Sorcerers and Humans

The group arrived at the guesthouse. The chief pulled out a few stools and gestured for Leopold to sit.

“Humans aren't supposed to be able to use magic; that's common knowledge,” the chief said, sitting down across from Leopold. “But sorcerers can. They broke that boundary. In the eyes of ordinary people, being able to use magic is... abnormal.”

“Chief, do you think using magic is abnormal?”

The chief did not answer immediately. He looked down at his hands resting on the table—hands covered in calluses and cracks.

“When I was young, I met a sorcerer once.”

“I wasn't even twenty yet, and I was traveling with the village caravan to sell pelts in the north,” the chief began slowly. “We stopped to rest in a town and stayed at an inn for the night. In the middle of the night, I got up to get a drink of water and saw someone standing in the backyard.”

“He didn't have a candle or a torch, but a ball of light floated in front of him. It hung in midair, changing from a square to a circle and back again.”

“I was scared out of my wits, thinking he was a demon. I planned to slip back inside, but I accidentally tripped and fell. The light turned in midair, and the person standing in the yard looked back.”

“He saw me.”

“I wanted to run, but my legs wouldn't listen. He walked over, knelt down, placed a hand on his shoulder, and said something.”

“What did he say?” Leopold asked.

The chief fell silent for a couple of seconds, as if making sure he remembered correctly. “He said—‘Don't be afraid, I'm not here to hurt you.’”

“Then he left. The next day, I asked the innkeeper who that man was. The innkeeper's face paled instantly, and he told me it was a sorcerer and warned me never to tell anyone I had seen him.”

“I never saw another sorcerer after that,” the chief said, resting his hands on the table. “But I've always remembered those words.”

“Do all sorcerers have red hair?” Leopold asked the chief after hearing the story.

“Indeed, most sorcerers have red hair.”

“Then I have one last question. Do you think sorcerers are human?”

After Leopold asked that question, the guesthouse fell quiet for a moment.

“They are human,” the chief finally spoke. “They are just like us—they eat grains, have children, grow old, fall ill, and die.”

“They can just use magic.”

He paused, as if weighing how to put his next words. “...I've thought about that ball of light I saw that night many times since. It wasn't meant to hurt anyone. It just floated there, lighting the way forward.”

Leopold looked into the chief's eyes and nodded, not replying immediately.

“Then, Chief, do you want to see the end of the feud between humans and sorcerers with your own eyes?”

The chief opened his mouth, then closed it again.

“When I was young, I did fantasize about it,” the chief's voice grew quieter. “I fantasized that one day, humans and sorcerers would no longer fear each other. But that was a very long time ago.”

“And then?”

“Then I came back to Cabin Village, got married, had children, and became the chief.” The chief looked up. “Once I had responsibilities on my shoulders, I didn't dare think about those things anymore.”

Leopold didn't answer immediately. He leaned back in his chair, looking straight at the chief. “You are right, Chief.”

He paused. “You are the chief, and you must be responsible for the entire village. You don't dare to gamble, and I understand that. So—”

Leopold stood up, resting his hands on the table as he leaned forward slightly.

“I plan to establish a new country—a country where humans and sorcerers coexist.”

“Are... are you serious?”

“Dead serious.” Leopold sat back down, folding his hands on the table. “You just said so yourself—there is no fundamental difference between sorcerers and humans.”

“They can just use magic. And in your eyes, being able to use magic isn't something to be feared.” Leopold smiled.

“But that's just how I think—” the chief instinctively countered, but he stopped halfway through his sentence.

Leopold looked at him, his gaze already filled with certainty.

“Mr. Leopold, I believe you,” the chief said, bowing slightly. “For such a nation, I am willing to give my all!”

“Then I won't stand on ceremony, Chief. The first thing we need to do is establish a stable route from Cabin Village deep into the eastern forest.”

“It would be best to establish a school to train a group of talented individuals who can manage the entire nation in the future.”

The chief fell silent for a moment after hearing Leopold's words.

“A school? Are you serious?” The chief's voice sounded a bit dry. “Our tiny village doesn't even have a decent schoolroom, and you want to start a school here?”

“Not here,” Leopold shook his head. “But starting from here.”

“I need a clearing far from the village but close to the forest. It doesn't need to be very large, just enough to build a few wooden cabins. The first batch of students will be chosen from those in the village who are willing and brave enough to learn.”

“But... who will be the teacher?”

“Oliver can teach the basics,” Leopold said. “Even though he always says he isn't good at it, he taught me for a few days, and he teaches better than most formal teachers.”

“I can compile some teaching materials, but I'll have to rely on you for the history of the human race.”

He stood up and extended his hand to Leopold. “Mr. Leopold, in the name of Job Sullivan, chief of Cabin Village, I am willing to fully cooperate with your plan.”

Leopold reached out and shook his hand. “Thank you, Chief.”

The next step was to scout for land. Leopold looked at Isabella.

Isabella didn't ask many questions, simply walking quietly to his side and standing shoulder-to-shoulder with him. “Where are we going?”

“To find a piece of land,” Leopold said, already setting off. “The chief agreed, but we have to decide on the specific location ourselves.”

The two of them walked side-by-side through the village's main path, left the village entrance, and walked a distance along the narrow path between the fields toward the forest.

“What are your thoughts?” Isabella asked.

“It can't be too close to the village. The children will need a safe distance to travel to school, but we also can't make the villagers feel like it's some ‘mysterious place.’”

Isabella listened quietly, not replying immediately. She walked beside Leopold, sunlight filtering through the gaps in the forest canopy and dancing across her face.

“...You want to build a country, and not just to house the sorcerers, right?” she asked softly.

Leopold's steps paused for a moment. “...Bella, you noticed?”

“As soon as you reached the surface, you took the initiative to intervene in the conflict between humans and sorcerers, inquired about the movements of the Demon Race, and won over Blake to recruit those demons.”

“You're doing all of this to prepare for our slumber, aren't you?”

Leopold's gaze fell upon Isabella's ice-blue eyes.

“...You guessed half of it.”

“But we don't just need a cave,” Leopold said. “We need a foothold, a reliable base of operations, and a system that can run on its own even when we aren't around.”

“Because we are too weak, and our enemies are too strong. Do you remember the strategy I mentioned, Bella?”

“Borrowing a hen... to lay eggs?”

“Exactly, borrowing a hen to lay eggs,” Leopold smiled. “The revival of the dragon clan is a long road. If we rely solely on ourselves, our revival will be indefinitely delayed.”

“But if we can unite all the forces that can be united, then our revival won't just be empty words.”

“Borrowing a hen to lay eggs?” She repeated the phrase, then chuckled softly. “That's actually a very fitting way to put it.”

“How so?”

“It's like... clearly telling you that I'm using you, but when you think about it, it doesn't seem like you're losing out at all.” Isabella tilted her head to look at him. “Are you always like this?”

“Like what?”

“Sounding very cunning, but actually being quite sincere when one looks closely.”

“Hehehe, Bella, do you want to be a queen?”

Isabella tilted her head, her ice-blue eyes looking straight at Leopold.

“...What did you say?”

“I said—” Leopold also stopped and turned to face her, hands shoved in his pockets. “Do you want to be a queen?”

“If you become the queen, then I will be your prime minister.”