“If I stop using any elf-related artifacts from now on, would that keep from falling into elf-induced illusions again?”
“In theory, yes. But in the wizarding world, there was once a case where soone used an elf artifact only once, then went mad years later. He went around telling everyone he had swallowed an elf whole. No one believed him, and in the end, he dissected himself and died.”
“Uh…”
“But you don’t need to worry too much. Whether you can break free of an elf’s illusion depends on your personal willpower. Judging by your performance just now, I’d say you don’t need to worry about being haunted by elves—at least for now.”
Saul lowered his head. The Whispers of the Elves in his hands were still talking to him.
Sotis it just cried aninglessly; sotis it repeated, “I’m going to die.”
But Saul no longer had the teasing attitude he had when telling the green-haired elf, his condolences.
“Watch it die. That bottle’s yours now. As for Kist, my opinion hasn’t changed. No matter what he plans, with your current strength you can only passively accept it. So you might as well channel your anxiety into a thirst for knowledge. I’d rather you actively pursue learning than risk your life just because of the threat of death.”
Gorsa stood up. “Only by becoming strong yourself can you stop fearing sches and conspiracies.”
He adjusted his cloak, carefully wrapping his entire body in the broad, reddish-brown fabric.
“You’ve probably noticed that so people in the Wizard Tower are starting to have their own agendas.”
Saul quickly stood up as well, thinking, So you did notice.
But he still responded respectfully, “ntor Kaz hinted at that.”
The most obvious example was ntor Rum. Saul always felt the man was severely depressed.
Gorsa, however, smiled without a care. “Yes—Monica is timid, Rum is lancholic, and Anze bears resentnt. But that doesn’t matter. As long as they complete the tasks I assign them on ti, it's fine.”
Saul hesitated for a mont, then couldn’t help asking, “Tower Master… aren’t you afraid they might gang up on you?”
Gorsa tilted his head. “No. Even the five of them together couldn’t beat .”
…
After Gorsa disappeared along with his couch, Saul sat in a daze for a while, cradling the dying Whispers of the Elves.
The gap between a Second Rank Wizard and a First Rank Wizard was even greater than he had imagined.
Saul had once killed Sid—soone a tier above him—using artifacts. And Sid, in turn, hadn’t seed particularly afraid when facing Byron, who was one tier above him.
No wonder the Tower Master once said that there was no essential difference between wizard apprentices. Only when one advanced to the rank of a true wizard would there be a true leap in quality and status.
Just then, the last leaf on the Whispers of the Elves in Saul’s hands fell off and vanished into the solution.
Only a bare, withered twig remained in the bottle.
The crying and whispering that had been echoing in Saul’s ears finally stopped completely.
He let out a sigh of relief and set the bottle on the lab table.
Three days later, after a full-body examination, Saul walked out of ntor Kaz’s laboratory.
He was escorted out by another Second Rank apprentice.
Angela, who previously managed the lab, had already left, but no one seed particularly interested in her departure.
In the Wizard Tower—or rather, in the wizarding world in general—people seldom concerned themselves with gossip that didn’t involve them.
Everyone was simply too busy.
The new apprentice managing Kaz’s lab was soone Saul had never seen before.
He was much older than Saul, yet treated him with exceptional respect.
He even walked Saul all the way to the lab entrance—almost the sa courtesy usually reserved for ntor Kaz himself.
“All done?” Keli greeted him at the door, her voice dull.
She was doing better than before—at least no longer wrapped in that immobile full-body armor. But she still wore a thick tal mask to absorb the toxic tals seeping from the skin on her face.
The skin on other parts of her body carried a faint tallic sheen, though she said it no longer affected her mobility.
“Yeah.”
“What’s your magic power now?” Keli asked eagerly.
“103.”
Hiss— Keli, just as Saul expected, managed to express pure envy, jealousy, and spite with only her exposed eyes.
“I thought I was doing great, raising mine to 80 during that mission… but you’re still a freak!”
“A freak?” Saul lifted his hand and waved it. “I paid with my life for this.”
Keli rolled her eyes, the gold in them gleaming. “Like you’re the only one.”
They walked side by side to the end of the corridor. Saul glanced back and saw that the Second Rank apprentice was still standing at the lab entrance, watching him.
“What is it?” Keli turned and looked too, then laughed. “Ha, your status isn’t what it used to be. You’ve been out of sight for so long, of course people are curious about you.”
“My status isn’t what it used to be?” Saul raised an eyebrow. “Why didn’t anyone tell ?”
“You didn’t know?” This ti it was Keli who looked surprised. “Among the senior apprentices, there’s a rumor that you’ve already been taken in by the Tower Master. They’re saying that at the very least, you’re guaranteed to reach Third Rank.”
“Only Third Rank?” Saul scoffed. “Can’t they dream a little bigger?”
“Co on! Spare a thought for those who joined the sa year as us but are still stuck at First Rank. Be a little human, would you?” Keli joked, then added, “So is it true? Are you really the Tower Master’s student?”
Saul thought for a mont. “The Tower Master has guided , but he hasn’t officially said he’d be my ntor.”
Keli imdiately gave him a knowing look. “Then he’s still testing you. Too bad… My own ntor said the Tower Master specializes in dark and light elents. Otherwise, he’d have gone to recomnd .”
When they reached the ramp where they would part ways, Saul called after her. “Didn’t you say you wanted to apply for a joint experint with ? Why haven’t I heard anything?”
“Ah…” Keli sighed and shook her head. “ntor Gudo gave a new project. I had to team up with… oh right, the one I ntioned before—Billy. Once I finish that, I’ll co find you.”
“Alright.” Saul shrugged.
“Even though the Wizard Tower has a ton of resources, sotis it’s not as free as it seems. You can’t always study what you want to study.” Standing on the ramp, Keli watched the busy apprentices passing by and sighed.
“Before I ca, I already knew my strongest affinity was with fire. I even made a whole plan for my studies based on that. But when I arrived, I realized there aren’t any ntors here who teach fire magic. I even considered whether I should’ve gone to a more academy-like wizard organization… like Baydon Academy.”
Seeing her uncharacteristically pensive, Saul wasn’t sure how to comfort her.
In this Wizard Tower, even powerful true wizards were forced to work on research they didn’t enjoy under the Tower Master’s pressure. What freedom could re apprentices expect?
Saul was fortunate. When the unseen hand pushed him onto the path of a wizard apprentice, the direction he was forced into just so happened to align with his own goals.
And what elent could be more fitting for the Dead Wizard’s Diary than darkness?
Seeing Saul’s silence, Keli suddenly waved and laughed, “You’re not feeling sorry for , are you?”
Before Saul could reply, she raised her fist. “It’s fine! Even if my main elent is tal, I’ll still do great! My ntor told the Tower Master originally specialized in light magic, but switched to darkness, and he’s still the strongest Second Rank on the Western Continent. I can do it too!”
Gorsa: I'm not targeting anyone…
(End of Chapter)
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