Chapter 204: The Nark family’s protégé

— The competition I want you to participate in will be held in SkyHaven City five years from now.

It wasn’t difficult to understand what Pretel intended.

He wanted to invest in me.

But he wasn’t willing to make an investment without a return.

— As long as you can help us in this competition, the Nark family will be able to retain its sales rights in SkyHaven City.

— When everything is over, our family will also reward you generously.

— It’s an agreement where both sides benefit. And, as far as I know, this type of contract follows the common practices of fair agreements between Mages.

Pretel snapped the fingers of his right hand, and a small contract made of yellow parchment appeared in the air.

I reached out and took the parchment, then read it. After making sure there would be no problems, I agreed.

— Alright! I’ll sign it.

But his gaze remained serious, and Pretel repeated himself.

— Remember, acolyte. You will only have three years.

— As soon as Lorgy becomes an official Mage before you, the agreement between us will be nullified.

Those words weren’t a threat.

After all, no one liked to put themselves against a Bloodline Mage who was also a good fighter.

I slowly nodded.

— I understand.

I tightened my grip on the contract.

— And I will definitely become an official Mage before him.

I picked up the pen that was floating in the air.

And wrote my name.

My signature slowly transformed into a magical mark.

The symbol I had created for myself appeared on the contract.

A round and imposing golden sun.

The sun represented my affinity with Light.

The central circle represented strength and stability.

And the growing radiance...

Represented the ambition that was beginning to quietly blossom within me.

As soon as my magical mark was completed, the contract glowed and then disappeared.

The agreement was sealed.

Pretel nodded.

— Very good.

He opened a drawer.

Took out an object.

And threw it in my direction.

I caught it in the air.

It was a badge.

The symbol of the Nark family was engraved on its surface.

— While you’re in the region of Tower Kar-Dur, wear this.

I pinned the badge to my chest.

— As long as you carry the symbol of the Nark family, no one will take the initiative to attack you.

Pretel turned around.

— You may leave now.

After concluding the agreement, Pretel simply kicked us out of his laboratory.

To him, this probably wasn’t anything significant.

I was just another investment, certainly some kind of backup plan.

And until I became an official Mage...

All of this would simply be casual preparation.

Ruby and I respectfully bowed before leaving.

As soon as we left Pretel’s residence and descended to the floor of the tower where acolytes were free to move around.

We stopped.

More than twenty acolytes were gathered in front of the place.

My eyes immediately narrowed.

They were divided into two groups.

And both appeared to be on the verge of fighting.

When I appeared...

The leaders of both groups immediately turned their eyes toward me.

Then they noticed the badge on my chest.

Their expressions changed at the same time.

The leader of one group gritted his teeth, while the other simply smiled.

Before I could react, the man approached and placed his arm over my shoulder.

I recognized him.

It was Rustil.

— Now you’ve seen it with your own eyes.

He looked at the other group.

— George is now part of the Nark family.

Rustil looked far too pleased.

— So stop wasting your time here.

He waved his hand.

— Get out of here like the dirty dogs you are.

My gaze shifted to the other group.

The man standing at the front looked familiar.

His name was Zenix, and he was also a Pseudo-Mage.

However, it was enough to sense his mana to notice something.

He was considerably weaker than Lorgy.

— George...

His face twisted.

— Very clever.

A cold smile appeared on his lips.

— You knew very well how to hide under Master Pretel’s protection.

He took a step forward.

— Otherwise, I, Zenix, would have made you understand the consequences of provoking the Prokel family.

I looked directly at him.

And smiled.

But it wasn’t a friendly smile.

— The reason I joined the Nark family was because of Mage Pretel’s concern for me.

My voice remained calm.

— He didn’t want me to be defeated by some dirty conspiracy orchestrated by shameless people.

The smile disappeared from Zenix’s face.

Then I tilted my head slightly.

— But someone like you?

I took a step forward.

— A coward who can only show aggression with his mouth?

— Since you want to avenge Lorgy so badly.

— Why don’t we have a fair fight tomorrow?

— If you can defeat me in a fair fight, I will voluntarily give up Master Pretel’s protection.

I watched every change in his expression.

— So?

I tilted my head.

— Do you have the courage to accept?

— You...

Zenix’s face turned red.

Behind him, the other acolytes began shouting.

— You have a tongue as sharp as a snake’s!!

— Arrogant!

— Who the hell does this bastard think he is?!

Their voices echoed through the corridor.

Everyone was furious.

But...

I continued looking only at Zenix.

He didn’t want to accept.

And I knew exactly why.

So I turned my gaze toward the rest of the group.

— And that goes for all of you.

— Anyone who wants to avenge Lorgy can fight me.

— Bring a bet that I consider satisfactory.

— And we’ll fight immediately.

My mana began to move.

I didn’t need to release it completely.

I simply allowed a small amount of pressure to escape.

My eyes remained fixed on them.

— So?

— Does anyone here have the courage to have a fair match with me?

None of them answered.

And that was... Satisfying.

Beside me, even Rustil seemed a little surprised.

Dozens of Consolidated Third-Level Acolytes and Pseudo-Mages were being pressured by me.

An acolyte who had just advanced to the third level.

They knew they would lose face.

But no one wanted to be the first idiot to accept my challenge.

Because losing as a group was one thing.

Losing alone... was completely different.

Because, honestly, in a fair fight, I had defeated Lorgy.

The man who was about to undergo his ceremony to become an official Mage.

If I had cheated, any Mage from Lorgy’s family could have stopped the fight and they would have had a legitimate excuse.

And that was why no one wanted to fight me honestly, one-on-one.

Finally, Zenix realized that staying there would only make the situation worse.

His face was completely grim.

— Let’s go.

No one moved.

He gritted his teeth.

— I SAID LET’S GO!

Finally, his men began to move.

The entire group walked away.

I watched as they disappeared down the corridor.

The members of the Nark family remained silent.

They exchanged glances.

I could understand what they were thinking.

They knew the acolytes of the Prokel family.

They had been rivals for a long time.

If the positions had been reversed...

They probably wouldn’t have done much better.

Those men weren’t weak.

Nor were they necessarily cowards.

The problem was simple.

I was too strange.

Or, at least...

That’s how they saw me.

Rustil soon pulled me away.

— Come with me.

— Brother, now that you’re part of the Nark family, I won’t consider you a stranger anymore.

He pointed at my badge.

— In the Kar-Dur region, as long as you carry this, no one will want to cause trouble for you.

His smile became threatening.

— And if someone tries...

He slapped his own chest.

— Come find me.

A dangerous light appeared in his eyes.

— I’ll bring our men, and we’ll take care of the problem.

— Thank you, Brother Rustil.

And this time, my gratitude was sincere. He wasn’t just boasting, after all. I knew the history of the region. According to the records in the Chronicles of Mage Families at Tower Kar-Dur, there were more than twenty recognized Mage Families in the Kar-Dur region.

Among all of them...

The Nark family was among the most powerful.

It could easily be considered one of the three leading families in the region.

Furthermore, the Nark family possessed alliances and influence over vast areas of human territory.

Entire small kingdoms depended on Mage Families to survive.

Therefore, when Pretel promised protection...

He wasn’t exaggerating.

....

1405 Words