The city of Les Rimen that I returned to after such a long time was just as it always had been. It greeted me the same as when I first set foot here, as if it had forgotten I had ever left.

Bustling crowds filled the streets. Even with my black hair and my distinctly different skin tone and appearance, I was far from unusual in the diverse mix of people walking around.

Among them were elves, dwarves, and even beastfolk that I hadn’t seen the last time I was here, making the scenery feel not just exotic but downright otherworldly.

'Even after all that happened, things are still the same here.'

The Abyss-worshipping cultists' terrorist attack on the training center had happened just a few days ago.

Considering who had been targeted in the attack, it should have shaken the entire city. Dozens of casualties had resulted from that unprecedented incident.

And yet, the city remained calm.

'They’ve controlled the flow of information.'

While it probably wasn’t possible to completely suppress all rumors, at least they managed to keep things under control enough to avoid city-wide chaos. It was a reminder of the City Army’s strong grip on the city.

'Maybe I should’ve joined the City Army to build more connections.'

No. I already had enough connections.

As much as people say that connections are everything, in the end, it’s still up to me to handle the matters those connections bring in.

Connections might create the ideal environment for exploring the Abyss, but I’m the one who actually has to do the exploring.

'Right now, what I need to do is grow stronger.'

So I made my choice.

The place that seemed most suitable for my growth as a demon warlock. The Thelema School, a school of demon warlocks.

It wasn’t a decision I made in a day. I spent a good amount of time thinking it over, especially during the few extra days I stayed in the inn outside the city walls after leaving the training center.

The Thelema School wasn’t my only option. Even if I ruled out the City Army and my comrades’ affiliations, there were still plenty of guilds, schools, and teams in the city.

In fact, as long as I found a qualified guide, I could train one-on-one as well. Leif was doing exactly that.

Anyway, I still had things to take care of after leaving the training center.

I had to deal with the book and ring I’d taken from that psychopath, as well as the core I’d taken after defeating the necromancer and escaping from the underground levels.

And to put it simply, I no longer had any of them.

I reported the book and ring to the commander. Since Seir confirmed they didn’t contain any magical power, there was no point in paying for an appraisal just to keep the information to myself.

The book turned out to be a scripture of the Abyss-worshipping cultists, and the ring was a symbol proving membership in their ranks.

However, the ring itself had significant value. It was made of a magic alloy, which was typically used to contain magical power.

I handed the book over to the City Army but kept the ring as my rightful loot.

As for the core, I hid it carefully. The City Army wouldn’t have cared much if I kept the ring as loot—it was just an expensive item. But the core was a different story.

The value of an object capable of interfering with space was almost impossible to estimate. If the City Army had known I had the core, they would have done whatever it took to confiscate it.

That meant using a core acquired outside the legal channels would be nearly impossible. Even trying to have it processed would spread rumors, and trusting the black market wasn’t an option either due to the issues of funding and reliability.

Using the core as it was? Not a good idea. The core could only be used in a fixed location.

That’s why even the necromancer hadn’t been able to use it for spatial magic. To use it properly, the core needed to be processed. While the interference power would be weakened in the process, there was no other choice.

Fortunately, I had a very simple solution for that processing problem.

‘I’m using my favor.’ ‘Okay. What do you need?’ ‘Make sure no one knows about this, and process it for me.’ ‘…It’s a dungeon core. Where did you—ah, from there, huh. You want discretion too?’ ‘Please.’

And that was that. With the power of the Alexandria School, the largest school in Les Rimen, it was no big deal.

But I’ve rambled long enough.

As I reminisced about what had happened in the past few days, I followed the map and finally arrived at my destination.

I checked the map one last time. Yep, I was in the right place.

"So this is it…."

Before going inside, I stood at a distance and observed the building’s exterior.

It wasn’t in perfect condition, a bit worn down, but still fairly sizable and well-designed. Judging by the area, it was a bit smaller than the inn I had stayed at in the village outside the city. The inn wasn’t particularly large, but since this building was inside the city walls, it wasn’t a fair comparison.

Still, it probably was as small and shabby as they said.

Most schools and guilds were located in the inner city. It was more convenient to access the Abyss Gate, which was at the center of Les Rimen.

But that demand also made land in the inner city expensive. And based on the map the commander gave me, the Thelema School was located in the outer city, not the inner city.

"Well, let’s go in."

Why was I nervous about this?

I guess any new experience comes with a bit of tension.

Even though I’m a demon warlock myself, I couldn’t help but be wary of the image demon warlocks had. It hadn’t been bad at first, but the first demon warlock I met in the city left quite a bad impression.

Still, if I was going to do this, I should do it right.

I grabbed the door to the Thelema School and pushed it open.

Screeeech—

The door’s hinges let out a grating noise.

'Not well maintained, I see.'

In my mental evaluation of the Thelema School, I deducted one point for poor maintenance.

"Excuse me…."

The moment I stepped inside, my words trailed off as I was hit by a wave of thick mana.

'Is this place… some kind of illusion realm?'

The mana here was so dense, I could feel it on my skin. Even thicker than what I’d experienced when I first entered the underground training levels that had been designed to mimic the Abyss.

This wasn’t ordinary mana. It was far from the refreshing mana I’d felt from Ray and Leif. It was closer to the dense, dark mana I used with Seir.

I could handle stronger mana than this, so I was just a bit surprised. But for a regular mage, this place would be unbearable. They’d leave in disgust.

'Is this some kind of test? A way to only accept demon warlocks?'

Even though it was a small school, it seemed determined to stick to its principles.

That’s how it should be for a school. Even if they were few in number, the members of this school were probably true demon warlocks who took pride in their craft.

Feeling more hopeful, I took a large step inside.

As I did, the interior that had been hidden by the door came into view.

It looked like a bar. The lighting was dim, and a long, tiered table like a bar counter ran along the wall.

Sitting on either side of the table were two people. Their eyes turned toward me.

Feeling their attention on me, I continued the words I hadn’t finished earlier.

"Ah, excuse me. Is this the Thelema School?"

The two people’s impressions were completely different, yet somehow similar.

The one standing behind the table had a face twisted in what looked like the pain of enduring something. Her reddish-brown hair was a tangled mess, and her dark purple eyes were filled with so much turmoil that I couldn’t tell if she was really looking at me or not. With her disheveled appearance, she gave off the perfect image of a demon warlock, showcasing the darkness associated with the class.

The atmosphere of the other person was just as intense.

She was sitting on a chair in front of the counter, and though I couldn’t see her whole body, it was clear she was small in stature. Her dark skin and long, pointed ears were different from the reddish-brown-haired woman.

The sharp tips of her ears were similar to Leif’s, but they were at least twice as long.

An elf. A pure-blood, not a half. And, a dark elf at that.

The dark elf with her long, dark purple hair had sharp, amber eyes that reflected my image clearly. Her gaze was sharp, as if she could see through the knowledge of the world, and yet her eyes also held a hint of emptiness, giving her a strange, mysterious air. Her dark circles only added to her allure, accentuating her mystique.

She was the quintessential elf. On the outside, she looked younger than Ray, but I was sure her actual age was at least twice mine.

Neither of these two were ordinary mages. Though, to be fair, mages were never ordinary to begin with. But these two had especially unique presences.

'How powerful are they? Based on explorer rankings, I’d say they’re at least at the Expert level.'

While I was assessing them, trying to gauge their status, the dark elf’s small lips parted.

"You. Who are you?" "Did you not receive the message? I sent word through the Explorer’s Guild. I’ve obtained an Abyss license and came for training." "Training?"

The reddish-brown-haired woman repeated my words in a drawn-out voice, as if she couldn’t understand what I was saying.

Her scowl deepened, giving her a more irritable air.

I prepared myself, just in case. After all, this was a school that laid out demonic mana from the entrance.

Her pained expression likely came from enduring the price of using demonic magic.

If that were the case, then her mental state might not be stable. There had been plenty of cases where demon warlocks, unable to bear the cost, went mad and rampaged uncontrollably with their magic.

In the tense silence, I locked eyes with the reddish-brown-haired woman for a while. Because of that, I could witness the entire process of her vacant eyes slowly regaining focus.

When her gaze finally sharpened, she showed an extreme shift in expression. The melancholy and weariness disappeared, replaced by confusion, as if she had no idea what was going on.

"I… I never heard anything like that." "…We burn everything that comes from the Explorer’s Guild." "Oh? Did I? Haaa… right, training… training… huh? Wait a minute!"

The sharp, on-edge woman from a moment ago had suddenly disappeared.

Now she just seemed like a clueless fool.

Then, as if realizing something, she slapped the counter and leaned toward the dark elf, whispering in a small voice. Apparently, she didn’t know I could hear her.

"Me-Mea… Do you have a guide license?" "I don’t!" Her whispered cry, almost a scream, made one thing clear to me.

This place… definitely wasn’t a normal school.

"I don’t know. Did I have one?" "Oh, no. If you don’t have one, we’re really screwed…." "Oh, wow. I didn’t know we could get more screwed than this. I just learned something new."

The dark elf’s response, paired with the woman’s words, nailed the coffin shut.

Okay, I’m just going to leave now.