Chapter 2 - Oath

“Rustle……Rustle……Rustle……”

At the moment, a traveller was walking on Maple Leaf Road. This traveller was wearing black robes and had a hood over his head.From head to two, he was covered in black. He even had a piece of black cloth covering his face save for his two eyes which were vigilantly looking forward.

The only thing giving away his occupation, was the azure coloured staff in his left hand. He was a wizard. And seeing that he was alone, he was clearly a lone wandering wizard.

Supposedly, most wizards didn’t act alone. A majority of them had followers with them at all times. If you met a wizard wandering about on his own, then you had to be careful. These wizards were known to be extremely strong.

This afternoon, Maple Forest Road was extremely peaceful. From time to time, the singing of birds could be heard, adding to the serenity of this scene.

“Past that bridge is Maple Leaf Village. I can rest over there.” The black robed wizard’s eyes contained traces of joy. Rushing non-stop for several days had drained him quite badly.

Suddenly the black robed wizard stopped in his tracks and vigilantly scanned his surroundings. His expression darkened, and he said, “Who’s there? Show yourself……”

The forest was as silent as ever. The only answer he got was the rustling of leaves caused by a gust of wind。

The black robed wizard wrinkled his brows and took a step forwards. His staff was pointed in front of him, and he shouted, “Who’s here!? If you don’t show yourself, then don’t blame me for attack you…..!”

As he said that, his hand gathered mana in preparation to attack.

“Lord Wizard, please calm down……”

At that moment, a little kid who was clearly in dire straits came out of a nearby underbrush.

That kid, was Roan. He “rolled[1]” in front of the wizard and held an apologetic expression on his face. He lowered his head, bent his back and said, “Respected Lord Wizard, please calm yourself. My name is Roan and I am a resident of Maple Leaf Village. I give you my salutations……” He spoke using proper etiquette on Noah.

“Dammit, that scared me. I thought he was an enemy.” Seeing the beggar-like Roan, the black robed wizard cursed in his heart. However, he did also let his guard down after seeing that the little kid in front of him couldn’t possibly pose a threat to him.

He kept away his staff and impatiently said, “Hmph. You little devil, why were you hiding over there?” If Roan wasn’t a little kid, the wizard would be too lazy to ask nicely and just force the answers out of him.

“It’s like this, respected Mr Wizard, I have a question for you……” When Roan said this, he couldn’t help feeling a bit worried.

“I want to learn magic. Please take me in as an apprentice……”

Roan sincerely knelt on the ground, and crawled his way in front of the wandering wizard. His whole body lied prostrate beneath the man’s feet and he softly kissed the wizard’s shoes. On Noah, this was the greatest symbol of respect towards the strong.

Roan lifted up his head and worriedly glanced at the black robed wizard, his eyes holding intense anticipation. His heart was beating like crazy, and his palms were sweating like mad.

“Take you in?” The black robed wizard’s brows were creased. He silently gazed at Roan, neither accepting nor rejecting. He merely quietly stood there.

“He…… He’s considering it? He’s actually considering it? He might actually agree? Will he make me his apprentice?” Roan’s heart was in his throat, and deep down inside, he started have some traces of expectation.

“Hmph……”

After giving out a low hmph, the black robed wandering wizard acted like he had never seen Roan and walked away without saying a word. He didn’t hear Roan’s request at all. To the wizard, even looking at Roan was being too kind much less talking to him.

“Ugh……”

Watching the wizard’s silhouette fading into the distance, the hopeful spark in Roan’s eyes died out. He knew that he had failed once again and so his expression turned into one of dejection.

“Sigh…… Yet another rejection……” Roan sighed. He silently stood up then said, “How many times is it now? It was…… Um…… Seventy five I think……”

“I’ve actually been turned down seventy five times…… I really must be undesirable huh……” Roan said self-deprecatingly. He patted off the dirt on his body and headed back to where he was previously sitting.

Even though Roan was just a vagrant with nothing to his name, he still had a dream: becoming a wizard. However, to him, that was nothing more than a pipe dream.

On the Noah Continent, to learn magic wasn’t easy. Most people learned it from specialized schools. However, the school fees weren’t something commoners could afford. There was no way in hell the completely bankrupt Roan could enter.

Of course, schools weren’t the only way to learn magic. When learning things, the only requirement was that someone was willing to teach. It was the same for magic. But who would be willing to spend time and effort on a little beggar?

And so, in these past seven years, waited over here hoping against hope. He dreamt that one day, a powerful wizard would walk by and be moved by his sincerity. Then, that wizard would benevolently accept him as a apprentice and teach him magic.

After seven years, he had met quite a few wizards on Maple Forest Road. However, not a single one of them was “benevolent”.

There were also a few wizards that brought along mercenary groups. Roan didn’t dare stop them. It’d be game over if those cold-blooded killers decided to take his life.

He only dared to stop small parties or solitary wizards. But generally speaking, revered wizards wouldn’t deign to interact with this little beggar. If he ran into someone with a good temper, he’d just get kicked a couple times. But if he ran into someone with a bad temper, he’d get beaten half to death. Being ignored like today, could be considered lucky.

“Why did he refuse me? Was I not respectful enough? But I’ve already gave him Noah Continent’s most respectful salutation. Could I have said something improper? Maybe I did. I’ll have to address it next time around……”

“Hm, it could also be because I startled him just now, so he was angry. If I had come out sooner, the chances of success should’ve been higher. Ha… Why did I have to spend so long thinking?” Roan wracked his brain, constantly thinking of reasons for his failure.

Roan reflected on his interaction with that respected wizard just now. novel, so before voting here, be sure that you’re certain of your choice. Oh and we’re looking for 3 editors to work with us.