Chapter 19 - Vergo Wants to Hire Someone Else

It was a shame that Alaric had to work. He wanted to sleep more, keep learning spells, and increase his mana—but not everything went the way he wanted.

If it were any other job, he would've just quit. With his current power, Alaric was confident he could find other ways to make money.

However, because Vergo was the boss—a powerful and mysterious wizard—Alaric wanted to keep working for him. If it weren't for Vergo, the book he currently had, the one with three-star spells and beyond, would never be in his possession. That much he was sure of.

During the day, he spoke with the same customers who came regularly to buy fishing equipment, bait, and rent the small boats Vergo owned. That was the shop's main source of income.

Vergo was usually off somewhere, not actively managing the shop. He'd hired Alaric specifically to handle that. But today, Vergo was there. He sat in his wooden chair, elbows resting on the table, lost in thought.

Alaric could tell something was on his mind. Vergo barely spoke all day. Then, when they closed the shop at 3 in the afternoon, he finally brought it up.

"Can we discuss something?" Vergo asked.

Alaric nodded.

"I'm not gonna lie—your progress is fast. You've got great talent for magic."

It wasn't talent, but his system…

"So I was thinking," Vergo continued, "maybe we can hire someone else and give you more time to practice? You can still sleep in the shop. The new employee will have to sleep somewhere else."

It was a great proposal. The best of both worlds. Alaric would have more time to train (mostly sleep), and still keep his room.

"But who are you hiring?" Alaric asked.

"I was thinking of that friend of yours—Ashley, I believe. What do you think?"

"Ashley?"

Alaric couldn't hide his surprise. If Ashley wanted to work in the city, she would've done it already. The reason she didn't live there was because of her family.

"You're not a very skilled mage," Alaric said. "Don't take that the wrong way—it's just facts. But Ashley seems to have decent talent for magic. Maybe even better than Ruby's sister. She just doesn't have the resources, or even know she's talented."

"Really?"

If anyone could recognize magical talent, it was Vergo. Alaric wasn't stupid—the man was a powerful mage who, for some reason, chose to live on a secluded island.

"Yes. What do you think? We can go talk to her today if you want."

The shop was already closed, so there was nothing urgent to do. Well, Alaric wanted to nap—but if Ashley became the new employee, he'd have more time for that. It was worth trying.

"All right," Alaric said. "Let's go then. But we'll have to work hard to convince her. She has some issues with her family—that's why she doesn't live in the city."

"Don't worry about it. She can still live in her cabin. Close everything up and let's go."

Alaric was really curious about what Vergo had said. He mentioned that Ashley could still sleep in her cabin—but how? The cabin was far from the city. It took them a long time to get there, even with Ruby's boat.

But Vergo wasn't a common wizard. He wasn't like the weak ones who lived on the island.

Once they were outside, Vergo led them to the back of the shop. The area was covered in vegetation, quiet, and completely empty.

"Do you know exactly where the cabin is?" Vergo asked. "Like, if we fly above the island, can you spot it?"

"Wait, are you serious? We're about to fly?"

Alaric hadn't expected that. It would be his first time doing anything like it. Just the thought gave him butterflies in his stomach.

"Yes, we are. Can you?" Vergo asked again.

"I think so, yeah," Alaric replied, confident he could find the cabin from above.

Vergo cast the first spell after getting confirmation. He moved his hand in a precise way, channeling mana with practiced control, forming several magical glyphs that floated in the air.

The first spell wasn't for flight—it was invisibility.

"This way, we can turn invisible and fly over the island without anyone noticing," Vergo said.

Alaric was impressed. He wasn't stupid—he knew that wizards who could cast both invisibility and flight spells were incredibly powerful. In fact, only the headmaster of the magic academy he once attended could do that.

How strong was Vergo, really?

After making them invisible, Vergo cast another spell—this one for flight. He used his mastery over wind to control their movement. Alaric wasn't flying on his own—it was Vergo guiding them through the air.

All Alaric had to do was enjoy the view.

"This is awesome," he said. "I never thought I'd fly like this!"

Vergo chuckled. "If you can, don't yell. We're invisible, but people around us aren't deaf."

"Right, right. Sorry."

The speed of the flight spell was incredible. Alaric guessed they'd reach Ashley's cabin in five minutes at most. Knowing a spell like this was a game-changer.

"I wish I had mastery over wind," Alaric said. "That way, I could fly someday."

"You still can. There are other types of flight spells. All mages want to fly—that's why wizards with different affinities try to create their own versions."

"That's good to know."

For the first time, Alaric had a clear view of the island's surroundings. There was nothing on the horizon—just endless water. No other small islands in sight from up there.

"Why can't we fly to leave the island?" Alaric asked.

Vergo had said the magical beasts in the water were the problem, so Alaric figured maybe they could just fly over them and escape.

"This island is really far—like, really far. Even I don't have enough mana to fly out of here. The only way is by boat."

Alaric had been sent to the island through a teleportation spell. Vergo couldn't use a spell like that. He didn't have the resources. It required massive amounts of energy, drawn from multiple mana stones.

And on this island, resources were scarce.

There was no way around it—Alaric would have to wait six months before he could even think about leaving.

"That's the cabin," Alaric said, pointing toward it.

They reached Ashley's cabin quickly. Vergo landed them gently, then deactivated the invisibility spell.

Ashley was outside, near the river, filling a bucket of water.

When she saw them appear out of nowhere, she panicked, stumbling backward.

"What the fuck?" she said.