“It wasn’t just a mess. It was a disaster.”

“Really? But it seems Professor Ludger handled things well enough.”

The Headmaster spoke leisurely, as though she’d already been briefed.

Considering Elisa’s information network, she’d likely grasped most of what happened.

Still, Ludger, as usual, gave the expected, modest response.

“I didn’t do much. Others helped me, and we resolved it safely.”

“Others? Who exactly?”

This time, Elisa didn’t bother telling Ludger to stop being humble.

Instead, she playfully asked who had helped him so much~.

“Magician Loina Pavlini.”

“Oh. Loina.”

Unexpected, perhaps. But fitting.

Loina Pavlini.

If a 6th-Circle mage like her had intervened, it made perfect sense Ludger would’ve accepted her help.

“But with her personality, I doubt she took initiative,” Elisa commented sharply.

Loina Pavlini was a brilliant magician, but lacking in nearly every other area.

To such a degree that one might think, So that’s what it takes to barely earn the youngest 6th-Circle title.

“There were other magicians involved. Starting with Derrick Olson and even Sempas.”

“Aha. Only heavyweights, I see. But I doubt the troublemakers were average either.”

“No. But we managed to wrap things up. Of course, there were damages, but considering the scale of what happened, it’s nothing short of a miracle.”

In truth, it was a miracle.

After all, an Elemental Lord of Earth—never before observed—had appeared.

Naturally, Headmaster Elisa had already received word of this, ahead of most.

“The Elemental Lord of Earth... Are we on the verge of the apocalypse or something?”

“I believe it was that very Lord who prevented the apocalypse.”

“That’s exactly why it’s so astonishing. For such a transcendent being of nature to appear like that... This year’s Mystic Night isn’t going to be canceled—it’ll attract more magicians than ever.”

They say the ground hardens after the rain.

An unprecedented disaster had nearly destroyed the Kasarr Basin—but then, the Elemental Lord of Earth appeared and stabilized the ley lines.

A modern-day miracle had descended upon a situation on the brink of catastrophe.

It would be stranger if magicians weren’t losing their minds over it.

“And yet, Professor Ludger, you don’t seem all that moved by it.”

“Because knowing such a being exists, or having seen it, changes nothing.”

That’s the thing about Elemental Lords.

It wouldn’t be strange if they suddenly appeared from nowhere, nor would it be possible to track them once they vanished.

Even the way they moved—gliding through the earth like swimming whales—completely defied physics.

Even fish make a splash when they leap from the water. Elemental Lords don’t even do that.

They glide silently, like sinking into a swamp—leaving behind not even a trace.

How could one possibly track such a being?

If one were to guess, maybe it dwelled somewhere in the Earth’s crust—not quite the mantle, but still...

But then again, “crust” is such a broad term that it might as well be meaningless.

The entire land could be considered the Elemental Lord’s field.

It wouldn’t be strange if it turned out the creature had a nest under Rederbelk itself.

From Ludger’s point of view, the people trying to “track” such a being looked absurd.

“So you view research on the Elemental Lord with skepticism?”

“Of course. Isn’t it strange to entertain false hopes just because a previously unobserved being happened to show itself once?”

“But magicians thrive on such delusions.”

“I won’t deny that.”

“Bet the towns around the Kasarr Basin are already plastering their flyers. ‘First Appearance of the Earth Elemental Lord—The Legendary Kasarr Basin.’ Catchy, right?”

“If the Elemental Lord were more socially inclined, it’d be filing a lawsuit.”

“Haha. That’s a good one.”

Elisa laughed, thinking Ludger was making a rare joke.

But Ludger was serious.

People had no idea just how intelligent the Elemental Lord truly was.

It may be a force of nature—but that didn’t mean it lacked will.

Quite the opposite. Its intellect far exceeded that of humans.

The moment Ludger locked eyes with it, he could feel it.

The Elemental Lord of Earth was fundamentally finite in nature.

Steadfast. Like a massive stone monolith.

It had even shown pity toward Velkat, who’d done all that damage. That said it all.

And such a being—if it were to grow angry—was unimaginably dangerous.

Elemental Lords could cause natural disasters at will. And earth-related ones meant earthquakes.

If it simply caused earthquakes from underground without surfacing, the only city that might survive on the continent would be Isla Machina, the capital of the Mage Tower.

Of course, the chances of it appearing again after this incident are close to zero...

But one could never be sure of the future.

“Let’s change topics, shall we? Did you know? The Duke of Kadatushan recently increased their sponsorship to Seorn.”

“Is that so.”

“Thanks to that, we can provide an even higher quality of education to our students. Isn’t that wonderful?”

Her words were polite, but the subtext was obvious.

The mention of Kadatushan was no accident—she was probing into what kind of deal Ludger had made with Duke Heybach.

No, it wasn’t even a probe. It was confirmation.

The timing of Ludger’s departure to Mystic Night and the spike in Kadatushan’s sponsorship was far too convenient to ignore.

Duke Heybach hadn’t even bothered to hide it.

He’d practically declared: Look at how much I’m donating to Seorn.

“Well, we used to just hold hands, unsure when the other might betray us. I suppose it’s good we’ve become solid allies now. But don’t you think a little advance notice would’ve been nice?”

Elisa’s tone sharpened slightly.

It wasn’t an interrogation—more like a mild complaint.

From her position as Headmaster, even if it was a positive development, being left out of the loop didn’t sit well.

Especially considering the scale.

Even surprise gifts can be overwhelming when too large.

Upon reflection, Ludger realized he’d gone too far, and offered an honest apology.

“I’ll be more careful in the future.”

“I’m not reprimanding you for this. Just... next time, a little heads-up would be appreciated.”

Elisa said it with a smile, but fatigue was plainly visible on her face.

She’d clearly had a rough time lately with all the recent chaos.

Ludger nodded.

“If something like this happens again, I’ll let you know in advance.”

“Thank you.”

“In that case... may I share one such thing with you now?”

“......Now?”

Elisa blinked in surprise.

She’d just asked for advance notice—and now this?

She composed herself.

“Alright. Let’s hear it. What is it?”

It probably won’t be anything as big as a duke-level alliance, she thought.

That was Elisa’s guess—and assumption.

Seeing her reaction, Ludger paused, uncertain how to respond.

That hesitation gave Elisa a strange sense of unease.

Why’s he acting like this? So unlike him...

Eventually, Ludger steadied himself and spoke.

“The Kingdom of Yuta has requested a resource extraction collaboration with Seorn.”

“...Excuse me? Who exactly made such a proposal?”

Ludger took a breath.

“The Queen of the Kingdom of Yuta.”

* * *

Headmaster Elisa said she had a lot to think about and dismissed Ludger.

In the end, Ludger had no choice but to return to his lodging.

Having completed his report, he figured he could rest for the day.

Just as he was about to relax, a message came through.

Hans?

It couldn’t be just a casual check-in—not this late.

Ludger activated the communicator.

“What is it?”

[Sir. I think you need to come here. Immediately.]

No explanation. Just a summons.

But Ludger didn’t get annoyed or angry.

If Hans, who rarely behaved like this, said so—it must be important.

Ludger rose from his seat.

“I’ll be there shortly.”

He threw on his coat and headed to the U.N. Owen hideout.

When he arrived at the base adjacent to Royal Street, all the executives were gathered.

Hans, Alex, Phantos, Seridan, Bellaruna, Arfa, even Violetta.

Strange enough that they were all present—normally they acted independently unless called.

But even stranger was the tension clearly visible on their faces.

Ludger instantly sensed that someone very unusual had come.

“You’re here, sir?”

Hans stepped up to greet him.

“So who is it that warranted dragging me here personally?”

“Well...”

“No, never mind. I’ll just meet them myself. Are they in the drawing room?”

“Yes.”

Hans nodded. Ludger didn’t hesitate.

Whoever had come all the way to the hideout clearly knew who they were—and Ludger had a few guesses.

And indeed, when he opened the door, he locked eyes with a man sipping steaming coffee.

A handsome man with dazzling blond hair looked up and smiled.

“It’s been a while, Professor Ludger.”

“Sir Passius.”

A Royal Guard knight—operating in the Empire’s shadows.

Passius had come to the hideout in person.

If Passius is here...

Ludger glanced sidelong at the figure sitting beside him.

Her face was hidden by a deep hood, but her physique was unmistakably female.

Ludger sat naturally across from them.

“Is it proper for the Imperial Princess to leave her seat so freely?”

At those words, the woman across from him pushed back her hood.

And for a moment, it felt as though the entire room lit up.

Hans, who had been observing carefully, gasped and widened his eyes.

“P-Princess Aileen... Your Highness?”

Realizing too late that he’d blurted out her name, Hans quickly added the honorific.

He’d assumed the important guest was Passius—not whoever accompanied him.

He had sensed someone dangerous—but never expected the First Imperial Princess.

Even the /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ other executives, who normally didn’t care about politics, were left wide-eyed.

Bellaruna, in particular, was hilariously flustered.

“T-To think someone so humble would come to a place this esteemed—”

“Idiot! You’ve got it backwards!”

Hans panicked and clamped a hand over her mouth.

“Enough.”

With a single word from Ludger, the commotion stopped cold.

Aileen watched the scene with amusement.

“So these are your subordinates? I don’t know about their skills, but their personalities are certainly colorful.”

“I assume you didn’t come all this way just to say that.”

Ludger found it suspicious that Aileen had come in person.

In the past, when she had no real authority, it might’ve made sense. But now?

She might well become the next ruler of the Exilion Empire.

And yet she’d come here, secretly, with only one escort?

Even if that escort was a master-level knight, it seemed far too careless.

“What happened with the elves in the capital?”

“That’s what I came to discuss—about the Lumenis Church. It didn’t sit right with me to handle this over long-range communication.”

With that, Aileen folded her arms and gestured to Passius.

His by-now-familiar attitude of dignified insolence drew only a shrug from the knight.

“Based on the info we received in advance, we confirmed that the elves crossed the border secretly. Most stayed outside the capital—but a few slipped inside.”

The recent terror attack had left the capital’s defenses lax.

Just as order was being restored, the elves had taken advantage of the chaos to sneak in.

And elven Shadewarden pursuers were practically undetectable when they chose to hide.

“We managed to reclaim the house they had taken—after they killed its innocent owners. Since then, they’ve been lying low outside the city, observing.”

A master-level knight had them in his sights. If they had any sense, they wouldn’t make a move.

“That’s when the Lumenis Church acted.”

“...They acted?”

“Yes. I don’t know if it was planned or coincidence—but they made contact with the elves.”

A religious group that worshipped only humanity.

And a group of elves from a bloodline that believed only elves were supreme.

Two organizations more like fire and ice than oil and water—now face to face.