Chapter 29

Chapter 029

Why... why 'sects' in plural?

The skeleton principal sensed something odd and asked.

Of course, it was possible that the boy was trying to hear the pros and cons of various sects before choosing one.

However...

Strangely, the words of the young man from the Vordanz family just now, though not intended, sounded like this:

“I want to join multiple sects, so please choose the best ones for me.”

The skeleton principal thought he must have heard wrong.

“Um... believing in multiple gods isn’t wrong, is it?”

‘What a lunatic!’

The skeleton principal was amazed to see a new student for the first time in a long while.

Of course, there were people in the empire who sincerely believed in multiple gods, like those who believed in both the god of love and the god of wisdom.

However, the young man from the Vordanz family was definitely not trying to believe in any gods.

His intention to exploit multiple sects was too blatant!

It was so blatant that it was almost endearing.

Of course, the various sects wouldn’t think so...

You’re right. And you asked a very good question. Believing in multiple gods isn’t wrong. However, some sects can be petty about such things.

“You’re right.”

Yihan quickly agreed.

The skeleton principal’s thoughts were simple and clear.

‘Join every sect I can.’

Thinking about it, if he could receive various items by joining, there was no reason not to.

It was beneficial to join every sect that allowed multiple memberships.

First, I recommend the Phrisinga sect. It’s a god who sacrifices themselves to uphold the world. The people in the sect are also quite friendly and will welcome you.

“Phrisinga... sect.”

Yihan took notes.

Next, the Kalaso sect. It’s a playful god who loves chaos and change. They won’t care which god you believe in and will treat you well.

“Kalaso... sect.”

Finally, I recommend the Caporeo sect. It’s a god of swordsmanship and swordsmen, and they will welcome someone like you.

“Caporeo sect...”

Yihan paused while taking notes.

Did they know he was taking swordsmanship lessons?

‘No. This is a bit scary.’

It was a minor thing, but it seemed like they were too interested.

He had never been happy when professors, especially crazy ones, showed too much interest...

Learning swordsmanship is good, but don’t forget about magic. After all, the truly great academic pursuit is magic.

“I will keep that in mind.”

Yihan bowed very politely in response to the skeleton principal’s words.

Of course, he was only half-listening.

For Yihan, magic was a means to an end, not a goal.

Hmm. Yes. Yes.

The skeleton principal nodded in satisfaction.

At first, he was baffled when a Vordanz family member talked about joining sects, but now he felt a renewed sense of expectation.

‘He’s truly not an ordinary person.’

The amount of mana or the ability to sense mana was secondary.

The patience to do anything to achieve his goals.

For a new student from a prestigious family like the Vordanz, showing such patience was very intriguing.

‘I look forward to his future.’

Then, I need to go check on the students I locked in the punishment room. Good luck, Vordanz.

“Thank you. ...Huh?”

Yihan realized something was off.

Locked up where?

But the skeleton principal was already flying away.

* * *

Yihan was curious about how many White Tiger Tower students were locked up, but he decided to visit the sects first.

“Where are you going?”

Yoner, holding a basket, asked curiously.

“Phrisinga sect...”

“Oh. Phrisinga sect. You’ve always been interested...”

“...and Kalaso sect.”

“??”

“...and Caporeo sect. Hmm. I might not be able to visit all of them today. It might be too obvious, so I’ll visit one each week.”

“......”

Yoner decided to accept it rather than ask what was going on.

Ah. Yihan just wants to believe in three gods!

“Here. Take this.”

Yoner took a sandwich out of the basket and offered it.

It was a hearty sandwich with ham, tomato, lettuce, and chopped boiled egg between two slices of white bread.

If you threw one to hungry new students, they would fight to the death for it.

“Thanks. Um. How much?”

“...It’s free...”

“What? Really? Why? What’s the catch?”

“Well, I shouldn’t say this, but... you’re really unique, you know? I’m giving it to you because I’m grateful for your help yesterday. Here, eat it quickly.”

Yihan nodded and accepted it. He was hungry anyway.

While he chewed the sandwich, Yoner poured him a cold apple juice.

*gulp*

“Where did you get this?”

“Don’t you usually ask that first? I got it from the Phlemang sect. My family has been close to the Phlemang sect for a long time.”

Phlemang, the god of alchemy.

The priests of this sect were all excellent alchemists.

The Meikin family, Yoner’s family, had been generously supporting the Phlemang sect for generations.

Thanks to this, the priests of the Phlemang sect recognized Yoner and packed various snacks in the basket for him.

‘Why doesn’t the Vordanz family support any sects?’

Yihan was impressed by the Meikin family’s foresight.

Supporting in this way certainly brought rewards.

“...Is it a bit unusual?”

“What is?”

Yoner hesitated, and Yihan was puzzled.

Was he talking about the combination of the sandwich and apple juice?

“That, supporting the Phlemang sect. I do believe in Phlemang...”

Just like when Gaian said ‘alchemy is magic’ and got hit, some arrogant mages looked down on alchemists.

Occasionally, someone would say, ‘For a great family like yours, isn’t it undignified to support such a sect?’

Of course, Yihan didn’t care at all.

“Why not support them?”

“...Right?”

Yoner’s face brightened. He smiled and poured more apple juice.

“Drink more.”

“Huh? Is there more...”

Yoner thought.

He had worried that Yihan might have trouble adapting to the Blue Dragon Tower because of his unusual personality, but with this boy around, it might not be as difficult as he thought.

* * *

“Excuse me, I came to learn more about Phrisinga.”

“!”

When Yihan approached, the priests looked up and welcomed him enthusiastically.

“Welcome! Brother! You came to learn about Phrisinga. We welcome you!”

“Yes. I’ve heard various stories about Phrisinga and have always admired such a noble figure.”

Yihan spoke while hiding his true thoughts.

A graduate student must know how to maintain a respectful demeanor, even if they are inwardly complaining.

Yihan excelled in this aspect.

Naturally, the priests were thoroughly charmed by his attitude.

To think a young noble from a prestigious family would come here.

“Come in! Tizling, can you help?”

“I... I’m coming.”

“!”

Yihan was surprised. The student called by the priests was quite unfamiliar.

His skin had a dark red aura, and he had two horns on his forehead. His eyes, which seemed timid, occasionally sparked and then disappeared.

‘A demon hybrid!’

One of the rarest hybrid races. Yihan had only heard about them and had never seen one in person.

If an ancestor had made a contract with a demon, sometimes a descendant would be born with such traits, skipping generations.

Naturally, most people found such races unsettling. The demon hybrid girl seemed to be very cautious and timid.

“This is Tizling, also a new student. She’s from the <Eternally Burning Phoenix Tower>.”

The priests said proudly.

Although the Phoenix Tower students rarely interacted with students from other towers, they had come to help when the sect priests visited.

“It’s truly touching. To find a friend who believes in Phrisinga here. Phrisinga is truly great.”

“Brother!”

Even Yihan’s casual praise made the priests very happy.

‘However...’

Yihan looked around the tent after entering.

The two most important points when joining a sect were:

What can you gain from joining the sect?

What do you have to do after joining?

Would it be more inconvenient if you had to whip yourself every time you attended a meeting?

‘The tent is quite simple, probably because it’s a sect tent.’

The inside of the tent was spartan. There were a few long benches, and a symbol that looked like Phrisinga’s emblem was placed on the altar at the front.

It could be considered ordinary, but Yihan felt a sense of unease.

‘There are too many artifacts here, aren’t there?’

The tent was filled with items that exuded a strong magical aura.

Even minor magical items, artifacts, were quite expensive and rare.

Yet, such artifacts were abundant in the tent.

The priests didn’t seem particularly luxurious...

‘Phrisinga is a god who sacrifices themselves to uphold the world, right? Is he a god related to artifact creation?’

Thud, thud, thud.

A short, thin priest approached to explain to Yihan.

“...?”

Surprisingly, deep footprints were left on the ground with each step the priest took. Yihan’s eyes widened.

“Oh. Are you surprised, Brother?”

The priest, realizing Yihan’s surprise, smiled and explained.

“There’s no need to be surprised. It’s because of the artifact I’m wearing. It’s a cursed artifact. Brother, it increases my divine power in exchange for increasing my weight several times.”

“Oh. Did you accidentally wear it while exploring a dungeon or adventuring?”

“No, I wear it to honor Phrisinga.”

“??”

“Phrisinga sacrifices themselves to uphold the world. Therefore, we must also make sacrifices, Brother. Every time we wear a cursed artifact from the world, the world’s curse diminishes.”

The Phrisinga sect.

To honor a god cursed to eternally uphold the world, the priests wore cursed artifacts.

Their holy magic didn’t remove the curses from the artifacts like other holy magic.

Instead, it had an extreme effect of enhancing both the performance and the curse.

Yihan’s face began to lose color as he realized the truth.

He regretted it.

‘I must have lost my mind. Listening to the principal...’

He believed it in the warm atmosphere of the conversation with the principal, but the madness emanating from the sect was far from ordinary.

A sect that deliberately wore cursed artifacts...

“...It seems you don’t like it, Brother.”

The priest was no ordinary person.

Despite Yihan’s efforts to manage his expression, the priest keenly sensed his discomfort.

“No, I’m just... too happy...”

“No, Brother. The path of dedication to Phrisinga is indeed difficult and arduous. If you’ve changed your mind, it’s okay to leave. I understand.”

The priest said with a sad smile.

Yihan felt guilty but checked the exit’s location with his peripheral vision, in case the priest suddenly changed and tried to stop him.

“This cursed belt was meant to be a welcome gift for new members... but everyone leaves after hearing the details. It’s understandable. A belt cursed to absorb mana. Who would like that?”

“...Wait. What’s the effect of that?”