The idiotic young master of the Rollin family had driven away his learned tutor. This had become the most popular joke in the Imperial Capital over the past few days.
Many idle gossips talked about it with schadenfreude. Why wouldn't they? Count Raymond of the Rollin family was riding high these days. Seeing such a powerful figure suffer misfortune suited the petty tastes of some trivial-minded people.
Besides, Count Raymond had made a mistake. The huge reward he had offered earlier to make his son speak had turned into a sensational story, a minor scandal. And because of that, the idiotic young master of the Rollin family had become famous overnight! He was now the favorite topic of every gossip.
In fact, over the past two years, whenever families in the Imperial Capital had a newborn, they would habitually say:
"Oh, boy or girl doesn't matter, as long as he's healthy… just don't let us end up with a little idiot like the poor Rollins did."
On this day, Master Dwight met his father again. The man who arrived with the Count was someone Dwight immediately disliked. He wore a gray robe and a gray pointed hat, with bony fingers and murky eyes.
The man exuded an unpleasant, moldy, old-fashioned smell. What's more, the cold, grim aura around him made Dwight sneeze violently.
"Master Clark, this is my son." The Vice Commander of the Imperial High Command, the second-most powerful military figure in the empire, spoke politely to the man. "Please examine him. Does he have even the slightest future on the sacred path of magic?"
The Count was clearly at his wit's end. This time, he had invited the famous Master Clark of the Imperial Capital to tutor his son.
If "magician" could be called a profession, it was undoubtedly one of the most respected—though much of that "respect" was mixed with fear.
Magicians were a symbol of noble status wherever they went. They stood as equals to any noble and received the most generous treatment. A powerful magician could be worth a small army in war! All magicians were eagerly sought after by the rulers of every nation—not only for their extraordinary abilities, but also because they posed no threat to those in power.
Most of a magician's life was spent studying magic or meditating to accumulate magic power. Almost all magicians lacked the worldly desires of ordinary men. They were not greedy for wealth… for a skilled alchemy magician could turn ordinary stones into gems or gold with magic! Precious jewels were nothing more than magical aids to them.
Nor did they crave political power. Their greatest goal in life was to pursue the mysteries of magic; worldly power meant nothing to them. This made them even more favored by rulers!
In the entire Roland World, magicians were the most noble profession, courted by all powerful figures and granted the finest treatment.
But… Count Raymond did **not** want his son to become a magician—not if there was any other choice.
For almost all magicians were feared… as freaks. They were cold, unsociable, eccentric, preferring to isolate themselves and lose themselves in magical research. No noble young lady would fall in love with a freak who hid in a laboratory all day. No noble banquet would invite a cold magician to ruin the mood. No emperor would grant a title or a high imperial position to a magician!
Yet Dwight was his son! The heir to the Rollin family! He needed to fall in love, marry, have children, carry on the family line, and attend all the social events of noble circles…
But what else could he do, when his son was an "idiot" who failed at both martial and scholarly arts? If he was to achieve anything at all, magic was his last remaining option.
If the great Rollin family could produce a powerful magician in its history… it might be unorthodox, but it would have to do.
With hopeful eyes, the Count watched as Master Clark led his son into a prepared small sealed room.
"All right, boy."
Once inside, Master Clark immediately took out a small bottle, poured a little golden powder onto his fingertip, and quickly drew a large circle on the floor. He turned to Dwight.
"I have cast a Silence Spell. No one outside will hear what we say in here."
The grim-faced magician stepped before the tiny boy and looked down at him.
"Now tell me, boy. What is magic, in your heart?"
What was magic?
The question gave Dwight pause. Deep down, he was actually quite curious about "magic" in this world. After all, he knew many magnificent legends about it. But what magic truly was… in Dwight's mind, when magicians used magic, they usually chanted loudly something like "Spirit of the Wind, heed my call!"
Then came flying stones and howling winds, ghosts wailing and gods howling, and all that nonsense.
Seeing the child fall silent, the magician assumed the question was far too profound for such a young boy. Clark smiled slightly and spoke in a low, slow voice:
"Magic is the mystery the omnipotent gods have granted humanity to unlock their divine revelations! It is the path for mankind to pursue the ultimate power in this world! It is the source to understand oneself, understand the world, and unlock the greatest gift the gods have bestowed upon us!"
The gray-robed Clark's voice carried a sacred tone. Unfortunately, Dwight was not impressed. To him, this seemingly lofty speech reeked of pretentiousness.
The young Dwight showed nothing on his face. His silence made the arrogant magician mistake it for fear. He was pleased with the reaction of the Rollin heir.
The magician then pulled a fist-sized crystal ball from his wide gray robe.
"Spiritual power is one measure of magical talent… not the only one, but the most important. Now, let me test your gift for magic…"
Dwight finally spoke, voicing the doubt in his heart.
"Spiritual power? Magic power? But isn't magic power something only magicians possess?"
Clark's eyes widened.
"Who told you such ridiculous nonsense? Damn it—does no one in the Rollin manor even know this basic truth?"
The magician was angered by such an elementary mistake.
"Spiritual power is the common term. To magicians, spiritual power *is* magic power! Magicians can use meditation to grow and strengthen their spiritual power. Then, with spiritual power far beyond ordinary men, they can sense the world, the mysteries of nature, the various forces within it! Only those with strong spiritual power can do this!
The more spiritual power you accumulate, the clearer you can sense the countless magic elements in the world… And magic, simply put, is using certain methods to let a magician command, or borrow, a portion of nature's power through his own spiritual strength—that is magic."
Dwight sighed.
"I see… So spiritual power is magic power. And magic power is actually a kind of lever. Magicians use this lever to borrow the power of nature."
A flicker of surprise appeared in Clark's murky eyes.
"Incredible. A boy of just five… you are very intelligent. Why do people call you an idiot?"
Dwight said nothing, only staring silently at the magician. The arrogant Master Clark was not about to waste time on such a trivial matter. He was only slightly surprised, then brushed the question aside.
"This world, this natural world, contains countless magic elements. Every last drop is a source of power. Rain and thunder, blizzards and gales, even the cycle of the sun, moon and stars, the bloom and wilt of flowers and plants… all of these are sources of power in nature.
A truly great magician can fully sense all the subtle movements of the world. Your 'lever' metaphor is quite interesting. Simply put, the stronger your lever, the more power of nature you can wield. The weaker the lever, the more limited the power you can move."
Dwight sighed again.
"So that's how it is. I thought a magician's power came from his own 'magic power'."
Clark frowned once more.
"I really must wonder who filled your head with such ignorant nonsense! What I just told you is common knowledge even for the lowest magic apprentice! 'Power comes from one's own magic power'? Good heavens… I must correct you. Remember this firmly:
Human power is limited. Even the strongest man is limited! A magician can do what ordinary men cannot—powerful magicians can flatten a small hill with a wave, or summon a storm… but that is never the magician's own power. It is power borrowed from the natural world through magic!
And this world was created by the gods. So, fundamentally, when a magician uses magic, he is borrowing the power of the gods!
Remember: humans were created by the gods, and humans can never possess the power of gods! That is a taboo! A magician's power comes from nature, and from the gods who created this nature!"
He lowered his voice and frowned.
"I find it strange that the Rollin family has a child so ignorant of basic truths. If you go around saying things like 'magicians draw power from themselves' when you are grown… I cannot guarantee you won't be burned at the stake in front of the Temple! For your words are, at their core, a denial of the gods!"
Dwight closed his mouth. His eyes returned to their empty look, and he hung his small head, perfectly hiding his expression.