The prestigious Wissenia Academy of Magic, the place where I'm currently being "coerced" into teaching. Also known across most of Elmund[1] as the Jewel of the Aurora, and not without reason. It's said that the very Greater Celeste[2] of Magic — Grutok himself — was its founder. There's no concrete proof of that, of course. What is certain, however, is that the academy is the "mother" of three of the ten most powerful magic users alive today.
The most unbelievable part that people don't believe when heard is that one of those three happens to be my master.Gran-Weise Virgil Liadon, who, incidentally, is the reason I've been forced into the saddest job imaginable for a person like me: becoming a "little" teacher…
"And why are you doing this, Locke?" some might ask. Well… I may have accumulated a bit of a debt during my final graduation test.
Basically, we received a request for aid from the emperor of an eastern land called Nozomi. Upon investigation, we discovered that the shogun was a demon — or, as they call it in their dialect, an oni — though that, surprisingly, wasn't even the real problem. With the help of four heroes native to those lands — whom I could talk about here, but that's a story deserving of an entire book on its own — we managed to contain him.
The real trouble began afterward, when we went to celebrate the liberation of those lands in the city of Shimabara, where… well, some things happened.
Things I wasn't directly responsible for, of course.
(He totally was.)
I mean, it was an unfortunate chain of events in which I made perfectly reasonable and rational decisions under completely unfair circumstances.
(Betting all the money we had on a fake artifact and losing, flirting with the emperor's daughter and getting caught by a guard, accidentally destroying the city's commercial district while fleeing to avoid execution, and so on…)
The result was that my ass was saved by Virgil back then, which ultimately dragged me away from my ideal lifestyle — raiding tombs, hunting rare items, and avoiding all forms of responsibility — and into a quiet, dull existence as a lowly professor in the frozen lands of the Aurora-Küste, in northern Elmund.
An absolute waste of my talents as a treasure hunter.
(Which talents?)
The world is clearly losing out while I'm stuck living this mediocre life.
(It isn't. In fact, it's grateful.)
Now, I'll admit that "replace me as a professor" was a request that genuinely caught me off guard. What really surprised me, though, was the fact that he even remembered that debt. I mean, that all happened thirty years ago.
Out of everything he could have asked of me to settle the score, this was definitely not something I would have put on the list. Virgil loves being a professor, and it would take something extraordinary to pull him away from his post — especially considering how long he's already been gone.
To explain briefly, we used to meet from time to time for drinks — Virgil, Shadow (who also took part in the Nozomi trial), and me — at the Taberna del Bardo, south of the Orla della Spada.
At our last meeting, a little over four years ago, he seemed distant. He wasn't particularly interested in conversation, nor in the magical treasures I'd found on my latest adventure. Three months passed after that, and that's when I started to understand what had happened.
One morning, I noticed a letter being delivered to me by an owl whose owner I could recognize from miles away. When I took it, I realized it was a contract letter, which was already a problem in itself — since the moment the recipient holds it, they're required to respond within a time limit determined by the number of words written in the letter. Failing to do so results in the letter automatically sending a refusal back to the sender.And of course, the response window was short. To make matters worse, he didn't bother explaining anything.
The letter simply said:"I'm going after information regarding the Omega Tome. Since you owe me one, take my place until I return. I've already informed the Academy."After that, he vanished—and no one has seen him since.
I'll be honest: my first instinct was definitely to say no. But he didn't exactly give me much of a choice. And besides, when a request comes directly from Master Virgil, it's hard to refuse — especially given the urgency conveyed in that letter. — What truly intrigues me is just how valuable the Omega Tome must be for him to abandon his post and entrust it to me of all people.
(In truth, Locke was afraid there might be some kind of curse that would activate if he refused.)
I did feel like going after him after that. I wanted clear answers about what was really going on. But abandoning the academy — and everything he entrusted to me — would've been reckless. Not to mention that finding him wouldn't be easy; he can hide better on a sunny day than any treasure buried in a trap-filled cave.
In the end, there's no use crying over spilled milk. For now, there isn't much I can do besides wait. At least things are about to get more interesting, since Headmistress Abigail has assigned me the guardianship of this year's new "prodigies" in the first-tier class.Naturally, this came after she recognized my outstanding dedication and flawless performance during my four years as a professor.
Now, the greatest treasure hunter this world has ever seen
(Or a half-baked thief, depending on who you ask.)
will finally showcase all the magical skills he's gathered and refined over fifty years of adventures and battles.
Of course, before I forget to give credit where it's due, Shadow also helped. He was in charge of verifying the information we received about the boys and their abilities. And yes… it was as accurate as a blowgun dart hitting a fly.
Apparently, the boys' names are Adeux, Benu, and Eldrin.
From what we've gathered, Adeux lives in a cluster of underground caverns near the ruins of Chainmon — a place I've explored before — which should make things easier.It'll be simpler to start there.
I suppose Shadow can be useful every now and then. Next time I see him, I'll buy him a drink. He has a bit of a self-esteem issue from being constantly compared to me whenever we're together.
(It's true. We just need to swap the roles.)
Anyway, I just hope those three aren't the annoying, whiny, overly nerdy type…
May Grutok help me on this journey.
[1] The world's name, just as the name "Earth" refers to ours.
[2] A title given to divine beings, in other places they are known as gods, immortals, among others... but in most places they are called "Celeste". And among the Celestes beings there is a rank, where those called "Greater" are the highest known level.