Wizard + System

CH163

"Many of my kin died horribly before my eyes, and many others suffered humiliation."

As Shatia recounted this, her eyes were filled with fear, hatred, and a deep sense of helpless guilt.

"I was almost violated too, but someone stopped them."

"I didn't understand at the time, but after learning Siville Language, I realized they said I was pretty and could fetch a higher price if kept intact. So, the elf beside me was taken away and violated. Even then, she never revealed my identity, keeping it a secret."

"After arriving in this plane, I was kept in a cage, surrounded by darkness most of the time. When I finally emerged, it was at the auction where you bought me."

Shatia finished, tears streaming down her face, looking pitiful.

Helag patted her head, feeling powerless to do anything.

The invasion of the Elven Plane by the Wizard Plane was no different from the colonial invasions of the New World, inevitably involving bloodshed, darkness, and the ugliness of human nature.

Helag might one day play the role of an invader, so he couldn't comfort Shatia with empty words.

He also pondered, "Wizards are invaders now, but they could become the invaded one day."

This was a real possibility, as many planes were stronger than the Wizard World.

Helag's mind was filled with thoughts, fueling his desire for power.

"Stop crying. Focus on learning Herbology and Potionology. The sooner you master them, the sooner you can help me," Helag said.

Shatia nodded, wiping her tears, and began reading her thick books, occasionally sobbing.

***

Half a month later.

Shatia had learned the basics of Potionology and started assisting Helag with potion-making, handling minor tasks.

She managed simple potion processing and mixing, allowing Helag to focus on the main tasks.

The elves' natural talent was evident, their high affinity with plants proving invaluable in potion-making.

Shatia handled plant-based potion materials with ease, rarely encountering difficulties.

"Don't elves make potions?" Helag asked.

Shatia thought for a moment, "The elders do, but not as precisely as you. They use simple herbal methods with great results."

Another batch of orders arrived, requiring urgent completion.

After a brief rest, Helag resumed work, calling on Shatia for help.

With Shatia's assistance, progress was faster and easier.

Helag no longer had to juggle multiple tasks, reducing his mental strain.

Shatia worked diligently and carefully, earning Helag's trust to handle more responsibilities.

Helag packed the finished potions and headed to Brack's garden.

"Mr. Brack, the potions are done," Helag said, placing the basket on the ground.

Brack opened the door, looking weary, and nodded, "Thank you."

"Have you found out who's behind this?"

Another batch of potions had been intercepted, leading to this order.

Brack shook his head, gritting his teeth, "No, but sometimes you don't need to know who did it, just who could do it."

"Our Terchy family controls seven potion garden bases, dominating the potion material market. Our pricing has long caused dissatisfaction."

"On the surface, everyone is friendly, but secretly, they wish each other dead. These incidents are likely the work of those wizard families."

"Be careful. Don't leave Kent Valley easily. I suspect their next move might target our potion masters."

So far, the opposition had only stolen their finished potions, minor actions.

If they continued, their actions would escalate.

Potion gardens and potion masters could become targets. Kent Valley was relatively safe with its second-level wizard array protection.

Other potion gardens lacked such protection. Kent Valley, the largest and most important base, had it for security.

If they targeted other gardens, the Terchy family would suffer significant losses.

As a pure-blood wizard family, their manpower was limited, spread thin across the gardens.

Kent Valley had the fewest guards, with only Helag and Brack as formal wizards, and Helag wasn't a combatant.

If conflicts continued, battles might ensue, but Helag needn't worry about that.

As a potion master and newly advanced formal wizard, the Terchy family wouldn't involve him in fights.

Helag asked, "Can't we retaliate?"

"No, without evidence, we can't trouble others or pinpoint the culprit. Acting rashly would worsen the situation," Brack explained.

The main issue was identifying the specific culprit among the suspects, leaving the Terchy family unable to act, forced to suffer in silence.

Helag sensed the situation wouldn't resolve quickly, needing to stay vigilant even in Kent Valley, not complacent with the wizard array's protection.

Five days later.

Helag received news of a potion garden attack.

The attackers came and went swiftly, casting spells into the garden before fleeing, leaving no chance to catch them.

Though the losses were minor, it deeply frustrated the Terchy family.

Brack summoned Helag, his expression grim, "I'll be leaving for a while. If they dare come, they won't leave. I can't tell you the details, but stay in Kent Valley and don't go out. The valley will be sealed, no one in or out."

Brack left Kent Valley, leaving Helag in charge.

Without a contract with the Terchy family, Helag wasn't privy to confidential matters.

Brack's departure indicated the Terchy family had plans, making further sabotage difficult, at least requiring a cost.

CH164

After Brack left, Helag's routine included meditation, study, and teasing Shatia, along with a new task.

He patrolled Kent Valley, counting people and checking for abnormalities.

As the only formal wizard in Kent Valley, Helag had absolute authority over everyone.

Days passed without incident.

These were long-term residents, the shortest tenure being seven years.

Ironically, Helag had been there the least amount of time.

He patrolled twice daily, morning and evening, returning to the castle once satisfied.

Five days later, Brack hadn't returned.

Late at night, Helag lay in bed meditating, while Shatia slept next door.

In the far west of the potion garden, rows of houses stood.

This was where the potion garden's wizard apprentices and knights lived, usually asleep by now.

However, seven people sat up, looking around with complex expressions.

Helag's castle was far north, beyond Deep Blue's detection range, so he missed their movements.

The seven rose, standing with daggers or swords.

Their expressions were conflicted, but their actions were decisive, cutting open their own stomachs and collapsing.

Blood pooled, forming a strange rune, the blood seemingly resonating.

A circular magic array appeared above the residential area, two figures emerging within it.

The magical fluctuations disturbed Helag's meditation.

He opened his eyes, looking toward the residential area.

"Such strong magical fluctuations…"

Sensing trouble, Helag knocked on Shatia's door.

She opened it, sleepy, wearing a camisole that accentuated her figure.

Unaware of this, she asked, "My lord, what's wrong?"

"Hide in the basement immediately. Something's happening. Don't come out unless I call you," Helag instructed seriously.

Seeing his grave expression, Shatia woke up instantly, sensing the powerful magical fluctuations.

After Helag left, Shatia grabbed her maid outfit, rushing to the basement to hide.

Outside the castle, Lennon slept soundly in the gatehouse, and Helag didn't wake him.

"This distance should be enough."

Helag reached Deep Blue's detection limit, observing the western residential area.

Two figures appeared above the residential area, alarming the wizard apprentices and knights below.

One was an old man with white hair, the other a middle-aged man.

The old man glanced at the frightened people below, gathering magic in his hand, and softly said, "Ice Rain."

Countless ice spikes formed above, raining down and piercing the people below.

Even apprentices hiding indoors were impaled, pinned to the ground.

Some quick-witted apprentices dodged the first wave, but a second wave of ice rain killed all apprentices and knights.

"A crystallized wizard and a liquefied wizard."

Helag quickly identified their strength through Deep Blue, feeling overwhelmed.

The valley's exit was far south, and he was in the north, unable to escape unnoticed by the two formal wizards.

"Terry, according to the intel, there's a first-level wizard in the castle. A potion master, newly advanced, with no combat power. Go deal with him, then help me seize control of the wizard array."

The old man held a long red crystal, glancing toward the castle.

The middle-aged man, Terry, nodded, "Yes, my lord, I'll be quick."

Their intel indicated Brack was at another distant potion garden.

Only Helag, a first-level wizard, remained in Kent Valley, newly advanced and still in the gaseous phase.

Terry, a liquefied wizard, could easily handle a novice gaseous wizard, and the old man didn't consider Helag a threat.

Both were from the Moss family, having planted agents in the Terchy family years ago.

The seven suicidal apprentices were their plants.

For years, they acted like everyone else, undetected by the Terchy family.

The Moss family coveted Kent Valley for years, laying groundwork long ago.

With Brack gone and unable to return soon, it was the perfect time to act.

Breaking a second-level wizard array from outside was nearly impossible, so the Moss family chose an internal approach.

The seven dead apprentices had hidden spells activated upon death.

Their deaths linked hidden runes, forming a temporary teleportation array.

However, it was unstable, allowing only two people through.

With Brack gone, a crystallized and a liquefied wizard could move freely in Kent Valley.

The old man's red crystal, acquired from the Land of Dawn, could seize control of the wizard array.

But it required being inside the array and took about three hours.

Even if the Terchy family was alerted, they couldn't reach Kent Valley in three hours.

By then, the Moss family would control the array, claiming Kent Valley.

Simultaneously, the Moss family acted elsewhere, aiming to cripple the Terchy family and remove them from the potion control chain.

The stakes were high, and the Moss family had planned meticulously.

This decisive move left the Terchy family little time to react.

The plan's key was Kent Valley.

As the Terchy family's largest and most important potion garden, controlling it was crucial. Without it, the Terchy family could recover even if severely weakened.

TL/n -

Gaseous Phase: This might indicate an early or less stable stage of a wizard's development, where their magical abilities are not yet fully solidified or mature. It suggests a state of potential, where the wizard's powers are still forming and evolving.

Liquefied Phase: This could represent a more advanced stage of magical development, where the wizard's abilities have become more fluid and adaptable. It implies a higher level of mastery and control over their powers, allowing for more sophisticated and powerful spellcasting.