Early the next morning, the group of four left the villa and headed to the Magic Association on the other side of Lionheart City.
Compared to the bustling atmosphere of the Adventurers Guild and the Swordsman Guild, the Mages Guild was located in a more secluded area. After all, on the vast Ryan Continent, those gifted with magic were in the minority.
Most mages didn't need to travel everywhere daily like adventurers, so they established their headquarters in a quiet corner of the Lionheart City's inner district.
However, compared to the simple and grand architecture of the other two guilds, the Magic Association felt incomparably opulent. From the strange sculptures made of rare materials to the shiny ornaments and precious magical artifacts found everywhere on the walls, a sense of nobility permeated every corner.
“This place is so beautiful! Sister Aila, look at the lamps on the wall! And that golden sculpture! It looks so expensive!” As soon as she entered the front door, Rosal was captivated by the various glittering decorations, her eyes wandering all over the hall.
Unlike the excited young girl, the other three weren't particularly impressed by the surroundings. Aila and Blake were long accustomed to luxurious decorations, while Midir was simply indifferent. In his eyes, these were nothing more than useless ornaments with no practical value.
The person responsible for receiving them was a middle-aged man wearing green robes. After inquiring about their purpose, he gestured for Midir to go to a designated area for the registration test.
Because mages were few in number, the Magic Association didn't require candidates to wait for monthly slots like Rosal had for her swordsman evaluation. One could take the test at any time as long as the required fee was paid.
“Name, age, magic affinity, and fill in any other relevant information,” the middle-aged man said concisely, handing a form to Midir.
“Midir. For age, let's put thirty. As for magic attributes... I seem to know a little of everything. How should I write that?”
Upon hearing Midir’s description, a look of dissatisfaction appeared on the man's face, and he spoke with some impatience.
“What do you mean, ‘a little of everything’? Do you think you're some kind of polymath? Don't you know that having too many magic affinities isn't necessarily a good thing?”
“Huh? People still write things like that these days? If he were actually someone powerful, he wouldn't be coming in for an evaluation at thirty, would he? Does ‘a little of everything’ mean he can only use a fireball to light a fire or a light orb as a lightbulb?”
Just as Midir was about to answer, a cavalier voice came from behind, causing everyone present to look over.
A thin young man dressed in expensive clothes had approached them at some point, followed by several attendants.
“Oh? Isn't this Blake Rowena? I haven't seen you in a while, and you've fallen this low? The son of a Duke has actually become a lackey, hahahaha! And these two beautiful ladies are quite unfamiliar faces. Would you be interested in getting to know me?”
The thin young man looked at Blake with contempt before his gaze landed on the beautiful faces of the two girls, a trace of greed flickering in his eyes. Midir, standing at the counter, was completely ignored.
“This person is Rorschach Knuckle, the eldest son of Duke Knuckle from the Royal Capital. He's a notorious playboy. Since he's the eldest son, he has the right of inheritance; as long as he stays alive, he'll definitely inherit the title of Count,” Blake whispered to them, his brow furrowed as he glanced at Midir’s expression, barely restraining his temper.
“Knuckle? Never heard of him. Midir, hurry up and fill out the form so we can get this over with.” Aila was indifferent to Blake’s introduction. She rarely stayed in the Royal Capital and couldn't possibly know every high-ranking official and noble in the city.
Furthermore, seeing the greedy look in Rorschach’s eyes made her feel a sense of revulsion, so she began to urge Midir.
Rosal, seeing that both of them looked displeased, simply turned around and focused on the form in Midir’s hand.
Seeing that the group had no intention of acknowledging him, Rorschach Knuckle grew angry, his tone turning indignant.
“Listen, white-haired old man. Someone like you coming for their first evaluation shouldn't waste everyone's time. Aren't you embarrassed to show your face here in your thirties? Move aside and stop blocking me from making my application.”
Although Midir continued to ignore him as if he were thin air, Aila couldn't hold back anymore. She ground her teeth and spoke up.
“And you, Mr. Knuckle, what rank are you here to test for? You don't look exactly young yourself.”
“Hmph! I'm only in my early twenties! Today, I'm here for the Intermediate Mage evaluation. Isn't that much better than this silver-haired old guy? If you know what's good for you, move aside!”
“Tsk... Intermediate Mage? Is that supposed to be impressive? Hey! Sir, what is the highest rank evaluation you can perform here?”
Aila was annoyed by Rorschach’s arrogant attitude—usually, being arrogant was her privilege. She turned and asked the middle-aged man in green robes.
“Currently, the association can conduct evaluations up to the rank of Grand Mage. For any higher rank, an appointment must be made in advance. You aren't thinking of having him test for Grand Mage directly, are you? Miss, this is no joke! If someone makes a reckless application, the association will blacklist them,” the man in green robes replied seriously, frowning.
“Alright, Aila, stop arguing. I'll just apply for that. Sir, how much is the fee to apply for the Grand Mage evaluation?” Midir, who had been silent, sighed and stopped Aila before addressing the middle-aged man.
“Well, at least this gentleman has... What? You really want to apply for Grand Mage directly?” The man didn't react for a moment, utterly confused by Midir’s statement.
“That's right, this one. There's no rule saying I can't apply on my first visit, right?” By then, Midir had finished filling out the application form and handed it over.
“Let me think... It seems there isn't. However, the fee is one hundred gold coins. Is that a problem?” After careful consideration, the man realized there was indeed no such restriction in the regulations.
In any case, whether he passed or not, the fee would be collected. He'd be a fool to turn down money, wouldn't he? As for the blacklist, it wasn't his name going on it, so it had nothing to do with him.
Beside them, Rorschach Knuckle burst out laughing and mocked, “Grand Mage? You? Is it really worth wasting money just to show off in front of two ladies? You should know that once you're on the blacklist, it's not so easy to get off!”
“Then how about we make a bet? Mr... What was it again?” Only then did Midir turn around to look directly at the thin young man.
“It's Rorschach Knuckle! What kind of bet do you want to make, silver-head? What's the wager!”
Rorschach had been thoroughly provoked by Midir’s attitude and was practically shouting.
“Then let's bet on whether I can pass or not. By the way, how much money did you guys bring? Want to join in and make some profit?” Midir looked back at the three of them with a relaxed expression.
Seeing that Midir wanted to bet with Rorschach, the three of them almost simultaneously pulled out their coin purses and handed them over.
“Take it! Remember, we split the winnings fifty-fifty!”
“Mr. Midir... I only have a few dozen gold coins. Is that okay?”
“Aw, Mr. Midir, I only brought two hundred or so today! If I'd known, I would've brought more! What a waste!”
Midir took the three purses without opening them to count and placed them directly between himself and the young man. “There. Is this enough? If not, I have a bit more here.”
Rorschach looked at Midir taking money from the three and gave a contemptuous laugh.
“Poor people indeed. Just a few hundred gold coins. I'll take your bet! Don't blame me when you're left with nothing!”
What he didn't notice was that Aila and the other two were looking at him as if he were an idiot, already calculating in their hearts just how much they could win from him.
Rate on N.U.
