The Aspiring Mage and the Grand Expedition

Elena rubbed her cheek where Ai Ou had just pinched it and puffed them out.

“Young Master, please don’t pinch my face anymore! You’ll make it swell up! Hmph! If you keep doing this, I won’t talk to you anymore! For a whole day—no, I won’t talk to you for an hour, unless you apologize to me!”

Elena detested having her face pinched. Although Ai Ou always insisted her face was slender and perfectly sculpted, she secretly felt her cheeks were a bit chubby. With Ai Ou’s incessant pinching, she worried her face would only grow rounder.

“Alright, alright, my apologies, Lady Elena. I won’t pinch your cheeks again. But who can blame me when you’re so adorable? I just can’t resist!”

As he spoke, Ai Ou’s hand found its way to Elena’s head, and he began to stroke her hair. ‘Mmm, so soft, so comfortable,’ he thought.

“Oh! Young Master, don’t just randomly pat people’s heads! It’ll stunt their growth!”

Elena swatted Ai Ou’s mischievous hand away, rolling her eyes as she pouted coyly.

“Young Master, stop it! I’m really going to get angry now! Patting my head will make me stop growing! Aside from you, no one else dares to touch my head, hmph!”

“How much taller do you want to be? You’re only fifteen, isn’t a height of 1.7 meters enough?”

“Not enough! I want to grow to 1.85 meters, at least taller than you, Young Master! That way, I’ll be able to pat your head, and I’ll make you look up at me when we talk!”

Elena envisioned herself at 1.85 meters, patting Ai Ou’s head while he couldn’t reach hers, and she couldn’t help but giggle.

Ai Ou watched Elena’s innocent and carefree demeanor, finding it difficult to shatter her dreams. Girls typically finished growing by fifteen or sixteen; further growth was highly improbable. Surpassing him… perhaps she could try in her dreams.

****

Allen White’s territory was a rather large island within the empire’s waters. Due to its peripheral location, only three or four viscounts and barons shared the land, all of them separated from the empire by the sea. Consequently, reaching the imperial capital required a ship journey to the mainland.

Influenced by the feudal system, commoners were largely self-sufficient. Unless under special circumstances, they rarely left their hometowns. Upon arriving at the port, only a sparse few individuals were waiting for the ship bound for the capital.

Ships to the mainland departed only once a week. Missing it meant finding accommodation near the port and waiting another week before attempting the crossing.

Ai Ou and Elena disembarked from the rhino carriage and immediately checked if they had missed their departure. Meanwhile, the old butler, Maud, transformed the rhino carriage back into a normal-sized rhino and led it aside to be fed.

This was the advantage of magical creatures: their ability to control their size. It was the only way the rhino carriage could be brought aboard the ship; otherwise, such a massive vehicle would never fit.

After confirming they hadn’t missed their ship, Ai Ou and Elena went to inspect the vessel they would be boarding. A small ship, merely a dozen meters long, rested calmly at the portside, with a guard standing bored at the entrance.

“Young Master, look at that one! It’s so big and luxurious! Even the Master’s territory doesn’t have such a magnificent ship!”

Elena tugged on Ai Ou’s sleeve, pointing towards another section of the port.

Following Elena’s gaze, Ai Ou saw a luxurious cruise ship docked nearby. It was truly grand, stretching over a hundred meters. Compared to the vessel they were about to board, their ship looked like a mere toy. Elena’s eyes gleamed with envy as she beheld the opulent cruise ship.

At that moment, Ai Ou noticed two figures chatting by the entrance of the luxury cruise ship. They wore black robes that struck him as somewhat familiar; they resembled the black robes Oreo often wore. Moreover, Ai Ou detected faint elemental fluctuations emanating from the two individuals.

‘They’re mages, just like me!’

Ai Ou made this judgment internally, a surge of excitement rising within him. These were the first mages he had encountered apart from Oreo.

Generally, mages would not venture into such impoverished backwaters, let alone have such a luxurious cruise ship docked here. It clearly indicated a mission, or perhaps…

Recalling knowledge he had gleaned from books, Ai Ou formed a rough hypothesis and immediately dashed towards the two mages.

“Hey! Young Master!”

“Elena, wait for me here. Don’t wander off. I’ll be right back, don’t worry, I’ll be fine!”

In short order, Ai Ou reached the two mages. The mages, who had been engrossed in conversation, paused upon seeing Ai Ou rush over. Though Ai Ou was tall, a hint of youthful naivety was still discernible in his features. Having been mages for a long time, the two could tell at a glance that Ai Ou was certainly no older than twenty. One of them inquired:

“Little friend, what brings you here?”

Their demeanor was rather amiable.

“Hello, you two must be esteemed Mages, correct? I once met a mage, and he wore robes just like yours.”

Upon hearing Ai Ou’s respectful address, the two seemed pleased. They did not dismiss him but engaged in conversation.

“You have keen insight, little friend. Indeed, we are mages. I am a Tier 2 Mage, and this is a Tier 3 Mage. Your judgment is quite impressive.”

“This ship, it must belong to you, right? Esteemed Mages, where is this ship headed, and what is its purpose?”

Upon hearing Ai Ou’s questions, the two could have chosen not to answer. However, Ai Ou’s repeated use of “esteemed” pleased them greatly. In the academy, they were rarely shown such respect, and during this particular expedition, they had been assigned to guard the ship precisely because they were the lowest-ranked.

“This ship isn’t ours; it belongs to our academy. We are mages from the Imperial Capital Mage Academy, and we are on an academy expedition this time.”

The younger-looking Tier 2 Mage kindly explained.

“So, this ship is headed for the Imperial Capital then! Esteemed Mages, do you think I could join you? I happen to be going to the Imperial Capital myself, and it’s on your way. Oh, and I have money; I won’t ride for free!”

The two mages burst into laughter upon hearing Ai Ou’s words, as if they had heard something amusing. They exchanged glances and chuckled, seemingly mocking his audacity.

“Little friend, are you telling a joke?”

“Indeed! Little friend, how old are you?”