Chapter 79

This is Piers Wargman's perspective.

I, Piers Wargman, first learned of the name Zacharias Rockhart on the morning of August 4th. It was when a staff member, who had been assigned as an examiner for this year's academy entrance exam, came to me for the approval of some unrelated documents.

“...I was surprised when Professor Raspede showed up at the exam venue. I didn’t expect him to appear for just a new student’s practical exam.”

As I looked at the documents in front of me, I couldn’t help but mutter, “Oh, Professor Raspede.”

The staff member, thinking I was interested, began to tell the story with enthusiasm.

“That’s right. He only observed a few exams, but two of the candidates were amazing.”

I had heard a little about yesterday’s practical exam, so I joined in, saying, “Speaking of which, I heard one of them blew out the windows of the training ground.”

“He used a Great Storm spell in that small training ground. And it was a ten-year-old boy, the youngest one.”

He said this with excitement, but I couldn’t quite grasp the reality of it. The Great Storm is a ranged attack magic used by wind attribute mages of level thirty or higher. It’s rare for someone in their twenties to be able to use it, and it’s a great skill that even geniuses can only master by their mid-twenties.

Moreover, it’s not a spell that can be used in such a narrow training ground, and adjusting the range is quite difficult. I can only use fire and light attributes, so I don’t have a feel for it.

“He first showed the Blade of Whirlwind, but Professor Raspede told him to get serious. Even that spell looked to me like something a graduate of the academy could do. Then, that candidate, I think his name was Zacharias Rockhart, changed.”

I was intrigued and asked, “Oh, how did he change?”

He said excitedly,

“Well, to put it simply, he suddenly seemed more mature. He said that if he used his best spell, it would damage the building, so he wanted to cast it outside. Of course, it wouldn’t count as part of the exam if he did it outside, so he was told to cast it inside. At that moment, his expression was almost like a wry smile, and it was as if he was scolding us.”

“Scolding... He’s just a ten-year-old child, right?”

“Yes, to put it simply, it was as if a veteran professor was scolding us.”

I thought it was a bit far-fetched, but I was curious about what happened next, so I asked, “So, what happened?”

“It got even more amazing after that. He cast that great spell in just about thirty seconds. I can use wind attributes, so I know that for a spell of that power, it would take at least a minute and a half.”

The staff member seemed to be getting more and more excited, and his speech was becoming more casual. I noticed this, but my interest in the story was stronger, so it didn’t bother me.

“After that, Professor Raspede said he would take him as an assistant. Yes, that Professor Raspede.”

I was speechless after hearing his story.

Professor Raspede is also my mentor, but it was the first time I had heard that he was looking for an assistant. He is an eccentric person, but in the field of magic research, especially in the study of magical artifacts and magic arrays, he is unmatched in Doctus. In other words, he is the world’s top researcher. Therefore, many people want to be his assistant, but there has never been a case where someone has been an assistant for more than a year.

The fact that he recruited a mere ten-year-old child was more shocking than the fact that he cast the Great Storm spell.

Even after I returned from Sartus, a kingdom in the north where many elves live and magic research is flourishing, the professor never showed any interest in my abilities. At that time, I had raised my level to thirty-five and was even called a genius in the Sartus court, which is famous for its magic. Even I, who was called a genius, was not even given a glance by the professor. Moreover, he didn’t even remember me, who had graduated at the top of my class thanks to his evaluation ten years ago.

That professor, who had not attended an entrance exam for over a hundred years, not only attended one but also offered to take someone as an assistant.

I became interested in this student, Zacharias Rockhart, who would be in the same grade as my son, Quentin.

That afternoon, at the Education Research Committee, which received the official report from the academy, a proposal was made to investigate the hometown of Zacharias Rockhart, the top student, and Sharon Jakes, the second-place student, from Rasmore Village. The proposal was made by Miles, the advisor Miles Isherwood, and I agreed, thinking it was reasonable. As a result, two mages were dispatched to Rasmore Village.

Then, on August 9th.

The day before the announcement of the successful candidates, the principal came to my office.

He bowed to me and said, “Your son did not come in first.”

I dislike the principal, who mixes personal and professional matters, so I said sarcastically, “I heard the announcement was tomorrow. What happened?”

I already knew who had come in first. It had to be Zacharias Rockhart, the child whom Professor Raspede had recruited.

The principal, misunderstanding my words, said,

“Indeed, it is tomorrow, but due to Professor Raspede’s intervention, someone other than your son...”

I didn’t want to hear any more, so I interrupted him, “I have no intention of hearing the results today. Even as the head of the Education Research Committee, this is a conflict of interest. Don’t you think this is a conversation that should be had with the chairman, who is responsible for enforcing the rules?”

He finally understood my words. After mumbling an apology, he left my office.

The next day, I went to see the announcement of the successful candidates with my son and his tutor, Croft.

My son believed without a doubt that he would come in first, and Croft seemed to be encouraging this belief.

When we reached the bulletin board with the names of the successful candidates, my son was shocked to see that his name was not in the top position, and he fell to his knees and cried.

I scolded him, “You came in third. Stand up straight,” and said insincerely, “If you work hard from now on, you can graduate at the top.”

After that, I investigated Zacharias Rockhart and found that his level had already reached twenty-four, making it almost impossible for my son to catch up.

My son looked at my face and seemed to intuitively know what I was thinking.

He shouted, “Father, you really do hate me!” and ran away from me.

I consider myself to have failed in my son’s education.

My first wife, Quentin’s mother, was the daughter of the head of the court mages in Sartus. She came from a prestigious family that had produced generations of court mages, but she was a kind and gentle woman.

I immediately agreed when the proposal for our marriage was made. The head of the court mages seemed to appreciate my talent, and I was happy in Sartus.

However, my ten-year life in Sartus came to an end when I received a summons from the Mage Guild. I had planned to return to Sartus after a few years, to make it my second home, my wife’s hometown.

But my plan was shattered just a year after we returned to Doctus.

My wife was pregnant with our second child when a pandemic spread. She and the child passed away.

At the time, I was busy with my work for the guild and didn’t pay much attention to my family. But after my wife fell ill, I devoted myself to her care and even brought in a skilled healer to try to cure her.

But Quentin, who was five years old at the time, blamed me for not taking care of my wife and not saving her. To him, I was a “magician” who could do anything and should have easily cured her illness.

In fact, I am a user of light attribute magic.

Light attribute magic has miraculous healing techniques, like those used by the clerics of the Lux Light God religion.

However, I was not good at healing magic. I could use it, but only to the extent of healing minor cuts or suppressing mild stomachaches.

But my son didn’t see it that way.

At the time, I didn’t have the time to think about it, but when I calmed down, I realized that it was possible that my tutor, Croft, had instilled these wrong ideas in my son.

Originally, Croft was a researcher at a private school, but he had no talent in that field. However, he had a talent for teaching, and it was thanks to his guidance that Quentin managed to enter the academy in third place.

I was using Croft as a trump card against Miles and Ibbetson, the head of the Personnel Committee, to win over their influence.

I used a combination of carrots and sticks, thinking I had completely eliminated their influence.

Miles was better at this kind of thing than I was, and I knew that, but he was even more skilled.

I had unknowingly been set up by Croft, who I thought I had won over, with a delayed and insidious trap, one that caused my son to drift away, causing me great pain.

By the time I realized it, it was too late.

Quentin had come to believe Croft more than me.

At that moment, I regretted losing someone important due to my arrogance.

After that, I took measures to ensure that Croft would never defy me again.

I declared that if he took any action against me, I would work with the chairman, Seaberg, to eliminate him, Miles, and the mastermind, Ibbetson.

In fact, if Seaberg and I worked together, it would be easy to exile Miles from the Mage Guild. As for Ibbetson, it would not be difficult to dismantle his faction in the Personnel Committee using Seaberg’s, his former superior’s, influence.

They should understand the implications of using Croft against me. They are not fools. I thought I had taken all necessary measures against Croft.

Miles could not defy me, who had a weakness in his hands. I thought that was the case.

In reality, Miles was gradually cutting off the personnel committee staff under his influence within the Mage Guild.

I thought I had made Miles defect from Ibbetson. At that time, I thought Forsyth, the chairman of the Finance Committee, was my only rival.

But they attacked me using my son, out of my sight.

I learned this on the night of October 2nd, the day after the Harvest Festival.

That afternoon, I received a note saying that Zacharias Rockhart had visited me.

It was the day after the festival, so many people from other cities who wanted to establish relations with Doctus came to see me.

Even so, it was possible to make time for about ten minutes.

If Rockhart, the student, had not come with an important matter regarding my son’s future, I would have met him around three in the afternoon.

I felt a sense of unease about the way he used the phrase “my son’s future.” It might be petty, but I felt he was talking down to my son, who came in third, from his position as the top student.

If he had been a merchant or a politician, I would not have treated him this way. At that time, I was not a politician but a father who had lost his son’s affection.

Around seven in the evening, when I heard that he was still waiting, I regretted my behavior. I thought he must really care about my son to wait this long.

Zacharias Rockhart, who entered my office, was a boy who seemed much more mature than his ten years, with a noble appearance that made me think of the word “prodigy.”

On the other hand, my appearance was so unrefined that I looked more like a country farmer or a city laborer.

As a side note, the nickname I was given when I entered the academy was “Poor’s Workman.” My name, Piers Wargman, was twisted into “Poor’s Workman,” and I looked so unsophisticated that anyone could see it.

I used to be dissatisfied with my appearance, but now it helps me. When people meet me for the first time, they are confused by the difference between my appearance and what they expected. I can take advantage of this confusion to negotiate more effectively.

The boy in front of me was also confused by my appearance.

I apologized for keeping him waiting and started the conversation.

When I asked him to speak, he immediately said that my political career was in danger.

I was disappointed and lost interest. I realized he wasn’t concerned about my son.

But when he noticed I had lost interest, he changed his strategy.

He skillfully guided the conversation to pique my interest.

“...So, are you aware of the exclusion of Miss Jakes and myself at the academy, and do you think there is no problem with it?”

I didn’t understand what he meant at first. To buy time, I asked who Miss Jakes was.

He didn’t say it directly,

“Some students in the class and the homeroom teacher, Mr. Bennett, are trying to exclude Miss Jakes and myself.”

At that moment, I made a big mistake. I thought he was just a child who had come to tattle, and I said, “Did you come to tell me that my son is involved in this?”

He shook his head and said, “No,” but he continued to speak indirectly.

“To change the subject a bit, we are considering leaving the academy and transferring to a private school. However, we thought it would be a burden to you, and it would also affect Quentin, so we decided to take the risk and have this conversation.”

Still not understanding his true intentions, I muttered, “A burden...” and asked, “How does your leaving the academy affect me?” without thinking.

Feeling that I was dazed, he decided to make his move.

“If you think it’s fine for us to leave the academy, I will take my leave now.”

He said this and started to stand up.

At that moment, I realized that this boy was not what he seemed.

I had made the same mistake as those who had been deceived by my appearance.

I was flustered and tried to regain control of the situation, saying, “Wait a moment.”

Then, I showed that I was willing to listen to his opinion, saying, “Can you tell me your thoughts?”

He maintained his serious expression but showed a slight look of satisfaction and said,

“Then, I will explain the impact on you if we leave the academy. First, I must clarify that I have not confirmed that Quentin is involved in our exclusion. In fact, whether he is involved or not is irrelevant to this matter. I will proceed with this premise.”

At this point, I understood what he was trying to say.

It was something I could have figured out with a little thought. He was pointing out that if they left the academy, my son would become the top student, and I would be suspected of orchestrating it from behind the scenes.

After that, it was his show.

He knew accurate information about my political enemies and even pointed out the relationship with Miles, who is known as my ally, with pinpoint accuracy.

For a short time, I felt a fear from this boy that I had never felt from my political enemies, Forsyth or Ibbetson.

I even showed the same intimidating expression I use to suppress my subordinates to a ten-year-old child.

I was ashamed of my childish behavior. But I soon recognized that he was not just a child and could engage in an equal debate, so I stopped feeling ashamed. I realized that using tactics to gain an advantage in negotiations is not shameful as long as you don’t think of the other party as a child.

I acknowledged him, but he still exceeded my expectations.

He faced my power without fear and even refused to be used by it. This was not out of ignorance or integrity but out of his inner confidence.

Moreover, he was a person of much greater capacity than I.

Being the top student at the Tilia Magic Academy is a prestigious honor that every aspiring mage dreams of. And with that honor comes a special privilege: the promise of advancement within the Mage Guild, like mine.

But he showed no interest in such things. He had entered the academy to improve himself, not to advance.

I felt sorry for my son.

I felt sorry for my son’s misfortune in having to live in the same era as such a man.

But I soon changed my mind.

If my son could form a friendship with this man, it would be an invaluable asset for him.

I proposed this to him.

But he said he would not extend his hand and that my son should take the initiative.

Of course.

He himself must have put in an effort that cannot be expressed in words to achieve his current level. To stand on equal footing with him, my son would