The Lucia Siblings and the Academy Reunion

After completing the official Black Mage certification process for the Lucia siblings, we stepped out of the substitute temple. Even though I'd learned a secret about my birth that not even my parents had known—a secret tied to a demon—nothing really changed. I still didn't know the details of this so-called talent. All I had was a demon casually mentioning that it was special. The priests knew about it too, so while they looked a bit uncomfortable, they didn't say anything else. They understood there was no way to dig into something even I didn't know about.

What kind of talent could possibly be hidden inside me? I wanted to know, too.

"Kiiit."

"What's up, Rata? You want some almonds?"

"Kiiit."

When Ratatoskr poked his head out of my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠pocket, I gently stroked his head. He leaned into my touch with obvious pleasure, and I couldn't help but smile.

"Chirrr!"

"Tweet tweet!"

As I fed Rata, birds suddenly landed on my shoulders, acting all cute. Ever since I'd ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠unlocked the Tamer skill, animals had started treating me like an old friend, so this wasn't exactly strange. I gave each of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the birds a nut.

"Meow."

"Woof woof!"

"Cluck cluck!"

Once I started feeding the birds, dogs, cats, and chickens began gathering around me. They followed me, crying out or plopping their butts on the ground like they were perfectly comfortable. I tossed them some store-bought jerky and seeds. Before long, I was completely surrounded by animals.

Using the simple purification magic I'd learned in the North, I cleaned them up and stroked their heads while I mulled things over.

"Just what is this hidden talent of mine?"

"I think I might know what it is."

"It would be strange if you didn't."

"Anyone can see the talent just by looking."

"Huh?"

The voices came in order—Owen, Grid, then Anel—and I blinked in confusion. What exactly were they seeing that made them think I had talent? At best, animals just flocked to me while I walked, helped with scouting, and gave me an overwhelming advantage in exploration. That was it.

My confident expression made Anel's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠face twist in annoyance.

"Ugh. I can't even hit that smug bastard."

"If you're jealous, you should've been stronger than me."

I teased the fuming Anel and chuckled. Truthfully, I'd more or less figured out what Krisnain had meant by my "talent." My natural affinity wasn't anything special on its own, but the stronger I got and the more Tamer skills I unlocked, the more powerful its effect became.

Sniff. Haaaa.

"What are you doing?"

"Smelling."

"Why are you smelling things?"

"It makes me feel good."

As you can see, it worked on monsters too. Ignoring Adela, who was practically glued to my side like I was some kind of human catnip, I sank back into thought. According to the demon, this ability wasn't something that had manifested by chance—it was inherited through my bloodline. But from what I remembered, there was nothing particularly special about my family.

"My parents, who died to a monster when I was seven, were completely ordinary."

No matter how far back I dug through my memories, I couldn't recall Mom or Dad having any special powers. Which meant this ability had to trace back really far—probably through atavism, skipping generations until it showed up in me.

"I don't know anything about my ancestors. How am I supposed to find out?"

Even if I wanted to know, my parents were dead, so there was no one left to ask. There might be some old books about our ancestors if I tore the house apart, but the chances were slim. Instead of obsessing over something impossible, the smarter move was to keep living normally and grow stronger through Mysteries. If fate existed, an opportunity to awaken my talent would come eventually.

Having sorted out my thoughts, I looked at the party.

"Now that we've finished the first objective, what should we do next?"

"Hmm. Good question. Luna Nunim did tell us to take our time and enjoy ourselves."

Owen pondered for a moment before snapping his fingers, as if a good idea had struck him. He looked at us with a mysterious smile.

"In that case, how about we go on a trip? After all, Argo, you mentioned you'd be meeting your hometown friends at Orbis Academy, right?"

"That's right."

I'd already sent a letter saying I'd visit soon. I'd asked a passing migratory bird to deliver it, so they should know by now. The thought of seeing my friends after so long made me grin from ear to ear. Owen smiled the same way and continued.

"It just so happens I also have friends to meet in the Central region. Since we're done with our tasks, why don't we split up, enjoy ourselves, and regroup later?"

"How will we stay in contact?"

"I have a magical communication tool. We can use it to decide when to meet up."

"That's a great idea."

Now that Neon had become an official Black Mage, our formal request was complete. But since we needed to stay in the Central region as long as possible for Luna Nunim's unofficial request, we decided to travel around the Central area individually before gathering again.

"In any case, most of the nobles' attention will be focused on me and Grid. There shouldn't be much interest directed at the rest of you."

On top of that, Owen had volunteered to draw all the aggro himself, so we didn't have to worry about any interruptions. Praising Owen's shining personality once again, we divided up the group.

"It's been a while since I've seen my friends."

"I'm curious what the liquor in the Central region tastes like."

Owen left to meet his friends, and Grid disappeared to sample the local drinks.

"There's no way a receptionist can stay put when her assigned adventurer is going somewhere."

"If you're going, Senior, then I'll come too!"

"I've got nothing better to do. Might as well go see who Argo's friends are."

"If everyone's going together, then I'll tag along too."

And so the rest of the group decided to follow me.

"What? None of you want to travel the Central region on your own?"

"We don't even know what the Central region is like. Wandering around recklessly would just get us lost."

"I didn't have anywhere specific I wanted to go anyway, so I might as well tag along this time."

It seemed they had never planned to split up with me in the first place. They all moved along with me.

"Woof woof!"

"Hahaha! This sense of speed is just impossible to forget!"

"Kyahaha! Run~!"

To be precise, it was probably more comfortable to stick with me. Ikelos's stable ride and incredible speed turned boring travel into something thrilling, and the tasteless food we'd normally have to eat while camping was replaced with warm, fresh store-bought meals. The summons took turns standing watch, and we slept in an amazing tent with sleeping bags. Having tasted the flavor of civilization, the Northerners seemed determined to stick with me until we returned to the North.

Well, we weren't Northern barbarians or anything. We just liked fighting and valued tradition. We weren't primitives who rejected change while screaming about preserving customs. Once people experienced the conveniences of modern civilization, not many in the North would turn it down. If they were going to refuse it, the noble families wouldn't have bought those Southern-made magic engineering cannons in the first place.

"Grrrr! Woof!"

"Run, Ikelos!"

"I could ride this thing all day!"

"It's way better than riding a Bark or Raptor!"

The Ikelos carrying us on their backs ran without stopping. Thanks to the constant investment of experience points, they had become several times stronger than before. That let us move at speeds that made the scenery blur past, while the shards supporting us adjusted with delicate precision to provide the optimal riding experience. Thanks to all that, we arrived at Orbis Academy in high spirits.

"So that's Orbis Academy?"

"It's huge, just like I heard."

"That's practically the size of a small territory."

Orbis Academy was incredibly vast. Even looking down from the hill, I couldn't see the end of it. As expected of an academy founded personally by the empire's first emperor, magnificent yet classical buildings dotted the grounds. The streets were packed with people—not just students in academy uniforms, but locals, merchants, and tourists as well.

"Cheap! Super cheap! Ruby crabs painstakingly transported all the way from the far west, only one gold each!"

"Fresh today! Monster hides straight from the North! We've even got Laserdon hides!"

"Mom! Dad! Over here!"

"Oh my! Our daughter got into the academy and she's become so mature!"

Even from a distance, the lively atmosphere was palpable. Faint voices and cheerful noise drifted up, and I let out a small sigh of admiration from the hilltop before heading toward the entrance.

The academy entrance was incredibly grand. As we drew closer, I saw the guards tense up.

"Halt. Excuse me, but may I ask your purpose for visiting the academy?"

"We're here to meet a friend. He's a student here. If you contact him, he'll come out."

The guards seemed to recognize the material of our armor and grew even more nervous, but they relaxed at the mention of meeting a friend and led us into the checkpoint. I could hear someone talking inside—probably using a communication magic tool—before the guards stepped aside to let us through.

"Confirmed. Ruin and Runa are on their way, so please wait near the entrance."

"Welcome to Orbis Academy, which has preserved a thousand years of history."

We entered while receiving the polite bows of the guards. Inside the academy, it was just as lively as it had looked from the hill.

"I never imagined the academy would be like this."

"This is practically a whole city."

"It's not 'practically'—it is a city. It has a thousand-year history and was built by the founding emperor, so it's only natural."

We looked around the academy with open curiosity. It wasn't that strange a sight; we were like country folk visiting the city for the first time. The academy was so splendid and beautiful that plenty of other people were doing the same thing. Besides, the entrance was open to tourists anyway.

However, the gazes of the people around us seemed to focus on us for some reason.

"That armor..."

"Laserdon hide? And it's a full set...?!"

"No way! Those are weapons made from entire Northern monsters!"

The merchants and academy students who had identified the materials of our armor and weapons were reacting with unusual intensity.

"N-now that I think about it, Father did send word that adventurers from the North had come down."

"Then they must be those rumored Northern adventurers."

"The informants said they were exceptionally skilled."

Curiosity, interest, jealousy, greed, fighting spirit—various emotions poured in from all directions, but I paid them no mind. The region we'd survived in was so brutal that mere stares felt weaker than a monster's killing intent.

We sat on a nearby bench and waited. It didn't take long before familiar figures approached from afar.

"Argo! We're here!"

"Argooooooo!"

A pair of siblings with golden hair that shone like the sun and beautiful golden eyes came running toward us with bright smiles. The two youngsters who had always been like sunlight made me smile as well as I greeted them.

"Hey! The Lucia siblings have arri—ack!"

"I told you not to call us that!"

As soon as I teased them like in the old days, Luna's fist flew straight into me.