Chapter seventeenth: "Jewels"

Old Elias was stunned by what he had just heard. His magic was special? What nonsense! He had always been at the bottom of his family, despite being a third-rank mage.

Nevallis continued, "Enhancement magic has two starting points for a mage. Either it begins by enhancing external objects, like weapons, which is an unfortunate start since it won't evolve into self-enhancement. Or, it starts by enhancing one's own magic, like yours. That is true luck. When the mage or their magic advances in rank, it develops into full enhancement magic—enhancing both themselves and the surrounding objects."

"Simply put, old man, you're incredibly lucky. Do you realize how many people wish to have enhancement magic? It's one of the most powerful and compatible magics for a mage."

"You said your magic isn't strong or offensive? Nonsense! You just haven't mastered it yet, and you're in the wrong environment. Imagine fighting in a forest—hahaha—you would become the king there."

Elias was shocked. He knew enhancement magic was rare, but the idea of enhancing his own magic was both astonishing and terrifying. Yet, he had wood magic—a non-offensive type. It was simply useful but not something he could wield effectively in battle. He cursed his bad luck in silence. If he had fire or even wind magic alongside enhancement, he would be on a completely different level.

And yet, here was Nevallis telling him that his magic was special and that it would evolve in the future. This revelation shook Elias to the core.

But as usual, Nevallis didn't care. He let him process his thoughts and turned to the others. His gaze fell upon the girl who had been following them since the beginning, alongside Ryan and Evan. Her name was Serena. She was the same age as Evan, her short yet silky hair neatly combed back. Her attire was as simple as the others', yet she somehow stood out—perhaps due to her magic?

Nevallis said, "I don't know what to say. But if you don't want to join after hearing all this, you are free to go. Your magic is unique. You could easily go to a church and live a peaceful life without getting involved in all of this."

Everyone turned to Serena, then back to Nevallis. Another special magic? The church? No one understood.

After all, none of them knew each other's magic, as they had entered the assessment room one by one.

Nevallis then explained, "Your magic is special—healing magic. It's rare. You could go to the church in the western part of the kingdom. They will welcome you without a doubt."

The room fell silent as everyone realized that the choice was now Serena's. The girl was taken aback by the sudden turn of events. Healing magic? Go to the church and leave everything behind?

She turned to Evan, who immediately said, "Serena, you must go to the church. Don't get involved in this. And once all of this is over, I'll come and find you."

It was obvious that Evan was trying to send Serena away to keep her out of trouble. Everyone knew he cared about her and was saying this for her sake. After what had happened to his sister, he had become extremely protective of those he loved.

Serena knew this, but she confidently replied, "I will go to the church."

Evan smiled at that response, but his smile quickly vanished when she added,

"But I will go there to train my magic, not to stay. I will return when everything begins."

Evan's face turned grim. "What are you saying? Of course, you won't! You will stay there until it's all over. That's final!"

Serena quickly responded, "Why? I want to help everyone too!"

Before the argument could escalate, old Elias stepped in. "Serena, is this your final decision?"

She nodded firmly. "Yes."

Elias sighed before saying, "Then do as you wish."

Evan shouted, "Grandfather, what are you saying?!"

But Elias raised his voice, silencing him. "Evan, don't be selfish. I understand your desire to protect her, but she has made her decision. Do you think any of us here want to drag others into this? If it were up to me, I would have stopped all of you from joining this war. But this decision isn't mine alone to make. I want to protect you, but I must also respect your choices. So don't be selfish, Evan. Respect Serena's resolve."

Evan lowered his head slightly and muttered, "I understand."

At that moment, Nevallis spoke, "If you don't want to lose anything precious to you, then you have only one choice—become strong enough to protect it."

With those words, everyone's determination to gain strength intensified. After all, each of them had something they wanted to protect.

Now, moving on to the others.

Darien, a boy slightly older than Evan at seventeen years old, was next.

Nevallis said, "Darien, you possess combat magic—fire magic. Controlling and using it properly requires training. Fire magic is well-known as a battle magic due to its wide range and destructive power. So, work hard on honing it."

Now, onto the next one.

Darien was shocked by the revelation of his magic, but he was even more shocked by how quickly Nevallis moved on. "What the hell? Am I that insignificant? I have fire magic, for god's sake!"

He blurted out, "That's it?"

Nevallis raised an eyebrow. "What more do you want?"

For the second time, those in the room struggled to hold back their laughter.

Ignoring them, Nevallis turned to the next person—Ryan.

As soon as his name was mentioned, everyone in the room turned toward him. After all, he stood between the knights and the mages, making it unclear where he belonged.

Nevallis confirmed their suspicions, "You are special. You can use both magic and aura, just like me. And you even have wind magic, which perfectly suits swordsmanship. Simply put, everything is ideal for you. But don't get too happy or arrogant—you will need to work twice as hard. You must train extensively to master both magic and aura simultaneously, and that is no easy feat."

"I'll make sure to teach you most of what you need to know in the coming months, so look forward to it."

He said that, and then he turned to the only one left, Evan.