“How much did the Sarlenzia company want?”

After meeting up with Saori in front of the mage’s guild, Tasianna and I asked her how her grocery shopping went. Due to a deal we made with the Sarlenzia company’s president, we were able to secure a large amount of food and spices in exchange for our Belzac plants and herbs all grown inside our garden.

Since Ellaine knew the serious demand for Belzac products like fulinoe leaves and Belzac herbs, the deal we made with them was favorable to us. We just didn’t know the full, full extent of this demand and how far the company was willing to promote it.

“The representative of the branch told me he wanted us to deliver double the amount we agreed upon as soon as possible, even admitting that President Sarlenzia wanted four to five times what we originally offered if we had that amount on hand,” Saori informed us with an expression mixed between excitement and disappointment. “The mage’s guild, the alchemist guild, the nobility, even private merchants were craving these products like locusts. After we handed them the first batch and they released their promotion, everything was sold out instantly. Hehe, the representative was telling me President Sarlenzia was fuming that he couldn’t contact us when we were inside the dungeon and when we left for Griffonpeak!”

“But weren’t we resting in Cedaraille for a whole week after our dungeon diving? Couldn’t they have sent a messenger to us then?” Tasianna asked, only to receive a shrug from Saori.

“Yes, they had enough time, but it seemed Duke Greenveil told them to leave us alone. If you ask me, they were probably using this time to create hype around the next supply. The representative went quiet for a moment when I asked him how many people were reserving them.” A grin formed on Saori’s face, elated to see she was able to fish out this information.

Come to think about it, Ellaine’s parents did mention they couldn’t buy any of the leaves since it was sold out. Damn, didn’t think the craze was this much. I guess they probably pre-ordered a few, considering they hadn’t asked to buy some off me.

“Then why do you look so disappointed, Saori?” I asked out of curiosity.

“Ack, it is because Ellaine and I underestimated how well they marketed their products. Do you still remember Zeather? The foxian in Firwood?” I nodded to Saori’s question. “Well, he used the amount we gave him to build the foundation for this whole craze. The representative in Griffonpeak called it ‘piquing people’s interest’ and Zeather made sure to sell the leaves in small batches, increasing the price every ‘resupply’ cycle. The nobles and mages went wild.”

When I told her I still couldn’t understand her chagrin, Saori said it as bluntly as she could, “They got us, Hestia. ‘Mine a copper vein only to find gold,’ or whatever Grimnir likes to say. Ellaine and I thought we got the better end of the deal, but we were sorely embarrassed. Newt Sarlenzia and Duke Greenveil used their time well and managed to increase the price even further than when we originally made this deal.”

Saori had been quite proud about the deal she made with the president, but I guess this was a lesson for us—the sellers always win, the suppliers get only a dime. Still, it wasn’t all gloom and doom.

Saori’s frown turned into a smirk, showing her sparkling white teeth. “However, they made one mistake. Their customers got too impatient, and I noticed this on the representative. When I told him we did not have a large harvest, even stating supplying double the amount would be hard, the man’s poker face broke.”

“But, Miss Saori, our harvest was extremely good. We have more fully-grown fulinoe plants than ever before,” Tasianna responded only to prompt Saori to shake her finger in such an arrogant and condescending manner I found it comically. She was soo enjoying this.

“I know, Tasianna. Four or five times might be too much, but we could supply them triple the amount if we didn’t care about our dragorade stock. Supplying double the amount is easy, but I did not have to tell him that, right?”

When that revelation came, I couldn’t help but giggle.

She continued, “I managed to increase our pay. More food, spices, and we will now receive a chunk of the pie—a percentage of their  sales. The deal will be finalized tomorrow, once President Sarlenzia arrives in Griffonpeak with a flying carriage. Including our revenue share with the yeast recipe, we are about to become financially stable! Hiehiehie! How dare you try to run away with our hard work, Newt!”

I showed her a thumbs up, proud of her achievement. “Nice work, Saori. Well, how fitting that we would visit the mage’s guild now.”

Located on the northside of Griffonpeak’s mountain—which the locals call “Wintertalon,” as there snow covered the tip of this crooked mountain throughout the year—the whole guild was built around the same elevation as the noble district. Meaning you could either fly over there with a flying carriage or mount, or use the streets to enter it. It was part of the upper city with roads connecting it with the noble and merchant districts.

This guild was far larger than the alchemist guild or either of the adventurer guilds, built upon a platform granting them a large amount of space. Mages from whatever social status were walking around it, entering buildings within this area, making it feel like a university. In fact, Ellaine had explained to me that the mage’s guild was actually a university for alumni of the royal academy seeking to perfect their arcane powers.

Due to the size, we asked a local woman for directions.

“A beastman looking to register as a mage?” As she frowned at Saori for some reason, she suddenly noticed Tasianna and me before tapping her staff on the ground as if she understood something. “Oooh, a lizardman shrine maiden and an elf, uh, wind elf? Understood. The guild building is easy to miss with the university in the way, but you just need to follow the path. There is a training area protected by a mana barrier, so if you notice it, turn to your right and voila.”

“Thank you for your help,” Saori stated with a normal smile, unperturbed by the woman’s comment, before moving forward according to the directions we received.

The slight disgust the woman showed Saori was easy to hear, but I was baffled to see her so calm. As I followed her, I spoke up about it, “Saori, didn’t you notice what she just said to you? She just looked at you as if you were trash or something. She even called me a lizard!”

I was currently hiding my wings inside my robes. Considering my stunt in Cederaille, the news of a crimson dragon should have spread to most places. If you knew about [Humanize] it would be easy to put the pieces together seeing how conspicuous my scales were, and I didn’t want to deal with that. Still, how annoying to be called a lizard!

While I felt insulted at how that mage woman acted towards Saori, she waved her hands dismissively. “Who cares, Hestia. I have read enough books of how certain beastman races are less proficient in magic, to the point these books mentioned there was a myth that these specific races cannot cast spells, like dwarves. One member of this group is wolfkins, so the Miss from before was probably stereotyping. Nothing awful. Actions speak louder than words, anyway.”

I guess that is true …

While following the woman’s directions, we noticed a few mages sparring or testing their spells on a flat training area. Spells were being slung around the area carelessly, making me worried one of them would hit a bypasser, but my concern proved unwarranted. Each wayward spell was blocked by a translucent mana barrier when it reached the edge of the area. I wondered if this was similar to the one surrounding the entirety of Griffonpeak.

In any case, as the woman told us, the moment we turned right after the training field, we ended up at the entrance to a building. Moving inside, the interior of the building reminded me of the reception of a fancy four or five-star hotel. As you would expect from a noble-controlled organization, the room was well decorated with fine furniture, manatechs, and paintings.

As the two women behind the counters were occupied, we checked for a line, only to be informed by one of the seated mages to register our ID using the [Crystal of the Divine System] next to the receptionists to be called up. When Saori asked if only one person was enough, he confirmed that it was.

As such, Saori pulled out her ID and registered for the three of us. Finding a seat to pass time, I recognized a small altar placed before a bust of a male elf. Looking at the altar, it had the emblem of a giant owl wearing a set of glasses while carrying a half-filled grail and a long scroll flowing around the owl’s head, forming a perfect circle. According to my theology lessons, this was the religious symbol of the God of Knowledge and Magic, Istari.

“The half-filled grail symbolizes God Istari’s unending desire for knowledge, always in the pursuit for the unknown, but unable to fill his grail as he gluttonously consumes any new experience. The scroll, on the other hand, marks his promise to document everything he learns, even using his own skin if he runs short on parchment.” Tasianna gave me a satisfied nod after I remembered her theology lessons.

There was also the symbolism of the owl, which was similar to Earth’s. The owl was there to show wisdom, secrets, and the unknown. Istari was the patron god of all mages and spellcasters while also being the subordinate god of Aurena. Considering how many mages were in this world, Aurena and Istari must be enjoying the amount of faith they must be generating, which made it even more incredible that Plesia is the Chief of the Origin Gods.

After some time passed, we were finally called up to the reception, where Saori told her we wanted to register at the mage’s guild.

“A mage associate registration, of course. Would this include all three of you, Madam?” Saori nodded to the receptionist. “Understood. To become members of the guild you must first pass a written and practical exam, or present to us a certificate of your arcane abilities. Would you wish to schedule one?”

“Wait, you require us to pass exams?” I asked.

“Yes, Madam. However, we won’t be able to schedule the exam for any earlier than this evening. The examiners are currently preoccupied at the royal academy and the guild’s university.”

Since we had to become mages to not cause any issues, we agreed to take an exam after confirming we could retake them if we failed. I was confident I could pass it with Master Kush’s teachings, but who knew, right? She then prompted us for our IDs to check our age and names, where I asked if she would check our entire Profile.

“No, of course not, Madam. We value your privacy. Only your name and age will be projected on the crystal during this section of the registration, but once we finalize your membership, we will ask again if we may look at your entire Profile. You may refuse. However we must at the very least see your level, status, and magic skills to determine your ranking within the guild.” The receptionist pulled the Divine System crystal from the top of the counter and placed it behind her desk.

After we handed our IDs to her, she began speaking our names and ages to confirm them. “Tasianna Marina Silverpond. Age 88. Saori Segawa. Age 18. Hestia … Atsuko. Age 16.” She then raised her head, looked at me as if she was analyzing something on me before standing up. “I apologize but I must ask for your patience. I will be back very soon.”

This does not bode well …

I thought hiding my last name would suffice, but I clearly undestrestimated the information gathering ability of a large guild. Since we couldn’t afford to run away, we stayed until the receptionist came back, guiding another woman. Standing out with her blue-tinted blond hair and azure eyes, I knew she was probably a high-ranking guild member from her Gothic-era inspired dress.

Showing me a curtsy, the woman introduced herself. “Greetings and may the Goddess bless our meeting, Lady Hestia Atsuko. I am Maverina von Dareinburgh, the guild master of the mage’s guild branch in Griffonpeak.”

Although I responded with a curtsy of my own, I couldn’t help but be confused about this situation. “‘Von?’”

“Yes, I am an aristocrat of the Empire, a vassal of his Holy Majesty, the Emperor of Light. I am also a professor affiliated with the Magical Capital, Aleistunum, which, as you should know, is the founding location of the mage’s guild spread far and wide amongst human civilization,” the guild master stated with pride, unfurling her gemstone-encrusted fan to appear haughty.

“Okay, then why are you here?”

“For you, of course, Lady Hestia.”

As the three of us expected, something was up, but I still had to tilt my head as I looked at Guild Master Maverina with confusion.

“Oh, there is no need to make such a face, Lady Hestia, you are ruining your pretty face. Your name has been spreading around in Firwood and all the notable noble mages in Cedaraille have mentioned a crimson red-scaled dragonewt shrine maiden of the Goddess performing amazing acts of arcane wonders during a dungeon break event. Also, rumors of you have been circulating since your stay in Firwood and Cedaraille.”

Using [Omnictus] and [Symphonie des Feuergottes] to kill the rachonoid queen would of course attract eyes. The question was, where was she leading with this?

“It doesn’t take a genius to link these information points together. There were also reports of a … dragon?” Immediately, Tasianna invoked [Air Shield] around us, preventing information from leaking out. Maverina, instead of being shocked by this, was marveling at Tasianna’s spell cast. “Marvelous. Such a fast cast of a wind spell, as expected of a wind elf, a descendant of Goddess Zephira.”

She then returned her attention to me. “Well, as I said, rumors about a dragon have been going around. A high-ranking dragonewt noble was reported by many nobles in Firwood, so it surely made me curious who this ‘Hestia Atsuko’ was. But … what makes me more interested is your magical abilities. Would you like to skip the written exam and move on directly to the practical one?”

“What is the catch?” Saori asked without leaving anybody time to think.

“Oh, nothing serious, Madam Saori Segawa. As you would be registering as a guild member of the mage’s guild, you also have a responsibility to register your custom spells. The guild’s role in the kingdoms and countries we are stationed at is to manage the local mages and to prevent them from causing any trouble for the local populace. We do not wish any deviants ruining the image of an Aleistunum mage, a noble seeker of knowledge of God Istari.”

Saori, Tasianna, and I agreed to the proposal. We had to do this anyway to legalize our custom spells, so why not use it to skip an unnecessary step? I would rather present my magic skills than do a writing exam. Also, surprise tests sucked.

After the three of us handed in our IDs and showed them the “custom spell” category on our Profiles, Maverina began to smile devilishly. “While I can understand why you haven’t registered yourself in Firwood, it is inexcusable to not have done your registrations at the mage’s guild in Cedaraille. I apologize, but the guild must fine you—Lady Hestia, Madama Tasianna, and Madam Saori—for this transgression.”

All right, that’s where she’s going with this, huh? A fine? Really? For what?

“Explain. Now.” I demanded, glaring at her. “This is our registration.”

“Yet, you couldn’t have done this in Cedaraille’s mage’s guild? You could have asked any mage in the hunter’s guild or even use your noble connections, Lady Hestia. Regardless if you are a noble from Loatryx, every mage must register themselves while they are within the guild’s jurisdiction.” Maverina did not budge a bit.

“You have no proof,” Saori argued back. “We could have invented these custom spells while we were on our way to Griffonpeak. You somehow knew we were in Firwood and Cedaraille, but it’s impossible for you to confirm this defense.”

“That is true, Madam Saori. Some eyewitnesses stated you and Madam Tasianna had used lightning and ice spells, but none of them were knowledgeable enough in these fields to recognize your spells. We cannot use this against you; however, there is still no reason for you to not register at Cedaraille’s mage’s guild, right? Can I confirm you stayed in that city for a whole month?”

Since it seemed nobody suspected my [Symphonie des Feuergottes]—thank goodness fire mages were so unpopular—and it appeared that Maverina couldn’t refute Saori’s argument, the guild master simply went back to the original accusation.

“Lady Maverina, Lady Hestia and Miss Saori have just arrived in this kingdom this year. I, too, am new to a human civilization,” Tasianna began. “While it might be true that we broke a regulation, could you not look the other way? We didn’t mean to purposely postpone our registrations.”

“I will give you the benefit of the doubt, but a crime is a crime, Madam Tasianna. The mage’s guild does not care if you are a noble or commoner. As long as I, an Aleistunum representative, am the guild master, I must treat you the same as I do others. If every foreigner were to break our rules, then what? Should I give all of them clemency?”

“… Seriously, where are you going with this?” I eyed her suspiciously. I didn’t have the feeling she was doing this purely for the law’s sake.

“Nothing at all, my lady. I am simply enforcing the rules, and it would apply to you once you become a member. You do not have to register with us.”—yet she smiled—“However, the Kingdom of Artorias has the obligation to enforce our guild’s rules due to our agreement. The mage’s guild is an international guild like the two adventurer guilds, and if they do not follow our rules, we are able to leave and refuse them service. You might not be fined by us, but you could be tried as a criminal by the kingdom, Lady Hestia.”

Great, with every day here I’m inching closer to becoming a criminal.

Seeing me unconvinced, Maverina began to lure us in with honeyed words. “In addition, it would be a waste for mages of your caliber to not acquire some of the guild’s support. Aleistunum is the country for magical studies, even rivaling the elusive and secretive elves. It was founded by God Istari himself, after all. We are a neutral force, not bound by the Empire, but we still have our connections and resources. If you require catalysts, we can commission our meister alchemists to help you. Magical ingredients to help your studies in alchemy or enchanting. Books and references for even more custom spells. Archmages and Supreme Sorcerers to act as your masters. Even entry into the magical capital, itself. If there is a branch of the mage’s guild in the land you visit, you may always call for our services. Doesn’t it sound wonderful?”

Pushed to a corner, the three of us had a telepathic discussion. Sadly, there wasn’t much to talk about, since becoming criminals was an issue if we wanted to stay inside Artorias borders for a while. Although, when we gave in to her demands, to our horror, the fine amounted to 68% of our total savings.

At this point, it was clear she was trying to gain a hook from us. She probably could guess who I was, and what could be better than having a dragon owe you a favor? Although, wasn’t she playing with fire here, what if I was an ill-minded one? Maybe she calculated it with the rumors circulating around. I did perform as an idol, that could have been a hint to her.

Poor Saori, though. Her breaking heart was clear to hear. Her crestfallen yelp she gave after she saw the number was a sound I have never heard her make; the three of us were just filled with storming emotions.

After reluctantly paying the fine, the receptionist went over to the door and opened it up for us. “Thank you very much for your understanding. I must inform the necessary examiners first, but let us first go to the training area so you may warm up, yes?”

Looking out the door as my mood began to drop, my parallel minds, affected by my emotional state, went wild, shouting around at how unfair the situation was. It was then when manager mind explained a very devious plan. The depression was gone, replaced by anger and wickedness.

“How about we speed this up. A shortcut, if I may?” I told Maverina without looking at her.

“What do you mean by a shor—’

“Warp Point: Entry. Warp Point: Exit.” Two portals immediately opened up—one right before me and the other outside the building. “Come on, I want our visit to be as short as possible.”

“Wha—? [Space-Time Magic]!” Maverina shouted before I pushed her through it. We paid the fine, now it was time I showed her how a good dragon dealt with people stepping on her tail.

[“Saori. Tasianna. Are you two mad, too?”]

[“Of course, Lady Hestia.”]

[“… I’m listening, Hestia.”]

[“Good, well, during this practical display, give them a show, all right? We have three empty vessel magics to show them.”]

Maverina, baffled at the stiaution, darted her head up and down at the open air fissure. “T-these are the two [Warp Point] spells, correct? I heard they drain an immense amount of Mana every second they are left open, and it would become worse the further away the portals are. H-how are you able to keep it up for this long?”

“Where are the examiners?” I curtly demanded, exuding [Draconic Aura] and [Royal Presence] to intimidate her.

Flinching back, finally understanding my anger, Maverina spoke as clearly as she could, enduring the aura surrounding us. “T-the three examiners I have in mind are currently working at the royal academy. I was intending to bring them over, but they have a class at the university right now, so we cannot—”

“Got it. Hang on. Humanize.” As Duke Greenveil stated, the rumors would explode eventually, so there was no need to hide myself. Let them know I was a dragon.

Spreading my wings and loosening my robe, I cast [Warp Point: Entry] and its exit once again after dispelling the previous pair. This time, the exit was placed further up on the mountain. Once I made sure the portals were open, I grabbed Maverina around her waist and dragged her with me into the portal.

“L-Lady Hestia, what is th—kyaaaaahhhh!” Once I was on the other side, I jumped off the mountain and activated my scale-dust boosters and [Tailwind]. Closing the portals, I then focused on flying over to the academy as fast as possible, using my tour around the city as reference.

“There is the academy. Where are the examiners, Lady Maverina?” I demanded, hovering over the royal academy.

“L-Lady Hestia this is absurd and absolutely—eeeek!” I glared at her to shut up. “T-the first examiner should be in that building over—”

“Got it. Warp Point: Entry. Warp Exit: Exit!”

“How do you have so much Mana! This is insane!”

With a portal opened in the sky and one cast through the window of a building, I was able to see a slightly overweight noble speaking in front of his class, flinching backward as he saw us through the portal.

“W-what in the Goddess’s name! Hold on, Lady M-Maverina? Why are you—”

“Is he the examiner?” Maverina nodded without hesitation to my question. “Good. First spell, Unheilige Engel!”

Purple wings spread from behind me, levitating around before they morphed into two large arms. As the professor was baffled at what he was seeing, I sent one arm through the portal and grabbed him out of his classroom.

“W-what is this? Help! I’m being abducted!” he shouted.

Telling Maverina to calm him down so he wouldn’t attack me, I then cast two more sets of portals with her directions, pulling the other two examiners out of their classrooms with the second obsidian wing and then my tail.

“Sorry, everybody, class is canceled for today. Please, tell the other students of these two professors for me, so I don’t get into trouble. Thank you, bye-bye!” Giving every student who saw me kidnapping the third professor a brilliant smile, I used my rocket boosters to fly out of the classroom before teleporting us back to the mage’s guild.

After I released the professors, the three of them were about to complain before I shut them up with my auras. I could tell that Maverina and the professors were able magicians just from looking at how much mana they had in their bodies through [Mana Eyes], but I didn’t believe they were extremely high leveled. They were good scholars and magicians, but not exactly the best of fighters.

After Maverina explained the situation to them, they quickly agreed to the sudden request after I told them I would transport them back to the royal academy through my portals. Fitting for followers of Istari, all three were instantly won over once I offered them some study time with my [Space-Time Magic]. Thank goodness, this skill was rare.

Once we made it back to the training area, Maverina explained to us what we had to do. Usually, it would be okay to simply show our mastery of the arcane arts by casting our highest leveled spells as best as possible, but in our case, we had to show our custom spells. Since it was part of the registration process, they would judge our abilities through them. If we couldn’t impress them, we would default back to the normal test.

First up was Tasianna. As a set of ice wings sprouted from her back with [Aifli eir Vintral], the professors were enamored as the picturesque scene materialized before them. A beautiful woman with wings of pure ice, showing the entire area with snow, freezing and cooling down the water and fire mages respectively.

Yet, that was just the appetizer.

“Tor Eiclere Finulaflei!” Tasianna made sure to follow my plan, materializing a magic circle almost as large as the whole training area. The ground immediately turned frozen solid, shattering into ice the moment the wind was turned into icicle swords, destroying anything inside in the middle.

Tasianna’s spell didn’t just affect the area inside her spell but also the surrounding, causing the professors to shiver. Maverina and the examiners cast [Air Shield] around themselves, only to notice they had to increase the strength of the shield far more than they had planned. Once they stopped shivering, I shouted for Tasianna to stop.

After repairing the training area with earth magic, a crowd began to build around us. The mages training in the other training areas stopped and came over to spectate.

<[Stage Fever (Minor)] inflicted on [Young Sunfang Dragon, Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor]>

When Saori and Tasianna switched places, the examiners and Maverina were discussing what Tasianna had shown, blown away, causing them not to notice Saori coming in front. Saori looked at them and shrugged before stretching a bit, and this down time led to us hearing the gossiping mages.

“A wolfkin? No way will she be able to trump what that elf could do.”

“Damnit, I knew elves were the best magicians out there but this is insane. Shouldn’t the magic barrier protect us from spell effects? By the Goddess, I thought I was about to freeze up and die!”

“Yeah, look, the guild master and professors. This has to be an exam. Look, the elf is bowing to the shrine maiden lizard girl, wait, are those wings? Isn’t that the dragonewt your cousin was talking about in Firwood?”

People are noisy … but if some random mage already knew the rumors, then it’ll only be harder to hide my secret at this point.

People weren’t paying Saori a lot of attention, more interested in Tasianna and me. Then again, surpassing people’s expectations was part of the fun.

“Smokey Haze!” The moment the magic circle under her appeared, Saori’s shadow exploded into a giant black fog, masking her and a large chunk of the field. “Can anybody use [Detection Sensor]? Try to find me.” With those words, the fog also consumed the examiners and Maverina. Tasianna and I stepped outside the barrier.

“W-wait, why can’t I see anything? Why can’t I blow this fog away!”

“Professors, we must stay calm! Nothing will happen to us, this is just an exam.” Maverina’s reassuring voice escaped the fog.

Silence. Silence. Silence … before it was broken by the shriek of a male examiner.

“Ahhhhhhhhhh!” Before it was drowned out by the howl of a giant wolf, following the desperate pleading and screams of the other examiners and Maverina.

As the scared sounds of the examiners was heard by the mages, they suddenly questioned us why we weren’t doing anything. Tasianna and I told them, “Don’t worry. They are safe. We’re trying to become guild members.” A few seemed to believe us but others jumped into the fog.

“Goddess’s wings, why can’t I see anything? My staff’s light isn’t working! What is this?”

“Where is everybody! What is this damn fog? Why can’t I blow it aw—Ahh!”

It was pandemonium inside the fenrir’s domain. After some time passed, the fog shrunk and reformed back into Saori’s shadow. Her four garms were seated next to her, howling one last time before going back into her shadow. “Actions speak louder than words, am I not correct, Professors? Lady Maverina?”

Everybody was silent. While the garms weren’t part of the spell, anybody with a shred of combat experience would have understood the practical applications of Saori’s [Smokey Haze]. It wasn’t as flashy as Tasianna’s spells, but it synergized well with Saori’s skill set. However, if you wanted a flashy spell, well, Saori also had that.

She instructed everybody to leave the magic barrier, hinting that her next spell would be a bit too powerful. Nobody underestimated Saori any longer, but once her hands began to flicker with black lightning, the rowdiness returned.

Using an electric explosion to send her flying up, Saori jumped the rest of the way with [Air Walk]. A large black magic circle appeared before her, reminding me a bit of Astalos’s [Ramuh], but without the triple magic circle. As her stygian lightning began to leak from the circles, Saori only needed to only call out one spell.

“Hadean Dragon Thunder!” Like a railgun, the electric laser shot right into the ground, shattering the magic barrier as if it was nothing. Realizing it would be bad if somebody was hurt, I cast [Sanctuary] around everybody while Saori’s performance was ongoing.

“An empty vessel magic! A newly discovered one, yes” one of the examiners shouted from the top of his lungs.

Once Saori’s spell ended, the dust gathering around us like smoke was blasted away by the mages with wind spells, revealing a large, scorched dent into the earth. Showing Saori a thumbs, I cast the warp portals again, switching places with Saori. As I was gliding down like an angel descending from heaven, I repaired the area using earth magic once again.

Without letting anybody take a breather, I took my turn. “Sanctified Blaze: Halo of Consecration,” I softly said, like a whisper. A halo of white flames appeared above my head as the magic circles of [Sanctified Blaze] appeared on the onlooker’s bodies, healing any wounds they had on them.

At first, they were worried I was attacking them, so I spoke up before everybody panicked. “This is a free white grace. On the house, because Guild Master Maverina asked me.”

People calmed down afterwards, even surprised to see that I also had an empty vessel like Saori. However, I could hear people begin to compare my spell to hers, saying how mine was less impressive than [Hadean Dragon Thunder]. Apparently, they had not seen Tasianna’s first spell.

They were thankful for the healing but I couldn’t help but try to impress them, so I activated the consecration part. White flames flared around me, sizzling the ground around me. When I provoked people to come closer to experience this flame, people began casting [Earth Wall] inside my area of influence, only to see their spells crumble the moment they materialized.

Content, I moved to my next spell. As [Sanctified Blaze] was the base form of [Halo of Consecration], I decided not to show it, instead, preferring to explain it to them later on. I, instead, cast [Unheilige Engel].

“She has two empty vessel spells? Come on, I want one, too!”

My custom spells were admittedly not super flashy, as I focused more on their utility. With my scale-dust, I wasn’t lacking in fire power. Still, it wasn’t as if [Unheilige Engel] was bad as I could morph the spell into a giant purple drill, destroying the field once again and spreading the corrosive liquid around. The spectators and examiners flinched when they saw the ground literally melt.

[Panzer] didn’t impress the younger mages, but the examiners and those with combat experience noted how practical it was to conjure armor. When I showed its ability to regrow broken parts of it, the examiners told me they were happy to see a relatively normal custom spell with great utility. Simplicity is best, I guess.

Well, unfortunately for them, my last spell wasn’t anything like this—[Symphonie des Feuergottes]. With a giant fire circle levitating in the area, everybody under it began to cry out in panic as it kept growing bigger and bigger, to the point it covered up the entire mage’s guild, a chunk of the merchant district under us.

“Lady Hestia, this is enough! We are already impressed, you do not have to do it anymore!” Maverina pleaded, looking hysterical as I crackled like a mad scientist.

Hearing this, I stopped, smirking at her desperate eyes. I then snapped, shrinking the magic circle before casting it, sending down an inferno waterfall onto me. People were shouting that I was committing suicide, angered at Saori and Tasianna for not doing anything. Some mages were even nice enough to cast water spells to douse me, though it was too bad none of their spells were strong enough.

<[Stage Fever (Moderate)] [Symphonie des Feuergottes (Allegro)] inflicted on [Young Sunfang Dragon, Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor]>

Dispelling the spell’s effects, I presented my unharmed self for everybody to see. Once again, they were wondering what my spells did, but I kept quiet about it. I cast another warp portal, helping Saori, Tasianna, Maverina, the examiners, and myself get through the crowd of mages and back into the building.

It was unanimous.

“Lady Hestia, you and your companions can also register your masters if you have any. They would be able to gain some prestige amongst us if they are already members,” Maverina informed us as she was finalizing the last step, looking like she was about to fall down from stress. “Or, you can accept one he—”

“My master is Master Kushlek’zar. Depth priest of Goddess Plesia, raptorsilian of the continent Aelozonia, and the party leader of the ‘Depth’s Serpents.’ I have no other master than him. He should already be a member.”

“Priest Kushlek’zar is my master, as well,” Tasianna added.

“Similarly.”

Master Kush actually didn’t teach Saori any magic as she was more occupied with learning melee combat from Krim’Slak and Grazlahta. Still, it was better to avoid any complications and give Master all the praises!

After finally becoming members of the mage’s guild, I returned the professors back to the academy, hoping there weren’t any hard feelings between us. As we were about to leave the guild, Maverina offered to help us if we had any arcane-related needs, mentioning that the guild’s facilities and connections were available to us. The mage’s guild had a ranking system, but I wasn’t really interested in it, regardless of Maverina’s attitude towards me now.

After all, I was still a bit irritated at how she took most of our money.

“Lady Maverina, have you heard of the recent fulinoe leaves shortage? The Sarlenzia company were selling them a few weeks ago, right?” I asked her offhandedly before leaving the guild’s grounds.

“Oh yes, I managed to acquire a few before they ran out of stock. It is such a valuable plant for us mages, but they are so fragile, making it hard to grow them outside the Belzac forest.” Thinking she’d finally found something our party wanted, Maverina quickly pounced at the apparent opportunity to garner our favor. “Would you wish for some? Once the next supply comes in, I would be willing to include your order. With our guild’s reputation, it would be no issue whatsoever!”

Suppressing my urge to laugh, I kept up the ruse. “No, no, we aren’t anywhere close to depleting our stock. With so many mages willing to buy fulinoe leaves, I guess a few notable people inside Aleistunum are also in need of them, right?”

“Well, yes, of course. Lady Hestia, what are you intending to sa—”

A devilish smirk contorted my expression as I heard that little juicy information. “Over two thirds of our savings you fined us. Well, hopefully, the Sarlenzia company doesn’t just raise the prices for your guild, huh? It would be a shame if this Davi you took from us were to disappear.”

“Huh, what ar—”

“Well, anyway, bye-bye! Warp point: Entry. Warp Point: Exit!” Without letting Maverina speak another word, I conjured up a portal and Saori, Tasianna, and I ran straight into it to leave the mage’s guild immediately.

<Proficiency requirement fulfilled. [Space-Time Magic Lv. 5] evolved into [Space-Time Magic Lv. 6]>

<Magic acquired: [Room]>

<Room: A space-time spell able to conjure up an area separate from the world’s reality using the System’s assistance. The creator can designate an anchoring area where a space outside of the current world’s confinement can be created and maintained, requiring increasingly larger amounts of mana to create. The size limit of this spell is determined by the caster’s Mana Capacity. If the anchoring area is destroyed, everything inside the area will return back to the current reality>

Hold on, isn’t this kinda similar to creating a dungeon area? Since it’s also a separate world within Peolynca? Ha, this solves our RV’s space problems!

While sprinting down the stairs leading to the merchant district, I couldn’t help but burst out in laughter at acquiring this new spell. Saori and Tasianna interpreted my joy differently, however.

“Should I mention what you’re mischievously planning in tomorrow’s meeting, Hestia?” Saori asked, smiling as if she was anticipating a clear confirmation. Well, I wouldn’t want to burst her bubble now, right?

“Of course! As if we should let them take all our money! We worked hard for it!”

“Societies with a monetary system are truly so vastly different from how it works in my village,” Tasianna sighed before beginning to cheer. “Miss Saori, please have the Sarlenzia company return every coin the guild ‘stole’ from us!”

Would I feel bad if Maverina got into trouble for this? Absolutely not! As if the mage’s guild would be so strapped for money that they would have issues if the Sarlenzia company raised the prices of fulinoe leaves only for them. If these leaves were a luxury even in Aleistunum and the Empire, then nobody could complain to her about it. In fact, getting them at a semi-consistent rate should make any wand-wielding old man happy.

With our business at the mage’s guild finished, we returned ‘home.’ After returning to the mansion, Count Helvas took us over to the knight’s building and had us register our mana signatures for the magic barrier surrounding Griffonpeak.

There, I heard some knights gossiping. “Hey, did you hear, three professors at the royal academy were suddenly kidnapped only to reappear the moment the knights arrived. They told everybody nothing bad happened. Some students mentioned a girl did it or something.”

… Welp. Troubles always seek me out, hehehe.

With all our chores over with, we could finally focus on our own activities. Griffonpeak had a dungeon, but decided to push it back, prioritizing the incoming ball. Therefore, we re-opened our restaurant and began living a “normal” life, for a while.

I was able to sing to spread news of my concert, Saori made money with her new menu and delivery services using her garms, Grimnir was able to work as a blacksmith, and Tasianna was able to cause a bunch of masochists to climax with her cold and disgusted glares. Weirdos, I say.

Ellaine didn’t participate in our restaurant work since she was more focused on her training. For some reason, she was even more motivated after returning from school. When I asked her about that, she said, “I hate being there. The lessons are far less interesting than what I could do with Aurora or my father. I just want to train and work on controlling Klea’Hatma after school.” There was also seemingly some tension between Ellaine and her brother Jonathan, but I wasn’t interested enough to meddle in family business.

After five days of training, restaurant work, and theology lessons with Theodore and Eshe, Grimnir came storming inside the mansion with his boisterous laughter. Ellaine’s armor was repaired and her sword was finally done.

In addition, it was time for us to see a runesmith at work.