On the form, under the section for "Magus Level," the words "Intermediate 4th Ring Magus" glaringly stood out.
Under "Types of Spells," a list of six different spells was given, including three Level 3 spells and two Level 2 spells.
But what was truly astonishing was the section on "Combat Experience": "405 Novice Dark Magi Hunted, 102 Intermediate Dark Magi Hunted."
"Has he lost his mind?"
The admissions officer stared at the form, his eyes hollow.
…
After leaving the registration desk, Bairon glanced around.
Just as he was about to look for a signpost or inquire from a formal student of the Magus Academy about the direction to the Botanical Department, a familiar figure caught his eye.
Emma Jona.
The young woman with a small black mole at the corner of her mouth, who planned to wear crystal high heels at her fiancé's birthday party.
Miss Emma Jona was walking arm-in-arm with a tall, blond man, her face radiant with sweetness.
In her eyes, there seemed to be room for nothing but her handsome companion.
Then, she and Bairon collided head-on.
Jolted by the obstruction, Emma looked up, recognized Bairon, and exclaimed, "What are you doing here?"
"Miss, today is the enrollment day for the Magus Academy," Bairon answered, clearly exasperated. He had already moved to the edge of the pathway.
Who would have known that Miss Jona walked diagonally, like a crab?
If possible, Bairon had no interest in engaging with Miss Jona, let alone her adored blonde companion.
Because the face of that blond man bore a striking resemblance to a certain first-class passenger on the White Gull—Dave Padorn.
If Bairon's guess was correct, this blond man was none other than the future son-in-law Daniel Jona had mentioned: Darwin Padorn.
Recognizing the man's identity made Bairon even less inclined to engage with Emma.
"I'm sorry, I have matters to attend to," he said, sidestepping the couple and heading deeper into the academy.
However, Darwin seemed intrigued. "Emma, how do you happen to know a grey-robed magus?"
"He was recommended by my uncle and visited our home yesterday," Emma responded, her tone chilly.
"Your uncle William, isn't he the wealthiest man in Sailport and the chairman of the local Citizens' Assembly?" Darwin grew more perplexed discussing William. "Why would he recommend a grey-robed magus to your family?"
"Who knows? Provincial narrow-mindedness, perhaps," Emma said, sarcastically.
Darwin shook his head. "Mr. William must have his reasons."
"No, he's just foolish, like my father. My dad even wanted to add this grey-robed magus to your exam team," Emma revealed.
"That's out of the question. My team consists entirely of blue-robed magi. We don't even have a green-robed one, let alone a grey," Darwin said, shaking his head again.
"I thought so too, which is why I directly refused my father," Emma nodded in agreement. She once again looped her arm through Darwin's. "Let's go; let's not let him spoil our mood. How about we go shopping?"
Not long after the couple had left the academy, a carriage adorned with golden tulips pulled up to the entrance.
"It's our family carriage," Darwin said.
Then the middle-aged butler who had appeared at the Goethe Hotel descended from the carriage.
Upon seeing Darwin, he paused for a moment before approaching and bowing. "Young Master."
Curious, Darwin asked, "Mr. Wells, what brings you to the academy?"
"I am tracking a suspect," replied Wells, the middle-aged butler.
"A suspect?" Darwin's eyes shimmered with confusion.
In a grave voice, the butler announced, "Young Master Dave Padorn has met an unfortunate end."
"Dave, my younger brother? How could this happen?" Darwin paled.
"The family only confirmed the news today. Two days ago, Dave was aboard the White Gull, which docked at San Sorus. The servants we sent to meet him found no sign of him."
The butler glanced at Emma, choosing his words carefully before continuing: "According to usual behavior, Young Master Dave might have disembarked alone to find some tavern to alleviate his travel fatigue. The servants didn't find it alarming, so they returned home alone."
"But two days later, Young Master Dave still hadn't returned."
"The family sensed something was amiss and sent the servants to inquire. That's when we learned the White Gull had encountered a Death Ship at sea."
"A Death Ship? You mean a Death Ship haunted by dark magi?!" Darwin exclaimed.
"Yes," Wells intoned. "The body of Young Master Dave Padorn was bound to the mast of that Death Ship."
Suddenly, something seemed off to Darwin, and he abruptly shouted, "Wait, how do you know his body was bound to the mast?"
"Because that Death Ship is now docked at the port of San Sorus. The accursed navy had already discovered the body, but the officer in charge never thought to inform us," said Wells, his face darkening.
"A Death Ship docked at San Sorus? Are you joking?!" Darwin let out an even louder scream.
"The Death Ship was captured," the butler replied.
"Alright, when was the last time San Sorus captured a Death Ship? Five years ago?" Darwin speculated.
"That's not important for us, Young Master Darwin," the butler said. "What matters is we've learned that although it was a dark magus who killed Young Master Dave, there were other magi on the White Gull who collaborated in humiliating him. This led Young Master Dave to abandon the White Gull and escape on a lifeboat."
"And that's how Young Master Dave came to encounter a dark magus alone," the butler finished, his account diverging significantly from what Bairon had experienced on the White Gull.
If Bairon were here, he would simply smile, knowing this was a smokescreen, a contingency Frank had set up to conceal other secrets.
"Tell me, who is this damned magus?" Darwin's voice was laced with an icy chill.
"One of them is named Bairon Stewart. We've learned that he's just left the Goethe Hotel to enroll at the magus academy," replied Wells.
"What?!" Emma suddenly screamed.
"Do you know him?" Darwin asked, his eyes narrowing.
The butler also turned his gaze towards Emma.
"It's the man who just walked past us, his full name is Bairon Stewart," Emma said, pointing in the direction Bairon had gone.
The name might have been a coincidence, but given the added circumstance that he was enrolling at the magus academy today, the chances of it being the same person were nearly one hundred percent.
"I'm going to find him!"
With that, Darwin pivoted on his heel and stormed towards the depths of the magus academy.
…
Magus Academy. Botanical Department Campus.
Lush, verdant foliage transformed what should have been a broad avenue into a leafy, shaded pathway.
After multiple inquiries and scrutinizing signs, Bairon had finally navigated his way into the Botanical Department campus and located an office with a nameplate that bore the name "Barbara."
Bairon rapped lightly on the door.
"Come in," came a languid female voice from inside.
Bairon pushed open the door.
A woman of about thirty was seated at a desk.
Her cheeks were lean, her hair a mass of dark curls, but her most striking feature was the long, elegant cigarette perched between her lips.
"Ah, a newcomer?"
The smoke clouded her eyes, making her squint.
She caught sight of Bairon standing in the doorway and hastily extinguished her cigarette.
"Come in," she beckoned.
"Hello, are you Teacher Barbara?" Bairon inquired.
"I am Barbara. Let's see—gray robes, Trent Province accent, around twenty years old—I think I know who you are." Barbara picked up a letter from her desk, her eyes glinting with amusement.
Bairon glanced at the envelope, a look of confusion crossing his eyes.
"Night raven brought a letter from Ajani. Quite a hefty one. I had hoped it would be the experimental data I'd been waiting for, but it mainly introduces you," Barbara complained.
Night ravens, bred by the White Tower, are a type of Spellbeast.
They are mild-mannered, exceptionally adept at flying, and specifically prefer to land at magus towers, making them a critical resource for magi to send messages.
Naturally, they're also quite expensive.
Bairon took out the golden brooch and set it on the table.
"If you plan to return this brooch to Ajani, you should do it yourself. Otherwise, she'll get mad," Barbara advised after a quick look.
Bairon took back the golden brooch and asked, "I wanted to inquire about treating Greyscale."
"I do know something about it, but before we get to that, let's address an even trickier issue," Barbara squinted her eyes.
"Mr. Stewart, when you were guarding the gate at Shadeveil Mountains, did you take something you shouldn't have?"
"I'm not sure what you're talking about, ma'am," Bairon replied.