Steadfast Wizard: From Heart-Swapping Rat to Dimensional Demon God

"Tsk~ It really was you!"

As Isaac followed Prince Norns into the restaurant, he immediately spotted a familiar face—Merlin, the Mad Witches.

It's not hard to guess Merlin's true identity, because the original author of the Handbook of Divine Research was just a wizard of average skill, and it's unlikely that such a minor figure's manuscript would be found all over the world.

Therefore, Isaac and the witch Merlin, who respectively possess the upper and lower parts of the manuscript, are not far apart in reality, and may even be within the same empire.

Based on the information he had, he and the eldest princess were the only legal mad witches within the empire, so this was not hard to guess.

Conversely, Isaac's identity is not hard to guess, and his code name in the Mad Witches is his own surname.

"Hmm? You two know each other?" Prince Norns looked at the eldest princess with some surprise, then at Isaac.

"Yes, we've met twice at the Mad Witch Guild, but this is the first time we've met face-to-face in real life." The eldest princess stood up, looked Isaac up and down, then smiled brightly and extended her delicate white hand. "Nice to meet you. Let me introduce myself. I am Philo Merlin Terra. You can call me Philo."

Isaac raised an eyebrow, extended his hand to shake mine, and replied, "Isaac Solomon."

"Wait, wait, wait! Isaac, you... are you a mad witch too?" Prince Norns asked incredulously.

"Well, I managed to succeed a few times by sheer luck."

"Several times..." Prince Knowles' lips twitched slightly. He looked at Isaac, then at Philo, his gloom deepening. What kind of mess had the Empire made to produce such two talented individuals...?

"How many times has your magic been so stable?" Philo looked Isaac up and down and suddenly asked.

"It's only been done once. We'll do a second one after we're settled in. What's wrong?"

"There's a ceremony coming up in a small town nearby. Would you be interested in forming a team?" Merlin stroked her fair chin and extended an invitation to Isaac.

Prince Norns and his daughter exchanged a surprised glance. They had actually taken the initiative to invite him?

"A ritual? An initiation? Is it the kind where multiple wizards compete to complete a ritual objective and receive a reward?" Isaac's eyes lit up, and he immediately forgot about etiquette, after all, this was a good thing!

Rituals are generally divided into two types: conventional rituals that are manually arranged, which can be set up by ordinary people and will be effective as long as the materials and placement are correct; and unconventional rituals called fantasy rituals.

It originates from the legends held by some powerful wizards, which are magical rituals created by them projecting their own fictional fantasy stories into the real world.

Different legends give rise to different fantasy rituals, and different fantasy rituals yield different results. Some yield magical items, some yield power enhancements, some yield familiars, and some high-level fantasy rituals can even yield [legends]!

It's the best choice to enhance your strength!

"Yes, and it's the Genie's Lamp Trial, level one. How about it, interested?"

"Yes! Of course, but team up... could it be a seven-on-seven Holy Grail... the Genie's Lamp Trial?" Isaac asked curiously.

The Genie's Lamp Trial has rules similar to the Holy Grail War. During the preparation phase of the ritual, each participant summons a familiar and then fights each other within a limited area. The pair that survives to the end is the victor.

The difference is that the final prize in the Holy Grail War is a wish, while the grand prize of the magic lamp is a familiar, a very outstanding familiar!

The Genie's Lamp Trial is similar to the Holy Grail War; it's a seven-on-seven battle, and only this one requires teamwork. Otherwise, the former would be a free-for-all, with no possibility of forming teams in advance.

"That's right, and it's Tier 1, so don't worry. By the way, besides you, we have another teammate. I'll take you to meet her later. She's a witch, and a very strong one," Philo said confidently.

Two mad witches and one sorceress—she had no idea how she could lose!

Although she wasn't entirely clear about Isaac's strength, she knew her own. Anyone who dared to trade with the Outer Gods couldn't be without some skill; at the very least, their combat power was at its peak, given that they possessed valuable items obtained from the Outer Gods.

"Are you finished talking? If you two are, please sit down and eat."

While Isaac and Philo were talking, Prince Norns and his second brother Remington had already sat down, watching them while eating their steaks.

After they reached an agreement, Prince Norns waved the knife and fork in his hand.

"I apologize, I got a little carried away and offended you." Only then did Isaac realize that he was at Prince Norns's residence, and he quickly bowed to Prince Norns to apologize.

Nobles place great importance on etiquette, especially the older the noble family. After all, etiquette can be a powerful force in this world!

Although Isaac had never seen it, that did not prevent him from maintaining a sense of awe.

To his surprise, Prince Norns showed no displeasure. Instead, he casually waved his knife and fork and said with a hint of helplessness, "It's alright. Mad witches are all like this. I'm almost used to it."

As she spoke, she glanced at Filo, who had completely lost her ladylike manners, plopped back into her chair, and was eating her steak with gusto. Her expression became even more helpless.

Seeing this, Isaac raised his eyebrows, somewhat agreeing with the sentiment.

Of course, it was a resonance with Princess Filo, because after he became a wizard, Gaia often looked at him with the same gaze.

Isaac glanced at his current seat, blinked, and was a little dumbfounded. Where... should he sit?

Isaac's hesitation was not because the table was small; in fact, the table was not small at all, with a long table that could seat at least dozens of people.

His hesitation stemmed from the fact that Prince Norns, as the master of the Prince's Palace and the person of the highest seniority among them, was entitled to sit in the head seat, while Isaac and the others could sit on either side without issue.

The problem is that his second brother Remington and Princess Philo are sitting on one side, and his fiancée is sitting opposite Philo. So, the question is, which side would be more appropriate for him to sit on?

"Heh~ Sit wherever you like, don't worry about it." Philo saw through Isaac's thoughts at a glance, and pulled out a chair next to her with a smile, patting the cushion. "Don't be shy here, Uncle Rein is very easygoing, I come here often."

Upon hearing this, Isaac glanced at Philo, whose mouth was greasy from eating, and then at Prince Norns, whose face was full of helplessness. He felt that the eldest princess might have gotten some order wrong...

But that's none of his business. Being able to sit anywhere is better than standing, and besides...

These steaks look delicious!

"Rip!"

Everyone's expression froze.