A Wizard’s Secret

“I can’t agree to Count Selin’s request!” Count Phuman put down the letter and said coldly. There was even a trace of anger between his brows.

The countess’ face sank. “Phuman, my brother is in trouble. Isn’t there a few Spell Casters stationed in Ravens Castle? You’re the supreme commander of Ravens Castle. You can easily deploy some of the Spell Casters to his rescue, can’t you?”

Count Phuman felt uneasy seeing his wife who has gotten irritated and explained helplessly, “You’ve seen how those Spell Casters regard me with little respect. Even though I’m the supreme commander of Ravens Castle, I’ve no actual power to deploy those Spell Casters at all. There’s nothing that I can do!”

The countess stood up angrily and shouted hysterically, “So you’ll just watch in silence as my brother and his family is being killed?”

Count Phuman paced back and forth in the room. He appeared as if the burden of the world had been put on his shoulders.

“It’s alright if you can’t deploy Spell Casters but what about those Fourth-level Elemental Swordsmen? I believe my brother will be very grateful for that too,” the countess proposed.

Count Phuman shook his head again. The Fourth-level and above Elemental Swordsmen were all commanders stationed in Ravens Castle who was responsible for important tasks. Even if he was the supreme commander of Ravens Castle, he could not abuse his power and randomly deploy them for private affairs.

“If you’re not willing to help at all, I’ll go live with my brother!”

The countess was extremely enraged. She stood up immediately and began to pack her clothes.

“Hang on, give me a minute to think about it.”

Count Phuman realized his countess was getting genuinely infuriated. He knew that he would not be able to live in peace if the matter was not resolved.

Suddenly, Count Phuman stopped pacing and looked at his wife in surprise. “I’ve got an idea. There’s just a right candidate for this task!”

The countess turned around with an astonished look on her face but Count Phuman had already left for downstairs right away.

“Wizard Merlin, sorry to keep you waiting.” Count Phuman apologized to Merlin as he returned to the hall.

“Right, since Wizard Merlin doesn’t want to stay in Ravens Castle, what if I recommend you to another place?”

Perhaps Count Phuman was showing too much enthusiasm that it made Merlin felt strange. Just moments ago, Count Phuman was still persuading Merlin to join Ravens Castle, the army of the Kingdom of Blackmoon.

“Where’s this place?” Merlin asked politely albeit feeling confused.

Count Phuman replied almost a little too quickly, “Prakash City! This place is very suitable for Wizard Merlin and your family to settle down. The city owner of Prakash City, Count Selin, is my wife’s brother. I can write you a letter to bring to the Count of Prakash, and it’ll assist you to avoid loads of troubles if you wish to settle down in Prakash City.”

Merlin stood up swiftly and bowed to Count Phuman. “Merlin is extremely grateful for your help, my lord!”

Count Phuman smiled faintly. After a brief hesitation, he eventually said, “The thing is, Wizard Merlin, Count Selin seems to be in a difficult situation recently. I don’t know what kind of trouble specifically, but he had asked me to send some people over as assistance. However, there are too many responsibilities in Ravens Castle and I really can’t send anyone over, therefore…”

Count Phuman looked at Merlin in the eyes.

Merlin pondered on that for a bit. Their new journey in a foreign country like the Kingdom of Blackmoon was definitely not going to be all smooth and easy. He had to prove his worth and value to settle down here.

Therefore, Merlin nodded. “Merlin is willing to help if it’s not too much trouble!”

“Haha, perfect! I’ll write a letter at this instance for Wizard Merlin to bring to Count Selin when you arrive in Prakash City.”

Count Phuman appeared elated. With Merlin’s help, he was finally able to solve this tricky matter.

…

As soon as Merlin returned to the residence Count Phuman had prepared for them, Old Wilson immediately called upon Merlin and Baron Parman so the three of them could discuss their next move.

“Merlin, we can’t stay in Ravens Castle forever. Where are we going next?” Old Wilson asked in a hoarse voice.

At the same time, Baron Parman also looked at Merlin deep in the eyes. Unknowingly, Merlin had become the backbone of the entire troop.

Merlin took some time to reorganize the thoughts in his head. “Father, Baron Parman, the first thing we’ve to do is to settle down as we’re not familiar with the Kingdom of Blackmoon.”

Both Baron Parman and Old Wilson nodded silently to show their agreement. Merlin continued speaking seeing they were on the same page, “Ravens Castle is a military fortress, hence we must join the army to settle down here. Earlier, in his residence, Count Phuman invited us to join Ravens Castle but I’ve rejected his offer.”

“We can’t stay in Ravens Castle, so we’ve to find some other place to settle down. Fortunately, Count Phuman recommended us to Prakash City. The head of the city, Count Selin, seems to be facing a little trouble and needs assistance from Count Phuman. Without better alternatives, Count Phuman thought of me.”

“I accepted the offer eventually after some consideration. Prakash City should be our best choice if the problem isn’t too difficult to deal with. I believe Count Selin will take care of us because of Count Phuman, and that’ll assist us to adapt better if we decide to settle down in Prakash City.”

When Merlin finished speaking, smiles washed over the faces of Old Wilson and Baron Parman. Merlin noticed that the tense look on their faces eased down a little.

“Well, we’ll do as you said and depart for Prakash City tomorrow!”

Old Wilson and Baron Parman nodded in agreement to show their support for Merlin’s suggestion. Merlin finally got a chance to rest after a long day. He heaved a sigh of relief when he was alone in his room.

He inspected the Spell Models for Fireball and Frost in his Awareness. Both seemed to be working well in accumulating Magic Power.

The growth of Mind Power was not obvious as it could not be seen in a short time.

Merlin’s present strength had reached a bottleneck. He did not discover any new spells, and the strength of his Mind Power had not reached the level to support a third Spell Model.

The only thing he could currently utilize to enhance his strength was three of those mysterious relief sculptures which he exchanged with the bandits’ leader.

Merlin quickly probed into the ring using Mind Power and took out all three relief sculptures hidden inside. If he could practice all those postures on the three relief sculptures including the set of postures that Merlin had previously practiced, his physical quality could perhaps be increased to a level comparable to a Fourth-level Elemental Swordsman.

A Fourth-level Elemental Swordsman was considered an intermediate Elemental Swordsman where all physical aspects of the person would be significantly improved.

“Let’s give it a try!”

Merlin selected a piece of relief sculpture at random. He concentrated completely to gather his Mind Power, and soon enough, a complete set of postures gradually emerged in front of Merlin’s eyes…