After their meeting at the café, Seneca and Kito proceeded to the church, where they wished to meet with an elderly priest by the name of Primus.

  They expined that they had come to express their gratitude for the skill appraisal they had received in Baetica. After waiting for some time, they were finally able to identify the priest in question.

  It seemed that Primus was currently on a pilgrimage, and his movements were somewhat difficult to track. However, he was known to return to the royal capital periodically.

  Though there was no guarantee they would receive a reply, they left a message for him, requesting that, upon his return, either Kito from the Royal Magic Academy or Seneca from the Royal Adventurers Academy be contacted.

  Time passed, and the school year was drawing to a close. With the end of the semester fast approaching, they had begun to prepare for the long break ahead, finalising assignments and pnning their schedules for the holidays.

  It was at this time that a letter arrived for Seneca. The sender was Primus. In a hurry, she opened the envelope, revealing that he had accepted their request for a meeting and had provided a few possible dates for the appointment.

  Rushing to the Magic Academy, Seneca found that Kito had also received the same letter. Though it was a busy period with finals approaching, the two managed to clear their schedules and arrange to meet with Primus as soon as possible.

  ...

  On the day of the meeting, after having been thoroughly worn down by the stresses of finals, Seneca and Kito arrived at the church situated to the east of the royal capital.

  This particur church was rather modest in appearance compared to others within the capital.

  Upon announcing Primus's name at the reception, they were led by a man who introduced himself as a bishop.

  The man guided them through the church’s inner halls, eventually stopping in front of a rge room, where he paused to open the door.

  “Reverence Primus, your visitors have arrived.”

  “Ah, Warius! You've personally brought them here, have you? My apologies for troubling you, old friend.”

  “It's nothing. Please, take your time,” the bishop replied, before stepping back and bowing, returning the way he had come.

  Inside the room, while the furnishings were simple, it was clear that the space was retively vish in its own way. It was undoubtedly an appropriately dignified meeting room. A subtle yet pleasant fragrance lingered in the air.

  Seated within was the very same elderly priest they had encountered in Baetica, looking as unchanged as ever.

  “Ah! You've come! It’s rare to have children come for a meeting to thank me for a skill appraisal these days... It brings me great joy. Please, sit down over there,” Primus said warmly, gesturing to the seats.

  The two of them took their seats as instructed.

  Then, Primus pointed to his chest.

  “Now, if I’m not mistaken, your names are Seneca and Kito, correct? Could you remind me of the details of your skills? I have been fortunate enough to assess many children’s abilities, and I’m afraid my memory is a little hazy.”

  While speaking, Primus continued to gesture to his chest. Intrigued, Seneca and Kito observed as faint, glowing letters began to materialise on his chest.

  “Do not speak of Lucius. The room is being eavesdropped upon.”

  Upon seeing this, Kito responded to Primus’s inquiry, recounting his skills and background once more. Seneca followed suit, continuing the conversation and pretending to be merely a young girl who had come to offer her greetings.

  Primus listened attentively, interjecting with the occasional comment, while subtly using the glowing text to convey necessary information.

  “Lucius is not here. You cannot meet him now.”

  “He will be waiting in three days' time, at an inn called ‘Spelunka.’”

  “Find the inn yourselves.”

  “We will speak there.”

  “We may be followed today. You must wait until tomorrow to act.”

  Seneca and Kito continued their casual conversation on the surface, their backs slick with sweat as they tried to remain composed. Fortunately, Primus steered the conversation in just the right direction, allowing them to maintain the facade. With a sense of physical exhaustion creeping over them, they slowly left the church.

  ...

  The following day, Seneca, with Maiol’s help, began searching for the inn Spelunka.

  Kito, unable to assist due to a test scheduled for the morning, had to remain behind, so Seneca requested Maiol’s assistance.

  Despite asking Gaia, who was from the outskirts of the capital, for any knowledge of the pce, no one seemed to have heard of Spelunka.

  Seneca had friends in the S-css at the academy who were from the capital, but fearing the risk of information leaking, she refrained from asking them. If they had no leads by the third day, she would have no choice but to take a different approach. For now, they decided to focus on their own search.

  The capital was home to an overwhelming number of businesses, and logically, finding a specific inn in such a vast sea of options would seem nearly impossible. However, Primus had made it clear that he believed Seneca and Kito were capable of finding it. That was a significant clue in itself.

  Kito noted that it must be a well-suited pce for secret meetings, and one that Seneca and Kito could reasonably locate. This gave Seneca confidence that they could indeed find the pce.

  Primus knew of Seneca’s position as a member of the S-css at the Royal Adventurers Academy and Kito’s status as an honorary candidate for the Royal Magic Academy. This information had likely factored into Primus’s decision-making when passing on these instructions.

  Maiol, upon hearing this, felt that they were being tested. It seemed that Lucius’s information was only being shared with those of a certain intellect and discretion.

  ...

  While Seneca focused on finding the inn, Maiol took it upon herself to investigate Primus further.

  If there were matters Primus could not discuss at the church, it stood to reason that they would likely be connected to a pce with a close retionship to him.

  It was evident that Primus held a position of high authority within the church, as he could speak so casually with the bishop.

  Maiol pored through records in the Adventurer Guild’s archive, studying the histories of church officials. To her surprise, she discovered that a Primus had once held the rank of cardinal over a decade ago.

  Though she couldn’t be sure if this was the same person, Maiol pressed on with her investigation, gathering indirect evidence that pointed to Primus having strong ties to a faction within the church, particurly one reted to magic.

  While sifting through the guild’s records, Seneca returned to the guild.

  “Seneca, have you found anything?” Maiol asked, gncing up.

  “No, not yet,” Seneca replied, shaking her head.

  “I didn’t find anything substantial, but there was something that caught my attention, so I started looking into it.”

  “Something that caught your attention?” Maiol inquired, intrigued.

  “Yeah. When we entered Primus’s room, there was a distinct smell. It was coming from him, so I thought it might be a clue.”

  “A smell?” Maiol asked, curious.

  “Yeah. It was simple but spicy and pleasant. I think it might have contained herbs, but it wasn’t quite the same as just herbs.”

  “That sounds like a very distinctive scent. So, you investigated the source?” Maiol probed further.

  “Yeah, I asked the herb shop owner, who said she recognised the scent. She suggested I visit the pce tomorrow.”

  “And what’s the name of the shop?”

  “Pharma. It’s an old pharmacy that’s been around for a long time. It seems like people connected to the church frequent the pce.”

  “That’s interesting."

  "I’d like to check it out myself once this matter is resolved. For now, Seneca, please continue investigating that shop and keep me posted.”

  “Got it.”

  After exchanging their findings, the two of them resumed their respective investigations.