"Enter," Nico called out.
His eyes bored into the egress, a flicker of hesitation and paranoia swirling in their depths.
The door swung open to reveal a slender female dressed in light armour stepping into the space. An ethereal aura surrounded her figure. One accentuated further by her striking, mystical and captivating mood-ring eyes.
Nico observed the hue of the Saintess's pupils shift to a shade of light blue.
An expression of visible relief then manifested on her face.
"I'm so glad you're awake!"
The deputy headmistress rushed up to the brown-haired boy, her mouth curving into a wide smile.
Nico smiled back, pushing his worry over others finding out about his staggering talent to the side. As he watched the Saintess make her way towards him, he discovered something which helped distract his mind from that.
With his Mana Sight, the boy witnessed an overwhelming quantity of light blue motes surrounding the pillar.
They seemed to stick to her like a second skin.
With every step she took, the other elemental particles appeared to move out of the way, accommodating her ethereal frame in a show of respect and acknowledgement.
'What in the Fates…'
Nico blinked in silent awe.
'Is this what it means to be a pillar?' he wondered silently.
If he needed another reminder that the lady before him was powerful… this was it.
Nico hid a shiver.
"Judging by your reaction, I take it you're still getting used to the sensation of being able to sense mana?" The pillar sent the brown-haired boy a knowing glance as she sat on a seat beside the bed.
"Yes, it's very…" Nico tried to search for the appropriate word. "mystical."
His eyes glinted with silent mirth.
The Saintess chuckled, while the boy grinned at his joke.
"To what do I owe the honour of your visit?" Nico asked curiously a moment later after she got comfortable.
"I would love to say I came here for leisure, but regrettably that isn't the case. I have some business I would like to take up with you."
Nico's curiosity deepened as he watched the woman's demeanour slowly turn serious.
"Before that though, I would like to apologise for our failure to restrain the Dungeon Boss. What happened was unacceptable and will never happen again. I swear it on my life!" Her eyes shifted to a green hue.
Nico shivered at the seriousness contained within the woman's gaze. The aura surrounding the Saintess was much like the one she had displayed when conducting the opening of the Awakening Ceremony.
He gulped, the hair on his skin standing up like the spikes on a porcupine. Back in the Dungeon, he had only been a mundane human, so the pillar's aura did not affect him as much as it did now.
The same tranquil and stormy air appeared. However, beneath that… a vast and all-encompassing intent seemed to lock the surrounding area in place. Faced with that thick, tangible and oppressive aura, Nico felt like he was an inferior lifeform in the presence of some mightier and mystical being.
He swallowed, clamping down on his fear.
"It's okay. No one died, right?" Nico asked, before his eyes widened as he realised he had no clue if the two elves had made it out.
"Yes. Strangely, that odious creature seemed to only target your group. However, against all odds, all of you - apart from this 'cloaked figure' who somehow mysteriously disappeared - survived and formed cores, so congratulations!" The deputy headmistress smiled, allowing her aura to recede.
Nico breathed an audible sigh of relief. His gaze then hardened at the pillar's mention of Cedric.
A bitter taste spread through his mouth, before he forced himself to remain calm.
The brown-haired boy dipped his head, thanking the Saintess for her felicitations.
"Now, onto the main part of my reason for visiting you. As you're no doubt already aware, I'm the deputy headmistress of SilverWing Academy, one of the most renowned Academies in the entire world. I am proud to say that many travel great distances to come here just so that they can attend our esteemed institution. Among them are many high nobility and aristocrats from a few of the Major Races."
Nico unconsciously straightened at her words.
The Saintess hid a smile at the boy's reaction.
She continued, her tone light but professional, "The criteria to enter our Academy ranks among the highest within fellow institutions and places of study alike. Unfortunately, this means we don't accept any ordinary run-of-the-mill person into our halls, but we do make up for it by enrolling those with frightening talent.
"Usually, the recruitment process would be done through an Entrance Examination or special recommendation from a previous alumnus. However, since the Demons have been steadily gaining the advantage, we have had no choice but to abolish the former, a long-standing tradition first passed down by our founder.
"Nonetheless, we, as an educational institute, still seek to recruit the best of the best among this world's younger generations. We do this for a couple of reasons, but mostly it just boils down to boosting our acclaim further which directly affects the quantity of resources we receive from the Emperor. In return, we are tasked with molding those of your generation into the perfect war machines.
"That is why… Nico Knox, I am pleased to invite you to become a student at SilverWing Academy. What do you say?"
The pillar's eyes swirled in anticipation.
'Huh?'
Nico blinked, not daring to believe his ears. His jaw hung open in an agape expression.
Gazing at the bewilderment and shock on the brown-haired boy's face, the corner of the Saintess's lips rose in amusement.
"A-Are you sure? I don't think I've done anything noteworthy to deserve an invitation." Nico stammered.
"Nonsense!" the woman replied. "Anyone who has lived after encountering the Dungeon Boss, and even defeating its loyal soldiers can be classified as special. The former being a much more incredible feat, of course."
"B-But…"
"I understand your anxiety since there will be quite a few people stronger and more privileged than you, but don't let that stop you. Nico, you have great promise… and judging by the number of different mana particles surrounding your figure, your potential ceiling will only become that much higher up the ranks," The deputy headmistress sent a knowing look towards the young boy.
Nico stiffened at the pillar's observation, his eyes slowly growing wide.
'W-What?!'
How did she find out?
'Blasted Fates!'
His breath quickened as goosebumps erupted all over his skin.
"Relax, I won't tell anyone." The Saintess hurriedly tried to reassure the young boy.
It had the opposite effect.
Nico flinched and scooted backwards, his body tense as a coiled spring.
Based on his posture, it seemed as if he was ready to fight. Futile as that would be.
A crestfallen expression made its way onto the deputy headmistress's face, the hue of her eyes shifting with an explosion of colour.
She bit her lips. The next moment, a book and a silver ring suddenly appeared in her hands.
"Here," she spoke quickly, passing the items over. "This is a spell used to conceal one's core. In your case, it can help you stop the mana leakage spilling from your core. As for the Space ring, this is the one you had in the Awakening Ceremony. I used my influence to get the Descender Association to remove the mechanism which bound it to its specific Dungeon signature."
Nico eyed the tome and small metallic band suspiciously.
"Please," the pillar pleaded, her hands still outstretched. "I promise I mean you no harm."
The brown-haired boy wrestled internally with himself, his mind a chaotic mess of thoughts.
He wondered why the Saintess was going to great lengths to help him. He was still a little shocked at how easily the Descender had seen through his talent - although in hindsight that probably wasn't something too hard to discern for someone of her level.
Recalling all the times the pillar had helped him, Nico's eyes softened slightly.
She did not seem like the type who enjoyed hurting others.
Furthermore, there would be no reason for her to use any underhanded tricks or schemes when she could just get him to submit with force. Pure, overwhelming and crushing force.
As he continued thinking along those lines, the young ascender realised the Saintess didn't have any logical motive to harm him. Still, that didn't make the fact that someone had found out about his staggering talent any less comfortable.
Nico sighed once more, his body moving before his mind had the chance to give the green light.
"Please promise me you won't utter a word of this to another soul." He reached for the items, not making any move to take them away until he received sufficient reassurance.
Staring into the brown-haired boy's wary eyes full of caution, the Saintess's heart tightened.
"I solemnly swear not to utter your secret to another soul." She replied seriously.
Nico nodded. He let out a turbid breath and retrieved the book and ring, placing the tome beside him on the bed.
Slipping the small metallic band on his finger, he sent a burst of mana into the Space ring. Instantly, a foreign yet familiar sensation appeared in his mind, signifying the presence of the dimensional tether.
Searching through its contents, Nico was relieved to find that everything was the same as it had been during the Ceremony. The ominous spear and the Legendary spell given to him by the mysterious figure were also there.
An exhale of relief escaped his lips.
A slight warmth also spread through his chest at the thought of the Saintess's actions.
He felt a little guilty for doubting her so much.
'It can't be helped, though…. It's better to be cautious than to end up regretting it later.'
There was just too much at stake for him not to be careful.
However, now that Nico had a way to conceal his secret, he figured he could relax a little.
With that in mind, he turned his focus back towards the Saintess and scratched the back of his head, a sheepish expression on his face. "Sorry for being so suspicious."
The deputy headmistress showed a faint smile, "It's okay, I understand. You had every right to be distrustful. I just hope from now on you can view me as someone you can count on to help."
Observing the sincerity within the pillar's gaze, the warm feeling in Nico's chest strengthened.
"Not that I intend to rush you, but what will your answer to my earlier proposal be?" The Saintess tried to hide the hopeful light in her eyes.
Nico jolted, completely forgetting he still hadn't given a proper answer.
"I… accept." He responded after a few moments of contemplation.
It didn't matter if the other students were much stronger or much more deserving to join the Academy than he was. This was just too good of an opportunity to pass up.
Besides, he was sure there would be plenty of opportunities for him to catch up.
The Saintess's expression brightened with joy.
"I should have probably mentioned this earlier, but I made the same offer to Leon, Isaac and Oliver."
"Really?!" It was Nico's turn to exhibit some delight.
"Yes, they all accepted." The deputy headmistress nodded, a wide smile gracing her face. "In fact… I think they should be arriving soon along with the rest of your family."
A rush of excitement filled Nico's veins.
He couldn't wait to catch up with his team!
…And reassure his family that he was fine as well.
Another pang of guilt hit Nico as he thought of how much he had caused them to worry.
Yet, on this road of this… he was bound to come across much more danger.
He supposed the least he could do would be to try his best not to get injured.
'Yeah…. let's be honest, that's probably never going to happen. Henry was right!' The young boy chuckled to himself.
He watched the Saintess slowly rise from her seat.
Smoothing her clothes, the pillar conveyed, "I'll get the doctor to discharge you right away so you can prepare for the banquet this evening. It's an important event so make sure to dress accordingly. After all, you never know… you could end up meeting your future wife there."
Nico's mouth twitched as he saw the deputy headmistress wink.
He highly doubted that would ever happen.
The Saintess turned and headed for the door, her steps light and poised.
"Miss Saintess!" Nico hurriedly called out after her.
The lady paused, glancing back with a faint smile. "You can call me Edith."
"Edith," the brown-haired boy repeated hesitantly, "Thank you very much for this opportunity!"
Observing the sincerity in the boy's gaze, the pillar's heart softened as her desire to make sure no harm befell the brown-haired youth increased.
"You're very welcome."