Barna had indeed given Pi’ve a job, and that was why he was now running. He had fallen asleep the second he put his head to the pillow the day prior. The days had been filled with expectations and much to learn, so he fell asleep, deeply. He had woken in a violent jerk, knowing he had overslept, and it was his first day.

  People were already out of their homes and in the streets; some of the streets filled with people arguing, already up and about, selling various tools and alcohol and other miscellaneous wares. It seemed like people were not finished with the business in the square— well, that was probably expected. After all, a thousand-year-old king had returned.

  ’— Nay, I say onto you! We need to track down Oarios’s descendants, and crown a rightful king!’ A guy on a stair yelled, and there were at least four people saying ’Sure do!’, ’hear, hear!’, ’Maybe, I’m one of his descendants, ay?’ one of them said, and they laughed heartily.

  Pi’ve ran on, and soon enough, he reached the wizarding square and burst through the door of the building and saw that there were no one inside. Pi’ve took slow steps towards the desk, before he sat down behind his workplace. The door to his right opened as soon as he had seated himself.

  ’Good morning, Pi’ve. Have you been here long? I fell asleep just now.’ Barna said.

  ’No. Just came… Yes. Barely any sleep here too.’ Pi’ve said, probably looking as sleepy as Barna, if not more. ’Oh, whatever did you do to the wraiths that you captured?’ They never said what they had done after he left. They killed one of them, but what about the others?

  Barna came out of his office, into the room Pi’ve sat behind his desk. ’We have them in containment. As we mentioned, the more wraiths there are here, the less likely it is for more of them to spawn in the vicinity.’ He said, and squinted to look at the calendar behind Pi’ve. It looked like all the appointments and jobs were scheduled, and placed there.

  ’No jobs…’ Barna said, looking disconcerted.

  ’Well, no one has come in yet, as of now.’ Pi’ve said. They had just opened, so that was not expected either. Perhaps he meant that there has not been any jobs as of late…

  The front door opened, and Kedri came in, and Pi’ve greeted him. He worked for G. L. & Homes upstairs. He used the same entrance as Barna and Pi’ve. ’Hello, Kedri.’ Barna said, and vanished through his door.

  The room was quite empty. The hatstand being bare by the door, and the chairs and small table by the left most wall from where he sat was always empty. For such a large room, though not large from the perspective of other rooms, it had little decorating. There was a few pictures hanging on the walls, but other than his own table and chair, there was a lot of room on the floor.

  Later that day, Barna came out to give Pi’ve instructions on how his job was done. It was simple enough. Take down the description of the job, their name, and give the parchment to Barna. Other than that, Pi’ve was free to do leisurely things, such as reading, practising magic or make himself tea.

  Not much happened that day. Pi’ve read through one of his books, and since he had not taken another with him, he made some tea, and practised some magic while Barna went in and out of the building. A wizard came in at the end of the day, but Pi’ve had to turn him away, being that the job was more suitable for another faction to do. The next day came, and not one wizard came, luckily he had packed two books, reading one of them through entirely. Day three there came two wizards, and he wrote the jobs down and gave them to Barna. He never heard anything from Barna regarding the jobs. He though one of them at least he could do…

  Pi’ve’s fourth day behind the desk came, and it was now Friday. Indeed, there were limitations to what jobs they took and did not take. Throughout this time, several wizards had been here to request them do a job for them. During this time, Pi’ve had also gotten a good understanding to what the jobs they accepted, and not, were.

  The job Pi’ve had was not the only one of its kind, but it was the only one which did not specialise in one field. For example, the WCC, or Wizard Court Council, also had people in similar positions. They had people doing inspections of breweries, kitchens and farmland, to check if the wizards kept within the regulations that was set, and if the brewers and kitchen kept their stations clean. They checked on other matters too, mostly regarding things closely regulated by law.

  Being that other factions had similar jobs, the B. P. S. S. usually did not take on jobs that these factions would take instead. Competing brewers could not come into the B. P. S. S. to to try to sabotage the other brewer. That would be both a thievery of the WCC’s job, and it would diminish the credibility of the B. P. S. S..

  There had already been two wizards accusing another brewer of adding contraband leaves in their teas, and wished the B. P. S. S. to have a look at their production. Pi’ve had taken note of the request, and brought it to Barna. Barna said this is not something they do. It would be easy to just check the teabags, and if there are contraband leaves inside them, then there may be a case, but take it to the WCC if you are sure, and bring a sample. The reason they do this is that a competing brewer can tell others that their tea is better, because they have not been accused of doing illicit production.

  Honestly, it was rather boring work, but there were things Pi’ve could do. The room was large, with a high ceiling, so while waiting for another customer to arrive, he used some of his time to practice the magic he knew. He had taken out one of the full armours of the knights from when he was inside the kings chamber in the tutorial, because he had set himself a goal to being able to lift it with only magic. This piece of armour was heavy, and the full thing weighed between 30 or 40 kilos at least. He could not manage to lift it yet, but kept it in sight to remind him of his goals.

  He took out a shield, because that was much lighter, and even though it was much heavier than the rock and the pinecone he had lifted in the tutorial, he had reached a higher level now, and his stats had also risen.

  The shield was much more complex than he anticipated. Most of the shield was made of wood, and it had been polished thoroughly, and had a pleasant shine to it. In the middle of the back side there was a small metal lump. The outer rims of the shield were also covered in metal, and bolts held it fastened to the shield. The shield was slightly bowed, making it very slightly bowl-shaped, and it had a leather handle. The different components of the shield not only put weight to it, but it also made it more complicated to link to.

  Linking to the shield was not as straight forward as Pi’ve had thought it to be. Wood in itself was simple to link to, and metal too, and leather, but in a complex item such as the shield, you could not choose to link only one of its parts, because every part made the whole object, and somehow the system knew this.

  It had taken him the better part of the day to try to link with the shield, and even if this seems like a long time, it was a significant jump in difficulty from what he had done previously, and required intense concentration. But eventually, that day, he managed it, and it felt like a revelation. Something clicked, and he felt more confident in his magical abilities right away. It was also too heavy, not budging at all as he tried lifting the shield and seeing the mana seep out of his mana pool. He had quite a lot of mana, so he adjusted the mana valve to give it more force. The shield did not move, but the pressure he was exerting could be enough if he pushed a bit harder… just a little more now—

  The front door opened, and a man strolled in. Pi’ve quickly stored the shield inside his inventory before the wizard could see it. Sweat trickled down his forehead.

  ’Good day. Oh, nice armour. Old, I take it.’ The man said, and Pi’ve’s heart dropped. He had forgot he had taken out the knight’s armour. The man took off his jacket, hanging it on the hat stand by the door. ’Well, well, I heard there was a new kid in town.’ The man said, strolling casually towards Pi’ve who stood close to the wall.

  ’Indeed.’ Pi’ve said, still a bit flustered by the abrupt entrance, having to reflexively hide the shield, forgetting the armour. ’Here for business?’

  ’What else? Andal, a pleasure.’ Andal said, and shook Pi’ve’s hand.

  ’Pi’ve, nice to meet you.’ And he walked to the desk, taking out a parchment, and wrote down Andal’s name on it. ’So, what would you like to get done by us?’

  ’It is a rather simple thing— Although it may be somewhat complicated.’ Andal said. ’In Vesen City there is a wizard, and he is, what shall I say… taking advantage of the people around him, do you understand?’

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

  ’I understand what that may entail.’ Pi’ve said.

  ’Well, I live close by him, and he is helping the common people there build, using magic. Lifting, and stuff. And he takes payment, in the form of drinks and food.’ Andal said, squinting and nodding at Pi’ve, really trying to drive the pitch the right direction.

  ’Is he employed by these people? As in, does he get compensation through money, or otherwise…’

  ’Well, food and drinks is a form for compensation, isn’t it?’

  ’Is it? If it’s the only thing he gets then… We need sustenance to live. That may be outside what is considered compensation. Obviously, if he is given what is seen as compensation for his work, and he isn’t doing it through the good of his heart, then yes, it would be wrong, as the Wizard Exclusion Act says. Then again, the law is more directed at the common people in power, than the peasants.’ Pi’ve told Andal. He had a feeling that this was another one of those jobs that they would not take. ’What kind of building is it?’

  ’Pub, or inn… I think.’

  ’Is this pub or inn being built near your favoured pub or inn?’ Pi’ve asked, because he knew that some wizards did want to promote their place of comfort, leading to some cases were they actively try to sabotage others.

  ’Ah, I see… You think I do this to spite him, or to hinder their success. I am not— I am not threatened by this, if that is what you think.’ Andal said, offended.

  Pi’ve tapped the desk a few times with his finger, not trying to decide if this was a good enough job to take, or if it qualified in some other way, but he was beginning to be tired of dismissing jobs all the time.

  ’We will take on the job. Although, if it is true, then this is a job for the WCC, and not us, really.’ Pi’ve said as he finished writing down the job description. It felt good to know that he may be allowed to travel to Vesen City for a job like this.

  ’But I can then take your report to them. That was my thinking.’ Andal said. Pi’ve just nodded. Andal let out a sigh of relief. ’Thank you.’ He said, and rose from his seat. Pi’ve was sure that he only wanted the building project to be stunted, by not having a wizard be able to help with the construction, but either way, this could help Pi’ve understand the intricacies of the law. It would be nice getting to travel a bit. Sitting inside behind his desk all day was not exactly what he had envisioned himself doing.

  Andal left, and Pi’ve closed the door after him, holding the parchment in his hand. He walked over to Barna’s office door and knocked, opening it when he was called in. Pi’ve placed the parchment on Barna’s desk, and Barna took it and read.

  ’Very good. I was beginning to think that business had dwindled. But alas, we have a job.’ Barna said, and placed the parchment in one of the drawers. ’It is bordering on the duties of the WCC, now that I read it… Ah! Shouldn’t be a problem.’

  ’So, should I leave for Vesen City right away, or should I—’

  ’No. I am sorry, Pi’ve, but you will not be getting this job. Do you know how to use the Portals?’

  Demoralised. That was the feeling that seeped into his veins. ’No, I do not.’

  Barna looked at Pi’ve with great understanding. ’It would take you two weeks to arrive in Vesen City. And that is by boat, if you find one going there. Either way, you have that hearing, you remember? Should be any moment now.’ Barna said. ’Either way, I think your abilities is above these kinds of jobs, if that is any consolation.’

  ’What exactly do you think my abilities are?’ Pi’ve said, and realised that not getting this job had struck him more than he realised. It was a reflexive comment, and he regretted it right away.

  ’I think your abilities eludes even you, Pi’ve.’ Barna said, not taking any offence. ’You will do great things, even if you think you are lacking right now. But, no, your strength does not lie in your magical prowess right now, but that can also be utilised.’

  ’Sure. Thank you.’ Pi’ve said, and he turned and walked out the door.

  As he opened the door, he heard someone outside. The wizard Kerlina was standing in front of his desk. She had an envelope in her hand.

  ’Hello, Kerlina. Here for business?’ Pi’ve asked.

  ’My type of business, yes.’ She said, handing over the envelope to Pi’ve. He looked inquisitively at her. ’Open it. It is for you.’

  The envelope was plain, but had a wax seal with the WCC on it. He then knew what it would be. Pi’ve opened it, and pulled out the folded parchment and unfolded it.

  Notice of inquiry for Pi’ve of Thergiam.

  The WCC summons Wizard Pi’ve of Thergiam to appear at the hearing regarding the Oarios III affair which occurred in the West Fishers Market-square last Tuesday. Meeting at this hearing is mandatory. Avoiding meeting at the specified time may lead to sanctions in addition to sanctions given for the Oarios III incident.

  The accused may hire, or bring, one representative of his or her own choice speaking your case.

  The hearing will be held in courtroom 3 in the Wizard Court Council headquarters, next Friday, 4 o’clock daytime.

  We look forward to seeing you at the hearing. Best regards,

  Kerlina Naman

  Pi’ve looked up and found Kerlina standing there smiling weakly. He wished that the hearing would be later, or not at all. He had failed to assemble a defence for himself yet, and he was torn, because he had at first felt that what he did was the right thing to do, but then he had been adamantly told that it was indeed not the right thing at all. Others had told him that what he did was right in a logical sense, and since he did not know the rules and laws, he was unlikely to receive any punishment for it.

  ’Do you understand the letter? Do you know where you should meet, and when?’ Kerlina said. There was an undertone in her voice that indicated that she understood what Pi’ve was going through.

  Pi’ve nodded, and then looked at her. ’Yes. It’s just so soon.’

  ’Well, I think that is a good thing. Get it over with, I say.’ Kerlina said, tapped her staff on the ground two times, and said, ’Well, then. Good luck. I’ll see you next Friday.’ And she left.

  Barna emerged from his office when Kerlina had left, and asked who had knocked on his door. ’No one knocked on your door? Kerlina just left. She came with the letter regarding the hearing just now.’

  ’Hm… Can I see it?’ Barna asked, and walked up to the desk. Pi’ve handed him the parchment, and sat back. ’Indeed— and you remember me saying that I would testify for you? If you want.’

  Pi’ve sat up fast. ’I forgot. Thank you, really. I was beginning to— I was stressing because I have not yet given it great thought, and its really beginning to fade in my head. All the talk that happened in that square, it all has melted inside my head into mush.’

  ’I understand. It all happened very fast, and there was a lot to take in, being a new wizard and all. Well, you needn’t think much more on it, for I will talk for you mostly. But whenever you need to talk, you will speak, and speak plainly and only the truth as you know it. If you do that, then all will be fine. Maybe it is time for you to think about what happened that day, and the days prior to it.’

  ’Yes. If you say so.’ Pi’ve said, sitting back in his chair again, taking a few steadying breaths.

  ’I say so. I will go back in my office. I am leaving early today, so you will be here alone the last two hours or so.’ Barna said, and Pi’ve nodded in acknowledgement. Barna nodded then, and looked about. He flinched. ’What is that? That is not mine.’ He was pointing at the knights armour.

  Pi’ve’s heart jumped once again. ’That is mine. I brought it here.’ Pi’ve tried. Barna kept looking at it for a few seconds.

  ’From where?’

  ’Barothron Island…’ Pi’ve said meekly.

  ’Belongs in a museum, that.’ Barna said, and walked into his office again.

  Pi’ve sat at his desk, reading a book he had picked up a couple of days prior; he could not practice magic all the time, as he needed to keep some mana in his reservoir, or else he would become too tired to do anything else. Barna left an hour later, and as it was the start of the weekend, Pi’ve would not see Barna until Monday. Not that that was a problem, but he wondered what he would be doing this weekend. Last weekend, he had walked the streets of Thergiam which he had loved as a kid, reminiscing on his past life. Had his life become what he thought it would, now that he had become a wizard? Not yet.

  In the back of his mind, he was feeling a sense of urgency, almost in the same fashion as he did once he had arrived in the chamber of the forgotten king. He was thinking of his father, and flashes of that day on the ship marred his mind. A primal anger rose up inside him whenever he thought about it, and that was why he always tried to keep himself busy with something. Now he was thinking again. He had to get rid of these thoughts, but he did not want to rid them before he had avenged himself on the cause of these thoughts.

  There was a knock on the door, and someone tried to turn the handle, but the door seemed to be locked for some reason. Pi’ve walked over to the door and unlocked it, and outside in the rain stood a man in a pointy hat. Pi’ve told him to please come in, and they gave each other their names.

  ’So, what is it you want us to do for you, Terler?’ Pi’ve asked, walking beside the man over to his desk.

  ’It is not so much for me, than for the good of the whole wizarding community of Thergiam… and Soilar for that matter. Do you know of Murgun?’ Terler said.

  ’I sure do.’ Pi’ve said. Murgun was the reason he had to attend a hearing in a week.

  ’Well, it is my belief that he is doing illicit eavesdropping in meetings he should not be a part of. He— my suspicion is— is also eavesdropping on high ranking wizards in private conversations. That is essentially the extent of it. If it is true, then it is much more a severance of trust than law breaking, really. But it is really important, especially when he is a wizard of such— I was about to say importance, but maybe influence, authority and ability is more suitable.’ Terler said, and Pi’ve was noting down the essentials.

  After finishing writing what he wanted down, Pi’ve had some clarifying inquiries to make. ’Indeed. I— I may be biased, since, maybe you know—,’

  ’I know of your circumstance, yes. Which is why I came here. I have been to other factions, and as incompetent as they are, they went over to Murgun and asked him if he did these things. What do you think he said?’ Terler said. ’I do not feel desperate, but it is important that if it is true, Murgun should be exposed in front of those he is eavesdropping, so that people see how deceiving he can be… and I feel like you would perhaps take the job a little more seriously.’

  ’Well, I can tell you that I would like to delve into this, even just to hopefully disprove the theory, but really, I am not the one to accept the job. I will give this parchment to Barna on Monday, and he can look into it. I will not be the one to do the job either way, since I am not a capable wizard yet, you see. The gemstone hasn’t been on the stick for long, or something… isn’t that the saying—’

  ’I don’t think finding Oarios III and bringing him here from Barothron Island is a small feat. I accept your terms; make Barna have a look, and maybe, we find if I have been mistaken or not.’ Terler said, and said that he had to leave, there was a storm brewing, and he wanted to be home before then.

  When Terler had left, Pi’ve felt a sense of sadness that he would not be able to have this job, because he was still a weak wizard.