Only a few days remained before the opening of Mystic Night.

Having finished his lecture on magical beast summoning, Ludger returned to the staff room and dropped into his seat.

“The magical beast lessons are fully on track now. Once they’ve been summoned, they’re no longer my responsibility. Their future development depends entirely on the students.”

Summoning a magical beast was the most challenging part; once summoned, no further instruction was really necessary. The rest came instinctively.

Each magical beast carried its own inherent “traits,” and those would reveal themselves gradually over time.

“Now all that’s left is...”

Attending Mystic Night.

And dealing with the matter of Sedina Roschen.

“Here’s your coffee.”

As if on cue, Sedina placed a warm cup of coffee in front of him.

“Any reports?”

“None.”

“Anything else?”

“The work on Royal Street is proceeding smoothly, thanks to Senior Hans’s efforts.”

“I see.”

Sip.

Ludger took a light sip of the coffee. Sedina watched him anxiously.

Even just drinking coffee, he looked like a painting—serene morning sunlight spilling over him as he began his work.

For Sedina, simply being able to watch Ludger start his day like this was one of the small joys of being his assistant.

‘If the professor ever got married... who would it be?’

Someone like Ludger would probably have women lining up for the chance. Certainly, women far greater than herself.

‘Even now, being his assistant feels too much for someone like me.’

She thought about who she was.

A Roschen by birth, yet someone who hated her own family.

Petite. Shy.

Her only real gift was the half of her blood she had inherited from her mother—the elven half.

‘Can a half-elf like me even stand beside someone like him?’

Even now, Ludger’s offer for her to become his assistant felt like a dream.

“It tastes good,” Ludger said casually.

“T-thank you.”

“Did you change the beans? The flavor’s new.”

“Yes. These are Nesarien coffee beans we’re cultivating in the assistants’ room.”

“Nesarien beans? That’s not an easy strain to grow indoors.”

“No. They’re very sensitive to temperature and humidity... and prone to pests.”

“And yet you managed to grow them? It doesn’t even seem like you’ve been tending them that long.”

Sedina scratched her cheek in embarrassment at the unexpected praise.

“M-maybe because I have elven blood. Plants tend to grow well under my care.”

“Hmm.”

Ludger fixed his gaze on her, and Sedina felt strangely heavy under that look.

“Well, as long as it gives me good coffee, I won’t complain.”

“Really?”

“But don’t spend too much time cultivating beans. Your real duty is as my assistant.”

“Yes. I’ll make sure it doesn’t interfere with my work.”

“Good.”

Ludger finished his coffee quickly, clearly enjoying it.

At the same time, his mind was spinning.

‘The way she nurtures plants... it makes sense now, knowing °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° she’s Plante blood.’

A question crept into his thoughts.

What were the limits of that ability?

From what he could see, Sedina could stimulate a plant’s growth, making it bloom in its best possible state.

Sedina, of course, thought it was normal for elves—she assumed all elves had the same affinity. But Ludger, who had met Bellaruna and other elves, knew better. Sedina was special.

‘Sedina’s specialty is manipulating paper—embedding her consciousness into it to observe distant locations.’

She used it for information gathering and communication.

‘But what if her paper magic isn’t just a unique branch of magic?’

Paper was, after all, made from trees. And trees were plants.

‘If she can stimulate plant growth, then maybe her magic isn’t limited to just paper...’

Sedina carried the blood of one of the great elven families, a family that once guarded the World Tree.

Even if she was half-elf, there was no guarantee that a half-blood’s power would be weaker.

‘Hmm. But I can’t confirm it yet.’

To clear up such doubts, he’d need the advice of an older, more experienced elf.

There were candidates—Vierno Dentis, for example. But going to him and asking about the Plante family was out of the question.

Even though the Dentis family was known to be friendly toward other races, Ludger couldn’t risk exposing Sedina.

Telling anyone that Sedina was a Plante survivor would only invite trouble.

Not to mention, if he claimed to have learned it “by chance,” Dentis would definitely question him about how he knew.

And outside of the headmaster, no one else even knew about Ludger’s other identities.

Better to avoid drawing suspicion.

For now, Ludger decided to leave the matter alone.

There was no immediate threat to Sedina.

“Oh, right. Assistant Sedina.”

“Yes, Professor. Is there something else? Should I make you another cup of coffee?”

Sedina brightened instantly, eager to be helpful.

“No more coffee. One cup a day is enough.”

“A-ah, yes...”

She wilted with visible disappointment.

Ludger reached into his pocket and handed her something.

“Take this.”

“Huh? Wh-what is this?”

“Perfume.”

“P-perfume?”

It was indeed perfume—housed in an elegantly crafted glass bottle with translucent liquid inside.

Not just any perfume, either—it was the expensive kind, rare even on the open market. Of course, for Ludger, who now practically controlled Royal Street, getting it had been trivial.

“W-why... why are you giving me perfume? Ah! D-do I smell bad?!”

Panicked, Sedina sniffed at herself nervously, horrified at the thought.

In truth, she wasn’t entirely wrong—Ludger had given it to conceal scent.

“Calm down, Sedina. You don’t smell bad.”

“R-really?”

“Yes.”

If anything, she carried the refreshing scent of a dense, sunlit forest.

“Then... why give me perfume?”

“It’s a gift.”

“A... gift?”

“Yes. You’ve worked hard as my assistant, and as your teacher, I’ve done little to properly acknowledge that.”

“So this perfume...”

“I’ve never given a gift to a woman before,” Ludger said flatly. “So I asked for advice. This is what they suggested.”

“You’ve... never given a gift to a woman before?”

Sedina froze, her cheeks reddening as her heart started pounding uncontrollably.

Of course, that was only natural.

Ludger wasn’t the type to give gifts just because he saw someone’s face—he was the type to receive them in heaps.

No wonder he wouldn’t feel the need to return the favor.

Sedina pursed her lips.

Did she hate it? Absolutely not. She liked it so much she could die from happiness.

On top of that, Ludger had said he had never given anyone a gift before.

‘Th-that means... I’m the first person to ever receive a gift from Professor Ludger?!’

While Sedina was caught up in her thoughts, Ludger spoke.

“You don’t look happy. Do you dislike it?”

“N-no, not at all!”

Sedina quickly snatched the perfume bottle from Ludger’s hand as if afraid someone might steal it.

Holding it like the most precious treasure, she pressed it tightly to her chest with both hands.

At the same time, she hurried to explain.

“I-it’s just... I suddenly thought, do I even deserve to receive something like this...?”

“If that’s all, you don’t need to worry. As long as you use it well, that alone makes me happy.”

“Hehe... I-I see. Ah, do you have any other instructions for me?”

“Not really. Since I’ll be attending Mystic Night soon, most of the work-related matters are already settled. But...”

“But...?”

“Just because it’s a gift, I’d rather you didn’t save it too much.”

“......!”

At that moment, Sedina made a firm resolution.

She would not hold back on using the perfume Ludger had given her.

* * *

Moonlight poured through the glass window, scattering into fragments.

Like glittering shards of glass, the bluish light softly illuminated the room.

Ludger was sitting on the sofa, taking a break.

Maybe it was because too many things had happened recently, but even this quiet rest felt like something he hadn’t done in ages.

Ding-dong─!

The bell of his quarters rang.

Ludger’s gaze naturally shifted toward the firmly closed front door.

A guest? No one should be coming to visit at this hour.

Even so, Ludger rose from his seat.

This was Seorn.

It wasn’t as if anyone would come here intending to harm him.

Still, he was always cautious—he had already prepared to cast magic instantly if necessary.

When he opened the door, a familiar face appeared.

“Professor Selina?”

“Good evening, Professor Ludger.”

Why was Selina, the Spirit Studies professor, here of all places?

Though the question crossed his mind, Ludger kept his expression calm as he asked,

“What brings you here?”

As he spoke, he subtly glanced up at the night sky.

“At this late hour, no less.”

The Selina he knew would normally flush red and fluster over such a situation.

But this time, her reaction was completely different.

“Is that a problem?”

“......”

Selina tilted her head confidently, the motion making her pink hair shimmer brightly even in the night.

As she implied, there was no real issue.

It wasn’t against any rules for instructors to meet outside of class hours.

It was just... unusual for her, which caught him slightly off guard.

“There’s no reason it should be. But if you had a specific matter to discuss, you could have arranged to meet me separately.”

“You’re always so busy, Professor Ludger. I couldn’t find the time. And I have classes to teach too, you know?”

Ludger nodded.

Lately, the schedule had been so tight that even the instructors were being overworked.

But suddenly, like noticing a small bug crawling on his skin, Ludger felt an odd sense of discomfort.

The Selina smiling at him now...

Something about her felt off.

“...Who are you?”

“Ah. Caught me.”

The woman smiled brightly, spinning gracefully in place as if dancing.

After an elegant turn, her appearance shifted.

Jet-black hair and crimson eyes.

She looked like Selina, but she wasn’t Selina.

“Esmeralda?”

Selina’s true personality...

The First Order of the Black Dawn Society.

Ludger’s eyes sharpened at the sight of the woman he thought had completely disappeared.

Esmeralda was dead.

Her soul had moved on to the faraway light along with the villagers who’d been bound to Quasimodo.

There was no way she should be standing here again.

Unless it was divine meddling.

‘Or...’

It could be a demon’s trick.

Ludger’s expression grew dark and cold.

“Helia.”

“Oh? So you figured it out?”

Esmeralda—or rather, Helia—stuck out her tongue playfully, then lightly tapped the floor with the tip of her shoe.

Her body shimmered like an illusion dissolving, revealing her true form.

Black-and-white hair, a carefree fashion style, and a parasol in hand.

“Ta-da. I heard you were working here, so I thought I’d drop by.”

“How did you even... No, never mind. With your abilities, sneaking into Seorn is child’s play.”

Indeed, if anyone could weave such perfect illusions, it was Helia. Getting in undetected would be nothing to her.

“So what’s the reason you suddenly came to see me? This is only our second meeting, and as far as I recall, we’re not exactly on friendly terms.”

“Hmm? Why? Do we have to be so distant?”

“It’s not about need. That’s just the reality. We’re not exactly people who need to build a close relationship, are we?”

“I don’t see it that way.”

Helia smiled seductively, placing her hand on Ludger’s collar.

Her touch was smooth and secretive, like a snake climbing up a tree.

“We can always get closer starting now, can’t we?”