Bright sunlight, slightly damp air, the faint hint of fish, and the retro-elegant architecture, the lively and bustling crowds — these formed Lucian's first impression of Padre Port, the Holm Kingdom's largest coastal city.
A few carriages rolled smoothly and unhurriedly down the street. Lucian pulled his gaze away from the window and turned to look at Lazar, the magician responsible for welcoming him and his apprentices.
"Heh heh, Mr. Evans, are you satisfied with the Holm Kingdom so far?" Lazar asked with his signature smile, radiant as the sun itself.
Lucian felt none of the ever-present oppression he had grown accustomed to, and his mood was wonderfully relaxed. He replied with a touch of humor, "The ladies and young women are all very beautiful, and their clothing is quite different from the continental style — elaborate cake skirts, light and airy long gowns, bright colors, lovely lace and ruffles and pleats. What disappoints me, though, is that they seem rather conservative — every outfit is high-collared, with only a sliver of fair neck on display. Oh, and Lazar, just call me Evans."
"Ha ha, Evans, that just shows you don't know how to appreciate things," Lazar let out a laugh that all men would understand. "I've always believed that modesty and concealment actually stoke people's desire to explore. That's human nature — we never cherish what comes too easily."
Lucian nodded slightly. "What impressed me the most, though, is that in the Holm Kingdom, both men and women seem to love wearing hats?" That was exceedingly rare in Altor, where usually only clergy and elderly gentlemen bothered with soft caps.
"Evans, you've got a sharp eye. That's a quality a good magician needs. In the Holm Kingdom, wearing a hat when you go out is a matter of etiquette — you'll need to get used to it. For example, the formal hat for ladies is a wide-brimmed piece with a beautiful long satin ribbon and tassels at the back, or a veiled hat with a dreamy-looking veil. For everyday wear, they go with small, lightweight soft hats adorned with feathers, flowers, and such. Men's hats are much simpler — common folk wear bowlers or wide-brimmed hats, while gentlemen like us wear top hats of varying heights, along with everyday soft caps."
Lazar tapped the top of his own head. "Of course, neckties, bow ties, suits, or double-breasted frock coats are also indispensable accessories."
After gradually closing the distance with Lazar through conversation between men, Lucian deftly steered the topic elsewhere. "I'm curious — are there any restrictions on magicians casting spells in the Holm Kingdom?"
"It's like swords. If you hurt someone, you face legal punishment. That said, a formal magician holds a status equivalent to a baron, so for minor incidents you just pay a fine. As for the rest — look over there." Lazar pointed out the carriage window.
Lucian turned to look. Beside the fountain of a public square, several dozen children were gathered around a middle-aged man in a gray suit. The man held his black top hat in one hand, reaching into it repeatedly to produce various items — flowers, bread, stones — and finally a flock of white doves fluttered out, drawing delighted applause and cheers from the children.
"Magical tricks? A magic apprentice?" It was too far away to be certain, so Lucian asked with a hint of puzzlement.
Lazar took a sip of red wine and nodded with a smile. "That's right. Ever since the Parliament started providing school-based education for apprentices, the number of magic apprentices in several countries has grown rapidly, and more and more of them fail to become formal magicians. But they're all literate, they all have a wealth of knowledge, so making a decent living is easy enough. This apprentice probably just likes children and enjoys entertaining them."
Lucian had already heard from Asta and Tom that the Parliament operated magic schools, so this wasn't surprising. He asked casually, "What's the current success rate of magic apprentices advancing to formal magicians in these schools?"
"Much higher than the old system of inheritance. In the ancient Magic Empire, without strong spiritual talent, you had to rely on potions and all manner of dangerous magical rituals. Out of a thousand apprentices, perhaps one would ever advance to magician. But now, with Arcane learning, the demands on an apprentice's spiritual power have been lowered considerably — roughly five in a hundred become formal magicians."
Lazar looked at Lucian with a brilliant smile. "But that's not something you need to worry about, Evans. You're already a formal magician — you've surpassed countless apprentices. All you need to do is settle down and study Arcane without any prejudice, and I'm confident that in a year or two, you'll be a proper, qualified magician. Oh, by the way, what school of magic do you practice?"
Lucian didn't hide anything. "I'm proficient in Astrology and Elemental magic, though I haven't decided what to specialize in down the road."
"Heh heh, I happen to be an Elemental mage myself — a member of 'Elemental Will.' You've heard of 'Elemental Will,' right?" Lazar toyed with the now-empty wine glass in his hand.
Of course he had — he was wearing the Holm Crown Ring right now. Lucian smiled and replied, "Mr. Asta mentioned it. Could it be that you're looking to invite me to join, Lazar?"
"Ha ha, Evans, you're overthinking it," Lazar teased. "We're not like the 'Pale Hand,' which accepts just about anyone regardless of quality. To be admitted into 'Elemental Will,' you have to be an elite magician who's passed a selection process — at minimum, you need a formal Archanist rank. Heh, the 'Pale Hand' really doesn't need to screen for quality, does it? At the end of the day, all they care about is corpses. If a body isn't good enough, well, there are always more corpses to work with."
Listening to Lazar's barbs, Lucian could only think to himself that the friction between "Elemental Will" and the "Pale Hand" was every bit as severe as he'd imagined — even Lazar, who was clearly no mere mid-tier magician, couldn't resist a few cutting remarks whenever the other faction came up. "In that case, Lazar — you must hold a formal Archanist rank?"
What Lucian had originally meant to say was "In that case, Lazar, you must be an elite magician?" but he thought it might carry a sarcastic edge, so he rephrased it to ask about the Archanist rank instead.
Lazar straightened his back slightly, his right hand — which had been toying with the wine glass — going still. He worked to keep his smile casual. "Earlier this year, I improved a first-tier elemental spell called 'Lazar's Burning Hand,' and it received a rating from the Parliament's 'Archanist Review Committee.' I was awarded two Arcane points. Combined with the eight I already had, that finally made me a first-tier Archanist and a second-ring magician. After that, 'Elemental Will' admitted me as a member."