The sun had set. Tom had just arrived before the estate he was instructed to come to. The estate was a different and luxurious sight compared to the average home that he lived in. Guards were protecting the estate, some patrolling the perimeter and two at the entrance gate. Walls of stone surrounded the edge of the estate. From the gaps in the gate's bars, he could see the lively and beautiful garden filled with flowers. The house was made of white marble instead of wood, unlike most common dwellings.

Things you can do with mages on your payroll. If only I had such power or money, thought Tom, lamenting his powerlessness to help his son.

He approached the guards at the front, who had stern gazes towards him. Commoners do not linger around the estate without reason, lest they get a scolding or a beating. I’m here for Cecilia. Got a reward waiting for me.”

“…”

The guards have a momentary pause before one of them goes inside. Moments later, the guard returns to the entrance in a hurry.

“Miss Cecilia will see you now. I will bring you to her. Best not to cause any trouble in there. You know what will happen if you do.”

“Heard ya loud and clear.”

On the way to Cecilia, the guard didn’t waste a single breath trying to make small talk. Almost all stationed here were deadly serious in their jobs, understandably so, as they were working.

The trees by the pavement were in perfect order, line by line as if they were rank and file of t, the army. While Tom was observing his environment during his escort to the mage, a voice called out to him.

“Ah. We meet again.”

Standing before him was the red-haired mage from before. Tom hadn’t taken a good look at the mage before besides the red hair. The mage had an attire different from the mercenary mages that he had seen before in his time. Those mages were often shabbily dressed with worn and torn light armour. But this mage wore almost no armour, wearing a peculiar gem necklace shining with faint light.

“Thank you for this morning. I never got your name.”

“It’s Thomas.”

“Well then, it’s time for your reward.”

She inserts her hand into the middle of the air, from which an engraving pops up out of nowhere, followed by a bag of gold.

“P-Please wait a moment.” Said Tom frantically.

“Hmm? What, is the amount, not enough? I haven’t even told you the amount.”

“No, that’s not it. I had a favour to ask of Miss Cecilia. I was hoping you could fulfil my favour instead of the reward money.”

Cecilia stood there for a second, confused.

“Well, alright then. But first, I have to hear what you have to say before I agree to anything.”

“Thank you!”

Tom then told Cecilia about Lucian’s condition, as well as asked her to take a look at him.

“You’re asking for a doctor’s visit? From a mage of all people?” Cecilia rubbed her temples, perplexed after Tom told her the symptoms of Lucian, asking for a cure for whatever ailed him.

“Please, we visited every doctor in town, and none had anything to do for him. Miss Cecilia is my only hope right now.” pleaded Tom.

“Alright, fine, stop saying it like that. It’s making me feel weird.”

Cecilia, after thinking for a while, turned to Tom with a smile.

“You know, no sane commoner would have helped me in that attack. I was quite weakened when those assassins attacked, which made the fight even more dangerous for me. If the assassins had gotten what they wanted, and you somehow escaped after assaulting them, they would not have stopped to end your entire bloodline. Pretty fragile egos if you ask me."

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Then, does that mean…”

“Yes, I’ll take a look at your son. But no promises on whether I can cure him or not.”

Tom was elated at her response. Finally, after two weeks of searching for treatment, he had finally found some hope. He then led Cecilia to his house.

“Who’s this dear?” asked Cassia. Her face had bags under her eyes, as she was worried about the never-decreasing fever of Lucian and hadn’t had a peaceful wink of sleep since his collapse.

“This is Miss Cecilia, the mage. She’s here to see Lucian.”

Hearing the word ‘Mage’ made Cassia widen her eyes with anticipation. All this time, the doctors had nothing for Lucian. Will this time be different, with the presence of a mage? But what did Tom do to get her to help? Whatever questions she had, had to be answered later. Lucian's health came first.

Cassia then hurriedly led the mage to Lucian’s bed. On the bed lay a frail and slightly scrawny boy. After the collapse, the fever had taken a toll on Lucian’s body. What was once a healthy boy of sixteen years old was now an emancipated patient, enveloped with sweat and a pained expression across his face.

“He lost a lot of weight since he fainted two weeks ago. His fever hasn’t gone too.”

“This is…”

The mage had never seen this before. Accounting for all the symptoms Lucian’s family told her, she concluded that this was no ordinary disease.

I’ll have to check his Mana levels, thought Cecilia.

After being seated next to Lucian, Cecilia closed her eyes to concentrate. She placed her hand on Lucian’s chest to channel Mana through his body. As she does this, faint light emanates from her palms and seeps through Lucian’s chest, slowly enveloping his body.

Her hand suddenly jerks back.

What is this? Is this the mana level of a commoner? It shouldn’t be…

He’s showing levels of mana most nobles would beg to have.

What’s the reason for his high fever, then? Is his body adapting to something foreign inside him?

All of these thoughts rushed Cecilia’s mind as she began to analyse Lucian’s condition.

She raised her hand and cast a spell. A blue runic circle formed inches away from Lucian’s body and broke into pieces seconds after, into nothingness.

Possession? No, if he were possessed, the spell would change colour depending on what possessed him. But the spell shouldn’t break unless he really was possessed.

There’s only one thing I can do right now. I’ll have to strengthen his body with mana until I find the reason behind his plight.

Cecilia cast another spell, one that formed a green runic circle. The spell, after being cast, immediately showed results, with Lucian’s pained expression fading and turning to a face filled with serenity.

“Did it work? Is he cured?” Anticipated looks of Cassia targetted Cecilia, who seemed deeply troubled regarding the case of Lucian.

“I wouldn’t say cured. I casted a spell to strengthen his body against physical and spiritual harm. But the spell needs to be casted every week or so. Even then, with continuous usage of the spell, the effects will gradually diminish until we are back to square one.”

“Um, what does that mean? Is he not fine now?”

“What I am saying is that this is not a permanent solution, and if the reason for his condition is not found soon, he’ll be worse off than he is now.”

“No… that can’t be. Is there really no cure for this.”

Cecilia ponders for a moment.

This boy does have a lot of mana. Enough to make me envious. Maybe I should take him under my care. I can make him a fine mage with the mana he has. Having a good mage as a disciple will mean a better portfolio for me.

Countless other logical reasoning filled Cecilia's head due to greed; she had found a gem that could make her more money. And with that, the reason for which she came to a commoner’s home had changed. Changed from curing a boy to fulfilling her ambition and greed.

“Um, excuse me. Miss Cecilia? Miss Cecilia!” Cassia snaps Cecilia back to reality with her words.

“I-I have a solution. It’s not guaranteed to cure his condition. But it’s better than nothing.” Said Cecilia, her mind still on the riches that were yet to come.

“Since he needs my spell every week, I’ll take him under my care as an apprentice.”

“He has the potential to be a mage. By taking him under me, he’ll get better eventually and become a mage. Think about it, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!”

Sensing that Cassia was not convinced, Tom interjected their conversation.

“Can we have a moment to ourselves, please?”

“Sure”

Outside the room, Cassia was still at a loss from Cecilia's proposal.

“Think about this, Cassia. Miss Cecilia here can save our son. You, of all people, should know how much Lucian suffered these past two weeks. Now he has a chance to live again.” Said Tom, trying to reason with Cassia.

“But Tom, how can I not be suspicious of that mage? First of all, we commoners can’t even use magic. And then that mage comes in and tells us that our son is going to be a mage but needs to come with her? I can’t help but think that she might use him for something else that might harm him.”

“I know. Even I can’t believe it. None of our families has had anyone who could use magic. But if we don’t do anything, Lucian might be hurt or worse…”

Cassia looked conflicted. But even she could understand that what was happening was beyond their control. And only that mage had an answer.

After thinking about it for some time, Cassia and Tom returned to Lucian’s room.

“Fine. We have no problem sending him with you. But please, let us see him wake up first.”

Cecilia could hear them speaking outside the room. She was a mage, after all. She felt she might have been insensitive in dealing with Lucian's parents.

“I apologise for the way I behaved earlier. I lost sight of what I came here to do. I’ll make sure that he is cured first and foremost. Whether he becomes a mage or not depends on his choice.”

“…”

Silence filled the room. Now what would happen next would depend on Lucian’s choice.