Facing the Queen's Blade, Aaron no longer felt as wary as he had a few months earlier.
He was no longer the apprentice-level rookie he had once been.
He was now an elite sorcerer.
Any town with such a powerful spellcaster could deter most of the monsters in the forest, keeping them from attacking recklessly.
Even if Aaron had not been a native of Cormyr, his strength as an elite sorcerer alone would have allowed him to settle in any city in Cormyr except its two great cities, Suzail and Marsember, gaining both citizenship and a position as a magical adviser.
And he was a native of Cormyr.
If he wanted, he could start gradually withdrawing from adventuring right now. He could go from an adventurer to someone who posted quests at the adventurers' guild-from contractor to client-and enjoy a comfortable little life from then on.
With another increase in strength, Aaron's maximum magical reserves had expanded again. The number of second-level spells he could cast between rests had risen from two to four, the cost of first-level spells was now negligible to him, and an entirely new third-level spell-Metal Flow-had appeared in his mind.
It summoned a searing torrent of molten metal to punch through ranks of enemies, a spell suited to fighting armies.
With extraordinary charisma, Aaron could now cast one third-level spell between rests.
Where Aaron had previously needed to find a way to ambush a kobold outpost, he now had the power to wipe one out in a single assault.
How could mere flames compare to a raging torrent of molten metal?
The power of chaos surged through his veins, howling.
Each use of the Red Conrad's Ring could now replenish the magical energy for a second-level spell rather than a first-level spell.
His divine soul