Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Kevin Rother was a regular noble wizard. His declining aristocracy had regained a little incline thanks to his qualification as a wizard.
However, all this faced tremendous change as he was struggling to revitalize the household.
He was selected amongst the wizards to become one of the chosen ones who could forge a pledge with a dragon.
This was of the utmost glory and in the entire Deladia Empire; only wizards at Level Five could be called Great Wizards and be at an equal social class as nobles. Level Four wizards were at an awkward phase where they would be neither here nor there.
Kevin thought that being thirty over years old, his wizardry potential had reached its maximum and he could improve no further. Yet, who would have thought he would be struck with such a good luck.
“Perhaps it could bring about a turn for the better for my daughter and family.” He was holding this thought as he went ahead to the empire’s assessment point.
In the circular building of the assessment point, he found out that he wasn’t the chosen minority.
Those chosen for the pledge constituted about more than ten wizards in just their town. Amongst them were Level Three and Level Two wizards. God knows how these Level Two wizards made their way in as the Dragon Alliance Treaty required a large payment to sustain just one time summon.
“Your turn.” Kevin was pushed in the line from behind. He returned to his senses and walked ahead to sign his name on a book.
“If you are selected by the dragons, this badge will become your summoning tool to communicate coordinates.
“Don’t lose it,” The official in charge of general affairs gave a reminder. He was also a Level Five Great Wizard and he said so coldly, carrying an aura of a commanding authority.
“Understood, sir.” Kevin took the badge and left the pack in a hurry. He shifted his head to look at the line behind him. There were still seven eight of them. He felt a little perplexed.
Walking out of the assessment point, he turned back to look behind him with worry. Wizards from far and wide were still rushing into the white, circular, bread-like assessment point, getting up and down the horse carriages and walking in.
These wizards had one thing in common: wealth.
Kevin felt a little down in the dumps. Upon receiving news that he had been selected, he thought he had lucked out. However, he didn’t think that there were this many who were selected as well.
“Wizard Kevin.”
A crisp voice was heard coming from the side.
Kevin turned to the voice. It was a young lady with green skin. He recognized her. It was Selena, the only Druid around town.
“Tree Crust Spell?
“Master Selena, have you encountered some trouble?” He asked in shock. The Tree Crust Spell was only cast on self during battle. This was a Level Five spellcraft and could last for a long time. It could last up to a day.
“No, I just came across a berserk wild boar,” Selena did not explain further. Druids had always remained neutral and cold. They rarely spoke to outsiders on their private matters.
“But as for you,” She looked at the badge in Kevin’s hand. “An advice for you. If it were me, I would never accept this badge. Once you summoned a dragon, you’ll know what’s bound to happen.”
Selena and Kevin were on good terms. Both of them often traded potions and materials with each other. For her to offer an advice, it was already going out of her way.
“You mean…?” Kevin wasn’t an idiot, he quickly connected the dots with recent activities in the empire.
“The higher-ups of the empire have signed the Dragon Alliance Treaty with Red Dragon, Black Dragon, White Dragon, Green Dragon, a total of thirteen clans.
“There’s over a hundred adult dragons and a few hundred young dragons that joined the treaty.
“Why is all this happening?”
Selena dully said this and glanced at the badge in Kevin’s hand. “Don’t let the people around you be sad.”
Saying this, she left following the dirt yellow streets to the direction where she stayed without paying attention to Kevin anymore.
Kevin stood in front of his horse carriage, his mind was blank for a few seconds. He wasn’t like Selena who was a Level Five professional. For a professional at a Great Wizard level, even a Druid could be referred to as a Great Druid. It was a qualitative change from a Level Four and the channel of intel would be different. It was obvious that the input from Selena was a gesture arising out of goodwill.
“Master?” The coachman whispered at the side, “Do you want to leave?”
Kevin lowered his head and looked at the badge in his hand.
“Kevin?” A gorgeous female wizard saw him from afar and called in a tender voice, “You’re able to get a badge? Tsk tsk, really just about anyone can get their hands on the badge now, huh?”
The female wizard was accompanied by an old man in a Great Wizard robe. He was approximately over fifty and had a tough build. He dully glided his glance at Kevin.
“I hadn’t seen you for over ten years.
“You’re still making no progress, Kevin.”
“Great Wizard Chandela, Alice.” Kevin forced a smile and responded politely.
“The Grey Robes of Grey Shadow Society really is random. They just give such an important badge to just anyone,” Alice said in a sour attitude, “giving a badge to a low-level wizard who has no hope of leveling up. One summon would cost him his entire inheritance, what’s the point?”
Other wizards and passerby looked over. Kevin felt those surrounding them were looking at him as their gazes were scorchingly stabbing at him.
“What was it you said to me before?” Alice wasn’t going to let him off the hook. “There will be a day that I will stand before you as a Great Wizard! I’ll let you taste the feeling of regret!” She imitated an impassioned tone. She then stared at Kevin who has his head down with sarcasm.”
And now? I still hadn’t tasted the feeling of regret…”
“Can I go now?” Kevin felt miserable. He acted out in a sudden impulse and made a bold statement. He thought that he would be able to triumph over nature, surpass the endowment restriction and become a Level Five Great Wizard. Yet, more than ten years had passed, and he still remained a Level Four without any hope of breaking through.
Level Five was a stage where any professionals would admire with envy. To be able to reach this stage, they would uncover a specialty that was uniquely theirs.
And a Level Five Great Wizard could be more powerful than any regular wizard by a large margin. The key was the technique to cast instant spells.
To be able to grasp the instant casting technique on Level Zero and above spellcraft. Although this would exhaust double the everyday spell slot, such a technique would give the wizards an upper hand in battle without chanting.
This was a qualitative change.
“Just go then. You respond with the same line all the time, it’s so boring!” Alice was obviously trying to put him down. As a matter of fact, although wizards weren’t as ingenuine with etiquette as nobles, they wouldn’t go too far in public. Alice did this as the conflict they had had was overwhelming.
When she broke up with Kevin and found the present Great Wizard partner, she once felt guilty and planned to offer Kevin a hefty amount of compensation, but Kevin chased her out of the door in public, tossing all of them out. He even threw in a promise boldly saying that he would one day make a breakthrough to Great Wizardry and stand before her, making her feel the taste of regret.
Yet, more than ten years had passed. Their daughter was now over ten years old yet Kevin remained in Level Four like the majority of low-level wizards who could almost never see the day they would make a breakthrough into Level Five.
Only one in a hundred wizards could make a breakthrough into Level Five. It was considered a high ratio. This was as cruel as an apprentice at a threshold to formally become a wizard.
Kevin got up the horse carriage. Even the coachman felt his face burning. He hit the horse’s rear hard, rushing to leave the scene.
The houses and shops on both sides swept past one by one. The outsiders started to gather more and more on surrounding roads but Kevin did not have the mind to observe this.
He was bottling up with rage and wanted to release it, but he didn’t know how to.
He dared not take action. The Great Wizard that Alice found had his own wizard tower. There were high and low ranks between Great Wizards. Great Wizards that has the support of nobles to build their own wizard towers were different amongst the common Level Fives.
A Level Five Great Wizard within the range of the wizard tower could fight against a Level Six professional.
Hence, that old man that was named Great Wizard Chandela wasn’t someone he could just go against or defy.
Now he just wanted to return him to see his daughter. As long as his daughter was able to have a better development and future, everything else did not matter.
His daughter now was his everything.
He placed all hope onto Maria.
The town wasn’t large. The horse carriage exited the town and passed Forest Cathedral to his household residence. A little estate that wasn’t that bad.
A large pinwheel lay erected between a few areas of infertile land. A black stone house was deep within with its own front garden. Looking from afar, one could see a figure caring for the plants in the garden.
Kevin looked at the figure in the faraway garden. It was a young graceful teenager more than ten years old. She was similarly dressed in a wizard’s robe, but there was a special white robe with a moon crescent symbol embedded in the chest.
That crescent moon represented an elite group under the Grey Shadow Society – Moon Trace Watchers. Those who were chosen to join the Moon Trace Watchers were absolute geniuses who were elite and had the chance to venture immediately into Great Wizardry.
The Grey Shadow Society was a large wizard organization that stretched across the Deladia Empire. If the Snow City of Deladia Empire was the highest assembly point for imperial wizards, then the Grey Shadow Society was the entire region, including all the wizards’ gigantic alliances in all five major empires. They represented the glory and ultimate achievement of battle wizards in the north. It was not something that could be compared with the Snow City. It was worthy of the strongest existence of the highest order.
Every time he changed upon this crescent moon symbol in his daughter, Kevin would overcome with deep comfort. Although he couldn’t make it, his daughter could.
The horse carriage galloped along the pathway between the fields and reached the front of the house.
Kevin got down the carriage and instructed the coachman to park the carriage. He took large strides to his daughter.
“Maria.” He wasn’t close but his loud voice was heard first. “Weren’t you in Casweya? How did you find the time to visit me?”