The Baptism Ceremony Begins

Turning the yellowed pages, Rhine, who had studied magic for three years, gained a clear understanding of this world's magical framework for the first time.

The wizards of this world were closer to the classical image of wizards from myths, fairy tales, and folklore, rather than those in modern games and anime.

Nowadays, when most people mentioned magic, the first thing that came to mind was artillery platforms that hurled fireballs and lightning.

Yet the image of wizards who threw fireballs and lightning and protected themselves with shields—these artillery-platform wizards—would not become widely accepted by the public until much later.

At the very least, it would have to wait for the rise of the later tabletop game "Dungeons & Dragons," along with the widespread popularity of Japan's "Dragon Quest" series.

More classical wizards, meanwhile, possessed magic that generally lacked direct destructive power.

Their magic was often used for transformation, summoning, enchantment, curses, brewing potions, prophecy, divination, and so on.

As its name implied, the Book of Transformation and Summoning mainly covered the two major categories of transformation and summoning, though it also included miscellaneous spells and abundant magical knowledge covering every conceivable subject.

After skimming through it, Rhine began studying the key points carefully, committing them to memory and attempting to practice the spells within.

In the blink of an eye, half a month passed.

It was another bright and sunny afternoon.

A piercing eagle cry tore through the heavens, startling the skies and scattering the clouds.

A magnificent eagle flew out from a palace window and circled beneath the azure sky.

The eagle swooped down, passing over the heads of guards, attendants, nobles, and ministers, drawing waves of astonished exclamations.

The Court Joker in the middle of a performance looked up and failed to catch the ball he had tossed into the air.

The nobles and ministers followed the eagle's path through the sky with their eyes, their surprise and excitement impossible to conceal.

The eagle skillfully wheeled through the air several times before landing beside the fountain in the garden.

It shook its body, then transformed into a human.

It was, astonishingly, a delicate-looking boy.

He wore a hood, with a slim, petite frame and a robe that nearly dragged across the ground.

Amid the cries of surprise and praise behind him, Rhine did not look back. He walked straight through the shaded garden path and returned to his bedroom.

"Is that Rhine, His Majesty the King's advisor, the Kingdom Sage, and the Court Magician? What miraculous power!"

"To see a genuine wizard casting magic from so close up—I never would have dared imagine it before!"

"Wow, even after watching it several times, I still can't remember how Rhine transformed!"

"..."

In the garden, people discussed the miraculous scene they had just witnessed.

Similar scenes had played out many times in the palace's rear garden over this period.

When Rhine had first become the Kingdom Sage, many nobles and ministers had not believed that such a formidable wizard would be willing to serve as a Court Advisor for such a long time.

And this Court Advisor had been granted authority second only to the king's!

For that reason, he had drawn no shortage of doubts and gossip.

Some malicious people had even spread rumors in private that the king had encountered a swindler. The wizard he had hired possessed no magic at all and was merely a circus clown.

Even the king had no choice but to face pressure from all sides. He could only seek out Rhine in private and ask him to prove himself before the assembled ministers.

That afternoon, Rhine held his first "magic performance" in the palace's rear garden.

When the eagle transformed into human form before everyone's eyes, every doubt became a joke.

From then on, Rhine's "performances" while practicing magic became the sight nobles and ministers most eagerly anticipated each afternoon.

What Rhine did not know was that today, unlike every other day, a special audience member had witnessed his performance.

His face was slightly round, his body somewhat plump, and his demeanor honest and amiable. He was Oz, the kingdom's most famous magician.

Oz had originally been invited to the palace that day to perform for the ministers.

But clearly, Rhine's magic had drawn far more attention than his tricks.

Oz watched the hooded boy disappear at the end of the green lawn.

The shock in his heart refused to fade.

Only after half a minute, when his eyes had become unbearably dry, did Oz remember to blink.

So this was a wizard!

This was magic—real magic—not the sleight-of-hand tricks I performed onstage. It was power I could never reach in my entire life.

A wizard like Rhine, who possessed such extraordinary power, probably would not even spare a glance for the tricks I performed.

Come to think of it, Rhine looked so young. Could such a small child really have become a Court Advisor?

No, no. I heard that wizards all have potions that preserve their youth. He might even be older than my grandmother's grandmother!

Oz closed his eyes, but the miracle he had just witnessed lingered in his mind.

The sight of that magnificent eagle transforming into human form in an instant was etched deep into his heart for a long time.

Even many years later, in the Emerald City of the Land of Oz, Oz—mistaken by others for the King of Wizards—would still recall what he had witnessed that day again and again in his deep sleep.

Then he would suddenly wake from his long dreams, drenched in sweat.

Rhine returned to his bedroom and assessed the results of this Transformation Spell training session.

I can already control my transformed body with complete proficiency. With the assistance of magic power, I can even fly better than a real eagle...

The boy picked up the Book of Transformation and Summoning from the desk again and began making notes in it.

According to this book, a novice wizard needs at least one or two years to get started and barely manage to transform into a single animal.

And to master everything in the entire book would take over thirty years.

But I got started after only a few days of study. Now, after practicing for less than a month, I'm already quite proficient!

This left Rhine both excited and astonished:

Could it be that I'm a once-in-ten-thousand magical prodigy?

Rhine estimated that by the time Little Princess Aurora was born, he might have fully mastered the entire Spellbook!

Even if something unexpected happened, he would be able to handle it! His Majesty the King has already followed my advice and invited all thirteen Witches to Princess Aurora's Baptism Ceremony. I wonder how fate will unfold...

Time flew like an arrow, and the days passed like a shuttle.

Time continued onward.

More than half a year later, Aurora was born.

Just as Kingdom Sage Rhine had foretold, the child was an adorable Little Princess.

The king prepared a lavish feast and invited all thirteen Witches in the kingdom to attend the Little Princess's Baptism Ceremony.

At that time, the thirteen Witches and Sage Rhine would offer Aurora their blessings!