In response to Kexi's question, Yuui replied in an utterly exasperated tone: "Do you think I have any way to learn these things? I'm just an ordinary person with no background. And ever since entering the academy, I haven't had a single peaceful day. Classes alone have been exhausting. Where would I find the time to learn anything else?"
Beside him, Alicia nodded so quickly she looked like a pecking bird. Yuui had voiced her exact thoughts.
Ever since they entered Saint Fusion Academy, they hadn't had a single peaceful day. They had come to study and grow stronger, yet somehow kept getting dragged into all kinds of trouble.
"Uh… fine."
Kexi thought about everything Alicia (Yuui) had gone through over the past month, as well as the rumors he'd heard about her situation in class. Thinking about it carefully, Alicia (Yuui) indeed might not know things that were considered basic common sense for nobles.
"Do you know who the greatest supporter of the King's Faction is?"
"The King's Faction's greatest supporter?" Alicia blinked, but Yuui answered immediately.
"The headmaster of Saint Fusion Academy, the Great Sage, the former strongest Duelist of the kingdom—Crowley Aleister Bredt."
"Well, looks like you're not fully ignorant of the situation." Kexi nodded. "That's right. The reason our King's Faction isn't influenced by the other two factions is because Lord Aleister stands with us.
"And because of that, the King's Faction also has the greatest cardmakers in the entire kingdom."
"What does that have to do with anything?" Yuui frowned.
"How much do you know about cardmakers?" Kexi didn't answer his question—instead, he countered with his own.
Yuui thought about it, recalling what he knew about cardmakers from his previous world, combined with his current hands-on experience. Then he replied:
"A cardmaker is the only profession besides Spirit Summoning through the Book of Summoning, and a Duelist's own development of a Spirit's power, that allows someone to obtain new cards.
A cardmaker must trace the history of a Spirit, develop its power, and possess at least Magician-level mana to support the process.
Through personal understanding, using materials that can contain mana, they inscribe a Spirit's power into a card—or engrave their understanding of a portion of a Spirit's history—forming a card containing one of the three forces: Monster, Spell, or Trap. Only then are they called a cardmaker."
"Not bad… you actually know quite a lot."
Kexi raised his eyebrows, surprised. He thought the other had only just begun studying and was still a complete novice.
Meanwhile, Alicia puffed out her chest proudly, as if Kexi's praise was directed at her.
Yuui gave her a sidelong glance, amused, then looked back at Kexi. "So? What are you trying to say?"
Seeing Alicia (Yuui) still not catching on, Kexi sighed. "Think about what you just said. Except for the last part, everything else is exactly what researchers do. Have you ever seen a researcher with free time to get involved in faction disputes? They barely have enough time to conduct experiments in the research institute!"
A thunderclap exploded in Yuui's mind.
Right! Those were all things researchers did!
Tracing Spirit history, developing Spirit power—sure, any Duelist could do that. But most Duelists didn't have the time or resources to deeply investigate their Spirits.
And in this world, over eighty percent of Duelists never even had the chance to obtain a Spirit.
Without the Book of Summoning, Sophia's divine relic, they couldn't explore a Spirit's history at all.
Even those with Spirits usually had only one. They might investigate its history to help restore memories or unlock power, but someone with only one Spirit rarely had the resources to do in-depth, long-term research.
Only researchers—those who studied Spirits and Spirit history—had the funding, materials, and access to many Spirits.
Only they had the chance to become cardmakers.
And as Kexi said, researchers had no time for faction struggles; they practically lived inside the research institute.
Seeing the realization dawn on Alicia (Yuui)'s face, Kexi smiled. "Exactly. Only researchers have the time and resources to study Spirit history. Almost every cardmaker in the world started out as a researcher.
"Researchers hate faction conflict and royal succession struggles; these things waste time and resources unrelated to research. However, to become a researcher, one needs support from a research group or institution.
"That's why most researchers in the Bredt Kingdom join the King's Faction. We don't force them into pointless battles, we don't make them study things they don't want, and with the support of the King and Lord Aleister, we can give them all the resources they need.
"That's why the King's Faction has the most researchers—and the most cardmakers trained from researchers."
"So now do you get it? If you want to become a cardmaker, I really can help you." Kexi tapped the books on the table. "But if you want to be a cardmaker, you must first become a researcher—choose the field you want to study, obtain research results, and then transition into a cardmaker.
"Becoming a cardmaker directly is possible, but you'd need Magus-level mana at minimum. And without original research results of your own, you can't create unique cards. A so-called 'cardmaker' like that is nothing more than someone who copies cards. Cardmakers in name only."
After his long explanation, Kexi pressed his lips together and asked again:
"So? Which path do you want to choose? If you want the first, I can get you a recommendation letter and send you straight into the academy's research institute. And since you saved the researchers at Site No.3: Ancient Ruins, they'd definitely be happy to take you.
"As for the second path, I can use my family's influence to get you a recommendation to a master cardmaker—but whether they'll accept you is another story. Those masters despise so-called 'cardmakers' who only copy cards."
Hearing this, Yuui's lips curled upward. Alicia was already staring at him with sparkling eyes.
"Of course I'll choose the second path! But I'm not going to be someone who only copies cards—I'll become a true cardmaker, creating cards that belong to us alone!"
...
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