7 Reforged Chapter 7: Northshire Boiling
So, what happened?
No villains were seen, only two dark-skinned individuals, and the straw men that had been symbolically placed in the clearing as targets were all reduced to dust.
Not far away, Deputy Captain Verri stood dumbfounded, his gaping mouth wide enough to fit an egg.
At a slightly farther distance, Sir Landor Blancdale and his servants were paralyzed with fear.
"Oh, my Light, what did I just witness?" Verri couldn't believe his eyes.
His predecessor's predecessor had once told him that if a promising mage candidate could use the crystal ball to cast a fireball spell, they could turn one of the straw men into ashes.
And now, what did he see?
A row of ten straw men had vanished, leaving only black ash and small amounts of unburnt hay on the ground.
"Cough, cough, cough..." Both the old man and the boy coughed violently, choked by the thick smoke from the intense fire.
"Itana," the old mage called out to his assistant, his voice filled with indescribable elation. "Notify old Mike to bring me my cherished bottle of wine! I've found a treasure!"
"Treasure? What treasure?" The bewildered mage's assistant, who had hurried over from elsewhere, asked.
Old Norton pulled Duke, who was still in a daze, closer: "He— a once-in-a-thousand-year, no, once-in-ten-thousand-year mage prodigy!"
"Whoa—" Suddenly, the entire Northshire Abbey trial field erupted in chaos.
In any era, muscle-bound soldiers without talent were always the most numerous. In contrast, careers requiring skill and talent were rare. Spellcasters of any kind were incredibly scarce, almost as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.
Almost as soon as the old man made the announcement, Duke could feel the gazes of everyone around him change.
Most were envious, some were jealous, but there were also... those filled with awe!
Despite the cacophony around him, Duke more or less understood that as long as he became an official mage, he would be on par with a noble, and he would even have his own fief and mage tower in the future.
The two guards who once looked down on him were brought over by Deputy Captain Verri, pleading for Duke's forgiveness like dogs.
Of course, the most shocked of all was Landor Blancdale.
After the initial astonishment, his face turned from shock to ashen, for he had heard a particular sentence.
"Young man, from this moment on, you are a ninth-grade talent mage apprentice of the Stormwind Royal Academy of Magic. Hmm, I will apply for special treatment for you. That way, you can enjoy benefits equivalent to those of a knight."
What!? Impossible!
Duke's rather handsome face, in Landor' eyes, was more detestable and fearsome than the most hideous ghoul. Landor couldn't believe his ears.
Ninth-grade talent!
What was a ninth-grade talent?
Since the founding of the Kingdom of Stormwind, only one person had ever received a ninth-grade talent evaluation! That was the current Grand Archmage of Stormwind Royal Court, Medivh, the legendary man hailed as the next Guardian of Tirisfal!
Who was Medivh's mother?
The famous Guardian of Azeroth, Aegwynn.
Why does a poor boy of unknown origin possess such a terrifying aptitude?
Landor was going insane!
He knew he had lost!
Although he hadn't made any bets, Landor knew he was defeated.
The reasons he could claim credit were his noble status and the fact that he had obtained the rank of a fifth-level apprentice in the pre-arranged mage trials.
In the realm of mortals, the fifth level already represented excellence.
There was only one Medivh in the world, and more talented mage seeds had already been recruited to the human mages' holy city of Dalaran. Therefore, a fifth-level apprentice's status was enough for Landor to swagger around in Stormwind City.
Unfortunately, compared to the exceptional ninth-level talented apprentice Duke who appeared out of nowhere, he was nothing.
"Young man, what's your name?" the old man asked, holding onto Duke's hand tightly as if the treasure would escape if he let go.
"Duke."
"Duke, huh? What's your surname?"
Duke hesitated: Right, this is a fantasy world with a western tone.
To others, Duke was just a name, not a surname. He couldn't tell the old man that his surname was Du and his given name was Ke, a distant relative of the great poet Du Fu in theory.
At that moment, a surname popped into Duke's mind, one that belonged to a person who was envied by all men in the World of Warcraft game.
Almost unconsciously, Duke said, "Marcus... Duke Marcus!"
The old man held Duke's left hand with his right arm, raising it high: "This year's champion of the mage apprentice trials has been born; he is Duke Marcus!"
At this result, the whole audience was shocked, with over a thousand people dumbfounded, staring with wide-open mouths.
Silence.
Unknowingly, everyone's gaze shifted back to the noble youth, Landor.
Faced with a barrage of malicious, hostile, and even contemptuous glances, Landor's face was burning.
Apologize? No way!
A noble would only apologize to another noble!
Even if they knew they were wrong, nobles wouldn't submit to a commoner. Yes, a mage's status was extraordinary, but no matter how talented Duke was, he was still just a mage apprentice.
Apologizing was out of the question before he became a court mage!
"Hmph!" With an ashen face, Landor stomped his foot and left with his group of servants, looking dejected.
It took a while before Landor's figure vanished entirely.
Boom!
The crowd erupted.
The sensational tidal wave exploded at this moment.
Every commoner was frantically discussing the matter, whispering to their companions about what had just happened, leading to waves of shrieks.
"Did... did I... hear that correctly? The young man named Duke won the bet?"
"You heard right! Duke overcame Blancdale's scion in the mage apprentice trials. A ninth-level talent! That's far superior to Landor's fifth-level talent."
"Indeed, a commoner child defeated the noble-born Landor, which is truly unbelievable!"
"So, does this mean that young Duke will enter the Royal Mage Academy of Stormwind City?"
"Wow, now that you mention it, I just realized that Duke might be the first commoner to enter the Mage Academy since the founding of the Kingdom of Stormwind!"
An excited, muscular young man said, "Duke is amazing! I can't wait. When he graduates from the Mage Academy, I want to be his follower!"
"Why wait for Lord Duke to graduate? I suggest you get in early. A ninth-level talent... He might just become the next Grand Court Mage of Stormwind City."
"Look at the glowing eyes of the girls around us; they can't wait to have Duke all to themselves."
A group of young men shouted and expressed their rage, venting their inner emotions.
