Reforged Chapter 15: Mortal Enemies

Landor couldn't believe his ears.

"I've been expelled? I've actually been expelled?" Landor, completely drained of energy, slumped to the floor in the inn's lobby, devoid of any noble bearing. He stared blankly at the ceiling, lost in his thoughts.

After being stripped of his apprenticeship at the Stormwind Royal Academy of Magic, Landor remained a noble but had become a laughingstock among his peers.

He wasn't the eldest son in his family, and according to the inheritance laws of Stormwind and the remnants of the Arathor Empire, he could not inherit his father's title. The only two paths left for a noble to climb higher were to be granted a title through military achievements or to ascend in some other way.

Stormwind City was located in the southern part of the Eastern Kingdoms, near the western coast, while the unexplored mountains lay directly to the north. Only the Elwynn Forest, which enveloped Stormwind City in a crescent shape to the south and east, was ideal for nobles to establish their estates.

Unfortunately, after a thousand years, the core area of Elwynn Forest had no more land to accommodate more nobles. The desolate Westfall lay to the southwest of Stormwind City, the eternally night-shrouded, gloomy Duskwood to the south, and the barren Redridge Mountains to the east.

For pleasure-seeking nobles, none of these directions were appealing. If one were to earn military achievements and wanted to become a landed noble, they would have to be granted land in these inhospitable regions, struggling to survive in the harsh environment.

Therefore, being granted a title wasn't an appealing idea.

Climbing the ranks wasn't easy either. The military was firmly under the control of Anduin Lothar, the last bloodline of Emperor Thoradin and one of King Llane's childhood friends. Lothar's position in the military was unshakeable by any noble.

In other words, the military was so tightly controlled that nobles couldn't get a foothold.

As for positions in domestic affairs, they were as scarce as hen's teeth. The Blancdale family would only support his elder brother, leaving no room for Landor Blancdale.

It was no exaggeration to say that Landor's rise in status was purely due to his aptitude as a mage.

And now, the old man Norton had sentenced him to a metaphorical death.

Wouldn't Landor go mad!?

After a brief stupor, his gaze filled with murderous intent and endless resentment first fell on Norton, and then, Landor Blancdale's eyes shifted timidly to Duke's back.

"Beep, you have sensed your mortal enemy, Landor Blancdale's hostility. Your reputation with the Blancdale family is now permanently set to 'Mortal Enemies'!"

Duke snorted coldly at the system elf's prompt, thinking: Don't assume that our enmity, with you having killed me once, can be easily erased. Just as well, you want to kill me, and I want to kill you too. I refuse to believe that I, who can resurrect, can't outdo a minor Blancdale family. Let's see who gets the last laugh.

As much as he thought about it, without knowing how to replenish his integrity - or rather, his humanity - Duke wouldn't waste his precious integrity to risk his life against a minor Blancdale family. He wouldn't do something so foolish.

Despite having offended Landor Blancdale to the point of solidifying their enmity, there was no use in seeking reconciliation. Duke proudly held his head high as he left the inn.

The surrounding crowd whispered in hushed tones, but Duke didn't care. It wasn't until he climbed onto the carriage that Master Norton had prepared that he realized things had changed significantly.

He had slapped Brandle twice, but there were no cheers or applause. As the son of a local lord, no one dared to openly celebrate. However, as the carriage passed by, Duke was astonished to see many villagers quietly approaching, offering him a smile and various local specialties.

A few eggs, a basket of potatoes, or a box of cured meat... The villagers' intentions were so simple and sincere that Duke's throat unconsciously tightened.

Having lived for 18 years, he hadn't done anything particularly evil or good. Suddenly being treated like a small hero, Duke felt an odd sensation.

Just as he was about to say something, he remembered the system's prompt.

"Congratulations, you have earned the gratitude of the Northshire Abbey villagers, and your reputation in Northshire Abbey is now 'Honored'. For unknown reasons, your humanity has slightly recovered, increasing by 1%. Your current Soul Power is 98, and your Humanity is at 94%."

Could it be... that doing good deeds and gaining the villagers' recognition could restore his humanity?

For a moment, Duke was dazed. He suddenly realized the importance of reputation, just as in the game world. He hadn't expected it to be just as crucial after crossing over.

It wasn't until he boarded Master Norton's prepared carriage and was jostled about that Duke snapped back to reality.

Cursed carriages of this era might be a luxury for ordinary people, but for Duke, who was used to smooth asphalt roads and comfortable spring-loaded cars, it was pure torture.

Once aboard, the atmosphere changed again. The three apprentices obediently sat opposite Master Norton, who somehow produced a pipe and began puffing smoke rings out the window.

"Young ones, I too was once as fiery as you," the old man said. "Although I support your actions deep down, I regret to inform you that you've stirred up quite the trouble."

Daniel and Itana's faces instantly paled. At first, they had instinctively stood by Duke's side, but as the excitement wore off, fear crept into their hearts.

Offending a noble was dangerous. As long as they didn't become fully-fledged mages, they and their families would be at risk of being threatened by the nobility.

Master Norton continued, "Duke, they're not like you. In the world of mages, we believe in equivalent exchange. Our Stormwind Royal Academy of Magic isn't like Dalaran, where we simply seek the truth of magic. Here, every lesson costs money. And every essential item for learning magic and every spell you need to learn must be purchased with your own coin."

At this, Daniel and Itana's faces grew even more troubled.

Duke spoke up, "May I ask how apprentices of the academy were treated in the past?"

To be continued...