Powerlessness

"Fine, you've got some nerve. Just you wait."

In the end, the Nose Ring Wizard still did not dare confront Ronan head-on. After leaving behind a threat, he hurried away with an ugly expression.

After that disturbance, the outcome of the temporary gathering was left unresolved.

The wizards scattered, though the looks they gave Ronan before leaving were all rather strange.

Surprise, shock, confusion, and a trace of fear.

No one had expected that the young wizard apprentice who had remained quiet and inconspicuous among the crowd was actually a hot-tempered fourth-level apprentice.

Ronan estimated that after tonight, he would likely become a much-discussed topic in this Treehouse Area for days.

"Thank you, Ronan."

After the crowd dispersed, only Ronan, Old Wells, and a few others remained by the campfire.

Faced with Old Wells's thanks, Ronan merely shook his head and said nothing.

Old Wells wore a complicated expression, as though he had only just come to know Ronan.

Old Wells knew some of Ronan's background, and Ronan had not gone out of his way to hide it. He said, "My Rune Inscription has reached the beginner level. I made some money and bought some spiritual potions."

"You don't need to explain yourself to me. Everyone has their own secrets."

Old Wells smiled, then solemnly warned Ronan, "You've made an enemy of Eugene today. He's a sinister and petty person. He may very well be unable to swallow this insult, so be careful of his retaliation..."

"If he isn't afraid of dying, he can come."

Ronan sneered. After saying it, he suddenly felt that such words were somewhat inappropriate in front of Old Wells, so he changed the subject. "From what he said earlier, he seems to be a potion master as well?"

"Yes."

Old Wells nodded. "Eugene has studied Magic Potion Studies for many years. He's fairly well-known around here."

"A potion master actually lives in the Treehouse Area?"

Ronan was somewhat puzzled, much as Eugene had been puzzled by him earlier.

"Perhaps it's to save costs. Living in the forest makes gathering potion ingredients more convenient.

"Besides..." Old Wells glanced at Ronan and said with feeling, "His talent in Magic Potion Studies is far inferior to your talent for runes."

Ronan was too embarrassed to respond. Then he suddenly felt someone secretly tugging at the hem of his robe.

Looking down, he saw an adorable little blonde girl blinking mischievously at him.

It was Potter's daughter, Sheryl.

Ever since being adopted, she had been living with Old Wells. Ronan glanced to the side and saw the young witch who lived by the Tree Spring Side standing silently in the shadows like a ghost, with almost no presence at all.

This girl seemed somewhat socially anxious. When Ronan looked at her, she instinctively shrank back a little.

Ronan still vividly remembered the spiritual soothing spell she had cast at Potter's funeral, so he gave her a friendly nod.

Then he turned back and began discussing serious matters with Old Wells.

"What do you plan to do about what was discussed at today's gathering?"

"Continue.

"I'll privately try to persuade them one by one. Convincing even one more person would be good."

Old Wells paused, then continued, "I'll pay Eugene a visit and resolve the conflict between you two. After all, it began because of me."

Ronan directly ignored the latter half of Old Wells's words. After thinking for a moment, he asked seriously, "Old Wells, is an invasion from the Black Wizard Land really that dangerous and terrifying?"

"This is a war between wizards."

Old Wells's expression was complicated as he slowly said, "It will only be more brutal than you imagine."

"Why would the Black Wizard Land start a conflict for no reason?"

Ronan still could not understand.

"Resources, ideals, inheritances... Or perhaps simply because they have grown tired of peace."

A sense of powerlessness showed between Old Wells's brows. "Any reason could become their cause for war. I remember that the last invasion seemed to have started merely because of a game the powerful figures thought up on a whim."

"Just a game..."

Ronan gritted his teeth.

He felt the same helplessness as Old Wells. The confidence and courage he had shown when facing Eugene, the Nose Ring Wizard, vanished without a trace.

Once again, he had witnessed the cruelty of the Wizard World. In the eyes of those above, those below were merely pieces on a game board.

Wizard Apprentices at the very bottom, like him, did not even qualify to become pieces.

"Can we leave Hoddam before the invasion arrives?"

Ronan lowered his head and stroked Sheryl's little head. "I remember you booked a ship ticket to leave in the latter half of the year. Can tickets still be bought now?"

Although Ronan did not want to leave this land of wizard inheritance or become a Wandering Wizard, compared to losing his life in a war, he would rather wander.

"The ships leaving wizard territory are all arranged by Hoddam Academy. Even my ticket for the latter half of the year was refunded."

Old Wells let out a heavy sigh. "It's hard to leave now."

"What if we don't take a ship? Can't we leave on our own?"

Ronan refused to give up, but Old Wells only shook his head with a bitter smile.

"That would be far too dangerous. You would have to cross the Monster Forest. Even formal wizards might not survive."

Ronan fell silent.

For a long while afterward, neither of them spoke.

When the night grew late, the campfire before them gradually died down, and Sheryl yawned sleepily, Old Wells finally said, "Go back first. I'll arrange the Patrol Team matter and notify you when the time comes."

Ronan nodded and turned to leave.

Over the following days, Ronan trained desperately like a madman.

He cut his natural sleep to less than two hours a day, spending almost all his remaining time on arduous cultivation.

In the meantime, he made another trip to town and discovered that the situation was far more serious than he had imagined.

All of Hoddam seemed to have fallen into an atmosphere of tension and agitation.

From potion ingredients and magical equipment to everyday necessities such as grain, bread, and food, almost everything was skyrocketing in price.

The most outrageous increase was in rent.

Ronan learned that in several of the town's worst residential districts, rent had nearly risen to two Low-Level Magic Stones per month.

Before, it had only cost ten magic stone fragments.

It had increased nearly twentyfold! Forest, treehouse.

"Scrape, scrape, scrape—"

Ronan sat at the table, struggling to cut a charred steak on his plate with a dagger.

The blade scraped against the plate, producing a shrill, teeth-grating sound.

After cutting at it for ages, the steak had barely changed. Ronan simply gave up, grabbed it with his hands, and laboriously tore at it with his teeth.

"So this is magical beast meat? Mm... It does seem a little more fragrant than ordinary beast meat, but... isn't it far too tough?"

Ronan finally managed to bite off a piece. He chewed it over and over in his mouth for a long time without being able to chew it apart, so he could only swallow it whole.

The moment the meat entered his stomach, a feeling of fullness arose. Before long, it seemed to turn into threads of warmth that slowly fused into Ronan's body.

"Whew—"

After finishing the entire steak, Ronan felt as though he had completed a difficult undertaking. He slumped in his chair, unwilling to move for a long while.