Flora Lumos was staying at the Seorn dormitory.
With the global situation in turmoil, Seorn could not remain untouched by the chaos.
As a result, all classes had been suspended, and most students either went back home or stayed quietly in the dormitory.
However, Flora’s situation was different.
She was practically being kept there by force.
Even at the entrance of her dormitory, people sent by her family were stationed under the guise of “protection,” but in truth, they were watching her.
The sharp-minded Flora realized something about the current flow was clearly off.
Especially the movements of her own family — the Lumos family.
‘Where is Father diverting the family’s forces to?’
Since the demon incident, the Lumos family had been acting in ways completely different from the Empire.
Despite being one of the Empire’s Three Ducal Houses, they no longer followed imperial will — instead, they had joined hands with the Theocracy of Bretus.
She knew Cayden Lumos was a fervent follower of the Lumenis Church, but even so, she never thought he would be incapable of separating public duty from personal faith.
‘Father is planning something. Could he really be preparing to rebel against the Empire?’
She couldn’t just sit still.
But the problem was the watchful eyes lying in wait outside.
‘Father’s men.’
Normally, Seorn would have blocked their interference beforehand, but after the demon incident, the academy’s administrative function was practically paralyzed.
There was no hope for outside help.
Flora immediately slipped out through the dormitory window.
Her magic skill, now at an unprecedented level, allowed her to move without the guards beyond the door detecting her escape at all.
She hid her body as best she could and quietly tried to slip away under the cover of night.
‘Damn it.’
But as she moved through the bushes, she froze.
There were people nearby.
They weren’t simply passing by — their positions were too deliberate.
From the way they kept glancing toward the dormitory, it was obvious they were placed there with intent.
‘They’re watching from outside too.’
Realizing that her family’s hand reached all the way into Seorn, Flora felt a chill run down her spine.
‘I haven’t been discovered yet, but there’s no way to escape like this. What should I do?’
Fly with flight magic?
Even though it was night, the moonlight was too bright — she’d be spotted immediately.
Should she attack with magic?
No — if she used magic against people inside Seorn, it would escalate into a disaster.
And who knew how many more watchers were hidden nearby? She couldn’t act rashly.
No matter how hard she thought, she couldn’t find a way out.
And yet, for some reason—
That scent from that day suddenly came to mind.
There had been an incident in the Seorn forest where several people went missing.
That night, she had been walking through the dark and caught a strange scent coming from empty air.
Following that scent, she had met Ludger Cherish.
‘That scent. It was definitely magic.’
Flora closed her eyes and focused.
She didn’t know how — not the principle, the process, nor the result.
She simply tried to recall the scent from that night and imagine it vaguely in her mind.
Realistically, it should be impossible to imitate another person’s magic. And yet, for some reason, Flora felt she could do it.
‘Remember it. The magic Professor Ludger showed me.’
And then—
Bring it into reality.
When Flora opened her eyes again,
Black shadows shimmered around her like a heat haze.
The color /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ she saw and the scent that reached her nose were exactly the same as that day.
‘I did it!’
Flora clenched her fist — she had succeeded in manifesting the magic she once witnessed.
She had only vaguely thought it might be possible, but now that she had truly done it, she realized the path toward her next realm — once blurry — had become sharply clear.
It was an incredible achievement.
Flora had reproduced magic not through logic or calculation, but purely through instinct.
She had eyes that could see the color of magic, and a nose that could smell its scent.
Through sight and scent, she identified the essence of the spell and recreated it.
An unbelievable talent.
A flower bud that would never have bloomed on its own had blossomed fully thanks to Ludger’s teaching.
‘With this, I can do it.’
Flora walked confidently through the area, unnoticed by the watchers surrounding her.
“Hm? What was that?”
“Something just passed by?”
“Stop talking nonsense and keep watch. There’s no one there.”
Once she had slipped past them and reached a secluded place, Flora released the magic.
The moment she did, a heavy sense of fatigue washed over her.
‘My God. The mana consumption is enormous.’
She hadn’t maintained it for long, yet the depletion was extreme.
How had Ludger managed to use such magic so often?
Still, she could endure it. After catching her breath, Flora moved quietly through the night’s shadows.
All she had to do now was get out of Seorn and return to Rederbelk.
But then, she ran into someone she never expected.
As if waiting for her, Sheryl Wagner stood before her.
“Flora.”
“Sheryl, you...”
The moment Flora saw the sorrow in Sheryl’s eyes, she realized her worst fears had come true.
“You’re here to stop me?”
Sheryl already knew.
She knew Flora would try to leave tonight — even the route she would take.
Because they had known each other for a very long time.
“The Lumos family gave the order. You’re to be kept confined.”
“Why me?”
“The elders didn’t say much. But they claim you’ve been tainted by demonic power.”
“......”
Flora bit her lip.
Tainted by demonic power.
It sounded absurd, yet it wasn’t entirely wrong.
Flora Lumos had indeed once been possessed by the demon Basara.
Because of that — or perhaps thanks to it — her body became even more attuned to magic after Basara disappeared, and her already-gifted magic ability rose another level.
Even her once-blue hair had darkened toward black.
‘But how could they know?’
When Basara had taken over her body, she had been wrapped in a black storm.
No one could have identified the owner of that storm.
She thought she had hidden it completely — Ludger had told her to keep it secret, and no one had said anything since.
But that was a mistake.
Even if the ordinary priests of the Lumenis Church didn’t know, the higher-ranking priests who came to Rederbelk could sense it.
The faint remnants of demonic power left inside her.
It wasn’t truly hers, and it was fading with time — little more than a spark among ashes.
But to someone of a Cardinal’s rank, even that was enough to discern from afar.
Without even meeting her directly.
‘I was careless.’
The news had reached her family’s ears. Now Flora understood why they wanted to confine her.
It wasn’t to protect her.
Knowing Cayden Lumos’s temperament, the reason for the watch was quite the opposite.
‘Father intends to punish me himself.’
Before, even as an illegitimate child, he had left her alone for the sake of appearances. But now it was different.
He had a righteous excuse to cast her out.
Flora stared at Sheryl with a hardened face.
“So, are you here to take me in yourself?”
“The elders have already found out you escaped from the dormitory. Flora, please, don’t make this any worse.”
As if to prove her words true, shouts could already be heard from afar.
“If it were the old Seorn, they would have protected you. But the academy can’t do that anymore. The aftermath of the demon incident hit too hard. And besides...”
Professor Ludger isn’t here anymore.
Sheryl swallowed the rest of her words.
“Flora. So please, don’t hate me too much.”
Flora’s eyes trembled.
Just as she resolved that she could no longer avoid fighting her friend—
“If you keep going straight, there’s a carriage waiting.”
“...Sheryl?”
“Take it and go. If I don’t come, you can leave without me.”
“What are you saying...?”
“You know what I mean.”
Sheryl grinned, baring her teeth playfully.
“I think I’d rather be Flora’s friend than a daughter of the Wagner family.”
“......”
“So go. I’ll try to buy you some time from the people coming after you.”
“...Thank you.”
Flora left, and Sheryl turned toward the approaching pursuers with a determined face.
“I can at least hold them off for a while.”
* * *
Just as Sheryl had said, a carriage was waiting.
Flora immediately climbed aboard.
She waited, hoping Sheryl would follow — but she never came.
She wanted to go back and help, but doing so would only dishonor Sheryl’s sacrifice.
“Coachman.”
Flora was about to tell the coachman to depart.
But before she could— the man slumped sideways.
“......!”
The coachman was already dead.
Startled, Flora immediately drew her staff, her guard raised high.
For someone her age, it was a remarkable reaction speed.
But her opponent was an even more seasoned veteran.
Figures emerged one by one from the darkness surrounding the carriage.
Before she knew it, she was surrounded — all of them dressed in pure white garments.
‘The Lumenis Church!’
What were Church agents doing sneaking into Seorn at this hour?
More shocking was their stealth.
‘They’re not ordinary priests or paladins!’
Flora’s instincts screamed.
These were the Church’s specialists — those who handled its darkest tasks.
“Flora Lumos. Where do you think you’re going at this hour? That’s not where you belong.”
The cold-eyed man in white spoke.
He already knew she was trying to escape.
Flora hesitated, trying to think.
But before she could decide, the man moved as if not intending to give her time to think.
“You kept foolish company.”
At his signal, the priests dragged forward a restrained Sheryl.
From inside the carriage, Flora’s eyes widened in horror.
‘Sheryl!’
She never imagined Sheryl could be captured so quickly.
“If you don’t want your friend’s death to be in vain, step out of the carriage and disarm yourself. You are still of Lumos blood — this is the only mercy you’ll be offered. If you refuse...”
The man drew a gleaming sword and placed it at Sheryl’s neck.
“I’ll execute her here and now, under my authority.”
“......”
“Don’t make this bigger than it needs to be. This is your final chance for mercy.”
Flora opened the carriage door and stepped out.
The man sneered.
“Hmph. So you’re not completely stupid after all. It would’ve been better if you’d done that from the start.”
“Let Sheryl go.”
“Worried about your friend? How touching. But you see...”
A murderous glint filled his eyes.
“Betrayers must be cut down at the root.”
“No!”
Flora realized what he was about to do and shouted — but the sword had already swung toward Sheryl’s neck.
At that very moment—
Clang!
The white blade split cleanly in two, pieces scattering.
Sheryl was unharmed. Instead, the Church man who had swung the sword stared wide-eyed.
His gaze shifted— toward Flora’s side.
“You— who are you?”
To be precise, he was staring at the man standing right beside her.
Flora turned her head— and froze.
“Professor Ludger?”
Ludger Cherish.
He was standing at her side as if he had been there all along.
“Mercy, you said?”
Ludger looked toward the man.
“So the priests these days call putting a blade to a defenseless child’s throat an act of mercy?”
“Who the hell are you!”
“Who am I? You people should know me better than anyone. Or do you need me to introduce myself?”
Ludger, his face hidden in shadow, stepped forward deliberately into the moonlight.
The man’s eyes widened as he recognized him.
“You— you can’t be here! That’s impossible!”
“That’s not what matters.”
Ludger shook his head, his cold gaze sweeping over the surrounding priests.
They wore priestly robes, but these were the Church’s special unit — assassins who killed under holy sanction.
Ludger glared at them and declared:
“To think you would dare lay a hand on my students inside Seorn. You’ve got guts, I’ll give you that. Allow me to return your own words to you.”
“What are you all waiting for! Attack together!”
“I’ll grant you mercy.”
Mana surged violently around Ludger’s body like a storm.
