Count Grant's injured arm did nothing to diminish his authority over House Grant. Eating with his left hand felt awkward, yet he remained composed as he chewed on a slice of enchanted maned deer meat, dipped in rare caviar imported from the far south. The low-tier magical beast's meat was cooked rare—beads of blood oozed from its tender fibers. It was a taste Count Grant relished, and his younger son Thorin had inherited the preference.
Kai took a bite too. He didn't particularly enjoy undercooked meat, but he didn't mind it either. Count Grant ate heartily and quickly; by the time Kai lifted his final cup of rinsing juice, the count had swallowed his last piece of steak. The count disliked juice—he preferred a rich, energy-dense sweet soup to end his meals.
As a maid served him a bowl of creamy white soup, the count tapped his plate with a silver fork, drawing everyone's attention to the table.
"In two days, I'll lead Grant Territory's army to the western front," he announced. "Thorin, you'll come with me. As for you, Kai…" He paused, considering.
"My experiments are at a critical stage—especially after today's major breakthrough," Kai replied calmly. At first, he'd resented the count for interrupting his work, but seeing his father injured—and realizing the accident had provided new experimental data—had softened his irritation.
The count nodded. "Then stay at the castle. I'll leave John here; tell him directly if you need anything." This was the real reason he'd dragged Kai from his lab. The war with the Orc Empire would soon reach the Lycia Alliance, and no one knew how long it would last. If it dragged on for years, their father-son meetings might become rare.
Count Grant had initially wanted Kai to join him at the front. Magicians served in large numbers in such wars, mostly low or mid-tier apprentices—senior apprentices like Kai were rare treasures, heavily protected by their legions. Quasi-mages and quasi-knights like Grant rarely fought directly; they mostly took command roles, though they might intervene in emergencies.
Yet the count valued Kai's wishes above all. Knights needed battle and bloodshed to push their limits, but mages grew stronger through research in labs—refining their mental power and elevating their life force. If Kai's experiments were truly critical, there was no need for him to endure the chaos of the front lines. He wasn't even a registered mage in the Lycian military; there was no obligation to fight, and the army had never provided him with resources. Everything he'd used lately had come from his own funds or the count's.
With Kai's plans settled, the count turned to another matter: Kai's mother's family. He was a straightforward man, and he wasted no words—not even at the dinner table.
Kai's mother, Catherine, had belonged to the Feren family—a barony in south-central Lycia, with borders adjacent to Grant Territory. Once a prominent mage clan that had produced Tier 1 mages, the Ferens had declined over the past few centuries. Their title had fallen to baron, and their lands were a fraction of House Grant's size. Still, they retained prestige: among Lycia's baronies, they ranked highly, with several capable magic apprentices—including a quasi-mage, their strongest member. It was why House Grant had approved Count Grant's marriage to Catherine all those years ago.
Through the count, Kai learned that Catherine had been a magic apprentice too—though not a talented one. By the time she died, she'd only reached low-tier apprentice, mastering non-combat water and light magic. After her death and the count's remarriage, ties between House Grant and the Ferens had faded. Catherine's father—Kai's grandfather—was still alive, but he was an ordinary man with little influence.
The count's next words were a warning: Kai's grandfather and the Ferens would soon visit the castle. They'd heard rumors of Kai's senior apprentice status, and that was the real reason for their visit. Recognizing Kai as family was one goal; the other was to leverage his talent to boost the Feren family's standing in Lycia. They hadn't mentioned specific favors yet—Kai bore the Grant name, not Feren, and Catherine's branch of the Ferens had never produced exceptional mages. With Catherine gone, her father's influence in the family had dwindled further.
After explaining the Feren family's situation, the count hesitated, then looked Kai in the eye. "I haven't told anyone about your Tier 2 mage mentor, or your place at the Green Source Holy Tower. I want you to keep that to yourself when your grandfather arrives. I was close to your mother and her family, but the Ferens are far more complicated than House Grant. The current leaders are from other branches. I don't want them to hold you back. Do you understand?"
Kai nodded silently, pondering the word "hold back."
Two days later, at dawn, Count Grant led his soldiers out of the castle. Thorin went with him; Kai and Lady Thea saw them off. Over the past two months, Lady Thea had never troubled Kai. They crossed paths only at meals, and their conflict seemed to have ended with her apology at that dinner.
With the count gone, Kai's life returned to normal—though he knew he needed to prepare for the Green Source Holy Tower. He planned to leave once he'd masteredEye of the Sun, the high-tier spell he'd been researching. He wondered if the war would have ended by then, and if his father would have returned.
Three days after the count's departure, a noble caravan from the south arrived at the castle. Most of the Feren family's men were heading to the front to answer the war call, so only two visitors entered the castle. Lady Thea greeted them first, then sent word to Kai, who rushed from his lab in the castle's depths to the reception hall.
One visitor was Kai's grandfather; the other was Zeratul, a quasi-mage and the Feren family's current leader—senior even to Kai's grandfather.
Kai's grandfather was seventy, but years of comfortable noble life had kept him energetic. His white hair framed a face that bore a faint resemblance to Kai's. Zeratul, nearly ninety, was the strongest mage in the Feren family. Though Kai had no detection magic, he could tell Zeratul was a weak quasi-mage—similar to his senior brother Phil, but without Phil's alchemical skills or magical artifacts. It seemed unlikely Zeratul would ever advance to formal mage. Still, quasi-mages could live over a century with potions; Domwal, the quasi-mage Kai had met earlier, was over 120. There was still a slim chance.
Both elders were warm, though their enthusiasm was tempered by the fact that this was their first meeting. Kai's grandfather did most of the talking, his stories meandering: he spoke of Catherine, asked about Kai's years away, lamented the early deaths of his two daughters, and praised Kai for becoming a senior apprentice—and his twelve-year-old granddaughter Selena, a low-tier apprentice. Selena, the daughter of Kai's late aunt, was the only promising mage in his branch of the Ferens. At twelve, a low-tier apprentice was considered a prodigy in the harsh Dark Magic Academy, but advancement grew far harder at higher ranks.
Zeratul had become a senior apprentice at forty and a quasi-mage at seventy. He wasn't sure if he'd ever reach formal mage status—a breakthrough that could restore the Feren family's glory.
Their visit was short. Zeratul subtly asked if Kai had a mentor, but Kai, remembering the count's warning, gave no direct answer. It was a reminder that noble relationships were rooted in interests. Since Kai offered no tangible benefits, Zeratul never mentioned supporting him. "Genius" and "potential" meant nothing without mana crystals to back them up. The Ferens, a thousand-year-old clan, had seen plenty of twenty-something senior apprentices—most never advanced beyond that. If formal mages were easy to produce, the family would never have declined.
Zeratul was clearly pragmatic, but Kai's grandfather showed genuine affection for Kai and Catherine. Before leaving, he asked Kai to visit the Feren family someday, to pay respects to his grandmother's grave, and to mentor Selena if he could. Selena was his only hope now; he'd wanted to bring her, but she was studying with a family tutor.
Kai's grandfather visited Catherine's tomb in the castle's cemetery before leaving. Kai had been there before—it was a grand yet serene place, where generations of Grants and their loved ones were buried. A silver lime tree, planted by Count Grant himself, stood behind Catherine's tomb, its white flowers in full bloom.
After the Ferens left, Kai returned to his experiments. Explosions still rocked the castle occasionally, but he was growing closer to masteringEye of the Sun.
" Why does the young master lock himself in his tower all day?" a maid whispered outside Kai's new tower. "He never hosts feasts like other nobles, or goes hunting like the second young master. And those dangerous experiments—little Lisa couldn't sleep for days after the last explosion!"
The count had spared no expense rebuilding Kai's tower after the previous one was destroyed. Completed in just half a month, it was thicker and sturdier than before, tucked away behind the main castle to avoid harming others if accidents occurred.
Kai hated interruptions during experiments, so even his maids left the tower once he began working. Over time, the maids—all teenagers, chosen for their purity—had learned he was easy to get along with, even if he shared the count's quiet aura. They gossiped freely, confident he wouldn't overhear, and Lady Thea never visited. Serving Kai had become a coveted job: easy, respectable, and with the faint hope of catching his eye. For common-born maids, being favored by a noble—even without marriage—would transform their lives and their families' fortunes.
Yet Kai showed no interest. After his encounter with Mary, the mid-tier apprentice in Pete City, he'd lost desire for ordinary women. Mary had at least shared his background as a mage; the maids had nothing to talk to him about. His urges were mild, and he'd never been one to chase pleasure recklessly.
A loudboomechoed from the tower, making the maids gasp. They felt only the terror of magic and explosions, unaware this blast was different from the others.
Deep inside the tower, Kai stared at a beam of golden light under the glow of a blazing crystal lamp. The light, filtered through a dozen translucent lenses, converged into a thin line on his lab table—rich with fire element, and a hint of light element.
" SoEye of the Sunis technically a high-tier fire-light dual-element spell," he murmured. "It's classified as fire magic only because light element makes up so little of it. What if I increase the light element ratio…?"
Excitement at uncovering a truth warred with hesitation. Modifying magic was risky for an apprentice. He'd once created an enhanced Lesser Fireball as a low-tier apprentice, but that had merely required more mana—and Lena's guidance. ReworkingEye of the Sunwould demand far more knowledge, effort, and danger. Without the earth-element shield his mentor had left him, the past months of accidents would have left him bedridden for half a year. Research in a lab was often as perilous as battle; one mistake could blow up the tower—and Kai with it.
Finally, reason prevailed. "I'll master the originalEye of the Sunfirst," he decided. "I'll wait until I have more knowledge—especially about light magic—before trying to modify it. Apart from the cantripLight, the only light magic I know isMagic Light Bullet, a low-tier spell from my mother's relics."
Magic Light Bulletwas weaker thanLesser Fireball, though it had advanced versions. Kai had learned it because it was his mother's, and because he had an affinity for light element—but he rarely used it.
With the core secrets ofEye of the Sununcovered, Kai's progress accelerated. Explosions in the tower grew less frequent.
Then winter came.
It was Kai's first snow since leaving the Underdark. Count Grant had told him he'd been born during a winter blizzard—meaning Kai was now twenty-six. He stood at the tower's top-floor window, watching the snow blanket the world, and wondered how Lena was faring.
The snow slowed the war on the front lines. The count had sent word last week that he and Thorin would return to the territory soon.
" Coo!"
Qi, Kai's quasi-magical beast owl, landed on the windowsill, shaking snow from its feathers. It had been out exploring.
" Where did you wander today?" Kai asked casually.