Triple Sorcerer! Blessed by the Four Chaos Gods!

Charlotte Caladnei was a Sorcerer of mysterious origins, brought to Cormyr and trained by Vangerdahast, the former Royal Magister of Cormyr.

Cormyr had once been home to several legendary figures. The most famous was its former king, Azoun IV. Working alongside another legend, the archmage Vangerdahast, he had brought Cormyr into its most glorious age.

But those days were gone. After the Time of Troubles and the Goblin Wars, only two legends remained in Cormyr: the old mage Vangerdahast and Tesseril Winter, lord of Morningstar Town. Vangerdahast had reportedly been badly injured in the Goblin Wars, leaving him far weaker than before. He had scarcely appeared in recent months, and rumor had it that his recovery would take a long time.

Tesseril Winter had not risen through the ranks of the Purple Dragon Knights. She was a Mage who also trained as a warrior, and her strength was unremarkable by legendary standards. She worshipped Mielikki, goddess of the forest, and disliked receiving orders from the royal family beyond the duties she was obliged to perform.

Because of Tesseril, Morningstar Town had become a sanctuary for Druids and Rangers. It housed the largest altar in Cormyr dedicated to the nature pantheon of Silvanus, the Father of Oaks.

The webnovels Aaron had read loved the saying, "Legends were as common as dogs, and liches walked every street." They made it sound as though any tiny patch of the map could hold hundreds or thousands of legendary figures.

But when Aaron looked into it, he found that wasn't the case.

Legends were called legends because their power could shape the future of an entire continent, even the multiverse. If people like that were everywhere, they could hardly be called legends.

So where had the saying come from?

Take a report Aaron had read before crossing over. It said China had 133,000 households worth at least a hundred million yuan and 2,655 people with a net worth above a billion US dollars, putting it ahead of the United States in first place worldwide.

At five people per household, those 133,000 households represented well over half a million people, and that counted only publicly disclosed wealth. The 2,655 people worth over a billion dollars could fill an entire sports field, a dense sea of faces.

Stretch the scale of time and space across the Realms, and wouldn't you get legends as common as dogs and liches walking every street?

But in everyday life, how often did an ordinary person meet someone worth a hundred million? Some people might go their whole lives without meeting one.

The reasons were simple. First, ordinary people had no way to reach that level and no chance to speak with legendary figures. Second, many legends chose to remain out of sight. They had neither the need nor the desire to mingle with people far weaker than themselves.

Where would you find so many legends wandering the streets all day?

Alustriel and Laeral, the youngest of the Seven Sisters of the North, appeared in public fairly often, yet even they frequently traveled elsewhere. The Simbul, queen of Aglarond, had vanished for so long on more than one occasion that her kingdom's council had wondered if she was dead. Elminster's whereabouts were often a mystery too. The odds of finding him in Shadowdale were next to zero.

In the Realms, a master-level powerhouse could already rule a region.

No one knew where the legendary Mage Vangerdahast had found Caladnei, why he had chosen her, or why he had made her his apprentice and named her the next Royal Magister of Cormyr.

Likewise, having this young Sorcerer lady teach Aaron magic had been the Princess Regent's decision. Neither Lucian nor Aaron had any choice but to accept it.

"Hmm, how about you introduce yourself? We're going to be teacher and student, after all. We ought to get to know each other!" Charlotte Caladnei put her hands on her hips. Blessed with a perfect figure, the young Sorcerer lady brought her sweet, delicate face close to Aaron's and circled him. Her slender heels clicked against the stone path as her pink hair swirled with her.

"My name is Aaron Sallyan. I'm from Suzail, and I'm a descendant of the Sallyan family." Aaron bowed.

"Sallyan? Oh! I know—the family stripped of its title and exiled to the Great Swamp!" The young lady raised a hand clad in a long white lace glove and lightly propped up her soft, fair cheek. "Alusair told me about it. I thought I'd misheard her!"

"Yes, that Sallyan family." Aaron felt a little awkward. He coughed twice. "In any case, I'm honored to receive your guidance, Mentor Caladnei."

"Oh, you don't have to call me Mentor. I can't be much older than you, can I? I'm twenty-one!"

"I'm eighteen." Aaron thought she really wasn't much older than him.

"Hmm... Alusair told me she wanted me to teach a Sorcerer, and I wondered what sort of person he'd be." The young Sorcerer lady was plainly excited. With her hands behind her back, she paced around Aaron, studying him. "But I'm only three years older than you. Just call me Charlotte from now on!"

"Yes, Charlotte."

"Hehe! Starting today, I have an apprentice of my own! Stick with me, and your big sister will look after you!" The young Sorcerer lady held her fists against her chest, her cheeks flushed with excitement. "Mr. Lucian, and you... thank you for bringing him here."

"You're welcome, Lady Caladnei. It was our duty. We'll leave Aaron in your hands, then. Please give him the best training you can." Seeing that she had accepted Aaron as her apprentice, Banneret Lucian prepared to leave with Disma.

"..." Disma straightened up from the ground and couldn't resist taking another look at the young Sorcerer lady.

What a beautiful woman! No wonder Mannakorn Anaheim had tried everything he could to court her.

Hah. If that guy learned the woman of his dreams thought so highly of my junior, he'd probably burst a blood vessel.

Disma rather looked forward to seeing that.

But the young Sorcerer lady clearly had no interest in Disma. She had not even given him a proper glance.

Hmph. These arrogant spellcasters would only get to enjoy their moment of glory for so long.

Disma silently clenched his fists.

One day, everyone in the Realms would look at me with respect!

Meanwhile, among several flowerbeds, the young Sorcerer lady told Aaron to stand still. The rich scent of tulips surrounding her was intoxicating.

Aaron, too, gave off a fresh citrus scent, with a faint hint of rosemary.

Her long pink hair fluttering in the breeze, Charlotte Caladnei studied Aaron Sallyan. Her sweet, bright-gold eyes brimmed with interest.

She had no intention of teaching just anyone! She was a Sorcerer—a proud Sorcerer!

"Aaron, come here." The pink-haired young lady beckoned him closer.

"Yes." Aaron approached cautiously.

"Closer!" Charlotte caught Aaron by the sleeve and pulled him to within half a meter of her.

Her fragrance and powerful magic washed over Aaron, leaving him momentarily dazed. He instinctively stepped back, but Charlotte still had hold of his sleeve, so he remained close. "What is it?"

This young Sorcerer lady was incredibly charming!

And I'm the Child of Chaos, with Extraordinary Charisma!

When two such charming people came together, he instinctively wanted to draw closer to his mentor. The impulse came from deep in his soul and subconscious.

"First of all, starting today, you're my apprentice!" The young lady proudly planted her hands on her hips. "I need to test what kind of Sorcerer you are."

"How?" Aaron was curious about that himself.

"Here, hold out your hand!" Charlotte Caladnei blinked her bright-gold eyes. "Like this."

The young Sorcerer lady extended her small, white-lace-gloved hand. A shining orb of light formed above it. "Come on, Aaron. Touch the orb with a finger and release a little magic. Let me see what kind of Sorcerer you are."

"Like this?" Aaron touched the orb with his fingertip.

He released a little magic.

The orb changed at once. Inside the bright sphere, a flickering flame surged and swirled erratically, its shape shifting endlessly and its colors changing without pause.

"Oh? You're a Wild Magic Sorcerer!" The young lady looked thoughtful. Gazing at Aaron's handsome, alluring face, she pressed a slender finger to her cheek. "I thought you'd be a Draconic Sorcerer. Most Sorcerers in the Realms are!"

"Keep going, Aaron," Caladnei instructed. "I want another look, just to make sure."

Aaron said nothing and continued pouring in magic.

Sure enough, as he fed more magic into it, the orb changed again.

The void of the cosmos appeared. Stars twinkled, and all things fell silent. Only the galaxies kept turning in their ordered paths, telling of truths unchanged since time immemorial. Within the sacred laws laid down by the ancient creators, time and space moved slowly. A single instant was eternity.

"...A Cosmic Sorcerer!" The young lady's bright-gold eyes widened. She fixed her gaze on the orb, carefully confirming what she saw. "The sun, moon, and stars... the endless void... the great wheel of the cosmos?"

"A Dual Sorcerer... You're a Dual Sorcerer, just like me?!" she exclaimed. "I've never met another one!"

Just like her? Aaron frowned. So this mentor of mine is a Dual Sorcerer too?

Interesting. Very interesting.

In that case, let's show her something even bigger!

Aaron closed his eyes and increased the flow of magic.

The scene within the little orb changed once more. After the ever-shifting flames and the great cosmic wheel turning amid the sun, moon, stars, and void, tiny sparks appeared at its center.

The sparks were faint, almost invisible among the stars and the void. They were so small, yet so dazzling. As Aaron continued to channel his power, they grew brighter.

It was the power of rules, the power of laws. Those faint sparks represented power from a higher dimension: a symbol of the Deities' domain, the source that raised the gods above mortals!

"A Divine Spark!" Charlotte could no longer hide her astonishment. "You're a Divine Soul Sorcerer, just like me!"

A Divine Soul Sorcerer? Charlotte is one too?

Before Aaron could say anything, instinct warned him that something terribly dangerous was closing in!

"Oh no! Let go—quick!" Charlotte reacted even faster. The moment Aaron sensed the danger, she severed their connection and flung the orb away.

The orb exploded a short distance away, though not in any way a mortal would recognize as an explosion.

It hung above the flowerbed as the surrounding space twisted and collapsed toward it. A tremendous force tore open the veil of "reality," revealing the domains of Chaos beneath.

A bizarre world shrouded in pitch-black mist, multicolored halos, and terrifying abysses offered this world a fleeting glimpse. Countless twisted creatures cried out in agony as the world rippled. Rampaging energies promised endless possibilities and destruction after destruction, making the beautiful flower garden seem like nothing more than an illusion.

Something appeared in that howling world of darkness.

In a vast, dark-green garden, a fat old grandfather with two horns on his head sampled a delicious soup beside a great cauldron. He opened his mouth wide, and maggots spilled from between his teeth and off his tongue.

At a grand purple banquet, hundreds of long chains in every color hung beneath an enormous goat's head, glittering enticingly. He raised a wineglass. The feast of depravity was not yet over.

In a deep-blue crystal cavern, a three-eyed bird breathed pink flame. Perhaps more than a million daemon scribes wrote furiously, ready to record their master's interpretation of supreme destiny.

Finally, another frenzied slaughter was underway in an arena spewing lava. Blood flowed, and heads littered the ground. A figure seated on a throne waited in satisfaction for the battle to end. The reward he intended to grant the victor was beyond mortal imagination.

Aaron stared without blinking into the domains of Chaos, awed and entranced by the universe's infinite mysteries.

This was Chaos.

How wondrous! How beautiful! How irresistible!

As though fresh air had finally entered a sealed cellar, Aaron drew a gentle breath, then opened his eyes again.

"Aaron!" Charlotte said angrily. "Didn't I tell you to use only a little power? If you increase your magic output like that, you'll attract some strange things!"

"Yes, my fault." Aaron's gaze flickered. His usual expression returned, and he scratched his head. "I had a little trouble controlling it."

"If you want to be my student, you need to listen to your mentor!" The young Sorcerer lady tapped Aaron on the head with her palm. "Don't do that again. It's dangerous."

"Understood, Mentor."

"But still, heehee—a Triple Sorcerer! Fascinating! Truly fascinating! You're both a Cosmic Sorcerer and a Divine Soul Sorcerer. I can teach you so much!" Charlotte's moods were impossible to predict. What had just happened seemed to have stirred neither suspicion nor curiosity in her. "All right! From today on, I'm your big sister~"

"?" Aaron's face plainly asked, Are you serious?

"Since when did you become my sister?" the last Sallyan protested.

"You're a Cosmic Sorcerer, and so am I. You're a Divine Soul Sorcerer, and so am I. I'm also three years older than you, so of course I'm your big sister!" the young lady declared as if it were obvious. "Come on, let's go inside. Big sister's going to start teaching her little brother!"

"...You're not listening to me at all, are you?" Charlotte pulled Aaron toward the villa deep within the flower garden.

"I don't care! As your Sorcerer mentor, I order you to be my little brother from now on!" the young lady said imperiously. "Good! Your Sorcerer lessons start today, little brother!"

"All right." Aaron let out a long breath.

Big sister, little sister, or mother—anyone who could teach me magic was a good mentor!

She doesn't seem to care about what she saw, Aaron thought. That's good. Otherwise, I'd have a hard time explaining it.

I just hope no one else saw.

Unfortunately, the thing one feared most had a way of happening.

A passing War Wizard, on his way to report on training, had seen the whole thing.

"That wasn't the power of any Deity. That was an Elder Evil!" Crouching behind a hedge, he recalled what he had just witnessed. "Yes, it had to be an Elder Evil!"

"I must report this to the Church of the Three Gods of Justice!"

"The last Sallyan... the offspring of an ancient evil!"