Chapter 33: Taking Disciples (Volume 1 Complete)

Bahamute said, "Kid, you called William, didn't you?"

"That's right." William straightened up, still kneeling on the ground, and replied loudly.

"Do you know who I am? You want to take me as master; aren't you afraid I'm some kind of villain?" Bahamute said.

William shouted back, "I don't know who you are; I only know you're powerful, and that you can strike me and my father, so you can't be a villain!"

At this moment William was somewhat impulsive, but deep down he wasn't truly a ten‑year‑old child; he knew Bahamute's seemingly casual question was a trap, and since he had only ever seen the other's portrait, he certainly couldn't let slip that he knew the other's identity.

"Then, what is your reason for wanting to take me as master?" Bahamute asked.

"I want to become stronger, to protect the people around me from demons or other races!" William said earnestly.

Bahamute looked at William's serious expression, which didn't seem like a joke, and finally sighed.

Many people who witnessed his great power wanted to become his disciple; he planned to casually show William a few moves and then find an excuse to refuse him, so he said, "Then demonstrate a few of your martial or magical techniques for me; after I watch, I'll consider it."

William nodded with delight at the words, and everyone followed him out to the courtyard beyond the house. William thought for a moment and consecutively performed a spell, Fireball, and a martial move, Sword Strike; these two should best showcase his overall strength.

Bahamute, who had only intended to glance casually, was shocked inside: perfect mana control, flawless sword swings with no hint of clumsiness, no waste of magical energy, and strength not inferior to a bronze‑rank adventurer. Could a ten‑year‑old really achieve that?!

David was fine, and Geilan, Xierna and the others were truly stunned by the power of William's martial and magical techniques. Was this the stinky brat he taught, whose magical aptitude is Star? How could the moves be so powerful!

Seeing Bahamute silent, William took the initiative and asked, "What do you think?"

Bahamute asked, "Kid, what is your magical aptitude?"

Geilan and the others were about to answer, but William quickly jumped in and shouted, "It's Moon; my magical aptitude is Moon!"

Geilan and the others were stunned; then David, who knows his own Reincarnated Person secret, reacted, and his son nodded in confirmation, "That's right, my son William's magical aptitude is Moon."

Bahamute looked at Geilan and the others, whose expressions were now surprised. Though they didn't understand what drama William and his father were staging, as longtime comrades of David they immediately echoed, "William's magical aptitude is indeed Moon."

Xierna, like a little cat, kept nodding, "Moon, Moon."

At this moment, hearing everyone's answers, Bahamute had only one view of William in his mind.

A genius; this kid is a genius.

"What's the matter? Is Moon too low for you? Still, William trains diligently and works hard; please consider him more!" David said on William's behalf.

Bahamute cleared his throat and said, "No, having Moon as your magical aptitude makes no difference; in fact, it's better this way."

He himself possessed a hero‑level magical talent, yet he understood that magical aptitude meant little to someone seeking strength; some with great aptitude are weak, while others with modest talent can become powerful heroes.

For example, his teacher, whose magical aptitude is Star, wielded terrifying power, but that mentor has been missing for many years.

If one's magical aptitude is only Moon, it shows this kid's strength doesn't come from high innate talent,

but from extraordinary effort and perseverance.

Bahamute, now increasingly fond of William and eager to take him as disciple, felt his earlier arrogance made it hard to lose face, so he said, "Your strength and aptitude are just barely acceptable. I will write you a letter; when next year's junior magic academy enrollment begins, take my letter to the Bujiadis Academy and find a professor named Lichade·Halisi. After he reads my letter, he will give you half of the admission paperwork."

"You will study at Bujiadis Academy, and if before you graduate you secure a top‑three spot in the national junior magic academy competition, I will accept you as my disciple. How does that sound?"

Although Bahamute mentioned the top three, he didn't really care if William failed to achieve it; he still intended to take William as disciple. He said this partly because he needed to investigate the demons' conspiracies and couldn't keep William by his side, and partly because his own strength far surpassed William's, making his basic teachings unnecessary—studying at the academy would help William build a solid foundation.

Lichade·Halisi!

When William heard the name, many memories from his past life resurfaced: the mentor who had guided him onto the adventurer's path, treated him like family, and who had died in a laboratory on the eve of William's graduation…

He held back tears, without hesitation said, "No problem! I will definitely secure a top three spot!"

Bahamute was taken aback by William's confident acceptance, then realized William had agreed without a second thought, likely knowing nothing about the national junior magic academy competition. He chuckled self‑deprecatingly, bid farewell, and left the village.

"Alright, I should be going too; I've already delayed enough. Everyone, until we meet again." Bahamute waved to the crowd, a freshly plucked grass stick clenched in his mouth, and headed toward the Magic Forest.

The others waved farewell, "Take care, see you later!"

"Master, take care!" William called, waving the introduction letter Bahamute had given him.

Bahamute, who was walking at a distance, stumbled, steadied himself, and quickened his pace away.

After Bahamute left, David and the others met up with the adventurers who had come to assist, and recounted the entire sequence of events once more.

The arriving adventurers listened with trembling hearts, silently admiring senior David and the children William for their courage and wisdom, and began helping to clean up the battlefield and the village ravaged by Goblins.

The next day, villagers who had spent a night and day sleeping on the streets of Mobius Town returned to Bigen Village; some were grateful to be alive, others mourned their burned homes, and in any case the village quickly regained its former order and peace.

Since Bahamute had left, the reward for slaying over four hundred Goblins and four ogres was credited to David; suddenly receiving such a huge sum from the Adventurers' Guild left David bewildered, as he had never seen so much money in his life.

He donated most of the money to help villagers rebuild damaged homes, keeping a small portion for his own plans.

In David's house living room, Geilan and four others sat around the table with William. Seeing everyone gathered so unusually, William asked, "Dad, why did you call me over today?"

Geilan and the others seemed to already know the agenda, smiled without speaking, and David began, "I gathered everyone today to discuss moving to Wangdu."

"Huh?" William asked, puzzled; he had never experienced such a thing in his past life.

The FadimaWangguo he lives in lies in the northwest of the human realm, one of the five major human nations; because it borders the Magic Forest, it has historically borne the brunt of demon invasions.

The former king of FadimaWangguo, to demonstrate resolve against demons, moved the southern capital Pagania to the northern transport hub, the largest northern city Bujiadis; the Bujiadis Academy William will attend next year is also there.

David nodded, "That's right; Geilan and I have discussed it. After the recent Goblin raid, we realized the border regions are becoming increasingly unsafe. For our family's safety, we decided to move together to Bujiadis, which is the capital. Powerful adventurers and warriors as strong as those from the last incident abound there; living there will be much safer, and we can look after each other."

William asked, "But aren't housing prices in the capital steep? Won't that be a problem for everyone?"

David replied, "Thanks to William, some of the large reward from the Adventurers' Guild remains; it's enough to buy a modest house."

William looked at Geilan and the others; Geilan gave a thumbs‑up and laughed, "I'm an adventurer, so I'll have my wife rent a place in Bujiadis now, and we'll buy a house once we've saved enough."

Ori said, "Me too."

Xierna replied irritably, "What are you looking at? I'm still single; I run around with those stinky men every day, so I don't need a house."

Finley weakly nodded, indicating he was also single.

"Hey? Xierna sister, you're still single—aren't you an over‑age spinster?!" William exclaimed, surprised.

Xierna climbed onto the table, grabbed William's ear across from her, and said, "Sister, I'm only 20; who are you calling old?"

"Ow, ow, ow!!" William begged. His shock only grew; Xierna was only 20? Why was she hanging out with his dad and the others?

Just thinking of the backstory made William feel terrified.

"Alright, since none of us object, William, what do you think?" Having witnessed William's growth, Geilan and the others no longer treated him as a child and were willing to hear his opinion.

William rubbed his reddened, hot pig ears and said, "Next year I'll also go to Bujiadis Academy; whenever I'm free I can meet everyone anytime. I think that's great."

David nodded and said, "Then Mom will be left in your care at that time."

"Dad, you're not coming?" William asked.

The White Eagle Squad members smiled and said, "After all, we are the strongest adventurer squad around Mobius Town; if we left, we'd worry about the villagers here, so we plan to stay a bit longer, wait until we bring some junior adventurers out, then leave and start our adventure."

"Huh." William gasped, mouth agape, asking, "You're going on an adventure?"

They nodded and said, "Yeah, we've been planning this for a long time."

David said, "William, Dad here, and Uncle Geilan and the others, after seeing your effort and growth, we were deeply moved too; we don't want to stay silver-rank adventurers forever, and we also want to become stronger like you."

From William's point of view, their thinking wasn't a bad thing, so he voiced his support: "Dad, I support your idea, and I'll work hard too!"