Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 29 - 28: Wild Mage and Talisman

The rented carriage rode on the main road of the countryside, saying farewell to the ruts of the streets, and the journey suddenly became bumpy. Lyle’s buttocks often parted from the seat, and the three of them advanced in silence.

Yes, Ralph in the end still brought along William Dolgette, or to be precise, he brought the talisman gifted by Barkin. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

"Fifty Yule, come with us."

"Eh? Wasn’t it a hundred? Why has it been halved?" William expressed some doubts.

"A hundred is for Barkin, are you sure you can be half as useful as him?"

"I’m not sure..." William glanced at the bundle of talismans in his hand, opened it, and began to verify the details within, seemingly confirming the range of his abilities.

"You are not," Ralph didn’t give him a chance to argue; he was like a door tightly shut in the dead of winter, locking people out.

"Fifty, any problems with that?"

"No," William was somewhat suppressed. He couldn’t stand Ralph’s aggressiveness and just wanted to quickly end this situation.

"Good, your salary is confirmed. Now, let’s talk about your real purpose, the true reason you want to follow us almost without compensation, William Dolgette. What exactly do you want?"

"I just want to..."

"No, you’re lying!" Ralph’s voice suddenly boomed, and the coachman driving the carriage seemed to whip less than before. Lyle felt like he was on a trial jury, with the unfortunate William as the suspect.

Ralph’s interrogation skills were also very impressive. He never mentioned the fact that he had already employed William. Instead, he focused on William’s naivety and lack of ability, demanding more with his own authority.

Lyle was not sure if Old Barkin had ever encountered such a thing, nor was he clear if this was Ralph’s customary way of treating companions. Chances for verification seemed slim, and poor Mr. William would probably never wade into Ralph’s muddy waters again.

"I just want to witness the Mystic, sir. I’m only an apprentice, and to make progress I need to understand it. I need knowledge and experience." William’s body seemed to tremble slightly, whether from the jolting of the carriage or some other reason.

Ralph accepted William’s explanation. He wouldn’t misjudge such a greenhorn. His tone softened a bit, adding a hint of an elder’s reprimand, but William likely didn’t feel it. "Don’t you know how dangerous the Wolf of Lafillin is? Don’t you understand the importance of progressing step by step?"

"But, sir, this is my only chance. The world doesn’t operate according to our wishes. If you want to advance, you must take risks. I must muster the courage to continue on my path. If I stop due to risks, I will accomplish nothing."

Ralph glanced at the somewhat hysterical William, and deep down he felt a good impression of him. He turned his head, staring straight at Lyle.

See? Someone else’s child.

Lyle looked back at Ralph. He didn’t understand the meaning behind Ralph’s narrow, icy, glassy gaze, but he also felt a trace of malice.

By relying on his own efforts, without depending on his late brother’s abilities, his nephew, who had been admitted to Aiffel Academy with a full scholarship—though fate had dealt him a blow—had ended up by his side. His nephew, it seemed, was not too bad either.

With his vanity satisfied, Ralph nodded. Winter turned into early snow, and without further conversation, he leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes to rest.

The master of the affair fell into silence.

Only the sound of the wheels remained.

"I’m really sorry, he’s just like that, a bit neurotically sensitive, but very reliable," said Lyle.

"It’s apparent. How fortunate it is to become Mr. Ralph’s companion."

Lyle extended his palm, intending to make a friendly gesture to Mr. William the Magic Apprentice. After all, knowing nothing about the Mystic, he would feel much better having a fellow traveler. "I am Lyle Butler, a rookie in law enforcement."

William clasped Lyle’s hand, the sheriff who looked to be about his age seemed amiable, "William Dolgette, wizard apprentice."

"William, those talismans Mr. Barkin gave you, what are they for?"

Lyle pointed at the pieces of paper talismans lying on William’s lap, which were folded into triangles, their aged yellow centers inscribed with different patterns, each a small magic circle filled with many colors and designs. They looked like cookies in a biscuit tin.

"These are the Flame Talisman Level One, Ice Cone Talisman Level One, Tailwind Spell Level One..." William listed them one by one, a smile gradually spreading across his face, clearly, Old Barkin’s gifts were unexpectedly generous.

"William, don’t you miss Mr. Barkin? They say he doesn’t have much time left."

"What’s the big deal? He’s dying of old age, as a Mystic, we’re all prepared to die accidentally. After all, mastering spells comes at a price. Barkin can age and die, which is actually the best way to go. Some Mystics face things much scarier than death, and besides, for some Spellcasters, death is just a beginning."

Andrey’s academy certainly didn’t teach such a concept, perhaps they deemed this kind of common sense unnecessary and discarded it, but Andrey’s style interpreted that Spellcasters are not craven in their fear of death. Lucky that he had recently learned that each activity room had its own spatial structure; otherwise, he really wouldn’t want to stay in the same castle as those mad high-level magic researchers.

In Lyle’s view, he was from an academic background, while William was a maverick. Isn’t there a saying? Wild Mages usually have stronger survival skills. He wondered if he could learn a trick or two from William.

The conversation between the two was very harmonious. Lyle’s ignorance regarding the Mystics made William think he was just a Muggle curious about magic, having a peer to talk to was also a joy for him, and he shared everything he knew. Whereas Lyle felt that William was worth befriending, he had learned many little things from William, that his extravagant friends never taught.

For example, resurrection of the dead is certainly not the first lesson for a Spellcaster; they usually start by learning how to sense Magic Power.

However, Lyle had already achieved it, ever since he grasped Mr. Dragon’s Magic Wand, he had managed to sense Magic Power, even if just a little; what seemed to be a quarter’s worth of challenging training in William’s words had become a mere moment for Lyle.

"A Magic Wand that lets people sense Magic Power just by touch, haha, Lyle, you’re quite the dreamer. How can there be something so powerful in the world? Although magic claims to surpass God, what mortals can grasp usually has its limits."

"If there really were such a powerful Magic Wand, it would probably be a Divine Artifact."

Mr. Dragon, your femur bone is a Divine Artifact, huh.

"Apprentices like us mainly cast spells using talismans, they are drawn out through rituals, and we infuse them with Magic Power to activate them."

"What about the specific method of operation?"

William seemed keen to show off his skills as well; he took out a triangle talisman with a blue pattern, "This is a Clarity Curse Level One, a talisman that helps increase the recovery speed of Magic Power, and for Muggles... it also sharpens the mind for ordinary people."

Lyle felt, a stream of Magic Power flowing from William’s fingertips to the center of the talisman, making a sizzling noise as it seemed to toast the paper without flame.

William tossed the slowly disintegrating talisman in the air towards Lyle, dust falling on Lyle’s body, making his mind feel cooler and stirring the Magic Power within him slightly.

This mana recovery effect is so weak.

Could this talisman only be used as a somewhat better version of essential balm?

Lyle had noticed the amount of Magic Power William used, which seemed about the same as his own, so their casting level must be equally amateurish. That meant Lyle could use these talismans too. He really wanted a few, but to avoid exposing himself, he had to hold back.

Lyle watched as William showed off, and he could only silently sulk.

The slumbering Ralph gave a slight smile.

Lyle was doing well, the good and the bad of his acts had already integrated William into the group. Ralph believed that William would also put his heart into protecting Lyle.

Ralph never considered having William deal with the Wolf of Lafillin; Cassandra’s most outstanding field sheriff would always rely on himself.

Letting Lyle follow him to gain experience without facing direct risk satisfied Ralph with the current situation.