After a day's journey, Green finally learned that the mysterious wizard was named Alorowoz, and their destination was a wizard academy known as Lilith's Cottage. This academy was situated far from their current location, requiring a sea voyage of at least two months.
"Before we reach the Zarato Harbor, we will visit two cities. During this time, if you have any basic magical questions, I can answer one of them for free," Alorowoz, the wizard, said slowly as the group of seven made their way along a small path.
After a day of observation, Green noticed that the closest apprentice to the great wizard was Kiranm. This was no surprise, as the man seemed to act as Alorowoz's servant, constantly busy, attending to the wizard's every need and enjoying several rewards for his efforts.
However, Kiranm was deeply despised by the other five apprentices, who loathed the smug expression on his face, as though he looked down on everyone, acting superior to the others.
"My lord, you are truly magnificent," Kiranm said, carrying a large bundle filled with the wizard's miscellaneous belongings. "There is one part of the mental meditation method you taught me the day before that is still too obscure to grasp fully…"
Wade, who also wanted to ask the wizard a question, cursed under his breath, "Curse that dog, what a sycophant." He sneered, silently trailing behind.
Yokris walked behind with his younger sister, Yorkliana, watching the two rush to ask the wizard questions. He scoffed, "Hmph, two foolish ones without magical talent. When we reach the academy, when I become a great wizard, they'll be the ones groveling at my feet."
Yorkliana remained silent, appearing to be a woman without opinions of her own.
Green did not rush to the front to ask the wizard questions, for there were two matters he was truly eager to understand. Yet, the wizard had only permitted a single question, which made Green curious about something else—whether it was customary for apprentices to pay to ask questions of a wizard.
To make the most of this rare opportunity, Green set his sights on the gloomy Lafie at the back of the group.
Lafie, the daughter of the lord of Bessel City, had been forced to come to Lilith's Cottage, making her the only one among the apprentices who hadn't chosen to become an apprentice of her own volition. Perhaps she knew more about the academy than the others.
The two things Green was most interested in were the nature of the wizarding world and the reason why wizards could control such mysterious magical powers. The second question seemed deep, but Lafie, being the daughter of a noble, might have known more about the first question.
With this in mind, Green quietly approached Lafie.
"The wizarding world?" Lafie glanced at Green with surprise. At first, she thought Green was merely trying to get closer to her, as such encounters were common among nobility, and being the daughter of the lord, she had experienced many such chance meetings throughout her life.
However, Lafie disliked the sycophantic nobility and even more so the commoners. Under normal circumstances, she would never have acknowledged Green. But considering the life ahead of her, she suppressed her disdain.
Biting her lip, Lafie looked at Green, whose face showed an earnest longing for knowledge, and sighed. "Actually, the wizarding world is not as wonderful as you might imagine. First, everything you have now—your status, your wealth—means nothing in the wizarding world. Perhaps you will never return."
Green was taken aback. Never return? Was she implying imprisonment?
Seeing the confusion on his face, Lafie spoke gently, "Before becoming a true wizard, we will live forever on the Wizard Continent. It is an immense land, far larger than you can imagine. There, wizards are supreme beings—or rather, the power they wield is supreme. Everyone is willing to do anything to become a stronger wizard. Coldness and cruelty are the true faces of wizards…"
A few hours later, Green was deeply shocked by Lafie's words. If the wizarding world was truly as she described, it was far darker and more dangerous than he had ever imagined.
"In the wizarding world, without power, without magical stones, without connections, you better keep a low profile forever. Otherwise, death will be the most natural outcome," Lafie continued coldly.
Green swallowed, slowly beginning to accept this harsh reality. He even hesitated whether he should withdraw. After all, the wizarding world Lafie described was terrifying—life seemed to hold no value there. Someone as insignificant as him, a mere apprentice, could be wiped off the face of the world at any time by a powerful being.
He was, after all, just a commoner with no experience of the world.
Seeing Green's fearful expression, Lafie shook her head, no longer wishing to further discourage him. "Of course, the wizarding world is not as terrible as you think. It has its own rules of operation, and those who control these rules are the top wizards from the most powerful academies."
The group continued on in silence for a long while. Eventually, Green lifted his head, his eyes filled with resolve. If he backed down now because of fear, though he might live a peaceful life, he would lose the chance to experience a truly extraordinary world. Besides, remembering the look of disdain from the old butler at the Viscount's manor, and how he and Old Ham had been bullied by knights, it became clear to him how different his position was now. Even the lord, who once looked down on him, had to treat him with respect as an apprentice wizard.
Seeing Green's eyes firming with determination, Lafie gave a cold laugh. "At least you've made the right choice. I'd bet that if you tried to tell Alorowoz you wanted to quit, he'd dispose of you instantly. Look over there."
Green and Lafie, walking at the back of the group, followed her gesture. What they saw sent a chill through Green's body—seven or eight bandits, their bodies sprawled across the ground, hacked to death, their eyes wide with terror. The wizard's speed had been so swift that Green hadn't even realized the bandits were dead until now.
Boom!
A massive red-eyed frog, nearly seven or eight meters tall, crashed from the sky, landing directly on the last fleeing bandit. With a sickening squelch, the bandit was reduced to a bloody mess. Yokris, who had been near the wizard when the frog fell, was utterly stunned, his legs trembling uncontrollably.
Green felt his legs go weak as well, knowing without looking that his face must be pale, just like Yokris'. Only Lafie, though visibly shaken, retained some composure.
The frog shrank again, landing in Alorowoz's hand. Unfazed, the wizard continued leading the group forward.
More than half an hour later, Green stood respectfully beside the wizard, ready to ask his question.
"How do wizards harness magical power?" Green asked.
"Hmm, that's a good question," the wizard responded, offering a rare compliment. "Very good!"
Green looked at him, surprised.
"I've guided many apprentices, and more than 90% asked me to teach them deadly spells, neglecting the essence of being a wizard. The remaining 10% asked random, illogical questions. No one has ever asked a question that truly gets to the heart of things, like you just did."
"Get to the heart of things?" Green was confused.
Alorowoz then tossed Green a book. "To answer your question, let me borrow a quote from a great wizard: 'Give me endless knowledge, and I shall use myself as a lever to move the world.' That is the essence. For wizards, true power lies in the knowledge they possess and their own magical strength. But in the end, you will find that all a wizard's power comes from the knowledge they master. This book, Meditation Guidance, is a gift from me to you. It contains some of my own insights."
Green stood stunned, holding the book Meditation Guidance, his eyes filled with disbelief.
"Using one's magical power as a lever to move endless knowledge? If magical power and knowledge are the foundation of a wizard's strength, then why did Alorowoz say knowledge is the ultimate source of all wizardly power?"
Green's mind was swirling with questions. Yet, seeing that Alorowoz had already moved on, he realized the wizard only allowed one question per person, and so he did not dare ask more.
What Green didn't realize was that each of his questions, one after another, was a step deeper into the vast knowledge of the wizarding world.