Freuden explained what he had seen.
Rine’s mana had gone out of control, and because of her power, both she and Ludger vanished together, as if swallowed into somewhere else.
Hearing this, Elisa at first doubted him, but one look at Freuden’s calm expression convinced her that it was the truth.
“But Freuden, how exactly did you witness that?”
“That is a personal matter. I can’t explain.”
“Very well. Then do you know where the two of them went?”
“That, I do not. It was the first time I’ve ever seen such a thing.”
“Not even a guess? Nothing at all?”
“Nothing.”
“Hm. And in a situation where we desperately need every hand, Ludger of all people is absent...”
Elisa’s words, spoken as if she were searching for Ludger, made Freuden suddenly ask,
“Is Professor Ludger really that important?”
Elisa’s brows twitched slightly.
This was the first time Freuden, usually so cold and detached, had shown an emotional reaction.
“Of course. A man of Ludger’s talent cannot be easily replaced anywhere.”
“A man of talent, you say...”
Freuden’s lips twisted.
“Do you really believe he deserves such praise?”
The moment the words left his mouth, Freuden realized his mistake.
Overcome with emotion, he had said something he should not have.
But spilled water cannot be gathered back.
He braced himself for a scolding from the Headmaster—yet Elisa instead spoke words he had not expected.
“As I thought.”
“...?”
“You know about him as well, don’t you? About Professor Ludger.”
“That is...”
Freuden faltered, then asked,
“...Are you saying you knew too, Headmaster?”
“I learned later. But you—clearly, you noticed long before me. How curious. A suspicious man enters Seorn, and yet a student recognizes his identity and chooses to remain silent.”
“...I don’t know his full identity. Only that I had ties to him in the past. Bitter ties.”
“All the more intriguing. One of the heirs of the Empire’s three great ducal houses had a past grudge with Ludger Cherish?”
“I cannot say more.”
“Yes, yes. Another personal matter. But judging by your reaction, your relationship was far from good.”
“...Then why do you trust him, Headmaster?”
“Because he is capable. Is that not enough?”
“That...”
“I prefer capable people. That doesn’t mean I hire villains. Ludger is suspicious, yes—but suspicion does not always mean evil.”
That was Elisa’s firm belief.
To cast Ludger aside for suspicion alone would be foolish, when his ability was so enticing.
Besides, the dedication he had shown to his students proved he was not a villain.
Could such actions have been mere acting?
The way he had fought desperately in Dreamland to protect people—other instructors had seen it too.
“You saw it as well, Freuden, did you not?”
“That part I will not deny. But still, I have reasons I cannot forgive him.”
“Because of that girl, Rine, isn’t it? How fiery. If only I had such a romantic affair of my own.”
Elisa joked with a playful smile, then her face suddenly sharpened.
“You came all the way here to say this. Clearly you have another purpose. Speak.”
Freuden straightened unconsciously under her pressure.
Among the students, he was seen as a lofty wolf that few dared approach, but before Elisa Willow, things were different.
And he had once glimpsed the true power of her magic—pink radiance that ripped space itself apart.
‘So this is the majesty of a 6th-Circle mage.’
Still, he would not bow his head. He tightened his grip on his thigh, forcing himself steady.
“I want to return to my family estate.”
“You mean you want to leave Seorn for a time?”
“Yes. To speak with my father. About this incident—and about what is to come.”
“Your father...”
Elisa smiled, intrigued.
Not just at the determination in his voice, but that he admitted he would borrow the hand of his father, the Duke of Ulburk.
“I had heard you were not on good terms with him. Was I wrong?”
“It would be a lie to say otherwise. I do not think well of him.”
“And yet you will borrow his power. As heir?”
“If need be, then even as his son.”
“Hm. Such resolve. What could move you so, I wonder? Love, perhaps?”
“I simply refuse to feel powerless any longer, watching from the sidelines.”
“Haa. Very well.”
Elisa shook her head.
“You will allow me to go?”
“There’s no reason to stop you. Classes are impossible anyway—this is effectively an indefinite suspension until things are settled. Even at best, it will take weeks.”
Then she added,
“If you are to borrow power, then borrow it properly.”
“...I understand.”
Freuden bowed deeply, then left the Headmaster’s office.
He walked some distance down the quiet corridor—until someone stepped into his path.
Recognizing the figure, Freuden narrowed his eyes.
“Flora Lumos.”
“Where are you rushing off to, Freuden?”
“It does not concern you.”
But then he corrected himself.
“No... it may concern you as well.”
“Is it about Professor Ludger?”
“Yes. Ludger Cherish. He and Rine have disappeared together.”
Flora’s expression chilled at his words.
Her mood clearly dipped—but she did not show anger, and that unsettled Freuden.
She had certainly changed compared to before.
“More importantly, are you all right?” he asked.
“What do you mean?”
“With this incident, the Lumenis Church will move. And as the needle follows the thread, so too will your family.”
House Lumos.
Among the three ducal houses, the one most devoted to the Lumenis faith.
If the house moved, then the Duke himself would move as well.
“You may be dragged back into your family’s grasp.”
Flora’s eyes wavered.
But only for a moment—she quickly regained her composure.
“That is my concern.”
“...Perhaps I worried needlessly. With family matters, I am in no position to lecture you anyway.”
Freuden gave a self-deprecating smile as he walked past her.
Flora silently watched his back as he went.
* * *
Ludger carried Rine on his back as he strode through Isla Machia.
Isla Machia was an island made of vast mechanical structures.
Its overall shape resembled a giant wedding cake, rising higher toward the center.
At its heart stood a steel spire—the headquarters of the New Mage Tower.
But that was not where Ludger was heading.
Quite the opposite.
He went toward the rougher districts, the cluttered alleys where few respectable feet wandered.
“Huh? What’s this?”
Isla Machia was home to many.
There was a city, residents, and countless outsiders visiting.
Naturally, some of those who lived there worked in violent trades.
“Hey, you.”
A hulking man sitting outside a tavern gave his companions a look, then stepped in front of Ludger.
“Not a face I’ve seen before. Lost your way, maybe?”
Ludger’s figure stood out no matter how one looked at it—wearing a spotless frock coat in a filthy alleyway, a woman carried on his back.
With features refined enough to remind one of a nobleman, Ludger drew even more attention.
“No. I came to the right place. Where’s the gambling den around here?”
“Heh. Gambling den? Judging by your fine clothes, you look like you’ve got plenty of coin. You shouldn’t be crawling into a dump like this—you need a better place.”
“A better place?”
“Right here.”
The man spread his right hand as he spoke.
In other words, he was demanding Ludger hand his money over.
Click, clack.
The massive man’s right arm gave the sound of interlocking cogs.
That arm was not flesh, but brass.
And not an ordinary prosthetic for daily use. Its size and shape were far larger, closer to a weapon than a limb.
The brute raised it, trying to intimidate Ludger.
His companions at the tavern table snickered, each one bearing their own grotesque modifications—one with a prosthetic leg, another with a glass eye, another with a steel jaw.
They looked comical, and at the same time, monstrous.
“Well?”
“You know this place well, don’t you?”
“This place? Ha. We’ve been running these streets for over ten years. We don’t just know the alleys—we know who’s doing what, and where.”
“Then tell me. Where’s the gambling den?”
“Didn’t you hear me? You’re standing in it.”
The man clenched and opened his prosthetic hand before Ludger’s face.
“Or are you too thick? Maybe if I scar that pretty face of yours, you’ll listen.”
“You want a man’s conversation?”
“Ha! So you’ve got some pride after all?”
But when the brute tried to glare at Ludger, his whole body froze.
“If that’s what you want, I won’t refuse.”
Those eyes.
From Ludger’s gaze, the man felt something overwhelming, something that crushed resistance.
‘C-can’t... breathe...’
His quicker-witted companions noticed something was wrong. Their faces hardened as they rose, surrounding Ludger.
“Don’t know where you came from, but you picked the wrong day.”
“And he’s carrying a woman on his back, too.”
“Wait. She’s pretty, isn’t she? Maybe we could—”
The words never finished.
The man’s head was slammed into the ground, hard.
Thud! His skull cracked the dirt floor, and Ludger’s boot naturally came down on it.
“It seems I’ll need to teach you all a lesson in manners.”
“W-what the—”
None of them had seen him move.
By the time they realized it, their comrade’s head was already pinned under Ludger’s foot.
But it was too late to back away now. Pride as long-time thugs of the district wouldn’t allow retreat.
“Get him all at once!”
As they rushed in, Ludger slowly gathered mana.
“Leaving one alive should be enough.”
* * *
When the fight was over, broken prosthetic limbs littered the ground.
Men writhed on the floor, groaning.
The brute stared hollowly at his shattered brass arm.
“Why’s there... a mage here...?”
When Ludger stood before him, he immediately bowed his head.
“F-forgive me! I didn’t realize you were a mage!”
“Enough. Just answer the question.”
“Q-question...?”
“The gambling den. Where’s the biggest one in this area?”
The man, pale, quickly stammered out directions.
“B-but why would a mage want a gambling den...?”
“That’s none of your concern.”
“S-sorry!”
Flattening himself to the ground, the brute dared to peek up—only to find Ludger already gone. Relief rushed through him.
“Haa... cursed luck.”
He had picked a stranger to extort, only to stumble onto a mage.
His boast of ten years on these streets was no lie. He’d seen much, and most so-called tough men turned out to be empty shells.
But this time, he had pulled the losing lot.
“I should just be glad I’m alive.”
But what about his unconscious companions? What about his ruined arm?
Sighing heavily, he lifted his head—just as a man approached slowly.
“Huh?”
He frowned at the newcomer.
A tall figure in a long black trench coat, a wide-brimmed hat pulled low.
“Who the hell are you?”
He was about to scoff at the suspicious disguise—then froze when he glimpsed the pale face beneath the hat.
“Y-you... what the hell are you...?”
His instincts screamed that this was no human.
The pale man rolled his eyes grotesquely, tilted his head unnaturally to the side, and asked,
“John... John Doe. Where... is he?”
“What? Who’s that—”
Crunch!
Before he could finish, the pale man’s hand crushed his skull.
“A-ahh. Misjudged... strength.”
He scratched his cheek with his blood-soaked hand, leaving a red streak without care.
“Well. No matter. If I sweep # Nоvеlight # the whole area... I’ll find him.”
The man in black stepped forward, and behind him, shadows surged like a tide.
Nicholas’s minions had begun to close the noose around Ludger.