The next day.
Inside Edwin’s room at the Magic Association Headquarters in Valantis City.
[To the esteemed Archmage Edwin, my revered mentor;
May you enjoy good health and prosperity in all your endeavors. Your student humbly offers these insignificant blessings and respects. More than ten years have passed since our parting in the Royal Capital. Though I have longed to visit, I have unfortunately been burdened by official duties, leaving no time for a proper audience. I deeply regret this…
Currently, my royal father has fallen ill, rendering him incapable of managing state affairs. My imperial elder brother, who has taken over governance, spends his days in revelry and pleasure-seeking, showing no ambition and neglecting the court.
Furthermore, since the nobles of the expeditionary army returned and learned of this situation, they have become emboldened, defying royal commands and forming six subtly divided noble factions. They have abandoned their original vows of loyalty, revealing their true wolfish ambitions and treacherous intentions!
At this critical moment for the nation’s survival, your student recognizes your unwavering loyalty and deeply admires the immense contributions you once made to the Royal Family. The Royal Family will never forget your profound kindness.
Therefore, I hereby elevate you to the rank of Duke, granting you dominion over Valantis City, with this title and its emoluments to be inherited by your descendants for generations! I implore you, my mentor, not to decline this offer and disappoint your student’s sincere intentions. Please assist the Royal Family diligently, serve the nation loyally, and restore an era of peace and prosperity to the people of the Kingdom of Alvia!
– Your humble student: Sixth Prince Alcius.]
“Alas…”
Edwin sighed, taking a vexed sip of water before setting down the letter from the Royal Capital. His brows furrowed so deeply they seemed to knit together.
“It seems the Kingdom of Alvia is headed for troubled times…”
Though he had long heard rumors of the four princes nearly tearing the kingdom apart in their power struggle, Edwin had not anticipated such a dire turn of events.
He was somewhat familiar with the six great noble families mentioned in the letter. Driven by their individual interests, they had each pledged support to one of the four princes.
First Prince Prodia held the Royal Capital, backed by the Beck and Drake families. Second Prince Sadis commanded the west with the Samsen family’s support. Fourth Prince Eric controlled the south, supported by the Dennis family, while Sixth Prince Alcius held the north, allied with the Donald and Edgar families.
The First and Sixth Princes wielded the most power, with the Second and Fourth Princes trailing behind. Consequently, to resist the stronger factions, the Second and Fourth Princes had forged an alliance, affording them a semblance of self-preservation.
This stalemate had persisted for approximately three years. When the former king was in good health, this fragile balance could barely be maintained. However, with the king’s health deteriorating daily, the equilibrium was now precarious.
Thus, even before the old king had passed, all four princes had already extended their reach towards the kingdom’s only unaligned region: the East.
Ironically, the East lacked a powerful feudal lord capable of wielding influence like the six great noble families elsewhere. To curry favor, the princes were now desperate, even casually bestowing ducal and marquis titles. Their message was clear: support me, and immense benefits await!
“No use thinking about it… no use at all…”
Edwin shook his head, clearing his mind. Seeking to alleviate the oppressive atmosphere, he decided to step outside for some fresh air.
[Knock, knock, knock—]
The sudden knocking startled Edwin. He quickly folded the letter, placing it into his desk drawer, and asked in a cool tone, “Who is it?”
“Teacher, it’s me!”
A voice as clear and melodious as a silver bell drifted from outside the door. Instantly, Edwin recalled the beautiful disciple he had taken in just yesterday.
She was a girl with mysterious red magic, incredibly gifted, yet utterly unfathomable.
In fact, not long after Leya had departed yesterday, Edwin had dispatched his trusted subordinates to search far and wide for any information regarding his new disciple. The results, however, were utterly bizarre!
Whether scouring the Kingdom’s census records or examining recent foreign arrivals, Edwin had turned everything upside down, yet he couldn’t find a single trace of the name “Leya.” It was as if she had materialized out of thin air.
Even the hotel staff where she stayed reported that his disciple couldn’t produce any proper identification, which was truly astonishing. He considered that if the eastern provinces hadn’t been in a prolonged state of unrest, Leya, with her complete lack of official identity, likely wouldn’t even have been able to secure lodging at a common inn!
“Teacher?”
“Ah… it’s Leya. Come in.”
“Hmph, Teacher, why did it take you so long to answer? I thought you’d gone somewhere.” Leya glanced left and right upon entering, appearing quite casual, yet her expression was somewhat displeased, her tone distinctly unhappy.
“Haha, at my age, where could I possibly go? But Leya, it’s only eight in the morning, and you’ve arrived so early. Your master is truly gratified.” Edwin stroked his flowing white beard, smiling genially.
“Yes, actually, I have some questions about ice magic that I can’t quite grasp. Although I’ve put in a lot of effort, I still feel my understanding is somewhat lacking.”
As she spoke, Leya produced the ice magic notebook she had compiled yesterday while disguised as Emilia. She opened it to a section filled with dense, meticulous notes.
‘Initially, Leya had resisted the idea of seeking Edwin’s help, for who knew what strange things this ill-intentioned, cheap master might try to do to her?’
‘However, a second thought—the potential rewards awaiting her upon mission completion—made her grit her teeth. Ultimately, she steeled herself and came.
“Oh? Excellent, excellent. It’s perfectly normal to have questions. Come, come, let your teacher take a look. But this book is….”
“Master?” Leya looked at Edwin with a hint of confusion.
His eyes wide, he took the notebook, his hands trembling slightly with astonishment. “This… this… how can this book contain so many spells of such incredibly high quality!?”
“There’s no mistake, no mistake at all. Even the weakest spells in this book are enough to make one marvel at their exceptional quality! Many are even Lv3… no, even Lv4 spells!”
‘…………’
‘Hey, System….’
[I know nothing. Tsk, tsk, I didn’t expect humans to be so weak nowadays. They get so excited over mere low-level advanced magic. There’s still intermediate, intermediate advanced, high-level, high-level advanced, saint-level, saint-level advanced, and finally, sanctuary-level magic to come, sigh…]
‘…………’