For Ludger, Taishy had always been a particularly memorable, striking student.
Naturally so—during the entrance exams, Taishy had ranked second in theoretical magic.
She had to concede first place to Julia Plumehart, but Seorn Academy was a place where only prodigies gathered.
Claiming second among such talent was impressive enough, and afterward she continued to place high in Ludger’s classes, earning the right to learn magic directly from him.
Driven by her fierce determination to revive her half-collapsed noble house, Taishy had displayed effort bordering on madness, and she achieved results worthy of that devotion.
Yes—perhaps her brilliance had been overshadowed by others who shone even brighter...
But even within Seorn, Taishy Friad was one of the strongest students one could name.
Her skill was such that she could compete even against those possessing unusual, specialty-type magic.
One could only imagine how much she’d agonized over choosing to walk the “orthodox,” proper path.
‘Even after graduation, she probably lived well without worrying about her future at all.’
Considering Taishy’s abilities, she had likely succeeded in restoring her declining house.
And since she had always stuck closely to Aidan, clearly showing her affection for him, Ludger assumed they continued to stay close.
That prediction proved entirely correct.
Taishy was still with Aidan.
Though he had never expected she would follow him all the way to the beastkin tribes’ capital.
A more immediate problem, however, was the situation unfolding before him:
Taishy had just witnessed three beautiful beastkin girls fighting—quite literally—for exclusive rights over Aidan.
Naturally, Taishy’s face contorted like that of a wrathful demon.
Even Ludger, despite having lived through a holy war, felt a chill down his spine.
But experience never simply disappeared.
Ludger did not warn Aidan at all.
Instead, he silently stepped back three paces, distancing himself with the grace of someone who had nothing whatsoever to do with whatever was about to happen.
He took his place among the spectators.
Taishy strode toward Aidan.
Her hair blazed with her fury—its natural fiery color made it look as though it were truly burning.
She used to wear her hair in twin-tails, but perhaps because she was older now, recently graduated—
She had grown it long, reaching her waist, her style much calmer than before.
Her small frame hadn’t changed much, but her demeanor had matured, giving her an entirely different impression.
Of course, the more she had grown, the more intense her fury had become.
She was still the girl of flames he remembered.
“Uh, uhh...”
“Ahem.”
As though possessed, the bustling marketplace parted.
The beastkin instinctively stepped aside, cowed by Taishy’s overwhelming aura.
Even those warlike beastkin tucked their tails at her presence.
‘It’s not just her pressure. They can feel it—the fight Taishy is about to start isn’t the kind they prefer.’
A love quarrel.
The kind of battle that even a holy war veteran like Ludger dreaded—a suffocatingly lethal confrontation.
‘Aidan. How are you going to deal with this?’
Ludger felt a sudden curiosity.
Even for Aidan, escaping this unscathed would be difficult.
He still had one “hidden trump card”—if one could call it that—
His shamelessness, which was both his greatest strength and his greatest flaw.
‘Though calling it a “trump card” is generous. It’s just how he always responds.’
But Taishy had known Aidan for nearly four years.
There was no way she didn’t know about his shamelessness.
She undoubtedly held an exceptionally sharp spear—one capable of piercing straight through Aidan’s thick mental armor. She only needed to thrust.
‘Though, judging by her aura, she really does look ready to pull out a literal spear.’
In any case, the situation could no longer be avoided.
And so Ludger watched with great interest.
Taishy finally reached him.
The three beastkin girls—who had been competing with one another over Aidan—had every hair on their bodies stand on end.
Their pupils narrowed vertically, mirroring the reaction beastkin displayed just before entering combat.
Well... this was still a kind of fight.
At the same time, Aidan seemed to realize something and slowly turned around.
In that instant, Taishy smiled—a controlled, practiced smile.
Her temper must have been boiling up to her scalp, yet she changed expressions instantly. That wasn’t a shift, it was a transformation.
But although she smiled, the fury beneath her face was impossible to hide.
Heat shimmered around her like flames manifesting into air distortions.
Her anger was not the kind to bring frost in June, but the kind to start fires even in midwinter.
“Oh? Taishy!”
Yet of course, Aidan—arguably among the densest people alive—simply smiled in greeting.
He must have assumed the atmosphere wasn’t serious because Taishy was smiling.
‘There’s a limit to being simple-minded.’
But that made things all the more interesting.
“Hello, Aidan. You came early?”
“Ah, yeah. Leo’s wedding is soon, right? I just couldn’t sit still.”
“Even so, that was too much. I told you I wanted to come with you, remember? And that I needed a bit more time to finish handling my family affairs?”
Apparently, Taishy had intended to visit this place together with Aidan.
And hearing her words, Ludger fully understood why she was angry.
They were supposed to come together—yet he had gone ahead of her.
“Uh... did you?”
At that response, Taishy’s lips twitched.
Barely—a mask almost cracked.
‘Hmm. Taishy. You’ve matured a lot since I last saw you. To manage your expression even now... you’ve become quite the noblewoman.’
As Ludger was thinking that—
Taishy replied in a calm voice, as if trying to prove she wasn’t angry at all.
“Yes. I did. I told you three times.”
Hohhh—
A few beastkin spectators let out impressed breaths.
They, too, had become invested in the drama, just like Ludger.
Even beastkin didn’t want to miss good entertainment. Ludger felt a strange sense of kinship with them.
“Haha... sorry. I guess I was too excited and didn’t listen.”
“It’s fine. Really—this isn’t the first time. I’m used to it now.”
“Thanks for understanding.”
Ludger nearly slapped his own forehead.
Anyone could tell she was openly mocking him—
Yet Aidan received it as a compliment.
He wasn’t nullifying attacks—he was converting them into healing magic.
Truly a deranged mindset.
But Taishy, hardened by years of dealing with Aidan, did not get angry.
Which made it more concerning.
The more one bottled up, the more spectacular the eventual detonation.
“Anyway, I thought you’d go see Leo first. But why are you here, being shown around the city by a lovely beastkin lady?”
Finally—the main issue.
The spectators, including Ludger, collectively held their breath.
“Aah. Ruina said she’d guide me around. Remember?”
“Hm. I feel like I vaguely remember.”
But Ludger could tell Taishy absolutely remembered Ruina.
She was pretending not to—to slight her.
Ruina’s ears flattened and then shot up sharply as she glared.
“But Aidan, this isn’t your first time here. Why do you need a guide?”
Taishy struck directly at a weak point.
Guides were for people unfamiliar with the area.
Aidan, considered one of the tribe’s benefactors, would hardly be lost.
“Well... I can’t go see Leo right away. I told them I’d arrived, and while waiting, I didn’t have anything to do, so I just looked around.”
“That still doesn’t mean you need a guide.”
“I’m fine, but someone else is new here, so we couldn’t avoid it.”
“Someone else?”
“Hehe. Taishy, you’ll be shocked when you find out. Professor Ludger is here!”
At Aidan’s words, Taishy’s head snapped around.
She was clearly startled.
Ludger quietly cursed Aidan in his heart.
Of all times, he had to drag attention away now?
Ludger had intended to remain a spectator.
But now that his name was spoken aloud, he couldn’t avoid stepping onto the stage.
“Taishy Friad. It has been a while.”
He stepped forward and greeted her.
“Goodness—it really is Professor Ludger?!”
Taishy’s eyes widened.
Of course she was shocked—she had never lived through the holy war.
She knew nothing of the real truth, only the fabricated public narrative:
Ludger Cherish and Heathcliff von Bretus were two different people.
The official record stated that Ludger Cherish had been kidnapped by the Demon King Heathcliff, who then disguised himself as Ludger and infiltrated Seorn.
Ludger was supposedly rescued later but severely injured—thus retiring from teaching to recover.
It was a convincing story, publicly declared by Headmaster Elisa and even affirmed by the Imperial Family.
With such overwhelming authority backing it, it became “truth.”
People mourned Ludger’s departure but accepted it.
And yet here he was—standing right in front of her.
“How are you here, Professor? Is your body all right?”
“Yes. I’ve fully recovered. I came because I was curious how my former students were faring, and in the process, I ran into this one.”
Taishy shot Aidan a look: Is that true?
Aidan nodded as though it were obvious.
Taishy glared at him briefly, then sighed with slumped shoulders.
“All right. But don’t you ever go somewhere without me again. Understood?”
“Yeah. Got it.”
The crisis dissipated instantly.
The spectators, disappointed that nothing dramatic happened, clicked their tongues and dispersed.
Aidan had narrowly escaped disaster.
“You three.”
Taishy addressed ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) the beastkin girls, including Ruina.
“Aidan is mine. So you should back off, yes?”
“...Beastkin don’t give up prey once we choose it.”
“Oh? Then should we settle it here?”
Taishy said this with a smiling face.
Ruina immediately stepped back.
She could feel it—Taishy was not bluffing.
‘Terrifying.’
Even Ludger felt it. How much worse must it be for those facing her directly?
Ruina eventually retreated with lingering regret in her gaze.
The other two beastkin girls, being even weaker-willed, backed off without resistance.
“Haa. I’m sorry you had to see that, especially after meeting again after so long.”
Taishy bowed her head to Ludger.
After all, she had shown him a rather embarrassing scene in front of her former teacher.
“It doesn’t bother me. I already knew he still has no sense of awareness. But it truly has been a while, Taishy Friad. Your magical ability has improved so much I nearly didn’t recognize it.”
“Thank you. I worked very hard. But... Professor Ludger, if you’ve recovered completely, does that mean you’re returning?”
“That is not decided yet. I may have lost my touch after resting for so long.”
“You would be welcomed back anytime.”
The way Taishy spoke made it clear she sensed something unusual from him.
And Ludger realized—her achievements had reached the point where she could glimpse a portion of his true level.
‘A future Lexuror-tier mage is practically guaranteed.’
Taishy said they would talk more later and walked ahead.
She did not forget to gesture for Aidan to follow.
As she stepped forward, Aidan leaned toward Ludger and whispered so only he could hear:
“Whew. I thought I was going to die. Thank you, Professor. You saved my life.”
“......!”
Ludger stared at him, eyes wide with shock.