Attu entered and saw Valorant sitting by the lit fireplace, reading a letter.
Attu:
-"What happened?"
Valorant:
-"Take what you need! We have to set off on a journey."
Attu:
-"What kind of journey?"
Valorant:
-"Duke Alaris is calling for me. I need to hit the road."
Attu:
-"Why is he calling you? Haven't you stolen anything before retiring? Ha-ha-ha..." -he laughed.
Valorant:
-"Yes, that was funny. Hurry up and gather your things! We might get caught at any moment."
Attu:
-"The fact that they are calling you, a retired person, suggests that the matter is serious."
Valorant:
-"Yes, it's very important. I'll explain the rest on the way. We need to move quickly, or the snow will get worse."
Attu saw that he was getting ready to gather his things and set off. Valorant and Attu both put on thick clothes, covered their mouths, wrapped themselves in blankets, and took what they needed before heading out. Attu and Valorant used the fiery light to navigate through the forest, sometimes jumping over trees as they moved.
Attu curiously asked:
-"Master Valorant!"
Valorant:
-"Yes, what do you want to say?"
Attu:
-"You said you would tell me why they called you."
-Valorant:
-"Yes, Duke Alaris doesn't call just anyone. I think there's a problem with the elves."
Attu:
-"A problem with the elves?"
Valorant:
-"The Fire Kingdom borders the Elven Kingdom of Yggdrasil and is considered an ally. If there's a problem there, the elves would turn to humans for help."
Attu:
-"What kind of help might you need?"
Valorant:
-"I don't know. Elves don't trust everyone. They only trust those they consider reliable."
Attu:
-"Are you saying I am one of those people?"
Valorant:
-"Yes, I have been helpful to them many times. That's why they trust me."
Attu:
-"What will we do after we get out of the forest?"
Valorant:
-"According to the letter, a carriage should be waiting for us there."
Attu and Valorant had to run for quite a while to get out of the forest. After they emerged from the woods, just as written in the letter, a carriage was waiting for them. Attu was surprised to see the carriage. It was lavishly decorated, clearly belonging to an aristocrat. As they approached the carriage, the driver sitting in front got down from it.
Scott:
-"Hello. My name is Skot. I am one of the seven sages, Mr. Valorant. Duke Alaris sent me to bring you."
Valorant:
-"Hello, I haven't been called like this for a long time. Just call me Valorant."
Scott:
-"In that case, I will address you as Mr. Valorant. I thought you were alone. Who is this young boy?"
Valorant:
-"This is my apprentice."
Attu:
-"Hello, my name is Attu. Nice to meet you."
Scott:
-"I'm also glad to meet you. I hadn't heard that you took on an apprentice."
Valorant:
-"I hope the boy won't be a problem for you."
Scott:
-"Not at all, you can get in the carriage without worry. We will set off right away."
Thus, Attu and Valorant got into the cart and set off on their journey. After settling into the cart, Attu curiously asked:
-"Master Valorant."
Valorant:
-"Yes."
Attu:
-"They said you are one of the seven sages. What does that mean?"
Valorant:
-"If you walk with me, you will hear this phrase often. I am one of the seven sages in this world."
Attu:
-"Who are they?"
Valorant:
-"Among the Elestars, and generally among all magicians, there are those who are called sages. The reason they are called this is that each sage possesses a vast amount of information and knowledge about their element."
Attu:
-"So if I study a lot, will I become a sage like you?"
Valorant:
-"No. Knowledge and power alone are not enough for that. Moreover, people must recognize you; if you accomplish something remarkable, then they will also acknowledge you as a sage."
Attu:
-"I think being called a sage is a very difficult thing."
Valorant:
-"There is nothing easy in this world, so don't be surprised."
Attu:
-"If I get the chance, I will find out who the sages are."
Valorant:
-"If you go to the Sorcerer Academy in Chronos, you might find a lot of information about sorcerers, and perhaps even about me." - he said, lifting his collar.
Attu:
-"Did you say Sorcerer Academy?"
Valorant:
-"Yes, there they will teach you magic and swordsmanship just as I would. Would you like to study with other children?"
Attu:
-"Yes, it would be very interesting to study with my peers."
Valorant:
-"Yes, you are right. I studied there too. You will like it."
Attu:
-"Where is it located?"
Valorant:
-"In the land of the Wind. The flying island is located on the island of Chronos. The island and the academy were established in honor of Chronos, one of the sorcerers who single-handedly defeated the demon king."
Attu:
-"You said he defeated the demon king by himself?"
Valorant:
-"Yes, he possessed one of the three supreme magics. That's why he was able to defeat the demon king."
Attu:
-"What are the three supreme magics?"
Valorant:
-"The three supreme magics are based on the fundamental elements that make up this world."
Attu:
-"Which ones are they?"
Valorant:
-"These are the magic of the five basic elements that constitute the world, specifically the things you see, the magic of time that no one has been able to master since Chronos, and finally, the magic of space. If someone can master any of these magics, that sorcerer can defeat the demon king by themselves."
Attu:
-"Is it possible to have these powers?"
Valorant:
-"From the moment people are born, it is clear what they are capable of. To be more precise, it is clear which elements they can control. This doesn't mean it depends on luck. Hard work can surpass talent. Therefore, the more effort you put in, the result you achieve will only be a tenth of the effort you've made so far. This means you need to work ten times harder to achieve your goal. It also means everything is in your hands."
After these words, silence reigned in the cart for a while. Valorant's words seemed to show Attu what he needed to do. Outside, the snowfall had intensified. Scott found it increasingly difficult to see anything due to the snow. He closed his eyes to look as far down the path as possible. Under the thick snow, something seemed to be visible. As he got closer, what he saw began to become clearer. Scott, not knowing what he was looking at, became frightened and stopped the cart. He then turned to Valorant, who was sitting inside the cart.
Scott called out:
-"Mr. Valorant!"
Valorant:
-"What happened? Is everything alright?"
Scott:
-"For now, yes. But I think a problem is about to start. I apologize for being rude, but there's something in front of us as we got off the cart."
Hearing Scott's voice, Valorant drew his sword to get off the cart. Attu was confused, not knowing what was happening.
Valorant looked at Attu:
-"Don't get off the cart until I say so! Be ready for anything!"
Attu also drew the sword he had brought with him. Valorant got off the cart and looked at Scott.
Scott:
-"Look over there! There's something lying on the ground."
Valorant turned to look in that direction. About twenty meters ahead of the cart, something was lying there. Valorant approached cautiously to see what it was. He saw a large deer lying in the middle of the road, half-dead and struggling. Valorant thought to himself, "From the warmth of its body, this thing must have been here recently. Whatever wild animal did this, it deliberately left the deer without killing it. They must not have killed the deer to attract other prey. It's an animal that sets traps in snowy weather. Understandable." He approached the deer's head and said, "I will free you from suffering," and with his sword, he cut off the deer's head. Valorant slowly stepped back and, upon reaching the front of the cart, looked around and said:
-"Attu, get off the cart!"
Attu also got off the cart and looked around.
Valorant:
-"Do you see anything clearly?"
Attu:
-"The thick snow is blocking my view."
Valorant:
-"Can you hear anything?"
Attu:
-"I don't hear anything nearby."
Scott:
-"Mr. Valorant, what happened?"
Valorant:
-"The snow bears have set traps. They are trying to hunt us."
Scott:
-"Why did you bring the horses down? What do they look like with their eyes, even I can't see."
Valorant:
-"Don't worry, everything is fine." - At that moment, the horses suddenly began to neigh.
Valorant:
-"Scott, get into the cart quickly."
Scott quickly climbed into the cart and looked around through the window. The horses were starting to foam at the mouth.
Attu:
-"Two are coming from the right side of the cart, and another one is behind the cart."
Valorant:
-"I'll take care of the two." - He jumped over the cart.
Attu:
-"One is mine." - He dashed to the back of the cart.
Indeed, as Attu said, two white wolves were coming towards Valorant. Valorant easily split the wolf coming from the side with his sword. He looked back at the cart to check on Attu. Attu was also seen pulling his sword from the belly of one wolf.
Attu:
-"Four are coming from the front, two from the right."
Valorant dashed forward and passed by. Attu also moved to the right. Attu saw the approaching wolves. Seeing the first wolf coming, he thrust his sword into it, but as he was about to pull it out, the second wolf jumped over the first one to attack. Attu barely managed to pull out his sword. With his sword, he sliced the second wolf from its mouth. The wolf collapsed next to the cart. As Attu cut the wolf, blood splattered and hit his face. Wiping the blood off his face, he took his sword and thrust it into the belly of the half-dead wolf that had fallen in front of the cart. At that moment, Attu sensed more wolves approaching.
Attu:
-"They are coming again, this time there are even more of them."
Valorant:
-"Put the rest on me. Get on the cart quickly," he said.
Attu quickly climbed onto the cart and looked down. Below, Valorant's sword was burning with green flames. Attu was astonished to see this. Valorant swung his sword horizontally as if cutting through the air. However, with his strike, the green flames detached from the sword and flew along the trajectory, slicing through the wolves. With several such strikes, Valorant killed all the wolves attacking the cart. The surviving wolves fled. Attu jumped down from the cart and as he said, "Master Val…" the cart door swung open quickly and hit him in the face. Attu fell right there. Skot, meanwhile, jumped off the cart and ran up to Valorant.
Scott said excitedly:
-"Mr. Valorant! That was amazing. I knew you could take down all the wolves by yourself."
Valorant:
-"Yes, thank you for the compliment. How is Attu doing?"
Attu was struggling to get up, leaning against the cart. Valorant saw this and rushed over to him, asking:
-"Are you okay? What happened? Why is there blood coming from your nose?"
Attu:
-"The wolves were tough. One of them knocked me in the face."
Scott:
-"Oh, you poor thing! If you learned properly from Master Valorant, you'd be fine! Just look at how strong and smart this man is."
Valorant:
-"Can you get up?"
Attu:
-"Yes."
Valorant:
-"Stay on the cart; I need to finish something."
Scott:
-"The man said, "I will help you. Just tell me what to do."
Attu sat in the cart and looked at his hands. He was scared because it was the first time he had killed a living creature. He clenched his fist as he looked at his hands. Outside, the snow was still falling. He looked outside at the wolves he had killed and realized they were different.
The wolves had fur as white as snow, and they had horns on their heads. On the other side, Mr. Valorant was collecting the wolves' horns. Once Valorant finished gathering the horns, he returned to sit in the cart.
Attu curiously asked,
-"What are you going to do with these horns?"
Valorant:
-"We will take them and sell them."