74: Chapter 56 Northern Wizard_2 74: Chapter 56 Northern Wizard_2 “Fine, since that’s the case, there is no need for money, let’s make this crossbow arrow our trade.”
Initially, the price wouldn’t have been enough to hire him, but Hilgard found the boy agreeable.
Since the latter wasn’t in a hurry, he readily agreed.
After completing the trade, Leon hurriedly asked another question that had been on his mind for a long time.
“Lord Hilgard, I want to ask, if I wish to learn magic, where can I find a teacher?”
Leon didn’t suggest becoming an apprentice to Hilgard, as it was already said that being constantly on the battlefield with generals left no time to teach disciples.
And he himself couldn’t possibly abandon everything to become an apprentice at Hilgard’s side.
“Well, Sir Leon, given your experience in the Cursed Land with the help of a deceased mage’s spirit, I understand your interest.
However, not just anyone can learn magic—it’s irrelevant whether you are diligent, studious, or intelligent.”
Hilgard wasn’t surprised by the young man’s hopeful expectation for magic.
Anyone who has witnessed magic would desire to control that incredible, natural commanding power.
Numerous nobles in the kingdom have expressed this desire to their magician advisors at one point or another.
But reality is harsh.
Centuries of experience have taught generation after generation of mages that whether a person can learn and master magic…all depends on whether they were born under a lucky star.
This has nothing to do with lineage; even children of mage couples aren’t more likely to have magical talents than others.
Of course, history has seen lucky spellcasters who had progenies with talents.
And there have been spellcasters who undertook unethical experiments among their own kin.
Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, even among these rare familial ties of spellcasters, the born progenies still did not possess more potential talent than others.
Therefore, today, including all apprentices in the Northern Institute, the entire Orland Kingdom has only about a hundred spellcasters.
But if we exclude those apprentices who haven’t graduated, the Northern Wizard Association only has about a dozen truly qualified mages.
Hilgard regretfully explained to the young knight, “A body capable of manipulating magic, and a spirit and will that can adapt to fluctuations of magic power, are exceedingly rare among people.
Rather than pursuing the path of magic, if you truly are interested in exploring the knowledge and truths of the world, I highly recommend you go to the Capital’s Alchemy Guild to study potions and alchemy.
Although it doesn’t directly manipulate magic power, by utilizing knowledge to blend the elements of everything, it can indirectly harness some natural laws.”
Leon thought for a moment, then tentatively said, “But, the mage spirit who helped me escape from the Nightmare Forest did say I have the talent to embark on the path of magic.”
“Did that spirit really say that?” Hilgard frowned and asked.
Honestly, his expertise was far removed from soul science, and he really didn’t know how that unnamed deceased mage spirit discerned the boy’s talent.
It’s known that the Northern Society has only been able to rely on large magical devices to find apprentices since its establishment centuries ago.
Mages typically bring all the promising individuals they intuitively find back to the academy, and then filter them batch by batch in front of the device, truly like finding a needle in a haystack.
“How about this, if what you say is true, I’ll write you a letter of recommendation.
When you have the chance, you can directly go to North County in the North and try at the Mage’s Fort with Dean Petra, or alternatively, after the war ends, I’ll find time to take you to the North myself.”
Hilgard did not delay, as a young knight truly possessing magical talents would also be invaluable to the Association.
“Thank you, Lord Hilgard,” Leon stood up, thanked the magician with a bow.
Finishing their discussion, Hilgard took the crossbow arrow and gem pendant, got up, and bid farewell.
Leon politely escorted the magician advisor of Count Trosa to the edge of the village.
Once your necklace is fully charged, I will send someone to deliver it back.”
After finishing his words, Hilgard mounted his warhorse, simply grasped the hammer, and lightly smashed it down.
A whirlwind of air kicked up around the hooves of the warhorse, and his robes fluttered in the wind.
Leon involuntarily raised his hand to step back, shielding his face from the gale.
The magician gave the reins a flick, and his steed neighed long, dashing out like a gust of wind.
Leon was astonished as he watched through his fingers.
In just a few breaths, Hilgard’s whirlwind-ridden figure had already sped toward the distant horizon, disappearing at the top of the hillside.
As previously stated, catching up to Trosa’s troop was indeed effortless.
The magical spell made travel through the wilderness exceptionally fast, certainly surpassing sixty miles an hour; however, how long it could last was unknown.
Brushing dust off himself, Leon turned back to the village.
He happened to see a group of soldiers from the Thorns Flower family carrying shovels headed out of the village.
It seemed they were preparing, as per the Baron’s orders, to help the villagers dig a mass grave outside the village, to quickly bury the corpses of the Kantadar people and prevent the spread of disease from decomposing bodies.
Facing the approaching soldiers, most people had no reaction.
After all, the ceremony had just ended, and not everyone knew that three young men had been knighted and were now the lords of the lands they stood upon.