ALL NOVEL Chapter 9: The Collapse of a Worldview
After witnessing the flames conjured by Professor Moses, Luo Wei's worldview as a staunch materialist began to crumble.
She stared intently at Professor Moses's wand, her mind in turmoil.
Could it be something about the wand itself?
Was there some hidden mechanism inside, or was it filled with some low-ignition chemical fuel?
But she dared not voice these questions aloud.
The people around her, excited by the display of magic, began eagerly waving their own wooden sticks.
Professor Moses returned to her position, allowing them to continue practicing.
Luo Wei gripped her magic wand tightly. Half a minute later, having steeled herself mentally, she once again uttered the incantation.
"Whoosh—"
The fire light flared up again, a small flame dancing at the tip of her wand like a swaying red flower.
Envious glances were cast her way, and Professor Moses looked over as well.
"To grasp the spell so quickly, your magical aptitude is quite impressive," she praised. "With diligent practice, you might become a Magus one day."
"Wow, a Magus!" The eyes of her classmates gradually grew eager as they looked at Luo Wei.
Many magic apprentices spend their entire lives only able to become junior magicians, unable to cross the threshold to become intermediate magicians, let alone ascend to the rank of Magus.
If they could befriend Luo Wei now, wouldn't they have a Magus as a friend in the future?
Noticing the change in everyone's gaze, Luo Wei also realized the reason behind it.
Having read "The Ballad of Aldrich," she knew how revered the position of Magus was. They would become honored guests in royal courts, and commoner Magi would even be directly granted noble titles in certain countries.
They were even above the law, exempt from taxes, and could kill without facing imprisonment.
They only needed to abide by the Magic Covenant, a treaty established by a Holy Magus that all magicians must follow.
Legend had it that Aldrich himself was a Holy Magus who single-handedly drove away the magical beasts from the Western Continent and established new human kingdoms here.
Half of the royal families on the Western Continent claimed to be descendants of Aldrich.
If she could truly become a Magus, the crime of impersonating nobility would pose no threat to her.
A Magus was far more noble than any aristocrat.
In other words, if the original owner hadn't been exposed so quickly, if she could have held on a bit longer until the academy discovered her talent, until she became a Magus, her life would have been completely different.
She didn't have to die, but unfortunately, fate didn't give her time to grow.
A wave of bitterness welled up in Luo Wei's heart, the lingering emotions of this body.
In the end, there was no going back.
She sighed and put away her wand after reciting the spell a few more times.
Because Professor Moses had warned that too much of a good thing could be harmful.
Magic apprentices who had just come into contact with magical power should not use too much in one day, or it would lead to weakness and headaches.
As the first person to successfully cast a spell, Luo Wei was already free to leave class.
Before she left the classroom, a hateful gaze shot towards her from across the room.
It was Vina, glaring at her fiercely, her expression both jealous and resentful.
Luo Wei pretended not to notice and packed up her things to leave the classroom.
Seeing someone dismissed from class, the other students began to grow anxious. Some who couldn't sense the magical elements at all were on the verge of tears.
"Don't worry," Professor Moses finally spoke up, "If some of you can't sense the magical elements, it might be because your constitution isn't suited for fire magic."
"Rest assured, when the time comes, I'll dismiss you all."
Meanwhile, Luo Wei headed to the library once again.
She had become a regular at the library these past few days, checking in every afternoon without fail. Even the old man managing the entrance recognized her now.
"Luo Wei, here to borrow books again?"
"Not borrowing today, just reading here."
Luo Wei went inside and took down several books related to magic. She wanted to learn more about the magic of this world.
The reading area was by the window. When tired of reading, one could look out at the lawn and cypress trees. She quite liked it here.
At three in the afternoon, the sunlight slanted into the room, warming the desk surface.
It wasn't until her stomach growled a few times that she belatedly realized she was hungry.
But thinking of the sticky thick soup and bloody roast meat in the cafeteria, her appetite mysteriously diminished a bit.
She'd better go buy some bread instead. It was cheap and filling.
Luo Wei felt the two silver coins left in her money pouch and made a difficult decision.
One silver coin could be exchanged for a hundred copper coins. Three copper coins could buy a hard baguette, and five copper coins could buy a soft loaf of bread. By this calculation, she could last for quite a while.
But she couldn't keep eating bread every day. She needed to show her face in the academy cafeteria occasionally, ordering a tender steak that noble students loved, which cost forty copper coins for just one serving.
Moreover, her clothes were dirty and needed to be washed by hired help. Hot water in the morning and evening also needed to be delivered to her room. And there was the equestrian class the day after tomorrow, for which she needed to buy a horse...
Life was truly difficult to endure. If Barton didn't come to find her soon, she would really be exposed!
Luo Wei walked towards the school gates, lost in thought.
As she passed through the academy square, a crow suddenly flew out, carrying a gem in its beak, and crashed into her arms.
"Ah, I'm sorry. Are you hurt?" A handsome chestnut-haired young man quickly walked over, his face showing an apologetic expression.
"Is this your crow?" Luo Wei held onto the crow and handed it back to the young man. "Hold it tightly, don't let it escape again."
"Yes, it's mine," the chestnut-haired youth took the crow back. "It's my summoned beast. It just loves these shiny things and often steals the gems from my belt. When I discover it, it flies around everywhere."
"It's alright, just keep a closer eye on it next time."
"I'm truly sorry, miss. How about this gem as compensation for the trouble?" The young man took the gem from the crow's beak and offered it to her.
Luo Wei smiled and refused, "That's not necessary. It didn't cause me any harm."
"You must take it," the young man insisted. "Please accept it, or I'll feel guilty and won't be able to sleep at night."
"Really, there's no need," Luo Wei took a step back. "Your crow is very cute. Please give the gem back to it."
"But..."
"Consider it a gift from me to it," Luo Wei said with a smile, her eyes curving as she looked at the crow. "I received the gem and then gave it to the crow. Is that alright?"
The young man hesitated for a moment, then said gently, "Very well then, kind miss. My name is Kyle Rosetti, and I'm an advanced apprentice in the magic summoning class. May I know your name?"
"So you're a senior student from the advanced division. My name is Luo Wei, and I'm a junior magic apprentice," Luo Wei bowed slightly with an apologetic look. "I have some matters to attend to, senior. Can we chat another time?"
"Of course, we'll talk next time." Kyle politely stepped aside.
Luo Wei smiled apologetically once more and quickly left the square.
She was starving and only wanted to buy a loaf of bread.
Behind her, Kyle's gentle expression slowly faded, revealing a deep coldness in his eyes.
"Useless thing," he squeezed the crow in his hand. "Couldn't even deliver a simple gem."
What a waste of the poison he had prepared all morning.
The crow struggled and cawed twice, its wings flapping forcefully.
Kyle watched its struggle coldly for about ten seconds before loosening his grip. "Go inform Chad that the woman has left the campus. Tell him to kill her outside the school grounds."
The crow cawed twice and flew away as if escaping for its life.