Chapter 87
"Yeah, No," a voice coldly and decisively rejecting Bong-sik’s words.
Though it was the same emotionless, dry tone as always, there was a subtle hint of anger in it.
"Mea? Did you return today?"
"...Yeah."
"Ah, I'm here too, hehe."
Behind Mea, a pink-haired girl awkwardly waved her hand while smiling.
There wasn't even a need to peek around the side.
Unfortunately, Mea's height was even shorter than Rei's, who had been certified as “small” by the Dwarf Svanbjorn.
If Priscilla were a bit taller, Mea might have become her chest rest.
"It's been a while, Priscilla. I heard you teamed up with Mea, looks like you went together this time too."
"Yes, yes!"
Priscilla's pink hair swayed wildly as she nodded vigorously.
Seeming bothered by her long hair touching her head, Mea waved her hand to brush the hair away.
Looks like she's shooing away bugs.
Having failed to shake off Priscilla who was clinging to her back, Mea belatedly realized it would be faster to just move herself, and walked inside with heavy steps.
"About what you said earlier."
Hop.
Mea lightly jumped onto the stool next to me and continued, "It's meaningless. Any Explorer who was on the Third Floor then would know anyway."
Ah... don't tell me.
"Bong-sik, is the place you mentioned where Lady Viola was lured to?"
"W-well..."
His averted gaze and trailing words made the answer obvious.
I pressed my forehead and sighed.
"Haa, oh dear, Bong-sik..."
"Y-yes..."
Jan trembled.
Cold sweat dripped from his chin.
Signs of excessive nervousness.
No, maybe it's not excessive.
The Brand, aside from the risk of master-servant roles being reversed in certain cases, was truly an overwhelming act of force.
The Brand that could cut off all mana if desired.
For a mage, it was like wearing a collar with a self-destruct device.
Rather, Mea's case of voluntarily requesting to be Branded was an abnormal one.
Any normal mage would react like Bong-sik was now.
Especially since Bong-sik and my relationship was closer to that of a slave captured in war and their victorious master.
For Bong-sik, who thought my mood directly affected his life, even slight displeasure from me would cause great stress.
"For now, go back. I had other work planned for you anyway."
I have tasks for you.
Those words meant I had no immediate plans to dispose of him, so Bong-sik replied with a sigh full of relief, "Understood."
Priscilla turned to open the door so Bong-sik could leave.
After bowing to Priscilla while watching my reaction, Bong-sik disappeared, and Priscilla spoke, "It's nice to see you being authoritative."
Authoritative?
Am I?
I looked at Mea for her opinion, but she just shrugged.
As if to say, “I don't know either.”
"Um, but what brings Priscilla here? Any message from Blostma School?"
Or perhaps a personal message from Teresia?
But that didn't seem to be the case.
Priscilla hesitantly spoke in a careful voice, "Well... since I heard Roman had returned, I thought I'd come see your face..."
Roman?
Haven't they repaid any debt of gratitude through Blostma School?
Blostma School sent the Chromatic Fiend leather not only tanned but with basic enchantments completed.
It must have cost quite a bit of money and effort.
Some might think it was too cheap for a life debt, but Teresia had some stake in this too.
Priscilla might think it wasn’t enough, but... somehow, that didn't seem to be the real reason for why she was here.
[Are you not overthinking this, my pact-bearer?]
[Mm. Agreed.]
[Covenant-bearer! This one sees that woman has fallen for you!]
[No, my pact-bearer. Trust my words.]
[I cast my vote with Seir.]
[What?! Covenant-bearer! Trust me! My demon eyes peer through a thousand years of darkness to glimpse the truth!]
Honestly, my thoughts were closer to Procell's... but if Seir said so, maybe that was it.
My trust in Seir was so high that if she pointed at a deer and called it a horse, I'd wonder if it might be some horse subspecies or horse-type monster I didn't know about.
Well, let's follow Seir's judgment for now.
"I'm busy with urgent matters right now. I'll send word ahead if I need to visit Blostma School later."
"Ah... okay."
Priscilla hung her head dejectedly.
Her pink hair seemed to emphasize the dynamism of that motion.
"T-then I'll be going."
Priscilla's shoulders drooped slightly.
Was I too harsh?
Priscilla did have connections with me, and she was even on the same team as Mea.
If Mea or Hecate were to dismiss my team members, Leaf and Rei, like that, it would feel bad.
Wondering if Mea felt the same, I checked her expression.
"Hmm."
But Mea's reaction was different from what I felt.
Though her expression hadn't changed, she seemed somehow satisfied.
While it's good that Mea isn't upset... isn't it a bit cold?
'Unlike us, they're a business team. Is this normal?'
Maybe her stiff treatment of her former teammate, the potion shop owner, wasn't just because she lost memories as payment.
Anyway, it wasn't my place to meddle, so I erased the Priscilla matter from my mind and brought up my business with Mea.
"Mea, there's something I'd like your help with."
"Help?"
You? From me?
Mea's eyes brightened with an unexpected gleam.
"You've probably heard about what happened on the Second Floor, I was there too. And I properly realized something. I'm still far from ready. I need to get stronger."
"Yeah."
Mea nodded vigorously as if my words were absolutely right.
Hmm, such strong agreement is kind of wounding in its own way.
But that was better.
It proved that Mea's evaluation of me was objective.
Then, she should be thorough in helping with my request too.
"Please teach me Devil Magic."
§
Though it was late, Mea and I didn't postpone until tomorrow.
Since she no longer had nightmares or lost memories as her price, Mea had strictly maintained her 9-hour sleep schedule, but even that absolute sleep pattern was temporarily set aside for my request.
We went down to the underground training room below the workshop where Hecate had shut herself in.
Mea started with the theoretical aspects.
"As I mentioned during training, there are two ways for a Devil Sorcerer to broaden their magic."
"Pacts with Devils, and expansion of authority, right?"
Nodding to confirm my answer, Mea took up a pen and began writing on the training room's board.
[1st Devil - Spatial Magic]
[2nd Devil - Weakening Magic]
[3rd Devil - ]
Mea stared at me while still holding the pen.
"Ah, Illusion Magic."
Though she didn't know my Patron Devils' true names, Mea knew their number and magic types.
Mea was an excellent Devil Sorcerer.
Hecate-certified, she could become an Expert whenever she wanted.
Her unique insight could even perceive other Devil Sorcerers' number of Patron Devils and their rank.
Connected through the Brand, Mea had some understanding of the authorities I borrowed.
Well, it’s not like I forcibly hid it from her.
While not quite at the level of my Patron Devils like Seir, Mea was at least as trustworthy as my team members.
Mea wrote “Illusion Magic” in the last blank space.
"The former method is impossible."
Mea knew that new Devil pacts would be difficult without me having to say it.
Obviously, if that were possible, I wouldn't have needed to ask Mea for help.
Mea didn't know how I managed to contact and form pacts with such high-ranking Devils.
Why would I ask Mea when I have the means to contact Devils far higher ranked than her patron ones?
So the help I sought from Mea was with the latter method.
"Devil Magic's development lies in understanding."
"Understanding..."
While this might seem applicable to any magic, there was an omitted part in Mea's words.
Namely, the fact that the “Devil” was the object of understanding.
Devil Magic was understanding Devils.
That was why Hecate, heir to a family that researched Devils more deeply than anyone and held the greatest curiosity about Devils, became the city's premier Devil Sorcerer.
"Let me give you an example."
Mea wrote the name of her Patron Devil next to my list.
[Eclipto.]
A Devil with the authority of erosion that Mea had formed a pact with.
"When I first made a pact with Eclipto, the Devil Magic I created was the erosion of others' mana through my mana. When I first took Eclipto as my Patron Devil, all I knew was one property of his mana."
Like how I read Leraje's mana properties and created Exhaustion.
Then, did that mean she didn't even know what authorities Eclipto had at first?
Finding something odd, I asked, "Don't they usually tempt pact-bearers by advertising their authorities?"
"That happens in two cases. Either the Devil is desperate for a pact, or they're high-ranked enough to have leeway even after showing their authority."
Generally, a Devil's authority was like an indicator of their rank.
So revealing authority was like telling the summoner “This is my level.”
"And even high-ranking Devils with multiple authorities never show all their cards."
"To avoid lowering the price?"
"Exactly."
It was a kind of unfair trade.
Like the lemon market in economics.
When a summoner said they wanted a certain power, the Devil could say they had it and offer a pact, but without revealing the authority, its true extent remained unknown.
Yet the summoner needed that power, so they paid the Devil's price. Something like that.
Truly devilish trading.
Those Devils claimed they didn't lie and were fair, but turned out they were just scammers.
In that case, my Patron Devils revealed all their authorities right after forming the pact...
They don't take payment. They revealed all authorities. They introduce other Devils. They just gave everything.
I worship you again.
Lady Seir, Devil of world normalization...
[Ahem! You should worship more!]