Advent of the Archmage

In the carriage, the merchant started flaunting his knowledge with pride.　

"Hey, did you know? I just came from the South. Geez, that place is really in a mess. The Delonga Kingdom and the Southmoon Kingdom are in the middle of a fierce war, while the Doska Kingdom is filled with members of the Syndicate. The only safe places left are the Leo Kingdom and the Golle Kingdom. To think that such misfortune would befall the Leo Kingdom! How worrisome! My merchant group had to hire 30 mercenaries and also plan our return trip together with other groups before we dared to leave the area."

"Don't say things that I already know. I just want to know about Wavier," another merchant urged. 　　

Link also paid extra attention to this piece of information.

The merchant then said, "Alright. Don't rush me. This is what I've heard. It was rumored that Wavier had rented an apartment in the city and was secretly experimenting with dark magic. However, he was soon discovered by his mentor. Following which, they got into a heated argument, and you know how capable Wavier is in combat. His mentor was killed right on the spot together with the accompanying Magicians. This happened in the crowded downtown area and implicated hundreds of innocent people as well. In essence, this is an extremely serious case. I've heard that King Leo is already preparing to punish the Magician Alliance severely."

Another merchant then nodded in agreement and said, "The Magicians from the Alliance are way too outrageous and arrogant. Weren't there demons in the city just a while ago? What did the Magicians do? They merely said that accidental injuries were inevitable and compensated the victims with their filthy gold coins. This is really infuriating!"

"Alright, let's stop talking. The Easy Cove Higher Magic Academy is just in front. These Magicians have all the means to eavesdrop on our conversation. Let's not let them hear us."

"If it were up to me, I feel that Magicians should not even exist in this world. They are all monsters! God knows what they do in secret! They might even be scheming to destroy the world for all we know," another merchant muttered under his breath before falling silent.　　

Upon hearing these words, Link sighed. This was the image of Magicians in the eyes of the ordinary citizen. They respected Magicians but at the same time, also feared them and treated them with suspicion and wariness.

Naturally, these were just the prejudices of the ignorant. There were still many wise and insightful people in the World of Firuman that recognized the value of Magicians. Hence, Link was not that surprised or even disgusted. He was, however, shocked at the fall of Wavier.

In the game, Wavier was the most brilliant Magician in the South. However, he gradually lost his shine and intellect until he finally became a nameless, ordinary Magician.

Even when the world's Mana concentration increased by leaps and bounds in the later versions of the game, he still only managed to become a Level-9 Magician. This carried on despite many of his peers being able to attain the Legendary rank. He was never able to achieve that breakthrough.

Link had met him a few times. His impression of Wavier was that he was an honest, decent and extremely hardworking person. In the late game, he even became obstinate and was unwilling to accept any new forms of magic or thinking.

He also had an extremely significant feature in the early-mid game, which was complete respect and adherence towards his mentor.

Some players hence dubbed him as "the genius who never grew up."　

However, to think that he would personally kill his mentor and even all the accompanying Magicians was horrific. From the information he heard, Wavier even disregarded the lives of innocent citizens in the downtown area. What happened? 　　

An ominous foreboding rose in Link's heart. Is the tiger out of the cage and ready to step back into the forest?

There was no doubt that Wavier was a genius. When Link headed south to rescue Celine previously, he had gotten a glimpse of Wavier's strength. Wavier was probably the only Magician in the alliance that made him feel slightly pressured.　　

If such a genius were to lose his shackles and unleash his insanity on the world, the level of destruction he would cause would be terrifying. This news made Link feel extremely uneasy.

At this moment, the coachman's voice rang, "Hey, young lad. We have reached the academy."

Link was drawn out from his thoughts and jumped out of the carriage before saying, "Thank you."

The coachman then gave a hearty smile and said, "Get going. Don't listen to the nonsense the two guys inside were saying. We have no clue about what is happening in the South. However, our own Magicians from the East Cove Higher Magic Academy are still fantastic. They would never do such immoral things. If you can enter the academy, please study hard."　

He then waved goodbye to Link, and with a swing of his whip, the carriage started moving towards River Cove Town amidst the trotting sounds of hooves hitting the ground.　　　　

Link's mood was suddenly lifted.

He then turned and walked towards the academy. Since he was already here, there was no reason to conceal his identity any further. With a thought, his body was enveloped in a crimson glow. By the time this brilliance faded, he could be seen donning the Flame Controller's robe. 　

The gatekeeper Vincent saw him from a distance away and bowed from afar.

Link then nodded before walking into the East Cove Higher Magic Academy.

After stepping through the entrance, Link stopped in his tracks to admire the view of the academy.　　　　

From this angle, he could see that the ruins and destruction caused by Demon Tarviss had already been cleared. At the spot where the Heaven's Thorn once lay, a new Mage Tower was being built. The same went for all the other Mage Towers that were destroyed during the catastrophe. All of them seemed to be getting an upgrade and looked more majestic than before.

The reconstruction speed seems fast. King Leon is exceptionally generous this time, Link thought in glee.　

The East Cove Higher Magic Academy was akin to the magic hub of the Norton Kingdom. It was incidentally also the place where Link achieved his greatest accomplishments in magic till this date. King Leon naturally had to give something in return when Link had generously offered him the anti-magic soil on his territory. East Cove Higher Magic Academy hence benefited greatly from this deal.　　　

Link felt excited and inspired by the positivity in the academy and walked forward with big, confident strides.

He was already a well-known figure in the academy. When he walked into the plaza, Magicians around the area would bow in respect and stay in that posture until he walked past them.

After a while, Link saw a familiar figure. Upon closer inspection, he realized that it was Dean Anthony's disciple, the poet Selasse. Link was just about to find the dean and shouted, "Hey, Selasse, wait for me."

Selasse was elated to see Link the moment he turned around and said, "It is an honor to see you. What is the aim of your visit today?"

Link's mission to the North was kept a secret. There were only a few people in the kingdom who knew about his actions. Selasse was only informed of his territory development plans which explained his question.

"I was free today and wanted to see the dean. Is he in the academy right now?"　

"Ha, you have found the right person. I'll bring you there," Selasse warmly invited Link to follow him.

He led the way as Link followed behind. The two of them walked past the Mage Towers of the academy and finally stopped at Bryant's Inspiration Courtyard.

The courtyard felt slightly different from before. There were no Magician's Apprentices walking around, and there were even the Kingsguards stationed around the area. From afar, one could see many fancy tents erected to shield the people inside from the glaring sunlight. There were also many handsome lads and beautiful ladies sitting under the tents while donning their glamorous costumes. Under the largest tent, Link could see King Leon, Dean Anthony, the Master Magicians as well as Herrera.　　

There was another person sitting beside King Leon. It was a young woman that looked around 20 years of age. She had a pair of amethyst colored eyes and light golden-brown locks. Her pointed ears paired perfectly with her features which made her absolutely stunning.

If one were to contrast her beauty with the human race, the average looking King Leon would be akin to a farmer that had been working in the fields his whole life. Dean Anthony then simply looked like an old geezer from the countryside while the young female Magicians sitting around her were completely overshadowed by her beauty. The contrast would be apparent to anyone.

The only person who still maintained her brilliance in the presence of this beauty was Herrera. 　　

Selasse's eyes widened as he stared at the scene and said, "Oh, there are two moons in the sky tonight. One is clear and pristine, while the other is gentle and mellow. It must be God's blessing that I can witness such a beautiful sight."

Link fell speechless at Selasse's words and patted his shoulders to draw him back into reality. He then whispered, "That elven woman is a Royal High Elf. Didn't Prince Phillip just visit a while ago? Why are they here again?"　　

Link deliberately kept some information hidden. In fact, he recognized this High Elf. She was one of the four great beauties in-game, Princess Milda.

In the game, she was the goddess of the otakus, and her fan page had more than 50 million followers. After seeing her in real life, Link felt the game did not do her beauty justice due to the limitations of the graphics display. 　

Selasse was still slightly intoxicated as he replied, "That is the High Elf Princess Milda. As our ally, she has brought with her a team of Magicians to help us defend against the Silver Moon Alliance. Speaking of which, your action of saving Prince Phillip that time helped catalyze this as well."　

Link was slightly stunned upon hearing this news, but this was quickly followed by joy. He thought, History has really changed. The High Elf Magician team had arrived in advance in this timeline. This calls for a celebration!　

He was just worried that they might not be able to deal with the assault of the Divine Gear. The arrival of the High Elves was truly a timely addition to their forces.　

At that moment, the captain of the Kingsguard, Olaf saw Link and immediately turned towards the tent where all the important guests were held.

...

In the tent.　　

King Leon placed great emphasis on the help rendered by the High Elves. He had personally come to the East Cove Higher Magic Academy to receive the High Elves Magician team. He was feeling extremely enthusiastic and was passionately holding a welcome ceremony to celebrate their arrival.　

There were people dancing and singing at the ceremony. It almost felt like a festival.　

Milda seemed to be very satisfied, judging by the smile on her face. She would tell a few anecdotes about life on the Isle of Dawn to King Leon, Anthony and Herrera every so often. The atmosphere seemed harmonious.

However, there were still many High Elf Magicians behind her. 　　

These Magicians had an arrogant and impatient look on their faces. From their perspective, the cultural performances of the human race were simply too coarse and vulgar for their liking. It was like poison to their ears and eyes!　　

They were merely trying to be courteous. If not, all of them would have left a long time ago.

"My lord, I believe it is almost time," Milda said as she gave a warm smile. She had already put on this facade for a long time. It was becoming unbearable.　　

King Leon, on the other hand, felt extremely elated. He had not felt so relaxed in a long time. However, after seeing the tired expression on Milda's face, he said, "Alright, I will have to trouble you in this period of time. Please feel free to tell us if you have any requests. The Kingdom will try our best to fulfill your needs."

"Thank you very much for your hospitality." Milda was extremely polite, following which, she asked, "Do you happen to know when Magician Link will return from the North? I have to thank him personally for the incident regarding my brother."　　

King Leon had a proud expression on his face when Link's name appeared. He said, "It won't be long. We have news coming from the North this afternoon that Master Link had already returned to Ice Peak Fortress."

As he spoke, he saw Olaf walking towards him.　

"Your Majesty, Magician Link is here. Look, he is right there." Olaf pointed in Link's direction.

Everyone in the tent immediately turned their heads in that direction, especially the High Elf Magicians. Their movements were almost unanimous. Their eyes were all set on a figure clad in a crimson robe not far away from where they were sitting. 　

To the kingdom, Link had just returned from a highly secretive and important mission. He was bound to bring back valuable information that would aid them in the war. It was thus something that they would look forward to.　

To the High Elves, Magician Link had become famous even in the Isle of Dawn. Prince Phillip rained praises about him when he returned to the Isle of Dawn, even calling him the genius of the Norton Kingdom. Furthermore, he was the Magician who slew Demon Tarviss using a Level-9 spell. Even the prophet had offered his compliments to this young guy.

The High Elves had prided themselves on their accomplishments in magic. In their eyes, the human race had always been inferior. How could they not be surprised when such a prominent figure suddenly appeared in the human race?