As soon as the sound of the door closing was heard, the Baron lightly flicked his finger. At the same time, the broken dishes returned to their original state, and the tomato sauce on his body disappeared as if it had been washed away.

“So you’ve accepted that woman as your disciple?”

“I actively recommended her for that reason.”

The Baron sighed.

“It may be difficult for you to accept now, but when you reach the territory of Diloana, you’ll sort out your thoughts. Because no matter how much you agonize over it, that’s the best option.”

“Hmm.”

“So, Beluce, don’t be so gruff and treat Lady Cordelia well.”

“I think I’m treating her well enough as it is.”

“Haa. Yes. It might be too much to expect more than that. I’ll go in first.”

* * *

“Hmm. The smell of the sea.”

“If you fall in, I won’t save you.”

“It’s okay. Our Lottie will save me. Right, Lottie?”

Of course, Lottie just yawned lazily without even wagging her tail once.

Cordelia leaned her body over the ship’s railing, taking in the fishy smell of the sea. The sharp sea breeze caressing her cheeks couldn’t be more refreshing and cool.

Fortunately, the weather was very good, and the ship was large, so Cordelia didn’t experience the seasickness she had worried about. The sails caught the wind and vigorously propelled them towards the Wilas Islands.

“By the way, Master, who are those people wearing those clothes?”

Cordelia nodded towards people wearing flowing robes. They were gathered in small groups, chatting, and their attire was so conspicuous that it naturally drew attention.

“Judging by the color of their robes, they’re apprentice mages.”

“So mages have special clothes they wear.”

“That’s just for when they’re young. Once you reach intermediate level, you only wear those for ceremonies, not in everyday life.”

“Oh right. I meant to ask before, but how are mages classified? I heard there was an advanced level before.”

“You don’t know that?”

“You never told me. Whenever I ask about anything, you just dismiss me saying ‘You don’t even know that?’ without ever actually explaining.”

Cordelia narrowed her eyes into a triangle shape as she grumbled. The Baron standing nearby kindly explained.

“Before officially forming a contract, mages are classified as apprentices.”

“Ah, then since I’ve already formed a contract, I’m not an apprentice anymore.”

“That’s right. Though your case is very exceptional. Usually, the apprentice mage period lasts at least ten years.”

“What? Ten years? Do you have to do it for that long?”

“Hehe. Ten years is actually short. The majority quit without even advancing from apprentice to low-level mage.”

“But why do they quit in the middle? What a waste.”

“Because they can’t handle mana.”

Leonard bluntly stated. Cordelia didn’t easily understand his words.

After all, the first thing she learned after becoming his disciple was how to handle mana. Cordelia asked with genuine curiosity.

“Why can’t they do that?”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

“Isn’t it just a matter of moving it with willpower?”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

Uncharacteristically, Leonard strongly agreed with her words.

The Baron was about to add an explanation that ‘Actually, it’s very difficult,’ but he closed his mouth, knowing that these two wouldn’t understand no matter what he said.

“Once you’ve formed a contract, you become a low-level mage who can introduce yourself to others as a mage. That’s when you start learning about magic in earnest.”

“Aha. I see.”

“You can rise to intermediate level with some talent and painstaking effort. But beyond that is difficult with just effort alone. That’s why most mages get frustrated, unable to surpass the intermediate level.”

“Then those who overcome that wall and become advanced mages must be really amazing. Is Master an advanced mage?”

“No.”

The Baron, as if boasting about his own child, spoke with his shoulders rising.

“There’s one more level above advanced mage. It’s the Sirius, the one who operates the stars. The Master became the youngest Sirius in history.”

“Wow.”

“How about putting a bit more emotion into your surprise?”

“Woow.”

She drew out the exclamation a bit longer, with an expression no different from before.

“Alright. That’s enough.”

“But even if Baron explains so earnestly, I don’t really get what it means, so I just think ‘Oh, I see.’ Anyway, you’re saying Master is at the highest level, right?”

“To say the Sirius is at the highest level…”

Even Beluce shook his head at her expression. The Baron added some more explanation about the Sirius, but Cordelia’s attention was soon drawn to other things.

The seagulls flying near the bow were fascinating, and it was amazing how the huge ship moved forward relying on the wind.

Leonard threw a comment from behind.

“Shall we go in now?”

“Just a moment. Let me look around a bit more.”

Cordelia thought of her life as a tangled thread. She had resigned herself to the fact that no matter what she did, she would never be able to untangle that tightly knotted thread that had been a mess from birth.

Even when her father’s verbal abuse grew sharper and eventually led to physical violence, even when he sold Cordelia for five hundred thousand linkit, she only knew how to comply.

Perhaps if Craig Abrams hadn’t fallen from his horse, she might have lived in that castle for the rest of her life.

But then Leonard suddenly appeared and casually cut through her tangled thread. Then he placed the thread in Cordelia’s hand.

The first thread.

She felt that her life after meeting Leonard was like a thread disconnected from the past. The first thread that was so precious she could never let go.

Cordelia moved forward, holding onto it.

* * *

The ship, catching a favorable wind, arrived at the Wilas Islands a little earlier than expected, just as dawn was breaking.

Cordelia, rubbing her sleepy eyes, grunted as she carried her luggage bag off the ship. Suddenly, someone snatched her bag away.

A pickpocket as soon as she got off the ship? Wilas must be a scary place, she thought, suddenly wide awake.

“Thief, huh?”

Surprisingly, the thief turned out to be Beluce. He silently walked ahead carrying Cordelia’s luggage bag.

“…What’s this about?”

“Beluce may not have much in his head, but his character isn’t bad.”

The Baron, following behind, said with a smile, in words that were unclear whether they were praise or insult.

The dim sky quickly brightened as time passed.

She soon woke up fully and was busy looking around here and there.

Among them, what stood out most were the massive bronze statues of three people. They were so large that Cordelia’s head barely reached the height of the statues’ toes.

Two men and one woman, each holding a brush, pen, and sword respectively, were even more overwhelming up close.

“Who are they?”

“They are the founders of the Academy. The Great Sage Kent, Ilak who was called the God-given Brush, and Skopchi, the beginning and end of the sword.”

“Ah, those people.”

“I’d like to explain more, but we don’t have time. Let’s go to the inn and unpack first.”

“Okay.”

Cordelia obediently followed him towards the inn. The Baron, familiar with the geography, walked straight to the destination without even turning his head once.

Where they stopped was a building with a classic exterior. The surprising thing was that at the entrance, instead of a person, there was a rabbit. The rabbit spoke as naturally as could be.

“Welcome to the Shining Stars. How many in your party?”

“Four.”

“How many rooms do you need?”

“Four.”

“Understood. Please come in.”

Cordelia was internally excited, thinking ‘It’s a talking rabbit, a talking rabbit!’ but tried to maintain her composure.

Four keys fell from the air onto the Baron’s palm. As the Baron approached the door, it opened automatically.

The group followed him in one by one. Just as Cordelia and Lottie were about to enter the inn, the rabbit spoke.

“I’m sorry, but animals are not allowed.”

“Huh? But…”

She was about to say, ‘But you’re an animal too,’ when the Baron, waiting at the doorway, silently took out a 10 linkit coin from his pocket and flicked it.

The rabbit opened its mouth wide and swallowed it. Then, with a bright smile, it said,

“Please come in. The Shining Stars has comfortable cushions and special food prepared for guests’ pets.”

The sudden change in attitude made her laugh involuntarily. The others seemed used to it and said nothing.

The interior was luxurious, but compared to the talking rabbit, it was rather ordinary. The group unpacked in their respective rooms and met again in the dining room on the first floor.

“Listen carefully. Once you enter Lopel, try not to talk to others and go straight to the research lab.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“Even if bored old men come flocking and pry, just ignore them.”

“Is that okay?”

“My disciple can do that.”

It seemed like advice that would have a terrible impact on social skills, but Cordelia, unfamiliar with mage society, just accepted it.

“You’ve got the lab key, right?”

“Yes.”

“And when you meet Maximilian.”

“Should I run away?”

“If you’ve already met him, you can’t run. Just don’t die and come back. As long as you’re alive, I’ll save you.”

“…Is that supposed to be advice?”

She thought about refusing to go even now, but seeing Leonard’s resolute gaze, Cordelia secretly sighed.

“I’ll show you the way to the Lopel Magic Association.”

“Huh? Why? Can’t we go together to the entrance?”

“In Wilas, Maximilian’s eyes are everywhere. It’s better not to be noticed as much as possible.”

“And take this.”

Leonard took a ring out of his pocket and handed it to Cordelia. It looked rough at first glance, but the red gem set in the center shone brilliantly.

“What’s this ring for?”

“It’s a ring with protective magic. It will save your life once.”

“If you’re giving it to me, why not give me ten? I happen to have ten fingers.”

“Stop talking and just put it on, will you?”

“Haha. Even this one ring is precious enough to buy a castle.”

At the Baron’s words, Cordelia quickly put on the ring Leonard had given her. She also listened carefully to Leonard’s advice-like nagging and the Baron’s explanations.

Now all preparations were complete.

“I’ll be going then.”

With a solemn face, Cordelia left the Shining Stars.