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Chapter 7 Strange Runes (Please continue reading)

The Baron looked at Richard's resolute face, seemingly considering something in his mind.

Finally, the Baron's expression hardened, as if he had made up his mind, and he said in a deep voice, "Richard, do you really want to walk the path of a wizard?"

"Yes, absolutely!" Richard said solemnly, looking into his father's eyes.

"Alright, then come with me!" The baron turned and walked toward the inner fortress.

Richard and his brother followed their father to the study. After instructing his brother to close the door, the baron father turned a specific book on the bookshelf at the back.

With a creaking sound, the once seamless bookshelf slowly split into two independent bookshelves, gradually revealing itself against the wall, where a small steel door was clearly visible.

The Baron pulled out an unassuming gray key, opened the small door, and waved for Richard to come in.

Richard stepped through the small door and discovered a hidden world inside. The room was not large, only about ten square meters, but it was filled with some precious antiques, jewelry and two large chests of gold dinars that the Clavel family had accumulated over the years.

The baron's father walked to a small black box and said solemnly, "Richard, I'll ask you one more time, do you really want to pursue the path of a wizard?"

Although Richard didn't know the Baron's purpose in bringing him to this secret room he had never been to before, he answered his father's question without hesitation: "Of course, Father, I have no regrets!"

"Alright, open the box!" The Baron gestured for Richard to step forward and open the small black box.

Richard touched the box and found that it was made of some kind of precious wood and was extremely heavy. When he opened it, he saw a soft green light that kept flashing. Upon closer inspection, he found that it was a rhombus-shaped stone.

The stone contains intricate patterns, each radiating a greenish glow. Then, all the patterns combine along a specific trajectory to form a complex symbol.

The symbols flashed on and off, giving a particularly strange feeling, as if they were alive. If Richard had to describe it, he felt that the rune stone was like a human heart, beating back and forth.

"Smash it!" the Baron said in a deep voice.

"Huh?" Richard was engrossed in his observation when he heard his father, the Baron, say that he should smash the precious object in front of him. He didn't react for a moment.

"You heard me right, smash it!" the Baron confirmed again in a deep voice.

Richard glanced at the Baron and realized he wasn't joking. He immediately obeyed his father's request, raised the precious runestone in front of him high, and slammed it heavily to the ground. With a "crash," the runestone shattered like glass!

But in the next instant, the symbol that was originally bound within the rune stone seemed to expand dozens of times in an instant, appearing out of thin air a meter above the ground and spinning continuously. After a burst of green light, the entire symbol disappeared without a trace in the air.

This surprised even the usually composed Baron's father.

After leaving the secret room, Richard learned the reason from the Baron's father.

It turns out that Richard's grandfather, the previous Baron, had rescued a dark wizard decades ago, but Richard's grandfather didn't know which school of thought it belonged to. The only thing he knew was that the wizard was definitely a dark wizard.

The other party left the rune as a token and told Richard's grandfather that whenever he or his family's descendants needed his help, they should break the rune, and he would sense it.

Even if he cannot come, his disciples will definitely come and fulfill a reasonable condition for the Clavel family, within a hundred years.

If it weren't for the fact that forty years had passed and it was uncertain whether the next generation would have children with wizarding talent, and if it weren't for the fact that Richard happened to be tested and found to have wizarding talent, and even more coincidentally, he had the highest affinity for dark elements, the Baron might not have made this decision rashly.

After all, the promise of a formal wizard can serve as a family's trump card, ensuring the family's safety for at least a hundred years.

Besides, the path of a dark wizard is not easy...

If nothing unexpected happens, someone should arrive at Clavel Castle in the next couple of days. It's just unknown whether it will be the Black Wizard himself or his disciple.

The Baron who made this decision was scolded by Richard's mother at dinner that day. The usually dignified Baroness lost her temper for the first time, leaving the old butler and maids dumbfounded.

As a mother, she certainly didn't want her beloved child to pursue the perilous path of a wizard; she would much rather her child stay by her side so she could take good care of him.

"Mother, please don't blame Father. This was my own request and decision! Father simply fulfilled my wish! I also hope you can understand my determination to pursue my dream!" Richard stood up and comforted his mother.

"Oh, Richard, my child, why are you so much like your father, never consulting me before making any decisions? I am so heartbroken!" the Baroness said, weeping as she hugged Richard.

This moved Richard deeply, leaving him speechless for a moment. They could only silently hug their mother and comfort each other.

Richard, who was an orphan in his previous life, had never quite understood a certain saying before, but this time he understood it a little.

"A father's love is deep, heavy as a mountain, and profound as the sea, but a mother's love is full of care and tenderness!"

Richard had barely sat down in his room when he heard a knocking sound at the door.

"Young master, I am Serena. May I come in?" It turned out to be Serena, the maid, outside the door, but Richard felt that her voice seemed a little hoarse.

When Richard opened the door, a soft, fragrant body rushed into his arms, crying, "Young Master, are you really leaving? I've heard everything; the servants are all talking about it."

I don't want you to leave!

So that's how it is. It seems that what happened at dinner must have spread throughout the castle by now. After all, people in this era don't have much to talk about after dinner.

Any trivial matter that happens in the Baron’s household is good gossip, let alone the news that the Baron’s second son is leaving to pursue the path of a wizard.

"This... Serena..." Richard was at a loss for words as he looked at Serena, who was clinging to him and crying.

He was aware of Serena's feelings for him, of course, but if he chose to accept Serena, it would mean...

In this world, Richard knew that marriages across social classes would not be approved by the public. For example, most nobles sought marriages between nobles.

To put it bluntly, Richard could do whatever he wanted to Serena without any scruples, and his father and mother would take it for granted. But when Richard got married, his spouse would definitely be another noblewoman, not Serena.

"Serena, the path to becoming a wizard is fraught with danger, and I don't know when I'll be able to return!" Richard gently lifted Serena's beautiful face, which was resting on his shoulder, and looked earnestly into her swollen and deep eyes.

"Young master, please take me with you?" Richard was moved by the sobbing voice.

Just as Richard was about to kiss Serena's luscious red lips, the Baron's imposing figure suddenly appeared at the door of his room, startling Richard and Serena.

The baron simply tossed a sentence at Richard and left: "The person you're waiting for has arrived!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the two instantly understood their meaning, and Serena turned pale.

"So fast! But it's late at night!" Richard was speechless. Why did they have to come at this time of year?

At the same time, he felt a mix of joy and sorrow. He was saddened because he was about to leave his family, but happy because he could finally pursue his dream of becoming a wizard.

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(End of this chapter)