Golden Mage - Chapter 8
Volume 1, Episode 8
Cilfir’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Why is that?”
“Well, I think it would be cool to have everything. Hehe!”
El grinned cutely, and Cilfir chuckled in response.
Though the two magic books were quite expensive, when combined with the money they were receiving this time and the money they had saved, they had enough to make the purchase.
“Alright then.”
“Wow! Thank you, Mom!”
With Cilfir’s approval, El beamed happily, expressing his gratitude.
Then suddenly, El tilted his head curiously and asked in a childlike tone, a question that was very typical of a child.
“By the way, Mom, who’s stronger, the Grandmaster or the 9th-class Archmage?”
The question was similar to asking who was stronger between a powerful Red Dragon, skilled in close combat, and a proficient Gold Dragon, skilled in magic.
“Hmm… I wonder?”
Cilfir pondered for a moment before answering El.
“I think it would depend on their experiences. Yes, I believe it would be determined by the experiences they’ve gone through.”
“Experiences? Like battle experiences?”
“Yes. It’s said that the distinction between the Grandmaster and the 9th-class Archmage becomes blurred; they are both considered to be the pinnacle of strength. The outcome would depend on who has accumulated more experience and who is more adept at handling various situations.”
In the end, one would only know by facing them in a battle.
However, even if their abilities were similar, El found a way to satisfy his curiosity.
“When we go back to the village… I’ll teach Mom the joint breathing technique. And I’ll solve equations to help you learn magic more easily.”
El realized that he had been too indifferent towards his mom until now.
Though his desire to reach higher-class magic was not unique to him, it was apparent that Cilfir also had a strong desire to reach greater heights. Moreover, wasn’t the reason he wanted to become a higher-class mage in the first place for Cilfir’s sake?
El reproached himself for realizing this so late and leaned his head on Cilfir, wanting to rely on her more than ever before.
However, seeing El act differently than usual, Cilfir was puzzled by his behavior.
“Why are you like this, Elly?”
“Hehe! I just like you, Mom.”
El responded, leaning comfortably against Cilfir. His warm expression made Cilfir hug him tightly.
“I like you more than anyone, Elly.”
Confirming the genuine affection between the two, they headed towards the Martyrdom in Banjak.
Although Cilfir was not officially associated with the Martyrdom, she often performed tasks there. This included carving runes onto mana stones, among other things.
“Welcome, Mage Cilfir.”
“I’m glad to be here.”
As Cilfir entered the Martyrdom, the mages greeted her warmly.
Being a highly talented individual, reaching 3rd-class mastery at the young age of twenty-three, Cilfir was well-respected among the mages. Though she was secretly already a 4th-class expert, she was known to the outside world as a 3rd-class master, as she wasn’t one to openly flaunt her abilities.
“Here to see the High Mage, I presume?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Cilfir nodded in response to the mage’s question, and he guided her to the High Mage’s office. El followed behind her, his steps light and bouncy.
As they approached the office, the mage announced their arrival.
“High Mage, Mage Cilfir has arrived.”
The response came from inside the office.
“Come in!”
“Please, come in.”
Cilfir nodded and entered the office. The High Mage, known as Betlrock, greeted her with open arms.
He was a middle-aged man in his fifties with half his head shaved bald.
He looked like he could waddle if he were to walk, and his greasy face seemed to be constantly oozing oil. He was the epitome of a middle-aged pig-like man.
Beside him stood a boy who appeared to be around twelve years old, and he had a face that exuded arrogance and disrespect.
As Betlrock’s attention was fully focused on Cilfir, the boy couldn’t hide the displeasure in his eyes as he stared at her.
Not wanting to make any rash moves, El reminded himself that Betlrock was the High Mage and that any wrong move could have serious consequences. Additionally, he noticed that Betlrock had a special affection for Cilfir, despite her not being officially associated with the Martyrdom.
Betlrock was not just an ordinary 4th-class expert; he had an aura of a high-class mage.
El, feeling concerned about the situation, remained calm.
“Ah, you must be her son?”
Betlrock pointed at El and asked Cilfir.
“Yes, he’s my son.”
“What?!”
The boy was taken aback by the revelation. Cilfir, who looked like she was only twenty, having a son who appeared to be around seven, was quite surprising.
Knowing Cilfir’s age as an important customer of the Devell’s upper-class, everyone was aware that Cilfir was twenty years old. While they knew she was married, they never expected her to have a son who was around seven.
It meant Cilfir gave birth to a child when she was seventeen.
The boy looked surprised, and at the same time, he seemed envious of Cilfir for maintaining such a youthful appearance even after having a child.
He smiled gently at El, who resembled Cilfir, and reached out his hand.
“He’s your son?”
“Yes?”
The boy was puzzled. As he looked at El, a glint of intrigue appeared in his eyes. El’s eyes were not the ordinary eyes of a child his age.
They seemed to be deeply affected by emotions, as if they were examining themselves and expressing their feelings.
After making eye contact, the boy straightened up and took a breath before addressing Cilfir.
“You have an exceptional son, Cilfir.”
He emphasized that El was not just outstanding but exceptional. It meant that the boy recognized El as someone special. Cilfir smiled in response to his praise.
After exchanging greetings, the two sat down facing each other. When Cilfir handed over the mana stones with the runes, the boy carefully examined them and said, “These mana stones have been inscribed perfectly with the runes. It seems your skills are improving, Cilfir.”
“Thank you, High Mage.”
Cilfir bowed her head in gratitude as she received the compliment. Although she was already a 4th-class expert, she was recognized as a 3rd-class master to the outside world, as she didn’t want to draw unnecessary attention.
Betlrock, who was watching the interaction between them, chuckled and said to Cilfir, “By the way, I didn’t properly introduce my son. This is Gedrik.”
The boy, introduced as Gedrik, raised his head slightly and greeted Cilfir with an arrogant expression.
“Hello, I’m Gedrik.”
Cilfir smiled warmly and replied, “Nice to meet you, Gedrik.”
Sensing that the situation was somewhat strange, El observed Cilfir and Gedrik. He couldn’t help but feel a surge of protectiveness over Cilfir when he saw the disdainful gaze directed at her.
If Gedrik wasn’t Betlrock’s son, El would have lost his temper. But he couldn’t afford to act recklessly. Gedrik was the son of the High Mage, and offending him could cause serious trouble.
But even in this situation, Gedrik couldn’t act rashly either. Cilfir was a respected mage, even among the upper echelons of the Martyrdom. Moreover, she was known for her deep affection for her son.
This was a potential Achilles’ heel for Gedrik.
El was torn between revealing his abilities and keeping quiet. He had wanted to reveal his abilities when he was around ten years old, but he didn’t expect this situation to arise at such a young age.
However, if he remained as he was now, he didn’t know how the situation would change.
Cilfir, who had sensed El’s surprise, showed a troubled expression that El should have shown.
El hesitated for a moment.
‘What if I reveal my abilities now? Dammit, I was planning to reveal them when I was around ten years old…’
But if he continued like this, he didn’t know how the situation would unfold.
El understood that this situation was arising because of him. He was the root cause.
Finally, deciding on his course of action, El resolved himself.