Lord of Smoke and Dust"

Chapter15: Recounting the Pas

Here is the English translation of the provided text:

"The different colors of faint light appeared on the crystal ball, indicating the elemental affinity that Sain possesses.

Among them, the fiery red is more prominent, signifying Sain's considerable talent for fire elemental affinity.

Besides the fiery red, there is also white representing the light element and black representing the dark element.

Apart from these, there are other mixed colors, such as blue for the wind element, green for the plant element, and blue for the water element.

This signifies that Sain can also learn and master magic from these elemental categories. However, his proficiency with these elemental magics might not be as fast as with fire magic.

In the public library of the Black Magic Academy, Sain did not find suitable light or dark elemental magic spells.

These two categories of magic seemed to be relatively rare.

His girlfriend Lena, on the other hand, had some knowledge of the dark element, but due to Sain's limited energy, he has mainly focused on fire elemental knowledge in recent years. Therefore, he did not venture into the dark element field recklessly.

Moreover, the mental and magical power of a low-level apprentice limited Sain's ambition to use more magic.

Only when he reaches the intermediate or even higher-level apprentice, will he be capable of mastering more magic and delving into a broader spectrum of knowledge.

After leaving the public library, Sain continued his routine life.

During this time, his injuries gradually healed, especially when his mentor Mosido took some time to perform two body regeneration spells for him, Sain's recovery speed increased.

Until the annual grade assessment was approaching, Sain's busy and fulfilling life gradually slowed down.

The annual grade assessment at the Black Magic Academy takes place every year, but not all apprentices participate.

From entry-level apprentices to advanced apprentices, there were corresponding assessments, and only the best in each field would participate and stand out, even catching the attention of the official magicians.

In the past ten years, Sain has participated in six grade assessments, and his best rank was sixth place among the entry-level apprentices last year.

However, only the top three in each level of apprentices would receive the academy's rewards.

Other ranked apprentices just gained experience and had to bear the risk of getting injured.

In contrast to Sain's highest achievement of sixth place, Lena had entered the top three twice in the past eight years.

If getting into the top three once could be considered luck, getting there twice could only be attributed to her exceptional abilities.

Lena's reputation as a "genius" and a "madwoman" stemmed from her performance in these grade assessments.

As the grade assessment approached, Sain finally saw Lena again.

Since becoming Master Ferenna's disciple, Lena rarely returned to their shared residence.

According to Lena, she had been assisting Master Ferenna with some experiments recently, including delving deeper into her dark magic legacy, so she had been busy.

After a brief exchange about their recent situations, they both went to bed.

Due to a magical experimental accident that had kept her in a young girl's appearance, Lena appeared very petite at that moment.

Sain didn't rush into anything but gently held her hand and began sharing some of his own stories.

"My name is Sain, but my full name should be Sain Grant."

"I am a noble, but I don't remember what title my father held because I was too young when we came to the Dark Territory."

"I remember my mother had long, silvery hair and eyes like sapphires. In my memories, she always wore a white dress."

"My appearance probably takes after my father more. Unfortunately, I can't remember his face, but I remember he had short, golden hair, and he seemed somewhat stern..."

Sain went on to recount bits and pieces of his past, seemingly pulling out quite a lot of memories, despite these being few and buried deep in his mind.

For instance, he mentioned that he often recalled a vast field of green wheat and scenes of him running and playing with his mother in that field.

More than once, Sain woke up from dreams where his gentle and beautiful mother dissipated before him, leaving only a pitch-black ceiling imprinted on his eyes.

In contrast to the vague impression of his father, Sain's memories contained more fragments of his mother.

This might have been because, before the age of six, Sain spent more time with his mother, as his father, being a noble, was naturally busier.

As Sain recounted his childhood, Lena sat quietly by his side, listening attentively.

It wasn't until Sain could no longer remember any fragments of his childhood memories that Lena, after a moment's pause, started sharing her own story.

"I'm Lena," she said.

She repeated her name without mentioning any surname, indicating she was likely a commoner.

"In the twenty-seven years I've been in the Dark Territory, I've forgotten everything about my childhood."

"I only remember it was a rather desolate village, and then my mentor took me away back then, giving me the name Lena."

"My mentor told me that my village was facing famine at the time, and she was not only my mentor but also my savior." Lena explained.

The mentor she mentioned was her previous mentor, the dark magician who had tragically died in a magical experiment.

There wasn't much to tell about Lena's childhood and background.

However, as Lena continued with her story, Sain learned about her initial circumstances upon arriving in the Dark Territory and her previous mentor.

Eight years ago, when Lena had chosen Sain as her assistant and little servant, it happened right after her previous mentor's accident.

Maybe she wasn't used to living alone, so she chose the cute and lovable Sain.

With this more detailed information about Lena, the last bit of distance between them disappeared.

It was after Lena had finished sharing her past that Sain pondered for a while and finally asked the question he most wanted to know.

"How old are you this year?" Sain asked.

He didn't treat Lena as a child just because she appeared as one. Especially after Lena had just mentioned that she had come to the Dark Territory twenty-seven years ago, it was clear that she was at least ten years older than Sain.

In response to Sain's question, Lena lowered her head in contemplation.

Perhaps due to her nature, Lena was not one to hide things. Just a moment later, Lena answered, "I'm thirty-two today."

Lena had become a couple with Sain two years ago, which meant that at that time, she was just thirty.

Hearing Lena's answer, Sain breathed a sigh of relief.

He wasn't even sure why he felt relieved. Even if Lena had told him she was in her forties or fifties, Sain would have accepted her.

However, upon hearing that she was only thirty-two, Sain still felt relieved.

At this point, they had both completely and candidly shared their secrets with each other.

Though the magical crystal lamp in the room had already gone out, Sain and Lena, with their exceptional mental power, could still see each other clearly.

Looking at Lena's cold and petite face, Sain couldn't help but lean closer.

Lena seemed to sense something and also let out a soft sigh of relief, the "madwoman" in the eyes of outsiders approaching him.

"You... be gentle," Lena's small hands held Sain's.

From that moment on, there was silence throughout the night.

."