Kobold Wizard's Journal

Chapter 127 Superficiality and Maturity
He thought of that disgusting, uncomfortable arm.

Could it be because of that arm? That's a possibility, but it feels like there's more to it than that.

It's possible, everything is just a possibility, Ruger warned himself.

If that's truly the case, then she has two ways, or rather, two choices, to mitigate this risk: one is to find a way to make him leave before anything even begins, and the other is to ensure he can never leave. If she's confident enough, the latter would be safer; if handled properly, even if someone investigates, it won't matter.

So she was just being cautious? Knowing that her brother was accompanied by a wizard apprentice, she came to investigate and confirm?

He felt that he might have been thinking a little off-topic.

She might as well not come to investigate at all, which would reduce the possibility of her being exposed.

Ruger knew his own limitations; even when he was daydreaming, he was sometimes constrained by his own shallow understanding.

If he knew more, he would soon be able to make some connections.

Is your knowledge shallow?
Perhaps it was precisely because of her limited knowledge that she feared the more experienced people of the Upper Realm would discover her secrets, rather than being afraid of the wild wizard apprentices. After all, there weren't many wild wizard apprentices in the city, but there were definitely some.

A wild wizard apprentice and a formally trained wizard apprentice like her are naturally very different in terms of knowledge and experience. But if there is any area of ​​absolute difference, any level that a wild wizard apprentice rarely and rarely has access to, it is knowledge of formal wizards, contact with formal wizards, and understanding of formal wizards.

Perhaps what she's trying to conceal isn't a near-annihilation revenge against the Starry Sky family. In that case, she's merely guiding, or perhaps even doing it more cleanly, not being the direct perpetrator. She could even shamelessly claim to be the righteous healer within the family.

Just as he had initially guessed, she didn't care about the fate of the Starry Sky family at all.

Rather, there is something that will be noticed as soon as she takes action, something that will be noticed even if one is unaware of the grudges and feuds within their family. And if this is a high-level apprentice from the Upper Realm, it will lead to some unpleasant associations.

In other words, she had already done everything that seemed perfectly logical on the surface, but she was afraid that those in the know would scrutinize it closely.

If she really was that neighbor, she might have asked him for help before in order to observe him closely and determine whether this kobold, who might not be telling the truth, was actually from the Upper Realm.

Ruger suddenly felt that things were not going well.

He had been mistaken by Baant and others before, who thought he was an experimental subject modified by a high-ranking wizard. Some fifth-level wizard apprentices who had contact with him even asserted that his modification was not something an apprentice could do. This shows that in the eyes of most knowledgeable people, he came from the Upper Realm.

After observing and confirming his ignorance, she still began her plan, perhaps because she was certain of his ignorance, or perhaps because she simply didn't intend for him to leave alive.

Luger chuckled at his own wild thoughts, only then realizing that he had unknowingly sat up from the recliner.

There are many things that don't make sense, and there are many possibilities. Maybe it's not as bad as he thought.

He picked up the fruit tea, which had already cooled down, and took a big gulp.

Of course, wizards always have great faith in their spirituality, and when the light of spirituality does not flicker, spirituality can be interpreted as their own whims.

He put down his teacup and chuckled.

“Sir, it’s all cleaned up. You can go in and rest now,” Daisy said softly, looking at him curiously from the side.

Ruger looked up at her; Daisy had sweat on her forehead, as if the cleaning had eased her disappointment.

“Daisy, you should know that there are people in the manor who can contact Lady Myrtle. Could you pass on a message for me, saying that I have learned that spell…” Ruger said, “It should be more convenient with this.”

He handed over the badge that represented the Star Family.

Daisy took the badge without a second thought, and turned to leave without asking any questions.

Ruger continued to rest on the recliner, waiting for Daisy's return while relaxing his mind. He no longer intended to let his thoughts wander along that line. He wanted to pass this trouble to someone else; someone else could lend a hand.

If I had to name who it would be, it would undoubtedly be a kind old man who always calls himself a wild wizard, an old fellow who drinks more alcohol than water. He'd probably love this gift; it'd be a nice accompaniment to his drinks, a way to keep his rusty brain active and analyze the future of his homeland. He's a true veteran of the Upper Realms, not some imposter like me.

Daisy didn't return until late at night. Ruger saw the look in her eyes and knew that the message had been successfully delivered.

Sure enough, early the next morning.

An excited old drunkard casually paid a visit.

"Hmm, your new home is really nice."

The old wizard's apprentice sat down and, as if they were old friends, poured himself tea. When he discovered that it was wine instead, his smile widened.

"You really learned it? Don't lie to me." The old man took a sip of the wine in his glass.

This wine was bought yesterday to entertain the neighbors. The remaining wine was taken out early this morning and casually poured into the tea set by Luger and placed here.

"Is your magic stone ready?" Ruger poured himself a glass of wine.

"Hehe, you really think I'm senile? I clearly gave you a pot of Fairy King's wine last time. I may be old and dying, but I'm not senile," the old drunkard said.

The old man still drank the wine he bought from a street tavern with great relish.

“That’s another one. I gave you that pot of wine as payment for something else, so you still have to give me the magic stone for this spell agreement…” Ruger said, also drinking from a teacup.

The old man was taken aback upon hearing this.

“Is there anything else I need to pay you?” he said.

“I helped you avoid being killed by a junior. Do you want to pay me?” Ruger casually poured him a glass of wine.

The old wizard apprentice's expression finally turned serious. He looked at Ruger and watched Ruger slowly pour him wine, and fell into deep thought.

"Is it because of what's been happening in the city lately?" the old drunkard asked tentatively.

As expected, the old man had a keen sense of smell, Ruger thought to himself.

"I don't need the magic stone as agreed. You can help me analyze something as payment."

Ruger organized his thoughts and shared his many guesses, including contradictory ones, revealing everything.

As Ruger recounted his story, the old man gradually became more attentive.

The old man picked up his wine glass several times during the game, but stopped at his lips when Ruger said "mid-game".

For a moment, Ruger felt that the old wizard's apprentice seemed to know something about his neighbor that he didn't.

The old man stood up and walked around in a small area.

"Are you sure that Dasoya Star is her?" the old drunkard asked.

"Do you know her?" Ruger poured the old man another glass of wine.

“Yes, actually I came here once during the Star Festival and happened to see the person next to you. That’s an aura I’m very familiar with, the life essence is flowing away,” the old drunkard said. “She’s about to die. She doesn’t have much time left, even less than me. I can probably live for a few more years, but she’s in a state where she could die at any moment. That aura... I sighed then and there that I was not as good as her. She was more ruthless to herself than I was. She must have also tried some kind of sublimation ritual that depleted the life essence.”

(End of this chapter)