[8] The Genius Young Mage

Chapter 8: The Genius Young Mage

"Report, the envoy of Duke Victor is requesting an audience outside."

After the filming ended and they took a break, the voice of the guard suddenly came from outside the door.

To this unexpected visit, Durin showed a surprised expression, and when he heard the name "Duke Victor," he raised an eyebrow in resignation.

The Victor family was the largest noble family in the southern region, and Duke Victor was one of the four major dukes of the kingdom.

Despite his stature, for years now, almost every few months, messengers from the Victor family would come to Edward Castle, persistently inviting Durin to their banquets.

The reason for this was simple: Durin was once hailed as a once-in-a-millennium genius at the Mage Tower, the youngest ever to achieve the rank of a Level 5 Grand Mage.

Although Durin was later expelled from the Mage Tower due to violating taboos, his talent in magic did not disappear. If anything, due to his wholehearted dedication to the study of magic and alchemy, this talent was fully realized.

During his years of reclusive life, Durin's magical power became increasingly profound, and gradually, he was even close to reaching the threshold of Level 6.

As for what Level 6 signifies? Simply put, the Mage Tower divides the levels of mages in this world into six tiers: Level 1 Apprentice Mage, Level 2 Novice Mage, Level 3 Intermediate Mage, Level 4 Advanced Mage, Level 5 Grand Mage, and Level 6 Archsage.

Currently, the entire empire has no more than a handful of Archsages. It's easy to imagine how terrifying Durin's magical talent must be, given that he's not even twenty years old and is already a Grand Mage.

During his time at the Mage Tower, he was renowned as the youngest Grand Mage, known to all. If it weren't for the twists and turns he caused later, upsetting the monarch of Elemental Magic Studies, who was also one of the few Archsages in the empire, he would probably have graduated smoothly and inherited the title of monarch of Elemental Magic Studies by now.

If that were the case, issues like debt wouldn't have been a problem from the start, and there would have been no need to tighten their belts for filming like they do now.

However, when Durin left the Mage Tower and returned to the southern region, countless factions extended olive branches to him. Yet, at that time, Durin couldn't be bothered with these factions' solicitations and chose to lock himself in the family castle.

Moreover, Duke Victor, the true ruler of the southern region, rejected all attempts to recruit Durin from factions outside the southern region. Now, no one dares to come and recruit him.

While part of this was because Duke Victor didn't want to hand over such a rare talent in his territory to other factions, Durin was grateful to Duke Victor for allowing him to live leisurely as a lord, even though he was not willing to support Duke Victor in the coming chaos.

Ultimately, whether it was the past Durin or the present Durin, he never bothered with Duke Victor. Not to mention the past Durin, who was only immersed in inventing magical and alchemical items, even the present Durin, who was completely absorbed in creating and filming, had no intention of engaging in noble socialization.

To be honest, noble gatherings seemed like a sophisticated form of entertainment to the people of this world, but how could Durin, from a world where entertainment culture flourished to the extreme, be attracted to such events?

However, compared to the past Durin, the present Durin at least didn't isolate himself so much in his own world. If someone came, he would at least engage in conversation.

If the other party made requests that he couldn't fulfill, then it was best to honestly refuse, which was the sensible approach for a mature adult.

...

Leaving the tipsy Zat and Aya in the living room, Durin quickly arrived at the castle's main gate with Winry.

There, the messenger sent by Duke Victor wore a surprised expression and said, "Long time no see, Baron Edward. Except for the time you just returned from the capital, this should be our second meeting."

...

Seeing Durin's embarrassment at the revelation, Winry whispered softly in his ear, "This messenger has been coming to see us for the past three years. It's just that Lord Edward, you have always been unwilling to come out and see him."

...

Surprised that the messenger had finally broken the three-year-long stalemate at their doorstep, Durin, with a slightly awkward expression, said, "Well, I was immersed in magical research before, and I only recently managed to break free from it."

...

Regarding the messenger's expression, which seemed to say, "The child I've been watching has finally grown up," Durin hastily said, somewhat embarrassed, "Anyway, what brings you here this time?"

Although Durin verbally declined, he had already prepared to refuse on the spot when the messenger mentioned the word 'banquet'. After all, he was currently busy shooting "KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World!" Where would he find the time to attend boring noble banquets?

As expected, the messenger responded promptly, "The deadline for repayment of the Edward family's debt is approaching. If you don't mind, Duke Victor hopes to invite you to a banquet in two months..."

"No, thank you. I have some magical research to do recently. Although I appreciate Duke Victor's kindness, I can only decline."

Durin's refusal was firm, and the messenger nodded in response, "Alright, I'll report back to the Duke. He's used to your answer anyway."

"Hehe, I can't help feeling a bit guilty. If my tasks are finished in two months, maybe I'll consider attending some of those banquets."

Durin's polite response was merely a formality, and the messenger understood. He continued, "Understood. There's one more thing."

"One more thing?"

"Yes, Duke Victor's daughter, Miss Daphne, the eldest daughter of the Victor family, sneaked out of the family. If you happen to find her on your territory, please contact us immediately, whether by letter or magical communication. The Victor family will be notified first, and there will naturally be a reward."

"Um, alright..."

Surprised by the unexpected request, Durin agreed verbally. As for finding the missing young lady? He didn't even know what Miss Daphne looked like, so how could he find her?

After some brief pleasantries, they bid each other farewell.

Watching the messenger, who had come to their doorstep several times, prepare to leave, Durin once again wore an embarrassed expression. After all, the distance between Duke Victor's mansion and Edward Castle was at least several days' ride, so he could imagine how hard the messenger's job was.

"Oh, Winry..."

Durin was about to ask Winry to prepare some food for the messenger's journey when, in the blink of an eye, the messenger had disappeared from the doorstep.

"Huh?"

Confused by Durin's bewilderment, Winry asked, "Lord Edward, what's wrong?"

"Where did that guy go? How did he vanish in an instant?"

Hearing his question, Winry replied helplessly, "Of course, it was teleportation magic."

"Huh? A messenger can use teleportation magic, a spell only a few high-level mages can perform?"

Facing Durin's sarcasm, Winry sighed and said, "Lord Edward, did you forget? That messenger was actually Chief Mage Roy under Duke Victor."

"Roy?"

"Yes, he's nicknamed Colonel Roy. He's your senior at the Mage Tower, just like you, a fifth-level mage. And the record he once set for the fastest advancement to Grand Mage was broken by you. You should have met him two years ago."

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