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Chapter 53: The Original Magic

And the one suffering the most from the commotion caused by these two factions was none other than Azor\'s Ruler, Fasio.

"The Ulkas Guild must be held accountable!"

"Accountable for what? It\'s a fact he won the Expert competition. Whether he used a 1st class or a 2nd class spell, it’s all magic, isn’t it?"

"Do you think the Immortal Council would have stayed quiet if they had hosted this competition?"

The senior sorcerers gathered in Azor were all focused on Karyl, but it was clear that the two schools had taken different stances.

Hmph! Serves them right. As if they thought nobody would find out. They\'re just trying to take revenge for what happened to Tapio.

The representative of the Immortal Council had received news that the competition organizer had suddenly gone missing the day after the event. Add to that, the participants\' refusal to compete. It was pretty clear what happened.

The best they could do was to discredit Karyl, who had smashed the promising youths of the Dawn Council and emerged victorious.

It\'s quite obvious. Those Dawn Council guys are always quick to denounce the Immortal Council\'s curses and cowardice when they\'re the ones pulling the strings behind the scenes.

For the Immortal Council, which was not on good terms with the Dawn Council, this situation was not entirely unwelcome.

The prize for winning the Expert competition, a 5th class spellbook was something they had in abundance in their base at the Ivory Tower or in the Antihum Grand Library.

"Ahem..."

Seeing the conversation that was going nowhere, Lord Fasio cautiously spoke up. "I did not intend to discuss such matters in the presence of the esteemed members of the Magic Councils," he said, his voice polite but laced with sharp anger.

It was only natural for him to be displeased. Not only had the investigation into the recent bizarre phenomena not been conducted properly, but now a freelance sorcerer with no affiliation to any magic council had emerged victorious.

"Azor is a city founded by the Seven Elders known to have spread magic at the dawn of time. Therefore, it is a place where sorcerers, regardless of their school, can freely study magic," Fasio declared, the weight of his words filling the room.

"It\'s not wrong for a freelance sorcerer to win, but I gathered you all here to coordinate opinions on this matter, not to engage in disputes."

"Ahem..."

"Hmm..."

The sorcerers cleared their throats, realizing the point he was trying to make.

"Do you not understand? The victory in the expert competition is not what matters. It\'s what he stated he wants afterward."

A suffocating silence engulfed the hall, and the shoulders of the gathered sorcerers slumped. Sometimes, they forgot because of Lord Fasio’s round, amiable appearance, but he was not only the ruler of Azor but also a high-level sorcerer in his own right.

However, not all high-levels were the same. With his near 7th class magical power, he ranked among the top sorcerers. If it weren’t for his position as lord, he could have been ranked as a Grand Sorcerer.

"Do you understand?" The sorcerer remained silent, feeling the vast difference in power between himself and Fasio. "A fifth-class spellbook is something we can easily provide to any freelance sorcerer. Many have already received them."

His opinion was not different from that of other sorcerers, but what followed after.

"The problem is that after winning the expert competition, he has expressed his intention to participate in the Master Competition as well, alongside his prize."

"What?!"

"Is that true?"

"Just winning one competition and getting cocky... This is outrageous."

"This is something we simply cannot overlook!"

As expected, the sorcerers were outraged. Fasio nodded slowly, unable to avoid discussing the matter of this troublesome winner.

"The reason there hasn\'t been a Master Competition for decades is to prevent conflicts among sorcerers of high level and above. It\'s an unspoken agreement among the Magic Councils. Even freelance sorcerer guilds, if they walk the path of magic, should be aware of this."

His words once again stirred the sorcerers, but Fasio raised his hand to silence them before their uproar could begin.

"Some may call it cowardice, but the main reason we\'ve been able to maintain stability in the world of magic is by minimizing friction between the two Magic Councils."

Magic. It was a paradoxical existence.

For those born in the empire, at least a minimal amount of mana is present from birth. Even ordinary people can use magic for their daily needs due to its versatility. However, on the flip side, magic also possessed the power for mass destruction, surpassing any weapon. What might be considered a trivial power to some can become a force capable of reshaping maps in an instant for others.

"250 years after Kaye Aesir, it was ironically the sorcerers who acknowledged the dangers of magic and established these conventions. However, we all understand that this was done for the greater good of the continent." Fasio emphasized his point. "We can\'t abandon centuries of commitment just because of a sorcerer from a small guild, whose origins we don\'t even know."

Everyone agreed with his statement. The sorcerers from both councils, who had been at odds moments ago, quickly formed an alliance against a common enemy. Their duplicity would astonish any ordinary person.

"What do you plan to do, my lord?"

"The prize for winning the Master Competition has been decided long ago."

"You can\'t possibly mean to hand over the treasures of Azor?"

Fasio\'s words startled the sorcerer.

Three spellbooks were stored beneath the spire honoring the Seven Elders, established during the founding of the Magic City, known as the Original Magic. That great magic was both a symbol of Azor and their pride, even though no sorcerer had mastered it thus far.

"Of course not. We cannot simply hand over such an item to him."

"Then what?" At the sorcerer\'s inquiry, Fasio just gave a faint smile in response.

***

"Bahaha, you are quite the confident man!! Plus, luck seemed to be on your side. To think the sorcerers dropped out en masse suddenly. They must\'ve been scared off by your fight."

Unaware of Karyl\'s actions from the previous night, Bargo boisterously held the trophy, loudly announcing Karyl\'s victory at the inn, making it almost burst with noise.

"Truly, fortune has smiled upon the Ulkas Guild! Let\'s not forget that you\'ve signed a contract with the guild."

Bargo’s sly grin revealed his foolish greed, as he pulled out a contract for Karyl to see. This contract was not made of ordinary paper. Its surface was rough and had a bluish tint as if the color hadn\'t fully set. One might assume that was due to using cheap materials, but it was quite the opposite.

It was the Oath Parchment. Karly knew well the power carried by the words. That\'s why spells exist for casting magic and incantations.

"Do you know how to complete the contract?"

Karyl nodded.

"Good, that makes things easier."

The process was straightforward. The contract holder had to read aloud their terms and collateral while holding the parchment. The words would then become etched into the parchment. If the contract was breached, the agreed-upon consequences had to be paid, even if it meant death.

He\'s brought something pricey. Even the Guidance Mercenary Gang doesn’t use those for contracts.

Karyl examined the parchment. Originating from the Magical Era hundreds of years ago, the Oath Parchment was too rare to mass-produce, even with modern sorcerers’ improvements. Bargo\'s intentions, or rather his greed, were evident. Despite its high cost and rarity, he was willing to use it to bind Karyl in an inescapable manner.

Heh... Now it begins. Time to really put him to work.

Contracting requires anticipating dozens, if not hundreds of scenarios to derive the most beneficial terms for oneself. Bargo, a cunning merchant, believed that deceiving a mere child would be trivial.

"Let\'s hear the terms," Karyl asked nonchalantly.

"From the moment this contract is finalized, Karyl is bound to Ulkas and obligated to fulfill assignments for the next five years. In return, the guild will strive to provide the spellbooks Karyl desires for his advancement."

The terms sounded reasonable, but their vagueness left room for exploitation. The word "strive" could easily be abused. Karyl couldn’t help but smirk at the clever wordplay.

"In return, Karyl must participate in at least three assignments per quarter, and the guild will provide at least one fifth-class spellbook or higher annually."

"Agreed," Karyl nodded without objection, much to Bargo\'s inner delight.

As expected, a child is just a child.

Bargo proceeded to recite an extensive list of predetermined clauses, too numerous to keep track of. However, Karyl accepted them all without uttering a word.

Once the parchment was filled with the terms, Karyl calmly added, "I\'d like to add just one more condition."

"What is it? It can be anything." Bargo, having set numerous conditions, spoke as if he was bestowing a favor.

"I, Karyl, will abide by all terms as long as the Ulkas Guild remains in existence."

"Haha! That\'s something I should be asking of you!" Bargo laughed heartily at Karyl\'s addition. "Alright, alright. I agree to that as well."

Karyl\'s final words seared onto the parchment like fire.

Once I get what I want... Karyl thought looking at him with a cold gaze. ...your guild will soon cease to exist anyway. If the guild itself didn’t exist, these clauses would be meaningless.

Unaware of Karyl\'s true intentions, Bargo was ecstatic. The primary reason Karyl had approached the Ulkas Guild was the Wooden Cloud. Their actions weren’t merely limited to assassinating the Kuwell’s children.

In fact, compared to their other actions, that was just a minor offense.

It wasn\'t that Karyl took the lives of his brothers lightly; their deaths had shaken the knightly families of the empire. But ultimately, Olivurn had united the continent.

The problem began after the Oracle.

Even after the fall of the principality, the secret organization known as the Wooden Cloud didn\'t disappear. They continued to exert influence over the darker aspects of the continent in twisted ways. They were experts at manipulating ordinary people under the guise of a religious order.

Following the descent of the Oracles, they even proclaimed the monsters ravaging the land as the true messengers. It sounded absurd, but alarmingly, many became fanatical followers. To the common folk, they appeared as ardent zealots, but they considered it a divine blessing.

The Wooden Cloud went on to incite numerous conflicts and even declared a city in the northeast called Ygg as a holy city.

Fighting monsters alone was already a daunting task, but when combined with the conflict caused by a cult, the casualties reached the hundreds of thousands.

No matter what, their roots must be eradicated this time. And this was merely preparation for that.

Karyl gave Bargo a sharp grin.

Creak—

At that moment, the door to the guild swung open and people in dazzling robes entered.

"Hmm? Who are they...?" Bargo, worried about the contract being discovered, quickly hid it and furrowed his brow.

They\'ve come.

Karyl recognized them immediately without even needing an explanation. They were the Lord\'s men.

As if they had been waiting, they addressed Karyl. "The lord requests your presence. We shall escort you."

Karyl nodded, knowing that he would find the answers to his proposal there.

Good. Let\'s see how thoroughly that old fox Fasio has planned this.