The wizard's journey

Chapter 14: The Attack

Many apprentice wizards who narrowly escaped death gathered on the deck, each with a grim look on their faces.

It was said that the ferocious sea monsters had killed their way up to the third floor before being intercepted by sailors who came to the rescue, resulting in heavy casualties among the apprentice wizards on the fourth and fifth floors. In contrast, those living in the lowest deck cabins escaped unscathed.

Binhamson saw Grim and others on the deck and heaved a sigh of relief. "I'm so glad you're all right! Those sea monsters scared the life out of me. I thought to myself, how could I, a great magic apprentice from the grand city of Tanbrolson, be eaten by sea monsters before even reaching the wizarding academy? I definitely don't want to end up as their dung..."

As he spoke, Binhamson pointed to a few people behind him and said, "Come, let me introduce you..."

Grim couldn't help but marvel at his good fortune.

Originally living in a damp and moldy second-floor cabin, only slightly better than the lowest deck, this incident had miraculously saved his life.

Shaking his head, Grim also lamented his own terrible luck, sighing, "I was just thinking of going up to the deck for some fresh air, only to get caught up in this mess on the fifth floor. Normally, I wouldn't leave my room for days..."

Despite their efforts, Grim and his companions could not find Wade, who was likely among the many victims.

Gilrom, however, stood intact on the other side of the deck, showing no interest in speaking with Grim and the others, simply looking indifferently at the distant sea.

Binhamson couldn't help but whisper scornfully, "Hmph, always sucking up to the wizard Arowoz, a born slave."

It was hard for Binhamson to hide his disdain for Gilrom, who had been all smiles around the wizard Arowoz during the journey, making the wizard very comfortable. After separating from the wizard, Gilrom seemed to disregard Grim and the others, even walking away from a dispute between Yorkris and another unknown apprentice wizard on the fifth floor with a cold "none of my business."

As a result, Grim and his companions felt no desire to speak with him either.

Yorkris had no time for these trivial matters, anxiously holding his sister and comforting her, "It's okay. Once we reach the wizarding continent, I'll ask the most powerful wizard to cast a spell to cure your eyes."

Yorklianna, trying to smile through her pale face, said, "Brother, you don't have to lie to me. I may be naive, but I'm not stupid. Are those powerful wizards that easy to meet? Besides... it's okay, brother. Look at Wizard Dilah, doesn't he have just one eye?"

Everyone looked at Wizard Dilah, who was busy counting the number of apprentice wizards on the deck, his one eye replaced by continuously spinning gears, which was eerily strange. Could Yorklianna end up like this? The thought made everyone shudder.

Yorkris quickly said, "No, no, I will cure your eyes! I swear!"

Leaving aside the Yorkris siblings, as for Grim and Lafi, one injured his left leg and the other his right shoulder, resting together against the mast in a somewhat harmonious silence.

Grim felt embarrassed about the recent events, his mind in turmoil, thus ignoring Lafi next to him. Lafi, feeling somewhat troubled and embarrassed about her own recent lapse, also had no intention of speaking.

For a moment, there was only silence between them, as if their brief intimacy had been nothing but an illusion, with no one bringing it up again.

Later, someone on the deck spread the news that the sea monster attack had resulted in the deaths of thirty-two sailors and one hundred and seven apprentice wizards, most of whom had been living in the cabins on the fourth and fifth floors.

On the other side, Dilah stood with two legendary knights, the Captain and Barlon. The Captain was relatively unscathed, while Barlon bore a deep cut on his back, which he seemed to disregard.

"What's wrong, Master?" Barlon asked Dilah with surprise. Given that the sea monsters had been driven away and killed, Dilah should have been relieved, yet his face was clouded with even more worry.

It was difficult for most to discern Dilah's troubled expression.

Firstly, wizards don't usually show their moods on their faces, and secondly, Dilah had undergone certain modifications to his body, losing many subtle facial expressions. Only Barlon, who had been following him for decades, could sense his master's concerns.

"This attack on the ship feels off..." Dilah, with his remaining eye, looked at Barlon and spoke gravely.

Barlon, startled, immediately thought of something and exclaimed, "Could it be that we are being targeted by other wizards?"

"If my feelings are correct, it's very likely." Dilah replied.

Barlon's dark face turned pale. As a legendary knight living in the wizard's continent, he knew all too well how terrifying it was to be targeted by a wizard lurking in the shadows, especially out here on the vast sea, where they could expect no support.

"Is it an enemy of the academy, or are they after you personally?" Barlon asked, bracing himself.

If they were Dilah's personal enemies, it might still be manageable, but if they were enemies of the academy, their lives could be in grave danger.

Dilah shook his head, "It could be either. But... there's another possibility. They might be after them." Dilah's gaze shifted towards Yun Li and Briona.

"For them?" Barlon asked, puzzled and bitter.

Were these two apprentice wizards, albeit geniuses, worth risking a conflict with Master Dilah?

"It's just a possibility. You don't understand some of the secrets involved." Dilah paused, then sighed, "Now that the sea monsters have been repelled and my magic is depleted, if there's going to be any trouble, it would likely happen later. Let's wait and see."

After a pause, a sinister glint suddenly appeared in Dilah's eye. "However, if there indeed are enemies coming for them, Barlon, there's something I need you to do."

Barlon knelt, "Please command, Master."

Dilah whispered ominously, "Kill them both! These two are once-in-a-century geniuses of the academy, possessing extremely valuable innate magical talents. They could become strong contenders in the Sancta Qualification Battle. If such talents cannot belong to our Lilith Witch Academy, we cannot allow them to fall into the hands of what might be an enemy wizard academy!"

The sea breeze was unrelenting, and as the sun climbed higher, waves of heat began to assault them. Eventually, unable to bear the scorching temperatures, most people started to retreat back into the cabin, leaving only a few, including Grim and Binhamson, resting on the deck. Lafi, Yorkris, and Yorklianna had already returned to their cabins.

"Hey, Grim, where do you think the wizard will stay tonight, given his room was destroyed? Oh, and those two as well." Binhamson inquired, referring to Yun Li and Briona.

"I don't know, probably somewhere on the fifth deck," Grim replied indifferently.

Yorkris chuckled, "Just as I thought. But, Yorkris, Yorklianna, and Lafi, we all are on the fifth deck. I wonder whose unlucky room will be commandeered."

Grim scoffed, "With so many dead on the fifth floor, any room should do. Why does it have to be one of theirs?"

"That's not necessarily the case! Many died, and many rooms are damaged..."

While Grim and Binhamson were bickering idly, a shadow fell over them. Initially mistaking it for a passing cloud and paying it no mind, they were jolted back to reality by the sound of flapping wings and irritating caws. Looking up, they were horrified to see a person silhouetted against a dark cloud made of thousands, perhaps millions, of black crows, overlooking the ship.

Despite the distance making it impossible to discern the figure's appearance, the sheer magical aura emanating from them plunged everyone into a dread as if an iceberg loomed ahead.

For a moment, the deck was engulfed in an endless darkness composed of black crows.

"Hehe, come out, wizards of the ship." a voice called out, raspy and gender-neutral, reminiscent of Arowoz.

Dilah emerged from the cabin, magic wand in hand, his grey, voluminous wizard robe fluttering as he ascended towards the sky to confront the mysterious wizard amidst the cloud of crows.

Suddenly, recognizing the intruder, Dilah's expression turned to shock, "A... A second-level wizard!?"

"Hmph, I don't know you, but Lilith Cottage seems to have some promising talents. This ship is now under my command... Consider yourself lucky I'm letting you go." the formidable wizard spoke from the cloud, dismissing Dilah without a fight.

Dilah, faced with utter humiliation, was seething. Recognized as a leading figure among the mystic wizards of the Nineteenth District of the Sancta Septa, many believed Dilah was on the cusp of ascending to a higher mystic wizarding level.

Now, faced with an enemy who was a second-level wizard—a rank indicative of a wizarding academy's administrative core—Dilah was at a loss. The difference between wizarding levels is vast, as each ascension brings new, incomparable powers.

Hesitating, Dilah knew abandoning the academy's ship without cause would be unthinkable under normal circumstances, especially given his potential to ascend. But with the ship carrying two once-in-a-century talents and at such a crucial time for the wizarding continent...

Dilah proposed, "The ship can be yours, but may I take those two with me?"

"piss off..."

With a cold snort turning into a furious shout, Dilah unexpectedly launched an attack on the superior wizard. An ice spear, chilling to the core, streaked through the sky aiming for the second-level wizard's heart.

However, with a roar from the cloud, an explosive magical force shattered the ice spear into countless crystals, and Dilah, riding his wand, fled as a streak of light across the sky, pursued by the massive cloud.

"You can't escape!" the wizard bellowed from the cloud, as both figures vanished into the horizon.

Only then did Grim and Binhamson, gasping for air like survivors pulled from the water, manage to catch their breath, grateful for the fresh air around them.

After experiencing the second-level wizard's power, everyone on deck felt as if they had faced the apocalypse, completely breathless.

"I thought I was a goner!" Binhamson exclaimed, clutching his chest in shock and adding, "Damn, what a day! Twice escaping death, and we're not even at the wizarding continent yet. Is that place even fit for living?"

Grim, taking deep breaths, grimly noted, "It seems big changes are coming."