A mage? A spell engineer!

Chapter 498 I think I forgot something

The mage who follows Druid is an older brother from the Alchemy Department of the Tower of Stars. He is essentially responsible for the management and maintenance of the "heavy artillerymen," a role similar to that of an engineer.

This was not an interesting task. The operation deployed on the eastern front was a feint, and these five machines were the weakest among the giant constructs of their generation, intended to make the Imperial Army make a wrong assessment of the new weapon's combat power.

Only by concealing our strengths on the eastern front can we surprise the enemy with the thirteen upgraded models on the western front when they unleash a devastating onslaught on the Empire.

However, what was supposed to be a boring job turned out to be surprisingly fun.

"I never expected that Mage Rorschach had a younger brother." The older brother stroked his chin, grinning mischievously as he went to the prisoner-of-war camp with Drouot.

The Imperial prisoners of war were stripped down to their underwear and washed like livestock by the Valois army's medics. When General Drouot arrived, the soldiers in charge of the prisoners of war, following instructions, found the rascal who kept shouting that he had connections.

"What's your name? How old are you?"

"Franz Merkle, sixteen years old." Before Drouot could ask any more questions, he added, "Rorschach's younger brother! Don't touch me, he's a very powerful mage in your Star Tower."

Drouot couldn't help but laugh, a laugh that frightened Franz somewhat, but thankfully he said, "Actually, I know the mage Rorschach."

The older man smiled and said, "I know him too."

Before Franz could even join in the laughter, Drouot immediately straightened his face and said sternly, "But he's already left the Tower of Stars for the Kingdom of Bain! The Kingdom of Bain is an important vassal state of the Empire, which means your brother is also an enemy of Valois!"

He leaned close to the boy who had gone to war at the age of sixteen: "So, having a spellcaster brother won't make us treat you like a precious treasure. On the contrary, you'll be under my special care, understand?"

The smell of smoke hit Franz's face. The boy, who was captured on his first battlefield experience, never expected this outcome. He didn't know what to do and could only grit his teeth to control his trembling.

Trembling was not only a sign of fear, but also of shame. He felt ashamed now as he had boasted about his brother to his comrades and other captured soldiers.

Seeing that he had amused Druid enough, the older brother decided to take this unexpected treat. He used the [Telecommunication] spell to speak to Druid privately: "I have to return to the Tower of Stars to report for duty soon. Give me this little dog; he happens to be of some use."

"What's the purpose?" Drouot wondered. Was he going to be subjected to some kind of evil experiment?

"I've heard that the General also worked with Archmage Rorschach for a time. I might as well tell you that Archmage Rorschach will be secretly coming to Valuwana soon for very important negotiations. You've gained a valuable bargaining chip for free; you've done a great service!"

"Huh?" Drouo caught two crucial pieces of information: Rorschach was going to secretly come to the heart of the Republic, and that kid was going to become a Grand Mage!

The younger brother of the Dharma Master and the relative of the Great Dharma Master are of "slightly different" importance.

Although he disliked the Imperials, he still arranged to return Franz's personal belongings to him and found him a clean set of clothes to wear. A piece of soft armor that had been stolen was also found; it still shimmered with a faint light and outlined subtle patterns. Even Druo, who was not a spellcaster, could tell that it was no ordinary item.

After doing all this, Franz was taken away by the alchemists.

"I feel like I've forgotten something," Luo Xia said, somewhat confused.

In the hallways of Byrne Kempson's new school, Rorschach and Caroline chatted as they walked through classrooms, where the sounds of lectures and student speeches filled the air.

At first, Caroline didn't understand why Rorschach insisted on installing glass windows on the walls and doors facing the corridor in the classrooms, but now she did. The two walked past the back door of a classroom, and Caroline glanced at it out of the corner of her eye before suddenly stopping.

A student in the back row was engrossed in reading a novel when suddenly the novel was grabbed by an invisible hand. Caught off guard, the student lost control of the book, which flew into the air under the watchful eyes of the teacher and other students. In exchange, he received a note: "Go to the academic affairs office on the second floor to register before school ends today."

Similar incidents have occurred more than once, and teachers and classmates are used to it.

Rorschach shuddered, remembering his past self. He had originally installed a window simply so he could scare the students with a stern face and enjoy their hilarious performance of switching from daydreaming to pretending to listen in a panic. But now, with Principal Caroline around, everything had become terrifying.

During the brief pause between the two, Rorschach remembered something he had forgotten: "We were supposed to bring the Merkler family to Byrne before school started, or at least get Angel here to enroll before the start of the semester. But it's been delayed until now. I'm planning to make a trip there when I come back from Valuana."

"Are Merkle and Rorschach's parents?"

No! Or perhaps... Rorschach decided to avoid the question: "What about Ms. Caroline's parents?"

When asked about this, her beautiful eyes dimmed: "My father was once a courtier of Charles XV, but he was framed during the turmoil of the succession to the throne. My mother was also killed when I was young. In short, it was Master Cano who discovered my talent and then brought me to the Tower of Stars, which can be considered a kind of protection."

Oh no, how did I step on a landmine? Rorschach was at a loss. How should he comfort her? Should he praise her as the true protagonist template? Should he comfort her that Charlie Sixteen was already dead?

Fortunately, before Rorschach could speak, Caroline raised her head and smiled, "So, besides ideological differences, my distance from Valois is also due to personal experiences."

"However, whether in the Tower of Stars or in the Empire, I met many kind people and received a lot of help. Now, being here doing what I consider meaningful makes me content."

After she finished speaking, she changed the subject: "If the Merkels can come, I must meet them properly. I really want to see what a family that can produce a great mage is like."

"They're just ordinary farming families you see everywhere in the empire," Rorschach shook his head. "If we really want to take them in, just make sure my little sister receives a better education than she would in the village or town. Don't give them any special treatment. The more conspicuous they are, the more trouble they'll cause, and that will be trouble for me too."

As for Franz Rocha, he heard from the letter that he had been drafted. According to the conscription law, it was supposed to be his older brother who was going to the front lines, but the conscription office couldn't find their lord in Bavaria, so they arrested Franz instead.

By the time Luo Xia learned of this situation, the man had already gone to the front lines. He could only try to find out which unit Franz belonged to through cooperation with the military logistics department.

However, Luo Xia has not yet received a definite answer. That rascal has not sent a single letter home since enlisting, and no one knows which unit he has been assigned to.

Unless you're from the Imperial Red, White, and Black Banner with "Feng" in your name, and you're given special attention as soon as you enter, it's quite difficult to find an ordinary soldier. After all, there are too many people, and you have to coordinate with various departments and teams. Just passing notes takes a long time.

This matter shouldn't be publicized too much, so that the entire army knows that a certain high-ranking mage is calling his younger brother home for dinner.

That younger brother of hers is sixteen years old. If he really died on the battlefield, Luo Xia wouldn't have cried so bitterly. Even the original owner of this body didn't have a deep impression of that younger brother.

However, if he had the ability to protect Franz but instead let him die on the front lines, he would still feel a little uneasy morally and a little guilty towards the original owner of this body.

"Sigh, let me finish this discussion first. Anyway, the war between the two countries isn't too intense right now. I hope that lieutenant colonel in the Imperial Army's logistics department can reply as soon as possible."

After Rorschach and Caroline finished their inspection of the school, he was about to set off again for Valuwana to have a serious talk with the Alchemy Department about the transmutation dust supplier.

(End of this chapter)