Golden Mage - Chapter 5
Volume 1, Episode 5
El gazed at the bookshelf filled with numerous books. Through reading books since he was four years old, he had learned enough about the continent’s affairs and structure.
The social system that constituted this world was similar to medieval feudalism.
The difference was that knights here dealt with aura, while clergymen handled divine power, making the possibility of class distinctions slim.
“To make Mom comfortable, I have to become a noble. I need to quickly improve my magic skills.”
El felt sorry for his hardworking mother in this foreign land. Even her current job involved engraving runes on magic stones, a task that required extreme concentration and mental power.
El could understand that she did it all to support him.
“Magicians are supposed to be rich, but Mom is struggling like this….”
“Watch me. I’ll become the richest magician on the continent.”
El, no, Ellemis’ tender eyes blazed with determination.
Chapter 4: Genius Magician, El
The village El lived in was called Runeck, located about a three-day walk from the city.
Runeck village, with around 100 households, had its main source of income from Liseto. Liseto, grown in the eastern part of the continent, was a rare tea known for its excellent flavor and fragrance, making it expensive.
However, selling Liseto in the village was quite challenging as monster attacks were frequent along the route to the city.
Though merchants visited the village periodically, the price they offered was absurdly low compared to the price on the continent.
But what could they do? Without merchants, they would have to risk their lives going to the city. Until three years ago, that was the biggest concern for Runeck.
But now, someone had appeared to resolve that concern—Cilfir. With her powerful fireball magic, she offered to sell the tea in the city at a higher price than the merchants from the continent.
The village agreed, and they decided to give her 30% of the profit. When the city merchant, who had to employ mercenaries to buy Liseto every year, learned of this arrangement, they gladly accepted, willing to pay her even more than what they were used to paying.
The price she sold the tea for in the city was twice the amount the village received. The villagers had no complaints since she also did the hard work for them.
Today was the day Cilfir went to the city once a month.
The villagers dried and processed the Liseto they had cultivated, and Cilfir would take it with her. She had prepared a resting place during her trips to the city, and it was there that Cilfir went after placing the luggage on her shoulders.
“Elly, can Mom come in?”
As Cilfir entered the room, she saw Ellemis wearing clothes that made her chuckle.
Ellemis, who was playing the part of going on a journey, looked quite adorable. Although it was not much different from her usual clothes, Cilfir thought it would be better for Ellemis to get used to it beforehand and had specially made a robe for children.
The blue robe perfectly complemented El’s appearance, giving him a sophisticated air.
Ellemis smiled when she saw Cilfir.
“I’ve seen all the books in the library! This time, I want to go with you, Mom.”
“Oh, really?”
Cilfir was taken aback by El’s appearance, but she soon nodded positively. She couldn’t resist such a cute request from her child.
After hugging El, she prepared to leave the house. The two of them set out on their journey, with El happily following Cilfir.
“Do you feel hungry, Elly? There will be a resting place where we can take a break soon, so hold on a bit more.”
Ellemis replied by nodding. It wasn’t that difficult for him, but he pretended to wipe his sweat and answered with a slightly roughened breath.
After a while, Cilfir and El reached a spacious resting place. It was a shelter that Cilfir had prepared during her trips to the city.
She put her bag down and spoke to El.
“Sit here, Elly.”
However, El did not respond. He pointed in the direction where he saw something.
“Mom, what’s that over there?”
Cilfir turned her head to where El was pointing and widened her eyes in surprise.
“What’s there…? Oh?”
Cilfir saw something coming towards them in the direction El pointed.
It was none other than orcs. Three orcs that were patrolling the area had picked up the scent of humans and came here.
“Oh, no!”
Cilfir quickly stepped back to protect Ellemis. She looked at Ellemis with worried eyes.
Ellemis, however, was looking at the orcs in a daze. Then he suddenly started trembling, seemingly afraid of something. It was as if he was scared of the orcs.
But Cilfir couldn’t sense any fear from Ellemis when he looked at the orcs.
‘Could it be that he finds them more disgusting than scary?’
She thought it must be a common reaction for children.
One of the orcs glared at them threateningly, holding his glaive.
“Human! Forget about returning alive. Kheek!”
“Kheek! Kheek!”
The other two orcs behind him swung their glaives menacingly.
“Oh, no! Ellemis….”
Cilfir protected El with her body, looking at him with eyes full of concern.
Unaware of Cilfir’s worried gaze, Ellemis just stood there, occasionally blinking his eyes as if he was about to cry. It was as if he found the orcs scary.
But Ellemis was already a second-class master. Moreover, he knew all the magic formulas up to the fifth class. He wasn’t afraid of such monsters.
He couldn’t sense any danger from the orcs, which meant they were weak opponents. Yet, he pretended to be scared to relieve his mother’s concerns.
‘Oh, no! Ellemis…’