Chapter 23
The City Guard, huh?
It wasn’t like I hadn't considered it.
If no guild or school would take me, I thought maybe joining the military might be an option.
The backing of the Grand Duchy and the City Hall was certainly appealing.
But that option was quickly discarded.
The City Guard was broadly divided into three organizations.
The Guard, which defended the city from external threats.
The Public Security Force, which suppressed crime within the city.
And the Expedition Team, which was dispatched to the Abyss.
Among these, the one I'd need to join to descend into the Abyss and raise my level would undoubtedly be the Expedition Team.
However, the City Guard's Expedition Team entered the Abyss under even stricter regulations than independent explorers or those affiliated with guilds or schools.
They always operated in teams, and before being explorers, they were soldiers of the City Guard, forced to obey orders from above.
It was the organization furthest from the free Abyss exploration I desired.
A safe path, but one that went too far around.
That was what the City Guard option was for me.
That thought hadn't changed, even now that I had Fiona as a connection.
"I appreciate the offer, but I'm sorry."
"Well, I figured as much. It would be simple for you to join the Expedition Team, but the City Guard has many internal restrictions."
The Director spoke as if he had expected my answer.
"But there's no place that can protect you more securely than the City Guard. That's a fact. Not even the five major guilds or the six schools."
The City Guard was indeed the largest and most powerful organization in Res Limen.
Setting aside the fact that they were so big they couldn't move nimbly or that there was a rivalry between the three organizations, in terms of pure scale, no organization surpassed the City Guard.
But you know what?
"What if it's not just one?"
One of the five major guilds.
Three of the six schools.
What if you combine them all?
"I have some excellent classmates, you see."
The Alexandria School.
The Celsus School.
The Blostma School.
And Arthur's Frontier Guild.
If I could have these four as my backing.
It would be an even stronger background in the Abyss than the City Guard.
"...Indeed, you're quite the Devil Sorcerer. My initial impression wasn't wrong."
The Director shook his head and asked, "Did you save them all by yourself?"
All the Director saw was me escaping with Fiona at the end.
If all my classmates had exercised their right to remain silent, from the Director's perspective, he wouldn't be sure if I had saved only Fiona or all my classmates.
But my words just now gave the Director certainty, "How much did you use? Wasn't it a waste?"
"There's a saying about loving your classmates and loving your country, isn't there?"
"Ha, what nonsense. From the beginning, the moment the underground level was cut off, you immediately calculated how much you could gain from it. You immediately made a value judgment on which side was more suitable for you, comparing the backgrounds of the City Guard and your classmates."
Well, not exactly.
The City Guard was never a point of comparison, to begin with.
But the Director seemed convinced that his judgment was correct.
"But is it worth it? Is it worth bearing such an enormous cost just to gain a background that allows you to operate a bit more freely?"
Enormous cost?
There's no such thing, but even if I said so, he wouldn't believe me, and I can't reveal one of my biggest secrets.
So, I gave a more fundamental answer.
"Because I have something more important to do."
For that, even if I had to bear the enormous cost the Director spoke of, I'd gladly accept it.
I was going to explore the Abyss more freely than anyone else.
I'd go wherever there was mystery, and I'd fight any enemy if it meant raising my level.
Even if it lied beyond the depths that have yet to be explored.
Even if it was the bottom of that bottomless pit.
I would descend.
"For that, any cost is light."
Because I'm going to return.
No matter what.
"...You have the eyes of someone determined to see the end of the Abyss. So even the protection of the City Guard must feel like shackles to you."
The Director accepted that there was no point in trying to persuade me to join the City Guard anymore.
Instead, he said he'd recommend another place.
"If free Abyss exploration is your goal, even large guilds or schools might be burdensome. Being affiliated with your classmates' organizations might not be good as it would appear to lean towards one side."
As expected of someone who worked as a civil servant and rose to the position of Director, he quickly grasped the political balance.
"As it happens, there's a very suitable place."
"What kind of place?"
The Director's recommendation would be a pretty good option.
I heard that the Director had almost single-handedly dealt with the internal traitor instructors and the attacking Abyss Worshippers.
Although the title of Training Center Director might seem low, it was actually a higher-ranking position than expected, responsible for the future of Res Limen.
Almost at the level of a vice minister, I heard?
There was no reason to refuse a recommendation from such a Director.
Especially if it was a recommendation that considered my relationship with my classmates.
"A small to medium-sized school that specializes in Devil magic, such as yourself, where you don't need to be mindful of others. The Telema School."
"The Telema School?"
I've never heard of it.
Even during the time when I was knocking on the doors of guilds and schools before entering the training center, I never heard of a place called the Telema School.
"That's understandable. The Telema School is currently under review for re-approval as an official school by the City Hall."
"Is it because... it's a school for Devil Sorcerers?"
The ostracism of Devil Sorcerers was now a constant for me.
Considering that it was rare for a place that had once been approved as an official school to be disqualified.
The Telema School that the Director mentioned was likely to be a place shunned by mage society.
To the extent that they were bothered by it being an official school, making it a target for re-approval review to strip it of its school status...
"No. It's just because they're small."
They only have five school members.
"Ah..."
So it was just a small fry.
§
After Roman left.
In the Director's office, Skyler quietly stared at the empty seat where Roman had been sitting.
"Any cost is light, huh?"
It had been a while since he'd heard that.
It was quite a long time ago.
Before Skyler became the Training Center Director, even before he joined the City Guard.
It was a story from when he was active as an explorer affiliated with the Nippur School.
When Skyler, tired of the depth and vastness of the Abyss, chose the path back to the surface, his friend headed in the opposite direction.
He, too, had said exactly the same thing as Roman just now.
— If I can reach even the edge of the Abyss, any cost is light, Skyler.
His friend, who said that, eventually lit a torch in the unexplored darkness.
Among the tens of thousands of explorers living in Res Limen, there were those who stood at the pinnacle.
The Pioneers who explored the unknown and advanced into new territories.
His friend had risen to that position.
The position of Pioneer, the highest honor given to only eight explorers.
"Roman, you'll become an excellent explorer."
Had Skyler ever evaluated Roman like this before?
Either a lunatic or a delusionist who believed only they were special.
And either way, that was the quality of an explorer who stood at the pinnacle.
The mediocre ones fell and died, but those who survived despite pursuing that madness to the end, naturally stood higher than ordinary people.
§
"Done?"
Have they been waiting for me?
As soon as I came out of the Director's office, Rei and Leaf were waiting for me outside the door.
"Yeah. Were you waiting?"
"Yeah. We went to the infirmary, but you weren't there. The instructor said you were here, so we came."
I thought it would end quickly, so I didn't leave a note or anything, but if I had known, I should have left one.
"Morning, no. It's almost lunchtime, isn't it? You haven't eaten yet, right?"
"Of course not. The cafeteria is wrecked. Even the soup from yesterday was gathered from some decent ingredients we found.."
"Isn't the City Hall providing any support?"
"They did. I heard an investigation team and the Public Security Force were urgently dispatched. But you know, this place is closing down today anyway. They're basically telling us to figure it out ourselves. We can just go out and buy food if we need to."
That's right.
The training center's schedule was over.
Originally, on the day of the mid-term exam, the training center would have ended all its processes and graduated the trainees with temporary licenses.
The reason the trainees were still here with only temporary licenses two days later was to conduct reference interviews about this incident.
And the same went for me.
Until now, I was excused as a patient, but now that I've recovered enough to be conscious and move around, they want me to be interviewed.
"Then, for now..."
"Roman!"
I was startled.
When Leaf, who had been quiet, suddenly called out to me, even Rei's shoulders flinched in surprise.
"T-there's a place w-we'd like you to come to..."
"A place you'd like me to come to?"
"Um... Ah, right. Actually, we came to get you too."
Ah. I see. I understand.
We should have a proper talk at least once.
"Alright. Let's go. They'll be waiting. How many are there?"
The three leaders would definitely be there.
With Alexandra there, Amaia and the brown-haired guy would probably be there too.
The woman with a somewhat dazed impression who was always with Fiona, Teresia was it?
I heard she was friends with Fiona.
A promising talent from the Blostma School, which had rapidly expanded its influence recently.
Birds of a feather flock together, I guess.
If we add Arthur's people to this...
"It'll be more than half, I guess."
"Half? What are you talking about?"
Rei chuckled as if that was nonsense and said, "Of course, it's everyone. You idiot."