At this moment, Fikat's expression remained unchanged, but his teeth were audibly grinding in private.
In reality, Karl had already made up his mind; he was merely feigning contemplation and deliberation.
Otherwise, if he had agreed too readily, given the other party's nearly five centuries of experience, he might have become suspicious, perhaps wondering if Karl had some ulterior motive.
"Hmm, I am willing to become your disciple." Karl took a deep breath, gave his answer, and bowed ninety degrees to Henry as a sign of respect.
He believed this was sufficient to express respect, and there was no need for a kowtow, especially since this was the West.
Kowtowing was typically used between a superior and a servant where the status difference was immense; a mere teacher-disciple relationship did not warrant it.
"Good! From now on, you are my disciple, Henry Gedymedde."
Henry's face could not hide his excitement; he smiled, stepped forward, and, placing his hands on Karl's shoulders, helped him up.
He had finally found a gifted disciple before his own life ran out.
Perhaps in the future, Karl could take his place and support the entire Brotherhood.
As for why he feared the Brotherhood would fall apart after his death, despite its many members...
The reason was simple: the current Brotherhood had long since degenerated, no longer the pure collective solely dedicated to exploring magic and acquiring more knowledge.
Most of the sorcerers within it were obsessed with power, money, and other pursuits, with unclear allegiances.
Some had even secretly sided with the King, playing the role of double agents.
Under these circumstances, only he and Tissaia were able to suppress those with ulterior motives.
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They had lived from the Golden Age until now, and their strength was overwhelmingly superior to that of other sorcerers, but they would eventually die due to the limits of their lifespan.
He had once considered a major purge of the Brotherhood, eliminating those disloyal sorcerers.
However, they were already deeply entrenched and continuously influencing other sorcerers, and he had to consider the numerous consequences of purging a large number of sorcerers.
Ultimately, he chose not to act, and his current ailing body was also insufficient to sustain him in intense combat… "Karl, when do you plan to come with me to the Academy?" Henry stroked his beard and asked softly.
"Teacher, I need to participate in the Martial Arts Tournament in a few days, and I have quite a few matters to handle, so I'm afraid I won't be able to study for a while." Karl looked slightly awkward, his lips twitching.
"Oh? You are a noble? Are the matters you mentioned troublesome?" Henry's eyes flickered as he asked again.
Henry's implication was that if Karl had any difficulties, he could certainly tell him.
"I can handle it for now, Teacher, but if it becomes truly difficult, I will seek your help."
Henry nodded and did not press further; he raised his hand and drew a few strokes in the air.
Azure magic quickly gathered to form a rune, which then attached itself to Karl's hand and disappeared.
"This is a small spell; it can detect who is casting magic on you, and it also has a positioning function, making it easier for me to find you." Henry slowly explained, meeting Karl's puzzled gaze.
"I came out in a hurry this time and didn't bring any extra magical artifacts. I will give you a few then, to prevent you from being unable to escape if you encounter hostile sorcerers."
Karl merely nodded slightly, while Fikat, hearing this, widened his eyes and nearly choked on his saliva.
Magical artifacts, these expensive and incredibly rare items, he couldn't even scrounge up two of them on his entire person, yet Henry intended to give Karl several right away.
One could only say, as expected of Henry… as a sorcerer who had survived from the Golden Age.
His magical attainments and wealth were far beyond what he could imagine.
"Boom!" An orange portal suddenly appeared, and Triss and Fikat both turned to look at it.
They both thought it was Keira teleporting over, as Henry in front of them had made no movement.
"Also, I do not wish for what happened today to be known by a third person."
Henry approached the portal, looked back at Triss and Fikat, his gaze lingering longest on Fikat.
"I understand, Dean." Fikat forced a smile onto his gloomy face and nodded repeatedly.
He was the only outsider; Triss was clearly familiar with Karl, and it was likely Triss who had reported him to the Brotherhood.
Then, Henry gave Karl a slight nod, and his figure entered the portal, disappearing with it.
Fikat and Triss were momentarily stunned, immediately realizing that Henry had opened the portal, and it was not Keira who had teleported over.
However, after only a few minutes of contact, Henry's displayed magical prowess was far beyond what they could ever achieve, truly an eye-opener for both of them.
In the past, which sorcerer they had seen didn't need to make gestures or chant incantations when casting spells?
But Henry needed neither; he could cast spells merely by thought, and even his magical fluctuations were imperceptible.
This meant that if Henry had hostile intentions towards them, they wouldn't even know how they died.
"I apologize, Triss, I was prejudiced and misunderstood you in this matter. I sincerely apologize to you." Fikat took a deep breath and said, lowering his head slightly.
"Of course it was a misunderstanding; you know the reason now." Triss glanced at him with a half-smile and waved her hand magnanimously.
Fikat hadn't expected things to take such a sudden turn; if he had known the situation, he wouldn't have come to the scene.
Not only did he fail to grasp any leverage, but he also received a reprimand from Henry.
After this incident, his evaluation in Henry's eyes would probably plummet to rock bottom.
What was fortunate was that he had unexpectedly learned Karl's identity.
Not only could he avoid offending the other party, but he could also become an ally with them, which was an advantage other sorcerers did not have.
As for his previous antagonism with Keira, and Keira being good friends with Triss, so what?
Compared to the clear path to promotion and a series of benefits before him, he knew what was more important.
Those were merely minor grievances, completely not worth mentioning, and furthermore, Henry had already stated that he didn't want a third person to know.
Even if Triss and Keira were good friends, she couldn't tell her.
Who knew when Keira might anger Karl for some reason?
And he wouldn't even need to find evidence to achieve the effect of killing with a borrowed knife.
Thinking this, Fikat's lips couldn't help but curl upwards, and the frustration he had felt from Keira's earlier retorts quickly dissipated.
As soon as Triss and Karl returned to the laboratory, Keira found them alone.
She put her hands on her hips, glanced at Triss, and said irritably, "Triss, what exactly are you doing?"
"Your consecutive spells without a justifiable reason have already caused Fikat's displeasure."
"Abusing magic for unknown purposes is enough for him to report you to the Sorcerers' Council for a reprimand."
"Don't worry, Fikat already knows the reason, and he won't do as you say."
Triss walked up to her, placed her hands lightly on Keira's shoulders, and said with a smile.
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