Chapter 41
In the end, I didn't end up branding Hecate with my seal.
More precisely, I couldn't.
It wasn't because I was scared of Mea staring at Hecate with lifeless eyes…
Well, that wasn't entirely untrue, but Hecate seemed equally desperate.
— Hecate, you…
— I-I have no choice! With this money, with this money... A-and anyway, we're members of the same school now!
Though she said that while preciously clutching the gold coins I gave her, suggesting the former was her true motivation, I'd bury that thought for the sake of Hecate's last shred of dignity.
88,000 lupe isn't a small amount.
It was clearly excessive for an entrance fee.
Even Alexandria School, the largest in Res Limen, wouldn't charge over 10,000 lupe for admission.
Maybe I've become too loose with money, what with the large support funds sent by guilds and schools in gratitude for saving my classmates' lives.
Plus, the money from selling the Chromatic Fiend's magic stone and leather.
That should bring in at least several hundred thousand lupe more.
Incidentally, I was willing to pay such a large entrance fee partly because I wanted her to appraise the book and unknown liquid found in the undiscovered ruins.
It was an advance payment of sorts.
Maybe I'll just use the leather. I have enough money.
Anyway, that was something to think about later.
I tried.
And I failed.
It felt completely different from Mea's case.
The method of branding was similar to summoning Devils.
It involved overlaying one's personal seal onto another Devil Sorcerer's pact seal.
Through this, a Devil Sorcerer gained absolute dominance by controlling another's pact.
With Mea, it was simple.
Though there was resistance and rejection, I just overwhelmed it with Seir and Leraje's magic.
But with Hecate, that was impossible.
It wasn't just the mana flowing through her pact seal—her entire being strongly rejected it.
I stopped in horror when I saw blood vessels bursting everywhere as her blood went haywire.
Unlike her initial desperate appearance, Hecate nodded with detachment, saying she knew this would happen.
Her expression looked somehow sorrowful yet also relieved, as if accepting everything, to the point where I couldn't bring myself to speak.
Why is this happening?
To my question, Hecate answered while calming the bruises from her burst blood vessels.
— It's called Blood Lineage Inheritance.
Among innate magics, some are passed down through generations.
Usually inherited through bloodlines, but occasionally through master-disciple relationships.
Unlike other innate magics that were completed and faded within a generation, these maintain their lineage over long periods, constantly growing and developing.
Unless something unfortunate disrupts the inheritance.
Hecate had inherited both the position of school head and the Blood Lineage.
Thus, her magic was engraved in the very blood flowing through her body, making resistance to branding inevitably fierce.
Above all, the rank of the Patron Devil connected with Hecate's Blood Lineage was too high to ignore.
Hecate had tried just in case, but the result was as expected.
A Devil pact that extended not just to oneself but to one's children.
Is this the pinnacle of Devil Magic, selling the future for the present?
It was undoubtedly powerful, but Hecate must have been forced to shoulder this power without choice.
Along with the massive price it demanded.
Feeling uneasy after glimpsing this darkness of Devil Magic, I left Telema School.
So there are things even Lady Seir and Leraje can't handle.
[It's not us that's the problem, it's you?]
[Leraje, do not be so harsh.]
You're not denying it, though, Lady Seir.
[W-well... because that is the truth...]
The gap in ability between Hecate and me must be too large to overcome with the rank of our Patron Devils alone.
While Mea was also considerable, her Patron Devil was much lower than Hecate's, so I could simply overwhelm her with rank.
"Oh, you're already here."
"Yeah."
My thoughts were interrupted by Rei's voice.
Just as I arrived at the inn where Rei and Leaf were staying, the two seemed to be heading out.
Their appearances were completely different.
Rei was without her hood, and Leaf still wore hers.
Rei carried a small pouch at her side, while Leaf had a large backpack clearly packed full of various things.
Even their armament differed—Rei going bare-handed while Leaf carried a fairly long staff.
The only similarity might be their modest chest—
"Hey, you're thinking something weird."
"...No."
Beast-folk instincts are something else.
"Let's hurry. We'll be late for the carriage."
I made an excuse about the carriage time and started walking first.
Behind me, I heard Rei grumbling, "Ah~ that bastard Roman was definitely thinking something weird," and Leaf trying to calm her down, saying, "Today's an important day, isn't it? Maybe he's just nervous?" but I ignored them.
Since Res Limen was such a large city, carriages ran along the Eight-Way Road that divided the circular city into eight parts and the Circular Road that ran along the city walls.
It was a circulation route responsible for the city's flow.
Explorers living in the suburbs would have to walk for hours to reach the Abyss without these carriages.
Our situation in the outer city was better, but it was too troublesome to walk without the carriage.
We took the carriage straight to the inner city.
And then crossed the Abyss gate.
There was only one condition that allowed us to cross the gate without an instructor, even with a temporary license.
We were going to take the license exam.
§
The license exam begins on the Abyss's First Floor, at the Main Base.
Exam takers who've made it here have all passed the temporary license exam and completed their training, meaning they were essentially half-fledged Explorers, so naturally, it is expected of them to be able to reach the Main Base on their own.
The Exploration Union branch at Main Base was bustling with people.
How could this be when the recent training center graduates numbered only 16 due to the unexpected tragedy?
That was because it wasn't just the recent graduates taking this exam.
Previous classes who finished training late and missed the last exam.
Retakers who failed the previous exam.
Transfer students who completed temporary licenses and training elsewhere but wanted to take the license exam under Res Limen's administration.
With all these people gathered, several dozen exam takers were easily reached.
And their gazes, whether obvious or subtle, were all focused on one place.
"Hey, look over there."
"Ah... those people..."
Similar conversations could be heard everywhere.
For good reason—gathered here were people that others might never have a proper conversation with even if they spent their entire lives in the Abyss.
The Grand Duchy's masterpiece, Mirror Grand Duchess Fiona McManus.
Frontier Guild Leader's direct disciple, Thousand Blade Arthur Carlyle.
Alexandria School Head's daughter, Joyful Wind Alexandra Rubio.
Blostma School's Top Prospect, Night Flower Teresia Nachtblumer.
Celsus School's Prodigal Son, Rogue Dustin Challoner.
Five future leaders of Res Limen's major powers.
And that wasn’t all.
There was also Amaia Ierro and Johan Blasco from the Alexandria School.
Elowen Starweaver, who quickly distinguished herself with outstanding skills and her Elven heritage.
Philon Grivas, who suddenly began overwhelming Serapeon School's promising students after some revelation at the training center.
And there were countless other stories about members of that class.
Truly a class of rising stars.
It was amazing how such individuals could be bound to one class, with profiles so remarkable it seemed unbelievable.
"This is really unbelievable."
"But why are they all together? Weren't Joyful Wind and the Grand Duchess on bad terms?"
"They say they're all trainees from the training center... but do people gather like that just because they attended training together? Herson, weren't you from the training center too?"
"Yeah, but I only know faces and names. I barely even met the people I was on a team with..."
The rumor about bad relations wasn't entirely wrong—Fiona and Alexandra were standing furthest apart.
But even that distance wasn't enough to place them outside the bounds of being one group, which remained surprising.
What could those people be talking about?
People continued to speculate about the topic.
However, there was a barrier spell that prevented any sound from leaking.
But from their moving lips, it was clear they were conversing.
Gaps in knowledge made curiosity stronger, and with others to debate with, conversations grew more heated.
Then.
Three people appeared in the hall.
Initially, no one paid attention to these newcomers, but when they casually crossed the barrier, everyone reacted strongly.
Crossing the barrier?
Understandable.
They must be classmates, right?
Though called a class of rising stars, surely some of them must be at normal levels.
But after seeing that reaction, could anyone really dismiss these people as ordinary?
Arthur Carlyle, who had been expressionless and silent, opened his mouth with a warm smile.
Dustin Challoner, who had been busy pushing people away like a rogue, approached friendly and put his arm around the man’s shoulders.
It wasn't just the men.
Fiona and Alexandra, who had been talking from opposite sides, closed the distance to converse together, and Teresia, who had been nodding off, rubbed her eyes and joined them.
Amaia Ierro was heartily patting someone's back over something apparently funny while Johan Blasco tried to stop her.
The finishing touch was when Alexandra Rubio handed what looked like a gift—a staff—to that man.
Those who had been watching from the beginning all unconsciously voiced the same thought, "Who is that guy?"