An Offer That Cannot Be Refused

Chapter 5 An Offer That Cannot Be Refused

Sebins may not know necromancy, nor can he blow up the city walls with a single bomb, but to the students, the academy's discipline chief is synonymous with terror.

Terror has come knocking on our door today.

Luo Xia judged the rumor that the discipline chief was a retired soldier to be true, because at this moment he was sitting at his desk, his posture was very upright, his back straight, and he was always in a tense state. In his hands was a stack of documents.

"Sir, I didn't expect to see you here."

"Rorschach, right? Please close the door." After Rorschach closed the door, he immediately added, "Please sit down." It was as if this wasn't Rorschach's dormitory, but the discipline chief's office.

"You must be wondering why I came to see you alone. I'm here following the principal's orders." The discipline chief's facial muscles twitched into a smile, which only made him look more menacing.

The principal's will.

Rorschach noted this statement, noting that the highest-ranking officials in the academy were generally referred to as the chairman of the board, since the nominal principal of the school was His Majesty the Emperor, the patron.

"There are no fools in this school, I'll be frank—as His Majesty desires, we have been discovering and recruiting reliable young people with magical talent." Sabins stood up; he was indeed very strong and muscular, his clothes stretched taut by his muscles, blocking half the light from the window.

"Most teachers and students know that I am the Discipline Chief, but I also have another identity: the Director of the Imperial Military Special Forces Defense Agency. Only the Chairman of the Academy and a few professors know about the latter. Oh, and now you too."

"You're trying to recruit me, and now I can't refuse, can I?"

"There's no need to adopt a confrontational stance, Rorschach. I know you. You're clean, your parents farm in a mountain village, you took the magic test with the village chief's sponsorship, and after arriving here, it was His Majesty the Emperor and the Empire that supported your studies. That's good. Cleanliness equals reliability. We need you, the Empire needs you. His Majesty the Emperor needs young people like you."

"Please tell me what you need me to do first."

"You need to continue your studies and delve deeper into magic. You can receive a salary from the defense agency, and we can send your parents twelve Imperial Gold Eagle Coins per month in your name." Twelve Imperial Gold Coins a month—even in the capital, that's enough to live a decent life.

???

This was beyond Rorschach's expectations. Was it the (suspected) BOSS of the intelligence agency who had secretly come to distribute the scholarship fund?

"However, the magic tower for your advanced studies will be designated by our organization—the Star Tower located in the capital of the Holy Kingdom."

The Thirteen Magic Towers are the most prestigious and powerful entities in the magic world. The mages elected by each tower form the Senate of the Magic Guild.

Tower of the First Fire, Tower of the Source Water, Tower of the Atmosphere, Tower of the First Earth.

These are the four elemental towers, the oldest of all. The remaining nine towers each have their own unique characteristics.

The Storm Tower, Thunder Tower, and Forest Tower are places where nature inspires magic.

Proficient in astronomy, exploring the Tower of Space, the Tower of Time, and the Tower of Stars, a place of space and time.

The research focuses on the mysterious and little-known Tower of Light, Tower of Darkness, and Tower of Arcane Arts.

In theory, graduates who become low-level mages are free to apply to these magic towers to join them. But at the Imperial Royal Magic Academy, studying here means bearing a certain mark.

Among the powerful nations of this world, the empire entrenched in the central part of the continent and the island nation of Ishtar are currently on friendly terms, while the Holy Kingdom in the southern part of the continent is both bordering and hostile.

Therefore, graduates here usually choose to pursue further studies at the magic towers within the Empire or the Kingdom of Ishtar. Only a few, or even none, go to the magic towers of the Holy Kingdom each year.

Rorschach guessed that perhaps these special cases, like himself, were selected and designated by the Empire. He could also roughly guess what he would be doing in the Holy Kingdom.

"I can't refuse, but now I at least have no reason to refuse."

"That's great. The chairman will personally write a letter of recommendation for you. You love your parents very much, so it's perfectly normal for you to describe the local customs and culture in the letters you send home after you arrive in the Holy Kingdom."

"My parents are not very literate and need someone to read to them."

"Very good, you understand. But don't go into too much detail about the Tower of Stars or other magical matters. You'll have about a ten-day holiday each year during the Holy Hymn Festival, and you'll need to write a detailed report after you return to the Empire."

The Holy Kingdom, officially the Kingdom of Saint Valois, is a kingdom steeped in religious atmosphere. This is true for most of the region south of the empire. God exists in this world, but divine miracles have long been isolated on land, with only priests and paladins acting as His agents.

The Empire and the surrounding federations to its north have a relaxed religious climate. Humans are either atheistic or pantheistic and have a high tolerance for other intelligent races. Dwarves and other demi-humans can be found within their borders. In the maritime nation of Ishtar, humans and elves live together and worship Ishtar, the god of the sea and storms, who is also the god of water, the ocean, and exploration.

The Holy Kingdom and the southern kingdoms of the continent are shrouded in the radiance of the Supreme God, who is the God of Light and Order, and is worshipped by believers as the creator of the world and its rules, the father of all gods, and the supreme, powerful, omniscient, and omnipotent being.

It must be solemnly declared that the above content is not recognized by the Empire, Ishtar, or other intelligent races. The Holy Kingdom remains a kingdom of pure humanism, and under normal circumstances, it does not allow other intelligent races to reside there permanently. As for the Father of the Gods, the doctrine does not specify which gods are involved; the other gods only feel they have been taken advantage of but are powerless against Him.

"Your file will be transferred from the academy to the military's classified archives. Just wait for further instructions at the academy. Once the Tower of Stars agrees to let you enter, we will set off immediately."

Will the other party refuse to accept it?

The discipline chief gave a much more natural smile than before: "Please trust the organization." After saying that, he finally left the dormitory.

Luo Xia lay on the bed, which was made of coarse hemp material, the kind that apprentices from merchant or noble families would discard upon entering the academy. It couldn't compare to the cotton or silk quilts of his previous life. He remembered that the sheets and blankets at home were also made of hemp, but the academy's were much softer and warmer.

This world has magic, this world is rich, but it is not abundant for most people.

After thinking for a while without any apparent reason, Luo Xia brought up the control panel. He finally had a free hand to verify a very important idea.

[Basic Disintegration (Blue)]

Dissociation (Blue)

If this is a spell composed of a single term, can other terms be broken down to form the same spell?

Fireball (Purple)

Magic Condensation (Purple) / Elemental Conversion (Purple) / Projectile Launch (Purple)

Here are two terms that show significant effects and have high proficiency levels, which can be used for experimentation.

Drag and drop the [Magic Condensation] item into the frame.

He experienced the throbbing pain in his temples again. Not only that, Rorschach was also forced to recall his knowledge about magic, as if a slideshow was playing over his head.

Finally, Rorschach created his second spell.

(End of this chapter)