And finally.
The day of the familiar resonance evaluation arrived.
When we reached the resonance room in front of the Special Familiar Studies Department, I quietly steadied myself in Elysia’s arms.
To be precise, since I was a fox, it was less that I steadied my breathing and more that I prepared myself mentally.
‘So it’s finally today.’
I knew.
Today was the day my resonance level would be measured again.
And probably.
That absurd number, 101, would no longer be able to remain on hold.
Until now, Professor Bern had treated my resonance level as temporarily pending.
A possible error in the records.
Instability in the measuring array.
Insufficient standards for rare familiars.
With reasons like those attached, he had postponed confirming it as an official record.
But today was different.
An official evaluation item of the Crown exam.
Elysia’s familiar resonance evaluation.
Now, they could no longer brush it off with “Let’s check again later.”
‘……Is this for real?’
I quietly folded my ears down in Elysia’s arms.
Only a month ago, I had been a rain-soaked little fox.
And now, I was on the verge of revealing an absurd resonance level during an official academy evaluation.
Just where was my life in this other world rolling off to?
Perhaps sensing my tension, Elysia lightly hugged me closer.
“Haku, are you all right?”
I looked up at her for a moment.
Elysia’s expression was stiffer than usual, too.
The familiar resonance evaluation was not simply my problem alone.
This result would be directly reflected in Elysia’s Crown evaluation as well.
A high resonance level meant a deep connection with one’s familiar,
and at the same time, it was also an indicator of how much the master and familiar trusted each other.
The problem was that the number 101 was far too strange.
It exceeded the normal standard.
It was outside the bounds of common sense.
So the moment it was revealed, people’s gazes would be fixed on both Elysia and me at once.
I slowly nodded.
‘I’m fine. Probably.’
It was something that would be revealed someday anyway.
Elysia let out a breath, seeming a little relieved after looking at me.
“Let’s do this together.”
I nodded once more.
The door to the resonance room opened.
Inside, the professors in charge and staff from the Special Familiar Studies Department were already waiting.
Professor Bern was nowhere to be seen; other professors were waiting instead.
Which meant that the people here were only those who didn’t know that my resonance level was 101.
Even if he had been here, there was no hiding it anymore now.
A magic circle for measuring resonance had been drawn on the floor, and in the center stood a measuring device like a transparent crystal pillar.
Beside it, Selena Mork stood holding a record board.
And a short distance away stood Mariette, the secretary-general of the Seonghwi Council.
Her eyes were sparkling behind her round glasses.
‘Why are you here again?’
For a moment, I flattened my ears even more.
When Mariette saw my reaction, she started to raise her pen, but after catching Selena’s gaze beside her, she obediently lowered her hand.
Thank goodness.
No, was it too early to feel relieved?
Inside the resonance room, there were several students besides Elysia.
Students who had brought their familiars.
One student had a small bird perched on their shoulder, another held a lizard-type familiar in their arms, and another stood with a familiar that looked like a wolfdog.
All of them looked nervous.
Among them, a few had their eyes waver the moment they saw me.
“It’s Haku.”
“Haku’s taking the resonance evaluation today too, huh.”
“Come to think of it, he was Lady Valerion’s familiar.”
No, you’re only remembering that now?
I muttered inwardly.
Usually, they looked at me like I was a mascot or in charge of healing everyone’s hearts,
but once we were in the examination room, it seemed the fact that I was an official familiar suddenly came back to them.
After looking around at the students, the professor in charge spoke calmly.
“The familiar resonance evaluation does not look only at numbers.
The number is merely reference material. We will also evaluate trust with the familiar, command transmission, communication, stability, and response to unexpected situations.”
Those were good words.
Please, I beg you, don’t look only at the number.
I sincerely hoped so.
But the professor immediately pointed to the measuring device.
“However, the basic resonance measurement must be conducted.”
Of course.
There was no avoiding it.
The students began their measurements one by one.
When one student stood inside the magic circle with their familiar, a faint light rose within the crystal pillar.
“Resonance level 42. Stability average. Command response favorable.”
The next student.
“Resonance level 56. Trust level high. However, the familiar shows signs of excitement, so control training is needed.”
Then the next.
“Resonance level 61. Excellent.”
Small exclamations rose among the students.
It seemed that anything over 60 was quite good.
As I listened to those numbers, I grew more and more uneasy.
What would happen if 101 came out while numbers like that were being called?
‘This is a total disaster.’
At last, Elysia’s name was called.
“Elysia von Valerion.”
The gazes inside the resonance room gathered on us.
Holding me in her arms, Elysia slowly walked forward.
I climbed down from her embrace and carefully sat in the center of the magic circle.
A soft light rose from the magic circle beneath me.
The presence of mana tickled the tips of my paws.
It did not feel particularly pleasant.
It was not as nauseating as the high-output devices in the Department of Magical Engineering,
but it felt as though the spiritual power inside me and the mana outside were examining each other.
Elysia stood beside me.
The professor said,
“Place your hand on the measuring stone. Please make sure the familiar does not move from within the magic circle.”
Elysia placed her hand on it.
I sat still.
Light rose inside the crystal pillar.
At first, it was a gentle blue.
Similar to the other students.
But soon, the light changed.
A soft silver seeped into the blue, and a very faint pink shimmered at the edges.
The professor’s eyebrow twitched.
Selena’s hand, holding the record board, froze.
Mariette was gripping her pen with an expression that looked as if she had stopped breathing.
The number inside the crystal pillar slowly climbed.
The students began to stir.
“It’s already over 60.”
But the number did not stop.
The air inside the resonance room slowly began to change.
Elysia’s eyes widened as she looked at the number.
I muttered inwardly.
‘Stop. Please stop at something reasonable.’
But my wish had no effect whatsoever.
And then.
The moment the number appeared inside the crystal pillar, the entire resonance room fell silent.
Truly, not a sound could be heard.
Even the students’ breathing seemed to have stopped.
I wanted to cover my face with my front paws.
It was over.
Now it was really over.
The professor said nothing for a while.
Then he slowly checked the measuring device.
“……Check the measuring device for abnormalities.”
An assistant professor immediately approached and examined the device.
The lines of the magic circle, the crystal pillar, the recording stone, the flow of mana.
After checking everything, the assistant professor spoke with extreme caution.
“There are no abnormalities.”
Those words were even more frightening.
The professor looked at the number again.
“Resonance level 101.”
In the end, those words came out of his mouth.
Only then did the resonance room erupt in an uproar, as if it had exploded belatedly.
“101?”
“Wasn’t 100 supposed to be the maximum resonance level?”
“Isn’t it a measuring error?”
“No, they just said there aren’t any abnormalities.”
“What exactly is Haku?”
I wanted to answer that question too.
Exactly.
What exactly am I?
Elysia stood beside me, unable to move.
She slowly bent down and took me into her arms.
The students’ gazes poured onto me.
I burrowed into Elysia’s embrace.
‘Don’t look. Don’t look at me like that.’
I had grown used to gazes that found me cute by now.
But the gazes now were a little different.
Curiosity.
Shock.
Awe.
And a very small amount of fear.
All of those things were mixed together.
Just then, the professor in charge raised his hand and quieted the students.
“Silence.”
His voice was low, but it carried strength.
The students’ murmuring gradually died down.
The professor looked at Elysia and me.
“This result will not be immediately reflected in the public evaluation sheet.”
I lifted my ears slightly.
The professor continued.
“A resonance level of 101 is a figure that does not exist on the current standard chart.
Therefore, it will remain as a temporary record, and after the Special Familiar Studies Department and the faculty council review its interpretation, we will decide whether or not to reflect it officially.”
I was saved.
It was hard to say I was completely saved, but at the very least, I had avoided having it stamped into the official announcement right away.
But every student here had already seen it.
It was only a matter of time before rumors spread.
Selena quietly added,
“This does not mean that Haku is a dangerous individual.
A high resonance level fundamentally means that the connection between master and familiar is deep. Please refrain from unnecessary speculation.”
Those were good words.
But there was no way academy students would refrain from unnecessary speculation.
I already knew.
By this evening, rumors like these would surely be circulating.
Haku’s resonance level exceeded 100.
Haku is no ordinary familiar.
After Elysia von Valerion resonated with Haku, her sword changed.
Some student would probably exaggerate it even more.
Haku is the fox of blessing bestowed upon House Valerion.
No, he is the guardian spirit of the academy.
No, in truth, he is not the mascot of the Seonghwi Festival, but the sacred symbol of the Seonghwi Festival.
‘Please don’t let it go that far.’
But my bad premonitions were usually right.