Chapter 258: Burner of Stars

"Burner of Stars" Alkaster Ignis, a renowned high mage, clearly isn't a pure orc, as evidenced by his elfin name.

"Looks like you're really busy."

The half-elf appeared young, but in truth he was already midway through life—at least three hundred years old.

His fiery red hair was a common elemental trait among top-tier evocation masters; merely the solidified flame element hovering behind his head proved his strength.

Li En chose him partly because he was, in fact, a "Traveler," unlike many local high mages who were backed by powerful clans—something that would spare Li En, with his current delicate status, from much trouble.

"Sorry, Master, I should've come sooner, but I've been swamped lately."

Li En felt a bit embarrassed; though there was some element of mutual benefit, failing to visit his master twice after becoming his disciple was truly inexcusable.

"Heroic training? The 'Lift-Me-Up Knight'?" the high mage asked calmly.

"Uh—"

Li En was surprised; mages generally had no interest in nobility or politics.

"My situation is unusual—I came here to live in exile to escape the war, so naturally I'm keenly aware of it. But it seems I still can't avoid it."

Alkaster looked at Li En and spoke softly, yet the content of his words inevitably invited deeper thought.

"War? Where's war? Isn't everything peaceful now?" Li En smoothly took up the thread.

"The coming war—the war about to happen—between elves and beastfolk, elves and dark elves, elves and dark elves, elves and dwarves. Yet my own kin remain lost in false peace."

Instantly, Li En couldn't hold his composure.

He recalled the dossier he'd seen on this elder, particularly the line: "Always alarmist, deeply pessimistic"—now he understood it better.

"It shouldn't happen. We've had peace for so many years; another few decades of calm should be normal."

"If you think that way, I think our master-disciple bond ends here."

"The Magic Tide War? It really might be just a few years away."

Li En sighed; he understood the man's implication, and the man knew Li En understood—but Li En had hoped to wait until they were more familiar before broaching such matters. Alkaster, however, seemed unwilling to wait.

The dossier mentioned he consistently took in foreign disciples, seemingly to expand his local network and gain influence.

"For short-lived races, the Magic Tide War is a legend of ancestors or a nightmare that might strike descendants. But for long-lived races, it is an unavoidable great calamity."

Watching Alkaster say this, Li En pondered: Was he planning to use Li En's connections to link up with the royal family?

But that's unnecessary—you're a high mage. If you seek the royal family and Dai Niya, wouldn't she see you anyway?

Or are you planning to use local resources while keeping your distance from the local regime? Pure free-riding?

"What does this mean for you, then?" Li En cut straight to the point, bordering on impoliteness.

"For a half-elf like me, it means being caught between two sides."

Yet the half-elf calmly described his dire situation.

Half-elf lifespans are vastly longer than beastfolk's, typically 200 to 400 years, but still considered short-lived by elven standards.

Moreover, they age normally—midlife, decline, decay—making them instinctively reviled by elves, who only show signs of aging at the very end of life.

Alkaster's voluntary mention of his half-elf identity had already alerted Li En to the trouble ahead.

". I am a member of the 'Cross Harp Choir.' If possible, could you deliver this letter to the Princess?"

"Of course."

Since it was addressed to the royal family, Li En naturally wouldn't refuse.

Whatever they planned to discuss—joint preparation for war, relocating war refugees—it had nothing to do with him. Let it stay that way.

Seeing Li En accept so readily, Alkaster was surprised.

Delivering the letter carried a faint implication of guarantee—could Li En be so confident that even if something went wrong, the Princess wouldn't blame him?

He had apparently underestimated the connection between this "Lift-Me-Up Knight" and the royal family.

Their first meeting would end here. Though slightly uneasy, it quickly returned to the matter at hand.

"Do this exam. Write as we talk."