In this world, unseen dangers were always the greatest dangers.
As the Black Gemstone Cat clutched its head and listened to the last part of Colmar's speech with tear-filled eyes, it felt no reverence for a concept that had existed since ancient times. It only felt that the words "unseen" were the true essence of what she had said.
Like just now.
It had not seen the witch's knuckles abruptly strike its forehead.
"—A true Archwizard must begin with a bone, an eyeball, even a drop of blood, painstakingly refining their true form. Yet an Aptitude Candidate who controls an experimental subject only needs to undergo a simple Resonance Degree test. Don't you think that's unfair?"
"Fairness is Jiuyou Academy's principle," the Black Gemstone Cat muttered softly.
Plop.
A scrawny Firefly Beetle fell from the swarm of insects beneath the ceiling, landing right between the Black Gemstone Cat and the tavern owner. It instantly drew both their attention. Rolling about, it kicked its several furry little legs in frightened clumsiness and beat its wrinkled wings, trying to escape this lonely world.
But it was too weak.
So weak that after frantically flapping its wings for ages, it rose less than an inch above the counter before tumbling back down.
Colmar tilted her glass slightly and sprinkled a drop of Amber Light before the Firefly Beetle. Then the woman and the cat watched together as it cautiously tested the drop, watched it greedily suck up the liquor, watched its shriveled belly slowly swell and release thread after thread of faint light. Both of them fell into a daze without realizing it.
After a long while.
The Black Gemstone Cat's somewhat wistful voice sounded again.
"It almost died."
It crouched beside the Firefly Beetle as it gradually came back to life, raised