Ludger looked at his former colleagues, gathered together again in one place, and recalled the past.
Back then, he had been unintentionally caught up in a train terror incident, and in order to keep his identity from being exposed, he had hastily disguised himself.
Before he knew it, he had become a teacher at Seorn, forming bonds as first-time coworkers.
Brino, Merilda, and Selina.
Originally, Chris Bennimore had also been part of the group, but he had stepped down from his position and was devoting himself to rebuilding his family, so he hadn’t been able to attend.
In the span of three years, they had all changed a great deal.
The raw, rookie aura they’d had as new instructors was gone, replaced by the composure and presence of full-fledged magic teachers.
Ludger shared a meal with his old colleagues for the first time in a long while.
“So, does this mean you’re completely back now?”
Selina, seated beside him, asked with a visibly excited expression.
Ludger nodded.
“Yes. However, this year’s academic schedule is already fully set, so I’ll only be teaching a small number of students as a special instructor.”
“Ah. You mean those kids, right?”
Merilda waved the fork she was holding, her expression troubled.
“I’m teaching third-years now, but I’ve heard a lot of stories from the first-year side. They say the kids are so talented that even the other teachers don’t know what to do with them. And on top of that, their personalities are... strange. Completely unmanageable, apparently.”
“Th-then didn’t you take on an awfully tough role right after returning?”
Brino asked with concern.
For someone who had been away from work for three years, the difficulty of the assignment was unusually high.
“It’s fine. If anything, starting with a small number like this gives me more leeway and peace of mind than dealing with a crowd of students.”
“I heard some of them even refuse to attend classes.”
“There were students like that, yes. At a glance, they might look like delinquents—but that’s only what’s visible on the surface.”
Ludger thought of Mina and Eric.
Of the talent they possessed.
It was violent in nature—power that could injure others, and go further to injure even themselves.
“They simply can’t properly control their own power because their talent is too great.”
It reminded him of himself as a child.
Because his spiritual sensitivity—his ability to communicate with gods—had been far too strong, Ludger had constantly been harassed by them.
If he let his guard down even slightly, they would try to project their power into this world through the vessel called Ludger.
But Ludger had met Grander, an outstanding teacher.
With her help, and through his own effort, he had been able to overcome the discomfort that came with such a constitution and talent.
The result had been good, but Ludger knew well—
The path to reaching this point had been so arduous and treacherous that even he, with his iron-like will, had considered giving up more than once.
“That’s why I want to help them. I can’t just stand by and watch children who are being tossed around by their own power, unable to walk their own path.”
Those children were his past self.
If left alone, someone among them might eventually overcome their exceptional talent and move forward.
But the process would be long, and the pain just as great.
Some might even collapse before they could overcome it.
In that sense, Ludger had been fortunate.
Because his teacher had been Grander, the legendary 8th-Circle mage.
‘So just as I once received grace from my teacher, I too must grant grace to those children in the role of a teacher.’
That was the resolve—and the role—he had accepted when he chose to return to Seorn.
“Well, my methods may differ from the usual. Sometimes they’ll be rough, sometimes there may even be blows. I only hope the students will follow along.”
His voice was calm, without the slightest trace of exaggeration.
Hearing a reply that felt so reassuring, Merilda and Brino exchanged glances, then smiled.
“Just as expected. Professor Ludger really is Professor Ludger.”
“Yes. I’m relieved. If it’s you, Professor Ludger, I’m sure you’ll handle it well.”
They had thought that after returning to Seorn after three years, Ludger might struggle to adapt to its atmosphere.
Even aside from that, three years was enough time for a person’s way of thinking—or living—to change.
People change, after all.
As with teachers who were once devoted but, over time, lose their motivation and end up just drifting along—
Such changes were common.
And usually, those changes tended to flow from positive to negative.
Because the more one lets go or gives up, the lighter the mental burden becomes, and the more comfortable the heart feels.
It was a very basic principle of emotional dynamics.
But Ludger still carried the same presence he had three years ago.
If anything, he felt even more mature than before.
Merilda and Brino, too—
They had taught many students over several years at Seorn, and experienced numerous incidents.
Even before becoming teachers at Seorn, both had been excellent mages. And after teaching many gifted students and accumulating experience, their eye for judging people had inevitably sharpened.
To them, Ludger was still an ideal other teachers should look up to—
And the most reliable colleague in the world.
“If anything gets difficult, please tell us. I’ll help however I can.”
“You can tell me as well. We may not look it, but the two of us have quite a bit of influence at Seorn.”
“Just hearing that from you both is enough. Thank you.”
Ludger replied, then continued.
The look in his eyes as he gazed at Merilda and Brino carried a strangely knowing glint.
“You two... is there something you’d like to tell me?”
In truth, it was an almost instinctive question, asked on a sudden hunch.
But perhaps thinking he had seen through them, Merilda and Brino exchanged looks and gave awkward smiles.
Then they each held up their left hands.
Gold rings of identical design—symbols of marriage.
* * *
“You look pretty shocked.”
After the meal.
Ludger was walking through the campus with Selina.
It was far from a cozy, chatty atmosphere—Ludger was still reeling from the shock.
“Yes. I was genuinely surprised. Of all things, Professor Merilda and Professor Brino ending up like that.”
It wasn’t impossible.
In three years, some sort of development between them was entirely plausible.
If anything, considering they’d joined at the same time, it would’ve been stranger if nothing had happened.
“Still, I suppose I just thought... Professor Merilda would end up dating someone taller and more handsome.”
After all, Merilda had often said, half as a habit, that she’d marry a handsome man someday.
And yet, Merilda with Brino.
Brino wasn’t a bad person, but judging purely by appearances, he was a plump, middle-aged man who seemed obsessed only with golem construction.
“Hehe. It’s funny, right? Want to know what’s even funnier? Professor Merilda was the one who confessed first.”
“...That’s another fact that’s surprised me in many ways.”
“I think this is why human relationships are so interesting. Things that seem like they’ll work suddenly fall apart, while things that seem impossible somehow grow close before you realize it.”
Ludger nodded in agreement.
He, too, had formed many connections throughout his life, yet had never expected some of them to grow close in the ways they had.
The human heart could not be defined by theory or reason.
It was unruly, chaotic, without a fixed shape.
Depending on mood, time, and place, it could change—or sometimes remain steadfast, like an immutable substance.
The human heart could not be defined.
And people who possessed such hearts, naturally, could not be neatly organized into any mold or framework.
Possibility.
Because they carried it, humans always revealed sides that defied expectation.
“More importantly, it’s getting late. Are you going back to rest now, Professor Ludger?”
“Yes. I did have my first class today, after all. And with new lessons to prepare for tomorrow, I should head back.”
“That’s true. I have a Spirit Studies lecture tomorrow as well, so I should turn in early.”
With her hands clasped behind her back, Selina stepped backward away from Ludger.
Her pink hair, even in the cold night air, caught the light and shone brilliantly like flower petals.
“Oh, right. Professor Ludger!”
“Yes. What is it?”
As she was about to leave, Selina turned back toward Ludger and smiled brightly.
“Once again—welcome back.”
At those words, Ludger gave a small chuckle and nodded.
“Yes. I’ve returned safely.”
* * *
After parting with Selina, Ludger headed toward the lodging assigned to him.
It was the same place he had used before, so finding his way wasn’t difficult.
Along the way, his gaze drifted toward a research building he happened to pass.
At Seorn, where the night was deepening and navy-blue darkness was settling in—
At an hour when students would all be back in their dorms doing assignments or chatting with roommates, the research building was still lit.
Through the windows, he could see shadows shambling about inside.
At a glance, their appearance and movements resembled ghosts or undead like zombies—but they were, unmistakably, living people.
“They’re having a fulfilling time.”
Ludger watched them with satisfaction.
If the graduate students heard that, they would surely curse him in despair, asking how this could possibly be fulfilling.
But what could be done?
They had made the wrong choice at a crucial turning point in their lives.
Curious, Ludger considered stepping closer for a better look—when he noticed a sign posted near the research building.
[Notice. What appears here are not zombies, but graduate students, so please do not be alarmed. They do not bite.]
Beside it stood another sign.
[Warning. Reports have been made of ghosts appearing in this building, but we inform you that these are not ghosts, but graduate students. Please refrain from randomly shining light magic or using exorcism spells.]
For some reason, the letters on the sign were red, giving off an eerie feeling—as if written in someone’s blood.
With warning messages like these posted in front of a research building where shambling graduate students wandered about, it was hard to tell ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) whether this was a laboratory or a haunted house.
It seemed that passing students were often startled upon discovering graduate students working late into the night.
As Ludger quietly observed the scene—
“Aaah!”
With a high-pitched voice slicing through the night, a girl hurried toward him.
“P-Professor! What are you doing here?!”
“Is that you, Hermoa? I was just passing by and looking at the research building.”
“This place is dangerous! Zombies and specters appear here! It’s so scary and horrible that even fourth-year seniors avoid coming near it!”
It seemed the freshman Hermoa didn’t really know that this was a research building.
Nor why fourth-years, especially those about to graduate, were particularly afraid of the place.
“And what were you doing out here?”
“Huh? Ah, I was just......”
Hermoa subtly hid the book she was holding in her arms behind her back.
Had she been studying in the library until late?
Seeing her like this reminded him of the first time he had met Rine at Seorn.
Back during the werewolf incident, she too had stayed late in the library and come out after nightfall.
He recalled rescuing her when she’d been attacked while with Erendir.
Judging by the way Hermoa tried to hide the book, it seemed to be something she felt a bit embarrassed to show him.
Well, students didn’t always read study-related books, so there was no reason to be suspicious.
Worried that Ludger might take interest in her book, Hermoa hastily changed the subject.
“A-anyway, undead appear here, so you really have to be careful! Especially on nights like this, when they’re moving around actively—it’s even more dangerous!”
“It’s not dangerous.”
“Maybe you don’t know since you’ve been away for three years, Professor, but this place has a really bad reputation! People’s screams echo here every single night! Something inside must be undergoing horrific torture!”
Torture might have been an exaggeration, but considering what graduate students endured on a daily basis, it wasn’t that far off.
“...If you’re that worried, why not report it to the guards?”
“It’s already been reported dozens of times, but nothing’s changed! So everyone’s basically given up and keeps quiet about it. And there’s one more thing you really have to watch out for—especially on nights like tonight, when the moon doesn’t rise.”
“And what would that be?”
“On cloudy nights like this, they say the Ghost Queen sometimes appears!”
Ghost Queen?
Hearing the unfamiliar term, Ludger gave her a look of confusion.
“Anyway, it’s dangerous, so let’s get out of here!”
Just as Hermoa was about to say more—
Creeeak.
With a grating sound, the main doors of the research building swung wide open.
From within the pitch-black darkness—
Along with groans filled with pain and despair, something pale began to emerge.