Chapter 108: The Mayor's Gift

"That's wonderful! Now our team has two spellcasters!" Dick exclaimed excitedly, giving Joan a quick hug.

"Who’s the other spellcaster?" Joan couldn’t help but ask.

"It's Weiss," Roger lowered his voice. "Our unfortunate lizardfolk prince has seven levels in druid, and he’s already pledged to my father to help the humans in this war against his own people."

Joan could easily imagine Weiss making this difficult decision out of sheer necessity. The crisis in Darlin Town was caused by Weiss; if he wanted to gain the townsfolk’s trust, he had to prove his stance with concrete actions. Given the circumstances, assisting the townspeople in resisting the lizardfolk invasion was his only way to show loyalty. Yet by doing so, he would have to fight his own kin and risk being branded a traitor.

“Besides Weiss and me, who else have you recruited?” Joan asked Dick.

“There’s also our old friend, the dwarf blacksmith Tom. Actually, the five of us are enough. There’s no need to recruit more just for numbers; if the strength isn’t there, more people will only slow us down,” Dick said confidently.

Roger wasn’t as optimistic as his brother. He asked Joan if she knew anyone suitable to join the team. Joan’s only friends in Darlin Town were the Dindal brothers and Tom—no one else came to mind. But then she thought of Jamie and Gray, who were also powerful allies, and shared her thoughts.

“Jamie can definitely join. As for Gray...” Roger’s face showed hesitation. “The gray pouch beast’s appearance is too conspicuous. People unfamiliar with it might mistake it for an enemy...”

“Come on! In the chaos of battle, who has time to scrutinize Gray’s looks? Besides, if Weiss, a lizardfolk, can fight alongside us, what’s there to doubt about the gray pouch beast?” Dick dismissed his brother’s excessive caution.

“That may be true, but it’s better to be cautious,” Roger’s eyes lit up with an idea. “Let’s go to Mr. Langferro’s leather shop and buy the largest cloak they have. Gray can wear the cloak and cover its face completely, looking like a tall, burly man. I’ll make up a backstory—something like a ‘giant adventurer from Layton Port’—so no one will suspect a thing.”

“You’re full of crafty ideas!” Dick laughed, punching his brother on the shoulder. Then he turned to Joan. “What do you think of Roger’s plan?”

Joan nodded in agreement and was about to respond when a cheerful laugh came from behind.

“Children, having such a good time chatting—got some good news, perhaps?”

“Good morning, Mr. Flint.”

Joan bowed to the old dwarf and noticed the Dindal brothers standing stiffly as if frozen, looking awkward. Only then did she realize the middle-aged gentleman wearing a top hat behind the dwarf was none other than Mayor Jason Dindal.

“Good morning, Mayor Dindal,” Joan greeted him with a bow.

“Good morning, Joan. I was just hearing about you from Mr. Tail yesterday. When are you planning to leave for Layton Port?” the mayor asked gently.

“I intend to consider my next journey after this crisis is over,” Joan replied honestly.

“I hope it won’t delay your plans, child. You’re our only mage in Darlin Town. I wish for your safe passage to Layton Port to study further. Yet in the coming war, we also hope your magic can fulfill roles that swords and blades cannot,” the mayor said warmly.

“You overestimate me, sir. I’m just a humble low-level mage, hardly worthy of such expectations,” Joan felt a bit insincere saying that, so she spoke more frankly. “Low-level spells can play a significant role on the battlefield, but unfortunately, I know too few spells and their destructive power is limited. As for spells of tactical or strategic value, sadly, I’ve never had the chance to learn any.”

“The tactical spells you mentioned—do you mean those that can summon creeping vines or webs to entangle large groups of enemies, or call forth strong winds to blow away enemy arrows?” Mayor Dindal asked with interest.

“Exactly, Mr. Dindal. Spells like entangle, web, and gust of wind aren’t high-level but can effectively restrict many enemies on the battlefield, giving great advantage to allies. Unfortunately, I haven’t learned any of these. The spells I’m good at—like magic missile—how much better are they than a crossbow on the battlefield?” Joan sighed.

As a self-taught rural mage, Joan’s greatest weakness was the lack of mentors and textbooks. Without a teacher, she could manage by studying on her own. But without textbooks, what could she do? She had to painstakingly search everywhere for scrolls and spellbooks, learning whatever she could find. Having something to learn was already fortunate—there was no luxury to be selective.

Because of the lack of systematic resources, Joan’s spell repertoire, although seemingly broad, was severely unbalanced. Most of her proficient spells—like shocking grasp, burning hands, magic missile, and mage hand—belonged to the evocation school. They were offensively powerful but tactically limited, suited for one-on-one fights but poor at controlling enemies or supporting allies on a battlefield. In large-scale battles involving hundreds or thousands, the latter skills far outweighed solo combat prowess.

“I understand roughly,” Mayor Dindal smiled slightly. “Joan, while I’m no expert in magic, my family does have some spell scrolls. Maybe they can help you cover those gaps in your spell types.” He took out a set of keys and handed them to his eldest son, Dick, carefully instructing, “Go to my study. On the third shelf of the bookcase against the wall opposite the door, count from left to right and get the fourth and sixth scrolls. Bring them to Joan as soon as possible.”

“Got it, Father!” Dick took the keys and dashed home like the wind.

Roger glanced after his brother’s retreating figure, then gave Joan a wink.

Joan didn’t understand what this second son of the mayor was scheming, but Mayor Dindal, who knew his son well, shot Roger a sharp look. “What sneaky business are you up to now?”

“Cough, cough, Father, the thing is, Joan and I recently made a good friend—a tall, mighty, and powerful man of great loyalty. Knowing that our Darlin Town faces the threat of lizardfolk bandits, out of noble friendship, he volunteered to help us resist them. I was wondering if you and Mr. Flint would be willing to accept his earnest offer,” Roger explained earnestly.