So I Was a Magic Expert All Along (2)

The magical fluctuations emanating from Idar City were not particularly strong, but they were remarkably persistent!

The continuous and uninterrupted waves of magic almost convinced Arnel that this must be the work of an immensely powerful mage one at the level of a Grand Mage.

After all, even for someone like Arnel, a mage apprentice with exceptional spiritual power, it would be nearly impossible to generate such sustained magical fluctuations.

At most, his magic would last only a few seconds and certainly wouldn't be able to spread over such a vast distance.

But…

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Arnel was just as bewildered…

Could it be that Idar truly harbored a Grand Mage?

Yet…

No matter how hard Arnel racked his brain, he simply couldn't figure out who this hidden Grand Mage could be.

Old Ford?Shabi?

Or someone else?

If there truly was a Grand Mage in Idar, then why had they gone through the trouble of pulling him out and placing him in the role of Mage Advisor?

It was all very perplexing…

However, since the magical fluctuations had originated from Idar City, it was only natural that, as the Mage Advisor of Idar, Arnel should investigate the situation.

"You all stay here and wait. I'll head back to Idar City to check things out," Arnel said.

"No way!" Watson said firmly. "If the source of this magic is a Grand Mage and they turn out to be hostile, you wouldn't stand a chance against them. We have to go with you!"

What a joke!

Letting Arnel go alone? That was something the mage apprentices would never agree to!

If Idar truly housed a Grand Mage, then even the slightest guidance from them could be immensely beneficial. While they were all fellow apprentices, there was no way they were going to let Arnel hog such a golden opportunity for himself!

"That's right! We're going with you!" the mage apprentices declared in unison.

Even though they had pledged their allegiance to Idar and were now focused on researching enchanted weapons, that didn't mean they couldn't take the chance to meet an unknown Grand Mage!

Arnel rolled his eyes at them helplessly and said, "Fine, we'll go together then…"

"I'll go get the donkey," Lett said.

"I'll find a cart," Watson added.

Among them, aside from Arnel, not a single person knew how to ride a horse!They always traveled in donkey carts whenever they went out.

But that was understandable.

Mages had notoriously poor physical fitness, and these guys spent most of their time cooped up inside the mage tower. As a result, they barely ever ventured outside and had absolutely no athletic abilities.

Not even the long journey to Idar had prompted them to learn how to ride a horse.

Thus, by the time this group of mages finally arrived in Idar City, the sky had already begun to darken.

It wasn't that they didn't want to hurry it was just that, no matter how anxious they felt, the donkeys pulling their carts maintained their leisurely, unhurried pace, strolling along as if they had all the time in the world.

For these mage apprentices, this was their first time entering Idar City since arriving in the territory.

The wide streets, the clean and orderly environment everything left them utterly astonished.

This city's roads were probably comparable in width to those in the imperial capital, St. Lawrence!

Though Idar City was not yet large in scale, the bustling trade caravans passing through had already begun to stimulate its growth.

However, as much as the apprentices were intrigued by this developing border city, they had come for a serious matter, not for sightseeing!

Thus, just after waking from his afternoon nap, Bruno found himself in the grand banquet hall of the lord's castle, face-to-face with an impatient Arnel and the group of mage apprentices trailing behind him.

"We sensed a prolonged magical fluctuation from our residence in the Armis Mountains, and the source of this magic is Idar City," Arnel stated directly.

Bruno nodded, then looked past Arnel at the group behind him and, instead of responding, asked, "So… these are the mage apprentices from St. Lawrence?"

Lett and the others were visibly taken aback upon seeing the young lord.

Arnel had told them long ago that the Earl of Idar was the first to propose the theory of magical flow.

In their minds, even if this Earl was not a mage himself, he should at least be a wise and venerable elder with a head full of white hair…

Yet now, as they stood before the actual Earl, they realized he looked nothing like what they had imagined.

Young!

Incredibly young!

That was the first thought that flashed through their minds upon seeing Bruno.

And to think that this noble, who was around their own age, had single-handedly conceived the theory of magical flow!

Suddenly, the mage apprentices couldn't help but feel that the Grand Mages in the towers of St. Lawrence, who spent their days muttering to themselves, were utterly pathetic in comparison.

"Honorable Earl," they greeted him respectfully.

Regardless of his age, Bruno was still a nobleman and, more importantly, their current "employer," so the apprentices performed a proper mage's salute.

"The magical fluctuation! We sensed an unusually long-lasting magical fluctuation!" Arnel quickly interjected, seeing that Bruno was ignoring him.

"Only a Grand Mage-level individual could possibly generate such a magical force!" Arnel emphasized.

Bruno lifted his head, glanced at the anxious Arnel, and replied nonchalantly, "No need to worry… I was just conducting an experiment."

An… experiment?

Arnel looked at Bruno in utter confusion.

What the hell?

He was just a normal person… How could his experiment cause such a magical disturbance?

Before Arnel could even react, Bruno casually raised his right hand and rubbed his fingers together.

Out of nowhere, a small flame flickered to life at his fingertips.

"Did I ever tell you… that I wasn't a mage?"

The sight left the mage apprentices behind Arnel with wide, astonished eyes.

Casting magic without a staff?Without chanting an incantation?Just summoning a fireball with his bare hands?

Arnel stammered, eyes bulging, "B-but… if magic can be cast without incantations, then how does your magical flow theory hold up?"

Bruno took a sip from his cup, then lazily replied, "The theory of magical flow still stands. After all, the research on magic arrays is built upon it. But you have to understand—every theory has its limits. And I, my dear friend, am already beyond what you ordinary mages can comprehend…"