The rustle of turning pages sounded almost like the surge of the waves.
Of course, that was down to Ruger. To his ears, the waves always faded first, followed by the creaking of the old lounge chair beneath him. Those sounds, one distant and one close, often enveloped him, but both would gradually be drowned out by the pages turning in his hands. That faint rustling was usually the last sound to vanish from his ears, and often without him even noticing.
Ruger felt he had fallen in love with this life. Sometimes, he could even find notes His Excellency Kurt had left in the margins. It seemed that, who knew how many years ago, Apprentice Kurt had puzzled over these same questions, or approached them from a different angle.
Of course, even the things one loved most could grow tiresome eventually.
Just as Wizards grew restless after too much quiet and set out to travel after spending too long in their laboratories, he had been through far too much activity. He had known no peace since becoming a Wizard Apprentice, and had just experienced an island that, under normal circumstances, a Wizard like him should never have gone anywhere near.
He had immediately been captivated by the peace and security before him. Better still, this was the so-called observation period, with the Holy Judgment Wizards standing guard nearby.
His powerful mental power allowed him to read very quickly.
Over these past few days, casting the Light Spell had also given him a few insights. He now had an idea of how long a ball of light this size would last with a given amount of power, and used that to plan his days. For instance, when the light he had released went out, it was time for his daily