Apolo woke up and looked at the ceiling of his new carriage. Currently, the young noble was embarking on a journey to the Ring City. The purpose of the young man's trip was to go to the store where he could buy the creatures recommended by his ancestor; at this point, that purchase was the most important thing in Apolo's life. After what happened at the Ministry of Magic, Apolo was determined to regain his ancestors' blessing : he didn't want any more trouble!

However, before going to the store of beasts and creatures, the young noble had to visit a clothing store to purchase attire suitable for a wizard. According to his ancestor's letter, if he didn't wear wizard clothing, the creature would become depressed. Therefore, for Apolo, it was crucial to make a good first impression on the creatures. To achieve that, it was essential to see them for the first time dressed as a true wizard.

Upon waking up, Apolo looked out of the carriage window and observed how the residents of Ring City were coming and going on the streets, dealing with the "problems" of their busy lives, problems that seemed insignificant in his eyes. But they were important problems for these people, or else they wouldn't bother to look at the faces of the people they crossed paths with on the street. The truth was that during this entire year living in the capital, Apolo had not traveled to Ring City on any occasion, so he still found it fascinating to watch the endless swarm of people aimlessly navigating the streets of this city.

—Are we there yet?—Apolo asked aloud, the magical question that every adventurer tends to ask at least once on every journey.

—We've arrived; I'm looking for a place to park the carriage!—Mateo shouted from the driver's seat.

—Alright, stop then. I'll go into the store, and I'll find where you've parked later!—Apolo ordered from inside the carriage.

—As you wish, sir!—Mateo responded, stopping the carriage at the first opportunity.

Apolo stepped out of the carriage and watched as all the people around him stopped to look at him. It seemed his height was quite striking, or perhaps it was because his carriage was the largest on the street. In any case, all passersby observed Apolo with curiosity, making the young man somewhat nervous.

Apolo didn't waste time posing for the onlookers, and to maintain good manners, he ran like a madman toward the clothing store. The store wasn't particularly large and looked like an ordinary shop, except for the display window showing several mannequins moving and constantly posing in flashy outfits. The only indication of a name was an unusually small sign on the store's door, which read:

> "Lionel's Fashion Store, Do Not Touch the Tailor."

To enter, Apolo had to duck his head and squeeze through the store's door. Upon entering, the young noble immediately noticed that, to his dismay, the store's rooms were not as tall as those in his spacious mansion. So, he was somewhat uncomfortable and had to constantly watch for decorations on the ceiling to avoid hitting his head.

—Hello, nice to meet you. My name is Lionel of the Joyful Lands, and I'm the tailor of this shop—greeted the tailor, moving his hand from a distance, trying to maintain some distance between his body and the customer's—Who are you?

Apolo looked Lionel up and down. He was a man of no more than 40, quite plump but dressed glamorously, making his plumpness look aesthetically pleasing. Furthermore, the tailor wore flashy white gloves on his hands and a veil on his face, so his skin was entirely covered, and only the outline of his body was visible.

—I'm Apolo from the Black Forest—commented the young man, looking curiously around the store—Isn't this store a bit small for someone from the Joyful Lands family? Your family is known for splurging on crystals.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

The Joyful Lands family, like Apolo's, was one of the main noble families of high class in the empire. Their main title was the Duchy of the Joyful Lands, which could also be called the Reign of the Joyful Lands since, as mentioned earlier, this family was one of the realms under the "rule" of the emperor.

The main reason they were a family to be feared was that they managed the largest portion of fertile land in the empire. This, coupled with years of good management, had made their realm the most populous and prosperous in the empire. Consequently, in terms of numbers, their military power was one of the most considerable. However, the nobles of the Joyful Lands family had never engaged in any combat, which was one of their major peculiarities. The Joyful Lands family was extremely pacifist, always striving to keep the empire away from wars and only participating in defensive wars. This had caused conflicts between this family and Apolo's, but their relations were not bad; they were neutral or indifferent.

—Well, you're right; my store is somewhat small. But for the discerning eye, it's a rare treasure in these times!—Lionel exclaimed energetically. Unfortunately, his face was hidden, so it was somewhat challenging to determine if Apolo's comment had offended him or not—Besides that, what brings you here? Are you looking for decorative armor?

—No, I'm looking for wizarding clothing, and it has to be traditional—Apolo replied cautiously, not wanting any trouble on this matter—The garments have to be identical to those worn 300 or 100 years ago.

—That's quite unspecific...—Lionel muttered, stroking his chin—I suppose you don't know much about fashion, or am I wrong?

—A little more than you might think...—Apolo replied, remembering that he had folded more clothes than he'd like to admit, although that wasn't precisely an indicator of knowing about fashion.

—Fashion in the empire has changed a lot over time, and it's changing even faster, especially in the capital. It's quite challenging to figure out what you're looking for because there have been several styles dominating the world of wizard fashion over the decades.

—Isn't it just a robe and that's it?—Apolo asked with doubts.

—No, what the protocol of the honorary wizard title dictates is that all clothing must be black, just as for acolytes, all clothing must be white—Lionel corrected immediately—And it's strictly prohibited to wear blue or red clothing. The current fashion is robes, and it has been for almost 100 years, but in the past, other garments were used.

—Why not red or blue?—Apolo asked curiously.

—Blue clothing is used on the day an archmage dies, while red attire is exclusively worn on the day after a wizard successfully becomes an archmage—Lionel replied—As you can see, the title of archmage is quite old, so the protocol is very strict, and wizards tend to adhere to it rigorously.

—Is that so?—Apolo asked, astonished.

—You're a wizard; you should be explaining to me what the archmage title means!—Lionel scolded, not caring much about basic manners.

—It's something I became recently...—Apolo whispered, somewhat embarrassed.

—"Ignorant people in important positions cause problems"—Lionel murmured, as if quoting a saying he frequently used—In any case, this title is known by almost everyone because, as I mentioned, it's ancient, and the emperor is obligated to grant lands to whoever obtains it.

—Really? But ultimately, they can't have children, so it's a somewhat foolish tradition: it's just lending a bit of land for a few years and then it goes back to the emperor—Apolo noted, realizing the problem.

—They don't need them; an archmage is a wizard who managed to extend his life. So, if he maintains his method, he lives until he gets bored—Lionel explained calmly while closely examining Apolo's body, trying to imagine what clothes would look good on him—Although, in part, you're right: the reason it's considered an honorary title and not an official one is that, as you mentioned, the lands aren't inheritable, and neither is the title.

—By my ancestors, are you telling me they're immortal?!—Apolo exclaimed, impressed by this discovery.

—Then why would there be color protocols for when they die? Clearly, if you cut the throat of an archmage, they die just like most people—Lionel responded, stroking his chin—Moreover, the condition is a bit simpler than being immortal; it's just extending life once, not infinitely... But getting back to our topic, I think I have some somewhat old catalogs about the evolution of wizard fashion; we could look at them and see which of all the models meets your requirements.

—Let's do that...—Apolo said energetically, but in his mind, the young noble was worried, reflecting for the second time on why his ancestor had emphasized that being a wizard was a struggle against time.