Chapter 45

◈ Chapter 45: Dangerous Bet (2)

The atmosphere, which had been settling down, took an odd turn with the appearance of Chris Benimoor.

The reaction of the noble students was particularly enthusiastic, and the reason was simple.

Chris Benimoor was a noble by birth, with a distinguished lineage, and he was a teacher who often supported the noble students behind the scenes.

Ludger looked at him and spoke.

"Teacher Chris Benimoor, I don't understand what you mean."

"It's not that difficult. I mean exactly what I said."

"Exactly what you said?"

"No matter how much we are teachers, we can't control every action of the students. Moreover, from what I've heard, both students are engaging in a duel of their own volition. Isn't it an excessive infringement of freedom for a teacher to step in and stop it?"

Chris's sly words made Ludger's eyebrows twitch slightly, but only for a moment.

Ludger subtly observed the other students' reactions.

From their reactions, some students seemed to nod in agreement with Chris's words.

Even Ludger, who was usually composed, couldn't help but think that intervening in a fair duel between students might be seen as an abuse of authority.

'I've been hit.'

Chris Benimoor, a teacher who favored noble students.

His appearance had significantly boosted the students' morale.

Ludger decided to take a step back.

"Even so, it's problematic for students to engage in magical duels without the teacher's permission. If they get seriously injured, it would be a loss for Seolren as well."

"Of course, that's true. But what if we do this?"

"What do you mean?"

"Both of us will supervise."

The students murmured at Chris's words.

"Teacher Ludger and Teacher Chris will supervise?"

"Are you saying we have to engage in a magical duel in front of both teachers?"

Just imagining it made some students feel suffocated with anxiety.

Some students were flustered, but the noble students were different.

Their eyes sparkled.

With the teachers themselves offering to supervise, the excuse of danger to stop the duel was gone.

"Or do you think this is also dangerous? Teacher Ludger Chellis."

Chris deliberately provoked Ludger with a mocking smile.

"I didn't know you cared so much about the students that you would protect them to this extent."

"I'm not protecting them; I'm just considering the potential risks."

"But if both of us are there, there won't be such risks. What do you think? Those two students also want to face each other."

Feeling the overt intention in Chris's words, Ludger could roughly guess the situation.

Chris Benimoor had never liked Ludger Chellis.

Although he was a new teacher at Seolren, Ludger, a fallen noble, was different from Chris, who was still an active noble.

With his strong aristocratic tendencies, Chris had always found Ludger's presence irksome.

'Ludger Chellis. I didn't like him from the first time I saw him.'

Other commoner teachers at least looked like commoners. They made a fuss over everything, lacked nobility, and were completely unrefined.

But Ludger was different.

He shone more nobly than anyone else in the room, even more so than Chris himself.

Despite his fall, Ludger had not lost his luster. This annoyed Chris.

How could he stand so stiffly and proudly after falling so far? Was he not ashamed?

Even when they first met, Ludger didn't show any surprise at seeing Chris; he just nodded slightly, which made Chris feel something rise in his chest.

'I didn't like it when Teacher Hugo suggested bringing him into our faction.'

Ludger had even openly declared to Hugo that he wouldn't join such a place.

While feeling relieved, Chris also felt indignant.

Such a place? What makes it such a place?

What gives him the confidence to act like that? He had heard that Ludger created a great magic called Source Code, but that was all.

Chris couldn't understand. The darker feelings towards Ludger grew stronger.

And now, Chris had the perfect opportunity to strike back at Ludger.

"What do you think, Teacher Ludger? Isn't this enough?"

"I'll hear the students' opinions."

Ludger said this and turned to Aiden.

His gaze asked, "Do you really want to engage in a magical duel with Jiban?"

"...Yes. Definitely."

Aiden nodded with firm resolve.

Initially, Aiden had hoped to resolve the matter without a fight. But Jiban had crossed the line too far.

Saying such harsh words to his friend was unforgivable.

Seeing this, Ludger sighed inwardly and turned back to Chris.

"Since Aiden is willing, I'll allow it under the condition that Teacher Chris supervises."

"Oh, that's good."

"Then..."

"Ah, Teacher Ludger, wait a moment."

"What is it now?"

Chris had no intention of letting go of this opportunity.

"Shall we make a bet?"

"A bet? That's a sudden proposal."

"It seems you care quite a bit about that commoner boy, Teacher Ludger."

"He's not a commoner; he's Aiden. Please be careful with discriminatory remarks."

"Oh, Aiden. I didn't know because he doesn't attend my class. Anyway, I consider Jiban Pelio to be a very talented magician."

Though it was a flattering statement, Jiban seemed to take it to heart, looking moved.

Ludger replied with his usual cold voice.

"So, what exactly do you want to do?"

"Decide who will win. Of course, I'm betting on Jiban Pelio."

"Isn't it ridiculous for a teacher to talk about betting in front of students?"

Chris felt annoyed but managed to maintain his smile.

"So, what will you do? If you don't want to, there's nothing I can do. I wouldn't bet on the losing side like you, Teacher Ludger."

The students murmured.

Ludger's subtle favoritism towards Aiden naturally led to a situation where Ludger, Aiden, Jiban, and Chris were pitted against each other.

Chris's actions were amusing.

Ludger could have simply refused and backed away.

But even so, he couldn't shake off the feeling of regret.

After all, it was Chris who had encouraged the duel and was now subtly provoking him.

It was hard to ignore with so many people watching, and Ludger was also annoyed.

Why should I back down?

He hadn't paid much attention to Chris, who had been hostile towards him, because he didn't see the need.

There was no point in expending energy on someone he didn't get along with from the start.

But.

If the other side directly provokes him, it's a different story.

'Fine. I'll play along a bit.'

Ludger had also wanted to properly assess Aiden's true abilities through this duel.

Ludger nodded.

"Since Teacher Chris insists, I'll join in this entertainment."

"Oh, surprising. I didn't think you would accept, Teacher Ludger. So, who do you think will win?"

"Obviously, Aiden."

Ludger's unwavering voice made Aiden's eyes widen. He hadn't expected Ludger to choose him.

The other students were also surprised.

On the other hand, Chris nodded as if he had expected this.

"Good."

"What will be the stakes of the bet?"

"Stakes? Hmm. We are teachers at Seolren, but we are also magicians. We also teach the same manifestation class."

Ludger, slightly surprised, asked.

"Manifestation class?"

"..."

Ludger was genuinely asking.

But Chris, interpreting it as a deception, his face turned red.

'You damn fallen noble!'

The fact that Chris didn't lash out verbally was a testament to his great self-control.

One of the reasons Chris disliked Ludger was right here.

Chris Benimoor had come to Seolren to teach the manifestation class, which he was proud of.

Suddenly, he learned that Ludger Chellis, a fallen noble he had never heard of, was also teaching the same class.

Worse, Ludger was teaching the second year, while Chris was assigned to the first year.

The more skilled teacher should teach the higher grade, which implied that Chris Benimoor was considered inferior to Ludger Chellis.

Moreover, Ludger had allowed both first and second-year students to attend his class, effectively poaching many talented students from Chris's class.

Chris had plenty of reasons to dislike Ludger.

'Do you think you can humiliate me and get away with it?'

Ludger was unaware of his actions.

He didn't even know Chris Benimoor was also a manifestation class teacher.

This fact further crushed Chris's pride.

Ludger finally understood Chris's behavior.

'So that's why. He seemed oddly hostile towards me, but it's because we teach the same class.'

Chris had a reason to be angry. If he were in the same situation, he would be angry too.

Especially since Ludger had casually taught advanced topics like Source Code and elemental magic visualization, which were not typically covered in regular classes.

This likely intensified the comparisons between the two teachers among the students.

Chris, barely suppressing his anger, adjusted his glasses.

"Ahem. Anyway, let's each provide some of the magic or theories we've researched in the manifestation class. Of course, not the most important materials, but enough to make the bet meaningful."

"We should specify the level of the theories to be provided."

"Let's leave it to each person's discretion."

Leaving it to discretion was as difficult as asking someone to add ingredients to a dish.

If you give something too useless, you reveal your own low level.

But if