149: The higher the hurdle, the harder it gets for the ones behind, huh?

"Then, Leifan."

"Yes!"

Leifan leaps forward with a cheerful bounce. Her twin tails swing wildly.

Still, Leifan seems better suited to a seal than blacksmithing, that’s for sure.

"Then... 'Seal Aptitude Judgment'... Huh? Hngh... Hnnnnoooouuuh!?!"

"Eh, wha—!?"

The Seal Officer lets out a voice like something’s broken. Leifan panics.

"T-this! I knew it existed, but—! No record in history! A legendary seal, thought to be only in legend! Not even the Sage’s Era saw such chaos!"

Genelis, normally composed, is utterly lost in excitement—something not even the Sage’s Era had seen.

"Hey! Genelis! Are you okay!?!"

"Stay calm! Here, water!"

"A seal on par with the Dusk Alchemist? What on earth...?"

Genelis dragged me along, and we all panicked.

Leifan offered water, and the Seal Officer finally calmed down after gulping it all down in one go.

"S-sorry. As a Seal Officer, I almost thought I’d sell my soul to a demon just to meet this mark... It’s been a shock like none since the Dusk Alchemist."

"Hey, hey, hey! No soul-selling, please!?"

Faydral, the Seal Officer’s grandson, was flustered too, watching from the side.

"Bad example. It was just... overwhelming."

"Um, but what kind of mark would I have...?"

Even Leifan looked uneasy. Every now and then he glanced at me—no, at the mark carved into my left hand, the Dusk Alchemist.

He knows what that mark means. Expectation. Fear. Mixed up. Just like me.

But we’re not getting anywhere like this, so I prod Genelis.

“What’s the emblem we found a match for, again?”

“Ah, yes. That is…”

Everyone swallows hard.

My heart hurts—don’t pull it like that!

“The name of that emblem is! ‘The Forge King’! Also known as ‘Andvar’!”

“The Forge King!?”

“Sounds badass!”

“Wait—wait a sec! Isn’t Andvar the name of the dwarven god of forging?”

I’d never heard of it, but Leifan seems to know.

“Is that right? Apologies. I’m not well-versed in dwarven faith. But I can guarantee this emblem is the highest rank among forge marks.”

“Eh… eh…?”

“It’s not just for metalwork. It’s also the top-tier mark for woodworking, stonework—basically, it grants mastery over every craft profession imaginable.”

Hey, Leifan—wasn’t he doing metalwork, woodwork, stone walls, everything?

“Now then, Leifan. You wish for this seal?”

The Seal Officer asked in a question, but his eyes screamed *yes!*

“Y-yes, please! I’d be so grateful!”

“Hmph! Leave it to me!”

Full of energy, he is!

His grandson’s jaw’s on the floor.

“Then! Seal Conversion. Its name is Forge King!”

Leifan’s left hand blazed with light, just like mine and Eva’s had before. Seeing that glow, I instinctively knew the Sunset, the Sage, and the Forge King seals all held equal power.

“S-super amazing, Craft! I can make so many more things now!”

“Ah! Congratulations, Leifan! A reward for all your hard work!”

“Congratulations, Mr. Leifan.”

"Thank you, Lord Kyle! I’ll work harder than ever from now on, worthy of the name of the Blacksmith King!"

"Good. I’m counting on you."

"Leifan’s sister’s awesome!"

"Same face as me, but way more grown-up!"

"Because I’m an adult, that’s why! I’m one of the most mature ones here, okay!?"

"Making sure I don’t shame the crest... I won’t fall behind either."

Leifan was swarmed by everyone, her hair all messy from being ruffled.

"Why’s everyone touching my head!?"

Because you’re small and easy to pet.

She thought it in her head—yet somehow Leifan glared at her. Unfathomable.

"Everything’s written all over your face!"

That’s not funny!

I was keeping a straight face, wasn’t I!?

"No, Craft. There’s no one more obvious than you."

Huh!?

Even Persia can tell!?

Shocked...

While I was sinking, the Seal Officer checked the list.

"Got a good experience... Right then, next. Solar."

"Yes."

Solar, Raidock’s woman and a Ranger, stepped forward.

Her eyes were sharp, but not because she was naturally grumpy.

She was calm. Probably didn’t think she had any other aptitude.

No, not like Eva or Leifan—no way something that rare would come up, even if a higher-grade seal did.

Adventurers chase strength, but honestly, a seal this unique? Could end up causing trouble instead.

But what’s above Ranger, anyway?

High Ranger? Super Ranger? Ultra Ranger?

The Seal Officer was probably thinking the same thing.

Calmly, she recited the incantation.

“Hnn… hnnn!? Hah!? Wha—what’s this!?!”

Hold up.

Calm down, Seal Officer. We’ve had enough surprises already.

“S-sorry. What in the name of the heavens is going on here… I’ve never seen anything like this since becoming a Seal Officer.”

“Uh… did something else show up?”

Genelis slowly nodded at my question. Again? Seriously?

“This crest appeared at the same time as the Sage’s sigil, and since then… no one’s ever managed to inscribe it upon themselves.”

Another legend-level thing!

“The name of this sigil is! ‘Goddess of the Bow’! Also known as… ‘Artemis’!”

“““Goddess of the Bow!!!”””

Everyone spoke in unison.

Soral frowned, eyes narrowing further.

What a scowling goddess.

No, actually—she fits the war goddess look way better!

“Goddess… uh, can’t we change the name or something?”

“Impossible.”

"But... there's still a chance it could appear on a man, right?"

"No. Like 'kunoichi,' it's a gender-fixed crest. No need to worry. If it bothers you, just call it the Artemis crest instead?"

"Hmm... I wasn't really worried about that..."

"Well then, Solar. Do you wish for a crest?"

Solar froze for a split second, then looked toward Raidock. The man slowly nodded.

Solar stiffened, then nodded back.

Hah! Let's go!

I was shouting inside, and even Eva nearby twisted her face into something like a curse wave.

So the Sage's Crest can work as a curse too?

While I was thinking about useless stuff, the ritual moved forward.

"Then! 'Crest Transformation. Its name is Bow Goddess'!"

"Good job, Bow Goddess!"

"Congratulations, Goddess-sama!"

"Nice one! Big sis Bow Goddess!"

"Wait a sec! You're just playing around, right!?"

"Hey, but you gotta say it right."

"Then at least call her Artemis! Or just say Solar normally! Don't use the crest name!"

Ha ha ha—laughter spilled out.

Enough teasing. Let's all just celebrate. Finally, Solar calmed down.

"Yeah. This time... I can stand beside her. I won't lose to her."

The archer goddess—Solar—muttered under her breath. Her gaze fixed on Evia.

Ah. That’s it.

She wasn’t scared of the trouble. She just didn’t want to lose to Evia, the sage.

"Alright, next up—Raidock."

"Yo."

To be honest.

Normally, I’d say it’s unlikely a new crest would appear if Raidock’s so compatible with one already... but...

Yeah.

I don’t even think a regular crest will show up anymore!

Bring it on! Whatever you got! I’m ready!

Something’s wrong…

Raidock was supposed to be the end…

Why… why…