I was an apprentice in Ferren

Chapter 228 The beginning of school season
Under the starlight that seemed like a dream, even someone as composed as DuPont couldn't help but feel a little guilty when faced with his mentor's questions.

Although his and the others' identities were completely innocent, and at most there was only a little physical friction, he was able to successfully become an apprentice and be exempt from the apprentice tax thanks to Deva's connections. Otherwise, he would have had to pay a lot more money unnecessarily.

Now, he's even more indebted to those who feed him. The essence of the World Tree is priceless and unavailable, a top-tier divine object that even money can't guarantee you'll get. If it weren't for his mentor's connection, how could he possibly reap such benefits even if he stepped in?
At most, someone like that bastard Lavoisier would wage war against the Drow in his own name and then throw down 10,000 gold coins to get rid of him.

So how should we put this?

After a few seconds of contemplation, as if the air itself had frozen, DuPont decided to tell the truth: "Well, we have a deal."

DuPont revealed that Moonflower had asked him to be her fake boyfriend, and the female mage immediately sneered: "Heh, I didn't expect someone as smart as you to make such a mistake. No matter how much the Elven Empire has declined, it is still a top power in Faerûn. Its current predicament is more about the inability to unite its internal forces."

"Furthermore, the Moonflower family, being a royal family, currently has eight children. Regardless of gender, each of them is essentially born with a price tag, making the internal competition even fiercer than in our Harua. You dare to get involved in such a vortex? You really aren't afraid of death."

DuPont looked like he was about to cry: "I didn't think that much about it, not to mention she gave me way too much."

Looking at the ring on DuPont's hand and the leather boots on his feet, Veronica thought for a moment and felt deflated.

That's definitely too much...
“Forget it, do what you're paid for. Calculate your value and offset this, then make your escape. 100,000 gold coins can't buy a great mage's entire life.” Veronica shook her head: “I'm just reminding you that even though this Moonflower looks young, she's actually over 100 years old and her mind is far more cunning than yours.”

"Not to mention, given her royal upbringing, she's unlikely to look so innocent and pure. She might be full of wicked schemes, just not using them yet. You absolutely need to be wary of her in this regard. But these are things you young people need to consider. Anyway, if you get struck on the head by the Holy Slash one day, you'll probably behave yourself."

DuPont: "."

This does seem to be a problem; it seems I absolutely cannot let my physical condition go unchecked.

DuPont was taking classes here, while Moonflower, who had been invited to stay in the guest room, leaned against the wall and read by the moonlight. However, Jona, who was on duty, was a little unhappy: "Your Highness, DuPont is too fickle. He has already accepted the token and agreed to the verbal agreement, but now he is just going around to his little girlfriend."

"Don't talk nonsense. He doesn't have a girlfriend. Am I fake too?" Yuehua smiled calmly. "With his youthful mindset, he wouldn't care about women. Back in Nas City, he was more interested in sword practice and those monster encyclopedias. You could say that as long as you don't take the initiative, I don't think it will be easy to break through this barrier."

"Does that mean we're destined to lose money in this deal?"

"What are you talking about? True, stable relationships are never about love at first sight. Habits are the hardest emotions to let go of, which is why we've been constantly on the move." The Moon Elf gently turned the pages of the book.

"Besides, no investment is guaranteed to make money without any losses, and relationships are even more of a gamble—you either win everything or lose everything. Even if it's not romantic love, being willing to give your all for something you like is quite common, isn't it? Xiaowei, you'll never meet a good man if you're so timid!"

Jona blinked, looking a little confused. "I don't care. What happened between us is just part of my life, and it won't have much of an impact on me in the future. But Your Highness, it's different. What if there's any gossip?"

"Originally, I came to Faerun not only to find a way to change the stagnant waters of Evergrande Island, but also to get away from those endless filthy affairs. After leaving there, whether it is a so-called princess or a prince, it has become a title instead of a position. Although it can bring some privileges, as long as Evergrande Island's strength reaches that level, it will be nothing but a mirage."

Moonflower gently stroked the maid's face, her eyes filled with pity: "Don't worry too much about me. This paladin isn't very scheming and is easy to get along with. If she were really my only enemy, things would be much easier."

"Huh?" Jona blinked. "Then Your Highness, do you have other enemies?"

“If it really is her, then it’s hard to say.” A complicated look flashed in Moonflower’s eyes. “I also hope it’s not, but who knows? Alright, don’t think too much. When Dupont is going to practice his sword tomorrow, you guys be prepared and teach him as much of the Elven sword techniques you know as possible.”

"Ah?" Jona was somewhat surprised. "But Your Highness, our elven combat techniques are closely guarded secrets. What if the head maid finds out..."

"What's wrong with one of us learning? If there are any problems, she can just come to me." Yuehua said nonchalantly. These days, what secret techniques are there that are not passed down? Even if you find the right master and pay thousands of dollars, you can still learn those techniques that change the warrior's ecological niche. But even if you learn them, you'll still be stuck in front as a meat shield.

At best, he's just a meat shield with some explosive power, but his hiring cost is increasing.

For the next month and a half, DuPont stayed obediently in the Mage Tower, and before he knew it, the start of the school year was approaching.

Veronica gave him the Advanced Invisibility spell module the next day and left. Dupont basically spent his mornings discussing elven combat tactics with the elves, studying spells from 9 am to 3 pm, practicing the Nine Swords in the afternoon and fishing, stargazing for two hours in the evening and refining a magical skill, and occasionally accompanying Deva or Moonflower to the beach to press the sand and catch fish and shrimp. His days were quite fulfilling.

With the acquisition of the Acceleration and Dispel spells from the old spell system, DuPont has successfully become a level 6 mage, bringing his total level to 14.

After becoming a level six mage, DuPont felt that learning third-circle spells was much easier, and he was more comfortable using magic.

However, the Advanced Invisibility spell, which is so powerful that it cannot be broken even when cast, is too tempting. He plans to learn this spell first after he learns Avoidance Detection.

He also gained two new specializations and several new melee techniques.

Elven Weapon Mastery: You can skillfully use elven weapons, such as rapiers, longswords, longbows (including compound longbows), shortbows, and elven curved blades, with an increased hit rate of one when using them.

Spell Combat: You have learned the tactics of casting spells and using weapons simultaneously.

Note: You have learned to cast spells with one hand in combat. During this process, one hand must be free, while the other hand wields a light or one-handed melee weapon. Under these conditions, you can perform all attacks with your weapon while being at a slight disadvantage, and simultaneously cast spells from your spell list that have a casting time of one standard action.

Simply put, DuPont can now cast spells while slashing people, but one hand must be free and holding a light weapon.

His two-handed greatswords don't fall into this category, but a two-handed greatsword like the Elven Curved Blade would be suitable, or his Eastern longsword could also be used in this way.

Although, based on DuPont's current combat training, the probability of him hitting the two maids with his sword while simultaneously attacking and casting spells was practically zero, this technique was taught to him by the two sisters, and their understanding of the profession was undoubtedly deeper than his. This should make it much easier to launch a surprise attack on other enemies. In his training with Deva, his footwork and sword coordination in combat had improved somewhat, but he still couldn't quite replicate Deva's steady and methodical swordsmanship.

“Perhaps it’s just your nature. After all, you’re still a little barbarian. How could you possibly learn the fighting techniques of a paladin?” Moonflower, still holding her book on the training field, smiled slightly at the somewhat discouraged Deva. “Just like some people will never become paladins. It’s a person’s nature, and you can’t force it.”

"Hmph." Deva sheathed her sword after hearing this, but did not argue about this point.

Professionals vary in ability, but the most powerful in terms of overall ability is undoubtedly the mage, followed by the priest and paladin.

But everyone's talents and nature are different, just like a pair of beautiful crystal shoes: as long as you wear them, you will be elegant and beautiful, attracting everyone's attention, but if they are not suitable, they are not suitable. If you force yourself to wear them, do you really have to cut off your toes?

That's a ridiculous statement. Even in the old days, there were legendary warriors and thieves, seemingly insignificant professions, who changed the course of history. You could say that the path that suits you best is the best path.

DuPont already knows so many different things, yet he can't find a way to make him a paladin, which still makes Deva a little resentful.

Even though this guy's main job is still a mage, if the two of them become paladins in the future, there will naturally be fewer disagreements when doing things, and they will also have a bit more prestige. Just thinking about it makes me a little excited.

Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned.
"School's about to start, are you going back to Northwest College to report first?" Deva looked at DuPont. Her position had been transferred to the old capital, but compared to before, she was only a team leader-level administrative officer.

Although the old capital is not as prosperous as before, it is still deeply rooted. Given her previous experience as acting captain, it would be procedurally impossible for her to take direct power here.

Although it wouldn't be difficult for her to transfer the job based on her connections, Deva gave up on that option.

After being criticized by her mother once, Deva thought about it carefully and realized that it made a lot of sense. She realized that improving her Paladin level, gaining more experience and legal knowledge was the foundation for her to do great things in the future.

Even if this lowly guard captain eventually rises to the top, even if he becomes the head of Yalach's guards, if he lacks competence and problem-solving skills, he will end up having to publicly apologize and resign in the National Assembly. Wouldn't that be incredibly shameful?
Even for the sake of my mother, I can't be so shameful!

"Probably. It's quite rare that the master became the dean of the Yarach Magic Academy and also served as the dean of the Northwest Academy." DuPont scattered the newspapers, and the headline on the front page featured Lavoisier's dead fish eyes.

Even Moonflower was quite surprised by this: "Such favor is truly unprecedented in Harua's history. I'm afraid it will block the path to wealth for many people. This morning at the tavern, I heard people discussing whether to make him a vice-speaker as well, and make him a candidate for speaker along with Zarason in the future."

“Zarason has been the vice-speaker for hundreds of years.” Deva shook her head. Her great-grandfather was not involved in affairs, but this person was the most powerful person in the council. Even if she didn’t know much about politics, this person should not be touched. “It should just be a rumor.”

“After all, there are a lot of people who enjoy watching the drama and don’t want things to get out of hand these days.” DuPont said, turning to the second page of the newspaper: “Look, there’s a new reason for this disturbance.”

"Hey?"
-
The turmoil in the colleges has gradually subsided after Parliament implemented policies allowing apprentices to defer payments and take out loans.

The apprentices finally felt relieved and managed to make ends meet by paying off their small loans each month. However, the problem was that many of the unaffiliated mage apprentices and silver-ranked mages refused to continue.

Because the Deputy Minister of Finance, Moti, has not been found, it is clear that the mage subsidy cannot be paid in the short term. The original benefits are gone, but money still has to be paid. Where can one go to seek justice?

The college's loans are only issued to students, so those who have graduated have to pay out of their own pockets. It's not so bad for single men who have jobs but haven't started a family, but many families who have married and have children and whose members depend on the income of a single mage are suddenly terrified when faced with a purchase of hundreds or even thousands of gold coins.

A formal mage only receives a subsidy of 600 gold per year, but a level 6 mage has to pay 1000 directly. These ordinary mages who have just graduated may not have finished paying off their student loans yet, so where would they find the money?

Not everyone is capable of teaching at a mage academy. Aside from apprentices, the majority of formal mages are those whose highest-level spell they can cast in their lifetime is Fireball.

Honest people copy scrolls to sell for money, daring people become adventurers hoping to earn money while improving their strength, and those with exceptional courage consider whether to follow in the footsteps of the apprentices.

"If the apprentices can cause trouble, why can't we?" Under the cover of night, several familiar mages gathered together: "We are of higher status and stronger than the apprentices. When the time comes, let alone low-interest loans, we should also receive the subsidies that we are entitled to."

"Exactly! If a corrupt official runs away with the money this year and we don't get paid, and then another corrupt official comes along next year and we still don't get paid, how are we supposed to live? All these years of enduring humiliation and working hard to copy exam papers, and in the end we're not even as good as an ordinary professional. Haven't we wasted all these years?"

Everyone felt a pang of sympathy upon hearing this. One of them thought for a moment and whispered, "But I heard that the Desert Academy's protest was badly beaten, and several of the leading apprentices are still locked up inside. We have wives and children here; can we really afford to gamble like this?"

"We can't afford to gamble, but we can't let this council manipulate us like this. If they think of one way to get money today, they can think of another way to make money tomorrow. They don't give us the money that is due. Even the fattest sheep will be fleeced like this!"

The group nodded in agreement. Those who were about to graduate couldn't possibly be so clueless as to not understand this simple logic: "So what should we do? We're all adults now, not students. If we cause trouble, we'll definitely get a severe beating. If we can avoid being the first to stick our necks out, we absolutely shouldn't be."

Everyone was quite troubled after hearing this, until Mikhail suddenly clapped his hands and said, "Hey, if we can't do it, we can let someone else do it!"

"Huh?" Everyone looked at him: "Who can we ask for this kind of thing? We might get beaten up or even go to jail. We're too small to pay back much money by sewing."

“Byrd, haven’t you always said your woman is a shrew? Let her take our wives and cause trouble.” Mikhail covered his mouth, as if to prevent others from hearing his words: “Students have youth as a shield, and women are generally the weaker party. If we lose money, their lives will be worse. Letting them cause trouble is just right. Anyway, spitting and cursing at the city hall isn’t violent. Would those guards dare to hit women?”

"You can do that?" Bird exclaimed in shock. "What if they really fight?"

“If we really fight, we’ll have an excuse to fight back. Fireball isn’t something to be trifled with.” Mikhail sneered. “So many people are unhappy about being paid. I don’t believe the council can send all the dissenters to their deaths!”

(End of this chapter)