Ludger and Casey stared at one another.
‘To suddenly appear before me like this.’
She had followed him secretly, avoiding the eyes of others.
But to call it tailing felt off.
‘If she had truly intended to hide, she could have gone unnoticed much longer. She wanted me to notice her on purpose.’
From that, Ludger could tell that Casey Selmore wanted to meet him away from other people’s sight.
Still, he had no intention of playing along with her intent. The words that slipped from his lips were something else entirely.
“Have you finally come to arrest me this time?”
“What? What are you talking about.”
“You looked like someone who’d braced herself for everything. I thought maybe you’d come to put an end to this tiresome fate between us.”
“That’s not what I—”
Casey realized at his words just how tense she was.
She let out a small sigh, released her shoulders, and rubbed her cheeks with both hands.
Perhaps a little calmer now, Casey fixed her clear, water-blue eyes on Ludger.
“I came to see you because I need to ask a favor.”
“A favor?”
Hearing such a word from someone he never expected it from made Ludger both surprised and curious.
‘A favor, huh. Better than when she used to come at me head-on, swearing she’d catch me... but still, approaching me like this is odd all the same.’
Casey, who once bristled with venom whenever she saw him, seemed to have softened. Her defiance wasn’t as sharp.
Perhaps what most shifted this relationship was when he had visited her after the fight in the capital, to check on her in the hospital.
But—
‘Don’t assume too much. She could change her mind any second and try to arrest me. Maybe this soft front is just a way to disarm me.’
After everything lately, Ludger’s nerves were on edge.
Especially since in this city, safety was never guaranteed.
The elves had kidnapped Sedina, and behind them had been the Lumenis Church.
“It’s strange. You asking me for a favor—do you really think that makes sense?”
So even if it was only a favor in words, Ludger could not blindly trust it without examining what it was.
“...Yeah. I know it sounds strange. But you’re the only one I can ask right now.”
“....”
Casey’s voice carried a weight of gloom she couldn’t hide.
The genius young lady who once seemed afraid of nothing and brimming with confidence—seeing her so hesitant was almost frightening.
Just what had happened to make her come to him in secret, avoiding all others’ eyes?
“It must be something serious. If you’re coming to me like this, it has to be.”
“That’s right. It’s very serious.”
Casey answered with a firm tone.
Ludger thought hard.
What could possibly be dire enough for Casey Selmore, a prodigy detective mage, to treat it seriously?
War breaking out somewhere?
The Black Dawn Order scheming?
The Lumenis Church moving behind the scenes?
Countless troubling possibilities churned in his mind.
“If you’re saying it’s that serious, then what is it? What do you want from me?”
“That is...”
After hesitation, Casey finally spoke.
Her face flushed red like a flower.
Her voice barely above a whisper.
“...Be my fiancé.”
“...?”
The silence was so deep one could hear their breaths.
Ludger stood still.
For a moment, he could not understand what Casey Selmore had just said.
What did she just say? Did I mishear?
‘Strange. The Astral Seal is functioning properly.’
Ludger tilted his head up, checking above.
No black halo. No rift.
Then what he heard wasn’t an illusion.
“Why, why aren’t you answering?”
Casey, cheeks burning red, asked with a flustered face.
And Ludger realized—
He really had heard her correctly.
“...Casey Selmore.”
“What.”
“Are you still suffering aftereffects from the demon attack? You should rest more.”
“What?”
“In your state right now... it’s serious.”
“S-Serious?”
“Yes. Very serious. Go see a psychiatrist at once.”
Casey’s temper flared.
“What nonsense are you spouting?!”
“What do you mean? The nonsense was yours.”
“No! I—I meant it! I was serious!”
“Serious... you meant that?”
Ludger’s eyes went wide.
Such a rare show of raw emotion.
“Why are you so shocked?!”
Casey’s anger was real.
The man who never changed expression, who never wavered no matter what she did—
That Ludger had shown open surprise.
She was serious, and he was genuinely shocked—it almost felt like he was making fun of her.
“Is it that strange for me to say such a thing?”
“Isn’t it ridiculous for such words to suddenly appear between us? Or wait, ah.”
Ludger finally thought he understood.
“That’s it. You’re confessing as a prank. Trying to throw me off balance.”
“It’s not like that!”
Casey cried out, her face bright red.
“W-Why would I ever propose to you like that?!”
“...Didn’t you just ask me to be your fiancé?”
“Y-Yes, but... th-that’s not what I meant! I meant a fake fiancé!”
“Fake?”
“Yes. I just want you to pretend.”
“What?”
Ludger exhaled in relief.
“Phew. Thank goodness.”
“...Why do you look genuinely relieved.”
Seeing his expression as though a great burden had been lifted, Casey nearly dropped the whole request and picked a fight instead.
But with no one else to turn to, she had no choice but to swallow her pride and go on.
“Still, why me? Why ask me to play fiancé?”
“...Because my family contacted me.”
“By family, you mean the Selmores.”
The great magical family Selmore.
A name heavy with legacy, producing mages who held the color titles.
Casey Selmore, the Azure Mage.
Yet Casey herself was not the successor of the house.
“So the elders are pressuring you? That’s surprising. I thought you lived as you pleased, ignoring them.”
“It’s not like I never pay attention to them. And you’re wrong about that.”
“Wrong?”
“Wrong about the elders pressuring me. None of them can nag me anyway. I’m the better mage. Even if they tried, I wouldn’t listen.”
“You say that quite boldly.”
“But even I don’t completely ignore the family. Of course there’s someone I can’t afford to ignore. Someone who, in terms of compatibility, puts me at a total disadvantage.”
That Casey Selmore, of all people, would admit to a weakness—
Ludger wondered just who this nemesis was.
“You mean the current head of the Selmore family?”
“That’s right. The current family head... my older sister.”
“Older sister?”
“Our father already stepped down. Voluntarily, of course. His two daughters turned out too exceptional for him to keep the seat.”
At Casey’s words, Ludger recalled faintly that she had mentioned an older sister «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» before.
“Wait. If the current head of the Selmore family is your sister, then...”
“She’s famous. You must know her too, right? Marias Selmore.”
Ludger nodded.
Marias Selmore.
Head of the great magical house Selmore. A peerless genius who, despite her youth, possessed both outstanding talent in magic and a sharp, capable hand in managing her family.
Casey Selmore too was called a genius, but her brilliance lay above all in “deduction.”
Of course, that didn’t mean her magical ability was lacking. She wouldn’t have been granted the title of Azure Mage otherwise.
But her elder sister surpassed her as a mage by far.
Because she was—
“The Blue Mage.”
At Ludger’s words, Casey nodded.
“That’s right. My sister is also a single-element user, one of the mages with a color title.”
Young, head of the family, and magically her equal if not superior.
Because of such an elder sister, Casey was able to roam free as a detective without being bound tightly to her family.
But on the other hand, her freedom—seemingly unshakable by anyone—had one clear exception: her sister, the family head, who possessed undeniable authority over her.
“She... sent me a message.”
“What kind of message?”
“To stop playing detective and come back home. And to prepare for marriage.”
“A political marriage.”
Not uncommon for noble daughters.
Marriages strengthened ties between houses, securing social status with bloodline bonds.
“There are plenty of nobles desperate to marry a Selmore daughter. Ours is a great magic house, after all. I’m sure proposals are pouring in from every direction. They’ll even let someone else choose for me. Can you believe that?”
“So you don’t have veto power. There’s no escaping an arranged marriage?”
“If I could, would I be here using the word ‘favor’? My sister may be head of house, but she’s not some uptight, fossilized elder. She’s insane, sure—but more like... crazy-brilliant insane.”
That’s rich, coming from you, Ludger thought, but held his tongue. Now wasn’t the time to pick a fight.
“Anyway, she did give me a choice. If I truly find someone I love, she promised to support me regardless of status or family.”
“That’s incredibly generous.”
It was effectively granting Casey freedom of choice.
Compared to other noble daughters forced into marriage by their fathers’ whims, it was an exceptional privilege.
“Then couldn’t you just bring anyone and be done with it?”
“T-That’s...”
Casey averted her eyes, guilty.
Ludger’s brow twitched.
Clearly, she wasn’t telling him everything yet.
“There’s more.”
“Y-Yes, it’s true she made me that offer. But at the time I wasn’t even thinking about marriage.”
Ludger remembered the first time he met Casey Selmore.
Arrogant, overflowing with self-consciousness, a free-spirited woman of the new age.
Marriage had been the farthest thing from her.
“She said she’d give me the freedom to choose, but she also set a deadline. If I didn’t find someone by then, she’d take matters into her own hands.”
“Even so, you could still just bring someone random.”
“...Back then, I got stubborn and snapped at her. I told her if I brought someone, it would be someone truly extraordinary, and she’d have no right to interfere.”
It was said in defiance, out of spite.
But Marias Selmore had remembered every word.
“And now, if I showed up with someone half-baked? She’d see right through it, realize I staged it to dodge the marriage, and I’d have no choice but to obey her.”
“So that’s why...”
Ludger gestured to himself. Casey looked displeased, but nodded anyway.
“...At least among the men I know, there’s no one greater than you.”
“Well, how flattering. To receive such praise from the great Casey Selmore herself.”
“So? What’s your answer?”
Ludger frowned deeply.
“You really thought I’d agree to something like that?”
“Why not! Just help me out, would it kill you?”
“We’re not exactly in the habit of helping each other, are we?”
At that, Casey inhaled sharply, then lowered her eyes.
“I-I apologized, didn’t I. We did.”
“...What?”
“Y-You came to visit me when I was in the hospital and you apologized!”
Ludger blinked, dumbfounded.
She remembered that?
Even so—surely she wasn’t about to suggest that because of one apology, they should get along like friends?
Surely not. He was a former criminal, she a detective.
But the embarrassed look on Casey’s face shattered that assumption.
“...You’re serious.”
“S-So what! People can misunderstand each other sometimes, can’t they?”
“Even if the misunderstanding’s cleared, that doesn’t give me reason to help you.”
“If you help me, it’ll benefit you too! My sister—she’s incredible! If you earn her favor, opportunities will fall into your lap like bread from heaven!”
“In the end, she’s still just the head of a magic house.”
“...That alone is a big deal. But she’s more than that. She’s also part of the magical information bureau.”
“So she holds a high position?”
Casey shook her head.
“Not just high. She never told me outright, but I can infer. When it comes to magic and mysteries, there’s nothing she’s barred from accessing. No limits.”
Casey stared straight at him.
“All magical knowledge passes through my sister’s hands.”
At those words, an image flashed in Ludger’s mind.
The strange, anomalous place where the last fragment of the Relic had been found.
Perhaps—
Casey’s sister knew its whereabouts.