Chapter 243 (1/2)

Chapter 243: A Stunning Beauty Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

In the carriage, the merchant started flaunting his knowledge with pride.

“Hey, did you know? I just came from the South. Geez, that place is really in a mess. The Delonga Kingdom and the Southmoon Kingdom are in the middle of a fierce war, while the Doska Kingdom is filled with members of the Syndicate. The only safe places left are the Leo Kingdom and the Golle Kingdom. To think that such misfortune would befall the Leo Kingdom! How worrisome! My merchant group had to hire 30 mercenaries and also plan our return trip together with other groups before we dared to leave the area.”

“Don’t say things that I already know. I just want to know about Wavier,” another merchant urged.

Link also paid extra attention to this piece of information.

The merchant then said, “Alright. Don’t rush me. This is what I’ve heard. It was rumored that Wavier had rented an apartment in the city and was secretly experimenting with dark magic. However, he was soon discovered by his mentor. Following which, they got into a heated argument, and you know how capable Wavier is in combat. His mentor was killed right on the spot together with the accompanying Magicians. This happened in the crowded downtown area and implicated hundreds of innocent people as well. In essence, this is an extremely serious case. I’ve heard that King Leo is already preparing to punish the Magician Alliance severely.”

Another merchant then nodded in agreement and said, “The Magicians from the Alliance are way too outrageous and arrogant. Weren’t there demons in the city just a while ago? What did the Magicians do? They merely said that accidental injuries were inevitable and compensated the victims with their filthy gold coins. This is really infuriating!”

“Alright, let’s stop talking. The Easy Cove Higher Magic Academy is just in front. These Magicians have all the means to eavesdrop on our conversation. Let’s not let them hear us.”

“If it were up to me, I feel that Magicians should not even exist in this world. They are all monsters! God knows what they do in secret! They might even be scheming to destroy the world for all we know,” another merchant muttered under his breath before falling silent.

Upon hearing these words, Link sighed. This was the image of Magicians in the eyes of the ordinary citizen. They respected Magicians but at the same time, also feared them and treated them with suspicion and wariness.

Naturally, these were just the prejudices of the ignorant. There were still many wise and insightful people in the World of Firuman that recognized the value of Magicians. Hence, Link was not that surprised or even disgusted. He was, however, shocked at the fall of Wavier.

In the game, Wavier was the most brilliant Magician in the South. However, he gradually lost his shine and intellect until he finally became a nameless, ordinary Magician.

Even when the world’s Mana concentration increased by leaps and bounds in the later versions of the game, he still only managed to become a Level-9 Magician. This carried on despite many of his peers being able to attain the Legendary rank. He was never able to achieve that breakthrough.

Link had met him a few times. His impression of Wavier was that he was an honest, decent and extremely hardworking person. In the late game, he even became obstinate and was unwilling to accept any new forms of magic or thinking.

He also had an extremely significant feature in the early-mid game, which was complete respect and adherence towards his mentor.

Some players hence dubbed him as “the genius who never grew up.”

However, to think that he would personally kill his mentor and even all the accompanying Magicians was horrific. From the information he heard, Wavier even disregarded the lives of innocent citizens in the downtown area. What happened?

An ominous foreboding rose in Link’s heart. Is the tiger out of the cage and ready to step back into the forest?

There was no doubt that Wavier was a genius. When Link headed south to rescue Celine previously, he had gotten a glimpse of Wavier’s strength. Wavier was probably the only Magician in the alliance that made him feel slightly pressured.

If such a genius were to lose his shackles and unleash his insanity on the world, the level of destruction he would cause would be terrifying. This news made Link feel extremely uneasy.

At this moment, the coachman’s voice rang, “Hey, young lad. We have reached the academy.”

Link was drawn out from his thoughts and jumped out of the carriage before saying, “Thank you.”

The coachman then gave a hearty smile and said, “Get going. Don’t listen to the nonsense the two guys inside were saying. We have no clue about what is happening in the South. However, our own Magicians from the East Cove Higher Magic Academy are still fantastic. They would never do such immoral things. If you can enter the academy, please study hard.”

He then waved goodbye to Link, and with a swing of his whip, the carriage started moving towards River Cove Town amidst the trotting sounds of hooves hitting the ground.

Link’s mood was suddenly lifted.

He then turned and walked towards the academy. Since he was already here, there was no reason to conceal his identity any further. With a thought, his body was enveloped in a crimson glow. By the time this brilliance faded, he could be seen donning the Flame Controller’s robe.

The gatekeeper Vincent saw him from a distance away and bowed from afar.

Link then nodded before walking into the East Cove Higher Magic Academy.

After stepping through the entrance, Link stopped in his tracks to admire the view of the academy.

From this angle, he could see that the ruins and destruction caused by Demon Tarviss had already been cleared. At the spot where the Heaven’s Thorn once lay, a new Mage Tower was being built. The same went for all the other Mage Towers that were destroyed during the catastrophe. All of them seemed to be getting an upgrade and looked more majestic than before.

The reconstruction speed seems fast. King Leon is exceptionally generous this time, Link thought in glee.

The East Cove Higher Magic Academy was akin to the magic hub of the Norton Kingdom. It was incidentally also the place where Link achieved his greatest accomplishments in magic till this date. King Leon naturally had to give something in return when Link had generously offered him the anti-magic soil on his territory. East Cove Higher Magic Academy hence benefited greatly from this deal.

Link felt excited and inspired by the positivity in the academy and walked forward with big, confident strides.

He was already a well-known figure in the academy. When he walked into the plaza, Magicians around the area would bow in respect and stay in that posture until he walked past them.

After a while, Link saw a familiar figure. Upon closer inspection, he realized that it was Dean Anthony’s disciple, the poet Selasse. Link was just about to find the dean and shouted, “Hey, Selasse, wait for me.”