◈ Episode 331: The Wall of Relationships (1)
[Did you hear? I heard you went through a lot there.]
Principal Elisa's voice echoed through the communication 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 lot lately."
"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 similar things to others as well."
"Now that I think about it, it seems that way."
Upon hearing Rudger's response, Elisa burst into laughter from the other side of the communication device.
"Oh, sorry. I shouldn't be laughing."
"You can laugh 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 are completely 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 vacation late.]
"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 class 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 classes."
"Are you referring to practical magic and basic combat 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 class 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 occurred 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't completely 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 Black Dawn.
Elisa was most vigilant against them.
"Of course, it's not just the Black 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 success 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 the communication device.
However, Rudger thought Elisa would be wearing a satisfied smile.
"Rudger, you really know how to play 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 planning 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 palace? 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 the communication.
Rudger left the communication room and stepped outside his room.
The place where he had the conversation with Elisa was a special location within the palace, a separate space prepared for external communication.
'They even have a separate communication room. The royal palace 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 relax 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 places, 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 quite complicated.
Not just the magic he showed Rinne that day, but how would he explain her sudden awakening of Judgment Chain?
And what about the existence of that demon?
"Now that we've come 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 becomes poison."
Rudger never expected to become a teacher to Seoren, nor did he anticipate facing Rine and Freudin, his past connections, again in this place.
Yet, these events unfolded.
In the end, it meant that the world didn't simply revolve around speculation and reason alone.
The story of a devil who calculates 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 place like this.
"Life is truly a series of unpredictable events."
When Rudger had such thoughts, Rine felt a similar complexity deep inside her.
Spending a few days inside the Imperial Palace, 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 black 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 black storm?
According 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.
Especially lately, her eyes didn't seem the same as before.
It wasn't that her condition had worsened; rather, it had become 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 flames.
Rine didn't particularly 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 become 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 place 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 welcomed 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.