In a room within Isis’s castle that boasted a particularly magnificent view, Vulpecula stood by the window, tilting her head curiously at a potted Blue Crystal Flower.
"Kyuu?"
She had arrived in the room a short while ago and had been standing before the pot ever since, tilting her head again and again. Her peculiar behavior left Spica—the spirit dwelling within the flower—utterly perplexed.
(I wonder what this little one is up to? She’s been tilting her head for a while now. At first, I thought she was just intrigued by the rarity of a Blue Crystal Flower, but it doesn't seem like that’s the case.)
Still wearing a puzzled expression, Vulpecula shifted her head, trying to peer behind the pot from the right side.
"Kyu~ kyu?"
She straightened up, tilted her head again, and then tried peeking in from the left.
"Kyu~ kyu?"
Once more, she returned to her original position and tilted her head. This time, she crouched low, trying to look underneath the pot, only to stand back up and resume her curious head-tilting.
(...Hmm, it really looks like she’s thinking, "I feel like someone’s here, but I can't find them." Wait, does she actually notice me? That’s never happened before... No, if she truly sensed me, she’d be looking right at me, wouldn't she?)
Spica wondered if the creature had realized she was there, yet Vulpecula barely looked at the flower itself; she seemed focused on searching the space immediately surrounding the pot.
There was a specific reason for this. Having absorbed Kaito’s magic power alongside Isis’s, Vulpecula—aided by her innate genius and her unique nature as a Mystic Silver—had inherited the special Sympathy Magic that Kaito possessed.
Because of this, she could sense Spica’s presence just as Kaito could. Though she couldn't logically explain why, she felt a distinct "strangeness" in the air.
However, despite the wealth of knowledge Vulpecula had recently acquired, she did not yet know that spirits existed. Consequently, while she felt the sensation of someone being present, she had no idea where they were or what they might be.
(...U-Umm, what should I do?)
Spica fretted over how to react to the little fox, but a moment later, Vulpecula’s ears perked up.
"...Vul... It’s time for dinner."
"Kyu!"
At the sound of Isis’s voice, Vulpecula ran happily toward the door. She used her tails to skillfully turn the handle and exit the room, but just as she was closing the door, she gave a quick, polite bow to the empty room before disappearing.
(...My, oh my. It seems the people around Death King-san—around Isis-san—just keep getting more interesting. Perhaps I... should start thinking about a few things myself.)
By the time Isis arrived with Vulpecula, the other subordinates had already gathered, and dinner began. Naturally, the conversation at the table turned toward Vulpecula’s extraordinary potential.
"I must say, Vulpecula’s talent is quite remarkable. Her learning speed is on an entirely different level."
"I agree. She is exceptionally bright... and she’s incredibly dexterous with those tails."
Iris nodded in agreement with Polaris, and Sirius chimed in as well.
"Her intuition is top-notch. At this rate, she’ll climb to the Peerage-class level in the blink of an eye."
"There is no doubt she is a genius, and not of some common variety. She might even break the Shortest Record for Peerage-class Certification."
All four were in complete agreement regarding the fox’s staggering potential, and none of them disputed Rasal’s suggestion that she might set a new record for the fastest certification.
"Hmm, the shortest record... Setting aside Head-dono, as she is far too much of an outlier, who holds the current record?"
"I believe it is Princess Ouka Blossom. According to what I heard from Alice, she received her Count-class Certification in 200 years and reached the top-tier of Count-class in 700 years."
"The wall between Count-class and its top-tier is even higher than the wall between an ordinary demon and a Peerage-class... Still, that is a formidable pace. It took me 4,000 years to reach Count-class, and 10,000 years to reach the top-tier level."
"Speed is not everything, of course, but it is certainly a testament to the magnitude of one's talent."
Within the Peerage-class, the gap between the upper and lower levels of Count-class was so vast that Alice considered the rank in need of restructuring. In particular, the top-tier of Count-class—the Six Kings' Executive-class—were those who had achieved a certain level of interference with causality or a specific standard of immortality. They were on an entirely different dimension from lower-ranked Counts.
"...True... among demons, Blossom is the fastest... but... if we include other races... for reaching the Count-class level... I believe Lilia's 23 years is the shortest."
"The Lady White Rose War Maiden, you mean? I have never met her, but... to reach Count-class in 23 years... To be over 170 years faster than even the brilliant Blossom-dono... that is a talent that makes one shudder."
Sirius nodded, sounding deeply impressed. In truth, Lilia’s talent was an anomaly. She had bypassed the massive wall that usually stopped people between Viscount-class and Count-class as if it weren't there. In fact, she had reached the Count-class level simply because she "got the hang of it" during the conflict in the God Realm.
"...Lilia's talent... is truly amazing... but... I think... Vul also... has talent that won't lose to her."
"Kyuu?"
"...I was just saying that I'm looking forward to your future, Vul."
"Kyu!"
"...Fufu."
Seeing Vulpecula respond so energetically, Isis smiled warmly and reached out to lightly stroke the fox’s head.
It is a story for another time that Vulpecula would eventually shatter all existing records, reaching Count-class in a mere 10 years and the top-tier of Count-class in 80 years—an achievement that would leave Alice and the Phantasm King's Subordinates in charge of certification clutching their heads in disbelief.
Serious-senpai: "So Vulpecula is going to hit Count-class more than a decade faster than Lilia..."
???: "That comes down to the difference in their environments. In Lilia-san’s case, she didn't have any instructors at the Count-class level or higher. After Sieg-san taught her the basics, she was mostly self-taught. On the other hand, Vulpecula-san is in an environment where she can receive high-level guidance whenever she wants from the Six King Isis-san and subordinates who are all top-tier Counts."
Serious-senpai: "I see."