Divine Luck: SSS-Rank Battle Maid Harem

Zach and Derot swung by the guild first to pick up heaps of potions and Jessecke before heading to the palace. The Empress Dowager and a few of the palace's alchemists were already waiting for them when they showed up.

Jessecke and Alzara followed the alchemists to the lab for extensive testing and explanation of the potions and their effects. Zach, Derot, Ursula, and Rienne, who joined them later, took it easy and enjoyed some simple refreshments.

Compared to last night, Derot had come to terms with the situation and managed to act more naturally, even with the addition of one of the imperial princesses. The conversation was light and easy, but Zach couldn't help but notice Rienne frequently glancing in Soara's direction. There even seemed to be something hidden in her gaze.

Zach's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Princess, are you wary of Soara?" He bluntly went ahead and asked.

"I…" Rienne was stunned by the sudden question that had nothing to do with what they had just been talking about. However, she wasn't a princess for nothing, and she quickly gathered her bearings. Still, she wasn't sure what to answer, so she glanced at her grandmother.

Ursula gave a slight nod. It was fine to tell Zach about it. He had already revealed a significant portion of his strength, after all. It was only fair if she did the same instead of keeping all of her tricks up her sleeve. Besides, it wasn't like they were going to fight. It didn't hurt if they got to know each other a little better.

"Zach, how familiar are you with the Imperial Family's powers?" Rienne began with a simple question.

"Uhh…It's some kind of magic from the Labyrinth, right?" The Imperial Family's powers were intentionally kept vague to give them a sense of mystery and an air of untouchability. It was also to make it more difficult to figure out the imperials' weaknesses. Zach could probably find out more if he wanted to by asking his parents or the principal.

But it had nothing to do with summoning, and he wasn't ever planning to fight a member of the imperial family, so he hadn't been interested in learning more about the mysterious power of the imperial family.

"Yes. To be exact, it's spirit magic."

"Spirit? Like, will? An unyielding spirit. That kind of stuff?"

Rienne frowned at Zach's question.

"...No. Spirits as in elemental, non-physical existences of a higher plane."

"Ah…" Zach didn't get it. "Wait. So you use these 'spirits' to cast spells?" Spirit magic. Magic using spirits. It wasn't that hard. When he thought about it a little more, the name also sounded a little familiar.

"Kind of. We make contracts with spirits and borrow their powers. It's similar to summoning but without the summoning part."

"So, not similar to summoning, then."

Rienne wanted to insist that there were similarities, but Ursula shook her head. She understood where Rienne was coming from.

Summoners summoned and established contracts with familiars, who would then fight for them. Summoners also got contract skills.

Spirit magicians made contracts with spirits and borrowed their powers. They acted as conduits for their strength, letting it enter this world.

Familiars fought directly. Spirits fought by using spirit magicians as proxies. But both disciplines relied on making contracts with extraordinary beings from other realms.

They were undeniably similar.

At the same time, Ursula also understood Zach since she was a summoner herself. Nothing could compare to summoning. It was just better.

"Whatever. One of my spirits is of the life attribute. To be frank, it won't shut up about your familiar. It's unclear what it wants, but it is thanks to it that I noticed you at the gates the other day. So, do you mind if I ask who or what your familiar is?" Rienne turned to Soara while she asked. She was curious about the black-haired maid's identity. It was the first time any of her spirits had made this much of a ruckus.

Zach glanced at Soara. After a brief pause, she nodded. Zach seemed to trust these outsiders. And Soara had nothing to lose. If anything, she could learn from the life spirit. After all, her strength was built on snuffing out life. What better way to learn about it than interacting with a being who embodied it?

Zach gestured for Soara to introduce herself. She would be able to do it more accurately and without heaping on praise.

"I am a deity of Death." Soara's self-introduction was short.

"..." Rienned didn't know what to say.

Ursula's eyes widened and she leaned forward to get a closer look at Soara. That self-introduction had energized the Empress Dowager. She looked between Zach and Soara several times. Zach nodded in confirmation. Ursula stared at Soara.

No wonder she didn't feel like a proper SS-rank. There were probably some circumstances behind it. Still, Ursula had to say that Zach was one lucky trucker. An SS-rank familiar as already impressive on its own.

The only problem with high-ranking familiars was how fucking difficult it was to help them evolve. However, Soara already had the foundation for her evolution into an SSS-rank familiar. And if Ursula wasn't mistaken, Zach already knew how to complete it.

It was still outside his reach as of now. But it was only a matter of time. Usually, evolving SS-rank familiars wasn't possible. Familiars at that rank were already close to perfect beings. Just figuring out what was necessary to make them stronger could take a lifetime, not to mention going about fulfilling those impossible conditions once one had figured it out.

In due time, Zach wouldn't have just one SSS-rank familiar.

Ursula's eyes widened again as she had another realization.

Zach was only on his fourth familiar. He was level thirty. He had come a fair bit, but he would only go up from here.

The minimum rank of his next familiar would be SSS-rank. The minimum rank of all of his neck familiars would be SSS-rank.

Ursula stared at Zach with wide eyes.

In just a few years, this young man would tower over the Empire.