The day had come for Leo to become an official student of the Mage Academy.
The Mage Academy's white spire showed only a hazy outline through the thin morning mist.
Veylin accompanied Leo to the academy's magnificent arched gate.
Ancient runes were carved into the stone lintel. Years of wind and rain had worn away parts of their strokes, yet an invisible ripple of magical power still permeated the air, making the surroundings a few degrees cooler than elsewhere.
The enrollment procedures were more straightforward than Leo had expected.
At first, the mage in the administrative office merely followed procedure, his manner hardly warm.
When he saw the recommendation letter bearing Count Lyman's family crest and a resource allocation certificate issued by the Tower of All Magic, he adjusted his monocle. Even his fingers grew much gentler as he leafed through the documents.
"Baron Klein's documentation is in order. Student Leo, your enrollment has been registered."
His voice no longer held that strictly businesslike tone.
Once the formalities were complete, Veylin did not linger in the office.
He led Leo beneath a secluded corridor.
"Leo, your task here isn't just to study."
He stopped, his gaze sweeping over several students talking nearby.
One student's mage robe had been patched at the elbow with thread of a noticeably mismatched color.
"I need you to seek out and invest in people like yourself, people with talent who are held back by their backgrounds and lack of resources."
"Use money, knowledge, and the promise of a future to win their loyalty."
"The Gray Marsh Fief needs a mage corps of our own."
Leo nodded solemnly, committing those words firmly to memory.
Having finished his instructions, Veylin turned and left. His figure disappeared at the end of the corridor without the slightest hesitation.
Alone,