Chapter Seven: Stein's Gift

In the morning, while Andy and Old Brown were having breakfast, Old Brown mentioned that in three days’ time, Mr. and Mrs. Phillips would be hosting a coming-of-age banquet in their manor for Andy.

In this world, the coming-of-age ceremony is a highly significant custom. Boys come of age at sixteen, girls at fifteen. Typically, a banquet is held to mark the occasion, inviting all friends and family. The original Eddie Charles had hoped to become a junior wizard’s apprentice and shine at his own coming-of-age ceremony, but fate had other plans—he spent his sixteenth birthday bedridden.

Now that Mr. and Mrs. Phillips had heard of Andy’s recovery, they wished to help him make up for his missed ceremony.

Phillips was a grain merchant in Andas City and had once been a close friend of Andy’s father, Sir Charles. To benefit from tax exemptions, much of Phillips’s property was registered under Sir Charles’s name.

During their time in Dallas City, Andy and Old Brown had received much kindness from the Phillips family. Mrs. Phillips had even joked that once Andy became a wizard’s apprentice, she would marry off her daughter Geraldine to him.

Andy himself was not particularly concerned about the coming-of-age ceremony. Seeing Old Brown’s earnest demeanor, he left the preparations—decorating the venue, inviting guests, and so forth—entirely in Old Brown’s hands.

Suddenly, an owl pried open Andy’s window with its claws and flew in. Andy showed no sign of surprise.

He knew this was a wizard’s messenger. With nothing more than a level 3 spell, “Messenger’s Pact,” a wizard could train small creatures to serve as messengers. Once bonded, the animal and the wizard could share protective wards and the messenger would gain a significant speed boost.

Andy detached a scroll tied to the owl’s leg and unrolled it to read: “Come to the Wizard’s Tower at once—Stein.”

Andy quickly bid farewell to Old Brown and set out for the Wizard’s Tower.

Wizard Stein did not receive Andy in the laboratory but in the drawing room. When Andy arrived, Stein was speaking with a middle-aged man in battle attire. At the sight of this man, Andy’s pupils narrowed.

It was Sir John, Stein’s follower and the husband of Kelly, the head maid of the Wizard’s Tower. Four days ago, he had called Kelly home for family matters, which allowed Sally to substitute for her. After Sally’s accident, it was also he who investigated and concluded that Sally had died at the hands of bandits.

Andy greeted Stein with composure and nodded to Sir John. Stein, looking unusually anxious, didn’t even invite Andy to sit, but handed him a letter, saying,

“I have urgent matters to attend to and must leave on a journey of uncertain length.” Stein sighed, then continued, “It’s time for you to have your coming-of-age ceremony. I’m afraid I won’t be able to attend. Consider this letter my gift for your adulthood.”

“Teacher, what is this?” Andy began to ask.

Before he could finish, Stein explained, “Now that you’ve come of age, you should begin your own career. This is a letter of recommendation addressed to Count Louis of the southern Saterian Province. He is a kindly and generous elder. You can start as his secretary. Once you attain the rank of knight, he may, for my sake, grant you a knight’s fief. I’ve heard you have some aptitude for martial arts; if you earn Count Louis’s favor, it’s not impossible you could be ennobled as a gentleman one day.”

“Teacher, I—”

“I know you’re reluctant, but this is the best option. Perhaps if you’d focused solely on martial training from the start, you’d already be a knight. Go to Saterian Province. I’ll have John escort you. It’s in the south, far from war—a good place for the Charles family to take root. As for your studies in the arcane, let them be a beautiful dream...”

Here, Stein’s voice, brooking no argument, grew softer, as if recalling some painful memories. As the moment of parting approached, Stein couldn’t help but study the young man before him—and then he froze.

“This is… this is…” Stein’s expression was one of utter surprise.

“It’s a fluctuation of spiritual power. You’ve succeeded! You’re now a junior wizard’s apprentice.”

“Yes,” Andy smiled, “It’s all thanks to your Nobei Isu potion that I was able to advance so quickly.”

Stein smiled as well. “The potion was only an aid. The real credit goes to your own efforts.”

“I had almost given up hope you’d become a wizard’s apprentice. Advancement is easiest on the very first attempt. If you fail the first time, it only gets harder.”

“Spiritual backlash heals quickly, but the mind is harder to set right. To recover from failure’s shadow and succeed so soon is truly remarkable. With such resilience, even if your talent is poor, you may go further than most on the wizard’s path.”

Andy’s cheeks flushed slightly. He knew nothing about overcoming the shadow of failure or being particularly steadfast. He had advanced without much effort, and his spiritual power now matched that of a mid-level apprentice. He even toyed with the idea of learning a level 1 spell in a few days and advancing again, just to see Stein’s reaction.

Of course, he was only joking to himself. Ever wary of his surroundings, Andy would never be so reckless. He merely made clear to Stein his determination never to give up on his arcane studies.

“Have you awakened a soul talent?” Stein asked expectantly.

“Apprentice’s Friend.”

“Excellent! While a heightened memory talent isn’t as useful in the higher ranks, it will be a great help to your studies as an apprentice. It will allow you more time for meditation and spiritual growth.” As he spoke, Stein reclaimed the recommendation letter to Count Louis, and with a flick of the “Ignition” spell, reduced it to ashes.

“If you wish to pursue the arcane path, then this letter is no longer for you. Come with me,” Stein said, heading toward his laboratory.

Andy hurried after him, leaving Sir John behind, his gaze uncertain as he watched them go.

When Andy left the Wizard’s Tower, there was still a faint smile in his eyes. In the laboratory, Stein had given Andy another letter, but this time it was not a recommendation to Count Louis—it was an admission letter to the Royal Grim Academy.

Grim Academy was the largest wizarding school on the Doren Continent, a cradle for training wizards. Stein himself was an alumnus.

According to Stein, every graduate of the academy is entitled to recommend one student for admission to Grim Academy without the need for an entrance exam. Stein had once bought this privilege at great expense from an aging wizard with little time left, thus securing his own entry to Grim.

To Andy’s amazement, Stein’s spiritual talent was the same as his own: third class. Andy knew all too well what that meant.

Without fortuitous opportunities and merely following a decent meditation method, it would take five or six years to grow from a beginner meditator to the spiritual standard of a junior wizard. Even with flawless advancement, moving from junior to intermediate apprentice would take fifteen to eighteen years, and from intermediate to senior, about fifty years. Advancing from senior apprentice to full wizard—discounting bottlenecks—would take another 150 years.

In total, a third-tier talent could expect to spend around 220 years, under ideal conditions, just to have a hope of becoming a wizard. Second-tier talent was about three times as efficient, and first-tier talent was ten times as fast.

Through regular admissions, Grim Academy only accepted students with first- or second-tier talent.

At the apprentice stage, a wizard’s lifespan does not increase; only full wizards could fundamentally alter their life force and extend their years.

Thus, it was generally believed that those with third-tier talent could never become full wizards. For Stein to have advanced in just thirty years, he must have had extraordinary opportunities, likely beginning the moment he became a student at Grim Academy.

As Stein explained, while innate talent is crucial, resources matter even more—potions, treasures, meditation methods, soul talents that boost spiritual growth—many such things could only be accessed in the capital, at Grim Academy.

Beyond the letter of recommendation, Stein also gave Andy a mysterious badge adorned with a crystal-carved flame. Stein refused to reveal its purpose, saying only that Andy would understand once he arrived at Grim Academy.

Despite Andy’s repeated pleas to continue studying under his tutor in Dallas, for some reason Stein was insistent that Andy must leave as soon as possible, urging him to depart without delay.

Stein gave Andy all the materials he would need for learning level 1 spells, and even some for level 2, warning him again to leave Dallas soon. Only after Andy promised to depart for the capital after his coming-of-age ceremony did Stein relent.

Stein recommended Andy join the Darkmoon Circus caravan for his journey, as it would be safer to travel with them. Andy agreed.

The Darkmoon Circus had a long history, dating back to the days when the Doren Continent was still unified. Their performances were welcome in both the Kingdom of Eran and the Duchy of Sein.

The organization was founded to help ordinary people understand the arcane arts. It began with a few apprentices who had no hope of advancement; they made a living by performing tricks for others. In later generations, a brilliant grand wizard arose among them; under his patronage, the Darkmoon Circus flourished, shifting its focus from commoners to nobles and wizards.

The Circus now controlled many magical resources, trading with local wizards wherever they went and amassing great wealth. With triennial tours across the continent, they established contacts everywhere, gathering intelligence and promptly discovering promising talents, whom they nurtured with abundant resources, growing their strength like a rolling snowball.

Today, the Darkmoon Circus is one of the three great wizarding organizations on the continent.

Traveling alone across the wilds of Doren is fraught with unknown dangers, but with the Circus caravan, safety is all but assured. The price, of course, reflects this: five magic stones—half of what Stein had given Andy, with the rest to cover his expenses in the capital.

Magic stones are the currency of wizards. They not only help quickly restore magical energy, but also power spell arrays, magical constructs, enchanted artifacts, and have countless uses in the wizard’s world.

Andy gazed curiously at the translucent stones in his hand, their crystal facets shimmering. He marveled at the wonders of this world and could hardly wait to explore and learn more. His heart was already soaring toward the capital, toward the magical Grim Academy.

As for the real culprit behind his predecessor’s murder, the insults and mockery he once endured, the tangled feuds of generations past—Andy wanted nothing to do with any of it. All he longed for was a journey unfettered by the past.

Although he had inherited the body and social ties of the unfortunate Andy Charles, he felt no sense of identification with any of it.

He still faced this strange new world through the eyes of Andy the Earth orphan, who had studied so hard back home. Since crossing over, he hadn’t received any dying wish from his predecessor’s soul, nor sensed any inner demons or lingering resentment.

He was Andy, Andy of Earth, Andy the traveler—not a stand-in for anyone, nor the continuation of anyone else’s life.

“Hey! Buddy, I’m about to change maps. Let’s go, Yama Dala!” Andy shouted skyward.

Suddenly, he lowered his head and murmured, “Ah, but I still need to bring Old Brown along. Respecting elders and caring for the young is a fine tradition of the Young Pioneers!”

Um, why did thinking of the young make him think of Catherine? Was it just his imagination?