There weren’t many things Sean could ask about, but just now, when the topic of the academy came up, he did have a few questions he wanted to ask.
“It’s nothing major, really. I was just curious about the group of wizards who came through the town earlier. They kept discussing ancient magical artifacts and magic, and I couldn’t quite follow… but I’ve always been curious about magic.”
He thought about how to broach the subject indirectly.
Since she’d mentioned teaching, Sean’s mind had turned to magic. He wondered if the Koga City Academy had a dedicated place for teaching magic, and he still wanted to learn more about the Caryn Witch.
Back when Lucille was around, he hadn’t asked too deeply, and there was also the matter of that ancient disc. If only someone could explain more to him.
“Baron Vygul, are you asking about magic?”
Aelia looked over with a puzzled expression, unsure herself, since that field wasn’t something she understood either.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“I don’t really understand it either. When I was very young, I was quite interested in magic and even had the hired wizard guards teach me some. But magic relies on talent—if you can’t grasp it from the start, it becomes very difficult to learn later, and the older you get, the less you can master,” Aelia said thoughtfully.
If it weren’t for the [Deep in Thought!] status he saw on her, Sean would have thought she was making it up.
It was the complete opposite of what Lucille had said…
Why had she insisted on spending days teaching him basic常识? It was to overturn these theoretical assumptions.
According to Lucille, magic wasn’t something you got stronger at just by training from childhood—though insight did play a role… And she’d specifically mentioned that the common belief that older people couldn’t learn magic was just a way to discourage them from trying.
The purpose was to highlight the rarity and power of wizards, while also making it easier for various organizations to manage them.
And there was another point…
Sean remembered how she’d put it. When Lucille said it back then, it had sounded quite imposing.
Another thing: this was also a warning to all wizards—don’t try to peer into the abyss of magic. If you’re worried about more people learning magic and threatening your position, then nip it in the bud entirely.
“Oh, I see.”
Sean could only play along.
It seemed the count’s daughter really didn’t know anything about magic, nor had she learned any practical skills. Even this visit was her first trip out, which explained why she’d been so anxious that day.
What he’d really been hoping was that if she knew a trustworthy wizard, he could ask them about the ancient disc.
“But I don’t know much about magic. Cleveland, do you?” she asked the knight beside her.
This knight, who looked to be in his thirties, was named Cleveland. He was Aelia’s personal guard and far more capable than Danti. His health bar read [8000/8000], matching Lucille and the deceased Bachler.
Ever since seeing Bachler take on the entire five-person archaeological team at once, Sean had learned not to underestimate anyone with that much health. Though it was only a few thousand points more, it wasn’t a simple one-plus-one-equals-two situation.
Two people with 6000 health couldn’t beat someone with 8000 health—maybe not even four could!
So when he arrived in Taylorme Town, the person who respected him most was Danti…
This was only the second person Sean had seen Danti hold in such high regard, aside from himself. He guessed they must have had some connection back in Koga City.
The powerful knight thought for a moment, then shook his head.
“Miss, I’m good with a sword and hand-to-hand combat, but magic is a field I truly don’t understand. Those of us who learn martial skills rarely delve into magic—it tends to distract us and keep us from focusing. If it’s about combat, though, I know plenty about magical abilities.”
So he only knew practical applications, not theory!
Sean caught his meaning.
“I see,” Aelia replied.
“But Baron Vygul, if you’re interested in martial skills, I could teach you a thing or two,” Cleveland said, steering the conversation toward himself.
“Me? I can’t even learn what Danti teaches me. I’m just talking.”
Sean waved his hand with a smile.
“That’s not necessarily true. I heard from Danti that you led the whole town on a long run in the heavy snow—that’s a great way to build stamina. It shows you have some foundation, Baron Vygul.”
“Those days… I just saw everyone getting lazy in the winter, so I took the lead to get them all exercising,” Sean said.
In truth, he did want to learn martial skills, but not now. For now, he practiced magic twice a day before sleeping to raise his proficiency. Since breaking through level 10 in magic proficiency, Sean had found he could do more.
Not just simple things like lighting or extinguishing fires, but also quickly turning warm water into ice.
And compared to casting randomly, his talent for seeing attributes gave him prerequisites… If a spell was impossible, it would show [Invalid] before he even cast it.
For example, if he wanted to take down the great knight Cleveland right now, a prompt would appear before he acted: [Spell Invalid]. After using magic more often, he’d even get [Low Mana] warnings. In short, Sean was gradually finding this ability very convenient.
It helped him know when to give up…
Right now, his focus was on raising magic proficiency. He didn’t have the energy to train in another profession, or he’d never be able to specialize in one skill.
Cleveland was right about that—training in one profession required focus. Every time his mana was nearly depleted, Sean felt like the world was spinning. How could he have the energy to pick up a sword?
“Having the will to train shows you have the talent for martial skills, Baron,” Cleveland insisted, not letting the topic drop.
“Is that so? Then it’s settled. I’ll definitely seek your guidance someday, Sir Cleveland,” Sean replied with a smile.
“Of course… I’ll teach you everything I know, Baron.”
The knight said it firmly.
A knight who valued his honor wouldn’t joke, so Sean believed him.
“Speaking of which, if I’ve got the timing right, the Mercenary Guild Hall and the Trade Market should be starting construction today, shouldn’t they?” Sean suddenly said.
He had to admit, the people Aelia brought were truly capable and more experienced in handling things.
Not only had they helped resolve the Creek Village matter in just a few days, but they’d also planned the best spots in town for the Trade Market and Mercenary Guild. In the future, this would drive the entire region’s economic growth.