A scream—far more wretched than the last by a hundredfold—ripped through the sky.

  Passing magical beasts covered their faces and hurried away, unable to bear witness to the tragedy that had befallen the three unfortunate souls.

  After an unknowable stretch of time, Glenn gazed down at the three corpses before him and sighed helplessly.

  “See? You should’ve just talked. Why insist on suffering first?” He shook his head. “To keep the environment clean, I suppose I’ll dig a hole and bury you right here.”

  He bent down to start digging, then smacked his forehead. “Right, in your condition, you’ll probably contaminate the soil. Better throw you to the beasts—they shouldn’t get stomachaches.”

  Dragging the bodies, Glenn headed toward a region dense with magical beasts.

  Once all was taken care of, he resumed his original task.

  The earlier battle had cost him some time, but he still felt confident he could finish before nightfall.

  The sun dipped westward.

  Near dusk, he finally found a plant nestled in a mountain hollow—one that matched the description.

  Its entire form was withered and yellow, emanating a pure and concentrated elemental aura. Glenn was uncertain if it was truly the so-called Withering Essence, but it felt right.

  Returning to the magic house, he went straight to Lucas for confirmation.

  After inspecting the plant, Lucas nodded. “Yes, this is it—withergrass. An excellent experiment reagent. I thought it would take you at least two days to find it.”

  “Probably just luck,” Glenn replied modestly, quietly imprinting the sensation of the Withering Essence in his memory.

  Pocketing the withered herb, he added casually, “Oh, right. When I went out, I think I ran into the teacher’s enemies.”

  “The teacher’s enemies?” Lucas seemed momentarily confused.

  “Three dark mages. They were clearly after us. They followed me the moment I stepped outside—probably wanted to capture me.”

  “What?!” Lucas stiffened at once, pacing back and forth. “You’re only an apprentice—it should’ve been extremely dangerous! Did they let you return on purpose? Is this some conspiracy to harm the teacher?!”

  Glenn grabbed him by the shoulders. “They weren’t very competent. I already dealt with them.”

  “What?!” Lucas stared, one eyebrow falling, the other rising in disbelief. “If they were enemies of the teacher, even the weakest should’ve been at least third-tier. And even third-tier mages wouldn’t dare come so close to the teacher’s magic house!”

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  “Just know they’re taken care of. When the teacher returns, he’ll explain.”

  It was the only answer Glenn could give.

  Lucas stared at him for a long moment before finally nodding in reluctant acceptance.

  He had little experience handling danger; Da'off had sheltered the apprentices too well, leaving them without the hardening they needed.

  Glenn could see it clearly and made a mental note to speak to Da'off later.

  Those without magical talent didn’t matter much—they might never become mages anyway.

  But apprentices like Lucas and Little Leaf, who had real potential, needed experience beyond these walls.

  “Hey! What are you two doing?” Little Leaf peeked in with a young apprentice beside her.

  The two in the laboratory turned toward them.

  Glenn spoke first. “Nothing much—just discussing how to craft a better pen.”

  Lucas remained silent, effectively confirming it.

  “A pen?” Little Leaf tugged the small apprentice forward.

  Lucas immediately produced his most satisfactory creation and presented it proudly. “Look—this. From now on, you won’t need to worry about quills breaking or blotting. I tested it earlier—it works wonderfully.”

  Children were always enchanted by new things. Little Leaf reached out eagerly. “Let me see!”

  Smiling, Lucas handed it to her.

  Little Leaf and the young apprentice began playing with it at once, fascinated.

  The pen incorporated many of Lucas’s own designs—sleek, elegant, nearly on par with the fountain pens Glenn had seen in his previous life.

  After a few strokes on paper, Little Leaf simply couldn’t put it down.

  Beside her, the young apprentice looked on with hungry eyes, silently pleading for one.

  “Don’t worry, everyone gets one.” Lucas retrieved another beautiful pen and handed it over.

  The girl accepted it happily.

  Glenn recalled her name—Rola. Though everyone preferred calling her Little Mushroom.

  A fitting nickname: round-faced, petite, always wearing an oversized wide-brimmed pointed hat that made her look exactly like a mushroom from afar.

  “Thank you, Lucas,” she whispered softly.

  “This whole thing was Glenn’s idea. I wouldn’t have thought of it otherwise,” Lucas admitted, scratching his head.

  Little Leaf was still lost in the joy of her new toy, but Little Mushroom blinked and shyly murmured, “Thank you, Glenn.”

  Glenn offered her a faint smile.

  Her cheeks reddened instantly, and she ducked her head, hiding entirely beneath her hat.

  A very shy girl, indeed, Glenn thought.

  “Little Leaf,” Lucas called suddenly.

  She answered instinctively, snapping out of her excitement. “What is it?”

  Lucas asked, “Did you come here for something? You don’t normally visit my workshop.”

  Little Leaf seemed to recall her purpose. “Oh—Little Mushroom wanted to hear stories about the outside world, so I brought her.”

  “So you’re here for him.” Lucas glanced at Glenn.

  Figures… she probably wants to listen too, Glenn thought, spreading his hands helplessly at Lucas.

  Lucas turned to the girls. “Did you finish today’s assignments?”

  “All done! Every bit!” Little Leaf declared proudly.

  Little Mushroom added softly, “Mine too…”

  Glenn remembered that he himself had finished Da'off’s assignments days ahead of time. Telling a few stories wouldn’t take long, so he led the two girls outside.

  Seated together, he told them some tales while weaving in bits of worldly knowledge—things children who had never seen the outside desperately needed.

  Otherwise, the day they stepped out, they might not survive.

  Even though today’s tasks had been completed early, his magical growth had not diminished in the slightest.

  When he found the withergrass, Glenn had felt his control over mana deepen noticeably.

  Soon, he would begin the next stage—learning the refinement magic more thoroughly. Once he mastered it, he would become a first-tier mage.

  At that same moment, Da'off had already arrived in the royal capital.

  After greeting several old friends from the royal court and obtaining the proper permissions, he entered the Royal Library.

  “Da'off?! Oh heavens—truly you? It has been ages! I’ve missed you terribly, my old friend!”

  The moment he stepped through the heavily warded gates, a joyous voice rang out above him.

  A massive carved dragon’s head of polished redwood, mounted high atop a towering shelf, stared down at him—its expression vividly alive.

  Hello!

  I’m Eryndor Vale. If you’re enjoying the story and would like to read ahead, you can support me on Patreon by clicking the button below the chapter.

  Thanks for reading, and I hope you’re enjoying the story!