Lorentan in the scorching moon was hotter than usual, cicadas and birds chirping outside, and although there were ice crystal lamps in the solemn lobby to cool down, it could still make every magic apprentice present sweat hot, and forget the mystery and divine elegance of the magician. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info

But Fili Astro is not one of them.

Born into a family of declining knights in northern Lorendam, the girl was less accustomed to the climate of the City of Eagles than any of the apprentices present. But at this moment, there was not the slightest anxiety in her heart, on the contrary, her mood was as blazing as the sun in the sky.

All because she, Fili Astro, is about to get rid of her apprenticeship and become a full-fledged mage with the qualifications to pursue the Aether on her own!

In that case, you will have a chance to meet her.

While waiting for the arrival of the academy professor, her thoughts drifted farther and farther away.

―――――――――――― forced to be helpless to divide the line――――――――――――

It was a winter seven years ago.

She vividly remembers that it was a very cold winter—so cold that the livestock had no water to drink, her father could not wear armor, and no family had enough food to survive the winter.

No one is not expecting the cold winter to melt, no one is not praying for the departure of the north wind.

But everyone forgot that the situation in the northern fortress was even worse than here, and the situation in the more northern, less visited orc wasteland was only worse.

And so disaster struck.

There was no warning.

The wolf-riders of the orcs roared, the northern fortress fell, and hundreds of towns sheltered behind it fell, and tens of thousands of people became their winter rations.

She was only ten years old that year, and she vividly remembered the scene of her father, dressed in armor colder than ice, leading the charge of her uncles and uncles in the militia with dull knightly swords.

There is no doubt that it was a massacre.

The last hope of resistance lasted less than three minutes.

Maybe shorter, because it was all a hopeless battle.

Before the battle began, everyone fled in the ox cart.

She was held by her mother, with trembling hands, watching where her father had disappeared.

As a young girl, she also hoped that her father would be able to defeat the invaders, save the villagers, and restore peace to the world, just like the ancestors in the family story.

But the adults already knew that this was a hopeless battle, and the men who were slaughtered in front of them only did to delay their pace, so that the wives and children in the rear could run farther, just hoping that their flesh and blood could make this gang **no more**.

As a young girl, she didn't understand any of this, and she still hoped that her father would come as a hero.

However, a magnificent knight on an old horse, dressed in patched half-body armor, and wielding a blunt knight's sword, was never seen again.

When she was young, she didn't know it was goodbye.

She only remembered that that night, there were many people crying, all over the mountains, all sobbing sorrows, she couldn't understand why she was crying, but she felt inexplicably irritable.

There was no rest at night, and the ox cart made its way slowly along the bumpy mountain road, and until the next morning, the smell of sadness was still pervasive.

It's just that empty sorrow can't stop despair from coming.

At noon the next day, the wolf rider appeared.

Women and children, and a few men are unable to resist them.

They charge, they wield butcher knives, they eat flesh and blood, they rape women......

That's how it should be.

It's just that it all ends before it happens.

They stopped, motionless, staring in a certain direction.

Is that......

An incredible little girl suspended in the air.

"How can a man stay in the air like a bird?"

She remembered her question, and she remembered her mother's answer, an expression that was both incredulous and reasonable: "Silly boy, that's not human, that's a mage." ”

There was an uproar among the orcs, and an old orc, strangely dressed on crutches, stood up, and he opened his mouth and made a sound like thunder, I don't know if it was an illusion, and the whole mountain trembled under this majesty.

She couldn't understand orc language as a young girl, but the little mage in the sky could understand it, and she responded in a crisp and pleasant voice, and she didn't know what she said, and the old orc roared, no, not only it, all the orcs roared, all the orcs boiled.

The little mage ignored them, just waved his hand, and a red lotus fell from the sky, and then clenched his fist, and there was an explosion in the atmosphere, and after the gunsmoke, those invincible orcs turned into corpses and dust.

Everyone was stunned.

Is this a mage? She was one of them.

"Ahem...... There was a clear coughing sound behind her, and she turned her head to ...... Nothing?

Then there was another cough, and she looked down in the direction from which the voice came, and there was a little girl who had never been seen before as tall as her chest—long black hair as bright as silk, features more delicate than a doll, and crimson eyes that were more delicate than the flowers of the early spring morning, almost like ...... It's like ...... A doll one size bigger.

Unexpectedly, the larger doll spoke.

The sound is crisp and pleasant.

She asked, "Want to be a mage?" ”

This was her and her first encounter.

And why did she become a mage......

―――――――――――― forced to be helpless to divide the line――――――――――――

Ding Ding Ding.

The melodious sound of wind chimes interrupted the girl's memories.

She looked up—by some time, the dean and the professors had arrived.

After a while, the dean's voice rang through the entire venue.

"Every year today, a group of excellent apprentices will embark on the path of pursuing the ether."

"At this time, I am both happy and sad."

"It is really gratifying to be able to accompany you through this green time, to watch you grow up little by little, to watch you spread your wings and fly quietly, to inherit our will and glory, and to embark on the road that we old people have not completed."

"At the same time, we are full of worries. The young eagle will eventually spread its wings, but before it spreads its wings, it is a tearful parting. We can't let go, we can't let go of our love for you, and we can't let go of our anxiety about the future. The path to the aether is not smooth, and the world is not friendly. ”

"The cruel old gods have fallen, but the new gods have not yet established themselves in heaven. In Lorenta, in Anronya, in Mastan we are the people of the new gods; And in Sridar, Daphnia, and Vosoregan, the sacrificial fire of the old gods has not yet been extinguished. In the south, the elves have been restored, and in the north, the orcs are still eyeing each other, and the entire continent cannot find an inch of land that is not threatened by war. ”

"In these chaotic times, I can't help you get out of here and go to the unknown. But the path of pursuing the ether is destined to be lonely, and the road to the pursuit of truth is destined to be bumpy. ”

"I believe in you, and I can only trust you."

"So, please don't let me down on the trust I have placed in you."

"Please don't forget that the doors of the academy will always be open for you."

"This will always be your second home."

A brief silence was followed by applause. The long-lasting applause was gradually subsided after the head of the academy raised his hands and then suppressed the applause.

"Thank you for your support, and now, please let your senior sister give you a few words of advice. Well, by the way, the popular words you use for seniors are all coined by this senior. A smile appeared on the head of the academy, "Let's give us some applause and welcome this senior sister." ”

"Monia, I'm sorry for you."

"Erivinson, every time I run into you, I can't help but get in trouble."

After a brief conversation, the female mage, who sat at the very end, stood up in the most inconspicuous place, and then the warm applause disappeared completely. The female mage knew that this was not disrespectful, but ...... Too surprising result.

Yes, too surprised.

Before the female mage got up, the apprentices didn't notice the presence of anyone on the podium except for the four professors and the head of the house, their eyes were always unconsciously shifting, and everyone, even the vast majority of the lecturers, ignored her presence.

In addition, her own existence is too amazing - it has nothing to do with beauty and ugliness, and it has nothing to do with dressing, and it is the biggest incredible that she can stand here as a senior sister.

Her appearance was too young, probably only eight or nine years old, and judging by her appearance, she was only eleven or twelve years old—at such an age, it was impossible to become a mage, even if she was an elf who lived for more than a thousand years.

Magic is not child's play, and powerful magic will only hurt the caster itself if it is not harnessed with enough willpower and wisdom to control it carefully and carefully. As a life expectancy second only to dragons, elves have a much larger growth cycle than humans. In other words, her mental age is simply not old enough to support her as a spellcaster.

However, when it comes to the level of surprise, no one can compare to Fili.

Because, Fili had already recognized that the senior sister on the podium was the little mage who rescued her from the orcs and took her to the mage academy.

Monia? Keith Ridge.

The strongest of the Southern Kingdoms, the untouchable enemy under the legend, the one tainted with the blood of the gods, the elven archmage whose name alone is enough to be the reason for the rout, the daughter of the Lord of Light, Monia? Keith Ridge.

"Quiet."

With just one sentence, the room fell silent. There is no doubt that it is not that she has the prestige and aura that is enough to shock the audience, but that the power of the mage restricts the power of everyone to speak.

It is just a lingua franca, without gestures, without movements, and it has an almost legal effect. This is an insignificant silhouette of the Lord of Light who shocked the continent.

"One hundred and eighty years ago, I was standing here as an apprentice who had just qualified as a mage."

"At that time, I already knew the cruelty of the world, but I was still fantasizing that I could be promoted to a legend with my talent steadily, I was still fantasizing that the most difficult era of the old gods had passed, and I was still fantasizing that I could walk in the sun openly...... I'm still fantasizing about how easy it can be. ”

"With these fantasies of inadequacy and outsiders, I left the Mughal Academy, left the Kingdom of Lorentan, and traveled through the Kingdom of Mastan to the Dominions of the Southern Elves. Along the way, I have witnessed the real cruelty, and I have also learned about my own real powerlessness, I hope you don't make mistakes like mine, before you are strong, never be naïve, and never be kind, maybe this is cruel, but in this era, kindness, mercy, salvation...... That's a privilege reserved for the strong. ”

"So, eaglets, try to get stronger, in the coming storm."

"I'm sorry, I remembered something bad, and that's the end of it."

The young mage bowed deeply, then stepped back, disappearing from everyone's view without a sound.

"Monia ......"

Fili watched the little mage disappear and wanted to say something, but couldn't.

She can't hear it.

She lowered her head and thought sullenly.

"Fei Li is really amazing, she graduated as a chief student in seven years and became a mage, as your guide, I will give you a small surprise after the ceremony."

A pleasant voice came from the ear, injecting fresh vitality into the girl.

She raised her head and looked at the podium expectantly, waiting for the final moment.

Finally.

"Fili Astro";