A Dilemma

The Emerald Heart Tavern.

Fran took the seat across from Elan, who said,

"Hey, aren't you the Sword Chant School's rising star? What brings you here?"

Fran gave him a deadpan look and retorted,

"I told you, I turned down the Sword Chant School's invitation. I'm still an apprentice."

Elan looked even more surprised than she did. His smile faded.

"You didn't join the Sword Chant School?"

"No. Is there a problem?"

Elan moved his cup aside and cleared his throat before saying,

"I'm starting to wonder whether you even want to become a Formal Mage."

"Do you have to join a school to become a Formal Mage?"

Elan continued,

"Not exactly. But even if you became a Formal Mage by other means, you'd find you couldn't advance any further."

"The schools have a grasp on the methods of advancement, and they have an even tighter hold on the paths beyond that."

Fran noticed the implication in his words and asked,

"Boss, you know a lot about the schools?"

"I used to belong to one."

Fran's eyes lit up, and she pressed him,

"Then can you tell me which school you joined and introduce it to me? Maybe I'll join yours."

Fran had also been looking into other schools over the past few days, trying to learn what they were like so she could make a choice.

But she'd hit a wall at every turn. The schools' exclusivity was extreme.

Aside from a few well-known schools, such as the Construct School, the Alchemy School, and the Elemental School...

The other schools hadn't even made their names public. Fran could spend ages looking and still find a school's name without knowing whether it actually existed.

Under those circumstances, Fran couldn't learn what went on inside the schools or what spells they taught.

As a last resort, she'd asked Bela, who had joined the Sword Chant School, to find out what the other schools were like.

The answer had disappointed Fran.

From the response, even Advanced Apprentices like them didn't know how many schools there might be. They barely communicated with one another, and their instructors didn't explain what the other schools were like.

They only learned about other schools when they saw their members at apprentice examinations. Even then, they didn't know what spells those people had cast.

So when Fran heard that Elan belonged to a school, she hurriedly asked him about it. Maybe it would suit her.

Elan chuckled.

"It's called the Law School. And don't even think about joining—it won't be recruiting for the next few years."

A question mark flashed above Fran's head. She was about to ask for details, but when she saw Elan's expression saying he wouldn't tell her anything, she stopped.

"Actually, you should just join the Sword Chant School. I think it's the best fit for you."

Fran wasn't convinced. She thought, I have this game panel, so I have two ways to learn spells from here on.

The first is to study broadly. I'm sure that if I master various spells, they'll give me attributes or a [Trait] to some extent.

If I get each spell to a certain level, then focus on a few that suit me, wouldn't that make me pretty strong?

The second is to choose a powerful school. Either its spells are already very powerful, or they'll have some kind of synergy with my game panel, letting me do what others can't.

But those ideas had all been stifled by the rampant exclusivity on this continent.

Still, Fran wasn't in any hurry. She could take her time learning about the schools. She'd regret it if she got caught up in the moment and joined one.

There was no option to leave a school after joining. So if she saw someone from another school casting a powerful, impressive spell and wanted to learn it, that wouldn't be easy.

So she intended to wait and see what the other schools were like before deciding.

At the latest, she'd join a school before next year's examination so she could take part and earn some rewards.

Her combat strength was already astonishing. She had no idea how powerful she'd be by next year's examination.

"Oh! I'll keep looking for now. Maybe another school will suit me better."

Elan said earnestly,

"You really need to join a school as soon as possible. Don't think you can get a good ranking in the examination with your own spells alone."

"Each school's unique spells and techniques give every apprentice a huge boost."

"The sooner you join, the sooner you can learn those powerful spells."

Fran knew that, but she stuck to her plan to look into the schools before deciding.

"Oh, right."

Fran remembered something she wanted to ask about.

"Boss, do you know the term 'Spirit Realm'?" To avoid drawing attention, she'd only mentioned the first two characters of the item's name, hoping the keyword might lead to relevant information.

Elan raised an eyebrow and replied,

"Looks like you're serious about becoming a Formal Mage if you even know about that."

He took a sip of water and continued,

"You might already know this, but it's another path to becoming a Formal Mage."

"Advancing through the Spirit Realm is a method favored in other parts of the Alliance. It's not very common around here."

"I don't remember many details. If you want to learn more, I think you're choosing your courses soon. Sign up for Spirit Realm Inquiry. That instructor became a Formal Mage through this method, so you can learn more from her."

Fran committed all of this to memory. It was crucial information. Spirit Realm Inquiry. I'll remember that course.

Fran was delighted to hear so much useful information. She stood up, ready to leave.

"Wait, don't go yet."

"What is it?"

"Did you come here just to chat with me?"

"Of course. I wanted to ask around. Now that I've got my answers, why would I stay?"

Elan gave her a helpless look, stood up, and motioned for Fran to follow.

They went to the place where they'd first discussed some "business."

"Tell me, aren't you concerned about the potion business? This is huge, and you didn't come to me right away."

"I thought you were busy with the schools and couldn't spare time for this."

"But this time, you came and didn't even mention the potions. That's ridiculous!"

Elan complained to Fran in the secret room. Fran realized she really hadn't been taking the matter to heart.

Fran asked awkwardly,

"Is this about the Pharmacist Association shutting down? I already knew. Wasn't that because the examination was suspended...?"

Elan looked shocked again and said helplessly,

"That happened days ago. What's happening now is far more important. Several new associations have been established."