Chapter 13 Sleeping Curse¹ (1)

“Teacher, I’ve finished reading the notebook,” Lynn returned the notebook to Angley.

Perhaps tired from meditation, Angley wasn’t continuing his meditation right now— instead, he had pulled out a magic book with a purple cover and was engrossed in reading.

As for why it was a magic book, it was because the cover of this book actually emitted a faint glow!

Lynn stole glances at it seven times to make sure it wasn’t his imagination.

Angley sipped his milk nonchalantly, then reached out to take the notebook from Lynn’s hand and stowed it back inside his ring.

Then, Angley raised his right hand, and his fingertip emitted a faint purple light.

The purple light formed ripples, swiftly spreading to cover the entire compartment.

Lynn looked around, nothing seemed to have changed.

Old Kim, sitting in the front, was still driving the carriage as if nothing happened.

“I originally gave you five days, but since you claim to have finished, I will test you. I don’t appreciate dishonest or overly ambitious students,” Angley said in a calm tone.

“As a wizard, even as an apprentice, you must learn to be grounded. I’ve seen too many rash apprentices lose their lives due to various accidents. If you’re as foolish as they are, I may consider getting a new student.”

“I’ll ask you one last time, are you sure you remember everything in there?” Angley looked at Lynn and asked slowly.

“I remember everything,” Lynn said sincerely. He had noticed that he had undergone some changes since the last time that door opened and poured knowledge into him.

He now possessed an eidetic memory, only needing to read something once to remember it completely. This enhancement was insane, much more exaggerated than the memory boost he got from improving his mental power.

Without exaggeration, his memory was now comparable to that of a human printer.

But this change was a good thing, making his learning process significantly easier.

“Then I’ll test you on a few points of knowledge.” Angley closed the magic book in his hand, his expression solemn.

He asked several questions consecutively.

Some were merely inconspicuous terms from a passage, while others were crucial points of certain knowledge.

However, Lynn answered all of them accurately, even without much thought.

Lynn was being questioned by Angley about the contents recorded in the notebook.

For Lynn, who had already memorized all the contents, these questions weren’t difficult to answer.

This was because Angley was inquiring about the points of knowledge from the notebook.

After correctly answering all five questions that Angley asked, he nodded in satisfaction. “It seems you are even more suitable to become a wizard than I imagined. Your memory is quite impressive, which is good.”

“I’ll ask you one more question, and if your answer pleases me, I’ll give you an additional reward,” Angley said.

“And this spell is a reward for your honesty.” Angley’s ring flashed in his hand.

The next moment, a black book appeared in Angley’s hand.

On the book cover were words written in silver-white.

These words weren’t any language he recognized, but as soon as Lynn saw this script, he understood the meaning of those words— “Sleeping Curse.”

“Thank you, teacher.” Lynn received the book that Angley handed over with both hands. The book containing the Sleeping Curse was weighty, and its thickness wasn’t negligible. Why was it so thick! Wasn’t learning a spell supposed to be recorded on a simple parchment scroll?

At this moment, Lynn suddenly had a faint premonition that being a wizard, this extraordinary occupation, seemed to be equated with intense effort.

And powerful wizards = masters of effort!

He had witnessed the might of this spell. When Lauren, who was quite irritable upon waking up, was hit with a Sleeping Curse, he slept like a log.

“You’ve gone through the notes— you should know what mutation studies are. So, tell me, why do many wizards choose to extract the mutations from monsters? Why don’t we induce mutations in humans?” Angley asked.

“Because wizards need rationality? Inducing mutations directly in humans might affect the wizards’ rationality?” After some consideration, Lynn, through his understanding during this period, knew that wizards were beings pursuing the truth and striving for excellence, and naturally, they wouldn’t allow chaotic thinking to affect their rationality.

Lynn tentatively voiced his answer. “Is it because inducing mutations in humans might make wizards lose their rationality?”

“No, since it’s mutations, there’s not just the possibility of malign mutations, but also benign ones,” Angley smiled slightly, a somewhat eerie expression on his face.

“The reason for this prohibition is that it’s a fundamental rule of the Order of Wizards’ Council. It forbids wizards from directly conducting research on self-induced mutations. Wizards can alter themselves, transplant bloodlines, explore various transmutation rituals, but they are explicitly prohibited from initiating research on pure humans for mutations.”

The Order of Wizards’ Council?

This was the first time Lynn had heard about this entity.

But where there’s order, there must certainly be opposition. Angley smiled, not meaning to delve further into this topic.

“However, your answer satisfies me. It seems you understand an essential aspect of being a wizard— rationality.” Angley smiled.

Then, his ring flashed, and the next moment, a notebook appeared in his palm.

“Take this to read.”

This notebook was similar to the one Lynn had just returned to Angley.

No wonder, when Lynn finished going through the first notebook, he found its contents incomplete, and the knowledge on it was also fragmented.

Many parts were far from comprehensive— he felt there was much more to learn.

As expected, teacher Angley’s series of notebooks wouldn’t be limited to just one.

It was unknown if there would be a third notebook after finishing the second one, but it was quite likely.

After concluding the conversation with the teacher, Lynn noticed that Old Kim at the front of the carriage, who was driving the horses, had no reaction whatsoever to the conversation between Lynn and teacher Angley, as if he hadn’t heard any of the voices from behind.

This was probably related to the spell the teacher had just cast.

***

Bangor Port.

On the salty and damp seaside, a row of low houses stood.

With several expansions over the past years, this seaside city of Bangor had grown increasingly large.

However, the houses that had been closest to the sea were gradually becoming uninhabited.

The constant sea breeze, coupled with moisture and the immersion of seawater, made these houses by the sea damp and cold at night.

Even the healthiest individuals living here for an extended period would find themselves plagued by ailments.

The locals rarely resided here anymore, having relocated to places further inland. However, the constant influx of outsiders into Bangor Port had caused property prices to skyrocket.

Thus, these coastal houses were repurposed by the locals. After simple renovations, they became living quarters for financially struggling newcomers.

Despite the dampness and cold, the prices were affordable— just 5 silver coins a month could secure a small single room fit for a family of three.

In a damp and chilly corner of one such room, a small stove was lit. Vapor billowed from the kettle on the stove’s edge.

The lid clanged as a girl of eight or nine years old, using a towel as a makeshift glove, carefully lifted the boiling water and poured it into a basin already filled with lukewarm water. She let the towel soak in the water for a while, then wrung it out, her small hands reddened from the heat.

With quick steps, she reached the bedside, placing the towel on a woman’s forehead.

The woman opened her eyes, her pallid face radiating affection. “Eva, you should take a break.”

The girl merely shook her head, earnestly saying, “Both Dad and my big brother are out working. I need to take care of Mom at home.”

Hearing Eva’s mature words, the woman’s face was a mixture of heartache and self-blame.

She was heartbroken that at such a young, innocent age, her daughter was already showing such maturity. Yet, she blamed herself for falling ill and making her young daughter care for her.

“Mom, I miss big brother,” Eva pouted suddenly, reminded of how her older brother had taken care of her when she had a cold.

Anika extended her arm from under the blanket and embraced her daughter, her face full of sorrow.

How could she not yearn for her eldest son?

However, on their escape journey, that monster suddenly burst out from the roadside and scattered the refugee caravan.

In the chaos, she had only managed to grab her little daughter’s hand.

By the time she regained her senses, her eldest son had vanished without a trace.

She and her husband searched in the same spot the entire day but found no sign of their eldest son.

Ultimately, they had no choice but to continue following the refugee caravan southward with their second son and little daughter.

In countless nights, she had often seen, as if in a trance, the figure appearing by her bedside. Yet, each time she reached out, all she grasped was an illusion.

How fervently she wished the gods could hear her prayers and bring her son back to her side.

Anika released her grip, her left hand catching hold of her daughter’s arm. She studied her daughter’s face, raising her arm to wipe away the tears at the corner of her eye.

“Eva, you’re a big girl now. Be strong and don’t cry.”

“But Mom, you’re crying too,” Eva said.

“I’m not sad, Eva. I’m happy that you’re taking care of Mom,” Anika replied.

“Mom, we’re almost out of water at home. I’ll go get some from outside,” Eva said.

“Don’t go out,” Anika suddenly sounded stern, her tone becoming firm. “Stay inside and don’t go out.”

Anika suddenly grasped Eva’s hand and pulled her into an embrace.

With one hand, the woman held her daughter’s head against her, while the other arm encircled her waist.

Her eyes were fixed on the direction of the window.

Outside the frosted glass window, a blurred silhouette stood just beyond the pane.

——

1. TL/N: Sleeping Curse, a zero-ring spell was changed from Sleep Incantation. It was first mentioned in chapter 3. ↩︎

If you’re enjoying this and would like to show support, please consider buying me a coffee, your kind support and generosity really means a lot to me! Thank you~
KO-FI