Translator: Cinder Translations
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Nathan and Edward walked along the street, heading toward the city center of Frand Port. They admired the street scenes while discussing their impressions of the city.
"I say, aren't you afraid of being recognized? After all, you used to be the notorious pirate chief around here," Nathan joked.
"Hmph! The population has increased more than tenfold. The streets are filled with unfamiliar faces," Edward said confidently. Suddenly, he pointed at something ahead. "Hey, look over there!"
"What's that?"
"A potion shop. Didn't you complain about seasickness? Maybe you can go inside and see if they have any potions to cure it."
Nathan chuckled. "Oh, forget it. I don't want to drink anything weird."
Edward insisted, "Why not go in and take a look? Maybe they have some rare potions."
"Alright," Nathan shrugged, "we'll do it your way."
They turned and walked toward the alchemy shop. The shop seemed busy, with customers constantly coming and going. It wasn't a small place; the interior was spacious, with huge wooden racks along the walls filled with potions of various colors and other alchemical products.
After a bit of maneuvering, Edward finally reached the counter, where a very young boy, probably around ten or so, greeted him with a bright face.
"Do you have any potions for seasickness?" Edward asked.
"Seasickness potions? Sir, you've come to the right place!" the boy replied eagerly. "I'll find it for you right away."
At that moment, a voice from behind sounded exaggeratedly excited, "Hey! Hey! Hey! Isn't that… Little Roskin?"
It was Nathan. He recognized the boy behind the counter.
When he and his mother, Marianna, were recruiting local spellcasters to join the Arcane Society in Horns Bay, they had come across a group of wandering spellcasters who had lost their homes due to the oppression from the church.
This group had set up a refuge in the dense wilderness of Horns Bay, struggling to survive. Nathan had met a few members of the group, including the boy in front of him, Roskin.
When Roskin heard his name, he flinched and looked toward the source of the voice.
He stared at Nathan, who was smiling at him. Roskin' face quickly filled with fear as he suddenly remembered where he had seen that face before. His thoughts raced, and fear gripped him. He had come all the way to the Northwest Bay, thinking he could start fresh, far away from his past, but the calm was shattered in that moment.
Even though Nathan was a spellcaster too, Roskin didn't know how to react. Without saying anything, he hurried to the back of the shop.
"Who… was that?" Edward asked, looking at Nathan with confusion.
Nathan scanned the area to ensure no one else was paying attention before leaning toward Edward's ear. "He's a spellcaster from Horns Bay."
Edward was surprised. "A spellcaster from Horns Bay? How did he end up here?"
But he quickly realized, "True, Horns Bay is at war, and ordinary people are fleeing. It makes sense that the oppressed spellcasters would be among them."
Not long after, an elderly man, appearing to be in his fifties, walked out from the back.
"Oh, today is full of surprises," Nathan said, truly surprised.
"Mr. Ode, it's been a long time," Nathan greeted the elderly mage, whom he had met before.
Old Ode nodded in acknowledgment. "Everyone, this isn't a quiet place to talk. Please, follow me."
In the alchemy shop's backyard, Old Ode invited Nathan and Edward to sit at a stone table.
"How did you two come to the Northwest Bay from Horns Bay?" Nathan asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Well, here's the story…" Old Ode began recounting their journey.
When he finished, Nathan shook his head with regret.
"Please forgive my bluntness, but I still think you made the wrong decision."
When Nathan and his mother, Marianna, had tried to convince the group of spellcasters to join the Arcane Society, they had been rejected.
Nathan couldn't help but boast, "The Arcane Society has grown stronger than before. I'll tell you, Mr. Ode, we now control an entire country!"
Old Ode remained calm, asking, "Is it the Duchy of Eaton from Horns Bay?"
News of the Duchy of Eaton had already spread to the Northwest Bay, causing a stir among the hidden mage groups. Everyone agreed that someone should go back to check, so Sevya had sailed back to Horns Bay.
"No, no! Eaton is just a small country," Nathan said proudly. "What we control is a much larger country, one that's far greater in every way compared to Eaton."
He still didn't mention which country it was, though he longed to say it.
"I believe that, in the near future, it will be completely under our control, and it will stand strong, shaking the entire continent."
Nathan's passion didn't seem to affect Old Ode, who casually puffed on his pipe.
"You might succeed, but it will undoubtedly be a long and hard struggle... perhaps even a battle. Sigh, Nathan, we're people who seek peaceful lives here. Perhaps, in your eyes, we seem weak."
"But we truly despise bloodshed. We don't want to bleed, nor do we want others to bleed. And... the philosophy of the Arcane Society is too radical for us. Many spellcasters still consider themselves part of humanity and don't want to become something above others."
"Alright!" Nathan said with a hint of frustration, "That's a choice. But I must still say…"
His gaze became sincere. "If you change your mind, the Arcane Society will welcome all of our kin. Remember, spellcasters are not accepted by the mundane world. If the lord here discovers your identities, the punishment waiting for you is burning at the stake or hanging."
"We have ways of dealing with that, but thank you for the warning," Old Ode replied with a smile, not revealing that the local lord was actually accepting of spellcasters. It was better to keep this knowledge as few people as possible should know, to protect the respectable lord.
Just then, a loud commotion suddenly erupted from the street outside.
"What's happening?" Nathan immediately stood up, his senses alert.
A small figure ran into the shop—it was the boy, Roskin.
This time, his face was full of excitement.
"Grandpa Ode, there's news from the port! The Western Exploration Team is back!"
"They've returned from another direction!"
(End of the Chapter)
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