Chapter Summaries

Richard and Gelo attended an auction where the nobles waited to compete for Exemption Certificates. Richard bought a pink stone statue to obtain its manganese zoisite, while the auction continued.

• Richard and Gelo discussed how Gelo planned to use his wealth to outbid the other nobles for the Exemption Certificates.
• The auctioneer began the sale and presented a miniature statue called Dream Maiden, but the nobles refused to bid.
• Richard bid five gold coins and twenty silver coins for the statue, preventing the first item from going unsold.
• Richard paid for the statue and kept it to extract manganese from its pink stone, which he suspected was manganese zoisite.

The auction for the Wizard World's Exemption Certificate began, and Gelo joined the bidding while nobles traded insults and fought over their past grievances. Gelo's 2,000-gold-coin bid seemed likely to win until Number 4 abruptly offered 2,500 gold coins.

• Richard bought a Bronze Lamp Stand and a Silver Statue, telling Gelo that he liked them.
• The auctioneer presented the Exemption Certificate, and Gelo opened the bidding at 1,050 gold coins.
• Nobles raised their bids while exchanging accusations and throwing objects at one another, pushing the price upward.
• Gelo bid 2,000 gold coins, believing he could secure the certificate and still afford the others.
• As the auctioneer prepared to declare Gelo the winner, Number 4 bid 2,500 gold coins, startling Gelo and drawing Richard's attention.

Old Aristocrats drove the first Exemption Certificate’s price far beyond Gelo’s budget, and he decided to wait for the second. When bidding on the second certificate began, an Old Aristocrat immediately raised the price to 5,000 gold coins, restarting the fierce contest.

• An Old Aristocrat holding paddle Number 4 opened bidding on the first Exemption Certificate at 2,500 gold coins, and other private-box bidders rapidly pushed the price higher.
• Gelo slammed the table in frustration, then quieted down when Pandora stirred and told Richard he would wait rather than pay an inflated price.
• Richard judged that recent attacks and apprentice deaths had alarmed the Old Aristocrats and made them willing to spend heavily to cultivate Wizards within their families.
• The owner of paddle Number 6 won the first Exemption Certificate for 8,500 gold coins.
• Gelo opened bidding on the second Exemption Certificate at 1,050 gold coins, but the owner of paddle Number 9 immediately bid 5,000 gold coins.

Prince Gelo fought the Old Aristocrats for the Exemption Certificates and spent beyond his available funds to secure the last one. He won the certificate but had to ask the King for money to repay the Auction House.

• Number 9 won the second Exemption Certificate for 9,000 gold coins, leaving Gelo without enough money to compete.
• Gelo announced his exact remaining funds for the third certificate, but Marquis Dean outbid him with 8,000 gold coins.
• As other bidders raised the price, Gelo bid 20,000 gold coins and persuaded the Auction House to lend him 10,000 gold coins.
• Marquis Dean declined to bid higher, and the auctioneer declared Gelo the winner of the final Exemption Certificate.
• Gelo sent a guard to ask the King for 10,000 gold coins and then asked Richard whether he had acted foolishly; Richard agreed.

At the auction, Gelo mistook Pandora’s attempt to comfort him for a threat, while Richard waited for an item that interested him. As the auction neared its end, Richard recognized potential in a plain ring that the crowd dismissed and raised his paddle.

• Pandora gently patted Gelo’s head, and Richard explained that she had been comforting him.
• Most attendees left after the Exemption Certificates were sold, but Richard stayed to browse and Gelo remained as collateral for the promised ten thousand gold coins.
• The auction continued through several items without catching Richard’s interest.
• The auctioneer presented a supposedly near-indestructible ring said to be linked to a Mysterious Wizard and possibly made of mithril, with a starting price of one hundred gold coins.
• The remaining bidders jeered at the ring and stayed silent when bidding opened, but Richard raised his paddle.

Richard bought a Silver-White Ring at auction and suspected it could be enchanted with magic patterns to create a reusable magical tool. After the auction, Gelo received the Exemption Certificate he had been waiting for.

• Richard won the Silver-White Ring for 105 gold coins and examined its unusual material, suspecting it could conduct mana like enchanted metal.
• Richard compared the Silver-White Ring with his Space Ring and noticed they had exactly the same shape and size.
• Richard speculated that engraving a simpler magic pattern on the Silver-White Ring could make it release a spell permanently, though he would need to test the idea.
• The auction ended while Richard pondered the ring, Gelo waited for his guard to bring money, and Pandora slept.
• Gelo's guard delivered the money, and the Auction House manager handed Gelo the Exemption Certificate, which Gelo clutched tightly.

Richard advised Gelo to weigh the hardships of becoming a Wizard against remaining a prince, then left him to decide for himself. Gelo kept the Exemption Certificate and wondered whether he and Richard would meet again.

• Gelo learned that his Older Brother had assigned him a harsh border territory and complained to Richard about it.
• Richard warned Gelo that becoming a Wizard would mean abandoning his privileged life for a difficult and uncertain path.
• Gelo asked why Richard had chosen to become a Wizard, and Richard explained that he needed the status and abilities to pursue his goals.
• Gelo offered Richard the Exemption Certificate, but Richard refused it and told Gelo to make his own choice and accept responsibility for it.
• Richard woke Pandora, said goodbye to Gelo, and left the private room with her.
• Gelo pondered Richard's parting words, wondering whether they would meet again.

Richard and Pandora arrived at the White Stone Tower ship, where Gelo tried to board and become a Wizard after secretly leaving home. Gelo discovered his Exemption Certificate was missing, leaving him barred from boarding unless he passed the test or faced the ponytailed girl’s spell.

• Richard and Pandora approached the ship, and Richard spotted Gelo heading for it in disguise.
• Gelo told Richard he had secretly left to avoid becoming a penniless Grand Duke and had decided to pursue becoming a Wizard.
• Richard pointed out that Gelo’s older brother’s people were following him to ensure he boarded, and Gelo accepted that his family wanted him to leave.
• The ponytailed girl stopped Gelo because he was not on the boarding list, and Gelo produced a gold coin instead of his Exemption Certificate.
• The ponytailed girl told Gelo to leave or face the spell she had just learned.

Richard gave Gelo an Exemption Certificate so he could board the ship, then explained that the certificates were valuable Wizard currency rather than mere proof of exemption. The group boarded, and Richard and Gelo were left considering what the certificates might be used for at White Stone Tower.

• Richard gave Gelo an Exemption Certificate and revealed that he possessed three, with even more kept secret.
• Gelo handed his certificate to Ponytail Girl and boarded the ship after she told him it could only be used once.
• Ponytail Girl collected Richard's other two certificates and let Richard and Pandora board, warning him to save any extras for White Stone Tower.
• Gelo questioned why the certificates were collected, and Richard explained that they functioned as high-value money used to pay Wizards for entry.
• Gelo fell silent as he understood that the certificates had value beyond granting exemption from the test.

Richard and Gelo boarded the ship for White Stone Tower, where Exemption Certificate holders would receive poor treatment. Gelo suspected Morton had stolen his certificate, and their confrontation turned physical.

• Richard explained to Gelo that Exemption Certificates brought harsh treatment, which suited Richard because he wanted to study unnoticed.
• The ship set sail with around thirty passengers, and Richard learned that John Calvin Joe had rare high-level talent.
• Gelo recognized Pompe Morton as a member of the Pombo Family and suspected that his family had stolen Gelo's Exemption Certificate.
• Gelo confronted Morton and accused him of stealing the certificate, but Morton denied it and demanded evidence.
• Morton broke free from Gelo's grip and declared that Gelo's status as a prince meant nothing aboard the ship.
• Gelo reached to grab Morton again, and a loud bang rang out.

Gelo and Morton fought aboard the ship until Pandora broke Morton’s arm and Martin Luther King punished him, then introduced himself to Richard’s group. The ship left the harbor as a black-robed man watched from shore and threatened its passengers.

• Gelo knocked Morton down and repeatedly punched him until Morton broke free and got back to his feet.
• Pandora stepped between them, broke Morton’s arm when he tried to push her aside, and left him screaming for help.
• Martin Luther King arrived, recognized Richard’s group, and turned on Morton after learning he belonged to the Pombo Family and was related to Hilde Pombo.
• Martin Luther King kicked Morton while declaring that fighting was forbidden, then introduced himself to Richard’s group before rushing below deck.
• The ship weighed anchor and sailed down the Emerald River as a black-robed man watched from shore and vowed that the passengers would go to hell.

Richard and the others transferred to a vast ship bound for their next destination, where he discovered technology far beyond the world's apparent era. After using a spell to dry his damp cabin for Pandora, Richard was interrupted by a knock at the door.

• The wooden ship reached the sea and approached a giant vessel whose bulbous bow astonished Richard as a technology far beyond its era.
• Wizard Siver floated aboard the giant ship and arranged for the others to board.
• The newcomers received cabins according to their Wizard talent, and Richard and Pandora were assigned a damp, filthy room on the lowest level.
• Pandora complained that the bedding was wet, so Richard cast Water Droplet Condensation to dry the cabin.
• Richard swept the fallen snails, shellfish, and Green-Shelled Crab into a bucket, then heard someone knock on the cabin door.

Tyson tried to force Richard to exchange cabins, but Richard overpowered and repeatedly choked him until he submitted. Tyson fled after Richard warned him never to return or complain.

• Tyson entered Richard's cabin and demanded that Richard switch rooms with him.
• Richard seized Tyson, kicked him, and choked him until he nearly suffocated.
• Richard choked Tyson twice more, releasing him each time before he died.
• Richard threatened to keep tormenting Tyson unless he agreed to stay away and remain silent.
• Tyson agreed and stumbled out of Richard's cabin.

Richard joined Gelo and the students on deck to watch a pirate ship approach, expecting the Wizards to deal with it. When the pirates drew near and no Wizard or Wizard Apprentice appeared, the crowd realized they could not find them.

• Two wooden ships rendezvoused with the giant ship, bringing its number of students to nearly two hundred, including fifteen with high-grade talent and Nancy, who had already reached First Level Apprentice.
• Richard stayed in his cabin, studying magic patterns on a White Jade Shard and examining his Silver-White Ring.
• After hearing a commotion, Richard went to the deck with Gelo and saw a pirate ship approaching the giant ship.
• The students gathered to watch the pirates, expecting the four Wizards to intervene.
• As the pirate ship drew closer, neither the Wizards nor the Wizard Apprentices appeared, and the students began asking where they had gone.

With the Wizard missing and the giant ship stopped, Nancy organized the passengers to defend against the approaching pirates. Richard accepted a post guarding a corner while concealing his magical abilities, and the ship prepared to resist the pirates’ boarding attempt.

• The Wizard’s disappearance and the giant ship’s sudden stop left the passengers panicked as the pirates closed in.
• Nancy drew her sword, told the crowd not to rely on the Wizard, and ordered them to keep the pirates from boarding.
• Nancy assigned Richard and Gelo to guard a corner, and Richard agreed while planning to hide his spellcasting.
• Nancy divided the ship’s defenses and formed three Firefighting Squads to provide emergency support.
• Richard recognized Tyson as the captain of one squad, and Tyson noticed Richard and quickly moved away.

Pirates attacked the giant ship, and Nancy led its defenders in cutting their boarding ropes while they endured casualties. As the fight reached a stalemate, the pirate captain ordered One-Eye to prepare a potion for the elite pirates to drink before charging aboard.

• Pirates circled the giant ship, launched boarding hooks, and attacked its defenders with ranged weapons as Nancy urged everyone to fight back.
• A pirate harpoon pierced a student, and Nancy rallied the frightened defenders to keep cutting the ropes.
• The pirate captain and One-Eye discussed the ship, their suspicions, and using One-Eye's potion to break the stalemate.
• One-Eye mixed the potion and persuaded the elite pirates to drink it, promising rewards for those who boarded first.

Red-Eye Pirates boarded the giant ship and overwhelmed the students with their speed and ferocity. Nancy killed one with her sword and magic, but more pirates kept arriving, leaving her squads struggling to hold the deck.

• Red-Eye Pirates climbed aboard the giant ship at high speed and killed a student who tried to stop them.
• Nancy knocked down one Red-Eye Pirate and fought him with her longsword.
• Nancy used a vine to restrain the pirate, then beheaded him with his own opening.
• Nancy ordered the students to arm themselves and defend the deck as more Red-Eye Pirates boarded.
• The Red-Eye Pirates pushed the students back, while Nancy and the Firefighting Squads struggled to contain the chaos.

Richard concealed his full strength while helping the students gain control of the deck, using small interventions to turn battles in their favor. After defeating a Red-Eye Pirate by silently severing his arteries, he looked toward the remaining fighting.

• Richard caught an Iron Axe Pirate's thrown axe and killed him with a scalpel before handing the recovered axe to Gelo.
• Richard led Gelo across the deck, joining fights and making small tactical interventions while presenting himself as a capable but ordinary student.
• Nancy noticed that the deck was turning in the students' favor faster than expected, then led the Firefighting Squad into a direct fight with pirates.
• Richard faced a Red-Eye Pirate who seemed insensitive to pain and repeatedly dodged his attacks while cutting major arteries.
• The Red-Eye Pirate collapsed from blood loss, and Richard turned his attention to the rest of the deck.

The Black Robe Wizard forced the pirates into a desperate assault on the giant ship, killing their captain and his one-eyed companion after ordering the attack. As the students were driven back, Nancy tried to coordinate support, but Tyson ignored her assignment and headed toward Richard.

• The Black Robe Wizard appeared before the pirate captain and killed the one-eyed man when he reached for something.
• The Wizard ordered the captain to make his men attack the giant ship, then killed the captain with an Air Arrow.
• The pirates launched a desperate assault, forcing the students back and increasing their casualties.
• Richard questioned whether a Wizard had deliberately escalated the test, then joined the fight.
• Nancy sent Tyson's squad to support Richard, but Tyson defied her and led his men toward Richard while Nancy followed with the remaining squad members.

Richard and Nancy fought together to help the students defeat the pirates aboard the giant ship. After the survivors celebrated their victory, the ship’s Wizard, Dempsey, appeared and began explaining why the students had been left to fight.

• Richard and Nancy teamed up to kill pirates, including the last Red-Eye Pirate, and Nancy asked about Richard’s swordsmanship and his reason for traveling to the continent.
• The students and Firefighting Squads killed the remaining pirates, and the exhausted survivors realized they had won.
• Dempsey descended onto the deck from a towering column of water and introduced himself as the Wizard stationed aboard the giant ship.
• Dempsey reminded the students that the Wizards had not intervened during the pirate attacks and asked whether they had wondered why.