Chapter 49: The Beginning of Turmoil

When Jiang Zhe stepped out of the examination room again, his mood had improved significantly.
To be honest, in his memory, he had never scored zero on any exam. Though he couldn’t say he excelled in everything, passing was the minimum requirement. Yet here, he kept having to retake exams one after another.
Speaking of which, in Rex Academy, Dormitory 1-101—now 2-101—was quite famous. At least among the younger students, most knew about the three fools who had scored zero in ancient magic history…
Jiang Zhe never bothered to explain the gossip around him. Scott disdained to explain, while Allen preferred to solve problems with his fists.
It hadn’t even been a year, yet the once frail Allen had now grown tall and strong. Not only students in the same grade but also those a year or two above him dared not mock him too much, for fear of being knocked out by this violent man who often visited the grade director’s office. After all, Allen was quite famous in the enhancement magic courses.
“Ah, much better mood…” Allen stretched lazily, shook his head, and walked out of the examination room holding a notebook in one hand. When his gaze met the surrounding students, he frowned and said, “What are you staring at? Want to fight?”
Seeing the younger students back away, Scott felt extremely embarrassed. He pushed his glasses up and whispered to Jiang Zhe, “Walking around with this guy is even more humiliating than scoring zero…”
“I agree…” Jiang Zhe smiled awkwardly.
“What are you guys talking about?” Seemingly unaware of their whispered conversation, Allen grinned, put his arms around both of them, and said cheerfully, “Finally done! We’ve gotten rid of one problem. How about we get some fruit wine to celebrate?”
“Ahem,” Scott quietly broke free from Allen’s grip. Under the strange looks of the nearby students, he said reluctantly, “Let’s go back first. I’m a bit tired. We should rest…”
“Huh?” Allen looked at Scott in confusion, then at Jiang Zhe. Jiang Zhe quickly said, “Yeah, Scott’s right! We still have classes this afternoon…”
“Hey, you just sleep during class anyway,” Allen laughed, teasing Jiang Zhe, before shrugging and saying, “Alright, I’ll go rest too. I’ve had my arms sore and painful for the past couple of days trying to deal with that ghost…”
Before Allen could finish speaking, a voice came from behind the three of them.

“Hey, you three are really going too far. I did you a huge favor, and not only do you not say thank you, but you also leave me behind?” Shaking his head, Jiang Zhe turned around helplessly and said to Lavia, who was walking over with a resentful expression, “Didn’t I say thank you?” “Stop with that insincere thanks,” Lavia said coldly, looking down at Jiang Zhe with arrogance. “You’re actually angry, right? I didn’t let you copy the perfect score, did I?” “Uh… well…” Glancing at the students around, Jiang Zhe lowered his voice and stammered, “It’s not that… I really don’t blame you at all. I just needed to pass, anyway…” In fact, across the entire second-year class, only six people failed the Ancient Magic History exam. Perhaps Professor Hodde, who was in charge of the make-up exam, felt pity for Jiang Zhe and Allen’s pitiful looks, so he pretended to have something to do and left, assigning one of his proud apprentices, Lavia, to supervise the exam instead. After reaching a series of agreements with Lavia, Jiang Zhe finally managed to pass, barely. Since Lavia kept watching, as soon as Jiang Zhe copied enough to meet the passing standard, Lavia took back his exam paper. Jiang Zhe was a bit confused at first, but Lavia quickly shut him down with one sentence. “What, you still want to copy a perfect score?” Still, Jiang Zhe and the others eventually passed the Ancient Magic History exam… “Hmph! If that’s really what you wanted, fine. Oh, and don’t forget what you promised me—be patient and listen to my tutoring when we get back. Don’t always look so impatient… As a magic apprentice, getting zero points on the Ancient Magic History exam—aren’t you ashamed?” With that, Lavia turned to Allen and said, “And you, you idiot. Have Lisa tutor you later; her grades are way better than yours!” “Hey, why are you only talking about us? It’s not just us who got zero points…” “Hmph! If it weren’t for you two idiots, would Scott, who gets perfect scores in all exams, end up with zero points?” “It’s not all exams. At least I made a mistake in the last potion-making written exam and lost a point…” Scott said, glancing at Allen and habitually pushing up his glasses. “Dude, can’t you stop showing off?” “Hmph,” Scott smiled faintly and said calmly, “Hey, Allen. I remember you didn’t speak like this when you asked me for answers just now, did you?”

Immediately, Allen wore a helpless expression, raised his hands, and said, “Okay, okay, I’m wrong. Future Duke Ogil, whatever you say is right…”
“No, it’s the Count!”
The four of them returned to dormitory 2-101 in a noisy mess. As soon as they entered, they saw Lisa and Lailira sitting on the sofa, discussing something. Upon seeing everyone, they stood up and asked, “Has everyone passed? Allen?”
Allen smiled and performed a knightly salute, then said softly, “Thank you for your concern, Lisa… Your care is the motivation that drives me forward…”
“Enough,” Ravia interrupted impatiently. She walked over to the sofa, sat down, stroked Queen Puppet Queenyn who had jumped onto her shoulder, and asked curiously, “By the way, Lisa, what were you two talking about? I seem to have heard something about a riot…”
“It must be a riot in the Jacobson region,” Allen said, knocking over the castle model on the table with a finger and watching it struggle to turn over. “A few days ago, Professor Behman mentioned that there was a large-scale riot among the common people in the Jacobson region. The local lord, Count Jonny Adolphus, tried to persuade them first, but the messengers he sent were killed by those commoners. So the count had no choice but to send guards to suppress the riot. It seems to be quite serious; many people have died…”
“Jacobson?” Ravia said in surprise. “Good heavens, that’s incredible. I remember the security there has always been very good, and Count Adolphus isn’t exactly a harsh lord. What’s going on with those commoners?”
Glancing at Ravia, Jiang Zhe lay lazily on the sofa and said, “Good security is just for show. Do you really understand the situation? Everything in this world can be categorized into two types: those who are hungry and those who are full. Which type do you think this riot belongs to?”
“You…” Ravia was so stunned she couldn’t say a word.

“Sos’s words do make sense, but I personally don’t agree that Jacobson’s peasant uprising falls into that category,” Scott said, pushing his glasses up as he prepared tea, shaking his head. “As for Jacobson, I can’t say I’m very familiar with it, but I do know a bit about it. The law and order there are indeed as good as Ravia said—crimes like robbery and murder hardly occur. And Jacobson’s lord, Count Jonny Adolphus, is also a competent lord. The conflict between the local nobles and peasants isn’t very intense. I really can’t understand how an uprising could occur there…”

“There’s nothing to be puzzled about,” Ella said mockingly, leaning on the arm of the sofa. “It’s just a peasant uprising. Maybe the taxes are too high, or for some other reason. Anyway, such uprisings are suppressed within two or three days. If it gets too serious, the Saxon Imperial City might even send the Royal Knights to suppress it directly, right? That’s the empire’s usual approach… Oh, that’s what my old man said!”

“Stop talking nonsense, Allen!”

“Why the rush? I was just saying casually. Anyway, in our Operios, few people have any goodwill toward those Saxon nobles…”

“Shut up, Allen!”

“I just said I was… Okay, okay, I’ll shut up. Miss Lisa, would your humble knight be honored to offer you some afternoon tea?”

“Giggle, of course!”

For those living near the imperial capital, Jacobson’s peasant uprising might just be a topic of casual conversation, as such things are all too common. Across the empire’s various territories, which lord can claim that there has never been an uprising in their jurisdiction?

For thousands of years, the conflict between peasants and nobles has never been completely resolved. Just like thirty years ago when the Theralanders gathered an army of about 40,000 to resist imperial rule—such incidents are not rare. But what was the result? The Saxon Imperial City sent only 5,000 Royal Knights to suppress the uprising.

In the past century, there have been over a thousand peasant uprisings of various sizes in the empire, with an average of ten uprisings per year across different regions—some occurring in imperial territories, others in vassal states. Uprisings are clearly something the empire has become accustomed to.

To be honest, the imperial nobles paid no attention to those civilian uprisings that didn’t even have access to combat weapons. Let alone the Imperial Royal Knights, the elite forces of the empire—just sending guards from the local territories was sufficient to suppress such uprisings, let alone deploying magicians. The Jacobson uprising was no different. The Saxon nobles initially didn’t take it seriously and merely sent a letter to Count Jonny Adolphus, the lord of Jacobson, ordering him to quell the rebellion as soon as possible, as such incidents greatly affected the empire’s prestige and reputation.

Unexpectedly, just one day after the letter was sent from the Saxon imperial capital on April 3rd, news arrived from Jacobson: Count Jonny Adolphus had been assassinated while personally trying to calm the civilians and died on the spot. As Scott said, Count Jonny Adolphus was indeed a capable lord. He didn’t resort to the usual method of using local troops to suppress the rebellion but instead sent guards, who, as is well known, are typically used only for maintaining order in the empire. Lord Adolphus still wanted to resolve the uprising peacefully, but sadly, as he tried to pacify the rebellious civilians himself, he was struck in the heart by an arrow fired from somewhere unknown and died instantly. Some witnesses saw that the arrow came from the ranks of the rebellious civilians. Immediately, the nobles of Jacobson became enraged. Without their lord, they mobilized the local army to brutally suppress the rebels, causing the uprising to spread throughout the region.

The assassination of Count Jonny Adolphus not only angered the local nobles but also enraged those in the Saxon imperial capital. They could hardly believe that the lofty imperial nobles could be assassinated by commoners—what a terrifying thing! The nobles in the Saxon imperial capital believed that if this trend continued, they might be the next targets on the streets! An ordinary citizen assassinating a noble was the most serious crime in the empire. The harm done by those foolish civilians to the nobles could only be compensated for with the cruelest punishments. With the support of the nobles in the Saxon imperial capital, the nobles of Jacobson set about sending troops to brutally suppress the rebels, and during this time, various sinister incidents occurred frequently.

But the nobles seemed to have forgotten one thing: among Jacobson’s local army soldiers were many family members of ordinary civilians. When the order to suppress the rebellion was given, about 30% of Jacobson’s soldiers turned against them on the spot, further plunging the situation into chaos. Strangely enough, within a week of the civilian uprising, Jacobson’s nobles were successively assassinated… By April 9th, 404 in the new calendar, Jacobson’s rebellion had reached an uncontrollable level. Most of the nobles in the region were killed, while a few fled to other areas. Law and order collapsed throughout the region. Meanwhile, the nobles who fled regarded Jacobson’s army soldiers as rebels as well and asked neighboring territories for help in suppressing them. Soon, the unrest in Jacobson spread to five surrounding regions, including the important northern military territory of the Galic region’s borders. And this seemed to be just the beginning… Meanwhile, at the Riox Academy, peace still reigned… “…In 124 years before the new calendar, magician Abner Burke proposed the theory of elemental consumption. He believed that elements, while serving as mediums for magic, were themselves consumed. Magician Ian Welling, however, opposed this conclusion, arguing that the world was balanced and that elements merely acted as mediums and could not be consumed. If Burke’s theory were correct, then in the distant future, we would no longer be able to use magic, as the elements that serve as its medium would have been exhausted… But through research by modern magicians, it has been proven that Burke was right—the elements in this world are indeed being consumed continuously, though at a very slow pace. This requires us to be vigilant; perhaps in a few hundred or thousand years, our descendants will no longer have the chance to witness the wonders of magic…” In a dorm room, a girl with fiery red hair was reading a thick magic book. In front of her, a boy looking sleepy idly fiddled with a puppet-like object… No, rather, a magic puppet-like object… “Bang!” She slammed the magic book on the table angrily. “Are you even listening?”

“Listening… listening…” The boy nodded helplessly, then glanced at the hanging plants on the wall and said resignedly, “I was wondering, Ravia… ah, no, Avi, do you want me to make you some tea?”
“You’re this kind?” The girl looked at the boy in surprise, then seemed to realize something and said angrily, “Thors! You’re going too far. You clearly promised me…”
“Yes, yes, I did promise you, and I have no intention of going back on it. On the contrary, I’m very grateful for your help in tutoring me in the history of ancient magic. But… can you let me rest for a while? Ah, I mean, you should rest too—you’ve been talking for three whole hours… How about I make you some tea?”
Glancing at Jiang Zhe, Ravia threw herself onto the sofa in frustration and said, “No need!”
“That’s good, saves the trouble…” Jiang Zhe’s words drew a roll of eyes from Ravia.
“Hmph! I never expected anything anyway!” Saying that angrily, Ravia stood up, went to the cabinet, took out two bags of bagged black tea, then filled a glass bottle with water. She took a deep breath from the bottle, and after a long period of silence, the water inside began to boil unbelievably.
“Wow, amazing control!” Jiang Zhe praised sincerely. After all, if it were him, he’d probably have melted the bottle.
“Hmph!” Ravia snorted proudly. She made two cups of black tea, handed one to Jiang Zhe, and casually asked, “By the way, Thors, what did Professor Hodde say when you went to see him last time? About that Flash of Flame…”
When talking about the Flash of Flame, Ravia still felt a bit uneasy, but she understood that it wasn’t Professor Hodde being biased. Even if she learned the Flash of Flame, she wouldn’t be able to fully utilize its power due to insufficient magic energy, and it would instead weaken her overall strength.
“Thank you,” Jiang Zhe said, taking the cup Ravia handed him. Shrugging, he added, “There’s nothing I can do. The professor said that before mastering the White Flame, the best approach when facing opponents like the Illusion Water Monster is to avoid them…”

“White flame?” Ravia was stunned and said in surprise, “I’ve only seen flames of this kind in magic books. Well, to be precise, it’s not a flame that arises naturally. The books say that when magicians push the negative aspects of the fire element to their extreme, this white flame appears. Its power far exceeds that of any other flame. In the face of white flame, even water magic can be instantly evaporated. However, casting such a flame places a great strain on the magician’s body. That’s what the books say. I’ve never seen a magician capable of casting white flame. As far as I know, the highest level of flame that ordinary magicians can achieve is purple flame, not the higher-level white flame…”
“Hasn’t any magician in history achieved it?”
“I’m not exactly sure… Didn’t I just say? White flame belongs to black magic. It’s only been four hundred years since the great King Sasan ordered improvements to black magic. The development of fire-based green magic is even shorter—maybe a hundred or two hundred years at most. Anyway, I can’t remember any magician in history having achieved this level…”
Looking at Ravia in surprise, Jiang Zhe asked doubtfully, “Is that true? Then why did the professor mention white flame to me?”
“Why would I lie to you?” Ravia rolled her eyes at Jiang Zhe, took a sip of black tea, and said, “I just said it’s impossible to achieve white flame through normal means, not that it’s entirely unattainable. As I said earlier, magicians can only reach purple flame at most. But after that, there’s another special method to raise the flame’s level again!”
“What method?”
Ravia smiled at Jiang Zhe and softly uttered two words, “Tattoos!”
“Tattoos?”
“Yes,” Ravia said gently as she sat down on the sofa across from Jiang Zhe with her black tea. “Each type of magic has corresponding tattoos to enhance its power. Well, you can think of it as a kind of enhancement magic…”
“I see…” Jiang Zhe lowered his head to think for a moment before suddenly raising it and asking, “Is getting those tattoos very difficult?”
“It’s not difficult,” Ravia shrugged. “Just find an enchantment artist who uses a special liquid to tattoo a pattern on you. Once that liquid dries, it’s done. Well… as long as you have enough gold coins, anyone can find an enchantment artist to tattoo them…”
“Gold coins…” Jiang Zhe licked his lips and asked awkwardly, “How much does it cost?”

Looking at the boy’s strange expression, Ravia held back a smile and said softly, “Hmm, maybe a few tens of thousands of gold coins will do…”
“A few tens of thousands?” Jiang Zhe widened his eyes, nearly spilling the teacup in his hand, and exclaimed in shock, “A few tens of thousands of gold coins? Is he planning to rob someone?”
“If you don’t understand, don’t talk nonsense. The liquid needed for tattoos comes from a rare alchemical plant. Besides, without a few tens of thousands of gold coins, which famous enchanters would bother spending effort to tattoo you?”
“Never mind,” Jiang Zhe shrugged indifferently. “A few tens of thousands of gold coins? Even if I sold myself, I wouldn’t be worth that much. Right now, I still owe the professor 500 gold coins!”
“Look at you!” Ravia rolled her eyes at Jiang Zhe and said irritably, “Is a few tens of thousands of gold coins that much? Not to mention others, just you—if you can become a Royal Mage after graduating from the academy, a few tens of thousands of gold coins is just a small amount…”
“A Royal Mage? Forget it,” Jiang Zhe shook his head strangely and shrugged. “I don’t want to sacrifice my freedom for gold coins. Scott and Allen told me that although being a Royal Mage sounds great, once you become one, you’re tied to the empire for life. I don’t want to be restricted. If I can make money, fine; if not, it’s okay…” As he spoke, he suddenly stopped, staring intently at Ravia and said oddly, “W-why are you looking at me like that…”
Ravia inexplicably gave a knowing smile and said softly, “I really appreciate your way of thinking…” Then her expression changed, and she sneered, “It’s a stupid idea!”
“What’s stupid about it?”
“Isn’t it?” Ravia put down her teacup and said mockingly, “Do you think you’ll be unrelated to the empire just by not becoming a Royal Mage? At least you still have to take the Mage Qualification Exam, right? The Mage Association is under the Royal Mages. Unless you’re willing to carry the title of a magic apprentice for life…”
Jiang Zhe glanced at Ravia and grinned jokingly, “That’s okay too. I don’t see anything wrong with it. Remember, in Vandel, there are still a few old professors who carry the title of magic apprentices…”
“You…”
“Okay, okay, just joking,” Jiang Zhe soothed the angry Ravia. Then, as if thinking of something, he asked doubtfully, “By the way, Avi, a few tens of thousands of gold coins shouldn’t be a big amount for you, right? Why don’t you get a tattoo?”

“I…” Ravia opened her mouth but didn’t respond for a long time. After several minutes of silence, she finally said in a soft voice, “Idiot, I heard that tattoos cover at least half of your body, and there will also be ones on your face… they’re really ugly.”
“Hah?” Jiang Zhe stared at Ravia in surprise and couldn’t help but laugh. In his impression, Ravia was a very boyish girl—he never expected this…
“Why are you laughing?” Ravia slapped the table in anger and defended herself, “That’s just one reason. Another reason is that tattoos aren’t suitable for everyone. When you use the power of tattoos, although your magic strength increases, your mana consumption doubles. So without sufficient strength, even if you get tattoos, you won’t be able to fully utilize their power…”
“I see. I thought…”
“What did you think?”
Noticing the threatening look in Ravia’s eyes, Jiang Zhe chuckled and shook his head, “Nothing…”
“Hmph!”
Just then, the door to the dormitory opened, and Allen rushed in in a hurry. He said to Jiang Zhe, “Hey, man, man! Something serious has happened!”
As soon as he finished speaking, Scott also came in from outside. Closing the door, he frowned and said, “Be quiet, Allen!”
Glancing at Allen and then at Scott, Ravia asked in surprise, “What’s wrong? What happened?”
Allen sat down beside Jiang Zhe, out of breath. He took the teacup from his hand, drank the black tea in one gulp, and then lowered his voice, “Didn’t we talk about the riots among the commoners in the Jacobson region the day before yesterday? The latest news I got is that Jonny Adolphus, the lord of Jacobson, was assassinated by the local commoners. Many nobles were also killed by them. Now the entire Jacobson region is in chaos, and it has spread to five neighboring regions. Even the border of Galic, an important military area in the north, has been affected. Tsk tsk, this is the worst riot the empire has seen in nearly a century…”
“Then why are you still laughing so happily?” Ravia gave Allen a speechless glare.
“Am I laughing? I’m excited!” Allen corrected her, sighing lightly and saying regretfully, “I’m a bit regretful now. If only I had gone to the Imperial Royal Knights Academy back then…”

“Don’t worry, it’s impossible,” Scott, who was sitting on the sofa holding a book, said calmly. “Even as an apprentice knight, the Royal Knights Academy wouldn’t send second-year students to an area experiencing rebellion, let alone the worst regional rebellion in nearly a century…” As he spoke, he seemed to think of something and sighed worriedly.
“I was just joking. Though I can’t witness such a scene, it’s worth coming to Riox just to meet you all,” Allen said, sitting up straight and picking up another cup on the table. “It’s strange— I can understand the rebellion in the Jacobson region, but several neighboring areas have also been affected, with civilians joining the rebel forces. Guys, don’t you think that’s strange?”
Before he could finish speaking, Lavia said softly, “It is indeed a bit strange… Put it down, Allen. That’s mine!”
“Oh!” Allen quickly withdrew his hand, rubbing his smooth chin. “Oh, and aside from the local nobles, the assassination of Count Jonny Adolphus in Jacobson’s territory—this has never happened before in the empire. I have a feeling that something is about to happen…” He licked his slightly dry lips and glanced at the cup of black tea on the table.
“That cup is mine. Put it down, Allen!”
“Oh, I forgot…”
Meanwhile, in Dean Riox’s office, the old dean, along with professors such as Professor Manhet, Professor Hode, and Abel, as well as Father Andrew, the Archpriest of the Church, and Brother Chesho, the Inquisitor, were discussing the rebellion in Jacobson…
The old dean took a puff from his pipe, glanced at the gathered people, and said in a deep voice, “I just received a letter from the Magicians’ Association. The nobles of Sassen plan to send a royal knight regiment of about three thousand men to suppress this rebellion…”
“What?” Professor Manhet seemed shocked. “Has it already gotten this serious? Aren’t the local troops enough to handle this rebellion?”
The old dean sighed and shook his head, frowning. “That old fool Wiston—no idea where he’s gone. If he were here, maybe he could stop the Sassen nobles from sending the royal knight regiment… It’s ridiculous to use the empire’s finest knight forces to suppress a civilian uprising!” He then looked up at Father Andrew.

Perhaps sensing the old dean’s gaze, Father Andrew frowned and said, “As a foreigner, I choose to pretend I haven’t heard about matters in your country. But personally, I believe this Jacobson civilian uprising isn’t simple. If I’m not mistaken, Jacobson is in the north, right?”
Frowning, the old dean asked doubtfully, “Are you saying… Argus?” He shook his head, unsure. “I admit that man is very dangerous—he possesses a terrifying power. But as a fugitive from Salonia, he’s not familiar with the empire. Even with some people’s help, it’s unlikely he could incite a civilian rebellion.”
“Maybe,” Father Andrew nodded with a sigh, recalling, “But I still think he must be involved in some way…”
Before he could finish, Professor Hodde sneered, “Regardless of whether that Argus has the ability to incite a rebellion among Jacobson’s civilians, even if it were him, what advantage would it bring him?”
“I don’t know,” Father Andrew shook his head earnestly. “Perhaps he’s trying to distract us, or for some other reason. But I still believe the count’s death is definitely connected to Argus. I don’t believe the local civilians could actually kill a count protected by layers of guards, let alone other nobles… I may not know much about your country, but I do know that in past uprisings, the locals never would or dared kill a noble—because it’s the most serious crime in your empire! If such a crime is committed, not only will they die themselves, but their families will also be punished. Am I wrong?”
After a silence of two or three minutes, the old dean nodded and said, “You’re right. The empire does have such laws…” He turned to Abel and asked, “Abel, can you find Argus now?”
Abel shook his head. “Using astrology to locate someone is restricted by many factors. For ordinary people, it might take some time to find them, but that Argus… I’m sorry, Grandfather. It seems he’s deliberately hidden his traces. I can’t use astrology to find him in a short time!”
“Is that so? Then that’s too unfortunate…” The old dean sighed.
Just then, there was a knock at the door of the office.
The old dean looked up at the door and said in a deep voice, “Come in, Professor Clive!”

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a soft creaking sound, and a middle-aged professor walked in. He was momentarily stunned upon seeing the people in the office.
“What’s the matter?” asked the old dean.
“Oh,” Professor Clive said, bowing slightly as a gesture of courtesy to the professors he knew and Father Andrew. He stepped forward a few steps, took out a magical letter from his bosom, and said, “Dean, this was just delivered by the Saxon Magicians’ Association!”
The old dean smiled as he took the letter and said, “Hmm, okay. I understand. Thank you for your effort, Professor Clive!”
“How can it be considered effort… Dean, shall I leave now?”
“Hmm!”
After watching Professor Clive leave the office and close the door behind him, the old dean opened the letter and took out a slightly yellowed piece of parchment. Then, he brushed his right hand over the blank parchment, and a faint blue light flashed. Lines of text gradually appeared on the parchment.
“Is it news from Jacobson?” Professor Manhert guessed.
“No,” the old dean shook his head and said solemnly. “This letter comes from the branch of the Magicians’ Association in the Galk region. It was sent by the local branch head, Icabod Weiss. It was originally meant for the Saxon Royal Magicians’ Association, but since that old fool Wiston isn’t there, the people from the association brought it to me after reviewing it…” He paused for a moment, frowned, and continued, “Argus is in the Galk region!”
“Galk?” Hodd thought for a moment before saying, “Although it’s not far from Jacobson, it would take at least two or three days to travel from Jacobson to Galk. Considering the time… Jacobson’s rebellion probably has nothing to do with him. Is he still in Galk?”

“Hm!” The old dean nodded, casually handing the letter to Professor Manhert. He then took several quick puffs from his pipe and said in a deep voice, “When the Galic Magic Association’s branch received a letter from Thassan, its head, Icabod Wes, sent his magicians to track down Agus and follow this man… But Agus is extremely cautious. So far, six magicians have lost their lives because of him… Also, Icabod Wes mentioned in the letter that among the magicians sent to track Agus, there was one named Pinel. After being discovered by Agus, he used space teleportation magic to escape, but when he returned to the Galic Magic Association using that magic, he was killed by an arrow. This situation is very similar to the assassination of Lord Jacobson, Count Jonny Adolphus—other nobles were also killed by arrows of the same type, each one hitting them right in the heart and killing them on the spot!”
“Using space teleportation magic and still being killed by an arrow?” Professor Manhert said in disbelief. “How is that possible? Even the best archers in the world can’t do that, let alone those legendary elves who are said to never miss a shot. And each arrow hits right in the heart…”
“Hm, it’s indeed incredible, but the facts are before us. We can only assume that Agus has found an incredible archer to help him. This is terrible…” As he spoke, the old dean turned to Father Andrew and asked, “Andrew, what do you think?”
Father Andrew let out a soft sigh and said, “Agus is the most dangerous and evil man I’ve ever met. I still believe he’s involved in this rebellion… A few days ago, I received a letter from Salonia. The Pope has ordered a thorough investigation into everything related to Agus, and they’ll inform me as soon as there’s any news…”
“What about before that?”
“Before that?” Father Andrew glanced at the old dean, stood up, and shook his head helplessly. “We can only wait… Agus is as strong as I am. Catching him isn’t easy at all. If we fail, he’ll become even more cautious, and then we won’t even have a chance to make amends…”
The old dean looked at Father Andrew deeply and sighed. “There’s nothing else we can do…” With that, he turned and slowly walked over to the window, staring at the dark clouds in the sky, until everyone else had left.
An archer who never misses a shot…
That’s beyond human capability…

Could those ancient legends be true?
How is that possible? They’re just legends…