Wizard: My career panel has no upper limit

Chapter 42 Happy Ball "Male Pet"

"We're friends, aren't we?" Ron asked softly. "At least, I think so."

Andre raised his head, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes: "Of course, I think so too."

"Well, if there's anything that's bothering you, please tell me." Ron's tone was calm and sincere.
"I can't say I can help you, but at least I can listen. Sometimes, talking about terrible things can make people feel better."

Andre sighed again, put down his teacup and clasped his hands together, his knuckles turning white from the exertion.

"I don't know where to begin..." he finally said, a rare hint of vulnerability in his voice. "This matter... is too complicated."

Ron waited patiently without urging anyone to hurry. He knew that at this moment, the best way to comfort someone was to give them enough time.

"Do you remember when we were chatting last month, you mentioned Tracy and my reaction was a little unusual?" Andre finally spoke again.

Ron nodded. "I did notice it, but it was inconvenient to ask at the time."

This kind of reaction happened more than once or twice. Whenever Andre mentioned the girl who had fought back from being a hunter's daughter to becoming a middle-level apprentice, his emotions would always fluctuate.

"As for Tracy, I saw her once at the herbal medicine store over half a month ago." He continued calmly, maintaining an appropriate distance. "She looked very busy."

"Yes, as a disciple of Lady Corinna, her current status is not low."

Andre's tone carried a hint of inexplicable emotion, and his lips were pursed into a straight line:
"Remember when we just met in the Black Mist Jungle? Back then, she was still very..."

His voice grew lower and lower, and a hint of nostalgia and bitterness flashed in his eyes.

Ron didn't respond, just listened silently.

He had a feeling that the other party might be about to reveal something that had been hidden for a long time.

"I used to..." Andre hesitated, his fingers subconsciously stroking the buttons on his lapel:

"I once wanted to get close to her, wanted to pursue her. At that time, I had just arrived in the Black Mist Jungle and still had some silly ideas about the Kingdom."

Ron raised an eyebrow. "You're pursuing Tracy? Seriously?"

"Don't look at me like that." Andre rolled his eyes. "After all, I'm the thirteenth prince of the royal family. You know how many noble ladies flirted with me when I was in the capital."

"And then? Rejected?" Ron asked bluntly.

"Of course I was rejected." Andre smiled self-deprecatingly.

"The wording was quite direct – 'I came here to change my fate, not to relive the miserable life of the past. A pampered royal like you, please don't mess with me.'"

"Tsk tsk, that's a harsh blow." Ron couldn't help laughing. "So you're heartbroken and have come to realize the reality?"

Andre punched Ron hard in the chest. He knew his attack was completely ineffective against him.
"Have you laughed enough? That's right, it was then that I truly understood the rules of this world—no matter where you are, the weak can only look up to the strong. Here, no one cares what rank you are in the royal family; they only care how strong you are."

"But this is only a small part of the problem..." he continued, his voice trailing off:
"In fact, the guys who sent me to the Black Mist Jungle never expected me to become a qualified wizard apprentice."

Ron raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue.

"The royal family has long given up hope on my spiritual aptitude."

Andre gave a wry smile: "The real purpose of them sending me here is to use the abundant extraordinary resources here to cultivate my knight qualifications." "Knight qualifications?" Ron was a little surprised.

"Yes, my talent in knight training is much better than my mental strength."

Andre explained, "The royal family's plan is to make me their key investment target, a guard knight, and by the way, I can achieve my breakthrough and become a full knight here."

His voice suddenly became painfully painful. "And that so-called 'key investment target' was Tracy, the person I originally wanted to approach."

Ron finally understood part of this complicated relationship, but he felt that there seemed to be a deeper reason for Andre's pain.

"I understand that you're embarrassed that Tracy rejected you," Ron said softly, "but that doesn't seem to explain your current state."

"Because things have gotten worse!" Andrei almost shouted:

"My plan to please Tracy failed, and now they are asking me to follow another female apprentice - Cynthia."

The name made Ron frown slightly: "Sorry, I don't think I've ever heard you mention this person."

"She came to the Black Mist Jungle ten years ago." The blond boy's expression turned into a dry field that hadn't rained for several months.

"I'm already a senior apprentice now, even though I was promoted only a short time ago."

His fingers clenched tightly, almost digging into his flesh. "Cynthia... she has a very bad reputation. She always plays with her slaves when she's not practicing, especially those handsome young men."

The blond boy's face was filled with pain. He put his fingers together and made a drilling gesture.

"This crazy woman likes some very... unique ways of playing, like using prickly grass to drill into men's sensitive areas... It's said that she 'consumes' an average of one slave every year."

Ron was a little shocked when he heard this, and felt some phantom pain coming from below. He began to understand the source of Andre's pain.

The royal family actually asked him to serve such a person, which was almost equivalent to sending him away as a male concubine, and the most despicable type at that.

"Does the royal family know this?" Ron asked cautiously.

"Of course they know." A trace of anger and despair flashed in Andre's eyes.

"But they don't care. In their eyes, if they can gain the support of a senior apprentice, what does a mere unpopular Thirteenth Prince mean?"

His voice was almost choked: "Ron, I don't know what to do. I have always hoped to escape this fate through my own efforts, but..."

"But your progress is not fast enough." Ron took over the conversation: "And my breakthrough gives you a glimmer of hope."

Andre nodded, with a complex light flashing in his eyes:
"I had hoped to form a stronger alliance with you, but even if you became a junior apprentice, your influence and strength would be far from enough to fight against a senior apprentice."

"So you've been hesitant about telling me this."

Ron suddenly realized, "Because you're not sure if I can help, and you're not sure if I'm willing to risk offending a senior apprentice for this."

Andre nodded weakly. "I know it's selfish, but I really don't know what to do."

(End of this chapter)