The Aftermath

Donald's spellcasting in the slums, along with the commotion caused by his summoned creatures' attacks, could be heard across most of the commoners' district.

The first to react were the mages of the Mage Association. A mage who had reached the Bronze rank could detect things at least a hundred paces away with his mental power, and by casting a detection spell, he could easily cover most of Giant Stone City.

And no one was more familiar with or sensitive to the fluctuations of magic than the mages with their formidable mental powers.

A battle had broken out in Giant Stone City, and one side was made up of mages. Messer and several other high-ranking mages immediately cast Fly and rushed over.

By the time the teacher and the Bronze mages arrived, the battle was already over.

"Donald, were you attacked? Who would dare do such a thing?"

One of the Bronze mages asked angrily.

Donald spread his hands and said:

"I'm fine, masters. Teacher, I dealt with the assassins. I had two of them alive at first, but unfortunately, I couldn't get anything out of them!"

As it happened, the last badly wounded assassin had stopped breathing while they were speaking.

Messer consoled him:

"It's all right if you couldn't get anything out of them. They were probably all fanatics who had sworn themselves to die for their cause. Usually, we can only investigate by looking for other clues!"

Messer was extremely worried about his apprentice's safety. But as North Shire's Number One Mage, he quickly regained his composure and said to the mages behind him:

"I'll take little Donald back to the association for an examination. You stay here and secure the scene. See if you can find any clues. If some fool comes here looking for trouble, deal with him as you see fit. Don't spare anyone's feelings!"

The Bronze mages assured Messer that he needn't worry. They knew what to do.

Those who knew Messer well understood that the old mage was truly furious this time. His first two apprentices had both died amid the Kingdom's power struggles, so he loathed the infighting between the various factions.

Donald was his most beloved and promising young apprentice, with a talent seen only once in a century. If he were to die in this little city of Giant Stone before he could fulfill his ambitions, Messer would surely track down the mastermind and make him join his apprentice in death.

Messer didn't cast Fly as he led Donald away. Even a peak Bronze mage like him would find it exhausting to cast two fifth-level spells in a row. Unless necessary, it was best not to waste too much mana.

When the City Guard arrived at the scene, they found only several Bronze mages standing watch. The people involved had left long ago.

The mages, usually so lofty and untouchable, were carefully examining the scene, missing no detail and letting no one approach. This left the City Guard captain, who had been acting on the city lord's orders, in a difficult position. The mages were in no mood to care about the city lord's orders, let alone those of a minor City Guard captain like him.

The captain even privately wondered whether the city lord had something to do with the incident. Otherwise, how had he received the news so quickly and ordered him to the scene—and why had he told him to discreetly deal with the traces the assassins had left behind?

But the captain knew better than to meddle in such murky affairs. He was only a minor City Guard captain, so he wisely kept quiet.

That same day, the Mage Association issued a notice to every noble and faction in North Shire, seeking the group behind the assassination of one of its formal mages.

It had been decades since anyone had openly tried to assassinate a mage in broad daylight. This time, the mages, who usually stayed in their laboratories or meditated and trained, seldom appearing in public, were taking things seriously. Many clandestine factions were caught up in the fallout.

After a thorough investigation, they failed to find the true culprits. However, they did uncover and wipe out two foreign intelligence organizations operating in Giant Stone City, while also disrupting many factions' plans in North Shire, directly or indirectly.

As a result, the underground factions around Giant Stone City suspended their current dealings and went into hiding to lie low, lest they be caught up in the mages' wrath.

Back in that same secret underground building, the young leader in black looked at his subordinate kneeling before him and asked:

"So you're saying your ambush was defeated head-on by the target?"

"Yes, my lord. The opponent was far stronger than a Black Iron Mage, and he summoned a Bronze-rank magical beast. He took out the three Black Crows in a single encounter. If I hadn't reacted quickly, I would probably have been caught by the other flying monster even after escaping underground!"

"Mm! Good. You may leave!"

After the subordinate left, the tall, burly man in black behind him asked:

"Leader, they failed. Should we send more men?"

"What for? To avenge them? The people we sent this time were all loyal to the old man in the Dark Group. Whether the assassination succeeded or not, we couldn't keep them around. Now that they're dead, that's for the best. It saves us the trouble of dealing with them ourselves!"

"I'm actually quite interested in that young mage. He managed to single-handedly overturn the perfect ambush the Dark Group had designed. I hear he only recently advanced to Black Iron Mage. Even for a rare Summoner, his strength is astonishing!"

"But how are we going to explain this to the Viscount?"

The young leader replied unconcernedly:

"Explain what? He assigned us a mission like this, so he clearly doesn't consider us trusted confidants anymore. Send word to him that things are too tense right now, and we won't be able to communicate with the manor for a while. The old man would be glad to have us lie low, so the mages don't catch us and trace things back to him!"

"Our real elite forces are hidden in the south, outside Giant Stone City. This place is nothing but an empty shell. Even if the old man sells us out, we can abandon this base and get away in time!"

While all of North Shire was thrown into turmoil over the assassination of a mage, Donald, the person at the center of it all, had been ordered by his teacher, Messer, to stay at the association for three days.

During those three days, apart from practicing spells and reading in the library, Donald also received lessons from Messer whenever he had time between his duties. Over the course of the three days, Donald made great progress in alchemy. He could now follow recipes to prepare several simple potions.

Of course, his practical experience from chemistry classes in his previous life had helped. Otherwise, he wouldn't have picked it up so quickly. After all, he had been studying alchemy for less than a month, and it was a field that required a solid foundation.

But after spending three leisurely days at the association, Donald began to feel restless. He had already sent Clinton to deliver a message to the manor, but surely the steward would be very worried when he heard Donald had been attacked.

So when Clinton returned with a reply, bringing George and Bush with him, Donald asked his teacher for leave and prepared to return to the manor.

After all, the manor was newly established, and there were still plenty of matters that needed his attention.

Seeing his three fully armed guards, each at least in the middle stages of Black Iron and no less capable than the Kingdom's elite soldiers, and considering Donald's own strength, Messer felt fairly confident in his apprentice's safety. Even an ordinary Bronze-rank enemy might not be able to harm him.

Besides, the Mage Association had made such a grand show of force to intimidate any factions with ill intentions. With the mages of all North Shire backing them, no faction would be foolish enough to target Donald again.

So the old mage nodded and let him go. Donald, who had been cooped up for days, immediately left and headed for the commoners' district to continue what he had set out to do earlier.

The William family was relatively well-off among the people living in the commoners' district. Whenever the locals mentioned William, the mage's attendant, they wore envious expressions. Working at the mysterious Mage Association and meeting those powerful mage lords was the kind of job people envied and yearned for, even in the wealthy district.

What was more, mages were never stingy. William's monthly wages were enough to support his family, and with the occasional tip, he could afford to send his two sons to study under a swordsman.

Though neither he nor his two older sons had the talent to become mages, dashing William's childhood dream and leaving him with some regrets, he was already quite content with his life. And ever since he had gotten close to that genius mage, William had placed all his hopes in his youngest son, wishing he could become a true mage, even if only a formal apprentice.

But all those hopes—all of it—had been shattered when he was dismissed for no apparent reason a few days ago.

Ever since he got up that morning, William had been downcast and silent. His wife tried to comfort him for a while, but when he showed no sign of cheering up, she went out to work.

She had a job helping out at a merchant's home in the wealthy district. She usually looked after the women's clothes, altered their sizes, and did some sewing to help make ends meet. Her handiwork wasn't as good as a real tailor's, but it was a compromise for small merchant families who couldn't afford to hire one.

After his wife left, his youngest son, who was not yet five, played alone in the yard while William sat glumly outside the front door and watched him. In truth, he was torn.

"Should I go or not? Maybe that lord has already forgotten about me!"

He had previously leaked some information about the association to that noble mage, earning a verbal promise that he could seek the lord's help if he ever ran into trouble. By now, the man's status even surpassed that of ordinary nobles.

But a powerful man might easily forget something he had said in passing. Why would he remember a lowly attendant like William? William was afraid he wouldn't even get to see the lord if he went to ask for help. But if things continued like this, his family would soon have nothing to eat. He was caught between two impossible choices.

Just as William was agonizing over whether to go, a voice sounded outside the door.

"Excuse me, is Mr. William at home?"

William looked up toward the entrance and saw four elegantly dressed people standing outside. The tall man in front, who had politely asked the question, looked like a nobleman's guard. Behind him stood a young nobleman flanked by two attendants. Wasn't that the young noble mage he had been thinking about all this time?

William could hardly believe it. A noble lord—and a great mage, no less—had actually come to visit his humble home.

But years of experience as an attendant helped him recover quickly. He hurried over, opened the wooden gate, and bowed respectfully.

"Lord Mage, it's an honor for William to see you again!"

Donald smiled and said:

"Well, William, aren't you going to invite me in?"

William was both flattered and embarrassed.

"It's too humble here. I couldn't possibly let Lord Mage get your clothes dirty!"

Donald chuckled and showed that he didn't mind, then walked into William's small courtyard. His attendant Clinton followed close behind.

The courtyard was small but very tidy, with little clutter. It was clear that William and his family were hardworking people who liked to keep things clean. Donald, who had come with a purpose, was quite pleased.

Seeing that the important guest didn't mind the humble surroundings and had come in so graciously, William had no choice but to respectfully invite him inside to sit and talk.