How high was the status of a Grand Archmage?
To put it this way, even if a Grand Archmage slapped the king, the king couldn’t actually do anything to him.
After all, the magic defense array of the entire empire relied on Saige to maintain it.
Yet, someone with such a transcendent status had actually taken a commoner as a student!
This news quickly spread throughout the Dawn Empire, causing a massive sensation.
Invitations piled up like snowflakes at the Mage Association. Many nobles hoped to make Ning Busan’s acquaintance and invited him to their homes.
They extended olive branches, expecting this commoner to be deeply grateful and try to curry favor with them.
However, five days passed, and Ning Busan had not responded to anyone’s invitation, not even offering a reason for refusal.
This behavior had already offended many nobles.
The royal palace.
In an incredibly luxurious bedchamber, exquisite tapestries hung on the walls, and windows set with multicolored glass refracted the sunlight into charming colors.
A youth dressed in magnificent robes stood before the window. He had smooth, long golden hair and a delicate, handsome face, but there was a faint trace of hostility in his eyes, making him look exceptionally petulant.
He was the king’s youngest son, and his only son—Prince William.
William’s expression was displeased. “I invited him to the palace, and he refused too?”
That someone actually dared to refuse his invitation made him feel he had lost face.
The person standing behind him was none other than Viscount Phil.
Phil said respectfully, “Prince William, that commoner really doesn’t know what’s good for him. Why don’t I teach him a lesson for you?”
Although William was unhappy, he seemed somewhat uninterested. “Forget it. After all, he has His Excellency Saige behind him.”
Phil smiled and said, “He has only just become His Excellency Saige’s student. How deep could His Excellency Saige’s feelings for him be? How could he possibly make an enemy of you for his sake?”
“You have a point.” William raised his head arrogantly. “Since he won’t accept my invitation, just bring him here directly.”
Phil’s eyes darkened. “I understand what you mean, Prince William.”
Having offended Prince William, Ning Busan’s future days would certainly not be easy.
...
If Ning Busan knew that he had done nothing and yet incurred such disaster, he would definitely cry out in injustice.
Was there a possibility that he hadn’t seen those invitations at all?
He had been in his rented, dilapidated house, memorizing a book for five whole days!
The beginning of The Encyclopedia of Magic introduced basic knowledge about magic. After reading it through, Ning Busan gained a general understanding of this world’s magic system.
Mages needed to connect with the surrounding magic elements, using a wand as a medium. By chanting incantations, they arranged the magic element particles into specific patterns or lines.
The latter part of the book was entirely filled with obscure, tongue-twisting incantations and magic patterns, giving Ning Busan a massive headache from memorizing them.
And most importantly, although he was now a magic apprentice, he was still incredibly poor!
It wasn’t that he hadn’t tried to go out and look for a job, but formal establishments wouldn’t hire someone of his age.
Ning Busan touched his handsome face and thought quite sorrowfully that if all else failed, he would sell his looks, hook up with a beautiful, rich older woman, and ask to be kept.
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
Instead of opening the door immediately, Ning Busan gripped the small knife he had hidden under his blanket.
The place he lived in was the slums of the West District, where law and order were terrible, and people would even kill for a loaf of bread.
He had no friends in this world. Anyone knocking on the door in the middle of the night was either after his money or his life.
Hiding the knife in his wide sleeve, Ning Busan cautiously opened the door.
Standing outside the door were seven or eight soldiers with longswords hanging from their waists, led by Viscount Phil, who had provoked him at the Mage Association before.
Ning Busan gripped the knife in his hand tightly and asked in a low voice, “What do you want?”
Phil snorted coldly. “You certainly have some nerve! Prince William invited you to the palace as a guest, and you actually dared to refuse!”
Three question marks popped up over Ning Busan’s head.
Who on earth was Prince William?
When had he ever invited him to the palace?
“No matter what you think, Prince William wants to see you, so you must go.” Phil waved his hand, signaling his men to take action. “Take him away—”
Ning Busan assessed his own combat power against that of the soldiers and decisively chose to give up resisting.
Between being taken away peacefully and being beaten up before being taken away, anyone would know which to choose.
However, his impression of the Prince William he had never met had already hit rock bottom.
An arrogant, insolent, and willful royal family!
Just then, a tall woman clad in silver-white armor walked over.
Though she possessed an incredibly charming appearance, her brow betrayed an unquestionable arrogance.
She didn’t make one think of a thorny rose; instead, she brought to mind densely tangled thorns.
Sharp and highly aggressive.
Phil looked as if he had seen a ghost. His face instantly turned deathly pale, and he trembled, unable to speak.
The soldiers behind him also seemed to know exactly who this woman was, not even daring to block her path.
Just like that, the woman walked up to Phil step by step, and then cleanly dislocated one of his arms.
Ning Busan heard a crisp crack of bone and felt goosebumps rise all over his body.
It sounded incredibly painful.
Yet, Phil clenched his teeth, not daring to make a single sound.
It was as if some even more terrifying fate would await him if he made a sound.
The woman said coldly, “Go back and tell William not to target this person. Otherwise, he can kiss his own arm goodbye too.”
Phil’s lips trembled. He nodded with extreme caution, not daring to show the slightest defiance.
The woman sneered, “Get lost—”
Watching the group flee in panic, the woman picked up Ning Busan like a little chick, carried him back into the room, and shut the door.
In the process, she casually fished out the knife hidden in Ning Busan’s sleeve and tossed it onto the table.
“Are you Ning Busan?”
“Yes, that’s me.” Ning Busan sat on a stool, terrified that she might dislocate his arm in a fit of anger. He greeted her politely and nervously, “Hello, Sister.”
“Sister?” The woman’s red lips curled slightly. “Little kid, I’m two hundred years old this year. Do you think it’s appropriate to call me sister?”
Ning Busan was speechless. “...”
Just how did the humans of this world judge each other’s age?
A twenty-year-old and a two-hundred-year-old clearly looked almost the same!
“I almost forgot to introduce myself.” Her red lips curled slightly as she enunciated her name word by word, “My name is Novalia.”
She knew her reputation in the Dawn Empire was highly polarized. People’s reactions to her were nothing more than a few types.
Admiration?
Flattery?
Fear?
Or disgust?
Ning Busan had no idea who she was. He only knew that since she dared to go against the royal family, her identity was certainly not simple.
However, since this woman had just helped him, she either wanted to win him over or needed something from him. She definitely wasn’t after his life.
Thinking of this, Ning Busan breathed a sigh of relief and asked in a calm tone, “Beautiful and powerful lady, is there something you need from me?”
Novalia hadn’t expected this reaction from him and smiled with interest. “You don’t know who I am?”
Ning Busan found it a bit baffling and asked cautiously, “Should I?”
Novalia chuckled. “Actually, there’s no problem with you calling me sister. After all, I am also Teacher Saige’s student. Hasn’t he mentioned me to you?”
Ning Busan was surprised at first, then explained, “I’ve only met Teacher Saige once. Perhaps he hasn’t had the chance to tell me yet.”
Pausing for a moment, Ning Busan changed his form of address: “Senior Sister!”
Novalia raised her eyebrows, finding this kid more and more interesting.
A commoner who had suddenly leaped to become the student of the Grand Archmage Saige.
Countless nobles had extended olive branches to him, yet he still lived in a house that resembled a utility closet, studying by the dim light of a kerosene lamp.
A mage who truly loved magic, did not covet power and wealth, was indifferent to fame and fortune, and was extremely talented.
The revolution she wanted to spark required precisely this kind of talent.
Novalia said, “Pack up and come with me.”
“Where to?”
“The North District.”
Ning Busan was somewhat surprised.
The Dawn Empire was divided into five major districts.
The center was the castle where the royal family resided, the East District was the noble quarter, and the West District was the slums.
The South District was centered around the Mage Association, with a large number of mages gathered around it.
And the North District was extremely special; it was where the military was stationed.
Ning Busan asked, “What are we going to the North District for?”
Novalia smiled and said casually, “Since this is our first meeting, I didn’t know what you’d like. Coincidentally, I have a house in the North District. I’ll give it to you as a meeting gift.”
Ning Busan was slightly dazed.
Gifting a house upon their very first meeting? Could such a wonderful thing as pie falling from the sky actually exist?
It seemed... maybe... probably... perhaps...
There really was!
Rate on N.U.
