A mage? A spell engineer!

Chapter 222 The Role of Father

More tragedies were prevented, students were released, and the sun rose as usual.

The Granor family mansion was once again filled with guests.

"The time for the meeting of dignitaries has been set, and we need to speed things up." Granor was somewhat anxious. If he could represent two-thirds of the mages in the Holy Kingdom at this grand gathering of prominent figures, his status among both the magic guild and the nobility would be unprecedented.

Of course, even if he didn't attend on behalf of the mage, he could still enter the venue as a count, but the weight of his presence would be completely different.

Having tasted the sweetness of life, the former explorer among the monks has now grown fat again, indulging in the game of controlling the life and death of others and enjoying pleasure with meat-eaters.

"Why isn't Gerald here?" A mage from the "aristocratic faction" looked around at his accomplices and noticed that there were relatively few present today. For weak opportunists, the number of accomplices is also an important component of their confidence.

Granor felt a surge of anger when he thought about it. Gerard de Villefort had been the most eager to pledge his loyalty, which was why he had entrusted the investigation team to him.

Unexpectedly, that guy was incompetent, and the report he submitted was bland and unimpressive. Fortunately, two former board members of the Higher Normal School produced an embellished memoir, which was more than enough to manipulate the two students from Cano.

Granols' face darkened. "Mr. Villefort went to the hunting grounds today and already asked for leave from me, but there are still people who haven't come." He mentally counted the guests: "And the Fernand father and son. It's better they don't come. Those two like to study crooked ways and don't know how to cover it up; they're bound to cause trouble sooner or later. I think it's best if they don't come!"

Everyone nodded in agreement: "The Earl is wise!" "The Chairman is right." "Yes, yes, we disdain to associate with him..."

The air was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

Granol gave a few more important instructions, then stood up: "Leonard has severed ties with us. If I can take his place, I will certainly not treat any of you unfairly!"

A sparse clapping sounded in the small reception room.

After the successful rescue, Rorschach inquired about Andrei's condition, and Andrei claimed that he was fine.

Rorschach stood in front of him and noticed that Andrei frowned whenever he moved, as if he was injured somewhere.

"To break free of the ropes, he set himself on fire." That was all he could do at the time.

"Are you really that brave?" Luo Xia sighed and began to treat him. The blue light enveloped him, and he was healed in no time, without leaving any burn scars. "It was my negligence; I should have checked your condition immediately."

The main reason was that Andrei's adrenaline surged in the emergency, making him lively and energetic, which prevented Rorschach from noticing his burns.

"It's nothing serious, I didn't want to trouble you."

Andrei first recounted his experience at the research building, then took a nap after receiving treatment from Rorschach. Early the next morning, Rorschach personally took him home.

After the mother and son embraced, Andrei's mother repeatedly bowed to Rorschach, saying, "Thank you, thank you!"

"No, it was our negligence that put Andrei in danger." The fact that the kidnapper was actually a mage left Rorschach speechless. "Andrei, you should rest well. The Alchemy Department has already investigated. Come back when you're fully recovered." Then he used [Communication] to speak only to Andrei: "Remember to persuade your parents to move. Come back to the research building after they've moved. If you're under financial pressure, contact me."

Andrei nodded, and Luo Xia left before he could speak.

Andrei's father had been watching from the inner room until his eldest son entered. The son walked silently to Andrei, his eyes scanning him from head to toe. Relieved to be sure his son was unharmed, the father breathed a sigh of relief.

"Is everything alright?" His father asked dryly after a long pause.

Andrei nodded and replied curtly, "It's nothing."

"You should move out."

"?" Andrei didn't expect his father to say such a thing in the end, and his heart sank.

Ignoring his son's disappointed expression, the father continued, "Your mother and I are both incompetent people; the weak must rely on the benevolent church. You are stronger than us, with education and magical talent. Now that the mage is willing to help you, you should be grateful and cherish it."

"Our family is like this; we can't help you, we're just a burden. What will the Master think if he knew that our family are followers of the Lord of Order? Don't ruin your future."

"Andrei, now that you're earning money, go rent a place in the city center. If you live alone, the room will be smaller, and the burden will be lighter. It'll be close to the mages, and you'll be safer on your way there. Being available whenever they need you will leave a good impression. After a few years of hard work, you'll have a life we ​​can only dream of."

Andrei choked up immediately. He hadn't known that his usually taciturn father could say so much at once. The usually eloquent father, who could argue with his father, was now stammering and denying his father's "ridiculous" ideas:

"What are you saying, my father? What's the point of me living alone in the palace? How can I have peace of mind?"

He repeatedly explained to his father that Rorschach knew he came from a church school when he was his teacher, and had never interfered with his or his family's faith, nor would he be a burden to them.

Andrei's father was still stuck in stereotypes, believing that the Magic Guild and the Church of Order were absolutely opposed. Of course, this was a matter of principle, not a personal attack. Rorschach would never target anyone who believed in the Lord of Order. Even Archmage Cano had moments when he could chat and laugh with Archbishop Deplesi.

"Let's move back to our old home." In the end, Andre convinced his father to stop speculating about the mage's thoughts and suggested moving. In fact, this was what Rorschach wanted Andre to do, not to distance himself from his parents who believed in the Lord of Order.

The father hesitated: "But I've lost my job at the newspaper and need to do odd jobs here."

Andrei pulled out the business card Rorschach had given him: "Professor Rorschach gave me this business card, saying that if you go to the 'Hercules' company, you will get a secure job."

"Rorschach, Rorschach!" Pascal waited for his junior colleague at the entrance of the research building as he returned. "Did you take Andrei home?"

"yes."

Pascal said, somewhat puzzled, "Sometimes I feel you care too much about him."

"Is that so? An Eastern sage once said: 'A teacher for a day is like a father to his students for life.' This is both a reminder to students to be grateful and a reminder to teachers to fulfill their responsibilities to their students."

However, Rorschach's real motive was that he hoped Andrei could participate in the operation of the "reactor" in the Alchemy Department. When Byrne built its own power supply facilities, it would need a trustworthy and capable person like Andrei to manage them for it.

Pascal clapped his hands: "Then you should say that to Master Cano, so that we can all have a chief archmage father, wouldn't that be wonderful?" As he spoke, he grabbed Rorschach's hand: "Come on, come on, our archmage godfather is looking for his eldest son."

As soon as the two brothers entered, they noticed that Kano's expression was very displeased. Fortunately, the archmage's anger wasn't caused by his students; he produced a well-crafted ultimatum:

"Tomorrow morning, you two will be publicly questioned by the Senate of Arphas, and I will be there with you. Yes, that includes you, Pascal!"

He closed the guild document: "Or should I call you Mr. Thor?"

(End of this chapter)