After passing through the central plaza and heading south, the Department of Special Familiar Studies building began to come into view.
If the Department of Magic Knights building resembled a sturdy stone fortress,
the Department of Special Familiar Studies gave off a much softer, stranger atmosphere.
The outer walls, a mixture of white, pale green, and light violet, were covered in vine-like decorations,
and a glass greenhouse stretched long beside it.
Inside the greenhouse, small lights floated about.
They were probably spirits.
Among them, a few stopped moving and shimmered from afar when we drew closer.
“…….”
Feeling their gazes, I flattened my ears slightly.
I should be used to reactions like that by now, but it was still a little embarrassing.
Elysia entered the reception office on the first floor of the Department of Special Familiar Studies.
The assistant sitting at the reception desk recognized us and rose from their seat.
“Lady Valerion. Haku is with you as well.”
“Hello. Would it be possible to see Professor Bern?”
Professor Bern.
She was the professor in charge of the Department of Special Familiar Studies, the one who had confirmed my resonance level of 101 and yet had not left it as-is in the official record.
The assistant checked the schedule for a moment.
“Professor Marcella Bern is currently in the precision resonance measurement room on the third floor.
However, she has to prepare for her afternoon class soon, so a long meeting may be difficult.”
“Even a short one is fine. There’s something I must confirm regarding a formal familiar contract.”
The assistant’s gaze lowered to me.
Her expression probably meant, “It’s about Haku again, isn’t it?”
“Please wait a moment. I’ll check.”
The assistant placed a hand on a small communication crystal.
A moment later, a faint voice flowed from within the crystal.
After exchanging a few words, the assistant turned back toward us.
“The professor says you may come up. It’s the precision resonance measurement room on the third floor.”
“Thank you.”
Elysia bowed her head and headed toward the stairs.
I quietly steadied my breathing in her arms.
‘So we’re finally going to say it.’
Not everything.
I would not yet say that I had been a modern man, nor would I mention the name Wolyeong.
I still couldn’t.
But at the very least, I had to say this much.
I was not an ordinary familiar.
My power was not mana.
The power that touched Elysia’s aura was closer to spiritual energy.
And inside me, there was something old that even I did not know.
When we reached the third floor, the corridor was strangely quiet.
A small crystal plate was attached to every door, and faint light flowed within them.
Resonance Measurement Room, Familiar Mental Response Room, Contract Stability Examination Room.
They were places that made me feel tense just from their names.
Elysia stopped in front of the innermost door.
Precision Resonance Measurement Room
The moment I saw that nameplate, I recalled the memories of the first and second days.
Resonance level 86.
And 101.
I also remembered how the professor’s expression had stiffened subtly when she saw those numbers.
Elysia lightly knocked on the door.
Knock, knock.
A calm voice came from inside.
“Come in.”
When the door opened, the clear, cold air unique to the resonance measurement room flowed out.
Inside the room were several crystal spheres and a round measurement circle.
Charts depicting the resonance structure between familiars and their masters hung on the walls, and thick record files were stacked on the desk.
The woman sitting among them raised her head.
Professor Marcella Bern.
She was a middle-aged woman with dark gray-brown hair tied low and thin glasses on her face.
Her expression was gentle, but her eyes belonged to someone who would not miss even the slightest change.
“Elysia von Valerion. And Haku.”
The professor naturally called even my name.
“I heard things have been rather noisy since last time.”
Elysia smiled somewhat awkwardly.
“It turned out that way, though not intentionally.”
“I saw the Starlight Council’s notice as well. This is the first time I’ve seen a familiar receive contact regulations.”
‘It’s my first time experiencing it too.’
Of course, my thoughts did not reach the professor.
And yet, strangely, the professor seemed to have noticed my reaction.
When I flattened my ears slightly, interest flashed in her eyes for the briefest moment.
“Then, what brings you here? I heard it concerns a formal familiar contract.”
Elysia carefully sat down while holding me in her arms.
“Yes. Haku and I are currently only registered, and we have not formed a formal contract.
I wanted to ask what risks there might be if we did make one.”
Professor Bern lightly interlaced her fingers.
“A formal contract at a resonance level of 101… That is a matter requiring caution.”
As expected.
There was no hesitation in the professor’s answer.
“Generally, a master and familiar with high resonance have high contract stability.
That is because they do not reject one another.
But when the number exceeds 100, the situation changes somewhat.”
“How does it change?”
“There is a possibility that the contract may connect you too deeply.
Not merely at the level of assisting communication, but emotions and senses,
and in some cases even mana flow or portions of life force, may influence each other.”
Elysia’s hands wrapped around my body a little more carefully.
As I listened to the professor, I thought quietly.
It matched what she had said at first and what I had seen in the library yesterday.
As expected, we couldn’t just make a contract recklessly.
Professor Bern’s gaze lowered to me.
“Moreover, Haku is difficult to regard as an ordinary familiar.”
The room fell quiet for a moment.
Elysia drew in a deep breath, then spoke carefully.
“Professor. That is why… there is something I need to tell you.”
Professor Bern simply waited in silence instead of answering.
Elysia looked down at me.
“Haku, is it all right?”
I slowly nodded.
Now I had to say it.
After confirming my intention, Elysia looked back toward the professor.
“This is something Haku wants to convey directly. I will speak on his behalf, based on what I have sensed through resonance.”
“Very well. Take your time.”
Elysia closed her eyes for a moment.
I organized my thoughts as clearly as possible.
That I was not an ordinary fox.
That my power was different from mana.
That I could affect Elysia’s aura.
And that inside me, there was something like an old memory.
Elysia slowly opened her mouth.
“Haku believes that he is not an ordinary fox-type familiar.”
Professor Bern did not look surprised.
Only her gaze deepened a little.
“Continue.”
“He says that there is a power inside him different from both mana and aura.
Haku feels it as… a power that blooms from within, like moonlight.”
The professor’s fingers stopped, ever so slightly.
“Not mana, and not aura.”
“Yes. And Haku has been using that power to help my aura flow, just a little.”
Professor Bern’s gaze turned to Elysia this time.
“Your aura flow?”
Elysia nodded.
“Haku felt that my problem was not a lack of aura, but that my flow was tangled.
And Haku has been untangling it little by little.”
Professor Bern said nothing for a while.
The crystal spheres in the room glowed faintly.
That light reflected off the professor’s glasses, briefly hiding her eyes.
I curled my body inward.
Had I said too much for no reason?
But it was better than hiding it and making a contract.
Professor Bern asked quietly.
“Haku. Is what Elysia just said correct?”
I looked into the professor’s eyes.
And slowly nodded.
The professor’s expression stiffened very slightly.
It seemed she was not dismissing my response as the movement of a trained familiar.
“You understood and answered, didn’t you?”
I nodded again.
Professor Bern let out a low breath.
“It seems my judgment to withhold the resonance level of 101 from the official record was not mistaken.”
Elysia’s expression grew slightly tense.
“Professor.”
“Do not worry. I do not mean that I will report this to someone immediately.”
Without leaning back in her chair, Professor Bern bent forward a little more.
“However, Haku’s condition is not something that can be handled as merely that of a rare familiar.
A power that is not mana, interference with the master’s aura flow, meaningful expression of intent, and a resonance level exceeding 100.
Those alone place him close to a special protection subject.”
Special protection subject.
I flattened my ears slightly.
It seemed another official title was about to be attached to me.
Seeing my reaction, Professor Bern softened her tone a little.
“I do not mean that you are dangerous. Rather, I mean that you must not be handled carelessly.”
Elysia asked,
“Then would it be better not to form a formal contract?”
“I oppose doing so for now.”
The professor’s answer was clear.
“At the very least, we must confirm what system Haku’s power belongs to, in what manner it affects your aura,
and whether a deeper resonance would place any burden on either of you.”
“Then…”
“Do not use a standard contract circle.”
The professor spoke firmly.
“Standard contract circles are designed based on mana-type familiars.
If applied to an individual like Haku, who possesses a power different from mana, unexpected reactions may occur.
Especially if the resonance level is already abnormally high.”
I quietly muttered inwardly.
‘As expected.’
If we had made a mistake, things could have gone terribly wrong.
Elysia asked cautiously,
“Then is there no method?”
Professor Bern thought for a moment.
“It is not that there is none at all. However, rather than a contract, we should begin with resonance stabilization.”
“Resonance stabilization?”
“It is not a process of forcibly deepening the connection between the two of you,
but one of arranging the connection already formed so that it does not lean too far to one side or run wild.
If a contract is opening a door, stabilization is closer to smoothing the path in front of that door.”
I understood that somewhat.
It was still too early for a contract.
But because the resonance was already too high, we first had to make sure that connection could be maintained safely.
Professor Bern pulled a blank sheet of paper from her desk and wrote down several items.
“There are three things we must confirm first.”
“One. The effect Haku’s power has on Elysia’s aura flow.”
“Two. Whether Elysia’s aura places any reverse burden on Haku.”
“Three. The possibility that the unidentified memories or power within Haku may flow out through resonance.”
My body stiffened.
The professor did not miss it.
“So there is something.”
I could not answer.
Elysia gently stroked my back.
“Haku says that, from time to time, memories that don’t seem to be his own flash through him.”
Professor Bern’s expression grew even more serious.
It seemed the professor had already realized that I possessed a personality unlike that of an ordinary fox.
“In that case, the formal contract must be postponed all the more.
Cases of contracts with high-ranking entities in whom remnants of memory or personality remain are extremely rare.
And for the most part, they are dangerous.”
Remnants of personality.
Those words strangely touched something inside me.
Wolyeong.
I was about to recall that name, but immediately pushed it away.
Not yet.
Professor Bern set down her pen and said,
“Elysia. Haku.”
The two of us looked toward the professor at the same time.
“From now on, I will not conduct any measurements that Haku does not want.
However, minimal observation and consultation are necessary.
And if there is anything Haku can convey himself, please tell me within what is possible.
I will not force him to answer.”
Elysia asked quietly,
“Does that mean… you will help us, Professor?”
Professor Bern looked at me for a moment.
“To see a resonance level of 101 and leave it alone without taking any action would be irresponsible as a professor.
But handing Haku over as an experimental subject would not be right either.”
She spoke calmly.
“So I will protect him while confirming what needs to be confirmed.”
Her words were brief, but they carried considerable weight.
I quietly looked at Professor Bern.
This person did not see Haku merely as a cute fox.
Nor did she see him as a dangerous monster.
She acknowledged what she did not know, and did not intend to reach a careless conclusion.
That much made her trustworthy.
I carefully bowed my head.
It was an expression of gratitude.
Professor Bern smiled very faintly.
“You have manners too.”
‘Because I’m a person inside.’
Of course, I could not say that.
Instead, Elysia spoke softly.
“I think Haku is saying thank you.”
“Then please tell him I am grateful as well. For telling me something important.”
Elysia looked down at me.
“You heard her, right, Haku?”
I nodded.
Just then, the preliminary bell announcing the start of class rang from the corridor.
Ding, ding.
Elysia looked at the clock and was slightly surprised.
“Afternoon class will begin soon.”
Professor Bern folded the paper she had written on and stored it separately.
Elysia also rose from her seat.
“Thank you, Professor.”
“And, Elysia.”
“Yes.”
“You said Haku’s power is helping your aura.”
“Yes.”
“Do not depend too heavily on that help.
Haku may be able to show you the path, but you are the one who must walk it.”
Elysia’s gaze wavered quietly, then soon grew firm.
“I will keep that in mind.”
Hearing that answer, I moved my tail slightly.
That’s right.
All I could do was help.
Elysia’s sword belonged to Elysia.
We left the measurement room.
Once we stepped into the corridor, the bustle before afternoon classes gradually reached our ears.
With me in her arms, Elysia began walking toward the Department of Magic Knights.
I thought quietly in her embrace.
It was still too early for a formal contract.
A standard contract circle was dangerous.
And the professor had noticed the unidentified memories and personality within me.
Today, I had not said everything.
But I had said a very little.
That I was not an ordinary familiar.
That I possessed a power that was not mana.
That inside me were memories I did not know.
Even with that small confession, my heart felt lighter than I had expected.
Elysia asked quietly,
“Are you all right, Haku?”
I looked up at her.
And nodded.
‘Yeah. I’m all right.’
There was still a long road ahead.
But at the very least, now there was an adult who would look at the problem with us—the problem the two of us alone had been holding onto while pretending not to know.
That fact alone allowed me to feel a little relieved.