the Knights and Theon students.

    All right! Lets keep going!

    Those who are tired, stand down! Were switching!

    It was a moment of hope for the people.

    [Krrrr!]

    Suddenly, the chimeras stopped moving. They shook the thorns that grew from their backs to their tails wildly as ifmunicating with something.

    The strange behavior made one of the frontline Cold Steel Knights suspicious.

    [Kyaaaaah!]

    The chimera in the lead threw up its head and roared, then swung its tail in the air. At the tips of its two tails were countless spikes, and when the chimera swung them, the sharp spikes shot out like bullets.

    The action was mirrored by all the chimeras that filled the streets.

    Everyone, take cover!

    A knight who realized what was happening shouted, but it was toote. The sharp spikes pierced through the barricades and into the bodies of the officers behind them.

    The chimeras spikes were far stronger than any rifle bullet in terms of sheer power.

    Ack!

    Crunch!

    Officers copsed in a spray of blood. Some of the unlucky ones were even caught in the crossfire.

    The barricades stopping power had saved them, but there was no denying that their wounds would hinder them in the immediate fight.

    Worse still, the chimeras didnt stop there.

    A ranged attack? This isnt good!

    Here theye again! Stop them!

    Unable topletely avoid the thorns that filled the streets, the only option was defense. But unlike the knights, who were prepared and wore armor, the police were not.

    Thats when Loina stepped in.

    Everyone down!

    She scraped together what little magic she had left, creating a dome-shaped barrier of energy. The spikes from the chimeras hit the barrier and bounced off like a rain shower hitting an umbre.

    The chimeras did not cease their assault and Loinas barrier slowly began to crack.

    Just as it was about to crumble, Flora stepped forward.

    Cheryl!

    Okay!

    Cheryl knew what to do when Flora called her name. She manifested the spell shed been preparing, and it rose like a tidal wave of water.

    Floras magic added to the barrier of water.

    [Whoooooo!]

    A pure white chill sliced through the barrier of water, creating a wall of icebergs.

    Flora, this wont hold for long!

    Before Cheryl could say anything else, Floras next spell manifested.

    A dozen lightning bolts formed around her and then the balls of lightning stretched out and turned into spears. With a flick of her wand, the thunderbolts fell in a parabolic arc toward the chimeras.

    Blue lightning spread like a spiders web, scattering electricity in all directions and a gaping hole was blown in the chimera army.

    [Aaaah!]

    The citizens who watched the spectacle roared, and the students of Theon couldnt keep their mouths shut. They knew Flora Lumos was a genius in Theon, but they didnt expect her to be able to use her magic so freely in a fight.

    Amazing.

    Rene was equally impressed with Floras performance.

    Flora had no hesitation in manifesting her magic, showing that she was not called a genius for nothing.

    The lines of her forms did not tremble in the face of fear and terror, nor did herpositions go awry. She used the right amount of mana at the right time, with minimal expenditure of energy.

    Even their mentor, Loina, could only stare in awe.

    Huh?

    At that moment, Renes vision caught the movement of the chimeras.

    Flora didnt see it, but Rene did. Several of the chimeras scaled the buildings exterior walls and moved silently onto the roof.

    Why the roof?

    Then one of the chimeras, moving silently on the roof, looked at Flora and twitched its two tails. The sight of it made Rene jump to her feet.

    Danger!

    It was almost simultaneous with Renes warning that the chimera on the roof shot out its thorns.

    Flora spotted the chimerate, but it was toote. The moment she squeezed her eyes shut, Rene had used her magic.

    It was a simplified magic barrier since non-attribute magic didnt contain any attributes. Normally, she would have struggled to use it, but now that Rudger had increased her mana output, it worked just fine.

    A silver-gray circr shield formed in front of Flora, blocking the thorns. Some bounced off the shield while others pierced halfway through and lodged in but it seeded in blocking thempletely.

    Flora stared at the magic shield with dazed eyes, then shifted her gaze to Rene.

    You.

    Are you okay?

    .

    Flora nodded with aplicated look on her face as Rene looked at her worriedly.

    Renee patted her chest, relieved, but then realized that the chimera wasnt dealt with.

    Itsing again!

    I know.

    Flora replied and tried to respond.

    On the rooftop, the chimera was about to fire another barrage of spikes when it suddenly lifted its head.

    Immediately afterward, as if sensing a crisis, it began to run away from the scene. For a moment, the people on the scene didnt understand why the chimera suddenly changed its behavior but they soon realized why.

    Suddenly, a beam of light began to descend from the dark cloud-filled sky. It fell in a straight line, then took a terrifying turn and pierced the fleeing chimeras torso.

    The chimera screamed and fell to the ground.

    Look!

    Just then, someone raised their hand and pointed into the air and the peoples eyes naturally turned to a point.

    Mr. Rudger?

    Renee, as well as Flora, could recognize the person there.

    Floating in thin air with floating magic Rudger waved his hand lightly as if he were a conductor. Then, countless beams of light like those that pierced the rooftop chimera burst forth from his fingertips, raining down on the ground.

    My God.

    Erendir unknowingly uttered an exmation at the beautiful and majestic sight.

    Countless beams of light bent and shifted in the air, piercing the chimeras. It was an imitation light made through mana, but light was light. Its speed was beyond the reach of a mere chimera infused with beastly elements.

    The chimeras fought back and fired a barrage of spikes at Rudger as he floated in midair.

    In an instant, countless spikes filled the air with ckness.

    Seeing this, Rudgers response was simple. He simply bowed and held out his other hand.

    At that moment, a vortex of magic formed, spinning furiously around him. The flying spikes were swept up in it and bounced helplessly, unable to pierce their target.

    It was the same defensive magic Rudger had used against Grander, but without the use of Aether Nocturnus, and with pure magic.

    The magic didnt stop there as the wind blew. The thorns that had been falling like rainwater from the sky began to form a giant stream on the wind.

    The thorns that the chimeras shot out were caught by the wind that Rudger blew in the opposite direction.

    Rudger quickly returned the wind-collected thorns to the chimeras.

    A shower of spikes like the one that pierced the barricades rained down on the chimeras.

    The chimeras screamed in a spray of blood, and the citizens cheered. Just then, new reinforcements arrived from the distance.

    The chimeras realized they couldnt win and fell back while baring their teeth.

    Seeing this, Rudger released his floating spell andnded just inside the barricade where the citizens were gathered.

    Looking at the citizens, students, knights, and police who stared at him speechlessly, Rudger spoke up.

    Is everyone safe?

    * * *

    In the capitals main square, many people were gathered. Evacuation centers had been set up because of this major terrorist incident.

    In the central barracks, people gathered to talk about the situation.

    What is the situation now?

    The evacuation of the citizens is over, and we are now on the defensive by building barricades on the main streets where they roam.

    As we started responding in earnest, the chimeras didnt rush in recklessly. It looks like theres amander.

    Theres no end to their numbers, and at this rate, its just going to be a pointless war of attrition.

    With the Liberation Army followed by the Chimera onught, the capital quickly became a ce of mayhem. Luckily, the wizards, knights, police, and guards were able to stabilize the situation, but the damage was done.

    I cant believe the Liberation Army made chimeras.

    Lloyd, the second-inmand of the Nightcrawler Knights, muttered as he adjusted his sses while Trina, who upied one side of the table, crossed her arms and said nothing.

    On the other side of the table, Veronica was receiving a series of reports from her men.

    At that moment, the outside of the barracks became noisy with shouting.

    Wondering what was going on, she looked toward the barracks entrance and saw someone rush in and shout,

    His Majesty the Emperor is here!

 Chapter 291

    There was an immediate uproar in the barracks at the news of the Emperors arrival.

    His Majesty?

    How could hee unannounced.?

    They understood that hes visiting because of events in the capital, but his visit was unexpected.

    Amotion erupted outside, and a group of people rushed in through the barracks entrance.

    Everyone inside the barracks held their breath as a man emerged, surrounded by his armored escorts.

    Dazzling blond hair and wrinkle-free skin that didnt give away his age of over 40, a gentle-looking man, but with the authority and charisma of royalty, he was the current pinnacle of the Empire, Emperor Augustus von Exilion.

    Greetings, Your Imperial Majesty!

    Everyone in the barracks dropped to one knee and bowed their heads in deference to the Emperor.

    With a wave of his hand, Augustus acknowledged their respect and said they could rise.

    Everyone rose to their feet again.

    The current Emperor was said to be a zed-over, powerless figure, but the mood in the room suggested otherwise.

    And her.

    Next to the emperor was a woman that caught everyones attention, First Princess Eileen von Exilion, the next ruler of the Empire.

    If the Emperor was the sun, the First Princess was the full moon in a blue sky.

    His Majesty the Emperor and the First Princess are here together.

    Thats how serious they are about this matter.

    Finally, an old man with a huge frame walked into the barracks.

    The knights recognized the old man with the long brown hair and beard like a lions mane.

    Luther Werdot.

    Head of the Royal Guard, an organization that only a handful of knights are allowed to enter, and currently the most powerful swordsman in the Empire.

    His brown hair and beard, still lustrous despite being more than half a century old, showed that he was still in good shape.

    It was no wonder that the knights looked upon him with both fear and respect. Even Trina, the leader of the Nightcrawlers, looked at him and bowed respectfully.

    Luther acknowledged her greeting with a slight tilt of his head.

    There was a difference between the two masters.

    I am pleased to meet you.

    Emperor Augustus spoke. His voice was soft and gentle, yet strangely irresistible.

    But such lighthearted greetings are not possible at this time. As you know, horrible things have happened in the capital of the Empire. I have heard the news so I have traveled here myself to learn more.

    As the Emperor spoke, Lloyd of the Nightcrawler Knights stepped forward to summarize the situation.

    Im Lloyd of the Nightcrawler Knights.

    Right.

    First of all, this is a major attack by the Liberation Army in coboration with the Warlocks. First, the Liberators attacked a heavily popted area with firearms to cause chaos, and then they unleashed their chimeras from the underground to strike a fatal blow.

    Lloyd pointed to a map on one side of the barracks.

    There was a massive outpouring of chimeras from the sewers in over a dozen neighborhoods.

    The result was chaos in the neighborhoods, with many casualties.

    It was a good thing the Knights had patrolled the perimeter beforehand and increased their vignce, or there would have been a lot more casualties.

    Were currently barricading the area to keep them at bay. The chimeras have decided its too much and are backing off, but their behavior suggests theres someone giving them orders.

    A warlock.

    Luthers words stunned everyone.

    Then the Emperor, who had been listening, spoke up.

    I hear there are students from the Theon Academy here as well. Thats where my dear Third attends.

    The men in the barracks could see why the Emperor hade in person.

    By any chance, do you have any news of what happened to Erendir?

    Its.

    Lloyd hesitated for a moment, then coughed and spoke up when Trina, his captain, nodded.

    For starters, it is believed that the Third Princess went to the Crystal Pce with Mentor Loina Pavlini.

    The Crystal Pce attracts a lot of tourists, so transportation is easy. But its also where more of the chimeras that have overrun the boulevards can be found.

    The Emperor had a point.

    Indeed, the Crystal Pce was the most dangerous ce in the current Chimera invasion.

    Still, they have a Lexer-rank wizard with them, so it shouldnt be too much of a problem.

    That would be true for Erendir.

    The Emperors words meant that while Erendir might be okay after all, others might not be. Especially the many citizens who visited the Crystal Pce.

    No matter how great a sixth-rank wizard was, he wouldnt be able to protect all those people inside the Crystal Pce.

    The emperors expression naturally darkened.

    Of course, the Crystal Pce itself had its own private guards to prevent terrorism, and some knights also patrolled the perimeter of the Crystal Pce, so they wouldnt be easily defeated by the chimera horde.

    Still, their numbers were so overwhelming that it was impossible to rule out the possibility that something could go wrong.

    Ah, they should be fine.

    It was a petite woman who spoke up, Caroline Monarch.

    Those who recognized her were stunned. For a woman who despised aristocracy and royalty, the fact that she stood so boldly in front of the emperor was unsettling.

    If, out of the blue, Caroline were to insult the Emperor here things would really get out of hand.

    You are.

    Caroline Monarch, Your Majesty the Emperor.

    I never thought Id meet the head of the Monarch Mercenaries in a ce like this.

    Carolines eyes widened at the Emperors recognition of her. As far as she knew, the current Emperor was actually a puppet, but there was something in his demeanor that suggested otherwise.

    Rumors are not to be trusted after all.

    Just as Caroline was thinking that, Emperor Augustus said.

    Why do you say they will be fine?

    Loina is a rather insignificant child, little more than a pawn among us sixth-rank wizards.

    That sounds more like anxiety-inducing than reassuring.

    But shes got one of the best in the field with her, so shell be fine.

    An outstanding one?

    For the first time, Emperor Augustuss voice contained a hint of interest.

    He had heard of Caroline Monarch, a sixth-rank wizard, and the leader of Monarch Mercenaries, who could rival a knight order.

    They are known to have fierce tempers, having traveled the world and fought in all manner of battles. Caroline Monarch as their leader naturally has a simr personality and is someone who recognizes people purely on merit and skills.

    Emperor Augustus couldnt help but be intrigued.

    Who is it?

    He is.

    Caroline opened her mouth to speak when outside the barracks there was another uproar.

    Themotion was different than when the Emperor had arrived, and everyones eyes widened in wonder.

    Lets see whats going on.

    The Emperor spoke to one of the nearby guards, who quickly replied and left the barracks.

    It didnt take long for him to return.

    Whats going on?

    They say the survivors of the Crystal Pce have arrived!

    Survivors of the Crystal Pce?

    Most of them sighed with relief, knowing who was in the Crystal Pce but what mattered now was not whether there were survivors but how many there were.

    Feeling the emperors gaze on him, the knight answered immediately.

    There are so many survivors, I dont know exactly how many have returned, but from what I hear, very few of those who were there are dead.

    And Erendir?

    The Third Princess is alive and well. Mage Loina Pavlini was with her, and the students of the Theon Academy are safe.

    There was a murmur of appreciation in the barracks at the news and the Emperors gaze casually turned to Caroline again.

    It seems that the great man you spoke of has arrived.

    With that, the Emperor walked out of the barracks and everyone inside the barracks followed suit.

    Outside, the atmosphere had been enlivened by the arrival of a group of survivors.

    There had been no deaths, but the news that so many had made it home safely brought hope to those who were beginning to despair.

    Just as the Emperor had found the group of survivors, so too had one of the survivors found the Emperor.

    Father!

    The Third Princess Erendir saw the emperor and ran to him with joy and the Emperor smiled with relief when he saw that she was safe.

    The people suddenly realized that Erendirs hair color closely resembled the emperors.

    Erendir was overwhelmed by the emperors presence, but her face hardened when she saw the person next to him.

    Oh, myErendir you dont have eyes for your sister?

    Ah, big sister Eileen.

    Erendirs expression changed to one of horror at the sight of Eileen, as if he had spotted a natural enemy while Eileen smiled at Erendirs appearance.

    The smile turned Erendirs face pale, and her body trembled like an aspen tree.

    This sister is sad, youre only looking out for father and never pay attention to your sister whos right next to you. Or are you deliberately ignoring me?

    Its not that.

    Enough of that. Why are you bothering your sister on this happy asion?

    Their conversation was interrupted by the emperor as he gently coaxed them, knowing that this was not the first time they had done this.

    Those in the barracks who watched closely realized that the Emperor was still a man who cared about his children.

    Erendir, Im so d youre safe. Nothing dangerous happened.

    It wasnt without.

    Erendir opened her mouth to say something but in the end she spoke frankly.

    At first, they managed to hold off the chimeras army thanks to the efforts of mentor Loina, but they were gradually worn down as victims began to appear.

    Then, the chimeras heard someones order and began to shoot thorns from afar, and the war situation reached a dangerous situation.

    The Emperors grave expression softened at Erendirs next words.

    If it werent for him, we would have all died on the spot.

    Who is he?

    It was Eileen, not Erendir, who answered the emperors question.

    Father, there he is, just in time.

    At Eileens words, Emperor Augustuss gaze shifted to a spot in the group of survivors where a man wasing toward them.

    Hooo.

    His steps were slow, but there was an innate dignity to them.

    The nobility and leisurely pace of the man, so out of character with his surroundings, made Augustus gasp inwardly.

    What kind of noble is he?

    Even the Emperor, who prided himself on having met many high-ranking nobles, could not help but be impressed by the appearance of Rudger, who was now approaching him.

    When Rudger saw the emperor, he kept his distance and casually dropped to one knee. Even the way he bowed to the Emperor was solemn, and there was not even the slightest mistake.

    I greet your Majesty, the great Emperor. I am Rudger Chelici, I have just returned from leading the survivors.

    * * *

    In the crowd of survivors, Theons students were joined by others. They hugged each other and rejoiced that no one had died.

    Rene was relieved, too. She could barely rx as she realized that she had indeed almost died.

    Rene spontaneously looked at Flora Lumos next to her and opened her mouth.

    Hey, that.

    Renee was about to say something to the woman with the long, navy-blue hair, but then she shut her mouth. Her expression didnt look happy at all for someone who had survived. Rather, she had a frown on her face, as if she was somehow unhappy, and yet she didnt know why.

    .

    Flora left the area as soon as she heard Renes words and Rene could only stare after her, speechless.

    Flora? Flora!

    Cheryl called after her, but Flora didnt answer. She was thinking about what had happened earlier in the Crystal Pce.

    The moment when everyone was in danger Rudger had appeared in a sh of light from the sky and saved them all.

    His magic was so amazing, it was nothing short of divine power.

    He summoned light, wind, fire, and ice in quick session, and even those who knew about magic thought he might be an archmage.

    Of course, she didnt know how many potions Rudger had swallowed in between, but it was enough to make her think so but that wasnt the point.

    Once he had swept away the chimeras and seen them flee, Rudger descended from the sky and approached the survivors as the sweet scent of his magic lingered in the air, along with the beautiful colors that dazzled her eyes.

    Once Rudger was satisfied that they were safe, he hovered over Flora.

    Flora was excited at the moment thinking that Rudger would ask her if she was okay and praise her for a job well done.

    She couldnt help but think so, because as a student, she had done a great job with her courage but it wasnt Flora he approached, it was Rene, who was right next to her.

    -Rene, are you okay?

 Chapter 292

    Chapter sponsored byNoel, Joy, ArkAs & MomoAkanegakubo.Thank you for your support.

    I greet His Majesty the Emperor.

    Rudger made a proper bow to the Emperor.

    Erendir was vaguely surprised that Rudger would go to such extremes. At least the Rudger Chelici she knew was a man who would not bow down to a god, let alone the emperor.

    Eileen, on the other hand, red at Rudger, a little offended to see him kneeling to someone other than herself, even if it was her own father.

    The Emperor spoke in a soft voice, whether his two daughters were listening or not.

    This is not the imperial court. Therefore, your excessive politeness only serves to embarrass me.

    I see.

    Rudger rose to his feet and the emperor was intrigued, not angry, by the expressionless face that turned toward him.

    His actions were fierce, but his eyes held no hint of submission.

    Indeed, a stalwart man. Besides, I wonder at the conflicting reactions of my two daughters toward him.

    s. Ive kept the hero too long. Youve been through a lot and you deserve a break.

    I appreciate your consideration, but given the circumstances, I dont think thats possible.

    The Chimeras retreated, but the terror in the capital was far from over, and that feeling was shared by everyone in the room.

    The men returned to themand center once more and this time Rudger was with them.

    Rudger looked around themand center.

    Veronica, recognizing him, waved at him, and Trina, standing next to her, gave him a questioning look.

    Elsewhere, a few mentors and wizards were gathered.

    They seemed quite surprised that Rudger had made it back alive and well, and that he had rescued so many citizens.

    The first-year mentors were still in the Imperial Pce, so it was the second-year tutors who were here.

    Surprisingly, a familiar face was there, Chris Benimore.

    There are a lot of people.

    Each and every one of them was a powerful man but the one that caught his eye the most was arge man standing at the Emperors side.

    Hes a beast, but his first impression is that of a sword.

    Hes never seen him before, but with a face that distinctive, theres only one person he could think of. Luther Werdot, head of the Royal Guard.

    He doesnt wear his power on his sleeve like other powerful men. Rather, he wields his power with such precision that a stranger might mistake him for just a big, gruff old man but to those in the know, it was just as impressive.

    None of the people gathered here have a w in their skills. At the very least, it was the best power that could be assembled at the time.

    The fact that they didnt show any signs of weakness meant that they were at full strength.

    Hes a little smaller than Pantos, but he feels morepressed, so its hard to tell.

    Rudger thought of the Pantos that remained in Leathervelk andpared him to Luther.

    Compared to the Empires strongest sword, he was still far from perfect but Pantos could be called a great hero of the Suin people, a man who grew steadily stronger with practice.

    Its too much for him right now, but maybe with more experience, hell be able to do it.

    Rudger, who was thinking that far, realized that Luther was looking at him and naturally looked away.

    Perhaps hed stared too long as he was deep in thought or maybe Luther sensed something in his tant gaze.

    In times like these, it was best to be brazen, so Rudger ignored Luthers stare as best he could.

    Gathered in themand center, the leaders discussed what to do next.

    First, we need to establish a perimeter and stop the spread of damage.

    Its toote for that since we dont know what else theyre trying to do underground.

    Then what are you suggesting we do?

    We need to go underground first and wipe them out.

    We dont know whats down there. What if its a trap?

    The men gathered here are some of the best in the Empire. Do you really think were going to fall for a trap dug by a bunch of Liberators?

    The wizards wanted to be cautious, while the knights wanted to be aggressive. Of course, Veronica and Trina, the leaders of the knights, had nothing to say.

    Even among the wizards and knights, opinions were divided.

    May I say something about that?

    Princess Eileen who had remained silent until now spoke up.

    When she opened her mouth, people were quite puzzled. On the other hand, Trina, who knew Aileens personality, narrowed her eyes and thought, This is just the beginning.

    What is your name, the one who just called them a bunch of Liberators?

    My name is Eric of the Nightcrawler Knights.

    Yes, Eric. I sympathize with your sentiments but its still not enough.

    Eric fell silent as Eileen spoke up.

    As everyone knows, the Liberation Army has prepared their own weapons unlike anything weve seen before. Most notably, gunpowder that is impervious to magic.

    At that, the faces of Theons mentors hardened. As the first to encounter the Liberators, they knew the effects of gunpowder better than anyone.

    You might say it doesnt matter because we know how to counter it, but the truth is, we dont know what else they have in store, just like the chimeras theyve been breeding in the capital underground.

    But didnt we stop them?

    It was the captain of the guards in charge of the capitals defense who answered.

    Of course we did. The guards did their part, and the knights and wizards here fought as best they could. Considering the magnitude of what happened, the damage is miraculously minimal.

    Everyones spirits lifted a little at that but Eileen poured cold water on them.

    But how do we know the enemys means end here?

    Its.

    Even the unusual gunpowder they used is something no one in this room could have predicted.

    She seems to be saying that the results are good, but then shifts gears at a crucial moment.

    Eileen respects their roles and positions, but doesnt back down from her opinion because she knows how they might react. She didnt just speak with authority, but with reason.

    Think about it, my lords. If you were a member of the Liberation Army, or a warlock in league with them, would you stop after the use of the chimeras?

    No one dared to answer.

    They were not kneeling before authority but harbored simr thoughts.

    They were just trying to convince themselves that their enemies could not possibly threaten them but Eileen shattered that illusion head-on.

    If they thought they could threaten the capital with a mere chimera army, theyre idiots who dont deserve to be dealt with, but I dont think theyre idiots.

    They didnt just unleash the chimeras indiscriminately, but made them retreat underground once again, meaning that they had a n and it was clear they had another means of striking a blow to the Empire.

    At this moment, I have the best of the Empire at my disposal. Capital guards, police, high-ranking wizards, the Three Orders, and the Royal Guard.

    She nced at Rudger.

    And then there are the teachers of Theon.

    Normally, on a list of this size, the Teachers of Theon would not be on the top of the list, no matter how prestigious they were but Eileen had recognized Rudger, and he deserved it, given that he had brought so many people back alive.

    This caused the second-year teachers of Theon to breathe a sigh of relief as they took up their seats, looking slightly uneasy.

    Does the First Princess have any thoughts?

    Trina, who had been listening, asked.

    Lady Trina Ryanhowl, what does that mean?

    Apparently, the First Princess believes that the enemys offensive is not yet over.

    It seemed a bit disrespectful of Trina to suddenly speak to the First Princess like that and indeed, the others nced between the two with nervousness, but Rudger saw it differently.

    Shes a great support while pretending not to be.

    Trina had deliberately put herself forward and asked a negative question to reinforce Eileens opinion. It wasnt a prearranged behavior, but it was clear from the way it worked that theyd been having this conversation often before.

    As Rudger had suspected, Eileens eyes lit up with satisfaction.

    That is a good question. Would the enemy think that your lordships, the pride of the Empire, would fall to a mere chimera army?

    Everyone shook their heads at those words. The chimeras were certainly a threat, and they were numerous, but they were nowhere near close to the power gathered in this ce.

    Yet they sacrificed their own power, and even sent in the chimera. What do you think their intentions were?

    They have the means to wipe this ce out.

    The answer came from the gathered mentors and all eyes naturally turned to one ce.

    Casey Selmore stepped forward, her azure, wavy hair bouncing as Eileens eyes lit up with interest.

    You must be Casey Selmore, the seconddy of Selmore House.

    And a detective.

    A smile of amusement tugged at Eileens lips at the challenging tone. It wasnt often that someone was so confident in her presence.

    Casey met Eileens unwavering gaze. For a moment, her eyes flickered past Rudger, but it was so brief that no one saw it.

    So, Detective Casey Selmore, do you have anything in mind, or have you made any deductions?

    The chimera army must have been a ruse, a raid using the remnants of the Liberation Army. Unless theyre stupid, they would have known about the power gathered here. A mere chimera army cant even make a scratch.

    Then what?

    Theres something more. Something that makes them think they can pull off a victory against our power. Its not just a guess, its a certainty.

    Then they knew wed gather like this.

    No. Theyre hoping for it, and theyre probably doing something underground to make it happen.

    Caseys words were unsubstantiated and wild, but usible in their situation.

    Inwardly, Rudger found himself agreeing with her.

    Shes right, the Liberators are up to something underground, and the special gunpowder and chimeras are nothing more than tricks to stall us.

    Except they needed to know exactly what it was.

    Rudger didnt know the details yet since Hans and Bruna, the men hed sent underground, would have to bring back information before he could move forward.

    Given their skills, its about time.

    Rudger was counting down the minutes as the door to the barracks opened and a young, blonde man stepped inside, it was Passius.

    There you are.

    Rudger realized that what he had been waiting for had finally arrived.

    All eyes turned to Passius. Some didnt recognize him, but many more did after all he was a proud member of the Royal Guard and a master knight.

    Casey, on the other hand, recognized him in a different way.

    Gee, am I a littlete?

    Passius smiled wryly as he met the countless nces that flew his way. He then turned to the Emperor and bowed lightly.

    Anyone else would have been forced to kneel, but the Royal Guard was permitted a shorthand way of showing respect to the Emperor.

    Passius then handed Eileen the piece of paper he had brought with him.

    Princess.

    Thank you.

    Eileen scrawled on the paper he handed her and ced it on the table in the center of the barracks.

    All eyes were on the table and naturally, Princess Aileen was now in control of the situation.

    The Emperor himself, Augustus, simply stood by and watched.

    The leaders could tell from there that the Emperor was backing the First Princess.

    Theyve built a huge facility underground.

    A facility?

    Deputy Veronica asked.

    Yeah. A chimera army of that magnitude would require a huge incubation facility. It wouldnt surprise me if they did.

    But theres no room for that in the underground.

    There is. The Empire has a long history and there are sections of the underground that have been abandoned over the years as the aqueducts were repaired and expanded.

    Princess Eileen did not reveal the details of the space beneath the aqueducts since they didnt need to go there.

    Perhaps theyve been building facilities there, preparing for a long time.

    But cultivating a chimera of that size requires not only a facility, but also vast amounts of materials, and its unlikely that such materials have been shipped in from the capital for so long.

    The captain of the guard was about to speak, but Eileen held out a hand to cut him off.

    I understand. It may seem as if the guards and police of the capital have done nothing, but I assure you, they have not failed in their responsibilities.

    What?

    They didnt bring in the ingredients for the chimera army from outside in the first ce. No, they didnt have to.

    Then.

    There are materials in the underground facility that they could have used.

    What?

    Everyone listened for Eileens next answer and she told them the shocking truth she discovered.

    Its a world tree.

    A world tree?

    Yes. A dead world tree, buried deep underground, unknown to the world.

 Chapter 293

    Its been said that the World Tree is the tree of the elves but that was a very old and outdated legend. Schrs have long since concluded that the tree is a surviving sapling of an ancient species that existed in the world long ago.

    Of course, that didnt make the tree any less important than it once was.

    A single tree growing sorge that it covers an entire forest is a marvel in itself. Especially when it consumes so little energy that it actually gives you life, and unlike normal trees, it cant be burned.

    This is why the elves still held them sacred, and why humans sought to study them but even if the tree is dead, its in the depths of the Empire.

    Everyones gazes naturally turned to Princess Aileen.

    Eileenughed in amusement at their reaction, as if they wanted her to tell them what was going on.

    I see youre all looking to me for answers, but Im afraid I dont know much. I only heard the news a little while ago.

    Even so, its strange.

    It was the sixth-rank wizard with an iron mask on his face, Iron Mask Rotheron, who spoke up.

    The World Tree is not something that can exist so easily, especially if it grows underground.

    Even if it is a World Tree, its just a tree.

    Its an ancient species of tree. You cant just nt a sapling in the ground and expect it to grow. It has to have the right environment and demanding conditions, and the idea of a tree growing underground is absurd.

    Ha, but then again, its not impossible.

    It was Loina who returned Rotherons words. She had recovered quite a bit of her magic, and her face color was even better than before.

    In other words, it can be cultivated if the conditions are right.

    But whats strange is that its underground, right under the capital. Usually when a tree grows, it pierces the ground and faces the sky, but its.

    Thats why its dead. Isnt that right, Sir Passius?

    Eileen looked back at Passius and asked.

    He nodded, even as he bitterlymented, Youre putting this on me.

    After all, that was why he was here in the first ce.

    Yes, youre right, it was definitely a dead tree, at least to my knowledge.

    Everyone gasped at Passiuss words.

    As a Royal Guard, he would never lie, so his words must be true. And indeed, Passius was telling the truth.

    What they didnt know was that there was more to the story.

    As Rudger watched the events unfold, he was inwardly satisfied.

    Hans must have passed on the right information.

    Before Rudger went to save the students he said onest thing to Passius.

    -Sir Phasius.

    -Yes. Tell me, Mr. Rudger.

    -When this is over, theres going to be a lot of people here to sort this out, and theyre going to want to find out what the Liberators are doing in the underground aqueducts.

    -You will, wont you?

    -Ive sent one of my men down there, and while I dont trust his demeanor, I can trust his work, so hell probably be back with news soon.

    -Hmm. I see. Where can I meet them?

    -On 3rd Street, in a residential neighborhood near Central Square. One man, one woman.

    -I dont recognize them from that.

    -Its such an unusualbination so theyll stand out, especially the woman.

    Rudger said, then added a postscript.

    -Besides, with your skills, Im sure youll figure it out without me telling you.

    Rudgers words were true.

    As we waited near the living quarters, two men and a woman appeared. The man was amon sight everywhere but the keen senses of the master knight, Passius, detected a strange animal scent emanating from him.

    The woman, on the other hand, drew his attention. She was beautiful, but she was also an elf with a certain air about her.

    Rudger had been right when he said he would know them when he saw them.

    Passius immediately made contact with the two, telling them Rudgers story and receiving information from them in return.

    It was much easier for Rudger to have a royal guard tell the people that he had found the information than for him to step up. After all, he was only a teacher.

    In other words, Rudger had ordered Hans and Bruna to find out the information, and then Passius took over and exined it to Eileen.

    It was a weird way of passing on information, but Rudger didnt care as long as the results were good. And it worked.

    Sir Passius, is that true?

    The World Tree is dead.

    Passius smirked inwardly at the questioning nces directed at him.

    Yes. It was no ordinary World Tree. It was literally dead, its color had faded to ivory, and there were no pirs left, just barely the roots and the base, but thats just a guess, of course.

    However, the World Tree protruding from the wall of the underground aqueduct was definitely real and Passius described the story he had heard as if he had seen it with his own eyes.

    It was an unbing behavior for a knight who held honor and truth in high esteem, even for a Royal Guard. And yet, the people believed him.

    A dead World Tree. But even if it is dead, the World Tree must have a great deal of life within it.

    Its not like its impossible to create a chimera army of that magnitude, if you have the facilities to do so.

    Then its a big deal. I wonder what else theyll do with that World Tree.

    It wasnt that the Liberators couldnt threaten this side now, it was what else they might be up to.

    Passius, what else have you learned?

    Luther asked.

    The underground aqueducts are a veritable field of chimeras now that theyve taken control of them and set up all sorts of traps and fortifications along the way.

    Hmph. I suppose we wont be able to pick their bones if we go in there.

    Yes. But if we leave them alone, theyll just replenish their supply of chimeras and do the same thing again.

    Everyone nodded in agreement as Passius drove a wedge.

    Beyond that, the presence of warlocks is also a threat, and with a chimera army of that caliber, well be outnumbered and outssed.

    Hmm. How strong is the Liberation Army?

    They must have a cadre.

    A cadre of the Liberation Army?

    It might seem ridiculous to call them cadres of the Liberation Army, but it wasnt. The Liberation Army had a sixth-rank wizard among its ranks.

    It must be Louispold. He was a mage in the Empires servant army before he deserted.

    Louispold was a member of the Liberation Army and as evidenced by theck of ast name, he was amoner, but a very talented mage who rose to the rank of Lexer.

    Normally, a sixth-rank wizard would be treated with respect, but Louispold murdered his superior and deserted. He joined the Liberation Army and has been terrorizing the world ever since.

    There werent any news about him for a while but they didnt realize that he was hiding in the capitals underground.

    Hold on.

    Casey Selmore nced from one side to the other with her blue eyes, as if she hadnt finished speaking. Not at Princess Eileen, who stood facing her, but at Rudger Chelici, who stood still to one side.

    Mr. Rudger Chelici, I have a question for you.

    Rudger stared at her, unable to respond with silence, so he opened his mouth.

    Go ahead.

    When I was doing my mentor work, Mr. Rudger Chelici, you ran into me, with Sir Passius the Royal Guard by your side, right?

    Everyones eyes turned to Rudger at Caseys words. It was as if they were asking him if Casey was telling the truth.

    I guess thats what happens when youre confronted.

    He tried to pass it off as nothing but now that the incident happened, it was only natural for Casey to ask.

    Yeah.

    Rudgers answer drove a wedge. Those around him were puzzled as to why Rudger was working with Passius.

    The more perceptive among them realized that Rudger was not merely working with Passius, but with the First Princess as well.

    So if you were working together, why was it only Lord Passius who brought the information?

    That was Caseys question.

    You must have done something while he was digging for information. But why are you silent and hes the only one talking?

    The mentors near Casey were puzzled by this since Rudger had sent them a warning about the Liberation Armys attack. He knew what they were going to do and what kind of gunpowder they were using.

    Which means that before this happened, Rudger was hunting down the remnants of the Liberation Army with Passius but now Rudger was silent, and all the talk wasing from Passius mouth.

    It was quite unnatural, unless, of course, one of them was trying to conceal themselves, rather than the other forcibly taking the ball.

    .

    Rudger stared at Casey wordlessly.

    She was looking at him with a gaze of determination unlike anything hed ever seen before. It was as if she really wanted to hear the right answer.

    She knew that if she asked him privately, he would never speak.

    Ill use the power of this ce to get you to talk to me. Hmm, how will you answer that?

    Rudger was a little surprised at how much attention he was getting but he had plenty of excuses. It wasnt like he hadnt nned for this.

    When Rudger took a moment to think about it Princess Eileen spoke up for him.

    Imanded it.

    What?

    When Eileen spoke up, people were naturally surprised and couldnt help but ask.

    I have already read the movements of suspicious people within the capital, which is why I have called the Knights to patrol the city.

    Veronica and Trina nodded in agreement.

    But that wasnt enough, so I decided to send others, one of whom was my loyal knight Sir Passius, and the other was Mr. Rudger Chelici.

    Why?

    Casey asked in a pointed voice and the questioning tone caught everyone off guard.

    Although she was a prestigious wizard, wasnt she a bit rude to a Princess of the Empire? But Eileen was actually finding the situation rather intriguing, even smiling.

    Because he was the most qualified.

    Hes just a teacher.

    Youre missing a lot of modifiers there, and Im not going to add them because itll take too long, but a capable teacher is good enough for me to rmend. Moreover, since his students may be in danger, I should at least inform someone associated with Theon.

    Rudger Chelici was not just any first or second year teacher, but a man who had risen to the position of nning Director in Theon. His rank was much higher than the average teachers, so it wouldnt be surprising if Eileen had given him a personal order.

    However, Casey knew instinctively that what Eileen had said wasnt the whole reason.

    Theres something. Something between you two.

    Caseys keen instincts picked up on the tenuous threads of Rudger and Eileens rtionship. Otherwise she wouldnt have assigned a Royal Guard to his side but the evidence wascking and there was nothing conclusive.

    The two of them werepletely consistent with each other so it was impossible to probe further.

    Casey red at Rudger in frustration.

    What did you do?

    Rudger was puzzled by the arrow that came back at him and Eileen onlyughed at his behavior. Perhaps Eileen knew this, but she went out of her way to annoy him.

    Outwardly, she defended Rudger and said she was doing it for him, but that was just part of the deal. What Eileen really did afterward was look Casey in the eye and subtly nudge her in the gut.

    Just as Casey suspected something between Rudger and Eileen, Eileen suspected something between Casey and Rudger.

    You really caught me off guard.

    It felt like a pain in the ass to have all these people from his paste together like this but at least it was just the two of them.

    Come to think of it, there was one more.

    Rudgers gaze fell on Trina Ryanhowl, the knight who had hunted him to death when he was a thief. She hadnt been a master knight back then, but in the years since, she had be very strong.

    He realized that this was a very ufortable position to be in.

    Wait.

    Rudger was suddenly struck by a possibility.

    I thought Casey Selmore and Trina Ryanhowl were friends.

    Casey Selmore knew his identity but she hadnt revealed it yet. Perhaps due to her own stubbornness or perhaps for some other reason. But would she really want to keep it a secret, even from her friend Trina?

    No way!

    A chill ran down Rudgers spine.

 Chapter 294

    While Rudgers mind was racing, the meeting proceeded at a steady pace.

    Once Princess Eileen began to take an active role in the situation, the others naturally followed suit.

    So its been decided, then, that were going to clear out the underground.

    Defense or offense. Of the two choices, they ultimately decided to attack.

    They were fully aware that their opponent had dug a trap. But even with that in mind, they couldnt stand idly by.

    Everyone in this room felt that the Liberation Army and the Warlocks were stalling for time. The chimeras army was a bluff and a stalling tactic. There was something else they were really after.

    Something that would make them feel confident that they could win, even against all of the sixth-rank wizards and master knights gathered here so we had to move to stop them.

    The important thing is who we send here.

    The room fell silent at that.

    The most important aspect of this operation was choosing who to send into the underground facility that housed the Liberation Army and the Warlocks.

    We couldnt just shove soldiers in there blindly. Even if ten Liberators were killed, one Imperial soldier was a loss to the Empire.

    Added to that the fact that they were throwing themselves into the fray andmitting suicide bombings, we had to be extra careful who we let in, if only to minimize the damage.

    Veronica said.

    We need to go with people who are at least minimally skilled.

    No, not the minimum. The strongest ones should go.

    Veronicas words were echoed by Caroline.

    If were going down there, its got to be someone who can take on a dozen of them single-handedly, because Im sure they have elite troops, and anybody less than that would be a casualty.

    Then itll be easy to pick, since theyre all here.

    Hwiron smirked.

    More than half of the people currently in the barracks were skilled enough to make a name for themselves wherever they went.

    From sixth-rank wizards to master knights, if they made a move, it would be a war in itself.

    Cant we just let everyone go?

    Thedy next to Trina whispered.

    Rudger knew who she was. It was Enya Joyce. She was Alexsrade and the knight who had parted ways with him on bad terms.

    Enya thought she was whispering too low for anyone else to hear, but it was so quiet around them, and everyone had good hearing so they all heard what she said.

    Enya realized her mistake and covered her mouth with her hands, but it was toote. Beside her, Lloyd frowned as if he had a headache, and Trina sighed.

    This was a subordinates mistake, so she had to take care of it.

    It would be easier, of course, if everyone went down. But we cant overlook the fact that thats what theyre after. We dont know what else theyre going to do if our main force goes down there.

    Half of the assembled force had to remain on the ground, just to guard against a possible attack.

    Plus, were all pretty good, so its best to have the right number of people. A group of two or three would be neat.

    This also took into ount the geography of the area they would be fighting in.

    If they were fighting on an open in, everyone would be most effective together. But they have to fight in a maze of underground facilities thats narrow, dark, and full of traps.

    Gathering a group of people in such a ce would likely result in a less-than-ster performance.

    So, one melee and one ranged?

    With the caliber of people gathered here, such a distinction would be irrelevant. Just because theyre a wizard doesnt mean theyre weak in melee.

    Even if they were, theyd still need power.

    Too much power is also a bad thing, especially since the underground is small and cant withstandrge-scale magic.

    Were going to have to cap the power of the magic, which is not very good for us.

    In the ensuing discussion, the contours of the operation slowly, but surely, took shape.

    I get the picture. Two people moving as a team, one knight and one wizard. My question is, how many teams do you need to go in?

    Not just abat team, but an analytical team. Now that we know theyre using the World Tree, we need to be able to stop them.

    Maybe we can use the World Tree against them.

    While a fighter group would be essential to this operation, they werent just going to blindly fight the enemy head-on.

    The enemys biggest weapon right now is their numbers. So they needed someone to operate in that area.

    But its hard to find someone who knows about the World Tree.

    The biggest problem was finding an expert specialized in the ancient species of World Tree. Given its obscurity, it was naturally difficult to find someone with knowledge in the field but Rudger saw an opportunity there.

    Hmm. If this is the case, it might be useful to bring Bruna along.

    Despite her strange behavior, Bruna is a pure-blood elf. It was safe to say that she knew more about nts than anyone else.

    If shes an elf, she should have a good knowledge of the World Tree.

    Perhaps he should introduce her as an outside expert and say that he was taking her with him.

    Rudger thought to himself.

    Ill go.

    Chris Benimore, who had remained silent, raised his hand.

    Rudgers eyes widened slightly, surprised that he had spoken at all, let alone volunteered for such a dangerous mission and his reaction echoed by the other Theon teachers.

    Mr. Chris?

    We, House Benimore, have been apothecaries for a long time, and naturally, we pride ourselves on our knowledge of herbs and, beyond that, nts.

    A World Tree isnt an ordinary nt.

    Someone else pointed that out, but Chris seemed to wait.

    Thats fine, my family has obtained and studied samples of the World Tree in the past.

    Samples?

    Everyones eyes widened in surprise since they couldnt believe he knew about the World Tree.

    Rudger wanted to make sure Chris wasnt bluffing.

    He doesnt look like hes lying.

    The only thing Rudger knew about Chris was that he was usually brusque and short-tempered. And that he was proud of his nobility.

    Rudger didnt know how knowledgeable and skilled Chris was as a teacher, or how deep his achievements in pharmacy were.

    But if hes that confident, he cant becking. If his family got a sample of the World Tree and he studied it, he has a good argument.

    Naturally, Chris was chosen to lead the analysis team.

    The next thing that came up was who would go with Chris Benimore and the conversation turned to Rudger.

    Why are you looking at me like that?

    Did they mean to suggest that he, a teacher, should go with him?

    As if to confirm Rudgers suspicions, Caroline stepped forward.

    Mr. Rudger Chelici, Im sure youre up to the task.

    Hwiron nodded in agreement.

    Shouldnt Caroline or Hwiron go, not me?

    I dont know about the other people, but honestly, the two of us wont be able to.

    Carolines mouth curled into a wry smile.

    This big guy and I are, to be honest, the kind of people who fight with power. Once we get into a fight, its hard to control our power.

    Caroline Monarchs nickname is Tyrant and Hwirons fighting style was to use his powerful muscles and immense mana to crush his opponents.

    Both of their fighting styles were ill-suited to the narrow underground waterways. If they fought, they would control their power as best they could, but if they got it wrong, they risked copsing the tunnels themselves.

    With human lives at stake, we couldnt rule out that possibility. Thats where Rudger came in.

    Hes an incredibly efficientbatant with a small amount of mana. Besides, he had already proven himself in bringing the survivors of the Crystal Pce to safety.

    Besides, arent you coworkers? Wouldnt it be better if you at least knew each other?

    Were not that close.

    The words rose to his throat, but he managed to swallow them down.

    Surprisingly, Chris, the one who seemed to be the most likely to object, didnt say anything.

    Did he eat something wrong? Why has he lost so much of his personality?

    Sure, theyd talked at the end of the festival, making elixirs in theboratory but he didnt think they reconciled.

    Im just a teacher.

    Thats what the First Princess said, a teacher with the prefix talented. I honestly dont think theres anyone here who doesnt recognize your skill.

    Caroline looked around, and no one stepped forward to refute her words. Not even those who didnt know Rudger well.

    The fact that Caroline Monarch and Hwiron recognized him was a good reason.

    Loina, who had witnessed Rudgers ability with her own two eyes, nodded in agreement.

    With three wizards of Lexer rank vouching for him, there was virtually no room for doubt.

    Dont worry, youre not abatant anyway. Youd probably rather analyze the World Tree than engage in dangerousbat.

    Well, were not necessarily safe when we get to the enemy-infested underground waterways.

    At least there wont be too many enemies,pared to the others.

    Rudger knew he couldnt refuse. And now that he thought about it, it was actually better for him to move.

    Not that he was disrespecting the power assembled here, but one never knew what might happen.

    Well, then, the analysis group is set.

    * * *

    The sudden outbreak of attacks terrorized the citizens of the capital. But the Empires organizational system remained strong, and the people did not panic en masse.

    The people gathered in the central square bustled about. They built barricades, carried the wounded to hospitals, and searched for anyone who hadnt been evacuated.

    On one side of the za, a group of students from Theon sat quietly in a circle. Their faces were grim, as their nned field trip had been disrupted by the attack.

    Some of them were still reeling from the shock of what had happened.

    Rene, are you okay?

    Erendir asked as she walked over and sat down next to Rene, who was still crouched to one side.

    Senior, have you seen your family?

    Uh, yeah. They said they were d I was okay.

    I saw them from distance.

    You saw them?

    Yes. Not only the Emperor, but also your beautiful sister, who was with him. You seemed to be getting along well.

    We got along so well.

    Erendirs expression softened as he remembered her older sister.

    Isnt that right? I always thought you looked up to her.

    Are you sure youre not mistaken? I dont think she sees me as anything more than a toy.

    Hmm. I dont have a family, so I dont know.

    Ah.

    The casual manner in which Rene spoke made Erendir feel ufortable but then a thought urred to her.

    Renes mother must have existed. She had seen her past through the memory storming phenomenon.

    But she doesnt remember her. I wonder why.

    Erendir considered saying something about it, but shook her head. Now was not the time to raise the subject.

    Thank goodness none of the students died, though a few were injured.

    More than that, there are some people who arent here. Do you know where the rest of them are?

    Theyre probably in the castle. The za is a makeshift shelter for those who didnt make it out.

    Erendirs expression turned stern as she suddenly remembered the events of the Crystal Pce.

    More than that, Rene, why did you do that earlier?

    What? Earlier?

    You ran out to block a chimeras spikes.

    Ah.

    Renee realized what Erendir was talking about.

    Im d you managed to stop it, of course, but you could have been seriously hurt if you hadnt. Why on earth did you do that?

    Well, my body moved without me realizing it.

    Do you know how worried I was?

    Im sorry, senior.

    Erendir pouted her lips as Rene bowed her head somberly.

    With her junior and friend being so sincerely remorseful, there was no point in nagging her further so the subject naturally drifted in another direction.

    Flora Lumos was so ungrateful. I mean, you saved her life and she doesnt even say thank you. Dont you think so too, Rene?

    Eh, ah, maybe shewas too embarrassed to do so?

    Rene said vaguely.

    And didnt Mr. Rudgere to the rescue right away?

    Yeah. He did.

    It was pretty cool.

    Rene murmured, as if recalling the event and Erendir couldnt argue with that, recalling the image of Rudger bathed in light and using all sorts of colorful magic to drive back the chimera army.

    He was, quite frankly, the savior of the story but Erendir felt a strange unease.

    The look on Renes face whenever she thought of Rudger was unnerving.

    Could it be?

    Erendir imagined a disturbing scene, a scene where her innocent, good-natured junior had fallen for the wrong guy.

    Rene.

    Yes, senior, why are you looking so serious all of a sudden?

    Renee, know this. People like Mr. Rudger are the most dangerous people in the world.

    What do you mean, Mr. Rudger is dangerous? Hes a nice guy.

    People are not what they seem, and thats what makes them dangerous. Who knows, maybe Mr. Rudger is just wearing a mask, and theres actually a terrible criminal or murderer behind it?

    Uh, isnt that a bit of a stretch?

    Its an example. I mean, dont judge a person by their appearance.

    But why is Erendir telling her that?

    Rene also realized that Erendir was worried about something.

    This wasnt the first time this had happened, and she knew just how to handle it.

    Okay. Okay.

    Erendir nodded and said nothing more, as if she was relieved and Rene smiled bitterly to herself. Somehow, she couldnt help but feel like shed lied to her best friend to make the situation go away.

    But I cant help it.

    For some reason, Erendir was wary of Mr. Rudger. He must be hiding something. Something no one else could see, but she could.

    Even if that were true, she still trusted Rudger Chelici. Otherwise, he would not have called out to her with such a worried gaze when he saved her at the Crystal Pce.

    At that moment, Renes gaze fell to the ground or more urately to something beyond it.

    What is this strange feeling?

    An inexplicable power began to gather in her eyes and she felt an immense sense of unease that she couldnt exin.

 Chapter 295

    Chapter sponsored byDV, Dysociation, Dinamura & Head_Snapss.Thank you for your support.

    The meeting ended and everyone was given time to reorganize.

    Rudger slipped out of the barracks and headed for the shadows of the canteen where relief supplies were being handed out.

    Hans.

    Yes?

    Waiting there, Hans spotted Rudger and pushed himself up from the wooden crate hed been sitting on. He had been through quite a bit in the sewers, and hisplexion was quite gray.

    The information you ryed was received safely. Thank you.

    Im honestly surprised. I mean, how long have you been acquainted with the Imperial Royal Guard Passius?

    Ive only known him for a short time. I only met him after I entered the Imperial Pce.

    Then you shouldnt have introduced me or Bruna so casually, should you?

    Dont worry, hes a trusted person, or more urately, a subordinate of a trusted person.

    In truth, I didntpletely trust the First Princess, but it didnt matter since we were now allies.

    So what.

    Hans said no more than that. As much as he recognized the peculiarity of Passius, Hans also saw through his hidden side. Passius was a man who, despite being a Royal Guard, exuded a darkness unlike any other knight.

    Hanss sense of smell had be acute in recent years, and he could smell a foul odor that could not be hidden from Passius. It was the smell of blood, the kind you only smell in the afterlife.

    Well, I suppose it cant be a bad thing to have a superior power to rely on.

    Lets get past that and get down to business. Hans, what exactly did you see down there?

    He heard the information from Passius, but he didnt know the details.

    Thats the thing.

    Hans told Rudger what hed seen down there, and what had happened.

    The dead World Tree, the chimeras and the vast underground facilities that existed beneath the waterways.

    We didnt go any deeper because it was honestly too dangerous. Even though Bruna shows unexpected strength, there are dangerous people in there, and I had to back off before I could even think of touching the World Tree.

    The Liberation Army cadres and warlocks.

    Yes. And given the perfection of the chimeras, its no ordinary warlock down there. No, at the very least, theyre working in teams.

    Teams? Do you have any idea?

    As you know, warlocks usually travel alone, dont they?

    Most of them do.

    Thats because they draw too much attention to themselves when theyre in a group but warlocks are often friendly with each other, which is why some operate in groups.

    Rudger remembered the bug brothers. Though they were warlocks who worked with bugs, they had always worked together as brothers.

    Both had died at Rudgers hands, of course.

    With that in mind, it made sense that warlocks werent always alone.

    There are schools of thought among warlocks. I dont know if theyre actually schools, but thats what they say, so it counts.

    A school. I see. So youre saying one of those schools is involved in this?

    Yes, the Biotechs.

    Ive heard of them before.

    They create and study artificial life, chimeras, and seek to extend human life. They were once wizards, but were branded criminals for their experiments on humans. How they ended up working with the Liberation Army remains a mystery.

    The Biotechnology faction had a reputation among warlocks for being holed up in a corner and doing research. How they could join forces with the Liberation Army to overthrow the Empire was beyondprehension but Rudger knew the answer.

    It is most likely the work of the ck Dawn Society.

    The ck Dawn Society?

    Yes. The ck Dawn has some sort of connection to the warlocks, because if you go to any of their secret research facilities, theres always a warlock there.

    Even the abandoned factory where he met Victor Dreadful, one of the First Orders, had a warlock who had modified his own body to tear a knight in shining armor to pieces with his bare hands.

    Considering that he also had something to do with biotechnology, it was easy to see who the First Order was involved with.

    So, youre saying that the ck Dawn is somehow connected to the Liberation Army and the Warlocks.

    I suppose thats the only way to look at it.

    Well, theres a lot more to find out, and Im afraid its going to take a little more time to get it right.

    I heard its hard to spy underground because rats cant get in.

    Thats what I thought, too.

    Well, judging by your reaction, you have a solution.

    Yes. Not alone, but with the help of that elfdy.

    Bruna?

    Despite how she looks she is serious about pharmacy and alchemy, and the herbs and stuff she studies are rted to biology in some way.

    Right.

    Usually when she sees Hans, shes always trying to get a sample of his blood and use him as a guinea pig.

    Maybe if Rudger hadnt been there, or if they hadnt bothe from the same organization Hans would already be chained up in Bruna as a guinea pig.

    While Rudger was thinking about that, Hans exined his encounter with the chimeras in the basement.

    The elf dissected some chimeras and I think she found something.

    What did she find?

    I dont know the details. But I do know that she did something and she injected the captured chimeras with something.

    An injection?

    Well, thats the weird part. The injected chimeras suddenly became docile and, umIm able to control it.

    Hmm?

    Rudger sounded intrigued for the first time.

    So youve enhanced your powers?

    Exactly the opposite, she made my power work on the chimeras. Bruna told me that she touched some part of their brain that made them recognizemand objects differently, but as ayman, I didnt know much about it, so I let it slide. Anyway, thats how we got a few chimeras into enemy territory.

    The rats couldnt get underground, so the chimeras reopened the tunnels.

    This wasnt what Bruna was supposed to do, but it seemed to be working better than expected, and Rudger was d.

    So how long will it take?

    I dont know since the underground its deep and maze-like.

    Still, if we have time, well find out more.

    Yes, we will. Perhaps if we wait a little longer, well learn the location of the chimeras breeding facility or the warlocks involved.

    And the existence of the World Tree.

    Ah, theres something Bruna asked me to tell you about.

    Bruna?

    Hans opened his mouth as if hed been debating whether or not to say it, and then decided to.

    She asked if you could take her to the underground facility one more time.

    * * *

    Everyone was on the move.

    The police were out in force, reassuring citizens and leading evacuations, while the Capital Guards patrolled the streets.

    The streets were shattered and the people were saddened and distressed by the destruction of their homes. But they could not remain in mourning forever.

    Although the chimeras had retreated, the situation was far from over and there was no telling when the enemy would return.

    To stop them, the underground infiltration group moved quickly.

    .

    .

    Rudger Chelici and Chris Benimore faced each other in front of the wide open manhole cover. Neither of them had expected to be moving together here but they didnt growl and fight like before.

    Rudger had never paid much attention to Chris, but he seemed unusually reserved.

    Theres something I want to ask you.

    Chris spoke first. He hadnt shown much respect for Rudgers ascension to the position of nning Director.

    Rudger wasnt expecting it, so he didnt think much of it.

    What do you want to know?

    Where are the experts who are supposed toe with us?

    Chris had heard from Rudger beforehand that there would be one other person that has considerable expertise in the World Tree in this mission, in addition to the two of them.

    Shell be here soon.

    No sooner had Rudger finished speaking than he saw a figure rushing toward them.

    Gasping for breath, it was Bruna, a scarlet-haired elf.

    At the sight of her, Chriss eyes widened behind his sses in surprise since Rudger hadnt mentioned that the expert he was talking about was an elf.

    An elf? I see. That exins why you said shes an expert in the World Tree.

    Are you satisfied?

    Not yet. Can we trust this elf?

    Chris was as thorough in these matters as he was known to be in Theon.

    He was a little worried that an elf whose name and specialty he didnt know had been plugged into a vacant position by someone who imed to be an expert.

    Its a reasonable question.

    Rudger knew that nothing he could say would extinguish the mes of suspicion in Chriss mind. But he had already prepared an answer for this situation.

    Princess Eileen has vouched for her.

    .

    At the mention of the First Princess name, Chris only wrinkled his brow, but didnt ask directly.

    Rudgers demeanor was too confident to ask if it was real. Of course, in reality, Princess Eileen didnt rmend Bruna, in fact Rudger had simply borrowed her name.

    But so what.

    It didnt matter since they knew each other anyway.

    Maybe, just maybe, when this was all over, Chris would ask the First Princess herself if she sent Bruna. If Eileen was smart, shed see right through that and say she sent her. Of course, shed probably be annoyed at Rudger for using her name so casually.

    Ill just say its revenge for the way she tried to embarrass me at the meeting.

    Chris thought about it for a moment, but finally nodded.

    Just then, Bruna walked up to him. She looked at Chris, narrowed her eyes, and tilted her head.

    Im Bruna Petana, nice to meet you.

    Im ..Chris Benimore.

    After the brief introductions, the three of them stood in front of the manhole.

    They and the other groups would enter through different sewer entrances.

    Are you ready?

    Rudger asked, and Chris and Bruna nodded.

    Good.

    Rudger immediately leaped down the tunnel while Chris and Bruna followed.

    * * *

    Rudgers group was not the only one heading into the underground around the same time but most of the groups consisted of two people.

    Once inside the tunnel, Casey Selmore looked around.

    The underground tunnels werebyrinthine and wide and further down would be the secretirs of the Liberation Army and the Warlocks.

    Casey.

    Trina, the knight with whom Casey was with, called her name.

    I never thought Id see you again like this.

    I know. I thought it would be for something a little better.

    A wry smile tugged at the corners of Caseys lips, and she exchanged pleasantries with her old friend. Of course, the fact that it was in a musty, dark, underground waterway didnt help the mood.

    Speaking of which, how are you doing?

    Do I seem different?

    No, not at all.

    Trina smirked at Caseys answer.

    Youre still the same. No, not the same. I think youve changed a lot, Casey.

    Have I?

    Yeah. Youre a little more, um how do I say it?

    When Trina looked unsure of what to say, Casey teased.

    Just say it, I wont be mad.

    Then Ill say it without mincing words: you used to be a little more assertive, but then again, you were reckless, like a kid who hasnt quite grown up yet.

    That sounds a little upsetting.

    But that was a long time ago. Now, you seem to have be more reserved.

    Casey felt strange, hearing her words.

    Trina said that she changed but she hadnt realized shed changed. But since her friend says it, she must have changed.

    Im relieved to see that you still have your old self, especially when you confront the First Princess during the meeting. It was very much like you.

    Oh, thats just.

    Still, it was a little strange.

    What?

    The way you got so emotional about it.

    Caseys shoulders twitched involuntarily at the word emotional.

    Casey, did you happen to know that teacher, Rudger Chelici?

    Did I?

    You seemed strangely inclined toward him and I must say that its not like you.

    Trinas instincts were sharp. Partly because of that, but mostly because of what she knew about Casey.

    Or did you have a history with him?

    What, what happened?

    That I dont know. Its hard to make assumptions based on the circumstances. But if I had to make a generalization, Id say.

    What do you think?

    It seemed like a love affair between a man and a woman.

    Caseys blue hair stood on end like a cats fur at her words.

    What?! Its not like that!

    Haha, Im joking, of course. But you seem to be quite sensitive to jokes like this, which I dont think you used to be, so if theres something thats bothering you, thats something to celebrate.

    Im not!

    Then lets call it what it is.

    If its not, then its not! Just!

    Caseysst sentence sank in, as if it spoke volumes about her feelings.

    She tried not to think about it, but when Trina mentioned Rudger, the memory of that day came back to her.

    Trina, how would you feel if you used someone of being evil when they hadnt done anything wrong?

    It was a stupid question but Trina knew Caseys character so she gave it some serious thought.

    Being used of something you didnt do.

    You didnt know that, and you thought the person was bad, so you kept hating them and being angry at them, for years and years.

    I see. The uncharacteristically somber look on her friends face made Trina realize what was going on. She was about to open her mouth to respond when she realized something was wrong.

    Trinas gaze suddenly turned into a razor-sharp de, piercing into the groundwater beyond.

    Here theye.

    At that, the mood shifted, and so did Casey.

    Maybe we should wait to talk until after this is over.

    Yes. Maybe Im being sentimental.

    Trina took her ce in front and Casey stood behind her as the chimeras, sensing the invasion from afar, wereing in waves.

 Chapter 296

    As some of you know AUP has been licensed by Yonder but I wont drop it unless I get a notice from them.

    The fight has begun.

    Rudger said as a wave of shock traveled through the air from a distance.

    They werent the only ones who had entered the underground; other groups of fighters had begun to engage the chimeras.

    The aftermath was felt by Chris and Bruna. They didnt know the exact distance or direction, but the echoing screams of the chimeras told them what was happening.

    Uh, are we going to be okay?

    Brunas voice was shaky.

    To a stranger, she might have sounded terrified and frightened, but Rudger knew she was excited with anticipation. She was hoping that the chimeras woulde after them, even if she pretended not to.

    The reason, of course, was that she hadnt finished analyzing the chimeras to her satisfaction.

    Well, I know thats just the way she is.

    Rudger cast a subtle nce at Chris, who stood by Brunas side.

    Dont worry, if those monsters doe out, Ill protect you.

    Okay, thank you.

    What is it with this human?

    The normally gruff Chris was being very nice to Bruna and even Rudger, who doesnt often show his emotions, was surprised that he was such a gentleman.

    Even more surprising was the fact that Bruna, with her masked, sullen personality, seemed to react quite normally to him.

    Rudger realized that theyd just had a conversation about pharmaceuticals, and that theyde to an understanding but he couldnt believe how close theyve be in such a short time.

    I dont know if I should take this as a bad thing or a good thing.

    Rudger shook his head and brushed the thought away. They werent the ones he needed to worry about right now.

    The chimeras had spotted them in the distance and were approaching and Rudger shouted a warning.

    Theyreing!

    The words startled Chris, who immediately shifted his stance and pulled a vial of reagents from his inside pocket.

    The sounds of fighting in the distance drew some of the chimeras attention to the area, but there were too many of them. There was no getting away from them.

    Sensing their presence, the chimeras rushed toward them, sshing through the underground waterways.

    Bruna flinched in spite of herself. Not because she was afraid, but because she was forcing herself to stop from running toward the chimeras.

    Unaware of this, Chris thought she was frightened and stood in her way. Naturally, Rudger and Chris stood shoulder to shoulder in front of her.

    There are ten of them. Ill go ahead and clean them up.

    Its fine. I can fight.

    Chris frowned, his pride bruised by Rudgers consideration of him. He hated giving up everything to Rudger, but even more so in front of Bruna.

    Of course, it wasnt like he was a child. In fact, Chris was more than capable of taking on the chimeras and Rudger had no intention of dissuading him, so he nodded slightly.

    In that case, Ill just clean up after you.

    Without warning, Chris tossed the three vials he was holding between his fingers.

    [Boom!]

    The vials shattered and colorful reagents spilled out.

    Individually, the reagents were unremarkable but when the three reagents werebined into one, an intense chemical reaction urred, and something amazing happened.

    [Boom!]

    The reagents bubbled, and gray smoke billowed out.

    The chimeras that had been running towards them were engulfed in smoke and began to choke and gasp. The one in the lead spat a bowlful of blood from its mouth.

    Rudger looked at the scene and gasped.

    Ho-ho. Three reagents mixed together to create a synergy.

    Most poisons wouldnt work on a chimera but the reagent Chris had used was so powerful that even the chimeras couldnt resist it.

    Was he really that good?

    Thinking that this would keep him from getting caught, Rudger prepared his magic. His targets were the chimeras that hadnt been touched by the poison, and they were quickly closing the distance, waiting for it to subside.

    Rudger wasnt about to let that happen. The spell, quickly finalized through the source code, created a gust of wind and the chimeras scrambled to retreat in rm, but it was toote.

    The wind blew the gray poisonous smoke and engulfed the chimeras as they gurgled and coughed up blood, then copsed helplessly to the ground.

    Thats quite a strong poison youre using.

    Its a special Benimore family reagent. You wont find it on the market.

    Chris said boastfully.

    Its a powerful toxin that seeps into the respiratory system and kills cells from the inside out. Even a chimera immune to the poison would never survive it.

    Are you sure youre okay? It looks like the fumes are blocking this way too.

    Dont worry about that.

    The gray smoke slowly subsided before Chris could finish.

    Over time, the toxicity will dissipate as it hits the air in the atmosphere, leaving behind a harmless powder that can be washed away with water. You dont have to worry about it working the other way around.

    Wow, thats awesome!

    Bruna eximed, her eyes lighting up.

    How did you get the idea tobine three reagents to make something like that, especially one of them being Hackstoss Leaf Extract, which must have been tricky to handle!

    Chris asked, narrowing his eyes.

    You figured that out all at once?

    Yep. Hehe, Im kind of knowledgeable about that stuff.

    I see, its no big deal. Hackstoss leaves explode at the first drop of water because they overreact, but if you grind up some mend root and mix it in, it bes very stable, and then you can do whatever you want with it.

    Ah, I see, if I can keep it safe, I can use it as a weapon just by mixing it with other reagents to diffuse it!

    You have a keen eye, usually other wizards dont get it when I tell them. As expected of the expert the First Princess rmended.

    Chris was in a rather pleasant mood, perhaps because he didnt usually have anyone to talk to about such things and so was Bruna.

    You are very excited.

    Rudger was d that Chris wasnt too suspicious of Bruna. Still, he hadnt expected them to get along this well.

    It is indeed a relief to find someone with whom I can converse well after so long. Miss Bruna, if I ever get a chance, would you mind if I contacted you privately?

    I dont mind, but I dont want Chris to feel ufortable.

    I dont mind.

    Brunas long ears twitched. That was a clear sign of amusement.

    You two seem to get along well, and Im d you do, but I hope you realize that its time to focus on the mission.

    Eventually, when Rudger pointed it out, Chris coughed and turned away and Bruna nodded shyly.

    They both seemed to havee to an understanding, so they could move on, but Rudger couldnt quite get rid of the creeping feeling in his stomach.

    A strange synergy formed in an unintended ce.

    Rudger decided to chalk it up to the fact that they were in the same industry and had the same interests.

    The three walked through the underground waterways once again and thanks to the map, they didnt get lost.

    This is the entrance.

    A rusted door stood on one side of the underground waterway. It was the entrance to an underground facility that was said to have existed for a long time.

    Youre going to have to be extra careful once we get inside, because its going to be different from here.

    The trio encountered a few more chimeras along the way. But in front of Rudger and Chris, the chimera was helpless and copsed.

    Still, they couldnt let their guard down. The underground facility was the enemys backyard. For now, it was just the chimeras, but there was no telling what lurked further back.

    That didnt mean they could back down, so the trio headed straight for the iron gates. They opened the gates to reveal a ck tunnel that plunged underground.

    A rusteddder led downward, attached to one wall of the tunnel like a beasts mouth.

    The condition of thedder suggests this is a passage not used by the Liberators.

    That means they dont know every inch of this ce. Lets go.

    The three of them quickly used floating magic to make their way down.

    Bruna didnt know how to use magic, so Chris carried her in what anyone would call a princess hug.

    Wasnt I heavy?

    Not at all, in fact, youre as light as a leaf.

    .

    Rudger stared at the two of them as if they were filming a romance, his gaze sinking even lower.

    As if those two werent already that way.

    The two people who had beenbeled lunatics wherever theyd gone had met and be some kind of white knight and hapless heroine.

    Rudger, who doesnt usually show much emotion, was stunned. If hed known this would happen, he wouldnt have brought Bruna here.

    He regretted it, but he didnt neglect to keep an eye on his surroundings but luckily there wasnt an ambush waiting for them.

    Relieved, he took a wider view of his surroundings.

    This is more of a subterranean ruin than an underground facility.

    The fact that it hadnt copsed and was still standing proved that it was hundreds of years old. Its hard to believe that something like this could exist beneath a capital city.

    Moreover, it was brighter than the underground aqueducts, even though it was supposed to be lightless but the faint fluorescence inside was not enough to make it impossible to distinguish objects.

    It was said that only a few people in the imperial family knew about this ce, and even then, it was left untouched.

    How did the Liberation Army know about this ce?

    They were too well prepared to have stumbled upon it by ident so must have known all along and nned to use it.

    Rudger suspected, the ck Dawn had tipped them off.

    It could be Niki, but I doubt his intelligencework is this good.

    Among other things was the dead World Tree in this underground facility, but also the words Hans had said before he left.

    -Brother, theres something else I need to tell you.

    -What?

    -About your teacher.

    -Yes. How is she?

    -She says shes bored and lying low, but shes given me some valuable advice.

    -What advice?

    -She told me to look underground. Thats what got me thinking about looking down there.

    Grander, an Eighth Rank Absolute, would not have said this without a reason. No doubt her senses had picked up something lurking underground. However, it hadnt attracted much attention, so she hadnt acted on it herself.

    Whether it hasnt attracted attention, or she hasnt gotten to that stage yet, well have to see.

    If his teacher had said something like that, he had to be vignt, first and foremost.

    Masters warning and what the Liberators are nning are the same, or at least rted.

    In any case hell only know that when he hears from Hans.

    Rudgers thoughts were interrupted by the crackle of static from hismunicator.

    I have some bad news.

    What is it?

    Themunications are down.

    Originally, Rudger and Chris were going to wait until after they checked the World Tree before sending their results back.

    Just because they were moving in small groups didnt mean they couldntmunicate with the other pairs but that wasnt possible now.

    Chris frowned at the prospect of being effectively stranded in enemy territory.

    So were turning back?

    Wevee this far, we cant turn back.

    This ce is not on the map, do you know the way?

    When Chris asked that, Rudger activated his magic instead of answering.

    A ripple of sound spread out in concentric circles around Rudger. It bounced and collided across the passageways of the underground facility, spreading out like a spider web.

    With the information from the returned waves, Rudger drew a set of coordinates in his head.

    Naturally, a map of a 200-meter radius centered on him was drawn but Rudger didnt stop there, he shot out several more sound waves.

    The frequency was low enough that Chris heard it and he immediately realized what Rudger had done.

    Sound magic, a derivative of wind, analyzing the surrounding structure by the returning sound waves.

    Did you know about it?

    My family had a lot of contact with the military. Ive heard a lot about it, its a tool for locating enemies through sonar, but Ive always heard its only in the research phase because its not very practical, but I never realized you could use it as magic.

    If you know that, I dont need to exin.

    With that Rudger turned and walked away and Chris clicked his tongue at hisck of desire to borate. He was curious, but he didnt ask how he was using such magic. He knew too well what Rudger had done to earn his current position as nning director.

    He shouldnt have been surprised that a man whod deciphered ancient Larsilian to create a mana suppressor would now use sound magic as a detector. At least that seemed like amon sense possibility.

    Following Rudger, the trio came to a halt because they had finally found what they were looking for.

    The root of the World Tree.

    Chris muttered in surprise.

    The roots of a massive World Tree poked through one wall of the facility, or rather, the ruins.

    Even in the blur of theck of light, it was easy to make out. It was ivory-colored, but its enormity was unmistakable.

    Brunas eyes shone, too.

    Chris and Bruna were about to touch the root of the World Tree when Rudger reached out and stopped them.

    Whats wrong?

    Chris asked, barely loud enough for Rudger to hear.

    The frustration in his voice was palpable as he wanted to check it out right away but he didnt press the point, knowing that Rudger wouldnt stop him for no reason.

    Instead of answering, Rudger gestured with his chin to one of the roots of the World Tree.

    Sure enough, as Chris had suspected near the root was a blurry human shape.

    What is that?

 Chapter 297

    What was that?

    Chris asked, but neither Rudger nor Bruna had a good answer.

    They didnt know either.

    At first, they thought that someone was on the roots, a liberator, a warlock, or both. Given the ce, it wouldnt have been surprising to find any of them there but it wasnt a person.

    Otherwise, Rudger would have known there were people when he scanned the area with his sound magic. Certainly nothing was detected by the sound waves. It was only the roots of the World Tree. Unless someone saw thising and hid in advance.

    Probably not.

    Which meant that the silhouette on that root was not human.

    It was watching them warily, but it didnt seem to be moving toward them.

    Fortunately, it doesnt seem to be moving, so we can get a little closer and check it out.

    Isnt that dangerous?

    Its already dangerous since were in here anyway.

    Do you think its more dangerous?

    We took that into ount when we came in.

    Well, that makes it even more so.

    There were two bickering but unified opinions or three if Bruna was counted since she was too curious to say no.

    Finally, agreeing to take a look, the three of them slowly approached the root.

    As they got closer, the blurry image of the root became clearer and they realized the identity of the silhouette near the root.

    This is.

    Chris trailed off, Rudger narrowed his eyes and Brunas mouth dropped open.

    What she thought was a person was something that had sprouted from the roots.

    Calling it a thing was one way to describe it.

    It was a human-looking thing, with arms reaching desperately into the air, and even with the knowledge and experience of the three of them, they couldnt quite put their finger on what to call it.

    It looks pretty bad, like its trying to pull itself out of the roots.

    I agree. That doesnt sound like the norm at all.

    It was a root in the shape of a humanoid reaching for the air with no eyes or mouth.

    While the two of them were thinking about it, Bruna watched it with a nonchnt gaze.

    Is it okay to touch it? It wont move suddenly, will it?

    Are you scared?

    What the! I want to be safe, just in case.

    Thats not going to happen anyway, because if that thing was going to move, it would have moved in the first ce, or it would have moved now that weve approached.

    Hmm.

    Its your turn from here.

    Rudger knew there was nothing he could do now. Hed brought Chris and Bruna with him because they knew about the World Tree.

    Chris was the young master of House Benimore, a venerable magical family with a long history of medicine-making, and Bruna was an elf who had been cast out of her vige, but who knew a thing or two about nts.

    Rudger imed to have some knowledge of medicine, but he fell short in the face of these two. By his own admission, Rudger was inadequate.

    Ill make sure the perimeter is secure.

    Chris nodded in agreement and moved toward the root of the World Tree. He pulled out the tools he had brought with him and calmly began taking samples of the tree.

    Bruna stroked the surface of the tree, checking here and there.

    Then Chris ced his hand on the World Tree and energized it as Rudger watched in awe.

    So theres magic like that.

    A line of green magic stretched out from the center of Chriss hand, permeating the World Tree. It was an analytical spell used by wizards who specialized in pharmaceuticals.

    Rudger had heard of it, but this was the first time hed seen it in action.

    It wasnt something he couldnt learn if he tried, but it wasnt very useful, since it was literally just for analyzing the characteristics of nts.

    It was up to you to take those features and information and figure out what to do with them. So even if you learned magic, if you had no knowledge of herbs, it was effectively a pearl ne around a pigs neck.

    When he was done analyzing, Chris took his hand away from the root of the World Tree.

    Did you find anything?

    Chris shook his head, looking a little self-conscious.

    Ive gotten a sense of the objects characteristics, but nothing conclusive.

    Is that because its not a living thing?

    That would be a reason, but someone has deliberately blocked the information.

    Rudger asked in surprise.

    Is it even possible to block information?

    Surprisingly, this is the first time Ive actually seen it happen.

    So its not amon urrence?

    Most living things store information in their bodies, like the brain in a human head. Its the same with nts. Its in their roots, and once its there, it stays there, even when the cells die.

    I see.

    Especially in a nt asrge as the Worlds Tree, the amount of information it contains is vast and people like me can read that information.

    So its also possible to block it, then?

    Yes. Which means theres another expert here besides me.

    Rudger had an idea who it was. Probably the biotech warlocks Hans had told him about.

    When Rudgerid it out for him, Chris nodded in understanding.

    Indeed. Its not impossible if its the biotech warlocks created the chimeras, and Im sure the first chimera they created was mixed with sap from the World Tree.

    Then theres nothing else you can find out?

    Im afraid thats as far as I can go with my current abilities. Its a shame.

    Chris was honest about his shorings.

    Being stubborn here didnt mean he could do something. This would be the end of his role as an analyst and he was thinking about going back, unless there was more to do.

    Hey.

    Bruna, who had just been looking at the World Tree, stood between them like a ghost.

    What is it?

    I found something.

    .

    .

    At Brunas words, Rudger and Chris looked at each other at the same time then their gazes snapped back to Bruna.

    What do you mean?

    Chris asked, a hint of anticipation in his voice.

    The roots are dead, but theres still a great deal of life inside. Apparently, the warlocks are pulling it out and using it.

    Is there more to it than that?

    Yes. Theres a human shape sticking out of it, and I dont think its anything ordinary.

    Not ordinary?

    At Rudgers question, Bruna nodded, her voice hushed.

    Yes. Its something radically different from the World Tree, and I think thats why it was trying to get out like that, because of the repulsive force.

    But it didnte out.

    The people who imnted it must have blocked it, but I can see that its still trying to get out.

    The three gazes lingered on the human form that had grown at the end of the root. They didnt know what it was, but the idea that it kept trying to escape was eerie.

    This is no ordinary thing.

    As Rudger thought that, Chris asked, unable to contain his curiosity.

    More than that, how did Lady Bruna know about it?

    Lady Bruna? Now hes adding that modifier to her name.

    Well, thats because Im an elf, and elves canmunicate with the World Tree and instinctively feel the gic information of nts.

    Even with the information blocked?

    Well, normal humans cant do that, but as an elf, I can.

    Bruna nodded in agreement.

    She didnt sound like she really meant it, more like she was proud of herself foring up with a convincing excuse on the fly.

    At that, Chris stroked his own chin as if it were odd.

    Hmm. From what Ive heard, its not easy to read the information on the World Tree, even for an elf.

    What? Who told you that crap.?

    I heard it from Mr. Vierano. Do you happen to know Mr. Vierano Dentis?

    !

    Brunas reaction to the name was fierce.

    It was a name that any elf would recognize. In fact, it was a name that was impossible for an elf to not know.

    The Dentis family had long been one of the most powerful elven families.

    Rudger sensed something was wrong there.

    Wait a minute. Even an elf wasnt allowed to read the information in the World Tree, and even then it was a bit of an overreaction.

    Even as he tried to deny it, Rudgers mouth spontaneously formed the words to express his doubts.

    No way. Have you been secretly?

    !

    Bruna stared at Rudger with wide eyes. She kept her mouth shut, but her bodynguage said it all.

    Are you serious?

    Bruna Petana, an entric elf who was cast out of the elf vige.

    At first, Rudger thought she was wandering the streets because she was discriminated against by the elves tight-knit society and intolerance of the strange. But it turns out theres more to the story.

    Bruna had vited a taboo that was not allowed, and for that reason, she was banished from the vige.

    The taboo of making contact with the World Tree.

    Moreover, the contact with the World Tree would not take ce in a small vige, but in arge elven territory centered on the World Tree.

    Contact with the World Tree. Oh, my God, thats it.

    Chris nodded in agreement because he too heard stories.

    The elves have a hierarchy even within their own society, with strict rules that no one from a powerful family is allowed to touch the World Tree unless they are the caretakers of the central root.

    Human schrs have concluded that the World Tree is merely an ancient species of nt that existed long ago. But the elves still revere it, calling it a sacred tree.

    Naturally, they were extremely sensitive to the idea of unauthorized persons tampering with it.

    They would have understood if Bruna told them that she was actually from a powerful family and was hiding her identity.

    Judging by their cold sweaty reactions, I dont think its anything like that. Amon elf, unauthorized, tampered with the World Tree.

    Shes more courageous than I thought or did the elves had mercy on her and chased her away?

    How many times did you touch the World Tree?

    Rudger asked, and Bruna answered in a small, crawling voice.

    Twice.

    Not once, twice?

    Three times.

    Four times.

    Was it four times?

    Rudger rolled his eyes and even Chris, who would consider Bruna beautiful even if she was chewing on a bug, was baffled by this.

    At this point, he wondered how she was still alive.

    Oh, its okay, it was only one time!

    .

    .

    So, to summarize, Bruna was not kicked out of the elf vige for her bizarre tendencies.

    She didnt even technically qualify, because she had contacted the World Tree and read its information.

    In Earth terms, amon soldier had barged into a highly ssified intelligence room in the highestmand and read its contents.

    Rudger red at Bruna intensely with an unspoken pressure as if to ask her why she hadnt told him before.

    Bruna didnt dare to meet his gaze, her shoulders hunching and her head slipping away.

    Instead, it was Chris who reacted to Rudgers behavior.

    Why are you ring at her? Lady Bruna may have done wrong in elven society, but this is the human society, and you have no right to criticize her behavior.

    Thats because its none of your business.

    With Bruna in tow, there was no telling when other elves might show up looking for the traitorous elf.

    The ck Dawn Society was enough of a headache already, but adding elves to the mix would be quite a hassle.

    Hopefully its just a one-time thing, and she just got kicked out.

    Given her behavior, it was clear that there was something else she wasnt saying.

    Perhaps it was Chriss support that gave her the courage to speak up again.

    Youre right, and besides, Im fully remorseful, but the most important thing is the present not the past.

    As far as thecontact goes, thats one thing, but what do you make of that thing in there thats trying to get out?

    Rudger pointed to the human form protruding from the root.

    When Rudger offered to let it go, Bruna replied, a little excitedly.

    Im not sure, but its definitely not ordinary, because even though the World Tree is dead, its life force is incredible, and these tracks show that its trying to get out of it instead of being buried in it.

    Do you think its going to move?

    Its just a trace, a trace of the power inside trying to get out. Its not going to move.

    Then.

    Its just a repulsive force, the real thing is still sleeping in the roots of the World Tree, and the Liberation Army and the Warlocks are trying to deal with it.

    Rudgers eyes narrowed at the words repulsive force.

    Come to think of it, Ive been thinking about something.

    What do you mean?

    They say there was a power like that before, and it was simrNo, almost identical.

    You know what that power is?

    Yes.

    Bruna nodded with a heavy face.

    Thats, uh, demonic power.

    Rudger and Chris gulped at Brunas words.

    Demons, a name that existed only in mythology and was now only a legend.

    It was only when Rudger had calmly collected his thoughts that he spoke.

    How do you know that? Thats not something youd learn from contacting the World Tree.

    .

    Brunas mouth fell open at that question and Rudgers eyes narrowed.

    Did you secretly see that, too?

    Brunas cold sweat increased as Rudger groaned to himself.

    He called her a World Tree expert, but she was a chronic trespasser.

 Chapter 298

    Chapter sponsored byMelekono.Thank you for your support.

    At a loss for words, Rudger stares at Bruna.

    Why did you withhold such an important fact?

    Bruna avoided Rudgers gaze.

    Shed been hiding things like this all along, even from him, because she knew she wasnt usually doing anything wrong.

    When Rudgers gaze grew more intense, almost piercing her skin, she suddenly realized she had been wronged so she straightened up and red at him.

    Youre in no position to talk to me like that.

    Bruna had been cast out of the Elven Kingdom for her sins.

    All things considered, Rudger did not have a better record, did he?

    Jack the Ripper, the shadow of the First Princess and a man known for tearing people apart.

    Abraham Van Helsing, the hunter of the century and the man who killed the Beast of Gvaudan.

    James Moriarty, the criminal mastermind who terrorized a nation.

    Machiavelli, the legendary mercenary who ended the civil war in the Northern Kingdom and many more.

    The hunter and the mercenary may not have done anything bad but what about the rest?

    Even his current identity, Rudger Chelici, is a false identity, a false employment that vites thews of the Empire.

    What Bruna did was certainly sinful, but Rudger added to it, not subtracted from it.

    Knowing that, Rudger cringed inwardly but he red at Bruna even harder.

    At least I didnt hide it.

    He was iming immunity for revealing all of his hands to hispanions and Bruna had nothing to say about that. Her barely scraped-together courage shattered once more.

    Well have to talk about it when this is all over.

    Thats.

    Finally, just as I thought things were getting organized, an unexpected interruption came in.

    Excuse me.

    Chriss sharp gaze flicked between Rudger and Bruna.

    You two are exchanging some kind of nce. Have you known each other before?

    His tone is a mixture of insults directed at Rudger and respect for Bruna.

    The way Chris red at Rudger was particrly disturbing.

    Rudger wondered what was wrong with this man, but feltpelled to say something right away.

    I dont know her, I just cant believe she kept such an important fact from us.

    You need to be more empathetic, Mr. Rudger Chelici, because anyone who looks at you like that is going to have a hard time with you.

    Is that what youre going to say?

    Rudger usually let Chris say whatever he wanted, but this time it was hard. Ever since Chriss involvement with Bruna, there was a strange irritation that was hard to ignore.

    After all, shes an elf rmended by the First Princess herself, so there shouldnt be any problems, right?

    .

    Come to think of it, he had said that when introducing Bruna.

    Of course, this was all Brunas fault for hiding the fact that this had happened.

    What matters now is not her past, but the root of the World Tree in front of us.

    Bruna spoke up, happy to be able to get out of this situation.

    First of all, lets get this straight: inside that dead World Trees root is a demonic power. I dont know who the hell put it there or when or where, but.

    So youre saying that demonic power is stirring to burst forth from its roots at any moment.

    Yep. And thats most likely why the warlocks here are studying the World Tree. Theyre trying to harness that power.

    Trying to harness demonic power.

    The three of them realized that this was a serious matter but it was still mere spection. Without hard evidence, no one would believe it if they told anyone else.

    At that moment, Rudger spotted a tiny butterfly fluttering by.

    That one.

    Rudger held out his hand lightly, and the butterflynded on it. Then the butterfly slowly unraveled and turned into a tiny note.

    Sedina.

    There was no way Sedina could have gotten the note all the way here on her own, so Hans must have helped.

    Rudger quickly scanned the notes contents. It turned out that Hans had been telling the truth when he said he was watching the situation through the chimeras.

    The message inside described what he had seen through the chimeras.

    A breeding facility for chimeras. The warlocks there are working on something.

    What could the warlocks, already mass-producing chimeras, possibly be researching?

    The answer was already there.

    Theyre really trying to do something with the demonic power.

    Speaking of demonic powers, he felt like all the questions in his head were answered at once.

    Why the Liberation Army and the Warlocks were fighting a hopeless battle.

    Why, even with special gunpowder and the Legion of Chimeras, they were just buying time.

    I think were going to have to get out there and tell them about this.

    Chris and Bruna nodded in agreement with Rudger as they realized the gravity of the situation.

    First they had to get back to themand center and tell everyone what they had seen and what the warlocks were up to inside.

    That might take some time but at least for the time being, it would be far better to have as many people as possible thinking together, rather than individuals making judgments and doing things on their own.

    First of all, if we take a sample of the World Tree as proof, everyone would believe us.

    The moment Rudger spoke a huge vibration began to reverberate through the entire underground space.

    Rudger, Chris, Bruna, and everyone else panicked as the underground ruins shook as if an earthquake had urred but something even more surprising happened to them.

    [Boom!]

    The bulkhead at the back of the passage theyde from copsed, blocking their way back.

    It wasnt just the path that was blocked. Thendscape around them was changing.

    Rudger recognized something simr in the changing scene.

    What is this, a maze?

    The underground structure itself was a maze, set in motion by someone. When the tremors subsided and stabilized, the three people found themselves standing in apletely different ce.

    How did this happen?

    It seems that this underground space itself was no ordinary facility. It was originally abyrinthine structure, but I never thought it could move around like this.

    So this ce itself is a facility that literally changes its structure?

    Sort of, and the ones who did it must be the Liberation Army and the warlocks.

    Unless theyre stupid, they know theyre under attack, and that a mere chimera army cant handle it.

    So they n to deal with us by cutting off our escape route and isting us?

    At least thats what I think.

    Chris frowned. He hadnt expected to find himself in this position when hed joined the analysis group.

    Is there no way out?

    Unless we know the geography, wed be hard pressed to find the exit. Or maybe theyve blocked the way out.

    Which means weve effectively abandoned the idea ofgetting out.

    Rudger examined himself lightly.

    In that case, its probably for the best.

    Why?

    Well, now that theyve taken it upon themselves to block the means we have to get out, theres only one way left.

    You cant get outside, yourmunications are down and you dont know when your enemies will unleash the demonic power.

    The fact that they would do something like that knowing that the capitals power was gathering in one ce means that the demonic power is at least strong enough to affect the entire capital.

    Youre crazy.

    Chris muttered, adjusting his sses because he understood what Rudger was saying but he didnt make it clear that he wasnt going to do it.

    He knew that there was no backing out of this. He knew that their opponents were up to something with the demonic powers and they had to be proactive and stop them.

    If youre not up for a fight, you can leave that to me.

    Rudger said in his usual tone but Chris sensed a subtle mixture of reprimand and sneer in his tone.

    Dont look down on me, just because I specialize in pharmacy doesnt mean I cant fight.

    That being said, you didntpete in the duels at the Magic Festival.

    Thats because I never felt the need to. I may look like this, but Ive been training harshly since childhood. Dont judge me the same as everyone else.

    Chris red at Rudger with an unwavering gaze and Rudger nodded in satisfaction, since he was ready to enter the fray.

    Very well, then, I want you to guard that elfdy as hard as you can, Chris.

    What?

    You dont want to?

    Of course not. I will protect Lady Bruna even if you dont say so.

    Chris!

    Bruna called out Chriss name, seemingly impressed. Of course, given Brunas skills, Chris shouldnt have to protect her, but since she was nominally a nonbatant, he had no choice.

    Is that all right?

    What do you mean?

    Even if we know what to do, this is their home base. We cant just move around, and with the terrain shifting like this its hard to pinpoint their positions.

    If you move blindly and the terrain changes again, youll be lost again. It would mean that all the progress they had made would be for naught.

    They could be stuck in the same ce for the rest of their lives but Rudger dismissed Chriss concerns.

    Chris, do you see those roots over there?

    The roots of the World Tree thatme and Lady Bruna were studying?

    When the structure of the terrain changed a moment ago, paths were created that werent there, and old paths disappeared. Perhaps this is a facility where the terrain moves in three dimensions.

    How does that work?

    Well, the position of the roots over there just stayed the same, so that means the block with the roots sticking out cant move.

    !

    Chriss eyes widened at that.

    Indeed. Youre saying that the area where the roots of the World Tree poke through are frozen and cant be moved.

    Yes. And if we can trace the direction of these roots, we can find theirir.

    The underground facility was shaped like a giant disk. There was arge cavity in the center, presumably where the core of the dead World Tree resided.

    The roots of the World Tree had spread out from the center, breaking through the outer walls, which was probably why the facility was only partially movable.

    So if you looked at the direction the roots wereing from and followed them, youd end up in the center, so at least you wouldnt get lost.

    But just as we can think like this, they must know that we can find them backwards through the roots.

    Yes. Thats exactly what they want.

    So changing the terrain like this is effectively a pointless act?

    Thats what I thought at first, too, but now that I think about it, its not quite that.

    What?

    Look ahead.

    As Rudger spoke, Bruna and Chris looked where he pointed and saw an uninvited visitor staring at them from beyond a long, lighted archway, despite being underground.

    The other side has a rough idea of their strength, so they cant be sending ordinary Liberation troops. If so, the Liberation Army must have been sent the most skilled among them, as well as the warlocks.

    Whatever the case, the enemy was not to be trifled with.

    They knew they couldnt stop us by changing positions, so they came directly to us.

    With that, Rudger gave himself a quick check. His body was in good shape and his mana pool was full.

    You should getfortable.

    Rudger gripped a long, ck staff with the tip decorated in the form of a raven and channeled his mana into it.

    You didnt have toe to me, I came to you.

    Without speaking to the other party Rudger immediately manifested his magic.

    * * *

    This.

    Passius sighed in disbelief at the altered internal structure.

    They were not lost because although the terrain had changed the roots that broke the walls were fixed.

    As long as they followed the roots, they wouldnt get lost. However, he was surprised that an underground facility would behave this way.

    Its amazing that something like this could exist beneath the capital city and still be functioning after hundreds of years.

    What the hell were they doing 500 years ago, in the former Empire?

    He sure it was possible if people tried to create it today, but its hard to believe that something like this could have been created so long ago, in a time when science wasnt as advanced.

    Unlike Passiussfortable thoughts, hispanion, the iron-masked mage Rotheron, simply stared ahead in silence because after the structure of the underground facility had changed an enemy appeared in front of them.

    You said you were Lord Rotheron, right?

    You can call me Rotheron if you wish, Sir Passius.

    Ill do that, then. But theres an enemy over there, what are you going to do?

    Is there such a thing as a choice?

    Rotheron immediately prepared himself forbat.

    Well fight.

    Passius smirked at the belligerent words.

    I can understand that.

 Chapter 299

    The warlocks and the Liberation Army realized that their camp had been invaded.

    The chimeras they had left behind in the underground waterways were killed at a rapid pace and with this momentum; it was only a matter of time before the enemy would make a beeline for their underground facility so the Liberation Army took the initiative.

    They would change the terrain, cutting off their escape routes, and then send in their own troops to take the intruders out.

    And this is the result?

    Veronica immediately realized what had happened.

    She drew her sword and red at the enemy in front of her. Her gaze was cold, a far cry from her usual lively self. It held a bone-chilling chill like the coldness of a long northern winter.

    There is no denying that the opponent in front of her was evil and the moment she made up her mind, Veronica became a sharp sword.

    She would not let her guard down.

    The Liberation Army must know that this is an elite force so they wouldnt send regr members to face them and as if to prove it, the enemy was not numerous.

    The path is not very wide, so it would be difficult for arge number of them to attack at once. They could use firearms to slow us down, but guns are useless against people of our caliber.

    So instead of risking a futile battle of attrition, theyd opted for the sure thing.

    Get ready.

    Veronica stepped to the front, and the wizard apanying her, a servant wizard from the imperial family, prepared his spells.

    A wizard who could not attend the Arcane Chamber, but was skilled enough to participate in this operation was more than qualified enough to have Veronicas back.

    The wizard set off a ming fire, and a chill hung over Veronicas sword.

    * * *

    A roar echoed from every direction.

    Rudger looked up, trying to gauge how far away the source was from here, and in which direction.

    They must have gotten as far away from each other as possible.

    Rudger absorbed the scattered mana around him once more, making sure it was safe.

    The bluish mist soaked into Rudgers body like a sponge and as the fog settled, the scene before him was nothing but ruins.

    None of the surrounding terrain had copsed or disintegrated due to his power control, but the scars on the ground showed that this was no ordinary fight.

    Around Rudgery the Liberators who had fought him only moments before, five in total.

    Without guns, they were already stronger than the average man, but they were no match for Rudgers unorthodox fighting style.

    Hes crazy.

    Watching Rudgers fight from a distance, Chris recalled the battle earlier. Rudgers fighting style was wizard-like, but not wizard-like.

    Normally, a wizard would stand still and cast spells.

    ording to modernbat manuals, a wizard is like an artillery piece that sweeps through the enemy with powerful firepower.

    Of course, not everyone was like that.

    There were those who were wizards, but also used their bodies to shake up the enemy lines.

    The most prominent of these were the war mages from the military but Rudgers fighting style didnt make much sense to Chris, even from that perspective.

    The War Mages were just more advanced wizards, but theycked Rudgers sense of something fundamentally different.

    He may have served in the military, but can he really be that good given that?

    Rudgersbat style was quite varied. At first, he fired fire magic straight at enemies from a distance. It was a suitable magic for burning enemies at once in a small area.

    Naturally, his opponents saw iting and went on the defensive. Two of the five were wizards, and together they used a barrier to block Rudgers attack.

    Rudger then plunged into the center of the enemy line just as the mes rose, blinding them.

    The mes obscured their vision, tricking them into not noticing his approach.

    Once inside, Rudger channeled his entire bodys mana outward and a dense blue mist spread around him, obscuring his enemies vision.

    From there, Rudger moved between them, engaging in magic and meleebat.

    Rudger did not use anyrge-scale magic. Rather, he only used really basic magic, such as those of the first and second grade. But even with simple first-grade magic, he used ridiculous control to his advantage.

    Its not just his mana. Its his unbelievable control and utilization of magic, hisbat sense, and his uracy that doesnt allow for an inch of error. What on earth is this man.?

    Moreover, the amount of mana he released was unbelievable.

    To be able to emit a mana mist like that and then perfectly retrieve it?

    Chris couldnt believe his eyes.

    Hed seen Rudgerpete against teachers at the Magic Festival, and he knew he was good but this was on a different level.

    He didnt even show his true skills then.

    Rather than panic, though, Chris was now entering a stage of resignation that came naturally to him.

    Im done cleaning up. Too bad you didnt get a chance to make a move, Chris.

    I wasnt going to fight over something that didnt matter anyway.

    Chris bluntly replies to Rudger, who turns around and speaks to him.

    Bruna, who had been hiding behind Chris and watching the fight carefully from start to finish, suddenly fixed her gaze on the corpses.

    !

    Rudger and Chris are about to ask whats wrong when Brunas urgent gaze catches their attention.

    Bruna pulled a vial out of a small pouch on her waist and threw it straight at a corpse. The vial, which contained some sort of device, exploded in mid-flight, spilling the clear liquid inside onto the corpse.

    At that moment, something surprising, or rather, ugly, happened. The liquid bubbled and quickly dissolved the corpse.

    Rudger and Chris were horrified and wanted to ask what was going on. But their mouths dropped open as they watched the untouched body rise.

    Its skin turned purple, its eyes reddened, and ck blood dripped from its mouth. The changes didnt stop there: sharp spikes sprouted from its back, and its nails grew longer. It was amazing that a corpse could rise from the dead, but this thing was mutating.

    [Kyaaah!]

    There were two of them in total.

    The ambush was thwarted, as even the one that had been resurrected stepped back to avoid the liquid.

    If Bruna hadnt melted the corpses beforehand, the enemies they thought were dead would have risen at once to attack.

    What is this.?

    Chriss voice trembled as he realized that something that defiedmon sense happened.

    The warlocks usemands to move the corpse, but its not the only thing theyre using. They mixed in a lot of other things.

    Pure necromancy only resurrects the corpse itself but doesnt change its form.

    I think these guys came here with the intention of dying from the start.

    What?

    That power writhing in their bodies, its like the one from the chimeras. Theyve probably injected their bodies with gic factors obtained through chimera research.

    Human experimentation on their own bodies? Who the hell would do such a crazy thing.?

    Its in front of you, isnt it, otherwise you wouldnt be able to exin that look.

    Shit. Thats it.

    [Kyaaaaah!]

    The enemies who had seized the opportunity at that moment, now deprived of even humannguage, lunged at Rudger and Chris.

    Their torn open mouths were filled with razor sharp teeth. It was a creature that had lost all human form and could only be called a monster.

    As the creature lunged with its mouth agape, Rudger spoke soothingly.

    Its a good thing, isnt it, Chris, that you can finally fight.

    Are you in a position to say that now?

    Werent youmenting a moment ago?

    I wasnt!

    Then now is the time to show it, because Miss Bruna is watching from the back.

    This bastard!

    Chris shouted, but he didnt take his eyes off his adversary, who had gotten very close.

    His hand moved faster than he could speak. He grabbed the vial of reagent between his fingers in a split second and hurled it at the monster in front of him.

    [Kyaak!]

    The creature that was lunging at Chris saw the flying vial and ducked low enough to avoid it.

    Dodged?

    He didnt know what the reagent was and dodged it with his bizarre movements.

    He guessed from the way their bodies had changed, but they were already far beyond human.

    Chris gritted his teeth and activated a spell hed already prepared. The reagent hed thrown down was just a trick to buy time in the first ce.

    The real thing was the spell hed prepared in advance.

    [Boom!]

    The ground between Chris and the creature shook, and a sharp rock awl rose up.

    The creature crouched low, unable to dodge the attack. But the creature pushed off the ground with both of its long arms, and the next thing you know, its up in the air.

    The rock awl missed its target, piercing nothing.

    What the!

    Chris hadnt expected it to be able to evade the magic he prepared.

    The creature swooped down toward him, spreading its arms wide. Razor-sharp des protruded from the tips of its elongated arms and mutated bones had been transformed into des.

    Dont be ridiculous!

    Chris red and summoned his magic. His hair fluttered wildly from the force, and a translucent figure rose from his back.

    A giant flower bloomed behind him, radiating a light green color. It was named Lau Bloom, and it was a [Magic Tree] that Chris Benimore could control.

    Countless vine stalks shot out from the mysterious flower and grabbed the monster in the air. No matter how fast ones reaction time was, there was no way to dodge an attack in the air with no foothold.

    The monster struggled against the vines, but the vines didnt budge. It opened up like a flower bud in full bloom, and began to radiate magic at its center.

    The fiery yellow energy gathered into a single point,pressed as much as possible, and shot forward in a great fan.

    The creature was caught in the trajectory and vanished without a trace.

    With the creature defeated, Chris released the spell and let out a ragged breath.

    Ha, ha.

    Are you done?

    Rudger walked up to Chris and asked while Chris stared at Rudger in disbelief.

    Over Rudgers shoulder, the creature that had attacked himy dead with a hole through its brow and heart.

    When? No, more importantly, how?

    I just used magic to kill it.

    .

    Chris was dumbfounded that he took care of the creature with such ease, but tried not to let it show.

    More than that, was that a spell?

    Yeah. I didnt want to use it much because it drains my mana.

    Besides, there was another reason why Chris didnt use his magic tree much.

    Thest thing he wanted to show anyone was that his magic tree was in the form of a flower.

    One of the powers seems pretty cool. You can use vines to grab enemies, which seems pretty useful.

    Well, it uses a lot of mana.

    Just then, Bruna approached and said.

    Oh my god, what was that magic tree you just used? That was so cool!

    Well, was it?

    Yeah. I dont know if its because Im an elf, but it felt very familiar, and something about it reminded me of Mr. Chris, which was really cool!

    Hmmm. No big deal.

    .

    Chris avoided eye contact when he asked, trying not to exin, but now that Bruna had asked, Rudger could tell he was getting excited.

    The difference in tone had be second nature to him by now, and Rudger naturally looked at the corpse hed subdued.

    When he came back to life, his rationality was gone, but his physical abilities became almost transcendent, which is why his instincts are so strong, and his reaction time is at an all-time high.

    Despite his speed, the way he instinctively sensed his opponents attack and tried to dodge it was extremely annoying.

    It was something impossible for a normal human to do.

    I wont be able to hit them unless Im really fast.

    Most disturbing of all was the foreign power he could feel emanating from the corpse, however faintly.

    No matter how I look at it, this must be demonic energy.

    Warlocks could manipte demonic energy to the point of infusing it into human bodies but the worse thing was that they wouldnt stop there.

 Chapter 300

    In the center of the underground facility was arge hollow and a massive structure upied more than half of the vast space.

    The roots of a dead World Tree.

    The base of the tree clung to the ceiling, sending out ivory-colored roots in all directions. The roots had pierced through the walls of the hollow and extended throughout the entire underground facility.

    The base was attached to the ceiling, so the tree was quite a bit above the ground in the hollow.

    Naturally, a dome-shaped space formed beneath the roots. The hollow space was filled with all manner of magical tools and devices.

    It had long been a research facility for warlocks of the Biotech school.

    The warlocks were bustling around, still working diligently on their research.

    Hows the progress?

    An elderly man approached and asked.

    The man in charge of the bustling warlocks, a grizzled-looking man in his mid-thirties, approached him and bowed his head. His skin was pale, as if he hadnt seen sunlight in a long time, and his eyes were hollow, as if he were looking at a living corpse.

    The warlock spoke in a very cautious tone.

    Yes, Master. The energy youve drawn can be applied to the second stage without any problems. Were well on our way to stage three, too, and if we can get past that, the final stage seems possible.

    Andrei Semov, one of the most influential figures in the field of biotechnology, the wizard responsible for some of the greatest medical advances in modern human history but his thirst for knowledge became uncontroble, and he dabbled in taboo human experimentation.

    Eventually, he was forced to flee into the darkness, losing everything he had but he had been secretly building a secret pipeline to the underground, building a new faction and creating a school of warlocks that would allow him to conduct the experiments he wanted without being recognized.

    Andrei was the one who discovered the roots of the now-dead World Tree. More precisely, he was exploring the unknown power contained within it.

    Are you saying you havent finished the third stage yet?

    Andrei frowned, and his apprentice, a man in his thirties, ducked his head in surprise.

    Yes. Apparently, its a power that we cant easily handle yet.

    You said it was demonic power.

    Yes. Its a power greater than mankinds, one that is now only a legend.

    Stupid. There is no power greater than humanity.

    The apprentice flinched at Andreis rebuke.

    Andrei ignored the apprentice and stared at arge incubation facility off to one side of themon room. Inside were people submerged in a green liquid.

    Look at those test subjects. Once upon a time, humanity rejected demonic power, refusing to understand it at all, but now we harness it. Why do you think that is?

    Its all because of your brilliance, Master.

    Forget the ttery, what has changed since then is the advancement of knowledge. Study, analyze, explore. All feares from ignorance and the unknown. If you know, it is no longer a force to be feared.

    To the ignorant, demonic power is a taboo that must never be touched but if you can harness it, it is the greatest weapon of all.

    Im lucky to have a facility like this underground in the capital, let alone a dead World Tree and the demonic power it contains.

    Thanks to this, Andrei was able to make a quantum leap in his lifes work.

    He now had free ess to a World Tree and demonic power, two samples that would take a lifetime to obtain.

    He didnt know why the dead World Tree was in the capital underground with only its base left and the same goes for the demonic power sealed within. There must be a reason, but Andrei didnt care, he saw it all as an opportunity.

    With this, I can get revenge on everyone who has ever made fun of me, and I can even surpass that madman, Victor, who annoys me every time.

    To do that, he needed to continue his research.

    Progress had been slower than hed originally nned, but it was still within the realm of possibility. If there was a problem, it would be the unwee visitors to this underground facility.

    What happened to the intruders?

    Weve sent in some unfinished Seconds, but it looks like their skills arent up to par, and theyre having trouble.

    Hmm. I see.

    The Seconds were liberators who had volunteered to be guinea pigs, infused with demonic power and chimera cells, then revived with necromancy.

    As the warlocks divided their experiments into stages, they named their experiments First, Second, and Third.

    The Firsts were the chimeras created by mixing beast factors with the life force of the World Tree.

    The Seconds were Liberation Army agents who were infused with the cells of such chimeras and demonic powersbined with ck magic.

    The Seconds experiments alone were so powerful that they were able to overpower even the strongest knights. So the Seconds loss now meant that their enemies were not ordinary.

    If theyve been defeated, then the invaders must be skilled.

    Judging by theirck of numbers, they must havee as a small elite force.

    I suppose. Excellent choice, because in a ce like this, no matter how many they try to shove in, theyll only end up with more casualties.

    So, Master, what do you suggest we do?

    Send in all the Seconds. Same goes for the Firsts. We cant kill them, but we can stall them. And we need to make sure the Phase Three experiment goes perfectly. Whats his status now?

    So far, hes experiencing a force bacsh, but hes still in the stabilization zone. If we keep this up, hell open his eyes within the allotted time.

    The words brought a smile to Andreis lips.

    Heh. I kind of like that. Hopefully Ill get to watch Third wipe them all out.

    Andreis gaze drifted to the center of the hollow. Inside a muchrger incubator than the others, a man was hunched over, submerged in red liquid.

    Thats a lot of desire for an officer in the Liberation Army, to participate in an experiment where we cant guarantee his life.

    I suppose thats what they mean by power hunger.

    Yes. And since were working together, Ill give him the best of both worlds. When the Third isplete, I will send him to.

    Andreis head snapped up as he spoke. There, in his line of sight, was a group of chimeras in formation.

    Andrei squinted and red at them.

    Master?

    The rats gone into hiding.

    With that, Andrei muttered and reached out toward the chimeras. As soon as magic red at his fingertips, the head of one of the chimeras burst open.

    Master, why are you suddenly.

    An enemy. It seems theres someone over there with a keen eye for biology.

    What? Whats that.?

    Theyve been spying on us, taking control of our chimeras. Apparently, your methods have been discovered. Did you not know that?

    If so.

    Speed up your research on Third. Its a race against time from here on out.

    With that, Andrei stepped away.

    Hans, whose link had been broken by the chimeras death, lifted his bowed head.

    Crazy. He noticed this?

    He thought the chimera he used would never be seen through by the enemies, but he was wrong.

    Andrei, the leader of the biotech faction noticed their presence and dismissed the surveince chimera.

    Hanss face grew grave and he immediately began to write down the information he had seen.

    Sedina.

    Yes.

    Sedina, who had been standing by, answered the call and Hans handed her a paper.

    Theres nothing more I can do here. Its your turn.

    Yes!

    * * *

    Rudger and Chris immediately converged on Seconds corpse to analyze it.

    The corpses necrosis is very rapid. Is it the effect of necromancy?

    Thats one thing, but its probably from being forced to use powers that dont fit. It seems like theyve gained ridiculous physical abilities, but their time of actual activity is short.

    Yeah. Based on the rate of necrosis, they probably wontst more than fifteen minutes. They fight by burning through all their life force at once.

    But unless we know what theyre doing inside, were not going to have fifteen minutes to waste.

    Nodding, Chris suddenly looked back at Bruna.

    Even more surprising than that. How on earth did Lady Bruna know he was going to make a move?

    What? Me, me?

    Bruna asked, confused, as if she hadnt seen the arrowing at her. She was the one who had moved before anyone else before the Second test subject was revived.

    Well, the postmortem stiffening that was supposed to happen didnt happen so I was just wondering, warlocks also work with corpses.

    I see, youre pretty quick on your feet considering that.

    .

    Rudger stared at Chris in disbelief. Now he wasnt even going to ask where the elf had seen a post-mortem stiffening corpse.

    Later, when I get home, Im going to p my hands and say its great that Bruna did human experimentation.

    As he thought this, Rudger had a moment of unease. Surely she hadnt already started experimenting on humans?

    Not yet, judging by what shes doing to Hans.

    It was only an attempt, but she wouldnt hesitate to do it if she had the chance.

    I thought Seridan was the biggest ticking time bomb, but it turns out shes the bigger problem.

    Rudger shook his head. What mattered now was this test subject in the hands of the enemy.

    I guess well just have to stay on our toes, because theyre not going to stop here.

    Im sure they wont.

    Chris nodded, agreeing with Rudger.

    I didnt mean to make light of this, but its a lot worse than I thought.

    Whats even scarier is that theyve got something even worse in store.

    I thought I was just going to analyze the World Tree, but somehow I ended up here.

    Do you regret it?

    No. I dont regret it. Ive made some good connections since Ive been here.

    You dont even think about hidinganymore.

    What?

    Wevee this far and since we cant back out Im going to st through this as fast as I can. Are you ready?

    Hmm. You didnt have to ask.

    Thats good to know.

    Chris and Rudger readied themselves for battle.

    In the distance, they could see the Liberatorsing toward them and Chris immediately drew his wand from behind his back.

    Usually, he didnt care about his magic wand, but after Bruna praised him, he started using it from the beginning.

    He didnt stop there, but rather looked at Rudger and asked.

    You wont use your wand?

    No, I wont, and I dont need to.

    This was an unusual case, and he was afraid of being discovered if he made a mistake so Rudger had to refrain from using magic that would give him away.

    Arrogant.

    Chris understood Rudgers words to mean that he was so confident in his abilities that he didnt need to use a magic wand.

    Something like that.

    Rudger didnt bother to correct the misunderstanding, so he simply replied and activated his magic.

    * * *

    Trina Ryanhowl drew the swords at her waist.

    Holding a sharp de in each hand, she sliced through the First and Second Test Subjects in a sh of light.

    The chimeras were no match for Trina. Although they could be quite intimidating to ordinary soldiers, but to a master who transcended humanity, even a few of them could be easily wiped out.

    What was troublesome was the Second test subjects who could take them by surprise.

    Trina, behind you!

    I know.

    A sharp de stabbed toward the back of her head but Trina tilted her head lightly to the side, dodging the attack, and then spun her body.

    The centrifugal force of the de swung in a half-moon as the dodge and counterattack were almost simultaneous.

    Trinas de skimmed lightly over the Seconds chin, it was a blow that even the Second, whose reaction time was beyond perception, could not dodge. Its head was severed and ttered to the floor.

    Without a second nce at the corpse, Trina swung her sword again. The spikes from the distant chimeras were cut off by the de and fell helplessly to the ground.

    Throughout the attack, which barely gave her a chance to breathe, Trina never faltered.

    She was not disadvantaged by the enemy numbers, such was the strength of a master.

    Trina!

    Okay.

    Casey gave her the signal, and Trina immediately stepped away. At the same time, countless droplets of moisture in the air coalesced into sharp spikes that swept through the First and Second Test subjects.

    Looks like its settled.

    Its not over yet, its only a matter of time before another wavees, and besides, Trina, you can feel it, cant you?

    Yeah. The chimeras dont matter, but the Liberation Army experimentsare getting stronger and stronger.

    The first Seconds to appear had been killed and then resurrected with powers beyond humanprehension.

    Trina and Casey were surprised by it, but were able to defeat them without difficulty. However, each subsequent Second was stronger than thest.

    They were able toplete their physical transformation without dying, and they retained some degree of rationality, so they didnt just attack blindly.

    Gradually, the test subjects are bing more sophisticated.

    Thats right. And if it continues like this, there will probably be one that we cant deal with.

    You mean we need to break through quickly before that happens?

    Thats not possible, because as soon as they see an opening, they change the terrain.

    Constantly changing terrain and using increasingly stronger experiments to attack us its a tant stalling tactic, but we cant do anything about it.

    As someone who doesnt even know the geography of this ce, its pretty annoying.

    If they trace back the roots of the World Tree, theyll find the enemy home base, but they keep changing the terrain, looking for gaps.

    It was then that Trina stirred and fixed her gaze to one side. Casey was about to ask what was wrong, but then she felt something, too, and shut up.

    [Boom!]

    Trina and Casey readied themselves for battle but their enthusiasm quickly faded as the dust settled.

    Hmm?

    Their opponent had spotted them, too, and stared at them nkly.

    It was Rudger Chelici, who came here as an analyst.

 Chapter 301

    Oh, no.

    Rudger muttered to himself as he looked at Casey, who was staring at him in disbelief.

    He heard the sound of a fight, so he moved quickly to join them since they werent far away, but he couldnt believe it was Casey and Trina.

    They wereter spotted by Bruna and Chris, who were walking out of the passage Rudger had cut and their faces brightened considerably at the thought of their newpanions.

    Oh well.

    Since they were already facing each other, they had no choice but to move together, even if it made things a little ufortable.

    So this is how we meet.

    Rudger was the first to speak, unable to stand still and watch.

    Casey didnt respond, just red at Rudger. Instead, it was Trina who spoke up.

    Yes. I didnt expect to see you here, Mr. Rudger Chelici.

    The same goes for me, Trina Ryanhowl.

    Wasnt your group supposed to leave immediately after analyzing the World Tree?

    We were going to, but we got stuck in the middle of nowhere, so we were forced to move inward.

    I see, but thats a good thing. No one got hurt, and were able to join up like this.

    Trina red at Bruna as she said that.

    Rudger and Chris were one thing, but the elf woman was someone she didnt recognize.

    Who is she?

    This is Bruna Petana, who is traveling with us this time. She is an expert on the World Tree.

    Isnt she an outsider? Besides, I thought Chris Benimore was supposed to be in charge of studying the World Tree.

    It cant hurt to have one more, and shes an elf whose identity is vouched for by the First Princess, so you dont have to worry.

    Rudger used the name of the First Princess to assure Trina just as he did with Chris.

    Trinas eyes narrowed at the words, and her forehead wrinkled.

    Princess Eileen?

    Of all of them, Trina was the one who had the closest rtionship with Princess Eileen. But even she, if asked if she knew the Princess perfectly, would have to say that she did not.

    Eileen was a difficult person to get to know.

    As Rudger had said, there was nothing strange about the sudden addition of an elf to the existing group given Eileens tendency to hide things and not reveal her ns even to her closest confidants.

    Rudgers words left no doubt.

    Furthermore, given the stories Ive heard within themand center, it seems that the First Princess has had a prior meeting with Mr. Rudger Chelici.

    Trina nodded her head, dismissing her doubts.

    Have you learned anything about the situation?

    In response to Trinas question, Rudger said yes, and exined what he knew to Trina and Casey.

    He told them about demonic power that was sealed within the World Tree, and that the warlocks were trying to harness it.

    I see. I wondered why the Liberation Armys members turned into monsters like that, but it was demonic power.

    Casey, who had been listening silently until then, spoke up.

    I never thought demonic power could exist in a ce like this, let alone be used by our enemies.

    If you put it that way, its strange that theres such a secret mega-facility underground in the capital, with the roots of a dead World Tree at its center.

    Thats.

    Its obviously real since its already happened but what we need to do is stop being surprised that it exists and start stopping the Liberation Army and the Warlocks as quickly as possible.

    In that sense, it was fortuitous that the scattered forces came together in one ce.

    As Rudger emphasized the importance of the situation, Casey nodded reluctantly.

    There was still so much she wanted to tell him but for now, every minute counted. There was no time for personal matters.

    Even if I told him now, she thought, hed just brush it off as usual. Well, Ill ask himter, when this is all over.

    Of course, she knew that by then she wouldnt have the courage again but if she didnt make up her mind now, this ufortable knot would never be untied.

    Then lets move quickly.

    With that, the group of five began to move at a brisk pace toward the center hollow.

    Along the way, they were met by a second wave of chimeras but they were no match for Rudger and the others, now nearly double in strength.

    With each swing of Trinas two-handed sword, the creatures were cut to pieces, falling to the ground before the magic of Rudger, Chris, and Casey.

    Their previously sluggish movement began to gain momentum.

    In the midst of the battle, Casey found himself inwardly marveling at Rudgers magic.

    Its amazing.

    Rudgers magic was neither shy norrge-scale. Considering the prevailing attitude among wizards that hierarchy is a measure of strength Rudger was hardly considered a powerhouse.

    However, anyone with a keen eye for magic would have been astonished to see Rudger in battle.

    He did the most with the least. No magic was ever wasted, and there was no waste in the process of casting a spell. His magic was wless, free of mistakes and errors, like a mathematical form.

    Rudgers magic aimed only for the deadly sharp point when dealing with an enemy. Its simplicity was so overwhelming that it was almost dehumanizing.

    Strong, even if this isnt his true skill.

    Casey knew that Rudger was not using his full strength.

    Back when he was Professor Moriarty, Rudger had fought her with a whistle while cloaked in ck shadows.

    She didnt know what kind of magic it was, but she figured that at the very least, his powers were stronger now than they had been then, not weaker.

    After all, the man shed faced at the Kunst Auction House had even managed to subdue the Beast of Gvaudan.

    And that magic of leaping through space that I saw then. He hasnt used it yet, but it could be enough to turn the tide of battle.

    Just as she was beginning to wonder how far this man would go, the entire underground passageway began to vibrate once more.

    Theyre trying to change the terrain again!

    Trina immediately noticed and warned.

    The groups reaction was swift, as they had been through this situation several times before.

    As if on cue, Rudger and Chris stepped forward as a giant flower-shaped magic tree bloomed behind Chriss back, shooting vines toward the passageway that was about to be divided into sections.

    The light green, translucent vines spread out like roots the moment they touched the wall, stopping the blocks from moving but the blocks movement was too strong, pulling the vines taut and threatening to tear them apart.

    Hurry up, it wont hold for long!

    At Chriss shout, Rudger grabbed his staff with both hands and stamped it into the ground.

    A burst of magic power shot out from the tip of the staff, spreading in concentric circles across the ground. The energy immediately interfered with the facilitys moving devices, generating magic from within.

    Pirs of stone soared from within, destroying the core device that moved the blocks.

    The bulkhead that was about to descend in front of them stopped, and the blocks in the other sections stopped as well.

    It worked!

    Bruna shouted in triumph as the shifting stopped. So far, it was neither the chimeras nor the Seconds test subjects that had bothered them the most, but the terrain changes.

    It was tantly obvious, especially now that they had increased their numbers. However, they relied too much on this feature and kept doing the same thing over and over again.

    Theyd been beaten so many times that they had a rough idea of how the internal structure worked and the result was this.

    By destroying the key machinery that transforms the underground facility, the liberators could no longer change the terrain.

    In other words, no one could stand in their way.

    After summoning the magic tree back, Chris adjusted his sses and eximed,

    I was nervous when I heard the n, but you really did it.

    If the structure inside is powered by an borate mechanical device, all you have to do is destroy it.

    Rudger made it sound easy, but this was impossible without the help of the [coordinate designation spell].

    The key device was deep within, invisible to the naked eye and knowing its location didnt make it essible.

    It was Rudgers magic that made it possible since as long as he knew the coordinates he could strike across space as the key device was immobile and in ce, so it was an easy target for them.

    That took care of the most annoying problem.

    Casey didnt seem to marvel at the reality before her, as if shed known the n would work all along.

    Rudgers behavior so far had been too oundish for that so it was hard for her to be surprised anymore.

    They must have realized there was a problem, though, because they went all out.

    As if sensing something, Trina tightened her grip on the sword in her hand. With the keen senses of a master knight, she detected a number of figures moving toward them from a distance, at least five times as many as the ones that hade earlier to stall for time.

    The enemies must have gotten impatient, realizing that it would be impossible to use the device to block their path.

    All hands on deck. From here on out, its a battle of stamina.

    But their most troublesome enemies were not the experiments.

    Now that the advantage of being able to change the terrain at will was gone, the fight ahead would eventually be decided by the difference in pure strength.

    Its going through!

    With a shout from Trina, her twin des sliced through the first of the charging chimeras.

    The other members followed suit, using magic and their own skills to sweep through the creatures. Only Bruna approached the bodies of the fallen test subjects and snatched samples from them unnoticed.

    Hehe.

    * * *

    Repairing the tracheal unit? Anyone avable?

    Send in the chimeras! Buy us some time!

    The Liberation Army members and the Warlocks panicked.

    Their goal had been to buy time before their enemies got here in the first ce.

    From the way the First and Second test subjects were dying one after another, they knew their enemies were not ordinary.

    If they were knights, they were masters and the wizards were at least at the fifth rank.

    The enemies that actually came in were what could be called a one-man army since only a fool would think of confronting them head-on.

    They tried to buy time by using the terrain to their advantage, but it didnt work since Rudger destroyed a key piece of machinery.

    Damn it! Wasnt the core device more than a hundred meters away in the thick rock? Even a Swordmaster couldnt prate it!

    This is bad, more than half of Seconds we sent in have died!

    Theyve sped up, at this rate theyll be here in ten minutes!

    The pale-skinned warlock shuddered in contemtion as he heard the horrific news one after another and nced anxiously at his mentor, Andrei.

    What is it that has you so disturbed?

    Well, Master, it is.

    Forget it. You cant get angry in a situation like this, it means theyre strong.

    It wasnt that Andrei wasnt angry. Even now, he was suppressing his anger but the reason he didnt panic or show his emotions was because it would be very illogical.

    He knew that at times like this he had to be rational.

    Whats the status of Test Subject Third?

    Were still notpletely finished with the coordination. Were about to go through the final stage, but I dont know if it will be sessful.

    Lets skip thest step and proceed as quickly as possible. Inject all the rest of the demons power into it.

    Ha, but what will happen if we do that.?

    At those words, Andrei red at his apprentice with a vicious gaze. His eyes glowed with a furious fire, and the apprentice immediately mped his mouth shut.

    Are those wordsing out of your mouth under these circumstances?

    That, that.

    Thats why you shouldnt. At this rate, the enemy will reach us before you open your eyes and this whole thing will be for naught.

    So it was better to get Third up and running right away, even if something went wrong.

    Do you understand? Were not in a position to waste time right now.

    Well, even so, I need more time to wake up Third now!

    Do it anyway. Ill buy you some time.

    What?

    Before the apprentice could ask anything, Andrei stood up and used his magic. An unbelievable amount of power erupted from his frail body and enveloped the area.

    The warlocks and the Liberators froze in their tracks, terrified, and turned to look at Andrei.

    Dont be stupid and do your jobs.

    Andrei flicked his gaze toward the passageway leading outside.

    Ill deal with them.

    There was a loud bang and the barred door exploded, sending up a cloud of dust.

    Two figures emerged from the dust. One was Veronica Deville, a white-uniformed knight with ck ponytail. The other was the Imperial servant mage who hade with her.

    Andrei looked at them, a smile appearing at the corners of his mouth.

    Ho-ho. Unexpectedly, here are the first ones.

    .

    As Andrei looked at Veronica, she realized that he was the strongest enemy here.

    She drew her sword with an icy gaze. The coldness of the des tip made it clear that she was not using an ordinary Aura.

    The Cold Steel Knights of the Empire were said to imbue their des with the chill of the North.

    Interesting.

    The ck robes around his body fluttered wildly as Andrei prepared his magic.

    Considering the guests have arrived, I should wee you.

 Chapter 302

    Andrei Semov gathered mana in his chest and shot it out like a pir. It was a [Mana Release] attack that didnt even contain an attribute. However, the enormous amount of mana turned into an immense force on its own, threatening to engulf Veronica.

    Veronica swung the sword in her hand from top to bottom towards the iing energy.

    The frosty aura at the tip of her sword sliced the bubble in half as white frost formed on the ground along the trajectory of Veronicas sword.

    Andreis eyes lit up with interest.

    You have an unusual aura. Ive read that some knights can imbue their aura with attributes of their own, depending on their constitution.

    .

    Veronica didnt even bother to reply. The difference between her demeanor and that of her foe was dramatic.

    Instead, Veronica intensified the cold aura that emanated from her sword.

    It wasnt worth engaging in conversation. Andrei was just asking, not really expecting an answer. Still, he was an annoyance.

    The blow earlier hadnt been at Veronicas level of power, but for a moment, the temperature in the room seemed to drop.

    No, it wasnt an illusion. Andrei deliberately exhaled through his mouth as pure white water vapor formed in the air and dissipated like smoke.

    The corners of his wrinkled eyes curved into crescents of amusement.

    Interesting, you dont just create cold.

    This was no mere cold. The aura particles that flowed from Veronicas sword carried an intense coldness.

    Even now, the scattering aura particles continued to encroach on the space, taking over the surroundings.

    For the opponent, the more time passed, the more the cold numbed his body, gnawing away at both physical and mental strength. Its a technique that draws out extreme efficiency in hand-to-handbat.

    But even so, I dont think she could survive this cold.

    Andreis doubts were dispelled by the look in Veronicas eyes.

    Yeah. I wasnt staying in the coldest part of the world for nothing.

    Veronica joined the Cold Steel Knights to operate in a cold environment. It was all to endure the double-edged sword of her aura.

    It must have been easy for her to fight against a test subject like the Second.

    Andreiughed self-deprecatingly and pulled a test tube from his bosom but Veronica didnt stand still.

    At her signal, the wizard who had been waiting behind her moved.

    The robed wizard stretched out his arms and a gust of wind, carrying Veronicas aura particles with it, rushed toward Andrei.

    Hmph.

    Andrei snorted and unfurled a barrier to block the attack. However, the scattering aura particles froze the area around him, pressuring him further.

    Frost began to form on the hem of Andreis robes.

    Definitely a troublesome technique.

    But even the chill didnt stop Andrei from pulling the test tubepletely out and mixing the reagents.

    Inside the test tube were tiny balls of flesh, like beans, three of them.

    Andrei unscrewed the lid and poured it out onto the ground, where it squirmed and inted like a balloon.

    In no time at all, the lump of flesh grew into a human form about the size of an adult male. It had a shaved head, no eyes, and ivory skin.

    The sight of it gave Veronica an eerie feeling and her knight senses told her that the creature was anything but ordinary.

    Now, when they arent fully prepared.

    Veronica leaped high in the air, falling toward Andrei.

    Her sword was filled with a different kind of densely packed aura than before. It was ready to slice Andrei in half even if he used defensive magic.

    However, Veronicas sword was blocked by an experimental object that suddenly began to move.

    The creatures outstretched forearm collided with Veronicas sword, making a strange sound.

    Veronicas eyes widened.

    An attack containing this much aura was blocked with a bare arm?

    Veronica gasped as she realized that her blow hadnt even cut the test subjects forearm.

    The test subjects forearm was now a razor-sharp carapace protruding like a de. Of course, there was nothing it could do about the coldness of the sword itself, and its entire forearm was covered in white frost.

    Veronica immediately stumbled backwards. A few moments before, another attack hade where she had been.

    The one that blocked Veronicas sword pushed its frozen forearm. The ice on its surface fell to the ground. At the same time, the purple, necrotic forearm, like a bruise, quickly returned to its ivory color.

    His frostbitten and necrotic body had been restored in an instant. It was an incredible regenerative ability.

    Andrei spoke with a hint of pride in his voice.

    How about this? My proudest experimental masterpiece, something I would have never dreamed of creating before, but thanks to the life force of the World Tree, I was able to. Theyre not mass-produced, but theyll do the job.

    Before he could even finish his sentence the wizard that was with Veronica shot a fireball at the excremental subject. If the cold didnt work, he would use the opposite element to burn them to death.

    Waves of me rolled in like a tidal wave. It was then that one of the three test subjects stepped forward and held out its arm that bulged, and then it transformed into arge shield that covered its entire body.

    Immediately, mes hit the shield. The heat was intense, with bright red embers scattering in all directions. Slowly, the mes subsided, revealing the test subject standing upright.

    It slowly lowered its charred shield. The charred skin peeled away like a molt, and the ivory flesh inside quickly sprouted.

    Andrei clicked his tongue and shook his head.

    Such a simplistic idea. These creatures are designed to withstand any attack. Thats the right metric for life to evolve.

    Andrei gazed at his test subjects with satisfaction.

    The greatness of life its the direction of evolution, the direction we humans should be headed. They dont burn or freeze and can regenerate any wound.

    Andrei muttered in a low voice.

    And can ovee even incurable diseases.

    Andrei shook his head and stared at Veronica with a determined look on his face.

    What do you think, do you want to keep fighting?

    .

    Andrei shook his head as he watched Veronica sheath her sword once more.

    How is it that in the face of such a perfect result, she cannot admire it, but only harbor hostility?

    Andrei raised his hand tomand his subjects. It was then that his expression sank, and he looked up with half-open eyes.

    A golden-haired knight was falling vertically, towering over him but by the time he realized it, it was toote.

    It was the perfect ambush, impossible to block or dodge and the sword pierced right through Andreis brow.

    Immediately afterward, Passius kicked Andrei in the shoulder and back-tumbled away as the de of the test subjects sword narrowly missed him.

    Passius checked Andreis body. He was still standing, his brow pierced, still looking up at the sky.

    At the sight of him, Passius immediately stepped back further and his judgment was correct.

    Amazing.

    The dead Andreis mouth moved and his bloodshot eyes rolled as he turned to face Passius.

    I would have caught you off guard, but youre quick. For a master, your senses are sharp.

    Of course, he hadnt expected this master to be an assassin.

    The corners of Passiuss mouth twitched in disbelief.

    I didnt think youd survive a stab through the head. Maybe I should have stabbed you through the heart.

    It would have been useless. My body is far beyond human.

    Andrei raised his head, then lowered it again as the scar across his head healed quickly.

    Thats a bit cowardly.

    Passius muttered to himself.

    So is a Swordmasters ambush. A pragmatic battle with no sense of honor. The old me would have been killed in a heartbeat.

    Thats an undeservedpliment.

    Honestly, Im surprised. I wasnt nning on revealing this trick right away.

    Andrei stared at Passius and stretched his arm in the other direction. His hand lengthened to an uncanny length, and then he pped hard at the air.

    Immediately afterward, there was an ugh sound, and the man who had been cloaking himself in thin air was sent flying backwards,nding on the ground.

    Iron Mask Rotheron stared at Andrei in disbelief.

    It was a clever way to distort your appearance by manipting the density of the air in the atmosphere, but that doesnt change the flow of air.

    Andreis words meant that the touch of his skin was sensitive enough to pick up even the subtlest of atmospheric currents.

    The neers, Passius and Rotheron, stood at Veronicas side and steadied themselves.

    The sight of them made Andrei sigh inwardly, despite his outwardly rxed demeanor.

    A sixth-rank wizard, a masterful Royal Guard, the vice-captain of the Cold Steel Knights, and another sixth rank wizard of the imperial family, it was quite the lineup.

    If this was before he discovered the World Tree, he would have died many times over.

    I guess I cant let my guard down.

    He quickly drew a new tool from his holster. It was a syringe filled with a ck liquid.

    Under the protection of the test subject, Andrei plunged the syringe into his chest.

    The ck liquid flowed through his veins, reaching his heart.

    The heart, already beyond human endurance, began to beat with terrifying force as ck veins rose and fell over Andreis skin.

    Ooooh.

    Andreis mouth fell open as he gasped at the pain that shot through his body, followed by the immense exhration that followed.

    His eyes wentpletely ck, and then a fiery yellow pupil emerged from the center.

    The entire group tensed up at the sight as the energy emanating from Andrei had changed. If he had been tricky to deal with before, he now had the air of an invincible being.

    I see. With that kind of power, I can do anything.

    The refined demonic power was obtained by diluting the power extracted from the World Tree until it stabilized.

    Andrei had injected it into his own body, using the power hed created by mass-producing the Second Test Subjects.

    Even if it was sessful, a normal person would be torn apart and killed by a single drop in their veins but this was possible because Andrei was no ordinary man.

    He had already modified his body with biotechnology, and he could ept any amount of demonic power.

    ck mana began to surge around Andreis body.

    Here we go. Lets fight to the best of our abilities.

    Immediately afterward, ck mana shot out in a fan-shaped pattern.

    * * *

    [Boom!!!]

    A massive vibration shook the entire underground facility, and for a moment, Rudger group froze in ce, thinking that the broken machinery had been restarted.

    But then they realized that the vibration was muchrger, and that the impact echoed from some distance away.

    This.

    A gust of wind blew in from the end of the dimly lit passageway and swept past the group. It was the shockwave from a massive explosion of some sort.

    Trina frowned at the ominous aura the shockwave seemed to carry.

    Her Swordmasters senses reacted violently to the alien and unpleasant aura.

    Looks like the people who arrived before us started fighting.

    Everyone nodded at Rudgers words.

    They hadnt stopped moving, but the experiments intensive sabotage had slowed them down considerably.

    Besides it was clear that the warlocks had done something with the demonic powers to create such arge shockwave.

    This is getting annoying.

    Rudger squinted his eyes as a faint sign of magic prickled his skin. He looked away and saw a paper frog on the ground.

    He realized it was the information from Sedina and Hans, and immediately picked up the paper frog without anyone noticing.

    His sneaky behavior went unnoticed as everyone else was distracted by the distant force.

    Rudger quickly scanned the contents of the unfolded paper.

    [Unable to pass on further information due to the discovery of the chimera under our control. One particrly dangerous looking experiment is currently being prepared in the central hollow. Andrei of the Biotech School is stalling for time.]

    After checking the contents, Rudger crumpled it up and stuffed it into his pocket.

    Wed better get moving, too.

 Chapter 303

    Chapter sponsored byEden Faust.Thank you for your support.

    This is not good.

    Fixing his sword, Passius muttered to himself as he looked at the enemy before him.

    The ground around him was littered with scars, testament to the fierceness of the battle. Some were from sword strikes, while others were craters from Andreis magic.

    Passius looked at Andrei. He stood there, unharmed and unchanged from before the fight. He didnt look tired, even though hed fought hard.

    Youre still not showing any signs of weakness. Normally, in a situation like this, youre supposed to let your guard down.

    In his time as Shadow of the First Princess, Passius had faced many enemies and most of them had died because they were overconfident in their abilities and didnt use their full strength.

    He suspected Andrei was one of them.

    When Andrei was branded a warlock and hunted down, he was still conducting unauthorized human experiments.

    As usual, the only wizards who break taboos because of their thirst for knowledge are the ones who think theyre the best and look down on others. Andrei, however, yed the hand he was dealt right from the start.

    He didnt spare any of his experiments, his modified body, or his refined demonic power. As a result, even with the power of the four of them, Andrei was able to counteract them without losing.

    I can handle the three experiments, but the biggest problem is the demonic power, and not knowing what kind of power it is poses a great risk.

    Passius recalled the battle from earlier.

    As a Master Knight, he was the one with the best hand-to-handbat skills in the Empire. Thats why he took charge of Andrei while the other three dealt with the test subjects.

    Andrei was a brilliant wizard, but he had spent so much time studying that his actual fighting skills were a bitcking.

    Of course, it was only a minor w that only a master like Passius could find. It wouldnt even be visible to others.

    That alone showed how powerful Andrei was.

    For such a man to be even stronger than he was before, it was a tricky matter.

    The problem is demonic power. Whenever I try to strike at an opening, my power is scattered.

    It didnt negate the power. Rather, it affected those who wield it.

    The ck wavelengths that leak out are distracting me whenever Ie in contact with it.

    The Aura doesnt form properly, and his swordy bes dull. His resolve to defeat his enemy faltered like a candle before the wind.

    The demonic power was interfering with the opponents mind rather than the body.

    This is bad.

    If he could use all his strength, he would try to find a way to defeat the other side. However, this power was very malicious and it disturbed his mind.

    So this is demonic power.

    Even so Passius raised his spirits, which had sunk a little.

    Andrei looked at him with a more serious gaze.

    Indeed, a Master is different.

    He had enhanced his overall physical abilities to manipte massive energy and coupled with his demonic powers, made him far more powerful than a conventional Lexer(6th rank wizard).

    He could also send out waves that greatly shake the opponents mind.

    Most people would be stunned, frightened, or hallucinating in the face of it. But after exchanging blows several times, Passius remained unperturbed and continued to search for his opponents weaknesses.

    His determination was unwavering but more than that, it was the way he fought that made Andrei wary.

    Unlike the other knights, he has no fixed style.

    He noticed from the start that Passius would do whatever it takes to win the fight.

    Hed throw daggers coated in aura or kick dirt into the opponents eyes with his toes.

    If he felt he was at a disadvantage, hed pull back, mixing in fakes with his attacks to trick the opponent.

    It was truly remarkable.

    Masters have the power to crush their opponents from the front, no matter who they are. They know their strength and are naturally willing to go toe-to-toe.

    They can also use such tactics if they have a truly objective view of their strength. Nevertheless, Passius was different. The honor of being a Master didnt exist for him.

    A master who uses everything to win a fight. What a terrible man.

    Andreis thoughts stopped there, and he smiled bitterly. It was not what he had nned to defeat Passius himself.

    Shit.

    As he readied himself for battle once more, Andrei clicked his tongue and swung his arm at the intense cold that wasing his way.

    Veronica was struck by the ck mana-soaked arm and bounced back. But the sensation on her hand was less than pleasant.

    Andrei raised an eyebrow as shended lightly on the ground. He flicked away the frost on his forearm, his gaze darting back to where his subjects were fighting.

    Hmm. Youve already subdued them, Id have thought theyd at least gain me more time.

    The bodies of the creatures, mangled in various ces. They werent cut up and dismembered, but just crumpled.

    Youve been hiding your  skills.

    At the center of it all was a man in an iron mask, Iron Masked Rotheron. A strange mage, dressed in what looked like a pure white robe, but with a helmet on his head.

    Andrei heard that he was one of the pirs of the New Tower, but he never expected him to use such a strange technique.

    Is it a [Unusual] type of magic?

    Yes.

    As he said that, a translucent figure floated up behind Rotherons back. It was a muscr human figure with a long beard and hair.

    It was not a magical beast made from a form of magic. Rather, something else, something holier and more powerful.

    Origin magic.

    Origin magic was a special ss of magic that borrowed the power of great spirits to fight. It was simr to necromancy, but different.

    Basically, while necromancy was about summoning the residual thoughts and faint spirits of the dead, Origin magic was more about borrowing the power of past heroes from a ce called The Great Flow.

    As such, the [Unusual] family of Origin Magic was also known by other names, like Mythic Re-enactment.

    Being unknown until now means that youve been hiding your power, but now you revealed it.

    Its a perfect counter against demonic power.

    Yes. And it makes me realize why youve been covering your face.

    Andrei muttered and summoned his magic. Not demonic power, but his own highly refined magic.

    The forms, like the countless constetions embroidered in the air, showed that the magic he used was anything but ordinary.

    As it was about to unfold, Veronica, Passius, and the Servant Wizard immediately tried to react.

    Its toote.

    However, countless yellow eyes blossomed from Andreis ckened forearms and stared at the approaching enemies. The strange wavelengths in his eyes sent all sorts of mental shocks through his opponents.

    Their attacks were momentarily hindered, and Andreis magic wasplete.

    Sixth Level Great Magic [Heavenly Stone Sutra]

    [Boom!]

    The ground began to rumble like a wave.

    Everyone standing on the ground could barely steady themselves from the shaking. It was as if the solid earth had be watery and soft.

    Surprisingly, only the floor rose, while the walls and ceiling remained unaffected.

    Soon, something popped out of the churning water.

    It was a whale. A huge whale made of rocks and boulders.

    After swimming through the sea of earth, the whale rose high into the air.

    Just as the tip of its head was about to touch the World Tree hanging from the ceiling the behemoth slowly toppled to the side.

    In its wake was the iron-masked Rotheron.

    Rotheron tried to dodge, but the whales sheer size made it difficult to escape.

    The ground also continued to shift, impeding his movement. Soon enough, the whale plummeted to the ground, crushing him.

    A huge shockwave erupted, apanied by a booming sound like the simultaneous detonation of countless bombs.

    Mr. Rotheron!

    Veronica shouted at the cloud of dust that rose.

    Andrei marveled at the sight that emerged after the dust settled.

    Ho-ho. Did you manage to stop that?

    Rotheron was unharmed. His clothes were tattered and he was gasping for air, but he was in fairly good shape for someone who had been struck by a sixth-rank spell.

    It was all thanks to the power of the Great Spirit behind him. Unlike the old man from before, the shielded figure of a general with an imposing appearance was protecting Rotheron.

    This, of course, consumed a great deal of Rotherons mana but the shock didnt stop there because the helmet on Rotherons face began to crack.

    The cracks spread quickly, and the helmet shattered and fell to the ground.

    Veronicas eyes widened, while Passius was surprised but Andrei grinned.

    I thought I smelled a beast somewhere.

    Rotherons dark brown hair cascaded down his back.

    He had Golden eyes and coppery skin but the most striking were the beastly ears that sprouted from the top of his head.

    A beast that has attained the rank of Lexer upies a ce in the New Tower.

    Somehow, the Great Spirit he had seen earlier when Rotheron was using Origin Magic looked more like a melee fighter than a mage.

    The Suins wielded an unusual power called Spirit, and perhaps it was connected to their use of Origin Magic.

    With a trembling hand, Rotheron groped for his face, then lifted his head to re at Andrei. His pupils, like those of a beast, were split vertically, glowing with a fierce, wild hostility.

    Hmph.

    Passius feigned calmness, but inside he was racking his brains.

    Its surprising that Rotheron is a Suin, but its not that important under the circumstances.

    Passius examined Rotherons condition. He looked quite unsteady, perhaps because the mask that hid his identity was gone.

    He might still be valuable as a fighter, but he wouldnt be able to fight as sharply as before.

    Andrei, on the other hand, was unharmed, so he would be at a disadvantage as time went on.

    It wont be good for us if we keep going toe-to-toe like this.

    It was a no-win situation.

    Andrei didnt have the means to definitively defeat them either, but that was the problem now so he was buying time for the test subject to wake up.

    If the missiones first.

    Passiuss eyes narrowed.

    If he stepped aside and let the other three deal with Andrei he could destroy theboratory on the other side.

    But if this call would tip the scales in Andreis favor, and the three of them would be seriously injured, or worse, some of them would die.

    The only thing keeping the fight alive was the fact that Passius was able to draw Andreis full attention.

    Do I sacrifice the three of them to thwart Andreis n, or do I continue the fight untilmore reinforcements arrive?

    The usual Passius would have abandoned hispanions without dy.

    He hade here under the First Princess orders, and there was little camaraderie between him and the others.

    The rational thing to do would be to throw them away. Still, he hesitated, perhaps because of Rudger.

    He was the First Princess former bodyguard and his senior but meeting him and talking to him had changed his mind.

    I shouldnt be so hesitant.

    As he pondered this, his eyes suddenly lit up and his mouth curved into a wide smile.

    What?

    Andrei was slow to react, not understanding for a moment why Passius was smiling. Instead, it was his ckened arm that moved first.

    A myriad of yellow eyes sprouted from the arm, darting in unison to stare to one side. There was a silver-haired knight in ck uniform, wielding twin swords.

    The mind-shattering dark waves were useless for the moment and in the moment he felt it, Andreis body had already been shed.

    What the!

    Andrei muttered in surprise as he watched his ckened arm split into countless pieces and scatter.

    The attacks were fast and sharp and he couldnt defend.

    He had a magic barrier around his body and yet, without a sound or a movement, the opponent broke through the barrier and sliced off his arm.

    He must be a master to be able to do this.

    Master?

    Andreis gaze calmed as he regained hisposure. It allowed him to deflect the next attack, which followed, by releasing a ck force, outwards.

    Trina Ryanhowl clicked her tongue in disappointment and stepped back. Instead, a cannonball of yellow light flew over her shoulder. It was the magic cannon of Chris Benimores magic tree.

    The cannonball mmed into Andreis body and fractured bolts of magic scattered backward, hitting every inch of the shared wall.

    Andrei lowered his reddened, intact arm.

    The guests have finally arrived.

    As he muttered that, Andreis gaze narrowed because he could see only two of the people who were supposed to be there.

    Where the hell are the other two?

    Andreis head snapped to the back.

    No way.

    That was where theboratory and his men were.

 Chapter 304

    Upon entering the central area, Rudgers group immediately split in two.

    Trina, Chris, and Bruna went to support the people fighting Andrei while Rudger and Casey stayed behind, sneaking around to avoid being seen by Andrei.

    Casey unfurled a cloak of water to block out prying eyes, and the others drew Andreis attention to them.

    Demonic power.

    Rudger sensed a dangerous power from the ck aura that Andrei emanated and could see why his master had insisted on checking the underground.

    His master would be interested in the demonic power.

    Of course, the power was still sealed away in the World Tree, and it wasnt enough for Grander to make a move, so she settled for dropping hints.

    Whatever it is, we need to destroy everything rted to the experiment while hes distracted.

    To that end, he moved away from Casey.

    Are you sure?

    Casey looked worried, wondering if her struggling colleagues needed backup.

    Now that they were alone, her tone had reverted to the way she usually spoke with him.

    Theyll be fine. There are two Masters, and even if Andrei Semov uses demonic power, they wont be outmatched.

    Yes. I suppose so. Well do what we have to do.

    Casey watched the warlocks bustle about with determination and also nced at Rudger from time to time, but didnt ask him anything directly. Given the circumstances, there was no time for idle chatter.

    Lets go.

    Yes.

    Rudger prepared his magic and Casey joined in.

    In a sh, the spell wasplete, and the magic unfolded in a matter of seconds. At the same time, the curtain of water around Casey lifted, revealing the two of them.

    The Warlocks and Liberators felt the sudden surge of magic and realized that the enemy had reached them but it was toote.

    A massive st of fire magic spread out like a fan, rippling across theboratory like a tidal wave.

    The wide range meant the power was not concentrated enough to kill, but it was enough to damage the incubators and experiments that produced the chimeras.

    Stop them!

    This must be protected!

    In the midst of the crisis, the liberators and warlocks chose to fight instead of flee.

    Those who had already undergone body enhancement procedures threw themselves into the fray, pushing back the me waves.

    During this brief interlude, the wizardspleted their spells and unleashed defensive magic.

    The first Liberators to throw themselves in were burned to a crisp, but their defensive magic allowed the rest of the group to remain protected. The mes of Rudgers fire did less than half of the damage he had originally aimed for.

    Throwing themselves into the fire without even caring if they get burned.

    They were fanatics but this was only the first attack and Casey Selmore was the second to move.

    Following the wave of mes was a thin de of water curved like a crescent moon. The water strike contained a great deal of magic in itself, slicing through anything in its path.

    The defensive magic shattered, and the water de began to shatter the incubation facility.

    The transparent ss tubes were sliced open and chunks of unfinished chimeras and Experiment Second flesh spilled out onto the floor, along with the unidentifiable liquid inside.

    No!

    You bastards!

    At the sight, the Liberators lunged at Casey with bloodshot eyes but Caseys attack didnt end there.

    While a normal wizard would release their magic once and that would be the end of it, she is a single-attribute elemental wizard so once used, water could be reused again and again.

    At Caseys will, the de of water returned like a boomerang, spinning around her with terrifying speed.

    The Liberation soldiers who were about to charge at her were stopped in their tracks by the power of the strike they had seen earlier.

    That momentary hesitation gave Casey a chance to counterattack as the water des clustered in a single ce, forming a dozen cannons.

    Casey stretched her hand out in front of her and pointed, causing the cannons to spew water instead of fire.

    The massive water cannon sted the Liberation Army members in one fell swoop, destroying the few remaining incubators.

    Damn it! Release all the remaining experiments!

    Ha, but theyre still in the coordination stage!

    We dont have time for that, so release them now and protect Third at all costs, even if it means throwing your body!

    At this point, it would have been easy to lose faith but the Liberation Army and the Warlocks were fired up and ready to fight back.

    They knew they were no match for these two and they knew it, but they never backed down.

    In the case of the warlocks, it was the satisfaction of knowing that their ultimate experiment was finallyplete and for the Liberators, it was out of hatred, wanting the means to kill their loathsome enemies to beplete.

    It was far from a feeling of conviction but it was the same in that it set their hearts on fire.

    The poorly coordinated experiments rose to their feet and lunged at Rudger and Casey.

    Their forms were iplete, their bodies disintegrating in real time but at least they were able to grab their opponents by the ankles.

    I think that bought them enough time!

    Casey shouted to Rudger, not taking her eyes off her foes.

    Rudger would take the first blow, Casey would take the second, and Rudger would once again take the third.

    Whats taking a guy whos so fast so much time?

    Casey was about to shout when a blinding sh of light appeared behind her. It was the kind of light that makes you dizzy even when youre not facing it.

    If she had been looking at it from the front, she would have been blinded in an instant. In fact, the chimeras and test subjects that had been moving towards them stopped in their tracks, eyes zed over in pain.

    At the same time, massive amounts of magic began to mix with the light, creating an explosion of light.

    The beams of light stretched out in all directions, transforming into countless spears, leaving a pure white trajectory behind them. It was an enhanced version of the light magic Rudger had used to sweep the chimeras from the ground, a spell that contained more mana and pierced enemies with greater power.

    Fifth-level light magic [Angels Ladder] was more like aser than a spear. It was so fast that enemies couldnt even see its shape.

    By the time they saw the attack, they could only watch as the white trajectory had already pierced through their bodies.

    The same could be said for the warlocks, who instinctively unleashed their defensive spells in response to the unusual amount of light but their magic was helpless in the face of a spear of dense heat created by a single point of concentrated power.

    It was not an attack that could be dodged while blinded.

    The light pierced through everything like a heavenly punishment for their misdeeds.

    The chimeras and Seconds in the line of fire fell. Soon after, the rational subjects, the liberators who were helping them, and finally the warlocks all fell. It was a sight to behold, with shes of light and people falling like dominoes.

    Even Casey, who was about to ask what the hell he was doing, was speechless at the sight before her.

    This is whyit took me so long.

    At the same time as she felt unnecessarily nervous, he realized that the man shed seen three years ago didnt show all he was capable of.

    He didnt even use the ck shadow he used to fight me.

    He can use light magic while wearing shadows. How many different elements could this man manipte?

    All of them? No, no, no, not all of them.

    She could count the number of single-attribute elemental wizards on one hand, let alone an all-attribute wizards. Such a thing was truly the stuff of legends and myths.

    Casey shook the thought from her mind and checked the situation.

    None of the enemies were still standing from the three surprise magical attacks.

    Most of the cultivation equipment and test chambers had been destroyed, and what was left was barely holding its shape but there was one test tube still intact.

    Unlike the others, it was a huge ss tube filled with red liquid instead of green and inside it, a many still, his eyes closed.

    The fact that it hadnt been shattered in all themotion was due to the warlocks desperation to protect it even at the cost of their own lives.

    Rudger saw it, too, and began to gather his magic once more.

    This must be the most dangerous experiment Hans ever told me about. So far it has not been broken, but that is the end of it.

    With no one to protect it anymore, he wanted to destroy it before it was finished.

    Son of a bitch!

    Andrei shouted from a distance, and a stream of ck energy flew toward Rudger who seamlessly switched from offensive to defensive magic.

    Andreis ck arm and Rudgers hexagonal magic barrier collided.

    What.?

    Why was Andrei Semov here?

    Does this mean that Trina, Passius, and the others have fallen?

    Rudgers questions were answered the moment he saw Andreis condition.

    The figure of Andrei facing this way was a sight to behold, to say the least.

    White frost and the marks of battle were carved into every inch of his body.

    The fight wasnt even over yet, and Andrei was ring at Rudger like he was going to kill him.

    You cant touch that!

    The moment Andrei realized that Rudger was destroying theboratory, he flew here and never looked back.

    Masters Passius, Trina, and the others unleashed a barrage of attacks to capture him but Andrei hade all this way by devoting himself to dodging and blocking only those attacks that were truly lethal, allowing the rest to pass.

    Even with the modifications to his body and his ess to demonic powers, the pain was still there and in order to endure such pain, Andrei had prioritized the test subject.

    He was truly enraged that they tried to destroy his lifetime of experimentation so Andrei unleashed the demonic power he had partially suppressed.

    Ill kill you all!

    The severed arm regenerated, as did every wound on his body.

    The ckness that had engulfed only one arm spread to Andreis entire upper body. Some of it split and merged with his ragged clothing to form a ck robe and as the ck robe fluttered, countless yellow pupils sprouted from it.

    The pupils shuddered and shot out dark waves. It was an attack that shook the opponents mind and could not be easily blocked by any defensive magic.

    At that moment, Casey stepped forward. She unfurled a thin membrane of water, which stretched into twoyers, then more than ten in an instant.

    The waves traveling through the medium of air were greatly reduced in power each time they passed through a water barrier.

    After passing through tenyers of barriers, the power of the waves was considerably reduced from what it had been at the beginning. Still, the demons power was terrifying, and Casey could feel her head throbbing as she unleashed the barrier.

    A multitude of piercing sounds and images began to y in her mind as hallucinations, confusion, and fear appeared.

    With all the negative emotions building up, Casey yelled out.

    Now!

    The cry was directed at Rudger, who answered the call.

    He finished the spell in almost an instant through the source code, then shot it toward the test subject at breakneck speed.

    It didnt matter that the power was low since it was enough to destroy the test tube.

    Impossible!

    Andrei didnt take it lying down so he quickly conjured up a form and spread ayer of defensive magic around the test tube.

    The violet barrier of magic seeded in blocking the magical bullets fired by Rudger.

    Demonic power and mana? Theyre literally two different things.

    Just then, reinforcements arrived.

    While struggling with Casey, Andrei was shed in the back by a de made ofpressed aura.

    Damned Imperial dogs!

    Despite the direct hit from a Swordmaster aura de, he did not die and only a single trickle of ck blood appeared at the corner of his mouth.

    His modified body, protected by demonic powers, had long since transcended that of a human.

    Even if his heart and brain were destroyed, he would not die, and the source of his regeneration was an endless surge of demonic power but there was no one here who felt discouraged.

    Their first and foremost goal was not to kill Andrei, but to stop his experiments with demonic power.

    Now.

    With reinforcements here, Rudger had bought himself another minute, and he used his magic once more.

    No way!

    Andrei made the magic barrier more solid. He concentrated on strengthening the barrier, even as his body was being shed by the sword, so that it would be imprable no matter what magic Rudger used but his eyes widened as Rudgers magic unfolded.

    Rudgers magic had passed through his barrier and appeared in front of the capsule containing the test subject.

    What?

    Andrei muttered in vain for a moment as Rudgerspleted spear of light shattered the capsule and pierced the heart of the sleeping test subject inside.

 Chapter 305

    Chapter sponsored byEden Faust.Thank you for your support.

    The test tube shattered, and the slumbering Experiment Three inside fell helplessly to the ground. An unidentifiable red liquid flowed around it, making it look like a giant bloodsucker.

    What the hell.

    Andrei looked at Rudger in disbelief. He couldnt believe his eyes when he saw that Rudger had managed to ignore a solid barrier that even magic couldnt prate and hit his target.

    If he had known Rudger had this skill, he would have countered it but Rudger hid it well.

    He knew that Andrei would be able to deal with it if he found out. So he waited for an opening, and when it came, he capitalized.

    I cant believe he managed to break the machinery of the underground facility!

    He had a sharp trick up his sleeve, but he didnt let it slip, and used it at the crucial moment.

    Even as Andrei realized that Rudger was by no means an ordinary magic teacher, he could not suppress the anger that boiled up inside him.

    How dare you  how dare you  -!!!

    Andrei red at Rudger with his ckened yellow eyes as if to kill him. His eyes were filled with murderous intent to kill the man who had ruined his masterpiece of a lifetime.

    The emotion in his eyes was an unquenchable hatred.

    Faced with it, Rudger did not shrink at all. In fact, he even stared at Andrei with his deep blue eyes.

    Andrei couldnt imagine what Rudger was thinking as he looked at him. More than that, his blue eyes were strangely disturbing. The blue of his pupils seemed to swirl endlessly in what was supposed to be their natural color.

    You. Those eyes are.

    Andrei started to say something, then stopped. What the hell did it matter now?

    All that mattered was that Rudger had ruined his research, and now he was going to die by his own hand.

    Andrei summoned ck mana, and everyone tensed, readying themselves for battle. It was fortunate that they had somehow managed to stop the creature before it awakened, but it wasnt all over as Andrei remained.

    The tension in the air made it hard to breathe.

    It was a situation where the slightest snap of the fingers could lead to an instant conflict.

    The first person to make a move was thest person anyone expected.

    Louispold, a sixth-rank wizard, who was a member of the Liberation Army and a self-proimed guinea pig for the biotech warlocks, moved his body slightly.

    With everyone on high alert, there was no one who could not catch the movement.

    Louispold moved and it was not a postmortem stiffness.

    Rudger and Caseys magic kicked in immediately while Passius and Trina also drew their swords and stabbed at him.

    They didnt have to say a word to each other and since he wasnt dead yet they knew they had to kill him.

    However, all of their attacks were immediately pushed aside by an explosive release of mana from Louispolds body.

    What?

    Trina stared at Louispold in disbelief.

    Even if it was a surprise attack, it was still a master knights strike but he repelled it by releasing his mana.

    What kind of mana does it take to do that?

    But even to her surprise, the mana that flowed from his body didnt stop. The power swirled around him like a giant vortex, and his body slowly began to rise into the air.

    He was a man in his mid-thirties with ubiquitous brown hair. His bushy beard was untrimmed, and he looked more like aborer than a wizard. But right now, he had an enormous presence that made everyone in the room tense.

    Hovering in midair, Louispold slowly opened his closed eyes. He looked no different than a normal human being, but one eye was tinted ck, like Andreis, infused with demonic power.

    All at once, the pulsing energy stopped and was sucked into Louispolds body like a sponge. The storm of a moment ago was gone, and a calm stillness descended over the area, like a calmke at dawn.

    Slowlynding on the ground, Louispold looked around with an expressionless face.

    This is.

    His demeanor, as if he hadnt yet grasped the situation, prompted Passius to make his move. It was a sneak attack that was aimed at the opponents weakness.

    Even Andrei missed it for a moment, as the Master dropped his guise and moved like an assassin.

    The next moment, Passius was about to swing his sword at Louispolds throat but a face sprouted from his back and stared at him.

    What.

    In a moment that baffled even the most experienced Passius with its unbelievable appearance, apressed bolt of wind shot toward him as the face opened its mouth.

    Passius retracted the sword he was about to swing and went into defense. Immediately afterward, the wind bolt that struck his sword spun at a terrifying speed, sending him flying into the distance.

    The deflected wind bolt grazed the roots of the World Tree andnded on the ceiling of the central area.

    The bullet expanded, countless winds shredding the walls around it.

    Lord Passius!

    Veronica shouted, swinging her sword. A cold aura exploded from the tip of her sword, shooting toward Louispold in the form of a crescent moon.

    Louispold had been so focused on the flying Passius that he hadnt seen the attacking from the other side but this time, the tables were turned as a face appeared on his chest, and his mouth opened once more.

    This time the face shot mes and they collided with Veronicas cold aura and consumed it.

    As everyone stared at the scene in disbelief, only Andrei stared at Louispold with a face full of excitement.

    Oooooh, finally!

    Andrei shuddered with joy at the realization that his failed experiment had opened its eyes.

    He hadnt failed and his work had seen the light of day.

    It was still iplete, given that only one eye was ckened, but he hadnt failed. On the other hand, the expression on the faces of the raiders was not so good as they saw how he blocked Passius surprise attack and Veronicas blow.

    Louispold momentum was unnerving, especially that face that sprouted from his body.

    The moment it opened its mouth, magic was triggered.

    From what Ive heard, he cant use fire magic.

    That was what Rudger and others were most wary of.

    Louispold was essentially a wind-attribute wizard, working with ice and lightning but couldnt use fire elemental magic.

    All wizards are limited in the elements they can use. There was no way he would suddenly be able to use the element of fire unless he was learning magic for the first time.

    The face.

    Casey spoke up.

    The face used magic on Louispold behalf.

    Andrei let out a small chuckle as Casey stared at him as if to see if that was true.

    Youre a little more perceptive than you look. Hes our masterpiece experiment, the one we poured everything into. Do you have any idea how much materials went into that thing?

    Materials, you say?

    Chris asked, wondering what the hell that meant.

    Andrei onlyughed, but didnt answer. Instead, it was Trina who spoke up.

    Youve used wizards.

    Something about what Louispold had shown her and what Andrei had said convinced Trina.

    Thereve been a recent wave of disappearance of unaffiliated wizards, and while I wouldnt be surprised if theyve died somewhere, there was a fifth-rank wizard in the mix, which has caught the attention of Imperial Intelligence.

    Hmph. So youre the head of the Nightcrawler Knights, quick on the uptake.

    Andreis words were practically a confirmation of Trinas.

    You used wizards as materials? If thats the case, does that human body have.?

    Yes. The missing wizards, who knows how many, are contained in that one body.

    Andrei smiled at that.

    Using Demonic power and the cells of the World Tree along with all the essence of what weve learned through our experiments is in there. Thats not Louispold, the Liberation Army officer, anymore.

    But the ultimate test subjectmonly known as the Third.

    Im dizzy.

    Louispold, who had been still, spoke up.

    And hungry. I dont know what this unknown hunger is.

    Louispolds gaze swept over the people around him and A smile spread across his face like a gourmet at a feast.

    Looks like theres plenty to eat here.

    The look in his eyes did not belong to a fellow human being. The smiling, wrinkled face was filled with an indescribable sense of difort.

    Are you really Louispold?

    The servant mage who came with Veronica muttered when he saw Louispold.

    He was a man who had served in the army with Louispold in the past. In a way, he could be considered arade-in-arms and their rtionship wasnt that bad but after Louispold deserted, everything went wrong so he left the army.

    But when he saw Louispold after all these years, he wasnt the same man.

    Louispold?

    At the sound of the name, Louispold was dumbfounded.

    Ah, yes, that was my name. No, no, no, who am I? Louispold? David? I cant stop thinking of names. Galloway. Chad. Jenna.

    Unintelligible sounds began to flow from his mouth as he clutched his head in his hands as if he were confused.

    Andrei clicked his tongue as he watched. The names Louispold was muttering now were the names of the wizards imnted in his body.

    His memory was confused from having so many wizards imnted in his body.

    Well, its for the best. As long as we get new data from him, thats all that matters.

    And the test subjects for that data would be the invaders.

    Andrei turned to Louispold and gave him amand.

    Test Subject Three.

    Uh-huh.

    Louispold responded to the sound of Andreis voice. His pupils shook as if there had been an earthquake.

    Yes. You are Three and I am your master, Andrei.

    I am, I am.

    It doesnt matter who you are but youre hungry, arent you? Theres plenty of food in front of you right now, and isnt your priority to eat it?

    At Andreis words, Louispolds trembling stopped. His mouth, which had been muttering as if in confusion, fell silent as if something had changed dramatically.

    Removing his hands from his head, Louispolds expression became as calm as it had been when he first released his mana.

    Thats right. Who I am doesnt matter right now, because all that matters is how I solve this hunger.

    Yes. Thats it, Third, so eat them, because thats what you were made for!

    Andreis eyes widened as he shouted that and looked down in disbelief.

    Louispold hand was in his lower abdomen.

    Despite the distance, Louispolds arm had stretched out and pierced Andreis abdomen but the strange behavior didnt stop there as a ck vein of blood began to crawl up his arm and began to drain the power from Andreis body.

    You, what the hell.

    Louispold smirked as Andrei stared at him in disbelief.

    You look the most delicious.

    You, you madman, biting your master!

    Louispold was now absorbing the demonic power in Andreis body.

    Andrei gritted his teeth and tried to hold on, but it was no use. No matter how hard he swam, he could not escape the whirlpool.

    Andreis infusion of refined demonic power crumbled in the face of something closer to its essence but it wasnt just demonic power that Louispold absorbed, he sought to absorb Andreis mana as well as demonic power.

    Inom!

    Andrei shouted, clutching Louispolds forearm with both hands. His eyes shed with determination, as if he wasnt going to be easily defeated.

    At that moment, a de ofpressed wind from nowhere sliced through Louispolds extended arm.

    As the absorption ceased, Andrei hastily stepped back, putting distance between himself and Louispold.

    Louispold retracted his extended arm and examined the severed section of his arm.

    The severed arm regenerated in seconds and his gaze turned to the interrupter, the dark-haired young man who had been staring at him with a haughty gaze for some time now.

    You.

    Annoyance shed across Louispolds face, as if he was offended by the interruption.

    Seeing this, Rudger let out a cold sneer.

    What kind of fool would wait for the enemy to be stronger?

 Chapter 306

    Youre annoying.

    Louispold muttered and reached out his hand toward Rudger. Just as he was about to pierce Rudgers heart, Louispolds hand bounced to the side with a thud.

    What was that?

    Louispold panicked as pain shook his five organs.

    He turned his head to see Rotheron standing there with his fist outstretched. Its golden eyes, like the pupils of a beast, red at him.

    In that split second, Rotheron fist struck. It was the blue human form at his back that struck the blow.

    Staring at him with a beaky gaze, the blue figure had an enormous presence that resonated with the soul. Simr to necromancy, but different, rather, it was far more advanced. It must be a [Unusual] type of magic.

    As his mind wandered to that point, he felt an intense hunger again, a hunger that scraped at the very bottom of his soul, fueling his greed.

    Louispold wet his lips with his tongue.

    If he ate that, maybe he could get the same magic for himself.

    At that moment, a strong presence at his back jolted him out of his reverie. It felt like countless thorns, thin and sharp, piercing his entire body.

    Turning his head, he saw the figure of a gray-haired female swordswoman in a ck uniform.

    Holding a sword in each hand, Trina Ryanhowl swept past him and in an instant a brilliant disy of swordy enveloped him.

    Landing on the ground, Trinas expression crumpled.

    The sensation at the tip of the sword is shallow.

    Even with her sword coated in aura, she felt a tremendous amount of resistance to her sh. In fact, there were only countless shallow cuts on his body, none of which could be called fatal.

    Even those wounds healed at a remarkable rate, so it was almost as if the blows hadnt struck.

    It was then that Passius, seeing an opportunity, stepped forward. With a high leap, hended on top of Louispolds floating body.

    With his left foot nted on his abdomen and his right arm on his shoulder he lifted the sword he held in his back hand and thrust it down with force.

    Apressed aura, distinctly sword-like and unlike any other aura, formed on his de. It was aura de, the symbol of a master.

    The white glowing aura de pierced through Louispolds heart and his sturdy body, which had only suffered cuts from ordinary swords, crumbled before the aura de.

    With his heart pierced, Louispold tumbled to the ground along with Passius but Passius didnt stop there, plunging his sword deeper and deeper, releasing a powerful aura.

    Pure white auras erupted along with spider web-like cracks, scattering fragments of the destroyed ground into the air.

    A normal human would have been shredded cell by cell by the aura particles.

    It hurts.

    But rather than disintegrating, Louispold scowled and red at Passius. He even clutched the aura de that had pierced his chest with both hands.

    The surging aura particles melted both of his hands but the melted hands regenerated at a terrifying rate, and began to push back the aura particles.

    The hands, ckened with demonic energy, now had a firm grip on Passius sword and began to push back.

    Passiuss eyes widened. He tried to push with more force, but he couldnt stop his sword from being drawn.

    I cant believe he can exert this much force!

    The power of a Master that transcended humans was being pushed back.

    Louispold physical abilities had long since surpassed those of a knight. At that moment, the face on one of Louispold shoulders stared at Passius and opened its mouth.

    Passius clicked his tongue, drew his sword, and stepped back. Immediately afterward, a sharp whirlwind soared toward the ceiling of the central area.

    If he had been a moment toote, the wind would have caught him and torn him to shreds.

    As Louispold tried to rise, translucent vines flew out and bound his limbs. It was Lau Flume, Chriss magic tree.

    Now!

    Chris shouted, and the servant mage released the power hed been channeling for the past few moments.

    The entire hollow was bathed in a reddish hue and Louispold could see the cause as a round sun had risen above his head.

    The servant mage dropped a huge fireball as if to say goodbye to his fallenrade-in-arms.

    Louispold tried to use his strength to tear the vines apart and free himself but Rudger was not one to stand idly by.

    He stamped the ground with his staff, and the ground shifted, wrapping itself around Louispolds body inyers like handcuffs.

    Even those cuffs cracked and shattered as he strained. Rudger had bought enough time for the sun above the hollow to fall.

    Fifth-rank fire elemental magic [Sun Fall].

    The sun descended and swallowed Louispolds body as itnded on the ground and exploded in a fierce storm of light.

    A huge pir of fire rose up with the explosion as sweat broke out on his forehead as he concentrated on maneuvering his magic.

    The mes, which had been spreading in concentric circles, changed direction and spun in ce, gradually shrinking in size. The heat that was trying to escape was trapped inside, burning hotter and hotter.

    Even when the heat stopped spreading, it still burned the skin of those watching and soon a sphere of fiery yellow mes formed where the vortex waspressed.

    It was a three-meter diameter fireball that looked like a tiny sun sitting on the ground and, of course, there was unimaginable heat inside it.

    Sun Fall was a spell of epic proportions that lived up to its name.

    Thats amazing.

    Bruna, who was no stranger to magic, gasped in admiration.

    The Sun Fall wasparable to a sixth-rank Great Magic in terms of power.

    It had the disadvantage of requiring a very long preparation time, but thanks to the people around him, he was able to cast it safely.

    An attack of this magnitude would have surely killed even Louispold but no one in the room was celebrating.

    The chills that had been sending shivers down their spines hadnt gone away. In fact, it had only gotten worse since the little sun had consumed him.

    It was then that something changed in the bright yellow sun.

    Suddenly, a ck dot appeared at its center, which gradually increased in size until it engulfed the entire sun.

    The dazzling sun turned into a ck sphere, like a sr eclipse in the middle of the night and when the mes died down, what emerged was a jet-ck egg with a hard shell.

    It cracked at the center and snapped in half.

    Inside, Louispold stood motionless.

    As if he had been reborn from within the egg, his appearance was both normal and alien.

    The servant wizard was dismayed when his strike failed. His most powerful attack, fueled by all the magic he could muster, had failed to produce any results and he despaired.

    There was a movement in the stiff atmosphere, and it was Rudger Chelici who acted.

    Countless beams of light bent at various angles and began to strike at Louispolds body. Those who had felt hopeless for a moment were brought back to their senses by the magic.

    The dazzling beams of light dazzled the eyes, drawing constetions around him. He tried to ignore it as it wasnt enough to do much damage to his body.

    At that moment, two beams of light struck his eyeballs.

    No matter how strong his body was, there was nothing he could do about his pupils, so he opened his mouth to spit out his annoyance.

    E!

    A spear of light pierced the inside of his open mouth. The huge beam of light wriggled inside his mouth, burning the inside of his throat.

    Louispold staggered for the first time, falling to one knee.

    At the sight of him, Trina shouted.

    Push!

    The fight wasnt over yet.

    With that shout, Trina swung her sword vertically at Louispold. Rudger, meanwhile, controlled the movement of the light beam, making sure it didnt reach her.

    Louispold felt a shiver of air cut through him and stepped back. Immediately afterward, Trinas sword sliced into the ground as if it were firewood and caused it to crack.

    Louispold, who had regenerated his eyeballs quickly, sneered at Trina.

    s, you missed.

    No, no. I didnt miss.

    Louispold was about to ask what that meant when a rumbling sound came from beneath the cracks in the ground.

    The ground began to tremble slightly, and then the vibrations grew to the point where they resembled an earthquake.

    What was that?

    Louispolds eyes sharpened, fixating on the crack in the ground.

    Immediately, a stream of water gushed out of the crack Trina had created.

    Water?

    Louispold looked at it, puzzled.

    Was the attack from earlier intentionally meant to draw up the water flowing below?

    Are you trying to drown me?

    Just as he was about to say that there was nothing they could do with this much water. He saw the endless stream of water rising into the air and felt a strange sensation.

    Something was wrong with the waters behavior.

    Like a fountain, the gushing water should be falling back down. But instead of falling, the water continued to spill over and spread out into the air. It was as if the water had a will of its own.

    For the first time in his life, Louispold frowned at an iprehensible phenomenon.

    They dont create water with magic, but move existing water like that.

    A piece of information shed through his mind.

    Such wizards existed on this continent.

    Then his gaze shifted to Casey Selmore.

    There was something about her that seemed to have something to do with water, from the magic she exuded to the color of her hair.

    He had just woken up, so it was toote to recognize her.

    Louispold murmured in wonder.

    A [Colour] wizard.

    Call me a genius detective!

    Casey shouted back, extending her arm toward Louispold.

    The rushing waters stopped at once and Louispold squinted as the vast mass of water had transformed into countless spears.

    Casey smirked at him.

    Not that youll be calling me that in the future.

    Caseys outstretched hand clutched at Louispold and the countless spears of water rained down on him almost simultaneously.

    As the spears flew at him from all directions, he was enveloped in ck magic power.

    Water spears rained down on him like a rainstorm on an umbre but Louispold flesh, protected by demonic power, remained unscathed.

    However, there was no end in sight to Caseys assault. Each spear that was thrown would return to the air, transform into a new spear, and shoot toward him.

    How bothersome!

    Louispold strongly expanded his ck magic power as a ck dome formed around him, deflecting the spears.

    The mouths on his body gaped open and unleashed their magic as huge streaks of lightning, hot balls of fire, and sharp whirlpools spread throughout the central area.

    It was a multi-elemental attack of unbelievable power unleashed simultaneously and everyone else had to step back to avoid getting caught in it.

    A single individual unleashing that much power.

    You still have time to mutter such words?

    Rudger tugged on the back of Chriss head as he muttered in disbelief.

    Even as he backed away, Rudgers gaze remained fixed on Casey, who stood frozen in ce.

    The great underground water continued to gush from the ground and using her mana and willpower to control the water, she began to battle Louispold in earnest.

    Huge fireballs and bolts of lightning shed with her water spears and steam rose in the air.

    Roars that echoed through the central area along with shockwaves that made the skin crawl. It was like watching giant beasts fiercely bite at each other.

    The seemingly equal fight turned in Caseys favor over time as Louispolds attacks had a time limit, but Caseys didnt.

    There was an endless supply of water from the underground, and the water that had been scattered by the various spells gathered once more, drop by drop, to join the great flow.

    This is amazing.

    Rudger was honestly impressed.

    This was why single-element wizards were feared because as long as that element was present, their attacks would be unstoppable.

    Water, in particr, is the very foundation of this world. From the clouds that float in the sky to water vapor in the atmosphere, rain falling in torrents, flowing rivers, groundwater pooling in rock formations underground and endless oceans.

    Waters greatest strength was its endless circrity and since there was an endless supply of the element, at least for that moment, Casey was unstoppable.

 Chapter 307

    Caseys attack was relentless. It was like watching a rainy season rain with no end in sight.

    Wow.

    Even Passius was in awe of Caseys disy of power.

    The reputation of single-attribute elemental wizards was not for nothing. But it was Caseys mental and magical control overrge amounts of water that was most impressive.

    Louispold tried to resist with multi-attribute magic on several asions, but he was no match for Caseys constant supply of water from the underground.

    Realizing that this was no longer an option, Louispold formed a tortoise shell-like shield around his ck magic. Each time the water bottlers struck the ck shell, a clear snap! rang out.

    You think thats going to stop them?

    Casey sneered at Louispold and immediately changed her attack.

    The normal-sized water spears began to gather in a circle and soon, a gigantic spear was formed.

    The water spear had enormous mass and immense magic power. Even the water on the edges was flowing at a tremendous speed.

    Seeing this, Louispolds eyes widened slightly.

    Immediately afterward, the water spear dropped down onto his shield.

    The water spear was unable topletely break the shell and slid down along the surface. However, its power was clearly demonstrated by the crunching sound of some parts of the shield breaking apart.

    Louispolds expression hardened as he realized that his shield would break.

    The next moment, several more of the same giant water spears fell.

    How many swords of that mass could he handle?

    While he inwardly admired Caseys strength, the thought that he could control water if he ate her was maddening.

    His thoughts turned to hunger and greed, and he acted. Releasing his ck magical shell, Louispold lunged at Casey.

    Hed lost the battle of magical power at a distance, so hed chosen a different tactic.

    His experimentally transcendent body moved in a way that left an afterimage.

    There was a certain calction in his behavior. They didnt expect him to suddenly engage in closebat, and he nned to catch them off guard.

    Louispold jumped over or ducked the streams of water that blocked his path as he approached Caseys position. But he soon realized something was wrong with Caseys unwavering gaze.

    You think I havent been through this before?

    Casey fought enough melee enemies so she waited for Louispold to approach.

    The space between them shimmered, and a thin curtain of water split open. Within it, hidden water soldiers, wielding spears and shields, surrounded him.

    Louispold tried to struggle, but even his strongest body was no match for the volume of water.

    His limbs were bound and he was stabbed through his heart but he still red at Casey. His gaze was filled with hostility and greed for Caseys abilities.

    Casey forced water into the creatures mouth.

    Cuck! Cuck! Gulp!

    Swallowing the water, Louispold let out his first scream.

    The water inside his body had begun to boil. It even synchronized with the blood in his body, causing his entire body to boil.

    Kkkkkk! Khhhh!

    But Louispolds screams slowly faded, and a chuckle escaped his lips.

    Casey clicked her tongue in annoyance at the sight.

    Despite the extreme measures taken, Louispold hadnt died. If anything, he was resisting the pain and developing a tolerance for it.

    Casey decided to change things up as the soldiers holding his body melted away and transformed into the form of a giant.

    [KOOOOOO!]

    The giant grabbed Louispold and mmed him into the ground but it didnt stop there as it grabbed Louispold again and smashed him through the wall, plunging him into the depths of the world.

    The throbbing and crushing sensation in his body, coupled with the constant shifting of his vision, kept him awake as the water giant grabbed him with both hands and opened its mouth to swallow him whole.

    The giants form copsed, transforming into a giant sphere of water. It was an ordinary sphere on the outside, but inside was a vortex of water.

    It was as if a child had put a worm in a small vat and shook it around.

    Louispold was repeatedly swept to and fro inside the water prison all the while, Caseys expression did not change.

    Even though he should have been dead a hundred times over, he was still alive and well. In fact, he was getting stronger and stronger.

    He wasnt even drowning since he had be a being that didnt even need oxygen to live.

    As Casey wondered what to do, Rudger gave her the answer as immense coldness began to envelope the water prison.

    The water in contact with the cold quickly froze and turned white. But the sphere was too big for Rudger to handle alone.

    Thats when Rotheron, Chris and the servant wizard joined him.

    The three of them used cold magic, Bruna threw in a reagent of cooling liquid while Veronica raised her aura and focused the cold into the water sphere.

    The result was a massive icy prison, over fifty meters in diameter.

    Louispolds body was trapped inside like a stuffed insect, unable to move. But no one was relieved.

    Casey continued to draw up groundwater and add it to the top of the ice prison, while the others froze it, increasing its size.

    If they couldnt kill him, they would keep him in this state forever.

    It was then that Louispolds voice echoed through the ice.

    That was good.

    His voice echoed in everyones minds as if it were consuming the space, even though no matter what he shouted inside would never be heard.

    But my patience with you is over.

    At the same time, ck waves of energy erupted from within the giant icy sphere. It was the same attack that Andrei unleashed when he borrowed and used his demonic power.

    As if waiting for it, the others responded by raising their magic and aura, they tried to resist the force as best they could. But Louispolds mental attack was far stronger than Andreis.

    The ck waves seeped into the cracks of their minds, digging deeper and deeper. It came into contact with the negativity theyd been hiding, and explosively maximized it.

    What?

    Casey panicked at the sudden ckness of thendscape.

    Where was Louispold? Where was everyone else?

    At that moment, a figure appeared in front of her. Thinking it was an enemy, she readied herself for battle, then rxed as she recognized her opponent.

    Grandpa, Virgie?

    A man she had admired since childhood. The man who had inspired her to be a detective, despite her talent, was right in front of her. But her grandfather was looking at her with none of his usual gentleness, just disgust.

    Im disappointed in you Casey.

    What? Uh, why.

    Why do you ask? Casey, I asked you to make this world more just.

    Yes, I did my best to.

    Did you really do your best?

    .

    Casey couldnt say anything in response to that.

    The old mans gaze shifted to the side, and Casey naturally followed suit.

    Rudger was there holding the body of a child in his arms, unable to shed a tear of grief.

    Caseybeled him evil and chased after him.

    Did you really fight for justice?

    Ah.

    Casey sank to her knees and looked up at her grandfather with a trembling gaze.

    The cold eyes staring back at her were not the grandfather she knew.

    Im disappointed, Casey. Im so disappointed in you. After all, you were nothingpared to your sister.

    Oh, no, Im!

    Just as Casey was about to shout, the old mans skin melted away like y. His exposed white bones burst into mes and he grinned at Casey.

    Casey turned and ran, her eyes unfocused.

    Why are you running? Are you trying to turn your back on the truth, just like you did before?

    A shout erupted from behind her but Casey ran and ran through the darkness as if she couldnt hear him.

    When she stopped, out of breath, new people appeared in front of her. It was a little brother and sister.

    The same slum kids who cheered after she defeated James Moriarty, and who looked at Casey with delight.

    Liar.

    Cheater.

    The two kids spat out coldly, as if they felt betrayed by Caseys acts.

    Oh, no. Im.

    Casey tried to make excuses, but the two kids were gone and the words that needed to be said were swallowed by the darkness with no destination.

    Im.

    Caseys head hung low, the tip of a shoe in her vision.

    She lifted her head and saw the man in front of her. He was the man who had once been James Moriarty and was now called Rudger Chelici.

    He stared at Casey with his usual emotionless gaze. No, actually, theck of emotion was an illusion. This was a man who, more than most, felt intensepassion for the suffering of others.

    Rudgers eyes took on an entirely different look as she realized this. The inorganic pupils she had previously thought of as emotionless were now filled with pity, disappointment, and sadness.

    You didnt save anyone, after all.

    The words crushed Caseys spirit.

    * * *

    Immediately, the ice sphere shattered, revealing Louispold, whose entire body was covered in ck magic power.

    Youre really no good.

    Louispold muttered to himself as he looked at the stunned people on the ground.

    Even Casey Selmore, who had been pushing him, had fallen asleep and the same was true of the two Masters, Passius and Trina.

    Even so-called transcendents had their weaknesses. Their bodies might be strong, but their minds were far too weak and demonic powers excelled in that regard.

    More than that, it was poisonous enough to be worthy of the name demon.

    It was not a physical blow, but an attack that shook the opponents mind, causing all sorts of negative delusions. Even a sixth-rank wizard with a solid mind could not be safe from it.

    Such praised powerhouses, yet they have such a weak mind.

    Immense magic power, vast knowledge, and transcendent physical prowess crumbled before the power of the devil.

    Louispold was both saddened and amused by the sight.

    In his old life, he would have fought tooth and nail against just one of those men but look at him now.

    He was victorious, and all the others had fallen to their knees but Louispold was not satisfied.

    This was just the beginning. He would grow stronger and he would bring down the Empire and establish the new order he wanted to see in the world.

    To do that, I will need to absorb your power.

    Louispolds gaze fell on Andrei.

    Andrei was not knocked out by the waves since he was infused with the same demonic power but Andrei was not immune.

    In the face of a stronger force, he too was affected by the waves.

    To prove it, Andreisplexion was pale and his eyes were dark with fatigue.

    Louispold could sense the uneasy emotions radiating from him.

    It is sad and unfortunate. A father who had to watch his beloved daughter suffer and die from an incurable disease.

    At the same time, he could see through the traumatic memories.

    If only Id known, if only Id found a cure, if only Id pushed myself harder in medicine, but regret doesnt bring a dead daughter back to life.

    Shut up!

    So, in the hope that no one else would suffer in the future, I decided to take a path that people would hate, because nothing is more important than saving lives, no matter how much youre reviled, even if the way you do it is, frankly, a little unseemly, even for us.

    Louispold stepped up to Andreis nose, grabbed him by the throat, and lifted him up.

    But its over now. Im going to drain you of all your power, and then Im going to eat you up here, then Im going to kill all of them, and youll be d youre not in the way.

    Andreis expression turned to despair.

    Louispold pressed in, trying to absorb Andreis power but at that moment, Louispolds expression turned grim.

    .

    Louispold squinted and looked back.

    Where even the Masters had been stunned by the demonic power, a man stood unharmed.

    Im surprised you didnt copse under the circumstances.

    Especially since he was the one who had annoyed him the most.

    You, the one who tried to kill me before I could open my eyes.

    Rudger didnt answer. Instead, he nced around at the unconscious people around him, then pulled something out of the inside pocket of his coat, it was a pipe.

    Rudger struck a tiny spark from his index finger and lit the mouth of the pipe.

    Rudger inhaled the poisonous herb and exhaled a puff of pure white smoke as Louispold watched the spectacle with interest.

    He wondered why he was suddenly smoking, but this was no ordinary cigarette. The white smoke that flowed out of his mouth was a toxin that contained great energy.

    Are you going to have onest outburst before you die, when all your efforts have failed to kill me?

    Louispold sneered at Rudger, who was raising his power.

    The human faces glued to his bodyughed at him as well.

    I am now the ultimate wizard. Ive swallowed up several wizards and have mastered all the elements, and you, a mere wizard, dare to challenge me?

    At that, Rudger took another drag from his pipe and blew out the smoke.

    You made the wrong choice in stunning the people in this room, for you have reduced the number of witnesses.

    What?

    I am a teacher at Theon Academy and my job as a teacher is to teach the students.

    A blue mist began to form around Rudger and at the same time, his eyes turned red but despite the change, Louispold didnt feel it was serious.

    Hah. You were a teacher?

    Yes. Thats why Im here today to teach you a lesson.

    Louispold sneered at Rudger.

    Really? I cant wait to hear what you have to teach me. Do you think you can teach me anything at your level?

    Dont worry.

    Rudgers eyes gleamed coldly.

    Youll soon see what real magic is.

 Chapter 308

    Louispold deemed Rudgers words a bluff.

    Real magic?

    He had no business discussing such nonsense in the presence of the ultimate being.

    Why dont you start by stopping this?

    Louispold snapped his fingers, and a ck ripple spread out. It sliced through Rudger but Rudger was still standing.

    Louispold narrowed his eyes. The whites of his eyes, ckened by demonic power, and his pupils, tinged with a yellowish hue, gave off a puzzled expression.

    Strange.

    Louispolds first reaction was one of annoyance, but his next was questioning.

    A force that ate away at his mind and dug in, weakening his spirit, an attack that no amount of magic and aura could defend against, that was the kind of demonic power he dealt with.

    A human being would inevitably have scars and weaknesses. Howe youre fine? Do you also deal with demonic power?

    You talk a lot.

    Then its even stranger. How can a mere mortal be unharmed by demonic power?

    Louispold couldnt understand Rudger.

    A man, who was no more than an academy teacher, withstood an attack that would have knocked out a Master and a Lexer wizard and now, at this very moment was still giving him an uneasy feeling that made his temples tingle.

    Ive never been fine.

    Rudger didnt answer and Louispold arched an eyebrow.

    That filthy power must have burrowed into my mind. It showed me some really dirty memories.

    What?

    Only, the moment I realized they were false, I woke up.

    Hearing this, Louispold tried to determine whether Rudger was telling the truth and he didnt sense any deceit in those imposing words.

    That meant that Rudger had indeed resisted the demonic power with his own mind.

    Is that possible?

    What you think you know isnt the whole world, and it makes me very angry.

    Rudger flicked the ash from his pipe.

    Im in a bad mood, and youve made it less so. I couldnt have asked for a better opportunity.

    Louispold rolled his eyes and studied Rudger.

    Ever since hed taken a drag from his pipe, the mana around him had been flowing outward, forming a blue mist. But instead of dispersing, the mist had grown denser, hovering around Rudger.

    It was a strange phenomenon since normally, a wizard would not be able to handle all of his mana at once.

    A wizard level is not determined by the amount of mana they can release and the amount of mana they can control. Yet Rudger was now handling more mana than he could possibly contain.

    Is that even possible?

    It was bizarre, like watching a cart with a set maximum size for what it could carry, move without a hitch, even though it was carrying something dozens of timesrger.

    Moreover, the color of his eyes had changed. Or rather, they had regained their original color.

    The blue color of his pupils was due to the enormous amount of mana within them.

    Thats strange, too. How does it manage to keep that much mana stored even in battle?

    Maybe that was the source of the unpleasantness hed been feeling from Rudger for a while now.

    Ha. Yeah, well, it doesnt matter anyway.

    Louispold chuckled to himself, realizing hed gotten himself into trouble.

    It was interesting to see what Rudger was doing, but that might be all there was to it.

    Besides, hes already been imnted with the cells of the World Tree and the bodies of several wizards, and he even has demonic powers.

    He realized that the magic teacher in front of him was not ordinary, but he was still a human.

    Ill admit that you have a strong enough mind to resist the demonic power, but fighting isnt just about mental strength.

    That remains to be seen.

    His firm voice didnt sound like mere bravado.

    Louispold didnt like Rudgers attitude since he was so cranky in the presence of a man of absolute power. He even spoke as if he were a teacher, giving instructions.

    First of all, you need to lower your head a little more.

    At the same time as he muttered that the face on his shoulder opened its mouth. It was like a signal to activate the wizard magic he had absorbed and a gust of hot me and icy cold air was activated and shot toward Rudger.

    Rudger stood still, drawing in some of the magical mist that floated around him. The swirling miasma shifted, then thinned, forming a form.

    mes and ice shed in a matter of moments.

    Rudgers mes neutralized Louispold cold, and vice versa, the ice extinguished the mes but after that wind de after wind de shot toward Rudger.

    The ground vibrated and a wall rose up in front of Rudger. The wind des mmed into the wall, leaving scars like the w marks of a beast.

    Out of thin air, Louispold formed a massive boulder and dropped it directly on Rudgers head.

    Just before the massive mass crushed him, the wind swirled around him like a drill and a surging geyser pierced the center of the boulder, scattering debris in all directions.

    Throughout the fierce confrontation, Rudger did not even move from his position and Louispold didnt like it.

    The face protruding from his abdomen opened its mouth, eyes widening and a magic circle was carved into the front of the face, as a tidal wave of water, centered on Louispold, rose up and washed over Rudger.

    The miasma of mana wriggled, and then spiraled as the trunk of a giant vine of magical power rose like a tidal wave.

    The wave of vines grew in size, sucking up the water that Louispold had created and threatening to swallow him whole.

    What?

    Louispold was dumbfounded by the sight but he immediately unleashed a me that consumed the nts.

    As countless embers scattered in the air, he stared at Rudger.

    Have you been hiding your power?

    Rudger did not answer. His will became magic, and the spear of light that had tormented Louispold so many times shot forth in a torrent.

    He knew that light magic was the trickiest of all and the attack was so fast that its hard to parry.

    Louispold summoned demonic ck magic and wrapped it around his body at once. He nned to block the attack from all sides.

    At the same time, he gathered his energy in his hands and created a lightning bolt and when was about to shoot it at Rudger he realized he couldnt see anything.

    What?

    He looked around, puzzled as a pitch-ck darkness surrounded him.

    The ground caved in beneath his feet and because he was unprepared, he lost his bnce and fell into the pit.

    From the bottom of the pit sprouted countless metal des and Louispold was naturally pierced by them.

    [Crack!]

    Louispold grabbed the metal spearhead that had pierced his back and protruded from his chest.

    The spear was created with metal magic, alchemy, and reinforcement but he squeezed his hand, and the pole cracked and shattered.

    For nothing!

    He swung his ck, enchanted arm, shattering the spears around him in a torrent, then leapt to his feet and ran out of the pit but a feast of elemental magic awaited him.

    Tree roots bound his limbs and a spear of light stabbed him in the abdomen.

    As he strained his limbs to break the roots, a wind bullet flew by and struck him in the forehead.

    Ignoring it, he tried to push through, but he felt a huge weight on his back. A huge boulder had fallen from the sky and crushed him.

    Respond to.

    Crushed by the boulder, Louispold rolled his head as he fell to the ground. At that moment, the ground suddenly rose up and a cubical, sleek metal pir rose up.

    As he crashed through the rocks, Louispold was pinned between the rocks and the metal.

    In the aftermath of the impact, the rock shattered, sending shards raining down and through the cracks in the rocks, all manner of elemental magic flew like arrows, pummeling Louispold nonstop.

    What?

    The magic storm raged on without giving him a moments respite and in the midst of it all, Louispold could do nothing but be pummeled.

    What is this?

    It was only one opponent but he was struggling more than he had when he fought several at once.

    How is it possible for a human to control all the elements?

    This is what Louispold couldnt understand.

    Common sense told him that a wizard could only work with a limited number of elements.

    Of the ten elements in the modern magical world, no one had ever been recorded as having mastered more than seven, no matter how many they worked with but Rudger was using all ten elements right now.

    He thought Rudger was blessed since he could use rare light magic, darkness, nts, and even metal but this was too much.

    Talent.

    The short but powerful word echoed in his mind.

    He didnt want to admit the limitations he faced as a wizard and pushed himself to the limit in battle. Still, there was a wall in front of him, a wall of talent that could not be crossed, no matter how hard he tried.

    It didnt take him long to realize that he could never cross it the right way so he decided to take a different path, an ugly, dirty one, but one that would make him stronger and thats what he saw: ck magic.

    So he joined the Liberation Army, forged a connection to the underworld, and became a guinea pig.

    He experimented on humans to strengthen their bodies, harvested living wizards, grafted them onto his body, and even embraced demonic powers all in the name of breaking through the barriers of talent.

    It was all about results and power.

    Indeed, Louispold had be stronger, and now all that remained for him was to wield this power at will. He would use it to stamp on those who looked down on him and feel inferior.

    You were wrong.

    To be strong, you must do whatever it takes.

    The winners will tell you whats right and wrong.

    He definitely thought that.

    What the hell is this guy?

    A man of real talent, hiding his power, standing among the criminals appeared from an unexpected ce. He wielded a variety of magic that he hadnt learned, and possessed unbelievable mana control along with a mental power unaffected by demonic power.

    That sent ripples through Louispolds mind.

    No, no, no.

    It shouldnt be like this.

    The world shouldnt be this unfair.

    Rudgers magic failed to do any serious damage to his body but it had seeded in shaking the inferiorityplex deep within him.

    The man who used his demonic powers to prate the minds of others was now mentally outmatched.

    It was the height of irony.

    Kaaaah!!!

    Louispold unleashed his demonic power and the ck power surged, pushing back Rudgers magic. No, it didnt just push it away, it disintegrated it but the changes didnt stop there.

    The ck energy concentrated in his arms, and they inted like balloons.

    His arms grew to his size and balled into fists then he mmed his arms down on the ground.

    The bare earth cracked like a spiders web, and the ground turned over as a cloud of dust rose with the flying debris.

    There was a sh of yellow light in the dust, and Louispold shot out of it like a cannonball toward Rudger.

    At the same time, ck waves shot out from his body. Unlike before, they were not scattered in a wide area, but focused on Rudger.

    The first wavelength to arrive struck Rudgers body hard and although Rudger was not dazed it did not prevent the fog of mana he had been manipting from being momentarily disrupted.

    His control was affected and that was exactly what Louispold wanted.

    Even if he wasnt stunned like the others, he figured that if he focused the power of the wavelength, he could stop Rudger spell casting and his n worked.

    As he approached Rudger he jerked his massive right arm back.

    The corners of his mouth curved into a creepy smile that stretched all the way down to his ears. At this rate, his fist would tear Rudgers frail flesh like soaked paper.

    I admit it.

    With your magic alone, you are clearly the strongest here.

    But fighting wasnt about magic alone.

    Fighting is about using all the power you have.

    In that regard, Louispold had no qualms about wielding demonic power.

    Thats when Rudgers behavior became bizarre. It was as if he was making ast stand.

    He stretched out his open hand toward Louispold.

    Stop your pointless resistance!

    Louispolds shout was unfinished when suddenly an immense pressure crushed his body from top to bottom. He didnt even have time to swing his fist before he was ttened to the ground like a frog.

    ?!

    Louispolds eyes fluttered open as he tried toprehend what was happening.

    Against tremendous resistance, he managed to crank his neck to look up at Rudger.

    His left hand held upright against his chest as if in prayer and his right hand was still outstretched toward him.

    It was a simple gesture but the effect it produced was unimaginable.

    A hand seal?

    It was simr, but different and Louispold could feel it instinctively.

    I told you.

    Rudger said to Louispold, who looked up in disbelief.

    Im going to show you real magic.

 Chapter 309

    Should I?

    Hans was at a crossroad. He thought over and over again about what he should do, but he couldnte up with a clear answer.

    He hesitated again and again.

    The anxiety hed been feeling for a while now rose to the top of his head.

    Finally, unable to hold it in, Hans plucked up the courage to speak.

    Youre not going?

    What?

    Grander, lying on the couch, turned her head slightly to stare at Hans.

    Meeting those red eyes with a hint of annoyance, Hans felt a sense of dread, like he was falling off an endless cliff.

    Hans swallowed hard and opened his mouth.

    Why arent you going to help your brother? he asked.

    There you go again. I thought Id already answered that.

    Yes, you did, but you know.

    Know what?

    You told me there was something underground, and when I checked it out, I found that warlocks were secretly experimenting with demonic powers.

    Grander smiled wryly at the word demon.

    Hmm. I did drop a hint, but youre quicker than I thought. But so what, the power is sealed away in a shell anyway.

    For now, yes, but the warlocks and the Liberation Army are conducting some sort of experiment. Maybe that sealed power will be awakened.

    What makes you think that?

    Grander didnt dismiss Hans words, instead she asked him with curiosity in her carnelian eyes.

    What?

    I asked you why you think that.

    That, that.

    Hans didnt know what to say. To be honest, it wasnt something hed racked his brain toe up with rationally. It was more like a gut feeling, like an animal instinct.

    But he couldnt juste out and say, Its my gut, right?

    Grander stared at Hans.

    He looked into those eyes and, for some reason, said what he knew he shouldnt have said.

    Its a hunch.

    Huh?

    Hans wished he hadnt said it.

    He wondered why hed said it, and felt a rush of anxiety.

    He was not surprised when Grander red at him, mocking him; however, contrary to Hanss fears, she didnt get angry. Instead, she pushed herself up off the couch and asked with interest.

    Hmm? A hunch. What did you feel with that hunch?

    What? Well, what did I feel? I just felt that something was going to happen if I kept going like this.

    You just felt like something was going to happen?

    Yes.

    Hmm. Thats an ability Im not fully aware of yet. My student picked up something interesting.

    What?

    Hans was about to ask what the hell was wrong when Grander said.

    I was actually going to make a move even if you hadnt told me.

    Really?

    After all, I felt what you felt, and Im the one who told you that something was underground.

    But why didnt you move?

    He didnt ask, but the look in her eyes said it all, and she crossed her arms in frustration as she leaned back against the couchs backrest.

    Theres only one reason I dont go. I dont feel the need to move. No, I was going to move, but I didnt feel the need.

    You dont feel it?

    Grander shook her head.

    Apparently, your instincts are overly developed in the direction of crisis detection.

    No, what the hell is that.?

    Forget it. I dont need you to see it or to do anything about it. Just watch.

    Granders lips curled into a smile at the surge of power she felt underground. It was the smile of a mother proud of her aplished child.

    Im sure he can do it.

    * * *

    Louispold tried to pull himself up by straining his arms. But his arms wouldnt budge, as if there was a heavy lead weight on his back.

    Strange, his demonic power far surpassed that of the Master.

    He had the strength to lift a boulder the size of a house, but now he could barely steady himself.

    What, what did you do?

    He could barely breathe, but he managed to get the words out.

    Rudger must have done something to create this enormous pressure, but he had no idea what it was and an uneasy thought shed through his mind.

    Could this be real magic?

    Magic that he didnt know about, that only a gifted one could use?

    No, no.

    It couldnt be.

    Hed never heard of such magic.

    Let alone a mere human.

    A mere human cant generate this kind of power, you thought.

    .

    Louispold fell silent as he realized his thoughts had been read. In truth, he didnt need to be read since it was a natural reaction.

    From what Rudger had said, it was obvious that he was right about the attack which made it all the more difficult for Louispold to understand.

    Water magic was already obsolete.

    More precise and reliable magic would be harder to cast without the aid of a ritual, and its power would be much weaker.

    Besides, whats up with those simple hand gestures?

    To cast magic with your hands, you had to be busy moving them around. Just holding out his hand like that wasnt going to cut it.

    I told you. Its real magic.

    Nonsense! Ive never heard of such magic!

    Louispold eximed through clenched teeth, but somewhere in the back of his mind, he realized it might be true.

    The backsh of the demonic power.

    Even more rming to Louispold was the golden aura that enveloped his entire body since the demonic power was unable to resist the golden energy.

    Im trying to get up with all my might, and a mere hand gesture forces me to lie t like a frog?

    This is ridiculous.

    What kind of power is that?

    Thats not even divine power.

    Its painful.

    Rudger turned to face Louispold, whoy t on the floor.

    By the look on your face, you feel far more shame than physical pain.

    You, you, asshole.

    Rudgers words made Louispold bite his lip. The other mans downward gaze seemed to intensify his own bitterness.

    He saw in Rudger a reflection of the others. How they looked down on him and his limitations.

    The sneers of those who said, Youll never make it.

    I wanted to kill them all.

    His whole body stood up with a jolt as ck blood trickled from his lips and nose.

    I will kill you. No, I wont just kill you, Ill make you suffer as much as I can, Ill make you beg me to kill you!

    You have a pretty good mouth for a stuffed specimen.

    Shut up!!!

    Louispold shouted but Rudger squeezed his body even harder.

    The demonic power was certainly intimidating. But it was useless in the face of what he was dealing with.

    What is it?

    Suddenly, Rudger had the impression that there was a hand on Louispolds back.

    No, it wasnt an illusion. It was a ck shadow in the shape of a human being, leaning in to whisper something in Louispolds ear.

    It lifted its head, looked at Rudger, and cackled.

    It was a ck, bare face with no features and Rudger felt an inexplicable chill at the sight.

    Just as he was about to do something about it, it vanished like a mirage but immediately afterward, a change came over him.

    The sound of muscles and bones contorting echoed through Louispolds body as hey on the ground.

    Louispold, who had never felt pain from any attack, screamed in agony. The faces of the wizards imnted in his body also screamed in unison, eyes wide and mouths agape.

    As the screams echoed, the changes continued and instead of returning to its original size, the bulging arm pierced through both shoulders and sprouted another arm.

    Four arms slowly pushed his body off the ground.

    To Rudgers astonishment, Louispold slowly pulled himself up, resisting Rudgers pressure.

    Hes getting stronger.

    Rudger frowned at the change.

    He kept his outstretched right hand, but pointed his capital left hand, index and middle finger raised, at Louispold.

    A mist of magic swirled around him, forming an incantation. The ground shuddered as a sharp rock awl pierced Louispolds palm, immobilizing him. But what came next was astonishing.

    The stone pir that had pierced his palm and protruded from the back of his hand began to gnaw away at his hand.

    The hole had turned into a mouth, crushing the rock awl.

    You.

    Rudger said, looking back at Andrei, who was watching from a distance.

    Do you know what the hell is wrong with him?

    Why would you ask me.?

    You made him that way, dont you think you should know why hes like that?

    Andrei was dumbfounded by his words.

    They had just been fighting to the death, and he hadnt expected Rudger to ask him this question here.

    Normally, Andrei wouldnt have even responded. But he couldnt help but feel a sense of crisis at the sight of Louispold grotesque form.

    I dont know.

    Are you kidding?

    Rudger was about to ask, but then he refocused his mind and held Louispold down.

    He was losing ground in real time, but if he didnt stay focused, Louispold would break free and go on a rampage.

    He had to buy time by holding him back as much as possible.

    Any guesses?

    That.

    Rudger clicked his tongue as Andrei hesitated to answer.

    I asked the wrong person. I expected too much from a man who was nearly killed by his own test subject.

    Rudgers sarcasm made Andrei cringe, but he couldnt get angry since he was right.

    He had been beaten by his own guinea pig, and some of his demonic powers had been taken from him.

    And what could be more humiliating than to have his past, the one thing hed kept hidden,e out of his mouth?

    Perhaps hes being consumed by demonic power.

    The taunt worked, and he responded.

    Go ahead.

    I dont know if all demonic powers are like this. But I do know that the demon sealed in that dead World Tree root reacts to negative emotions.

    Indeed, the ck wavelengths of the demons power prated the human psyche and incapacitated them in an instant.

    Its not just about affecting others, is it?

    Negative emotions also affect him. Unless youre a demon, your power is nothing more than borrowed power.

    Yeah. I get that hes running amok because of some inferiorityplex, but is there any way to stop him?

    I dont know about that. What I was trying to create in the first ce was essentially an ultimate life form.

    Youre lying. You dont want me to realize that hes a test subject, too.

    Andreis eyes widened. He couldnt understand how a mere teacher could see through that.

    It didnt make any sense, not with the power Rudger was disying right now.

    Since he hade this far, he had nothing to hide, so he spoke up.

    The demonic power is inherently at odds with the life force of the World Tree.

    Its at odds with it?

    The whole point of the experiment was to fuse them. The life force of the World Tree and the demonic power were repulsive to each other, but the human body was not. It was a great neutralizer.

    Andrei wanted to make the human flesh a bridge that could fuse the World Tree life force and demonic power like a surfactant that allows water and oil to mix.

    Human flesh could embrace both the life force of the World Tree and the demonic power and it was through countless trials and errors that Experiment Three, the current Louispold, was created.

    I thought that if I could do that, I would be able to handle the power of demons and the life force of the World Tree in a human body. If I could do that, I would be able to evolve into a greater being, a human being with no physical defects and no incurable diseases a perfect body.

    As he mumbled helplessly, Andreis expression turned slightly grim as he remembered something from his past. Perhaps it was because he had been stripped of some of his demonic power but his eyes, filled with brilliance, were even clearer than before.

    But by the looks of it, it must have been the other way around. The demonic power we thought we could control was actually controlling us.

    Does that mean the demonic power is now uncontrolled and on the rampage?

    Its not rampaging. Its moving with a will.

    What does that mean.?

    [Kaaaaaah!]

    Just as Rudger was about to argue, Louispoldpletely shook off the force holding him back.

    The intense release of energy created a storm that made it difficult to open his eyes.

    By now, Louispold had grown four arms and a horn on top of his head.

    He felt as if he were submerged in the ck depths of the ocean, as if something cold and massive was crushing his entire body.

    Louispold, now fully demonized, raised a hand and pointed it at the base of the World Tree.

    The tree moved and like worms crawling inside the roots, the things that had been wriggling and shifting began to gather in one ce.

    It was the same for Andrei.

    Andreis eyes widened and he coughed up ck blood. It was so much that he wondered if it was draining all the blood out of his body.

    In fact, Andreis skin was puffy and his cheeks were hollow but as he looked at his body he panicked.

    What the hell.

    At the same time, the roots of the World Tree swelled beneath him.

    Rudgers eyes focused on the boil-like swelling.

    Thats.

    When he first entered this underground facility, there was something in the shape of a human protruding from the tip of the World Trees root.

    Something simr, but much stronger andrger, was now trying to break through the root.

    One of the roots of the swollen World Tree exploded, sending a cascade of ck liquid down.

    The ck liquid seemed to swallow Louispold whole.

    If its the demonic power thats been trapped inside the World Tree.

    Rudgers head was throbbing from his crazy thoughts since he knew what the ck shadow that smiled earlier was.

 Chapter 310

    Chapter sponsored byEden Faust.Thank you for your support.

    The cascade of ck liquid slowly tapered and stopped. Nothing more flowed from the dead World Tree as if it had been squeezed dry of its contents.

    Thest drops fell through the hole in the World Tree as the ck liquid poured onto the floor, forming arge puddle.

    Above the pool, a figure floated at a distance. Its entire body was bathed in inky ckness and red lines were tattooed across its body.

    It had four arms, and its back was covered in ck wings that looked like the ps of a bats skin. Most striking of all, it had two ck horns growing out of the top of its head.

    When Rudger saw it, he groaned to himself.

    Im going to die. Is this a real demon, not just a Liberation Army cadre who borrowed demonic powers?

    The demonization wasplete. No, the demon that had taken over his body now spoke.

    Ah, good.

    The voice was eerie and dismal, at the same time pleasing and seductive. There was something about this strange voice that made him feel conflicting emotions at the same time.

    There was no longer any trace of Louispold in the voice.

    Its been a long, long time. After struggling in that damned World Tree, Ive finally been able to get out, and I have you to thank for that.

    The demon smirked at Andrei as he said that as if in genuine gratitude.

    The demon looked away from Andrei, who was mostly disempowered and bewildered and looked at Rudger.

    Hmm. I see. You are the one whos been giving off an ufortable aura for a while now.

    Rudger didnt bother to answer. He didnt know what the mind-bending tricks the demon might be up to with this conversation.

    Youre being wary, but you dont have to be. Unlike the original owner of this body, Louispold, I have no intention of fighting you.

    No intention of fighting?

    Rudger couldnt help but ask as he tried to remain silent.

    It was very unusual for the demon to say such a thing. If anything, Louispold, who was bent on killing them all, was even more demonic.

    You seem to possess quite a bit of power. Ive just been resurrected, so I dont have to deal with you.

    You speak more eloquently than I thought, given your ugly appearance.

    I have existed in this form since the beginning of time, and to call me ugly is a bit of a stretch.

    What?

    Rudger couldnt help but feel that something was off about this conversation with the demon. Something about it was too normal, too unlike the demons in the literature.

    It didnt respond to his provocative words with anger, but with calm.

    Why should I fight you in the first ce?

    You used humans for your resurrection.

    It was the humans who tried to use my power in the first ce. So in exchange for lending my power, I received a small price to get out of that prison. After all, it was the humans who caused all this carnage.

    It was true but Rudger remained vignt to the end.

    He didnt know when the creature would suddenly change its demeanor and lunge. But in his experience over the years, the demon in front of him really didnt seem to want to do him any harm.

    I dont feel any animosity or malice that I should.

    This is also the first time Rudger has actually met a demon and wondered if the literature had been deliberately misleading.

    Considering that the writers were members of the Order of Lumensis, I cant say no to that.

    But Rudger did not let up on the tension until the very end.

    So what are you going to do now?

    Hmm. I hadnt nned on being forced out so suddenly, but I have a mission that was given to me long ago, and I must fulfill it.

    A mission?

    Yes. All apostles like me have a mission, and while some dont follow it, Im one of them.

    With that, the demon raised one hand and pointed his index finger at Casey on the floor.

    Immediately after ck energy shot from his fingertips and engulfed Casey.

    It transformed into a ck sphere about two meters in diameter before shrinking to a single point and disappearing. Nothing existed where the sphere had disappeared. Even the ground was indented, revealing a sharp curved surface.

    The sight stunned Andrei to the core as the power of the attack was unbelievable for such a simple gesture.

    The demon, on the other hand, was puzzled.

    Hmm?

    The demons head turned to face Rudger, who was holding Casey Selmore in his arms.

    The demons gaze flickered between the crater and Rudger.

    What did you just do?

    Thats for me to ask.

    Rudgers voice was angry as heid Casey gently on the ground.

    Didnt you say you werent going to fight?

    I did. I said I wouldnt fight.

    Then why did you suddenly try to kill someone who passed out?

    Hmm?

    The demon cocked his head to the side as if he didnt understand Rudgers question, then pped his hands together.

    Ah, so thats what you meant, then. Im not looking for a fight, especially not with you.

    But you tried to kill my coworker?

    Is that wrong?

    Rudger realized something was wrong with the demons words.

    Hed tried to kill Casey, saying he wouldnt fight and yet, it still said he hadnt lied.

    Yes.

    Rudger couldnt help but realize.

    Everything the demon in front of him said was genuine. There was not even a hint of animosity toward his opponent but beyond that, there was barely any emotion. And yet, he was going to kill Casey casually, like stepping on a bug on the side of the road because that was his mission.

    I was a fool to think I could talk to a demon, even for a moment.

    Hmm. Judging by your reaction, you have an intense hostility towards me, which I dont understand at all. You know its not a good idea to fight me, dont you?

    So you want me to watch you kill all the people here?

    Cant I do that?

    Before the demon could finish his sentence, a pir of fire rose from beneath his feet.

    After a brief flurry, the mes died down, and the demon was still hovering in midair, unharmed.

    I dont understand.

    He still didnt understand Rudgers behavior but Rudger turned to the demon and said solemnly.

    If you still dont understand, then youll die in ignorance.

    That would be a pity.

    The demon said, sounding genuinely sorry.

    It had no intention of fighting.

    Before we fight, let me ask you a question. How did you defend that human from my attack earlier, when she was clearly out of range?

    Rudger was dumbfounded.

    In the middle of all this, hes asking questions?

    But of course Rudger had no intention of answering.

    Sensing his determination, the demon hummed and stroked his chin.

    You dont intend to tell me, I see. Its a bit peculiar, because her position has changed slightly, albeit only for a moment, and it would be impossible for you to move quickly in that split second.

    The demon recalled the blurry scene again, then shook his head as if it didnt matter.

    Lets see if I can stop this one, shall we?

    With that, the demon spread its four arms wide and something like a jet-ck snowke formed around him.

    The snowkes slowly floated through the air andnded on the fallen people, each with a purpose but just before they reached the bodies, Rudger moved.

    His body was instantly covered in ck shadows and his jet-ck cloak fluttered as a ravens mask fell over his face.

    He used arge amount of mana to weave magic into his body as the fainted people were all swallowed up by his shadow.

    When they emerged, they were far away from the snowkes.

    Having lost its destination, the snowkes hit the ground and exploded like an inted balloon, the expanding sphere engulfing the space around it.

    The ce where the snowke had touched was neatly disintegrated but the demon was not furious that he had failed to kill anyone instead it gazed at Rudger with interest.

    A spell to travel through space via shadows? Is such a thing possible for wizards in this day and age, but I know of no such magic in the memory of this body.

    Instead of answering, Rudger walked over to Bruna and rummaged through the pouch at her side. He paused slightly at the chunks of test subject flesh in the pouch, but then pulled out what he wanted. It was a finely folded piece of paper.

    Unfolding the paper, he found dried herbs inside.

    Rudger stuffed the dried herb into the tobo of his pipe and pressed down hard.

    The demon watched Rudgers actions with interest.

    Rudger struck a lighter-like me from the tip of his index finger and stuck it into the pipe. He pushed the pipe under his raven mask and soon puffed out a stream of smoke. This time, however, the smoke wasnt white instead it was a dangerous purple color.

    Something far more potent than the herb he had inhaled against Quasimodo.

    It was a poisonous herb that Rudger had specially ordered Bruna to make and the effect was more than ten times what hed used before.

    Blue mana began to flow around Rudgers body and the mana fog added to the existing fog, growing in size.

    More.

    He needed more.

    If the opponent was a demon from the literature, this would not be enough.

    Divine power? That was hisst resort.

    The repercussions of misusing divine power can be devastating, so he had to be as careful as possible. He also needed to maximize his mana reserves for the best use he could make of it at the moment.

    Oh, no.

    It was then that Caseys voice was heard.

    * * *

    Casey plummeted into infinite darkness in an endless descent into the abyss of her mind but ironically the sensation triggered a memory for her.

    -Well done.

    The image of the man throwing himself down the waterfall, muttering those words to himself as he plummeted.

    Recalling it brought her back to her senses.

    The man couldnt me her for not saving anyone because he was the one who had to carry all that grief and pain alone.

    The things he couldnt protect and the things he couldnt aplish were his own inadequacies and yet he didnt stop.

    She saw it, and it made her want to chase after it. She couldnt let this false illusion break her.

    Casey opened his closed eyes and faced the false world squarely.

    [Boom!]

    The ck world cracked and shattered like broken ss.

    Casey was back in the real world.

    * * *

    Rudger looked at Casey in surprise but he didnt forget to check her out.

    Even though she was awake, she wasnt in the best of shape. She was so traumatized that she couldnt speak or move properly.

    She literally could barely open her eyes.

    Me, I have to fight.

    Still, Casey muttered desperately, clutching the hem of Rudgers pants.

    She couldnt stay still like this. Shed fight too.

    Rudger stared into the blue eyes that looked up at him desperately.

    I, too.

    With you.

    Casey didnt finish the sentence.

    Rudger leaned down and ced his index finger on her lips. Then he pulled his hand away from Caseys grip on his pants.

    Caseys eyes widened since Rudgers behavior was out of character.

    He wasnt tantly ignoring her, or even pushing her away. Rather, he was careful, like touching a slender piece of ss.

    Ah.

    When Rudgers index finger moved away from her lips, Casey let out a sigh of regret. From the way he was acting now, she knew what he was trying to say.

    Rest.

    With that, Rudger raised his shadow and it cocooned the bodies of those who had passed out, including Casey.

    With that, the cocoon submerged into the shadows, transporting them to a safe ce far, far away, away from the central area.

    Moving someone other than yourself with spatial magic takes a great deal of energy. Needless to say, if the distance is far from yourself.

    Nevertheless, the blue aura around Rudger didnt seem to have changed in size. In fact, it seemed to have grown evenrger, swallowing up the purple smoke from his pipe.

    It was like watching the birth of a giant creature and the sight gave the demon an inexplicable chill.

    This will endanger me if I stay still.

    His instincts told him he couldnt let this happen so the demon immediately fired a psychic wave at Rudger.

    It was a huge wave, nothing like the one Louispold had used, and it was eating away at Rudgers mind but Rudger stood still. He didnt stagger, but instead stared at the demon with a steady gaze, as if he wasnt affected at all.

    How?

    The demon asked, as if it didnt understand because Rudgers mind was even more solid than before. Moreover, an unnerving power swirled around Rudger. It was simr to holy power, but a little different.

    It was definitely the kind of mana used by wizards, but it had a strange quality to it, unlike ordinary mana.

    The demon remembered Rudgers power crushing Louispolds body.

    This is the magic you used without any casting or ritual, but this time you dont even have a wand. How can you use it, and why is it triggered?

    Even after searching through all his memories as a demon and the memories in his body, Rudgers behavior was hard to understand.

    Is it even magic in the first ce?

    For the first time, Rudger reacted to the demons question and with a nod, he admitted that it was magic but this only fueled the demons questions.

    How on earth can you use such magic?

    Faith.

    Rudgers voice was unwavering, and the demon asked, unable toprehend.

    Faith? Thats all it takes to use that much power?

    Then let me ask you the opposite: what makes you think you cant?

    Rudgers question left the demon speechless. He couldnt think of anything to say when Rudger asked him why he couldnt do it.

    What should he say if he asked him why he couldnt do something that was obviously impossible?

    You cant answer that. Is that all there is to the demon in the literature?

    Ill tell you, Im not a demon, my name is Basara. And it is you humans who call us, the Apostles, demons.

    Thats not what matters now.

    Rudger couldnt keep the disappointment out of his voice.

    Magic existed where he thought it didnt. What he thought was impossible was possible. If so, what more was possible?

    He had experienced the presence of magic and witnessed the power of mystery. It was the kind of thing that a person living in this world should feel.

    However Rudger went one step further and created a magic with no rituals or chanting but only his faith and conviction because magic is a miracle that defies thews of reality.

    Belief in miracles.

    It was ironic because Rudger lived in a world where magic didnt exist so he was able to think further than the people of this world, who took magic for granted.

    Come. Demon.

    A true mystery that cannot be calcted by a form alone.

    Rudgers real magic was his faith and his awe-inspiring belief in the infinity of magic.

 Chapter 311

    Interesting.

    For the first time, Basara, a demon who rarely showed emotion, curled the corners of his mouth. He said he was amused, but Basara could feel the displeasure bubbling up inside him.

    Is it because Im using human flesh as a vessel?

    The original owner, Louispold, harbored a tremendous sense of inferiority towards Rudger and the aftermath of those feelings would be felt by the demon himself.

    Its not so bad.

    Earlier, Basara had said that she didnt want to fight Rudger. But after hearing Rudgers words, he changed his mind.

    I want to fight that man.

    For the first time, Basara thought of it of his own volition.

    I see. Actually, I was wondering whether I was strong enough to fulfill my mission. I want to find out.

    How strong am I now?

    I have a great object in front of me to measure that.

    An enormous, breathtaking aura of magic surrounds him.

    He stares down at me.

    All right. If were going to fight, this is as good as it gets.

    Basara felt a surge of motivation.

    If he couldnt surpass Rudger here and now, he didnt deserve to fulfill his mission.

    Ill use all my strength.

    As he spoke, Basara snapped his index finger and thumb together as ck energy crackled, then materialized into a spell.

    The corner of Rudgers eye twitched behind his mask at the sight.

    Mana.

    Yes, it is mana enhanced by my own power.

    By nature, demons do not use mana since demonic power is a powerful force in itself.

    A mental wave based on it could defeat any opponent, no matter who they were. Even a wizard of Lexer rank or a Master would fall equally but for Rudger, it didnt work at all.

    To Basara, Rudgers presence was an unpleasant ipatibility but with the vessel of Louispold, Basara became even more powerful than before.

    Science, magic and the fine physical ingredients of a modern wizard woven together, harmoniously, in its best form.

    Basara was able to manifest magic that he shouldnt have been able to use in the first ce, through Louispolds body.

    The so-called dark magic.

    The finished form was ck-red in color and a ck, energized metal was created out of thin air and shot toward Rudger in a torrent of water. This was no ordinary metal but demonic iron and in terms of power alone, it was one level higher than the same type of magic.

    The same spell required different fuels, and therefore produced different results.

    Rudger drew a shadow around him as he watched the metal that Basara shot out.

    The spear of metal flew at him, and the moment it touched the shadow, it bent as if space had been distorted, sending it flying into the distance.

    As the curved spear struck the root of the dead World Tree, something incredible happened. The dead, ivory-colored roots of the World Tree began to turn ck.

    The effect was like a curse imposed by Basara magic.

    Then how about this?

    Realizing that his point-nk attack would not work, Basara cast his next spell.

    This time, it was a wind-based spell normally used by physical masters. However, this spell was also much more powerful due to the ck magic.

    Foul Wind, the winds of decay rushed toward Rudger like a beast over the ground.

    The ground it swept across rotted in an instant but Rudger responded with the same wind magic.

    An attack with the power of decay should have been consumed by mes. But if he added mes to something with wind properties, it would feed off the mes and grow evenrger.

    Instead, it was better to strike back with the same element, but with more force.

    [Whirlwind!!!]

    Rudgers wind became no ordinary wind, but a wind imbued with divine energy, colliding with Basaras magic.

    The two forces pushed and pulled against each other, but in the end, it was Rudgers magic that prevailed.

    Seeing the rush of golden holy wind, Basara spread his wings and soared vertically, casting his next spell, Ice Blizzard.

    Basara spread his arms wide, and a freezing blizzard arose. Any part of the World Trees roots that made contact with the blizzard froze in an instant, then shattered with a crackling sound.

    The bitter cold froze everything it touched and shattered itpletely.

    Finding it difficult to fight back with such cold, Rudger used a different kind of magic.

    [The Five Elements Fire]

    -When fire is too strong, water evaporates.

    It was the most effective attack against the bitter cold.

    As his Five Elements spell unfolded, Rudger activated one more Five Elements [Wood Fire].

    Trees rose from the ground and began to burn fiercely, resonating with Rudgers mes. Through the symbiotic power of the Five Elements, the mes were fed by the wood for firewood.

    The chill, reinforced by ck magic, was quickly pushed back.

    It was unbelievable, both from Basaras point of view and from the empirical perspective of Louispolds memories.

    Thepatibility transcended the power gap and aside from that, there was something else.

    Lets stop this!

    Basara cast his magic again.

    [Fusion Water.]

    Water that could melt anything was poured over the mes. But instead, the mes vaporized the water with intense heat, sending a red stream of fire toward Basara.

    How?

    As confident as he had been at first, Basara couldnt shake a nagging feeling as he exchanged magic with Rudger.

    Something was bothering him.

    At first, he thought he was just a nuisance to fight so he decided to be merciful and let him go since it was the practical thing to do but Rudger rejected the offer and challenged him to a fight.

    In the immediate aftermath, there was a bit of bravado, and a clear sense of purpose toward the mission. He even thought it was a good thing but now Basara frowned at the difort he felt inside.

    He didnt recognize the feeling as anxiety since he was a demon that fanned the negative emotions of humans, but ironically, he was ignorant of his own emotions.

    ying is over. Im done.

    With that, Basara held out his hands and a humans mouth dropped open in his palms, and the magic kicked in.

    Two dark magics merged into one, creating an immense power.

    Fusion Magic [Flowing cier] was casted as a steady stream of ice swept through the central area.

    The bodies of the warlocks and test subjects inside were quickly melted and fused into the cier as the all-consuming ice was about to reach Rudgers body but an intense beam of light burst forth, tearing through Basaras magic.

    Light?

    Basara frowned at the sight, but activated his magic once more.

    Fusion Magic [Showers of Pyrite]bined iron and wind as a storm of corroded steel raged, an infernal tempest that tore at anything in its path.

    The storm sought to consume the beam of light but the beam of light survived and grew stronger.

    Some of the mana that had been swirling around Rudger broke loose and merged into the pir of light. Immediately afterward, the pir of light split into countless stalks and took on the shape of a butcher knife.

    The outstretched light seemed to resemble a human hand and the storm that Basaraunched was torn apart by the light.

    At the center of the light, the shadowy Rudger sped his hands together in a pact.

    A man of shadows, raising a brilliant light behind his back, the indescribable irony of the sight stopped Basara in his tracks.

    It was then that Rudger unbuckled his helmet and held out his hand towards Basara as an attack in the shape of a human hand [Thousand Hands] materialized.

    The palm, glowing with golden light, was the same magic that had crushed Louispolds body. The only difference was that there were a thousand of them, living up to their name.

    !

    Basara spread his wings, soaring high above the ground. His speed was so great that, for a moment, a ck line was mistaken for nothing but air.

    Immediately afterward, a hand of light gave chase, leaving a pure white trajectory.

    Basara performed incredible flying acrobatics and quickly traversed the wide central area.

    [Boom]

    Every time she passed through a gap in the World Tree Root, the light behind her collided with it, causing one pure white explosion after another.

    Basaras constant dodging didntst long because the Hands of Light were too fast and too numerous, and eventually Basara was overtaken by them.

    Hands of light flew out and mmed into his back, shoulders, and waist. One white st after another followed and the force of the impact pierced through Basaras flesh.

    Ugh!

    Basara screamed in agony, his palm burned where it was touched.

    Basara stopped flying and switched to defense as searing yellow eyes sprouted from his ck body. Snowkes of ck magic spread like spores, forming a ck sphere around Basara.

    [Thud, thud, thud!]

    Light blows furiously pounded the ck sphere from the outside. The sphere shuddered, but it was imprable.

    Just as Basara was about to smile with satisfaction, Rudger changed his stance and his outstretched hand curled into a fist.

    What?

    Then the flying hands of light did the same, turning into fists and they burned with fierce gold.

    With his attacks now more powerful, the Light Fists struck the sphere hard and the ck sphere began to crack, then shattered like ss.

    Basara spread his wings again and tried to flee, but his body didnt budge.

    What?!

    Basara suddenly realized that something was grabbing his ankle. He looked down to see a shadow rising from the ground, lengthening to envelop his lower half.

    E!

    Basara tried to resist, but the shadow pulled him even harder.

    Even his hardened body was no match for this force and the shadow wrapped itself around Basaras entire body, sending him crashing to the ground.

    [Boom!]

    The ground cracked and a cloud of dust rose but before it could settle, fists of light rained down on it.

    Argh!

    Basara screamed in agony. His regenerative powers and strong body were no match for the magic Rudger was now unleashing.

    Flesh crumbled to dust, muscles ruptured, and bones shattered as the holy power did not allow flesh to regenerate easily.

    Andrei, far away, could not tear his eyes away from the sight.

    My God.

    A demon, the ultimate test subject, was being defeated by a mere mortal.

    A mere mortal was taking on a demon in a way that was not only unequal, but one-sided.

    The fight he was watching now was a reenactment of a mythical scene that no one knew.

    Is he a monster?

    Andrei was in awe of Rudger but he was not optimistic about the situation.

    Its certainly a great spell but he cant sustain an attack of this magnitude for long.

    Immediately, the mana fog that had been swirling around Rudger began to shrink at a noticeable rate.

    It was thergest it had ever been, but the magic he was using now was costing him a lot of mana.

    Rudger knew this, and he wanted to kill Basara as quickly as possible but Basara was as tenacious as a cockroach.

    He was now determined to hold out, offering no defense or resistance. Instead, it channeled all its power into regenerating its body.

    The pain must have been excruciating, but Basara gritted his teeth and tried to endure it.

    Andrei felt a sense of urgency.

    He needed to strike harder.

    Rudger must have realized the same thing, because he stopped unleashing his countless fists of light. Instead, he began to unite the hands of light behind his back.

    The arms lengthened and merged into one, tangling back and forth like a thread.

    A single beam of light drew a line, and as it did, a shape began to form in the air. It was a golden, glowing Buddha.

    The awe-inspiring figure sat on a lotus flower and stared at Basara.

    The sight of the Buddha set off rm bells in Basaras mind. His instincts screamed that he must not take this attack.

    Ooooooooooo!!!

    Basara screamed, straining his body and the sturdy ropes of shadow began to tear.

    The speed was faster than Rudger had calcted. With each tear in the shadow rope, Basaras skin cracked and his muscles tore. Still, Basara did not stop.

    Hed rather endure the pain now, but the attack Rudger was preparing for him was far worse.

    [Thud! Thud!]

    At this rate, he would break free of his bonds before Rudgers magic wasplete but the moment Basara cut thest rope of shadow clinging to his body he came to a screeching halt once more.

    You.

    Basaras head snapped to one side. There, a half-dead Andrei, drained of more than half his power, stretched out his arms in this direction as a binding spell unfurled, squeezing everyst bit of magic out of him.

    It was a spell that Basara could tear like a sheet of paper if he wanted to.

    In reality, the spell Andrei unleashed with all his might was only able to immobilize Basara for less than a second. But that one second was all that mattered.

    It was the final piece of the puzzle thatpleted Rudgers magic.

    The golden statue wasplete and facing it in all its glory, Basaras body froze.

    What was it about this thing that made him feel like he was no match for it, even though he was a demon?

    Rudger summoned all his remaining mana and reached out to Basara.

    [Vajra Divine Palm]

    In time with Rudgers movement, the Buddha stamped down on Basara with his giant hand.

 Chapter 312

    On the ground, evacuations were in full swing.

    The most elite members of the organization were headed down the waterways to hunt down the liberators, but that didnt mean they could becent.

    Furthermore, the periodic vibrationsing from underground were rming.

    A fight that should have been a one-sided affair was instead fiercely fought causing the evacuated citizens to tremble in fear.

    The same could be said for the students of Theon who were evacuating the pce.

    [Boom! Boom!]

    Doesnt the sound seem to be getting louder?

    What the hell is going on down there.?

    Everyone, dont stop moving!

    Some of the knights and guards leading the students also sensed the seriousness of the situation and sped up their steps.

    Everyones getting restless.

    The air around them was filled with stifling negativity and what should have been a fun field trip had turned into hell in less than half a day.

    God, lets hope this ends well.

    As she started to walk away, Rene slumped down. The pain, like a needle piercing her temple, was overwhelming.

    She grabbed her head with her hands.

    Ouch!

    Rene!

    Erendir, who had been walking beside her, came to her aid.

    Are you okay? What happened? You didnt hurt yourself, did you?

    Oh, no, its just that all of a sudden my head ouch!

    Rene!

    Rene couldnt answer Erendirs call for her easily. In addition to the headache that felt like it was splitting her skull, her eyes burned like they were on fire.

    My eyes, my eyes hurt so much.

    The pain was so intense that I felt like she was going to cry, but the tears dried up and evaporated in the heat.

    The pain that had been there for a while disappeared as though it had been swept away. It was only a few tens of seconds, but the pain was so intense that it felt so long.

    Rene could barely catch her breath.

    Rene, youre really going to be okay, arent you?

    Yes, yes. Im fine for now.

    Come on, lets move. Well be in trouble if we stay behind.

    Erendir started to help Rene to her feet, but then stopped. There was something strange about the way Erendir stared at her.

    Senior?

    Rene. Your eyes.

    Erendir muttered as he looked into Renes eyes.

    Lights like a cluster of sparkling stars floated in her pupils.

    Had her eyes always been like this? It couldnt be. Erendirs senses and time watching her so closely told her. Surely Renes eyes had changed, and in a very different way.

    Just as Erendir was about to ask what had happened, Renes expression hardened in an instant. Her eyes stared in a single direction before she spoke in a firm voice.

    Senior, you need to move first.

    Eh, eh? Yes, I should. More than that, you, your eyes are.

    Now is not the time to talk about that, lets go.

    Uh, okay.

    Erendir moved with her touch, puzzled by her suddenly determined demeanor.

    Still, Im the senior one.

    Erendirs bewilderment and grumbling didnt deter Rene. The others might not see it, but she saw a vast evil presence, bubbling up from the depths of the capital city.

    It looked like it could burst through the ground at any moment, like a volcano. But it didnt, because someone was desperately holding it back.

    Who is it?

    All Rene could see for the moment was power in color. The color of a great evil, the color of darkness and its opponent that was a brilliant golden color casting a dazzling radiance and dispelling the darkness as if he stood in direct opposition to the evil entity.

    It was almost nostalgic but she couldnt let it go.

    Her instincts warned her for some time that it would be dangerous to stay here.

    * * *

    Huge golden palms filled his vision.

    Basara realized it was toote to dodge and raised his four hands to meet it. Willing himself to put up as much resistance as he could.

    His regenerated body surged with terrifying power and was engulfed in ck energy, burning like a me.

    It had summoned all its strength.

    Resistance? No. It was going to pierce through those golden palms like a bolt from the blue.

    Come!

    Lets see whos stronger.

    Basaras confidence slowly dwindled as the palm slowly approached.

    Four arms zing with ck mes met the palm of the Buddhas hand but with a crackling sound, the fingertips crumbled to dust and scattered.

    !

    Basara could only stare at the sight with wide eyes.

    Powerful magic, a strong body, immortal regeneration, all of it was worthless before him.

    Only face to face could he could feel that no matter what he did, he would never be able to resist its power.

    I should have done as my instincts told me and dodged before the attack wasplete.

    As the seconds ticked by, Basaras eyes filled with golden light and the Buddhas enormous palmpletely engulfed his body.

    There was no noise as the huge hand descended but only the slightest sound of wind, like a butterflynding on a lotus petal. And then the golden hand was gone.

    All that remained was a giant palm print on the ground.

    Ha. Ha.

    Rudger breathed heavily.

    Behind his back, the golden Buddha with a merciful expression turned into a powder of light. It scattered around him, illuminating the interior of the hollow beautifully.

    The golden dust looked like fireflies as it traveled between the roots of the World Tree.

    Andrei looked up at the sight with a blurry gaze.

    Its beautiful.

    The sight suddenly brought back memories.

    He, too, had a child who dazzled like a star in the dark night and remembered her smiling face, which he couldnt see anymore.

    Its all for nothing.

    Andreis gaze fell to the palm print on the floor.

    Despite his fearsome regenerative powers and ability to surpass the Masters, Louispolds flesh showed no sign of life. He had literally been reduced to dust, cell by cell.

    Andreis lips curled in disbelief that such a thing was possible.

    Despite the loss of his lifes work, Andrei was not strangely angry. In fact, he was almost relieved that the obsession that had consumed his mind for so long was gone.

    Suddenly, he remembered why he was here.

    He had once been a promising mage not a warlock hiding out and experimenting.

    He was a nobleman, with a lovelyte daughter, a daughter he would never trade for anything.

    His wife was weak and died shortly after giving birth to their daughter but herst words were a request for her daughter.

    -Honey, I want you to take care of her.

    Andrei raised her with all his heart and soul. He loved her more than anyone and taught her to love more than anyone else.

    She was his purpose in life, his everything.

    Then she became terminally ill and despite all the medicines he could find and all the doctors he could call, her condition grew worse and worse.

    I cant.

    He couldnt let her go like his wife so Andrei decided to make his own cure.

    There was no disease in the world that he couldnt cure.

    He was an authority in this area, a respected intellectual so he analyzed the causes of the disease and looked for ways to cure it, but hecked too many things like time, materials, data and samples.

    Time is something you can get by sleeping less, and materials are something you can spend money on.

    Data on whether a treatment would work or not was not readily avable and he could only do so much research withb rats.

    It was important to know if it would work in humans.

    At that moment, a word shed through Andreis mind.

    Human experimentation.

    A taboo for wizards, a horrible evil reserved for fallen warlocks.

    If he attempted it, Andrei would lose so much.

    His honor, pride and money, everything he had built over decades as Andrei Semov would crumble like a sandcastle.

    But as Andrei turned to check on his daughter, he was stopped in his tracks by the sound of a harsh coughing from her room.

    Through the crack in the door, the child was coughing in pain and the handkerchief covering her mouth was smeared with red blood.

    The child who had smiled so cheerfully at himself earlier in the day looked like she was dying.

    The moment he saw it, Andrei felt something snap in his head.

    The next day Andrei sneaked away from prying eyes and bought ingredients from the underworld and ended up performing forbidden human experiments.

    Like a car with broken brakes, Andrei continued his research with less and less sleep, first on cadavers, then on criminals who deserved to die.

    The data piled up quickly and when the cure was ready Andrei was overjoyed and went to visit his daughter.

    -Andrei Semov, you are under arrest for state-sanctioned human experimentation.

    If only the Imperial Intelligence hadnte to arrest him.

    Andrei realized that hes been caught, but he also realized that he needed to get the cure to his daughter so he overpowered them all and headed for his mansion but when he got there the childs closed eyes, now cold, greeted him.

    -Child, why are your eyes closed?

    Andrei trembled and squeezed his daughters hand but he could not feel any warmth in her cold hand.

    -The cure. Here is the cure. This will surely cure the disease.

    He squeezed the medicine into her hand, but the vial rolled helplessly across the floor.

    -Why? I have seeded in developing it. I have found a cure for an incurable disease.

    There was no longer a daughter he knew. She no longer smiled at him as a father, or wished to go outside to look at the view from the window.

    -I, I didnt do all that to see this!

    Andrei eventually broke down, cradling his daughters body in his arms.

    Soon after, agents of the Imperial Intelligence burst into the room.

    -Here! Andrei Semov is here!

    -Arrest him! If he resists, kill him!

    Andreis tear-filled eyes turned to the agents.

    They stared at him with contempt,beling him as evil and Andreis anger boiled likeva at the sight.

    Today I have developed a cure for an incurable disease.

    A great advance in medicine.

    But why?

    Why did my daughter have to die?

    Why do you look at me like that?

    Why are you bound by such petty morals that you let someone who could be saved die?

    Its wrong.

    This world is as wrong as it gets.

    -Yes.

    The words slipped from Andreis lips. His voice was hoarse from crying, but still dripping with hate and filth.

    -Then let me show you that you were foolish and I was not wrong.

    -Stop it!

    Intelligence agents and even knights rushed in, but they were no match for Andrei, a Lexer wizard.

    That day, the promising sixth-rank wizard Andrei Semov died. In his ce, Andrei Semov, a warlock of the Biotech School, was born.

    So thats what happened.

    Andrei lowered his head again, reflecting on his past.

    A shadowy man stood in his path, Rudger Chelici, a teacher at the Academy.

    Rudger stared at Andrei and Andrei stared back.

    Rudger didnt ask why he was helping. He just stared at the wizard, who was now on the verge of copse from exhaustion.

    It was then that Andrei muttered in disbelief.

    Are you going to kill me?

    I dont intend to.

    Huh.

    Andrei didnt know if it was the confidence of his own power, or thest bit of sympathy he could muster. But he felt strangely familiar with this man.

    Have you ever failed to protect something you were supposed to protect?

    .

    Have you ever hated the world, and yet, as if sustained by evil, you did everything in your power to prove yourself wrong?

    .

    When Rudger didnt answer, Andrei smirked.

    I see you have.

    .

    I didnt realize it at first, but I could see it in your eyes, youre like me.

    Andrei muttered like a man who had already given up on everything.

    So youre not an ordinary teacher after all.

    As Andrei muttered that, he squeezed thest of his mana into his right hand and materialized a spell.

    It was the same framework that Rudger unfolded as he taught his students the source code.

    This is the form for my knowledge. Take it. It will help you in some way, or you can make it public. Then youll have a ce in the Arcane Chambers Hall of Fame.

    Why are you giving me this?

    Rudger realized that Andreis knowledge was unusual. After all, it was the culmination of a lifetime of study by a Lexer-rank wizard turned warlock.

    It carried no small weight.

    With that, you might be able to regain your former reputation, or at least, given your help in thest fight, you might be able to avoid the worst punishment.

    Andrei shook his head.

    I didnt do it for anything in return, its just that I couldnt bear it.

    Couldnt bear what?

    What I failed to protect, and what the world failed to protect. I was tormented by it all.

    Andrei coughed, and ck blood gurgled. His body was dying.

    Andreiughed bitterly.

    It wasnt praise I needed, or great achievements to make a name for myself in the world. I just wanted to protect what I held in my hands.

    .

    It must sound ridiculous tomit such an evil deed for such a thing. It doesnt make sense to others. Of course, I dont want it to make sense. I was sincere the whole time, thats all that matters to me.

    I didnt care if I had to be an enemy to the world for that.

    I didnt care who cursed and pointed fingers.

    No matter the filth, no matter the thorns.

    I was willing to endure it all.

    You are, too, arent you?

    Andreis clear eyes pierced Rudgers.

 Chapter 313

    Even so, Im not broken enough to have dabbled in demonic powers.

    Andrei humbly epted Rudgers sharp point because he knew he was wrong.

    I know demonic power is dangerous and that Im not like you when ites to using it but I, too, had my reasons for doing so.

    Was it because you were manipted by demonic power?

    No.

    Andrei answered firmly.

    They say the devil ys tricks to get flesh in return for lending his power, but I think thats wrong, because it was entirely my will to wield that power. All of these choices, all of them, were made by me.

    Then why?

    There must be a reason, Rudger thought.

    It was said that Andrei was driven mad by greed and ruined by human experimentation, but Rudger could tell just by talking to him that Andrei was perfectly sane.

    He wasnt crazy, in fact, his eyes were as clear and deep as the ocean.

    He had been emotional in the face of Thirds sess, fueled by his demonic powers, but now that he was gone, he was a wizard befitting his age and rank.

    A father came to me to save his child.

    Andrei recounted a story from his past.

    At the time, I was undercover, healing people in the slums. I just wanted to test a drug I was going to manufacture. I was trying to use it in moderation, and then he came to me with his kid.

    Recalling the days events, Andrei smiles in amusement, but his eyes are somber.

    Surprisingly, he was a fierce Lumensis follower. A man on a mission to despise and exterminate warlocks, and yet he came to me, a warlock. What a joke.

    Andrei coughed dryly.

    But you know whats even funnier? The child he brought me was already dead. Its warmth hadnt cooled down, it hadnt been dead for long, and then the father said, Please, save him.

    .

    I said, What? The child is dead. Why are you asking me to save a dead child? And he said, Well, if youre a warlock, you can save a dead child.

    Andrei chuckled, the absurdity of that statement still fresh in his mind.

    I tried to tell him that I was a wizard by birth, and that warlocks have their own schools, but I knew it was useless and he wouldnt know if I told him, so instead I asked him something else. I asked him why he hadnt thought to cure the child when he was sick, because it was a simple fever that killed him. A simple fever reducer would have saved his life.

    Andrei asked him why, and he said with tears streaming down his face.

    He said he thought if he prayed to God, he would make it happen.

    .

    Its ridiculous, how a mans illness can be cured by a prayer to God. But whats even more ridiculous is that he truly believed it. Right up until thest breath of his childs life! But in the end, the child died, contrary to his fathers wishes.

    In the name of God, he could have lived, but he didnt.

    He could have been saved, but he wasnt.

    It was a terribly, terribly unpleasant farce.

    In the name of that god, the Lumensis persecuted human experimentation. They didnt even use living people, just corpses. Im not advocating for human experimentation. Im just saying that sometimes progress requires an unholy path, and if you cant keep it, whats the point? If you realize it after youve lost something precious, its toote.

    .

    What do people know, they dont learn, they just watch and follow what others do, what they are told to do, even in this age of intellect and science.

    Andreis cloudy eyes held Rudger in their unfathomable wisdom.

    That is why I hate the gods. Its not the blessing of a priest, its medicine and antibiotics. Its not the grace of God that heals the sick, its medicine and surgery. The same goes for incurable diseases. With research, it is no longer incurable.

    Andreis voice was full of passion as he said this.

    It should be people who save people, and no one should stand in the way of saving people in the name of God.

    And so it was.

    Those who hated the name of God and wanted to deal with demonic powers..

    I wanted to show them that they were wrong. I wanted to open up the possibility of human progress with the demonic power that everyone hated so much.

    Andreis lips curled into a bitter smile.

    But in the end, I failed, and this is the result.

    He was fully aware that his actions were those of a man driven by ego. But if he could save one more sick person, that would be enough.

    You are like me. I cant even begin to imagine what you must have gone through to gain such strength at your age.

    Andrei tried to look into Rudgers eyes, to see through him. But there was nothing to see.

    His emotions, his identity, his memories, everything was an unknown, like the unbelievable magic he had shown.

    And so he was the best person to hand over all of his work to.

    This will be of some use to you on your path.

    Andrei didnt care if his lifes work disappeared on the spot.

    Handing it over to Rudger was not an act of desperation to leave a trace somehow.

    The only reason he did it was to help someone walking the same path as him.

    Rudger reached out and touched the sigil that hovered over Andreis palm.

    The magical form, written in pure white code, seeped through Rudgers arm and into his body.

    Andrei watched the entire process as if it were hisst duty.

    When he was satisfied that the transfer wasplete, Andrei took a moment to catch his breath and stared at Rudger clearly.

    His eyes werent just looking at Rudger. Through Rudger, Andrei saw his old self, his old and foolish self.

    You shall not fail.

    With those words, all the remaining mes of Andreis life were extinguished and in his fading consciousness, Andrei thought.

    Ive heard that when a person dies, their vision goes pitch ck.

    Darkness after death.

    A fitting end to my life,he thought.

    But strangely, what Andrei saw before him was nothing but white.

    He wondered if it was a dying mansst hallucination and as he was thinking about it, he saw a figure in the white world.

    -Ah.

    As if mesmerized by something, Andrei walked towards the person.

    At first he staggered, then his steps quickened until he was sprinting like a young man.

    Andrei wrapped his arms around the child and hugged him tightly.

    -Im sorry.

    Andrei cried like a child.

    -Im so sorry I couldnt protect you.

    His only daughter assured him it was okay and wiped his tears away. Then she raised a finger and pointed to a spot. There was his wife, the one who had left him.

    Andrei stared at her in disbelief.

    So, youve been waiting.

    She took his hand and led him away and he followed her lead, stopping suddenly in his tracks and turning around.

    She asked, Whats wrong?

    Andrei smiled softly, shook his head, and continued on his way.

    -Nothing.

    And just like that, Andrei was reunited with his family.

    The three of them slowly melted into the white of the world.

    [Thud]

    The outstretched arm fell, and Andreis head drooped with a faint smile tugged at the corners of his wrinkled mouth.

    Rudger didnt know what Andrei had seen before he died.

    Was it self-satisfaction that he had left everything behind or relief that he had somehow left his research with him?

    It was impossible to tell. But the way Andrei smiled, it was as if his soul was truly saved.

    Redemption.

    Rudger gave Andrei a brief moment of silence, then looked around.

    The central area was a mess from the fight. There were shards, debris, and traces of World Tree roots everywhere.

    With so many traces left behind, Im already wondering what excuse Im going to give them.

    Maybe I should blend in with the fainted and pretend that I fainted with them.

    Im exhausted from using up so much magic.

    Rudger took out a magic restoration pill and popped it into his mouth.

    The excessive use of magic power will soon take its toll on my body.

    It was when he was preparing to take a break that he felt a huge presence rise up along with a cold chill.

    Turning quickly, he saw a ck dot hovering in the center of a palm-shaped crater.

    What?

    That attack didnt kill him?

    The dot slowly grew until it became a ck me that burned in the air and bloodshot eyes shed through the dull mes.

    [This cant be happening! This cant be happening!]

    The demon began to howl and the cry echoed directly into Rudgers head, as if he were screaming right next to him.

    Not words spoken through vocal cords, but a cry thatmunicated with the soul itself.

    A normal person would have fainted just from hearing it.

    Damn it. Hes like a cockroach. Are all demons this tough?

    Rudger grumbled inwardly, but checked himself.

    He had used up most of his mana in hisst attack, and if he were to fight the demon, he would most likely lose.

    Destroy it before it regains its full strength.

    But how?

    He used a spell that was almost the best against a demon but it hadnt died.

    How could he kill it?

    As Rudger pondered this, he realized that something was wrong with the demons condition.

    Its body cant regenerate?

    The creature that was now floating in the air was literally an incorporeal force. It had no body and just a spirit body made up of energy that hadnt yet dissipated.

    Then that means hes not exactly in the best shape either.

    This was a chance.

    Just as Rudger was about to activate his magic, wary of the demon, the demons shouting stopped and his red eyes turned to Rudger.

    [Human!]

    Rudger Chelici.

    [You, you, youve ruined everything!]

    The demon, whose physical body had been destroyed, and whose spiritual body had also suffered a great blow, could not control his churning emotions. He red at Rudger with a hatred and anger he had never seen before. It was intent on killing Rudger even in this state.

    Rudger didnt avoid the demons gaze, but he didnt neglect to check its condition.

    The demon had swelled to a size that could be pinched, but that was all. As if that were the limit, the demons spirit body could not grow anyrger.

    In fact, just maintaining it in this state was straining it, and it was slowly dispersing into powder at the tips.

    It was now in a state of limbo.

    As long as the given framework of a physical body did not exist, even a demon could not exist in this world and the demon felt it, too.

    All that remained of the demon was the power it had barely materialized but even that was rapidly being consumed.

    At this rate, it would bepletely destroyed.

    Rather than fight Rudger, the demon realized that it must find a vessel for its power now. But where was the right vessel?

    Unlike Louispold no human body would be able to withstand his power.

    Rudger and the demon locked eyes, wary of each other when the demon suddenly felt eyes on him.

    The demons gaze snapped to the side, and for a moment Rudger thought he saw something there. But all he could see was the half-broken exterior wall of the cave.

    But the demon was different. He felt it in his gaze and read the wavelengths of the strange power within it.

    [So its still there! A remnant of the ursed saint!]

    What?

    Before Rudger could ask what that meant, the demon moved.

    Taking the form of a ck mist, the demon flew to the ceiling of the central area and entered the gap created by the fight.

    It was only possible because it had shed its physical body.

    Rudger had no time to react to the demons sudden movement.

    Damn it.

    Hed thought hed escape through the other passageways that connected to the central area, but now he was running through a gap in the ceiling?

    Besides, it was clear from his direction that he was headed for the ground.

    My remaining mana is.

    Rudger measured his remaining mana.

    He didnt know what the demon saw, but he was pretty sure it was the remnants of a saint.

    A saint and the demon.

    The words shed through Rudgers mind in rapid session, culminating in the face of a young girl.

    Without a second thought, Rudger popped all of the mana restoration pills into his mouth and cast a spatial spell as his body vanished like a mirage, shrouded in shadows.

    * * *

    On a street where the entrance to the Devalk Imperial Castle could be seen in the distance Rene stopped running and stared at the ground.

    Rene?

    Just as Erendir was about to ask why she had stopped, Rene shouted.

    Everyone run!

    But the warning was toote as a harsh vibration rumbled from beneath them, and the ground began to crack like a drought.

    What the hell?

    Why all of a sudden.?

    The students and the knights panicked as ck smoke erupted likeva through the cracks.

    A ck mist floated in the air, its huge red eyes ncing down at the capital city.

    [Where are you?]

    The moment the cry echoed out, onlookers dropped to their knees as the mind-shattering sound was irresistible.

    Impatiently, the demon rolled his eyes and finally found the starry eyes staring back at him in disbelief.

    [There you are!]

    The demons red eyes narrowed and the ck mist turned into a swirl and lunged for Rene whose legs froze.

    The ck vortex was about to engulf her body when a shield imbued with the element of blue lightning blocked it.

    Renes eyes widened as she caught sight of a familiar figure behind her, with flowing navy blue hair.

    Flora?

    Flora Lumos stepped forward to protect Rene.

    Why her?

    No. That wasnt what mattered now.

    Even Floras magic wouldntst long against the demons power.

    The demon had broken through the barrier and was once again targeting Rene but Flora maintained her defensive spell and lightly scribbled with one hand as a gentle breeze followed and blew Rene backwards.

    Rene was about to say something to Flora, but Flora looked back at Rene and opened her mouth.

    With this, my debt is paid.

    Immediately, the magic barrier shattered, and a ck mist engulfed Flora.

 Chapter 314

    The demon Basara was furious.

    The vessel he so desperately wanted was right in front of him but everything was ruined by an intruder.

    Not only had he failed to take the body of the saint, but he had taken the body of a human being who looked like a little girl.

    Nothing could have been more humiliating.

    Basara looked down angrily at the way things had turned out, and suddenly felt a pang of doubt.

    [This?]

    Basaras eyes lit up as he took a look at the body he had unintentionally taken over. Normally, a human body containing his power should have disintegrated, its skin cracking like a drought because uncontrolled power is a curse. But there was nothing wrong with his current body.

    It was more than fine, it was too fine.

    Because it was strong?

    No. In terms of strength, Louispolds body was the most ideal.

    But this body was still healthy for one reason. Her potential was greater than anything else.

    [Her magical potential is far greater than Louispold. She may be weak now, but in a few years, her talent will be in full bloom.]

    The heights to which Louispold had been driven by the inhumane experiments were merely milestones that Flora could reach in the not-too-distant future.

    Such was Floras talent. A once-in-a-century urrence.

    [I had originally intended to take the body of the saint.]

    It was like finding a jewel in an unexpected ce.

    Basara scattered his power throughout Floras body. The important thing now was to take control of Floras mind.

    Basara was a demon of deception and mind control. It was no small feat to extinguish a students mind and turn her into an idiot.

    Moreover, this girl, Flora Lumos, harbored a great deal of darkness in her heart.

    Despite her magical talents, she is not epted by her family and suffers from severe trauma.

    Although she presents a faade of strength and dominance, she is very vulnerable and easily hurt by the slightest criticism.

    Basara couldnt have asked for easier prey and sought to destroy Floras self.

    [What?]

    But it didnt work as he thought.

    Floras tiny, delicate self fiercely resisted Basaras will.

    If he tried to force her, he might actually lose control of her body.

    [Yes, such resistance is to be expected given your talent].

    Basara decided to hold off on destroying Floras self because as it stood, there was no immediate danger of him losing control.

    With his demonic powers, Basara pushed Floras physical potential to the limit.

    [The colors I see with my eyes, the scents I smell with my nose. What a body, to be able to feel the power of magic so sensually.]

    A pleasant smile tugged at the corners of Basaras mouth as he took over Floras body.

    Floras appearance had also changed slightly due to the demonic power. Her once blue-ck hair had turned jet-ck, like the darkness of a starless night sky. Her skin had be more lustrous, and her eyes had taken on a strangely seductive glow.

    Squeezing her own hand, Basara turned to Rene, who was now staring at her in disbelief.

    * * *

    Darkness, like a violent storm, swirled around Flora.

    In skin-crawling terror, Rene couldnt take her eyes off the scene before her. Soon enough, the storm subsided and a seemingly unharmed Flora emerged. But something was off about her appearance.

    Her hair color had changed, but more importantly, her aura was different.

    Who are you?

    Renee asked without realizing it.

    The figure was Flora, but there was an inky darkness behind her. The darkness was eerily simr to the one shed seen underground.

    She felt an instinctive certainty that she wasnt Flora and something else had taken over her body.

    Basara, who had taken over Floras body, raised her index finger to the corner of her mouth and smiled at Renes question.

    Hmm, curious. Why would a saint of this era be here without an escort? Moreover, it seems you havent even fully awakened your abilities yet.

    .

    Rene didnt understand what Basara was talking about. What was a saint and what was an awakening?

    Just as she was about to ask, she felt a stabbing pain in her eyes.

    Ouch!

    Hmph. My judgment still seems a little immature. I must have woken up in an absurd world.

    Basara muttered to himself as he gazed at the architecture of the capital.

    Suddenly, Basara wondered how much stronger he could be if he harnessed the power of this body.

    If this was the case, he might be able to fulfill his mission once again.

    Then lets test it.

    What great things could be done with this body.

    Mu, what happened?

    Suddenly my head.

    The panicked students and guards around him woke up.

    I guess I should clean up here first.

    Basara muttered that and snapped his fingers.

    At that moment, ck shadows swirled around him, scattering a dark aura in all directions.

    The ck particles contained within themselves the emotion of negativity. As it spread in all directions, the people, at first wondering what was going on, quickly turned to panic and they froze in ce, floating like aspens.

    Rene felt her head hurt at the sight and Basara marveled at her ability to maintain her sanity in the midst of such a dense atmosphere.

    Still, a saint is a saint, and even if she doesnt realize it, she is unaffected by my power.

    Floras slender, pure white index finger pointed at Rene.

    Then I have no choice but to kill you myself.

    ck magic began to form at his fingertips.

    It was nothing more than a high concentration ofpressed energy but it was a blow that would be impossible for the current Rene to block.

    Rene knew it, and staggered back. She didnt know how, but Basara was trying to kill her now.

    If only she could get out of the way.

    Ah, theres no point in running away.

    As if reading her mind, Basara smiled seductively and reoriented his fingers as a pulsing ck aura pointed at the panicked people.

    If you run, I will kill everyone here, but if you dont run, I promise I will only kill you and leave these people untouched.

    .

    It was a lie, of course. Basaras mission was the extermination of all humans. Still, saying this was nothing more than a way to taunt Rene.

    She knew it, but she couldnt get away.

    Basara smirked.

    Youre a sweet girl, and the owner of this body thinks so too.

    Basara turned on his feet and walked slowly toward Rene.

    The human who interrupted me seems to care deeply about you. If thats the case, Ill have to kill you to get even.

    Basara turned his right hand and the ck magic at his fingertips spread out around his hand, transforming it into a sharp beasts hand.

    This vicious grasp was directed at Renes heart.

    Goodbye.

    Just as he was about to stab his hand into it something stepped out of Renes shadow and grabbed Basaras wrist.

    Teacher?

    Rene stared at Rudgers back in disbelief.

    From the shadows, Rudger slowly rose to his feet.

    Shrouded in Aether Nocturnus, he red at Basara with eyes that boiled behind his mask.

    Basara was not displeased to be interrupted. In fact, he even smirked, as if he had been waiting for him.

    Well, well. You finally came?

    Youve suddenly taken an unpleasant turn in tone.

    Im acting in ordance with the bodys owner. Its called respect. Why? Does it suit you?

    Rudger didnt answer. Instead, he reached out with his right hand and extended his index finger toward Basara.

    The gesture reminded Basara of an underground fight, and he backed away.

    Onlyter did he realize that Rudgers gesture contained no magic, and he frowned in annoyance.

    Meanwhile, Rudger turned his head slightly to look back at Rene.

    Rene, are you okay?

    Yes, yes. Im fine, but you, sir, you look like.

    Rene stuttered, unable to adjust to Rudgers shadowy form.

    Rudger nced at Renes condition, then back at Basara.

    Ill deal with him. You evacuate those around you.

    The words reminded Rene of what was important right now.

    Senior Flora was taken while trying to save me.

    Yes.

    Can she be saved?

    Thats.

    Rudger couldnt answer easily. This was the first time he had ever fought against a demon that had taken over a human body in the first ce.

    There were a lot of things to consider, starting with theplete separation of body and soul. And it wasnt like Basara was going to allow it.

    With every second counting, he wondered if he could bring Flora back in one piece.

    It was a luxury to even question that.

    Dont worry. Ill be done in a minute.

    She must have sensed something in that short answer so Rene breathed a sigh of relief and stood up.

    As she slowly backed away, Basara stared at Rudger.

    Just as he was about to say something, Rudger cast a spell and his shadow engulfed Basara.

    The shadows shifted their position from the streets within sight of the pce to a deserted square with no people in sight.

    Basara looked around at the change in scenery.

    There was no one around so it was clear from there what Rudgers intentions were.

    Interesting.

    Basara knew it, but he deliberately didnt resist Rudgers magic. He was certain that no matter what he did, he would not be defeated.

    Basara was happy to participate in the entertainment.

    Why dont you get some help, I dont think you can do this alone.

    No matter how many people there are, theyll only get in the way.

    Really? Is that why you kicked that saint out?

    Basara giggled in amusement. It was the first smile he had ever seen on Floras face but Rudger found the sight more offensive than refreshing.

    Youre lying. You think I dont know you came all the way here on purpose because youre worried about her?

    You speak as if youve suddenly be intimately acquainted with me.

    Of course I do. I got a glimpse of her memories when I took over this body. I think I know who you are now. You care about people, even if you pretend not to, and you care about that kid in particr. The owner of this body must be very disappointed.

    .

    Rudger didnt answer but Basara didnt say it because she wanted a response. Rather, she said it to make Rudger feel bad and it seemed to work.

    Rudger didnt show his feelings outwardly, but the hostility in his eyes grew stronger.

    Even now, in possession of a perfectly gifted body, it made his skin crawl and Basaraughed in amusement.

    Are you going to kill me, and if you kill me, this child will die with me?

    If necessary.

    You really are a ruthless teacher.

    Basara smiled seductively and spread his arms wide.

    It was an invitation toe and y and Rudger took a step toward her as a violent storm of darkness began to swirl around Basara.

    There was no finesse or skill, just the overwhelming violence of power emanating from a body whose talents had blossomed to the extreme.

    With that alone, the entire street was swallowed up by the storm.

    Rudger took a slow step forward, his gaze fixed on Basara.

    The storm pushed him forward as the distance was only a few meters, but taking a single step was far more arduous than traveling a thousand miles.

    Worse, the closer they got, the more exponentially the density of the storms power increased.

    His breath caught in his throat and his vision blurred as Rudgers steps slowed but Basara remained still deliberately.

    It was such a pleasure to watch the man who had driven him to annihtion panic under the strain.

    All this time, as a demon, Basara had wielded the emotions of others while remaining numb to his own. He thought emotions were a waste of time and a distraction.

    Basara admitted that he had been stupid, he didnt realize it when he didnt feel it, but now he did.

    Emotions are a good thing. Especially when ites to watching humans struggle.

    It was sweeter than a drop of water in the midst of a soul-twisting thirst.

    For now, at this moment, Basara decided to put aside the agenda of his mission and focus on one thing.

    Let me taste more.

    Delight me more.

    See how far the man in front of her would go.

    What a pleasure it would be to watch the process, and then to show the master of this body his shabby end.

    Just thinking about it was enough to drive him crazy with excitement.

    Ahaha! Dont give up, sir, for your student is waiting here pitifully!

    The shout rang clearly in Rudgers ears, even through the dark storm.

    * * *

    Aidan fell into a deep sleep. He felt as if he were floating alone in a pitch-ck space.

    Despite his awareness that it was a dream, his body vehemently refused to wake up.

    I wonder what happened.

    Just as Aidan was about to ask himself that question, a light shed in front of his eyes.

    -Hey! Wake up!

    Who is that?

    The voice sounded vaguely familiar. But the shout wasnt enough to wash away the darkness.

    -If you sleep here, youre going to pay for it! I thought you told me not to sleep on the floor!

    At the sound of that vaguely familiar voice, Aidans eyes widened at the intense energy that erupted from the depths of his mind.

    Ugh!

    Aidan screamed as the area around his eyes was throbbing with pain.

    Uh, sorry. Did I hit you too hard?

    Master?

    Aidans eyes widened as he recognized his master, Madeline.

    What the hell happened.?

    I just wanted you to wake up. Here, take your staff, its shaped like a sword, just like you.

    What? Why?

    Why?

    Forcing Aidan to his feet, Madeline pointed to the massive dark storm spreading in the distance.

    We need to get through that.

    ?

 Chapter 315

    Aidan still couldnt wrap his head around Madelines words.

    Lets go through there.

    What the hell is that ck storm.?

    Ah!

    Aidan looked around, realizing why hed fainted.

    Where was Leo? Where were Tracy and Iona?

    Aidan looked around and saw his friends lying on the ground.

    He was about to pull himself up and check on them when Madeline grabbed his shoulder.

    Stop. Dont bother checking on them. Theyre out cold right now but theyre not in critical condition.

    What?

    Im more surprised about something else. You were hit a little hard, but you woke up right away. Youve been practicing the spells I taught you, havent you?

    Aidans face fell as he suddenly realized something.

    Master, what the hell is going on?

    Its a long story, but what we need now is to get to that storm over there.

    Even as Madeline spoke, she sounded reluctant. But she couldnt help it.

    The man came out and warned me.

    When she spotted a massive eruption of power in the distance Madelines first reaction was to flee.

    Something dangerous had happened, so she needed to hide somewhere safe ande back when its over but her escapested less than three seconds as a ck, shadowy man emerged from the ground.

    It was Rudger Chelici and the moment she spotted him, she froze.

    -Madeline. Thank God.

    -Yes, yes, yes!

    -Things are not looking good right now. I dont have time for a long exnation, so Ill cut to the chase. I need your anti-magic.

    -My anti-magic?

    -Ill buy you some time. All you have to do is clear the way.

    -A way? To whom?

    -Youll see. Are you going to do it or not?

    At Rudgers question, Madeline broke out in a cold sweat.

    She ran away because she was scared, and now he wanted her to go back there.

    No one could do that without going insane. But when she saw the look in Rudgers eyes, she couldnt help but say yes.

    -Ill do it.

    -Good.

    With those words, Rudger disappeared back into the shadows.

    Its a magic thats hard to believe even though she saw it before.

    Moving freely through space using shadows?

    This is why you cant run away and not be caught.

    -Ah! That sucks!

    Madeline rubbed her head roughly, then lifted her head up.

    -Ahhh.

    Madeline paced.

    In the meantime, whatever Rudger had done, the storm raging in the distance had moved on.

    Instead, arger ck vortex that threatened to engulf the entire capital formed.

    I cant fight this alone.

    I needed the help of someone who can use anti-magic.

    And one such person happened to be in the capital.

    Aidan. Will you do it?

    Madeline asked, looking at Aidan with serious eyes.

    Honestly, Aidans help was just a backup n, just in case. It wasnt a requirement.

    If Aidan didnt want to do it, Madeline would leave him behind, at least as a teacher. But this foolishly upright apprentice didnt seem to think so.

    I have to do it. Its dangerous not to, isnt it?

    Who? Your friends?

    No, no. My teacher.

    .

    Madeline was speechless for a moment.

    Aidan looked over at her, grinning from ear to ear, and Madeline smirked and roughly ruffled her apprentices hair.

    Yuck!

    Dont give me that look.

    What look?

    You dont need to know.

    Madeline quickly grabbed Aidans hand and pulled him to his feet.

    How are you feeling?

    Uhm. I think Im okay.

    I dont care if its bad, you said youd do it, so Im not going to spare you.

    You never change, master.

    Neither have you.

    Madeline reached for the staff at her waist. Her staff, like Aidans, was shaped like a sword. But unlike Aidans, which was merely an imitation of a sword, it was a real sword.

    Im ready.

    He must be in the center of that storm right now.

    I dont know exactly whats going on, but hes putting up a fierce fight.

    Lets go.

    Yes!

    Madeline headed into the storm with Aidan.

    * * *

    Rudger kept moving forward through the ck storm, unable to see anything.

    It felt like the world wasing to an end and every step he took weighed him down like a thousand pounds.

    It was hard to breathe, and he could barely see.

    The intense wind pressure of the storm made his entire body feel like he was being beaten with a club. But more than anything else, it was the fluctuation of his emotions that bothered Rudger.

    His mind, which had been as strong as an iron wall, was beginning to be affected, albeit in small ways, by the non-stop barrage of mental attacks.

    -Why are you still alive?

    -You ruined everything!

    -Why didnt you save me?

    shes of the past appeared but Rudger didnt stop and stepped toward Basara.

    Thats great.

    Basara was honest with himself.

    No matter how great a man you are, its hard to maintain your sanity in a storm of this magnitude.

    The slightestpse in concentration and the storm would tear you apart.

    Body and mind, it was an assault on everything at once and yet Rudger held on or rather, he kepting toward him.

    This storm had no eye of the storm so it wasnt safe to move toward the center.

    On the contrary, the closer you get, the more the strain on both body and mind rises sharply.

    Getting closer would only make it worse. Still, Rudger didnt stop.

    Why do you keeping?

    Basara asked.

    It was a pure question.

    Are you trying to be a hero, to protect the world, to stand up to me out of pure conviction?

    But something in Rudgers demeanor told Basara that he wasnt fighting out of heroism.

    Then what was he fighting for? Basara didnt understand.

    Now that he was more emotionally capable, he was curious to know what was driving Rudger.

    Or is it the owner of the body I upy?

    .

    For the first time, Rudger responded as a fleeting flicker appeared in his eyes. It was so subtle as to be imperceptible, but Basara, who controlled the space itself, could tell and a long arc formed at the corners of his mouth.

    Hahaha, thats so funny. To think that someone of your caliber would be motivated by such a trivial reason.

    Basara ced a hand on his chest as he said this.

    Are you trying to y teacher now, when you didnt really care what happened to this kid?

    .

    You dont know it, but I can feel it, this kid hates everyone in the world, and rightfully so, because no one has ever acknowledged her for having such a gift.

    Basara said.

    She was born into a good family, but she was discriminated against because she was an outcast. She was despised and persecuted by those who wanted to recognize her, and no one around her wanted to help.

    Rudger stared at Basara with wide eyes. He could barely make out the words, but he knew they were there.

    Basara continued.

    Its the same for you, too, Professor. You knew this kid was good, but you never gave her a properpliment. I wonder if you ever gave her the proper recognition in the first ce?

    The shadows on Rudgers body began to chip away.

    Even the physically resilient Aether Nocturnus could not withstand the storms cumtive damage for long.

    The storm began to tear at the fabric of his clothes and cut into his skin.

    What kind of a stranger are you, anyway? You have your own precious child to save. Maybe you shouldnt have paid attention to Flora.

    Basara could feel Floras emotions.

    Even now, her emotions were seeping into him and the more they did, the more they maximized their potential.

    The storm slowly grew in size, spilling over the square and swallowing the surrounding buildings.

    The roofs of the buildings around the square disintegrated, tearing off bricks. So did the brass pipes on the exterior walls and the sturdy cars.

    Give up now, shes already given up on everything. Shell be happy now, because she has someone who understands her, the only person who understands herNo, not a person.

    Basaraughed, holding his stomach as if it were funny.

    Human or demon, it doesnt matter. Its important to have someone who understands you, isnt it? If a god or a man wont hold your hand, a demon will.

    The Lumos family believes in the religion of Lumensis, which follows the gods. They say that the teachings of the gods are the real truth, and that their behavior is not wrong.

    Flora Lumos grew up in such a family and everyone including her father, her siblings and the people of her family abandoned her, even the gods who were supposed to save her.

    Given your skill, Ill give you onest chance. Get away from here and never be seen by me again. Then I can spare your life.

    Basara spoke excitedly.

    This is my way of repaying the master of this body. I want to kill you, but this child doesnt seem to want to kill you very much, so this is myst mercy. This demonic mercy I speak of is as precious as a mermaids tears, isnt it?

    By now, Rudger was within earshot of Basara.

    Just a hands reach away Rudger staggered to a halt.

    Now that he was within touching distance of Basara, the ck storm was at full strength. He couldnt move, even if he wanted to, and it was a miracle he could even stay in ce.

    With a knowing look on his face, Basara offered.

    Now, answer me, will you give up?

    .

    Come on. If you just say that, itll make it easier for everyone, and she can let go of her expectations and start fresh.

    .

    Just say it. I give up. Its not that hard, is it? Ill let you live.

    The raven mask on Rudgers face was long gone, one cheek was bleeding, and Rudger pursed his lips.

    Basara pricked up his ears, knowing he was about to say something.

    As far as Basara could see, Rudger was already at his limit. His body and mind were so worn out that he could barely stand. In fact, he could hardly believe he was still standing on his own two legs. But that, too, wasing to an end.

    Go ahead, say it. You give up.

    If you say so, its all.

    You talk a lot.

    What?

    Well, if youre going to make such a big deal out of it, you cant possibly not know.

    What.?

    Ie all this way and you tell me to give up?

    The moment when Basara gets that look of disbelief on his face Rudger shouted as loud as he could.

    Madeline!!!

    Right after that.

    [!!!]

    The ck storm that was about to engulf the capital snapped in half.

    What?

    Basara couldntprehend the sight before her.

    It was not merely demonic power, but the power of a supremely gifted physical body, imbued with magic.

    Even a Master could not stop this storm. Then the unbelievable happened.

    Basaras gaze fell on the edge of the storm. There, breathing hard, was a man and a woman.

    One was a student Flora remembered but the other was a dark-haired woman she had never seen before.

    Seeing the inscrutable power radiating from the tips of their wands, Basara muttered.

    Anti-magic?

    Magic that nullifies magic. It was a ridiculous magic that gave one an unconditional advantage inbat, regardless of the size of the power.

    To make matters worse, there were not one, but two anti-magic users in the same ce.

    What an absurdity.

    But even that miraculous [Unusual] magic could only calm the raging storm for a moment.

    The storm would move again, and the disaster of destruction that had been halted would continue but that momentary lull was enough to turn the tide.

    This is what Rudger was aiming for from the start.

    There you are.

    The storm had subsided enough for Rudger to see and Basaras eyes widened in surprise as he looked at him.

    Before he could struggle, Rudger reached out with his right hand and grabbed his head activating the magic he had prepared.

    Drive him to hell (Divina Virtute in Infernum Detrude).

    (Exorkismos)

    TLN: The words in () were copied from the raws not tranted.

 Chapter 316

    Rudger opened his closed eyes.

    He looked up and saw his surroundings where reference books, papers, open exercise books and pencils appeared.

    This ce.

    The scene was familiar, and Rudger was about to say something was wrong.

    Are you awake? You must be tired.

    The voice behind him turned his head.

    In his own small room there was someone sitting on his bed, a man in his mid-thirties, with a frail appearance, but with an aura of kindness.

    As soon as the boy saw him, he muttered under his breath.

    Father.

    Father? Gee, my sons all grown up. He doesnt even call me Dad anymore. Hows your studying going?

    The boy looked at the reference books on his desk and realized what was going on.

    Hed fallen asleep while studying.

    Uh, yeah. Im just trying to do my best.

    I see. My son wants to be a doctor or a scientist, and as a family, we should be supportive, but you need to take it easy. Im worried youre overdoing it and damaging your health.

    No, I just fell asleep.

    With thatme excuse, I put my pencil back in my hand. I had no intention of taking a weekend off to study for the uing exam.

    As I stared at the problem book and tried to solve it, I realized something was wrong.

    Why was I studying?

    A small question suddenly popped into his mind.

    He shouldnt have had to think about it, but he found himself strangely searching for the answer.

    Yes, there was. There was something he wanted to achieve.

    The reason he was studying so hard was because of his dream.

    But how did Ie to have that dream.

    The pencil fell from the boys hand and rolled across the desk.

    He didnt think to catch it as it tumbled to the floor.

    I see.

    The boy rose from his chair and looked back at his father.

    It was a dream.

    .

    The father nodded, smiling kindly while the boy looked at his father and pursed his lips to say something but in the end, the words failed to materialize and dissipated like smoke in his mouth.

    The boy bit his lip and slowly made his way to the door and the moment he put his hand on the doorknob, his father asked.

    Are you going?

    Yes.

    The boy replied, his eyes fixed on the doorknob.

    Theres a kid I need to help, so I have to go.

    I see.

    The boy said the words, but he didnt open the door. Maybe this is where he wanted his father to tell him to stay with him a little longer.

    A little bit would be nice, so lets talk.

    Its a dream, so its worth it, right?

    His grip on the doorknob loosened.

    Dad, I.

    Go.

    The boys eyes widened at the words and looked back at his father with trembling pupils.

    His father was looking at him with a look of pride and with that the boy realized that the story was finished. There was no need to start over.

    His grip on the doorknob tightened again.

    Okay. Lets go.

    The boy opened the doorway wide.

    There was nothing to see, but he didnt hesitate to step through. He didnt need a goodbye, he had heard enough.

    His childhood self had been reced by that of Rudger Chelici.

    * * *

    A pitch-ck darkness where nothing can be seen.

    An endless abyss of unconsciousness.

    The bottom of the ck void was filled with crimson flowers.

    The red flowers were beautiful, but they were also eerie, as if they were steeped in blood.

    Floray in a field of them.

    Mmm.

    Flora opened her eyes and pushed herself up, she looked around.

    Where am I?

    Her bleary eyes snapped open and realizing what had just happened, Flora put one hand to her forehead.

    Yes. I must have been there.

    A ck mist oozed from the cracks in the ground. It was about to strike at Rene with a will of its own, but she stepped in front of it and blocked the attack.

    She was swallowed by the fog and her vision went ck and when she opened her eyes, she was here.

    No ones here!

    Flora scrambled to her feet and shouted but no voice answered so she began to walk. She wanted to get away from this monotonous, creepy world of red and ck as soon as possible.

    Is anyone out there?

    She tried to shout louder, but her voice was swallowed up by the endless darkness and not even an echo was heard.

    Flora couldnt even begin to realize how big this ce was. Maybe this was an infinite space with no end.

    Suddenly, an anxiety shed through Floras mind.

    What if I never get out of here?

    In a panic, Flora ran through the flowers.

    The feel of the red petals against her ankles was unpleasant. It felt like an invisible hand was constantly teasing her ankle. Everywhere she passed, red petals fluttered into the air.

    Flora called out as she ran.

    Is anyone there? Someone help me.

    She didnt know how long she could keep running.

    Gasping for breath, she finally slumped to the ground.

    Please, someone.

    She pleaded in a sobbing voice, but the world remained silent.

    She knew that no one woulde to her aid because she had always been a loner.

    The moment she realized what she had been denying, she lost all motivation and slumped down like a marite with a broken string.

    No one woulde to her rescue.

    Not family, not friends, not anyone.

    No one. Maybe it was for the best.

    So it was better to just disappear.

    Staying here didnt seem so bad even though she cant meet people here but she wouldnt get hurt.

    A tear rolled down Floras cheek. A single tear formed on the tip of her chin and fell onto the red petals.

    Slowly Floras consciousness began to fade as she was immersed in the flower field.

    Her body became more and more transparent as she lost motivation and started fading away.

    The moment when Floras solid self was about to be turned off like a switch being flipped in the world where nothing existed but a field of red flowers, a small change urred.

    [BANG!]

    The dull sound of a fist hitting something solid was heard as a beam of light hit Flora.

    Flora raised her bowed head. Her vacant eyes stared straight ahead.

    There was a tiny, tiny crack in the ck void and the light that illuminated Flora was leaking through that crack.

    The dull sound continued as the gold began to spread out like a.

    As the crack grewrger, the light leaking out grew clearer and the void shattered.

    Beyond the shattered space was a pure white world of light and a man stood on the field of flowers, his back to the blinding light.

    Ah.

    Floras pupils dted and her red lips quivered in disbelief at the sight before her as Flora mouthed a name.

    Professor Rudger?

    Flora Lumos.

    Rudger stood and faced Flora. Herplexion was pale and her eyes devoid of light. Worst of all, her body was turning translucent but Flora was alive.

    It was not toote.

    Why, why are you here.?

    I came to help.

    Help, you mean, me?

    Rudger nodded at Floras stunned inquiry.

    Flora was about to say thank you, but she bit her lip as she remembered her situation.

    Torn between sadness and joy she red at Rudger.

    Are you going to pretend to care now?

    .

    I know, you dont really care about me anyway, Im just a talented student, nothing more, nothing less.

    Flora.

    Why the hell did youe? You could have just abandoned me, like my family did to me, and then I wouldnt have this much trouble.

    Flora shouted, raising her quills like a prickly hedgehog and Rudger listened to her in silence.

    Then, when she lowered her voice, he spoke up.

    Flora. Im not going to deny that Im here to save you as a teacher but being a teacher is only a secondary reason. Youre the real reason Im here. Im here purely because Im worried about you.

    Youre worried about me? Ha! Thats ridiculous.

    I know youre struggling. I understand where youreing from. Ive been through something simr to what youre going through, and I couldnt leave you alone.

    Dont lie!

    Flora thought Rudger was lying on purpose to convince her. He wouldnt say he understood her otherwise.

    She was abandoned by her family and nearly branded at a young age for religious reasons.

    Even if that hadnt happened, the memory of that day has left an indelible scar.

    But do you understand that?

    Youve been through something simr?

    Who are you?

    What the hell do you think you know about me, to say you understand? You cant! Ive been through so much! Ive suffered so much!

    Flora vented her inner darkness.

    Normally, she would never show it as she wasnt even aware of it.

    Do you have any idea what its like to be abandoned by your family?

    Flora.

    Dont say my name in that voice!

    As Flora shouted, the world began to vibrate. Immediately afterward, from behind Floras back, a ck shadow rose up.

    [Yeah. Flora hates it].

    A paper doll-like figure with an elongated upper body appeared. The shadows face flickered, revealing pure white eyes and a mouth.

    Rudgers eyes narrowed as he realized the creatures identity.

    Basara.

    [Surprised? I didnt know there was magic that could reach the depths of the subconscious, but its too bad Flora doesnt want to go out.]

    Rudger didnt respond to Basaras words. Instead, he turned to Flora.

    Flora, are you sure you dont want to leave?

    If I do, what difference does it make? Its all the same anyway. Jealous siblings, disdainful stares, a family that doesnt approve.Theres no difference.

    There is.

    What did you say?

    I said there is a difference.

    Flora pursed her lips at Rudgers near-assertion.

    What the hell do you mean?

    Youre the one who decides that.

    Im not the one who decides.

    Floras voice trailed off.

    She was desperate for someone to save her. Maybe she even expected it.

    She wanted Rudger to tell her that he would help her, that he would protect her when she was out there. But Rudger didnt seem to have any intention of saving her.

    Flora, you wanted to be saved. You wanted someone to reach out and take you by the hand and lift you up. I understand that feeling.

    Knowing that, why on earth would you.?

    Because, Flora, in the end, it is you who must change.

    .

    Even if I help you, if you are not willing to walk on your own, my help will be of no use. It will only ease your mind for a moment. Its not a fundamental solution.

    .

    And yet, if I try to change you, it is my will, not yours. You will end up living a life of being kept alive by others again. Is that really what you want?

    Rudger stared at Flora with an unwavering gaze that contained not even an ounce of falsehood.

    He spoke the cold, hard truth, without any consideration.

    Salvation is not something you can ask for; it is something you must earn. No one can live your life for you. No one can fully understand your despair. And, of course, no one can help you ovee that despair.

    Rudger never spoke of saving others because that would be too arrogant. He could only save himself.

    So I ask you, Flora. Do you want to change?

    Its unreasonable to expect salvation from others, something like that will nevere, no matter how hard you try.

    At least thats what Rudger thought.

    Therefore, salvation, even the salvation of others, was never an option for Rudger.

    Salvation done by someone else is no salvation at all. Its just another form of captivity in the name of salvation. In the end, man had to rise of his own free will.

    She had to fight for herself and all he can offer is a little help, a little push, on the back of someone who wanted to move forward.

    If you want to change, Ill help you. As long as you dont give up on yourself, Ill cheer you on.

    That was Rudgers conviction. It was his path and belief.

    .

    Flora didnt know what to say.

    To be honest, she wanted to get out of here and go back outside. But the outside was so scary.

    All the things that had hurt her were still out there.

    It would be a terrible thing to have to face it again.

    Still, if anyone can help her, even just one person that would be great..

    [Too bad.]

    Then a voice interrupted them.

    [I cant believe youre talking about something so funny without me.]

    Basara, who had been bouncing around on Floras back, began to grow in stature.

    At first, it was only about three meters tall, but then it grew to the point where Flora had to lift her head quite a bit.

    [Flora, have you forgotten that the outside world is full of pain? This ce, on the other hand, is different, and if youre here, you wont be hurt by anyone, because Ill make sure of that].

    Basara leaned his massive frame down and whispered in Floras ear.

    [I can understand you, because we are one, and only I can fully empathize with your pain.]

    Ah.

    [Dont believe that man. You know hes never acknowledged you, even after all that talk. Hes a liar.]

    Basaras whisper threw Flora into confusion but then Rudger spoke up.

    Ive felt it before when we fought.

    Basara lifted his head and stared at Rudger. His jet-ck face and pure white eyes were so monotonous, yet they held an indescribable, inorganic fear.

    You talk too much.

    [Ouch. To say that to me in this situation].

    Basarapletely unfolded his bowed body. It felt as if a giant mountain had risen from the ground.

    [This is my world, my domain, not the outside world, and you think a mere mortal weak mind can stand against it?]

    Rudger nced at the cowering Flora, then up at Basara.

    Well see.

    Thats why he came here.

 Chapter 317

    I saw in thements that people wonder where Rudger was branded, well youll find the answer in this chapter.

    [Hahaha, thats funny, I might have to give you credit for that now that youre saying it].

    Basaraughed out loud at Rudger, but then his pure white eyes widened.

    [Boom!]

    Immediately afterward, the petals on the ground exploded, and a jet-ck spike tried to pierce Rudgers back.

    It was only Rudgers reflexes that saved him.

    Spinning around, Rudger grimaced at the pain in his back. He hadnt dodged perfectly, and the thorns had carved a long horizontal gash into his back.

    Not surprisingly, his clothes were torn to shreds.

    Relieved that he was in the spirit world, Rudger realized that the condition of his physical clothing would be no different.

    All that matters now is his attack.

    Basara did not use magic. This space itself was his world, and he could make anything happen if he wanted to.

    At that moment, Basaras massive arm swung like a whip.

    As the arm swung, pushing back the red flowers, it was as if a ck wall was approaching at high speed.

    Rudger stretched his hands out in front of him and summoned his magic power.

    In an instant, fiveyers of magic barriers were created.

    [Choo-choo-choo-choo!]

    But Basaras arm shattered the fiveyer barrier as easily as ss in an instant.

    Taking advantage of the arms deflected trajectory, Rudger ducked as low as he could, narrowly avoiding Basaras arm.

    Rudger straightened, the recoil sending him stumbling backwards while Basara watched him in amusement. It was a kind of confidence, knowing that he could strike again, but not doing so.

    In this space, Basara had absolute power. Thats why he watched Rudgers every move to see how far the little bug would go.

    Youre clearly intent on toying with me.

    He didnt realize that Basara had no emotions when he took over Louispolds body.

    A demon with emotions was a pretty bad thing. Of course, he hadnt met any other demons, so he couldnt be sure.

    Rudger stretched out his right hand toward Basara.

    Within moments, the spell wasplete, and a dragon-headed me flew toward Basara.

    Basara snorted in disdain and the me dragon was extinguished

    What?

    As Rudger hesitated, Basara extended his iling arms, three on each side. A total of six arms stretched out like whips toward Rudger.

    Rudger calcted the trajectory of the flying hands with his eyes and created a barrier of magic at an angle but didnt stop there and charged forward.

    The barrier that he had set up at an angle to maximize his power was shattered easily and the shockwave that spread out hit Rudger in the back.

    The surrounding flowers were swept by the wind, sending red petals into the air.

    Rudger tried to run through the gap, but was forced to stand still as something like a ck root had grabbed his ankle.

    Rudger focused his energy on a very small area, burning just the root that was holding his ankle. It was an incredible feat of magic control.

    However, the roots that had been burned away now grew many times in number, binding Rudgers calves. And there was something strange about the flow of petals around him.

    The dancing petals that had descended had be fixed in midair, elongated, and turned into sharp awls that were pointed at Rudger.

    [Lets see if we can dodge this one, shall we?]

    Sir!

    Flora cried out urgently, but Basara had no mercy and countless petals shot toward Rudger.

    Floras mind spontaneously conjured up a terrible sight. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to turn her head away. But a faint glow of light forced her closed eyes to open again.

    Dont look away Flora.

    Surprisingly, Rudger was unharmed and with a halo around his back, he looked more transcendent than magical.

    Flora couldnt take her eyes off him.

    I have yet to hear your answer.

    [Not that strange magic again!]

    Basara reacted violently, shouting at Rudger.

    It wasnt just a shout, it was a shockwave attack of immense physical force.

    Rudger stared at the oing petal storm and the halo behind his back formed the shape of a great tree, The Sefirot Tree.

    The raw power emanating from it shattered Basaras shockwave and his face contorted in irritation.

    Indeed.

    Rudger shook his head at the sight.

    So this is how you use it.

    He wasnt using magic with mana now, he was using pure imagination.

    This was the spirit world, after all. It was unlikely that there was a set amount of mana in the spirit world.

    If there was a limit, it would be the strength of the persons mind. So Rudger handled his power in a manner befitting of the spirit world.

    It took a few spells to get a feel for it and now he just needed to sharpen it.

    Fighting in the spirit world doesnt give you an advantage.

    A man whose only weakness was the amount of mana he had but was now no longer at the mercy of that weakness.

    First of all, could you stay away from my student?

    Rudger gently extended his hand toward Basara and Basara felt a chill from the simple gesture.

    That was the blow that had annihted his body in the form of Louispold.

    A dazzling glow emanated from Rudgers back, and the image of a giant Buddha emerged.

    In the spirit world he had no limits so its size and majesty were far greater than what he had seen in the outside world.

    It made Basara, who was already huge, look up once more and stirred his emotions.

    [Do you think Ill be defeated?]

    No matter how great your power is.

    I am the king here, I am the god.

    Basara puffed himself up, growing even more massive. Hisnky body became muscr, and horns sprouted from his head.

    His three pairs of arms joined together again, but they were even thicker than before.

    [I am a god here!]

    The Buddha stretched out his arms toward Basara and Basara punched.

    [Boom!]

    The two enormous forces collided but unlike before Basara wasnt pushed back. In fact, his strength was slightly stronger.

    A smile formed on Basaras face.

    [Do you see? Your brilliant attack doesnt work anymore!]

    Certainly. One strike wont be enough.

    Rudger gave Basara a friendly warning.

    Then how about a thousand of them?

    [What?]

    Before Basara could ask what that meant, a change came from the Buddha.

    It wasnt the statue itself that changed but the expanse of light behind it began to take on the shape of a hand and countless hands formed behind the Buddhas back.

    Can you stop them all?

    [The Thousand Hands and Thousand Eyes of the Potka.]

    [.]

    Countless hands stretched out toward Basara who gritted his teeth and stretched his arms.

    The muscles in his arms exploded, and he threw punch after punch at an incredible speed.

    Countless shockwaves exploded in the air and with a deafening roar, ck light and pure white brilliance shed out one after another.

    The ground was turned upside down, and countless petals spread outward in concentric circles.

    It was a battle worthy of the myths but the fierce struggle gradually favored one side over the other.

    [How!]

    Basara threw out his fists, which had multiplied in size, in an attempt to resist, but he could not fend off a thousand hands.

    One by one, blow after blow fell upon his body, until he waspletely pierced.

    Once the breach was made, the attacks came at once, as if a dike had been breached and white shes of light beat on Basaras body like drums.

    Flora could only stare at the sight as the fight between the giant demon and the giant, strange statue was unbelievable to behold.

    More than that, it was the beauty of it that caught her eye.

    Countless palms reaching out into thin air and each one was magic perfected to the extreme.

    Yes. Magic.

    Floras eyes were seeing it as magic now. Her eyes were telling her so.

    There was an enormous impact behind her, and Basaras body bounced off into the distance.

    Floras shadow was clinging to Basara, and she was pushed away.

    With the impact, a scent wafted in, a sweet, spicy and soothing scent. It was a scent Flora had never smelled before, but strangely enough, she knew what flower it came from.

    Do you know about the lotus?

    It was Rudgers voice that brought Flora back to her senses.

    Rudger, who hadnt taken his eyes off Basara, who had flown off into the distance, spoke with his back to Flora.

    By nature, lotuses are supposed to float on water, but this is not the case. It actually grows in the mud of a dirty swamp, and yet the flowers it produces have a beauty untainted by the mud.

    There is a saying that goes something like this.

    It grows in the mud, but it is not stained by the mud.

    No matter how full of absurdity the world is, it is not colored by it.

    Flora, I want you to walk that path.

    Unshaken by anything.

    He wanted to walk her own noble path.

    You are too good a child to give up on yourself because of ignorant people.

    Sir.

    Even as she listened to Rudger, Flora couldnt take her eyes off his back.

    Rudgers clothes were torn away, revealing his bare back and something like a tattoo etched there.

    On your back, what the hell.

    Oh. You mean this?

    Rudger smiled bitterly as he realized what Flora was talking about. He didnt want to show it, but there it was.

    Sir, that symbol cant possibly be.

    Yes, it is. Youre right.

    The tattoo on Rudgers back like a scar that can never be washed away was a stigma. The kind the Lumensis use to brand their illegitimate children.

    Woy on earth would you put that on your.?

    As Flora rubbed her eyes in disbelief, Rudger replied.

    I told you. I went through something simr to what you did.

    Thats.

    This.

    This is, like, not even close.

    Flora was almost branded, but not quite. Her mother, now deceased, had protected her as best she could. But the memory of that day was still traumatizing for her.

    For Flora, at such a young age, it was a scar that couldnt be washed away.

    But what about Rudger?

    He wore aplete brand on his back.

    Judging by the size of the torn garment, it must have covered more than half his back.

    Normally, the Lumensis brand their illegitimate children before they reach the age of eight. That said, Rudger had been branded at such a young age.

    Dont worry about it. Its all in the past.

    Thats not the point!

    Flora covered her face with her hands as she felt ashamed of herself.

    She thought she was the only one who suffered. That she was the unhappiest person in the world and that no one else could understand her pain.

    A tear rolled down Floras cheek.

    I didnt know, I didnt even know that you!

    Stop.

    Rudger cut her off as she began to scream.

    Flora, I didnte all the way here to fight that monster to see you suffer. Nor did Ie to you to see you cry. And yet you insult me with your tears.

    Mm-hmm.

    Flora bit her lip and held back her tears.

    Answer.

    What answer?

    I asked if you wanted to go outside again.

    At the word outside, Flora hesitated for a moment.

    What if I say I want to go outside?

    As long as you dont give up, Ill do whatever it takes to help you.

    Really, if I dont give up, youll help me all the way?

    Of course.

    Flora asked in a sobbing voice.

    Why would you why would you do that for me? You dont need me, I shouldnt have been born in the first ce.

    Cause.

    Rudger said, looking back at Flora.

    No one should ever say that they shouldnt have been born.

    One look into those unwavering eyes, and Floras heartpletely changed.

    It may be hard now, but youll find a reason to live in this world. I promise.

    Flora couldnt hold back her tears any longer and kept her head down, barely able to contain herself.

    Flora pleaded with Rudger.

    Thenhelp me.

    Of course.

    Hearing the answer he wanted, Rudger turned his gaze straight ahead.

    [Kaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!]

    An earth-shattering roar erupted from beyond the horizon of the red flower field as red petals exploded and scattered in all directions.

    Basara, whose body was partially destroyed, raised his gigantic body.

    [This is my world! I can do as I please!]

    Its bright white eyes red at Flora, who cowered behind Rudger.

    [Flora, youll never get out of here!]

    Then I guess Ill just have to beat you out of here.

 Chapter 318

    Flora. Watch it.

    Before entering the fray, Rudger called Floras name.

    Flora wiped her tears and red at Rudger.

    Look at what?

    The magic I use from now on will be different from what Ive been showing you in ss.

    Different, you mean like the light I saw a moment ago?

    Yes. The others cant see it, but you can. Your talent is that great.

    Thats.

    So keep an eye on it. One day, you might be able to use magic simr to this.

    For a moment, Flora didnt understand what Rudger was saying.

    Be able to use simr magic?

    The same miraculous powers that Mr. Rudger had unleashed?

    It couldnt be possible. Theres no way I could see suchmon sense-destroying magic and replicate it.

    But Rudgers voice was too serious.

    In the first ce, Rudger is not the kind of person who minces words to suit his audiences mood.

    In the end, everything he said was sincere. He genuinely thought that Flora could see his magic and learn from it.

    He believed in her talent, and more importantly, in her will to do it. He wanted to show her magic that the other students hadnt seen.

    !

    Flora swallowed hard to stop herself from sobbing again at the words.

    There were no tears this time. Shed shed enough tears so far.

    Flora stared at the back of Rudgers head with determined eyes.

    Perhaps sensing her gaze, Rudger smiled faintly and floated into the air. His body was engulfed in a bolt of purple lightning, and he shot toward Basara in the distance.

    Flora couldnt tear her eyes away from the sight. Even a single blink was a luxury for her now.

    I must see it, I must see it all, I must make it mine.

    Flora didnt even entertain the thought of Rudger being defeated by a demon.

    It was normal for her to think that, in such a hopeless situation, Rudger would win. Beyond that, she even felt joy at the thought of learning the magic he was about to perform.

    The sadness is gone, and all thats left is aspiration.

    I want to be like him, and even better, I want to surpass him.

    A new life goal was etched deep in Floras mind at this moment.

    Dont miss a beat.

    Rudger, engulfed by the lightning, struck directly at Basara in the distance.

    Despite the distance, Basarasrge size was clearly visible. Even if it wasnt because of that, Rudgers attack was so powerful that it could be felt even from a distance.

    [Kaaaah! Why do you keep interrupting me! Why!]

    With a mocking look at Basara, who was ranting at him, Rudger raised his right hand to the sky.

    A great force gathered in the ck void, and a dazzling spear of lightning was formed in Rudgers hand.

    Myths, legends, and handed-down stories were but fakes that mimicked the original. In this spirit world, a single, unwavering belief can make something almost as powerful as the real thing. Just like this spear of lightning.

    Go. Cry of thunder.

    The lightning spear left Rudgers hand and disappeared in a blinding sh of light.

    Basara ducked his head at the pain in his abdomen as he tried to track its location. A gaping hole, like a tunnel, had been torn through his chest.

    When did this happen, or more importantly, what is this power?

    His flesh, which had only suffered minor damage from the Buddhas blow after blow, had taken an enormous blow.

    Gritting his teeth, Basara channeled his regenerative powers. He could regenerate as many wounds as he wanted, as long as he didnt lose his mind.

    In this world, Basara was theoretically immortal.

    Rudger watched Basara heal his wounds as if it were a matter of course.

    Yeah. Its no fun to break down so easily.

    I would be ashamed of myself if I went out with a bang in front of my pupil, and it ended too easily.

    Rudger took no pleasure in hurting Basara in this world. There was only the simple knowledge that he had done what he had to do.

    With Basaras shout, a burst of ck magic erupted, threatening to engulf Rudger like a tidal wave. There was no mercy now, only the intent to use all of his power to eliminate him quickly.

    Rudger raised his hands this time. mes began to rise above his head as he poised to grab something out of thin air.

    It was no ordinary fire, instead it burned far more fiercely than the mes of hell. It was the magic sword once wielded by a giant to burn all nine worlds to the ground.

    [!!!]

    World-scorching destruction unfolded in Rudgers hands.

    [Boom!]

    And the world split.

    A pir of fire rose high into the sky, following the trajectory of Rudgers sword. It traveled in a straight line, slicing Basaras attack in half but the mes didnt stop there, cutting off Basaras right arm entirely.

    Basara squinted, looking down at the severed section of his arm. He tried to will it to regenerate, but the wound wouldnt budge.

    [How?]

    Why would a severed arm not regenerate?

    Basara didnt understand.

    If youre asking me why your wounds wont heal, I think you know the answer.

    With that, Rudger summoned the Five Elements, one after the other, and attacked Basara.

    Water, fire, wood, metal, and earth mmed into Basaras body like meteorites.

    As he fended off the attack, Basara was thrown into confusion.

    What does that mean? What does that mean?

    But no matter how hard he denied the truth, he couldnt turn away from itpletely.

    [I am afraid?]

    This is the spirit world. Here Basaras mind is immortal, never dying unless it is broken.

    In other words, his immortality would end the moment his mind broke.

    [Im intimidated by a mere mortal?]

    He is an emotional maniptor. A being who prays on peoples fears, holds their hearts in his hands, and feeds on their unholy emotions.

    He may have been the object of someones fear, but he has never felt fear for someone else.

    and I never would.

    Basara tried desperately to deny that he had been frightened at all, that his wounds hadnt healed because of some unknown magic that Rudger was using until he saw Rudger preparing tounch his next attack.

    Blinding light shed in quick session and the heavenly thunder was now in his hands.

    Simr to the lightning spear he had used earlier, this time it took the form of a weapon. Only, it wasnt a spear.

    Unlike a weapon that specialized in stabbing and piercing things, this one was more blunt and heavy.

    [Hammer?]

    It was a hammer made of lightning and it possessed a powerparable to the lightning spear from earlier.

    Basara stared at the sight, his mouth open in disbelief.

    At first, he hadnt realized the nature of the power when he was caught up in Rudgers magic. But now he could feel the power of what that magic was ultimately trying to aplish.

    [You, human, how can youthe power of a god?]

    That is the power of the gods.

    Its not like the hated Lumensis.

    There is a qualitative difference between that power and the thunder hammer Rudger wields. But even so, there was no disputing that the hammer was forged with the power of the gods.

    [A mere mortal, not even an apostle! How can you use such power!?]

    The power Rudger wielded struck fear into Basaras heart as it touched his soul.

    [Oh, my God, the Most High, forsaken by the cunning Lumensis, help me, help your apostle!]

    Basara began to talk nonsense.

    Theres nothing to be gained by feigning insanity.

    It didnt dy Rudgers action for a second.

    With a wave of his hand, Rudgers hammer fell vertically across Basaras forehead.

    Instinctively, out of fear of death, Basara raised his remaining arm to form the strongest shield he could muster.

    The hammer fell but there was no explosion as the massive force collided. Instead, Basaras shield crumbled to dust before the hammer with ease.

    [Ah.]

    Basaras eyes took in the sight of the hammer and saw something in the power of the great beings that existed beyond. It was the Eternal Heavens. A power that descended from the beautiful paradise once inhabited by the one he served.

    [I, who had hoped so much.]

    Immediately afterward, an explosion of pure white lightning engulfed Basaras massive body.

    The dark world was filled with white shes and a violent storm raged.

    When the explosion was over, the light subsided, and there was a quiet repose.

    In the center of the explosion, where even the flowers evaporated, Basara was left with only his head.

    [What a surprise.]

    Basara honestly admired Rudger.

    His hair was slowly turning to powder at the ends and falling apart but there was no anger in his voice. He had fully epted his death.

    [Wielding the power of the gods as a mortal its not something you can do without breaking your mind. Or perhaps thats why you were so unharmed by my attacks.]

    .

    [Ironic, since it was humans who dered everything but the One Seat of Heaven to be evil, and now theyre wielding powers that are bordering on heresy.]

    Basara realized that the power Rudger was wielding was not that of Lumensis.

    [Maybe it was inevitable that I would wake up like this, meet you, and be defeated.]

    Is that all you have to say?

    Basara, who had already lost nearly half of his head, smirked at Rudgers relentless words.

    [I can see how thorny your path will be, its a shame I wont get to see it for myself, but it cant hurt to keep you in suspense.]

    When you have finished speaking, go.

    [Beware of the Apostles.]

    Rudger reacted to the first proper words of warning. It was very faint, but it told him that there were more beings in this world besides Basara that could be called demons.]

    I suppose you guys dont consider each other allies.

    [You humans have lumped us together, but we are separate beings by nature. Sometimes we are enemies, but other times we hold hands].

    How many of those apostles are there?

    [I dont know the details, but its important that they exist.]

    With that, Basara said hisst words, as if he had done all he could.

    [Whatever it is, Im sure you can do it, so go ahead and shake things up, hero.]

    With those words, all of Basaras body turned to dust and scattered.

    Rudger watched Basaras final moments and replied.

    Not a hero, Im just a teacher.

    Rudger muttered something to himself and turned around.

    Flora had realized the fight was over and was running toward him. Gasping for breath, Flora stood in front of Rudger and took a moment to catch her breath.

    Her clear eyes bore into his. Her face had always been stern and stern in ss, but now there was a faint glimmer of respect.

    It was a natural reaction. After all, he had just beaten a demon and showed her real magic.

    Rudger looked at the flower garden, which was slowly beginning to crumble.

    Now that its original owner was gone, this world wasing to an end.

    Flora.

    Yes, sir.

    Lets go.

    * * *

    Madeline and Aidan watched the ck storm with trepidation.

    On cue, they struck as hard as they could, but then came the problem. The storm paused for a moment as it had taken a hit, but it quickly recovered and began to spin more violently. It didnt grow asrge as before, but they couldnt let it continue to swirl around the center of the square.

    Madeline was at a loss as to how to stop it. Her attacks, even those that cranked up her anti-magic to the max, only dyed it for a few seconds.

    If it moved again, there would be nothing she could do.

    Madelines legs were shaking and she was getting nervous.

    Master, look!

    Aidan lifted his finger and pointed to the center of the storm.

    Madeline also noticed the change in the storm.

    The storm, is it subsiding?

    The ck storm that seemed like it would never stop was slowly losing power as the ck smoke dissolved into thin air, slowly revealing thendscape inside.

    Floray stunned, and Rudger stood, covered in wounds.

    Sir!

    Ugh! Hey, Aidan!

    The storm hadnt even started yet, and Aidan was running forward, and Madeline couldnt stop him.

    Rudger looked back and spotted them, too.

    Finally, its over.

    With those words, Rudger copsed.

    * * *

    Rudger opened his eyes. It was the middle of the night, and it was dark, making it difficult to see.

    After a few moments, his eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness and Rudger raised his upper body off the bed to look around.

    He was clearly in a VIP room at the capitals main hospital.

    Rudger examined his body, noting that there were no cuts or sore spots. He must have been treated while he passed out.

    The reason Rudger opened his eyes, however, was not because he was fully recovered. The stirring next to him made him open his mouth slowly.

    I didnt think youd be free enough to visit me in the middle of the night.

    I cant help it. Its now or never.

    Something stirred in the darkness and took the shape of a man in ck robes and a mask over his face.

    Rudger looked back at him and said.

    Zero Order.

    Oh, no. You dont even give me a respectful bow anymore?

    Zero Order smiled under his mask and said yfully.

 Chapter 319

    Rudger looked around. The hospital room he now upied was a special room of sorts, used only by him.

    In a ce like this, Zero Order would fit right in.

    There would be no one guarding the entrance, but the hospital itself would be heavily guarded.

    As he slipped through the gap, he realized just how out of ce he was. But he wasnt as nervous as he had been before.

    He didnt know it then, but he was sure of it now.

    So, what brings you here?

    Zero Order has no intention of attacking him. He knows that he is not the real John Doe, but he watched the other First Orders interact with him.

    There was only one conclusion Rudger could draw from this. Zero Order wants something from him, especially if hes willing toe to him like this.

    Rudger didnt know what he wanted from him right now, because he hadnt given him any clues. But right here, right now, he might be able to find a clue.

    Zero Order smiled, amused by Rudgers change in demeanor. He casually walked over to a chair off to one side of the VIP room and sat down.

    Rudger pushed himself up from the bed. Judging by the fact that his clothes were still on, it didnt look like the hospital had done much to his body.

    He had seen Madeline before he passed out, so he had been taken care of by Princess Eileen.

    Rudger took a seat across from Zero Order.

    The room was bathed in a bluish moonlight through the half-drawn curtains.

    Quite a nice setting for a quiet conversation, isnt it?

    .

    Part of me wants to go outside and get some fresh air and look at the stars, but Im not the kind of person to drag a sick person around by force.

    Enough with the gossip.

    Mmm. Okay. If you dont want to do it, it wouldnt be polite to say more nonsense.

    Zero Order seemed to take it for granted that Rudger would speak back to him. Its as if hes fully aware of his personality and takes it into ount.

    Before continuing the conversation, Zero Order ced a hand on the mask he wore over his face. With a click, he removed it and ced it carefully on the table.

    .

    Rudger watched the sequence of events in disbelief.

    He hadnt expected Zero Order, who had been hiding his identity behind a mask, to suddenly show his bare face in front of him.

    Aside from his surprise, Rudgers eyes scanned Zero Orders form, not wanting to lose sight of his true face.

    Behind the mask, Zero Order was far from ordinary.

    Hed expected him to be an incredibly horrific monster, or some other twisted creature. But in reality, Zero Order was no different than a normal man, and quite handsome.

    His skin was white, and his hair was inky ck. Even in the moonlight, his hair seemed to suck up all the light. Its just the right length, curly, and somehow soft.

    He looked too good to be the mastermind of the ck Dawn, the organization that manipted all the events of the world from behind the scenes.

    You look quite surprised. If were going to have a proper conversation, were going to have to do it face to face.

    Zero Order smiled at Rudger. It was one of those smiles that were hard to read between the lines.

    Ive seen what happened today from afar. The Liberation Army, warlocks, and demons.

    Wasnt this all your doing?

    Rudger asked, Werent you the one who taught the warlocks about the existence of the underground facility and enabled them to continue their experiments?

    Indeed, Zero Order knew all about it but heughed lightly and shrugged.

    I see, thats what youre thinking, and its a bit unfair. I didnt make them do that.

    You didnt make them do it?

    Of course, I knew about the dead World Tree beneath the capital, and the demon sealed within.

    The words gave Rudger an indescribable feeling.

    Zero Order had drawn a line in the sand, as if that was all there was to it.

    But I can assure you, it wasnt me who leaked the information.

    Then it must have been Niki.

    Yes. Niki specializes in gathering information. I didnt ask him to do it, and I cant believe hes been doing it so secretly.

    You knew about it and let it happen?

    I wont deny it, but considering how Niki usually is, it was a bit of a courtesy this time.

    Hes the type to make a big deal out of things.

    Zero Order didnt really argue that point.

    So, you wanted to see me because you saw me struggling. Are you going to give me a pat on the back for a job well done?

    Id be teasing you if I said you had a hard time. Im here to see how things are going, and I have something to tell you.

    Rudger thought about what Zero Order had said.

    Zero Order had said they were looking for someone. Thats why he sent John Doe to Theon.

    Now that John Doe was dead, Rudger was the next in line to fulfill the task.

    Is the person you are looking for the owner of Judgment?

    Rudger was the first to speak.

    Zero Orders ashen eyes flickered at the words. He tried not to show his emotions, but the reaction itself lent credence to Rudgers guess.

    You found it?

    .

    Rudger red at Zero Order, who looked expectantly in his direction, before answering.

    No.

    If you didnt find it, how do you know they have Judgement?

    Ive read the scriptures. It says that saints are born when the world is in great turmoil, and Judgment is one of those saints powers.

    I dont understand why youre suddenly talking about the scriptures.

    Its because theres an entity thats always been mentioned in those texts.

    Rudger remembered Basaras presence and also remembered his warning.

    As they talked, Rudger continued to recall, organize, and reassemble information.

    How did Zero Order know about the underground facility? Where had Zero Order heard that Basara was sealed in the roots of the dead World Tree?

    And most of all, Zero Order had watched it all unfold.

    The demons from the scriptures. No, I should call them Apostles.

    .

    After smiling for the first time, a frost of expression descended on Zero Orders face.

    Did Basara tell you that?

    He didnt tell me about the existence of the other apostles until shortly before he died.

    I dont think its because of his kinship with you. He just wanted to trouble you but he did tell you they existed, and that should have been enough of a clue for you.

    I wont deny it.

    Haha. Well, well. I would have preferred to keep my identity a secret.

    Zero Order regretted that one of his hidden hands had been revealed.

    But you dont seem too surprised that I guessed your identity, do you?

    Is that something I should be surprised about?

    What? Hahaha, youre a funny guy after all, my eyes werent wrong.

    Zero Order revealed that he is a demon.

    Rudger takes it for granted but there was something bizarre about the two of them, to say the least.

    Since you know my identity, I assume youve guessed, right?

    Yes. I figured if a demon from the scriptures was looking for something, thats the only way to find it.

    Thats true. Normal people wouldnt bother with that kind of scriptures, but since Ivee this far, I dont need to hide it anymore. Thats right, Im looking for a saint candidate.

    Zero Order mouthed the word candidate. It might have been an insignificant detail to overlook, but Rudger didnt miss it.

    Why are you looking for them? Is it to get rid of them?

    Is it because Im a demon that you think so? Ill leave that part unanswered. I have my own issues.

    Whatever it is, the answer is no. The idea of finding a saint candidate in the first ce is too far-fetched.

    Yeah, well, thats what I thought. Its not that easy to find them, they might not be awakened right now, and we dont know when theyll pop up, but one things for sure, the candidate for the Judgment Eye is definitely in Theon.

    There was conviction in Zero Orders voice.

    There was no way he could have known that the Judgments candidate was in Theon from an ordinary information book. As an apostle, he must have known through some other means.

    So Ill ask again, just to be sure. Are you sure you havent found the candidate?

    There was something irresistible about Zero Orders stare. He was suspicious of Rudger now.

    If it were anyone other than Rudger, they would have allowed themselves a moments respite. But Rudger had seen it all before. Hed had enough of this sort of thing.

    I still havent found it. Ive only just realized that I was a candidate for the Judgment in the first ce.

    Hmm, okay. Lets move on from that for now.

    Fortunately, Zero Order didnt seem to want to probe further.

    Im sure you have your own questions. Something about the apostles, for example, as you may have heard from Basara?

    Finally, something important.

    Rudger shifted his stance, ready to listen to Zeros next words.

    As you know, we are what you humans call demons, opponents of the will of the Lord Lumensis, nners of disasters that want to plunge the world into chaos.

    You seem pretty proud of yourself when you say that.

    Because I deserve it, but you see, were not demons. We call each other apostles.

    Apostles.

    The word apostle means a messenger or an agent sent by God.

    Indeed, Basara had searched desperately for his god before he died.

    Rudger never asked the Zero Order if they had a god they served, or if there was a god other than Lumensis. And Zero Order smirked, as if hed expected that from Rudger.

    I see. You know the hidden truths of this world, too.

    To a certain extent.

    Yes. So, Rudger Chelici, what do you see in this world?

    .

    Rudger closed his eyes for a moment.

    Zero Order watched him in silence, patiently waiting for him to answer.

    When Rudger had finished, he spoke.

    A cage.

    A cage?

    Yes. This world is a cage, covered with thin, tight iron bars, beautiful and repulsive, vast and absurdly narrow. We are trapped in it, unaware that we have been deprived of our freedom.

    Indeed.

    Zero Order nodded in satisfaction.

    When I first saw you that day, in front of the burning warehouse, I could tell you were something else.

    Someone else?

    Yes. Youre human, but you see the world the same way we do. You see it through a different lens, ones that no one else does.

    That alone qualified him but Rudger dismissed Zero Orders words with a snort.

    Even if thats how you see the world, theres no way Im going to get along with you, the one behind all the events.

    Yes. I recognize that, because if you look back at where youvee from, youre very different from me.

    Zero Order made ament that suggested he was aware of Rudgers past behavior.

    It was not just a guess, Zero Order actually knew.

    As much as he has a hidden hand, Zero Order must also have a hidden hand. Especially considering hes a demon, not a mere mortal.

    But one day youre going to have to make a choice, you know, because this world is too big a ce for one person to navigate alone.

    So were going to hold hands?

    Thats what it sounded like, though it would be better if we did.

    .

    Rudger stared into Zero Order face but all he could see in his expression was favor.

    Maybe it was because hed found a colleague who saw the world the same way he did, or was it because there was another reason.

    Rudger didnt know nor did he think the man would tell him if he asked.

    It was then that a third party interrupted the conversation.

    How long have you two been talking to each other?

    The voice came from the window so Rudger and Zero Orders gazes naturally turned there.

    A woman was leaning against the window, which had been open for some time. She was dressed in loose-fitting adventuring clothes that exposed her shoulders and corbones, and a corset that cinched her waist tightly.

    She wore thigh-high ck leather boots and clutched a parasol in one hand but it was her hair that drew the most attention. Her mid-length hair was half white, half ck, centered on her brow.

    Rudger had never seen anything like it before.

    Didnt I tell you to wait outside, Helia?

    It was then that Zero Order spoke.

    I was waiting, but the person who said hed be back didnte back in time, so I got bored and made my own move.

    The woman named Helia turned her gaze toward Rudger as she spoke. Her two yellow eyes sparkled as if she had found something interesting.

    So, youre the human who took down that Basara?

    .

    Rudgers expression hardened at the womans words.

    The ease with which she spoke to Zero Order and the way she waited until he spoke to her gave away her identity.

    I had a feeling she wasnt a normal human.

    He didnt think hed see another apostle in this room but Helia smiled wryly and waved at Rudger.

    Its a pleasure to meet you. Im Helia, the newest First Order.

 Chapter 320

    Chapter sponsored byMdja.Thank you for your support.

    A new First Order.

    At those words, Rudger naturally turned at Zero Order as if asking if the words were true.

    Zero Order nodded wordlessly.

    He said that he was looking for a new First Order during the Order Synod.

    Besides, the way Helia was treating him, she seemed to know that Rudger was not the real John Doe.

    Zero Order must have told her.

    What a strange day. I cant believe Ive met three demons in such a short time.

    Demons are only mentioned in ancient texts and legends.Naturally, people in this day and age dismiss the idea of demons as mere fiction even though they lurk in the shadows of the world.

    Such demons have gradually begun to reveal themselves.

    Zero Order, Basara, and now Helia are demons to the world but they consider themselves apostles.

    There must be more than 3 demons and heres the problem

    Basara said he had a mission so the others must have missions too.

    Feeling Rudgers stare, Helia smiled wryly.There was something dreamlike about the way she smiled against the moonlight.

    Hes a funny one. Hes got us right in front of him, and hes not afraid of us, but hes trying to think. Indeed, this is the man who defeated Basara. Should I say he deserves it?

    As she muttered, Helias figure vanished like a mirage.The following moment, Helia reappeared behind Rudgers back and ran her ck cotton-gloved hand over Rudgers shoulder.

    And youre quite handsome, too. In all my years, Ive met very few men as handsome as you.

    Rudgers eyes snapped to Helia and her form vanished then reappeared like a mirage.Just as Basara specialized in minds, this must be some kind of power Helia possessed as an apostle.

    An illusion.

    hee.

    At Rudgers outburst, Helia removed her hand from his shoulder and her eyes widened in surprise that it only took one look for him to figure it out.

    Thats amazing. Normal people are so easily fooled.

    As she muttered that, Helias position shifted once more toward the window.She hadnt moved in the first ce, merely fading away and pretending to appear behind Rudgers back.

    Its not just an illusion, its a touchable, tactile illusion. Its my specialty, and its a bit of a blow to my ego to be seen through by someone whos only met me once. Do you like to y cards?

    With that, Helia produced a deck of cards from her hand.It was an illusion, but of course it was something you could touch.In other words, although Helias illusions were illusions, they were real.

    Helia was tempted to offer Rudger a wager because it hurt her pride to have her abilities seen through so easily but Zero Order stepped in to restrain her.

    Helia, thats enough, Im having a conversation.

    Hmph. Are you ordering me around? Dont you realize that I dont have to do what you say? Were equals.

    Helia.

    Zero Order spoke Helias name in a more chilling voice but the mere change in tone made the atmosphere in the room grow heavier.

    Even Rudger, sitting across from her, felt a faint but palpable chill run down his spine while Helia, the recipient of his gaze, was still smirking.

    For a moment, the two demons red at each other but in the end, it was Helia who raised the white g first.She sighed heavily and shrugged.

    Okay, okay, dont look at me like that. I was bored.

    .

    Oh, man. Who do you think is so traitorous that theyd kill their own apostle for flirting with someone?

    Helia.

    Oh, no. Look at my sanity. I wasnt supposed to say that, was I?

    Helia stuck out her tongue while narrowing her eyes.

    At the sight, Zero Order shook his head, tired of being lectured.

    Traitor?

    Rudger thought back to Helias words.

    Dont be so harsh. Its hard enough to keep an illusory circle around this room as it is. If you go on a rampage here, you might get caught.

    At the mention of an illusory circle, Rudger nced out the window.

    The view outside was unremarkable.But when he strained his eyes to take a closer look, he saw something subtly out of ce.

    I wonder if thats how they were able to sneak in here in the middle of the night.

    But was it really necessary to sneak in here in the middle of the night?

    Rudgers doubts were quickly dispelled by Helias next words.

    Its a strange thing to begin with. Why is there a monster in the capital? I thought it disappeared about 20 years ago when it said it was going to destroy the Bretus Kingdom.

    Helia grumbles and Rudger realized at once who she was referring to.

    Shes talking about my master. Do they know each other?

    Furthermore, given that they were talking about a 20-year gap, it was clear that they hadnt seen a trace of her since she picked him up.

    It was clear that Helia was unaware of his rtionship with Grander, given her open behavior here.It was the same with Zero Order.

    Rudger kept his mouth shut for a moment, figuring it was best to keep it hidden for now.

    What bothered him now was that Zero Order had been called a traitor by Helia.

    So theres some sort of conflict among the Apostles. They used to be enemies.

    In retrospect, Basara didnt have much of a sense of camaraderie with the other apostles.After all, they were separate entities.

    But thats not surprising.People dont all get along with the same people.

    So what are you going to do?

    It was Zero Order who spoke up.He looked at Rudger again, as if he had chosen to ignore Helia. Perhaps he was asking if they were going to hold hands.

    Ill withhold that answer.

    I wasnt expecting a positive answer, but I suppose I should count myself lucky that I wasnt rejected outright.

    .

    But well eventually cross paths again, someday.

    Zero Order was sure they would and Rudger didnt bother to argue with him because he was feeling it too.

    Zero Order, what the hell do you want?

    Youve heard, Im sure, that the Apostles have a mission.

    Basara said it was his mission to rid the world of humanity. Are you trying to tell me youre the same?

    Zero Order shrugged.

    I wouldnt do such a thing otherwise.

    No.

    Rudger cut through Zero Orders answer.

    If you really wanted to end the human race, or even worse, destroy the world, you wouldnt have left Basara to die like that.

    Basaras abilities are particrly overwhelming against humans since Masters and Lexer rank wizards have fallen before his mental attacks.

    The crucial reason for Basaras failure was Rudger.His mental waves were ineffective, and he was unable to prevail even in his own realm of the mind.

    In the past Basara was sealed the roots of the World Tree but he had been resurrected after so many years, only to be defeated by a single person.

    You stood by and watched Basara die.

    I had no choice. He was dead before I could do anything.

    Thats a lie, too. You knew all along that Basara was sealed underground in the capital. But you didnt try to free him even when you knew.

    If Zero Order really wanted chaos in the world, he should have unsealed Basara right away.His refusal to do so meant that Zero Order had a different agenda than Basara.

    He had created a secret organization, the ck Dawn, to wreak havoc on the world, but even that could not erase the perception that it was a step toward his hidden purpose.

    If anything, I think you wanted Basara dead.

    Enough.

    Zero Order cut Rudger off mid-sentence.

    Ive had enough of this unproductive talk. We dont have much time left, so lets cut to the chase. You do realize that Bretus is on the move again, right?

    I am aware. They recently opened a door that was long closed.

    Especially with whats happened in the capital this time, Im sure theyll be looking to interfere with the Exilion Empire, as they have been doing for a long time.

    I doubt the Empire will stand idly by.

    Of course they wont. Over the years, the power of the Kingdom of Bretus has diminished, and the power of the Empire has increased, but you should know that. Its not the power of the state that makes it so terrifying.

    Rudger knew what Zero Order was talking about.

    You mean the power of religion?

    Thats partly true, but their power is far more terrifying. Why do you think such a facility is abandoned underground in the capital in the first ce?

    Zero Order brought up the subject of underground facilities out of the blue.

    Do you know who built those giant hollows and underground ruins?

    I know they were built by an old kingdom, long before theExilion Empire.

    Yes. And that kingdom was a very powerful one at the time, so much so that not even the Bretus Kingdom of the time could stand up to it.

    Rudger felt something odd about that statement.

    The Kingdom of Bretus couldnt do anything?

    But from what hed heard from Princess Eileen, the countrys leadership had changed overnight.

    The Kingdom of Bretus has historically wielded great power, and what mages typically use is called magic, but what they use is called holyw.

    Holy Law, otherwise known as divine magic was once considered a miracle of the gods, but in more recent times it hase to be referred to as divine magic, a subss of magic.

    However, Rudger knew that its fundamental power was different from magic.

    The holy artifacts that are based on it, and the people they create. Its not the physical force that scares me, its the mental.

    A fanaticism that borders on brainwashing.

    The old kingdom, before the Empire, did not want nations to be controlled by the Holy Kingdom of Bretus, so they experimented in secret, working hand-in-hand with a subspecies.

    Rudger remembered the dead World Tree in the underground facility.

    Why would there be such a thing underground?

    They worked with the elves?

    Yes.

    The World Tree is a tricky species that is impossible to cultivate unless you are an elf.

    Many wizards were surprised when it was first said that the roots of the World Tree were underground.But if it was the elves who were involved, then the existence of the World Tree made sense.

    But thats strange. I thought the elves held the World Tree sacred and worshiped it, so why would they be involved in growing it?

    The elves were once different than they are now, just as the human world is.

    Perhaps the elves of the past were very enterprising, unlike now.

    They had such a past and perhaps their current conservatism was due to the events of that day.

    For Bretus, it would have been heresy for the kingdom to join forces with the elves.

    Yes, but the Kingdom tried to hide it somehow, and they did a good job of it. The problem is, Basara saw through it.

    On a mission, the demon Basara attacked the kingdom.Eventually, the kingdom joined forces with the elves to fight him, and they managed to seal him in the roots of the World Tree.But in the process, the Kingdom of Bretus caught wind of it.

    Eventually, the heads of state were all reced by the authority of Bretus without a single act of resistance.

    Rudger felt ufortable again.

    Theres no guarantee that something simr wont happen this time, so be careful.

    Youre trying to use me as a messenger, so I can deliver that warning to the Exilion Empire.

    Dont be so offended. Im sure the Empire isnt too fond of the Kingdom of Bretus, and neither are you.

    Zero Order was right.

    Honestly, if you asked Rudger what he hated more, the demons or the Holy Land, hed say the Holy Land of Bretus without a doubt.

    He hated the demons, but he hated the Holy Land even more, because they did all sorts of evil things in the name of God.Part of it was because he was one of them, so he was more familiar with their darker side.

    Its time.

    Zero Order stood up from his seat, cing the mask hed left on the table over his face.

    Rudger didnt bother to hold him back since he had no reason to.

    Before leaving, Zero Order said to Rudger.

    The Order Synod will convene again soon.

    Why are you telling me that?

    Just so you know.

    And with that, he flew out the window in a puff of ck smoke.

    Helia waved to Rudger and disappeared from view like a mirage.

    As the two demons disappeared, the illusory circle that surrounded the hospital room melted away and Rudger stared wordlessly out the open window.

    The stories the two demons had left behind were enough to make his head spin.

    But it doesnt change what I have to do.

    It was then that someone knocked on the door.

    Who is it?

    Rudger asked and a soft voice came from the other side of the door.

    Its me, Flora Lumos.

    How could she be here in the middle of the night, Rudger wondered, but then he realized.

    Flora had been at the scene, so it made sense that they were in the same hospital.

    It was then that Flora, who had been pacing outside the door, cautiously spoke up.

    May Ie in?

 Chapter 321

    Floras behavior in the middle of the night made Rudger wonder.

    Why now?

    Rudger was about to say no, but he held his tongue.

    Normally, he would have told her to stay away but fighting with Basara had taught him who Flora was and what she wanted. If he pushed her away, she would be hurt all over again.

    I cant help it.

    Rudger let out a small sigh and opened his mouth.

    Come in.

    He felt a flinch from the other side of the door, and then the door cautiously opened.

    Rudger sat back in his seat and stared at Flora as she entered.

    Once inside the room, Flora looked around cautiously until she spotted Rudger sitting still in the center of the room.

    Floras eyes were nk, as if she were dreaming.

    In the night, a pale moonlight cascades through the open window as Rudger sat still in his seat with the blue light behind him.

    It was like looking at a dreamy painting.

    Come and sit.

    Rudgers voice snapped Flora back to reality.

    Flora realized her indiscretion and quickly took the seat across from Rudger. Her face was flushed, albeit slightly.

    I.

    Flora tried to say something, but no words came out of her mouth. There was so much she wanted to say before she walked in, but now that she was face-to-face with Rudger, she felt like her brain froze.

    At this rate, the awkward silence would continue but Rudger spoke up.

    Are you feeling well?

    His voice was uncharacteristically soft, and Floras head snapped up. She made eye contact with Rudger and replied in a slightly croaky voice.

    Im.Im fine.

    Youre not sick anywhere?

    Uh, yeah. I was checked and they said theres nothing wrong with me, in fact, they said Im healthier than Ive ever been.

    Im d to hear that.

    Rudger said, but he kept a close eye on Flora.

    The only light was the bluish moonlight streaming in from the window, but it wasnt enough to distract him from seeing something.

    Hair.

    What?

    The color of your hair, its changed, a little bit, but its darker.

    Oh.

    Flora nodded, realizing what Rudger was talking about.

    Yes. Apparently, the effects of the possession are such that once the color is gone, it never fully returns.

    Floras hair had been a bluish-blue color but now it was darker. It wasntpletely ck like it had been when Basara had taken over her body, but there was no hiding the faint ck tinge.

    It shouldnt be a problem, should I dye it?

    You wont have to. Its not like youre going to be penalized for it.

    In fact, Floras change in hair color was proof that her talent had blossomed even more than before.

    The physical changes were the result of Basara taking over Floras body and forcing her to realize her potential.

    Judging by the results alone, it was a sign of sess.

    !

    At that, Flora barely suppressed the smile that threatened to spread across her face. In truth, she had given it a lot of thought beforeing in.

    She wondered if the fact that her hair was darker than it had been before was a sign of a curse from the demonic possession. If it was, she would have to dye her hair.

    Flora honestly didnt want to dye her hair. It didnt look bad on her, and she was happy to have a little bit of Rudgers hair color.

    In such a situation, how could she not be happy when Rudger told her it was okay?

    I wonder if you feel the same way.

    Of course, Rudger didnt know that, he was just saying it was okay purely as an advisor.

    I see. Im d to hear youre not ill, so what brings you to me thiste at night?

    Flora asked, a little taken aback by Rudgers straightforwardness.

    Does it have to be something?

    Its Flora, people dont usuallye to me in the middle of the night unless they have something important to discuss.

    ah.

    Flora blushed as she realized her mistake. She tried toe up with an excuse, but her fingers tangled in her hair.

    Well, why not?

    .

    At this time of night, cant Ie by?

    No.

    Rudger said firmly and Flora pouted her lips as if hurt by the words.

    Normally, she wouldnt have done this, but Flora was feeling mentally closer to Rudger now. So much so that she would naturally do things with him that she wouldnt even do with her old friend Cheryl.

    Hmm. Okay. Since you put it that way, Ill cut to the chase.

    Are you pouting?

    No, Im not pouting.

    Well, lets call it that then.

    What if I was, in fact, pouting?

    You said you werent earlier.

    I suddenly changed your mind.

    How do you want me to respond to that?

    First of all, I just wanted to thank you for saving my life back then.

    Flora bowed her head as she said it.

    If it wasnt for you, I might have been.

    Enough with the thanks. Like I said, I did what I had to do.

    Wellpeople dont usually do what they have to do, and it was pretty dangerous.

    Well, were both okay in the end.

    Yeah, well, anyway, I wanted to say thanks because Im not going to be able to do it tomorrow, so I was trying to do it as soon as possible, which is why Im here now.

    Why not tomorrow?

    Youve done a lot of work on this case, and youre going to have all sorts of peopleing to see you tomorrow, and its going to be hard for you to find the time.

    Flora was right.

    Right now he was in solitary confinement because of his injuries, but by tomorrow, hell have all sorts of peopleing to see him.

    The only good thing is that not many people saw it firsthand.

    Rudger thought of the witnesses.

    He knew how to deal with the others but Casey Selmore bothered him.

    Still, the fact that she knows who I am and hasnt told anyone yet suggests shes up to something.

    Except for Casey, the others didnt matter. Thats where Eileens help woulde in.

    If shespetent, shell quickly take the credit for this as if it was someone elses doing.

    However, Flora, unaware that he has some sort of deal with the First Princess, was convinced that Rudger would be busy starting tomorrow but Rudger didnt feel the need to correct her.

    I see why you came in the middle of the night, but is this the end of your business?

    No?

    Flora raised an eyebrow, and Rudger crossed his arms, adopting a tell me more attitude.

    Well, you know.

    What do you mean?

    You see, Mr. Rudger, in my dream No, I dont know if I should call it a dream. Anyway, you showed me that unusual magic.

    I did.

    What was that?

    Rudger repeated, not understanding the gist of the question.

    I dont know what youre talking about.

    No, I mean, you know, the one you used, Mr. Rudger.

    Yeah.

    What the hell was that?

    You ask a strange question, Flora. Youre talking about magic but you ask me what it is, what am I supposed to say?

    Was that magic?

    Flora repeats with a scowl but Rudger didnt understand her attitude.

    Didnt I say I was going to show you magic?

    You did.

    Well, if I said it and used it, its magic.

    .

    The logic was so perfect that Flora was speechless.

    She moved her trembling lips closer together and found her voice.

    So, it really is magic?

    Yes.

    But that kind of magic is not.

    Youve never heard of it. Is that right?

    Flora nodded.

    Of course, because its not magic that exists, I created it myself.

    You created it? But its not normal to create magic of that magnitude, is it?!

    The magic I use is simply unaffected by hierarchy. Its a literal miracle, a power that requires no training and no chanting.

    And how do you do that.?

    Faith. Flora.

    Rudger stared at Flora with a steady gaze.

    Looking into those blue moonlight eyes, Flora felt like she was walking through a dream.

    Faith.

    The word that Rudger had spoken was stuck in her mind.

    Faith in magic, a mind that seeks mystery and a sincere will to fulfill it, all of those things make up true magic.

    True magic sounds like nonsense, but its strangely believable when you say it.

    She saw with her own eyes what Rudger did in that field of red flowers.

    Flora, you saw it. Its magic, no matter how much you try to deny it.

    Yes, it is, and I was puzzled, too, so I asked you to confirm it, because its magic that has never been revealed before.

    I get it, so what was it like?

    What do you mean, what was it like? The magic? It was, I dont know how to put it into words.

    She tried to keep her voice calm, but Flora still felt her skin crawl just thinking about it. Her fingertips trembled, her body tingled.

    It wasnt fear but excitement at the prospect of a new mystery.

    A shiver ran through her body like a stallion on a prairie, raising the skin on her back. Her heart pounded like an active volcano, and her head burned like an overload.

    As a wizard, its hard not to feel exhrated, both mentally and physically, to witness the magic of the century with her two eyes.

    Flora, why do you think I showed it to you?

    Flora swallowed hard at Rudgers question.

    Why, why?

    I know the value of my magic, and thats hard for people in this world to ept.

    Its not like that, its almost a revolution.

    A revolution is a big word, a force to be reckoned with but to me, its all the same.

    Ah, yes.

    Flora felt a surge of excitement run down her spine. Thats right. This was who he was.

    She found herself slowly adjusting to Rudgers behavior.

    To continue my question from earlier, do you know why I showed you that magic?

    Its because.

    Flora thought about why Rudger would show her this great magic.

    The answer popped into Floras head at once, but she hesitated before answering.

    What if she answered, and what if she didnt?

    Then she might die of embarrassment.

    Flora didnt like expectations since she had lived a life of being betrayed by expectations.

    Maybe it would be the same now but this time, she wouldnt push him away like a prickly hedgehog.

    Flora took a deep breath and spoke.

    Because I, uh, can use that magic?

    Thats right.

    !

    Flora gulped at Rudgers answer.

    This magic I use is not something that can be easily copied by someone else. Even the most talented wizard of the Lexer ss will fail as many times as a novice who has just begun practicing magic.

    Then why did you show me.?

    Because you have talent beyond that.

    But even so, thats weird. Youre just showing it to me because I can learn it?

    Shouldnt I?

    Of course not!

    Its my magic, I can do what I want with it.

    Thats!

    As Flora began to argue, she realized it would be a meaningless rant.

    Rudger was not a man to be judged by basicmon sense in the first ce.

    Given your talents, and the path you have ahead of you, it is my judgment that ordinary magicwill not suffice. Thats why Ive shown you a new horizon of magic and the path you must take.

    Why would you do that for me?

    I told you, I cannot allow a wizard with your talent to be oppressed by humans who do not recognize your value, and yes, I cannot stand idly by while others pass on the torch.

    Flora had to stifle the glee that threatened to surge through her at those words. Otherwise, she might have jumped out of her seat and let out a shout of joy. More than that, she didnt want to show Rudger her ugly side.

    Ive given you all the clues to the new magic. All that remains is for you to utilize it.

    Rudger appreciated Floras talent. She was the only student in the ss who could perform a simple version of his Coordinate Designation magic.

    Now that her potential had been forcibly unleashed by Basara, Floras possibilities were even more wide open than before. Maybe she would go where he hadnt gone before.

    Okay. If thats what you say, Ill try my best.

    Your best is not enough. You have to try like hell.

    Ill do that even if you dont say so.

    Rudger nodded in satisfaction at that curious answer.

    So youve asked all the questions you wanted to ask?

    No.In fact, theres still more Id like to ask you about, like that mark on your back.

    Its a family affair.

    Okay. Im not going to bring that up because its probably hurtful to you, too. Instead, theres just one thing Im curious about.

    What is it?

    Flora asked, narrowing her eyes at Rudger as if that was her real question.

    Whats theconnection between you and that girl Rene?

 Chapter 322

    Flora closed the door to Rudgers hospital room and stepped out. She leaned back against the door for a moment, unable to move. Her blurry vision was projecting the conversation she had just had with Rudger.

    -Whats your rtionship with the girl named Rene?

    Flora took a deep breath and asked the question she was most curious about. She wondered if she should have asked the question right then and there. But she was more concerned that she would never get an answer from Rudger.

    Normally, Rudger would have responded to Floras question with silence, or at least dismissed it as nothing. But because of what was going on in his mind, Rudger listened to Floras question, and then became deeply troubled.

    From that alone, Flora realized that Rudgers attitude toward her was quite different. She realized that he seemed to care more about her than before.

    -I cant go into details. Its my personal business.

    -What does that mean, you actually have a rtionship?

    -Not a very good one.

    -But you seem to care a lot about her.

    Flora revealed the bitterness shed been harboring, something she wouldnt normally do. But just as Rudgers attitude towards her has changed considerably Floras behavior towards Rudger has also changed, and she was more genuine than before.

    There was a kind of resonance between what had happened in their minds.

    No one but the two of them will ever know what happened that day. But even so Flora was quite troubled about the rtionship between Rudger and Rene.

    -It was in the past. Something she doesnt even remember.

    -Did you two meet a long time ago?

    Rudger gave a small nod but Flora didnt ask how they had met, or what had happened. She couldnt bring herself to ask after seeing the changed expression on Rudgers face.

    It was a look of deep sadness shed never seen before and made Flora feel sick to her stomach.

    She realized that she had been helped by Rudger, but she couldnt help him.

    For the first time in her life, Flora felt a sense of inadequacy. At the same time, she thought that if something bad happened to her, would her teacher look like that?

    Flora shook her head. She had promised herself to be different from now on.

    She had to try harder since for the first time someone had reached out and given her a chance. She didnt want to waste a single minute of her life.

    Pulling herself together, Flora made her way to her hospital room.

    .

    Feeling Floras movement away, Rudger remained seated, staring out the window.

    Contrary to what hed feared, Flora seemed to be doing quite well. Neither her speech nor her behavior was any more embellished than before. Her emotions were more visible, which was nice to see. And while he was d for that, Rudger couldnt help but feel his head spin.

    The events in the capital would have far-reaching consequences but Rudger wasnt worried about the future of the ripples themselves. His only concern was Renes condition.

    When he had rescued her from Basara that day, he had looked into her eyes that were filled with bright light, a sign that the n had worked.

    Basara looked at Rene and said she was a saint but Rudger didnt know what that meant.

    Rene had the qualities of a saint. The Judgment she possessed was not simply inherited through blood. It was determined by something muchrger and more fatalistic.

    There is only one in every century.

    And most of the time, its bearers dont even realize they have such power.

    The only time they wake up is when something big happens on a global scale but Renees Judgment Eye has awakened.

    It wasntplete, but it was enough to make her wonder about herself.

    And most of all, Im worried about Zero Order finding her.

    Given that Zero Order is a demon, he would be most likely to seek out Rene to eliminate her.

    For now, Rudger is hiding her, but one day she will be found out.

    Will he be able to protect her in the future?

    I just wanted her to grow up like a regr kid.

    He wanted the child to forget everything and live a normal life but fate would not allow it so easily.

    Rudger stopped thinking about it and let out a self-deprecatingugh. He had no one to me but himself for what had happened to Rene in the first ce.

    From the day he killed her mother with these bloody hands her life was already far from normal. In a way, by caring about her, he was doing her an even greater wrong. It was a selfish act, a one-sided way of relieving him of his guilt.

    But it happened.

    If he hade this far, he couldnt pretend he didnt know. And in a twist of fate, there was one other person in Theon who had been involved in the days events besides Rene, Freuden Ulburg.

    The little wolf was now a fully-grown man but his animosity towards Rudger has only increased.

    He hadnt yet told Renee about her past, but Rudger never knew when something mighte out of nowhere.

    Whoa.

    Rudger thought back to thest conversation hed had with Andrei in the underground central area.

    He had failed to protect someone, and he had despaired about it. So had Andrei, and he had ended up bing a warlock.

    You will not fail.

    The words of encouragement struck Rudger as ridiculous.

    Not because it was silly. Rather, it made him feel grateful.

    Those few words from Andrei touched Rudgers heart.

    The irony is that the words brought sweetfort to Rudgers parched heart.

    I thought I would live my life in solitude, but this is what happens when you live.

    Rudger thought to himself and looked out the window.

    It was strange that the person who should have been the first to arrive by now hadnt.

    Strange. I thought she was in the capital. Isnt sheing?

    Granders nature was such that she would havee to tease him in the middle of the night, away from prying eyes if he had been injured and taken to the hospital

    Shes so selfish, its not really strange that she doesnte when shes supposed to.

    Rudger had given up trying to guess at Granders behavior.

    If she doesnte, thats good.

    * * *

    Well, well. I wish we could have chatted a bit more, hes quite an interesting guy.

    Helia grumbled, twirling the mountain in her hand.

    Zero Order responded to Heliasment with a silent nod and continued on their way.

    The streets of the dark capital were deste with uncleaned debris from the terror that still lingered.

    Helia liked the sight. It was as if the world hade to an end. Of course, the world hadnt ended. These ruins would be rebuilt and returned to their neat and tidy state by the next day.

    Still, its good to enjoy it while you can.

    When Helia muttered that, Zero Order, who was walking ahead, stopped.

    Helia, who was walking behind, also stopped.

    What the hell? Whats going on?

    Helia poked her head over Zero Orders shoulder and stared straight ahead. Then her face twisted into a grimace.

    In the center of the wide street, was a girl with blonde hair that shone in the moonlight that poured in like a curtain and red eyes that could be seen clearly in the darkness of the night.

    She looked like a doll in a crimson dress.

    Helias crumpled expression didnt straighten easily, knowing her identity.

    No, why would you.

    Going for a walk on a moonlit night?

    When Helia muttered that, Grander broke the silence.

    Its a rare sight, not just one of your kind, but two of you together, nay, three, considering what happened today.

    Granders red eyes glowed eerily. It was like a drop of water falling into a still pool of blood and rippling out.

    The sight made Helia tighten her grip on the parasol in her hand.

    Meeting her gaze, Zero Order remained unperturbed and spoke.

    What brings you here?

    No business. Is there some reason I shouldnt be here?

    I thought you wanted some quiet and thought you avoided crowded ces.

    That was a long time ago. I have long since changed my mind.

    Grander smiled mischievously as she spoke.

    Thats whats bothering me now. Im not in the best of moods right now. I came here to do some sightseeing, and now Ive run into two creeps.

    Youre the one who forced us toe here when we were avoiding you. Or are you going to fight right here and now?

    Why not?

    A crimson aura began to swirl around Grander.

    Not to be outdone, Helia began to stir up ck magic, ready to use her illusions.

    At the sight, Grander curled the corners of her mouth in disdain.

    You dare to use that crude illusion against me? I recall that I punished you severely once before, but you seem to have forgotten.

    At least I can buy myself some time and escape.

    Youre the same as ever, trying to run away from someone whos stronger than you.

    Because no one usually wants to fight a monster like you.

    Grandeurs eyebrows shot upward in displeasure at that retort.

    A monster?

    Uh, I take that back.

    Helia immediately lowered her head.

    Of course, it was only words and slowly illusions began to take shape around Helia as ancient beasts that looked like a mishmash of beasts and bugs appeared.

    All she had to do was give themand, and they would attack Grander with everything they had.

    It was then that Zero Order stepped forward.

    Im not going to fight you anyway, so lets just call it a day.

    What?

    Grander raised an eyebrow and shot Zero Order a look that said, What does that mean?

    Zero didnt avert his eyes and their gazes collided in midair.

    In the end, it was Grander who withdrew her power first.

    Hmph. My excitement is gone.

    Thats good.

    It hasnt been that long since Ive seen you, but youre still different from the other so-called apostles.

    I suppose.

    An immortal who wants to die and an apostle who doesnt seek God, its so ridiculous I cant evenugh.

    Helia was puzzled as the life drained out of him.

    What, I thought we were going to fight?

    Shed been scrambling since shed realized Grander was in the capital.

    When she and Rudger met, she didnt keep her illusions active too long to avoid being detected by her but Grander was more perceptive than she realized.

    As they quietly made their way out of the capital, she appeared in front of them and showed hostility. Somehow, though, Grander had no intention of fighting her.

    Is that old woman senile? In the old days, she would have lunged at me, sttering me with blood.

    Even now, the memory sent a jolt of electricity down her spine.

    Unlike Helia, who was genuinely surprised, Zero Order seemed to have guessed something.

    You found it.

    Grander snorted at Zeros confidence.

    Not found. Ive just pushed the goal back a bit.

    I see.

    And did you ever find what you were looking for?

    I havent found it yet, but Ive seen the trail, so it shouldnt take long.

    Youre faster than I thought.

    What the hell, what are you two talking about without me?

    Helia asked, but neither Zero Order nor Grander answered her so she pouted her lips, as if they werent even in the same space.

    Ah, well. I dont need to know, then, do I?

    With that, Helia spoke with a huff and vanished like a phantom.

    The illusion of the ancient beasts she had created dissolved into thin air like a mirage.

    I shall go as well, and I trust you will honor your oath.

    With that, Zero Order vanished in a puff of ck smoke.

    Oath.

    Grandeur muttered the word oath once, then turned her carnelian eyes to a single spot, in that direction was the hospital where her apprentice was staying.

    She had heard that her apprentice had been injured and had been taken away, and she had considered making fun of him.

    Today is not the day.

    She shook her head in disappointment and strode back to her quarters.

    At this rate, shes going to have to make fun of Hans.

    My apprentice picked up a pretty funny one, though.

    * * *

    Burrrr.

    What is it?

    Hans, who was nursing Bruna back at the inn, shivered at the sudden chill.

    Surely the events in the capital were over, so why the uneasiness?

    It must be an illusion, right?

 Chapter 323

    Chapter sponsored bySebastian Rath.Thank you for your support.

    The next morning a visitor came to Rudgers room.

    He opened the door to reveal a handsome knight with blonde hair and a good-natured expression, Passius.

    The First Princess is expecting you.

    I think I need to rest a little longer.

    The First Princess is expecting you.

    Im afraid Im still not feeling well.

    The First Princess is expecting you.

    .

    No matter what he said, Passius just smirks and repeats the same answer.

    Its unfortunate for him, but Passius is giving off the vibe that he cant give in either, so Rudger has no choice but to reluctantly agree.

    When they arrived at the hospitals entrance, a ck steam car was already waiting for them. The car was reserved for the imperial family, so it was difficult to see the interior through the ss windows.

    Perhaps this was a courtesy of Princess Eileen.

    I didnt ask for this.

    The thought of Eileens generosity should have overwhelmed him, but Rudger didnt think so.

    Eileen gave as much as she received, but she took more than she gave.

    All of these little perks and considerations she was giving now would add up to a leash on himter. Rudger knew it, but he had no reason to refuse at the moment.

    It was Eileen who would cover up as much as possible for what he had done, and Rudger was in a position where he needed help.

    Once they were in the car, Passius took the wheel.

    Do you drive?

    Sometimes I drive when the Princess is on a secret inspection, which is why I had to get a license.

    Does the Royal Guard do that?

    Im an unusual case.

    Even as he muttered that, there was already a hint of resignation in his voice.

    Rudger felt a twinge of pity for his sessor, but at the same time, he was d he wasnt in that position.

    Using a Master who can coat his bare hands with aura as a mere chauffeur. I dont know whether to call it a waste of manpower or working him to the bone.

    As Rudger was thinking that, the vehicle pulled away as Passius turned the wheel skillfully.

    The roads were deserted, as the repair work from the terrorist attack hadnt yet beenpleted.

    So, how are you feeling?

    Good enough thanks to the treatment I received.

    As per the Princess consideration, Ive hired tight-lipped healers, so you dont have to worry.

    I see.

    Oh, by the way, there are other people waiting in the Imperial Castle right now. First of all, those who entered the underground tunnels that day will be awarded medals.

    You mean a decoration ceremony?

    I dont mean to sound snooty, but you should be a little proud of yourself. Youre just jealous because the others dont know about what you did, right?

    Passius smirked behind the wheel.

    To be honest, Id rather give Mr. Rudger all my medals.

    You mean me?

    I know what happened that day in the underground tunnels. When I woke up, I was in a different ce, and I couldnt help but feel that I owed it to Mr. Rudger.

    Did the others think so too?

    No. I was the first one to wake up, and I talked a good game, so no one really suspected anything.

    As a shadow of the First Princess he had a very neat way of handling things and Rudger was d to hear that.

    To reveal that he stayed behind and fought Louispold alone would be to reveal that hed been hiding his power.

    Not that anyone hasnt noticed, of course. Do you happen to know who it is?

    Casey Selmore.

    The answer came right out of Rudgers mouth.

    I see. You and the detective already know everything there is to know about each other.

    Not exactly.

    Well, if you dont want to talk about it, I wont bother you, but detective Casey agreed with me that Mr. Rudger saved our asses. In fact, she even managed to convince the one person who was most suspicious of you, Trina Ryanhowl.

    Is that so?

    After all, Casey seemed intent on keeping his identity a secret, even now. She hadnt even told her best friend, Trina.

    Now I find that rather suspicious.

    What does Casey Selmore want from me?

    Even then, she insisted on fighting with me no matter what. Why? Does she feel a sense ofpetition?

    Aside from Rudger, Casey was the only one who resisted the demons power. It wasnt perfect, of course, and she was in a pretty bad state, but it was something to wake up in that situation.

    It was something Rudger hadnt expected at all.

    By any chance, is Casey Selmore in the imperial castle?

    Oh, thats.

    Passius hesitated for a moment before answering.

    Detective Casey left for Leathervelk shortly afterward.

    You mean she left?

    Yes. The Princess personally called for her, but she left, saying she was tired and busy.

    Passiuss words were not empty, but more like heartfelt praise. As far as he was concerned, Caseys cool refusal of the First Princesss subtly pressuring invitation was very admirable.

    Perhaps even more so because he knew he would never be able to do the same.

    I did see her condition before she left, though, and she didnt look too good.

    What condition was it exactly?

    Oh. Youre finally admitting that theres something between you, and youre worried, right?

    YeahLets just call it that.

    Just kidding, just kidding, she had a dark look on her face and she looked really tired.

    Is that so?

    Yeah.

    Passius had drawn the line at the end of the story as far as he knew.

    Rudger remembered the pitying look Casey had sent his way at the end.

    ncing out the window, Rudger scratched his temple with his hand.

    Maybe he should go see for himself at least once.

    Weve arrived.

    By now, the vehicle had arrived at the entrance to the Imperial Castle of Devalk.

    The guards had been warned at the entrance, and they opened the gates right away, frightened at the sight of the vehicle.

    The castle was still majestic, untouched by the terrorist uproar.

    Looking at the countless white spires, Rudger headed inside, half excited, half worried.

    * * *

    Rudger stood in the ante-room, where the Emperor stays for a short time before being announced, casting a subtle nce at Chris Benimore, who was nervously hovering on one leg.

    Mr. Chris.

    .

    Mr. Chris Benimore.

    what?

    Rudger said his name a little stronger, and Chris responded. His voice, which normally would have been booming, was somehow weak and full of mncholy.

    Rudger knew what was wrong with him.

    Are you still thinking about that elfdy?

    Not that elfdy, Lady Bruna.

    Yes. Are you still thinking of Lady Bruna?

    Dont you dare use her name!

    .

    What the hell.

    Rudger shook his head in disbelief.

    During the underground fight, Rudger had gotten everyone to safety but in Brunas case, he had Hans take her away before the others coulde to their senses.

    The problem was that Brunas disappearance shocked Chris as if the sky had fallen.

    Youre a very unlucky man.

    Chris Benimore was now searching for Bruna as anxiously as a man with a broken heart. If it werent for todays ceremony, hed be wandering the capital like a ghost.

    Im sure shes out there somewhere.

    No! You dont know how frail and delicate a woman Lady Bruna is, to have disappeared so suddenly, so suddenly!

    Feeble and frail?

    For a moment, Rudger had to reconsider his understanding of the meaning of the word frail.

    To his astonishment, Chris had been convinced that Bruna was a young elven maiden.

    Bruna, the infamous witch doctor of theunderworld?

    If you dropped her in a crime zone right now, shed probably eat them up.

    Just look at her work in the underground waterways.

    In the midst of all that fighting, Bruna had even managed to sneak a chimera and some flesh tissue from the subjects inside her personal pouch.

    Rudger was horrified to see it when he went to retrieve the specialty chemicals.

    I mean, she didnt even get in trouble for trying toget into the World Tree, so whats the big deal?

    Rudger shook his head.

    But I cant just leave Chris alone, hes getting on my nerves as we share the same space.

    In that case, Ill ask the First Princess.

    What did you say?

    I will have a chance to speak with Princess Eileen privately, and I will ask her where Ms. Bruna is.

    So just be quiet for now.

    Rudger swallowed thest part, but Chris seemed to recognize the implication and immediately stopped shaking uneasily.

    Yes. Please.

    Rudger was relieved to see Chris calm down. Now that hed said this much, he should ask Bruna for her opinion.

    Its her choice to meet him or not.

    However, given the way she had reacted to Chris, it was unlikely that she would say no.

    Im sure shell want to meet him, so Ill let her.

    Rudger had a sudden thought.

    Im not going to get a wedding invitation out of the blue, am I?

    He wondered what his face would look like then but he couldnt quite picture it.

    Are you ready? You must depart now.

    An imperial servant said, opening the door.

    Rudger and Chris rose from their seats and followed the servants lead into arge hall.

    The Hall of White Mirrors, as it was called, was a pure white space that could hold hundreds of people and still have room to spare.

    Light streamed in from all sides, creating natural lighting that was not at all dazzling and the floor was made of smooth marble.

    True to its name, it was like a white mirror, and everything was clearly reflected on the floor.

    Rudger nced up. Beyond the sparkling, jewel-like chandeliers, hyper-realist masterpieces were painted on the ceiling, a space of both aesthetic beauty and awe.

    It was here that Rudger came face to face with the Emperor.

    Of course, he wasnt alone.

    Rudger was nked by Chris Benimore and other members of the infiltration team, including Passius and Trina Ryanhowl. Only Bruna and Casey Selmore were absent.

    Rudger looked at Rotheron, who still wore the iron helmet over his face.

    It was almost disrespectful to hide ones face in the presence of the Emperor. However, Rotherons refusal to show his face was so well known that special permission had been granted.

    A Suin.

    Rudger remembered Iona OValley, one of the students in his ss.

    Suins are a fairly discriminated race in modern society.

    In the elitist world of magic, they were naturally ostracized even more.

    Nowadays, its much less prevalent, but there are still vestiges of discrimination.

    For a Suin to rise to such a position in such a ce.

    It must have been hard work.

    Not to mention, Rotheron was also hiding [Unusual] magic. That means he got there with his own strength, something that could not be done without a great deal of determination.

    It was then that Rotheron nced at Rudger from behind his mask.

    Rudger could feel the stare. It wasnt because he was staring at him but because Rotheron was secretly aware of Rudger.

    Just then, a powerful trumpet sounded, signaling the start of the ceremony.

    Both mens gazes turned toward the front at the same time. Out of the corner of their eye, they saw the Imperial family but there was also a face they hadnt seen in the square. It was the empress sitting next to the emperor.

    I can see right away who First Princess Eileen looks like.

    The Empress was so young and beautiful that she didnt look like someone who had three children. She could have even been mistaken for Eileens sister.

    The only difference was that she had a more mature and cozy look, unlike Eileen, who was darker inside.

    Next to the Empress stood the First Princess Eileen, and beside her were the Second Prince and Third Princesses.

    The entire imperial family has gathered here, and it looks like its quite a ceremony.

    In particr, the three siblings with theirpletely different personalities stood out.

    Of the three, it was the second prince who caught Rudgers eye the most.

    Unlike Eileen and Erendir, whom he had seen many times, this was the first time he had met the second prince.

    He rarely shows his face in public, so this was a rare opportunity.

    The Second Prince was, in a sense, the most unusual of the three. He was the one who rarely generated rumors.

    If you were of imperial blood, you were bound to generate rumors of some sort.

    Their bloodline brought the blue with them wherever they went and even Erendir had made a name for herself among the nobility but the Second Prince was even less recognized than Erendir.

    That was partly because he kept a low profile but Rudger suspected there was something else.

    Second Prince Ivelon von Exilion.

    The frail-looking figure resembled his father, but the look in his eyes was very different.

    He said he gave up the session, the power, all of it, because he was pushed out by First Princess Eileen. But the look in his eyessays otherwise.

    It was then that the second prince Ivelon gaze met Rudgers.

    Their gazes intertwined in the air. At the same time, Rudger sensed something about the second prince.

    That man. He is deliberately concealing himself.

 Chapter 324

    The medal ceremony was uneventful.

    Quite a few people had gathered in the hall to watch, but none of them were as interested in Rudger as they should have been since most of the credit went to Passius.

    It had been concluded that the Liberation Armys terrorist campaign was stoppedrgely due to the work of the Royal Guard and the other Master, Trina Ryanhowl. Or, more urately, thats what the imperial family concluded and covered up the truth.

    Of course, the truth could not bepletely covered up.

    In the case of the ck storm on the ground, there were too many witnesses.

    The demon Basara attacked the students as they sought refuge in the imperial pce, knocking them all out. Afterward, a huge storm raged, and Third Square waspletely destroyed.

    No matter how much they tried to block information, they couldnt cover up the truth.

    The only good thing was that the students who were caught in the crossfire didnt remember what happened. The reason was that they had been traumatized.

    Of course, there are some who have intact memories.

    Like Flora Lumos, Rene and Aidan.

    For starters, these three had intact memories.

    Two of them hadnt been knocked out, and one had woken up quickly enough to be in the middle of the action but there was no need to worry.

    Flora would keep his secret but hell have to speak with Rene while Aidan was the only one left, but he decided not to bother with him since Madeline was his master.

    Given Madelines usual behavior, he wasnt sure what to expect but she was surprisingly good at following through.

    Thats why she was in the ck Ops Alpha team.

    As Rudger mulled over the situation in his head, he felt a gaze on him.

    He squinted in the direction of the gaze, and there, staring back at him, was a man, Second Prince Ivelon.

    Of all the people being honored in the hall, he took a special interest in Rudger.

    At first Rudger thought it was a coincidence, but one look into his eyes changed his mind.

    Rumor had it that the second prince had a gentle heart and not much political skill. Instead, he excelled in artistic endeavors such as painting and music, and it was said that he even gave up his right to the throne because he loved them so much. But in reality, the second prince was not like that at all.

    Rudger, who had met many people and seen countless events, was convinced.

    He has a monster in his heart.

    It is said that a kindred spirit recognizes another kindred spirit so it was clear that second prince Ivelon felt what Rudger felt.

    There was a glint of interest in his eyes as he looked at Rudger but it was only a fleeting moment.

    The medal ceremony, which seemed tost forever, was over.

    After receiving the attention and apuse he deserved, Passius gestured to the center of the room.

    Passius! Passius!

    Trina! TRINA!

    The people cheered and threw flowers at the heroes of their country.

    Rudger was inwardly relieved by the enthusiastic response. It was proof that their smoke screen was working.

    Even as he thought this, Rudger could not take his eyes off the second prince.

    * * *

    After the ceremony, Rudger joined the other teachers.

    Mr. Rudger, are you feeling well?

    Many of the teachers were excited to see Rudger and Chris back.

    Even though they had gone to the other side of the battle to help, it didnt change the fact that they had gone to a dangerous ce.

    Now that theyde back alive and well, and even earned a medal, there was bound to be some attention.

    To Selinas worried nce, Rudger nodded slightly, assuring her that everything was fine.

    There wasnt much danger because the others fought hard.

    In reality, both Rudger and Chris had been in danger, but he didnt need to borate.

    Im so d youre okay, we were all so worried.

    Merylda said yfully as she came up beside Selina.

    Of course, especially Selina, do you know how much she prayed for Mr. Rudger toe back safely?

    Me, Miss Merylda!

    What? Why? I was only telling him what really happened.

    Oh, no matter how you say it.

    Selina blushed and squinted at Rudger. She wasnt usually embarrassed to admit that shed done something like that within earshot of Rudger.

    Thank you for your concern.

    When Rudger said that, Selinas face brightened, a look that showed her emotions so tantly.

    Merylda gave a small giggle at the sight and Selina shot her an intense re.

    Anyway, Im d youre back in one piece, Mr. Rudger, and Im sure everyone else is too, except for that guy over there.

    As she said this, Meryldas gaze shifted to Chris, who was surrounded by a group of aristocratic teachers.

    He doesnt have any injuries, does he?

    Its the kind of thing you wish you didnt have to say.

    Meryldas hostility was not surprising, considering Chriss usual dismissive demeanor.

    Hmm. Well, I wouldnt say hes unscathed.

    Oh, really? I was just joking and I didnt think it was that serious. Thats not bad, so where did he get hurt?

    His heart.

    What?

    Merylda asked, wondering what the hell that meant, but Rudger didnt say much more than that.

    So when are the others going back to Theon?

    Thats something we dont know yet, but Im sure the President will be able to give us a more detailed schedule.

    Selina told Rudger that the Theon administration was currently swamped with the messy field trip.

    Thats why were here at the Imperial Pce, waiting for them to get back to us.

    I see, and besides, the students need to get some rest as well, so perhaps we should stay in the capital a little longer.

    Yeah. Thats really thrown a wrench in my schedule for the rest of the school year, and Im already worried about how much Ill have to cram in.

    As she muttered that, Selina turned to Rudger and apologized.

    Im sorry.

    Sorry for what?

    That theres nothing I can do to help.

    Rudger didnt think it was necessary to apologize for that. But the look on Selinas face told him she meant it.

    Youve put too much on your shoulders, Mr. Rudger. Youve saved students and gone down into the tunnels where the terrorists were, even though you didnt have to.

    Ms. Selina.

    Thats what bothered me. I was in the safety of the Imperial Pce, and there were students out there, struggling, and I couldnt help them.

    Selina hated that. She felt that she had done a terrible job as a teacher in Theon.

    More than that, she felt that as a human being, she had a responsibility to step in and help in this situation.

    Of course, Selina was not to me. She was the one who had prevented the people inside from going outside but that didnt matter to Selina.

    There was something I could have done, and I didnt do anything.

    She lowered her head in a somber tone while Rudger stared at her for a moment before speaking.

    Ms. Selina, the events in the capital are certainly unfortunate. However, none of the students were actually seriously injured.

    Miraculously, none of the Theon students were harmed in this incident thanks to their mentors, who did their best to protect them.

    While some students were slightly injured in the chimeras attack, none were fatally injured.

    Although many of the students fell victim to Basaras psychic waves, they were able to shake them off quickly and without any lingering effects. It was safe to say that there were no real casualties.

    But even if the students were safe, that doesnt mean there werent any victims. Many of the capitals citizens were killed or injured, and many were left homeless, and are still struggling in relief barracks.

    I wont deny that.

    I also feel bad that I wasnt there to help them, because if I had been, I might have saved at least a few more lives.

    .

    Selina was right. If she, an aplished elementalist, had stepped in, the damage would have been less than it was.

    The death of a person is a heavy thing. But most people are numb to the deaths of others who are not rted to them.

    They may feel sad, but they cant express genuine sorrow and condolences since its not their business.

    But Selina was different. She mourns even the death of strangers.

    Suddenly, Rudger remembered what Selina had been through in the past.

    She had lost people she cared about, and her vige had been burned.

    Although that was all Esmeraldas fault and had nothing to do with Selina since she was nothing more than an artificial spirit that Esmeralda had created to remind her of her innocence, a false personality, in a way.

    But were the emotions and feelings she was showing now really fake?

    They werent.

    Ms. Selinas reaction is understandable. But at the end of the day, this is what happened. You can grieve and feel sorry for yourself, but thats it. You dont have to dwell on it anymore.

    Selinas eyes widened in surprise and she was about to ask why he was speaking so bluntly when Rudger continued.

    On the way to the capital, I saw the situation outside. The streets were broken and ruined, and workers were hard at work moving materials and clearing debris, and its only been a day since that terrible thing happened.

    Thats.

    Im not saying theyre immune to the devastation  Im sure they grieve, Im sure theyre angry, Im sure they feel hopeless  but they were there, sweating it out, rebuilding. Do you know what that means?

    Selina hesitated before answering.

    I dont know.

    It means that in the end, they will get through it.

    Selinas eyes narrowed and she timidly retorted with a trembling voice.

    But there might be some people who didnt.

    Yes, Im sure there are, and those people will need help.

    Then.

    But its not up to us to guide those people. Its up to the grieving persons neighbors, friends, or family  people who can genuinely empathize with their grief.

    .

    So we dont have to be sad, we just have to believe that theyll get through it.

    At that moment, Selina realized why Rudger was telling her this.

    He was telling her that he was worried that she was dwelling too much on her grief and wanted to reassure her that she shouldnt be so hard on herself.

    His caring gesture meant the world to Selina.

    Im not sure I answered your question, Selina.

    No, its more like an overflow, and from the sounds of it, I must have been going off on the wrong track.

    Selina smirked at Rudger with that answer. It was a warm, springtime smile that seemed to make flowers bloom all around her.

    I feel like Im always getting help from you, Mr. Rudger, thank you.

    Not at all.

    Rudger was momentarily speechless at Selinas smile but he quickly regained hisposure and replied, I dont think so, but there was no way Merylda, who had been secretly eavesdropping, could have missed it.

    Uh-oh.

    Selina blushed as she regained herposure.

    Me, Ms. Merylda!

    Huh? Why?

    Well, what was that reaction?

    What reaction?

    That, thats,!

    Just then, in the distance, Passius spotted Rudger and came running toward them.

    Ah, there you are, Mr. Rudger Chelici.

    All eyes turned to the man who had been so instrumental in solving the attack but unperturbed by the stares, he turned to Rudger.

    The First Princess has asked to see you privately to recognize your work in resolving this situation.

    Rudger nodded his understanding and turned to Selina and Merylda.

    Ill excuse myself for a moment, then.

    Oh, okay.

    Rudger quickly followed behind Passius, who walked straight ahead and they arrived in an ornate drawing room.

    Wee.

    Eileen, who was waiting for them, turned to Rudger and said.

    The pure white sunlight streaming in from the window illuminated her silver hair and Eileen was a shining jewel in her own right.

    From her demure demeanor to her facial expressions, she exuded charisma and dominance.

    I was tired of waiting.

    Why dont we meet in the garden where I saw you that day?

    Its the same yard where my mother and siblings moved and I dont need to draw attention to myself. I dont mind being seen, but you do, right?

    In short, she was saying that she was going to all this trouble for Rudgers sake.

    Im overwhelmed with gratitude.

    Yes. Be more grateful. You owe me.

    I would be more grateful if you hadnt said that.

    But if I didnt say it, you were going to pretend you didnt know.

    Rudger didnt bother to reply, instead he casually sat down in the empty seat across from Eileen.

    Eileens jeweled eyes sparkled, and she sped her hands together and jammed them against her chin.

    Lets talk about what happened down there.

 Chapter 325

    Have you not heard from Sir Passius?

    Not all of it. Passius fainted halfway through, how could you not know that?

    Rudgers gaze naturally shifted to Passius and he couldnt help but smile awkwardly at the question.

    Its just that I shouldnt be hiding anything from the Princess.

    .

    The words were unavoidable, but given the same circumstances, Passius would have made the same choice. His loyalty is to the imperial family, and he would never do anything contrary to that.

    To Eileen, at least, he had to be truthful, with nothing to hide.

    So what happened to the Liberation Army officer who used that demonic power?

    Hes dead.

    Dead? How?

    I killed him.

    Rudger answered bluntly.

    There was no point in hiding it from Eileen, who knew most things anyway. If anything, it would make it easier for her to help cover up the truth.

    In fact, when she heard Rudgers answer, Eileen gave him a look of disbelief.

    Is that true?

    Didnt you say you wanted me to tell you everything?

    Rudger looked at her with a distant gaze.

    Eileen tapped her forehead with her index finger.

    From what Ive heard, this Louispold guy was a guinea pig for demonic power and gained great power.

    Yes, thats right. You have your facts straight.

    He was said to have harvested the parts of countless missing wizards and imnted them into his body, allowing him to manifest multiple spells simultaneously. He was also said to be physicallyplete, with ess to the cells of the World Tree and demonic powers.

    Yes. That is also correct. Since the Masters were overpowered.

    Eileens expression grew more subtle at Rudgers answer.

    And you killed him, is that what you mean?

    Yes.

    How? From what I hear, even the Masters aura de was unable to properly wound him.

    Uh, Princess. Technically, it could, but his regenerative powers were so great that he recovered.

    Shut up. You will keep your mouth shut.

    Passius interrupted, but was quickly silenced by Eileens tirade.

    You killed a creature that had shed its human form and be a full-blown monster, and you did it alone?

    There was no one to help me in that situation, so alone, yes. Oh, notpletely alone, I did have some help from Andrei Semov. Just a little.

    Please describe the situation in detail.

    Eileen didnt know much about the story after Passius passed out. That was why she had called Rudger here now.

    Rudger told her how, after hispanions had passed out, he had moved them out of the way and fought Louispold alone.

    Eileen was initially intrigued and consistent in her attitude as Rudger exined that he had subdued Louispold with various spells.

    But as Rudgers exnation grew longer and longer, she showed her first signs of surprise when he told her that the demon Basara awakened from within Louispold.

    A demon, did you say?

    What are you so surprised about?

    A demon.

    Havent you already heard about the demonic power sealed inside the World Tree?

    Ive heard that the demonic power was refined to strengthen the experiment, but I havent heard that the sealed demon was fully awakened.

    Then youve heard it now.

    At Rudgers words, Eileen red at him, wondering if he was lying but she knew he wasnt lying at all.

    Then there was that ck storm that was seen on the ground.

    Yes. It was caused by that demon.

    Rudger exined the power of the demon Basara. Interfering with the human psyche, stirring up inner trauma, sending people into fantasies and breaking them mentally.

    Eileenughed in disbelief as she listened.

    From what Ive heard, its power is so dangerous that it can easily take down a Lexer-rank wizard and a Master.

    It must be, since I was actually struck by both.

    But how did you survive that power unharmed?

    Not exactly unharmed, I was also affected.

    But you didnt pass out and fought him.

    Yes. I held it together with my mental strength.

    You make it sound like youre a well-trained soldier, like you got through it with your strength and mental toughness and all that. Its ridiculous.

    Eileen shook her head as if in pain.

    Rudgers words were full of things that defiedmon sense. But the whole situation, and Rudgers behavior, was proving to be true.

    Eileen had always known that Rudger wasnt a normal person.

    Im lucky because Im basically immune to mental attacks.

    People dont usually call themselves lucky for something like that.

    Well, lets call it that then.

    .

    Eileen narrowed her eyes. The more she listened, the more she couldnt help but think that she was getting a little bit caught up in Rudger. But he was the one with the information right now, and he had the rtional advantage in this situation.

    So you say the demon fled to the surface, attacked the Theon students as they sought refuge, and took the body of a girl?

    Yes.

    Indeed. That exins why the students and guards fainted during the evacuation. Now we have a piece of the puzzle.

    She thought it odd that there was no sign of injury on their bodies, considering they had been attacked.

    None of the men could remember what had happened to them before they passed out and they thought that the Liberation Army had yed another trick on them.

    She didnt think it was due to demonic power.

    Is the student whose body was taken over okay? I remember you saying it was Flora Lumos, that Lumos.

    I saw her once before I came here, and she didnt show any signs of anything unusual.

    It may not have been immediately apparent, but theres no telling what will happenter, and if its a member of the Lumos family, well have to be careful. Well have to keep an eye on her.

    I intend to, even if you dont.

    As much as Id like to, Id rather keep her here and check in on her periodically.

    As she muttered that, Eileen sneaked a nce at Rudger.

    Im sure a certain teacher would be very upset if I tampered with his student, so Ill have to put that idea to rest.

    I dont know what youre talking about.

    Oh, thats fine. If youre keeping an eye on her, thats reassuring in a different way, so I guess I can trust you. So, did anything else happen?

    The demon took over her body and forced her physical talents to bloom, which is why her hair color has changed, albeit slightly.

    Any side effects from that?

    No. On the contrary, her magic sensitivity, total amount of mana, and sense of the magic have increased by leaps and bounds.

    So she practically gained a boost in her talent.

    Eileen was intrigued by Flora Lumos, but it was only a fleeting feeling. There were too many other questions on her mind right now.

    So how did you deal with the demon?

    I entered the students mind and annihted his mental body.

    Eileen wasnt surprised anymore, she took it for granted.

    That must have been no ordinary fight.

    It wasnt a big deal.

    Yeah. It was not a big deal to you, but not to everyone else.

    Eileen cupped her chin with her left hand, lifting her right to point her index finger at Rudgers brow.

    I sometimes wonder when youll say something out of the blue, a word of great praise, and its always no big deal, an ordinary thing, so-so, not like this, but something more. Just the thought of those wordsing out of your mouth frightens me. I think I need to brace myself.

    Eileens words were yfully sarcastic, but also half-sincere. It was at that moment that Eileens expression changed from a smirk to a grimace.

    I see. I hear what youre saying. In the end, it was the Liberation Army that did this, but it was the awakened demon that did the deed.

    Yes.

    Well, that makes it even more troubling. Demonic power in the center of the capital gives them a reason to intervene.

    If they are.

    The Cult of Lumensis. Its headquarters, the Kingdom of Bretus, to be exact.

    .

    Rudgers jaw dropped at the mention of the Cult of Lumensis. He remembered the bishop who had sought him out in Leathervelk.

    Normally they would have stayed quiet, buttely they had be very active and Rudger didnt know why.

    Do you think theyll see through this?

    They will. Theyre very perceptive in these things. A ck storm has risen in the center of the capital. Its ominous to say the least and too many people have seen it.

    The only good news is that the ck storm was caused by Basara, who had taken Floras body.

    The fact that Rudger had actually stopped it was unknown but only that.

    The Cult of Lumensis would use it to their advantage, and they might get to the truth by some means.

    For now, were keeping as much information as we can, but its only buying time. Theyre bound to get involved and start investigating, and when they do.

    Youre telling me Im not the only one under suspicion.

    You wont be the only one. The Lumos kid, Flora, will be caught up in it, and even if the two of you can keep it a secret, there is no truth that can be hidden from the world forever.

    Eileen clicked her tongue lightly at the thought.

    How insolent of them, to use their privilege in the name of their gods and try and meddle in my familys affairs. Unfortunately, when they set their minds to something, its not easy to stop them.

    It was not long ago, after all, that the Kingdom of Bretus wielded great influence.

    They say its less powerful now than it once was, but I dont buy it. You know what happened to the former kingdom before the Exilion Empire took over.

    Rudger nodded with a heavy expression.

    Before the Exilion Empire appeared, the former kingdom built a facility underground and conducted many experiments.

    We dont know why they built such a huge structure underground but we do know that the elves were involved, and that something that almost seeded was thwarted by Basaras intervention.

    Come to think of it, I heard a story about that underground.

    About what?

    About how the Dead World Tree came to exist in an underground facility, and how a demon was sealed within it.

    Eileen didnt look at him, wondering why he was telling her now. There had to be a hand or two they kept from each other. Wasnt that the nature of their rtionship?

    Thats interesting.

    There were those who helped grow the World Tree underground.

    Elves?

    Yes.

    At the mention of elves, Eileen leaned back and crossed her arms. She seemed to be lost in thought, and then her lips parted as she remembered something.

    Come to think of it, Ive heard such stories. That there are special nobles in the kingdom of the elves.

    Yes. I heard that too. They were called the Elder Houses.

    They are said to be divided into several families, from those who control the World Tree to those who rule outside the forest, but the most powerful are those who guard the center of the forest, the World Tree.

    They are called the Seven Roots of the Elven Kingdom.

    But do you know, the House of Rifre, which is said to be the guardian of the World Tree and the most powerful, was not always so.

    Is that true?

    It is said that in the past, the Rifre family did not rank so high within the Seven Roots. There was a different family that served the World Tree at the time, but something happened and the Rifre family became responsible for the World Tree.

    You dont mean to tell me that something strange happened.

    Yes. Its just a guess, but it seems likely that it has something to do with the World Tree underground in the capital, and it makes perfect sense.

    It was still spection, but Rudger thought it was a very credible story.

    To grow a World Tree underground in the first ce would be impossible without the help of elves. However, not all elves have the ability to grow a World Tree.

    In the immediate case of Bruna, she was banished from the kingdom for touching the World Tree.

    The World Tree is a deity that elves serve. To tamper with it would have been an affront to their very identity.

    But the Zero Order said there were some very enterprising elves in the past.

    Rudger pictured the situation in his mind.

    A family that existed before House Rifre. And what had be of them?

    Most likely, it had been ousted from elven society. More than just banished, the family itself might have disappeared.

    That would have caused a great revolution in Elven society at the time.

    Yes. But it was a long time ago, and its such a closed ce that few people know about it. Except.

    Except?

    There is word that survivors of the ousted family still exist somewhere on the continent.

    Thats surprising, but when you think about it, it makes sense.

    Indeed. They were once the most powerful family in the Elven realm, so they must be well hidden somewhere on this continent. If were lucky, we might run into them, and learn the truth of the day from them.

    Thats nonsense. Theyll be hiding their identities for fear of pursuers, and how do you expect to meet them? Its like finding a needle in a haystack.

    Rudger thought it was none of his business anyway.

    The heirs of a doomed elven family are not the only ones who are searched for.

 Chapter 326

    An elven family.

    Rudger calmly corrected the story Eileen had told him in his head.

    There were other great families in the Elven Realm besides House Rifre. He did not know their name since little was known about them. Most likely, after the incident, the Elven Kingdom had destroyed all records of that family.

    The family that controlled the World Tree was very enterprising, uncharacteristic of the Elves of today.

    They joined forces with the kingdom that was the forerunner of the Exilion Empire.

    The elves took a sapling of the World Tree and began to grow it secretly in the kingdoms underground.

    I dont know what they hoped to aplish with it, but it wasnt a bad attempt. They almost seeded but when the demon Basara intervened, things went awry.

    Eventually, they seeded in sealing Basara in the World Tree they had been nurturing underground, but the tree was drained of life and Basaras rampage became a problem when those who hated the demonic presence smelled it and moved.

    The Kingdom of Bretus meddled in the affairs of the kingdom and the elves, and from that day forward, the leadership of the kingdom has changed. But the change was so subtle that it went unnoticed by the people themselves.

    It is strange that their king has changed and they do not know it.

    It was as if a great unknown force had acted on a national scale.

    Rudger finally summarized the situation.

    The current guardian of the World Tree is the Lippre family. That meant that the previous family in charge of the World Tree had most likely been ousted for stealing the sapling of the World Tree.

    It was understandable if the elves had be more conservative and confined themselves to their kingdom after the events of that day.

    A hundred years ago, they had even gone to war with the humans. But what had happened after that, Rudger didnt know.

    I need more information about the elves.

    He wondered if he should ask Bruna about that.

    It had happened at least five hundred years ago, and she wasnt that old.

    There was one elf who seemed to know, Vierano Dentis, teacher of Elemental Studies to the fourth-year students of Theon. An elf with the outward appearance of a young boy, but who had obviously lived longer than any of them.

    Eileen was contemting inviting him over for teater to hear his story.

    So what are you going to do now?

    The job was done, but Rudger gave all the credit to Passius since he didnt want to stand out too much.

    Ill have to go back to teaching. This whole incident really messed up the school calendar, and its going to take a lot of time to get it straightened out again.

    Youre a very diligent teacher, but thats not what I asked.

    Of course not. Rudger said, ring at Eileen.

    Id like to go to the Treasury in the Imperial Pce now.

    * * *

    Rudger walked the long corridors of the imperial pce, guided by Eileen and Passius.

    The beauty of the interior, each piece a work of art, was something he had felt before, but it was truly breathtaking. However, even that extreme beauty was far from enough to hold Rudgers attention now.

    What Rudger was about to see was not the kind of art that many people have seen.

    The Exilion Empire has a long history and tradition. It was a ce filled with mysterious artifacts and treasures of unknown use.

    You may rejoice.

    It was Eileen, who was walking confidently in the lead, who spoke up.

    The Treasury is a space that is not easily opened, even to members of the imperial family. Except for my father, the current emperor, no one is allowed to enter.

    Considering that, the Princess seems to be going in as if its a matter of course.

    Thats because Im the next emperor.

    That meant that Eileen had pushed aside all the other imants to the throne, and was now proudly wearing the victors crown.

    Rudger thought of two others, Second Prince Ivelon and Third Princess Erendir.

    Erendir herself was not interested in power, but the other was a different case.

    The Second Prince.

    The Second Prince Ivelon gives off an outward appearance of modesty and weakness, but Rudger knew better that theres something else inside him.

    Perhaps his public persona is a mask.

    I wonder if the First Princess knows that.

    Rudger hesitated to ask Eileen. After all, the Second Prince was her blood. It didnt look good for an outsider to suspect him.

    Besides, Eileen is a woman who lives for her own self-satisfaction, but is also surprisingly protective of her family.

    Just look at the way she treats Erendir.

    Erendir is actually tired to death of the first princess attitude.

    Call it perverse affection or disingenuousness. It was safe to say that the way Eileen showed affection to her family was twisted in some way.

    Another way to look at it is that Eileen has her own kind of familial love for her siblings.

    Asking Eileen if she knows anything about her brother, the Second Prince, is a bit of a risk.

    To be honest, it was a pretty big risk to take.

    Uh, sister?

    Just then, a startled voice came from the front. I turned to see it was Erendir, apanied by her handmaidens.

    Her jewel-colored eyes stared at us in disbelief.

    What brings you here?

    Well, I was on my way back to where the students are staying, after all, I am a student of Theon.

    Since youre home, perhaps you could rest a bit longer and talk to your father and mother.

    Thats not necessary, I just saw them a little while ago.

    For such a youngdy, you seem eager to get back to your friends. You must have made many good friends in Theon.

    Uh, thats.

    At the mention of friends, Erendir was visibly taken aback since she had not made many friends.

    Its been almost a year and a half since she entered Theon and Erendir had only made one friend.

    If she told her sister this, she would tease her for the rest of her life.

    Of course, Ive made lots of friends and Im having a great time at school!

    Even as she said that, Erendir sent an intense nce over Eileens shoulder, toward Rudger and her eyes were begging him to keep his mouth shut.

    Rudger realized why she was so desperate.

    That.

    It was a pretty pathetic response, so Rudger decided to y it off as best he could.

    Hmph. I see.

    Eileen shook her head in disbelief and Erendir quickly changed the subject, as if the lie would be discovered any time soon.

    And where is sister off to now with Mr. Rudger.?

    I promised him a reward in advance for doing me a favor so Im on my way to deliver it.

    But even if you were to take this road, youd go to the Imperial Treasury.

    Erendir asked with a puzzled expression, and Eileen nodded as if that was the correct answer.

    Thats right. Im going to give him a gift from the Imperial Treasury.

    Now, wait a minute, sis, thats not quite right! Of course, Mr. Rudger has done a great job, but the Treasury is in a different ss.

    Ill give it to him, whats the big deal, Im the one whos authorized to open it.

    Still, weve only opened the Treasury to outsiders once in thest 100 years, and that was at the inauguration of Master Luther.

    Then this would be the second time.

    Thats not something you can say that easily.

    Erendir shuffled her feet, unable to argue with her sister.

    It was in that attitude that Rudger realized how great it was to enter the Treasury.

    Then Erendir looked back and forth between Eileen and Rudger.

    Its unwrittenw that the Treasury is not to be opened unless youre a member of the imperial family, and I dont think Mr. Rudger is going to be a member of the imperial family. Sis, you cant possibly.

    Erendir trailed off as a disturbing image shed through her mind.

    Eileen and Rudger made a fine pair standing together.

    Eileen had natural leadership, charisma, political skills, a good eye for people, stunning beauty, and a brilliant mind. Even though she was her sister, she was so perfect that she didnt dare to look at her.

    So sometimes she wondered who her sister would marry in the future.

    Her husband would have to be at least as good as her. And it was unlikely that Eileen herself would ept any man for apanion.

    But if its Mr. Rudger.

    Erendir naturallypared Rudger to Eileen.

    She didnt like Rudger very much since every time she saw him, she was reminded of her sister.

    Someone who looked normal and carefree on the outside, but underneath was something else. But here he was, standing with Eileen, and they couldnt have been more out of ce.

    His looks?

    A man as cold, noble, and sculpted as Rudger is hard to find, no matter where you look on the continent.

    His abilities?

    In addition to being a teacher at Theon, he invented new theories and rose to the position of Director of nning in the shortest amount of time.

    No one could argue with that.

    Personality?

    To be honest, she cant say its good, butpared to Eileen, its better. Or rather, it suits her.

    Sister. No?

    Erendir asked, denying reality while Eileen smiled mischievously, realizing at once what strange fantasies Erendir was having.

    Hmph. I cant believe youve be so perceptive after all this time in Theon. Is it all because of your time in Theon?

    !

    Erendir felt a wave of dizziness as she heard her words. She staggered to the side and was about to copse when her handmaidens rushed to her aid.

    Princess!

    Are you all right?!

    The handmaidens shouted, and quickly carried Erendir into the distance.

    Rudger watched the whole skit and turned to Eileen.

    Arent you being a little too yful with your sister?

    After such a passionate reaction, I cant stop teasing her.

    Well, I suppose so.

    I see you sympathize, and I cant say youre not a good-natured fellow, like me.

    Eileen smiled in amusement, and beside her, Passius added.

    Well, I suppose its still better than the First Princess, who knows, and is therefore worse.

    Eileen red at him, and he shut up.

    Anyway, lets get moving again.

    From what I heard earlier, it sounds like youre not supposed to open the Treasury. Are you sure about that?

    Dont you dare ask me that now. I made the suggestion knowing full well. With your skills, opening the Treasury is rather cheap.

    Eileen started walking again, followed by Passius and Rudger.

    Of course, if your performance doesnt live up to expectations, Ive thought about reducing the number of things you can take from the Treasury.

    Well, it looked like it.

    But youve performed beyond expectations. Youve saved lives, stopped terrorists, and exorcized demons. Thats why I dont even want to think about cutting you any ck in negotiations.

    Is that so?

    Its the right thing to do. The reward must be certain.

    Eileen was firm about this.

    Shes almost obsessive about the certainty thates withpetence.

    It wasnt for nothing that those beneath her were so loyal to her.

    Eventually, the three of them reached a ce so dark and deep that even imperial servants could not be seen.

    Leading the way, Eileen stopped in front of a massive stone gate.

    She lifted her head and looked up. Carved with all sorts of ornate symbols, the gate was imposing in its own right.

    It was simr to the gates she had seen in the world of Dreand during the Order Synod. No, it was far greater than that because that was a dream, and this was a real door.

    Halt. If you get any closer, Ill draw my sword.

    True to Eileens warning, there were Guardians in ornate armor on either side of the entrance.

    Guardians, this is quite a murderous ce.

    As it should be.

    As Eileen stepped forward, the Guardians jet-ck helmets glowed with an inner light.

    It was then that Eileen produced the key she had brought with her. She showed them the golden key around her neck, and the Guardians glow returned.

    It was a simple gesture, but Rudger saw the Guardians instantly recognize the keys unique magic wavelength.

    You may enter now. As I said, there are only three items you can take out.

    Youre noting with me?

    Only one person is allowed to enter the Treasury. Any more than that and the door to the vault will not open.

    Thats thorough.

    It has to be.

    The underground vaults at the Kunst Auction House werent this strict, but this was the Imperial Pce after all.

    If anything, it made Rudger realize that the name Imperial Treasury was not a ttering description.

    Stand in front.

    I did as Eileen ordered, and the giant stone door slowly opened.

    There was no noise for a door thatrge to move.

    The inside of the door was pitch ck and Rudger realized it was some kind of magic.

    Im not even allowed to peek through the open door.

    If anything, it was even more exciting.

    Rudger smirked and started walking.

    Dont get lost.

    He heard Eileens voice behind him, and he waved appropriately.

    The stone gate mmed shut again as Rudger disappeared into the darkness.

    The door mmed shut and Rudger was enveloped in pitch ckness.

    He couldnt tell the difference between up and down, left and right, and felt like he was floating in nothingness.

    In the midst of it all, Rudger stood tall and proud, he had been through too much to be surprised by this.

    After a few moments, as if the Treasury had sensed the presence of a visitor, the darkness ebbed and flowed like a tide.

    Soon after, the glorious view of the interior came into view.

    Ho-ho.

 Chapter 327

    The Imperial Pce of Devalk is vast in size.

    When architects saw it, they couldnt stop talking about it.

    Its not just the sheer scale and awe-inspiring design. The most appreciated aspect is its practicality.

    The castle was known for itsrge grounds and for not wasting any space. Naturally, there were living quarters for out-of-town guests within the pce grounds.

    It was sorge that it could amodate hundreds of people at once and currently, there were students from Theon staying there.

    Wow, this is amazing!

    Look at this sculpture! Its by the famous Gavid! I saw it in a book!

    And look at these paintings. They say theyre all authentic. I cant believe its full of stuff like this!

    The students continued to exim as they wandered through the castle.

    There was a limited amount of space for the students of Theon to move around, but the Devalk castle was so vast that it was hard to feel restricted.

    So its the imperial castle, after all.

    Honestly, I was worried when I was forced to stay, but maybe its for the better?

    Ah. I really want to live here for the rest of my life.

    The amodation for the guests was enormous, and the facilities were as good as a five-star hotel. Thats why none of the students were dissatisfied with their stay at the Imperial Pce.

    The food is delicious, the beds are fluffy, and every aspect of life isfortable. In fact, they honestly wish they could stay longer.

    But Ill have to go back someday.

    Yeah, and then theres the whole bomb of exams and assignments ugh. I hate it just thinking about it.

    Back in Theon, they had a huge backlog of assignments and sses waiting for them.

    The mere thought of the brutal wall of reality they had pushed to the back of their minds made them gasp so the students decided to thoroughly enjoy the moment.

    They were saddened that what should have been a fun field trip had been ruined by terrorists so the imperial family decided to take matters into their own hands and give them onest fun-filled experience along with the mostfortable amodations, sumptuous dinners, and a tour of the pce.

    Of course, they didnt have to do it but all of this was a calcted gift. Theon is a separate organization, free from the interference of the Imperial Family of Exilion so making them indebted would give the imperial family an advantage in any future dealings with them.

    Besides, most of the students of Theon are very talented. If they graduate, they may be the pirs of the country in the future.

    Instilling a positive image of the imperial family in them was an investment in their future. In fact, many of the students currently staying at the castle expressed a desire to join the imperial family after graduation.

    Princess Eileens n worked.

    The students were busy enjoying the moment, oblivious to the dark underbelly of the pce. Sedina Rosen was one of them, and she decided to take a break from her duties so she headed to a park with a natural setting.

    As a half-elf, Sedina always preferred to be around nts when she took a break. Thats why shed turned her own teaching assistants office into a miniature botanical garden filled with all kinds of nts.

    No other teacher would have let me do that, but its all thanks to Mr. Rudger.

    Sedina strolled through the park today, never failing to thank Rudger.

    The trees grew so densely off the trail that it could have been a dense forest. It was a ce that most students would have found intimidating, but for Sedina, it was more like a home away from home.

    She squatted down with her back against arge willow tree near the shore of theke and closed her eyes to feel the breeze blow through her hair, twitching her ears, hidden inside her hair.

    To get into a morefortable position, Sedina unsped her hands that were hugging her knees.

    At the feel of her fingertips on the ground, Sedina opened her closed eyes. Caught in her fingertips was a willow branch that had fallen to the ground.

    She grabbed it and examined it carefully. The branch was quite soft, probably because it was near ake.

    She casually snapped off a section of the branch, pulled out the heart of the tree, and used her magic to bore a hole in it.

    Done.

    She put the flute to her mouth and blew into it, causing it to emit a tinkling sound.

    Sedina moved her white, slender fingers and began to y on the willow flute but she didnt know what the tune was. She just mimicked the tune her mother had often sung to her when she was very young, before she died.

    For Sedina, it was a memory of her mother, a memory that would notst long.

    As she sang, Sedina felt a shadowy figure approaching her, and she took her mouth off the flute.

    Who.

    Sedina froze at the sight of the visitor.

    The first thing she saw was snow-white hair, clearly alien to the colors of the verdant forest.

    Julia Plumhart, a girl unlike herself, mature and reserved, with an air of mystery about her.

    At the sight of Julia, Sedina jumped to her feet and turned to leave.

    Are you trying to run away again?

    But Julias words froze her in ce so Sedina slowly looked back at Julia.

    * * *

    The Imperial Treasury, also known as the Treasury of History, its a ce that hasnt seen the light of day in a long time.

    As Erendir said, only one person has entered and left the Imperial Treasury in nearly 100 years, the current head of the Royal Guard and the greatest knight of his time, Master Luther.

    Now it was Rudgers turn to enter.

    Just looking at the Treasury entrance, there were people everywhere bowing in gratitude. Rudger, however, was less than thrilled.

    Sure, its amazing to see so many valuables inside.

    I dont think its very impressive to say that youve entered the Treasury.

    Youre in, so whats the big deal?

    Rudger quickly scanned the Treasury.

    The first thing he saw was a brilliant golden color. It was the glow of gold coins, illuminated by a fiery yellow light.

    The brilliance of the glittering jewelry was almost painful to the eye.

    The value of the gold coins and jewelry in front of him was astronomical but it didnt end there. This was merely the entrance to a vast secret warehouse.

    Rudger surveyed theyout inside.

    The Treasury was more like a giant exhibition museum than a warehouse.

    The ceilings, walls, and pirs were covered with ornate carvings that were in fact magical structures of sorts, watching for any intruders who might do anything suspicious.

    It was also damned wide.

    The immediate size alone would exceed the size of Theon magical arena, but that wasnt the end of it.

    There are all sorts of magical protections, and even if I was to n an escape route for every eventuality, Id never get out.

    Rudger considered whether he could sneak in, and then shook his head.

    Spatial movement would be useless with such a dense magical defense. Not only from the outside in, but also from the inside out.

    Good thing I dont have to rob it.

    Hed been right to take Eileen up on her offer when shed offered to let him enter the Treasury.

    Rudger walked past the disy of gold coins and jewelry and into the deeper recesses of the Treasury.

    The yellow hue of the lighting softened, and the light settled heavily around him. The reason for this was to entuate the objects on disy here.

    The objects disyed periodically on the left side of the aisle were bathed in pure white light, making their presence known. Each one was out of the ordinary.

    This is where it gets real.

    Rudgers eyes swept over the closest artifact. It was a crown of seven colored gems that was obviously a high-grade artifact, as it contained a great deal of magic power.

    The gloves, the cloak and the full body armor next to it were also high-grade artifacts, or its equivalent but Rudger was here for the Relic fragment.

    The only problem was, where the hell was the Relic?

    This isnt an auction house that sells whats on disy so unsurprisingly, there are no signs or catalogs to show you whats where.

    The only way to find what youre looking for here is to wander around and check them out one by one.

    The good news is that each item on disy has a name and a description of its purpose.

    It seems that they were collecting them haphazardly and didnt really care about their purpose.

    Regardless of its use, it would still be valuable.

    Given the size of this ce, there may be more Relics than just the one Im looking for.

    Rudger continued to wander around inside the Treasury.

    He hadnt been told when to leave, so he wasnt in any hurry and had plenty of time to look around.

    Just then, a faint glow emanated from the inside of Rudgers breastte.

    This.

    It was a reaction hed seen before and a sign that there were shards of the Relic nearby.

    Rudger walked in the direction of the light and it didnt take him long to find what he was looking for.

    Beneath the pure white lighty a small shard, nameless and unused.

    Finally.

    Rudger reached for the shard.

    There was no such thing as anti-theft magic since no one was allowed inside the Treasury.

    Rudger stared at the shard in his hand, then slipped it into his inside pocket.

    There are only a few left.

    He could call it a day and walk away, satisfied that he aplished his goal but Rudger still had the opportunity to choose two more of the items here.

    Two more to choose from.

    He hadnt really thought about which of the other artifacts he wanted to take, since his primary objective was the Relic Shard. Still, he couldnt just throw this opportunity away.

    Now that hed gotten this far, Rudger decided to explore the interior of the Treasury further.

    There are a lot of artifacts here, and theyre all exceptional. Even if I dont need anything right away, if I take something that looks good, it mighte in handy someday

    Rudger eyed the items carefully.

    Anything overly ornate was a no-go.

    Anything that was bejeweled, glittering, or just in precious drew too much attention and didnt fit with Rudgers penchant for stealth.

    If he has something like that, hell openly advertise the enemy that he is carrying an artifact.

    If theyre wary of the artifact beforehand, it wont work as well as it should. Stealth is essential if you want to maximize effectiveness.

    With that thought, Rudger chuckled to himself.

    To think that even choosing a treasure in a ce like this is a matter of fighting. I must be losing my mind.

    But when he tried to think of another use for it, it was as if he was wandering through an endless fog.

    Rudgers entire life has been a struggle.

    The inside of the fence where he lives is a secret ce that no one else knows about. It was dark, cold, and muddy, and it was a world run on violence alone.

    He had been living there since the time he was taken by his Master, perhaps even longer and it would continue to be so.

    He had a goal to achieve, but the road to get there was long and difficult and he wasnt even sure if he could get there or not so he hadnt really thought about anything beyond that.

    But, I thought, what if, just maybe, I had that opportunity.

    If he could just let it all go and live in peace. He wondered if he could lead a normal life like everyone else, when all hes ever done is fight.

    It would be toocent to prepare for a future that might nevere since he always lived today to the best of his ability.

    Looking to the future was a luxury in itself.

    But if this alles to an end and I can wash my hands of it and walk away.

    What kind of life would I have?

    Its a meaningless assumption.

    Maybe being alone in the right ce made him think so Rudger decided to keep looking around, hoping to find something useful.

    Suddenly, Rudger stopped in his tracks as there was one object in particr that caught his eye.

    He didnt know if it was an artifact or something like that.

    I think Ive found one of the two remaining.

 Chapter 328

    Sedina hesitated in front of Julia while Julia let out a small sigh as Sedina stood there, unsure of what to say.

    Answer me. Why didnt you keep your promise that day?

    .

    Sedina mped her mouth shut as she remembered the promise from that day.

    As children, Sedina and Julia had been best friends.

    Talented in magic, Julia had been one of the students sponsored by the Rosen family and as a result, Julia often visited the Rosens, so it was only natural that she grew close to Sedina, the only other girl her age.

    Julia was so gifted that even at the time she was said to be unparalleled.

    Adults spoke highly of her, praising her talent. As such, she was looked down upon by her peers.

    But Sedina was different. Sedina was an oddity. She was smiling, cheerful, and had a certain air about her that drew you in. Watching her y in nature was likeing face to face with a fairy tale.

    The arrogant Julia was instantly drawn to Sedina and the two became best friends who genuinely enjoyed each otherspany. But their rtionship didntst long.

    The main reason was the death of Sedinas mother.

    The loss of her mother changed Sedina. She refused to see Julia and preferred to be alone.

    Refusing to see anyone, Sedina locked herself in her room and Julia was devastated.

    She had heard about Sedinas refusal to see anyone from her family but had expected her friend to meet her, but she refused to do so.

    Julia felt betrayed by Sedinas behavior.

    No matter who it was, it would have been easy for her to feel skeptical and give up. But Julia didnt give up.

    -Who doesnt want to see me?

    Julia was called a genius, and her ego was stronger than anyone elses. Even when others would have given up easily, Julia refused to let her pride get in the way. But Sedina continued to avoid her like a frightened rabbit burrowing deeper into its burrow.

    Even when Julia was epted into the School of Dreaming at the Tower, Sedina didnt visit her.

    In her head, Julia understood Sedina.

    Her mother, the person she trusted most, had died, and she must have felt like she was alone in the world.

    Even if she had friends, they couldnt fill the void of a family.

    Julia knew because she felt the same way.

    Geniuses are lonely. They may beuded for their brilliance, but they cant wash away the emptiness inside. Thats why Julia was drawn to Sedina, who was as special as she was.

    She wished Sedina could have been at least as honest with her. If she had asked for help, Julia would have helped her in any way she could.

    Sedina was the first andst friend Julia ever made.

    For a brilliant girl with an overconfident and unwavering sense of self, her first friend was more important than anything else. So when her friend tried to push her away, the blow was devastating. So much so that she still holds onto it, even after all these years.

    Answer me.

    .

    Sedina couldnt even formte an excuse because she had felt guilty for Julia for a long time.

    A friend who was talented, beautiful, and cared about her more than anyone else was a good person, almost too good for her timid, cowardly self. But the times theydughed and yed together were long gone.

    Sedina knew she couldnt go back to the past anymore. She hated her family and had joined the ck Dawn Society for the sole purpose of doing all the dirty work.

    She had seen the darkness of the world and dipped her toes in it. She was no longer the innocent Lady Rosen. Thats why she cant treat Julia as a friend like she used to.

    The child you knew is no more.I am no longer the innocent Sedina I once was.

    The words echoed hollowly in my mind, unable to leave her mouth.

    She couldnt muster the courage to speak because she was still the same coward she always was. So she continued to ignore her and run away hoping that one day, Julia would get tired and walk away.

    Sedina knew she was terribly selfish but Julia didnt give up.

    Even after she entered Theon, she found an opportunity to get close to Sedina.

    Sedina was not blind, and she knew it. She knew, but she ignored it.

    It was better to ignore Julia and be done with it or so she thought.

    Why?

    The moment she met Julias sorrowful gaze Sedina was forced to face the past she had avoided until now.

    She didnt know what to say, but she steeled herself and opened her mouth.

    Why are you saying that now?

    Ive been watching you since the beginning of the semester.Of course, I didnt approach you then. You were avoiding me, and you didnt look well.

    Sedina couldnt argue with that. She had been on the outs for a long time after joining the ck Dawn Society.

    She was not trusted by the organization, and despite her skills, she was ostracized and watched over.

    The more she did so, the more she beat herself up like an obsessivepulsive, driving herself to the edge because this was all she had left.

    She couldnt let go of it, even if it was rotten.

    But Ive noticed that youre bright again, like you used to be. Probably sinceyou became Mr. Rudger Chelicis teaching assistant.

    That was the moment when Sedina began to change.

    Why?

    Im sure Mr. Rudger has been a good influence on you, but you know what, Sedina, hes a dangerous person.

    The words startled Sedina to the core and she couldnt imagine why Julia would suddenly say that.

    Was she about to reveal Mr. Rudgers identity?

    Regardless of Sedinas surprise, Julia continued.

    Sedina, as you know, I can use dream magic. I can enter a persons dreams, and I can see into their dreamsas well.

    Youre telling me youve been peeking into his dreams?

    Not at first because Mr. Rudger didnt have dreams. He does not dream. Its a rare constitution, even within the Dream School but suddenly, one day, I began to see his dreams, however faintly.

    Julia remembered the faintest trace of Rudgers dreams.

    She had caught a glimpse of the tenuous connection to the dream world that Rudger had made since his trip to the Order Synod.

    It would have been difficult for a wizard of her caliber to recognize it and Julias talent made it possible.

    The traces of the dream were very faint and brief, but I didnt miss the moment, and I saw it.

    That, thats a bad thing.

    Sedina found it ironic that she was saying this.

    She had killed a man, and now she was calling Julia a bad person for peeking into someone elses dreams. But that was the entire defense she could muster.

    Julia didnt bother to defend herself against Sedinas words because she had no other choice.

    She knew it wasnt right, but she wanted to know what kind of man Rudger was for changing her.

    It was only part of it, but I did seeRudger Chelicimit murder.

    Murder.

    Sedina swallowed hard at the word.

    Hearing that Rudger had killed someone didnte as a surprise to her. Its funny to say, but its now bordering on the obvious.

    What matters now, however, is that Julia has found out a secret that no one should know.

    Ugh, what am I going to do?

    Sedina wondered.

    If Julia wanted to, she could tell everyone else.

    Not that anyone would trust her, of course.

    The reputation Rudger had built up was solid enough to withstand any personal attack.

    Julia, on the other hand, is a first-year senior and a Tower prospect from the Dream School.

    Her voice cannot be called weak and if she started a rumor, someone would believe it. Or, even if they dont, theyll be fanned by people who hate Rudger and want to bring him down.

    She knew that there was no way Rudger could be threatened by something like that. But Sedina couldnt bear the thought of it happening.

    I have to stop her, but how?

    Sedina didnt have a good reason to stop Julia and if she tried to reprimand her, she would only raise Julias suspicions.

    Sedina hesitated for a moment before speaking up.

    What was the incident?

    For the time being, she was going to use her I didnt know attitude to confirm what Julia had found out.

    Julias face lit up since for the first time, Sedina had responded favorably to her words.

    Do you know a girl named Rene from Mr. Rudgers ss?

    Sedina nodded.

    She was one of the few students in the first grade that possessed a rare form of magic, and for amoner, she was strikingly good-looking. Above all, she was a favorite of Rudgers, perhaps his favorite of all the students.

    To be honest, even Sedina felt a little jealous.

    But why did this girls namee up so suddenly?

    As if reading the look in Sedinas eyes, Julia exined.

    In the past, Rene had a rtionship with Mr. Rudger.

    They had a rtionship?

    Yes. A long time ago, when she was a child and Mr. Rudger was younger than us.

    Julia said it was at least a decade in the past as she recounted the dreamscape she had seen then.

    Thats when Mr. Rudger killed Renes mother.

    !

    Sedinas eyes widened at the story she didnt know. At the same time, she understood why Mr. Rudger had such an attitude toward Rene.

    The pieces of the puzzle fit together in her head.

    The guilt he was showing her was because of this.

    But there was an unanswered question.

    That Rene girl didnt seem to know anything about it.

    Of course she didnt. Her memories of that time were sealed by someone, and theres only one person who can unseal them.

    Rudger Chelici killed Renes mother and sealed her memories.

    So, Sedina, stop being his assistant right now. Mr. Rudger is a dangerous man, a murderer who hides his identity.

    Thats.

    I understand if you think Im lying, but Im serious. Im telling you this out of concern for you. I dont know about you, but I still consider you a friend.

    .

    Julias sincerity was enough to convince Sedina and Sedina really did consider Julia a good friend but she couldnt tell her what shed been through and what shed done in thest few years.

    It wasnt so much a selfish thought as fear of being despised by Julia. On the contrary, if Julia knew, shed be there to help her with open arms.

    Sedina hated it and she didnt want to put her friend in danger.

    She was grateful to Julia who still cared about her, even after all the times shed broken her promise and tried to push her away.

    She could have hated her, but she didnt. Thats why Sedina couldnt go back to her old rtionship with Julia. Not for her own sake, but for Julias.

    Im sorry.

    Sedina!

    But to me Mr. Rudger is the best thing since sliced bread.

    Didnt you hear me?! Thats all a lie!

    Julia, I understand that you say that, butthere are definitely good parts of Mr. Rudger that you dont even know about.

    That was all Sedina could say.

    With something to hide, she couldnt tell Julia everything.

    Are you saying you dont believe me?

    This is between me and him.

    After saying that, Sedina bit her lip for a moment, and then spoke her mind.

    So its none of your business.

    The words were a brutal rejection and Julias puffy eyes shook violently. Her face contorted as if she were about to cry, but also as if she were about to explode with rage.

    Sedina found it hard to look away and she would rather Julia give up right here. It was far better for her to be hated than to inconvenience Rudger.

    You.

    Julia started to say, but then mped her mouth shut. Her expression, which had been swirling with mixed emotions, returned to its normal color as if she were wearing a mask.

    Julia Plumhart, first-year senior at Theon, and a prodigy and prospect of the Tower.

    Okay.

    With that, Julia turned on her heel and stormed off.

    Sedina stared after her and clenched her fists. Her heart sank, and she wished she could say sorry right now.

    She wanted to apologize for all the years shed ignored her and for all the wrongs shed done but she couldnt.

    Julias words stayed with her, haunting her, but there was nothing she could do about it.

    Besides.

    The fact that Rudger killed Renes mother was not a lie.

    Julias sincerity and her desperation to convince her could not be an act. Its also unlikely that Julia would lie so easily so Rudger really did kill Renes mother.

    Why would youdo such a thing?

    Surely Rudger had his reasons.

    As Sedina thought about it, she wondered if she should tell Rudger about it.

    * * *

    Rudger stared at the silvery liquid in front of him. From the looks of it, it was mercury at room temperature.

    Compared to the other objects, all of which had their own distinctive shapes, it was a shabby, alien thing but Rudger understood that there was no given shape for this guy.

    Anyway, I was looking for a new weapon that wouldnt draw attention to me.

    He found a pretty good one.

 Chapter 329

    Chapter sponsored byAup.Thank you for your support.

    The artifacts description read, Flowing Silver.

    While it resembled mercury in name, it was something else entirely.

    Liquid metal. Reminds me of Victor Dreadfuls Liquid Golem.

    The Liquid Golem was also an artifact created by mixing magic and science to the extreme. The existence of this artifact was no different.

    Rudger lightly reached out and touched Flowing Silver.

    The silver, which had been still on the disy table, curled around his fingertips as he touched it. It was like water flowing backwards in time, or a silver snakeing to life.

    Rudger looked down at the tiny pool of silver in his palm.

    The moment he touched it, he realized its purpose.

    Flowing Silver expanded in an instant, transforming into a razor-sharp sword.

    Rudger held it in his hand and examined it. It was all silver, from the tip to the handle but the sharp edge and the hardness in his hand insisted that the metal was not silver at all.

    Rudger turned the sword back into a circle of liquid and flipped it lightly in his palm.

    Flowing Silver on top of his palm stretched downward. It felt as if a huge ball of slime had been pressed into his palm.

    As Rudger formed new shapes in his mind, the silver hummed and blossomed into countless flowers.

    Its bigger than its apparent volume and can take on many forms.

    Rudger once again pped his left hand over his right, palm up, and opened his hands wide then Flowing Silver disintegrated into thin threads, fluttering in the air.

    Rudger pulled on his fingertips, and the silver threads pulled taut and tensed as he stared at it in disbelief.

    Flowing Silver was a sharp sword in its own right. If you held a piece of paper against it, it would shred like a paper shredder. And yet, the part of it wrapped around his hand felt neither painful nor tight.

    Excellent.

    Rudger formed a shape in his mind as Flowing Silver wrapped around his right hand, transforming into a bracelet of simple design.

    Rudger looked at it with satisfaction, then turned to walk away. Hed already gotten more than enough, but he didnt want to waste thest option he still had.

    His footsteps echoed through the silence. It was a strange feeling to be alone in such arge space with no one around.

    I wonder if theres some kind of elixir in this ce.

    As he thought so, Rudger shook his head. There was no way that elixirs would be stored in a ce like the Treasury.

    If he wanted an elixir, he would have to ask Eileen for one.

    I shouldnt.

    Eileen would be happy to give him the elixir. Of course, once he took it, it would be up to Rudger to deal with what happened next.

    He would be bound in servitude for at least five years and although hell be treated as he deserves, but Eileen cant stand the idea of a talented man doing nothing.

    Once captured by her, Rudger will never get a day off and will have to do all sorts of work like the grad students in Theon.

    I cant do that.

    Rudger pushed aside his desire for the elixir. It wasnt like he needed it anyway although it was a nice-to-have, do-or-die kind of thing but for now he could do without it since Brunas final experiment had been such a sess.

    As he walked, Rudger didnt see anything that caught his eye.

    Maybe I should go a little deeper.

    Otherwise, he wouldnt have to pick something for them.

    If he found something for one of the Owens, he could give it to them.

    As he continued to explore, something stopped him in his tracks.

    One-eyed sses?

    Gold rims and a gold wire ring. The monocle looks like an ordinary pair of sses, but theres nothing ordinary in this ce.

    Rudgers eyes lit up with interest as he read the description on the monocle.

    The Eye of Possibility, an object that measures a persons potential or current skill.

    Surprisingly, the artifact was created by the first dean of Theon. It was said to be here because after his death, he donated it to the imperial family.

    Rudger grabbed the monocle and as he ced it on his face, the monocle itself adjusted to fit perfectly.

    Not bad for a pair of sses.

    Rudger looked around as the specially enchanted lenses detected the artifact and glowed blue with the magic power contained within.

    Ho-ho.

    Rudger eximed as he checked the various artifacts.

    As if measuring something wasnt enough, each artifact was a visual representation of the amount of power it contained.

    Rudger tested the efficacy of the Eye of Possibility by checking out the objects on disy and realized a few things.

    You can see the inherent power, but its notplete.

    For example, one of the artifacts currently has 5 power and the other has 10. Naturally, the artifact with the 10 power shines much stronger.

    But the artifact with 5 power can actually increase its power, and if it does, it can go up to 20. However, as far as the Eye of Possibility could see, 5 was the apparent limit.

    If someone is deliberately hiding their power, it would be impossible for the Eye of Possibility to see it.

    Of course, even taking that into ount, the Eye of Possibilitys performance was quite satisfactory.

    Just being able to see the power someone has, even on the surface, is a significant advantage. Now all thats left is to see the potential, the possibilities.

    An artifact is an object, so there is no such thing as potential. If it was to be used, it would at least have to be used on people.

    Rudger was disappointed that he didnt have anyone to test it on right away.

    Still, its very useful in its own right.

    To find an artifact used by the first dean in this ce was a mere coincidence or a sign of fate.

    Whatever it was, Rudger thought, this was an interesting turn of events, and headed for the exit.

    * * *

    The massive stone gates creaked open and Rudger stepped out.

    Yourete.

    Eileen, who had been waiting outside, spoke up as soon as she saw him.

    How dare you keep the future emperor of the Empire waiting this long, youll have nothing to say when youre hauled in for insulting royalty.

    You have quite the wee.

    So, what did you bring back from the inside?

    Wouldnt you know it if you saw it?

    I dont know whats inside. Ill know when Im crowned emperor, but not yet.

    Yes. Im sure you know which one Ill choose.

    The mysterious Relic fragment.

    Yes. And the other is.

    A monocle. Well, it fits.

    Eileen crossed her arms and murmured as Rudger ced the Eye of Possibility over his face but instead of answering, Rudger looked at Eileen and Passius with the Eyes of Possibility.

    Hmm. I see.

    Through the Eyes of Possibility, Eileen was a sparkling jewel. A treasure that would make any jewelry in the world not even raise its head inparison.

    She could not be bought with a billion dors, and her value could not even be tranted into a mary amount. In fact, the very act of putting a price on it is sphemous.

    Turning to Passius, he was also quite formidable. Though he hides his power well, he has a lot of potential as a Royal Guard. But even he was no match for Eileens light.

    In fact, Rudger couldnt help but feel her light curling around Passius.

    The writhing, slithering light seemed to engulf its surroundings, hungrily seeking to consume Rudgers body as well.

    .

    Rudger felt dizzy and removed the Eye of Possibility from his eye, shoving it into his pocket.

    Eileen narrowed her eyes suspiciously, as if sensing something.

    What is it, I think I just saw something.

    Its an illusion.

    An illusion. The monocle you wore just now must be an artifact, since it was brought from inside. It was meant to see something, wasnt it? Answer me. What the hell did you see?

    Nothing really.

    I said answer me.

    I wonder if its okay for her to pick apart others, but not for them to pick apart her

    No, maybe its because it has never happened to Eileen, so shes not used to it so no matter how she feels, she cant express it in a way thats sincere.

    Rudger thought for a moment before answering.

    Its just, I saw the most beautiful jewelry in the world.

    What.

    Eileens cheeks flushed a subtle red, realizing how shed taken that answer.

    Oh.

    Beside her, Passius let out a sincere exmation of admiration while Eileen coughed and shook her head in disbelief.

    Hmph. Thats it. So what is thest one?

    Instead of answering, Rudger showed her the silver bracelet on his right wrist, then quickly transformed it into the form of a sword.

    Eileen nodded in understanding as she watched the [Flowing Silver] changing into a bracelet.

    I see youve picked out just the right items for you, so what are you going to do now?

    My work is done, I suppose. Im going to resume my duties as a teacher.

    I dont think theres any immediate business to attend to. With the students and the wounded, you should stay here for a few more days.

    Eileen was right.

    If Rudger, the director of nning, had to do anything here, it was to wait for word from Theon since the imperial court took care of most things.

    Im sure youve done your share of hard work, but it wouldnt hurt to get a little rest.

    Thats.

    Youre always working but sometimes people break down if they dont take a break.

    !

    Passius who was surprised by what Eileen was trying to convince Rudger of and his eyes widened and he squinted at Eileen as if to say, What is the Princess is saying?

    Eileen herself had a reputation for exploiting her subordinates to the point of squeezing their souls and hearing someone like her preach the importance of rest must have been a revtion to Passius. But if she says it out loud, theres no way shell be able to take it back.

    Passius was quick on the uptake, so he kept his mouth shut while Rudger watched him steadily with a hint of pity and sympathy in his gaze.

    * * *

    Aidan and his friends were eager to see the Imperial Pce.

    Usually, Tracy Friad would lead the way, followed by Aidan, Leo, and Iona.

    Tracy was unhappy that the much-anticipated field trip had been canceled.

    After waking up stunned from the aftermath of Basaras mind wave and fully recovered, Tracy dragged her friends out, insisting that they make the most of their remaining time.

    I just want to get some more rest.

    Leo, who had a lot on his te, sighed and grumbled, but followed along nheless.

    More than that, Aidan, are you okay?

    Yeah? Yeah.

    No, that not.

    Leo started to say something, then stopped.

    When everyone who had been stunned came to their senses, Leo looked at Aidan, who was the only one still standing.

    He didnt have his head in his hands like everyone else, and he didnt look confused by the situation. Instead he had the look of someone who knew what just happened.

    Leo, who had been with Aidan for so long, could easily recognize it, even if the others didnt. Of course, when pressed, Aidan would blurt out that he didnt know but Leo decided to let it slide.

    Its not like he did anything bad anyway.

    More than anything, Leo felt grateful since he had been so closely associated with the Liberators, even if only on a forced basis, acting as their intelligence agent but Aidan had helped him without saying a word.

    And Mr. Rudger.

    Leo had been calling him Rudger Chelici, but now he was able to add the title teacher to his name. Its still awkward, of course, but itlle with practice.

    In other news, the Liberation Army has suffered a major blow and in ast ditch effort, they managed to pull something off, but it didnt work.

    Sir Passius, Royal Guard and Swordmaster, stepped in to clean up the mess.

    Its really over.

    It had been an eventful field trip and although there were injuries among Theons students, but miraculously there were no deaths.

    Leo wondered if it really could have ended so well.

    I dont care what happens to everyone else, I just want these idiots to be safe.

    As Leo thought that, he nced over at Iona since something about her seemed off.

    Iona?

    Uh.

    Iona, who had always been a silentpanion, stopped walking and was staring off into the distance at the forest beyond the great promenade of the Imperial Pce, but she couldnt see anything.

    Is there anything out there?

    Yes.

    Really?

    Im going to go look.

    With that, Iona turned around and headed off into the woods.

    Leaving Leo behind, who was still quite taken aback by her sudden move, Iona followed the eyes that looked at her as she entered the forest.

    Come out. I know youre here.

    At those words, the other person came out of hiding, as if he hadnt had any intention of hiding in the first ce.

    WizardRotheron?

    Ionas eyes widened as she recognized him.

 Chapter 330

    Rotheron of the New Tower is a Lexer rank wizard that was instrumental in thwarting thetest Liberation Army attack.

    Hes been decorated by the Emperor, and Im surprised he hasnt left the city since.

    No, that doesnt matter.

    My question is why did Iona called him out so tantly?

    No way.

    Iona narrowed her eyes.

    She is a Suin and knows what kind of discrimination Suins face in this world. Though things are better than they used to be, there is still a lot of discrimination directed at them. This is especially true for wizards, who are still prideful and self-righteous.

    Rotheron is a sixth-rank wizard.

    It would take a lot more than an ordinary personality to rise to that level and Iona involuntarily clenched her fists in tension.

    This is the Imperial City of Devalk and even a Rotheron wouldnt be able to do anything to her in a ce like this but an extreme mage with a hatred for Suin might do something crazy.

    No wonder Iona was nervous.

    Rotheron, who was still staring at her, spoke up.

    You need not worry, my dear. I didnt call you here to do anything to you.

    !

    Judging by your reaction, you have no idea. I thought you were a wise and perceptive girl, but I guess thats not always the case.

    Who are you.?

    Iona asked, but instead of answering, Rotheron ced his white-gloved right hand on his iron mask and slowly pulled it off.

    Why would Rotheron, who had been hiding his identity with a mask, remove it in front of her?

    Ionas eyes widened at the sight of Rotheron slowly revealing face.

    Its been a long time, Iona.

    The fully revealed Rotheron smiled weakly at Iona.

    He had brown skin and animal-like eyes, simr to Ionas own along with curly brown hair. They looked so much alike that they could have been siblings.

    Tenaron?

    Iona looked at Rotheron and mouthed the name.

    Rotheron was only a pseudonym and his real name was Tenaron.

    Judging from his appearance, he was Ionas half-brother.

    Why are you here?

    Its been a long time since weve met, is that what youre asking?

    Dont change the subject. In the first ce, you could have been the next chieftain, and yet you suddenly and mysteriously disappeared. You ran away.

    I had no choice. The elders didnt like the idea of me learning magic at all.

    So you abandoned the name of OValley and came to learn magic?

    The name of OValley didnt suit me as an outcast anyway.

    Tenaron was Ionas half-brother, and a Servant of House OValley. He had the qualities of a great warrior, and his mind was as calm as a wolfs.

    The Suin believed in the importance of bloodline and although Tenaron was half light-blooded, he had half the blood of House OValley, so it was not out of the question for him to be the next chieftain if he was capable.

    One day, however, Tenaron suddenly disappeared. It wasnt as if someone had ordered his assassination, or that someone had told him he wasnt worthy of the position. He had simply disappeared.

    Iona didnt understand it.

    She and Tenaron hadnt gotten along so badly.

    As a child, Tenaron had often yed with Iona, his half-sister. He would show her the magic he had secretly learned, away from the eyes of the n elders, and only to Iona.

    You certainly could have been the chieftain.

    No. I couldnt. On the contrary, you deserve the position.

    Why, because of your magic?

    Its not magic, and Iona, youre not the one to tell me that, because youre also a Suin, and you were admitted to Theon.

    Thats.

    I was mesmerized by the magic you showed me.

    More than that, I was fascinated by the magic you showed me, and I didnt think the Suin should be confined to the tribe forever.

    Iona didnt say that. It wasnt something Tenaron needed to know.

    You still dont look convinced.

    You see that?

    The others say you dont change your expression, but thats only for those who dont know you, when you cant hide your emotions like this.

    Tenaron smirked, then wiped the expression off his face.

    Iona, do you know why I abandoned the position of chieftain and lived my life in obscurity?

    Was there another reason?

    Because the position of chieftain hase to mean nothing to me.

    .

    Saying that the position of chieftain was meaningless denied the very foundations of the Suins.

    The Suins have always organized themselves into tribes, led by chieftains, and formed powerful confederations.

    All Suins are proud of that, and will not tolerate those who would insult it. But right here, right now, that pride has been trampled upon by Tenaron, the blood of Ovalley.

    Tenaron, even though I am of the opinion that the n must change, there are certain things that must not be said.

    Iona, you are the reason it shouldnt be. You shouldnt be fooling around with the position of chieftain.

    What the hell happened?

    Iona asked calmly, not angry.

    Why would a promising young man leave everything behind and go into hiding?

    He even dropped the Ovalley name and hid his face to live as Rotheron.

    Iona, you know what my power is.

    The spirits of the heroes of old, the ones you showed me?

    When Rotheron was Tenaron he had shown his true power only to Iona.

    Before he had fully mastered [Source] magic, he had been empowered by a great spirit and given the best equipment he could find. That alone was enough for Tenaron to be a chieftain.

    It was a powerful thing. In fact, I still think so.

    But why.

    Until I met the true monster.

    A monster, you say?

    Iona didnt understand who this monster Tenaron was talking about was.

    I dont think anyone knows. It was only by chance that I encountered him, in a deste in, out of sight of anyone.

    Tenaron can close his eyes and relive the day.

    I suffered a bitter defeat.

    Defeat? You were defeated?

    Yes. I fought him with everything I had, borrowing the strength of great warriors, heroes, and chieftains, but I was defeated. You know whats even funnier? He fought me with nothing but pure skill and brute force.

    What the hell, how.?

    A chieftain is the strongest warrior of his time, thats why Tenaron was considered the next chieftain.

    He was a Suin like me but he was different. He was both a Suin and not a Suin. I thought I had a fair fight with him, but he was hunting me.

    Hunting the next chieftain candidate? Who?

    He called himself Pantos.

    Iona had never heard the name before. But Iona noticed that Tenaron twitched, albeit slightly, when he said the name.

    Tenaron was afraid.

    Shaggy white hair, a massive, muscr body carved out of millennial rock and a vicious gaze that saw the world as his prey. He appeared to be a descendant of the White Bears, a n said to exist in the far north.

    Tenaron met and fought him but he suffered a crushing defeat.

    Pantos, triumphant, did not kill Tenaron, but simply vanished into thin air. It was as if he had no regard for his life.

    Tenaron was humiliated by this behavior, but also enlightened by it.

    What a narrow well he had been living in.

    What it meant to be the next chieftain?

    What does it mean to be the strongest warrior?

    The greatest was not a word he could use to describe himself.

    Pantos, the monstrous Suin, was the strongest.

    He dismisses the position of chieftain of the Suins as lesser, which is understandable, because with that kind of power, he would have been a hero among all the races of the continent, let alone a chieftain.

    But why.?

    Because he was not satisfied with that. Even the position of chieftain was too small a vessel to contain such a monster.

    Why.?

    He was right. The chieftaincy is an honored position in our n, but in the grand scheme of things, its so small and insignificant, and I didnt work so hard for it.

    Is that why you left, because the chieftain position didnt appeal to you?

    Yes. What I wanted was a higher position, so I decided to study magic. I needed to have more control over the power I wielded. Before that, I was nothing more than a child wielding great power at will.

    And so Tenaron changed his name to Rotheron to delve deeper into [Source] magic and harness it properly but such magical knowledge was reserved for wizards.

    It was hard, of course. Learning magic among wizards while hiding my identity was like walking a tightrope off a cliff every day.

    He wore an enchanted mask to avoid being recognized as a Suin.

    It hid his distinctive body odor and kept his feral nature in check since humans lived a much more restrained life.

    Rotherons travels with a mask on his face were unwee even among wizards. Yet, through his efforts, he had risen to the rank of Lexer and be one of the pirs of the New Tower.

    Then why are you suddenly confiding in me?

    Because I think youre looking for me.

    Me?

    Yes. Thats what I came here for.

    She was right.

    Iona hade to the Empire to see the wider world, but also with another reason, to find the missing next chieftain, Tenaron.

    Ill tell you now, give up. Im not going back, and for me, the position of chieftain no longer holds any appeal. To be honest, I wish you would just give it up and live the life you want.

    I chose to be a chieftain to experience the wider world.

    I see.

    Tenaron, now called Rotheron, shook his head in understanding.

    Iona has been like this since she was a child. She rarely showed emotion, always so expressionless that it was hard to tell what she was thinking.

    In her heart was a great ambition to revive the n.

    They were both out to see the world but they ended up doing the exact opposite.

    So, are you satisfied now that youre up there?

    Iona asked, and Tenaron snorted and shook his head.

    Satisfied, yes. Ivee a long way for a Suin. Ive risen to the sixth rank without using my [Source] magic, but Im still not good enough.

    Rotheron remembered the fight in the underground.

    He had been soundly defeated by Andrei, who wielded demonic power and the iron mask, his symbol, had been broken, and hed even used his secret weapon, Source Magic.

    Despite all that, he was unable to defeat Andrei.

    It was partly because Andrei was so strong, but it was also because he had strengthened his body with demonic power and World Tree cells.

    No wonder he couldnt win.

    In fact, just by pushing Andrei around, Rotheron proved to be a formidable opponent but he was not satisfied. He didnt console himself with the fact that he deserved to lose.

    Im still weak.

    He had a hunch hed never get his revenge on the gray-haired Suin if he didnt improve himself.

    And that man.

    He saw Rudger Chelici for the first time in the grand hall of the Arcane Chamber. It was there that Rudger had presented his theory of magic, and it had captured everyones attention.

    There, he was merely concerned that one individual held too much information. He never really formed a personal opinion of the man.

    Rotheron watched Rudger fight in the underground.

    His magic had driven Andrei back despite the magic itself not being unusual.

    Aside from its light nature, his magic was not particrly powerful. But the precision and speed with which he used it, the sharpness with which it pierced through gaps was a sight to behold.

    In that magic, Rotheron saw something simr to Pantos, a fighting style unbing of a man of his stature.

    It bore a striking resemnce to Rudgers own fighting style.

    Was there such a thing among humans?

    The world is a big ce, Rotheron thought.

    I still think Im not good enough. I must be stronger. If I do, then one day I will surely be able to repay him for that humiliation.

    Yes. I can see why youd say that, but why are you telling me here all of a sudden? If youre going to do this, youve had your chance before.

    Rudger Chelici knew who I was.

    Knew what?

    During the fight in the underground I was unmasked and exposed as a Suin and those who were there saw me. Rudger Chelici was one of them and I understand youre in his ss.

    Yes.

    Rotheron nodded, satisfied with the certainty of his information.

    I assumed that you, of House OValley, had told him about my identity, or that you would at some point, if not right away, so I just brought it up first.

    Uh.

    In other words, Rotheron was afraid that Rudger would reveal his identity before he did.

    Iona, however, sensed something was amiss.

    Why?

    Rotheron raised an eyebrow in confusion.

    Its a big secret that a sixth-rank wizard is not human, but a Suin. I wasnt going to tell you, at least not yet.

    Iona was a little dumbfounded, but firm.

    He would never tell.

    What?

    I mean, Tenaron, it was because of that worry that you confided in me in the first cethat you said it was pointless.

    Iona could be sure that Rudger would never gossip about such information.

    If asked why, she couldnt give a clear reason since it was more of a hunch.

    She could only assume it was because of what hed shown her so far.

    But let me ask you a question. Where the hell is this Suin named Pantos?

    I dont know that.

    You dont know.

    He travels a lot and doesnt have any friends with him.

    Hes not even close to anyone?

    Him? He probably tells his parents that they should be proud to have him but theres no such thing as a friend and certainly not a servant.

    Still, Rotheron continued.

    If hes that powerful, he must be fighting another battle somewhere else in this world. Im sure of it.

    * * *

    Hey. Hey.

    The dwarven girl, Seridan, mmed her leather-gloved fist into Pantos thigh and Pantos snapped his massive head around to look down at Seridan.

    Stop eating, when are you ever going to lose that weight?

    Im going to eat thisand lose it.

    Pantos, still looking like he could be rolled over if he fell, popped the chocte in his hand into his mouth, muttering ame excuse.

 Chapter 331

    Episode 331: The Wall of Rtionships (1)

    [Did you hear? I heard you went through a lot there.]

    Principal Elisa''s voice echoed through themunication device.

    Even though the other person wasn''t present, Rudger nodded in response.

    "It was nothing much."

    [Are you saying it wasn''t a big deal? Even from the vague stories I heard, I could tell how remarkable you were, Professor Rudger.]

    "......Thank you."

    "Oh, now you''re not being humble anymore?"

    "Are you referring to humility?"

    "Yes. If it were the usual Professor Rudger, that''s what you would say. It wasn''t a big deal. You would say something like that."

    "......"

    Rudger fell silent at the piercing words.

    In fact, until just a moment ago, he had been trying to say the exact same thing without a single mistake.

    "Why aren''t you answering? Did I strike a nerve?"

    "I won''t deny it."

    "Did someone else tell you not to be so humble? You''re being too self-deprecating."

    "I''ve been hearing that kind of talk a lottely."

    "Who was the most recent person to say that?"

    "Princess Irene von Exillion."

    "Wow. It''s impressive enough to face someone from the royal family, but you heard those words directly from her? It seems like you two are quite close."

    "We know each other fairly well."

    "Well, if you''ve heard those words from her, it means that you frequently said simr things to others as well."

    "Now that I think about it, it seems that way."

    Upon hearing Rudger''s response, Elisa burst intoughter from the other side of themunication device.

    "Oh, sorry. I shouldn''t beughing."

    "You canugh if it''s funny."

    "Do you know? Professor Rudger, sometimes you can be really cunning, and other times, you''re just straightforward and honest. When I see that, I don''t know which one is your true nature. Or maybe both are real?"

    "......"

    "Anyway, enough chit-chat. I''m sure Professor Rudger has heard by now. This field trip has turned into a mess."

    "Yes. You said that until the injured students arepletely recovered and out of the hospital, we should stay here."

    [That''s right. While we''re saying that, time is passing, and the original academic schedule keeps getting pushed back. This could mean that only the first and second-year students will start their vacationte.]

    "The students would be furious."

    "If not, we have no choice but to finish the remaining academic courses as quickly as possible. We''ll have to extend the daily ss schedule by 1.5 times."

    "The students will drop like flies."

    "Isn''t that the charm of school days? Speaking of school days, it reminds me of when I was attending, I was much busier than I am now."

    Elisa said that and then quickly changed the topic.

    "Although I''m saying this to Professor Rudger, we might need to increase the emphasis on certain sses."

    "Are you referring to practical magic and basicbat training?"

    "You hit the nail on the head. Yes, I mean exactly that. It has always been important, but after the recent incident in the capital, it became clear. Magic is important not only in theory but also in practical application."

    In the academic curriculum at Seooreun, there was always a ss on practical magic.

    However, for the first and second-year students, it had a smaller weightage.

    The real learning started in the third year, and Rudger didn''t think it was a bad thing.

    But due to the recent terrorist incident in the capital, Elisa had changed her mind.

    "This incident happened during the field study period. It''s quite coincidental if you ask me."

    "The Liberation Army definitely targeted Seooreun students and carried out the terror attacks. In fact, most of the areas where the attacks urred were where students were gathered with mentors."

    "I''m not saying otherwise, but we can''t just sit back and do nothing."

    Rudger nodded.

    "Madam Principal, you believe that all students should learn practical magic regardless of their grade."

    "Don''t you agree, Professor Rudger? When you made a bet with Chris Venimore that day, you taught a student named Aidan a mobility spell."

    In fact, if Rudger had to choose what was more important between theory and practicality, he would undoubtedly choose practicality.

    "Furthermore, the Liberation Army hasn''tpletely disappeared. We don''t know when and where they might suddenly target the students."

    "I agree."

    "Besides, as Professor Rudger also knows, it''s not just the Liberation Army that we have to worry about."

    Elisa''s meaningful words.

    Although she didn''t explicitly mention it, Rudger knew what she was referring to.

    The ck Dawn.

    Elisa was most vignt against them.

    "Of course, it''s not just the ck Dawn."

    There were many enemies in Seooreun.

    Seooreun didn''t exist because they did something wrong. It''s just that organizations that attract attention in society tend to face countless pressures.

    In this vast continent, Seooreun wasn''t the only educational institution teaching magic.

    Seooreun held the title of being the "best" among several academies, but it wasn''t the "only" academy.

    Naturally, there were other academies in other countries that wanted to bring Seooreun down from its position as the "best."

    And Seorun, being a massive organization, consumes a significant budget.

    "And there are separate individuals who support that budget from behind."

    Including giant corporations, multimillionaire investors, and even organizations at the national level.

    Dvalk Hwangseong was also one of the major supporters providing funding to Seorun.

    However, not all major supporters wished for the sess of Seorun.

    They didn''t care about how highly Seorun was regarded on the continent.

    What they desired was one thing only.

    To exert greater influence on Seorun, more than others who invested.

    "Even if you are the Chancellor, you can''t ignore the pressure from investors."

    "I understand. But it wouldn''t have mattered much since it''s just a nominal position."

    "I don''t like that kind of thing. I don''t want to disregard it and end up bothered by annoying flies."

    Rudger was confident in the influence of the investors.

    There was no response from Elisa over themunication device.

    However, Rudger thought Elisa would be wearing a satisfied smile.

    "Rudger, you really know how to y along. I finally understand why teachers are so eager to somehow get their favorite students into graduate school. Rudger, would you like to be my graduate student?"

    "Please stop with the scary analogies."

    "It''s a joke, just a joke. Well, half-joke. Anyway, for now, since we''re busy nning future strategies and schedules on this end, take a good rest, Rudger. Think of it as going on vacation."

    "I don''t really think of it as a vacation, but it''s true that I have nothing to do."

    "Do you think it''s easy to stay at the pce? It''s already painful to think that they might demand something from us using this as an excuse, but since it turned out this way, we might as well take advantage of it."

    After leaving a message for Rudger to rest until their next contact, Elisa ended themunication.

    Rudger left themunication room and stepped outside his room.

    The ce where he had the conversation with Elisa was a special location within the pce, a separate space prepared for externalmunication.

    ''They even have a separatemunication room. The royal pce is truly remarkable.''

    Even the Royal Guard was stationed in various locations.

    It was to ensure that no internal information leaked outside.

    ''But more importantly, a vacation...''

    Elisa had offered him a precious paid vacation, so she told him to rest if he intended to.

    Rudger didn''t explicitly refuse such a suggestion.

    "But even if I tell her to rest, what should she do and how? You can only truly understand after taking a good rest."

    Ludger reflected on his life and looked back.

    He realized that he had rarely let himself rx and rest.

    Most of the time, he spent his life engrossed in something.

    When he was with his master, he was busy learning magic.

    When he lived independently, he traveled to various ces, assuming different roles and experiencing various events.

    A life of constantly running forward without a moment to catch his breath.

    That was Ludger''s life.

    Ludger never doubted that he would continue to live that way until he achieved his desired goals.

    In fact, now he felt restless if he didn''t do something.

    Taking a vacation for himself seemed absurd given his obsession with work.

    "Well, I said vacation, but it doesn''t mean I have to rest unconditionally."

    Ludger decided not to be bound by the word "vacation."

    There were so many things he needed to take care of after this terrorist incident.

    The most important thing now was to meet with the witnesses from that day and have a conversation.

    "I''ve had enough conversation with Flora, and Madelina said she would take care of Aidan. Now, what''s left is..."

    Ludger thought of the student with ash-gray hair.

    Rinne.

    She was his student, possessing neutral magic and the owner of Judgment Chain.

    And she was also Ludger''s guilt.

    "At least I should meet her and have a conversation."

    But now that he was actually considering having a conversation, his thoughts became quiteplicated.

    Not just the magic he showed Rinne that day, but how would he exin her sudden awakening of Judgment Chain?

    And what about the existence of that demon?

    "Now that we''vee this far, Rinne must have realized that I was the one who dealt with Basara."

    Perhaps Rine is also curious.

    Shall I grab hold until the end without knowing?

    Rudger lowered his head.

    However, the existence of Zero Order kept catching his attention without mentioning such aspects and letting it go.

    Rine seems innocent yet perceptive.

    She wasn''t the type to easily be deceived by suspicious characters like Zero Order.

    However, he couldn''t exclude the possibility.

    "Careless judgment bes poison."

    Rudger never expected to be a teacher to Seoren, nor did he anticipate facing Rine and Freudin, his past connections, again in this ce.

    Yet, these events unfolded.

    In the end, it meant that the world didn''t simply revolve around spection and reason alone.

    The story of a devil who calctes every movement of molecules to deduce future events is nothing but fiction.

    Rudger walked along the long corridor, pondering on how to naturally approach Rine and strike up a conversation.

    Just as Rudger was about to turn the corner of the pristine white hallway, he nearly collided with someone.

    He sensed the presence and stopped his footsteps just in time; otherwise, they would have truly collided.

    Rudger stared intently at the person he nearly collided with.

    The same applied to the other person.

    Both pairs of eyes were filled with confusion simultaneously.

    It was something they never expected to encounter in a ce like this.

    "Life is truly a series of unpredictable events."

    When Rudger had such thoughts, Rine felt a simrplexity deep inside her.

    Spending a few days inside the Imperial Pce, she continued to think about Rudger during that period.

    "What was that teacher''s appearance that I saw that day? What was it?"

    Rudger, surrounded by a ck shadow and his figure unexpectedly popping out from his own shadow.

    And Flora, who had been taken by an unknown entity, and Rudger who fought against that unknown entity.

    What could have happened amidst the raging ck storm?

    ording to the stories, Flora is safe, and they say Rudger is fine too.

    Unresolved questions filled her mind.

    Rine was so curious that she wanted to meet Rudger somehow and have a conversation.

    Especiallytely, her eyes didn''t seem the same as before.

    It wasn''t that her condition had worsened; rather, it had be excessively good, which was a problem.

    When she looked at her eyes, shining like starlight beyond the mirror, she often found herself staring at their beauty absentmindedly.

    Moreover, the energy that had faintly appeared in people before now began to shine vividly like burning mes.

    Rine didn''t particrly appreciate this unexpected power.

    That''s why she wanted to ask Rudger.

    As a teacher, he seemed like he might know why her eyes had be this way.

    "What should I say if I meet him? No, before that, can I even meet him? If I approach him without hesitation, it won''t be bothersome, right?"

    She had been pondering over such concerns until just a moment ago, but here they were, face to face.

    Rine and Rudger remained silent for a while.

    Both of them had a lot they wanted to say, but they were unsure how to open the conversation.

    "Um..."

    "Uh..."

    Both of them opened their mouths and then closed them simultaneously.

    Summoning her courage, Rine spoke first.

    "Um, Teacher, please go ahead and speak."

    Rudger nodded as he looked at Rine, who was looking up at him with an anxious expression.

    "Yeah. Since I have something to say, let''s find a quiet ce to talk."

    "Oh, really?"

    "Do you mind?"

    "No, no. I''m fine. Actually, I thought you might be busy..."

    "It doesn''t matter to me. You said you''re okay, so let''s find a bench nearby or something and talk."

    Rudger''s suggestion was weed by Rine, so she vigorously nodded her head up and down.

    "Yes!"

    As the two of them walked together, Sedin observed them secretly, quietly watching their every move.

 Chapter 332

    Episode 332: Wall of Rtionships (2)

    Rudger and Rine sat on the same bench, keeping a slight distance between them.

    Rine sat upright with a straight back, tightly gripping the edge of her skirt on her neatly folded knees.

    Her sidelong nce captured Rudger''s appearance.

    With his hands sped and his upper body slightly inclined, he seemed as calm as the surface of a tranquilke.

    His appearance was so mature, unlike her own.

    Perhaps because of that, Rine couldn''t take her eyes off his profile.

    Rudger''s subdued demeanor was captivating, and it was undeniable.

    However, there was something fundamentally different.

    Every time Rine saw Rudger in that state, she felt a sense of longing and wistfulness simultaneously.

    She didn''t know the clear reason why.

    She was certain she had never met Rudger in the past, yet whenever she saw him, she couldn''t help but feel as if they had met long ago.

    Nevertheless, it seemed like an invisible wall existed between them.

    "Rine."

    "Yes, yes?!"

    When Rudger spoke, Rine was startled, thinking that he might have caught her secretly staring him.

    "Why are you acting like that?"

    "Oh, no. It''s nothing."

    Seeing Rudger''s puzzled expression, she didn''t think he had caught on to anything.

    Only then did Rine realize that Rudger also had something to discuss with her.

    "Rine, I think you have a vague idea why I wanted to talk to you."

    "That''s..."

    "You must have seen it that day."

    Instead of answering, Rine nodded her head.

    "The appearance I showed you that day is one of my magic spells. Specifically, it''s a summon magic that I control."

    Rudger said so and summoned his familiar, [Aether Nocturnus].

    Since it would undoubtedly attract attention if he summoned the whole thing, Rudger minimized it and presented it.

    A crow-like creature appeared on the garment on Rudger''s right shoulder.

    The crow swiftly turned its head to look at Rine, and Rine, though her shoulders trembled at the sight, didn''t avoid the crow''s gaze.

    "This... This is your magic summon?"

    "That''s right."

    "It''s... quite unusual?"

    "It''s called Aether Nocturnus. It moves through shadows, and right now, it takes the form of this animal, but its primary form is closer to a garment."

    "If it''s a garment... Ah."

    Only then could Rine recall the appearance Rudger had taken that day.

    Literally, it looked like he had draped a cloak made of shadows over himself.

    Moreover, he was wearing a crow-shaped mask on his face.

    What did he call it again? gue Doctor''s mask?

    She had seen it in a book, and the mask evoked a considerably somber atmosphere.

    Now, looking at the shadow crow perched on Rudger''s shoulder, she couldn''t erase the thought of its simrity.

    "So, does that mean it''s the ability of this magic summon to suddenly emerge from nowhere on an empty ground?"

    "More precisely, it emerges from the shadows. Since Aether Nocturnus isposed of shadows, I can also move through them as a medium."

    "Wow, I see."

    Only then did Rine realize how Rudger coulde to her rescue in that fleeting moment.

    That''s really impressive, isn''t it?

    Rine eximed in pure admiration and asked, "Can I touch it?"

    "Feel free."

    Rine naturally extended her hand toward the magic summon in the form of a crow.

    The crow stared at Rine with its red eyes, but Rine only paused her hand for a moment.

    With a gentle smile, Rine reached out her hand, and Aether Nocturnus tilted its head to the side for a moment.

    Then, it lightly brushed its beak against the approaching hand.

    "Ah."

    Rine eximed without realizing, struck by the peculiar sensation she felt from the palm of her hand.

    Indeed, even the touch itself was different from that of an ordinary crow.

    It felt as if the sensation of touching smoke.

    Considering that it was not simply a shadow but manifested through magical power, it wasn''t an incorrect expression either.

    Rudger observed Rine''s fascinating gesture of touching his familiar for a moment and then released the summoning of Aether Nocturnus.

    Rine felt a twinge of regret at the familiar''s form vanishing in an instant.

    "Ah..."

    "It''s not something I can keep for long. Even though it appears like that, it''s very greedy, so it consumes a significant amount of magical power. Especially under this bright sunlight."

    "Ah, I see."

    "Is the familiar fascinating?"

    "Yes. I''ve heard about them, but it''s my first time seeing one in person."

    "Indeed, familiars might be unfamiliar to first-year students like you. The proper lessons on summoning familiars are part of the third-year curriculum."

    "Ah, it takes quite a while, then. I wanted to learn it quickly."

    "You don''t have to worry too much about it."

    "What?"

    "Starting from this incident, there will be significant changes in the academic curriculum soon. Among them, there is a possibility that the summoning lessons for familiars will be moved to the first-year curriculum."

    Although Rudger said it was a possibility, he was practically certain.

    Familiars are likepanions of the soul possessed by wizards.

    When summoned, familiars consume a significant amount of magical power, but in that moment, they guarantee tremendous stability andbat prowess.

    Even though only certain individuals can naturally learn Elementalism, there is a reason why wizards are interested.

    Learning about familiars will undoubtedly be helpful in the future if one takes the time to learn.

    The implications were quite significant.

    However, summoning a familiar was not merely a theoretical process.

    It required a bit more instinct, intuition, and enlightenment.

    That''s why usually students in their first and second years do not learn how to handle familiars.

    It is because theyck experience and proficiency in magic.

    The foundation of familiars requires one''s own magical power and a deep connection.

    In that sense, it was quite revolutionary for first-year students to learn the summoning of familiars.

    As students learning it, they would be filled with excitement.

    Summoning a special being born from one''s own magical power carries dreams and romance, which are not characteristic of a wizard.

    Of course, the teacher who would teach it would already be struggling with the dilemma.

    "I have no idea who will teach it, but they will surely have a hard time."

    Rine nodded vigorously, indicating her apparent understanding of Rudger''sprehensive exnation.

    However, the exnation he had just provided merely scratched the surface of her curiosity. There were still numerous inquiries lingering in her mind.

    For instance,

    The actual essence of the ck mist that had assaulted her that day.

    Or the state of Flora, who had selflessly taken her ce.

    "Um, is Flora senpai... is she okay?"

    "Flora, you mean?"

    "Yes. That day, because of me, she... in my ce..."

    Whenever Rine recalled that moment, her heart sank.

    It was clear that she was the target of that ck mist.

    If anyone was to suffer, it should have been her.

    "Flora is fine."

    "Oh, yes. I''m relieved."

    "So, you don''t need to worry about it."

    Rine pressed her lips together tightly, feeling as though Rudger''s words had glimpsed her innermost thoughts.

    "Do you me yourself?"

    "...It''s because I tried to protect you. I ended up in that state. I was even consumed by that eerie mist."

    "A demon."

    "What?"

    "That was a demon."

    Upon hearing his words, Rine''s eyes widened, and she gazed intently at Rudger''s profile.

    It was as if she was asking if it was okay for him to say that to her.

    "Didn''t you already know?"

    "Yes, yes?"

    "I''m asking if you had any inkling. Why do you think that demon took an interest in you in the first ce?"

    "Well..."

    As Rine attempted to speak, her own iris shed into her mind.

    The ck mist. If Rudger was correct, it must have been a demon.

    It was evident that the demon had singled her out as its target.

    It could vaguely be spected that it was because of her awakened iris.

    "Moreover, that demon said something about a saint to me."

    When he mentioned the saint, the illusion magic she had seen at the museum came to mind.

    It was called divine magic. A woman who used that magic, praying.

    Strangely, that sight lingered in her mind. Could it be rted to that?

    "You seem to have many questions."

    "Yes. There are so many things I don''t know. I wonder why I suddenly got involved in this kind of situation. But still..."

    "You want to know."

    "...Yes. Because I don''t know, I feel like I need to know more. So that I can understand even a little about what I should do. That''s why I want to ask. Do you know about my condition, Teacher?"

    Rine stared at him with an unwavering gaze.

    Her irises were sparkling with a much more beautiful light than before.

    Just by looking at them, one could lose themselves and be drawn in by their charm.

    Rudger, who had resisted the enchantment of the headmaster, found himself momentarily but nkly observing those eyes.

    Even though she hadn''t fully awakened yet, if she was in this state...

    What would happen when she possessed aplete judgment eye?

    "..."

    "Teacher?"

    "...Well, at this point, it''s impossible for you to remain unaware."

    Rudger pondered where to begin his exnation, but he decided to start from the very beginning, telling her everything.

    In the past, he had intended to keep it a secret, but now that more than half of the awakening had already urred, Rine needed to be informed as well.

    "Rine, have you heard of the judgment eye?"

    "Judgment eye? It''s the first time I''m hearing that term."

    "The judgment eye is the ability to discern right from wrong. I believe it extends beyond mere intuition and epasses perceiving something more intrinsic."

    "Ah."

    Rine nodded, as if she could grasp what Rudger meant.

    She had believed that she could detect people who posed a threat to her like a ghost from the beginning of the semester.

    Conversely, she also thought she could distinguish those who wouldn''t benefit her.

    The reason Rine could freely ask Rudger about things she didn''t know, unlike other students who were still afraid of him, was because of that.

    "And that judgment eye is said to be the unique ability inherent only in the saints spoken of in Lumensis Church."

    "S-Saint?"

    Although the demon, Basara, had referred to her as a saint, hearing it directly from Rudger felt different.

    "But, how can someone like me be a saint...?"

    "It doesn''t matter how you perceive it. Most past owners of the judgment eye were probably the same. It''s just that there are rarely cases like yours where awakening urs."

    "T-Then, is Lumensis Church going to take me?"

    "Why?"

    "W-Well, because I might be a saint..."

    "That won''t happen."

    "Really?"

    "Yes. I won''t let that happen."

    Rine swallowed her breath at Rudger''s words.

    She was probably saying it out of concern as a student, but hearing those words directly confused her.

    "B-But why...?"

    "You have ced Lumensis Church on a pedestal. Instead of revering and honoring the birth of a saint, they would rather shackle and manipte the saint as a pawn in their hands."

    Rine contemted questioning how he obtained such knowledge, but when she observed Rudger''s earnest countenance, she found herself unable to inquire.

    Considering Rudger''s knowledge of Lumensis Church, the judgment eye, and the existence of saints, it was clear that Rudger knew something that Rine didn''t.

    "W-What should I do then?"

    "For now, conceal it."

    "Just because I conceal it, does that mean it will remain hidden? My eyes are too conspicuous no matter how hard I try."

    "Well, that''s true. Rine, let me take a look."

    "Ah, okay."

    Rine followed Rudger''s instructions.

    Rudger stared fixedly at Rine''s countenance.

    His sapphire-like eyes captured his own reflection.

    It felt as if he was beholding his own face in the tranquility of a still pool.

    As Rudger silently gazed at her, Rine sensed a tingling sensation.

    "R-Rudger, teacher?"

    "Just stay still."

    Rudger uttered these words and cautiously extended his hand towards Rine.

    "Hmm."

    As Rudger''s touch drew near her eyes, Rine involuntarily flinched, causing her shoulder to tremble.

    Rudger''s hand was firm yet gentle, emanating warmth.

    His touch on this side was as cautious as handling an ancient relic.

    Rine didn''t particrly dislike that sensation.

    If she had to choose between liking or disliking it, it leaned towards the positive side.

    She thought it would be fine if it continued like this for the rest of her life.

    ''M-My heart is racing too much.''

    Rudger''s presence was close. His perfectly sculpted face and the warmth of his hand touching her cheek.

    Rine worried about what would happen if Rudger realized that her heart was beating like this.

    Her heart was pounding so loudly that she couldn''t control it, and it felt like it would resound clearly in Rudger''s ears.

    How long did itst like that?

    "That''s enough."

    With Rudger''s short statement, his hand that touched her cheek moved away.

    Rine felt a sense of regret but still asked, "What just happened?"

    "Do you want to see?"

    Rudger conjured a metal magic in the air, creating a thin te.

    The smooth surface of it reflected Rine''s face clearly, like a mirror.

    Rine looked into her own eyes through the mirror-like gap.

    "Huh?"

    Surprisingly, her eyes, which had sparkled like starlight, had returned to their original state.

 Chapter 333

    Episode 333: White Lion (1)

    "How did you do it?"

    "It''s a simple sealing magic. I just blocked the force trying to seep out."

    "Simple? Really?"

    "It''s not perfect, so be careful. Your awakened power will grow stronger over time, and once it surpasses a certain level, the seal will easily break. But for now, it buys us some time."

    "A sealing magic, huh. Unbelievable."

    Rine may appear this way, but she is a student who boasts considerable knowledge in theoretical aspects.

    Even for someone like Sren teacher who has devoted sufficient time and effort, sealing magic is considered quite advanced.

    It''s not a magic that can be immediately unleashed in such a short time.

    ''Well, it''s Mr.Rudger, so it''s not that surprising anymore.''

    However, Rudger''s attitude, nonchntly treating it as nothing out of the ordinary, was somewhat peculiar.

    At this point, it seemed almost intentional.

    "Rine, I''ve exined everything to you, but remember, you must not tell anyone that you possess the judgment eye."

    "Why ?"

    "If news spreads that you have the judgment eye, the Lumensis Church will do whatever it takes to take you away. And the demon that appeared this time is no different. We can''t guarantee that there won''t be others targeting you."

    "That''s... I understand."

    Rine nodded, seemingly epting the exnation.

    However, she suddenly remembered that there was one more person who had seen her changed iris.

    "Um, Teacher."

    "Why? You''re not considering revealing that it has already been discovered, are you?"

    "...."

    Rine instinctively averted her gaze from Rudger''s eyes and a cold sweat ran down her forehead.

    "Who saw it?"

    "I-It was just one person. Senior Erendir."

    "Erendir von Exillion, you mean?"

    "Yes."

    "Hmm, I see..."

    Since the two of them were often together, it wouldn''t be strange for Erendir to notice Rine''s changes.

    However, the problem was her position.

    If she was an ordinary student, Rudger could handle it casually, but Erendir was a member of the royal bloodline.

    No matter how you look at it, even Rudger hesitated to warn her about it as a personal matter.

    ''But if I were to ask Princess Eileen, I would have to exin the judgment eye to her as well.''

    It would have been better if fewer people knew about the existence of the judgment eye.

    Even if it was Eileen, Rudger wouldn''t go as far as telling her about it.

    Considering Eileen''s personality, she would probably try to use Rine in some way.

    It was best to keep it hidden.

    "Rine, do you consider Erendir as someone you can trust and follow?"

    "Yes? Me?"

    "I want to know your opinion."

    "Well..."

    Rine hesitated about what to answer.

    She could either evade the question or even tell a lie.

    But Rine knew that''s not what Rudger wanted.

    At the same time, she didn''t want to give a superficial response.

    "Senior... I can trust her."

    "Is that entirely your own judgment?"

    "Yes. Of course, I don''t know everything about her. There may be aspects of her that I''m unaware of. But still, I want to believe."

    Rine answered honestly while her heart trembled with anxiety.

    Even if Rudger were to criticize her for being naive and ask what she could do with such careless thinking, it wouldn''t be strange.

    However, Rudger readily epted Rine''s answer with a surprising level of trust.

    "Alright. If you say it with such conviction, I won''t probe any further."

    "Oh, you understand?"

    "Didn''t you mention that you have faith in her?"

    "Yes, but..."

    "Then that settles it."

    Rudger believed that if Rine expressed such strong conviction, he could ce enough trust in her words.

    It was closer to trusting in the power of the judgment eye than trusting her judgment.

    ''She won''t associate with someone who has a negative impact on herself.''

    Of course, as Rine, she was overwhelmed by deep emotion, thinking that Rudger trusted her and spoke so easily.

    "But Rine, even if you trust her, you never know when news might leak. So be cautious as much as possible."

    "Yes!"

    "If someone unfamiliar approaches you, be on guard. If they are overly friendly, be even more suspicious."

    "Yes? Yes."

    "Don''t follow someone just because they offer you food."

    "....Teacher, aren''t you treating me like a child?"

    Rudger realized it in an instant.

    As he conversed with Rine like this, he suddenly saw glimpses of her childhood self ovepping with her current appearance.

    Because of that, he unintentionally spoke to her as he would to a child.

    Rudger let out a light cough.

    "That was just a way of saying to be careful. It''s not a bad thing to be cautious and prepared."

    "Well, I guess that could be true."

    Rine smiled brightly at Rudger.

    "But still, if I were to be in danger, you woulde to save me, right, Teacher?"

    "..."

    In her voice, which carried a hint of expectation, Rudger responded coldly.

    "We''ll see."

    "Yes? What does that mean?"

    Rine puffed up her cheeks and turned her head quickly.

    Rudger chuckled lightly at her reaction.

    "Well, that''s a relief."

    At his words, Rine turned her head back to look at Rudger.

    "I thought you would have a hard time because of that. But seeing you, it seems like I was worrying for no reason."

    "I received help in dangerous moments. From Senior Flora and also from you, teacher. I can''t thank you enough, to the point where I don''t know how many times I should say it. I feel rather sorry for not being able to be of help."

    "Just having such thoughts is admirable in itself."

    Rudger said so and stood up from the bench.

    "Oh, are you leaving?"

    "Yes. It''s a rare moment of free time. Since the field study was canceled, make sure you take enough rest and enjoy yourself, even if it''s within the pce."

    Rudger left those words behind and departed.

    Rine couldn''t get up from the bench until Rudgerpletely disappeared from her sight.

    "Haah."

    When Rudger was no longer visible, Rine let out a small sigh.

    ''In the end, I couldn''t ask.''

    She had already asked enough things she was curious about, but there was still one lingering question in Rine''s mind.

    ''Whether we really haven''t met in the past, I wanted to ask.''

    * * *

    Rudger walked through the well-maintained park within the pce.

    The picturesque scenery was delightful to the eyes, as if it came straight out of a painting.

    Within it, the students of Seorun were all enjoying their pics.

    Some of the students saw Rudger and waved their hands cheerfully.

    "Teacher! Hello!"

    "Have a nice day!"

    Rudger was momentarily taken aback by their different reactions.

    At first, he thought it was because there were other teachers around, but that wasn''t the case.

    The students were genuinely speaking to him.

    As Rudger, it was a phenomenon that was hard for him to understand, but the students had their reasons for it.

    The students who were now cheering for Rudger were eyewitnesses who had personally witnessed Rudger saving them in front of the Crystal Pce that day.

    Rudger, who had dealt with countless hordes of chimeras with splendid magic and ensured everyone''s safety, was admired by the students in the Crystal Pce, to the extent that he was almost an object of idolization.

    Since then, Rudger had received greetings from passing students multiple times.

    Although there were still students who were afraid of Rudger and couldn''t even meet his eyes,pared to before, the ratio was less than half.

    "Still, receiving the medal seems to have helped improve my image."

    While having such pointless thoughts, Rudger spotted a familiar face across from him.

    "Oh, Sedina. Are you resting well?"

    "Yes, it''s all thanks to Teacher Rudger."

    "Are you here alone?"

    "I don''t have any close friends, so yes."

    As Sedina answered like that, she discreetly gauged Rudger''s reaction.

    It seemed like she was trying hard to act nonchnt, but it was a habit of Sedina''s to show it whenever she had something she wanted to ask.

    "If you have something you''re curious about, go ahead and ask."

    "Yes, um?"

    "That''s why I''m encouraging you."

    "Well, um, you see..."

    Sedina felt flustered but remembered the conversation she had with Julia earlier.

    She didn''tpletely doubt Julia''s words, but she thought there might be some misunderstanding.

    However, since she had noticed Rudger having separate conversations with Rine, her uneasiness had been gradually growing.

    ''Teacher, did you really kill the mother of that student, Rine?''

    There was no reason not to ask if she wanted to.

    After all, it was an event unrted to her.

    But if Rudger were to inquire about who told her, Sedina would have to mention Julia''s name.

    If that happened, the conflict between the two would undoubtedly escte like wildfire on dry straw.

    At the moment, Julia held a strong hostility towards Rudger.

    As someone who cared about Sedina as a friend, Julia couldn''t view Rudger, the murderer, in a positive light.

    And what about Rudger?

    Rudger wasn''t the type to stay quiet when facing someone hostile towards him.

    Especially if the person knew his weakness, there was a possibility that he would use somewhat extreme means to shut their mouth.

    ''What should I do?''

    Sedina hoped that neither of them would get hurt.

    Both of them were precious to her.

    "Sedina, do you have something to say?"

    "Oh, no. Well..."

    In that fleeting moment, Sedina agonized over whether to ask or not, more than a hundred times.

    "Just, it''s nothing. I think I must have been mistaken about something."

    Sedina''s final choice, as she mumbled it as if it were nothing important, was to dismiss the matter.

    Rudger also noticed that Sedina''s behavior was somewhat awkward, but he didn''t bother to pry.

    He thought there must be a reason for Sedina to act this way.

    "Oh, right. Hans senior sent a message."

    "Hans?"

    "He''s currently waiting, but he said he wants to see you as soon as possible."

    "He wants to see me quickly?"

    "Yes. He didn''t exin the exact reason, but judging by his urgent tone, it seems like something has happened to him..."

    Rudger pondered what could have happened to Hans.

    The answer came to him quickly.

    "Oh, I see."

    He recalled who Hans and Beruna were currently with.

    Grander.

    His entric mentor was with them at the moment.

    ''I wondered why my mentor didn''te to see me. He must have found another target to torment.''

    As it was, Grander had been quite intrigued by Hans for a while.

    A person who epted the beast''s nature and transformed ordingly.

    Even for Grander, who had lived for a long time, Hans was an interesting subject.

    "However, it''s not pleasant to be the target of my mentor''s interest."

    Hans urgently wanting to meet must be to ask Rudger to intervene with his mentor.

    Rudger shook his head.

    He felt sorry for Hans, but at the moment he couldn''t leave the pce.

    There was no justification, and calming down his mentor''s boredom, which had fallen into monotony, was quite a burden for Rudger as well.

    "Send a reply asking Hans to wait a few more days."

    "Yes, understood."

    After Sedina left and Rudger was alone, he tried to recall what else was left to do.

    There was nothing.

    He had received all thepensation from Eileen, and he had been in contact with President Elisa.

    He had finished all the conversations with Rine, which had bothered him the most, so it was safe to say that he hadpleted everything he needed to do during his stay at the pce.

    ''The only thing left is sending news about Beruna to Mr.Chris.''

    Should he at least take a look during the remaining time?

    With that thought, Rudger returned to his assigned residence and narrowed his eyes when he saw a doll standing awkwardly at the entrance.

    "What business do you have in my room, Mandelina?"

    "Uh, uh?! Weren''t you in the bar room!"

    "I stepped out for a moment to have a conversation with the President."

    "Oh, you went to the externalmunication room."

    "Yes, so if you came looking for me, it must mean something has happened."

    "W-Well, that''s true, but..."

    Mandelina broke into a cold sweat and avoided Rudger''s gaze.

    She still found Rudger intimidating.

    Even though she knew he had no intention of killing her, the deep-rooted fear engraved in her memory didn''t easily fade away.

    Rudger had no intention of reassuring Mandelina either.

    Knowing that once you give her an inch, she takes a mile, it was better to keep this tension intact.

    "So, what brings you here?"

    "W-Well, I wouldn''t call it a business. A guest came from outside."

    "A guest? Did someonee to see me?"

    "Oh no, not you. They came to see the emperor and the first princess."

    A guest significant enough for the Emperor to personallye.

    Rudger sensed a strange uneasiness in Mandelina''s attitude and her words.

    "Although the First Princess told me not to say anything, I can''t help but worry a little."

    "So, who came to visit?"

    After hesitating, Mandelina answered.

    "It''s the Kingdom of Bretus. They sent an envoy."

    --------------------------------

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 Chapter 334

    Episode 334: White Lion (2)

    A grand reception room prepared to wee a foreign delegation.

    In that spacious area, two groups stood facing each other, dividing the space.

    On one side were the knights and priests wearing white ceremonial robes and white armor on top.

    On the other side were the Imperial Royal Guards, dressed in silver uniforms, arranged in formation.

    Although it was a space to amodate important guests, the atmosphere in the reception room was extremely tense.

    "Hmm. The tea tastes good."

    A man with a rxed attitude, as ifpletely unaffected by the heavy and tense atmosphere, made a remark.

    He had a fairly ordinary appearance.

    With his messy brown hair and a few freckles, his expression exuded arrogance.

    Aileen, sitting opposite him, stared at the man with narrowed eyes.

    "But I''ve heard that the Empire has better tea leaves. It seems they weren''t prepared, after all. Ah, of course, I''m not saying that this tea tastes bad, but it doesn''t quite meet my standards."

    The disrespectful remark made the Royal Guards bristle.

    However, as well-trained as they were, no one dared to speak out of turn.

    Instead, they red back at the man with liveliness in their eyes, pressuring him with their gaze.

    But the man confidently held his head high, not because he believed in his own abilities, but because he trusted the knights standing behind him.

    And even more than that.

    He trusted the woman sitting next to him.

    "We have also heard about the unfortunate incident that took ce in the capital of the Exilion Empire. It''s truly regrettable."

    "It gives me strength to receiveforting words from the Breutus Kingdom, even sending a delegation. Thank you for your concern."

    Eileen spoke without changing her expression.

    "However, it''s quite surprising that you''ve brought so many people with you if you''re here to help and worry about the unfortunate incident."

    Eileen''s gaze lingered on the woman sitting next to the smirking man.

    She was dressed in pure white attire, with a tiara adorning her forehead.

    Sitting elegantly with a faint smile on her lips, she had an air of dignified grace that almost resembled a mannequin imitating a human, sending a strange chill down Eileen''s spine.

    Eileen immediately grasped the identity of the woman.

    ''Is she a priestess from their homnd?''

    The Breutus Kingdom established branches of the Lumensis Order in each country and sent their own people there.

    In every major city of a country, there was always a district head, who could exert some influence in their area.

    But even such district heads could only lower their heads when they returned to their homnd, facing the person standing right in front of them.

    A priestess.

    In the Lumensis Order, priests usually served as intermediaries between gods and humans, ying the role of amunication bridge.

    Therefore, they were regarded as ''the humans closest to the gods'' among people.

    In the Breutus Kingdom, it was a position that could not be considered low.

    ''But she is so young.''

    When one hears the word ''priestess,'' they would typically imagine an elderly person, but that was not the case in the Breutus Kingdom.

    They handpicked women in their mid-twenties as priestesses, as if it were a sacred vow.

    Although the number of priestesses did not exceed ten, it was a well-known secret that all the priestesses wore tiaras.

    Whether the anonymous priestess knew that Eileen was staring at her or not, she smiled more intensely, as if a smile soaked in genuinepassion.

    It wasn''t a sneer or a mockery, but a smile that seemed to have slipped away from true benevolence.

    However, Eileen didn''t like that smile at all.

    Whether it was because she had a rough appearance or because she could exert influence even in the dark world, Eileen always felt ufortable around people like her.

    Especially if the other person was from the Breutus Kingdom, it made her even more uneasy.

    ''Moreover, it hasn''t been long since the terrorist incident ended, yet they brought such arge force to the capital. It''s as if they knew this would happen and made preparations without giving us a chance to react.''

    Could it have been exposed? Or was it simply a coincidence?

    While Aileen pondered over various possibilities in her mind, the deputy priest couldn''t hide his displeasure.

    "You are being disrespectful. Don''t you know who you are facing right now?"

    Right, there was such a guy in this gathering.

    A foolish fox who believed that the power of the deputy priest was his own power.

    "It is you who is truly disrespectful. Do you not know who you are facing right now?"

    "But you are not the Emperor."

    "However, I can be the Emperor. Unlike you, who can never ascend to the position of a priest, even as a deputy."

    Aileen''s sharp remark made the deputy''s face turn red.

    Having relied on the authority of the priestess to establish his own position and roam freely, deep down in his heart, he felt a sense of despair that he could never be a priestess.

    Aileen, being quick-witted, immediately grasped the opponent''s weakness.

    The deputy priest was about to say something in response but soon had a mischievous smile on his face.

    "Yes. Well, I am satisfied with this position. And what is important right now is not that, don''t you think?"

    "Hmph. You''re trying to divert the conversation. Speak to the point of why you came here."

    "Didn''t I say? It was to express my condolences for the unfortunate incident."

    "So, it might make sense to bring priests, but why knights? It looks like they intend to use force, no matter how you look at it."

    "Of course, force is necessary. It''s just that the empire is not the target."

    The deputy priest opened his eyes wide and scanned over Eileen from head to toe.

    "But depending on the answer, it could be the empire."

    "..."

    What an arrogant remark.

    How dare he blurt out such nonsense in the inner courtyard of the imperial pce, which was the territory of the empire.

    If it had been an envoy from another country, Eileen would have drawn her sword and struck the man''s neck.

    But the opponent was an envoy from the Breutus Kingdom.

    Although they had lost some of their lusterpared to the past, the power possessed by the Breutus Kingdom was still formidable.

    ''Especially the way they have been interfering with the leadership of other countries for a long time bothers me.''

    If they were merely a nation openly showcasing their strength, it wouldn''t have been such a bothersome situation.

    However, they possessed an enigmatic power whose origins couldn''t be discerned, intensifying the feeling of unease.

    That''s why dealing with opponents who possessed unknown power was troublesome.

    Eileen thought to herself as she opened her mouth.

    "I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. I cannotprehend what you mean. So, what are you nning to use that force for?"

    "As I mentioned earlier, we are aware of the recent events that took ce in the empire. However, among the reports we have received, there is one peculiar matter."

    "A peculiar matter?"

    "It is said that a ck storm erupted in the heart of the capital, which appears ominous at first nce. Do you happen to know anything about it?"

    As if she could see through everything Eileen was thinking, the deputy priest had a look that seemed to say he knew everything.

    Seeing him like that, Eileen couldn''t help but ridicule the arrogant deputy priest in front of her.

    It seems like he has experienced having his throat tightened a few times in a simr situation.

    To think he had the audacity to challenge her with such meager skills.

    Truly audacious.

    "Well, I also heard about the sudden urrence of a ck storm. However, it was brief and quickly dissipated."

    "Regardless of its duration, the fact that it urred holds significance. Do you have any knowledge about the nature of that ck storm?"

    "The dreadful event concluded only two days ago. It''s a rtively short timeframe to uncover any information."

    "So, despite being aware, you''re dismissing its importance?"

    The words of the deputy high priest were essentially doubting whether the empire was rted to the ck storm.

    Upon hearing those words, the knights didn''t get angry but rather looked bewildered.

    It was because the opponent''s words not only crossed the line but went beyond it.

    Indeed, whether it was due to crossing the line or exceeding rudeness, Eileen''s expression instantly turned cold.

    Even the pressure from the knights couldn''t make her flinch.

    The moment the deputy high priest faced Eileen''s expression, he felt a chill run down his spine.

    It was as if her gaze possessed physical force, sharply piercing his body.

    The areas her gaze touched felt cold and chilling, even though he was wearing clothes.

    It felt like the tip of an ice pick piercing the skin.

    Even though the deputy high priest had lost his courage, Eileen''s cold gaze was something he couldn''t endure.

    "Once."

    "..."

    "I''ll let your rudeness pass this time only. But remember. There won''t be a next time."

    It was a voice that conveyed not mere bluffing, but a sincere warning that she might really do something.

    To conceal the fact that he was intimidated, the deputy high priest calmly nodded his head.

    Of course, that was his own thinking, but his paleplexion, flowing cold sweat, and trembling pupils clearly showed that he was frightened.

    "Anyway, we don''t know the reason behind the urrence of the ck storm either. Since the Liberation Army bastards joined forces with the Dark Sorcerers, they might have done something."

    "Do you think the Dark Sorcerers are capable of such dangerous magic?"

    "I rather want to ask you the opposite. Aren''t you underestimating the Dark Sorcerers too much?"

    "Ha. You really don''t intend to say a single word, do you?"

    "Well, after all, I''m the next Emperor. How can I be overshadowed by a mere deputy high priest?"

    Upon Eileen''s cutting remark, the deputy priest''s face twisted, and he murmured in a low voice.

    "I understand. Since the empire is so uncooperative, we''ll have to look into it ourselves."

    "Do as you please. Just the fact that we allowed you toe this far is an act of great mercy on our part."

    "...Do you think the homnd will remain silent when they hear about this?"

    "The homnd? You are the deputy of the priests, not the deputy of the Bretus Kingdom. Yet you dare to speak in the name of the country? Truly an arrogant remark."

    At those words, the deputy high priest fell into contemtion.

    Eileen effortlessly turned his half-threatening words back on him with her own rudeness.

    The deputy priest nced at the priestess sitting beside him anxiously.

    That nce urgently conveyed that his words were by no means meant in that sense.

    "Indeed, they say the next Empress is extremely strong, beautiful, and intelligent. Those words seem notpletely unfounded."

    Surprisingly, it was the priestess herself who had remained silent until now who spoke up.

    "I thought you were unable to speak."

    "I simply didn''t see the necessity. However, in this particr situation, I cannot stay silent, considering the opposing party involved."

    "Ha."

    Eileen responded with augh to those words.

    She thought it wouldn''t be easy for the priestess herself to step forward.

    It''s probably also unsettling for them to leave the task to that blockhead.

    It''s a pity.

    She had nned to dig a little deeper.

    However, contrary to Eileen''s expectations, the priestess slowly stood up from her seat.

    "We will take our leave now. Even as we are engaged in this conversation, somewhere in this world, an impure group is plotting something sinister."

    As if there would be an impure group as impure as you.

    Eileen barely restrained herself from saying those words.

    It was gratifying to know that those annoying and bothersome individuals would leave on their own.

    Watching the members of the Lumensis Order leaving alongside the priestess, Eileen clicked her tongue in annoyance.

    ''For now, it seems like the immediate crisis has been averted, but judging by their reactions, it seems they still suspect us.''

    Even though we''ve hidden it as much as possible, if they start investigating, they might discover some traces.

    And naturally, that will also lead to Rudger getting involved.

    Judging by Rudger''s reaction, he seemed to despise the Lumensis Order a lot.

    If it''s a rtionship where they explode just bying into contact, like fire and gunpowder, anything could happen suddenly.

    ''For now, I sent Mandelina to warn that man to be careful.''

    He''s perceptive enough to protect himself and avoid danger on his own.

    * * *

    Rudger silently watched the group of people approaching him head-on.

    The moment he realized who they were, he couldn''t help but feel awkward.

    ''The envoys from the Bretus Kingdom that Mandelina mentioned. Of all ces, I have to encounter them here.''

    It was an absurd situation.

    He deliberately avoided paths where they could possibly be moving, yet they ended up crossing paths.

    They didn''t seem to have any specific intention.

    It was just a coincidental encounter while passing by.

    ''Let''s just ignore them and move on.''

    As Rudger was about to think that way, the woman wearing a tiara at the forefront turned her head towards Rudger.

    Her gaze was hidden behind the tiara, but she was clearly staring at Rudger.

    "Who are you?"

    "...."

    He tried to ignore them intentionally, but they initiated the conversation.

    Rudger silently looked at the woman with the tiara.

    At a nce, she held the highest position among this group.

    If she was apanied by such a high level of escort from their homnd...

    "Is she the priestess?"

    While Rudger was having such thoughts, the deputy priest came up to him, fuming with anger.

    "Hey! She''s asking who the hell you are. Are you deaf or something?"

    The deputy priest was not in a good mood.

    He had been mocked by Princess Eileen during their conversation and failed to fulfill his role properly.

    Just that alone was embarrassing enough, and now this guy dared to approach the priestess, so his frustration boiled up.

    "Hey, what''s wrong with your ears? Or is it a problem with your mouth? priestess, it seems this guy might be deaf or something."

    "Did you say ''priestess''?"

    Rudger stared intently at the woman with the tiara and spoke.

    The deputy priest, who didn''t expect Rudger to suddenly speak, looked at him with a puzzled expression, saying, "Huh? Huh?"

    "It seems you''re apanied by a suitable retinue for yourself."

 Chapter 335

    Chapter 335 White Lion (3)

    About 15 minutes before meeting Rudger.

    Priestess Lemria walked through the corridors of the pce following the guide of the deputy.

    "These are truly audacious individuals. How dare they treat the priestess of our nation with such disrespect."

    Princess Eileen did not see them off or provide them with a guide after their meeting.

    It was clear that they were unwee guests.

    "Priestess, what would you like to do? Will you go directly to the scene where the incident urred?"

    The deputy asked in a polite tone, trying to match Lemria''s mood.

    Lemria shook her head.

    "It doesn''t seem necessary to go immediately."

    "But if we go even a littlete, the this unholy empire might try to eliminate the evidence."

    "No matter how thickly they bury it with sand, the true form of a genuinely corrupted existence is bound to be revealed. The more they try to hide, the easier it bes for us to find. So it''s alright."

    "But, still..."

    "Moreover, since we have finally entered the imperial pce, it would be a shame not to admire its famous scenery, wouldn''t it?"

    Lemria asked with a natural smile.

    No one could refute her words.

    Lemria, who usually handled most of the tasks through the deputy, directly expressed her opinion.

    There was no one in this position who could reject the proposal of the woman with the highest authority present.

    "Since we have received permission from our homnd to stay here for a while, let''s take a look around the famous Imperial Pce inside. I''ve been curious about it for a while."

    "Yes, understood. Then let me be your guide."

    Due to Lemria''s whim, the Bretus delegation changed their direction.

    It was an unexpected action that Eileen didn''t expect.

    While Lemria was wandering around the pce, fascinated by its wonders, she spotted a man approaching from the opposite side.

    Having passed numerous servants and guards on her way here, Lemria had not paid much attention to them.

    But this man was different.

    Even for Lemria, who was indifferent to everyone except the gods, he had a captivating charm that unknowingly drew her gaze.

    No, it could even be called a magical aura.

    ''Who is he?''

    His appearance was truly that of a sculptor''s masterpiece, crafted with utmost dedication, making him the epitome of a handsome man.

    But beyond simply being ''good-looking,'' he exuded a unique charisma and atmosphere that flowed around him.

    In an instant, one could mistake him for a bloodline of the royal family.

    However, his hair color was different, and there was no reason for someone from the royal family to be wandering alone like this.

    That meant he was either an outsider or a servant of this ce.

    Just as the man noticed her presence and momentarily paused his steps.

    Though it was a brief moment, Lemria couldn''t help but sense something peculiar.

    As the man resumed walking past her.

    Lemria took the initiative and spoke up.

    "Who are you?"

    * * *

    "You go around with your own entourage that suits you perfectly."

    In that moment, the deputy couldn''t understand what Rudger had said.

    "W-What? What did you just say?"

    Although the deputy asked, Rudger didn''t even respond.

    That sharp gaze was unexpected.

    Frustrated by once again being ignored, the deputy clenched his fist tightly.

    In Rudger''s actions, the insult he had received from the First Princess a while ago seemed to ovep.

    "Answer me right now!"

    Shouting, Rudger finally turned to the deputy and asked.

    "You''re being noisy. I spoke to this woman, not you."

    "What? You insolent... Look at me properly. I am the representative of the noble person present here! If you want to speak to this person, you must speak to me first!"

    The deputy shouted with a voice full of pride.

    his attitude showed no hint of embarrassment because he was the representative of the priestess.

    However, Rudger''s reaction was not only cold but even icy.

    "A representative? Are you so proud just because you act and speak on behalf of others?"

    The deputy''s proud expression twisted into a miserable one.

    "I am not an ordinary representative! How dare you babble without even knowing who this person is!"

    "Should I know that?"

    ".....What?"

    Rudger''s confident question left the deputy flustered.

    Should I know? What a natural question to ask.

    "Well, then, did you dare to babble such nonsense without even knowing who this person is?"

    "That was a wrong choice of words."

    Rudger sneered.

    "The one who babbled nonsense in the first ce wasn''t me, but her."

    "You arrogant b*stard! How dare you speak like that as a mere employee staying at the pce!"

    "Employee? It seems that you were babbling such nonsense without even knowing who I am."

    Not an employee?

    Even seeing the expression of the deputy asking that question, Rudger didn''t bother to correct him.

    "As you say, the person here is really considered great person"

    "It''s not about being considered, but actually..."

    "But authority isn''t something that simplyes from words. Just because you, a self-proimed deputy, raise your voice and make a scene, it doesn''t mean you have authority. Haven''t you learned that?"

    The words, as sharp as flying daggers, along with the chilling gaze, struck the deputy''s body.

    "And as a citizen of the Empire, except for the Emperor, I am not obliged to bow my head to anyone. Even if they are an envoy from another country, it should not be forced."

    "T-This person is a priestess of the Bretus Kingdom. It''s different from an ordinary envoy!"

    The deputy argued, pushing out words that should have remained unsaid.

    Despite Rudger''s urate statement, there was an undeniable urgency in their desire to argue.

    "A priestess?"

    "Yes. The priestess holds a revered position that can only be attained by those who have received the blessings of the saints in the Bretus Kingdom. You are not in a position to casually trivialize her words."

    It was indeed true that the Bretus Kingdom had severed diplomatic ties with other nations for a considerable period.

    However, due to their longstanding reign over the continent, their prestige remained intact.

    Over the years, some individuals had be ignorant and forgotten their rightful ce, daring to question the esteemed status of their own homnd.

    That was a tree that should never be looked up at.

    The agent spoke confidently while observing Rudger''s expression.

    Now, do you realize your ce?

    As he was about to ask, he felt something strange when he saw Rudger''s unchanged face.

    Despite mentioning the position of a priest, Rudger''s face was full of ''So what?'' expression.

    "So, are you a priest?"

    "I am their representative!"

    "Right, a representative. Parrots who speak and act on behalf of others, spineless creatures without their own backbone. I know well. So what do you want me to do?"

    Of course, the agent hoped that he would bow down on his own, but Rudger had no intention of doing so.

    He hated such people from the beginning, and bowing down to them was worse than death.

    "Above all, if you''re going to im to be a representative, at least be faithful to that role. It seems like you''re not even fulfilling your duties as a representative."

    That statement not only mocked the agent, who imed to be a representative, but also subtly revealed his own motives.

    "If you think you are serving someone properly, then learn to act ordingly. Unless you want to disgrace your master."

    The agent''s face turned red as if it was about to explode.

    He clenched his fist as if he would swing it at any moment, but Rudger wasn''t concerned at all.

    ''He''s a guy who has only received preferential treatment all his life, so he doesn''t understand his own position.''

    A typical example of being surrounded by sycophants.

    Most likely, no one would dare to confront him directly.

    Just being called the priestess''s representative would have received simr treatment.

    Even though the authority to bow down was not with him but with the priestess.

    He forgot his own position and became intoxicated with the taste of power.

    ''Originally, if your own representative acted like that, there''s no way the true master would let it pass quietly.''

    However, the key figure in the incident, the priestess herself, was calmly observing the situation.

    She didn''t care about the actions of her direct subordinate.

    It was as if she was apletely unrted person.

    Perhaps they shared the same thought, which is why she didn''t intervene or show any interest.

    ''The expressions of the priests and pdins behind me don''t look good, so incidents like this must have happened more than once.''

    Since there was no means to hold this foolish subordinate ountable, there was only one inevitable oue.

    The priestess disyed apleteck of interest in her subordinate''s actions.

    She seemed devoid of agency or personal will.

    She was truly nothing more than a puppet, living and breathing.

    It seemed like the behavior befitting a priestess of the Lumensis Church.

    That''s why Rudger openly disregarded the subordinate and spoke directly to the priestess himself.

    "Don''t you think the same?"

    He wanted to test why she remained unresponsive even when he spoke so directly.

    The expressions of the priests and pdins who had been quietly listening behind froze coldly.

    It wasn''t that they didn''t consider the subordinate''s behavior contemptible, but it was problematic for an outsider to speak so directly and bluntly to a priestess.

    "Yes, that''s right."

    But even more surprisingly, it was Priestess Lemria, the priest herself, who answered.

    And she answered in a form of consent.

    "P-Priestess?"

    The subordinate''s face turned into a pathetic expression like an abandoned puppy.

    However, Lemria didn''t even nce at him.

    She had no interest in how surprised her closest confidant was.

    "I have been overseeing him for a significant period, and there was a time when he disyed initiative and passion. However, I am unsure when he began overstepping his boundaries."

    Lemria acknowledged her own negligence in allowing such behavior to persist without consequences.

    Yet, no one dared to hold her ountable.

    "P-Priestess. No, it''s not your fault. How could I..."

    As the subordinate tried to argue, the priestess stared at her subordinate beyond her snow-white tiara.

    Even though her eyes couldn''t be seen, the subordinate''splexion turned pale with fear.

    "You''ve been handling my affairs for far too long and working hard. I think it''s time for you to take a good rest."

    She said it in a polite tone, but in reality, she was practically driving him away.

    The subordinate wanted to say something more, but two pdins stepped forward and quickly dragged him away.

    "Priestess! Priestess!"

    With an echoing cry that felt empty, the subordinatepletely disappeared.

    Lemria didn''t even spare a nce for the subordinate who had been with her for a long time and instead smiled at Rudger.

    "Now it''s quiet."

    "..."

    Although it was indirectly mentioned, no one expected that she would openly chase him away in front of everyone.

    ''Furthermore, judging by the way she speaks, she must have been overseeing him for a long time, yet she has no hesitation in letting him go. It makes one wonder if emotions even exist within her.''

    Even her smile at the moment feels alien, as if she has put on a mask over a wax doll.

    "So, what is your name?"

    "Before asking someone else''s name, I believe it is proper to introduce oneself first."

    A surge of vitality emanated from the pdins in response to Rudger''s words.

    But Rudger didn''t even blink.

    As if daring them to draw their swords and swing them, he provoked the pdins with his gaze.

    "Enough."

    It was then that Lemria spoke up.

    The pdins immediately restrained themselves.

    "I must admit that Icked manners. I apologize. I''m not very ustomed to dealing with people. Allow me to introduce myself first. My name is Lemria. I am the priestess of the Bretus Kingdom."

    Priestess.

    ''Has one of the priestess, numbering around ten, arrived?''

    Furthermore, she appeared much younger than the priestess in his memory.

    During his absence, it seemed that there had been a significant change in the priestsess as well.

    "Rudger Chelsea. I am currently staying here as a guest, serving as a teacher for the Seron."

    "I see."

    "Since it seems that your curiosity has been satisfied, I will take my leave."

    Rudger concluded that he shouldn''t get involved with them at all.

    When Rudger, with an openly expressed attitude of no longer wanting to converse, tried to leave, Lemria naturally blocked his path.

    Rudger frowned.

    "What are you trying to do now?"

    "Just because you heard my name, do you already think it''s time to leave? We''ve encountered each other like this for a reason, so let''s have a little conversation."

    "It seems like you have something you want to talk about, but I have no interest in that. So step aside."

    A firmmand, not even a suggestion to make way.

    Even in the face of such overt displeasure, Lemria didn''t erase her smile.

    "You''re Rudger, right? I sense a rather peculiar energy from you."

    Only speaking what she wants to say.

    Rudger became annoyed by Lemria''s whimsical behavior.

    Seeing this, he couldn''t help but wonder who the personality of the recently expelled subordinate resembled.

    "And what does that matter? Are you nning to ask me if I believe in a god or something?"

    "Well, can I?"

    "I don''t believe."

    "That''s a shame."

    Even in such a situation where it would be appropriate to feel offended, Lemria maintained a natural smile.

    "From the very beginning, I sensed an unusual energy from you. For someone who seems eager to hold on to others, you appear quite nonchnt."

    "Oh, if it sounded that way to you, I apologize. But I genuinely meant what I said."

    "And I genuinely responded."

    "Moreover, beyond the peculiar energy, there was a sense of familiarity that I couldn''t resist being curious about."

    At the mention of familiarity, Rudger fell silent.

    Lemria subtly asked, "Have we perhaps met somewhere before?"

 Chapter 336

    Chapter 336: Traces of the Holy Kingdom (1)

    "Where did we meet? That''s such a shallow question aimed at promoting religion."

    "Oh, I apologize. I didn''t mean it in that sense. It''s just that I have a vague feeling of having seen you somewhere."

    "You must have mistaken me for someone else."

    Lemria smiled subtly at Rudger''s response.

    "Well, you certainly have an interesting sense of humor. What I meant to say was... I was wondering if Mr. Rudger has ever visited our main homnd."

    "...."

    The Bretus Kingdom.

    Lemria''s direct remark made it practically impossible to intentionally change the subject.

    ''Moreover, considering how she is asking so openly, could it be that she has discovered something about me?''

    However, Rudger could confidently state that he had never seen Lemria before.

    He only recognized her as a priestess because of her position, deducing it based on the fact that such a rank existed.

    ''At least among the people I know in the Bretus Kingdom....''

    There were a few.

    During his childhood, Rudger had more than just enemies within the Kingdom.

    Most of them were adversaries, but he had one person he was close to.

    Just one.

    In the context of the entire Kingdom, it was an incredibly small number.

    But at least Rudger, during his intense childhood, had received significant help from that person.

    As Rudger''s expression grew heavy, Lemria subtly asked, "Oh, is somethinging to mind?"

    "Well, there is one thing."

    "Oh, really? What is it?"

    "I''ve heard a simr phrase like this from someone in a different ce."

    Rudger shared the story of meeting the parish priest in Ledervelk and hearing simr words.

    ''A tant objection here would rather arouse suspicion.''

    Lemria''s persistent questioning, despite being their first meeting, made it clear that she had sensed something.

    However, the fact that she asked to confirm meant that she wasn''t entirely certain.

    ''Priestess suspects me. But it''s just a doubt, nothing more.''

    With that, Rudger had determined his approach.

    Instead of outright denial, he would partially ept it and exin a simr experience he had gone through.

    He would skillfully mix falsehoods into the truth.

    Redirecting the other person''s thoughts to a different topic was not difficult.

    "It seems the parish priest in Ledervelk also saw something simr to what I experienced."

    To see if the intention was grasped, Lemria pped her hands in response to the mention of someone simr to her.

    "She mentioned that it was somewhat fascinating to have someone like me. Perhaps she also felt a simr energy."

    "Hmm, is that so? It''s strange. I was thinking of something different."

    Lemria attempted to ponder further, but she ultimately gave up as no clear answer came to mind.

    "I guess I''ll have to ask the sisters when I return to my homnd."

    This could be a bit problematic.

    Maintaining his expression, Rudger asked casually, "Sisters? Did you have family?"

    "Yes, of course, I have family. Very precious family."

    "I see."

    "Of course, I don''t have any biological family who gave birth to me or raised me. I was an orphan taken in by the church. But the family I mentioned refers to the sisters who are like me."

    "If you mean sisters...."

    "I''m referring to the priestesses."

    Lemria stated it as if it were obvious.

    The priests who had been quietly listening to their conversation from behind were startled.

    "P-priestess!"

    They seemed rmed as if she had revealed information that shouldn''t have been disclosed.

    Lemria didn''t seem to pay any attention to their reaction.

    "Well, oh, was it something I shouldn''t have said? I apologize. But when Rudger asked, I couldn''t just refuse to answer."

    Lemria''s reaction seemed to convey herck of understanding as to why she had acted in such a manner.

    Rudger narrowed his eyes, observing Lemria, the priestess, closely.

    Lemria''s reaction showed that she didn''t quite understand why she had acted that way.

    Rudger narrowed his eyes at priestess''s demeanor.

    ''Even though she''s probably seeing me for the first time, she doesn''t lie or hide the truth? Seeing herck of self-awareness, it''s not that she chose not to do it but rather that she couldn''t.''

    Bretus envoys, including Lemria herself remained clueless.

    However, Rudger immediately noticed why she was disying such a reaction.

    ''She instinctively reacts to the lineage I possess.''

    Rudger possessed the blood of the cursed Bretus King.

    It was evident that Lemria was responding to this cursed blood.

    ''Lemria the priestess and her sisters were raised by the Holy Kingdom as people who maintain a new priestly position.''

    There was a possibility that they had undergone skillful brainwashing while teaching the children.

    Considering the dark side of the Holy Kingdom, it could be said that it was ''definitely'' possible.

    If they were someone who held a position like a priest, they would have a stronger and more definite bond.

    For example, they could never lie to the bloodline of the great Holy King.

    Even if it wasn''t full brainwashing, it seemed clear that they had received such implications.

    ''Perhaps the reason she approached me and spoke might be for that reason.''

    Having discovered the bloodline she should serve and protect, it was natural for her to take an instinctive interest.

    It wasn''t a favorable situation.

    The more strangely Lemria behaved in front of him, the more reasonable it was for the apanying envoy to suspect this side.

    However, leaving like this bothered Rudger as Lemria continued to be conscious of this side.

    If things continued like this, she might share the story of meeting him when she returned to her homnd.

    ''If the priestess has been subjected to brainwashing or maniption...''

    What if he could use that in reverse?

    Rudger put his thoughts into action immediately.

    "I''ve heard your story well."

    "Oh, is that so?"

    There was a faint smile on Lemria''s lips, perhaps thinking she had received praise from this side.

    "But as I mentioned earlier, I have no interest in believing in gods."

    "That''s a shame. It felt like we would get along well for some reason."

    "And I have something I must attend to. I presume you have a simr matter at hand?"

    "Yes, Ipletely forgot but recollected it btedly. Thank you for reminding me."

    "Since we''re both quite busy, I should be going now. Oh, and..."

    Rudger whispered in a low voice that only Lemria could hear.

    "It would be best to ignore of what happened today."

    Then, as a confirmation, he asked Lemria.

    "Don''t you think so?"

    A subtly thrown question.

    But if the other person was under any influence, it bes not a simple question but an order.

    "Yes, I think so."

    Lemria faintly nodded her head.

    She probably wasn''t even aware that she had nodded her head.

    Rudger confirmed that his guess was correct based on her reaction.

    At the same time, a wave of disgust towards the Bretus Kingdom, which he had suppressed, surged within him.

    Those bastards, even in the past when he was still there.

    And even now, 20 yearster.

    They were still carrying out terrible deeds without changing at all, hidden beneath the surface.

    Despicable and disgusting scums.

    But what made Rudger even more frustrated was the reality that he had nothing he could do immediately.

    ''For now, I''ll let it go.''

    But once everything this side desires is gathered and all preparations are in ce.

    ''At that time, without fail...''

    He vowed deep in his heart to correct all these twisted things.

    * * *

    "Priestess Lemria, are you alright?"

    After parting ways with Rudger, a priest approached Lemria, who was still standing motionless in her ce.

    To them, Lemria''s actions today was unusual.

    If by any chance there was a problem with the high-ranking priestess''s well-being, it would be difficult for those gathered here to avoid reprimands.

    "Yes, I''m fine."

    "Well, that''s a relief, but why did you show such interest in that man earlier... He''s just a lowly magician, isn''t he?"

    "Just because."

    "Excuse me?"

    "I just felt like it. Is that strange?"

    "Oh, no, it''s not."

    The priest tried to coax her, but there was no denying that something was off.

    Lemria was not the only person who possessed such characteristics.

    Other priestess were just like her.

    They were loyal to the main church, taught doctrine, and harbored no impure emotions.

    It was known as an unchanging truth within the Bretus Kingdom.

    "I know. My behavior today was quite out of character."

    Lemria herself felt the subtle sense of strangeness.

    Suddenly changing the destination and taking a different path, or dismissing the deputy who had been with her on the spot.

    ''I didn''t pay much attention because I''ve been thinking of recing the deputy at some point.''

    But what was important was the man named Rudger Chelsea.

    He introduced himself as a teacher from Seron, and the moment she saw him, she felt an unusual interest.

    However, if asked why she felt that way, Lemria couldn''t answer either.

    It was like an instinct engraved deep in her soul.

    It was not an area that could be judged rationally.

    "...You mentioned Rudger Chelsea, right? The man from earlier."

    "Yes? Yes, that''s right. Priestess, you may not have heard, but his name seems to be quite well-known among the magicians."

    "Indeed, I did have that feeling from the first impression. But if you check, I''m sure he''s not an ordinary person."

    A smile formed on Lemria''s lips, but it disappeared in an instant.

    "Please, make sure to check."

    "Are you referring to Rudger Chelsea?"

    "Yes. But please keep it very discreet. Don''t let anyone else know, not even my sister or the main church. Especially my older sister."

    "Yes? Well, but..."

    "Can you do it?"

    Once again, Lemria asked with a smile, leaving the priest no choice but to nod his head while revealing his perplexity.

    In this ce, Lemria was his direct superior.

    Even if Lemria seemed somewhat strangepared to usual, if she made such a direct request, he had no choice but toply.

    If it were a loose-lipped deputy, he would have been dismissed long ago, but the priest had no such intention.

    Lemria knew that as well, which is why she asked the priest for a favor.

    "Thank you."

    Lemria smiled, expressing her gratitude, at the priest''s positive response.

    However, instead of feeling relieved by her smile, the priest felt an eerie sensation.

    As the priest bowed his head and stepped back, Lemria stood still in her ce, as if contemting something, and eventually started moving forward.

    Her entourage naturally followed behind her.

    While looking at the scenery inside the imperial pce through her tiara, Lemria continued to recall her encounter with Rudger from earlier.

    "Rudger Chelsea. He is definitely someone significant."

    If it was her usual self, she wouldn''t have casually brought up words she wouldn''t normally say.

    What was even more surprising was that at the time, Lemria herself didn''t sense anything strange.

    Even though she should have immediately informed her homnd of this fact, she didn''t feel any desire to do so.

    However, she couldn''t help but have personal doubts.

    Rudger didn''t give any ''hints'' about such matters.

    ''Moreover, the piece inside me had a peculiar reaction.''

    The piece that allowed her to ascend to the position of a priestess.

    Where did the origin of that piecee from?

    The fact that the piece reacted to the man named Rudger Chellis meant that the origin of the piece was rted to him.

    ''Elder sister.''

    The priestess referred to each other as sisters.

    Among such priests, there was one who possessed the strongest and most formidable power.

    The person whom the priestess called ''elder sister.''

    The chosen one of the Bretus Kingdom, raised as a candidate for the Saint since childhood.

    High Priestess Catherine.

    She was the master of the piece.

    * * *

    Having fully recovered his physical condition while staying in the imperial pce, Rudger came out to the streets of the capital for the first time in a while.

    Naturally, he had received permission from Princess Eileen herself.

    ''Why cling to something when you''re going back soon anyway?''

    Rudger walked along the streets of the capital.

    The streets that had turned into ruins not long ago had been considerably restored in the past few days.

    The cluttered roads had been neatly organized, and the copsed houses were being rebuilt even stronger than before.

    People were diligently working and sweating.

    ''Perhaps it''s because the royal family has distributed a lot of relief funds.''

    The sight of people working exuded vitality.

    Seeing everyone oveing the sadness of that day, Rudger thought the scene was quite pleasant to behold.

    Rudger headed towards the hideout where Hans, Beruna, and his teacher were staying.

    Originally, after Rudger obtained the relic fragment, the rest should have withdrawn to Rederberg.

    However, they were all trapped in the capital with no definite timeline, including Hans and Beruna.

    As Rudger opened the door to the hideout, arge ck figure suddenly popped out from inside, startling him.

    In an instant, Rudger recognized his opponent and dismissed the thought of an ambush.

    "Hans?"

    "Brother!"

    As soon as Hans recognized Rudger, he burst into tears and tightly held onto his arm.

    "Why are you sote!"

    "I had something to do. But more importantly, that situation...."

    Rudger examined Hans''s condition.

    Hans looked different from his usual transformation into a beast-like form.

    Overall, he resembled a werewolf, but he had spikes growing on his back and even had two tails.

    Rudger found that appearance quite familiar.

    Indeed, it was the presence he had seen the most when the Liberation Army carried out acts of terrorism.

    "A chimera? Are you telling me that you''ve transformed like that with the fangs of a chimera?"

    "Yes."

    Hans nodded, sniffling.

    "It wasn''t Beruna this time, right?"

    "No. This time, it wasn''t Beruna, it was..."

    "It''s me."

    Interrupting Hans'' words, a young girl''s voice resounded clearly to the entrance.

    Hans, as if encountering a ferocious ghost, hid behind Rudger with his fur standing on end.

    "Brother!"

    "I got it, close the door. If someone else sees this scene, it will be reported."

    Although Rudger said that, Hans was still trembling in fear.

    With a sigh, Rudger used his magic to close the entrance door and then moved towards the room where the voice came from.

    "You''re alwayste. I thought I was dying from waiting."

    Grander was lying on the sofa like a doll, weing Rudger.

 Chapter 337

    Chapter 337: Traces of the Holy Kingdom (2)

    "No matter how you look at it, you seem to have had afortable time"

    "Even though it appears like that , I didn''t feelfortable"

    Grander''s demeanor was rather dull, but considering how long she had stayed here, she was surprisingly well-behaved.

    If it were the usual Grander, she would have found something to do out of boredom. But to be this calm...

    It meant that she had enough opportunities to relieve the umted stress.

    Rudger sighed, recalling the image of Hans with patches of fur missing due to stress.

    "You should have been more moderate. You knew very well what I dislike."

    "And it''s all because of some disrespectful guy who made his Master wait for so long."

    "If anyone saw this, they would think I desperately pleaded Master to wait. I didn''t even ask you toe, yet you''re saying such things?"

    Grander red at Rudger with a piercing gaze.

    Just mentioning the facts in a sneaky manner had provoked her.

    "...Alright, I got it. I understand, so please stop giving me that look. Why are you getting angry like this?"

    "I''m not angry."

    "You already seem pretty worked up."

    "I said I''m not angry! Do you want me to really get angry?"

    "Please, be patient."

    In the end, Rudger was the first to back down.

    Yes, the disciple should lower his head first. What else could be done?

    As Rudger took a step back, Grander also calmed down her anger.

    Grander, feeling that she might have been a bit excessive, grumbled as ifining.

    "By the way, that child Hans, being able to transform into a chimera, has quite an extraordinary constitution. I thought he could only turn into regr animals."

    "He can transform into even more than that."

    It wasn''t particrly surprising that Hans had transformed into a chimera.

    Considering the moment when he could transform into Beast of Jvaudan, Rudger had vaguely thought about it.

    Grander showed a curiosity to satisfy her thirst for knowledge but deliberately suppressed it.

    Now wasn''t the time to worry about such things.

    "It seems like you''ve finished your tasks."

    "Yes."

    "You seem exhausted from your efforts."

    "If you noticed that, why didn''t you offer any help?"

    Upon hearing that, Grander burst intoughter.

    "Help? Did I teach you to be so weak?"

    "At least you didn''t teach me how to fight against demons."

    "Are you rebelling now? Looks like themonly mentioned teenage puberty has arrived."

    "What age do you think I am? I''m just making a natural defense."

    "Didn''t you manage to fight well enough on your own without my help? That should have been enough."

    "That''s easy to say now. Even though I''ve been in danger multiple times."

    "You''re just making a fuss."

    Grander''s indifference to this side''sints was unbearable.

    Since Rudger didn''t have any expectations to begin with, he went straight to the main point.

    "So, how was it?"

    "What do you mean, how was it? If you don''t exin properly, I won''t know."

    "Don''t pretend you don''t know. You came here to see how well I can fight, right?"

    From the beginning, Grander didn''t show genuine interest or curiosity to be fully engaged.

    No, she could have been engaged if she wanted to, but there must be a reason for her to endure the boredom and stay here.

    "The sudden appearance of a demon was unexpected even for the Master."

    "You''ve be incredibly sharp at sensing things."

    "I''ve been living with the Master for over 10 years."

    "Has it been that long already?"

    "Considering the years, it''s been around 13 years. The Master picked me up and raised me when I was over 7 years old."

    "Yeah, I raised you with all my heart. Back then, you were a mischievous brat through and through. But now, you''ve grown up and dare to rebel against the Master. How pitiful, how pitiful."

    "You should use proper words when talking about raising someone. You raised me harshly more than anyone else."

    "That''s why you''ve be so strong."

    Grander decided to retaliated shamelessly.

    As usual, if Grander adhered to that approach, Rudger would be the first to back down.

    If Rudger also shamelessly retaliated, then there would definitely be a fierce fight.

    ''I remember there was a time when he got angry like that before.''

    Even now, the thought of Grander getting furious like a wildfire sends shivers down my spine.

    It''s not about being in danger or getting tired of Grander''s momentum.

    What''s truly frightening is when Grander bursts into tears, throws a tantrum like a child, and locks herself in a room, refusing to show her face.

    A long time ago, when Rudger was about 17 years old.

    During that time, Rudger became greatly annoyed by Grander''s arbitrary behavior and would counter every word she said.

    He did so, fully prepared to face the Master''s scolding.

    With all that determination, even Rudger was in an irritated state, knowing that if he didn''t do something like this, he wouldn''t feel relieved.

    Grander''s reaction at that time was quite entertaining.

    With wide-open eyes and clenched fists, she trembled uncontrobly.

    As usual, she had teased her disciple, but when the disciple opened his eyes, challenged her, it was quite bewildering.

    Rudger thought to himself.

    How much will she scold and criticize me using magic training as an excuse this time?

    At the moment when he hoped it would end reasonably.

    Granader burst into tears and locked herself in the room.

    That was a situation that Rudger had never expected.

    What kind of behavior is it to close the door, lock it, and refuse to speak?

    Although the behavior was bewildering, Rudger thought it was better that way.

    He wouldn''t have to endure his Master''s nagging and interference anymore.

    That''s what he thought.

    Until itsted for a month.

    ''How long was she locked up back then? It''s been over a month already.''

    Grander is a long-lived vampire, so her sense of time is quite different from humans.

    For an ordinary person, it takes at least half a day or up to three days for their frustrated feelings to dissipate.

    Although it varies from person to person, it usually doesn''t exceed a week.

    However, for Grander, itsted for over two months.

    At first, Rudger thought that his Master was just angry for the first few days.

    But as a week and two weeks passed without any response, he started to worry.

    He didn''t think that the monstrous Master had died, but he wondered if something significant was bothering her mentally.

    After all, she was the one who raised him.

    But then, she would suddenly appear, eat the food that had been prepared in advance, and disappear again.

    Her stubborn personality made Rudger think that she wouldst longer than others.

    But the moment it exceeded a month, Rudger felt that something was wrong.

    In the end, it took two months and 21 days for Grander''s heart to loosen up and for her to speak to Rudger as usual after their fight.

    Yes.

    It took almost three months.

    Just thinking about that time still gives me a dizzy feeling.

    It would have been better if she had gotten angry and expressed her feelings rather than showingpletely nonsensical behavior, which only made Rudger more anxious.

    ''So, after that, I never questioned the Master beyond a certain limit.''

    In the end, that day''s rebellion was Rudger''s first andst.

    The memory of that day was still deeply engraved in Rudger''s mind.

    "Why do you look at me like that?"

    "...No, it''s nothing."

    "No, it''s not. It''s clearly the expression of a guardian who finds dealing with a difficult elder inconvenient."

    "..."

    Indeed, having lived together for over 10 years, Grander immediately knew what Rudger was thinking from his expressionless face.

    When Rudger didn''t deny it, Grander''s eyebrows twitched slightly, not because she found it amusing, but because it was an expression she asionally made when she was displeased.

    Rudger calmly changed the subject.

    "The Lumensis Church has made a move."

    "Those guys? It hasn''t been just a day or two since theyst moved."

    Grander knowingly chose to let Rudger''s words pass as if she intentionally overlooked them.

    "This time it''s different. It didn''te from a nearby branch; it came directly from the headquarters."

    "The headquarters? They came from the Bretus Kingdom? Until recently, I thought they had locked themselves up."

    To bring up something that happened 20 years ago and call it ''recent.''

    "They haven''t been active again for that long. They recently started their activities."

    "In that case, they must havee to investigate this incident. Because a demon has appeared in the capital of the Empire."

    "Yes. A high-ranking priestess came personally."

    "A high-ranking priestess?"

    Grander didn''t know what position the person from the Lumensis Church held.

    In the first ce, there was no need for her to know.

    To her, regardless of who the other person was, they were just vultures who followed the same deity.

    "A Priestess is a highly esteemed position within the church. They are also known as the humans closest to the divine. Even the Archbishop, who oversees the clergy, cannot act recklessly."

    "The humans closest to the divine, huh? Quite an arrogant title."

    "They are carefully selected talents even within the kingdom. Moreover, they are subtly brainwashed. It means that they cannot refuse the orders of those who carry the blood of the Holy King."

    Grander stared at Ludger intently.

    "So you''ve encountered the Priestess, judging by how you''re talking."

    "Yes."

    "Did they found out ?"

    "It wasn''t exposed"

    "I guess you took advantage of the fact that they are under some kind of brainwashing?"

    "I just hinted subtly. People were watching closely, you know. But it''ll only give us a little more time."

    "Subtle hints aren''t enough, huh? How did you end up meeting them?"

    "Meeting them was a coincidence, but they approached me first. Perhaps instinctively, they sensed the blood of the Holy King within me."

    Rudger scorned his own blood, but he did not deny his existence.

    Rather, just as he had hinted at Lemria the Priestess, he did not hesitate to use it if he could benefit from it.

    "I told them not to let anyone know about our meeting through subtle hints. However, there were many eyes among the diplomats who witnessed our actions. They may not have heard the entire conversation, but they must have sensed that something was going on."

    "You couldn''t drop hints to the diplomats?"

    "It was only effective against the Priestess. They, too, will keep their mouths shut because they know very well that they have to maintain their own. However, it''s inevitable that rumors will spread."

    "Wouldn''t it be easier to just kill them all?"

    Rudger blinked his eyes as if he found it ridiculous.

    "Are you serious? You want me to kill everyone in the pce?"

    "Tsk. You''re such an inadequate brat. Don''t you think it''s possible?"

    "After all, you are the greatest magician on the continent. Moreover, the Priestess herself must have sensed something strange about me. I prevented the hints from spreading, but I can''t stop them from feeling uneasy."

    Grander asked with an unexpected look in her eyes.

    "You have a very high opinion of your opponent."

    "If the opponent is foolish, then such concerns are meaningless. It would be better if that were the case. However, the Priestess is someone the kingdom carefully cultivated. It serves as evidence that their abilities are notcking, considering the position they have reached."

    "Ah, I see. Vaguely, I remember now. The church used the pretext of supporting orphaned children and did a lot of suspicious things."

    The Heretic Inquisitor, who was considered the craziest in the Bretus Empire.

    They were an organization that went beyond faith and possessed madness. They raised orphaned children brought from the empire and trained them.

    "Yes. Depending on the children''s abilities, the empire assigns them appropriate positions."

    If their abilities arecking, they be suitable servants or attendants.

    If they are slightly more exceptional, they be priests or sisters.

    If they are even more exceptional, they be holy knights or heretic inquisitors.

    The sisters who assumed the position of High Priestess were among those few with the potential.

    ''Children with exceptional talents, huh.''

    Rudger recalled the students he taught at Seron.

    Children with talent in magic.

    However, not just relying solely on their talent, but students who put in effort themselves.

    Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind.

    What if among the freshmen who entered Seron, there were those without talent in magic?

    Perhaps.

    Wouldn''t one of them have be one of the children taken from the Bretus Empire?

    Rudger recalled the distant past, twenty years ago.

    The expressionless children in white robes silently following the guidance of the priests.

    The sight of them huddled together seemed like observingboratory mice.

    Suddenly, Rudger thought of a girl.

    An ordinary child without any special qualities among the children brought from the kingdom.

    She was slow to learn and had an unpleasant personality, often receiving strict punishments from the priests for her slow absorption of knowledge.

    At the same time, she was the only one with whom Rudger could truly open his heart in the kingdom.

    ''What happened to that child?''

    Because she had a tender heart and exceptional talents, now that she has grown up, she might have be an ordinary priest or nun.

    ''Catherine.''

 Chapter 338

    Chapter 338: Traces of the Holy Kingdom (3)

    It was purely coincidental that Rudger met Catherine.

    It was midnight.

    Rudger, as usual, couldn''t sleep and roamed the castle secretly.

    Being someone who always had to endure the risk of assassination, Rudger had more sleepless nights in his own bed than anyone else.

    During those moments, he would seek sce in a secluded courtyard within the castle, untouched by anyone''s presence, and silently crouch there.

    But that day, the starlight was unusually bright, and there was someone in the ce he considered his own sanctuary.

    At first, he thought it was an assassin targeting him.

    However, the open act of crouching down did not match the behavior of an assassin, and itpletely dispelled his suspicion.

    More than anything, the petite figure simr to his own and the asional whimpering soundpletely washed away his doubts.

    No, I shouldn''t let my guard down. That person might be setting a trap.

    Rudger approached the girl slowly without letting his guard down.

    The girl was rubbing her reddened calves and shedding tears.

    Seeing that sight, Rudger immediately realized who this girl was.

    ''One of the children brought from the Kingdom.''

    The Kingdom brought these children to be raised as their own under the pretext of sponsoring them through the church.

    Most of them were orphans without parents, but there were also children who were sold by their parents.

    Or there were children who were forcibly brought against their parents'' will while being preached the teachings of the religion.

    He hadn''t seen the entire process, but Rudger knew very well that it wasn''t happening in a humanitarian way.

    The very core of the Kingdom, embodied in its headquarters, exuded an unmistakable odor of conspiracy and corruption.

    An organization led by individuals of such nature, and even more so, a nation, showed no genuine intent to provide adequate support to the children in orphanages.

    In reality, they were forcibly brought and subjected to rigorous education.

    Perhaps this girl was one of the countless children in that situation.

    Even so, toe all the way here in the middle of the night...

    Did she try to run away, perhaps?

    Or maybe she didn''t want to show her crying face to anyone.

    Regardless, it was certain that an uninvited guest hade to his secret hideout.

    "...Who are you?"

    The girl looked up at Rudger with her reddened eyes.

    Rudger greeted the girl, Catherine.

    -Get lost. This is my ce.

    The girl''s eyes widened at his words.

    And then she rushed at Rudger and grabbed him by the hair.

    That was their first encounter.

    * * *

    ''Come to think of it, our first meeting wasn''t that pleasant.''

    Initially, he had assumed she was a delicate child, seeing her in tears. However, the moment he uttered a word, she swiftly seized him by the hair.

    The reason she had been crying in solitude wasn''t due to concern for others'' judgments, but rather, she simply wished to conceal her vulnerabilities from the world.

    Catherine wasn''t someone driven by an overwhelming sense of pride.

    Afterwards, they grew closer and started meeting frequently, exchanging various stories.

    Surprisingly, Catherine wasn''t intimidated by the fact that Rudger was of royal lineage.

    She neither showed favoritism nor hostility towards him.

    Perhaps that''s why Rudger wasfortable with her.

    To Rudger, who had been reborn in this world, Catherine was much younger than him, but he could genuinely be close to her because of her innocence.

    When Catherine became upset because of the priests who were in charge of her education, Rudgerforted and supported her.

    At the same time, he received sce from Catherine.

    In a castle that was like a prison where everyone wanted to kill him.

    Catherine was the only child who treated him as a friend.

    Rudger suddenly had that thought.

    Twenty years ago.

    When his teacher identally discovered him and asked if he wanted to leave together.

    What if he had asked if he could bring only one person with him?

    Or at least, he should have bid farewell, he regretted.

    ''No. It''s a foolish thought.''

    If he had escaped with Catherine back then, her life would have been threatened by all the assassins sent by the kingdom.

    It was a much better path for her to stay in the kingdom and be ordinary priest.

    ''I''m sure she is doing well.''

    Since she had a stubborn side that didn''t want to depend on anyone, at least she would have be a priest.

    It had been a long time, but Rudger couldn''t forget the year he had spent with Catherine.

    "Hey, apprentice. Are you lost in nostalgic memories all of a sudden?" Grander''s sharp remark snapped Rudger out of his reverie.

    Indeed, now was not the time to be captivated by such memories.

    "...No. I was just worried about how things would unfold in the future."

    "Yeah. The kingdom has started moving again, which means the long process of session to the throne hase to an end. Who do you think has taken the throne in your opinion?"

    "I don''t know. Since everyone wanted to kill me anyway."

    "It''s better to keep an eye on it. Because they will be your enemies in the future."

    "Yes. I guess so."

    "Surely you''re not going to say it''s difficult to fight against your siblings, right?"

    When he thought about the future, the kingdom would be Rudger''s biggest obstacle.

    The leader of that kingdom was a blood rtive who shared the same blood as Rudger, and it was clear that he had to defeat him/her.

    "Do you think so?"

    Rudger asked, staring into Grander''s eyes.

    He felt no fear or sadness about fighting against his siblings.

    He never had any attachment to them, nor were they such good people.

    "I have things I must do, so I have no intention of stopping. Even if my siblings get in the way, I will smash through them."

    "Hahaha! You''ve be quite a tough guy. With that, I can worry a little less."

    Grander chuckled satisfactorily and peeked outside the door.

    Rudger also followed her gaze and looked out the door.

    They had been waiting there, ready to continue their discussion.

    "You cane in now."

    At those words, two figures flinched from behind the door.

    But they still hesitated and looked around, so Rudgermanded more forcefully.

    "Come in."

    As he gave permission, the door opened, and Hans and Beruna entered.

    Hans had returned to his original form, likely due to the antidote.

    Although Hans pretended not to notice Grander''s gaze, Beruna''s attitude was unexpected.

    Rudger looked at Beruna, who bowed her head deeply, and realized the reason.

    "You gathered a lot of samples of chimeras and experimental subjects."

    "H-Hehe."

    Beruna tried to brush it off with augh, but she sensed that it wouldn''t work when she saw Rudger''s expression and quickly bowed her head again.

    Rudger pressed his temples with his fingers, feeling the throbbing pain.

    It had been a long time since he had felt such a headache, even though the seal was still intact.

    While it was a headache, Rudger thought it was a fortunate coincidence.

    "Beruna."

    "Yes, yes!"

    "Do you know anything about the elven ns?"

    It was natural for ordinary elves to be unaware of such things.

    But Beruna, who had hacked into the World Tree and peeked at its contents, couldn''t possibly not know.

    "I''m curious about the ns that once protected the World Tree."

    "W-Why would you ask me about that...?"

    "If you have the ability to hack into the World Tree, there must be something you know, no matter how insignificant."

    Rudger questioned, his gaze piercing.

    "Is that true?"

    "W-Well, um. That''s... I mean..."

    "Quite a evasive response."

    Beruna appeared embarrassed and struggled to find a suitable reply.

    "Could it be that the Penata n is one of the elder ns of the Elven Kingdom? Is that why you can''t speak about it?"

    "What? No. That''s not it. I''m just from an ordinary family."

    "Or is there a death curse ced upon you if you disclose the information? Some unique elven magic?"

    "I don''t have anything like that on me."

    "..."

    Rudger clenched his teeth in silence.

    "Then, why in the world are you acting like this?"

    Wow.

    Hans, who had been observing the scene from the side, opened his mouth and sincerely admired.

    It was the first time he had seen Rudger genuinely annoyed like that.

    Beruna, who made Rudger genuinely annoyed, felt remarkably significant to him.

    ''She didn''t even mean to. It''s just that shecks her own thoughts, and that''s what frustrated you, Brother.''

    What a natural talent it was.

    Hans became concerned afterward.

    Rudger didn''t seem to be simply irritated. He wondered if Beruna had noticed as well and hastily spoke up.

    "Well, I hacked into the underground waterway this time and, um, hacked into the World Tree."

    "Is that so?"

    "At that time, I couldn''t read it because of the dormant demon''s energy inside, but after I fainted in the fight, I was the first to wake up."

    "I see. Go on."

    Now that an interesting topic finally emerged, Rudger urged Beruna with his anger subdued.

    "Coincidentally, I saw the roots of the World Tree nearby, so I made contact again, just in case... and it connected."

    "It connected? What do you mean by connected?"

    "I mean... it connected to the original World Tree that serves as the source for this World Tree. As the demonic power disappeared, it seems some kind of connection formed between the two."

    "And then?"

    "Well, it didn''tst very long, just a moment. But in that moment, we encountered each other."

    She could finally say what she had been holding back all along.

    Beruna closed her eyes tightly and confessed.

    "The World Tree in my homnd. The one who manages it noticed my existence."

    "...."

    Beruna peeked at Rudger with one eye half-open, gauging his reaction.

    Contrary to her expectation that he would erupt in anger, Rudger remained calm.

    In fact, he was pondering Beruna''s words with a rather serious expression.

    Beruna anxiously waited for Ludger''s next words.

    "Just one question."

    "Yes, yes!"

    "That manager must be a member of the family responsible for caring for the World Tree, right?"

    "Yes, yes. Normally, only authorized individuals can ess the World Tree. Even if you''re a member of the family, unless you hold a high position, you can''t touch it."

    He decided not to ask her how she managed to touch it at this moment.

    "That being the case, did that presence fully recognize your identity?"

    "Well, that''s not likely. The time was so short, and I didn''t recognize them either."

    In other words, they only became aware of each other''s existence in that brief moment.

    "The problem is that they realized the location where you essed the World Tree, right?"

    "...Yes."

    Beruna replied with a trembling voice.

    If it weren''t for that, she wouldn''t be so tense.

    Rudger crossed his arms and tapped his forearm with his finger.

    "Beruna, what do you think?"

    "W-what, what do you mean?"

    "I''m asking how they will react. Since they are elves, you should know much better than me."

    At that moment, Hans cautiously offered his opinion.

    "Perhaps sending an envoy? They must know that this is the capital of the Empire..."

    "Well, I don''t think so."

    Beruna sharply cut off Hans'' opinion.

    "The elven kingdom is extremely isted. They would never engage in any exchange or conversation with the human realm, let alone an empire."

    "So, are you saying they''ll simply let the presence that stealthily infiltrated the World Tree go?"

    "It''s not that either. Those who worship the World Tree above all else won''t simply overlook this situation."

    "Meaning they will take action, but it won''t be apparent."

    "Yes. The elven kingdom will probably send pursuers. They may not be numerous, but they will be powerful elves."

    Ludger chuckled.

    "Elven assassins, huh?"

    "Well, if you consider it in this context, they''re like special forces."

    "Elven ck Ops, one might say."

    "They are the ones who eliminate the traitors of their kin. You can''t underestimate them. They are not only skilled in assassination but also proficient in elemental magic and swordsmanship."

    "Very well. To freely roam the perilous outside world like their own home, one must have the skill."

    Rudger said so, his gaze sharpening.

    "Are there any likely candidates? It doesn''t seem like the noble family responsible for the esteemed World Tree would personally intervene."

    "...There is a family that swears absolute loyalty under that family''smand."

    While the elven families areposed of seven roots, not all roots are equal.

    "The n of the Lesser Root, responsible for guarding the central root and overseeing the outside of the forest. Unlike the Dentis n, which is friendly to other races, they are a n dedicated to eliminating external threats for the sake of elves only. We call them Shade Wardens."

    "Can theye directly to this side? Specifically, are they targeting you?"

    "Well, they probably are."

    "Returning to Ledervelk as it is wouldn''t be a problem then?"

    "Well, that might be difficult. Once they catch a trace, they can capture you no matter where you flee on the continent. I don''t know the details, but it seems they canunch a special pursuit through spirits."

    "It''s bing troublesome. However, I suppose it won''t take them too long to mobilize. Isn''t that right?"

    "Yes. It seems so. The Shade Wardens can only move when the head of the root gives a direct order. So, there is a grace period until the news reaches the head and a decision is made."

    Beruna smiled reassuringly, as if to say not to worry.

    "It will probably take quite a while!"

    * * *

    The Elven Kingdom .

    At its center stands the towering World Tree, and around it, like a natural fortress, exist various ns.

    Among them, if you were to name the n that undoubtedly holds the highest power, it would be the [Leafre] n, which directly manages the World Tree.

    Recently, the Leafre n has be increasingly chaotic.

    A massive assembly hall.

    Elven elders sat side by side around a long, white wooden table.

    They were all members of the Leafre n or key figures serving under the n.

    And soon, the one who had summoned them revealed themselves.

    It was a beautiful elf with long, golden hair akin to the sun.

    However, the face disyed a harshness that did not match its beauty.

    Even on ordinary days, it couldn''t be described as particrly pleasant, but today, anger was even more evident on it''s face.

    "Do you know why I called you?"

    Everyone fell silent at the voice that was beautiful but piercing like a dagger.

    "While I was managing the World Tree, some deranged individual dared to make contact with the World Tree."

    Gasps of astonishment erupted throughout the hall at those words.

    The owner of the Leafre n.

    Bentmin Leafre spoke in a cold voice.

    "Now you understand why I summoned you? Under the authority of the n head, Imand you. Gather the Shade Wardens."

    "R-Right now?"

    "Yes. Immediately."

 Chapter 339

    Chapter 339: Magical Beast Summoning (1)

    Early morning.

    Rudger returned to Seron''s private office for the first time in a while.

    It had been almost ten days since the terrorist incident urred, and they had stayed in pce.

    Guidelines were issued from Seron, and the students had to leave behind their enjoyable vacation in pce and return to Seron.

    Rudger sipped his coffee, feeling the warmth spread, and opened today''s newspaper.

    ''It''s still rtively calm.''

    The newspaper continued to buzz with news of the terrorist incident in the capital.

    However, it was worth noting that the word "terrorism" still dominated the headlines in bold ck letters.

    Thus far, there had been no leaks or information indicating the presence of demons.

    ''I expected the priests sent from the Bretus Kingdom to uncover something.''

    During their stay in the pce, they carried out numerous on-site investigations.

    Yet, they had yet to provide a conclusive answer.

    ''Thanks to the Empire''s hard work.''

    The Bretus Kingdom had the justification of searching for traces of impure beings.

    However, the Empire held the upper hand in practical terms.

    Terrorism had urred in the capital, which could be considered their backyard.

    Naturally, they insisted that they should be the ones to investigate.

    Taking advantage of this, the people of the Bretus Kingdom strictly controlled ess, preventing people from entering or leaving.

    Of course, they didn''t impose excessive restrictions to avoid triggering a bacsh, but they maintained a certain level of control to assess the situation.

    ''They must have prohibited ess to the core area where the roots of the deceased World Tree are.''

    However, it was uncertain how long this situation wouldst.

    The news of the Empire being swept by terrorism has spread to various countries on the continent.

    For now, things seem fine, but we don''t know when the truth will be revealed and shake the world''s situation.

    ''I have no idea what tricks they are up to.''

    If they have their own intentions, isn''t it just a matter of pushing things forward?

    In light of that, the delegation led by Priestess Lemria and their party disyed an unexpected level ofpliance.

    However, it wasn''t necessarily a positive sign when the potential trigger for a time bomb was so easily cooperative.

    One can''t help but wonder what ndestine schemes they might be orchestrating.

    As an observer, it''s far more convenient when their actions are transparent and open.

    ''There''s a lot to do.''

    After folding the newspaper, Rudger organized the tasks thaty ahead.

    ''The Night of Mystery is approaching. Originally, I had no intention of participating, but if a First Order is involved, the story changes. Moreover, the Zero Order is said to be holding an Order Synod soon. We also need to prepare for the pursuers that the Elf Kingdom might send.''

    There were also smaller matters that required attention.

    He had to keep an eye on the condition of his students, Flora and Leo, and also be cautious of Aidan.

    He had to continue managing Royal Street diligently.

    Now, even if he didn''t intervene, things were running smoothly, but in major incidents, Owens had to step in personally.

    ''I''m also concerned about the troublemaker from the Pablo family who caused amotion at the store.''

    Was it Albert Pablo?

    Having instilled fear in him, Rudger didn''t think that troublemaker would take action personally.

    However, the Pablo family itself was the problem.

    Even if they had a half-hearted child, the family wouldn''t sit idly by if someone attacked them from the outside.

    ''Above all, the next heir of the Pablo family, the mage with the bestowed color title.''

    As a family primarily dealing with fire, the next heir of the Pablos family, was bestowed with the color title of red.

    That means he controls the mes of nature and boasts the highest firepower among single-element users with all color titles.

    Of course, he wouldn''t go crazy and blow up the entire street.

    The higher the position someone holds, the more they value their dignity and reputation.

    ''Although there are exceptions like Casey Selmore, that''s because Casey upies the second position in her own family.''

    Maybe if Casey were the eldest daughter of the Selmore family, she would have exhibited more obedience and refinement than she currently does.

    Speaking of Casey, I can''t help but have concerns about her as well.

    ''Pasius mentioned that she hasn''t been in a good state. If she were merely putting on an act, Pasius would have noticed. But if it''s genuine, then there might truly be something wrong.''

    Maybe she''s suffering from severe aftereffects of Basara''s mental attack.

    Honestly, it was something I could ignore, but it strangely bothered me.

    Casey participated in this battle as a magician.

    She volunteered to do so, not because someone told her to.

    Casey herself probably didn''t expect any specific rewards.

    It''s just that it was the right thing to do, and from the standpoint of upholding justice and values, it couldn''t be ignored.

    She didn''t seek praise from anyone for what she did.

    At least that''s how Casey is now, as far as Rudger knows.

    Unlike three years ago, she has matured mentally and is now a highly respected person in Rudger''s eyes.

    If such a person is struggling and in pain from the aftermath of the battle...

    At least they can provide each other with some small help since they are in simr situations.

    ''But she might not like it if I go to her directly. Maybe it''s better to secretly provide assistance while hiding my identity.''

    To provide secret assistance.

    It was like being the supportive old man for ''Jerusha Judy Abbott.''

    ''Speaking of an old man, it reminds me of someone.''

    Rudger picked up the teacher-exclusive "Akashic Record" ced on the table.

    He looked at the only conversation record, where the other party greeted him first.

    [Long time no see.]

    [Yeah. Have you been well? Seems like you''ve been busytely.]

    [Yes, I had some things to take care of.]

    After their initial encounter, the two had periodic conversations.

    They still didn''t know each other''s names.

    They continued to use the names they agreed upon when they first met.

    They wanted to keep enjoying their current roles as pseudonyms in their acting, and if they learned each other''s real names, they wouldn''t be able to continue like before.

    It was clear that ''Judy'' beyond the Akashic Record felt the same way.

    [If you were busy, it must have been field training.]

    Calcting the number of days Judy hadn''t logged in, it was easy to figure out.

    Judy also knew that, so she didn''t try to hide it.

    [Yeah, it was.]

    [You must have had a tough time. Did you get hurt anywhere?]

    [No, I received help.]

    [Help?]

    [There was an incident.]

    Oops, was I prying too much?

    I didn''t have any particr intention, but hearing that Judy participated in the field training made Rudger curious.

    Since he also went to the capital as the apanying teacher and supervisor.

    ''That means Judy is a first-year or second-year student.''

    They might have already crossed paths without even realizing it.

    [I''m sorry. I think I was prying too much.]

    [No, it''s not like that. It''s just that this is a very personal matter that''s difficult to talk about.]

    Is that so?

    Rudger absentmindedly stroked his chin before writing the next sentence.

    [If you have any worries, I can listen.]

    Rudger felt a strange sensation when he realized he said something like that sote in the conversation.

    Strangely, when he talked with Judy, old memories woulde back, and he would feel more at ease.

    Rudger never looked back and lived a busy life, where he hardly had any concept of taking a rest for himself.

    These small conversations with an unknown face and name were like a rare sanctuary for him.

    So, he felt the desire to be of some help to the other person.

    Especially since she was probably a student, Rudger had the confidence that as an adult, he could offer advice or listen to their concerns.

    [Really?]

    [I''m not just saying it.]

    After sending the reply, Rudger btedly realized his small mistake.

    ''Wait. If it''s a question rted to love, I don''t really have anything to say.''

    From his previous life to the present, Rudger had deliberately constructed a wall around himself, isting himself from matters of the heart.

    However, the concerns of new students often revolved around issues between the opposite sexes.

    [Um, there''s someone I''m concerned about.]

    Oh no.

    Judging by her words, it seemed to be a genuine love concern.

    ''I can''t just say I can''t help now.''

    Rudger decided to listen for now.

    He could make a judgment after hearing more details.

    [So, what about it?]

    [There''s someone I keep thinking about. It''s a bit strange.]

    [In what sense?]

    [Whenever I see them, it feels like we''ve met somewhere before. Logically, it shouldn''t be the case, but I keep having that thought. Am I being weird?]

    Hmm.

    Rudger carefully paid attention to Judy''s conversation.

    Based on the reaction alone, it seemed like a typical case of a student concerned about someone of the opposite sex.

    Expressing such thoughts indirectly could still feel embarrassing, even in an anonymous conversation.

    ''Is it about love?''

    There were no rules in Seron that prohibited dating.

    Even now, if one were to go to the school''s garden or cafeteria, they would see couples happilyughing and enjoying themselves.

    However, as a teacher, Rudger found it difficult to easily ept such behavior.

    ''Why engage in dating and not focus on studying?''

    Among the students who dated, Rudger had never seen one who maintained good grades.

    Perhaps even the couples wandering outside would have significantly lower academic rankings ifpared.

    ''But Judy seems quite passionate about studying and full of enthusiasm, like an exemry student.''

    Judi mainly talked about magic, ss content, and worries about future career paths.

    While most students would reveal their true desire to y and avoid studying, she was not like that at all.

    And now she''s concerned about someone?

    ''Who could this person be?''

    It was definitely a guy.

    Rudger naturally had negative thoughts about the person who concerned Judy.

    ''It would be best to approach cautiously and ask her to be careful.''

    Rudger immediately asked Judy.

    [Is this person good at studying?]

    [Studying? They must be good at it, right? No, they''re definitely good at it. They''re someone who can''t be bad at it.]

    Can''t be bad at it? Could she give such a generous evaluation?

    [What about their appearance? Are they handsome by any chance?]

    [...Yes.]

    A shy and short answer.

    With that one word, Rudger could infer that the person''s appearance was not ordinary.

    Good at studying and good-looking?

    This is dangerous. Typically, when someone has such qualities, their personality tends to be distorted.

    There was no specific evidence.

    It was just a feeling.

    Rudger immediatelyposed a message.

    [Since it''s uncertain whether your concern is just a momentary emotion or not, it might be good to observe a little longer.]

    [Really?]

    [Yes. In cases like this, time is often needed.]

    [I see. Thank you for your advice. I''ve been keeping it to myself, but it feels a bit better to talk to someone.]

    [If you have any difficulties, feel free to talk to me.]

    [Mr. Smith too!]

    With a lively response befitting a student, Rudger chuckled and ended the connection.

    There was no need to continue the conversation, and the agreed-upon time was already up.

    Knock. Knock.

    "Mr.Rudger, may Ie in?"

    "Yes, pleasee in."

    As Rudger spoke, the door opened, and Principal Elisa entered.

    Rudger wasn''t particrly surprised by the appearance of the principal since they had made an appointment in advance.

    "This is the first time we''ve met in person after the field study, isn''t it?"

    "Since I unexpectedly had a break."

    "Now you''ll return to your busy routine. You''ll regret not resting properly when you have the chance."

    "I thought it was better to work anyway."

    "Oh my, what an admirable mindset."

    Elisa sat down on the sofa for receiving guests.

    Rudger also moved away from his desk and took a seat opposite Elisa.

    "So, what is the reason for your personal visit, Principal? You could have just called me."

    "Rudger, you''re the Head of nning at Seron now, a person in a high position. We should treat you ordingly. If I, as a mere headmistress, just summon you at will, it''s a bit inappropriate, don''t you think?"

    "I don''t really care."

    "But others might not feel the same way, especially in times like these."

    Elisa''s words had weight to them.

    Considering the recent incident during the field study, they were likely under significant external pressure.

    Upon closer examination, beneath Elisa''s smiling eyes, there were faint but unmistakable dark circles.

    Even though she had reached the position of principal at a young age, she couldn''tpletely alleviate the fatigue caused by the current situation.

    "Would you like some coffee?"

    "Oh, no thank you. I''ve been drinking too much coffeetely, so I need to cut back a bit."

    "I see. So, what is the reason for your visit? In the case of the changed academic schedule, you could have sent an official notice."

    "Oh, that''s because I wanted to personally ask a favor from you, Mr.Rudger."

    "A favor?"

    "Yes. It''s rted to the revised curriculum. You know there''s a section on understanding magic and summoning."

    "Yes."

    It was the same content they had discussed during their previous conversation at the academy.

    Now even the first and second-year students needed to summon magical creatures to enhance their practical skills.

    "In rtion to that, I have found a suitable teacher."

    "I see. Who is it?"

    Teaching magical creatures to the young students, that would be quite a busy task.

    Rudger didn''t know who it was, but it would certainly be demanding.

    "You''ve got quite the sense of humor. Why would I havee to see you if you weren''t the one I was looking for?

    "...."

    Rudger felt a cold sweat run down his back at Elisa''s smiling words.

    "Are you refusing?"

    "Yes."

    "I see."

    "I have no other choice, do I?"

    "Of course not."

    Elisa''s smile conveyed a determination not to back down.

    Rudger let out a sigh, unable to withstand the pressure this time.

 Chapter 340

    "Well then, please take care."

    The principal left behind a message filled with burden.

    Alone, Rudger pondered over the conversation that had just taken ce.

    ''A ss on summoning magic beasts, huh?''

    Principal Elisa had suggested that Rudger teach the students about summoning magic beasts.

    It sounded good in theory, but in reality, it meant that Rudger was officially designated as the responsible teacher.

    Of course, Elisa had kindly exined the reasons in detail.

    -Teacher Rudger, you know that the actual ss on summoning magic beasts is offered starting from the third year, right?

    -In that case, wouldn''t it be better to assign that task to the appropriate teacher?

    -They are busy, you know.

    -I am busy too.

    -Until recently, that may have been the case, but due to recent changes in the academic curriculum, the number of sses taught by Teacher Rudger has decreased significantly.

    That was true.

    The sses taught by Rudger, which were based on theory, had actually diminished due to the recent changes in the academic curriculum.

    Rudger''s sses were theory-based, but they also included some practical content that was quite popr among the students.

    However, on the surface, the subjects taught by Rudger were strictly focused on ''theory''.

    Thanks to that, Rudger had unexpected free time, and Elisa had suggested assigning him a new ss to make good use of that spare time.

    -Don''t I also have to handle the duties of the nning department director?

    -Of course, that''s true. But don''t worry. We have hired many additional staff for the nning department this time!

    Indeed. Even though he wasn''t there, the work had been carried out smoothly, and perhaps it was due to such reasons.

    -Instead of hiring new staff, couldn''t we have utilized that time to recruit a new teacher?

    -Are you kidding? Even if we searched for a hundred individuals to handle administrative tasks, finding a single person capable of teaching summoning magic beasts would be challenging. It would be more advantageous to select a suitable candidate from the current teachers.

    Seron did not casually hire teachers.

    There was a designated hiring period, and the process itself wasplicated.

    The position of a teacher at Seron had a certain level of recognition in the industry, thanks to such rigorous distinctions.

    ''Of course, it doesn''t mean that we canpletely filter out people who intentionally hide their identity or those who have personal issues.''

    Even after the announcement was made, the recruitment process took a long time, and during that process, there was a possibility of suspicious individuals slipping through.

    Taking that into consideration, it was much better to assign someone from the avable staff to a new ss.

    Of course, the teachers had their own expertise and fields, so it couldn''t be done recklessly.

    -But Mr.Rudger, you can do it, can you?

    Elisa asked, her eyes shining with a wistful expression, inquiring about his intentions.

    Given that she went so far as to ask, it was clear that she already knew.

    ''That''s why I can''t refuse.''

    In fact, it was Rudger himself who had initially suggested the ss on summoning magic beasts.

    In a way, it was his own doing that caused the trouble.

    Moreover, he couldn''t entirely me the principal either.

    Elisa was doing her best in her role, and she also possessed qualities befitting a manager.

    It was all about squeezing the most out of the avable resources and maximizing work efficiency.

    Instead of bing morefortable after ascending to a higher position, he found himself having to work even harder.

    The situation itself was quite ironic, but Rudger didn''t particrly dislike it.

    Instead, he had one condition of his own.

    -What about the teaching method?

    Elisa, as if waiting for that question, gave a prepared answer.

    -That''s up to you, Mr.Rudger.

    In a way, it could be seen as shifting the responsibility, sounding somewhat evasive.

    However, there was no greater gift for Rudger than this.

    -Thats good then.

    With those words, the principal left, and Rudger''s consciousness returned to the present.

    A ss on summoning magic beasts.

    It wasn''t originally nned, but it wasn''t entirely unreasonable given the circumstances.

    Elisa suggested it, expecting Rudger to handle it.

    ''She''s a truly challenging person to have as a superior.''

    If Eileen, the first princess, used her innate charisma to overpower her opponent, Elisa was more of a subtle oppressor, blocking every possible escape route.

    ''What I''m grateful for is that I haveplete autonomy over the content of the ss.''

    Rudger had also believed that the students needed instruction in practical magic.

    However, if Seron had made an announcement regarding the teaching method, it would have put him in a difficult position.

    Some people might prefer that, but when it came to matters rted to the ss, Rudger always wanted to have the final say.

    Knowing this, the principal fully delegated this aspect to Rudger.

    There were three days left until the next ss.

    Since he had been entrusted with the ss, Rudger was determined to do his best.

    * * *

    "Ugh. I''m dying."

    Hans returned to Ledervelk and copsed onto his bed for over half a day.

    Even after he regained hisposure and came to the hideout, Hans was still overwhelmed by fatigue.

    Nevertheless, being in the same hideout, with the source of that stress, didn''t help.

    ''But at least this time she''s staying calm.''

    After returning to Ledervelk, Grander stayed quietly in her room.

    She didn''t insist on bringing something or demand to transform into an animal.

    ''Well, whenpared to the hastily arranged hideout in the capital, there''s no ce quite like this.''

    Where Grander was currently staying was the top floor of the hideout, equipped with the best facilities.

    The room was spacious and decorated with various luxurious items.

    Hans judged that at least there wouldn''t be any boredom or irritations like before.

    At that moment, someone entered Hans''s office, and he hurriedly hid behind his desk.

    "...What are you doing?"

    The person who entered through the door was Violetta, dressed in afortably outfit.

    Codename ''Mary Poppins''.

    She widened her eyes at the sight of Hans, who was clearly visible despite his attempts to hide.

    He seemed to be hiding something, but it was too obvious, so it stood out.

    Hans awkwardly cleared his throat, feeling relieved that the person who had entered was not Grander.

    "Ah, I was just feeling a bit tired. So, what brings you here?"

    "You asked me to investigate those who secretly monitor our streets before we leave for the capital."

    "Oh, right."

    Naturally, it was Rudger who was the founder and leader of Owens.

    Here, Rudger used the name ''Oliver''.

    However, as Rudger had various identities, he couldn''t continue acting solely as the owner Oliver.

    So he had to frequently leave the position vacant, and Hans took over in his absence.

    Among Owens, Hans was the only one capable of handling matters in this direction.

    And before leaving for the capital, Hans had made a request to Violetta, who was the most skilled in handling tasks after himself.

    "Well, it seems like you''ve gathered everything properly."

    Hans quickly skimmed through the documents Violetta had brought.

    He didn''t have high expectations, but Violetta had organized and brought quite detailed information.

    It was thanks to the informationwork that Rudger had intended to establish beforehand.

    The organizationposed of children and the elderly, called [Old Kids].

    The organization consisting solely of women, [ck Roses].

    Both organizations had been specializing in gathering information for some time.

    As these organizations merged, they became even more systematic.

    Beggars on the streets.

    Workersmuting to factories.

    Waitstaff working in restaurants.

    Female employees in clothing stores.

    Elderly individuals sitting on rocking chairs.

    Impoverished artists.

    Laundry shop staffs.

    The informationwork that started on one street spread throughout the entire city of Ledervelk like a spider''s web.

    Now, all the city''s news are heard and collected by them.

    "There are indeed many suspicious guys involved."

    Hans clicked his tongue as he looked through the information Violetta brought.

    As Royal Street grew, there was an increase in those who tried to pull off schemes in this area.

    Those individuals were still manageable. We could suppress them with our power and influence.

    "However, it bes troublesome when noble families get involved."

    Violetta asked with a slightly worried expression in her eyes at Hans''s words.

    "Will it be okay?"

    "Huh? Oh, it''s fine. I can handle it without worry."

    "But the opponents..."

    Violetta swallowed her words.

    Some of the people who settled near Royal Street were sent by the Pablo family.

    Since Hans knew how Violetta was involved with the Pablo family, he casually replied without paying much attention.

    "Did you forget?"

    "What do you mean?"

    "Didn''t brother say he would turn this ce into his fortress? You must have heard that too."

    "Yes, I heard it as well. I remember the words spoken on that day."

    "But you still worry?"

    "Well, they are from a noble family..."

    she felt grateful for what Rudger had done to Albert for them.

    However, looking back now, she couldn''t help but worry that it might have been a dangerous choice.

    Hans snorted, as if he could clearly see Violetta''s hidden thoughts.

    "Hmph. You may be thete to join us and not know much, but listen closely."

    "...What is it?"

    "Even someone like me, a low-life thug, knows how to survive and navigate my own territory. But what about brother? He dered this ce his fortress. Do you understand the implications?"

    Violetta couldn''t answer.

    Hans smoothly continued as if he had expected that.

    "On this street, it signifies that we won''t be intimidated by anyone, be it the Pablo family or anyone else. This ce is an imprable fortress that remains invulnerable. If that''s what brother said, then our task is to uphold that meaning."

    Hans''s voice was filled with trust towards Rudger.

    At the same time, it subtly revealed his pride in his position and responsibilities.

    "You came here because you were curious about what to do with the people mentioned in these documents, right?"

    Violetta unknowingly nodded her head.

    In contrast to his previous demeanor, Hans appeared very solemn and exuded a heavy atmosphere.

    "Then let me show you. What our brother created this ce for."

    Hans immediately gave instructions to the mice lurking nearby.

    It was time to show how terrifying this Royal Street really was.

    * * *

    The people sent by the Pablo family moved in separate teams.

    One of the teams gathered in a nearby pub, sitting at a secluded table and quietly conversing.

    "Have you found the whereabouts of the owner? That man named Oliver."

    "Not yet. It''s not easy since he wears a mask and conceals his identity."

    "Continue to inquire about his whereabouts. He''s the one who dared to touch the bloodline of the Pablo family. We must warn him about the consequences."

    "Yes."

    At that moment, the dishes they had ordered along with their drinks were ced on the table.

    They casually smiled and handed tips to the owner with faces that couldn''t be recognized as the ones who had just engaged in a serious conversation.

    As everyone raised their beer sses to drink.

    "Phew!"

    "Cough!"

    They coughed and spat out beer mixed with blood, slumping down in their seats.

    "S-Save us...!"

    The man who had only taken a sip of the drink managed to survive.

    He gasped for breath and sought help from those around him.

    However, his face soon turned to despair.

    Everyone who had been noisy moments ago now stared at him in silence.

    It was surprising that people weren''t shocked by someone spewing blood and copsing.

    The hostile gazes directed towards him were waiting for him to die.

    "T-This... damn it."

    With those words, the person from the Pablo family lowered his head deeply.

    The people inside the pub naturally stood up from their seats and carried the corpse wrapped in a shroud outside.

    The bloodstains on the floor vanished without a trace.

    In no time, the pub returned to its original state.

    No one would know that someone had died here, as if it had disappeared.

    And as if they had been waiting, simr incidents urred one after another throughout the city.

    A de pierced through the nket on a person peacefully sleeping in a hotel bed.

    Someone walking down an alleyway was pierced by iron balls flying from all directions.

    A person who felt the sense of crisis and tried to escape fell into the raging River and drowned.

    However, this news did not reach the ears of the people.

    Instead, Royal Street exuded a brilliant light like never before, forming a constant flow of footsteps from unending customers.

    The crowded masses gathered on the Royal Street emitted a fervent vitality and vigor, creating a stage.

    Behind the curtain and heaps of props, a tranquil death settled.

 Chapter 341

    Chapter 341: Magical Beast Summoning (3)

    After the field trip, the first and second graders became quite chaotic.

    Even Aidan, who usuallycks awareness, could clearly sense it.

    "Leo, why is everyone acting like this?"

    Aidan asked Leo while observing their fellow students talking animatedly among themselves.

    Leo turned to Aidan with an expression of disbelief.

    "Do you seriously have no idea why they''re acting like that?"

    "Yeah. What happened?"

    "...Forget it. It''s not as if you haven''t behaved this way before."

    Realizing Aidan''s personality, Leo decided to solve his curiosity without furtherment.

    "You''re aware that the academic program has changed, right?

    "Yeah. They had to make changes due to the significant dy in the field trip period."

    "Yeah. The schedule, which was already packed, has been extended by nearly 1.5 times because of that."

    "Is that so? However, they don''t appear to be overly concerned about it."

    "About half of the sses have been substituted with other subjects."

    "I see."

    Aidan didn''t know about this because he hadn''t confirmed it himself.

    Leo continued with a serious expression.

    "The authorities at Seron appear to be treating this recent terrorist incident with great gravity."

    "Yes, I can imagine. It was a significant event."

    "Typically, practical magic-rted sses are introduced from the third year onward, correct? However, this time, due to a major overhaul, even first and second-year students will have the opportunity to learn."

    "Oh, really? What''s the reason behind that?"

    "There are a few reasons, but the most fascinating one is..."

    "The summoning of magical creatures!"

    Tracy, who had been eavesdropping on their conversation from behind, suddenly interjected.

    Leo frowned, but Tracy simply ignored his reaction.

    "Aidan, as you know, summoning of magic beasts is a ss that can only be taken in the third year. But now they''re allowing us to learn it too. It''s natural to have high expectations, right?"

    "Magic beasts..."

    Aidan savored the words on his tongue like a delightful treat.

    His eyes gleamed with a blend of passion and curiosity, entranced by the allure of the unknown magic.

    "I''m really looking forward to it!"

    Tracy nodded satisfactorily, considering it a natural reaction, while Leo sighed, knowing that this would happen.

    However, deep down, even Leo had high expectations for the summoning magic beasts ss.

    There is no magician who dislikes summoningpanions to apany them.

    Moreover, magic beasts are different from spirits.

    Unlike spirits imbued with the power of nature, magic beasts vary greatly in form and performance depending on the user''s magical power and disposition.

    Depending on the user, magic numbers can aplish tasks that even spirits cannot.

    Of course, for students who do not know what form their magic beasts will take, it is just a hopeful wish.

    However, unlike the Department of Spirits, where you cannot learn if you don''t have talent, magic beasts, which everyone must naturally possess, can be seen as an opportunity.

    That is why students were already excited, holding high expectations about the magic beast they would summon.

    "It''s a pointless assumption. Unique magic beasts ount for less than 1% of the entire magicalmunity."

    "Oh, really?"

    "Magic beasts are creatures that exist within the realm ofmon sense. Most of them take the form of animals or nts. In some rare cases, they might even manifest as tools. While that alone is impressive, it''s unlikely that such expectations will be fulfilled."

    As Leo spoke, he subtly nced at Tracy.

    Tracy bristled under his gaze, as if to convey the message, ''You''re no different''.

    "How amusing. Leo, you will summon a meager and insignificant magic creature."

    "Are you done talking?"

    As the two began to growl at each other, Aidan had to intervene desperately.

    Aidan, who barely managed to quell the conflict, wiped away his sweat and changed the subject.

    "But is summoning magic beasts really that easy? It''s a course that we start learning in the third year, so I wonder if it''s too difficult for us to learn now."

    Leo and Tracy fell silent at the very reasonable question.

    Leo was the first to speak up.

    "Well, it will probably be like that. After all, the reason it''s part of the third-year curriculum is that it''s considered learnable by then."

    They couldn''t be sure that they could easily learn it just because they were forced to learn it as freshmen.

    "I have a different thought."

    It was Tracy who objected and spoke out.

    "Have you heard of Mage Tower? Not Seron, but the people who receive education in the ancient Mage Tower from a young age learn difficult magic."

    "So what?"

    "They don''t learn to summon magic beasts when they reach the third year. They can summon them even when they are younger. Considering that, there''s no reason why we can''t learn it."

    "But those people have received systematic education for a long time. Are we, who are just starting to learn, the same as them?"

    "You won''t know until you try. Maybe there''s a talent for summoning magic beasts that we haven''t discovered yet."

    At that moment, Iona, who had been listening quietly, spoke up.

    "Or perhaps a teacher who is exceptionally skilled in teaching the summoning of magic beasts, so even beginners can learn it easily."

    Leo gave a sly look to Iona.

    "So, you heard too?"

    Iona nodded her head.

    Only Aidan and Tracy did not understand the meaning of their words.

    "What? What is it?"

    "What is it? Has someone already been announced as the teacher?"

    The teacher in charge of magic beasts.

    Could it be the teacher who currently teaches the 3rd and 4th grades? Or could it be a temporary instructor brought in from outside, like the mentor for field trip?

    Aidan and Tracy''s expectations were about to be fulfilled, but in apletely different way.

    "You didn''t know? It''s Teacher Rudger who will be teaching a special lecture on summoning magic numbers."

    * * *

    "It''s been a while."

    Rudger looked around at the students and spoke those words.

    Even though they had seen each other during the field trip, it wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say that it had been a considerable amount of time since theirst meaningful interaction.

    Since the terrorist incident, the students had their personal resting time, and from then until today, there had been a considerable gap.

    "It''s a relief to see that everyone seems to be doing well."

    Even if it was Rudger, he couldn''t speak harshly to students who had experienced the terrorist incident.

    However, even that remark didn''t sound particrly friendly or gentle. Perhaps it was due to his characteristic cold and stern tone.

    In reality, Rudger exuded an air more along the lines of ''I''m relieved that no one is missing ss'' rather than saying ''I''m relieved that everyone is safe''.

    "As you all know, you will be attending a special lecture, and I am the one in charge of that lecture. Since you have been attending my sses, I don''t think there''s a need for self-introductions. Do you understand?"

    Responses of "Yes" could be heard from various ces in the room.

    "Then, let''s start the lesson on summoning magic beasts from now on. The schedule is tight, so I expect everyone to do their best to keep up. This is not just a simple suggestion. Is that clear?"

    At that moment, someone raised their hand.

    It was Erendir, the 3rd Princess.

    "Yes, Erendir. What is your question?"

    "Um, Teacher. I heard that this lesson is about summoning magic beasts."

    "That''s correct. Didn''t I just say that myself?"

    "Yes, you did. That''s right."

    Erendir nced around and questioned, "Why are we having a lesson on summoning magic beasts in the training ground?"

    The location where the students had gathered was not the typical ssroom where they attended Rudger''s sses. Instead, it was a training ground on a muchrger scale, resembling a vast yground.

    "I Heard magic beast lessons require meditation, so they are usually conducted indoors, not outdoors."

    "That may be true for others, but this is my ss. Naturally, I have the freedom to choose where it takes ce."

    "...."

    It was true.

    If the teacher in charge of the lesson said they would do it this way, how could the students object?

    However, because it seemed like they couldn''t fullyprehend, Rudger decided to exin.

    "Alright. Since it''s the first lesson, I''ll be kind."

    Oh.

    Is he going to exin?

    "As you all know, you are not third graders. There is a two-year gap between you and the senior students who have been following the Seron curriculum for over two years. Even if you take the same course as the third graders, do you think you will achieve the same results? You little chicks?"

    "...."

    The students remained silent, all thinking the same thing.

    Teacher, that''s not kind.

    "Of course, my teaching method will be different from that of the third graders. You may be able to learn faster, but it will be harder. If you don''t like it, you can say so. Of course, you will still be forced to learn."

    Then why bother asking if we don''t like it?

    The students stared at Rudger with puzzled expressions.

    Rudger''s words were somewhat arbitrary, but they made sense logically.

    Moreover, since it was not a temporary situation, the students decided to ept it obediently.

    "So, is this lesson content being taught in Mr.Rudger''s special way?"

    Tracy raised her hand and asked, full of anticipation.

    The students waited for Rudger''s answer.

    Rudger''s special way.

    Just hearing it, it sounded like an incredibly sweet collection of words.

    ''I wonder if he''s going to teach the ss with some remarkable idea again?''

    ''Or maybe he''ll help us increase our magic power emission?''

    ''A new method that others don''t know!''

    Rudger''s thoughts were clearly visible in the students'' eyes.

    Looking at those students, Rudger spoke calmly.

    "There''s nothing like that."

    "Huh?"

    "If there was such a method, wouldn''t it have been presented in the Arcane Chamber?"

    "Oh."

    "Instead, what I''m going to teach you now is a method that definitely works. In fact, many groups are using this method."

    "Where?"

    "In the military."

    As soon as the word ''military'' came out, a shiver ran down the students'' spines.

    What did Teacher Rudger just say?

    The military? The military?

    Hoping that they had misheard, the students looked at Rudger, who delivered the cruel reality to them.

    "From now on, you will follow the training program for summoning magic beasts that soldiers receive."

    "Huh? Really?"

    "If you approach the ss in the same manner as the third graders, it will be toote. As you are aware, even the third graders struggled to summon magic beasts until the end of the first semester because they couldn''t grasp the essence of these creatures. For those of you starting now, it will only be achievable once you enter the second year. Thus, this lesson would serve no purpose."

    Rudger showed the same steel-like dignity as he did in the first ss.

    There would be nopromise, and he had a firm determination to stick to this method. The students didn''t have the courage to oppose it.

    "I don''t particrly wee anyone among those attending my special lecture to fall behind. To put it more strongly, it''s difficult for me to tolerate."

    As those words squeezed the students'' breath, Rudger presented the final carrot, a glimmer of hope to motivate them further.

    "But I can guarantee the effectiveness. If you attend this special lecture, you will be able to summon magic beasts before the end of this semester."

    His confident words gave hope to the students.

    ''We can summon magical beasts?''

    ''Well, if that''s the case, a little difficulty should be tolerable.''

    ''Finally, an opportunity hase for me too!''

    If they can see definite results at the cost of hardship, they won''t hesitate.

    All the students gathered here were in that sense, truly wizards.

    The confusion in the students'' eyes disappeared, reced by enthusiasm.

    Seeing that, Rudger felt a sense of satisfaction within himself.

    ''Good''.

    If they''re in such a motivated state, they will follow as instructed.

    Now, even if they want to resist, they can''t.

    ''I will teach them properly''.

    The students overlooked one crucial fact.

    This special lecture will yield certain results in proportion to the difficulty.

    However, the students'' perception of what is difficult falls far short of the actual content of the lecture.

    "Since you all seem eager, let''s start the ss immediately."

    The students brightened their eyes and waited for Rudger''s next words.

    "First, run."

    The students didn''t understand his words right away.

    "I said run. Just run around this training ground."

    "Just run? That''s it?"

    "There''s a condition. Strengthen your body with magic and deplete all of your magical power. Run until your body is exhausted."

    "Until we''re exhausted?"

    "Yes. You have to deplete all of your magical power and all of your stamina. If there''s anyone who stops or cks off..."

    Rudger emitted his magical power outward and spoke with a firm tone, word by word.

    "I will personally call them for private tutoring after the ss ends."

    Rudger''s private tutoring, of all things.

    Where else in the world can you find words that make your heart pound?

    Of course, the pounding wasn''t due to excitement but rather fear and dread.

    "Did any of you not understand? I said run."

    "...."

    "By the way, I''ll keep an eye on whoever falls behind first."

    Upon hearing those words, the students nced at each other and started running around the training ground in a terrifying manner.

    It was at that moment that the students truly grasped the meaning behind the military-style approach they were about to experience.

 Chapter 342

    The students began running in therge training ground.

    At first, there were no particr difficulties as they ran, strengthening their bodies with mana.

    Even students who didn''t usually exercise were able to run well thanks to the enhancement magic.

    But as time passed, their mindset changed.

    Mana is not infinite.

    The mana required to enhance the body is not abundant.

    But if they have to maintain that state while running, it''s a different story.

    Eventually, students who couldn''t evenplete a fewps started running out of mana.

    The students whose mana was depleted had to continue running with their bare bodies.

    The bodies that were previously protected by enhancement magic began to scream in agony.

    Huff. Huff.

    Heh. Heh.

    The sound of gasping for breath echoed everywhere.

    For students who were not ustomed to exercise, theirplexion turned pale, almost resembling corpses.

    Suddenly, a question arose in everyone''s minds simultaneously.

    ''Why am I running?''

    ''Does this really help with summoning magic beasts?''

    ''Is this true? Is it really true?''

    However, no one could stop their running footsteps.

    It was all because of a man who had been staring at them intently with intense eyes.

    Rudger Chelsea.

    He never stopped watching the students, always on the lookout for anyone cking off.

    Even if the students wanted to stop their steps, they were unable to do so because of Rudger''s presence.

    Rudger was truly like a ghost.

    If any student tried to slow down even a little, he gave them a ice cold gaze.

    And if they still didn''t listen, he called out their names and applied pressure with his heavy voice.

    Just that alone made the students, who were already on the verge of copse, jump around like wild rabbits.

    There was no leniency for female students either.

    If he didn''t show favoritism to nobles, would he show it to girls?

    Of course, there was no need to mention noble female students.

    "Heuk. Heuk."

    Tracy gasped for breath as she ran like crazy.

    Even though it was time to stop, Rudger didn''t say a word.

    Until he told them to stop, they had to keep running. That was how it was.

    "Why am I doing this?"

    Her voice broke with each breath.

    Even breathing was painful, and her whole body was already drenched in sweat.

    Tracy wanted to copse right there, but she couldn''t bring herself to do it.

    It was because of her pride.

    ''Why is Leo so diligent!''

    If this had been earlier, he would have been the oneining the most, not her.

    But since field training, Leo seemed to have changed in some way and was giving his all in training more than anyone else.

    Despite the difficulties, Leo ran without anyints, and seeing that, Tracy felt a boiling sensation inside her.

    She felt like she would have to live with thebel of a lifelong loser if she gave in to Leo here.

    She didn''t want to experience anything like that.

    So Tracy gritted her teeth and kept running. (Read at )

    "Tracy, are you okay?"

    At that moment, Aidan approached Tracy, matching his steps with hers.

    It wasn''t that he slowed down, but he had alreadypleted onep and caught up with Tracy.

    Tracy wanted to answer, but her breath was so heavy that she nodded instead.

    "Just hang in there a little longer. You''ll be fine if you exceed your usual limits. It''ll bring some relief!"

    Aidan said with a bright smile.

    Are you trying tofort me like that?

    Tracy wanted to retort, but even just breathing was hard.

    Tracy nced at Aidan with a surprised look.

    Except for appearing slightly out of breath, he was still fine.

    It was thanks to his consistent physical training, unlike others.

    Tracy suddenly remembered when Leo called Aidan a foolish stamina monster.

    Now she thought that nickname suited Aidan well.

    Of course, there were others who ran well besides Aidan.

    Iona, who was already running severalps ahead of everyone else, was one of them.

    Beast race had superior physical abilities.

    Among them, Iona''s lineage was exceptional, surpassing the others.

    With her long legs, her body moved forward with each step.

    As Iona passed the boys, they couldn''t help but stare at her back in disbelief.

    For boys, being inferior to girls in physical abilities was a blow to their pride.

    Because of that, the boys gritted their teeth and continued running.

    ''She''s like a real monster.'' (Read at )

    Tracy clicked her tongue at Iona''s unchanged expression.

    At that moment, someone with blue hair brushed past Tracy.

    ''Huh?''

    Tracy wondered for a moment who that person was.

    It was btedly that she remembered that person as Flora Lumos, a genius from the second year.

    Since the hair color had changed slightly, she couldn''t immediately recognize who it was from the back.

    ''Was she always good at sports like that?''

    Contrary to what Tracy had thought, Flora was running well.

    Although she had innate talent for magic, it was believed that she was weak in terms of physical strength, so it was surprising.

    While everything was difficult, she appeared rtively resilientpared to the students copsing around her.

    "Hehuk, hehuk, Fl-Flora."

    Cheryl, who had been running alongside Flora, finally caught up to her after falling behind by onep, and she spoke with a sob.

    "W-What''s up with you? Why are you... running so well?"

    "Well... um..."

    Flora couldn''t bring herself to answer her childhood friend''s question.

    Flora herself was surprised by her improved physical stamina.

    Honestly, when Rudger told her to run, she had a strong intuition that it would be extremely difficult.

    However, when she actually ran, it was more manageable than she had thought.

    ''If I were to guess the cause, it would probably because same reason as why my hair color changed.''

    Basara, the demon, took control of her body and forcibly stimted the physical talents with her own power.

    Afterward, Basarapletely disappeared, but the once stimted body did not return to its previous state.

    For Flora, it was a blessing in disguise.

    However, she had expected that only the magical aspect would improve, and that her overall physical abilities would stay same.

    ''Good things are good, right?''

    Cheryl saw Flora''s satisfied expression and asked.

    "Flora, you look happy"

    "...Really?"

    "Yeah. Normally, you would have been the first to get annoyed. Heh, heh."

    "Me?"

    Flora asked like that but then closed her mouth.

    Cheryl wasn''t saying anything wrong.

    If it were the old her, she would have picked a fight with Rudger even before starting such simple training.

    Now, it was because she trusted Rudger.

    ''If it''s something that Professor Rudger told me to do, there must be a good reason''.

    A change that the old Flora couldn''t even imagine.

    Cheryl suspiciously stared at Flora''s appearance.

    "Flora, you..."

    "What is it?"

    Flora, sensing Cheryl''s gaze, avoided her eye and increased her running speed.

    "Huh, huh? Flora! Wait for me!"

    Amidst the smallmotion happening around, Rudger''s voice, enhanced by magic, spoke.

    "Students who are called, stop running."

    As Rudger called their names, the students immediately sat down in their ces.

    The students who were still running hesitated, thinking that maybe they might get called.

    "Didn''t I say only those called by me should stop? Or do you want to stop here forever?"

    Of course, as soon as Rudger''s words fell, they had no choice but to start running again.

    "Those who are tired, gather in one ce and focus on restoring your magic power."

    "Huff, huff. Sir, does this process really help in summoning magic beast?"

    A male student asked, catching his breath.

    Other students around also looked at Rudger, expecting an answer.

    "Well, listen while you recover. You may not understand, but summoning magical beasts are different from ordinary studies."

    In general, studies involve sitting down, thinking with your head, and exploring theories through calction. To prove them, experiments are necessary, but even that is just a process of validating theories.

    But magic beasts were different.

    Magic beasts were distant from studies.

    "If we mustpare, magic beasts require embodiment. It doesn''t require theoretical cleverness or a shift in thinking. What''s important is to feel the essence of your own magic power."

    "Essence, you mean?"

    "Yes. Your mana, which you normally manipte without much thought. It''s about finding the ''self'' contained within the hidden power of mana."

    The students didn''t understand his words any better.

    Where does the self exist within mana?

    "It seems you all don''t understand." (Read at )

    "Well, it doesn''t make sense that mana has a will."

    "There''s nothing that doesn''t make sense. Mana is a mysterious energy and one of the origins of the world. It can''t be defined by human thoughts alone. Even great sorcerers throughout history couldn''t define it recklessly."

    "But magic utilizes that mana."

    "Even that magic can only utilize a fraction of the concept called mana."

    Rudger exined while observing the running students, and he called exhausted students to the center of the training ground.

    The students who hade early to take a rest were silently impressed by the scene.

    Rudger, as if he were a person with a measuring instrument in his eyes, caught the students who had reached their limits like a ghost.

    Rather than a sense of relief when their exhaustion almost made them copse, they were more shocked by his uracy.

    "While recovering, feel your mana rising from your very bottom. If you repeat that process, you will also grasp something."

    Rudger advised the resting students and continued his previous exnation.

    "As you know, spiritsposed of energy are beings formed by the umtion of natural forces. Such spirits also have a will. Needless to say, higher-ranking spirits possess moreplex and higher-dimensional wills."

    Rudger immediately asked a question.

    "Here''s the question. If magic beasts are made up of mana, does it have a will or not? If there is a will, what could be the reason?"

    Upon hearing his words, the students cautiously nced at each other, unable to answer hastily.

    But there was someone who raised their hand.

    "Yes, Rine."

    Rine, who was resting with Erendir, immediately answered.

    "Magic beasts possess wills."

    "Why? After all, mana is just aprehensive energy. Can it have a will like nature?"

    "While it may not have the will of nature, it does have the will of the magician."

    Upon receiving the desired answer, Rudger nodded.

    "That''s correct."

    Ohh.

    Some students looked at Rine again with admiration.

    Iona, who had been running until the end, took her seat.

    Now everyone has gathered.

    "You must all be curious about why I push you to such physical limits."

    The students were already curious about that.

    "I exined that the acquisition of magic beasts is not an academic process. So I''ll ask you all. Do you know the biggest characteristic of acquisition?"

    Upon hearing this, the students each fell into their own thoughts.

    Ultimately, acquisition is a process that must be practiced directly with the body.

    The biggest characteristic of that process, to put it mildly, was that the students felt it was ''very difficult''.

    "I guess you don''t know. Let me tell you."

    The students all fell silent and waited for Rudger''s answer.

    "The biggest characteristic and advantage of acquisition is that the more you do it, the better you be."

    ...Is that it?

    The students asked with their eyes.

    Rudger understood their feelings, but there really wasn''t much else he could say.

    "The more you do it and the more effort you put into it, the more you grow. That''s the biggest advantage you can gain from acquisition. The reason your seniors can summon magic beasts in their third year is because they have grown by learning various magics in Seron over the past two years. But you don''t."

    By the end of the semester, half of the students who learn magic beasts in their third year cannot summon them.

    Moreover, it was needless to say that the freshmen who had not experienced two years in Seron had no chance at all.

    "You are overwhelmingly short on time. Unfortunately, this special lecture has a deadline that you must sessfullyplete before the end of this academic year."

    "You mean, we have to finish it within this year?"

    "Yes, but I think even that is long. Considering the future academic process, you should be able to summon magic beast by the end of the summer break at thetest."

    By the end of the summer break?

    There is still the fourth test remaining, but even considering that, it''s not that much time.

    "Then how can we achieve the best efficiency in such a short time?"

    "...."

    The students couldn''t answer.

    It wasn''t because they didn''t know, but rather because they knew it too well that they didn''t answer.

    "The answer is to increase the density of training. If you put in twice the effort in the same amount of time, your learning speed will also increase ordingly. That''s another advantage of acquisition."

    Increase the density of training.

    In simple terms, it meant working much harder than others.

    "I can see from your expressions that you''re starting to recover your stamina."

    Upon hearing his words, the students were suddenly overwhelmed with anxiety.

    And Rudger didn''t betray their expectations.

    "Run again."

    The hellish training was about to begin.

 Chapter 343

    Rudger''s hellish lecture pushed the students to their mental and physical limits.

    However, he didn''t push them too hard.

    Somehow, Rudger knew exactly when to let them rest once they reached their limits.

    If they pretended to be exhausted he would order them to run further

    After experiencing this several times, the students couldn''tin anymore and simply had to do their best.

    It didn''t matter if they weremoners or nobles.

    At this moment, everyone had to gasp for breath and run until they were soaked in sweat.

    And ss wasn''t only physically demanding, but mentally too.

    During the time everyone recovered their stamina, they would listen to Rudger''s lectures.

    "Although magical beast isposed of mana and cannot be considered a living organism, it still possesses willpower and exists in reality. As I mentioned before, this is because a magician''s will is imbued with mana for a long time, giving it life."

    At that moment, a student asked a sharp question.

    "In a way, magical beast can be considered an artificial organism, right?"

    A pseudo-life form born with human will infused into mana.

    Or rather, can it be considered a living organism?

    In other words, it''s no different from creatures like Homunculus or Chimera.

    cing it on the same level as Chimera is aughable idea.

    Chimera, at least, has a bodyposed of flesh and blood, but magical beast doesn''t even have that.

    If anything, it is closer to an elemental being.

    An artificially created elemental being, to be precise.

    "Depending on the perspective, you could see it that way."

    "Perspective?"

    "In the summoning studies, debates about whether magical beast should be seen as a naturally urring organism or an artificially created existence are still ongoing. It''s an endless debate on whether magical beasts should be viewed as something naturally urring or something artificially created."

    "But it''s essentially something created by humans, isn''t it?"

    "Exactly. It''s practically something made by people."

    "But it''s not intentionally created, so it''s not artificial, right?"

    "Then would you say it''s a natural urrence?"

    "Cryptids are simr, aren''t they? It wouldn''t be impossible to consider a tamed Cryptid as an artificially created being."

    The students had their own views, and they had different opinions about magical beasts.

    After pondering about magical beasts for a while, the students stared at Rudger, as if expecting him to reveal the correct answer.

    They were like baby birds asking their mother for food.

    "The prevailing trend is to see magical beasts as a naturally urring phenomenon. To use the term ''artificial,'' it would require the active intent of the creator, but magical beast cannot be created simply because someone wants to create it."

    "Why is that? Can''t magical beasts be created through artificial means?"

    "Because there haven''t been any reports of sess using such methods, it''s safe to say that it practically doesn''t exist yet."

    Indeed, simr attempts have been made in the past, but they all ended in failure.

    A magic beast is unique to each magician.

    No matter what method is used, same magic beast cannot be born.

    "There have been quite a few experiments like that besides magical beasts. Attempts to imbue golems with the soul of an enchantment practitioner or to create elementals using the power of nature."

    "Have there been sessful cases in those situations?"

    Rudger hesitated for a moment before answering that question.

    Since there are no artificial magical beasts, it''s only natural that there are no other examples either.

    However, the remaining examples did exist.

    One of them was the [Chorus of Steel] project, where human souls were forcibly injected into automatons, although it was a slightly different direction from creating artificial magical beings.

    And the horrific sess story of that experiment was Arpa.

    The same applies to artificial spirits.

    Even if you forcibly gather and mold the energy of nature, spirits wouldn''te into existence just because energy is gathered.

    Spirits are not beings created simply by the umtion of energy.

    However, few elemental magicians were able to give birth to new spirits.

    Selina stood as evidence of this fact.

    She was an artificial spirit formed by extracting a fragment of Esmeralda''s soul from her innocent days.

    Both Arpa and Selina defied the beliefs of the academicmunity, who argued that their existence was impossible.

    However, the circumstances surrounding their creation were far from easy to exin.

    They were brought into existence in the depths of a shadowy abyss, concealed beneath society''s apathy.

    Truly, it was an ironic twist of fate.

    Beautiful flowers that did not bloom even in meticulously cultivated flower beds, blooming on top of filthy and dirty mounds of filth.

    Perhaps it was proof that this world is not as beautiful or just as it seems.

    "In that aspect as well, there have been no sessful cases."

    However, there was no need to burden the students with such heavy truths.

    "Well, in that case, magical beasts can be considered a natural urrence?"

    "That''s what schrs who advocate natural urrence argue. They say that humans are also part of nature, so it is not right to categorize the birth of magical beasts from humans as artificial. In a broad sense, everything can be considered a natural urrence."

    The students listening to the exnation were disappointed that they didn''t have any writing tools with them in this ce.

    "However, whether it is a natural urrence or an artificial one doesn''t matter. What you should focus on right now is finding the existence of magical beasts within you."

    "How do we find them?"

    "Magical beasts are already present from the moment you start learning magic. They are like eggs that haven''t hatched yet, still in a dormant state. You have to constantly observe mana and search for that egg, and then make it hatch."

    That''s why Rudger called the students to the training ground.

    This whole process was about awakening magical beasts.

    However, from the perspective of someone exhausting themselves to the point of death, there were doubts about whether this was the right approach.

    "So concentrate. Before depleting your magical power, you should know how to properly assess your physical condition."

    The majority of students have never experienced magical power depletion.

    For someone experiencing magical power depletion for the first time, it is difficult to maintainposure in a state of physical exhaustion where the whole body feels weak.

    At this moment, most students could barely control their own bodies.

    But with repeated experiences of magical exhaustion, they eventually adapted.

    At first, it was difficult, but afterwards, they naturally recovered their magical energy and gained the ability to focus on other aspects.

    Usually, this adaptation urs naturally through practical experience, but Rudger was not so kind.

    As they had to squeeze out every avable strength, it was only natural that pain followed.

    "Do not focus on recovering your mana while in a state of exhaustion. You must intentionally suppress that process and carefully examine your physical condition."

    The students, desperate to ovee their state of exhaustion as instructed by Rudger, closed their eyes and began to concentrate.

    On the third day of training, the students attending the special lecture started to grasp it gradually.

    Although no student had seeded in summoning magical beast, some students discovered something embedded within their bodies.

    ''What is this?''

    Flora furrowed her eyebrows, feeling a strange sensation within her body as she meditated with her eyes closed.

    On the third day of observing her inner self while depleting and suppressing her magical energy, she discovered something hidden within her mana.

    It resembled a seed or perhaps an egg of some kind.

    It even appeared like a precious item stored inside a box within her body, which she couldn''t detect before due to her mana beingpletely filled.

    ''If there hadn''t been the experiment on mana emission, I would have noticed it muchter.''

    To increase the emission of magical energy, she had to find the faint presence of mana pathways within her body.

    However, just like searching for water in a desert, it was by no means an easy process.

    It required the aid of mana suppression tools, and she had to learn how to meticulously handle the small amount of magical energy that could be controlled in that state.

    Repeating this process, the person who eventually pierced through the mana pathways gained a deeper understanding of their own mana.

    They discovered what kind of mana they possessed and how to utilize it.

    The experience at that time proved to be of great help in the current situation.

    Flora found herself in a dilemma at this point.

    It was great to have discovered the egg that could potentially be a magical beast.

    However, the problem was that she had no idea what to do next.

    ''What about the others?''

    Flora opened her eyes and looked around.

    Most of the students had strained expressions, focusing intently.

    She couldn''t see anyone else who had grasped it like she did.

    ''I seem to be the fastest.''

    Just as Flora thought that, a shadow cast over her.

    Intrigued, she turned around and saw Rudger.

    "Flora, you''ve got it. You''ve uncovered what lies dormant within you, haven''t you?"

    "How did you know?"

    "I could tell from your response. Usually, the initial realization stems from sensing the presence of the dormant potential through self-reflection. I believed you were capable of that."

    Does this imply that he holds me in high esteem?

    Flora was secretly pleased with that fact, but her curiosity grew even stronger.

    "As the teacher said, I felt the presence of the egg within my mana. But I have no idea what to do next."

    "That''s to be expected. It''s still in its dormant state, not yet breaking out of its shell. In other words, you haven''t even reached the starting line."

    "So, what should I do now to reach that starting line?"

    Ie this far, so I deserve to hear the exnation.

    However, Flora''s anticipation crumbled as Rudger uttered his next words.

    "I don''t know."

    "What? You don''t know?"

    "I can guide you in finding the egg, but I don''t know how to awaken it. There''s no set method for that."

    "If there''s no set method..."

    "Let me exin it with a simr analogy. There are three people, and each of them is given a bird in a cage. They''re then told to make the bird sing. How do you think they would do it? Would they all use the same method?"

    "Well, each person would probably have a different approach."

    "That''s right. Some would resort to various tricks to make the bird sing, others would inflict pain to force the bird to sing, and some would wait until the bird sings on its own. There are three different methods for the three people. So, among the dozens of students gathered here, do you think there will be only a few methods?"

    Flora understood what Rudger was trying to say.

    "In the end, awakening this egg depends on the individual''s abilities."

    "Yes, it''s something you can''t do just because someone advises you. The magic egg hidden within you is solely yours. Awakening it is entirely up to your own method."

    "Then, let me ask this. How did Teacher Rudger awaken his own magic egg?"

    Rudger recalled his magic egg, Aether Nocturnus.

    Since receiving teachings about magic from his master, he had always exerted his utmost effort.

    It wasn''t something he did by force.

    Rudger was aware his own weakness.

    He had to hide his body, escaping the incessant mor of the gods and the assassins sent from Bretus.

    So he studied relentlessly and learned magic.

    "If I were to say, it was my desperation. It was because of that sentiment that the egg awakened."

    "Desperation..."

    "Of course, that''s my method. Yours will bepletely different. So, concentrate as much as you can. Since you''ve already grasped it, there''s no need to run on the training ground anymore."

    Several students who heard those words stopped meditating and nced around.

    They harbored expectations, thinking, ''Could it be me too?''

    "Did I mention any of you? Those who haven''t sensed the existence of their magic eggs should continue running until they do."

    * * *

    Rudger''s special lecture continued.

    The students who still couldn''t grasp it ran tirelessly on the training ground under Rudger''s guidance.

    Rudger silently observed their efforts.

    He had already provided them with all the methods and paths.

    Now, how to walk those paths was up to the students.

    ''Typically, it takes at least six months to go through this process.''

    Rudger shortened it to two weeks.

    From six months to two weeks. A difference of twelve times in duration.

    In other words, it meant that he condensed the ordinary process twelve times and pushed the students through it.

    Perhaps because of this, negative stories about Rudger''s teaching style began to emerge.

    Especially Hugo, the leader of the noble faction, took this opportunity to relentlessly talk back against Rudger.

    Of course, he didn''t have the courage to do it openly, so he schemed behind the scenes.

    Rudger was aware of this fact, but he casually dismissed it.

    He didn''t care about what those people babbled behind his back.

    However, it seemed that the other students who were attending the ss were not as indifferent.

    "I... I will quit."

    For the first time, a person gave up.

 Chapter 344

    Chapter 344: Objection (1)

    Rudger looked at the student standing in front of him.

    It was Martin Kandak, who came from a rtively well-known noble family among the first-year students.

    Rudger nced around.

    Several noble students were sending encouraging looks towards Martin''s confident behavior.

    Looks like someone has stepped forward as a representative.

    Rudger lightly flicked his finger.

    A barrier of sound instion formed around Rudger and Martin.

    Now, any conversation taking ce here would not reach anyone''s ears.

    Martin seemed unaware, but Rudger thought it necessary.

    Rudger looked at the student in front of him.

    As Rudger stared in silence, Martin''s pupils trembled noticeably.

    It seemed like he was slightly regretting what he had said, but since the words had already been spoken, it appeared that he intended to push forward until the end.

    "Well then, Martin Candark. Are you giving up on the ss?"

    "...Yes."

    "The reason is?"

    Do I really need to ask for the reason?

    Martin answered the question honestly, although he held his dissatisfaction internally.

    "It''s because I feel it''s a waste of time to engage in such meaningless actions."

    "Meaningless actions?"

    "I am a student of Seron, and I am even a noble. So why should someone like me have to sweat and endure this hardship?"

    Martin had grown up being treated well in his family.

    Aftering to Seron and experiencing the wider world, he realized that themoners here were not to be underestimated.

    He could tolerate that.

    However, this mindless physical training was simply unbearable.

    He had managed to endure because Rudger was the instructor for the special lecture, but when there were no tangible results, impatience and frustration had reached their limit.

    "Even if we don''t go through such difficult training, we will eventually be able to summon magical beasts..."

    "Martin, let me ask you something. Did you feel the threat to your life during this field study?"

    Martin couldn''t answer that question with a ''yes''.

    There had been a terrorist incident during the field study.

    Many students were involved and injured.

    Martin was rtively lucky.

    He wasn''t injured in the terrorist attack and was able to quickly evacuate to a safe ce.

    However, he had heard the news.

    Chimeras attacking and a ck storm raging.

    That''s why there were many students lying in hospital beds.

    But Martin thought it had nothing to do with him.

    After all, it was someone else''s business, and he was perfectly fine. The fact that there were no deaths also greatly contributed to his sense of relief.

    "...Why are you asking me that?"

    However, openly admitting it would hurt his pride.

    "If it was someone who truly experienced a dangerous situation, they wouldn''t quit the ss."

    "That''s..."

    "However, I understand your reaction."

    Martin stared at Rudger with surprise in his eyes.

    He thought he would receive a lot of criticism for saying such things.

    He had made up his mind to quit despite everything, but Rudger was saying he understood instead.

    "It must be frustrating. The intense physical pain that you''ve never experienced before. And on top of that, an sluggish process. You must have felt left behind when other students in the same ss were moving ahead one by one."

    Martin involuntarily trembled his shoulders.

    Rudger''s words were so precise, as if peering directly into his inner thoughts.

    Since Martin didn''t want to admit that fact, he resisted even more strongly.

    "I simply expressed my belief that this ss is pointless."

    "Why do you think it has no meaning?"

    "If not, then why am I still running around here, drenched in sweat?"

    "If I couldn''t do it, then it''s the fault of the ss. Is that what you think?"

    Rudger wasn''t showing anger yet.

    Although Martin found it surprising, he expressed the thoughts he had kept in his heart.

    "I have received education in magic from a young age in my family. Although my talent may not be the best in Seron, I take pride in the learning process and time I have invested, which is no less than others."

    Martin''s gaze turned to some students who were sitting and meditating.

    Not noble like himself.

    Commoner students.

    The unease and inferiority he harbored inside himself stemmed from this.

    Why should he, who had learned more and for a longer time, fall behind?

    If the other person were a noble, he could understand. They would have received early education, just like him.

    Butmoners were different.

    Weren''t they the ones barely attending sses, relying on Seron''s financial aid?

    He couldn''t ept in his mind that he was falling behind those guys.

    "So, you want to give up? You''ve put in your effort in your own way, but you''re discouraged because there are no visible results?"

    Rudger''s icy voice weighed heavily on his shoulders.

    Martin swallowed hard and reluctantly nodded.

    Even this simple gesture required him to tighten his fists and summon his courage.

    After all, the person standing before him was Rudger Chelsea.

    The recently appointed teacher at Seron.

    But no one saw him as a neer.

    He is currently trusted by the principal and reportedly made significant contributions during the recent terrorist incident.

    The incident when Rudger rescued students from the Chimera Legion was famous among the students.

    As a result, many noble students who did not look down on Rudger formed a favorable impression of him.

    His cold and distant behavior has now be his distinctive character trait.

    Nevertheless, Martin had to speak to Rudger.

    "Yes, I will give up. And professor''s teaching method is wrong."

    Not only did he express his decision to give up, but he also criticized the professor''s teaching approach.

    It was clear that his statement had crossed a line.

    Martin was well aware of the consequences. Once he uttered those words, there would be no turning back, and he would face the wrath of Rudger.

    Despite being aware of the consequences, he had no other option but to proceed.

    Rudger silently fixed his gaze upon Martin.

    The inside of Martin''s tightly clenched fist was damp with cold sweat.

    What would Rudger do now?

    Would he chase him away? Or would he humiliate him in front of everyone? Maybe he would forcefully assert himself even more.

    All sorts of negative thoughts swirled in Martin''s mind.

    Martin''s gaze naturally lowered to the ground.

    Then Rudger spoke.

    "Alright."

    "Yes?"

    Martin raised his head abruptly.

    He didn''t understand what Rudger just said.

    He agrees with this? So easily?

    He felt foolish for worrying needlessly.

    "I''m not so heartless as to impose difficult tasks on someone who dislikes them. If this approach isn''t effective, then it must be my fault."

    However, after saying that, Rudger stopped speaking and stared at Martin.

    His eyes were so clear that it seemed like he could see right through Martin''s inner thoughts.

    "If that''s your sincere intention, I will admit that I was wrong."

    "Sincere intention?"

    "I don''t consider words forcibly uttered under someone else''s coercion to be sincere."

    "...!"

    Martin''s breath caught in his throat.

    "Oh, well, it''s just..."

    Martin pondered in his mind.

    Rudger already knew everything.

    As Rudger said, Martin''s courageous stand against him wasn''t because this ss was truly meaningless.

    The method of physically exhausting oneself? At first, he didn''t like it, but as he continued, he realized something.

    Commoners surpassing him?

    That does indeed touch his pride.

    However, Martin was aware that when it came to magical beasts, talent and intuition yed a significant role.

    In contrast, he had a stronger inclination towards the theoretical aspects of magic, and he was actually achievingmendable grades in that area.

    He was still a student, but he knew at least how to differentiate what he was good at and what he wasn''t.

    Nevertheless, he took a stand against Rudger.

    It was due to external pressure.

    ''Ruin the lesson?''

    Hugo Burtag, who called him separately.

    Among Seron''s teachers, he is the keader of the noble faction and the one of the senior teachers with considerable authority.

    He said such words to him.

    Drop out of Rudger''s ss.

    ''Martin, it''s not that difficult. Just say you''re giving up and instigate some students.''

    ''What about the consequences of leaving Mr.Rudger ss?''

    ''I''ll help you with that. Besides, I will officiallyin to the principal about this special lecture. It''s too much to subject the students to such extreme measures.''

    Martin knew what Hugo wanted.

    He wasn''t criticizing the principal''s behavior of subjecting the students to extreme measures.

    He was trying to manipte the situation to restrict the principal, who was trying to wield her authority too much with this incident.

    However, Martin couldn''t easily dismiss Hugo''s proposal.

    It was because he had a connection with his father.

    ''Martin, how is your father doing?''

    ''...He''s fine.''

    ''Yeah, he better be. Thanks to our Burtag family''s support, he was able to grow considerably.''

    ''...''

    As Hugo said, thanks to Hugo''s care, Martin''s family, the Kandak family, was able to secure a decent position in noble society.

    In other words, it meant that the moment they fell out of Hugo''s favor, they could return to the past.

    Of course, a family that has established its position and roots would not be easily shaken by such a trivial reason.

    Martin''s father must have prepared for this kind of situation.

    If he thought rationally for a moment, there were ws in this threat.

    However, Martin was still young and not in a position to make such a judgment.

    ''Martin, if you do well in this matter, I can rmend you as a special privileged student. How does that sound? You will be treated well wherever you go after graduation.''

    ''Well...''

    ''It''s not a difficult task, is it? Just act your age and walk away. These kinds of sses are meaningless.''

    Martin couldn''t give a proper answer.

    He wanted to say that this was not right, but the words didn''te out of his mouth.

    Hugo looked at Martin disapprovingly and touched his mustache while sticking out his tongue.

    ''Huh, Mr.Hugo, sir. I...''

    ''You''re not reacting well at all. Tsk. Even though I tried to give you an opportunity, you''re saying you don''t want it.''

    ''Well...''

    ''There are plenty of others who can do this besides you. But I called you first because I have a connection with the Kandak family. But if the child turns out like this, the Kandak family will be quite disappointed too.''

    Martin closed his eyes tightly.

    ''...Yes, I''ll do it.''

    He had no choice but to say that.

    Martin woke up from his recollection and returned to reality.

    "What on earth..."

    "A student who has been quietly attending sses suddenly says he wants to quit, and there is someone who readily epts it? Where can you find such a person?"

    "But... I''m just one out of 80 students..."

    "Just one is enough. Out of the 80 students who attend MY ss."

    Martin couldn''t control his trembling.

    Being in such a state in front of someone who knew everything wasn''t just an ordinary embarrassment.

    How pitiful must Rudger have viewed him?

    Following someone''s instructions from behind, how insignificant must he have felt, mimicking their words like a parrot?

    Even thinking about it himself, he found himself repulsive, and if he thought from the perspective of a teacher, it would only magnify that repulsiveness.

    To Martin, who couldn''t continue speaking due to pale difort, Rudger spoke with a softer voice.

    "Martin Kandak. I consider you an excellent student. So I don''t me you or reprimand you in this situation. However, there is one thing I want you to answer clearly."

    "What... What is it?"

    "Do you really want to quit this ss?"

    Rudger asked with a prating gaze.

    "Do you really think that''s for the best?"

    Martin wanted to say that he had already given a sufficient answer to that question, but he held back.

    Rudger wasn''t looking for a formal answer.

    He wanted to hear his true feelings.

    "...I just thought that it didn''t matter if I continued this ss. But my opinion is meaningless. Even if it''s not me, someone will question this ss."

    "That''s right. The person who made you do this doesn''t expect good results from me in this ss. If it can''t be you, they will make someone else do the same thing. You thought it would be better if it was you."

    Martin nodded, feeling ashamed.

    Rudger didn''t me Martin for his behavior.

    "If my ss hasn''t shown its effect yet, that might be true. But unfortunately, that is no longer necessary."

    "What do you mean?"

    "Look over there."

    Martin looked in the direction Rudger pointed.

    And Martin widened his eyes in disbelief.

    "A magical beast?"

    A magical beast had appeared from among the students who were gathered for meditation.

 Chapter 345

    Special thanks to Soul for their generous donation, making this chapter possible.

    "Ah, no, how is this possible...?"

    Martin stammered as he looked at the suddenly appearing magical beast.

    No matter how hard he tried to summon a magical beast, could he really seed in such a short period of time?

    ''It usually takes at least six months for this process. Can it really be done so quickly?''

    Martin turned around to look at Rudger with a bewildered expression.

    Rudger''s gaze was fixed on the student who had just summoned the magical beast.

    ''As expected, it''s Flora Lumos.''

    Flora, known for having exceptional talent, was the first to sessfully summon a magical beast.

    Even without the influence of the possession, she already had abundant talent, and now she had even brought forth the potential for future growth.

    ''Even with that, summoning a magical beast is difficult to seed unless you have a proper grasp of your instincts.''

    Flora seemed quite astonished at the fact that she had summoned a magical beast.

    Rudger carefully observed Flora''s magical beast.

    Flora''s magical beast had the form of a beast.

    It was a jaguar with deep dark-blue fur simr to Flora''s hair color.

    The ratherrge jaguar circled around Flora, looking at her with an intrigued gaze and rubbing its head against her.

    ''So it takes the form of a beast. It''s the safest choice. Although I thought that Flora might create a slightly different and unique magical beast.''

    Of course, judging a magical beast solely by its appearance was not possible.

    After all, a magical beast is a beingposed of mana.

    Its abilities are influenced by innate mana, making it difficult to specte on its capabilities without directly witnessing them.

    ''Other than that, it surprisingly resembles Flora.''

    Considering Flora''s sharp eyes and usual behavior, she strangely resembled a cat.

    Perhaps reflecting the characteristics of its owner, the born magical beast was also a feline creature.

    It was huge for a cat, though.

    From what I remember, jaguars were said to be thergest creatures in the cat family after lions and tigers.

    ''First, I''ll make sure to calm everyone.''

    The students around Flora also looked at her magical beast with fascination but didn''t approach.

    It was because Flora''s magical beast emitted a golden glow from its eyes and growled.

    "Martin Kandak."

    "Yes? Yes."

    "Return to your seat. There''s no need for you to worry about what''s about to happen."

    Martin realized that Hugo''s n hadpletely fallen apart the moment Flora summoned her magical beast.

    However, even considering that, he had already expressed his objection in front of everyone, directed towards Rudger.

    Although it was somewhat involuntary, Martin still had his own sense of shame about what he had done.

    He couldn''t concentrate on the ss as naturally as before.

    "The conversation we had earlier waspletely blocked through magic. The students have no idea what we talked about."

    "But, Teacher, I... you know."

    "Are you still talking?"

    Rudger immediately lifted the sound-blocking magic and spoke to Martin with an expressionless face.

    "I have no idea what you''re talking about. Martin Kandak. It seems like you were quite tired because of the ss. Go and take a rest while awakening your senses about magical beasts."

    Martin widened his eyes at the intentionally suggestive words.

    Rudger opened his mouth faster than Martin could say anything in response.

    "As a member of the Kandak family, wouldn''t it be unfair if you can''t summon magical beasts? Go back to your seat."

    "Yes."

    Rudger gazed at Martin''s back as he returned to his seat with weary steps, as if he had just woken up from a dream.

    ''I thought he would raise his head again after some time had passed.''

    Since taking the position of Director of nning, Rudger had dealt a significant blow to Hugo''s faction.

    It wasn''t at the principal''s order.

    As he had already shown his disdain for noble factions, including Hugo, he needed to diminish their hostile influence to some extent.

    Taking advantage of Hugo''s weaknesses in that aspect, Rudger had weakened the noble factions'' voices due to internal rifts.

    ''I thought it would take quite some time for the rift to heal within the organization. Was I too careless?''

    Or perhaps, Hugo''s charisma in handling people was greater than Rudger had anticipated.

    No, there was no reason to believe that Hugo, who had no remarkable achievements apart from his noble lineage, possessed leadership qualities.

    But that didn''t mean he waspletely oblivious.

    He knew better than anyone that this was not the time to act recklessly.

    ''Since this is the opportune moment, someone must be behind Hugo.''

    When referring to that someone, they were probably the sponsors who provided substantial funding to the Seron Academy every year.

    Whether it was a group or an individual, it was unclear, but it was evident that Hugo had formed a connection with them.

    ''For Hugo, who wanted to establish his position firmly within Seron, it was an alliance that he probably reluctantly epted.''

    Now that the bnce between the president faction and the noble factionspletely shattered due to my actions.

    Hugo must have had the feeling of wanting to seek even the devil''s help.

    So he wouldn''t have been able to refuse the hand offered by the sponsors.

    ''Instead of not being able to have it himself, he will bring in external forces, is that his n?''

    In the midst of the resulting chaos, he aimed to seize any privileges he could.

    ''A noble who abandons their pride and takes advantage of the situation. That''s what they call a person with a sharp mind for judging the situation.''

    The thoughts of the sponsors who supported Hugo were also obvious.

    Seron was a massive organization.

    As such, it requires substantial funding, and there are many sponsors.

    However, not all sponsors are the same.

    Naturally, sponsors are divided based on the amount of support they provide.

    ''Simr to major shareholders in apany.''

    And these individuals do not sponsor Seron out of mere goodwill.

    What they do is a definite ''investment.''

    And they expect corresponding rewards for their investments.

    Namely, the authority to intervene in Seron.

    ''There has been a lot of noise internally so far, but Seron has undoubtedly been able to keep external forces at bay. However, the current field study incident has caused a significant rift.''

    Rudger thought the situation was strangely unfolding.

    If he had been a mere new teacher, he wouldn''t have needed to concern himself with such matters.

    However, he had be the nning director of Seron, and this incident was not unrted to him.

    ''Whose doing is this? It can''t be the royal family or Mage Tower.''

    Considering Princess Eileen''s personality, Rudger judged that she wouldn''t join forces with Hugo.

    If Eileen also wanted to have Seron under her influence, she would have taken a slightly different approach considering her prideful nature.

    Mage Tower, on the other hand, was a viable option, but he believed it would be difficult due to constraints.

    New Tower, Old Tower, and the Association of Schools.

    Their influence on Seron was equal.

    They had perfectly divided shares, and they would have been even more dissatisfied considering the field study incident.

    If any one of them had ill intentions, the other two organizations would hinder them.

    But it didn''t mean the three of them would coborate to carry out such actions.

    On the contrary, while pretending to coborate, they would consider betraying each other.

    The rtionship between the three organizations was soplex that even Rudger had to trust them deeply in a sense.

    Despite using the process of elimination to remove significant factors, there were still many suspects remaining.

    Rudger sighed, he couldn''t help it with theck of clues at the moment.

    "Teacher."

    At that moment, with a creaking sound, Flora''s voice came through.

    "I seeded."

    Flora tried to soundposed, but her expression couldn''t hide her slight excitement.

    While others might not have noticed, Rudger could tell.

    "Well, you seeded faster than anyone else."

    "Well, of course. I was born with exceptional talent."

    "Your sess will serve as an example to other students. Just don''t be too conceited. Summoning a magic beast is not only challenging during the process, but also after the summoning."

    In other words, Flora was now standing at the starting line.

    Flora was well aware of that.

    She only said it like this to receive praise from Rudger, even if it was just that.

    "...I know."

    Rudger''s response felt somewhat distant to Flora.

    She thought they had opened up to each other to some extent, but was that just her own misconception?

    When Flora was about to turn away with a slightly disappointed feeling, Rudger spoke in a small voice that only Flora could hear.

    "Well done."

    "What? What did you just say..."

    Flora tried to ask, but Rudger had already started walking away.

    "As you can see, training in this manner can bring you guaranteed results. Since you''re all grasping the feeling, it probably won''t take long."

    Flora''s sess had actually benefited the surrounding students.

    There were some doubts about this lesson, but Flora washed them away as if to prove something.

    Of course, some students still couldn''t erase their suspicions that Flora, as a senior and a genius, was able to achieve it quickly.

    Nevertheless, it was clear that the atmosphere of the ss had improvedpared to before.

    The students closed their eyes once again and entered a state of meditation.

    Perhaps the fact that someone had seeded breathed hope into them.

    No one was cking off.

    Especially Martin Kandak, who remained seated and exerted the utmost effort.

    His efforts finally paid off.

    "Uh, uh? Martin, you!"

    His friends, who usually hung out together, stared at Martin with surprise.

    However, Martin couldn''t pay attention to their reactions.

    His gaze was captivated by the mysterious creature that appeared before him.

    It was the form of a girl smaller than a human head.

    She had a small and short body, and her head was disproportionatelyrge, but that made her look cute in a way.

    The girl,posed of magic, wandered around Martin while looking at him with transparent eyes.

    "So, in the form of an anthropomorphic being."

    At that moment, Rudger, who approached after witnessing Martin''s sess, spoke while observing his magical beast.

    "Anthropomorphic, huh?"

    "Yes. Magical beast usually take the form of animals, nts, or tools, but asionally, there are also entities that resemble human beings like this."

    Rudger carefully observed Martin''s magical construct.

    "Typically, it''s even rarer than beasts in the form of tools. It might be a magical beast befitting the Kandak family, which specializes in dollcraft."

    "...Do you know about my family?"

    "Yes. It''s true that nowadays, with the advancement of mechanical engineering, automatons have developed more than dolls. But once upon a time, I heard that the Kandak family was unparalleled in doll manufacturing."

    Martin was extremely surprised that Rudger knew such a fact.

    It turned out that it wasn''t just an empty statement when he said he remembered all the students in his ss.

    In reality, Martin''s family was on a path of decline due to the development of automatons and golems.

    Controlling dolls with magic, as before, was considered outdated.

    Martin''s father had tried various changes to revive the family.

    However, change requires significant energy and funding.

    The declining Kandak family didn''t have enough resources to support such changes.

    The Burtag family offered their support, leading the Kandak family to umte a significant debt to the Burtags.

    "If it''s an anthropomorphic magical beast, does it have any other special qualities?"

    "The abilities of a magical construct stem not from its outward appearance but from the user''s will and magical inclination. However, since it''s not somethingmonly seen, there''s a high possibility that it possesses unique abilities that others cannot perform. There haven''t been many cases of anthropomorphic magical beasts being weak so far."

    Martin''s expression brightened.

    If Rudger, who rarely speaks kind words, said it to that extent, it clearly seemed like an exceptional case.

    "Don''t get overly excited. Remember, the duration and enhancement of a summoned magical beast solely rely on the magician''s efforts. In fact, such moments demand even greater dedication and hard work."

    "Yes! I understand!"

    Martin nodded earnestly.

    Seeing his expression, it seemed unnecessary to lecture him any further, so Rudger nodded his head once.

    Martin''s sess truly fueled the determination of the students.

    While it was understandable for Flora, who had exceptional talent, Martin, who previously had no significant presence, seeded.

    The students poured their efforts into summoning their magical beasts, their eyes burning with determination.

    They didn''t hesitate to spend their mana, even without Rudger''s instructions.

    This was an unexpected development for Rudger as well.

    And the oue was equally impressive.

    Three days after Martin and Flora''s sess.

    All the students attending Rudger''s special lecture had sessfully summoned their own unique magical beasts.

    This remarkable feat was achieved within a mere two weeks.

 Chapter 346

    At the training grounds, where the special lecture on summoning magical beasts was taking ce, there was a noticeable difference in the atmosphere.

    Unlike the usual calmness, the training grounds were now bustling with activity.

    The students, each adorned with a summoned magical beast, had formed a bond with their mana.

    ''I can''t believe they all seeded.''

    Rudger examined the magical beasts summoned by the students, most of which took the form ofmon animals.

    It was somewhat expected.

    Magical beasts, aspanions or familiars born from a magician''s mana, naturally manifested as animalsmonly kept as pets.

    Flora summoned a giant blue jaguar.

    On Cheryl''s shoulder, a vibrant parrot perched, its colorful feathers reflecting her hair.

    Amidst the students, a smallmotion arose.

    At the center of it was Erendir.

    Curious about the cause, Rudger noticed it was because of the magical beast resting on her forearm.

    A golden eagle emitting a radiant light.

    Its majestic presence and regal demeanor captivated the attention of onlookers, showcasing its splendid allure.

    Among the newly summoned magical beasts, it stood out distinctly in terms of appearance alone.

    Rudger clicked his tongue and shook his head.

    ''A magical beast is more than just its appearance.''

    For the students who were unaware of this fact, Erendir''s summoned magical beast was nothing short of remarkable.

    Rudger nced at Erendir.

    As the surrounding students began showing an unusual interest, her face was filled with joy.

    She tried her best to conceal it, but her cheeks couldn''t hide the slight flush.

    Indeed, one could doubt whether she truly belonged to the imperial lineage leading the empire.

    ''Well, for now, let''s just let them enjoy it.''

    If it were the usual Rudger, he would have reprimanded them for being fascinated by appearances alone.

    But now, things were different because he had personally witnessed Erendir''s difficult situation at pce.

    Overshadowed by her eldest sister, Eileen, and relentlessly tormented, it was far from an ordinary hardship.

    ''And Eileen herself calls it an expression of affection.''

    The problem was the excessive and distorted way she expressed it.

    What might be cute to an ordinary person could be a traumatic shock to a hamster, for example.

    Rudger decided to let Erendir fully enjoy being the protagonist, even if it was just for a fleeting moment.

    But perhaps fate did not want to let go of Erendir.

    The attention and interest of the students soon shifted to another student.

    "Uh, uh? What is that?"

    "It''s a magical beast... in the shape of a sword?"

    In the ce where the students'' gaze gathered, there was Aidan quietly staring at his magical beast.

    Unlike the other students'' magical beasts, Aidan''s summoned beast had the form of a tool.

    It was a sharp sword.

    The sword made of faint magical energy floated in front of Aidan.

    The students watched Aidan with a mixture of envy and jealousy.

    Leo muttered with a sigh at that sight.

    "Anyway, he always manages to attract people''s attention."

    Sitting on Leo''s shoulder, there was a cat with fur of the same color as his hair, gracefully wrapping its tail around his neck.

    Leo himself had summoned a rather ordinary magical beast and nced at Tracy.

    Tracy was staring intently at Aidan''s magical beast with an expression of disbelief.

    Above Tracy''s head, a sunflower bloomed.

    Could it be a nt-shaped magical beast?

    Thinking about Tracy''s usual appearance, it felt strange to call it a sunflower.

    However, it was not an ordinary sunflower.

    It emitted a faint red light, and the parts that could be called petals were made of mes.

    Tracy''s magical beast was definitely not ordinary in appearance.

    In fact, Tracy herself was secretly proud of the magical beast she had summoned.

    She thought that she could easily crush the arrogance of those who had ignored her before.

    However, the important role was taken away by Aidan, who apanied her.

    "How can he summon such a magical beast...."

    "Hey, Tracy. Calm down. As Mr.Rudger said, the appearance of a magical beast isn''t everything."

    Aidan tried to calm down Tracy, who was disheartened.

    "Phew. Yeah, you''re right, Aidan. The appearance isn''t everything. Still, it''s notmon to have a tool-shaped magical beast."

    "Tracy''s magical beast is also something to be proud of. right?"

    "...Really?"

    Tracy''s expression seemed to rx slightly at Aidan''s praise, even if it was just a little.

    But her expression darkened again when she looked at Iona.

    It was because of the gauntlets on her arms.

    "How...can both of them have tool-shaped magical beasts...."

    Iona''s magical beast, like Aidan''s, also had the shape of a tool.

    When Tracy was feeling desperate, Leo approached Iona and spoke.

    "Your magical beast is cool."

    "Oh, thanks. Your magical beast is cute too."

    "It''s cute yes. No need to say it out loud."

    "But it''s true."

    Watching this whole scene, Rudger silently admired.

    ''Out of those four, two of them have summoned tool-shaped magical beasts.''

    Martin, who had summoned a humanoid-shaped magical beast, was also the same.

    Among 80 students, even if just one person summoned a unique magical beast, it would have been considered a lot, but this exceeded expectations.

    ''As for the other students, there doesn''t seem to be anything particrly noteworthy.''

    Most of them were animal-shaped magical beings.

    Birds, dogs, cats, and mice.

    asionally, there were noticeable magical beings like turtles or fish.

    ''If I had to pick something unique, it would be Julia Plumhart''s magical beast.''

    Some students seemed to share a simr thought as they couldn''t take their eyes off Julia''s magical beast.

    Considering her exceptional magical talent, mysterious smile, and the attitude that kept others at bay.

    Even if her summoned magical beast had an animal form, he thought it would be a dazzling one, like a peacock or a white tiger from the snowy mountains.

    However, Julia''s magical beast waspletely different from those.

    ''A jellyfish, huh? I wonder what symbolism lies behind it.''

    It moved through the air, appearing like a white angel with its flowing movements.

    That mysterious atmosphere vaguely resembled Julia herself.

    The rest of the students mostly had nt-shaped magical beasts.

    ''There is a human-shaped one and even two tool-shaped ones, so there shouldn''t be anything more surprising...''

    While thinking so, Rudger widened his eyes as he saw thest student.

    At the end of his gaze was Rine.

    More precisely, it was the magical beast she had summoned.

    ''What is that?''

    The first thought that came to Rudger''s mind when he saw that magical beast was confusion.

    Rudger did not specialize in magical beasts.

    Naturally,pared to experts, his knowledge wascking.

    However, thanks to the thorough education by Grander, Rudger was able to explore various knowledge that ordinary wizards might not know.

    Even for someone like Rudger, he had never seen a magical beast like Rine''s before.

    ''What do you call such a thing? A shape?''

    It was neither an animal, nt, tool, nor humanoid.

    It was a form that he had never seen in any magical being.

    The three-dimensional shape, floating in the air, had a translucent appearance.

    As Rudger regained hisposure, he finally recalled where he had seen that shape before.

    ''That''s a polyhedron.''

    It was an imperfectly refined dodecahedron. (12)

    Although its overall shape was round, it was clearly a dodecahedron.

    What was even more surprising was that the polyhedron was not in a fixed shape.

    Even now, it was changing its form in real-time, transitioning from a cube to an octahedron, and from there to a dodecahedron.

    Rine, seemingly surprised herself for summoning such a form of magical beast, turned to Rudger.

    "Um, Professor. My magical beast..."

    Before Rine could finish her sentence, something strange happened to her magical beast.

    The magical beast, in the shape of a geometric figure, started trembling and emitting a faint light.

    Simultaneously, a sound like ss shattering echoed in everyone''s ears.

    Had something broken?

    Before such a question could be answered, the surrounding magical beasts began to react fiercely.

    "W-What''s happening?"

    "C-Calm down! Stay still!"

    "Ack! I can''t control it!"

    The magical beasts gathered here were like newborn babies in human terms.

    It was natural for novice magical beasts to react strongly to the unknown waves emitted by Rine''s magical beast.

    Suddenly, Rudger had a thought.

    Perhaps even a seasoned wizard summoning a magical beast in this ce would be taken aback.

    However, that was not important right now.

    If the magical beasts started rampaging, the surroundings would be a chaotic mess.

    ''I need to calm the situation.''

    Without hesitation, Rudger summoned his own magical beast.

    [Aether Nocturnus]

    Sensing Rudger''s will, it appeared on his shoulder in the form of a raven, not in the form of clothing.

    "Please."

    Rudger spoke like that and grasped his long staff.

    Aether Nocturnus reluctantly nodded its head.

    As the form of the raven copsed, it seeped into Rudger''s staff.

    The most effective way to control magic beast is through its owner.

    But if the summoner cannot handle it properly, external intervention may be necessary.

    And naturally, the most effective influence on magic beast came from the same magic power.

    Thud.

    The staff that engulfed Aether Nocturnus struck the floor of the training ground.

    From the tip of the staff, a ck shadow spread in all directions.

    Like pouring ck ink into clear water, the ck pool rapidly expanded around Rudger as the center.

    Rudger infused more power into Aether Nocturnus embedded in the staff.

    The shadow, greedily swallowing the power, finally satisfied, swelled its own size even more.

    In an instant, the ck shadow engulfed half of the training ground.

    The magic beasts who were about to rampage were all frozen in ce.

    They sensed the presence of a superior magical beast, surpassing their own strength.

    Just like being terrified in front of a predator, the newly born magic beasts were powerless against their natural instincts.

    Some magic beasts couldn''t withstand the pressure and even reverse summoned.

    "The magic beasts have calmed down!"

    "W-What is this ck thing?"

    The startled students could finally see that Rudger had taken some action.

    "Incredible."

    Flora eximed softly as she looked at Rudger.

    Beside her, her magic beast wrinkled its brows as if displeased and growled softly.

    There were 80 magic beasts in this ce.

    More than 70 of them were on the verge of going berserk.

    Rudger, relying solely on his own power, managed to suppress the situation that could have escted into a major disaster.

    ''Moreover, this scent....''

    When Flora smelled the deep, yet familiar fragrance emanating from the shadows.

    Rudger, who raised his head, opened his mouth.

    "Everyone, stay still."

    Rudger swept the audience with a grim gaze.

    ''What a gaze.''

    ''Just intimidating the magic beasts with his momentum?''

    ''More than that, this ck shadow, is it Rudger''s magic beast?''

    The students were astonished by the dignity of the magic beast shown by Rudger for the first time.

    How on earth could he make a magic beast this enormous, covering such a vast training ground, almost halfway?

    ''Is this... the rumored ability of Teacher Rudger?''

    ''Moreover, isn''t this still not his full power?''

    They had already been sufficiently amazed, but there was still more to be astonished about.

    The students regarded Rudger with a mixture of awe and respect.

    However, for Rudger himself, it was a bitter experience.

    ''I feel dizzy.''

    Aether Nocturnus was not in his original form but deliberately changed into a different form.

    He had also filled the magic beast with power, making them fearful.

    Just this simple act alone required Rudger to consume a tremendous amount of mana in real time.

    He had to finish the job before all the mana was depleted.

    "Rine."

    Rudger called out Rine''s name as he approached her slowly.

    To avoid provoking that unknown magic beast.

    Fortunately, after showing abnormal behavior, Rene''s magic beast did not show any further response.

    Perhaps it was frightened by the presence of Aether Nocturnus.

    At that moment, Rudger thought it was fortunate regardless of the circumstances.

    Rine turned to look at Rudger.

    "Teacher."

    Her pupils pierced through Rudger''s sealing magic, radiating a brilliant light.

    Simultaneously, a tear rolled down her cheek.

    "Why are you showing me such emotions?"

    "..."

    When Rudger was about to say something, Rine copsed like a limp doll.

    With the loss of consciousness of the owner, the enigmatic magical beast was also involuntarily unsummoned and vanished.

    Reacting swiftly, Rudger summoned shadows to catch her falling body.

    Upon examination, he found that her breathing was steady, and herplexion appeared normal.

    It seemed that she had simply fainted.

    Rudger called the shadows that had been scattered around.

    Swoosh.

    As if rewinding time, the ck shadows were drawn into the tip of Rudger''s staff.

    From the end of the staff, the shadow transformed into the form of a raven.

    All eyes followed the sucking shadows and focused on Rudger.

    No one could utter a word.

    "Today''s lesson ends here."

 Chapter 347

    "Professor, is Rine okay?"

    Erendir, who followed Rudger all the way to the infirmary, asked with concern.

    "She''s fine."

    "But why did she suddenly copse..."

    "It''s probably because of the magical beast. You felt it too, right?"

    "Yes. Everyone was shocked because of that peculiar magical beast."

    "Some of the newly born magical beasts have rather sensitive aspects. They unknowingly consume excessive mana from their owners. Rine fainted because of that."

    Erendir wanted to ask if that was the only reason, but the question didn''te out of her mouth.

    Rudger''s serious expression didn''t allow for such questions.

    "Erendir, I understand your concern for your junior, but you should go now. Don''t you have sses to attend?"

    "But..."

    "Leave this to me here. I have plenty of time, so I can take care of Rine."

    "...There''s no need for a teacher to do it."

    "This is what happened in my ss. If I don''t do it, who will?"

    In the end, Erendir had no choice but to leave the ward, acknowledging Rudger''s words.

    Rudger silently watched over Rine, who was sound asleep on the bed.

    -Why are you showing guilt?

    Those were Rine''sst words before she copsed.

    It made Rudger''s emotions beplicated.

    ''just for a moment, the sealing magic was pierced, and the energy inside the judgment eye exploded exponentially.''

    Rudger had read such contents in the literature.

    The judgment eye sees the true nature of a person.

    However, the abilities of the judgment eye could not be defined in just one line.

    The judgment eye was a mysterious power that allowed certain existences to awaken as saints.

    That power distinguished between good and evil, sought hidden darkness, and expelled what was impure.

    The first power of the judgment eye.

    The eye that discerned what was impure.

    Rine''s ability to distinguish whether someone had malicious intentions or posed a threat was thanks to this fundamental ability.

    Likewise, her ability to approach Erendir or Rudger without hesitation was because the judgment eye didn''t send any danger signals.

    The problem was the new characteristics that emerged as this power grew stronger.

    ''It can read emotions''

    No deceptive existence could hide its true nature in front of the judgment eye.

    The judgment eye saw through the evil and distinguished their lies.

    There is a difference between reading thoughts and reading emotions.

    However, it was easy to tell if someone was hostile or harbored some kind of ill intent.

    Rine asking Rudger why he felt guilt was due to the strengthened abilities of the judgment eye.

    ''Why did it suddenly be stronger? I even used sealing magic to suppress that power.''

    The biggest reason was undoubtedly that magical beast.

    The mysterious magical beast that had no records in any literature until now.

    It manifested some kind of power, and because of that, Rine''s judgment eye, even if only momentarily, explosively grew stronger.

    ''But it''s strange. Rine''s non-attribute mana and the judgment eye are clearly separate things.''

    There have been no stories of previous owners of the judgment eye possessing non-attribute mana.

    Conversely, those who possessed non-attribute mana did not possess the judgment eye.

    In a way, Rine was a malformed child of an era where these two peculiar cases merged into one.

    There has never been one before, and there will never be another in the future.

    She was a unique existence.

    ''With existing knowledge, it''s impossible to make a reckless judgment.''

    If anyone knew this fact, they would think that Rine had been blessed.

    Possessing two exceptional talents that others cannot have would be an object of envy to those who don''t possess them.

    However, Rudger knows that it is neither a blessing nor a gift.

    Unwanted power is nothing less than a curse.

    Just like he can hear the voices of the gods.

    Rine, too, would have endured a lot of suffering, even though she didn''t express it outwardly.

    ''Non-attribute mana. I must find a solution for that at least.''

    Non-attribute mana is a rare type of mana with unknown properties in the world.

    Rudger searched through numerous books and papers, but he still couldn''t figure out exactly what kind of mana it was.

    However, one thing he could be certain of is that non-attribute mana consumes the user''s life force.

    Kwak!

    Power naturally surged into Rudger''s fist.

    The previous owners of non-attribute mana ultimately couldn''t withstand their own mana and died.

    The scene of that day is still vivid in his mind.

    ''Even so, I thought I had enough time.''

    The owner of non-attribute mana can hardly surpass the age of 25, no matter how long they live.

    As time passes, the mana bes stronger, but the body cannot endure it.

    The mana that gradually bes more powerful is poison to the body.

    If it cannot be expelled, that person''s life gradually heads towards its end.

    ''I thought Rine had several more years considering her age.''

    Rine''s progress was faster than expected.

    Could it be because of the book he gave her about non-attribute mana?

    Or was it due to the unique synergy between the judgment eye and the magical beast?

    ''This magical beast formed by non-attribute mana is unlike anything I''ve ever witnessed.''

    Until Rine unleashed her power, her judgment eye had remained stagnant.

    It was truly a total crisis.

    ''In the end, should I contact him?''

    There was one person they had been pretending not to know each other.

    It''s not that he avoids meeting him personally, but if he had to choose between liking or disliking, he would lean towards thetter.

    He was Rine''s magic teacher, whom Rudger entrusted her to after erasing her memories.

    ''If we only consider skill, he could easily be one of Owens'' as an executive.''

    However, Rudger didn''t call him because of their rtionship.

    Rine''s magic teacher despised Rudger deeply.

    Just like dealing with a bitter enemy.

    Rudger knew the reason, so after leaving Rine with him, he didn''t interfere or even make contact.

    There was also the fact that he didn''t have the qualification to do so, but it was also because the person couldn''t stand him to the point of having seizures.

    It was only natural considering what happened between them in the past.

    However, regarding the study of non-attribute mana, the two of them had a shared goal, so he must has been diligently researching during the past years.

    There must be some results.

    ''Come to think of it, that guy had his own problems too. I told him to take care of her properly, but he just sent her to Seron?''

    Rudger became annoyed with him, but he couldn''t help it.

    ''That stupid guy. He probably acted all serious on the outside, but if Rine pleaded with him desperately, he wouldn''t have been able to refuse.''

    Rudger understood what kind of person he was, so he couldn''tpletely understand why Rine hade to Seron.

    ''He maye across as useless, but he''s likely been far from idle. While his character may be questionable, his skills are truly remarkable.''

    When considering only skill, he could rival Owens'' executives.

    Rudger even went so far as to think about a code name assuming that he might join U.N. Owen.

    ''If only the rtionship between him and me had been a little better.''

    His code name would have been ''Goethe''.

    "Hmm."

    At that moment, Rine, who was lying down, groaned and opened her eyes.

    * * *

    Rine was taken aback.

    She opened her eyes to find herself in a hospital room?

    She couldn''t recall when she had lost consciousness.

    What surprised her even more was that the person who had been taking care of her by her side was Rudger.

    "Mr.Rudger?! Why are you here?!"

    "Don''t you remember? You copsed during the lesson, and I brought you here. Don''t you have something to say first."

    "Uh, thank you?"

    "Yes."

    "Well, I appreciate it, but you don''t have to keep waiting here."

    "What happened during my ss is my responsibility as the teacher in charge."

    Rine felt unnecessarily sorry, thinking that she had burdened Rudger.

    "Rine, are you feeling alright?"

    "Huh? Ah, yes. I think I''m okay now."

    Rine checked her body condition here and there as she answered.

    She btedly remembered why she had fainted.

    "I... I fainted because of the magical beast, right?"

    "Do you remember what you saw before fainting?"

    "Uh, well... I summoned the magical beast, and my magical beast emitted some strange power. And then..."

    And then...

    Rine mumbled those words but couldn''t finish her sentence.

    "I don''t remember."

    "You don''t?"

    "No. I have a vague feeling of what I sawst and I might have mumbled something unknowingly. But I can''t recall it."

    "...."

    Rudger carefully observed Rine''s appearance.

    He had a suspicion that she might know something but was pretending not to, but her expression didn''t give him that impression at all.

    There had been a simr incident before.

    At that time, Rine unknowingly mumbled Rudger''s real name.

    Perhaps the seal on her memories had been slightly disturbed.

    "What did I say? I didn''t say anything disrespectful, did I?!"

    Rudger gave Rine a prepared response.

    "You didn''t say anything. You simply fainted due to the shock of summoning the magical beast for the first time."

    "Oh."

    "It was good that you summoned the magical beast for the first time, but this time, it went too far."

    Rudger''s concerned reproach made Rine feel unnecessarily embarrassed.

    "I''m sorry."

    "But it was my fault for not mentioning it beforehand, so you don''t need to apologize."

    "Really?"

    "Your magical beast is like a newborn baby. It''s natural to react sensitively without adapting to the world you encounter for the first time."

    "Magical beasts can be like that too?"

    "A magical beast doesn''t necessarily obey only its owner''smands. Sometimes it refuses, and at times, it even tries to devour its owner."

    Upon hearing those words, Rine felt an inexplicable fear.

    Being devoured by a magical beast.

    Just hearing it was terrifying, wasn''t it?

    "Of course, such cases are extremely rare."

    "I... I don''t know magical beasts that well. Isn''t my magical beast also an exceptional case?"

    "That..."

    Come to think of it, that was true.

    Rudger hesitated to answer, and Rine became anxious.

    "T-Then, will I be devoured?!"

    "No, that won''t happen."

    "What should I do? I still have so many things I want to do! To go so soon like this!"

    "Rine."

    "Does it hurt a lot to be devoured by a magical beast? Is there no pain? Should I write a will...?"

    "Calm down, Rine."

    Rudger''s firm voice instantly settled Rine''s dizzying mind.

    It felt as if a heavy anchor had been dropped into the turbulent center of her heart.

    "That won''t happen. The magician who was consumed by a magical beast was experiencing a state of magical frenzy due to the excessive utilization of magical power. It was a tragedy brought about by their own mistreatment of the magical beast."

    "I... I see."

    "That''s right. So if you handle your magical beast properly, there is no risk of being devoured."

    How to handle the magical beast in its unfamiliar form would be a future problem.

    "But it seems you don''t want to die."

    "Do most people like that sort of thing?"

    "Most people would probably dislike it. But there are also those who like it. More importantly, you mentioned that you have a lot you want to do?"

    "Huh? Ah, well..."

    Rine seemed quite flustered, not expecting Rudger to bring up the words she blurted out.

    "Well, um... yes?"

    "What do you want to do?"

    "What do I want to do? Well, I have so many things I''m considering. I want to explore various kinds of magic, I want to travel and see different parts of the world, and I also want to have new experiences."

    "Do you have any career aspirations?"

    "I want to be a magical researcher."

    "A researcher?"

    "Yes!"

    Rine nodded with a brighter expression.

    "There are still many unknown magics in the world, right? Including the non-attribute magic power I possess. I want to be a magical researcher not only for myself but also for people who don''t know what kind of magic power they have."

    "I see."

    It was a highly altruistic reason for choosing a future career.

    Usually, kids of her age only aimed for sess through magic.

    "Bing a magical researcher is a challenging path."

    "But I still want to do it! It''s my dream."

    "To be a researcher, you need extensive knowledge of magic, and you''ll have to write a significant number of research papers. You need to excel in theoretical aspects, and your magical achievements should not becking."

    "Oh... is that much?"

    She had thought about wanting to be a magical researcher, but she didn''t expect it to be this difficult.

    "Bing a researcher, especially someone studying magic, is a task reserved for the intellectual elite. Even someone like Clinton Rotschild, a 7th-rank Imperia-ranked magician, is a magical researcher. That''s why he rarely appears in the public eye."

    "I see."

    Rine instantly became gloomy.

    The goal she had wanted so desperately turned out to be an challenging path.

    Rudger thought she resembled a puppy who couldn''t go for a walk, looking dejected.

    "Don''t be too disappointed. If you make an effort, you can definitely be a magical researcher."

    "Really?"

    Rine''s expression brightened again.

    She was a sincere student, wearing her emotions openly.

    That was Rine.

    Someone whom Rudger valued and felt remorseful towards.

    Therefore, he had an obligation to repay her.

    "You''re doing very well in the theoretical aspects of my ss. If you can handle your innate magical power well, you will undoubtedly be a remarkable magical researcher in this century. I guarantee it."

    "But still, it''s going to be difficult, right?"

    "It will be challenging. Sometimes it will be overwhelming, and you might want to give up."

    "Yeah, I can imagine. Oh, by any chance, have you experienced something simr, Teacher?"

    "Of course. I''ve been through the same."

    "Really? I thought Mr.Rudger was good at everything."

    "Everyone fails, and everyone faces setbacks due to the barriers of reality. I''m not exempt from that either."

    Rine asked cautiously.

    "In that case, how did you ovee such situations, Mr.Rudger?"

    "I haven''t ovee them. I just endured and persevered."

    Yes, he just endured.

    Even if the wounds engraved in his soul and memories healed, the scars remained.

    It was impossible topletely ovee them.

    "Why?"

    Rudger''s words were directed at those pure, innocent eyes that were fixed on him.

    "Because that''s how it has to be."

 Chapter 348

    A heartfelt thank you to Shanlum Shadan for their generous support!

    Rudger''s special lecture on magical beast spread like wildfire within the Academy.

    All the students who participated in the lecture seeded in summoning their magical beast.

    Just as a baby eventually takes its first steps, it was natural for a magician to summon magical beast.

    But what if that time was dramatically shortened?

    That''s when the story takes a different turn.

    Summoning magical beast in Seron requires at least three years.

    The process itself takes a minimum of six months to over a year, which is a significant amount of time.

    However, Rudger''s special lecture had drastically shortened it by several times.

    Of course, there wereints from the students initially due to the excessive intensity of the ss.

    Students who weren''t ustomed to sports suddenly found themselves covered in dirt and sweat, so it was only natural for negativements to arise on the ''Akashic Records''.

    Fueling the rumors, some even spread rumors that Rudger''s lecture would fail.

    With someone pushing from behind, the rumors spread like wildfire.

    ''It certainly seemed that way. How on earth did the situation end up like this?''

    As the rumors quickly flipped, their impact was equally significant.

    Hugo Burtag let out a deep sigh in his private office.

    Despite his attempts to ruin Rudger''s ss, Rudger sessfullypleted the lecture, as if unting his achievement.

    Hugo couldn''tprehend it.

    No, shouldn''t there have been at least one failure if he had been sessful all this time?

    How is it possible for a human to remain unaffected after enduring such a brutal attack?

    ''It''s difficult to imagine that even the privileged noble students have adapted to such a savage ss.''

    The students from noble backgrounds are the ones who would resist the most if you summon magical beast like that.

    They have lived their whole lives receiving only good clothes, good food, and good treatment.

    They were supposed to be soaring birds in the sky, not earthworms crawling on the ground.

    Didn''t those birds find it exhrating to get their feathers dirty while running on the ground?

    Among them were the Third Princess, the children of the Lumos Family, and even Julia from Mage Tower.

    And none of them raised any objections to Rudger''s ss?

    Rudger Chelsea, has that human learned some kind of hypnosis?

    Well, let''s generously assume that.

    So, deliberately, some students pressured others to challenge Rudger in his ss.

    But no one followed through with those words.

    ''This just doesn''t make sense.''

    Rudger Chelsea, does that fallen nobleman truly possess something extraordinary?

    Hugo couldn''t fathom that the students genuinely followed Rudger.

    To him, education was not sincerely teaching someone but merely a means to preserve his position.

    Above all, the biggest problem that confronted Hugo was the current situation where his n had failed.

    ''I assured him that I could handle it. Now what should I do?''

    Rudger Chelsea.

    Just thinking about him made Hugo grind his teeth.

    That guy who single-handedly destroyed the delicate bnce he had carefully maintained like walking on a tightrope.

    He had seized his position with overwhelming skills that no one could refute, leaving an irreparable crack in the noble faction.

    Hugo couldn''t forget the humiliating situation where he had to cut off the tails of the noble faction himself.

    That''s why this time, he had to seed.

    ''What should I say to him?''

    As he failed once again, Hugo felt nothing but frustration.

    Since Rudger took over the nning department, Hugo''s faction had declined.

    No one followed a person who had lost their trust.

    Although there were still some people by Hugo''s side, it was a far cry from before.

    However, having experienced the taste of power, Hugo was unwilling to surrender.

    The intoxicating allure of power provides a potent stimtion to the mind.

    An excessively high threshold ultimately crushes one''s spirit.

    Hugo was no different.

    He couldn''tpromise or let go of what was in his hands.

    If he lost something, he had to regain it.

    No, he had to grasp even more than that for his satisfaction.

    That''s why Hugo decided to seek outside assistance.

    A big shot who provided substantial funds to Seron every year.

    He made contact with them.

    The big shot weed Hugo warmly.

    It was because if the principal tightly held the power of Seron, it would be difficult for them to intervene.

    They needed someone who could act on their behalf, and Hugo was a perfect fit for the job.

    Then, a light flickered from the crystal ball ced in front of Hugo.

    Finally, it has arrived.

    Hugo swallowed nervously and infused magic into the crystal ball.

    He spoke with a forced smile.

    "Haha, I didn''t expect you to contact me so suddenly."

    [I heard you failed.]

    Hugo was speechless at the sudden remark.

    Sweat trickled down his cheek due to nervousness.

    His office was filled with heavy silence.

    He had to say something.

    "Well, it''s not aplete failure. There is still time left..."

    [I also have ears and eyes to listen and see, Mr.Hugo. There are many people who are loyal to me besides you.]

    The voice beyond the crystal ball remained calm.

    It didn''t seem particrly angry about the failure of this incident.

    That made Hugo even more anxious.

    What if this person never had any expectations of him from the beginning?

    Hugo, who used to be the leader of a faction, had to let go of a considerable amount of pride to lower his head to someone else.

    He had to do whatever it took to regain his former status.

    So he lowered his head and presented himself as a subordinate.

    But even after going to such lengths, the matter went awry from the beginning.

    "Ah, no. I can do better."

    [Yeah. That''s right. I didn''t give you financial support to interfere from behind.]

    "Well, yes."

    [But it''s difficult now. Rudger Chelsea''s ss was sessful, and any dissatisfaction that was brewing internally has been suppressed.]

    For Hugo and the big shot, this field learning terrorism incident was a great opportunity.

    Seron hadn''t done anything wrong, but now there was a justification to intervene.

    Although no students died, many were injured.

    And the principal was frantically trying to change the academic curriculum.

    What better opportunity could there be than this?

    [I should have shaken things up from the outside while shaking things up from the inside. I guess I''ll have to change my approach.]

    "Changing the approach..."

    [It won''t be a big deal. We''ll have to threaten them by cutting funding.]

    "Is that... possible?"

    [Hugo Burtag. Do you think I''m the only investor for this matter?]

    At that remark, Hugo''s shoulders trembled.

    There may be only one big shot having a conversation with him, but there were many investors who sympathized with his intentions.

    Seron was not a ce that could be shaken just because one person shakes it.

    Big shot''s investors?

    As long as there is only one of them, it wouldn''t matter if they were changed.

    There were many organizations that wanted to invest in Seron.

    "But still, isn''t it too difficult? The principal is by no means an easy opponent."

    Seron had always been a ce of learning for the nobles.

    It was a stepping stone that the privileged ss had to pass through.

    But since some time ago,moners started entering, and now there were talks of everyone being equal regardless of status.

    It was nonsense, but the one who made it possible was the current principal, Elisa Willow.

    That''s how skilled she was to the point of being astonishing.

    Although Seron is greatly shaken by the recent terrorism incident.

    Elisa bought off journalists and controlled the media, clearly demonstrating her strength.

    In such a situation, would the external investors flinch just because they were an attacked?

    [Oh well. Hugo, my teacher. It seems like you misunderstood my words. What did I say? This matter is not just about me.]

    "Yes. But even considering that..."

    Hugo started to say something but stopped.

    "...Is there more?"

    The question of whether there is another big shot of a simr scale was asking if there was another supporting force.

    Losing one big shot and several small shots wouldn''t be a significant blow.

    Laughter could be heard beyond the crystal ball, as if it was the answer.

    Hugo swallowed hard and asked

    "But why are you going to such lengths? Haven''t you already gained substantial profits as an investor in Seron?"

    Investors receive benefits in return for supporting Seron.

    As much as they give, Seron also provides appropriate rewards.

    [Mr.Hugo, investment is ultimately an action to receive everything back.]

    "That''s true."

    [By investing arge sum in Seron, you can obtain corresponding profits. That''s pleasant for a investor. So, what do you think you need to do to be a great investor?]

    "Well? I''m not quite sure..."

    Hugo was notpletely ignorant of investments, butpared to the other party, he feltcking, so he avoided answering.

    [You have to swallow them up.]

    There was a sense of joy in the voice of the big shot.

    [While respecting the other party, you mutually give and take to achieve profits. It sounds good, doesn''t it? That''s ideal. However, it''s too easygoing. To truly be a great investor, you have to make even the other party yours. Instead of exchanging, you should only receive.]

    Hugo thought inwardly.

    So this person now wants to make Seron their own and manipte it as they please.

    ''Well, but if I join hands and work together, it''s not entirely impossible.''

    He might not be able to devour Seron immediately, but gradually exerting influence was possible.

    It might be difficult to break through at once, but once a path is cleared, it is not difficult to widen it

    gradually.

    [Soon, you''ll hear some interesting news. At that time, I hope you shake things up from the inside.]

    "Yes, I understand."

    The transaction between the two proceeded quietly.

    * * *

    Rudger had a meal with his fellow teachers, whom he hadn''t seen in a long time.

    "Rudger, it''s hard to see your face these days," Merilda said yfully.

    Rudger nodded silently in response.

    "That''s how it turned out."

    "How is the special lecture on summoning magical beasts? Is it going well?"

    "Yes, the students are doing well."

    "Stay humble. Just because the students are doing well doesn''t mean everything will go smoothly, right? Right, Miss Selina?"

    "Yes?"

    Suddenly, as the conversation shifted to her, Selina, who was mid-bite, was taken aback, causing her shoulders to twitch.

    Merilda pretended not to notice and asked

    "Miss Selina teaches summoning spirits right? There might be something she can advise, right?"

    "Oh, that..."

    Selina finally realized how she should approach Rudger.

    Bruno, who had been dozing off, spoke up.

    "By the way, have you heard the news? It seems that the external situation regarding Seron is getting noisy."

    Selina, who was about to say something, found herself unable to speak.

    Therefore, she inadvertently became interested in it.

    "The external situation is getting noisy?"

    "Many investors are considering pulling out due to the recent incident of terrorism during field study."

    "What? Investors?"

    "They say that because of that, there might be significant changes in the budget allocation for the second half of this year."

    Budget changes?

    That was not an ordinary problem.

    Seron''s teachers needed a budget of a certain amount for their lesson materials.

    While Selina, who taught elemental studies, would probably be fine, it was quite daunting for Bruno, who dealt with golems that required expensive stuff, and Merilda, who taught curses and blessings.

    In addition, there were enchantments that required potions or items for spellcasting.

    There were an overwhelming number of sses that required money.

    ''A budget problem?''

    Rudger decided to check with the nning department when he returned.

    * * *

    After finishing the meal, Rudger visited the principal''s office before going to the nning department.

    He was summoned by the principal.

    "You heard the story?"

    "About the investors?"

    Elisa asked straightforwardly, and Rudger exined what he had heard.

    In response, Elisa shook her head in a troubled manner.

    "It''s because hyenas, who are trying to find any excuse, are increasing."

    "Can''t we just ignore them?"

    "It''s not as simple as that this time. It''s not just one major investor; three of them have joined forces and started exerting pressure."

    Joined forces, you say?

    Indeed, if that''s the case, it would be difficult to fill the significant hole in the budget.

    "What are their demands?"

    "They want the authority to interfere in Seron''s internal affairs."

    "Are they out of their minds?"

    "That''s right. But if we don''t listen to them, they threaten to pull out. It''s more than just a concern."

    No matter how brilliant the principal was, she was powerless when it came to money.

    The reason for summoning Rudger was not so much to find a solution but rather because he was the head of the nning department and it meant to keep him informed.

    "Will you agree?"

    "We''ll have to find apromise after some time. Since they came out so determined, we can''tpletely ignore them unless there are other investors avable right away..."

    "Hmm."

    Rudger pondered for a moment.

    The answer came quickly.

    "I think you can ignore them."

    "What? What do you mean by that?"

    "It means that we can find other investors."

 Chapter 349

    Passius, who entered the audience room, knelt before Eileen.

    Eileen lightly touched her chin with one hand and asked.

    "Any news?"

    "The Bretus delegation has not made any notable movements thus far. It appears they have no intentions of provoking us."

    "Remain vignt. We cannot predict when they might unexpectedly take action."

    "Yes, understood."

    The current delegation, led by Priestess Lemria, was searching for traces of demons, roaming through the underground waterways.

    Although they couldn''t find anything concrete, no one knew what else the Bretus Kingdom was capable of.

    Eileen was doing her best to prevent them from reaching the underground sanctuary, but she knew it was only buying time.

    Since they were individuals she didn''t like from the start, Eileen was determined to obstruct them as much as possible.

    ''Because I know that they are using the appearance of demons as an excuse to make unreasonable demands on the empire.''

    If those troublemakers start making noise, it will be a problem.

    What Eileen holds in check was not their influence in international politics.

    Quite the opposite.

    Irrespective of the desires of the nations on the continent, they possessed the power to instigate a ''turmoil'' within the royal families of a single country.

    Although it was unclear how and in what way it was happening, the fact that the kingdoms had changed so drastically before the empire was established was evidence.

    ''For now, it''s fortunate that they are keeping quiet and giving us less to worry about. But we can''t let our guard down.''

    Eileen promised herself to be vignt against Lemria and the delegation, and she asked Passius.

    "I see. Besides that, I assume there''s something else since you came to report in person?"

    "Yes, Your Highness. Your intuition is truly remarkable."

    "Enough with the ttery. Just tell me."

    "I received a message from my senior."

    "That man?"

    Eileen''s eyes sparked with interest at the news of contact from Rudger.

    It hadn''t been that long since he returned to Seron, and he was already reaching out to her.

    "What does he want?"

    "He''s asking for financial support."

    "What?"

    Eileen instantly thought she had misheard something.

    "What does he want?"

    "He''s asking for money."

    "...Stop ying games and exin clearly without leaving out a single detail."

    Under Eileen''s sharp remark, Passius finally changed his attitude.

    "Lately, there have been interesting developments in Seron."

    "I am not aware."

    "Oh, is that so?"

    "Why should I be concerned about that? There is a mountain of other urgent matters to attend to."

    "Still, Seron is a ce that even our royal family provides financial support. It would be wise to be aware of it."

    "Wasn''t it your role to find out and inform me about it?"

    That was true.

    Passius shrugged his shoulders, saying he couldn''t help it, and continued his exnation.

    "Lately, among the investors who provide substantial funding to Seron, there have been suspicious movements."

    "Investors?"

    "Yes. Companies that receive various patents and privileges from Seron have joined forces and are pressuring Seron."

    Eileen''s lips curled into a smile, showing her interest.

    "That''s interesting. With Seron shaking due to this incident, are these hyenas with an insatiable thirst for money trying to take advantage of the situation?"

    "Thesepanies always pursue profits, don''t they?"

    "They''ve taken it to another level. It''s like trying to swallow something that can''t be swallowed, just like a snake."

    "Anyway, if things continue like this, Seron''s finances will suffer a significant blow."

    Eileen let go of her hand, which had been supporting her chin.

    "It seems like they''re not just making idle threats. They seem to be determined to make the most of this situation."

    "Approximately 30% of the entire finances are controlled by those who formed an alliance all at once. They think there won''t be another opportunity like this."

    "Hmm. So that''s why that man asked for my help?"

    "What will you do?"

    If asked, Eileen leaned towards thinking that she didn''t need to help Seron.

    Although Seron was within the empire''s territory, it was a separate existence beyond the empire''s sphere of influence.

    Eileen also had thoughts of eventually making Seron her own.

    However, no matter how much it was shaken, that solid fortress would never waver.

    If Seron is in such a crisis because of other enemies, it would be better to maintain neutrality and observe rather than provide help.

    Nevertheless, Rudger reached out to Eileen for assistance.

    "Why did that man ask me for help?"

    "It wasn''t really a request. Just a proposal."

    "A proposal? In this situation? That''s interesting."

    "Mr.Rudger said that he would increase the influence of the imperial pce in Seron."

    "Influence?"

    "That''s what he was hoping for."

    "Hahaha!"

    Eileen couldn''t help butugh as soon as she heard those words.

    "So, he wants to call upon the imperial tiger to deal with those wolves! What an arrogant man. Does he dare to handle the royal family himself?"

    "He may not be entirely capable of that."

    "But asking for help just for a mere request to fill 30% of Seron''s finances is too much. I vaguely know how much budget the Seron Academy requires in a year."

    If the imperial pce opens its treasury, it would be possible to provide support at least once.

    But Eileen was a thorough pragmatist.

    "If I help, what can he do for me?"

    "Mr.Rudger said that it''s not just a simple request for help."

    "Oh? It''s not about seeking help while expecting support from the imperial pce?"

    "He said that they don''t need the imperial pce to cover the entire 30%."

    "What?"

    Eileen''s eyebrows subtly furrowed.

    Passius ryed what he heard.

    "Out of the 30% of the budget, the amount requested from the imperial pce is just 5%."

    Just 5%.

    Of course, even 5% was not a small amount considering Seron''s annual budget.

    But for Eileen, the originally anticipated amount had decreased to one-sixth, and she couldn''t understand why.

    "Does that mean there''s a way to cover the remaining 25% of the funds separately?"

    "Yes. He mentioned that he need to drive away those who are greedy for this opportunity."

    Eileen didn''t smile this time.

    Instead, she tapped her armrest with her finger and immersed herself in deep thought.

    Passius patiently waited, knowing that Eileen was seriously weighing her options.

    How long did the silencest?

    Eileen''s crimson lips, after finishing her calctions, moved.

    "We have nothing to lose."

    "Yes, that''s true."

    Passius nodded in agreement with Eileen''s words.

    If Seron is in a crisis and the imperial pce releases more funds to support them, it would be aplete benefit for the pce.

    It would cost a considerable amount of money, but it would also provide an opportunity to be the main investor in Seron and exercise influence simultaneously.

    In fact, this opportunity was very enticing to Eileen.

    The current Emperor, Eileen''s father, only provided a certain amount of money to Seorn and didn''t expect them to show loyalty or obedience.

    Eileen didn''t like that.

    If one ims to be a ruler, shouldn''t they receive the respect of the people?

    So, if a chance arose, she wanted to increase her influence by any means necessary.

    ''However, Seron has be a ce where many people are desperate to force their way in.''

    Even if it''s the royal family, they couldn''t forcibly intrude.

    And at that moment, an opportunity presented itself.

    Arge piece of meat remained.

    ''But I don''t really like it.''

    Eileen was the type to seize such opportunities with her own power.

    Having someone elsey out the feast for her to enjoy was rather demeaning to her pride.

    But this time, the offer was too tempting to resist.

    ''He is certainly a cunning individual. Instead of begging for an opportunity, he presents it as if he is bestowing a favor upon me.''

    It was an affront to her pride, but considering everything, it was an intriguing proposal.

    "Well then, I can personally support at least 5% without any problem."

    "Are you sure?"

    "My father would have made the same decision. We can''t afford to miss such a rare opportunity, you know. Even if I don''t like it."

    "Then I''ll take it as epted and send a response."

    "But I''m curious. If he says he won''t ept my help, how does he n to cover the remaining 25% of Seron''s budget? Did he find some hidden source?"

    "Oh, about that?"

    Fascius casually replied.

    "He said he would provide it himself."

    "What?"

    * * *

    "How did you do it?"

    The next day.

    Elisa, the principal, came to Rudger''s office while he was working on paperwork and asked abruptly.

    "What are you talking about?"

    Rudger looked up from the documents, took off his round sses, and spoke.

    "Oh, you can keep wearing your sses."

    "Why?"

    "It looks good. This intellectual look suits you."

    "Are you joking?"

    "It''s not a joke. Anyway, how did you manage to do that?"

    "If you ask me that way, I don''t have a suitable answer to give."

    "The investors! That''s what I''m talking about!"

    Ah.

    Rudger finally realized why the principal hade to him.

    "Didn''t I say I could find an investors?"

    Rudger asked innocently.

    It''s a story that''s already over, so why now?

    Elisa was taken aback by Rudger''s words.

    Is this person doing it on purpose?

    "Yes, you said you would find one."

    "So I did find one. Then it''s a closed issue."

    "I didn''t know you could do it in just one day. And to cover 25% of this year''s budget at once."

    Elisa asked, her expression revealing her emotions unexpectedly.

    "Who is this person named ''Oliver''?"

    "He''s the owner of Royal Street, which has recently experienced rapid growth and be the wealthiest man in Letherbelk."

    "Royal Street? Is Oliver the owner behind the mask?"

    "You know about it."

    "I''ve heard news from neighboring cities as well. So, this person is going to sponsor our Seron, right?"

    "Yes. Is there a problem?"

    "I wouldn''t go as far as to call it a problem..."

    It wasn''t really a problem.

    It wasn''t ck money, and there was no risk of being caught since the funds were earned through legitimate business.

    Knowing that she had received a strongmitment of support for Seron, she didn''t have to engage in the games of those despicable tterers.

    However, Elisa couldn''t shake off the unsettling unease that clung to her.

    Like the hazy morning mist, the sensation seeped into her clothes gradually.

    From a logical standpoint, she should have been pleased with the situation, as it would undoubtedly be resolved favorably.

    Yet, her instinct, developed over years of serving as the principal, prevented her from embracing it.

    "What does that person want?"

    "If I say pure goodwill, you wouldn''t believe it."

    "Because such a thing doesn''t exist."

    "He requested exclusive rights and patents for the magical items previously handled by the existing investors, as well as close coboration with Seron."

    "Well, that''s not bad. I thought he would demand something unreasonable, but it seems like he is asking for less than the hyenas who were trying to tear us apart."

    "The rest is up to the discretion of the principal."

    "So you leave the remaining choices to me. I can see your intention of not wanting to overtly upset my feelings."

    "Is that why you dislike it?"

    Elisa''splexion changed as she spoke.

    "No, I don''t dislike it. Instead of pure goodwill where nothing is expected, isn''t it much better to have this kind of give-and-take?"

    "I''m d to hear that."

    Elisa softened her guard and chuckled.

    "Isn''t it funny? To see someone who can''t easily trust someone''s goodwill. Did you perhaps feel disappointed?"

    "What is there to be disappointed about? You, principal, are the highest authority responsible for Seron. It''s only natural to show such a reaction when the responsibility weighs heavily due to that position."

    "Thank you for understanding. Whether it''s because of deep empathy or because there are many people like me who have responsibilities to take."

    Rudger responded with a wry smile to the principal''s yful question.

    "Everyone lives with a sense of responsibility. It doesn''t matter if their positions are high or low."

    "But there are people who don''t, right?"

    "That''s why they need to be made aware."

    Behind his sses, Rudger''s gaze sharpened.

    "When you neglect your responsibilities and forget your position, you have to know what happens."

    * * *

    In his extravagant mansion, the influential figure looked out the window, savoring his wine.

    ''Even if principal Elisa tries to withdraw, she won''t be able to refuse this.''

    He let out a lowugh.

    ''It''s exciting to think that she would bow her head and send a letter. It''s already getting interesting.''

    He downed the remaining wine in his ss all at once.

    He usually stayed away from alcohol, but on a day like today, it seemed he could enjoy getting slightly

    intoxicated.

    "Sir, Chairman."

    "What is it?"

    The sudden appearance of his secretary was not unexpected.

    "Did Seron send an urgent request? Will they ept the conditions?"

    "Well, um... it''s the opposite. They refuse our conditions and want to terminate the contract as it is."

    "...Has the principal lost her mind? If these investors pull out all at once, it will be detrimental to her."

    "Th-they said they found someone."

    "Found someone? What does that mean? Speak clearly!"

    "An investor, they mentioned an investor. They found someone to rece our position. So now they say they don''t need our contract anymore..."

    "What?"

    Crash.

    The wine ss that the influential figure was holding shattered as it hit the floor.

 Chapter 350

    Thank you Cjckal for your kind donation!

    "You''ve made quite a show."

    Elisa called Rudger into her office and said those words.

    However, despite her reproachful tone, her expression looked different.

    It wasn''t her usual pretentious smile but a smile infused with pure joy.

    "How was it?"

    "How was it? Thanks to you, it''s be quite troublesome. The existing major investors in Seron have suddenly turned their backs on us. There''s already amotion outside."

    "Is that so?"

    "Moreover, because of that, the reporters, who used to be friendly, are now swarming around, pestering me. I am quite exhausted."

    "What did you tell the reporters?"

    "What else could I say? I simply stated the truth. I told them that a generous donor had be a new investor. It was quite a sudden change in many ways."

    Rudger nodded in response.

    "So, how are you feeling?"

    "I feel like I''m flying."

    This time, it wasn''t a formal statement as the principal, but rather a statement as a human named Elisa.

    "It''s not surprising, considering how those who have been trying to manipte and shake Seron from the outside are now left speechless. Can there be a more refreshing oue than sweeping them away in one stroke?"

    "I''m d to see you happy."

    Rudger replied with courtesy, and Elisa stared at him intently.

    With her hands resting on her chin, her golden eyes sparkled, more radiant and different than usual.

    "Hmm, it''s truly fascinating."

    "What do you mean?"

    "Mr. Rudger, how old are you?"

    "I''ll turn 27 this year. Is there any problem?"

    "That''s why it''s surprising. Your actions make you seem like someone who''s already reached their forties."

    She wasn''t saying it to mock or make empty remarks.

    Rudger''s demeanor was on a different level than someone of his age.

    Was it talent? Or another realm of expertise?

    Elisa was initially cautious about it.

    She knew that the more exceptional the abilities of an unidentified opponent, the more powerful they could be like a time bomb waiting to explode.

    Elisa didn''t easily trust people.

    It was the same before she became the principal, and even more so after taking the position.

    However, the dedicated demeanor that Rudger had shown so far managed to wash away even Elisa''s suspicions.

    Of course, Elisa hadn''tpletely let go of all her guard.

    But during the course of maintaining this business rtionship, she was certain she could trust and rely on the other party''s abilities.

    ''Hmm, it''s a shame. If only his shady background was a bit cleaner, I could trust him a little more.''

    Rudger already held a significant position, but what Elisa had in mind was beyond that.

    The position of the nning Director was one of the best positions at Seron.

    With Rudger''s abilities, he could go beyond that.

    ''For example, the position of the next principal of Seron.''

    Rudger was young and capable. He didn''t live for his own desires and also had a heart for his students.

    Although he denied it himself, Elisa''s eyes couldn''t be deceived.

    The uncertainty of his identity and the fact that he was involved with criminals were variables and obstacles.

    But even with those aspects, he was a perfect person to the point where they didn''t be ws.

    ''The issue is the disguised identity, but if you don''t get caught, does it really matter? If you don''t get caught, then it''s not a disguise, but your true identity, isn''t it?''

    As the principal of Seron, such thoughts were not allowed.

    Rudger was indeed a suitable person as her sessor.

    ''Of course, I''m still young and not someone who can retire easily.''

    Elisa had a dream.

    To hand over her position to someone she could trust and retire to live her life.

    Even after stepping down as the principal of Seron, she would still be a Lexerer-grade magician and be treated well wherever she went.

    However, Elisa rejected even that dream.

    She wanted to live quietly, leaving her job behind and enjoying the life of a wealthy unemployed person with the money she had saved.

    Of course, she would be lonely by herself, so she also thought about meeting a good man and getting married.

    But even that was difficult. It was a dream that couldn''te true without someone who could match Elisa''s high standards.

    That''s often how dreams are, aren''t they?

    Deep within Elisa''s hearty an unattainable dream, locked away in a precious treasure chest buried alongside the stone that symbolized her very heart.

    Hoping that someday she could retrieve it again.

    Lately, however, that dream seemed to resurface from the depths of the sea, raising its head.

    It was all because of the man in front of her.

    Elisa envisioned a life where she would hand over the position of principal to Rudger and retire.

    She was a little uncertain.

    Or maybe she should just get married?

    Elisa''s gaze suddenly became sharp, like a fierce beast.

    Rudger trembled unknowingly.

    "...?"

    Rudger was taken aback by the sudden chill.

    What''s going on? Is the master nning some strange things again?

    Considering her unpredictable nature, there was a high possibility.

    Mr. Rudger, do you have any marriage ns?

    "......Could you please repeat that?"

    Rudger thought he misheard for a moment and asked for rification.

    Elisa, realizing she had inadvertently revealed her true intentions, swiftly altered her words.

    "I meant to ask if you have any ns in general."

    "If it''s about ns...."

    "Well, you know. While having new investors can be beneficial, it''s not easy for the nesting hyenas to ept them so readily."

    "Indeed, that''s understandable."

    When Rudger agreed, Elisa inwardly let out a sigh of relief.

    She had sessfully diverted the topic naturally.

    "The hyenas, always wanting more and never satisfied with what they already had, finally opened their eyes and realized that their very existence was being threatened. This realization drove them to desperation. Deep down they know it''s their own fault . Because of that they are remaining silent for now"

    "You''re saying they will keep trying until the end."

    "That''s right. They wille to Seron in person to propose a insidious deal."

    "They''re shameless."

    "Yes, they are shameless. That''s why I''m here. Mr.Rudger, you need to understand that. The hyenas who are eyeing Seron don''t feel any shame about their actions."

    "I understand to some extent."

    Rudger had seen human desires a lot.

    People who thought what they already had was not enough and wanted to seize more.

    Because of their desires, powerlessmoners were taken away and trampled on.

    "But don''t worry. If theye, I will give them a good scare and drive them away."

    "You don''t have to do that. It would be better if you hand them over to me."

    "What?"

    "After all, this is something that our nning department, which is responsible for the budget, should handle. So if they want toin about something, it make sense that they shoulde to me, not to the principal."

    "Do you think those people will be able to tolerate that?"

    They were the ones who had been providing arge amount of funding to Seron until recently.

    Now, instead of the principal, they were being instructed to meet a new nning director who had barely been in the role for a year. It was a situation that inevitably bruised their pride.

    "If they can''t tolerate it, what can they do?"

    Rudger''s answer was simple yet satisfying.

    So what if theyin?

    After all, we are the ones currently holding the initiative.

    "Well, that''s true. Well, those who feel regret should lower their heads. Then I will trust and rely on you."

    "I''m quite annoyed at their low behaviour, so I won''t trete it."

    "If that''s what you say, I feel more assured."

    After bidding farewell to Elisa, Rudger left the president''s office.

    However, before he went outside, he asked Elisa subtly.

    "Principal."

    "Yes. Is there something else you''re curious about?"

    "Do you have any marriage ns?"

    "......!"

    Elisa''s eyes widened, and her lips twitched slightly at Rudger''s words.

    At the same time, she realized that Rudger had heard her slip of the tongue earlier.

    Her cheeks blushed slightly.

    "Well... It''s not something you wouldn''t understand considering your age."

    Elisa shouted back at Rudger, who nodded as if understanding.

    "That''s not what it is!"

    * * *

    Rudger told Elisa that if someonees from the investors, they should all be redirected to him.

    It didn''t take long for a guest to arrive.

    He came straight to the nning department to meet Rudger.

    The employees were perplexed by his appearance, but they naturally guided him to where Rudger was.

    It was because Rudger had mentioned that such a person mighte in advance.

    The guest who came from Ranpaltz Enterprise, Mordo Anderson, stared at the man sitting in front of him with determination.

    Despite his visit, the man had not taken his eyes off the document he had been working on a little while ago.

    It was unclear if he had any interest in acknowledging his presence.

    ''A guest has arrived, and you don''t even respond?''

    Moreover, who he was.

    He was from Ranpaltz, a giant corporation that is counted among the top in the Exilion Empire.

    It was absurd for a person from the academy to treat a guest who came from there so dismissively.

    And Mordo was already boiling with anger because of this incident.

    He may not have been the person in charge of everything, but he was not a low-ranking person either.

    Such treatment was absolutely uneptable.

    "What are you doing right now...?"

    Just as Mordo was about to reproach Rudger, Rudger raised his index finger.

    Shh...

    A gesture to be quiet.

    Mordo had to get angry at such an absurd behavior, but he couldn''t.

    Unintentionally, he found himself closing his mouth.

    Rudger''s demeanor, who didn''t even spare a nce in his direction, had an indescribable aura of intimidation.

    Mordo, who had intended to pour out all sorts ofints the moment they met, silently observed Rudger instead.

    Rustle. Rustle.

    The only sound that echoed periodically in the quiet space was the flipping of documents by Rudger.

    Mordo felt as if he was being possessed by a ghost.

    At that moment, when the document verification seemed to be over, Rudger ced the stack of documents on one side of the desk.

    "So, what brings you here during such a busy time?"

    The moment Mordo heard Rudger''s voice, as if he had been released from hypnosis, his mind returned to its original state.

    He opened his mouth, recalling the purpose of his visit.

    "Rudger Chelsea, nning Director. Are you the person in charge of this matter?"

    "Yes, I am responsible for managing the sponsorship budget and list of investors for projects."

    As Rudger easily agreed, Mordo pursed his lips.

    "what did you do? How did our Ranpaltz disappear from the list of sponsors?"

    "Why are you asking me that? Didn''t Ranpaltz expressed their intention to withdraw from sponsorship recently?"

    Rudger stared at Mordo with eyes as calm as a sereneke.

    "But you suddenlye here and get angry like this, I simply can''t understand."

    "When did we say we were going to withdraw? We just proposed a slight change in the conditions!"

    "Yes, and if we didn''t agree to those conditions, you said you would withdraw as sponsors. And we have decided not toply with those conditions. Do you understand now?"

    "Even so, is it eptable to handle such a big issue arbitrarily? Don''t we have procedures, don''t we have protocols?"

    Ranpaltz had no intention of convincing Rudger from the beginning.

    They had nned to force their way and try to cover up this incident as if it never happened.

    Rudger read their tant intentions and sneered.

    The principal had said that they would try to persuade him through cunning means, but that was wrong.

    They were even more brazen than he had anticipated.

    "And what about the sponsor you brought in? Bringing a poor street beggar, who knows where he came from...!"

    If he left it like this, it seemed that he would lose hisposure and continue to make a fuss.

    Rudger immediately intervened.

    "Be quiet."

    "What, what? What are you saying right now...?"

    "I said be quiet."

    An authoritative statement that even suppressed any formality.

    Mordo pursed his lips and then twisted his face.

    "What kind of manners are those towards a guest...!"

    "That''s something I should say. Coming to someone who is busy with their work and making a loud fuss, isn''t that an extremeck of courtesy that even we can''t overlook?"

    Rudger gestured towards Mordo.

    "Even distinguished guests should maintain decorum in this establishment. Yet, you fail to do so and raise your voice here?"

    A palpable aura emanated from his body, gradually permeating the space.

    "Did you think Seron would be a joke?"

    Blue sparks flickered in Rudger''s eyes.

    "If you wanted to meet me, you should have had the chairmane, not someone like you."

 Chapter 351

    The moment Mordo met Rudger''s gaze, he felt like a mouse standing in front of a snake.

    He wanted to argue, but no words came out of his mouth.

    Overwhelmed by fear, his thoughts came to a halt, unsure of what to say.

    Rudger, who had been looking at him pitifully, finally withdrew his magic, allowing Mordo to catch his breath.

    "Huff... Huff..."

    Rudger stared at Mordo with a cold gaze.

    His decision to withdraw his magic was not out of sympathy but rather out of the necessity to continue the conversation.

    Mordo seemed to understand that and bit his lips.

    "...Do you think it''s okay to ignore Ranpaltz?"

    "We have already found a recement sponsor. Is it necessary for us to bow down to them?"

    "Perhaps it seems that way now. But what about next year? The year after? Can this recently grown sponsor of yours sustain the role of our long-standing enterprise?"

    Mordo held a certain conviction.

    Although the owner of Royal Street had provided the sponsorship for Ranpaltz for now.

    He firmly believed that it wouldn''t persist in the long run.

    They would discover a means to emancipate themselves.

    Endurance was inconsequential to them.

    For they possessed the capability to stand on their own.

    There was a need to show these individuals who dared to covet Ranpaltz''s prey.

    Rudger was not oblivious to their tant intentions.

    He tapped the table with his finger.

    "Ranpaltz, a distinguished conglomerate known for its extensive operations. From mining minerals such as iron, coal, copper, and gold to leading innovations in utilizing natural resources through steam engines and petroleum-based materials, it has established itself as aprehensive oil refiningpany. In contrast to the Luke family, whose influence spans across diverse domains."

    Mordo''s excitement grew as Rudger delved into the details of hispany.

    "Yes, indeed! We are not just limited to the empire; our conglomerate holds a global reputation. Do you finally grasp the extent of our greatness?"

    "Well, it''spletely different from the Seron, whic is rted to magic."

    "You seem to be ignorant. Our Ranpaltz is also involved in businesses rted to magic stones. It''s not something you can easily understand."

    "Well, it''s notparable to Rosen."

    "If youpare it to Rosen, which is closely rted to magic, of course. But we are closely following its footsteps. Do you know what that means? It means that Ranpaltz is far superior in terms of growth potential."

    Rudger pursed his lips at those words.

    "Do you take me for a fool? The magic resource business that Ranpaltz started in the first ce was all thanks to Seron."

    Mordo visibly flinched as Rudger revealed Ranpaltz''s past.

    As Rudger pointed out, Ranpaltz primarily focused on oil refining.

    In an era of pure industries, Ranpaltz would have amassed immense wealth.

    However, in this world, magic coexisted with advanced science, holdingparable significance.

    The "Magical Liquid," derived from magic-rted materials, served as a vital energy resource.

    Ranpaltz wanted to establish a connection to the magic business by any means necessary.

    Therefore, several decades ago, they secured a position among Seron''s sponsors by bribing the previous principal with a significant amount of money.

    Under the pretext of being sponsors, they joined forces with Seron and obtained patents and some magic business rights from them.

    Thanks to that, Ranpaltz was able to gain an advantage over rivalpanies of simr stature at the time.

    They suppressed and absorbed them through mergers and acquisitions, expanding their size to be a major corporation.

    "Now those who have received Seron''s favor and climbed to that position are betraying Seron and trying to swallow it instead?"

    "...Although we received help, if we didn''t have the skills, we wouldn''t havee this far."

    "As time goes by, it seems that everyone has forgotten who helped whom. Then why don''t you try surviving with your so-called exceptional skills?"

    "Do not underestimate Ranpaltz. With the decades of knowledge and expertise we have acquired in the field of magic, our magic business will continue to thrive."

    "Perhaps that''s true for now. But what about next year? The year after? Will it maintain the same level of strength and stability?"

    Mordo was taken aback as he realized that the very words he had once uttered to Rudger were now being thrown back at him.

    "Magic continues to develop in real time, much like science. It constantly faces new challenges and advancements. Can Ranpaltz, having distanced itself from Seron, keep pace with these ever changing trends?"

    "Well..."

    "Seron will continue to create new magic items, businesses, and patents every year. The old ones will disappear, reced by new ones that will serve as gifts for future sponsors."

    And Ranpaltz will no longer be in that position.

    While they may currently maintain their position with their established foundation, in a world characterized by rapid change, Ranpaltz runs the risk of being swept away.

    "Hah, if it weren''t for us, can they have properly utilized that technology? Do those street peddlers in the service industry know anything about magic?"

    "If individuals who started from humble beginnings in the oil industry could achieve such great sess, there is no reason why others cannot do the same. In fact, I am convinced that we have the capability to transform them into such formidable contenders."

    "Ha, But..."

    "You''re being stubborn."

    In the first ce, Seron didn''t grow with Ranpaltz''s sponsorship.

    On the contrary, it was the opposite.

    Ranpaltz used Seron as a pretext to gain significant privileges.

    However, Ranpaltz forgot their gratitude.

    They forgot their appreciation and lost respect.

    They destroyed the rtionship that should have been based on equal trade, all for a momentary greed.

    It would be unfair to deem their judgment as incorrect.

    Ranpaltz''s actions were justified from a business standpoint.

    Seeking greater profits and expanding their operations are natural pursuits.

    Nopany would willingly forego opportunities to increase their revenue.

    That''s why they concluded that if Seron wasn''t in a state of turmoil, there would be no chance.

    If only someone who could provide substantial investment hadn''te out of the blue.

    "If you fail, you should bear the responsibility as well. Have those owners ofrgepanies forgotten about that?"

    "..."

    "So instead of threatening us or forcing something, get rid of such futile actions. Rather, worry about the stock price of yourpany that will plummet tomorrow."

    Mordo broke out in a cold sweat.

    the journalists already caught wind of the withdrawal of the sponsors.

    Despite their attempts to control the situation internally, they couldn''t conceal the truth indefinitely.

    Rumors were already spreading.

    The moment those rumorspletely surfaced, Ranpaltz''s stock price would plummet.

    It was a natural response since their core business, the magic business, wouldpletely copse.

    The dam had already burst.

    They had to desperately engage in repairs somehow.

    But Ranpaltz had missed thatst chance in this very moment.

    "Go back and tell the chairman exactly as it is. Even if hees here himself and kneels down, our decision won''t change."

    "T-This..."

    "It''s okay to get angry and seek revenge. However, at that time, you will have to consider even greater losses. Instead of finding the cause of a fire at home and ming it on someone else, isn''t it more important to extinguish the fire immediately?"

    Of course, considering what the Ranpaltzpany had built up until now, they would be able to somehow suppress the fire.

    However, by that time, half of the mansion would have already been engulfed.

    "Business is quite interesting. While a real fire burns down the entire house, someone picks up the burned remains and turns it into an opportunity for growth."

    "..."

    "I wonder if it''s worth worrying about thepetition. If you had prepared a lot beforehand, I wouldn''t know, but judging by your actions, it seems like you have plenty of enemies. And I''m sure the other side is also thoroughly prepared."

    Mordo''splexion turned pale.

    He realized toote that Rudger already saw through their position.

    Even bowing his head wasn''t enough, and he had foolishly insisted on preserving his pride.

    "P-Please give us a chance!"

    "A chance? You''re talking about a chance. Should I bring up the fact that you used students to threaten us directly?"

    "..."

    "If you understand, then let me say just one more thing. Get lost."

    In the end, Mordo couldn''t present any arguments and was forced to leave the office.

    His footsteps as he left were full of despair, unlike when he first came.

    Rudger didn''t show any sympathy for his appearance.

    Ranpaltz wouldn''tpletely copse.

    These were the people who had made it to this position, no matter how rotten they were.

    A n to handle such a situation would naturally be prepared.

    ''If they handle it well, they should be able to preserve at least more than half.''

    Of course, that was under the assumption of no external interference.

    ''But unfortunately, I have no intention of letting them off the hook.''

    He had already given notice to Hans and Violetta.

    In the near future, a catastrophic event would befall Ranpaltz''spany, and they were instructed to utilize all avable funds for a short sale.

    If Royal Street mobilized their resources and executed a short sale while Ranpaltz''s stock prices were in turmoil, the impact would be significant.

    Even with a dwarf''s sledgehammer, they could topple a giant.

    ''The seed of anxiety must never be allowed to remain.''

    Those who had betrayed them by exploiting the weaknesses in Seron''s sturdy walls.

    He was determined not to let such apany deal with this crisis easily.

    "So, are you going to continue waiting outside like that?"

    When Rudger said that, a sense of surprise could be felt from outside the door.

    In truth, Rudger had been aware of someone''s presence all along, ever since Mordo arrived from Ranpaltz and had their conversation.

    Finally, the door opened, and Flora timidly entered.

    "...Did you know?"

    "I''m actually wondering if there was a time when I didn''t know."

    Flora suddenly recalled simr past incidents.

    Not wanting to dwell on it, Flora quickly changed the subject.

    "But speaking of which, that person just now... The guest from outside, right?"

    "Yes."

    "I ended up overhearing the conversation unintentionally."

    Rudger nced at Flora and nonchntly replied.

    "Well, he was shouting so loudly that even if you didn''t want to hear it, you probably heard it all. I don''t me you for that."

    "Weren''t those conversations not supposed to be disclosed?"

    "From their perspective, I suppose. We''re clearly the victims. It would be even better if their misdeeds spread wider."

    Unable to say anything, Flora was asked by Rudger indirectly.

    "Surprised?"

    "Yes. I didn''t expect Mr.Rudger to be involved in such matters."

    Well, of course.

    Seron is just a ce where students receive instruction.

    Would students studying in the given environment pay attention to the underground conflicts behind it?

    "It doesn''t matter if you don''t know. This kind of thing is the world of adults."

    Flora replied in a slightly offended tone to Rudger''s words.

    "I''m an adult too."

    "Adults don''t proim themselves as adults."

    "...I don''t need anyone''s validation."

    "Even those who don''t seek validation don''t say such things."

    "..."

    There was no way to refute it.

    Rudger nced at Flora''s discontented expression and then opened his mouth with a sigh.

    "You don''t have to force yourself to be an adult. The pure student days be more preciouster on. So enjoy the present. Don''t have any regrets."

    "When youe to understand the world, people can no longer remain pure."

    Upon hearing that, Flora recalled Mordo, whom she had encountered earlier.

    The middle-aged man who blinded with greed.

    "...I thought people be better when they be adults."

    "Why do you think that way?"

    "Because usually, as you grow older, you gain more experiences and umte knowledge. I thought you be more mature and develop empathy."

    While saying that, Flora nced at Rudger from the corner of her eye.

    It was a natural response, considering that the person she considered the most ideal adult was right there.

    However, Rudger was skeptical of Flora''s words.

    "Being an adult isn''t that great."

    "Why?"

    "Because it''s not something you be just because you want to. Crossing into adulthood is simply a natural urrence."

    Bing older doesn''t necessarily make people better.

    No matter how old they are, foolish people remain foolish.

    Instead, they only be more stubborn.

    "Is the teacher like that too?"

    "Yes."

    Rudger replied without hesitation.

    He didn''t be an adult because he wanted to.

    He struggled just to survive in this fierce world.

    And before he knew it, he was being treated as an adult.

    Rudger still didn''t consider himself a great adult.

    "The important thing is not bing an adult. It''s about what kind of person you be."

    Feeling a faint sense of familiarity in that voice, Flora nodded her head unconsciously.

    "So, what''s the reason foring to find me? If you came all the way to the nning Department, there must be something important, right?"

    "..."

    Ah, that''s right.

    Flora unconsciously took a deep breath, realizing she had forgotten momentarily.

    From her slightly tense and rigid bodynguage, it was clear that she was quite nervous.

    Rudger silently waited for Flora.

    "I think something is going on in my household."

    "Something?"

    "Yes. Especially considering the recent incident involving Seron, there might be a connection to the Lumos family."

    Upon hearing that, Rudger leaned forward, resting his chin on his hands.

    "Tell me more."

 Chapter 352

    A huge thank you to George Parremore for their generous support

    Flora needed great courage to convey this fact to Rudger.

    And that''s because it was rted to the Lumos family.

    Normally, Flora would have lost interest the moment she heard the name Lumos.

    In fact, she would have deliberately ignored it.

    Even though it was her own family, it was nothing more than a facade.

    If she got involved, she would only be exhausted.

    However, if it was closely rted to Seron, or rather, Rudger, the story would change.

    "At first, I didn''t know either. I only found out because Cheryl told me."

    "Cheryl Wagner, you mean?"

    "Yes. Does Mr.Rudger know the Wagner family?"

    Rudger nodded.

    "I heard that the Wagner family is the vassal family that has served the Lumos family for a long time."

    "Cheryl is the only person who approached me from the Wagner family."

    While the Wagner family serves the Lumos family, Flora''s case was different.

    She wasn''t acknowledged by her own family, let alone receiving support from the vassal family.

    Flora considered it natural.

    Until Cheryl approached her, that is.

    Cheryl, who wasn''t her brother or sister, became her friend.

    She provided Flora with a lot of help, big and small.

    And it was Cheryl who informed her about the recent events unfolding in the Lumos family.

    "Cheryl told me. She said that our family recently met with the leaders of severalpanies."

    "Isn''t itmon for noble families to meet such people to establish connections?"

    "Yes, that''s right. It''s verymon for influential people to meet each other to promote friendships."

    Just by going to the banquet halls organized by the nobles, you would find many influential figures.

    Famous actors, millionaire entrepreneurs, nobles, and so on.

    Ironically, wealthypanies often hold higher social status than most nobles.

    Therefore, it wasn''t surprising that they forged close bonds with Lumos, one of the three dukes of the empire.

    "But what if all the people they met were the ones providing funding to Seron?"

    Flora''s words caused Rudger''s eyes to shake momentarily.

    "In the current situation, such coincidences are unlikely."

    "Moreover, the meetings took ce just before this incident erupted. Doesn''t that increase their suspicion?"

    Flora''s tone was filled with conviction.

    Rudger didn''t casually dismiss her words either.

    The source of the information was Cheryl Wagner.

    ''I don''t know why Cheryl Wagner, who is member of the Lumos'' vassal family, would care so much about Flora, who was abandoned by Lumos. But I can trust the credibility of that information.''

    Cheryl was known among Seron''s students as someone with significant intelligence.

    She was friendly, always smiling, and amicable to everyone.

    And it wasn''t limited to her fellow students.

    Seniors, juniors, Seron''s staff, and even teachers.

    Cheryl was close to Flora, but she also built many connections and received various news from them.

    ''In a way, she can be considered an exceptional information source, different from Sedina and Hans.''

    Sedina and Hans use their individual magical abilities and traits to gather information.

    Hans has the ability tomunicate with animals.

    Sedina has paper magic.

    But Cheryl was different.

    She gathered information purely through her connections, without any magical abilities, innate traits, or talents.

    Rudger thought that was impressive.

    Building rtionships and listening to people while intertwining with them is mentally exhausting.

    "Yeah. I understand that you came to inform me of this news. However, I don''t feel like praising your actions."

    Flora''s eyes widened.

    She thought she would receive praise, but Rudger''s reaction was different from what she expected.

    "Why?"

    "Flora, I know why you came. But there was no need to do this. Your actions only invite trouble."

    "Is it because it involves my family?"

    "Yes."

    Flora may not be acknowledged by the Lumos family, but she is still part of the Lumos lineage.

    "Flora, your actions are too reckless."

    Flora''s current actions could be seen as betraying the family.

    If this news somehow reaches Caiden Lumos'' ears, Flora will be in danger.

    Even though he had only met Caiden once, Rudger was well aware that Caiden was the kind of person who would do such a thing.

    "Are you worrying about me right now?"

    Unlike Rudger''s reproach, Flora showed a slight but joyful expression.

    A subtle smile, like that of a cat, appeared on her lips.

    "Flora, this matter shouldn''t be taken lightly. You don''t need to interfere."

    "No, this is also my responsibility because it''s an incident involving my family."

    "Your actions are no different from betraying your family."

    "Is it betrayal to do what is right?"

    Flora said confidently.

    If it were the old her, she wouldn''t have even thought of saying such words.

    But Flora had changed.

    Rudger felt that way, even if Flora herself wasn''t aware of it.

    "Besides, you also know, Mr.Rudger. How I''m treated in the family."

    "...But you could have turned a blind eye. Lumos family is where you were born and raised. It could have been a situation where you pretended not to see or know. No one would have med you for that."

    "Actually, at first, I did consider doing as teacher said."

    Flora sighed softly and candidly revealed her inner thoughts.

    "Well, that''s how it is. It''s an incident that happened in my family, but it''s a ce that discarded me as if I was nothing. No matter what they do, it''s unrted to me. I prefer not to care."

    "But why?"

    "Because that''s what Mr.Rudger taught me."

    "...Did I say that?"

    Rudger blinked his eyes as if he couldn''t recall.

    No matter how much he thought about it, he had no memory of saying such words to Flora.

    "You didn''t say it directly, but you showed it through your actions. Even if you didn''t feel that way, I thought so when I saw it."

    "Flora..."

    "I appreciate your concern, but instead of such words at a time like this, shouldn''t you have something else to say?"

    "Something else to say?"

    When Rudger asked because he genuinely didn''t know, Flora narrowed her eyes as if urging him and spoke.

    "You should say thank you."

    Huh.

    Rudger unintentionally let out augh at Flora''s boldness.

    However, Flora''s gaze, intensely fixed on him, was not that of someone joking around.

    "You''ve definitely changed."

    "I''ve grown. Thanks to someone."

    Rudger shrugged his shoulders as if admitting defeat.

    "Yeah. I''m grateful for your help."

    "What''s that? I don''t feel your sincerity at all. You should be bowing down to me."

    "Expressing that it was helpful is sincere enough."

    "Well then, can I ask you for one more thing?"

    Rudger twitched his eyebrow, seemingly unexpected of such wordsing up all of a sudden.

    Is that what she was aiming for?

    "It''s nothing special. I just want to see Mr.Rudger''s magical beast once again."

    "My magical beast?"

    "Yes. I''ve summoned my own magical beast, but I still don''t know how to handle it. So, if I see your magical beast, maybe I''ll get some sense of it."

    "...."

    "Is that not possible?"

    Rudger shook his head.

    Since there was no particr reason why it couldn''t be done, he summoned his magical beast ording to Flora''s whim.

    [Aether Nocturnus]

    A crow made of shadows appeared above Rudger''s shoulder.

    The crow stared intently at Flora with its red eyes, then turned to face Rudger.

    Is it a different woman this time?

    Rudger tantly ignored the gaze of his own magical beast.

    Flora looked at the magical beast summoned by Rudger in fascination.

    She saw the color of magical power with her two eyes and sniffed the lingering traces of magical power with her sense of smell.

    When she sniffed it again, Flora realized that she hadn''t been mistaken.

    This deep vor she felt was not something easily forgettable.

    That night, Rudger had been sneaking in the silent forest.

    "Is that enough now?"

    "Yes. It''s enough."

    However, even though Flora knew that, she didn''t show any signs of it.

    "Thanks to you, I feel like I have some idea."

    "Well, that''s a relief."

    "Sorry to bother you when you''re busy. I''ll be going now."

    Flora stood up from her seat with a cheerful smile.

    As the visitor left, Rudger prepared himself to get back to work.

    That is, if the next guest had note.

    "...What business do you have here?"

    * * *

    Lumos Manor is located on a high teau to the north of the capital city of the Empire.

    It is a harsh ce, but the naturalndscape is so intact that it bes a picturesque scene from any angle.

    Especially the view outside the office window, designed for the Duke, was truly breathtaking.

    Caiden Lumos had a daily routine of looking out at the scenery of the manor.

    It was a kind of a habit formed by repetition.

    However, in this peaceful time, there was a guest today.

    "Duke Caiden, what is happening ?"

    "...."

    Caiden averted his gaze from the window.

    His cold eyes were directed towards the guest who had entered the office.

    "Didn''t you say that by doing just this, you can seize control of Seron?"

    Chairman Drahin Ranpaltz of Ranpaltz Corporation.

    Perhaps due to recent events, hisplexion was pale.

    He seemed to have had little sleep, with dark circles under his eyes, and even his hair seemed disheveled.

    "Chairman Drahin Ranpaltz. Why are you ming me for that?"

    "W-What do you mean?"

    "I merely gave advice. It was entirely your choice to listen to those words and take action, wasn''t it?"

    Drahin widened his eyes at those words.

    In other words, ording to Caiden, it meant that he had no responsibility in this matter and would keep quiet.

    "A-Are you saying that now, in this situation?! Don''t you realize how dire the situation is for our Ranpaltz family?"

    "Why should I know?"

    "W-What...!"

    Drahin was left speechless by Caiden''s shameless response.

    However, Drahin couldn''t argue any further and trembled with clenched fists.

    "Duke Caiden, I have been proud to consider myself quite close to you. Close enough to call us friends."

    "Yeah. I feel the same way."

    "We have exchanged many conversations. The benefits I have given to Lumos Family is not insignificant. This mansion! This office! There is no ce here that my money hasn''t touched!"

    "I appreciate that aspect as well."

    "But you are abandoning me?"

    Despite Drahin''s outburst, Caiden didn''t respond.

    With an empty gaze that didn''t even convey any emotions, he simply waited to see what Drahin would say.

    Drahin became even more frustrated because of that gaze.

    "Wouldn''t it be nice if you could help us, even just a little? At least make a statement supporting us..."

    "Why should I do that?"

    "Well, we''ve been allies for a long time..."

    For the first time, Caiden showed a reaction to those words.

    It was a mocking response, as cold as a northern wind.

    "Alliance is when there is a mutually beneficial and equal rtionship. But it doesn''t seem like Ranpaltz is capable of that now."

    "Are you going to abandon us now?"

    "You''ve clearly failed, yet you''re ming me for it."

    "It was you who instigated it!"

    Veins protruded from Drahin''s neck, pulsating with intensity.

    An overwhelming urge to clutch his cor and copse to his knees consumed him.

    Even though he was alive, he didn''t feel alive.

    It was as if his soul had been sucked out.

    "You said that seizing power by taking advantage of Seron''s weakness was the way to go! Wasn''t that your instruction, Caiden Lumos?"

    "That''s an awkward thing to say. Chairman Drahin Ranpaltz. We were in an equal rtionship until now, so how can there be instructions given?"

    In the end, Chairman Drahin Ranpaltz had no choice but to kneel before Caiden.

    "Lord Caiden, please help us."

    "Just a moment ago, you were angry and shouting, and now you''re kneeling?"

    "I''m asking for help because of the trust we''ve built over the years. I don''t ask for much. Just a little help."

    Drahin is the chairman of a major corporation.

    Even though Caiden was one of three dukes of the empire, kneeling to him was not something that could be done easily for Drahin.

    He, who always looked down on others, lowered his head for the first time.

    But Caiden wasn''t surprised by that sight.

    He already knew that Drahin had no choice but to do so because of the rumors that had spread in the industry.

    ''I heard that the news had already spread in the industry, and the stock price was plummeting.''

    While severalpanies, including Ranpaltz, dropped out, the problem was that the gap in funding created by the sponsorship was being covered partly by the imperial family.

    That action was practically supporting Seron behind the scenes.

    In other words, Ranpaltz had taken a course opposite to the imperial family.

    Although the status of a major corporation in the empire was impressive, it was still notparable to the imperial family.

    ''But you''re not entirely useless. I''ve discovered a new force that supports Seron from behind.''

    Currently, there is a rapidly growing street in Letherbelk with a tremendous momentum.

    Rather than being led by a singlepany, it was a coborative effort of numerous small business owners.

    But Caiden knew.

    That alliance of small businesses was created by one person alone.

    ''The owner of the Royal Street, Oliver.''

    They were diligently selling Ranpaltz''s stocks and contributing to its downfall.

    But they alone couldn''t bring down Ranpaltz.

    The difference in scale couldn''t be ignored.

    Yet, the situation of Ranpaltz was so serious that Chairman Drahin himself had toe seek help.

    The reason was that another invisible giant had intervened.

    ''Heibaek Kadushan. That cunning old man.''

    That was why Caiden didn''t immediately help Drahin.

    That old man, who had always been quiet, started helping Seron for some reason.

    * * *

    "Did Ie to a ce where I shouldn''t havee?"

    The old man with a kind demeanor smiled cheerfully at Rudger.

    Rudger silently stared at him.

    Heibaek Kadushan.

    A formidable figure highly regarded in the Empire had inexplicably appeared as a guest.

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