The skeleton principal sensed something unusual and asked, "Why do you say 'sects' and not just 'one sect'?" Of course, it was possible that the boy from the Wodanaz family was simply weighing the pros and cons of various sects to choose one.
But... strangely, the boy's words had sounded like this: "I want to join multiple sects, so please recommend the best ones for me."
The skeleton principal was certain he had misheard.
"Uh... Is it wrong to believe in multiple gods?"
'What a madman!' The skeleton principal couldn't help but marvel at the new student.
Of course, there were people in the empire who sincerely believed in multiple gods—like those who worshipped both the God of Love and the God of Wisdom.
But this boy from the Wodanaz family clearly wasn't here to worship gods.
He was openly planning to exploit multiple sects for his own gain! His audacity was almost admirable.
Of course, the sects themselves wouldn't see it that way...
"Exactly," Ihan quickly agreed.
As the principal had guessed, Ihan's goal was simple: 'Join every sect that allows membership.' If he could receive various items just by joining, why not? It was beneficial to join as many sects as possible, excluding those that didn't allow multiple memberships.
"First, I recommend the Freesinga Sect. Their god sacrificed himself to uphold the world. The members are also quite friendly and welcoming," the principal suggested.
"Freesinga... Sect," Ihan noted.
"Next, the Kalasso Sect. Their god is a mischievous deity who loves chaos and change. They don't care if you worship other gods and will treat you well."
"Kalasso... Sect."
"Lastly, I recommend the Kaporeo Sect. They are the god of swordsmanship and swordsmen. Even someone as eccentric as you would be welcomed there."
"Kaporeo Sect..."
Ihan paused while jotting down the names.
Did the principal know he was taking swordsmanship classes? 'No, this is a bit scary.' It was a minor detail, but it felt like the principal was paying too much attention.
"Learning swordsmanship is good, but don't forget about magic. In the end, the truly great discipline is magic," the principal added.
"I'll keep that in mind," Ihan replied politely, bowing his head.
Of course, internally, he was brushing it off.
For Ihan, magic was merely a means to an end, not a goal.
The skeleton principal nodded in satisfaction.
At first, he had been baffled by the Wodanaz family member's interest in joining sects, but now he found himself looking forward to it. 'This kid is no ordinary one.' The immense amount of mana and his ability to sense it were secondary.
What impressed the principal was Ihan's patience and determination to achieve his goals.
Even as a scion of the prestigious Wodanaz family, Ihan's patience was remarkable. 'His future is promising.'
"Well, I should go check on the students in the detention room. Good luck, Wodanaz."
"Thank you... Huh?" Ihan suddenly realized something was off.
Who had been locked up where? But the skeleton principal had already flown far away.
Ihan was curious about which students from the White Tiger Tower had been locked up, but he decided to visit the sects first.
"Where are you going?" Yonell, who had returned with a basket, asked curiously.
"Freesinga Sect..."
"Ah, the Freesinga Sect. I've always been interested in—"
"...and the Kalasso Sect."
"??"
"And the Kaporeo Sect. Hmm, I might not be able to visit all of them today. It might be too obvious if I go all at once, so maybe I'll visit one each week."
"......"
Yonell decided not to ask further and just accepted it.
Ah, so Ihan just wants to believe in three gods!
"Here, take this."
Yonell pulled out a sandwich from the basket and handed it to Ihan.
It was a hearty sandwich with ham, tomatoes, lettuce, and chopped boiled eggs between white bread.
It was the kind of food that starving freshmen would kill each other to get.
"Thanks. How much?"
"... It's free..."
"What? Really? Why? What's your motive?"
"It's not my place to say, but... you're really something, you know? I'm grateful for what you did yesterday. Here, eat up."
Yonell handed over the sandwich, and Ihan nodded, accepting it.
He was hungry after all.
As Ihan chewed on the sandwich, Yonell poured him a glass of cold apple juice.
Gulp—
"By the way, where did you get this?"
"Don't people usually ask that first? I got it from the Flemang Sect. My family has been close to them for generations."
The God of Alchemy, Flemang.
The priests of this sect were all exceptional alchemists.
Yonell's family, the Meikin family, had long supported the Flemang Sect generously.
In return, the priests recognized Yonell and filled her basket with various treats.
'I see.
The Wodanaz family doesn't support any sects, do they?' Ihan marveled at the Meikin family's foresight.
Supporting a sect like this surely brought rewards.
"... Is it a bit much?" Yonell hesitated.
"What do you mean?" Ihan asked, puzzled.
Was she talking about the sandwich and apple juice combo?
"Well, supporting the Flemang Sect. I do believe in Flemang, but..."
Just like when Gainan had said, "Is alchemy even magic?" and got punched, there were quite a few arrogant mages who looked down on alchemists.
Supporting or believing in the Flemang Sect sometimes drew criticism from those who thought it was beneath the dignity of a great family.
But Ihan didn't care at all.
"Why not support them?"
"... Really?" Yonell's face brightened.
She smiled and poured Ihan more apple juice.
"Drink up."
"Huh? There's still some left..."
Yonell thought to herself.
She had worried that Ihan's eccentric personality might make it hard for him to adjust to the Blue Dragon Tower, but seeing him now, it didn't seem like it would be too difficult.
"Excuse me, I came to learn more about Lord Freesinga."
"!" The priests perked up as Ihan approached.
"Welcome, brother! You came to learn about Lord Freesinga? We welcome you!"
"Yes, I've heard many stories about Lord Freesinga and have always admired such a great figure."
Ihan spoke, hiding his true thoughts.
Even if he was internally complaining, outwardly he maintained a respectful demeanor.
This was the skill of a true graduate student.
Ihan had an unparalleled ability to keep a straight face.
Naturally, the priests were thoroughly impressed by Ihan's attitude.
Who would have thought a young noble from a great family would come to them like this?
"Come in! Tiziling, can you help?"
"Y-yes, I'm coming."
"!" Ihan was surprised.
The student the priests called looked quite unusual.
Her skin had a reddish hue, and two horns protruded from her forehead.
Her shy, evasive eyes seemed to spark with flames before disappearing.
'A demon hybrid!' Among hybrid races, this was the rarest.
Ihan had only heard of them but had never seen one in person.
If an ancestor had made a pact with a demon, occasionally a descendant would inherit such traits, skipping generations.
Most people found such races unsettling.
Perhaps that was why the demon hybrid girl seemed so timid and cautious.
"Tiziling is also a freshman. She's from the Tower of the Eternal Phoenix," the priests said proudly.
Students from the Phoenix Tower rarely interacted with others, but when the sect priests called, she had come to help.
"How touching. To think there's a friend who believes in Lord Freesinga here. Truly, Lord Freesinga is great."
"Brother!" The priests were delighted even by Ihan's half-hearted praise.
'But...' As Ihan entered the tent, he looked around.
There were two key points when joining a sect: what you could gain and what you had to do.
Joining a strange sect that required self-flagellation at every meeting would only bring discomfort.
'The tent is quite modest.' Inside, there were a few long benches, and at the front altar was a symbol that seemed to represent Freesinga.
It was ordinary, but something felt off to Ihan.
'There are too many artifacts here.' The tent was filled with items radiating mana.
Even minor magical artifacts were expensive and rare.
Yet, the tent was overflowing with them.
The priests didn't seem extravagant, so why...?
'Freesinga is said to have sacrificed himself to uphold the world.
Does he have something to do with artifact creation?'
Thud, thud, thud.
A short, thin priest approached to explain.
"...?" Surprisingly, with each step, deep footprints were left on the ground.
Ihan's eyes widened.
"Ah, were you surprised, brother?" The priest noticed Ihan's shock and smiled.
"Don't be alarmed. It's because of the artifact I'm wearing. This is a cursed artifact. It increases my weight several times but also boosts my divine power."
"Ah, did you accidentally equip it while dungeon exploring or adventuring?"
"No, I wear it to honor Lord Freesinga."
"??"
"Lord Freesinga sacrificed himself to uphold the world. Shouldn't we also make sacrifices? Brother, every time we bear a cursed artifact, the world's curses lessen."
The Freesinga Sect.
To honor the god cursed to eternally bear the world, the priests wore cursed artifacts.
Their divine magic didn't dispel the curses on the artifacts.
Instead, it enhanced both the artifact's power and the curse.
As Ihan began to grasp the truth, the color drained from his face.
He regretted his decision. 'I must be out of my mind to listen to the principal.' The warm conversation with the principal had momentarily swayed him, but the madness radiating from the sect was anything but normal.
A sect that deliberately wore cursed artifacts in daily life?
"... It seems you're not fond of it, brother."
The priest was no ordinary person.
Despite Ihan's controlled expression, he keenly sensed Ihan's discomfort.
"No, I'm just too happy..."
"No, brother. The path of devotion to Lord Freesinga is indeed hard and arduous. If you've changed your mind, it's okay not to walk it. I understand."
The priest smiled sadly.
Ihan felt guilty but glanced at the exit.
The priest could turn hostile at any moment and grab him.
"This cursed belt was meant to welcome new brothers... But after hearing the details, everyone leaves. Of course, who would like a belt that absorbs mana?"
"... Wait. What does it do?"