Kobold Wizard's Journal

Chapter 253 Wounds and Blood
Vito hesitated for a moment. Although Ruger and Leiden had been frank about their situation and it seemed like a good option for him, he was still undecided.

Ruger looked at Vito, the golden key implanted within him slowly absorbing and devouring the troubles around him. His expression seemed to say that he didn't want to add anything worse to their already dire situation, even though the other party didn't seem to care.

“It is indeed an enticing offer,” Vito said, looking at the two men by the campfire. “I suspect that your apprenticeships were quite pleasant, that you grew up in a very privileged environment, or that you had a good mentor. You know, most wizard apprentices are not so willing to help others, even with a small problem.”

Ruger paused for a moment.

"It's really good. You can eat fresh insects without any seasoning. They sway from side to side. There are also handmade shorts. My best friend even gave me a huge piece of leather, the biggest piece ever," he said.

Leiden bent down and poked at the campfire, his eyes fixed on the flickering flames.

“True kindness is the kindness that can be maintained even in a dark and harsh environment,” Raiden said in a low voice. “And that kind of kindness is loved by many mentors, because in their eyes it is not kindness, but a steadfast heart, a strong heart that has never been changed or easily swayed in a treacherous and cruel environment…”

Leiden's words made Vito's eyes light up.

Ruger didn't think so. He agreed with the latter part of the statement, but the former part, that good and evil are hard to distinguish, and once something is done, it is done, and there is no distinction between what is truly good. In his opinion, Leiden was a bit too harsh, but he was only harsh, not obsessive.

“Of course, I don’t have that quality or mindset,” Leiden said. “What I do, or what most good people do, doesn’t seem to me to be out of true goodness, but rather out of confidence—confidence in myself and confidence in my abilities. As I judged, the person who came to bother you is most likely a wizarding apprentice, which is why I wanted to help you. If it were a full-fledged wizard, I would definitely refuse. So, if you say I am kind, I think that would be to tarnish the word ‘kindness.’”

Ruger rolled his eyes as he watched Leiden respond to Vito with a straight face.

Ruger preferred doing to explaining, and he hadn't expected that Leiden would delve into such issues, care so much about those two words, and be so demanding about their boundaries.

What is true, pure kindness, and what is goodness born of self-confidence? Ruger simply couldn't imagine that Leiden would even ponder these questions.

He thought, "Maybe it's because I'm too bored staring at the fire all the time."

He felt that he should just do what he wanted. If he couldn't do what he wanted, then he was too weak. Just like when facing the old woman, or Vito in front of him, if he were a more powerful wizard, he wouldn't need to care or think about it. As for whether he was the kind of kind-hearted person that Leiden was talking about, he didn't care. Thinking too much would only make him lose hair. Even ten times a day of Spirit Hair Nourishment spells couldn't withstand the trouble he was creating for himself.

Vito laughed upon hearing this, seemingly quite pleased with Leiden's candor.

“I was being narrow-minded; this is the first time I’ve heard such an interesting perspective,” he said.

Ruger glanced at the two of them, took a sip of tea from his cup, and continued to fiddle with his few tufts of hair.

After the three of them rested for a while, Vito finally had time to change out of the tattered wizard robes he had brought with him during his escape, and together they began their so-called commission.

Ruger and Leiden didn't have many cone-shaped objects left in their bags, but as they threw most of them out, they found that it was becoming increasingly difficult to find a place where the object could be held in their palm and feel warm.

As a result, their efficiency is also declining, with half of the contents of the bags being discarded in the first few days.

The three of them wandered through the dark, withered forest.

Although Vito was very curious about the two men's actions, they didn't elaborate, so he didn't ask them why.

"Take one; it might be helpful."

Ruger handed one of the cone-shaped gadgets to Vito.

Vito accepted it solemnly, and followed their example, holding it in his hand. Half a day passed.

The three walked and stopped frequently. Ruger and Leiden adapted well to the pace, stopping to tinker with anything interesting they saw. Vito, however, was quite different.

Vito's expression was already somewhat unnatural.

"I don't think I can be of much help..." he said with a wry smile.

Instead of offering words of comfort, Ruger began to ponder seriously, when suddenly a brilliant idea flashed into his mind.

“You lead the way. You said you sensed the difference here using that magic circle and subconsciously came in this direction to avoid entanglement,” Ruger said. “Then ignore us. Just follow the original guidance and take the escape route you want. Maybe that’s exactly what we need.”

In the past half day, he and Leiden had only managed to throw out one small cone-shaped object each, truly showing a decline in their abilities day by day.

Vito nodded and began to lead the way along the escape route he had originally envisioned.

The mountains here are one after another, and even without that so-called inexplicable feeling, it is indeed a good place to hide and avoid trouble.

As Ruger walked, he fumbled for the black rope on his wrist, occasionally casting a Spirit Hair Nourishment spell. He felt that this guy seemed to have completed the Spirit Awakening, which meant that he had completed the initial nourishment. Of course, this was based on the requirements of the Hair Shepherd's Ascension Ritual. This black rope was not hair from his body, so it was just a standard to be used and could not be used for the Ascension Ritual.

If this black rope has truly been awakened, then there are two possibilities: either things that have existed in the Nightmare World for a long time are more likely to be awakened, or this guy might be pretending to be stupid, or the awakening process is not yet complete.

After another half-day of trekking.

Suddenly, Luger felt a warmth in his palm.

Not long ago, Leiden threw out a small cone-shaped object, and now it's his turn again. His efficiency has obviously improved, so his thinking is probably correct. This also shows that Vito's inexplicable feeling is indeed related to the nascent Nightmare Lord.

Three hooded figures appeared in the distance.

Luger, who was in a good mood, glanced at him in surprise.

This was the first time the two of them had encountered any other wizard apprentices here, besides the Vito they had unearthed.

Vito's body trembled slightly.

"Gentlemen, I've got a little trouble."

Their arrival was so swift, which clearly took Vito by surprise.

As he spoke, he raised his hand and rolled up his sleeve, revealing a bloody welt on his arm, from which blood was slowly seeping out.

“I originally thought Lord Leiden’s potion had healed it,” Vito said. “This wound seems to be their guide, it just won’t really heal. As a result, my last potion has run out. Whenever they find me and appear before me, it bleeds again…”

Ruger raised an eyebrow, looking at the figures under their hoods, confirming his earlier guess. But this surprised him even more. He considered himself to be relatively ignorant compared to other wizard apprentices, but this time he was clearly experiencing the astonishment of knowing too much. These guys seemed to be the bloodline infected people near the City of Burning Blood.

(End of this chapter)