Northern Frontier, Snowveil City.
As a large city situated at the border between the Northern Empire and the Sylvia Kingdom, the prosperity of Snowveil City is second only to the capital of Sylvia Kingdom.
Centuries of cultural clashes between Beastmen and Humans have created a unique local culture here, so Snowveil City is not only a world-renowned trade hub, but also a highly praised tourist city, especially when it comes to its entertainment industry.
After all, the only place where Sylvians can get up close and personal with cute Beastmen without crossing the national border is right here.
After catching a glimpse of Snowveil City’s splendor from the window of little Wilona’s carriage, Suna soon stepped into a place she had never even dared to dream of before—the Royal Magic Academy.
Snowveil City boasted two top-tier magic academies.
One was the Snowveil Magic Academy in the western part of the city, dominated by Humans, and the other was the Royal Magic Academy, where Beastmen made up the majority.
Throughout history, Snowveil City had been alternately ruled by the northern Beastmen and the people of Sylvia.
In recent times, due to Sylvia’s defeat on the northern front, the Northern Royal Family had seized most of the power in Snowveil City, and so all kinds of resources in the city naturally favored their Royal Magic Academy.
However, Snowveil Magic Academy wasn’t to be underestimated either.
Though it had suffered intentional suppression by the city’s rulers for nearly a century, the resource-rich Sylvia Kingdom had raised a group of incredibly wealthy border merchants.
These border merchants would constantly sell various fruits, cheap magical tools, or exquisite handicrafts from within the kingdom to the snowbound and somewhat barren lands of the north, then spend huge sums supporting the Snowveil Magic Academy and the Human rulers.
In this way, Human interests and influence in Snowveil City would not be edged out by the Beastmen. Otherwise, the tax rate for Human merchants in the future would be unimaginable.
Under all these circumstances, Humans and Beastmen in Snowveil City had maintained a subtle balance, and so had the two academies.
The Royal Magic Academy, though rich in resources, placed great importance on bloodline and background for admission, and discrimination against Humans was both overt and covert.
The Snowveil Magic Academy, on the other hand, offered all kinds of tuition discounts for Human students and even full scholarships and generous bonuses for those with outstanding grades, but unfortunately had little in the way of resources and only accepted local residents, while quietly discriminating against Beastmen.
“So, Headmistress, are you saying I came to the wrong academy?”
At dusk, in the luxuriously decorated headmaster’s office of the Royal Magic Academy, Suna, who had just finished her self-introduction, was sitting at the table listening to Headmistress Vieno describe the general situation in Snowveil City.
It was Wilona who had pulled her here to meet this Headmistress Vieno.
No wonder the Beastmen students she passed on the way to the office had looked at her so coldly—she realized now that she was not welcome here at all, Suna thought to herself…
Vieno moved her pair of large, purple Cat Ears atop her head and replied with a smile:
“Did you want to go next door to the Snow Magic Academy? As if you’d even heard the name of the Snow Magic Academy before. And besides, that place doesn’t take outlanders like you. Our Royal Academy has no such rules—so long as you have talent, you’re welcome.”
The “Snow Magic Academy” that Vieno mentioned was just shorthand for the Snowveil Magic Academy.
Though it was a top academy renowned for ice and water magic, its fame was pitifully small, and it had never promoted itself in other cities.
After all, the main goal of the Snow Magic Academy was to expand Human influence in Snowveil City.
Think about it: if they spent a fortune training an outsider to ninth rank only for them to say, “I want to go home and build up my homeland,” and then leave, what would they do then?
So the Snow Magic Academy basically only accepted local students, except in special circumstances.
“But I’m afraid I’ll be bullied here…” Suna said, her voice cautious.
“It’s fine. The only reason I’m telling you all this is so you’ll know that you’ll most likely be bullied. But don’t worry, I’ll give you a Special Identity Badge with my signature. As long as you’re under my protection, no one will dare lay a finger on you.”
“But before that, let me repeat my requirement: if you want my help, you must join little Wilona’s Advisor Group. Otherwise, there’s no reason for me to invest in you.”
“Okay, I agree. But I want to confirm again: will you really help me with the issue regarding the Seeker Demon? That’s very important to me.”
During her initial self-introduction, Suna had already stated that she came here to seek a way to deal with the demon.
Besides studying mainline fire magic, she also wanted to learn demon hunting!
“No problem.” Vieno nodded.
“I’ve already heard about the demon from little Wilona. Here, sign this agreement first, and then we’ll talk about the demon. After all, you’re an outsider, so I have to be cautious. If you finish learning and then back out of joining little Wilona’s Advisor Group, we’ll use this agreement to drag you back from your home, understand?”
Vieno handed over an agreement bearing the seals of the Sylvia Kingdom and the Northern Empire.
The gist was that Suna had to fully support Wilona in becoming the future empress of the Northern Empire.
After carefully reading it twice, Suna signed without hesitation—if it meant she could save the Truth Adjudicator Demon, it was a price she could accept.
“Very good. I like working with decisive people. Now, tell me about the Seeker Demon in detail. Even if it involves the Human gods, it doesn’t matter. I only respect the Beast God anyway, and you don’t seem to have much respect for the Goddess of Life, do you?”
Vieno glanced at the Fire Pattern Staff at Suna’s side, surprised that this little one was already involved with Cataclysm Magic at such a young age.
Unlike in the cities of Sylvia Kingdom, Snowveil City didn’t see Disaster-class Mages as heretics—in fact, many people actively learned Cataclysm Magic from them.
Feeling a bit guilty, Suna hid the Fire Pattern Staff behind her back, then began to recount in detail everything about Truth and the Seeker Demon—including being forced to lift her skirt, bark like a dog, and wear a collar for walks in the park.
The more she spoke, the redder her face grew.
But in front of her, Vieno was not only the headmistress of the Royal Academy, but also a ninth-rank Contract Master, and Wilona’s aunt, so she was trustworthy.
Listening to Suna’s story, Vieno’s calm expression gradually turned to confusion, then her brows furrowed deeply. Only when Suna finished did she finally ask:
“You’re saying you made a wish to a high-bloodline demon capable of hiding from the gods, altering reality—or fate itself—and it even has incredible combat power, and you did this more than once?”
“Uh… yes…”
Suna replied softly. She could understand the part about hiding from the gods, but where did Headmistress Vieno get the idea that the Seeker Demon could alter reality and fate?
“And even now you’re still physically whole, and your mind hasn’t been corrupted?” Vieno’s emotions became more intense.
“More or less…”
So far, Suna had only signed a Pet Contract, and the only other thing was the addition of a Hunting Mark that would automatically disappear in two years.
“Let me confirm again. You’re saying that Seeker Demon wasn’t distorted in the slightest, perfectly fulfilled your wishes, and the price was just for you to play some embarrassing games with it?!”
Vieno had already stood up from her chair, slapping her hands on the desk, and asked loudly in disbelief.
“Uh, well…”
“If everything you said is true, then you’ve made a fatal mistake!”
“Eh? Wh-what mistake?”
“That you actually treat ‘Hermit’ as a demon—that’s just nonsense!”
Vieno slapped the desk again, looking extremely urgent.
“What?!”
According to Suna’s account, when she called upon Hermit to save her father, Hermit perfectly fulfilled her wish, and the price was only a Pet Contract that didn’t restrict her personal freedom in any way, and even now she still didn’t know what its effect was.
If it had been any other demon, Suna would have already lost her soul, and her father would have been turned into a living madman…
……
Later, when Suna wanted to come to the Royal Academy, Hermit might have directly altered Wilona and the others’ consciousness, making Wilona choose Suna, which led her to Snowveil City.
And the price was just to bark like a dog… That must be it. Looks like I need to check Wilona’s consciousness later, Vieno thought.
If she found Wilona’s consciousness had been modified or hypnotized, at least it would make sense.
Vieno just feared that her niece’s mind had been altered but she couldn’t find a single clue.
If that was the case, Hermit would be truly terrifying…
Then, when Suna wanted to retrieve her magic staff, she asked Hermit for help again.
The staff was unexpectedly taken back from the Ninth Saintess, perhaps through Hermit’s power to change fate?
Or maybe she was overthinking things—maybe Hermit just used brute force to take the staff and made the Ninth Saintess return it, but if that was the case, why didn’t the Ninth Saintess say so?
And the price for Suna to get her staff back was just to wear a dog collar.
At this point, Vieno’s assessment was—Suna was a complete fool!
Who would call a being that could perfectly grant wishes a demon?! And even hate it so much?
Honestly, it helped her so many times and she didn’t even thank it—her whole head was filled with the idea that it had kidnapped her good friend.
I mean, is it possible that she’s actually the one trying to steal away the other’s follower? Wasn’t Truth sealed for five hundred years? Maybe that person had been worshipping Hermit for five hundred years already!
Demons have such a bad reputation? Isn’t it because they’re full of lies, always twisting people’s wishes, and constantly hiding traps in their contracts? Now, suddenly there’s a being that will grant all your dreams just for playing some embarrassing games with it… Is that a demon?
Of course not! That’s someone worthy of becoming my second faith!
So, Suna really is an idiot!
If there was someone right now who could help Vieno break through to King rank, she wouldn’t complain no matter how they trained her…
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