Headmaster Titus Yhandrus opened his eyes from meditation as the messenger walked into the document-stuffed office. The young elf lad almost knocked over a large stack of forms and applications.
“Have you found any information about Raider? Can you identify him?”
The messenger bowed deeply. “Headmaster, I apologize for my failure. There is no Raider in any of our records. I believe it was a wandering magician.”
Titus cursed under his breath, but he refused to drop the search. The frantic look in his nephew’s eyes upon meeting a non-associated master magician couldn’t be ignored. It was also likely that this mystery person had remained undetected his entire life, hoping to avoid the Lord Ruler’s gaze. Who knew what kind of secrets to magic he held? Mathis noted that he had a power and defense that could match the Black Knight at his strongest. This couldn’t be some random, untrained, unassociated man, right? The Black Knight was trained by the Midnight Dragon himself before it went insane.
His nephew Mathis wasn’t the best magician around, and Titus had pulled a few strings to get him enlisted with the court magicians. Hopefully, he’d rapidly gain some strength under their training programs.
The headmaster let out a sigh. There was so much on his plate that he barely had time to breathe. The royal family were looking for someone powerful enough to train into the next Black Knight. Why not just contact the blasted Red Knight to investigate the Black Cross’s disappearance?
Then again, they needed the Red Knight to remain as their ambassador in the Astral Empire and keep the nations on friendly terms. The empire may be huge, but its current leader preferred peace over further expansion. Just thinking about the day of succession made the headmaster sweat. The ruthless gaze of the emperor’s son felt like a giant spike of fire, and it remained with him this day. He prayed to never receive an invitation from the Lord Ruler to join him on a trip to the empire again.
Suddenly, someone else rushed in. “Headmaster, there’s a rumor that came from the east. I know you hate them, but I believe it has something to do with Raider. His name is whispered in a small city called Wingston.”
“So, he passed through Wingston,” Titus said, annoyed. “So what? He could’ve gone to that city two weeks from there or taken a path to Wanda knows where.”
“I’m not so sure,” the young woman said. “One of the claims just happens to coincide with a report about Drew Starrigon, a breakaway faction from the Crimson Sect, and their untimely demises. They believe Raider is behind these events too. I do doubt he had anything to do with the desertion of the Black Cross. If he came across Andros, he’d either be ignored, recruited, or slain for offending him.”
“Andros isn’t that barbaric, just a coldhearted bastard,” Titus said. “And who could blame him?” He shook his head. “Let’s not derail onto that topic and attract the limes and the lemons.” The headmaster’s excitement continued to increase. “For now, let’s focus on the correlation here. All of Raider’s activities have been in the east.”
“With all due respect, Headmaster, what happened to getting the hero to join the academy?” the woman asked.
Titus waved off her comment. “What hero?”
The woman flinched but didn’t take the headmaster’s comments as blasphemous. But intriguing.
“The hero’s party shouldn’t be forced into confinement here,” Titus continued. He sighed. “My daughter, Nuwa. I just hope she finds her way through the weight of this Wanda-forsaken kingdom. She’s just like her mother, so pure it’s painful.”
“Do you think it’s possible that… the Raider and the hero’s party are connected?” the woman asked.
Titus’s eyes widened. “Is it a coincidence that the Black Cross just abandoned their contracts and deserted? Or were they killed by the Raider? The Raider and the hero are not the same, or Manthis would’ve sensed it. If there’s one use for court magicians, besides being insufferable jackasses, it’s that they’re quite good at sensing aura. Even the Black Knight started off as a court magician, before lucking out into that rare tracking skill.”
A flash of envy seemed to appear in the headmaster’s eyes before he shook his head.
“So what do you plan to do, Headmaster?” the elf asked. “Is it possible that one wandering cultivator is causing chaos in the east without the Lord Ruler so much as noticing?”
“No,” Titus replied, annoyance in his voice. “There are some significant figures that live in and around the east. Not even a master magician would want to live his life with just enemies. Wandering or not, a lonely life as a powerful magician could lead to insanity.”
“Lonely, huh,” the woman said, a small smile forming upon her face, only to vanish at the glare of the headmaster.
“Wandering magicians aren’t always single and ready to start a bloodline with any random woman,” Titus snapped.
The woman flushed. “I wasn’t thinking about that! What if the women in the hero’s party…?” She paused at the glare from Titus.
“The hero’s party may be avoiding the capital and hopefully learning some things, but they, at the very least, are aware of their duties,” Titus said. “They do not have the time for courtships and marriages. Besides, it wasn’t the Lord Ruler who sent the Black Cross after them. You know who did it.”
“Second princess,” the woman said.
“There’s only one princess,” Titus corrected. “Her older sister has long since fled, not interested in participating in the death battle for the crown. Thankfully the brothers aren’t so fragile, or we’d have no generals.”
The bearded headmaster stood, allowing his aura that covered the room to return to him. His students breathed a sigh of relief, happy the massive weight was gone. “I don’t know if Raider’s still in the area. The Red Star may be able to give us some clues. If she’s still the same ambitious woman I knew, she may perhaps sell him out to us in a heartbeat. We’re the best academy in the kingdom. No one’s foolish enough to decline recruitment here when it guarantees a prosperous life for centuries.”
“For those able to stay alive,” the elf boy quietly added, but Titus ignored the smartass.
“Keep this under your skin, do you understand?” Titus said, mana in his voice. “If we run into Raider, treat him as if he’s already one of us. Start introducing academy concepts to him, get him orientated. This will set us far above our rivals, especially the Academy of Saints.”
Titus took pride in their own school, the Academy of Ascension. There were eight magical schools, but Ascension and Saints were the largest and most powerful among them.
Of course, academies weren’t just schools, but functioned similar to sects, research institutions, and even a small government. They were the hidden ace that protected the kingdom should any sect or rogue magician decide to arrange a coup. Not that they’d mean anything if the Peace Spawner decided he wanted to annihilate more of the population.
“Are we really going there?” the woman asked. “What about classes?”
“You’ll be excused,” Titus said. “Pack your things and be ready by tomorrow morning. I think the trip should be a lot smoother by flight. Perhaps an air vessel, flying treasures, or flight horse.”
“I suggest whatever’s less costly to our own mana,” the elf boy said. “Just in case the Raider turns out to be hostile. Or worse, a…”
“He’s not a cultist,” Titus said. “I can feel it. There’s no way the whispers would remain in Wingston if that were the case. The Red Star would’ve pled for help from the capital, perhaps the church, to deal with them.”
The elf boy shuddered, but his thoughts were likely the same as Titus’s. The less they bothered the church with these matters, the better. The Soul Saint still hadn’t recovered from his injuries from when he helped drive away the Peace Spawner.
To think the bastard escaped almost unscathed.
“Dismissed,” Titus said. “Remember, keep this secret. We must ally with this wandering master magician, not antagonize him. He’s the first master magician in history to not take control of a sect or organization of his own. To be unassociated is the biggest gift we’ve ever received from Wanda.”
“Maybe it would be better if he married into the kingdom?” the woman asked with a giggle. “He’d feel an undying loyalty, no?”
“He’s not marrying Nuwa, so get that out of your head,” Titus said, his voice almost a growl.
The elf boy and human woman looked at each other and then burst into laughter. The old headmaster glared at them, before sighing, letting the young adults have their fun.
“Simon, Luna,” he said. They looked at him, hopeful. “Don’t mess this up.”
Both elite students almost fell backward, appalled that the headmaster would imply that they’d let their competitiveness get in the way of the recruitment. Titus only smiled.
As he started toward the exit, he couldn’t help but wonder again about this mysterious Raider. A master magician that spooked his arrogant nephew toward the path of atonement. A man with the might and will that could potentially contend with the Black Knight. The fact that he didn’t exist in any of the databases, ones that had information of every sect, organization, and even secret groups and cults of the kingdom. Intelligence their enemies could only dream to have, which spoke of the Academy of Ascension’s might and influence. With a master magician employed, they would be literally unstoppable. Students could train or commence magical research for years in peace, as just the knowledge that a master magician resided in the academy would scare off potential threats.
Headmaster Titus had to do whatever it took to employ Raider, though he shuddered, wondering if Luna’s idea was the only way. He’d rather let the school go under than allow his daughter to marry against her will or to someone he didn’t approve. Perhaps if he was lucky, they’d crossed paths already without even looking in each other’s direction.
Even that lech, Ramon Thunderblade, failed at his attempts to seduce her, as the girl was on a level of purity that someone who thought with only their lower half could never comprehend. Nuwa could wield small fragments of the heavens because of it.
Prince Elric stared at the shadow messenger, his face expressionless. After a minute of thinking, he spoke.
“You overheard them speaking about a Raider and tried to identify him through the level one record base and still failed to find anything,” the prince said. He sighed. In all his thirty-five years of living, he’d never heard of something like this. Foreigners were easily identified through magic, their mannerisms, clothing, accents, currency, or even nation-specific magic use. The kingdom of Treyval had special magicians known as Bright Dust Shamans, after all. The church referred to them as heretics since they worshipped the Mindus instead of Wanda. Yet this Raider appeared to be a native. Or rather, no one knew since he hid his appearance.
“I believe Raider is but an alias,” the shadow messenger said. “But… it’s strange. Aliases shouldn’t be a problem for magical identification. It is possible that they’re telling the truth about him being an unassociated master magician.”
Elric shook his head. “I doubt it. Master magicians don’t pop into existence. It takes many years of intense training and acquiring the right spiritual treasures and herbs, which by then, a sect or academy would surely notice the genius.” He stood from his chair and walked toward the window. “Perhaps the headmaster will recruit this mystery man. If he does, find out about him. If he really is a master magician, then try to recruit him into the court magicians, of course, without getting us all killed.”
He turned back to the shadow. “Master magicians are dangerous. Some of them are walking deities, and the last thing you’d want to do is gain the gaze of one.” Elric shook his head. “It is a miracle that this unassociated master magician hasn’t simply walked into the capital, slayed the Lord Ruler, and taken the throne by force. It’s what I’d do.”
The shadow messenger chuckled. “What if he’s like the others? Prefers to remain in the shadows at the top of a powerful sect.”
“The three others are keeping each other in check, maintaining a balance,” Elric said. “Now, enough of this. Hide all trace of this conversation from your mind. We cannot allow Ling to know anything regarding to this.”
“Yes, Prince!”
As Prince Elric vanished, he wondered if he should write Raider into the competition for the throne. Chaos like that could result in bloodshed but would guarantee Ling didn’t win.
Then again, he didn’t enjoy the idea of losing his own shot at the throne.
While we closed in on our home, I went over the items I received.
[Bracer of the Heavens. Item rank: AAA. Item quality: Superior. A bracer capable of blocking very powerful attacks, magical and physical. You may use its essence to give your potions a minor boost. It is imperative to raise the price by 30% for any boosted potion.]
My mouth began to water, as we were already at a good start. My metaphorical hunger for loot growled for more. More! Okay, I’ll calm down. But the addiction of actual good loot felt like magical drugs.
The item itself was a golden bracer and really didn’t seem that special, aside from the massive pressure it emitted. Somehow it fit perfectly.
[Special Ingredient Brochure. Item rank: S. Item quality: Excellent. Looking for a specific ingredient? Tell the brochure. It will reveal to you and your party the nearest location and route.]
[Poison Creating and Antidote Kit. Item rank: BB. Item quality: Amazing. Create up to A-ranked antidotes and up to C-ranked minor poisons. No, you don’t have to be a malicious poison user, but can turn a profit. Perhaps you may be able to create something new or useful, but don’t try to introduce pesticides. Alchemists have already done it.]
[Legend of the Philosopher’s Stone Book. Item rank: S. Item quality: Extraordinary. Potion Makers and Alchemists are bitter enemies to the end due to a philosophy war hundreds of years ago. Potion Makers rallied for magic-based drinkable potions and also ways to enhance mana cultivation. Alchemists rallied for science-based solutions and more practical items that didn’t risk customers to the dangers of magic. Potion Makers wanted to perfect magic to make it usable for everyone. Alchemists wanted magic banned. In the end, the groups split ways. However, there was a third, silent faction. Alchemists that wanted to combine magic and science through the use of a forbidden super item known as the Philosopher’s Stone. This group called themselves Red Alchemists or Sons and Daughters of the Philosopher’s Stone. They continue to search for any piece of it in hopes to one day make it whole again, for it may grant their wishes of immortality, give them the ability to transmute any metal into gold, and to burst into a magician rank never before seen.]
[Philosopher’s Stone Fragment. Item rank: SSS. Item quality: Exotic. Fragment of a frighteningly powerful stone.]
My eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as they widened. Shit. Borderline cultists searched frantically and desperately for a mythical object and the system passed the hot potato to me. What a dick.
If there was anything that could put everyone around me in danger, it’d be the fucking philosopher’s stone.
And fuck, I felt like my consciousness split into two as they went to war with each other. Half of me was overjoyed to have an exotic item and one as powerful as this, suited for my class. The other half tried to chuck the stone as far away as possible while we were miles in the sky.
Well… the system made the choice for me, preventing the philosopher’s stone from being selected. I didn’t even know I had an inner inventory. Or rather, some kind of… soul space… until the system revealed it.
[Cannot be removed from inventory. The Philosopher’s Stone Fragment has soldered to your soul space. Collect all fragments to summon it.]
Oh fuck. That happened. Knowing my luck—or misfortune, depending on one’s perspective—the system planned to hand me these things on a silver platter, just watch. How the hell would I get better at my class with so many distractions? If you could call this terrible situation the system pulled me into a mere distraction.
On the other hand, the philosopher’s stone felt like the end game of all alchemists and even potion makers. I knew damn well that using it would have an awful cost. But what if I simply hid it from the others, kept them from using it to take over the world or whatever the cult planned?
Sense finally returned to me, as if both halves of myself came to an agreement. Collect the pieces whenever I spotted them, then seal it off. The system could get me the fragments, but I knew better than anyone that it couldn’t control me.
In almost every story, the philosopher’s stone ate the user’s soul in exchange for whatever they planned to do with it, and it never worked. Not a single good ending that I could recall. To think it was actually real.
I knew one day I’d have to interact with an alchemist, but honestly, I hoped it was to purchase items. Not getting dragged into whatever bullshit that happened hundreds of years ago. Just what could this mean?
This soured my excitement for my other gains, such as more gold and silver, some platinum coins, the twenty thousand spirit coins, and of course the most important thing of them all: the magic brochure. Combined with the guidance system, finding the ingredients should no longer be a pain in the ass, unless they were dungeon exclusive. In which case, we’d still have hours of traveling by foot.
The alchemist book seemed interesting and included some basic recipes. In fact, the utility potions were probably as close to alchemy as I’d get before they got powered by mana to fulfill their purpose.
I could understand both sides, potion makers and alchemists. One side wanted to have magic work for humanity. The other side reasonably believed it to be too much of a danger, especially to everyday people. A clash of ideas.
I snapped out of my thoughts as we neared our home. Three figures were exiting the town to walk toward it. A man, a child, and… a fox? The potion of eagle sight helped me to notice Wolverine staring right at them, his posture not exactly aggressive, but prepared for anything.
Cheetara, on the other hand, was looking at us, eagerly spinning around and waving. Suddenly she jumped, landing right in my lap, and snuggled into me.
“I missed you too, Cheetara,” I said.
She hopped into Milia’s lap a moment later, also giving her some love.
“Hi Cutie,” Milia said. Cheetara meowed. “Yes, of course I missed you.” She hugged the kitten, gaining a purr in return.
I whistled. “Wolverine. Come here, boy!”
I hopped from Beakwing and accepted the embrace of my wolf, who damn near immediately lost interest in the approaching trio.
“Tonight’s a good night for some family time, right Beakwing?” I said moments after everyone landed.
The giant eagle-like magical beast let out a noise of joy and approval.
