Chapter 71

◈ Chapter 71: Freuden Ulbruch

'If he finds out I'm a commoner, he'll attack right away, won't he?'

Rine swallowed hard.

She was just thinking that she might be able to pretend she didn't know and slip away.

"Hmm. And you are?"

Freuden looked at Rine and raised an eyebrow.

Then he approached her and suddenly leaned in.

Rine's heart sank at his reaction.

"Hmm."

Under his slightly suspicious gaze, Rine felt her insides burning.

Could the leader of the noble faction recognize her?

Could he possibly remember the incident with Dune Romley? What if he holds her responsible for it now?

Rine's mind raced.

According to the rumors she had heard, Freuden was known as a demon who despised commoners and showed no mercy.

Meanwhile, Freuden did not take his eyes off Rine.

When his gaze finally settled on the book about non-elemental magic that Rine was holding, she instinctively hid it behind her back.

Freuden narrowed his eyes.

"You..."

"Y-Yes?! Is there something you need?!"

"Nothing, really."

Seeing Rine's overly intense reaction, Freuden shook his head and said it was fine.

"Rather, how did you get in here? Usually, students don't come this far."

"W-Well, that's..."

Rine was trying to think of an excuse.

Freuden, noticing her hesitation, narrowed his eyes even more.

Rine's heart raced.

Freuden was undoubtedly a strikingly handsome man.

With his pale skin and sharp jawline, he exuded a very sharp image, but his unique gaze gave him considerable charisma.

His parted hairstyle, which revealed his forehead, further enhanced his aura.

Given the intense rumors about him, Rine couldn't help but feel intimidated.

The fear that a lie might get her killed made her decide to be honest.

"I heard singing."

"Singing?"

"Yes. I couldn't help it... If this was a senior's space, I wouldn't have come! I really wouldn't! Please believe me!"

Rine took this opportunity to beg for forgiveness.

Freuden looked at her with slightly widened eyes, then shifted his gaze and muttered to himself.

"I see. You heard the singing."

"Yes, the singing..."

"How was it?"

"Y-Yes?"

"Forget it. It's clear you stumbled in here by accident."

"R-Really? That's a relief."

"However, I'd appreciate it if you kept this a secret from the other students. This is my personal space. Even my personal guards don't know about it."

"Uh..."

Rine was momentarily speechless at Freuden's unexpected attitude.

"A-Are you not angry?"

"Angry? Why would I be?"

"W-Well, I mean... I'm a commoner."

She couldn't bring herself to say it out loud, so she muttered it to herself.

"I won't blame you for coming here. You seem to be a first-year student, so you're probably exploring. Just keep what you saw here a secret."

"O-Of course! I won't tell anyone! I really won't!"

"Will you promise?"

"Yes! I promise!"

"Good. That's settled."

The conversation went better than expected.

Rine wondered if this was really the infamous Freuden she had heard about.

'Could he have mistaken me for a noble? But that doesn't seem likely.'

According to the rumors she had heard, Freuden Ulbruch always had a cold, predatory attitude.

But the Freuden she was facing now was nothing like that.

For instance, the small, neat flower bed in front of her.

'Did he grow all of this himself?'

He probably did. Given his reaction, this was clearly Freuden's personal space.

In other words, Freuden had personally cultivated this clean, small courtyard and flower bed.

'To think Freuden did all of this.'

This Freuden?

The heir to one of the three duchies of the empire, the Ulbruch family?

A symbol of fear to commoners, and even other nobles tremble before him?

At least, the nobles she knew were incredibly extravagant, from their basic hobbies to their lavish lifestyles.

Buying expensive clothes, purchasing ornate jewelry, and gathering to drink tea and have tea parties.

If lower nobles were like that, she couldn't imagine how much more extravagant the higher nobles would be.

But Freuden was different.

'Such a simple high noble.'

Moreover, the small courtyard, the neat flower bed, and the faint singing she had heard.

'Could that singing have been Freuden's?'

If so, who taught him to sing?

Rine was about to ask but quickly reconsidered.

'No. It's better not to draw his attention here.'

Since Freuden seemed unexpectedly merciful, it was better to take this opportunity to leave safely.

"I won't spread any rumors. I didn't see anything today. Yes. So, I'll be going now."

"Alright."

He didn't try to stop her.

Freuden didn't seem to look down on her or find her amusing just because she was a commoner.

Rine felt relieved.

"Then, I'll be going."

As Rine slowly backed away,

"Rine."

"Y-Yes?!"

"You can come back if you want."

"…What?"

"Just come back. Yes. I'll allow it, especially for you."

"…."

Rine couldn't understand what he meant.

Was he teasing her? Or was he serious?

Even if he was teasing her, it was still scary.

After all, this was Freuden joking with her.

"Ah, yes."

She decided it was just a casual remark.

As she moved away from Freuden, Rine felt like she had been dreaming.

Today was full of unbelievable events.

She quickly left Freuden's secret garden.

But for some reason,

Even as she moved away from the courtyard, she felt Freuden's gaze on her back.

* * *

Ludger's class began.

Ludger entered the lecture hall exactly on time and naturally scanned the students sitting in the rows.

Previously, the atmosphere was quite dull, but after demonstrating coordinate magic, the students' focus had returned.

At this rate, the class could last a month.

Ludger nodded in satisfaction and began to speak.

"The first test period is approaching soon."

His low voice echoed throughout the lecture hall.

The first test.

While there are many exams throughout the year, the term "first" weighed heavily on the students.

Especially for the first-year students, this was their first exam since entering Seoln.

The pressure was immense.

Most importantly, there was a sense of duty to do well on the first test.

"As I mentioned before, I plan to teach the <Source Code> only to the top-performing students who do well on the exams."

Of course, Ludger continued.

"Of course, I won't teach the entire Source Code. What you can gain from the first test is one of the <Frameworks> that make up the Source Code."

The Source Code spell is composed of four Frameworks.

So even if you get a Framework from this first test, it would be meaningless if you don't place in the top five in the next test.

To learn Source Code magic, you need to maintain a top-five ranking in all four exams from this first test to the final exam at the end of the semester.

"Indeed, I'm curious who will learn my <Source Code> magic. This first test can be seen as the opening move."

Swallow.

Some students swallowed and clenched their fists.

A mix of anticipation and tension.

However, some students still seemed relaxed.

"For the first test, the content won't be extremely difficult. It's a basic test to see how well you've been paying attention to my lectures."

Sighs of relief echoed throughout the lecture hall.

Since Ludger said it wouldn't be too difficult, they judged that there was no need to be overly anxious.

"I assume you all know the subjects, but just in case, I'll remind you. If there's anyone who doesn't know, take notes now."

As soon as he said that, the students pulled out their pens.

Even if they already knew, they decided to take notes just in case.

'Tsk. Stupid.'

Flora inwardly mocked the students' hurried actions.

She already had everything Ludger taught memorized.

'Of course, I remember because I'm smart. It's not because his lectures were good or anything.'

While she rationalized this to herself, Ludger began to list the subjects for the students.

"The test will cover Mana Mechanics I, Basics of Natural Science, and Elementary Understanding of Elements and Introduction to Elemental Science. There will be 20 subjective questions in total."

The subjective questions are to prevent guessing.

Moreover, for problems that require calculations, he firmly warned that they must show their work.

"Even if the answer is correct, if the solution is flawed, it will be considered wrong. Conversely, partial credit will be given if the solution is correct but the answer is wrong. So don't just skip over things you think you know; review properly."

Ludger's explanation was clear.

The students had no further questions.

"Since it's the first test, I'll keep it light."

"Light?"

"An open-book test."

"Wha?!"

Some of the freshmen showed surprise.

The unexpected reaction came from the second-year students.

'They're still freshmen and don't understand the meaning of an open-book test.'

Many people think an open-book test is easy because you can look at the answers.

But in reality, it's the opposite.

The teacher only allows an open book in one case.

'The test will be so difficult that even looking at the book won't help.'

However, some students who didn't understand the implication were