Prodigies?
The corner of Bairon's mouth twitched twice. "You mean prodigies like the 'Son of White Tower'?"
If it were prodigies like Ajani Phillip, who reached the rank of Advanced Magus at a young age, then indeed, the competition would be tough.
"Of course not!" Daniel shook his head. "If all the young magi in the alliance had the talents of the 'Son of White Tower,' we wouldn't be losing to the Northerners."
The Northerners? A military defeat?
Bairon's heart skipped a beat.
Every time there's a loss in warfare, the otherwise opposing Citizens Assembly Hall and White Tower would band together to muster as many scattered magi as possible, sending them to the borderlands.
In such a mobilization, a particular group received extra care—the apple of the Civic Hall's eye, the seeds of hope for the Alliance: the students and teachers of the Magus Academy.
No wonder Daniel Jona said that this year's admissions would be challenging. Nobody wants to be fodder on the front lines.
Catherine subtly nudged her husband's arm again.
Realizing his slip, Daniel cleared his throat. "In any case, this year's entrance exams will be more competitive than in past years. Even Purple-Robed Magi might risk being cut."
"Of course, Purple-Robed Magi are Advanced Magi; they're generally applying for teaching positions," Daniel added hastily.
"Thank you for the warning," Bairon nodded.
"Do you have family in San Sorus? We might be able to look after them," Daniel inquired.
His implication was clear: Bairon would surely be sent to the front lines.
It was a reasonable assumption.
The cities brimming with magi typically had the highest rates of conscription.
As the capital of the Provincial Alliance, San Sorus consistently provided the most magi for any muster.
Those without influence or connections would be among the first to receive their draft notices.
"I appreciate the offer," Bairon shook his head.
While shocked about the Provincial Alliance's border defeat, it didn't derail Bairon's plan to join the Magus Academy.
For someone like Bairon, who had seen the Magic Circuits of spells like "Ice Blast" and "Wind Blade" in a world governed by fundamental laws, an examination wouldn't present much difficulty.
"I hope you've thought this through," Daniel said.
Margaret had mentioned in her letter that Bairon was accompanied by a young sister, expressing hope that Daniel's family could extend extra care towards the little girl.
Daniel couldn't fathom why Bairon hadn't brought her along.
"Perhaps it's for the best; entertaining children can be quite the hassle," Daniel mused internally.
Just then, a soft patter of footsteps echoed from the staircase.
Bairon looked up to see a young woman, around eighteen or nineteen, descending the stairs in high heels with crystal accents.
"Mom, are these shoes alright? I'm planning to wear them to Darwin's birthday party," the girl called out.
She bore some resemblance to Anna.
This must be Emma, who had been preoccupied with her makeup.
"Ah, Emma, there you are. Come meet an important guest of ours, Lord Stewart," Daniel gestured with an inviting hand.
Emma's eyes lingered a moment longer on Bairon's grey magus robe. "Good evening, Lord Stewart," she curtsied as she reached the foot of the stairs.
Bairon nodded subtly, "Good evening, Miss Jona."
Suddenly, something dawned on Daniel, "Bairon, you don't have a team yet, do you?"
"A team?" Bairon queried, puzzled.
"The Magus Academy exams have a team assessment section. If you don't have a team, may I grandly suggest you join Darwin's? He's quite skilled," Daniel declared with evident pride.
"Darwin, he's Emma's fiancé, is a very gifted magus, even among the talents concentrated in San Sorus," Catherine added with similar pride.
Emma was quick to interject, "Dad, that's not a good idea. If the team member is subpar, it will drag Darwin down."
"Don't worry, Emma," Daniel reassured. "Darwin is more than capable. He'll sail through the exams. Let him carry another friend; your uncle and aunt are keen for us to assist Lord Stewart."
"But Darwin's team is already at full capacity. You know the Padorn family has many young members participating in the exams this year; they all need Darwin's support," Emma continued.
The Padorn family?
Finally breaking his silence, Bairon spoke, "In that case, let's not trouble Miss Jona any further."
In San Sorus, there should only be one Padorn family.
Bairon's experience with the last Padorn he encountered, Dave Padorn, who traveled with him on the White Gull, was far from pleasant.
Already reluctant to team up with anyone, Bairon decisively declined Daniel's offer when he learned it involved a Padorn family member, and possibly many of them.
"You hear that, Dad? Lord Stewart is quite sensible," Emma praised, although her words felt tinged with irony.
Recalling the gravity in Margaret's letter, Daniel offered again, "Would you like me to introduce you to other potential teammates? They may not be as gifted as Darwin, but they are strong in their own right."
"No need, I have teammates," Bairon rejected once more.
If he must take a teammate, he plans on bringing that half-Elf from his household.
Her performance on the White Gull had actually been quite commendable.
Holding her own for a full minute against an Intermediate dark magus with only a Level 2 wind-element bow and arrows...
Well, okay, the duration was a bit short.
A subtle smile escaped Bairon's lips.
"If there's anything else you need, feel free to ask," Daniel spoke, hinting it was time for the guest to leave.
"Very well, sir," Bairon stood up. "I have some matters to attend to, so I shall take my leave. I'll visit again another time."
"You're always welcome," Daniel also stood, signaling the butler. "Mr. Drake, would you please arrange a carriage for Lord Stewart?"
A few minutes later.
Escorted by the butler, Bairon took his leave from the villa.
Back in the drawing room, Catherine complained, "Daniel, don't you think you were a bit too kind to him?"
Daniel produced Margaret's letter, explaining, "I had no choice. Margaret explicitly asked in her letter that we take good care of him."
"She even mentioned that the future of the Jona family hinges on him, which William also seems to believe."
Catherine skimmed through the letter and scoffed, "Have they gone mad? He's just a gray-robed magus."
Emma chimed in with a smile, "Maybe they've been living in the countryside for too long and have lost perspective."
"There are tens of thousands of gray-robed magi in San Sorus. If we had to look after each one, the Jona family would go bankrupt."
Catherine nodded in agreement, adding, "Only a prodigy magus like Darwin is worthy of the Jona family's attention."
Daniel lapsed into silence.
He knew his brother William to be a man of caution, and Margaret was equally meticulous.
But why hadn't they explicitly stated the reason for the special attention Bairon warranted?
...
The carriage navigated through the bustling streets.
Through the transparent window, Bairon caught a glimpse of something and tapped the footbell to signal a halt.
Then, he swung open the door and called out to two pedestrians, "Come in."
Seasoft and Evelyn, who had been strolling through the streets, turned their heads and saw Bairon.
Evelyn took Seasoft's hand and they entered the carriage.
"Sir, such an action requires an additional fee," the coachman twisted around to announce.
With a flick, five silver coins arced gracefully through the air and landed in the driver's pocket.
"Welcome aboard, ladies."
With a satisfied flick of the whip, the coachman set the horses into motion.
The carriage was designed with two rows of seats, where Bairon found himself sitting across from Evelyn and Seasoft.
"Done shopping?" Bairon inquired.
"Yep," Evelyn replied with a nod and a smile.
Turning his gaze to Seasoft, Bairon noticed she hadn't bought any new clothes, and there was no scent of perfume about her.
"What exactly did you intend to buy?" he curiously asked.
"Just this," Seasoft said, pulling something from her pocket and unfurling it on her palm.
It was a black mana core, adorned with intricate patterns— a Magic Circuit.
"Is that a pre-etched mana core?" Bairon asked in astonishment.
Seasoft nodded. "It's a wind-element mana core. It's going to fit perfectly with my bow."
"Where did you get the money for that?" Bairon wondered.
Mana cores are the core component for crafting all spell equipment.
Due to their high demand, their prices within the Provincial Alliance were exorbitant.
To Bairon's knowledge, even the most common, earth-elemental, level 1 mana cores would cost a hundred gold coins.
What Seasoft held was a level 2 mana core, which would cost at least five hundred gold coins.
And that was just the cost of the raw material; having it transformed into a piece of equipment by a Crafting Magus would multiply the cost.
"I sold the mana core that was originally fitted into my bow," Seasoft said as if it were the most natural thing in the world.