◈ Episode 20 Abraham Van Helsing (1)
Miss Selina, smiling brightly today, nodded at my question.
“yes. Rumors have already spread among students. A werewolf that only exists as an urban legend. Is it funny?”
“… … .”
“No matter how many geniuses are gathered, they still want to be students. To think you were subtly concerned about such ghost stories.”
Teacher Selina laughed out loud, saying the students’ imaginations were so cute, but I couldn’t help but laugh.
It is said that the first source of the rumor was students who had gone out the day before to the nearby city of Ledervelk.
A dark night in Ledervelk after the sun has set.
The first sighting was that he saw a black shadow running across the roof of a building through the night fog that had settled down subtly.
I shook my head.
“Aren’t they still children?”
“yes. Yes. Still, it was a bit surprising to hear that a werewolf I had seen outside the city had also been seen in Seorn.”
“Even inside Ceorn?”
Did the children in the city spread rumors and the students inside the school saw it in vain?
“Seorn has to be so wide. Also, since it is a place full of all sorts of magic, it is said that there are cases where strange phenomena occur due to magic. The 7 ghost stories actually exist, right?”
“Are you talking about the 7 ghost stories?”
“yes. Didn’t you know?”
“Miss Selina is well aware of ghost stories.”
“yes yes?!”
I just said it as a compliment, but for some reason, Selina-sensei overreacted.
I opened my eyes wide and my cheeks turned pink. Her hair also stood on end as if it were a little puffy.
When I looked at him wondering why he was reacting like that, she hurriedly made an excuse.
“T-T, I didn’t look carefully to see if there was such a thing as a ghost story about Seorn’s school! I just thought about what topic would be good to have a conversation with students, and it’s never like that!”
“Okay, calm down.”
Seeing the two arms that had lost their place to go, swaying here and there, it seemed as if they would collide with a plate and spill food.
“No. Not really.”
However, Miss Selina seemed to sense some impatience in my attitude, so she made more desperate excuses.
Just when I thought it was unlikely that the meal would continue at this rate, Miss Merilda, who was worse than me, intervened.
“ah. Come to think of it, Mr. Rudger, I heard that you behaved quite splendidly from her first class, is that true?”
“What do you mean?”
“You know what? He said that he showed an epoch-making magic that reduces the speed of the manifestation of magic. What did you say his name was?”
“Source code!”
Selina-sensei also forgot her embarrassment and shouted that with her eyes lit up.
No matter how loud the shouts were, there was a momentary silence in the teachers’ cafeteria.
Miss Selina realized her mistake and bowed her head. The lobes of her ears, exposed through her pink hair, were dyed bright red.
I let out a small sigh and nodded my head.
“yes. you’re right.”
As I nodded in agreement, eyes flew in from all directions.
It was the gaze of the teachers who were eating at another table.
As I wondered why, Ms. Merilda pulled out her upper body and explained it so that I could hear it.
“It’s because everyone is interested in Mr. Ludger’s magic.”
“Are you talking about my magic?”
“oh. Are you pretending not to know? Already rumors spread within the three Ornns that the magic that Miss Ludger showed her in her first class?”
“hmm.”
I popped a piece of meat into my mouth, trying to figure out how things were going.
‘Are you interested?’
From the first day of class, I vaguely guessed that this would happen.
From the point of view of people in this world, the source code that borrows the 21st century computer programming method must be truly innovative.
I fully expected that the ripple effect itself would reach other teachers as well.
“I hear that the speed of the expression of the magic has been drastically shortened, so can I steal it here?”
“that’s right. With that much, you can make a lot of money by filing a patent in the Mage Tower.”
Teacher Selina also responded in response.
Well, if you have to say it, it’s not wrong. The magic of source code will be the wind of change in the current stagnant magical society.
In fact, if magic was provided to the Mage Tower, which had a magic patent system, it would be possible to sit on a money cushion.
Of course, that’s ostensibly common knowledge.
“I don’t care about that.”
I pretended not to be humble, but I know better than anyone that it is better not to apply for a patent.
For those who don’t know yet, providing newly developed magic to the mage tower would be a great thing, but the reality is a bit different.
There is definitely a magic patent system in the Mage Tower.
Magicians who lack money want to make money using such a patent system, but such a good appearance is only superficial.
Patents become patents only when they are properly acknowledged by the Mage Tower.
The problem is that most of the magic that is usually submitted as a patent is to be beaten low while making all sorts of excuses in the Mage Tower.
‘I’d rather just give an excuse like that, because there are people who abuse this.’
Other new teachers may still have a positive perception of the Mage Tower, but I have already experienced how dirty and despicable the Mage Tower is, so my point of view is different.
Indeed, even if the old judges of the Mage Tower developed a new magic that had no room for criticism, the problem still exists.
‘If you don’t have a supporter or a noble family backing you up, you’ll literally be robbed of the magic you’re going to patent.’
Or, if this side doesn’t get angry with him and apply for a patent, he could be dragged into a back alley and forced to vomit magic.
Actually there was such a case.
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In other words, the patent system used by the Mage Tower is nothing more than a fake, with no name.
Knowing that, I did not dedicate my magic to the Mage Tower to make money.
Even if you do, it is a natural reality that you will be kicked out because you do not have a bag, let alone money.
‘At least Rudger’s status is better now.’
He is a fallen aristocrat, but since he is an active teacher in Seorn, it is not bad in terms of recognition.
However, even with such a Ludger status, if you are careless, you will be cut off your nose with your eyes open.
A place that is stagnant and stagnant, where the old people’s greed is rampant like sticky mud.
No matter what country it is, such a place is disgusting.
Also, deliberately showing the source code in Seorn was an act that involved some calculation.
First of all, it is to spread rumors among students, and spread the story that the epoch-making magic called source code was created by Ludger Celish.
Rumors among the students spread and spread to the teachers, and even among the teachers, the rumors spread to the outside of Seorn.
That’s how you’ll get into the Mage Tower’s ears.
If this side bows their head first and applies for a patent, they are putting their necks in.
However, if that other side approaches me, anxious about the appearance of a new magic, then the positions of A and B are reversed.
And the status of the Ludger status will rise even higher.
Rather than a new teacher from Ceorn who has nothing, as a teacher from Ceorn who has considerable talent.
If you have a business card like this, people around you won’t be able to easily ignore you.
It’s going to take a while, but there’s nothing like it to solidify my position.
‘However, the problem is that other teachers turn on the light in their eyes and aim for me.’
Even now.
At least, Miss Selina and Miss Merilda passed over because they had good personalities, but the other teachers were sending me outright jealousy.
In particular, the eyes of Chris Bennimore, one of the new teachers with me, seem to see magma boiling.
I’ll kill people with a look like that.
“I’m still sorry… … .”
“You don’t have to regret presenting it to students first.”
I looked around like that and got up from my seat.
It was because I was afraid that if I continued to stay here, I would get sick of the gaze.
“I will go first. I have my next class.”
“Ah yes! take care!”
“Goodbye~.”
I nodded lightly to the two teachers who greeted me, and then quickly walked out of the teachers’ cafeteria.
* * *
Merilda narrowed her eyes as she watched Ludger’s back as he left.
I thought he was a great guy from the first time I saw him, but I definitely realized it while talking to him a while ago.
Rudger Chelsea. That man really showed the magic of the source code for the sake of the students that even other teachers had their eyes on.
‘Otherwise, there’s no way I would have shown it in the first class after hiding it up until now, let alone revealing it to the Mage Tower.’
From Merilda’s point of view, Ludger’s behavior was not like that of a wizard these days.
It’s a little strange to say that he’s a wizard these days, but wizards have always been like that.
Being overly cool-headed, he lacks empathy, is selfish, and lacks consideration for others.
However, over time, the trend has become much more recent.
Even masters who have to teach someone do not trust their students and never show their vision in the current magic world.
She was also feeling it because she had been through a similar situation.
But what about Rudger?
Even though he had that great magic, he didn’t show off his skills to those around him.
And what is more surprising is that he used the magic in front of the students.
‘No matter how young the students are, if I show them how to use magic, some discerning people might catch the strand.’
Doesn’t that man even worry about having his magic stolen?
There are only two reasons for doing so.
Magic is so difficult that you can’t understand even if you see one.
‘or.’
Are you determined that it doesn’t matter if you get stolen?
‘Ah, no way.’
But otherwise, the dignified attitude he showed while eating a moment ago.
That can’t be explained.
‘A person like that is a new teacher like me.’
The more I thought about it, the more I felt shabby.
Merilda sighed and looked around.
Selina, her classmate and close friend, was staring blankly at Ludger’s seat.
I fell in love with this one too.
Merilda shook her head, saying that she couldn’t help it, and immediately touched Selina’s nape with her fingertips with a mischievous smile.
“Hyaaak!”
“Selina. What do you think? why. Are you sad that Mr. Rudger went first?”
“Mr. Merylda? What the hell are you talking about!”
After all, Selina is fun to tease.
Merilda thought so and teased Selina for a while.
Of course, having to soothe the pouting Selina along the way was a bonus.
* * *
Saturday, the day after theory class.
Since noon, when the sun was shining brightly, I had been in Ledervelk, a city near Ceorn.
It is nominally a simple walk to look around the nearby city, but in reality it was because there was a prior agreement.
The appointment is in the evening, although there is quite a bit of time left.
I came out earlier to see what Lederbelk was like.
‘The city itself looks pretty cool.’
Ledervelk, a city where magic engineering is developed, is a huge city with the Lemzier River flowing in the center of more than 500 km.
The flowing river and countless railroads laid on the ground were blood vessels that planted the vitality of the city, and the people living in it were full of vitality.
Ledervelk, which has become the center of all kinds of commerce, magic, and engineering, has a reputation as the most developed city because it is adjacent to Theorn Academy.
I walked through ‘Centerford’, the main street of Lederbelk.
Unlike other districts, gentlemen and ladies dressed in suits were quietly enjoying their leisure time here.
Centerford, a place that symbolizes the revival of Lederbelk.
In this residential complex where the rich live, the trees were beautifully carved, and steam locomotives and golem wagons roamed every road.
I sat on the terrace of a secluded cafe and drank coffee.
Even on the weekend, the faint scent of coffee beans mixed with the scent of the coffee I drink in a quiet cafe awakens a strange mood.
‘It’s nice.’
It’s a beautiful place and I want to live in a place like this at least once.
It is only natural to have such thoughts vaguely.
‘The price of a house is definitely expensive.’
After getting up and paying for my coffee, I headed to the next area.
‘Grand Chapel’ is the busiest street in Lederbelk where people go around the most.
It was a place where a huge white cathedral in the Gothic Revival style stood tall.
It’s not a busy street for nothing, it’s really full of all sorts of things I’ve never seen before.
Machines emitting pure white steam from external combustion engines made of brass, and mechanics handling them.
Kids playing with little clockwork mechanism toys.
From people busking on the street playing accordion, cello, and violin to citizens listening to the music and dancing.
“… … .”
As I wandered around the city like that, the sun was setting and the sunset was starting to burn.
Dang. Dang. Dang.
Huge clock towers dotted around the city rang the chimes announcing that it was six o’clock.
As it was early spring, with traces of winter still remaining, the sun set early and the air that touched our skin quickly became chilly.
I adjusted the front of the black coat I was wearing and headed to the meeting place.
Until now, we had only seen the beauty of Leathervelk, but this time we are heading to the opposite direction.
A shadow cast clearly under the intense light.
It was a place called the ugly bare face of this city.
Pushing the wide-brimmed hat on my head even deeper, I walked through the haze of water rising from the surface of the Lemzier River.
When even the clouds of blazing scarlet fire drifted over the west, and a deep blue sky covered the entire city of Ledervelk.
I stood in front of an alleyway in a factory area where thick fog was rising.
There is no one.
Street vagrants gave up begging and returned to the depths of the alleys, and the little ones who worked to earn a wage while coughing wildly went home.
I am alone here.
The scarlet light of the street lamp collides with the fog and scatters hazy.
In that empty silence, I waited for the person I was going to meet with my back leaning against the grime-soaked brick.
‘He said he’d come early, but he’s late.’
The moment I thought so, I heard a sound from the back of the alley where I was leaning back.
Kreurreung.
It is a sound that can never be produced by human vocal cords.
I lifted my back from the wall and stared into the alleyway.
A pair of red eyes emerged from the unknown space where gray fog and black darkness were half mixed.
‘This is true.’
I remembered what Miss Selina had said the day before in the cafeteria.
The rumor that students saw werewolves.
She herself passed it off as just a ghost story, but well.
Looking at it now, I wonder what he would think.
That moment.
The boy moved in the dark.
A movement rushing towards this direction in an instant.
I didn’t miss that look and looked through it.
He immediately raised his fist and slammed the boy on the head.
cooong!
“Cheak!”
A thick scream echoes briefly through the fog.
I looked down at the guy sitting in front of me, not hiding my pitiful face.
“I was wondering why you were late, so I thought you were trying to play a joke like this.”
“Damn it. It’s been a while, but if you’re a bit surprised, where do you come from?”
The guy who says that and strokes his aching head with his hand is an acquaintance I’ve decided to meet, and a guy who can be called my subordinate.
“A long time. Hans.”
“Long time no see. older brother.”
He was the one who spread the werewolf rumors among the students.
