Sellen?
An unfamiliar name.
Hades stared blankly. He tried to recall the portraits hanging on the academy walls earlier—each painting describing the great deeds of the figure it depicted.
But none of them had mentioned anyone named Sellen.
Was it because her achievements weren't enough to earn a place on the wall? Or was there some other reason?
Gapar vaguely remembered hearing the Sorting Hat mutter that name once before, but it had only been mentioned among many other mages, leaving little impression.
[I didn't expect your mentor to be Sellen—that ruthless witch.]
The Sorting Hat sounded oddly sentimental.
Hey, hey… what do you mean "ruthless witch"? That sounds terrible…
[Ah, you don't need to worry about your safety. Sellen treats her students very well. She's a very competent mentor—you got a good one.]
[You probably don't know her story, so let me tell you.]
[Sellen took Master Azur and Master Lusat as her ideals, pursuing the origin of star sorcery. Anyone who chases the origin suffers a terrible fate. The research was too dangerous—Azur and Lusat were expelled from the academy.]
[Sellen killed colleagues during her pursuit of origin research—that's why she's called a witch. She too was expelled and hunted by pursuers, living a very difficult life for a long time.]
She sounded like a research fanatic—the type who could abandon everything for knowledge.
But if the Sorting Hat had assigned her as a mentor, didn't that mean she was part of the academy again? What had happened for her to be accepted back?
[You're probably wondering why someone like her can be a mentor here.]
The Sorting Hat saw straight through their thoughts.
[Because her academic achievements were enough to qualify her as a mentor, and she's excellent at teaching students. But that alone wasn't enough for the academy to readmit her.]
[The real reason she returned was…]
The Sorting Hat paused dramatically.
[One of Sellen's students became a "King" and beat the academy into submission.]
Oh… I see.
Wait—what?!
Everyone froze at the sudden answer.
Sellen's student beat the academy into submission… so she was allowed back?
Roger looked stunned. This place was filled with master magicians—what kind of monster could defeat them all?
"What does 'King' mean?" he asked suddenly.
[The Elden Lord. That has nothing to do with magic. I refuse to answer.]
It even refused to explain. How annoying.
Still, the title Elden Lord left a deep impression in everyone's mind.
Whoever that person was must have been unimaginably powerful to subdue an entire magic academy.
Gapar suddenly noticed something odd.
He remembered that the academy had hidden in another dimension to avoid some "natural enemy." If so, why hadn't that Elden Lord come to stop that enemy?
But the Sorting Hat said nothing more. It simply urged Hades to put his hand inside and retrieve his student ID.
After a strange groaning sound, Hades successfully obtained a Raya Lucaria Academy student ID as an external professor.
It felt oddly wonderful.
As he infused magic into the ID, Hades saw a vision.
A snow-covered mountain. Gale-force winds carried heavy snow, ice mist blurring everything.
At the summit stood a mage tower.
The scene moved closer, revealing a woman.
She wore a glintstone mask carved like a woman's face and gazed at the sky in deep thought.
As she looked up, the dark clouds suddenly filled with stars.
A phantom cosmic scene burst into color. Meteors fell like rain, and every drop turned into star amber.
Hades trembled.
As the senior-most magic professor, his perception was sharper than anyone else's.
And to him, this meteor shower…
Was a legendary-tier spell.
He could feel the stars. This was the highest form of star sorcery—the very origin itself.
What was its name? Could he learn it?!
He longed to see more of Star Shower of Creation, a legendary spell long lost to history.
But the vision ended, replaced by a spell from Sellen:
[Glintstone Pebble]
Even after it ended, Hades remained lost in the memory, eyes slowly closing as he relived the scene.
Visions could be faked—but the feeling of legendary magic could not. He was certain it was real.
So absorbed was he that he didn't hear the Sorting Hat comment on the next spell.
Only when Tursey took the hat did he snap back and go study the spinning pebble spell.
He had once recreated Glintstone Pebble based on letters from Wade, but he knew it was only an imitation—earth magic, flight magic, and a shallow understanding of stars combined.
Watching the stars of this world might create a unique Glintstone Pebble, but it would be fundamentally different from those in Sein's Dungeon—and might take a hundred years.
Hades didn't know the dungeon's magic came from another world. He only felt something was off, blaming it on differences between ancient and modern eras.
If given enough time… could he truly research this world's star sorcery?
"Who will my mentor be?" Tursey asked excitedly, holding the hat.
[Let me check your talent first.]
"I specialize in healing and defense."
[Words aren't enough—put me on.]
She removed her own hat and wore the Sorting Hat. It sighed contentedly.
[You're the most fragrant student I've met today.]
"Is that harassment, Mr. Sorting Hat?" Tursey smiled.
[Of course not. I'm a hat. Why would I harass you? Now let me choose.]
[Let me see… oh, you've had quite an experience.]
Tursey's smile disappeared.
"Do you assign mentors based only on talent?"
[No. Also life, emotions, and personality.]
She suddenly stood up, face pale, as if about to rip off the hat—
But before she could, it announced:
[Your mentor is Harry Potter!]
[A part of your life reminds me of the savior of the wizarding world. Study with him—you will learn much.]
Tursey's expression turned complicated as she infused magic into her ID.
Her vision went dark.
No—the sky was covered by an unseen darkness.
A churning lake appeared, and humanoid monsters flew overhead.
They looked like ragged ghosts drifting in the air—terrifying.
Just looking at them drained all joy from her heart, dragging up painful memories.
She didn't know these creatures were called Dementors, monsters that suck away happiness.
No defensive spell worked against them except—
She saw a teenage boy with a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead shout:
"Expecto Patronum!"
Pure light burst from his wand and spread rapidly. The Dementors vanished.
Information about the spell appeared in her mind.
From the vision, it looked like an offensive spell—but in truth, it was defensive.
It didn't stop physical attacks. It protected the mind, especially against creatures that preyed on emotions.
Its use seemed limited… but Tursey didn't mind.
She needed a spell to resist negative emotions. Mental defense magic was rare and difficult to develop.
I can study its principles and combine it with other defensive magic!
But when she saw the requirement, her face froze:
[Focus. Recall your happiest memory. Speak the incantation.]
"My happiest memory…"
Her expression flickered before returning to normal. She quickly handed the hat to Roger.
"My turn!" Roger said excitedly.
Since the Sorting Hat considered all aspects, maybe he'd get a mentor who loved monsters too!
[Hmm… oh? You…] the hat hesitated.
"Me?" Roger thought his talent must be extraordinary.
But it said:
[Nothing special about you. But your intelligence is acceptable. Luckily, a kind mentor is willing to take an ordinary student like you.]
[Your mentor is Orbeck!]
"…Huh?"
Roger froze.