As a result, I didn’t end up engraving a brand on Hecate.
To be precise, I couldn't.

It wasn’t because I was scared of Mea’s dead eyes staring at Hecate...
Well, maybe a little, but honestly, Hecate seemed just as desperate.

“Hecate, you…”
“I-I can’t help it! With this money, with just this money… a-and besides, we're both part of the same school now!”

Even as she said that, she held onto the gold coin I handed her as if it was her most precious possession. It felt like the former reason was more her true intention, but for the sake of Hecate’s last bit of pride, I decided to keep quiet.

“Eighty-eight thousand rupes is no small sum.”

It was definitely a steep amount for an initiation fee.
Even the Alexandria school, the largest in Les Remen, didn’t charge over ten thousand rupes for initiation.

Maybe my spending habits had gotten too extravagant because of the large support funds I received from the guild and school for saving my companions' lives.
On top of that, I’d also sold a chromatic fiend’s magic stone and leather.
That alone should bring in at least a few hundred thousand rupes.

By the way, the reason I was willing to pay such a large amount for an initiation fee was because I was asking for the evaluation of the book and the mysterious liquid I found in the undiscovered ruins.
In a way, it was also a down payment.

“Should I just keep the leather? I have enough money.”

In any case, I decided to think about it later.

I had tried.
And failed.

The feeling was completely different from when I branded Mea.

Branding someone is similar to summoning a demon.
It involves overlaying one’s personal seal onto the contract script of another demon warlock.

By doing so, the warlock gains control over the other’s demon contract, rising to an absolute position of dominance.

Mea’s case had been simple.
There had been some resistance, but I just forced it through with Seir and Leraje’s power.

But with Hecate, that was impossible.
It wasn’t just the magical power flowing through the contract script—her entire body seemed to reject it.

When I saw her blood vessels rupturing all over, causing internal hemorrhaging, I panicked and stopped.

Despite the desperate look Hecate had shown at first, she remained calm and nodded as if she had expected this outcome all along.
That demeanor was both sad and somewhat relieving, as if she had accepted everything, making it hard for me to find the courage to speak.

“Why is this happening?”

To my question, Hecate answered while soothing the blood blisters caused by the burst vessels.

“It’s called ‘Bloodline Succession’.”

There’s a type of ancient magic that is inherited through generations.
Usually, it’s passed down through bloodlines, but sometimes it’s inherited through the master-apprentice relationship.

Unlike other ancient magics that are typically perfected and lost within a single generation, this one continues to evolve and grow over long periods of time, unless something unfortunate interrupts the succession process.

Hecate had inherited both the position of head of the school and the Bloodline Succession.
Her magic was etched into her blood itself, and any attempt to brand her would naturally be met with intense resistance.

Most importantly, the level of the demon tied to Hecate’s Bloodline Succession was no joke.

Hecate had tried on a whim, but the result was as expected.

A demon contract that not only binds the present but also passes down to one’s offspring.
Is this what the pinnacle of demon magic looks like? Selling out the future for power in the present.

It’s undoubtedly an immense power, but Hecate must have had no choice but to bear the burden of it, along with the massive price that comes with it.

Feeling a sense of unease as if I had glimpsed one of the darker aspects of demon magic, I left the Telema School behind.

“Even Seir and Leraje couldn’t manage it.”
[The problem isn’t us, it’s you.]
[Don’t be too hard on him, Leraje.]

Still, you’re not denying it, are you, Seir?

[W-well… it’s kind of true….]

It seems that the difference in skill between Hecate and me was just that large, making it impossible to suppress her merely by relying on the rank of my contract demons.

Mea was quite formidable too, but her contract demon was much lower in rank than Hecate’s, so I could simply overpower her.

“Hey, you’re here early.”
“Yeah.”

My thoughts were interrupted by Ray’s voice.

As I arrived at the inn where Ray and Leif were staying, the two of them were just stepping outside.
Their appearances were strikingly different.

Ray, who wasn’t wearing a hood, and Leif, who still had hers on.
Ray, who carried nothing but a small pouch at her side, compared to Leif, who had packed a large backpack filled with various items.

Ray, unarmed, contrasted with Leif, who carried a long staff.

The only thing they had in common was a modest expression…

“Hey, you’re thinking something weird.”
“...No.”

A beast’s intuition, huh.

“Let’s get going already. We’ll be late for the carriage.”

I used the excuse of the carriage’s departure time to take the first step.
Behind me, I could hear Ray grumbling, “I knew Roman was thinking something weird,” and Leif trying to calm her down with, “Maybe he’s just on edge because of today.” But I ignored them.

Les Remen was a huge city, so carriages ran along the eight major radial roads dividing the circular city and the ring road surrounding the city walls.
They were part of a circulating system that facilitated the movement of the city’s residents.

Without those carriages, explorers from villages outside the city would have had to walk for hours just to reach the Abyss.
Our situation wasn’t as bad, but walking around without a carriage was too much of a hassle.

Once aboard, we headed straight for the inner city.

And then, we crossed the gate to the Abyss.
Despite having temporary licenses, we were able to cross the gate without a guide for one reason.

The license exam.

The exam took place on the first floor of the Abyss, at the main base.

By the time the examinees reached this point, they had already passed the temporary license test and completed all their training, making them practically halfway to becoming full-fledged explorers. Reaching the main base was considered a given.

The Explorer Guild’s branch at the main base was bustling with people.

“How are there so many people here? Didn’t the recent academy graduation have only sixteen survivors because of that tragedy?”
That’s because it wasn’t just recent graduates taking the test.

There were those who had finished their training late and couldn’t take the last exam.
There were those who had taken the exam before but failed and were trying again.
And then there were transfer students who had done their training and temporary licenses elsewhere but wanted to take the final exam at Les Remen.

All of them had gathered here, easily numbering in the dozens.

And their gazes, whether subtle or blatant, were all focused in one direction.

“Hey, look over there.”
“Oh… those people….”

I overheard similar conversations all around me.

It made sense, considering the people who had gathered here were the kind that others might never get a chance to speak to, even if they spent their entire lives in the Abyss.

The masterpiece of the Grand Duchy, Fiona McManus.
The previous student of the Frontier Guildmaster, the Heavenly Sword Arthur Carlisle.
The daughter of the head of the Alexandria School, Alejandra Rubio, known as the Flame Tempest.
The most promising student of the Blastma School, the Night Flower, Theresia Nachtblumer.
The delinquent son of the Kelsus School, Dustin Chaloner.

These five were future leaders of the great powers that ruled Les Remen.

But they weren’t the only ones.

Alongside Alejandra were two more from the Alexandria School, Amaya Hiero and Juan Blasco.
Then there was Elowen Starweaver, an elf whose remarkable skills had made her stand out instantly.
Philon Grivas, who had suddenly overwhelmed the promising students of the Seraphion School after some mysterious revelation during his training.

There were plenty of stories about that class alone.

They were truly a constellation of stars.
A gathering of rising prodigies.

It was astonishing how so many extraordinary people had been brought together in one class.

“Unbelievable.”
“But why are they all gathered together? I thought the Flame Tempest and the Grand Duchess didn’t get along?”
“I heard they’re all academy classmates… but does just attending the academy together make them close? Hey, Herson, didn’t you go to the academy?”
“Yeah, but I only knew people by their faces and names. Even the ones I teamed up with, I rarely see anymore….”

It wasn’t entirely wrong to say they didn’t get along, as Fiona and Alejandra were standing as far apart as possible.
But even so, they were still within the same group, which made the sight no less remarkable.

People were curious about what conversations these individuals could be having.
Speculation spread like wildfire among the crowd.

Though the barrier spell they had cast prevented their words from being overheard, it was clear they were talking by the movement of their lips.
The fact that no one could hear them only fueled the curiosity, making discussions more heated.

Then, three more people entered the hall.
At first, no one paid attention to their arrival, but when they casually crossed the barrier, the reaction completely changed.

Crossing the barrier?
Sure, that could be explained—they were probably part of the same class, right?

Even among such a stellar group, there were bound to be some more ordinary individuals.

But after seeing the reactions, could anyone still think that this person was ordinary?

Arthur Carlisle, who had been silently observing, smiled warmly and began speaking.
Dustin Chaloner, who normally pushed people away, walked up to the new arrival and threw his arm around their shoulders as if they were old friends.

It wasn’t just the men.

Fiona and Alejandra, who had been speaking from opposite sides, closed the distance and joined the conversation. Theresia, who had been dozing off, rubbed her eyes and joined in as well.
Amaya Hiero, clearly amused by something, playfully slapped the newcomer’s back, while Juan Blasco stopped her, laughing.

Then Alejandra handed the man a staff, as if it were a gift.

Those watching from the beginning couldn’t help but mutter the same thing aloud:

“Who is that guy?”