The moment I came back from City Hall's basement, Amelia and Ivy had been waiting anxiously in front of our room's door. The two of them had been woken up by the loud alarm I had caused, and they had also noticed that I had disappeared.
With a glance, I could tell that the two of them didn't look extremely pleased with me.
"Where were you?" Amelia said with a frown.
"Did anything happen to you?"
I briefly explained to them what had happened, skipping over some of the most important details. I had made sure that they didn't know any information that might put them at risk of getting involved with some... unknown group.
After all, whoever had been controlling Altrix's Mayor was bound to learn what had happened tonight, and they certainly wouldn't be happy.
In fact, they could be moving at this very moment, which was another reason why I wanted to head back to the capital as fast as possible, to leave as few traces behind as humanly possible.
***
The three of us found ourselves inside a small carriage heading back to the capital. However, while Amelia and Ivy were staring at me, probably trying to imagine what I was thinking about, I was trying my best to figure out what the [Soul Reaper] Skill actually did.
'There has to be a way to utilize this skill. I just need to understand what it is...' I said to myself as I closed my eyes and began thinking as hard as I could.
I had absorbed a D-Rank Soul.
That was my first hint.
Every soul seemed to have a rank attached to it, probably linked to their strength as an awakener. However, that was only my theory—it might not be the only factor in determining a soul's rank... knowledge could also be a factor.
As for my second hint...
Well, I had nothing.
What I found the strangest about [Soul Reaper] was the fact that while I absorbed a soul, I had no idea where I had stored it within me. It was as if it wasn't there in the first place.
That was currently what I was trying to figure out.
I thought that if I managed to do that, then I might be able to understand the skill a little better. However, for the past hour, I hadn't found the slightest clue about where the soul might be.
Amelia tilted her head, noticing my frustration. "Is something wrong?"
I was about to shake my head, telling her everything was fine. But then, I realized that maybe having someone else's opinion on this particular problem of mine might not be the absolute worst.
"I don't know..." I said with a small sigh. "Let's say that hypothetically, I had obtained some kind of power that I had no information about whatsoever. What would be the first thing you'd do to try and learn more about it?"
Amelia frowned. "Probably ask the professors or try to read books about it."
I nodded, but that wasn't the answer I was looking for. I couldn't trust any of them with that kind of power. As for books, I had a strong feeling that none of them would have any information related to a soul power. The only individual in the entirety of the Royal Academy who might have some information about it would be the Headmistress, maybe... and even then, I highly doubted it.
"Let's say that it's a strange power that probably not a lot of people have heard about."
Ivy, who had been listening to the conversation, suddenly jumped in.
"Why don't you go ask that strange academy professor? The one who is specialized in strange phenomena. He might know something about it."
I frowned. "Who are you talking about?"
"Hmm... what was his name again?" She rubbed the top of her head. "Oh, I think his name was Heimer. Heimer Zinger."
Amelia's eyes also lit up hearing that name. "Right... I heard of him before. Though, I'm not sure if he'd agree to work with you. I've heard that he's very... selective when it comes to helping students. He only helps students based on how interesting they are."
'Someone who doesn't help others without reason...' I rubbed my chin.
I didn't have a lot of information about him. However, if that was the kind of person he truly was, then I highly doubted that he'd be linked to outside organizations. Usually, spies would try their best to climb up the ranks of the organization they'd infiltrate—the complete opposite of this certain Heimer Zinger.
"Do you think he might help me?"
The two of them shrugged.
"No idea. I heard that he's a little strange though. Still, if your power is as rare as you say, then there's a good chance he'd agree."
I found it a little strange that I had never heard of him, but considering my limited information about the Royal Academy, I decided to trust Amelia and Ivy.
"Thanks, Ivy! I'll definitely go ask him when we get back to the Royal Academy."
There was still some time before then, since we'd have to tell the Mercenary Center that we had completed our A-Rank Quest successfully. That meant we'd receive 2.5M Gold Coins and also 500 Mercenary Reputation Points.
And luckily for me, Amelia and Ivy had agreed to give me the whole reward since they had barely helped me, which meant I had 2.5M Gold Coins to spend on new skill books.
It was the first time in my life that I'd have money to spend. I couldn't wait to actually buy some things. In the past, the camp would give us everything we needed, and they also made it forbidden to buy things from the outside world.
A few hours passed, and we returned to the Mercenary Center, where I received my money and my MRP, which meant that we could now get onto serious business... buying as many skill books as I could.