But before practicing wizardry, he needed a good rest first.
"Ahh~~"
Leaving the basement, Isaac stood in his bedroom and took a long, leisurely stretch. Then he removed his Wizard Robe and Wizard Hat, flopped onto the bed, and fell fast asleep.
As Isaac slept, flecks of magic power seeped from his spine, silently transforming his body...
"Dong~ Dong~"
The next morning, the village church bells woke Isaac from his dreams. He struggled out of bed, walked to the window, and drew back the curtains. Raising his right hand to shade his eyes from the sunlight, he surveyed his territory.
Yes, his territory.
Although he had no inheritance rights, his noble birth had not left him empty-handed. After he left home to establish his own household, Old Solomon had still given him a baron's title and a territory. He would have no trouble coasting through the rest of his life.
That said, his territory was really just a village of two or three hundred people, a few plots of land, and a small castle. He was less a lord than a landlord.
He should originally have received a larger territory. The Solomon Family was a newly established noble house with plenty of land left to parcel out. Granting him a barony would have been easy.
But their newness was both their advantage and their drawback.
The Solomon Family was on the rise, with a chance of advancing to the rank of count. Naturally, they could not divide their territory at a time like this. After all, great things required concentrated resources.
Isaac had no complaints about that. He had never had ambitions in that direction, and a small territory had its advantages. At least it was safe. Nestled deep within the Solomon Territory, it was poor and difficult to attack, giving Isaac plenty of time to grow stronger.
Isaac understood one thing very clearly: this was a world of supernatural powers, and personal strength mattered more than anything else. Once he had power, influence and authority would come to him on their own.
What he needed now was a stable environment where he could slowly build his strength with his golden finger. Keep a low profile and survive!
Still, even if that was what he told himself...
"Tsk, tsk~" Looking at the stretches of Herb Field that belonged to him, Isaac could not stop the corners of his mouth from rising. All the land here was planted with silver moon grass, one of the main ingredients in knight secret medicine. Demand was high, prices were good, and the income was quite substantial.
Suddenly...
"Huh?!" Isaac's pupils contracted. Outside the castle, off to the left, a patch of... woodland had appeared?
Cottage in the Woods: Dedicated to serving all wizards. Founded by the great Wizard of the Woods. Buys and sells all wizard-related items and knowledge. Wherever there are wizards, there is woodland. Wherever there is woodland, there is a Cottage in the Woods.
As he processed the information that had suddenly appeared in his mind, Isaac narrowed his eyes. Looking around, he noticed something even stranger. The woodland had only appeared today, yet eerily, no one seemed to care.
More precisely, it was not that no one cared. The concept of the woodland had been implanted into their awareness, as though it had always been there. He could tell from the castle guards' patrol route. The woodland had originally been a Herb Field, which they were supposed to enter and inspect.
Now, however, they circled the woodland before returning. The original Herb Field had also vanished without explanation. That was no small loss—a full third of... Hmm?
Suddenly, the grave look in Isaac's eyes eased a little. After taking a closer look, he realized that most of the missing Herb Fields had been outside his territory. Those belonged to the Solomon Family and were currently, in name, his eldest brother's.
In that case...
No problem.
After taking another good look at the woodland, Isaac gave himself a quick wash, put on his Wizard Robe, hung his Wizard Hat at his waist, and pushed open the door. He would study his spells first, then visit this Cottage in the Woods to see what it was all about.
"Young Master Isaac."
An old man in a black suit was already waiting outside the bedroom. His name was Smith Hank, and he had served the Solomon Family for many years. Like the ten guards patrolling outside, he had come with Isaac when Isaac established his own household.
He was among the few additional assets allocated to Isaac.
"Is something the matter?" Isaac asked, puzzled. Although Smith was the bodyguard his family had assigned him, they were inside the castle. There was no need for him to stay right at Isaac's side. Besides, with his Knight Rank strength, even if an assassin appeared, he could rush to Isaac from any corner of the castle.
The knights of this world were not as powerless as those in the wizard novels Isaac had read in his previous life. Knighthood was also an immensely powerful supernatural path. Although it had originated with wizards, it had long since become their equal.
Unfortunately, Isaac had been born frail. Knight training could literally kill him!
Otherwise, becoming a knight would have been a good choice too.
Of course, becoming a wizard was better, especially a Legendary Wizard. The compatibility with his golden finger was truly excellent!
"You really became a wizard?" Smith looked at Isaac in surprise. Yesterday, when Isaac had told him he intended to perform a ritual to become a wizard, Smith had been badly frightened. The death rate among wizards was absurdly high.
And this was a ritual picked up from who knew where.
"Yes, I did." Isaac smiled and raised his right hand. A green "flame" the size of a soybean rose from his fingertip. This was his magic power.
"Hss~~" Smith drew a deep breath, then broke into a gratified smile. Bowing deeply, he offered his heartfelt congratulations. "Congratulations, Young Master."
"Yes. I told you I would succeed," Isaac said confidently.
Smith nodded, then asked, "Young Master, should we inform your father and the others?"
"Not yet." Isaac shook his head. "Let's wait a little longer. We'll be going back in a month anyway. We can surprise them then."
Smith nodded and said no more, simply following silently behind Isaac.
He did intend to surprise them, but his main reason was that he wanted to wait until he became a Formal Wizard before telling them. There was nothing wrong with being cautious and making sure things were secure.
And besides...
Isaac stole a glance at Smith behind him. Even he hasn't noticed anything wrong with the woodland. That really is something~
On the way to the dining room, Isaac did not idle either. He opened his personal panel to see whether becoming a wizard had changed his golden finger. Although he was already very satisfied with its ability to increase success rates without limit, having it become even stronger would be excellent.
Unfortunately, his golden finger remained much the same as before, with no major changes.
-- Demonic Heart Transplant Surgery (14%)+ Blood Essence Potion (51%)+ Hand of God (42%)+ --
The first two were forms of wizardry Isaac was currently studying. The percentages represented his degree of mastery. The plus signs after them were not for adding points, but for expanding the entries.
Expanding an entry would show the aspects of that wizardry Isaac did not yet understand, helping him identify and fill the gaps in his knowledge.
The third was the magic pet and Talent Wizardry gestating after his ritual. All wizards had them, and each person received a different magic pet and Talent Wizardry upon becoming a wizard. It had progressed by forty-two percent overnight through natural gestation alone, which was quite efficient. With a little more spell research, gestation would probably be complete by tonight.
Before you continue