Chapter 5 – The Magic Tower(5)
Just before 9 o’clock, when David visited, Alex complained loudly.
“These fellows cannot do anything. I have never seen such incompetent slaves in my life. Could we not find a maid?”
David spoke stiffly.
“This is not a nursery. Basically, you must take care of your own affairs.”
“Could we not at least have someone prepare meals? We came to the magic tower to learn magic, not to learn cooking.”
“Cooking?”
“There is no one to cook. Please introduce us to a competent maid who is good at cooking.”
Nobles are certainly different. Chris and Smith would never be able to make such demands.
The Prince asked.
“Are there no restaurants here?”
“There are. However, apprentices cannot use them. But why do you need a maid to cook… Where is Juan… Damn it.”
Wizard David stopped mid-sentence and cursed. Then he continued.
“Have you seen Juan?”
“Who is Juan?”
“He is the servant of the Lion Hall. Heating, cleaning, laundry, cooking—he is in charge of all that… Anyway, you have not seen him, correct?”
“Yes.”
David exhaled with a displeased expression and turned around.
“Juan will take care of the meal issue later. It is late now, so let us go to the lecture hall.”
Section 3 First Lesson
The lecture hall was in the center of a large conical building. It was large enough to accommodate more than 300 apprentices with room to spare.
After guiding them to the lecture hall, David asked if they had memorized the way. Catherine replied with her characteristically bright smile that since there were not many forks in the road, they would not get lost.
David urged them not to stray onto other paths and to return directly to the Lion Hall after the lecture ended. Finally, after firmly cautioning them to use only that path, he disappeared, saying he was busy.
Many apprentices had already arrived at the lecture hall, but they were divided not into their assigned groups but into the six original groups they had voluntarily formed. The members of Group 1 also dispersed to find their original groups.
Smith spoke in a gloomy voice.
“Here too, it’s about social status. How boring.”
Chris accepted it as inevitable. He went to sit with the slave group positioned at the far right edge. After some conversation, he learned that the other dormitories had servants who provided meals.
What is the Lion Hall servant doing?
Chris shook his head.
I chose the wrong dormitory.
A moment later, the inner door of the lecture hall opened, and a stern-looking middle-aged man appeared. He was wearing a brown robe.
“I am William, the Earth Wizard.”
His voice emanated from the walls. Some kind of magical device seemed to be installed. Greetings such as hello, nice to meet you, and welcome came from various places.
There is a saying that you cannot spit on a smiling face, but surprisingly, Wizard William was someone who would gladly do so.
“Shut up!”
The lecture hall was enveloped in an awkward silence.
“You are worms crawling on the ground. You are caterpillars gnawing on leaves. You are puppies defecating anywhere.”
All the apprentices were shocked, especially those from noble backgrounds. Perhaps they had never been subjected to such verbal abuse before. Whether they were shocked or not, the wizard spat out cold words.
“You are not human. Only after you have experienced becoming a being can you be said to have taken a step on the path to becoming human.”
What is a being?
Chris concentrated so as not to miss a single word.
“Has anyone here felt magic?”
No one raised their hand.
You couldn’t feel it either!
At that moment, Chris breathed a sigh of relief.
It wasn’t just me who couldn’t feel it.
His heart felt warmer.
“If you cannot feel magic, you will have to pack your bags.”
Although he had warned everyone to keep quiet, someone could not resist speaking up.
“How does one feel magic?”
Wizard William glared at the boy who had asked the question. Chris also looked at the boy in surprise. His name was Andrew, the boy who played the role of leader in the fourth group of wealthy commoners.
William pointed his staff at Andrew. At that moment, Chris felt a chill down his spine.
Andrew will die painfully like Jack.
Chris was convinced of this.
Get down. Get down and beg!
Chris could not dare voice this thought aloud and shouted it internally.
His conviction proved wrong. William twitched his lips once and then lowered his staff. He had clearly seemed about to kill Andrew, but he did not.
Chris tilted his head in confusion.
There seemed to be killing intent… It was definitely there…
He did not understand why the wizard had changed his mind at the last moment. And he even answered the question.
“Sit in a place with good air and meditate. First, hold your breath. Then, take a deep breath while thinking about drawing in magic. Third, exhale with the mindset of expelling impurities from your body. At that time, you must think about retaining the magic in your body. Just keep repeating that.”
Chris, who had expected some remarkable secret, was disappointed. It was no different from the inhale, accumulate, and release he had heard about during the magic entrance exam. Fortunately, that was not the end.
“I will teach you the incantation you must memorize when breathing.”
That’s right! There should be an incantation.
Chris leaned his upper body forward and opened his ears wide.
“Magic is the source of life. A life without knowing magic is a life heading toward death. Through magic, we walk the path of immortality. The wind must blow, water must flow, fire must burn, and earth must accumulate.”
Chris was disappointed again. To his ears, it sounded like grasping at clouds.
William paused momentarily and then shouted.
“Era sultinsiavi era ummododisia.”
What does that mean?
Judging by the rise in his voice, it seemed important.
“Era sultinsiavi era ummododisia.”
He repeated the same phrase three times. Then he asked.
“Did you memorize it?”
Due to the chilling atmosphere that formed after Andrew asked a question without permission, no one answered.
William specifically asked.
“Prince, did you memorize it?”
“Yes.”
“Good, this concludes the class. The next class is in a month. By then, try to feel magic. That is all, dismissed.”
The apprentices left the lecture hall in a heavy atmosphere. The entire way back to the Lion Hall, Chris repeated William’s words.
“Magic is the source of life… The wind… Era sultinsiavi era ummododisia…”
The other group members were also repeating the incantation.
Smith nervously approached the nobles.
“Excuse me… Lord Alex Taylor, may I ask what the last phrase means?”
Judging by his flushed face, it seemed shameful to ask.
Alex bluntly retorted.
“Which last phrase?”
“Era sultinsiavi era ummododisia.”
“You do not know even that?”
At his rebuke, Smith’s face turned even redder. Smith bit his lip and said.
“As someone of humble slave origin, my knowledge is lacking.”
It must have been worse than death to say such things, but Smith endured the humiliation with the sole determination to feel magic.
“Slave.”
Alex did not miss the opportunity to insult.
“Now you know your place.”
Chris observed Alex cautiously and opened his mouth.
“It seems you do not know either.”
Alex glared with fierce eyes.
“What did you say?”
“I said it seems you do not know either.”
“How dare you!”
“Then do you know?”
Alex hesitated. At first, Chris was uncertain, but from this reaction, he gained confidence.
Even the noble from the Marquis family does not know.
Chris glanced at the Prince. From his demeanor, it seemed the Prince did not know either.
If even royalty does not know the meaning, it must be a secret known only to wizards.
Chris continued to mutter inwardly.
Era sultinsiavi era ummododisia.
Reciting the incantation, they returned to the Lion Hall to find a man with graying hair at the temples sitting in the sun.
The Prince approached him.
“Are you Juan, the servant of the Lion Hall?”
Juan slightly nodded his head and looked up at him with squinting eyes.
“Don’t block the sun. Move aside.”
“What did you say?”
“I said move aside.”
When had the prince ever received such treatment? He had been disrespected in the lecture hall, but that was by a wizard. Disrespect from a wizard could be tolerated, but disrespect from a servant was intolerable.
“How dare you!”
Juan deeply inhaled through his nose.
“Looks like your family has some clout.”
“Insolent fellow. I am a prince of the great Kingdom of Grant!”
Juan openly mocked him.
“So what?”
Mark could not understand Juan’s reaction.
“Are you insane?”
“Being a prince might be impressive outside, but it’s nothing special inside this magic tower.”
“You damn bastard!”
“Besides, you’re not even the heir to the throne, right?”
Juan abruptly stood up and poked Prince Mark’s chest. The prince retreated one step with each poke.
After insulting the prince in this way, Juan glanced at those wearing visibly luxurious attire.
“You lot are nobodies from aristocratic families, right? But like this thundering naked prince here, you’re not heirs. You’re either illegitimate children, or even if legitimate, you’re the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, or eighth sons with no hope of inheritance or property distribution… Are there any going as far as the seventeenth or eighteenth son?”
Juan’s gaze turned back to the prince.
“You’re an illegitimate child, right? Which number are you? One, two, three, four…”
After counting to seven, he snickered at the prince’s expression.
“Judging by your face, you’re the seventh.”
The prince spoke through gritted teeth.
“If I had a sword in my hand, you would be dead.”
Juan ignored his threat.
“Let me give you all some advice as your senior. Do you know why you’re here? It’s because you’re of little use to your families. To put it harshly, it means they wouldn’t mind if you died. They send such useless family surplus to the magic tower because it’s a big win if they become wizards.”
“Nonsense.”
“Hey, think about the noble-born peers who came here with you. Is there a firstborn among them?”
No one answered.
“No, right?”
He spat.
“Did anyone die today?”
Chris recalled Andrew, who had nearly been killed. Then he cautiously asked.
“Why do you ask such a question?”
“Usually, a few people die during the first lecture.”
Chris gently clenched his right hand.
My intuition was right. William really did intend to kill Andrew. Why did he change his mind?
Chris etched this question in a corner of his mind.
“No one died today.”
“No deaths?”
Juan tilted his head and continued.
“That can’t be right. Someone always dies.”
Chris rubbed his hands.
“If what you say is true, Mr. Juan, then we are indeed insignificant beings whom wizards can easily kill.”
“That’s what I’m saying.”
“However, we are members of the Lion Hall, and you, Mr. Juan, are a servant obligated to attend to us. Regardless of our circumstances, you should do your duty as a servant.”
“Oh, we have a smart one here.”
He looked Chris up and down.
“Judging by your ragged appearance, you must be either a desperately poor commoner or a slave.”
“I am of slave origin.”
“A slave, yet you talk back so precisely. What nonsense.”
“Didn’t you just say a moment ago that outside status doesn’t apply inside the magic tower? Yet now you’re bringing up status? You, who were rude to the prince!”
Chris pointed at him.
“Shall I report this to Wizard David?”
Juan flinched at the mention of David.
“Damn it.”
“I would like to have a meal.”
“Tsk!”
Juan spat again.
“Fine, I’ll cook for you.”
Then he dusted off his pants and moved away. Chris asked a question to his back.
“What did you mean by ‘senior’?”
When Juan had called himself a senior, the word had stuck in Chris’s mind like a fishbone in the throat.
“Hehehe.”
Juan laughed nastily and did not answer. After he left, the members of Group 1 went to their rooms but came down to the kitchen one by one as they got hungry. There was nothing to eat.
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