Meribad was three hundred and sixty-seven years old, a high-ranking wizard — though he preferred people to call him a scholar.
Thanks to the power of magic, despite approaching four hundred years of age, Meribad still possessed remarkably vigorous vitality and skin as supple as in his youth, though his hair had gone entirely grey, lending his person a touch of scholarly wisdom.
As the president of the Danbres Royal City
He had long believed his unshakable heart could no longer be stirred — yet today, it had been thoroughly shaken.
Meribad adjusted his glasses, fingers tracing the embossed seal on the certification documents.
The magical seal was genuine — his vast experience told him so. But the implications of what this meant were rather terrifying.
"A noble's certificate! Wizard
Meribad stared at the young man before him, mouth slowly falling open.
Such youth and such talent — could it be that the kingdom's Legendary Wizard was about to be born under his very witness?
"Guild Master? Is there a problem?"
The young wizard's question pulled Meribad from his reverie.
"O-of course not! Congratulations, Wizard Leilin!"
Meribad sighed inwardly and affixed his magical seal to the wizard ranking document, which would subsequently be archived to certify Leilin's status.
"From this day forward, you are a certified mid-rank wizard of the Wizard Guild! May Azus bless you..."
Though Azus was not his own patron deity, Leilin bowed his head respectfully in humility.
Meribad handed him a wizard robe enchanted with the Dust Removal Spell, along with various badges and insignia. During the ceremony, he glimpsed in the young man's eyes a passionate love for magic and a pursuit of truth — a look that had once appeared in his own eyes during his youth.
"Perhaps only someone like this truly has what it takes to reach the legendary realm... to fulfill the dream we all share..."
Meribad sighed inwardly, his face radiating genuine warmth as he offered kindly counsel: "Wizard Leilin! Though you've already entered the ranks of mid-rank wizards, I still recommend you spend some time studying here at the Royal City Wizard Guild. We have some of the latest magical theories and spell templates that are extremely important for someone at your stage..."
"That is exactly what I desire, Guild Master!"
Leilin performed a wizard's bow toward the high-ranking mage, his movements so fluid they seemed almost inhuman.
"I didn't expect things to get a bit troublesome. Seems the talent I've shown is a bit too conspicuous... but without it, I wouldn't have attracted the right kind of attention..."
Leilin smiled bitterly to himself.
A sixteen-year-old, tenth-level wizard! The talent was perhaps a bit too frightening. After the rank verification, several old men had nearly keeled over from shock, and the guild master himself had been dragged out.
But fortunately, he already bore the reputation of being a magical prodigy. All his progress had been certified by Ernest, which saved him a great deal of trouble.
As for things like the Devil's Blood Dagger — items that might associate him with dark forces — Leilin had not brought a single one with him.
"A tenth-level wizard certification — even when traveling abroad in the future, it'll be more than enough to secure favorable treatment..."
Leilin turned the wizard badge over in his fingers. A silver moon and stars adorned its surface, suffused with a hazy beauty. The badge was bound to its owner, making it impossible for outsiders to counterfeit.
"Leilin Faolan!!!"
At the entrance to the Wizard Guild, several individuals bearing senior inspector insignia, escorted by a squad of guards, blocked Leilin's path.
Among them, Leilin spotted several priests of the God of Justice, casting their proprietary judicial gaze upon him.
"They're only showing up now? A bit late... Or were they wary of the Wizard Guild's influence?"
"Can I help you?" Leilin asked the inspector before him with a smile.
"You are suspected of involvement in a criminal case on the outer seas. I require you to come along for investigation!" the inspector stated flatly.
Magistrates, sheriffs, and constables who championed justice were the primary source of the God of Justice's faithful — the fact that they had the church's intelligence network at their disposal was no surprise to Leilin at all.
"And if I refuse?" Leilin asked, his tone mocking.
"You have no right to refuse!" The inspector waved his hand. Several guards immediately moved in.
"You dare—" Leilin's gaze turned to lightning, his voice rising several degrees.
"Would you arrest an innocent noble in the Royal City? And before the Wizard Guild headquarters at that — defiling a distinguished mid-rank wizard!"
Noble! Wizard! These two marks of the upper class, once brandished, immediately sent many guards shrinking back in alarm.
In their simple worldview, this was certainly a clash between powerful figures. Why should they stick their necks out? Weren't they afraid of becoming collateral damage?
The inspector's brow furrowed at the scene, but before he could take his next step, the urgent thunder of hoofbeats arrived.
"By order of His Majesty the King! Sir Leilin Faolan is summoned to the palace for an audience!"
A court knight in splendid armor dismounted his fine steed and presented a document to the inspector, one bearing the king's royal seal: "His Majesty the Great King will convene a hearing on this matter and has specifically summoned Viscount Dim to testify..."
For some reason, staring at Leilin's placid expression, the inspector felt a gnawing sense of foreboding — but he could not obstruct this development. To do so would be declaring war on the very laws he served.
"You know... between black and white, there is always a grey area, isn't there, Inspector?"
Leilin swung himself onto his horse, his tone laced with faint mockery.
"With Viscount Dim's testimony, His Majesty will surely not let you go..." The inspector's expression shifted several times before he ultimately chose to believe it.
"I shall wait and see..."
Leilin smiled faintly and disappeared down the road alongside the herald knight.
"We'll wait at the palace gates. I refuse to believe..." The inspector bit his lip and finally waved his hand in resolve.
His unease, clearly, was only growing stronger.
"What a pity... If only Lorrent and the others had arrived in time..." The priest of the God of Justice sighed. "Even so, evil shall face judgment and punishment!!!"
...
What followed played out like a stage drama.
Under Leilin's hand, numerous characters appeared one after another like marionettes on strings — but evil still had the last laugh.
With Viscount Dim — the victim himself — testifying in person, and with Marquise Louisa's pillow counsel, Leilin didn't even need to open his mouth.
In matters like these, stepping into the ring personally meant defeat. He had to maintain the composure and aloofness befitting a nobleman.
The inspector's last stand was shattered by an official royal declaration: "In regards to the murder of Marquis Goldthorn on the outer seas — after investigation, it has been confirmed as the work of the barbarian pirate gang. A warrant is hereby issued for the pirate gang's leader Ogard, Tiren, and others..."
"Why? How could it turn out like this?"
The inspector collapsed to his knees, tears streaming down his face, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Because this was a misunderstanding from the start. In truth, I am quite proud that the kingdom has an inspector as dedicated and conscientious as you..."
Leilin happened to emerge at precisely this moment, and upon hearing the words, offered the inspector a graceful bow — a magnanimous gesture of letting bygones be bygones.
Now two additional titles adorned his name: one as Court Wizard, and the other as an honorary Viscount.
Neither held much practical utility, but they sounded impressive enough — these were the fruits of having amused the king.
Though the king had been brilliant in his youth, he was now clearly lost to wine and pleasures of the flesh. As long as one did not challenge his authority, he would not react at all. Dealing with such an old man — Leilin had more than enough tricks.
What pleased him even more was that once this declaration was officially published, no one could use the pirate incident against him ever again. And it also happened to cause considerable trouble for the barbarian pirate gang — a win-win, if ever there was one.
"Why..."
Watching Leilin move with effortless grace through the capital's noble circles, chatting and laughing with Viscount Dim as if they were sworn brothers, the inspector sank into a vast bewilderment.
In that moment, his very faith stood on the verge of fracturing.
"Child... justice is inherently lonely. The path of those who uphold it is necessarily paved with thorns — but we believe that the final victory will be ours!"
The priest's warm hand settled on the inspector's shoulder, his sole support in that moment.
"The God of Justice, hmph..."
On the other side, Leilin's expression remained unchanged, but inwardly he let out a cold laugh.
...
Outside the Royal City, after a grueling march, Lorrent's party had finally caught sight of the city walls.
"We've finally arrived! According to intelligence, he's in the city — this time he won't escape!"
Lorrent's face was flushed with excitement, laced with a measure of fury.
Back at the Dark Forest Fortress, they had first been detained by the matter of devil worshippers — compared to pirates, the activities of devil cultists were clearly more pressing. But after exhausting all their efforts, it turned out to be a false alarm. Not only that, they had burned through an enormous amount of time, allowing their original quarry to travel all the way to the Royal City!
Fortunately, armed with the temple's intelligence network, he could no longer hide.
"Prepare to face justice! Leilin Farell!"
Though they had never met, Lorrent had already sketched an image of him in his mind: cunning, ruthless, thoroughly steeped in evil! Such a noble deserved to be burned alive on the stake!