['Yuxia (★★★★)' has obtained the skill, 'Telekinesis'!]
"I did it!"
Yuxia exclaimed excitedly.
Vallerynne and Matrias stared at him with widened eyes and gaping mouth.
I, myself, stared at the elementalist proudly.
"You seem to have got all your variables down. As well as the Ten Great Formulas. You are ready, Yuxia."
The eastern man jerked his eyes to me.
"I-I'll get to visit the trials now?!"
I shook my head promptly.
"Telekinesis is very useful in battle as you must have seen from the Quintal Trial records. But it's not quite enough. I simply meant that you are ready to move on with your lesson."
"You mean I can start practicing my elemental spells?"
I nodded to him.
"You'll begin with the fire element, your most skilled form of magic. Go to the library and immediately study the formulas for the First and Second Circle spells. Once you can cast them instantly or at least under ten seconds, I'll tell master to include you into Party 2. You'll start visiting the trials then."
"In that case, I better go find Sharine and ask her for the books."
Yuxia said before he rushed off, exiting the magic training hall.
Vallerynne and Matrias stared him go with upset gazes. Impatient gazes.
"Can't I start my enchantment lesson already? I think I'll do much better practicing enchantment spells rather than these Barrachian exercises."
The cream-haired girl said exasperatedly to me.
The disheveled middle-aged man nodded strongly to her words.
"I'm confident I'll be able to show better progress practicing lightning magic. I just can't wrap my head around all these complex equations."
I stomped my foot hard on the floor. The two flinched at the sound.
"Absolutely not! If I let you advance to your branch of sorcery without fully comprehending the basic knowledge, you'll eventually be relying on your instinctive method again. It'll all be for nothing in the end."
The two wildlings sighed and stared at their lumps of failed clay.
I could smell hopelessness and despair from the pair.
The looks of their eyes told me they were skeptical their proper training would amount to anything. Whether they would be a much better mage in the end than they were before.
I knew because I had seen many such eyes back in the magic academy. Most of them dropped out soon after.
Perhaps I had to offer them some motivation.
Yes. A good instructor should inspire her pupils.
"Aside from the three of you, I also know of another wildling. Well…knew."
Vallerynne and Matrias raised their eyebrows upon my words.
"Who was it?"
"What happened to them?"
They asked.
"His name was Harabon Sesa. A son to a poor housewife and a small town guard."
I began.
"Harabon's father died when he just learned how to walk and speak. A dangerous bandit group plundered his hometown, you see. Their region was quite remote and it had been years since the imperial army patrolled there.
"Incidentally, during the plundering, after most of the able men were killed, the bandits began to gather all the women in the town. This bandit group was known the most for human trafficking instead of looting.
"The bandits eventually caught Harabon's mother and dragged her to the square with the other women. Harabon was already hiding somewhere near with the other children and the elderly by then.
"When the women started screaming from pain, Harabon recognized his mother's voice among them. Concerned of his mother, the little boy slipped out of the hideout and ran to the square.
"Harabon did not know what the bandits were doing to the women, but he knew the women did not like it. His mother surely did not.
"The boy became very angry and suddenly all the bandits were thrown away from the women by invisible forces. Out of nowhere, fire emerged and devoured each of the bandit. From a cloudless sky, lightning descended and blasted the burning criminals into chunks of charred flesh.
"The remaining bandits that were looting around the town hurried to the square when they heard the chaos. Harabon simply looked at them and told the rest of the bandits to leave through the town's gate and keep walking as far away as they can go.
"To the townsfolks' bewilderment and the bandits', the criminals did as Harabon said. Like puppets all the surviving bandits steadily walked through the gate and kept on walking till their feet blistered and bleed.
"Coincidentally, the Great Katcha Lake was one-day distance away from the gate. Compelled by Harabon's words to keep walking away from the town, the surviving bandits walked straight into the lake and drowned themselves in the process."
The two wildlings were gaping upon my tale.
"Telekinesis, fire and lightning elemental magic. Unbelievable!"
Matrias uttered under his breath.
"Not just those. The boy used a mind-control spell as well. Compulsion magic!"
Vallerynne added amazedly.
I nodded to them.
"The first time a mage unlocks their mana vessel they would usually perform overwhelming feat of magic. Harabon certainly did in a rare grander scale. And because of the proof of his potential, Harabon took the duty upon himself to protect his hometown.
"More bandit groups tried to plunder the town over the years, but the wildling Harabon repelled them away. He had developed his magic on his own. Forced to develop it on his own.
"But all Harabon could do was casting Second Circle spells. Only thrice in a day. Also, ever since he first opened his mana vessel, Harabon could only enchant five people at a time with his Compulsion magic. For less than ten seconds too. And it would make him faint right after.
"No matter what Harabon did, he could not make his spells stronger and durable. He could never perform even a quarter of the might he showed when his mother was assaulted."
The two wildlings muttered something under their breath.
It was somewhere along the line of, "His growth stunted. Like me."
I continued.
"Thankfully, the bandits would only bring a handful of people to raid the town. Enough for Harabon to send them away with the meager ability he possessed.
"But Harabon knew the time will come when the bandit would bring an army and his magic would not be enough to save his people.
"Fortunately for Harabon and his town, the tale of Harabon's prowess reached the ears of a certain baroness. The old noble lady then visited Harabon's hometown and met the boy who just turned 11 years old at the time.
"Being the head of her House, the old noble lady promised Harabon that her capable two hundred-strong knights would stay and protect the boy's hometown until they died. In return, Harabon would be adopted into the noble lady's family and leave with her.
"Harabon was a wise boy and he knew he did not have any other choice. The future of his hometown was at stake and he figured out he could contribute better if he were to become a noble. Even if it meant leaving his mother.
"Harabon accepted the offer and he was then adopted into the Elgar Household of the Taga region.
"All of Baroness Elgar's biological children and grandchildren had tragically died in a gruesome monster incident, leaving the old lady with no heir.
"Since she also did not have any sibling or close relatives, it might mean relinquishing the Elgar title and estate to a stranger noble family with barely a tie to the Elgars. She did not want that from happening.
"So she intended to raise a talented mage like Harabon to be her successor. If he grew up to be a great mage, Harabon could provide immense glory to the Elgar Household and the Elgar Household only.
"Sparing no coin in her coffers, the baroness enrolled Harabon to a prestigious magic academy in the imperial capital. There the wildling boy was forced to forget everything he knew about magic-casting and relearn everything about sorcery from scratch."
I paused in the middle of the story.
Vallerynne and Matrias could not help but to ask at the same time.
"What happened to him after that?"
"Did he succeed?"
I smiled and nodded my head.
"Harabon excelled. Once he got rid of his wildling habit, Harabon began to improve at rapid pace.
"In two years, he managed to become as strong as he was back when he opened his mana vessel for the first time. Learning Fourth and Fifth Circle spells when the peers of his age was still learning the Barrachian Index and the Ten Great Formulas.
"In another two years, he was immediately accepted as Junior Apprentice in the Tower of Circle. In another six years, he was promoted into Senior Apprentice. In another eight years, he was appointed as a High Mage. And in another ten years, he was granted the title 'Councilor of the Tower.'
"With the Councilor title, Harabon left the Tower and founded a magic academy in the Taga region. The sixth in the entire world. And one of the best three, if I might add."
The two wildlings suddenly frowned and bent their head slightly, wondering.
"Serafina, didn't you say your magic academy was in Orlion?"
"If I remember correctly, Orlion was in the Taga region."
My smile grew wider and I nodded to them once again.
"The Fadrin Academy of Magic. Named in the honor of the founder's birth mother, Fadrin Sesa.
"I was blessed enough to be enrolled in such prestigious school under the direct tutelage of its incredible founder and headmaster.
"The former wildling, Baron Harabon Elgar."
The two mages in front of me gaped their mouth wider than ever.
The two suddenly clenched their fists. Determination was fueling them this time.
"If I learn properly, I'll get to be as strong as your headmaster?!"
"I can truly become much better than I am now?!"
They asked eagerly.
I nodded to them.
"The very fact that you are wildlings means that each of you has great aptitude in sorcery. You have great potential in you to become very capable mages.
"Since you managed to develop your magic on your own without dying is proof of that talent.
"But you need to utilize your talent where it counts. Use your magical instinct to matters of sorcery that actually requires unconventional minds."
I stretched my hands to them and spoke again in inviting tone.
"Trust in my lesson and training. I promise that I will guide you to become someone like Councilor Elgar…and perhaps someone greater."