The wizard is reincarnated last Time

Chapter 30

He spoke so calmly, without a flicker of change in his expression, that for a moment, I thought I’d misheard.

Thanks to that, the reaction in the meeting room was also a bit delayed.

“Master? What do you mean?”

Luwen shot up from his seat, his face etched with surprise. It was clear he’d never heard anything about this before.

“Take him as your disciple?  Riverick is *my* disciple! Even if you are his master, you can’t just arbitrarily…”

“Calm down and listen to me first. I know he’s your disciple. I also know how precious he is to you. Don’t misunderstand. I’m not trying to steal your disciple away. I’m saying I’ll teach him things different from what you teach.”

Klaus responded calmly, as if he had fully anticipated Luwen’s reaction.

Luwen was flustered, speechless.

“There’s no need for that…”

“There is. There’s plenty of need. The demonic species, that Drog Grivis, is targeting Riverick.  No matter how much protection he gets from those around him, there’s a limit.  He needs to become strong and learn to protect himself.  Besides, he also needs to understand and control the magic of the sealing tool within his body.”

“Didn’t you say Imperial magic is impossible to understand?”

“That’s true for now, but he will have to understand it in the future. I intend to make that happen, starting now. And he needs to be a part of that. You, on the other hand, continue to teach him what *you* can teach.  I will teach him the rest.”

“But…”

“Jayden, what do you think? Do you think this is alright?”

The arrow turned towards my father.

He glanced at me, then let out a small sigh.

“Master Klaus, your offer to take him as a disciple is a great honor… but Riverick is still young.  He hasn’t yet mastered everything Luwen can teach him. I’m not sure he can keep up with your teachings.”

“I can adjust accordingly, so don’t worry.  And your son is quicker than he looks, so there’s no need for concern.”

“…If you say so.”

Defeated by Klaus’s insistence, my father closed his mouth.

Luwen, seemingly at a loss, covered his forehead with his hand and groaned.

“Then, the best course of action would be to hear from the person himself.”

The White Commander interjected, chuckling.

“Riverick?”

“Ah, yes.”

Startled by the sudden call, I rose from my seat.

Everyone in the meeting room was looking at me.  Tension coiled around me, making my shoulders stiff.

The White Commander gave me a gentle smile and asked, “If you become Master Klaus’s disciple as well, you’ll be very busy. It will require commitment.  Can you do it?”

There weren’t many answers I could give.

No one could sway Klaus’s stubbornness.

Besides, I was inwardly impressed by Klaus’s offer to take me as his disciple.

This was a golden opportunity.

A chance to officially learn Imperial magic.

Klaus said he needed to research Imperial magic, but in reality, he intended to study the Imperial magic knowledge I possessed.

He truly deserved the title of “Sage.”

Feeling the weight of everyone’s gaze, I slowly opened my mouth.

“…Yes. It’s alright. I can do it. But I would like Master Luwen’s permission.”

Merian chuckled at my words.

“He passed the buck. Now Luwen has to answer.”

Luwen groaned, clutching his forehead.

I felt bad, but there was nothing I could do. I didn’t want to see Luwen uncomfortable because of this.

“Master’s words certainly have merit… and considering what lies ahead, I will be even busier, so I suppose it can’t be helped.”

Luwen finally reached a conclusion, his face etched with exhaustion.

“I absolutely won’t tolerate anything that negatively affects Riverick. I’ll be keeping a close watch.”

“Do as you please, you troublesome fellow.”

Klaus clicked his tongue dismissively and slumped back into his chair.

Well, I guess that’s settled…

I breathed a sigh of relief.

“Riverick.  Come to think of it, we called you in as a witness, but we’ve only had you sitting here the whole time. Do you have any questions or anything you’d like to say?”

The White Commander asked, giving me a warm smile.

I hesitated. I glanced at my father, and he nodded slightly, as if to say it was alright.

Then…

“Ash… What happened to Ash? Why can’t I see him?”

The meeting room fell silent.

On the way back from the garrison, Ash had disappeared at some point.

I asked my father, but all I got was a short reply that he had gone where he needed to be.

After persistent questioning, I learned that he had been returned to prison.  My father sternly told me never to look for him again.

But I couldn’t do that.

“Riverick.”

My father turned to me, his face grim.

“I told you not to bring that up again. He’s not like us. He’s especially dangerous to you…”

“No, Ash saved me.”

My father’s mouth snapped shut in surprise.

It was the first time I had interrupted him. I knew I shouldn’t have, but I couldn’t stop myself.

I had to say it here. I had to convince everyone, somehow.

“When I woke up on the wall, it was Ash who held onto me.  He warned me of the danger and led me back home. When I was confined to the mansion, Ash came to me and helped me escape. If it weren’t for Ash, I…”

My breath caught in my throat.

If it weren’t for Ash, I would have given up on both life and death.

He told me I had to leave, to escape, so that I could choose whether to live or die.

So I ran, and I chose to live. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be here.

“…Riverick.”

The White Commander looked at me with pity in his eyes.

“Ash is a demonic species. That fact doesn’t change. And you are being threatened by them.  I know Ash saved you, and we are very grateful for that.  But we don’t know when his demonic instincts might resurface.  We don’t want to put you at risk like that.”

“Ash isn’t dangerous…”

“That’s enough.”

My father’s stern voice silenced me.

But my resolve only strengthened.

Ash wasn’t just any demonic species. This time, if I didn’t rescue him from prison…

“Well, that’s true.”

Klaus spoke casually.

Everyone turned to look at him.  He cleared his throat.

“The matter of Ash should be addressed here as well.  That fellow is certainly different from ordinary demonic species. He doesn’t instinctively hunt people and acts according to reason.  Him saving Riverick this time is something unimaginable for typical demonic species.”

Klaus seemed to be trying to help me.  Hope flickered within me.

But the White Commander frowned.

“Master Klaus, that doesn’t mean we can release a demonic species into Prion.”

“Since this is a different case than ordinary demonic species, it’s right to consider him as a separate entity, Petron.  His unique nature is comparable to Riverick’s. Hmm? Perhaps that’s why they formed a bond.”

“A bond? That’s absurd! I will not allow a demonic species near my son.”

My father immediately protested.

It surprised everyone to see my father, who was always polite and respectful, raise his voice like this.

The White Commander placed a hand on my father’s shoulder to calm him.

“Well… let’s wait and see.”

Klaus replied calmly amidst the commotion.

“I’m currently researching what kind of being Ash is.  Whatever the conclusion, remember this one thing: Ash was one of us.  A knight of the Prius Order, a member of the Silver Moon Knights, a fine knight who guarded the sealing chamber of the abandoned Delaina.”

Neither the White Commander nor my father could respond.

It seemed they had momentarily forgotten that before Ash was a demonic species, he was a human, and moreover, a member of Prius.

What he had gone through to become a demonic species, and how he had escaped those terrible instincts to end up here, remained a mystery…

But my resolve to save him only deepened.

“Well then, the meeting is over, and I have a mountain of work to do, so I’ll be going now.”

In the silent meeting room, the sound of Klaus pushing back his chair echoed.

He nodded towards me.

“Riverick, focus on recovering for the time being.  Get a good night’s sleep.”

“Ah… yes.”

I answered instinctively, surprised that he knew I wasn’t sleeping well.

“Let’s hold off on lessons and such until after that. I’m sure Luwen will adjust the schedule accordingly.”

“As you wish, Master.”

Luwen replied with a sigh, looking as though he was too tired to even speak.

Klaus chuckled at Luwen’s sigh, gathered his documents and belongings, and left like the wind.

It was before everyone had even risen from their seats to bid him farewell.

The White Commander, who hadn’t had a chance to properly say goodbye, groaned.

“Master Klaus hasn’t changed a bit over time.”

“Of course not, that personality isn’t going anywhere.”

Luwen shook his head as if he had a headache, then turned to me.

“Anyway, Riverick, as Master said, focus on recovering your strength for now. We’ll think about the rest later.”

“Yes, I understand.”

I answered, but inwardly sighed.

That was easier said than done.

The White Commander officially announced the end of the meeting by rising from his seat.

Merian and Colin organized the documents on the table, said their goodbyes, and left the meeting room first, followed by the exhausted Luwen, who trudged back to the tower.

My father had a brief discussion with the White Commander about the Knight School’s educational policies.

During that time, the Black Commander kept us company.  After a brief exchange about the Black Knights stationed in Leitus and the training of the Loran knights, my father returned to us, his face tired.

“It seems you’re busy, aren’t you?”

The Black Commander said with a smile, and my father gave a wry smile in return.

“It’s always like this at the Knight School. It’s a shame we don’t have more time to talk, Senior. It’s been a long time since you’ve returned to Prion.”

“I’ll contact you before I leave, so let’s make time for a drink.  Who knows when we’ll meet again after this.”

The Black Commander shook hands with my father and gave him a brief hug.

They’d been senior and junior since my father’s days at the Knight School, and they still seemed close.

“See you later then.”

“Yes, I’ll be waiting for your call.”

“Riverick, you stay healthy too.”

The Black Commander ruffled my hair, waved, and left the meeting room.

My father watched him go with a look of regret, then turned to me.

“Alright, let’s go back to the infirmary.  Erner, you go to the Blue Guard headquarters first.”

“Yes, sir.”

We bowed to the White Commander once more and left the meeting room.

We walked with Erner to the lobby on the first floor of the White Commander’s office before parting ways at the path leading to the infirmary.

After that, I walked quietly beside my father.

It was a clear, bright midday.  The garden was spacious and well-maintained.

Flowerbeds and trees were dotted around, and officials and infirmary staff walked along the neatly kept paths.

I hesitated as I looked at my father’s back, then made up my mind.

“Father, I…”

“Hmm?”

My father looked back at me. I couldn’t meet his gaze.

“I’m sorry about what happened in the meeting room earlier… You told me not to talk about Ash again.”

I had to talk about Ash.  But at the same time, I felt uneasy about disappointing my father.

“It’s alright.”

My father said in a gentle voice.  He crouched down to meet my gaze and placed a warm hand on my shoulder.

“I sometimes forget how young you still are.  I should be grateful that you’re enduring all of this so strongly.”

He patted my shoulder with a look of sympathy.

“About Ash… give me a little more time to think. I need to talk to Master Klaus again.  I won’t forget that we’re indebted to him.”

“Yes, I understand… Thank you.”

My father pulled me into a tight hug.  The warmth eased the heavy feeling in my chest a little.