Chapter 54

“My lord, the stranger you instructed me to watch for has appeared.”

“Just now, a thin young man came to town, bought a loaf of black bread, and has been lingering in the square!”

At dusk, Centurion Laurent arrived in a hurry.

Hearing the report, Gervas’s eyes lit up—he knew his first wizard had finally arrived.

But never underestimate a wizard.

Though they follow a different path from magicians, their spellcasting still requires biological materials such as bones or hair.

They are also those who prefer to walk alone in darkness, crafting terrifying yet potent potions from blood, bones, and fur.

Yet they are indeed among the pioneers who advanced this world’s arcane civilization.

They study the human body’s latent potentials, helping all humans better understand the mechanisms within their own bodies.

The various potions they create accelerate the cultivation and growth of Title Knights.

Even the growth potions used by magicians were invented by them.

Thus, wizards should rightly be called the “biology, medicine, genetics, and genetic engineering” scholars of this otherworld!

Without delay, Gervas set out at once for the town—to find his wizard.

Of course, there was one detail: Gervas rode there on a fierce steed.

From afar, Gervas spotted the wizard apprentice.

Dressed in a linen tunic, wrapped in a cloak and hood, the hood shadowed most of the face.

Notably, though the clothing was worn, it bore none of the slovenliness or filth of a serf—instead, the garments were washed until faded.

Is this the rigor of a wizard?

Yet the wizard apprentice’s condition was dire—she clutched the black bread but could not bring herself to eat it, her body swaying precariously…

…

Isabella was heartbroken; she had endured so much misfortune, and her only wish was to find her homeland and return to her mother’s side.

But that wish was as distant as the stars in the sky.

She knew full well that the Blue Scorpion Venom, made from the blood of the Blue Starfish, left no chance of survival.

The black bread fell to the ground; her body collapsed, powerless. Her gaze fixed on the setting sun—her mother’s gentle face appeared before her eyes.

Isabella slowly smiled, tears tracing her cheeks, as if she had returned six years ago.

That year, Isabella was only eight. Though born to a serf family, she had been cherished by her parents, and every day had been happy.

Until one day, slave hunters attacked the village, killed her father, and abducted her and her mother.

In the end, her mother was sold to a wealthy household, but Isabella, too young, was rejected—so she was taken to the great city.

In that great city, Isabella and several other boys and girls her age caught the eye of a strange man in a black cloak and hood.

Later, they learned he was a wizard.

They became wizard apprentices, traveling endlessly for years, spending almost all their time on the road and gathering materials.

Isabella drifted farther from her mother, yet fortunately, the wizard taught them much knowledge and promised that once they became true wizards, they would gain freedom.

But the path of a wizard apprentice was perilous; after years, of the five or six companions who had been chosen with her, only she and Lina remained.

The master had replaced apprentices again and again—nearly all had met with various accidents.

In the past, Isabella had truly believed those were accidents—until a month ago, when Lina came to her at night, crying, saying she had discovered a secret.

That secret: all the deaths of the apprentices were likely caused by their master—he was using the wizard apprentices to nourish his own body.

Isabella had not believed it at first, thinking Lina had merely had a nightmare.

After all, their master had been both teacher and friend for six years.

Yet three days later, Lina died—reportedly killed by a beast-wolf, leaving only one arm behind.

Only then did Isabella grow wary, beginning to observe her master’s actions at night.

But for three consecutive nights, as darkness fell, Isabella fell into deep sleep.

One night, she might have blamed fatigue—but three nights in a row? That was no coincidence.

Isabella secretly brewed and took an antidote.

That night, she did not sleep at all.

Then, in the dead of night, she witnessed a horrifying sight: the master had selected an apprentice who had followed him for a year, connecting their bodies with a special tube and needle.

The apprentice’s blood was drained, flowing into the master’s body.

After finishing, the master entered the tent where Isabella and the other apprentices slept, stared at her for a long time, and whispered, “Almost there… almost there. The third-star bottleneck is near. When it breaks, you’ll be the perfect nourishment—I’ll surely ascend to High Wizard!”

Isabella fled!

Because besides Lina, she was now the only third-star wizard apprentice left beside the master.

So the “nourishment” he spoke of must be her.

She wanted to live—to see her mother once more.

After countless dangers, Isabella finally reached the border; once she entered the chaotic Chaos Wastes, the master would never find her.

But she had been naive—her master had long ago planted poison within every wizard apprentice.

Each month, he gave them a pill, claiming it aided cultivation—but in truth, it suppressed the Blue Scorpion Venom’s outbreak.

“Mother… I miss you so much…”

“My lord, she’s been poisoned!”

Isabella’s consciousness began to fade—when suddenly, a voice reached her ears.

“Give her this Tuberose Antidote!”

“This… my lord, she’s just a serf—this antidote costs a gold coin!”

“Laurent, in my Storm Domain, I will not allow anyone to turn away from the dying. In this perilous land of death, only by uniting can our kind overcome monsters and aliens!”

“Yes, my lord!”

Soon after, Isabella felt a potion being poured into her mouth.

With a faint warmth, her consciousness sharpened slightly—and she saw the lord’s face.

Young, handsome, kind-hearted—but…

“N-no use… I… I’ve been poisoned by Blue Scorpion Venom… thank you…”

To meet such a kind person—a noble—at the brink of death brought Isabella a sliver of comfort.

“Blue Scorpion Venom? Strong? My Tuberose Antidote can neutralize even a second-rank serpent’s venom!”

“Blue Scorpion Venom is equivalent to a sixth-rank poison—unless… unless it’s unicorn…”

“Unicorn?” Gervas’s eyes brightened—he no longer needed to feign ignorance and recite the legend of the unicorn.

“Y-yes… thank you, noble… I…” Before she could finish, Isabella fainted completely.