Chapter 3 - A Mage's Journey Starts From Admission (2)

Why did a pact with a Devil come with a Pact Seal?

  Was it simply for the Devil to show that this Pact-bearer belonged to them? That might be part of the reason. It was said that Devils were possessive, after all. 

  But the true reason was different.

  The essence of the Pact Seal lied in its connection.

  The Pact Seal was the connection point between the Devil and the Pact-bearer.

  When awareness of the Pact Seal heightened, the closed door obstructing the path swung open.

  The Pact Seal engraved on my back was a pipe of sorts. A pipe that connected that vast ocean that was Seir to the small vessel that was me.

  Seir’s mana surged through that connection. Vast, overwhelming power filled me to the brim.

  But even this was just a taste of the endless mana beyond my Pact Seal with Seir. It was like I was scooping a single bucket of water from the ocean.

  However.

  This is more than enough.

  I could do this all day!

  There wasn’t an exchange of names like in the previous sparring matches.

  There was just a guy who despised Devil Sorcerers, and me, who was infuriated by him.

  There wasn’t even the sentiment of wanting to build some friendship between us.

  “Begin!”

  As soon as the instructor gave the signal, that guy shouted, “Come forth! Beast of the Abyss!”

  At his cry, a giant monster appeared in the arena.

  It resembled a crocodile while being the size of a small car.

  Its incredible bulk gave off a presence that wasn’t to be trifled with.

  But so what?

  Its presence was like an ant before the elephant that was Seir.

  And I was carrying the power of said Seir on my back.

  I focused all the mana flowing through my body into one place. The torrent of mana was barely contained within my palms, threatening to explode at any moment.

  I’ll let it rip, all at once!

  A half-hearted attack would only waste this opportunity. When such an opportunity came, it was only natural to go all in.

  I needed to launch an attack that was sure to be effective.

  I opened the dam that had been fending off the mana I had gathered… right when the monster lunged its head forward.

  “Get lost—!!”

§

  Xaver had no doubt.

  No doubt that he would win.

  And for good reason too. His opponent was a Devil Sorcerer, after all. That Devil Sorcerer.

  It seemed almost impossible for him to lose.

  The magic of Devil Sorcerers demanded a price.

  It wasn’t always life force, yet the fact that it required self-sacrifice was all the same.

  It was just a spar. There was no reason for a Devil Sorcerer to pay a price just to spar.

  At most, he’ll use some common magic and give up halfway.

  Such common magic will surely be weak. He’s only a rookie who can’t even handle his own mana, right?

  He probably doesn’t even realize it’s an illusion.

  Xaver’s class was Illusionist.

  His main power was casting his imagination into reality in the form of illusions. Higher-level Illusionists could even manifest their illusions into physical forms, but Xaver hadn’t reached such a level just yet.

  But did that even matter? The foolish rookie before him would waste his mana trying to deal with an illusion, and in the meantime, Xaver could finish him off with some basic magic.

  However, right after casting his illusion, Xaver’s confidence wavered when he sensed Roman’s mana surge.

  Huh? What?

  Why is he using his mana like that here of all places?

  Had he lost his mind after entering a pact with the Devil?

  No, it’s fine. It’s just an illusion. Even if it's hit with a spell, it will just reform…

  Xaver attempted to regain his composure, preparing a counterattack. The next moment, his mind went blank from what he saw.

  “A-ah…?”

  His illusion beast was swept away by the torrent of magic and vanished.

  The core of mana that sustained the illusion had been destroyed in a single blow.

  It wasn’t even a spell. It was just an uncontrolled burst of mana. There was no restraint, no refinement—it was a reckless and impulsive blast.

  And yet, how is it so powerful?

  How great of a price had he paid to summon such strength?

  Xaver couldn’t even begin to imagine.

  He only knew one thing.

  “This guy is insane…!”

§

  Thud!

  I used a simple technique of firing condensed mana. The attack I named “Magic Bullet” knocked him out, ending the spar.

  I wanted to crush him, but since it was just a spar, I had to be mindful of the instructor’s watchful gaze.

  He was using illusions as if they were summoning. What a joke.

  After the spar, I left the arena, trying to manage my stiff body.

  Still, this is more tiring than I had anticipated.

  Drawing mana through the Pact Seal was great. It was like having a fountain of mana that never dried up. And best of all, I didn’t even have to pay for it. The only issue was that my body couldn’t handle it.

  Strain built up in the parts of my body that functioned like conduits. When I unleashed that burst of mana earlier, it was as if my body had twisted in on itself like an internal cramp.

  If I keep relying on Magic Bullet, I’ll really get hurt when I face off against a truly strong opponent.

  I needed to use my mana more efficiently, or, at the very least, strengthen my body.

  “Trainee Roman.”

  “Yes.”

  I stopped in my tracks when the instructor called my name.

  “I won’t praise you. Winning aside, your method was too excessive. Only you know what kind of price you paid, but if you keep using your power in a similar manner, it’s going to make everyone around you more uneasy.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  “And… Nevermind. You can go.”

  This instructor sure knows how to get under your skin.

  As I passed the instructor, my teammates spoke up with looks of disbelief.

  “What kind of Devil Sorcerer fights like that…?”

  “R-right, Roman. That was way too reckless.”

  Hmm. They don’t have to worry about my well-being. Well, I can’t exactly tell them that.

  A Devil Sorcerer who paid no price? If word got out, other Devil Sorcerers would do whatever it took to learn my secret. And it might not just end with Devil Sorcerers, Mages might seek me out as well.

  Instead of offering an excuse, I quietly extended my hand.

  The two hooded figures blankly stared at my hand.

  Ah, is the notion of “passing the baton” with a high five not prevalent here?

  Under their blank stares, I tried to lower my hand as if nothing happened, but Rei let out an exclamation as if realizing something, “Ah!”

  And then Leaf’s hand came up.

  But instead of a clap, Leaf and I just faced each other with our palms in the air. The awkward attempt at a high-five made me laugh.

  “Oh, was that wrong?”

  “...No, it was right. Rei?”

  “I’ll pass.”

  While Rei was stretching, she lightly shook her arms one last time before stepping forward.

  “I’ll finish faster than you.”

  Guan Yu, is that you? Don’t just aim to finish faster than me—return before the wine has a chance to cool!

  Leaving behind such a bold declaration, Rei leapt into the arena before the instructor could even give permission.

  “Next. Step forward.”

§

  After the sparring matches concluded, the trainees eventually gathered into four groups.

  One group centered around a red-haired woman. Another formed around a silver-haired girl. And the third group centered around a blue-haired youth. Lastly, there were those who didn’t belong to any of these three.

  These people scattered, so there were effectively only three groups.

  Of the three, the group centered around the red-haired woman had the most people and was by far the busiest.

  “How about we get a drink before we head to the dorms?”

  “A drink in a place like this? Where would we even go?”

  “So this is the training center everyone talks about—it’s tougher than I expected.”

  “Isn’t that because this batch is special? I mean, even the grand duchess herself is here.”

  The air chilled at the woman's words as she glanced at the opposite side.

  Glares were shot one after the other at the woman who had mentioned her.

  “You, watch your…”

  Just as someone was about to scold the tactless woman, a figure intervened.

  “You have some good friends.”

  The silver-haired girl steadily approached.

  Hearing this, the lips of the red-haired woman, who had been silent until then, parted, “Friends? Oh, please.”

  She gave a small laugh as if saying, “Who would want to be friends with these people?”

  “Is that so? Well, you should be more mindful of who you associate with.”

  “Is it? If they come, they come. If they leave, they leave. It’s all the same to me.”

  The woman’s apathetic response made the girl’s eyes narrow.

  “You’re still the same as ever.”

  “Not as much as yourself, Grand Duchess.”

  As expected, I dislike this person.

  The girl called the grand duchess carefully suppressed her displeasure and left some parting words, “I’ll be keeping an eye on you, Alexandra Rubio.”

  As the grand duchess left, her followers trailed behind her.

  With the tension between the two groups dissipated, the atmosphere turned even more peaceful than it once was.

  “Ahem, I misspoke…”

  As the woman who had mentioned the grand duchess attempted to gloss over what happened, a brown-haired young man grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and yanked her back.

  “Stop showing off.”

  “Ah~ You’re as cold as ever, Johan.”

  “...And you’re just as thoughtless, Amaia.”

  Amaia, who was standing right next to Alexandra, simply shrugged at Johan’s words and ignored him as she turned to Alexandra.

  “Sooo, what did you think?”

  “Hmm…?”

  “You came here to look for something interesting, right? I followed you for the exact same reason. If there wasn’t anything, you’d just find it a waste of time, right?”

  “There is something.”

  Everyone held their breath in anticipation of Alexandra's following words.

  “What was that Devil Sorcerer even thinking?”

  A casually dropped remark.

  But it sparked a major reaction among the listeners.

  “Ah, that guy. I remember him, he’s an utter fool.”

  “What is there for him to think about? He probably doesn’t even understand the power he’s using. There’s no need to pay him any mind.”

  Even Johan, who didn’t usually side with Alexandra’s followers, agreed.

  “He couldn’t even control his emotions and ended up going berserk. He’s a disgrace to all Mages, isn’t that right?

  Many voices echoed in agreement with Johan’s words.

  But the one opinion Johan was waiting for never came.

  Instead, Alexandra avoided his gaze and began walking toward someone else.

  “What do you think?”

  She asked as she approached the blue-haired youth.

  The youth’s eyes gleamed as he countered a question with another question.

  “You’re asking me?”

  His unspoken words were clear, “Don’t you have other people you can ask that?”

  Of course, there were plenty of people who were desperate to answer her inquiries.

  One didn’t even have to turn their head much to see them.

  The youth gestured toward the group she had left behind.

  Alexandra’s reply was simple, “Because you have the best eyes here, Arthur.”

  She didn’t let pride or pretense abate her way. Her straightforwardness prompted an answer from Arthur.

  “It’s a brute-force method. He just crushed everything with demonic mana, which is denser than regular mana.”

  “Hmm~ is that really all”

  “It’s a crude but effective method. It’s especially useful for surprise attacks due to its speed.”

  In fact, the Illusionist couldn’t block it.

  Without any time to cast defensive spells, he was swept away by the mana.

  “But it’s not a technique that can be continuously sustained.”

  “That’s what makes it even more beautiful.”

  Arthur narrowed his eyes at her words.

  That curiosity of hers has flared up again.

  Arthur stopped paying attention to her.

  Instead, he decided to ponder whether there was something he missed about that Devil Sorcerer Alexandra seemed to be so interested in.