Visit

Divine Domain Fragment.

As soon as he returned here, absolute rationality took over.

The delight of obtaining Exotic Beast Meat and his hopes for future growth all melted away, leaving him calm and composed.

After setting down the box containing the Exotic Beast Meat and handicrafts, Karl rolled up his sleeve and looked at the Fire Seal pattern on his arm.

After all this time spent casting spells and gaining insight, he was confident he could inscribe the Fire Seal Spell Model.

If so...

"Then let's give it a try!"

He sat cross-legged, silently practiced the Deep Sea Meditation Method, sank his consciousness into his Mental Sea, and began constructing the Spell Model.

The Fire Seal Spell Model was nowhere near as complex as the Lesser Force Field.

Having already constructed two Spell Models, he found the process smooth this time and succeeded in less than two days.

Karl now had three Spell Models in his Mental Sea.

Lesser Force Field!

Fire Seal!

Light Spell!

Two Zero-ring Witchcraft spells and one cantrip.

All he needed to do now was construct one more Zero-ring Witchcraft spell, and he could advance to Intermediate Wizard Apprentice.

"Constructing Spell Models takes up mental power, but they're like ballast stones in the Mental Sea. They make mental power more concentrated, and make it easier to enter the Mental Sea when practicing a Meditation Method."

"Even..."

"They speed up cultivation."

Karl silently sensed the changes in his Mental Sea, thoughtful.

"No wonder the ranks of Wizard Apprentices are divided according to the number of spells they've constructed. Judging by how things are now, constructing three Zero-ring Witchcraft spells will give mental power a huge boost."

"Once someone has three Zero-ring Witchcraft spells, their mental power will probably increase slowly over time, even without practicing a Meditation Method."

Name: Karl (Lord of the Divine Domain Fragment)

Physique: 0.82

Mental Power: 1.45

Source Quality: 0

Occupation: Knight Squire, Beginner Wizard Apprentice

Constructing Lesser Force Field consumes 0.7 mental power; constructing Fire Seal consumes nearly 0.5 mental power.

Add the 0.1 for Light Spell.

In other words, a full 1.4 of Karl's mental power was already occupied by these spells.

Luckily, the Spell Model for Fire Seal overlapped with the seal on his arm. Otherwise, he probably wouldn't have had enough mental power to construct it.

"Even though inactive Spell Models take up mental power, they don't have any real effect."

"They might even help increase mental power."

"But..."

Karl's eyes flickered.

"Once activated, they consume mental power rapidly, and I don't have enough mental power to spare right now."

"Doesn't that make them useless?"

"No!"

He shook his head slightly.

"This situation must be common among Wizard Apprentices. How do the others deal with it?"

When in doubt, ask a senior sister.

... ... ...

When Karl arrived at the manor outside the city, Hibel was in the garden with Catherine, pulling weeds. The two women looked like beauties who had stepped out of an oil painting; every movement they made was a lovely sight.

"Madam, Senior Sister."

Karl handed over the gifts.

"May God bless my friends. Happy God's Birthday!"

He had prepared a hat for Catherine. Made from fine silk and cleverly cut and stitched, it had a ring of white feathers around the brim and a gemstone at the center. It was both noble and elegant.

Hibel's gift was a bottle of wine.

Hibel didn't drink, but she thought winemaking was similar to brewing potions, and that good wine was worth collecting.

"Thank you."

Catherine accepted it with a smile, clearly pleased. Then she added with a laugh,

"But you're a little late with the gift."

"That's right."

Hibel nodded.

"God's Birthday was ages ago."

"It's the thought that counts, not the timing." They were only joking, so Karl didn't take it seriously. Instead, he asked,

"Senior Sister, can I switch to a different Zero-ring Witchcraft spell?"

He planned to use that as an excuse to see if he could get a spell from her.

"Realized it's difficult?" Hibel shook her head.

"I told you before, the Lesser Force Field is one of the harder Zero-ring Witchcraft spells. It's not suitable as a beginner spell."

"Um..."

"How's your Light Spell coming along?"

"I've got it." Karl raised his hand and snapped his fingers. A glimmer of light appeared at his fingertip.

"How amazing," Catherine marveled from the side.

"Too bad I don't have the talent for it."

Everyone around her was a Wizard Apprentice. But she had no talent for magic, and couldn't help feeling wistful whenever she saw them.

Still, after seeing it so often, she had gotten used to it.

"Not bad."

Hibel was a little surprised.

"The Spell Model for a cantrip isn't difficult, but you have a Level Four Talent. That's pretty fast."

If she knew that Karl had not only constructed the cantrip Light Spell, but had also mastered two Zero-ring Witchcraft spells, she would probably have been stunned.

"Mentor said that once you've constructed a Spell Model, you can officially become his apprentice, whether it's a Zero-ring Witchcraft spell or not. But there's a bit of a problem right now."

Hibel shrugged.

"Mentor isn't home."

"He still hasn't come back?" Karl frowned.

"He's been gone for months, hasn't he?"

Hibel called Adolf her mentor, while Karl could only call him teacher. The difference in titles showed whether or not someone had officially become his apprentice.

Only after officially becoming his apprentice could someone learn new spells from Adolf.

Of course,

they had to pay.

"You've constructed a Spell Model now, so you've truly taken your first step. I don't mind telling you." Hibel began,

"Grey Robe Wizard Addison is joining forces with two other Formal Wizards to set up a Wizard camp in the Black Swamp."

"Mentor was invited to take part."

"Hm?" Karl was taken aback.

"What does that mean?"

"It means..." Hibel said,

"Mentor may not come back at all, and we'll most likely move there and settle in the Black Swamp."

"Honestly, I'm looking forward to it."

"The Black Swamp produces all kinds of witchcraft materials, and there are plenty of Wizard Apprentices to exchange ideas with. It'll be much easier to study witchcraft."

"I'm not looking forward to it at all." Catherine shook her head.

"I hear it's either muddy or full of miasma there, and there aren't any cities nearby. It won't suit an ordinary person like me."

"Don't worry." Hibel reassured her.

"I'll be there with you, won't I? Besides, wizards need people to serve them. A city will surely be built near the Black Swamp eventually."

Karl understood.

Most of the wizards in the Kingdom of Gondo were scattered around. Grey Robe Wizard Addison's move would bring them together.

When that happened,

everything would be easier.

With so many wizards and Wizard Apprentices, their influence might even sway some of the kingdom's decisions. In short, there were plenty of benefits.

"Karl."

Hibel beckoned.

"Come with me."

"Yes." Karl followed her, taking the opportunity to ask the question on his mind.

"Senior Sister, if all your mental power is used to construct Spell Models, wouldn't you be short on mental power once you activate them? How can you keep casting spells?"

"Use potions!" Hibel replied as if it were obvious.

"Some potions can restore and increase mental power for a short time. After taking them, you don't have to worry about running out."

Karl was speechless.

It hadn't occurred to him that the solution could be so simple.

But it made sense. Wizards were different from knights. They were much more focused on using outside resources, such as potions and Enchanted Items.

"These are basic facts about the Wizard World. You're only confused because you haven't been exposed to them before."

Hibel continued,

"I'll write to Mentor and tell him you've constructed Light Spell. As for witchcraft... if you can't wait, you may have to choose from the spells I know."

"I don't know nearly as many spells as Mentor does."

"That's fine." Karl was delighted.

"As long as I can learn a new spell."

"And..." Hibel made the customary gesture.

"Each Zero-ring Witchcraft spell costs one hundred Gold Coins. You can put it on credit for now, then pay it back later by brewing potions."

One hundred Gold Coins?

The smile on Karl's face stiffened.

(The End)