The Sage

After our not quite pleasant first meeting with Two, we hurried to check our driver: she lacked any external wounds whatsoever, so she was likely just knocked unconscious. Eventually she woke up, obviously terrified about the entire situation, but agreed we should just move on, then part ways in the next town.

Town of Riche, halfway through to the capital of Triccius.

From what little I gathered, it was being used as a major hub on the way between the capital and the many towns that surrounded it. True to that impression, the streets were absolutely brimming with people and activities.

This time, we decided to go for a different approach: instead of announcing our presence to the entire town, we’d be a bit stealthier.

Sure, until now it served us well to be seen as the “Three Warriors of the prophecy” or whatever, but the mayor had warned us that things might not be as simple, going forward.

For one, we’d probably have to go undercover into the capital itself, since the place was supposedly under the direct control of Three’s regime.

Furthermore, seeing that Two was lurking somewhere nearby, that was probably the right decision. We still had no idea how she found us so easily during that carriage ride and definitely didn’t want a repeat of that.

On that note, all of us came in wearing cloaks, mostly to obscure that two members of our party were males—a rare sight in this world.

As for procuring necessities and a place to stay, the mayor had actually generously given us some money.

“Alright, let’s split up,” I said once we were in the town proper. We stood in the shade of a random building, avoiding all the traffic in the main road.

“Really?” said Kai, frowning. “Is that wise?”

“Sure, what’s the worst that can happen?”

“Two can attack us.”

“…I mean, I guess you do have a point. But you know what I’m here for. You and Saga should look for an inn or something while I visit the Sage.”

“I wonder if it’s really safe…” mumbled Kai. “We’re not in the forest anymore, but big towns can still be dangerous. What if you run into some scary thugs?”

“Have you looked around you? It’s all women,” I pointed out.

“You’re saying that, but have you forgotten who you’re literally standing next to, and that crazy bitch from a few hours before? Not to mention Diane and the other villagers…”

I groaned. “I get your point, but I’ll be careful. I have my magic. Don’t worry about it.”

And I rushed away before even waiting for a response.

“Hey! Ugh, whatever… take care!” he called after me as I vanished between the alleyways.

Now this was much more of the “medieval fantasy” vibe I was looking for when we first embarked on this quest. Compared to the forest it was like the civilization level advanced a thousand years.

I did have to ask for some directions—noting people were surprised by my voice and appearance—but I already knew the general address of the so-called master mage.

His house looked plain. In fact, quite old and debilitated. However, as I knocked on the door and an old lady answered, it seemed like the place was the right one.

“You’re asking for Sage Jarred, you said?” she spat at me, her eyes hostile.

“Yes,” I said.

“Hmph. He doesn’t take appointments. Or disciples, for that matter. Not like I think you have a sliver of magical talent, mind you.”

What would this hag even know? “Let me meet with him directly and I’ll show him. Besides, haven’t you noticed something?”

“That you’re a man? Pah! Wouldn’t be surprised if you’re one of Three’s bastards, or at least posing as one. Still doubt you’ve got anything in you.”

I sighed. Apparently it was time for a demonstration.

Pointing a finger at the ground below, I shot a ray of cold air. It instantly froze over.

I looked up back at the hag. She was trying to hide it, but she was clearly surprised. “That’s…” she mumbled. “Not really that much of a big deal…”

“There’s more where this came from,” I said smugly. “I don’t want to cause any damage, though.”

“Hmph, who are you to—”

“—What is going on out here? I sensed an emission of energy.” A gruff voice suddenly appeared from the other side of the door, accompanied by the sounds of knocking from the floor.

A wizened, bearded man emerged, using a cane to walk. The only thing missing for the image of a great mage would be some ornate cloak woven with arcane symbols or something.

“Master Jarred? A pleasure to meet you,” I told him.

The man’s bushy eyebrows furrowed as he looked at me. “A male… and a magic user? Marita, what is this all about?”

“He, he just came outta nowhere, claimin’ he can use magic—”

“I can use magic,” I interjected. “Please, Master Jarred, I need your guidance to grow even stronger.”

The old man clicked his tongue. “At least you’re respectful… and you do seem to possess some meagre talent, anyway. I suppose I can at least check you out.”

“Jarred!” argued the old woman apparently called Marita.

“Enough,” he said flatly. “I’ve made my decision. Now come here, whelp. This had better be worth my time.”

This whole “old sage” act was already starting to wear thin, but… he was an old sage. For now I was planning to play nice to get what I wanted.

Anyway, the first step ended in success.

The insides of the house weren’t very impressive, either; there were no crystal balls, or skulls, or anything that looked magical, really. In fact, the old man took me to a cramped if normal living room and told me to sit down on a chair with an odd smell.

“Now… when have you discovered your talent for magic, little cub?”

“Uhhh… I kind of lost count, but it was around a week ago, I guess?”

The man frowned again and his face even reddened a bit. “What is this? Are you trying to have a little laugh over an old man?”

I barely stopped myself from groaning. “Look… Master, I don’t want to waste our time. You said yourself that you felt my energy or whatever. I can show you some damn good spells, so let’s move on, shall we?”

“You’re really pushing it, brat,” the man spat. However, he rose from his seat, reached out into a drawer and pulled out an item.

It looked like a jagged lump of… something. Some sort of metallic ore that had the appearance of scrunched up paper.

“Hah, bet you don’t know what that is, now do you?” the Sage grinned at me.

“No,” I admitted.

“Mogage, this’s called. Mined in the mountains to the north,” he explained. “These are natural magic absorbers.”

“Meaning… it negates spells?” I asked, a realization suddenly dawning on me.

“Indeed.”

Instantly my mind went back to our first main adversary—One. I recalled how he practically absorbed all of my attacks. Not even being a robot really explained that one, so could it be?

Well, that didn’t really matter right now.

“Aim your spells at this,” Jarred instructed me. “And let’s see you give a demonstration of your so-called magical abilities.”

“Alright, let’s see how it works, then,” I mumbled. I decided to be careful as I held my hand over the lump of metal.

I produced a small bolt of electricity. To my surprise, just like the man told me, it immediately got absorbed into the metal. There were no traces of the attack.

I nodded in appreciation, but heard Jarred make a sudden gasp.

“Boy… that was no mere cantrip, was it?” he said, his beard shaking.

“Yeah, it’s beyond a cantrip. I guess you could call it a Level 1 spell? Or something like that,” I said with a shrug. “I have a few more.”

“But that’s impossible,” he breathed. “You… even cantrips can take months if not years to master! You’re telling me that you learned spells of this level in mere days?”

“Yup,” I said.

“Are you a genius?” he asked, wide-eyed.

Jubilant laughter threatened to erupt from within me. Finally… this was what I have been waiting for all along!