Now that I could finally relax and take in my surroundings, the main base seemed more like a town or even a castle than just a base.

Like Les Lyman, it had both an inner and outer section, and with the number of guilds and schools situated here, it felt like a miniature version of the city.

“Well then, take care.”

Dustin, a member of the Kelsus School, which had a base in the main area as expected of a large school, was heading in a different direction than us. I returned his greeting as he said goodbye.

“Yeah, you too.”

With his usual smirk, Dustin glanced over my shoulder and patted me a couple of times.

“Good job. Give me an update later.”

“Still talking nonsense, I see.”

“It’s all just advice from a senior.”

Senior, my foot. Everyone knew he was still a virgin. Sorry, but Philon already spilled the beans.

“Anyway, see you at the license exam.”

Unaware that I knew his big secret, Dustin walked away with a carefree attitude. After exchanging brief farewells with the rest of the Kelsus members, we too began to part ways.

“As we discussed, I’ll sell the mana stone and send you half of the payment along with the processed hide,” Theresia said.

She was referring to the Chromatic Fiend’s materials. I’d decided to split them 50-50, even though she had offered me everything. Given that she had access to a large school’s infrastructure while I was basically just working with a few connections from my cohort, it made sense for her to handle the sales.

Besides, hoarding it all to myself would just invite trouble. If I kept everything, there’d surely be people who’d try to steal it from me.

But if the world knew that Blostrima School took possession of the materials, no one would dare to mess with us. It was, in a sense, the price for borrowing their name. We’d deal with the rewards from rescuing the survivors separately.

“Even though my senior and I will handle the negotiations, you might still be asked to give a statement. You’ll likely be contacted about the compensation too.”

“Of course.”

Six people had died. Blostrima School, which had quickly risen to join the ranks of the six major schools despite being relatively new, didn’t have many members to spare. They wouldn’t take the loss of six lives lightly.

Theresia glanced around before stepping closer to me and whispering.

“I’ll keep the relic secret. I’ll let you know the appraisal results later.”

Her voice, drowsy from the daytime, tickled my ears.

I leaned back a little and nodded.

“Alright. Make sure to pass it along to Fiona too.”

“Sure.”

Theresia was in charge of reporting the incident to the security forces. She had gone through more than we had and had strong backing to shield her from external pressure.

Mea and I, on the other hand, were heading back to Les Lyman via the gate. We needed to send certification to the guild, confirming the completion of our training. Dustin and Theresia were part of formal school training programs, so their schools would handle everything for them, but since Mea and I were doing individual training, we had to submit the proof ourselves.

“Well, we’ll be off. If anything comes up, you can reach me through the Telema School.”

“Got it.”

As I was about to part ways with Theresia, Priscilla suddenly tugged on my sleeve.

She clutched my clothes, stammering as if she hadn’t planned to do it, clearly flustered.

But before she could say anything, Mea smoothly stepped in between us, her movements so natural that even I thought nothing of it. Her body shielded me from Priscilla, gently removing her hand in the process.

Indeed, dark elves are a stealthy race.

Standing protectively in front of me, Mea addressed Priscilla.

“Get to the point.”

It might have been the height difference, but with Mea slightly shorter than Priscilla, it felt like a younger sibling scolding an older one.

“Uh, right…”

Priscilla fidgeted under Mea’s gaze, clearly uncomfortable. Maybe she was still feeling the aftereffects of the Chromatic Fiend’s mental attack.

But soon, she straightened up and, with a firm voice, bowed deeply.

“Thank you. Truly… If you ever visit our school, you’re welcome. And if you’d like, I could even recommend you for membership under my name.”

A recommendation for joining a school.

At her level—senior—Priscilla was considered a core member in most major schools. The next step up, expert, would lead an expedition, and master… well, most large schools didn’t even have many of those. They were considered their ultimate weapons.

As a senior, Priscilla had enough influence to make such an offer.

Though, recommending someone for admission was still a weighty decision, especially for a senior. Priscilla was essentially putting her reputation on the line by offering to endorse me.

Seeing I didn’t immediately respond, she added,

“Our school doesn’t usually accept men, but it’s not a strict rule.”

“No.”

The answer came not from me, but from someone else.

“It’s not a good idea to meddle in the affairs of another school,” Mea said.

“I can’t just ignore that comment, senior,” Theresia retorted.

Mea and Theresia were the ones bickering, while the two of us stood by quietly.

“Even if it’s about the school, this was a training mission, wasn’t it?”

“…For now.”

“Then there’s no problem, right?”

Come on, you two. You’re not children.

Though, physically, they might look like kids, both Mea and Theresia were older than me. Why were they behaving like this?

“Both of you, knock it off. Priscilla, don’t worry about the rewards. Blostrima will handle it. If we ever meet again, we’ll talk then. Theresia, you should go. Fiona’s probably worried sick.”

“…Okay.”

With that, the situation finally calmed down.

After bidding Priscilla and Theresia farewell, I turned my attention to Mea, who was now looking up at me. Standing a full head shorter than me, I could see the top of her head clearly.

Since I first met her, I’d always thought she resembled a cat.

Back then, she had a sleepy look about her, like a dozing kitten. Now, after some rest, her sharper eyes stood out more. And her gaze, which had been unfocused before, was now crystal clear as she looked straight at me.

“Shall we head out?”

Mea nodded silently.

Then she took the lead, walking confidently ahead of me.

And just like earlier, she tugged at my sleeve as we moved.

§

Outer Les Lyman, in front of Telema School.

It had been nearly two weeks since I last saw the building of the Telema School.

Originally, I thought the training would take one or two days, maybe three at the most. I never expected it to last this long.

But in the end, it worked out. I’d completed all the required training time in one trip to the Abyss.

Not bad at all.

‘I gained a lot from this.’

I didn’t fully understand everything I’d acquired yet, but according to Mea, Hecate had a knack for appraising things. I’d find out soon enough.

‘Can’t wait.’

With that anticipation, I entered the Telema School building.

However, instead of the mature red-haired woman I expected to greet me, I was met by two familiar faces who were much smaller than her.

“You’re late!”

“We’ve been waiting forever!”

It was Ray and Leif.

“Why are you two here…?”

“You’re here!”

The door behind the counter swung open, and Hecate rushed out.

“I’ve been waiting forever! You said you’d be back tomorrow… tomorrow…”

Her voice trailed off into sobs as she clung to Mea, nearly crying.

Tomorrow?

Well, that’s what I said when we first left. But once we reached the main base, I sent word that we’d be delayed for a longer stay…

“Mea.”

“…”

At my call, Mea turned her head slightly, avoiding eye contact.

She forgot, didn’t she?

She had promised to handle the update herself but completely forgot.

“And then these two stormed in, demanding to know where Roman was. At first, I thought they’d come to announce he’d failed the official examination!”

Ah, the struggles of running a small school.

“Well, it wasn’t that bad!”

“Yeah, we just wanted to know where Roman was.”

“Lies! You even asked if I was using him as a test subject!”

Ray, come on.

I get that you’re worried, but you really are something else.

No matter how soft Hecate might seem, she’s still a school head. If she really wanted to, she could take out everyone here.

“Ahem, sorry about that, Hecate. These are my teammates.”

“Sigh, it’s fine. Mea, we need to talk later.”

“…Sorry.”

Even Mea couldn’t argue this time, staying silent as Hecate scolded her.

“So, were they staying here the whole time?”

“Oh, no. This is a school, not an inn, you know.”

“They’ve been coming by in the morning and waiting until the evening before leaving.”

“We booked a nearby inn.”

I see.

I’ll probably have to move to a different lodging too.

Like Hecate said, this wasn’t an inn. No matter how desperate the situation, there were limits to what she could tolerate.

Being the head of a school with a long history and pride likely meant she had boundaries she couldn’t compromise on.

“The prices are ridiculous though. The cost of one night here is enough to stay at an inn for a week.”

“Seriously. One thousand rupees a night, can you believe that?”

Ah...

“Well, you guys go catch up. Mea and I need to have a talk…”

Avoiding my frosty glare, Hecate scooped Mea up and carried her off to the back room.

“Well then, shall we talk too?”

§

That night.

After walking Ray and Leif to their inn, I returned to the Telema School.

I could stay there until my training was officially over, which was good. The less money I spent, the better.

After all, even if I stayed at an inn, I wouldn’t be sharing a room with Ray or Leif.

“Roman, are you awake?”

Mea?

What was she doing here at this hour?

I had just been in the middle of a conversation with my two demons when I ended the communication and answered.

“No, I’m awake. Come in.”

Since the door wasn’t locked, Mea opened it and entered.

To my relief, she was dressed in her usual non-revealing attire, putting to rest the small, absurd worry that had crossed my mind.

“I have a request.”

Ah, so that’s what this is about.

I had an idea of what she was going to say.

She was probably going to talk about officially joining the school.

That must’ve been part of her conversation with Hecate earlier. Perhaps she had come instead of Hecate because she felt a stronger connection to me.

But contrary to my expectations of a simple request about joining the school, Mea’s words carried much heavier weight.

“I want you to carve a mark on me.”