Yeah, Finished the Test and Now Zoning Out?
“Yeah. You filled out the test and now you're just zoning out?”
“Yes.”
Professor Calvin Giod was a rather conservative instructor who absolutely could not tolerate students who didn't focus during class or slacked off on exams.
In his eyes, Ludenberg Lavante must have looked downright insolent.
“What did you say?”
No sooner had Ludenberg finished speaking than Calvin strode right up to him and snatched the test sheet from his desk.
Having taken the paper, Calvin said coldly to Ludenberg,
“Even if you've finished the test, shouldn't you at least give it your all in the exam setting? Let's see just how confidently you've written this.”
Calvin examined Ludenberg's test—and fell silent.
Ludenberg had braced himself for a lecture, but the professor's sudden silence puzzled him. He looked up at the man.
Calvin, meeting Ludenberg's upward gaze, spoke in a flustered tone.
“……You really filled it all out. No, it's not just filled out…… This is a perfect score.”
The other Innocence students gasped in shock, and the lecture hall erupted in chatter.
“What? He filled that all out?”
“No way.”
“Quiet!”
Professor Calvin shouted at the students. But even he couldn't hide his astonishment at Ludenberg's eerily profound knowledge.
“What have you been through?”
“I'm from the east, so I've seen some erosion beasts.”
“Even from the east, it's rare to find a student this well-versed in erosion beasts. This level of knowledge…… Yeah. You couldn't write this without having fought them firsthand, dissected their corpses, and studied them inside out.”
Ludenberg knew his answers went beyond what a student should produce, but he hadn't expected the professor to make such a fuss. He found himself flustered too.
“Looks like you've been through more than the usual rough patches, Ludenberg Lavante.”
“You know me?”
“What's a professor good for if he can't even remember the names of his own students? I check all your profiles before class starts. Anyway, never mind. It's probably not something you can talk about easily.”
“……Thank you.”
“Still, I have to make this clear. Anyone caught slacking off in my lectures or not focusing until the very end of an exam? Failing grade for all of you. Got it?”
“Understood.”
“That goes for everyone else too. Clear?”
“Yes!”
With that, Professor Calvin waited for the Innocence students to finish their tests, collected the answer sheets, and stepped down from the podium.
“Anyway, you all did well putting up with this surprise quiz today. But sadly, there's more bad news for you.”
“Yes?”
“You have homework.”
“Oh……”
Homework on the first class. The Innocence students' faces darkened.
“It's simple. There's a book in the Wisdom Pavilion called Understanding Erosion Beasts, which I wrote. Read it thoroughly and submit a summary of your own insights on erosion beasts.”
With that, Calvin left the lecture hall without a backward glance.
The moment he was gone, the students erupted in complaints about him.
“That professor sucks. A quiz on the first day? What the hell……”
“Worse is the homework. My brother said they never assigned any in the first semester……”
“But what's up with Ludenberg? Has he actually killed erosion beasts?”
“Nah, no way. He probably just saw a knight from his family kill one once. How's he supposed to kill them without divine power? Blades don't even penetrate properly.”
“Yeah, probably.”
Damn it.
Ludenberg didn't welcome the attention turning his way. It usually led to negativity.
He wondered if he shouldn't have written extra answers, but what was done was done. He decided to ignore it.
He stood and headed straight for the Wisdom Pavilion.
The Wisdom Pavilion was still hushed. Aside from a few scholars murmuring, there was no other noise inside—and that quiet helped ease Ludenberg's fatigue considerably.
Of course, running into Sione Solenute here had soured his mood before, but that was the person's fault, not the place's.
Ludenberg sought out a librarian. Better to wait and ask than rummage around blindly.
Luckily, the one he'd seen earlier appeared soon enough.
Ludenberg approached and spoke.
“Excuse me.”
“Oh, hello. You're the one from before? What brings you back?”
“Do you know where Understanding Erosion Beasts is? I heard Professor Calvin Giod wrote it.”
“Ah, that one? Professor Calvin, always the same. Homework on the first class every year, huh?”
“Yes.”
“It's thicker than it looks, so start early. It eats up more time than you'd think, and later everyone fights over the spares. We don't have tons of copies anyway.”
The librarian was surprisingly chatty. She rambled about trembling under Calvin's merciless assignments back in her student days, then pointed out the book's location.
“Anyway, it's over there. Third shelf on the rack I'm pointing to—you'll spot it. Thick black book with a creepy cover, easy to find.”
“Thank you.”
Ludenberg replied curtly and went straight to fetch it.
On the third shelf of the indicated rack, thick, well-worn volumes jostled for space. The title: Understanding Erosion Beasts. Author: Calvin Giod. The cover featured a grotesque erosion beast—if it weren't homework, no ordinary person would touch it.
Ludenberg grabbed the book and left the Wisdom Pavilion.
That wrapped up this week's classes. He returned to the dorm, flopped onto his bed, and revisited the memories from Calvin's class.
At the same time, he steadied himself against the turmoil from Ashytara Solenute and Sione, reminding himself of his purpose.
Why he'd come to school: to legitimately inherit the dukedom. Nobles needed to graduate from Solemnute Adem for that right.
And to become a knight.
Why become a knight? For recognition. To prove a powerless person could still be one.
Is that really it?
No. That wasn't it.
The true reason wasn't about others' approval or proving his existence.
He just wanted to live.
Nine years ago, seeing the mangled corpse of some nameless soldier on the walls, Ludenberg had begun fearing death.
So he wanted to grow strong, to become a knight—the symbol of martial might.
That resolve included protecting his people, but the incident five years ago had shattered it.
All that remained was his own survival. He didn't want to die pointlessly.
Ludenberg lingered in the shadows of his past for a long time.
It was a dream.
In dreams, everything repeated endlessly: the charging killers, his monstrous self fighting back. Then, as their clash ended, space warped to reveal a massive jade throne and the enigmatic woman named Raha, masked and chained, offering help without showing her face.
Ludenberg was curious. What was her goal? Why help him?
“Why are you trying to help me?”
It was a genuine question. He asked Raha her purpose.
[I can't tell you that yet. I'm bound by constraints.]
“Constraints?”
[Yes. I can't speak freely about anything. Look at these chains binding me. Each one is a seal limiting my power. That's why I can only give you fragments clearly, beyond my name. Just pieces.]
“Fragments?”
[Yes, pieces. Once you recognize them, the chains will unravel one by one. Then…… my constraints will fade.]
“If your constraints vanish, what happens?”
[Remember what you told me before?]
“What?”
[You said you didn't want to become a monster.]
“……Yeah.”
[I'll make that wish come true.]
Ludenberg chose suspicion over hasty trust, to pry more information.
“What makes me trust you? Rely on you? This could all be some trick to deceive me.”
[Your doubt is valid. But remember, Ludenberg.]
“Remember what?”
[Even if you don't trust me, the evil fate surrounding you is closing in.]
“……”
He knew it was true, so Ludenberg fell silent.
Raha continued regardless.
[So, Starting Knight. Seek his traces. If you do, you can change your fate.]
“Starting Knight?” Ludenberg echoed.
[Forgotten history in the flow of time. Within it…… his traces remain. Hurry. It's coming for you soon.]
Raha sat silently on her throne, gazing at Ludenberg through the gaps in her chains, as if she'd said all she needed.
Why did her quiet gaze feel benevolent?
Ludenberg was gripped by intense doubt.
At the same moment, the space collapsed.