PATRIARCH FOWL
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Casual Heroing, Chapter 231
🕑 Added 2024-01-17 20:29:07 +0000 UTCA NEW PLAYER ENTERS THE SCENE! 🧬🧬🧬
Next chapter comes out on January 19th!
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Chapter 231 – Magical Might
"Pointers?" I smile, faking ignorance. The courtyard of Lucinda's home, where we are currently standing, is fully illuminated by the midday sun. The air quality is not the best in this part of town, but at least it's warm outside.
"A gentleman exchange of magic, without the need for any harm to occur," the [Archmage] fellow says, looking at me with his wizened face. His deep, flappy wrinkles speak of a life spent inside reading books. His eyes, though trying to look kind, fail to hide the dangerous glint within. The [Archmage]'s robes are a deep blue with intricate silver patterns, shimmering in the light.
Shimmering quite a bit, actually.
"Heh, I'm a bit tired; I'll pass on that," I say, turning to Lucinda. She just stands there, trembling slightly, and makes my heart tighten. Her red hair is in disorder, and her purple eyes have a reddish hue.
"Everything ok?" I ask with an edge to my voice, my right hand reaching inside my bag of holding and clamping around for the huge Vanedeni sword. I can also feel some leather fabric brushing against my hand inside the bag.
What the hell is that? I think, without taking my eyes off the two.
"Joey, I—"
"Lucinda! Did the Human convince you to give up on your magical education?!" The shrill voice of the younger guy pierces the air. He’s quite a striking figure if I have to be honest. He’s got a purple cloak embellished with patterns of exotic birds and flowers. He looks pretty muscular, and his shaved face doesn’t have a single blemish. His hair, which is a pretty shade of blonde, is better kept than most women I know.
He turns to the [Archmage], "[Archmage] Titus, I beg you, let me teach this Human a lesson."
Jesus Christ, why's this guy so neurotic? What's up with him? And why is his voice so...
"Augustus, please, stay calm!" Lucinda looks alarmed and shoots me a worried glance.
Well, Lucy, don't look at me like that, I think to myself; sure, my magic is temporarily out of use after that part of the training I forgot about, but I don't need all of my magic to kill one idiot. I just need a sword. A big one.
"If the Human agrees to it," [Archmage] Titus nods, "you're allowed to."
"The Human doesn't agree," I say, feeling an odd sense of calm. "I'm not in the mood to waste my time—or your time, for what matters. I'm here to see if my date needs anything before the party."
"Lucinda," the Augustus guy turns to the redhead, "is he the reason you don't want to practice magic anymore?"
"Augustus, I've told you! I do want to practice! I just don't want to come to the Nine Towers Academy! That's all!"
"Girl, before the Human interrupted us," [Archmage] Titus says with a smile, "I was about to tell you that I would accept you under my tutelage. I can see great potential in you. I would offer you a simple contract for ten years and a stipend in gold to retire your parents. My dear Augustus tells me you are worried about them and that those worries might be holding you back."
This reeks of trouble, I tell myself.
"[Archmage], I..." Lucinda is speechless and hesitating.
I, on the other, simply frown.
She wasn't even sure she'd get accepted into the academy, and now they want her so bad?
"And if you have anything against it, Human," Augustus says, turning to me, "I will take care of you myself."
I wait for the Vanedeni rage to strike true, to make my blood hotter than lava, to feel like there’s no other choice but to kill this guy.
But... there’s nothing.
Huh.
Lucinda takes a big breath, takes a step toward Augustus, and puts a hand on the man’s arm, “Augustus, there’s no need for this. We are friends. Please.”
Augustus seems to relent for a second, waiting for me to rise to the provocation—clearly upset when I don’t.
“Is that the kind of man you hang out with?” He looks over at me with disgust. “Why not a good Elf? I’ll introduce you to some when you come to the Nine Towers.”
When? I think to myself. If, baby, if.
“Ahem,” [Archmage] Titus clears his voice, “young ones, I appreciate your attitude, but I made an offer to this young girl. I would like to hear a reply.”
Lucinda hesitates before nodding, “I appreciate the offer, [Archmage]. It’s a kind one. I will need to think about it.”
Good. Smart move, Lucy.
“Think about what?!” Augustus goes mad at those words. “Lucinda, do you know who you’re talking to?!”
“I—”
“Young lady,” [Archmage] Titus nods, “my offer is valid now. Not later. Augustus and I will be attending the party later tonight, and I would like to have my mind free of any unfinished business before then. So, what shall your answer be?”
“It’s a scam,” I say calmly. “No offer with a timer like that is a good offer, Lucinda. They want something from you.”
“Who said you could talk?!” Augustus whips his head back and raises a hand with a [Fireball], throwing it at me.
Alright.
I immediately take out my sword and pivot, using it to shield myself from the magic. As the spell deflagrates against the metal, I feel a slight pushback.
“Pretty weak magic for the disciple of an [Archmage],” I say, putting my sword on the ground beside me.
“You?!” Augustus screams. “You filthy Human!”
“Lucinda,” I say, ignoring the hysterical guy, “it’s a fraud, you know?”
She hesitates, looking between me and the other two.
“And who are you to say so, a loser [Baker]?!”
“A Baker, for now. Working on the square brackets, though. I make a mean mille feuille, though, if you ever want to try some. But I suspect there will be some for desserts at the party tonight, among other things, from my bakery.”
“You think a Human who barely dabbles in magic and goes around swinging big swords is good enough to face me in a magical duel?!”
“Alright, that’s too much for me,” I say, looking at the [Archmage]. “This guy is your disciple? Damn, aren’t you, like, ashamed? Do you really let your disciples run their mouths like that? Haven’t you gathered anyinformation on me yet?”
“Joey, please, don’t—”
“Young man, I believe you should watch your words when speaking to an [Archmage]. You might not have experience with it, but your ignorance might be mistaken for disrespect by someone less benevolent than me.”
I tune out the two idiots and look at Lucinda, who’s clearly upset and doesn’t know what to say.
“Hey,” I wink at her, “you do you. I said my piece, and if you need me, I got your back.”
I’m about to shut up when a smile creeps onto my face again.
“By the way, sorry for disappearing on you like that. It won’t happen again—I still like you, you know?” I say with a wink.
Lucinda blushes slightly, and I turn to Augustus, “I don’t like you, though. So, please shut your mouth and let Lucinda decide.”
“You—”
“Let the young lady make her choice, Augustus. I’m sure she knows how hard it is to come by an offer like this.”
The blond man, taken aback by the [Archmage]’s words, finally shuts up.
...
Lucinda looked back at Joey, who had disappeared for almost seven days, only materializing back on the Day of Blooming. Truth be told, his presence here granted her that security she had lacked when the [Archmage] and her childhood friend had come to visit.
She knew very well how rare it was for an [Archmage] to make such a generous offer—she wasn’t stupid. And she fully agreed with Joey about the fact that the [Archmage] clearly wanted something from her... what, exactly, she didn’t know.
But even if she knew that, was this such a bad offer? What did she have to lose? The [Archmage] knew so much magic that perhaps his knowledge would dwarf even Joey’s. Having never been in the Nine Towers Academy, Lucinda didn’t really know what it meant to be a [Mage] there—did they have some esoteric knowledge she had never even heard?
Another thing that was bothering her was that if she turned down the offer, it would be effectively harder to find a steady job as a [Mage] without the credentials of a Nine Towers graduate.
She felt the pressure from the [Archmage] in a very abstract way, so much so that it almost became physical. But then, when she turned to look at Joey, who just rested his hand atop the handle of his massive sword, she felt... lighter.
It was clear that the [Archmage] and Augustus were in the business of pressure and being serious, unlike Joey, who was in the business of, well, being Joey. But then, Joey was probably richer than those two, wasn’t he? Maybe not richer than the [Archmage] yet, but the Human by her side had a [Princess] working for him. Wasn’t that actually more impressive than whatever magic she could find at the Nine Towers Academy?
Plus, if Joey wasn’t pressuring her to refuse, didn’t that mean that he was much more self-assured than the two magic practitioners from the Nine Towers?
Strong people don’t need to appear strong, [Captain] Drusillus had once told her when she had gone to him about a [Mage] who threatened to tear the entire Watch down with some forbidden spell. As it turned out, the [Mage] had been barely level 10, and a thorough beating from the [Guards] had fully changed his attitude.
“I’m sorry, [Archmage].”
...
“But I have to refuse,” Lucinda says, stunning the two idiots in front of her.
A smile widens on my face, almost reaching my cheekbones.
“What?!” Augustus screams. “Lucinda, have you rotten your mind?!”
“Young lady, this offer won’t come around twice,” the [Archmage] warns Lucinda with a frown. He looks like the kind of guy who doesn’t get told ‘no’ much.
“That’s already the second offer, though,” I smile. “You were flexing a bit too much, old man. Now, what’s next? Begging the girl to become your disciple?”
I unearth the sword and squat down to make it rest on my shoulder.
“This is no business of yours, Human,” [Archmage] Titus replies. “I’ve already warned you about treading lightly around an [Archmage].”
“Alright,” I say, taking a few more steps until I’m right in front of Lucinda and between the two parties. “I’m just here to make sure she doesn’t get bothered too much.”
I turn to Lucinda and ask, “was that your final answer?”
She nods, “yes.”
“Good,” I turn back to the duo. “You heard her.”
But before the [Archmage] can even say another word, I see a whip made of fire coming at me—but thanks to my enhanced senses and physical attributes, I grab the end of it before it can strike down.
“What an idiot,” Augustus snickers.
He’s referring to the fact that the whip is trying to burn through my skin and that a normal person would be in tremendous pain because of it. Now, do you remember what kind of training that freak of Magister Mulligan put me through? I’m sure that if he was awake, he’d probably tell this ‘[Archmage]’ he’s not even qualified to be a [Squire] of a real [Archmage], or whatever they call their apprentices.
And so, what happens next is that while the whip tries, without too much success, to burn my hand to a cinder, I simply do what my class does best as I feel the fellow trying to tug at the whip.
I pull.
[Unbreakable Friction]
[Inexorable Momentum Redirection, Quadruple-Up]
Before Augustus can even know what’s happening, he’s flyingat an insane speed toward me.
Maybe I shouldn’t kill him, is my only thought at that moment, as I was already ready to put him in the way of my sword. So, I look at his fancy robe and simply punch his abdomen.
A fountain of vomit erupts from his mouth as his eyes immediately roll up in his sockets.
He folds to the ground like a plastic bag, completely passed out, and I turn to make sure none of the vomit ended up on Lucinda.
Heh, maybe a little on her shoes. I hope she doesn’t mind.
But before I can worry further about Lucinda’s beautiful feet, I feel a great magical pressure emanate from the [Archmage].
“You!” [Archmage] Titus looks outraged at the fact that the man who attacked me just got put to sleep like that.
“Me?” I move my foot to Augustus’s neck. “I spared his life. Are you sure we want to do this?”
Dude, I really don’t want to kill this idiot. I really don’t. Please, be reasonable; I cringe internally.
But the man’s already whipping up a spell, and I can see a massive ball of fire, four times my size, starting to form above his head.
Wait. That’s not actual fire. Is that... a [Comet]?
“Oh, my, an [Archmage] bullying a potential recruit. How novel, I’d say, if that weren’t your kind’s habit.”
Before I can even turn, I see four shadows appear beside the [Comet] and make it implode on itself, stopping the casting.
A man wearing a simple shirt and pants enters Lucinda’s house.
“Hello! Sorry for the intrusion, guys; I was following Joey here.”
I look at the fellow, whos’s, regrettably, pretty much my height and with some quite nice facial features. Deep blue eyes, too.
“How do you—”
“How do you dare, you mysterious stranger,” the guy intercepts the [Archmage]’s words and mocks him. “Titus, aren’t you too old for this? Do you really not know who I am?”
“Who—” I see [Archmage] Titus stop for a second before frowning.
The other man just stands there, looking in his thirties, at worst.
“I haven’t gotten a fancy degree like you,” he smiles. “But I’m sure we could exchange some pointers if you wanted. The crown used to call me the Gens Claudia’s bastard. The Adventurers’ Guild got to call me the Shadow [Archmage]. Also, unlike you, I’ve earned my class by killing things. I hope your former disciple isn’t still obsessed with me, old man—I don't want to take a detour to the Nine Towers the next time I come North just to kill that idiot.”
“But you can all call me Aemilianus Claudius. Technically, I don’t have a last name. But it does infuriate my father whenever I use his Gens’s moniker. So, might as well have some fun with it, right?”
Comments
T'Ericka
Well that escalated quickly
