Doctor Wilkins

"You know I've been studying Necromancy." Green had no intention of beating around the bush. He got straight to the point.

"Of course, my friend. You even showed me that Bone Whistle. A fine Magic Artifact, though it was a shame it was damaged." Vincent smiled, neither confirming nor denying anything.

"I succeeded," Green said without warning.

Vincent failed to grasp his meaning at first. "Succeeded at what..." Then understanding struck. He stared at Green, eyes wide. "You mean... you became a Necromancer? My brother, you're not joking, are you? That's incredible!"

Hearing that Green had become a Necromancer, Vincent was so stunned that he changed how he addressed him without even realizing it.

The two had always been close, but Green was a titled member of the Wilson Family, while Vincent was its heir. An heir could not call an apprentice steward his brother. If Green had become a Necromancer, though, everything changed. The Wilson Family could never afford to employ a distinguished mage as a steward.

"Don't get too excited, Vincent." Green smiled. "I'm only a novice Magic Apprentice. I'm still a long way from becoming a Formal Necromancer."

Vincent laughed, utterly unconcerned. "Don't be so modest, Green. Every Formal Mage started out as a Magic Apprentice. Congratulations, my brother. This is wonderful!"

Vincent was happy from the bottom of his heart. He had always been close to Green. Now that Green was a Magic Apprentice, if all went well, he might advance to Formal Necromancer in another twenty or thirty years. Vincent would only be in his forties when he inherited the Lineage. If the Wilson Family had a Transcendent of the Formal Rank, the benefits to its future would be unimaginable.

Mages were different from Knights. The path of a Knight was easy to enter but hard to master: it demanded little talent at first, but progress stalled at Advanced Apprentice Knight. Of every hundred Advanced Apprentice Knights, only five or six became Formal Knights. For mages, it was the reverse. The threshold was high from the start. Without enough talent to gather Magic Power within the body, a person could not even become a Magic Apprentice. Once someone did, advancing to the Formal Rank was comparatively easy. As long as Green did not die along the way, he had at least a fifty-percent chance of becoming a Formal Necromancer.

"Oh, right, my brother. You said there was something you needed my help with?" Vincent asked eagerly, even more excited than Green himself.

"You know my situation better than anyone. I became a Necromancer Apprentice by a stroke of luck, but I'm self-taught. Without a teacher, I don't know any spells." Green explained why he had come.

Vincent did not need to think it over. "That's easy. Doctor Wilkins is bound to have some Necromancy spells. I'll take you to him."

That was exactly what Green had hoped for. Doctor Wilkins was a private Attendant to the Wilson Family, an advanced Magic Apprentice and a scholar with doctorates in physics and philosophy from Royal Capital University. That was why he liked people to call him Doctor Wilkins in private.

Doctor Wilkins belonged to the Evocation School, but his knowledge was broad and covered many kinds of magic. Soul Summoning was only an introductory Necromancy spell; it should not be beyond him.

At this hour, Doctor Wilkins was most likely in the meditation room at the top of the castle. Given his age and mastery of magic, he had a good chance of advancing to Formal Mage within three to five years. His power and lifespan would then take a tremendous leap, so even Viscount Paul treated him with considerable respect.

Vincent was a man of swift action. He immediately took Green to the meditation room at the top of the castle.

The castle's top floor was forbidden ground to most people. Only direct members of the Wilson Family and a handful of others, including Steward Laurence, could enter. That was why Green had needed Vincent's help despite knowing where Doctor Wilkins lived.

The meditation room was in the eastern tower at the top of the castle. Together with the Laboratory, study, and Bedroom, Doctor Wilkins's quarters occupied more space than an ordinary two-story house.

When Vincent and Green arrived, Doctor Wilkins was conducting an experiment with two students. Beakers and iron cauldrons clattered amid a choking haze.

Doctor Wilkins wore a blue, gold-trimmed hooded robe. The hood was down, exposing his white hair. In one gaunt hand he held an ebony Magic Staff over half a meter long. Though elderly, he was brimming with vigor, and the life force surging through him was stronger than that of a young man.

Vincent and Green did not dare interrupt. They waited to the side and watched the experiment.

Vincent was a complete outsider and could only watch the spectacle. Green might have been a Magic Apprentice, but he had come to magic late and understood little more than Vincent did.

Nearly half an hour passed before Doctor Wilkins's experiment finally ended. Unsurprisingly, it failed. That was the usual course when mages explored the unknown; even one success bought with ninety-nine failures counted as tremendous progress.

Doctor Wilkins ordered his two students to clean up the wrecked Laboratory, then walked toward Green and Vincent. As he went, he waved his staff and tapped himself. Blue light instantly enveloped him. A moment later, it faded, leaving his soiled clothes spotless.

"Little Vincent, what brings you up here? Have you finally decided to study magic with me?" Doctor Wilkins asked with a hearty laugh. Then he noticed Green and gave him a closer look. Green felt his heart tighten. He guessed that Doctor Wilkins had used a detection spell on him and had probably discovered he was a Novice Necromancer Apprentice. A flicker of surprise crossed the doctor's face.

Vincent smiled. "I don't have the talent to become a mage. But my brother here—Green Wilson—managed to gather Magic Power through his own efforts, without a teacher's guidance. He's become a Necromancer."

Doctor Wilkins's expression froze. He had seen that Green was a novice Magic Apprentice of the Necromancy School, but he had not expected him to have figured it out on his own. He studied Green again, clicking his tongue in wonder. "Boy, you truly gathered Magic Power all by yourself? You're not pulling this old man's leg?"

"Doctor Wilkins, what my cousin Vincent said is largely true. But I didn't do it entirely on my own. I have a broken Bone Whistle, a magical item once used by a Necromancer. Though damaged, it still contains Magic Power. I only barely succeeded with its help."

"A damaged magical item? Boy, are you saying you became a Magic Apprentice with nothing but that?" Doctor Wilkins was even more astonished. He shook his head in wonder. As far as he knew, even a high-quality Magic Artifact would have no bearing on whether someone could become a mage, let alone a damaged one. Yet he could tell that neither Green nor Vincent was lying.

"How could I make up such nonsense in front of you, Doctor Wilkins?" Green hurried to explain, then stated his purpose. "I stumbled into becoming a Magic Apprentice, but I have no teacher to teach me spells. You're widely learned and versed in many schools of magic. Might you teach me one or two basic Necromancy spells?"