Arcane Innovator

After we finished our long talk and my parents reluctantly agreed to let Helga come with me to the city, I decided to take a small vacation from the hustle and bustle of the city and spend a few peaceful days in the village.

I stayed for the rest of the day at my parent's house. We talked and enjoyed each other's company, as no one knows when we will get a chance to meet again. The next day, I decided to take advantage of the nice sunny weather and venture into the Forest to look for umbrifila.

I walked under the dark foliage of the majestic trees, smiling as I took in the sight of all the familiar places I used to frequent in the past. I moved quickly between the trees, visiting all my old spots.

With both my magic sense and the fact that none of the villagers are gathering them, I was able to score a grand total of 90 herbs after only a half-day of searching. 'Not bad...' I thought excitedly, already imagining how many potions I would be able to make...

I looked at the big haul with amusement. A few years ago, this would have been a tremendous amount of money for me. But now this is just a drop in the bucket. Oh, how the times change...

Then I found a nice spot near the waterfall I used to play around with Helga when we were kids and went on to dry them, trying my best to preserve them perfectly. Although it was not necessary, as nobody is going to pay me extra for the slightly higher efficiency of the potions, I still didn't want to do a half-assed job.

As the sun began lowering itself behind the horizon, I decided to call it a day and start heading back to the village. I went through the center, taking in the familiar sights of the Vogt's house and the small wooden temple.

Several villagers who were returning home from their long day of work in the fields looked at me surprisingly with wide eyes as they recognized me, and so I greeted them.

"Good evening..." I said with a subtle smile as I was passing them. They stopped in their tracks, throwing confused looks at my new expensive clothes.

"Good evening to you too, boy... Wait, aren't you Gorn's youngest son?" An older farmer asked.

"We last heard that you moved to the city a few years back..." Another villager interjected.

"Yes, I live in the city now. I came back to see my family," I replied to them.

"Haha! And how come you now look like some pampered nobleman?" The older farmer laughed.

"Yeah, weren't you there learning some craft as an apprentice?" The other one asked.

I chuckled to myself when I saw them acting like a pair of gossipers. As I was still in a great mood after I managed to gather so many herbs, I decided to make a little joke, so I struck a confident pose and said in a deep voice:

"What do you mean? I'm now an Aspirant of the Arcane arts, recognized by our Liege Lord, the Count of Ereneth himself!"

Contrary to my expectations, they didn't laugh but instead took me seriously. They paled with horror and dropped to their knees.

"We are so sorry, Sir! Please forgive our rudeness!" They pleaded desperately.

I just stood there with a silent "Huh?" hanging on my lips. Then I just shook my head and smirked at their antics. I thanked the gods that I was gifted a talent for magic, as without it I would be one of those simple peasants forever bound in servitude...

I then quickly returned to my parent's house, and after spending another night there, it was time for me to return to the city. I was glad I could come here not only to catch up with my parents but also as it reminded me of my humble origins and the long way I went from where I started...

When I returned to the city in the afternoon the next day, the first thing that greeted me when I stepped into the doors of my humble room was the sight of three letters being slipped under them.

'Hmm, what is this all about?' I thought with curiosity, as it was kind of rare for me to get any message at all, and now I got three at once...

I looked at them one by one. The first was from the Merchants Guild, telling me to come by as the information I requested had finally arrived.

'Great! Some good news at last...' I thought happily. I quickly skimmed through the other two messages. One was from Myra's father, inviting me for dinner. The second was from the Court wizard, Sir Roderick... also invited me for dinner.

'Huh? What's with all those dinner invitations? When did I become so popular?' I thought incredulously. But then I smirked as I realized it probably had something to do with my newly discovered magic talent.

'This is exactly why I wanted to keep it secret in the first place. Now everyone will either try to befriend me or take advantage of me...' I sighed. But there is no point in crying over spilled milk; I just have to deal with it as it comes.

The invitation from the Vogt didn't have a set date, so it wasn't a pressing issue, and I can postpone it. The one from Sir Roderick however... It was set for tomorrow, and as it came from a noble, I couldn't refuse it, although I didn't want to come anywhere near that old creepy wizard.

'I should have stayed in the village for longer...' I thought frustratingly, as not being in the city would be a valid excuse. 'Hmm, maybe I'll be able to take a peek at his books once more.' I smiled mischievously.

Still, I decided to first take care of the matter with the Guild, so after a quick refreshment and a change of clothes, I was on my way to the Fortress.

"Good day to you, Master Darian!" The familiar lady clerk greeted me cheerfully. "The inquiry you have requested has arrived. I have it ready for you right here..."

I smiled as I accepted the long-awaited letter from her hands. "Thank you."

"If you need anything else in the future, don't hesitate to place a request with our Guild!" She smiled at me brightly as I was hurriedly leaving, eager to find out more about the Grand Tower.

'It had cost me a whole silver mark, so it better be worth it...' I thought as I broke the seal and started reading.

Slowly, a subtle smile crept up on my face as I found out that what I read in Sir Roderick's book was mostly true. It was in fact one of the most prestigious schools of magic on the whole continent, and they also accepted anyone who showed sufficient talent, even commoners.

If I managed to graduate from there, it would be a straight ticket into nobility, and due to the school's prestige, their graduates were highly valued and respected.

'Then it's settled...' I grinned from ear to ear. When I turn 15, I'm going to apply there, and I will finally become a real mage. I didn't worry too much about the supposed difficulty of the Tower.

Although I had no idea how good the kids from the Legacy families were, from what I was able to see at the Measuring ceremony, I was pretty sure my own talent was well above average, so I shouldn't have too much trouble at the academy—at least I hope so.

I then decided to write a message to Theo and ask him to meet with me, as I wanted to ask him about how to go about requesting a magic tutor and also how to deal with Sir Roderick, as he was a family friend of Theo's before I went to that dinner...

***

"Hahaha! Congratulations! It seems you will soon leave me in the dust." Theo said jokingly. It was the next day, and we were sitting in Theo's favorite inn while enjoying a cup of tea.

"Thank you, Theo. Honestly, I didn't think I had such a talent. Originally, I just wanted to try my luck..." I replied to his praise with a subtle smile while trying to appear humble.

"That was one hell of luck you had there..." He chuckled as he sipped his tea.

"Anyway, I wanted to ask you. How does one go about if he wants to place a request for a magic tutor?" I asked him eagerly.

"Hmm, if you want a magic tutor, you would need to send out a request through the Merchant's Guild network. That is how everyone does it." Theo told me after a while of pondering.

I blinked a few times, looking at him with a puzzled face. 'Wait... Does everything here happen through the Merchant's Guild?'

Theo then added with furrowed brows. "But are you sure you can afford it? Something like this will cost you a lot of silver..."

'Ugh, if Theo is telling me that it will cost me a lot, then it is probably enough to bankrupt most people...' I thought worriedly.

Luckily, my potion-making business was thriving like never before, and I was making so much money that I'm sure there was no chance I wouldn't be able to afford it. In the end, I just smiled at him smugly but didn't say anything.

Preferably, I wanted a graduate from the Grand Tower so that I could have the best possible preparation before I travel there in a few years...