Training Addict Magician in a Growth-Focused Story

Chapter 55

In the midst of the battle, Kito reached out to Leon telepathically.

[It seems you're still not finished.]

[How's it going on your end?]

[All taken care of. Need any help?]

[No, I can manage.]

Leon had considered asking if Kito could capture one of the enemies for questioning, but hearing that she had already dealt with them all, he abandoned the idea.

‘I wanted to capture one to gather some intel...’

Since Kito couldn't help, Leon knew he had to do it himself. Organizing his thoughts, he sent his wooden sword flying toward Ulric again.

Ulric, already familiar with the peculiar ability of the wooden sword, chose to dodge rather than block.

Leon took that moment to charge straight at him.

“Thunderstrike.”

Nine small orbs, crackling with lightning energy, appeared above Leon’s hand and shot toward Ulric. However, a powerful gust of wind erupted around Ulric, effortlessly pushing the orbs away before they could reach him.

Immediately after, an invisible force struck Leon. But instead of defending, Leon pressed forward, letting the Guardian Robe he wore absorb the blow. He had been concealing its abilities until now, but there was no longer any need to hide them.

‘Getting close doesn’t guarantee a kill... but it’s worth a try.’

Ulric, clearly not expecting such a direct approach, hesitated for a split second. Leon took full advantage of the opening, swiftly attaching a lightning shackle around Ulric’s ankle.

The moment the shackle latched on, a powerful electric current coursed through Ulric, causing him to crash to the ground. His fall was swift because he had been actively gathering mana at the time.

Leon grabbed Ulric by the collar.

“Fall.”

With Ulric incapacitated, Leon turned his attention to the mid-tier sorcerer still fighting the gargoyle golem. Leon raised his hand, and nine bolts of lightning shot down from the sky, striking the sorcerer with a deafening crash.

Leon landed on the ground, dragging Ulric with him. The sorcerer lay immobilized, bound by the lightning shackle.

Leon looked down at Ulric, who was lying powerless on the ground. He asked calmly, “You’re a magician of the Empire’s royal family, aren’t you?”

A brief sneer appeared on Ulric’s lips.

“...Do you think we’re the only ones? How confident you are. While you’ve been playing around here...”

Before Ulric could finish his sentence, the sky suddenly darkened. A giant shadow loomed over both Leon and Ulric. They both instinctively looked up.

A massive bird-like creature landed beside them, and from its beak, something horrifying fell to the ground.

It was the body of another magician—half-melted, in such a state that it was hard to even look at.

“I couldn’t bring the others. There wasn’t enough left.”@@@@

“....”

Ulric’s face turned ashen. The body at his feet belonged to the highest-ranked member of their group, and now that he was staring at his superior’s gruesome remains, he was left speechless.

Leon, too, was momentarily shocked but quickly regained his composure. He turned back to Ulric.

“Now, are you ready to talk?”

Ulric, regaining his senses, chuckled mockingly.

“Despite your magic skills, you’re still a child. No matter what you ask, I won’t answer.”

Leon sighed in frustration.

“...Bring Erika here.”

Kito, now in her human form, nodded and flew back toward the caravan to retrieve Erika.

Moments later, she returned with Erika, who visibly recoiled at the sight of the bodies scattered across the ground.

“Do you recognize him?” Leon asked her, pointing to Ulric.

Erika examined Ulric’s face closely before shaking her head.

“Ha...”

Ulric let out a low, bitter laugh.

“What’s so funny?” Leon asked, irritated.

During the journey, Leon and Erika had several conversations. After she had time to reflect, Erika seemed more at ease and initiated conversation more frequently.

“There are 20 transcendent magicians in the Empire. My master was one of them, but... he’s passed away,” Erika explained.

“So now there are only nineteen left?” Leon asked.

“No, the number remains at 20. It never changes.”

“What do you mean?”

Erika’s statement puzzled Leon, who tilted his head in confusion.

“When one dies, another quickly rises to take their place, as if there’s a predetermined quota,” Erika clarified.

“That sounds like some kind of rule,” Leon mused.

“I don’t know much about the inner workings of high-level magicians, but the number of transcendent magicians has never fluctuated. Even if there’s a brief gap, it doesn’t last long.”

Leon thought deeply about this information.

‘So the number of transcendent magicians is fixed at 20... It never increases or decreases. That means that if there are already 20 transcendent magicians, no matter how much another magician grows, they can’t join that rank.’

This implied that merely raising one’s magical level wasn’t enough to become a transcendent magician.

It required a profound understanding of the magical system itself and its inner workings.

Leon realized that his own knowledge of magic was severely lacking. He hadn’t fully grasped the ancient knowledge accumulated over millennia by the great magicians of the past.

‘But I’ve only been learning magic for three years, so that’s to be expected.’

In this world, it took decades to become a high-level magician. Compared to that, Leon’s three years of study were just the beginning.

He recognized now that he had been so focused on advancing his rank that he had neglected the broader aspects of magical knowledge. Understanding magic theory, history, and structure was just as important as increasing one’s power.

Erika continued her explanation. “There are 20 schools led by these transcendent magicians. These schools are the most powerful organizations in the Empire. Most of them maintain friendly relations with the royal family. In fact, the royal family has its own independent group of magicians.”

The Sigrynell School had once been strong but had fallen into decline. Given that most of the schools had royal ties, and Sigrynell was now despised by the Empire, it was clear that Leon didn’t want to get involved.

‘I’ve barely escaped from Tenelon’s pursuit. I don’t want to get caught in another mess.’

Leon still didn’t know much about the Astelia School that Arfina had mentioned, but he was in no hurry to face more uncertainty.

With his newfound realization about the importance of magical knowledge, Leon knew he needed a stable environment to continue his studies.

‘I appreciate Erika giving me all this information, but I can’t take on her problems. If fate allows, we’ll meet again someday...’

As they neared the Empire’s border, a dry wind began to blow. Thankfully, they crossed the border without incident.

A month and a half after the caravan had set off, the sprawling city of the Empire appeared on the horizon. The adventurers, who had been on edge for so long, finally smiled in relief. They were glad the mission had been completed without any major issues.

The city bustled with life, far larger than the Free City of Crest, with streets teeming with people. The sounds of merchants, carriages, and busy crowds filled the air, creating an energetic atmosphere.

Upon arriving, the caravan leader handed Leon the remainder of his payment.

As Leon pocketed the money, Daife approached him.

“Thank you for everything. Haha,” Daife said with a light chuckle.

“No problem.”

Daife tapped his pouch with a smile. “It feels like we got here too easily, thanks to you. I almost feel guilty taking the payment.”

He paused for a moment, scanning the area as if searching for someone. “Where’s Erika...?”

“She’s already gone,” Leon replied, shaking his head.

As soon as they reached the city, Erika had disappeared without even collecting her payment. It made sense, considering her need to hide after being discovered.

Daife nodded, smiling lightly. “She did mention she’d be stepping away for a while once we arrived, though I didn’t expect her to be a magician.”

Now that he knew Erika was a magician, Daife seemed to understand that he had no reason to hold onto her. Though he looked a bit disappointed, he smiled awkwardly, trying to brush off his feelings.

“We plan to register as adventurers here and gain some experience. What will you do now, Master Teo?”

Leon paused, thinking for a moment. He had no intention of staying here.

He needed to find the Astelia School.

However, unlike in the Basprion Kingdom, there was no certainty that the school would be located in a city named after it.

“I’ll wander around for a bit.”

It seemed Leon would remain a wandering magician for a while longer.