Chapter Twenty-Four: Matt Joy

After reading the letter in his hand, Hughes immediately understood what was happening. Yet he found himself increasingly curious about the ways of these wizards, especially how quickly they had learned of his arrival and sent a letter to him.

Hughes sat down and opened the package the old man had given him. Everything inside matched exactly what the old man had described—nothing was missing. He took off his clothes and changed into the apprentice’s robe that had been prepared for him. The robe was gray, just like the ones he had seen worn by others on the way to the dormitory.

As Hughes put on the gray robe, he realized it fit perfectly, as if tailored for him. He stroked the fabric, feeling its comfort, but he suspected the robe was not so simple. Drawing a dagger, he pressed a little harder against the robe. As he had guessed, there wasn’t even a mark where the blade passed. He increased the force, but still, nothing happened.

“I suppose there must be some wizardry woven into this robe. Its defensive strength is not inferior to leather armor,” Hughes thought, satisfied as he looked at the wizard apprentice’s robe on his body.

He then pinned the emblem representing the Shadow Ring to his chest. Now, Hughes looked exactly like the other wizard apprentices he had seen along the corridors.

“And this crystal ball?” There was a crystal ball in the package as well. Hughes recalled the old man’s words: it was meant for the meditation method.

“Is the meditation method inside this crystal ball?” He eyed the crystal ball curiously.

“Beep! Data connection port detected. Would you like to connect?” a voice sounded.

“Hmm… not now,” Hughes replied inwardly. Though eager to strengthen himself and yearning for the power of wizardry, he knew he could not reveal anything unusual about himself.

“I’d better wait until I meet my mentor tomorrow and ask about this meditation method first,” he decided.

Quickly, Hughes tidied up his belongings in the dormitory, cleaned up a bit, and noticed it was already evening.

Feeling awkward, Hughes stood at the door to his dorm, hoping to encounter someone passing by so he could ask where the dining hall was. Since this was a wizard academy, he dared not wander aimlessly—who knew what areas might be forbidden or dangerous?

He waited at the door, but not a single soul passed through the empty corridor. The silence was eerie.

At last, Hughes heard footsteps.

“Hello, I’m Hughes Bruch. I just arrived today. Do you know how to get to the dining hall?” he called out to a young man walking toward him.

“Hey, hello, I’m Jessica Drew. I came yesterday, so I’m a day ahead of you. I’m heading to the dining hall as well. It’s evening, so we can eat together,” Jessica replied.

“I’d be honored,” Hughes said, falling in step beside Jessica.

“The dining hall is on the first basement level. All the food there is free, but if you have money, you can pay the cooks to make whatever you like,” Jessica explained.

“By money, do you mean magic stones?” Hughes asked, convinced that everything among wizards was measured in magic stones.

“Of course not, Hughes. Gold coins are enough. It’s just ordinary food—no need for magic stones. Though I heard there’s a magical beast meal that can boost your mental power, but that one does require magic stones. I’ve just arrived myself, so I haven’t seen it,” Jessica replied, scratching his head a little sheepishly.

“By the way, Hughes, where are you from? I’m from the Balle Isles. How about you?”

“I’m from Soto City.”

“Soto City? Good heavens, that’s so far away! The journey must have been exhausting.”

“It wasn’t too bad,” Hughes replied.

“Which mentor did you draw?” Jessica asked.

“Mat Joy—he specializes in pharmacology.”

“Pharmacology? I heard it’s much harder than other subjects, but if you master it, making money is easy,” Jessica said.

Hughes found the conversation pleasant, though Jessica did most of the questioning while Hughes simply replied. Hughes had never been fond of socializing.

Soon, the pair arrived at the dining hall. It was crowded with people eating dinner, but there were still plenty of seats. Hughes and Jessica sat together and shared a meal.

Hughes tasted the food. Though free, it was quite good. It wasn’t as refined as what he’d eaten in the castle, but it had its own unique flavor.

Dinner ended quickly. Hughes bid Jessica farewell and returned to his dormitory.

He took a shower, dried himself, and lay on the bed.

“Tomorrow marks a new beginning,” Hughes murmured, closing his eyes.

At dawn, Hughes was awakened by a chip’s notification sound.

Still groggy, he hadn’t quite caught what the chip said.

He rubbed his eyes and slowly opened them, only to find a crow perched on the table beside his bed, its head swiveling as it observed him.

“Whoa! What’s this?” Hughes was startled by the unexpected appearance of the crow.

“Beep!” sounded the chip.

With the chip’s prompt, the origin of the crow flashed in Hughes’s mind.

Apparently, while Hughes was still asleep, the crow had come through the wall to perch beside his bed.

“It can pass through walls…” Hughes stared at the crow, realizing it was no ordinary bird.

“Crow… crow… that’s right!” He suddenly remembered the pet mentioned in yesterday’s letter.

“This must be the pet from Wizard Mat’s letter,” Hughes thought as he began to wash up. After all, it was his first day meeting his mentor; arriving early could only leave a good impression.

He finished washing, donned his apprentice robe, and faced the crow, uncertain what to do next.

“Um, can you understand me?” Hughes asked.

The crow tilted its head, continuing to stare at the peculiar human before it.

“Hmm… could you take me to your master?” Hughes ventured.

This time, the crow flapped its wings and flew off. Hughes hurried after it.

He followed the crow through what felt like a maze, until it finally stopped at a laboratory.

The crow used its abilities to fly inside. Hughes was about to grab the door handle but hesitated. It wouldn’t be proper to enter without being invited.

He waited outside the door for a moment, and at last a voice called out from within.

“Is that Hughes? You may come in.”

“Yes!” Hughes responded, slowly pushing the door open and walking inside.

He was immediately hit by a strange odor.

It was somewhat acrid, reminiscent of the disinfectant used in hospitals on Earth, with a faint undertone of something like a corpse. Hughes covered his nose with his hand, then let it drop, careful not to breathe too deeply.

A massive table dominated the center of the laboratory, covered with jars, bottles, and biological specimens—glass containers with many things Hughes didn’t recognize.

The scene reminded Hughes of his old school laboratory.

At the head of the table stood a middle-aged man in a pale purple robe, its cuffs and collar embroidered with purple-gold patterns. He wore glasses, and behind them, his emerald eyes were unusual, with intricate patterns visible to Hughes at a glance.

“I am Mat Joy. I’ve heard about the Shadow’s Favor ring, your talents, and your elemental affinity. I must say, people with your gifts are rare. Any mentor would be eager to take you as a student.”

“So, Hughes Bruch, are you willing to become my student?” Mat asked, suddenly grave.

“I am!” Hughes answered quickly—this was a matter of great importance.

“Good! I’ve heard your mental power is exceptional. Though pharmacology is difficult, I’ll teach you everything I know. Still, despite your talent, you must work hard!”

“Yes, Master.”

“The meditation method I gave you yesterday—you haven’t looked at it yet, have you?”

“No, Master. I feared something might go wrong and planned to ask you today before deciding.”

“That’s wise. Being cautious serves you well. Had you used it, things could have gotten troublesome.”

“Master, is it dangerous to look at the meditation method?” Hughes asked, feeling glad he’d made the right choice yesterday.

“You haven’t undergone enlightenment yet. Reading the contents of the crystal ball could harm you—at worst, leave you mindless.”

“Even with your extraordinary mental power, accidents can happen if you’re not careful. Your caution is justified.”

“So, what is this enlightenment?” Hughes wondered aloud.

“It’s the essential initiation for becoming a wizard—specifically, it’s about awakening the latent mental power everyone possesses,” Mat replied simply.