The Wizard

Translator: Cinder Translations

...

Three years ago, Maltz Kent was bitten by a strange bat while out hunting. When he returned home, the wound began to fester and pus, and after enduring for a few days, he developed a high fever and fell into a coma.

Doctors summoned to the house shook their heads in despair. According to them, the Kent family should start preparing for the worst.

Just when the family thought the Earl's time was near, a mysterious figure appeared at their door.

This was a traveler physician who called himself "Bennett," claiming to have a method to save Earl Maltz Kent.

The Kent family, desperate as they were, allowed Bennett to try his luck despite his bizarre appearance, more resembling a barbaric mercenary than a physician. After all, things couldn't get any worse than they already were.

To everyone's surprise, this Bennett did have some skill. Through his mysterious potions, Earl Kent quickly woke from his coma.

However, whether before or after the Earl woke up, Bennett the physician forbade anyone from witnessing his "treatment" process.

The Kent family was deeply grateful to Bennett the physician and treated him as an honored guest for over a month.

Only Earl Kent himself knew that this "Bennett," their savior, was not a physician at all.

He was a wizard!

Yes, a wizard! This illness made Maltz Kent realize a truth:

Wizards and magic weren't just scare tactics invented by the Church to frighten the ignorant masses; they truly existed in this world.

While his body lay comatose, his mind endured a series of nightmares:

He found himself trapped in a vast labyrinth.

He searched everywhere for an exit, but the maze seemed to shift around him. Whenever he tried to retrace his steps along a path he remembered clearly, he found it had already changed drastically.

There were no terrifying visions or monstrous creatures, just something far more dreadful—monotony, an extreme form of monotony.

Wherever the Earl looked, besides himself and the brick walls forming the labyrinth, there was nothing else.

The Earl soon became tormented by this monotony. He prayed to the Lord of Light, hoping even a sudden appearance of a terrifying monster would shake him.

After what seemed like an eternity, a mysterious voice suddenly appeared out of nowhere, calling his name and guiding him on how to walk.

To the Earl, this voice was his savior.

Guided by the mysterious voice, he finally walked out of the maze in his dream, and at that moment, his body woke up from the coma.

Opening his eyes, the first thing the Earl saw was Bennett's face, marked with mysterious patterns.

For some reason, he immediately recognized the person in front of him as the owner of the mysterious voice in his mind.

"Hello, Mr. Bennett!" This was the first thing he said after waking up.

Even he didn't know why he could call the person in front of him by name, as if he had known him for a long time. Despite this realization, apart from the name "Bennett," he still knew nothing about this person.

The Earl had thought of taking this somewhat sinister physician to the Church for "verification," but what happened later made that thought disappear without a trace.

During the subsequent "treatment" process, Earl Kent became more and more suspicious of Bennett's strangeness. When he gathered the courage to inquire, Bennett readily admitted to being a wizard of legend.

"Aren't you afraid I'll inform the Church?" he asked, surprised by Bennett's blunt honesty.

Bennett chuckled coldly and said, "I can save your life, naturally I can end it. I can make it worse than death, not only for you but for your entire family!"

The Earl shivered. He had made many enemies over the years and received plenty of threats, but this was the first time a single sentence had struck such fear into him.

What was even stranger was that apart from the initial cold chuckle, Bennett had said this in the most casual tone imaginable. Could it be that he had become timid after his serious illness?

Upon reflection, he could only attribute his fear to the title "wizard" that the other held; there must be some unknown means that made him dread Bennett.

For now, he suppressed the thought of informing the church because he couldn't do without Bennett's medicine.

At that time, his body was still weak, with incessant fever, unable to even get out of bed. If he missed taking Bennett's provided medicine, his condition would worsen.

After Bennett's continuous "treatment" for some time, he developed an inexplicable dependency on this wizard, as if leaving him would mean his end.

Gradually, from dependency came trust—a trust as unconditional as that towards his own son. Even the Earl himself was surprised at this transformation, for he had always been cautious of people outside his immediate family.

During their time together, he witnessed Bennett's various miraculous abilities, increasing his interest in "magic," a legendary concept.

"Master!" He had switched to addressing Bennett with this respectful title, without even realizing when it happened. "Can I learn magic from you?"

He gathered the courage to ask, driven by two human instincts: thirst for power and curiosity about the unknown. Magic seemed to satisfy both.

Moreover, he had practical motives. If he mastered this mysterious power, certain things could unfold more conveniently—such as further elevating his title or enriching his treasury.

Upon hearing his question, Bennett suddenly burst into wild laughter, as if something long-awaited had finally come to pass.

But after laughing, he gave a cold reply: "No!"

Earl Kent was greatly disappointed. "Why?"

Bennett replied, "There are three reasons."

"First, you're too old. You've passed the optimal age for initiation."

"Second, studying magic is extremely demanding. Even if you hadn't fallen ill, your current mental state, no longer youthful, couldn't support learning magic."

"Third, it's also because of your mental state. Even if you were a natural prodigy and could understand spell constructions with little effort, your mental strength isn't enough to cast spells. Forcing it could endanger your life."

After hearing these three reasons, Earl Kent felt as if the world had suddenly turned bleak. The door to a brand-new world had closed before him.

Then, he heard Bennett ponder, "However..."

He suddenly became excited again. "Master, do you have a solution?"

Since turning forty, he had rarely been this excited.

Sure enough, Bennett said, "I have a secret technique that can strengthen your physique and enhance your spirit. Although you still won't compare to those who started learning magic from childhood, with luck, you may achieve something."

Seeing a glimmer of hope, Earl Kent asked anxiously, "Master, what is this secret technique? Please teach me!"

Thus, he was taught a regimen: consuming raw animal blood three times a day along with a secret potion, meditating before sleep, and breathing according to a specified rhythm.

Bennett explained, "This is a lengthy process, but this secret technique will halt your aging process. Time will no longer be a concern. Once your physical and mental faculties recover to a certain level, I will teach you some basic magic. After that, it will depend on your own efforts and luck."

He emphasized, "You must not stop, or all previous progress will be lost."

Earl Kent assured him repeatedly that he would keep this in mind. To halt aging—something many nobles dreamt of.

In the days that followed, now that the Earl had stepped into the world of magic, Bennett gradually revealed more information to him.

There were many wizards in this world, and there existed a mysterious and powerful wizard organization: the Arcane Order.

This organization had long been in covert opposition to the church, providing a safe haven for many wizards who joined it.

And Bennett was a member of the Arcane Order.

The sudden exposure to forbidden knowledge gave the Earl a strange sense of pleasure, as if he had returned to his childhood when knowing secrets made him feel superior.

What thrilled him even more was Bennett's promise that if his magic reached a certain level, he would recommend him to join this organization.

"Master Bennett."

Regardless of whether the other accepted this title, Earl Kent called him that, and Bennett seemed to accept it.

Over a month later, despite Earl Kent's attempts to persuade him otherwise, Bennett insisted on leaving. However, he promised to return to check on Earl Kent's mental state and, if suitable, teach him magic.

Indeed, Bennett later sporadically returned to Bailan Castle. Through these meetings, Earl Kent began to understand the iceberg's tip of the grand plans behind him.

Yet even he didn't realize that all of this had started to feel so natural.

(End of the chapter)