Chapter 27: Flashes of Flame (1)

In February of the 404th year of the Continental New Calendar, the Empire had largely completed its defense arrangements along its western borders. Tens of thousands of Imperial troops were deployed to the small town of Ron—now renamed Ron Fortress. With the assistance of over a dozen Imperial magicians, it was transformed into a key military base for defending against orcs. At this stage, humanity—no, the Empire’s approach toward orcs remained primarily defensive.

Of course, this was not due to King Thirteenth Sassen, as ruler of the nation, being short-sighted. On the contrary, though his days were numbered, his ambitions never faded. His compromise with Salonia stemmed from guilt and remorse over losing his people. This elder who had ruled the Empire for over forty years had been an aggressive and expansionist monarch in his youth, adopting a tough stance toward neighboring races.

Especially regarding the barbarians and the surrounding vassal principalities, although the human world consisted mainly of the Empire and the Church, there were still many small principalities. Some of these had existed since King Sassen I’s time and survived only because the Empire was defeated by Salonia; others arose from the imperial system of noble fiefs.

The issue of imperial nobles receiving fiefs had long caused chaos within the Empire. Just like the noble system itself, even those with the same title might differ in status, as evident from their family crests. Families whose crests included elements of the Imperial emblem were generally noble houses directly loyal to the Imperial family. For example, Lavia’s grandfather, the Grand Duke of Altak’s territory, Favalia, had a crest featuring a sword and thorns—the sword symbolizing military achievements and the thorns representing resilience, both of which were key components of the Imperial emblem. This meant the Favalia family had always been among the most trusted defenders of the Empire’s borders. In other words, although Altak was a principality, it was directly subordinate to the royal family and loyal to King Sassen. Just as past kings frequently sent supplies to Altak, its ruler, the grand duke, maintained close ties with the Empire. Conversely, if a lord’s relationship with the Empire remained distant, his principality might become a vassal state.

The Duchy of Zhili and the vassal duchies are two entirely different concepts. The Duchy of Zhili does not need to pay taxes to the empire; in times of resource scarcity, it can even seek help from the empire. Its army is equivalent to the empire’s direct forces, with the grand duke holding the rights and responsibilities of a commander. This will be discussed later.

In contrast, vassal duchies do not enjoy such favorable treatment. The empire constantly restricts and controls the composition of their armies. Some duchies are even unable to form an army of five thousand men, whereas Altak has as many as four or five hundred thousand border troops!

Additionally, vassal duchies must pay taxes to the empire. Conversely, the empire never provides aid to them—neither in terms of supplies nor troops, unless there is an invasion by foreign forces.

Over the empire’s several hundred years of history, its coat of arms has changed several times, but its basic elements have mostly included weapons, mounts, knights, animals, and borders. Weapons include swords, shields, spears, wands, etc.; mounts include warhorses, pegasi, griffins, etc. Animals generally refer to black eagles and lions, with doves appearing only rarely. In modern times, borders are usually made of various flowers, while in earlier times they were thorns. This will be discussed later.

It is precisely because of these differences in treatment that relations between vassal duchies and the empire are not harmonious. After all, most of these vassal duchies have been neglected by the empire due to their geographical location. Only duchies in strategic areas like Altak have received consistent attention from the empire throughout the ages.

The Holy Church has its own concerns, and the empire has its own worries. Although the empire remains powerful as it was hundreds of years ago, the foundation of this power relies on a thread as thin as silk: Altak’s barrenness, the conflicts between the wealthy merchants of Operelles and the nobles of the Saxon Imperial City, the conflicts between these nobles and those from other regions, the conflicts between old and new nobles, the discord between the empire and its vassal duchies, the discord between the Duchy of Zhili and the vassal duchies, the relations between the empire and the dwarves, and the relations between the empire and the barbarians. Even if the threat posed by the Holy Church of Salonia is temporarily resolved, all these other issues continue to deteriorate.

On top of this, the current ruler, King Thirteen of Saxon, is already old. Regarding the issue of succession, the nobles—no, the high-ranking nobles of the Saxon Imperial City—are already in dispute and disagreement. Everyone knows that who inherits the throne directly affects the nobles themselves.

Plus there are other hidden dangers yet to surface…

So, although the empire seems powerful, its internal stability is actually inferior to that of the Church—it’s just superficial strength… Of course, our protagonist is unaware of all this. He’s likely not interested in such complicated intrigues; his only focus now is magic! And it’s black magic that goes beyond ordinary blue magic! I remember when Professor Hod brought back a group of heads-down, silent children to Rio Village with a dark expression, Jiang Zhe was still thinking about those Gongoros he had encountered earlier. Faced with those immortal monsters, Jiang Zhe deeply realized how weak his own power was. To be honest, he didn’t like it! Not at all! So, after Professor Hod scolded the children in a low voice and sent them back to their rooms, Jiang Zhe went to find the professor alone. “Professor, I need to learn more powerful magic!” Professor Hod was stunned, which made his angry expression seem somewhat odd, but he understood that his favorite apprentice was saying “need” rather than “want” as before. This was growth! Unnoticed, a hint of appreciation and relief flashed in Professor Hod’s eyes as he said softly, “More powerful magic? Thos, there is no most powerful magic in the world of magic…” As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Zhe raised his head and said, “Yes, Professor. By ‘more powerful,’ I mean magic that suits me!” “Hmph,” Professor Hod snorted lightly, pretending to be angry. “I always thought you were a smart child, Thos. Do you really think I’d teach you more advanced magic after what happened? If I were you, I’d go back to my room obediently… You’re all so reckless! Daring to follow me secretly… Do you have anything to defend yourself with?” Jiang Zhe remained silent for a moment before shaking his head. He wasn’t the kind of person who liked to shirk responsibility. “Sigh!” Seemingly realizing his tone was too harsh, Professor Hod sighed softly, stroking Jiang Zhe’s head and saying earnestly, “Thos, the world is much larger than you can imagine right now. Right now… you don’t yet have the qualifications or strength to step onto this stage… So, don’t rush. Maybe in ten years, or twenty years…” He paused, stroking Jiang Zhe’s hair and murmuring, “Don’t rush, child. You’ll go further than I ever will…” “What?” Clearly, Jiang Zhe didn’t hear the professor’s final murmurs.

“Heh,” Professor Hod gently patted the little brat in front of him on the head, took a slight breath, and shook his head. “No, it’s nothing. Go back and rest, Thos!”
“But…”
“There’s no ‘but’!” With one hand on Jiang Zhe’s shoulder, Professor Hod spoke in an unyielding tone. “Go back to your room, Thos. I won’t teach you any magic or skills today!”
To Professor Hod’s surprise, after glancing up at him, the little brat obediently went back to his room.
It was unbelievable!
Watching his chosen apprentice slowly head up to the attic, Professor Hod stared at his back in astonishment for a long time, feeling puzzled—when had this little brat become so well-behaved?
Could it be because he had almost faced death?
Obviously, even Professor Hod didn’t believe that explanation.
The next morning, when Professor Hod returned from the village with fresh milk and food, he was blocked at the door by Jiang Zhe.
“Professor, is it time now?”
“…” Professor Hod was stunned for a while before coming back to his senses. He shook his head and smiled bitterly. “What an unlovable little brat. But then again, heh, didn’t I say I wouldn’t teach you any magic or skills ‘today’?” As he spoke, the professor, holding a large pack of food, winked in a somewhat amusing manner.
But Jiang Zhe wasn’t in the mood to laugh at all; his expression was very gloomy.
“Alright, alright,” said Professor Hod after entering the house. He placed the food on the long table and then looked up at the ceiling before softly saying, “Come with me!” “Yes!” Jiang Zhe nodded firmly—he had been waiting for those words.
Following the path paved with gravel outside, the two walked to an open area behind the house. Then, Professor Hod turned around and looked at Jiang Zhe, saying, “I feel like you’ve changed, Thos. You’re different from a few days ago…”
“Huh?” Jiang Zhe raised his head in confusion, only to see Professor Hod laugh heartily and wink. “I heard that you protected Lavia…”
“Uh…”

“Very good!” Professor Hod praised affirmatively, then grew serious, frowning as he said, “But your performance has greatly disappointed me! Just twenty or thirty Gongoros—no, those undead monsters don’t deserve that name. They are merely zombies capable of reshaping their bodies, without wisdom or soul. And you are a living human! Thors, magic is beautiful, it’s magical. So, is the magic you cast beautiful and magical? You possess the most outstanding talent to become a magician, yet deep down, you fight like a knight…”
“Professor, I don’t remember fighting with a sword…”
“Oh, that’s just an analogy,” Professor Hod said with a self-mocking smile, as if thinking of something amusing. He continued earnestly, “As a magician, when choosing magic, offensive magic is just as important as defensive magic. Given your talent, you don’t need to deliberately learn defensive magic—I understand that. The path you’re on is one every magician wants to take, but few are qualified to walk…”
“I understand, Professor…”
“No, you don’t!” Interrupting Jiang Zhe, Professor Hod shook his head and sighed. “Actually, I’ve been hesitating… You know, Thors, with your intelligence, you should be able to see that I didn’t use the same teaching method for you and Ravia. Of course, I’m not referring to theory and practice…”
“Could it be… spells?”
“Yes!” Professor Hod nodded and said solemnly, “A magician cannot rely solely on spells to cast magic. This is what I’ve repeatedly told you. So, I don’t expect you to memorize spells. In fact, I hope you don’t have to remember those complicated spells. But the fundamental reasons behind magic, its essence—these, you must keep firmly in mind!” After a pause, with a hint of apology, he added, “Thors, over the past year, out of my own selfishness, I taught you in a special way without asking your opinion. I’m just an unqualified professor. So now… I ask you once again—do you want to continue learning magic along this path?”
“The path Professor has taken?”

“…” Professor Hodde fell silent. After a long while, he slowly nodded and said, “Yes! But I failed… Perhaps as a price, I will never be able to reach the level of a grand mage in my lifetime. But I don’t think this path is wrong! I failed only because I lacked the talent…” Saying this, the professor shook his head self-mockingly, then looked at Jiang Zhe and said slowly, “But you, Thors, I’ve always believed that you can do what I couldn’t, that you will go further than I ever could!” After saying that, the professor showed a rare hint of nervousness as he looked into his beloved disciple’s eyes.

“Actually, I don’t like memorizing those complicated and boring spells either!” Jiang Zhe said in a cheerful tone.

“Hey!” Professor Hodde was momentarily stunned, then a smile of satisfaction and relief appeared on his lips. He repeated, “Very good! Very good!” Then he raised his hand and pointed beside him. Under Jiang Zhe’s puzzled gaze, a cluster of blue flames suddenly erupted in the air.

Without any spells or gestures, just a brief pause as he raised his hand, the blue flames appeared. Although it wasn’t the first time Jiang Zhe had seen this, he was still extremely surprised.

It was too fast… So fast that the blue flames had already taken shape before the heat even reached him. What did this mean?

After all, the prerequisite for casting magic is to use mana to condense the corresponding elements, which takes time. But Professor Hodde only paused for a moment.

To condense the fire element, shape it into a spell, and still make it highly destructive—how much mastery was required?

Looking at Jiang Zhe, who stood there staring at the flames, Professor Hodde smiled and said, “The powerful magic suited for you… I actually taught it to you a long time ago, Thors…”

“This… this?” Jiang Zhe tilted his head, looking at Professor Hodde with a confused expression.

“Heh.” Professor Hodde smiled faintly, then suddenly shifted his gaze. He raised his right hand and pointed forward. Instantly, a series of explosions came from behind Jiang Zhe, followed by the heat rising from behind him.

Too… too fast…

Jiang Zhe turned around in shock and realized that several trees behind him had been consumed by the blue flames.

“Is this magic unremarkable? Is it not powerful?” With each word he spoke, Professor Hodde pointed at a spot, and every tree he pointed at was engulfed by the suddenly appearing blue flames in less than a second. In just a few words, Jiang Zhe felt as if he was standing in a world of flames, rather than the original forest…

So this magic… Jiang Zhe was utterly astonished.
“So this is how this magic is used, right?” Seeming to notice the shock in Jiang Zhe’s eyes, Professor Hodde smiled knowingly and said, “Sos, I remember saying long ago that in the world of magic, there is no most powerful magic. What determines a magic’s rank is merely its power when cast. In other words, the mana required to cast a forbidden spell allows us to cast hundreds or thousands of fireballs, which are far more powerful than a single forbidden spell. But ordinary people can’t cast hundreds or thousands of fireballs at once, which is why they think forbidden spells are the strongest… Heh!
In fact, forbidden spells are either multiple casts of low-level magic or a combination of several low-level spells. For more advanced ones, it’s a mix of spells from different schools. Special cases are rare…”
“So this magic…”
“That’s right! It’s a brand-new fire magic that combines fireballs and flames. It’s not recorded in any magic book. I’ve named it [Flame Flash]!”
“Flame Flash?”
“Yes! A brand-new fire magic that combines fireballs and flames. And I think you can understand that among magic elements, fire is a very special one. The power of fire magic is closely related to the flame used to cast it. From deep red and dark red to yellow, green, cyan, white, and even higher levels, its damage far exceeds that of water, wind, and earth magic. Conversely, if the flame is only deep red, even if you cast a forbidden spell, it won’t cause much damage…”
“Then… if Flame Flash is cast using white flames, as the professor said…”
“Heh,” Professor Hodde winked and said with a smile, “I can guarantee it will be far more powerful than Flame Flash with red flames!”
“…Heh!” Looking at Professor Hodde’s expression, Jiang Zhe couldn’t help but smile.
“Since you’ve chosen this path, then… truly master Flame Flash, Sos. This is the first stage you need to learn!”
“The… first stage?”
“Do you think those playful lessons earlier were a stage in teaching you magic? That’s ridiculous, Sos. Those were just the introductory steps to learning Flame Flash!”
“Uh, what about the second stage?” Jiang Zhe asked curiously.

“Phase two? Reaching the highest level of flame!” Glancing at Jiang Zhe, Professor Hod said slowly, “You need to fully master the flame—the pure and simple flame—and then…”
“And then?” Jiang Zhe swallowed hard, looking at Professor Hod with a sheepish expression.
“Of course!” Professor Hod smiled at Jiang Zhe and murmured, “Then… then it’s about breaking free from those shackles…”