Chapter Eleven: Disaster (III)

As people grow old, they often reflect on the past…
Compared to glory, the mistakes they have made fill the elderly with remorse.
Old Charles was a figure whom the Imperial Royal Magi hated deeply during the war between the Empire and the Church over twenty years ago.
Saint Charles George was one of the three powerful Holy White Magi in the Church and also one of its twelve bishops.
During the war between the two nations, the number of Imperial Royal Magi and Royal Knights who died at Charles’s hands was incalculable.
From Salonia’s perspective, this was an act of glory, as Charles protected the Church, the land of the White Magi. But Charles did not see it that way.
After the war between the Empire and the Church ended, Charles left Salonia and traveled alone.
As he grew older, he inevitably recalled the sins he had committed. He swore to the gods that he would never use magic again and sealed away the magic within him.
This incident caused quite a stir, and many Imperial Royal Magi secretly rejoiced. However, the Grand Mage Veston was deeply regretful—having great respect for this powerful White Mage on a personal level, especially as the war between the two nations began.
Gradually, this respected Holy White Mage faded from people’s sight.
During his more than ten years of travel, Old Charles never regretted sealing his magic. But now, he did…
Watching the kind people in the town suffer at the hands of orcs, Old Charles wanted to use his White Magic to save them. Unfortunately, the seal, which he had created together with two other Holy White Magi from the Church, could not be undone by him alone.
Of course, the difference between White Magi and Black Magi is that even if a White Mage loses their magic, they can still cast one type of magic: divine spells.
Casting divine spells does not consume magic, as it draws power from the soul. In other words, divine spells are magic that uses faith as a medium, exchanging the soul for divine power. If used too often or too much power is exchanged, the caster’s soul may not withstand it, potentially leading to a decline in vitality—a danger far greater than that of black magic.
But Old Charles couldn’t care less. First, he wanted to protect the innocent and kind residents of the town. Second, he had to find those two children!
The few years those two children were around were the happiest of Old Charles’s life. He had to find them!

But even after Old Charles rescued many townspeople from the orcs, he still couldn’t find any trace of the two children. Where could they be? Suddenly, Old Charles sensed a powerful negative energy, leaning toward darkness but not evil. Strangely enough, this force was filled with intense anger… It was coming from the direction of the church… Thos?! Could it be that child? Old Charles hurried toward the church. “Oh, my God!” Old Charles witnessed the most shocking scene of his life… The streets outside the church were in ruins, with dozens of orc corpses lying everywhere. A child around ten years old stood there, motionless. “Thos?” Old Charles was both surprised and delighted. As he stepped forward, he suddenly stopped. Was it really Thos? That kind child, sometimes cheerful, sometimes silent? Old Charles was sure that the child who sometimes gave him headaches had dark golden hair, not completely black as he saw now… And there was a black aura surrounding him, along with magical fluctuations filled with fierce anger… What worried Old Charles the most was a huge dark gray shadow faintly visible behind the child, with blood-red eyes staring at him intently. Anger! Endless anger! That was all Old Charles could see in those eyes—neither cruel nor evil, just like a sleeping dragon disturbed… “Thos! It’s me… child?” Seeing the child standing there with his head down, Old Charles slowly approached. Suddenly, he stopped. “No! Child, it’s me!”
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Am I dead? Why do I still have thoughts? Do people turn into souls after death in this world? It feels like I had a very long dream… “Child, wake up.” This voice sounds so familiar… “Old Charles?” Jiang Zhe suddenly opened his eyes and said joyfully, “Are you okay? Old Charles?” As he spoke, he paused. He felt that Old Charles in front of him seemed much older, his face covered in wrinkles. He sat up and looked around, realizing he wasn’t in the familiar church but in a forest outside the town. Stunned, Jiang Zhe murmured, “Is it not a dream?” “I’m sorry…” Old Charles said tiredly, stroking Jiang Zhe’s dark golden hair.

With his head lowered, Jiang Zhe suddenly remembered something. He glanced around and seeing no familiar figure, he asked anxiously, “Old Charles, where’s Nina?”
“I’m sorry, child. I couldn’t find her. Maybe…” The old priest couldn’t continue.
“Is that so…” Jiang Zhe lowered his head further, feeling a bitterness in his heart.
“Sigh,” the old priest said with a slight sigh, “How do you feel, child?”
Enduring the pain in his heart, Jiang Zhe forced a smile and said, “I’m fine. It’s like I had a dream…” He paused then asked doubtfully, “Old Charles, I remember being surrounded by orcs…”
“Oh, you remember. Well… luckily, I arrived in time and saved you…” As he said this, the old priest’s eyes flickered.
“Old Charles, the town…”
“It’s gone,” the old priest shook his head and sighed. “That place has been taken over by orcs… Don’t worry. The empire won’t allow these orcs to stay here…” Though he said “don’t worry,” it was actually what Old Charles feared the most.
“Is nothing left? Maybe Nina is hiding somewhere. She’s not…”
What answered Jiang Zhe was the old priest’s long silence.
“I’m going to Sassen!”
“Hm?” The old priest suddenly raised his head. Looking at the young boy before him, he opened his mouth and said earnestly, “Child, magic doesn’t bring happiness. Hatred even less so—it shouldn’t be a motive for gaining power…”
“I know. But if I had great power, this wouldn’t have happened!”
Great power…
The old priest shook his head silently and sighed, “Have you made up your mind, my child?”
“Yes!” Jiang Zhe nodded seriously. “Old Charles, will you come with me?”
The old priest was stunned. He shook his head with a bitter smile and said, “I really want to, but I’m old. I don’t have the strength to accompany you… Cough, cough!” Then he began to cough violently.
“Old Charles, you…” Jiang Zhe couldn’t believe what he saw—the blood at Old Charles’s lips.
“As you see, my child…” Wiping the blood from his lips, the old priest’s eyes were filled with regret. “I’m old. I can only go this far…”
Hearing the deep meaning in Old Charles’s words, Jiang Zhe felt immense sorrow. Could he lose two people he trusted in just one day?

“Child, please forgive me for not telling you the truth. I am indeed a white mage, but due to some sins I committed, I chose to seal my magic… Extend your hand, child…”
“Hm?” Looking at the old priest in confusion, Jiang Zhe slowly extended his left hand.
“This is the only way I can help you…” Holding Jiang Zhe’s left hand with one hand and placing the other on his forehead, the old priest sighed and said, “Relax, my child. I won’t harm you…”
“Old Charles, you don’t mean to…”
“After I die, my magic will vanish as well. It’s a pity… But it might be useful to you in the future. Relax, child…”
“…” Jiang Zhe opened his mouth, staring at Old Charles for a long time. Eventually, he decided to follow his advice.
“Huh.” Taking a slight breath, the old priest’s cloudy eyes suddenly cleared. At the same time, Jiang Zhe felt a sharp pain in his head before losing consciousness.
It was half an hour later before the old priest slowly lowered his hands. Looking at the hexagram pattern that appeared on the back of Jiang Zhe’s left hand, he sighed and said, “Hatred cannot be a motive for gaining power… Child, please forgive me for deceiving you. You’re not yet ready to wield that powerful magic… Forget this unfortunate incident and pursue the magic you desire…”
With that, the old priest slowly stood up. Looking at Jiang Zhe lying on the ground, his appearance rapidly aged before gradually disappearing in the breeze…
“Child, strive to become a respected mage!”
Meanwhile, to the south of Set Town, a girl around eleven or twelve years old was kneeling on the ground, crying silently in the direction of the town.
“Sos… No! Sos…”
Beside her, a knight, covered in blood with an injured shoulder, couldn’t bear to comfort her as she cried so bitterly. “Nina, things might not be as you think…”
“He usually doesn’t go out. He only went out today to buy things for me… If I hadn’t… Sos…” Clearly, the knight’s words didn’t reach her ears.
Hearing the girl’s cries, the knight scratched his head. After all, his teachings didn’t specify how to comfort a sad child…
“Sssha!” A faint set of footsteps came from behind.
The young knight quickly turned, drawing his sword from the ground, before relaxing his tense nerves.
It was Viston, the royal chief mage, approaching. Viston went over to the crying Nina, knelt down, and said softly, “I’m very sorry, Nina…”

At this moment, Veston looked exhausted, with sunken eyes; his silver hair had lost its former luster, clearly as a result of having used too much magic power.
The crying gradually stopped. Nina wiped the tears from her face and asked earnestly, “Respected Archmage, do you really intend to take me as your apprentice?”
“Of course,” Veston nodded instinctively. Suddenly realizing something, he stroked Nina’s head and said gravely, “Nina, hatred cannot be a motive or a goal for gaining power…”
“If I could master magic, I could protect Thos…”
“No, child. Such misfortunes are beyond our control…” Veston began to understand why Charles disagreed with him. He indeed shouldn’t have tried to manipulate a kind and innocent child—it would mislead her and affect her views on people and things in the future.
“Child, forget about this misfortune. I will teach you magic and help you become a respected Archmage! And as long as you work hard, even becoming a Holy Archmage isn’t a fantasy!”
“A Holy Archmage?” Nina stared blankly at the old archmage before her. She remembered that it was her brother’s aspiration.
“I will definitely work hard!”
“Good!” Satisfied with Nina’s attitude, the old archmage slowly stood up, gazing in the direction of the town of Sait. With a hint of regret, he said, “Nina, if you learn magic with a pure purpose, it will be a joyful thing… The name Nina isn’t very suitable for the noble circles in the imperial capital. Hmm… Changing your name might help you forget this unfortunate incident…”
“Change my name?”
“Yes! From now on, you’ll be called… Gianna! Gianna Malajiji Hastings. I will impart all my knowledge of magic to you!”
“Gianna Malajiji Hastings…”