Knight and Wand

Chapter 57: The Northern Warlock
When Leon brought the crossbow arrow that was as big as a short spear, the sturdy wizard named Hilgard couldn't wait to examine it.

He used his fingers to remove the solidified blood scab on the crossbow arrow, and leaned in to carefully observe the intricate runes and magic patterns on the shaft.

After seeing the trick, Hilgard couldn't help but marvel at it.

"Amazing!" The more he studied it, the more astonished he was. He not only appreciated the ingenuity of the application of the magic pattern, but also admired the maker's profound understanding of the ancient magical language.

"As expected of Atias, the knowledge of the Land of Mages is truly fascinating."

Putting down the rune crossbow in his hand temporarily, Hilgard proposed to the young knight in front of him: "Sir Leon, are you willing to sell it to me?

This thing is just a crossbow bolt with carved patterns to you, but it is very helpful to my research."

Leon was surprised to hear this.

Judging from the reaction of this wizard uncle, this arrow turns out to be quite valuable?

Seeing Miss Lola's disdainful attitude before, he thought it was just an ordinary consumable with a simple tracking effect.

"Can I ask about the origin of this thing? What is the Atias you were talking about just now?" Leon asked curiously.

"Atias is the name of a distant empire. It's normal that you haven't heard of it." Knowing that the young knight in front of him was just the son of an ordinary hunter not long ago, Hilgard began to explain patiently.

“That country is located in the easternmost part of the continent. According to legend, it has conquered almost to the edge of the world to the east, and its national strength is very strong.

Moreover, unlike the countries on the continent around us, Atias is a country ruled entirely by spellcasters, and the emperor and nobles are all mages."

Hilgard raised the crossbow in his hand and said, "This heavy crossbow with magical effects is engraved with the 'Lorelit Rune' on it. It is undoubtedly made by a knowledgeable Atias wizard."

empire?

An empire ruled by mages? A magic emperor and a mage aristocracy?
Upon hearing the news, Leon was deeply shocked, and he had the illusion that he had traveled to some other world with a different style of painting.

However, it can be heard from the other party's words that the country is obviously very far away from Orland. After all, a country that is described as the edge of the world in the Far East is probably not going to have much to do with him in this life, given the current transportation situation.

"How about it? I can offer twenty gold crowns for this arrow." Hilgard quoted the price to Leon.

"Wait, can you help me take a look at this? I wonder if it can still be used and if it has any value."

Leon didn't answer in a hurry, but put the pendant he had taken from Dawson's body in his waist bag on the table.

The insect-shaped gem on the necklace is as crystal clear as glass, and no longer has the dazzling red light of that day.

Several short metal legs also retracted into the pendant.

"Another magical item." Hilgard looked at the pendant in surprise.

"Yes, this is the trophy I got when I killed Dawson that day." Leon concealed the presence of Olivia and answered simply.

Hilgard reached out and picked it up to examine it briefly. There was no inscription on the pendant, so it was hard to tell where this style of creation came from.

He had no choice but to spread it out on the palm of his hand, close his eyes, concentrate his mind and call upon his magic power to test the reaction of the object.

The glowing red light gradually spread out from the gem, and the blood-red halo gradually filled the interior of the crystal clear crystal.

After a long time, the burly warlock consultant opened his eyes again.

"It's probably some kind of device that stimulates life elements, but the magic power in it has been exhausted. If you want it to work again, you need to refill it with a large amount of magic power."

Leon couldn't help but ask expectantly: "Can you recharge it?"

"It's not difficult to charge it, but I now hold an important position beside Lord Trosa. I have to deal with various emergencies that may arise. I really can't spend a lot of energy on this item." Hilgard answered tactfully.

"Then it's not okay to recharge a little bit every day?" Not knowing whether the mages in this world were of the blue bar type or the magic web type, Leon asked unwillingly.

That day, Dawson, who was like the second stage of the boss, left a deep impression on him.

The Kantadar noble, who was originally no match for Olivia, actually used this thing to injure the powerful blonde girl.

He even withstood a powerful sword attack from Olivia nakedly without being killed. It was obvious that his body's speed, strength, and toughness had been greatly enhanced.

If I can use it myself, even if it's not as good as what I achieved that day with Doson, I will have an extra trump card besides Miss Lola's help to deal with ordinary enemies in emergencies.

Although this thing had consumed a lot of physical strength judging from the state of Duosen before his death, he still had enough energy to ride his horse after escaping from the griffin that day.

It's better than feeling weak in the legs every time I ejaculate.

"If you have the patience to wait, it's not impossible, but in that case, I have to take it away and carry it with me. Even if I consume some magic power for it every day depending on the situation on the front line, it will take one to two months." Hilgard replied.

"No problem, I can afford to wait. How much compensation do you need? Is this crossbow arrow worth enough? If not, how much more do I need to pay?" Leon asked happily. Waiting for a month or two in exchange for a life facing desperate situation is definitely worth it.

They were all well-known figures in the kingdom, so he was not afraid that the warlock advisor to this great noble would steal his equipment and run away.

".Forget it, if that's the case, there's no need to pay any more. Just use this crossbow arrow as an exchange."

Originally, he couldn't afford this price, but Hilgard liked this guy, and since the other party was not in a hurry, he simply agreed readily.

After completing the transaction, Leon quickly asked another question that he had been concerned about for a long time before the other party left.

"Sir Hilgard, I would like to ask, if I want to learn magic, where can I find a teacher?"

Leon did not suggest becoming the other party's apprentice. The other party had said that he would definitely not have time to stay and teach his disciples since he followed the general to fight on the front line every day.

And it is impossible for me to give up everything and become his apprentice now.

“Well, Sir Leon, this idea is understandable, considering your experience of receiving help from the ghost of the dead wizard in the Cursed Land.

However, magic is not something that anyone can learn. It has nothing to do with whether you work hard, are diligent, or are smart."

Hilgard was not surprised by the boy's desire for magic.

Anyone who has seen magic will want to control the power that transcends themselves and controls nature.

Countless princes and nobles in the kingdom have expressed this desire to their sorcerer advisors to varying degrees.

But the reality is cruel.

Nearly a thousand years of experience have taught generation after generation of wizards that whether a person can learn and master magic depends entirely on the luck of their birth.

This has nothing to do with bloodline. Even if a child is born to a wizard couple, the possibility of having magical talent is no higher than that of an ordinary person.

Of course, there have been spellcasters in history who were lucky enough to have gifted offspring.

There are also such spellcasters who have conducted certain unethical experiments between parents and children that go against the laws of nature.

Unfortunately, or fortunately to some extent, even the offspring born from close relatives of rare spellcasters still do not have more possible talents than other people.

So now, including all the apprentices in the Northern Academy, there are only about a hundred spellcasters in the entire Orland Kingdom.

But if we exclude those apprentices who have not yet graduated, there are only a dozen truly qualified wizards in the entire Northern Warlock Society.

Hilgard explained to the young knight with regret, “A body that can manipulate magic, and a mind and willpower that can adapt to the fluctuations of magic, are far from being one in a million.

Compared to magic, if you are really interested in exploring the knowledge and truth of all things in the world, I recommend you go to the Alchemy Guild in the royal capital to learn potions and alchemy.

Although it is not possible to manipulate magic directly, by using knowledge to adjust the elements of all things, it is also possible to indirectly use the power of some natural laws. "

Leon thought about it and tried again: "But, the wizard ghost who helped me escape from the Nightmare Forest did say that I have the talent to embark on the path of magic."

"Did the ghost really say that?" Hilgard asked with a frown.

To be honest, the field he is good at is far from spiritual studies. I really don’t know how the unknown wizard ghost mentioned by the boy, who is dead, could see that this child has talent.

You must know that the Northern Society has only been able to rely on large-scale magic equipment to find apprentices for hundreds of years since its establishment.

Mages usually bring back all the candidates they think are promising to the academy, and then have them pass through the instruments in batches, which is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

"How about this, if what you said is true, I will write you a letter of introduction. If you have a chance, you can go directly to North County in the north and try to find Dean Petra in the Warlock Fortress. Or, when the war is over, I will take time to take you to the north."

Hilgard did not neglect it. If the young knight in front of him really had a talent for magic, he would be equally valuable to the association.

"Then it's up to Lord Lao Hilgard." Leon stood up and bowed to the warlock to express his gratitude.

After the discussion, Hilgard took the crossbow arrows and the gem pendant and stood up to say goodbye. Leon also politely escorted the warlock advisor of Count Trosa to the village entrance.

"Please go back. I'll send someone to bring your necklace back after it's fully charged."

After saying that, Hilgard mounted his warhorse, picked up the hammer, and smashed it down lightly. A vortex of air that stirred up sand and dust surrounded the iron hooves of the warhorse, and his robe began to flutter in the wind.

Leon couldn't help but raise his hands and step back, covering his face to block the strong wind.

The warlock swung the reins, and the horse under him neighed loudly, then rushed out like a gust of wind.

Leon was very amazed at what he saw between his fingers.

In just a few breaths, Hilgard's figure riding a whirlwind horse had already rushed into the distance and disappeared at the top of the hillside.

What the other party said before was true. He really wanted to catch up with Trosa's team easily.

The speed of this magical spell traveling through the wilderness was at least over sixty miles per hour, but it was unknown how long it could last.

Dusting himself off, Leon turned and returned to the village.

Just then, I saw a group of soldiers from the Thorn Flower Family walking out of the village with shovels they had found.

It seemed that he was preparing to help the villagers find a place to dig a mass grave according to the Baron's orders, so as to bury the remains of the Kantadar people outside the village as soon as possible to prevent the corpses from rotting and causing plague.

The soldiers came towards them, but most of them did not react. After all, the enthronement ceremony had just ended, and not everyone knew that three young men had been knighted and became lords of the land beneath their feet.

But a warrior who had witnessed the ceremony outside the door recognized Leon, immediately pulled his companion's arm, and saluted the young man first: "Good day, Sir Leon."

The other soldiers then stopped in their tracks and half-believedly followed suit, bowing to the too-young "knight": "Good day, sir."

Leon walked past them with his chest puffed out and pretending to be calm as he smiled and nodded at them.

Not until he turned his head away did a look of secret satisfaction and smugness appear on his face.

Alas, we are also the evil landlords and rich people, the exploiting class.

He walked lightly all the way back to Olivia's home.

At this moment, the women and children in the hall were either still busy with chores in the village or had already returned home.

The army brought by Baron Elliver gave the villagers enough sense of security. Without danger, the survivors finally returned home to clean up the mess in their houses.

Although the quality of soldiers in this era was worrying in the chaotic times, at least in their own hometowns and counties, they would not do bad things to their fellow villagers for no reason.

Especially under the eyes of various nobles and knight lords, they are quite law-abiding.

Stretching lazily, Leon couldn't wait to take off his armor and have a good rest.

Originally I just wanted to try it out this morning to see if it fit, but so many things happened one after another that I have been wearing it until now and haven't taken it off.

As soon as I entered the door, I saw the young man from the mountain village who I was not very familiar with, still standing upright in front of the old blacksmith's bedroom door.

Leon came back several times and saw him standing there like a door god. Now he couldn't help asking, "I remember your name is Hawke? Why are you standing here?"

"Uncle Bu Brian, please let me go. I I..." Hawke looked at the hero of Selva and replied stutteringly.

"My father asked him to stop me here. Really, now that he has agreed, I will definitely not run away~"

Olivia's helpless voice came from the room.

As soon as the words fell, the door opened, and the blonde girl poked her head out of the house, blinking her eyes and looking at Leon expectantly: "How is it? Have all the big shots left?"

"Lord Elliver hasn't left yet. They will rest in the village for one night and go back tomorrow. General Trosa has already left with the army." Leon replied with a smile, then looked at Hawke.

"Can I talk to Olivia for a while? Uncle Brian didn't say he wouldn't let me in."

"Uh, yeah. It should be fine." Hawke thought quickly, quickly moved aside, ran around Leon and went to the gate.

Olivia opened the door and waved to Leon with her little hand: “Come in and tell me what’s going on.”

Leon walked into the house.

The girl closed the door obediently, smoothed her skirt, sat down on the bed, and looked at him curiously.

Leon cleared his throat and then told everything that happened today.

Hearing that the griffins almost clashed with the army, the girl clenched her palms nervously.

Hearing Boris's slander and Leon's speculation that the village ruffians knew about the situation but kept it a secret, the girl frowned in indignation, feeling so angry that her teeth itched in her heart.

Then he heard the doubts dispelled and the experience proved, until the Baron personally appointed the three as knights of the Thorn Flower Family in the presence of the knights.

Olivia's lips parted slightly in surprise.

"You are the Knights now? Are you the lords of this place now?"

The girl stood up from the bed with sparkling eyes.

But he immediately sat back down dejectedly.

"Father is really... Wow~ I really wish I could be there to witness that scene, it's just like in a knight's tale."

Olivia's beautiful golden hair dimmed a little, and she was upset that she couldn't watch her three friends being canonized.

“Uncle Brian is just worried about you, don’t blame him too much.” Leon comforted.

"But from what you said, those nobles who came to the village were all upright and good people, right?"

The girl shook her head, still confused.

Leon recalled what Uncle Brian said at the time, and couldn't help but ask the girl bluntly: "Didn't Uncle Brian tell you?"

"What?" Olivia tilted her head.

"He told me that he was afraid that you would be noticed by those big shots and taken back to the castle to be his concubine, so he asked me to cooperate and not let others know about your existence."

"Little old man, how is this possible?"

Olivia opened her bright eyes wide.

The girl's cheeks flushed with embarrassment and she asked in disbelief, "Did father really say that?!"

"Well, yes, speaking of this."

Leon apologized to the girl with some embarrassment and shame: "I'm sorry, Olivia, the Kantadar noble named Doson was originally killed by you. It was obviously you who defeated so many enemies.

The three of us completely stole the credit from you in front of those nobles, even though Uncle Brian said you didn't care.
But we still feel guilty towards you, and we will definitely compensate you with the income from our territory in the future."

After hearing what Leon said, Olivia quickly recovered from her embarrassment and waved her hand at him: "Please don't say that, you are the heroes of Selva, so what if I beat a few knights?
Without your kindness to the griffin in the forest, my father, I, and this village would no longer exist."

"By the way, since you are already my lord."

The girl thought of something. She pretended to stand up, took a few steps forward, and cleared her throat.

Then she politely lifted the hem of her skirt and bowed gracefully in front of Leon.

"Hello, honorable Lord Leon, I hope you won't mind my humble hospitality." Olivia sang in a theatrical voice with a serene expression, like a young lady.

Leon looked at her weird and pretentious appearance, and was immediately amused, and began to feel playful as well.

"Hehehe, whether you're surprised or not depends on your sincerity. Master Leon's castle just happens to be in need of a few concubines!"

He stood up with a stern face and raised his hands exaggeratedly.

The girl giggled and immediately lifted her skirt, turned around and walked back to the bed, put one hand on her waist and pointed lightly with the other hand.

"~Then it depends on whether you can defeat me first, Master Leon~"

Thanks to all the readers, and also to the editor for his appreciation. My first book as a novice is going to be published in Sanjiang. I can’t believe it. It’s like a dream. When I started writing, I never thought about how many people would read it. The editor just sent a message saying that I will be published in Sanjiang. I thought I was still asleep.



(End of this chapter)