Arche sat down stiffly, gripping her iron staff with slightly trembling fingers.
"Would you like something to drink?" Minori asked gently, his voice calm and composed.
"I'm fine." Arche straightened her back, her reply quick and polite.
"Then I'll have a black tea as well," Minori told the server with a faint smile, noticing her tension.
It hadn't taken long to locate the short-haired girl—Arche Eeb Rile Furt. Aside from being a student at the Imperial Magic Academy, she was also somewhat well-known.
That was natural. After all, few her age had already mastered third-tier magic.
In this world, such a talent was enough to earn the title of genius.
As Minori observed her, another girl surfaced in his mind—Ninya, the young member of the "Swords of Darkness," who dressed as a boy and bore a similar air of fragile determination.
They were both seen as gifted by the world.
But the difference between them was vast.
Arche's potential had likely already reached its peak.
Whereas the girl in E-Rantel possessed a unique talent described in canon as surpassing hero-level, categorized among the five "abnormal" types of human mage abilities.
Back when Minori was in E-Rantel, he had investigated the Swords of Darkness and found no trace of them, indicating the group hadn't yet formed.
Soon, the server returned with a steaming cup of black tea and placed it in front of Arche.
"Sir, may I ask what you wanted to speak to me about?" she asked cautiously, lowering her voice.
"Well…" Minori reached into his robe and pulled out a leather pouch. "Here's an advance of ten gold coins. I'd like to verify the function of a recently acquired magic item using your innate ability."
Arche's blue eyes widened. She stared at the pouch before her, then back at Minori, visibly less tense.
It couldn't be helped.
Since her father had been stripped of his noble title, their family income had collapsed. Yet her parents continued to live as if nothing had changed, draining their remaining assets.
She'd been contemplating how to earn money, and this sudden offer of ten gold coins was nothing short of salvation.
And it was only the advance…
"Sir, I believe there may be some misunderstanding about my innate ability," she said carefully. "I can only observe the highest-tier magic a caster can use—and only magic based on arcane power, not divine or item-based magic."
Arche's words were honest and cautious. She hadn't even touched the coin pouch yet.
The man before her didn't look especially dangerous, but there was something composed and unreadable in his expression.
"The item I purchased supposedly interferes with magical detection," Minori explained patiently. "However, I'd like to verify that effect. Naturally, I also possess arcane spells, if that makes testing easier."
Her eyebrows lifted slightly.
A magic item that could block detection?
She'd never heard of such a thing before.
But that kind of item must be very rare… and very expensive.
This man wasn't just powerful—he was wealthy.
"Shall we begin here, or move elsewhere?" Minori asked.
"This is fine." Arche took a breath and nodded.
As she activated her Insight Eyes, faint magical light shimmered in her irises. With those eyes, she could perceive the magical potential of a person—its brightness directly proportional to their maximum spell tier.
But now—
She blinked.
Nothing.
In her sight, Minori looked like an ordinary civilian, devoid of any magic whatsoever.
Which should have been impossible.
Her brows furrowed slightly in disbelief. "Unbelievable. That item's concealment effect is extraordinary."
"Thank you," Minori replied warmly, though his eyes remained unreadable.
He hadn't equipped any magic items.
This effect had to come from within.
Back in the royal capital, he'd noted a peculiar line tied to his innate talent.
Innate Talent: Player (Unobservable, Immutable).
At the time, he hadn't given it much thought.
But now, after spending time studying his capabilities in the Empire, it seemed this trait offered passive countermeasures to detection magic.
It was now proven.
"This is the rest of your payment," Minori added, handing her another ten gold coins.
Arche looked at him in surprise. Twenty gold coins, just for one test?
He was serious—and generous.
"Miss Arche," Minori continued, "do you have a classmate who specializes in detection magic? I'd like to test it further."
Arche hesitated, a particular figure coming to mind. She didn't respond immediately.
"If you're able to invite them, I can offer them the same rate. Of course, their fee will be handled separately."
"…All right," Arche said, her grip tightening on her staff. "Just… try not to talk about payment in front of her. And if she's rude to you, please don't take it personally."
"Of course."
Minori smiled. Things were progressing even better than he'd hoped.
The Imperial Academy was proving to be a fruitful detour.
If not for the restrictions on outsiders, he would've liked to explore its halls himself—perhaps he'd even find new base classes or rare spells.
Arche left quickly.
Minori ordered a few dishes while waiting, replacing the now-cooled tea.
Roughly half an hour later, Arche returned—with a blonde girl in a dark blue robe walking confidently beside her.
Unlike Arche's worn uniform, this girl wore a pristine mage's outfit, with a cerulean holy symbol on her chest.
A rare and expensive focus artifact.
The girl walked into the restaurant like it belonged to her, eyes immediately locking on Minori.
"So you're Arche's friend?" she asked, examining him openly. "You're older than her, but not by much. Acceptable."
"Friane!" Arche blushed and tugged at her friend's sleeve.
Minori rose and smiled. "Yes."
"I'm Friane Vaelia Lan Gusimmond," she said, taking a seat without waiting for an invitation.
Gusimmond?
Minori recognized the name.
A ducal family.
Friane was the daughter of a high-ranking noble. She was hardly more than a side character in the source material, but it was still unexpected to meet her here.
He feigned appropriate surprise.
"I'll have a chilled Macartia," she told the waiter before turning back to him. "All right. What do you want me to test?"
"We've only mastered two detection spells: Life Detection and Item Locator," she said with practiced ease. "I'm not very skilled with the latter—it doesn't work well across long distances."
"Can you cast both?" Minori asked with interest.
"Of course."
"Life Detection."
With a fluid chant, Friane extended both hands toward Minori. A soft ripple of magic spread through the room.
"It's picking you up clearly. So the item works against specialized insight magic but not general detection," she said thoughtfully.
Minori narrowed his eyes.
Interesting.
That confirmed it.
If his Player talent rendered him unobservable to clairvoyance-type or "spying" magic—like Crystal Screen, Farsight, or Astrology—but not perception-based spells like Life Detection, Chi Sense, or Magic Detection, then this wasn't just concealment.