"What … What spell is this?"
Claude asked as he looked at the dazzling white ball of light in the sky. The ball of light resembled an energy-saving lightbulb from his past life and illuminated the entire hall.
He didn't know how long the ball of light would last. If it lasted for a long time, it would be a good choice to learn how to light up the hall at night.
"Luminous Pearl.
The noble madam replied, "In fact, this is just a combination of light and illumination spells that evolved into the Light Spell.
At first, it was called Luminous Autumn, but Stellin VI didn't like the sound of it and changed it to Luminous Pearl. "
Claude was rather confused. What was she talking about?
Stellin VI didn't like the sound of the name and changed the spell's name?
Wasn't it said that magic was a taboo in the kingdoms of the continent?
Magi were usually beaten to death whenever they saw one, so why did the king of the kingdom have something to do with magic? And judging from how she described it, it didn't seem out of the ordinary at all. What was going on?
Could it be that the taboo of magic he knew was just a lie?
Seeing Claude's dumbfounded expression, the noblewoman finally laughed. "Put down your guard and stop thinking about silencing me.
Young man, I forgot that we're in the southwest, a secluded corner of the kingdom and not the royal capital. That's why I exposed your identity as a magus.
I'm really sorry about that. It's normal for you to hide your identity as a magus. It's my fault that you wanted to kill me. "
"You mean to say that it's fine to expose my identity in the royal capital?" Claude caught the hidden meaning behind her words.
She shook her head. "It's not what you think, young man.
In fact, our kingdom is the same as all the other kingdoms on the continent. Magic is strictly prohibited.
But that's only on the surface. Every kingdom on the continent has a secret department that studies and studies magic. Our kingdom is no exception.
In the royal capital, if a child with magical talent is found, the kingdom will organize a department for them to learn magic. "
"They can learn magic in public?" Claude asked.
"It's not really public. These children who go to learn magic are only joining a special department of the kingdom. Even if they learn magic and become official Magicians, they still have to serve the kingdom."
"Actually, you didn't do anything wrong when you tried to silence them. The kingdom forbids rogue magi like you and evil magi from Higros.
If your identity is exposed, you will indeed be wanted and hunted by the kingdom … "
"So I'm a rogue magus …" Claude was speechless. It turned out that he was labeled a rogue magus. "I get it now, Madam. The kingdom wants to keep magi under their control. Magi like me, who aren't under their control, are forbidden from entering their ranks.
Then, can you tell me why you're so sure that I'm a rogue wizard and not an evil wizard from Higros Island? "
She smiled and pointed at the gun beside Claude. "The reason is simple. The magi of Higros hate guns the most. They would never touch them. It's their biggest taboo.
Even the disciples that they taught had inherited this view of the world.
They believe that if a magus picks up a demonic weapon like that, it's a betrayal of magic.
So, even though you're young, I can tell that you're a rogue magus and not someone who inherited magic from Higros Island when you swaggered down the road with a gun. "
Claude nodded. He now knew more about magic. "Madam, I have two more questions.
First, can you tell me if you're a rogue magus or a magus from the kingdom's special department?
Second, how did you find out that I used a spell to stop the horse from spooking? "
"I'm not a rogue magus, nor am I a magus from the kingdom's special department.
"If I really care about my identity, I think I should be a registered magician in the kingdom," the noblewoman said frankly.
"A registered magus?"
"Not everyone with magical talent will join the kingdom's special department, and not everyone with magical talent can join the special department.
There aren't many people who can join that department. They also have to fulfill other requirements. Do you understand? "
"I do."
Claude nodded. It seemed that those who wanted to join the kingdom's special department had to be selected and competed for. The two diaries of Landes also recorded that there were differences in magical talent.
"That's why there are many people with magical talent who wander among the commoners. They even learn magic through various encounters.
In order to effectively manage these people, the kingdom's special department could only let these people register with them and let them learn spells that were deemed harmless.
For example, the spell known as Luminous Pearl.
For example, Stellin X held a banquet for this year's Revival Festival. He gathered a dozen registered mages and released more than 200 Radiant Pearls in his palace, turning his palace into a place that never sleeps. "
She pointed at the ball of light above her head mockingly.
Claude immediately understood what the madams were trying to say.
Obviously, when she said that those people with magical talent were wandering among the commoners, she was referring to nobles like her who had a certain status and family power to rely on. People like her could not be effectively controlled by the kingdom's special department.
Moreover, with the power of those families, it should be very easy for them to get their family members or descendants to learn magic. Therefore, the special department of the kingdom had to take a compromise and let these people learn magic that would not hurt others or themselves. This way, they could not only learn magic and satisfy their desire to learn magic, but also not let them endanger the stability of the kingdom. This was really a good way to get the best of both worlds.
"How long can this Luminous Pearl last?" Claude asked.
She sighed. "About half an hour. I heard that the higher the rank, the longer it lasts. The longest it can last is about two hours, but I've never seen it before.
Are you done? You're the one asking all the time. You still haven't told me your name. "
"My apologies, Madam.
There's still one more question you haven't answered. How did you know that I used a spell to stop the horse? "
"Examine? This is a very simple question. Don't you know that after using a spell, you will leave a mana imprint in that place for an hour?" The noblewoman was a bit baffled. This was the most basic knowledge of magic.
Claude stood up and bowed solemnly. "Thank you for your guidance. Claude Ferd greets you, madam."
"Claude Ferd …" Her eyes suddenly lit up. "I think I know who you are. Morssen Ferd is your father, right?"
"Yes, I'm his second son."
"Haha, I've heard of you.
Actually, my business in Whitestag has something to do with you, "she said with a smile.
"Something to do with me?" Claude looked at her carefully. "But I don't know you …"
"Then I should also introduce myself." The noble madam covered her mouth and laughed.
"My name is Maria Fen Normanley. You can call me Baroness Normanley or just call me by my name. I'm an apothecary."
"I'll just call you Madam Maria." Claude scratched his head. He had guessed that the lady was a noble.
What he didn't expect was that she was an apothecary as well. That surprised him.
"You don't seem to believe that I'm an apothecary?" Claude's expression of disbelief clearly displeased Maria.
"No, I just didn't expect you to be an apothecary as well. From what I remember, apothecaries are all perverted old men, like the one in the town's apothecary," Claude hurriedly explained.
"You mean Nile?
The one in town … He's only a beginner apothecary. I'm an intermediate apothecary. "
It seemed that Maria knew the old apothecary from the town's apothecary as well. She even called out his name.
However, no matter how hard he racked his brains, he couldn't remember when the baroness had appeared in Whitestag. He had never heard of her before. Even when he searched through his memories, he couldn't find any information about her.
However, she seemed to know his father and the name of the old apothecary. She seemed to be very familiar with Whitestag.
"I'll bring you to my apothecary lab. There's something related to you there. I'm sure you'll understand once you see it."
Lady Maria should be a straightforward woman, which didn't match her noble identity.
"Ludian …"
The door opened and the butler appeared. He had probably been waiting outside the hall all this while. "Madam, what can I do for you?"
Maria gestured for Claude to follow her as she instructed the butler, "Send some refreshments to my lab. It's time for tea."
"Yes, Madam." The butler left and closed the door behind him.
The apothecary lab wasn't located in the two-storey villa. Instead, it was located behind the villa in a row of three stone houses about twenty meters away.
"I have no choice. Sometimes, there'll be a strong smell of medicine and other odors during my experiments, so I have no choice but to set up the lab a little further away from my residence.
Even though I rarely stay here, my sister and relatives come with me for holidays sometimes and they don't like the smell. "
The first thing Claude saw when he opened the metal door was a huge niros crocodile on the floor.
He couldn't help but jump in fright. He wanted to cast Magic Missile right away, but Maria seemed unperturbed as if the crocodile didn't exist. She raised her hand and cast Luminous Pearl to illuminate the room.
The niros crocodile didn't move at all. Only then did Claude realize that it was just a specimen.
Wait, why does this crocodile look so familiar?
After studying it for a while, Claude was certain that it was the niros crocodile he killed. But didn't Sir Fux take it away from him?
"Wh- why is this crocodile here?" Claude was puzzled.
"Hehe …" Maria chuckled. "I'm not lying to you, am I? I was referring to this crocodile.
I didn't believe it when I heard that four youths in Whitestag managed to hunt a four-meter-long niros crocodile. I didn't think I'd finally meet one of them today, not to mention the one who killed the crocodile.
Now, I think I understand why you're so confident that you can take on a herd of boars with just a musket.
If you can hunt such a huge crocodile, boars won't be a problem at all. "
"Madam, you must be joking." The crocodile specimen was rather well made. It seemed that Sir Fux wasn't lying when he said it would be a specimen. Even the eye that Claude shot away had been patched up with some unknown material. It looked almost like the real thing.