The Journey to the Capital Begins

A towering rhino carriage lumbered along the winding mountain path.

Rhino carriages were wondrous magical conveyances, ingeniously crafted by mages. Through special enchantments, a spacious interior was carved within the rhino’s body, leaving the creature unharmed. Moreover, the magic caused the rhino itself to grow to an immense size, making these carriages a mode of transport exclusively reserved for the nobility.

The rhino carriage was piloted by an old butler with a full head of white hair and a matching beard. Despite his age, his frame remained surprisingly robust, allowing him to sit with a remarkably steady posture as he steered the colossal beast.

“Butler Maud, where are we now?”

A young girl peered out from the magical window inside the rhino carriage, asking the old butler. Maud surveyed their surroundings before responding:

“Elena, please inform the Young Master that we should reach the docks by tonight. If he is in a hurry, I can urge the rhino to move faster!”

Just then, a handsome youth with light golden hair, a high-bridged nose, and deep-set eyes leaned out of the window. He addressed Maud:

“Butler Maud, there’s no need to rush. We’re in no hurry, so please don’t push yourself. Steering the rhino carriage is arduous enough; I don’t want you to get hurt. Just maintain a steady pace.”

This group was none other than Ai Ou and his companions.

After Oreo declared Ai Ou’s magical talent, Allen had made a crucial decision the very next morning. He resolved to send Ai Ou to study at the Empire’s Magic Academy, determined not to squander his magical gift.

After all, mages were rarely seen in their remote backwater. Meeting Oreo a few days prior had been a stroke of pure luck. To keep Ai Ou there would be an utter waste of his magical potential.

Thus, Allen spared no expense, acquiring a rhino carriage. This magical conveyance traveled three times faster than an ordinary horse-drawn carriage, yet offered far superior stability. Sitting inside, one felt no vibrations whatsoever, making it the preferred mode of transport for nobles.

Though Allen was loath to part with Ai Ou, he sent him off for the sake of his future.

Before their departure, he assigned Ai Ou an old butler skilled in driving rhino carriages, and Elena, the most beautiful girl in the entire territory, to serve as his personal maid. The trio set off towards the docks, intending to take a cruise ship to the capital’s harbor.

Moreover, Allen handed Ai Ou a thousand gold coins—an amount equivalent to half a year’s tax revenue from his territory, enough for an ordinary family to live comfortably for a lifetime. This sum was meant to cover Ai Ou’s travel expenses, tuition fees, and daily living costs, ensuring his comfort in the capital.

Given the rural nature of their small territory, and Allen’s reluctance to exploit his commoners, funds were typically scarce. A thousand gold coins truly represented half a year’s worth of taxes. Yet, for Ai Ou’s sake, Allen painfully relinquished the sum, believing that no student should suffer poverty, and no child should endure hardship.

Ai Ou still recalled Allen patting his shoulder before he left, saying, ‘If it’s not enough, write home. We will send you more. All you need to do is study hard; don’t worry about anything else.’

Having lived with Allen for so long, Ai Ou was deeply moved by such paternal affection.

And so, under the guidance of Butler Maud, Ai Ou and his young maid, Elena, embarked on their journey to the capital.

“Young Master, is this magic?”

Elena watched the fireball in Ai Ou’s hand constantly change, a mix of awe and curiosity in her eyes as she observed his practice.

At just fifteen, Elena was at an age where everything sparked her interest. Though she usually suppressed her true nature as a maid, her innate curiosity was shining through. As the most beautiful girl in the White territory, she had been sent to the White household at age eleven to serve as Ai Ou’s maid.

As they traveled further from home, and given Ai Ou’s consistent amiability over the years, Elena’s girlish nature gradually began to show, and she shed her once subdued demeanor.

“Yes, Elena. Would you like to learn?”

This newfound magical control was a change Ai Ou had noticed in himself ever since returning from Dragon Isle.

Ever since he revived Dragon Isle and brought the Fire Dragon King Erza into existence, Ai Ou found he could control the fire elements of the world at will. It was as if Erza’s innate ability as the King of Fire Elements had been bestowed upon him. Perhaps due to Ai Ou being the Isle Lord of Dragon Isle, coupled with Erza’s revival through his blood, Ai Ou could also wield Erza’s unique powers.

Take the Fireball spell he was currently manipulating. Typically, casting a Fireball required reciting an incantation, with its size determined by the amount of mana infused. But for Ai Ou, a Fireball was merely a simple aggregation of fire elements. With a mere thought, the fire elements in the world would converge, responding to his mental command as effortlessly as moving an arm and consuming barely any mana.

This was a feat mages usually achieved only at higher tiers: instant casting, sacrificing the incantation and some power for rapid spell deployment.

Yet, Ai Ou was different. He required no incantation, and not only did the spell’s power not diminish, but it actually increased, far exceeding the potency of a Tier 1 Fireball spell as described in the notes.

Oreo’s notes detailed four spells. Excluding the meditation technique, three remained: Fireball, Magic Shield, and Water Stream.

Perhaps because only Erza had been revived, while Fireball could be controlled freely, Magic Shield transformed into an instant Fire Magic Shield in Ai Ou’s hands. As for Water Stream, it consumed about half his mana and could only generate roughly a pitcher’s worth of water, proving quite strenuous.

Nevertheless, the mana-free Fireball and Fire Magic Shield provided Ai Ou with both offensive and defensive magical capabilities, granting him a significant degree of self-preservation.

Upon hearing Ai Ou’s words, Elena’s face instantly lit up with excitement. However, as if remembering something, her expression fell. She frowned, her voice pitiful as she said:

“Elena would love to, but… Elena knows she has no talent. Unlike a genius like the Young Master, Elena is just an ordinary person.”

Seeing Elena’s adorable expression, Ai Ou gently pinched her cheek.

“Silly girl,” he said. “Don’t worry about that. With me here, what do you have to fear? Once I become a powerful mage, I’ll find a way for you to become one too!”

Ai Ou wasn’t speaking idly. As the owner of Dragon Isle, he believed he would undoubtedly become an incredibly powerful mage in the future, and thus, he would surely find a way for Elena to become a mage. After all, in this world, dragons were revered alongside gods, magnificent beings of equal mystery!