Chapter Twelve: The Sorcerer

“I heard you just went after the assassin. How did it go? Did you learn anything?” The Count strolled slowly across the room and seated himself at his desk.

Lin Wei glanced at the Count and Nacken, then said in a low voice, “The assassin is dead... but not by my hand. It was because of this...” As he spoke, Lin Wei reached into his pocket and drew out the broken ring, displaying it before their eyes.

“What is this?!” The moment the Count and Nacken saw the ring, they both unconsciously held their breath.

“Where did you get this?” The Count leapt up from his chair and snatched the ring from Lin Wei’s hand, turning it over repeatedly, his eyes betraying a hint of longing.

Nacken leaned in, his gaze fixed on the severed ring, as if trying to confirm something. “So it’s true... They must both know about that mysterious power,” Lin Wei realized instantly.

“Lin Wei, tell me everything about this ring. Leave nothing out.” The Count’s face bore an unprecedented gravity.

Lin Wei’s heart tightened, but he recounted the events in detail: “This is what happened—I chased the assassin, and we both entered the woods outside the manor...” He told the story thoroughly, though he discreetly omitted the matter of the intelligent core, weaving truth and falsehood together so deftly that neither the Count nor Nacken suspected anything.

When Lin Wei described the moment the ring was shattered, both the Count and Nacken showed a flash of pained regret.

The Count’s expression grew complicated as he looked at Lin Wei. “You did... well.”

“You seem to have a question?” Nacken took the ring from the Count and examined it carefully, but then noticed the look on Lin Wei’s face.

Lin Wei gazed at them with a complex expression. “My lord, what is that mysterious energy within the ring?”

The Count and Nacken exchanged a glance. “That is... the power of a wizard!”

The Count suddenly fixed Lin Wei with a piercing stare, his eyes blazing with intensity. Wizard?!

This was the first time Lin Wei had heard the term. In the memories of his body’s previous owner, he had found no trace of such a word.

“What is that...?” Lin Wei frowned.

“A wizard... is a being truly above ordinary people. So-called knights are merely mortals who have developed their physical potential to its limits, but the power of wizards—now that is the greatest gift this world has to offer.” The Count’s eyes burned with unconcealed fervor. “Their strength is something us mortals cannot resist. Even the weakest wizard apprentice can only be matched by a master on the level of a Grand Knight.”

Grand Knight?! Lin Wei was truly shocked this time. The Count’s abstract words could not convey the true magnitude of a wizard’s power, but comparing them to a Grand Knight filled Lin Wei with an immense curiosity—and yearning—for this group called wizards!

Even the weakest wizard apprentice can only be opposed by a Grand Knight? Just how powerful is this mysterious force?

Sensing Lin Wei’s loss of composure, the Count patted him on the shoulder. “Wizards do exist, but to us, they are far out of reach. For now, all you can do is steadily work to increase your own ability and strength if you wish to go further.”

Were he any ordinary youth, such encouragement and advice from the Count would have left him speechless with excitement. But Lin Wei was a man who had lived two lives, and his thoughts were already entangled with the enigma of the wizards’ power.

“Thank you, my lord. I will train diligently and devote all my strength to the Tulip family!” Lin Wei feigned gratitude.

The Count smiled approvingly. “I’ll keep this ring. Also, you’ve twice saved Jon. Although I’ve already asked Nacken to teach you the knight’s discipline, I must reward you further. You cannot refuse—tell me, what do you want?”

Lin Wei cared little for the ring; he had already probed it with the intelligent core and found that, once broken, it was no different than a small stone. But the Count’s question about a reward made Lin Wei cautious—could this not also be a test?

After a moment’s thought, Lin Wei said, “Please grant me a longsword, my lord. My previous one was damaged during the fight with the assassin.”

“Is that all?” The Count eyed Lin Wei with keen interest, as if testing the sincerity of his words.

“Yes, my lord,” Lin Wei replied respectfully.

Having lived two lives, he understood the meaning of knowing when to advance and when to retreat. He was a servant; if he asked for too much, he might draw the Count’s ire. Better, he thought, to take a step back and plant a seed of “loyalty” in the Count’s heart.

“Very good.” The Count nodded, then looked to Nacken.

“You will personally handle the eradication of ‘Sword and Flower.’ Now that a commoner has appeared in possession of a wizard’s artifact, it unsettles me. Though he may have acquired the ring by chance, we cannot afford to grow lax. If there truly is a wizard behind ‘Sword and Flower’... then the entire Tulip family and even the whole noble class could be in grave danger.”

“Yes, my lord,” Nacken replied.

“And take Lin Wei with you,” the Count added. Nacken understood perfectly—this was the Count opening a path for Lin Wei!

…

Lin Wei and Nacken exited the Count’s study.

“Congratulations, Lin Wei.” Nacken, seeming relieved, smiled at him. “The Count is very impressed with you. Don’t let him down.”

Lin Wei nodded solemnly, playing the part.

“I can almost guarantee that once Young Master Jon inherits the title, you’ll be the next Reluman... or even me,” Nacken said with a laugh.

Reluman?

An image of a middle-aged man surfaced instantly in Lin Wei’s memory. Reluman was the Tulip Count’s chief steward, a figure whose status slightly exceeded even Nacken’s as captain of the guards. Recently, Reluman had gone to represent the Count at a young noble’s wedding in another region, which is why Lin Wei had never met him.

To Count Lamer Tulip, Reluman and Nacken were his right- and left-hand men. For Nacken to say so was essentially to declare that Lin Wei would surely become a core representative of the Tulip family.

Lin Wei was about to make a modest reply, but Nacken interrupted, “By the way, since Young Master Jon has been recovering from his injuries, I’ve delayed teaching you the knight’s discipline. Starting tomorrow, come to the training ground at dawn—I’ll instruct you myself.”

“Thank you, Sir Nacken.” Lin Wei bowed slightly. It seemed that, from the moment they left the Count’s study, Nacken’s attitude toward him had utterly changed.