Though I truly intended to leave, before I could even open my mouth, my opponent was already offering me a drink.

"Could you wait a moment?"

The tone was calm yet carried an undeniable charisma. If she had shown this side of herself from the start, I might have thought of her as "a young head of a school, steadfast in her beliefs despite its downfall."

But unfortunately, I overheard something.

I heard her begging the Dark Elf, desperately pleading to somehow retrieve the instructor’s certification.

‘The school has collapsed, and the remaining members seem to have burned all the official documents from the alliance and claimed ignorance.’

It really isn't easy, is it? I suddenly had a craving for alcohol.

Conveniently, there was plenty of alcohol around.

"Could I get some alcohol instead of water?"

There’s plenty right over there.

I cast a quick glance toward the bottles lined up on the shelves behind the bar counter. As I did, she averted her eyes, muttering in a small voice.

"…That’s not possible." "Hmm, if you're worried about getting drunk…." "It’s not possible."

I’m actually pretty good with alcohol. Maybe it’s because I’m not officially part of the school yet. One drink would be fine, but she’s being a bit strict.

Still, she’s the owner of this place, so if she’s made that decision, it’s probably right to follow it. It could just be the rules here, separate from personal feelings.

"My apologies for the unreasonable request." "Unreasonable? No, no! That’s not it…."

She let out a long sigh and corrected her stuttering words, speaking clearly.

"The water. It’s just water inside those bottles." "They’re decorations."

A distant voice from the Dark Elf confirmed that I’d heard correctly.

"Excuse me?"

So, those fancy bottles on the shelves—are they just for show, and the contents are all water?

"I’m sorry." "…It’s okay."

The conversation left only awkwardness between us, plunging us into silence.

I glanced at her, still looking gloomy, and sipped the water.

"Should I introduce myself properly? I’m Hekate. Hekate Cley. I’m the head of the Telemachus School!"

She struggled to start the conversation at first, but her voice grew louder, and by the end, she boldly declared her title as the head of the school. She stood with her hands on her hips, her chest puffed out, accentuating certain features that were already hard to miss.

‘Huge.’

It was an overwhelming size, unlike anything I’d seen before. Hekate’s words conveyed important information—that she was the head of the school—but her presence was making it difficult to focus on that.

"My name is Roman. I recently earned a temporary license and came here to receive training after hearing that this school specializes in demon magic." "Demon magic? Wow! It’s been so long! A new apprentice… Oh, no. You’ve come to the right place. Yes, indeed. Our Telemachus School is the cradle of true demon sorcerers."

Hekate’s tone wavered as she tried to appear composed and dignified, like a proper head of a school, but it didn’t quite land.

"Ah, found it."

At that moment, the Dark Elf, who had been rummaging through bookshelves filled with papers and books, spoke a short confirmation.

When Hekate, who had been nervously watching the Dark Elf, heard those words, her face brightened.

"As expected of Mea! Wait, don’t just toss it around…."

The Dark Elf, Mea, dusted off the papers—what appeared to be the instructor’s certification—and brought it over. She placed the document on the counter and then sat down next to me, in the chair she had been using earlier.

"But Hekate." "Hm?"

Mea, who had carefully handed Hekate the certification, asked her a question.

"Isn’t it possible to bypass the certification with your authority as head of the school?" "No, that’s not allowed. If it becomes a reauthorization case, parts of my authority will be restricted…."

Hekate’s hand, which was holding the certification, began to tremble. Her head turned toward me with a rusty, creaking motion.

"Uh, well…." "It’s fine. I already knew." "Y-you knew? Phew. I thought… wait, you knew and still came?" "What a strange guy."

Do you really think you should be saying that about me?

"I received a recommendation." "Someone recommended us? Who?" "Skyler Martin, the head of the training center." "…That guy."

It seems like they knew each other. In smaller circles, that’s usually how things work.

But judging from Hekate’s expression, it wasn’t necessarily a pleasant relationship.

As soon as she heard the name of the director, Hekate’s previously excited demeanor cooled down. Her words and posture, which had been erratic, also regained stability.

"Once again, welcome. You’re now part of the Telemachus School, the home of demon sorcerers." "Thank you. I feel the same." "You knew all this beforehand, so let me be honest. Our school isn’t in great shape. Unlike other places, we can’t provide much in terms of resources. Is that okay with you?"

Lack of resources? Even better.

If there’s nothing to receive, then there’s nothing to tie me down.

And frankly, there’s nothing more I need.

A sorcerer requires three essential items.

A tool to amplify magical power—usually a staff.

An item to store magical spells—commonly known as a spellbook.

And something to protect oneself from attacks—in a word, armor.

I already have all three. The staff and armor were provided as graduation supplies from the training center, and the spellbook was personally given to me by the director.

The only other thing I might need is consumables, but that’s easy enough to buy with money. It’s not like I’m going on some deep Abyss expedition.

"This is just a training program, after all."

If I were joining the school, it’d be different. Once the training is over, we’ll go our separate ways.

"Alright. Your training will be conducted by Mea here." "Hello."

Unlike Hekate, who had shown many different sides of herself in such a short time, Mea, the Dark Elf, remained consistent. Surprisingly, that was her first greeting.

Her dry, emotionless greeting called for an equally businesslike response.

"I look forward to working with you." "Mm."

I expected her to say something more, but Mea’s lips remained firmly shut.

Are all Dark Elves like this? The Elves I know, including the new half-Elf I recently met, weren’t like this.

Mea didn’t display the characteristic arrogance of typical Elves or the insecurity often seen in half-Elves.

"Ah, ahaha. Let’s discuss the training details with Mea a bit later. By the way, have you found a place to stay?" "I used to stay at an inn outside the city walls, but I plan to move soon." "How about staying here in the school building? There are plenty of rooms." "Would that be alright?" "Considering we can’t offer much else in terms of support, I’d say it’s the least we can do."

Hekate added with a smile, though she mentioned that meals wouldn’t be provided.

But that’s not really what I meant when I asked.

"Are there any men among the students?"

"Huh?"

Hekate paused for a moment, then smirked slyly.

"It seems you’re underestimating us." "You had reason to, Hekate."

Hekate wore the same face I’d seen when I first entered the building—a face marked by pain, but also tinged with anger.

"Care to give it a try?"

She wasn’t bluffing. The confidence in her voice was real, not an act.

"If you really want to know what a demon sorcerer is, you can see for yourself."

A chilling aura began to emanate.

Surprisingly, her power didn’t seem any weaker than the magic I gained through my contract with Seir.

If her contract demon wasn’t of a lower rank, then it meant Hekate’s skills as a sorcerer were exceptional enough to compensate for any shortcomings.

As Hekate revealed her true self, the entire room felt like a massive prison. Instinctively, I realized that my magic—specifically my teleportation—would not work in this place.

A school is the stronghold of sorcerers, and the ruler of such a place is the head of the school.

No matter how disorganized or rough she appeared, Hekate was still the head of the Telemachus School, a recognized institution until just recently.

My perception of the Telemachus School shifted dramatically.

It had value.

Just as the director had recommended.

This was the perfect place to sharpen my skills as a demon sorcerer.

"I didn’t mean to offend you…."

I began to summon my power in response to Hekate’s mounting pressure. Under the dim lights, the magical aura between us sparked and intensified.

"I am quite curious to see what a real demon sorcerer is."

§

Tap, tap.

The light sound of footsteps descending the stairs.

Hekate rubbed her forehead, which seemed to throb slightly, as she spoke.

"Did you finish setting up?"

"All done. It was an empty room anyway."

After Roman had left to gather his things, Mea had prepared his room. Well, “prepared” meant nothing more than dusting it off a bit and arranging a few items in the completely vacant room.

"How do you feel?"

"Oh… I’m alright. Yeah. Once we get through the training and the performance evaluations, we’ll receive some funding, which should help. Mea, you’re really the pillar of this school! I really don’t know what I’d do without you~"

Hekate staggered over to Mea, wrapping her arms around the Dark Elf's small frame and rubbing her face against her. Mea, however, firmly pushed Hekate’s forehead away as she spoke again.

"That’s not what I meant."

"…I just feel a little dizzy, that’s all."

"You?"

Hekate inherited the position of head of the school not because of any special reason but simply through her bloodline—her father, the former headmaster, passed it down to her.

But that didn’t mean her appointment was without merit. Hekate was undoubtedly a sorcerer worthy of leading the school.

Among the countless demons in the heavens, only a select few hold noble titles, and Hekate’s contracted demon was one of the higher-ranking ones.

For Hekate to summon such power within the confines of the school building, which was more of a workshop than anything else, her opponent should have been completely overpowered.

Yet, that hadn’t been the case just now.

"Mea."

"Yeah."

"When we go to the Abyss, keep a close eye on him. Find out what demon he’s contracted with, and what kind of price he’s paying. My guess is… no, I’ll save that for later."