Outside the castle dungeon, Du Wei met Roline, the first female knight he had recruited. Since arriving at the castle, Roline had taken it upon herself to guard the captured mage.

After all, the mage had once been her companion. Though Roline had sworn loyalty to Du Wei, she still felt some obligation to their old association. The mage had originally joined their party because he was captivated by her beauty, and they had only worked together for a few days. Roline dared not secretly release him against Du Wei’s wishes, but by watching him herself, she could at least care for her former companion as far as she was able.

At the very least, under Roline’s care, the mage had been given a full meal after arriving the previous night. He was still not allowed to sleep, and meditation was absolutely forbidden. Roline’s two attendants—the bull warrior and the archer—took turns watching him, denying him any chance to recover his magical power.

When Du Wei entered the dungeon, the damp, gloomy stench made him distinctly uncomfortable.

Roline, now dressed in knightly attire, was rather striking. The long-legged young woman had originally possessed a seductive, alluring face, but she seemed to have adjusted her appearance. Her hair had been cut shorter, a ribbon bound her forehead, and her brows had been shaped. It diminished some of her softness and gave her a more heroic air.

Her knight’s outfit made her appear much more dignified. She no longer wore her short skirt, so her full, lovely legs were hidden. Yet with a slender sword at her side and a light knight’s breastplate over her upper body, she looked every bit the knight.

“Honored master.” Roline immediately came forward when she saw Du Wei enter the dungeon. “You are...?”

“I came to see my prisoner.” Du Wei’s face was cold; he was in a poor mood. He glanced at Roline. “Have you been guarding him all night?”

Roline looked troubled. “Master, the man inside was once my companion. I...”

“Pleading for him?” Du Wei shook his head. “There is no need. I do not intend to make things difficult for him. So long as he answers a few questions obediently, I will release him immediately.”

With that, Du Wei passed Roline and left a single instruction behind. “I will speak with him alone. All of you wait outside. Do not come in without permission.”

The mage was held in what had originally been the largest cell in the castle dungeon. By the time Du Wei entered, the mage’s face was pale, and he could barely keep his eyes open.

Although a mage’s mental power was strong, he had already fought alongside the others at the tavern during the journey and used magic, spending much of it. After being captured, he had never had a chance to meditate and restore what he had expended. Then he had been kept from sleeping for two days. He was at the end of his endurance.

Since being locked in the dungeon, every time he closed his eyes, someone immediately threw a bucket of cold water over him. Roline had treated him more courteously, but her two men had no such restraint.

Back in the little adventuring party, the bull warrior and archer had already disliked the mage. He had joined because of his attraction to Roline, and the two men had always despised him for it. Their relationship had never been good.

Now, seeing the young noble enter the cell, the mage felt close to collapse. He wore no shackles; a mage deprived of magical power was weaker than an ordinary man. But the dungeon was cold and damp, and he had been drenched by more buckets of water than he could count. His lips were white from the cold. When Du Wei entered, he was sitting on a stone bed with his knees drawn up while the bull warrior barked beside him, “Hey! Do not close your eyes, or I will soak you again! Do you know how many trips I made carrying water last night?”

The man had barely finished when he saw Du Wei. He immediately fell silent. Du Wei waved him out, then walked over to the mage. “Well, honored mage. Is everything here to your satisfaction?”

Fine? Did I look fine? the mage grumbled inwardly, though his face showed only pleading. “Sir, why must a noble of your standing treat me so harshly? You are the eldest son of the Count of the Rowling Family. If word gets out that you abused a mage like this, your family may find it difficult to make friends with mages in the future!”

Trying to threaten me?

Du Wei curled his lip. “Oh, is that so? Then what do you think will happen if word gets out that a mere first-level mage has mastered instant casting?”

The mage’s face turned white, and a flash of panic appeared in his eyes.

What would happen?

The answer was simple. If other mages learned of it, he would quickly become prey for mages across the continent. Every mage longed to learn a supreme technique like instant casting. A mere first-level mage possessing it... What more needed to be said?

It would be like a three-year-old child, completely undefended, carrying a fortune beyond measure.

“Tell me.” Du Wei smiled. “I know that your so-called instant casting is not genuine instant casting. You must have used some trick to achieve it, right? I am not a mage. Telling me will cost you nothing. I merely wish to satisfy my curiosity.”

The mage lowered his head, struggling visibly.

“What is there left to hesitate over?” Du Wei sighed. “You are only a first-level mage. Mages may be rare and respected in this world, but that applies only to mages above the middle ranks. A lowest-ranked first-level mage like you could be killed here or imprisoned for life, and probably no one would care. Even the Magic Guild would not offend a great noble for an insignificant first-level mage such as you. Am I wrong?”

“You...” At last, the mage’s gaze wavered. His mental defenses began to crumble, and he bit his lip with difficulty. “If I tell you, you must swear not to reveal it. Because... it concerns my status as a mage!”

“Certainly. Completely.” Du Wei immediately raised his hand and swore, “I, Du Wei Rowling, swear here that everything you tell me today will remain in my heart. I will not pass it on to anyone else. Otherwise, may the Goddess of Light punish me!”

The mage's expression grew complicated. Guilt flickered in his eyes, and his lips moved several times before he finally said, “I... am only a magic apprentice.”

“...What?” Du Wei froze. “What do you mean?”

“I...” The mage seemed to need every ounce of strength to say it. “I mean that I am only a magic apprentice. My real ability is no better than that of a magic apprentice. I obtained my first-level mage qualification through certain... methods.”

“Obtained it through deception?” Du Wei’s interest was immediately stirred.

He had cheated his way into being certified as a mage?

As far as Du Wei knew, the Magic Guild’s examinations were not easily fooled. If a mage’s qualification could be obtained through a simple trick, would it not be a joke?

“I began studying magic as a child. My master was a low-ranking mage. He thought I had magical talent and accepted me as his apprentice. I gained my magic apprentice qualification at thirteen... That was not difficult.” The mage’s voice was bitter. “There are only a few hundred true mages on the continent, but there are thousands with magic apprentice qualifications. Unfortunately, the path to becoming a true mage is far too difficult. Most magic apprentices cannot pass the first-level examination even if they strive for their entire lives. They remain magic apprentices forever. And I... was one of those pitiable people.”

“Every mage accepts several apprentices, but the mages themselves know that not all of those apprentices can become mages. In fact, they may teach for a lifetime without producing one mage disciple. Yet every mage on the continent still accepts many apprentices. Why? Mages are so exalted and feared—how could people of such status lack attendants? So every mage keeps some number of magic apprentices at their side. Most of those apprentices dream of magic, but only a very few achieve that dream. The worst part is that many mages know perfectly well that these magic apprentices have no chance of becoming mages, but they do not tell them... because mages need obedient apprentices to perform magical experiments, work as assistants, even serve them as servants. And such servants do not cost them a single gold coin!

“That was how it happened to me. At thirteen, I met my master. He told me I had talent and took me from my home, saying he would teach me to become an outstanding mage. I followed him filled with endless hope, but later... I discovered it was a dream that could never come true. My master had more than a dozen disciples, every one of whom had passed the magic apprentice examination. He was only using us as free servants and free assistants.

“He kept deceiving us with false promises, though he knew that many of those disciples could never become mages in their entire lives. He knew it! But he never said a word!

“I spent ten years as a magic apprentice before finally discovering that I had no talent for it. My mental power had always been a little stronger than an ordinary person’s, and I could sense the faintest trace of natural power... But that was my limit. My talent was limited.

“Later, with no alternative... I began studying magical potioncraft.”

Magical potioncraft?

Du Wei’s eyes brightened.

This man’s experience was rather like his own!

Only, Du Wei could not even pass the lowest magic apprentice examination... He laughed bitterly to himself.

In truth, even Du Wei did not realize that the situation was not as he imagined.

Mages were a strange group. Most were solitary and proud. They saw themselves as standing above all living things, people who could command wind and rain and draw upon the gods’ power. To most mages, ordinary people were no more than insects to be used as they pleased.

Many magic apprentices accepted by mages actually had less magical talent than Du Wei. But mages needed attendants, and while they had money, they could not hire servants in the manner of ordinary nobles—what sort of image would that give them?

As sacred and mysterious mages, their servants naturally needed the status of magic apprentices. How could they employ ordinary people? It would be far too beneath them.

But people with magical talent were rare. To keep magic apprentices around them, most mages even lowered their standards for accepting apprentices. So long as someone was only slightly stronger than an ordinary person, even if their talent was inadequate, mages tempted them with promises to teach them magic.

Afterward... those who truly lacked the talent to become mages could only spend their lives as cheap labor for their masters.

This was why magic apprentice examinations across the continent were chaotic, and the standards varied wildly.

The examination Du Wei had taken in the Imperial Capital, however, had been conducted by genuinely strict standards. Mage Clark would not dare deceive the eldest son of the head of the Rowling Family, the second most important figure in the Empire’s military.

Because of Du Wei’s identity, Mage Clark had not dared to lure him away as cheap labor.

Otherwise, if Du Wei had been an ordinary person... when Mage Clark saw mental power that greatly exceeded the norm, he would have accepted Du Wei at once.

Even knowing that Du Wei lacked magical talent, Clark would certainly have taken him as an apprentice. Having a magic apprentice with exceptional magical power beside him would be highly convenient for future magical experiments.

In fact, many mages on the continent did exactly that. If Du Wei had not been the eldest son of a count, he would likely have been deceived, clinging to dreams of becoming a mage while working as a mage’s cheap laborer, perhaps wasting his entire life and ruining his own future.

“By sheer chance, I learned the truth: my master had known all along that I could never become a mage.” Bitterness filled the prisoner’s voice. “He had known it even when he took me from my home! He only saw that I had good magical power and thought a free servant like me would make his future magical experiments more convenient. Many of my master’s disciples were like me. Some had strong magical power; some had good sensitivity. But every one had a serious flaw, and all were kept at our master’s side, wasting our lives for a dream he had woven.”

“...And then?” Du Wei sighed.

“As I said, when I learned the truth, I was furious at first. Later... I decided to change my fate. Since I could not learn true magic, I decided to study magical potioncraft.” The mage prisoner sighed. “Because potion mages are also a kind of mage explicitly recognized by the Magic Guild. Though... most people find that idea laughable. Most people do not regard potion mages as true mages at all.”

“...And then?” Du Wei felt his heart begin to race.

Could this man...

Like Du Wei, he had no magical talent. Yet he had become a mage, and he had truly used magic at the tavern!

If he, a man without talent, had somehow learned magic in the end... then as long as he could explain how he had done it, perhaps Du Wei could do the same!

If he could find a path to learning magic, then...

What of the astrology Semel had left in the castle's secret chamber—the star magic she had developed over a lifetime? Could this man provide the path Du Wei needed to learn it?

“Can mastery of magical potioncraft make someone a mage?” Du Wei looked at the prisoner. “But as I understand it, the Magic Guild’s qualification examination for potion mages is entirely different from the examination for other mages.”

For true mages, the continent used ten ranks. The difficulty increased greatly with every examination passed, so higher-ranked mages were naturally more powerful.

But the examination for potion mages, though they were called “a kind of mage,” was much simpler.

So simple that it seemed almost perfunctory.

Potion mages had no ranks.

Only one level!

Pass the examination, and you became a potion mage. The Magic Guild would then issue a badge, a symbol of official recognition as a mage.

Although most people did not accept that recognition.

Even the Magic Guild’s own badge showed a certain unequal treatment.

Potion mages received a round bronze badge. Its workmanship was simple, and it had no magical anti-forgery enchantment.

Perhaps the Magic Guild knew that no one would be interested in impersonating a profession that so few people respected.

A potion mage, commonly called a poison mixer, held even less social standing than an ordinary physician.

But a true mage, even a first-level mage, received a silver badge. First-level mages wore the silver-leaf badge.

Du Wei certainly had not forgotten that during the tavern battle, he had taken a genuine silver-leaf badge from this mage prisoner.

That meant the man had not passed the potion mage examination. He had passed a true mage’s examination!

How had he done it?

The dream of learning magic had seemed shattered, but hope now rose anew in Du Wei’s heart.

“My natural gift is strong magical power. My mental power has always been a little stronger than an ordinary person’s. In an ordinary person, that would only show as greater energy and less susceptibility to fatigue... But I lack sensitivity. No matter how I meditated or struggled, at first I could not sense even the slightest fluctuation of natural power.” The prisoner spoke slowly. “Then, after I had studied magical potioncraft for ten years, a question suddenly came to me... What exactly was this so-called natural power? My master told me that it was everything—everything in this world. Wind, fire, water, even the smallest details. But that explanation was too vague. One thought came to me: if I could understand what natural power truly was, perhaps I still had hope.”

Du Wei listened silently, carefully weighing the man’s words.

“Take fire magic. Through an incantation, a mage can draw upon the fire elements in nature and produce flames with magic. Yet magical potioncraft also has more than a dozen ways to create flames with potions. For example, the simplest method...” The mage prisoner looked at Du Wei. “Can you understand what I am saying?”

“Please continue. I understand.” Du Wei smiled faintly. “I have read some books on magical potioncraft too.”

“All right.” The mage continued. “Magical potioncraft has more than a dozen methods that achieve the same basic result as fire magic: making fire. In the simplest method, powder ground from firephosphor grass can ignite on its own. Then I wondered... firephosphor grass can make fire, and a mage’s fire magic can make fire. Does firephosphor grass contain magical elements from the so-called natural power? Or, put another way, does it contain a fire magical element?”

Du Wei’s thoughts stirred. It felt as though he had grasped something, but it slipped away before he could seize it.

The mage prisoner continued, “I discovered something else, something subtle. All magical spells—I mean all of them—may differ in power. Take fire magic again: the simplest fireball spell and the legendary forbidden spell Inferno Devours the City, capable of destroying heaven and earth. Their power differs beyond measure, but their underlying principle is the same. Both use fire to burn! But here is the subtle part... Everything every school of magic can do, magical potioncraft can also do! Fire potioncraft cannot create the vast, devastating forbidden-spell power of Inferno Devours the City, but the principle of making fire is the same. The same holds for wind magic, water magic, and every other school. Potioncraft can accomplish the basic principle behind every kind of magic, though only at its simplest level. Why? I thought perhaps the precious raw materials of potioncraft contain the magical elements of every school. Do they not?”

Pride appeared on the prisoner’s face. “Since I could not extract magical elements from nature through meditation... I would use a potion maker’s methods to extract magical elements from potions!”