Dekan's Repayment

"Other special-grade card crafters reached that level at different stages, but it's really rare to become special-grade before the fifth tier."

Leren couldn't help but marvel.

Dekan asked, "Aren't higher-tier Magic Cards harder to make at epic quality?"

"That's true. But the higher your tier, the harder it is to advance. You might spend only a short year at the third tier, but you could remain at the seventh tier for decades."

Dekan nodded.

At first, people leveled up quickly, and their skills didn't necessarily keep pace with their tier.

Later, when they could no longer advance easily, they gradually built up their knowledge over time.

Of course, all of this applied to talented Card Crafters.

Without talent, you might spend your whole life unable to make even a purple-quality card.

For the next hour, Leren answered Dekan's questions.

Dekan also learned quite a bit about special-grade Card Crafters and the Association's senior hierarchy.

Once Dekan passed the review and became an official special-grade Card Crafter,

the Card Maker Association would charge him no service or processing fees, and would grant him a generous fixed quota of basic materials every year.

When purchasing rare materials, he would also receive substantial credit from the Association.

In other words, he could buy on credit!

Dekan would also be eligible to sit in on special-grade meetings.

Special-grade Card Crafters ranked among the Card Maker Association's highest officials.

However, they needed to reach at least the sixth tier to have voting rights.

Of course, there were also various other scattered but highly prestigious privileges.

"By the way, President, could you keep an eye out for epic-quality demon materials above the sixth tier?"

Dekan felt they'd talked enough, and remembered there was another important reason he'd come to the Card Maker Association today.

Originally, he'd only planned to register his interest in buying them.

But now, it seemed he might be able to ask President Leren for a lot more help.

"What do you need those materials for?"

President Leren asked, puzzled.

Even he, a seventh-tier Card Crafter, would find sixth-tier epic materials difficult to handle.

"I have an idea for an incredibly powerful card. I'll make it someday."

"Sure. I'll put out a request in my own name. If anything suitable turns up, would you like me to buy it for you?"

Leren was genuinely looking out for Dekan.

After all, if Dekan put out a request for sixth-tier epic demon materials under his own name, it might attract attention.

It might even draw the attention of auditors from headquarters.

"Please don't, President. I don't have that much money right now. I'm afraid I can only offer this third-tier [Blood Purification] in exchange."

"...Well, normally, a third-tier epic card wouldn't be enough to trade for sixth-tier epic materials. But given how unusual your card is, someone might be willing to make the trade. If I find a suitable trading partner, I'll put you in touch."

"Thank you, President!"

Setting aside whether [Blood Purification] was actually powerful,

its versatility alone would make it highly sought after. Anyone could fit it into their deck, no matter their class.

Sometimes, it might even produce an unexpected result.

Dekan would probably be mobbed by merchants and bigwigs the moment he left the Association, all trying to buy the card from him.

Could he sell it?

Of course.

He just didn't plan to sell it yet. At the third tier, the card was still pretty useful to him.

Once he reached the fifth or sixth tier, he could sell it for a fortune.

By then, it would also be time to start preparing to repair [Master].

Come to think of it, he'd practically bankrupted himself for Master.

Not only would he have to pour in all the money he'd earned in the past, but he'd also have to sink who knew how much of his future earnings into it.

All of it was for the sake of repaying her kindness.

What a moving teacher-student bond.

He could have used that money to make who knew how many girl cards.

Oh? Master was a girl card too. Never mind, then.

"What are you thinking about?"

A thought suddenly rang through Dekan's mind, sending a chill down his spine.

Dekan pretended he hadn't heard anything and continued chatting amiably with President Leren.

Silence settled in Dekan's mind for a while.

It seemed Master had gone quiet for now.

Just then, Dekan's pupils began to show the faintest signs of changing color.

He hurriedly covered his eyes.

Leren asked, "Dekan?"

"Nothing. I got some dust in my eye. I'll be fine after rubbing it."

Then Dekan hurriedly called out in his mind, "Master! Let's talk this out. Don't take over my body! I was distracted just now and didn't realize you were calling me!"

"You seem pretty confident lately."

"Not at all. It's all thanks to your teaching."

"Is that really what you think?"

Master's voice was full of disdain.

She had probably figured out that Dekan was just humoring her.

"...I suspect you've been awake this whole time, eavesdropping on my thoughts every day."

Since there was no hiding it, Dekan stopped pretending.

His wings were getting a little stronger. It was time to talk back to Master.

Was he supposed to let her keep pushing him around forever?

"I'm not as bored as humans."

Master's voice remained cool and detached.

"Then tell me what I was thinking just now. Otherwise, I'll assume you're trying to bait me again."

There was a distinctly challenging edge to Dekan's voice.

"...That I'm a girl card, is that it? Heh. You're getting bolder and bolder."

After spending so much time with Dekan, Master had picked up a lot of his signature vocabulary.

"..."

Oh no, she really had heard that.

But Dekan showed no sign of remorse. "As the saying goes, as long as you're bold enough, you can even—"

"Go on?"

Master's voice turned a little colder.

Dekan could feel that someone was about to seize control of his body again.

"Master, don't worry! Filial devotion may go out of business, but it'll never lose its sincerity!"

Dekan hurriedly made his pledge.

"..."

Master considered this for a moment and realized Dekan meant it.

It seemed he truly had no intention of challenging her authority.

Master: "I'm going back to sleep. Don't wake me again."

Dekan: "Okay." (Yeah, right. You're the one eavesdropping on my thoughts.)

Master: "?"

Dekan: "(✿＞◡❛)"

Only after he was sure Master had fallen asleep did Dekan dare to breathe freely again.

This old—Master was really hard to appease.

"Dekan, are you feeling better?"

President Leren handed him a handkerchief.

"I'm fine. Thank you."

Dekan blinked hard a few times, seeming to have finally recovered.

"Working hard is a good thing, but you should take care of your eyes, too."

"Will do."

"I won't keep you any longer. We'll follow up on your special-grade Card Crafter review and let you know."

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Leren escorted Dekan out of his office and all the way to the Association's private exit.

Dekan happily said goodbye to Leren.

For a moment, inside the Card Maker Association, he felt like a big shot.

He'd only ever felt that way at the Demon Academy.