Olin stood there, fists clenched, completely ignored by Raymond. The aura radiating from him was so sharp it felt like needles against Raymond's skin.
"WARNING! WARNING! Unknown energy field forming. Evacuate immediately to distance exceeding ten meters!"
The chip's alert came right on schedule. Raymond didn't turn around. Didn't flinch. He just stood there, side-on to Olin, and said coldly:
"Does Master Bamo of Black River Valley really need to drag my teacher all the way here before he's satisfied?"
Olin's murderous aura flickered. Stuttered. Then collapsed entirely.
Havinsson's practiced smile had long since frozen solid. The scene he'd just witnessed had clearly shaken him. He shouted for the steward, who appeared at a run, and ordered him to escort Raymond to the Torrie family library immediately.
Raymond walked out without a backward glance. Calm on the surface. Composed.
Beneath his robes, his back was soaked with sweat.
He'd won this round. Used the rules of wizard society to put Olin in his place. But Olin wasn't the real threat—he was just a messenger. Behind him stood the old monster of Black River Valley.
Master Bamo. If Raymond's guess was right, the man was a peak second-level apprentice. Raymond had learned that much from the old scholar—the one who'd once served a real wizard. During their conversations, the scholar had explained some basic rules of wizard society.
Wizards were the most privileged beings in the world. They lived outside normal laws, outside normal society. And in their world, power was everything.
Every aspiring wizard learned certain fundamental principles early in their training.
Equal strength was the prerequisite for equal interaction.
Equal exchange was the basis of all wizard dealings.
Level determined status. Any sign of disrespect toward a higher-ranked wizard was considered deliberate provocation—and would be met with severe consequences.
Raymond had used that last rule against Olin. But he knew it was a fragile shield.
Olin had come today to test his level. Raymond couldn't allow that. He'd never received formal training. He didn't even know his own true level. If he submitted to a test, the outcome would be... problematic.
So he'd bluffed. Hard. And it worked.
For now.
How long can I keep this up? he wondered, following the young steward through the castle corridors.
They descended. Deeper into the earth than Raymond had expected. At the lowest level of the city lord's castle, they reached their destination: the Torrie family library.
Opening it required three things: the steward, the guard on duty, and an intricate key from Havinsson himself. Only with all three present could the door be opened.
The young steward handed Raymond a crystal lamp—shadowless light, carefully crafted—and bowed apologetically.
"Honored Master Raymond, every city lord has strictly ordered that all books must be read here, within the library. I hope you understand. I'll wait outside if you need anything."
Raymond nodded, took the lamp, and stepped inside.
The library sat ten meters underground—cool, dry, perfectly preserved. Several rows of shelves filled the center of the room. Ventilation shafts lined the walls, keeping the air fresh. Every book was spotless, clearly maintained by dedicated staff.
Raymond glanced back at the door. The steward had pulled it nearly shut.
He got to work.
Scanning the shelves, he headed straight for the back. There, on the last row, he found what he was looking for: a section labeled "Family."
Beautiful volumes, bound in thin cured hide, each containing detailed biographies and hand-painted portraits. All written in the common tongue—which Raymond could now read fluently, thanks to the chip's work.
He'd come here for one specific purpose: to learn everything about the Torrie family's wizard ancestor. Especially about Hailimu, the one who'd supposedly lived—and possibly still lived—in his castle.
Since that night in the basement, Raymond hadn't gone back down there. But once the chip finished translating the languages, his first thought was to research Hailimu.
Her biography sat at the front of the shelf. A whole volume dedicated to her life. Inside, a portrait: a beautiful young woman, golden-haired, blue-eyed.
Hailimu Torrie. Youngest daughter of Kaiton's first city lord. The only descendant born with wizard blood.
At thirty-seven, after failing her second attempt to become a full wizard, she vanished from the castle in the middle of the night. Never seen again.
The biography painted a detailed picture. Her father had pinned all his hopes on her, guiding her toward wizardry from age five. She'd had no real childhood. At sixteen, she reached second-level apprentice. At twenty-four, she successfully advanced to third level—on her first try.
But at twenty-nine, she failed her bid for full wizard status.
The recovery took three years. It aged her terribly. Then her father died, and the grief shattered what remained of her resolve.
Despite friends begging her to wait, she attempted the breakthrough again. And disappeared.
The biography was written by her older sister, ten years after Hailimu's disappearance. It praised her achievements, her contributions to the family's prestige.
And it contained one curious detail.
As a child, Hailimu had been bitten by a yellow-fanged rat. Even after becoming a powerful third-level apprentice, she remained terrified of those harmless little creatures. Absolutely, irrationally terrified.
Raymond closed the book. Smiled.
Carefully, he returned it to its place.
Then he turned to the rest of the shelves and got to work, letting the chip record every volume in the library.