Chapter 8: Noble Recruitment

The incident with the Black Bear Gang quickly spread throughout the airship. Upon hearing the news, the apprentices buzzed with excitement, most of them pleased that Rayleed had been dealt with. The girls who had been victimized by Rayleed cheered loudly.

But none of this concerned Richard.

At that moment, Richard was sitting in room 225, restoring his magic while casually observing the nobles in front of him.

"Would you all kindly introduce yourselves?"

Richard sat in his chair, with Ellie standing nervously beside him.

Richard, of humble origin, didn't recognize the nobles, but Ellie knew them well. These were offspring of the great noble families of the Plantagenet Kingdom. Under normal circumstances, even Ellie's father would pay handsomely for the chance to meet them.

"I'll start."

A tall, handsome blond man seated himself opposite Richard.

"I am Kevin Medici. I've come to invite you, Richard, to join our alliance."

"The Medici family!" Ellie exclaimed.

The Medici family was the most prominent noble family in the Plantagenet Kingdom, with their lands and vassals' territories comprising a quarter of the kingdom.

The Medici family's rise from humble merchants to great nobles was a tale that inspired many in the business world.

Richard propped his chin up, maintaining a calm demeanor. "Seems like a big deal."

The Medici family might be significant in the Plantagenet Kingdom, but on this airship, there were no distinctions of noble and commoner, only strength and survival.

Pass the exam, and you live; fail, and you die.

Kevin wasn't surprised by Ellie's reaction. Instead, he was taken aback by Richard's indifference.

From Richard's reaction, it was clear that his noble status, along with his prestigious family, held no sway.

This left Kevin both troubled and impressed.

Not everyone could rapidly shift a worldview built over many years, and it was evident that someone who had become a wizard apprentice so swiftly had extraordinary qualities.

After a moment of thought, Kevin decided to show some humility.

"But compared to wizards, the Medici family is merely a group of mortals with some power."

Richard smiled. It seemed this Kevin was a sensible person.

"So, Kevin, what is the strength of your organization? What role would I have? What benefits would I gain?"

Richard had no interest in bantering with nobles and went straight to the point.

This direct approach left Kevin momentarily speechless.

"Well..."

Kevin stammered, his mind racing to articulate an answer.

But before he could reply, someone else spoke up.

"Commoner... Richard, I think you should look at the bigger picture."

A red-haired noble behind Kevin suddenly interjected.

This red-haired noble was overweight, and despite attempting to speak calmly, he couldn't hide his aristocratic disdain—deep down, he looked down on Richard.

"Joining us is an opportunity for you. Our organization is composed entirely of nobles," the red-haired man boasted. "Join us, and you could become one of the nobility."

As soon as the fat man spoke, Kevin knew things had gone awry.

Someone who didn't care about the Medici family wouldn't be interested in a noble title that would soon become worthless. Even if they offered him a dukedom, he'd likely refuse.

Sure enough, Richard burst into laughter after hearing the fat man's words.

"Hahaha, Kevin, did you hear that? Your subordinate is offering me such a generous deal."

Richard mocked the group of nobles behind Kevin. Though they appeared polite, their disdain for him was evident beneath the surface.

Kevin, however, genuinely seemed to lower himself to recruit Richard.

"I must clarify that I hail from the great Birmingham family, and the Medici family cannot make me Kevin's follower."

The red-haired man explained with a serious expression, as though this was of utmost importance.

He couldn't comprehend Richard's laughter. Joining them and becoming a noble was something people in the Plantagenet Kingdom couldn't buy even with money.

Yet this commoner, upon receiving such a gift, responded with mockery.

It was simply incomprehensible.

A commoner is a commoner; even if one became a wizard by chance, their dull mind couldn't grasp profound concepts.

Kevin took a deep breath. It wasn't the formidable opponent he feared, but rather the pig-headed ally.

The fat man's words rendered the recruitment almost meaningless, yet Kevin still hoped to salvage it.

If they could recruit Richard, the wizard apprentice, their alliance would gain a significant asset and eliminate a threat.

"I swear by my family's name! Polley, if you say another word, even one, I'll kick you out!"

Kevin's voice was tinged with uncontainable anger, and his harsh words turned Polley's face red with rage.

Polley opened his mouth as if to argue, but Kevin's icy gaze silenced him.

"Richard, please disregard Polley's comments. He's a new noble and takes pride in his status. But not all our members are like that," Kevin turned back to Richard, flashing a courteous smile.

"Our alliance includes a knight, two prospective apprentices who have connected to the Sea of Souls, and five knight's squires. While I can't speak for other airships, our alliance's strength should be enough to pass this exam."

"Moreover, our alliance includes a descendant of a legendary knight."

Kevin leaned in conspiratorially toward Richard.

"Richard, have you heard the legends? The legendary knights who founded the seven kingdoms hail from the divine realm, and their descendants carry divine blood."

Kevin's words piqued Richard's interest. He had indeed heard legends of the legendary knights who arrived from the divine realm in ancient times to establish the seven kingdoms amidst a wilderness teeming with magical beasts.

These legendary knights were said to possess immense strength, breathe fire, transform into beasts, or be impervious to weapons.

But Kevin's implication suggested a connection between these knights and wizards.

"What do you mean? Are these legendary knights descendants of wizards?" Richard speculated.

"Not exactly, but close," Kevin replied with a glint in his eye, leaving it at that.

"It seems this is confidential. I need to join to find out."

Richard pondered, shifting his gaze between Kevin and the nobles behind him.

"I have a question. If you answer it, I'll join you." Richard straightened up, adopting a serious demeanor.

"Please, go ahead."

"Why did the knight and those two prospective apprentices join your alliance?"

To Richard, Kevin's alliance seemed rather odd.

An alliance's members should all be useful, or at least most of them. But Kevin's alliance, aside from the knight and wizard apprentice, seemed largely ineffective.

An alliance like this shouldn't exist, yet its existence indicated some unknown internal support.

Richard suspected this support was the magical artifacts the nobles mentioned.

"That's an easy question," Kevin seemed relieved. "Because most of us possess..."

"Kevin!" A sharp voice interrupted him.

It was a purple-clad noblewoman. In the Plantagenet Kingdom, purple signified nobility, and her attire indicated her family had at least produced a duke.

Seeing this, Richard shook his head, realizing he had expected too much from the nobles.

"It seems our cooperation won't happen. Please leave."

Richard stood to see them out, giving Kevin no chance to explain.

If these nobles had shown even half or a third of Kevin's respect, Richard would have considered joining their organization.

In a crowd of apprentices, Kevin surely wasn't the only one forming alliances. During the exam, these alliances would likely target individual apprentices first.

But the nobles' attitudes made Richard unwilling to trust them with his back.

Besides, Ellie had become a prospective apprentice, and teaming up with someone trustworthy like her was better than with these nobles.

Seeing Richard's firm stance, Kevin didn't press further. He shook hands with Richard as per etiquette and left.

After they departed, Richard opened his hand, revealing a note written in Wizard language.

"This Kevin is interesting," Richard mused, slipping the note into his pocket.

Half an hour later, the airship maintenance was complete, and it resumed high-speed travel. All apprentices returned to their cramped rooms.

Sitting on his bed, Richard replayed the earlier fight in his mind.

He had cast Magic Missile eight times, depleting about half of his magic. This meant he could cast Magic Missile fifteen times with his full magic reserve.

Though described as weak in the book, the Magic Missile's power surprised Richard with its bullet-like force.

Fifteen Magic Missiles equaled fifteen bullets.

With this power, Richard was confident he could pass the exam as long as he wasn't ambushed or outnumbered.

After reviewing the fight, Richard retrieved the note from his pocket.

Its contents were simple: Kevin offered to pay Richard a magic stone to spare him during the entrance exam.

The magic stone would be settled after enrollment.

"A noble family that started with business has much sharper minds than those idiots," Richard remarked, tucking the note away.

He had nothing to lose in this deal for a magic stone.

And Kevin would gain what he wanted—a predator in the form of a wizard apprentice. Trading future benefits for immediate safety seemed worthwhile to him.

It was a win-win situation.

...

After the maintenance, the airship never slowed again.

For ten continuous days, it flew non-stop to the designated location.

Aurelia, the recruitment wizard with the door-sized greatsword, gazed at the towering black tower in the distance and issued the command.

"Prepare for landing!"

The Black Tower Wizard Academy had arrived.