Of course, having someone powerful backing you wasn't always a good thing for a newbie.
For example, Lein knew of a time when a friend went to the hospital to have his appendix removed. His friend was so fat that after cutting for ages, the doctors still couldn't find his intestines. And since the doctor operating on him was a newbie, he called for backup. The attending physician showed up with more than a dozen interns in white coats. The imposing procession scared the family half to death. They burst into tears on the spot, thinking the poor guy was as good as dead...
Ahem! I'm getting off track.
When it came to Downs, the matter wasn't a big deal, but it wasn't a small one either.
Before Lein was transported to this world, there was a famous saying among the Russians: "No man, no problem." It referred to their fondness for eliminating problems by physical means.
That wasn't how things worked on the Chaos Continent.
"Man gone, problem stays for a hundred years" was the more popular saying.
The Day of Magic's End had killed all the Royal Mages of every nation, but the Mage Towers left behind by those suddenly deceased High-Level Mages all had fully automated Defense Systems.
That had created a rather awkward problem.
If an enemy foolishly attacked one of these Mage Towers during a siege, the tower would automatically retaliate and kill the attackers. That was a good thing.
But thirty years ago, there had been an incident—a stray catapult stone struck the side of a Mage Tower facing the inner city. The tower's Defense System was triggered. First, it expanded its range of retaliation, then it frantically unleashed Lightning Chains indiscriminately, killing half the garrison defending the Earl's territory's main city. As luck would have it, by the time the Lizardfolk attacked the city, the Mage Tower had used up all its stored magic power. That ultimately led to the fall of the entire city.
Since then, the leaders of every nation had found Mage Towers a major headache.
Ganis said earnestly, "This is only a request. If Sir Quijote is willing to take the time to completely disable this Mage Tower, you may take anything inside it for yourself. His Majesty Cervantes will also offer an additional reward of fifty thousand gold coins."
The Half-elf paused, then continued, "If Sir Quijote would accept our offer and become our Royal Mage, taking charge of this Mage Tower, that would be even better. Of course, that's merely a wishful hope on our part."
Ganis had been humble enough. Knowing that Downs had a Legendary Archmage backing him, he had never once questioned whether Downs was capable of the task. His attitude was so impeccable that there was simply nothing to criticize.
Downs hesitated. He was young and didn't know how to handle this.
Honestly, he was a little tempted. He'd studied magic for so long, but he wasn't sure how good he really was.
Downs instinctively turned toward the waterfall. He wanted to hear what his master had to say. If his master told him not to go, he would obey.
The waterfall's roar continued without pause. Mixed with Lein's "schoolwide broadcast," it sounded impossibly authoritative. An aura of "power" surged into the visitors' hearts, etching the shock into their very DNA.
"Heh. Nicely calculated." At a single word from Lein, every member of the Embassy was immediately scared out of their wits.
"I wouldn't dare!" Ganis dropped to his knees without hesitation. "We're simply helping each other. Sir Quijote needs experience too, doesn't he, Archmage? We can also provide all the blueprints for the Mage Tower, though we have no way of knowing what changes its previous owner, Mr. Madela, might have made."
Compared with the labyrinths of the Evil Camp, these man-made Mage Towers followed predictable patterns and were relatively easy to crack. And since both sides were High-Level Mages, the magical traps inside would have little chance of penetrating Downs's Protection Magic.
The safety was nearly guaranteed, while the potential rewards were substantial.
Before the Age of Waning Magic, classical Mages would have treated this sort of trial as a pleasant outing.
Lein's mouth curled into a grin. He had no idea that the gesture had somehow stirred the water pouring down the waterfall. A gigantic face appeared across its surface, wearing the exact same smile.
The powerful members of the Embassy were thoroughly frightened.
They glanced at the face, then bowed their heads deeply, not daring to raise them again.
Lein's voice rang through the sky once more, as if delivering a verdict: "Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. Downs, go on this trip."
"Yes!" Downs bowed to the face on the waterfall, which radiated authority and immense control over the elements. His heart leaped with excitement.
No one knew that Ganis was even more stirred. Reading ten thousand books was not as good as traveling ten thousand miles? What a profoundly philosophical remark! If I hadn't pledged my loyalty to the Cervantes Royal Family long ago, I'd gladly spend a hundred years studying under this Great Sage. Even if I could hear only a few words from him each year, I'd benefit for the rest of my life—and could pass them down to my descendants as a family maxim.
Ganis's admiration for Lein, the Legendary Archmage, grew even stronger.
He raised his head and called out, "In that case, we'll wait here for a while. Once Sir Quijote is ready, we can travel together to the royal capital of Cervantes—"
"No need to go to all that trouble." As Lein spoke, everyone saw something like a rock move on an inconspicuous boulder nearby.
The next instant, the "rock" transformed into a fierce blaze and shot toward Downs like a fireball.
"A Fire Bat!?" Ganis cried.
"Huh!?" Famite instinctively put his hand on the handle of his battle axe.
Before anyone could react, the enormous bat—which stood nearly half as tall as a person even with its wings folded—extinguished its flames and obediently perched on Downs's broad shoulder.
Lein's thunderous voice rang out once more before the waterfall: "[Laifu] will accompany you. Set off now."
"Thank you, Master." Downs was so excited that even while carrying the twenty-pound bat, he managed to kneel with perfect form.
Unbeknownst to him, his display shocked Ganis and the others all over again.
Famite asked in a small, uncertain voice, "A Legendary Fire Bat?"
Ganis gave the faintest nod.
Master Natton hadn't mentioned the Legendary Fire Bat last time. Luckily, Ganis had a keen eye. He and his companions immediately understood: anyone who could keep a Legendary Fire Bat as a Magic pet had to be at least Master Level. A Legend was nothing unusual, and whether they might even be a demigod was anyone's guess.
In short, they were unbelievably powerful!
A powerful magical creature like that served as an Archmage's ears and eyes.
With a Legendary Fire Bat around, it was practically the same as having the Legendary Archmage himself there.
As far as Ganis and the others were concerned, if anyone messed with Downs, that big shot might cross through time and space the very next second and wipe the offender off the map.
No one knew that [Laifu] was the only trump card Lein had left to show.
For one thing, the hapless Legendary Archmage couldn't leave the valley. For another, without those so-called Mage Towers, it was anyone's guess whether Lein's unreliable magic would work at all!
When Downs whistled, a Sunshine Rainbow Little White Horse (Wind Rider) immediately came fluttering out of the valley and docilely let him ride.
Blinded by the Seven-Colored Rainbow Light, Ganis and his companions lost the ability to speak entirely.
Whether you're strong or not is one thing.
But being handsome lasts a lifetime!
Just look at the Legendary Archmage's prized pupil.
The entrance, the grandeur, the sheer style—it was all maxed out!
As expected, comparing yourself to others is infuriating.
What else could they do? They could only bow deeply.
Before you continue