The King Travels with the Sage

After leaving Beast-Head Village, the group continued northwest.

During this time, Norn and Erik's magic improved rapidly; they could already skillfully use Light Arrow, though they had yet to learn the highest-level tracking magic and Light Pillar Magic.

But just then, the two made completely opposite decisions.

"Norn, have you truly made up your mind?"

Looking at Norn before him, Mr. Rhode asked gravely.

Just now, Norn had stated he would no longer study higher-level magic.

"Yes, I've decided."

"May I ask why?"

Mr. Rhode was somewhat puzzled.

In his view, Norn fully possessed the aptitude to become a powerful mage.

But that stage might take decades—trivial for a long-lived race like elves, but for humans, it could be a lifetime.

Yet the sacrifice was worth it.

A powerful mage suddenly emerging from weak humanity would surely leave a deep mark on this mythical era.

"This doesn't seem like a decision you should make."

After this period of adventure, Mr. Rhode thought he understood Norn well enough.

He was a bit like himself, someone who would consider humanity's fate in this world.

But he wasn't himself, because he wasn't as thorough as Norn.

The two of them would ultimately reach different conclusions.

Like a king walking alongside a sage.

The Norn before him had the makings of a king—evident from how he had managed his own village so orderly.

"Human life is too short. I don't have the luxury of time to grow stronger.

Rather than making a name for myself, I want more people to know of the human race—not to be gawked at like that Beast-Head Village.

Not everyone can learn advanced magic, so I only need to master basic magic and teach it to as many people as possible."

Mr. Rhode laughed.

Not mockingly, but simply because he felt like it.

"What if there are humans with enough magical talent, like you? Would you only teach them the most basic magic?

If humans only know basic magic, they'll go from a weak race to a noteworthy one—but that won't change the situation, will it?

If you lack sufficient personal power, how will you resist oppression or bullying from other races?

Norn, I'm sorry, but I can't agree with your thinking.

If you want to prove yourself, defeat me, defy the will I'm imposing on you, and walk your own path!"

Mr. Rhode had his own selfish motives.

He wanted Norn to grow stronger.

Not everyone could make basic magic shine—this wasn't a later era where basic magic had countless variations.

With a shared philosophy and this kind of power, the two of them could better help the humans of this age.

And now Norn was saying he'd give up becoming a powerful mage—Mr. Rhode couldn't allow that, so he didn't hesitate to use a very harsh tone.

Anyone could see that Norn's chance of defeating Mr. Rhode was virtually nonexistent.

Because Mr. Rhode was stronger than him, stronger than everyone in the team except Serie.

He only lacked accumulated mana and combat experience, but even Serie noticed that Mr. Rhode was steadily growing stronger, possibly even surpassing her.

So Norn knew Mr. Rhode's demand was impossible.

That being the case, he decided to persuade him instead.

"I'm not giving up on getting stronger, Mr. Rhode. I'll still choose the path of a warrior. You know my magical talent isn't as outstanding as Erik's—maybe switching paths will open up broader horizons."

"Oh, I see, I see. So you're going to betray me, betray this noble mage profession, and become a warrior full of useless muscles?"

Mr. Rhode's strange tone almost made Norn laugh, but he held it in.

He just silently thought to himself—if Mr. Kraft heard this, he'd definitely show Mr. Rhode what a warrior's numerical beauty looked like.

A mage?

Just a glass cannon!

Norn took a deep breath, meeting Mr. Rhode's eyes. "Mr. Rhode, I'm not betraying the mage profession. I want more people to become mages."

Human strength had its limits.

Becoming a qualified warrior wasn't hard, but becoming a powerful mage required an accumulation of time.

That didn't mean warriors were inferior to mages.

Only a mage's mana would grow over time, allowing them to cast more and more powerful spells.

A warrior's ceiling, however, was determined by their physical constitution. Clearly, Norn's talent was right there in plain sight—he could never become a stat-monster like that Blue Horse.

"As for high-level magic, there's still Erik. His talent is better than mine; he's sure to become a powerful mage."

"Sigh, pinning your hopes on someone else is never a wise move."

"But that's not just anyone—it's my friend and partner, isn't it?"

With that, Rhode finally understood Norn's thinking.

The other man didn't want to pour all his energy into becoming a powerful mage. Instead, he wanted to delve into the most fundamental magic, so that humanity could learn it more easily.

He really had overlooked that point.

Looking back now, from the moment Norn started making that magic book, he seemed to have been aiming for this goal all along.

It appeared he came prepared.

First, create a magic book for humanity. Then, study and refine his own foundational magic, and improve the book accordingly, so that people could better become mages.

As for those who wanted to go further—that would depend on whether they could understand the two sentences at the book's opening.

Magic is not mere learning, but innovation.

Failure is the mother of success.

Even if they couldn't grasp it, there was still Erik's high-level magic to fall back on.

"It seems you and Erik have already made your choices."

"Yes. He will continue walking the path of a mage."

"Sigh. Children grow up. In the end, they all have their own lives."

"Mr. Rhode, please don't use such strange analogies." Norn maintained a polite smile.

"Just call me Rhode. I understand what you mean."

Sure enough, Rhode was the same kind of person as himself.

Norn thought so in his heart.

Only someone like that could grasp his meaning so quickly.

To be honest, Norn felt his request was a bit ungrateful. Here was a man willing to teach him magic unconditionally, and he was saying he didn't plan to learn anymore—it was practically a slap in the face.

But fortunately, Mr. Rhode was a good man.

Before Norn could finish his sigh, the good man he'd just praised threw another curveball at him.

"In that case, Norn, let's found a nation for humanity!"

Norn: ???