A large group of wizard apprentices who narrowly escaped death gathered on the deck, each bearing a grim expression. It was said that the ferocious sea monsters had killed their way to the second floor before being stopped by sailors dispatched for rescue, while the wizard apprentices on the fourth and fifth floors suffered heavy casualties. Interestingly, those residing in the lowest deck managed to escape unharmed.
On the deck, Bin Henson spotted Green and the others and breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm glad you're all safe! Those sea monsters were terrifying! I thought, 'How could I, a great magic apprentice from the noble city of Tambrosen, be eaten by sea monsters before even reaching the wizard academy? I don't want to end up as that thing's feces…'"
Green couldn't help but admire this guy's good fortune. Bin Henson had been staying on the second deck, which was damp and barely better than the lowest deck, and yet, this situation had saved his life.
Shaking his head, Green couldn't help but feel his own misfortune. With a sigh, he muttered, "I was just about to step out for some fresh air, and the moment I reached the fifth floor, this happened. Normally, I could go days without leaving my room… sigh…"
However, despite searching the deck, Green and his companions couldn't find Wade, and it seemed likely he had become one of the many victims.
Meanwhile, Gilan stood at the other side of the deck, perfectly fine and detached, watching the distant sea without a word. Bin Henson couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "Hmph, always trying to ingratiate himself with Wizard Arowoz, a born servant."
It wasn't hard to understand Bin Henson's distaste for Gilan. During their journey, Gilan had been all smiles while serving Wizard Arowoz, and after parting with the wizard, Gilan had shown little regard for Green and the others. In fact, when Yorkris had a dispute with another unknown wizard apprentice in the cabin, Gilan had simply walked away, saying, "Not my business."
At that point, Green and the others had lost interest in talking to him as well.
Yorkris, on the other hand, had no time for such trivial matters. His face was filled with anxiety as he held his sister, looking at the hollow void where her eyes should be, and comforted her. "It's alright, once we reach the Wizard Continent, I'll ask the greatest wizard to use magic to heal your eyes."
Yorkliana mustered a faint smile on her pale face, replying, "Brother, you don't need to lie to me. I may be a fool, but I'm not stupid. Do you think it's that easy to meet a great wizard? Besides… it's alright, brother, look at Wizard Dira. Doesn't he only have one eye?"
The group looked toward Wizard Dira, who was busy counting the number of apprentices on the deck. His single eye was replaced by a rotating gear, which looked eerie. Would Yorkliana end up like that?
A chill ran down everyone's spine.
Yorkris quickly reassured her, "No, no, I swear I'll get your eyes healed!"
Meanwhile, Green and Rafi, both injured—Green with a hurt left leg and Rafi with a wounded right shoulder—rested together leaning on the mast. Green was feeling awkward about the earlier situation and didn't speak to Rafi, who also felt embarrassed about his earlier behavior and remained silent.
For a time, the silence between them lingered, the brief closeness seeming like a fleeting illusion, with neither bringing it up again.
Soon, a report spread across the deck, confirming that during the sea monster attack, 32 sailors and 177 wizard apprentices had died, most of the latter from the fourth and fifth decks.
On the other side, Dira stood with the bosun and two legendary knights, Baron and Barlow. The bosun seemed unharmed, while Baron had a deep wound on his back but appeared indifferent to it.
"My lord, what's wrong?" Baron asked, surprised. Since the sea monsters had been repelled and slain, one would expect the wizard to be in a good mood, but instead, Dira seemed more troubled.
It was difficult for most people to detect Dira's worry. First, wizards rarely show their emotions, and second, Dira had undergone physical modifications, which caused many subtle facial expressions to be lost. Only Baron, who had served Dira for decades, could sense the rare hint of concern from his master.
"This sea monster attack seems off..." Dira's remaining eye glanced at Baron, his voice grave.
Baron, startled, immediately thought of something and exclaimed in shock, "Could we have been targeted by another wizard?"
"If my feeling is correct, it's very likely."
Baron's usually dark complexion paled. As a legendary knight who lived on the Wizard Continent, he knew just how terrifying it was to be targeted by a wizard hiding in the shadows, especially on the vast sea, where there would be no support.
"Is it an enemy from the academy? Or is it directed at you, my lord?" Baron asked, bracing himself. If it were an enemy of Dira's, there was still hope, but if it was an enemy of the academy, their lives would be in danger.
Dira shook his head. "It could be both... but there's another possibility. It might be for them."
Baron followed Dira's gaze and saw the two wizard apprentices—Yun Li and Bibi Liana. After a moment of stunned silence, Baron bitterly remarked, "For them? These two mere apprentices, though talented, are willing to risk their lives against my lord?"
"It's just a possibility. You don't understand the secrets behind this," Dira paused, then sighed. "Since the sea monsters have been driven back and my magic is depleted, any change would likely happen soon. We'll wait and see. However, if enemies come for them, Baron, I need you to do something."
Baron knelt, "My lord, please command me."
Dira whispered into Baron's ear, his voice cold, "Kill them. These two are rare geniuses in the wizarding world, possessing invaluable magical talent. They may not only rise to become full-fledged wizards but might even reach higher realms. Such geniuses cannot be allowed to fall into the hands of any potential enemies of our Lilith Academy."
…
The sea breeze howled, and the sun rose higher, waves of heat sweeping in. People began to retreat to their cabins to escape the stifling temperature, leaving only a few on the deck to rest, including Green and Bin Henson. Meanwhile, Rafi, Yorkris, and Yorkliana had already gone back inside.
"Hey, Green, since the wizard's room is destroyed, where do you think he'll stay?" Bin Henson asked, referring to Yun Li and Bibi Liana.
"I don't know. Probably the fifth deck," Green replied nonchalantly.
Yorkris grinned, "Just as I thought. But the three of us—Yorkris, Yorkliana, and Rafi—are all in the fifth deck. I wonder which unlucky room they'll take."
Green rolled his eyes, "There were so many deaths on the fifth deck; any room should be fine. Why should it be one of theirs?"
"That's not certain! Many rooms are damaged, and not all of them have been cleared…"
While Green and Bin Henson bickered, an ominous shadow passed over them. Initially, they thought it was just a cloud passing overhead, but the sound of flapping wings and incessant cawing soon made them realize something far more terrifying. Looking up, they were horrified to see a massive, nearly impenetrable black cloud above them, made up of thousands, maybe even tens of thousands, of crows. Within that cloud, a vague figure stood, staring at the sea vessel. Even though they were too far away to make out the figure's features, the magical aura emanating from it instilled a sense of impending doom, as though the ship was about to crash into an iceberg.
At that moment, all anyone could see on the deck was the suffocating darkness formed by the crows.
"Wizards aboard the ship, come out," a voice, as raspy as Arowoz's, rang out. It was impossible to discern the speaker's gender.
Dira emerged from the cabin, his staff in hand. His gray robe fluttered in the wind as he grimaced and flew toward the cloud of crows above, locking eyes with the mysterious wizard standing in the sky.
Suddenly, as Dira saw the figure clearly, his face turned ashen. "A… a second-tier wizard!?"
"Hmph, never seen you before, but I've heard of plenty of promising talents under that old hag Lilith. This ship is mine now... Seeing some potential in you, I'll spare your life if you leave now."
Dira's face darkened to an almost unbearable degree. As one of the most promising wizards of this generation, and someone who had accumulated magical power for nearly a century, Dira could have held his own against many legendary figures. But this was a second-tier wizard—a level comparable to the head of a major wizard academy, one who had ties to the very pinnacle of the wizarding world.
And the difference between wizarding ranks was immense, as each new tier unlocked capabilities far beyond the ordinary, capabilities that mere talent or spells could not rival.
Dira hesitated.
Abandoning this vessel was a heavy responsibility, but with two once-in-a-century talents on board, it was even more pressing to protect them…
Dira spoke slowly, "I will give you the ship,